the girls. Frantically they peered into the gathering darkness and called their names as loudly as they dared. There was no reply. A short time later, the engine of the motor cruiser started up and roared away into the night.
7. NYMPHS DANCEÂ IN THE MOONLIGHT
When the sound of the poachersâ boat had died away in the distance, Cowlick shouted, âRóisÃn, Rachel, where are you?â
On hearing the commotion up at the church, the girls had taken cover in the undergrowth. Then they had listened to all the shouting and running about, fearful that the others had been caught.
âHere we are,â answered Rachel, as they made their way over.
âWhat happened?â asked Cowlick. âI thought you were supposed to put their boat out of action?â
âWe tried to,â said RóisÃn, âbut it doesnât seem to have worked.â
âYou can say that again,â panted Tapser. âTheyâve gone and so is our boat.â
âOh no,â cried Rachel, âthat means weâre stranded.â
âWe can worry about that later,â said Jamesie. âLetâs see if we can find Uncle Pakie.â
âJamesie says he saw him with the poachers in the church,â Cowlick told them. âCome on.â
As they headed back up the path, Prince joined them. The fire was still burning on the floor of the little church, but everyone had gone, including Pakie.
Jamesie sat down on a large stone beside the fire. âThey must have taken him with them,â he said.
The others sat down too and gazed into the burning embers.
âAt least we know heâs still alive,â said Cowlick.
âBut where do we look for him now?â wondered RóisÃn. âThis was the last clue in the poem.â
âIf only we could let the police know,â said Tapser. âBut weâre stuck here, and theyâve got clean away.â
âDonât worry,â said Jamesie, putting on more wood that the poachers had left beside the fire. âWeâll be snug here. In the morning weâll try and attract somebodyâs attention. Someoneâs bound to spot us.â
It was a long night. Even though they pulled their coats and jackets tightly around them, and kept the fire going as best they could, the cold always seemed to wake them. Or perhaps it was the fear that the poachers might come back. If it was, they worried needlessly, for nothing disturbed the stillness of the night except their own twisting and turning, and eventually the sun rose to clear away the darkness from the Corrib and any fears they might have had.
During the morning they waited around the lake shore to see if they could get anyone to come to their aid. At one stage they spotted two people in an open boat stopping to fish, but they were too far away. Later, another boat went past with a party of anglers, but when they waved frantically at them, the anglers just waved back.
âItâs no use,â said Rachel, âweâll never get off this island.â
âOf course we will,â smiled RóisÃn. âItâs not as if weâre on a desert island.â
âLetâs go back up to the church,â Tapser suggested. âIf we keep the fire going somebody might see the smoke and come to investigate.â
No one could think of a better idea, so they collected what dry wood they could find and took it with them.
Cowlick sat down with his back against the inside of the church wall. âI donât know about the rest of you,â he said, âbut Iâm hungry.â
âHere,â laughed Tapser, âmaybe a raw spudâll keep you happy.â
They had found half a dozen potatoes and two trout which the poachers had left behind.
âWeâve no way of frying the trout,â said RóisÃn, âbut we could bake the potatoes in the fire.â
âI saw Pakie cooking trout in an open fire once,â said Jamesie.