The Valley Of Adventure Part 3

"Shall we be seen out on this bare place?" asked Dinah suddenly. Jack and Philip looked downwards into the valley. They had been climbing up, and were now on the mountainside.

"There's the plane!" said Jack. "And look out - isn't that one of the men walking over to it? Lie down flat, all of you!"

They all promptly lay down flat. Jack had his field-gla.s.ses on and he put them to his eyes. He could now see clearly that the man was the one called Juan. He had a pasty white face, black oily-looking hair and a small black moustache. His neck was thick and his body was thick too. He disappeared into the plane.

"He's got into the plane. Wonder if he's going off?" said Jack. "Will he leave the other man behind? He hasn't started up the engines yet."

After a minute or two the man came out again, carrying something, though Jack could not see what it was. He walked off in the direction of the smoke. There was a thicket of trees nearby and he disappeared into this.

"He just went into the plane to get something," said Jack. "Now he's gone again. I think perhaps we'd better go another way, because if we can see him he could certainly see us, if he looked up. See that gully over there? We'll go that way. We shall be well hidden there."

They made their way to the gully, which was a regular sun-trap. There had obviously been a way up there at some time or other. The children followed it, climbing higher. They came to a ledge that ran rather dangerously round part of the mountainside. Jack went first.

It wasn't as dangerous as it looked. "I think it's all right," he called. "It's wider than it appears. Come on. I'm sure it leads to somewhere."

They made their way round the ledge, and came to where the hillside gave them a marvellous view down into the valley and all around.

It was completely deserted. Not a cow or sheep or goat was to be seen. A little higher up was a black, charred building that had clearly been a very large farm-house. Only the blackened beams were left, and part of the stone walls. Everything else had fallen to the ground and lay in a miserable ugly ruin.

"Another ruin!" said Jack, in awe. "What has been happening in this beautiful valley? I simply can't understand it. Why should houses be burnt like this? I'm beginning to think there isn't a soul here besides ourselves and those two men."

"I think you're right," said Philip. "There's no smoke to be seen anywhere, and not a single domestic animal, not even a dog. But what I can't make out is why no one has come here from the surrounding valleys to rebuild the houses and graze their cattle on this marvellous gra.s.s."

"Perhaps there's something bad about this valley," said Lucy-Ann with a s.h.i.+ver. "I don't like the feel of it very much,"

They sat down in the sun, which was now climbing high. They suddenly felt terribly hungry. Dinah unexpectedly produced biscuits and chocolate from a bag she carried.

"I guessed we'd all be hungry soon," she said. "So I brought half the biscuits and choc we had with us."

"Jolly good idea," said Philip, pleased. "Hey, Lizzie, come out and have a crumb!"

Dinah at once went a good distance away. Lizzie came out from Philip's open collar and ran down his front. It was plain that she meant to stay with Philip.

"Lizzie's down the well," remarked Kiki, pecking a piece of chocolate from Jack's fingers.

"Kiki! Give that back!" cried Jack. "Where are your manners?"

"Down the well, down the well," said Kiki, who seemed to have got the well on her brain.

They were all thirsty after the chocolate and biscuits. "I wish we could find something to drink - nice cool clear water like we found in the spring," said Jack.

"Down the well," said Kiki.

"All right. You find us a well of water," said Jack.

"Would it be safe to have a snooze?" asked Dinah, suddenly feeling very sleepy. "It's nice here in the sun."

"Well - only just a little one," said Philip. "I should think we're safe enough here. Those men wouldn't come up as far as this."

"You know - I think I can hear water somewhere," said Lucy-Ann as she lay flat on her back, the sun s.h.i.+ning on her freckled face. "Not very near. Listen, all of you."

They listened. Certainly they could hear something that was not the wind blowing round. What could it be? It didn't sound like the gurgling of a spring.

"We'll go and see," said Jack. "You stay here, girls, if you like. Philip and I will go."

"Oh no," said Lucy-Ann at once. "I'd rather come with you. You might lose us."

So all four went off together in the direction of the curious noise. They climbed higher, and came to a rocky, stony part which was steep and hard to climb. But the noise was now much louder.

"Once we round the next corner, we'll see what it is," said Jack. "Come on!"

They climbed a little higher and then the path led abruptly round a crag of rock. It widened out a little the other side, and all four children stood gazing in awe at what was making the noise they had heard.

It was a waterfall - but what a big one! It fell from a great height, almost sheerly down the mountainside, and cascaded far below them, fine spray rising high in the air. It wetted their faces as they stood there, and yet they were quite a good way from the ma.s.s of water.

"What a wonderful sight!" said Philip, awed. "I've never seen such a big waterfall in my life. What a noise it makes! I almost have to shout. Isn't it grand?"

Far below the waterfall resolved itself into a winding river that curved round the foot of the mountain. The children could not see where it went to. The tumbling water shone and sparkled as it fell, and here and there rainbows s.h.i.+mmered. Lucy-Ann thought she had never seen a lovelier sight.

She licked the spray off her face. It formed into little drops and ran down to her mouth. "I'm drinking the spray," she said. "Oh, look! - there's a puddle in that rock, made of the continually falling spray. Do you think it would be all right to drink it?"

It was very clear and sparkling. Jack tasted it. "Yes, it's fine," he said. "Have some."

They watched the waterfall for some time. Kiki was simply thrilled with it. For some reason or other it filled her with mad delight. She flew near to it, getting splashed with the drops, squawking loudly.

"It's a magnificent sight!" said Dinah, gazing at the roaring waterfall. "I could watch it all day."

"We'll come again tomorrow," said Jack. "But I really think we ought to be getting back now to that cowshed. Come on - it's plain there's n.o.body to help us just here."

Chapter 6.

WHAT ARE THE TWO MEN UP TO?.

LUCY-ANN was half afraid they might lose their way going back. But the boys had taken good note of everything. It was when they got to the wood that difficulty might have arisen, but here the notched trees soon set them right.

They saw that the plane was still down in the valley. So the men were somewhere about. It would be as well to be careful, and Jack told Kiki to be quiet. The waterfall seemed to have gone to her head, and she had been very noisy coming back, singing and squawking loudly.

"There's our shed," said Lucy-Ann thankfully. It felt quite like home, coming back to it from that enormous mountainside. "I hope all our things are safe."

They want inside. Yes, their things were there, exactly as they had left them. Good!

The sun was now sliding down the sky. It was about tea-time. The children wondered whether to finish the rest of their chocolate and biscuits.

"Better not," said Jack. "We'll have them before we go to sleep tonight if we're terribly hungry. Oh - wait a minute - what about the stuff Aunt Allie packed for us? Haven't we still got that? We haven't eaten it?"

"No, of course we haven't," said Dinah. "I was saving it up. We've got so little that I thought we'd better not start on that picnic packet yet."

"But all the sandwiches will be stale," objected Philip, who was feeling very empty indeed. "What's the good of that? We might as well eat them whilst they're eatable."

"Well - we could eat the sandwiches, and leave the cake and the chocolate and biscuits for tomorrow," said Dinah. "But first let's get this place ready for us to sleep in tonight. It's filthy."

"I don't want to sleep here," said Lucy-Ann. "I don't like it. Why can't we sleep outside? We've got our macks to lie on, and four rugs - and we can unpack some of our clothes and have them for pillows."

"But it might pour with rain," objected Dinah.

"I could perhaps rig up some sort of roof," said Jack, looking round at the ruined shed. "There's some old posts here - and there's a piece of corrugated iron. If Philip gave me a hand, I could rig up the iron sheet on the old posts."

The two boys tried to do this, but the sheet of iron was not held safely enough. The girls were terrified it might blow off on to them as they slept.

"If only we could find a cave!" said Lucy-Ann.

"Well, we can't," said Jack, rather cross that all his efforts with the posts and the iron were of no use. "Anyway, I don't think it's going to rain. Look at the clear sky. If it does pour, we'll have to get into the stall at the end of the cowshed, that's all."

Their work with the posts had made them hungrier than ever. Dinah undid the picnic packet and took out sandwiches and huge slices of cake. They ate the sandwiches in silence, enjoying every bite immensely.

"Wonder what those men are doing," said Jack at last. "I can't see any smoke rising now. Shall I slip down towards the plane, keeping well hidden, and see if I can see them?"

"Yes," said Philip. "You're sure you know your way there and back? Don't get lost for goodness' sake!"

"If I do, I'll get Kiki to do her express-engine screech," said Jack with a grin. "Then you'll know where we are all right."

"Look in the plane if you get a chance, and see if you can spot any food there," called Dinah. Jack went off with Kiki on his shoulder. Lucy-Ann didn't at all like him going off alone. She wished she could have gone with him, but she knew he wouldn't have let her.

"Let's get our beds ready," said Dinah, who always liked to be doing something. "Come on, Lucy-Ann - help to unpack the cases and get out something for pillows - and our macks to lie on."

Whilst Jack was gone the other three were very busy. Soon they had a cosy-looking bed spread on the gra.s.s under a big birch-tree. First there were the four macks, to keep the damp out. Then there was one big thick rug for softness. There were four piles of woollies for pillows, and finally the other three rugs for coverings.

"That looks very good," said Dinah approvingly. "Pull that rug a little over this way, Lucy-Ann. That's right. Philip, you're to sleep right on the outside. I won't have that lizard crawling over me in the night."

"Lizzie won't hurt you," said Philip, taking the lizard out of one of his sleeves. "Will you, Lizzie? Stroke her, Dinah - she's sweet."

"Don't, Philip!" said Dinah with a squeal, as Philip brought the lizard near to her on his outstretched hand. "I'll box your ears if you dare to let that lizard touch me!"

"Oh, don't tease her, Tufty," begged Lucy-Ann. "Let me have Lizzie for a bit. I love her."

But Lizzie would not go to Lucy-Ann, much to her annoyance. She ran up Philip's sleeve and disappeared. Little b.u.mps appearing here and there in his jersey showed where she was.

Dinah looked up at the sky. It was quite clear. The sun had almost gone, and soon the first stars would p.r.i.c.k through the sky. She felt tired and irritable.

So did the others. Their short night and the shock they had had were beginning to make themselves felt. Lucy-Ann felt that at any moment a violent quarrel might spring up between Dinah and Philip.

So she took Dinah off to the spring with her, and they washed in the cold clear water, and drank. They sat there a little while, enjoying the beauty of the valley and the mountains around.

"They seem to be crowding in on us," said Lucy-Ann. "Coming closer."

"How you do imagine things," said Dinah. "Come on - let's get back. Jack should be here soon and I want to hear what he's got to say."

They went back. Philip had laid himself down on the coats and rugs, and was yawning. "I was just coming to look for you girls," he said. "What a time you've been! Jack isn't back yet. I hope he's all right."

Lucy-Ann felt scared. She adored her brother. She went to stand on a rock, so that she might see when he came. She turned to the others as soon as she got there.

"He's coming!" she called. "And Kiki's on his shoulder." She jumped down from the rock and rushed to meet Jack. He grinned at her, and Kiki flew off his shoulder to perch on Lucy-Ann's.

"I was beginning to get worried, Jack," said Lucy-Ann. "Did anything happen? Did you see the two men? What were they doing?"

They came up to Dinah and Philip. "My word, what a fine bed!" said Jack, and he sank down on it. "This is something like! I'm jolly tired."

"What happened, Jack?" asked Philip. "Anything?"

"Not much," said Jack. "I got as near to the plane as I could, but I didn't dare to go right up in case I was seen, because, as you know, it's right out in the open. I couldn't see or hear anything of the men at all."

"Was Kiki good?" asked Lucy-Ann anxiously. "I kept on thinking she might screech or something and draw attention to you."

"She was as good as gold," said Jack, scratching Kiki's poll. "Weren't you, Kiki? Well, I thought the next thing to do would be to try and find where the men were - where that smoke came from. So, keeping as much to the bushes and trees as I could, I made my way towards the smoke. They must have lighted their fire again, because the smoke rose up quite black and thick."

"Did you see the men?" asked Dinah.

"I heard their voices first," said Jack. "Then I thought it would be a good idea to climb a tree and use my field-gla.s.ses. So up I s.h.i.+nned and came to the top of a nice little tree. Not far below me, near a tumble-down hut, were the two men, cooking something over a fire they had made."

"Gracious!" said Lucy-Ann. "Weren't you scared of being seen?"

"No. The tree hid me all right," said Jack. "And I hadn't made a sc.r.a.p of noise. I got my field-gla.s.ses and looked through them. The men were studying some kind of map."

"Whatever for?" said Dinah wonderingly. "I should think they know this part of the world pretty well or they wouldn't have been able to land so easily."

"Well, they've come here for some reason, haven't they?" said Jack. "Goodness knows what - but certainly for some definite reason. They must be looking for something or someone - and the map will probably show them what they want to know. I heard one say 'This way - and then up here,' as if they were planning some sort of expedition."

"We could follow them," said Dinah at once. "Then we'd know."

"No, thanks," said Jack. "I'm not going mountain-climbing behind those men. They look jolly tough. What I say is - let them get off on their expedition - and we'll be able to explore that hut of theirs - and the plane too. We may find something to tell us who they are and what they're after."

"Yes. Let's do that," said Lucy-Ann sleepily. "Perhaps they'll go tomorrow. I hope they do. Jack can watch them with his field-gla.s.ses - and when they're safely gone we can do a good old snoop round."

"There's really nothing more to tell," said Jack with a yawn. "I couldn't hear any more. The men rolled up the map and talked in low voices. So I s.h.i.+nned down the tree and came back. And here I am."

"Let's snuggle down and go to sleep," said Lucy-Ann. "I simply can't keep my eyes open. We're safe here, aren't we?"

"Perfectly, I should think," said Jack, lying down contentedly. "Anyway, Kiki will give us warning if anyone comes near. Good night."

"Good night," said the others. Philip added a few words. "Dinah, don't yell if a spider runs over you, or a rat or a hedgehog. There are sure to be plenty out here."

Dinah gave a squeal and covered her head up at once. Then there was silence. They were all fast asleep.