"What a pity, what a pity!" said Kiki in a curious hoa.r.s.e whisper, and then was silent, pressing against Jack's neck as she sat on his shoulder.

The plane roared nearer. It circled lower and lower. It dropped to the long smooth strip that made such an excellent runway. It bounced along on its high wheels and then came to a stop. Jack could not see the plane from where he was.

But he was counting on the men coming to the shed or to their fire, and he was right. They soon arrived, and Jack peered out through the leaves, nearly overbalancing in his efforts to see properly, for twilight was almost there.

This time there were four men. Jack looked very hard. He could see that one man was evidently a prisoner. He had his hands tied behind him. How strange!

He shambled along, his head bent, going from side to side a little as if he was dizzy. Now and again one of the others would give him a shove to keep him straight. They came straight to the camp-fire.

Juan set to work to light it. Pepi went off to the shed to get some tins. He took a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He came out carrying tins of soup and meat.

The prisoner sat down on the gra.s.s, his head bent. It was obvious that he was not feeling well - or was he merely afraid? Jack couldn't tell. The fourth man, who was a kind of guard for the prisoner, as far as Jack could make out, sat by the fire saying nothing, watching Juan and Pepi.

At first they talked in low voices and Jack could not hear their words. They drank hot soup, and then carved up a tongue from a gla.s.s jar. They ate bread with it which they had brought from the plane. The prisoner looked up and saw them eating, but the three men did not offer him anything. He said something in a low voice. Juan laughed.

He spoke to the guard. "Tell him he won't get anything to eat or drink till he tells us what we want to know," he said.

The guard repeated this in some language that Jack could not make out. The prisoner said something and the guard struck him on the cheek. Jack watched in horror. Fancy hitting a man when his hands were tied! What cowards!

The man tried to dodge. He bent his head again and sat dismally there.

"He says you've got the map, what else do you want?" said the guard.

"We can't read the map," said Juan. "It's all messed up. If he can't explain it to us, he'll have to show us the way tomorrow."

The guard translated this to the prisoner. He shook his head. "He says he is too weak to walk so far," said the guard.

"We'll drag him all right," said Pepi, and took another piece of tongue, making himself a thick sandwich. "Tell him he's to take us tomorrow. If he won't, he gets nothing to eat or drink. He'll soon come round when he's half starved."

They finished their meal. Then Juan yawned. "Me for bed," he said. "There's a chair for you, Luis, in the hut. The floor's good enough for the prisoner."

The man begged to have his hands untied, but they would not allow him to. Jack felt very sorry for him. They stamped out the fire and went to the hut. Jack imagined Pepi and Juan on the mattress, and Luis in the only comfortable chair. The poor prisoner would have to lie on the cold, hard floor, with his hands still tied behind him.

Jack waited till he thought the coast was clear, then he slipped quietly down the tree. Kiki had been as good as gold all the time. Not even a whisper had come from her beak. Jack tiptoed to the hut. He peeped cautiously in at the window. A candle burned in the hut, and by its flickering light he could make out the four men. The prisoner was trying to make himself comfortable on the floor.

It was almost dark. Jack hoped he would be able to get back to the cave all right. He slipped his hand into his pocket and was relieved to find a small torch there. That was good!

He was very clever in the dark, for he had eyes like a cat. Once or twice he stopped, unable to think which way to go - but Kiki always knew. She simply flew a little way in front and called to him, or whistled.

"Good old Kiki!" said Jack. "I couldn't have found my way without you, that's certain."

The others were very worried about him. When darkness fell and still no Jack had arrived, Lucy-Ann wanted to go and look for him.

"I'm sure he's lost, I'm certain of it," she said, almost in tears.

"Yes, and we'd all get lost too, if we went out on the mountainside in this darkness," said Philip. "I expect he hunted about for that opener, saw that twilight was coming, and decided not to risk coming back in the dark. He'll be back tomorrow morning early, for certain."

It was too dark to do anything. Dinah had made the "bed" and they lay down on it, Lucy-Ann crying quietly. She was sure something had happened to Jack.

Then there came a scrambling noise up near the cave, and the fern was parted and pushed aside. All the children sat up, their hearts beating. Was it Jack - or had their hiding-place been discovered?

"Hallo, there!" came Jack's familiar voice. "Where's everybody?"

He switched on his torch and saw three delighted faces. Lucy-Ann almost fell on him.

"Jack! We thought you were lost. What have you been doing? And we're so hungry, too. Have you brought the tin-opener?"

"Yes, I've brought that - and plenty of news too!" said Jack. "What about a meal whilst I tell you all about it?"

Chapter 15.

A DISAPPOINTMENT FOR THE MEN.

TINS were opened once more, and Kiki gave a delighted chortle at the sight of her favourite pineapple. Lucy-Ann pressed close to Jack.

"What happened to you? I can't wait to hear. Tell me quickly."

"Let me have a bite first," said Jack irritatingly, knowing quite well that all the others were longing to hear his news. But as he was longing just as much to tell it as they were to hear it, he soon began his story.

"So the plane's back!" exclaimed Philip, as Jack began to tell everything. "Both men back too?"

Jack told of the four men. Lucy-Ann was distressed to hear about the poor prisoner.

"I'm beginning to see daylight," said Philip at last. "Somewhere in this valley is hidden treasure - maybe stuff belonging to the people whose houses have been burnt. Those two men heard about it, and somehow managed to get a map that showed them the hiding-place. But they can't find it by that map, so they've got hold of somebody who knows the way."

"That's it," said Jack. "He's foreign. Maybe he once belonged to this valley, and even hid the things himself. They've captured him and mean to make him show them the hiding-place. They're not giving him anything to eat or to drink till he shows them what they want to know."

"Brutes!" said Dinah, and the others agreed with her.

"Do you think he will show them?" asked Lucy-Ann.

"I hope he will, for his own sake," said Jack. "And I tell you what I propose. I propose that somehow or other one or more of us follow them, and see where this hiding-place is. The men can't possibly take everything away at once. We might be able to get help, and save the rest of the stuff being stolen by the men. It can't belong to them."

"What do you think the stuff can be?" asked Lucy-Ann, visions of gold bars and beautiful jewels floating in her mind.

"Can't tell you," said Jack. "I think we're somewhere in the depths of Europe, where war has been, and, as you know, plenty of treasure of all kinds was hidden in queer places by many, many people, good and bad. My guess is that it's something of that kind these men are after. They speak English, but they're not English. South American, perhaps. Goodness knows."

The others sat silent, thinking over what Jack had said. They thought he was probably right. But Lucy-Ann didn't at all like the idea of following the men. Suppose they discovered that they were being followed, and captured them?

"It might be best if Philip and I did the stalking tomorrow," said Jack. "I don't think I want you girls mixed up in it."

This made Dinah angry, though Lucy-Ann was secretly relieved.

"You're not going to keep all the excitement to yourselves," said Dinah. "I'm coming too."

"No you're not, if we say you're not," said Jack. He switched on his torch and shone it at Dinah's face. "I thought you'd be glaring," he said. "Cheer up, Dinah. After all, you and Lucy-Ann had an adventure this afternoon, when you found the cave of echoes and the pa.s.sage that leads to the waterfall. Give us boys a chance."

"Well, it's all very well," grumbled Dinah, but she did not press the point any more, much to Lucy-Ann's relief.

"Where's Lizzie?" asked Dinah, not liking to settle down till she was quite sure of the lizard's whereabouts.

"Don't know," said Philip annoyingly. "She might be anywhere. Under your pillow, perhaps."

"She's here," said Jack. "Kiki's one side of my neck and Lizzie's the other, keeping me nice and warm."

"What a pity!" said Kiki, and cackled loudly.

"Don't!" said everybody at once. n.o.body liked Kiki's awful cackle. She put her head under her wing, offended.

All the children lay down. They were sleepy. "Our fourth night in this valley," said Philip. "The valley of adventure. I wonder what will happen next."

Soon they were all asleep. Lizzie ran across Lucy-Ann and cuddled down by Dinah, who would certainly have objected strongly if she had known. But she didn't know. So she slept peacefully.

Everyone felt cheerful the next morning.

"Really," said Dinah, reaching down some tins from the ledge, "I'm beginning to feel I've made this cave my home half my life. It's extraordinary how soon we get used to anything new."

"How are we going to find out when those men are starting, and what way they go?" said Philip.

"Well, if you remember, the two of them came in this direction, not the other, when they set out with the map before," said Jack. "I think if we go to that big black rock we always pa.s.s on the way here, we may spot them. Then we can follow easily enough."

So when they had finished their meal they set off cautiously to the big black rock. They crouched behind it, and Jack kept peeping out to see if there was anything to be seen.

After about an hour he gave a low exclamation. "Hallo! Here they come - all four - prisoner still with his hands tied, stumbling along, poor thing."

The four men pa.s.sed some distance away. The children saw them well. They recognised the two men they knew, and Jack told them the fourth man was called Luis. The prisoner's name he didn't know. It was plain that the poor man was giddy with lack of food and drink.

"Now, you girls stay here, see?" said Jack. "At any rate, till we are well out of sight. Then go back to the waterfall, and keep somewhere about there, so that you don't get lost. Take Kiki, Lucy-Ann. We don't want her with us."

Lucy-Ann took Kiki and held her ankles. Kiki gave such an angry squawk that the children looked uneasily after the four men to see if by any chance they had heard. But they hadn't.

Jack and Philip made ready to set off. "I've got my field-gla.s.ses," said Jack. "I can keep the men well in sight, whilst following quite a long way behind, so that they won't spot us. Cheerio!"

The boys went off cautiously, keeping to every bit of cover they could. They could still see the men far away in the distance. "Do we need to mark the way we're going?" asked Philip. "Or shall we be able to find the way back, do you think?"

"Better mark things where we can," said Jack. "You never know. Mark rocks with white chalk. Here's a bit. And trees we will notch."

They went on, climbing upwards a good way behind the four men. Soon they came to a very steep place, difficult to keep their footing on, because the surface was so loose that they slid down continually.

"I hope they've undone that poor prisoner's hands," panted Jack. "I'd hate to do climbing like this and have my hands bound so that I couldn't save myself when I slipped."

When they came to the end of the rough piece, the men were nowhere to be seen. "Blow!" said Jack. "That bit held us up too long. Now we've lost them!"

He put his field-gla.s.ses to his eyes and swept the mountainside. Some way to the east and above them he suddenly saw four small figures. "There they are!" he said. "It's all right. I can see them. That way, Tufty."

On they went again, going more quickly now because the way was easier. They picked wild raspberries as they went, and once stopped for a drink at a little clear spring of water that gushed from under a rock.

They did not lose sight of the men again except for a moment or two. The men did not turn round, or use field-gla.s.ses at all. Plainly they did not expect anyone to follow them.

Now the boys came to a very desolate part of the mountainside. Big boulders had rolled down. Trees had been torn in half. Great ruts had been torn out of the earth and rock, and although the gra.s.s was growing everywhere to hide the scars, it was clear that some catastrophe had happened here.

"An avalanche, I should think," said Jack. "I guess a terrific fall of snow happened here - bringing down with it boulders and rocks of all sizes - knocking down trees and scoring those ruts. Last winter, I should think."

"Where are the men?" said Philip. "I can't see them now. They went round that ledge."

"Yes. We'll have to be careful how we go round," said Jack. "We might be easily seen coming round there. There's not much cover in this devastated bit."

So they went very cautiously round the ledge - and it was a good thing they did, for almost at once they heard voices and saw the four men.

Jack pressed Philip back. Just above the ledge was a bush. The boys climbed up to it, pressed against it, and parted the leaves so that they might see through. They found that they were looking down into a rocky gully.

Here, too, there had evidently been a great fall of rocks. In front of one heap stood the prisoner. His hands were now untied. He was pointing to the heap of rocks, and saying something in his rather dull, low voice. The guard translated, and Jack strained his ears to hear what he had to say.

"He says the entrance was here," the guard said. The four men stared at the fall of rock.

"Exactly where?" said Juan impatiently, and glared at the prisoner. He pointed again, mumbling something.

"He says he didn't know there had been a fall of rock here," said the guard. "He says the entrance seems to be blocked up. But if you try to lift away some of these rocks, maybe you could find enough room to go in."

Juan flew into a temper, but whether with the prisoner or the annoying fall of rocks it was difficult to say. He fell upon the boulders and began to drag at them feverishly, shouting to Luis and Pepi to help. The prisoner at first did nothing but sat down miserably on a rock. Juan shouted at him too, and he dragged himself up to help, though he was too weak to do anything in the way of lifting.

He pulled at a rock, staggered and fell. The others let him lie where he fell, and went on dragging at the great stones, panting and wiping the sweat from their foreheads.

The two boys watched them. It looked impossible, from where they were, to unblock any cave-entrance there. "Why," whispered Jack to Philip, "there must have been hundreds of stones fallen there! They'll never, never be able to shift them like that!"

Evidently the men thought so too, after a while, for they gave up pulling the boulders about and sat down to rest. The guard pointed to the fallen prisoner and spoke.

"What about him? How are we going to take him back?"

"Oh, give him some food and a drink," growled Juan. "He'll be all right then."

"We'd better go now," whispered Philip. "They'll be starting back soon. Come on. How disappointing that we haven't discovered anything, though! I did hope we might see something of the treasure."

"If it's hidden behind that wall of fallen stone it'll need powerful machinery to get it out," said Jack. "n.o.body could move those bigger stones by hand. Come on, quickly."

They set out on their way back, going as quickly as they could, glad that they had marked rocks and trees or they might have missed their way here and there.

The girls welcomed them, and poured questions on them. But the boys shook their heads most disappointingly.

"The treasure cave is blocked up," said Jack. "I only hope the men don't give up and leave this valley altogether. We'll be properly stranded then."