‘We’ll go out the back way,’ whispered Philip. ‘The front door creaks a little. Don’t bump into anything in the hall, for goodness’ sake.’
Kiki was on Jack’s shoulder, as quiet as the dormouse in Philip’s pocket. She could always be depended on to keep silent when it was necessary. She knew quite well that the boys were trying not to be heard. She pecked Jack’s ear affectionately, wondering what he was up to on this moonlight night.
The boys went out of the back door, and then stood still, debating which way to go.
‘I think I’ll come up to the little wood with you first,’ said Jack. ‘I might pop down to the quarry later, to hear the owls there, and see if I can watch them swooping on mice or rats.’
So they went silently to the wood on the east side of the cottage, making no noise in their rubber-soled shoes. They kept to the shadows of the hedges, afraid that someone might see them, even in this deserted spot. The moonlight was so very brilliant!
They came to the wood. Philip knew what type of place badgers would visit, and he led Jack to a hedge overshadowing a big bank.
‘This is the sort of place to wait about in,’ he said. ‘Let’s squeeze into that bush there.’
They crouched down in the black shadows. An owl suddenly hooted nearby, and Kiki at once hooted back, copying the long, quavering hoot exactly, and making Jack jump.
‘Shut up, Kiki,’ he whispered fiercely. ‘You’ll bring all the owls down on us with your hooting. Gosh, here comes the one you mimicked!’
An owl swooped by his head, and he ducked. So did Kiki! Kiki longed to hoot again. She loved puzzling any other bird.
She kept silent, half-sulky. The boys listened with their sharp ears, watching for any movement. Suddenly Jack gave Philip a nudge. A long, snake-like animal was hurrying by.
‘Stoat,’ whispered Philip in Jack’s ear. ‘And what’s this? A hedgehog!’
The hedgehog was curious about the black shadows sitting under the bush. He came fearlessly up to investigate. Philip put out his hand slowly, and the hedgehog sniffed it over. Jack quite expected to see him climb on to Philip’s knee! No creature was ever afraid of him.
But the hedgehog was hungry and he ran off to find the slugs he liked best. The boys thought he went along as if he was a little clockwork animal. They waited for the next night-creature to appear.
And this time it was a badger! It really was. Philip drew in his breath sharply. He had hardly hoped to see one so soon. It was a biggish creature, with a curiously striped black and white face. It stood absolutely still in the moonlight, sniffing, wondering if it could smell a danger-smell-a smell of humans?
But the wind blew from the badger to the boys, and he could smell nothing. He could hardly be seen as he stood in the full moonlight, because the black and white stripes down his face were so exactly like the black and white shadows of this moonlit night.
‘Perfect camouflage!’ whispered Philip, and Jack nodded. Then he nudged Philip. Something else was coming.
‘Young badgers!’ thought Philip, in delight. ‘A family party-yes, there’s mother badger at the back. What a bit of luck!’
The young badgers were skittish little bear-like things. They began to play about, and the two boys watched their curious games, quite fascinated.
The little badgers began to bounce. They really did bounce, on all four legs, jumping up and down in the same place, looking like fat, furry balls. They bounced at one another! One knocked another over, but in a flash he turned a somersault, came up under the first badger and knocked him over!
This head-over-heels game seemed a favourite one, and the young badgers played it for some time. Then the parents gave a little call, and went off into the wood; the young ones stopped their game and followed.
Jack gave a little laugh. ‘What an amusing sight! I’ve never seen animals play that game before! Do all badgers turn head-over-heels like that?’
‘I’ve heard so,’ said Philip. ‘A keeper once told me that a grown badger will spring traps that way-he just turns himself head-over-heels on the trap, sets it off, and then takes the bait! All he loses is a few hairs off his back.’
An owl hooted again, some way off. It was a tawny owl calling. Then there was a screech from a barn-owl. Kiki stirred on Jack’s shoulders. She was longing to do a bit of hooting and screeching herself!
‘I think I’ll go back now,’ said Philip, getting up. ‘I’d like to stay and watch for a few more creatures to come by, but I’m afraid I shall fall asleep. You coming, Jack?’
‘Well-I rather think I’ll go and wander round that quarry a bit,’ said Jack. ‘I’d like to see what owls are there-and I’d like to give old Kiki the chance of calling them, to see if she really can bring them to her. I know she’s longing to try. Aren’t you, Kiki, old bird?’
Kiki muttered something into his ear, afraid of speaking out loud. Jack got up and stretched. ‘Well, you get to bed, and I’ll come when I’m ready,’ he said. ‘I’ll be about half an hour, I expect. Don’t be surprised if you hear thousands of hoots in a little while, once Kiki gets going!’
Philip went back to the cottage, and Jack made his way to the quarry. Little did they guess what a shock they were both going to get in the next ten minutes!
Chapter 12
CAPTURE!
PHILIP made his way to the back door of the cottage, but just as he was about to go in, he stopped. What noise was that? It sounded like someone going to the front door-someone tiptoeing up the path, surely?
The boy hesitated. Could it be someone after Gussy? He’d better warn Bill then-go in and wake him. He tiptoed quietly, through the back door, into the hall and up the stairs. He stopped at the top and looked back, hearing a small sound.
The front door was opening quietly, but with the little creak it always gave. Then a torch was flashed on and off very quickly. Yes-somebody was getting in.
Philip yelled at the top of his voice. ‘Bill! BILL! BILL! Wake up, Bill. There’s someone getting in.’
He was standing just outside the girls’ door as he yelled, and they woke up at once. Gracious!-who was shouting like that?
‘Someone’s getting in. Quick, Bill, quick!’ shouted Philip again, wondering why there was no answering shout from Bill’s room nearby.
The girls’ door opened and Dinah looked out, scared. ‘What is it? Who is it? Where’s Bill?’
‘Keep where you are,’ said a voice suddenly, and a torch was flashed on to the three of them, for Lucy-Ann had now appeared, trembling.
Philip pushed the girls violently, and they almost fell into their bedroom. Then he rushed into Bill’s room, yelling again. ‘BILL! Do wake up!’
The moonlight showed him a completely empty bed-a bed not even slept in! Then where was Bill? And his mother-where was she? Philip was astounded.
Gussy was now awake, up in the attic bedroom. He sat up, bewildered. What was all this shouting? He suddenly noticed that Jack and Philip were not in their beds, and he leapt out of his, afraid.
Downstairs, in Bill’s bedroom, Philip was still yelling. Bill must be somewhere about-but where? ‘Bill! I say, BILL!’
A torch flashed into the room, and two figures loomed up by the door.
‘You won’t find Bill,’ said a voice. ‘Or his wife either. We’ve got them. And now we want the Prince Aloysius. We do not intend to harm him in any way-but he must come with us. His country needs him.’
‘What have you done with my mother?’ demanded Philip, fiercely. ‘I’ll get the police! What do you think you’re doing, capturing people, and coming after the Prince! You can’t do that kind of thing in Britain!’
‘Oh yes, we can,’ said the foreign voice, smoothly, and the man stepped into the moonlight. Philip saw that it was the man who had come with the woman that afternoon. Behind him were other people-how many? Philip wished that Jack was with him. One boy wasn’t much against all these people. He didn’t count Gussy as a boy!
One of the men behind called out something in a language that Philip didn’t understand, and received a sharp order in return. There was the sound of feet on the stairs leading up to the attic bedroom. They were after Gussy, who had done quite the wrong thing, and had appeared at the top in the bright moonlight! He had been seen at once, of course.
Gussy fled into the bedroom, slammed the door and locked it. He leaned against it, trembling. Then he ran to the window. Could he get out?