The Secret of Dinswood

by Ellen Alexander

  “Try not to move around. We’re coming.” While Martha and Emma looked on helplessly, Doug sprang into action and began dragging the rope ladder over to the corner. “Emma, come shine your light down into the opening, so I can see what we’re dealing with here,” Doug instructed abruptly.

  Emma dropped the paper she’d been holding and hurried to do Doug’s bidding. When she got to the edge of the opening and peered over the side, she could see the tops of Sebastian’s shoes. His pant leg was indeed caught on a large metal hook that had been driven into the upper rim of the opening. There was another hook positioned a foot away from the one on which Sebastian was hung. Emma realized the purpose of the hooks when Doug looped one side of the ladder over the free hook. He was unable to secure the other side of the ladder, because Sebastian’s pant leg was in the way.

  By this time, Martha had reached the edge of the opening and was kneeling beside Emma. “We can’t hook the rope ladder on with Sebastian’s pant leg in the way. What are we going to do?” Martha said frantically.

  “We only need to secure it on one for now. It’ll be enough for Sebastian to hang on to, and then we can pull him up,” Doug said before directing his attention to Sebastian once again. “Sebastian, can you see the rope? It’s on your right side.”

  “I see it,” Sebastian called back.

  “Can you reach it?”

  Cautiously, Sebastian reached out with his right hand, afraid to move too much. His fingers were just inches away from being able to touch the rope ladder. “I can’t get it!” he said in panic.

  “We’ll swing it over to you.” Then Doug looked over at Emma and Martha. “Trade me places. I’m going to grab hold of Sebastian’s ankle and you guys swing the rope over to him. I’m afraid his pant leg will come loose when he starts wiggling around down there. I’ll try to keep him from falling if that happens.”

  Without a word, Emma and Martha quickly changed places with Doug who laid down and then leaned over the edge until he could get a firm grip on Sebastian’s ankle. When he felt like he had a secure hold, he looked over at the girls and said, “Start swinging the rope.”

  “Grab the rope when it comes over to you,” Martha called.

  Sebastian reached out with both hands and had just gotten a good grip on the rope when his pant leg tore free. Straining with all of his might Doug held onto Sebastian’s right leg.

  “Doug, you can let go now. I’ve got it.”

  “Okay, hold on tight,” Doug said, grunting with effort. With that, Doug released Sebastian’s leg and held his breath as Sebastian’s feet disappeared from view. They heard a sharp crack as the rungs of the rope ladder smacked into the wall of the opening.

  “You still there?” Doug called worriedly.

  “Yeah, I’m still here,” Sebastian answered breathlessly.

  “Find a foothold if you can, and we’ll try to pull you up.”

  Even with the three of them working, pulling Sebastian up with the rope ladder wasn’t as easy as it had sounded. Instead, they managed to pull the other half of the ladder up enough to secure it over the hook where previously Sebastian’s pant leg had been. Once the ladder was firmly in place, Sebastian was able to climb out of the opening on his own.

  As soon as he’d cleared the edge, he lay on the ground panting with exertion, and for once, unable to speak. The others all dropped to their knees completely exhausted, not only from their efforts to rescue Sebastian, but from the realization that Sebastian could have been killed.

  That reality prompted Martha to say with a sob, “We can’t do this. It’s just too dangerous. Sebastian could have been killed. No treasure is worth our lives.”

  “You’re right,” Doug said with a sigh. “You guys go back.”

  “What about you?” Sebastian asked, still a little out of breath.

  “I’m going to go on.”

  “By yourself?” Sebastian asked incredulously.

  “You can’t go by yourself,” Martha said.

  “I’ve got to,” Doug replied. “The future of the school depends on it.”

  “The school is not worth your life!” Martha shouted.

  “Look, I’ve made my decision. I’m going to keep going,” Doug said in a tone that brooked no argument. When the others remained silent, he added, “Look, I’m not asking any of you to come with me. I can do this on my own.”

  “If you go, then I go,” Sebastian said bravely.

  “I’m going too,” Emma said with a nod.

  Martha was silent for a moment, and then, after looking at each of them in turn, said with a sigh, “I think you’re all crazy, but if you insist on going, you’re going to need someone to watch out for you.”

  “Does that mean you’re coming with us?” Sebastian asked.

  “Yes, I’m coming. But there’ll be no more falling into big holes. Got it?”

  “Got it,” Sebastian answered.

  It was then that Emma remembered the paper she’d found in the chest. “Hey, I forgot to tell you I found something else in the treasure chest.”

  “What?” the others all asked in unison.

  “It was a folded piece of paper.”

  “What did it say?” Sebastian asked eagerly. He seemed to have fully recovered from his recent brush with death.

  “I don’t know. I was just going to open it when you started screaming for help.”

  “Where is it now?” Martha asked.

  “I dropped it over by the treasure chest I think.”

  Without a word, everyone rushed over to the treasure chest and began searching the cave floor with their flashlights.

  “I found it!” Sebastian exclaimed triumphantly a few seconds later.

  “Well, what does it say?” Martha asked.

  Sebastian quickly unfolded the sheet of paper and then looked up at the others with a frown.

  “Well?” Martha asked again.

  “It’s another riddle.”

  “Give me that.” Finally losing her patience, Martha snatched the paper away from Sebastian. Then she began reading out loud:

  Jacob will help you,

  For down the hatch you must go.

  But better beware,

  Danger waits below!

  “What the heck does that mean?” Martha asked when she had finished reading.

  “I think it means we’ve got to climb down through that hole I found,” Sebastian said.

  “That does seem to be our only option,” Doug agreed. “There’s no other way out of here except the way we came.”

  “Yeah, but who’s Jacob?” Martha asked.

  “Well, a rope ladder is called a Jacob’s ladder,” Sebastian answered.

  Everyone looked at Sebastian in surprise.

  “How did you know that?” Emma finally asked.

  “I go sailing with my dad a lot in the summer. A couple of years ago, he gave me a book about sailing and ships and stuff. The book has all of these neat pictures and a dictionary of sailing terms. Jacob’s ladder was one of the terms.”

  The others continued to stare at Sebastian a moment longer before Doug said, “We’d better get a move on. As soon as the ball’s over the security guards will start making their rounds, and it’s eleven thirty now.”

  “How deep do you think that hole is?” Martha asked worriedly when they were all standing around the opening looking down. Even with their flashlights they couldn’t see the bottom. Martha had always been afraid of heights and wasn’t particularly looking forward to climbing down into a seemingly bottomless pit, especially on a flimsy rope ladder.

  “Oh, I’d guess twenty-five to thirty feet deep,” Doug answered.

  “And just how do you know that?”

  “I don’t, but that’s about how long the rope ladder is,” Doug replied with a smile.

  As soon as Sebastian disappeared into the passage, Reggie came out from where he had been hiding in the lounge. He had suspected that Doug and his cohorts were going to be in the lounge tonight. In spite of what they
might have thought, Reggie had become suspicious that day he’d pointed out that the picture of Lord Dinswood was hanging in the wrong room. They’d been acting funny ever since, and one time in passing, he’d heard them mention the lounge and the ball. Putting it all together, he had come to the conclusion that something important was going to happen in the lounge the night of the ball. Thus, when the teachers had sent everyone to their dorm rooms, Reggie had snuck into the lounge instead. He had hidden behind a sofa in the corner of the room farthest from the door.

  At some point in the evening, he had fallen asleep and had only awakened when he’d heard Doug and Sebastian come in. Shortly after that, the lights had gone out, so he had continued to hide and wait. Not long after Doug and Sebastian had entered, the door to the lounge had opened once more, this time admitting Emma and Martha. Peeking around the couch, he’d been amazed as he watched them open a secret passage. He was just about to investigate the passage himself when the door of the lounge opened yet again. Afraid that he was about to be caught out after curfew, he frantically looked for a place to hide. He was about to dive behind the nearest chair when he heard a familiar voice.

  “Why are the lights out? I can’t see a thing.”

  It was Susie. Breathing a sigh of relief, Reggie straightened from his crouched position and said, “What are you two doing in here?”

  Susie jumped as if she’d just been shot, and Clarice gasped in fright. Clarice was on the verge of bolting for the door when she recognized Reggie’s voice. “Reggie, is that you?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “What are you doing in here?” it was her turn to ask.

  Realizing he wasn’t going to get an answer to his question until he’d satisfied Clarice’s curiosity, he sighed and said, “I’ve been hiding in here since curfew. I suspected Doug and his bunch were planning something in here tonight, and boy was I right.”

  “What do you mean?” Susie asked, interrupting Clarice who had just begun to pose a question of her own. It was too dark for Reggie to see the glare that Clarice must be giving Susie, but he could picture it in his mind. “What were they planning?” Susie continued, blissfully unaware that she’d done anything that would anger her idol.

  “Come over here and look at this.” Reggie led them over to the opening of the passage, which was barely discernible in the moonlight.

  “What is it?” Clarice asked.

  “It’s a secret passage,” Reggie replied.

  “Where does it go?” Susie asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’d sure like to find out.”

  “I’m not going in there,” Susie said with a shake of her head.

  “We’re going to need a light. It’s awfully dark in there,” Clarice said at almost the same time.

  Reggie’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Clarice never ceased to amaze him. Apparently, her curiosity was greater than her aversion to all things dark and damp. Reggie had to admit that he was glad Clarice and Susie had happened along. He hadn’t been looking forward to entering the passage by himself. At any rate, Clarice was right. They needed some kind of light. He hadn’t thought to bring a flashlight as Doug had. Of course, he’d had no way of knowing that he’d be exploring a secret passage tonight. Thinking there might be something they could use in the lounge, he began looking around.

  It was Clarice who came up with the solution. “Couldn’t we use that lantern on the mantle?”

  Reggie looked where Clarice had indicated. Sure enough, on the mantle above the fireplace sat an old-fashioned hurricane lantern. Carefully, Reggie took it down and looked to see if it had any kerosene in it. He was relieved to see that it was over half full. Now they just needed something to light the wick. As if reading his mind, Clarice said, “I think they keep matches for lighting fires in the tinderbox.”

  Reggie looked to the right of the fireplace and found the metal box to which Clarice was referring. Opening the box, he found kindling and a box of matches. “Clarice, you’re a genius,” Reggie said grinning broadly.

  Flushing with pleasure at Reggie’s praise, Clarice said, “I know. I know. Now hand me the lantern, and you light the wick.”

  After adjusting the length of the wick a little, Reggie struck the match and lit it. A soft glow began emanating from the lantern. It wasn’t as bright as Reggie would have wished, but it would have to do. “Are you guys ready?” Reggie asked as he took the lantern from Clarice. Susie still looked uncertain, but Clarice was nodding eagerly. Knowing that Susie would follow Clarice despite her obvious reluctance, he said, “Come on then, and stay close to me.” Then, with the lantern held high in front of him, Reggie led the way into the passage.

  As they descended the steps, Reggie asked Clarice again why she and Susie had come to the lounge tonight. “Susie caught Emma and Martha sneaking out of our room after curfew,” Clarice explained. “They thought I was asleep and gave some lame excuse about wanting to watch the ball some more.”

  “But you didn’t buy it?”

  “No, those two wouldn’t risk getting caught breaking a school rule just to watch some stupid ball. I figured something big must be happening tonight. Anyway, as soon as they left, I told Susie we should follow them to see what they were really up to. I had Susie watch where they were going while I hurried and got dressed.”

  “And she saw them come in here,” Reggie finished for her.

  “That’s right,” Susie confirmed. “Then I went back and told Clarice, and well, here we are.”

  His curiosity satisfied, Reggie took the rest of the stairs in silence. He didn’t know what lay ahead of them, but he was eager to find out.

  Doug was the first one down the ladder. Standing on solid ground again, he began looking around and was surprised to discover another treasure chest. It looked like the first one and was locked just like the first one. He was in the process of trying to locate the key when he was joined by the others.

  “Hey, it’s another treasure chest,” Sebastian, who had been the last one down, exclaimed as he let go of the ladder.

  “Yeah, but I can’t seem to find the key,” Doug said.

  The others immediately joined in the search, but several minutes later they had to admit defeat. The key wasn’t anywhere.

  “What’s Dinswood up to now?” Doug wondered aloud. “The other key was easy to find. Why isn’t this one?”

  A thought occurred to Emma at the mention of the other key. “Where’s the key that opened the first treasure chest?”

  “I left it in the chest I think,” Doug answered. Then he understood what Emma was getting at. “Do you think it will open this chest too?”

  “Maybe,” Emma replied with a lift of her eyebrows.

  “I’ll have to go back up and get it then.”

  “No, you won’t,” Sebastian said, stopping Doug who already had his foot on the first rung of the ladder. “I thought we might need it for something, so I took it. I’ve got it here in my pocket.” Pulling it out of the front pocket of his jeans, Sebastian held the key up for everyone to see.

  “Good thinking, Sebastian,” Martha said.

  “Let’s just hope it works,” Doug said, taking the key from a grinning Sebastian.

  Everyone held their breath as Doug tried the key. It turned easily in the lock, and in no time, Doug was lifting the lid. Gathering around, they all peered inside and were simultaneously struck with a strong odor.

  “Ooh! What’s that smell?” Martha said, wrinkling her nose.

  Reaching inside the chest, Doug pulled out what appeared to be a rod-shaped piece of wood with a rag wrapped around one end. The smell was coming from the rag. Doug put the rag closer to his nose and sniffed hesitantly. The odor was so strong; he immediately pulled his head back. “It smells like pitch. This must be a torch.”

  “Look, there are three more in here,” Sebastian said as he pulled them from the chest.

  “Don’t you think it’s odd that there are four of us and four torches?” Emma asked with a frown. It m
ust just be a coincidence, she thought to herself. After all, there was no way that Dinswood could have known that there would be four treasure hunters. Still, it left her with a strange feeling.

  Ignoring her question, Sebastian asked, “How are we supposed to light these things?”

  “Maybe there are some matches in the chest,” Martha suggested.

  Looking into the chest once more, Sebastian found a small box of matches stuck in the right front corner. Opening the box, Sebastian found not only matches but another folded piece of paper. “Look, another riddle!”

  “What’s this one say?” Emma asked.

  “Use these torches to light your way, live to see another day,” Sebastian read aloud. When he had finished reading, he frowned and said, “Boy, I sure don’t like the sound of that.”

  “I think it just means that if we can see where we’re going, maybe we won’t be falling into any more holes,” Martha said, giving Sebastian a dry look.

  “Hey, how was I supposed to know there were any holes around? I’ve never been in a cave before,” Sebastian said defensively.

  “I think we’d better light these things and get going,” Doug interrupted before Martha and Sebastian could get into a full-blown argument. One by one, he lit the torches and handed them to the others. “We’ll probably need this again,” he said as he bent to retrieve the key from the chest.

  “What should we do with our flashlights?” Martha asked.

  “Bring them along. We may need them later,” Doug replied over his shoulder. He was already heading down the passage.

  After that, there was very little conversation. Everyone was too busy watching for holes and any other obstacles that might be in their path. The words “live to see another day” kept going through their minds. Gradually, the passage began to narrow until there was barely enough room for them to squeeze through sideways. Emma was just beginning to feel the panic of claustrophobia when suddenly the passage opened up into a large room. As if starved for air, Emma breathed in deeply and began to relax a little. She just hoped there weren’t any places in the passage where they’d have to crawl. Just the thought of it gave her a shiver.