"All right. We'll come along now then," said Jill, getting up. They took one last peep at the submarine bay and another at the boat-cove. Then they made their way very cautiously back to the tiny beach where they had hidden their boat.
It was still there, beautifully draped with seaweed. Nobody had discovered it! The children dragged it down to the waves and jumped into it. Andy pushed it out.
They took turns at rowing. They were half-way round the second island, on the coast opposite to the one where the store-cave was, when a dreadful thing happened.
The seaplane chose that minute to leave the water by the. second island and to rise into the air, ready to fly off!
The children had no time to rush their boat into shore and hide. They were out on the sea, clearly to be seen!
"Crouch down flat in the boat, so that the pilot may perhaps think there's nobody in it," ordered Andy. They shipped the oars quickly and crouched down. The seaplane rose up high, and the children hardly dared to breathe. They did so hope it would fly off without noticing them.
But it suddenly altered its course and began to circle round, coming down lower. It flew down low enough to examine the boat, and then, rising high, flew over the third island, and then flew down to the submarine bay.
Andy sat up, his face rather pale under its brown.
"That's done it," he said. "They saw us! Now they'll count their boats—find there's one missing—and come to look for us!"