The other three felt pleased to think that Philip was having a meal instead of being starved. Jack took a look round the countryside below with his field-glasses, as they sat and ate, wondering if Bill would come that day. Time was getting on now. Surely Bill would arrive soon!
The day passed very slowly. The paratroopers were taken off into the mountain by the Japanese and didn’t come back. The dogs were also taken out and Jack was sure he could see them ranging the countryside again.
They sent food to Philip by Snowy each time they had a meal. It was a help to exchange cheery notes with him even though nobody felt at all cheerful. Kiki hadn’t yet returned and all the children were now very worried about her.
The evening came. The paratroopers had not come back and the children wondered why. The dogs came back, however, but this time the children did not go over to them. The Alsatians were fighting over their meat and sounded savage and fierce.
It was a cloudy, sultry evening. The children dragged their rugs out from under the awning to a place where the breeze blew more strongly. They lay down, trying to go to sleep. The two girls slept, but Jack lay wide awake, feeling worried about Kiki and Philip and the girls too.
He heard a noise far away in the distance and sat up. He knew what that was — it was a helicopter! There was no mistaking the noise now. Was it coming to the mountain?
He awoke the two girls. “Dinah! Lucy-Ann! The helicopter’s coming. Wake up and let’s watch. Get back under the awning, in case it lands too near us.”
The girls dragged their rugs under the awning. They went to sit on the parapet and listened, wondering if Philip was awake and listening too. He was. He was lying on his tummy, looking out of his cave, watching and listening. It was too dark for him to see anything much, but he hoped he might share in the excitement.
The noise came nearer and at last sounded very loud. “Look — there it is,” said Jack, excited. “See — going round the mountain a bit above us. Aren’t they going to flash a light here to show it where to land?”
As he spoke two of the Japanese appeared in a hurry on top of the mountain. They ran to the middle of the great rocky courtyard and did something the children could not see. Immediately a strong light flashed upwards into the sky, and in its beam the children saw the helicopter, its wheels poised almost above their heads.
“There it is! It’s landing!” cried Jack. “See how it’s dropping down slowly, almost vertically! It’s just the right sort of machine to land on a mountain-top!”
The helicopter came down to the courtyard and stopped. The vanes ceased to whirl above it. Voices hailed one another.
“It’s a jolly big helicopter,” said Jack. “I’ve never seen such a big one before. It must be able to carry quite a large cargo.”
The beam of light was now directed on the helicopter and the children could see what was going on quite clearly. Boxes and crates were being tumbled out of it onto the ground, and the Japanese servants were all very busy handling them, dragging them about, opening some of them and taking the contents down the stone steps to the store-places.
A lean-faced young man with a scar right across his cheek was the pilot of the helicopter. With him was a swarthy fellow who limped badly. They spoke to the Japanese in curt tones, and then left their machine and disappeared into the mountain.
“Gone to report to Meier and Erlick, I should think,” said Jack. “Come on — let’s go and have a look at the helicopter. Wish I knew how to fly it! We could escape nicely in it now.”
“And hover outside Philip’s cave and take him off too!” said Dinah. They all went over to the machine. Jack got into the pilot’s seat and felt grand. How he wished he knew how to fly the helicopter!
He was still sitting there when Meier, Erlick, the pilot and his companion, and one of the paratroopers appeared. Jack tried to scramble out before he was seen but he was too late. Meier saw him and dragged him out so roughly that he fell to the ground.
“What are you doing? You keep away from this machine!” shouted Meier in a fury. Jack skipped off to the girls, rubbing his shoulder.
“Are you hurt, Jack?” asked Lucy-Ann anxiously. He whispered that he was all right. Then he said something that made the girls stare fearfully at the group of men in the centre of the courtyard.
“I believe that paratrooper is the next one to try those ‘wings.’ They’ve brought him up to show him the helicopter and where he’s to jump from.”
Both the girls thought it would be dreadful to have to leap from a machine high up in the air — and trust to the king’s extraordinary “wings.” They wondered how many people had tried them and failed. Nobody would know if they were efficient or not until they had been tried.
The paratrooper looked the helicopter over thoroughly. He talked to the pilot, who answered him shortly. Jack thought that the pilot wasn’t any too keen about the jumping part. He would probably have been content to fly the goods to the mountain and finish at that.
“Tomorrow night you leave,” said the voice of Meier, cutting through the night. “Come and eat now.”
Leaving two Japanese to guard the helicopter from the curiosity of the children, the rest of them disappeared into the mountain. Tomorrow night! What would they see then?
Chapter 23
THE WONDERFUL WINGS
THE three children retired to their rugs. They were afraid to go near the helicopter again, because the Japanese servants, they knew, would stand no nonsense. Snowy appeared from over the parapet, full of curiosity. He ran over to the helicopter, but the Japanese hit out at him.
“The beasts! How can they be cruel to a little kid?” said Jack. “Snowy! Come here! These fellows would make you into soup as soon as look at you. You’d better be careful.”
“Oh, Jack — don’t say things like that,” said tenderhearted Lucy-Ann. “Would they really? Surely nobody would ever have the heart to hurt Snowy?”
Snowy retreated hastily to the children and skipped up and down the parapet, as sure-footed in the dark as in the daylight. The beam of the lamp showed up the helicopter, but the rest of the courtyard was in darkness.
The dogs howled in their enclosure. They had not liked the noise the helicopter made, and they were uneasy and restless. The Japanese shouted threateningly to them, but the dogs took no notice.
“I don’t like this adventure at all,” said Lucy-Ann suddenly. “In fact, I simply hate it. I want to get away. I want to go back to Bill and Aunt Allie and Effans and Mrs. Evans. Why did we have to find another adventure in these nice, peaceful summer holidays?”
“It just happens to us,” said Jack. “Something in us attracts them, I suppose — like animals are attracted to Philip! Some people attract good luck, some attract wealth, some attract animals, some attract adventures.”
“Well, I’d rather attract something harmless, like cats or dogs,” complained Lucy-Ann. “Oh dear! I do wish Snowy wouldn’t keep walking over us when we’re lying down.”
They fell asleep at last. In the morning, when they sent some food to Philip by Snowy, they sent a note also, telling him all they had seen in the night. Snowy brought a note back.
I’m sorry for that paratrooper! I wonder how many they’ve used in trying out this mad experiment. I’m glad I’m not chosen for anything as crazy as that! Keep your chin up! I’m all right here. I’ve got Snowy most of the time and Sally Slithery is getting so tame she eats out of my fingers. She sleeps on a bit of warm rock at the edge of my cave. Tell Snowy not to tread on her when he comes bounding in! So long!
PHILIP.
The day seemed very long again. The dogs were not taken down into the mountain and let loose on the countryside, but were exercised round and round the courtyard by the Japanese servants. The children were glad about that.
“If old Bill arrives today, the dogs won’t be out on the mountainside. He’ll be safe. So let’s hope he comes. Not that he can do much if he does. He won’t know where the entrance is — and if he finds it, he won’t know how to work the rope-ladder — and there’s no other way of getting in.”
Lucy-Ann looked very dismal. “Shall we have to stay here all our lives long?” she asked.