16 rescue of the prisoner

some while after jack and philip had got back to the cave, lucy-ann, who was looking outbetween the fern fronds, gave a cry. ‘i say, there’s a man down there! – look, by the waterfall!

two men – no, three!’

jack pulled the string which tied back the fronds and let them swing together to hide the cave.

then, parting the fronds carefully, he looked through.

‘i might have guessed they would come back this way, to have another hunt for us here,’ hesaid. ‘blow them! one – two – three of them. where’s the prisoner?’

‘fallen by the way, i should think, poor fellow,’ said philip, peering out too. ‘he looked terriblyfeeble.’

the children watched the three men eagerly to see what they meant to do. it was soon clear.

luis and juan were to go back to their hut, but pepi was to be left to keep watch on the waterfall,to see who went in and out, and to try and discover the way that was used. the children could nothear what was said, but it was all plain enough.

luis and juan departed. where the prisoner was nobody could guess. pepi sat down on a rockthat overlooked the waterfall, just about the level of the ledge where the girls had stood the daybefore.

‘blow!’ said jack. ‘how can we get in and out without being seen? it’s true he’s got his back tous, but he might turn round at any time.’

lucy-ann began to worry about the prisoner. ‘suppose he has fallen down on the way, and themen have left him there,’ she said. ‘he’d die, wouldn’t he?’

‘i suppose so,’ said jack, feeling anxious too.

‘but jack, we can’t leave him to die,’ said lucy-ann, her eyes big with horror. ‘you know wecan’t. i shan’t rest till i know what’s happened to him.’

‘i feel rather like that too,’ said jack, and the others nodded. ‘there was something awful aboutthe hopeless way he sat. i’m sure he was ill.’

‘but how can we find out what’s happened to him, whilst that fellow down there is guardingthis place?’ said philip gloomily.

everyone fell silent. it was a puzzler. then lucy- ann brightened up. ‘i know,’ she said.

‘there’s one certain way of making sure pepi doesn’t see anyone creeping out of this cave.’

‘what?’ said jack.

‘well, if one or two of us got behind the waterfall and capered about a bit to attract the man’sattention, he would be all eyes for them, and wouldn’t notice anyone creeping out of this cave,’

said lucy-ann.

‘there’s something in that,’ said jack, and philip nodded. ‘yes, quite a good idea. well, there’sno time like the present. shall we give a performance for dear pepi now? you two girls could goand caper about, if you like – you are quite safe when you’re behind the waterfall, because nobodycan possibly get at you there, unless they go that same way as you do. and pepi certainly doesn’tknow that way. whilst you are attracting his attention, philip and i will go off and see if we cansee any sign of the prisoner.’

‘well, wait here till you see us behind the water,’ said dinah, and she got up. she and lucy-ann disappeared up the hole at the back of the cave. the boys waited patiently for them to appearbehind the waterfall.

after some while philip clutched jack’s arm. ‘there they are! good old lucy-ann, good olddinah! they’re having a fine old game down there. what are they waving? oh, they’ve taken offtheir red pullovers and they’re waving them like mad – doing a kind of dance.’

pepi caught sight of them at once. he stared in surprise, and then stood up. he yelled andshouted and waved. the girls took no notice at all, but went on capering. pepi began to try allkinds of ways to get to the waterfall.

‘now’s our chance,’ said jack. ‘come on. his eyes will be glued on lucy-ann and dinah forages.’

they crept quickly out of the cave, swinging the fronds closely together behind them. theyclimbed up the rocks there and soon took cover so that they could not be seen. when the girls sawthat they were safely out of the cave and could no longer be seen, they left the waterfall ledge andwent back into the passage that led to the cave of echoes. they had done their bit.

the boys made their way cautiously over the rocks, keeping a good lookout for the others.

when they were quite a long way from pepi, they stopped to take counsel.

‘now – should we go back to that blocked up cave where apparently the treasure is, and see ifwe can find the prisoner fallen by the way – or shall we scout a bit in the other direction – back tothe men’s hut, to see if by any chance they’ve taken him there?’

‘better go to the men’s hut,’ said philip, thinking. ‘i don’t think it’s very likely they’ve left himto die by the wayside. they might still want to get something out of him.’

so they made their way back to the men’s hut. how well they knew the way now! they saw thesmoke of the fire long before they came near, and by that they knew the men were back.

there was no sign to be seen of the two men or of the prisoner. cautiously the boys peeredthrough the trees near the hut. the door of the hut was shut and presumably locked. were the meninside?

‘hark, isn’t that the sound of the plane’s engine running?’ asked philip suddenly. ‘yes, it is. arethose fellows going off again?’

they went to a place from which they could see the plane well by means of jack’s field glasses.

the men were not going off – merely doing something to their plane. there was no sign of theprisoner being with them.

‘stay here, philip, with my field glasses and keep an eye on the plane and the men,’ said jack,pushing his glasses into philip’s hand. ‘come and tell me at once if they stop their work there andgo towards the hut. i’m going to peep in at the hut window and see if the prisoner is there. i’mworried about him.’

‘right,’ said philip, and put the field glasses to his eyes. jack sped off. he soon came to the hut.

he tried the door. yes, it was locked all right. he crept round to the window and peeped in.

the prisoner was there. he was sitting in the chair, the picture of misery, his face in his hands.

as jack looked, he heard him groan deeply, and it was such a dreadful noise that the boy’s heartwas wrung.

‘if only i could get him out!’ he thought. ‘no use breaking the window. it’s too small even forme to get in, and certainly that fellow couldn’t squeeze out. what can i do? i can’t break down thedoor. it’s jolly strong!’

he went all round the hut two or three times, but there was absolutely no way of getting in. hestood and stared at the door, hating it. horrid strong thing!

and then he saw an unbelievable sight. there was a nail at one side of the door, and on it hung– a key! a large key! a key that surely must fit the door. otherwise why should it be there? itmust have been put there so that any of the men could go in and out at any time without waitingfor the one who had the key.

with trembling fingers jack took the key from the nail. he put it into the lock of the door. heturned it. it was stiff – but it turned all right.

the door swung open and jack went in. the prisoner, hearing the door open, looked up. hestared in surprise at jack. the boy grinned at him.

‘i’ve come to set you free,’ he said. ‘like to come with me?’

the man did not seem to understand. he frowned a little and stared even harder at jack.

‘spik slow,’ he said. jack repeated what he had said. then the boy tapped himself on the chestand said, ‘i am your friend. friend! understand?’

the man evidently did understand that. a slow smile broke over his face. it was a nice face – akindly, sad, trustable face, jack thought. the boy held out his hand.

‘come with me,’ he said.

the man shook his head. he pointed to his feet. they were bound tightly with rope, which theman obviously had not had the strength to untie. jack whipped out his pocket-knife in a trice. hesawed through the thick strands and they fell apart. the man stood up unsteadily, looking as if hewas about to fall. jack steadied him, thinking that he would never be able to walk all the way totheir cave. he seemed even weaker than before.

‘come on,’ said the boy ugently. ‘we haven’t much time to lose.’

jack put the cut pieces of rope into his pocket. he led the man to the door, put him outside andthen carefully locked the door again, hanging the key on its nail. he grinned at the prisoner.

‘bit of a surprise for juan and luis to find you’ve apparently walked through a locked door,’

said the boy. ‘i’d like to be here when they unlock the door and find you gone.’

jack took the man’s arm and piloted him away into the cover of the nearby trees. the manwalked very unsteadily. he gave a groan every now and again as if it hurt him to walk. jack feltmore and more certain that he would never be able to get to the cave.

he wondered what to do. perhaps he could park the man in the old cowshed he and the othershad found the first day they had arrived? he could put him in the last cowstall, and then fetch himthe next day, when he was a little more recovered. that would be the best thing.

‘you stay here a minute,’ said the boy, thinking he had better run to philip, tell him what hadhappened and get him to keep guard till he got the man safely installed in the shed.

philip was intensely surprised to hear what jack had to tell him. he nodded and agreed to stayon guard till jack came for him.

‘the men seem to be overhauling the plane,’ he said. ‘looks as if they’ll be busy for sometime.’

jack helped the stumbling prisoner over to the cowshed. it took a long time to get there, becausethe man went so slowly.

once there, he sank down in the stall and panted painfully. he was certainly an ill man. butthere was no doctor for him – only jack’s gentleness, for which he seemed to be very grateful.

‘you stay here till tomorrow, when i will fetch you to a safer hiding place,’ said jack, speakingvery slowly indeed. ‘i will leave you water to drink and food to eat.’

the boy meant to open a tin or two from the store still hidden in the bush. he could easily getthem and leave them beside the man.

‘the man tapped his chest. ‘otto engler,’ he said, and repeated it two or three times. jacknodded, and pointed to his own chest.

‘jack trent,’ he said. ‘me jack – you otto.’

‘friend,’ said the man. ‘you – english?’

‘me english,’ said jack gravely. you?’

‘austrian,’ said the man, pronouncing it in a curious way. ‘friend. good friend. why youhere?’

jack tried to explain how it was he and the others had come, but it was too complicated for theman to understand and he shook his head.

‘not understand,’ he said. then he leaned forward to jack and spoke in a low voice.

‘you know of treesure?’

‘treesure? oh, you mean treasure,’ said jack, ‘not much. you know – of treasure?’

‘i know all,’ said the man. ‘all! i draw you map – where treesure is. you good boy. i trust you.’