It was a curious evening that they all spent on Thamis. They went to find the store of food and had a very good meal indeed. They put the rest of it safely back in the cool place they had stored it in at first. Then they went wandering round the silent, ruined old city again. Lucy-Ann found an old pot with a broken neck, which she was very pleased with. Jack found some kind of metal fork — at least that is what he took it to be — with two of its prongs gone.
Bill had been hunting about for some place to sleep in. He hadn’t been very successful. At last he chose a room not far from the ruined temple, one that had three walls and a little roof left. It was overgrown with thick grass and would have to do for a bedroom.
The sun was going down. It would soon be gone. Bill decided to put the food in the “bedroom” too, then it would be handy if they wanted any. He and the boys removed it from the place it was in and put it carefully in some thick, cool grass. They were glad there was such a lot!
When the sun disappeared everyone felt tired. Lucy-Ann was yawning her head off, and so was Kiki. Micky explored the ruined little room thoroughly, approved of it and settled down on Philip as soon as the boy had made himself a fairly soft bed in the thickly-growing grass.
The four children fell asleep at once. Kiki perched herself quietly on Jack’s middle as soon as she knew he was asleep. He had pushed her off two or three times, but this time he didn’t wake, and she remained where she was, her head tucked under her wing.
Bill lay and looked up at the stars he could see through the holes in the roof. He was angry with himself for bringing the children to Thamis. Now they had landed in difficulties again — all because of a legendary and most elusive treasure, one that certainly hadn’t existed for years — if it had ever existed at all!
He puzzled over the boy on the donkey, who had brought the food. He puzzled over the blocked-up entrance and the battery Lucy-Ann had found — but more than anything he puzzled over the sudden disappearance of Andros.
He was just about to fall off to sleep when he heard a noise. Micky must have heard it too, because he stirred and his small head looked round the “bedroom.” Bill lay and listened, holding his breath. Was it a noise he had heard?
Then he heard the unmistakable sound of a voice! Then another voice, deep and complaining. Where did they come from?
He sat up cautiously and listened again. The voices came once more, and then Bill heard footsteps — footsteps coming down the ruined city street! He didn’t like it at all. Who on earth was walking through the old dead city in the middle of the night?
Kiki had heard the voices too. She flew out of the room she was in and hid herself under the ledge of an arch, waiting. The footsteps came nearer. The voices came too, talking together. Bill silently posted himself beside a broken window-opening and watched. There was only starlight to see by, but he might be able to make out something.
Two dark figures came up the street. They stopped every now and again. It seemed to Bill as if they were looking in the ruined buildings to find something. Would they look into this one and find the children? Bill debated whether he should go out and accost these people? Who were they, anyway?
Then he decided that people who walk the streets of a ruined city at dead of night are not perhaps the best people to ask help from, and he remained where he was.
The two dark figures arrived near by. He heard their voices again, but they spoke in a foreign language — Greek, he thought — and he couldn’t understand a word. They were obviously looking for something, Bill thought — and then he suddenly guessed what it was.
The food perhaps! Maybe the boy had brought it for them — and they hadn’t been there — but Bill had, and had got it instead. Now the men were looking for it, sure that the boy had dumped it somewhere.
“They’ll look in here then, sure as anything,” thought Bill. But they didn’t. Just as they got to the broken doorway, near where the parrot was perched, Kiki went off like a pistol-shot.
CRACK!
The children all woke up at once and sat up. They were too startled to make a sound, and as soon as they heard Bill’s “Sh!” they sat silently waiting.
The two men were most alarmed. Bill could see them clutching one another. They said something rapidly, obviously asking each other what that noise was.
Kiki considered them. She didn’t like them. She began to cackle with laughter, and this horrified the men more than anything else could have done. Kiki’s laughter was so completely idiotic that it froze them to the marrow.
Kiki stopped. She swelled out her throat and began to make her famous noise of an express train screeching through a tunnel, getting louder and louder and louder. It was a magnificent effort, and had very satisfactory results.
The men screeched too, in panic, and set off as fast as they could, certain that something terrible was coming after them. Kiki sent another pistol-shot after them and then relapsed into cackles.
“Well, really, Kiki,” said Bill, when the two men were completely gone. “What a performance!”
“Who was it out there, Bill?” asked Dinah.
“I’ve no idea,” said Bill. “But I have a feeling it was two hungry fellows come to look for the food the small boy presented us with today. Anyway they’ve departed in a great hurry.”
“Kiki was marvellous, wasn’t she?” said Jack. “Good old Kiki! Clever bird!”
Kiki gave an out-size hiccup. “Pardon! Send for the doctor! Pop goes the weasel.”
“Yes. Very nice. But that’s enough now,” said Jack. “Bill, who do you think those men were?”
“I’ve just told you — I’ve no idea,” said Bill. “This place beats me. Come on, let’s go to sleep again. I don’t somehow think those fellows will come back — and if we have any other visitors I’ve no doubt Kiki will deal with them!”
They settled themselves off to sleep again. Bill lay awake wondering a little more, then he too fell asleep. He didn’t wake till morning.
The others were already awake. Jack had awakened very thirsty and had gone to look for water. He found a well beside a tumbledown house some way down the hill, and saw water in it. It wasn’t long before he had rigged up a way of bringing up the water, which was crystal clear and cold.
He tied string round the broken pot Lucy-Ann had found and lowered it down the well. It didn’t hold much water because the neck was broken, but it was enough for them all to quench their thirst. They had breakfast off the rolls and cheeses, and hoped the boy would come again that day!
“Go down and see if there’s any sign of the boat, Jack,” said Bill, when they had finished. So off he went, and soon came back to report that the creek was empty. No boat was anywhere to be seen.
“Well — we shall just have to wait about that’s all,” said Bill. “It will only be a question of time till we are taken off. Tim will wonder what’s happened for one thing. Or Andros will discover he’s done a crazy thing, and come back for us!”
At about twelve o’clock they heard the dong-dong-dong of the donkey’s bell again, and round the same corner came the imp of a boy. Bill knew what to do this time! He and the others unpacked the food, the boy was paid, and, with the donkey’s bell ringing loudly, he departed, much better pleased with his reception. Everyone stared after him.
“Really very extraordinary,” said Bill. “Let’s hide the food quickly, before the real recipients come along. We’ll have a meal ourselves too. I’m hungry!”
They dragged it to the room in which they had slept the night before, and had a good meal before they hid it. Bill wondered if he should find his way to one of the farms for help. But what help could they give? And what kind of a reception would he get? Anything might happen to him on this lonely island. He might be robbed and kept prisoner, or even killed.
Jack asked Bill to give him the map to study — the redrawn one. “Not that it’s going to be much use,” said Jack, with a grin. “Now that I’m on Thamis I don’t think so much of it as I did. And it’s difficult to believe in treasure when all you can see around you is a lot of ruins.”