Famous Five 19 Five Go to Demons Rocks (8 page)

‘No, thanks,’ said Anne. ‘Do you boys want to wash, and clean your teeth at the sink here? Because if so, do it now.’

Before a quarter of an hour had gone, everyone was bedded down comfortably. The three boys curled up in rugs in the bedroom below, with Mischief cuddled into Tinker’s neck. The two girls and Timmy lay on a mattress, with a blanket over them, Timmy lay beside George, occasionally licking her ear with his big tongue.

‘Dear Timmy!’ said George, sleepily. ‘I love you - but do please keep your tongue to yourself!’

And soon they were all asleep, boys, girls, and animals too. Outside, the sea sighed and splashed and swirled, and the wind cried like the day-time gulls. But all was peace and quiet inside the old light-house. Not even Mischief the monkey stirrred in his sleep.

It was fun to wake up in the morning, and hear the gulls screaming round; fun to have breakfast of eggs and bread-and-butter, and apples to crunch afterwards - fun to plan what to do that day.

‘I vote we do a bit of shopping and buy some more eggs, and fresh bread, and a bottle or two of creamy milk,’ said Anne.

‘And we might try and find that car-driver’s greatgrandad, and ask him a few things about the lighthouse, and the wreckers that came in the old days,’ said Dick.

‘Yes - and he might show us the Wreckers’ Cave!’ said Julian. ‘I’d like to see that! Buck up with whatever jobs there are to do, Anne and George - and we’ll go over the rocks to the jetty. The tide should be out, so we ought to be able to walk over.’

‘Well, we must be back before the tide comes in, then,’ said Tinker. ‘Because if we leave the boat tied up here by the light-house, we shan’t be able to get back once the sea sweeps over the rocks and cuts us off!’

‘Right,’ said Julian. ‘Be ready as soon as you can, girls.’

The girls were ready very quickly, and the little party set off over the rocks that at low tide lay between the light-house and the shore. Wicked rocks they were too - with sharp edges and points that would hole a ship at once!

Soon the children were on the little stone jetty. ‘What was the name of old greatgrandad?’ said Dick frowning.

‘Jeremiah Boogie,’ said Anne. ‘And he smokes a long pipe, and scowls at people.’

‘Well - he should be easy to find!’ said Julian. ‘Come along. He’s probably somewhere on the quay.’

‘There he is!’ said George, spotting an old man with a long pipe in his mouth. ‘That’s Jeremiah, I’m sure!’

Yes, there he was, sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him, an old old man, smoking a very long pipe! He had a fine beard, a yachting cap askew on his head, and such enormous shaggy eyebrows that it was difficult to see his eyes beneath them!

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The Five went up to him, with Timmy trotting behind, and Mischief on Tinker’s shoulder.

The old man spotted Mischief at once.

‘Well, well - a monkey!’ he said. ‘Many’s the little monkey I’ve brought home from my voyages.’ He snapped his fingers and made a curious noise in his throat. Mischief stared at him, listening. Then he leapt from Tinker’s shoulder on to the old man’s, and rubbed his head against the old sailor’s hairy ear.

‘Mischief!’ said Tinker, amazed. ‘Look at that, George. He never goes to a stranger!

‘Well, maybe I knew his great grandfather!’ said the old sailor, laughing, and scratching Mischief’s neck.

‘All monkeys like me - and I like them!’

‘Er - are you Mr Jeremiah Boogie!’ asked Julian.

‘Jeremiah Boogie, that’s me,’ said the old fellow, and touched his cap. ‘How do you know my name?’

‘Well, Jackson, the car-driver, told us he was your great-grandson,’ said Julian. ‘You see we’re staying at the old light-house - and Jackson said you could tell us a few things about it - its history, you know. And about the wreckers that lived here before the lighthouse was built.’

‘Oh, I can tell you tales all right!’ said Jeremiah, puffing out a cloud of smoke, and making Mischief cough. ‘That’s more than that silly young great-grand-son of mine can!

He don’t know nothing, nothing at all - except about cars. Well, who wants cars, nasty, smelly noisy things? Pah! That young George Jackson is a ninny!’

‘He’s not. He’s the cleverest mechanic in the place!’ said George, at once. ‘There’s not a thing he doesn’t know about cars!’

CARS! There now, what did I say - nasty, noisy, smelly things!’ said Jackson’s greatgrandad, with a snort.

‘Well, look - we don’t want to talk about cars,’ said Julian. ‘You tell us about the old days

- the wreckers and all that!’

‘Ah - them old days!’ said Great-Grandad. ‘Well I knew some wreckers myself, once -

there was One-Ear Bill, now...’ And then old Jeremiah told a story that the Five could hardly believe!

‘Now when I were a boy,’ began the old man, ‘a boy not much older than this here youngster,’ and he poked Tinker with his horny forefinger, ‘there wasn’t no light-house out there - but there was always them wicked rocks! And many’s the time in a stormy season when ships have been caught by their teeth, a-glittering there, waiting. You know what they’re called, don’t you?’

‘Yes. Demon’s Rocks,’ said Tinker.

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‘Well, up on that high cliff there, lived a wicked old man,’ said Jeremiah. ‘And he had a son as bad as himself, and a nephew too. The Three Wreckers, they was called, and I’ll tell you how they came by their name.’

‘Did you know them?’ asked Dick.

‘That I did! And if I was hidden behind a bush when they came marching by, I’d send a stone skedaddling after them!’ said the old man. ‘Mean and cruel and wicked they were.

And everyone was skeered of them, right down afraid! There was One-Ear, the old man.

They say his left ear was chewed off by a monkey, but do I blame that monkey? No, I do not, no more than I’d blame your monkey for chewing off the ear of Somebody Else I know - but I won’t mention no names, he might hear me.’

The old fellow looked over his shoulder as if the man he was thinking of might be about.

‘Well - there was One-Ear, the old man - and there was Nosey, the son - and Bart his nephew - and not a pin to choose between them for meanness. There was only one thing they was after - and that was money! And a mighty wicked way they chose to get it.’ The old man stopped and spat in disgust on the pavement.

‘Pah! I’ll tell you how they got rich, oh yes, I’ll tell you. And I’ll tell you what happened to them in the end too. Be a lesson to you and to everyone! Well now, you see that high cliff away down the coast there - the one with the flag-post and the flag a-waving in the wind?’

‘Yes,’ said everyone, looking at the waving flag.

‘Now ships mustn’t hug the coast beyond that point!’ said Grandad. ‘It they do, they’ll be forced inland by the current, and thrown on them rocks down there - Demon’s Rocks.

And that’s the end of them. No ship has ever been able to escape the sharp teeth of them wicked rocks, once she’s caught in that current. Well now, to stop the ships going near to the cliff in those days, they flew a flag in the day-time - and lighted a lamp up there at night. And both said as plain as could be “BEWARE! KEEP OUT! DANGER!”’

‘Of course, all sailors knew the flag and the lamp too, and many a one blessed them, and took their ships out to sea, away from Demon’s Rocks. But that didn’t suit old One-Ear Bill. He didn’t mind a wreck or two! He’d be down on the beach picking up what he could, if a ship came smashing down on the rocks. And would he save a single soul -

not he! There was some people said he was the Demon of Demon’s Rocks himself!’

‘What a wicked old man!’ said Anne horrified.

‘Aye, you’re right missie,’ said the old fellow. ‘Well, the wrecks didn’t come often enough for him and Nosey and Bart. So they put their ugly heads together and thought up as wicked a plan as any man could think of!’

‘What was it?’ said Tinker, his eyes almost falling out of his head.

‘Well, on a stormy night he put out the lamp a-shining brightly on the far cliff, and he and Nosey carried it to that bit of cliff over yonder, see?’ and the old man pointed to a jutting-out piece nearby. ‘And you know what’s just below that cliff, don’t you - all round the light-house!’

‘Rocks! Sharp, horrible rocks - the Demon’s Rocks!’ said George, horrified.

‘Do you mean to say that One-Ear Bill and the others deliberately shone the lamp there on stormy nights, to guide ships straight on to the rocks?’ said Julian.

‘Aye, that’s what I do mean,’ said Jeremiah Boogie. ‘And what’s more I met old One-Ear Bill meself one dark night when the storms were on - and what was he carrying between himself and Nosey - the lamp! They’d doused the light, of course, but I’d my own little lantern with me, and I saw the lamp plain enough. Aye, that I did! And when they saw me, they set Bart on to me, to push me over the cliff, so’s I wouldn’t tell on them. But I

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got away, and I DID tell on ’em! Ho, yes, I told all right. And One-Ear Bill went to prison, and serve him right, the wicked man. But he didn’t care - and why should he? He was rich! RICH!’

‘But how was he rich?’ asked Dick.

‘Well, young sir, the ships that came sailing round this coast in those days, came from far-off countries, and many of them carried treasure,’ said Jeremiah. ‘And One-Ear Bill stole so much gold and silver and pearls and other things from the wrecks, that he knew he wouldn’t need to do another day’s work when he came out of prison. A rich man he would be - he wouldn’t even need to wreck a ship again!’

‘But why weren’t the stolen goods taken from him?’ said Julian.

‘He’d hidden them!’ said the old man. ‘Ah he’d hidden them well, too. Not even Nosey his son, nor Bart his nephew knew where he’d put them. They were sure he’d got everything hidden in one of the caves in the cliff - but search as they might, they never found the treasure! They went to prison too, but they came out long afore old One-Ear Bill was due out, - and how they hunted for the gold and silver, and all that One-Ear had hidden away!’

‘Did One-Ear Bill get it when he came out of prison?’ asked Dick, thinking this was a much more exciting story than he had ever read in a book - and a true one too!

‘No. No, he didn’t get it,’ said Jeremiah, puffing out a cloud of smoke. ‘And glad I am to say that. He died in prison, the wicked old man.’

‘Well then - what happened to the treasure from the wrecked ships?’ asked George.

‘Who found it?’

‘No one,’ said the old man. ‘No one at all! It’s still there, hidden wherever that old rascal put it. His secret went with him. Bart looked for it, and Nosey too - ho, I’ve seen ’em in those caves day after day, and with a lamp night after night. But they never found even a pearl necklace. Ho - that was a good joke, that was! They’re dead and gone now - but there’s relatives of theirs still living in Demon’s Rocks, who could do with a bit of that treasure - poor as church mice they are, with two children as skinny as ever you’d see!’

‘Doesn’t anyone even have an idea where the loot from the wrecked ships is?’ asked Julian. ‘What about the cave we’ve been hearing about - the Wreckers’ Cave?’

‘Oh aye - we’ve a Wreckers’ Cave, all right,’ said the old man, knocking out his pipe.

‘And I reckon about five thousand people have been in it, scouting round, looking into holes and corners hoping to find what Bart and Nosey never did find! Or maybe ten thousand, who knows? I don’t mind telling you, I’ve been there meself - but not a smell of a little gold coin did I ever see! I’ll take you there meself some day if you like. But mind - don’t you hope to find anything. It’s my belief that One-Ear Bill never did hide his treasure there - he just said it was there to fool Nosey and Bart!’

‘We’d love to go and see the Cave,’ said Dick, and George nodded her head in delight.

‘Not to hunt for treasure, of course - it’s pretty obvious it’s not there now - maybe somebody did find it, and took it away secretly!’

‘Maybe,’ said Jeremiah. ‘All right, young sir - you come and tell me when you’re ready.

I’m sitting here most days. And if you’ve a nice bit of baccy you don’t have no use for, you think of me, see?’

‘We’ll go and buy you some straightaway,’ said Julian. He couldn’t help laughing. ‘What tobacco do you smoke?’

‘Oh you tell Tom the Tobacconist it’s for old Jeremiah Boogie - he’ll give you what I like,’

said the old man. ‘And mind now - don’t you go snooping round them old caves by yourselves - you might get lost. It’s a proper laby - laby...’

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‘Labyrinth,’ said Julian, smiling. ‘Right - we’ll be careful.’

The Five went off, Timmy glad to be on the move again. He couldn’t understand the old man’s story, of course, and he wondered why George hadn’t taken him for his usual after-breakfast walk. He gave a little whine, and she patted his big head.

‘Sorry, Timmy!’ she said. ‘That old man told such an interesting story that I quite forgot you were longing for a walk. We’ll go for one now.’

‘Let’s call in at the tobacconist’s first, shall we?’ said Julian. ‘That old chap deserves an extra smoke for his tale. Goodness knows how much was true - but he certainly told it well!’

‘Of course it was true!’ said George. ‘Why ever should he tell lies?’

‘Well - he might have to get extra tobacco, you know!’ said Julian, smiling. ‘I don’t blame him! It’s a jolly good story - but please don’t think there’s any treasure still hidden somewhere, George. It’s no use believing that.’

‘Well, I do believe it!’ said George, defiantly. ‘I think he was telling the truth, tobacco or no tobacco. Don’t you, Tinker?’

‘Oh yes,’ said Tinker. ‘You wait till you see the caves round about here! Hoo - there might be any amount of treasure there, and no one would ever know! I did hunt round a bit myself - but those caves are scary, and when I coughed once, my cough came echoing back to me a hundred times and I was so scared I ran for my life - and fell splash into a pool!’