Look, said Dinah, pointing to a queer old map, that’s what Craggy-Tops was like in the old days. What a fine place! Look at the towers and what a grand front it had!
They turned over the pages. They came to one that had a kind of diagram on it. The girls studied it closely. Then Lucy-Ann gave a shout. I know what this is it’s the secret passage from the cellar to the beach. Isn’t it?
It was. There was no doubt about that. The girls felt excited. Perhaps the book would show the other passage too.
There were two or three more diagram-like maps, some of them so faded that it was impossible to see what they were meant to represent. Dinah gave a sigh.
I wish I could read this old printing. If I could, I might be able to find out whether any of these maps are meant to show the other secret passage the one to the island. It would be so exciting to discover that. What a thrill if we did! What will the boys say when we tell them there’s actually a way to the island under the sea itself?
That made Lucy-Ann think of Jack, and her face clouded over. Where was Jack? Had Philip got Bill Smugs to go out in his boat and rescue him? Were they even now bringing Jack safely back again?
As she thought about this, she heard Philip’s voice in the passage outside the sitting-room. She jumped up in delight. Had Philip and Bill brought back Jack already? How marvellously quick they had been! She ran to the door joyfully.
But outside there were only Bill and Philip no Jack. Lucy-Ann called out to them.
Where’s Jack? Haven’t you rescued him? Where is he?
Bill’s boat has been smashed up by someone, said Philip, going into the room. So we came to get Jo-Jo’s. And that’s gone too. I suppose Jo-Jo is doing some of his usual night fishing. So we’re stumped don’t know what to do.
The girls stared at the two in dismay. No boat no way of rescuing poor Jack? Lucy-Ann’s eyes filled with tears as she thought of Jack lost in those dark endless caves, with those fierce men ready to catch him and imprison him. She felt glad he had Kiki with him.
Oh, Philip, said Dinah, suddenly remembering, do you know what Uncle Jocelyn told us tonight? He said there used to be a way under the sea to the copper-mines to the island! He knew about the other secret passage, but he didn’t think it was still usable. He was surprised. Oh, Philip, do you suppose the secret passage to the island is still there? Do you think it has been flooded by the sea or fallen in? Oh, how I wish we could find it!
Bill looked suddenly intensely interested. He picked up the book Dinah held. This a book about the old house? he asked. Dinah nodded.
Yes our own secret passage is in it, the one we found ourselves and I expect the other is too, only we can’t understand the old maps and the printing.
Well, I can, said Bill, and became lost in the book, turning over the pages slowly, skipping a few here and there, looking for details of the way to the Isle of Gloom.
He suddenly began to look excited, and turned over one or two pages very quickly. He looked hard at first one queer map and then another. Then he asked a peculiar question.
How deep is your well here?
The well? said Philip, in amazement. Ooooh awfully deep deep as the shaft-hole in the island, I should think. It goes down below sea-level, anyway, but there’s not a trace of salt in it, of course.
Look here, said Bill, and spelt out a few words in the book to make them clear to the children, and then he turned to a map. It showed a deep shaft going down into the earth. See? said Bill. The beginning of the passage to the island is down at the bottom of your well. It’s quite obvious that that would be the place, anyway, if I’d thought hard about it you see, to go under the sea-bed to the mines means that the entrance must be below sea-level and that’s the only spot here below sea-level the well, of course!
Gosh! said all three children at once. The well! They hadn’t thought of that. How extraordinary!
But there’s water at the bottom of the well, said Philip. You can’t go through the water, surely.
No look, said Bill Smugs, and he pointed to the map. The entrance to the passage is above the water-line of the well. See? These must be steps, I should think, cut in an opening of the shaft, leading upwards a little way, and then through a passage in the rock itself a natural crack, I imagine, such as this coast is full of which someone discovered, followed up, and by means of pickaxes or blasting, made into a usable passage.
I see, said Philip excitedly. I suppose when they sank the shaft for the well, someone discovered the hole deep down, explored it, found it was a sort of natural passage, and, as you say, followed it up, and made use of it. Bill could we get down there and find out?
Not now, in the middle of the night, said Bill at once. You’ve all had enough adventure for this one day we must go to bed.
But but what about Jack? asked Lucy-Ann, her green eyes wide with anxiety.
We can’t do anything about him tonight, said Bill, firmly but kindly. Anyway, if he’s caught, he’s caught, and if he’s not, we may be able to do something about him tomorrow. But we are not going to go down wells in buckets in the dead of night, so that’s that. Philip, I’ll sleep with you in the tower-room tonight.
Philip was glad. He did not want to sleep alone that night. The girls were sent off to bed, in spite of their protests that they were not tired, and Philip and Bill climbed the spiral stairway to the queer little tower-room. Philip showed Bill the window from which they could see the island at times.
Then he sat down on the bed to take off his shoes. But he was so tired that even the effort of undoing the laces was too much for him. He rolled over on the bed, shut his eyes and fell fast asleep, fully dressed as he was. Bill looked at him and smiled. He drew a cover over him, and sat at the window to think. He lit a cigarette and thought for a long time.
Tomorrow would show whether or not there was still a way from Craggy-Tops to the island. Bill felt certain there would not be. True, the other passage was still usable, but that was very short compared with the other and this second one had had the sea pounding on top of it for many, many years. A crack in it a trickle of water down and the passage would be flooded in a very few weeks. Then it would be impassable.
Bill went to bed at last, stretched himself out beside the sleeping boy, and fell asleep himself. He was awakened by Philip, who was shaking him.
Bill! It’s morning! Let’s have breakfast and try and find that well passage. Hurry!
They were soon downstairs, to find the girls there, already cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast. Where’s Jo-Jo? asked Philip, in surprise.
Hasn’t come back from fishing yet, said Dinah, getting a fried egg deftly out of the pan. Here you are, Bill. I’ll do an egg for you now, Philip. It’s a good thing Jo-Jo isn’t back, isn’t it? or he’d wonder what on earth Bill was doing here. He would think it all mighty suspicious.
Jo-Jo may be back at any minute, said Lucy-Ann. So let’s hurry before he comes. I’d just hate him to stand glowering at the head of the well whilst we explore it all that way below.
They finished their breakfast quickly. Dinah had already taken some to her aunt in her bedroom, and to her uncle in his study. She said Aunt Polly was feeling a bit better and would be down later. She didn’t think Uncle Jocelyn had gone to bed at all.
I really believe he works all night long, said Dinah. Now have we all finished? I’ll leave the washing-up till I get back.
They all went out into the little yard that lay behind the house, backing on to the sheer rise of the cliff. Bill leaned over the well. It certainly was very, very deep.
Do we go down in the bucket? asked Philip.
We could if there was a really big one, said Dinah. But we can’t possibly go down in this. Not even Lucy-Ann could get into it.