‘What an awful nuisance!’ said Julian. ‘I want us to go and explore down there but we can’t with only one torch. Well, I’ll just go down with Nobby and get Pongo have a quick look round and come back. I may see something worth seeing!’
Nobby went down first, and Julian followed, the others all kneeling round the hole, watching them enviously. They disappeared.
‘Pongo!’ yelled Nobby. ‘Pongo! Come here, you idiot!’
Pongo had not gone very far. He didn’t like the dark down there very much, and he came to Nobby as soon as he saw the light of the torch. The boys found themselves in a narrow passage at the bottom of the hole, which widened as they went further into the hill.
‘Must be caves somewhere,’ said Julian, flashing his torch round. ‘We know that a lot of springs run out of this hill. I daresay that through the centuries the water has eaten away the softer stuff and made caves and tunnels everywhere in the hill. And somewhere in a cave Lou and Dan store away things they don’t want anyone to know about. Stolen goods, probably.’
The passage ended in a small cave that seemed to have no other opening out of it at all. There was nothing in it. Julian flashed his torch up and down the walls.
He saw footholds up one part, and traced them to a hole in the roof, which must have been made, years before, by running water. That’s the way we go!’ he said. ‘Come on.’
‘Wait!’ said Nobby. ‘Isn’t your torch getting rather faint?’
‘Goodness yes!’ said Julian in alarm, and shook his torch violently to make the light brighter. But the battery had almost worn out, and no better light came. Instead the light grew even fainter, until it was just a pin-prick in the torch.
‘Come on we’d better get back at once,’ said Julian, feeling a bit scared. ‘I don’t want to wander about here in the pitch dark. Not my idea of fun at all.’
Nobby took firm hold of Pongo’s hairy paw and equally firm hold of Julian’s jersey. He didn’t mean to lose either of them! The light in the torch went out completely. Now they must find their way back in black darkness.
Julian felt round for the beginning of the passage that led back to the hole. He found it and made his way up it, feeling the sides with his hands. It wasn’t a pleasant experience at all, and Julian was thankful that he and Nobby had only gone a little way into the hill. It would have been like a nightmare if they had gone well in, and then found themselves unable to see the way back.
They saw a faint light shining further on and guessed it was the daylight shining down the entrance-hole. They stumbled thankfully towards it. They looked up and saw the anxious faces of the other three peering down at them, unable to see them.
‘We’re back!’ called Julian, beginning to climb up. ‘My torch went out, and we daren’t go very far. We’ve got Pongo, though.’
The others helped to pull them out at the top of the hole. Julian told them about the hole in the roof of the little cave.
That’s where the men went,’ he said. ‘And tomorrow, when we’ve all bought torches, and matches and candles, that’s where we’re going, too! We’ll go down to the town and buy what we want, and come back and do a Really Good Exploration!’
‘We’re going to have an adventure after all,’ said Anne, in rather a small voice.
”Fraid so,’ said Julian. ‘But you can stay at the farm with Mrs Mackie for the day, Anne dear. Don’t you come with us.’
‘If you’re going on an adventure, I’m coming, too,’ said Anne. ‘So there! I wouldn’t dream of not coming.’
‘All right,’ said Julian. ‘We’ll all go together. Golly, things are getting exciting!’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ANOTHER VISIT FROM LOU AND DAN
Nobody disturbed the children that night, and Timmy did not bark once. Nobby slept on a pile of rugs in the boy’s caravan, and Pongo cuddled up to him. The chimpanzee seemed delighted at staying with the caravanners. Timmy was rather jealous that another animal should be with them, and wouldn’t take any notice of Pongo at all.
The next morning, after breakfast, the children discussed who was to go down to the town. ‘Not Nobby and Pongo, because they wouldn’t be allowed in the bus together,’ said Julian. ‘They had better stay behind.’
‘Not by ourselves?’ said Nobby, looking alarmed. ‘Suppose Lou and Uncle Dan come up? Even if I’ve got Pongo I’d be scared.’
‘Well, I’ll stay here, too,’ said Dick. ‘We don’t all need to go to buy torches. Don’t forget to post that letter to Daddy and Mother, Julian.’
They had written a long letter to their parents, telling them of the exciting happenings. Julian put it into his pocket. ‘I’ll post it all right,’ he said. ‘Well, I suppose we might as well go now. Come on, girls. Keep a look-out, Dick, in case those rogues come back.’
George, Timmy, Anne and Julian went down the hill together, Timmy running on in front, his tail wagging nineteen to the dozen. Pongo climbed up to the roof of the red caravan to watch them go. Nobby and Dick sat down in the warm sun on the ledge, their heads resting on springy clumps of heather.
‘It’s nice up here,’ said Nobby. ‘Much nicer than down below. I wonder what everyone is thinking about Pongo and me. I bet Mr Gorgio, the head of the circus, is wild that the chimpanzee’s gone. I bet he’ll send up to fetch us.’
Nobby was right. Two people were sent up to get him Lou and Tiger Dan. They came creeping up through the bracken and heather, keeping a sharp eye for Timmy or Pongo.
Pongo sensed them long before they could be seen and warned Nobby. Nobby went very pale. He was terrified of the two scoundrels.
‘Get into one of the caravans,’ said Dick in a low voice. ‘Go on. I’ll deal with those fellows if it is them. Pongo will help me if necessary.’
Nobby scuttled into the green caravan and shut the door. Dick sat where he was. Pongo squatted on the roof of the caravan, watching.
Lou and Dan suddenly appeared. They saw Dick, but did not see Pongo. They looked all round for the others.
‘What do you want?’ said Dick.
‘Nobby and Pongo,’ said Lou with a scowl. ‘Where are they?’
‘They’re going to stay on with us,’ said Dick.
‘Oh, no, they’re not!’ said Tiger Dan. ‘Nobby’s in my charge, see? I’m his uncle.’
‘Funny sort of uncle,’ remarked Dick. ‘How’s that dog you poisoned, by the way?’
Tiger Dan went purple in the face. He looked as if he would willingly have thrown Dick down the hill.
‘You be careful what you say to me!’ he said, beginning to shout.
Nobby, hidden in the caravan, trembled when he heard his uncle’s angry yell. Pongo kept quite still, his face set and ugly.
‘Well, you may as well say good-bye and go,’ said Dick in a calm voice to Dan. ‘I’ve told you that Nobby and Pongo are staying with us for the present.’
‘Where is Nobby?’ demanded Tiger Dan, looking as if he would burst with rage at any moment. ‘Wait till I get my hands on him. Wait …’
He began to walk towards the caravans but Pongo was not having any of that! He leapt straight off the roof on to the horrified man, and flung him to the ground. He made such a terrible snarling noise that Dan was terrified.
‘Call him off!’ he yelled. ‘Lou, come and help.’
‘Pongo won’t obey me,’ said Dick still sitting down looking quite undisturbed. ‘You’d better go before he bites big pieces out of you.’
Dan staggered to the rock ledge, looking as if he would box Dick’s ears. But the boy did not move, and somehow Dan did not dare to touch him. Pongo let him go and stood glowering at him, his great hairy arms hanging down his sides, ready to fly at either of the men if they came near.
Tiger Dan picked up a stone and as quick as lightning Pongo flung himself on him again and sent the man rolling down the hill. Lou fled in terror. Dan got up and fled, too, yelling furiously as he went. Pongo chased them in delight. He, too, picked up stones and flung them with a very accurate aim, so that Dick kept hearing yells of pain.
Pongo came back, looking extremely pleased with himself. He went to the green caravan, as Dick shouted to Nobby.
‘All right, Nobby. They’ve gone. Pongo and I won the battle!’
Nobby came out. Pongo put his arm round him at once and chattered nonsense in his ear. Nobby looked rather ashamed of himself.