But it did not come to a fight.
“Let’s parley first and fight afterwards,” said the leader of the Amazons.
“It’s no good our parleying with you if the houseboat man has got Swallow ,” said John.
“The man from the houseboat?” said the younger Amazon. “But he’s got nothing to do with it. He’s a native, and very unfriendly.”
“Well, he’s unfriendly to us too,” said John.
Susan pulled John by the sleeve. “If the houseboat man isn’t with them,” she whispered, “they must have taken Swallow themselves, and the only place they could put her is the harbour. Their own ship must be there too. So if they have got our tents we can take both ships.”
“If he’s unfriendly to you too, we had better parley at once,” said the elder Amazon.
“Where is Swallow ?”
“She is a prize, and we have taken her into our harbour.”
“It’s our harbour,” said John. “And anyhow that’s not much good to you. You can’t get out from this end of the island against the four of us. The harbour end of the island is in our hands, so that really it’s the Amazon that’s a prize, and we’ve got both ships. You’ve only got our tents.”
Titty spoke. “Why have your arrows got green feathers? The pirate on the houseboat must have given them to you. You must be on his side.”
The younger Amazon exclaimed, “But the green feathers are our trophies. We took them ourselves. He was keeping them to clean his pipes and we boarded his ship and took them.”