Here, Kiki! said Jack, afraid of losing her. But Kiki did not come back to his shoulder. The boy stumbled back up the passage to look for her, whistling softly in the way he did when he wanted to call her to him. The others did not realize that he was no longer with them, but went on down the tunnel, slowly and painfully.
And then things happened very quickly. Someone came swiftly up the tunnel with a lantern, whose light picked out the three children at once. They cowered back against the wall and tried not to be dazzled by the lantern. The man carrying it paused in the greatest astonishment.
Well, he said, in a deep, rather hoarse voice. Well if this doesn’t beat everything! He held his lantern up high to see the children more clearly. Then he called over his shoulder.
Jake! Come and take a look-see here. I’ve got something here that’ll make your eyes drop out.
Another man came swiftly up, tall and dark in the shadows. He gave a loud exclamation as he saw the three children.
Well, what do you think of that! he said. Children! How did they come here? Are they real? Or am I dreaming?
It’s children all right, said the first man. He spoke to the three, and his voice was rough and harsh.
What are you doing here? Who are you with?
We’re by ourselves, said Philip.
The man laughed loudly. Oh no, you’re not. It’s no good spinning that kind of tale to us. Who brought you here, and why?
We came ourselves in a boat, said Lucy-Ann indignantly. We know the gap in the rocks, and we came to see the island.
Why did you come down here? demanded Jake, coming nearer. Now the children could see what he was like, and they didn’t like the look of him at all. He had a black patch over one eye, and the other eye gleamed wickedly at them. His mouth was so tight-lipped that it almost seemed as if he had no lips at all. Lucy-Ann cowered away.
Go on why did you come down here? demanded Jake.
Well we found the shaft-hole and we climbed down to see the old mines, said Philip. We shan’t split on you, don’t be afraid.
Split on us? What do you mean? What do you know, boy? asked Jake roughly.
Philip said nothing. He didn’t really know what to say. Jake nodded his head to the first man, who went behind the children. Now they could not go forward or backward to escape.
Lucy-Ann began to cry. Philip put his arm round her, and wondered, for the first time, where Jack was. Lucy-Ann looked round for him too. She began to cry more loudly when she saw he was not there.
Lucy-Ann, don’t tell these men that Jack is gone, whispered Philip. If they take us prisoner, Jack will be able to escape and bring help. So don’t say a word about him.
What are you whispering about? asked Jake. Now, look here, my boy you don’t want any harm to come to your sisters, do you? Well you just tell us what you know, and maybe we’ll let you go.
Philip was alarmed at the man’s tone. For the first time it dawned on the boy that there might be danger. These men were fierce they wouldn’t let three children share their secrets willingly. Suppose they kept them prisoner underground starved them beat them? Who knew what might happen? Philip made up his mind to tell a little of what he guessed.
Look here, he said to Jake, we know who you are working with, see? And he’s a friend of ours. He’ll be mighty angry if you do us any harm.
Oh, really! said Jake, in a mocking tone. And who is this wonderful friend of yours?
Bill Smugs, said Philip, feeling certain that everything would be all right at the mention of Bill’s name.
Bill Smugs? said the man, with a jeering note in his voice. And who may he be? I’ve never heard of him in my life.
But you must have, said Philip desperately. He brings you food, and signals to you. You know he does. You must know Bill Smugs and his boat, The Albatross.
The two men stared intently at the children. Then they spoke together quickly in a foreign language. They seemed puzzled.
Bill Smugs is no friend of ours, Jake said, after a pause. Did he tell you that he knew us?
Oh no, said Philip. We only guessed it.
Then you guessed wrong, said the man. Come along we’re going to make you comfortable somewhere till we decide what to do with children who poke their noses into things that don’t concern them.
Philip guessed that they were going to be kept prisoners somewhere underground, and he was alarmed and angry. The girls were frightened. Dinah didn’t cry, but Lucy-Ann, forlorn because Jack was not by her, cried without stopping.
Jake prodded Philip to make him go along in front of him. He turned the children off into a narrow passage running at right angles from the tunnel they were in. A door was set across this passage and Jake unbolted it. He pushed the children inside the cave there, which looked almost like a small room, for it had benches and a small table. Jake set his lantern down on the table.
You’ll be safe here, he said, with a horrid crooked grin. Quite safe. I shan’t starve you, don’t be afraid of that.
The children were left alone. They heard the door bolted firmly and footsteps dying away. Lucy-Ann still wept.
What a bit of bad luck! said Philip, trying to speak cheerfully. Don’t cry, Lucy-Ann.
Why didn’t those men know Bill Smugs? said Dinah, puzzled. We know he must bring them food, and probably take away the copper they mine.
Easy to guess, said Philip gloomily. I bet old Bill gave us a wrong name. It sounds pretty peculiar, anyway Bill Smugs I never heard a name like that before, now I come to think of it.
Oh you think it isn’t his real name? said Dinah. So of course those men don’t know it. Dash! If only we knew his real name, everything would be all right.
What are we going to do? wept Lucy-Ann. I don’t like being a prisoner in a copper-mine under the sea. It’s horrid.
But it’s a very thrilling adventure, Lucy-Ann, said Philip, trying to comfort her.
I don’t like a thrilling adventure when I’m in the middle of it, wept Lucy-Ann. Neither did the others, very much. Philip wondered about Jack.
What can have happened to him? he said. I hope he’s safe. He’ll be able to rescue us if he is.
But at that moment Jack was anything but safe. He had wandered up the tunnel looking for Kiki, had turned into another passage, found Kiki, turned to go back and then had lost his way. He had no idea that the others had been caught. Kiki was on his shoulder, talking softly to herself.
Philip had the map, not Jack. So, once the boy had lost his way, he had no means of discovering how to get back to the main passage. He turned into one tunnel after another, found some of them blocked, turned back, and began wandering helplessly here and there.
Kiki, we’re lost, said Jack. He shouted again and again, as loudly as he could, and his voice went echoing through the ancient tunnels very weirdly, coming back to him time and time again. Kiki screeched too, but there was no answering call.
The children shut up in the cell-like cave fell silent after a time. There was nothing to do, nothing to say. Lucy-Ann put her head down on her arms, which she rested on the table, and fell fast asleep, tired out. Dinah and Philip stretched themselves out on the benches and tried to sleep too. But they couldn’t.
Philip, we’ll just have to escape from here, said Dinah desperately.
Easy to say that, said Philip sarcastically. Not so easy to do. How would you suggest that we escape from a cave set deep in a copper-mine under the sea, a cave which has a stout wooden door to it well bolted on the outside? Don’t be foolish.
I’ve got an idea, Philip, said Dinah at last. Philip grunted. He never had much use for Dinah’s ideas, which, as a rule, were rather far-fetched.
Now, do listen, Philip, said Dinah earnestly. It’s quite a good idea.
What is it? said Philip grumpily.
Well, Jake or that other man will be sure to come back here sooner or later with food, began Dinah. And when he comes, let’s all be gasping and holding our heads and groaning.
Whatever for? asked Philip in astonishment.
So as to make him think the air is very bad in here, and we can’t breathe, and we’re almost dying, said Dinah. Then maybe he’ll let us go out into the passage for a breath of air and you can reel towards him, kick out his light and we’ll all escape as quickly as we can.