Island Ambush Read Free

were pressed up against the back of an old tin shed only metres from the Feyrun .
    Bindi peeped around the corner. The afternoon light was beginning to fade, but she could see the vessel quite clearly. ‘There’s a fisherman in a captain’s cap inside the cabin,’ she reported in a whisper. ‘The door’s shut. No-one is on deck. But there might be someone down below.’
    â€˜Well I reckon we should get onboard and see what we can find. If Cap’n Sharkbait comes out, we’ll just pretend we’re naughty kids. And if he tries anything funny, we’ll scream blue murder!’ Kelly had a way of getting straight to the point.
    Having checked no-one was watching, the two girls walked quickly to the boat side. A set of steps led up to a short gangway with handrails that crossed onto the deck. So long as they weren’t spotted, they’d have no trouble getting onboard.
    They checked on the fisherman in the cabin. He had his back to them, and was looking down at something.
    As fast as geckos they ran up the steps and jumped onto the deck. Keeping out of the man’s sightlines, they sized up their surroundings.
    â€˜I bet we find a shark fin or two lying around,’ Kelly whispered.
    Bindi wasn’t so sure. Everything looked shipshape.
    She spotted the long line on a big mechanised reel at the back of the boat. ‘That’s what’s causing all the trouble.’
    Kelly nodded. ‘Yep. Not as bad as drift net fishing, but close.’
    Bindi looked around. ‘Where are all the fish they caught, do you think?
    â€˜Maybe below deck? Let’s check it out.’
    With one eye on the fisherman in the cabin, the girls bent low and ran across to the open hatch near the rear of the deck. They peered down into the hull.
    It was dark, but they could see that it was empty. No fish and, by the look of it, not much of anything else either. The boat’s crew must have already unloaded the catch.
    Bindi glanced back to check on the man. He’d turned around and was heading for the cabin door. He hadn’t seen them, but he would any second.
    She grabbed Kelly’s arm. ‘Quick. Down the hatch!’
    The girls scrambled down the ladder into the darkness. When they reached the bottom, they held hands and shuffled forward, their arms stretched out. They quickly found the side of the boat, and followed it around.
    Looking back, they could just make out the man, standing by the hatch above. He hadn’t begun to descend the ladder, but he looked like he was about to.
    Bindi’s foot struck something. She reached out her hands. It was a stack of heavy plastic crates. Pulling Kelly with her, she felt her way around the crates. They crouched down behind them.
    It was dark, dank and smelly in the boat’s hull. Bindi’s heart was pounding. She felt in her pocket for Lucky. He was still there. She gently lifted him out and patted his head. ‘We really need some of your luck now, Lucky,’ she whispered so quietly even Kelly didn’t hear.
    At that second the place was bathed in light. The man must have flicked a switch above deck.
    It gave them a start – especially Lucky. He leapt out of Bindi’s hand, scuttled through the side of the bottom crate and vanished.

The fisherman was still standing on deck by the open hatch. They could see his feet.
    â€˜Maybe he’s waiting for someone,’ Kelly whispered. ‘We should have a quick look around while the light’s on.’
    â€˜Okay, but first I have to find Lucky!’
    Bindi peered through the gaps in the bottom crate. She spotted the little gecko. He was motionless, hiding by the crate’s other side.
    Lucky! Bindi tried to poke her fingers through the holes, but she couldn’t reach him. ‘I’ll have to move all the crates off the top, and get to him that way,’ she whispered to Kelly.
    â€˜Well you better wait until Cap’n Sharkbait leaves,