Stumpy’s voice came to them. “Those girls all right, do you think, Bandy? They ought to have waked up by now. That sleeping-draught you gave them wasn’t too strong, was it? Funny they haven’t come round from it yet.”
“Awlet them alone,” came Bandy’s hoarse voice. “What does it matter if I gave it to them strong? Keep them quiet! We’ll have to carry them from the cabin to their boat, if they’re not awake, that’s all. We’ll dump them down into their boat’s cabin, and lock them in safely. No one will ever know where they areand if those two boys ever get back home and split on us, well, we’ll have those two girls as hostagesour safety against theirs! A nice bit of work.”
“Well, I’ll get one of the girls now,” said Stumpy, and he unlocked the cabin-door. “Here, hand me the lamp.” There was a moment’s silence as he took the lamp and swung its light into the cabin. Then he suddenly gave a loud cry.
“What’s this! There’s nobody here! Those two girls have gone!”
CHAPTER 24.
Andy Has a Fine Idea.
BANDY and Stumpy were filled with the utmost amazement to find their two prisoners gone. The children heard their astonished remarks as they searched the little cabin.
“But the door was still locked and bolted! How could they have gone?”
“Kids can’t walk through locked doorsand there’s no window they could open.
“We left them fast asleep here. I looked in at them before we wentand locked and bolted the door afterwards! “
“I know. I saw you. I’ll swear to that.”
“Then what’s happened to them? Here’s the cabin, just as it was when we left itlocked and boltedand we come back to find it still locked and boltedand the kids gone. I don’t like it.”
“Look heredo you suppose anyone came along and let them outand locked and bolted the door again?” suddenly said Bandy’s hoarse voice. There was a pause before Stumpy answered.
“It’s possiblebut who’s about here in the middle of the nighthere, in this lonely place? Nobody! It’s a queer thing! Shall we go and tell the Chief?”
“Not me!” said Bandy at once. “What do you think he’d say to us if he knew his two precious prisoners were gonehis only means of bargaining, if his little game gets reported! No, Stumpywe’ve got to find those girls somehow. They can’t be far away. Now can they?”
“No. You’re right there,” said Stumpy. “Their own fishing-boat is still hereand they’re not likely to swim down this creek, or to climb the cliff here either, unless they want to break their necks. They must be hereabouts.”
“Search the motor-boat first,” said Bandy. “And then the fishing-boat yonder. It’s a pity we didn’t carry them there, as we were told to do, dump them down in the cabin and bolt the hatch over them.”
“Well, if they could get out of a locked and bolted door here, they could have got out of a bolted cabin in their own boat,” said Stumpy. “Come onthey’re not on our boat. Let’s take our torches Mid look around all these rocks.”
The children began to tremble. Bandy and Stumpy were two fierce men, and angry ones now too. It would not be pleasant to be found by them. Andy frowned. What could he do to distract the men from hunting round the rocks?
An idea came to him. He bent down and groped about for a stone or piece of rock. He found one and stood up again. He tried to make out where the Andy was, and then, taking aim, he flung the rock as hard as he could in her direction. It fell on the deck of the fishing-boat with a loud crash, that echoed up and down the little creek.
Tom, Jill and Mary jumped violently. They had not known what Andy was going to do. But Bandy and Stumpy jumped even more violently!
“Goshdid you hear that?” said Bandy’s voice. “What was it? It sounded as if it came from the fishing-boat yonder. That’s where they are! Come on, quick. We’ll get them, the tiresome little brats!”
Forgetting all about searching the rocks, the two men hurried to where the Andy floated. They climbed on deckand after them climbed Andy, as soft-footed as a cat. A wild plan was in his head. He didn’t know if he could carry it out or notbut it was worth trying!
The men flashed their torches about the boat and lifted up the folded sail. Nobody there, of course.
“They’ll be down in the cabin!” said Bandy. “Come onwe’ll see. And won’t I shake the little varmints when I get hold of them!”
He opened the hatch and leapt down into the little cabin. Stumpy stood above it, looking down. And suddenly something happened to him that gave him the shock of his life!
Something hurled itself at his back and sent him right off his balance! He gave a shout of terror, and then fell headlong down the open hatch into the little cabin below. He fell right on top of the equally startled Bandy, knocking him over, so that he fell and struck his head hard against the wooden table.
His torch flew from his hand and crashed, its light going out. The little cabin was in darkness. Bandy, quite sure that some unexpected enemy had fallen upon him to kill him, began to fight like a madman.
He struck out at the horrified Stumpy, who tried in vain to stop him. Bandy was quite beside himself with anger and panic, and his great fists hammered Stumpy unmercifully, so that, in self-defence, Stumpy had to hammer back! The two men rolled over and over, pummelling each other, yelling and shouting for all they were worth!
It was pitch-black in the little cabin. Andy flashed his torch down just once, and grinned with delight to see the two rogues going for each other. Let them get on with it, by all means.’
The boy slammed down the hatch, and bolted it. The noise startled the two men, and they stopped fighting.
It also startled the three hidden children and they jumped. “What was that?” whispered Jill. “I wish I could see what’s happening!”
A cheerful voice came over to them through the darkness. “You all right. Tom, and the girls?”
“Yes, Andy! But what was all the yelling and smashing, and that last big slam?” called back Tom, glad to hear Andy’s voice again. He had had no idea why Andy had left them, nor what he was doing.
“Oh, Bandy got down into the cabin, and I shoved Stumpy in to keep him company,” said Andy, still more cheerfully. “I don’t think Bandy welcomed Stumpy much, because they’ve been fighting like wild cats! The slam you heard was the hatch closing down. It’s well and truly bolted too!”
There were squeals from the two girls and a loud shout from Tom.
“Andy! You’ve got them prisoner! Good work, Andy, good work!”
Soon the four were on the fishing-boat, and Andy told them proudly once more how he had made the two men prisoner. It seemed too good to be true! Bandy and Stumpy, who now knew they had been fighting each other, were doing their best to bang open the hatch.
“It’s no good!” Andy yelled down to them gleefully. “It’s too hefty to smash open, and you should see the bolts! Make as much noise as you like, though, so long as you can’t get out.”
“Are they really caught?” asked Mary, sitting down on the deck, feeling suddenly sick again. “Oh dearall this has made me feel bad again!”
“You’ll soon be all fight, Mary” said Jill. “I fed quite better now. Golly, Andy, that was a good trick of yours! What are we going to do next?”
“Well, I don’t somehow think anyone will be along this way tonight, so we can let those two fellows shout all they want to!” said Andy. “When dawn comes we’ll set free the motor-boat, and somehow get her down the creek and out of the way of the Andy. Then we’ll take the Andy and run for home.”
“With Bandy and Stumpy?” asked Tom, his eyes wide with excitement.
“Well, they’ll have to come too, whether they want to or not,” said Andy, with a grin. “Two nice little prisoners, who will have to explain quite a lot of things to quite a lot of people very soon.”
“I’ll be awfully glad to get home safely,” said Jill.
“So will we all,” said Andy. “I vote we have a rest till dawn. We can’t mess about with the motor-boat whilst it’s dark.”
“Oh, Andywe’ve slept for ages!” said Jill. “Can’t we talk? I want to know all about your adventuresand tell you what happened to us too.”
“Well, fire away,” said Andy. “Tom and I have had a good sleep to-day too. We’ll all talk. Let’s get back to the motor-boat and talk in the cabin there. It’s cold here. Bandy and Stumpy have got all the rugs down in our little cabin!”