Five Go to Mystery Moor (12 page)

„Well, there must be thousands and thousands of dol ars lying around us, here in the quarry and outside it," said George. „I say! Surely this isn"t a dream?"

„Well, I must say it"s a very extravagant kind of dream, if so," said Dick. „A dream worth thousands of pounds isn"t very usual. Ju, hadn"t we better get busy picking up these parcels?"

„Yes. We certainly had," said Julian. „I"m beginning to see it all now. The smugglers come over in a plane from France, say, having previously arranged to drop these packets in a lonely spot on this moor. The gypsies are in the plot to the extent that they light the guiding lamp and pick up the parcels."

„I see, and then they quietly pack them into their caravans, slip off the moor, and deliver them to somebody else, who pays them well for their trouble," said Dick. „Very smart!"

„That"s about it," said Julian. „But I can"t for the life of me see why dol ar notes have to be smuggled here. They can be brought freely enough into the country - why smuggle them?"

„Stolen ones, perhaps?" said George. „Oh well, its quite beyond me. What a thing to do!

No wonder the gypsies didn"t want us around."

„Better buck up and collect al these parcels and clear off back to the stables with them,"

said Julian, picking up one near him. „The gypsies wil be after them, there"s no doubt about that! We must be gone before they come."

The four of them went about looking for the parcels. They found about sixty of them, and they made quite a heavy load.

„We"ll put them somewhere safe, I think," said Julian. „What about stuffing them into one of the sand-caves? I don"t very wel see how we can carry them like this."

„We could put them in the rugs and tie up the ends and carry them like that," said George. „It would be mad to leave them hidden somewhere in this quarry. It"s the first place the gypsies would search."

„Al right. We"ll fol ow your idea," said Julian. „I think we"ve about collected all the packets there are. Get the rugs."

George"s idea proved to be a good one, Half the parcels were rolled into one rug, and tied up, and half into the other.

„Good thing the rugs are nice and big," said Dick tying his up strongly. „Now I can just about manage mine nicely on my back. You all right, Ju?"

„Yes, come along, you girls," said Julian. „Follow behind us. We"ll go down the railway line.

Leave everything else here. We can easily get it another time. We must leave before the gypsies come."

Timmy began to bark suddenly. „That must mean the gypsies are coming," said Dick.

„Come on, quick! Yes I can hear their voices - for goodness" sake, HURRY!"

Yes, the gypsies were certainly coming! Their dogs were with them, barking. The four children hurried out of the quarry with Timmy at their heels, quite silent.

„Those fel ows may not know we were camping in the quarry," panted Dick. „They may just be coming to find the parcels, and while they are hunting around, we may be able to get a good start. Buck up!"

They set off to where the lines ended, near where the old engine lay half-buried. The gypsy dogs heard them and set up a yelping and howling. The gypsies stopped to see what had excited them.

They spied shadows moving in the distance, the four children slipping away from the quarry. One of the men shouted loudly.

„Hey you - stop! Who are you? Stop, I say!"

But the five didn"t stop. They were now stumbling between the railway lines, glad of George"s torch, and Anne"s. The boys could not have held one for it was all they could do to hang on to the heavy-laden rugs.

„Quick, oh quick!" whispered Anne, but it was impossible to go very quickly.

„They must be catching us up," said Julian, suddenly. „Look round and see, George."

George looked round. „No, I can"t see anyone," she said. „Julian, everywhere looks peculiar. What"s happening? Julian, stop. Something queer is happening!"

Julian stopped and looked round. His eyes had been fixed on his feet, trying to see where he was going without stumbling. Anne had shone her torch down for him but it was stil dificult to get along properly. Julian gazed al round, wondering what George meant.

Then he gave a gasp. „Gosh! How queer! There"s a mist come up, look. It"s even blotted out the stars. No wonder it seems so jol y dark all of a sudden."

„A mist!" said Anne, scared. „Not that awful mist that sometimes covers the moor! Oh Julian, is it?"

Julian and Dick watched the swirling mist in astonishment. „It"s come from the sea," Julian said. „Can"t you smell the salt in it? It"s come just as suddenly as we"ve been told it comes, and look, it"s getting thicker every minute!"

„What a good thing we"re on the railway lines!" said George. „What shal we do? Go on?"

Julian stood and thought. „The gypsies won"t come after us in this mist," he said. „I"ve a good mind to hide this money somewhere, and then walk back to get the police. If we keep on the lines we can"t go wrong. But we must be sure not to leave them, or we"ll be completely lost!"

„Yes, let"s do that," said Dick, who was heartily sick already of lugging along his heavy load. „But where do you propose to hide them, Ju? Not in the quarry! We"d have to walk through this awful mist to do that, and we"d get lost at once."

„No. I"ve thought of a fine place," said Julian, and he lowered his voice. „Remember that old engine, fal en on its side? Well, what about stuffing these packets all the way down that great long funnel, and then stopping the top of it up with sand? I bet you anything you like that nobody would find the packets there."

„Grand idea!" said Dick. „The gypsies wil be sure we"ve gone off carrying the money, and they"l not hunt about for it long, once they find the dropped packets are al gone. We"ll be half-way home by the time they try to catch us, if they dare to brave this mist."

Anne and George thought Julian"s idea was first-rate, a stroke of genius. „I"d never, never have thought of the engine funnel!" said Anne.

„Now, there"s no need for you two girls and Timmy to walk all the way to the engine with us," said Julian. „You sit down here on the lines, and wait for us to come back. We shan"t be long. We"ll walk straight up the railway, find the engine, pack the money into the funnel, and walk back."

„Right," said George, squatting down. „Bring the rugs back with you, though. It"s cold now!"

Julian and Dick went off together, with Anne"s torch. George kept hers. Timmy pressed close against her, astonished at the thick mist that had so suddenly swirled up and around them.

„That"s right. Keep close to us and keep us warm, Tim," said George. „It"s jol y cold now.

This mist is damp!"

Julian stumbled along, keeping a look-out for the gypsies. He could see nothing of them, but then, if they had been only two feet away he could not have seen anything of them in the mist! It seemed to get thicker and thicker.

I know what old Ben meant now, when he said that it had damp fingers, thought Julian, feeling little touches like fingers on his face, hands and legs as the mist wreathed itself round him.

Dick nudged him. „Here we are," he said. „The lines are broken here. The engine should be just over there, a yard or two away."

They stepped cautiously away from the lines. The big gorse-bush could not be seen, but it could be felt! Julian felt thorns pricking his legs, and knew he was beside it.

„Shine your torch here, Dick," he whispered. „That"s right. There"s the cab of the engine, see? Now let"s circle the bush, and we"l come to the funnel."

„Here it is," said Dick, in a few moments. „Look! Now then, let"s do a bit of work, shoving these packets down. Gosh, what a lot of them there are! I hope the funnel wil take them all."

They spent ten minutes ramming the packets into the wide funnel. Down they went to the bottom! More and more followed and then, at last, the final one was shoved in and rammed down.

„That"s the lot," said Dick, relieved. „Now we"ll pack some sand in. Gosh, isn"t this bush ful of prickles! It"s real y spiteful!"

„The packets almost fil the funnel," said Julian. „Hardly any room for sand. Stil , we can put in enough to hide the money all right. There that"s done. Now pul this gorse-branch over the top of the funnel. My word, I never knew a bush so set with spines! I"m scratched to bits!"

„Can you hear anything of the gypsies?" asked Dick, in a low voice, as they prepared to go back to the lines.

They listened. „Not a thing," said Julian. „It"s my belief they"re scared of this mist, and are lying low til it clears."

„They may be in the quarry," said Dick. „Waiting there in safety. Well, long may they be there! They won"t get the money now!"

„Come on," said Julian, and walked round the bush. „It"s just about here that we step out to get to the lines. Take my arm. We mustn"t get separated. Did you ever see such a mist in your life? It"s the thickest fog I ever knew. We can"t even see our feet in the light of the torch now."

They took a few steps and then felt about for the rails. They couldn"t feel even one. „A bit farther, I think," said Julian. „No, this way."

But they stil couldn"t find the railway lines. Where were the wretched things? A small feeling of panic came into Julian"s mind. Which way should they step now, to find the rails? How had they gone wrong?

Now both boys were on hands and knees, feeling for the broken rails. „I"ve got one," said Dick. „No, blow, it isn"t. It"s a bit of wood, or something. For goodness" sake, keep close to me, Ju."

After ten minutes" search, the two boys sat back on their heels, the little torch between them.

„Somehow we"ve just missed those two or three correct steps from the gorse-bush to the rails," said Julian. „Now we"re done! I don"t see anything for it but to wait til the mist clears."

„But what about the two girls?" said Dick, anxiously. „Let"s try a bit longer. Look, the mist is clearing a little there. Let"s go forward and hope we"ll stumble over the lines soon. If the mist does clear, we shall soon be able to get our bearings."

So they went forward hopeful y, seeing the mist clear a little in front of them, so that the torch made a longer beam for them to see by. Now and again, when their feet knocked against something hard, they felt for the rails. But they could not find even one!

„Let"s shout," said Julian, at last. So they shouted loudly. „George! Anne! Can you hear us?"

They stood and listened. No answer.

„GEORGE!" yelled Dick. „TIMMY!"

They thought they heard a far-off bark. „That was Timmy!" said Julian. „Over there!"

They stumbled along and then shouted again. But this time there was no bark at al . Not a sound came out of that dreadful mist, which had now closed tightly round them again.

„We"ll be walking in it al night long," said Julian, desperately. „Why did we leave the girls?

Suppose this frightful fog doesn"t clear by tomorrow? Sometimes it lasts for days."

„What a horrible idea," said Dick, lightly, sounding much more cheerful than he felt. „I don"t think we need worry about the girls, Ju. Timmy"s with them and he can easily take them back to the stables across the moor, in the mist. Dogs don"t mind fogs."

Julian felt most relieved. He hadn"t thought of that. „Oh yes, I"d forgotten old Tim," he said.

„Well, seeing that the girls wil probably be al right with Timmy to guide them, let"s sit down somewhere and have a rest. I"m tired out!"

„Here"s a good thick bush," said Dick. „Let"s get into the middle of it if we can, and keep the damp out of us. Thank goodness it"s not a gorse-bush!"

„I wish I knew if the girls had had the sense not to wait for us any longer, but to try to find their way back down the lines," said Julian. „I wonder where they are now?"

Anne and George were no longer where Julian and Dick had left them! They had waited and waited, and then had become very anxious indeed.

„Something"s happened," said George. „I think we ought to go and get help, Anne. We can easily fol ow the railway down to where we have to break off for the stable. Timmy wil know, anyway. Don"t you think we ought to go back and get help?"

„Yes, I do," said Anne, getting up. „Come on George. Gosh, this mist is worse than ever!

We"ll have to be careful we don"t lose the lines! Even Timmy might find it hard to smel his way in this fog!"

They got up. Anne followed George and Timmy followed behind, looking puzzled. He couldn"t understand this night-time wandering about at al !

Anne and George kept closely to the railway lines, walking slowly along, shining the light of the torch downwards, and following carefully.

After a time George stopped, puzzled. „This line"s broken here," she said. „There"s no more of it. That"s funny, I don"t remember it being as badly broken as this, The lines simply stop. I can"t see any more."

„Oh George!" said Anne, peering down. „Do you know what we"ve done. We"ve come al the way up the lines again - instead of going down them, homewards! How could we have been so mad? Look, this is where they break off; so the old engine must be somewhere near, and the quarry!"

„Blow!" said George, quite in despair. „What asses we are. It shows how we can lose our sense of direction in a mist like this."

„I can"t see or hear anything of the boys," said Anne, fearfully. „George, let"s go to the quarry and wait there til daylight comes. I"m cold and tired. We can squeeze into one of those warm sand-caves."

„Al right," said George, very much down in the dumps. „Come along, and for goodness"

sake don"t let"s lose our way to the quarry!"

The two girls and Timmy made their way carefully, hoping to come across the lines that led to the quarry. They were lucky. They went across the gap in the lines where once long ago the gypsies had wrenched out the rails, and came to where they began again, and led to the edge of the quarry.

„Here they are!" said George, thankfully. „Now we"re all right. We"ve only just got to follow these and we"ll be in the quarry. I hope it wil be warmer than here. Brrrr! This mist is terribly cold and clammy."