chapter 16 the terrible mist

yes, the gypsies were certainly coming! their dogs were with them, barking. the four childrenhurried out of the quarry with timmy at their heels, quite silent.

'those fellows may not know we were camping in the quarry,' panted dick. 'they may just becoming to find the parcels, and while they are hunting around, we may be able to get a good start.

buck up!'

they set off to where the lines ended, near where the old engine lay half-buried. the gypsy dogsheard them and set up a yelping and howling. the gypsies stopped to see what had excited them.

they spied shadows moving in the distance, the four children slipping away from the quarry.

one of the men shouted loudly.

'hey you - stop! who are you? stop, i say!'

but the five didn't stop. they were now stumbling between the railway lines, glad of george's torch,and anne's. the boys could not have held one for it was all they could do to hang on to the heavy-laden rugs.

'quick, oh quick!' whispered anne, but it was impossible to go very quickly.

'they must be catching us up,' said julian, suddenly. 'look round and see, george.'

george looked round. 'no, i can't see anyone,' she said. 'julian, everywhere looks peculiar.

what's happening? julian, stop. something queer is happening!'

julian stopped and looked round. his eyes had been fixed on his feet, trying to see where he wasgoing without stumbling. anne had shone her torch down for him but it was still dificult to get alongproperly. julian gazed all round, wondering what george meant.

then he gave a gasp. 'gosh! how queer! there's a mist come up, look. it's even blotted out the stars.

no wonder it seems so jolly dark all of a sudden.'

'a mist!' said anne, scared. 'not that awful mist that sometimes covers the moor! oh julian, is it?'

julian and dick watched the swirling mist in astonishment. 'it's come from the sea,' julian said.

'can't you smell the salt in it? it's come just as suddenly as we've been told it comes, and look, it'sgetting thicker every minute!'

'what a good thing we're on the railway lines!' said george. 'what shall we do? go on?'

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julian stood and thought. 'the gypsies won't come after us in this mist,' he said. 'i've a good mind tohide this money somewhere, and then walk back to get the police. if we keep on the lines we can't gowrong. but we must be sure not to leave them, or we'll be completely lost!'

'yes, let's do that,' said dick, who was heartily sick already of lugging along his heavy load. 'butwhere do you propose to hide them, ju? not in the quarry! we'd have to walk through this awful mistto do that, and we'd get lost at once.'

'no. i've thought of a fine place,' said julian, and he lowered his voice. 'remember that old engine,fallen on its side? well, what about stuffing these packets all the way down that great long funnel,and then stopping the top of it up with sand? i bet you anything you like that nobody would find thepackets there.'

'grand idea!' said dick. 'the gypsies will be sure we've gone off carrying the money, and they'll nothunt about for it long, once they find the dropped packets are all gone. we'll be half-way home by thetime they try to catch us, if they dare to brave this mist.'

anne and george thought julian's idea was first- rate, a stroke of genius. 'i'd never, never havethought of the engine funnel!' said anne.

'now, there's no need for you two girls and timmy to walk all the way to the engine with us,'

said julian. 'you sit down here on the lines, and wait for us to come back. we shan't be long.

we'll walk straight up the railway, find the engine, pack the money into the funnel, and walk back.'

'right,' said george, squatting down. 'bring the rugs back with you, though. it's cold now!'

julian and dick went off together, with anne's torch. george kept hers. timmy pressed close againsther, astonished at the thick mist that had so suddenly swirled up and around them.

'that's right. keep close to us and keep us warm, tim,' said george. 'it's jolly cold now. this mist isdamp!'

julian stumbled along, keeping a look-out for the gypsies. he could see nothing of them, but then, ifthey had been only two feet away he could not have seen anything of them in the mist! it seemed toget thicker and thicker.

i know what old ben meant now, when he said that it had damp fingers, thought julian, feeling littletouches like fingers on his face, hands and legs as the mist wreathed itself round him.

dick nudged him. 'here we are,' he said. 'the lines are broken here. the engine should be just overthere, a yard or two away.'

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they stepped cautiously away from the lines. the big gorse-bush could not be seen, but it could befelt! julian felt thorns pricking his legs, and knew he was beside it.

'shine your torch here, dick,' he whispered. 'that's right. there's the cab of the engine, see? now let'scircle the bush, and we'll come to the funnel.'

'here it is,' said dick, in a few moments. 'look! now then, let's do a bit of work, shoving thesepackets down. gosh, what a lot of them there are! i hope the funnel will take them all.'

they spent ten minutes ramming the packets into the wide funnel. down they went to the bottom!

more and more followed and then, at last, the final one was shoved in and rammed down.

'that's the lot,' said dick, relieved. 'now we'll pack some sand in. gosh, isn't this bush full ofprickles! it's really spiteful!'

'the packets almost fill the funnel,' said julian. 'hardly any room for sand. still, we can put in enoughto hide the money all right. there that's done. now pull this gorse-branch over the top of the funnel.

my word, i never knew a bush so set with spines! i'm scratched to bits!'

'can you hear anything of the gypsies?' asked dick, in a low voice, as they prepared to go back to thelines.

they listened. 'not a thing,' said julian. 'it's my belief they're scared of this mist, and are lying low tillit clears.'

'they may be in the quarry,' said dick. 'waiting there in safety. well, long may they be there!

they won't get the money now!'

'come on,' said julian, and walked round the bush. 'it's just about here that we step out to get to thelines. take my arm. we mustn't get separated. did you ever see such a mist in your life? it's thethickest fog i ever knew. we can't even see our feet in the light of the torch now.'

they took a few steps and then felt about for the rails. they couldn't feel even one. 'a bit farther, ithink,' said julian. 'no, this way.'

but they still couldn't find the railway lines. where were the wretched things? a small feeling ofpanic came into julian's mind. which way should they step now, to find the rails? how had they gonewrong?

now both boys were on hands and knees, feeling for the broken rails. 'i've got one,' said dick.

'no, blow, it isn't. it's a bit of wood, or something. for goodness' sake, keep close to me, ju.'

after ten minutes' search, the two boys sat back on their heels, the little torch between them.

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'somehow we've just missed those two or three correct steps from the gorse-bush to the rails,'

said julian. 'now we're done! i don't see anything for it but to wait till the mist clears.'

'but what about the two girls?' said dick, anxiously. 'let's try a bit longer. look, the mist is clearing alittle there. let's go forward and hope we'll stumble over the lines soon. if the mist does clear, weshall soon be able to get our bearings.'

so they went forward hopefully, seeing the mist clear a little in front of them, so that the torch made alonger beam for them to see by. now and again, when their feet knocked against something hard,they felt for the rails. but they could not find even one!

'let's shout,' said julian, at last. so they shouted loudly. 'george! anne! can you hear us?' they stoodand listened. no answer.

'george!' yelled dick. 'timmy!'

they thought they heard a far-off bark. 'that was timmy!' said julian. 'over there!'

they stumbled along and then shouted again. but this time there was no bark at all. not a soundcame out of that dreadful mist, which had now closed tightly round them again.

'we'll be walking in it all night long,' said julian, desperately. 'why did we leave the girls?

suppose this frightful fog doesn't clear by tomorrow? sometimes it lasts for days.'

'what a horrible idea,' said dick, lightly, sounding much more cheerful than he felt. 'i don't think weneed worry about the girls, ju. timmy's with them and he can easily take them back to the stablesacross the moor, in the mist. dogs don't mind fogs.'

julian felt most relieved. he hadn't thought of that. 'oh yes, i'd forgotten old tim,' he said. 'well,seeing that the girls will probably be all right with timmy to guide them, let's sit down somewhereand have a rest. i'm tired out!'

'here's a good thick bush,' said dick. 'let's get into the middle of it if we can, and keep the damp outof us. thank goodness it's not a gorse-bush!'

'i wish i knew if the girls had had the sense not to wait for us any longer, but to try to find their wayback down the lines,' said julian. 'i wonder where they are now?'

anne and george were no longer where julian and dick had left them! they had waited and waited,and then had become very anxious indeed.

'something's happened,' said george. 'i think we ought to go and get help, anne. we can easilyfollow the railway down to where we have to break off for the stable. timmy will know, anyway.

don't you think we ought to go back and get help?'

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'yes, i do,' said anne, getting up. 'come on george. gosh, this mist is worse than ever! we'll have tobe careful we don't lose the lines! even timmy might find it hard to smell his way in this fog!'

they got up. anne followed george and timmy followed behind, looking puzzled. he couldn'tunderstand this night-time wandering about at all!

anne and george kept closely to the railway lines, walking slowly along, shining the light of thetorch downwards, and following carefully.

after a time george stopped, puzzled. 'this line's broken here,' she said. 'there's no more of it.

that's funny, i don't remember it being as badly broken as this. the lines simply stop. i can't see anymore.'

'oh george!' said anne, peering down. 'do you know what we've done. we've come all the way upthe lines again - instead of going down them, homewards! how could we have been so mad?

look, this is where they break off; so the old engine must be somewhere near, and the quarry!'

'blow!' said george, quite in despair. 'what asses we are. it shows how we can lose our sense ofdirection in a mist like this.'

'i can't see or hear anything of the boys,' said anne, fearfully. 'george, let's go to the quarry and waitthere till daylight comes. i'm cold and tired. we can squeeze into one of those warm sand-caves.'

'all right,' said george, very much down in the dumps. 'come along, and for goodness' sake don'tlet's lose our way to the quarry!'