Swallows and Amazons Chapter XI: They seemed to know everything
From Mae Thinks
In which we learn about centre boards, pilot books (I had to look them up), and the proper way to carry a heavy barrel.
One of the things I love about this chapter is that even though this is the point where hierarchies are being established, there are huge amounts of respect in both directions. Mostly, we see John being a bit in awe of the Amazon pirates. He spends most of the chapter trying to work out how he can ask about the harbour markings without seeming ignorant, and in the end he just swallows his pride…