20 signposts to the treasure

they slept very soundly indeed that night, for they were tired out. the rain fell all night long, buttowards dawn the clouds cleared away, and the sky, when the sun rose, was a clear pale blue.

lucy-ann liked it very much when she parted the soaking fern fronds and looked out.

‘everything’s newly washed and clean, even the sky,’ she said. ‘lovely! just look!’

‘just the day for a treasure hunt,’ said jack. ‘i hope this sun will dry the grass quickly, or weshall get our feet soaked.’

‘good thing we brought so many tins out of the men’s hut,’ said dinah, reaching down two orthree. ‘are there still some in that bush where we first hid them, jack?’

‘plenty,’ said jack. ‘i took one or two to open for otto the day before yesterday, but there areheaps left. we can go and get them some time.’

they tied back the fern fronds and ate their breakfast sitting at the front of the cave, looking outon the far mountains, backed by the sky, which was now turning a deeper blue.

‘well, shall we set off?’ said jack, when they had finished. ‘kiki, take your head out of that tin.

you know it’s completely empty.’

‘poor kiki!’ said kiki. ‘what a pity!’

they all scrambled out of the cave. things were certainly drying fast in the hot summer sun.

‘look, those rocks are steaming!’ said lucy-ann in surprise, pointing to some nearby rocks. sothey were. they looked most peculiar with the steam rising up.

‘better take some food with us,’ said jack. ‘got some, dinah?’

‘of course,’ said dinah. ‘we can’t come all the way back here for food.’

‘we’ve got to get to where the waterfall begins, just as we did yesterday,’ said jack. ‘followme, all of you. i know the way.’

they soon stood at the top of the waterfall, and once more watched the great gush of watersurge out from the heart of the mountain. it seemed twice as big and turbulent as the day before.

‘well, i suppose the underground water has been swelled up because of last night’s rain,’ saidphilip. ‘and so the waterfall is bigger and stronger.’

‘yes, that’s the reason,’ said jack, raising his voice to a shout because of the noise of the water.

‘kiki, stop screeching in my ear.’

the waterfall excited kiki, and she made a terrible noise that morning. jack would not have heron his shoulder after a while, because of her screeches. she flew off in a huff.

‘now, what about that bent tree?’ said dinah, remembering. by this time they were standing alittle way above the beginning of the waterfall. ‘i can’t see any bent tree at all!’

‘oh, golly – don’t say there isn’t a bent tree!’ groaned jack, looking this way and that, all roundand about and above his head. ‘gosh, there doesn’t seem to be one, does there?’

there didn’t. what few trees they could see were perfectly straight. then lucy-ann gave a cryand pointed downwards. ‘there it is, isn’t it? – just below us, on the other side of the waterfall.

look!’

they all went to stand by lucy-ann, and looked. she was right. on the other side of the fall,some way below them, was a curiously bent tree. it was a birch tree, and why it should havegrown so bent over was a puzzle. the wind was no stronger there than anywhere else. anyway, itwas decidedly bent and that was all that mattered.

they crossed above the beginning of the waterfall, clambering over the rocks, and thenscrambled down on the other side of the fall. they reached the bent tree at last.

‘first signpost,’ said jack.

‘no second,’ said dinah. ‘the waterfall is really the first.’

‘well, second then,’ said jack. ‘now for the third – a big stretch of flat black rock – a wall of it,i should think.’

they all looked in every direction for a stretch of black rock. this time it was jack’s keen eyesthat spotted it. it was some way off, and looked difficult to reach, for it meant climbing along thesteep face of the mountainside, which just there was very cliff-like.

still, it had to be done, so they set off. it was easier after the first stretch, for there were all kindsof plants and bushes firmly rooted in the sloping cliff, and these could be used as handholds orfootholds. jack helped lucy-ann along, but dinah scorned philip’s help, especially as she knewhe had the lizard somewhere about him.

it took them at least half an hour of stiff scrambling and climbing to reach the wall of blackrock, though actually, in distance, it was not so very far. they stood by the rock, panting.

‘funny shiny black rock,’ said jack, running his fingers over the smooth surface. ‘wonder whatit is.’

‘oh, never mind,’ said dinah, impatient to get on. ‘what’s our next signpost? this is the third.’

‘a spring of water,’ said philip. ‘isn’t that right, jack – or shall we look at the map?’

‘no – i know it by heart,’ said jack. ‘a spring of water is next. not that i can see one at all –though i wish i could because i could do with a drink after that hot scramble. my hands are filthyand so are my knees.’

‘yes, we could all do with a jolly good wash now,’ said philip. ‘a good old rub and a scrub.’

‘rubbenascrub,’ said kiki, and went off into one of her dreadful cackles.

‘stop it, kiki,’ said jack. ‘i’ll give you a rubbenascrub in a minute.’

there was no spring of water to be seen. lucy-ann began to look very disappointed.

‘cheer up!’ said jack. ‘we may not be able to see the spring from this wall of rock – but we cansurely find it if it’s anywhere near.’

‘let’s listen,’ suggested dinah.

so they stood perfectly still and listened. ‘shhhhhh!’ said kiki annoyingly.

jack smacked her on the beak. she gave a dismal squawk and sat silent. and, in the silence ofthe peaceful mountainside, the children heard the tinkle-tinkle of water – a merry, gurgling noise,cheerful and friendly.

‘i can hear it!’ cried lucy-ann in delight. ‘it comes from somewhere over there.’

she leapt across to a little thicket of trees, and there, hidden deep in the flower-strewn grass,bubbled a clear spring, trickling down the hillside, a tiny stream of crystal cold water.

‘it starts just up there, look,’ said jack, and pointed to a big bush. the spring bubbled out frombelow the bush. ‘fourth signpost!’

‘now for the fifth – and last!’ said lucy-ann excited. ‘oooh – do you honestly think we aregetting near to the treasure? it’s really not very far from our waterfall cave. i thought i could hearthe faint, distant roar of the fall when i stood listening for the gurgling of the spring.’

‘i thought i could too,’ said dinah. ‘now, what do we look for next?’

‘the oddly shaped rock,’ said jack. ‘you know – like a man in a long cloak, with a round headat the top.’

‘easy!’ said philip triumphantly, and pointed upwards. ‘there it is – quite clear against thesky!’

they all looked up. philip was right. there stood the curious-shaped rock, easy to see againstthe sky.

‘come on!’ said jack excitedly. ‘up we go! come along, treasure hunters!’

they climbed up to where the odd-shaped rock stood. other rocks lay about, but this one wasmuch taller, and, because of its height and shape, it stood out among the others.

‘our last signpost!’ said jack. ‘and now – where’s the treasure?’

ah, yes – where was the treasure? lucy-ann looked about the hillside as if she half expected itto be strewn there. the others began to search for a cave opening. but nobody could find anything.

‘why didn’t you ask otto exactly where to find the treasure, after coming to the last signpost?’

complained dinah, tired and disappointed, coming over to jack.

‘well, i didn’t know we were going to look for it, silly, did i?’ said jack. ‘i thought juliusmuller was going to take charge of the treasure hunt. no doubt if he got as far as this he’d knowwhere the treasure was all right.’

‘well, it’s most awfully disappointing to come all this way, and read the map so well, and thennot find a thing,’ said dinah, who was cross and tired. ‘i’m fed up. i shan’t hunt any more. youcan all go on looking if you like, but i’m going to have a rest.’

she flung herself down, and lay flat, looking upwards at the steep mountainside above her. itwas ridged with flat slabs of rock, sticking out here and there like ledges. dinah examined themlazily with her eyes. then she sat up suddenly.

‘hi!’ she called to the others. ‘look up there!’

they came over to her and looked up. ‘see those big ledges of rock sticking out all the way upthe cliff-side?’ she said. ‘like shelves. well, look halfway up – see one that sticks out rather far?

look underneath it. is that a hole there?’

‘it does look rather like a hole,’ said jack. ‘maybe a fox- hole, though. still, it’s the onlysizeable hole hereabouts, so we’d better explore. i’ll go up. coming, tufty?’

‘rather,’ said philip. ‘it doesn’t look difficult. aren’t you two girls coming too?’

dinah forgot that she was fed up, and she joined in the climb to the hole under the ledge ofrock. when they got there they found that it was a very big hole indeed. it could not possibly beseen from above, for the shelf of rock stuck right out over it and hid it. it could only be seen fromone place below, at a certain angle – and that was the place where dinah had flung herself downsome time back.

‘bit of luck you happened to spot it, dinah,’ said jack. ‘we might have hunted all day andnever found it. i wonder if this is the entrance to the real treasure cave.’

they peered down. the hole yawned below them, dark and appearing rather vast. ‘where’s mytorch?’ said jack, and, taking it from his pocket, he switched it on.

the children gazed down into the hole. it seemed nothing but a hole. no treasure was there.

but, as jack swung his torch a little further down, dinah thought she caught sight of a passagefurther back.

‘i believe,’ she said, almost falling into the hole in her excitement, ‘i do believe it goes rightback, into a passage.’

kiki flew off jack’s shoulder and disappeared into the hole. a mournful voice floated up tothem.

‘what’s down there, kiki?’ called jack.

‘three blind mice,’ answered kiki, solemnly and untruthfully. ‘three blind mice. pop!’

‘you’re a fibber,’ said jack. ‘anyway – down we go to find the . . .’

‘three blind mice,’ said kiki, and went off into an imitation of lucy-ann’s giggle.