They all went through the opening and stood on the ledge, peering down. Their eyes had to get used to the darkness at first, because the only light came through the big entrance at the farther end - and that was obscured by big trails of ivy and other creepers hanging down from roof to water.

“There are boats here!” said Dick, excited. “Tied up to posts. Look - there’s one just below us. Let’s hope one of them is the Saucy Jane!”

There were three boats. Two of them were half full of water, and their bows were sunk right down. “Must have got holes in them,” said Julian, peering about. He had got out his torch and was shining it all round the old boat-house.

Oars were strung along the walls. Dirty, pulpy masses of something lay on the shelves too - rotted cushions probably. A boat-hook stood in one corner. Ropes were in coils on a shelf. It was a dreary desolate sight, and Anne didn’t like the queer echoes of their voices in the damp-smelling, lonely boat-house.

“Let’s see if any of the boats are called Saucy Jane,” said Dick. He flashed his torch on to the nearest one. The name was almost gone.

“What is it?” said Dick, trying to decipher the faded letters. “Merry something.”

“Meg!” said Anne. “Merry Meg. Well, she may be a sister of Saucy Jane. What’s the next boat’s name?”

The torch shone steadily on to it. The name there was easier to read. They all read it at once.

“Cheeky Charlie!”

“Brother to Merry Meg!” said Dick. “Well, all I can say is that these poor old boats look anything but merry or cheeky.”

“I’m sure the last one must be Saucy Jane!” said Anne, excited. “I do hope it is!”

They went along the broad ledge and tried to read the name on the half-sunk boat there. “It begins with C,” said George, disappointed. “I’m sure it’s C,”

Julian took out his handkerchief and dipped it in the water, He rubbed at the name to try and clean it and make it clearer.

It could be read then - but it wasn’t Saucy Jane!

"Careful Carrie !" read the four, mournfully. "Blow!"

"Merry Meg, Cheeky Charlie, Careful Carrie," said Julian. "Well, it’s quite obvious that Saucy Jane belongs to the family of boats here - but where oh where is she?"

"Sunk out of sight?" suggested Dick.

"Don’t think so," said Julian. "The water is pretty shallow in this boat-house - it’s right at the very end of the little backwater, you see. I think we should be able to spot a boat sunk to the bottom. We can see the sandy bottom of the backwater quite clearly by the light of our torches."

Just to make quite sure they walked carefully all round the broad wooden ledge and flashed their torches on the water that filled the boat-house. There was no completely sunken boat there at all.