Jennifer Jane's summer holiday part3

That evening she sat and thought carefully about what might have happened to Barnacle Bill. She was quite sure he would have answered if he'd seen or heard her, but the only unusual thing she had noticed was a noise rather like a foghorn as she passed the first island on her way to Attersea

She mentioned this to dad, but he rather crossly said that it was nothing unusual. Booming noises like that, when there was no fog to make ships blow their foghorns, meant that a bird called a bittern was probably making the noise.

"And don't you forget you're not to go further than the first island next time you go canoeing," he finished.

The next time she was able to get on the water was several days later. Dad reminded her to stay in sight of the cottage this time and she set off rather sadly. She hadn't bothered to find out the name of the island from the map, so as she got nearer, she was rather surprised to see a large notice board that said,

"Gull Island
Bird Sanctuary
Private."

She paddled Drawrof slowly up one side of the saltings. As far as she could see, the whole island was saltings, with nowhere for anyone to hide, except for just one place where some bushes and stunted trees grew close to the water's edge.

She was approaching these trees and bushes, when she again heard the cry of the bittern. She paddled closer ever so quietly. Drawrof slid through the water hardly making a ripple. Jennifer Jane was looking into the bushes carefully, trying to see the big brown bird that dad had described to her after she had first heard the call.

"Ahoy there, little girl, is your name Jennifer Jane?"

Jennifer Jane nearly fell out of her canoe in surprise. She looked round quickly, trying to see where the voice had come from.

"Over here, fine on the starboard bow" and as Jennifer Jane looked ahead, the bushes parted and she could see a small hidden harbour.

Pulled up on the beach was a small paddle steamer, about twice as long as her own canoe, although it was quite a lot wider.

"Slow ahead," said the voice again, "come on now, I can’t hold these bushes back forever!"
Jennifer Jane paddled slowly in and as the stern of the canoe left the bushes behind, they closed with a swish and a clatter.

"Now then," the voice said, "you must be Jennifer Jane, I recognise you from the giant's description."

Jennifer Jane said yes that was her name, but where was the voice and was his name Barnacle Bill?

A green goblin with a cheery smile stepped out from his hiding place and helped Jennifer Jane out of her canoe.

"That's a trim little craft," said Barnacle Bill. "I saw you two or three days ago and tried to signal to you on the foghorn, but you didn't take any notice and went right past."

Jennifer Jane soon found out what had happened to Barnacle Bill and why he hadn't been to see the giant at the pool for such a long time.

"I sometimes come in here for a quiet chat to the birds," said Barnacle Bill, "but last time it was a very low tide and I hit a rock and stove a hole amidships in the port bilge. The Essex coast is nearly all mud, so it’s probably the only rock in the county but that’s just my sort of rotten luck!”

Jennifer Jane wasn't quite sure where the damage was, but she gathered that the paddle steamer had a hole in it and had been pulled up on the beach to stop it from sinking. Poor Barnacle Bill looked rather ashamed, but he had to tell Jennifer Jane that he hadn't been able to mend the hole.

"If I was at home on Attersea Island, it would only take a jiffy," he said, "just a quick patch and a trip down river to the goblin boatyard to have a proper repair made."

Jennifer Jane sat down on the beach and after thinking hard, made a suggestion, but Barnacle Bill didn't think he liked the idea of going to the boat builders in Drawrof by himself.

"A goblin in a canoe would be very conspicuous," he said, nor did he think that Jennifer Jane would be able to find the boat yard by herself. It was hidden by magic from ordinary humans. The only other idea she could suggest was that they both went together but the cockpit turned out to be too small.

"Don't you carry a repair kit on your vessel?" asked Barnacle Bill.

"Why yes," replied Jennifer Jane," but it's a roll of the plastic stuff that the hull is made from and some special glue for sticking it. I don't think it would work on your wooden hull."

"Well, there's no harm in trying," said Barnacle Bill. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. That's a proverb, you know," he said, looking rather pleased with himself.

Jennifer Jane did know, but she just smiled and got the repair kit from her canoe. Soon Barnacle Bill was hard at work spreading glue over the wood of his boat’s hull and sticking a large piece of the silvery plastic fabric over the hole.

"Now then, while we are waiting for the glue to dry, I'll light the boiler and get up a head of steam for the engines."