undermine the foundation.
Better to have the shaft half full of water than eaten away by constant tides!’
‘Well,’ began Anne, and then suddenly stopped in fright. A stentorian voice came up the stairway, and made everyone jump violently.
‘ANYONE AT HOME? HEY, ANYONE AT HOME?’
Chapter Fifteen
JACOB IS IN TROUBLE
‘Who’s that shouting like that?’ said Anne, fearfully. ‘It can’t be the robber, can it?’
‘Of course not,’ said Julian, and went to the door of the living-room. He yelled down the stairway:
‘Who is it? What do you want?’
‘It’s the police!’ shouted back the enormous voice.
‘Oh. Come on up, then,’ said Julian, relieved. Foot-steps could be heard coming up the iron stairway, accompanied by loud puffs and pants. Then a policeman’s helmet appeared, followed by his shoulders and the rest of him. Soon he was standing in the living-room, beaming round at the surprised company, panting with the effort of climbing so many stairs.
‘How did you get in?’ asked George. ‘We jammed the door shut from the inside.’
‘Well, I managed to unjam it, miss,’ said the policeman, mopping his forehead, and smiling. He was the same policeman that Julian had seen that afternoon. ‘Not much protection that, really. You ought to get a new key made.’
‘How did you get over here - the tide’s in,’ said Julian. You couldn’t have walked over Demon’s Rocks.’
‘No, sir. I got Jem Hardy’s boat,’ said the policeman. ‘By the way, my name’s Sharp, sir -
Police Constable Sharp.’
‘A very good name for a policeman,’ said Julian,’ with a cheerful grin. ‘Well, have you caught the thief who took our key, and the other things?’
‘No, sir. But I’ve a pretty good idea who it is,’ said Sharp. ‘I couldn’t find anyone who’d been silting on the quay during the time you were away from the light-house, sir - but I
“Famous Five 19 - Five Go To Demon's Rock” By Enid Blyton 44
did by chance find a lady whose windows look down on the jetty, and she happened to see someone standing about there. She said he went over the rocks to the light-house.’
‘Who was it? The milkman, the postman?’ asked Dick.
‘Oh no, sir, I told your friend they were good fellows,’ said the constable, looking quite shocked. ‘It was er - well, sir, a man who’s a bit of a bad lot.’
‘Who’s that?’ asked Julian, suddenly afraid it might be old Jeremiah. Could he be a bad lot - he had sounded such a good fellow!
‘Well, sir, it’s no one you know,’ said Sharp. ‘It’s one of a family with rather a bad name, sir - a man called Jacob - Jacob Loomer, sir. He comes of a family that used to do a bit of wrecking, and...’
‘Wrecking! Old Jeremiah was telling us of long-ago wreckers!’ said Dick. ‘One was called Nosey - and another was called Bart - relations of a well-known wrecker called One-Ear - er, One-Ear...’
‘Bill,’ said Sharp. ‘Ah yes - One-Ear Bill. He lived a long time ago, when old Jeremiah was a young man. This here Jacob, the one that was seen going into your light-house today, would be his great-great-great grandson, I reckon - something like that. Living image of old One-Ear Bill according to Jeremiah. There’s a bad strain in that family -
can’t seem to get it out!’
‘Well - you say it was Jacob who came into the light house? Why can’t we have him arrested then?’ said Julian. ‘And make him give up the key he took - and the other things?’
‘Well, sir, if you’ll come along with me and identify your things, maybe I can do something about it,’ said the constable. ‘But he may have hidden them all by now -
though he’s that free-handed I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t given them all away. A bit of a fool, Jacob is, as well as a rogue. Ah - he’d have liked the job of wrecking ships, he would - right up his street.’
‘I’ll come with you now,’ said Julian. ‘The others don’t need to, do they?’
‘Oh
Better to have the shaft half full of water than eaten away by constant tides!’
‘Well,’ began Anne, and then suddenly stopped in fright. A stentorian voice came up the stairway, and made everyone jump violently.
‘ANYONE AT HOME? HEY, ANYONE AT HOME?’
Chapter Fifteen
JACOB IS IN TROUBLE
‘Who’s that shouting like that?’ said Anne, fearfully. ‘It can’t be the robber, can it?’
‘Of course not,’ said Julian, and went to the door of the living-room. He yelled down the stairway:
‘Who is it? What do you want?’
‘It’s the police!’ shouted back the enormous voice.
‘Oh. Come on up, then,’ said Julian, relieved. Foot-steps could be heard coming up the iron stairway, accompanied by loud puffs and pants. Then a policeman’s helmet appeared, followed by his shoulders and the rest of him. Soon he was standing in the living-room, beaming round at the surprised company, panting with the effort of climbing so many stairs.
‘How did you get in?’ asked George. ‘We jammed the door shut from the inside.’
‘Well, I managed to unjam it, miss,’ said the policeman, mopping his forehead, and smiling. He was the same policeman that Julian had seen that afternoon. ‘Not much protection that, really. You ought to get a new key made.’
‘How did you get over here - the tide’s in,’ said Julian. You couldn’t have walked over Demon’s Rocks.’
‘No, sir. I got Jem Hardy’s boat,’ said the policeman. ‘By the way, my name’s Sharp, sir -
Police Constable Sharp.’
‘A very good name for a policeman,’ said Julian,’ with a cheerful grin. ‘Well, have you caught the thief who took our key, and the other things?’
‘No, sir. But I’ve a pretty good idea who it is,’ said Sharp. ‘I couldn’t find anyone who’d been silting on the quay during the time you were away from the light-house, sir - but I
“Famous Five 19 - Five Go To Demon's Rock” By Enid Blyton 44
did by chance find a lady whose windows look down on the jetty, and she happened to see someone standing about there. She said he went over the rocks to the light-house.’
‘Who was it? The milkman, the postman?’ asked Dick.
‘Oh no, sir, I told your friend they were good fellows,’ said the constable, looking quite shocked. ‘It was er - well, sir, a man who’s a bit of a bad lot.’
‘Who’s that?’ asked Julian, suddenly afraid it might be old Jeremiah. Could he be a bad lot - he had sounded such a good fellow!
‘Well, sir, it’s no one you know,’ said Sharp. ‘It’s one of a family with rather a bad name, sir - a man called Jacob - Jacob Loomer, sir. He comes of a family that used to do a bit of wrecking, and...’
‘Wrecking! Old Jeremiah was telling us of long-ago wreckers!’ said Dick. ‘One was called Nosey - and another was called Bart - relations of a well-known wrecker called One-Ear - er, One-Ear...’
‘Bill,’ said Sharp. ‘Ah yes - One-Ear Bill. He lived a long time ago, when old Jeremiah was a young man. This here Jacob, the one that was seen going into your light-house today, would be his great-great-great grandson, I reckon - something like that. Living image of old One-Ear Bill according to Jeremiah. There’s a bad strain in that family -
can’t seem to get it out!’
‘Well - you say it was Jacob who came into the light house? Why can’t we have him arrested then?’ said Julian. ‘And make him give up the key he took - and the other things?’
‘Well, sir, if you’ll come along with me and identify your things, maybe I can do something about it,’ said the constable. ‘But he may have hidden them all by now -
though he’s that free-handed I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t given them all away. A bit of a fool, Jacob is, as well as a rogue. Ah - he’d have liked the job of wrecking ships, he would - right up his street.’
‘I’ll come with you now,’ said Julian. ‘The others don’t need to, do they?’
‘Oh
Similar Books
