Chapter Sixteen
A QUEER JOURNEY UNDERGROUND

It was very dark inside the cliff. The children’s torches made bright streaks everywhere, and were very useful indeed for seeing the safest places to tread. As Julian had told the others, there was a curious little stream flowing down the middle of the steep passage, with uneven ledges on each side of it. It had worn this little channel for itself during the many many years it had flowed down inside the cliff!
‘It’s probably water draining from the surface of the cliffs,’ said Julian in a low voice, picking his way carefully. ‘Be careful here - the ledges are very slippery!’
‘Oooh!’ said Wilfrid, treading on a slippery bit, and finding one of his feet in ice-cold water.
The echo took up the noise at once. ‘OOOOH-OOOOOOH-OOOOOH!’ Poor Wilfrid’s little ‘Oooh’ echoed up and down and all round them! It was very weird indeed and nobody liked it. Anne pressed close to Julian, and he squeezed her arm comfortingly.
‘Sorry about my Oooh,’ said Wilfrid, in a low voice. ‘My oooh, oooh, oooh!’ said the echo at once, and George simply couldn’t help giving a giggle, which at once repeated itself a score of times!
‘You really will have to be quiet now,’ came Julian’s serious voice, almost in a whisper. ‘I have a feeling we’re coming to some big opening. There’s suddenly a great draught blowing down this steep passage - I can feel it round my head.’
The others felt it too, as they climbed higher up the steep passage, trying to avoid the tiny stream that splashed down its worn channel. It made a nice little noise - very cheerful, Anne thought - and gleamed brightly in the light of their torches.
Julian wondered how in the world anyone could take crates or boxes down such a steep dark passage! ‘It’s wide enough, I suppose,’ he thought. ‘But only just - and the bends in it must be very awkward for boxes to get round! I do hope we don’t meet anyone round a bend, carrying a crate or two! My word - the draught is quite a wind now. There must be an opening somewhere.’
‘Ju - we’ve not only gone upwards, we’ve gone a good way forward too,’ whispered Anne. ‘Wasn’t the old castle somewhere in this direction?’
‘Yes - I suppose it would be,’ answered Julian, stopping to think. ‘Gosh - I wonder if this passage comes up in one of its cellars! An old castle like that would have huge cellars - and probably a dungeon or two for prisoners! Let me think - we must have left the cliff behind now - and yes - I think we may be heading for the castle. Why didn’t I think of that before!’
‘Well, then - the well-wall must run down beside the castle foundations!’ said Dick, in much too loud a voice. The echo made everyone jump violently, and Julian stopped climbing and hissed at Dick. ‘Whisper, can’t you, idiot! You nearly made me jump out of my skin!’
‘Skin, skin, skin!’ said the echo, in a peculiar whisper that made George want to laugh.
‘Sorry!’ whispered back Dick.
‘I think you may be right about the well-wall running down beside the foundations of the castle,’ Julian said, whispering again. ‘I never thought of that. The castle wasn’t very far from the well. It would probably have enormous cellars spreading underground.’
‘The wall in the well that that queer little door was in, was terrifically thick,’ said Dick. ‘I bet I was looking into one of the castle cellars, when I peeped through it!’
This was all very interesting. Julian thought about it as they went on and on through the endless passage. It ran more or less level now, and was easy to walk through, for it was much wider.
‘I think this part of the passage was man-made,’ said Julian, stopping and facing the others, his face bright in the light of their torches. He went on in a loud whisper, ‘Up through the cliff the passage was a natural one, awfully dificult to climb - but here it’s quite different - look at these old bricks here - probably put there to strengthen the tunnel.’
‘Yes - a secret way from the castle to the sea!’ said Dick, almost forgetting to keep his voice down, in his excitement. ‘I say - isn’t it thrilling!’
Everyone began to feel even more excited - all except Timmy, who didn’t much like dark, secret passages, and couldn’t imagine why Julian was taking them for such a gloomy and peculiar walk. He had splashed solemnly through the stream the whole time, finding the stone ledges much too slippery for his paws.
The draught grew stronger and was very cold indeed. ‘We’re coming near to the opening where the draught comes from,’ whispered Julian. ‘All quiet, now, please!’
They were as quiet as possible, and Anne began to feel almost sick with excitement. Where were they coming to? Then suddenly Julian gave a low exclamation.
‘Here we are! An iron gate!’
They all tried to crowd round Julian to see. The gate was a big strong one, with criss-cross bars of iron. They could easily see between the bars, and they shivered in the draught that swept through the great gate.
Julian shone his torch through the bars, his hand shaking in excitement. The bright ray of light ran all round what looked like a stone room - quite small - with a stout, nail-studded door at the far end. This door was wide open, and it was through this that the steady draught blew.
‘This is a cellar - or a dungeon, more likely!’ said Julian. ‘I wonder if the gate is locked.’
He shook it - and it swung open quite easily, as if it had been well-oiled! Julian stepped into the dungeon flashing his torch all round the dark and dismal little place.
He shivered. ‘It’s cold as ice, even on this warm day!’ he said. ‘My word, I wonder how many poor, miserable prisoners have been kept down here in the cold!’
‘Look - here’s a staple in the wall,’ said Dick, standing beside him, examining the half-hoop of iron, deeply embedded in the stone wall. ‘I suppose the unhappy prisoner was tied up to this, to make his punishment even worse.’
Anne shivered. ‘How could people be so cruel?’ she said, her vivid imagination seeing wretched men here, with perhaps only crusts of bread to eat, water to drink, no warmth, no bed, only the stone floor!
‘Perhaps some of them escaped out of the gate, and went down the cliff-passage,’ she said, hopefully.
‘No - it’s much more likely that the passage was used to get rid of the prisoners,’ said Dick. ‘They could be dragged down to the sea and drowned - and nobody would ever know.’
‘Don’t tell me things like that,’ said Anne. ‘It makes me feel I shall hear groans and cries. I don’t like this place. Let’s go.’
‘I hate it too,’ said George. ‘And Timmy’s tail is right down. I feel as if this horrid dungeon is full of miserable memories. Julian, do let’s go.’
Julian walked over to the nail-studded door, and went through the doorway. He looked out on to a stone paved passage, with stone walls and ceiling. He could see other doors iron-barred, along a dismal stone passage. He came back to the others.
‘Yes - these are the castle dungeons,’ he said. ‘I expect the castle cellars are somewhere near too - where they stored wine and food and other things. Come on - let’s explore. I can’t hear a sound. I think this place is absolutely empty.’
They all followed Julian down the stone passage, looking in at each miserable dungeon as they passed. Horrible! Dirty, damp, cold, bare - poor, poor prisoners of long ago!
At the end of the passage was another iron-barred door, but that too was wide open. They went through it and came out into an enormous cellar. Old boxes were there, old worm-eaten chests, broken chairs, loose papers that rustled as their feet touched them - the kind of junk that can be found in a thousand cellars! It all smelt rather musty, though, as Julian said, the draught that blew everywhere took away some of the smell.
They came to some stone steps and went up them. At the top was another great door, with an enormous bolt on it. ‘Fortunately the bolt is our side,’ said Julian, and slid it out of its socket. He was surprised that it went so smoothly - he had expected it to be rusted and stiff. ‘It’s been oiled recently,’ he said, shining his torch on it. ‘Well, well - other people have been here not long ago, and used this door. We’d better go quietly in case they are still here!’
Anne’s heart began to beat loudly again. She hoped there was no one waiting round a corner to jump out at them! ‘Be careful, Julian,’ she said. ‘Somebody may have heard us! They may be waiting to ambush us. They...’
‘All right, Anne - don’t worry!’ said Julian. ‘Old Timmy would give us a warning growl if he heard a single foot-step!’
And good gracious - at that VERY moment Timmy did give a growl - an angry, startled growl that made everyone jump, and then stand still, holding their breath.
Dick looked round at Timmy, who was growling again. His head was down and he was looking at something on the floor. What was it? Dick swung down his torch to see. Then he gave a small laugh. ‘It’s all right. We don’t need to be scared yet. Look what Timmy’s growling at!’
They all looked down - and saw a great fat toad, its brilliant eyes staring steadily up at them. As they exclaimed at it, it turned aside, and crawled slowly and clumsily to a little damp spot in the corner of the wall.
‘I’ve never seen such a big toad in my life!’ said Anne. ‘It must be a hundred years old! Goodness, Timmy, you made me jump when you suddenly growled like that!’
The toad squatted down in its corner, facing them. It seemed to glare at poor Timmy. ‘Come away, Tim,’ said Dick. ‘Toads can ooze out a very nasty-smelling, nasty-tasting stuff. Never bite a toad!’
Julian had now gone through the door at the top of the steps. He gave a loud exclamation - so loud that the others rushed to him in alarm, wondering what was exciting him.
‘Look!’ said Julian, shining his torch into the dark space beyond. ‘See where we’ve come to! Did you ever see such a store-house of wonders!’


Chapter Seventeen
IN THE TREASURE CHAMBER

Julian’s torch shone steadily into the vast room, which seemed to have no end! The others shone their torches too, and Timmy pressed between their legs to see what the excitement was.
What a sight! They were actually in the enormous chamber that the boys had seen through the opening, in the well-wall! What a place it was - absolutely vast, thought Anne, awed at the size, the height and the great silence.
‘There are the golden statues!’ said Dick, going over to a group of them. ‘Wonderful! Queer faces they have, though - not like ours. And look how their slanting eyes gleam when we shine our torches on them. Makes them look as if they’re almost alive, and looking at us.’
Anne suddenly gave a cry and rushed over to something. ‘The golden bed!’ she said. ‘I wished I could lie on one - and now I shall!’ And with that she climbed on to a vast four-poster bed, with a great canopy, now rotting to pieces.
The bed gave a mournful creak, and the part that Anne was lying on, suddenly subsided. The canopy collapsed and Anne disappeared in a cloud of dust. The bed had, quite literally, fallen to pieces! Poor Anne.
The others helped her up and Timmy looked at the clouds of dust in surprise. What was Anne doing, making such a dust! He sneezed loudly, and then sneezed again. Anne sneezed too. She scrambled quickly out of the collapsed bed and dusted herself down.
‘It has a gold, carved head-piece, and gold legs and end-piece,’ said Dick, shining his torch on it. ‘What a monster of a bed, though - I should think six people could sleep in it at once! What a pity it has been lost here so long - all the hangings fell to pieces as soon as Anne climbed on the bed-part! What a dust!’
There was no doubt about it, there were priceless treasures in this vast, underground cellar. The children could not find the sword with the jewelled handle, nor the necklace of rubies, which Julian thought were probably locked away in one of the chests. But they found many other wonderful things.
‘Look in this chest - this beautiful carved chest!’ called Anne. ‘Gold cups and plates and dishes. Still bright and clean!’
‘And look what’s in here!’ shouted George. ‘Wrapped up in stuff that falls to pieces when I touch it!’
They crowded round a great enamelled box. In it was a set of animals carved out of some lovely green stone. They were absolutely perfect, and, when Anne tried to stand them up, each of them stood as proudly as once they did many many years ago when little princes and princesses played with them.
‘They’re made of green jade,’ said Julian. ‘Beautiful! Goodness knows how much they’re worth! They should be in some museum, not mouldering away in this cellar.’
‘Why didn’t those collectors take these - and the golden statues - and all the other things?’ wondered Anne.
‘Well, that’s obvious,’ said Julian. ‘For one thing this is a secret cellar, I should think, and nobody would be able to get into it unless they knew the secret way to it. There’s probably a sliding panel, or hidden door that leads to it, somewhere in the castle above. It’s very old, and ruined in many parts - and some of the walls have fallen in - so I suppose it was pretty impossible to get to the cellars, even if the secret way was known!’
‘Yes - but what about the way we came up,’ said Dick. ‘From the sea - up the cliff passage!’
‘Well - I don’t know exactly why that hasn’t been used before,’ said Julian, ‘though I could make a guess! Did you notice that great heap of fallen rocks near the entrance to the cliff passage? I should think that that part of the cliff fell at one time, and hid the passage completely - blocked it up. Then maybe a storm came, and the sea shifted some of the rocks - and lo and behold, there was the secret passage - open again!’
‘And somebody found it - somebody perhaps who had heard the old legends about the castle of Whispering Island!’ said Anne.
‘A collector of old things, do you think?’ asked George. ‘What about those two men on the island - the ones we saw in the courtyard - do you suppose they know of this entrance?’
‘Yes, probably,’ said Julian. ‘And it’s likely they were put on guard, in case anyone else found it, and came to rob the secret chamber. The things here are priceless! Those men are not there to guard the animals on the island, as they were in the old lady’s day. She had genuine keepers, like that nice old man Lucas, who told us about this island the other day.’
‘You think these men are in somebody’s pay then - somebody who knows about this great chamber under the castle, and wants to get the centuries-old treasures?’ said Dick.
‘Yes,’ said Julian. ‘And what’s more I don’t believe that the real owner of the island - the great-nephew of the old lady who owned it, even knows they’re here, or that anyone is taking things from his island. For all we know he may live in America or Australia, and not care tuppence about his island!’
‘How extraordinary!’ said Anne. ‘If I owned an island like this, I’d live here and never leave it. And all the animals and birds would be protected as they once were, and...’
‘Dear Anne - what a pity it isn’t yours!’ said Julian, ruffling her hair. ‘But now, the thing is - what are we going to do about all this? We’ll talk about it when we’re back at the cottage. My word, it’s getting late! It will be pitch dark outside, unless the moon is up and the sky is clear of clouds!’
‘Well, come on then, let’s go,’ said Dick, making for the great nail-studded door. Then, as Timmy suddenly gave a blood-curdling growl, he stopped in fright. They had shut the door - but now it was opening. Somebody was coming into the great underground chamber! Who could it be?
‘Quick - hide!’ said Julian, and he pushed the two girls behind a great chest. The others were near the golden bed and they crouched behind it at once, Dick’s hand on Timmy’s collar. He had managed to stop the dog from growling, but was afraid that Timmy would begin again at any moment!
A man came into the room - one of the two big fellows that the children had seen in the courtyard. He didn’t seem to have heard Timmy growling, for he sauntered in, whistling lightly. He shone his torch all round, and then called loudly.
‘Emilio! Emilio!’
There was no answer at all. The man yelled again, and then an answer came from beyond the door, and hurrying footsteps could be heard. Then in came the other big rough fellow, and looked round, shining his torch. He lighted an oil lamp on a box, and switched off his torch.
‘Always you sleep, Emilio!’ growled the first man. ‘Always you are late! You know the boat comes tonight to take the next batch of' goods - have you the list? We must wrap them up quickly and take them to the shore. That little statue has to go, I know!’
He went over to the statue of a boy, whose eyes gleamed with emeralds. ‘Well, boy?’ said the man, ‘you’re going out into the world! How’ll you like that after being in the dark so long? Don’t glare at me like that, or I’ll box your ears!’
Apparently the golden boy went on glaring, for the man gave his head a sharp smack. The other fellow came over and shifted a long, deep box over from the wall to the little golden statue. Then he began to wrap it up carefully, rolling material round and round it from head to foot while the golden boy stood patiently.
‘What time is Lanyon coming for it?’ asked Emilio. ‘Have I time to wrap another?’
‘Yes - that one over there,’ said the first fellow, pointing. Emilio went whistling over to it, passing the chest behind which the girls were hiding. They crouched right to the floor, afraid of being seen. But Emilio was sharp-eyed, and thought he saw something move as he passed by the chest. He stopped. What was that poking out by the side of the chest - a foot? A FOOT!
Emilio rushed round the chest, his torch switched on again. He gave a loud shout. ‘Carlo! There’s someone here! Come quickly!’
Carlo, the second man, dropped what he was holding and raced round to Emilio, who had now pulled the girls roughly to their feet.
‘What are you doing here? How did you get in?’ shouted Emilio.
Julian shot out from his hiding-place at once, followed by Dick and Wilfrid. George was doing all she could to hold back Timmy, who was now deafening everyone with his angry barks. He did his best to get away from George, but she was afraid he might fly at Emilio’s throat. The two men were full of amazement to see the five children and Timmy!
‘Keep that dog back or I’ll shoot him,’ said Carlo, producing a gun. ‘Who are you? What do you mean by coming into this place?’
‘We came by boat - but the boat got washed out to sea,’ said Julian. ‘We’ve been camping on the island. We just - er - wandered into this place by mistake.’
‘By mistake! Well, I can tell you that you’ve certainly made the biggest mistake in your life!’ said Carlo. ‘You’ll have to stay here for quite a long time - till our job’s done, at any rate!’
‘What’s your job?’ asked Julian, bluntly.
‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ said Carlo. ‘Well - one part of it is to guard the island, and keep off strangers! Now, we’ve jobs to do tonight and tomorrow, and I’m afraid you’re going to have a miserable time! You’ll stay down here in this old cellar till we come back again - and what will happen to you after that, I don’t know, because I’ll have to tell my employer you’ve been spying down here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t hand you over to the police - or lock you up down here for a month, on bread and water!’
Timmy growled very fiercely indeed, and tugged hard to get away from George and fly at this hateful man. She hung on to him for all she was worth, though how she longed to let him leap at the man and get him on the ground!
‘Better go, Carlo, or we’ll miss that boat out there,’ said Emilio, grumpily. ‘We’ll deal with these kids when we get back!’ He shouldered the box into which he had put the wrapped statue, and started for the door. Carlo followed him, backing all the time to make sure that George did not set Timmy on to him. He shut the great door with a loud bang, and shot the bolt.
‘Don’t say anything for a minute in case they are listening outside the door,’ said Julian. So they all stood in silence, Anne’s knees trembling a little. Oh dear - how unlucky to be caught like this!
‘Relax!’ said Julian, at last. ‘You all look so stiff and tense!’
‘Well, I should think so!’ said Dick. ‘I don’t particularly want to stay shut up here till those men deign to come back and do a bit more stealing. Suppose they never came back! We’d be here for keeps!’
‘No, Dick!’ said Anne, and to everyone’s surprise, she began to laugh. ‘We can easily escape!’
‘What - through that locked and bolted door?’ said Dick. ‘Not a hope!’
‘But we can easily escape!’ said Anne, and George suddenly brightened up and nodded her head, smiling. ‘Oh yes - of course! Don’t look so solemn, Dick! Look up there!’
Dick looked up to where Anne was pointing. ‘What am I supposed to look at?’ he said. ‘The old stone wall?’
‘No - just there - over the top of that tall chest,’ said Anne.
Dick looked - and then a large smile came over his face. ‘WHAT an idiot I am! That’s the old iron door in the side of the old well-wall, isn’t it - the opening I looked through! It looks just like an ordinary ventilation hole from down here - and I don’t really believe anyone would ever notice it except us, who know what it is. I see what you’re getting at, Anne!’
‘Good old Anne!’ said George, realizing what Anne had in mind. ‘Of course - we’ve only got to climb up to that hole in the wall, open the door there, and then go up the well - and we’re safe!’
‘Yes. But it’s easier said than done,’ said Julian, soberly. ‘We’ve got to get hold of the rope, and climb right up it to the top - not very easy!’
‘Suppose the rope’s at the top, with the bucket hanging on the hook?’ said Anne. ‘We’d never reach it then!’
‘We’ll think of something!’ said Julian. ‘Anyway, it’s our only hope of escape. Now - we’ll push that huge, high chest or wardrobe or whatever it is, right over against the wall, under thit opening into the well - and then we’ll haul a table on top of that - there’s a sturdy little one over there. Come on! We’ll be through that opening in no time, and up the well. What a shock for dear Emilio and Carlo when they come back, and find that the birds have flown!’


Chapter Eighteen
A MOST EXCITING TIME!

It was quite a job pushing the heavy chest over towards the stone wall of the castle. It took all of them, shoving with all their might, to do it.
‘We seem to be making an awful noise with the chest scraping over the floor,’ panted Dick. ‘I hope we’re not heard!’
Timmy wished he could help. He kept jumping up and pressing his paws on the side of the chest, but Dick stopped him. ‘You’re getting in the way,’ he said. ‘You go and sit near the door and warn us if you hear those men coming.’
So Timmy ran to the door and sat there, his head cocked to one side, listening, while the others went on shoving the heavy chest along. At last it was in position. Then came the job of hoisting a stout little wooden table on top. Julian climbed up to the top of the chest to take the table from Dick, but just couldn’t manage it, it was so heavy and solid. So Wilfrid climbed up beside him, and between the two of them they pulled up the little oblong table, and set it firmly on top of the chest. Julian stood on it - and found he could easily reach the little iron door, that led into the old well.
‘Good,’ he said, and he gave the door a hard shove. It shook a little, but didn’t budge. He gave it another hard push. ‘What’s up?’ said Dick, climbing up beside Julian. ‘It must open - the bolt’s not there any more - it fell off into the well. I expect it’s rusted a little again. We’ll both shove it together.’
The girls watched the boys anxiously, dreading every moment to hear the two men returning. Together the boys pushed at the iron door - and it groaned and then gave way, swinging open inside the well-wall! To the boys’ delight, there was the rope, hanging near them!
‘We’ve done it!’ Dick called down softly to the girls. ‘We’ll come down and help you up to the table here - then we’ll try our luck up the well.’
The girls were soon on the chest top. There wasn’t room for everyone on the table, and the boys were debating what to do next.
‘You go up the rope, Julian,’ said Dick. ‘You can climb up to the top and get out and look around and make sure there’s no one about. Then Wilfrid can climb up - do you think you can, Wilfrid?’
‘Of course,’ said the boy. ‘Then I can help Julian to wind up the girls!’
‘Right!’ said Dick. ‘I’ll stay here with the girls, and help each of them on to the rope, first Anne - and you two can wind the rope up, with her on it. Then George can go - and I’ll follow last of all and shut the well-door.’
‘And when the men come they won’t know how in the world we got out of the treasure chamber!’ said Anne, grinning. ‘What a shock for them!’
‘When you’ve all gone up safely, I’ll climb in myself and shut the door,’ said Dick. ‘Ready, Ju? I’ll shine my torch for you!’
Julian nodded. He squeezed through the old iron door, reached out for the rope, and swung on it for a moment. Then up he went, hand-over-hand, till he reached the top, a little out of breath, but delighted to be out in the open air and the bright moonlight. It seemed almost as light as day!
He called down the well. ‘I’m at the top, Dick, and all’s well. Moon’s out, and all is quiet.’
‘You next, Wilfrid,’ said Dick. ‘Can you get hold of the rope all right, do you think? For pity’s sake don’t fall into the water. My torch will give you plenty of light.’
‘Don’t worry about me! It’s just like being on the ropes at gym in school,’ said Wilfrid, scornfully. He swung his legs into the opening, leapt at the rope, hung on, and began to climb up just like a monkey.
Julian’s voice came down the well again, echoing hollowly, sounding rather queer. ‘Wilfrid’s safely up. Now send Anne - we’ll wind up the rope for her, so that she doesn’t need to climb, only to hang on.’
Through the opening went Anne, and sat on its ledge. ‘Can you swing the rope a bit, Julian?’ she called. ‘It’s rather far for me to jump.’
‘Good gracious! For goodness sake be careful!’ called Julian, in alarm. ‘Tell Dick to help you.’
But the well-wall opening was so small that Dick couldn’t even look through it while Anne was sitting there. ‘Don’t jump till you’ve got firm hold of the rope, Anne,’ he told his sister, anxiously. ‘Is Ju swinging it to and fro? Can you see it clearly? It’s so dark in the well, and my torch isn’t too good now!’
‘Yes. I can see it,’ said Anne. ‘It bumped against my legs then, and I just missed getting it. Here it comes again - I’ve got it! I’m going to hold on to it tightly and drop off the ledge. Here I go!’
She sounded very much braver than she felt. She let herself drop off the ledge, and there she swung on the thick rope, with the black water far below! ‘Wind me up, Ju!’ she called, and held on as the two boys at the top exerted all their strength. Dick saw her disappear up the well, and heaved a sigh of relief. Now for George.
He climbed down from the table and chest and looked for George and Timmy, shining his torch everywhere. To his utmost surprise he couldn’t see them! He called softly. ‘Timmy!’
A small, stifled whine came from somewhere. Dick frowned. ‘George - where are you? For goodness sake buck up and come out from where you’re hiding. Those men might come back at any time! Don’t play the fool.’
A dark curly head poked out from behind a large box near the door, and George spoke in a very fierce voice. ‘You know Timmy can’t hang on to a rope! He’d fall and be drowned. I think you are all horrid to forget that he can’t climb. I’m staying here with him. You go on up the well.’
‘Certainly not!’ said Dick at once. ‘I shall stay here with you. I suppose it’s no use asking you to let me stay with Tim, while you climb up?’
‘Not the slightest use. He’s my dog, and I’m jolly well sticking by him,’ said George. ‘He’d never desert me, I’m sure of that.’
Dick knew George only too well when she was in one of her determined moods. Nothing, absolutely nothing, would make her change her mind!
‘All right, George - I expect I’d feel the same if Timmy was mine,’ said Dick. ‘I’m staying here with you, though!’
‘No,’ said George. ‘We’ll be all right, Tim and I.’
Dick ran to the chest and table that he had used to get up to the opening in the well-wall, and climbed quickly to the top. He swung himself through, sat on the edge of the opening and called up the well.
‘Julian? Are you there? Listen - George won’t leave Timmy because he can’t climb up the rope. So I’m staying with her!’
No sooner had he said these words, than he heard someone unlocking the door of the room they were in! Timmy growled so fiercely that Dick’s heart jumped in fear. Suppose Tim leapt at those men - and one of them had a gun!
George heard the noise of the key turning in the door, and quick as lightning she went behind a pile of boxes with Timmy. ‘Go for them, Timmy, just as soon as you can!’ she said. ‘Get them down before they can hurt you.’
‘Woof,’ said Timmy, understanding every word. He stood beside George, ears cocked, showing his teeth in a snarl. The door opened, and a man came in, carrying a lantern. ‘I’ve brought you a light,’ he began - and then Timmy leapt at him!
Crash! Down went the lantern and the light went out. Down went the man too, shouting in fear as the big dog leapt on his chest, his hairy face so close that the man could feel the dog’s hot breath. The man’s head struck against the edge of a chest, and he was suddenly still and silent.
‘Knocked out, I do believe!’ said Dick to himself, and very cautiously shone his torch round. Yes - there was the man on the floor, eyes closed, unmoving!
George was at the open door, looking out, Timmy by her side. ‘Dick! I’m taking Timmy down the secret way through the cliffs. I’ll be perfectly safe with him.’
‘I must tell Julian,’ said Dick. ‘He’s still at the top of the well, expecting you and Timmy. You go as quickly as you can - and be careful. Timmy will look after you.’
George disappeared at top speed, her shoes making no sound. She looked anxious but not afraid. ‘Good as a boy!’ thought Dick, for the hundredth time. ‘Every bit as good as a boy. Doesn’t turn a hair! Now I’d better get back to that opening in the well, and tell Julian that George and Timmy have gone down the secret way. That man is still knocked out, thank goodness!’
He was soon on top of the chest and table, and peering through the hole. He could see the light from Julian’s torch far away at the top, the light flashing on and off as if signalling. Dick called up ‘Julian!’
‘Oh, so you’re still there,’ said Julian, sounding very relieved. ‘Anything happened?’
‘Yes,’ said Dick. ‘I’ll tell you in a minute. Swing the rope a bit, Ju.’
The rope swung near Dick, and he caught it, and was just about to swing himself into the well when he heard a noise. He looked back into the vast room, which was now in darkness, for he had switched off his torch.
Someone came in hurriedly. ‘What’s happened? Why didn’t you...’ Then he stopped as the light from the lantern he carried picked out the figure of the man on the floor. He gave an exclamation and knelt down by him. Dick grinned to himself - what about a nice little shock for this fellow? He reached down to the sturdy little table, gave it a shove that sent it hurtling down to the floor, and then swung himself into the well on the rope. He was just in time to see the table fall with a crash by the man with the lantern, and to hear him shout in fear - and then Julian and Wilfrid hauled him up the well, still grinning to himself. ‘Bit of a shock for those men!’ he thought. ‘George and Timmy disappeared - and the rest of us gone most mysteriously! Pull, Julian, pull! I’ve a nice little story to tell you!’
And soon he was up on the well-wall, telling the others what had happened. They laughed in delight.
‘Good old George! Good old Timmy!’
‘George knows the way down the cliff passage all right - and if she didn’t Timmy would take her safely,’ said Julian. ‘We’ll go down on the rocks and meet her, I think. She should be all right because the moon’s out now, and everything is as light as day!’
And off they all went through the wood, laughing when they thought how puzzled and mystified those men must be!

Chapter Nineteen
ANNE IS A TIGER!

In the meantime, George was hurrying down the secret way through the cliffs. Timmy ran first in front and then behind, his ears pricked for any possible pursuer or danger. He could hear no one. Good! Both he and George were glad to hear the babbling of the funny little underground stream as it ran swiftly down towards the sea. ‘It’s a nice friendly sound, Tim,’ said George. ‘I like it.’
Once or twice they slipped from the wet ledges into the water, and George felt a bit afraid of falling and breaking her torch. ‘It wouldn’t be much fun if we had to go down this passage in the pitch dark!’ she told Timmy, and he gave a little woof of agreement.
‘What’s that bright light?’ said George, suddenly, stopping in the passage. ‘Look, Tim - awfully bright. Is it someone coming with a lantern?’
Timmy gave a loud bark and rush in front. He knew that lantern all right! It was the one that somebody sometimes hung in the sky, and that George called the Moon. Didn’t she know?
George soon did know, of course, and cried out in delight. ‘Oh, it’s the moon, of course, dear old moon. I’d forgotten it was a moonlight night tonight. I wonder where the others are, Timmy. You’ll have to smell them out!’
Timmy already knew where they were! He had caught their scent on the wind. They weren’t very far away! He barked joyously. Soon they would all be together again!
He and George came out of the tunnel in the cliff and found themselves on the rocks. The sea was splashing over them, and the waves gleamed brightly in the bright moonlight.
George saw something moving in the distance. She put her hand on Timmy’s collar. ‘Careful, Tim,’ she said. ‘Is that someone coming over there? Stay by me.’
But Timmy disobeyed for once! He leapt away and splashed through pools, over seaweed, over slippery rocks, barking madly. ‘Timmy!’ called George, not recognising who was coming. ‘TIMMY! COME BACK!’
And then she saw who were coming over the rock in the bright moonlight, picking their way through the slippery seaweed. She waved and shouted joyfully.
‘Here I am! I’ve escaped all right!’
What a joyful meeting that was! They all sat down on a convenient rock and talked nineteen to the dozen, telling each other what had happened. And then a big wave suddenly came up and splashed all over them!
‘Blow!’ said Julian. ‘Tide’s coming in, I suppose. Come on - let’s get back to Whispering Wood.’
Anne gave a most enormous yawn. ‘I don’t know what the time is,’ she said. ‘And it’s so bright everywhere that I’m not sure if it’s day or night. All I know is that I’m suddenly most awfully SLEEPY.’
Julian glanced at his watch. ‘It’s very late,’ he said. ‘Long past our bedtime. What shall we do - risk sleeping here on the island - or find Wilfrid’s boat and row across to the mainland - and have a nice long, peaceful snooze in that dear little cottage?’
‘Oh, don’t let’s stay on the island!’ said Anne. ‘I’d never go to sleep! I’d be afraid those men would find us.’
‘Don’t be silly, Anne,’ said George, trying not to yawn. ‘They wouldn’t have the remotest idea where to look for us! I honestly don’t fancy looking for Wilfrid’s boat, rowing all the way to the mainland, and then climbing up that steep hill to the cottage!’
‘Well - all right,’ said Anne. ‘But oughtn’t somebody to be on guard - oughtn’t we each to take turn?’
‘Why so fussy, Anne?’ asked George. ‘Timmy would hear anyone!’
‘I suppose he would,’ said Anne, giving way. ‘We’ll stay here then.’
They were all very tired. The boys pulled up armfuls of old dry bracken and spread it in a sheltered patch of grass, where bushes surrounded them, and sheltered them from the wind. It was not far from the cove where Wilfrid’s boat lay. They snuggled into the bracken.
‘Nice and cosy!’ said George, yawning. ‘Ohhh! I’ve never felt so sleepy in my life!’ And in three seconds she was sound asleep! Wilfrid dropped off at once too, and Dick and Julian were soon giving little gentle snores.
Anne was still awake. She felt nervous. ‘I’d dearly like to know if those men are safely underground!’ she thought. ‘I can’t imagine that they are very pleased at us getting away - they’ll know we’ll go to the mainland as soon as we can, and tell everyone what we have found! I should have thought they would try to stop us leaving. They must hnow we have a boat!’
She lay and worried, keeping her ears open for any strange sound. Timmy heard her tossing and turning and crept over to her very quietly, so as not to wake George. He lay down beside Anne, giving her a loving lick as if to say, ‘Now, you go to sleep, and I’ll keep watch!’
But still Anne didn’t fall asleep. Still she kept her ears wide open for any unusual sound - and then, quite suddenly, she heard something. So did Timmy. He sat up, and gave a very small growl.
Anne strained her ears. Yes - it was certainly voices she could hear - low voices, that didn’t want to be heard. It was the men coming to find Wilfrid’s boat! Once they had that, the children couldn’t get away from Whispering Island!
Timmy ran a little way from the bushes, and looked round at Anne as if to say, ‘Coming with me?’
Anne got up quietly and went to Timmy. He ran on in front, and she followed. She really must see what was happening, then if it was anything important, she could run back and rouse everyone. Timmy was taking her to the cove where Wilfrid had left his boat, hauled high up on the sand, for fear of big waves.
They were both as quiet as they could be. Timmy growled a little when he heard the voices again, much nearer this time.
The men had come quietly round the island in their own boat, to set Wilfrid’s boat adrift. Anne saw them pushing Wilfrid’s boat down the sand towards the sea. Once it was adrift, she and the others would be prisoners on the island! She yelled at the top of her voice.
‘You stop that! It’s OUR boat!’ And Timmy began to bark his head off, prancing round the men, and showing his big white teeth. The barking awoke all the others and they leapt up at once. ‘That’s Timmy!’ shouted Julian. ‘That’s Timmy barking! Come on, quickly - but be careful!’
They ran at top speed to the cove. Timmy was still barking madly - and someone was yelling. It sounded like Anne. ANNE - no, no, it couldn’t be quiet little Anne!’ thought Julian.
But it was! For when the four arrived at the cove, there was Anne yelling to Timmy to bite the men, and dancing about in a rare old temper!
‘How DARE you come and take our boat! I’ll tell Timmy to bite you! And he will too! Get them, Tim, get them! How DARE you take our boat! Bite them, Timmy!’
Timmy had already bitten both the men, who were now rowing away in their own boat at top speed. Anne picked up a stone and sent it whizzing after them. It struck their boat and made them jump.
Anne jumped too when she turned and saw Julian, George, Wilfrid and Dick. ‘I’m so glad you’ve come!’ she said. ‘I think Timmy and I have frightened them off. The beasts!’
‘Frightened them off! You’ve scared them stiff!’ said Julian, hugging his sister. ‘You even scared me! Good gracious - the mouse has certainly turned into a fearsome tiger! I can almost see smoke coming out of your nostrils.’
‘A tiger? Did I really sound like a tiger?’ said Anne. ‘I’m glad! I hated you all thinking I was a mouse. You’d better be careful now, I might turn into a tiger again!’
The men were now out of sight, and Timmy sent a volley of barks after their vanished boat. What chance had any men against a dog and a tiger? WOOF!
‘Julian - why can’t we row back to the mainland now?’ demanded Anne. ‘I’m so hungry and there’s nothing to eat here now. And I wasn’t really very comfortable in that brackeny bed. I’m longing to sleep in a proper bed. I’ve a good mind to take that boat of Wilfrid’s and row myself back, if you don’t want to come.’
Julian couldn’t help laughing at this new fierce Anne. He put his arm round her.
‘I believe it’s dangerous to say no to a tiger,’ he said. ‘So you shall have your way, Anne. I’m awfully hungry too - and I bet the others are.’
And, in five minutes time, the six of them were out on the sea, Julian taking one oar, and Dick the other, ‘Swish-swash - swish-swash’ went the oars, and the boat rocked as it sped along.
‘I bet if those men spot us out on the sea in a boat, going across to the mainland, they will feel pretty uncomfortable!’ said Julian. ‘They’ll know we’ll be going to the police first thing tomorrow. My word - this has been quite an adventure, hasn’t it! I shall be glad of a little peace now!’
Well - you’ll soon have it, Julian! That little cottage is waiting for you all, with its glorious view over the Harbour and Whispering Island. You’ll have quite a bit of excitement tomorrow, of course, when the police take you back to the island in their boat, and you show them the old well, the vast treasure-chamber, the secret passage, and all the rest. You’ll be there when all the men are rounded up, you’ll watch them chugging off, prisoners, in the police boat, amazed that the Famous Five should have defeated them. What an adventure! And what a relief when all the excitement is over, and you lie peacefully on the hillside, with the little cottage just behind you.
‘Now for a real lazy time!’ said Anne, when the Five had seen the last of the police. ‘Let’s all go out on the hill in the sunshine, and have orangeade and biscuits and fruit salad - and Wilfrid shall play his magic pipe and bring his furred and feathered friends to see us.’
‘Has he found his pipe then?’ said Dick, pleased.
‘Yes. He took the well-bucket to get some water to drink - and lo and behold the pipe was in the bottom of the bucket!’ said Anne. ‘He thinks it must have fallen there the last time he went to fetch water from the well - and nobody noticed it!’
‘Oh good!’ said George, thankfully. ‘Wilfrid, what about playing a tune on your little pipe? I’m so glad it’s found. I’d like to hear it again.’
Wilfrid was pleased. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘I’ll see if my friends here still remember me!’
He sat down on the hillside a little away from the others and began to blow down the pipe - and out came the strange little tune! At once the birds in the trees around turned their heads. In the bushes the lizards raised themselves, put their quaint heads on one side and listened. Rabbits stopped their play. The big hare bounded up the hill, its great ears taking in every note. A magpie flew down to the boy’s foot and sat there.
Wilfrid didn’t stir. He just went on playing as the creatures came to listen. Timmy listened too, and went to the boy, pressing against him, licking his ear. Then he went back to George.
We’ll leave them all there in the sunshine, quiet and peaceful, watching the little creatures that Wilfrid can always bring around him.
Julian is lying back, looking at the April sky, glad that their adventure ended so well. Dick is looking down at Whispering Island, set in the brilliant blue harbour. Anne is half asleep - quiet little Anne who can turn into a tiger if she has to!
And George, of course, is close to Timmy, her arm round his neck, very happy indeed. Good-bye, Five - it was fun sharing in your grand adventure!