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One more chapter after this.
Chapter 21
Down in the Dungeons
Timothy's excited bark had led Klonski and Rodney Stone very close to where George and Anne were hiding. They hadn't gone very far into the underground passages because they were expecting Dick to try and catch up with them but it was a well chosen tucked in spot where the tunnel branched, petered out and then double backed on itself. George, Timmy and Anne were squashed into the double back Anyone shining a torch into the cavity would see two apparently empty paths leading into solid rock and this is just what the two men did see. They would have turned away to investigate in another direction if Anne's sharply indrawn breath of terror as the torch beams swept past them hadn't developed into a gasp which gave enough of an echo to make the men exclaim and discover them.
"Master George," said Rodney Stone. "The very person. Your little cousin denied all knowledge of your father's plans and I believe her for all her superior acting skills. But you, on the other hand, will know exactly where they are because of course, you will have hidden them. Or are you carrying them somewhere about your person?"
Timmy gave a threatening snarl. Dick was very close to them, standing several yards behind the men but at a loss as to the best action to take. Unbeknown to any of them Julian, Peter and Nicola were also close, each thinking much the same thing: if it wasn't for the gun it would be a relatively easy thing to rush them and hope to take them enough by surprise to do them some damage because there was Timmy as well to help - but then if it wasn't for the gun Timmy would be at their throats by now anyway. If it wasn't for the gun …
Nicola was certainly thinking along these lines. She gripped her torch hard wondering what sort of a weapon it would make - if she found she needed a weapon.
"Well?" said Rodney Stone. "None of us want to be down here any longer than we need to be so hand them over, there's a good lad, and we can all go back home."
"I haven't got them."
"Then you know where they are. Come on now!"
"I'll never tell you! You'll have to shoot me first!"
Nicola's heart gave a frightened jump. George sounded at her defiant worst and if she made them angry they just might take up her invitation.
But Rodney Stone gave an amused laugh.
"Guts, eh? Well done for trying, sonny."
Did he know George was a girl or not, Nicola wondered feverishly, or was he mocking her and if he did know would it make any difference?
"Ve vill shoot if ve 'ave to."
That was Klonski. Much more menacing. Nicola shivered. Next to her Julian gave her arm a comforting squeeze and she found she didn't mind. On her other side she could hear Peter's breathing, quick and shallow. In the dim light she could see that Klonski had taken out his gun and was pointing it in George's direction.
"My friend here is rather less patient than I am," said Rodney Stone. "We want the plans, George."
"No!"
"Oh, don't!" That was Anne's voice, Nicola thought, quavery, petrified. It made her feel just a little bit better herself. "Don't shoot her."
"Don't worry," said Rodney Stone and his voice was low and pleasant again. "George is perfectly safe. And so are you, my dear. But the dog - " his voice changed. "isn't. Tell us where the plans are or you'll be taking a dead dog back home with you."
Timmy snarled again. Klonski raised his gun a little higher.
"I won't," said George and her despair bounced off the walls with the words and reached everyone.
"I'm warning you, sonny - "
Nicola brought her right arm back. Panic and fear had left her and she knew this was the only chance. Her torch arced through the air and hit Klonski squarely on the back of the head. He fell like a stone and she pressed her hand to her mouth in horror. She'd killed him, she thought, bile rising in her throat, and made everything ten times worse.
Everything happened very quickly. Klonski had dropped his gun as he fell and it skittered across the rocky floor in George's direction. She darted out to pick it up shouting: "Go for them, Timmy, go for them!" Julian, Dick and Peter dashed to join in. Nicola stayed where she was her eyes on Klonski willing him to show a sign of life. Anne huddled in the corner waiting for it all to be over, quite sure that now Julian had arrived this would happen very soon.
It was only a matter of seconds before the seething mass of bodies tidied itself. Klonski had pulled himself to a sitting position, groaning and holding his head. His companion was crouched next to him his eyes on George who was holding the gun very close to his ear. Timmy, panting hard, giving whines of over excitement and shooting gobbets of drool over him was in full guard mode, the whines turning to a growl if either man showed signs of moving.
Anne came to stand next to Julian.
"I'm so pleased to see you," she said thankfully. "It was so brave the way you threw that torch."
"It wasn't me," said Julian. "I wish it had been but it was Nicola here we've got to thank for that - come on, Nick, what are you doing over there? Come and be heartily thumped on the back - good as a boy any day, you are!"
Nicola approached as fearfully as Anne had.
"Is he all right?" she said. "I thought I'd killed him."
"Briefly knocked out but he's coming round," said Dick. "See for yourself. Sitting up and taking notice."
"Rope," said Peter tersely. "Do we have any?"
"We don't need to tie them up," Julian said. "Plenty of nice comfortable dungeon cells with nice strong bolts. Get up, both of you. George, do be careful with that gun. Don't wave it about like that."
"I am being. And I'm not waving it about."
"I'd feel happier if I had it - "
"It's all right, Julian. I'm not going to shoot anyone - much as I'd like to."
Klonski and Rodney Stone got to their feet, Klonski muttering aggressively to himself.
Rodney Stone said:
"We weren't intending to hurt anyone, you know."
"You were intending to steal my father's plans!" George burst out. "And you were going to shoot my dog to get them."
"Hang on a minute, George," said Julian, shining his torch all round. "Where's Lawrie? I thought she was with you, Anne."
"Don't worry, she's perfectly safe," answered Rodney Stone sullenly. "She's in one of the dungeons."
"Oh, no, she's not!" said Dick, rather savouring the moment. "She's on the way to the mainland with Alf to get help."
"Gosh," said Peter faintly. "That sounds rather intrepid of our Lawrie. And how does Alf come into all this?"
"He brought them over," said George. "And he'll have a good reason if I know Alf. They probably made him. Didn't you?"
She prodded Rodney Stone with the end of the gun. He drew in his breath sharply and shrank back from her.
"George - " Julian remonstrated.
"It's all right. I only wanted to know how they got Alf to do it."
"We saw him looking for his boat," muttered Rodney Stone, a hand in front of his face to shield him from George. "We told him we'd seen some of you come back and that you'd told us the rest of you were caught on the rocks. And that they'd gone off to look for him to help rescue them."
"So you very kindly told Alf you'd better go with him in case we needed help, I suppose," said Julian. "No time to lose sort of thing. Well, well, well. Dick and Peter, would you like to select the finest dungeon cell for these two? One with a good strong bolt."
"You don't need to go that far," said Rodney Stone. "You've won. You've got what you wanted. You hardly need to leave us down here - "
"Oh, yes we do!" said all the children together.
"Woof!" said Timmy in full agreement.
The children were very relieved to climb back up the steps to the fresh air.
"Gosh, look at the sunshine now we don't need it," said Dick. "Quite blinding. What do we do now? I suppose some of us could go back home."
"Not perishing well likely!" said Peter. "And miss seeing the police arrive and cart those two off? Not me, for one."
"Anne, you look done in," Julian said. "And Nick you still look a bit white. George, do you think you - ?"
"Not me," said Nicola quickly, echoing Peter. "I'm definitely staying."
"And me," said Anne with a small sigh. "The best part of these dreadful adventures we keep having is always the end. I don't want to miss it. And George wouldn't want to take me back anyway."
"I would if you wanted," said George gruffly. "It was horrible for you in the dungeons. I know how you hate them."
"We had Timmy, though," said Anne. "I always feel a bit better when Tim's around. But wasn't it awful when they threatened to shoot him? Poor Timmy."
"Oh, Tim's been in tighter corners than that," said George robustly. "Haven't you Tim, old boy? And I don't think they would have anyway. They were only bluffing."
"Woof!" said Timmy.
"He's agreeing with you, George," said Julian with a grin. "Either that or he's saying how about a spot of lunch? How about if we have a bit of a picnic? We could take all the food we've got up to the cliff top and watch for the police launch. It might be quite soon if that idiot at the police station understood properly what I was trying to tell him."
"And even if he didn't it shouldn't take Lawrie and Alf long to bring help," said Dick optimistically. "Poor old Alf! He was awfully upset, you know, when he realised he'd been giving a lift to a pair of baddies. He's probably still apologising to Lawrie now!"
The children went back to the castle room to collect the remains of their food and they all went together to the highest point of the island where they found a fairly dry shelf of rock to spread out the blanket they had brought. Anne busied herself in setting out the picnic and they all set to eating with appetites sharpened with exhilaration. Then George gave a shout of excitement.
"Look!" she said through a mouthful of apple. "Look! They're here already. There's the police launch with Lawrie standing in the prow waving at us."
"How absolutely blinking typical," said Peter.
Some time later just as it was growing dark, the seven children walked the last steps towards Kirrin Cottage. It had been, they all agreed, an exhausting, if memorable day. They had parted from Alf, who had returned home in a state of high excitement at the prospect of telling his news to his family, and from the police, who had commended them all for the various parts they had played, and now were looking forward to hot baths and something on the substantial side to eat.
"But it's going to be a bit bleak at Kirrin Cottage," Julian warned. "No Aunt Fanny or Joanna with a huge meal to welcome us back, no Uncle Quentin rampaging about, no fires lit and to top it all, a draughty boarded up window. Not very nice at all."
"Never mind," said Nicola resignedly. "At least we're not still in the dungeons. Or in that awful tunnel."
"Fish and chips," said Dick cheerfully. "That's what we'll have for tea. We'll toss coins to see who'll have to go and fetch them. Hello - there's a light on."
"Not more burglars - " began Anne.
"Probably left it on earlier," said Julian. "But let me go first, just in case. Peter and Dick keep right behind me. You girls - "
"Wait here!" chorused George and Nick and grinned at each other.
"Wouldn't it be lovely if it's Joanna back again and cooking tea for us," said Lawrie wistfully.
The children made their way cautiously along the path to the back of the house but before they had a chance to reach it the door burst open and there stood Joanna, a huge smile of welcome and relief on her face. Lawrie stared. It was the closest thing to a wish being instantly granted that she had ever experienced. Almost eerie, she thought.
"I've been that worried," she said, ushering them all in to the warm, bright house. "Nobody here, broken windows, didn't know what had happened to you all. I phoned the police up because I couldn't think what to do. They told me all about it."
"But what are you doing here, Joanna?" asked Anne as they all trooped in. "Aunt Fanny told us your old mother was ill and you wouldn't be back until tomorrow."
"Well, you'll never believe this, Miss Anne, but she was right as rain and that surprised to see me!" said Joanna. "Mrs Kirrin told me it was a message from a neighbour to get home quick as I could but my old mother never sent any message like that. Right peculiar we thought it was but there, mistakes do happen, don't they? But too late to get the last bus back so I stayed over. Now, who's going to tell me about that broken window?"
They all stopped taking off their coats and boots and tried to do just that. Joanna put her hands over her ears.
"Can't make out a word," she said firmly. "And you all look tired to death. Best come and have some tea and then you can start telling me all about it."
"Tea," said Dick in heartfelt tones. "What a wonderful word!" He lifted his head and sniffed. "And I smell pies cooking! Can't we have tea and supper rolled into one meal? It does seem such a long time since our little picnic!"
Chapter 21
Down in the Dungeons
Timothy's excited bark had led Klonski and Rodney Stone very close to where George and Anne were hiding. They hadn't gone very far into the underground passages because they were expecting Dick to try and catch up with them but it was a well chosen tucked in spot where the tunnel branched, petered out and then double backed on itself. George, Timmy and Anne were squashed into the double back Anyone shining a torch into the cavity would see two apparently empty paths leading into solid rock and this is just what the two men did see. They would have turned away to investigate in another direction if Anne's sharply indrawn breath of terror as the torch beams swept past them hadn't developed into a gasp which gave enough of an echo to make the men exclaim and discover them.
"Master George," said Rodney Stone. "The very person. Your little cousin denied all knowledge of your father's plans and I believe her for all her superior acting skills. But you, on the other hand, will know exactly where they are because of course, you will have hidden them. Or are you carrying them somewhere about your person?"
Timmy gave a threatening snarl. Dick was very close to them, standing several yards behind the men but at a loss as to the best action to take. Unbeknown to any of them Julian, Peter and Nicola were also close, each thinking much the same thing: if it wasn't for the gun it would be a relatively easy thing to rush them and hope to take them enough by surprise to do them some damage because there was Timmy as well to help - but then if it wasn't for the gun Timmy would be at their throats by now anyway. If it wasn't for the gun …
Nicola was certainly thinking along these lines. She gripped her torch hard wondering what sort of a weapon it would make - if she found she needed a weapon.
"Well?" said Rodney Stone. "None of us want to be down here any longer than we need to be so hand them over, there's a good lad, and we can all go back home."
"I haven't got them."
"Then you know where they are. Come on now!"
"I'll never tell you! You'll have to shoot me first!"
Nicola's heart gave a frightened jump. George sounded at her defiant worst and if she made them angry they just might take up her invitation.
But Rodney Stone gave an amused laugh.
"Guts, eh? Well done for trying, sonny."
Did he know George was a girl or not, Nicola wondered feverishly, or was he mocking her and if he did know would it make any difference?
"Ve vill shoot if ve 'ave to."
That was Klonski. Much more menacing. Nicola shivered. Next to her Julian gave her arm a comforting squeeze and she found she didn't mind. On her other side she could hear Peter's breathing, quick and shallow. In the dim light she could see that Klonski had taken out his gun and was pointing it in George's direction.
"My friend here is rather less patient than I am," said Rodney Stone. "We want the plans, George."
"No!"
"Oh, don't!" That was Anne's voice, Nicola thought, quavery, petrified. It made her feel just a little bit better herself. "Don't shoot her."
"Don't worry," said Rodney Stone and his voice was low and pleasant again. "George is perfectly safe. And so are you, my dear. But the dog - " his voice changed. "isn't. Tell us where the plans are or you'll be taking a dead dog back home with you."
Timmy snarled again. Klonski raised his gun a little higher.
"I won't," said George and her despair bounced off the walls with the words and reached everyone.
"I'm warning you, sonny - "
Nicola brought her right arm back. Panic and fear had left her and she knew this was the only chance. Her torch arced through the air and hit Klonski squarely on the back of the head. He fell like a stone and she pressed her hand to her mouth in horror. She'd killed him, she thought, bile rising in her throat, and made everything ten times worse.
Everything happened very quickly. Klonski had dropped his gun as he fell and it skittered across the rocky floor in George's direction. She darted out to pick it up shouting: "Go for them, Timmy, go for them!" Julian, Dick and Peter dashed to join in. Nicola stayed where she was her eyes on Klonski willing him to show a sign of life. Anne huddled in the corner waiting for it all to be over, quite sure that now Julian had arrived this would happen very soon.
It was only a matter of seconds before the seething mass of bodies tidied itself. Klonski had pulled himself to a sitting position, groaning and holding his head. His companion was crouched next to him his eyes on George who was holding the gun very close to his ear. Timmy, panting hard, giving whines of over excitement and shooting gobbets of drool over him was in full guard mode, the whines turning to a growl if either man showed signs of moving.
Anne came to stand next to Julian.
"I'm so pleased to see you," she said thankfully. "It was so brave the way you threw that torch."
"It wasn't me," said Julian. "I wish it had been but it was Nicola here we've got to thank for that - come on, Nick, what are you doing over there? Come and be heartily thumped on the back - good as a boy any day, you are!"
Nicola approached as fearfully as Anne had.
"Is he all right?" she said. "I thought I'd killed him."
"Briefly knocked out but he's coming round," said Dick. "See for yourself. Sitting up and taking notice."
"Rope," said Peter tersely. "Do we have any?"
"We don't need to tie them up," Julian said. "Plenty of nice comfortable dungeon cells with nice strong bolts. Get up, both of you. George, do be careful with that gun. Don't wave it about like that."
"I am being. And I'm not waving it about."
"I'd feel happier if I had it - "
"It's all right, Julian. I'm not going to shoot anyone - much as I'd like to."
Klonski and Rodney Stone got to their feet, Klonski muttering aggressively to himself.
Rodney Stone said:
"We weren't intending to hurt anyone, you know."
"You were intending to steal my father's plans!" George burst out. "And you were going to shoot my dog to get them."
"Hang on a minute, George," said Julian, shining his torch all round. "Where's Lawrie? I thought she was with you, Anne."
"Don't worry, she's perfectly safe," answered Rodney Stone sullenly. "She's in one of the dungeons."
"Oh, no, she's not!" said Dick, rather savouring the moment. "She's on the way to the mainland with Alf to get help."
"Gosh," said Peter faintly. "That sounds rather intrepid of our Lawrie. And how does Alf come into all this?"
"He brought them over," said George. "And he'll have a good reason if I know Alf. They probably made him. Didn't you?"
She prodded Rodney Stone with the end of the gun. He drew in his breath sharply and shrank back from her.
"George - " Julian remonstrated.
"It's all right. I only wanted to know how they got Alf to do it."
"We saw him looking for his boat," muttered Rodney Stone, a hand in front of his face to shield him from George. "We told him we'd seen some of you come back and that you'd told us the rest of you were caught on the rocks. And that they'd gone off to look for him to help rescue them."
"So you very kindly told Alf you'd better go with him in case we needed help, I suppose," said Julian. "No time to lose sort of thing. Well, well, well. Dick and Peter, would you like to select the finest dungeon cell for these two? One with a good strong bolt."
"You don't need to go that far," said Rodney Stone. "You've won. You've got what you wanted. You hardly need to leave us down here - "
"Oh, yes we do!" said all the children together.
"Woof!" said Timmy in full agreement.
The children were very relieved to climb back up the steps to the fresh air.
"Gosh, look at the sunshine now we don't need it," said Dick. "Quite blinding. What do we do now? I suppose some of us could go back home."
"Not perishing well likely!" said Peter. "And miss seeing the police arrive and cart those two off? Not me, for one."
"Anne, you look done in," Julian said. "And Nick you still look a bit white. George, do you think you - ?"
"Not me," said Nicola quickly, echoing Peter. "I'm definitely staying."
"And me," said Anne with a small sigh. "The best part of these dreadful adventures we keep having is always the end. I don't want to miss it. And George wouldn't want to take me back anyway."
"I would if you wanted," said George gruffly. "It was horrible for you in the dungeons. I know how you hate them."
"We had Timmy, though," said Anne. "I always feel a bit better when Tim's around. But wasn't it awful when they threatened to shoot him? Poor Timmy."
"Oh, Tim's been in tighter corners than that," said George robustly. "Haven't you Tim, old boy? And I don't think they would have anyway. They were only bluffing."
"Woof!" said Timmy.
"He's agreeing with you, George," said Julian with a grin. "Either that or he's saying how about a spot of lunch? How about if we have a bit of a picnic? We could take all the food we've got up to the cliff top and watch for the police launch. It might be quite soon if that idiot at the police station understood properly what I was trying to tell him."
"And even if he didn't it shouldn't take Lawrie and Alf long to bring help," said Dick optimistically. "Poor old Alf! He was awfully upset, you know, when he realised he'd been giving a lift to a pair of baddies. He's probably still apologising to Lawrie now!"
The children went back to the castle room to collect the remains of their food and they all went together to the highest point of the island where they found a fairly dry shelf of rock to spread out the blanket they had brought. Anne busied herself in setting out the picnic and they all set to eating with appetites sharpened with exhilaration. Then George gave a shout of excitement.
"Look!" she said through a mouthful of apple. "Look! They're here already. There's the police launch with Lawrie standing in the prow waving at us."
"How absolutely blinking typical," said Peter.
Some time later just as it was growing dark, the seven children walked the last steps towards Kirrin Cottage. It had been, they all agreed, an exhausting, if memorable day. They had parted from Alf, who had returned home in a state of high excitement at the prospect of telling his news to his family, and from the police, who had commended them all for the various parts they had played, and now were looking forward to hot baths and something on the substantial side to eat.
"But it's going to be a bit bleak at Kirrin Cottage," Julian warned. "No Aunt Fanny or Joanna with a huge meal to welcome us back, no Uncle Quentin rampaging about, no fires lit and to top it all, a draughty boarded up window. Not very nice at all."
"Never mind," said Nicola resignedly. "At least we're not still in the dungeons. Or in that awful tunnel."
"Fish and chips," said Dick cheerfully. "That's what we'll have for tea. We'll toss coins to see who'll have to go and fetch them. Hello - there's a light on."
"Not more burglars - " began Anne.
"Probably left it on earlier," said Julian. "But let me go first, just in case. Peter and Dick keep right behind me. You girls - "
"Wait here!" chorused George and Nick and grinned at each other.
"Wouldn't it be lovely if it's Joanna back again and cooking tea for us," said Lawrie wistfully.
The children made their way cautiously along the path to the back of the house but before they had a chance to reach it the door burst open and there stood Joanna, a huge smile of welcome and relief on her face. Lawrie stared. It was the closest thing to a wish being instantly granted that she had ever experienced. Almost eerie, she thought.
"I've been that worried," she said, ushering them all in to the warm, bright house. "Nobody here, broken windows, didn't know what had happened to you all. I phoned the police up because I couldn't think what to do. They told me all about it."
"But what are you doing here, Joanna?" asked Anne as they all trooped in. "Aunt Fanny told us your old mother was ill and you wouldn't be back until tomorrow."
"Well, you'll never believe this, Miss Anne, but she was right as rain and that surprised to see me!" said Joanna. "Mrs Kirrin told me it was a message from a neighbour to get home quick as I could but my old mother never sent any message like that. Right peculiar we thought it was but there, mistakes do happen, don't they? But too late to get the last bus back so I stayed over. Now, who's going to tell me about that broken window?"
They all stopped taking off their coats and boots and tried to do just that. Joanna put her hands over her ears.
"Can't make out a word," she said firmly. "And you all look tired to death. Best come and have some tea and then you can start telling me all about it."
"Tea," said Dick in heartfelt tones. "What a wonderful word!" He lifted his head and sniffed. "And I smell pies cooking! Can't we have tea and supper rolled into one meal? It does seem such a long time since our little picnic!"