‘Excuse me,’ said Julian politely. ‘I’ve been told that you know all about the moorland tunnels like the back of your hand. They must be very, very interesting.’
‘My father and my grandfather built those tunnels,’ said the old porter, looking up at the children out of small faded eyes that watered in the strong sunlight. ‘And I’ve been guard on all the trains that ran through them.’
He mumbled a long string of names, going through all the list of tunnels in his mind. The children waited patiently till he had finished.
There’s a tunnel near where we’re camping on the moorlands,’ said Julian, getting a word in at last. ‘We’re not far from Olly’s Farm. We came across an old deserted railway yard, with lines that led into a tunnel. Do you know it?’
‘Oh yes, that’s an old tunnel,’ said Tucky, nodding his grey head, on which his porter’s cap sat all crooked. ‘Hasn’t been used for many a long year. Nor the yard either. Wasn’t enough traffic there, far as I remember. They shut up the yard. Tunnel isn’t used any more.’
The boys exchanged glances. So it wasn’t used any more! Well, they knew better.
‘The tunnel joins another, doesn’t it?’ said Julian.
The porter, pleased at their interest in the old tunnels he knew so well, got up and went into an office behind. He came out with a dirty, much-used map, which he spread out on his knee. His black finger-nail pointed to a mark on the map.
That’s the yard, see? It was called O’lly’s Yard, after the farm. There’re the lines to the tunnel. Here’s the tunnel. It runs right through to Kilty Vale – there it is. And here’s where it used to join the tunnel to Roker’s Vale. But that was bricked up years ago. Something happened there – the roof fell in, I think it was – and the company decided not to use the tunnel to Roker’s Vale at all.’
The children listened with the utmost interest. Julian reasoned things out in his mind. If that spook-train came from anywhere then it must come from Kilty Vale, because that was the only place the lines went to now, since the way to Roker’s Vale had been bricked up where the tunnels joined.
‘I suppose no trains run through the tunnel from Kilty Vale to Olly’s Yard now, then?’ he said.
Tucky snorted. ‘Didn’t I tell you it hasn’t been used for years? The yard at Kilty Vale’s been turned into something else, though the lines are still there. There’s been no engine through that tunnel since I was a young man.’
This was all very, very interesting. Julian thanked old Tucky so profusely that he wanted to tell the children everything all over again. He even gave them the old map.
‘Oh, thanks,’ said Julian, delighted to have it. He looked at the others. ‘This’ll be jolly useful!’ he said, and they nodded.
They left the pleased old man and went out into the town. They found a little park and sat down on a seat.
They were longing to discuss all that Tucky had told them.
‘It’s jolly strange,’ said Dick. ‘No trains run there now – the tunnel’s not been used for ages – and Olly’s Yard must have been derelict for years.’
‘And yet, there appear to be trains that come and go!’ said Julian.
‘Then, they must be spook-trains,’ said Anne, her eyes wide and puzzled. ‘Julian, they must be, mustn’t they?’
‘Looks like it,’ said Julian. ‘It’s most mysterious. I can’t understand it.’
‘Ju,’ said Dick, suddenly. ‘I know what we’ll do! We’ll wait one night again till we see the spook-train come out of the tunnel to the yard. Then one of us can sprint off to the other end of the tunnel – it’s only about a mile long – and wait for it to come out the other side! Then we’ll find out why a train still runs from Kilty Vale to Olly’s Yard through that old tunnel.’
‘Jolly good idea,’ said Julian, thrilled. ‘What about tonight? If Jock comes, he can go, too. If he doesn’t, just you and I will go. Nat George.’
They all felt excited. Anne wondered if she would be brave enough to go too, but she knew that when the night came she wouldn’t feel half as brave as she did now! No, she wouldn’t go. There was really no need for her to join in this adventure at present. It hadn’t even turned out to be a proper one yet – it was only an unsolved mystery!
George hadn’t come back from her walk when they reached the camp. They waited for her, and at last she appeared with Timmy, looking tired out.
‘Sorry I was an ass this morning,’ she said at once. ‘I’ve walked my temper off! Don’t know what came over me.’
‘That’s all right,’ said Julian amiably. ‘Forget it.’
They were all very glad that George had recovered her temper, for she was a very prickly person indeed when she was angry. She was rather subdued and said nothing at all about spook-trains or tunnels. So they said nothing either.
The night was fine and clear. Stars shone out brilliantly again in the sky. The children said good night to Mr Luffy at ten o’clock and got into their sleeping-bags. Julian and Dick did not mean to go exploring till midnight, so they lay and talked quietly.
About eleven o’clock they heard somebody moving cautiously outside. They wondered if it was Jock, but he did not call out to them. Who could it be?
Then Julian saw a familiar head outlined against the starlit sky. It was George. But what in the world was she doing? He couldn’t make it out at all. Whatever it was, she wasn’t making any noise over it, and she obviously thought the boys were asleep. Julian gave a nice little snore or two just to let her go on thinking so.
At last she disappeared. Julian waited a few minutes and then put his head cautiously out of the tent opening. He felt about, and his fingers brushed against some string. He grinned to himself and got back into the tent.
‘I’ve found out what George was doing,” he whispered. ‘She’s put string across the entrance of our tent, and I bet it runs to her tent and she’s tied it to her big toe or something, so that if we go out without her she’ll feel the pull of the string when we go through it and wake up and follow us!’
‘Good old George,’ chuckled Dick. ‘Well, she’ll be unlucky. We’ll squeeze out under the sides of the tent!’
Which was what they did do at about a minute past twelve! They didn’t disturb George’s string at all.
They were out on the heather and away down the slope while George was sleeping soundly in her tent beside Anne, waiting for the pull on her toe which didn’t come. Poor George!
The boys arrived at the deserted railway yard and looked to see if Wooden-Leg Sam’s candle was alight. It was. So the spook-train hadn’t come along that night, yet.
They were just scrambling down to the yard when they heard the train coming. There was the same rumbling noise as before, muffled by the tunnel – and then out of the tunnel, again with no lamps, came the spook-train, clanking on its way to the yard!
‘Quick, Dick! You sprint off to the tunnel opening and watch for the train to go back in again. And I’ll find my way across the moor to the other end of the tunnel. There was a path marked on that old map, and I’ll follow that!’ Julian’s words tumbled over each other in his excitement. Til jolly well watch for the spook-train to complete its journey, and see if it vanishes into thin air or what!’
And off he went to find the path that led over the moors to the other end of the tunnel. He meant to see what happened at the other end if he had to run all the way!
14 Jock comes to camp
Julian found the path quite by chance and went along it as fast as he could. He used his torch, for he did not think he would meet anyone out on such a lonely way at that time of night. The path was very much overgrown, but he could follow it fairly easily, even running at times.
‘If that spook-train stops about twenty minutes in the yard again, as it did before, it will give me just about time to reach the other end of the tunnel,’ panted Julian. Til be at Kilty’s Yard before it comes.’
It seemed a very long way. But at last the path led downwards, and some way below him Julian could see what might be a railway yard. Then he saw that big sheds were built there – or what looked like big sheds in the starlight.