"Well, there simply isn't any on this island," said Tom. "So we must hope we won't be discovered."
Nothing more happened that day. No seaplane came to the calm harbour in the waters of the second island. No sound but the sea-gulls came through the air. It was a lovely day and the children enjoyed themselves bathing and sunning their brown bodies.
Thanks to the store of food they had discovered on the second island they had plenty to eat. Andy caught some nice little fish, and Jill fried them in tine tinned butter. They were delicious. Now that they had tinned mule-powder they could make a milk-mixture and use it with their tea or cocoa, and could also sweeten their drinks with the sugar they had brought.
"We are really very well off now!" said Tom, who as usual was thoroughly enjoying his meal. "we'll take another exciting lot of tins away from the Round Cave next time—I saw some baked beans in tomato sauce. I should like those."
The children took turns at keeping watch on the second island from the rocky ledge. But nothing was to be seen at all. They went to bed early because the boys would have rather a hard and long day the next day.
"We shall have to clamber over that line of rocks first," said Andy. "And then we must cross the island and swim to the third one. We shall have to be back on the second island in time to clamber over the rocks at the next low tide. You girls mustn't worry about us. We shall be back all right."
"I do wish we were going too," said Jill. "Don't you think Mary and I could climb over the rocks to the second island and wait for you there? It would be more fun for us to play about there than on this bare island. There are lots of bilberries there we could pick—they are lovely and sweet now."
"All right," said Andy. "But just keep a watch for any seaplane arriving. Lie down fiat under a bush or something if you hear one. You mustn't be seen."
"All right," said Mary. "You can trust us to do that."
So the next morning the four children once again climbed over the line of slippery rocks at low tide. The boys had on only their bathing-suits. Andy had tied his oilskin packet safely to his shoulders, and in it was plenty of food for the day. The girls could get what they wanted from the cave.