FIVE RUN AWAY TOGETHER - by Enid Blyton

19 A SCREAM IN THE NIGHT

NOBODY could even guess the answers to Anne's surprised questions. The children stared into the trunk and puzzled over it. It seemed such a funny thing to smuggle. They remembered the other things in the wreck too; the tins of food. They were queer things to smuggle into the island. There didn't seem any point in it.

"Funny," said Dick, at last. "It beats me. There's no doubt that queer things are afoot here, or the Sticks wouldn't be hanging around our island. And we've seen signals from a ship out to Sea. Something's going on. We thought if we opened this trunk it might help us, but it's only made the mystery deeper."

Just then the voices of the two parent Sticks could be heard shouting for Edgar. But Edgar did not dare to shout back. Timmy's nose was poked against his leg. He might be nipped at any time. Timmy growled every now and again to remind Edgar that he was still there.

"Do you know anything about the ship that signals to this island at night?" asked Julian, turning to Edgar.

The boy shook his head. "Never heard of no signals," he said. "I just heard my mother saying that she expected the Roomer tonight, but I don't know what she meant."

"The Roomer?" said George, at once. "What's that... a man, or a boat, or what?"

"I don't know," said Edgar. "I'd only have got a clip on the ear if I'd asked. Find out yourself."

"We will," said Julian, grimly. "We'll watch out for the Roomer tonight! Thanks for the information."

The children spent a quiet and rather boring day in the cave, all but Anne, who had plenty of things to arrange again. Really, the cave looked most home-like when she had finished! She put the blankets on the bed, and used the rugs as carpets. So the cave really looked most imposing!

Edgar was not allowed to go out of the cave, and Timothy didn't leave him for a moment. He slept most of the time, complaining that "them cows and things" had frightened him so much the night before that he'd not been able to sleep a wink.

The others discussed their plans in low voices. They decided to keep watch on the cliff-top, two and two together, that night. They would wait and see what happened. If the Roomer came, they would hurriedly make fresh plans then.

The sun sank. The night came up dark over the sea. Edgar snored softly, after a very good supper of sardines, pressed beef sandwiches, tinned apricots and tinned milk. Anne and Dick went up to keep the first watch. It was about half-past ten.

At half-past twelve Julian and George climbed up the knotted rope and joined the other two. They had nothing to report. They went down into the cave, got into their comfortable beds and went to sleep. Edgar was snoring away in his corner, Timmy still on guard.

Julian and George looked out to sea, watching for any sign of a ship. The moon was up that night, and things were not quite so dark. Suddenly they heard low voices, and saw shadowy figures down by the rocks below.

"The two Sticks," whispered Julian. "Going to row out to the wreck again, I suppose."

There was the splash of oars, and the children saw a boat move out over the water. At the same time George nudged Julian violently and pointed out to sea. A light was being shown a good way out, from a ship that the children could barely see. Then the moon went behind a cloud, and they could see nothing for some time.

They watched breathlessly. Was that shadowy ship a good way out the Roomer? Or was the owner of it the "Roamer'? Were the smugglers at work tonight?

"There's another boat coming, look!" said George. "It must be coming from that ship out to sea. Now the moon has come out again, you can just see it. It is going to the old wreck. It must be a meeting-place, I should think."