Ma called out something to Pedro as he and Jack went to her van to get their evening meal. Pedro listened, and looked grave.
‘What’s up?’ asked Jack.
‘It’s Fank, the bear-trainer,’ said Pedro. ‘He’s feeling ill again. The Boss is very worried.’
‘Why?’ asked Jack. ‘It will only mean that the bears don’t perform, won’t it? Anyway, Fank may be better by tomorrow.’
‘It’s a great loss to the circus when a big attraction like Fank’s bears is taken off,’ said Pedro. ‘But there’s worse to it than that. No one can manage those bears but Fank. They get quite out of hand when he’s ill-won’t let their cage be cleaned out-won’t eat-fight one another. Once they even broke down their cage and got out. Fank had to crawl out of his bed in his caravan and somehow get them back. But it nearly killed him!’
‘Poor Fank,’ said Jack. ‘Well, let’s hope he is all right again by tomorrow. I don’t particularly want great bears like that breaking down their cage and wandering about the camp, I must say. Fank’s a wonder with them-I’ve watched him. He teases them and plays with them-and they fawn round him like dogs!’
‘Not many people can manage animals as Fank can,’ said Pedro. ‘He had lions once-and two tigers-trained them all by himself. Then he suddenly said they didn’t like performing and sold them to a Zoo. And yet they were the best-trained lions and tigers in the world!’
‘And now he’s got bears,’ said Jack. ‘He must love animals very much, and they must love him. There are other people like that, Pedro. I know a boy who can do anything with animals, too.’ He was thinking of Philip, of course.
‘Ever tried his hand with lions, or tigers or bears?’ asked Pedro. ‘No? I thought not! I bet they wouldn’t eat out of his hand. Cats and dogs and rats and mice and other creatures are easy to do what you like with-but not the big animals-the bears and the great cats!’
‘No, I suppose not,’ said Jack, thinking that Philip had never had the chance to work his magic on great creatures like those. ‘Well-I hope Fank will be better tomorrow. I wouldn’t like the job of cleaning out the bears’ cage, I must say. I’d be afraid of their claws in my back the whole time!’
Jack did not go to sleep as quickly as he usually did, when he lay down on his mattress in Pedro’s caravan. He didn’t mean to. He was going to explore all round the foot of Borken Castle. He had bought a torch in the town that day. He didn’t quite know what good he would do, wandering round in the dark-but it was the only thing he could think of. He had to do something!
He slid off the mattress as soon as he heard Pedro breathing deeply. He didn’t want to wake him. He went out of the van, holding his clothes. He put them on in the darkness, and then, with the surprised Kiki on his shoulder, he set off to the castle hill.
If only he could speak to the others! If only he could make sure they were still all right!
Chapter 18
UP TO THE CASTLE!
JACK went stealthily out of the camp. All was quiet. There was no lamp or candle alight in any of the vans. The circus-folk were tired out with setting up camp again, and had gone to bed early, in readiness for their grand opening the next day.
It was a starry night, with no moon, so there was not much light. It was not pitch-dark, however, and Jack did not need to use his torch, once his eyes had got used to the darkness. The stars gave a faint light, just enough for him to avoid falling over anything.
He went up the slope of the hill where the camp was placed. He came to a low castle wall. He shone his torch here and there, and found a place he thought he could climb, where the stones were rough and uneven.
His rubber shoes helped him a good deal. He wished he had rubber gloves on his hands, too, so that his fingers would not slip on the stones as he tried to grasp them!
He was over at last. He looked round cautiously, not daring to put on his torch. He seemed to be in a small courtyard. He strained his eyes. He could make out the great bulk of the castle easily. It rose up high, towering about him, solid and strong. He despaired of ever getting inside-or even of getting in touch with Philip and the others!
He crept quietly over the courtyard, stumbling now and again over an uneven stone. He suddenly walked into something that scared him tremendously, and made Kiki give a frightened squawk.
Something wrapped itself round his head! What was it? In a panic Jack tore at it, and ran forward. But something flapped at him again, and covered his whole face. Desperately Jack switched his torch on and off for a moment, to see what was attacking him.
When he saw what it was, he gave a laugh of relief, and felt very silly. He had walked into a line of washing! A sheet had ‘attacked’ him, that was all-and the thing that had wrapped itself round his head was a jersey.
A jersey! Jack stopped. A jersey-such things were not worn in Tauri-Hessia. He stepped back and flashed his torch on again. Yes-it was either Lucy-Ann’s or Dinah’s. There was no doubt of it. So they definitely were there. Good, good, good! They were quite near him, somewhere. If only, only he could get to them.
He stood and considered. If the children were held in secret, then it was strange that their clothes should be washed and hung out on a line. People would see them and be surprised. Perhaps this courtyard was an enclosed space-a secret yard where nobody came, except possibly Madame Tatiosa. Would she wash the clothes though? She might, if she didn’t want anyone to know about the children.
Perhaps Hela’s mother was in the secret too? Perhaps she washed for the children, cooked their meals and so on? Somebody would have to do that.
There must be a way into the castle from this little yard-possibly a back-way into the kitchen or wash-houses. Jack went towards the great walls of the castle and flashed his torch up and down. He would have to risk being seen by someone! He would never find out anything if he didn’t use his torch now and again.
There was a small wash-house there, as he had expected. He tried the door. It was locked. He shone his torch in at the window and saw coppers and pails and washing-baskets. Yes, that was where the washing was done. What a pity the washerwoman had remembered to lock the door!
Jack looked at the little wash-house. It was built out from the castle wall. He flashed his torch to the roof of the wash-house-and then higher up. He saw something that made his heart jump in excitement!
There was a window not far above the wash-house roof-and as far as Jack could see it had no glass in it at all! It was a very old, narrow window and might never have had any glass, he thought.
‘Now, let me think carefully!’ he said to himself. ‘If I could get up on that wash-house roof-and then up to that window-I’d be inside the castle at once, and could look for the others. But how can I get up to the roof? I really don’t think I can climb it, though it isn’t very high.’
He couldn’t. It was just too high for him to jump and catch hold of the guttering to pull himself up. There was no pipe he could climb up, either. Nothing at all.
‘A ladder,’ thought Jack, desperately. ‘If only I could find a ladder.’
He began to hunt round, feeling rather hopeless. Kiki sat still on his shoulder, puzzled. She knew she must not make a sound, but she longed to, especially when a bat came swooping near her.
Jack went carefully round the yard. It wasn’t very big. He came to a small shed. It was not locked, only latched. He opened the door carefully, horrified at the squeak it made, and flashed his torch inside.
Wonder of wonders! There was a ladder there! Jack could hardly believe his eyes. He went over to it. It was very old, and some of its rungs were missing-but it might do. It just might do! Anyway, he would try it.
He pulled it out of the shed, upsetting a can of some sort as he did so. The noise echoed round the yard, sounding extraordinarily loud. Jack halted, holding his breath. He quite expected to see lights flashing up in every window.