“I tell you, Bandy, it is important that we find these children. If anyone comes to look for them they will signal to themand they know too much! We must find them. It is impossible that they should have hidden themselves away so well.”
“You can see for yourself they aren’t here,” said the other, sounding sulky. “They’ve taken all their things and maybe gone to the other side.”
“I hope not!” said the other man. “They will fall into trouble there! Nothey have not gone far, Bandy. They could not carry so many things very far.”
The men were standing near the cave again now. The children heard the dark man suddenly give an exclamation.
“Look!” he said. “What’s this? Spots of oil! Who could have spilt oil here but those children? They took the lamp out of the cabinand the little cooking-stove, for it wasn’t there. So maybe it was oil from one of those.”
“Blow!” said Andy, between his teeth. He remembered how he had tipped the stove a little, bringing it to the cave over a rather difficult rock nearby.
“It looks as if they must be in that cave then, after all!” said the bandy man. “Yes, that’s oil all right. Little pests, to give us so much trouble. I’ll strike a match and look in the cave.”
“He’ll see us now,” whispered Andy. “Now you leave everything to me, you others. I’ll manage this.”
Soon the bandy legs were to be seen outside the cave entrance once more. Then the man knelt down and looked with difficulty into the low, ground-level entrance. He struck a match, and held its flame inside the entrance. He gave a loud cry.
“Hey! Here they are, the whole boiling of them, lying as quiet as mice in a nest! Come on out, all of you!”
The children said nothing. The match went out. The man lit another and this time the dark man knelt down and looked into the entrance, his head almost on the ground. He saw the children too. He spoke to them with authority.
“Now, come out! We shan’t hurt you, but we want to see you out of here. Come along.”
“We’re not coming,” said Andy.
There was a silence. Then the bandy man began to lose his temper. He spluttered a little, and began to yell. “Look here, you, you
“That’s enough, Bandy,” said the dark man. He called into the cave.
“How many of you are there?”
“Four,” said Andy. “And let me warn you that the first man who wriggles in here will get a blow on the head with the stove!”
“That’s no way to talk,” said the dark man after a moment’s pause. “We’re not going to hurt you. We want to take you somewhere much more comfortable.”
“We couldn’t be more comfortable than we are, thanks,” said Andy politely.
“Are you coming or have I got to come in and get you!” yelled Bandy suddenly.
“Come in, if you like,” said Andy. “If you come in feet first we’ll send you out double-quick, with a good shove. And if you come in head first, we’re sorry for you. We’ve got the oil-stove waiting!”
“Leave them, Bandy,” said the dark man, standing up. “Little idiots! It will be the worse for them when they do come out. We can always get them out when we want to.”
“How?” asked Bandy.
“Easy enough. You’ll see!” said the other. The children wondered what he meant.
“Well, we’ll want them out as soon as we sight anything,” said Bandy, standing up too. “Better give me your orders, chief!”
“We can leave them for tonight,” said the dark man, and began to walk away. “We have other things we can do!”
Soon there was silence again. It was getting darker in the cave now, for the sun had gone, and twilight was coming. The children lay quite quiet for some time, but could hear nothing. Finally Andy crawled to the entrance and peered out.
“Can’t see down into the cove,” he said. “Too dark. Can’t see any sign of those men, either. Beasts! How do they suppose we’re going to be got out of here?”
“You wouldn’t really drop the oil-stove on that man’s head, would you?” asked Jill, very horrified at the thought
“No,” said Andy. “But I thought the threat might keep them out of here till tomorrow, when I hope my Dad will come with Uncle Ned and his boat. Then we’ll creep out and yell for all we’re worth!”
“That’s what those men were afraid we’ll do,” said Tom. He yawned. “I feel sleepy. One of us will have to be on guard during the night, Andy. We don’t want anyone creeping in to surprise us.”
“Jill and I will take our turns tonight,” said Mary. “You two boys hadn’t much sleep last night. Can’t we rig up a pile of tins at the entrance, so that anyone trying to creep in would knock them over, and warn the one on guard?”
“Jolly good idea, Mary,” said Andy. “We’ll do that at once. I feel as sleepy as Tom does. You can have the first watch, me the next, Jill the next, and Tom the next. Where are the tins? I can’t see in this darkness!”
Mary lighted the lamp, and the cave at once glowed into warm yellow light. It seemed cosy and snug in there. The children wrapped their rugs round them and put cushions at their heads. Mary sat bolt upright, proud to have the first watch. She had built up a pile of tins at the entrance to the cave. Now no one could get in without being heard at once.
Andy blew out the lamp. Darkness settled on the cave once more. Jill put out her hand and took Mary’s. “I’ll hold your hand just to keep you company whilst you’re watching,” she whispered. “Good night!”
Soon there was silence in the cave except for the peaceful breathing of three sleeping children. Mary sat tense, holding her breath at every sound. She did hope that nobody would come whilst she was keeping watch!
CHAPTER 15.
Plenty of Things Happen!
MARY watched and listened until it was time to wake Andy. She felt quite worn out by the time she had been on guard for two hours. They were each keeping guard for the same timetwo hours. But it seemed a very long time, when everything was dark and still.
Andy had nothing to report when he woke Jill. Jill kept watch for two hours, feeling rather sleepy at times but keeping herself awake by reciting softly all the poetry she had ever learnt.
Tom’s turn came next. He was very difficult to wake, as usual. Jill thought she never would wake him! But at last she had him sitting up, rubbing his eyes.
“You’re to wake Andy in two hours’ time, and he’ll take the dawn watch,” she said. “He says he doesn’t mind, he’ll have had plenty of sleep by then.”
Tom couldn’t keep his eyes open! He rubbed them and nearly yawned his head off. Then he felt hungry and wondered where the girls had put the chocolate. He felt about for Andy’s torch and found it. He switched it on and flashed the light on to the little ledge where the food was stored.
Andy was awake immediately the torch flashed on. He sat upright with a jerk, blinking.
“What’s up?” he said.
“Nothing!” whispered Tom. “I only wanted some chocolate. I’ll never keep awake unless I have something to eat. Lie down. I’ll wake you when it’s your turn again.”
He saw the chocolate piled at the end of the ledge. He took a bar, snapped off the torch, and began to tear the paper off the chocolate. Andy lay down with a grunt and was soon sleeping soundly again.
Nothing happened in Tom’s watch. He woke Andy just before dawn. The boy sat up, and saw the first grey light filtering in through the low cave-entrance. He wriggled there and looked out. He could see nothing at all.
When the sun rose the others awoke. Jill sat up, stretch-big. She knew where she was at once, but Mary couldn’t imagine.
“Where am I?” she said, sitting up, half-frightened.
“Only in the cave, silly,” said Jill. “It’s daylight again. Golly, I feel stiff. I’m a bit cold too. I vote we get the stove going and boil some water for cocoa.”
Tom was wriggling to the cave entrance to have a breath of fresh air. He sniffed eagerly, and looked down to the cove below. He gave such a loud cry that everyone jumped, and Mary dropped the match she was about to strike.
“What’s up? What’s the matter?” they cried.
“Our boatit’s gone. It isn’t there!” cried Tom. “Look! The cove’s quite empty. No boat there at all!”
All four looked down to the cove below. It was just as Tom had said. The boat was gone. The Andy was no longer there.