“The song doesn’t say so,” said Titty. “It only says she didn’t care.”
“Well, and what happened to Don’t Care?”
“Came to a bad end,” said Roger.
“A cold is a bad end when you are camping, especially on a desert island,” said mother. “No, we must get some haybags filled for you to sleep on. If you put them on the groundsheets and lie on the top of them, and roll yourselves up in rugs and blankets, you’ll come to no harm.”
Captain John was in a hurry to try the Swallow under sail.
“Let’s go down to the harbour and overhaul the ship,” he said. “We can take her out now, can’t we, mother?”
“Yes. But I’d like to come with you the first time.”
“Come along. Do. You can be Queen Elizabeth going aboard the ships at Greenwich that were sailing to the Indies.”
Mother laughed.
“It doesn’t matter a bit about your not having red hair,” said Titty.
“All right,” said mother, “but I think we must leave Vicky with nurse.”
So they all crawled out of the tent. Fat Vicky was given back to nurse, and Queen Elizabeth walked down to the boathouse with Captain John of the sailing ship Swallow , Mate Susan, Able-seaman Titty, and the Boy Roger, who ran on ahead with the big key to get the boathouse open.
The boathouse was a stone one, with a narrow quay along each wall inside, and a small jetty sticking out beyond it into the lake.
Roger had got the door open by the time they came to it, though he had had a tough struggle with the rusty lock. He was already inside, looking