Five on a Hike Together (4 page)

The second stile led into another endless field, and the path then came at last to a big field-gate. They climbed over it and found themselves on what looked like a heathery moor - wild and uncultivated land! No farm-house was to be seen - though, indeed they could not have seen anything of one unless they had been very close to it, because the night was on them, dark and rainy.

„If only we could see some lights somewhere - shining out of a window," said Dick. He shone his torch on to the moor in front of them. „I don"t quite know what to do. There doesn"t seem a path here - and I just hate the idea of going al the way back across those wet fields, and into that dark little lane."

„Oh no - don"t let"s," said Anne, with a shiver. „I real y didn"t like that lane. There must be a path somewhere! It"s sil y for a gate to open on to moorland!"

And then, as they stood there, with the rain dripping on them and not much else to be heard, another noise came to their ears.

It was so unexpected and so very startling that both of them clutched the other in a start of alarm. It was certainly a strange noise to hear in that deserted bit of country.

Bel s! Wild, clanging bel s sounding without a stop, jangling out over the dark countryside in peal after peal. Anne held on tightly to Dick.

„What is it? Where are those bel s? What are they ringing for?" whispered Anne.

Dick had no idea. He was as startled as Anne to hear this extraordinary noise. It sounded some distance away, but every now and again the wind blew hard and then the noise of the jangling swept round them, close to them it seemed.

„I wish they"d stop, Oh, I wish they"d stop!" said Anne, her heart beating fast. „I don"t like them. They frighten me. They"re not church bells."

„No. They"re certainly not church bel s," said Dick. „They"re a warning of some kind. I"m sure - but what for? Fire? We"d see fire if there was one anywhere near us. War? No - bel s and beacons were used to warn people of war long long ago, Not now."

„That vil age was cal ed Beacons," said Anne, suddenly remembering. „Do you suppose it has that name because long ago there was a nearby hil where people lighted a beacon, to send a warning to other towns tel ing them that the enemy was coming? Did they ring

bel s too? Are we hearing long-ago bells, Dick? They don"t sound like bel s I"ve ever heard in my life before."

„Good gracious! They"re certainly not long-ago bel s!" said Dick, speaking cheerfully, though he was real y just as puzzled and alarmed as Anne. „Those bells are being rung now, at this very minute!"

Quite suddenly the bells stopped and an enormous silence took the place of the wild ringing. The two children stood and listened for a minute or two and then heaved a sigh of relief.

„They"ve stopped at last," said Anne, „I hated them! Why did they ring out on this dark dark night? Oh do let"s find Blue Pond Farm-house as soon as ever we can, Dick. I don"t like being lost in the dark like this, with bells ringing madly for nothing at all!"

„Come on," said Dick. „Keep close to the hedge. As long as we follow that we must come to somewhere. We won"t wander out on to the moorland."

He took Anne"s arm and the two of them kept close to the hedge. They came to another path at last and fol owed it. That led to a lane, but not a sunken one this time - and then, oh wonderful sight, - not far off they saw a light shining!

„That must be Blue Pond Farm-house!" said Dick, thankful y. „Come on, Anne - not much farther now!"

They came to a low stone wall and followed it til they came to a broken-down gate. It opened with a squeak, and Anne stepped through - right into an enormous puddle!

„Blow!" she said. „Now I"m wetter than ever! For a moment I thought I must have stepped into the blue pond!"

But it was only a puddle. They went round it and followed a muddy path to a little door set in a white stone wall. Dick thought it must be the back door. Nearby was a window, and in it shone the light they had seen so thankfully.

An old woman sat near the light, her head bent over some sewing. The children could see her quite clearly as they stood by the door.

Dick looked for a bell or knocker but there was none. He knocked with his bare knuckles.

Nobody answered. The door remained shut. They looked at the old woman by the lamp, and saw that she was stil sewing.

„Perhaps she"s deaf," said Dick and he knocked again, much more loudly. Stil the old woman sewed on placidly. She must indeed be deaf!

„We"ll never get in at this rate!" said Dick, impatiently. He tried the handle of the door - it opened at once!

„We"ll just have to walk in and announce ourselves," said Dick, and he stepped on to the worn mat inside the door. He was in a narrow little passage that led to a stone stairway, steep and narrow at the farther end.

On his right was a door, a little ajar. It opened into the room where the old woman was sitting. The two children could see a streak of light coming through the crack.

Dick pushed the door open and walked boldly in, followed by Anne. Stil the old woman didn"t look up. She pushed her needle in and out of her sewing and seemed to hear and see nothing else whatsoever.

Dick had to walk right up to her before she knew he was in the room. Then she leapt up in such a fright that her chair fel over with a bang.

„I"m sorry," said Dick, upset at frightening the old lady. „We knocked but you didn"t hear!"

She stared at them, her hand over her heart. „You give me such a fright," she said. „Where did you come from, this dark night?"

Dick picked up her chair, and she sat down in it, panting a little.

„We"ve been looking for this place," said Dick. „Blue Pond Farm-house, isn"t it? We wondered if we could stay the night here - and two others of us as well."

The old woman pointed to her ears and shook her head. „Deaf as a post," she said. „No good talking to me, my dear. You"ve lost your way, I suppose?"

Dick nodded.

„Well, you can"t stay here," said the old woman. „My son won"t have no one here at al .

You"d best be gone before he comes. He have a nasty temper, he have."

Dick shook his head. Then he pointed out to the dark rainy night, then pointed to Anne"s wet shoes and clothes. The old woman knew what he meant.

„You"ve lost your way, you"re wet and tired, and you don"t want me to turn you out," she said. „But there"s my son, you see. He don"t like strangers here."

Dick pointed to Anne, and then to a sofa in a corner of the room. Then he pointed to himself, and then outside, Again the old woman understood at once.

„You want me to give your sister shelter, but you"l go out into the night?" she said. Dick nodded. He thought he could easily find some shed or barn for himself. But Anne real y must be indoors.

„My son mustn"t see either of you," said the old woman, and she pul ed Anne to what the girl thought was a cupboard. But when the door opened, she saw a very smal , steep wooden staircase leading upwards into the roof.

„You go up there," said the old woman to Anne. „And don"t you come down til I cal you in the morning. I"l get into trouble if my son knows you"re here."

„Go up, Anne," said Dick, rather troubled. „I don"t know what you"l find there. If it"s too bad, come down. See if there"s a window or something you can cal out from, and then I"l know if you"re all right."

„Yes," said Anne, in rather a trembling voice, and she went up the steep, dirty wooden stairs. They led straight into a little loft. There was a mattress there, fairly clean, and a chair.

A rug was folded up on the chair and a jug of water stood on a shelf, Otherwise the room was bare.

A tiny window opened out of one side. Anne went to it and cal ed out. „Dick! Are you there? Dick!"

„Yes, I"m here," said Dick. „What"s it like, Anne? Is it all right? Listen, I"l find somewhere nearby to shelter in - and you can always call me if you want me!"

„It"s not bad," said Anne. „There"s a fairly clean mattress and a rug. I"l be all right. But what about if the others come, Dick? Wil you look out for them? I almost think George wil have to sleep in a barn with you and Julian if she comes. That old woman won"t let anyone else in, I"m sure!"

„I"l look out for them and arrange something," said Dick. „You eat the rest of your sandwiches and your cake, and see if you can dry your wet feet and make yourself real y comfortable. There"s a shed or something out here. I shal be quite al right. Yell for me if you want me."

Anne went back into the room. She felt wet and tired, hungry and thirsty. She ate all her food, and had a drink from the jug. Then she felt sleepy and lay down on the mattress, throwing the rug over her. She meant to listen for the others to come, but she was too tired. She fel fast asleep!

Dick was prowling about down below. He was careful because he didn"t want to run into the old woman"s son. He didn"t like the sound of him somehow! He came to a smal barn with piles of straw in one corner. He flashed his torch cautiously round.

„This wil do for me," he thought. „I can be quite comfortable here in that straw. Poor Anne!

I wish old George was with her. I"d better wait about and watch for the other two, or I"l fall asleep and miss them, once I bed down in that straw! It"s only about six o"clock too -

but we"ve had a long day. I wonder how Timmy is. I wish he was here!"

Dick thought that probably George and Julian would come in through the same gate as he and Anne had used. He found a broken-down shed near the gate and sat down on a box there, waiting for them to come.

He ate his sandwiches while he waited. They were very comforting! He ate every one and then the cake. He yawned. He felt very sleepy indeed, and his feet were wet and tired.

No one arrived at all - not even the old woman"s son. She could stil be seen sewing under the lamp. But after about two hours, when it was almost eight o"clock, and Dick was beginning to be very worried about George and Julian, the old woman got up and put away her work-basket.

She disappeared out of Dick"s sight, and didn"t come back But the light was stil there, shining out of the window. Left for her son, probably, thought Dick.

He tiptoed to the window. The rain had stopped now and the night was much clearer.

The stars were out and a moon was coming up. Dick"s spirits rose.

He peered in at the lighted room. Then he saw the old woman lying on a broken-down sofa in a corner. A blanket was pul ed right up to her chin and she seemed to be asleep.

Dick went back to his shed, but now he felt there was no use in watching for George and Julian. They must have lost their way completely! Or else Mr. Gaston, or whatever his name was, must have had to do something to Timmy"s leg, and Julian had decided to stay at the inn in Beacons Vil age for the night.

He yawned again. „I"m too sleepy to watch any more," he decided „I shall fal off this box with sleep if I don"t go and lie down in that straw. Anyway I think I"d hear if the others came."

Using his torch cautiously again, he made his way to the barn. He shut the door behind him and bolted it roughly from the inside by running a stick through two hasps. He didn"t know why he did that - perhaps because he was stil thinking of the old woman"s bad-tempered son!

He flung himself down on the straw, and immediately fel asleep. Outside the sky became clearer and clearer. The moon came up, not fully, but large enough to give some light. It shone down on the desolate little stone house and il -kept out-buildings.

Dick slept soundly. He lay in the soft straw and dreamed of Timmy and George and Blue Ponds and bel s. Especial y bells.

He awoke suddenly, and lay for a moment wondering where he was. What was this prickly stuff round him? Then he remembered - of course, it was straw and he was in a barn! He was about to cuddle down again when he heard a noise.

lt was only a smal noise - a scratching on the wooden walls of the barn perhaps. Dick sat up. Were there rats there? He hoped not!

He listened. The scratching seemed to come from outside the barn, not inside. Then it stopped. After an interval it began again. Then there came a gentle tapping at the broken window just above Dick"s head.

He felt very startled. Rats scratched and scrabbled about - but they didn"t tap on windows. Who was tapping so very very cautiously on the little window? He held his breath and listened, straining his ears.

And then he heard a voice - a hoarse whisper.

„Dick! Dick!"

Dick was amazed. Could it be Julian? If so, how in the world did he know that he, Dick, was in the barn? He sat listening, stiff with surprise.

The tapping came again, and then the voice, a little louder. „Dick! I know you"re there. I saw you go in. Come here to the window - quiet, now!"

Dick didn"t know the voice. It wasn"t Julian"s, and it certainly wasn"t either George"s or Anne"s. Then how did the owner know his name and that he was there? It was astounding. Dick didn"t know what to do!

„Buck up!" said the voice. „I"ve got to go in half a tick. I"ve got that message for you."

Dick decided to go nearer to the window. He was quite certain that he didn"t want whoever it was outside to come into the barn. He cautiously knelt up in the straw and spoke just underneath the window.

„I"m here," he said, trying to make his voice deep and grown-up.

„You"ve been long enough coming," grumbled the one outside, and then Dick saw him through the window - just a face, dim and wild-eyed, with a round bullet-like head. He crouched back, thankful that the face couldn"t see him in the darkness of the barn.

„Here"s the message from Nailer," said the voice. „Two-Trees. Gloomy Water. Saucy Jane.

And he says Maggie knows. He sent you this. Maggie"s got one too."

A bit of paper fluttered in at the broken pane. Dick picked it up in a daze. What was all this? Was he dreaming?

The voice came again, insistent and urgent. „You heard al that, Dick? Two-Trees. Gloomy Water. Saucy Jane. And Maggie knows too. Now I"m going."

There came the sound of someone cautiously creeping round the barn - and then there was silence. Dick sat amazed and bewildered. Who was this wild-eyed fel ow, who called him by his name in the middle of the night and gave him extraordinary messages that meant nothing at all to a sleepy boy? But Dick was wide awake now. He stood up and looked out of the window. There was nothing and no one to be seen except the lonely house and the sky.