Arthur Ransome Swallows & Amazons

Adapted by H. Q. Mitchell - Marileni Malkogianni

Swallows and Amazons
Student’s Book
by Arthur Ransome adapted by H. Q. Mitchell - Marileni Malkogianni

Published by: MM Publications
www.mmpublications.com
[email protected]

Offices

UK China Cyprus Greece Korea Poland Turkey USA
Associated companies and representatives throughout the world.

Copyright © 2014 MM Publications

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Produced in the EU

ISBN: 978-960-573-176-2

C1911008032-16981

Introduction

Swallows and Amazons was first published in 1930. It was the first in a series of books that told the adventures of two groups of children in the Lake District. The four Walker children or Swallows, John, Susan, Kitty and Roger, sail the Great Lakes in their boat and get into various adventures with the Amazons, Nancy and Peggy Blackett, who later become their friends.

Ransome wrote the book while he was spending his summer holidays in the Lake District. At the time, he was entertaining his friends Ernest Altounyan's family and he decided to teach the Altounyan children to sail. They bought two small sailing boats or dinghies as they are called, the Swallow and the Mavis, and the rest is history. In the years that followed, Ransome sold the Swallow, but the second boat, the Mavis, is still on display in the Ruskin Museum in Coniston, Cumbria.

Swallows and Amazons was soon very successful and the author left his job at the Manchester Guardian, where he was working as a reporter, to devote himself to children's literature. After that, another twelve books followed narrating the adventures of the Swallows and Amazons. These put Arthur Ransome in the list of classic British children's book authors.

Ever since it was published, the series has been very popular. It has also drawn great numbers of visitors to the Lake District, steadily contributing to the growth of its tourist industry. There are also various films as well as radio and theatre adaptations of the book.

Contents

1. Chapter 1............................................................. 4
2. Chapter 2............................................................. 7
3. Chapter 3........................................................... 10
4. Chapter 4........................................................... 17
5. Chapter 5........................................................... 20
6. Chapter 6........................................................... 24
7. Chapter 7........................................................... 28
8. Chapter 8........................................................... 30
9. Chapter 9........................................................... 33
10. Chapter 10.......................................................... 36
11. Activity Section
12. Chapter 1........................................................... 42
13. Chapter 2........................................................... 44
14. Chapter 3........................................................... 46
15. Chapter 4........................................................... 48
16. Chapter 5........................................................... 50
17. Chapter 6........................................................... 52
18. Chapter 7........................................................... 54
19. Chapter 8........................................................... 56
20. Chapter 9........................................................... 58
21. Chapter 10.......................................................... 60

chapter 1

Roger Walker, aged seven, ran through the pine forest holding the letter tightly in his hand. He could hardly wait to tell his siblings the good news. When he reached the clifftop, his older brother, John, was making a fire, and his sisters, Susan and Kitty, were sitting at the edge of the cliff, staring out at the lake. John jumped to his feet when he saw the letter. “Is that the answer?” he asked. “Yes!” replied Roger. “And the answer is yes!” John took the letter from the boy and read it, while his siblings gathered around. “Father says that we can stay on the island!” he exclaimed. The girls cheered and hugged each other, and Roger ran around the fire, laughing with delight. The Walker children had been spending their school holidays at Holly Howe Farm, with their mother and baby sister, Vicky, while their father, a ship’s captain, travelled to Hong Kong. Holly Howe was close to a large lake which had several bays and small islands. There was one island in particular that had caught the children’s attention, and they had written to their father to ask permission to camp on the island for a few days. While they waited for a reply, the children spent their days watching the island from the clifftop, and imagining their adventures on the high seas. Finally, the good news had arrived. The children sat down around the fire with a packet of biscuits and mugs of hot tea and began to plan their trip. “There’s a sailing boat in the boathouse near the farm called Swallow,” said John. “Mother said we could use it. Since I’m the oldest and I have the most sailing experience, I’ll be the captain. Susan, you’re the first mate; Kitty, you’re the able seaman. You’re the youngest, Roger, so you’ll be the ship’s boy.” The children made a list of all the things they would need for their trip and, when night fell, they returned to the farm to collect their supplies. They woke up early the next morning to pack the boat with tents, lanterns, torches, cutlery, crockery and boxes of food. When it was finally time to leave, Mrs Walker and Vicky came to the

boathouse to say goodbye to the children. “Do be careful!” shouted Mrs Walker as the boat sailed away. “We will!” said the children. “Goodbye, Mother! Goodbye, Vicky!” A strong wind carried the boat in the direction of the island, and the children’s excitement grew. “Look over there!” said Kitty, pointing to a large blue boat that was anchored in a bay close to the island. “It looks like a houseboat,” said John. As the children neared the boat, they saw a fat man sitting on the deck. A green parrot was squawking loudly next to him. “Did you see the parrot?” said Roger. “That man must be a pirate!” “Look!” cried Kitty. “There’s a cannon on the deck! He’s definitely a pirate!” The children waved as they sailed past the fat man, but he ignored them. When the island came into view, John headed towards the eastern shore and dropped anchor at a pebbly beach. The adventure had finally begun.

chapter 2

The children carried their supplies to shore and then began the search for a suitable campsite. A short walk brought them to a clearing which was surrounded by thick green pine trees. “This is the perfect place to set up our camp,” said Susan as she glanced around. “And it’s close to the harbour.” “Someone’s been here before,” said Kitty, pointing to a ring of stones in the middle of the clearing which was filled with ash. John frowned. “Well, I’m quite sure we’re alone now,” he said. “I didn’t see any other boats when we arrived.” The children put up their tents; one for John and Roger, and one for Susan and Kitty. Then, they gathered some firewood and lit a fire in the ring of stones. Susan quickly started to work, making tea and scrambled eggs for the hungry crew. Once all the plates had been washed, the children carried their telescope to the top of a steep hill at the northern end of the island. “This will make a fine lookout,” said John. “We’ll be able to see any boat that comes near our island.” “There’s one now!” said Kitty. Roger looked through the telescope and saw Mr Jackson, the farmer at Holly Howe, rowing towards the island. “It’s Mr Jackson!” he cried. The children took turns at the telescope, then, when the boat reached the harbour, they ran down to welcome their visitor. “Hello, children!” said Mr Jackson, as he pulled his boat ashore. “Hello!” said the children. “Your mother told me to bring you some bags of hay to sleep on,” said Mr Jackson. “Thank you,” said Susan. The children helped Mr Jackson carry the bags of hay to the camp; then they offered him a cup of tea and a plate of ginger biscuits. “Your mother told me to tell you that she’s arranged for you to collect milk from Dixon’s Farm on the mainland every morning,” said Mr Jackson as he chewed on a biscuit. “And you can only stay here until

Sunday; you’re going back home on Monday.” The children nodded. “Did you see the pirate?” asked Kitty. “What pirate?” asked Mr Jackson. “The one on the houseboat,” said Kitty. Mr Jackson laughed. “That’s Mr Turner and you’re right, he probably is a pirate!” “Really?” said Kitty. “Mr Turner is an adventurer,” said Mr Jackson. “He’s travelled the world and his boat is full of souvenirs from different countries. I’ve heard some people say that there’s treasure on his boat...” “Treasure?” repeated Kitty, her blue eyes sparkling. Mr Jackson nodded. “Mr Turner lives on the houseboat during the summer. Last year, he spent all his time with his nieces, the Blackett girls, who live on the other side of the lake. This year, he’s decided to keep to himself. He won’t let anyone near his boat; no one has any idea what he does there all day.” “He’s probably guarding his treasure,” said Kitty. “Probably,” said Mr Jackson with a grin. Mr Jackson finished his tea and the children walked him back to the harbour; then, they returned to the camp and went to sleep underneath a starry sky and a silvery half moon.

chapter 3

The children spent the next two days exploring the surrounding bays and islands. They discovered an island near theirs which was inhabited by cormorants, so they named it Cormorant Island. The pirate’s bay was renamed Houseboat Bay. The children tried to think of a name for their island, but couldn’t agree on anything. On the morning of the third day, the children were having breakfast at the lookout when they noticed a sailing boat enter Houseboat Bay. Minutes later, they heard a loud bang. “The pirate must have fired his cannon!” exclaimed Kitty. The sailing boat reappeared and, to the children’s surprise, began moving towards the island. John looked through the telescope. “The boat is called the Amazon and there are two girls in it,” he said. “I wonder, are they friends or enemies?” Just then, the girls raised a black flag. The children gasped – it was a skull and crossbones flag. “Enemies!” cried Roger. The boat turned around suddenly and began moving in a southerly direction. “Let’s follow them!” said John. The crew of the Swallow ran to their boat as fast as they could and pushed off. The sail was up and the boat began moving swiftly across the water. When the Swallow passed Houseboat Bay, the children saw the fat pirate standing on the deck of his boat. He seemed to be shaking his fist at them. The children passed the houseboat and saw the Amazon in the distance; it was travelling towards the western shore. Moments later, it disappeared behind a peninsula. “Are we going to follow them?” asked Kitty. “No,” said John with a sigh. “We’ve lost them. Let’s go back to the island.” “I wonder who those girls were,” said Kitty. “And why did the man on the houseboat shake his fist at us?” “I don’t know,” said John, after a pause. “I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”

The following morning, John went to Dixon’s Farm alone to collect some milk. He had a brief conversation with Mrs Dixon, the farmer’s wife, and returned to the island with some unpleasant news. “The pirate told Mrs Dixon that we damaged his boat,” said John. “But we never touched his boat,” said Susan, as she placed spoonfuls of scrambled egg on her siblings’ plates. “I know,” said John. “But why was he shaking his fist at us yesterday?” asked Susan. “Perhaps he wants us to leave the island,” said Kitty. “Well, we won’t go,” said Roger. At that moment, a long arrow struck the saucepan that stood near the fire. The children jumped. “It must be the pirate!” exclaimed Kitty. “Hands up,” said a voice from behind the group. The children turned around slowly and saw two blonde girls standing a short distance away holding crossbows. “It’s not the pirate,” whispered Kitty. “It’s the girls from the boat!” “What do you want?” asked John. “Why have you come to our island?” “We want to talk to you,” said the older girl. “And it’s our island.” “How can it be your island?” said John. “This is our camp.” “It’s been our island for years,” said the older girl. “Who do you think built the fireplace?” “All right,” said John. “Put down your weapons and we’ll talk.” The girls put their bows on the ground and John walked towards them. He held out his hand and introduced himself and his crew. “I’m Nancy Blackett,” said the older girl as she shook John’s hand, “and this is my sister, Peggy.” “Blackett?” repeated John. “Is the man on the houseboat your uncle?” “Yes he is,” said Nancy. “Do you know him?” “Not really,” said John. “He hates us; he’s been telling everyone lies about us.”

“Then we have a common enemy,” said Nancy. “Uncle Jim used to be our favourite uncle, but he’s been ignoring us all summer and we don’t like him any more. He’s been writing a book and he told us not to disturb him. We call him Captain Flint now, after the pirate in the book Treasure Island.” John grinned. “We’ve decided to punish Captain Flint by capturing his boat and making him walk the plank,” continued Nancy. “Would you like to help us?” John turned to look at his crew. “Yes,” he said, “we’ll help you.” Nancy and John shook hands again; then over a meal of scrambled eggs and meat pie, the children talked more about Captain Flint. “We used to come to this island all the time with our uncle,” said Peggy. “We named it Wild Cat Island.” “That’s a good name,” said John. “Did he fire his cannon at you yesterday?” asked Susan. “No, we threw a firework at his roof,” said Nancy. “He was sleeping at the time. Did you hear it from here?” Roger nodded. “It was a loud bang,” he said. Nancy looked pleased. “Now,” she continued, “one of our boats will lead the attack on Captain Flint...” “But which one?” asked John. “The best way to decide that is to try to capture each other’s boats,” replied Nancy. “Whoever succeeds will lead the attack, what do you say?” “That’s an excellent idea,” said John. “But you have to tell us where you keep your boat.” Nancy removed a notebook from her pocket and drew a map on a piece of paper. “Our town is on the western shore; we call it Rio, but that’s not its real name. Our boathouse is in Rio Bay and it’s made of stone; you’ll find it easily.” John looked at the map and nodded. “I know where that is.” With that, the girls stood up to leave. The children walked to the harbour and the Swallows watched the Amazons set sail. “War begins tomorrow!” shouted Nancy. “All right!” said John.

Chapter 4

When John woke up the next morning, he looked out at the lake and sighed. The water was calm and clear, but there was no wind and sailing would be impossible without it. The attack on the Amazons would have to wait another day. “The war has begun!” shouted Roger as he climbed out of his tent. “The Amazons could be here any minute!” John shook his head. “There’s no wind, Roger. The Amazons won’t be able to come here and we can’t go to them. We can’t row there either, it’s just too far. No wind, no war. It’s a pity.” Roger looked disappointed. “In that case, can Kitty and I row ashore for milk?” he asked. “Yes, you can,” said John. “But be careful.” And so, the able seaman and the boy paddled the Swallow out of the harbour and rowed to Dixon’s Farm. They returned half an hour later with a litre of milk and a message from Mr Dixon. “I told Mr Dixon that Nancy and Peggy are our allies,” said Kitty as she handed the heavy milk can to her sister. “And he told us to give the girls a message.” Susan looked up from her breakfast preparations. “What message?” “Mr Dixon said that we must tell the girls to tell their uncle that he must put a lock on his door,” said Kitty. “There are rumours going around that Captain Flint has treasure on his boat and Mr Dixon is worried that someone might try to rob him.” “All right,” said John after a pause. “We’ll tell the girls when we see them.”

After a breakfast of porridge and fruit, the children walked to the northern part of the island to collect firewood. They returned to the camp at around lunchtime, carrying heavy bags of dry sticks. John stopped when his tent came into view. “Someone’s been here!” he exclaimed. A letter had been left on the ground outside John’s tent; he unfolded the paper and read it aloud.

“I came to tell you to leave my houseboat alone. Once is quite enough. I’m not joking.

James Turner”

“But we didn’t touch his houseboat!” said Susan. “Of course we didn’t,” said John. “What a horrible man!” said Roger. “What are we going to do about it?” asked Susan. John thought for a moment. “I’ll have to go speak to him. I want to ask him why he left us this letter and I should give him Mr Dixon’s message, since we won’t be seeing the Amazons today. He may be our enemy, but we wouldn’t want anyone to break into his houseboat.” “Should we all go?” asked Susan. “No,” replied John. “I’ll go alone; I don’t want him to think he’s under attack.”

After lunch, John climbed into the Swallow and rowed to Houseboat Bay. When he arrived, he saw Captain Flint on the deck. He was dressed in a suit and was putting a suitcase into a rowing boat. There was a car waiting for him on the shore; Captain Flint was going away. “What are you doing here?” shouted Captain Flint when he saw John. “Didn’t you get my letter?” “I did,” said John. “I came to –” “I told you to stay away! Look what your firework did to my roof!” Captain Flint pointed to a large burnt patch on the cabin roof. “I didn’t do that,” said John. “Don’t lie to me!” said the man. “I saw you sail by shortly after it happened!” “But I swear I didn’t do it!” “Then who did?” John knew that the Amazons were responsible, but he couldn’t betray his allies. The boy cleared his throat. “Um, Mr Turner, I have a message...” “Go away!” cried Captain Flint. “But...” “I don’t talk to liars, clear out!” John had no choice but to leave.

chapter 5

When John returned to the island, the children began planning their attack on the Amazons. They decided to capture the Amazon the following evening; the girls wouldn’t be expecting an attack at night. Kitty offered to stay on the island alone to guard the camp while her siblings carried out their mission. The next day, the children packed the Swallow with blankets, food and torches; by five o’ clock, they were ready to set sail. The Swallows arrived at Rio just as the sun was starting to set behind the hills on the western shore. They entered Rio Bay and saw the stone boathouse on the left bank. “There it is!” said Roger, pointing to a large, square building that stood high above the reeds. John smiled to himself and steered the Swallow towards the boathouse. He removed his torch from his pocket and shone the light inside. The boathouse was empty. “I don’t believe this!” cried John. “Look,” said Susan, “there’s an envelope on the door.” John reached out and grabbed the envelope. It was addressed to the Swallows. He tore the letter open and read it: “Did you think we would make it easy for you?” John thought for a moment. “They must’ve hidden the boat up river,” he said. “It’s an old pirate trick. Come on, let’s go.” The Swallow slipped quietly out of the bay and into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Kitty was sitting on the beach, waiting for her siblings to return. She had wrapped herself in a blanket and was drinking tea. The lake was dark, but the moon would provide enough light for Swallow to find its way back home. Soon, Kitty fell asleep, but she woke up a short while later by the sound of voices. She got up

to her feet and listened. To her horror, Kitty realised that the voices belonged to Nancy and Peggy Blackett. The able seaman crouched behind a rock and watched as Nancy and Peggy pulled their boat ashore. The girls walked towards the campsite and Kitty’s heart began to pound. Why had the Amazons come to the island? And where were the Swallows? Then, Kitty had an idea: she would capture the Amazon herself. Wasting no time, the girl jumped into the boat and began to row as fast as she could. But rowing alone was hard work, and when she reached the northern end of Cormorant Island, she decided to drop anchor and wait for her siblings to arrive. Just then, Kitty heard the sound of oars hitting the water. Another

boat had arrived at Cormorant Island. The girl held her breath and waited. She heard a splash and then the sound of a boat being pulled up over stones. Then, she heard two men talking: “This box is too heavy to take on the motorcycle, we’ll have to bury it here and come back for it another time.” “It’s a pity we couldn’t get the lock open.” “Yes, I’m sure there’s something valuable inside.” The men rowed away a short while later and Kitty breathed a sigh of relief. “I wonder if those men were pirates?” she wondered. The girl searched the boat for something to eat and found a bar of chocolate. Soon, the pirates were forgotten and Kitty was fast asleep.

chapter 6

The Swallows spent most of the night searching for the Amazon, but the search was in vain. When the lights in the houses on the shore began to go out, John decided to drop anchor. It was too dangerous to continue sailing in the dark. The Swallows fell asleep and woke up just before sunrise. They set sail for Wild Cat Island as soon as it was light. As they neared the island, they noticed a column of smoke rising from the campsite. “Kitty must be awake,” said Susan. “I hope she didn’t mind spending the night alone.” “Susan!” exclaimed John suddenly. “Look over there! The Amazon is at Cormorant Island!” Susan gasped. “So it is!” she said. “It doesn’t look like there’s anyone on the boat. It probably drifted away.” “It’s not drifting,” said John, “it’s at anchor. Maybe the Amazons are asleep. Let’s tow the boat to the harbour; then, when the Amazons wake up, they’ll be our prisoners.” As the Swallows approached the Amazon, a familiar figure stood up to greet them. “Kitty?” cried John in amazement. “I captured the Amazon!” said the girl proudly. “Hurray!” shouted the Swallows. “Well done, Kitty!” said Roger. “How did you do it?” asked John. “And where are the Amazons?” “The Amazons are on our island,” explained Kitty. “They’ve taken over our camp. I couldn’t do anything to stop them, so I decided to take their boat.” “It doesn’t matter about the camp,” said John. “We’ve captured the boat, and defeated the Amazons!” The delighted crew of the Swallow sailed both boats back to the island, where they found Nancy and Peggy waiting on the beach. “Kitty captured your boat, do you surrender?” shouted John. “Yes, we do,” said the girls. The Swallows pulled the boats ashore and climbed out of them.

Nancy walked up to Kitty and shook her hand. “Well done, able seaman. At first we thought the boat had drifted away; it was this morning that we realised that one of you had taken it.” “Thanks,” said Kitty. Susan invited the Amazons to stay for breakfast and the children walked back to the campsite. As Susan handed out slices of bread and marmalade to the hungry sailors, the Amazons explained why they had come to the island the night before. “We hid our boat in the reeds near the boathouse and waited for you to go up river,” said Nancy. “So you were watching us the whole time?” said John. “Yes,” replied the girl. “Then we came here. I was going to hide on the beach and wait for you to return so that I could capture your boat. The plan was to meet Peggy on the other side of the island. But, we didn’t see your boat when we arrived. We searched the island and realised you hadn’t returned. We didn’t think you’d leave a crew member here to guard the camp.” “The war is over now,” said John. “We need to plan our attack on the houseboat, so I think you girls should come back later and camp here.” Peggy’s eyes brightened. “That’s an excellent idea!” she said. “By the way,” said Susan, “Mr Dixon told us to tell you to give your uncle a message.” “What message?” asked Nancy. “He said that your uncle should put a lock on his door in case someone tries to break in,” said John. “I tried to tell him, but he wouldn’t listen to me.” Nancy frowned. “Uncle Jim has gone away for a couple of days; I’ll tell him when he gets back.” The Amazons set sail for Rio a short while later and the exhausted crew of the Swallow went straight to sleep.

Chapter 7

By the time the children woke up, it was one o’ clock in the afternoon. Susan and Kitty prepared a big lunch and the children discussed the events of the night before – Kitty was curious to hear about her siblings’ adventures on the lake, and she was eager to share the story of how she had managed to capture the Amazon. “You were very brave to spend the night alone at Cormorant Island,” said John. “I wasn’t afraid,” said Kitty. “Although I was a little scared of the pirates.” “Pirates?” said John. “What do you mean?” “I heard two men in a rowing boat when I was anchored at the island,” said the girl. “They must’ve been fishermen,” said John. Kitty shook her head. “No, they were pirates. They buried their treasure on the island, I heard them.” Susan sighed. “Don’t be silly, Kitty, there aren’t any pirates around here.” “But I heard them!” said Kitty. “Come on, everyone,” said Susan, “it’s getting late and we need to tidy up the camp before the Amazons arrive.” Once the children had finished their chores, John made his way to the lookout to wait for the Amazons to come. He looked through the telescope and, to his surprise, saw a police boat enter Houseboat Bay. John hurried back to camp to tell the others what he’d seen. By the time he returned to the campsite, the Amazons had already arrived. “Did something happen at the houseboat?” asked the boy. Nancy and Peggy nodded. “Uncle Jim’s houseboat was burgled last night!” said Peggy. The Swallows gasped. “That’s terrible!” said Susan. “Uncle Jim was away visiting friends and he returned this morning to find his houseboat in an awful mess,” said Nancy. “The only thing the thieves took was a locked trunk that had a typewriter,

a manuscript and some diaries in it.” “Uncle Jim is very upset,” said Peggy. “He’s been working on his book all summer and now it’s gone.” John shook his head. “I tried to warn him, but he wouldn’t listen to me. He called me a liar. He’s furious with me; he thinks I’m the one who threw the firework at his boat.” Nancy and Peggy looked at each other. “He does?” said Nancy. John nodded. “I must put this right at once,” said Nancy. The children watched as Nancy removed a piece of paper and a pencil from her pocket and began writing furiously. “What are you going to do?” asked John. “I’m going to give Captain Flint a letter,” declared the girl as she folded up the note. “And I’m going alone.” With that, Nancy made her way to the harbour, climbed into her boat and rowed as fast as she could to Houseboat Bay

chapter 8

Once the police had finished examining Captain Flint’s houseboat, he was left alone to tidy up. “They took the one thing that mattered most to me,” he said to the parrot. “And it’s of no use to them. Never lock anything up, Polly, and you’ll never lose it.” “Pretty Polly,” said the parrot. At that moment, a small piece of paper flew through the cabin window and landed on the table. Captain Flint frowned. He looked out of the window and was surprised to see his niece sitting in her boat. “Nancy?” he said. “What are you doing here?” “Read the letter,” shouted the girl. Captain Flint unfolded the piece of paper and read it.

To Captain Flint,

I was the one who threw the firework at your boat, not John. John tried to warn you that thieves were planning to rob you, but you refused to listen to him and you called him a liar. We’re very angry with you and we’re never going to speak to you again.

Nancy Blackett

Captain Flint gasped. “So my niece threw the firework at my boat! And I blamed that poor boy for nothing! I really must do something about this...” Captain Flint opened the window and called after his niece, but she had already started rowing away. He ran up onto the deck, jumped into his rowing boat and set off after the girl. Nancy arrived at the island first, with Captain Flint following close behind. The girl quickly climbed out of her boat and joined her sister and the Swallows who were standing on the beach. “May I come ashore?” asked Captain Flint as his boat reached the harbour.

“Friend or enemy?” asked Nancy. “Friend,” replied Captain Flint. “I’ve come to apologise to the boy.” Captain Flint stepped out of his boat and walked over to John. “Young man,” he began, “I was wrong to shout at you and call you a liar. I thought you’d thrown the firework at my boat and I was angry. I’m sorry.” The pirate stretched out his hand and John shook it. “It’s all right,” said the boy. “John has accepted your apology,” said Nancy, as she folded her arms. “But we’re still going to declare war on you, Uncle Jim. We’re going to capture your boat and make you walk the plank as punishment for ignoring us all summer.” Captain Flint looked at his niece and laughed. “All right,” he said. “Now that my book has been stolen, I have plenty of time for war. Come to my boat tomorrow at three o’ clock.” “Really?” said Peggy. Captain Flint nodded. “Hurray!” shouted the children. John introduced Captain Flint to his siblings and he shook their hands warmly. “It’s good to meet all of you,” he said. “I look forward to our battle tomorrow.” Captain Flint said goodbye to the children and climbed back into his rowing boat. “See you tomorrow!” he shouted happily. “He’s not such a horrible man after all,” said Kitty as she watched the rowing boat disappear into the distance.

chapter 9

The children set sail for Houseboat Bay at three o’clock the following afternoon. When they arrived, Susan blew a whistle to signal that the attack had begun. Captain Flint appeared on the deck almost immediately. The children saw him lean over his cannon; a moment later, a loud bang echoed across the lake. “He’s fired the cannon!” exclaimed John. “This means war!” shouted Nancy. The Swallow and the Amazon lined up next to the houseboat and the children climbed aboard. “Get the prisoner!” commanded Nancy. Captain Flint tried to run into the cabin, but the children tackled him and he fell over. “I surrender!” cried Captain Flint. John and Nancy tied the prisoner’s hands together with rope and forced him to walk to the diving board on the foredeck. The other children followed eagerly. “Captain Flint,” said Nancy, “you ignored us all summer and you

called John a liar; you will now walk the plank as punishment for these crimes. What do you have to say for yourself?” “I’m truly sorry,” said Captain Flint. “That may be,” said Nancy, “but you still have to pay for what you’ve done.” The children untied the prisoner’s hands and blindfolded him. Then, they guided him onto the diving board and ordered him to walk. Captain Flint moved his feet, little by little, along the board. “Walk faster!” shouted Nancy. “Mercy!” begged the prisoner. Captain Flint walked to the edge of the diving board and took a step into the air. He hit the water with a huge splash. The children cheered and clapped their hands. Captain Flint removed his blindfold and swam slowly towards the boat. John lowered a rope ladder into the water and the prisoner climbed up onto the deck. “Is the war over?” asked Captain Flint, as he wiped his face with a towel. “Yes, it is,” said Nancy. “Good,” said Captain Flint. “Then it’s time to celebrate. I’m going to change; go downstairs and wait for me.” The children walked to the cabin where they found a long, narrow table covered in sandwiches, biscuits, buns and chocolates. There was also a cake with two sailing boats on it made of icing, as well as several bottles of lemonade. “It’s a pirate banquet!” said Kitty. Captain Flint returned a short while later, and the feast began. “It’s a pity tomorrow is our last day on the island,” said Kitty as she took a bite of a jam biscuit. “Yes,” said Roger, “I quite like being a pirate.” “Well then,” said Captain Flint, “you must all come back again next year for more pirate adventures.” “We will!” said Roger. After the meal, Captain Flint and the children went up onto the deck and the pirate played his accordion while the children sang and danced. At sunset, the Swallows and the Amazons sailed back to the island to prepare for their last night.

chapter 10

When Kitty woke up on Sunday morning, she decided to return to Cormorant Island to search for the pirates’ treasure. “But we’re all going fishing with Captain Flint today,” said Susan when Kitty announced her plan. “It’s our last day on the island, Susan,” said Kitty, “and I want to go treasure-hunting.” “I want to come too!” said Roger. Susan sighed. “All right, you can go, but I doubt you’ll find anything.” After a big breakfast, the able seaman and the boy set sail for Cormorant Island. The island was smaller than Wild Cat Island and was covered in rocks, stones and patches of grass; there were only two trees and one of them had been uprooted. The children searched the island thoroughly, but found nothing. They had almost given up when Kitty noticed a large, flat rock standing near the dried roots of the old tree. “Come on, Roger,” said Kitty, “help me move this rock.” The children used all their might to push the rock away. Underneath it was the sharp corner of a metal box. Kitty looked in amazement. “Roger! We’ve found the treasure!” she cried. The children began clearing away rocks and stones until, finally, the lid of the box was revealed. The name ‘James Turner’ was written on the lid in bold letters. “It’s Captain Flint’s trunk!” said Kitty. “Hurray!” said Roger. Meanwhile, the fishing expedition had come to an end and Captain Flint and the others were making their way to Cormorant Island to pay a visit to the treasure hunters. When Kitty saw the boat, she began waving her hands wildly. “We’ve found your box!” she cried. Captain Flint could hardly believe his ears. As soon as his boat reached the shore, he jumped out of it and ran to the uprooted tree.

The others followed. Captain Flint cried out with delight when he saw his trunk. He pulled the box out of the ground and unlocked it – his typewriter, manuscript and diaries were still inside. “I can’t thank you enough, Kitty!” said Captain Flint. “It’s my pleasure,” said the girl, with a huge smile on her face. “Well done, Kitty!” said John. “Yes, well done!” said Nancy. “Those men you heard were thieves not pirates,” said Susan. “Yes,” said Kitty, “they couldn’t open the box, so they buried it here. They were planning to come back for it.” “Well, I’m so glad you saved the trunk, able seaman,” said Captain Flint. With that, the children returned to the island to pack up their belongings, while Captain Flint took his treasure back to his houseboat. “See you next year!” said Captain Flint as he sailed away. “And thank you again!” “Goodbye!” said the children. Once the Swallows and Amazons had packed their boats, they said goodbye and promised to return the following year for more adventures on Wild Cat Island. “Swallows and Amazons forever!” shouted Nancy and Peggy as the Amazon set sail. “Swallows and Amazons forever!” shouted the crew of the Swallow as they made their way back home in the fading afternoon light.

chapter 1 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 2 Comprehension

Vocabulary Follow-up activities

chapter 3 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 4 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 5 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 6 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 7 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 8 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 9 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities

chapter 10 Comprehension Vocabulary

Follow-up activities