"So! There are four of you—and all children! This is the boy who escaped—ah, you thought you were very clever, didn't you!"
"I did, rather," said Tom boldly. He felt frightened—but he wasn't going to show it! No—he was and these men shouldn't think they could sc
"You took your boat off the rocks, and thought you would escape safely, didn't you?" said the man mockingly. "Well, you made a mistake. We shall now take the boat away—and you shall remain prisoners on this island for as long as we want you to! Take out the food and the blankets again. You will need those if you live here for months!"
The children sulkily took out all the food and rugs they had so cheerfully put into the boat. Tom was glad to see that neither Jill nor Mary cried. Good! That would show the enemy how brave British children could be!
"Now we are going," said the man who spoke English. He gave a rapid order to the other men, who ran off round the cliff and then reappeared in a small boat, bobbing on the waves. It was plain that they had landed round the cliff, watched the children, and then come to catch them.
Andy and the others had to watch the men drag their ship down to the sea and launch it. They had tied their little rowing-boat behind it, and now waving mockingly to the children, they made their way over the water, round the cliff, and out of sight, rowing! Andy's boat along swiftly.
The children watched them go, anger and despair in their hearts All their work for nothing! How they had battled with the sea that morning—how they had slaved to get that boat right! And now they had all been discovered, their boat had been taken, and they were real prisoners.
Andy shook his fist at the disappearing ship, with the small boat bobbing behind it.
"You think you can beat a Scots boy, but you can't," he cried. "I'll beat you yet! You and your submarines!"
Wearily the children gathered up the old rugs and all the food and made their way up the cliff, across the island and back to their shack They packed the food on the floor in a corner and threw the rugs on the beds.