Free Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

for lost time. I say we have a war.
    ROGER. Yes!
    SUSAN. But we can’t.
    PEGGY. Why not?
    CAPTAIN FLINT. I’m afraid the Mate’s right. I’m afraid even a skirmish is out of the question until we’ve got ourselves out of this fix. Now, you say in this shockingly terrifying note here, that the charcoal burners tried to warn me.
    JOHN. Yes. They had heard some talk in the village.
    ROGER. Barbarian talk.
    CAPTAIN FLINT. I see. Then the first thing I must do is find that policeman and tell him to go and speak to them. And then I must take him with me to see your mother and tell her how very wrong I’ve been about you.
    SUSAN. Thank you. That would be such a help.
    JOHN. It would be a start.
    ROGER. And then will the policeman take his sign down?
    CAPTAIN FLINT. I hope so, Ship’s Boy, but I can’t be sure. He can be quiet a curmudgeonly old so-and-so when he wants to be.
    NANCY. Like you.
    CAPTAIN FLINT. Yes. I really am most awfully sorry.
    CAPTAIN FLINT holds out his hand to JOHN, who shakes it .
    JOHN. Apology accepted.
    TITTY. You’re a dirty turncoat, Captain John.
    SUSAN. Titty!
    ALL ( singing ).
    Parley, parley, surely we can talk this through,
    Parley, parley, talk with me, I’ll talk with you.
    CAPTAIN FLINT ( speaking ). So, are we all friends now?
    NANCY. Friends! We don’t want to be friends!
    CAPTAIN FLINT. I see. Enemies then.
    NANCY. Mortal enemies.
    CAPTAIN FLINT. Good idea.
    TITTY. What would happen if someone found your book? I mean, if someone thought they knew where it might be?
    NANCY. That would make that barnacle-sucking policman take his sign down and we could have a hideous war immediately!
    CAPTAIN FLINT. Wait, Captain Nancy. Why do you ask that, Able Seaman?
    TITTY. Because, you see, when I had to sleep in the lake on Amazon … I was having these strange dreams, and then I saw these pirates rowing by and…
    SUSAN. Oh, Titty, don’t. Please, don’t take any notice, Captain Flint. She often makes up stories and…
    TITTY. But I’m not making it up. It might have been a dream, but the two pirates had stolen some treasure and they were saying how heavy it was and how they would have to hide it and then…
    PEGGY. But Uncle Jim’s book wouldn’t be heavy.
    NANCY. Heavy-going, maybe.
    CAPTAIN FLINT. But it was! By jiminy, it was! It was with my typewriter and all my old diaries and locked up in my big cabin trunk! I’d put a huge padlock on – that’s why the thieves took it, you see – they thought there must be something valuable inside.
    TITTY. That’s it then! They took it to Cormorant Island and hid it there!
    SUSAN. Oh, please don’t listen to her.
    CAPTAIN FLINT. But I think we should listen to her. Which is Cormorant Island, Able Seaman?
    TITTY. The small one between here and your boat.
    ROGER. Where the harpies live.
    FLINT. They left it there, you say?
    TITTY. Yes. They said ‘until the fuss has died down’.
    CAPTAIN FLINT. Come on then, crews – to the longboats! No time to lose.
    SUSAN. But…
    JOHN. She does have a very vivid imagination.
    CAPTAIN FLINT. Sign of great intelligence, I say. If you’re mistaken, Able Seaman, fear not. But it has to be worth a try.
    TITTY. Yes. Thank you.
    CAPTAIN FLINT. To Cormorant Island!
    NANCY. Cormorant Island it is!
    CAPTAIN FLINT and the AMAZONS rush off . SUSAN and JOHN give TITTY reproachful looks .
    SUSAN ( reprimanding ). Titty.
    Then they leave .
    TITTY. Come on, Roger.
    ROGER. Couldn’t you have said another island?
    TITTY. No. You do believe me, don’t you?
    ROGER. Yes. But I’m not happy. Not happy at all.
    She leads him off .
    Scene Six
    The two boats, with everyone aboard, sail up to Cormorant Island .
    TITTY. Look, Roger – the harpies are flying away. We’ve scared them off.
    ROGER. Good.
    FLINT. Do you think this is where the Pirates landed, Able Seaman?
    TITTY. Well… there were a lot of rocks where