Back toа Chapters 12-17
Five Go to
Smuggler's Top
Enid Blyton
Chapters 18-22
(the end)
18ааа Curious discoveries
Just as she had unscrewed almost the last screw there
came a tapping at the door. George jumped and stiffнened. She did not answer,
afraid that it was Block, or Mr Lenoir.
Then, to her great relief, she heard Julian's voice.
'George! Are you in here?'
The little girl hurried across to the door and unнlocked
it. The boys came in, looking surprised, followed by Anne and Marybelle. George shut the door and locked it again.
'Mr Barling's
gone away and shut up the house,' said Julian. 'So that's that. What on earth
are you doing, George?'
'Unscrewing this window-seat,' said George, and told
them about the screw she had found on the floor. They all crowded round her,
excited.
'Good for you, George!' said Dick. 'Here, let me
finish the unscrewing.'
'No, thanks. This
is my job!' said George. She took out the last screw. Then she lifted the edge
of the window-seat. It came up like a lid.
Everyone peered inside, rather scared. What would they
see? To their great surprise and disappointment they saw nothing but an empty
cupboard! It was as if the window-seat was a box, with the lid screwed down for
people to sit on.
'Well - what a disappointment!' said Dick. He
shut down the lid. 'I don't expect you heard anyone screwнing down the lid,
really, George. It might have been your imagination.'
'Well, it wasn't,' said George, shortly. She opened
the lid again. She got right into the box-like window-seat and stamped, and
pressed with her feet.
And quite suddenly, there came a small creaking noise,
and the bottom of the empty window-seat fell downwards like a trap-door on a
hinge!
George gasped and clutched at the side. She kicked
about in air for a moment and then scrambled out. Everyone looked down in
silence.
They looked down a straight yawning hole, which,
however, came to an end only about eight feet down. There it appeared to widen
out, and, no doubt, entered a secret passage which ran into one of the
underground tunnels with which the whole hill was honeycombed. It might even
run to Mr Barling's house.
'Look at that!' said Dick. 'Who would have thought of
that? I bet even old Sooty didn't know about this.' 'Shall we go down?' said
George. 'Shall we see where it goes to? We might find old Timmy.
There came the noise of someone trying the handle of
the door. It was locked. Then there was an imнpatient rapping,
and a cross voice called out sharply: 'Why is this door locked? Open it at
once! What are you doing in there?'
'It's Father!' whispered Marybelle,
with wide eyes. 'I'd better unlock the door.'
George shut the lid of the window-seat down at once,
quietly. She did not want Mr Lenoir to see: their
latest discovery. When the door was opened Mr Lenoir
saw the children standing about, or sitting on the window-seat.ааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа
.
'I've had a good talk to Block,' he said, and, as I thought, he doesn't
know a thing about all the goings-on here' He was most amazed
to hear about the signalling from the tower.
But he doesn't think it's Mr
Barling. He thinks it may be a plot of some
sort against
'Oh!' said the children, who felt that they
would not believe Block so readily
as Mr Lenoir appeared
'It's quite upset Block,' said Mr Lenoir. 'He feels really sick, and
I've told him to go and have a rest till we decide what to do next.'
The children felt that Block would
not be so easily upset as all that. They all suspected
at once that he would not really go to
rest, but would probably sneak out on business of his
own.
'I've some work to attend
to for a little while,' said Mr
Lenoir. 'I've rung up the police, but unluckily
the Inspector is out. He will ring me directly he comes back.
Now can you keep out of mischief till I've finished
my work?'
The children thought that was a silly question.
They made no reply. Mr Lenoir
gave one of his sudden smiles and little
laughs, and went.
'I'm going to pop along to Block's
room and see if he really is there,' said Julian,
as soon as Mr Lenoir was out of sight.
He went to the wing where
the staff bedrooms were, and stopped softly outside Block's. The
door was a little ajar, and Julian could see through the crack.
He saw the shape of Block's body in the bed, and the dark patch that was his
head. The curtains were drawn across the window to keep out the light, but
there was enough to sec all this.
Julian sped back to the others. 'Yes, he's in bed all right,' he said.
'Well, he's safe for a bit. Shall we have a shot at getting down to the
window-seat hole? I'd dearly like to see where it leads to!'
'Oh yes!' said everyone. But it was not an easy job to
drop eight feet down without being terribly jolted! Julian went first and was
very much jarred. He called up to Dick: 'We'll have to get a bit of
rope and tie it to something up there, and let it hang down the hole - it's an
awful business to let yourself drop down.'
But just as Dick went to find a rope, Julian
called up again. 'Oh, it's all right! I've just seen someнthing.
There are niches carved into the sides of the hole -
niches you can put foot or hand into. I didn't see
them before. You can use them to help you down.'
So down went everyone, one after another,
feeling for the niches and finding them. George missed
one or two, clawed wildly at the air, and dropped down the
last few feet, landing with rather a bump, but she
was not hurt.
As they had thought, the hole led to another
secret passage in the house, but this one went straight downнwards
by means of steps, so that very soon they went well
below the level of the house. Then they came into the
maze of tunnels that honeycombed the hill. They stopped.
'Look here - we can't possibly go any
farther,' said Julian. 'We shall get lost. We haven't
got Sooty with us now, and Marybelle isn't any
good at finding the way. It would be dangerous to wander
about.
They could hear the hollow sound of
footsteps coming from a tunnel to the left
of them. They all shrank back into the shadows, and
Julian switched o. his torch.
'It's two people!' whispered Anne, as two figures came
out of the nearby tunnel. One was very tall and long.
The other - yes, surely the other was Block! If it wasn't Block it was someone
the exact image of him.
The men were talking in low voices, answering one
another. How could it be Block, though, if he could hear as well as that?
Anyway, Block was asleep in bed. It was hardly ten minutes since Julian had
seen him there. Were there two Blocks, then? thought
George, as she had once thought before.
The men disappeared into another tunnel, and the
bright light of their lanterns disappeared gradually. The muffled rumble of
their voices echoed back.
'Shall we follow them?' said Dick.
'Of course not,' said Julian. 'We might lose them-and
lose ourselves too! And supposing they suddenly turned back and found us
following them? We should be in a horrid fix.'
'I'm sure the first man was Mr
Barling,' said Anne, suddenly. 'I couldn't see his
face because the light of the lantern wasn't on it - but he seemed just like Mr Barling - awfully tall and
long everywhere!'
'But Mr Barling's
gone away,' said Marybelle.
'Supposed to have gone
away!' said George. 'It looks as if he's come back, if it was him. I
wonder where those two have gone Ч to see my father and Sooty, do you think?'
'Quite likely,' said Julian. 'Come on, let's get back.
We simply daren't wander about by ourselves in these old tunnels. They
run for miles, Sooty said, and cross one another, and go up and down and round
about -even right down to the marsh. We should never, never find our way out if
we got lost.'
They turned to go back. They came to the end of the steps they had been
climbing, and found themselves at the bottom of the window-seat hole. It was
quite easy to pull themselves up by the niches in the sides of the hole.
Soon they were all in the room again,
glad to see the sunshine streaming in at the window. They looked out. The
marshes were beginning to be wreathed in mist once more, though up here the
hill was golden with sunlight.
'I'm going to put the screws back into the window-seat
again,' said Julian, picking up the screwdriver and shutting down the lid.
'Then if Block comes here he won't guess we've found this new secret place. I'm
pretty certain that he unscrewed the seat so that Mr Barling could get into this room, and then screwed it down
again so that no one would guess what had happened.'
He quickly put in the screws. Then he looked at his
watch.
'Almost dinner-time, and I'm jolly hungry. I wish old
Sooty was here - and Uncle Quentin. I do hope they're all right - and Timmy
too,' said Julian. 'I wonder if Block is still in bed Ч or wandering about the
tunnels. I'm going to have a peep again.'
He soon came back, puzzled. 'Yes, he's there all
right, safe in bed. It's jolly funny.'
Block did not appear at lunchtime. Sarah said he had
asked not to be disturbed, if he did not appear.
'He does get the most awful sick headaches,' she said.
'Maybe he'll be all right this afternoon.'
She badly wanted to talk about everything, but the
children had decided not to tell her anything. She was very nice and they liked
her, but somehow they didn't trust anyone at Smuggler's Top. So Sarah got nothing
out of them at all, and retired in rather a huff.
Julian went down to speak to Mr Lenoir after
the meal. He felt that even if the Inspector of police was not at the
police-station, somebody else must be inнformed. He was very
worried about his uncle and Sooty. He couldn't help
wondering if Mr Lenoir had made up the
bit about the Inspector being away, to put off time.
Mr Lenoir was
looking cross when Julian knocked at
his study-door. 'Oh, it's you!' he said to Julian. 'I was
expecting Block. I've rung and rung for him. The bell
rings in his room and I can't imagine why he doesn't
come. I want him to come to the police-station with me.'
'Good!' thought Julian. Then he
spoke aloud. Til go and hurry him up
for you, Mr Lenoir.
I know where his room is.'
Julian ran up the stairs and went to
the little landing up which the back-stairs went to the staff
bedrooms. He pushed open Block's door.
Block was apparently still asleep in bed!
Julian called loudly, then remembered
that Block was deaf. So he went over to the bed and
put his hand rather roughly on the hump of the shoulder
between the clothes.
But it was curiously soft! Julian drew his
hand away, and looked down sharply. Then he
got a real shock.
There was no Block in the bed! There was a big
ball of some sort, painted black to look like a head almost under
the sheets Ч and, when Julian threw back the covers,
he saw instead of Block's body, a large lumpy bolster,
cleverly moulded to look like a
curved body!
'That's the trick Block plays when he
wants to slip off anywhere, and yet pretend
he's still here!' said Julian. 'So it was Block we saw in the tunnel
this morning - and it must have been Block that George saw talking to Mr Barling yesterday, when she
looked through the window. He's not deaf, either. He's a very clever - sly -
double-faced - deceitful ROGUE!'
19ааа Mr
Barling talks
Meantime, what was happening to Uncle
Quentin and Sooty? Many strange things!
Uncle Quentin had been gagged, and
drugged so that he could neither struggle nor make any
noise, when Mr Barling had
crept so unexpectedly into his room. It was easy to drop
him down the hole in the window-seat. He
fell with a thud that bruised him considerably.
Then poor Sooty had been dropped
down too, and after them had come Mr
Barling, climbing deftly down by
the help of the niches in the sides.
Someone else was down there, to help Mr Barling. Not
Block, who had been left to screw down the window-seat so that no
one might guess where the victims had been taken, but a hard-faced
servant belonging to Mr Barling.
'Had to bring this boy, too - it's Lenoir's
son,' said Mr Barling. 'Snooping about in the room.
Well, it will serve Lenoir right for working against me!'
The two were half-carried, half-dragged down
the long flight of steps and taken into the tunnels
below. Mr Barling stopped and took a ball of
string from his pocket. He tossed it to his
servant.
'Here you are. Tie the end to that nail over there, and let
the string unravel as we go. I know the way
quite well, but Block doesn't, and he'll be coming
along to bring food to our couple of prisoners tomorrow. Don't want him to lose
his way! We can tie the string up again just before we get to the place I'm
taking them to, so that they won't see it and use it to escape
by.'
The servant tied the string to the nail that Mr Barling pointed out, and then
as he went along he let the ball unravel. The string would then serve as a
guide to anyone not knowing the way. Otherwise it would be very dangerous to wander
about in the underнground tunnels. For some of them ran for miles.
After about eight minutes the little company came to a
kind of rounded cave, set in the side of a big, but rather low tunnel. Here had
been put a bench with some rugs, a box to serve as a table, and a jug of water.
Nothing else.
Sooty by now was coming round from his blow on the
head. The other prisoner, however, still lay unconscious, breathing heavily.
'No good talking to him,' said Mr
Barling. 'He won't be all right till tomorrow. We'll
come and talk to him then. I'll bring Block.'
Sooty had been put on the floor. He suddenly sat up,
and put his hand to his aching head. He couldn't imagine where he was.
He looked up and saw Mr Barling, and then sudнdenly he remembered everything. But
how had he got there, in this dark cave?
'Mr Barling!'
he said. 'What's all this? What did you hit me for? Why have you brought me
here?'
'Punishment for a small boy who can't keep his nose out of things that
don't concern him!' said Mr Barling,
in a horrid sarcastic voice. 'You'll be company for our friend on the bench
there. He'll sleep till the morning. Tm afraid. You
can tell him all about it, then, and say I'll be back to have a little
heart-to-heart talk with him!
And see here,
Sooty looked pale. He did know the danger of wandering
about those lost old tunnels. This one he was in he was sure he didn't know at
all. He was about to ask a few more questions when Mr
Barling turned quickly on his heel and went off with
his servant. They took the lantern with them and left the boy in darkнness. He
yelled after them.
'Hi, you beasts! Leave
me a light!' But there was no answer. Sooty heard the footfalls going farther
and farther away, and then there was silence and darkness.
The boy felt in his pocket for his torch, but it
wasn't there. He had dropped it in his bedroom. He groped his way over to the
bench, and felt about for George's father. He wished he would wake up. It was
so horrid to be there in the darkness. It was cold, too.
Sooty crept under the rugs and cuddled close to the
unconscious man. He longed with all his heart for him to wake up.
From somewhere there sounded the drip-drip-drip of
water. After a time Sooty couldn't bear it. He knew it was only drops dripping
off the roof of the tunnel in a damp place, but he felt he couldn't bear it. Drip-drip-drip. Drip-drip-drip. If
only it would stop!
'I'll have to wake George's father up!' thought the
boy, desperately. 'I must talk to someone!'
He began to shake the sleeping man, wondering what to call him, for he
did not know his surname. He couldn't call him 'George's father'! Then he
remembered that the others called him Uncle Quentin, and he began yelling the
name in the drugнged man's ear.
'Uncle Quentin! Uncle Quentm!
Wake up! Do wake up! Oh, won't you please wake up!'
Uncle Quentin stirred at last. He opened his eyes in
the darkness, and listened to the urgent voice in his ear feeling faintly
puzzled.
'Uncle Quentin! Wake up and speak to me. I'm scared!'
said the voice. 'UNCLE QUENTIN!'
The man thought vaguely that it must be Julian or
Dick. He put his arm round Sooty and dragged him close to him. 'It's all right.
Go to sleep,' he said. 'What's the matter, Julian? Or is it Dick? Go to sleep.'
He fell asleep again himself, for he was still
half-drugged. But Sooty felt comforted now. He shut his eyes, feeling certain
that he couldn't possibly go to sleep. But he did, almost at once! He slept
soundly all through the night, and was only awakened by Uncle Quentin moving on
the bench.
The puzzled man was amazed to find his bed so
unexpectedly hard. He was even more amazed to find someone in bed with him, for
he remembered nothing at all. He stretched out his hand to switch on the
reading-lamp which had been beside his bed the night before.
But it wasn't there! Strange! He felt about and
touched Sooty's face. What was this beside him? He
began to feel extremely puzzled. He felt ill, too. What could have
happened?
'Are you awake?' said Sooty's voice. 'Oh,
Uncle Quentin, I'm so glad you're awake. I hope you don't mind me calling you
that, but I don't know your surname. I only know you are George's father and
Julian's uncle.'
'Well - who are you?' said Uncle Quentin, in wonder.
Sooty began to tell him everything. Uncle Quentin
listened in the utmost amazement. 'But why have we been kidnapped like
this?' he said, astonished and angry. 'I never heard of such a thing in my
life!'
'I don't know why Mr Barling has kidnapped you - but I know he took me
because I happened to see what he was doing,' said Sooty. 'Anyway, he's coming
back this morning, with Block, and he said he would have a heart-to-heart talk
with you. We'll have to wait here, I'm afraid. We can't possibly find our way
to safety in the darkness, through this maze of tunnels.' So they waited Ч and
in due course Mr Barling
did come, bringing Block with him. Block carried some food, which was very
welcome to the prisoners.
'You beast, Block!' said Sooty, at once, as he saw the
servant in the light of the lantern. 'How dare you help in this? You wait till
my stepfather hears about it! Unless he's in it too!'
'Hold your tongue!' said Block. Sooty stared at him.
'So you can hear!' he said. 'All this time you've been pretending you
can't! What a sly fellow you are! What a lot of secrets you must have learnt,
pretending to be deaf, and overhearing all kinds of things not meant for you.
You're sly, Block, and you're worse things than that!'
'Whip him, Block, if you like,' said Mr Barling, sitting down on the box.
'I've no time for rude boys myself.'
'I will,' said Block, grimly, and he undid a length ot rope from round his waist.
'I've often wanted to, cheeky little worm!'
Sooty felt alarmed. He leapt off the bench and put up his fists.
СLet me talk to our prisoner first,' said Mr Barlingа 'Then you can give
Uncle Quentin was listening quietly to all this. He
looked at Mr Barling, and
spoke sternly.
'You owe me an explanation for your strange beнhaviour. I demand to be taken to Smuggler s Top. You
shall answer to the police for this!Т
'Oh no, I shan't,' said Mr Barling, in a curiously soft voice. 'I have a very generous
proposal to make to you. I know why you have come to Smuggler's Top. I know why
you and Mr Lenoir are so interested in each other's
experiments.'
'How do you know?' said Uncle Quentin. 'Spying, I
suppose!'
'Yes - I bet Block's been spying and reading letters!'
cried Sooty, indignantly.
Mr Barling took no notice of the interruption. 'Now, my dear
sir,' he said to Uncle Quentin, 'I will tell you very shortly what I propose. I
know you have heard that I am a smuggler. I am. I make a lot of money from it.
It is easy to run a smuggling trade here, because no one can patrol the marshes,
or stop men using the secret path that only I and a few others know. On favourable nights I send out a signal - or rather Block
here does so, for me, using the convenient
'Oh! So it was Block!' cried Sooty.
'Then when the goods arrive,' said Mr
Barling, 'and again at a favourable
moment I - er - dispose of them. I cover my tracks
very carefully, so that no one can possibly accuse me because they never have
any red proof.'
'Why are you telling me all this?' said Uncle Quentin scornfully. 'It's of no interest to me. I'm only
interested in a plan for draining the marshes, not in smuggling goods across
them!'
'Exactly, my dear fellow!' said Mr
Barling, amiably. 'I know that. I have even seen your
plans and read about your experiments and Mr
Lenoir's. But the draining of the marsh means the end of my own business! Once
the marsh is drained, once houses are built there, and roads made, once the
mists have gone, my business goes too! A harbour may
be built out there, at the edge of the marshes - my ships can no longer creep
in unseen, bringing valuable cargoes! Not only will my money go, but all the
excitement, which is more than life to me, will go too!'
'You're mad!' said Uncle Quentin, in disgust. Mr Barling was a little
mad. He had always felt a great satisfaction in being a successful smuggler in
days when smuggling was almost at an end. He loved the thrill of knowing that
his little ships were creeping in the mist towards the treacherous marshes. He
liked to know that men were making their way over a small and narrow path over
the misty marsh to the appointed meeting-place, bringing smuggled goods. 'You
should have lived a hundred years or more ago!' said Sooty, also feeling that Mr Barling was a little mad. 'You
don't belong to nowadays.'
Mr Barling turned on Sooty, his eyes gleaming dangerously in
the light of the lantern.
'Another word from you and I'll drop you in the
marshes!' he said. Sooty felt a shiver go down his back. He suddenly knew that Mr Barling really did mean what
he said He was a dangerous man. Uncle Quentin sensed it too. He looked at Mr Barling warily.
'How do I come into this?' he asked. 'Why have you, kidnapped me?'
'I know that Mr Lenoir is
going to buy your plans from you,' said Mr Barling. 'I know he is going to drain the marsh by using
your very excellent ideas. You see, I know all about them! I know, too, that Mr Lenoir hopes to make a lot of money by selling the land
once it is drained. It is all his, that misty marsh -and no use to anyone now
except to me! But that marsh is not going to be drained - I am going to buy
your plans, not Mr Lenoir!'
'Do you want to drain the marsh, then?' said
Uncle Quentin, in surprise.
Mr Barling laughed scornfully. 'No! Your plans, and the
results of your experiments, will be burnt! They will be mine, but I shall not
want to use them. I want the marsh left as it is, secret, covered with mist,
and treacherous to all but me and my men. So, my dear sir, you will please name
your price to me, instead of to Mr Lenoir and sign
this document, which I have had prepared, making over all your plans to me!'
He nourished a large piece of paper in front of Uncle
Quentin. Sooty watched breathlessly.
Uncle Quentin picked up the paper. He tore it into small pieces. He
threw them into Mr Barling's
face and said, scornfully: 'I don't deal with madmen, nor
with rogues, Mr Barling!'
Mr Barling went very pale. Sooty gave a loud crow of delight.
'Hurrah! Good for you, Uncle Quentin!'
Block gave a loud exclamation, and darted to the excited
boy. He took him by the shoulder, and raised the rope to thrash him.
That's right,' said Mr Barling, in a funny kind of hissing voice. 'Deal with him
first, Block and then with this - this - stubborn - obstinate - fool! We'll soon
bring them to their senses. A good thrashing now and again, a few days here in
the dark, without any food Ч ah, that will make them more biddable!'
Sooty yelled at the top of his voice. Uncle Quentin
leapt to his feet. The rope came down and Sooty yelled again.
Then there suddenly came the pattering of quick feet,
and something flung itself on Block. Block gave a scream of pain and turned. He
knocked the lantern over by accident, and the light went out. There was a sound
of fierce growling. Block staggered about tryнing to keep off the creature that
had fastened itself on to him.
'Barling! Help
me!' he shouted. Mr Barling
went to his aid, but was attacked in his turn. Uncle Quentin and Sooty listened
in amazement and fear. What creature was this that had suddenly arrived? Would
it attack them next? Was it a giant rat, or some fierce wild animal that
haunted these tunnels?
The fierce animal suddenly barked. Sooty cheered.
СTIMMY! It's you, Timmy! Oh, good dog, good dog! Go for him, then, go for him! Bite him, Timmy, hard.'
The two frightened men could do nothing against the
angry dog. Soon they were running down the tunnel as fast as they could
go, feeling for the string for fear of being lost. Timmy chased them
with much enjoyment, and then returned to Sooty and George's father, rather
pleased with himself.
He had a tremendous welcome. George's father made a
great fuss of him, and Sooty put his arms round the big dog's
neck.
'How did you come here? Did you find your way out
of the secret passage you've been in? Are you half-starved? Look,
here's some food.'
Timmy ate heartily. He had managed to devour a few rats, but otherwise
had had no food at all. He had licked the drops that here
and there he had found dripping from the roof, so he had
not been thirsty. But he had certainly been
extremely puzzled and worried. He had never before been so
long away from his beloved mistress!
'Uncle Quentin - Timmy could take us safely back
to Smuggler's Top, couldn't he?' said Sooty, sudнdenly. He spoke to Timmy. 'Can
you take us home, old boy? Home, to George?'
Timmy listened, with his ears cocked up. He ran down
the passage a little way, but soon came back. He did not like the idea of going
down there. He felt that enemies were waiting for them all. Mr
Barling and Block were not likely to give in quite so easily!
But Timmy knew other ways about the tunnels that honeycombed the
hillside. He knew, for instance, the way down to the
marsh! So he set off in the darkness, with Uncle Quentin's hand on his collar,
and Sooty following close behind, holding on to Uncle Quentin's coat.
It wasn't easy or pleasant. Uncle Quentin wondered at
times if Timmy really did know where he was going. They went down and down,
stumbling over uneven places, sometimes knocking their heads against an
unexpected low piece of roof. It was not a pleasant journey for Uncle Quentin,
for he had no shoes on his feet, and was dressed only in pyjamas
and rugs.
After a long time they came out on the edge of the
marsh itself, at the bottom of the hill! It was a desolate place, and the mists
were over it, so that neither Sooty nor Uncle Quentin knew which way to turn!
'Never mind,' said Sooty, 'we can easily leave it to
Timmy. He knows the way all right. He'll take us back to the town, and once
there we'll know the way home ourselves!'
But suddenly, to their surprise and dismay, Timmy
stopped dead, pricking up his ears, whined and would go no farther. He looked
thoroughly miserable and unhappy. What could be the matter?
Then, with a bark, the big dog left the two by
themselves, and galloped back into the tunnel they had just left. He
disappeared completely!
'Timmy!' yelled Sooty. 'Timmy! Come here! Don't leave
us! TIMMY!'
But Timmy was gone; why, neither Sooty nor Uncle
Quentin knew. They stared at one another.
'Well - I suppose we'd better try to make our way over
this marshy bit,' said Uncle Quentin, doubtfully, putting a foot out to see if
the ground was hard. It wasn't! He drew back his foot at once.
The mists were so thick that it was really impossible to see anything.
Behind them was the opening to the tunnel A steep
rocky cliff rose up about it. There was no path that way, it was certain.
Somehow they had to make their way round the foot of the hill to the main road
that entered the town - but the way lay over marshy ground!
'Let's sit down and wait for a bit to see if Timmy
comes back,' said Sooty. So they sat down on a rock at the entrance to the
tunnel and waited.
Sooty began to think of the others. He wondered what
they had thought when they had discovered that both he and Uncle Quentin were
missing. How astonished they must have been!
'I wonder what the others are doing?' he said, aloud.
'I'd love to know!'
The others, as we know, had been doing plenty. They had
found the opening in the window-seat where Mr Barling had taken the captives, and they had gone down it
and actually seen Mr Barling
and Block on their way to talk to Uncle Quentin and Sooty!
They had found out, too, that Block hadn't been in his
bed - he had left a dummy there instead. Now everyone was talking at once, and Mr Lenoir was suddenly convinced that Block had been a spy,
put in his house by Mr Barling,
and not the good servant he had appeared!
Once Julian felt that he was convinced of this he
spoke to him more freely, and told him of the way through the window-seat, and
of how they had seen Mr Barling
and Block that very day, in the underнground tunnels!
'Good heavens!' said Mr Lenoir, now looking
thoroughly alarmed. 'Barling must be mad! I've always thought he was a
bit strange - but he must be absolutely mad to kidnap people like this - and
Block must be, too. This is a plot! They've heard what I've been planning with
your uncle - and they've made up their minds to stop it because it will interfere
with their smuggling. Goodness knows what they'll do now! This is serious!'
'If only we had Timmy!' suddenly said George. Mr Lenoir looked astonished. 'Who's Timmy?'
'Well, you might as well know everything now,' said
Julian, and he told Mr Lenoir about Timmy, and how
they had hidden him.
'Very foolish of you,' said Mr
Lenoir, shortly, looking displeased. 'If you'd told me I would have had someone
in the town look after him. I can't help not liking dogs. I detest them, and
never will have them in the house. But I would willingly have arranged for him
to be boarded out, if I'd known you'd brought him.'
The children felt sorry and a little ashamed. Mr Lenoir was an odd, hot-tempered person, but he didn't
seem nearly as horrid as they had thought he was.
'I'd like to go and see if I can find Timmy,' said
George. 'You'll get the police in now, I suppose, Mr
Lenoir, and perhaps we could go and find Timmy? We know the way into the secret
passage from your study.'
'Oh - so that's why you were hiding there in
the afternoon yesterday,' said Mr
Lenoir. 'I thought you were a very bad boy.
Well, go and try and find him if you like, but
don't let him come anywhere near me. I really
cannot bear dogs in the house.'
He went to telephone the police-station again. Mrs
Lenoir, her eyes red with crying, stood by him. George slipped away to the
study, followed by Dick and Julian and Anne.а
Marybelle stayed beside her mother.
'Come on - let's get into that secret passage and try and
find old Timmy,' said George. 'If we all go, and whistle and shout and call,
he's sure to hear us!'
They found the way into the passage, by doing the
things they had done before. The panel slid back, and then another, larger
opening came as before. They all squeezed through it, and found themselves in
the very narrow passage that led from the study up to Sooty's
bedroom.
But Timmy was not there! The children were surprised,
but George soon thought why.
'Do you remember Sooty telling us there was a way into
this passage from the dining-room, as well as from the study and Sooty's bedroom? Well, I believe I saw a door or something
there, as we passed where the dining-room must be, and it's
likely Timmy may have pushed through it, and gone into another passage
somewhere.'
They went back, one by one. They came to the
dining-room - or rather, they walked behind the dining-room wall. There they
saw the door that George had noticed as they passed - a door, small and set
quite flat to the wall, so that it was difficult to see. George pushed it. It
opened easily, and then flapped shut, with a little click. It could be opened
from one side but not from the other.
That's where Timmy's gone!' said George, and she
pushed the door open again. 'He pushed against the door and it opened - he went
through, and the door fastened itself so that he couldn't get back. Come on, we
must find him.'
They all went through the small door. It was so low that they had to
bend their heads to go through, even Anne. They found themselves in a passage
rather like the one they had just left, but not quite so narrow. It suddenly
began to go downwards. Julian called back to the others.
'I believe it goes down to the passages where we used
to take Timmy when we let him down into that pit to go for a walk! Yes, look - we've
come to where the pit itself is!'
They went on, calling Timmy, and whistling loudly,
but no Timmy came. George began to feel worried.
'Hallo! - Surely this is where we
came out when we climbed down all those steps from the window-seat
passage!' said Dick, suddenly. 'Yes, it is. Look, there's the
tunnel where we saw Block and Mr Barling going!'
'Oh - do you think they've done something
to Timmy?' said George, in a frightened voice. 'I never thought
of that!'
Everyone felt alarmed. It was strange that
Block and Mr Barling could go about unmolested by
Timmy if Timmy was somewhere near!
Could they have harmed him in any way? They had no
idea that Timmy was at that very minute with George's
father and Sooty!
'Look at this!' said Julian, suddenly, and he shone his torch
on to something to show the others. 'String. String going right down this tunnel. Why?'
'It's the tunnel that Mr Barling
and Block took! said George. 'I believe it leads to
where they've taken father and Sooty! They're keeping them pnsoners
down here! I'm going to follow the string and ri them! Who's coming
with me?'
21ааа A journey through the hill
'I'm coming!' said everyone at once. As if they would
let George go alone!
So down the dark tunnel they went, feeling the string
and following it. Julian ran it through his fingers, and the others followed
behind, holding hands. It would not do for anyone to get lost.
After about ten minutes they came to the rounded cave
where Sooty and George's father had been the night before. They were not there
now, of course -they were on their way down to the marsh!
'Hallo, look! This is where they must have been!'
cried Julian, shining his torch round. 'A bench - with
tumbled rugs - and an over-turned lamp. And look here, scraps of paper
torn into bits! Something's been happening here!'
Quick-witted George pieced it together in her mind. 'Mr Barling took them here and
left them. Then he came back with some sort of proposal to Father, who refused
it! There must have been a struggle of some sort and the lamp got broken. Oh -
I do hope Father and Sooty got away all right.'
Julian felt gloomy. 'I hope to goodness they haven't
gone wandering about these awful tunnels. Even Sooty doesn't know a quarter of
them. I wish I knew what's happened.'
'Someone's coming!' suddenly said Dick. 'Snap out the light, Ju.'
Julian snapped off the torch he carried. At once they
were all in darkness. They crouched at the back of the cave, listening.
Yes - footsteps were coming. Rather cautious
footsteps. 'Sound like two or three people,' whispered Dick. They came nearer.
Whoever was coming was plainly following the tunnel where the
string was.
'Mr Barling
perhaps - and Block,' whispered George. 'Come to
have another talk with Father! But he's gone!'
A brilliant light flashed suddenly round
the cave -and picked out the huddled children. There was a
loud exclamation of astonishment.
'Good heavens! Who's here? What's all
this?'
It was Mr Barling's voice. Julian stood up,
blinking in the bright light.
'We came to look for my uncle
and Sooty,' he said. 'Where are they?'
'Aren't they here?' said Mr Barling, seeming surнprised. 'And is
that horrible brute of a dog gone?'
'Oh - was Timmy here?' cried George, joyfully.
'Where is he?'
There were two other men
with Mr Barling. One was
Block. The other was his servant. Mr Barling put down the lantern
he was carrying.
'Do you mean to say you don't
know where the others are?' he said,
uneasily. 'If they've gone off on their own, they'll never
come back.'
Anne gave a little scream. 'It's
all your fault, you horrid man!'ааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа
'Shut up, Anne!' said Julian. 'Mr Barling,а he s; turning to the angry
smuggler, 'I think you d b come back with us and explain
things. Mr L now talking to
the police.'ааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа
'Oh, is he?' said
Mr Barlmg.
'Then I think it would be as well for us all to stay down here
for a while! Yes, you too! I'll make Mr Lenoir
squirm! I'll hold you all prisoners - and this rime you shall be bound so that
you don't go wandering off like the others! Got some rope, Block?'
Block stepped forward with the other man. They caught
hold of George first, very roughly.
She screamed loudly. СTimmy! Timmy! Where are you?
Timmy, come and help! Oh, TIMMY!'
But no Timmy came. She was soon in a corner with her
hands tied behind her. Then they turned to Julian.
'You're mad,' Julian said to Mr
Barling, who was standing nearby, holding the
lantern. 'You must be mad to do things like this.'
'Timmy!' shouted George, trying to free her hands.
'Timmy, Timmy, Timmy!'
Timmy didn't hear. He was too far away. But the dog
suddenly felt uneasy. He was with George's father and Sooty at the edge of the
marsh, about to lead them round the hill to safety. But he stopped and
listened. He could hear nothing of course. But Timmy knew that George was in
danger. He knew that his beloved little mistress needed him.
His ears did not tell him, nor did his nose. But his
heart told him. George was in danger!
He turned and fled back into the tunnel. He tore up
the winding passages at top speed, panting.
And, quite suddenly, just as Julian was angrily
submitting to have his hands tied tightly together, a furry thunderbolt
arrived! It was Timmy!
He smelt his enemy, Mr Barling, again! He smelt Block. Grrrrrrrrrr-rrrrrr!
'Here's that awful dog again!' yelled Block, and leapt
away from Julian. 'Where's your gun. Barling?'
But Timmy didn't worry about guns. He leapt at Mr Barling and got him on the floor. He gave him a nip in the
shoulder that made him yell. Then he leapt at Block, and got him down, too. The
other man fled. 'Call your dog off; call him off, or he'll kill us!' cried Mr Barling, struggling up, his shoulder
paining him terribly. But nobody said a word. Let Timmy do what he liked!
It wasn't long before all three of the men had gone
into the dark tunnel, staggering about without a light, trying to find their
way back. But they missed the string, and went wandering away in the darkness,
groaning and terrified.
Timmy came running back very
pleased with himнself. He went to George and, whining with joy, he licked his
little mistress from head to foot. And George, who never cried, was most
astonished to find the tears pouring down her cheeks. 'But I'm glad, not sad!'
she said. 'Oh, somebody undo my hands! I can't pat Timmy!'
Dick undid her hands and Julian's. Then they all had a
marvellous time making a fuss of Timmy. And what a
fuss he made of them too! He whined and barked, he rolled over and over, he licked them and butted them all with his head. He was
wild with delight.
'Oh Timmy - it's lovely to have you again,' said
George, happily. 'Now you can lead us to the others. I'm sure you know where
Father is, Timmy, and Sooty.'
Timmy did, of course. He set off, his tail wagging,
George's hand on his collar, and the others behind in a line, holding hands.
They had the lantern with them and two torches, so they could see the
way easily. But they would never have taken the right tunnels if Timmy hadn't
been with them. The dog had explored them all thoroughly, and his sense of
smell enabled him to go the right way without
mistake.
'He's a marvellous dog,'
said Anne. 'I think he's the best dog in the world, George.'
'Of course he is,' said
George, who had always thought that ever since
she had had Timmy as a puppy. 'Darling Tim -
wasn't it wonderful when he came racing
up and jumped at Block just as he was tying Julian's hands?
He must have known we needed him!'
'I suppose he's taking us to wherever your
father and Sooty are,' said
Dick. 'He seems certain of the way. We're going steadily
downhill. I bet we'll be at the marshes soon!'
When they at last came to the bottom of the
hill, and emerged from the tunnel in the mists, George gave
a yell. 'Look! There's Father - and Sooty too!"
'Uncle Quentin!' shouted Julian, Dick and Anne. 'Sooty!
Hallo, here we are!'
Uncle Quentin and Sooty turned in the
greatest surprise. They jumped up and went to meet the
dog and the excited children.
'How did you get here?'
said George's father, giving her a hug. 'Did
Timmy go back for you? He suddenly deserted us and
fled back into the tunnel.'
'What's happened?' asked Sooty, eagerly, knowing that
the others would have plenty of news to tell him.
'Heaps,' said George, her face glowing. It was so nice
all to be together again, Timmy too. She and Julian and Dick began to tell
everything in turn, and then her father told his tale, too, interrupted a
little by Sooty.
'Well,' said Julian at last, 'I suppose we ought to be getting back, or
the police will be sending out blood-hounds to trace us all! Mr Lenoir will be surprised to see us all turning up
together.'
'I wish I wasn't in pyjamas,'
said his uncle, drawing the rugs about him. 'I shall feel most peculiar walking
the streets like this!'
'Never mind - it's awfully misty now,' said George,
and she shivered a little, for the air was damp. Timmy-show
us the way out of this place. I'm sure you know it. '
Timmy had never been out of the tunnel before, but he seemed to know
what to do. He set off round the foot of the hill, the rest following, marvelling at the way Timmy found a dry path to follow. In
the mist it was almost impossible to see which place was safe to walk on and
which was not. The treacherous marsh was all around them!
'Hurrah! There's the road!' cried Julian, suddenly, as
they came in sight of the roadway built over the marsh, running up the hill
from the salty stretches of mud. They picked their way to it, their feet soaked
with wet mud. Timmy tried to take a flying leap on to it.
But somehow or other he slipped! He fell back into the
marsh, tried to find a safe foothold and couldn't. He whined.ааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа аааааааааааа,
Timmy! Oh look, he's in the mud - and he s sinking!'
screamed George, in panic. 'Timmy, Timmy, I'm coming!'
She was about to step down into the marsh to rescue
Tim, but her father pulled her back roughly.а
Do you want to sink in, too?' he cried. 'Timmy will get out all right.Т
But he wasn't getting out. He was sinking. СDo something, oh, do
something!'а shoutedа George, struggling to get away from
her fatherТs hold.аа СOh, save Timmy,
quick!'
22 Things come right at last
But what could anyone do? In despair they all gazed at
poor Timmy, who was struggling with all his might in the sinking mud. 'He's
going down!' wept Anne.
Suddenly there came the sound of rumbling wheels along
the road to the hill. It was a lorry carrying a load of goods - coal, coke,
planks, logs, sacks of various things. George yelled to it.
'Stop, stop! Help us! Our dog's in the marsh.'
The lorry came to a stop. George's father ran his eye
over the things it carried. In a trice he and Julian were dragging out some planks
from the load. They threw these into the marsh, and, using them as
stepping-stones, the two reached poor sinking Timmy.
The lorry-driver jumped down to help. Into the marsh,
crosswise on the other planks, went some more wood, to make a safe path. The
first lot were already sinking in the mud.
'Uncle Quentin's got Timmy - he's pulling him up! He's
got him!' squealed Anne.
George had sat down suddenly at the edge of the road,
looking white. She saw that Timmy would now be rescued, and she felt sick with
shock and relief.
It was a difficult business getting Timmy right out, for the mud was
strong, and sucked him down as hard as it could. But at last he was out, and he
stagнgered across the sinking planks, trying to wag a very muddy tail.
Muddy as he was, George flung her arms round him.
'Oh Timmy - what a fright you gave us all! Oh how you
smell - but I don't care a bit! I thought you were gone, poor, poor Timmy!'
The lorry-driver looked ruefully at his planks in the
marsh. They were now out of sight beneath the mud. Uncle Quentin, feeling
rather foolish in pyjamas and rugs, spoke to him.
'I've no money on me now, but if you'll call at
Smuggler's Top sometime I'll pay you well for your lost planks and your help.'
'Well, I'm delivering some coal to the house next to
Smuggler's Top,' said the man, eyeing Uncle Quentin's curious attire. 'Maybe
you'd all like a lift? There's plenty of room at the back there.'
It was getting dark now, as well as being foggy, and
everyone was tired. Thankfully they climbed up into the lorry, and it roared up
the hill into Castaway. Soon they were at Smuggler's Top, and they all
clambered down, suddenly feeling rather stiff.
СIТll be calling tomorrow,' said the driver. 'Can't stop now. Good evening to you all!'
The little company rang the bell. Sarah came hurryнing
to the door. She almost fell over in surprise as she saw everyone standing
there in the light of the hall-lamp.
СLands' sakes!' she said. 'You're all back! My, Mr and Mrs Lenoir will be glad -
they've got the police hunting everywhere for you! They've gone down secret
passages,а and
they've been to Mr Barhng
s, and ЕТ
Timmy bounced into the hall, the mud now drying on him, so that he
looked most peculiar. Sarah gave a scream. 'What's that? Gracious, it canТt be
a dog!Т
'Come here, Tim!' said George, suddenly remembering that Mr Lenoir detested dogs. 'Sarah, do you think you'd have
poor Timmy in the kitchen with you? I really can't turn him out into the
streets - you've no idea how brave he's been.'
'Come along, come along!' said her father, imнpatient
with all this talk. 'Lenoir can put up with Timmy for a few minutes, surely!'
'Oh, IТll have him with pleasure!' said Sarah. 'I'll give him a
bath. That's what he wants. Mr and Mrs Lenoir are in the sitting-room. Oh, shall I get you some
clothes?'
The little party went in, and made their way to the sitting-room,
while Timmy went docilely to the kitchen with the excited Sarah.
Mr Lenoir heard the talking and flung
open the sitting-room door.
Mrs Lenoir
fell on Sooty, tears pouring down her cheeks. Marybelle pawed at him in delight, just as if she
was a dog! Mr Lenoir rubbed his hands, clapped everyone
on the back, and said: 'Well, well! Fine to see you all safe and sound. Well, well! What a
tale you've got to tell, I'm sure!'
'It's a strange tale, Lenoir,'
said George's father. 'Very strange. But
I'll have to see to my feet before I tell it. I've walked
miles in my bare feet, and they're very painful now!'
So, with bits of tales pouring out from
everyone, the household bustled round and
got hot water for bathing Uncle Quentin's feet, a
dressing-gown for him, food for everyone, and hot drinks. It was
really a most exciting time, and now that the thrills were
all over, the children felt rather important to be able to relate so much.
Then the police came in, of course, and the Inspecнtor at once asked a lot of
questions. Everyone wanted to answer them, but the Inspector said that only
George's father, Sooty and George were to tell the tale. They knew most about
everything.
Mr Lenoir was
perhaps the most surprised person there. When he heard how Mr
Barling had actually offered to buy the plans for
draining the marsh, and how he had frankly admitted to being a smuggler, he sat
back in his chair, unable to say a word.
'He's mad, of course!' said the Inspector of Police. 'Doesn't seem to live in this world at all!'
'That's just what I said to him,' said Sooty. 'I told
him he ought to have lived a hundred years ago!'
'Well, we've tried to catch him in the smuggling
business many and many a time,' said the Inspector, 'but he was too artful.
Fancy him planting Block here as a spy, sir Ч that was a clever bit of work -
and Block using your tower as a signalling place! Bit
of nerve, that! And Block isn't deaf, after all? That was clever, too - sending
him about, pretending he was stone-deaf, so that he could catch many a bit of
knowledge not meant for his ears!'
'Do you think we ought to do something about Block and
Mr Barling and the other
man?' said Julian, suddenly. 'For all we know they're still wandering about in
that maze of tunnels - and two of them are bitten by Timmy, we know.'
'Ah yes - that dog saved your lives, I should think,
said the Inspector. 'A bit of luck, that. Sorry you don t like dogs, Mr Lenoir, but I'm sure you'll admit it was a lucky thing
for you all that he was wandering about!Т
'Yes - yes, it was,' said Mr Lenoir. 'Of
course Block never wanted dogs here, either - he was afraid they might bark at his
curious comings and goings, I suppose. By the way - where is this marvellous dog? I don't mind seeing him for a moment
- detest dogs, and always shall.
'I'll get him,' said George. 'I only hope Sarah's done
what she said, and bathed him. He was awfully muddy!'
She went out and came back with Timmy. But
what a different Timmy! Sarah had given him a good hot bath, and had dried him
well. He smelt sweet and fresh, his coat was springy
and clean, and he had had a good meal. He was
feeling very pleased with himself and everything.
'Timmy Ч meet a friend,' said
George to him, solemnly. Timmy looked at Mr Lenoir out of his big brown eyes. He
trotted straight up to him, and held up his right paw politely
to shake hands, as George had taught him.
Mr Lenoir
was rather taken aback. He was not used to good manners
in dogs. He couldn't help putting out his hand to Timmy Ч and the
two shook hands in a most friendly manner. Timmy
didn't attempt to lick Mr
Lenoir or jump up at him. He took away his paw, gave a little wuff as if to say
'How-do-you-do?' and then went back to George. He
lay down quietly beside her. 'Well - he doesn't
seem like a dogТ said Mr
Lenoir, in surprise.
'Oh, he is,' said George,
at once, very earnestly. 'He's a real, proper dog, Mr Lenoir - only much, much cleverer than
most dogs are. Could I keep him, please, while we stay
here, and get someone in the town to look after him?'
'Well - seeing he is such a
very fine fellow - and seems so sensible- I'll let
you have him here,' said Mr Lenoir, making a great
effort to be generous. 'Only-please keep him out of my way. 'I'm sure a sensible
boy like you will see to that.'
Everyone grinned when Mr Lenoir called George
a boy. He never seemed to realise she was a girl.
She grinned, too. She wasn't going to tell him she
wasn't a boy!
'You'll never see him!' she said, joyfully. 'I'll keep
him right out of your way. Thank you very much. It's awfully good of you.'
The Inspector liked Timmy, too. He looked at him and nodded
across to George. 'When you want to get rid of him, sell him to me!' he said.
'We could do with a dog like that in our police force! Soon round up the
smugglers for us!'
George didn't even bother to reply! As if she would
ever sell Timmy, or let him go into the police force! All the same, the
Inspector had to call on Timmy for help before long. When the next day came,
and no one had found Mr Barling
and his companions in the maze of tunnels, and they hadn't turned up anywhere,
the Inspector asked George if she would let Timmy go down into the tunnels and
hunt them out.
'Can't leave them there, lost and starving,' he said.
'Bad as they are we'll have to rescue them! Timmy is the only one who can find
them.'
That was true, of course. So Timmy once more went
underground into the hill, and hunted for his enemies. He found them after a
while, lost in the maze of passages, hungry and thirsty, in pain and
frightened. He took them like sheep to where the police waited for them. And
after that Mr Barling and
his friends disappeared from public life for quite a long tune.
'The police must be glad to have got them at last said Mr Lenoir. 'They have tried to stop this smuggling for a
long time. They even suspected me at on time! Barling
was a clever fellow, though I still think he was half mad. When Block found out
my ideas about draining the marsh, Barling was afraid
that once the mists and the marsh were gone, that would be the end
of all his excitement - no more smuggling! No more waiting for his little
ships to come creeping up in the fog - no more lines of men slipping
across the secret ways of the marsh - no more signalling, no more hiding away of
smuggled goods. Did you know that the police had found
a cave full of them inside the hill?' It was an
exciting adventure to talk about, now that it was all over.
The children felt sorry about one thing, though - they
were sorry that they had thought Mr Lenoir
so horrid. He was a strange man in
many ways, but he could be kind and jolly
too.
'Did you know we're leaving Smuggler's
Top?' said Sooty. 'Mother was so terribly upset
when I disнappeared, that Father promised
her he'd sell the place and leave Castaway, if I
came back safe and sound. Mother's thrilled!'
'So am I,' said Marybelle.
'I don't like Smuggler's Top - it's so weird and
secret and lonely!'
'Well, if it will make you all happy
to leave it, I'm glad,' said Julian 'But I like
it! I think it's a lovely place, set on a hill-top like this, with
mists at its foot, and secret ways all about it. I'll be
sorry never to come here again, if you leave.'
'So will I,' said Dick, and Anne and
George nodded. 'It's an adventurous place!' said
George, patting Timmy. 'Isn't it, Timmy?
Do you like it, Timmy? Have you enjoyed your
adventure here?'
'Woof!' said Timmy, and thumped
his tail on the floor. Of course he had enjoyed himself. He always did, so long
as George was anywhere about.
СWell Ц now perhaps weТll have a nice peaceful time!Т
said Marybelle. I don't want any more adventures.'
СAh, but we do!Т said the others. So no doubt they will get them.
Adventures always come to the adventurous, there's no doubt about that!
The End.
Next Ц Picture: The
Four Children and Timmy the Dog