disappointment. „They"ve got what they want - and they"l disappear now and never be caught. I expect by now they are speeding away in a fast car - and have taken Guy with them to make sure he doesn"t talk before they"re safely in another country!"
„Oh no!" cried Harry. „He"s not kidnapped, is he? Don"t say that!"
„Come on - let"s have a hunt," said Julian, and they all made their way among the various trenches and pits, looking for they hardly knew what.
They gave it up after a while. There were too many slabs and stones of all sizes! Besides, what good would it be even if they found the right one? The birds had flown - presumably with what they had come for! In fact, if Guy hadn"t come along and seen the searchers, nobody would even have known that they had been in the camp and made a successful search!
„It"s no good," said Julian, at last. „This is too big a place to know where to look for anything that might help us. Let"s go back to the gorse-bush and col ect our things, return to Kirrin and go to the police. It"s the only sensible thing left to do!"
„Come along, Harry," said Anne, to the miserable twin. He was so ful of remorse that her handkerchief was now soaked for the third time! „You"d better come with us and tel al you know."
„I"l come," said Harry. „I"l do anything to get Guy back. I"l never quarrel with him again.
Never. To think that..."
„Now don"t go all through that again," said Anne. „Look, you"re upsetting Timmy so much that his tail is down all the time!"
Harry gave another forlorn little smile. They all left the camp and made their way back to the gorse-bush. It was only when they got there, and began pul ing out the tins of food, as well as the rug and other things, that they realized how extremely hungry they were!
„We"ve had no breakfast. We"ve been up for ages, and it"s very late. I"m simply starving!"
said George.
„Well, if we finish up all the food, we shan"t have to carry the tins!" said Dick. „Let"s have a meal. Ten minutes more here can"t make much difference."
They were thankful not to have to sit under the gorse-bush again. They sat outside in the sun, and discussed everything.
„I believe when Timmy began to growl and growl about six o"clock this morning, it was because he could hear those people coming quietly by to go to search the camp," said George.
„I think you"re right," said Julian. „I bet they searched the camp wel - til Guy woke and came on the scene and fought like fury. It"s a pity I didn"t squeeze out from under the bush and follow them, when Timmy growled."
„Anyone want a drink?" said George. „I"l go and fetch some water from the spring.
Where"s the pineapple tin?"
Anne passed it to her. George got up and took the little rabbit-path that led to the spring.
She could hear it gurgling and bubbling as she came near - a very pleasant noise.
„Water always sounds nice," said George to herself. „I love the sound of water."
Water! Now why did that ring a bel in her mind just then? Who had been talking about water? Oh - Dick and Julian, of course, when they had come back from the old cottage last night. They had told Anne and herself about the word on the plan - the word that might have been WATER, not WADER.
„I wonder which it was," said George to herself as she idly held the pineapple tin to the gurgling water. She gazed at the beautiful little spring, jutting up from the stony slabs - and then another bel rang loudly in her mind.
„Stone slabs! Water! Why - I wonder - I just wonder - if one of these slabs is the one! This one just here is about the right size!"
She stared at it. It was set firmly in a high little bank at the back of the place where the spring gurgled up and then ran into the clean stony channel. Did it hide anything behind it?
George suddenly dropped the tin and ran back to the others at ful speed. „Julian! Julian!
I believe I"ve found the slab! It"s been staring us in the face the whole
„Oh no!" cried Harry. „He"s not kidnapped, is he? Don"t say that!"
„Come on - let"s have a hunt," said Julian, and they all made their way among the various trenches and pits, looking for they hardly knew what.
They gave it up after a while. There were too many slabs and stones of all sizes! Besides, what good would it be even if they found the right one? The birds had flown - presumably with what they had come for! In fact, if Guy hadn"t come along and seen the searchers, nobody would even have known that they had been in the camp and made a successful search!
„It"s no good," said Julian, at last. „This is too big a place to know where to look for anything that might help us. Let"s go back to the gorse-bush and col ect our things, return to Kirrin and go to the police. It"s the only sensible thing left to do!"
„Come along, Harry," said Anne, to the miserable twin. He was so ful of remorse that her handkerchief was now soaked for the third time! „You"d better come with us and tel al you know."
„I"l come," said Harry. „I"l do anything to get Guy back. I"l never quarrel with him again.
Never. To think that..."
„Now don"t go all through that again," said Anne. „Look, you"re upsetting Timmy so much that his tail is down all the time!"
Harry gave another forlorn little smile. They all left the camp and made their way back to the gorse-bush. It was only when they got there, and began pul ing out the tins of food, as well as the rug and other things, that they realized how extremely hungry they were!
„We"ve had no breakfast. We"ve been up for ages, and it"s very late. I"m simply starving!"
said George.
„Well, if we finish up all the food, we shan"t have to carry the tins!" said Dick. „Let"s have a meal. Ten minutes more here can"t make much difference."
They were thankful not to have to sit under the gorse-bush again. They sat outside in the sun, and discussed everything.
„I believe when Timmy began to growl and growl about six o"clock this morning, it was because he could hear those people coming quietly by to go to search the camp," said George.
„I think you"re right," said Julian. „I bet they searched the camp wel - til Guy woke and came on the scene and fought like fury. It"s a pity I didn"t squeeze out from under the bush and follow them, when Timmy growled."
„Anyone want a drink?" said George. „I"l go and fetch some water from the spring.
Where"s the pineapple tin?"
Anne passed it to her. George got up and took the little rabbit-path that led to the spring.
She could hear it gurgling and bubbling as she came near - a very pleasant noise.
„Water always sounds nice," said George to herself. „I love the sound of water."
Water! Now why did that ring a bel in her mind just then? Who had been talking about water? Oh - Dick and Julian, of course, when they had come back from the old cottage last night. They had told Anne and herself about the word on the plan - the word that might have been WATER, not WADER.
„I wonder which it was," said George to herself as she idly held the pineapple tin to the gurgling water. She gazed at the beautiful little spring, jutting up from the stony slabs - and then another bel rang loudly in her mind.
„Stone slabs! Water! Why - I wonder - I just wonder - if one of these slabs is the one! This one just here is about the right size!"
She stared at it. It was set firmly in a high little bank at the back of the place where the spring gurgled up and then ran into the clean stony channel. Did it hide anything behind it?
George suddenly dropped the tin and ran back to the others at ful speed. „Julian! Julian!
I believe I"ve found the slab! It"s been staring us in the face the whole
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