The Valley Of Adventure Part 6

"We'll have a quick breakfast," said Jack. "Sardines, biscuits and milk, I think. I saw a tin of sardines at the top of one of our sacks. Yes, here it is."

They saw smoke rising up from where the two men were, and knew that they too were up. So they finished their breakfast quickly, and Dinah once more pushed the tins down a convenient rabbit-hole. Then they ruffled up the gra.s.s on which they had been lying, so that it did not look quite so flat.

"I think we'd better find a good hiding-place for most of these tins," said Philip, "and take just a few of them with us to last us for today. We can't possibly lug these heavy sacks along all the way."

"Couldn't we drop them into the middle of these bushes?" said Dinah. "They're awfully thick. n.o.body would guess they were there. We could slip back and fetch any we wanted."

So the sacks were dropped into the middle of the bushes, and certainly no one could see them unless they actually crawled into the very middle. Then the children gathered up their rugs, macks and odd clothes and set off. The boys carried the tins, and Jack had his camera and his gla.s.ses as well. So they were heavily laden and could not go very fast.

They took the same way that they had taken before. When they came to the gra.s.sy, flower-strewn hillside they sat down for a rest. After all, the men would hardly be following them! They would be hunting all round and about the cowshed.

Suddenly, from far off, Jack caught sight of a brilliant, twinkling flash. He lay down flat at once, telling the others to do the same. "There's someone using field-gla.s.ses down there," he said. "We may not be seen if we lie flat. I just caught the flash of the sun on the eye-lenses. Dash! I forgot the men might sweep the mountainside with gla.s.ses. They'll be after us if they've seen us."

"Let's crawl to that rock and get behind it," said Philip. "Come on. Once we're behind there we can get on and find the waterfall."

Chapter 10.

A FINE HIDING-PLACE.

WHEN they were behind the rock the children felt sure they could not be seen, and they breathed more easily. Philip looked round and about. The gully they had been in before lay a little to the left. They could reach it without being seen from below.

"Come on," said Philip, choosing a path that put rocks or bushes between them and the valley below. "This way."

Up the hot gully went the children, and came to the ledge that ran round a steep bit of the mountain. They made their way round and once more saw the wonderful view they had seen before. Above them stood the ruined, burnt-out farm-house. Lucy-Ann carefully didn't look at it. It gave her such a miserable feeling to see the blackened beams and fallen walls.

They stood and listened for the sound of the waterfall. It came softly to their ears, a continuous, musical sound, like a far-off orchestra playing a simple tune.

"What a lovely noise!" said Dinah. "Philip, shall we climb down or up now? If you want to go to the foot of the waterfall and hide somewhere among the rocks there, we ought to climb down, oughtn't we? Last time we climbed up - over that rocky, stony bit."

The boys stood and considered. "It would perhaps be best if we went down this time," said Jack at last. "Those rocks just above the waterfall may be slippery to climb down on, for they will be wet with the spray. We don't want to slip, and we're carrying so many things that we haven't free hands to use."

So they chose a way that led downwards. Philip went first, finding the safest path he could; not that there was a real path, of course, for there was not. As they came nearer to the waterfall, spray blew around them, and left a fine wet mist on their hair. They were hot with climbing and the spray was deliciously cool.

They rounded a corner, and saw the whole of the cascading water at once. What a sight! Lucy-Ann drew a quick breath of awe and delight, and stood staring.

"What a thunderous noise!" shouted Jack, trying to make his voice heard. "It makes me feel all excited."

"It does me too," agreed Dinah. "As if I want to do a jig or a hornpipe or something. And it makes me want to shout and yell."

"Well, let's!" said Jack, and he began to caper and shout as if he was mad. The others did the same, except Lucy-Ann. It was almost as if they were trying to out-shout and out-dance the tumbling, roaring water.

They soon stopped, quite exhausted. They were on a flat rock which was wet with the flying spray. They were not nearly at the foot of the water after all, but about a quarter of the way up the fall. The noise filled their ears, and sometimes the force of the spray made them gasp. It was somehow very exciting.

"Well," said Jack at last, when they had gazed their fill at the waterfall, "let's think about a good hiding-place. I must say I don't think those men would dream of coming here to look for us."

They all looked about for a cave or ma.s.s of rocks in or behind which they could hide. Lucy-Ann looked a little doubtful.

"I don't know if I can bear to hear this terrific noise going on in my ears all the time," she called to Jack. "It makes me feel a bit dizzy."

"Dizzy Lizzie," remarked Kiki at once. She too had been excited by the waterfall and had shouted with the others.

"Well, you'll have to put up with the noise," said Jack. "You'll soon get used to it."

Lucy-Ann looked worried. She was quite sure she wouldn't get used to that thundering going on all the time. She would never, never be able to sleep through it.

The children wandered about by the waterfall, not going too near it because of the thick spray around it. They couldn't seem to find any good place to hide in at all. All the rocks there seemed to be wet, and there seemed to be no comfortable spot in which to put their things.

"Our rugs would be soaked in no time with the fine mist that hangs about the fall," said Dinah. "And we can't possibly lie on wet rugs. I don't believe this was such a good idea after all."

Jack was climbing a little higher. He came to where a giant fern grew. It hung down like a great green curtain and was lovely to see. Jack wondered whether they could hide behind it.

He pushed aside the hanging green fronds and gave a shout at once. The others didn't hear it because of the noise of the water.

"Golly!" said Jack to himself. "There's a cave behind this hanging fern - and it will be quite dry because the fern screens it from the spray. It's like a great thick curtain! Hey, you others!"

But again n.o.body heard him. Jack couldn't wait for them to pay attention to him. He went through the hanging fronds and found himself in a dim dry cave, with a fairly low roof, and moss growing on the floor. He felt it. It was dry. Probably when the fern died down in the autumn, the spray flew into the cave and the moss then grew damp and flourished well. But now it was like a soft, dry green bed.

"This is just - exactly - the place for us," said Jack, delighted. "Absolutely marvellous! n.o.body could possibly see us here because the fern hangs down over the entrance, and it was only quite by accident I found it. It would be a most exciting place for us."

There was a ledge running around one side of it, like a bench. "We could put all our things there - tins and so on," said Jack to himself. "And when we've put our macks down on this moss we'll have a most lovely bed. I really must tell the others."

It was quite time that he showed himself, for the others had now missed him and were yelling at the tops of their voices for him.

"Jack! JA-CK! Where are you? JACK!"

Jack heard their voices as he pushed aside the fern-fronds and looked out, just his head showing. Dinah and Kiki suddenly caught sight of his face peering out of the fern some way above them. Kiki gave a squawk of surprise and flew up at once. Dinah jumped.

"Look!" she yelled to Philip and Lucy-Ann. "Look where Jack is - hiding behind that giant fern!"

Jack put his hands to his mouth and yelled at the top of his voice, trying to drown the noise of the waterfall. "Come on up here! I've found something marvellous!"

The others climbed up eagerly. Jack held aside the green fronds for them. "Won't you come into my parlour!" he said politely. "So pleased to see you all."

They pa.s.sed through the green curtain into the cave behind. They called out in delighted surprise.

"What a lovely place! n.o.body could ever find us here!"

"There's a soft green carpet on the floor! It's moss!"

"The roar of the fall isn't nearly so loud here! We can hear ourselves speak!"

"Glad you like it," said Jack modestly. "I found it quite by accident. It's perfect, isn't it?"

It was. Lucy-Ann was relieved that the thunder of the waterfall was lessened here, in the cave. Dinah was thrilled with the softness of the moss. Philip was pleased by the real safety of such a hiding-place. n.o.body would ever find it except by chance.

"Let's go and fetch our things from the rock where we left them," said Dinah, who always liked all her belongings set out neatly together. "There is plenty of room for them here. I shall put our tins of food on that rocky ledge."

"We can only just stand upright," said Philip. He went to where the green fronds hung down over the entrance, making the cave rather dark. He parted the fronds and at once a ray of sunshine fell into the cave, lighting it up well.

"We could tie back some of the fern so that we get the sun in the cave," said Philip. "We've got a jolly good view of the waterfall from here - and we can see everything around well, so that if anyone comes we shall spot them at once. It's fine."

"I shan't mind living here a bit for a little while," said Lucy-Ann happily. "I feel safe here."

"You may have to live here a long while," said Philip. "Well - I can think of worse places."

"Those men would never find us here," said. Jack. "Never!"

He tied back some of the fronds, and the children sat down on the floor for a little while, enjoying the sunshine that now poured in. The moss was like a cushion to sit on.

After a bit they all climbed down to where they had left their rugs and tins and other things. They carried them up to their new home. Dinah arranged the loose things on the rocky ledge. They looked nice there.

"We shall have a lovely soft bed tonight," she said. "We ought to sleep jolly well in here. It's not musty or stuffy."

"Fusty-musty-dusty," said Kiki at once, remembering the three words she had learnt in the last holidays. "Fusty-musty-dusty, fusty"

"Oh, don't begin that again, Kiki," said Jack. "We got tired of that long ago."

Kiki flew to his shoulder, and looked out of the queer little cave. There was really a wonderful view outside - first of all, the cascading waterfall, with rainbows caught in it here and there; then beyond it the steep mountainside and far beyond that, lower down, the green valley which stretched to the foot of steep mountains on the opposite side, towering up one behind the other.

It was about time for a meal again. All the children seemed to get hungry at the same time, and they glanced at the tins on the shelf or ledge. Jack felt for his tin-opener.

"You mind you don't lose that," said Philip. "That's our most precious possession at the moment, Jack - your tin-opener."

"Don't worry. I shan't lose it," said Jack, and began to open a tin. Kiki watched with her head on one side. She liked these tins. They had most exciting things inside, she considered.

Soon they were all sitting eating hungrily, looking out of the cave entrance to the sparkling waterfall not far off. It was nice to sit there munching away, with that lovely view outside, the soft moss beneath them, and the warm sun on their bare legs.

"We do seem to have some adventures," said Jack. "It's most peculiar the way we can't seem to keep out of them. I do hope Bill and Aunt Allie aren't worrying too much about us. If only we could get word to them!"

"We can't," said Philip. "We're stuck here all alone, with no means of getting into touch with anyone as far as I can see - except those two men. I'm blessed if I can see what to do. Thank goodness we've got plenty of food."

"We'd better go back to that bush where we dumped the rest of the tins and fetch them along here as soon as we can," said Jack. "What we've brought won't last us more than today. Will you two girls be all right if Philip and I go along and get what we can? We shan't be able to bring them all at one go. We must make several journeys."

"Yes, we shall be quite all right here," said Dinah, giving Kiki the last bit of salmon out of her tin. "You set off this afternoon. You can leave Kiki here to guard us."

Chapter 11.

THE CAVE OF ECHOES.

IT was very early in the afternoon. The boys knew they would have plenty of time to go to the bush where their tins were hidden and fetch them to the cave. Perhaps between them they could carry one sack.

"We'd better go now," said Jack. "We'll have to keep a sharp look-out for those men, because they were going to have a jolly good look round, and we don't want them to spot us. Now, you're sure you girls will be all right?"

"Quite," said Dinah lazily. She felt glad she was not going to go all the way back to that bush and then drag a heavy sack to the cave. She lay back on the moss. It was so very very soft, and springy too.

Jack slung his field-gla.s.ses round him. They might be useful in trying to spot any men from far off. He and Philip slid through the green fronds of fern. Jack called back to the girls, raising his voice high.

"If you should happen to spot anyone near here, remember to untie the string that ties back these ferns at once, see?" he said. "Then they will swing back and the cave will be completely hidden. Lucy-Ann, see that Kiki doesn't follow us."

Lucy-Ann had Kiki on her shoulder, where Jack had just put her. She put her hand round the bird's ankles and held her. Kiki knew then that she was not supposed to go with Jack and Philip and she gave a dismal squawk.

"What a pity, what a pity!" she said gloomily, and raised up her crest fiercely. But Lucy-Ann would not let her go. She held her until Jack and Philip were out of sight. Then she lowered her hand and Kiki flew off her shoulder and out of the cave. She perched on a rock looking for Jack.

"Down the well," she said grumpily. "Blackbirds down the well."

"No, blackbirds in a pie," said Lucy-Ann. "What a bird you are for getting things mixed up, Kiki!"

"Poor Kiki!" said Kiki, and cracked her beak loudly. "Poor Kiki!"

She flew back into the cave. Dinah was fast asleep, stretched out on the green moss, her mouth open. Kiki flew over and put her head on one side, looking at Dinah's open mouth. Then she plucked up a bit of moss with her curved beak.

"Kiki! Don't you dare to put that into Dinah's mouth!" cried Lucy-Ann, knowing Kiki's mischievous ways. "You're a bad bird!"

"Wipe your feet," said Kiki crossly, and flew to the back of the cave. Lucy-Ann turned over on her tummy and watched her. She didn't trust Kiki in this mood.

The sun poured into the cave. It felt breathless in there. Lucy-Ann thought it would be a good idea to untie the fronds and let them swing together, to keep out the sun. So she pulled the bit of string that Jack had shown her and at once the ferny curtain descended, and the cave was lost in a dim green twilight, rather exciting to be in.

Dinah didn't wake. Lucy-Ann lay on her tummy again, thinking of all that had happened. The noise of the waterfall came in, rather m.u.f.fled now, for the curtain of fronds was very thick.

"Kiki," said Lucy-Ann. "Kiki, where are you?"

There was no answer from Kiki. Lucy-Ann tried to make out where the parrot was. She must be sulking because Philip and Jack hadn't taken her with them. Silly old Kiki!

"Kiki! Come over here!" said Lucy-Ann. "Come and talk to me. I'll teach you 'Three little kittens have lost their mittens.' "

Still there was no answer from Kiki, not even a squawk. Lucy-Ann wondered why. Even if Kiki sulked she would usually talk back if anyone spoke to her.

She peered towards the back of the cave. No Kiki there. She looked at the ledge on which their goods were neatly arranged. No Kiki there.

Well, where was she, then? She hadn't flown out between the fern-fronds, that was certain. She must be somewhere in the cave!

On the rocky ledge was a torch. Lucy-Ann felt for it and took it into her hand. She switched it on and flashed it round the cave. Kiki was nowhere to be seen. She was not even perched up anywhere in the low roof of the cave. How very mysterious!

Lucy-Ann now felt quite alarmed. She awoke Dinah, who sat up, rubbing her eyes, cross to be awakened.

"What's the matter?" she said. "I was having such a lovely snooze."