“I think we’d better go exploring,” said Jack. “The most important thing really is to find help. We simply must get back home at once if we can. Aunt Allie and Bill will be worried to death about us.”
“This is such a lovely valley,” said Dinah, looking out of the tumble-down cowshed. “I can’t think why it isn’t packed with houses and cattle and sheep. But I can’t see a soul. I can’t even see any smoke anywhere — except for that bit over there, where the men are. It’s very mysterious. Why are all those houses burnt, and why isn’t there anyone here?”
“Well, we’ve only seen just a bit of the valley and hillside,” said Philip. “We may round a corner and come on a whole village. Aren’t those mountains enormous?”
“Yes. They make a ring all round this valley,” said Lucy-Ann. “I wonder where the way out is. Mountains always have passes through them, don’t they?”
“Yes,” said Jack. “But I shouldn’t care to go looking for one if I didn’t know the way. See that mountain over there? It’s got a white tip. I bet that’s snow. It shows how high it must be.”
It certainly was a beautiful valley, and the mountains that guarded it were magnificent. But it had a deserted lonely air about it, and even the few birds that flew by every now and again seemed silent and cautious.
“There’s something mysterious here,” said Jack. “You know — I believe — yes, I really do believe — we’re in for another adventure.”
“Rubbish!” said Philip. “We shall find a farm nearby, get help, have a message sent somewhere, find a car road, go to the nearest town by car, and from there to an aerodrome. And I bet you we’ll be home by tomorrow.”
“I bet we won’t,” said Jack. Lucy-Ann looked alarmed.
“But what about meals?” she said. “We’ve only got Aunt Allie’s picnic packet — and a few biscuits and some chocolate. We’ll starve if we don’t get home quickly. There’s nothing to eat here.”
Nobody had thought of that. It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing — but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn’t do at all.
“I don’t think we’ll make this an adventure after all,” said Jack. But an adventure it was — and they were only at the beginning of it, too.
Chapter 5
A LITTLE EXPLORING
THE four children went to the broken-down door and gazed out at the towering mountains around them. They seemed to hem the valley in and make it a green prison. None of the children had seen such high mountains before. Clouds hung about half-way up two or three of them, and their tops showed now and again as the clouds shifted and parted.
“It’s a very lonely kind of place,” said Jack. “I bet there’s all kinds of strange birds here — but I’ve only seen one or two so far. It’s funny that those men should have known where to land in this valley — that smooth strip of grass makes a splendid landing-ground. It looks as if they’ve been here before. But why should they come here? There doesn’t seem anything to come for at all — no hotel, not even a cottage that isn’t burnt, as far as we can see.”
“Oh, there may be,” said Philip. “Hey, look at that little lizard! I’ve never seen one like that before. What a pretty little fellow!”
The lizard ran close by Philip’s feet. The boy bent down quietly and his deft hand caught the tiny creature by the neck. If he had caught it by the tail it would probably have snapped off, and the lizard would have run away without it.
“Oh, put it down, Philip, do!” said Dinah. “Horrid creature!”
“It isn’t,” said Philip. “Look at its dear little feet with fingers on. Do look, Dinah.”
Dinah gave a squeal and pushed Philip away. Lucy-Ann and Jack looked at the tiny lizard with interest.
“It’s like a very very small dragon,” said Jack. “Open your hand and see if it will stay with you, Philip.”
“Of course it will!” said Philip, who always seemed to exercise a queer spell over any creature he picked up. He opened his hand and let the lizard lie on his open palm. It made no attempt to escape at all.
“See? It wants to stay with me,” said Philip. “And so it shall. What’s your name, little thing? Lizzie? Well, of course, I might have known that.”
Lucy-Ann giggled, forgetting her worries for a moment. What a lovely name for a lizard! Lizzie. Just like Philip to think of that.
“I’ll see if I can catch a few flies for you, Lizzie,” said Philip, and went to a sunny patch where flies were buzzing. He caught one and held it in finger and thumb over the lizard’s head. In a trice the fly was gone, and the lizard blinked with pleasure.
“Now I suppose you’ll let that lizard live in your pocket or somewhere about you for ages,” said Dinah in disgust. “I shan’t go near you. If you haven’t got a mouse down your neck you’ve got a toad in your pocket or a baby hedgehog crawling about you, or a few beetles. I think you’re an awful boy.”
“Don’t let’s squabble now,” said Jack. “We’ve bigger things to bother about than lizards.”
The lizard popped into Philip’s sleeve. Kiki had been watching it with her head on one side. She was not fond of Philip’s pets, and was often jealous of them.
“Pop goes the lizard,” she said, making one of her unexpectedly apt remarks. The others roared with laughter. Kiki was pleased. She swayed herself from side to side and cracked her beak.
“Shhhhhhhhh!” she said.
“Oh, Kiki, I’m glad we brought you,” said Jack. “Now, everybody, what are our next plans?”
“Well, we simply must do a bit of exploring and see if there is anyone living in this valley,” said Philip. “If there is, we’re all right. If there isn’t — well, it’s just too bad. We’ll have to stay here till we’re rescued.”
“Rescued! And how do you think anyone is going to rescue us if they haven’t the foggiest idea where we are?” demanded Dinah. “Don’t be silly, Philip.”
“Well, do you propose to live here in this valley for the rest of your life, then?” said Philip. “Oh, here’s Lizzie again — coming out of my other sleeve. Lizzie, you’re a jolly good explorer, I must say. I wish you could tell us the way out of this valley.”
Dinah went as far from Philip as she could. She simply could not bear his pets. It was a pity, because they were really amusing and friendly.
“You know, we’ll have to be careful we don’t get lost,” said Lucy-Ann anxiously. “This valley and these mountainsides are so enormous. We must keep together always.”
“Yes, we must,” agreed Jack. “And we must always be able to get back to this shed, too, because our things are here. At least we shall have shelter here, and our rugs to lie on. If only we had plenty to eat! Those biscuits and chocolate won’t last long.”
“Your compass will come in jolly useful, Jack,” said Philip, remembering it. “Look here — what about setting off now, and doing some more exploring, making this shed a kind of headquarters to come back to?”
“Yes, we will,” said Dinah. “But let’s cover up the suitcases and things with something in case those men come here and see them.”
“They won’t,” said Philip. “What could they possibly want to come snooping round an old burnt cowshed for? We can leave the things here all right.”
They went out of the shed. The sun was just over the mountain-tops now, shining into the valley. The children saw the spire of smoke rising straight up from the fire the men must have made.
“So long as we keep away from that direction, we should be all right,” said Jack. “Come on — let’s take this path. It really looks as if it was once a proper path from this place to somewhere else. We’d better notch the trees here and there as we go, to make sure we find our way back.”
Lucy-Ann liked the idea of that. It reminded her of Red Indians and their ways. Jack and Philip each took out his knife. They made a cut on every fifth or sixth tree until they came out of the little wood and found themselves on a flower-strewn, grassy hillside.
“It’s lovely, isn’t it?” said Lucy-Ann, looking round at the carpet of flowers. “I’ve never seen such bright colours. Look at that blue flower, Jack — it’s bluer than the sky itself. And oh, look at this tiny pink flower — masses of it!”
“Shall we be seen out on this bare place?” asked Dinah suddenly. Jack and Philip looked downwards into the valley. They had been climbing up, and were now on the mountainside.