The Sea of Adventure by Enid Blyton Page A

Lucy-Ann excitedly, and she pointed westwards. "Can't you see it? Oh, Dinah — what's it doing?"
     
    Dinah couldn't spot the plane. She tried and tried but she could not see the point in the sky where the aeroplane flew.
     
    "Something's falling out of it," said Lucy-Ann, straining her eyes. "Oh, where are the boys' field-glasses? Quick, get them, Dinah!"
     
    Dinah couldn't find them. Lucy-Ann stood watching the sky, her eyes screwed up.
     
    "Something dropped slowly from it," she said. "Something white. I saw it. Whatever could it have been? I hope the aeroplane wasn't in any trouble."
     
    "Bill will know," said Dinah. "I expect he and the boys saw it all right. Maybe they took the glasses with them. I couldn't find them anywhere."
     
    Soon there was no more to be seen or heard of the plane, and the girls went on with their work. The tents looked very comfortable with the piles of rugs. It was such a hot night that Dinah fastened the tent-flaps right back, in order to get some air.
     
    "That storm doesn't seem to have come," she said, looking at the western sky to see if any big clouds were sweeping up. "But it still feels very thundery."
     
    "Here are the others," said Lucy-Ann, as she saw Jack, Philip and Bill coming up from the shore. "And Huffin and Puffin are still with them! Oh Di — won't it be fun if we have two pet puffins!"
     
    "I wouldn't mind puffins," said Dinah. "But I can't bear those rats. Hallo, Bill! Did you hear the aeroplane?"
     
    "Good gracious, no! Was there one?" demanded Bill, with great interest. "Where? How was it we didn't hear it?"
     
    "We were making such a row," said Jack, grinning. "We shouldn't have heard a hundred aeroplanes."
     
    "It was funny," said Lucy-Ann to Bill. "I was watching the aeroplane when I saw something falling out of it. Something white."
     
    Bill stared, frowning intently. "A parachute?" he said. "Could you see?"
     
    "No. It was too far away," said Lucy-Ann. "It might have been a parachute — or a puff of smoke — I don't know. But it did look as if something was falling slowly from the plane. Why do you look so serious, Bill?"
     
    "Because — I've a feeling there's something — well, just a bit queer about these planes," said Bill. "I think I'll pop down to the motor-boat and send a message through on the wireless. Maybe it's nothing at all — but it just might be important!"
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 12
     
    BILL GOES OFF ON HIS OWN
     
     
     
    HE WENT off down the valley to the cove where the motor-boat was moored. His feet sank deeply into the soft earth. The children stared after him.
     
    Lucy looked solemn — as solemn as Huffin and Puffin, who were leaning against Philip, standing upright, their big beaks looking heavy and clumsy.
     
    "Oh dear — what does Bill mean? Surely we're not going to tumble into an adventure again! Up here, where there's nothing but the sea, the wind and the birds! What could happen, I wonder?"
     
    "Well, Bill isn't likely to tell us much," said Philip. "So don't bother him with questions. I'm going to turn in. Brrrrrr! It's getting a bit cold now. Me for that big pile of rugs! Huffin and Puffin, you'd better keep outside for the night. There'll be little enough room in this tent for you, as well as us three, Kiki and the rats."
     
    Huffin and Puffin looked at one another. Then, with one accord, they began to scrape the earth just outside the tent, sending the soil up behind them. Lucy-Ann giggled.
     
    "They're going to make a burrow as near you as possible, Philip. Oh, aren't they funny?"
     
    Kiki walked round to examine what the two puffins were doing. She got a shower of earth all over her and was very indignant.
     
    "Arrrrrrr!" she growled, and the two puffins agreed politely. "Arrrrrrrr!"
     
    Bill came back in about half an hour. All the children were cuddled up in their rugs, and Lucy-Ann was asleep. Dinah called out to him.
     
    "Everything all right, Bill?"
     
    "Yes. I got a message from London, to