Home > Work > The Big Six (Swallows and Amazons, #9)
1 " He ain’t a Coot not really,” said Bill. “He ain’t got a head on him no better’n a squashed frog. I see him all right but he don’t know nothing. Fishing he were on the gravel reach.”“Catching anything?” asked Pete, who, detective or no detective, was still a fisherman.“Perch,” said Bill.“Oh, never mind the fish,” said Dorothea. “Had any boats been cast off?”“He tell me to keep my shadow off the water,” said Bill. “So I creep up and give him one of my sandwiches and when I ask if any boats been cast off, why Tommy he say ‘How do you know?’ ““Go on. Go on,” said Dorothea, reaching out for one of the little black paper flags all ready on its pin.“I say I don’t know but I want to know and Tommy he say it weren’t his fault and I say when were it and what boat and Tommy he said it were his Dad’s row-boat and he give it Tommy to tie up and Tommy he tie it to a stick what broke and he have to go in swimming to catch it. "
― Arthur Ransome , The Big Six (Swallows and Amazons, #9)