“Good lad,” said Jack. “Come on in. We haven’t any time to lose. Tell us about the boat. How far away was it?”
As Jack and Mike rowed their boat away from the island, away to the mainland, Paul told them all he had seen, which wasn’t very much. “I couldn’t see who the men were, but they looked as if they might be Mr. Diaz and Luiz,” he said. “Oh, Jack - I don’t want to be caught and kept a prisoner again. It is so lovely being with you.”
“Don’t you worry,” said Jack, pulling hard at the oars. “We’ll look after you all right, if we have to stuff you down a rabbit-hole and pile bracken over it to hide you!”
That made them all laugh, and Paul felt better. The boys were pulling across to the mainland swiftly, hoping to reach it before the other boat could possibly catch any sight of them. The island was between them and the strange boat, but it might happen that the two men rowed round it and would then see the children’s boat.
They reached the mainland safely. Jack chose a very wooded part, and rowed the boat in right under some overhanging trees, where it could not possibly be seen. Then he and the others got out.
“I’d better climb a high tree and see if I can possibly see what’s going on the island opposite us,” said Jack.
“I’ll climb one too,” said Mike. “I’d like to watch as well. Come on, Paul, would you like to climb one too?”
“No, thank you,” said Paul, who didn’t like climbing trees any more than he liked bathing.
“Well, you stay behind and look after the girls,” said Jack. Paul was pleased with that. It made him feel important.
But the girls didn’t want much looking after! They wanted to climb trees too! However, they busied themselves in looking for a clear space to picnic in.