The Secret Island Read Online Free PDF Page B

young willow-trees, and use the trunk and thicker branches for walls. We can drive the trunks and branches into the ground between the six willow-trees we are using, and fill up any cracks with smaller branches woven across. Then, if we stuff every corner and crevice with bracken and heather, we shall have a fine big house, with a splendid roof, wind-proof and rain-proof. What do you think of that?”
    The other children listened in the greatest excitement. It sounded too good to be true. Could it be as easy as all that?
    “Jack, can we really do it?” said Mike. “It sounds all right - and those willow-trees are just the right distance from one another to make a good big house - and their top branches will certainly overlap well.”
    “Oh, let’s begin, let’s begin!” cried Nora, impatient as usual, dancing up and down.
    “I’ll climb up this first willow-tree and swing the branches over with my weight,” said Jack. “All you others must catch hold of them and hold them till I slip down. Then I’ll climb another tree and bend those branches over too. We’ll tie them together, and then I’ll climb up the other trees. Once we’ve got all the top branches bending down touching one another, and overlapping nicely, we can cut long willow-sticks and lace our roof together. I’ll show you how to.”
    Jack swung himself up into one of the little willow-trees. It was only a young one, with a small trunk - but it had a head of long, fine branches, easy to bend. Jack swung them down, and the girls and Mike caught them easily. They held on to them whilst Jack slid down the tree and climbed another. He did the same thing there, bending down the supple branches until they reached and rested on top of those bent down from
    the other tree.
    “Tie them together, Mike!” shouted Jack. “Peggy, go and find the rope I brought.”
    Peggy darted off. She soon came back with the rope.
    Mike twisted it round the branches of the two trees, and tied them firmly together.
    “It’s beginning to look like a roof already!” shouted Nora, in excitement. “Oh, I want to sit underneath it!”
    She sat down under the roof of willow boughs, but Jack called to her.
    “Get up, Nora! You’ve got to help! I’m up the third tree now - look, here come the top branches bending over with my weight - catch them and hold them!”
    Nora and Peggy caught them and held on tightly. The branches reached the others and overlapped them. Mike was soon busy tying them down, too.
    The whole morning was spent in this way. By dinnertime all the six trees had been carefully bent over. Jack showed Mike and the girls how to weave the branches together, so that they held one another and made a fine close roof. “You see, if we use the trees like this, their leaves will still grow and will make a fine thick roof,” said Jack. “Now, although our house has no walls as yet, we at least have a fine roof to shelter under if it rains!”
    “I want something to eat,” said Nora. “I’m so hungry that I feel I could eat snails!”
    “Well, get out four eggs, and we’ll have some with potatoes,” said Jack. “We’ll boil the eggs in our saucepan. There’s plenty of potatoes, too. After the eggs are boiled we’ll boil some potatoes and mash them up. That will be nice for a change. We’ll nibble a few carrots, too, and have some of those cherries.”
    “We do have funny meals,” said Peggy, going to get the saucepan and the eggs, “but I do like them! Come on, Nora, help me get the potatoes and peel them whilst the eggs are boiling. And Mike, get some water, will you? We haven’t enough.”
    Soon the fire was burning merrily and the eggs were boiling in the saucepan. The girls peeled the potatoes, and Jack washed the carrots. He went to get some water to drink, too, for everyone was very thirsty.
    “You’d better catch some more fish for tonight, Jack,” said Peggy. “I hope our stores are going to last out a bit! We do seem to eat a lot!”
    “I’ve been thinking about that,” said Jack, watching the