The Sea of Adventure by Enid Blyton Page B

tell me that your mother is getting on as well as can be expected," said Bill. "But she's got measles pretty badly, apparently. Good thing you're all off her hands!"
     
    "What about your own message, Bill — about the aeroplane?" said Dinah, who was very curious over Bill's great interest in it. "Did that get through?"
     
    "Yes," said Bill shortly. "It did. It's nothing to worry your head about. Good night, Dinah."
     
    In two minutes' time everyone was asleep. Squeaker and his relations were only to be seen as bumps about Philip's person. Kiki was sitting on Jack's tummy, though he had already pushed her off several times. Huffin and Puffin were squatting in their new-made tunnel, their big coloured beaks touching. Everything was very peaceful as the moon slid across the sky, making a silvery path on the restless waters.
     
    The morning dawned bright and beautiful, and it seemed as if the storm was not coming, for there was no longer any closeness in the air. Instead it was fresh and invigorating. The children ran down to the shore to bathe as soon as they got up. They ran so fast that Huffin and Puffin could not keep up, but had to fly. They went into the water with the children, and bobbed up and down, looking quite ridiculous.
     
    Then they dived for fish, swimming with their wings under the water. They were very quick indeed, and soon came up with fish in their enormous beaks.
     
    "What about giving us one for breakfast, Huffin?" called Philip, and tried to take a fish from the nearest puffin's beak. But it held on to it — and then swallowed it whole.
     
    "You ought to teach them to catch fish for us," said Jack, giggling. "We could have grilled fish for breakfast then! Hey, get away, Puffin — that's my foot, not a fish!"
     
    At breakfast they discussed their plans for the day. "What shall we do? Let's explore the whole island, and give bits of it proper names. This glen, where we are now, is Sleepy Hollow, because it's where we sleep," said Lucy-Ann.
     
    "And the shore where we bathe is Splash Cove," said Dinah. "And where we first moored our motor-boat is Hidden Harbour."
     
    Bill had been rather silent at breakfast. Jack turned to him. "Bill! What do you want to do? Will you come and explore the island with us?"
     
    "Well," said Bill, very surprisingly, "if you don't mind, as you'll be very busy and happy on your own, I'll take the motor-boat and go cruising about a bit — round all these islands, you know."
     
    "What! Without us?" said Dinah in astonishment. "We'll come with you, then, if you want to do that."
     
    "I'm going alone, this first time," said Bill. "Take you another time, old thing. But today I'll go alone."
     
    "Is there — is there anything up?" asked Jack, feeling that something wasn't quite right. "Has something happened, Bill?"
     
    "Not that I know of," said Bill cheerfully. "I just want to go off on my own a bit, that's all. And if I do a bit of exploring round on my own account, I shall know the best places to take you to, shan't I?"
     
    "All right, Bill," said Jack, still puzzled. "You do what you want. It's your holiday too, even if it is a disappearing one!"
     
    So Bill went off on his own that day, and the children heard the purr of the motor-boat as it went out to sea, and then set off apparently to explore all the islands round about.
     
    "Bill's up to something," said Philip. "And I bet it's got to do with those aeroplanes. I wish he'd tell us. But he never will talk."
     
    "I hope he comes back safely," said Lucy-Ann anxiously. "It would be awful to be stranded here on a bird-island, and nobody knowing where we were."
     
    "Gosh, so it would," said Jack. "I never thought of that. Cheer up, Lucy-Ann — Bill isn't likely to run into danger. He's got his head screwed on all right."
     
    The day passed happily. The children went to the cliffs and watched the great companies of sea-birds there. They sat down in the midst of the puffin colony and watched the queer,