Swallows and Amazons Page #2

---

Shh.

[All:
laugh]

Lovely. You can see the fireplace

from inside.

Everything's all right

apart from the landing place.

Everybody can see it.

Titty, let's go and see

if we can find a better harbour.

Oh,

I'd better have the whistle.

[Roger:
]

Oh, can I come?

[Susan:
] No,

you fill a kettle while I unpack.

That's got scum in it.

Come on,

I'll show you how to do it.

[Titty:
] We ought to have brought

machetes like Red Indians use.

Ow!

[John:
]

Wow!

Come on, let's get Swallow.

Look, all you have to do is put the spout

in the water and no scum comes in.

[Orchestral music]

[Banging]

[Whistle]

[Whistle]

[Titty:
] I expect someone hid on the island

hundreds and hundreds of years ago

and kept their boat here.

[John:
] It's perfect

for keeping Swallow safe at night.

[Susan:
] It's marvellous,

but why didn't we see it before?

[John:
] Oh,

the rocks go out so far.

John, why have you put

this cross here?

I didn't.

lt must have been here already.

Natives again.

Or cannibals.

This marks the spot

where they ate six missionaries.

Oh, the tea'll spoil.

Come on.

Ooh, sorry.

We can begin our chart tomorrow,

and put on it everything we discover.

We'll invent our own names.

[John:
]

Of course we will.

Roger, eat your apple.

Must I?

Yes, Mother says we must eat plenty of

green things or else we'll all get scurvy.

What is scurvy?

Sailors die from it like flies.

Are you all right?

Susan, Titty?

[Titty:
]

Aye aye, sir!

ls the boy all right?

[John:
]

He's all right, Mr Mate.

You ready for lights out yet?

Yes!

Lights out.

Good night.

[Roger:
]

Good night.

[Birds chirping]

[Titty:
]

Hello.

Hello.

Where's Susan?

[Titty:
]

Asleep.

[John:
]

No, she isn't.

And she's going bathing.

[Susan:
]

Time to get the milk, John.

[Orchestral music]

[Roger:
]

It's cold.

[Susan:
]

No, it isn't, it's lovely.

Don't just splash, swim.

[Cows mooing]

[Dog barking]

[Woman:
]

Mind now.

If there's anything else you want,

don't be afraid to come and ask for it.

[Man:
]

Grand weather we're having.

Shoo. You just get those dirty boots

out of my clean dairy.

Ooh.

I've had a good morning.

Here, you want some?

- Tobacco?

- No, bless you.

Bait for when you go fishing.

Good bit of perch down by the weeds.

How far down is your hook, Susan?

Just about as far

as my float will let me.

Mine's only three feet down.

That's no good.

lt should be about a foot from the bottom.

Reel it in

and I'll push your float up for you.

John, your float's gone!

It's a shark!

It's a shark!

- It's a shark! It's a shark!

- Pull!

- Pull it hard!

- Go on, pull it in!

Go on!

Pull! - Pull!

- Pull!

Do you think it's really safe

to bathe in this place?

[Susan:
]

I wouldn't like to be a fish.

[Roger:
] But I'd like to be

a fish swimming underwater.

[Titty:
]

You'll be like that soon.

It'll have to be,

Arctic

for the north

and Antarctic

for the south.

What shall we call the town?

[Titty:
]

Why not Rio?

[Roger:
]

Why Rio?

Because of the song.

"Away to Rio".

What about

the bay where we fished?

Dixon's Bay.

It's very near the farm.

No, Shark Bay

because of Roger's great fish.

[John:
] What shall we call the place

where we saw the houseboat?

In this bay here.

[Titty:
]

Houseboat Bay.

[John:
]

Hm.

I wonder if the retired pirate

is working on his treasure charts.

[Typing]

[Roger:
] Do you think

he's the only retired pirate on board?

[Titty:
]

Oh, maybe others below deck.

Slaves he gets to do all the dirty work.

He has an easy life, I bet.

[Bang]

[Parrot squawks]

[John:
]

Come on!

[Dog barking]

[Titty:
] He must have fired his cannon.

[Susan:
] Look over there!

[Roger:
] Who are those two boys?

[John:
] Get down. They may be enemies.

[Roger:
]

Ow!

They're pirates.

[Roger:
]

Let's chase them.

[Susan:
]

Let's.

Come on, then.

[Titty:
] If they are pirates, why did

the pirate on the houseboat fire at them?

[Susan:
] Perhaps he didn't.

[Titty:
] He must have.

[Roger:
] He's got a cannon

and the others haven't.

[John:
]

They're going round the island.

Let's go that way and head them off.

[Orchestral music]

[Roger:
]

Why is he waving?

[Titty:
] He's not waving,

he's very angry.

[Orchestral music continues]

[John:
] A-M, Am,

A-Z-O-N, Amazon!

[Roger:
] Hurry! Hurry!

We're losing them.

[Susan:
]

They must be making for Rio.

[Band playing]

[Seagulls cawing]

They've given us the slip.

Hm.

Let's go and explore Rio.

We could buy the rope

for the lighthouse tree.

[John:
] Roger, you stay here

and look after Swallow.

Beware of natives.

[Light music on radio]

And four bottles of grog, please.

[Susan:
]

Ginger beer.

[Man:
]

It's a lovely day.

Yes, isn't it?

[Shop bell]

[Band playing jaunty tune]

[Children playing]

[Man:
] That's a nice little ship

you've got there.

[Roger:
]

Yes.

[John:
] Anything to report,

Boy Roger?

[Roger:
] A native came along and said,

"That's a fine boat you've got there."

[John:
]

What did you say?

I said,

"Yes."

[Susan:
]

Roger,

put them back,

they're for supper.

Natives are quite good

at some things.

You are a greedy little pig, Roger.

Why did the native on the houseboat

shake his fist at us today?

Perhaps this is his island.

[Rustling]

What was that?

Oh, nothing.

Probably a bird.

If this is his island

then why doesn't he live on it?

Much nicer for his parrot.

[Thunk]

Don't touch the point,

it might be poisoned.

[John:
]

Shh!

It's him again. He's winged his arrows

with that poor parrot's feathers.

Shut up, Titty.

We'll split up and search.

We'll need a signal.

One hoot like an owl means it's all right,

three hoots means something's up.

Come on, I'll take the landing place.

[Titty:
] Come on, Roger.

[Hoots once]

[Distant hoot]

[Distant hoot]

[John:
]

Swallow's gone!

[Three distant hoots]

Me and Roger pulled her right up.

She couldn't have drifted off.

[Children's voices in distance]

Hooray! Hurrah! Hurrah!

[Child:
] Halt.

Hands up.

[John:
]

Down on your faces.

[Woosh - woosh]

The Amazons.

They're girls.

[Thwish - woosh]

[Girl:
] Stand up.

Now hands up.

[John:
]

Before they reload, charge!

[All shout]

[John:
]

Halt. A parley.

[Girl:
] All right, then.

No tricks.

- What have you done with our ship?

- Where's Swallow?

She's our prize.

She's in our harbour.

Our harbour.

Your harbour?

How long have you been here?

Days and days.

This is Wildcat Island.

It's been our island for years and years.

Who built the fireplace?

Who marked the harbour?

A white cross.

Anybody could put a white cross on a tree.

Shows it's our island.

You don't even know

how the harbour's marked.

We, we do.

Come on, then.

Let's parley.

Weapons down.

Peggy, you donkey,

they've got our knife.

[Roger:
]

I found it.

It's our knife.

lt was a present from Uncle Jim.

We polished the cannon

on his houseboat.

Shut up, Peggy.

ls he your Uncle?

We thought he was a retired pirate.

That's quite a good thing

for him to be, really.

He can be Captain Flint.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes