Swallows and Amazons

Whoosh.

Hurry up, everyone, or we'll miss our train.

Anyone seen Roger?

- Look out! Pirates on the starboard bow. - Someone fetch Roger.

- Prepare to fire the cannon. - Taxi's waiting.

Aye aye, Captain. Boom!

Missed, you blackguards!

Taxi's here.

You'll never take me alive.

Cheerio, then, have a nice summer.

If I close my eyes, that mess just won't be there.

Come along.

Come on, nearly there.

The train now standing at platform one is the 0900 hours to Glasgow.

- Calling at Southampton, Oxford... - Ooh.

You need to watch where you're going.

Or you might not get there.

Woof!

Go on.

- Here we are. I need to sit down. - Bagsy the window.

Good girl. You got it?

- Stop it, Roger. - No.

Do as you're told, Roger.

- I wish Father was here. - I know, darling. We all do.

But he has to go with his ship. That's what being a captain means.

- Where is his ship? - Hong Kong.

- Where's Hong Kong? - The South China Sea.

- Where's the South China Sea? - South of China.

He left you these, though.

To say "happy holiday".

He's given me a book on the stars.

A journal. I can write hundreds of stories now.

- This is Father's knife. - He left you a note.

"Dear John, I'm giving you my knife so you can whittle sticks, cut rope,

and fight off Tatty's pirates.

I'm so sorry I can't be there to do that with you. Father."

All aboard! This train is ready to leave!

- I want a knife. - When you're John's age.

Ohh.

- Excuse me. - You're excused.

- Sorry, but this compartment's taken. - Our mother will be back in a minute.

Good for her.

Hey!

Sorry, mate. No room at the inn.

Unless you wanna bunk up with my five noisy young'uns.

Oh, no, that's all right. Thank you.

Put her down.

Not a word of this to anyone, or I will find you and I will shut you up.

And I will set my pirates on you and you. Be warned.

What's he doing?

Shut the window, quick!

- Who was that? - A pirate, obviously.

I don't like that man.

Everything all right?

Mother, er... there was this erm...

Tatty!

Don't be horrible to Roger.

Excuse me, madam, I was looking for your husband.

My husband? He's in Hong Kong.

Oh, I do apologise. Wrong husband.

Ringman!

You're travelling light.

- Where's the rest of it? - Coming by road.

- Hello, Mr Jackson. - Hello, Mr Jackson.

Thank you.

Who wants to ride in the back of the truck?

- Me! I do! - No, me!

- There's Holly Howe! - Look, Roger. There's one!

Look, John!

We're here. Hello, Mrs Jackson!

Stay.

- Roger, look at the sheep. - Stay, lad, stay.

Wow.

- Look at that black one. - All present and accounted for.

- You've grown a bit. - Mrs Jackson, I've grown, too.

Have you now? See you've not got any quieter, mind.

Father's in Hong Kong.

Is he now? I expect he's glad of the rest.

Same rooms as last year?

- Can we go up to Darien first? - You're lucky I'm too tired to say no.

- Race you to Darien Peak. - Tea's at six. Not a minute later, mind.

- That means you, too, Mr Jackson. - You know me, Mrs Jackson.

Come on.

There's our lake.

It's not our lake. We're just visiting our holiday abode.

- What's an abode? - A house. Susan swallowed a dictionary.

The undiscovered island. It's still there!

Islands can't go anywhere. You have to go to it.

Father said he'd take us this year.

Father's not here.

I've just had a brilliant idea.

- Come on. - I know how to get us there.

She's a beauty, in't she?

She could do with a run out.

I don't get the time so much these days.

I's too busy chasing sheep.

Crumbs.

Please, Mother. We'll live there for ever and ever.

- Not for ever. Just for the holidays. - We could camp.

We'll sleep under the stars.

We'll build huts out of leaves and sticks.

Hunt goats, skin them. Then roast them on a fire.

I don't like goats.

They won't like you much if you roast them on a fire.

John's captain. We're his crew. We set sail tomorrow in Swallow.

Oh, do you now? And what does Mr Jackson have to say about that?

He doesn't mind. He's very kind.

- I am very kind. - Yeah, the wrong kind.

John's never sailed all of you across the lake before.

And the island's three miles away at least.

No, but I can do it. Father said I did really well last year.

I can't let you go off into the unknown without Father and I discussing it first.

How about we set up camp in the garden instead?

Couldn't you write to Father and discuss it?

We can all write. Please, Mother. It's our destiny!

- All right, then. - Let's get the pencils!

Don't forget the 'destiny' part.

Supper first. Letters later. Pencils away.

Mind, mind! It's hot.

What is it?

Goat.

- How long will the letter take? - To a ship in the South China Sea?

Anything up to three weeks.

But it's a matter of life and death.

In life and death situations, it's advisable to send a telegram.

I'd better do it, darling. Telegrams have to be short.

Come on, Roger, let's get a fishing net.

Coming!

Slow down!

Hello.

Hello.

I understand you've got rooms to let.

I'm afraid I only have one left. Because of the carnival.

Oh, well, one will be adequate.

I can assure you it's more than adequate.

- Does it have two beds? - Naturally.

- Breakfast included? - Breakfast won't be necessary, thanks.

- Are you here for the fishing? - Of a kind.

We're writers chasing a story, but... keep that to yourself.

If you knew how many secrets I'm party to...

I'm like the tomb.

Maybe you know an old newspaper colleague of ours. We believe he lives round here.

There's just the one newspaper man round here. Jim Turner.

But he's away a lot. He's a travel writer. So he says.

Yes, that's him. Good old Jim.

No, it must be a different Jim.

I'm not one to gossip but this one can be very rude.

We'll have to have a stern word with him. Have you seen him recently?

Haven't seen sight nor sound. He lives on the lake in an eyesore of a boat.

On the lake? That sounds romantic.

Given the right circumstances.

- Where does he keep his boat? - Could be anywhere.

He moves it all the time.

That's a very big lake.

There's something down there!

Wait for me. Wait for me!

I'm going to catch you, Roger!

- What's that? - A houseboat.

It's deserted. The crew must have drowned in a terrible storm.

I'd like to live on a boat.

Father lives on a boat.

He lives on a destroyer.

Look for the flat stones.

Is that flat?

John!

We're for it now.

It's just an old boat. There's nobody on it.

Thank you, children.

Thank you.

He thinks he gave us the slip on the train.

Well, let's let him think that, for now.

Susan!

Susan.

It's the man from the train.

He is a pirate.

- Stop making things up! - Look!

Look at that strange boat. It's Captain Flint and his parrot. Run away!

Mrs Walker, can you come down a minute, please?

I'm sorry about your boat, Mr Turner, but I'm not sure what it's got to do with us.

Mrs Jackson says you've got quite a brood. And I saw four children.

- That hardly means that they were mine. - All right, well show me I'm wrong.

- Are you always this rude? - That was me being polite.

Weren't you on our train?

No, I never travel by train.

- That's a lie. - Keep schtum.

John, tell Mr Turner you didn't break his window.

This must be yours.

John, apologise at once.

It was an accident. John didn't mean to.

- And that's the man that... - I'm sorry.

All right.

Well, we'll say no more about it.

But just a word to the wise. If you go near my boat again...

I won't be quite so understanding next time.

Thank you.

John will pay for the damage.

No wonder he's single. Even his own sister finds him impossible.

Who knows what's going on in that boat? Something fishy.

And I don't mean with nets.

You should have told me straightaway.