11

happenings in the night

the moonlight streamed down over the countryside as bill and his wife set out. ‘what a lovelynight!’ said bill. ‘as light as day, almost!’

they went up the tiny lane, hurrying as much as they could. ‘i’ll ask at the farm if mr ellis canbring you back,’ bill said. ‘i won’t stay even a minute. i’m worried about gussy. i may get aglimpse of madame tatiosa and her companion – but i don’t particularly want them to see me.’

they were passing a little copse of trees, a patch of dense black shadow in the surroundingmoonlight. bill and his wife walked by, not seeing a small movement in the shadows.

then things happened very quickly indeed. four shadows came from the copse of trees, runningsilently over the grass. bill turned at a slight sound – but almost as he turned someone leapt onhim and bore him to the ground.

mrs cunningham felt an arm round her, and a hand pressed over her mouth. she tried toscream, but only a small sound came from her.

‘don’t struggle,’ said a voice. ‘and don’t scream. we’re not going to hurt you. we just wantyou out of the way for a short time.’

but bill did struggle, of course. he knew what these men were after – gussy! he groaned inanger at himself. this was a trick, of course! old aunt naomi hadn’t had a fall! there had been noreal message from the farm. it was all a ruse to get them out of the house, so that it would be easyto kidnap gussy.

someone gagged his mouth by wrapping a cloth firmly round his face. he could hardly breathe!

he wondered how his wife was getting on, but he could see and hear nothing. he stoppedstruggling when at last his arms were pinned behind him, and tied together with rope.

there was nothing he could do. it was four against two, and as they had been taken by surprisethey were at a great disadvantage. perhaps he would be able to undo the rope that bound him whenhis captors had gone to get gussy. he might still prevent the kidnapping.

mrs cunningham was scared, and did her best to get away, but one man was quite sufficient tohold her and bind her hands and feet. she too was gagged so that she could not scream.

‘we are sorry about this,’ said a man’s voice, quite politely. ‘it is important to us to take thelittle prince out of your hands. his country needs him. we shall not harm him in any way – andwe have not harmed you either. we have merely put you to some inconvenience. once we havethe prince one of us will come to untie you, if it is possible. if not – well, you will be found bysome farm worker early in the morning.’

the men left bill and his wife against a haystack, protected from the wind. one of them hadgone through bill’s pockets first, and had taken out the key of the cottage.

bill listened as the men went off. were they gone? he rubbed his head against the ground tryingto get off the cloth bound round his face. was his wife all right?

he was furious with himself. to walk into a trap as easily as all that! the woman with themessage must have been one of the gang, of course. no wonder she wouldn’t come in. he shouldhave been suspicious about that. an ordinary messenger would have waited for them and thenwalked to the farm in their company.

he remembered the ‘ting’ of the telephone that jack said he had heard that afternoon. that musthave been madame tatiosa or her companion telephoning to their headquarters to say that theyknew where the prince was, and requesting help to capture him. another car must have comedown that evening with other members of the gang. it all fitted in so well – but poor bill saw theplot after it had been carried out, instead of before!

he wondered what was happening at quarry cottage. he believed the man who had said that hewas not going to harm the little prince. all they wanted to do was to depose his uncle and setgussy up in his place. poor gussy! he would be made to do all that the gang wanted, and his lifewould be very miserable.

nothing was happening just then at quarry cottage. all the five children were fast asleep, andso was kiki. the window of the boys’ bedroom was shut, as bill had ordered – but of what usewas that when the enemy had the key to the front door!

time crept on – and eleven o’clock came. philip’s alarm clock went off under his pillow,whirring in a muffled way that woke him up with a jump. at first he didn’t know what the noisewas, then he remembered.

‘eleven o’clock!’ he thought, and slid his hand under his pillow to stop the alarm ringing. hesat up. moonlight poured into the room, and made everything silvery. just the night for badgers!

he padded across the room and shook jack. ‘wake up! eleven o’clock!’ he whispered, rightinto his ear. he did not mean to wake gussy, and have him clamouring to go with them! butgussy was very sound asleep indeed. the moonlight streamed on to his face, and showed up thelong lock of hair that had fallen as usual over his forehead.

kiki awoke as soon as the alarm went off. but she was used to muffled alarm clocks, and merelygave a little yawn, and stretched her wings. if the boys were going out, she was quite ready!

nothing would persuade her to be left behind.

the two boys dressed quickly in shorts, jerseys and rubber-soled shoes. they took a last glanceat gussy. his mouth was wide open again. jack grinned as he remembered the bits of grass thatkiki had popped into it on sugar-loaf hill.

they crept downstairs, pausing outside bill’s bedroom door to make sure all was quiet, and thatbill and his wife were asleep.

‘can’t hear a thing,’ whispered jack. ‘they must be very sound asleep! not even a snore frombill!’

this wasn’t very surprising, of course, as bill was at that moment struggling with his ropes ashe lay in the shelter of the haystack.

‘we’ll go out the back way,’ whispered philip. ‘the front door creaks a little. don’t bump intoanything in the hall, for goodness’ sake.’

kiki was on jack’s shoulder, as quiet as the dormouse in philip’s pocket. she could always bedepended on to keep silent when it was necessary. she knew quite well that the boys were tryingnot to be heard. she pecked jack’s ear affectionately, wondering what he was up to on thismoonlight night.

the boys went out of the back door, and then stood still, debating which way to go.

‘i think i’ll come up to the little wood with you first,’ said jack. ‘i might pop down to the quarrylater, to hear the owls there, and see if i can watch them swooping on mice or rats.’

so they went silently to the wood on the east side of the cottage, making no noise in theirrubber-soled shoes. they kept to the shadows of the hedges, afraid that someone might see them,even in this deserted spot. the moonlight was so very brilliant!

they came to the wood. philip knew what type of place badgers would visit, and he led jack toa hedge overshadowing a big bank.

‘this is the sort of place to wait about in,’ he said. ‘let’s squeeze into that bush there.’

they crouched down in the black shadows. an owl suddenly hooted nearby, and kiki at oncehooted back, copying the long, quavering hoot exactly, and making jack jump.

‘shut up, kiki,’ he whispered fiercely. ‘you’ll bring all the owls down on us with your hooting.

gosh, here comes the one you mimicked!’

an owl swooped by his head, and he ducked. so did kiki! kiki longed to hoot again. she lovedpuzzling any other bird.

she kept silent, half-sulky the boys listened with their sharp ears, watching for any movement.

suddenly jack gave philip a nudge. a long, snake-like animal was hurrying by.

‘stoat,’ whispered philip in jack’s ear. ‘and what’s this? a hedgehog!’

the hedgehog was curious about the black shadows sitting under the bush. he came fearlesslyup to investigate. philip put out his hand slowly, and the hedgehog sniffed it over. jack quiteexpected to see him climb on to philip’s knee! no creature was ever afraid of him.

but the hedgehog was hungry and he ran off to find the slugs he liked best. the boys thought hewent along as if he was a little clockwork animal. they waited for the next night creature toappear.

and this time it was a badger! it really was. philip drew in his breath sharply. he had hardlyhoped to see one so soon. it was a biggish creature, with a curiously striped black and white face.

it stood absolutely still in the moonlight, sniffing, wondering if it could smell a danger-smell – asmell of humans?

but the wind blew from the badger to the boys, and he could smell nothing. he could hardly beseen as he stood in the full moonlight, because the black and white stripes down his face were soexactly like the black and white shadows of this moonlit night.

‘perfect camouflage!’ whispered philip, and jack nodded. then he nudged philip. somethingelse was coming.

‘young badgers!’ thought philip, in delight. ‘a family party – yes, there’s mother badger at theback. what a bit of luck!’

the young badgers were skittish little bear-like things. they began to play about, and the twoboys watched their curious games, quite fascinated.

the little badgers began to bounce. they really did bounce, on all four legs, jumping up anddown in the same place, looking like fat, furry balls. they bounced at one another! one knockedanother over, but in a flash he turned a somersault, came up under the first badger and knockedhim over!

this head-over-heels game seemed a favourite one, and the young badgers played it for sometime. then the parents gave a little call, and went off into the wood; the young ones stopped theirgame and followed.

jack gave a little laugh. ‘what an amusing sight! i’ve never seen animals play that game before!

do all badgers turn head-over-heels like that?’

‘i’ve heard so,’ said philip. ‘a keeper once told me that a grown badger will spring traps thatway – he just turns himself head-over-heels on the trap, sets it off, and then takes the bait! all heloses is a few hairs off his back.’

an owl hooted again, some way off. it was a tawny owl calling. then there was a screech froma barn owl. kiki stirred on jack’s shoulders. she was longing to do a bit of hooting and screechingherself!

‘i think i’ll go back now,’ said philip, getting up. ‘i’d like to stay and watch for a few morecreatures to come by, but i’m afraid i shall fall asleep. you coming, jack?’

‘well – i rather think i’ll go and wander round that quarry a bit,’ said jack. ‘i’d like to see whatowls are there – and i’d like to give old kiki the chance of calling them, to see if she really canbring them to her. i know she’s longing to try. aren’t you, kiki, old bird?’

kiki muttered something into his ear, afraid of speaking out loud. jack got up and stretched.

‘well, you get to bed, and i’ll come when i’m ready,’ he said. ‘i’ll be about half an hour, i expect.

don’t be surprised if you hear thousands of hoots in a little while, once kiki gets going!’

philip went back to the cottage, and jack made his way to the quarry. little did they guess whata shock they were both going to get in the next ten minutes!