Five Get Into Trouble (6 page)

They came at last to the little dell where they had planned to spend the night. It was quite dark. Julian cal ed loudly:

'Dick! Anne! Where are you?'

George had made her way to where she had hidden her bicycle. She fumbled for the lamp and switched it on. She took it off and flashed it round the dell. There was Dick's bicycle, with the puncture repair outfit on the ground beside it — but no Dick, and no Anne! What had happened?

'Anne!' yelled Julian, in alarm. 'Dick! Come here! We're back!'

And then a small trembling voice came down from the tree-top overhead.

'Oh Julian! Oh Julian! I'm here.'

'It's Anne!' yelled Julian, his heart leaping in relief. 'Anne — where are you?'

'Up in this tree,' cal ed back Anne, in a stronger voice. 'Oh Ju — I've been so frightened, I didn't dare climb down in case I fel . Dick . . .'

'Where is Dick?' demanded Julian.

A sob came down to him. 'Two horrible men came — and they've taken him away. They thought he was Richard!'

Anne's voice became a wail. Julian felt that he must get her down the tree so that she could be with them and be comforted. He spoke to George.

'Shine that lamp up here. I'm going up to fetch Anne.'

George silently shone the light of the lamp on the tree. Julian went up like a cat. He came to Anne who was stil clinging tightly to a branch.

'Anne, I'l help you down. Come on, now — you can't fal . I'm just below you. I'l guide your feet to the right branches.'

Anne was only too glad to be helped down. She was cold and miserable, and she longed to be with the others. Slowly she came down, with Julian's help, and he lifted her to the ground.

She clung to him, and he put his arm round his young sister. 'It's al right, Anne. I'm with you now. And here's George too — and old Timmy.'

'Who's that? said Anne, suddenly seeing Richard in the shadows.

'Only Richard. He's behaved badly,' said Julian, grimly. 'It's all because of him and his idiotic behaviour that this has happened. Now — tell us slowly and careful y about Dick and the two men, Anne.'

Anne told him, not missing out anything at al . Timmy stood near her, licking her hand all the time. That was very comforting indeed! Timmy always knew when anyone was in trouble. Anne felt very much better when she had Julian's arm round her, and Timmy's tongue licking her!

'It's quite clear what's happened,' said Julian, when Anne had finished her alarming tale.

'This man Rooky recognized Richard, and he and the other two came after him, seeing a chance to kidnap him, and so get even with his father. Rooky was the only one who knew Richard, and he wasn't the man who caught Dick. The others got him — and they didn't know he wasn't Richard — and of course, hearing that his name was Dick they jumped to the conclusion that he was Richard — because Dick is short for Richard.'

'But Dick told them he wasn't Richard Kent,' said Anne, earnestly.

'Of course — but they thought he wasn't telling the truth,' said Julian. 'And they've taken him off. What did you say was the name of the place they were going to?'

'It sounded like Owl's Dene,' said Anne. 'Can we go there, Julian — if you told the men Dick was Dick and not Richard, they'd let him go, wouldn't they?'

'Oh yes,' said Julian. 'In any case, as soon as that fel ow Rooky sets eyes on him he'l know there's a mistake been made. I think we can get old Dick away all right.'

A voice came out of the shadows nearby. 'What about me? Wil you take me home first? I don't want to run into Rooky again.'

'I'm certainly not going to waste time taking you home,' said Julian, coldly. 'If it hadn't been for you and your tomfoolery we wouldn't have run into this trouble. You'l have to come with us. I'm going to find Dick first.'

'But I can't come with you — I'm afraid of Rooky!' wailed Richard.

'Well, stay here then,' said Julian, determined to teach Richard a lesson.

That was even worse. Richard howled loudly. 'Don't leave me here! Don't!'

'Now look here — if you come with us, you can always be dropped at a house somewhere, or at a police-station — and get yourself taken home somehow,' said Julian, exasperated. 'You're old enough to look after yourself. I'm fed up with you.'

Anne was sorry for Richard, although he had brought al this trouble on them. She knew how dreadful it was to feel really frightened. She put out a hand and touched him kindly.

'Richard! Don't be a baby. Julian wil see that you're all right. He's just feeling cross with you now, but he'll soon get over it.'

'Don't you be too sure about that!' said Julian to Anne, pretending to be sterner than he real y felt. 'What Richard wants is a jol y good hiding. He's untruthful and deceitful and an absolute baby!'

'Give me another chance,' almost wept poor Richard, who had never in his life been spoken to like this before. He tried to hate Julian for saying such things to him — but oddly enough he couldn't. He only respected and admired him all the more.

Julian said no more to Richard. He real y thought the boy was too feeble for words. It was a nuisance that they had him with them. He would be no help at all — simply a tiresome nuisance.

'What are we going to do, Julian?' asked George, who had been very silent. She was fond of Dick, and was very .worried about him. Where was Owl's Dene? How could they possibly find it in the night? And what about those awful men? How would they treat Julian if he demanded Dick back at once? Julian was fearless and straightforward — but the men wouldn't like him any the better for that.

'Well now — what are we going to do?' repeated Julian, and he fell silent.

'It's no good going back to that farm, and asking for help, is it?' said George, after a pause.

'Not a bit of good,' said Julian, at once. 'That old man wouldn't help anyone! And there's no telephone laid on, as we saw. No — that farm's no good. What a pity!'

'Where's the map?' said George, a sudden idea coming into her head. 'Would Owl's Dene be named on it, do you think?'

'Not if it's a house,' said Julian. 'Only places are named there. You'd want a frightfully big map to show every house.'

'Well, anyway — let's look at the map and see if it shows any more farms or vil ages,' said George, who felt as if she must do something, even if it was only looking at a map. Julian produced the map and unfolded it. He and the girls bent over it, by the light of the bicycle lamp, and Richard peered over their shoulders. Even Timmy tried to look, forcing his head under their arms.

'Get away, Tim,' said Julian. 'Look, here's where we are — Middlecombe Woods — see?

My word, we are in a lonely spot! There's not a vil age for miles!'

Certainly no vil age was marked. The countryside was shown, hil y and wooded, with a stream here and there, and third-class roads now and again — but no vil age, no church, no bridge even was marked anywhere.

Anne gave a sudden exclamation and pointed to the contour of a hil on the map.

'Look — see what that hil 's cal ed?'

'Owl's Hil ,' read out Julian. 'Yes — I see what you're getting at, Anne. If a house was built on that hil it might be cal ed Owl's Dene, because of the name of the hil . What's more —

a building is marked there! It hasn't a name, of course. It might be a farm-house, an old ruin — or a big house of some kind.'

'I think it's very likely that's where Owl's Dene is,' said George. 'I bet it's that very house.

Let's take our bikes and go.'

A huge sigh from Richard attracted their attention. 'Now what's the matter with you?'

said Julian.

'Nothing. I'm hungry, that's all,' said Richard.

The others suddenly realized that they too were hungry. In fact, terribly hungry! It was a long, long time since tea.

Julian remembered the food he and George had brought from the farm. Should they have it now — or should they eat some on their way to Owl's Hil ?

'Better eat as we go,' said Julian. 'Every minute we waste means a minute of worry for Dick.'

'I wonder what they'd do with him, if Rooky sees him and says he's not me, not the boy they want,' said Richard, suddenly.

'Set him free, I should think,' said George. 'Ruffians like that would probably turn him loose in a deserted countryside and not care tuppence if he found his way home or not.

We've absolutely got to find out what's happened — whether he's at Owl's Dene, or been set free, or what.'

'I can't come with you,' suddenly wailed Richard.

'Why?' demanded Julian.

'Because I haven't got my bike,' said Richard, doleful y. 'I chucked it away, you remember — and goodness knows where it is. I'd never find it again.'

'He can have Dick's,' said Anne. 'There it is, over there — with the puncture mended too.'

'Oh yes,' said Richard, relieved. 'For one frightful moment I thought I'd have to be left behind.'

Julian secretly wished he could be left behind. Richard was more trouble than he was worth!

'Yes — you can take Dick's bike,' he said. 'But no idiotic behaviour with it, mind — no riding without handlebars, or any errand boy tricks life that. It's Dick's bike, not yours.'

Richard said nothing. Julian was always ticking him off. He supposed he deserved it —

but it wasn't at al pleasant. He pul ed at Dick's bike, and found the lamp was missing.

Dick, of course, had taken it off. He hunted round for it and found it on the ground. Dick had let it fall, and the switch had turned itself off when the lamp hit the ground. When Richard pressed the switch down the lamp lighted again. Good!

'Now, come on,' said Julian, fetching his bicycle too. 'I'l hand out food to eat as we go.

We must try to find our way to Owl's Hill as quick as ever we can!'

The four of them rode careful y down the rough, woodland path. They were glad when they came out into a lane. Julian stopped for a moment to take his bearings.

'Now — according to the map, we ought to go to the right here — then take the left at the fork some way down, and then circle a hil by the road at the bottom — and then ride a mile or two in a little valley til we come to the foot of Owl's Hill.'

'If we meet anyone we could ask them about Owl's Dene,' said Anne, hopeful y.

'We shan't meet anyone out at night in this district!' said Julian. 'For one thing it's far from any vil age, and there wil be no farmer, no policeman, no travel er for miles! We can't hope to meet anyone.'

The moon was up, and the sky cleared as they rode down the lane. It was soon as bright as day!

'We could switch off our lamps and save the batteries,' said Julian. 'We can see quite well we're out of the woods and in the moonlight. Rather weird, isn't it?'

'I always think moonlight's queer, because although it shines so brightly on everything, you can never see much colour anywhere,' said Anne. She switched off her lamp too. She glanced down at Timmy.

'Switch off your head-lamps, Timmy!' she said, which made Richard give a sudden giggle. Julian smiled. It was nice to hear Anne being cheerful again.

'Timmy's eyes are rather like head-lamps, aren't they?' said Richard. 'I say — what about that food, Julian?'

'Right,' said Julian, and he fished in his basket. But it was very difficult to get it out with one hand, and try to hand it to the others.

'Better stop for a few minutes, after al ,' he said at last. 'I've already dropped a hardboiled egg, I think! Come on — let's stack our bikes by the side of the road for three minutes, and gulp down something just to satisfy us for now.'

Richard was only too pleased. The girls were so hungry that they too thought it a good idea. They leapt off their bicycles in the moonlit road and went to the little copse at the side. It was a pine-copse, and the ground below was littered with dry brown pine-needles.

'Let's squat here for a minute or two,' said Julian. 'I say — what's that over there?'

Everyone looked. 'It's a tumbledown hut or something,' said George, and she went nearer to see. 'Yes, that's all — some old cottage fal en to bits. There's only part of the walls left. Rather an eerie little place.'

They went to sit down under the pine-trees. Julian shared out the food. Timmy got his bit too, though not so much as he would have liked! They sat there in the pine shadows, munching hungrily as fast as they could.

'I say — can anyone hear what I hear?' said Julian, raising his head. 'It sounds like a car!'

They all listened. Julian was right. A car was purring silently through the countryside!

What a bit of luck!

'If only it comes this way!' said Julian. 'We could stop it and ask it for help. It could take us to the nearest police-station at any rate!'

They left their food in the little copse and went to the roadside. They could see no headlights shining anywhere, but they could stil hear the noise of the car.

'Very quiet engine,' said Julian. 'Probably a powerful car. It hasn't got its head-lights on because of the bright moonlight.'

'It's coming nearer,' said George. 'It's coming down this lane. Yes — it is!'

So it was. The noise of the engine came nearer, and nearer. The children got ready to leap out into the road to stop the car.

And then the noise of the engine died away suddenly. The moon shone down on a big streamlined car that had stopped a little way down the lane. It had no lights at all, not even side-lights. Julian put out his hand to stop the others from rushing into the road and shouting.

'Wait,' he said. 'This is just a bit — queer!'

They waited, keeping in the shadows. The car had stopped not far from the tumbledown hut. A door opened on the off-side. A man got out and rushed across the road to the shadow of the hedge there. He seemed to be carrying a bundle of some kind.

A low whistle sounded. The call of an owl came back. 'An answering signal!' thought Julian, intensely curious about al this. 'I wonder what's happening?'

'Keep absolutely quiet,' he breathed to the others. 'George, look after Timmy — don't let him growl.'

But Timmy knew when he had to be quiet. He didn't even give a whine. He stood like a statue, ears pricked, eyes watching the lane.