“But it might pour with rain,” objected Dinah.
“I could perhaps rig up some sort of roof,” said Jack, looking round at the ruined shed. “There’s some old posts here — and there’s a piece of corrugated iron. If Philip gave me a hand, I could rig up the iron sheet on the old posts.”
The two boys tried to do this, but the sheet of iron was not held safely enough. The girls were terrified it might blow off on to them as they slept.
“If only we could find a cave!” said Lucy-Ann.
“Well, we can’t,” said Jack, rather cross that all his efforts with the posts and the iron were of no use. “Anyway, I don’t think it’s going to rain. Look at the clear sky. If it does pour, we’ll have to get into the stall at the end of the cowshed, that’s all.”
Their work with the posts had made them hungrier than ever. Dinah undid the picnic packet and took out sandwiches and huge slices of cake. They ate the sandwiches in silence, enjoying every bite immensely.
“Wonder what those men are doing,” said Jack at last. “I can’t see any smoke rising now. Shall I slip down towards the plane, keeping well hidden, and see if I can see them?”
“Yes,” said Philip. “You’re sure you know your way there and back? Don’t get lost for goodness’ sake!”
“If I do, I’ll get Kiki to do her express-engine screech,” said Jack with a grin. “Then you’ll know where we are all right.”
“Look in the plane if you get a chance, and see if you can spot any food there,” called Dinah. Jack went off with Kiki on his shoulder. Lucy-Ann didn’t at all like him going off alone. She wished she could have gone with him, but she knew he wouldn’t have let her.
“Let’s get our beds ready,” said Dinah, who always liked to be doing something. “Come on, Lucy-Ann — help to unpack the cases and get out something for pillows — and our macks to lie on.”
Whilst Jack was gone the other three were very busy. Soon they had a cosy-looking bed spread on the grass under a big birch-tree. First there were the four macks, to keep the damp out. Then there was one big thick rug for softness. There were four piles of woollies for pillows, and finally the other three rugs for coverings.
“That looks very good,” said Dinah approvingly. “Pull that rug a little over this way, Lucy-Ann. That’s right. Philip, you’re to sleep right on the outside. I won’t have that lizard crawling over me in the night.”
“Lizzie won’t hurt you,” said Philip, taking the lizard out of one of his sleeves. “Will you, Lizzie? Stroke her, Dinah — she’s sweet.”
“Don’t, Philip!” said Dinah with a squeal, as Philip brought the lizard near to her on his outstretched hand. “I’ll box your ears if you dare to let that lizard touch me!”
“Oh, don’t tease her, Tufty,” begged Lucy-Ann. “Let me have Lizzie for a bit. I love her.”
But Lizzie would not go to Lucy-Ann, much to her annoyance. She ran up Philip’s sleeve and disappeared. Little bumps appearing here and there in his jersey showed where she was.
Dinah looked up at the sky. It was quite clear. The sun had almost gone, and soon the first stars would prick through the sky. She felt tired and irritable.
So did the others. Their short night and the shock they had had were beginning to make themselves felt. Lucy-Ann felt that at any moment a violent quarrel might spring up between Dinah and Philip.
So she took Dinah off to the spring with her, and they washed in the cold clear water, and drank. They sat there a little while, enjoying the beauty of the valley and the mountains around.
“They seem to be crowding in on us,” said Lucy-Ann. “Coming closer.”
“How you do imagine things,” said Dinah. “Come on — let’s get back. Jack should be here soon and I want to hear what he’s got to say.”
They went back. Philip had laid himself down on the coats and rugs, and was yawning. “I was just coming to look for you girls,” he said. “What a time you’ve been! Jack isn’t back yet. I hope he’s all right.”
Lucy-Ann felt scared. She adored her brother. She went to stand on a rock, so that she might see when he came. She turned to the others as soon as she got there.
“He’s coming!” she called. “And Kiki’s on his shoulder.” She jumped down from the rock and rushed to meet Jack. He grinned at her, and Kiki flew off his shoulder to perch on Lucy-Ann’s.
“I was beginning to get worried, Jack,” said Lucy-Ann. “Did anything happen? Did you see the two men? What were they doing?”
They came up to Dinah and Philip. “My word, what a fine bed!” said Jack, and he sank down on it. “This is something like! I’m jolly tired.”
“What happened, Jack?” asked Philip. “Anything?”
“Not much,” said Jack. “I got as near to the plane as I could, but I didn’t dare to go right up in case I was seen, because, as you know, it’s right out in the open. I couldn’t see or hear anything of the men at all.”
“Was Kiki good?” asked Lucy-Ann anxiously. “I kept on thinking she might screech or something and draw attention to you.”
“She was as good as gold,” said Jack, scratching Kiki’s poll. “Weren’t you, Kiki? Well, I thought the next thing to do would be to try and find where the men were — where that smoke came from. So, keeping as much to the bushes and trees as I could, I made my way towards the smoke. They must have lighted their fire again, because the smoke rose up quite black and thick.”
“Did you see the men?” asked Dinah.
“I heard their voices first,” said Jack. “Then I thought it would be a good idea to climb a tree and use my field-glasses. So up I shinned and came to the top of a nice little tree. Not far below me, near a tumble-down hut, were the two men, cooking something over a fire they had made.”
“Gracious!” said Lucy-Ann. “Weren’t you scared of being seen?”
“No. The tree hid me all right,” said Jack. “And I hadn’t made a scrap of noise. I got my field-glasses and looked through them. The men were studying some kind of map.”
“Whatever for?” said Dinah wonderingly. “I should think they know this part of the world pretty well or they wouldn’t have been able to land so easily.”
“Well, they’ve come here for some reason, haven’t they?” said Jack. “Goodness knows what — but certainly for some definite reason. They must be looking for something or someone — and the map will probably show them what they want to know. I heard one say ‘This way — and then up here,’ as if they were planning some sort of expedition.”
“We could follow them,” said Dinah at once. “Then we’d know.”
“No, thanks,” said Jack. “I’m not going mountain-climbing behind those men. They look jolly tough. What I say is — let them get off on their expedition — and we’ll be able to explore that hut of theirs — and the plane too. We may find something to tell us who they are and what they’re after.”
“Yes. Let’s do that,” said Lucy-Ann sleepily. “Perhaps they’ll go tomorrow. I hope they do. Jack can watch them with his field-glasses — and when they’re safely gone we can do a good old snoop round.”
“There’s really nothing more to tell,” said Jack with a yawn. “I couldn’t hear any more. The men rolled up the map and talked in low voices. So I shinned down the tree and came back. And here I am.”
“Let’s snuggle down and go to sleep,” said Lucy-Ann. “I simply can’t keep my eyes open. We’re safe here, aren’t we?”
“Perfectly, I should think,” said Jack, lying down contentedly. “Anyway, Kiki will give us warning if anyone comes near. Good night.”
“Good night,” said the others. Philip added a few words. “Dinah, don’t yell if a spider runs over you, or a rat or a hedgehog. There are sure to be plenty out here.”
Dinah gave a squeal and covered her head up at once. Then there was silence. They were all fast asleep.
Chapter 7
A WONDERFUL FIND
SOON the stars filled the sky. An owl hooted, and the wind whispered something in the trees overhead. But the four children did not see the stars nor hear the owl and the wind. They were tired out. They slept solidly, and though Dinah was almost smothered with the rug over her head, she did not wake or move.
Kiki slept too, her head under her wing. She was perched on a branch of the birch-tree just over Jack’s head. She awoke when she heard the owl, and hooted back softly. Then she put her head back under her wing and slept again.