chapter 11 mostly about jock

the three boys stood rather close together, glad to feel each other in the darkness. they couldn'tbelieve that they had found what they had come looking for so doubtfully! what kind of a trainwas this that had come rumbling out of the tunnel so mysteriously, and then, after a pause at theyard, had gone just as mysteriously back again?

'if only i hadn't twisted my ankle, we could have followed the train down the lines to the yard,and have gone quite close to it there,' groaned dick. 'what an ass i am, messing things up at themost exciting moment!'

'you couldn't help it,' said jock. 'i say - we've seen the spook-train! i can hardly believe it. doesit go all by itself, with nobody to drive it? is it a real train?'

'judging by the noise it made, it's real all right,' said julian. 'and it shot out smoke, too. all thesame, it's jolly strange. i can't say i like it much.'

'let's go and see what's happened to wooden-leg sam,' said dick. 'i bet he's under his bed!'

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they made their way slowly back to the yard, dick limping a little, though his ankle waspractically all right again. when they came to the yard they looked towards sam's hut. the lightwas there no longer.

'he's blown it out and got under the bed!' said dick. 'poor sam! it really must be terrifying forhim. let's go and peep into his hut.'

they went over to it and tried to see in at the window. but there was nothing to be seen. the hutwas in complete darkness. then suddenly a little flare flashed out somewhere near the floor.

'look - there's sam! he's lighting a match,' said julian. 'see - he's peeping out from under thebed. he looks scared stiff. let's tap on the window and ask him if he's all right.'

but that was quite the wrong thing to do! as soon as julian tapped sharply on the window, samgave an anguished yell and retired hurriedly under the bed again, his wavering match-light goingout.

'it's come for to take me!' they heard him wailing. 'it's come for to take me! and me with mywooden leg off too.'

'we're only frightening the poor old fellow,' said dick. 'come on. let's leave him. he'll have a fitor something if we call out to him. he honestly thinks the spook-train's come to get him.'

they wandered round the dark yard for a few minutes, but there was nothing to find out in thedarkness. no more rumbling came to their ears. the spook-train was evidently not going to runagain that night.

'let's go back,' said julian. 'that really was exciting! honestly, my hair stood on end when thattrain came puffing out of the tunnel. where on earth did it come from? and what's the reason forit?'

they gave it up, and began to walk back to the camp. they scrambled through the heather, tiredbut excited. 'shall we tell the girls we've seen the train?' said dick.

'no,' said julian. 'it would only scare anne, and george would be furious if she knew we'd gonewithout her. we'll wait and see if we discover anything more before we say anything, either tothe girls or to old luffy.'

'right,' said dick. 'you'll hold your tongue, too, won't you, jock?'

'course,' said jock, scornfully. 'who would i tell? my stepfather? not likely! how furious he'dbe if he knew we'd all pooh-poohed his warnings and gone down to see the spook-train after all!'

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he suddenly felt something warm against his legs, and gave a startled cry: 'what's this? getaway!'

but the warm thing turned out to be timmy, who had come to meet the three boys. he pressedagainst each of them in turn and whined a little.

'he says, "why didn't you take me with you?"' said dick. 'sorry, old thing, but we couldn't.

george would never have spoken to us again if we'd taken you, and left her behind! how wouldyou have liked spook-trains, timmy? would you have run into a corner somewhere and hidden?'

'woof,' said timmy, scornfully. as if he would be afraid of anything!

they reached their camping-place and began to speak in whispers. 'good-bye, jock. come uptomorrow if you can. hope you don't have that cecil boy to cope with!'

'good-bye! see you soon,' whispered jock, and disappeared into the darkness, with timmy at hisheels. another chance of a midnight walk? good, thought timmy, just what he'd like! it was hotin the tent, and a scamper in the cool night air would be fine.

timmy growled softly when they came near to olly's farm, and stood still, the hackles on hisneck rising up a little. jock put his hand on the dog's head and stopped.

'what's the matter, old boy? burglars or something?'

he strained his eyes in the darkness. big clouds now covered the stars and there was no light atall to see by. jock made out a dim light in one of the barns. he crept over to it to see what it was.

it went out as he came near, and then he heard the sound of footsteps, the quiet closing of thebarn door, and the click of a padlock as it was locked.

jock crept nearer - too near, for whoever it was must have heard him and swung round, lashingout with his arm. he caught jock on the shoulder, and the boy overbalanced. he almost fell, andthe man who had struck him clutched hold of him. a flash-light was put on and he blinked in thesudden light.

'it's you, jock!' said an astonished voice, rough and impatient. 'what are you doing out here atthis time of night?'

'well, what are you doing?' demanded jock, wriggling free. he switched on his own torch and letthe light fall on the man who had caught him. it was peters, one of the farm men, the one inwhose lorry he had ridden that very day.

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'what's it to do with you?' said peters, angrily. 'i had a breakdown, and i've only just got back.

look here - you're fully dressed! where have you been at this time of night? did you hear mecome in and get up to see what was happening?'

'you never know!' said jock cheekily. he wasn't going to say anything that might make peterssuspicious of him. 'you just never know!'

'is that biddy?' said peters, seeing a dark shadow slinking away. 'do you mean to say you'vebeen out with biddy? what in the world have you been doing?'

jock thanked his lucky stars that peters hadn't spotted it was timmy, not biddy. he moved offwithout saying another word. let peters think what he liked! it was bad luck, though, that petershad had a breakdown and come in late. if the man told his stepfather he'd seen jock, fullydressed in the middle of the night, there'd be questions asked by both his mother and hisstepfather, and jock, who was a truthful boy, would find things very difficult to explain.

he scuttled off to bed, climbing up the pear-tree outside his window, and dropping quietly intohis room. he opened his door softly to hear if anyone was awake in the house, but all was darkand silent.

'blow peters!' thought jock. 'if he splits on me, i'm for it!'

he got into bed, pondered over the curious happenings of the night for a few minutes, and thenslid into an uneasy sleep, in which spook-trains, peters, and timmy kept doing most peculiarthings. he was glad to awake in the bright, sunny morning and find his mother shaking him.

'get up, jock! you're very late. whatever's made you so sleepy? we're half-way throughbreakfast!'

peters, apparently, didn't say anything to jock's stepfather about seeing jock in the night. jockwas very thankful. he began to plan how to slip off to the others at the camp. he'd take themsome food! that would be a fine excuse.

'mum, can i take a basket of stuff to the campers?' he said, after breakfast. they must be runningshort now.'

'well, that boy is coming,' said his mother. 'what's his name - cecil something? your stepfathersays he's such a nice boy. you did enjoy your day with him yesterday, didn't you?'

jock would have said quite a lot of uncomplimentary things about dear cecil if his stepfather hadnot been there, sitting by the window reading the paper. as it was, he shrugged his shoulders andmade a face, hoping that his mother would understand his feelings. she did.

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'what time is cecil coming?' she said. 'perhaps there's time for you to run to the camp with abasket.'

'i don't want him running off up there,' said mr. andrews, suddenly butting into the conversation,and putting down his newspaper. 'cecil may be here at any minute - and i know what jock is!

he'd start talking to those kids and forget all about coming back. cecil's father is a great friend ofmine, and jock's got to be polite to him, and be here to welcome him. there's to be no runningoff to that camp today.'

jock looked sulky. why must his stepfather suddenly interfere in his plans like this? rushinghim off to the town, making him take cecil for a friend! just when some other children had comeinto his rather lonely life and livened it up, too! it was maddening.

'perhaps i can go up to the camp myself with some food,' said his mother, comfortingly. 'ormaybe the children will come down for some.'

jock was still sulky. he stalked out into the yard and went to look for biddy. she was with herpups who were now trying to crawl round the shed after her. jock hoped the campers wouldcome to fetch food themselves that day. then at least he would get a word with them.

cecil arrived by car. he was about the same age as jock, though he was small for twelve yearsold. he had curly hair which was too long, and his grey flannel suit was very, very clean andwell-pressed.

'hallo!' he called to jock. 'i've come. what shall we play at? soldiers?'

'no. red indians,' said jock, who had suddenly remembered his old red indian head-dress withmasses of feathers round it, and a trail of them falling down the back. he rushed indoors,grinning. he changed into the whole suit, and put on his head-dress. he took his paint-box andhurriedly painted a frightful pattern of red, blue and green on his face. he found his tomahawkand went downstairs. he would play at red indians, and scalp that annoying pale-face!

cecil was wandering round by himself. to his enormous horror, as he turned a corner, a mostterrifying figure rose up from behind a wall, gave a horrible yell and pounced on him, wavingwhat looked like a dangerous chopper.

cecil turned and fled, howling loudly, with jock leaping madly after him, whooping for all hewas worth, and thoroughly enjoying himself. he had had to play at soldiers all the day beforewith dear cecil. he didn't see why cecil shouldn't play red indians all day with him today!

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just at that moment, the four campers arrived to fetch food, with timmy running beside them.

they stopped in amazement at the sight of cecil running like the wind, howling dismally, and afully-dressed and painted red indian leaping fiercely after him.

jock saw them, did a comical war-dance all round them, much to timmy's amazement, yelleddramatically, pretended to cut off timmy's tail and then tore after the vanishing cecil.

the children began to laugh helplessly. 'oh dear!' said anne, with tears of laughter in her eyes,'that must be cecil he's after. i suppose this is jock's revenge for having to play soldiers all daywith him yesterday.

look, there they go round the pig-sty. poor cecil. he really thinks he's going to be scalped!'

cecil disappeared into the farm kitchen, sobbing, and mrs. andrews ran to comfort him. jockmade off back to the others, grinning all over his war-painted face.

'hallo,' he said. 'i'm just having a nice quiet time with dear cecil. i'm so glad to see you. i wantedto come over, but my stepfather said i wasn't to - i must play with cecil. isn't he frightful?'

'awful,' everyone agreed.

'i say, will your mother be furious with you for frightening cecil like that? perhaps we'd betternot ask her for any food yet?' said julian.

'yes, you'd better wait a bit,' said jock, leading them to the sunny side of the haystack they hadrested by before. 'hallo, timmy! did you get back all right last night?'

jock had completely forgotten that the girls didn't know of the happenings of the night before.

both anne and george at once pricked up their ears. julian frowned at jock, and dick gave hima secret nudge.

'what's up?' said george, seeing all this by-play. 'what happened last night?'

'oh, i just came up to have a little night-talk with the boys - and timmy walked back with me,'

said jock, airily. 'hope you didn't mind him coming, george.'

george flushed an angry red. 'you're keeping something from me,' she said to the boys. 'yes, youare. i know you are. i believe you went off to the railway yard last night! did you?'

there was an awkward silence. julian shot an annoyed look at poor jock, who could have kickedhimself.

'go on - tell me,' persisted george, an angry frown on her forehead. 'you beasts! you did go!

and you never woke me up to go with you! oh, i do think you're mean!'

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'did you see anything?' said anne, her eyes going from one boy to another. each of the girlssensed that there had been some kind of adventure in the night.

'well,' began julian. and then there was an interruption. cecil came round the haystack, his eyesred with crying. he glared at jock.

'your father wants you,' he said. 'you're to go at once. you're a beast, and i want to go home.

can't you hear your father yelling for you? he's got a stick - but i'm not sorry for you! i hope hewhacks you hard!'