Famous Five 19 Five Go to Demons Rocks (9 page)

Everyone laughed. ‘Let’s buck up and do our shopping,’ said Dick. ‘And then what about going for a good long walk?’

‘Well, I don’t want to carry eggs and bread and milk for miles,’ said George. ‘I say a walk first - and then we’ll come back, have ice-creams, do our shopping - and go back to the light-house.’

‘Right!’ said Julian. ‘Come on, Timmy. We’re off for a WALK - a WALK! Ha, that’s the word to set your tail wagging, isn’t it? Look at it Mischief. Don’t you wish you could wag your tail like that!’

Where shall we go for our walk?’ said George, as they wandered through the village.

‘Oh look - there’s a tiny little shop with Tom the Tobacconist written over the door. Let’s get the tobacco while we remember.’

So in went Julian, and rapped on the counter. A very small man appeared like a hob-goblin out of a dark corner.

‘I want some tobacco for Jeremiah Boogie, please,’ said Julian. ‘I think you know the kind he wants.’

‘I do that!’ said Tom, scrabbling about on a shelf. ‘The amount that old Jeremiah has smoked since I’ve been here would keep a bonfire going for years. There you are, young sir!’

‘He tells a fine story,’ said Julian, putting down the money for the tobacco.

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Tom laughed. ‘He’s been going on about Bart and Nosey and all them old folk, I suppose,’ he said. ‘He’s a queer one, is old Jeremiah. Never forgets a thing, even if it happened eighty or more years ago! Never forgives, neither. There’s two folk in this village that he spits at when he passes by them. Naughty old man, he is.’

‘What have they done to earn his spite?’ asked Dick, in surprise.

‘Well, they be some kin of his old enemy, One-Ear Bill,’ said Tom. ‘I reckon he told you about him all right, didn’t he?’

‘Yes, he did,’ said Julian. ‘But all that business about the wrecking happened years and years ago! Surely Jeremiah doesn’t visit his anger on any descendants of the wicked One Ear Bill!’

‘Oh, but he do!’ said Tom. ‘You see, these two fellows he spits at have the job of showing people round the caves here - especially the Wreckers’ Cave - and I reckon old Jeremiah still broods about One-Ear’s hidden treasure, and is scared in case these two chaps ever find it. Find it! It’s nigh on seventy years since all that happened. Why, that light-house yonder was built over sixty years ago - after that wrecking business went on.

No one will come across any treasure now!’

‘But surely they might,’ said George. ‘It depends where it was hidden. If it was in some dry, watertight place, it should still be all right. After all, gold and silver don’t decay, do they? Wherever it was hidden, it must still be there!’

‘That’s what all you visitors say!’ said Tom. ‘And that’s what Ebenezer and Jacob say -

they’re the two chaps who show people round the caves. But they only say that to make a bit of a thrill for the visitors, you know. Same as old Jeremiah does. Takes them in properly! Well - you believe what you like, youngsters - but you won’t find any treasure! I reckon the sea took that years ago! Good-day to you! I’ll give Jeremiah the baccy when he calls in.’

‘Well,’ said Dick, as soon as they were outside the shop, ‘this is all very interesting! I think probably old Tom’s right. The reason why the treasure was never found is because it was probably hidden where the sea managed to get at it - in some water-hole, or somewhere like that.’

‘I still believe it’s somewhere safe,’ said George. ‘So does Tinker.’

‘Oh well... I should think probably Timmy believes it as well,’ said Dick. ‘He has a child-like mind too!’

Dick at once received a hard punch on the back from George. He laughed. ‘All right!

We’ll give you a chance to hunt for the treasure, won’t we, Ju? We’ll visit the Wreckers’

Cave as soon as we can. Let’s go up on the cliffs for our walk, and see if we can spot where the first old lamp used to be, that warned ships to swing out to sea, and avoid Demon’s Rocks.’

It was a lovely walk along the cliffs. The celandines and tiny dog violets were out, and clumps of pale yellow primroses were everywhere. The breeze blew strongly, and Mischief held tightly to Tinker’s right ear, afraid of' being blown off his shoulder. Timmy enjoyed himself thoroughly, bounding along, tail flourishing happily, sniffing at everything.

They came to the flag-post set high on the cliff, its great red flag waving vigorously in the breeze. A notice-board was beside it. George read it.

‘This flag warns ships off Demon’s Rocks by day. By night the great light-house at High Cliffs, farther along the coast, gives warning. In the old days a lamp shone from this spot to give the ships warning, and later a small light-house was built out on Demon’s Rocks.

It is still in existence, but is no longer in use.’

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‘Ha - they’re wrong there!’ said Tinker, pointing to the last sentence. ‘We’re using it! I’ll alter the notice!’ and Tinker actually took a pencil to scratch out the last six words!

Julian took it from him. ‘Don’t be an ass. You can’t mess about with public notices. Don’t say you’re one of the fatheads who like to scribble all over the place!’

Tinker held out his hand for the pencil. ‘All right. It was just that I thought it wanted correcting. I’m not the kind of idiot who scribbles on walls or public notices.’

‘Right,’ said Julian. ‘Tinker, can we see Demon’s Rocks - the rocks themselves, I mean, with our lighthouse - from these cliffs.’

‘No,’ said Tinker. ‘The cliff swings away to the left, look, and the Demon’s Rocks are away right round the corner, if you see what I mean - so no ship should follow the coastline here, but should keep well out at sea, or it’d be on the rocks. You can quite well see that if the wreckers took the lamp from its warning-place here, and put it much farther back, along the way we’ve come, the ships would swing too far inland, and find themselves wrecked.’

‘I think I should have hated old One-Ear Bill as much as old Jeremiah does,’ said George, imagining the beautiful ships being ground to pieces all those years ago - just because of a greedy man who liked the pickings from wrecks!

‘Well, we’d better go back,’ said Julian, looking at his watch. ‘We’ve some shopping to do, remember! Better buck up too - it looks like rain all of a sudden!’

He was right. It was pouring by the time they reached the village! They crowded into a little shop that said ‘Morning Coffee’ and ordered a cup each, and buns. The buns were so nice that they bought some to take back to the light-house with them. Then Anne remembered post-cards.

‘We must buy some,’ she said, ‘and send one off today. Better get some now, and write one and post it while we’re here.’

Dick slipped out of the coffee-shop and returned with a packet of very gaudily coloured cards. ‘Some of them show the light-house,’ he said. ‘We’ll send one of those - and you choose a card to send to your father too, Tinker.’

‘It would be a waste,’ said Tinker. ‘He wouldn’t even bother to read it.’

‘Well, send one to your mother,’ said Anne.

‘I haven’t one,’ said Tinker. ‘She’s dead. She died when I was born. That’s why my father and I always go about together.’

‘I’m very, very sorry, Tinker,’ said Anne, shocked. The others were sorry too. No wonder Tinker hadn’t very good manners, and was all on his own. No mother to teach him anything! Poor Tinker! Anne felt as if she wanted to buy him every bun in the shop!

‘Have another bun, Tinker,’ she said. ‘Or an ice-cream. I’ll pay. Mischief can have one too.’

‘We’re all going to have another bun each, and an ice-cream,’ said Julian. ‘Timmy and Mischief too. Then we’ll do our shopping and go home - home to the light-house. That sounds grand, doesn’t it!’

They wrote three cards - one to Mr and Mrs Kirrin - one to Joan - and one to the Professor. ‘Now they’ll know we are safe and happy!’ said Anne, sticking on the stamps.

The rain had stopped, so they went to do their shopping - fresh bread, more butter and eggs, two bottles of milk, some fruit and a few other things. Then off they went down to the little jetty.

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‘Tide will soon turn,’ said Julian, as they jumped down from the jetty to the rocky little beach. ‘Come on - we’ll just have time to walk over the rocks to the light-house.

PLEASE don’t drop the eggs, Tinker!’

They made their way over the rocks, jumping over little pools here and there and avoiding the slimy strands of seaweed that in places covered the rocks. The light-house seemed very tall as they came up to it.

‘It’s tiny compared to the great new one away at High Cliff,’ said Tinker. ‘You ought to go over that! The revolving lamp at the top is magnificent! Its light is so powerful that ships can see it for miles!’

‘Well, this little light-house looks nice enough to me at the moment,’ said Dick, climbing up the stone steps to the strong wooden door. ‘Hallo! Look - two bottles of milk at the top step! Don’t tell me the milkman’s been!’

‘He used to call when my father and I were here,’ said Tinker. ‘Only when the tide was out in the morning though, because he hasn’t a boat. I suppose he heard we were all staying here, and came to see if we wanted milk - and left two bottles when he found we were out. He probably yelled through the letter-box and when we didn’t answer he just left the milk, on chance.’

‘Sensible fellow!’ said Dick. ‘Get out your key, Tinker, and unlock the door.’

‘I don’t remember locking it behind us when we went out this morning,’ said Tinker, feeling frantically in all his pockets. ‘I must have left it in the lock on the inside of the door. Let’s see now - we locked the door last night, and left the key in the lock. So I must have unlocked it this morning for us all to go out.’

‘That’s right - but after you unlocked it you ran straight down the steps with George, and the rest of us followed,’ said Julian. ‘Anne was last. Did you lock the door after you, Anne?’

‘No. I never thought of it!’ said Anne. ‘I just shut the door with a bang and raced after you all! So the key must still be on the other side of the door!’

‘Well, if we push the door, it should open!’ said Julian, with a grin. ‘And the key will be on the inside, waiting for us! Let’s go in!’

He pushed hard, for the door shut very tightly - and sure enough, it swung open. Julian put his hand round to the inside lock to feel for the key.

It wasn’t there! Julian looked at the others, frowning.

‘Someone’s been here - and found the door unlocked - taken the key - and probably plenty of other things as well!’ he said. ‘We’d better go and look. Come on!’

‘Wait - there’s something on the door-mat,’ said Dick, picking up a letter. ‘The postman has visited the light-house too - here’s a letter forwarded from Kirrin - so at least two people came while we were out! But surely neither of them would take the key - or anything else either!’

‘Well - we’ll soon see!’ said Julian, grimly, and up the first bend of the spiral stairway he went, at top speed!

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Julian and Dick went into each room of the lighthouse, racing up the spiral stairway from one to the other. Why, oh why hadn’t they watched to see that Tinker locked the door and took the key!

Yes - a few things had been taken!

‘My rug!’ said George. ‘That’s gone!’

‘And my purse,’ said Anne. ‘I left it here on the table. That’s been taken, too!’

‘So has my little travelling clock,’ groaned Julian. ‘Why did I bring it? I could have used my watch!’

There were a few other things gone, all small. ‘Horrible fellow, whoever he is, to creep into the lighthouse while we were out and take our things!’ said Anne, almost crying.

‘Who would come here - they would surely be seen from the quay, wouldn’t they?’

‘Yes - you’re right there,’ said Julian. ‘Though probably the thief slipped in when it was pouring with rain, and the quay was deserted! I think we’ll have to tell the police, you know. Let’s have our dinner, and then I’ll take the boat and slip across to the village. The tide will be in then, and I shan’t be able to walk over the rocks. Blow that thief! I was looking forward to a nice quiet read this afternoon!’

After their meal, Julian took the boat and rowed across to the jetty. He went straight to the police-station, where a stolid-looking policeman listened to him, and wrote slowly in a book.

‘Have you any idea, sir, who the thief might be?’ asked the policeman. ‘Or if anyone came to the lighthouse while you were out?’

‘Well, two people seem to have come,’ said Julian. ‘The milkman, because we were surprised to find milk-bottles on the steps. And the postman. There was a letter for us on the mat inside the door. I don’t know of anyone else.’

‘Well, as far as I can tell you, both Willy the Milkman, and Postie, are as honest as the day,’ said the policeman, scratching his chin with his pencil. ‘There may have been a third visitor - one who didn’t leave milk or a letter! I’ll see if anyone was on the quay this morning, who saw the thief going over the Demon’s Rocks. Er - do you suspect anyone, sir?’

‘Good gracious, no!’ said Julian. ‘I don’t know anyone here - unless you can count Jeremiah Boogie, or Tom the Tobacconist!’

‘No. No, sir, I think we can rule both of them out,’ said the policeman, smiling. ‘Well, I’ll do what I can, and let you know if I hear of anything. Good afternoon, sir - and by the way, as you can’t lock that light-house door now, and it’s plain there are thieves about, I shouldn’t leave the light-house empty, see?’

‘Yes. Yes, I’d already thought of that,’ said Julian. ‘I can jam the door all right with something when we’re in the light-house - but I can’t do that when we’re out.’

‘Well - it looks as if we’re in for a wet spell,’ said the policeman. ‘So maybe it won’t be much hardship to keep indoors. I hope you’re comfortable in the lighthouse - seems a funny place to stay, really.’