"Is she ready?" asked the girls eagerly.
"As ready as I can make her," said Andy. "Now you girls must go and get all the rugs, and Tom and I will get the food from where we buried it under the sand, at the top of our own beach by the shack. Well pile in everything we can, push her out into the water arid sail off! Golly, I never thought we'd be able to do this!"
The four of them set off to fetch everything. They felt cheerful and excited. It might take them ages to get home—but at last they were going to leave these strange unknown islands safely, and take their secret with them!
The girls gathered up the rugs. The boys tied the tins and boxes together and staggered over the island with their heavy load, back to the boat again.
It was difficult climbing down the cliff so heavily-laden, but they managed it safely. The girls threw down the rugs on the deck, and the boys packed the food into the cabin. Now they could go!
"Wait a bit—we'll take the old sail with us," said Andy. "I could rig it again, and it would help us."
He set off to get the sail—and then he suddenly stopped and looked down on the beach. There, by his foot, lay something that greatly astonished him.
"What is it, Andy?" called Tom, seeing Andy's-puzzled face.
"Look at this," said Andy, picking up a dry. clean match, that had already been struck.
"What about it? It's only a match," said Tom.