They had a meal of cooked fish, bread, biscuits, and wild strawberries. Then Mike went up his tree again to watch, and Jack came down and had his share of the meal. It was really rather fun. The children enjoyed their dinner, and wished there was more of it!
“But we must keep the two tins of fruit, and the rest of the bread and biscuits for later on in the day,” said Peggy, putting them safely aside under a bush. “Thank goodness Paul had the brains to bring what he could! We’d only have had the fish to eat if he hadn’t!”
Jack and Mike took it in turns to watch from a tree the rest of the day. They saw no more signs of the two men on the island, but they knew that they had not left, because their boat was still there.
When it began to get dark, and the boys could no longer see clearly from their perches in the trees, Jack wondered what was the best thing to do.
He climbed down and talked to the others. “We’d better have another meal,” he said, “and finish the rest of the food. I’m afraid we shall have to spend the night here.”
“We could sleep in the boat,” said Nora. “That would be more comfortable than the damp ground here. There are two old rugs in the boat too. And Peggy and I have explored a bit and found where a great mass of bracken grows. We could collect it before it’s quite dark, and use that for bedding in the boat! It will be fairly soft for us.”
“Good,” said Jack. “Show us where the bracken is, Nora, and Paul, Mike, and I will carry armfuls to the boat. Peggy, will you get a meal?”
“Right,” said Peggy. It was dark to get a meal under the trees, but the little girl did the best she could. She opened the tins of fruit - Paul had even been sensible enough to snatch up the tin-opener! She cut the rest of the bread into slices, and put two biscuits for every one. That was all there was.
The boys and Nora came back with armfuls of bracken. They set it in the boat. Then they went back to where Peggy was waiting. Jack had his torch in his pocket, so they were able to see what they were eating. They shared the fruit in the tins, ate their bread and biscuits, and drank the fruit juice, for they were very thirsty.
“And now to bed,” said Jack. “Bed in a boat! What queer adventures we have! But all the same, it’s great fun!”