Chapter Thirteen. DOWN IN THE DUNGEONS

 

FOUR torches were flashed on to the wooden door. It was big and stout, studded with great iron nails. Julian gave a whoop of delight and rushed to it. He felt certain that behind it was the dungeon used for storing things.

But the door was fast shut. No amount of pushing or pulling would open it. It had a great key-hole- but no key there! The four children stared in exasperation at the door. Bother it! Just as they really thought they were near the ingots, this door wouldn't open!

" We'll fetch the axe, " said Julian, suddenly. " We may be able to chop round the keyhole and smash the lock."

" That's a good idea! " said George, delighted. " Come on back! "

They left the big door, and tried to get back the way they had come. But the dungeons were so big and so rambling that they lost their way. They stumbled over old broken barrels, rotting wood, empty bottles and many other things as they tried to find their way back to the big flight of rock-steps.

" This is sickening! " said Julian, at last. " I simply haven't any idea at all where the entrance is. We keep on going into one dungeon after another, and one passage after another, and they all seem to be exactly the same-dark and smelly and mysterious."

" Suppose we have to stay here all the rest of our lives! " said Anne, gloomily.

" Idiot! " said Dick, taking her hand. " We shall soon find the way out. Hallo! - what's this-"

They all stopped. They had come to what looked like a chimney shaft of brick, stretching down from the roof of the dungeon to the floor. Julian flashed his torch on to it. He was puzzled.

" I know what it is! " said George, suddenly. " It's the well, of course! You remember it was shown in the plan of the dungeons, as well as in the plan of the ground floor. Well, that's the shaft of the well going down and down. I wonder if there's any opening in it just here-so that water could be taken into the dungeons as well as up to the ground floor."

They went to see. On the other side of the well-shaft was a small opening big enough for one child at a time to put his head and shoulders through and look down. They shone their torches down and up. The well was so deep that it was still impossible to see the bottom of it. Julian dropped a stone down again, but there was no sound of either a thud or a splash. He looked upwards, and could see the faint gleam of daylight that slid round the broken slab of stone lying a little way down the shaft- the slab on which Tim had sat, waiting to be rescued.

" Yes, " he said, " this is the well all right. Isn't it queer? Well- now we've found the well we know that the entrance to the dungeons isn't very far off! "

That cheered them all up tremendously. They took hands and hunted around in the dark, their torches making bright beams of light here and there.

Anne gave a screech of excitement. " Here's the entrance! It must be, because I can see faint daylight coming down! "

The children rounded a corner and sure enough, there was the steep, rocky flight of steps leading upwards. Julian took a quick look round so that he might know the way to go when they came down again. He didn't feel at all certain that he would find the wooden door!

They all went up into the sunshine. It was delicious to feel the warmth on their heads and shoulders after the cold air down in the dungeons. Julian looked at his watch and gave a loud exclamation.

" It's half-past six! Half-past six! No wonder I feel hungry. We haven't had any tea. We've been working, and wandering about those dungeons for hours."

" Well, let's have a kind of tea-supper before we do anything else, " said Dick. I don't feel as if I've had anything to eat for about twelve months."

" Well, considering you ate about twice as much as anyone else at dinner-time, " began Julian, indignantly. Then he grinned. " I feel the same as you, " he said. " Come on! -let's get a really good meal. George, what about boiling a kettle and making some cocoa, or something? I feel cold after all that time underground."

It was fun boiling the kettle on a fire of dry sticks. It was lovely to lie about in the warmth of the evening sun and munch bread and cheese and enjoy cake and biscuits. They all enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Tim had a good meal too. He hadn't very much liked being underground, and had followed the others very closely indeed, his tail well down. He had been very frightened, too, of the curious echoes here and there.

Once he had barked, and it had seemed to Tim as if the whole of the dungeons were full of other dogs, all barking far more loudly than he could. He hadn't even dared to whine after that! But now he was happy again, eating the tit-bits that the children gave him, and licking George whenever he was near her.

It was past eight o'clock by the time that the children had finished their meal and tidied up. Julian looked at the others. The sun was sinking, and the day was no longer so warm.

" Well, " he said, " I don't know what you feel. But I don't somehow want to go down into those dungeons again today, not even for the sake of smashing in that door with the axe and opening it! I'm tired, and I don't like the thought of losing my way in those dungeons at night."

The others heartily agreed with him, especially Anne, who had secretly been dreading going down again with the night coming on. The little girl was almost asleep; she was so tired out with hard work and excitement.

" Come on, Anne! " said George, pulling her to her feet. " Bed for you. We'll cuddle up together in the rugs on the floor of that little room- and in the morning when we wake we'll be simply thrilled to think of opening that big wooden door."

All four children, with Tim close behind, went off to the little stone room. They curled up on their piles of rugs, and Tim crept in with George and Anne. He lay down on them, and felt so heavy that Anne had to push him off her legs.

He sat himself down on her again, and she groaned, half-asleep. Tim wagged his tail and thumped it hard against her ankles. Then George pulled him on to her own legs and lay there, feeling him breathe. She was very happy. She was spending the night on her island. They had almost found the ingots, she was sure. She had Tim with her, actually sleeping on her rugs. Perhaps everything would come right after all- somehow.

She fell asleep. The children felt perfectly safe with Tim on guard. They slept peacefully until the morning, when Tim saw a rabbit through the broken archway leading to the little room, and sped away to chase it. He awoke George as he got up from the rugs, and she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

" Wake up! " she cried to the others. " Wake up, all of you! It's morning! And we're on the island! "

They all awoke. It was really thrilling to sit up and remember everything. Julian thought of the big wooden door at once. He would soon smash it in with his axe, he felt sure. And then what would they find?

They had breakfast, and ate just as much as ever. Then Julian picked up the axe they had brought and took everyone to the flight of steps. Tim went too, wagging his tail, but not really feeling very pleased at the thought of going down into the queer places where other dogs seemed to bark, and yet were not to be found. Poor Tim would never understand echoes!

They all went down underground again. And then, of course, they couldn't find the way to the wooden door! It was most tiresome.

" We shall lose our way all over again, " said George, desperately. " These dungeons are about the most rambling spread-out maze of underground caves I've ever known! We shall lose the entrance again too! "

Julian had a bright idea. He had a piece of white chalk in his pocket, and he took it out. He went back to the steps, and marked the wall there. Then he began to put chalk-marks along the passages as they walked in the musty darkness. They came to the well, and Julian was pleased.

" Now, " he said, " whenever we come to the well we shall at least be able to find the way back to the steps, because we can follow my chalk-marks. Now the thing is- which is the way next? We'll try and find it and I'll put chalk-marks along the walls here and there- but if we go the wrong way and have to come back, we'll rub out the marks, and start again from the well another way."

This was really a very good idea. They did go the wrong way, and had to come back, rubbing out Julian's marks. They reached the well, and set off in the opposite direction. And this time they did find the wooden door!

There it was, stout and sturdy, its old iron nails rusty and red. The children stared at it in delight. Julian lifted his axe.

Crash! He drove it into the wood and round about the keyhole. But the wood was still strong, and the axe only went in an inch or two. Julian drove it in once more. The axe hit one of the big nails and slipped a little to one side. A big splinter of wood flew out- and struck poor Dick on the cheek!

He gave a yell of pain. Julian jumped in alarm, and turned to look at him. Dick's cheek was pouring with blood!

" Something flew out of the door and hit me, " said poor Dick. " It's a splinter, or something."

" Golly! " said Julian, and he shone his torch on to Dick. " Can you bear it a moment if I pull the splinter out? It's a big one, and it's still sticking into your poor cheek."

But Dick pulled it out himself. He made a face with the pain, and then turned very white.

" You'd better get up into the open air for a bit, " said Julian. " And we'll have to bathe your cheek and stop it bleeding somehow. Anne's got a clean hanky. We'll bathe it and dab it with that. We brought some water with us, luckily."

" I'll go with Dick, " said Anne. " You stay here with George. There's no need for us all to go."

But Julian thought he would like to see Dick safely up into the open air first, and then he could leave him with Anne while he went back to George and went on with the smashing down of the door. He handed the axe to George.

" You can do a bit of chopping while I'm gone, " he said. " It will take some time to smash that big door in. You get on with it- and I'll be down in a few minutes again. We can easily find the way to the entrance because we've only got to follow my chalk-marks."

" Right! " said George, and she took the axe. " Poor old Dick- you do look a sight."

Leaving George behind with Tim, valiantly attacking the big door, Julian took Dick and Anne up to the open air. Anne dipped her hanky into the kettle of water and dabbed Dick's cheek gently. It was bleeding very much, as cheeks do, but the wound was not really very bad. Dick's colour soon came back, and he wanted to go down into the dungeons again.

" No, you'd better lie down on your back for a little, " said Julian. " I know that's good for nose-bleeding- and maybe it's good for cheek-bleeding too. What about Anne and you going out on the rocks over there, where you can see the wreck, and staying there for half an hour or so? Come on- I'll take you both there, and leave you for a bit. You'd better not get up till your cheek's stopped bleeding, old boy."

Julian took the two out of the castle yard and out on to the rocks on the side of the island that faced the open sea. The dark hulk of the old wreck was still there on the rocks. Dick lay down on his back and stared up into the sky, hoping that his cheek would soon stop bleeding. He didn't want to miss any of the fun!

Anne took his hand. She was very upset at the little accident, and although she didn't want to miss the fun either, she meant to stay with Dick till he felt better. Julian sat down beside them for a minute or two. Then he went back to the rocky steps and disappeared down them. He followed his chalk-marks, and soon came to where George was attacking the door.

She had smashed it well round the lock- but it simply would not give way. Julian took the axe from her and drove it hard into the wood.

After a blow or two something seemed to happen to the lock. It became loose, and hung a little sideways. Julian put down his axe.

" I think somehow that we can open the door now, " he said, in an exited voice. " Get out of the way, Tim, old fellow. Now then, push, George! "

 

They both pushed- and the lock gave way with a grating noise. The big door opened creakingly, and the two children went inside, flashing their torches in excitement.

The room was not much more than a cave, hollowed out of the rock- but in it was something quite different from the old barrels and boxes the children had found before. At the back, in untidy piles, were curious, brick-shaped things of dull yellow-brown metal. Julian picked one up.

" George! " he cried. " The ingots! These are real gold! Oh, I know they don't look like it- but they are, all the same. George, oh George, there's a small fortune here in this cellar- and it's yours! We've found it at last! "

 

Chapter Fourteen. PRISONERS!

 

GEORGE couldn't say a word. She just stood there, staring at the pile of ingots, holding one in her hand. She could hardly believe that these strange brick-shaped things were really gold. Her heart thumped fast. What a wonderful, marvellous find!

Suddenly Tim began to bark loudly. He stood with his back to the children, his nose towards the door- and how he barked!

" Shut up, Tim! " said Julian. " What can you hear? Is it the others coming back? "

He went to the door and yelled down the passage outside. " Dick! Anne! Is it you? Come quickly, because we've found the ingots! WE'VE FOUND THEM! HURRY! HURRY! "

Tim stopped barking and began to growl. George looked puzzled. " Whatever can be the matter with Tim? " she said. " He surely can't be growling at Dick and Anne."

Then both children got a most tremendous shock- for a man's voice came booming down the dark passage, making queer echoes all around.

" Who is here? Who is down here? "

George clutched Julian in fright. Tim went on growling, all the hairs on his neck standing up straight. " Do be quiet, Tim! " whispered George, snapping off her torch.

But Tim simply would not be quiet. He went on growling as if he were a small thunderstorm.

The children saw the beam of a powerful torchlight coming round the corner of the dungeon passage. Then the light picked them out, and the holder of the torch came to a surprised stop.

" Well, well, well! " said a voice. " Look who's here! Two children in the dungeons of my castle."

" What do you mean, your castle! " cried George.

" Well, my dear little girl, it is my castle, because I'm in the process of buying it, " said the voice. Then another voice spoke, more gruffly.

" What are you doing down here? What did you mean when you shouted out ‘Dick’ and ‘Anne, ’ and said you had found the ingots? What ingots? "

" Don't answer, " whispered Julian to George. But the echoes took his words and made them very loud in the passage." DON'T ANSWER! DON'T ANSWER! "

" Oh, so you won't answer, " said the second man, and he stepped towards the children. Tim bared his teeth, but the man didn't seem at all frightened of him. The man went to the door and flashed his torch inside the dungeon. He gave a long whistle of surprise.

" Jake! Look here! " he said. " You were right. The gold's here all right. And how easy to take away! All in ingots -my word, this is the most amazing thing we've ever struck."

" This gold is mine, " said George, in a fury. " The island and the castle belong to my mother- and so does anything found here. This gold was brought here and stored by my great-great-great-grandfather before his ship got wrecked. It's not yours, and never will be. As soon as I get back home I shall tell my father and mother what we've found- and then you may be sure you won't be able to buy the castle or the island! You were very clever, finding out from the map in the old box about the gold -but just not clever enough for us. We found it first! "

The men listened in silence to George's clear and angry voice. One of them laughed. " You're only a child, " he said. " You surely don't think you can keep us from getting our way? We're going to buy this island- and everything in it- and we shall take the gold when the deeds are signed. And if by any chance we couldn't buy the island, we'd take the gold just the same. It would be easy enough to bring a ship here and transfer the ingots from here by boat to the ship. Don't worry- we shall get what we want all right."

" You will not! " said George, and she stepped out of the door. " I'm going straight home now- and I'll tell my father all you've said."

" My dear little girl, you are not going home, " said the first man, putting his hands on George and forcing her back into the dungeon. " And, by the way, unless you want me to shoot this unpleasant dog of yours, call him off, will you? "

George saw, to her dismay, that the man had a shining revolver in his hand. In fright she caught hold of Tim's collar and pulled him to her. " Be quiet, Tim, " she said. " It's all right."

But Tim knew quite well that it wasn't all right. Something was very wrong. He went on growling fiercely.

" Now listen to me, " said the man, after he had had a hurried talk with his companion. " If you are going to be sensible, nothing unpleasant will happen to you. But if you want to be obstinate, you'll be very sorry. What we are going to do is this- we're going off in our motor-boat, leaving you nicely locked up here- and we're going to get a ship and come back for the gold. We don't think it's worth while buying the island now we know where the ingots are."

" And you are going to write a note to your companions above, telling them you've found the gold and they are to come down and look for it, " said the other man. " Then we shall lock up all of you in this dungeon, with the ingots to play with, leaving you food and drink till we come back. Now then- here is a pencil. Write a note to Dick and Anne, whoever they are, and send your dog up with it. Come on."

" I won't, " said George, her face furious. " I won't. You can't make me do a thing like that. I won't get poor Dick and Anne down here to be made prisoners. And I won't let you have my gold, just when I've discovered it."

" We shall shoot your dog if you don't do as you're told, " said the first man, suddenly. George's heart sank down and she felt cold and terrified.

" No, no, " she said, in a low, desperate voice.

" Well, write the note then, " said the man, offering her a pencil and paper. " Go on. I'll tell you what to say."

" I can't! " sobbed George. " I don't want to get Dick and Anne down here to be made prisoners."

" All right- I'll shoot the dog then, " said the man, in a cold voice and he levelled his revolver at poor Tim. George threw her arms round her dog and gave a scream.

" No, no! I'll write the note. Don't shoot Tim, don't shoot him! "

The girl took the paper and pencil in a shaking hand and looked at the man. " Write this, " he ordered. " " Dear Dick and Anne. We've found the gold. Come on down at once and see it." Then sign your name, whatever it is."

George wrote what the man had said. Then she signed her name. But instead of writing ‘George’ she put ‘ Georgina.’ She knew that the others would feel certain she would never sign herself that- and she hoped it would warn them that something queer was up. The man took the note and fastened it to Tim's collar. The dog growled all the time, but George kept telling him not to bite.

" Now tell him to go and find your friends, " said the man.

" Find Dick and Anne, " commanded George. " Go on, Tim. Find Dick and Anne. Give them the note."

Tim did not want to leave George, but there was something very urgent in her voice. He took one last look at his mistress, gave her hand a lick and sped off down the passage. He knew the way now. Up the rocky steps he bounded and into the open air. He stopped in the old yard, sniffing. Where were Dick and Anne?

He smelt their footsteps and ran off, his nose to the ground. He soon found the two children out on the rocks. Dick was feeling better now and was sitting up. His cheek had almost stopped bleeding.

" Hallo, " he said in surprise, when he saw Tim. " Here's Timothy! Why, Tim, old chap, why have you come to see us? Did you get tired of being underground in the dark? "

" Look, Dick- he's got something twisted into his collar, " said Anne, her sharp eyes seeing the paper there. " It's a note. I expect it's from the others, telling us to go down. Isn't Tim clever to bring it? "

Dick took the paper from Tim's collar. He undid it and read it.

" Dear Dick and Anne, " he read out aloud, " We've found the gold. Come on down at once and see it. Georgina."

" Oooh! " said Anne, her eyes shining. " They've found it. Oh Dick- are you well enough to come now? Let's hurry."

But Dick did not get up from the rocks. He sat and stared at the note, puzzled.

" What's the matter? " said Anne, impatiently.

" Well, don't you think it's funny that George should suddenly sign herself ‘ Georgina ’? " said Dick, slowly. " You know how she hates being a girl, and having a girl's name. You know how she will never answer if anyone calls her Georgina. And yet in this note she signs herself by the name she hates. It does seem a bit funny to me. Almost as if it's a kind of warning that there's something wrong."

" Oh, don't be so silly, Dick, " said Anne. " What could be wrong? Do come on."

" Anne, I'd like to pop over to that inlet of ours to make sure there's no one else come to the island, " said Dick. " You stay here."

But Anne didn't want to stay there alone. She ran round the coast with Dick, telling him all the time that she thought he was very silly.

But when they came to the little harbour, they saw that there was another boat there, as well as their own. It was a motor-boat! Someone else was on the island!

" Look, " said Dick, in a whisper. " There is someone else here. And I bet it's the men who want to buy the island. I bet they've read that old map and know there's gold here. And they've found George and Julian and want to get us all together down in the dungeons so that they can keep us safe till they've stolen the gold. That's why they made George send us that note- but she signed it with a name she never uses- to warn us! Now- we must think hard. What are we going to do? "

 

Chapter Fifteen. DICK TO THE RESCUE!

 

DICK caught hold of Anne's hand and pulled her quickly away from the cove. He was afraid that whoever had come to the island might be somewhere about and see them. The boy took Anne to the little stone room where their things were and they sat down in a corner.

" Whoever has come has discovered Julian and George smashing in that door, I should think, " said Dick, in a whisper. " I simply can't think what to do. We mustn't go down into the dungeons or we'll most certainly be caught. Hallo- where's Tim off to? "

The dog had kept with them for a while but now he ran off to the entrance of the dungeons. He disappeared down the steps. He meant to get back to George, for he knew she was in danger. Dick and Anne stared after him. They had felt comforted while he was there, and now they were sorry he had gone.

They really didn't know what to do. Then Anne had an idea. " I know! " she said, " we'll row back to the land in our boat and get help."

" I'd thought of that, " said Dick, gloomily. " But you know perfectly well we'd never know the way in and out of those awful rocks. We'd wreck the boat. I'm sure we're not strong enough either to row all the way back. Oh, dear- I do wish we could think what to do."

They didn't need to puzzle their brains long. The men came up out of the dungeons and began to hunt for the two children! They had seen Tim when he came back and had found the note gone. So they knew the two children had taken it- and they couldn't imagine why they had not obeyed what George had said in the note, and come down to the dungeons!

Dick heard their voices. He clutched hold of Anne to make her keep quiet. He saw through the broken archway that the men were going in the opposite direction.

" Anne! I know where we can hide! " said the boy, excitedly. " Down the old well! We can climb down the ladder a little way and hide there. I'm sure no one would ever look there! "

Anne didn't at all want to climb down the well even a little way. But Dick pulled her to her feet and hurried her off to the middle of the old courtyard. The men were hunting around the other side of the castle. There was just time to climb in. Dick slipped aside the old wooden cover of the well and helped Anne down the ladder. She was very scared. Then the boy climbed down himself and slipped the wooden cover back again over his head, as best he could.

The old stone slab that Tim had sat on when he fell down the well was still there. Dick climbed down to it and tested it. It was immovable.

" It's safe for you to sit on, Anne, if you don't want to keep clinging to the ladder, " he whispered. So Anne sat shivering on the stone slab across the well-shaft, waiting to see if they were discovered or not. They kept hearing the voices of the men, now near at hand and now far-off. Then the men began to shout for them.

 

" Dick! Anne! The others want you! Where are you? We've exciting news for you."

" Well, why don't they let Julian and George come up and tell us then? " whispered Dick. " There's something wrong, I know there is. I do wish we could get to Julian and George and find out what has happened."

The two men came into the courtyard. They were angry. " Where have those kids got to? " said Jake. " Their boat is still in the cove, so they haven't got away. They must be hiding somewhere. We can't wait all day for them."

" Well, let's take some food and drink down to the two we've locked up, " said the other man. " There's plenty in that little stone room. I suppose it's a store the children brought over. We'll leave half in the room so that the other two kids can have it. And we'll take their boat with us so that they can't escape."

" Right, " said Jake. " The thing to do is to get the gold away as quickly as possible, and make sure the children are prisoners here until we've made a safe getaway. We won't bother any more about trying to buy the island. After all, it was only the idea of getting the ingots that put us up to the idea of getting Kirrin Castle and the island."

" Well-come on, " said his companion. " We will take the food down now, and not bother about the other kids. You stay here and see if you can spot them while I go down."

Dick and Anne hardly dared to breathe when they heard all this. How they hoped that the men wouldn't think of looking down the well! They heard one man walk to the little stone room. It was plain that he was getting food and drink to take down to the two prisoners in the dungeons below. The other man stayed in the courtyard, whistling softly.

After what seemed a very long time to the hidden children, the first man came back. Then the two talked together, and at last went off to the cove. Dick heard the motor-boat being started up.

" It's safe to get out now, Anne, " he said. " Isn't it cold down here? I'll be glad to get out into the sunshine."

They climbed out and stood warming themselves in the hot summer sunshine. They could see the motor-boat streaking towards the mainland.

" Well, they're gone for the moment, " said Dick. " And they've not taken our boat, as they said. If only we could rescue Julian and George, we could get help, because George could row us back."

" Why can't we rescue them? " cried Anne, her eyes shining. " We can go down the steps and unbolt the door, can't we? "

" No- we can't, " said Dick. " Look! "

Anne looked to where he pointed. She saw that the two men had piled big, heavy slabs of broken stone over the dungeon entrance. It had taken all their strength to put the big stones there. Neither Dick nor Anne could hope to move them.

" It's quite impossible to get down the steps, " said Dick. " They've made sure we shan't do that! And you know we haven't any idea where the second entrance is. We only know it was somewhere near the tower."

" Let's see if we can find it, " said Anne eagerly. They set off to the tower on the right of the castle- but it was quite clear that whatever entrance there might have been once, it was gone now! The castle had fallen in very much just there, and there were piles of old broken stones everywhere, quite impossible to move. The children soon gave up the search.

" Blow! " said Dick. " How I do hate to think of poor old Julian and George prisoners down below, and we can't even help them! Oh, Anne- can't you think of something to do? "

Anne sat down on a stone and thought hard. She was very worried. Then she brightened up a little and turned to Dick.

" Dick! I suppose- I suppose we couldn't possibly climb down the well, could we? " she asked. " You know it goes past the dungeons- and there's an opening on the dungeon floor from the well-shaft, because don't you remember we were able to put in our heads and shoulders and look right up the well to the top? Could we get past that slab, do you think- the one that I sat on just now, that has fallen across the well? "

Dick thought it all over. He went to the well and peered down it. " You know, I believe you are right, Anne, " he said at last. " We might be able to squeeze past that slab. There's just about room. I don't know how far the iron ladder goes down though."

" Oh, Dick- do let's try, " said Anne. " It's our only chance of rescuing the others! "

" Well, " said Dick, 'I'll try it- but not you, Anne. I'm not going to have you falling down that well. The ladder might be broken half-way down- anything might happen. You must stay up here and I'll see what I can do."

" You will be careful, won't you? " said Anne, anxiously. " Take a rope with you, Dick, so that if you need one you won't have to climb all the way up again."

" Good idea, " said Dick. He went to the little stone room and got one of the ropes they had put there. He wound it round and round his waist. Then he went back to Anne.

" Well, here goes! " he said, in a cheerful voice. " Don't worry about me. I'll be all right."

Anne was rather white. She was terribly afraid that Dick might fall right down to the bottom of the well. She watched him climb down the iron ladder to the slab of stone. He tried his best to squeeze by it, but it was very difficult. At last he managed it and after that Anne could see him no more. But she could hear him, for he kept calling up to her.

" Ladder's still going strong, Anne! I'm all right. Can you hear me? "

" Yes, " shouted Anne down the well, hearing her voice echo in a funny hollow manner. " Take care, Dick. I do hope the ladder goes all the way down."

" I think it does! " yelled back Dick. Then he gave a loud exclamation. " Blow! It's broken just here. Broken right off. Or else it ends. I'll have to use my rope."

There was a silence as Dick unwound the rope from his waist. He tied it firmly to the last but one rung of the ladder, which seemed quite strong.

" I'm going down the rope now! " he shouted to Anne. " Don't worry. I'm all right. Here I go! "

Anne couldn't hear what Dick said after that, for the well-shaft made his words go crooked and she couldn't make out what they were. But she was glad to hear him shouting even though she didn't know what he said. She yelled down to him too, hoping he could hear her.

Dick slid down the rope, holding on to it with hands, knees and feet, glad that he was so good at gym at school. He wondered if he was anywhere near the dungeons. He seemed to have gone down a long way. He managed to get out his torch. He put it between his teeth after he had switched it on, so that he might have both hands free for the rope. The light from the torch showed him the walls of the well around him. He couldn't make out if he was above or below the dungeons. He didn't want to go right down to the bottom of the well!

He decided that he must have just passed the opening into the dungeon-caves. He climbed back up the rope a little way and to his delight saw that he was right. The opening on to the dungeons was just by his head. He climbed up till he was level with it and then swung himself to the side of the well where the small opening was. He managed to get hold of the bricked edge, and then tried to scramble through the opening into the dungeon.

It was difficult, but luckily Dick was not very big. He managed it at last and stood up straight with a sigh of relief. He was in the dungeons! He could now follow the chalk-marks to the room or cave where the ingots were- and where he felt sure that George and Julian were imprisoned!

 

He shone his torch on the wall. Yes- there were the chalk-marks. Good! He put his head into the well-opening and yelled at the top of his voice.

" Anne! I'm in the dungeons! Watch out that the men don't come back! "

Then he began to follow the white chalk-marks, his heart beating fast. After a while he came to the door of the store-room. As he had expected, it was fastened so that George and Julian couldn't get out. Big bolts had been driven home at the top and bottom, and the children inside could not possibly get out. They had tried their hardest to batter down the door, but it was no good at all.

They were sitting inside the store-cave, feeling angry and exhausted. The man had brought them food and drink, but they had not touched it. Tim was with them, lying down with his head on his paws, half-angry with George because she hadn't let him fly at the men as he had so badly wanted to. But George felt certain that Tim would be shot if he tried biting or snapping.

" Anyway, the other two had sense enough not to come down and be made prisoners too, " said George. " They must have known there was something funny about that note when they saw I had signed myself Georgina instead of George. I wonder what they are doing. They must be hiding."

Tim suddenly gave a growl. He leapt to his feet and went to the closed door, his head on one side. He had heard something, that was certain.

" I hope it's not those men back again already, " said George. Then she looked at Tim in surprise, flashing her torch on to him. He was wagging his tail!

A great bang at the door made them all jump out of their skins! Then came Dick's cheerful voice. " Hi, Julian! Hi, George! Are you here? "

" Wuffffff! " barked Tim, joyfully and scratched at the door.

" Dick! Open the door! " yelled Julian in delight. " Quick, open the door! "

 

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