Blyton, Enid – Famous Five 15 – Five On a Secret Trail

Dick went out of the trench and began to clamber about over the great stones and rocks. A small animal suddenly caught his eye – a young rabbit.

It stared at him in fright and then disappeared behind a slab of stone. It peeped out at Dick again, and he was amused. He went cautiously over to the slab, and the little rabbit disappeared – but soon two or three whiskers poked out. Dick got down on hands and knees and looked behind the slab. A dark hole was there.

Dick pulled out his torch and flashed it into the hole, wondering if the small rabbit was hiding there, or whether it was the entrance to a burrow.

To his surprise there was a very big hole indeed – a hole that seemed to go down and down and down – his torch could make out no bottom to it.

‘It’s far too wide for a rabbit-hole,’ thought Dick. ‘I wonder where it leads to, I’ll ask that boy.’

He went back to where the boy was still showing his things to Julian, talking eagerly. ‘I say,’ began Dick, ‘there’s a most interesting hole behind one of the stone slabs over there – what is it?’

‘Oh that – my father says it was explored and that it was only a place for storages – meat in hot weather, or loot, or something like that. Actually nothing whatever was found there – most uninteresting. As a matter of fact it may be nothing to do with the Camp at all.’

‘I say, look – here’s another shelf with things on it,’ said George, suddenly spying a little collection of things on a rough shelf in another part of the trench. ‘Are these yours too?’

‘Those? No,’ said the boy. ‘Nothing to do with me at all. Don’t touch them, please.’

‘Whose are they then?’ asked George, curiously. The boy took no notice whatever of her question and went on talking to Julian. George took down a beautiful little round pot.

‘Hey! I told you NOT to touch those!’ yelled the boy, so suddenly and angrily that George almost dropped the pot. ‘Put it back – and clear out if you can’t do what you’re told.’

‘Easy, old man, easy!’ said Julian. ‘No need to yell at her like that. You scared that little dog of yours and made him jump almost out of his skin! We’d better go, I think.’

‘Well – I don’t like being disturbed too much,’ said the boy. ‘People always seem to be wandering around. I’ve turned off quite a lot.’

‘People?’ said Julian, remembering Anne’s story of two or three figures standing outside the cottage the night before, and of someone looking in. ‘What kind of people?’

‘Oh – nosey ones – wanting to get down and explore – disturbing me – it’s surprising how many idiots there are wandering about this lonely place,’ said the boy, picking up a tool again and setting to work. He grinned suddenly. ‘I don’t mean you. You really know something about this kind of thing.’

‘Was anyone about last night?’ asked Julian.

‘Well – I rather think so,’ said the boy. ‘Because Jet here barked like mad. But it might have been the storm that frightened him – not that he’s usually frightened of storms.’

‘What’s your name?’ asked Dick.

‘Guy Lawdler,’ said the boy, and Dick whistled.

‘My word – is your father the famous explorer, Sir John Lawdler?’ he asked. The boy nodded.

‘Well, no wonder you’re so keen on archaeology!’ said Dick. ‘Your father’s done pretty well in that line, hasn’t he?’

‘Come on, Dick!’ said George. ‘Let’s go now. We might have time for a swim in the pool. We forgot to tell you about that.’

‘Right,’ said Dick. ‘Come on, Julian. Good-bye, Guy!’

They left the rather desolate old camp and went back to the cottage to get their swim-suits and change. It wasn’t long before they were running over the heather to the pool.

‘Hallo – Guy’s having a swim!’ said Dick, in surprise. Sure enough, a boy was there, his hair falling over his forehead as usual.

‘Hey, Guy!’ shouted George. ‘Have a swim with us!’

But the boy was already getting out of the water. Dick shouted. ‘Wait a minute – don’t go. We’d like to have a swim with you, Guy!’

The boy turned defiantly. ‘Don’t be an ass!’ he said. ‘My name’s not Guy!’

And, leaving four astonished people behind him, he ran lightly over the heather and disappeared.

‘There you are – he’s mad after all!’ said Anne. ‘Don’t bother about him. Come on in – the water’s lovely and warm.’

They lazed about afterwards and began to feel hungry. ‘Though how any of us could feel hungry after eating about fifty sandwiches between us at dinner-time, I don’t know!’ said Dick. ‘Race you back to the cottage, Ju!’

They changed back into ordinary clothes and then had tea – fruit cake, shortbread biscuits, and tinned pineapple on bread. They kept the juice and diluted it with cold spring water – it was simply delicious.

‘Now let’s explore the cottage,’ said Dick.

‘We already have, Anne and I,’ said George. ‘So I don’t expect you’ll find anything much.’

They went methodically through the old house, and even up the old stone stairway to the two rooms upstairs – though they could hardly be called rooms, for they had very little roof and not much wall!

‘Nothing much here, that’s certain,’ said Dick clattering down the stone stairway. ‘Now let’s go to the out-buildings – not that there’s much left of them either!’

They examined everything, and came last of all to the old stables. It was dark inside, for the windows were very small, and it was some seconds before anyone could see properly.

‘Old mangers,’ said Dick, touching them. ‘I wonder how long ago it is since they were used – and…’

‘I say!’ said George, suddenly. ‘There’s something funny here. Anne, look – this bit of floor was undisturbed yesterday, wasn’t it?’

Anne looked down at the big white flagstone on which George was standing. It was quite obvious that it had been lifted, for the edges were not as green with moss as the others were, and the stone had been put back a little crookedly.

‘Yes – someone’s been interested in this stone – or in what is beneath it!’ said Dick. ‘I bet something is buried underneath!’

‘Those men last night – that’s what they came about!’ said George. ‘They went into these stables and lifted this stone. Why?’

‘We’ll soon find out!’ said Julian. ‘Come on everyone, loosen it with your fingers – then we’ll heave it up!’

Chapter Ten

WHAT CAN BE HAPPENING?

Forty fingers and thumbs were very hard at work trying to loosen the heavy stone. At last Julian got hold of a corner which could be held more easily than any other part of the stone. He tried to lift it and it came away a little.

‘Help me this side, Dick,’ said Julian, and Dick put his strong fingers there too. ‘Heave-ho!’ he said – and up came the stone.

It went over with a crash and Timmy barked loudly, jumping aside. Everyone peered down – and then looked exceedingly disappointed!

There was nothing there at all. Not even a hole! The black earth, hard as iron, lay underneath, and nothing else.

They all stared down at the dry, hard earth, puzzled. George looked up at Julian.

‘Well – that’s queer, isn’t it? Why should anyone lift up this heavy stone if there is nothing hidden underneath?’

‘Well, it’s clear that whoever was here didn’t find anything – nor did he hide anything either,’ said Julian. ‘Dear me – why should anyone lift up a heavy stone and put it back – just for nothing?’

‘He was obviously looking for something that wasn’t here,’ said Anne. ‘The wrong stone, probably!’

‘Yes. I think Anne’s right,’ said Dick. ‘It’s the wrong stone! Probably there is something very interesting under the right stone! But which one is it?’

They all sat and looked at one another, and Timmy saw it too, wondering why all this fuss was made about a flat white stone. Julian thought hard.

‘From what you’ve told me, Anne – about seeing a light in the cottage that first night you were here – and hearing voices – and then seeing those figures outside last night in the storm – it looks as if someone is urgently hunting for something round about here.’

‘Yes – something under a stone. Treasure of some sort, do you think?’ said George.

Julian shook his head. ‘No. I hardly think that much treasure would be hidden anywhere about this old cottage – all the people who lived here must have been fairly poor. The most they would have hidden would have been a few pieces of gold, and that would have been found long ago.’