CHAPTER 9.
Wherever is Tom?
MEANWHILE, what were Andy, Jill and Mary doing? They had been having quite a good time, though not so exciting a time as poor Tom.
They climbed steadily down the cliff, to the great alarm of all the sea-birds whose nests they passed. Once more dozens of eggs fell into the sea, knocked in by the excited up rush of the sitting birds. Jill almost made up her mind she would never climb the cliff again! She really couldn’t bear to see so many eggs wasted.
They came at last to the foot of the cliff. There were some glorious rock-pools there, full of the finest sea anemones that the children had ever seen.
“Lookhere’s a red anemone whose feelers are as big as a peony’s petals!” said Jill. “I should think he feeds on prawns and crabsnothing so small as a shrimp would do for Aim!”
The three explored the pools thoroughly, and disturbed some enormous crabs. “Look out!” said Andy, “a nip from a big fellow like that won’t be very pleasant!”
It was warm down there at the foot of the cliff. The wind was not strong there as it was up on the cliff, and the sun felt hot. Mary glanced up at the steep, towering cliff above.
“I bet Tom’s beginning to feel hungry again!” she said. “I’m hungry myselfbut I suppose we’d better wait till Tom comes down. He’ll come as soon as he feels hungry!”
“It shouldn’t take him very long to take a few snapshots,” said Andy. “I’m surprised he isn’t here by now. Maybe he’s watching the birds. They’re as good as a show sometimes!”
“Let’s go and sit near that river,” said Mary. “We’ll take some food there, and wait for Tom. It would be rather a nice place to have a picnic. Look how the spray flies in the air where river and sea meet on the rocks.”
“Yes. Let’s go and get some food and eat it there,” said Jill. “I really do feel very hungry. We can give Tom a call when we see him come down the cliff.”
They went to where they had anchored the boat in the deep pool. In the cabin were the plentiful stores of food they had brought with them. They rummaged about, finding it hard to choose what to take.
“Sardines, bread and butter, potted meat, hard-boiled eggsand tinned plums,” said Jill.
“Notinned pears,” said Mary. “Those are nicest of all. Here’s a big tin. And where’s the ginger-beer? Mother gave us plenty this time. Oh, here it is.”
They took everything to a high rock overlooking the spot where river and sea met. Spray was sometimes flung as high as their rock, but they didn’t mind thatit was all part of the fun to dodge it when it came!
They set out the meal, and then looked up at the side of the cliff to see if there was any sign of Tom coming down. But there wasn’t.
“What can he be doing?” said Jill impatiently. “He’s been ages!”
“Wellwe’ll wait five minutes more, and then begin without him,” said Mary. “And if there’s nothing left he’ll jolly well have to go and get something else himself! “
They waited for five minutes, but still there was no Tom. Andy looked a little worried, but he said nothing. They opened the sardines, spread butter on their bread, and began a delicious meal. By the end of it there was not much leftand still no Tom!
“Andyyou don’t think Tom’s in any difficulty up there, do you?” said Jill suddenly. “It’s so unlike him not to turn up long before a meal-time.”
“WellI’ve been wondering about that myself,” said Andy. “I think I’d better go up the cliff again and fetch him down. He may have gone to sleep.”
“What a nuisance he is!” said Mary. “Poor Andyhaving all that climb again!”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” said Andy. “Now you girls stay here till we come. It’s nice and sunny, and you’re not much bothered with the wind. I’ll be as quick as I can.”
Off he went. Soon the girls could see him, small and far off, up the cliff-side, climbing steadily, the sea-birds flying wildly round his head.
“I bet he gives Tom a scolding!” said Jill, lying down on her back, enjoying the feel of the sun-warmed rock behind her. “Won’t Tom be famished when he comes back!”
Andy climbed steadily, and at last came to the resting-place where they had had their dinner. There was no one there, of coursebut what was this at the back? Tom’s camera again! So he was not photographing the birds after all! Well, what was he doing thenand where was he? Andy began to feel frightened.
He left the camera where it was, and went on round the cliff, on the narrow ledge that led to the waterfall. It was now no longer a trickle, but was pouring out in a great cataract!
Andy went right up to it. An awful thought came to him. Could Tom have been foolish enough to try and get into the cliff through the waterfall hole? Surely, surely not!
“I forbade him to, anyway,” said Andy, but he couldn’t help feeling that Tom would have disobeyed him easily if he had wanted to badly enough. Had he gone inside? And had the water suddenly grown in volume, and closed his way out again?
Andy stood looking at the waterfall, knowing there was nothing to do for Tom, if he really had gone inside. Either the boy would have to wait till the waterfall lessened in volume againor find some other way out. And what way was there? None, so far as Andy could see!
The boy sat there for some time. Then, thinking that he must not leave the girls alone any longer, he got up to go. But he did not feel at all happy.
As he moved away from the waterfall its noise grew less. The boy turned round and saw that once again it had lessened, until now it was no more than a gushing spring. What a queer thing it was! He turned to go on again, and then stopped, his eyes almost falling out of his head!
Out from the waterfall exit came an enormous hairy leg! Then another! Andy knew perfectly well they were the same legs he and the others had seen before. For some reason or other they filled the boy with fright. He climbed hurriedly round the edge of the cliff, to be out of sight of the man when he emerged from the hole.
He climbed down steadily. He passed the place where Tom’s camera was, without thinking about it. He was just below this place, clinging to a rafter difficult bit of the cliff, when he heard the growling voice not far above him. Then something hurtled past bun, something with a long brown strap. It flew downwards, but the sea-birds and wind were making such a noise that Andy did not hear crash or thud as the thing struck the rocks below.
He clung to the cliff-side, his heart thumping, wondering if the man would come after him, or had seen him. But apparently he had not, for no one came down the cliff-path, and all was quiet except for the sounds of wind, sea and birds.
Andy, his mind in a turmoil, climbed down the rest of the cliff as fast as he could. He knew the girls could see him, and would be watching anxiously to see if Tom were following. What had happened to Tom? It was terribly worrying.
He reached the girls, and found them sitting upright on their rock, looking pale and frightened.
“Couldn’t find Tom,” said Andy. “I think the silly little idiot’s got inside the waterfall holeand goodness knows what’s happened to him. You were right, Jill, when you said that hairy-legged man made that place his hidey-hole. He came out of there when I was quite near!”
“Andylook!” said Mary in a low, scared voice, and pointed to something on a rock not very far from them. “Look! That came down a little while ago, and made us jump terribly. It crashed on that rockand oh, Andyit’s Tom’s camera!”
Mary burst into tears. The shock of the camera falling so near, and smashing into hundreds of bits, had given her a shock. And now Andy had come back without Tom.
“Andy, what are we to do about Tom?” asked Jill. “Surely he wouldn’t have gone exploring like that all by himself?”
“Tom can be very foolish at times,” said Andy. “Why did I leave him up there alone? I’m afraid he may have been caught by that man. There’s something queer going on here. I don’t want to be mixed up in it. I want to get back home. No more adventures for me! I had enough of them last year.”