Free The Secret Island by Enid Blyton

bats!” whispered Jack. “Would you think anyone would be scared of those little flitter-mice, Nora?”
    “Aunt Harriet was,” said Nora. “I don’t know why. I think they are dear little creatures, with their funny black wings. Anyway, I shall always feel friendly towards them now. They have saved us from being found!”
    Daisy the cow mooed loudly. Jack frowned. “If only we had milked Daisy before the trippers came!” he said.
    “Did you hear that?” said one of the trippers. “That was thunder in the distance!”
    The four children giggled. Nora rolled over and stuffed her hands into her mouth to stop laughing loudly.
    “Good old Daisy!” whispered Mike. “She’s pretending to be a thunderstorm now, to frighten them away!”
    Nora gave a squeal of laughter, and Jack punched her. “Be quiet,” he said. “Do you want us to be discovered just when everything is going so nicely?”
    The trippers were getting into their boat. They pushed off. The children heard the sound of oars, and peeped out. They could see the boat, far down below, being rowed out on to the lake. A big wind sprang up and ruffled the water. The boat rocked to and fro.
    “Hurry!” cried a woman’s voice. “We shall get caught in the storm. Oh! Oh! There’s one of those horrid bats again! I’ll never come to this nasty island any more!”
    “I jolly well hope you won’t!” said Jack, pretending to wave goodbye.
    The children watched the boat being rowed down the lake. The voices of the people came more and more faintly on the breeze. The last they heard was the gramophone being played once again. Then they saw and heard no more. The trippers were gone.
    “Come on,” said Jack, standing up and stretching himself. “We’ve had a very narrow escape - but, thank goodness, no one saw us or our belongings.”
    “Except that footprint and a bit of string,” said Mike.
    “Yes,” said Jack, thoughtfully. “I hope that man called Eddie doesn’t read anywhere about four runaway children and think we might be here because of what he heard and found. We must be prepared for that, you know. We must make some plans to prevent being found if anyone comes again to look for us.”
    A distant rumble of thunder was heard. Jack turned to the others. “Not Daisy mooing this time!” he grinned. “Come on, there’s a storm coming. We’ve plenty to do. I’ll go and get Daisy, to milk her. Nora and Mike, you catch the hens and take them back to the hen-yard - and Mike, make some sort of shelter for them with a couple of sacks over sticks, or something, so that they can hide there if they are frightened. Peggy, see if you can light the fire before the rain comes.”
    “Ay, ay, Captain!” shouted the children joyfully, full of delight to think they had their island to themselves once more!

    A Stormy Night in Willow House

    There was certainly a thunderstorm coming. The sky was very black indeed, and it was getting dark. Nora and Mike caught the six hens in the little cave, bundled them gently into the sack, and raced off to the hen-yard with them. Mike stuck two or three willow sticks into the ground at one end of the hen-yard and draped the sack over them.
    “There yau are, henny-pennies!” said Nora. “There is a nice little shelter for you!”
    Plop! Plop! Plop! Enormous drops of rain fell down and the hens gave a frightened squawk. They did not like the rain. They scuttled under the sack at once and lay there quietly, giving each other little pecks now and again.
    “Well, that settles the hens,” said Mike. “l wonder how Peggy is getting on with the fire.”
    Peggy was not getting on at all well. The rain was now coming down fast, and she could not get the fire going. Jack arrived with Daisy the cow and shouted to Peggy:
    “Never mind about the fire! Now that the rain’s coming down so fast you won’t be able to light it. Get into Willow House, all of you, before you get too wet.”
    “The girls can go,” said Mike, running to help Jack. “I’ll get the things to help you milk. My goodness -