The Secret Island by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online Page B

dark.”
    “Oh, Jack!” said the girls, excited to think of a cow coming. “Where shall we keep it?”
    “It had better live on the other side of the island,” said Jack. “There is some nice grass there. It won’t like to eat heather.”
    “How will you bring it, Jack?” asked Mike. “It will be difficult to get it into the boat, won’t it?”
    “We shan’t get it into the boat, silly!” said Jack, laughing. “We shall make it swim behind the boat!”
    The other three stared at Jack in surprise. Then they began to laugh. It was funny to think of a cow swimming behind the boat to their secret island!
    When it was dark, the two boys set off. The girls called goodbye, and then went to Willow House, for the evening was not quite so warm as usual. They lighted a candle and talked. It was fun to be on the secret island alone.
    The boys rowed down the lake and came to the place where Jack usually landed - a well-hidden spot by the lakeside, where trees came right down to the water. They dragged the boat in and then made their way through the wood. After some time they came to the fields that lay round the house of Jack’s grandfather. Jack looked at the old cottage. There was no light in it. No one was there. His grandfather had gone away. In the field nearby some cows and horses stood, and the boys could hear one of the horses saying, “Hrrrumph! Hrrrrumph!”
    “Do you see that shed over there, Mike?” said Jack, in a low voice. “Well, there are some lengths of rope there. Go and get them whilst I try to find which is my own cow. The rope is in the corner, just by the door.”
    Mike stumbled off over the dark field to the tumbledown shed in the corner. Jack went among the cows, making a curious chirrupy noise. A big brown and white cow left the others and went lumbering towards Jack.
    Jack cautiously struck a match and looked at it. It was Daisy, the cow he had brought up from a calf. He rubbed its soft nose, and called to Mike:
    “Hurry up with that rope! I’ve got the cow.”
    Mike had been feeling about in the shed for rope and had found a great coil of it. He stumbled over the field to Jack.
    “Good,” said Jack, making a halter for the patient animal. “Now, before we go, I’d like to pop into the old cottage and see if I can find anything we’d be glad of.”
    “Could you find some towels, do you think?” asked Mike. “I do hate having to dry myself with old sacks.”
    “Yes, I’ll see if there are any left,” said Jack, and he set off quietly towards ihe old cottage. He found the door locked, but easily got in at a window. He struck a match and looked round. There were only two rooms in the cottage, a living-room and a bedroom. All the furniture had gone. Jack looked behind the kitchen door, and found what he had hoped to see - a big roller-towel still hanging there. It was very dirty, but could easily be washed. He looked behind the bedroom door - yes, there was a roller-towel there, too! Good! His grandfather hadn’t thought of looking behind the doors and taking those when he went. Jack wondered if the old carpet left on the floor was worth taking, too, but he thought not. Good clean heather made a better carpet!
    Jack wandered out to the little shed at the back of the cottage - and there he did indeed make a find! There was an old wooden box there, and in it had been put all the clothes he possessed! His grandfather had not thought it worth while to take those with him. There they were, rather ragged, it is true, but still, they were clothes! There were three shirts, a few vests, an odd pair of trousers, an overcoat, a pair of old shoes, and a ragged blanket!
    Jack grinned. He would take all these back with him. They might be useful when the cold weather came. He thought the best way to take them back would be to wear them all - so the boy put on all the vests, the shirts, the trousers, the shoes, and the overcoat over his own clothes, and wrapped the blanket round him, too! What a queer sight he looked!
    Then he went out to