Part 8 (2/2)

They had approached the cottage very cautiously indeed, stopping at every step and listening with bated breath for any sound. But there was none.

'Not even the light of somebody's torch, either,' said d.i.c.k, in Julian's ear. 'I don't think anyone is here yet. Let's get into the cottage and up those stairs as soon as we can.'

They tiptoed into the cottage, not daring to put on their torches. They fumbled across to the little stone stairway, and climbed it with as little sound as they could. Holding their breath made their hearts thump loudly.

'Can you hear my heart thumping?' d.i.c.k whispered to Julian, as they at last stood on the floor of the roofless rooms above.

'No. Mine's just the same, thumping away! Well, we're safely here. Let's just shuffle to and fro and see if there are any loose stones we might fall over, and so give ourselves away!'

They cleared away a few loose stones, and then sat down silently on the low broken wall of the two ruined rooms. The wind blew gently but warmly. Everything was still except the rose-rambler climbing over the old house. It moved a little in the wind and made a faint sc.r.a.ping noise. d.i.c.k caught his hand on a thorn, and sucked his finger. The rambler was everywhere, across the floor, and over the walls and even up what was left of the little chimney!

The boys had been there for about three-quarters of an hour when Julian gave d.i.c.k a slight nudge.

'Here they come!' he whispered. 'See - over there!'

d.i.c.k looked round and about and then caught sight of a small, moving light, just a p.r.i.c.k in the darkness. It cast a faint glow before it.

'A torch!' he whispered. 'And another - and another! Quite a procession! A slow one, too.'

The procession made very little noise. It made its way to the cottage, and then split up.

'Having a look to see if we really are gone,' whispered Julian. 'Hope they won't think of coming up here.'

'Let's get behind the chimney, in case,' whispered back d.i.c.k. So very quietly they rose and made their way to where the remains of the chimney stood, a dark shadow in the starry night. The chimney was quite big, though rather crumbly. The two boys crouched close to it, on the side farthest from where the stone stairway came up in the corner.

'Someone is coming up!' whispered d.i.c.k, his sharp ears catching the sound of someone's feet on the stone stairs. 'I hope he gets caught by the rambler - there's a big spray near the top!'

's.h.!.+' said Julian.

Someone came right up the stairway, and gave an exclamation of annoyance near the top. 'Good!' thought d.i.c.k, 'he has got caught by the rambler!'

A torch shone out over the ruined rooms, the crumbling walls and the remains of the chimney. The boys held their breath, and stood like statues. The light of the torch played over the place for one second and then a voice called down the stairs.

'No one here. The kids have gone. We can get on with the job!'

The boys let out a long breath. Good - they were safe - for the time being at any rate! The visitors down below were no longer cautious - they spoke in ordinary voices and torches flashed all over the place. Then someone lighted two lanterns, and the little cottage shone quite brightly.

'Where do we start?' said a voice. 'Here, Jess - where's that plan?'

'I've got it. I'll spread it on the floor,' said a voice that the boys recognized at once. It was the voice of the 'country-woman' who had spoken to them that day! 'Not that it's much use. Paul's no good at drawing!'

Evidently the searchers were now leaning over the plan. Voices came up the stone stairway.

'All we know for certain is that we have to find that white stone slab - and we know the size. But we don't know the place, except that we think it must be here. After all - we've searched the old Roman camp, and there are no slabs there that size!'

Julian nudged d.i.c.k. So some of the visitors that Guy had complained of must have been these searchers! Whatever was it they were looking for, hidden behind a slab of stone?

He knew a minute later! A drawling voice said: 'If we have to get up every great slab in this neighbourhood, we will. I'm going to find that secret way if it's the last thing I do! If we don't find that, we don't find those blue-prints - and if we don't find them, we might as well go into the poor-house for the rest of our lives.'

'Or prison!' said someone.

'Not prison,' said the drawling voice. 'It'll be Paul who goes to prison. He managed to steal them, we didn't!'

'Can't you get Paul to draw a better plan than this?' said the voice of the 'country-woman'. 'I can't understand half that's written here.'

'He's ill - almost off his head, too,' said someone. 'No good asking him. He had such a time escaping with those prints, he nearly died. No good asking him, I say.'

'I can't make out this word here,' said the woman. ' ”W-A-D-E-R” - whatever does it mean?'

'I don't know - wait, though, I do! It might be W-A-T-E-R - water. T not D in the middle. Where's the well? Anywhere in this kitchen? That's it, that's it. Water! I bet there's a slab over the well. That's the way to the secret hiding-place!'

Julian clutched d.i.c.k. He was as excited as the man down below. They listened eagerly, straining their ears.

'Here's the old sink - and this must be the remains of the pump. The well's underneath this slab - and see, the stone is just about the right size. Get busy! Buck up, get busy!'

Chapter Fourteen

AN EXCITING NIGHT - AND A SURPRISING MORNING

Soon there came the sound of loud breathing and grunts, as the searchers tried to prise up the stone by the pump. It was obviously very heavy, and very difficult to move, for it had become almost part of the floor itself, through the centuries!

'Drat the thing! It's tearing my hands to pieces!' said a voice. 'Lend me that jemmy, Tom - you don't seem to be doing much good with it!'

After a lot more struggling and panting the stone was loosened. 'Up she comes!' said a voice, and up came the stone so suddenly that it sounded as if most of those pulling at it had sat down very hard on the floor!

The two hidden boys were beside themselves with interest and excitement. How they wished they could go and watch! But it was impossible. They must just listen and try to make out what was happening from what the men said below them.

'Is it a well down there? Yes, it is! My, the water's pretty far down - and black as pitch too.'

There was a silence as the well was examined in the light of torches. Then an exasperated voice, the one with the drawl, said: 'This is no secret way! Who's going to get through that water! It's just an ordinary small well, and nothing else. That word can't have meant Water.'

'All right, boss. What does it mean then?' said the woman. 'I don't know. This isn't a plan, it's a riddle! Why couldn't Paul have made it clear where this stone slab is - he just goes and does a lot of scribble round it - and all we can make out is that it's on this common, somewhere near here - and the secret way is behind the slab!'

'And all we have to do is to go and look behind dozens of heavy slabs!' said someone else. 'I'm fed up. We've lifted slabs in that wretched camp - we've lifted some here - and we still don't know if we're anywhere near the right one.'

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