1

Chapter 20

   SIGNPOSTS TO THE TREASURE

   THEY slept very soundly indeed that night, for they were tired out. The rain fell all night long, but towards dawn the clouds cleared away, and the sky, when the sun rose, was a clear pale blue. Lucy-Ann liked it very much when she parted the soaking fern-fronds and looked out.

   "Everything's newly-washed and clean, even the sky," she said. "Lovely! Just look!"

   "Just the day for a treasure-hunt," said Jack. "I hope this sun will dry the grass quickly, or we shall get our feet soaked."

   "Good thing we brought so many tins out of the men's hut," said Dinah, reaching down two or three. "Are there still some in that bush where we first hid them, Jack?"

   "Plenty," said Jack. "I took one or two to open for Otto the day before yesterday, but there are heaps left. We can go and get them some time."

   They tied back the fern-fronds and ate their breakfast sitting at the front of the cave, looking out on the far mountains, backed by the sky, which was now turning a deeper blue.

   "Well, shall we set off?" said Jack, when they had finished. "Kiki, take your head out of that tin. You know it's completely empty."

   "Poor Kiki!" said Kiki. "What a pity!"

   They all scrambled out of the cave. Things were certainly drying fast in the hot summer sun. "Look, those rocks are steaming!" said Lucy-Ann in surprise, pointing to some near-by rocks. So they were. They looked most peculiar with the steam rising up.

   "Better take some food with us," said Jack. "Got some, Dinah?"

   "Of course," said Dinah. "We can't come all the way back here for food."

   "We've got to get to where the waterfall begins, just as we did yesterday," said Jack. "Follow me, all of you. I know the way."

   They soon stood at the top of the waterfall, and once more watched the great gush of water surge out from the heart of the mountain. It seemed twice as big and turbulent as the day before.

   "Well, I suppose the underground water has been swelled up because of last night's rain," said Philip. "And so the waterfall is bigger and stronger."

   "Yes, that's the reason," said Jack, raising his voice to a shout because of the noise of the water. "Kiki, stop screeching in my ear."

   The waterfall excited Kiki, and she made a terrible noise that morning. Jack would not have her on his shoulder after a while, because of her screeches. She flew off in a huff.

   "Now, what about that bent tree?" said Dinah, remembering. By this time they were standing a little way above the beginning of the waterfall. "I can't see any bent tree at all!"

   "Oh, golly — don't say there isn't a bent tree!" groaned Jack, looking this way and that all round and about and above his head. "Gosh, there doesn't seem to be one, does there?"

   There didn't. What few trees they could see were perfectly straight. Then Lucy-Ann gave a cry and pointed downwards. "There it is, isn't it? — just below us, on the other side of the waterfall. Look!"

   They all went to stand by Lucy-Ann, and looked. She was right. On the other side of the fall, some way below them, was a curiously bent tree. It was a birch-tree, and why it should have grown so bent-over was a puzzle. The wind was no stronger there than anywhere else. Anyway, it was decidedly bent and that was all that mattered.

   They crossed above the beginning of the waterfall, clambering over the rocks, and then scrambled down on the other side of the fall. They reached the bent tree at last.

   "First signpost," said Jack.

   "No, second," said Dinah. "The waterfall is really the first."

   "Well, second then," said Jack. "Now for the third — a big stretch of flat black rock — a wall of it, I should think."

   They all looked in every direction for a stretch of black rock. This time it was Jack's keen eyes that spotted it. It was some way off, and looked difficult to reach, for it meant climbing along the steep face of the mountainside, which just there was very cliff-like.

   Still, it had to be done, so they set off. It was easier after the first stretch, for there were all kinds of plants and bushes firmly rooted in the sloping cliff, and these could be used as handholds or footholds. Jack helped Lucy-Ann along, but Dinah scorned Philip's help, especially as she knew he had the lizard somewhere about him.

   It took them at least half an hour of stiff scrambling and climbing to reach the wall of black rock, though actually, in distance, it was not so very far. They stood by the rock, panting.

   "Funny shiny black rock," said Jack, running his fingers over the smooth surface. "Wonder what it is."

   "Oh, never mind," said Dinah, impatient to get on. "What's our next signpost? This is the third."

   "A spring of water," said Philip. "Isn't that right, Jack — or shall we look at the map?"

   "No — I know it by heart," said Jack. "A spring of water is next. Not that I can see one at all — though I wish I could, because I could do with a drink after that hot scramble. My hands are filthy, and so are my knees."

   "Yes, we could all do with a jolly good wash now," said Philip. "A good old rub and a scrub."

   "Rubbenascrub," said Kiki, and went off into one of her dreadful cackles.

   "Stop it, Kiki," said Jack. "I'll give you a rubbenascrub in a minute."

   There was no spring of water to be seen. Lucy-Ann began to look very disappointed.

   "Cheer up!" said Jack. "We may not be able to see the spring from this wall of rock — but we can surely find it if it's anywhere near."

   "Let's listen," suggested Dinah.

   So they all stood perfectly still and listened. "Shhhhhh!" said Kiki annoyingly.

   Jack smacked her on her beak. She gave a dismal squawk and sat silent. And, in the silence of the peaceful mountainside, the children heard the tinkle-tinkle of water — a merry, gurgling noise, cheerful and friendly.

   "I can hear it!" cried Lucy-Ann in delight. "It comes from somewhere over there."

   She leapt across to a little thicket of trees, and there, hidden deep in the flower-strewn grass, bubbled a clear spring, trickling down the hillside, a tiny stream of crystal cold water.

   "It starts just up there, look," said Jack, and pointed to a big bush. The spring bubbled out from below the bush. "Fourth signpost!"

   "Now for the fifth — and last!" said Lucy-Ann excited. "Oooh — do you think we really are getting near to the treasure? It's really not very far from our waterfall cave. I thought I could hear the faint, distant roar of the fall when I stood listening for the gurgling of the spring."

   "I thought I could too," said Dinah. "Now, what do we look for next?"

   "The queer-shaped rock," said Jack. "You know — like a man in a long cloak, with a round head at the top."

   "Easy!" said Philip triumphantly, and pointed upwards. "There it is — quite clear against the sky!"

   They all looked up. Philip was right. There stood the curious-shaped rock, easy to see against the sky.

   "Come on!" said Jack excitedly. "Up we go! Come along, treasure-hunters!"

   They climbed up to where the queer-shaped rock stood. Other rocks lay round about, but this one was much taller, and, because of its height and shape, it stood out among the others.

   "Our last signpost!" said Jack. "And now — where's the treasure?"

   Ah, yes — where was the treasure? Lucy-Ann looked about the hillside as if she half expected it to be strewn there. The others began to search for a cave-opening. But nobody could find anything.

   "Why didn't you ask Otto exactly where to find the treasure, after coming to the last signpost?" complained Dinah, tired and disappointed, coming over to Jack.

   "Well, I didn't know we were going to look for it, silly, did I?" said Jack. "I thought Julius Muller was going to take charge of the treasure-hunt. No doubt if he got as far as this he'd know where the treasure was all right."

   "Well, it's most awfully disappointing to come all this way, and read the map so well, and then not find a thing," said Dinah, who was cross and tired. "I'm fed-up. I shan't hunt any more. You can all go on looking if you like, but I'm going to have a rest."

   She flung herself down, and lay fiat, looking upwards at the steep mountainside above her. It was ridged with flat slabs of rock, sticking out here and there like ledges. Dinah examined them lazily with her eyes. Then she sat up suddenly.

   "Hi!" she called to the others. "Look up there!"

   They came over to her and looked up. "See those big ledges of rock sticking out all the way up the cliff-side?" she said. "Like shelves. Well, look half-way up — see one that sticks out rather far? Look underneath it. Is that a hole there?"

   "It does look rather like a hole," said Jack. "Maybe a foxhole, though. Still, it's the only sizable hole hereabouts, so we'd better explore. I'll go up. Coming, Tufty?"

   "Rather," said Philip. "It doesn't look difficult. Aren't you two girls coming too?"

   Dinah forgot that she was fed-up, and she joined in the climb to the hole under the ledge of rock. When they got there they found that it was a very big hole indeed. It could not possibly be seen from above, for the shelf of rock stuck right out over it and hid it. It could only be seen from one place below, at a certain angle — and that was the place where Dinah had flung herself down some time back.

   "Bit of luck you happened to spot it, Dinah," said Jack. "We might have hunted all day and never found it. I wonder if this is the entrance to the real treasure-cave."

   They peered down. The hole yawned below them, dark and appearing rather vast. "Where's my torch?" said Jack, and, taking it from his pocket, he switched it on.

   The children gazed down into the hole. It seemed nothing but a hole. No treasure was there. But, as Jack swung his torch a little further down, Dinah thought she caught sight of a passage further back.

   "I believe," she said, almost falling into the hole in her excitement, "I do believe it goes right back, into a passage."

   Kiki flew off Jack's shoulder and disappeared into the hole. A mournful voice floated up to them.

   "What's down there, Kiki?" called Jack.

   "Three blind mice," answered Kiki, solemnly and untruthfully. "Three blind mice. Pop!"

   "You're a fibber," said Jack. "Anyway — down we go to find the . . ."

   "Three blind mice," said Kiki, and went off into an imitation of Lucy-Ann's giggle.

 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

123

124

125

126

127

128

129

130

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

159

160

161

162

163

164

165

166

167

168

169

170

171

172

173

174

175

176

177

178

179

180

181

182

183

184

185

186

187

188

189

190

191

192

193

194

195

196

197

198

199

200

201

202

203

204

205

206

207

208

209

210

211

212

213

214

215

216

217

218

219

220

221

222

223

224

225

226

227

228

229

230

231

232

233

234

235

236

237

238

239

240

241

242

243

244

245

246

247

248

249

250

251

252

253

254

255

256

257

258

259

260

261

262

263

264

265

266

267

268

269

270

271

272

273

274

275

276

277

278

279

280

281

282

283

284

285

286

287

288

289

290

291

292

293

294

295

296

297

298

299

300