chapter 26 next morning

in four hours' time bill awoke jack. in a few sentences he told the surprised boy about the arrival oflucian. "he keeps saying he's on our side now, but you never know with a nit-wit like that," hewarned jack. "so keep your eye on him. and, if you hear the slightest sound from underground, prodme awake at once, jack!"

"right, bill," said jack, fresh from his sound sleep. "i say — they've been a long time underground,haven't they? they must be lost!"

"i sincerely hope so," said bill. "i don't imagine they will be lost forever, however, desirable as thatmight be — that labyrinth isn't a frightfully big one. well, i'm going to sleep, jack. keep your witsabout you!"

jack was still sleepy. he was afraid he might find it difficult to keep awake, so he lighted the lantern,and walked about round the courtyard. he shone the light on to lucian. he was so fast asleep that hedidn't even stir. philip was soundly off too, and as for the girls not an inch of their faces was to beseen, they were cuddled up so closely to one another.

kiki accompanied jack on his rambles round the courtyard. she knew she had to be quiet, so shewhispered all the time. she wasn't very good at whispering, and tickled jack's ear till he couldn't bearit any longer. he took her off his shoulder, and made her perch on one of his arms.

his two hours went by without anything happening at all. he awoke philip. it took a long timebecause the boy was so very sound asleep. as fast as jack rolled him over to wake him, he rolledback again, his eyes still shut.

jack took off one of philip's shoes and tickled the soles of his feet. that woke him up all right! philipsat straight up and glared round at the lantern jack held.

"what are you . . ." he began, in a loud voice, and jack shushed him at once.

"sh, idiot! you'll wake the rest! sorry about tickling your feet, but i simply couldn't wake you! it'syour turn to watch now."

philip put on his shoe, saying something uncomplimentary to jack under his breath. micky woke uptoo, and looked in astonishment round the yard. he had forgotten where he was.

jack told philip in whispers about lucian's arrival. philip was amused. "so old rabbit-mouth is onour side now!" he said. "well — he's not a bad sort really — only he's such a nit-wit! poor lucian —i guess he was scared out of his life! right, i'll keep my eye on him — though honestly he wouldn'thave the nerve to do anything he shouldn't. and if our dear mr. eppy pops his head up out of thecolumn, i shall have the greatest pleasure in conking him good and hard."jack grinned. "well, i'm off to sleep again," he said. "good hunting, philip!"philip's eyes persisted in closing, as he sat there keeping watch. he got up and walked about, as jackhad done. it would be an unforgivable thing to sleep whilst he was on guard. quite unthinkable. hewondered what the time was, and glanced at his watch. the hands were phosphorescent, and showedhim the time. five o'clock — or getting on that way. he looked at the eastern sky. it was alreadysilvering with the dawn.

it was almost at the end of philip's two hours that the noise came. by this time the sun was up and thesunlight was on everything, clean and new and beautiful. philip was enjoying the warmth of the firstslanting beams, when he heard the noise.

he pricked his ears, and micky began to chatter softly. "sh!" said philip. "i want to listen." mickywas silent at once.

the noise came again — the scraping of boots on stone. "they're coming!" thought philip, and he ranto where bill was sleeping, face down in the grass that grew over the yard. "bill! wake up! they'recoming!"

bill woke up at once. he sprang to his feet, all sleep gone in an instant. jack awoke too, and so didthe girls. only lucian slept on, but nobody took any notice of him.

bill ran to the column. he took the big wedge of wood from philip. "stand back," he said to the girls.

"i don't expect for a moment i'll have much trouble, but you never know. i'm not standing anynonsense from eppy and co."

he stationed himself just under the broken edge of the hole in the column. he listened. voices cameup to him. someone was evidently now standing inside the column, having come up to the top of thespiral stairway. bill heard what he said, but couldn't understand it.

however, he recognized mr. eppy's voice, and took a firm hold of his piece of wood! mr. eppy stoodstill for a moment and listened to someone shouting up to him from the stairway below. then hecalled up in a low voice.

"lucian? are you there, lucian?"

lucian was there — but he was fast asleep, so of course he didn't answer. mr. eppy called againsoftly. "lucian!"

bill answered, in a grim voice. "i'm here — bill cunningham — and i'm waiting for you, mr. eppy!

the moment you try to get out of there i shall force you back — with this weapon!" bill banged hiswedge of wood down on the column with such a noise that everyone jumped violently, and lucianwoke up.

there was a dead silence inside the column. then there was a scraping noise, as if someone else wascoming up the stairway. voices spoke together, very low.

"how did you get free?" came mr. eppy's voice again. "did lucian free you? he's not here.""no, he didn't," said bill.

the voices spoke together again. then mr. eppy called up urgently.

"mr. cunningham! my men tell me that they have just found poor lucian down here — badly hurt.

he needs help. let us come at once."

this was a most astonishing piece of news, especially to lucian, whose mouth fell open inamazement. he was about to speak when jack nudged him to be quiet. bill was handling this!

"sorry to hear that, mr. eppy," said bill. "hand him up and we'll look after him. but you remainbelow. that's definite."

another conference took place in low voices. then mr. eppy spoke again.

"i must ask you to allow us to come up with the boy. he is seriously hurt. i am very distressed abouthim."

lucian's face was a study. dinah almost giggled as she watched him. bill answered at once.

"nothing doing. nobody comes up except — er — lucian. hand him over."as lucian was even then sitting on the grass in the courtyard it was quite impossible for mr. eppy tohand him over. lucy-ann whispered to dinah, "isn't he a terrible story-teller!"bill began banging idly on the column with his wedge. "well, you don't seem to want to part withlucian," he called. "now i warn you — if anyone appears at the hole in this column they're for it!"bang, bang! that was bill's piece of wood on the column again. it couldn't please mr. eppy verymuch. he was not a brave man, and it was easy to imagine his feelings down in the column!

"can we have some food?" he called, at last.

"no," shouted back bill hard-heartedly. "there is barely enough for our breakfast."judging by the scraping noises that could then be heard, mr. eppy and the others had decided to goback down the stairs and have a conference. bill jerked his head at jack.

"give out the food that's left to everyone. i'm staying here in case any of these fellows try somethingfunny. i have a feeling there's a revolver or two among them, so whatever happens i can't let themappear at the top."

jack and philip shared out the remaining food. bill gulped down his share, keeping eyes and earsopen for any movement or sound from the broken column. but there was none.

he beckoned the others over to him at the end of the rather unsatisfactory meal. "now listen," hesaid, in a low voice. "i must stay here, you can see that. what you have to do is to go with lucian andfind the creek where the boat or boats are, belonging to mr. eppy. be careful there are no men left inthem."

"there are two men with two boats," said lucian. this was disappointing news. bill consideredagain.

"well — the thing to do first of all is to find the creek with the boats," said bill. "don't showyourselves. just find the creek so that we shall know the way. then come back here. we'll hope thatfarm-boy arrives with more food at twelve o'clock, as he usually docs.""we could do with it," said jack.

"so could our dear mr. eppy and his friends," grinned philip. "bill, what do we do after we've foundthe creek and the boats, and come back to report?""we send lucian down with a message supposed to come from his uncle, to tell the men to comealong up here," said bill, "and we pop down and go off in the boats!""but, i say — you'll go on the rocks!" protested lucian, at once. "you can't come to these islandswithout a boatman who knows them. you'll be wrecked!"this was a problem to be faced. bill considered again. "well — we'll have to make up our mindsabout that when the time comes. in the meantime, off you go. lucian, lead the way."lucian, looking rather doubtful, went to the sloping city street. he set off down it, and turned off tothe left half-way down.

"you seem to know the way all right," said jack approvingly. lucian looked at him uneasily.

"i don't," he said. "i'm absolutely no good at this kind of thing. i never can find my way anywhere.

i've no bump of locality at all. i shall never find the boats!"