Five Run Away Together (13 page)

to our island and live here, they've the cheek to steal from my mother's house. I wish we could find out."

They could have brought quite a lot of things away in their boat," said Julian. "They must have come here by boat. If they did bring stolen goods, they must have put them somewhere—down in the dungeons, I suppose."

"We might have a look round and see if we can spy anything, without the Sticks seeing us," suggested Dick.

"Let's have a look round now," said George, who always liked doing things at once.

"Anne, you do the washing up and tidy our cave-house for us, will you?"

Anne was torn between wanting to go with the others, and longing to play "house"

again. She did so love arranging everything and making the beds and tidying up the cave. In the end she said she would stay and the others could go.

So up the rope they went. Timothy stayed with Anne, because they were afraid he might bark. Anne tied him up, and he whined a little, but did not make a terrible noise.

The other three lay flat on the cliff-top, looking down on the ruined castle. There seemed to be no one about, but, even as they watched, the three Sticks appeared, apparently coming up from the dungeons. They seemed glad to be in the sunshine, and the children were not surprised, for the dungeons were so cold and dark.

The Sticks looked all round. Stinker kept close to Mrs. Stick, his tail well down.

"They're looking for the cows and sheep and-horses they heard down in the dungeons last night!" whispered Dick to Julian.

The Sticks spoke together for a minute or two, and then went off in the direction of the shore that faced the wreck. Edgar went to the room in which the children had first planned to sleep—the one whose roof had fallen in.

"I'm going to stalk the two Sticks," whispered Julian to the others. "You two see what Edgar is up to."

Julian disappeared, keeping behind bushes as he watched where the Sticks went, and followed them. George and Dick went cautiously and quietly over the cliff to the castle in the middle of the little island. They

could hear Edgar whistling. Stinker was running about the courtyard of the castle.

Edgar appeared out of the ruined room, carrying a pile of cushions, which had evidently been stored there. George went red with rage and clutched Dick's arm fiercely.

"Mother's best cushions!" she whispered. "Oh, the beasts!"

Dick felt angry too. It was quite plain that the Sticks had helped themselves to anything handy when they had left Kirrin Cottage. He picked up a clod of earth, took careful aim, and flung it into the air. It fell between Edgar and Stinker, breaking into a shower of earth.

Edgar dropped the cushions, and looked up into the air in fright. It was plain that he thought something had fallen from the sky. George picked up another clod, took aim, and flung it high into the air. It fell all over Stinker, and the dog gave a yelp, and scuttled down the hole that led into the dungeons.

Edgar looked up into the sky and then all round and about him, his mouth wide open.

What could be happening? Dick waited until he was looking in the opposite direction, and then once more sent a big clod into the air. It fell into bits and scattered itself all over the startled Edgar.

Then Dick gave one of his realistic moos, exactly like a cow in pain, and Edgar stood rooted to the spot, almost frightened out of his skin. Those cows again! Where were they?

Dick mooed again, and Edgar gave a yell, found his feet, and almost fell down the dungeon steps. He disappeared with a dismal howl, leaving behind all the cushions on the ground.

"Quick!" said Dick, jumping to his feet. "He won't be back for a few minutes, anyhow.

He'll be too scared. Let's grab the cushions and bring them here. I don't see why the Sticks should use them down in those awful old dungeons."

The two children raced to the courtyard, picked up the cushions and raced back to their hiding-place. Dick looked across to the room where Edgar had brought them from.

"What about slipping across there and seeing what else they've stored away?" he said. "I don't see why they should be allowed to have anything that isn't theirs."

"I'll go across, and you keep watch by the dungeon entrance," said George. "You've only got to moo again if you see Edgar, and he'll run for miles."

"Right," said Dick, with a grin, and went swiftly to the flight of steps that led underground to the dungeons. There was no sign of Edgar at all, nor of Stinker.

George went to the ruined room and gazed round in anger. Yes, the Sticks certainly had helped themselves to her mother's things, no doubt about that! There were blankets and silver and all kinds of food. Mrs. Stick must have gone into the big cupboard under the stairs and taken out various things stored there for weekly use.

George ran to Dick. "There are heaps of our things!" she said, in a fierce whisper.

"Come and help me to get them. We'll see if we can take them all before Edgar appears, or the Sticks come back."

Just as they were whispering together, they heard a

low whistle. They looked round, and saw Julian coming along. He joined them.

"The Sticks have rowed off to the wreck," he said. "They've got an old boat somewhere down among those rocks. Old Pa Stick must be a good sailor to be able to take the boat in and out of those awful hidden rocks."

"Oh, then we've got time to do what we want to do," said Dick, pleased. He hurriedly told Julian of the things George had seen in the ruined room.

"Awful thieves!" said Julian, indignantly. "They don't mean to go back to Kirrin Cottage, that's plain. They've got some business on with the smugglers here—and when that is done they'll go off with all their stolen goods, join a ship somewhere, and get off scot-free."

"No, they won't," said George at once. "We are going to get everything and take it to the cave! Dick's going to keep watch for Edgar at the cave entrance, and you and I, Julian, can quickly carry the things away. We can drop them down the hole into the cave."

"Hurry then!" said Julian. "We must do it before the Sticks return, and I don't expect they'll be long. They've probably gone to fetch the trunk and anything else in the wreck. You know I saw a light out to sea last night—maybe that's a signal that the smugglers were leaving something in the wreck for the Sticks to fetch."

George and Julian ran to the ruined room, piled their arms with the goods there, and then ran to hide them on the cliff, ready to take them to the hole when they had time. It looked as if the Sticks had just taken whatever was easiest to lay their hands on. They had even got the kitchen clock!

Edgar did not appear at all, so Dick had nothing to do but sit by the steps of the dungeon and watch the others. After some time Julian and George gave a sigh of relief and beckoned to Dick. He left his place and went to join them.

"We've got everything now," said Julian. "I'm just going to the cliff-edge to see if the Sticks are returning yet. If they're not we'll all carry the things to the hole in the roof of the cave."

He soon returned. "I can see their boat tied to the wreck," he said. "We're safe for some while yet. Come on, let's get the things to safety! This really is a bit of luck."

They carried the things to the hole and called down it to Anne. "Anne! We've got tons of things to put down the hole. Stand by to catch!"

Soon all kinds of things came down the hole into the cave! Anne was most astonished.

The silver and anything that might be hurt by a fall was first wrapped up in the blankets, and then let down by a rope.

"My goodness!" said Anne. "This cave will really look like a house soon, when I have arranged all these things too!"

Just as they were finishing their job the children heard voices in the distance.

"The Sticks are back!" said Julian, and looked cautiously over the cliff-top. He was right. They had returned to their boat, and were even now on their way back to the castle, carrying the trunk from the wreck.

"Let's follow them, and see what happens when they find everything gone," grinned Julian. "Come on, everyone!"

They wriggled over the cliff on their tummies, and came to a clump of bushes behind which they could hide and watch. The Sticks put the trunk down, and looked round for Edgar. But Edgar was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's that boy?" said Mrs. Stick, impatiently. "He's had plenty of time to do everything. Edgar! Edgar! Edgar!"

Mr. Stick went to the ruined room and peeped inside. He came back to Mrs. Stick.

"He's taken everything down," he said. "He must be down in the dungeon. That room's quite empty."

"I told him to come up and sit in the sun when he'd finished," said Mrs. Stick. "

'Tisn't healthy down in them dungeons. EDGAR!"

This time Edgar heard, and his head appeared, looking out of the entrance to the dungeon. He looked extremely scared.

"Come on up!" said Mrs. Stick. "You've got all the things down, and. you'd better stay up here in the sunshine now."

"I'm scared," said Edgar. "I'm not staying up here alone."

"Why not?" said Mr. Stick, astonished. .

"It's them cows again!" said poor Edgar. "Hundreds of them, Pa, all a-mooing round me, and throwing things at me. They're dangerous animals, they are, and I'm not coming up here alone!"

AN UNEXPECTED PRISONER

THE Sticks stared at Edgar as if he was mad.

"Cows throwing things?" said Mrs. Stick at last. "What do you mean by that? Cows don't throw any thing."

"These ones did," said Edgar, and then began to exaggerate in order to make his parents sympathise with him. "They were dreadful cows, they were-hundreds of them, with horns as long as reindeer, and awful mooing voices. And they threw things at me and Tinker. Proper scared he was, and so was I. I dropped the cushions I was taking down, and rushed away to hide."

"Where are the cushions?" said Mr. Stick, looking round. "I can't see no cushions. I suppose you'll tell us the cows ate them."

"Didn't you take everything down into the dungeons?" demanded Mrs. Stick. "Because that room's empty now. There's not a thing in it."

"I didn't take nothing down at all," said Edgar, coming cautiously out of the dungeon entrance. "I dropped the cushions just about where you're standing. What's happened to them?"

"Look "ere!" said Mr. Stick, in amazement. " 'Oo's been 'ere since we've been gone?

Someone's taken them cushions and everything else too. Where have they put them?"

"Pa, it was them cows," said Edgar, looking all round as if he expected to see cows walking off with cushions and silver and blankets.

"Shut up about them cows," said Mrs. Stick, suddenly losing her temper. "For one thing there aren't any cows on this island, and that we do know, for we looked all over it this morning. What we heard last night must have been queer sort of echoes rumbling round. No, my boy — there's something funny about all this. Looks as if there w somebody on the island!"

A dismal howl came echoing up from below the ground. It was Stinker, terrified at being alone below, and not daring to come up.

"Poor lamb!" said Mrs. Stick, who seemed much fonder of Stinker than of anyone else.

"What's up with him?"

Stinker let out an even more doleful howl, and Mrs. Stick hurried down-the steps to go to him. Mr. Stick followed her, and Edgar lost no time in going after them.

"Quick!" said Julian, standing up. "Come with me, Dick. We may just have time to get that trunk! Run!"

The two boys ran quickly down to the courtyard of the ruined castle. Each took a handle of the small trunk, and lifted it between .them. They staggered back to George with it.

"We'll take it to the cave," whispered Julian. "You stay here a few minutes and see what happens."

The boys went over the cliff with the trunk. George flattened herself behind her bush and watched. Mr. Stick appeared again in a few minutes, and looked round for the trunk. His mouth fell open in astonishment when he saw that it was gone. He yelled down the entrance to the dungeon.

"Clara! The trunk's gone!"

Mrs. Stick was already on her way up, with Stinker close beside her and Edgar just behind. She climbed out and stared round.

"Gone?" she said, in enormous surprise. "Gone? Where's it gone?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" said Mr. Stick. "We leave it here a few minutes — and then it goes. Walks off by itself—just like all the other things!"

"Look here! There's someone on this island," said Mrs. Stick. "And I'm going to find out who it is. Got your gun, Pa?"

"I have," said Mr. Stick, slapping his belt. "You get a good stout stick too, and we'll take Tinker. If we don't ferret out whoever's trying to spoil our plans, my name's not Stick!"

George slipped away quietly to warn the others. Before she slid down the rope into the cave, she pulled several bramble sprays across the hole. She dropped down to the floor of the cave, and told the others what had happened.

Julian had been trying to open the trunk, but it was still locked.. He looked up as George panted out" her tale.

"We'll be all right here so long as no one falls down that hole in the roof!" he said.

"Now keep quiet everyone, and don't you dare to growl, Timmy!"

Nothing was heard for some time, and then Stinker's bark came in the distance.

"Quiet now," said Julian. "They are near here."

The Sticks were up on the cliff once more, searching carefully behind every bush.

They came to the great bush behind which the children often hid, and saw the flattened grass there.

"Someone's been here," said Mr. Stick. "I wonder if they're in the middle of this bush—it's thick enough to hide half an army! I'll try and force my way in, Clara, while you stand by with my gun."

Edgar wandered off by himself while this was happening, feeling certain that nobody would be foolish enough to live in the middle of such a prickly bush. He walked across the cliff— and then, to his awful horror, he found himself falling! His legs disappeared into a hole, he clutched at some thorny sprays but could not save himself.