Polka Dot Sighting

“Are there any nearby islands? ” Carson Drew asked Penny.

“Several, ” Penny answered, “but they’re called dry islands. The only water supply is from the rain.”

“Then no one could stay there? ” George asked.

“Not without coming here for water, ” Penny answered, her eyes going to the village side of the dock where there was a water spigot. She went over and turned it on. Water ran into the dry ground.

“So they’d need a boat to come and go, ” Nancy said.

“Do you think they took Bess to one of those islands? ” George asked.

Penny shrugged. “She isn’t here.”

“Is there any way we can get there? ” Nancy asked.

“Not without a boat, ” Penny answered.

“What about the little boats at the resort? ” Nancy inquired.

Penny started to shake her head, then considered. “Well, on a real smooth day you could probably make the trip to Seahorse Island, and then it isn’t far from there to Blue Cove. But unless you know the ocean and the islands real well, I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve been to both islands, but I wouldn’t know how to get there now. My grandfather took me on the Polka Dot.”

“Then there’s no way we can go anywhere close to look for Bess? ” Geotge sounded as frustrated and angry as Nancy felt.

“Not without a big boat.”

“What about the inter-island ferry? ” Nancy asked, indicating the bill that she’d returned to Penny.

“It probably won’t be back for several days, ” Penny answered, “and then only if whoever

took the supplies sent in an order for more goods to be delivered.”

Nancy sighed. “I certainly hope we don’t have to wait that long, ” she said.

“Well, do you want to search anymore? ” Mr. Drew asked.

Nancy looked around sadly. “I don’t think there’s much use, do you? ”

“Probably not, ” her father agreed and began trudging up the hill to the backbone of the island.

Nancy followed slowly, her mind considering the possibilities. If they could somehow find the Polka Dot or whatever boat had brought the intruders to the island... Or even get on board it long enough to use the radio. Her spirits lifted. There would be an opportunity, she was sure. It was just a matter of watching and being ready when the time came.

They were all hot and tired by the time they reached the resort, but a quick dip in the cove revived them enough for the girls to fix a light lunch. George sighed as she worked on the salad.

“I’m beginning to think you should have given that prize to Hannah, ” she told Nancy.

“We could use her help around here. I’m just not a super cook.”

“Me neither, ” Penny spoke up. “My grandmother is terrific, but I’ve never cooked for anyone but myself.”

“What we need is some fresh fish for dinner, ” Nancy suggested. “How is the fishing around here, Penny? ”

“It’s not too bad, ” Penny replied. “I used to go out in one of the little boats and just fish with a hand line. I couldn’t supply all the guests, but I brought in three or four fish every time.” “Fishing in the cove? ” Nancy asked.

Penny shook her head. “I caught some in the cove, but the best fishing is on the far side of the island. It’s a long way to row, but you catch a lot more.”

“Sounds like a good way to spend the afternoon, ” Nancy said.

“I’ll envy you, ” her father spoke up from the sink where he was making lemonade from the supply of frozen juices. “I’m going to devote the afternoon to working on the radiophone. I don’t know how much I can salvage, but maybe enough to build a simple transmitter—”

“Do you need an assistant? ” George asked.

“I always liked jigsaw puzzles, and whoever hit that radio-phone sure created a dandy.”

“That leaves us to do the fishing, Nancy, ” Penny said. “We can take both boats and try a couple of places, that way we’ll be sure of catching something for supper.”

“You’ll have to tell me how a hand line works, ” Nancy told Penny.

“That’s the easy part.”

The conversation about fishing carried them through lunch, and afterward Nancy hurried to change to slacks and a cotton shirt that would protect her fair skin from the strong afternoon sun. She came out to find Penny waiting with lines, hooks, bait, and instructions.

“We’ll row outside the cove, ” Penny said as they parted by the two small boats. “I’ll go out around the cove and try to get to my favorite fishing spot on the far side of the island. You should stick closer to the entrance of the cove, all right? ”

Nancy nodded, aware that it had been some time since she’d rowed a boat and a little apprehensive about taking such a frail craft out onto the bouncing waves of the ocean. “I think we’d both better be careful, ” she murmured. “After all, there’s no one we can call for help.”

Penny’s smile faded a little, but she nodded without commenting. “If you get into any trouble with the boat, row for shore anywhere along the island, ” she told Nancy. “Even if you end up on the rocks, it doesn’t matter. As Grandpa says, ‘We can buy another boat’—just land safely.”

The boats were surprisingly maneuverable in the gentle waters of the cove, and Nancy soon found her previously mastered rowing rhythm returning. Still, she didn’t hurry after Penny when the other girl left the cove, preferring instead to enjoy the view of the resort and the surrounding gardens etched against the intensely blue sky above the snow-colored beach.

How can there be so much trouble here? Nancy asked herself as she directed the bow of the small boat toward the cove entrance and began to row more energetically.

The boat responded well till she hit the conflicting currents of the water beyond the cove, where it began to bounce rather frighteningly. Nancy slowed her pace and tried to choose a sheltered course, hesitant to venture far from the protective arm of land that kept the rough water outside the cove.

Now where did Penny tell me to fish? she mused, trying to remember what the redhead had told her. She let the boat drift for a few moments, resting her shoulders and the tender palms of her hands.

Every part of the island looked very much like the rest—the beacon tower of the resort was the only identifying landmark, and she had no idea where fish might be hiding. Finally, seeing that she was drifting away from the land, she simply put the oars to rest and baited the hook of the hand line, dropping it over the side without a great deal of enthusiasm. In her eagerness to catch fresh fish for dinner, she’d forgotten that fishing had its unpleasant moments as well as its exciting ones.

The first strike came quickly, and when she pulled the hook up, the fish on it was respectable both in size and type. “I must have found the right place, ” Nancy said out loud to herself as she put the fish in the small cooler and dropped her line over again. “I hope Fenny is doing as well.”

The second fish came along as quickly as did a third. The fourth fish, however, followed only after quite a wait in the hot sun. Once the fifth fish was in the cooler, Nancy coiled the line in the bottom of the boat and stood up to stretch, her back and shoulders aching from her efforts.

A light breeze lifted her damp hair off her forehead, and as she looked around, a movement caught her eye. There was a boat just coming into view along the side of the island, and it looked very familiar to her.

Nancy sat down quickly and set her oars again, ready to row for the shore to get out of sight of the boat. Her oars dipped rhythmically, but her boat bounced erratically, and when she looked up, she realized that she wasn’t making any headway against the tide.

A little chill of fear touched her spine and she began to row harder. The land stopped moving away from her, but it didn’t grow any larger either, no matter how hard she tried. Her shoulders began to cramp and she had to stop rowing for a moment to ease them.

The boat was now much closer and Nancy was sure that it was the Polka Dot. Should she hail it? Ask for help? She looked around and felt surprised when she saw that land once more seemed to be approaching.

Then something else caught her attention—cold water was washing over her feet! Nancy looked down and saw that the cooler was bubbling on water rising over the floorboards of the boat. She couldn’t see the hole or whatever was allowing the water in, but it was obviously a large one, and the shore was still desperately far away! Nancy looked quickly toward the other boat, but it had disappeared! With no time to lose, she began to row with all her strength, praying that her rowing and the mysterious tide that was now carrying her would be enough to get her to shore.