Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome Page B

a plan of campaign.
    NANCY. He’ll curse the day he was born!
    TITTY. Swallows and Amazons for ever!
    ALL. And death to Captain Flint!
    The AMAZONS have worked their way out of the harbour, and they sing ‘ The Amazon Pirates ’ as they sail away .
    SUSAN. Good luck!
    NANCY ’s voice can just be heard .
    NANCY. Watch it, Peggy, you donkey. Keep her steady.
    Scene Five
    In the camp , SUSAN is tidying up the breakfast things . TITTY is counting pine cones into a pan . JOHN is at the lookout point, scanning the lake through the telescope .
    TITTY. Twenty-one, bang! Twenty-two, boom!…
    ROGER arrives with a stick twice as big as himself. He charges up to SUSAN, letting out a war cry .
    ROGER. Ahhh…!
    SUSAN. Don’t be silly, Roger.
    ROGER. This is my invincible spear!
    SUSAN. Just put it back where you found it.
    TITTY. Twenty-six. That should blow him to smithereens!
    JOHN. Ship ahoy!
    ROGER. They’re here! They’re here!
    TITTY. At last!
    ROGER runs to JOHN.
    ROGER. I see them!
    JOHN. But… No. It’s not them. It’s not Amazon .
    ROGER. But it’s coming here.
    JOHN. Yes, but it’s a rowing boat. It looks like a barbarian.
    ROGER. Barbarian! Barbarian!
    JOHN. In fact… it really looks like… a policeman.
    ROGER charges to the camp .
    ROGER. Policeman! Policeman!
    SUSAN. A policeman?
    TITTY. Coming to our island?
    SUSAN. Quick – clear up this mess. Titty, tidy your hair. Roger, stand up straight and try to look like you haven’t done anything.
    ROGER. I haven’t done anything.
    JOHN joins them .
    JOHN. He’s landed.
    SUSAN. Oh, John, you don’t think…
    JOHN. Mother? But she couldn’t have found out so soon.
    SUSAN. And she wouldn’t have sent a policeman, would she?
    The POLICEMAN walks into the camp. He is sweating after the long row, and looks very annoyed .
    Good morning, Officer. Would you like some tea?
    POLICEMAN. No, I would not, miss. I’m here on a very serious matter. Too serious for tea.
    JOHN. What is it?
    SUSAN. Did our mother send you? Because we know we…
    POLICEMAN. I shall ask the questions, thank you very much.
    ROGER. You’re welcome.
    POLICEMAN. Now then. ( Taking out a notebook .) Are there any more of you?
    JOHN. No. It’s just us four.
    POLICEMAN ( writing ). ‘Us four…’
    TITTY. Actually there are lots more of us, spread all over the island and…
    SUSAN. Be quiet, Titty.
    POLICEMAN. And what are you doing here, I should like to know?
    JOHN. We’re camping. This is our camp.
    POLICEMAN. Names?
    JOHN. I’m John Walker. This is Susan, Titty and Roger.
    POLICEMAN. Address?
    TITTY. Here. We live here.
    SUSAN. We’re staying at Jackson’s Farm with the Jacksons. Our mother is there.
    ROGER. And Fat Vicky. She’s the baby.
    POLICEMAN ( writing ). ‘Fat… Vicky…’
    JOHN. Mother knows we’re here.
    POLICEMAN. And where were you last night?
    Pause . JOHN and SUSAN look at each other .
    JOHN. We were on the lake. At least…
    SUSAN. It was the storm, you see. We couldn’t get back so we had no choice, we had to…
    POLICEMAN. You were out on the lake?
    TITTY. Yes. But I was in a different boat.
    ROGER. She was in Amazon .
    POLICEMAN. So you admit that you were out on the lake all night?
    JOHN. Yes. But…
    POLICEMAN. And you had no adults with you?
    SUSAN. No. But…
    JOHN. I say, what’s this about, Officer?
    POLICEMAN. A crime was committed on the lake last night.
    SUSAN. A crime?
    POLICEMAN. And you have been named as chief suspects.
    TITTY. What?
    POLICEMAN. A crime involving trespass… a crime involving vandalism… a crime involving theft.
    JOHN. Theft?
    All the SWALLOWS speak at once .
    But we’ve never taken anything that didn’t belong to us.
    SUSAN. We wouldn’t dream of stealing.
    ROGER. We’re not thieves.
    TITTY. We’ve never stolen anything in our lives.
    POLICEMAN ( shouting above them ).