Five Go to Billycock Hill (9 page)

The following cave had no colour, but was of a dazzling white, walls, roof, floor and pil ars.

So many stalactites and stalagmites had joined that they almost formed a snow-white screen through which the children peered - only to see even more of the strange „icicles".

They came to a threefold forking of the ways. The centre one was roped, but the other two tunnels were not. The children looked down the unroped tunnels, stretching away so dark and quiet, and shivered. How awful to go down one and lose the way, never to be found again, perhaps!

„I.et"s go down the roped way," said George. „Just to see where it leads to - more caves, probably."

Timmy ran sniffing down one of the other ways, and George cal ed him. „Tim! You"l get lost! Come back."

But Timmy didn"t come back. He ran off into the darkness and the others felt cross. „Blow him," said Dick. „What"s he after? TIM! TIM!" The echoes took up the last word and sent it repeatedly up and down the passage.

Timmy barked in answer, and at once the place was full of weird barking, echoing everywhere and making Anne put her fingers to her ears.

„Woof-oof-oof-oof!" said the echoes, sounding as if a gang of dogs were barking madly in the caves. Then Timmy appeared in the light of their torches, looking extremely surprised at the enormous noise he had created with his barking.

„I shall put you on the lead, Timmy," scolded George, „Keep to heel now. Surely you understand what that word means after al these years?"

Timmy did. He kept faithfully to heel as the little company went along a narrow, roped tunnel and came out into a succession of dazzling caves, all linked together by little passages or tunnels. They kept only to those that were roped. Many of them were not, and the Five longed to see where they led to, but were sensible enough not to try.

And then, as they were examining what looked like a frozen pool, which reflected the snowy roof above like a mirror, a curious noise came to their ears. They straightened themselves and listened.

It was a whistling sound, high-pitched and shril , that fil ed the cave, and fil ed their ear-drums, too, until they felt like bursting. It rose high, then died down - then rose again til the children were forced to put their hands to their heads - and died away.

Timmy couldn"t bear it. He barked frantical y and ran round and round like a mad thing.

And then the second noise began - a howling! A howling that seemed to be tossed to and fro, and grew louder as the echoes threw it about from cave to cave! Anne clutched Dick, terrified.

„What is it?" she said. „Quick, let"s go!" And, led by an extremely scared Timmy, the Five raced pell-mel out of Billycock Caves as if a hundred dogs were after them!

The Five stood panting outside the entrance of the caves, feeling decidedly sheepish at having run away from a noise.

„Whew!" said Julian, mopping his forehead. „That was decidedly weird. That whistling - it got inside my head. It was like a - like a police whistle gone mad or something. As for the howling... well."

„It was horrible," said Anne, looking quite pale. „Like wild animals. I"m not going into those caves again for anything. Let"s get back to the camp."

They walked soberly down the chalk-strewn path that led away from the caves and made their way back to their camp. The rain had stopped now, and the clouds were beginning to break.

The Five sat down inside a tent, and discussed the matter. „We"ll ask Toby if it"s usual for noises like that to be heard," said Dick. „I wonder anyone ever visits the caves if it is infested with horrible whistles and screeches like that."

„Al the same, we were a bit cowardly," said Julian, now feeling rather ashamed of himself.

„Well, go back and do a bit of howling yourself," suggested George. „It may frighten the howler as much as his howling scared you."

„Nothing doing," said Julian promptly. „I"m not going in for any howling matches." He burrowed down under the rug for his field-glasses and slung them round his neck.

„I"m going to have a squint at the airfield," he said. „Just to see if I can spot Cousin Jeff,"

He put the glasses to his eyes and focused them on the airfield below them. He gave a sudden exclamation.

„There"s quite a lot doing on the airfield this morning!" he said in surprise. „Dozens of people there! I wonder what"s up. There are quite a lot of planes, too - they must all have arrived this morning!"

Each of the others took a turn at looking through the glasses. Yes - Julian was right. There was certainly something going on at the airfield today. Men hurried about, and then came the noise of yet another aeroplane, which zoomed neatly down to the runway.

„Gosh - another plane!' said Dick. „Where did all the others come from? We never heard them."

„They must have arrived while we were in the caves," said Dick. „I wish we could ask Toby"s Cousin Jeff what al the excitement is about."

„We could go down to the farm after our lunch and see if he has heard anything,"

suggested Anne, and the others agreed.

„Thank goodness the sun"s coming out again," said George, as a shaft of warm sunlight burst out from behind a cloud, and the sun sailed into a patch of blue sky. „The heather wil soon dry now. Let"s have the news on - we may just catch the weather forecast. I don"t want to carry my mac about if it"s going to clear up."

They switched on the little radio set - but they had missed the weather news. „Blow!" said Dick, and raised his hand to switch off - and then he heard two words that stopped him.

They were „Billycock Hil "! He left his hand suspended in the air and listened, full of surprise.

The announcer"s voice came clearly to the four.

„The aeroplanes stolen from Billycock Hil airfield were two valuable ones, into which had been incorporated new devices," said the voice from the radio. „It is possible that they were stolen because of these. We regret that it appears that two of our best pilots flew them away - Flight-Lieutenant Jeffrey Thomas and Flight-Lieutenant Ray Wells. No news has been received of either plane. Both disappeared during a storm over Billycock Hill during the night."

There was a pause, and then the announcer went on to another item of news. Dick switched off the radio and looked blankly at the others. No one had a word to say at first.

„To think that Jeff could do a thing like that - Jeft a traitor - flying off with a plane of ours to sell to an enemy!" said Julian at last, voicing the thought of all the others.

„We heard the planes go!" said Dick. „Two of them. Gosh - we ought to go to the police and tell what we know. Not that it"s much. But, I say - fancy Jeff doing that! I liked him so much."

„So did I," said Anne, turning her head away.

„So did Timmy," said George. „And he hardly ever makes a mistake in anyone."

'What wil poor Toby do?" said Dick. „He thought the world of Jeff."

Timmy suddenly ran off a few yards and began barking - a welcoming bark this time.

Julian looked to see who was coming. It was Toby!

He came up to them and sat down beside them. He looked pale and shocked, though he tried to smile at them.

„I"ve got awful news," he said in a queer, croaking voice.

„We know," said Dick. „We"ve just heard it on the radio. Oh, Toby - fancy - Jeff!"

To everyone"s horror Toby"s face crumpled up and tears poured down his cheeks. He made no attempt to wipe them away; indeed, he hardly seemed to know that they were there. Nobody knew what to do - except Timmy. Dear old Tim scrambled over Julian and most sympathetical y licked Toby"s wet face, whining as he did so. Toby put his arm round the dog"s neck and began to speak.

„It wasn"t Jeff! Jeff couldn"t have done such a thing. He couldn"t! You know he couldn"t, don"t you?" He turned quite fiercely on the others as he spoke.

„I can"t believe that he did," said Julian. „He seemed to me to be absolutely straight and trustworthy, even though I only met him that once."

„He was - wel - a sort of hero to me," said Toby, beginning to mop his cheeks with his hanky, and staring in surprise to see it so damp. „Gosh, I"m a sissy to go on like this! But when the military police came to our farm this morning to ask questions about Jeff - he"s my Dad"s nephew, you know - I couldn"t believe my ears. I was so furious with one fathead that I punched him - and Mother sent me out of the room."

„I suppose both Jeff and the other fel ow have definitely gone?" asked Julian. „No other pilots are missing, are they?"

„No. I asked that," said Toby dismally. „Everyone answered rol -cal at the camp this morning except Jeff and Ray. Ray is Jeff"s best friend, you know."

„It looks bad," said Dick, after a long pause.

„But it"s not true that Jeff"s a traitor!" cried Toby, up in arms again. „Are you suggesting that he is?"

„No, I"m not," said Dick. „Don"t be an ass. I don"t..." Then he stopped as Timmy ran off and barked fiercely. Now who was coming?

A deep voice called to Timmy. „Down, boy, down! Where are your friends?"

Julian scrambled up and saw two military policemen standing facing the excited Timmy.

„Here, Tim," cal ed Julian. „It"s al right. Friends!"

Timmy ran to him and the two burly men came up. „You the children camping on this hil ?"

asked the fist one. „Well, we want to ask you a few questions about last night. You were here then, weren"t you?"

„Yes, sir. We know what you"ve come about, too," said Julian. „We"ll tell you all we know -

but we"re pretty certain that Flight-Lieutenant Thomas hadn"t anything to do with it, sir."

„That"s as maybe," said the man. „Well, sit down, all of you, and we"ll have a little talk."

Soon they were sitting down in the heather, while Julian told al they knew, which wasn"t much - just the sound of the two aeroplanes flying off together.

„And you heard nothing suspicious last night - nothing to all?" asked the first man.

„Nothing," said Julian.

„Nobody about at al , I suppose?" asked the second man, looking up from his notebook in which he had been writing.

„Oh - well, yes - there were people about," said Julian, suddenly remembering the Butterfly Man, Mr Brent, who had said that he and Mr Gringle were out looking at their moth-traps.

The first policeman asked some rapid questions and Julian and the others told them what little they knew - though Julian knew the most, of course.

„You"re sure it was Mr Brent you saw?" asked the policeman.

„Well - he said he was," said Julian. „And he carried a butterfly net on his shoulder - and he wore the same dark glasses I saw him wearing in the morning. Of course, it was pretty dark

- but I honestly think it was Mr Brent. I didn"t see or hear Mr Gringle. Mr Brent said he was some way off. They"re both mad on moth and butterfly hunting."

„I see," said the policeman, and the second one shut his notebook. „Thanks very much. I think we"ll just go and pay a cal on these - er - what do you call them - Butterfly Men?

Where do they hang out?"

The children offered to guide them on their way, and the whole company went with the two burly men almost to the Butterfiy Farm.

„Well, thanks a lot," said the first policeman as they came near the tumble-down cottage.

„We"ll go on alone now. You get back to your camp."

„Sir - wil you send us word as soon as you know it wasn"t my Cousin Jeff?" asked Toby, forlornly. „He"l be getting in touch with you, I know, as soon as he hears what he"s suspected of."

„It"s bad luck on you, son - he"s your cousin, isn"t he?" said the big policeman kindly. „But you"l have to make up your mind to it - it was Jeff Thomas al right that flew off in one of those aeioplanes last night! There isn"t a doubt of it!"

The military police went off down the hil to the Butterfly Farm, and the five children stood disconsolately watching them, with Timmy staring, too, tail wel down. He didn"t quite know what had happened, but he was sure it was something dreadful.

„Well - it"s no good waiting about here, I suppose," said Julian. „I bet the police won"t get anything useful out of the Butterfly Men - they wouldn"t have noticed anything when they were out last night, except their precious moths!"

They were just turning away when they heard someone screaming in a high voice, and they stopped to listen in surprise. „It must be old Mrs Janes," said Dick. „What"s up with her?"

„We"d better see," said Julian, and he and the others, with Timmy at their heels, went quickly down to the cottage. They heard the voices of the two policemen as they came near.

„Now, now, old lady - don"t take on so!" one was saying in a kindly voice. „We"ve only come to ask a few questions."

„Go away, go away!" screamed the old woman, and actually battered at the men with her little bony hands. „Why are you here? Go away, I tell you!"

„Now listen, Ma - don"t take on so," said the other man patiently. „We want to talk to Mr Gringle and Mr Brent - are they here?"

„Who? Who did you say? Oh, them! They"re out with their nets," mumbled the old woman.

„I"m al alone her, and I"m scairt of strangers. You go away."

„Listen," said one policeman. „Were Mr Gringle and Mr Brent out on the hil s last night?"

„I"m in my bed at nights," she answered. „How would I know? You go away and leave me in peace."

The policemen looked at one another, and shook their heads. It was clearly quite useless to find out anything from this frightened old woman.

„Well, we"ll go, Ma," said one, patting her shoulder gently. „Sorry we"ve scared you -

there"s nothing to be afraid of."

They turned away and came back up the slope of the hil , seeing the children standing silently there: „We heard old Mrs Janes screaming," said Julian. „So we came to see what was happening."

„The Butterfly Men, as you cal them, are out with their nets," said one policeman. „A funny life, I must say - catching insects and looking after their eggs and caterpillars. Well - I don"t suppose they know anything about last night"s job. Not that there"s anything to know! Two pilots flew off with the planes, we know who they were - and that"s that!"