by Энид Блайтон
“I’m Jack,” said Jack. “Look here, Prince, keep your eyes open for our letter-messages from our tower. We will let you know when we are coming at night with the rope-ladder.”
“You are very good,” said the little prince. “I was so pleased when I saw you waving.”
“I must go,” said Jack. “I think I can hear something. I mustn’t be caught. Good-bye!”
He slipped down the stairs, and tried to open the tower door - but it was now locked! Mr. Diaz had been along, found it open, and had locked it, although he had no idea that Jack was inside.
Jack stood inside the locked door, with his heart beating loudly. How could he get out? Perhaps the kitchen door could be opened without noise?
He went to the door that led from the tower to the scullery. There was no sound to be heard beyond it. Jack opened it cautiously. He stepped into the big, dark scullery, meaning to creep across to the back door, open it and escape through the grounds.
But, alas for Jack! He walked straight into a tin bath, and fell over it with a most tremendous clatter!
Another Narrow Escape
Jack picked himself up at once in a fright. The door into the scullery opened, and Anna looked in, switching on the light. She screamed when she saw Jack, and ran back into the kitchen, shouting for Luiz.
“Luiz! Luiz! There is a burglar in the scullery!”
Jack ran to the back door and tried to open it. But it was locked and bolted and even had a chain on it, too. The boy knew quite well that by the time he had undone everything he would be caught! He was in despair. Whatever could he do? It was no use to run back up the stairs to the tower-rooms, for he would be caught there too.
And then he thought of something. Of course! He could escape down the secret passage! He had his torch with him, and he could easily see the way.
He ran to the cellar door. Fortunately that was open. He leapt down the steps into the cellar just as Mr. Diaz and Luiz came tearing into the kitchen. He heard them shouting, “Where is he? Where is he?”
Jack sped to the eighteen stone steps that led down to the door of the underground room. He ran down them, using his torch. He opened the thick door at the bottom. He ran through the large underground room there to the secret passage.
His heart was beating fast and his breath was coming in pants. He made his way down the secret passage, bending his head every now and again when he came to the narrow, low parts. Soon he came to the damp piece, and knew that he would presently come to the small cave that lay above the large shore-cave.
He came to the oak door that led into the small cave. He pushed it open and made his way to where he knew the rope hung to help him down into the big beach-cave.
“Then all I’ll have to do is to slip round the sands, up the cliff-path and into Peep-Hole,” thought the boy thankfully.
But what a dreadful shock for Jack - once more the tide was in and the water filled the big cave. He could not possibly get home that way. He would have to wait till it went out.
“I only hope that they don’t realise I’ve come down through the secret passage, and come after me,” thought Jack. “I would be properly caught then. But I don’t see how they can think anything else. After all, all the doors were locked, and I didn’t get out through the tower door or the scullery door - so they’ll know I must have come this way. And if they remember that the tide is in, they will be able to come along and catch me beautifully.”
Jack really didn’t know what to do. It was no use at all going back - and he certainly couldn’t go forward unless he wanted to struggle with the tide in the cave.
“And I don’t want to do that.” thought the boy, listening to the smack and gurgle of the big waves that swept into the large cave below. “What in the world am I to do?”
He suddenly thought that he could hear someone coming down the secret passage. He looked round the small cave in despair. Could he lock the door that led into the cave? No - the lock was broken many years ago.
He flashed his torch round the little cave. He suddenly saw a small hole in one corner. He bent down and shone his torch into it. It was a hole big enough for a small man to get through - but where did it lead?
There was no time to be lost. Jack wriggled through the hole somehow. It widened out a little in a moment or two and dipped down into the next cave. But as that was also full of swishing waves Jack could go no farther. The hole was simply a connection between the two caves, it seemed.
“Well, I simply can’t do anything but wait here.” thought Jack. So he waited - and in a minute or two he heard the sound of people in the cave he had left, and heard voices.
“He’s not here, Luiz,” said the voice of Mr. Diaz. “And he couldn’t possibly have gone down through the shore-cave, surely, or he would have been drowned.”
“Maybe he has tried, though,” said Luiz. “He might have been very frightened, and have leapt into the water and tried to swim away.”
“Well, if so, he’s gone,” said Mr. Diaz. “I can’t imagine that any one could swim down there! Listen to the water sucking in and out. It would be impossible even for a man to swim through that.”
“Well, if he didn’t go down there, where is he?” said Luiz rather sharply. “You don’t suggest that he is hiding in any of these small boxes, do you?”
“That’s enough, Luiz,” said Mr. Diaz, in an angry tone. “I can’t understand the whole thing - how did that boy get into the grounds and the house when the dogs were there? And how did he know about the secret passage? Where has he gone now? And what do you suppose he knows about the prince?”
“Well, if you really want to know what I think, I think that Anna the cook made a mistake,” said Luiz, sounding very bored. “I think maybe something fell down in the scullery, and Anna rushed in - and thought she saw a boy! And she screamed and made a fuss.”
“Well, maybe you’re right,” said Mr. Diaz. “Come on, let’s go back. He’s not here, anyway.”
Jack heard their scrambling footsteps going from the cave. For a while he caught the sound of their voices as they went up the secret passage. Then there was silence.
“My word, that was a narrow escape!” thought Jack. “Good thing I found this hole. I wonder if the tide is going out? It sounds less strong.”
He wriggled himself into a different position, and was then able to switch on his torch and see the cave below. It was the one next to the large cave, and was only small. The sea was leaving it.
“It’s safe to get down,” thought the boy, and he wriggled out of the small passage, slid down the cave wall and jumped down to the wet sand. A wave immediately ran into the cave and wetted Jack to the waist.
“You would!” said Jack to the wave. “Just waiting for me, I suppose!”
The wave ran out. Jack ran quickly to the cave entrance and looked up the beach. If he were quick, and dodged in between the big waves that ran up the sand and back, he could get up on the rocks, and climb along them to the cliff-path.
Another wave ran up and Jack ran back into the cave to escape it. It swirled around his knees and nearly knocked him over. As soon as it ran out Jack ran out after it. He jumped quickly up on the rocks at the foot of the steep cliff. Another wave swept up and wetted his legs - but Jack clung to the rock and was safe.
He climbed a bit higher on to the rocks. Now the sea could hardly reach him, and as it was going down he would soon be safe.
He clambered over the rocks, stumbling and slipping on the seaweed. He came to the cliff-path and put his feet on the steps cut out of the rock. He switched on his torch and went carefully up to the top of the cliff.
A wind was blowing there. Jack switched off his torch in case anyone saw its light, and made his way softly back to Peep-Hole. The gate creaked as he opened it. He was safe home at last!
He ran up the winding staircase and into his bedroom at the top. The others were there. And they crowded round him at once.
“Jack! Jack! What an age you’ve been! Were you nearl
y caught again?”
“You just listen to what happened to me to-night!” said Jack. “I have had a time, I can tell you! My word, we had plenty of adventures on our secret island last year, but to-night’s adventure was the most exciting of all!”
A Plan to Rescue Paul
Jack told the others of his adventures that night. They listened in silence. When he came to the part about how he escaped down the secret passage to the shore, and could not get down into the cave because of the tide, Nora took hold of his hand tightly.
“You’re not to go on adventures alone any more, Jack,” she said. “Suppose you had been caught! We wouldn’t have known where you were! Please, please, let us all go together in future, when there is anything to be done.”
“We’ll see,” said Jack. “Sometimes it’s impossible for the whole lot of us to go together - we’d be noticed.”
“All the same, Nora’s right.” said Mike. “I think we ought to go out in pairs, Jack. You have had a time. What’s going to be our next move?”
“Bed,” said Jack at once. “I’m so sleepy I can’t keep my eyes open! We’ll decide to-morrow what is to be done.”
The girls went down to their bedroom. Jack and Mike tumbled into their beds, and were soon asleep. Once again Dimmy had to wake them all, for they were so sleepy the next morning!
“You have turned into sleepyheads!” said Dimmy, in surprise. “You will be very late for breakfast, so hurry up, please.”
The children put on their sun-suits, and raced downstairs. It was a beautiful sunny day, and they meant to bathe as soon as they could.
“Not till two hours after breakfast, remember,” said Dimmy warningly. “It is dangerous to bathe after a big meal. Jack, I can trust you not to let the others do anything foolish, can’t I?”
“Jack’s our captain, Dimmy,” said Nora. “We always do what he says.”
They went down to the beach, taking with them a basket of ripe plums from the garden for their eleven o’clock lunch. They chose a rock far down the beach, that the tide was already lapping round, and sat on it.
“It’s best to be in some place where we can’t possibly be overheard.” said Jack, looking all round. “Now that Mr. Diaz thinks one of us knows the secret of the prisoner in the tower, and all about the secret passage too, we shall have to be extra careful. I think Nora’s right when she says we must go about together. Mr. Diaz and Luiz would be pleased if they could catch any of us and keep us prisoner too!”
“Let’s talk about rescuing Prince Paul,” said Nora, who was longing to get the boy out of the tower. “Couldn’t we take the rope-ladder along to-night, Jack? Now that you’ve made friends with the dogs, it would be easy.”
“Well, I don’t know if the dogs would be friends with you too,” said Jack doubtfully. “We could try. No - I know what we’ll do. I’ll take Mike along with me to help, and you two girls can stay behind. We’ll signal a message to Prince Paul with our big black letters to-day, then he will be ready to look out for the ladder to-night.”
The girls were disappointed at the thought of being left behind, but they made no fuss. It was no use all of them going if the dogs barked at them and warned Mr. Diaz that they were about. Perhaps they would be all right with just Jack and Mike.
“I’ll take some meat along with me too, tonight,” said Mike. “You can go into the grounds first, Jack, and fuss the dogs a bit - and then you can bring them to where I am and try to make them understand I am a friend, too.”
So it was all decided. The rescue was to take place that night. What fun! The children were so thrilled that they could hardly talk of anything else as they ate their plums at eleven o’clock, and then dug an enormous castle on the beach to sit on when the tide came in. It came swirling up the sand and soon surrounded their great castle.
They went back to Peep-Hole early, about noon, because for one thing the sea was rough and there was very little beach to play on, and for another thing they wanted to signal to Prince Paul. They got out their big letters and went to the window.
Prince Paul was in his tower, looking out. When he saw them he waved in delight. At once Jack began to send a message, holding out first one letter and then another. He spelt out quite a long message. Prince Paul hung half out of his window and waved as each word came to an end, to show that he had read it.
“To-night look out for the rope-ladder,” Jack spelt out.
Prince Paul made three letters with his fingers, one after the other. “YES,” he spelt out. They were difficult letters to make with his fingers, and Jack, who was looking at Paul through the field-glasses, would hardly have known what they were if Paul hadn’t nodded his head all the time to show that he meant yes.
“Cheer up,” Jack spelt out next. Paul waved and nodded again, then suddenly disappeared into the room. Jack at once came away from his window and pulled the others from it too.
“Somebody’s come into Paul’s room,” he said. “He went away from the window so quickly. Yes - there’s dear Mr. Diaz looking across to our tower. Oh no, Mr. Diaz, you won’t see us! We’re much too sharp for you!”
The others laughed. The dinner-bell went at that minute and they all rushed downstairs, only to be sent up again because in their excitement they had quite forgotten to wash their hands and do their hair.
“Sorry, Dimmy.” they said, when they arrived down clean at last. “We were doing something exciting and quite forgot to tidy ourselves.”
“And what was this exciting thing you were doing?” asked Dimmy, ladling great helpings of garden peas on to their plates.
“It’s a secret,” said Jack. “A great big exciting secret, Dimmy! Wouldn’t you love to know it?”
“I would,” said Dimmy. “One of these days you will have to tell me.”
The others laughed. They did not know that very soon they would have to tell Dimmy their great big exciting secret!
They went boating with George the rest of the day. They caught some fish, and Dimmy said she would cook them for their supper.
“You’re a good sort, Dimmy,” said Mike, giving her a hug. “Have you any meat-bones to spare? We’d like some to-night.”
Dimmy stared in surprise. “What is all this mystery about meat at night?” she asked. “Are you keeping some stray dogs up in your bedroom or something?”
The children squealed with laughter. “No,” grinned Jack. “It’s all part of our secret, that’s all, Dimmy.”
“Well, I won’t ask any questions,” said Dimmy. “If you want secrets you can have them. There’s an old mutton-bone you may have. Get it when you want it. It’s in the larder.”
So Mike got the mutton-bone before he went to bed and put it into a bag. Jack was to carry the rope-ladder. “I think we’d better get to bed and try and have a sleep first,” said Jack, yawning. “I feel very sleepy after my night out last night, Mike. We can set our alarm clock for whatever time we like.”
“Well, I’ll set it for half-past twelve,” said Mike. “The moon will be up then, and we can see where we’re going and what we’re doing.”
So the alarm was set for half-past twelve and the four children settled into bed and went to sleep. The bell of the alarm clock rang loudly at half-past twelve and the two boys awoke. The girls heard it in their bedroom below, and slipped on their dressing-gowns ready to see the boys off.
Down the staircase went the children, Jack carrying the rope-ladder and Mike carrying the mutton-bone. The girls whispered a good-bye and went back upstairs.
“Let’s sit at the window of the boys’ room,” said Nora. “The moon is very bright now, and if we use the field-glasses we can easily see what happens. It would be fun to see Prince Paul climbing down the rope-ladder we made!”
So Nora and Peggy pulled a blanket over themselves and sat at the window of the boy’s bedroom, keeping a watch on the window of the tower up the cliff. They took it in turn to use the field-glasses. How they wondered what the boys were doing!
Mike and Ja
ck went silently up the cliff to the Old House. When they got there Jack whispered to Mike to stay outside the back gate whilst he went in to see if the dogs remembered him.
He slipped in softly. Tinker and Don were roaming about loose as usual. They smelt him and Don growled softly. Tinker came running up and licked his hand.
“Good dog, good dog,” said Jack in a low tone. He patted Tinker and then went softly to Don. Don sniffed round him, remembering the ham sandwiches and the biscuits that this boy had brought with him last time.
Jack took hold of the dogs’ collars and led them to the back gate outside which Mike was waiting. The dogs growled when they saw Mike, but they did not bark. Mike held out the bone to them.
They were very hungry and they took the bone at once. They let Mike pat them. This boy seemed to be a friend of Jack’s so they were not going to bark at him. They lay on the ground, growling and worrying at the big bone.
“Come on,” whispered Jack. Mike went with him to the bottom of the tower. A faint light shone at the top. Mike picked up a smooth round stone and took aim at the tower to warn Prince Paul they were there. The windows of the tower were open. Mike hoped to goodness he wouldn’t smash the glass and waken everyone! However, he was good at throwing, so the stone went through the open window and landed neatly inside.
At once Prince Paul appeared at the window. “Hallo,” he said, in a low voice. “I’m ready.”
Jack got hold of the stone to which the piece of string was firmly tied. It had a hole through the middle and the string was knotted through it. Jack took aim at the window.
The stone flew up in the air, carrying the length of thin string with it. It missed the window and fell down again. Jack picked it up. Once more he aimed - and this time the stone went right through the open window, just missing Paul, and landed on the floor.
Paul picked up the stone. He pulled at the string and it came up to the window pulling the strong twine behind it. Then Paul pulled at the twine, and the rope-ladder began to unravel itself from Jack’s hands and slip silently up the wall of the tower.