Five Go Down to the Sea Read Online Free PDF Page A

way back, if he wants to escape the tide, short of climbing the cliff, which no one would be mad enough to try!"
    They had put aside some cake and biscuits for their tea, and they found a good picnicking place at the top of the cove where they had left their bicycles. They settled down to munch the solid fruit cake that Mrs Penruthlan had given them. There was no doubt about it, she was a wonderful cook!
    The tide swept in at a great rate, and soon the noise of enormous waves pounding on the rocks grew louder. „Yan hasn"t appeared yet," said Anne. „Do you think he"s al right?"
    „He must be having a good old wetting if he"s stil there," said Dick. „I think we"d better go and see. Much as I dislike him I don"t want him to be drowned."
    The two boys went down the cove as far as they could, peering round the cliff to where they had seen Yan hiding. But how different it all looked now!
    „Gosh, the beach is gone already!" said Julian, startled. „I can see how easily anyone could get caught by the tide now, see that last wave, it swept right into that cave we explored!"
    „What"s happened to Yan?" said Dick. „He"s nowhere to be seen. He didn"t come out of the cove; we"ve been sitting there al the time. Where is he?"
    Dick spoke urgently, and Julian began to feel scared too. He hesitated. Should they wade over the rocks a little way? The next wave decided him. It would be folly to do any such thing! Another wave like that and both he and Dick would be flung off the rock they were standing on!
    „Look out, here comes an even bigger one!" yelled Julian, and the two boys leapt off their rock and raced back up the cove. Even so, the wave lapped right up to their feet.

    They went back to the girls. „Can"t see him anywhere," said Julian, speaking more cheerfully than he felt. „The whole beach is covered with the tide now, more than covered. The lower caves are ful too."
    „He - he won"t be drowned, wil he?" said Anne, fearfully.
    „Oh, I expect he can look after himself," said Julian. „He"s used to this coast. Come on, it"s time we went."
    They all rode off, Timmy running beside their bicycles. Nobody said anything. They couldn"t help feeling worried about Yan. Whatever could have happened to him?
    They arrived at the farm and put their bicycles away. They went in to find Mrs Penruthlan.
    They told her about Yan, and how he had disappeared.
    „You don"t think he might have been swept off his feet and drowned, do you?" asked Anne.
    Mrs Penruthlan laughed. „Good gracious, no! That boy knows his way about the countryside and the seashore blindfold. He"s cleverer than you think. He never misses anything! He"s a poor little thing, but he looks after himself al right!"
    This was rather comforting. Perhaps Yan would turn up again, with his dark eyes fixed unblinkingly on them!
    After a high-tea as good as any they had had, they went for a walk down the honeysuckle-scented lanes, accompanied as usual by the five dogs. They sat on a stile, and Dick handed round some barley-sugar.
    „Look!" said George suddenly. „Do you see what I see? Look!" She nodded her head towards an oak tree in the hedge, not far off. The others stared up into it.
    Two dark eyes stared back. Yan! He had fol owed them as usual, and had hidden himself to watch them. Anne was so tremendously relieved to see him that she cal ed to him in delight.
    „Oh, Yan! Have a barley-sugar?"
    Yan slithered down the tree at top speed and came up. He held out his hand for the barley-sugar. For the first time he smiled, and his dirty, sullen face lighted up enchantingly.
    Anne stared at him. Why, he was a dear little fel ow! His eyes shone and twinkled, and a dimple came in each cheek.
    „Here you are, here"s a couple more sweets for you," Dick said, very glad to see that the small boy hadn"t been drowned. Yan almost snatched them from him! lt was plain that he very, very seldom had any sweets! Timmy was making a fuss of him as usual. He lay down on his back and