chapter 18 a very exciting time

'let's take all the clues we know,' said dick, looking excited. 'two trees. that's here. gloomy water.

that's where the hidden stuff must be. saucy jane. it's a boat that contains the stuff, hiddensomewhere on gloomy water.'

'go on,' said julian, as dick paused to think.

'maggie is the next clue - well she's here, probably an old friend of nailer's,' said dick. 'she knowsall the clues too.'

he jabbed his finger at the piece of paper. 'now for these clues. listen! we saw tall stone when wewere out on the lake, didn't we? very well. there must be some spot on the lake from where we cansee not only tall stone, but also tock hill, chimney and steeple, whatever they are! there must beonly one spot from which we can see all those four things at the same time -and that's the spot to hunt in for the treasure!'

there was an astonished silence after this. julian drew a long breath and clapped dick on the back.

'of course! what idiots we were not to see it before. the saucy jane must be somewhere on - or in -the lake at the spot where all four clues are seen at the same time. we've only got to explore and findout!'

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'yes - but don't forget that maggie and dirty dick know what these clues mean too! they'll be therefirst if they possibly can!' said dick. 'and what's more if they get the goods we can't do anythingabout it. we're not the police! they'll be off and away with their find and disappear completely.'

everyone began to feel intensely excited. 'i think we'd better set off early tomorrow morning,'

said julian. 'as soon as it's light. otherwise maggie and dick will get in first. i wish to goodness wehad an alarm clock.'

'we'll go on the raft, and we'll paddle about till we see tall stone again - then we'll keep that in sighttill we see tock hill, whatever that is,' said dick. 'and once we've spotted that we'll keep both tallstone and tock hill in sight and paddle round to find out where we can see a steeple -and then a chimney. i should think that would be the one chimney left on two trees-house! did younotice there is just one left, sticking up high?'

'yes, i noticed,' said anne. 'what a clever way to hide anything, dick. nobody could possibly knowwhat the clues meant unless they knew something of the secret. this is awfully exciting!'

they talked about it for some time and then julian said they really must try and go to sleep or theywould never wake up early enough in the morning.

they settled down in their beds of heather and bracken. timmy lay on julian's blazer on the top stepof the stairs leading down to the cellar room. he seemed to think it was quite a good idea to sleepthere that night.

they were all tired and they fell asleep very quickly. nothing disturbed them in the night. the foxcame again and looked into the old house, but timmy didn't stir. he merely gave a small growl andthe fox fled, his bushy tail spread behind him.

the morning came and daylight crept in at the burnt-out doorway and windows. timmy stirred andwent to the door. he looked towards the two tents. no one was about there. he went to the cellarsteps and clattered down waking dick and julian at once.

'what's the time?' said julian, remembering immediately that he was to wake early. 'half-past seven.

wake up, everyone! it's daylight. we've heaps to do!'

they washed hurriedly, combed out their hair, cleaned their teeth, and tried to brush down theirclothes. anne got ready some snacks for them - ham, scones and a piece of shortbread each.

they all had a drink of water and then they were ready to go.

there was no sign of anyone near the two tents. 'good,' said julian. 'we'll be there first!'

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they dragged the raft out and got on to it, taking up the paddles. then off they went, timmy too, allfeeling tremendously excited.

'we'll paddle out to where we think we were last night when anne caught sight of tall stone,'

said julian. so they paddled valiantly, though their arms were stiff with yesterday's paddling and itwas really very painful to use the tired muscles all over again!

they paddled out to the middle of the lake and looked for tall stone. it didn't seem anywhere to beseen! they strained their eyes for it, but for a long time it was not to be spotted at all. then dick gavea cry. 'it's just come into sight. look, when we passed those tall trees on the bank yonder, tall stonecame into view. it was behind them before that.'

'good,' said julian. 'now i'm going to stop paddling and keep tall stone in sight. if it goes out ofsight i'll tell you and you must back- paddle. dick, can you possibly paddle and look out forsomething that could be tock hill on the opposite side? i daren't take my eyes off tall stone in caseit disappears.'

'right,' said dick, and paddled while he looked earnestly for tock hill.

'got it!' he said suddenly. 'it must be it! look, over there - a funny little hill with a pointed top.

julian, can you still see tall stone?'

'yes,' said julian. 'keep your eyes on tock hill. now it's up to the girls. george, paddle away and seeif you can spot steeple.'

'i can see it now, already!' said george, and for one moment the boys took their eyes off tall stoneand tock hill and looked where george pointed. they saw the steeple of a faraway church glintingin the morning sun.

'good, good, good,' said julian. 'now anne - look for chimney - look down towards the end of thelake - where the house is. can you see its one chimney?'

'not quite,' said anne. 'paddle just a bit to the left - the left, i said, george! yes - yes, i can see theone chimney. stop paddling everyone. we're here!'

they stopped paddling but the raft drifted on, and anne lost the chimney again! they had to paddleback a bit until it came into sight. by that time george had lost her steeple!

at last all four things were in view at once, and the raft seemed to be still and unmoving on the quietwaters of the lake.

'i'm going to drop something to mark the place,' said julian, still keeping his eyes desperately on tallstone. 'george, can you manage to watch tall stone and steeple at the same time? i simply 75must look what i'm doing for the moment.'

'i'll try,' said george, and fixed her eyes first on tall stone, then on steeple, then on tall stone again,hoping and praying that neither would slip out of sight if the raft moved on the water.

julian was busy. he had taken his torch and his pocket-knife out of his pocket and had tied themtogether with string. 'i haven't enough string, dick,' he said. 'you've got some, haven't you?'

dick had, of course. he put his hand into his pocket, still keeping his eyes on tock hill and passedhis string over to julian.

julian tied it to the end of the string that joined together the knife and torch. then he dropped theminto the water, letting out the string as they went down with their weight. the string slid through hishands. it stopped in a short while and julian knew that the knife and torch had reached the bed of thelake.

he felt in his pockets again. he knew he had a cork somewhere that he had carved into a horse'shead. he found it and tied the end of the string firmly round it. then he dropped the cork thankfullyinto the water. it bobbed there, held by the string, which led right down to the knife and torch on thelake-bed below.

'it's done!' he said, with a sigh of relief. 'take your eyes off everything! i've marked the place now, sowe don't need to glue our eyes on the four bearings!'

he told them how he had tied together his knife and torch and dropped them on string to the bottomof the lake, and then had tied a cork to the other end, so that it would bob and show them the place.

they all looked at it. 'jolly clever, ju,' said dick. 'but once we slide away from this spot, and it wouldbe an easy thing to do, we'd find it jolly difficult to find that cork again! hadn't we better tiesomething else to it?'

'i haven't got anything else that will float,' said julian. 'have you?'

'i have,' said george, and she handed him a little wooden box. 'i keep the three penny bits i collect inthat,' she said, putting the money into her pocket. 'you can have the box. it will be much easier to seethan the cork.'

julian tied the box to the cork. it was certainly a good deal easier to see! 'fine!' he said. 'now we'requite all right. we must be right over the loot!'

they all bent over the edge of the raft and looked down - and they saw a most surprising sight!

below them, resting on the bottom of the lake, was a boat! it lay there in the shadows of the 76water, its outline blurred by the ripples the raft made - but quite plainly it was a boat!

'the saucy jane!' said julian, peering down, feeling amazed and awed to think that they had read thebearings so correctly that they were actually over the saucy jane herself! 'the nailer must have comehere with the stolen goods - got out the saucy jane and rowed her to this spot. he must have taken hisbearings very carefully indeed, and then holed the boat so that she sank down with the loot in her.

then i suppose he swam back to shore.'

'most ingenious,' said dick. 'really, he must be a jolly clever fellow. but i say, julian - how on earthare we going to get the boat up?'

'i can't imagine,' said julian. 'i simply - can't - imagine! i hadn't even thought of that.'

timmy suddenly began to growl. the four looked up quickly to see why.

they saw a boat coming over the water towards them - the merry meg, with maggie and dirty dickin it. and the children felt quite certain that both were reading the bearings on their piece of paper inexactly the same way as they themselves had!

they were so engrossed in watching for tall stone, tock hill, chimney and steeple that they tookno notice of the children at all. 'i don't think they guess for one moment that we've read the bearingsand marked the place,' said julian. 'how wild they'll be when they find we are right over the placethey're looking for! watch out for trouble!'