And then, in their turn, Uncle Quentin and George told all that had happened to them! ‘Where are the two men?’ asked Julian.
‘Somewhere on the island,’ said George. ‘I went scouting after them some time ago, and followed them up to where they get out into the little stone room. I think they’re there until half past ten, when they’ll go up and signal, so that people will think everything is all right.’ ‘Well, what are our plans?’ said Julian. ‘Will you come back down the passage under the sea with us? Or what shall we do?’ ‘Better not do that,’ said Martin, quickly. ‘My guardian may be coming — and he’s in touch with other men. If he wonders where I am, and thinks something is up, he may call in two or three others, and we might meet them making their way up the passage.’ They did not know, of course, that Mr. Curton was even then lying with a broken leg at the bottom of the quarry. Uncle Quentin considered.
‘I’ve been given seven hours to say whether or not I will give the fellows my secret,’ he said. ‘That time will be up just after half past ten. Then the men will come down again to see me. I think between us we ought to be able to capture them — especially as we’ve got Timmy with us!’ ‘Yes – that’s a good idea,’ said Julian. ‘We could hide somewhere ‘till they come — and then set Timmy on them before they suspect anything!’ Almost before he had finished these words the light in the cave went out! Then a voice spoke out of the blackness.
‘Keep still! One movement and I’ll shoot.’ ‘ George gasped. What was happening? Had the men come back unexpectedly? Oh, why hadn’t Timmy given them warning? She had been fondling his ears, so probably he had been unable to hear anything! She held Timmy’s collar, afraid that he would fly at the man in the darkness and be shot. The voice spoke again.
‘Will you or will you not give us your secret?’ ‘Not,’ said Uncle Quentin, in a low voice.
‘You will have this whole island, and all your work blown up then, and yourself too and the others?’ ‘Yes! You can do ‘what you like!’ suddenly yelled George. You’ll be blown up yourself too. You’ll never be able’ to get away in a boat – you’ll go on the rocks!’ The man in the darkness laughed. ‘We shall be safe,’ he said. ‘Now, keep at the back of the cave. I have you covered with my revolver.’ ‘They all crouched at the back. Timmy growled, but George made him stop at once. She did not know if the men knew he was free or not.
Quiet footsteps passed across the cave in the darkness.
George listened, straining her ears. Two pairs of foot steps! Both men were passing through the cave. She knew where they were going! They were going to escape by the undersea passage – and leave the island to be blown up behind them! As soon as the footsteps had died away, George switched on her torch. ‘Father! Those men are escaping now, down the sea-tunnel. We must escape too – but not that way/ My boat is on the shore. Let’s get there quickly and get away before there’s any explosion.’ ‘Yes, come along,’ said her father. ‘But if only I could get up into my tower, I could stop any wicked plan of theirs! They mean to use the power there, I know – but if I could get up to the glass room, I could undo all their ‘plans!’ ‘Oh do be quick then, Father!’ cried George, getting in quite a panic now. ‘Save my island if you can!’ They ‘all made their way through the cave, up to the passage that led to the stone flight of steps from the little stone room. And there they had a shock! ‘The stone could not be opened from the inside! The men had altered the mechanism so that it could now only be opened from the outside.
“In vain Uncle Quentin swung the lever to and fro. Nothing happened. The stone would not move.
‘It’s only from outside it can be opened,’ he said in despair. ‘We’re trapped! They sat down on the stone steps in a row, one above the other. They were cold, hungry and miserable. What could they do now? Make th’eir way back to the cave and then go on ‘down the’ undersea tunnel?
‘I don’t want to do that said Uncle Quentin. ‘I’m so afraid that if there is an explosion, it may crack the rocky bed of the sea, which is ‘the roof of the tunnel -and then water would pour in. It wouldn’t be pleasant if we happened to be thereat that moment.’ ‘ ‘Oh no. Don’t let’s be trapped like that,’ said George, with a shudder. ‘I couldn’t bear it.’ ‘ ‘Perhaps I could ‘get something to explode this stone away,’ ‘said her father, after a while. ‘I’ve got plenty of stuff if only I’ve time to put it together.’ ‘Listen!’ said Julian, suddenly. ‘I can hear something outside this wall. Sh!’ ‘They all listened intently. Timmy whined and scratched at the stone that would not move.
‘It’s voices!’ cried Dick. ‘Lots of them.’ Who ‘can it be?’ ‘Be quiet,’ said Julian, fiercely. ‘We must find out!’ ‘I know, I know!’ said George, suddenly. ‘It’s the fishermen who have come over in their boats! That’s why the men didn’t wait till half past ten! That’s why they’ve gone in such a hurry! They saw the fisher-boats coming!’ ‘Then Anne must have brought them!’ cried Dick. She must have run home to Aunt Fanny, told her everything and given the news to the fishermen – and they’ve come to rescue us! Anne! ANNE! WE’RE HERE!’ Timmy began to bark deafeningly. The others encouraged him, because they felt certain that Timmy’s bark was louder than their shouts! ‘WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!’ Anne heard the barking and the shouting as soon as she ran into the little stone room. ‘Where are you? Where are you?’ she yelled.
‘HERE! HERE! MOVE THE STONE!’ yelled Julian, shouting so loudly that everyone near him jumped violently.
‘Move aside, Miss – I can see which stone it is,’ said a man’s deep voice. It was one of the fishermen. He felt round and about the stone in the recess, sure it was the right one because it was cleaner than the others through being used as an entrance.
Suddenly he touched the right place, and found a tiny iron spike. He pulled it down – and the lever swung back behind it, and pulled the stone aside! Everyone hurried out, one on top of the other! The six fishermen standing in the little room stared in astonishment. Aunt Fanny was there too, and Anne. Aunt Fanny ran to her husband as soon as he appeared – but to her surprise he pushed her away quite roughly.
He ran out of the room, and hurried to the tower. Was he in time to save the island and everyone on it? Oh hurry, hurry! ‘
Chapter Twenty-one
THE END OF THE ADVENTURE
‘WHERE’S he gone?’ said Aunt Fanny, quite hurt. Nobody answered. Julian, George and Martin were watching the tower with anxious intensity. If only Uncle Quentin would appear at the top. Ah – there he was! He had taken up with him a big stone. As everyone watched he smashed the glass round the tower with the stone. Crash! Crash! Crash! The wires that ran through the glass were broken and split as the glass crashed into pieces. No power could race through them now. Uncle Quentin leaned out of the broken glass room and shouted exultantly.
‘It’s all right! I was in time! I’ve destroyed the power that might have blown up the island – you’re safe!’ George found that her knees were suddenly shaking. She had to sit down on the floor. Timmy came and licked her face wonderingly. Then he too sat down.
‘What’s he doing, smashing the tower up?’ asked a burly fisherman. ‘I don’t understand all this.’ Uncle Quentin came down the tower and rejoined them. ‘Another ten minutes and I should have been too late,’ he said. ‘Thank goodness, Anne, you all arrived when you did.’, ‘I ran all the way home, told Aunt Fanny, and we got the fishermen to come over as soon as they could get out their boats,’ explained Anne. ‘We couldn’t think of any other way of rescuing you. Where are the wicked men?’ ‘Trying to escape down the undersea tunnel,’ said Julian. ‘Oh – you don’t know about that, Anne!’ Arid he told her; while the fishermen listened open-mouthed.
‘Look here,’ said Uncle Quentin, when he had finished. ‘As the boats are here, the men might as well take all my gear back with them. I’ve finished my job here. I shan’t want the island any more.’ ‘Oh! Then we can have it!’ said George, delighted. ‘And there’s plenty of the holidays left. We’ll help to bring up what you want, Father.’ ‘We ought to get back as quickly as we can, so as to catch those fellows at the other end of the tunnel, sir,’ said one of the fishermen.