25 philip’s astonishing plan
the old couple looked panic-stricken when four of the statues apparently talked and came alive.
but when the children took off their borrowed draperies and carefully gave them back to the rightstatues again, the old couple saw who they were.
elsa came running to lucy-ann and hugged her. the old man stood trembling.
‘what did he say to you?’ demanded jack.
‘he said he was going to make us prisoners here, and that he was bringing others back with himto remove all our treasure,’ said the old man. tears suddenly poured down his cheeks. ‘he is a badman. have i guarded these beautiful things all this time to let them fall into the hands of a man sobad?’
‘it’s sickening,’ said jack. ‘we simply can’t do a thing! we shall just have to stand by andwatch those rogues take away everything, pack them into crates and fly off with them!’
‘let’s go out to that sunny ledge,’ said dinah. ‘i can’t bear this gloom any more. i shall feelbetter when we are out there. let’s ask the old man if his wife would bring a picnic meal out there,jack. you and philip can help her to bring it. i can’t think properly down here in the dark, with allthose statues trying to listen.’
‘all right,’ said jack, seeing that dinah was on the point of tears. ‘you go off with lucy-annand kiki. we’ll soon come. you’ll feel better in the sunshine.’
‘wasn’t kiki clever to lead the man away from us?’ said lucy-ann. ‘he was scared when shesuddenly spoke to him. so should i have been! i should have thought it was one of the statuesspeaking.’
she and dinah made their way to the sunny ledge. dinah threw herself down there thankfully.
‘i don’t like this adventure any more, dinah, do you?’ asked lucy-ann. ‘it’s not so bad ifthere’s something we can do – but we seem to be helpless here.’
‘i like to make adventures go the way i want them to,’ said dinah rather sulkily. ‘i don’t likethem to make me do things i don’t like. don’t talk to me, lucy-ann. i shall snap at you. i feelcross.’
‘it’s only because of the strain we went through whilst we were pretending to be statues,’ saidlucy-ann.
‘don’t sound so grown-up,’ snapped dinah. ‘it’s not that – i just feel bad tempered because iwant to get out of this valley and i can’t.’
lucy-ann said nothing more. she settled down in the sun, waiting for the picnic that jack andphilip would soon be bringing out with elsa. kiki sat murmuring to herself near by. martha thehen arrived and began pecking about companionably. kiki talked to her, and she clucked back.
dinah forgot her bad temper when the others came out with a picnic meal. they had a goodfeast and then discussed all the morning’s happening once more. in the middle of the discussionthey heard the sound of the plane again, and this time saw it rising high into the sky.
‘why, they’re off again!’ said jack in surprise. ‘why?’
‘probably to get other men along to help in removing everything, now they really do knowwhere the treasure is,’ said philip. ‘and as you suggested, jack – they might even bring moreplanes.’
it was hateful feeling that they were complete prisoners. jack and philip went desperately to thebolted door once and tried to move it – but it was hopeless of course. the bolts were old but stillvery strong.
there was nothing to do, and they felt bored. they went to examine the statues more closelyand to look at the old pictures and the musty old books.
the statues were loaded with magnificent jewels. some of the figures were really beautifullymade and dressed, but others were crude and garish. each one, however, was adorned with jewels,though the children were not able to tell if all the gleaming brooches, dazzling earrings andnecklaces, glittering bracelets, belts and rings were really valuable or not. probably some were,and others were only semi-precious.
‘i expect the men will strip the statues of their jewellery and take only that, leaving the figuresbehind,’ said jack. ‘they will crate the pictures and books.’
‘why couldn’t we strip the jewels off and hide them away somewhere so that the men wouldn’tget them?’ suddenly said dinah. ‘i don’t see why wicked men like that should have them.’
‘good idea!’ said jack. ‘come on – we’ll take the jewellery now and hide it somewhere!’
but as soon as they began to remove it, the old couple flew at them in horror.
‘not do that! ah, bad boy!’ cried the old man, removing a brooch from jack’s hand.
‘we only want to hide the things from those men,’ protested jack. ‘they’ll be back and stealthese things soon.’
‘they belong to these,’ said the old man, waving his hand towards the statues. ‘they must notbe removed by anyone. it is against the law of the church.’
the children did not try again. it was plain that elsa and the old man would fly into a rage ifthey attempted to. they seemed to think that it was a very wicked and unholy act to take away anyof the adornments belonging to the figures.
the long day passed at last. nobody slept very well that night. they were worried about whatwas going to happen. it was horrid to feel they were at the mercy of rogues like juan.
they were all out on the sunny ledge the next morning, early having breakfast there. they hadno meals in the caves now if they could help it.
‘listen,’ said dinah suddenly. ‘i can hear the plane coming back.’
they all listened, the old couple too. the noise grew louder. it became very loud indeed. thenjack leapt to his feet.
‘it’s not just one plane! it’s many! look, there’s one! – circling down – and another over there!
– and here comes another! gracious! juan’s got quite a fleet of planes!’
there were four altogether. evidently juan meant to do the job properly. the children picturedthe planes landing one by one on the long wide strip of grass at the bottom of the valley.
‘now we can expect things to happen,’ said jack. ‘the whole of the treasure will be gone soon.’
‘what a shame!’ said dinah. ‘and we can’t do a thing to stop it!’
‘if only we could get word to bill!’ said jack desperately. ‘but there’s no way out of the valleyexcept in one of those planes.’
philip stared at jack a moment. then he said something so exciting that the others could hardlybelieve their ears.
‘yes – that’s the only way out. and i’m going to take it.’
there was silence. then jack spoke, astonished.
‘whatever do you mean? you can’t fly a plane.’
‘of course not. but i can hide in one!’ said philip. ‘didn’t we hide, all of us, in a plane, cominghere? well, why shouldn’t i hide in one leaving here? i bet i could hide unseen – and slip outwhen i had a chance, and get word to bill about everything.’
‘philip! it’s a grand idea!’ said jack. ‘but i’ll go, not you.’
‘you jolly well won’t!’ said philip. ‘it’s my idea! nobody else is going to pinch such a gorgeousidea. i’m going, see?’
‘i don’t want either of you to go,’ said lucy-ann. ‘you might be seen. something awful mighthappen to you. don’t leave us.’
‘jack will be with you,’ said philip. ‘and the old couple. you’ll be all right. i tell you, it’s theonly way to get help – to fly off in one of the planes, when the men go on their next trip. they’llhave to come back two or three times to take all these things – and, if only i can get word to bill,he can catch the men actually doing the stealing!’
‘it sounds too good to be true,’ said dinah. ‘i don’t believe you can do it. anyway – how areyou even going to get to the plane? you know we’re bolted in. nobody can get out.’
‘i shall watch my chance and slip out through that door when the men are going to and fro,’ saidphilip, enjoying his planning. ‘then i shall hide in the cave of stalactites and go up the passage tothe hole as soon as i can. then i’ll get along back to the planes, and choose one to hop into. i don’treckon they will have left anyone on guard there, as they think we’re all well and trulyimprisoned.’
‘it sounds easy, but it won’t be,’ said jack. ‘better let me do it, tufty.’
‘think again!’ said philip. ‘this is my own pet adventure, see?’
‘you might even be able to squeeze into a crate,’ said dinah thoughtfully. ‘nobody would thinkof looking into a packed crate.’
‘good idea!’ said philip. ‘in fact, jolly good!’
‘well, we can expect quite a horde of men here today,’ said jack. ‘it will surprise the poor oldcouple. they will be in a dreadful state when they see their well-guarded treasure going.’
‘philip, we won’t pretend that we are any of the statues today when the men come,’ said dinah.
‘only you. the men are sure to have a hunt round for us if they can’t find us today, so we’d betterall be found, except you. you can be a statue again, and wait your chance to rush out of the door.’
‘yes. i think i will,’ said philip. ‘it may not work, but it’s the only thing to do. now – when willthose men be along? it will take them about an hour and a half to get here. it’s half an hour sincewe saw the planes. i mustn’t leave it to the last minute to put myself in place.’
‘better go now,’ said lucy-ann, who was on pins and needles about the whole thing. ‘we’llcome with you and see that you’re in a good place and really look like a statue.’
they all went down the passage, and made their way through the various caves to the one inwhich the statues stood. martha the hen came too. she had attached herself to jack now, andfollowed him wherever he went. she had laid an egg that morning, and the old woman had madelucy-ann have it for breakfast.
‘look! – there’s a half-hidden ledge here not far from the door,’ said dinah eagerly. ‘if youstood there you would hardly be seen, it’s so dark there. and you would be near the door to creepout if you got a chance.’
‘yes, that does seem the best place,’ said philip. ‘it really does. now what about a shawl orsomething to drape over my head? i don’t want my short hair to give me away.’
they found a very big shawl and draped it carefully round him. he went to stand on the littleledge, and everyone agreed that it was a splendid place.
‘you can hardly be seen,’ said jack. ‘well, good luck, tufty. we’ll go now, and we shan’t hide.
we shall let the men see us and hope they’ll think there’s nobody else in the caves at all. if youcan’t escape we shall know, because you’ll still be about tonight.’
‘goodbye,’ said philip, looking exactly like a statue. ‘don’t worry about me. i’ll be off andaway soon, and i’ll get word to bill and mother. we’ll soon rescue you, don’t you worry!’
