Reorganisation · Level 2

Andrea and Ros were the only ones in the cafe on that Tuesday afternoon. A couple came in and sat at a table at the back. The girls looked at them, then at each other. Their eyes widened. The famous Tom Mann was sitting in their cafe. After a quiet but excited discussion, they got up and approached him. "You were great in your last movie. Can I have your autograph please?" said Ros, handing him a paper napkin. He signed, then did the same for Andrea. They couldn't wait to tell their friends that they got the actor's autograph -they would be green with envy.

Lyndon was trying to get some information about comets off the internet for his homework. For some reason the page he wanted wouldn't open, so he decided to try again later. While he was waiting he finished his spelling sentences. He tried to open the page again. No luck. He knew that sometimes the system was overloaded and he would just have to keep trying. He opened his maths book and worked through the three questions he had to answer. Then he tried again. Still no luck. All his homework was done now, except for the work on comets.

He decided to play one of the computer games in the meantime. He had only just got started when his father looked over his shoulder and said, "You're in here to do your homework, not play games!"

Huddled behind the rocks they were sheltered from the wind. The captain, who had been keeping a lookout, tapped Jack's shoulder and pointed. The young soldier cautiously rose and peered over the rocks. At the entrance of the bay, he could see the ship slowly approaching the shore.

The captain had his telescope to his eye. "It's the Mary Jane, sure enough," he said. "And there he is. Look!" He passed the telescope to Jack. The boy had heard about the infamous smuggler for nearly all his life. He knew straight away that the tall, one-armed man he could see standing at the ship's rail must be Billy Cornfield. He could hardly believe that he was going to be part of Billy's capture. He knew that this fearless smuggler would not give in without fighting the soldiers.

He sank down into the shadow of the rocks again.

Ten long, silent minutes went by, and the captain nudged Jack. He looked up to see ship's masts, barely moving, against the sky. The smugglers' ship seemed to be close enough to touch. His heart was pounding.

"She's close to the rocks," said the captain. "He's a good seaman, Jack. Only Cornfield would risk bringing a ship of her size this far in."

The captain signalled to his soldiers. Crouched in the shadow of the rocks, they readied their muskets.