No one ever comes here except us, and no one can see we’re here, even from the water, unless they happen to look right in.”
They made their fire and boiled their kettle by the side of the little beck, noisy after the night’s rain. The jetsam on the shore was very wet, but in the wood they found a few dry sticks here and there. They started the fire with a handful of dry moss. It was not easy to get it going, but, once it was well lit, the fire burned well enough to boil the kettle. Here, away from the island, they spent their last day, until Captain Nancy noticed that the lake was nearly calm.
“It’s going to take us a long time to sail home,” she said. “What orders, Commodore?”
John started. He had been thinking of something else.
“The fleet sets sail and steers north,” he said.
Very slowly the two little ships moved out of the bay into the open lake. There was very little wind, though now and again a catspaw hurrying from the south helped them on their way and darkened the smooth small waves.
“You’d never think it could have blown like it did in the night,” said Roger.
They sailed up the lake with the booms well out. Up in the woods on the high hillside smoke was rising. They could hear the noise of the charcoal-burners’ axes in the now quiet air.
“They’ll still be here when we’re gone,” said Titty.
“Who?” said Susan.
“The savages,” said Titty.