on the cabin trunk, looking at the big jaws of the pike. John, Susan, Nancy and Peggy sat in the stern. John held the Swallow ’s painter, and the Swallow , with the able-seaman happy at the tiller, slipped smoothly along in the rowing boat’s wake.
When Captain Flint had rowed away, leaving the Swallows and Amazons on Wild Cat Island, they found a great deal to do. The fire was out and a new fire had to be made up and the kettle boiled for tea. The mates, Susan and Peggy, took charge of that. John and Nancy were busy taking down all the fishing rods and the fishing tackle. Roger was looking at the fish. Titty paddled Swallow round from the landing-place to the harbour. Then the two captains went to the harbour and joined the able-seaman, who was waiting for them. They stepped Swallow ’s mast and then moored her side by side with Amazon but not so near that the two little ships could bump each other. From the harbour, when their work was done and Swallow and Amazon were both ready for the night, they looked out to sea, away to the southern end of the lake.
“Barometer’s gone down two-tenths since morning,” said Captain John.
“When it’s as hot as this in the evening something always happens,” said Captain Nancy. “Probably thunder.”
“Don’t like the look of it at all,” said Captain John. “There’s no wind to speak of, and yet look at that cloud.”
Titty, too, was looking at the big dark cloud coming up in the south. If it was going to rain, she was thinking, what a good thing it had held off for today to let her find the treasure.
The mate’s whistle sounded in the camp, and all three of them hurried back to a late tea of bunloaf and marmalade.
Almost as soon as tea was over and the mugs rinsed out Roger said, “Are we really going to have shark steaks for supper?”