“Whatever it is,” said Captain Flint, “I’ll be free next summer, and if you’ll sign me on, I’ll be glad to come. If we sail to the Baltic you’ll want someone to haul up the anchor, and if we go prospecting it would be hard on a hill pony if he had to carry the gold as well as the tents.”
“The monkey can come too,” said Roger. “He can look out from the very top of the mast, or else he can ride on a hill pony.”
At last Captain Flint said, “I must be getting back. Your camp fire is very jolly, but isn’t it about time some of you people went to bed?”
“Won’t you be lonely without the parrot?” said Titty.
“I must think of him too,” said Captain Flint. “He’s a young parrot and I’m a dull companion for him. He’s in better hands now.”
He got up to go down to his boat.
“By the way,” he said, “are all your tents pretty strong? It looks to me as if we’re in for bad weather before morning.”
“Mother says ours are all right except in a high wind,” said Captain John.
“H’m! It looks as if it’s going to blow. Well, I don’t suppose you’ll come to much harm, even if it does.”
He rowed away.
Not long afterwards, the Swallows and Amazons turned in. It was very hot and there were no stars.
“Pouf,” said Nancy, “I can hardly breathe.”