chapter 6 odd happenings

they all thought it really was a little odd to disappear so suddenly like that, with just a casual good-bye. julian wondered if he ought to have gone with him and delivered him safely on the door-step.

'don't be an ass, julian,' said dick, scornfully. 'what do you think can happen to him from the frontgate to the front door!'

'nothing, of course. it's just that i don't trust that young fellow,' said julian. 'you know i really wasn'tsure he had asked his mother if he could come with us, to tell you the truth.'

'i thought that too,' said anne. 'he did get to croker's corner so very quickly, didn't he? - and he hadquite a long way to go really, and he had to find his mother, and talk to her, and all that.'

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'yes. i've half a mind to pop up to the aunt's house and see if she expected him,' said julian. but onsecond thoughts he didn't go. he would feel so silly if the aunt was there with richard, and all waswell - they would think that he and the others ought to be asked in.

so, after debating the matter for a few minutes they all rode off again. they wanted to get tomiddlecombe woods fairly soon, because there were no villages between great giddings andmiddlecombe, so they would have to find the woods and then go on to find a farm-house somewhereto buy food for supper and breakfast. they hadn't been able to buy any in the shops at great giddingsbecause it was early closing day, and they hadn't liked to ask the tea-shop woman to sell themanything. they felt they had taken quite enough of her food already!

they came to middlecombe woods, and found a very fine place to camp in for the night. it was in alittle dell, set with primroses and violets, a perfectly hidden place, secure from all prying eyes, andsurely unknown even to tramps.

'this is glorious,' said anne. 'we must be miles away from anywhere: i hope we can find some farm-house or something that will sell us food, though! i know we don't feel hungry now, but we shall!'

'i think i've got a puncture, blow it,' said dick, looking at his back tyre. 'it's a slow one, fortunately.

but i think i won't risk coming along to look for farmhouses till i've mended it.'

'right,' said julian. 'and anne needn't come either. she looks a bit tired. george and i will go.

we won't take our bikes. it's easier to walk through the woods. we may be an hour or so, but don'tworry, timmy will know the way back all right, so we shan't lose you!'

julian and george set off on foot, with timmy following. timmy too was tired, but nothing wouldhave made him stay behind with anne and dick. he must go with his beloved george!

anne put her bicycle carefully into the middle of a bush. you never knew when a tramp might beabout, watching to steal something! it didn't matter when timmy was there, because he would growlif a tramp came within a mile of them. dick called out that he would mend his puncture now. he hadfound the hole already, where a small nail had gone in.

she sat near to dick, watching him. she was glad to rest. she wondered if the others had found afarmhouse yet.

dick worked steadily at mending the puncture. they had been there together about half an hour whenthey heard sounds.

dick lifted his head and listened. 'can you hear something?' he said to anne. she nodded.

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'yes. somebody's shouting. i wonder why!'

they both listened again. then they distinctly heard yells. 'help! julian! where are you? help!'

they shot to their feet. who was calling julian for help? it wasn't george's voice. the yells grewlouder, to panic-stricken shrieks.

'julian! dick!'

'why - it must be richard,' said dick, amazed. 'what in the world does he want? what's happened?'

anne was pale. she didn't like sudden happenings like this. 'shall we - shall we go and find him?'

she said.

there was a crashing not far off, as if somebody was making his way through the undergrowth.

it was rather dark among the trees, and anne and dick could see nothing at first. dick yelled loudly.

'hey! is that you, richard! we're here!'

the crashing noise redoubled. 'i'm coming!' squealed richard. 'wait for me, wait for me!'

they waited. soon they saw richard coming, stumbling as fast as he could between the trees.

'here we are,' called dick. 'whatever's the matter?'

richard staggered towards them. he looked frightened out of his life. 'they're after me,' he panted.

'you must save me. i want timmy. he'll bite them.'

'who's after you?' asked dick, amazed.

'where's timmy? where's julian?' cried richard, looking round in despair.

they've gone to the farm-house to get some food,' said dick. they'll be back soon, richard.

whatever's the matter? are you mad? you look awful.'

the boy took no notice of the questions. 'where has julian gone? i want timmy. tell me the waythey went. i can't stay here. they'll catch me!'

they went along there,' said dick, showing richard the path. 'you can just see the tracks of their feet.

richard, whatever is . . .?'

but richard was gone! he fled down the path at top speed, calling at the top of his voice, 'julian!

timmy!'

anne and dick stared at one another in surprise. what had happened to richard? why wasn't he athis aunt's house? he must be mad!

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'it's no good going after him,' said dick. 'we shall only lose the way and not be able to find this placeagain - and the others will miss us and go hunting and get lost too! what is the matter with richard?'

'he kept saying somebody was after him - they were after him!' said anne. 'he's got some bee in hisbonnet about something.'

'bats in the belfry,' said dick. 'mad, dippy, daft! well, he'll give julian and george a shock when heruns into them - if he does! the odds are he will miss them altogether.'

'i'm going to climb this tree and see if i can see anything of richard or the others,' said anne. 'it's tall,and it's easy to climb. you finish mending your puncture. i should just love to know what happens torichard.'

dick went back to his bicycle, puzzled. anne climbed the tree. she climbed well, and was soon at thetop. she gazed out over the countryside. there was an expanse of fields on one side, and woodsstretched away on the other. she looked over the darkening fields, trying to see if a farmhouse wasanywhere near. but she could see nothing.

dick was just finishing his puncture when he heard another noise in the woods. was it that idiot of arichard coming back? he listened.

the noise came nearer. it wasn't a crashing noise, like richard had made. it was a stealthy noise as ifpeople were gradually closing in. dick didn't much like it. who was coming? or perhaps -what was coming? was it some wild animal - perhaps a badger and its mate? the boy stood listening.

a silence came. no more movements. no more rustling. had he imagined it all? he wished anne andthe others were near him. it was eerie, standing there in the darkening wood, waiting and watching.

he decided that he had imagined it all. he thought it would be a very good idea if he lighted hisbicycle lamp, then the light would soon dispel his silly ideas! he fumbled about for it on the front ofhis handlebars. he switched it on and a very comforting little glow at once spread a circle of light inthe little dell.

dick was just about to call up to anne to tell her his absurd fears when the noises came again!

there was absolutely no mistake about them this time.

a brilliant light suddenly pierced through the trees and fell on dick. he blinked.

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'ah - so there you are, you little misery!' said a harsh voice, and someone came striding over to thedell. somebody else followed behind.

'what do you mean?' asked dick, amazed. he could not see who the men were because of thebrilliant torch-light in his eyes.

'we've been chasing you for miles, haven't we? and you thought you'd get away. but we'd got youall the time!' said the voice.

'i don't understand this,' said dick, putting on a bold voice. 'who are you?'

'you know very well who we are,' said the voice. 'didn't you run away screaming as soon as you sawrooky? he went one way after you, and we went another - and we soon got you, didn't we?

now, you come along with us, my pretty!'

all this explained one thing clearly to dick - that it was richard they had been after, for some reasonor other - and they thought he was richard!

'i'm not the boy you're looking for,' he said. 'you'll get into trouble if you touch me!'

'what's your name, then?' asked the first man.

dick told him.

'oh - so you're dick - and isn't dick short for richard? you can't fool us with that baby-talk,'

said the first man. 'you're the richard we want, all right. richard kent, see?'

'i'm not richard kent!' shouted dick, as he felt the man's hand clutching his arm suddenly. 'you takeyour hands off me. you wait till the police hear of this!'

'they won't hear of it,' said the man. 'they won't hear anything at all! come on - and don't struggle orshout or you'll be sorry. once you're at owl's dene we'll deal properly with you!'

anne was sitting absolutely petrified up in the tree. she couldn't move or speak. she tried to call outto poor dick, but her tongue wouldn't say a word. she had to sit there and hear her brother beingdragged away by two strange ruffians. she almost fell out of the tree in fright, and she heard himshouting and yelling when he was dragged away. she could hear the sound of crashing for a longtime.

she began to cry. she didn't dare to climb down because she was trembling so much she was afraidshe would lose her hold and fall.

she must wait for george and julian to come back. suppose they didn't? suppose they had beencaught too? she would be all by herself in the tree all night long. anne sobbed up in the tree-top,holding on tightly.

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the stars came out above her head, and she saw the very bright one again.

and then she heard the sound of footsteps and voices. she stiffened up in the tree. who was it thistime? oh let it be julian and george and timmy; let it be julian, george and timmy!