and it’s wasted if too many people know about it. Of course,” she added, “if they won’t come to see the valley, we’ll have to tell them about the cave.”
They dropped quickly down through the trees, tore off their shoes and splashed their way under the bridge. They put their shoes on again without waiting to do much drying, and came breathless altogether to the shores of Horseshoe Cove.
*
They found, like many explorers before them, that somehow, in their absence, they had got into trouble at home. Tea had been made and drunk, scouting parties had been out to look for them, the Amazons were in a terrible hurry to be starting back, and the mate wanted to know why they had been away so long. The tea that had been saved for the able-seaman and the boy was nearly cold, and they were quickly bundled aboard the Swallow and told to drink it on the voyage home, for unless they started at once the Amazons, who were late already, would have to go without seeing the new tents.
But while the Swallow and the Amazon were being launched, the able-seaman and the boy began pouring out their story. They both began talking at once, but the boy soon gave up. After all, Titty could do it better. And Titty told of the moor above the wood, of the waterfall, and of the little valley above the waterfall, a valley so secret that anybody could hide in it for ever.
“Honest pirate?” called Nancy, who was already paddling Amazon towards the mouth of the cove. “Honest pirate, or is it a Peter Duck story?”
“Peter Duck’s in it, of course,” said Titty, “but it’s all true.”
The two little ships got under way. Nancy and Peggy in the Amazon waited for the Swallow outside the cove, and they sailed for Wild Cat Island within comfortable talking distance.
“That’s the Pike Rock,” said Nancy, pointing out the rock opposite the southern of the two little headlands. “You wouldn’t be able to see it if the lake wasn’t so low.”
“We saw it when we were coming in,” said John.
“It’s awfully jagged,” said Peggy. “Uncle Jim saw a fisherman sink his boat by rowing into it.”
In Swallow Titty was still talking of the secret valley. “Nobody would find it,” she said, “if they didn’t know it was there.”
“She may be quite right,” said Nancy, from the Amazon. “We’ve never gone up to the moor from this side. Are you sure about it, Able-seaman? A real secret one?”
“You couldn’t tell it was there at all if you hadn’t gone right into it,” said Roger.
“It might be just the place to go to when the great-aunt says we mustn’t sail,” said Peggy.
“Do you think I haven’t thought of that?” said Captain Nancy.
“You’ll make me upset the mug,” said Roger, as Titty prodded him gently with her finger.
“They don’t know about it,” she whispered.
“What about going there to-morrow?” said Nancy across the water.
“Say yes, say yes,” said Roger and Titty together.
“I don’t see why we shouldn’t,” said Captain John.
John and Nancy sailed their ships past the harbour at the foot of the island, up the inner channel, and brought them in at the landing-place.
“Just for one second,” said Nancy. “We’re late already.”
“We always are,” said Peggy. “But the great-aunt makes being late seem much worse.”
They raced up from the landing-place and looked round the camp. Susan thanked them for the wood-pile. Titty dived into her tent and brought out the envelope with the eight green feathers she had saved for them. John brought the arrow from behind the boxes in the store tent. Both the Amazons said, “How do you do” and “Pieces of eight” to the parrot, but the parrot had seen the green feathers and so would do nothing but squawk at them, though Titty tried to make him show off. They looked, sadly, at the place where their own tent used to stand. They said how good were the new tents of the Swallows, and then they hurried down to the landing-place, tumbled into the Amazon and pushed off.
“What about to-morrow?” asked Susan at the last minute.
“We’ll go to see Titty’s valley,” called Nancy. “It might be very useful. Mother’s taking the great-aunt out to lunch, so we needn’t be in till tea. We’ll sail straight to Horseshoe Cove in the morning. Be there before you are. Bet you anything. So long, Swallows!”
The four Swallows went up to Look Out Point to watch the little white sail grow smaller and smaller as the Amazon sailed away towards the Peak of Darien.
“I don’t see why they shouldn’t have come here in the morning,” said Susan.
“It’s beastly for them not being able to camp on the island when we can,” said John. “After all they knew the island first.”
When the Amazon had sailed away so that the pirates could not hear shouts, let alone whispers, it was hard for the able-seaman and the boy to keep their secret. But keep it they did, though they came near giving it away.
“There’s something more we discovered,” said Titty.
“Something better than anything we’ve told you yet.”
“What was it?” said Susan. “Probably a caterpillar.”
“Well,” said Roger, “a butterfly did help.”
“If it hadn’t been for the butterfly we wouldn’t have found it,” said Titty.
“What is it?” said John.
“It’s the very thing Peter Duck’s always been wanting.”
CHAPTER V
CAPTAIN JOHN HANGS ON
“The old man said, ‘I mean to hang on
Till her canvas busts or her sticks are gone’ –
Which the blushing looney did, till at last
Overboard went her mizen mast.
Hear the yarn of a sailor,
An old yarn learned at sea.”
Masefield
“The Yarn of the Loch Achray”
IN THE MORNING Captain John had everything ready for pushing off and hoisting sail. He was waiting only for his crew and his crew were busy tidying up the camp after breakfast, because the mate would never allow things to be left dirty between one meal and the next.
“She
