Behind it were ruined stone steps leading towards the centre of the castle.
"It had strong walls all round it, with two towers," said George.
"One tower is almost gone, as you can see, but the other is not so bad.
The jackdaws build in that every year.
They've almost filled it up with their sticks!"
As they came near to the better tower of the two the jackdaws circled round them with loud cries of "Chack, chack, chack!"
Tim leapt into the air as if he thought he could get them, but they only called mockingly to him.
"This is the centre of the castle," said George, as they entered through a ruined doorway into what looked like a great yard, whose stone floor was now overgrown with grass and other weeds.
"Here is where the people used to live.
You can see where the rooms were— look, there's one almost whole there.
Go through that little door and you'll see it."
They trooped through a doorway and found themselves in a dark, stone-walled, stone-roofed room, with a space at one end where a fire-place must have been.
Two slit-like windows lighted the room.
It felt very queer and mysterious.
"What a pity it's all broken down," said Julian, wandering out again.
"That room seems to be the only one quite whole. There are some others here— but all of them seem to have either no roof, or one or other of the walls gone.
That room is the only liveable one.
Was there an upstairs to the castle, George?"
"Of course," said George.
"But the steps that led up are gone, Look!
You can see part of an upstairs room there, by the jackdaw tower.
You can't get up to it, though, because I've tried. I nearly broke my neck trying to get up.
The stones crumble away so."
"Were there any dungeons?" asked Dick.
"I don't know," said George.
"I expect so.
But nobody could find them now— everywhere is so overgrown."
It was indeed overgrown.
Big blackberry bushes grew here and there, and a few gorse bushes forced their way into gaps and corners.
The coarse green grass sprang everywhere, and pink thrift grew its cushions in holes and crannies.
"Well, I think it's a perfectly lovely place," said Anne.
"Perfectly and absolutely lovely!"
"Do you really?" said George, pleased.
"I'm so glad.
Look!
We're right on the other side of the island now, facing the sea.
Do you see those rocks, with those queer big birds sitting there?"
The children looked.
They saw some rocks sticking up, with great black shining birds sitting on them in queer positions.
"They are cormorants," said George.
"They've caught plenty of fish for their dinner, and they're sitting there digesting it.
Hallo— they're all flying away.
I wonder why!"
She soon knew— for, from the southwest there suddenly came an ominous rumble.
"Thunder!" said George.
"That's the storm.
It's coming sooner than I thought!"
Chapter Six WHAT THE STORM DID
THE four children stared out to sea.
They had all been so interested in exploring the exciting old castle that not one of them had noticed the sudden change in the weather.