But it was empty! Whoever had sat there must have heard him, and lain in wait for him. Jack turned to face his captor, wriggling, fully expecting to see one of the men from the tower.
The two stared at one another in the very greatest surprise, and stepped backwards in amazement.
‘Bill Smugs!’
‘Jack! What on earth are you doing creeping in like this? I thought you must be a burglar!’
‘Golly! You’ve bruised me properly,’ said Jack, rubbing himself. He began to shiver violently again. Bill looked at his soaking clothes and pale face, and pulled him to the fire, on which a kettle was boiling merrily.
‘What have you been up to? You’re dripping wet! You’ll get a frightful chill. Where are the others? When I arrived today to ask Mrs Mannering if she could put me up for a night or two, the house was shut, and there was no one here!’
‘Well, how did you get in, then?’ asked Jack, enjoying the warmth of the fire.
‘Oh, I have my ways,’ said Bill. ‘I thought you must all have gone picnicking, so I waited and waited for you to come back – but you didn’t. So I decided to spend the night here by myself, and make enquiries somewhere tomorrow to see what had happened to you all. Then I heard mysterious sounds, decided it was a burglar – and caught you!’
‘Well, I looked in at the window, and couldn’t see who was sitting in that chair, so I thought I’d creep in and have a squint round,’ said Jack. ‘Oh, Bill, I’m glad to see you. We’re in danger!’
‘What do you mean?’ said Bill, astonished. ‘Where are the girls? And Philip?’
‘It’s a long story, but I must tell you from the very beginning,’ said Jack. ‘What about a hot drink whilst we are talking, Bill. I could do with one. That kettle’s on the boil.’
‘I was about to make the same remark myself,’ said Bill. ‘Hot cocoa and biscuits for you, I think! I’m glad you’ve stopped shivering. By the way, where’s Mrs Mannering? Don’t tell me she’s in danger too!’
‘Oh no – she’s gone off to look after Philip’s Aunt Polly, who is ill again,’ said Jack. ‘She’s all right.’
Bill made a jug of hot cocoa and milk, found some biscuits, and gave them to Jack, who was now feeling a lot warmer. He had stripped off his wet things, and was sitting in a dressing-gown.
‘I don’t feel I ought to waste time like this, really,’ he said, ‘as the others are in danger. But I’ll have to tell you the whole story, and then leave it to you what to do.’
‘Go ahead,’ said Bill.
So Jack began, and Bill listened in the greatest interest and astonishment. He burst into laughter at Philip’s idea of hiding in the suit of armour.
‘Just like old Philip! What a good idea! The men would never guess anyone was hiding there.’
He grew serious as the tale went on. He pulled at his pipe and kept his eyes fixed on Jack. His ruddy face grew even redder in the fire-light, and the bald top of his head gleamed and shone.
‘This is an extraordinary tale, Jack,’ he said at last. ‘There is a lot more in this than you know. What were those men like? Describe them. Was there a man with a scar right across his chin and neck?’
‘No,’ said Jack, thinking. ‘Not one of them as far as I know. I took a jolly good snap of one man, though – when they were at the eagles’ nest. You know I told you I had my camera poking out of the gorse bush to snap the eagles. Well, I snapped him when one of the eagles flew at him. I snapped both men, as a matter of fact, but one unfortunately had his face turned away.’
‘Have you got those snaps?’ said Bill eagerly.
‘I’ve got the films,’ said Jack, and he pointed to the tightly rolled up sou’wester on the table. ‘They’re in there. They’re not developed yet, Bill.’
‘Well, whilst you have a good sleep, I’ll develop them,’ said Bill. ‘I see you’ve got a little darkroom fixed up for yourself off the hall there, where you meant to do developing – you’ve got everything necessary there, haven’t you?’
‘But – but – oughtn’t we go right back and rescue the girls?’ asked Jack.
‘I shall have to drive over to the town where you met me the other day,’ said Bill, ‘and collect a few men, and arrange a few things. If these men are doing what I think they are, then we stand a good chance of roping them all in together. I don’t think they will harm the girls at all.’
‘What are the men doing?’ asked Jack curiously. ‘Are they anything to do with the job you said you were on, Bill?’
‘Can’t tell you yet,’ said Bill. ‘I hardly think so – but I shall soon know.’ He paused and looked at Jack.
‘What children you are for falling headlong into adventures!’ he said. ‘I never knew anyone like you for that! It seems to me I’d better stick close to you all the year round, and then I shall have a good chance of sharing them!’
He put Jack on the sofa, arranged rugs over him, turned down the lamp, and went off into the little darkroom with the films. Jack had shown him which roll contained the snap of the man.
Jack slept peacefully, for he was tired out. How long he slept he didn’t know, but he was awakened by Bill coming into the room in the greatest excitement, holding a film.
‘Sorry to wake you, Jack – but this is a marvellous thing!’ he said, and held up the film to the daylight, which was now coming in at the window. ‘You have snapped this man perfectly – every detail is as clear as could be. He’s the man with the beard – but just look here! He is holding his head up, and the whole of his neck is exposed from chin to chest, because his collar has flapped open. What can you see?’
‘A mark – like a long scar,’ said Jack, sitting up.
‘Quite right!’ said Bill. He took out a notebook from his pocket, slipped a snap from it and showed it to Jack. ‘Look there – see that scar on that man’s chin and neck?’
Jack saw a clean-shaven man in the photograph, his chin and neck disfigured by a terrible scar.
‘That’s the same man, though you wouldn’t think it, because in your snap he wears a black beard, which he has probably grown lately. But the scar on the neck still gives him away, if his collar happens to be open – and it was, in your snap! Now I know for certain what those men in the castle are up to. I’ve been looking for this fellow for six months!’
‘Who is he?’ asked Jack curiously.
‘His name, his real name is Mannheim,’ said Bill, ‘but he is known as Scar-Neck. He is a very dangerous spy.’
‘Golly!’ said Jack, staring. ‘Were you after him?’
‘Well, I was detailed to keep an eye on him and watch his movements,’ said Bill. ‘I wasn’t to capture him because we wanted to know what he was up to this time, and who his friends were. Then we hoped to rope in the whole lot. But Scar-Neck is a very clever fellow with an absolute gift for disappearing. I traced him to the town where you met me – and then I lost him completely.’
‘He went to the castle!’ said Jack. ‘What a wonderful hiding-place!’
‘I should rather like to know the real history of that castle,’ said Bill thoughtfully. ‘I must enquire into its ownership. Do you know what is on the other side of the hill, Jack?’
‘No,’ said Jack, puzzled. ‘We’ve never been there. Why?’
‘I just wondered if you had heard anyone talking,’ said Bill. ‘I can’t tell you any more now. My word, I am glad I bumped into you the other day, and came on here to look you up!’
‘So am I, Bill,’ said Jack. ‘I simply didn’t know what I was going to do! Now you’re here, and I can leave the whole thing to you.’
‘You can,’ said Bill. ‘Now I’m off in the car to the town, to do a little reporting on the telephone there, and to collect a few friends, and one or two necessary things. You go to sleep again till I come back. I promise you I won’t be a minute longer than I can help.’
Jack settled back on the sofa again. ‘I don’t think I’ve caught a chill after all,’ he said. ‘What a lucky thing for me you had a fire, B
ill!’
‘Well, there was nothing else to boil a kettle with!’ said Bill. ‘So I had to light one. No, I don’t think you’re going to get a chill either. You’ll be able to go up to the castle with me when I come back, and show me the way.’
‘But how will we get in!’ called Jack, as Bill went out to get his car. There was no reply except the sound of the car being started up.
‘I can leave everything to Bill,’ thought Jack. ‘Golly, I wonder what will happen now!’
24
Kiki gives a performance
Up in the castle courtyard Tassie passed an exciting night. She had tried to go to sleep in the middle of the gorse bush, and had fallen into a doze, when Kiki began to get restless. She dug her claws into Tassie, and woke her up.
‘Don’t, Kiki,’ said Tassie sleepily. ‘Keep still, do!’
But Kiki was waiting for Jack, and couldn’t make out why he hadn’t come back. She began to murmur to herself, and Tassie reached out a hand and tapped her on the beak.
‘Be quiet, Kiki! Do go to sleep! Button is as good as gold.’
There was a sound in the courtyard outside. Kiki put her head on one side, and listened. She thought it was Jack.
‘Put the kettle on!’ she cried joyfully, and scrambled out from the bush. ‘Put the kettle on!’
There was an astonished silence in the yard below. Then a torch was switched on, and its powerful beam swept round. But Kiki was behind a rock and could not be seen.
Two men were down in the yard. They had heard Kiki’s voice, and, not knowing there was a parrot about, they thought it was someone talking.
‘Wipe your feet!’ called Kiki. ‘How many times have I told you to wipe your feet?’
The men began to talk together in low voices, planning to capture whoever it was calling in such a loud voice. Kiki began to realise that it was not Jack down there, and she was disappointed and cross.
‘Pop goes the weasel,’ she said in a mournful voice. One of the men stooped down in the darkness, felt about for a stone, and sent it whizzing in Kiki’s direction. The parrot would certainly have been killed if the stone had hit it. But it missed by about an inch.
Kiki was startled. No one had ever thrown a stone at her in her life. She spread her wings and flew up to the wall behind the men.
‘Naughty boy!’ she said reprovingly, ‘naughty, naughty boy!’
The men gave cries of fury, and swung round, trying in vain to see who was now on the wall. They thought there must be two people now, one up on the crag, and the other on the wall.
‘You come down,’ said one of the men threateningly. ‘We’ve got you covered! We’re not standing any more of this nonsense!’
‘Fusty, musty, dusty!’ chanted Kiki, and then flew down into the courtyard, just behind the men. They were in darkness and so was she.
Kiki growled like a dog, and the men jumped in fright. The sound was just behind them.
‘There’s a dog about too,’ said one of the men. ‘Look out! Shoot, if you like!’
The frightened man pressed the trigger of the revolver he was carrying, and the sound of the shot cracked out in the night, making Tassie, in the gorse bush, jump almost out of her skin. Button, too, leapt with fright and ran out of the bush.
He still had his lead on. He ran down into the courtyard, and his lead dragged after him. As he ran by the men the lead touched one of them, and he fired again. Button yelped, though he was not hit, and the man switched on his torch. He caught sight of the cub slinking away.
‘Was that the dog?’ he said. ‘It’s a mighty small one.’
Kiki was enjoying herself. She flew to a tree near by, and began to mew. She could mew just as well as she could bark. The men listened to this new sound in the greatest surprise.
‘Cats now,’ said one. ‘I can’t understand it! There never seems anything here in the daytime. Is it children having a joke?’
‘God save the King, silly-billy, silly-billy,’ said Kiki from the tree, and went off into one of her cackling laughs. Then she clucked like a hen, and finished up with an eagle’s yelping scream. It was a very fine performance, but the men didn’t like it at all.
‘Let’s go back inside,’ said one of them nervously. ‘This place is bewitched. It’s all voices and noises but nothing much to show for them. Let’s go back.’
Kiki let off one of her express-train screeches, and that finished the men completely. They ran for the castle as if an engine was about to run them down! Kiki laughed again, and her cackle sounded very eerie in the dark courtyard. Even Tassie felt frightened, though she knew it was only Kiki.
There was peace after that. Kiki, after flying round a little while to look for Jack, came back to the old gorse bush and struggled inside to join Tassie.
The little girl was glad of her company. ‘Button’s gone,’ she said to Kiki. ‘I expect he’s gone down that watery tunnel again. Now, Kiki, settle down and go to sleep. I’m so very tired.’
This time Kiki did settle down. She put her head under her wing, gave a little sigh, and went to sleep. Tassie too slept, and there was complete silence except for the trickling noise made by the spring in the corner of the yard.
Tassie was wakened by Dinah and Lucy-Ann. They had passed quite a peaceful night down in the hidden room, undisturbed this time, with Philip on the floor under the bed. He was getting very tired of living underground, and wanted to make a dash for it with the girls. But Dinah persuaded him that that would be dangerous for him, and make things even worse for them. So, grumbling, he had resumed his place under the big bed, where the girls had also put a good supply of food.
‘Jack!’ said Lucy-Ann, in a low voice, as she came to the bush. ‘Jack! Are you there?’
Jack was not there, of course, but Lucy-Ann didn’t know that. Tassie awoke and sat up, pricking herself against the bush.
‘Jack!’ said Lucy-Ann again, and parted the bush to see inside. ‘Oh – you, Tassie! How did you get here?’
Tassie grinned. She was feeling quite all right again after a night’s rest. Her face looked dreadful. It was muddy and scratched, and her hair was a wild mass of muddy tangles. She had put on her old dress once more.
‘Hallo,’ said Tassie. ‘I came to help you. I got your note, but I couldn’t read it. So I came up to see what it was all about. But the plank was gone. So I found out where Button came in and out, and came with him!’
‘Did you really?’ said Dinah. ‘Where did Button get in, Tassie?’
Tassie told her. The girls listened in surprise. ‘How could you crawl up a horrid, wet tunnel like that?’ said Lucy-Ann, shuddering at the thought. ‘Tassie, you are marvellous, you really are! I could never do that, I know I couldn’t.’
‘I don’t believe I could either,’ said Dinah. ‘It was wonderful of you, Tassie.’
Tassie felt pleased, and smiled at the two girls. It was nice to be praised like this.
‘But where’s Jack?’ asked Lucy-Ann.
‘Gone down the tunnel to get help,’ said Tassie. ‘He said I was to tell you he was sorry to go without saying goodbye, but he thought it best to go at once.’
‘Oh,’ said Lucy-Ann, her face falling in dismay. ‘I wish he hadn’t gone without me.’
‘Well, you know you’ve just said that you couldn’t possibly go down that tunnel,’ said Dinah. ‘I’m jolly glad you came up, Tassie, so that Jack knew the way to escape. He’ll get help and bring somebody up here, I’m sure. That’s good!’
‘But how will they get in?’ asked Lucy-Ann.
‘They could bring a plank again, couldn’t they?’ said Tassie.
Kiki joined in the conversation. ‘Don’t sniff,’ she said amiably. ‘Where’s your handkerchief?’
‘Oh, Kiki was so funny last night!’ said Tassie, remembering, and told the two girls what had happened. When she described how the men had shot at Kiki, Lucy-Ann looked alarmed.
‘Gracious! They are very dangerous men!’ she said. ‘I don’t like them. I wan
t to escape too. I think I’ll crawl down that horrid tunnel after all, Dinah. You come too, and Tassie as well. We’ll all go.’
‘What, and leave Philip all alone here?’ cried Tassie indignantly. ‘You go if you like, but I shan’t.’
lsquo;Yes, of course – we can’t leave Philip,’ said Dinah. ‘Oh, Tassie, do come and wash your face. It’s simply awful. You look like a sweep. And your clothes! Gracious, they’re filthy, and all in rags.’
‘I couldn’t help it,’ said Tassie. ‘It was awful in that tunnel. I kept getting caught on things. I’ll come and wash if you think it’s safe.’
‘Well – I suppose it isn’t, really,’ said Dinah, thinking about it. ‘The men might come out and see you, and know you’re not one of us two. We’ll bring you some water, and you can clean yourself up, outside the bush.’
‘Then we’ll all have breakfast,’ said Lucy-Ann, who was hungry.
It was difficult to get Tassie clean, because all they had to bring water in was an empty ginger-beer bottle and a cardboard cup. But by means of a couple of handkerchiefs and the water, she did manage to clean her face and hands a bit. Then they ate breakfast.
Kiki ate breakfast with them. Of Button there was no sign. They thought he must have gone down the tunnel some time in the night, and was probably with Jack again.
‘Look – there are the eagles back again!’ said Dinah suddenly. Tassie looked round with interest, for she had not seen them that morning. The three birds came dropping down to the ledge, and sat there, looking regally out on the courtyard.
‘The young one flies as well as the older birds now, doesn’t he?’ said Lucy-Ann, and threw him a biscuit. But he didn’t even give it a look! He continued his impassive stare, appearing to be frowning deeply.
‘I wish Jack was here. He would like to snap them all together like that,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘His camera is still in the bush, but I don’t like to use it. I suppose it’s all right there if it rains, Dinah?’