“What do we do now?” enquired Jack. “It’s a long way from home, Bill — and we’ve got no food to keep us going if we have to walk back.”
“Effans and Trefor and David are not far off,” said Bill. “I told them to stand by somewhere near this mountain with plenty of donkeys, in case we needed them. I wasn’t sure if the helicopter would fly very far with such a lot of you on board!”
“Oh! Will they really be near here?” said Lucy-Ann, gladly. “Oh, Bill — you think of everything! Oh, good!”
“Can we take the dogs back with us?” asked Philip, who was still surrounded by furry bodies and wagging tails. “I could look after them till we get them away somewhere. I dare say you’d like them for the police force, Bill. They’re jolly well trained.”
“Thanks for the offer,” said Bill, with a grin. “I’ll accept it. And now — quick march! We’ll leave this surprising mountain behind, and I and a few others will come back to it later. I feel it wants a little cleaning up. And we’ll take that mad genius in charge before he does something dangerous. I wouldn’t put it past him to blow up the mountain.”
“Good gracious!” said Lucy-Ann, in alarm. “Well, let’s get away before he does!”
They set off at a smart walk. Meier and Erlick walked in sullen silence. They had their hands by their sides now, for Johns had searched them both, and they were now weaponless. Jack and the others began to feel a familiar feeling of emptiness under their belts.
“I’m jolly hungry,” announced Dinah. “Has Effans brought any food with him, do you think?”
“Well, Mrs. Evans was so upset to hear that you were lost, that she immediately did an enormous baking,” said Bill, “and I believe two of the donkeys are laden with the results. So let’s hurry!”
“Where are they?” asked Jack.
“In the Vale of Butterflies, waiting for us patiently,” said Bill with a grin.
This was a most surprising thing to hear! “The Vale of Butterflies!” cried Jack. “Why, we couldn’t find it! We began to think it was all Trefor’s make-up!”
“Oh, no. It was really quite easy to find, if only David had known how to read a map,” said Bill. “The name was on it in Welsh, so you wouldn’t have understood it. But I don’t believe David can read words of more than three letters! I shouldn’t have let him go off with you as guide.”
“Did you find it then?” asked Lucy-Ann.
“Oh, yes. It’s on the way here, actually,” said Bill. “David took a wrong road, that’s all — stupidly left the track. Anyway I told him to wait there with the donkeys, because I thought you’d rather like to see the butterfly valley, after having missed it and found a very strange mountain instead!”
“Oh! Everything’s coming right!” said Lucy-Ann joyfully. “The adventure is over, isn’t it, Bill? Well — it doesn’t seem nearly so bad now as it did!”
“Poor Lucy-Ann!” said Bill. “You do have adventures thrust upon you, don’t you? Never mind, you’ll soon be back at the farm, enjoying Mrs. Evans’ wonderful cooking!”
“As soon as you came, things were all right,” said Lucy-Ann happily. “It was super hearing you yell out, ‘Don’t forget Bill Smugs!’ last night. Gosh, was it only last night? It seems years ago!”
They went through a narrow pass between two mountains, feeling hungrier and hungrier — and there below them was the Vale of Butterflies!
They stopped in delight. The valley was a froth of coloured butterflies, red, yellow, white, pink, blue, copper, brown! There were thousands there, fluttering in the sunlight, darting erratically to and fro, hovering, dropping down to the millions of flowers. These made a carpet of brilliant colour, and the children thought they had never seen such a lovely sight before.
“Why are there so many many butterflies, I wonder!” marvelled Dinah.
“I suppose because there are so many varieties of food-plants,” said Bill. “This valley is apparently as famous for flowers as for butterflies, but because it is so much off the beaten track, it is rarely visited. I’ve no doubt the pack of dogs would keep trippers away, anyhow!”
“There’s Effans — and the donkeys!” cried Philip. “Hey, Effans! Hallo, Trefor — and David!”
Dapple moved forward to greet Snowy, who ran in delight to his friend. Effans beamed. Trefor’s blue eyes shone. Only David did not greet them eagerly. He kept his eyes on the ground and seemed ashamed.
“He got it hot and strong from Mrs. Evans when he arrived back alone with the donkeys chasing after him,” explained Bill. “I also had a few words to say to him, as you can imagine! So he now feels he can’t look anyone in the face. It won’t do him any harm to feel like that for a while. He behaved like a coward!”
“Poor David!” said Lucy-Ann. “I expect he’s sorry now,” and she spoke to the little man kindly. He looked at her gratefully.
“It’s good to see you again, indeed to gootness it is, whateffer!” said Effans in his sing-song voice.
“Whateffer, whateffer!” shouted Kiki in delight. “Look you, look you, whateffer!”
“That bird!” said Effans in great admiration. “Look you, it iss a marvel, that bird. I would give ten pounds for a bird like that, whateffer!”
“She’s not for sale,” said Jack, fondling Kiki. “No, not for a million pounds. Where’s the food, Effans? We’re starving!”
“All explanations after the meal!” said Bill to Effans. “We’ll have a talk then, Effans, while the children go mad over the butterflies! Meier, Erlick, keep over there. Philip, tell the dogs to look after them.”
Effans stared in surprise at the two sullen men. Meier glared back. Erlick was full of self-pity, and had even begun to reproach Meier for his carelessness in letting them be captured. Meier looked at Erlick as if he could snap at him like the dogs.
“A pretty couple,” said Bill. “I think we’ll turn our backs on them. They spoil the view.”
Joyfully the children settled down to the finest picnic they had ever had. Mrs. Evans had indeed surpassed herself. There was roast chicken, tender tongue, spiced ham, hard-boiled eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, potted meat, fresh fruit, home-made lemonade which Effans had had the sense to keep cooling in a nearby stream, and so many other eatables that the boys despaired of even being able to taste them all!
They sat there on the hillside, the carpet of bright flowers spread at their feet — unbelievably brilliant in colour! And the butterflies!
“They’re like flying flowers!” cried Lucy-Ann in joy. “Hundreds of them! Thousands of them! What are they, Philip?”
“Fritillaries, painted ladies, commas, peacocks, ringlets, coppers, skippers, heaths . . .” reeled off Philip. “My word, what a paradise of butterflies! I really will never forget this all my life long!”
It was a wonderful picnic — wonderful food, gorgeous butterflies, brilliant flowers — and plenty of laughter and jokes! Kiki was quite mad, and when she saw how Johns and Effans admired her, she showed off tremendously. She gave them her whole repertoire of noises, and Effans laughed till he choked.
The stolid Johns munched away, keeping his eyes on Kiki, and occasionally giving a slight smile at her more outrageous sayings.
“Indeed to gootness, whateffer! Wipe your feet and blow your nose. Pifflebunk! Pardon!”
Snowy wandered round taking titbits from everyone. The dogs watched from a distance, feeling certain that their friend Philip would not forget them. It was a very good thing that Mrs. Evans had provided so much, because with two prisoners and ten dogs every scrap of food would be needed!
Bill, Johns and Effans exchanged news when the children had gone to wander through the clouds of butterflies. Effans listened gravely. Trefor and David tried to understand, but most of what Bill said was beyond them.
“They are brave children, look you,” said Effans. “Very brave children whateffer!”
Chapter 30
THE END OF IT ALL!
THEY had to sleep out in the open that night. Effans gave the children the rugs he had brought, because all their sleeping things had been left behind in the cave, on the mountainside. The prisoners slept apart, guarded by the dogs. It was very warm, and Snowy got pushed off by everyone when he tried to cuddle down first on top of Philip, then on Jack, and then on the girls.
They had had a very long talk with Bill and told him all their adventures down to the last detail. Bill had marvelled at their accidental discovery of the strange mountain and its even stranger secret. He had examined the “wings” which Philip had given to Johns to take care of for him.
“I shall take those back to school with me next term!” he said. “Won’t the boys stare! I bet some of them will want to try them!”