chapter 9

moonlight adventure

the four of them rode carefully down the rough, woodland path. they were glad when they came outinto a lane. julian stopped for a moment to take his bearings.

'now - according to the map, we ought to go to the right here - then take the left at the fork some waydown, and then circle a hill by the road at the bottom - and then ride a mile or two in a little valley tillwe come to the foot of owl's hill.'

'if we meet anyone we could ask them about owl's dene,' said anne, hopefully.

'we shan't meet anyone out at night in this district!' said julian. 'for one thing it's far from anyvillage, and there will be no farmer, no policeman, no traveller for miles! we can't hope to meetanyone.'

the moon was up, and the sky cleared as they rode down the lane. it was soon as bright as day!

'we could switch off our lamps and save the batteries,' said julian. 'we can see quite well we're out ofthe woods and in the moonlight. rather weird, isn't it?'

'i always think moonlight's queer, because although it shines so brightly on everything, you can neversee much colour anywhere,' said anne. she switched off her lamp too. she glanced down at timmy.

'switch off your head-lamps, timmy!' she said, which made richard give a sudden giggle. juliansmiled. it was nice to hear anne being cheerful again.

'timmy's eyes are rather like head-lamps, aren't they?' said richard. 'i say - what about that food,julian?'

'right,' said julian, and he fished in his basket. but it was very difficult to get it out with one hand,and try to hand it to the others.

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'better stop for a few minutes, after all,' he said at last. 'i've already dropped a hard-boiled egg, ithink! come on - let's stack our bikes by the side of the road for three minutes, and gulp downsomething just to satisfy us for now.'

richard was only too pleased. the girls were so hungry that they too thought it a good idea.

they leapt off their bicycles in the moonlit road and went to the little copse at the side. it was a pine-copse, and the ground below was littered with dry brown pine-needles.

'let's squat here for a minute or two,' said julian. 'i say - what's that over there?'

everyone looked. 'it's a tumbledown hut or something,' said george, and she went nearer to see.

'yes, that's all - some old cottage fallen to bits. there's only part of the walls left. rather an eerielittle place.'

they went to sit down under the pine-trees. julian shared out the food. timmy got his bit too, thoughnot so much as he would have liked! they sat there in the pine shadows, munching hungrily as fast asthey could.

'i say - can anyone hear what i hear?' said julian, raising his head. 'it sounds like a car!'

they all listened. julian was right. a car was purring silently through the countryside! what a bit ofluck!

'if only it comes this way!' said julian. 'we could stop it and ask it for help. it could take us to thenearest police-station at any rate!'

they left their food in the little copse and went to the roadside. they could see no head-lights shininganywhere, but they could still hear the noise of the car.

'very quiet engine,' said julian. 'probably a powerful car. it hasn't got its head-lights on because ofthe bright moonlight.'

'it's coming nearer,' said george. 'it's coming down this lane. yes - it is!'

so it was. the noise of the engine came nearer, and nearer. the children got ready to leap out into theroad to stop the car.

and then the noise of the engine died away suddenly. the moon shone down on a big streamlined carthat had stopped a little way down the lane. it had no lights at all, not even side-lights. julian put outhis hand to stop the others from rushing into the road and shouting.

'wait,' he said. 'this is just a bit - queer!'

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they waited, keeping in the shadows. the car had stopped not far from the tumbledown hut. a dooropened on the off-side. a man got out and rushed across the road to the shadow of the hedge there.

he seemed to be carrying a bundle of some kind.

a low whistle sounded. the call of an owl came back. 'an answering signal!' thought julian,intensely curious about all this. 'i wonder what's happening?'

'keep absolutely quiet,' he breathed to the others. 'george, look after timmy - don't let him growl.'

but timmy knew when he had to be quiet. he didn't even give a whine. he stood like a statue, earspricked, eyes watching the lane.

nothing happened for a while. julian moved very cautiously to the shelter of another tree, fromwhere he could see better.

he could see the tumbledown shack. he saw a shadow moving towards it from some trees beyond.

he saw a man waiting - the man from the car probably. who were they? what in the world couldthey be doing here at this time of night?

the man from the trees came at last to the man from the car. there was a rapid interchange of words,but julian could not hear what they were. he was sure that the men had no idea at all that he and theother children were near. he cautiously crept to yet another tree, and peered from the shadows to tryand see what was happening.

'don't be long,' he heard one man say. 'don't bring your things to the car. stuff them down the well.'

julian could not see properly what the man was doing, but he thought he must be changing hisclothes. yes - now he was putting on the others - probably from the bundle the first man had broughtfrom the car. julian was more and more curious. what a queer business! who was the second man? arefugee? a spy?

the man who had changed his clothes now picked up his discarded ones and went to the back of theshack. he came back without them, and followed the first man across the lane to the waiting car.

even before the door had closed, the engine was purring, and the car was away! it passed by the pine-copse where the children were watching, and they all shrank back as it raced by. before it had gonevery far it was travelling very fast indeed.

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julian joined the others. well - what do you make of all that?' he said. 'funny business, isn't it? iwatched a man changing his clothes - goodness knows why. he's left them somewhere at the back ofthe shack - down a well, i think i heard them say. shall we see?'

'yes, let's,' said george, puzzled. 'i say, did you see the number on the car. i only managed to spot theletters - kmf.'

'i saw the numbers,' said anne. '102. and it was a black bentley.'

'yes. black bentley, kmf 102,' said richard. 'up to some funny business, i'll be bound!'

they made their way to the ruined shack, and pushed through overgrown weeds and bushes into thebackyard. there was a broken-down well there, most of its brickwork missing.

it was covered by an old wooden lid. julian removed it. it was still heavy, though rotten with age. hepeered down the well, but there was nothing at all to be seen. it was far too deep to see to the bottomby the light of a bicycle lamp.

'not much to be seen there,' said julian, replacing the lid. 'i expect it was his clothes he threw down.

wonder why he changed them?'

'do you think he could be an escaped prisoner?' said anne, suddenly. 'he'd have to change his prisonclothes, wouldn't he? - that would be the most important thing for him to do. is there a prison nearhere?'

nobody knew. 'don't remember noticing one on the map,' said julian. 'no - somehow i don't thinkthe man was an escaped prisoner - more likely a spy dropped down in this desolate countryside, andsupplied with clothes - or perhaps a deserter from the army. that's even more likely!'

'well, whatever it is i don't like it and i'm jolly glad the car's gone with the prisoner or deserter orspy, whatever he is,' said anne. 'what a curious thing that we should just be nearby when thishappened! the men would never, never guess there were four children and a dog watching just a fewyards away.'

'lucky for us they didn't know,' said julian. 'they wouldn't have been at all pleased! now come on -we've wasted enough time. let's get back to our food. i hope timmy hasn't eaten it all. we left it onthe ground.'

timmy hadn't eaten even a crumb. he was sitting patiently by the food, occasionally sniffing at it. allthat bread and ham and eggs waiting there and nobody to eat it!

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'good dog,' said george. 'you're very, very trustable, timmy. you shall have a big bit of bread andham for your reward.'

timmy gulped it down in one mouthful, but there was no more for him to have. the others only justhad enough for themselves, and ate every crumb. they rose to their feet in a very few minutes andwent to get their bicycles.

'now for owl's hill again,' julian. 'and let's hope we don't come across any more queer happeningstonight. we've had quite enough.'