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　　A really terrible storm
　　The wind got up about five o’clock. It whipped the waves round the island until they towered intobig white horses that raced up the beaches and broke with a sound of thunder. The sea-birdsdeserted the coves¹, and flew into the air, crying loudly. The wind took them and they soared formiles without beating a wing, enjoying themselves throughly.
　　Kiki didn’t like so much wind. She could not glide² or soar like the gulls³ and guillemots. Itoffended her dignity to be blown about too much. So she stayed close to the tents, which flappedlike live things in the wind and strained at the tent-pegs violently.
　　‘Look here, we can’t possibly watch the fire all night!’ said Philip. ‘We’ll have to bank it up andhope for the best. Maybe it will send out a glow, anyway. Doesn’t that seaweed keep it in nicely?
　　My goodness, the wind tears the smoke to rags now!’
　　The sun went down in a bank of angry purple clouds that gathered themselves together in thewest. Jack⁴ and Philip stared at them.
　　‘That’s the storm coming up all right,’ said Jack. ‘Well, we’ve felt one coming for days – thishot weather was bound to end up like that. I hope the wind won’t blow our tents away in thenight.’
　　‘So do I,’ said Philip anxiously. ‘Honestly, there’s a perfect gale⁵ blowing up now! Look at thoseawful clouds! They look really wicked!’
　　The boys watched the clouds covering the sky, making the evening dark much sooner thanusual. Philip put his hand into one of his pockets. ‘My rats know there is a storm coming,’ he said.
　　‘They’re all huddled⁶ up in a heap together right at the very bottom of my pocket. Funny howanimals know things like that.’
　　‘Jack!’ called Lucy-Ann anxiously. ‘Do you think the tents are safe? The wind is blowing themlike anything!’
　　The boys went to examine them. They were as well

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