chapter 15 digging for the secret tunnel

'how can we get permission to dig?' asked anne. 'i mean - will we be allowed to?'

'i don't see why not - mr. henning has only been given permission to dig in one place,' said julian. 'ibet we'd get permission to dig just here - it's a pretty good way from the castle-site, anyway.'

'why shouldn't we just dig and see if anyone stops us?' said george. 'if mr. philpot stops us, we couldtell him what we're really doing. he'd probably let us, then. but whatever happens, we don't want mr.

henning to know what we've discovered - or think we've discovered!'

'well, what shall we say then, if he asks why we're digging?' said anne.

'say silly things - joke about it!' said dick. 'twins, have you work to do this morning? can you findus spades, do you think?'

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'yes - you can have our spades, and dad's old ones, too!' said harry. 'we wish we could help -but we've tons to do, and we're late already.'

'oh dear - and i promised that george and i would help in the kitchen!' said anne. 'and pick peas fordinner and pod them - and get more raspberries! can you and dick dig all on your own, ju?'

'good heavens, yes!' said julian. 'it'll be slower with just two of us digging, but we'll soon get deepdown, you'll see! anyway, we could all take turns this afternoon, perhaps, if the twins finish theirwork.'

'we will! we'll do it at top speed!' said harry and harriet together. 'now we'll get some spades foryou.'

they raced off, with snippet beside them, and the two girls went down the hill more slowly, feelingvery thrilled. if only, only they could dig down and find the secret passage from the chapel to thecellars of the old castle! timmy felt the excitement and wagged his tail happily. he was alwayshappy when george was thrilled about anything.

harriet soon brought two big spades and two smaller ones to the boys. they were heavy, and shepanted as she carried them up the hill.

'good girl - or is it good boy?' asked dick, as he took the spades. 'wait - it's harriet, isn't it?

you've no scar on your hand!'

harriet grinned and ran off swiftly to join her brother in the farm-work that was their task. juliangazed after her. 'they're good kids,' he said, as he turned to drive his spade into the earth. 'worth ahundred juniors! funny how some children are made of such good stuff, and others aren't worth apenny. well, dick - go to it! this earth is pretty hard. i wish we could borrow one of those machinesthe men are using up there!'

they dug hard, and were soon very hot indeed. they stripped themselves to their shorts, but were stillfar too hot. they greeted anne with joy when she laboured up the slope, carrying a jug of coollemonade and some buns.

'i say! you've made quite a hole already!' she said. 'how far down do you think the tunnel will be?'

'well, not too far down, really,' said dick, taking a long drink of the lemonade. 'this is super, anne.

thanks awfully. we've dug into the burrow, and we're following it at the moment - hoping it willenter the secret tunnel before we're too tired to dig any more!'

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'i say - here comes junior!' said anne suddenly, looking up the slope. sure enough, it was theamerican boy, feeling quite brave now that neither timmy nor snippet were about.

he stopped a little way away and shouted: 'what do you think you're doing, digging in our hill?'

'go away and lose yourself!' shouted back dick. 'this isn't your hill! if you can dig, so can we!'

'copy-cats!' shouted junior. 'my pop's laughing his head off about you!'

'well, tell him to pick it up before it rolls down the hill!' yelled dick. 'clear off!'

junior watched them for a little while, puzzled, and then went off up the hill, presumably to report tohis father. anne laughed and went back to the farmhouse.

'as his pop doesn't know a thing about the secret passage, he must think we're off our heads, digginghere,' said julian, with a chuckle. 'well, let him think so. he'll be off his head with rage when he findsout what we're really doing - and he won't know that till we're in the cellars!'

dick laughed, and wiped his forehead again. 'i wish this burrow would come to an end. and i hope togoodness it does lead into the side of the tunnel. i don't want to have to dig up half the hillside. theground's so hard and dry.'

'well, thank goodness it's getting sandy here,' said julian, driving his spade deeper down. hesuddenly gave a cry. 'i say! my spade went right down by itself, then! i believe i've come to thesecret passage! the burrow must go right through one side of it!'

he was right! the rabbit-hole ran sideways and down - and into a passage! the boys dug feverishlynow, panting, their hair falling over their foreheads, perspiration dripping off their faces.

soon they had a deep hole, fairly wide - and at the bottom of it a way into the tunnel beneath!

they lay down and peered into it. 'it's only about four feet below the surface,' said dick. 'we mighthave had to do much more digging than this! whew, i'm hot!'

'it must be dinner-time,' said julian. 'i don't really like to leave our hole, now that we've got down tothe tunnel. and yet we simply must have something to eat. i'm ravenous!'

'so am i. but if we leave the hole unguarded, that pest of a junior might come along and climb downand find the passage!' said dick. 'look - here comes george - with old tim. i wonder if she'd leavehim here to guard the hole.'

george was delighted to hear their news. she gazed down the hole in great excitement. 'how deeplyyou've dug!' she said. 'no wonder you're hot. my word! - if mr. henning knew what you've found,he'd be down here in two shakes of a duck's tail!'

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'he certainly would,' said julian, soberly. 'that's what we're afraid of. or that snoopy junior mightclimb down into the hole, if he came along. he's been here already to see what we're doing.'

'we're scared of going in to dinner, in case one of them comes along and investigates the hole whileit's unguarded,' said dick. 'and we wondered if...'

but george interrupted him, almost as if she knew what he was going to say. 'i'll leave timmy hereon guard, while you come down to dinner,' she said. 'he won't let anyone come within yards of it!'

'thanks, old thing,' said the boys, gratefully, and went off down the hill with george, leaving timmybehind. 'on guard, timmy,' said george. 'on guard. don't let anyone come near that hole.'

'woof,' said timmy, understanding at once, and looking fiercely all round and about him. he laydown with a small growl. let anyone come near the boys' hole, if they dare!

they did dare - but when they saw timmy leaping to his feet, the hackles on his neck thick andupright, and heard his deep, continuous growl, junior and his father thought better of it, and went ondown the hill to have dinner at the farm-house. poor mr. durleston trailed behind them, almostknocked out by the heat of the sun.

'silly kids,' said mr. henning to junior. 'thinking it's clever to dig just because we're digging!

what do they suppose they'll find down there? another kitchen-midden?'

junior sent a stone scudding along towards timmy - and then fled for his life as the dog camebounding angrily down the slope. even mr. henning hurried. he didn't like timmy either!

that afternoon the twins, julian, dick, george, anne and snippet all climbed the hill to the holewhere tim still lay watching for intruders. they brought him two fine bones, and a jug of water.

he was very pleased indeed. snippet danced round, hoping for a bite at a bone, and the jackdaw, hiswing apparently quite recovered now, dared to go and peck at the bigger bone, even though timmygrowled warningly!

the twins were thrilled to see the deep hole. 'can't we go down now?' they said, eagerly, bothtogether.

'yes - it would be a jolly good time to let ourselves slide into the tunnel,' said julian. 'all the menworking on the castle-site have gone off to have dinner at the little village pub, and haven't yet comeback - and the hennings and mr. durleston are safely at the farmhouse.'

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'i'll go first,' said dick, and lowered himself into the hole. he held on to the grassy edges, and pokedhard with his feet, to widen the opening into the tunnel. then he let himself slide down until his legswere out of the rabbit hole, and dangled through the wall of the tunnel.

'here we go!' he said, and let himself drop. whoooooosh! he slid right into a dark, musty tunnel, andlanded on soft earth. 'chuck me down a torch,' he shouted. 'it's pitch-dark in here. did you rememberto bring our torches, george?'

yes, george had four! 'look out!' she said. 'here comes one!' and she dropped it down the hole.

she had already switched it on, so dick saw it coming and caught it neatly. he shone it into the darkplace around him.

'yes! it is a tunnel!' he shouted. 'the secret passage, no doubt about it! i say - isn't this great?

come on down, all of you, let's share in the find together. let's walk right up to the castle cellars.

come on, everybody! come on!'