‘Come on now - you took the key out of the door of the light-house - we know
you did. Give it here, Jacob.’_‘I didn’t take it.’ said Jacob, sullenly._‘I’ll
have to take you in, you know, Jacob,’ said the constable. ‘You’ll be searched
at the police-station. Better give up the key now.’_‘Search me all you like!’
said Jacob. ‘You won’t find that key on me. I tell you. I didn’t take it. What
would I want that key for?’_‘For the same reason that you usually want keys
for,’ said the constable. ‘For breaking in and stealing. All right, Jacob. If
you won’t let this young gentleman have his key, I’ll have you searched at the
police-station. Come along with me.’_But alas, no key was found on the surly
Jacob, and the constable shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows at
Julian._‘If you take my advice, sir, I’d get a different lock put on your door.
Jacob’s got your key somewhere.  ‘You and your keys. I tell you
I didn’t take it. There wasn’t a key there...’_‘Come along with me, Jacob,’ said
the constable. He turned to Julian. ‘Well, that’s all, sir. We’ll have his
house searched. The odds are that he’s hidden the key somewhere. He’s an artful
dodger, this one!’_Julian went back to the light-house, rather worried. It
might take a few days in a little place like this to have a new lock put in. In
the meantime they would either have to keep themselves prisoners in the
lighthouse - or leave a front door that anyone could open!_The others listened
excitedly to his tale, when he went back. They were glad to have the rug, the
clock, and the purse again - though Anne was sad that all her money was
gone._‘We’ll have to get a new lock and key,’ said Julian. ‘After all, this
light-house has only been lent to us, and it’s our responsibility to look after
it and all it contains. It’s a good thing it was only our things that were
taken - not Professor Hayling’s!’_‘It’s getting rather late,’ said Anne,
jumping up. ‘We haven't had our tea yet! I’ll get it. Anyone feel like buns
with butter and jam?’_Everyone did, and soon Anne produced a large plate of
delicious looking buns. They talked as they drank their tea, and ate the
buns._‘I vote we go and find Jeremiah Boogie tomorrow, and see if he’s heard of
the robbery, and if he has anything interesting to say about it,’ said
George._‘And also we really must get him to show us the Wreckers’ Cave,’ said
Julian. ‘By the way, what were the names of the two men who have the job of
showing the visitors round the caves? I’m pretty sure one was Jacob!’_‘You’re
right - it was - and the other man was called Ebenezer!’ said Dick. ‘Well -
let’s hope Jacob is locked up, or out of the way somewhere when we go to see
the caves. We shall get some black looks from him, if not!’_‘Well, we can give
him some back!’ said George, putting on a terrific scowl, and making Timmy give
a sudden whine. She patted him. ‘It’s all right, Timmy - that scowl wasn’t for
you!’_‘We’d better go to the caves tomorrow morning when the tide will be more
or less out,’ said Julian. ‘And I’d better see if I can find a locksmith here
who can give us a new lock and key quickly!’_‘Why not slip out now?’ said Dick.
‘I’ll come with you for a bit of fresh air. Want to come girls?’_‘No, I’d like
to finish my book, said Anne, and George said the same. Tinker was playing with
Mischief, and he didn’t want to come either._‘Well, you and the light-house
will be safe with Timmy and Mischief to look after you!’ said Julian, and down
the stairway he went, with Dick close behind him._The locksmith promised to
come and look at the door in the next day or two. ‘Can’t leave my shop just
now,’ he said. ‘Nobody to see to it! It’ll take me a few days to do the job for
you, I’m afraid, sir.’_‘Oh blow!’ said Julian. ‘We’ve already had a thief in
the light-house! We don’t like to go out and leave it empty now!’_They rowed
back to the light-house, shut and jammed the door as best they could, and went
up to the girls. Timmy gave them an uproarious welcome, and Mischief took a
flying leap from a chair-back on to Dick’s shoulder._‘No lock or key for a few
days,’ said Dick, sitting down and tickling the delighted little monkey. ‘I did
want to go and see the caves tomorrow - especially the famous Wreckers’ one -
but we can’t possibly leave the light-house empty.’_‘Woof,’ said Timmy at
once._‘He says, why not leave him behind, and let him guard it,’ said George,
solemnly, and Timmy at once said ‘Woof’ again._They all laughed. Dick patted
Timmy, and ruffled the fur behind his ears. ‘Dear old Tim - all right, you
guard the light-house - you shall have a Very Special Bone for a
reward!’_‘That’s settled then. We leave Timmy here on guard, and we all go off
to the caves,’ said Julian. ‘Well, one of the brothers who show visitors round
will be missing tomorrow, I fear - Jacob will not be there!’_‘I bet we’ll get
some scowls from the other brother - what’s his name now - Ebenezer?’ said
Anne. ‘We’ll have to be careful that we don’t get pushed into a deep pool of
water!’_‘Dear me, yes,’ said Julian. ‘One never knows! We’ll certainly be on
our guard!’___Chapter Sixteen__DOWN IN THE CAVES__Next morning George awoke
with a jump. Timmy was pushing her gently with his nose. ‘What is it,
Tim?" said George. Timmy gave a bark, and ran to where the spiral stairway
led downwards._‘Go down and tell the boys what it is you want,’ said George,
sleepily. So down the stairway went Timmy, and into the room where the boys
were sleeping. He trotted in and nudged Julian with his nose, but Julian was so
fast asleep that he didn’t stir._Timmy pawed at him, and Julian awoke with a
jump. He sat up. ‘Oh, it’s you, Tim - what on earth do you want? Is anything
wrong with the girls?’_‘Woof,’ said Timmy, and ran to the spiral stairway. He
disappeared down it, barking._‘Blow! He’s heard someone!’ said Julian, yawning.
‘Well, if it’s Ebenezer or Jacob - no, it can’t be Jacob, of course - I’ll tell
him what I think of people who steal!’_He unjammed the door of the light-house
and opened it. On the step stood two milk-bottles! ‘Well, really, Timmy, fancy
waking me because the milkman came!’ said Julian, taking in the bottles. ‘Good
old milkman - I wonder if he had to come by boat - the sea’s pretty high this
morning - but I suppose he could just about have waded over the rocks!’_At
breakfast the Five remembered that they meant to see the caves that morning.
They had a very fine meal of fried bacon, bought the day before, and eggs, with
buttered toast and marmalade to follow. Anne had made some good hot coffee, and
they all enjoyed themselves immensely. Mischief made himself a real nuisance by
putting a paw deep in the marmalade jar and then, when smacked, running all
over the place leaving sticky marmaladey marks everywhere!_‘We’d better all
take a wet rag with us as we go about the room,’ said Anne, in disgust. ‘He’s
run over the table and desk and everything. BAD Mischief! I do so hate feeling
sticky!’_Mischief was sad to feel himself in disgrace, and leapt on to Tinker’s
shoulder, putting his sticky paws lovingly round the boy’s neck.  ‘Then we’ll all go out. It’s a lovely day.’_‘Looks a bit stormy to me,’
said Dick. ‘What do you say, Tim?’_Tim agreed. He thumped his tail vigorously on
the floor, making Mischief pounce on it in joy. Anne gathered up the crockery
and took it to the sink._In an hour or so they were ready to go out. ‘Let’s
write a card to Aunt Fanny before we leave,’ said Anne. ‘Then that will be
done. We won’t say a word about the things that were stolen, though. She might
feel upset, and tell us to go back! And then what would Uncle Quentin and
Professor Hayling say?’_‘I bet they’re having a wonderful time, arguing all day
long, working out figures, and studying papers!’ said Julian. ‘And I’m pretty
certain that Aunt Fanny will have to call them to a meal at least twenty times
before they arrive at the table!’_Anne wrote the post-card and put on a stamp.
 Timmy ran to the top of the stairs,
glad that everyone seemed to be on the move at last. He did so love a
walk._‘Darling Timmy,’ said George. ‘I’m afraid you’ll have to be left behind
to guard the light-house! You see, we haven’t a key - and we can’t jam the door
from outside. So please, Timmy dear, stay behind - on guard. You know what that
means, don’t you? ON_GUARD!_Timmy’s tail went right down. He gave a small
whine. He did so hate being left out of anything - especially a walk. He pawed
gently at George as if to say, ‘Do please change your mind.’_‘On guard, Timmy,
now,’ said George. ‘The lighthouse is in your charge. Don’t let ANYONE in.
You’d better lie on the mat just inside the entrance.’_Timmy ran slowly down
behind Julian and the others, looking very mournful indeed. ‘Now lie there,’
said George, and gave him a pat on the head. ‘We’ll take you out again soon,
and then one of us will stay to guard the light-house - but this time we all
want to_go out.  ‘Dear old faithful,’ she said
ruffling the hair on his head. ‘We won’t be very long!’_They slammed the door
and went down the lighthouse steps. The tide was still out far enough for them
to be able to wade over the rocks to the jetty. ‘We must be back before it’s
well in,’ said Julian. ‘Or we’ll have to stay ashore till it’s out again. Our
boat is tied to the light-house post, remember!’_They went for a stroll along
the front and who should be there, sitting on a stone seat, but old Jeremiah
Boogie, smoking his long pipe, staring solemnly out to sea._‘Good-morning,
Jeremiah,’ said Dick, politely. ‘I hope we bought the right tobacco for you
from Tom.’_‘Oh aye,’ said Jeremiah, puffing out very strong-smelling smoke.
 Well,
what’s the news from Monkey-Land?’_The others laughed as Mischief at once
poured out a stream of monkey-chatter into the old man’s ear. ‘We thought we
would go and see the caves today,’ said Julian. ‘Especially the old Wreckers’
Cave.’_‘Now don’t you let that Ebenezer take you round!’ said the old man, at
once. ‘You won’t find Jacob there - oho - I know what’s happened to him. And
serve him right. Never could keep his fingers to himself, that one! Ebenezer’s
as bad. He could steal the buttons off your coat, and you’d never know! Now
look - what about me showing you the caves? I know them inside out, and I can
show you things that that rat of an Ebenezer doesn’t even know of.’_‘Well -
we’d certainly much rather you took us, and not Ebenezer,’ said Julian.
‘Ebenezer may be feeling rather angry because we told the police about his
brother stealing things. We’ll give you some more tobacco - I mean baccy - if
you’ll guide us round.’_‘Well, let’s go now,’ said Jeremiah, getting up very
spryly. ‘This way!’_And off they all went, Mischief too - the little monkey did
Jeremiah the honour of sitting on his shoulder all the way down the village
street. The old old man was delighted to see how everyone stared and
laughed._He took them round the foot of some very high cliffs. They came to a
rocky beach farther along, and walked over it. ‘There’s the entrance,’ said the
old man, pointing to a large hole in the cliff nearby. ‘That’s the way to the
caves. Got a torch?’_‘Yes - we brought one each,’ said Julian, patting his
pocket. ‘Do we have to pay to go in?’_‘No. People give Ebenezer a tip - five
pence or so - if he shows them round - or Jacob, when he’s there,’ said
Jeremiah. ‘I’ll deal with Ebby, though.
Lighted lanterns hung here and there, but gave very little light._‘Mind your
step, now,’ warned Jeremiah. ‘It’s real slippery in places. This way - through
this old arch.’_It was cold and damp in the cave, and the children had to go
carefully, and avoid the puddles left by the sea. Then suddenly Jeremiah turned
a corner and went in a completely different direction! Down and down and down
they went!_‘Hey - we’re going towards the sea now surely?’ said Julian, in
surprise. ‘Do the caves go under the sea, then? Not away back into the
cliff?’_‘That’s right,’ said Jeremiah. ‘This is a real rocky coast - and the
way we’re taking leads down a tunnel under the rocks, and then into the caves
deep under ground. See the rocky roof over our heads - well, if you listen, you
can hear the sea now, mumbling and grumbling over it - that roof is the bed of
the sea!’_That was a very strange thought indeed, and rather alarming! Anne
gazed fearfully up at the rocky roof overhead, and shone her torch on it,
half-expecting to see a few cracks leaking salt-water from the sea rolling over
the rocky roof! But no - there was a little moisture shining on it, and that
was all._‘Are we soon coming to the Wreckers’ Cave?’ asked George. ‘Mischief,
stop making those noises.  You
made me jump!’ said Anne. ‘Goodness - listen to the monkey’s screech echoing
all along the tunnel and back! Sounds like a hundred monkeys chattering at
once! Our voices echo too!’_Mischief was most alarmed to hear the enormous
amount of screeches and chattering noises that now filled the tunnel. He began
to cry almost like a baby, and clung to Tinker as if he would never let him
go._‘I expect he thinks this place is absolutely full of screeching monkeys,’
said Anne, sorry for the terrified little creature. ‘It’s only the echo,
Mischief.’_‘He’ll soon get used to it,’ said Tinker, hugging the monkey close
to him._‘You want to hear the echo just round the next bend of the tunnel!’
said Jeremiah, stroking the little monkey, and very foolishly gave an enormous
yell just as they got there!_The yell came back ten times as loud, and the
tunnel seemed suddenly full of shouts tumbling over one another. Everyone
jumped violently, and Mischief leapt high in the air in terror. He sprang to
the ground, and scampered away at top speed, wailing in his little
monkey-voice. He tore down the tunnel, tail in air, and disappeared round the
corner. Tinker was very upset._‘Mischief! Come back!’ he yelled. ‘You’ll get
lost!’_And along came the echo at once. ‘Get lost, get lost, get lost - lost -
lost!’_‘Don’t you worry about your monkey,’ said Jeremiah, comfortingly. ‘I’ve
had a score of monkeys in my time - and they always come back!’_‘Well, I’ll
jolly well stay down here till Mischief does come back!’ said Tinker in rather
a shaky voice._They came out into a cave. This too was lighted by lanterns,
though very poorly. They had all heard the murmur of voices as they came to it,
and wondered who was there._Three other visitors were in the cave, sight-seeing,
like the children.  This is my job - you get out. I’ll
show the caves to those youngsters!’_And with that such a battle of words
followed that the Five were almost deafened, especially as the echo repeated
everything very loudly indeed! The three visitors fled away up the tunnel,
fearing a fight. Anne was very frightened, and clung to Julian._Ebenezer came
shouting up to old Jeremiah, his hand raised. ‘Haven’t I told you more’n a
hundred times to keep out of these caves? Haven’t I told you I’m the one to
show folks around - and Jacob too?’_‘Don’t take no notice of him!’ said
Jeremiah, turning his back on the angry man. ‘He’s nought but a Big Mouth, same
as his brother Jacob!’_‘Look out!’ yelled Julian, as the angry Ebenezer rushed
at Jeremiah, his fist raised to strike him. ‘LOOK OUT!’___Chapter
Seventeen__MISCHIEF AGAIN - AND A SURPRISE!__Jeremiah saw the angry man coming
at him, and very neatly side-stepped. Ebenezer couldn’t stop, stepped heavily
on a strand of very slippery seaweed - and went sprawling into a corner!_‘Ho!’
said Jeremiah, delighted. ‘Very nice, Ebenezer! Get up, and run at me
again!’_‘He’d better not,’ said Julian, in his most grown-up voice. ‘I shall
report him to the police if he does - and that will make a pair of them in two
days. Jacob got into trouble yesterday - and now it will be Ebenezer.’_Ebenezer
got up, scowling, and glared at Jeremiah, who grinned back in delight. ‘Coming
at me again, Ebby?’ he said. ‘It’s grand fun to hit an old man, isn’t it?’_But
Ebenezer was very much afraid that Julian would do what he had threatened, and
report him to the police. He rubbed his shoulder where it had struck a piece of
rock, and debated what to do._‘Come along,’ said Jeremiah, to the five watching
children. ‘I’ll take you down to the Wreckers’ Cave. Ebby can come too, if so
be he can behave hisself. But mebbe he’d like to run away home, and get his
shoulder looked to!’_That was enough for Ebby! He determined to follow the
little company, and made rude remarks all the time. So he tailed them, and shouted
at them from a safe distance. How they wished they had Timmy with them! He
would have made short work of the rude Ebenezer!_‘Don’t take any notice of
him,’ said Julian, ‘Lead on Jeremiah. My word, isn’t it dark in this tunnel!
Good thing we all brought good torches!’_The tunnel came to an end at last and
opened out into an extraordinary cave. The roof was unexpectedly high, and the
irregular sides were ridged with shelves of rocks. On the shelves were dirty
old boxes, a crate or two and some sacks._‘What in the world are those?’ asked
Dick, shining his torch on them._‘Well young sir, they’re just what they look
like - ordinary boxes and sacks,’ said Jeremiah. ‘Put there by Ebenezer and
Jacob to fool people! They tells everybody they’re what the old wreckers got
out of ships they wrecked, years ago! Hoo-hoo-hoo! Anybody that believes those
lies deserves to be fooled. They’re all from Ebby’s back-yard. Seen them lying
there meself!  ‘You and your sacks and boxes! I know where the old
things are, the real old things - oh yes I do!’_‘They’re no better than the
sacks and boxes there, wherever they are!’ said Ebby, in a growling voice.
‘You’re lying, old Jeremiah - you don’t know nothing!’_‘Take us on farther,’
said Dick. ‘There must be more caves. I think this is exciting. Is this really
where the old wreckers hid the things they salvaged from the wrecks they caused
- or just a tale?’_‘Oh, this is their cave, that’s true enough. Dressed up a
bit by Ebby there!’ said Jeremiah. ‘But I know the caves farther on. Ebby
doesn’t! He’s too skeered to go farther under the sea.  Julian turned to Jeremiah eagerly. ‘Oh do
take us farther - if it isn’t dangerous!’_‘Well, I’m going farther on, anyway,’
said Tinker, suddenly. ‘Mischief hasn’t come back - so he must be lost - and
I’m going to find him!’_Julian saw that Tinker was quite determined. ‘Right,’
he said. ‘We’ll come with you. Jeremiah, lead the way! But it’s not really
dangerous, is it? I mean - we don’t want to find the sea sweeping through these
caves, right up to where we are!’_‘Tide’s not on the turn yet,’ said Jeremiah.
‘We’re all right for a while. When it comes in, it swirls up this passage here
- but it stops at the Wreckers’ Cave - that’s just too high for it, see? The
tunnel runs downwards fast now. It goes right under your light-house, have you
seen it down at the bottom of the shaft?’_‘Good gracious, yes!’ said Julian,
remembering. ‘I went down it - and the sea was swirling in and out at openings
in the bottom of the shaft. Do you mean to say that the sea that rises in the
shaft at high tide, comes racing up into these tunnels too?’_‘Aye, that it
does,’ said Jeremiah. ‘You can get from here to the lighthouse under the rocky
sea-bed right to that foundation shaft. But nobody dares! Tide comes in so
quickly, you might get caught and drownded!’_Ebby at once shouted something
rude again - it sounded as if he was telling Jeremiah to go and ‘get drownded
too’!_‘Do let’s go on farther,’ said Dick. ‘Come on, Jeremiah.’_So Jeremiah led
them farther on under the rocky bed of the sea. It was strange and rather
frightening to hear the constant noise of the water racing over the roof of the
winding tunnel. Their torches lighted up slimy walls, and rocky shelves and
hollows._‘You know - this would have been a very good place to hide treasure,’
said Julian, glancing up at a dark hollow in the roof of the tunnel. ‘Though I
don’t know how anyone would set about looking for it - there are hundreds of
nooks and crannies - and isn’t it cold in this tunnel!’_‘Well, the sun’s rays
never penetrate down here,’ said Dick. ‘My word, the sea sounds pretty loud
now!’_‘I wish we could find Mischief,’ said Anne to George. ‘Look at poor
Tinker. He’s crying. He’s pretending not to, but I could see the tears rolling
down his cheeks last time I flashed my torch on him.’_They stopped to look at
something - a strange jellylike thing, like an enormous sea anemone. Ebby
caught them up, and bumped into Dick. He rounded on Ebby at once._‘Keep off!
Follow us if you like, but don’t come so near. We don’t like you!’_Ebby took no
notice but kept as close behind everyone as he possibly could, and Dick
realized that he was probably feeling very scared! Then, as they rounded
another corner of' the tunnel, and saw yet another cave, Tinker gave a yell
that echoed everywhere._‘MISCHIEF! LOOK! THERE HE IS! MISCHIEF!’_And sure
enough, there was the little monkey, crouched under a small shelf of rock,
shivering in fright. He wouldn’t even go running to Tinker. Tinker had to pick
him up and hug him._‘Mischief! Poor Mischief - were you very frightened?’ he
said. ‘You’re trembling all over! You shouldn’t have run away! You might have
been lost for ever!’_Mischief had something clutched in his tiny paw. He
chattered to Tinker, and put his little furry arms round his neck. As he did
so, he opened one paw - and something fell out and rolled over the rocky
floor._‘What have you dropped, Mischief?’ said Dick, and shone his torch down
on to the floor of the cave. Something was glittering there - something round
and yellow! Everyone stared, and a shock of excitement went through Julian, who
was nearest. ‘A gold coin!’ he cried, and picked it up. ‘As bright as when it
was minted. Mischief, where did you get it from? Look, Dick, look, George -
it’s gold all right!’_Immediately everyone was full of the greatest excitement,
one thought only in their heads._The treasure! Mischief must have found the
treasure! It was an old coin - very old. Where could Mischief have found
it?_‘Oh let’s go farther on and see!’ cried Dick._‘Jeremiah, it must bc the
treasure! Mischief will lead us to it!’_But Mischief would do nothing of the
sort. He was NOT going to lose himself again. He was going to sit on Tinker’s
shoulders, with an arm safely round the boy’s neck! He hadn’t liked being lost,
all by himself in the dark._Jeremiah would not go any farther, either. He shook
his head. ‘No - not today, young sirs. Tide will soon be sweeping up these
tunnels - faster than we can walk. Better turn back now, in case we’re caught.
Many’s the visitor that’s had to run for his life, when the tide came up all of
a sudden!’_George’s sharp ears caught the sound of swoosh-swoosh! Somewhere the
tide had crept in! ‘Come on!’ she said. ‘We’d better do what Jeremiah says. The
sea’s coming up the tunnel now as well as over it - and soon it will be sweeping
up the beach too, and in at the cliff-passages. We’ll be caught in the middle,
and have to stay here for ages!’_‘No need for alarm, missy,’ said old Jeremiah.
‘There’s a bit of time yet. Hallo - where’s Ebenezer gone?’_‘Blow - he must
have heard us talking about Mischief’s gold piece,’ said George. ‘I forgot all
about him! Now he knows that Mischief has found a gold coin, he’ll feel sure
that the treasure may be somewhere down here - and he’ll look for it as soon as
ever he can! WHY didn’t we keep quiet about it?’_‘I forgot he was standing near
us,’ groaned Dick. ‘Well I suppose the whole of Demon’s Rocks Village will know
by now that a monkey has found the treasure - and hordes of sight-seers will
swarm down here, hoping to find it. It must have been put in a pretty dry
place, surely, for that coin to be so bright and untarnished.’_‘Buck up - we’d
better go back as quickly as possible,’ said Julian. ‘Look at old Jeremiah -
he’s too thrilled for words! He’s planning to find the treasure himself at the
earliest possible moment!’_‘Well, I vote we have a shot at it ourselves
tomorrow,’ said Dick, excitement welling up in him at the thought. ‘Good old
Mischief! You’re better than any detective!’_Then away up the tunnels they
went, making all kinds of plans. WHAT an excitement!___Chapter Eighteen__BACK
IN THE LIGHT-HOUSE - AND AN EXCITING TALK!__Old Jeremiah was as excited as the
others, but he said very little. He was angry to think that Ebenezer should
have been there to see the find. He didn’t trust that Ebby - nor that Jacob
either! They’d be ferreting after that treasure as sure as nuts were nuts, and
monkeys were monkeys! Ha - wouldn’t they like to know where it was! He stumped
on, up the old tunnels, thinking hard, and at last they came out into the
welcome daylight again!_‘Here, Jeremiah - buy yourself some more baccy,’ said
Julian, putting twenty pence into the old man’s hand. ‘And don’t count too much
on that treasure! I expect it’s just an odd coin that Mischief found in a dry
corner somewhere!’_‘Thank you, young sir,’ said the old man. ‘I’m not wanting
the treasure myself - I’m just hoping that Ebby and Jacob don’t find it.
They’ll be hunting all the time for it now!’_They were glad to be out in the
open again. The sun had gone now, and the wind had whipped up. It was raining
hard._‘I say - we’d better buck up, else we shan’t be able to walk back to the
light-house over the rocks!’ said Julian, worried. But fortunately the wind was
against the tide and they just had time to wade over to the light-house steps._‘There’s
our little boat bobbing-about,’ said Tinker. ‘And hark - I can hear old Timmy
barking! He’s heard us coming!’_So he had. He had been lying on the door-mat,
his ears glued to the crack under the door, listening, listening. Nobody had
come near the light-house and not a sound did old Timmy hear but the wind and
the sea, and a few gulls gliding by._‘We’re back, Timmy!’ yelled George, and
she pushed at the door. It opened, and Timmy leapt out, almost knocking her
over. Mischief sprang on to the dog’s back, and chattered at him without
stopping._‘He’s telling him about the gold coin he found,’ said Tinker, with a
laugh. ‘Oh, I wish you’d been with us, Timmy. It was grand!’_‘It feels as if
we’ve been away for ages,’ said George. ‘But it isn’t very late after all -
unless my watch is slow! I'm hungry. Let’s have something to eat and talk about
everything - and what we’re going to do!’_So, over biscuits and sandwiches and
coffee, they talked and talked. ‘We must get down to the caves again as soon as
possible!’ said George. ‘I’m absolutely certain that Jacob and Ebby will be
down there, hunting for coins, as soon as the tide’s out again.’_‘Well, we
can’t do anything today, that’s certain,’ said Dick. ‘For one thing the tide’s
in now - and for another thing it’s blowing up for a storm. Just hark at the
wind!’_Timmy was sitting as close to George as he possibly could. He hadn’t
liked her going out without him.  Tinker was doing the same with
Mischief!_The children talked and talked. Where could Mischief have found that
coin? Was it one on it’s own, that the sea had swept into the tunnel? Or was it
part of a whole lot of coins? Had it come from an ironbound box, whose wooden
sides had rotted away? They talked endlessly, their eyes bright, the round gold
coin on the table in front of them._‘I suppose it would be treasure-trove if we
found it?’ said Dick. ‘I mean - it would be so old that it would belong to the
Crown, and not to anyone in particular.’_‘I expect we’d be allowed to keep a
few coins ourselves,’ said George. ‘If only we could go straightaway now and
hunt in that tunnel! I feel as if I can’t wait!’_‘Woof,’ said Timmy, agreeing
though he really hadn’t much idea of what they were talking about!_‘I say -
LISTEN to the sea crashing over the rocks between us and the jetty!’ said
Julian, startled at the sudden booming. ‘The wind must be working up to a
gale!’_‘Well, bad weather’s been forecast for some time,’ saicl Dick gloomily.
‘Blow! It’ll be jolly difficult rowing to and fro in that little Bob-About
boat. I doubt if we’d be able to walk across the rocks even at low tide, with a
big sea running before the wind.’_‘Oh don’t be so gloomy!’ said Anne._‘Well, do
you want us to be prisoners here in the light-house?’ demanded Dick._‘It
wouldn’t matter - there’s plenty of food,’ said Anne._‘No there isn’t! Remember
there are five of us - and Timmy and Mischief as well,’ said Dick._‘Shut up,
Dick,’ said Julian. ‘You’re scaring Anne and Tinker.  Rain
slashed against the light-house, and the wind made a loud howling noise that
made Timmy growl deep down in his throat._Anne went to look out of the window.
She felt frightened when she saw the great waves that came surging over the
rocks below. Some of them broke on the rocks, and the spray flew so high that
it spattered the window out of which she was looking! She drew back in
alarm._‘Do you know what hit the window then? It was spray from a great
wave!’_‘Whew!’ said Julian, and went to the window himself. What a wonderful
sight! The sea was grey now, not blue, and it raced along towards the shore,
great waves curling over into white manes, spray flying. Out to sea there were
angry waves too, topped with white, which turned into spray as the strong wind
caught them. Only a few gulls were out, screaming in excitement, allowing the
wind to take them along on their great white wings._‘Well, I certainly wouldn’t
mind being a gull today,’ said Dick. ‘It must be a wonderful feeling to ride on
a storm - no wonder they are screaming in joy!’_‘Ee-oo, Ee-oo, EE-OOO,
EE-OOOOO!’ cried the gulls, sounding like cats mewing in hunger._‘I’m sorry for
the strips out in this,’ said Julian. ‘Goodness - think of the sailing-ships in
the olden days, caught on this rocky coast in a wind like this - it’s almost a
hurricane!’_‘And think of that wicked old One-Ear Bill, gloating when he saw a
ship sailing nearer and nearer the rocks!’ said George. ‘And even taking the
warning-lamp out of its place on the cliff, and bringing it near here to make
sure that any ships out that night would make straight for the rocks -
CRASH!’_‘Don’t,’ said Anne.  ‘Where are the cards? Move that lamp a bit closer to the
table, Dick. It’s getting so jolly dark. Now no more talk of wrecks! Think of something
cheerful - tea-sup, for instance - the treasure - and...’_‘You know, I think it
would be quite easy to find the treasure,’ said Dick, bringing the lamp close
to the table. ‘Mischief is a very clever little thing. I’m sure he would
remember where he found that coin, and lead us straight to the place.’_‘It
might have been just an odd coin, dropped by the man who hid the hoard,’ said
Anne._‘It might - but wherever it was found I think we can safely say that the
main hoard wouldn’t be very far away,’ said Dick._‘Well, if we do go hunting
we’ll have to go when the tide is well out,’ said Julian. ‘I don’t really fancy
scrabbling about in those caves and tunnels under the rocky sea-bed, when I
know that somehow or other when the tide is coming in the water gets under the
sea-bed, as well as on it.’_Dick sat frowning, thinking out something. ‘Ju,’ he
said at last, ‘you remember the direction we went in, as soon as we were
underground this morning? We went left-ish all the way, didn’t we?’_‘Yes, we
did,’ said Tinker, at once. ‘I had my little compass with me - look - it clips
to my wristwatch - and we went sharp west all the time.’_‘Towards the
light-house, that would be,’ said Julian, and drew a quick plan. ‘See - here’s
the light-house, say - and just here is the entrance into the cliff, where we
first went - here’s the path we took, curving right back to the sea again,
under the rocky beach - here it goes - and that’s a cave, see, then more
tunnel, and caves - the way always curving sharply to the left...’_‘A bit
farther on and we’d have been almost under the light-house!’ said Dick, in
amazement._‘That’s right,’ said Julian. ‘And maybe in the old days, before this
light-house was built, and ships were sent crashing on the rocks on which it
now stands, there was a tunnel down from those light-house rocks that joined up
with the tunnel we were in this morning - so that the wreckers would find it
very easy to stow away anything valuable they found in a wrecked ship without
being seen!’_‘Whew! You mean they waited till the ship smashed up, then waded
over the rocks, as we do, took what they could find, and disappeared down a
tunnel there to hide it!’_‘And came out the other end!’ said Anne._George
stared at Julian, and her eyes were bright. ‘Maybe the tunnel is still
somewhere in these rocks!’ she said. ‘Somewhere down at the edge of them,
because we know the sea gets into the tunnel. Julian, let’s look for it
tomorrow. I think you’re right. There may be a hole in the rocks here
somewhere, that drops down into the tunnel we were in.’_Nobody wanted to play a
game after that! They felt much too excited. They studied Julian’s plan again
and again, glad that Tinker’s little compass had shown him so clearly that
morning that the under-sea passages had led due west to the light-house
rocks._‘Do you suppose that everyone has forgotten the old hole?’ said Dick.
‘Nobody has told us anything about it, not even Jeremiah. Do you think it may
have been blocked up?’_Julian frowned, thinking hard._‘Well, yes - it may have
been,’ he said. ‘It is queer that Jeremiah didn’t say anything about it. Anyway
we’ll have a good hunt tomorrow.’_‘And if we find it, we’ll drop down and hunt
for the treasure!’ said Tinker, his eyes shining. ‘WHAT a shock for Ebenezer
and Jacob if we find it first!’___Chapter Nineteen__A NASTY SHOCK!__The storm
blew itself out that evening, and next day was much calmer. The sky still
looked angry, and rain fell now and again, but it was possible to get out of
the light-house door in the morning, and go down the steps on to the
rocks._‘Shall we go shopping first - or look for the hole?’ said Julian._‘Look
for the hole,’ said Dick, promptly. ‘The wind is still pretty strong, and the
storm might blow up again - just look at that angry sky! We wouldn’t be able to
mess about round the edge of the rocks if the sea gets any rougher.’_They
spread out and went cautiously over the great rocks on which the light-house
was built. At low tide the rocks stood well up, out of the sea. The light-house
was built on the highest part, and seemed to tower over the searchers as they
clambered here and there, seeking for any hole that looked as if it might lead
down into some tunnel below._‘Here’s a hole!’ called Anne, suddenly, and they
all clambered over to her in excitement, Timmy too. Julian looked down to where
Anne was pointing. ‘Yes - it does look a likely one,’ he said. ‘Big enough to
take a man, too. I’ll climb down and see.’_He slid down the hole, holding on to
projecting pieces of rock as he went. The others watched, thrilled. Timmy
barked. He didn’t like to see Julian disappearing like this!_But before Julian
quite disappeared, he shouted again. ‘I’m afraid it’s no good! It’s come to a
sudden end! I’m standing on firm rock, and though I’ve felt all round it with
my feet, there’s no opening anywhere. It’s a blind end!’_What a disappointment!
‘Blow!’ said Dick, lying down on the rocks and putting his arm down the hole to
help Julian to climb up again. ‘I had high hopes then! Julian - here’s my hand.
Do you want any help?’_‘Thanks - it is a bit difficult!’ said Julian. He
climbed up with difficulty, and squeezed out of the hole thankfully. ‘I
wouldn’t like to get wedged in here!’ he said. ‘Especially with the tide coming
in!’_‘It’s beginning to pour with rain again!’ said Anne. ‘Shall we go shopping
now - or wait a bit?’_‘Oh, let’s wait,’ said George. ‘I’m cold and wet now.
Let’s go into the light-house and make some hot coffee. WHAT a disappointment!
Never mind - we can always go down the tunnels we were in yesterday and search
around - maybe Mischief will show us where he found the gold coin!’_They all
went into the light-house, and once more Julian jammed the door. ‘I wish that
locksmith would come,’ he said. ‘If we go down into the caves, we’ll have to
leave old Timmy behind on guard - and it is such a shame!’_‘Woof,’ said Timmy,
heartily agreeing. They all went upstairs and Anne began to make the coffee. As
they were sitting drinking it, Timmy suddenly sprang to his feet with a most
blood-curdling growl. Everyone jumped, and Anne spilt her coffee._‘Timmy!
What’s up?’ said George, in alarm.  He looked truly
fierce!_‘What on earth is the matter, Tim?’ said Julian, going to the door. ‘There
can’t be anyone on the stairway - the entrance door’s jammed!’_Timmy raced out
of the door as soon as Julian opened it and tore down the spiral stairway at
such a speed that he fell, and rolled to the bottom. George gave a terrified
scream. ‘Timmy! Have you hurt yourself?’_But Timmy leapt to his feet at once,
and ran to the entrance door, growling so ferociously that Anne felt really
frightened. Julian ran down and went to the door. It was still well and truly
jammed._‘Timmy! Maybe it’s just the poor milkman, come with some milk again,’
he said, and unjammed the door. He took hold of the handle to open it._It
wouldn’t open! Julian pulled and tugged, but it was of no use, The door simply
would NOT open!_By this time everyone was down beside him. ‘Let me try,’ said
Dick. ‘The door must just have stuck.’_No - he couldn’t open it either! Julian
looked gravely round at everyone. ‘I’m afraid - very much afraid - that
SOMEBODY has locked us in!’ he said._There was a horrified silence. Then George
cried out in anger. ‘Locked us in!  Who’s done this!’_‘Well - I
think we can guess,’ said Julian. ‘It was whoever came and stole our key the
other day!’_‘Ebenezer - no, Jacob!’ cried Dick. ‘One of the two, anyway. How
DARE they? What are we to do? We can’t get out. Why have they done this - this
- silly - wicked thing?’_‘I’m afraid it’s because they think we might go
looking for the treasure - and find it,’ said Julian, his face grave. ‘We felt
sure that Mischief might remember where he had found that gold coin - and lead
us there - and I’m pretty sure they think the same. So this is their way of
making sure they have time to find the treasure, before we do!’_‘They’re
wicked, they’re wicked!’ cried George, taking hold of the handle of the door,
and pulling it violently. ‘We’re prisoners!’_‘Don’t pull the handle off, old
thing,’ said Julian. ‘That wouldn’t help at all. Let’s go upstairs and talk
about it. We’ll have to think of some way out of this unexpected
difficulty.’_They went soberly upstairs again, and sat down in the living-room.
Yes - they were certainly prisoners!_‘What are we going to do?’ said Dick. ‘We
are in a real fix, Julian.’_‘Yes. You’re right,’ said Julian, looking worried.
‘We can’t get out of the light-house, that’s certain. On the other hand - how
can we get help? No telephone. Shouting would never be heard. Can’t use our
boat. No one would ever know we are prisoners - they’ve seen us going in and
out of the light-house, and if we suddenly don’t appear any more, they’ll
simply think we have gone home, and that the light-house is empty again!’_‘We
shall die of starvation!’ said Anne, scared._‘Oh no - I expect we shall think
of something,’ said Dick, seeing that Anne was really frightened. ‘All the
same, it’s a puzzle. We can’t get out - and no one can get in! Whoever locked
that door has certainly taken the key away with him.’_They talked and they
talked, and finally they felt hungry, so they had a meal - though they felt
that they ought to eat sparingly, in case their food ran short too quickly._‘And
I feel so hungry,’ complained George. ‘I keep feeling hungry here.’_‘That’s
what I told you. Living in a light-house somehow makes you feel hungry all the
time!’ said Tinker._‘We’ll try and catch the milkman tomorrow morning,’ said
Julian, suddenly. ‘Let’s see, now - we could write a note, and push it under
the door, so that he would see it tomorrow when he comes. We could put “HELP -
WE ARE LOCKED IN.”’_‘It would blow away,’ said George. ‘You know it would.’_‘We
could pin it down our side - and then it wouldn’t,’ said Anne. ‘Half of it
would still stick out under the door.’_‘Well, it’s worth trying,’ said Dick,
and immediately wrote out the note on a large sheet of paper. He shot
downstairs to pin it to the mat - and shoved half the paper underneath so that
it stuck out on the other side of the door._He ran back upstairs. ‘I don’t for
a moment think that the milkman will come across the rocks in this weather,’ he
said. ‘They’ll be almost impassable. Still we’ll hope for the best!’_There
didn’t seem anything else to do. The evening came early, for the sky was very
dark again, and the wind once more got up, and howled dismally. Even the gulls
decided that it was no longer a good idea to glide to and fro._They played
games that evening, and tried to laugh and make jokes. But secretly everyone
was worried. Suppose that the stormy weather went on and on, and nobody guessed
they were locked in the light-house, and the milkman didn’t bring any milk, and
didn’t see the note - and they ate all their food and..._‘Cheer up, everyone,’
said Julian, seeing the dismal looks around the table. ‘We’ve been in worse
fixes than this.’_‘Well, I don’t think we have!’ said Anne. ‘I just can’t see
ANY way out of this one!’_There was rather a long silence during which Timmy
sighed heavily, as if he too was worrying! Only the monkey seemed cheerful, and
went head-over-heels at top speed round the room, sitting up for laughs at the
end. But nobody laughed. Nobody even seemed to notice him. Mischief felt very
sad, and crept over to Timmy for comfort._‘There is one idea that might be a
good one,’ said Julian, at last. ‘It’s been running round in my mind for a
while - and I’m not sure whether it’s possible or not. Anyway, it’s one we
might try tomorrow, if help doesn’t come.’_‘What?’ asked everyone, at once, and
Timmy lifted his head and whined, as if he too quite understood._‘Well, do you
remember that I went down that foundation shaft?’ said Julian, ‘and saw the
water swirling at the bottom? Now - do you suppose it’s at all possible that
that shaft was bored down through a natural hole - and the light-house builders
chose to put the foundation shaft there because there was a ready-made shaft
they could use? - a fine hole going right down through the rock! And they made
the hole into a cement-lined shaft, strong and everlasting, so that the
light-house would never be at the mercy of waves and wind - but would stand
firm, whatever happened?’_This was a new idea to everyone, and it took a little
while to sink in. Then Dick smacked the table-top and made them all
jump._‘Julian! You’ve got it! Yes - that strong cement-lined shaft runs down a
natural hole - and that hole must be the one we’ve been looking for! The one
that connects up with the tunnels we were in this morning! No wonder we
couldn’t find it when we hunted all over the rocks! The shaft-makers used
it!’_There was silence again. Everyone was taking this in, even Tinker. Julian
looked round the table and smiled. ‘Have you all jumped to it?’ he said. ‘If
that is the hole we were looking for - what about one of us going down that
iron ladder again to the bottom - and finding out if it does lead into the
tunnel we were in today?’_‘And walking through it, and up the passage and
coming out through the cliff entrance we used this morning!’ said George.
‘Julian! What an absolutely wonderful idea! We could escape that way! What a
shock for Ebby and Jacob! We’ll do it somehow - we’ll do it!’___Chapter
Twenty__DOWN THE SHAFT AND INTO THE TUNNEL__It was a most exciting idea to
think that the iron ladder in the great cement-lined shaft might possibly lead
to the tunnel they had been into that morning. Julian had seen water swirling
at the bottom, when the tide was in - possibly if they went down it when the
tide was going out, there would be no danger of being trapped!_The storm was
very fitful now - sometimes it came back again, and then the wind blew so hard
that it seemed as if the buffeted light-house must fall! Rain fell in torrents
that night, and during the dark early hours of the morning, when the tide was
in, great waves pounded over the rocks, sending spray almost over the top of
the light-house. Julian awoke and looked out of the bedroom window in awe._‘I
hope there’s no ship out anywhere near here tonight,’ he said, and then gave a
sudden exclamation, ‘What’s that - something swept right across the sky!’_‘It’s
the beam from the new light-house at High Cliffs,’ said Dick. ‘I saw it last
night. It must have a very powerful beam, mustn’t it, to show even on a night
like this?’_They watched for a little while, and then Julian yawned._‘Let’s try
to go to sleep,’ he said. ‘We thought we were going away for a nice little
holiday - and BANG - we’re in the middle of something again!’_‘Well, let’s hope
that we come out of it all right,’ said Dick, settling down in his rugs once
more, ‘I must say that I feel a bit cut off from civilization at the moment.
‘Night, Julian.’_In the morning the storm was still about, and the wind was
terrific. Julian ran down to the entrance door to see if the milkman could
possibly have come - and had seen their message for help._But no - the paper
was still half on their side, flapping on the mat. Obviously the milkman hadn’t
dared to cross the rocks that morning, either on foot or by boat!_Dick had
looked out of the window to make sure that tlieir boat was still safely moored
to the post - and to his surprise and distress, it was no longer there! Tinker
was very upset._‘Where’s my little boat gone? Has somebody stolen it?’_‘Maybe -
or possibly the storm broke the mooring-rope, and the boat was smashed to
pieces on the rocks,’ said Julian, ‘Anyway, it’s gone. Poor old Tinker.  But Tinker wouldn’t laugh. He really was
right down in the dumps._They had rather a sparse breakfast, and were very
silent. Anne cleared away and washed up, and then Julian called them all
together._‘Well, now we must decide about this descent down the shaft to what
we hope will be the tunnel we were in yesterday,’ he said. ‘I am going down
myself.’_‘Toss for it!’ said Dick, at once. ‘There’s no reason why I shouldn’t
go, is there? Or what ahout us both going, in case the other gets into trouble,
and needs help?’_‘Not a bad idea,’ said Julian. ‘Except that there won’t be
anyone to look after the girls and Tinker.’_‘WOOF!’ said Timmy, indignantly,
standing up at once. Julian laughed and patted him._‘It’s all right, Timmy. I
just wanted to see if you thought you could guard them well. All right - Dick
and I will go down the shaft. The sooner the better. We simply must go while
the tide is out. What about now, Dick?’_Solemnly they all went down the spiral
stairway to the entrance door, where the trap was that opened on to the great shaft.
Julian pulled up the lid and gazed down into blackness. He shone his torch
down, but he could not see the bottom. ‘Well - here goes!’ he said, and lowered
himself down into the shaft, his feet seeking the rungs of the iron ladder.
‘Keep cheerful, girls. We’ll get through the tunnels and passages, and to the
entrance in the cliff - and fetch help for you in no time at all!’_‘Julian,
please take care,’ said Anne, in a shaky voice. ‘Please, please do take
care!’_Down went Julian, his torch now held between his teeth. After him went
Dick. The girls shone their own torches down the shaft, but soon the boys were
so far down that they could not be seen. Only their voices came up now and
again, sounding very hollow and peculiar._‘We’re at the bottom!’ shouted Julian,
at last. ‘It’s rock, and there’s no water at present! We’ve a clear way to
follow! I crawled out of the hole at the bottom, and there’s some kind of
tunnel there all right. We’re off now - crawling out, and into the tunnel.
Cheer up, all of you! See you soon!’  Timmy began to whine. He couldn’t
understand these queer goings-on at all!_Julian and Dick were feeling rather
pleased with themselves. It hadn’t been very difficult to squeeze out of the
arches at the bottom of'the shaft. Now they were in a dark narrow tunnel, whose
roof sometimes came down so low that they had to bend double. It smelt damp and
seaweedy, but there seemed to be plenty of air. In fact at times quite a little
breeze seemed to flow round them._‘I shall be glad when we come into a tunnel
we recognize!’ said Julian, at last. ‘We surely must be near where we were
yesterday. Hallo, what’s this? Dick - look, Dick!’_Dick looked to where
Julian’s torch was shining and gave a shout. ‘A gold coin - another one! We
must be near where old Mischief ran off to yesterday. Look - there’s another -
and another. Where on earth did they come from?’_The boys shone their torches
all around, and saw at last where the coins had fallen from. Above their head
was a dark hole, running up into the rock. As they shone their torches on it, a
gold coin slid out and dropped down to join the others._‘This is where Mischief
found the coin!’ cried Dick. ‘Julian there must be a box or something up there,
which is rotting away, and letting out the money it contains bit by
bit.’_‘Whoever would have guessed at such a hiding-place!’ said Julian,
marvelling as he shone his torch above his head.  It must have been pushed right
into a recess at the side of the hole, by someone who knew a good hiding-place
was there.’_‘Give me a leg-up so that I can put in my hand and feel,’ said
Dick. ‘Buck up - this is too exciting for words!’_Julian gave him a leg-up, and
Dick put his head and shoulders into the hole. He felt to one side - nothing -
felt to the other side, and his hand came across something hard and cold - an
iron band perhaps? He ran his hand over it and touched something soft and
crumbly - old, old wood rotting away, maybe - possibly a wooden chest - only
held together by the iron bands. He scrabbled about and Julian gave a sudden
shout._‘Hey - you’ve showered me with money! Whew - I never saw so many gold
coins in my life!’_‘Julian - I think there’s more than one box or chest up
there,’ said Dick, jumping down, and looking at the big heap of shining coins
at his feet. ‘There may be a fortune there! Talk about treasure-trove! Look -
let’s not disturb anything else up that hole. No one knows about it except
ourselves. Better gather up these coins though, just in case that awful Ebby
takes it into his head to come down this way!’_So they filled their pockets
with the coins and then made their way onwards again. To their joy they soon
recognized one of the tunnels they had been in the day before. ‘Plain sailing
now,’ said Dick joyfully. ‘We’ll soon be out, and then we’ll get the locksmith
to pick the lock of the light-house, so that we can get in.’_‘Sh!’ said Julian,
suddenly. ‘I think I can hear something.’ They listened, but went on again,
thinking that Julian was mistaken._But he wasn’t! As they turned a dark corner
that led into a cave, someone leapt at them! Julian went down to the ground at
once, and Dick followed. He just had time to see that Ebenezer was there with
someone else - Jacob perhaps?_As Dick fell, gold coins spilled out of his
pocket. Ebenezer gave a cry and bent down to them at once. Julian tried to take
his chance and slip by him - but the other man caught him and sent him spinning
backwards. ‘Where did you find that money? You tell us or you’ll be sorry!’
shouted Ebenezer, and the echo came back at once, ‘Sorry - sorry -
sorry!’_‘Run, Dick!’ panted Julian. ‘It’s our only chance!’ He gave Ebenezer a terrific
shove, which sent him into the other man - yes, it was Jacob - and then he and
Dick were off at once, running as fast as they could, back along the way they
had come. ‘You come here!’ yelled Ebenezer, and they heard him pounding after
them._‘Hurry!’ panted Dick. ‘If only we can get to the shaft, we’re all
right.’_But alas, they took the wrong turning, and soon found themselves in a
cave they had never seen before. Ebenezer and Jacob blundered past without
seeing them. ‘Better stay here a while,’ said Julian. ‘Let them get a good way
off.’_So they stayed still and quiet, and then at last ventured out of their
hiding-place and tried to find their way back to the right path._‘You know - if
we get lost down here, we’re done for!’ said Julian. ‘And once the tide flows
in, we shall be in a pretty poor way! Somehow we’ve got to get out through the
cliff way or back to the shaft. Hang on to me, Dick. We mustn’t get separated,
whatever happens!’_They stumbled on, not really knowing whether they were going
in the right direction or not. They seemed to go through endless tunnels and
caves - what a labyrinth there was in that great strata of rocks! They they
heard voices!_‘That’s Ebby’s voice - and Jacob’s too,’ whispered Julian.
‘They’re coming this way. Hide here, and keep still!’_So they hid quietly, and
listened to Ebby and Jacob.
‘We’ll wait. Don’t make a sound!’_‘We’ll have to make a dash for it, and hope
for the best!’ whispered Julian. ‘Come on! We’ll be caught by the tide soon if
we’re not quick!’_They both made a sudden rush, and passed the surprised Ebby
and Jacob at a run. Then down the tunnel beyond them they went as fast as they
could, bumping their arms and legs and heads against the rocky walls, but holding
their torches steadily in front of them. On they went and on - and behind them,
breathing heavily, came Ebby and Jacob._‘I think this must be a bad dream!’
panted Dick. ‘JULIAN! JULIAN! look - there’s water coming along this tunnel!
The tide’s coming in!’_‘Come on,’ said Julian. ‘I feel as if the shaft isn’t
far away now. I seem to know this tunnel - and this cave. Come on, Dick, we
haven’t a minute to spare! We’ve GOT to get to the ladder!’_‘Look! There’s the
shaft!’ yelled Dick at last. ‘Come on - we shall just about be able to squeeze
under the arch at the bottom! Hurry Julian - the water’s up to our ankles
now!’_They reached the shaft and squeezed under the small archway that let the
water run through from side to side over the rocky bottom of the shaft. They
began to mount the ladder, and then stopped to hear if there were any sounds
from Ebby or Jacob._They heard yells. EBBY! COME BACK! Tide’s flowing in!’ and
then they heard Ebby’s angry voice._‘I’m coming! They’ve gone farther down -
and they won’t like it! They’ll be drowned before they get much farther!’_Dick
grinned. ‘Come on, Ju, - up we go! I can see the light through the trap-door at
the top. The girls have left it open, bless them!’_And soon the two boys were
clambering out of the trap-door, with Timmy barking madly and licking their
necks, the girls and Tinker too excited for words!_‘What happened? Didn’t you
get out of the tunnel to find help for us? Were those men there? What
happened?’_‘Plenty!’ said Julian. ‘But unfortunately we didn’t get past Ebby
and Jacob, who were lying in wait for us. So we’re still stuck in this
light-house, with nobody to help us. BUT...’_‘But what?’ asked George, shaking
his arm ‘Julian, you look excited. What’s happened?’_‘We found the treasure!’
said Julian. ‘Come on - we’ll tell you all about it!’ And he led the way up the
spiral stairway, with Tinker and the excited girls close behind._Soon the boys
were telling their story, and George and Anne and Tinker listened and exclaimed
and danced about, and were altogether marvellous listeners to a marvellous
tale._‘It MUST have been the treasure - in an iron-bound chest - oh, Ju,
weren’t you excited when the coins poured out?’_‘Yes. It was certainly a very
fine moment,’ said Julian. ‘Mischief, stop pulling my hair. My word. It’s been
an exciting morning! What about a drink of lemonade - and by the way, what’s
the weather been like? We couldn’t see a thing down below!’_‘Oh, it’s awful
again, Julian!’ said Anne.  ‘We
certainly shouldn’t be able to get out of here today, even if we could get out
of the door!’_‘Julian, Tinker found his father’s old pocket radio in a
cupboard,’ said Anne. ‘And it still works. We listened to the weather report,
and it gave an important warning to all ships at sea or by the coast. It said
they must run to safety as soon as they could.’_‘Well, I’m blessed if I know
what to do for the best,’ said Julian, looking out of the window. ‘How in the
world are we to let people know we’re here, marooned in the light-house? We’ll
simply have to think of something!’_But that was easier said than done! How did
one get help when there was no way to get help? How did one escape out of a
locked light-house when there was no key?___Chapter Twenty-one__A WONDERFUL
IDEA__‘I’m thirsty,’ said Tinker. ‘I’ll get some lemonade.’_‘Well, go slow with
it, then,’ said Dick. ‘You don’t know how long we may be locked up here - and
we haven’t endless food and drink!’_Tinker looked alarmed. ‘Might we be locked
up here for weeks and weeks?’ he said._‘If people thought we had left the
light-house and gone back home because of the bad weather, we might easily be
here for some time,’ said Julian, soberly. ‘Nobody would bother about us -
they’d think we were safe at home.’_‘But Mother would soon feel worried if she
didn’t hear from us,’ said George. ‘We said we’d send her a card each day, you
know - and if she doesn’t have one for a day or two, she would be sure to get
worried, and send someone over here.’_‘Hurrah for mothers!’ said Dick,
relieved. ‘All the same - I don’t fancy a week or so here with hardly anything
to eat. We’ll have plenty of one thing though - and that’s rain water!’_‘There
must be some way out of this,’ said Julian, who had been sitting silent,
frowning at his thoughts._‘Can’t we get a message out somehow? Are there any
flags here, Tinker, that we could wave out of a window?’_‘No,’ said Tinker.
‘I’ve never seen any. What about a white table-cloth? We’ve one of
those.’_‘Yes. That would do,’ said Julian. ‘Fetch it, Tinker.’_Tinker pulled it
off the table and gave it to Julian. Julian went to the window and looked
through the glass, which was misted with spray. ‘I don’t expect anyone will
notice a table-cloth being shaken out of this window,’ he said. ‘But I’ll try
it. My word - the window’s hard to open. It seems to have stuck.’_He opened it
at last, and immediately an enormous gust of wind came in, and everything went
flying - papers, books, carpets - chairs fell over, and poor Mischief was blown
from one side of the light-house room to the other. Timmy barked in fright and
tried to catch the flying papers as they went by his nose. The table-cloth
disappeared at once!_Julian managed to close the window again after a terrific
effort, and once more the room became peaceful. ‘Whew!’ said Julian. ‘I didn’t
guess there was such a gale outside. I should think that table-cloth is about
five miles away by now! The gulls will get a surprise when it comes flapping
along in the sky.’_George couldn’t help laughing at that, frightened though she
was. ‘Oh, Julian - it was a jolly good thing you didn’t fly off with the
table-cloth! My word, what a gale! I wonder the light-house stands it.’_‘Well,
we do feel a buffet now and again,’ said Dick. ‘There - did you feel that? It
was either a wave bumping into the rocks, or spray forced against us - I
distinctly felt the light-house shake a little.’_‘Rubbish!’ said Julian, seeing
Anne’s scared face.  ‘Would it have stood for all these years
if it hadn’t been strong enough to stand against storms far worse than
this?’_‘Mischief is feeling frightened too,’ said Tinker. ‘He’s gone and
hidden, look.’_‘Well, long may he stay there,’ said Julian. ‘At least, he’s not
trying to open the biscuit-tin, or delve into the bag of sweets! I should just
like to know how many of our sweets he has eaten up to now!’_WHOOOOOOOOSH!_That
was an extra big gale of wind that buffeted the light-house, and made Timmy
stand up and growl. Rain pattered against the window, sounding as if someone
was throwing pebbles._Julian was very worried. It really did look as if the
stormy weather was going on and on. It might quite well continue for a few
days, and their food certainly would not last long. There were still some tins
left, and they had plenty of water, of course - the rain saw to that - but
somehow they were all always so hungry!_‘Cheer up, Julian,’ said George. ‘You
do look grim.’_‘I feel it,’ said Julian. ‘I cannot for the life of me think of
any way to escape from here, or even to get help. We’ve no way of
signalling...’_‘Pity the light-house lamp is no longer going,’ said Tinker.
‘That would have been a fine signal.’_To Tinker’s enormous surprise Julian
suddenly gave a shout, leapt up, came over to Tinker, and gave him such a clap
on the back that the surprised boy almost fell off his chair!_‘W-w-what’s the
matter?’ stammered Tinker, rubbing his shoulder._‘Don’t you see - perhaps we
can set the old lamp going, and make it shine out as it used to do - not to
warn ships, of course - but to make people realize that we are prisoners in the
light-house!’ said Julian, jubilantly. ‘Tinker - do you know if it’s possible
to light the lamp?’_‘I think so,’ said Tinker. ‘My father showed me how it
worked, and I think I remember. Oh - and there’s a bell that can be struck,
too!’_‘Better and better!’ said Julian. ‘Where is the bell?’_‘It was dismantled
and put away,’ said Tinker. ‘It used to hang in that sort of verandah place
that runs outside, round the lamp-room - there’s a big hook for it there.’_‘Oh
- it hung in that outside gallery, did it?’ said Julian. ‘Well - that means
that one of us would have to go out there in the wind and hang it up - not too
good! There must be a ninety-mile-an-hour gale up there. Anyway, let’s get the
bell and have a look at it.’_The great bell was down in the store-room, covered
up. It was made of brass, and once had had a hammer that struck it at
intervals, worked by some simple machinery. But the machinery was in pieces -
no good at all!_‘We’ll take the bell upstairs,’ said Julian. ‘Gosh, it’s heavy
as lead. Dick, I’ll want your help.’_Between them the two boys carried the
heavy bell up to the living-room, and Tinker brought up the old hammer that
used to strike it. Julian and Dick held up the bell by its loop of iron. ‘Hit
it with the hammer, Tinker,’ said Julian. ‘See if it stills sounds
loudly.’_Tinker struck it hard with the hammer - and at once a great deep clang
filled the room from side to side, making Timmy jump almost out of his skin. He
and Mischief left the room at top speed, and fell down the spiral stairway
together. All the others jumped too, and stared at one another in awe. The
sound of the bell went booming round and round the room, filling their ears so
that they had to shake their heads to try and get rid of the sound. Julian at
last clasped the rim of the bell with both his hands and the sound died
away._‘What a WONDERFUL bell!’ he said, in awe. ‘Look how old it is, too - see,
it says “Cast in 1896”! My word - if only we could get it hung up in its place
on the gallery, the sound of it would go right to the village and beyond! I
wonder how many ships heard it in the old days, booming out every now and again
as the hammer struck it.’_Tinker raised the hammer again, but Dick stopped him.
‘No - you saw how scared Timmy and Mischief were. They’ll probably jump through
a window, glass and all, if we sound the bell again!’_‘We’ll wait till we think
the wind has died down a bit, and then try to hang the bell,’ said Julian. ‘Now
let’s look at the lamp. Will it want oil, Tinker?’_‘It may do - though I think
there’s some still in it, left when the light-house was closed down,’ said
Tinker. ‘But there is plenty down in the store-room.’_‘Good,’ said Julian,
feeling decidedly more cheerful. ‘Now - if the gale dies down at all, we’ll try
to hang the bell. We can strike that as soon as it’s hung, and not wait till we
light the lamp.’_But the gale seemed to get worse, and Julian really did wonder
if the old light-house would stand up to it! Should he take everyone down to
the store-room? Just in case? ‘I will if the gale gets worse,’ he thought.
‘Though if the light-house should fall, there wouldn’t be much chance for us,
whatever part of it we’re in!’_They went up to the lamp-room in the afternoon and
looked at the great old lamp. Tinker explained how it worked. ‘It used to go
round and round mechanically,’ he said, ‘and there were screens here - and here
- that shut out the light in places as it went round - so that the light seemed
to go on and off, if any ship was watching it - it seemed to flash, you see,
instead of to shine steadily. Ships noticed it more quickly then.’_The screens
were broken in pieces. There was still some oil in the lamp, but Julian added
more. The wick seemed perfectly good. Now if only they could light the lamp,
and keep it going, someone would be sure to see it, and wonder about it!_Julian
felt in his pocket for matches. As the lamp-room was enclosed in glass, it was
easy to keep the match alight. He touched the oily wick with it - and hey,
presto! the lamp was lighted!_It was a very big lamp, and, close to, the light
was quite blinding. Dick crowed with delight. ‘We’ve done it! Old light-house,
you’re going to shine once more tonight! You’re alive again!’_‘Now to hang the
bell,’ said Julian, and he cautiously opened the door leading on to the gallery
outside, having waited until the wind died down for a moment. He and Dick
lifted the bell up to the hook there and slipped the iron loop over it. It hung
there, swinging, and Julian lifted the hammer - but at that moment a great gust
took him and he staggered, almost falling over the railing!_Dick caught him
just in time, and, with George’s help, dragged him into the lamp-room. They
were all very white-faced! ‘That was a narrow escape,’ said George, her hands
shaking and her body trembling. ‘We’ll have to be careful if we go out on the
gallery again! Perhaps we had better rely only on the lamp.’_‘I vote we all go
down and have some hot tea,’ said Julian, thankful for his escape. His legs
felt shaky as he went down the stairs. He was most surprised! Julian was seldom
scared, and it was peculiar to have legs that suddenly gave at the
knees!_However, everyone soon recovered when they were drinking hot tea and
eating ginger biscuits. ‘I wish it was dark so that we could see how bright the
light is from the lamp when it shines,’ said Dick. ‘It will be dark very
quickly today.’_It was! So dark that the light streaming from the old lamp at
the top of the light-house was brilliant! It cut a shining path through the
night, gleaming yellow._And through the roar of the sea went a great clanging,
as Julian, with Dick holding on to him, struck the old bell hanging in the
gallery._‘Listen!’ said George, her hand on Timmy’s collar._‘Listen! BOOM. BOO-OOO-OOM!
BOOOOM! Tim, that bell must feel happy tonight - it’s found its voice
again!’_BOOOOOOOOOM! Has anyone heard that old bell on this stormy night? Has
anyone seen the light from the old old lamp?_BOOOOOOOOOM!!!___Chapter
Twenty-two__THE END OF THE ADVENTURE__Down in the village of Demon’s Rocks that
night, people drew their curtains, made up their fires, and sat down in their
arm-chairs. They were thankful not to be out in the wind and the rain._Old
Jeremiah Boogle was lighting his pipe, sitting by his own roaring fire, when he
heard a sound that made him drop the flaring match, and listen in
amazement._BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM!_‘A bell! A bell I’ve not heard for nigh on forty
years!’ said old Jeremiah, standing up, hardly able to believe his ears. ‘No - it
can’t be the light-house bell. That’s been gone for many a
day!’_BOOOOOOOOM!_Jeremiah went to his window and pulled aside the old curtain.
He stared out - and could not believe his eyes! He gave a yell. MILLIE! Come
look here! Lighthouse lamp is shining out! MILLIE! Where’s that granddaughter
of mine? MILLIE!’_‘What is it, Grandad, now?’ said a plump little woman,
bustling in._‘Look, Millie - am I seeing right - ain’t that the light-house
lamp a-shining there?’ said Jeremiah._‘Well - there’s a bright light shining
out there high above Demon’s Rocks,’ said Millie. ‘But I never in my life saw
the light-house lamp shining out before! And what’s that booming noise,
Grandfather - like a wonderful great bell?’_‘That’s the old bell in the
light-house!’ said Jeremiah. ‘I couldn’t mistake that! Many’s the time I heard
it booming out to warn ships off them Demon’s Rocks in the old days. Millie, it
can’t be! It don’t hang there no more. And the light don’t shine no more.
What’s happening?’_‘I dunno, Grandad,’ said Millie, scared. ‘Ain’t no one in
the light-house, far as I know!’_Old Jeremiah smacked his hand down on the
window-sill, knocking over a plant-pot.  ‘And what would they be there for? Did they set the lamp a-going and
sound that bell? BOOOOOM - there it goes again - enough to wake all the babies
in Demon’s Rocks Village!’_Millie was right. It did wake all the babies, and
the children - and amazed every man and woman in the place, including Ebenezer
and Jacob. They had leapt to their feet when they had heard the bell, and were
astounded to see the great light shining out steadily in the night._They heard
people hurrying by their cottage, on their way to Demon’s Rocks jetty. They
heard Jeremiah’s big voice booming out too. ‘It’s they children up there in the
light-house, a-banging that bell, and setting that light a-shining. Something’s
wrong! It’s help they’re needing, folks! Something’s wrong!’_Ebenezer and Jacob
knew quite well what was wrong! The children were locked in the light-house and
couldn’t get out! They might be ill or hurt - or starving - but they couldn’t
get out to fetch help. And now the whole village was aroused, and when the morning
came, a boat would bob out on the great waves and find out what had
happened!_Ebby and Jacob disappeared that night! It wasn’t Constable Sharp they
feared - it was the people of the village! They slipped away in the dark and
the rain, and were gone. But you’ll be caught, Ebby, you’ll be caught, Jacob!
And no one will be sorry for you. No one at all!_When daylight came, there were
many people on the jetty, ready to go across to the light-house. The wind was
so rough that great waves still rolled over the rocks on which the light-house
stood. Soon a boat was launched, and Jeremiah, Constable Sharp and the village
doctor went across, the boat careering from side to side like a mad thing, as
the waves caught it._They went up the steps to the light-house and banged at
the door - and from the other side came Julian’s glad voice. ‘You’ll have to
break down the door. Ebby or Jacob locked us in and took the key. We can’t get
out, and we’re running short of food!’_‘Right. Stand back,’ shouted Jeremiah,
‘Constable and I are going to break in!’_Jeremiah was old but he was still
hefty, and Constable Sharp was heftier still. The lock suddenly splintered
under their enormous shoves, and the door flew wide open! Jeremiah and the
policeman shot inside and bumped into Julian and the rest, sending them flying.
Timmy barked in astonishment and Mischief fled up the stairway!_Soon they were
all in the living-room, and Julian was pouring out his story. Anne made tea and
handed round steaming cups. Jeremiah listened open-mouthed, and the policeman
busily took notes. The doctor, glad that no one was ill or hurt, sipped his tea
and listened, too._‘We didn’t know how to get out when we were locked in,’ said
Julian, coming to the end of his long story. ‘So in the end we lighted the old
lamp, and hung up the old bell, and struck it with the hammer. I could hardly
stand in the gallery, though, there was such a wind! I struck it for half an
hour, and then my brother here went on till he felt too cold. The lamp didn’t
burn all night - it went out early this morning.’_‘But both bell and light did
their job well, son,’ said Jeremiah, looking twenty years younger, he was so
excited. ‘Ah, to think that old lamp shone again, and that old bell sounded - I
thought I must be dreaming!’_‘We’ll be after that Ebenezer and Jacob,’ said the
policeman, shutting his notebook, ‘And it seems to me you’d all best go home,
young sir. This weather’s going on for a bit - and there’s nothing to keep you
here, is there?’_‘Well,’ said Julian, ‘actually there is something to keep us
here. You know the old wreckers’ lost treasure you told us about, Jeremiah?
Well - we’ve found it!’_Jeremiah was so astounded that he couldn’t say a word!
 Julian took
some golden coins out of his pocket and showed them to the policeman and the
doctor, and to Jeremiah._‘There you are!’ he said. ‘We know where there are
thousands of these - they are in iron-bound boxes and chests down in one of the
tunnels in the rock. What do you think of that? We can’t leave here till we’ve
given the treasure into the hands of the police! It belongs to the Crown,
doesn’t it?’_‘Yes, it does,’ said Constable Sharp, gazing at the bright gold
coins. ‘But you’ll get a fine reward, young man - all of you will! Where’s this
treasure? I’d better get it straight away.’_‘Well - you have to go down the
foundation shaft of the light-house,’ said Julian, gravely, but with a twinkle
in his eye, ‘and crawl under the archway at the bottom, and then make your way
down the tunnel - but be careful the sea doesn’t catch you - and then when you
come to...’_The policeman stopped scribbling down what Julian was saying, and
looked startled.  ‘We don’t need to go down the shaft - there’s another way in - the way
you took us, Jeremiah. We’ll go this morning, for a last excitement. And then -
home! Perhaps you would kindly telephone to Kirrin Garage for a car to fetch us
at twelve o’clock, Constable?’_‘Oh good!’ said Anne. ‘An adventure is always
exciting but I’ve really had enough at the moment! This was such a bad-weather
one! Oh, Constable, look out - that monkey has pulled out your whistle!’_So he
had - and what is more he blew it - PHEEEEEEEEEE. Jeremiah almost jumped out of
his skin, and Mischief received a slap that almost made him jump out of his
skin too!_‘Good-bye, Jeremiah,’ said Julian. ‘It’s been fine meeting you - and
thanks for coming to rescue us. We’ll see you again some day.  ‘I’ll
do the packing.’_‘Timmy and I will help you,’ said George, who knew that Anne
wouldn’t like to be left alone in the light-house._The boys went off with
Jeremiah, the doctor and Constable Sharp, rowing over the rocks to the jetty.
The doctor and Jeremiah said good-bye at the jetty, and the three boys and
Mischief took Constable Sharp to find the treasure. They had to push their way
through quite a crowd of people, who had collected on the quay, anxious to know
why the light had shone out from the light-house in the night, and why the bell
had sounded._‘Make way, please,’ said the policeman, politely. ‘Everything is
all right. These children were locked in the light-house and couldn’t get out.
Make way, please. There is no need for any excitement!’_‘No - that’s all over
now - isn’t it, Ju?’ said Dick. ‘Whew - it was just a bit too exciting, at
times! I shall be quite glad to be at Kirrin Cottage again, with peace and
quiet all around us.’_‘You’ve forgotten that Uncle Quentin and his friend will
still be there,’ said Julian, with a grin. ‘There’ll be plenty going on while
they’re around! I’m afraid they won’t be at all pleased to see us back!’_Oh yes
they will, Julian - especially when they hear the exciting story you have to
tell! You’ll have some fun showing round a gold coin or two. Timmy is to have
one hung on his collar, as a reward for guarding you so well - how proud he
will be!_Well, good-bye to you all! Good-bye, Julian, and Dick, and a good
journey home! Good-bye, Anne and George - and Tinker too, and Mischief, you
funny little monkey!_And good-bye, dear old Timmy, best of friends.  See you all again some day!__
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