chapter 18 george's trick

george sat in the darkness of the cave, hearing anne's peaceful breathing nearby, waiting for snifferto come back. she was longing to see timmy again. was the cut on his head very bad?

a thought came into her mind. she would send timmy back to the stables with a note! he was veryclever, he knew what to do when he had a note tied to his collar. then help would come very quicklyindeed. timmy would know his way all right out of this hill, once he had been in it!

ah, here was sniffer coming back again. was timmy with him? she heard sniffer's sniff-sniff-sniff,but no sound of timmy. her heart sank.

sniffer appeared cautiously in the cave.

'i didn't dare to take timmy,' he said. 'my father has him tied up too near to him, and i'd have wakedhim. but i've brought you a knife, look.'

'thank you, sniffer,' said george, taking the knife and putting it into her pocket. 'listen, there'ssomething important i'm going to do and you've got to help.'

'i'm scared,' said sniffer. 'i'm real scared.'

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'think of that bicycle,' said george. 'a red one, perhaps, with silver handles?'

sniffer thought of it. 'all right,' he said. 'what are you going to do?'

'i'm going to write a note,' said george, feeling in her pocket for her note-book and pencil. 'and iwant you to tie it on to timmy's collar, under his chin, and set him free somehow. will you do that?

he'll run off back to the stables with the note, and then anne and i will be rescued, and you will getthe most beautiful bicycle in the world!'

'and a house to live in,' said sniffer, at once. 'so's i can ride my bike to school?'

'all right,' said george, hoping that somehow he could have that too. 'now, wait a minute.'

she scribbled the note, but she had hardly written more than a few words, when a sound came up thepassage. someone was coughing.

'it's my father!' said sniffer, in fright. 'listen, if you cut your ropes and escape, can you find your wayout from here? it's very twisty and turny.'

'i don't know. i don't think i can!' whispered george, in a panic.

'i'll leave patrins for you!' said sniffer. 'look out for them! now i'm going to slip into the cave nextdoor, and wait till my father's finished talking to you. then i'll go back to timmy.'

he slipped out just in time. the lantern shone into george's cave and sniffer's father stood there.

'have you seen sniffer?' he asked. 'i missed him when i woke just now. if i catch him in here i'llwhip him till he squeals.'

'sniffer? he's not here,' said george, trying to sound surprised. 'look round the cave and see!'

the man caught sight of the note-book and pencil in george's hand. 'what's that you're writing?'

he said suspiciously and took it from her.

'so you're writing for help, are you!' he said. 'and how do you think you're going to get help. i'd liketo know? who's going to take this note home for you? sniffer?'

'no,' said george, truthfully.

the man frowned as he looked again at the note. 'look here,' he said, 'you can write another note, tothose two boys. and i'll tell you what to say.'

'no,' said george.

'oh yes, you will,' said the man. 'i'm not going to hurt those boys. i'm just going to get back thosepackets from wherever they are hidden. do you want your dog back safely?'

'yes,' said george, with a gulp.

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'well, if you don't write this note you won't see him again,' said the man. 'now then, take your penciland write in that note-book of yours.'

george took up her pencil. 'this is what you must write,' said the man, frowning as he thought hard.

'wait a minute,' said george. 'how are you going to get this note to the boys? you don't know wherethey are! you won't be able to find them if this mist still goes on.'

the man scratched his head and thought.

'the only way to get the note to them is to tie it on my dog's collar and send him to find them,'

said george. 'if you bring him here to me i can make him understand. he always does what i tellhim.'

'you mean he'll take the note to whoever you tell him to take it?' said the man, his eyes gleaming.

'well, write it then. say this:

' 'we are prisoners. follow timmy and he will bring you to us and you can save us.' then sign yourname, whatever it is.'

'it's georgina,' said george, firmly. 'you go and get my dog while i write the note.'

the man turned and went. george looked after him her eyes bright. he thought he was making herplay a trick on julian and dick, to bring them here so that they could be threatened and questionedabout the packets, and where they were hidden!

'but i'm going to play a trick on him,' thought george. 'i'm going to tell timmy to take the note tohenry, and she'll be suspicious and get captain johnson to follow tim back here, and that will givethe gypsies an awful shock! i expect the captain will be sensible enough to get the police as well.

aha, i'm playing a trick too!'

in ten minutes' time sniffer's father returned with timmy. it was a rather subdued timmy, with avery bad cut on his head, which really needed stitching. he pattered soberly across to george, andshe flung her arms round his neck and cried into his thick hair.

'does your head hurt you?' she said. 'i'll take you to the vet when i get back, tim.'

'you can get back as soon as we've got those two boys here and they've told us where those packetsare hidden,' said the man.

timmy was licking george as if he would never stop, and his tail waved to and fro, to and fro.

he couldn't understand what was happening at all! why was george here? never mind, he was withher again. he settled down on the floor with a thump and put his head on her knee.

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'write the note,' said the man, 'and tie it on to his collar, on the top, so that it can easily be seen.'

'i've written it,' said george. the gypsy held out a dirty hand for it and read it.

'we are prisoners. follow timmy and he will bring you to us and you can save us.

georgina.'

'is that really your name, georgina?' asked the man. george nodded. it was one of the few times sheever owned to a girl's name!

she tied the note firmly to timmy's collar, on the top of his neck. it was quite plainly to be seen.

then she gave him a hug and spoke urgently to him.

'go to henry, tim, go to henry. do you understand, timmy dear, take this note to henry.'

she tapped the paper on his collar as he listened to her. then she gave him a push. 'go along.

don't stay here any longer. go and find henry.'

'hadn't you better tell him the other boy's name too?' said the man.

'oh no, i don't want to muddle timmy,' said george hastily. 'henry, henry, henry!'

'woof,' said timmy, and george knew that he understood. she gave him another push. 'go, then,' shesaid. 'hurry!'

timmy gave her rather a reproachful look as if to say, 'you haven't let me stay with you very long!'

then he padded off down the passage, the note showing clearly on his collar.

'i'll bring the boys up here as soon as they come with the dog,' said the man, and he turned on hisheel, and went out. george wondered if sniffer was still about and she called him. but there was noanswer. he must have slipped away down the passages back to his caravan.

anne woke up then, and wondered where she was. george switched on her torch again and explainedall that had happened.

'you should have wakened me,' said anne. 'oh blow these ropes. they're so uncomfortable.'

'i've got a knife now,' said george. 'sniffer gave it to me. shall i cut our ropes?'

'oh yes!' said anne, in delight. 'but don't let's try and escape yet. it's still night-time and if that mist isabout, we'll only get lost. we can pretend we're still tied up if anyone comes.'

george cut her own ropes with sniffer's exceedingly blunt knife. then she cut anne's. oh, what arelief to lie down properly, and not to have to sit up all the time and feel the knots at the back!

'now do remember, if we hear anyone coming, we must tie the ropes loosely round us,' she said.

'we will stay here till we know it's day, and perhaps we can find out if the mist is still about, or if it'sgone. if it's gone, we'll go.'

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they fell asleep on the sandy floor, both glad to lie down flat. nobody came to disturb them, and theyslept on and on, tired out.

where were the boys? still under the bush, half- sleeping, half- waking, for they were cold anduncomfortable. they hoped the girls were now safely at home. they must have gone right down therailway, and made their way back to the stables, thought julian, every time he awoke. i do hope theyare safe and timmy too. thank goodness he is with them.

but timmy wasn't with them, of course. he was padding across the misty moor all by himself,puzzled, and with a badly-aching head. why had george sent him to henry? he didn't like henry. hedidn't think that george did, either. and yet she had sent him to find her. very strange!

still, george had given him his orders, and he loved her and always obeyed her. he padded over theheather and grass. he didn't bother about keeping to the railway line. he knew the way back withouteven thinking about it!

it was still night, though soon the dawn would come. but the mist was so thick that even the dawnwould not be able to break through it. the sun would have to remain hidden behind the thick swathesof mist.

timmy came to the stables. he paused to remember which was henry's bedroom. ah yes, it wasupstairs, next to the room that anne and george had had.

timmy leapt into the kitchen through a window left open for the cat. he padded upstairs and came tohenry's room. he pushed at the door and it opened.

in he went and put his paws on her bed. 'woof,' he said in her ear. 'woof! woof! woof!'