Five On A Secret Trail Part 8

George scowled and looked sulky at once. Julian laughed and slapped her on the shoulder. 'What a lovely scowl! One of your best! I haven't seen it for quite a long time. Keep it up, George - go on, scowl a bit harder, it suits you!'

George grinned unwillingly, and pulled herself together. She hated being left out of anything - but she did see that it was no use having a crowd of people watching that night. All right - she would stay with Anne and keep her company.

It seemed as if the watcher on the hills must have gone, because there were no more sudden flashes such as came when he lifted his field-gla.s.ses to watch the Five.

'That disguised country-woman has convinced the watcher that we're going! Any ideas, anyone, where we can go? Not too far away - but somewhere where the watcher can't follow us with his gla.s.ses, if he's still up there.'

'I know a place,' said George. 'There's a simply colossal gorse-bush on the other side of the spring. And underneath it is all hollow and dry. It's almost like a kind of gorse-cave.'

'Sounds all right,' said Julian. 'Let's go and find it.'

George led the way, trying to remember exactly where it was. Timmy followed, still in his enormous cardboard collar, which was now rather the worse for wear. George stopped when they had gone a little way past the spring.

'It was somewhere here,' she said. 'I know I could still hear the sound of the spring when I found the hollow under the bush. Ah - there's the bus.h.!.+'

It certainly was a great bush, green and spiky outside, with a few yellow blooms on it still. Under it was a big hollow place, where the ground was soft and fine, scattered with dry old p.r.i.c.kles.

The main trunk - for it was almost a trunk that supported the big bush - was not quite in the middle, so there was a good bit of room. Julian caught hold of the branches that hid the hollow, using a folded sheet of brown paper to hold them by, for the bush was very p.r.i.c.kly.

'This is fine,' he said. 'Plenty of room for you two girls - and Timmy. My word, he'll have difficulty with his collar though, won't he - squeezing in and out!'

'Take it off!' said d.i.c.k. 'His ear really is practically healed now. Even if he scratches it, he can't do much damage. Dear old Timmy, we simply shan't know you without your collar.'

'Right,' said George. She took a quick look at the ear. It was still covered by a piece of elastoplast, but it was quite obvious that the ear was healthy. She cut the thread that bound the two ends of the circular collar - and then bent it so that it came off.

They all stared at Timmy, who looked most surprised. He wagged his tail gently as if to say 'Well - so you've taken off that thing - I wonder why?'

'Oh Tim - you look sort of undressed without that collar now!' said Anne. 'It is nice to see you without it, though. Good old Tim! You'll guard me and George tonight won't you? You know that we're in the Middle of Something again, don't you?'

'Woof,' said Timmy, wagging his tail violently. 'Woof!' Yes - he knew all right!

Chapter Thirteen

ON WATCH IN THE COTTAGE

It was getting dark - and under the gorse-bush it was very dark indeed! All the Five had managed to squeeze in there, and Timmy too. One torch only was allowed to be used at a time, to save the batteries of the others.

The Five were having supper. The ham was now practically finished, but there were still a few tomatoes and plenty of cake.

Julian opened the last tin of sardines, and made some sandwiches for himself and d.i.c.k to take with them. He also wrapped up two enormous chunks of cake and pocketed two slabs of chocolate each.

'We shall need something to while away the time when we're on the watch tonight!' he said, with a grin. 'I don't know if the Weepies and Wailies and Floating Lights will be along to give us a show - but I fear not. They would be wasted on an empty cottage!'

'I do hope you'll be careful,' said Anne.

'Anne - that's the seventh time you've said that,' said d.i.c.k. 'Don't be an a.s.s. Don't you understand that Ju and I are going to enjoy ourselves? You'll be the one that has to be careful.'

'How?' asked Anne, surprised.

'Well - you'll have to be careful of that big black beetle squatting over there,' said d.i.c.k. 'And mind that the hedgehog doesn't sit down on your bare legs. And be careful in case a snake wants to share this nice safe warm place with you...'

'Now you're being an a.s.s!' said Anne, giving him a punch. 'When will you be back?'

'We shall be back at exactly the moment you hear us squeezing under here,' said Julian. 'Now d.i.c.k - what about it? I think we might be going, don't you?'

'Right,' said d.i.c.k, and began to squeeze out carefully so as not to be p.r.i.c.ked more than he could help. 'Oh - why are gorse bushes so horribly spiteful! Jab jab - anyone would think the bush was trying to p.r.i.c.k me!'

The two girls sat quite still when the boys had gone from the bush. They tried to hear their footsteps, but they couldn't. d.i.c.k and Julian trod too softly on the wiry gra.s.s.

'I do so hope they'll be...' began Anne, and George groaned.

'If you say that again I shall slap you, Anne! Honestly I shall.'

'I wasn't saying it,' said Anne, 'I was only going to say that I hope they'll be successful tonight. I'd like to get back to Kirrin and have some fun bathing and boating, wouldn't you?'

'Yes. And some of Joan's marvellous cooking,' said George. 'Sausages and mash - and tomatoes with it.'

'Yes. And fried plaice fresh from the sea with Joan's best chipped potatoes,' said Anne. 'I can almost smell it.'

'Woof,' said Timmy, sniffing hard.

'There! He thought I meant it!' said Anne. 'Isn't Timmy clever?'

They had a pleasant talk about how very very clever Timmy was, and Timmy listened and wagged his tail so hard that he made quite a dust in the gorse-hollow.

'Let's go to sleep,' said Anne. 'We can't talk all night - and keeping awake won't help the boys!'

They curled up on the rug they had brought and cuddled together - not so much for warmth, because it was a hot night, but because there was so little room! Anne put out her torch, and the little place immediately became black and dark. Timmy put his head on George's tummy. She groaned.

'Oh Tim - be careful, please! I had rather a lot of supper!'

Anne giggled and pulled Timmy's head close to her. It was comforting to have old Timmy there. She agreed with George that he was the best dog in the whole world.

'I wonder what the boys are doing now,' she said, after a while. 'Do you suppose they are in the middle of something exciting? Perhaps they are!'

But they weren't! Julian and d.i.c.k were feeling extremely bored at that minute. They had gone cautiously to the cottage when they had left the girls, not using their torches at all, for fear of giving anyone warning that they were about. They had debated beforehand where would be the best place to hide, and had decided that it would be a good idea to climb up the little stone stair and hide in the roofless rooms above.

'There's no roof there - and hardly any walls,' said d.i.c.k. 'We can peep over any side to watch - and no one would guess that anyone was above them, spying down! It's a good thing it's such a starry night - once we get used to the dim light, we shall be able to see fairly well. Pity there's no moon.'

They had approached the cottage very cautiously indeed, stopping at every step and listening with bated breath for any sound. But there was none.

'Not even the light of somebody's torch, either,' said d.i.c.k, in Julian's ear. 'I don't think anyone is here yet. Let's get into the cottage and up those stairs as soon as we can.'

They tiptoed into the cottage, not daring to put on their torches. They fumbled across to the little stone stairway, and climbed it with as little sound as they could. Holding their breath made their hearts thump loudly.

'Can you hear my heart thumping?' d.i.c.k whispered to Julian, as they at last stood on the floor of the roofless rooms above.

'No. Mine's just the same, thumping away! Well, we're safely here. Let's just shuffle to and fro and see if there are any loose stones we might fall over, and so give ourselves away!'

They cleared away a few loose stones, and then sat down silently on the low broken wall of the two ruined rooms. The wind blew gently but warmly. Everything was still except the rose-rambler climbing over the old house. It moved a little in the wind and made a faint sc.r.a.ping noise. d.i.c.k caught his hand on a thorn, and sucked his finger. The rambler was everywhere, across the floor, and over the walls and even up what was left of the little chimney!

The boys had been there for about three-quarters of an hour when Julian gave d.i.c.k a slight nudge.

'Here they come!' he whispered. 'See - over there!'

d.i.c.k looked round and about and then caught sight of a small, moving light, just a p.r.i.c.k in the darkness. It cast a faint glow before it.

'A torch!' he whispered. 'And another - and another! Quite a procession! A slow one, too.'

The procession made very little noise. It made its way to the cottage, and then split up.

'Having a look to see if we really are gone,' whispered Julian. 'Hope they won't think of coming up here.'

'Let's get behind the chimney, in case,' whispered back d.i.c.k. So very quietly they rose and made their way to where the remains of the chimney stood, a dark shadow in the starry night. The chimney was quite big, though rather crumbly. The two boys crouched close to it, on the side farthest from where the stone stairway came up in the corner.

'Someone is coming up!' whispered d.i.c.k, his sharp ears catching the sound of someone's feet on the stone stairs. 'I hope he gets caught by the rambler - there's a big spray near the top!'

's.h.!.+' said Julian.

Someone came right up the stairway, and gave an exclamation of annoyance near the top. 'Good!' thought d.i.c.k, 'he has got caught by the rambler!'

A torch shone out over the ruined rooms, the crumbling walls and the remains of the chimney. The boys held their breath, and stood like statues. The light of the torch played over the place for one second and then a voice called down the stairs.

'No one here. The kids have gone. We can get on with the job!'

The boys let out a long breath. Good - they were safe - for the time being at any rate! The visitors down below were no longer cautious - they spoke in ordinary voices and torches flashed all over the place. Then someone lighted two lanterns, and the little cottage shone quite brightly.

'Where do we start?' said a voice. 'Here, Jess - where's that plan?'

'I've got it. I'll spread it on the floor,' said a voice that the boys recognized at once. It was the voice of the 'country-woman' who had spoken to them that day! 'Not that it's much use. Paul's no good at drawing!'

Evidently the searchers were now leaning over the plan. Voices came up the stone stairway.

'All we know for certain is that we have to find that white stone slab - and we know the size. But we don't know the place, except that we think it must be here. After all - we've searched the old Roman camp, and there are no slabs there that size!'

Julian nudged d.i.c.k. So some of the visitors that Guy had complained of must have been these searchers! Whatever was it they were looking for, hidden behind a slab of stone?

He knew a minute later! A drawling voice said: 'If we have to get up every great slab in this neighbourhood, we will. I'm going to find that secret way if it's the last thing I do! If we don't find that, we don't find those blue-prints - and if we don't find them, we might as well go into the poor-house for the rest of our lives.'

'Or prison!' said someone.

'Not prison,' said the drawling voice. 'It'll be Paul who goes to prison. He managed to steal them, we didn't!'

'Can't you get Paul to draw a better plan than this?' said the voice of the 'country-woman'. 'I can't understand half that's written here.'

'He's ill - almost off his head, too,' said someone. 'No good asking him. He had such a time escaping with those prints, he nearly died. No good asking him, I say.'

'I can't make out this word here,' said the woman. ' "W-A-D-E-R" - whatever does it mean?'

'I don't know - wait, though, I do! It might be W-A-T-E-R - water. T not D in the middle. Where's the well? Anywhere in this kitchen? That's it, that's it. Water! I bet there's a slab over the well. That's the way to the secret hiding-place!'

Julian clutched d.i.c.k. He was as excited as the man down below. They listened eagerly, straining their ears.

'Here's the old sink - and this must be the remains of the pump. The well's underneath this slab - and see, the stone is just about the right size. Get busy! Buck up, get busy!'

Chapter Fourteen

AN EXCITING NIGHT - AND A SURPRISING MORNING

Soon there came the sound of loud breathing and grunts, as the searchers tried to prise up the stone by the pump. It was obviously very heavy, and very difficult to move, for it had become almost part of the floor itself, through the centuries!

'Drat the thing! It's tearing my hands to pieces!' said a voice. 'Lend me that jemmy, Tom - you don't seem to be doing much good with it!'

After a lot more struggling and panting the stone was loosened. 'Up she comes!' said a voice, and up came the stone so suddenly that it sounded as if most of those pulling at it had sat down very hard on the floor!

The two hidden boys were beside themselves with interest and excitement. How they wished they could go and watch! But it was impossible. They must just listen and try to make out what was happening from what the men said below them.

'Is it a well down there? Yes, it is! My, the water's pretty far down - and black as pitch too.'

There was a silence as the well was examined in the light of torches. Then an exasperated voice, the one with the drawl, said: 'This is no secret way! Who's going to get through that water! It's just an ordinary small well, and nothing else. That word can't have meant Water.'

'All right, boss. What does it mean then?' said the woman. 'I don't know. This isn't a plan, it's a riddle! Why couldn't Paul have made it clear where this stone slab is - he just goes and does a lot of scribble round it - and all we can make out is that it's on this common, somewhere near here - and the secret way is behind the slab!'

'And all we have to do is to go and look behind dozens of heavy slabs!' said someone else. 'I'm fed up. We've lifted slabs in that wretched camp - we've lifted some here - and we still don't know if we're anywhere near the right one.'