Famous Five 19 Five Go to Demons Rocks (14 page)

They played games that evening, and tried to laugh and make jokes. But secretly everyone was worried. Suppose that the stormy weather went on and on, and nobody guessed they were locked in the light-house, and the milkman didn’t bring any milk, and didn’t see the note - and they ate all their food and...

‘Cheer up, everyone,’ said Julian, seeing the dismal looks around the table. ‘We’ve been in worse fixes than this.’

‘Well, I don’t think we have!’ said Anne. ‘I just can’t see ANY way out of this one!’

There was rather a long silence during which Timmy sighed heavily, as if he too was worrying! Only the monkey seemed cheerful, and went head-over-heels at top speed round the room, sitting up for laughs at the end. But nobody laughed. Nobody even seemed to notice him. Mischief felt very sad, and crept over to Timmy for comfort.

‘There is one idea that might be a good one,’ said Julian, at last. ‘It’s been running round in my mind for a while - and I’m not sure whether it’s possible or not. Anyway, it’s one we might try tomorrow, if help doesn’t come.’

‘What?’ asked everyone, at once, and Timmy lifted his head and whined, as if he too quite understood.

‘Well, do you remember that I went down that foundation shaft?’ said Julian, ‘and saw the water swirling at the bottom? Now - do you suppose it’s at all possible that that shaft was bored down through a natural hole - and the light-house builders chose to put the foundation shaft there because there was a ready-made shaft they could use? - a fine hole going right down through the rock! And they made the hole into a cement-lined shaft, strong and everlasting, so that the light-house would never be at the mercy of waves and wind - but would stand firm, whatever happened?’

This was a new idea to everyone, and it took a little while to sink in. Then Dick smacked the table-top and made them all jump.

‘Julian! You’ve got it! Yes - that strong cement-lined shaft runs down a natural hole - and that hole must be the one we’ve been looking for! The one that connects up with the tunnels we were in this morning! No wonder we couldn’t find it when we hunted all over the rocks! The shaft-makers used it!’

There was silence again. Everyone was taking this in, even Tinker. Julian looked round the table and smiled. ‘Have you all jumped to it?’ he said. ‘If that is the hole we were looking for - what about one of us going down that iron ladder again to the bottom - and finding out if it does lead into the tunnel we were in today?’

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‘And walking through it, and up the passage and coming out through the cliff entrance we used this morning!’ said George. ‘Julian! What an absolutely wonderful idea! We could escape that way! What a shock for Ebby and Jacob! We’ll do it somehow - we’ll do it!’

It was a most exciting idea to think that the iron ladder in the great cement-lined shaft might possibly lead to the tunnel they had been into that morning. Julian had seen water swirling at the bottom, when the tide was in - possibly if they went down it when the tide was going out, there would be no danger of being trapped!

The storm was very fitful now - sometimes it came back again, and then the wind blew so hard that it seemed as if the buffeted light-house must fall! Rain fell in torrents that night, and during the dark early hours of the morning, when the tide was in, great waves pounded over the rocks, sending spray almost over the top of the light-house. Julian awoke and looked out of the bedroom window in awe.

‘I hope there’s no ship out anywhere near here tonight,’ he said, and then gave a sudden exclamation, ‘What’s that - something swept right across the sky!’

‘It’s the beam from the new light-house at High Cliffs,’ said Dick. ‘I saw it last night. It must have a very powerful beam, mustn’t it, to show even on a night like this?’

They watched for a little while, and then Julian yawned.

‘Let’s try to go to sleep,’ he said. ‘We thought we were going away for a nice little holiday - and BANG - we’re in the middle of something again!’

‘Well, let’s hope that we come out of it all right,’ said Dick, settling down in his rugs once more, ‘I must say that I feel a bit cut off from civilization at the moment. ‘Night, Julian.’

In the morning the storm was still about, and the wind was terrific. Julian ran down to the entrance door to see if the milkman could possibly have come - and had seen their message for help.

But no - the paper was still half on their side, flapping on the mat. Obviously the milkman hadn’t dared to cross the rocks that morning, either on foot or by boat!

Dick had looked out of the window to make sure that tlieir boat was still safely moored to the post - and to his surprise and distress, it was no longer there! Tinker was very upset.

‘Where’s my little boat gone? Has somebody stolen it?’

‘Maybe - or possibly the storm broke the mooring-rope, and the boat was smashed to pieces on the rocks,’ said Julian, ‘Anyway, it’s gone. Poor old Tinker. What a shame!’

Tinker was very sad, and Mischief tried to comfort him, doing all sorts of silly tricks to make him laugh. But Tinker wouldn’t laugh. He really was right down in the dumps.

They had rather a sparse breakfast, and were very silent. Anne cleared away and washed up, and then Julian called them all together.

‘Well, now we must decide about this descent down the shaft to what we hope will be the tunnel we were in yesterday,’ he said. ‘I am going down myself.’

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‘Toss for it!’ said Dick, at once. ‘There’s no reason why I shouldn’t go, is there? Or what ahout us both going, in case the other gets into trouble, and needs help?’

‘Not a bad idea,’ said Julian. ‘Except that there won’t be anyone to look after the girls and Tinker.’

‘WOOF!’ said Timmy, indignantly, standing up at once. Julian laughed and patted him.

‘It’s all right, Timmy. I just wanted to see if you thought you could guard them well. All right - Dick and I will go down the shaft. The sooner the better. We simply must go while the tide is out. What about now, Dick?’

Solemnly they all went down the spiral stairway to the entrance door, where the trap was that opened on to the great shaft. Julian pulled up the lid and gazed down into blackness. He shone his torch down, but he could not see the bottom. ‘Well - here goes!’ he said, and lowered himself down into the shaft, his feet seeking the rungs of the iron ladder. ‘Keep cheerful, girls. We’ll get through the tunnels and passages, and to the entrance in the cliff - and fetch help for you in no time at all!’

‘Julian, please take care,’ said Anne, in a shaky voice. ‘Please, please do take care!’

Down went Julian, his torch now held between his teeth. After him went Dick. The girls shone their own torches down the shaft, but soon the boys were so far down that they could not be seen. Only their voices came up now and again, sounding very hollow and peculiar.

‘We’re at the bottom!’ shouted Julian, at last. ‘It’s rock, and there’s no water at present!

We’ve a clear way to follow! I crawled out of the hole at the bottom, and there’s some kind of tunnel there all right. We’re off now - crawling out, and into the tunnel. Cheer up, all of you! See you soon!’ And then the queer hollow voice stopped, and the girls and Tinker heard nothing more. Timmy began to whine. He couldn’t understand these queer goings-on at all!

Julian and Dick were feeling rather pleased with themselves. It hadn’t been very difficult to squeeze out of the arches at the bottom of'the shaft. Now they were in a dark narrow tunnel, whose roof sometimes came down so low that they had to bend double. It smelt damp and seaweedy, but there seemed to be plenty of air. In fact at times quite a little breeze seemed to flow round them.

‘I shall be glad when we come into a tunnel we recognize!’ said Julian, at last. ‘We surely must be near where we were yesterday. Hallo, what’s this? Dick - look, Dick!’

Dick looked to where Julian’s torch was shining and gave a shout. ‘A gold coin - another one! We must be near where old Mischief ran off to yesterday. Look - there’s another -

and another. Where on earth did they come from?’

The boys shone their torches all around, and saw at last where the coins had fallen from. Above their head was a dark hole, running up into the rock. As they shone their torches on it, a gold coin slid out and dropped down to join the others.

‘This is where Mischief found the coin!’ cried Dick. ‘Julian there must be a box or something up there, which is rotting away, and letting out the money it contains bit by bit.’

‘Whoever would have guessed at such a hiding-place!’ said Julian, marvelling as he shone his torch above his head. ‘There’s absolutely nothing to be seen except that dark hole - no box, nothing. It must have been pushed right into a recess at the side of the hole, by someone who knew a good hiding-place was there.’

‘Give me a leg-up so that I can put in my hand and feel,’ said Dick. ‘Buck up - this is too exciting for words!’

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Julian gave him a leg-up, and Dick put his head and shoulders into the hole. He felt to one side - nothing - felt to the other side, and his hand came across something hard and cold - an iron band perhaps? He ran his hand over it and touched something soft and crumbly - old, old wood rotting away, maybe - possibly a wooden chest - only held together by the iron bands. He scrabbled about and Julian gave a sudden shout.

‘Hey - you’ve showered me with money! Whew - I never saw so many gold coins in my life!’

‘Julian - I think there’s more than one box or chest up there,’ said Dick, jumping down, and looking at the big heap of shining coins at his feet. ‘There may be a fortune there!

Talk about treasure-trove! Look - let’s not disturb anything else up that hole. No one knows about it except ourselves. Better gather up these coins though, just in case that awful Ebby takes it into his head to come down this way!’

So they filled their pockets with the coins and then made their way onwards again. To their joy they soon recognized one of the tunnels they had been in the day before. ‘Plain sailing now,’ said Dick joyfully. ‘We’ll soon be out, and then we’ll get the locksmith to pick the lock of the light-house, so that we can get in.’

‘Sh!’ said Julian, suddenly. ‘I think I can hear something.’ They listened, but went on again, thinking that Julian was mistaken.

But he wasn’t! As they turned a dark corner that led into a cave, someone leapt at them!

Julian went down to the ground at once, and Dick followed. He just had time to see that Ebenezer was there with someone else - Jacob perhaps?

As Dick fell, gold coins spilled out of his pocket. Ebenezer gave a cry and bent down to them at once. Julian tried to take his chance and slip by him - but the other man caught him and sent him spinning backwards. ‘Where did you find that money? You tell us or you’ll be sorry!’ shouted Ebenezer, and the echo came back at once, ‘Sorry - sorry -

sorry!’

‘Run, Dick!’ panted Julian. ‘It’s our only chance!’ He gave Ebenezer a terrific shove, which sent him into the other man - yes, it was Jacob - and then he and Dick were off at once, running as fast as they could, back along the way they had come. ‘You come here!’ yelled Ebenezer, and they heard him pounding after them.

‘Hurry!’ panted Dick. ‘If only we can get to the shaft, we’re all right.’

But alas, they took the wrong turning, and soon found themselves in a cave they had never seen before. Ebenezer and Jacob blundered past without seeing them. ‘Better stay here a while,’ said Julian. ‘Let them get a good way off.’

So they stayed still and quiet, and then at last ventured out of their hiding-place and tried to find their way back to the right path.

‘You know - if we get lost down here, we’re done for!’ said Julian. ‘And once the tide flows in, we shall be in a pretty poor way! Somehow we’ve got to get out through the cliff way or back to the shaft. Hang on to me, Dick. We mustn’t get separated, whatever happens!’

They stumbled on, not really knowing whether they were going in the right direction or not. They seemed to go through endless tunnels and caves - what a labyrinth there was in that great strata of rocks! They they heard voices!

‘That’s Ebby’s voice - and Jacob’s too,’ whispered Julian. ‘They’re coming this way. Hide here, and keep still!’

So they hid quietly, and listened to Ebby and Jacob. ‘Those boys have got to come back here,’ said Ebby. ‘We’ll wait. Don’t make a sound!’

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‘We’ll have to make a dash for it, and hope for the best!’ whispered Julian. ‘Come on!

We’ll be caught by the tide soon if we’re not quick!’

They both made a sudden rush, and passed the surprised Ebby and Jacob at a run.

Then down the tunnel beyond them they went as fast as they could, bumping their arms and legs and heads against the rocky walls, but holding their torches steadily in front of them. On they went and on - and behind them, breathing heavily, came Ebby and Jacob.

‘I think this must be a bad dream!’ panted Dick. ‘JULIAN! JULIAN! look - there’s water coming along this tunnel! The tide’s coming in!’

‘Come on,’ said Julian. ‘I feel as if the shaft isn’t far away now. I seem to know this tunnel - and this cave. Come on, Dick, we haven’t a minute to spare! We’ve GOT to get to the ladder!’

‘Look! There’s the shaft!’ yelled Dick at last. ‘Come on - we shall just about be able to squeeze under the arch at the bottom! Hurry Julian - the water’s up to our ankles now!’

They reached the shaft and squeezed under the small archway that let the water run through from side to side over the rocky bottom of the shaft. They began to mount the ladder, and then stopped to hear if there were any sounds from Ebby or Jacob.

They heard yells. EBBY! COME BACK! Tide’s flowing in!’ and then they heard Ebby’s angry voice.

‘I’m coming! They’ve gone farther down - and they won’t like it! They’ll be drowned before they get much farther!’