‘So all we need is to let Bec in on our idea and hope she goes along with it.’
‘She will. This is just up her street. Leave it to me and everything will be fine.’
‘How much further?’
‘Let’s see now. It’s one fifteen and we’re scheduled to arrive at one twenty-seven. So I reckon we’re the next stop.’
‘Thank goodness. I can’t stand sitting down for so long, and poor old Archer looks so miserable.’
‘He’ll be all right. I bet he perks up as soon as we get off the train. Hello, what’s happening now?’
The train had travelled about two miles from the last station and was passing through yet more endless fields in the open countryside when quite suddenly it came to a grinding halt.
‘Someone pulled the emergency cord d’you think?’
‘Don’t know. It could be.’
The conversation was interrupted by the sound of a door being closed quite firmly.
‘That sounded close. Look!’ exclaimed James as he gesticulated with his left-hand middle finger in the direction of the fields outside the window. ‘It’s that chap whose lunch Archer nicked. He’s run up the embankment and now he’s headed off across that field.’
‘You’re right. Look, here comes the guard.’
A somewhat portly gentleman wearing the guard’s uniform appropriate for that railway opened the carriage door one row ahead of the boys. He puffed loudly as he staggered to climb into the carriage. Looking round, he espied the boys and called out, ‘You boys pull the communication cord?’
‘No sir, there was a chap at the other end of the carriage, only he just got off and ran away over the fields.’
‘Did he now.’ The guard sounded less than convinced, but he proceeded to walk down the carriage. He inspected the communication cord, which had indeed been pulled down to stop the train, and then returned to where the boys were sitting.
‘So you says he ran off over the fields.’
‘Yes, look, you can just see him on that rise over there.’
The guard looked through the window. ‘Right. Could either of you describe him?’
‘Certainly,’ said Mark. ‘We got a good look at him because our dog ate his lunch and he wasn’t very happy about it. Let’s see. He was wearing a dark jacket, possibly black, and it had a red, sort of thin cross pattern round it. He also had matching dark trousers and black shoes. He didn’t stand up but he was not very tall, maybe about five foot seven or eight. He had a chubby sort of face with red cheeks. His nose was quite fat, sort of squashed, and he wore tiny circular spectacles. Anything else James?’
‘Not really, except that he looked quite fit. It didn’t take him long to get past that embankment and run off into the fields. I’d say he was quite fit.’
The guard had been writing down the man’s description piece by piece. Now he looked at the older boy and his face was serious.
‘It’s a serious thing to pull that cord. I’ll have to report it to the authorities and they may want to talk to you again. Can I have your name and address please?’ Mark duly told the guard who he was and gave his home address. The guard was about to close his notebook when James added, ‘But we’re going on holiday for two weeks, camping, so it’ll have to wait till after then.’
‘That’s all right. It may take weeks to process. Now, let’s get this train moving again.’
The guard left the carriage and a few minutes later the train lurched back into life.
‘Why,’ said James curiously, ‘would anyone want to leave a train in the middle of the country?’
‘I have no idea,’ replied his elder brother. ‘He must have had a reason though.’
Chapter 4
The train continued its journey through the fields, which were bedecked in a whole variety of summer colours. Finally, the train started to slow down as it approached the station.
‘Right, we’ve arrived. Bags down, dog up, let’s go.’
‘Any sign of Bec yet?’
‘Can’t see a thing.’ Mark had his face squashed against the window of the train, peering out, looking for their cousin. The train continued to slow, and the platform came up to meet the side of the carriage. The perimeter fence of white painted wood clearly marked the station’s limits. Halfway down the platform was a small building, comprising a small waiting room, and the ticket office, with a separating entrance hall.
‘Mainswell!’ a deep voice bellowed as the train finally stopped. The boys alighted and Archer, glad to have his paws back on firm land once again, shook himself from head to tail. The boys looked round. The platform was empty apart from the ticket collector standing at the entrance to the small building.
‘Doesn’t look like she’s here,’ said James.
‘Nope. Come on, let’s get moving.’
The boys handed the man their tickets and left the station. The road, which led from the station, curved away to the right and led to the main road. Just as the boys were leaving the station they heard the sound of horses hooves on the road, just out of sight. A moment later the horse and cart appeared. Their cousin waved wildly at them as she brought the contraption to a standstill. Once stopped, she jumped down and gave both the boys a hug.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ she said. ‘I got held up at the farm with something Dad wanted me to do. Good journey?’
‘Yeah, not bad. Say, how are you keeping?’ James continued.
‘Pretty good. Hello, Archer.’ She stooped to give the dog a hug and as she pressed into his face Archer greeted her with a very wet tongue. ‘Yuck! Don’t you know how to greet someone without drowning them?’ she laughed. ‘Come on, let’s get back to the farm.’
They loaded the bags and the tent onto the cart and jumped up. Archer chose to run alongside, his tail wagging with joy after the long train ride. As the horse and cart left the station, the three youngsters began sharing their hopes and aspirations for the fortnight ahead.
They had just reached the main road when Rebecca went all serious and looked at Mark. ‘Dad says, if you don’t mind, I can camp out in the field with you, provided we keep the tents close together.’
‘Well, I don’t know about that, Bec,’ Mark replied, also very seriously. ‘We had really planned to camp on our own and just use the farm for supplies.’ The girl was busy steering the horse and failed to catch the almost imperceptible wink that Mark gave his younger brother. ‘What do you think James?’ he continued.
‘Hmm. It’d certainly change our plans a bit, and I don’t know if I really want the responsibility of looking after a girl.’ He couldn’t keep a straight face and almost laughed the final words.
‘You swine, I’ll have you for that. You really got me worried. So it’s okay then?’
‘Well,’ continued James, almost containing his amusement, ‘like I said, I don’t want the responsibility of looking after a girl,’ and at this point he burst out laughing.
‘Responsibility, hey? Bet you I end up looking after you anyway. I’ll stop off at the house and get my tent on the way into the field. Looks like we’re due some pretty warm weather over the next few days. After today it’s going to get warmer and warmer. There’s only one other camper in the upper field, which is where we’re going. The lower field is quite full already. That camper is right near the inner gate, and he’s leaving day after tomorrow anyway. So I guess we’ll be quite on our own for at least a few days. Here we are.’
The horse, cart and its occupants made a sharp left turn and stopped at the farm’s main gate.
‘Mark, could you do the gate? And remember to close it properly afterwards.’
‘Sure.’ Mark jumped down and pushed the gate open. The horse and cart passed through and the gate was shut with a sufficiently loud bang to convince the girl that Mark had done the job properly.
‘Welcome to Hammond farm. I won’t be a minute.’
While the girl was in the house collecting her tent and essential belongings the boys sat patiently.
‘Funny,’ said James, ‘ to think we have a farm bearing our name.’
‘I suppose it is in a way. Never thought of it before though. I’ll tell you what though. If Bec’s camping with us it might make it a bit more tricky to send our messages.’
‘Leave it to me,’ said James with a twinkle in his eye. After tonight she’ll be glad to go back home.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘Just wait and see. Shush, here she comes.’
‘What were you talking about?’ the girl asked them as she tossed her own camping gear onto the cart.
‘Just talking about something we promised Dad we’d do. We said we’d send a message on the computer every now and then just to tell him we’re okay. Do you mind?’
‘No, not at all. I expect we’ll find time to do that.’
Mark looked at James, but James was looking in another direction, deliberately because he knew his older brother would probably force him to give the game away. The horse continued past the main house, past a few outbuildings and through a field that was strewn with a collection of tents and caravans.
‘This is the lower field. Normally we just use this for the campers, but Father has opened up the upper field because this one got full.’
They continued to cross the field and climbed slowly uphill. Finally they reached the expanse of the upper field.
‘Let’s go right up the top,’ said Mark. ‘Then we can look down on all the other campers. Pointing up the hill, he asked his cousin, ‘What’s the other side of the hedge?’
‘There’s a steep embankment down to the main road. We’re quite safe. It’s far too steep for anyone to climb up it, and the hedge is good and thick, so we can’t be seen from the road. If you look carefully you’ll see that there’s actually a rise this side of the hedge too, and the rise is about eight feet high, so from the road you can’t see anything of the field even if you’re in a lorry.’
‘It sounds perfect. A good view over the rest of the farm, and way beyond, and shelter from any winds and other noise.’
The horse reached the camping spot.
‘You unload this lot and I’ll take the horse back to the stable. I’ll be about half an hour so you’d better start breaking out the gear. I’ll help you when I get back.’
‘Right-oh.’ The boys unloaded the cart. Archer, who had run all the way from the station, was busy running through the field, as if chasing an imaginary rabbit.
‘This holiday will do him good. He’ll lose pounds in weight and burn up all that surplus energy he’s got. Look at him.’ It was true. Archer was certainly an energetic dog and now, with the freedom of the countryside, he was scampering as fast as he could through the grassy field.
‘See you in a bit,’ the girl called out as she started her journey back to the main farm buildings. As she drove off back down the field, the boys began to unpack the two-man tent they had brought. It was a simple task to erect the tent, a task they had performed many times before, and being out in the country added a new dimension of excitement as they happily set about it.
‘Poles in. I reckon we’ll only need the short spikes. It won’t get that windy here, not with all the surrounding trees and hedges.’
‘Okay. Short spikes it is then. Look, if we get this up before Bec gets back, why don’t we go and hide? Just to see her reaction?’
‘You’re on. Let’s shift it then. She’ll be at least ten minutes more. I’ll keep one eye on that gate down there. If we see her then you can be sure she’ll see us so the game will be up.’
The boys busied themselves and in just a few minutes the tent was standing, with the spikes secured and the guy ropes securely fastened. With one last check, Mark straightened up. ‘There, that should do it,’ he said. ‘Let’s put all the gear inside and scram.’
In a moment the remaining bags were stored in the spacious tent and the younger boy pulled down the zip fastening.
‘Now, let’s hide. Over the mound, and just before the hedge should do. That way we can keep an eye on her and see her reaction.’
‘Okay.’
Quickly the boys climbed the eight-foot bank and slid down the other side just far enough so they could peer out over the top. Archer was now nowhere to be seen, but neither youngster was worried. He would come back when he wanted to, and he needed the freedom the countryside could offer him. They had not been hiding long when Mark nudged his brother and pointed at the gate at the bottom of the field. Their cousin was just walking through it. A couple of minutes late she arrived at the tent. She walked up quietly, assuming the boys were inside. She looked approvingly at the construction and then called out, ‘Okay, guys, I know you’re inside. Come on out and help me put my tent up.’
There was, inevitably, no reply. She called again, and then proceeded to pull up the zip to the tent flap. Gingerly she looked inside and then, with a puzzled look on her face, she straightened her back. She looked round and rubbed her chin with her hand. She put two fingers inside her lips and let out a piercing, shrill whistle. A few moments later the Alsatian came bounding up to her.
‘Archer, find Mark. Where is he?’ The dog looked puzzled. After all, why should he know where Mark was? ‘Go find him Archer.’
That was simple enough to do. He put his nose to the ground, and in a moment picked up the scent he recognised as being one of the boys. He barked once and headed for the embankment.
‘Time to go,’ said James.
‘Yep,’ agreed his brother.
As they stood up the older boy shouted, ‘Okay, you win.’ Archer arrived soon after and barked loudly as the trio descended the embankment.
‘I hope this fortnight isn’t going to be just a continual stream of practical jokes,’ chided the girl when they had descended the hill.
‘No. Just couldn’t resist that one. Look, let’s help get your tent up, then we can go exploring.’
‘Exploring?’ Rebecca questioned him. She knew the area well and knew there wasn’t much to explore.
‘Yeah, have a look round the farm, check out some Ordnance Survey maps we’ve brought and plan what we want to do for the next fortnight.’
‘Oh, that kind of exploring! In that case, let’s get the tent up and everything put away first.’
The next twenty minutes was spent erecting the second tent and arranging the provisions and camping gear in the correct place. The girl’s tent was big enough to sleep one person comfortably, along with storage for that person’s clothes, food and a burner. The boy’s tent was bigger and could easily sleep the two of them plus Archer, and still store their clothes and provisions. Between the three of them they had torches, two camping burners, a couple of pans and some basic cooking utensils.
‘Water. We need water.’ Mark was always organised and thinking a few steps ahead of the others.
‘Easy. There’s a tap just the other side of that gate. Mains water from Mainswell. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?’
‘I’ll go and fill the containers this time,’ volunteered James. ‘Then next time someone else can do it.’
‘Okay. I’ll do it next time,’ offered his brother. ‘It’s three o’clock now. I suggest we aim to be looking round the farm in half an hour. Can you do the water in that time?’
‘Yeah, that’s not a problem. We’ve got two containers haven’t we? Ten litres of water each. Should last a day or two. See you in a bit.’ With which the boy picked up the containers and walked off down to the tap.
Half an hour later the trio were ready to explore the farm. Rebecca showed them round the various outbuildings. They saw the various pieces of machinery stored in two of the outbuildings. The boys, not having visited the farm for some years, were intrigued by their cousin’s way of life.
‘Where’s Uncle Jack?’ Mark asked her as they came out of the chicken coop.
‘Oh, he’s gone to the town today. Had to pick up some supplies. He took the lorry with him. Said he had to collect some fertiliser and straw or something lik
e that. We used to have it delivered, but he reckons it’s cheaper to do it yourself. Personally, I reckon it’s easier to have someone deliver it. And this is where we keep the horses. Bess - she came with me today to pick you up - is in the left stable, and Bramble is in the right. He’s not very well at the moment. In fact we had the vet round to see him the day before yesterday. He’s damaged one of his hindquarters. The vet says it’ll be a couple of weeks before he’s fit and well again. He’s the horse I jump with. Bess we use round the farm to pull the cart.’
They continued their exploration round the other buildings before retreating back up the hill to the tents.
‘I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m hungry. It’s already five thirty, and by the time we get anything cooked it’ll be the best part of another hour. I vote we have dinner next,’ Rebecca said as they neared the tents.
‘Good idea. We could use up some of those tins we brought. We’ll have to think about doing some shopping either tomorrow or the day after. Got any shops here or roundabouts?’ the older boy questioned his cousin.
‘There’s a couple of decent shops in the village about a mile away, or you can buy certain things from the camp shop, but they’re expensive. Why don’t we go down into the village tomorrow and do some shopping then?’
‘Great, but for now we’d better get some food cooking.’
They brought the camping burners out of the tents and in a few minutes had water on to boil. Tins were opened and the contents heated up. While they were cooking, Archer went off to explore the field on his own. The field was full of interesting scents. Grass pollen and flowers mingled with the scent of various creatures. One particular scent attracted his attention. It was very similar to a scent he had got used to in the kitchen back at home. It was the same scent that came with one of the variety of dog foods he guzzled each day. Then his doggy brain told him what the scent was - rabbit. He licked his lips. Fresh rabbit. Not boiled, stewed, or mutilated in any other way, but delicious, fresh rabbit.
‘Look!’ exclaimed James. ‘Archer’s picked up the scent of something. What do you think it might be?’ Archer had his nose to the ground, sniffing intently, his face moving to one side and then the other as he tracked the scent to its source.
Archer's Mystery At Mainswell Page 3