Part 16 (1/2)
Kiki began to mew like a cat. The man looked for this unexpected cat, then decided it was one of the children again, playing a trick on him. Kiki flew silently to the next cave and began to talk to herself there.
”One, two, b.u.t.ton my shoe, see how they run!”
The man took one more glance at the company of statues and went into the next cave. The children heaved a sigh of relief. But they dared not move yet.
It seemed a very long time till the man came back. With him came the two old people, evidently very frightened. Juan shouted at them in their own language, and the children could not understand a word.
Then, without another glance at the. statues, Juan went through the stout oaken door and shut it. The bang echoed loudly through the cave and made everyone jump.
Then they heard another sound which made their hearts sink. It was the noise of strong bolts being shot home on the other side of the door.
Cras.h.!.+ Crash, cras.h.!.+ All three bolts were shot firmly into place. Now the door could not possibly be opened from the inside.
”Did you hear that?” groaned Jack. ”We're prisoners now. If only we'd hidden in the cave of stalact.i.tes or the cave of stars, we'd have been all right. We could have got out of the hole. Now we can't. We'll have to stay here till the men set us free - if they ever do.”
Chapter 25.
PHILIP'S ASTONIs.h.i.+NG PLAN
THE old couple looked panic-stricken when four of the statues apparently talked and came alive. But when the children took off their borrowed draperies and carefully gave them back to the right statues again, the old couple saw who they were.
Elsa came running to Lucy-Ann and fondled her. The old man stood trembling.
”What did he say to you?” demanded Jack.
”He said he was going to make us prisoners here, and that he was bringing others back with him to remove all our treasure,” said the old man. Tears suddenly poured down his cheeks. ”He is a bad man. Have I guarded these beautiful things all this time to let them fall into the hands of a man so bad?”
”It's sickening,” said Jack. ”We simply can't do a thing! We shall just have to stand by and watch those rogues take away everything, pack them into crates and fly off with them!”
”Let's go out to that sunny ledge,” said Dinah. ”I can't bear this gloom any more. I shall feel better when we are out there. Ask the old man to tell his wife to bring a picnic meal out there, Jack. You and Philip can help her to bring it. I can't think properly down here in the dark, with all those statues trying to listen.”
”All right,” said Jack, seeing that Dinah was on the point of tears. ”You go off with Lucy-Ann and Kiki. We'll soon come. You'll feel better in the suns.h.i.+ne.”
”Wasn't Kiki clever to lead the man away from us?” said Lucy-Ann. ”He was scared when she suddenly spoke to him. So should I have been! I should have thought it was one of the statues speaking.”
She and Dinah made their way to the sunny ledge. Dinah threw herself down there thankfully.
”I don't like this adventure any more, Dinah, do you?” asked Lucy-Ann. ”It's not so bad if there's something we can do - but we seem to be helpless here.”
”I like to make adventures go the way I want them to,” said Dinah rather sulkily. ”I don't like them to make me do things I don't like. Don't talk to me, Lucy-Ann. I shall snap at you. I feel cross.”
”It's only because of the strain we went through whilst we were pretending to be statues,” said Lucy-Ann.
”Don't sound so grown-up,” snapped Dinah. ”It's not that. I just feel bad-tempered because I want to get out of this valley and I can't.”
Lucy-Ann said nothing more. She settled down in the sun, waiting for the picnic that Jack and Philip would soon be bringing out with Elsa. Kiki sat murmuring to herself nearby. Martha the hen arrived and began pecking about companionably. Kiki talked to her, and she clucked back.
Dinah forgot her bad temper when the others came out with a picnic meal. They had a good feast and then discussed all the morning's happenings once more. In the middle of the discussion they heard the sound of the plane again, and this time saw it rising high into the sky.
”Why, they're off again!” said Jack in surprise. ”Why?”
”Probably to get other men along to help in removing everything, now they really do know where the treasure is,” said Philip. ”And as you suggested, Jack - they might even bring more planes.”
It was hateful feeling that they were complete prisoners. Jack and Philip went desperately to the bolted door once and tried to move it - but it was hopeless of course. The bolts were old but still very strong.
There was nothing to do, and they felt bored. They went to examine the statues more closely and to look at the old pictures and the musty old books.
The statues were loaded with magnificent jewels. Some of the figures were really beautifully made and dressed, but others were crude and garish. All, however, were adorned with jewels, though the children were not able to tell if all the gleaming brooches, dazzling ear-rings and necklaces, glittering bracelets, belts and rings were really valuable or not. Probably some were, and others were only semi-precious.
”I expect the men will strip the statues of their jewellery, and take only that, leaving the figures behind,” said Jack. ”They will crate the pictures and books.”
”Why couldn't we strip the jewels off and hide them away somewhere so that the men wouldn't get them?” suddenly said Dinah. ”I don't see why wicked men like that should have them.”
”Good idea!” said Jack. ”Come on - we'll take the jewellery now and hide it somewhere!”
But as soon as they began to remove it, the old couple flew at them in horror.
”Not do that! Ah, bad boy!” cried the old man, removing a brooch from Jack's hand.
”We only want to hide the things from those men,” protested Jack. ”They'll be back and steal these things soon.”
”They belong to these,” said the old man, waving his hand towards the statues. ”They must not be removed by anyone. It is against the law of the Church.”
The children did not try again. It was plain that Elsa and the old man would fly into a rage if they attempted to. They seemed to think that it was a very wicked and unholy act to take away any of the adornments belonging to the figures.
The long day pa.s.sed at last. n.o.body slept very well that night. They were worried about what was going to happen. It was horrid to feel they were at the mercy of rogues like Juan.
They were all out on the sunny ledge the next morning, early, having breakfast there. They had no meals in the caves now, if they could help it.
”Listen,” said Dinah suddenly. ”I can hear the plane coming back.”
They all listened, the old couple too. The noise grew louder. It became very loud indeed. Then Jack leapt to his feet.
”It's not just one plane! It's many! Look, there's one! - circling down - and another over there! - and here comes another! Gracious! Juan's got quite a fleet of planes!”
There were four altogether. Evidently Juan meant to do the job properly now. The children pictured the planes landing one by one on the long wide strip of gra.s.s at the bottom of the valley.
”Now we can expect things to happen,” said Jack. ”The whole of the treasure will be gone soon.”
”What a shame!” said Dinah. ”And we can't do a thing to stop it!”
”If only we could get word to Bill!” said Jack desperately. ”But there's no way out of the valley except in one of those planes.”
Philip stared at Jack a moment. Then he said something so exciting that the others could hardly believe their ears.