Meier watched grimly as Philip climbed into the helicopter, helped by one of the servants, for his arms were hampered by the beautiful wings. The man would have been better pleased if the boy had objected and made a scene. He did not admire Philip’s pluck in the least. His piercing eyes looked into Philip’s and the boy looked back at him mockingly.
“So long!” he said, and raised one of his winged arms. “See you later! Look out for yourself, Meier. You’ll come to a bad end one of these days!”
Meier stepped forward angrily, but the plane’s engine began to whir. The vanes went slowly round, gathering speed. Lucy-Ann tried to stifle a sob. She felt sure she would never see Philip again.
The helicopter rose straight up into the air. The pilot leaned forward and shouted something loudly. “Don’t forget Bill Smugs!” he called, and his voice was no longer the same as it had sounded before. It was quite different. It was somebody else’s.
In fact — it was BILL’S VOICE!
Chapter 25
A THRILLING NIGHT
ONLY Lucy-Ann, Jack and Dinah knew what that last shout meant. Meier and the others had no idea at all. They hardly heard what was shouted.
But the children had heard all right! They gasped. Jack’s hand found Lucy-Ann’s and Dinah squeezed Jack’s arm. They didn’t say a single word until Meier, Erlick, the king and the servants had all disappeared once more. Then they made their way to their awnings, linking hands to keep together.
“Jack! That was Bill! Bill himself!” said Lucy-Ann, her voice going all funny as she spoke.
“Yes. And he knew if he yelled out, ‘Don’t forget Bill Smugs,’ that we’d know it was him,” said Dinah. “He called himself Bill Smugs the very first adventure we had — do you remember? Gosh — I never had such a surprise in my life!”
“And Philip’s safe,” said Jack, in intense satisfaction. “That’s one good thing. The other fellow with Bill must be one of his friends. Philip will just chuck those wings overboard and that’ll be that.”
“I feel as if I simply must sit down at once,” said Lucy-Ann. “My legs will hardly carry me. I feel so joyful!”
She sat down and the others followed suit. They all let out a terrific sigh of relief. A heavy load rolled away from them. Philip was safe! He didn’t have to jump out of the helicopter to try out an experiment for a mad old scientist, or for Meier and Erlick. He was with Bill.
“What made Bill think of getting a helicopter?” wondered Jack. “Landing on the mountain-top with it too — under the noses of Meier and Erlick.”
“Well, don’t you remember, you put in your note something about the helicopter we thought was landing up here?” said Dinah. “The note we left with Dapple.”
“Yes, so I did,” said Jack. “Well, that looks rather as if old Bill did come along here then — and found Dapple. Good for him! Trust Bill to get going somehow!”
“What’s he going to do next?” said Dinah. “Do you think he’ll come back for us?”
“You bet he will!” said Jack. “He’ll park Philip somewhere safe and he’ll be back as soon as he can. Perhaps tonight!”
“Oh, how lovely!” sighed Lucy-Ann. “I don’t like this mountain. I like Mrs. Evans’ farm-house best. I don’t like anyone here — that horrid Meier, and that awful fat Erlick, and the nasty little slinky Japanese servants — and the king.”
“Well — I feel sorry for him,” said Jack. “He’s just got into the hands of rogues. No doubt they’ve made plenty of money already from his inventions. Now they’re going all out for this one. I do wonder if there’s anything in it.”
“Well, I’m jolly glad Philip hasn’t got to find out!” said Dinah. “Good old Philip — he was as plucky as could be, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. And Lucy-Ann was jolly brave too,” said Jack. “Whatever made you think of trying to go in Philip’s place, Lucy-Ann?”
“I don’t know. It sort of came over me all at once,” Lucy-Ann tried to explain. “But I wasn’t brave. My legs were wobbling like jelly.”
“The only thing that worries me is Kiki,” said Jack. “I hope those men haven’t done anything to her. She’s never been away from us so long. I haven’t heard so much as a hiccup from her!”
The others were worried too. Dinah couldn’t help feeling pretty certain that Kiki had come to some harm. If Meier caught her that would be the end of her. Dinah shivered when she thought of his cold, piercing eyes.
Suddenly Dinah gave a small shriek. “Oh! Something’s wriggling over my leg! What is it, quick?”
“It’s the slow-worm,” said Jack, making a grab at it. “Sorry, Dinah. You see, Philip didn’t want to make poor old Sally share his jump — so he slipped her into my pocket when he thought you weren’t looking. I didn’t know she’d got out. Don’t yell, Dinah. With everybody being so frightfully brave tonight, you might as well show your pluck too!”
And, surprisingly, Dinah did. After all, what was a slow-worm compared to Philip’s jump — if he had had to jump? Nothing at all. Dinah drew her leg away, but made no fuss at all. Sally slithered round them for a little while and then went into Jack’s pocket again.
“I just simply can’t get over knowing it was Bill in that helicopter!” said Lucy-Ann for the twentieth time. “My heart jumped nearly out of my body when he suddenly changed his voice to his own and yelled out, ‘Don’t forget Bill Smugs!’ ”
“We’ll have to be on the look-out for when he comes back,” said Jack. “I’m sure it will be tonight. Perhaps no one will hear him but us, because we’ll be the only ones expecting him. You can’t hear a thing down in that mountain.”
“Oooh — wouldn’t that be super, if Bill came back without being heard, and took us off?” said Lucy-Ann. “What would Meier and the others think! They’d hunt all over the place for us!”
“And send the dogs out too,” said Jack.
“Shall we keep awake to look out for him?” said Dinah.
“No, you girls have a nap. I’ll keep watch,” said Jack. “I’m much too wide awake to go to sleep. I’ll wake you as soon as ever I hear anything.”
“What about that beam of light that shows the helicopter where to land at night?” said Dinah suddenly. “Can you turn it on when you hear it coming, Jack?”
“I expect so,” said Jack, and went into the middle of the courtyard to find the switch that turned on the powerful beam.
But he couldn’t find it anywhere. He hunted all over the place and gave it up at last. “Can’t find where the wretched thing turns on,” he said. “Sickening!”
“Well, I daresay Bill can land all right,” said Lucy-Ann, who had the utmost faith in Bill’s ability to do anything, no matter how impossible. “You keep watch, Jack. I’m going to have a nap.”
She and Dinah shut their eyes, and in spite of all the terrific excitement of that night, they were both asleep in half a minute. Jack sat up, keeping watch. It was a cloudy night, and only occasionally did he see a star peeping out from between the clouds.
Good old Bill! How had he got that helicopter? How did he know how to fly one? Jack felt very thankful indeed that he had had the sense to leave a note behind with Dapple, telling everything they knew. Otherwise Bill wouldn’t have known a thing about the mountain or its secret, and certainly wouldn’t have guessed that a helicopter landed on the top!
From far away a noise came through the night. Jack strained his ears. Yes — it was the helicopter coming back. It hadn’t been long then — just long enough to drop Philip somewhere, hear his story and come back for the others. What a sell for Meier to find them all gone — and not to know what had happened to the wonderful wings!
The boy went to try and put on the lamp again, but could not find the switch at all. This was not surprising, because it was set in a tiny trap-door, let into the yard.
The helicopter came nearer. It circled the mountain. It rose vertically to land on the courtyard. Jack shook the two girls.
“It’s here! Bill’s back!”
The girls woke up at once. Snowy, who was asleep by then, woke up too and leapt to his feet. He could feel the terrific excitement of the others, and sprang about madly.
“Look — it’s landing!” said Jack, and the three of them strained their eyes to see the helicopter, a big dark shadow in the blackness of the night.