Swallows and Amazons

---

1

[Steam train]

[Train whistle]

Where are we?

Won't be long now.

The endless trek

through the Sahara desert.

See the camels bravely plod

through the sand.

Titty!

[Mother:
] At least camels

don't need water.

When I was a child,

we had thousands of sheep

that died during the drought.

- In Australia?

- Yes.

Sheep must be quite pleased

to be English.

Do they have sheep in China?

Of course.

Well, even if Daddy

misses this holiday,

he'll see Chinese sheep

when he gets to Hong Kong.

Where is he now, Mother?

His boat's in Malta,

waiting for orders to sail.

I expect he'd rather be with us.

Of course he would.

He loves the lakes.

He'd be showing you everything.

He'd say:

"Just look at that scenery."

[Train whistle]

[Children laugh]

[Orchestral music]

[Titty:
] Please, can we go exploring?

[Mother:
] It's a little late.

[Titty:
] But it's still light.

We won't be long.

[Mother:
] All right,

but it'll soon be supper time.

[Roger:
] Hello, sir.

[Man:
] Hello.

[Orchestral music]

[John:
]

'Dear Father, we arrived safely.

'Mother says

I'm to ask your permission

'to build camp

on the island on the lake.

'We have found a boat

that will be quite suitable for the voyage.

'Hope you have a happy voyage

to Hong Kong.

'Please answer soon.

Love, John.'

[Susan:
]

'P.S. And Susan.'

[Titty:
] 'If we wreck ourselves

on a coral reef,

'we will go down bravely.

'Not that we will.

'Please.

Love, Titty.'

[Roger:
] 'Please, Daddy,

may I go too?'

[Roger:
] Stand by to go about.

Ready, about.

[Birds chirping and bees buzzing]

[Cows mooing]

Stand by to go about.

Ready, about.

Stand by to go about.

Ready, about.

Roger!

Well sailed.

ls it the answer?

Does it say yes?

[Chickens clucking]

"Better drowned than duffers,

if not duffers, won't drown."

- Does that mean yes?

- I think so.

But does that mean me too?

Yes, if John and Susan will take you.

And if you do as you're told.

- Shall I go and tell the others?

- All right.

Don't be late for supper.

[Dog barks]

And don't wake Vicky

when you come in.

[Orchestral music]

Despatches.

It's yes, and for me too,

so it must be for Titty as well.

Read it aloud.

"Better drowned than duffers,

if not duffers, won't drown."

- Hurrah for Father!

- What does it mean?

[John:
] lt means, that

Father thinks we won't drown,

but if we do, good riddance.

But what does

"duffers, if not duffers" mean?

No, you're wrong.

lt says,

if we were duffers

we might as well be drowned.

Then it stops and starts again,

saying as we are not duffers,

we won't drown.

But why doesn't he just say yes?

[Orchestral music]

[Susan:
] Mrs Jackson,

can we borrow a frying pan?

Yes, certainly, love.

I'm best at buttered eggs.

Are you really?

Most folk are best at boiled.

I don't really count boiled.

[Mother:
]

You see, on rocky ground

stones are better than pegs

for holding tents down,

except in a high wind.

Father and I often used to sleep in one

when we were young.

Are you really old?

Not really,

it's just I was younger then.

[Mother:
]

Oh!

[All laugh]

Da-dit, da-dit,

da-dit-dit-dit.

[John:
] Hoist the sail, Mr Mate.

[Susan:
] Aye aye, sir.

Here comes good Queen Bess

to see us off

on our voyage to the Pacific.

Captain Drake,

pull the boom down.

That'll get those

cross wrinkles out.

I wonder if, the real Queen Elizabeth

knew much about ships.

That Queen Elizabeth wasn't brought up

close to Sydney harbour.

[Susan:
] All aboard.

[John:
] Come on, let's go.

- Right!

- Have you got everything?

- I've checked the list.

Everything?

One might almost say, "By gum,

we couldn't have lit a fire without them."

Safe voyage.

- Bye-bye.

[Children:
] Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Three cheers for the stay-at-homes.

Hip-hip...

[Children:
]

Hooray!

- Hip-hip, [Children:] Hooray!

- Hip-hip, [Children:] Hooray!

[Mother:
]

Bye!

Adieu and farewell

To you fair Spanish ladies

Adieu and farewell

To you ladies of Spain

For we're under orders

for to sail to old England

And we may never see

you fair ladies again

We will really, though.

[Orchestral music]

[Titty:
] Here we are,

intrepid explorers

making the first ever voyage

into uncharted waters.

What mysteries

shall they hold for us?

Dark secrets shall be revealed.

[Orchestral music continues]

[Roger:
]

Look, John, over there.

Steamer ahead.

[John:
] Stand by to go about. Ready, about.

Natives!

[Orchestral music]

[Roger:
]

A ship! A ship!

[John:
]

It's a houseboat.

What's a houseboat?

A boat which you live in,

like a house.

I wish we lived in a houseboat

all the year round.

- Father does.

- That's different.

He's in the Royal Navy.

A destroyer isn't like a houseboat.

They live in it all the same.

What's that man doing?

[Roger:
]

I can't see.

Why not?

I can't see anything.

Take the cap off the end.

[Roger:
]

Oh, he's writing.

[Titty:
]

Let me have the telescope.

He's got a parrot.

He's probably a retired pirate.

[Roger:
]

Pirates always have parrots.

[Titty:
] He's working

on his devilish crimes.

[Roger:
]

It's my turn now.

He's got a cannon.

He is a pirate!

Keep still, you two.

You'll turn us over.

[Orchestral music]

[Titty:
]

There's another island.

They've got India rubber necks.

[Roger:
] What?

What can you see?

[Titty:
] Cormorants.

We must be near the coast of China.

The Chinese have cormorants.

They train them

to catch fish for them.

Daddy sent me a picture.

[Susan:
]

They're fishing now.

Look!

Land ahoy! Land ahoy!

[John:
]

Stand by to go about.

Ready, about.

Keep a lookout

for a good landing place.

Aye aye, sir.

And keep a good lookout

for savages too.

Boy Roger, sing out like anything

if you see any rocks under the water.

[Roger:
]

Aye, sir.

[Orchestral music continues]

[Susan:
] How about there

for a landing place?

[John:
]

Let's try.

Stand by to go about.

Ready, about.

[Orchestral music continues]

Get the painter.

[Birds chirping]

[John:
] Susan, you come forward

and take this halyard.

[John:
]

Lower away.

Don't let's unpack now,

let's explore.

[Seagulls cawing]

[Titty:
]

Might be a tidal wave.

[Roger:
]

Look!

Properly we ought to have

a flagpole on the top.

[Roger:
]

What for?

To hoist a flag,

for a signal.

lt would make

a superb lighthouse.

If any of us were sailing home after dark

we could hoist a lantern up there.

[Roger:
]

We've got a lantern.

- We haven't got any rope, though.

- We could get some.

Good idea.

Let's go look for a camp now.

OK, we'll split up.

Roger, you go that way,

Susan that way,

Titty, you go that way

and I'll go this way.

[Roger:
]

Hey!

Hey!

Hey! Hey!

What a lovely place for a camp.

Well done, Roger.

Natives.

Well, the natives certainly knew

how to choose the right place.

Suppose they're still here.

These ashes

look pretty old to me.

I think we're safe.

Come on, let's fetch the tents.

[Orchestral music]

[Susan:
] You'll need

much more than that.

[Orchestral music continues]

[Whistle]

[Muffled giggles]

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