“Is the war over?” said Nancy. “It had better be, if we’re coming tomorrow.”
“Right. Peace,” said Captain John.
“Skip off and haul down the white flag, then,” commanded Nancy, and Peggy, putting her mug of hot grog on the ground, went up to the lookout place and hauled down the blanket from the lighthouse tree.
“The sun’s really coming up now,” said Peggy when she came back. “We ought to start or we shall never be back in time.”
“Come on, then,” said Nancy. “And tomorrow we’ll set sail as early as ever we can, and we’ll bring our tent, and then we’ll make a raid on Captain Flint.”
“I say,” said Susan, “we nearly forgot to give you the message.”
“What message?”
“From the savages,” said Titty. “We went up into the forest, and saw them, and they showed us a serpent.”
“You’ve been seeing the Billies, the charcoal-burners,” said Nancy.
“Well, they live in a wigwam,” said Titty.
“They gave us a message for you,” said Susan. “We were to tell you to tell him …”
“Who?” said Captain Nancy.
“Captain Flint,” said Titty.
“That old Billy, or young Billy, I forget which, said that he ought to put a good lock on his houseboat when he leaves her.”