They were glad when they reached the place where they had rested before. Jill threw herself down, tired. Tom gave a delighted exclamation and picked up his camera, which lay at the back of the shallow cave, where he had put it a few days before.
“Look! It’s here! What a bit of luck. I should think that whistling man’s gone, or he’d have seen it and taken it. Golly, I am pleased I’ve got it again.”
They had a large and leisurely meal on the wide ledge, marvelling at the great expanse of slowly moving blue sea below them. Gulls moved like white specks, and their mewing voices came on the wind all the time.
“You could easily take some photographs of the birds on their eggs,” said Jill. “They come back to them very quickly.”
“I’m glad we haven’t got those horrid hairy legs to look at this time!” said Mary, lying down flat. “Golly, I’m sleepy again!”
“Well, don’t go to sleep, because we want to go and have a look at that waterfall rushing out of the cliff,” said Jill, giving her some little digs.
“Yes, come on,” said Andy, getting up. “And be careful along this next path, because it’s jolly narrow in places. You come just behind me, Jill, in case you get giddy.”
They all went along the ledge that led round the rocky cliff to the left of their resting-place. They looked out for the waterfall. It was there all rightbut the torrent was not nearly so powerful as before. It was a mere trickle compared with what it had been the other day.
“Funny!” said Andy. “I should have thought that with all the rain we’ve had the waterfall would be pretty big. Come along. We don’t need to be afraid of being thrown off the cliff by that bit of water! It’s no more than a gushing spring at the moment!”
They made their way to the waterfall. Beyond it the cliff-ledge along which they were walking came to a sudden end. There was no way the other side at all. The water ran out of a hole in the cliff, and fell headlong down. Andy made his way cautiously there and looked into the opening.
He gave a shout. “Anyone could get in here now! Anyone! I bet that’s where the man went. He waited till the torrent lessened, then hopped up. That was his hiding-place.”
“But what’s he hiding for?” said Jill, puzzled. “There’s nothing and no one to hide from here!”
“Can we get in?” asked Tom excitedly. “Yes, I bet we can.”
“No, you’re not to,” said Andy. “Suppose the water came out again in a sudden great rush? You’d be sent right off the cliff, you idiot! I can’t allow anything like that.”
Tom looked sulky. “All right,” he said, and turned back. “Well, that puzzle’s solved. That’s where the man went. But if you’re not going to let us explore any farther, we shan’t know what kind of a hidey-hole hes got or anything about him. You’re a spoil-sport!”
“Can’t help it,” said Andy, giving him a cross little shove. “I’m in charge. Go and take some pictures of the birds while the sun is so bright!”
Tom said nothing more. But he made up his mind that as soon as the others were not looking, he would go back to the waterfall and find out a bit more for himself. He’d climb right in if he wanted to! He’d show Andy he would have his own way!
CHAPTER 7.
Tom is Disobedient.
“I’d like to climb down the cliff again and explore the rocks at the bottom,” said Jill, as they all turned back from the waterfall. “I’d like to go to where that underground river comes rushing out of the cliff too. It looks exciting down there.”
“Yes, let’s do that,” said Mary. “It will be nice to get out of the wind a bit too. It’s rather cold up here to-day.”
“Right. Let’s go down again then,” said Andy. “Coming, Tom?”
But Tom had other ideas. He called back. “NoI don’t think I’ll come. I’ll try and get some pictures of the birds now I’m up here and have found my camera again. I’ll join you later. I’d rather try to take snapshots alonethe birds may not settle quietly with us all about.”
“Welldon’t be too long! ” called back Jill, beginning to go down the cliff-edge with Andy just in front of her. “And for goodness’ sake don’t forget your camera this time, Tom!”
Tom sat down and looked at the gulls and other sea-birds soaring and gliding in the current of air that blew straight up the cliff. They were magnificent, and Tom wished he too could spread great white wings and go gliding and circling on the strong breeze. It must be a wonderful feeling, he thought.
He could hear the voices of the others coming up to him on the wind, as they climbed slowly down. Then the gulls began suddenly clamouring all together, as they had a habit of doing, and he could hear nothing else.
“I’d better take a few pictures first, before I try any exploring up that waterfall hole,” thought Tom. So he crept round the ledge, and waited till the sea-birds he had disturbed had come back again to their eggs there, and were sitting on them.
He took a few pictures that he thought should be very good. Then he put his camera down at the back of the shallow cave where they had had their meal, and made his way round the cliff to where the waterfall was.
His heart beat fast. He knew that Andy would be cross if he found out that he was going to disobey orders. “But after all, I’m thirteen, and quite able to look after myself! ” thought Tom. “I’m surprised Andy hadn’t the spunk to go into that waterfall hole himself! Golly, won’t the others stare when they find I’ve been into the hole and found out where that whistling man hid the other day!”
He came to the waterfall. It was still not much more than a gushing spring now. There didn’t seem any danger of a great torrent of water pouring out, as there had been the other day.
Tom peered cautiously into the opening out of which the water poured. It flowed out of a rocky bed, and had made quite a channel for itself there. Beyond, as far as Tom could see, was a ledge above the water. Anyone getting up there should be safe and dry.
He felt in his pocket. Yes, he had his torch there. It was wrapped in a few layers of thin oilskin, so that spray or splashes of sea-water would not wet it. He would need it once he got into that waterfall hole!
He climbed into the rocky hole. It was high but narrow. The water wetted him as he went in, but he didn’t mind that. He dragged himself through the water and up on to the rocky ledge that lay above it.
Now he was safe from the waterunless, of course, the torrent suddenly grew bigger for some reason, and swept out of the hole, filling the opening completely, as it had done when the children had first seen it. Tom shivered a little as he thought of that. It wouldn’t be pleasant for him if that happened! He had better get a bit farther inside, then he would feel safer!
He switched on his torch, and looked up the dark tunnel down which the water came. It flowed in the rocky channel it had hollowed out for itself during the long years, and beside it was the narrow rocky ledge, a continuation of the one that Tom lay on at the moment.
“I’ll just explore a little way,” thought the boy, feeling excited. “Just to see if I can find that man’s hiding-place! I might find something there that would tell me what he isit seems so funny for a man to be living in this desolate place. Perhaps he is hiding from the police!”
He began to wriggle along the narrow ledge. The roof of the queer little tunnel was low, and it wasn’t very comfortable to wriggle along like that. Tom put his torch in his teeth so that he might have both hands to grasp the rock with and pull himself along.
The ledge ran for a few yards, and then dipped a little, so that the water ran over it! Bother! Couldn’t he get any farther? Tom took his torch out of his mouth and flashed it beyond him. He saw that not far in front the narrow rocky tunnel seemed to open outinto a cave perhaps? He really must go and see, even if it meant a wetting!
This time he had to wriggle through the water on the ledge, and he got the front of himself very wet indeed. But he was very excited now, and didn’t even feel the icy cold. He wriggled along, and found that, quite suddenly, the narrow tunnel stopped, and beyond was a very large cave, in the very heart of the cliff itself! How extraordinary!