the five on a treasure island

1. The great surprise

"MOTHER, have you heard about our summer holidays yet?" said Julian, at thebreakfast-table. "Can we go to Polseath as usual?""I'm afraid not," said his mother. "They are quite full up this year."The three children at the breakfast-table looked at one another in great disappointment.They did so love the house at Polseath. The beach was so lovely there, too, and thebathing was fine."Cheer up," said Daddy. "I dare say we'll find somewhere else just as good for you. Andanyway, Mother and I won't be able to go with you this year. Has Mother told you?""No!" said Anne. "Oh, Mother-is it true? Can't you really come with us on our holidays?You always do.""Well, this time Daddy wants me to go to Scotland with him," said Mother. "All byourselves! And as you are really getting big enough to look after yourselves now, wethought it would be rather fun for you to have a holiday on your own too. But now thatyou can't go to Polseath, I don't really quite know where to send you.""What about Quentin's?" suddenly said Daddy. Quentin was his brother, the children'suncle. They had only seen him once, and had been rather frightened of him. He was avery tall, frowning man, a clever scientist who spent all his time studying. He lived by thesea- but that was about all that the children knew of him!"Quentin?" said Mother, pursing up her lips. "Whatever made you think of him? Ishouldn't think he'd want the children messing about in his little house.""Well," said Daddy, "I had to see Quentin's wife in town the other day, about a businessmatter- and I don't think things are going too well for them. Fanny said that she would bequite glad if she could hear of one or two people to live with her for a while, to bring alittle money in. Their house is by the sea, you know. It might be just the thing for thechildren. Fanny is very nice- she would look after them well.""Yes- and she has a child of her own too, hasn't she?" said the children's mother. "Letme see- what's her name- something funny- yes, Georgina! How old would she be?About eleven, I should think.""Same age as me," said Dick. "Fancy having a cousin we've never seen! She must bejolly lonely all by herself. I've got Julian and Anne to play with- but Georgina is just oneon her own. I should think she'd be glad to see us.""Well, your Aunt Fanny said that her Georgina would love a bit of company," saidDaddy. "You know, I really think that would solve our difficulty, if we telephone to Fannyand arrange for the children to go there. It would help Fanny, I'm sure, and Georginawould love to have someone to play with in the holidays. And we should know that ourthree were safe."The children began to feel rather excited. It would be fun to go to a place they had neverbeen to before, and stay with an unknown cousin."Are there cliffs and rocks and sands there?" asked Anne. "Is it a nice place?""I don't remember it very well," said Daddy. "But I feel sure it's an exciting kind of place.Anyway, you'll love it! It's called Kirrin Bay. Your Aunt Fanny has lived there all her life,and wouldn't leave it for anything.""Oh Daddy, do telephone to Aunt Fanny and ask her if we can go there!" cried Dick. "Ijust feel as if it's the right place somehow. It sounds sort of adventurous!""Oh, you always say that, wherever you go!" said Daddy, with a laugh. "All right- I'll ringup now, and see if there's any chance."They had all finished their breakfast, and they got up to wait for Daddy to telephone. Hewent out into the hall, and they heard him putting the call through."I hope it's all right for us!" said Julian. "I wonder what Georgina's like. Funny name, isn'tit? More like a boy's than a girl's. So she's eleven- a year younger than I am- same ageas you, Dick- and a year older than you, Anne. She ought to fit in with us all right. Thefour of us ought to have a fine time together."Daddy came back in about ten minutes' time, and the children knew at once that he hadfixed up everything. He smiled round at them."Well, that's settled," he said. "Your Aunt Fanny is delighted about it. She says it will beawfully good for Georgina to have company, because she's such a lonely little girl,always going off by herself. And she will love looking after you all. Only you'll have to becareful not to disturb your Uncle Quentin. He is working very hard, and he isn't verygood-tempered when he is disturbed.""We'll be as quiet as mice in the house!" said Dick. "Honestly we will. Oh, goody, goodywhen are we going, Daddy?""Next week, if Mother can manage it," said Daddy.Mother nodded her head. "Yes," she said, "There's nothing much to get ready for themjust bathing suits and jerseys and shorts. They all wear the same.""How lovely it will be to wear shorts again," said Anne, dancing round. "I'm tired ofwearing school tunics. I want to wear shorts, or a bathing suit, and go bathing andclimbing with the boys.""Well, you'll soon be doing it," said Mother, with a laugh. "Remember to put ready anytoys or books you want, won't you? Not many, please, because there won't be a greatdeal of room.""Anne wanted to take all her fifteen dolls with her last year," said Dick, "Do youremember, Anne? Weren't you funny?""No, I wasn't," said Anne, going red. "I love my dolls, and I just couldn't choose which totake- so I thought I'd take them all. There's nothing funny about that.""And do you remember, the year before, Anne wanted to take the rocking-horse?" saidDick, with a giggle.Mother chimed in. "You know, I remember a little boy called Dick who put aside twogolliwogs, one teddy bear, three toy dogs, two toy cats and his old monkey to take downto Polseath one year," she said.Then it was Dick's turn to go red. He changed the subject at once."Daddy, are we going by train or by car?" he asked."By car," said Daddy. "We can pile everything into the boot. Well- what about Tuesday?""That would suit me well," said Mother. "Then we could take the children down, comeback, and do our own packing at leisure, and start off for Scotland on the Friday. Yeswe'll arrange for Tuesday."So Tuesday it was. The children counted the days eagerly, and Anne marked one offthe calendar each night. The week seemed a very long time in going. But at lastTuesday did come. Dick and Julian, who shared a room, woke up at about the samemoment, and stared out of the nearby window. "It's a lovely day, hurrah!" cried Julian, leaping out of bed. "I don't know why, but italways seems very important that it should be sunny on the first day of a holiday. Let'swake Anne."Anne slept in the next room. Julian ran in and shook her. "Wake up! It's Tuesday! Andthe sun's shining."Anne woke up with a jump and stared at Julian joyfully. "It's come at last!" she said. "Ithought it never would. Oh, isn't it an exciting feeling to go away for a holiday!"They started soon after breakfast. Their car was a big one, so it held them all verycomfortably. Mother sat in front with Daddy, and the three children sat behind, their feeton two suitcases. In the luggage-place at the back of the car were all kinds of odds andends, and one small trunk. Mother really thought they had remembered everything.Along the crowded London roads they went, slowly at first, and then, as they left thetown behind, more quickly. Soon they were right into the open country, and the car spedalong fast. The children sang songs to themselves, as they always did when they werehappy."Are we picnicking soon?" asked Anne, feeling hungry all of a sudden."Yes," said Mother. "But not yet. It's only eleven o'clock. We shan't have lunch till atleast half-past twelve, Anne.""Oh, gracious!" said Anne. "I know I can't last out till then!"So her mother handed her some chocolate, and she and the boys munched happily,watching the hills, woods and fields as the car sped by.The picnic was lovely. They had it on the top of a hill, in a sloping field that looked downinto a sunny valley. Anne didn't very much like a big brown cow who came up close andstared at her, but it went away when Daddy told it to. The children ate enormously, andMother said that instead of having a tea-picnic at half-past four they would have to go toa tea-house somewhere, because they had eaten all the tea sandwiches as well as thelunch ones!"What time shall we be at Aunt Fanny's?" asked Julian, finishing up the very lastsandwich and wishing there were more."About six o'clock with luck," said Daddy. "Now who wants to stretch their legs a bit?We've another long spell in the car, you know."The car seemed to eat up the miles as it purred along. Tea-time came, and then thethree children began to feel excited all over again."We must watch out for the sea," said Dick. "I can smell it somewhere near!"He was right. The car suddenly topped a hill- and there, was the shining blue sea, calmand smooth in the evening sun. The three children gave a yell."There it is!""Isn't it marvellous!""Oh, I want to bathe this very minute!""We shan't be more than twenty minutes now, before we're at Kirrin Bay," said Daddy."We've made good time. You'll see the bay soon- it's quite a big one- with a funny sort ofisland at the entrance of the bay."The children looked out for it as they drove along the coast. Then Julian gave a shout."There it is- that must be Kirrin Bay. Look, Dick- isn't it lovely and blue?""And look at the rocky little island guarding the entrance of the bay," said Dick. "I'd like tovisit that." "Well, I've no doubt you will," said Mother. "Now, let's look out for Aunt Fanny's house.It's called Kirrin Cottage."They soon came to it. It stood on the low cliff overlooking the bay, and was a very oldhouse indeed. It wasn't really a cottage, but quite a big house, built of old white stone.Roses climbed over the front of it, and the garden was gay with flowers."Here's Kirrin Cottage," said Daddy, and he stopped the car in front of it. "It's supposedto be about three hundred years old! Now- where's Quentin? Hallo, there's Fanny!"