chapter 21 kiki is very tiresome
back went the little company, through the curious little cell that must once have been a marbletemple underground, dedicated to some strange goddess — through the old tomb, and over the fallendoor carved with the bird — and soon they were back in the temple vault.
"now we start off the other way — to the left," said bill, who was now almost as excited as the fourchildren. "come along — down this passage here. hold up your lantern, philip. my torch isn't verystrong."
"does this passage lead into the labyrinth — the maze where people get lost?" asked lucy-ann, alittle fearfully. "shall we get lost?"
"no. we'll find some way of keeping safe," said bill. he and jack looked closely at the map.
"although this part is marked 'labyrinth,' it shows only one route or passage — but every now andagain the letter 'r' turns up — for right, i suppose. we seem to have to turn to the right six times.
well, if we come to a fork, we shall know what to do — right every time! come along! put the mapback in your pocket, jack."
they went down the low-roofed, winding passage for a little way, and then jack called out to theothers. "i say — anyone got kiki?"
they all stopped. "i haven't," yelled back lucy-ann. "nor has dinah." bill said he certainly hadn't,and as for philip, he only had micky on his shoulder.
"she flew off my shoulder when we got into the vault," said jack, remembering. "kiki! kiki! whereare you?"
there was no squawk or screech in reply. "blow!" said jack. "i'll have to go back and get her. i'llcatch you up."
he ran back. the others went on. jack had a lantern and could easily catch them up.
they soon came to a fork. "we take the right-hand one," said bill. "this way!" the passage twistedand turned extraordinarily often, and it was impossible to know if they were going forwards, or by somuch turning and twisting, were going in the opposite direction.
"one right turn — two — and this is the third," said philip. "three more right turns and we'll be atthe catacomb!"
"ooooh," said lucy-ann. "i hope it won't be long! i'm tired of these dark passages. this one is stony— i keep hitting my toes against some stone or other.""i wish jack would catch us up," said philip, who was last. "i keep thinking i hear him behind me —and when i turn, he isn't there. ought we to wait for him, bill?""yes — perhaps we ought," said bill, and they stopped. but no jack came. gracious, what could hebe doing? lucy-ann began to feel worried.
"jack!" she called. "jack! are you coming?""better go back for him," said bill, puzzled. "i hope to goodness he hasn't missed the way. he knewwe had to turn to the right each time."
they went back for some way — and then bill stopped. "i suppose we're right?" he said. "i don'tsomehow remember this passage — it's got such a very very low roof. i've just bumped my headagainst it, and i certainly didn't do that coming along!""oh dear — surely we haven't missed our way — it seemed so easy — turn to the left each timegoing back," groaned dinah. "it must be right, bill."bill was uneasy. he certainly didn't remember this low-roofed passage. he made up his mind. "we'llgo back," he said. "i think we missed the last left-turn somehow."so they went back — but soon they came to a dead stop! the passage grew narrower and narrower,and at last nobody could squeeze through. that couldn't be right, either!
"wrong again," said bill, much more cheerfully than he felt. secretly he was scared and horrified.
how big was this labyrinth? how far did it go into the hill? on the map it looked a short route — butby the labyrinth itself might spread for miles, intersected by mazes of passages, criss- crossing,wandering round and round.
"it's a real maze," thought bill. "and probably there are only one or two direct routes across it — andwe've missed the one we ought to have taken. goodness knows how long we'll be wandering abouthere!"
"i wonder where jack is," said lucy-ann anxiously, as they wound in and out of the curious passagesof the labyrinth. "i do hope he's all right."where was jack? he had gone back to get kiki, and had heard her talking mournfully to herself inthe temple vault, perched on the spiral stone stairway that led up to the broken column. he called her.
"kiki! what are you doing there? why didn't you come with us, idiot? now i've had to come all theway back for you!"
kiki was tired of being underground. she wanted to go up into the sunshine. also she wanted a drink,and there seemed to be no water below the ground.
"kiki! come along! i want to get back to the others," called jack.
"send for the doctor," said kiki, preening her wings. "polly's got a cold, send for the doctor.""don't be so tiresome," said jack, exasperated, and he went over to where kiki sat. she flew up a fewsteps and cocked her head at jack. he could see her plainly in the light of his lantern, and he wascross.
"you're behaving very badly," he scolded her. "come down and sit on my shoulder, bad bird.""naughty polly, send for the doctor," said kiki, who seemed to have got the doctor on her brain. sheflew up a few more steps. jack had to follow. blow kiki! she would behave like this just when hewanted to catch up with the others.
he reached the parrot and she flew higher again. finally she disappeared.
jack yelled up the stone steps angrily. "you wait till i get you, you bad bird! playing me up like this!
for the last time, come down!"
a mocking voice floated down to him. "wipe your feet, don't sniff, pop goes the doctor!"that was really too much for poor jack! he climbed the spiral stone stairs as fast as he could, findingit very difficult indeed at the top, where they came up at the bottom of the broken column. at last hestood inside the column. he could see very well now, for the sun shone in through the hole in thestone. kiki was sitting on the broken edge of the hole, preening herself in the sun. she kept a look-out for jack, knowing he was very cross.
"oh, i say!" she said loudly. "oh, i say!" she flew off the edge of the hole and disappeared fromjack's view. he could still hear her calling out, though. "oh, i say! oh, i say!"saying all kinds of rude things about kiki under his breath, jack found a rough foothold in the insideof the column, and heaved himself up to the hole. he swung himself through the hole and jumpeddown into the sunshine, looking round for kiki.
there she sat, not far off, in a tree of some kind, peering down the hill. "oh, i say!" she cried, in ashrill voice, and then went off into a cackle of laughter.
jack ran to the tree angrily — and then he stopped. someone was coming up the hill — someonequite familiar — astonishingly familiar! someone with teeth that stuck out in front, and with a chinthat was hardly there at all!
"lucian!" said jack, too much astonished to move. and lucian it was. no wonder kiki had suddenlygone off into a stream of "oh, i say's!" lucian stopped and stared at jack as if he really couldn'tbelieve his eyes.
"oh, i say!" he said. "oh, i say."
"hallo," said jack feebly, and grinned. "er — what in the world are you doing here?""well, i might say the same to you," said lucian. "of all the extraordinary things! well, i never! ican't believe it!"
"how long have you been here?" asked jack. "why are you here?""i only came today," said lucian. "my uncle's here, you see — goodness knows why! i don't knowwhen he came exactly. anyway, he got here and then sent for another motor-boat to come to himhere on thamis, bringing some men he wanted, and some goods — and i thought i'd come along too.
the viking star is held up, as you know, and i was bored stiff. i suppose my uncle's going to getsome antiques here or something."
jack digested all this in silence. oho! so mr. eppy was there too, was he? he was hot on the trackafter all. jack thought quickly. what a pity he had met lucian! now the boy would tell mr. eppy.
"jack, what are yon doing here? you really must tell me!" said lucian insistently. "it's tooextraordinary. and kiki too! where are the others?""why should they be here?" said jack. he didn't want to tell lucian about them — or where theywere — or how to get to them. that would never do. he thought hard, but he couldn't make any planthat seemed good — except that if he could get rid of lucian he would pop down the broken column,get down the spiral stairway to the vaults — and warn bill.'bill would know what to do.
how could he get rid of lucian? lucian wasn't likely to let him out of his sight at all. and blow,blow, blow — there was mr. eppy coming up the hillside now, with three other men!
mr. eppy was too surprised to speak, when he suddenly caught sight of jack and kiki. he stoppeddead and stared through his dark glasses. he took them off, rubbed them, and was about to put themon again when lucian went off into one of his silly fits of giggling.
"oh dear! oh, i say! you can't believe your eyes, can you, uncle! nor could i. but it really is jack —and kiki the parrot too."
for one wild moment jack wondered if he should run for it — run from the surprised men, and hidesomewhere, till he could manage to get back to bill and warn him.
but there was no time. at a word from mr. eppy the three men with him ran up and stationedthemselves behind jack. then mr. eppy came up, and stood in front of him.
"and what exactly are you doing here?" he said, in such a peculiar, menacing tone that jack wasastonished and scared. "where are the others?""we came to explore a bit," said jack, at last. "that's all. anyone can come and explore these islands.
the viking star's engines broke down, and the passengers were told they could hire motor-boats andcruise among these islands."
"why did you come to this one?" asked mr. eppy, still in a fierce voice. lucian answeredunexpectedly for him.
"oh, uncle! i expect he came hunting for the treasure you told me about.""hold your tongue, idiot of a boy," said mr. eppy, almost spitting at poor lucian. "and now you" —he turned to jack again, "how dare you come trespassing on my island!""it isn't yours," said jack.
"it is. i have just bought it!" said mr. eppy. "ah — you didn't know that — but you know why!"
