“That’s to keep the fire in, like the charcoal-burners do,” said Susan. “I’m going to try it tonight.”
John walked on to his tent.
He stopped suddenly.
“Someone’s been here.”
In the middle of the doorway of his tent a stick had been stuck into the ground, and in a cleft at the top of the stick there was a small folded piece of white paper.
The others came running. John opened the piece of paper. On it was written in big plain letters:—
“ Called to tell you that you had jolly well better leave my houseboat alone. Once is quite enough. No joking.
“But we’ve never touched his houseboat,” said Susan.
“Of course we haven’t,” said John.
“He’s a beast,” said Roger.
“That must have been his boat we saw,” said John, “the one I thought was a fisherman. First he goes and tells the natives we’ve been bothering him. And now he creeps into our camp when we’re not there. …”
“We ought to have gone with the Amazons and sunk him at once,” said Titty. “It’s the proper thing to do. You take the treasure out and sink the galleon or burn it to the water’s edge. We could have saved the parrot.”
“What are we to do about it?” asked Susan.
“We must hold a council with the Amazon pirates,” said Captain John. “They know him. He’s their enemy as well as ours.”