1 Up in Bill’s aeroplane
　　1 Up in Bill’s aeroplane
　　Kiki the parrot was annoyed. She had been left all alone for a day, and she talked angrily toherself.
　　‘What a pity, what a pity, what a pity, poor, poor Polly! Ding-dong bell, Polly’s down the well,good morning, good morning!’
　　Mrs Mannering put her head in at the door of the room where Kiki was sitting.
　　‘Kiki, don’t be so absurd! Talking away to yourself all day like that! The children will soon beback.’
　　‘Ding-dong bell,’ said Kiki mournfully, and made a cracking noise with her beak.
　　‘I suppose you miss Jack,’ said Mrs Mannering, coming into the room and shutting the doorcarefully behind her. ‘He won’t be long now, Kiki. You’ll hear him and the others any minute.
　　Now be a good bird and don’t make any more noise.’
　　Kiki opened her beak, swelled up her throat and gave her famous imitation of an express trainscreeching on entering a tunnel. Mrs Mannering put her hands to her ears.
　　‘Naughty Kiki, naughty! How many times have we told you not to do that?’
　　‘How many times have I told you to shut the door, shut the door, shut the door,’ answered backKiki, and ruffled up her feathers so cheekily that Mrs Mannering gave her a tap on her beak.
　　‘Funny old bird,’ she said. ‘Ah, listen - that sounds like the children coming back. They’vebeen up in an aeroplane, Kiki! Fancy that! That’s why you had to be left alone all day!’
　　‘Jack, Jack, Jack!’ screamed Kiki, hearing the voice of her owner. Four children burst into theroom, their faces red with excitement.
　　‘Hallo, all of you!’ said Mrs Mannering. ‘How did you like it? Was it fun being so high up inthe air?’
　　‘Oh, Mother! It was the greatest fun in the world!’
　　‘Aunt Allie, I shall buy an aeroplane of my own as soon as ever I’m grown up.’
　　‘Mother, you ought to have come. Bill piloted the plane and he was marvellous’.
　　‘I wasn’t airsick, Aunt Allie, though Bill gave me a paper bag to be sick in.’
　　Mrs Mannering laughed. All the four spoke at once, and she had hard work to make out whatthey said. Kiki gave a loving screech and flew to Jack’s shoulder.
　　The four children sank into chairs and prepared to relate their day’s adventure. There werePhilip and Dinah, Mrs Mannering’s children, dark-eyed, dark-haired just as she was, and both withtufts of hair that insisted on sticking up in front. Both Dinah and Philip were called Tufty atschool. Then there were the other two, Jack and Lucy-Ann, brother and sister, who had no motherand father, and lived with ‘Aunt Allie’, as they called Mrs Mannering. All four were like onefamily.
　　Jack and Lucy-Ann Trent were very alike. They both had red hair and green eyes, and were socovered with freckles that it was quite impossible to find a bit of pink skin on their faces, arms orlegs. It was not surprising that Jack was so often called Freckles.
　　Kiki the parrot belonged to him. He had had her for years, an amusing and talkative parrot, witha gift for repeating anything she heard, and for imitating any noise, from a sewing machine to anexpress train. She adored Jack and was miserable when she was not with him.
　　Jack had a passion for birds, and Philip had a great liking for animals of all kinds. He waswonderfully good with them, and they obeyed him and loved him in a marvellous manner. Healways had some kind of unusual pet about him, which caused quarrels between him and his sisterDinah, who was scared of most animals and of nearly all insects. But now all four were thinking ofnothing whatever but their glorious flight in their friend Bill’s new aeroplane.
　　Bill Smugs was their firm friend. He and they had had hair-raising adventures together. In oneadventure they had gone down old copper mines to track clever forgers. In another they hadhappened on a nest of dangerous spies. As Bill Smugs said, those children simply ‘fell intoadventures.’
　　Now Bill had actually been presented with a fine aeroplane, to help him in his work. Thechildren had been wild with excitement when he had written to tell them this at school.
　　‘I bet he’ll take us up for a flight,’ said Jack. ‘I just bet he will.’
　　‘We’ll make him,’ said Philip. But they didn’t need to make him, for he was quite willing toshow off his aeroplane to them, and to demonstrate how well he could fly it after only a shorttraining.
　　‘Mother, we went far higher than the clouds,’ said Dinah. ‘I looked down on them and theydidn’t look like clouds a bit. They looked like a great big snow field. It gave me quite a funnyfeeling.’
　　‘I had a parachute strapped to me in case I fell, and Bill showed me the ripcord I had to pull incase of danger,’ said Lucy-Ann, the youngest, her eyes shining. ‘But there wasn’t any danger.’
　　‘We flew right over our old home, Craggy-Tops,’ said Philip. ‘It was so strange, looking downon top of it. And we flew over here too, Mother, and our house looked like a toy one.’
　　‘Aunt Allie, Bill says it’s frightfully exciting flying at night, and seeing the little pinpricks oflights shining up from the dark countryside,’ said Jack. ‘We begged and begged him to take us ona night flight, but he said he would have to askyou. You will say we can go, won’t you? Golly! Ican’t imagine what the boys at school will say when I tell them about going up in a private plane,day and night.’
　　‘Day and night,’ repeated Kiki. ‘Ding-dong bell.’
　　‘She’s got ding-dong bell on the brain,’ said Jack. ‘There’s a small child next door who keepsreciting nursery rhymes, and Kiki listens and picks up bits of them. Yesterday she kept moaningabout “three blind mice,” today it’s “ding-dong bell.” Don’t know what it will be tomorrow.’
　　‘Humpy dumpy,’ said Kiki obligingly.
　　‘Humpty, dumpty,’ corrected Jack. ‘Not humpy dumpy.’
　　‘Humpy dumpy bumpy,’ said Kiki solemnly, and scratched her head with a claw. ‘Humpy,dumpy . . .’
　　‘All right, all right,’ said Jack. ‘Aunt Allie, can we go up at night with Bill? He’s coming to askyou tomorrow, so do say yes.’
　　‘I suppose I shall have to,’ said Mrs Mannering with a laugh. ‘You and Bill! So long as youdon’t go headlong into another awful adventure.’
　　‘Adventures aren’t awful,’ said Philip. ‘They are simply lovely!’
　　‘Not to the people who aren’t in them,’ said Mrs Mannering. ‘I feel quite ill sometimes when Ithink of the adventures you children have had. No more, please.’
　　‘All right. We won’t get into any more these summer holidays,’ said Lucy-Ann, giving her aunta hug. ‘We won’t worry you. I don’t want any more adventures anyhow. I’ve had enough.’
　　‘Well, if we do have another, we’ll leave you out of it, Lucy-Ann,’ said Dinah scornfully.
　　‘No, we won’t,’ said Philip, giving Dinah a poke in the back. ‘We can’t do without Lucy-Ann.’
　　‘Now, don’t quarrel, you two,’ said Mrs Mannering, foreseeing one of their everlastingsquabbles boiling up. ‘You’re tired now, all of you, after such a lot of excitement. Go and dosomething quiet till supper time.’
　　‘Sing for your supper,’ put in Kiki. The children laughed.
　　‘You’re an idiot, Kiki,’ said Jack affectionately. ‘Did you miss us today? Well, I was scared youmight fly out of the aeroplane in fright, if we took you. But I expect you’d have been quite asensible old bird, wouldn’t you, and sat on my shoulder all the time?’
　　Kiki pecked lovingly at Jack’s ear, and made a crooning noise. She sat as close to him as shecould. The children began to talk about their exciting day.
　　‘Wasn’t it lovely going to the aerodrome and getting in on our passes, and walking up to Billjust as if we were grown-ups?’ said Philip. ‘And golly, wasn’t Bill’s aeroplane fine?’
　　‘I didn’t think it would be so big,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘You know, it was funny - I sort of held mybreath when we started off, thinking I’d get a funny feeling when we left the ground, like I do in alift - and I never even knew when the wheels left the runway and we were in the air! I got quite ashock when I looked down and saw we were over the housetops.’
　　‘It seemed awfully easy to fly a plane,’ said Jack. ‘Easier than driving a car. I wish Bill wouldlet me have a shot.’
　　‘Well, he won’t,’ said Philip. ‘I say, wasn’t it odd when we got into the air pocket and the planesuddenly dropped down without warning? My tummy sort of went up into my throat.’
　　The others laughed. ‘Mine did too,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I’m glad I wasn’t sick. It was a waste ofthat nice strong paper bag, but I’m glad I felt all right.’
　　‘We went hundreds of miles, I should think,’ said Jack. ‘I felt a bit funny when we were overthe sea. It looked so enormous and so flat. I shouldn’t like to fall out over that! What a splash!’
　　‘I bet Mother will say we can go on a night flight with Bill,’ said Dinah. ‘I could see in her facethat she was going to say yes. If only we could! Bill said we could fly to his old home, land atdawn, and spend the rest of the night with him, sleeping all we liked in his two spare rooms - weneedn’t get up till twelve if we didn’t want to. Fancy flying all night and going to bed at dawn!’
　　‘Then we’d fly back in the afternoon, I suppose,’ said Jack. ‘Gosh, I’m glad we’ve got Bill for afriend. I do think he’s an exciting sort of person. It’s thrilling, too, to know that he’s always onsome sort of secret job, and never says a word about it - always snooping out some deadly secret.
　　I wonder if he’s on any job now?’
　　‘You bet he is!’ said Philip. ‘That’s why he’s got this aeroplane. May have to take off at anymoment after spies or somebody. Hope I’m with him when he does.’
　　‘Well, you won’t be,’ said Dinah. ‘Bill would never run us into danger.’
　　‘I shouldn’t mind if he did,’ said Philip. ‘Hallo, there’s the gong for supper! I’m jolly hungry.’
　　‘That’s nothing new,’ said Dinah. ‘Come on - let’s go and see what there is. Smells like baconand eggs.’
　　They went to their supper. They were all hungry, and finished up the eggs and bacon and plumcake in no time. Kiki helped herself to the plum cake too, till Mrs Mannering protested.
　　‘Jack! Will you stop Kiki picking all the raisins out of that cake? Look at the mess she’smaking! There won’t be any cake left soon. Smack her on her beak.’
　　‘Naughty Kiki!’ said Jack, and tapped her on her beak. ‘Don’t eat it all.’
　　‘How many times have I told . . .’ began Kiki, but Jack was too tired to talk to her.
　　‘Don’t argue,’ he said. ‘I’m so sleepy I’ll have to go to bed.’
　　Everyone felt the same - so off they went, and were soon asleep and dreaming of flyingaeroplanes over the clouds, somersaulting and looping the loop in a most amazing but perfectlysafe manner.
第1章 在比尔的飞机上
　　第1章 在比尔的飞机上
　　琪琪这只鹦鹉生气了。她被抛弃了，一个人待了一整天。她生气地对自己说：“太惨哩，太惨哩，太惨哩，可怜的小鹦鹉！波莉掉井底，早上好，早上好！”
　　曼纳林夫人探出脑袋，盯着琪琪。琪琪这时正坐在门框上。
　　“琪琪，别发疯了。你整天都在和自己这么说话！孩子们马上就要回来了。”
　　“叮咚铃儿响。”琪琪凄惨地叫着，嘴里发出噼里啪啦的噪音。
　　“我觉得你是想杰克了。”曼纳林夫人说。她边说边走进房间，小心翼翼地关上了门。“他马上就回来了，琪琪。你马上就会听到他们说话了。那么从现在开始，你好好的，别再发出噪音了。”
　　琪琪张开嘴，鼓起她的喉咙，开始表演她最拿手的火车过隧道时发出的尖叫。
　　曼纳林夫人立刻用双手堵住了自己的耳朵。她说：“淘气的琪琪，太淘气了！我跟你说过多少次别这么叫了？”
　　“我跟你说过多少次关上门，关上门，关上门。”琪琪反驳。琪琪厚着脸皮，竖起了羽毛示威。曼纳林夫人气得在她的嘴上拍了一下。
　　“你这个老鸟还挺可爱的，”她说，“嗯，听，好像孩子们回来了。他们今天去坐飞机了，琪琪。这就是为什么今天一整天都没有人陪你玩儿。”
　　“杰克，杰克，杰克！”琪琪声嘶力竭地喊着。她边喊，边听着她主人的动静。四个孩子冲进了屋里。兴奋之情在他们红扑扑的小脸上一览无余。
　　“你们好呀！”曼纳林夫人说，“你们喜欢坐飞机吗？能在天上飞得那么高，是不是特别有意思？”
　　“哦，妈妈！这简直是世上最有意思的事儿了！”
　　“艾莉阿姨，我决定以后一长大，我就要买一架属于我自己的飞机。”
　　“妈妈，你应该和我们一起去。是比尔开的飞机，他简直太棒了。”
　　“艾莉阿姨，比尔还给了我纸袋，以防我在飞机上吐了。但是我一点儿也没有晕机。”
　　曼纳林夫人听了哈哈大笑。四个孩子争着和曼纳林夫人分享自己坐飞机的经历。这让曼纳林夫人很难弄清他们都说了什么。这时，琪琪发出了一声惹人怜爱的尖叫，飞到了杰克的肩膀上。
　　四个孩子瘫坐在椅子上，准备接着讲述他们这一天的探险经历。其中，菲利普和黛娜是曼纳林夫人的孩子。他们有着深色的眼睛、深色的头发，像极了曼纳林夫人。他们都有一簇头发支棱在额头上方。就因为这个原因，菲利普和黛娜在学校有个绰号，两个人都被同学们叫作“草丛头”。另外两个孩子，杰克和露西安，是亲兄妹。他们从小没有爸爸妈妈，但是现在都和艾莉阿姨一起住。他们都管艾莉阿姨叫曼纳林夫人。四个孩子关系很好，就像是出自一个家庭一样。
　　杰克和露西安•特伦特长得特别像。他们有着红色的头发和绿色的眼睛。但是他们脸上、胳膊上和腿上都长满了雀斑——雀斑多得简直都很难找到一小块完整的粉色皮肤。这也就是杰克在学校被叫作“小雀斑”的原因了。
　　琪琪是杰克的鹦鹉，他们在一起很多年了。她是一只非常出色的、健谈的鹦鹉，天生就会学说她听到的话，模仿她听到的声音，比如缝纫机的声音、飞驰的火车的鸣笛声。琪琪很喜欢杰克，喜欢到当她一离开杰克，就变得不可理喻了。
　　杰克酷爱鸟类，所有种类的鸟他都喜欢。菲利普则是喜欢所有种类的动物。菲利普具备和所有动物和谐相处的神奇能力，动物们都听他的话。最重要的是它们喜欢和菲利普待在一起。菲利普总是会找一些不同寻常的动物作为他的宠物。因为这些动物太不常见了，所以他的妹妹黛娜总会为这个跟他吵架。黛娜害怕大多数的动物包括几乎所有的昆虫。不过，四个人此刻都在回忆着这次在比尔新飞机里的经历。这简直太棒了！
　　比尔•斯莫格斯是这群孩子的好朋友。他们一起经历了很多惊心动魄的冒险。在其中的一次冒险中，他们下到了矿里，去追寻狡猾的假币制造者的踪迹。在另外一次冒险中，他们撞见了一窝危险的生物。正如比尔•斯莫格斯所说，冒险已经成为这些孩子生活中必不可少的一部分了。
　　实际上，这架很棒的飞机是用来帮助比尔完成工作的。当他在信中告诉孩子们这件事情的时候，孩子们还在学校。但当他们读到信的时候，就已经对飞机心驰神往了。
　　“我敢打赌，他一定会让我们坐上他的飞机飞一次的。”杰克说，“我觉得他一定会的。”
　　“我们一定会想办法让他带我们飞上天的。”菲利普说。但实际上，比尔很愿意给孩子们展示他的飞机和驾驶技术，所以孩子们并没有费什么力气就如愿以偿了。虽然比尔只经历了很短时间的培训，但他现在已经能很好地驾驶飞机。
　　“妈妈，我们在飞机上飞得比云彩还高。”黛娜说，“我从飞机上向下看，云彩看起来已经不像是云彩了。它们看起来像是一大片雪地。我觉得还挺好玩的。”
　　“万一在空中出现什么危险，需要跳下飞机，我在身上绑了降落伞。比尔告诉我按哪个钮可以打开降落伞。”这群孩子里最年轻的露西安说。她紧跟着补充道：“但实际上并没有发生什么危险的事儿。”
　　“我们飞到了以前的那个家，那片陡峭的山崖。”菲利普说，“从飞机上向下看以前我们住的地方，真的是太奇怪了。我们也飞到了这个家的上面。妈妈，我们现在的家从飞机上看，简直就像一个玩具房子。”
　　“艾莉阿姨，比尔说夜间飞行特别刺激。尤其是看着田地里像针孔一样大的灯光在黑暗中闪闪发光。”杰克说，“我们求了比尔好多次带我们在晚上坐一次飞机。但是他说必须得到你的同意才行。你肯定会同意的，对不对？我的天哪！我简直不敢相信，如果我和学校的那帮男生说我白天黑夜都在私人飞机上度过，他们会说些什么。”
　　“白天黑夜，”琪琪重复着，“叮咚铃儿响。”
　　“她满脑子都是叮咚铃儿响。”杰克说，“隔壁有个小男孩，他整天都在背儿歌，琪琪听见了，就随便挑了点什么。昨天她一直都在说着‘三只瞎老鼠’，今天又是‘叮咚铃儿响’。不知道明天又是什么。”
　　“汉皮邓皮。”琪琪亲切地说。
　　“汉普蒂 [1] ，邓普蒂，”杰克纠正了她的发音，“汉皮，邓皮。”
　　“汉皮邓皮邦皮，”琪琪严肃地说着，用爪子抓了一下自己的头。“汉皮，邓皮……”
　　“好吧，好吧。”杰克说道，“艾莉阿姨，我们晚上能不能去坐比尔的飞机？他明天会亲自来家里问你，所以你就同意吧。”
　　“我想我不得不同意吧，”曼纳林夫人边说边笑起来，“你和比尔，只要你们不再那么鲁莽地去进行什么糟糕的冒险就好。”
　　“冒险一点儿也不糟糕，”菲利普说，“冒险其实很有意思。”
　　“不喜欢的人可不这么认为。”曼纳林夫人说，“我觉得有时候我一想到你们之前经历的那些冒险，就会有种不好的感觉。所以，别再冒险了。”
　　“好吧。我们这个暑假绝对不再去冒险了，”露西安说着，给了她的阿姨一个大大的拥抱，“我们不会让你担心的。我自己一点儿也不想再冒险了。因为我已经受够了。”
　　“那如果我们真的要再次去冒险的话，我们会把你留在家里的，你不用再跟着我们了，露西安。”黛娜有点儿轻蔑地说。
　　“不行，我们不能这样做。”菲利普说。说着，他捅了黛娜后背一下：“我们不能丢下露西安一个人在家。”
　　“现在，你们俩别吵了。”曼纳林夫人制止了他们的争吵，不然肯定又会变得不可开交。曼纳林夫人继续说：“经历了刚才坐飞机的兴奋，你们现在肯定都累了。在晚饭之前，你们去找点儿安静的事儿来做。”
　　“为了晚饭而歌唱。”琪琪见缝插针地说道。孩子们听了，哈哈大笑。
　　“琪琪，你简直就是个傻瓜！”杰克亲切地说，“你今天想我们了吗？嗯，你要是坐在飞机上，我会担心你因为太害怕而飞出机舱。但是我也觉得如果在飞机上，你这只聪明的老鹦鹉，还是会安安静静地在我肩膀上待着。对吗？”
　　琪琪温柔地啄着杰克的耳朵，轻轻地哼了一声。琪琪坐得离杰克已经近得不能再近了。孩子们开始谈论他们这美妙的一天。
　　“我们到了机场之后就取了我们的票，整个过程真是一次愉快的体验。之后去找比尔的时候，我们就像大人一样。”菲利普说，“哦对了，比尔的飞机好大呀，对不对？”
　　“我觉得那架飞机不是很大，”露西安说，“你知道的，这还挺有意思的——当我们起飞的时候，我害怕得都不敢呼吸，就像我坐电梯的时候一样——我不知道飞机的轮子什么时候会离开地面，然后我们就飞上天了！当我从飞机的窗户往下望，看到我们飞得比房顶都高的时候，我确实是大吃了一惊。”
　　“看起来，开飞机可能特别简单，”杰克说道，“可能比开车都简单。我希望比尔能让我试着开一下飞机。”
　　“呃，我觉得比尔不会这么做的。”菲利普说，“要我说，如果我们坐在飞机上，然后飞机突然毫无征兆地开始降落，这样会不会太古怪了？我感觉我的心都到了嗓子眼。”
　　其他的孩子听了菲利普的话，开始大笑起来。“我也一样，”露西安接着说道，“现在我知道我那会儿不是生病了。不过没用上纸质那么好的呕吐袋，有点儿可惜。但是我现在已经不晕机了。”
　　“我觉得我们飞了得有好几百英里。”杰克推测道，“当咱们飞过一片海的时候，我觉得有点儿好笑。从飞机上往下看去，海面又广阔又平坦。我一点儿也不晕机，而且能看到海上好大的浪花！”
　　“我打赌妈妈会让我们和比尔在晚上一起飞一次。”黛娜说，“我能看到妈妈当时的表情，好像是在说‘没问题’。但愿我们可以！比尔说了他会带我们去他的老房子那儿，在黎明的时候降落，之后睡在两间空出来的屋子里。如果我们不想早起的话，可以一直睡到第二天中午十二点。我们可以飞一整晚，黎明的时候再去睡觉休息！”
　　“我猜我们可以在第二天下午往回飞，”杰克说，“天哪，有比尔做我们的朋友，我简直太高兴了。我真的觉得比尔是一个能带给别人兴奋和惊喜的人。他永远都在做一些神秘的事儿，而且也不告诉别人——永远在打探一些非常致命的秘密。我想，他现在忙些什么呢？”
　　“他确实是这样的人！”菲利普说，“这也许就是他现在有一架飞机的原因。他可能在跟踪间谍或者什么人，需要随时起飞。希望那个时候我可以在他身边。”
　　“呃，你不会的，”黛娜说着，“比尔永远不会把我们置于危险之中。”
　　“我完全不介意他给我带来什么危险，”菲利普说，“嘿，晚餐铃声响了。我快饿死了。”
　　“一点儿也不新鲜，”黛娜说道，“快来，我们一起去看看我们晚餐吃什么。闻起来像是培根和鸡蛋。”
　　孩子们奔向他们的晚餐。他们都很饿，风卷残云般吃完了那些鸡蛋和培根，还有李子蛋糕。琪琪也自顾自地吃了些蛋糕。但这被曼纳林夫人发现了。
　　“杰克！琪琪在吃蛋糕上的葡萄干，你赶紧让她停下来，好吗？你看看她把这弄得乱糟糟的！蛋糕很快就不剩什么了。你得教训下她的馋嘴。”
　　“你这个淘气的琪琪！”杰克教训道，同时轻轻地在琪琪嘴上拍了一下，“别把这些都吃光了。”
　　“我已经说过多少次……”琪琪又开始了，但杰克已经放弃跟她好好谈话了，因为他实在太累了。
　　“别跟我争，”杰克说道，“我现在太困了。我要上床去睡觉了。”
　　每个人都和杰克一样累，所以他们都早早地上床，很快就进入了梦乡。他们梦见自己在飞机上，在云彩上面飞行。飞机做着各种高难度的动作，三百六十度翻转，在空中转圈，虽然惊险却很安全。
　　[1]《鹅妈妈童谣》中的人物，一个从墙上跌下来摔得粉碎的矮胖子。琪琪说的“汉皮、邓皮、邦皮”都是对正确发音的错误模仿。
2 Bill gets his way
2 Bill gets his way
　　Bill came along to lunch the next day. He had a ruddy face, twinkling eyes and a rather bald headwith plenty of hair at each side. The children rushed to meet him. Mrs Mannering smiled at him.
　　‘You gave the children a wonderful time yesterday,’ she said. ‘And now I hear that you want totake them on a night flight. I can’t think why you want to bother yourself with a pack of childrenlike these.’
　　‘Ah - you never know when they’re going to embark on some wonderful adventure,’ said BillSmugs, grinning round at them. ‘I don’t want to be left out of it, you know. Besides, I feel sorryfor you, Mrs Mannering, having to put up with them for eight or nine weeks these summerholidays - I thought it would be a kind deed if I took them off your hands for a while.’
　　‘Well, what do you want them to do?’ asked Mrs Mannering. ‘Just go for a night flight, spendthe night at your old home and come back the next day?’
　　‘That was the first idea I had,’ said Bill. ‘But now I hear I’m due to have three or four days off -and I thought maybe you could spare the children for longer. We could fly to my old home, andthen stay there and mess about a bit. There are heaps of wild birds for Jack to see, and I’ve nodoubt that Philip will find plenty of even wilder animals. The girls will enjoy the change too.’
　　‘Oh! It does sound good!’ cried Jack, and the others agreed. Mrs Mannering listened andthought for a moment.
　　‘Yes - I don’t see why they shouldn’t go with you, Bill. I know you’ll look after them all rightand see that they don’t get mixed up in any awful adventure again.’
　　‘I can promise you that,’ said Bill. ‘There are no adventures to be found anywhere near my oldhome. It’s a most peaceful, quiet place. Nothing doing at all.’
　　‘Well, if you promise not to rush into danger or trouble, you can go,’ said Mrs Mannering to thedelighted children. ‘When do you want them, Bill?’
　　‘Tomorrow, if possible,’ said Bill. ‘The job I am on seems to be hanging fire at the moment, so Imight as well take my few days now.’
　　‘What’s the job, Bill? Do, do tell us!’ begged Lucy-Ann. Bill laughed.
　　‘I couldn’t possibly tell,’ he said. ‘All my work is secret, you know that. I’ll tell you all aboutthe job when it’s over and done with, though. You’ll find it jolly interesting.’
　　‘We’ll have to pack suitcases, won’t we?’ said Dinah. ‘If we’re going to stay a few days, Imean. We may want a change of clothes - and macks.’
　　‘Yes, bring jerseys and shorts to mess about in,’ said Bill, ‘and macks too, because it alwaysseems to rain at my home. And, Mrs Mannering, could you spare a few rugs, as I may not havequite enough blankets for so many visitors?’
　　‘Of course,’ said Mrs Mannering. ‘I’ll look some out for you.’
　　‘I’ll bring my lovely camera,’ said Jack. ‘There’ll be room for odds and ends like that in theplane, won’t there, Bill?’
　　‘Plenty’ said Bill. ‘Bring your field glasses too, because you may want to have a squint at thedifferent birds in the hills around.’
　　‘Oh, it will be exciting!’ said Jack, his eyes shining at the thought. ‘I can’t wait till tomorrow.
　　Let’s go today!’
　　‘The plane’s not ready,’ said Bill. ‘Got to have something done to her today. Anyway, my leavedoesn’t start till tomorrow. You get everything packed and ready, and come to the aerodrometomorrow night. Be there at eleven o’clock sharp. I’ll order a car to call for you and take youthere.’
　　‘What a time to start on a journey!’ said Mrs Mannering. ‘I don’t know that I altogether like it.’
　　You can’t change your mind now, you can’t!’ cried the children.
　　‘No, I won’t,’ said Mrs Mannering. ‘But somehow I don’t feel very easy in my mind about itall. Oh, children, you won’t go and do anything dangerous, will you?’
　　‘There’s nothing dangerous for them to do,’ said Bill. ‘I’ll look after them all right. Anyonedoing anything dangerous will be sent back to you, Mrs Mannering.’
　　The children laughed. Then Jack’s face fell. ‘I say - what about Kiki? She won’t like me beingaway for some days. Can I take her with me? What about the plane - will she be all right in it?’
　　‘You’d better put her into a basket or something,’ said Bill. ‘She might get scared at the noiseand fly off. She’ll be all right in a basket on your knee. We can’t leave her behind.’
　　‘Right,’ said Jack, pleased. ‘Do you hear that, Kiki old bird? You’re to travel in a basket - andmind you behave yourself!’
　　‘Wipe your feet,’ said Kiki, ‘put the kettle on, kettle on! Poor, poor Polly!’
　　‘Idiot!’ said Jack, and scratched her poll. ‘All I hope is that you don’t try to imitate the noise anaeroplane makes. Your express train screech is bad enough.’
　　They all had a pleasant lunch and then Bill departed. The children went upstairs to put togethertheir things. Dinah put a whole packet of chocolate into her case, in case there were no shops atBill’s home. Jack stuffed a packet of biscuits into his case. He often woke up at night and liked abiscuit to nibble then.
　　‘Better take plenty of films with you, Jack, if you’re thinking of photographing birds,’ saidPhilip. ‘I bet there won’t be anywhere to buy them where Bill lives. It’s somewhere buried rightdown in the country.’
　　Mrs Mannering came up to see what they were packing. It was a cold August, with rather a lotof rain, and the children would need a fair amount of warm things. They had put in pullovers andjerseys and macks and sou’westers. She added rubber boots too, thinking that shoes would not beof much use if they walked over wet fields.
　　‘I’ve found you some rugs,’ she said. ‘You can each take one. They are old, but very thick andwarm, and as good as two blankets. If Bill hasn’t enough blankets for you it won’t matter at all -the rugs will give you plenty of warmth. Don’t forget to bring them back, now!’
　　Jack got his camera ready. He looked out his rolls of films. He debated whether or not to takeone of his bird books with him, and then decided not to, because his suitcase was already veryheavy.
　　‘Everything’s done now, Aunt Allie,’ said Lucy-Ann, sitting on her suitcase to make it shut. ‘Iwish tomorrow would hurry up and come. Fancy flying in the dark in Bill’s plane! I never in mylife thought I would do that. I hope it’s a long long way to Bill’s home.’
　　‘It is,’ said Mrs Mannering. ‘Now let me see - I’d better pack you sandwiches and cake to takewith you for the journey because you are sure to be hungry if you stay up all night. I’ll do thosetomorrow. Have you found a basket for Kiki, Jack? And what about taking some food for her?
　　There’s a new packet of sunflower seeds come today. Put it into your suitcase.’
　　Jack found a good basket for Kiki, with a lid that closed down. He put it on the table. Kiki flewover to it at once in curiosity. She hopped inside and looked out comically.
　　‘Clever bird,’ said Jack. ‘You know it’s your travelling basket, don’t you?’
　　‘God save the Queen!’ said Kiki, and began to rub her curved beak up and down the edge of thebasket.
　　‘Don’t do that, said Jack. ‘You’ll break it. Stop it, Kiki!’
　　Kiki climbed out and flew to Jack’s shoulder. She rubbed her beak against his hair.
　　‘Ding-dong bell,’ she murmured. ‘Polly’s in the well. Ding-dong bell.’
　　‘Polly’s in the basket, you mean,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Kiki, you’re going in an aeroplane. Think ofthat!’
　　The day went slowly - far too slowly for the children. The next day was even slower. By thetime that tea time came the children felt that night would never never come.
　　But when supper time came they felt more cheerful. The car was coming at a quarter past ten totake them to the aerodrome. Then into the plane they would get with Bill and off they would gointo the darkness. Somehow it seemed far more thrilling to fly through the dark night than throughthe sunshiny day.
　　Ten o’clock struck. The suitcases and rugs were taken down to the hall. Jacks camera was theretoo, and a large packet of sandwiches and cakes. Jack wore his field glasses on a strap over hisshoulder. Kiki’s basket was in the hall also, but Kiki was still free. She was not going into thebasket till the last moment.
　　‘Here’s the car!’ cried Philip, his sharp ears hearing the engine purring up to the door. ‘Comealong! Goodbye, Mother! Look after yourself well till we come back!’
　　‘Goodbye, Aunt Allie,’ said Jack, giving her a hug. ‘We’ll send you a postcard. Hi, Kiki, comeon - it’s time you got into your basket.’
　　Kiki made a bit of a fuss going in. She was excited because of the excitement of the fourchildren. It took quite a time to get her into the basket and shut the lid down. She began to shout atthe top of her voice.
　　‘Poor Polly, poor Polly, down the well, down the well, up the hill, in the corner!’
　　‘She’s mixing up Ding-dong bell and Jack and Jill and Jack Horner,’ said Lucy-Ann with agiggle. ‘Be quiet, Kiki! You ought to be glad you’re coming with us, even if you have to travel ina shut basket!’
　　All the goodbyes were said. ‘I don’t like letting you go, somehow,’ said Mrs Mannering. ‘It’ssilly of me - but I don’t. I’ve got an uncomfortable feeling - as if you’re going off into anotherdreadful adventure.’
　　‘We promise not to,’ said Philip earnestly. ‘Don’t you worry Mother. We’ll be all right, andyou’ll see us turning up, like bad pennies, in a few days’ time. Anyway, Bill’s on the phone andyou can always ring him.’
　　The taxi revved up its engine. It moved off down the drive, with Mrs Mannering left standing atthe door, waving. The children waved back, excited. They were really off.
　　‘Now for the aerodrome!’ said Philip, pleased. ‘I thought tonight would never come. What’s thetime? Oh, we’re early. Good. Got the passes, Jack?’
　　‘Dinah’s got them in her bag,’ said Jack. Dinah fished them out. They were passes that wouldtake them into the aerodrome, and up to Bill himself.
　　It was a good way to the aerodrome. The night was very dark. Clouds covered the sky, and afew drops of rain spattered the windscreen.
　　‘Here’s the aerodrome at last!’ cried Jack, seeing the lights through the window. ‘Look at theflare-path - all lit up. Isn’t it fine? Don’t the aeroplanes look enormous in the shadows at eachside? Here, Dinah - where are the passes? We’ve got to show them now.’
　　The passes were shown to the man at the entrance to the aerodrome and the children went in.
　　‘I’ll set you down here and you can speak to your friend,’ said the taxi man. ‘Then I’ll run on tohis aeroplane and dump the luggage beside it for you. So long!’
　　‘Now we’ll find Bill,’ said Philip as the car drove off. ‘There he is, look! Hi, Bill, we’re here!’
 
第2章 比尔如愿以偿
　　第2章 比尔如愿以偿
　　第二天，比尔到孩子们的家里来一起吃午饭。比尔有着红润的脸庞，闪烁的双眼。他的头发分布在那微微有些秃顶的脑袋两侧。孩子们纷纷冲向他，表示欢迎。曼纳林夫人向他报以微笑。
　　“昨天你让孩子们玩得真开心。”曼纳林夫人说，“现在我听说你想带他们来一次夜间飞行。我有点儿想不通，你为什么给你自己找麻烦呢？要带着这样一群孩子。”
　　“啊，你永远也不知道他们什么时候会来一场冒险，”比尔得意扬扬地说，同时他露出微笑，面对着曼纳林夫人和孩子们，“你知道，我不想被他们扔下。而且我觉得整个暑假，八九个星期，曼纳林夫人你都要和这些孩子在一起，这真是不容易。我觉得如果我可以带他们玩一段时间，也算是帮帮你的忙吧。”
　　“呃，那你想带他们做什么？”曼纳林夫人问道，“只是一次夜间飞行，在你的老房子那里待一个晚上，然后第二天飞回来吗？”
　　“这确实是我当时的一个想法。”比尔回答道，“但现在我听说自己还有三到四天的假期，我想你可能也愿意让孩子们和我多待会儿。我想和他们一起飞到我的老房子那儿待几天，玩玩儿。杰克可以观察大量的野生鸟类，菲利普能在那里找到各种各样的野生动物。
　　女孩们也会在那边玩得很愉快。”
　　“噢，这主意听起来确实挺好的！”杰克激动得要哭了，其他孩子也很赞同比尔的想法。曼纳林夫人听了之后，琢磨了一会儿，说道：“好吧，我没什么反对意见，比尔。我知道你会把孩子们照顾得很好。而且我相信你不会再让孩子们进行任何愚蠢的冒险了。”
　　“这个我可以向你保证，”比尔说，“我老房子那边没有什么地方是能跟冒险沾边的。那儿可能是最安全最安静的地儿了。在那里，什么危险的事儿都做不了。”
　　“好吧，如果你们也保证不去接触什么危险或者麻烦的话，那么你们就去吧。”曼纳林夫人冲着已经喜上眉梢的孩子们说。她问比尔：“你想什么时候带他们去？”
　　“如果可以的话，我觉得明天出发就不错，”比尔回答，“我现在的工作已经被推迟了三四天，所以这几天我正好都有空。”
　　“你现在的工作是忙些什么呢，比尔？快点儿，告诉我们吧！”露西安央求着比尔。可是比尔却哈哈大笑。
　　“我可不能说，”比尔说着，“我的工作可是个秘密，这个你们是清楚的。等我的工作结束了，我会告诉你们的，包括所有的细节。你们到时候会发现我的工作超级有趣。”
　　“那我们现在可以收拾行李了吧？”露西安问道，“如果我们要待上几天的话，我们得带上一些行李吧，比如一些换洗衣服和雨衣。”
　　“你说得对，再带上些运动衫和短裤。”比尔说，“对，我家那边可能会下雨，需要带上雨衣。对了，曼纳林夫人，你有一些不用的小毯子吗？我那里从来没接待过这么多客人，所以没有这么多毛毯。”
　　“我这里有。”曼纳林夫人回答道，“我去帮你找找。”
　　“这次我会带着我心爱的照相机，”杰克说，“我觉得你飞机上会有地方放些零零碎碎的东西的，对吧，比尔？”
　　“当然，地儿大着呢。”比尔回答杰克，“带上你的双筒望远镜。因为在山里你可能会看到好多不同种类的鸟儿。”
　　“哇，这真是太让我兴奋了！”杰克说着，他的眼睛也闪烁起兴奋的光，“我等不及啦，咱们今天就出发吧！”
　　“飞机今天还没有准备好，”比尔回答，“我今天得维修一下飞机。总之，我们最早明天才能走。你们也需要准备一下，收拾一下行李。明晚我们在机场见。晚上十一点准时会合。我会叫一辆车来接你们去机场。”
　　“竟然在这个时间开始旅行！”曼纳林夫人质疑道，“我有点儿不太喜欢这个时间。”
　　“你现在可改不了主意啦，你现在可不行！”孩子们哭着阻止她。
　　“我不会改主意。”曼纳林夫人说，“但是我感觉这个时间有点儿不合适。噢，孩子们，你们可不能去那里做危险的事儿，行吗？”
　　“那儿没有危险的事儿，”比尔插话，“我会把他们照看得很好的。如果谁做了危险的事儿，我就把他们送回来交给你，曼纳林夫人。”
　　孩子们大笑。杰克的脸已经笑得扭曲了。“要我说，琪琪怎么办？她可不想我离开家这么长时间。我能带她一起去吗？她能坐飞机吗？”
　　“你最好把她放在一个篮子或者什么类似的东西里，”比尔说，“她可能会受不了飞机上的噪音，也不习惯降落的感觉。但是如果你把她放在篮子里，之后放在你腿上的话，她可能会觉得好点儿。我们可不能丢下她不管。”
　　“好的。”杰克高兴地说，“琪琪，你这只老鹦鹉，听见了吗？你会坐在篮子里跟我们坐飞机——在飞机上你要管好你自己！”
　　“擦擦你的脚，”琪琪说，“把水烧上，水烧上！可怜，可怜的小鹦鹉！”
　　“傻瓜！”杰克回应道，抓了一下琪琪的羽毛，“我希望你回头不会模仿飞机发出的噪音。你之前模仿火车的鸣笛声就够让我头疼的了。”
　　比尔在离开之前，和大家一起吃了顿很愉快的午饭。四个孩子上楼去收拾他们的行李。黛娜为了避免到时候附近没有商店，拿了整整一捆的巧克力塞到了包里。杰克则往包里放了一捆饼干。他经常半夜醒来，然后吃点儿饼干。
　　“杰克，如果你想给鸟拍照的话，你最好多带点儿胶卷去。”菲利普说，“我敢打赌，你在那里买不到胶卷。那个地方可是在一片田野里呀。”
　　曼纳林夫人这时候上楼来看看孩子们的行李收拾得怎么样了。今年的八月很冷，下了很多场雨。孩子们需要一些保暖的衣服。他们已经带了套头衫、毛线衫、雨衣和防雨帽。
　　她想到如果他们要在泥泞的地里走的话，现在穿的鞋可受不了。于是她又往孩子们的行李箱里放了橡胶雨靴。
　　“我找到了一些小毯子，”她对孩子们说，“你们每个人拿一条。这些毯子有点儿旧了，但还挺厚实暖和的，一条顶得上两条普通的毛毯。如果比尔那里没有足够多的毛毯，完全没关系。你们可以盖这些毯子。但是别忘了带回来！”
　　杰克准备好了他的照相机，还翻出好多胶卷。他在犹豫要不要带本关于鸟类的书，最后他还是决定不带了。因为行李箱已经很沉了。
　　“艾莉阿姨，一切都准备好啦，”露西安说着，坐在行李箱上扣上扣子，“我希望明天赶紧来，然后我们就能坐着比尔的飞机在黑夜里遨游了！我从来没想过我会有这样一次经历。我希望比尔的家特别远，这样我们就能飞好久好久了。”
　　“确实，”曼纳林夫人说，“现在，让我们来看看——嗯，我最好给你们准备些三明治和蛋糕，你们旅行的时候可以带去。因为一夜不睡，你们肯定会饿的。我明天会给你们准备这些吃的。杰克，你找到装琪琪的篮子了吗？再给她带点儿吃的。今天咱们收到一包新的葵花子，把这个也带上吧。”
　　杰克找到了一个特别结实的篮子。它还有个能合上的盖子。杰克把这个篮子放在桌上。琪琪看到后，马上好奇地飞了进去。她在篮子里跳来跳去，还滑稽地向篮子外望出去。
　　“聪明的鸟儿，”杰克对琪琪说，“你知道吗？这个篮子可是给你旅行用的。”
　　“天佑吾王。”琪琪说着，开始用嘴在篮子里上上下下地啄起来。
　　“别这样，”杰克说，“你会把这个篮子弄坏的。快停下来，琪琪。”
　　琪琪从篮子里出来后，飞到了杰克的肩膀上。她又开始啄杰克的头发了。
　　“叮咚铃儿响，”她喃喃低语，“波莉在井里，叮咚铃儿响。”
　　“我想你是想说波莉在篮子里，”露西安紧接着她说道，“琪琪，想想你马上要坐飞机了！”
　　这一天过得太慢了——对孩子们来说尤其慢。第二天更漫长。当茶点时间到了的时候，孩子们在想什么时候才能到晚上呀。
　　但当晚餐时间来临的时候，孩子们振奋起来了。车子会在晚上十点一刻到达家门口，载着孩子们去机场。他们会在飞机上见到比尔，并在黑夜中起飞。孩子们莫名地觉得夜间飞行要比白天飞行刺激多了。
　　十点钟到了。行李箱和毯子被拿到了家里的走廊上。杰克的照相机也在那儿，还有一大包三明治和蛋糕。杰克在肩膀上挎着他的双筒望远镜。琪琪的篮子也在走廊上，但她还在篮子外边。她可是在最后一刻才会进到篮子里去。
　　“车来啦！”菲利普高兴得都要哭了，他的耳朵很尖，可以听见汽车离家门口越来越近的声音，“快上车吧！再见！妈妈。我们不在的这几天你要照顾好自己！”
　　“艾莉阿姨再见，”杰克也和曼纳林夫人道别，并给了她一个大大的拥抱，“我们会给你寄明信片的。琪琪，快点儿，快进到篮子里去。”
　　琪琪有点儿烦躁，不想进篮子。但她也很兴奋，被四个孩子兴奋的心情感染了。让琪琪进到篮子确实费了些时间，然后篮子的盖子也合上了。琪琪这时候开始惊声尖叫着：“可怜的小鹦鹉，可怜的小鹦鹉，掉井里，掉井里，上山去，角落里！”
　　“她把《叮咚铃儿响》《杰克和吉尔》和《杰克•赫纳》这三首歌混在一起了。”露西安咯咯笑着说，“琪琪安静点儿！虽然你在飞机上的时候，篮子的盖子不得不盖上，但你应该庆幸能跟我们一起出来玩。”
　　大家互相道了别。“我不想让你们走。”曼纳林夫人对孩子们说，“我知道这听起来有点儿傻，但是我还是不想你们走。我有种不妙的预感——你们去了之后会卷入一场很可怕的冒险。”
　　“我们保证我们不会的，”菲利普认真地回答，“别担心，妈妈。我们会保证安全的。你过几天就会看见我们这些到处惹麻烦的孩子安全地回来了。总之，比尔有电话，你随时可以给他打电话。”
　　出租车在家门口重新打着了火。曼纳林夫人在门口目送车发动引擎，驶向远处。孩子们向曼纳林夫人挥着手，但内心很兴奋。他们出发啦！
　　“现在向机场出发啦！”菲利普兴冲冲地说，“今晚终于到啦。现在几点了？噢，我们可能到早了。不错，杰克，机票在哪儿？”
　　“黛娜把所有机票都放在了她的包里。”杰克说。黛娜把票从她包里掏出来。这些可是能让他们进到机场里，去找比尔的通行证呀。
　　出租车行驶在通向机场的路上。这是一个很黑的夜晚。云彩遮住了天空，有几滴雨滴到了车窗上。
　　杰克从车窗里看到灯光，他高兴得要哭出来了：“我们终于到机场啦！快看那条闪着光的路，灯都亮起来了。是不是很酷？看，在那条路的两侧，飞机看起来大极了。快看，在那儿。黛娜，票在哪儿呢？我们现在得出示票了。”
　　一个站在机场门口的男人查了票，给孩子们放行。出租车载着孩子们开进机场了。
　　这时，出租车司机对孩子们说：“你们在这儿下车吧，这样你们能跟你们机场里的朋友说说话。你们下车了之后，我把车开到飞机那儿，帮你们把行李卸到你们的飞机旁边。这一路太长啦！”
　　杰克下了车之后，对他的小伙伴说：“现在我们去找比尔吧。看，他在那儿呢！嗨，比尔，我们在这儿！”
3 A grave mistake
　　3 A grave mistake
　　Bill was talking to three or four men very earnestly. He waved to the children, a tall, burly shadowin the night.
　　‘Hallo, kids! I’m busy for a few minutes. You cut along to the aeroplane and wait for me. Stowyour cases in at the back where mine is. I’ll be about ten minutes or so.’
　　‘Right, Bill,’ said Jack, and the four of them moved off to where the taxi man had put theircases, beside an aeroplane not very far away.
　　It was dark where the aeroplane stood, but the children could see enough to pick up their cases.
　　They climbed up the ladder and into the cabin.
　　The inside of the plane was in darkness. The children had no idea how to put the lights on. Theyfelt their way to the back of the plane and put down their things. They threw their rugs there too.
　　Jack put Kiki’s basket down carefully. Kiki had been most indignant all the way.
　　‘Humpy dumpy bumpy,’ she said. ‘Pop goes the weasel!’
　　There was a large crate in the middle of the plane. The children wondered what was in it. Was itempty or full? It must be something Bill was taking back with him.
　　‘It’s blocking up all the inside,’ said Jack. ‘We can’t sit down properly with that thing there.
　　Let’s squat down on our rugs at the back. We’ll be quite comfortable there. Perhaps Bill will shiftthe crate a bit when he comes, and tell us where he wants us to sit.’
　　So they sat down patiently on their rugs and waited. The noise of the plane’s engines went onand on, and it was impossible to hear anything else, though once Jack thought he could hearsomebody shouting.
　　He went to the door and looked out. But all was darkness and Bill was nowhere to be seen.
　　What a time he was!
　　He went back to his place, yawning. Lucy-Ann was half asleep. ‘I wish Bill would come,’ saidPhilip. ‘I shall go to sleep if he doesn’t.’
　　Then a lot of things happened very quickly indeed. Over and above the sound of the enginecame the sound of shots - gunshots. That made the children sit up in a hurry.
　　Then another shot sounded - and then there came the noise of someone clambering hurriedly upthe steps into the plane, and a man flung himself down in the control seat. Another followed,panting, hardly to be seen in the darkness. The children sat as if they were frozen. What in theworld was happening? Was one of the men Bill? Who was the other - and what was the hurry?
　　The first man took the controls of the plane, and to the children’s amazement it began to taxiforwards. They were off! But why hadn’t Bill spoken to them? Why hadn’t he at least lookedround to see that they were safely inside?
　　‘Keep quiet,’ said Jack to the others. ‘If Bill doesn’t want to speak to us, there’s a reason.
　　Maybe he doesn’t want the other fellow to know we’re here. Keep quiet.’
　　The plane rose into the air, its propellers making a great whirring noise. It headed swiftly intothe wind.
　　The men shouted to one another, but the children could not make out what they were sayingbecause the noise of the engine was so loud. They sat quiet and still, hidden from view by the bigcrate standing in the middle of the plane.
　　Bill said nothing to them at all. He didn’t call out to know if they were there. He didn’t send hiscompanion along to see if they were all right. He simply took no notice of them at all. It was veryqueer and Lucy-Ann didn’t like it a bit.
　　One of the men fiddled about and found a switch. He pulled it down and a light shone out justby the men, but the rest of the plane was still in darkness. Philip peeped round the crate, meaningto catch Bill’s eye if he could.
　　Almost at once he came back to the others, and sat down very quietly. He said nothing.
　　‘What’s up?’ asked Jack, sensing that Philip was worried.
　　‘You go and look round that crate,’ said Philip. ‘Have a good look at the two men.’
　　Jack went and peered round. He came back feeling puzzled and scared. ‘Neither of those men isBill,’ he said. ‘Golly - it’s funny!’
　　‘What do you mean?’ said Lucy- Ann in alarm. ‘One must be Bill. Why, this is Bill’saeroplane!’
　　‘Yes, but is it?’ said Dinah suddenly. ‘Look where the light catches those seats, Lucy-Ann -they are red - and the ones in Bill’s plane were green. I remember them quite well.’
　　‘So they were,’ said Jack, remembering too. ‘Golly! We’re in the wrong plane!’
　　There was a long silence. Nobody knew what to think about it. They were in the wrong plane -not Bill’s at all! Two strange men sat at the controls - men who would probably be extremelyangry when they found their unexpected passengers. Neither Jack nor Philip liked the look of themen in the least. They had really only seen the backs of their heads, and the side face of the manwhen he had turned to shout to his companion - but neither of the boys had felt drawn to the twomen.
　　‘They’ve got such thick necks,’ thought Jack. ‘Oh, gosh this is awful! And there were thoseshots too - were they anything to do with these men? They clambered into the plane in a frightfulhurry and set off at once. I do believe we’ve stumbled into an adventure again.’
　　Philip spoke cautiously to the others. It was no good whispering, because whispers couldn’tpossibly be heard. So Philip had to speak loudly and trust that he would not be heard by the men infront.
　　‘What are we going to do? We have got into the wrong plane! That’s the fault of that stupidtaxi-man, putting down our things by the wrong aeroplane. It was so dark that we ourselvescouldn’t possibly tell which plane was which.’
　　Lucy-Ann sat close to Jack, frightened. It wasn’t very nice to be high up in the air, lost in thedarkness, in the wrong aeroplane with men that none of them had seen before.
　　‘What can we do?’ wondered Jack. ‘We really are in a mess. Honestly, those two men won’thalf be mad when they see us!’
　　‘They might tip us out,’ said Lucy-Ann in alarm. ‘And we haven’t got parachutes on. Jack,don’t let them know we’re here.’
　　‘They’ll have to know sooner or later,’ said Dinah. ‘What idiots we are - getting into the wrongplane! I never thought of that.’
　　There was a silence again, with everyone thinking very hard.
　　‘Shall we just stay here at the back of the plane on our rugs, and hope we shan’t be noticed?’
　　said Philip. ‘Then, when we arrive somewhere maybe we can slip out of the plane and look forhelp.’
　　‘Yes - that’s the best idea,’ said Jack. ‘We are well hidden here, unless the men come round tothe back for something. Maybe they will arrive at their destination, get out without seeing us, andthen we can slip out ourselves and ask for help to get back home.’
　　‘I did want to stay with Bill,’ said Lucy-Ann, almost in tears. ‘Whatever will he be thinking?’
　　‘Goodness knows!’ said Jack gloomily. ‘He’ll be hunting all over the aerodrome for us. Youknow, I believe that must have been Bill I heard shouting, when I went to the door to see. He musthave gone to his own plane, found we weren’t there and yelled for us. Dash! If only I’d guessedthat!’
　　‘Well, it’s too late now,’ said Philip. ‘I hope Mother won’t be worried. Oh dear - she’ll thinkwe’ve fallen headlong into another adventure. And we promised not to.’
　　The aeroplane roared on through the dark night. The children had no idea whether they wereflying north, south, east or west. Then Jack remembered his pocket compass and took it out.
　　‘We’re flying east,’ he said. ‘I wonder where we’re going to. I don’t somehow feel as if I’m in aplane at all, as I can’t look out and see the ground far below’
　　The others felt the same. Lucy-Ann lay down on the rugs and yawned. ‘I’m going to sleep,’ shesaid. ‘I shall only feel frightened and worried if I keep awake.’
　　‘It’s a good idea of yours,’ said Philip, and he stretched himself out on the rugs too. ‘We shallbe sure to wake up if we arrive anywhere.’
　　‘Anyone want a sandwich or bit of cake?’ asked Dinah, remembering the picnic packet. Butnobody did. The shock of finding themselves in the wrong aeroplane had taken away theirappetites completely.
　　Soon all of them but Jack were asleep. He lay awake, thinking hard. Had Bill been mixed up inthe shooting they had heard? Were these two men anything to do with the job Bill had beenworking on - the ‘secret’ job? It might be just possible that Jack and the others might find outsomething that would help Bill. It was important not to let the two men know that they had somehidden passengers in their plane.
　　Kiki gave an exasperated screech in her basket. Jack jumped. He had forgotten Kiki. He tappedthe basket and spoke in as low a voice as he could, hoping that Kiki would hear him.
　　‘Shut up, Kiki! Don’t make a noise, whatever you do. It’s very important to be quiet. You hearme, Kiki? You must be quiet, be quiet, be quiet.’
　　‘Be quiet,’ repeated Kiki, from inside the basket. ‘Shhhhhhhhhh!’
　　Jack couldn’t help smiling. Yes,’ he said, putting his face close to the basket. ‘Shhhhhhhh!’
　　Kiki was quiet after that. She was a mischievous, noisy bird, but she would always be quiet ifJack wanted her to be. So she sat inside her basket, trying to tuck her head under her wing and goto sleep. But the loud sound of the plane’s engine upset her. She had never heard such a noisebefore. She longed to imitate it, but fortunately she didn’t try just then.
　　After a bit the two men changed places and the second one took over the controls. The first oneyawned and stretched. He got up and Jack’s heart almost stopped beating in fright. Was he goingto come to the back of the plane? He wondered whether or not to wake the others.
　　But the man did not come to the back. He stood up for a few minutes as if to stretch his legs,then lighted a pipe. Blue smoke drifted to the back of the cabin. Jack was most relieved to see theman sit down again.
　　The boy soon grew sleepy too. He lay down close to the others, quite glad of his coat, for it wasvery cold. Soon he was asleep. Only Kiki kept awake, cracking her beak now and again, puzzledand wondering what this strange night adventure meant.
　　The plane flew on in darkness, passing over towns and villages, fields, rivers and woods. Itpassed over the sea to where the lights of ships shone dimly. Lights of the towns twinkled up, andhere and there the flare path of an aerodrome shone up to the sky. But the plane did not fly down.
　　It swept over them all, heading east, to the dawn.
　　Then, just before dawn, it began to circle round more slowly. It dropped as it circled, and oncebanked so steeply that the children almost rolled over. It awoke them and they sat up, wonderingwhere they were. They remembered at once and looked at one another with wide eyes.
　　‘We’re going to land. Where shall we find we are? Look out for a quick escape as soon as weget the chance,’ they whispered to one another. ‘Down we go - we’re landing!’
第3章 一个重大失误
　　第3章 一个重大失误
　　比尔正在全神贯注地和三四个人交谈，但当他看见孩子们的时候，朝他们挥了挥手。
　　黑夜中，他那魁梧的身材拉出了长长的影子。
　　“你们好呀，孩子们！我现在有点儿忙。你们去飞机那儿等我吧。顺便把你们的行李放到机舱的后边。大约十分钟之后，我就去找你们。”
　　“没问题，比尔。”杰克回答道。四个孩子朝出租车司机卸行李的地方走去。行李离他们要坐的飞机并不是很远。
　　飞机附近没有灯，但是孩子们还是可以在拎行李的时候看清周围的环境。他们沿着梯子，爬进了客舱里。
　　飞机里面很黑，没有一点光亮。孩子们不知道灯在哪儿。但他们凭着感觉，走到了机舱后面，放下他们的行李和小毯子。杰克小心翼翼放下装着琪琪的篮子。这一路上，琪琪一直愤愤不平。
　　“汉皮邓皮邦皮，”她叫着，“砰！去追黄鼠狼。”
　　在机舱中部，放着一个很大的木箱子。孩子们很好奇箱子里装了什么东西。这箱子里是空的还是满的？这一定是比尔要带回家的一个东西。
　　孩子们在机舱后面坐着，一动不敢动。他们想，这到底发生了什么？
　　“这个箱子把座位都挡上了。”杰克说，“有这个箱子在这儿，我们都坐不下了。我们只能在后边，蹲在我们的毯子上了。那样我们还是可以放松放松的。比尔一会儿可能会重新调整一下箱子的位置，然后告诉我们坐在哪儿。”
　　杰克说完，孩子们耐心地坐在他们带的毯子上，等着比尔的到来。飞机的引擎一直响着，震耳欲聋，让孩子们听不见其他的声音。
　　中间有一次杰克以为自己听见了有人在喊叫着什么。他走到机舱门边，向外面看出去。但是外边一片漆黑，看不见比尔的身影。杰克想，比尔现在人在哪儿呀。于是他往机舱的后边走去，边走边打着哈欠。露西安已经快要睡着了。“我希望比尔赶紧来，”这时，菲利普说道，“不然我就要睡着了。”
　　话音刚落，突然发生了好多事儿。夹杂着飞机引擎的声音，孩子们听见了很多声枪响。这让他们很快就从睡意中清醒了过来。
　　随着另一声枪响，孩子们听到了有人急匆匆地爬上了飞机的梯子。一个男人踉踉跄跄地坐到了飞机驾驶椅上。另外一个人喘着粗气，紧随着他也来到了飞机上。在黑暗中，很难发现这两个人的身影。孩子们在机舱后面坐着，一动不敢动。他们想，这到底发生了什么？其中一个人会不会是比尔？那么另外一个人是谁呢？为什么他们都这么着急？第一个上来的人驾驶着飞机，让孩子们吃惊的是，飞机已经开始向前滑行了。他们起飞了。但是比尔为什么不跟他们讲话呢？他至少应该看看他们是不是安全呀。
　　“保持安静。”杰克对其他人说，“比尔没和咱们讲话肯定是有原因的。可能他不想让另外那个人知道我们在飞机上。所以咱们要保持安静。”
　　飞机已经飞到了空中，它的螺旋桨旋转发出的噪音很大。飞机迅速地在风中飞行。
　　在机舱前部，一个人向另外一个人喊话。但是因为飞机里的噪音太大了，所以坐在后面的孩子们听不清他们说的话。孩子们安静地坐着，一动不动。从飞机前边往后看去，孩子们的身影正好被机舱中间的大箱子挡住了。
　　比尔没有和他们说话。他甚至没有向他们招呼一声，看看他们是不是在飞机上。他也没有让他的同伴来后面看看孩子们是不是安全的。他完全没有理会孩子们。这真是太奇怪了，完全不像是比尔。露西安对这点很不满。
　　在飞机驾驶室里，一个人拨弄着仪器表，发现了一个开关。他把开关往下拉了一下，一束光照到了他身上。但飞机上其他的地方还是黑漆漆一片。菲利普从箱子后边偷看，想要和比尔目光对视一下。
　　但他马上就回到其他人旁边，安静地坐了下来。他什么都没说。
　　“怎么了？”杰克问他，因为杰克感到菲利普似乎在担忧着什么。
　　“你去箱子那边儿看看。”菲利普回答，“好好地看看前边坐着的那两个男人。”
　　杰克走到箱子旁边，看了看前边的两个男人。他回到后边坐下来。他感到疑惑又害怕。“前边的两个人，谁都不是比尔。”他说，“天哪，这太可笑了！”
　　“你这是什么意思？”露西安马上警觉起来，问道，“他们其中一个肯定是比尔。怎么可能？这可是比尔的飞机！”
　　“是的，但肯定是吗？”黛娜突然发言，“快看，露西安，灯光照亮的椅子是红色的。我记得比尔飞机上的椅子应该是绿色的。我记的应该没错。”
　　“我也记得应该是绿色的。”杰克说，“天哪，我们上错飞机了！”
　　孩子们安静了好一阵子。没有人知道应该怎么办。他们上了一架别人的飞机，不是比尔的飞机！两个陌生男人在操控着飞机。这两个人如果发现了飞机上的这些不速之客的话，肯定会特别生气。不过，杰克和菲利普也不喜欢那两个陌生的男人。其实他们只看到过那两个男人的后脑勺，和一个男人跟同伴讲话时的侧脸。但杰克和菲利普都不喜欢这两个男人。
　　“他们的脖子太粗了，”杰克边回忆边说道，“哦，天哪，这太糟糕了！而且在出发之前还发生了枪击。飞机前边这两个人是不是参与了枪战？他们可是在枪响之后，迅速地爬进了飞机，然后马上就起飞了。我真的觉得我们这次又被卷入了一场冒险里。”
　　菲利普很谨慎地和他的朋友们说着。小声说话是没有用的，因为其他人是听不到的。
　　刚才，菲利普说话的声音非常大，不过他相信自己的声音没有传到前边两个男人的耳朵里。
　　“那我们现在怎么办？我们上错飞机啦！这都怪那个愚蠢的出租车司机，把我们的行李放错了地方。而且外边那么黑，我们完全分不清哪架飞机是比尔的。”
　　露西安坐在杰克的旁边，她害怕极了。坐在陌生人开的飞机里，在高空中飞行，像是要迷失在黑夜里一样，这种感觉真的不好。
　　“那我们现在能做些什么？”杰克的语气中充满了质疑，“我们现在真的是一团糟。说实话，我想他们看见我们的时候，可能就不会那么生气了。”
　　“他们可能会把我们从飞机上踢出去。”露西安惊慌地说，“而且我们现在身上没有降落伞。杰克，你可千万别让他们知道我们在飞机上。”
　　“他们迟早都会知道的。”黛娜却说，“我们太蠢了。我们竟然上了一架错误的飞机！我可从来没想过会发生这种事儿。”
　　黛娜说完，孩子们又陷入了一片寂静中。每个人都在努力地思考着解决办法。
　　“我们要不要就这么一直待在机舱后边的毯子上，然后祈祷着没人能发现我们？”菲利普说道，“降落了之后，我们也许能悄悄地溜出飞机，然后寻求帮助。”
　　“对，这是目前最好的办法了。”杰克回应，“我们现在在这里藏得很好。除非那两个人来后边，否则他们发现不了我们。也许他们到了目的地之后，就会直接离开飞机，不到飞机后边来。这样就不会发现我们了。之后我们再悄悄地溜出去，寻求帮助，看看怎么回家。”
　　“我真的很想和比尔待在一起。”露西安眼含热泪，绝望地说，“你们觉得他现在在想什么？”
　　“这个谁知道？”杰克沮丧地说，“他肯定为了找咱们已经把飞机翻了个底朝天。你知道的，当时枪响的时候，我从舱门往外看，听见了大声叫喊的声音。我相信那个人就是比尔。当时他肯定已经回自己的飞机了，但是发现咱们不在里面，就着急地喊我们。可恶！
　　希望这只是我的猜测！”
　　“唉，现在太晚了，”菲利普接着杰克说，“我希望妈妈现在千万别担心。噢，我的天呀，她肯定会觉得我们已经一头扎进了另一段冒险中了。但我们保证过我们不再冒险了。”
　　飞机在黑漆漆的夜空中飞行，螺旋桨转动的声音好似咆哮。孩子们不知道他们是在往哪个方向飞行。杰克这时想起他的口袋里一直放着一个指南针，于是他赶忙拿了出来。
　　“我们在往东边飞，”杰克接着说，“我们究竟是要飞去哪儿呢？咱们坐在后边，旁边没有窗户，所以看不见下面的情况。这让我有种现在我不在飞机里的感觉。”
　　其他人也有同样的感觉。露西安躺在毯子上，叹着气说道：“我要睡觉了。只要醒，我就会感到害怕和焦虑。”
　　“这确实是个好想法。”菲利普说着，也在毯子上伸了一个懒腰，“如果降落或者到什么地儿的话，我们肯定会被吵醒的。”
　　黛娜这时候想起来出门带的野餐篮子，于是她问大家：“谁想吃个三明治或者来点儿蛋糕吗？”但是谁都没有回答。上错飞机带给大家的震惊让所有人完全没有了吃点心的胃口。
　　很快，除了杰克之外，他们所有人都睡着了。杰克清醒地躺在毯子上，努力地思考着。他琢磨着比尔是不是参与了他们听见的枪战？这两个男人会不会和比尔要做的工作相关？之前他提到的秘密工作？孩子们能不能发现什么从而帮助比尔？杰克思索着，不能让这两个男人知道他们几个人在飞机上。嗯，这个很重要。
　　琪琪从篮子里发出了一声听起来很恼火的尖叫声。杰克瞬间就从毯子上跳了起来。他忘记琪琪还在飞机上。他轻轻地敲了敲篮子，用琪琪能听到的非常低的声音对她说：“琪琪，快点儿闭嘴！别再出声音了。保持安静！这非常重要。你听见我说的了吗？琪琪。你必须很安静，非常安静，安静。”
　　“保持安静，”琪琪重复杰克的话，从篮子里传出来，“嘘！”
　　杰克听到琪琪的话，忍不住笑起来。杰克把脸贴在篮子上，对琪琪说：“你说得对。
　　嘘！”
　　在这之后，琪琪尽力保持安静，一点儿声音都没有出。虽然琪琪是只很淘气、平时又很吵的鹦鹉，但是只要杰克跟她说要安静的时候，她一定会做到。所以琪琪现在在篮子里，试着把头搭在翅膀底下，努力地想要睡着。但是飞机引擎发出的很吵的噪音，让她心烦意乱。她从来没有听到过这样大的声音。她有点想去模仿飞机的噪音，但幸亏后来没这么做。
　　过了不久，飞机前面驾驶舱的两个男人调换了一下他们的工作。第二个男人开始驾驶飞机。第一个人这时打着哈欠，伸了个懒腰。之后，他站了起来，这时杰克吓得心脏都快停止跳动了。这个人会不会往飞机的后边走？杰克在想要不要叫醒他的伙伴们。
　　但是，这个男人并没有往飞机的机舱后面走。他只是站起来花了几分钟伸展了一下他的腿，然后点着了他的烟斗。蓝色的烟从烟斗里飘出来，慢慢地飘到了机舱后边。当这个人重新坐下的时候，杰克长长地舒了一口气。
　　不久，杰克也很快有了困意。他靠近其他人身边，躺了下来。机舱里很冷，杰克庆幸穿了件厚厚的外套。很快他就进入了梦乡。这时，在机舱后边，只有琪琪还保持着清醒。
　　她不断地张开嘴再闭上嘴。她在冥思苦想着，今晚这奇怪的冒险究竟会变成什么样。
　　黑暗中，飞机飞过了不少的城镇、乡村、田野、河流和树林。它越过了大海。从飞机上往下望，海面上，朦胧的光从船只的灯上射出来。城镇里的灯光闪烁着。其中，可以从飞机上清楚地看到一个机场里面闪光的道路。但是飞机并没有在这个机场降落，而是一掠而过，径直往东飞去，直到黎明。
　　在黎明之前，飞机开始在空中盘旋，缓缓地降速。它慢慢地以转圈的方式降落。其中一次很急的倾斜的转弯差点把孩子们都抛出去。这也让他们从睡梦中惊醒，坐了起来。那一瞬间，他们在想自己现在身处何地。很快，他们就记起来了，一个个瞪着大眼睛互相盯着对方。
　　“我们马上就要降落了。我们怎么才能知道我们在哪儿？快，一有机会，我们就逃出去。”孩子们一个对另一个说道，“飞机在下降，我们要着陆啦！”
4 Wherever can we be?
　　4 Wherever can we be?
　　The aeroplane landed with a slight bump that shook the children and made them gasp. Then it ranalong a little way on its huge wheels, and stopped. They had arrived.
　　But where? Dawn had come, and light came in at the windows, but it was not full morning yet.
　　One of the men switched off the throbbing engines. At once a great quiet and peace came into thecabin. How marvellous not to have that enormous noise flooding into their ears any more! Thechildren were glad.
　　They heard the men’s voices. ‘We’ve made good time - and a good landing too. You broughther in well, Juan.’
　　‘We’ve not got much time to spare,’ said Juan. ‘Come on - let’s get out and stretch our legs.
　　We’ll go to the hut and have a meal.’
　　To the children’s enormous delight the men clambered out of the plane and disappeared. Theyhadn’t even gone round to the back of the crate and seen the children! Maybe they could escapeand get help at once. Anyway they would be able to send word to Bill and Mrs Mannering tellingthem not to worry.
　　‘Come on,’ said Jack, getting up cautiously. ‘Let’s squint out of the window and see where weare. On an aerodrome, I hope. We’ll probably see a mechanic or two, and ask them to direct us tosomeone in authority.’
　　They all crowded to the nearest window. But what a shock when they looked out!
　　They were not on an aerodrome at all. They were on a broad flat piece of grassland in a valley -and that valley seemed to be surrounded on all sides by towering mountains.
　　‘Gosh!’ said Jack. ‘Where are we? Back of beyond, I should think.’
　　‘We’re in a valley,’ said Philip. ‘With mountains all round - awfully beautiful - but awfullylonely! How can we get help here? There won’t be a plane to take us back, that’s certain.’
　　There wasn’t a house or any kind of building to be seen. The view from the other side of theplane was exactly the same - mountains on every side. They seemed to be at the bottom of them,in a green valley. It was very strange. Why should the men come there?
　　‘What are we going to do?’ asked Dinah. ‘Do we get out - or stay in - or what?’
　　‘Well - I don’t know what you think, Philip,’ said Jack, ‘but I don’t like any of this. I don’t likethose men, I don’t like the way they flew off in the middle of the night after what sounded like alot of shooting - and I don’t like this lonely valley either. But all the same I think it would be agood idea if we got out and snooped round a bit. There must be people somewhere about -shepherds, perhaps - somebody like that.’
　　‘What country are we in?’ asked Lucy-Ann. ‘Shall we be able to speak their language?’
　　‘I don’t suppose so for a minute,’ said Philip. ‘But we’ll just have to try and make ourselvesunderstood.’
　　‘I wonder what those men have come here for,’ said Dinah thoughtfully. ‘It seems a funnylonely place to come to. I don’t think they are up to any good. I think it would be just as well toget out now, whilst we can, and hide, and then see if we can’t find someone to help us. We canreport everything to Bill when we get back.’
　　‘That’s the best idea,’ said Jack at once. ‘I’ll be glad to be in the open air again. This plane’sjolly stuffy.’
　　They looked cautiously out of every window to see if they could spot the two men. But therewas no sign of them at all.
　　‘Better get going,’ said Jack. ‘What about our suitcases - and rugs - and Kiki?’
　　‘Don’t leave them here,’ said Philip. ‘We don’t want the men to guess we’ve been passengers intheir plane. Take them with us.’
　　So the four of them left the plane and handed down their cases and rugs to one another. Kikiuttered a few words of annoyance at being lifted about like luggage, but only in a very low voice.
　　Soon all the children were standing outside the plane, wondering which way to go. Jacksuddenly nudged Philip and made him jump.
　　‘Look! Look over there!’
　　They all looked and saw a thin spire of blue smoke rising into the air.
　　‘The men have made a fire down there, I should think,’ said Jack in a low voice. ‘Better not goin that direction. We’ll take this path here - if it is a path.’
　　The little procession wound round some big rocks, and came to where a stream burbled downthe hillside. It gushed out not far off as a spring, and became a little stream almost at once.
　　‘We could drink from that,’ said Philip. ‘I’m thirsty. But I’m not hungry yet. Funny!’
　　‘Well, we’re all a bit tired and worried and puzzled,’ said Jack. ‘Let’s get some water into ourhands and lap it up. I’m thirsty too.’
　　The water was cold and crystal clear. It was delicious. All the children felt better for a drink.
　　Dinah dipped her hanky into the stream and wiped her face. She felt much fresher then, and Lucy-Ann did the same.
　　‘The thing is to find a good hiding place for ourselves and these cases,’ said Jack. ‘I’m afraid ifthose two men start wandering about they may come across us. Where can we go?’
　　‘Let’s go straight on,’ said Dinah. ‘Up the hill here. If we keep up a little we shall be able to seethe plane down in the valley and keep our sense of direction a bit. Keep among those trees.’
　　‘That’s a good idea,’ said Philip, and they made their way slowly towards the trees. They feltsafer among them. The men could not spot them there. On the other hand, they found that theycould no longer see the plane.
　　‘We can always spot it by climbing up a tree,’ said Jack. ‘I say - look there - is that a house?’
　　Set in a clearing was what looked like a house. But when the children got near they found that itwas almost burnt out - just a blackened ruin, empty and deserted.
　　‘What a pity,’ said Philip. ‘We could easily have asked help from the people who lived there. Iwonder how the house got burnt.’
　　They went on a little higher, through a copse of silver birch trees. They saw another building alittle higher up - but to their astonishment and dismay that too was a blackened, scorched ruin.
　　There was no sign of life anywhere about it.
　　‘Two burnt houses - and nobody to be found anywhere,’ said Jack. ‘Very curious. What’s beenhappening in this valley?’
　　Higher up still they could see yet another house - would that be burnt out too? They labouredup to it, and gazed on it in despair.
　　‘Quite burnt out,’ said Dinah. ‘What an awful thing! What’s happened to the people who livedhere? There must have been war here, or something. I do wonder where we are.’
　　‘Look - that cowshed, or whatever it is, isn’t very much burnt out,’ said Jack. ‘Let’s go overand see if the roof is still on. If it is, we could put our things there.’
　　They made their way to the broken-down cowshed. It seemed as if the flames had got hold ofone half of it but had left the other half. The roof was almost off, but at the back was a shelteredplace, with stalls where cows had once been put.
　　‘This is all right,’ said Jack, making his way into the last stall of all. ‘The roof here will keepout the rain if it comes - and there are some jolly big clouds about. We can put our things here.’
　　‘The floor’s dirty,’ said Lucy-Ann, turning up her nose in disgust.
　　‘Well, we may perhaps be able to find a broom or something to get it clean - and we’ll spread itwith grass or bracken for a carpet,’ said Dinah. ‘Then, if we spread out our rugs on it, we couldeven sleep here. We may not be able to find anyone to help us today. We could spend the nighthere.’
　　They put their cases in the corner and draped the rugs over them. Kiki was put down on top inher basket. She gave a squawk of protest.
　　‘Do you think it would be safe to let her out?’ said Jack. ‘She’ll sit on my shoulder for hoursnow, I’m sure, if I tell her to. She must be so uncomfortable cooped up in that box.’
　　‘Yes - let her out,’ said Philip. ‘If she does fly off for a bit and the men see her they won’t knowwhat she is or who she belongs to. She’ll give them a fright if she begins to talk.’
　　Kiki was set free. She was overjoyed. She clambered out of the basket and flew to Jack’sshoulder. She nibbled his ear fondly.
　　‘Where’s your handkerchief?’ she said. ‘How many times have I told you to . . .’
　　‘All right, Kiki, all right,’ said Jack. ‘Not so loud, there’s a good old thing.’
　　‘Shhhhhhhhhh!’ said Kiki at the top of her voice. Then she said no more, but just sat andcracked her beak.
　　‘Well - what are our plans?’ said Philip, sitting on his suitcase. ‘Shall we go exploring a bitfurther and see if we can find anyone to help us? Or shall we keep an eye on those men and see ifwe can find out why they’ve come here? Or shall we just stay here and hide?’
　　‘I think we’d better go exploring,’ said Jack. ‘The most important thing really is to find help.
　　We simply must get back home at once if we can. Aunt Allie and Bill will be worried to deathabout us.’
　　‘This is such a lovely valley,’ said Dinah, looking out of the tumbledown cowshed. ‘I can’tthink why it isn’t packed with houses and cattle and sheep. But I can’t see a soul. I can’t even seeany smoke anywhere - except for that bit over there, where the men are. It’s very mysterious.
　　Why are all those houses burnt, and why isn’t there anyone here?’
　　‘Well, we’ve only seen just a bit of the valley and hillside,’ said Philip. ‘We may go round acorner and come on a whole village. Aren’t those mountains enormous?’
　　‘Yes. They make a ring all round this valley,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I wonder where the way out it.
　　Mountains always have passes through them, don’t they?’
　　‘Yes,’ said Jack. ‘But I shouldn’t care to go looking for one if I didn’t know the way. See thatmountain over there? It’s got a white tip. I bet that’s snow. It shows how high it must be.’
　　It certainly was a beautiful valley, and the mountains that guarded it were magnificent. But ithad a deserted lonely air about it, and even the few birds that flew by every now and again seemedsilent and cautious.
　　‘There’s something mysterious here,’ said Jack. ‘You know - I believe - yes, I really do believe- we’re in for another adventure.’
　　‘Rubbish!’ said Philip. ‘We shall find a farm near by, get help, have a message sent somewhere,find a car road, go to the nearest town by car, and from there to an aerodrome. And I bet you we’llbe home by tomorrow.’
　　‘I bet we won’t,’ said Jack. Lucy-Ann looked alarmed.
　　‘But what about meals?’ she said. ‘We’ve only got Aunt Allies picnic packet - and few biscuitsand some chocolate. We’ll starve if we don’t get home quickly. There’s nothing to eat here.’
　　Nobody had thought of that. It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventurewithout anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn’t do at all.
　　‘I don’t think we’ll make this an adventure after all,’ said Jack. But an adventure it was - andthey were only at the beginning of it too.
第4章 我们在哪儿？
　　第4章 我们在哪儿？
　　飞机在着陆的时候，出现了一个小小的颠簸，吓得孩子们大气都不敢喘。着陆后，几个硕大的轱辘载着飞机滑行了一小段路之后，停了下来。他们到达目的地了。
　　但是这是哪儿呢？黎明已至，阳光透过窗户射进来，但太阳还没有完全升起。机舱前面的一个男人关闭了还在运行的引擎。突然间，整个机舱里都安静了下来。还有什么比听不到那轰隆隆的引擎的声音更美妙的吗？孩子们都很高兴。
　　没有了飞机的噪音，孩子们可以清楚地听见前边两个人的谈话。“我们这一趟开得不错，而且着陆也很漂亮。胡安，你这飞机开得太棒了。”
　　“我们可没有多少时间可以闲聊。”胡安回答，“快点儿，我们快出去，活动活动腿脚。
　　然后我们就去那个小屋，到那里吃点东西。”
　　让孩子们高兴的是，这两个人说完，就爬出了飞机，消失了。他们没有往机舱的后边走，没有发现四个孩子。也许孩子们可以立刻就逃出去，寻找帮助。总之，他们有机会给比尔和曼纳林夫人发个消息，让他们别担心。
　　杰克变得小心翼翼起来，对大家说：“跟着我，咱们偷偷地从窗户往外瞧瞧，看看我们究竟在哪儿。我希望我们是在机场里。这样，我们就有可能找到一两个机修工，让他们带我们去找警察。”
　　孩子们听后，全都拥到离他们最近的一个窗户那里，但是当看到外边的景象的时候，他们全部都愣住了。
　　他们不在飞机场！窗外是一座山谷中的一片广阔、平坦的草地。那山谷看起来像是位于四面高山的怀抱中。
　　“我的天！”杰克说，“我们这是在哪里？我觉得我们在一片荒无人烟的地方。”
　　“我们这是在一个四面环山的山谷里。”菲利普接着说，“这景色太美了，但是周围完全看不到人烟！我们怎么能在这种地方找到帮助呢？可以肯定的是这儿没有一架飞机可以带我们回去。”
　　飞机的周围没有一座房子，也看不到任何类似房子的建筑。孩子们赶忙从机舱的另一侧的窗户向外打量着。可两边的景象完全相同——都是山。孩子们感觉他们是在一个野草丛生的山谷的底部。那两个男人为什么到这里来？这可真是太奇怪了。
　　“我们现在应该怎么办？”黛娜问，“我们是应该逃出飞机——还是继续待在这里——还是应该做什么？”
　　“嗯——菲利普，我不知道你是怎么想的。”杰克回答，“但我一点儿都不喜欢发生的一切。我不喜欢那两个人，也不喜欢他们在一阵枪声之后，驾驶飞机半夜就出发——更不喜欢这个荒无人烟的山谷。我想从飞机里面逃出去，探查一下周围的情况，这样做应该没问题。这附近一定有人，比如牧羊人或者什么其他人。”
　　“我们现在在哪个国家？”露西安问大家，“我们会说他们的语言吗？”
　　“我觉得我们不会。”菲利普回答，“但我们可以尽力让他们理解我们想说的。”
　　“我在想，这两个人为什么要到这里来。”黛娜若有所思，“他们为什么要跑到这个奇怪的渺无人烟的地方。我觉得他们是要做什么坏事儿吧。趁着现在还能逃出去，我觉得我们应该赶紧走，找个地方藏起来，再找找有没有人可以帮我们回家。到家之后，我们就跟比尔一五一十地把这一切都讲一遍。”
　　“黛娜说的是目前最好的主意了。”杰克听了后立刻说，“终于不用在这里窝着了，可以出去呼吸新鲜空气了。飞机里实在太狭窄了。”
　　决定要逃出去了之后，孩子们小心翼翼地观察着每个窗户外面的情况，看看能不能看到那两个开飞机的人。反复观察后，完全没有发现那两个人的踪影。
　　“现在外边应该是安全的。我们出发吧。”杰克说，“但是我们的行李箱、毯子，还有琪琪怎么办？”
　　“不能留在这儿。”菲利普想了想回答说，“我们可不能让那两个人觉得他们的飞机上有过乘客。我们得把这些东西都带上。”
　　所有人都往杰克指的那个方向望去，看到空中袅袅地飘着一股蓝色的烟。
　　所以四个孩子率先下了飞机，并把行李箱和毯子一个传给一个地搬离了飞机。当孩子们把琪琪像行李一样搬出飞机的时候，她用很低的声音吐出了一些表示不满的词。
　　很快，孩子们都下了飞机，四处观望，琢磨着之后应该去哪儿。杰克突然推了菲利普一下，吓得菲利普跳了起来。
　　“看！快看那里！”
　　所有人都往杰克指的那个方向望去，看到空中袅袅地飘着一股蓝色的烟。
　　“我猜一定是那两个人在那边生火呢。”杰克压低了声音对大家说，“所以我们不能往那个方向走。我们应该走这条小路，如果它确实是一条路的话。”
　　这支小队伍绕过几块巨大的岩石，来到一片山坡。一条小溪从坡上流下来，发出汩汩声。在不远处，它像喷泉一样喷出来，很快又变成一个有些湍急的小水流。
　　“这儿有条小溪，我们可以喝点水。”菲利普说，“我渴了，但有趣的是，我现在完全感觉不到饿！”
　　“嗯，我们都有点儿累了，也不知道下一步该怎么样。”杰克说，“我们先用手捧着水喝点吧。我也渴了。”
　　水的温度很低，清澈如水晶。孩子们觉得很好喝，入口甘甜。喝完水后，孩子们觉得状态好了很多。黛娜把手帕浸入溪水中，擦了擦自己的脸。她感觉清爽多了。露西安也照做了。
　　“我们现在要做的就是找一处可以让我们和这些行李箱藏起来的地方。”杰克说，“我怕那两个男人无意中发现了我们。如果不想被他们发现，我们能去哪儿呢？”
　　“我们接着往前走吧，”黛娜想了想，说，“一直走到前边的小山坡那里。如果我们可以继续往山上爬，我们就能看到降落在山谷的飞机的情况，这还可以给我们一些方向感。所以，我们还是待在那片树林里吧。”
　　“你说的这个想法好。”菲利普说。然后孩子们缓慢地向树林走去。进入树林之后，大家觉得安全了许多。因为在树林里，那两个陌生人就很难找到他们了。但孩子们发现从树林里是无法看到山谷里的飞机的。
　　“如果我们爬上树，从树顶上往下看，应该可以看到飞机。”杰克说，“快看那里，那是一座房子吗？”
　　树林的空地中好像有一座房子，但他们走近后才发现那是一个几乎被焚毁的空架子，早就被人遗弃了。
　　“真是太可惜了。”菲利普说，“如果这附近有人的话，我们就能寻求帮助了。我在想，这个房子是怎么被烧成这个样子的呢？”
　　他们继续往山上走，穿过一片银色的桦树林。这时，他们发现山上还有另外一座房子。可让他们震惊又沮丧的是，这座房子同样被烧焦，成了黑炭。四周完全没有人的踪迹。
　　“两座被烧了的房子——没有人烟。”杰克说，“我真好奇这山谷里到底发生了什么？”
　　如果再往山上走，他们会不会再看到另外一座被烧毁的房子呢？孩子们艰难地向山上走去，眼中充满了绝望。
　　“刚才那个房子完全被烧毁了！”黛娜边走边说，“真是太可怕了！那么以前住在房子里的人怎么样了？这里一定是发生了战争或者什么可怕的事情。不过我在想我们现在在哪儿呢？”
　　“看——那牛棚，还是什么，还没有完全被烧毁。”杰克说，“我们过去看看吧，看看房顶是不是还在。如果房顶还好的话，我们可以把东西放在房子里。”
　　孩子们来到这个破旧不堪的牛棚前。大火把这个屋子的一半都烧毁了，现在只剩下另一半。而且屋顶也几乎不存在了。但在牛棚的后边有一个掩蔽的地方，那儿还有关牛用的畜栏。
　　“这地方看起来还可以。”杰克走到畜栏的尽头，“天上有几片硕大的云彩。如果下雨的话，上边的屋顶还能遮一遮。我们可以把东西放在这儿。”
　　“这地面也太脏了。”露西安厌恶地说。
　　“嗯，我们也许可以找到扫帚或者什么东西打扫一下卫生，也可以在地上铺一些草或者欧洲蕨来当地毯。”黛娜说，“如果我们要在这儿睡觉的话，可以铺上我们带的毯子。我们今天可能找不到能帮助我们回家的人了。今晚就在这儿住下吧。”
　　孩子们把行李箱放在房子的角落里，用毯子把它们遮住。装琪琪的篮子被放在了最上边。琪琪对此发出了抗议。
　　“你们觉得把琪琪放出来，是不是安全呢？”杰克见状，问，“我确定，如果我愿意的话，她可以在我的肩膀上待几个小时。她在篮子里一定很不舒服。”
　　“对——把她放出来吧。”菲利普说，“如果她飞到别的地方，被那两个人不小心看见，也没关系。因为他们不知道她是怎么来的。但当她开始说话的时候，可能会让他们吓一跳。”
　　琪琪被放出来了。她实在是太高兴了。琪琪爬出篮子，飞到杰克的肩膀上，轻柔地一点一点儿地啄着杰克的耳朵。
　　“你的手帕在哪里？”琪琪开始说话了，“我跟你说了多少次……”
　　“好啦，琪琪，别闹啦。”杰克说，“别说得这么大声，你这个老家伙。”
　　“嘘！”琪琪故意用最尖厉的嗓音说，然后便闭上了嘴，什么都不说了。但她仍然坐在杰克的肩上，张着嘴巴。
　　“嗯，那我们接下来该怎么办呢？”菲利普坐在他的行李箱上，问大家，“我们是接着往前走，看看能找到什么人帮忙？还是好好地监视那两个人，看看为什么他们要到这里来？
　　还是就待在这个房子里，躲着他们呢？”
　　“我觉得我们最好继续往前走，出去查看一下。现在最重要的事儿就是寻找帮助。我们必须尽快安全地回家。艾莉阿姨和比尔现在肯定都担心死了。”
　　黛娜从这个摇摇欲坠的牛棚向外望去，说：“这个山谷真的很漂亮。我不理解为什么没有房子建在这儿，为什么这附近也没有牛羊？我也没瞧见有鬼魂或者人烟——除了刚刚那一点儿青烟，那烟一定是飞机上的两个人生的。这里真是太神秘了。为什么我们看见的这些房子都被烧了？为什么这儿没有人居住了？”
　　“呃，我们只是看到了这山谷的很小一部分，而且只爬到了半山腰。”菲利普回答说，“我们转过那个拐角，然后就可以看到整个山谷的样子。周围一定是群山连绵吧？”
　　“对，整个山谷四面都被高山环绕。”露西安说，“我在想我们逃离山谷的路在哪里？一定有路可以穿过群山的，对吧？”
　　“你说得没错。”杰克回答，“在这种陌生的地方我们还是不要去胡乱地找路了。看见那座山了吗？那山顶有一点白。我估计一定是积雪。山上有积雪，说明那座山肯定特别高呀。”
　　这确实是一个很美的山谷，四周的群山也很壮观。但这里荒无人烟，甚至连空气里都充满了孤单的气息。从他们下了飞机之后，唯一可见的几只鸟儿都飞得那么安静和谨慎。
　　“好神秘呀！”杰克说道，“你们知道的，我相信，对，我真的相信我们现在开始了一次新的冒险之旅了。”
　　“废话！”菲利普毫不留情地说，“我们现在需要找到附近的农场求助，再发出要回家的消息，找到公路，然后坐车去最近的城镇，最后去机场。我相信我们明天就可以回家啦。”
　　可杰克反驳道：“我不相信我们这么快能到家。”听了这话，露西安看起来很焦虑。
　　“但我们怎么吃饭呀？”她说，“现在只有艾莉阿姨给我们带的野餐篮子里的那些吃的及一些小饼干和巧克力。如果我们不能尽快到家的话，我们就得挨饿了。因为这儿可什么吃的也没有。”
　　没有人想到过吃饭这个问题。这可真是个麻烦事儿。冒险是刺激的，但是没有饭吃的冒险之旅又是另外一回事儿了。这将会太难熬了。
　　“总之，我不认为我们可以顺利地渡过这次冒险。”杰克说。但现在对孩子们来说，这确实是一次真真正正的冒险，而且还仅仅是这次冒险的开始。
5 A little exploring
　　5 A little exploring
　　The four children went to the broken-down door and gazed out at the towering mountains aroundthem. They seemed to hem the valley in and make it a green prison. None of the children had seensuch high mountains before. Clouds hung about halfway up two or three of them, and their topsshowed now and again as the clouds shifted and parted.
　　‘It’s a very lonely kind of place,’ said Jack. ‘I bet there’s all kinds of strange birds here - butI’ve only seen one or two so far. It’s funny that those men should have known where to land inthis valley - that smooth strip of grass makes a splendid landing ground. It looks as if they’ve beenhere before. But why should they come here ? There doesn’t seem anything to come for at all - nohotel, not even a cottage that isn’t burnt, as far as we can see.’
　　‘Oh, there may be,’ said Philip. ‘Hey, look at that little lizard! I’ve never seen one like thatbefore. What a pretty little fellow!’
　　The lizard ran close by Philip’s feet. The boy bent down quietly and his left hand caught thetiny creature by the neck. If he had caught it by the tail it would probably have snapped off, andthe lizard would have run away without it.
　　‘Oh, put it down, Philip, do!’ said Dinah. ‘Horrid creature!’
　　‘It isn’t,’ said Philip. ‘Look at its dear little feet with fingers on. Do look, Dinah.’
　　Dinah gave a squeal and pushed Philip away. Lucy-Ann and Jack looked at the tiny lizard withinterest.
　　‘It’s like a very, very small dragon,’ said Jack. ‘Open your hand and see ifit will stay with you,Philip.’
　　‘Of course it will!’ said Philip, who always seemed to exercise a strange spell over any creaturehe picked up. He opened his hand and let the lizard lie on his open palm. It made no attempt toescape at all.
　　‘See? It wants to stay with me,’ said Philip. ‘And so it shall. What’s your name, little thing?
　　Lizzie? Well, of course, I might have known that.’
　　Lucy-Ann giggled, forgetting her worries for a moment. What a lovely name for a lizard!
　　Lizzie. Just like Philip to think of that.
　　‘I’ll see if I can catch a few flies for you, Lizzie,’ said Philip, and went to a sunny patch whereflies were buzzing. He caught one and held it in finger and thumb over the lizard’s head. In a tricethe fly was gone, and the lizard blinked with pleasure.
　　‘Now I suppose you’ll let the lizard live in your pocket or somewhere about you for ages,’ saidDinah in disgust. ‘I shan’t go near you. If you haven’t got a mouse down your neck you’ve got atoad in your pocket or a baby hedgehog crawling about you, or a few beetles. I think you’re anawful boy.’
　　‘Don’t let’s squabble now,’ said Jack. ‘We’ve bigger things to bother about than lizards.’
　　The lizard popped into Philip’s sleeve. Kiki had been watching it with her head on one side. Shewas not fond of Philip’s pets, and was often jealous of them.
　　‘Pop goes the lizard,’ she said, making one of her unexpected apt remarks. The others roaredwith laughter. Kiki was pleased. She swayed herself from side to side and cracked her beak.
　　‘Shhhhhhhhhh!’ she said.
　　‘Oh, Kiki, I’m glad we brought you,’ said Jack. ‘Now, everybody, what are our next plans?’
　　‘Well, we simply must do a bit of exploring and see if there is anyone living in this valley,’ saidPhilip. ‘If there is, we’re all right. If there isn’t - well, it’s just too bad. We’ll have to stay here tillwe’re rescued.’
　　‘Rescued! And how do you think anyone is going to rescue us if they haven’t the foggiest ideawhere we are?’ demanded Dinah. ‘Don’t be silly, Philip.’
　　‘Well, do you propose to live here in this valley for the rest of your life, then?’ said Philip. ‘Oh,here’s Lizzie again - coming out of my other sleeve. Lizzie, you’re a jolly good explorer, I mustsay. I wish you could tell us the way out of this valley.’
　　Dinah went as far from Philip as she could. She simply could not bear his pets. It was a pitybecause they were really amusing and friendly.
　　‘You know, we’ll have to be careful we don’t get lost,’ said Lucy-Ann anxiously. ‘This valleyand these mountainsides are so enormous. We must keep together always.’
　　‘Yes, we must,’ agreed Jack. ‘And we must always be able to get back to this shed too, becauseour things are here. At least we shall have shelter here, and our rugs to lie on. If only we hadplenty to eat! Those biscuits and chocolate won’t last long.’
　　Your compass will come in jolly useful, Jack,’ said Philip, remembering it. ‘Look here - whatabout setting off now, and doing some more exploring, making this shed a kind of headquarters tocome back to?’
　　Yes, we will,’ said Dinah. ‘But let’s cover up the suitcases and things with something in casethose men come here and see them.’
　　‘They won’t,’ said Philip. ‘What could they possibly want to come snooping round an old burntcowshed for? We can leave the things here all night.’
　　They went out of the shed. The sun was just over the mountaintops now, shining into the valley.
　　The children saw the spire of smoke rising straight up from the fire the men must have made.
　　‘So long as we keep away from that direction, we should be all right,’ said Jack. ‘Come on -let’s take this path. It really looks as if it was once a proper path from this place to somewhereelse. We’d better notch the trees here and there as we go, to make sure we find our way back.’
　　Lucy-Ann liked the idea of that. It reminded her of pioneers and trackers and their ways. Jackand Philip each took out his knife. They made a cut on every fifth tree until they came out of thelittle wood and found themselves on a flower-strewn, grassy hillside.
　　‘It’s lovely, isn’t it?’ said Lucy-Ann, looking round at the carpet of flowers. ‘I’ve never seensuch bright colours. Look at that blue flower, Jack - it’s bluer than the sky itself. And oh, look atthis tiny pink flower - masses of it!’
　　‘Shall we be seen out on this bare place?’ asked Dinah suddenly. Jack and Philip lookeddownwards into the valley. They had been climbing up, and were now on the mountainside.
　　‘There’s the plane!’ said Jack. ‘And look out - isn’t that one of the men walking over to it? Liedown flat, all of you!’
　　They all promptly lay down flat. Jack had his field glasses on and he put them to his eyes. Hecould now see clearly that the man was the one called Juan. He had a dead white face, black, thick,curly hair and a small black moustache. His neck was thick and his body was thick too. Hedisappeared into the plane.
　　‘He’s got into the plane. Wonder if he’s going off?’ said Jack. ‘Will he leave the other manbehind? He hasn’t started up the engines yet.’
　　After a minute or two the man came out again, carrying something, though Jack could not seewhat it was. He walked off in the direction of the smoke. There was a thicket of trees near by andhe disappeared into this.
　　‘He just went into the plane to get something,’ said Jack. ‘Now he’s gone again. I think perhapswe’d better go another way, because if we can see him he could certainly see us, if he looked up.
　　See that gully over there? We’ll go that way. We shall be well hidden there.’
　　They made their way to the gully, which was a regular suntrap. There had obviously been a wayup there at some time or other. The children followed it, climbing higher. They came to a ledgethat ran dangerously round part of the mountainside. Jack went first.
　　It wasn’t as dangerous as it looked. ‘I think it’s all right,’ he called. ‘It’s wider than it appears.
　　Come on. I’m sure it leads to somewhere.’
　　They made their way round the ledge, and came to where the hillside gave them a marvellousview down into the valley and all around.
　　It was completely deserted. Not a cow or sheep or goat to be seen. A little higher up was ablack, charred building that had clearly been a very large farm-house. Only the blackened beamswere left, and part of the stone walls. Everything else had fallen to the ground and lay in amiserable ugly ruin.
　　‘Another ruin!’ said Jack, in awe. ‘What has been happening in this beautiful valley? I simplycan’t understand it. Why should houses be burnt like this? I’m beginning to think there isn’t a soulhere besides ourselves and those two men.’
　　‘I think you’re right,’ said Philip. ‘There’s no smoke to be seen anywhere, and not a singledomestic animal, not even a dog. But what I can’t make out is why no one has come here from thesurrounding valleys to rebuild the houses and graze their cattle on this marvellous grass.’
　　‘Perhaps there’s something bad about this valley,’ said Lucy-Ann with a shiver. ‘I don’t like thefeel of it very much.’
　　They sat down in the sun, which was now climbing high. They suddenly felt terribly hungry.
　　Dinah unexpectedly produced biscuits and chocolate from a bag she carried.
　　‘I guessed we’d all be hungry soon,’ she said. ‘So I brought half the biscuits and choc we hadwith us.’
　　‘Jolly good idea,’ said Philip, pleased. ‘Hey, Lizzie, come out and have a crumb!’
　　Dinah at once went a good distance away. Lizzie came out from Philip’s open collar and randown his front. It was plain that she meant to stay with Philip.
　　‘Lizzie’s down the well,’ remarked Kiki, pecking a piece of chocolate from Jack’s fingers.
　　‘Kiki! Give that back!’ cried Jack. ‘Where are your manners?’
　　‘Down the well, down the well,’ said Kiki, who seemed to have got the well on her brain.
　　They were all thirsty after the chocolate and biscuits. ‘I wish we could find something to drink -nice cool clear water like we found in the spring,’ said Jack.
　　‘Down the well,’ said Kiki.
　　‘All right. You find us a well of water,’ said Jack.
　　‘Would it be safe to have a snooze?’ asked Dinah, suddenly feeling very sleepy. ‘It’s nice herein the sun.’
　　‘Well - only just a little one,’ said Philip. ‘I should think we’re safe enough here. Those menwouldn’t come up as far as this.’
　　‘You know - I think I can hear water somewhere,’ said Lucy-Ann as she lay flat on her back,the sun shining on her freckled face. ‘Not very near. Listen, all of you.’
　　They listened. Certainly they could hear something that was not the wind blowing round. Whatcould it be? It didn’t sound like the gurgling of a spring.
　　‘We’ll go and see,’ said Jack. ‘You stay here, girls, if you like. Philip and I will go.’
　　‘Oh, no,’ said Lucy-Ann at once. ‘I’d rather come with you. You might lose us.’
　　So all four went off together in the direction of the curious noise. They climbed higher, andcame to a rocky, stony part which was steep and hard to climb. But the noise was now muchlouder.
　　‘Once we round the next corner, we’ll see what it is,’ said Jack. ‘Come on!’
　　They climbed a little higher and then the path led abruptly round a crag of rock. It widened outa little the other side, and all four children stood gazing in awe at what was making the noise theyhad heard. It was a waterfall - but what a big one! It fell from a great height, almost sheerly downthe mountainside, and cascaded far below them, fine spray rising high in the air. It wetted theirfaces as they stood there, and yet they were quite a good way from the mass of water.
　　‘What a wonderful sight!’ said Philip, awed. ‘I’ve never seen such a big waterfall in my life.
　　What a noise it makes. I almost have to shout. Isn’t it grand?’
　　Far below the waterfall resolved itself into a winding river that curved round the foot of themountain. The children could not see where it went to. The tumbling water shone and sparkled asit fell, and here and there rainbows shimmered. Lucy-Ann thought she had never seen a loveliersight.
　　She licked the spray off her face. It formed into little drops and ran down to her mouth. ‘I’mdrinking the spray,’ she said. ‘Oh, look! - there’s a puddle in that rock, made of the continuallyfalling spray. Do you think it would be all right to drink it?’
　　It was very clear and sparkling. Jack tasted it. ‘Yes, it’s fine,’ he said. ‘Have some.’
　　They watched the waterfall for some time. Kiki was simply thrilled with it. For some reason orother it filled her with mad delight. She flew near to it, getting splashed with the drops, squawkingloudly.
　　‘It’s a magnificent sight!’ said Dinah, gazing at the roaring waterfall. ‘I could watch it all day.’
　　‘We’ll come again tomorrow,’ said Jack. ‘But I really think we ought to be getting back now tothat cowshed. Come on - it’s plain there’s nobody to help us just here.’
第5章 一次小侦查
　　第5章 一次小侦查
　　四个孩子来到一扇破旧不堪的门前，注视着那些环绕他们的巍峨群山。一座座大山错落地把整个山谷包围起来，像是把这里变成了一座绿色的监狱。孩子们从来没有见过这么高的山。云彩挂在两三座山的半山腰上。云彩在空中浮动，山顶也若隐若现。
　　“这可真是个孤单的地方呀。”杰克说，“我打赌，这儿绝对有各种稀奇的鸟儿。但是到目前为止，我只见到了一两种。有意思的是之前开飞机的那两个人竟然知道在哪儿着陆。
　　山谷里的那条平坦的带状草坪确实是一个很好的停机点。这么说来，感觉那两个人之前肯定来过这里。但他们为什么到这个荒无人烟的地方来呢？这儿看上去可没有什么值得大老远来一趟的东西。目前来说，我们没见到旅馆，甚至是完好的没被烧毁的小木屋。”
　　“哦，你还别说，没准这里有呢，”菲利普说，“嘿，看那只小蜥蜴。我从来没见过这么小的。真是个小可爱！”
　　这时，那只蜥蜴爬到菲利普的脚边。这个男孩不出声响地弯下腰，用左手捏住了这只小家伙的脖子。如果菲利普抓它的尾巴的话，蜥蜴可能会舍掉尾巴之后逃走。
　　“噢，菲利普，快把它放下来。”黛娜喊着，“多恐怖的生物！”
　　“它可一点儿也不恐怖。”菲利普反驳道，“快看，它那可爱的小脚丫上还有指头呢，黛娜，快看这儿。”
　　黛娜瞬间尖叫起来，然后狠狠地把菲利普推到了一边儿。相反，露西安和杰克饶有兴致地看着这只小巧灵活的蜥蜴。
　　“它看起来像是一条很小、很小的龙，”杰克说，“菲利普，张开你的手，看看它会不会待在你的手心里。”
　　“它当然会啦。”菲利普回答，他好像能对自己拾起的任何生物施加咒语。他张开了手，这只蜥蜴在手掌上安静地趴着，一点儿也没有要逃跑的打算。
　　“看，它想待在我这儿。”菲利普见状说道，“它肯定会跟我一起的。小家伙，你叫什么名字呀？莉齐？嗯，当然，你看我就知道你叫这个名字。”
　　见状，露西安咯咯地笑起来，似乎忘记了她刚刚受到的惊吓。莉齐，多好的名字呀，正好配这只小蜥蜴！莉齐。露西安也喜欢菲利普给它取的这个名字。
　　“莉齐，我看看能不能帮你抓几只苍蝇。”说罢，菲利普来到一块阳光充足的空地。苍蝇在空中盘旋飞舞，嗡嗡直叫。菲利普毫不费力就抓到了一只，用手指捏住它，拿到了蜥蜴的头上。瞬间，那只蜥蜴就把苍蝇吞进了嘴里，满足地眨了眨眼。
　　“现在我觉得你得把蜥蜴放进你的口袋里或者你身上的其他地方。不能老拿出来。太恶心了。”看到这一幕，黛娜有些厌弃地说，“我可不想待在你身边。你不是把老鼠放在你脖子上，就是把蟾蜍放在你的口袋里，让刺猬或者甲壳虫在你身上爬。你简直太可怕了。”
　　“现在可不是吵架的时候。”杰克连忙劝架道，“我们现在可有比蜥蜴更让人伤脑筋的事情要做。”
　　这只蜥蜴钻进了菲利普的一只袖子里。琪琪从菲利普的另一侧盯着这只蜥蜴。琪琪一点儿也不喜欢菲利普的那些宠物，她还经常嫉妒它们。
　　“砰！去追蜥蜴啊。”在大家都没有反应过来的时候，琪琪突然叫道。孩子们听到后，哈哈大笑起来。琪琪开始摇摆起她的身体，张开嘴来。
　　“嘘！”她又说道。
　　“哦，琪琪，带上你一起出来，太让我高兴了。”杰克说，“现在大家注意啦，我们下一步该做什么呢？”
　　“嗯，我们必须得摸清周边的环境。看看是不是有人住在这个山谷里。”菲利普回答，“如果有的话，我们就能得救啦。如果没有的话，唉，那我们就糟糕啦。得救之前，看来都得待在这儿了。”
　　“得救！如果没有人知道我们大概在哪里，你觉得我们怎么能获救呀。”黛娜立刻反驳说，“菲利普，你可别傻了。”
　　“嗯，你想你下半辈子都待在这个山谷里吗？”菲利普听了这话，感觉很不痛快。他随即说道：“哦，莉齐原来在这儿呀，从我另外一个袖子里爬出来了。我得说莉齐原来是个小探险家呢。我多么希望你能告诉我们走出这山谷的路呀。”
　　黛娜听了这话，立刻离菲利普要多远有多远。她只是忍受不了他的那些宠物。但说真的，这还是有些可惜，因为这些小家伙让人惊叹又对人友善。
　　“你们知道的，我们现在可千万不能走丢，所以我们得很小心。”此时，露西安很焦虑地说，“这个山谷和这些群山让我们眼花缭乱。我们从现在起必须一直待在一起。”
　　“对，我们必须待在一起。”杰克表示赞同地说，“我们现在必须回到刚才的小屋里。因为我们的东西还在那儿呢。至少我们现在有个庇护所了，而且还能把毯子铺上休息休息。
　　如果我们还能有好多吃的话，那就更完美了。咱们带来的那些饼干和巧克力可撑不了多久。”
　　“杰克，你带的指南针这时候可派上大用场啦。”菲利普突然想起了什么，说，“看这儿——我们现在出发，查看下周围环境，然后把这个小屋当我们会合的总部，我们每次出发了之后，都回到这里，怎么样？”
　　“嗯，我们就这么干。”黛娜说，“但是我们得找点儿东西来遮盖一下行李。以防那两个人来到这儿之后，发现这些箱子。”
　　“不会的。”可菲利普却说，“他们怎么愿意到这个已经烧毁的牛棚来呢？我们一晚上把东西放在这儿，应该都是安全的。”
　　之后，孩子们便走出了这座小屋子。太阳正好升起，挂在群山的峰顶。阳光铺满了整个山谷。孩子们看到一缕烟螺旋着升入空中——一定是那两个人生火而产生的烟。
　　“我们只要不往那个方向走就没事儿。快点儿，我们走这条路吧。”杰克说，“这条路看起来像是一条以前这里的人常走的路。我们最好在这边和那边的树上留下些痕迹，这样我们就不会找不到回来的路了。”
　　露西安很赞同这个想法。这让她想起开荒者和追踪者通常都会这么做。杰克和菲利普拿出了他们带的小刀，经过五棵树就刻下一个痕迹，直到他们走出这片小树林，来到一片鲜花盛开、绿草如茵的山坡。
　　“这景色真是太美了，不是吗？”露西安环顾着四周的鲜花，说，“我从来没见过颜色这么鲜艳的花。杰克，快看那朵蓝色的花，简直比天还蓝。哇，再看看这朵小粉花——这边还有更多粉色的花！”
　　“我们在这个空地上，会不会被人发现？”此时，黛娜突然问道。杰克和菲利普向下望着山谷。孩子们一直在往山上爬，现在已经在山腰了。
　　“飞机在那里。”杰克说，“看，是不是有个人正朝飞机走过去呢？快，所有人，快趴下！”
　　听到这话，所有的孩子都迅速地趴在地上。杰克拿出了他的望远镜，举到眼前。他现在能看到那个叫胡安的男人正向飞机走去。胡安有着一张苍白的脸，厚厚的卷曲的黑色头发和一小撮黑色的胡子。他的脖子和身体都很粗壮。此时，他消失在了飞机里。
　　“他坐进飞机里了。他这是要去哪儿呀？”杰克跟大家汇报道，“他难道要把另外一个人丢在这里吗？他现在还没有发动引擎。”
　　过了一两分钟，胡安扛着什么东西走出飞机。但是杰克看不清楚他扛的是什么。那个男人朝着烟幕弥漫的方向走去。烟是从一片灌木丛里升起的。他走进灌木丛，消失了。
　　“看来他只是去飞机里取点儿东西。”杰克说，“现在他又消失了。我觉得我们最好走另一条路。如果我们能看见他的话，他抬头往上看，应该也能看见我们。看见那边那条水沟了吗？我们往那儿走吧。那里应该是个很好的藏身之处。”
　　于是，孩子们往水沟那边走去。那是个阳光特别充足的地方。可以看出，以前这里曾经有一条通往山上的路。但随着时间的推移，路已经逐渐消失了。孩子们沿着这条已经看不清的路，向山上进发。他们来到了一条很危险的部分蜿蜒在山壁的小路前。杰克第一个踏上了这条小路。
　　看起来，这条路并没有什么特别的危险。“我觉得这条路没有什么特别的危险。”杰克对其他人说，“它实际上比看上去更宽一些。跟着我，我觉得这条路一定通向一个特别的地方。”
　　孩子们沿着山壁顺利地通过了这条小路，到达一个景色优美的山坡。从那里，他们可以看到整个山谷和山谷周围的地方。
　　整个山谷都很冷清，像被废弃了一样，连一只牛、绵羊，或者山羊都没有。山上更高一点的地方有一座被烧焦的房子，看起来原来应该是一座农场里的房子。房子只剩下烧焦的横梁和部分石墙，其余的早已变成了丑陋不堪的废墟。
　　“又一处废墟！”杰克目睹眼前的景象后，敬畏地说，“这美丽的山谷里到底发生了什么呀？我真的不懂。为什么这么多房子都被烧成了这个样子？我现在开始觉得这附近可能只有我们和那两个男人，没有别人了。”
　　“我想你是对的。”菲利普表示同意，“除了刚刚见到的烟之外，我们看不见其他烟火了。这儿没有家畜，甚至连一条狗都没有。但是我现在不明白的是山谷周围的人为什么不来这里重建房屋，再蓄养一些家畜呢。这儿可有不常见的肥美牧草呀。”
　　“也许这个山谷里曾经发生了什么很不好的事儿吧。”露西安打了个战栗，“这让我感觉很奇怪。”
　　他们坐在太阳底下，太阳又升高了一点。孩子们突然感觉非常饿。没想到，此时黛娜从她的包里拿出了饼干和巧克力。
　　“我猜大家都饿了。”她说，“所以我将咱们昨天从家里带的饼干和巧克力拿了一半过来。”
　　“真是太棒了。”菲利普高兴地说，“嘿，莉齐，出来，吃点儿东西。”
　　听到这话，黛娜立刻就走开很远。莉齐从菲利普没有敞开的衣领里爬出来，跑到他的身前。很明显，莉齐这是准备和菲利普待在一起了。
　　“莉齐掉井里。”琪琪发表着自己的意见。同时，她又从杰克的手指里啄了一块儿巧克力吃。
　　“琪琪！快还给我！”杰克哭着喊，“还有没有规矩呀？”
　　“掉井里，掉井里。”琪琪重复着。似乎她满脑子都想着井。
　　吃完巧克力和饼干之后，孩子们都很渴。“我希望我们能找到点儿喝的——又凉又清澈的水，和我们刚才在小溪那边看到的一样。”杰克说。
　　“掉井里。”琪琪说。
　　“好吧，你去给我们找一口井。”杰克无奈地说。
　　“现在我们小睡一下，是不是安全呀？”黛娜突然感觉很困，问道，“太阳暖暖的，躺在草地上一定很舒服。”
　　“嗯，是有一点点困。”菲利普说，“我觉得我们在这儿应该很安全了。那两个人不会走到这么高的地方来。”
　　“你知道吗，我觉得我可以听见水的声音。”露西安躺了下来，摊在草地上，阳光洒在她那满是雀斑的脸上，“应该离咱们不是很近。你们听。”
　　其他几个人也竖起耳朵，仔细听了起来。当然，他们能听到一些声音，和风的声音不一样。那会是什么声音呢？听起来也不像是汩汩的流水声。
　　“我们一起过去看看。”杰克说，“女孩们，如果愿意的话，你们可以待在这儿。菲利普和我一起过去看看。”
　　“哦，不。”露西安马上说，“我希望和你们一起去。要不我们可能就走散了。”
　　于是，四个人一起往那个神秘声音的方向出发了。他们爬得更高了一些，来到了一处岩石遍地的地方。这里非常陡峭，很难攀爬。但是从这里，孩子们可以听到这个神秘的声音更大了。
　　“一旦我们绕过这些岩石，我们就能发现那个声音到底是怎么发出的了。”杰克分析道，“加油！”
　　他们又艰难地向上爬了一点儿，之后发现一条小路可以绕过一块岩石。孩子们顺着小路，走到岩石的另一侧。这条路逐渐变得宽阔起来。四个孩子站在原地，注视着四周，寻找他们听到的神秘声音到底是从哪里发出的。原来，是个大瀑布！水从很高的地方落下来，直接落到比孩子们站的地方还低的山腰上，再顺流而下。水拍打在岩石上，溅起很高的水花，形成了一片水雾。由于孩子们站在岩石上，水雾打湿了他们的脸。但实际上，瀑布离得还很远。
　　“这景色太美了！”菲利普感叹道，语气中满是敬畏，“我这辈子都没见过这么大的瀑布。原来我们听到的声音是从这里传来的啊。我现在真想大声喊。这瀑布是不是特别宏伟？”
　　瀑布在山脚下形成了一条蜿蜒的河，逶迤地绕过了山脚。孩子们看不到它之后流去了哪里。滚落的水在落下时发出剔透的光，随处都能见到彩虹闪烁。露西安觉得自己从不曾见过如此美妙的景象。
　　露西安用舌头舔了舔溅到脸上的水珠。那些水珠变成了小水滴，流进了她的嘴里。“我在喝溅到我脸上的水。”她说，“快看，那块岩石上有个水坑，是由不断落下的浪花冲击成的。咱们可以去那里喝水吗？”
　　水坑里的水清澈见底，闪闪发光。“嗯，不错，可以喝。”杰克尝了一口，说，“大家都来喝点儿。”
　　大家喝着水，望着那个瀑布。琪琪也很兴奋。不知道是什么原因，她狂喜着飞到了瀑布边上，浑身被溅上了水滴，于是大声尖叫着。
　　“真是壮观的景象呀！”黛娜望着那咆哮着的瀑布，感叹道，“我能盯着这瀑布看一整天都不厌。”
　　“我们明天再来。”杰克说，“但我真的觉得我们得往回走了，得回到那个牛棚去。快点儿，这儿可没有人能帮助我们。”
6 What are the two men up to?
　　6 What are the two men up to?
　　Lucy-Ann was half afraid they might lose their way going back. But the boys had taken good noteof everything. It was when they got to the wood that difficulty might have arisen, but here thenotched trees soon set them right.
　　They saw that the plane was still down in the valley. So the men were somewhere about. Itwould be as well to be careful, and Jack told Kiki to be quiet. The waterfall seemed to have goneto her head, and she had been very noisy coming back, singing and squawking loudly.
　　‘There’s our shed,’ said Lucy-Ann thankfully. It felt quite like home, coming back to it fromthat enormous mountainside. ‘I hope all our things are safe.’
　　They went inside. Yes, their things were there, exactly as they had left them. Good!
　　The sun was now sliding down the sky. It was about tea-time. The children wondered whetherto finish the rest of their chocolate and biscuits.
　　‘Better not,’ said Jack. ‘We’ll have them before we go to sleep tonight if we’re terribly hungry.
　　Oh - wait a minute - what about the stuff Aunt Allie packed for us? Haven’t we still got that? Wehaven’t eaten it?’
　　‘No, of course we haven’t,’ said Dinah. ‘I was saving it up. We’ve got so little that I thoughtwe’d better not start on that picnic packet yet.’
　　‘But all the sandwiches will be stale,’ objected Philip, who was feeling very empty indeed.
　　‘What’s the good of that? We might as well eat them whilst they’re eatable.’
　　‘Well - we could eat the sandwiches, and leave the cake and the chocolate and biscuits fortomorrow,’ said Dinah.
　　‘But first let’s get this place ready for us to sleep in tonight. It’s filthy.’
　　‘I don’t want to sleep here,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I don’t like it. Why can’t we sleep outside? We’vegot our macks to lie on, and four rugs - and we can unpack some of our clothes and have them forpillows.’
　　‘But it might pour with rain,’ said Dinah.
　　‘I could perhaps rig up some sort of roof,’ said Jack, looking round at the ruined shed. ‘There’ssome old posts here - and there’s a piece of corrugated iron. If Philip gave me a hand, I could rigup the iron sheet on the old posts.’
　　The two boys tried to do this, but the sheets of iron was not held safely enough. The girls wereterrified it might blow off on to them as they slept.
　　‘If only we could find a cave!’ said Lucy-Ann.
　　‘Well, we can’t,’ said Jack, rather cross that all his efforts with the posts and the iron were of nouse. ‘Anyway, I don’t think it’s going to rain. Look at the clear sky. If it does pour, we’ll have toget into the stall at the end of the cowshed, that’s all.’
　　Their work with the posts had made them hungrier than ever. Dinah undid the picnic packet andtook out sandwiches and huge slices of cake. They ate the sandwiches in silence, enjoying everybite immensely.
　　‘Wonder what those men are doing,’ said Jack at last. ‘I can’t see any smoke rising now. Shall Islip down towards the plane, keeping well hidden, and see if I can see them?’
　　‘Yes,’ said Philip. ‘You’re sure you know your way there and back? Don’t get lost forgoodness’ sake!’
　　‘If I do, I’ll get Kiki to do her express-engine screech,’ said Jack with a grin. ‘Then you’ll knowwhere we are all right.’
　　‘Look in that plane if you get a chance, and see if you can spot any food there,’ called Dinah.
　　Jack went off with Kiki on his shoulder. Lucy-Ann didn’t at all like him going off alone. Shewished she could have gone with him, but she knew he wouldn’t have let her.
　　‘Let’s get our beds ready,’ said Dinah, who always liked to be doing something. ‘Come on, youtwo - help to unpack the cases and get out something for pillows - and our macks to lie on.’
　　Whilst Jack was gone the other three were very busy. Soon they had a cosy-looking bed spreadon the grass under a big birch tree. First there were the four macks, to keep the damp out. Thenthere was one big thick rug for softness. There were four piles of woollies for pillows, and finallythe other three rugs for coverings.
　　‘That looks very good,’ said Dinah approvingly. ‘Pull that rug a little over this way, Lucy-Ann.
　　That’s right. Philip, you’re to sleep right on the outside. I won’t have the lizard crawling over mein the night.’
　　‘Lizzie won’t hurt you,’ said Philip, taking the lizard out of one of his sleeves. ‘Will you,Lizzie? Stroke her, Dinah - she’s sweet.’
　　‘Don’t, Philip!’ said Dinah with a squeal, as Philip brought the lizard near to her on hisoutstretched hand. ‘I’ll box your ears if you dare to let that lizard touch me!’
　　‘Oh, don’t tease her, Tufty,’ begged Lucy-Ann. ‘Let me have Lizzie for a bit. I love her.’
　　But Lizzie would not go to Lucy-Ann, much to her annoyance. She ran up Philip’s sleeve anddisappeared. Little bumps appearing here and there in his jersey showed where she was.
　　Dinah looked up at the sky. It was quite clear. The sun had almost gone, and soon the first starswould prick through the sky. She felt tired and irritable.
　　So did the others. Their short night and the shock they had had were beginning to makethemselves felt. Lucy-Ann felt that at any moment a violent quarrel might spring up betweenDinah and Philip.
　　So she took Dinah off to the spring with her, and they washed in the cold clear water, and drank.
　　They sat there a little while, enjoying the beauty of the valley and the mountains around.
　　‘They seem to be crowding in on us,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Coming closer.’
　　‘How you do imagine things!’ said Dinah. ‘Come on - let’s get back. Jack should be here soonand I want to hear what he’s got to say.’
　　They went back. Philip had laid himself down on the coats and rugs, and was yawning. ‘I wasjust coming to look for you girls,’ he said. ‘What a time you’ve been! Jack isn’t back yet. I hopehe’s all right.’
　　Lucy-Ann felt scared. She adored her brother. She went to stand on a rock, so that she might seewhen he came. She turned to the others as soon as she got there.
　　‘He’s coming!’ she called. And Kiki’s on his shoulder.’ She jumped down from the rock andrushed to meet Jack. He grinned at her, and Kiki flew off his shoulder to perch on Lucy-Ann’s.
　　‘I was beginning to get worried, Jack,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Did anything happen? Did you see thetwo men? What were they doing?’
　　They came up to Dinah and Philip. ‘My word, what a fine bed!’ said Jack, and he sank down onit. ‘This is something like! I’m jolly tired.’
　　‘What happened, Jack?’ asked Philip. ‘Anything?’
　　‘Not much,’ said Jack. ‘I got as near to the plane as I could, but I didn’t dare to go right up incase I was seen, because, as you know, it’s right out in the open. I couldn’t see or hear anything ofthe men at all.’
　　‘Was Kiki good?’ asked Lucy- Ann anxiously. ‘I kept on thinking she might screech orsomething and draw attention to you.’
　　‘She was as good as gold,’ said Jack, scratching Kiki’s poll. ‘Weren’t you, Kiki? Well, Ithought the next thing to do would be to try and find where the men were - where that smokecame from. So, keeping as much to the bushes and trees as I could, I made my way towards thesmoke. They must have lighted their fire again, because the smoke rose up quite black and thick.’
　　‘Did you see the men?’ asked Dinah.
　　‘I heard their voices first,’ said Jack. ‘Then I thought it would be a good idea to climb a tree anduse my field glasses. So up I shinned and came to the top of a nice little tree. Not far below me,near a tumbledown hut, were the two men, cooking something over a fire they had made.’
　　‘Gracious!’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Weren’t you scared of being seen?’
　　‘No. The tree hid me all right,’ said Jack. ‘And I hadn’t made a scrap of noise. I got my fieldglasses and looked through them. The men were studying some kind of map.’
　　‘Whatever for?’ said Dinah wonderingly. ‘I should think they know this part of the world prettywell or they wouldn’t have been able to land so easily.’
　　‘Well, they’ve come here for some reason, haven’t they?’ said Jack. ‘Goodness knows what -but certainly for some definite reason. They must be looking for something or someone - and themap will probably show them what they want to know. I heard one say, “This way - and then uphere,” as if they were planning some sort of expedition.’
　　‘We could follow them,’ said Dinah at once. ‘Then we’d know’
　　‘No, thanks,’ said Jack. ‘I’m not going mountain climbing behind those men. They look jollytough. What I say is - let them get off on their expedition - and we’ll be able to explore that hut oftheirs - and the plane too. We may find something to tell us who they are and what they’re after.’
　　‘Yes. Let’s do that,’ said Lucy-Ann sleepily. ‘Perhaps they’ll go tomorrow. I hope they do. Jackcan watch them with his field glasses - and when they’re safely gone we can do a good old snoopround.’
　　‘There’s really nothing more to tell,’ said Jack with a yawn. ‘I couldn’t hear any more. The menrolled up the map and talked in low voices. So I shinned down the tree and came back. And here Iam.’
　　‘Let’s snuggle down and go to sleep,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I simply can’t keep my eyes open. We’resafe here, aren’t we?’
　　‘Perfectly, I should think,’ said Jack, lying down contentedly. ‘Anyway, Kiki will give uswarning if anyone comes near. Good night.’
　　‘Good night,’ said the others. Philip added a few words.
　　‘Dinah, don’t yell if a spider runs over you, or a rat or a hedgehog. There are sure to be plentyout here.’
　　Dinah gave a squeal and covered her head up at once. Then there was silence. They were all fastasleep.
第6章 他们俩要干什么？
　　第6章 他们俩要干什么？
　　露西安有点担心他们在回去的路上会迷路。但两个男孩已经在来的路上标记好了一切。他们进入树林后可能会有一些困难，但树上的刻痕帮助他们很快确定了回牛棚的正确的方向。
　　他们看到飞机仍停在山谷里。这说明那两个人肯定还在附近。四个孩子觉得还是小心点儿好，杰克也叫琪琪安静下来，别出声。琪琪看起来已经被瀑布深深地迷住，刚才在回来的路上不停地大声尖叫，甚至高歌。
　　“看到我们的棚子了。”走着走着，露西安高兴地叫道。从那个巨大的山坡上回来之后，这个小棚子让孩子们有了家的感觉。“我希望我们刚才留在这儿的所有东西都是安全的。”
　　他们走进了小屋。太棒了，他们的东西还在那儿，和他们离开时一模一样。太好了！
　　太阳正在落山，已经到下午茶时间了。孩子们犹豫着要不要吃完剩下的巧克力和饼干。
　　“最好不要吧，”杰克犹豫，“还是等到我们今晚睡觉前。如果那时候我们觉得特别饿的话，再吃掉它们。哦——等一下，艾莉阿姨给我们准备的东西呢？我们还有吗？是不是有些还没动过呢？”
　　“当然还在，没有动过。”黛娜回答，“我把它收起来了，想以后再吃。我们的食物已经剩得不多了，所以我想最好先不要打开那个野餐包。”
　　“可那样的话，所有的三明治都会变得不新鲜了。”菲利普表示反对——他觉得自己的肚子空空荡荡，什么都没有，“这样又会有什么好处呢？我们不妨趁它们现在还没放坏，赶紧把它们消灭掉。”
　　“好吧，我们可以把三明治吃掉，把蛋糕、巧克力和饼干留到明天吃。”黛娜想了想，说道，“但首先让我们把这儿收拾收拾，为今晚在这里睡觉做好准备。瞧，这里太脏了。”
　　“我可不想在这里睡觉。”露西安沮丧地说，“我一点也不喜欢这个决定。为什么我们不能在屋外睡呢？我们可以把咱们的雨衣铺在地上，躺在上面，还有四条毯子。我们还可以拿出一些衣服来当枕头用。”
　　“但是可能会下大雨呀。”黛娜感觉有些不妥。
　　“我也许可以在外边搭个临时屋顶。”杰克想到了个点子，“这里有一些旧柱子——还有一块瓦楞铁板。如果菲利普能帮我一把的话，我就能用钉子把铁板固定在这几根旧柱子上。”
　　两个男孩尝试着按照杰克说的这样做，但不能把铁板固定得很安全。女孩们很害怕睡觉的时候，它会被风吹掉，砸在她们身上。
　　“要是我们能找到一个山洞就好了！”露西安突然说。
　　“但是我们找不到呀。”杰克反驳道。刚刚花在固定铁板和柱子上的一切努力并没有得到回报让他的心情很糟糕。他继续说：“不管怎么说，我认为今晚不会下雨。看看这晴朗的天空。如果真的下雨了，我们就挪去牛棚尽头的小隔间里休息。就这么决定了。”
　　因为两个男孩刚才费尽全力地鼓捣铁板和柱子，所以他们比干活前更饿了。黛娜打开野餐的小包，拿出三明治和几大块蛋糕。所有人都在默默地吃着三明治，每一口都非常享受。
　　“不知道那两个人在干什么。”杰克吃完后，对其他人说，“现在，我看不到有什么烟升起来。我要不要偷偷地往飞机方向走，然后躲起来看看他们在干什么？”
　　“好主意。”菲利普表示赞同，“你确定你知道去和回来的路吗？千万不要迷路呀！”
　　“如果迷路了，我就让琪琪发出像火车发动机一样的尖叫声。”杰克笑着回应道，“这样你们就知道我们在哪儿了。可以吗？”
　　“如果你有机会的话，就到飞机上看看，看看那上边有没有食物。”黛娜喊道。之后，琪琪便站在杰克的肩膀上一起离开了。露西安很不乐意让杰克一个人去探险。她希望自己能陪他一起去，但她知道杰克是不会同意的。
　　“让我们把睡觉的地方准备好吧。”黛娜提议。她总喜欢忙东忙西，闲不住。“来吧，你们两个——帮我把箱子打开，拿点东西出来当枕头——还有我们的雨衣可以当垫子。”
　　杰克离开之后，其他三个人都忙活了起来。不一会儿，他们就准备好了一张看起来很舒服的床。这床在一棵大桦树下，铺在草地上。挨着地面的首先是四件防雨衣，这是用来防潮的。雨衣上面有一张又大又厚的软地毯。四件毛衣，卷成卷儿，当作枕头，最后还有三条毛毯用来当被子。
　　“看起来真不错。”黛娜赞许地说，“露西安，你再把毯子往这边拉一点。很好。菲利普，你得睡在外面。因为我可不想让那只蜥蜴在夜里爬到我身上来。”
　　“莉齐是不会伤害你的，黛娜。”菲利普抗议道。他边说，边从袖子里拿出这只蜥蜴：“对吧，莉齐？摸摸它，黛娜。它很可爱的。”
　　“别这样，菲利普！”黛娜尖叫着说。当菲利普把那只蜥蜴放到了他的手上，并把手伸向黛娜的时候，黛娜严厉地制止：“如果你敢让那蜥蜴碰我，我就扇你耳光！”
　　“哦，草丛头，菲利普，别逗她了。”露西安恳求道，“让我拿会儿莉齐。我挺喜欢它的。”
　　但让露西安烦恼的是，莉齐并不愿意去她身上。莉齐又跑上菲利普的衣袖，消失了。
　　从他运动衣上到处凸出的地方可以知道这只小蜥蜴爬去了哪里。
　　黛娜抬头看着天空。天还是很晴朗的，但太阳几乎要落山了，第一批星星很快就会在天空中闪烁起来。这时，她感到又累又烦躁。
　　其他两个孩子也一样。昨天晚上短暂的休息和经历的意外开始让他们感到疲惫不堪。
　　露西安觉得黛娜和菲利普随时都可能因为那只蜥蜴起争执，而且结果可能会很严重。
　　于是，她带着黛娜去了小溪边，她们在清澈的凉水里洗了洗脸，喝了点水。之后，她们在水边休息了一会儿，欣赏着山谷和周围群山的美景。
　　“感觉这些山似乎正从四方推挤我们，离我们越来越近。”露西安感叹。
　　“你的想象力真丰富！”黛娜说，“来吧，我们回去吧。杰克应该很快就回来了，我想知道他发现了什么。”
　　女孩们回去后，发现菲利普躺在大衣和毯子上，打着哈欠。“我正要去找你们俩呢。”他懒洋洋地说，“你们去了好长时间！杰克还没有回来。我希望他那边儿没出什么事儿。”
　　听了菲利普的话后，露西安开始担心起来。她崇拜她的哥哥。为了能第一时间看到他回来，露西安跑到一块岩石边，站了上去。
　　“他来了！琪琪也在他的肩膀上。”很快，她就转回身对着她两个朋友叫道。说完，她从岩石上跳下来，跑向杰克。杰克朝她笑了笑，琪琪从他肩膀上飞到露西安的肩膀上。
　　“杰克，刚才我开始担心你了，”露西安埋怨着，“发生什么事了吗？你看见那两个男人了吗？他们在干什么？”
　　兄妹俩走到黛娜和菲利普那里。“哇，多么好的床啊！”杰克非常兴奋，便躺了下去，“太舒服啦！我可累坏了。”
　　“发生什么了，杰克？”菲利普着急地问，“有什么事儿发生吗？”
　　“没什么，”杰克回答，“我尽可能地靠近那架飞机，但我不敢直接上去，因为不想让人看见我。你知道飞机的四周都是空地。至于那两个人的踪迹，我在飞机附近什么都没看见，也什么都没听到。”
　　“琪琪表现得好吗？”露西安着急地问，“我一直担心她可能会尖叫或发出其他一些声音，引起别人的注意。”
　　“她好得不能再好了，”杰克说着，挠了挠琪琪的头，“对不对，琪琪？嗯，所以我观察完飞机，就试着去找出那两个人在哪里——那烟是从哪里冒出来的。所以，我尽可能地靠近灌木丛与树林，向烟升起的地方走去。他们一定是又点起了火，因为浓烟升了起来，又黑又浓。”
　　“你看见那两个人了吗？”黛娜问。
　　“我先听到了他们的声音，”杰克说，“然后我决定，爬上一棵树，带上野外望远镜，这样也许就能看到他们了。于是，我爬上了一棵小树，从上面望下去，在不远处，有一间破破烂烂的茅屋。旁边，那两个人正在他们生的火上煮东西。”
　　“天啊！”露西安叫起来，“你不害怕被人看见吗？”
　　“没关系。那棵树枝繁叶茂，我藏在里面很安全。”杰克说，“我也没有发出一丁点儿声音。我用野外望远镜观察着他们的行动。那两个人当时正仔细地看一张地图。”
　　“为什么呢？”黛娜好奇地问，“我还以为他们很了解这个地区，否则就不可能这么容易着陆了。”
　　“总的来说，他们来这儿一定是有原因的，对不对？”杰克若有所思，“咱们不知道是什么，但能肯定的是他们一定是为了某种明确的目的才来的。他们一定是在寻找什么东西或什么人。地图很有可能会告诉他们想找的东西在哪儿。我听到其中一个人说，‘这边走，然后到这儿来’，听上去他们好像在计划什么探险似的。”
　　“我们可以跟着他们，”黛娜马上接着说，“那样我们就会知道他们的计划了。”
　　“不了，谢谢，”杰克并不赞同，“我可不会跟着那些人去爬山什么的。他们看起来很强壮。我要说的是，让他们去探险，这样我们就能去看看他们的小屋，还有飞机了。我们可能会找到一些能证明他们身份的东西，或许我们还能知道他们的目的是什么。”
　　“是的。”露西安疲倦地说，“也许他们明天就会出发。我希望他们赶紧行动。那样的话，杰克可以用他的野外望远镜盯着他们——确定他们离开了这附近以后，我们就可以仔细地查看一下了。”
　　“没什么可说的了，”杰克打了个哈欠，说道，“我就听到这么多。之后，他们把地图卷起来，低声交谈了一会儿。于是我就爬下树回到了这儿，来找你们。”
　　“躺下来，睡觉吧。”露西安说，“我实在睁不开眼了。我们在这里很安全的，对吧？”
　　“我想应该非常安全，”杰克说着，心满意足地躺下来，“不管怎样，一旦有人走近，琪琪就会向我们报警的。晚安啦。”
　　“晚安。”其他人回应道。
　　菲利普嘀咕了几句话：“黛娜，如果一只蜘蛛跑到你身上，或者一只老鼠或者一只刺猬，你可不要大喊大叫呀。在这儿，肯定会有很多这种东西的。”
　　听了菲利普的话，黛娜立刻发出了一声尖叫，把头蒙了起来。随后这里便陷入了一片寂静。孩子们很快就睡着了。
7 A wonderful find
　　7 A wonderful find
　　Soon the stars filled the sky. An owl hooted, and the wind whispered something in the treesoverhead. But the four children did not see the stars nor hear the owl and the wind. They weretired out. They slept solidly, and though Dinah was almost smothered with the rug over her head,she did not wake or move.
　　Kiki slept too, her head under her wing. She was perched on a branch of the birch tree just overJack’s head. She awoke when she heard the owl, and hooted back softly. Then she put her headback under her wing and slept again.
　　When dawn came the children were still asleep. Kiki awoke before they did. She stretched outfirst one wing and then the other. She erected the feathers on her head and shook them. Then shescratched her neck thoughtfully and gazed down at Philip.
　　Lizzie the lizard was also awake and was running over the rug that covered Philip. She came towhere Philip’s feet stuck out and disappeared under the rug there. Kiki’s sharp eyes watched thelittle moving bump she made under the rug as she made her way all the way up Philip’s body andappeared by his neck.
　　‘Wipe your feet,’ said Kiki suddenly to the lizard. ‘How many times, how many times have Itold you to wipe your feet?’
　　Lizzie was startled. She leapt from Philip’s neck on to Jack and stood half hidden in his hair,looking up into the trees, though she could focus on nothing there. Kiki, annoyed at seeing Lizziedaring to tread on her beloved master, gave an exasperated squawk and flew down to peck thelizard, who promptly disappeared under the rug again.
　　Kiki landed heavily on Jack’s middle and gave a vicious peck where the rug covered Philip’sright leg, for she could see the moving bump there that meant the lizard was running downwards.
　　Both Jack and Philip awoke with a start.
　　They stared up into the trees, amazed to see green leaves waving above them. Then they turnedtheir heads and saw one another. In a flash they remembered everything.
　　‘Couldn’t think where I was,’ said Jack, and sat up. ‘Oh, Kiki, it’s you on my middle, is it? Doget off. Here, have some sunflower seeds and keep quiet, or you’ll wake the girls.’
　　He put his hand in his pocket and took out some of the flat seeds that Kiki loved. She flew up tothe bough above, cracking two in her beak.
　　The boys began to talk quietly, so as not to disturb the girls, who were still sleeping peacefully.
　　‘Gosh, I feel better now,’ said Jack, stretching out his arms. ‘I was so tired last night I couldhave cried. What about you, Philip?’
　　‘I’m all right too,’ said Philip, and he yawned hugely. ‘But sleepy still. Well, we haven’t got toget up for breakfast. We shan’t hear any gong sounding here. Let’s have another snooze.’
　　But Jack was now too wide awake to snooze. He slipped out from under the rug and went towash himself at the spring. He gazed downwards and saw the spire of smoke rising up just as ithad yesterday.
　　‘Those fellows are up and about,’ he said to himself. ‘Must be getting late in the morning, Isuppose. The sun’s fairly high. Blow! I forgot to wind up my watch last night.’
　　Soon the girls woke up and were amazed to find they had slept soundly all the night through andhad apparently not even stirred. Dinah looked to see where Lizzie was.
　　‘It’s all right,’ said Philip amiably. ‘She’s down one of my socks. I like the feel of her tinyfingers on my leg.’
　　‘Ugh! You’re awful!’ said Dinah. ‘Well, I’m going to wash. Then we’ll have breakfast - onlycake and biscuits, I’m afraid.’
　　Unfortunately they were all so hungry that they devoured the cake, the biscuits and the rest ofthe chocolate too. Now there was no food left at all.
　　‘We’ll just have to do something about it - about the food question, I mean,’ said Dinah. ‘Evenifit means eating your lizard, Philip.’
　　‘She wouldn’t make more than a mouthful, would you, Liz?’ said Philip. ‘Hallo - what’s that?’
　　‘That’ was the sound of voices. Hurriedly the four children got up, and, dragging their rugs,macks and other clothes with them, they ran quickly to the cowshed. They dumped the things intothe last stall and crouched there, panting.
　　‘Have we left anything at all out there?’ whispered Jack.
　　‘Don’t think so,’ whispered back Philip. ‘The grass is a bit flattened, that’s all. Let’s hope theywon’t notice it.’
　　There was a crack in the side of the old cowshed and Jack put his eye to it. They had only justgot away in time. The men were coming slowly up towards the birch trees, talking. They came towhere the children had slept the night before.
　　The men walked right past the spot, then one of them stopped and looked back with a puzzledexpression. He gazed at the place where the children had slept. What he said they couldn’t hear,but he pointed to the flattened grass. Both men then walked back and looked earnestly down at it.
　　‘What’s done that?’ asked the man called Juan.
　　‘Funny,’ said the other man. He had a large pink face with full lips, and his eyes looked small incomparison. ‘Some animal, perhaps?’
　　‘Why - that’s big enough for an elephant or two to lie on!’ said Juan. ‘Shall we have a lookround?’
　　The other man looked at his watch. ‘No. Not now,’ he said. ‘When we come back, perhaps.
　　We’ve got a lot to do today. Come on. It can’t be anything really.’
　　They went on again and were soon lost to sight among the trees. ‘I’m going to get up a tree withmy field glasses and follow them with them as they go,’ said Jack to the others. ‘We must makecertain they really are gone before we show ourselves.’
　　He went cautiously out of the shed and ran quickly to a tall tree. He was up it in a trice, for hewas an excellent climber. He sat at the top, balanced on a swaying branch, his legs wound tightlyround it. He put his glasses to his eyes.
　　As soon as the men came out on to the grassy, flowery part of the hillside he saw them. Theydid not take the same direction as the children had taken the day before, but kept on the flowerypart for a long time. Jack could see them easily with his glasses. Then they took out a map orpaper and stood there looking at it between them.
　　‘Not sure of their way,’ thought the boy. ‘Ah - now they’re off again.’
　　The men began to climb steeply and Jack watched them as long as he could see them. Then theyrounded a great crag of rock and disappeared from sight. He slid down the tree.
　　‘Gracious! We thought you’d gone to sleep in the tree,’ said Dinah impatiently. ‘I’m tired ofwaiting in this filthy shed. Have the men gone?’
　　‘Yes. They’re far away now,’ said Jack. ‘It’s quite safe to come out and have a look round.
　　They didn’t go the way we did. I watched them climbing very steeply up the mountainside. Comeon - let’s get off whilst we can.’
　　‘We could go and have a look inside the aeroplane now,’ said Dinah. So they all hurried downto the valley, and came to where the big aeroplane stood on its enormous wheels. The fourchildren climbed up the steps into the cockpit.
　　‘The big crate’s gone,’ said Jack at once. ‘I wonder how they got it out. It must have beenempty or they could never have managed it between them. Look - there’s where we hid the othernight!’
　　Philip and Jack hunted all round the plane for food or information. But there was no food at all,and not a scrap of paper that would give them any idea as to who the men were or why they hadcome there.
　　They all climbed out again. ‘Blow!’ said Jack. ‘We’re no better off now! Not even a bar ofchocolate. We shall starve!’
　　‘If we could explore that hut you saw the men by last night, I bet we’d find plenty of food,’ saidDinah. ‘Don’t you remember the men saying, “Let’s go to the hut and have a meal”? Well, theycouldn’t have a meal without food, could they? - so the food must be there.’
　　This was a distinctly cheering idea. Jack led the way to where he had seen the men sitting by thecampfire the night before. The fire was almost out, though it was still smouldering a little.
　　The hut lay near by. It was tumbledown, but not burnt as had been all the other buildings theyhad seen. Rough repairs had been done to it. The one window looked strong, and was hardly bigenough for anyone to get in or out, if he had wanted to. The door was also a strong one. It wasshut.
　　‘Locked, of course,’ said Jack, giving it a tug. ‘And they’ve taken the key. Who did theyimagine was going to come along and take anything? They don’t know a thing about us.’
　　‘Let’s look in at the window,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘We could see inside easily.’
　　Jack hoisted Philip up. The boy looked inside, finding it difficult at first to make out anything,because the interior of the shed was dark. The only light came in from the small window.
　　‘Ah - now I can see better,’ said Philip. ‘There are a couple of mattresses - and rugs - and atable and some chairs - and a stove of some kind. And gosh - just look at that !’
　　‘What?’ cried everyone impatiently. Lucy-Ann jumped up and down, trying to see in at thewindow too.
　　‘Stacks of food!’ said Philip. ‘Tins and tins of it! And pots and jars of stuff! Golly, they makemy mouth water.’
　　Jack could bear Philip’s weight no longer. He set him down with a jerk.
　　‘Hoist me up, now,’ he said, and Philip gave him a hoist. Jack’s eyes nearly fell out of his headwhen he saw the food, neatly piled on shelves that ran along one side of the hut.
　　‘It’s a kind of storehouse, or resthouse,’ he said, jumping down from Philip’s back. ‘My word,if we could only get some! Why did those men take the key? Distrustful creatures!’
　　‘Can we get in at the window?’ asked Philip, and he looked eagerly up at it. ‘No, we can’t. Noteven Lucy-Ann could get in there. Besides, it can’t be opened. It’s just a pane of glass set into thewindow frame, with no catch or fastener to open it. We’d have to smash it - and that would giveaway the fact that somebody was here.’
　　The children wandered gloomily round the shed. Then they set off to see if there was anythingelse to be found near by. But there wasn’t.
　　‘I suppose we’d better get back to our own shed and remove our things, and hide themsomewhere else in case those men do have a look round when they come back,’ said Jack. ‘How Ihate leaving all that food in this shed! I’m starving.’
　　‘So am I,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I could almost eat Kiki’s sunflower seeds.’
　　‘Well, have some,’ said Jack, holding out a handful. ‘They’re not poisonous.’
　　‘No, thanks,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I’m not as starving as all that.’
　　Philip went up to the door of the shed and glared at it. ‘I’d like to knock you down,’ he said.
　　‘Standing there between ourselves and a good square meal. Take that!’
　　To the great amusement of the others he aimed a hearty kick at the door, and then another.
　　It flew open. The children gasped in surprise, and stared. ‘It wasn’t locked, after all!’ cried Jack,‘just shut. What idiots we were to think it was locked! Come on - now for a feast!’
第7章 一个绝妙的发现
　　第7章 一个绝妙的发现
　　不久，天空中布满了星星。一只猫头鹰叫了起来，风在孩子们头顶的树上低声地呼啸着。但四个孩子不仅没有睁眼看看头上的星星，也没有听到猫头鹰的叫声和刮风的声音。
　　他们都累坏了，所以睡得很沉。虽然黛娜的头几乎被毯子完全盖住，让她的呼吸不是很顺畅，但她不仅没有醒来，而且连动都没有动一下。
　　琪琪也睡着了。她睡觉时会把脑袋埋在翅膀下面。她待在杰克头顶的桦树树枝上。猫头鹰的叫声吵醒了她，琪琪轻轻地叫了回去，然后把脑袋又缩回了翅膀下，睡着了。
　　清晨降临时，孩子们还在睡觉。琪琪在他们所有人醒来之前就先醒了。她先伸展着一只翅膀，然后是另一只。她又支棱起头上的羽毛，轻轻地摇晃着。最后，她若有所思地用嘴挠了挠脖子，低头看着菲利普。
　　蜥蜴莉齐也醒了，它正从菲利普身上的毯子上跑过去，来到菲利普伸出毯子的脚丫那里，从那钻了进去，消失在毯子的下边。琪琪用锐利的眼睛注视着莉齐在毯子下做的小动作。只见莉齐一路爬过菲利普的身体，出现在他的脖子附近。
　　“把你的脚擦干净。”琪琪突然对蜥蜴叫道，“多少次了，我告诉过你多少次要擦干净你的脚？”
　　莉齐吓了一跳。它从菲利普的脖子跳到了杰克的身上，半掩在他的头发里。它抬头望着树林的方向，尽管它什么也没望见。琪琪看到莉齐胆敢踩着她心爱的主人，便发出一声恼怒的叫声，飞下去啄那只蜥蜴，莉齐又立刻消失在毯子的下边。
　　琪琪重重地落在杰克的肚子上，狠狠地啄了一下菲利普右腿上方的毯子，因为她看到毯子上有个凸出的部分，这说明那只蜥蜴在顺着菲利普的腿往下跑。琪琪的举动把杰克和菲利普都惊醒了。
　　他们抬头盯着树林，绿叶在头上飘动，所以两人有点儿迷糊。然后他们转过头来，看见了彼此。此刻，他们才想起这两天发生的一切。
　　“刚刚差点儿想不起来我在哪儿了，”杰克边说边坐了起来，“哦，琪琪，你在我肚子上，是吗？快起来吧。来，吃些瓜子，你要保持安静，不然女孩们会被你吵醒的。”
　　说完，杰克把手伸进口袋，掏出一些琪琪喜欢的扁扁的葵花子。琪琪带了些瓜子，飞到树枝上，很快就用嘴啄裂了两颗。
　　男孩们开始悄悄地说话，以免打扰还在睡觉的女孩们的好梦。
　　“天哪，我感觉好多了。”杰克感叹，“我昨晚累得都快哭出来了。菲利普，你呢？”
　　“我现在也感觉不错，”菲利普说着，打了个大哈欠，“但还有点瞌睡。这个点儿，我们还没起来吃早饭，不过这里可不会有什么闹铃声。我们再睡一小会儿吧。”
　　但杰克现在还挺清醒的，不想再睡了。他从毯子下溜了出来，到泉水边去洗了把脸。
　　他向山下望去，看到一柱烟像昨天一样升了起来。
　　“看来那两个人都已经起来了。”他对自己说，“现在应该已经不早了。太阳升得相当高了。见鬼！我昨晚忘记给表上弦了。”
　　很快，两个女孩也醒了过来，她们惊讶地发现自己整晚都睡得很香，似乎连动都没有动。黛娜四处张望，寻找莉齐在哪儿。
　　“别担心，”菲利普和蔼地说，“她在我的一只袜子里。我特别喜欢她的小指头碰我腿的感觉。”
　　“唉！你真讨厌！”黛娜不想听菲利普再继续说下去，“好吧，我要去洗一洗了。然后我们就可以吃早饭了，现在恐怕只剩蛋糕和饼干了。”
　　不幸的是，因为所有人都太饿，所以把蛋糕、饼干和剩下的巧克力都一扫而光。风卷残云过后，现在一点吃的都没有了。
　　“我们必须要做点什么，我的意思是：怎么能弄到吃的？”黛娜说，“这可能意味着需要吃掉你的蜥蜴了，菲利普。”
　　“它都不够你们一口的，对吧，小莉齐？“菲利普打趣地说，“喂，那是什么？”
　　是说话的声音。四个孩子赶紧站起来，拖着他们的毯子、雨衣和其他衣服，急忙地跑到牛棚里。他们把东西扔进最后面的畜栏，然后蹲下来，大气不敢喘一下。
　　“我们没有留下什么东西吧？”杰克小声地问。
　　“应该没有，”菲利普低声地说，“只是草地被弄得有点扁。希望他们两个不会注意到。”
　　在老牛棚的一侧有一道裂缝，杰克通过这道缝隙往外望去。他们刚刚离开得太及时了。那两个人正慢慢地朝白桦树走来，边走边交谈着什么。他们走到孩子们昨晚睡觉的地方。
　　两个人直接走过孩子们晚上过夜的地方，突然其中一个停了下来，带着迷惑的神情往回看。他注视着孩子们睡过的地方。他说的话孩子们听不到，但他指了指被压扁的草地。
　　之后两人都走回去，认真地看了起来。
　　“这是怎么回事？”那个叫胡安的人问道。
　　“这事儿可不寻常。”另一个人说。他的脸很大，而且是粉红色的，嘴唇很丰满，眼睛比正常人的显得小一些。“也许是什么动物？”
　　“哇，这么一大块儿足够让一两头大象躺在上面了！”胡安说，“我们要四处看看吗？”
　　另一个人看了看表。“不。现在还不是时候，”他说，“要不等我们回来的时候再仔细看看吧。今天我们有很多事情要做。来吧。这草地不是什么重要的事儿。”
　　他们继续往前走，很快就在树林中消失了。“我要带上野外望远镜爬上树，看看他们往哪里走了。”杰克对其他人说，“在我们从牛棚出来之前，必须确保这两个人是真的离开了。”
　　他小心翼翼地从棚子里走出来，飞快地跑到一棵很高的树的旁边。他是一个爬树能手，很快就爬到了树顶。他坐在树顶，在一根摇晃的树枝上很好地保持了平衡，双腿紧紧地绕在上面。他将望远镜举到自己的眼前。
　　当那两个人走到山坡上长满花草的地方时，杰克看到了他们的身影。他们没有往孩子们前一天走的方向前行，而是在繁花盛开的地方停留了很长一段时间。杰克用他的望远镜把他们的举动看得一清二楚。不久后，他们拿出一张地图或是一张什么纸，站在那里研究了起来。
　　“他们不确定要走哪条路，”杰克向其他孩子报告，“啊——现在他们又出发了。”
　　这两个人开始攀爬陡峭的山路。杰克一直透过望远镜盯着他们，直到他们绕到一块巨大的岩石之后，从他的视线中消失了。于是杰克从树上滑了下来。
　　“天哪！我们以为你在树上睡着了呢，”黛娜不耐烦地说，“我讨厌待在这个肮脏的棚子里。那两个人走了吗？”
　　“是的。他们已经走得很远了，”杰克说，“现在安全了，我们可以出来四周查看一下。
　　他们和我们走的方向不一样。我看到他们爬上了一座陡峭的山坡。来吧，我们必须尽快离开这儿。”
　　“我们可以去看看飞机里面的情况。”黛娜提议。于是他们飞快地奔向了山谷，来到那块停着有巨大轮子的飞机的地方。四个孩子爬上飞机的梯子进入驾驶舱。
　　“大板条箱不见了，”杰克马上发现，“我不知道他们是怎么把它移走的。它一定是空的，不然他们两个人是不可能抬得动它的。看，这儿就是那天晚上我们躲藏的地方！”
　　菲利普和杰克在飞机上四处寻找着食物和有价值的信息。但是一点食物都没有，也没有一张纸可以告诉他们那两个人究竟是谁，为什么来这里。
　　孩子们只好爬出了飞机，空手而归。“唉！”杰克叹了口气，“我们现在也好不到哪儿去！连一块巧克力都没有。我们会饿死的！”
　　“如果我们能去那两个人昨天去过的小屋看看，我敢打赌我们一定能找到很多食物，”黛娜提议，“你不记得他们说过‘我们去小屋吃饭吧’了吗？他们没有食物的话，怎么吃饭，对吧？食物一定在那里。”
　　显然，这是一个令人振奋的想法。杰克领着大家走到他前一天晚上看见那两个人生篝火的地方。火几乎已经熄灭了，尽管它还在冒烟。
　　小屋就在旁边。它摇摇欲坠，但和他们之前见过的其他屋子相比，它毁坏得还不算严重。可以看出来，它经过了粗略的修理。那扇窗子看上去很结实，但还不足以让人能从这里进出，如果有人想这么做的话。屋子的门也很结实，目前是关着的。
　　“看起来这是锁着的，”杰克说着，用力拉了一下，“那两个人应该拿走了钥匙。他们是以防谁会来带走什么东西吗？可他们并不知道我们也在这里啊。”
　　“我们来看看窗户，”露西安说，“从窗户，我们可以很容易地看到屋里面是什么样儿。”
　　杰克把菲利普举了起来。他往屋里看了看，起初很难看清任何东西，因为里面一片漆黑。唯一的光线是从一扇小窗户照进来的。
　　“啊，现在我能看得更清楚了，”菲利普高兴地汇报着，“有几张床垫和毯子，一张桌子和几把椅子，还有一个炉子。天啊，看看这个！”
　　“什么？”大家着急地喊道。露西安跳上跳下，试图从窗户边看到屋里的情况。
　　“成堆的食物！”菲利普继续说，“一罐头一罐头，一瓶子一瓶子的东西！天啊，我都要流口水了。”
　　杰克举不动菲利普了。他猛地一下把他放下来。
　　“让我上去看看。”杰克对菲利普说。于是菲利普用力把他背了起来。当杰克看到那些食物时，他的眼睛都瞪了出来。食物整齐地堆在沿着小屋一边的架子上。
　　“这就是一个仓库啊，或者说是一个救济所，”他说着，便从菲利普的背上跳了下来，“要我说的话，我们要是能弄点出来就好了！为什么那两个人拿走了钥匙呀？这么不信任别人！”
　　“我们能从窗户进去吗？”菲利普问着，急切地抬头观察着窗户，“没办法。这个窗口连露西安都爬不进去。再说了，它也打不开。它只是嵌在窗框里的一层玻璃，没有锁扣也没有把手。我们能把它打碎，但那样就会暴露我们来过这里。”
　　孩子们闷闷不乐地在小屋的周围徘徊，又看看附近能不能找到什么东西可以填肚子，但是一无所获。
　　“我们还是回到我们自己的棚子里吧。我们把东西拿走，藏到别的地方，以免那两个人回来时四处搜寻，”杰克说着他的计划，“真讨厌，我们不得不把所有食物都留在这个棚子里！我要饿死了。”
　　“我也是，”露西安说，“我几乎可以把琪琪的葵花子都吃光。”
　　“好吧，吃点吧。”杰克说，然后从口袋里拿出来一把，“它们没有毒。”
　　“不，谢谢，”露西安拒绝，“我还没有饿成那样。”
　　菲利普走到小屋门前，怒视着它。“我恨不得把你打倒，”他愤怒地说，“你隔断了我们和一顿丰盛的大餐。接招吧！”
　　让其他人哈哈大笑的是，菲利普对着门使劲踢了一脚，然后又补上一脚。
　　这时，门竟然飞快地弹开了！孩子们大吃一惊，瞪着眼睛看着门。“原来它不是锁着的！”杰克喊道，“只是关着的。我们还以为它被锁住了呢，太蠢了！来吧，现在是大餐时间！”
8 Kiki talks too much
　　8 Kiki talks too much
　　They all crowded into the dimly lighted shed. They gazed joyfully at the piles of things on theshelves.
　　‘Biscuits! Tongue! Pineapple! Sardines! Milk! Gosh, there’s everything here!’ cried Jack.
　　‘What shall we start on?’
　　‘Wait a bit. Don’t let’s disarrange the shelf so much that the men will know someone has beenhere,’ said Philip. ‘Better take tins from the back, not the front. And we won’t eat the fruit andother stuff here - we’ll take it away with us.’
　　‘I think,’ said Jack slowly - ‘I really do think it would be a good idea to take away as much ofthis as we can carry, in case we are stuck in this valley for some time. We may as well face thefact that we are completely lost, and cut off from the world we know, and may not be rescued forages.’
　　The others looked solemn, and Lucy-Ann looked scared as well.
　　‘You’re right, Freckles,’ said Philip. ‘We’ll help ourselves, to as much as we can carry. Look,here’s a pile of old sacks. What about filling a couple of them with the tins and carrying them offbetween us? We could take dozens of the tins then.’
　　‘Good idea,’ said Jack. ‘Here’s a sack for you and Dinah to fill, and here’s one for me andLucy-Ann.’
　　Philip stood on one of the chairs and reached his hand behind the front row of tins on the shelf.
　　He threw down tin after tin, and the others put them into the two sacks. What a store there was inthat hut!
　　Soon the sacks were full and almost too heavy to carry. It was nice to think of all that foodwaiting to be eaten. Jack found a tin-opener too, and put it in his pocket.
　　‘Before we go, let’s have a look and see if we can find any papers or documents that will tell ussomething about these mysterious airmen,’ said Philip. But although they hunted in every corner,and even under the pile of sacks, they could find nothing.
　　‘I wonder what they did with that crate they had in the plane,’ said Jack. ‘We haven’t found thatanywhere. I’d like to have a squint at that too.’
　　The crate was not in the shed. So the children wandered out and had another good look round.
　　And, in a copse of young trees and bushes, with a tarpaulin over them, they found about six of thewooden crates.
　　‘Funny,’ said Jack, pulling away the tarpaulin. ‘Look - lots of them - all empty! What are theygoing to put into them?’
　　‘Goodness knows!’ said Philip. ‘Who would bring empty crates to this deserted valley, hopingto find something to fill them? Only madmen!’
　　‘Oh - you don’t really think those men are mad, do you?’ said Lucy-Ann in alarm. ‘What shallwe do if they are?’
　　‘Keep out of their way, that’s all,’ said Philip. ‘Come on. Did we shut that door? Yes, we did.
　　Now, heave-ho, Dinah, catch hold of your end of the sack and we’ll go back to our shed.’
　　Stumbling under the weight of the clanking sacks, the four children made their way slowly backto the shed they had hidden their things in. Jack dumped his sack, and then ran to climb the tree hehad climbed before, in order to sweep the countryside with his field glasses, and see if the menwere by any chance returning yet. But there was no sign of them.
　　‘All clear at the moment,’ said Jack, going back to the others. ‘Now for a meal - the finestwe’ve ever had because we’ve never been so hungry before.’
　　They chose a tin of biscuits and opened it. They took out about forty biscuits, feeling perfectlycertain that they could manage at least ten each. They opened a tin of tongue, which Jack carvedvery neatly with his penknife. Then they opened a tin of pineapple chunks and a tin of milk.
　　‘What a meal!’ said Jack, sitting down contentedly on the sun-warmed ground. ‘Well - heregoes!’
　　Never did food taste so completely delicious. ‘Mmm- mm- mmm,’ murmured Lucy- Ann,meaning, ‘This is simply gorgeous.’ Kiki imitated her at once.
　　‘Mmm-mm-mm! Mmm-mm-mm!’
　　No word was spoken except when Dinah saw Kiki delving too deeply into the tin of pineapple.
　　‘Jack! Do stop Kiki! She’ll eat it all!’
　　Kiki retired to a branch of the tree above, a large chunk of pineapple in her claw. ‘Mmm-mm-mm!’ she kept saying. ‘Mmm-mm-mm!’
　　Dinah went to the spring and rinsed out the empty tin of milk. Then she filled it with clear coldwater and came back. She emptied the cold water into the pineapple juice left at the bottom of thetin and shook it up. Then she offered everyone a pineapple drink to end the meal.
　　‘Gosh! I do feel better now,’ said Jack, and he undid his belt to let it out two or three holes.
　　‘Thank goodness you lost your temper and kicked that door, Philip. We were so sure that it waslocked, and the key taken.’
　　‘Silly of us,’ said Philip, lying down and shutting his eyes. ‘What are we going to do with theempty tins?’
　　‘You’re obviously going to do nothing,’ said Dinah. ‘I’ll push them down a rabbit hole. Therabbits can lick them out.’
　　She picked up a tin and gave a scream. She dropped it, and Lizzie the lizard ran out in a hurry.
　　She had been sniffing in delight at the crumbs of tongue left there. The tiny creature ran to Philip,and disappeared down his neck.
　　‘Don’t tickle, Lizzie,’ murmured Philip sleepily.
　　‘I’d better keep a watch out in case the men come back,’ said Jack, and he climbed his treeagain. Lucy-Ann and Dinah stuffed the empty tins down a large rabbit hole.
　　Kiki looked down the hole at the tins in surprise, then walked solemnly down and began to tugat one of the tins.
　　‘No, Kiki, don’t!’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Jack, take Kiki with you up the tree.’
　　Jack whistled. Kiki flew to him at once and perched on his shoulder as he climbed his tree,moving from side to side when a bough threatened to knock her off.
　　‘We’d better bring out all our cases and things, ready to hide them somewhere better than in thecowshed,’ said Dinah. ‘If those men do look round here when they come back, they’ll see them inthe cowstall, as sure as anything!’
　　So the two girls lugged everything out, Dinah grumbling because Philip lay apparently asleepand would not stir himself to help them. Jack came down the tree.
　　‘No sign of them yet,’ he said. ‘Now the thing is - where can we hide these things really well?’
　　‘Down the well,’ suggested Kiki, hearing the word ‘well.’
　　‘Shut up, Kiki,’ said Jack. He looked all round but could think of nowhere. Then an idea struckhim.
　　‘I’ll tell you where would be a jolly good place,’ he said.
　　‘Where?’ asked the girls.
　　‘Well - see that big tree there? - the one with thick spreading branches - we could get up thereand pull up our things quite easily, and hide them in the leafy branches. No one would think oflooking up there, either for us or our belongings.’
　　The girls gazed at the thickly leafed tree. It was a horse-chestnut tree, dark and full of glossyleaves. Just the place.
　　‘But how can we get the suitcases up?’ asked Dinah. ‘They’re not terribly big - but they’requite heavy.’
　　Jack undid a rope from round his waist. He nearly always had one there. ‘Here you are!’ hesaid. ‘I can climb up the tree and let down this rope. You can slip it through the handle of one ofthe suitcases and knot it. Then I’ll give a jolly good heave - and up it’ll come!’
　　‘Let’s wake Philip, then,’ said Dinah, who didn’t see why her brother shouldn’t join in thelabour of heaving things up a tree. She went over and shook him. He awoke with a jump.
　　‘Come and help us, you lazy thing,’ said Dinah. ‘Jack’s found a marvellous hiding place for usall.’
　　Philip joined the others and agreed that it was indeed a fine place. He said he would go up withJack and pull up the cases.
　　Kiki was most interested in all the proceedings. When Jack hung the rope down the tree, sheflew to it and gave it such a tug with her beak that it was pulled from Jack’s hand and fell to theground.
　　‘Kiki! What did you do that for, you bad bird?’ called Jack. ‘Now I’ve got to climb all the waydown and up again! Idiot!’
　　Kiki went off into one of her neverending cackles of laughter. She waited her chance and onceagain pulled the rope from poor Jack’s hand.
　　Jack called her sternly. She came, cracking her beak, not quite liking Jack’s stern voice. Hetapped her very sharply on the beak.
　　‘Bad Kiki! Naughty Kiki! Go away! I don’t want you. No, GO AWAY !’
　　Kiki flew off, squawking dismally. Jack was not very often cross with her, but she knew he wasthis time. She retired inside the dark cowshed, and sat high up on a blackened beam, swayingherself to and fro.
　　‘Poor Kiki! Poor, poor Kiki!’ she groaned. ‘Pop goes Kiki!’
　　Jack and Philip soon hauled everything up and stowed it safely away in the forks of the bigspreading branches. Then Jack shinned up a bit higher and put his glasses to his eyes. What he sawmade him call urgently to the girls.
　　‘The men are coming! Quick, get up! Have you left anything behind? Have a look and see!’
　　The girls took a quick look round. They could see nothing. Lucy-Ann climbed the tree quickly,with Dinah just behind her. They settled themselves on broad branches and peered down. Theycould see nothing at all, for the leaves were far too thick. Well, if they couldn’t see down, certainlynobody could see up. So that was all right.
　　Soon they could hear voices. The men were coming near. The children sat as quiet as mice inthe tree. Lucy-Ann felt a terrible longing to cough and she put her hand over her mouth.
　　Down below, the men were making a good search of the old cowshed. They found nothing, ofcourse, for everything had been removed by the children. Then they wandered out again andlooked at the flattened grass. It puzzled them very much.
　　‘I’ll just have one more look in that shed,’ said the man called Juan. He disappeared into theshed once more. Kiki, who was still up on the blackened beam, sulking, was annoyed to see himagain.
　　‘Wipe your feet,’ she said severely. ‘And how many times have I told you to shut the door?’
　　The man jumped violently and peered all round. Kiki was huddled in a corner up in the roof andhe could not see her. He looked in all the other corners of the room, hardly believing his ears. Hecalled to his companion.
　　‘Look here,’ he said, ‘somebody just now told me to wipe my feet and shut the door.’
　　‘You’re mad,’ said the other man. ‘You can’t be feeling well.’
　　‘Pussy down the well,’ announced Kiki. ‘Well, well, well! Use your handkerchief.’
　　The men clutched one another. Kiki’s voice was so unexpected in that dark shed.
　　‘Let’s be quiet and listen,’ said Juan. Kiki heard the words ‘be quiet.’
　　‘Shhhhhhhhhshhhhhhh!’ she said at the top of her voice. That was too much for the men. Theyfled out into the open air.
第8章 琪琪的话太多了
　　第8章 琪琪的话太多了
　　四个孩子全都挤在那昏暗的小屋里。他们高兴地注视着架子上成堆的食物。
　　“饼干！牛舌罐头！菠萝！沙丁鱼！牛奶！天哪，这儿简直什么都有！”杰克激动地哭着说，“我们先从什么吃起？”
　　“等一下，我们别把架子上的东西的顺序弄乱。否则那两个人就会知道有人来过了。”菲利普则冷静地说，“最好从架子后排拿一些东西吃，别拿摆在最前边的。我们不能吃水果，而且也不能在这儿吃。我们得把东西带走。”
　　“我觉得，”杰克缓缓地说，“我们这一次应该能带多少就拿多少，以防万一我们被困在这山谷里，一时半会儿出不去了。我们以后有可能迷路，和我们认识的人失联，或者很长时间里不能获救。那我们就全靠这些吃的了。”
　　其他人看起来非常严肃，尤其是露西安，她很害怕。
　　“你说得对，小雀斑。”菲利普说，“我们得自己救自己。我们能带多少，这一次全都要带上。看，这边有一堆旧袋子。我们用这些袋子装罐头怎么样？也方便携带，这样我们就能带上许多罐头了。”
　　“好主意。”杰克兴奋地说，“这个袋子给你，菲利普。黛娜帮你装。我和露西安用这个袋子。”
　　菲利普站在一把椅子上，用手去够架子第一排后边的罐头。他把罐头一个一个地从架子上往下扔给其他人，另外三个孩子把它们分别装在两个袋子里。这个小屋简直像个商店一样，东西应有尽有！
　　很快，两个袋子就被装满了，沉甸甸的，孩子们几乎都要提不动了。想想接下来一段时间里还有东西吃，这真是让孩子们太高兴了。杰克找到了一个开罐刀，顺手放进自己的口袋里。
　　“在走之前，我们得好好看看是不是能找到一些可以告诉我们那两个神秘人身份的文件。”杰克想到了件重要的事，“我们之前在山谷里什么都没找到。我想在这里也找找。”尽管他们搜寻了屋子的每个角落，甚至是那堆袋子的下面，却一无所获。
　　“我在想他们把飞机上的木板箱弄到哪里去了，”杰克说，“我们在哪儿都没找到它。我还想再瞧瞧呢。”
　　那个板条箱不在这个小屋里。于是孩子们溜出了小屋，在四周仔细地查看。他们在一片小树林和灌木丛中发现了用防水衣盖着的六个木板箱。
　　“太有趣了，”杰克说着，掀开防水衣，“这儿有很多箱子——但是全是空的！那两个人要用它们装什么呢？”
　　“鬼知道！”菲利普没好气地说，“谁会把这些空箱子带到这个被遗弃的山谷里？这里有什么值得装箱带走的东西呢？只有疯子才会这么做！”
　　“噢——你不会真的觉得那两个人是疯子，对吧？”露西安警觉地说，“如果他们真要像你说的那样是疯子的话，那我们应该怎么办？”
　　“那我们别碍他们的事就行了。”菲利普说，“快点儿，我们走吧。对了，刚才关门了吗？对，我们关了。现在，哇，太沉了。黛娜，你抓住袋子的那个角，然后我们回自己的小屋去。”
　　四个孩子拎着两个沉甸甸的袋子，跌跌撞撞地走回到他们用于藏身的小屋。回到小屋后，杰克扔下袋子，爬上了之前爬过的树。他拿出望远镜，观察着四周的情况，看看那两个男人回来了没有。但是，杰克没有发现任何关于那两个人的踪迹。
　　“现在一切安全。”杰克回到他的同伴身边，对他们说，“那我们吃点儿东西吧——这是我们吃过最好的一顿饭了，因为我们从来都没有这么饿过。”
　　他们选择先吃一罐饼干。把罐子打开后，他们拿出了大概四十块饼干，确保每人能分到至少十块饼干。杰克用开罐刀打开了一罐牛舌，他把开口四周的边缘弄得非常整齐。接着，孩子们又开了一罐菠萝和一听牛奶。
　　忙完后，杰克满足地坐在被阳光照得暖洋洋的草地上，说：“这真是一顿大餐呀！我们开吃吧！”
　　从来没有什么食物尝起来能像这一餐一样美味。“真好吃呀，”露西安压低了声音，意味深长地说，“这简直太好了。”琪琪也马上开始模仿露西安。
　　“真好吃呀！真好吃呀！”
　　大家都忙着埋头吃饭，没有人在说话。这时，黛娜看到琪琪在狂啄罐子里的菠萝。
　　“杰克！快让她停下！否则她要把菠萝都吃了！”
　　琪琪飞到旁边的树的树枝上，爪子里有一大块菠萝。“真好吃呀！”她不停地说着，“真好吃呀！真好吃呀！”
　　黛娜来到了泉水边，把那个刚刚盛牛奶的，但现在已经空了的罐子洗干净。接着，她用那个罐子装了一些清凉又清澈的水回来。她把水倒进还有些菠萝汁的罐子里，摇匀，然后分给每人一些菠萝汁喝。
　　“天哪！吃完这顿，我现在感觉好很多了。”杰克说着，松开了腰带，把腰带弄宽了两三个孔，又重新系上，“谢天谢地，菲利普，谢谢你当时不顾一切地踢开了那扇门。我们当时还以为那门上了锁，钥匙也被那两个人带走了呢。”
　　“我们太傻了。”菲利普躺在草地上，闭着眼睛说，“我们现在要怎么处理这些空罐子呢？”
　　“你们不用管。”黛娜回答，“我一会儿把它们放进一个兔子洞里。兔子会替我们把这些罐子舔干净的。”
　　说着，她拾起一个罐子，突然发出一声尖叫。黛娜扔下了罐子，蜥蜴莉齐匆忙地从罐子里逃出来。原来莉齐正在罐子里高兴地嗅着剩下的那些牛舌渣。这只可爱的小家伙跑到菲利普那里，消失在他的脖子领口。
　　“莉齐，别挠我。”菲利普略带困意地低声说。
　　“我现在去站岗放哨，以防那两个人回来了。”杰克说罢，便再次爬上了那棵树。露西安和黛娜忙着把空罐子藏进兔子洞里。
　　琪琪惊讶地低头看向兔子洞里的罐子，然后严肃地顺着枝条走向地面，开始用嘴衔起一个罐子往外拽。
　　“别，琪琪，停下来。”露西安慌忙喊道，“杰克，你把琪琪也一起带到树上去。”
　　杰克吹了声口哨，琪琪立刻飞了过来，站到了他的肩膀上。这时，一根树枝从高处掉了下来，眼看就要砸到琪琪，她飞快地跳到了杰克的另一个肩膀上。
　　“我们现在最好把全部的行李都挪出那个牛棚，藏到别的地方。”黛娜建议，“如果那两个人回来，真的在这附近转悠的话，那他们肯定就会发现牛棚里的行李。”
　　黛娜说完，两个女孩开始将他们四个人带的所有东西从牛棚里挪出来。黛娜嘴里嘟囔着，因为菲利普还睡在草地上，完全没有起身帮她们的意思。杰克从树上下来了。“还没有他们的踪迹。”他说，“现在我们的问题是，我们要把这些东西藏到哪儿好呢？”
　　当琪琪听见“好”这个词的时候，她以为是在说井。 [1] 于是建议道：“掉井底。”
　　“快闭嘴，琪琪。”杰克说。他观察着四周的环境，但是没有发现什么好地方，可以让他们藏行李。这时，他有了个好主意。
　　“我来告诉你们一个绝妙的好地方在哪儿。”他说。
　　“哪儿呀？”女孩们齐声发问。
　　“嗯，你们看见那边那棵大树了吗？那棵树的树枝特别粗大——我们可以爬到树上，把行李也不费劲地拉上去，之后把它们藏在枝叶繁茂的枝丫间。没有人会想到抬头检查那里，不论是我们还是我们的行李。”
　　女孩们望着那棵枝叶繁茂的大树。那是一棵栗子树，黑黑的树干，拥有富有光泽的叶子。
　　“但我们怎么把那些行李拉上去呀？”黛娜迷惑地问，“那些行李虽然体积不是特别大，但是特别沉呀！”
　　杰克解开了围在腰间的一根绳子。他几乎一直把一根绳子拴在他的腰间。“用这个！”杰克说，“我现在就爬上去，然后把绳子慢慢放下来。你们拿到绳子之后，把它穿过其中一个手提箱的提手，打个结。之后我再一点点地收绳子，这样箱子就能到树上了。”
　　“那我们现在把菲利普叫醒吧。”黛娜这时说。她不明白在这个紧要关头，菲利普为什么不出力帮助杰克一起把箱子提到树上去。于是，她走到菲利普身边，开始摇晃他。菲利普从睡梦里猛然醒来，打了个激灵，本能地跳了起来。
　　“起来，过来帮我们一把，你这个懒虫。”黛娜对菲利普说，“杰克发现了一个绝妙的藏身之处。”
　　四个人坐在树上，安静得就像老鼠一样，一动不动。
　　菲利普也加入了其他三个孩子的队伍，共同搬起行李来。他也同意树上是一个很好的藏身的地方。他说自己会和杰克一起上去，把行李箱提到树上。
　　琪琪对孩子们的计划非常好奇。当杰克把绳子绑在树枝上的时候，她飞了过去，用嘴拽了一下绳子，绳子从杰克的手里滑落，掉在了地上。
　　“琪琪！看你干的好事！你这只可恶的鸟。”杰克没好气地叫道，“因为你，我又得爬下爬上一次！笨蛋！”
　　琪琪开始咯咯咯地笑个没完。她在等着下一次机会，让绳子再一次从杰克手里滑走。
　　杰克很严厉地叫了声琪琪的名字。于是琪琪飞到他边上，用嘴发出噼里啪啦的声音，对杰克声音中的严厉表示不满。杰克狠狠地在她的嘴上拍了一下。
　　“坏鸟，琪琪！淘气的琪琪！走开，我不要你在这儿。不，走开！”
　　琪琪气急败坏地大叫着飞走了。杰克很少和她这么生气，但琪琪知道他这次是真的生气了。她飞回了那个黑漆漆的牛棚里，站在一条架得很高的房梁上，来回前后地摆动着。
　　她呻吟着：“可怜的琪琪，可怜呀，可怜的琪琪！砰！去追琪琪！”
　　杰克和菲利普很快就把所有行李都拽到了树上，并把它们安全地放在了几根很大的树杈之间。杰克爬得更高了一点儿，开始通过望远镜观察着四周。情况不妙！他看到的景象，让他着急地呼唤着两个女孩。
　　“那两个人在往这边走！快点儿，快到树上来！你们看看，还有没有什么东西落下了？
　　好好地检查一下！”
　　两个女孩快速地看了一下四周，没有发现落下了什么。露西安以最快的速度爬上了树，黛娜也紧跟着她到了树上。孩子们在宽阔的树枝上休息，屏住呼吸，注视着树下的情况。但他们什么都看不见，因为树叶实在太密了。如果他们看不到地面上的动静，那就说明，也没人能看到树上的情况。所以一切还在孩子们的掌控之中。
　　很快，孩子们就听见了说话的声音。这两个人来到了孩子们的附近。四个人坐在树上，安静得就像老鼠一样，一动不动。露西安突然很想咳嗽，但她及时地用手捂住了嘴，没有发出声响。
　　在树下，那两个人在旧牛棚里仔细地搜寻着什么。但他们什么都没有发现。孩子们已经把所有的东西都转移了出去。于是，两个人又走了出去，看了看那被压扁的草地。这让他们非常困惑。
　　“我再检查一下那个小屋吧。”那个叫胡安的人说着，又一次消失在了小屋里。琪琪，她此时还站在那黑色的房梁上，生着闷气，烦闷地看着那个人又走了进来。
　　“擦擦你的脚。”琪琪用听起来严厉的声音说，“还有，我跟你说了多少次要把门关上？”
　　胡安由于受到惊吓，猛地跳了起来，四面张望着。此时，琪琪蜷缩在屋顶的一个角落里，胡安看不见她，于是又仔细地查看了屋子里的每一个角落。他几乎不敢相信自己的耳朵，便叫来了自己的同伴。
　　“看这儿，”胡安困惑又害怕地说，“刚刚有人叫我把脚擦干净，然后关上门。”
　　“你疯了吧，”可另外那个人却说，“还是身体不太舒服？”
　　“猫咪掉井底，”可琪琪再次开口，“井底，井底，井底！用你的手绢擦擦。”
　　这两个男人面面相觑。在黑暗的小屋里，琪琪的声音是那样的出人意料。
　　“我们安静点儿，仔细听。”胡安说。琪琪听到了“安静”这个词。
　　“嘘……！”于是她用她最高最尖的声音说。那两个人实在受不了了，慌忙逃出了屋子。
　　[1]原文的“好”与“井”都是well，所以鹦鹉琪琪会误解。
9 New plans
　　9 New plans
　　Kiki was glad to see the two men go. ‘Shut the door!’ she shouted after them. ‘Shut the door!’
　　The men ran off, and only stopped when they were well away from the shed. Juan mopped hisforehead.
　　‘What do you make of that?’ he said. ‘A voice - and nothing else!’
　　The other man was rapidly recovering.
　　‘Where there’s a voice there’s a body,’ he said. ‘There’s somebody here - somebody playingtricks on us. I thought when I saw that flattened piece this morning that we were not alone here.
　　Who’s here? Do you think anybody’s got wind of the treasure?’
　　The four children, hidden well in the leaves of the tree, just above the heads of the two men,pricked up their ears at once. Treasure! Oho! So that was what the men were after in this lonely,deserted valley. Treasure!
　　‘How could anyone know what we know?’ said Juan scornfully. ‘Don’t get nerves just becauseyou heard a voice, Pepi. Why, maybe it was just a parrot.’
　　Pepi laughed loudly. It was his turn to be scornful now. ‘A parrot! What will you say next,Juan?’ he said with a sneer.
　　‘Have you ever known parrots to live here before? And talking ones too? If that’s a parrot, I’lleat my hat and yours as well!’
　　The listening children grinned at one another. Lucy-Ann thought she would like to see Pepi,whoever he was, eating his hat. He would have to eat Juan’s too, for Kiki was most certainly aparrot.
　　‘It’s somebody hiding about here,’ said Pepi. ‘Though how they got here goodness knows. Juan,maybe there is a cellar beneath that cowshed. We will go and find out if anyone is hiding there. Hewill be very - very - sorry for himself.’
　　The children didn’t like the tone of his voice at all. Lucy-Ann shivered. What horrid men!
　　They went cautiously to the cowshed. Juan stood at the broken- down doorway. He calledloudly: ‘Come out of the cellar, whoever you are! We give you this one chance!’
　　No one came out, of course. For one thing there was no one to come out, and for another therewas no cellar to come from. Juan held a revolver in his hand. Kiki, rather alarmed at the shoutingvoice, said nothing at all, which was fortunate for her.
　　The silence was too much for Juan. He took aim at where he supposed a cellar might be and ashot rang out. BANG !
　　Kiki almost tumbled off the beam in fright and the four children nearly fell out of their tree.
　　Jack just clutched Lucy-Ann in time and held her tightly.
　　BANG ! Another shot. The children imagined that Juan must be firing blindly, merely to frightenthe person he thought he had heard talking. What a pity Kiki had been in the shed, sulking. Jackfelt most alarmed. He was afraid she might have been shot.
　　The men came out again. They stood looking about for some moments and then walked near tothe chestnut tree, talking.
　　‘No one there now. Must have slipped off. I tell you, Pepi, there has been someone here -maybe spying on us!’
　　‘Well, he surely wouldn’t give himself away by telling us to wipe our feet and shut the door,’
　　said Pepi scornfully.
　　‘We’ll come back tomorrow and search this place completely,’ said Juan. ‘I’m certain there’ssomebody here. Talking English too! What does it mean? I feel very alarmed about it. We didn’twant anyone to get wind of our mission.’
　　‘Certainly we must search this place well,’ said Pepi. ‘We must find out who is the owner ofthat voice. No doubt about that. I’d start a good hunt now, but it’s getting dark and I’m hungry.
　　Come on - let’s get back.’
　　To the children’s huge relief the men disappeared. Jack, who by climbing to the very top of thetree could see the aeroplane, waited till he could see the two men passing by it on their way totheir own hut.
　　Then he called down to the others, ‘All clear now. They’re by the plane. My word - what ashock I had when those shots went off! Lucy-Ann nearly fell off her branch.’
　　‘Lizzie shot out of my pocket and disappeared,’ said Philip. ‘I say, I hope Kiki’s all right, Jack.
　　She must have been scared out of her life when the shots rang out in that little shed.’
　　Kiki was sitting petrified on the beam when the children went into the cowshed. She croucheddown, trembling. Jack called to her softly.
　　‘It’s all right, Kiki. Come on down. I’m here to fetch you.’
　　Kiki flew down at once and landed on Jack’s shoulder. She made a great fuss of him. ‘Mmm-mm-mm!’ she kept saying. ‘Mmm-mm-mm!’
　　It was dark in the shed. The children didn’t like it. Lucy-Ann kept feeling there might besomeone hiding in the corners. ‘Let’s go out,’ she said. ‘What are we going to do tonight? Is it safeto sleep where we did last night?’
　　‘No. We’d better take our rugs and things somewhere else,’ said Jack. ‘There’s a patch ofbushes higher up where we’d be sheltered from the wind and hidden from view too. We could takethem there.’
　　‘I say - do you know what we left in the shed?’ said Philip suddenly. ‘We left our sacks of tins.
　　Look, there they are in that corner.’
　　‘What a mercy the men didn’t notice they were full of something!’ said Jack. ‘Still, I’m notsurprised they took no notice of them really. They just look like heaps of rubbish. We’ll drag themup to the bushes, though. Our store of food is too precious to be left behind.’
　　They dragged the sacks to the patch of bushes and left them there. Then they debated what to doabout the things up the tree.
　　‘Let’s just bring down the rugs and our macks,’ said Jack. ‘The clothes we used for pillows arewrapped in the rugs. We could leave the suitcases up there. We don’t want to drag them aboutwith us.’
　　It was now getting so dark that it was quite difficult to get the rugs and macks down, but theymanaged it somehow. Then they made their way again to the bushes. Dinah and Lucy-Ann spreadout the ‘bed,’ as they called it.
　　‘It won’t be so warm here,’ said Dinah. ‘The wind creeps round rather. Where are we going tohide tomorrow? Those men will look behind these bushes, that’s certain.’
　　‘Do you remember that waterful?’ asked Philip. ‘There seemed to be a nice lot of rocks andhiding places down towards the foot. I believe we could climb down there and find quite a goodplace.’
　　‘Yes, let’s,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I’d like to see that waterfall again.’
　　They all lay down on the rug. They pressed close together, for it was certainly cold. Dinah tooka pullover from her ‘pillow’ and put it on.
　　Suddenly she gave a scream, making the others jump. ‘Oh! Oh! There’s something running overme! It must be a rat!’
　　‘Well, it isn’t,’ came Philip’s delighted voice. ‘It’s Lizzie! She’s found me. Good old Lizzie!’
　　So it was. How the little lizard had discovered where Philip was nobody could imagine. It waspart of the spell that Philip always seemed to exercise on wild creatures.
　　‘Don’t worry, Dinah,’ said Philip. ‘Lizzie is safe in my pocket now. Poor thing. I bet she feltdizzy falling down the tree.’
　　‘Dizzy Lizzie,’ said Kiki at once, delighted with the two words. ‘Dizzy Lizzie.’
　　Everyone laughed. Kiki was really funny at times. ‘Doesn’t she love to put words together thathave the same sounds?’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Do you remember last hols she kept saying “Fusty-musty-dusty” till we nearly screamed at her?’
　　‘Fusty-musty-dusty, dizzy Lizzie,’ said Kiki at once, and screeched.
　　‘Don’t,’ said Jack. ‘You’re only showing off now, Kiki. Go to sleep. And if you dig your clawsinto my tummy like you did this morning, I’ll smack you.’
　　‘God save the Queen,’ said Kiki devoutly, and said no more.
　　The children talked for a little while longer. Then the girls and Philip fell asleep. Jack lay on hisback, with Kiki on one of his ankles. He looked up at the stars. What was the good of promisingAunt Allie they wouldn’t have any more adventures? The very night they had promised her, theyhad whizzed off in a strange aeroplane to an unknown valley, where, apparently, some sort of‘treasure’ was hidden. Most extraordinary. Most - extra - And then Jack was asleep too, and thestars shone down on the four children, moving across the sky till dawn slid into the east and putout all the stars one by one.
　　Philip awoke early. He had meant to, for he did not know how early the men might start huntingfor the owner of the ‘voice’. He awoke the others and would not listen to their protests.
　　‘No, you’ve really got to wake up, Dinah,’ he said. ‘We must start early today. Go on - wakeup! - or I’ll put Dizzy Lizzie down your neck.’
　　That woke poor Dinah up properly. She sat up and tried to slap Philip, but he dodged away. Shehit Kiki instead. The parrot gave a surprised and aggrieved squawk.
　　‘Oh, sorry, Kiki,’ said Dinah. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean that for you. Poor, poor Kiki!’
　　‘What a pity, what a pity!’ said Kiki, flying off in case Dinah sent out any more slaps.
　　‘We’ll have a quick breakfast,’ said Jack. ‘Sardines, biscuits and milk, I think. I saw a tin ofsardines at the top of one of our sacks. Yes, here it is.’
　　They saw smoke rising up from where the two men were, and knew that they too were up. Sothey finished their breakfast quickly, and Dinah once more pushed the tins down a convenientrabbit hole. Then they ruffled up the grass on which they had been lying, so that it didn’t lookquite so flat.
　　‘I think we’d better find a good hiding place for most of these tins,’ said Philip, ‘and take just afew of them with us to last us for today. We can’t possibly lug these heavy sacks along all theway.’
　　‘Couldn’t we drop them into the middle of these bushes?’ said Dinah. ‘They’re awfully thick.
　　Nobody would guess they were there. We could slip back and fetch any we wanted.’
　　So the sacks were dropped into the middle of the bushes, and certainly no one could see themunless they actually crawled into the very middle. Then the children gathered up their rugs, macksand odd clothes and set off. The boys carried the tins, and Jack had his camera and his glasses aswell. So they were heavily laden and could not go very fast.
　　They took the same way that they had taken before. When they came to the grassy, flower-strewn hillside they sat down for a rest. After all, the men would hardly be following them! Theywould be hunting all round and about the cowshed.
　　Suddenly, from far off, Jack caught sight of a brilliant, twinkling flash. He lay down flat at once,telling the others to do the same. ‘There’s someone using field-glasses down there,’ he said. ‘Wemay not be seen if we lie flat. I just caught the flash of the sun on the eye-lenses. Dash! I forgot themen might sweep the mountainside with glasses. They’ll be after us if they’ve seen us.’
　　‘Let’s crawl to that rock and get behind it,’ said Philip. ‘Come on. Once we’re behind there wecan get on and find the waterfall.’
第9章 一个新的计划
　　第9章 一个新的计划
　　看到那两个人落荒而逃的样子，琪琪非常高兴。“把门关上！”她在他们身后喊个不停，“把门关上！”
　　这声音吓得那两个人跑开了。当他们离牛棚已经很远的时候，才敢停下来。胡安擦着额头上的汗。
　　“你觉得这是怎么回事？”他问他的同伴，“只有一个声音，其他的什么都没有！”
　　另一个人很快就恢复到了正常状态。
　　“有声音的地方一定有人，”他回答说，“这儿一定有人——有人在捉弄我们。今天早上，当我看到那块被压扁的草地的时候，我就在想我们并不是在这山谷里的唯一的人。一定还有别人。可究竟谁在这儿呢？你觉得会不会有其他人听说了宝藏的事情？”
　　两个男人说这话的时候，四个孩子正好就在他们头顶的树上。树叶把他们藏得好好的。宝藏！孩子们立刻竖起了耳朵。哎哟！原来这就是他们来到这个荒凉的山谷里寻找的东西。宝藏！
　　“怎么会有人了解我们知道些什么呢？”胡安轻蔑地说，“不要因为听到一个声音就紧张，佩皮。也许那声音只是来自一只鹦鹉而已。”
　　佩皮大声地笑了起来。这回轮到他对胡安的话表示鄙夷了。“一只鹦鹉！你想说什么，胡安？”他冷笑着反驳道，“你以前见过鹦鹉生活在这里吗？还是一只会说话的鹦鹉？如果那声音真是来自鹦鹉的话，我就把咱俩的帽子给吃了！”
　　在树上听着底下对话的孩子们咧着嘴互相看了看。露西安倒是想看看那个叫佩皮还是什么名字的人是怎么吃他的帽子的。当然，他得把胡安的帽子也给吃了，因为琪琪肯定是只鹦鹉。
　　“肯定有人躲在这里，”佩皮说，“不过他们是怎么到这儿来的，只有老天晓得。胡安，也许那个牛棚下面有个地窖。我们去看看有没有人藏在里面。他会因为这么做而非常非常后悔的。”
　　孩子们一点也不喜欢他刚刚说话的语气。露西安甚至被吓得颤抖了。多么可怕的人！
　　他们小心翼翼地走到牛棚前。胡安站在那破烂的门口，大声叫着：“不管你是谁，赶紧从地窖里出来！我们就给你这一次机会！”
　　当然，没有人出来。一方面没有人在牛棚里，另一方面这个地方也没有地窖。胡安手里端着一把左轮手枪。琪琪听到胡安的叫喊声很害怕，于是闭上嘴，什么也没说。琪琪这么做是个正确的选择，这对她来说是幸运的。
　　四周的寂静让胡安感觉很不舒服。他瞄准了一个他认为可能是地窖的地方，扣动了扳机，一声枪响。砰！
　　琪琪吓得差点从房梁上摔下来，四个孩子也差点从树上掉下来。多亏杰克及时抓住了露西安，又紧紧地抱住她，才让大家没有暴露。
　　砰！另一声枪响。孩子们猜测胡安一定是在盲目地开枪，只是为了吓唬刚刚说话的那个人。可惜的是，琪琪现在还在棚子里生着闷气。但杰克却感到很惊慌，因为他担心琪琪可能中枪。
　　两个男人又出来了。他们站在那儿看了一会儿，走到那棵栗子树旁，聊着天。
　　“现在这儿又没有人了。他一定是溜了。我告诉你，佩皮，刚才这里肯定有人，也许是在监视我们！”
　　“好吧，但他肯定不会让我们擦擦脚，关上门的。”佩皮轻蔑地说。
　　“那我们明天再来，把这地方彻底翻个底朝天。”胡安说，“我肯定这儿有人。而且还会说英语！这意味着什么呢？我对此感到非常恐慌。我们不想让任何人知道我们要做的事儿。”
　　“当然，我们必须好好把这个地方搜查一下，”佩皮说，“我们必须找出是谁发出的那个声音。毫无疑问，我们明天一定好好地把这个地方查一查。可是天快黑了，我也饿了。得啦！伙计，我们回去吧。”
　　听到这两个人这么说，孩子们心理上有了一个巨大的安慰。紧接着那两个人便消失了。杰克爬到树顶就能看见停在山谷里的那架飞机。直到他看见那两个人从飞机旁经过，向自己的小屋走去，他才对其他人喊道：“现在一切都安全啦。那两个人刚刚经过他们的飞机。要我说的话——当枪声响起的时候，我真是太震惊了！露西安差点从树枝上掉下来。”
　　“莉齐刚从我口袋里跳出来，就消失了，”菲利普说，“要我说，杰克，我希望琪琪没事。当那个小棚子里响起枪声的时候，我猜她准是被吓得魂不附体了。”
　　当孩子们走进牛棚时，琪琪呆呆地颤抖地坐在房梁上，向下望去。杰克轻声呼唤她：“没关系，琪琪。下来。我是来接你的。”
　　琪琪立刻飞下来，落在杰克的肩上。琪琪把刚刚的委屈和惊吓毫无隐藏地全部发泄在杰克身上。“嗯——嗯——嗯！”她不停地颤抖，“嗯——嗯——嗯！”
　　牛棚里很黑。孩子们不喜欢这么暗，什么都看不清。露西安一直觉得有个人躲在角落里。于是她提议：“我们出去吧。另外，我们今晚要怎么办？我们昨晚睡的地方还安全吗？”
　　“不安全了。我们最好把毯子和其他东西搬到别的地方去。”杰克回答，“看，在那个更高一点儿的地方有一片灌木丛，我们可以在那里躲躲风，也可以把那里当成藏身之所。我们现在要赶紧带着行李过去。”
　　“我说——你知道我们在棚子里还落下了什么吗？”菲利普突然说，“我们把两个装着罐头的袋子留在里面了。看，它们就在那个角落里！”
　　“真是太幸运了！那两个男人没有注意到这两个袋子里装了些什么。”杰克补充道，“尽管如此，我也不奇怪他们当时为什么没有注意到这些东西。说真的，它们看起来就像一堆垃圾。不过我们得把它们拖到灌木丛那边。我们储存的这些食物太珍贵了，不能留在这个棚子里。”
　　他们把这两个袋子拖到灌木丛边上，把它们留在了那儿。然后，他们讨论着如何处理树上的东西。
　　“我们把地毯和橡胶雨衣拿下来吧，”杰克提议，“我们昨晚用来做枕头的衣服都包在地毯里。我们可以把箱子放在上面。我们可不想带着它们到处跑。”
　　天越来越黑了，把地毯和橡胶雨衣从树上弄下来，对孩子们来说是件很困难的事。但孩子们还是想方设法地把它们弄了下来。他们又把这些东西带到了灌木丛里。黛娜和露西安在灌木丛的地上铺开了他们所谓的“床”。
　　“这个地方可不会特别暖和，”黛娜说，“因为这儿是风口。另外明天我们要藏在哪里？
　　他们肯定也会在灌木丛后搜寻的吧。”
　　“你还记得那个瀑布吗？”菲利普问大家，“那里似乎有很多很大的岩石，在岩石脚下，肯定会有很好的藏身之处。我相信我们可以爬到岩石脚下找到一个好地方。”
　　“是啊，明天我们过去看看。”露西安说，“而且我也想再去看看那个瀑布。”
　　四个孩子都躺在毯子上，互相紧紧地挤在一起，因为晚上确实太冷了。黛娜从她的“枕头”里拿出一件套头衫，穿上了。
　　突然，她发出一声尖叫，让其他的伙伴都从毯子上跳了起来。“哦！哦！有什么东西在我身上跑！一定是只老鼠！”
　　“啊，不是，”菲利普高兴地说，“这是莉齐！它竟然找到了我。我的好伙计！”
　　确实是莉齐。这只小蜥蜴是如何找到菲利普的？没准儿是菲利浦经常训练野生动物的魅力召唤了它。
　　“黛娜，别担心，”菲利普宽慰黛娜说，“莉齐现在安全地待在我的口袋里。可怜的小家伙，我敢打赌它从树上掉下去的时候一定头晕目眩了。”
　　“头晕的莉齐，”琪琪马上说，她很高兴听到“头晕”这两个字，“头晕的莉齐。”
　　每个人都笑了。琪琪有时确实很搞笑。“难道她喜欢把发音相同的词放在一起说吗？”露西安说，“你们还记得上次她不停地说‘珐悌——玛悌——哒悌’，我们差点要对她嚷嚷了吗？”
　　“珐悌——玛悌——哒悌，头晕的莉齐。”琪琪马上接话茬，尖叫着。
　　“别说了，”杰克说，“你现在只是在炫耀，琪琪。去睡觉。如果你像今天早上那样用爪子抓我的肚子，我就揍你。”
　　“天佑吾王。”琪琪虔诚地说完，便不再多说什么了。
　　孩子们又谈了一会儿。两个女孩和菲利普很快进入了梦乡。杰克仰面躺着，琪琪趴在他的一个脚踝上。杰克抬头看着星星。之前对艾莉姨妈保证了不再冒险，可现在看来，那个保证又有什么用呢？就在他们答应她的那个晚上，他们就乘一架陌生的飞机飞到了这个不知名的山谷，显然这里藏着某种“宝藏”。这应该是最特别的一次旅行了吧！不知不觉间，杰克也睡着了。微弱的星光洒在四个孩子的身上。星星在天空中游荡，直到黎明，太阳从东方慢慢升起，把那些星光一个个地熄灭。
　　菲利普醒来得最早。他本来也是打算早起的，因为他不知道那两个人准备多早开始寻找昨天的“声音”的主人。菲利普叫醒了其他小伙伴，不理会他们对早起的抗议。
　　“不行，黛娜，你真得醒醒了，”他说，“我们今天必须早点出发。快醒醒！不然我就把头晕的莉齐放进你的脖子里。”
　　听到这个威胁，可怜的黛娜猛然从睡梦中醒了过来。她坐起来想扇菲利普一巴掌，但菲利普却躲开了。所以她只能打琪琪一下。挨了打的鹦鹉发出一声惊讶而愤愤不平的叫声。
　　“哦，对不起，琪琪，”黛娜说，“对不起。我不是故意的。可怜的，可怜的琪琪！”
　　“太可惜了，太可惜了！”琪琪说着，便飞走了，因为她生怕黛娜再打她一巴掌。
　　“快点儿吃早饭，”杰克说，“沙丁鱼、饼干和牛奶，我想咱们就吃这些吧。我在一个袋子开口的地方看到一罐沙丁鱼。对，在这儿。”
　　四个孩子看见那两个人住的地方又升起了浓烟，就知道他们也睡醒起来了。于是，孩子们很快地吃完了早饭，黛娜又把吃完的罐头像昨天一样，推到了一个离他们比较近的兔子洞里。然后，孩子们把昨晚被他们压平的草弄皱了，使草地看起来不那么平坦。
　　“我想我们最好找个另外的地方藏这些罐头，”菲利普说，“今天只带上几个，这样我们也可以有的吃。我们不可能一路都拖着这些沉重的袋子。”
　　“难道我们不能把它们扔到树丛中间吗？”黛娜问，“那些树丛非常茂密，而且没有人猜得到其中会藏着东西。放在那儿的话，也方便我们随时溜回去拿我们需要的东西。”
　　因此，这些袋子被扔进了灌木丛的中间，当然没有人能看见它们，除非他们真的爬进了树丛里。孩子们收拾起他们的毯子、橡胶雨衣和一些奇怪的衣服，出发了。两个男孩带了一些罐头，杰克拿着相机和野外望远镜。这让他们随身的行李很沉，所以孩子们也不能走得很快。
　　四个孩子采取了和昨天一样的前进方式。他们来到花草遍地的山坡上，便坐下来休息一会儿。毕竟，那两个人很难跟着他们！因为他们现在很有可能正忙着在牛棚附近勘察一番呢。
　　突然，杰克遥遥地看见远处有一道闪光。他马上趴下，并让其他人也照做。“在那下面，一定有人在用望远镜，”他说，“如果我们平躺着的话，就不会被人看见了。我刚刚看到望远镜镜片上反射的阳光。该死！我忘记那两个人可能会用望远镜来搜寻山上是否有人。如果他们看见我们，一定会追上来的。”
　　“快爬到那块岩石后面去，”菲利普说，“来吧。一旦我们到了石头后面，我们就可以去找瀑布了。”
10 A fine hiding-place
　　10 A fine hiding-place
　　When they were behind the rock the children felt sure they could not be seen, and they breathedmore easily. Philip looked round and about. The gully they had been in before lay a little to theleft. They could reach it without being seen from below.
　　‘Come on,’ said Philip, choosing a path that put rocks or bushes between them and the valleybelow. ‘This way.’
　　Up the hot gully went the children, and came to the ledge that ran round a steep bit of themountain. They made their way round and once more saw the wonderful view they had seenbefore. Above them stood the ruined, burnt-out farmhouse. Lucy-Ann carefully didn’t look at it. Itgave her such a miserable feeling to see the blackened beams and fallen walls.
　　They stood and listened for the sound of the waterfall. It came softly to their ears, a continous,musical sound, like a far-off orchestra playing a simple tune.
　　‘What a lovely noise!’ said Dinah. ‘Philip, shall we climb down or up now? If you want to go tothe foot of the waterfall and hide somewhere among the rocks there, we ought to climb down,oughtn’t we? Last time we climbed up - over that rocky, stony bit.’
　　The boys stood and considered. ‘It would perhaps be best if we went down this time,’ said Jackat last. ‘Those rocks just above the waterfall may be slippery to climb down on, for they will bewet with the spray. We don’t want to slip, and we’re carrying so many things that we haven’t freehands to use.’
　　So they chose a way that led downwards. Philip went first, finding the safest path he could; notthat there was a real path, of course, for there was not. As they came near to the waterfall, sprayblew around them, and left a fine wet mist on their hair. They were hot with climbing and thespray was deliciously cool.
　　They rounded a corner, and saw the whole of the cascading water at once. What a sight! Lucy-Ann drew a quick breath of awe and delight, and stood staring.
　　‘What a thunderous noise!’ shouted Jack, trying to make his voice heard. ‘It makes me feel allexcited.’
　　‘It does me too,’ agreed Dinah. ‘As if I want to do a jig or a hornpipe or something. And itmakes me want to shout and yell.’
　　‘Well, let’s!’ said Jack, and he began to caper and shout as if he was mad. The others did thesame, except Lucy- Ann. It was almost as if they were trying to out- shout and outdance thetumbling, roaring water.
　　They soon stopped, quite exhausted. They were on a flat rock which was wet with the flyingspray. They were not nearly at the foot of the water after all, but about a quarter of the way up thefall. The noise filled their ears, and sometimes the force of the spray made them gasp. It wassomehow very exciting.
　　‘Well,’ said Jack at last, when they had gazed their fill at the waterfall, ‘let’s think about a goodhiding place. I must say I don’t think those men would dream of coming here to look for us.’
　　They all looked about for a cave or mass of rocks in or behind which they could hide. Lucy-Annlooked a little doubtful.
　　‘I don’t know if I can bear to hear this terrific noise going on in my ears all the time,’ she calledto Jack. ‘It makes me feel a bit dizzy.’
　　‘Dizzy Lizzie,’ remarked Kiki at once. She too had been excited by the waterfall and hadshouted with the others.
　　‘Well, you’ll have to put up with the noise,’ said Jack. ‘You’ll soon get used to it.’
　　Lucy-Ann looked worried. She was quite sure she wouldn’t get used to that thundering going onall the time. She would never, never be able to sleep through it.
　　The children wandered about by the waterfall, not going too near it because of the thick sprayaround it. They couldn’t seem to find any good place to hide in at all. All the rocks there seemed tobe wet, and there seemed to be no comfortable spot in which to put their things.
　　‘Our rugs would be soaked in no time with the fine mist that hangs about the fall,’ said Dinah.
　　‘And we can’t possibly lie on wet rugs. I don’t believe this is such a good idea after all.’
　　Jack was climbing a little higher. He came to where a giant fern grew. It hung down like a greatgreen curtain and was lovely to see. Jack wondered whether they could hide behind it.
　　He pushed aside the hanging green fronds and gave a shout at once. The others didn’t hear itbecause of the noise of the water.
　　‘Golly!’ said Jack to himself. ‘There’s a cave behind this hanging fern - and it will be quite drybecause the fern screens it from the spray. It’s like a great thick curtain! Hey, you others!’
　　But again nobody heard him. Jack couldn’t wait for them to pay attention to him. He wentthrough the hanging fronds and found himself in a dim dry cave, with a fairly low roof, and mossgrowing on the floor. He felt it. It was dry. Probably when the fern died down in the autumn, thespray flew into the cave and the moss then grew damp and flourished well. But now it was like asoft, dry green bed.
　　‘This is just - exactly - the place for us,’ said Jack, delighted. ‘Absolutely marvellous! Nobodycould possibly see us here because the fern hangs down over the entrance, and it was only quite byaccident I found it. It would be a most exciting place for us.’
　　There was a ledge running round one side of it, like a bench. ‘We could put all our things there- tins and so on,’ said Jack to himself. ‘And when we’ve put our macks down on this moss we’llhave a most lovely bed. I really must tell the others.’
　　It was quite time that he showed himself, for the others had now missed him and were yelling atthe tops of their voices for him.
　　‘Jack! J A - CK ! Where are you? J ACK !’
　　Jack heard their voices as he pushed aside the fern fronds and looked out, just his head showing.
　　Dinah and Kiki suddenly caught sight of his face peering out of the fern some way above them.
　　Kiki gave a squawk of surprise and flew up at once. Dinah jumped.
　　‘Look!’ she yelled to Philip and Lucy-Ann. ‘Look where Jack is - hiding behind that giantfern!’
　　Jack put his hands to his mouth and yelled at the top of his voice, trying to drown the noise ofthe waterfall. ‘Come on up here! I’ve found something marvellous!’
　　The others climbed up eagerly. Jack held aside the green fronds for them. ‘Won’t you come intomy parlour!’ he said politely. ‘So pleased to see you all.’
　　They passed through the green curtain into the cave behind. They called out in delightedsurprise.
　　‘What a lovely place! Nobody could ever find us here!’
　　‘There’s a soft green carpet on the floor! It’s moss!’
　　‘The roar of the fall isn’t nearly so loud here! We can hear ourselves speak!’
　　‘Glad you like it,’ said Jack modestly. ‘I found it quite by accident. It’s perfect, isn’t it?’
　　It was. Lucy-Ann was relieved that the thunder of the waterfall was lessened here, in the cave.
　　Dinah was thrilled with the softness of the moss. Philip was pleased by the real safety of such ahiding place. Nobody would ever find it except by chance.
　　‘Let’s go and fetch our things from the rock where we left them,’ said Dinah, who always likedall her belongings set out neatly together. ‘There is plenty of room for them here. I shall put ourtins of food on that rocky ledge.’
　　‘We can only just stand upright,’ said Philip. He went to where the green fronds hung downover the entrance, making the cave rather dark. He parted the fronds and at once a ray of sunshinefell into the cave, lighting it up well.
　　‘We could tie back some of the fern so that we get the sun in the cave,’ said Philip. ‘We’ve gota jolly good view of the waterfall from here - and we can see everything around well, so that ifanyone comes we shall spot them at once. It’s fine.’
　　‘I shan’t mind living here a bit for a little while,’ said Lucy-Ann happily. ‘I feel safe here.’
　　‘You may have to live here a long while,’ said Philip. ‘Well - I can think of worse places.’
　　‘Those men would never find us here,’ said Jack. ‘Never!’
　　He tied back some of the fronds, and the children sat down on the floor for a little while,enjoying the sunshine that now poured in. The moss was like a cushion to sit on.
　　After a bit they all climbed down to where they had left their rugs and tins and other things.
　　They carried them up to their new home. Dinah arranged the loose things on the rocky ledge. Theylooked nice there.
　　‘We shall have a lovely soft bed tonight,’ she said. ‘We ought to sleep jolly well in here. It’s notmusty or stuffy.’
　　‘Fusty-musty-dusty,’ said Kiki at once, remembering the three words she had learnt in the lastholidays. ‘Fusty-musty-dusty, fusty . . .’
　　‘Oh, don’t begin that again, Kiki,’ said Jack. ‘We got tired of that long ago.’
　　Kiki flew to his shoulder, and looked out of the strange little cave. There was really a wonderfulview outside - first of all, the cascading waterfall, with rainbows caught in it here and there; thenbeyond it the steep mountainside, and far beyond that, lower down, the green valley whichstretched to the foot of steep mountains on the opposite side, towering up one behind the other.
　　It was about time for a meal again. All the children seemed to get hungry at the same time, andthey glanced at the tins on the shelf or ledge. Jack felt for his tin-opener.
　　‘You mind you don’t lose it,’ said Philip. ‘That’s our most precious possession at the moment,Jack - your tin-opener.’
　　‘Don’t worry. I shan’t lose it,’ said Jack, and began to open a tin. Kiki watched with her head onone side. She liked these tins. They had most exciting things inside, she considered.
　　Soon they were sitting eating hungrily, looking out of the cave entrance to the sparklingwaterfall not far off. It was nice to sit there munching away, with that lovely view outside, the softmoss beneath them and the warm sun on their bare legs.
　　‘We do seem to have some adventures,’ said Jack. ‘It’s most peculiar the way we can’t seem tokeep out of them. I do hope Bill and Aunt Allie aren’t worrying too much about us. If only wecould get word to them!’
　　‘We can’t,’ said Philip. ‘We’re stuck here all alone, with no means of getting into touch withanyone as far as I can see - except those two men. I’m blessed if I know what to do. Thankgoodness we’ve got plenty of food.’
　　‘We’d better go back to that bush where we dumped the rest of the tins and fetch them alonghere as soon as we can,’ said Jack. ‘What we’ve brought won’t last us more than today. Will youtwo girls be all right if Philip and I go along and get what we can? We shan’t be able to bring themall at one go. We must make several journeys.’
　　‘Yes, we shall be quite all right here,’ said Dinah, giving Kiki the last bit of salmon out of hertin. ‘You set off this afternoon. You can leave Kiki here to guard us.’
第10章 一个很棒的藏身之处
　　第10章 一个很棒的藏身之处
　　当孩子们躲到了岩石后面，确信自己不会再被望远镜发现，他们终于松了一口气。菲利普看了看四周的环境。他们以前去过的那个隘谷在他们左边一点。他们可以偷偷地去那里，而不会被山下的那两个人发现。
　　“快点儿。”菲利普说。他选了一条通往那个隘谷的路，路两旁有岩石和灌木，山谷就在下边。“这边走。”
　　在炎热的太阳下，孩子们沿着隘谷一路向上，来到了环绕着陡峭山坡的岩架。他们在上面绕了一圈，再一次看到了昨天见过的美丽的景色。上方则是那座被烧毁的农舍。那焦黑的房梁和倒塌的墙壁让露西安心里很难受。她尽了一切的努力，避免让自己的目光停留在农舍上。
　　在岩架上，所有的孩子都停下了脚步，站在原地，寻找瀑布的声音。一个声音缓缓地传到了他们的耳朵里，它是连续的、悦耳的，就像一支管弦乐队在遥远的地方演奏着一段简单的旋律。
　　“多么美妙的声音啊！”黛娜感叹着，“菲利普，我们现在是下去还是上去呢？如果我们想要躲在瀑布脚下的岩石间，我们应该往下爬，对吧？上一次我们是往上爬，爬到了一个有许多石头的地方。”
　　两个男孩站在原地不动，脑袋里想着黛娜提出的这个意见。“这次最好还是下去吧，”终于，杰克开口说，“因为瀑布上方的那些岩石被水花溅湿了，可能会很滑。我们可不想滑倒，而且我们又拿了那么多东西，已经没有多余的手能用了。”
　　所以他们选择了那条向下走的路。菲利普走在最前边，为大家寻找一条最安全的路线；当然，这里并不存在什么真正的路。当他们走近瀑布时，水花四溅，在他们的头发上留下了一层湿湿的薄雾。孩子们下山时，天气十分炎热，而溅到身上的水花让人感觉到非常凉爽。
　　他们绕过一个拐角，立刻就看见了瀑布的全貌。多么壮观的景象呀！露西安大喘了一口气，望着瀑布，眼神中充满了敬畏和喜悦。
　　“雷鸣般的声音！”杰克大声喊道，试图让别人能够听到他的声音，“它让我充满了激情。”
　　“我也是，”黛娜同意，“它让我想跳吉格舞或者吹角笛什么的，还让我想大喊大叫。”
　　“好吧，那就让我们动起来吧！”杰克说。他开始蹦蹦跳跳，像疯了一样大喊大叫。除了露西安以外，其他孩子也跟着他一起跳一起喊，就像是他们试图让自己的喊声与动作比那翻滚咆哮的水流还要激情。
　　但很快，他们就停了下来。刚才那无拘无束的释放让人筋疲力尽。他们躺在一块扁平的石头上，上面布满了飞溅的浪花。孩子们现在不是身处瀑布的脚下，而是在瀑布的四分之一处。他们的耳朵里充满了水花四溅的声音。有几次，浪花的力量让他们感到惊讶。不知为什么，其中充满了激动人心的感觉。
　　当他们觉得已经享受够瀑布壮丽的景象时，杰克终于说：“好吧，让我们想一个好的藏身之处吧。我想找一个那两个人做梦都不会想到的地方。”
　　他们都开始四下张望起来，想找个山洞或一堆石头，这样就可以躲在山洞里或者石头的后面。但露西安对这个想法抱有怀疑。她对杰克喊道：“我不知道自己能不能再忍受这瀑布的声音了。这可怕的声音一直不间断地传到我耳朵里，让我有点头晕。”
　　“头晕的莉齐。”琪琪马上补充道。她也对瀑布感到兴奋，并且刚才和其他人一起大喊大叫来着。
　　“嗯，但是你得忍受这个噪音，”杰克说，“我相信你很快就会习惯的。”
　　露西安看起来却忧心忡忡的。她很肯定自己可不会习惯这种雷鸣般的声音。她在这里会永远、永远也睡不着觉的。
　　由于靠瀑布太近会让全身都被溅湿，所以孩子们只在瀑布附近徘徊，不敢过于接近。
　　他们找了半天，也没找到什么能躲藏的好地方。瀑布边上所有的岩石似乎都是湿的，似乎没有什么地方可以给他们放东西。
　　“我们的毯子很快就会被瀑布周围笼罩的薄雾湿透。”黛娜说，“我们也不可能躺在潮湿的毯子上休息。这可不是个好主意。”
　　杰克在岩石上爬得更高了一点儿。他来到生长着一棵巨大的蕨类植物的地方。那棵植物垂下来，像一幅巨大的绿色窗帘，令人着迷。杰克不知道他们是否能躲在这植物的后面。
　　他拨开垂下的绿叶，立刻大叫了一声。但其他人却因为水声太大没听到。
　　“天啊！”杰克大声地自言自语道，“在这植物的叶子后面有一个洞穴——因为这棵植物的叶子能挡住瀑布的水花，所以那洞穴里肯定是干的。这叶子就像一幅厚厚的窗帘！喂，大家快看！”
　　但这次还是没有人听得到他说的话。杰克等不及了，他要让其他人注意到他。他穿过了这垂着的叶子，发现自己身处一个阴暗干燥的洞穴。洞穴的顶部并不高，地上遍布青苔。他摸了摸青苔，是干的。大概只有在秋天，这蕨类植物枯死的时候，浪花才会飞进洞穴，让苔藓变得潮湿，从而能茁壮成长。但现在它就像一张柔软干燥的绿色的床。
　　“这正是我们想要找的地方，”杰克高兴地说，“太棒了！没有人能看到我们在这里，因为蕨类植物挂在入口的上方，而且我也是很偶然才发现这个洞的。这地方真是太令人兴奋了。”
　　在洞穴的一边，有一块从墙壁上凸起的岩石，就像一条长凳。“我们可以把所有东西都放在这个石头上——罐头什么的等等，”杰克自言自语地说，“如果把我们的橡胶雨衣放在这苔藓上的话，我们就会有一张很不错的床了。我现在必须要把这个发现告诉其他人。”
　　他穿过了这垂着的叶子，发现自己身处一个阴暗干燥的洞穴。
　　他出去得正是时候。因为其他人发现杰克不见了，不知道他在哪儿，正在高声呼喊他呢。
　　“杰克！杰——克！你在哪里？杰克！”
　　杰克听到了他们的声音，拨开蕨类植物的叶子，向外望去，只见他的头露了出来。突然，黛娜和琪琪看到他的脸从他们三个人头顶上方的蕨丛中探出来。琪琪发出了一声惊呼，立刻飞了起来。黛娜也吓了一跳。
　　“看！”黛娜对菲利普和露西安喊道，“看看杰克在哪儿——他躲在那巨大的蕨类植物的背后了！”
　　杰克双手放在嘴上，大声地对他的同伴喊叫，试图掩盖住瀑布的声音：“来这里！我发现了一个奇妙的地儿！”
　　其他人都急切地往山上爬。杰克用手掀开了绿叶的一边，让大家走进洞穴。
　　“欢迎光临我的客厅，”他礼貌地说，“很高兴见到大家。”
　　当所有的孩子穿过绿幕进入后面的山洞时，纷纷喜出望外地叫了起来。
　　“一个多么美妙的地方！没有人能在这里找到我们！”
　　“地板上还有一块柔软的绿色地毯！是苔藓！”
　　“瀑布的吼声在这里就没有这么响了！我们可以听到自己说的话！”
　　“你们能喜欢这儿，太让我高兴了，”杰克谦虚地说，“我是偶然发现这里的。它是个完美的藏身之处，是不是？”
　　露西安松了一口气，因为瀑布的轰鸣声在洞里被减弱了很多。黛娜看到柔软的苔藓感到很兴奋。菲利普也为这样一个藏身之地的安全性感到高兴。除非是偶然踏足，否则没有人会找到它。
　　“我们回去把东西从刚刚待过的岩石上拿过来吧。”黛娜说。她总是很喜欢收拾，而且会把东西都放得很整齐。“这里的空间放东西简直绰绰有余。我要把我们的罐头和食物都放在那岩石上。”
　　“这个洞穴的高度，刚好够我们站起来，”菲利普说。他走到入口上方挂着绿叶的地方，绿叶使山洞显得相当幽暗。他把叶子分开了一点儿，一缕阳光射进来，将洞里照得很亮。
　　“我们可以把一些蕨类植物的叶子捆起来，这样我们的洞穴就能有阳光了。”菲利普提议，“从这儿我们可以把瀑布的美景看个够，还能清楚地看到周围的一切。如果有人来，我们就可以立刻发现他们。太棒了。”
　　“我可不介意在这儿住上一阵儿，”露西安高兴地说，“我觉得这儿很安全。”
　　“你可能别无选择，我们要在这里住很长时间，”菲利普说，“嗯——我能想象到很多更糟的地方。”
　　“那两个人永远也找不到我们，”杰克说，“永远也不会！”
　　接着，杰克把一些叶子捆起来，孩子们在地上坐了一会儿，享受着此刻涌进洞穴的阳光。苔藓就像一张垫子，让他们坐得很舒服。
　　过了一会儿，他们走出洞穴，原路爬回去，到了刚才放毯子、罐头和其他东西的地方。孩子们把这些东西搬到了新家里。黛娜把小件儿东西放在岩架上。那些东西放在那儿很适合，看起来也很整齐。
　　“今晚我们将有一张舒服的软床了，”黛娜说，“我们应该在这里好好睡一觉。这儿既没有霉味也不闷热。”
　　“珐悌——玛悌——哒悌，”琪琪马上说，想起了她在上个假期学到的三个词，“珐悌——玛悌——哒悌，珐悌！”
　　“哦，不要再说了，琪琪，”杰克说，“我们很久以前就厌倦听你说这些词了。”
　　琪琪飞到杰克的肩膀上，从这个奇怪的小山洞里往外看。外面的景色真是太美了。首先是层层叠叠的瀑布，到处都是彩虹；在它的后面，是陡峭的山腰，在山腰下遥远的地方是绿色的山谷，它一直伸展到对面陡峭的山脚下，山一座比一座高。
　　又到了吃饭的时间。所有的孩子似乎都在同一时间感到肚子很饿，他们看了看架子上和窗台上的罐头。杰克去摸他的开罐刀在哪儿。
　　“你可千万别把这个丢了，”菲利普说，“那是我们目前最珍贵的财产了，杰克——你的罐头刀。”
　　杰克回应道：“别担心。我不会把它弄丢的。”琪琪把头侧向一边看着。她喜欢这些罐头。里面可有最令她嘴馋的东西。
　　不一会儿，所有人都空着肚子，坐在地上像几天都没吃饭一样地吃起来，同时还望着洞口外不远处闪闪发光的瀑布。孩子们坐在山洞里狼吞虎咽，享受着外面美丽的景色，享受着下面柔软的苔藓，享受着温暖的阳光覆盖在他们光着的腿上。
　　“看来我们得来点冒险了，”杰克说，“更准确地说，我们也没什么办法能不去冒险了。
　　我真希望比尔和艾莉姨妈不要太担心我们。要是我们能得到他们的消息就好了！”
　　“我们得不到消息呀，”菲利普说，“我们孤零零地待在这里，没有办法和其他人取得联系，当然除了那两个人。如果我能知道现在做什么能让我们回家就好了。不过谢天谢地，我们还有足够的食物。”
　　“我们最好回到那个还留了好多罐头的灌木丛，尽快把罐头搬到这个山洞里来。”杰克说，“我们带来的这些罐头今天就会全都被吃光。菲利普和我一起去取那些罐头，你们两个女孩待在这个山洞里，可以吗？因为那些罐头太沉了，所以我们不能一下子把它们全都带过来。看样子，我们不得不来来回回地运几次呢。”
　　“好的，我们两个女孩自己待在这儿没问题。”黛娜说着，把罐子里的最后一点儿鲑鱼给了琪琪，“你们今天下午就出发吧。你们可以把琪琪留下来保护我们。”
11 The cave of echoes
　　11 The cave of echoes
　　It was very early in the afternoon. The boys knew they would have plenty of time to go to the bushwhere their tins were hidden and fetch them to the cave. Perhaps between them they could carryone sack.
　　‘We’d better go now,’ said Jack. ‘We’ll have to keep a sharp lookout for those men, becausethey were going to have a jolly good look round, and we don’t want them to spot us. Now, you’resure you girls will be all right?’
　　‘Quite,’ said Dinah lazily. She felt glad she was not going to go all the way back to the bush andthen drag a heavy sack to the cave. She lay back on the moss. It was so very very soft, and springytoo.
　　Jack slung his field glasses round him. They might be useful in trying to spot any men from faroff. He and Philip slid through the green fronds of fern. Jack called back to the girls, raising hisvoice high.
　　‘If you should happen to spot anyone near here, remember to untie the string that ties back theseferns at once, see?’ he said. ‘Then they will swing back and the cave will be completely hidden.
　　Lucy-Ann, see that Kiki doesn’t follow us.’
　　Lucy-Ann had Kiki on her shoulder, where Jack had just put her. She put her hand round thebird’s ankles and held her. Kiki knew then that she was not supposed to go with Jack and Philipand she gave a dismal squawk.
　　‘What a pity, what a pity!’ she said gloomily, and raised up her crest fiercely. But Lucy-Annwould not let her go. She held her until Jack and Philip were out of sight. Then she lowered herhand and Kiki flew off her shoulder and out of the cave. She perched on a rock looking for Jack.
　　‘Down the well,’ she said grumpily. ‘Blackbirds down the well.’
　　‘No, blackbirds in a pie,’ said Lucy. ‘What a bird you are for getting things mixed up, Kiki!’
　　‘Poor Kiki!’ said Kiki, and cracked her beak loudly. ‘Poor Kiki!’
　　She flew back into the cave. Dinah was fast asleep, stretched out on the green moss, her mouthopen. Kiki flew over and put her head on one side, looking at Dinah’s open mouth. Then sheplucked up a bit of moss with her curved beak.
　　‘Kiki! Don’t you dare to put that into Dinah’s mouth!’ cried Lucy- Ann, knowing Kiki’smischievous ways. ‘You’re a bad bird!’
　　‘Wipe your feet,’ said Kiki crossly, and flew to the back of the cave. Lucy-Ann turned over onher tummy and watched her. She didn’t trust Kiki in this mood.
　　The sun poured into the cave. It felt breathless in there. Lucy-Ann thought it would be a goodidea to untie the fronds and let them swing together, to keep out the sun. So she pulled the bit ofstring that Jack had shown her and at once the ferny curtain descended, and the cave was lost in adim green twilight, rather exciting to be in.
　　Dinah didn’t wake. Lucy-Ann lay on her tummy again, thinking of all that had happened. Thenoise of the waterfall came in, rather muffled now, for the curtain of fronds was very thick.
　　‘Kiki,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Kiki, where are you?’
　　There was no answer from Kiki. Lucy-Ann tried to make out where the parrot was. She must besulking because Philip and Jack hadn’t taken her with them. Silly old Kiki!
　　‘Kiki! Come over here!’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Come and talk to me. I’ll teach you “Three littlekittens have lost their mittens”.’
　　Still there was no answer from Kiki, not even a squawk. Lucy-Ann wondered why. Even if Kikisulked she would usually talk back if anyone spoke to her.
　　She peered towards the back of the cave. No Kiki there. She looked at the ledge on which theirgoods were neatly arranged. No Kiki there.
　　Well, where was she then? She hadn’t flown out between the fern fronds, that was certain. Shemust be somewhere in the cave!
　　On the rocky ledge was a torch. Lucy-Ann felt for it and took it into her hand. She switched iton and flashed it round the cave. Kiki was nowhere to be seen. She was not even perched upanywhere in the low roof of the cave. How very mysterious!
　　Lucy-Ann now felt quite alarmed. She awoke Dinah, who sat up, rubbing her eyes, cross to beawakened.
　　‘What’s the matter?’ she said. ‘I was having such a lovely snooze.’
　　‘I can’t find Kiki,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I’ve looked everywhere.’
　　‘Don’t be silly. She’s gone out of the cave after Jack, I expect,’ said Dinah, even crosser. Shelay down again and yawned. Lucy-Ann shook her.
　　‘You’re not to go to sleep again, Dinah. I tell you, Kiki was here a little while ago - at the backof the cave - and now she’s gone. Absolutely vanished.’
　　‘Well, let her - she’ll come back all right,’ said Dinah. ‘Leave me alone, Lucy-Ann.’
　　She shut her eyes. Lucy-Ann didn’t like to say any more. Dinah could be so fierce when shewas cross. The little girl sighed and wished the boys were back. What had happened to Kiki?
　　She got up and walked across the moss to the back of the cave. The rock was folded in on itselfthere, and there was a space behind one of the folds. Lucy-Ann looked cautiously into the darkspace, expecting to see Kiki hiding there, ready to cry ‘Boo’ at her, as she sometimes mostannoyingly did.
　　But Kiki wasn’t there. Lucy-Ann flashed her torch up and down the little hidden corner, andsuddenly her torch came to a stop, focused on one place.
　　‘Why - there’s a hole there!’ said Lucy-Ann in surprise. ‘That’s where Kiki must have gone!’
　　She clambered up to the hole, which was about shoulder-high. It was just big enough for her tosqueeze through. She expected to drop down into another cave the other side, but she didn’t. Thehole went upwards slightly, a round, narrow tunnel. Lucy- Ann felt sure Kiki must havedisappeared into this cold, dark little tunnel.
　　‘Kiki!’ she yelled, and flashed her torch in front of her. ‘Where are you, idiot? Come back!’
　　No sound from Kiki. Lucy-Ann squeezed herself right into the round tunnel, wondering howlong it was. It was almost as round as a pipe. Maybe water had forced its way through at one time,but now it was quite dry. Lucy-Ann could not hear any sound of the waterfall once she was in thetunnel, though she listened hard. It was very quiet there.
　　‘ KIKI !’ she yelled. ‘ KIKI !’
　　Dinah heard the yell in her dreams and awoke with a jump. She sat up crossly again. But thistime Lucy- Ann was not in the cave with her. Now it was Dinah’s turn to feel scared. Sheremembered that Lucy-Ann said that Kiki had suddenly disappeared. Now it seemed as if Lucy-Ann had too. The fronds of fern were hanging over the entrance, Lucy-Ann would not havepushed out through them without telling Dinah she was going out.
　　Dinah examined the cave well. No Lucy-Ann. Oh, goodness, now what had happened to her andKiki?
　　She heard another yell, sounding rather muffled and distant. She went to the back of the caveand discovered the hidden space. She fetched another torch from the ledge and shone it up anddown. She stared in amazement when she saw two shoes sticking out of a round hole about as highas her shoulder.
　　She tugged at Lucy-Ann’s ankles and yelled at her. ‘Lucy-Ann! What do you think you’redoing? What’s up that hole?’
　　Lucy-Ann yelled back. ‘I don’t know, Dinah. I found it by accident. I think Kiki must havegone up it. Shall I go up and see if I can find her? You come too.’
　　‘All right,’ called Dinah. ‘Go on up.’
　　Lucy-Ann wriggled further up the narrow pipe-like tunnel. It suddenly widened out, and by thelight of her torch she saw below her another cave - but a vast one this time.
　　She managed to get out of the hole, and had a look round at the cave. It was more like anunderground hall. Its roof was very high indeed. From somewhere in its dim vastness came amournful voice.
　　‘What a pity, what a pity!’
　　‘Kiki! So you are here!’ cried Lucy-Ann, and then listened in astonishment to the echo thatsounded immediately. ‘Here, here, here, are here, and here!’ cried the echoes, repeatingthemselves in a weird and strange manner.
　　‘Hurry up, Dinah!’ called Lucy-Ann, not liking the echoes at all.
　　‘Up, Dinah, Dinah, Dinah!’ called the echoes at once. Kiki flew over to Lucy-Ann, frightened.
　　So many voices! Whatever could they all be?
　　‘Poor Kiki!’ said the parrot, in a fright. ‘Poor Kiki!’
　　‘Kiki, Kiki, Kiki!’ called the echoes. The parrot shivered and gazed all round, trying to see whocalled her. She suddenly gave a loud and defiant squawk.
　　At once a score of squawks sounded all round, as if the cave was filled with hundred of parrots.
　　Kiki was simply astounded. Could there be so many birds there that she couldn’t see?
　　Dinah crawled out of the hole and stood by Lucy-Ann. ‘What an enormous place!’ she said.
　　‘Place!’ shouted the echoes.
　　‘Everything we say is repeated,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘It’s weird.’
　　‘Weird, it’s weird,’ said the echoes.
　　‘Well, let’s whisper then,’ said Dinah, whispering herself. The cave was at once filled withmysterious whispers, which scared the girls even more than the repeated shouts they had heard.
　　They clutched one another. Then Dinah recovered herself.
　　‘It’s only the echoes,’ she said. ‘You often get them in enormous caves like this. I wonder ifanyone has ever been here before.’
　　‘Never, I should think,’ said Lucy- Ann, flashing her torch all round. ‘Fancy! We may betreading in a place that no one else has ever trodden in before!’
　　‘Let’s explore the cave a bit,’ said Dinah. ‘Not that there seems much to see, but we might aswell do something whilst we’re waiting for the boys.’
　　So they walked slowly round the great dark cave, their footsteps repeated a hundred times bythe echoes. Once, when Dinah sneezed, the girls were really frightened by the enormous explosivenoises that came from all round them. The echoes certainly enjoyed themselves then.
　　‘Oh, don’t sneeze again, Dinah,’ begged Lucy- Ann. ‘It’s really awful to hear the echoessneezing. Worse than hearing them squawk like Kiki.’
　　They had gone almost all the way round the cave when they came to a passage leading out of it- a high, narrow passage, between two walls of rocks.
　　‘Look at that!’ said Dinah, surprised. ‘A passage! Do you suppose it leads anywhere?’
　　‘It might,’ said Lucy-Ann, and her eyes gleamed. ‘Don’t forget, Dinah, that those men are aftertreasure. We don’t know what kind - but it’s just possible it might be hidden somewhere in thesemountains.’
　　‘Let’s follow the passage then,’ said Dinah. ‘Kiki! Come along. We don’t want to leave youbehind.’
　　Kiki flew to her shoulder. In silence the two girls entered the narrow, rocky passage, theirtorches gleaming in front of them. What were they going to find?
第11章 回音洞
　　第11章 回音洞
　　天色刚刚过了中午，两个男孩知道，现在他们有足够的时间去把藏在灌木丛里的罐头运到山洞里。两个人或许就可以拿得动一袋。
　　“我们最好现在就出发，”杰克对其他三人说，“我们得密切地注意那两个人的行动，因为他们本来就计划要四处寻找我们。我们可不想让他们看见。你们女孩确定我们不在，没问题吗？”
　　“没事的。”黛娜懒洋洋地说。她很高兴自己不用走一大段路回到灌木丛，然后拖着一个沉重的袋子再抬回洞里。现在她可以躺在苔藓上休息。它非常非常柔软，也很有弹性。
　　杰克把他的野外望远镜挂在了脖子上。这望远镜可有大用处，它可以帮孩子们看见在很远处的人。杰克和菲利普从那些植物的绿色叶子下滑下去之后，便用很高的声音叫住了那两个女孩。“如果你们不巧发现这附近有人，记得立刻解开系着这些蕨类植物的绳子，明白吗？”他说，“然后这些叶子就会像窗帘一样合上，这样山洞就完全被盖住了。还有，露西安，别让琪琪跟着我们。”
　　琪琪站在露西安的肩上，这还是杰克刚把她放在那儿的。露西安用手抓住鹦鹉的脚踝。这样琪琪就知道她不能跟着杰克和菲利普一起出去了。这让她发出了一声凄惨的叫声。
　　“太可惜了，太可惜了！”她闷闷不乐地说，猛地竖起了胸前的羽毛。但露西安还是不让她走。她一直抱着琪琪，直到杰克和菲利普看不见了为止。露西安刚一松手，琪琪就从她的肩膀上飞走了。她落在一块岩石上，开始寻找杰克的踪影。
　　“掉井底，”琪琪嘟囔着，“黑色的鸟儿掉井底。”
　　“不，黑色的鸟儿在馅饼里，”露西安说，“你这只鸟，都把东西弄混了，琪琪！”
　　“可怜的琪琪！”琪琪说着，而且很大声，“可怜的琪琪！”
　　于是她飞回了山洞里。黛娜舒服地躺在青苔上睡得正香，嘴巴大张着。琪琪飞到黛娜身边，侧着头，看着她张着的嘴。她用自己那有点儿弯的嘴啄起了一点青苔。
　　露西安知道琪琪平时调皮起来是什么样子。“琪琪！你敢把它放在黛娜的嘴里！”她低声喝住，“你太坏了！”
　　“擦擦你的脚。”琪琪生气地说着，飞向洞的更深处。露西安翻了个身，肚子贴着地面，抬起头，看着琪琪。她现在不信任琪琪，因为不知道琪琪又要做出什么事儿来。
　　洞内，阳光倾泻而入。一时间，两个女孩感觉有点儿呼吸困难。露西安认为最好把叶子解开，让它们垂下来，随风摇摆，这样还可以遮挡住阳光。她拽了一下杰克展示给她的那根绳子，叶子窗帘立刻合上了。山洞隐身于朦胧的绿色微光中，变成了一个令人兴奋的地方。
　　此时，黛娜还没有醒。露西安趴在青苔上，回想着这两天发生的一切。因为挂在洞前的叶子窗帘很厚，所以瀑布的喧闹声渐渐平息了下来。但还是可以听到外面的水声。
　　“琪琪，”露西安叫道，“琪琪，你在哪里？”
　　没有得到琪琪的回复，露西安试着要去查看下这只鹦鹉究竟在哪儿。她一定在生闷气吧，因为菲利普和杰克没有带她一起去搬行李。愚蠢的老琪琪！
　　“琪琪！过来，到这里来！”露西安说，“来和我谈谈。我来教你怎么唱‘三只小猫的手套丢了’。”
　　但琪琪仍然没有回应，甚至都没有叫一声。露西安想知道为什么琪琪没有反应。一般来说，即使琪琪生气了，如果有人跟她说话的话，她也会回答。
　　她盯着洞穴的深处，没有琪琪的身影。她看了看整齐地摆放着货物的窗台，琪琪也不在那里。
　　那么，她在哪儿呢？可以肯定她没有飞到那些叶子之外。她一定在山洞的某个地方！
　　在岩石壁架上有一个手电筒。露西安感觉了下，便把它拿在手里。她打开开关，一束光在洞里一闪而过。但琪琪还是不见踪影。她甚至不在洞穴那不高的顶部。这简直太神秘了！
　　此刻，露西安感到十分惊恐。她叫醒了黛娜。黛娜坐起来，揉着眼睛，交叉着双腿，慢慢清醒了过来。
　　“怎么了？出什么事了？”她问，“我正睡得很香呢。”
　　“我找不到琪琪了，”露西安回答，“我已经找遍了所有的地方，但都没看见她。”
　　“别那么傻了。我想她是飞出洞去找杰克了。”黛娜说完，更生气了。她又躺下，打了个哈欠。露西安再次使劲地摇她。
　　“黛娜，你不能再睡觉了。我告诉你，琪琪刚才在这儿，就在洞的后面。但是现在她不见了。完全消失了。”
　　“好吧，让她去——她会回来的，”黛娜说，“别晃我了，露西安。”
　　黛娜又闭上了眼睛。露西安也不愿再说下去。原来黛娜生气的时候会这么凶。露西安叹了口气，如果男孩们现在在这儿就好了。琪琪身上到底发生什么事情了呢？
　　她站起身，穿过那一片青苔，来到山洞的后面。在那里，岩石像是从四周折叠起来了一样，只是在一个转弯处后面有一个小空隙。
　　露西安小心翼翼地望着那黑黢黢的什么都看不见的地方，她希望琪琪就躲在那里，准备对她大叫一声“嘘”，吓她一跳。这就像琪琪最烦人时那样。
　　但那个缝隙里也没有琪琪。露西安在那个隐蔽的小角落里不停地挥舞着手电筒，顺着光线检查了每个角落。突然，手电筒光停了下来，集中在一个地方。
　　“哇，那儿有个洞！”露西安惊奇地说，“那一定是琪琪去的地方！”
　　她爬上了那个与自己肩膀差不多高的洞。它刚好够她挤过去。她本以为自己会掉到山洞另一边的一个洞穴里，但并不是这样的。这个小洞只是稍微向上延伸了一点，连接着一条又圆又窄的隧道。露西安确信琪琪一定是消失在了这条古怪又黑暗的小隧道里了。
　　“琪琪！”她边喊，边用手电筒在面前照来照去，“你在哪，傻瓜？快回来！”
　　并没有琪琪的回音。露西安把自己塞进了这条圆形的隧道，不知道它究竟有多长。隧道的形状几乎和管子一样圆。也许有水曾经从这里流过，但现在已经干了。露西安一进隧道就听不到瀑布的声音了。尽管她很认真地去分辨有什么动静，但隧道里非常安静。
　　“琪琪！”她喊道，“琪琪！”
　　黛娜在梦中听到了喊声，被吓得猛然惊醒。她又一次气冲冲地坐了起来。但这一次，她发现露西安并不在山洞里。现在轮到黛娜感到害怕了。她记得露西安说琪琪突然消失了。现在看来，露西安也一样。蕨类植物的叶子悬在山洞的入口处。露西安绝不会不告诉黛娜一声就撩起它们出去的。
　　黛娜仔细检查了山洞。露西安不见了。天啊，她和琪琪怎么了？
　　这时，她听到另一声喊叫，声音低沉而遥远。她走到洞穴的里面，发现了一个很隐蔽的地方。她从岩架上取下另一个手电筒，手电筒光在山洞里上下照着。她吃惊地瞪着眼睛，因为一双鞋这时从一个到自己肩膀那么高的圆洞里伸出来。
　　她拽着露西安的脚踝，对她喊：“露西安！你以为你在做什么？你要去哪里？这个洞是怎么来的？”
　　露西安大喊着回答：“我不知道，黛娜。我也是偶然发现的。我想琪琪一定是从这儿走了。我想顺着这条路上去，看看能不能找到她。你也一起来吧。”
　　“好吧，”黛娜说，“我们一起上去吧。”
　　露西安沿着狭窄的管道一点点蹭着往上爬。突然间，它变宽了。在手电筒光的照射下，她看到了另一个洞穴——但这次是一个巨大的洞穴。
　　她设法从洞里顺利地爬出来，看了看四周。它更像是一个地下大厅。它的顶部确实很高。这时，从茫茫无人的朦胧中，传来一声凄惨的叫声。
　　“多可惜啊，多可惜啊！”
　　“琪琪！你原来在这儿！”露西安叫了一声，然后惊奇地听着那回音，“这儿，这儿，这儿，这儿，这儿！”回声好像在说话，用一种古怪又奇妙的方式重复着自己的话。
　　“快点，黛娜！”露西安叫道，但她一点儿也不喜欢这些回声。
　　“黛娜，黛娜，黛娜！”回声立刻响起来。因为这回声，琪琪惊恐地飞到露西安身边。
　　琪琪想：天哪！这么多的声音！它们都是什么呢？
　　“可怜的琪琪！”这只鹦鹉惊恐地说，“可怜的琪琪！”
　　“琪琪，琪琪，琪琪！”回声响起。吓得这鹦鹉浑身颤抖，向四处张望，想看看到底是谁叫自己。突然，她挑衅似的响亮地叫了一声。
　　这时候，周围响起了几十声尖叫，仿佛洞穴里挤满了数百只鹦鹉。但这次琪琪只是很震惊。她想那里竟然有那么多的鸟，为什么自己看不见呢？
　　黛娜从洞里爬出来，站在露西安身边。“一个真的很巨大的地方！”她说。
　　“地方！”回声响起来了。
　　“我们说的每句话都是重复的，”露西安说，“真奇怪。”
　　“奇怪，奇怪。”回声说。
　　“好吧，我们小点儿声说话。”黛娜悄悄地说。洞穴里立刻充满了神秘的窃窃私语声，这比两个女孩听到的反复呼喊更让她们害怕。她们互相抓着对方的手。黛娜尽力从这惊恐中恢复过来。
　　“这只是回声，”她说，“在这么巨大的洞穴里，经常会出现回声。我想知道以前是不是有人来过这里。”
　　“我觉得从来没有吧，”露西安说着，把手电筒向四周照来照去，“好棒！我们可能走在一个从未有人来过的地方！”
　　“让我们来探索一下这个山洞吧。”黛娜说，“看起来并没有什么值得看的，但我们不妨在等杰克和菲利普的时候做点什么。”
　　她们在这个巨大的黑暗洞穴里慢慢地徘徊着。脚步声在回声中重复了得有一百次了。
　　有一次，黛娜打了个喷嚏，两个女孩真的都被周围爆炸般的巨大声音吓坏了。如果回声也有生命的话，它那时肯定很享受自己制造的效果。
　　“噢，别再打喷嚏了，黛娜，”露西安恳求道，“打喷嚏的回声真是太可怕了，震耳欲聋，比琪琪的大声尖叫更糟糕。”
　　两人几乎绕着洞走了一圈，这时她们来到了一条通向洞外的通道——两堵石墙之间有一条又高又窄的通道。
　　“看看！”黛娜惊讶地说，“一条通道！你认为这条路会通向什么地方吗？”
　　“有可能，”露西安回答，这时她的眼睛闪闪发光，“黛娜，别忘了，那两个人是来寻宝的。我们不知道是什么宝贝，但有可能就藏在这些山里的某个地方。”
　　“那么，我们顺着隧道走吧，”黛娜说，“琪琪！过来。我们不想丢下你不管。”
　　琪琪飞到黛娜的肩膀上。两个女孩默默地走进旁边有很多岩石的狭窄隧道，她们的手电筒把前面的路照得闪闪发光。接下来她们会发现什么？
12 Behind the waterfall
　　12 Behind the waterfall
　　The passage was a very winding one. It led a little downwards, and the floor was very uneven tothe feet. The girls tripped and stumbled very often. Once the roof came down so low that they hadto crawl under it. But it grew high again almost at once.
　　After a while they heard a noise. They couldn’t imagine what it was. It was a deep andcontinous roar that never stopped even for a second.
　　‘What’s that?’ said Dinah. ‘Are we getting into the heart of the mountain, do you think, Lucy-Ann? That’s not the roar of a mighty fire, is it? What can it be? What is there that could make thatnoise in the middle of a mountain?’
　　‘I don’t know,’ said Lucy-Ann, and immediately wanted to go back. A fire in the heart of amountain, a fire that roared like that? She didn’t in the least want to see it. She felt hot andbreathless at the thought.
　　But Dinah wasn’t going back now that they had come so far.
　　‘What, go back before we’ve found out where this passage goes to?’ she said. ‘Of course not!
　　The boys would laugh like anything when we told them. We don’t often get the chance ofdiscovering something before they do. Why, we might even happen on the treasure, whatever it is,Lucy-Ann.’
　　Lucy-Ann felt that she didn’t care at all about the treasure. All she wanted was to get back to thesafety of the cave with the green fern curtains.
　　‘Well, you go back then,’ said Dinah unkindly. ‘I’m going on!’
　　It was more frightening to think of going back to the cave of echoes by herself than to go onwith Dinah. So poor Lucy-Ann chose unwillingly to go on. With that peculiar, muffled roar in herears she pressed on down the winding passage, keeping close to Dinah. The roar became louder.
　　And then the girls knew what it was. It was the waterfall, of course! How stupid of them not tothink of that! But it sounded so different there in the mountain.
　　‘We’re not going into the heart of the mountain after all,’ said Dinah. ‘We’re coming outsomewhere near the waterfall. I wonder where.’
　　They got a tremendous surprise when they did see daylight. The passage suddenly took one lastturn and took them into subdued daylight, that flickered and shone round them in a curious way. Adraught of cold air met them, and something wetted their hair.
　　‘Lucy- Ann! We’ve come out on to a flat ledge just behind the waterfall!’ cried Dinah inastonishment. ‘Look, there’s the great mass of falling water just in front of us! - oh, the colours init! Can you hear me? The water is making such a noise.’
　　Overwhelmed by surprise and by the noise, Lucy-Ann stood and stared. The water made a greatrushing curtain between them and the open air. It poured down, shining and exultant, neverstopping. The power behind it awed the two girls. They felt very small and feeble when theywatched the great volume of water pouring down a few feet in front of them.
　　It was amazing to be able to stand on a ledge just behind the waterfall and yet not to be affectedby it in any way except to feel the fine spray misting the air. The ledge was very wide, and ran thewhole width of the fall. There was a rock about a foot high at one end of the ledge, and the girlssat down on it to watch the amazing sight in front of them.
　　‘What will the boys say?’ wondered Dinah. ‘Let’s stay here till we see them coming back. If wesit on this rock, just at the edge of the waterfall, we can wave to them. They will be so astonishedto see us here. There’s no way of getting to the ledge from above or below, only from behind,from the passage we found.’
　　‘Yes. We’ll surprise the boys,’ said Lucy-Ann, no longer frightened. ‘Look, we can see ourcave up there! - at least, we can see the giant fern whose fronds are hiding it. We shall easily beable to see the boys when they come back.’
　　Kiki was very quiet indeed. She had been surprised to come out behind the great wall of water.
　　She sat on a ledge and watched it, blinking every now and again.
　　‘I hope she won’t be silly enough to try and fly through the waterfall,’ said Lucy- Annanxiously. ‘She would be taken down with it and dashed to pieces. I know she would.’
　　‘She won’t do anything silly,’ said Dinah. ‘She’s wise enough to know what would happen ifshe tried something like that. She may fly out round the edge of the waterfall, though. Still, thereshouldn’t be much danger for her in that.’
　　The girls sat there for a long time, feeling that they would never get tired of watching theturbulence of the waterfall. After a long time Lucy-Ann gave a cry and caught Dinah’s arm.
　　‘Look - is that the boys coming? Yes, it is. They’ve got a sack between them. Good! Now weshall have plenty of food.’
　　They watched the two boys labouring up the rocks that led to the cave. It was no good wavingto them yet. Then suddenly Dinah stiffened with horror.
　　‘What’s the matter?’ said Lucy-Ann in alarm, seeing Dinah’s face.
　　‘Look - someone is following the boys!’ said Dinah. ‘See - it’s one of the men! And there’s theother one too! Oh, my goodness, I don’t believe either Philip or Jack knows it! They’ll watchwhere they go and our hiding place will be found! J ACK ! PHILIP ! OH, JACK, LOOK OUT !
　　She went to the very edge of the waterfall, and, holding on to a fern growing there, she leanedout beyond it, yelling and waving, quite forgetting that the men could see and hear her as well asthe boys.
　　But alas, Jack and Philip, engrossed in the task of getting the heavy sack up the rocks, neithersaw nor heard Dinah - but the men suddenly caught sight of her and stared in the utmostastonishment. They could not make out if she was girl, boy, or woman, for the edges of thewaterfall continually moved and shifted. All they could make out was that there was definitelysomeone dancing about and waving behind the great fall.
　　‘Look!’ said one man to the other. ‘Just look at that! See - behind the water! That’s wherethey’re hiding. My word, what a place! How do they get there?’
　　The men stared open-mouthed at the waterfall, their eyes searching for a way up to it that wouldlead to the ledge where the excited figure stood waving.
　　Meantime, Jack and Philip, quite unaware of the following men, or of Dinah either, had reachedthe curtain of fern. Philip pushed the ferns aside, and Jack hauled the sack up through them,panting painfully, for it was heavy.
　　At last the sack lay on the floor of moss. The boys flung themselves down, their hearts thumpingwith the labour of climbing up steeply to the cave, dragging such a heavy sack. At first they didnot even notice that the girls were not there.
　　Not far off, some way below, stood the two men, completely bewildered. In watching Dinahbehind the waterfall, they had just missed seeing Jack and Philip creep through the ferns into theircave. So when they turned from gazing at the waterfall, they found that the boys they had sowarily followed had utterly disappeared.
　　‘Where have they gone?’ demanded Juan. ‘They were on that rock there when we saw themlast.’
　　‘Yes. Then I caught sight of that person waving down there, and took my eyes off them for aminute - and now they’ve gone,’ growled Pepi. ‘Well, there’s no doubt where they’ve gone.
　　They’ve taken some path that leads to that waterfall. They hide behind it - and a clever place it istoo. Who would think of anyone hiding just behind a great curtain of water like that? Well, weknow where to find them. We’ll make our way to the water and climb up to that ledge. We’ll soonhunt the rats out.’
　　They began to climb down, hoping to find a way that would lead them to the ledge behind thewaterfall. It was difficult and dangerous going, on the slippery rocks.
　　In the cave the boys soon recovered. They sat up, and looked around for the girls.
　　‘Hallo - where are Lucy-Ann and Dinah?’ said Jack in astonishment. ‘They promised to stayhere till we got back. Surely to goodness they haven’t gone wandering about anywhere? They’llget lost, sure as anything!’
　　They were not in the cave. That was absolutely certain. The boys did not see the hole in the foldof rock at the back. They were extremely puzzled. Jack parted the ferns and looked out.
　　To his enormous astonishment he at once saw the two men clambering about on rocks near thewaterfall. His eyes nearly dropped out of his head.
　　‘Look there!’ he said to Philip, closing the fronds a little, fearful of being seen. ‘Those two men!
　　Golly, they might have seen us getting in here! How did they get here? We saw them safely by theplane, on our way to the bush!’
　　Dinah had now disappeared from behind the waterfall. She could not make up her mind whetheror not the men had seen the boys climbing in through the fern to their cave. In any case, shethought she ought to warn them of the men’s appearance. She felt sure that neither Jack nor Philipknew they were there.
　　‘Come on, Lucy-Ann,’ she said urgently. ‘We must get back to the boys. Oh, goodness, look atthose men! I believe they are going to try and get over here now. They must have spotted mewaving. Do come quickly, Lucy-Ann.’
　　Shivering with excitement, Lucy-Ann followed Dinah along the dark, winding passage that ledback to the cave of echoes. Dinah went as quickly as she could, flashing her torch in front of her.
　　Both girls forgot all about Kiki. The parrot was left sitting alone behind the waterfall, spraymisting her feathers, watched the clambering men with interested eyes. She had not heard the girlsgoing off.
　　Dinah and Lucy-Ann came out into the cave of echoes at last. Dinah stopped and considered.
　　‘Now, where exactly was that hole we came through?’ she said.
　　‘Came through, through, through,’ called the echoes mockingly.
　　‘Oh be quiet!’ cried Dinah to the echoes.
　　‘ QUIET , QUIET , QUIET !’ yelled back the irritating voices. Dinah flashed her torch here and there,and by a very lucky chance she found the hole. In a trice she was in it, crawling along, with Lucy-Ann close behind her. Lucy-Ann had an awful feeling that somebody was going to clutch her feetfrom behind and she almost bumped into Dinah’s shoes in her efforts to scramble down the hole asquickly as possible.
　　Jack and Philip were peeping through the ferns watching the men, when the girls dropped out ofthe hole at the back of the cave, came round the fold of rock and flung themselves on the boys.
　　They almost jumped out of their skin.
　　Philip hit out, thinking that enemies were upon them. Dinah got a stinging blow on the ear, andyelled. She immediately hit out at Philip and the two rolled on the floor.
　　‘Don’t, oh, don’t!’ wailed Lucy-Ann, almost in tears. ‘Philip, Jack, it’s us! It’s us!’
　　Philip shook off Dinah and sat up. Jack stared in amazement. ‘But where did you come from?’
　　he demanded. ‘Golly, you gave us an awful scare, I can tell you, jumping out like that! Wherehave you been?’
　　‘There’s a hole back there we went into,’ explained Dinah, giving Philip an angry look. ‘I say,do you two boys know that those men were following you? They were not very far behind you.
　　We were scared stiff they would see you climbing in here.’
　　‘Were they following us!’ said Jack. ‘Golly, I didn’t know that. Peep out between these fronds,you girls, and see them hunting for us down there.’
第12章 在瀑布的后边
　　第12章 在瀑布的后边
　　隧道里的这段路非常曲折，很难走。随着隧道的向下延伸，两个女孩感觉脚下的地面很不平整，好几次都差点被绊倒。突然，隧道顶部开始降得很低，让她们不得不开始爬着前进。但过了一会儿，隧道顶部又高了起来。
　　不一会儿，她们听到了一个响声。她们无法想象那响声究竟是什么发出的。这是一个深沉而连续的吼声，一秒钟也没有停下来。
　　“那是什么？”黛娜问，“我们这是要到山的中心去了吗？你说呢，露西安？那不会是熊熊烈火的咆哮吧，是吗？那会是什么呢？有什么东西能在山的中央发出这种声音呢？”
　　“我不知道。”露西安回答，但她想立刻转身回去。在山的中心有一团火，一团发出那样咆哮的火？她一点儿也不想看到它。一想到这个，她就觉得又热又喘不过气来。
　　但黛娜不会同意回去，因为她们已经走得这么远了。
　　“那什么，在我们找到这条通道的出口之前就往回走？”黛娜说，“当然不行！当我们告诉男孩这一切的时候，他们肯定会嘲笑死我们的。通常情况下，我们没有机会在他们之前发现一些新奇的东西。再说了，我们甚至可能会发现宝藏，即使那宝藏不怎么贵重，对吗？露西安。”
　　露西安可一点儿也不在乎财宝。她只想回到那个熟悉的让她感到安全的洞穴，那个有绿色蕨类植物窗帘的洞穴。
　　“那么，你回去吧，”黛娜不友善地说，“我要继续了！”
　　想到自己要一个人回到那个有回音的洞里去，这可比和黛娜继续探索下去更可怕。可怜的露西安不情愿地选择了继续探险。伴随着传到耳朵里的奇怪低沉的吼声，她沿着蜿蜒的通道继续向前，只是与黛娜一步都不敢相离。咆哮声变得越来越大。
　　这时，两个女孩一下就发现那声音是从什么地方传来的了。原来是瀑布！她们真傻，竟然没想到！但瀑布的声音在隧道里听起来和平时完全不同。
　　“原来我们不是到山的中心去呀，”黛娜说，“我们这是从瀑布附近出来了。但我不确定这是哪儿。”
　　当她们看到阳光时大吃了一惊。隧道突然又转了最后一圈，把两个女孩带进了柔和的阳光中。阳光闪烁着，以一种不寻常的方式洒在她们周围。一阵冷空气扑面而来，什么东西弄湿了她们的头发。
　　“露西安！我们是从瀑布后面出来的，这是一个平坦得像窗台一样的岩石！”黛娜惊讶地叫道，“看，前面还有一大片正从高处流下来的水呢！哦，看，这水还有颜色！你能听到我说话吗？水声好大呀。”
　　露西安惊讶得不知所措，站在原地盯着水看。水在她们和外界之间形成了一道巨大的帷幕。它倾泻而下，闪闪发光，跳跃着，永不停息。它背后的力量使两个女孩感到敬畏。
　　当她们看到大量的水从自己面前倾泻下来，流到比她们站的位置还低几英尺的地方时，她们感到了自己的渺小和虚弱。
　　女孩们站在瀑布后面的岩架上，但丝毫不受瀑布的任何影响，当然，除了感受到那笼罩着空气的细小水雾。这整个过程都让女孩们感到很惊奇。岩架很宽，与整个瀑布的宽度平行。岩架的一端有一块大约一英尺高的岩石，露西安和黛娜坐在岩石上看着眼前的奇观。
　　“你觉得男孩们会怎么说？”黛娜很好奇，“我们待在这儿等他们回来吧。如果我们坐在这块岩石上，就挨着瀑布的边缘，我们可以朝他们挥手。我相信他们在这里见到我们会大吃一惊。只有一条路也就是我们找到的通道才能来到这里。从这个岩石的上面或下面，都没有办法到这儿。”
　　“是的。我们要给他们一个惊喜。”露西安说着，心里也不再害怕了，“看，我们可以看到上面的洞穴！至少，我们可以看到隐藏入口的大叶子。当杰克和菲利普回来的时候，我们很容易就能看到他们啦。”
　　琪琪变得很安静。她很吃惊自己刚刚从巨大的水墙后面走了出来。她坐在岩架上看着它，不时地眨着眼睛。
　　“我希望她不会傻到试图要穿过瀑布。”露西安焦急地说，“她将被冲走，被摔成碎片。
　　我知道结局一定是这样。”
　　“她不会做这么愚蠢的事，”黛娜说，“她很聪明，她知道如果这样做会发生什么。不过，她可以沿着瀑布的边缘飞出去。这对她来说可不会有什么危险。”
　　女孩们在那坐了很长一段时间，觉得永远也不会看厌瀑布的湍流。过了好一会儿，露西安叫了一声，抓住黛娜的胳膊。
　　“瞧——那两个男孩来了吗？是的，确实是他们。他们两人，每人提了袋子的一边。太棒了！现在我们有足够的食物了。”
　　她们看着那两个男孩辛苦地攀爬着通往山洞的岩石。还没来得及向他们挥手呢，黛娜却突然吓得僵住了。
　　“怎么了？出什么事了？”露西安看见黛娜的表情，惊慌地问。
　　“瞧——有人在跟踪他们！”黛娜着急地说，“看——那是一个男人！还有另外一个！天哪，我觉得菲利普和杰克肯定还没有意识到自己被人跟踪了！那两个人会监视他们去了哪儿，那样的话，我们的藏身之处就会被发现了！杰克！菲利普！哦，杰克，当心！”
　　她走到瀑布的边缘，抓住生长在那里的一株蕨类植物，探出身子，大声喊叫，使劲挥手，完全忘了那两个人也能看到她，听到她的声音。
　　不幸的是，杰克和菲利普都在一心一意地想着如何把那只沉重的布袋搬到岩石上，既没看见也没听见黛娜发出的动静。反倒是那两个男人突然看见了她，眼神中充满了惊奇。
　　他们无法辨认出她是女孩、男孩、男人还是女人，因为瀑布的边缘在不断地移动。他们所能看到的就是，在那个巨大的瀑布后面，有一个人在挥着手蹦蹦跳跳。
　　“你看！”一个人对另一个人说，“看看！看，在水的后面！那是他们藏身的地方。要我说的话，这究竟是什么地方！他们是怎么到那里的？”
　　那两个人张大了嘴巴，震惊地盯着瀑布，他们的眼睛在寻找一条通向那座瀑布的路。
　　他们想知道那个站在那里激动挥手的身影是怎么过去的。
　　这时，杰克和菲利普已经走到山洞的帘幕前，完全没注意到后面的人，也没有注意到黛娜。菲利普把挂在洞顶上的植物拨到一边，杰克吃力地拖着那装着食物的袋子，把它搬进洞里。袋子真是太重了。
　　终于，那布袋躺在了苔藓的地板上。两个男孩扑通一声倒了下去，瘫在青苔上。因为这一下午他们都在费力地攀爬陡坡，还拖着这么重的袋子爬上山洞，所以到现在他们的心跳都还很激烈。刚进山洞，他们甚至没有注意到女孩们不在这里。
　　山洞下的不远处，两个大人站在那里，完全不知所措。他们光顾着注视瀑布后面的黛娜，错过了杰克和菲利普是如何从蕨丛爬进山洞的。因此，当他们把目光从瀑布挪回来时，却发现自己一直小心跟踪的男孩已经完全消失在自己的视线中了。
　　“他们到哪里去了？”胡安问，“我们刚才看到他们时，他们就在那块岩石上呀。”
　　“是的。然后我看见有个人在那里挥手，我的目光从他们身上移开了一会儿。现在他们就不见了。”佩皮咆哮道，“好吧，毫无疑问，他们已经不见了。他们走了一条通向瀑布的路。他们躲在瀑布后面——一个聪明的藏身之处。谁能想到会有人躲在这么大的水幕后面呢？我们现在知道在哪里可以找到他们了。我们要靠近瀑布，爬上那块岩石。很快我们就会把他们像老鼠一样抓出来的。”
　　于是，两个男人开始往下爬，希望能找到一条路可以通向瀑布后面的岩架。但是在滑溜溜的岩石上行走是一件既困难又危险的事情。
　　山洞里，男孩们很快就恢复了体力。他们坐起身来，四处张望，开始寻找两个女孩。
　　“喂——露西安和黛娜怎么不见了？”杰克惊讶地问，“她们答应在这里等我们回来的。
　　她们不会到处去游荡了吧？这样肯定会迷路的！”
　　她们不在山洞里——这是绝对肯定的。两个男孩没有看到后面岩石壁上的洞。他们对女孩们在哪里是一头雾水。杰克把蕨类植物分开，向外张望。
　　令他大为惊奇的是有两个男人在瀑布附近的岩石上爬来爬去。他的眼睛几乎要从头上掉下来了。
　　“看那儿！”他对菲利普说，把蕨叶合上了一点儿，生怕被人看见，“那两个男人！天啊，他们可能看到我们进入这个山洞了！他们是怎么到这里的？我们在去丛林的路上，还看到他们在飞机旁边。一切都是安全的呢！”
　　此刻，黛娜从瀑布后面消失了。她无法确定那两个人是否看见了杰克和菲利普从蕨丛爬进他们的山洞。无论如何，她认为自己应该提醒杰克和菲利普注意那两个男人的出现。
　　她确信她的伙伴们还没有意识到。
　　“来吧，露西安，”她急切地说，“我们必须回到男孩们身边。天啊，看看那两个人！我相信他们现在正设法到我们站的地方来。我刚才挥手时一定被他们看见了。快走，露西安。”
　　露西安紧张得直哆嗦，跟着黛娜沿着那条通向回音洞的黑暗曲折的通道往回走。黛娜快步走在前面，晃动着手电筒照明。两个女孩都忘了琪琪。这只鹦鹉孤零零地坐在瀑布后面，用水雾喷洒羽毛，饶有兴趣地瞧着那两个爬山的人。她没有听见两个姑娘已经离开了。
　　黛娜和露西安终于走到回音洞里。黛娜停下来，陷入了思考。“那么，我们到底应该从这个洞的哪儿钻出去呢？只能从这个山洞穿过。”她说。
　　“穿过，穿过，穿过。”回声嘲弄地喊道。
　　“哦，闭嘴！安静！”黛娜对着回音喊道。
　　“安静，安静，安静！”那些恼人的声音反驳道。黛娜到处晃动着她的手电筒，碰巧找到了那个连接隧道的洞。不一会儿，她就开始在隧道里爬着前进，露西安紧随其后。露西安有一种可怕的感觉，像有人要从后面抓住自己的脚一样，她差点撞到黛娜的鞋子。她只想努力尽快地爬出那个洞。
　　杰克和菲利普正从蕨丛中往外偷看，监视着那两个男人。这时女孩们从山洞后面的洞里掉了出来，绕过岩石，扑向他们。他们几乎被吓得魂不附体。
　　菲利普以为她们是敌人，一拳挥出。黛娜的耳朵上挨了一巴掌。她立刻向菲利普冲去，两人滚到了地上。
　　“不要打了，哦，不要打了！”露西安喊着，几乎要哭了，“菲利普，杰克，是我们！是我们！”
　　菲利普摆脱了黛娜，坐了起来。杰克惊讶地盯着她们。“你们是从哪儿出来的？”他问道，“天哪，我可以告诉你们，你们可吓了我们一大跳。就像刚才那样！你们去哪儿了？”
　　“山洞的后面有个洞，我们去那里了，”黛娜解释着，生气地看了菲利普一眼，“我说，你们两个知道有人在跟踪你们吗？他们刚才离你们很近。我们很担心他们会看到你们爬进来。”
　　“他们跟着我们吗？”杰克说，“天哪，我都不知道。你们女孩也从叶子中间看出去，看看他们是不是还在山下找我们吧。”
13 Safe in the Cave
　　13 Safe in the Cave
　　They all peeped out between the fern fronds, Lucy-Ann holding her breath. Yes, there were thetwo men, clambering about dangerously near the waterfall.
　　‘But what are they doing down there?’ said Jack in wonder. ‘Why look for us there? They musthave know we didn’t go that way, if they were following us.’
　　‘Well, they must have seen me waving to you from behind the waterfall,’ said Dinah. ‘Theymust think that’s where our hiding place is.’
　　‘Waving to us from behind the waterfall?’ said Philip in the utmost amazement. ‘What are youtalking about, Dinah? You must be bats.’
　　‘Well, I’m not,’ said Dinah. ‘That’s where Lucy-Ann and I were when you came up the slopethere to climb into the cave. We were standing behind the waterfall, and I tried my hardest toattract your attention and tell you that those two men were following you.’
　　‘But - how in the world did you get behind the waterfall?’ asked Jack. ‘It was an idiotic thing todo. Fancy climbing up those slippery rocks, and getting behind the water! You might have been . .
　　.’
　　‘We didn’t go that way, silly,’ said Dinah. ‘We went another way.’ And she told Jack and Philipall about the hole at the back of the cave that led down into the cave of echoes, and the passagethat came out behind the roaring waterfall. The boys listened in the greatest amazement.
　　‘Gosh! How extraordinary!’ said Jack. ‘Well, I suppose the men just caught sight of you downthere, Dinah, and took their eyes off me and Philip for a minute, and lost us. We must haveclimbed into this cave through the fern just as they were watching you. What a good thing!’
　　‘That’s why they’re messing about down there on those wet rocks,’ said Philip, grinning. ‘Theythink that that is our hiding place, behind the fall, and they want to get there and find us. Theydon’t guess that isn’t the right way. I can’t for the life of me see how they can possibly get behindthe water from any of those rocks in front. If they’re not jolly careful, they’ll get swept off by thewater - and down they’ll go like lightning.’
　　Lucy-Ann shuddered. ‘I don’t want to see them do that,’ she said, and wouldn’t peep out of theferns any more.
　　But Dinah and the boys watched in glee. They felt safe up there in their fern-hidden cave, and itwas fun to watch the two men slipping about on the rocks near the water, getting angrier andangrier.
　　Kiki was still behind the waterfall, watching them with interest. Suddenly she gave one of herdreadful cackles of laughter, and the men heard it even through the roar of the water. They lookedat one another, startled.
　　‘Hear that?’ said Juan. ‘Somebody yelling their heads off, laughing at us. Wait till I get them,that’s all. They must be just behind the sheet of water. How do they get there?’
　　It was impossible to get behind the waterfall from above or below. Quite impossible. The menrealised this after they had fallen many times, and once almost slipped off a wet rock into thecascading water itself. They sat down on a ledge a good way from the water and mopped theirheads. They were hot and angry, and their clothes were soaked.
　　They were puzzled too. Where had those boys come from? Was there a whole camp of peoplesomewhere? Were they hiding in the mountains? No, that could not be so, for they would haveseen them roving the countryside in search of food. There could only be a few people. They musthave sent out the boys to seek for food.
　　The children watched in delight. There was something very enjoyable in seeing their enemies ata loss, in being able to see their every action and yet not be seen themselves. Even Lucy-Ann hadanother peep now that she knew they were no longer slipping about the waterfall.
　　‘We’d better go,’ said Juan. ‘If that’s their hiding place they can keep it. We’d better getsomebody else here to help us. We could put him to guard this place. If he sat here, he could see ifanyone came up to get behind the water. Come on, I’m fed up with this.’
　　They stood up. Jack watched them through the fern fronds. Were they going back to their hut,or to the plane, perhaps? Then, seeing that they were going to pass rather near to the cave, the boyhastily closed the fronds and pushed the others back.
　　‘Keep quiet,’ he said. ‘They may come fairly near.’
　　They came extremely near. They took a way that led them right past the cave itself. Thechildren sat as still as stone, hearing the men scrambling along outside. Suddenly the fern swayedand shook, and Lucy-Ann’s hand flew up to her mouth to stifle a scream.
　　‘They’re coming in, they’ve found us,’ she thought, and her heart almost stopped beating. Thefern rustled again, and then there was quiet. The footsteps passed, and the children heard thevoices of the two men saying something they could not catch.
　　‘Have they gone?’ wondered Dinah, and looking at Jack, she raised her eyebrows. He nodded.
　　Yes - they were gone - but what a terrible fright everyone had had when they grasped hold of thefern to help them along! Little did Juan and Pepi dream that four silent children sat within two feetof them then.
　　Jack parted the fern again. There was no sign of the men. He felt sure they must have goneback, but he did not dare to go out and spy. ‘Better lie low for a bit,’ he said. ‘We’ll have a meal.
　　I’ll creep out and spy around later on. Where’s Kiki?’
　　Nobody knew. Then Dinah remembered she had been with them behind the waterfall. They hadgone back without her in their anxiety to warn the boys about the two men. She must still be there.
　　‘Blow! We’d better go and fetch her,’ said Jack. ‘I don’t really feel like moving just now, either- I’m really tired with dragging that heavy sack along so far.’
　　A voice spoke outside the cave . . . a gloomy, dismal, reproachful voice.
　　‘Poor Kiki! All alone! What a pity, what a Kiki, poor pity!’
　　The children laughed, and Jack parted the fronds cautiously, in case by any chance the menwere still anywhere about. Kiki clambered through, looking very sorry for herself. She flew toJack’s shoulder and nibbled his ear gently.
　　‘All aboard!’ she said more cheerfully, and cracked her beak. Dinah ruffled up the feathers onher head.
　　‘Kiki must have flown out from behind the waterfall and come straight here,’ she said. ‘CleverKiki! clever old bird!’
　　‘God save the Queen,’ said Kiki. ‘Wipe your feet!’
　　Jack’s tin-opener came out again, and a choice of tins and jars was made. There was a small tinof biscuits still to be finished, and the children chose some pressed meat to go with them, and alarge tin of juicy apricots. Jack opened the fronds just a little to let in enough daylight to see by.
　　Once again they thoroughly enjoyed their meal, and Kiki got into trouble for taking more than herfair share of apricots.
　　The children waited some time before they dared to creep out of the cave. When the sun waswell down, Jack clambered out between the fronds, and had a good look round. There was no signof the men at all. Jack found a high place from which, if he sat there, he could see for a good wayin any direction.
　　‘We’ll take it in turns to keep watch,’ he said. ‘You can come in half an hour, Philip.’
　　They had a fine time clambering all about. They found some wild raspberries, and ate greatquantities of them. They were delicious. Kiki ate them too, murmuring ‘Mmmmmmmmm’ all thetime.
　　Each of them took turn at keeping watch, but there was nothing to see. The sun went downbehind behind the mountains, and twilight came. They all went back to the cave.
　　‘It will be lovely to sleep here tonight,’ said Lucy-Ann, pleased. ‘This moss is so nice and soft.
　　Like velvet.’
　　She stroked it. It felt like velvet too. She helped Dinah to put down macks and a rug to lie on,and made pillows of pullovers and jerseys.
　　‘A drink of apricot juice and a few biscuits for everyone,’ said Dinah, as they all sat down onthe ‘bed.’ She handed out the biscuits. Jack parted the fern fronds and tied them firmly back.
　　‘Must have a little air in the cave,’ he said. ‘It will get jolly stuffy with four of us here.’
　　‘Five,’ said Dinah. ‘Don’t forget Kiki.’
　　‘Six,’ said Philip, producing the lizard. ‘Don’t forget Dizzy Lizzie.’
　　‘Oh, I really hoped you’d lost her,’ said Dinah crossly. ‘I haven’t seen her all day.’
　　They finished their biscuits and lay down. It was quite dark now outside. Their ‘bed’ felt warmand soft. They all snuggled down, making nice cosy places for themselves.
　　‘I should really enjoy this, if only I knew that Mother wasn’t worrying about us,’ said Philip,pulling the rug over him. ‘I haven’t any idea at all where we are, but it’s a very beautiful place.
　　Doesn’t that waterfall sound lovely, singing in the night?’
　　‘It’s singing jolly loudly,’ said Jack, yawning. ‘But I don’t think it will keep me awake. Oh,Kiki, do move off my middle. I can’t imagine why you will keep perching there at night. Go onone of my feet.’
　　‘Wipe your feet,’ ordered Kiki, and flew to Jack’s right foot. She put her head under her wing.
　　‘Tomorrow Philip and I must go to that cave of echoes you told us about and stand behind thewaterfall,’ said Jack. ‘Fancy you girls having a little adventure like that all on your own!’
　　‘Little adventure!’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Why, it was a jolly big one - especially when we suddenlysaw that we were just behind the waterfall!’
　　Dinah was very much afraid that Lizzie would run over her during the night, and lay awakesome time expecting the feel of her tiny feet. But Lizzie was curled up in Philip’s armpit, ticklinghim dreadfully when she moved.
　　Lucy-Ann was asleep almost at once, and soon the others were too. The waterfall roared allthrough the night without ceasing. The wind sprang up and moved the big fronds of the fern. Afox or some other creature came sniffing up to the cave entrance, was alarmed at the smell ofhumans there and fled away silently.
　　Nobody stirred, except Philip when the lizard woke up, felt cramped, and made her way toanother nice warm spot, this time behind his ear. He awoke for a second, felt Lizzie moving, andthen shut his eyes immediately again, pleased with the feel of the tiny feet.
　　Towards morning a throbbing sound awoke all four children. It penetrated into the cave,sounding even louder than the waterfall. Jack sat up at once, surprised. What could that be?
　　The noise grew louder and louder; it seemed as if it was coming right down on their heads.
　　Whatever could it be?
　　Rr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !
　　‘It’s a plane!’ cried Jack. ‘A plane! Come to rescue us. Out of the cave, quick!’
　　They all tumbled out of the cave and looked for the plane. One was climbing into the air, a largeshape against the sky. It had evidently come very near the side of the mountain, and had awakenedthem by its noise.
　　‘A plane to rescue us?’ said Philip scornfully. ‘Not likely! That’s the plane we came here in -the men’s plane, idiot!’
第13章 在山洞里很安全
　　第13章 在山洞里很安全
　　所有的孩子都从山洞顶垂下来的叶子中间探出头去，露西安屏住呼吸。是的，他们能看到有两个人在瀑布边攀爬着。这可太危险了。
　　“可是他们在那下面干什么呢？”杰克惊奇地说，“为什么要去那儿找我和菲利普？如果他们跟踪我们的话，他们一定知道我们没有走那条路。”
　　“嗯，他们一定是看见我在瀑布后面向你招手了，”黛娜回答，“所以认为那就是我们藏身的地方。”
　　“从瀑布后面向我们挥手？”菲利普大为惊异，“黛娜，你在说什么？你一定是疯了。”
　　“才不是，”黛娜说，“我和露西安刚才就是在那儿来着。你们从斜坡上爬进洞里时，我们就站在瀑布后面。我尽力吸引你们的注意，想告诉你们那两个人在跟踪你们。”
　　“可是——你们究竟是怎么钻到瀑布后面的？”杰克问，“这是一件很愚蠢的事。想想走过那些滑溜溜的岩石，爬到水后面去！你们可能会受伤的！”
　　“傻瓜，我们才没有走那条路，”黛娜说，“我们发现了另一条路。”之后她告诉了杰克和菲利普一切，包括山洞后边通向回音洞的入口，以及咆哮的瀑布背后的通道。男孩们听了感到非常惊奇。
　　“天哪！太神奇了！”杰克说，“那么，黛娜，我想那些人刚才看见你了，就把他们的目光从我和菲利普身上移开了一会儿，把我们跟丢了。我们一定是在他们监视你的时候，从蕨丛爬进这个山洞的。这一切简直太妙了！”
　　“看来这就是他们在湿漉漉的岩石上跑来跑去的原因了，”菲利普笑着说，“他们认为那是我们的藏身之处，想要跑去瀑布后边找我们。他们怎么也不会猜到那不是我们走的路。
　　我也看不出他们怎么能从前面的岩石走到水后面去。一个不小心的话，他们就会被瀑布的水流冲走，像闪电一样快地一下儿就掉下去。”
　　露西安浑身一阵战栗。“我不想看到他们那样。”她说，接着便再也不从蕨类植物中往外窥视了。
　　但黛娜和男孩们还在饶有兴致地看着那两个男人的一举一动。他们在这个挂着蕨类植物能隐藏自己的洞穴里感到非常安全，看着这两个人在水边的岩石上滑来滑去，变得越来越愤怒，真是有趣极了。
　　琪琪也在瀑布后面，饶有兴趣地看着他们。突然，她咯咯地发出一阵可怕的笑声，那笑声大到连水的咆哮也无法盖住。两个男人听到这笑声之后，吃惊地看着对方。
　　“听到了吗？”胡安说，“有人在大喊大叫，还笑得前仰后合。等我找到他们，他们就完蛋了。他们一定就在那片水的后面。他们是怎么到达那里的呢？”
　　从山的上面或下面都不可能到达瀑布后面。完全不可能。他们摔倒了很多次之后才意识到这一点，有一次他们差点从一块湿石头上滑下来，掉进如瀑布般湍急的水流里。他们坐在离水很远的岩架上，擦着满头的汗和水。两个人又热又气，衣服都湿透了。
　　他们再一次感到有些摸不着头脑：那两个男孩是从哪儿来的？是否还有一群人？他们藏在山里吗？不，那是不可能的，因为他们没有看到任何人在山间寻找食物。他们肯定只有几个人，然后派孩子出来找吃的。
　　孩子们看着他们，心里十分高兴。看到他们的敌人迷失方向，监视着他们的一举一动却不会被发现真是一件非常愉快的事。当露西安知道那两个大人不会在瀑布旁边的石头上滑来滑去时，她也偷看了一眼。
　　“我们最好走吧，”胡安说，“如果那是他们的藏身之处，让他们就待在这儿。我们最好找个人来帮我们，让他来盯着这个地方。如果他坐在这里，就可以看到是否有人去瀑布后面。来吧，我受够了。”
　　那两个大人从岩石上站了起来。杰克通过叶子的间隙看着他们。那两个男人也许要回到他们的小屋，或者是飞机？男孩看到他们要从离洞穴相当近的地方经过，就急忙合上叶子，把其他孩子往后推。
　　“保持安静，”他说，“他们可能走到我们附近了。”
　　那两个人离孩子们已经相当近了。他们选的路正好从山洞前通过。孩子们像石头一样静静地坐着，听着那两个人在洞外的石头上挣扎。突然，叶子开始摇晃。露西安立刻用手捂住了嘴，止住了尖叫。
　　“他们要进来了，他们要找到我们了！”她在心里打鼓，心几乎要停止跳动了。叶子又发出沙沙的响声，然后就安静了下来。脚步声过去了，可以听到那两个人的声音。他们在说一些孩子们听不清的话。
　　“他们走了吗？”黛娜诧异地看着杰克，扬起眉毛问。他点了点头。是的——他们走了——但是当他们为了保持平衡而抓住叶子的时候，每个人都感到无比恐惧啊！胡安和佩皮做梦也没想到四个沉默的孩子当时就坐在距离他们两英尺的地方。
　　杰克又把叶子拨开来看看。没有人的迹象了。他确信他们一定是回去了，但他不敢现在就出去侦察。“我们这会儿最好躲一会儿，”他说，“我们先吃饭，我等下再爬出去侦察。
　　琪琪呢？”
　　没人知道琪琪去哪儿了。黛娜记得她之前与露西安和自己一起在瀑布后面。女孩们当时光顾着匆匆忙忙地去警告男孩们，琪琪一定还在瀑布后边呢。
　　“糟糕！我们得赶快去把她找回来，”杰克说，“但是我现在不想动了——拖着沉重的袋子走这么远，我真的太累了。”
　　这时，一个声音从洞外传来。听起来，那是一个悲伤又略带责备的声音。
　　“可怜的琪琪！独自一人！多可惜啊，多可惜啊，多可怜的琪琪啊！”
　　孩子们都笑了，杰克小心翼翼地把叶子分开，生怕那两个人还在附近。琪琪穿过叶子，到了山洞里。她因为自己被单独丢下，看上去有些顾影自怜。琪琪飞到杰克的肩膀上，轻轻地咬了他的耳朵。
　　“全体上车！”她振作起来，张开嘴巴。黛娜弄乱了她头上的羽毛。
　　“琪琪一定是从瀑布后面直接飞出来的，”她说，“聪明的琪琪！好聪明呀，你这只老鸟！”
　　“天佑吾王，”琪琪说，“擦擦你的脚！”
　　杰克又拿出了开罐刀。他们选了一些瓶瓶罐罐，用刀把它们打开。其中有一小罐饼干没有吃完，还有一些罐头肉和一大罐多汁的杏肉。杰克把叶子稍微打开一点，让阳光照进来。山洞里顿时更加明亮。他们再一次尽兴地享用着他们的晚餐。琪琪吃了很多杏肉，还因为吃得太多被孩子们说了一通。
　　四个孩子等了一会儿才敢从洞里爬出来。当太阳落山时，杰克爬上树梢，仔细地查看着四周，根本没有人的踪迹。杰克找到了一个很高的地方。如果他坐在那儿，那么他就能看得很远，又能将任何方向的情况看得清清楚楚。
　　“我们轮流值班吧，”他说，“菲利普，你半小时后来替我。”
　　除了值班的那个人，其他的孩子都开心地在山洞周围四处搜寻。他们发现了一些野生山莓，吃了不少。真是美味！琪琪也吃了点儿，嘴里一直念叨着“太好吃了”。
　　他们轮流值班，但没有什么可看的，什么踪迹也没发现。太阳落山后，暮色降临。孩子们都回到了山洞里。
　　“今晚能睡在这儿简直太好了，”露西安满意地说，“这苔藓又好又软，就像天鹅绒。”
　　说完，露西安便抚摸着它，确实感觉像天鹅绒。她帮黛娜放下外套和毯子，用套头衫和运动衫做枕头。
　　“每人来一杯杏肉罐头里的汁和几块饼干。”黛娜说，他们都在“床”上坐下。她给每个人分了些饼干。杰克把叶子拨开，牢牢地绑在了洞的两边。
　　“洞里一定要透气，”他说，“我们四个人在这儿会很闷的。”
　　“五个，”黛娜说，“别忘了琪琪。”
　　“六个，”菲利普说，想起了那只蜥蜴，“别忘了，头晕的莉齐。”
　　“哦，我真希望你把它弄丢了。”黛娜气呼呼地说，“我已经一整天都没见到它了。”
　　他们吃完饼干后躺下。此时外面一片漆黑。他们感到了“床”的温暖和柔软。四个孩子依偎在一起，让这张青苔一样的床变成一个舒适惬意，能让人好好休息的地方。
　　“要是母亲不会为我们这次探险担心的话，我会更喜欢这儿的一切，”菲利普一面说，一面将毯子盖在自己的身上，“我现在完全不知道我们在哪里，但这真是一个很漂亮的地方。尤其是那瀑布在夜晚的歌声，听起来难道不美妙吗？”
　　“那瀑布唱得多开心呀，”杰克打着哈欠说，“但我想这可不会让我忘记疲倦，整夜都睁着眼睛。哦，琪琪，从我肚子上下去。我真不知道你为什么总是喜欢在我肚子上睡觉。
　　去，到我脚上去。”
　　“擦擦你的脚。”琪琪命令道，但她还是飞到杰克的右脚上，把头埋在翅膀下。
　　“明天，菲利普和我一定要去你们说的那个回音洞，然后站在瀑布后面，”杰克说，“真想不到你们两个女孩子会自己跑去小小地冒险一趟！”
　　“小小的冒险？”露西安说，“哎呀，这可是一次很了不得的冒险呢，尤其是当我们突然发现原来我们到了瀑布后面的时候！”
　　黛娜非常担心莉齐在夜里会从自己的身上跑过去。她躺在床上，时不时地就会醒来，总有一种脚丫上有什么东西的感觉。但是莉齐一直蜷缩在菲利普的腋窝里，每次她挪动身体的时候，都让菲利普感觉很痒。
　　露西安几乎很快就睡着了，其他人也是一样。瀑布整夜咆哮着，没有停息。风起了，吹动了蕨丛的大叶子。一只狐狸或别的什么动物跑来洞口嗅来嗅去，被洞里人的气味吓了一跳，然后默默地逃走了。
　　每个人都睡得很安稳，一动不动。但是那只蜥蜴醒来之后，感觉有点儿局促，于是便跑到了另外一个舒适温暖的地方。莉齐一动就会吵醒菲利普。菲利普醒了一秒，感觉到了莉齐的动作，又立即闭上了眼睛，对莉齐那对小脚丫踩自己的感觉十分满意。
　　快到早晨的时候，四个孩子突然被一声巨响惊醒。那响声钻进洞里，声音比瀑布发出的还大。杰克吃惊地坐了起来，在想那声音是什么？
　　噪音越来越大，好像正从他们的头上传来。到底是什么呀？
　　轰隆隆——隆隆隆隆隆隆隆隆隆隆隆隆！
　　“是飞机！”杰克喊道，“飞机！快来救我们。大家从洞里出来，快！”
　　所有的孩子都从洞里冲了出来，抬头寻找飞机。一架飞机正向上攀爬，巨大的影子覆盖着天空。很明显，它飞到了离山很近的地方，发出的噪音吵醒了四个孩子。
　　“来救我们的飞机？”菲利普轻蔑地说，“不可能！那就是我们来这里坐的飞机，那两个家伙的飞机。傻瓜！”
14 The poor prisoner
　　14 The poor prisoner
　　Sure enough, it was the men’s plane. The children all recognised it quite well as they watched itvanishing into the distance. It flew towards the west.
　　‘Wonder if it’s going back to Bill’s aerodrome?’ said Jack. ‘Wonder if Bill knows what thosemen are up to?’
　　‘We don’t know very much ourselves, except that they are after some sort of treasure,’ saidPhilip. ‘But, honestly, what treasure they think they can find here in this place beats me.’
　　‘Beats me too,’ said Jack. ‘Well - there they go! Do you suppose they’ll come back?’
　　‘Sure to,’ said Philip. ‘They won’t give up as easily as that. Maybe they’ve gone to report thatthere are other people here now - for all they know, after the treasure too! And they might bringback more men to smell us out.’
　　‘Oh,’ said Lucy-Ann in alarm. ‘I don’t want to be smelt out.’
　　‘Do you think both men have gone?’ asked Philip.
　　‘I should think so,’ said Jack. ‘But we can go and have a jolly good look round and see. If oneman is left, he’ll be somewhere near that shed of theirs. He won’t know how many of us there arehere - he may think there are men with us, you know, and not dare to move about too much byhimself.’
　　But when the children left the cave later in the morning and went to ‘have a squint,’ as Jacksaid, they could find no sign of either Juan or Pepi. There was no fire. It had been stamped out.
　　And this time the shed was well and truly locked, and the key taken. No amount of shaking orkicking would open the door.
　　‘Well, if we’d known the men were going to fly off, we might have asked them for a lift,’ saidJack with a grin. ‘I wonder when they’ll come back - if they do come back, that is.’
　　‘Not till it’s daylight tomorrow, I should think,’ said Philip. ‘I expect they’ll take off at nightagain. Let’s go and have another squint at those crates.’
　　But there was really nothing to see. They were empty as before, and the tarpaulin was overthem. The children played about for some hours, and had a meal under a tree. They went to get atin or two from the rest of the store still hidden in the bush. Jack opened them.
　　After the meal Philip suggested that they should go back to the waterfall and the girls shouldtake them to the cave of echoes, and down the passage that led behind the water. So off they went,first hiding all trace of having been near the men’s shed.
　　But when they got back to their cave, Jack gave a most annoyed exclamation and began to feelin all his pockets.
　　‘What’s the matter?’ said Lucy-Ann.
　　‘Well, do you know what I’ve done? I’ve gone and left the tin-opener behind,’ said Jack. ‘Thinkof that! What an idiotic thing to do! I thought we might want another tin opened, so I put it downat the roots of that tree we had our picnic under - and I must have left it there. I haven’t got it,anyway.’
　　‘Oh, Jack! But we can’t have a meal without opening a tin,’ said Philip, seeing awful visions ofa hungry night. ‘Gosh - you are an ass!’
　　‘Yes, I know,’ said Jack gloomily. ‘Well, there’s only one thing to be done. I must go back andget it. You explore the cave of echoes with the girls, Philip, and I’ll take Kiki and go back for theopener. Serves me right.’
　　‘I’ll come with you, Jack,’ said Lucy-Ann, sorry for her brother.
　　‘No, you’ve had a jolly long walk already,’ said Jack. ‘You go with the others. Anyway, I’ll bequicker by myself. I’ll just have a sitdown before I start back. I can always explore the caveanother time.’
　　He sat down on the moss. The others sat with him, sorry for him, knowing how annoyed hemust feel with himself. But it would be still more annoying to have to go without meals. Theopener must certainly be fetched.
　　After about half an hour Jack felt able to start back again. He said a cheery goodbye to theothers, and left, scrambling quickly down the rocks. They knew he would not lose his way. Theyall felt they knew it quite well by this time.
　　Jack had Kiki on his shoulder, and they talked together all the way. Kiki was simply delightedto have Jack all to herself. He was nearly always with the others. They talked complete nonsenseand both of them thoroughly enjoyed it.
　　Jack arrived at last at the tree under which they had had their lunch. He looked for the opener,half fearful in case it had been removed by somebody. But it was still there, lying where he hadleft it. He picked it up and put it into his pocket.
　　‘Three cheers,’ he said.
　　‘Three blind mice,’ said Kiki. ‘Handy spandy, humpy dumpy.’
　　‘I agree with you,’ said Jack. ‘Well, we’ll get back, I think. Twilight will soon be coming and Idon’t fancy going back in the dark. Off we go, Kiki, up the hill.’
　　‘Jack and Jill,’ agreed Kiki.
　　‘Jack and Kiki, you mean,’ grinned Jack, turning to go. Then he stood still suddenly andlistened. Away in the distance he could hear a sound he knew - a familiar, throbbing sound. Rr-rr-rr-rr-rr!
　　‘Gosh, Kiki! - are those fellows coming back so soon?’ said Jack, staring into the western sky,which was still faintly gold. ‘Yes - that’s a plane all right. But is it theirs?’
　　The plane came nearer, growing larger and larger. An idea came into Jack’s mind. He ran towhere the men’s shed was, and climbed quickly up into a tree not far from where they had theircamp-fire. He spoke sternly to Kiki.
　　‘Now, quiet, Kiki. Not a word. Do you understand? Shhhhhhh!’
　　‘What a pity, what a pity!’ said Kiki in a curious hoarse whisper, and then was silent, pressingagainst Jack’s neck as she sat on his shoulder.
　　The plane roared nearer. It circled lower and lower. It dropped to the long smooth strip thatmade such an excellent runway. It bounced along on its high wheels and then came to a stop. Jackcould not see the plane from where he was.
　　But he was counting on the men coming to the shed or to their fire, and he was right. They soonarrived, and Jack peered out through the leaves, nearly overbalancing in his efforts to see properly,for twilight was almost there.
　　This time there were four men. Jack looked very hard. He could see that one man was evidentlya prisoner. He had his hands tied behind him. How strange!
　　He shambled along, his head bent, going from side to side a little as if he was dizzy. Now andagain one of the others would give him a shove to keep him straight. They came straight to thecampfire.
　　Juan set to work to light it. Pepi went off to the shed to get some tins. He took a key from hispocket and unlocked the door. He came out carrying tins of soup and meat.
　　The prisoner sat down on the grass, his head bent. It was obvious that he was not feeling well -or was he merely afraid? Jack couldn’t tell. The fourth man, who was a kind of guard for theprisoner, as far as Jack could make out, sat by the fire saying nothing, watching Juan and Pepi.
　　At first they talked in low voices and Jack could not hear their words. They drank hot soup, andthen carved up a tongue from a glass jar. They ate bread with it which they had brought from theplane. The prisoner looked up and saw them eating, but the three men did not offer him anything.
　　He said something in a low voice. Juan laughed.
　　He spoke to the guard. ‘Tell him he won’t get anything to eat or drink till he tells us what wewant to know,’ he said.
　　The guard repeated this in some language that Jack could not make out. The prisoner saidsomething and the guard struck him on the cheek. Jack watched in horror. Fancy hitting a manwhen his hands were tied! What cowards!
　　The man tried to dodge. He bent his head again and sat dismally there.
　　‘He says you’ve got the map, what else do you want?’ said the guard.
　　‘We can’t read the map,’ said Juan. ‘It’s all messed up. If he can’t explain it to us, he’ll have toshow us the way tomorrow.’
　　The guard translated this to the prisoner. He shook his head. ‘He says he is too weak to walk sofar,’ said the guard.
　　‘We’ll drag him all right,’ said Pepi, and took another piece of tongue, making himself a thicksandwich. ‘Tell him he’s to take us tomorrow. If he won’t, he gets nothing to eat or drink. He’llsoon come round when he’s half starved.’
　　They finished their meal. Then Juan yawned. ‘Me for bed,’ he said. ‘There’s a chair for you,Luis, in the hut. The floor’s good enough for the prisoner.’
　　The man begged to have his hands untied, but they would not allow him to. Jack felt very sorryfor him. They stamped out the fire and went to the hut. Jack imagined Pepi and Juan on themattress, and Luis in the only comfortable chair. The poor prisoner would have to lie on the cold,hard floor, with his hands still tied behind him.
　　Jack waited till he thought the coast was clear, then he slipped quietly down the tree. Kiki hadbeen as good as gold all the time. Not even a whisper had come from her beak. Jack tiptoed to thehut. He peeped cautiously in at the window. A candle burned in the hut, and by its flickering lighthe could make out the four men. The prisoner was trying to make himself comfortable on thefloor.
　　It was almost dark. Jack hoped he would be able to get back to the cave all right. He slipped hishand into his pocket and was relieved to find a small torch there. That was good!
　　He was very clever in the dark, for he had eyes like a cat. Once or twice he stopped, unable tothink which way to go - but Kiki always knew. She simply flew a little way in front and called tohim, or whistled.
　　‘Good old Kiki!’ said Jack. ‘I couldn’t find my way without you, that’s certain.’
　　The others were very worried about him. When darkness fell and still no Jack had arrived,Lucy-Ann wanted to go and look for him.
　　‘I’m sure he’s lost, I’m certain of it,’ she said, almost in tears.
　　‘Yes, and we’d all get lost too, if we went out on the mountainside in this darkness,’ said Philip.
　　‘I expect he hunted about for that opener, saw that twilight was coming and decided not to riskcoming back in the dark. He’ll be back tomorrow morning early, for certain.’
　　It was too dark to do anything. Dinah had made the ‘bed’ and they lay down on it, Lucy-Annvery worried. She was sure something had happened to Jack.
　　Then there came a scrambling noise up near the cave, and the fern was parted and pushed aside.
　　All the children sat up, their hearts beating. Was it Jack - or had their hiding place beendiscovered?
　　‘Hallo, there!’ came Jack’s familiar voice. ‘Where’s everybody?’
　　He switched on his torch and saw three delighted faces. Lucy-Ann almost fell on him.
　　‘Jack! We thought you were lost. What have you been doing? And we’re so hungry too. Haveyou brought the tin-opener?’
　　‘Yes, I’ve brought that - and plenty of news as well!’ said Jack. ‘What about a meal whilst I tellyou all about it?’
第14章 可怜的囚犯
　　第14章 可怜的囚犯
　　果然，那确实是那两个男人的飞机。当它慢慢消失在远方时，四个孩子都认了出来，而且确定这就是他们来这个山谷坐的飞机。这架飞机正往西边飞去。
　　“不知道它会不会回到比尔的机场？”杰克说，“不知道比尔会不会知道那两个人在干什么？”
　　“我们自己对他们两个也不太了解，只知道他们在寻找某种宝藏，”菲利普说，“但是，说实话，我很困惑，他们想在这个山谷里找到什么宝藏呢。”
　　“我也一样，”杰克说，“不管怎样——他们走了！你认为他们还会回来吗？”
　　“当然了，”菲利普说，“他们是不会轻易放弃的。也许他们已经去跟什么人报告说这里还有其他人。他们肯定以为有其他人也在寻宝！这两个人可能会带更多的人来，像猎犬一样嗅出我们。”
　　“哦，”露西安惊慌地说，“我可不想被人嗅出来。”
　　“你认为这两个人都走了吗？”菲利普问。
　　“我想是的，”杰克说，“但是我们应该去好好探查一下。如果他们留下了一个人，他应该会在他们的棚屋附近。他不知道我们有多少人。他可能认为有很多人和我们在一起，所以，他不敢一个人擅自行动。”
　　但当孩子们早晨的晚些时候离开洞穴去外面“瞄一眼”时，就像杰克说的那样，他们没有找到胡安或佩皮的影子，也没有看到像往常一样正在生的火——它已经被扑灭了。这一次，小屋被完全锁上了，钥匙也被拿走了，再怎么摇晃或踢也开不了门。
　　“唉，如果我们早知道这两个人要飞走，离开这个山谷的话，我们应该让他们载我们一程，”杰克咧嘴笑着说，“如果他们还会回来的话，我想知道他们什么时候会回来，我现在就想知道。”
　　“我想在明天天亮之前，他们是不会回来了，”菲利普说，“我猜测他们这次还会在晚上起飞。我们再去看一眼那些箱子吧。”
　　但是那些箱子真的是没什么可看的。它们像以前一样都是空着，上面盖着油布。孩子们在山谷里玩了几个小时，在树下饱餐了一顿。他们从灌木丛中之前藏食物的地方取了一两个罐头。杰克把罐头打开来。
　　饭后，菲利普建议他们回到瀑布边，让两个女孩带他们去看看回音洞，之后再沿着那个通道去瀑布的后边。他们小心翼翼地把小木屋附近所有的痕迹都清扫干净之后，就出发了。
　　但当他们回到山洞时，杰克发出了一声极其恼怒的惊叫，急忙开始搜索自己身上所有的口袋。
　　“怎么了？出什么事了？”露西安说。
　　“你知道我做了些什么吗？我们离开的时候，我把开罐刀落在小木屋附近了，”杰克说，“想想我干的这事儿！多么愚蠢啊！我当时想我们可能还得再开一个罐头，所以就把它放在我们野餐的那棵树的树干底下了。我一定是把它留在那儿了。反正现在我身上没有了。”
　　“哦，杰克！但是我们没有它就没办法打开罐头了。”菲利普一想到晚上饥肠辘辘的可怕景象，便说道，“天啊，你真是个笨蛋！”
　　“是的，我知道，”杰克忧郁地说，“好吧，没别的办法了。我得回去拿。菲利普，你和她们一起去回音洞吧。我带琪琪回去取开罐刀。真是我活该呀。”
　　“我跟你一起去吧，杰克。”露西安说，她为她的哥哥得原路返回而感到难过。
　　“不，你已经走了很长一段路了，”杰克说，“你和其他人一起去回音洞。不管怎样，我一个人会更快。我休息一会儿就出发。山洞探险有的是机会。我改天再去吧。”
　　此时，杰克坐在苔藓上。其他人也和他坐在一起，为他感到难过。大家都知道他一定对自己的这个愚蠢的举动感到很生气。但相比之下，如果不吃饭的话，那就更恼人了。开罐刀是一定要取回来的。
　　大约过了半个小时，杰克觉得自己休息好了，可以再次出发了。他愉快地和其他人说了再见，迅速爬下岩石离开了。他们知道杰克不会迷路，因为杰克对这条路已经很熟了。
　　杰克把琪琪带在肩上，他们一路上都在聊天。琪琪很高兴终于有机会单独和杰克在一起了。之前她总是和其他人在一起，没什么机会和杰克独处。虽然在路上，杰克和琪琪两个完全是胡言乱语，但他们都非常享受。
　　杰克终于到了他们吃午饭的那棵树旁。他开始找开罐刀，很怕它已经被人拿走了。但它还在那儿，就躺在杰克离开时的地方。杰克把它捡起来放进口袋。
　　“欢呼三下。”他对琪琪说。
　　“三只瞎老鼠，”琪琪说，“汗迪斯潘迪，憨皮丹皮。”
　　“我同意你的看法，”杰克说，“好吧，我想我们该回去了。天快要黑了，我可不想摸黑回去。我们走吧，琪琪，上山去。”
　　“杰克和吉尔。”琪琪说。
　　“你是想说杰克和琪琪吧。”杰克笑了笑，转身要走。但是他突然停下来静静地站在原地，同时竖起耳朵听着什么。他能听到远处传来了熟悉的声音——一种熟悉的、悸动的声音。轰隆隆——隆隆！
　　“天哪，琪琪！那些家伙这么快就回来了吗？”杰克疑惑地问，眼睛盯着西边的天空，天空仍然是淡淡的金色。杰克自言自语地说：“是的，那是一架飞机。但这是他们的吗？”
　　飞机离地面越来越近，在杰克眼中，飞机也变得越来越大。杰克想到了一个主意。他跑到两个男人的棚子旁边，迅速爬上了离篝火不远的一棵树。他严厉地对琪琪说：“从现在开始，要安静，琪琪。一个字也不许说。你明白吗？嘘！”
　　“太可惜了，太可惜了！”琪琪用一种奇怪的嘶哑的声音说，然后就沉默了。她靠着杰克的脖子，坐在他的肩膀上。
　　飞机呼啸着接近地面，飞得越来越低。它降落到了一段很长很平滑的路上——这简直是一条非常棒的跑道。飞机在高高的轮子上颠簸着，然后停了下来。杰克从他所在的地方无法看见飞机了。
　　但他指望着那两个人会到棚子或他们生火的地方。他猜对了，他们很快就到了。杰克透过树叶向下张望，他努力地想看清楚些，但因为几乎已经是傍晚了，所以有点儿看不清，还差点儿失去平衡，从树上掉下来。
　　杰克使劲地辨认着，原来这次有四个人呢。他看得出有一个人显然是个囚犯。因为他的手被绑在背后。太奇怪了！
　　那个囚犯踉踉跄跄地走着，低着头，左右摇晃着，好像头晕似的。其他人不时地推他一把，让他直起身子。他们径直来到篝火旁。
　　胡安开始重新生起篝火。佩皮则去屋子里拿些罐头。他从口袋里掏出一把钥匙，打开门，然后端着几罐汤和肉走了出来。
　　那个犯人低着脑袋坐在草地上。很明显，他感到不是很舒服——或者他只是感觉害怕？杰克分辨不出来。在杰克看来，第四个人估计是看守犯人的人，他坐在火炉旁一言不发，看着胡安和佩皮。
　　起初他们在低声地交谈，杰克听不见他们说的话。后来他们喝了些热汤，又从玻璃罐里切下了些牛舌，吃了从飞机上带来的面包。那个囚犯抬起头来，看着他们吃东西，但那三个人什么也没给他。他低声说了些什么。胡安听完就笑了。
　　他对看守说：“告诉他，除非他告诉我们想要的，否则他不会得到任何吃的喝的。”
　　看守用杰克听不懂的语言对犯人重复了这句话。囚犯说了些什么，但看守打了他一记耳光。杰克看着很惊恐。真想不到他在手被捆着的时候，还会被人打！这三个人都是懦夫！
　　那囚犯试图躲开。但他又低下了头，闷闷不乐地坐在那里。
　　“他说你们已经有了地图，你们还想要什么？”看守转述着囚犯的话。
　　“我们看不懂地图，”胡安说，“地图上所有的东西都混在一起了。如果他不能给我们解释地图上的内容，那他明天就得带我们走一趟。”
　　看守把这个翻译给囚犯听。然而那个犯人却摇了摇头。“他说他太虚弱了，走不了这么远。”看守回答。
　　“我们会拖着他走的。”佩皮命令道，同时又拿起一块牛舌，给自己做了一个厚厚的三明治。他威胁道：“告诉他明天必须带我们去。如果他不去的话，那他就没有任何食物。当他饿得半死的时候，他很快就会改主意的。”
　　这几个人吃完了晚餐。胡安打了个哈欠。“我要去床上睡觉了，”他说，“路易斯，在小屋里有一把椅子给你。你在那里休息。这犯人嘛，躺在地上就行了，这对他已经算很不错了。”
　　这个犯人请求解开他被捆的双手，但他们不允许。杰克为这个囚犯感到难过。他们扑灭了火，进了小屋。杰克想象着佩皮和胡安躺在柔软的床垫上，路易斯坐在唯一一张舒适的椅子上。可怜的囚犯不得不躺在冰冷坚硬的地上，双手仍绑在身后。
　　杰克一直等到他觉得回去的路上不会遇到危险了，才悄悄地从树上溜下来。琪琪一直表现得特别好。她嘴里连一点声音也没有发出。杰克踮着脚走到小屋边，小心翼翼地透过窗子往里偷看。屋里点着一支蜡烛，摇曳的烛光让他认出了那四个人。囚犯试图在地上用一个舒服的姿势躺着。
　　天几乎要黑了。杰克希望他能赶快回到山洞里。他把手伸进口袋，发现那里有个小手电筒，他松了一口气。这就好办啦！
　　他灵活地在黑暗中移动，因为他有一双像猫一样的眼睛。中间只有一两次他停了下来，不知道该走哪条路——但琪琪总是知道的。她总是往前面飞一小段路，然后对他喊，或者吹个口哨。
　　“好一个老琪琪！”杰克说，“没有你我肯定就找不到路了。”
　　留在山洞里的三个孩子的心一直悬着。当夜幕降临，杰克还没有回到山洞里时，露西安想去找他。“他绝对是迷路了，我敢肯定。”她焦急地说，眼泪几乎要流下来了。
　　“是的，如果我们摸黑走在山坡上也会迷路的，”菲利普说，“我想刚才他一定是在四处寻找开罐刀，看到暮色即将来临，决定不会冒险摸黑回来。所以他肯定是明天一大早再往回走。”
　　天太黑了，什么也做不了。黛娜铺好了他们的“床”，大家都躺在上面，露西安静静地哭着，她想杰克肯定出事了。
　　接着，山洞附近传来一阵慌乱的喧闹声，蕨丛被分开推到了一边。三个孩子都坐了起来，他们的心紧张地跳动着。是杰克回来了还是他们的藏身之处被发现了？
　　“喂，有人吗？”传来了杰克熟悉的声音，“你们都在哪儿呢？”
　　他打开手电筒，看到三张激动欣喜的脸。露西安差点扑到他身上去。
　　“杰克！我们以为你迷路了。你去哪里了？我们都很饿了。你把开罐刀带来了吗？”
　　“是的，我把它带来了——而且还有很多你们都想不到的消息！”杰克说，“边吃饭，我边跟你们讲，你们觉得怎么样？”
15 A disappointment for the men
　　15 A disappointment for the men
　　Tins were opened once more, and Kiki gave a delighted chortle at the sight of her favouritepineapple. Lucy-Ann pressed close to Jack.
　　‘What happened to you? I can’t wait to hear. Tell me quickly.’
　　‘Let me have a bite first,’ said Jack irritatingly, knowing quite well that all the others werelonging to hear his news. But as he was longing just as much to tell it as they were to hear it, hesoon began his story.
　　‘So the plane’s back!’ exclaimed Philip, as Jack began to tell everything. ‘Both men back too?’
　　Jack told of the four men. Lucy-Ann was distressed to hear about the poor prisoner.
　　‘I’m beginning to see daylight,’ said Philip at last. ‘Somewhere in this valley is hidden treasure- maybe stuff belonging to the people whose houses have been burnt. Those two men heard aboutit, and somehow managed to get a map that showed them the hiding place. But they can’t find it bythat map, so they’ve got hold of somebody who knows the way.’
　　‘That’s it,’ said Jack. ‘He’s foreign. Maybe he once belonged to this valley, and even hid thethings himself. They’ve captured him and mean to make him show them the hiding-place. They’renot giving him anything to eat or drink till he shows them what they want to know’
　　‘Brutes!’ said Dinah, and the others agreed with her.
　　‘Do you think he will show them?’ asked Lucy-Ann.
　　‘I hope he will for his own sake,’ said Jack. ‘And I’ll tell you what I propose. I propose thatsomehow or other one or more of us follow them, and see where this hiding place is. The mencan’t possibly take everything away at once. We might be able to get help, and save the rest of thestuff being stolen by the men. It can’t belong to them.’
　　‘What do you think the stuff can be?’ asked Lucy-Ann, visions of gold bars and beautiful jewelsfloating in her mind.
　　‘Can’t tell you,’ said Jack. ‘I think we’re somewhere in the depths of Europe, where war hasbeen, and as you know, plenty of treasure of all kinds was hidden in odd places by many, manypeople, good and bad. My guess is that it’s something of that kind these men are after. They speakEnglish, but they’re not English. Perhaps from South America? Goodness knows.’
　　The others sat silent, thinking over what Jack had said. They thought he was probably right. ButLucy-Ann didn’t at all like the idea of following the men. Suppose they discovered that they werebeing followed, and captured them?
　　‘It might be best if Philip and I did the stalking tomorrow,’ said Jack. ‘I don’t think you girlsshould be mixed up in it.’
　　This made Dinah angry, though Lucy-Ann was secretly relieved.
　　‘You’re not going to keep all the excitement to yourselves,’ said Dinah. ‘I’m coming too.’
　　‘No, you’re not,’ said Jack. He switched on his torch and shone it at Dinah’s face. ‘I thoughtyou’d be glaring,’ he said. ‘Cheer up, Dinah. After all, you and Lucy-Ann had an adventureyesterday, when you found the cave of echoes and the passage that leads to the waterfall. Give usboys a chance.’
　　‘Well, it’s all very well,’ grumbled Dinah, but she did not press the point any more, much toLucy-Ann’s relief.
　　‘Where’s Lizzie?’ asked Dinah, not liking to settle down till she was quite sure of the lizard’swhereabouts.
　　‘Don’t know,’ said Philip annoyingly ‘She might be anywhere. Under your pillow, perhaps.’
　　‘She’s here,’ said Jack. ‘Kiki’s one side of my neck and Lizzie’s the other, keeping me nice andwarm.’
　　‘What a pity!’ said Kiki, and cackled loudly.
　　‘Don’t!’ said everybody at once. Nobody liked Kiki’s awful cackle. She put her head under herwing, offended.
　　All the children lay down. They were sleepy. ‘Our fourth night in this valley,’ said Philip. ‘Thevalley of adventure. I wonder what will happen next.’
　　Soon they were all asleep. Lizzie ran across Lucy-Ann and cuddled down by Dinah, who wouldcertainly have objected strongly if she had known. But she didn’t know. So she slept peacefully.
　　Everyone felt cheerful the next morning.
　　‘Really,’ said Dinah, reaching down some tins from the ledge, ‘I’m beginning to feel I’ve madethis cave my home half my life. It’s extraordinary how soon we get used to anything new.’
　　‘How are we going to find out when those men are starting, and what way they go?’ said Philip.
　　‘Well, if you remember, the two of them came in this direction, not the other, when they set outwith the map before,’ said Jack. ‘I think if we go to that big black rock we always pass on the wayhere, we may spot them. Then we can follow easily enough.’
　　So when they had finished their meal they set off cautiously to the big black rock. Theycrouched behind it, and Jack kept peering out to see if there was anything to be seen.
　　After about an hour he gave a low exclamation. ‘Hallo! Here they come - all four - prisonerstill with his hands tied, stumbling along, poor thing.’
　　The four men passed some distance away. The children saw them well. They recognised the twomen they knew, and Jack told them the fourth man was called Luis. The prisoner’s name he didn’tknow. It was plain that the poor man was giddy for lack of food and drink.
　　‘Now, you girls stay here, see?’ said Jack. ‘At any rate, till we are well out of sight. Then goback to the waterfall, and keep somewhere about there. Don’t get lost! Take Kiki, Lucy-Ann. Wedon’t want her with us.’
　　Lucy-Ann took Kiki and held her ankles. Kiki gave such an angry squawk that the childrenlooked uneasily after the four men to see if by any chance they had heard. But they hadn’t.
　　Jack and Philip made ready to set off. ‘I’ve got my field glasses,’ said Jack. ‘I can keep the menwell in sight, while following quite a long way behind, so that they won’t spot us. Cheerio!’
　　The boys went off cautiously, keeping to every bit of cover they could. They could still see themen far away in the distance. ‘Do we need to mark the way we’re going?’ asked Philip. ‘Or shallwe be able to find the way back, do you think?’
　　Better mark things where we can,’ said Jack. ‘You never know. Mark rocks with white chalk.
　　Here’s a bit. And trees we will notch.’
　　They went on, climbing upwards a good way behind the four men. Soon they came to a verysteep place, difficult to keep their footing on, because the surface was so loose that they slid downcontinually.
　　‘I hope they’ve undone that poor prisoner’s hands, panted Jack. ‘I’d hate to do climbing likethis and have my hands bound so that I couldn’t save myself when I slipped.’
　　When they came to the end of the rough piece, the men were nowhere to be seen. ‘Blow!’ saidJack. ‘That bit held us up too long. Now we’ve lost them!’
　　He put his field glasses to his eyes and swept the mountainside. Some way to the east and abovethem he suddenly saw four small figures. ‘There they are!’ he said. ‘It’s all right. I can see them.
　　That way, Tufty.’
　　On they went again, going more quickly now because the way was easier. They picked wildraspberries as they went, and once stopped for a drink at a little clear spring of water that gushedfrom under a rock.
　　They did not lose sight of the men again except for a moment or two. The men did not turnround, or use field glasses at all. Plainly they did not expect anyone to follow them.
　　Now the boys came to a very desolate part of the mountainside. Big boulders had rolled down.
　　Trees had been torn in half. Great ruts had been torn out of the earth and rock, and although thegrass was growing everywhere to hide the scars, it was clear that some catastrophe had happenedhere.
　　‘An avalanche, I should think,’ said Jack. ‘I guess a terrific fall of snow happened here -bringing down with it boulders and rocks of all sizes - knocking down trees and scoring thoseruts. Last winter, I should think.’
　　‘Where are the men?’ said Philip. ‘I can’t see them now. They went round the ledge.’
　　‘Yes. We’ll have to be careful how we go round,’ said Jack. ‘We might easily be seen cominground there. There’s not much cover in this devastated bit.’
　　So they went very cautiously round the ledge - and it was a good thing they did, for almost atonce they heard voices and saw the four men.
　　Jack pressed Philip back. Just above the ledge was a bush. The boys climbed up to it, pressedagainst it, and parted the leaves so that they might see through. They found that they were lookingdown into a rocky gully.
　　Here, too, there had evidently been a great fall of rocks. In front of one heap stood the prisoner.
　　His hands were now untied. He was pointing to the heap of rocks, and saying something in hisrather dull, low voice. The guard translated, and Jack strained his ears to hear what he had to say.
　　‘He says the entrance was here,’ the guard said. The four men stared at the fall of rock.
　　‘Exactly where?’ said Juan impatiently, and glared at the prisoner. He pointed again, mumblingsomething.
　　‘He says he didn’t know there had been a fall of rock here,’ said the guard. ‘He says theentrance seems to be blocked up. But if you try to lift away some of these rocks, maybe you couldfind enough room to go in.’
　　Juan flew into a temper, but whether with the prisoner or the annoying fall of rocks it wasdifficult to say. He fell upon the boulders and began to drag at them feverishly, shouting to Luisand Pepi to help. The prisoner at first did nothing but sat down miserably on a rock. Juan shoutedat him too, and he dragged himself up to help, though he was too weak to do anything in the wayof lifting.
　　He pulled at a rock, staggered and fell. The others let him lie where he fell, and went ondragging at the great stones, panting and wiping the sweat from their foreheads.
　　The two boys watched them. It looked impossible, from where they were, to unblock any caveentrance there. ‘Why,’ whispered Jack to Philip, ‘hundreds of stones must have fallen there!
　　They’ll never, never be able to shift them like that!’
　　Evidently the men thought so too, after a while, for they gave up pulling the boulders about andsat down to rest. The guard pointed to the fallen prisoner and spoke.
　　‘What about him? How are we going to take him back?’
　　‘Oh, give him some food and a drink,’ growled Juan. ‘He’ll be all right then.’
　　‘We’d better go now,’ whispered Philip. ‘They’ll be starting back soon. Come on. Howdisappointing that we haven’t discovered anything, though! I did hope we might see something ofthe treasure.’
　　‘If it’s hidden behind that wall of fallen stone it’ll need powerful machinery to get it out,’ saidJack.
　　‘Nobody could move those bigger stones by hand. Come on, quickly.’
　　They set out on their way back, going as quickly as they could, glad that they had marked rocksand trees or they might have missed their way here and there.
　　The girls welcomed them, and poured questions on them. But the boys shook their heads mostdisappointingly.
　　‘The treasure cave is blocked up,’ said Jack. ‘I only hope the men don’t give up and leave thisvalley altogether. We’ll be properly stranded then.’
第15章 那些男人失望了
　　第15章 那些男人失望了
　　孩子们又打开了一些罐头，琪琪很高兴地笑了。因为她看到了她最喜欢的菠萝。露西安往杰克那边挪了一点。
　　露西安着急地问：“发生什么了？我等不及了，现在就想知道。快点儿告诉我吧。”
　　虽然杰克知道其他人都伸长了脖子等着听他的新消息，但他还是有些不快地说：“让我先吃一口吧。”其实杰克想和伙伴们分享这些消息的心情与他的伙伴们想听的心情一样急迫。很快，他便开始讲述自己的所见所闻了。
　　“所以飞机竟然已经飞回来了！”当杰克开始把一切都说出来时，菲利普惊叫道，“那两个人也回来了吗？”
　　杰克说起他见到的那四个人。当听到那囚犯可怜的境遇时，露西安心里很难过。
　　“我开始明白了，”菲利普终于开口，“在这个山谷的某个地方藏着宝藏——也许是山谷里这些被烧毁的房子的主人的东西。那两个人听说了这件事，不知从哪儿搞到了一张地图，上面标明了藏宝的地点。但只有地图，他们找不到宝藏，所以他们找到了一个认识路的人。”
　　“就是这样，”杰克说，“那个囚犯不会说英语。也许他曾经住在这个山谷里，甚至把那些宝藏给藏起来了。那两个人抓住了这个人，打算让他带他们去藏宝的地方。那两个人不会给这囚犯任何吃的或者喝的，直到这个囚犯给他们找到那些宝藏为止。”
　　“人面兽心的家伙！”黛娜的语气中充满了愤怒，其他人也表示赞同。
　　“你觉得囚犯会带他们去吗？”露西安问道。
　　“为了他自己能生存下去，我希望他会，”杰克说，“我告诉你们我是怎么打算的。我提议，不管怎样，我们当中的一个或几个人跟着那一拨人，看看这个宝藏究竟藏在哪里。这些人不可能一下子把所有的东西都拿走。我们也许能得到别人的帮助，把剩下的东西保护起来。不能让那些宝藏白白地被他们偷走。”
　　“你觉得这些东西可能是什么？”露西安问，脑海里浮现出金条和美丽珠宝的幻象。
　　“我也不知道，”杰克说，“我想我们是在欧洲大陆某个曾经发生过战争的地方，正如你所知道的，不论好坏，许多许多人把各种各样的财宝藏在奇怪的地方。我猜这就是那两个人所要找的东西。胡安和佩皮说英语，但不是英国人。他们也许来自南美？这只有上帝才知道了。”
　　其他三个孩子静静地坐在地上，想着杰克刚刚说的话。他们认为他说的很有可能是对的。但露西安一点也不想跟在这些人后面。假设那些人发现自己被跟踪了，会抓住跟踪他们的人吗？
　　“最好是菲利普和我明天去跟着他们，”杰克说，“我不希望你们俩也被卷入其中。”
　　这话让黛娜很生气，尽管露西安心里暗自宽慰。
　　“你们不能把所有的冒险和刺激都留给自己呀，”黛娜说，“我也要一起去。”
　　“不，你不能去。”杰克立刻提出反对。他打开手电筒，照亮了黛娜的脸。“我知道你会瞪着我，”他说，“黛娜，振作起来。毕竟，你和露西安今天下午已经有过一次冒险，你们发现了回音洞和通向瀑布的通道。也该给我们一个机会了。”
　　“好吧，就这样吧。”黛娜嘟囔着，但她不愿再谈论这个话题了，这个结局让露西安松了一口气。
　　“莉齐在哪里？”黛娜问道。她只有在知道那只蜥蜴在哪儿之后，才会选择她想休息的地方。
　　“不知道，”菲利普不耐烦地说，“她在哪儿都有可能。也许就在你枕头下。”
　　“她在这里，”杰克说，“琪琪在我脖子的一边，莉齐在另一边，让我的脖子很暖和。”
　　“真遗憾！”琪琪咯咯地大声笑起来。
　　“别说了！”大家立刻制止道。没有人喜欢琪琪那可怕的咯咯声。她把头埋在翅膀下，假装生气。
　　所有的孩子都躺下了，每个人都昏昏欲睡。“这是我们在这山谷里的第四个晚上了，”菲利普说，“冒险谷。我想知道接下来还会发生什么。”
　　四个孩子很快都睡着了。莉齐跑着，越过露西安，在黛娜旁边蜷缩起来。如果黛娜知道莉齐和她贴得这么近的话，她肯定会强烈拒绝的。但她一无所知，所以就这么平静地进入了梦乡。
　　第二天早上醒来后，大家都感到心情很好。
　　“天啊，”黛娜从岩壁上拿下了几听罐头，说道，“我开始把这个山洞当成我半辈子的家了。真是太不可思议了！我们竟然能这么快地适应新生活。”
　　“我们怎么才能知道那些人准备什么时候开始行动，他们打算走哪条路？”菲利普问。
　　“嗯，如果你还记得的话，他们两个按照地图行动时，是朝这个方向来的，而不是那个，”杰克说，“我认为，如果我们到经常路过的那块大黑石那里等待，可能会发现他们的踪影。然后我们就能很容易跟上他们了。”
　　孩子们吃完早饭后，便小心翼翼地向那块巨大的黑色岩石出发了。他们蹲在岩石后面，杰克不停地往外偷看，看是否有什么动静。
　　大约过了一个小时，他低声惊叫了一声。“喂！他们来了——还是四个，囚犯的手还是被捆着，他走得跌跌撞撞，可怜的家伙。”
　　那四个人走出一段距离后，孩子们看得更清楚了。他们认出了之前开飞机的两个男人，杰克告诉其他小伙伴，那拨人里的第四个人叫路易斯。至于囚犯的名字，他也不知道。很明显，这个可怜的人因为缺乏食物和水有些头晕目眩。
　　“从现在开始，你们女孩待在这儿，明白吗？”杰克不希望两个女孩有危险，“无论如何，要等到完全看不见我们，再往瀑布走，在那附近等我们。千万别迷路呀。露西安，你们把琪琪带走。我不想让她和我们一起走。”
　　露西安抓住琪琪的脚踝，这个举动让琪琪生气地大叫。孩子们担心地看了那四个人一眼，害怕他们听到了琪琪的声音。幸好他们没有听见。
　　杰克和菲利普准备出发了。“我带着望远镜呢，”杰克和两个女孩道别，“我们可以不用离他们那么近，就把他们的一举一动看得清清楚楚。这样他们就不会发现我们了。再会了，女孩们！”
　　两个男孩小心翼翼地上路了。一路上，他们尽可能地用路边一切能用到的东西作掩护。在跟踪的时候，虽然杰克和菲利普没有贴得很近，但还是可以看见那四个人。“我们需要标记走过的路吗？”菲利普问，“这样我们很容易就能找到回来的路，你觉得呢？”
　　“能做标记还是尽量做标记吧，”杰克回答，“也许它们会派上用场。用白粉笔在石头上做记号。给你这个。另外在树上，我们也刻下一道。”
　　他们继续往前走，跟在那四个人的后面往山上爬。很快，两个孩子就跟着前面那一队人来到了一个非常陡峭的地方。因为地面太松了，很难站稳，所以他们不停地往下滑。
　　“我希望他们解开了那个可怜的囚犯的绳子，”杰克气喘吁吁地说，“我不喜欢这样攀岩。如果手被绑着，我滑倒的时候就没法救自己了。”
　　当他们走到那凹凸不平的山石的尽头时，那些人已经无处可寻了。“可恶！”杰克说，“刚才爬山耽搁我们太长时间了。我们跟丢了！”
　　他将望远镜举到眼睛眼前，在山腰上来回扫视。在往东边去的路上，在他们的上方，他突然看见了四个小小的人影。“他们在那！”他确定自己又发现了那四个人的位置，“没问题了。我现在可以看到他们。来，草丛头，快跟上。”
　　他们继续往前走，速度也更快了，因为这条路比刚才那段好走很多。他们边走边从树上摘了些野树莓，有一次，还在一块岩石边停下，喝了些石头下涌出的清泉来解渴。
　　除了有一两分钟之外，两个男孩再也没有跟丢过那四个人。这四个人赶路的时候根本没有转身，也没有用望远镜。坦白地说，他们完全没有想到会有任何人跟着自己。
　　孩子们来到了山坡上一个非常荒凉的地方。他们看见从高处滚下的岩石把树劈成了两半。大地和岩石之间出现了巨大的裂缝。虽然这里到处丛生的杂草已经掩盖了裂缝伤痕，但很明显，这里曾经发生过一些灾难。
　　“我想是雪崩吧，”杰克猜测道，“我猜这里应该是发生了一场可怕的降雪——随之而来的是大大小小的巨石和岩石——砸倒了树木，留下了一道道深深的裂缝。我觉得可能就发生在去年冬天。”
　　“他们人呢？”菲利普说，“我又看不见他们了。他们已经绕过了那个岩架。”
　　“是的。我们得小心点儿，绕着走，”杰克提议，“我们从那儿走很容易就会被发现。在这个被摧毁得这么严重的地方，可找不到太多的掩护。”
　　两个男孩小心翼翼地绕着岩架走——这是一次正确的选择，因为他们几乎立刻就听到了说话声，而且还看到了那四个人。
　　杰克立刻就按住了菲利普，让他先往后退。岩架上生长着一丛灌木。在确认自己安全之后，男孩们慢慢地爬上岩石，钻进了灌木丛。他们紧贴着灌木，把叶子分开，以便能看得更清楚。他们发现那四个人正在往下观察一个岩石遍地的峡谷。
　　那里也有明显的岩石崩塌的迹象。囚犯站在一堆东西前面。他的手现在被松开了。他指着那堆石头，用一种相当沉闷、低沉的声音说着什么。看守翻译了，杰克竖起耳朵听他说什么。
　　“他说入口在这里。”看守说。那四个人盯着岩石的坠落点。
　　“到底是哪里？”胡安不耐烦地说，瞪着囚犯。他又指了指，咕哝着什么。
　　“他说他不知道这里有岩石坠落了，”看守说，“他说入口似乎被堵住了。但是，如果你试着搬开这些石头，也许就能找到进去的入口了。”
　　胡安勃然大怒，不过是针对犯人，还是针对恼人的落石，这就很难说了。他突然扑在巨石上，开始疯狂地拖着它们，同时还向路易斯和佩皮大声呼喊。囚犯起初什么也没做，只是痛苦地坐在一块岩石上。接着，胡安开始大声地对他喊叫，于是他只能拖着身子去帮助他。但那个囚犯太虚弱了，所以什么东西也抬不起来。
　　这时，那囚犯猛然抬起一块岩石，踉踉跄跄地跌倒在地了。其他三个人听任囚犯躺在摔倒的地方，自己继续抬着大石头。他们个个气喘吁吁，擦着额头上的汗。
　　两个男孩一直在看着他们。从孩子们所处的角度来看，那里似乎没有任何能打开山洞的入口。“嘿，”杰克低声对菲利普说，“那儿一定掉了几百块石头！他们永远，永远不可能把它们都挪走！”
　　显然，过了一会儿，三个男人也想到了这一点。他们最终放弃了搬石头，转而坐下来开始休息。看守指着倒下的囚犯，问胡安和佩皮：“他怎么办？我们怎样才能把他带回去呀？”
　　“哦，给他一点儿食物和水，”胡安咆哮着，“他一会儿就好了。”
　　“我们最好现在就走，”菲利普低声说，“他们很快就会回来的。来吧。不过，我们还没有任何发现，真让人失望！我真希望我们能看到一些宝藏。”
　　“如果宝藏被埋在那堵落石组成的墙的后面，那就需要强大的机器才能把它挖出来，”杰克说，“没有人能用手移动那些更大的石头。来吧，快。”
　　杰克和菲利普开始尽可能快地往回走。他们很高兴自己在岩石和树木上留下了标记，否则就可能在那些地方迷路了。
　　看到男孩们回来了，露西安与黛娜立刻向他们表示欢迎，还向他们提了很多问题。但是男孩儿们却失望地摇了摇头。
　　“藏宝藏的山洞被堵住了，”杰克说，“我只希望那个人不要放弃，这样我们就可以一起离开这个山谷。不然我们会被困在这里的。”
16 Rescue of the prisoner
　　16 Rescue of the prisoner
　　Some while after Jack and Philip had got back to the cave, Lucy-Ann, who was looking outbetween the fern fronds, gave a cry. ‘I say, there’s a man down there! - look, by the waterfall!
　　Two men - no, three!’
　　Jack pulled the string which tied back the fronds and let them swing together to hide the cave.
　　Then, parting the fronds carefully, he looked through.
　　‘I might have guessed they would come back this way, to have another hunt for us here,’ hesaid. ‘Blow them! One - two - three of them. Where’s the prisoner?’
　　‘Fallen by the way, I should think, poor fellow,’ said Philip, peering out too. ‘He looked terriblyfeeble.’
　　The children watched the three men eagerly to see what they meant to do. It was soon clear.
　　Luis and Juan were to go back to their hut, but Pepi was to be left to keep watch on the waterfall,to see who went in and out, and to try and discover the way that was used. The children could nothear what was said, but it was all plain enough.
　　Luis and Juan departed. Where the prisoner was nobody could guess. Pepi sat down on a rockthat overlooked the waterfall, just about the level of the ledge where the girls had stood the daybefore.
　　‘Blow!’ said Jack. ‘How can we get in and out without being seen? It’s true he’s got his back tous, but he might turn round at any time.’
　　Lucy-Ann began to worry about the prisoner. ‘Suppose he has fallen down on the way, and themen have left him there,’ she said. ‘He’d die, wouldn’t he?’
　　‘I suppose so,’ said Jack, feeling anxious too.
　　‘But Jack, we can’t leave him to die,’ said Lucy-Ann, her eyes big with horror. ‘You know wecan’t. I shan’t rest till I know what’s happened to him.’
　　‘I feel rather like that too,’ said Jack, and the others nodded. ‘There was something awful aboutthe hopeless way he sat. I’m sure he was ill.’
　　‘But how can we find out what’s happened to him, whilst that fellow down there is guardingthis place?’ said Philip gloomily.
　　Everyone fell silent. It was a puzzler. Then Lucy- Ann brightened up. ‘I know,’ she said.
　　‘There’s one certain way of making sure Pepi doesn’t see anyone creeping out of this cave.’
　　‘What?’ said Jack.
　　‘Well, if one or two of us got behind the waterfall and capered about a bit to attract the man’sattention, he would be all eyes for them, and wouldn’t notice anyone creeping out of this cave,’
　　said Lucy-Ann.
　　‘There’s something in that,’ said Jack, and Philip nodded. ‘Yes, quite a good idea. Well, there’sno time like the present. Shall we give a performance for dear Pepi now? You two girls could goand caper about, if you like - you are quite safe when you’re behind the waterfall, because nobodycan possibly get at you there, unless they go that same way as you do. And Pepi certainly doesn’tknow that way. Whilst you are attracting his attention, Philip and I will go off and see if we cansee any sign of the prisoner.’
　　‘Well, wait here till you see us behind the water,’ said Dinah, and she got up. She and Lucy-Ann disappeared up the hole at the back of the cave. The boys waited patiently for them to appearbehind the waterfall.
　　After some while Philip clutched Jack’s arm. ‘There they are! Good old Lucy-Ann, good oldDinah! They’re having a fine old game down there. What are they waving? Oh, they’ve taken offtheir red pullovers and they’re waving them like mad - doing a kind of dance.’
　　Pepi caught sight of them at once. He stared in surprise, and then stood up. He yelled andshouted and waved. The girls took no notice at all, but went on capering. Pepi began to try allkinds of ways to get to the waterfall.
　　‘Now’s our chance,’ said Jack. ‘Come on. His eyes will be glued on Lucy-Ann and Dinah forages.’
　　They crept quickly out of the cave, swinging the fronds closely together behind them. Theyclimbed up the rocks there and soon took cover so that they could not be seen. When the girls sawthat they were safely out of the cave and could no longer be seen, they left the waterfall ledge andwent back into the passage that led to the cave of echoes. They had done their bit.
　　The boys made their way cautiously over the rocks, keeping a good lookout for the others.
　　When they were quite a long way from Pepi, they stopped to take counsel.
　　‘Now - should we go back to that blocked up cave where apparently the treasure is, and see ifwe can find the prisoner fallen by the way - or shall we scout a bit in the other direction - back tothe men’s hut, to see if by any chance they’ve taken him there?’
　　‘Better go to the men’s hut,’ said Philip, thinking. ‘I don’t think it’s very likely they’ve left himto die by the wayside. They might still want to get something out of him.’
　　So they made their way back to the men’s hut. How well they knew the way now! They saw thesmoke of the fire long before they came near, and by that they knew the men were back.
　　There was no sign to be seen of the two men or of the prisoner. Cautiously the boys peeredthrough the trees near the hut. The door of the hut was shut and presumably locked. Were the meninside?
　　‘Hark, isn’t that the sound of the plane’s engine running?’ asked Philip suddenly. ‘Yes, it is. Arethose fellows going off again?’
　　They went to a place from which they could see the plane well by means of Jack’s field glasses.
　　The men were not going off - merely doing something to their plane. There was no sign of theprisoner being with them.
　　‘Stay here, Philip, with my field glasses and keep an eye on the plane and the men,’ said Jack,pushing his glasses into Philip’s hand. ‘Come and tell me at once if they stop their work there andgo towards the hut. I’m going to peep in at the hut window and see if the prisoner is there. I’mworried about him.’
　　‘Right,’ said Philip, and put the field glasses to his eyes. Jack sped off. He soon came to the hut.
　　He tried the door. Yes, it was locked all right. He crept round to the window and peeped in.
　　The prisoner was there. He was sitting in the chair, the picture of misery, his face in his hands.
　　As Jack looked, he heard him groan deeply, and it was such a dreadful noise that the boy’s heartwas wrung.
　　‘If only I could get him out!’ he thought. ‘No use breaking the window. It’s too small even forme to get in, and certainly that fellow couldn’t squeeze out. What can I do? I can’t break down thedoor. It’s jolly strong!’
　　He went all round the hut two or three times, but there was absolutely no way of getting in. Hestood and stared at the door, hating it. Horrid strong thing!
　　And then he saw an unbelievable sight. There was a nail at one side of the door, and on it hung- a key! A large key! A key that surely must fit the door. Otherwise why should it be there? Itmust have been put there so that any of the men could go in and out at any time without waitingfor the one who had the key.
　　With trembling fingers Jack took the key from the nail. He put it into the lock of the door. Heturned it. It was stiff - but it turned all right.
　　The door swung open and Jack went in. The prisoner, hearing the door open, looked up. Hestared in surprise at Jack. The boy grinned at him.
　　‘I’ve come to set you free,’ he said. ‘Like to come with me?’
　　The man did not seem to understand. He frowned a little and stared even harder at Jack.
　　‘Spik slow,’ he said. Jack repeated what he had said. Then the boy tapped himself on the chestand said, ‘I am your friend. Friend! Understand?’
　　The man evidently did understand that. A slow smile broke over his face. It was a nice face - akindly, sad, trustable face, Jack thought. The boy held out his hand.
　　‘Come with me,’ he said.
　　The man shook his head. He pointed to his feet. They were bound tightly with rope, which theman obviously had not had the strength to untie. Jack whipped out his pocket-knife in a trice. Hesawed through the thick strands and they fell apart. The man stood up unsteadily, looking as if hewas about to fall. Jack steadied him, thinking that he would never be able to walk all the way totheir cave. He seemed even weaker than before.
　　‘Come on,’ said the boy ugently. ‘We haven’t much time to lose.’
　　Jack put the cut pieces of rope into his pocket. He led the man to the door, put him outside andthen carefully locked the door again, hanging the key on its nail. He grinned at the prisoner.
　　‘Bit of a surprise for Juan and Luis to find you’ve apparently walked through a locked door,’
　　said the boy. ‘I’d like to be here when they unlock the door and find you gone.’
　　Jack took the man’s arm and piloted him away into the cover of the nearby trees. The manwalked very unsteadily. He gave a groan every now and again as if it hurt him to walk. Jack feltmore and more certain that he would never be able to get to the cave.
　　He wondered what to do. Perhaps he could park the man in the old cowshed he and the othershad found the first day they had arrived? He could put him in the last cowstall, and then fetch himthe next day, when he was a little more recovered. That would be the best thing.
　　‘You stay here a minute,’ said the boy, thinking he had better run to Philip, tell him what hadhappened and get him to keep guard till he got the man safely installed in the shed.
　　Philip was intensely surprised to hear what Jack had to tell him. He nodded and agreed to stayon guard till Jack came for him.
　　‘The men seem to be overhauling the plane,’ he said. ‘Looks as if they’ll be busy for sometime.’
　　Jack helped the stumbling prisoner over to the cowshed. It took a long time to get there, becausethe man went so slowly.
　　Once there, he sank down in the stall and panted painfully. He was certainly an ill man. Butthere was no doctor for him - only Jack’s gentleness, for which he seemed to be very grateful.
　　‘You stay here till tomorrow, when I will fetch you to a safer hiding place,’ said Jack, speakingvery slowly indeed. ‘I will leave you water to drink and food to eat.’
　　The boy meant to open a tin or two from the store still hidden in the bush. He could easily getthem and leave them beside the man.
　　‘The man tapped his chest. ‘Otto Engler,’ he said, and repeated it two or three times. Jacknodded, and pointed to his own chest.
　　‘Jack Trent,’ he said. ‘Me Jack - you Otto.’
　　‘Friend,’ said the man. ‘You - English?’
　　‘Me English,’ said Jack gravely. You?’
　　‘Austrian,’ said the man, pronouncing it in a curious way. ‘Friend. Good friend. Why youhere?’
　　Jack tried to explain how it was he and the others had come, but it was too complicated for theman to understand and he shook his head.
　　‘Not understand,’ he said. Then he leaned forward to Jack and spoke in a low voice.
　　‘You know of treesure?’
　　‘Treesure? Oh, you mean treasure,’ said Jack, ‘Not much. You know - of treasure?’
　　‘I know all,’ said the man. ‘All! I draw you map - where treesure is. You good boy. I trust you.’
第16章 营救囚犯
　　第16章 营救囚犯
　　杰克和菲利普回到山洞后不久，露西安从蕨丛中向外张望，她叫了一声。“我说，下面有个人！看，在瀑布边！两个男人——不，三个！”
　　杰克松开了绑着蕨叶的绳子，让叶子飘起来，把洞穴隐藏好。然后，他小心地把叶子拨开，查看着外面的情况。
　　“我就知道他们会回到这里来找我们，”杰克烦躁地说，“该死的！让我数数有几个人。
　　一，二，三。咦，囚犯在哪里？”
　　“我猜他是被落下了吧，可怜的家伙，”菲利普说着，也向外望了一眼，“他昨天看上去非常虚弱。”
　　孩子们仔细观察着这三个人，想知道他们打算干什么。很快就弄清楚了。路易斯和胡安要回到他们的小屋，但佩皮将留在这里开始看守瀑布，看看谁进谁出，并试图寻找出入瀑布的方法。孩子们无法完全听清他们说什么，但是大概意思很清楚了。
　　路易斯和胡安离开了瀑布。没人能猜到囚犯在哪里。佩皮坐在一块能俯瞰瀑布的岩石上，跟前一天两个女孩在岩架上所站的地方高度一样。
　　“可恶！”杰克思考着，“我们怎么能在不被看见的情况下进出呢？的确，他现在是背对着我们，但他随时都可能转身呀。”
　　露西安开始担心那个囚犯。“假如他在路上摔倒了，那些人就把他留在了那里，”她问，“他会死的，是不是？”
　　“我想是的。”杰克回答，也感到很担心。
　　“可是，杰克，我们不能让他死。”露西安反驳着，她的眼睛因为恐惧而睁得大大的，“你知道我们不能。如果不知道他出了什么事的话，我都没办法好好休息。”
　　“我也这么想，”杰克说完，其他人也点了点头表示同意，“他当时坐着的那种绝望的样子真可怕。我觉得他肯定病了。”
　　“可是下面那个家伙守在这里，我们也走不开。我们如何才能知道那个囚犯后来怎么样了呢？”菲利普沮丧地问。
　　每个人都陷入了沉默。这是一个难题。过了一会儿，露西安突然高兴了起来。“我知道了，”她说，“有一个非常棒的方法可以确保佩皮不会看到任何人从这个洞里爬出来。”
　　“快点儿告诉我们。”杰克说。
　　“好吧，如果我们让一两个人走到瀑布的后面，在那儿蹦蹦跳跳地吸引那个人的注意力，他就会全神贯注地看着他们，不会注意到有人从这个洞里爬出来了。”露西安说。
　　“不错，这很有道理。”杰克表示赞同，菲利普也点了点头。杰克接着说：“是的，好主意。嗯，那没有比现在更好的出发时间了。我们现在可以开始为亲爱的佩皮表演了吗？如果你们愿意，你们两个女孩可以去那儿蹦蹦跳跳——在瀑布后面的时候会很安全，因为没有人能爬到那儿去抓你们，除非他们也是穿过山洞，通过隧道走到那里。但佩皮肯定不知道路线。所以当你们吸引他注意的时侯，菲利普和我就可以去看看哪里有囚犯的影子。”
　　“好吧，你们在这儿等着，直到一会儿看见我们在瀑布的后面出现。”黛娜说着便站了起来。她和露西安消失在山洞后面的那个洞里。两个男孩耐心地等着她们出现在瀑布的后面。
　　过了一会儿，菲利普抓住杰克的胳膊，说：“喂，她们出来啦！露西安和黛娜做得太棒了！看起来她们玩得挺开心呀。她们在挥舞着什么呢？哦，原来她们是把身上的红色套头毛衣脱了，在疯狂地挥舞着——好像在跳某种舞蹈。”
　　佩皮立刻就发现了两人。他吃惊地瞪着眼睛，站起来。他大喊大叫，挥手致意。露西安和黛娜一点儿也没理睬他，只是继续跳。佩皮开始尝试用各种方法越过瀑布。
　　“我们的机会来了，可以溜出去了，”杰克说，“来吧。他的眼睛恐怕会盯着露西安和黛娜很长时间呢。”
　　两个男孩蹑手蹑脚地从洞里爬出来，把叶子紧紧地拉在一起。他们爬上那里的岩石，很快就在周围找东西隐蔽了起来，以免被人发现。当两个女孩看到他们安全地走出了山洞，再也看不见时，就离开了瀑布后的岩架，回到通向回音洞的通道。她们已经完成了自己的任务。
　　男孩们小心翼翼地越过岩石，小心地提防着那个人。当他们已经离佩皮很远的时候，才停了下来，开始商议之后的计划。
　　“现在，我们应该回到那个被堵住的洞穴，那显然是宝藏所在的地方，看看那个囚犯是不是被抛弃在那里了，或者我们去另一个方向侦察一下，回到那些人的小屋，看看他们有没有可能把他带到那里去。”
　　“最好还是到他们的小屋去，”菲利普边思考边说，“我认为他们不太可能让他在路边死去。胡安和佩皮应该还是想从他那里得到些什么。”
　　于是他们回到男人们的小屋。他们现在已经很熟悉路了，早在走近之前就看见了生火的烟飘在空中——这让他们知道那些人已经回来了。
　　但在烟的周围并没有那两个人或囚犯任何的踪迹。两个男孩小心翼翼地从树林间往外看。小屋的门是关着的，大概是锁上了。他们在里面吗？
　　“听，那不是飞机启动的声音吗？”菲利普突然问道，他自己又回答说，“的确是。那些家伙又要走了吗？”
　　他们去了一个用望远镜可以清楚地看到飞机的地方。原来那些人并没有离开——仅仅是在对他们的飞机鼓捣些什么。没有迹象表明那个囚犯和他们在一起。
　　“菲利普，待在这儿，拿着我的望远镜，监视飞机和那两个人，”杰克说着，把望远镜塞进菲利普的手里，“如果他们停止了工作，要回小屋，就马上来告诉我。我从窗户外看看囚犯在不在里边。我很担心他。”
　　“好的，”菲利普说，把望远镜举到了眼前。杰克迅速地离开，很快就来到了小屋前。
　　他试着开门。是的，门确实锁上了。他蹑手蹑脚地走到窗前向屋内偷看。
　　囚犯在那里。他坐在椅子上，整个人显得十分痛苦，脸埋在手掌里。在杰克望向屋内时，他听到囚犯发出了一声令人悲悯的呻吟。男孩心疼得好像心都拧在一起了。
　　“要是我能把他救出来就好了！”他想，“打破窗子是没用的。它太小了，连我都进不去，那家伙肯定也挤不出来。我能做什么？我不能把门砸开，它太结实了！”
　　他绕着小屋转了两三圈，可是根本没有办法能进屋。他站在那里，盯着那扇门，心里很恨它。这门简直就是个庞大的可怕的障碍物！
　　突然，他看到了让人难以置信的一幕。门的一边有一颗钉子，上面竟然挂着一把钥匙！一把很大的钥匙！这把钥匙一定是开这扇门的。否则它为什么会放在这儿？它在这儿一定是为了方便那些人随时进出，而不必等着有钥匙的人来开门。
　　杰克用颤抖的手指从钉子上取下钥匙。他把它插进锁里，转动。钥匙的质地很硬——但是它转得很顺。
　　门开了，杰克走了进去。囚犯听到开门声，抬起头来。他惊讶地盯着杰克。杰克对他咧嘴一笑。
　　“我是来救你的，”他说，“想跟我一起走吗？”
　　那人似乎不明白。他皱了皱眉头，紧紧地盯着杰克。
　　“我说慢点儿。”他说。杰克又重复了他说过的话。他拍了拍自己的胸膛说：“我是你的朋友。朋友！明白了吗？”
　　杰克一下子掏出了自己的小刀，在粗绳上来回锯，绳子断开了。
　　那人显然是明白了这一点。他脸上露出了一丝微笑。杰克觉得这人真是面善——一张和蔼、悲伤、让人能够相信的脸。他伸出手来。
　　“跟我来。”杰克对囚犯说。
　　那人摇了摇头。他指着自己的脚。它们被绳子紧紧地绑在一起，那人显然没有力气解开绳子。杰克一下子掏出了自己的小刀，在粗绳上来回锯，绳子断开了。那人站立不稳，几乎就要跌倒。杰克扶住了他。杰克认为这个人永远也不可能走到他们的山洞。他似乎比以前更虚弱了。
　　“来吧，”男孩急切地说，“我们没有多少时间了。”
　　杰克将割断的绳子放进口袋。他把那个人带到门口，让他等在外面，自己小心地锁上了门，把钥匙挂在钉子上。他对那个囚犯咧嘴一笑。
　　“胡安和路易斯如果发现你通过了一扇锁着的门，肯定会特别惊讶，”男孩说，“我真想看看他们开门后发现你不见了之后的表情。”
　　杰克抓住囚犯的胳膊，领着他来到附近的树林里躲起来。那人走路晃晃悠悠，还不时地呻吟一声，好像走路对他来说很痛苦。杰克越来越确信他无法一下子就走到山洞。
　　他不知道该怎么办。也许他可以把这个人暂时留在他们第一天找到的那个老牛棚里？
　　他可以让他躲在最后一个牛棚里，第二天再去找他，这样可以给他一些恢复的时间。这可能是最好的方案。
　　“你在这儿等我一会儿。”杰克说，他想这时候最好赶快去找菲利普，告诉他发生了什么事，让他继续监视着那两个家伙，直到自己把这个可怜的人在牛棚里安顿好。
　　当菲利普听到杰克告诉他的事情，他感到非常吃惊。他点了点头，同意继续监视，直到杰克来找他。
　　“这些人似乎正在检修飞机，”菲利普说，“看来他们还要忙一段时间。”
　　杰克把那个跌跌撞撞的囚犯扶到牛棚里。到达牛棚花了他们俩很长时间，因为那个囚犯走得很慢。
　　一到那里，他就瘫坐在畜栏上，痛苦地喘着气。他一定是病了。但这里也没有医生可以给他看病，只有杰克的一片好心。囚犯似乎很感激。
　　“你就在这儿待到明天，之后我就把你送到一个更安全的藏身之处，”杰克慢慢地说，“我会把水留给你喝，把食物留给你吃。”
　　杰克打算从藏在灌木丛中的仓库里取来一两个罐头，帮他打开，让他填肚子。他很容易地就拿了两个罐头过来，并把它们放在这个人的身边。
　　那人拍了拍胸口。“奥托•恩格勒。”他重复了两三次。杰克点点头，指着自己的胸膛。
　　“杰克•特伦特，”他说，“我，杰克——你，奥托。”
　　“朋友，”那人说，“你——英国人吗？”
　　“我是英国人，”杰克严肃地说，“你呢？”
　　“奥地利人，”那人回答，用一种奇怪的发音方式说，“朋友。好朋友。你为什么在这里？”
　　杰克试图解释他和其他人是怎么来的，但是事情太复杂了，让奥托无法理解，他摇了摇头。
　　“不明白？”他说，然后俯身对着杰克，降低了音量。
　　“你知道宝仓吗？”
　　“宝仓？哦，你是说宝藏，”杰克分析，“不太知道。你知道吗——关于宝藏？”
　　“我全都知道，”那人回答，“全部！我画地图给你——宝仓的位置。你，好男孩。我相信你。”
17 A treasure map
　　17 A treasure map
　　Jack’s first feeling on hearing this was one of tremendous excitement. Then his face fell. He knewwhere the treasure was. Behind that fall of rock. What use was that? Nobody could get at it there.
　　‘I know where treasure is,’ said Jack, trying to speak slowly and simply. ‘I saw you show themen this morning - but the rocks had fallen together, and they could not get into the treasure-cavebehind.’
　　The man gave a short laugh. He seemed to understand. ‘They are fools,’ he said. ‘Big fools.
　　There is no treesure there.’
　　Jack stared at him. ‘Do you mean to say - you fooled them?’ he said. ‘You knew that fall ofrocks was there - and you took them to it, and pretended that the entrance to the treasure was allblocked up? Isn’t the treasure behind those rocks after all?’
　　The man was frowning hard in his attempt to follow all that Jack was saying. He shook hishead.
　　‘No treesure there,’ he said. ‘I fool Juan and Pepi. Ah, ah, how they hurt their hands when theypull - so - at the rocks!’
　　Jack couldn’t help grinning. What a fine trick to play! Well, then - where was the ‘treesure’?
　　‘I draw you map,’ said Otto. ‘And I tell you way out of valley too. By the Windy Pass. You willgo that way, you and your friends, and you will take the map to a good friend of mine. It is timenow to find the hidden treesure.’
　　‘But why can’t you come with us?’ said Jack. ‘Surely you could show us the way, Otto - thepass - and come to your good friend?’
　　‘I am very ill man,’ said Otto. ‘If I do not get doctor and - how you say it? - middisin . . .’
　　‘Yes, medicine,’ said Jack.
　　‘. . . middisin soon, I die,’ said Otto. ‘I have bad heart, very very bad. I get pain very bad. I notwalk far now. So you take treesure map, you good boy, and you take pass out of valley, and go toJulius, my good friend. Then all will be well.’
　　‘All right,’ said Jack. ‘I’m very sorry about you, Otto. Wish I could do something. I’ll do mybest to get to Julius quickly and bring back help to you. Do you think you might be able to walk toour hiding place tomorrow, and hide there whilst we go?’
　　‘Pardon?’ said Otto. You talk too quick, I not understand.’
　　Jack spoke more slowly. Otto nodded. He understood the second time.
　　‘You leave me here today, and tomorrow perhaps I be strong enough to go with you to yourplace,’ he said. ‘We will see. If not, you must go through the pass and find Julius. I draw you mapnow, and I draw you also the way to the pass. Windy Pass. It is very, very narrow, but not difficultto, to . . .’
　　‘To travel through?’ said Jack. Otto nodded. He found a pencil and a notebook and began todraw. Jack watched him with interest. The waterfall appeared in the map. So did an oddly shapedrock. A bent tree came into the map, and a spring of water. Little arrows were drawn showing inwhat direction to go. It was really rather exciting.
　　Otto folded up the map. He gave it to Jack. ‘Julius will know,’ he said. ‘He will read the map.
　　Once he lived in the big farmhouse not far from here. But our enemies burnt it down, and all theother farms too, and took our cows and our horses, our pigs and everything we had. Many theykilled, and only few of us escaped.’
　　‘Now tell me the way to the pass,’ said Jack.
　　Otto once more drew a map. The waterfall appeared in it. Jack put his finger on it.
　　‘I know this water,’ he said, speaking slowly so that Otto would understand. ‘Our hiding placeis near. Very near.’
　　‘So!’ said Otto, pleased. ‘The way to the pass is above the waterfall. You must climb to where itflows out of a hole in the mountainside. There - I have drawn you the way.’
　　‘How shall we find Julius?’ asked Jack.
　　‘On the other side of the pass is a village, half burnt,’ said Otto. ‘You will ask anyone you meetto tell you where Julius is. They will know. Ah, Julius worked against the enemy all the time.
　　Everyone knows Julius. He should be a great man now among his people - but times are strangeand maybe he is no longer great, now that we have peace. But still, everyone knows Julius, and hewill know what to do when you give him the treesure map. I will also write him a letter.’
　　Otto scribbled a short note, and gave that also to Jack. It was addressed to Julius Muller.
　　‘Now you must leave me,’ said Otto. ‘You must go back to your friends. If I am bettertomorrow I will come with you. But my heart is bad today, so bad. Always it pains me here.’ Hepressed his hand over his heart.
　　‘Well, goodbye, and thank you,’ said Jack, getting up. ‘I do hope you will be safe here. There ismeat for you, and tinned fruit, all ready opened. Well - so long till tomorrow.’
　　The man smiled a tired smile, sank back against the wall of the cowshed and closed his eyes. Hewas completely exhausted. Jack felt very sorry for him. He must get help as soon as he could, ifOtto was not better by tomorrow. He and others would get out of the valley by the pass and go andfind Julius at once, whoever he was. If he was a friend of Otto’s, he might be able to get a doctorimmediately.
　　Feeling much more cheerful about things, Jack went out of the cowshed. Golly, what would theothers say when they knew he had the map of where the treasure-cave was to be found - anddirections as to how to get out of the valley!
　　Philip came running up, out of breath. ‘The men have just left the plane and are walkingtowards their hut,’ he said. ‘Come on, we’d better go. Is the prisoner safely in the shed?’
　　‘Yes. Hope the men don’t go there looking for him,’ said Jack. ‘Come on - let’s get back to thegirls. We shall have been away from them for ages.’
　　‘We must look out for Pepi on the way back,’ said Philip, as they set off. ‘He may have got tiredof watching the waterfall and the girls capering about, and have decided to cut back to the others.’
　　‘I say - do you know what I’ve got?’ said Jack, unable to keep the news to himself for amoment longer.
　　‘What?’ asked Philip.
　　‘A map showing where the treasure is!’ said Jack.
　　‘But we know where it is,’ said Philip. ‘Behind that fall of rocks we saw this morning.’
　　‘Well, it isn’t!’ said Jack triumphantly. ‘The prisoner - his name’s Otto - he fooled themproperly. He pretended the treasure was in a cave behind the fall of rocks - he knew the rocks hadfallen, but he thought he could pretend he didn’t know about them, and say the treasure wasblocked by the landslide there. See?’
　　‘Golly, and all the time the treasure was somewhere else!’ said Philip. ‘That was good work.
　　Have you really got a map of the whereabouts of the treasure, Jack? And did you find out exactlywhat the treasure is?’
　　‘No, I forgot to ask him that,’ said Jack. ‘But I found out an awful lot. I’ve got directions to findthe pass that leads out of this valley - and a note to a man called Julius - and I know how thesehouses and things got burnt and why. Otto says if he’s strong enough tomorrow he’ll take us to thepass himself - but he gave me the maps in case he wasn’t able to come with us. They’re quiteclear.’
　　This was really exciting news. Philip felt overjoyed. It looked as if they would be able to escapefrom the valley at last - and get help - and perhaps be in at the discovery of the treasure.
　　‘Look out! - I believe I saw something moving over there,’ whispered Jack suddenly, and thetwo boys crouched behind a bush. It was a good thing they did, for Pepi emerged from a thicket oftrees and walked rapidly towards them. But it was obvious that he hadn’t seen them.
　　Without a glance at their bush he strode on. ‘I bet he’s hungry and wants a meal,’ grinned Jack.
　　‘Good thing I spotted him. We’d have bumped right into him in two seconds. Well, that’s good -we can hurry on now without being afraid of being seen. Gosh, I’m hungry!’
　　They both were. It was ages since they had had anything to eat. Thoughts of tinned salmon,sardines, tongue, apricots, peaches and pears floated before the mind’s eye of both boys. Theyhurried as much as they could.
　　They were thankful when they pushed aside the fern fronds and saw the girls sitting in the cavebehind. Dinah had got a fine meal ready and waiting.
　　‘Good old Dinah!’ cried Jack. ‘I could almost give you a hug!’
　　Dinah grinned. ‘Pepi’s gone,’ she said. ‘Did you meet him?’
　　‘Almost collided with him,’ said Philip. ‘Gosh, I could eat a whole tin of salmon by myself.
　　How have things been with you and Lucy-Ann, Dinah? All right?’
　　‘Very dull,’ said Dinah. ‘Nothing doing at all, except a few capers now and again behind thewaterfall to keep Pepi interested. You should have seen his efforts to find the way up. Once Lucy-Ann and I really thought he had been swept away by the water. He slipped and fell, anddisappeared for about twenty minutes. We were quite relieved when we saw him again.’
　　‘What about you boys?’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘You look cheerful. Got good news? What about thatpoor prisoner?’
　　With their mouths full the boys told of all they had done that day. The girls listened eagerly.
　　When Jack fished the maps out of his pocket they fell on them with delight.
　　‘A treasure map!’ cried Lucy-Ann. ‘I always wanted to see a real one. Oh, here’s our waterfall,look! Surely the treasure isn’t anywhere near it?’
　　‘When are we going to find the treasure?’ asked Dinah, her eyes shining.
　　‘We’re not going to,’ said Jack, and her face fell at once. He explained why. ‘We’ve got to getout of this valley, and find this fellow Julius. Apparently he will see to the unearthing of thetreasure, whatever it is. Sorry to disappoint you, girls - but honestly, I do really think we ought toget out as quickly as we can, and let Aunt Allie and Bill know where we are. We should waste alot of time looking for the treasure, and I think that now we’ve been told where to look for the passout of the valley we ought to take it, and get help for ourselves and for poor old Otto too. He’s avery ill man.’
　　It was clear that Jack was right. Dinah heaved a sigh of regret. ‘I would so very much have likedto go and find that treasure,’ she said. ‘But never mind - perhaps this Julius man, whoever he is,will let us join the treasure-hunt with him. We might stay for that!’
　　It was now almost dark. The boys were tired out. They lay down on the ‘bed’ which Dinah hadalready made, feeling very sleepy. But the girls wanted to talk, and so did Kiki. They had had avery dull day. They chattered away, Kiki joining in, but the boys could hardly find the energy toanswer.
　　‘Kiki’s been in and out of the cave of echoes today, yelling and squawking for all she wasworth,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘She’s not afraid of the echoes any more. ‘You should have heard theechoes when she did her express-train screech!’
　　‘Jolly glad I didn’t,’ said Jack sleepily. ‘Shut up, now, everyone. Get to sleep, because we’vegot an exciting day before us tomorrow, fetching Otto - and going to find the pass - and lookingfor Julius.’
　　‘It looks as if this adventure is about to come to an end,’ said Lucy-Ann.
　　But she was quite wrong. It wasn’t anywhere near its end.
第17章 藏宝图
　　第17章 藏宝图
　　杰克听到这个消息后的第一反应是极度的兴奋。但紧接着他的脸就耷拉下来了。因为孩子们知道宝藏在哪里——就在那堆落石的后面，但那又有什么用呢？没有人能进去呀。
　　“我知道宝藏在哪儿，”杰克说，试图讲得很慢，用简单的英语说，“我今天早上看到你领那些人去了——可是落石堵住了入口，他们进不去。”
　　那人笑了一下——杰克似乎明白了。“他们是傻瓜，”奥托说，“大傻瓜。那里没有宝仓。”
　　杰克盯着他看，说：“你是说，你骗了他们？”杰克接着回答了自己的问题：“你知道那儿有一堆岩石，你就把他们带到那儿去，假装宝藏的入口都被堵住了？那些石头后面难道没有宝藏吗？”
　　那人皱着眉头竭力想理解杰克所说的一切。他摇了摇头。
　　“那儿没有宝仓的，”奥托说，“我骗胡安和佩皮。呵呵，当他们搬着那些大石头的时候，他们的手得有多疼呀！”
　　杰克忍不住咧着嘴笑。这是一个多么好的把戏啊！那么，宝藏在哪里？
　　“我给你画地图，”奥托说，“告诉你离开山谷的路。从通风道那里走。你、你的朋友们走那条路，把地图带给我的一个好朋友。现在是找到隐藏的宝仓的时候了，它会给我们大家带来和平。”
　　“可是你为什么不能和我们一起去呢？”杰克说，“你可以给我们带路，奥托——走过通道——到你的好朋友那儿去吗？”
　　“我很痛，”奥托痛苦地说，“如果请不到医生给我看病，那个词怎么说？妖……”
　　“呃，药。”杰克说。
　　“没妖，不久，我会死的，”奥托说，“我心脏不好，非常非常不好。我很疼。走不远了。好孩子，你拿着藏宝图，走出山谷，去我的好朋友朱利叶斯那里。一切都会好起来的。”
　　“好吧，”杰克说，“我很同情你，奥托。但愿我能做点什么。我将尽我最大的努力尽快赶到朱利叶斯那里，找些人回来帮助你。你认为你明天可以走到我们的藏身之处，在我们走了以后躲在那儿吗？”
　　“什么？”奥托说，“你说得太快了，我听不懂。”
　　杰克很慢地又说了一遍。奥托点了点头。这第二次他听明白了。
　　“你今天把我留在这儿，明天也许我就有足够的力量和你一起去你们那里，”他说，“明天再看看我身体的情况。如果不行的话，你也必须通过通道，找到朱利叶斯。我现在给你画地图，也给你画去通道的路，名字是：通风道。那是一条非常狭窄的路，但不是很难……”
　　“穿过？”杰克说。奥托点了点头。他找到一支铅笔和一个笔记本画了起来。杰克饶有兴趣地看着他。瀑布在地图上出现了。他还画了一块奇怪的石头和一棵弯曲的树，还有一股泉水。小箭头显示了方向。这一切真是激动人心啊。
　　奥托把地图折起来，并把它给了杰克。“朱利叶斯会知道的，”他说，“他会读地图的。
　　有一次，他住在离这里不远的一个大农舍里。但我们的敌人把那个农舍和其他所有农场都烧毁了，并带走了我们的牛、马、猪和我们的一切。他们杀了许多人，我们当中只有几个人逃了出来。”
　　“现在告诉我去通风道的路吧。”杰克说。
　　奥托又画了一张地图。瀑布出现在图里了。杰克把手指放在上面。
　　“我知道这片水，”杰克慢慢地说，以便奥托听懂，“我们的藏身处就在附近。非常近。”
　　“好的！”奥托高兴地说，“通往山口的路在瀑布之上。你必须从山坡上的一个洞里爬出来。我已经给你指明了方向。”
　　“可是我们怎么找到朱利叶斯？”杰克问。
　　“在山口的另一边有一个村庄，已经被烧了一半，”奥托说，“到了那里，你见人就问，让他告诉你朱利叶斯在哪儿。他们会知道的。啊，朱利叶斯一直同敌人进行抗争。所以每个人都知道他。对于那片地区的居民来说，他现在应该是一个伟大的人——但是时代不同了，也许他已经不再伟大，因为现在我们有了和平。不管怎么样，每个人都认识朱利叶斯，当你把这张藏宝图给他时，他就知道该怎么做了。我再给他写封信。”
　　奥托潦草地写了一张字条，并把它递给了杰克。这是写给朱利叶斯•穆勒的。
　　“现在你该走了，”奥托建议，“你必须回去找你的朋友。如果明天好些，我就和你一起去。但我今天心脏不好受，感觉很糟糕。就是这儿，我这儿感觉很疼。”他用手捂着心口。
　　“好吧，再见，谢谢你，”杰克说着，站了起来，“我真的希望你在这里安全。这是给你的肉，还有水果罐头，都准备好了。好吧，我们明天见。”
　　那人疲倦地笑了笑，靠在牛棚的墙上，闭上眼睛。他精疲力竭。杰克为他感到难过。
　　如果奥托明天没有好转的话，自己就需要尽快找到帮助。杰克想和伙伴们从通道走出山谷，立刻去找朱利叶斯，不管他是谁，都要找到他。如果他是奥托的朋友，他应该会马上带医生过来。
　　杰克走出牛棚的时候，对事情感到乐观多了。天啊，当其他人知道他有标注宝藏位置的地图和逃离山谷的方法时，他们会说些什么呢？
　　菲利普气喘吁吁地跑了上来。“那些人刚刚下了飞机，正朝他们的小屋走去，”他说，“来吧，我们得尽快离开。囚犯在棚子里安全吗？”
　　“安全。希望那些人不会去找他，”杰克说，“来吧，我们回到女孩们那儿去。我们离开太久了。”
　　“我们在回去的路上一定要注意佩皮，”菲利普在他们动身以后说，“他可能已经厌倦了看瀑布和女孩们的蹦蹦跳跳了，准备回来和其他人会合。”
　　“我说，你知道我得到了什么吗？”杰克说，显然，他无法让秘密待在自己的肚子里哪怕一秒钟，他要马上和菲利普分享。
　　“什么？”菲利普问。
　　“一张画着宝藏在哪里的地图！”杰克说。
　　“可是我们已经知道它在哪儿，”菲利普说，“在我们今天早上看到的那堆坠落的岩石后面。”
　　“哦，不是的！”杰克得意扬扬地说，“那个犯人，他叫奥托。他把胡安和佩皮耍了个够。他假装宝藏在岩石后的一个山洞里。他知道岩石坠落堆在那里，但他假装自己不知道，并说宝藏被山体滑坡堵住了。懂了吗？”
　　“天哪，宝藏一直在别的地方！”菲利普说，“干得不错。杰克，你真的有画着宝藏位置的地图吗？你知道宝藏到底是什么吗？”
　　“噢，不，我忘了问他这个问题，”杰克说，“但我拿到了很多东西。我得到了如何找到从这山谷出去的路的指点，还有一封给一个叫朱利叶斯的人的信。我知道这些房子和东西是怎么被烧的，为什么被烧。奥托说，如果他明天足够强壮，他会亲自带我们去山口。但他给了我地图，以防他不能和我们一起去。地图画得很清楚。”
　　这真是个令人兴奋的消息。菲利普感到喜出望外。看来他们终于能从山谷里逃出去了，而且还能得到帮助。也许还能参与探索宝藏的冒险呢。
　　“当心！我好像看到有东西在那边移动。”杰克突然小声说，两个男孩蹲在灌木丛后。
　　还好他们动作很快，因为佩皮已经从树丛中出来，迅速地向他们走来。但很明显，佩皮没有发现他们。
　　他对男孩们藏身的灌木丛，连一眼都没看，就大步走过去了。“我敢打赌他一定饿了，想吃点东西，”杰克咧嘴一笑，“幸好我发现了他。否则再过两秒钟我们就撞到他了。好吧，那很好——我们现在可以以最快的速度前进，不用担心被人看见。天啊，我饿坏了！”
　　他们两个人都很饿。他们好久没吃东西了。两个男孩的脑海里浮现出罐头鲑鱼、沙丁鱼、肉、杏子、桃子和梨子的样子。于是，他们开始尽可能快地往回走。
　　当杰克和菲利普拨开蕨类植物的叶子，看见女孩们坐在山洞后面。黛娜已经准备好了一顿美餐，等待着他们归来。看到这些，两个男孩对女孩们所做的这一切很感激。
　　“黛娜真好！”杰克喊道，“我要给你一个拥抱！”
　　黛娜笑了。“佩皮不见了，”她说，“你们见到他了吗？”
　　“差点和他撞了个正着，”菲利普说，“天哪，我一个人就能吃下一整罐三文鱼。黛娜，你和露西安怎么样？还好吧？”
　　“很无聊，”黛娜说，“除了不时地在瀑布后面跳几下，吸引佩皮的注意力，都没有什么可以做的。你们真应该看看他为了爬到我们在的岩石上所做的各种努力。有一次，我和露西安真的以为他要被水冲走了。因为他当时滑倒了，消失了大约二十分钟。当我们再次见到他的时候，我们都松了一口气。”
　　“你们呢？”露西安说，“你们看上去很高兴。有好消息吗？那可怜的囚犯呢？”
　　男孩们嘴里都塞满了食物，等咽下后才开始讲述他们今天所做的一切。露西安和黛娜聚精会神地听着。杰克从口袋里掏出地图时，其他三个人都兴奋地凑近来看。
　　“一张藏宝图！”露西安叫起来，“我一直想看一张真实的藏宝图。哦，这是我们的瀑布，看！宝藏不会就在它附近吧？”
　　“我们什么时候开始寻宝？”黛娜问道，她的眼睛闪闪发光。
　　“我们不去寻宝。”杰克说，黛娜听到后，马上感到有些失望。他解释了为什么。“我们得离开这个山谷，找到这个朱利叶斯。然后，不管宝藏是什么，他将负责把它们挖掘出来。女孩们，对不起，让你们失望了。但老实说，我的确认为尽快出去才是最重要的，然后告诉艾莉姨妈和比尔我们在哪儿。寻找宝藏会浪费很多时间。我想既然我们已经知道哪条路可以走出山谷，我们就应该走那条路，为我们自己和可怜的老奥托寻求帮助。他真的病得很重。”
　　很明显，杰克是对的。黛娜遗憾地叹了口气。“我真想去找那宝藏，”她说，“但没关系。也许这个朱利叶斯，无论他是谁，都会让我们和他一起寻宝。我们可能会为了那个留下来！”
　　现在天快黑了。两个男孩都累坏了。他们躺在黛娜铺好的床上，感到阵阵困意袭来。
　　但女孩们想聊天，琪琪也一样。她们度过了非常沉闷的一天。露西安和黛娜叽叽喳喳地说个不停，琪琪也加入了进来，但杰克和菲利普几乎没有精力来回答问题了。
　　“琪琪今天在回音洞里进进出出，大喊大叫，拼命地大声叫嚷，”露西安说，“她不再害怕回声了。当她发出类似特快列车的尖叫时，那回声吓死人了！”
　　“真高兴我没有听到这恐怖的声音，”杰克昏昏欲睡地说，“别说了，女孩们。睡吧，因为明天将会是一个令人兴奋的日子，去接奥托，去找出路，去找朱利叶斯。”
　　“看来这次冒险马上就要结束了。”露西安说。
　　但露西安错了。冒险还远没有结束呢。
18 Now for Windy Pass!
　　18 Now for Windy Pass!
　　Next morning the children peeped cautiously through the fern fronds to see if by any chance Pepiwas on guard again. But there was no sign of him.
　　‘I do wonder what Juan and Luis thought when they got back to their hut, unlocked it - andfound the prisoner flown,’ said Jack with a grin. ‘They’ll be astonished to find he went through alocked door.’
　　‘Oh, they’ll guess one of us rescued him,’ said Dinah. ‘Won’t they be wild? I do hope theydon’t find him in that cowshed. He might tell tales of us.’
　　‘He wouldn’t,’ said Jack at once. ‘He’s got a nice trustable face - rather like Bill’s but not sostrong.’
　　‘I wish Bill would suddenly arrive here,’ said Lucy-Ann with a sigh. ‘I do really. I know wehave managed things awfully well, but somehow when Bill comes along I feel really safe.’
　　‘Well, you’re safe enough now, aren’t you?’ demanded Jack. ‘Didn’t I find you a jolly goodhiding place?’
　　‘Yes, fine,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Oh, look, Philip - Kiki’s after Lizzie!’
　　Lizzie had appeared down Philip’s leg, and Kiki, who happened to be sitting near, had given adelighted squawk and pecked at her - but the lizard was a little too quick. She ran into Philip’sshoe.
　　‘Stop it, Kiki!’ said Philip. ‘Well - now we’d better get busy.’
　　‘Busy Dizzy Lizzie,’ said Kiki at once, and the children laughed.
　　‘Really, Kiki’s awfully clever at putting the same-sounding words together,’ said Lucy-Ann.
　　‘Busy Dizzy Lizzie - I’d never have thought of that. Clever Kiki!’
　　Kiki squawked and raised her crest high. She rocked herself from side to side, as she often didwhen she felt pleased with herself.
　　‘Vain bird! Conceited bird!’ said Jack, and scratched her poll. ‘You leave Lizzie alone. She’sabout the most harmless pet Philip’s ever had.’
　　‘Well, she’s better than those awful rats and mice and spiders and beetles and hedgehogs he’shad running about him,’ said Dinah with a shudder. ‘I really quite like Lizzie, compared withthem.’
　　‘Gracious!’ said Lucy-Ann, astonished. ‘You are improving, Dinah!’
　　Lizzie and Kiki both joined in the breakfast the children had, though Kiki kept a sharp eye tosee that Lizzie didn’t take anything she wanted. When they had all finished they made their plansfor the day.
　　‘We’ll fetch Otto first,’ said Jack. ‘Philip and I, I mean. No need for us all to go. Perhaps youtwo could pack up a few tins for us all to take with us when we go to look for the pass through themountains. We shall want a meal on the way.’
　　‘Right,’ said Dinah. ‘I hope you’ll find Otto better. Then when you bring him here, we’ll have asnack before we set out. Then over the pass we’ll go, and find Julius - and somehow manage tosend off a message to Mother and Bill. Maybe Bill will fly over in his plane . . .’
　　‘And join the treasure hunt and let us help,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘What a nice plan!’
　　It did seem a very nice one indeed. The boys set off, leaving Kiki behind with the girls. Theywent quickly over the mountain slope, keeping a good lookout, however, for Pepi and the others.
　　But they saw nobody. They made their way carefully to the cowshed. Jack left Philip on guardnear by to give warning if anyone came near. Then he tiptoed to the shed and peeped in. Therewas no sound in there at all.
　　He could not see the last cowstall from where he stood. He walked softly in, stepping over thefallen rubble. He spoke softly.
　　‘Otto! I’m back! Are you better?’
　　There was no reply. Jack wondered if the man was asleep. He made his way to the last stall.
　　It was empty. Otto was not there. Jack glanced round quickly. What could have happened?
　　The boy saw that the opened tins of meat and fruit that he had left for Otto were untouched.
　　Otto had not eaten anything left for him. Why?
　　‘Blow! Those men must have come looking for him when they found that he was gone from thehut,’ thought Jack. ‘And they found him here. Gosh! - what have they done with him? We’d betterlook out for ourselves, in case the men are on the watch for us. They’ll know someone must haveset Otto free, even if he has held his tongue about me.’
　　He went back to Philip. ‘Otto’s gone,’ he said. ‘Dare we have a squint at the hut? We might findout something then - what they’ve done with Otto, for instance.’
　　‘Let’s shin up that big tree we’ve climbed before,’ said Philip. ‘The one that we can see theplane from. If we saw all the men round about the plane, we’d know it was safe to go to the hut;but I don’t feel inclined to run into danger if we think the men are by the hut. They might bewatching for us to come again. If we’re captured, the girls wouldn’t know what to do.’
　　‘All right. I’ll climb the tree,’ said Jack, and up he went, with Philip close behind him. He puthis field glasses to his eyes to focus them on the plane - and then he gave a loud exclamation.
　　‘Gosh! The plane’s gone again! It isn’t there!’
　　‘No - it isn’t,’ said Philip in surprise. ‘Well - I never heard it go this time, did you, Jack?’
　　‘Well, I did think I heard a throbbing noise last night when I was half asleep,’ said Jack. ‘Yes,now I come to think of it, it must have been the plane I heard. Well, we’ve probably frightened themen away. They got the wind up when they knew other people were here - in a hiding place theycouldn’t find - people who rescued their prisoner.’
　　‘Yes - and when they found they couldn’t get at the treasure because a rock-fall had apparentlyblocked the entrance to it, I suppose they thought it wasn’t much use staying,’ said Philip. ‘Sothey’ve gone. Thank goodness! Now we can go back to the girls, and shoot off to the pass quickly.
　　To tell you the truth, I was a bit worried about taking Otto with us, because from what you said itdidn’t sound as if we’d be able to go very fast with him. And if he’d had a heart attack by the waywe wouldn’t have known what to do.’
　　‘I wonder where they’ve taken him to,’ said Jack. ‘Let’s hope that now they find they can’t getany more out of him they’ve taken him back to where he belongs, and will get a doctor to him.’
　　They climbed down the tree, and set off back to the girls as fast as they could. Now for the pass.
　　The girls were most surprised to see the two boys back so soon - but they were even moresurprised to see they were alone.
　　‘Where’s Otto?’ asked Dinah.
　　‘Down the well,’ said Kiki. Nobody took any notice of her and she screeched.
　　Jack explained. ‘The plane’s gone - and Otto’s gone - so I suppose they’ve all gone off,disgusted at not being able to get at the treasure. Good riddance to them!’
　　‘Hear! hear!’ said Dinah, very much relieved to know that their enemies were safely out of theway. ‘Well, what are we going to do now?’
　　‘Go and look for the pass,’ said Jack. ‘I’ve got the map Otto drew. What a mercy he gave it tome! We’d never find the pass by ourselves without a map, I’m sure of that. I mean, the pass out ofthese mountains might be anywhere. Apparently there is only one pass, and that’s this one - theWindy Pass. Come on, let’s go. Packed up a few tins, Dinah?’
　　‘Yes,’ said Dinah. ‘Now, where do we go from here? Up or down?’
　　‘Up,’ said Philip, poring over the map that Jack took from his pocket. ‘Up - to where thewaterfall begins - here, look. Then we go along a rocky ledge - see, Otto’s drawn it - then wecome to a thick wood, look - and then up a steep bit to another ledge. Then we come to a properroad - the pass road that I suppose all the people of the valley used when they wanted to leave thisdistrict and visit another. Once we’re on that road I shall feel better.’
　　‘So shall I,’ said Dinah fervently. ‘It will be nice to see a road. We might even see somebodywalking on it.’
　　‘Shouldn’t think so, as we haven’t seen anyone in this valley at all except ourselves and themen,’ said Jack. ‘It strikes me as a bit queer, I must say, to think that although there’s a perfectlygood pass in and out of this lovely valley, it appears to be quite deserted. I wonder why.’
　　‘Oh, I expect there’s a good reason,’ said Dinah. ‘Come on, do let’s go. The first part will beeasy, because we’ve only got to keep near the waterfall.’
　　But it wasn’t quite so easy as she thought, for the mountain cliff was exceedingly steep there,and the children had to do a lot of stiff climbing. Still, they managed it, for their legs were wellused to walking and climbing by now.
　　The waterfall roared by them all the way. It made a terrific noise as it fell, and Lucy-Annthought how nice it would be when they reached the top and didn’t have to listen to quite such acolossal din.
　　After some time they came to where the waterfall began. It gushed out of a great hole in themountainside and fell sheerly down, tumbling against huge rocks on the way. It was really amarvellous sight to see.
　　‘Goodness, it does give me a funny feeling to see that great mass of water coming out of themountain,’ said Lucy-Ann, sitting down. ‘It’s so sudden, somehow.’
　　‘I suppose when the snows melt, and the rain pours down, there is a terrific amount of watersoaking down into the mountaintop,’ said Jack. ‘And it all collects and has to get out somehow.
　　This is one way it gets out - through this hole - making a tremendous waterfall.’
　　‘Where do we go now?’ asked Dinah, who was very impatient to get out of the valley.
　　‘We go up on that rocky ledge,’ said Jack. ‘Golly, it looks a bit narrow - it runs right over thewaterfall! Lucy-Ann, don’t you dare look down, in case you feel giddy.’
　　‘I don’t much feel as if I want to walk along there,’ said poor Lucy-Ann.
　　‘I’ll help you,’ said Jack. ‘You’ll be all right as long as you don’t look down.’
　　They went along the rocky ledge quite safely, Lucy-Ann holding tightly to Jack’s hand. Kikiflew above their heads, squawking encouragement.
　　‘See how they run, see how they run!’ she called, having apparently remembered the secondline of ‘Three Blind Mice.’
　　Lucy-Ann gave a giggle. ‘We’re not exactly running, Kiki,’ she said. ‘Oh, thank goodness theledge has come to an end. Now we go through that wood, don’t we?’
　　Jack looked at his map. ‘Yes - apparently we go straight through. Where’s my compass? I’ll setit so that we walk in a straight line in the direction Otto has put on his map.’
　　They entered the wood. It was a pine wood, rather dark and silent. Nothing grew under the tallpine-trees. The wind blew them and they made a loud whispering noise, which upset Kiki.
　　‘Sh!’ she called. ‘Shhhhhhhhhh!’
　　‘Here’s the end of the wood!’ called Jack. ‘Now for another steep bit to another ledge - andwe’ll look down on the road. Come on, everybody!’
第18章 前往通风道
　　第18章 前往通风道
　　第二天早晨，孩子们小心翼翼地从蕨类植物的叶子中望出去，看看佩皮是否又回来站岗了。但是没有发现他的影子。
　　“我真想知道胡安和路易斯回到他们的小屋，打开门，发现囚犯不见了时，他们是怎么想的。”杰克笑着说，“他们发现囚犯竟然通过一扇锁着的门逃跑了，一定会觉得很不可思议。”
　　“哦，他们会猜我们中有一个人救了他，”黛娜说，“他们一定会发疯的！我真希望他们不会在那个牛棚里找到奥托。不过他可能会把我们供出来。”
　　“奥托不会的，”杰克马上说，“他有一张可靠的脸——有点像比尔的脸，除了没那么强壮。”
　　“我希望比尔能突然到这儿来，”露西安叹气说，“我真的很希望。我知道你们把事情处理得很好，但不知怎么回事，当比尔出现时，我就感到非常安全。”
　　“好吧，但是你现在安全很多了，不是吗？”杰克反问道，“我没有给你找个藏身的好地方吗？”
　　“是的，藏身的地方是很好，”露西安说，“哦，看，菲利普——琪琪在追莉齐！”
　　莉齐从菲利普的腿上爬了出来，而琪琪碰巧坐在他旁边，她高兴地大叫了一声，并啄了它一下——但那只蜥蜴动作有点太快了。它跑进了菲利普的鞋里。
　　“住手，琪琪！”菲利普喝道，“好吧，我们该忙起来啦。”
　　“忙晕，头晕，莉齐晕。”琪琪马上说，孩子们都笑了。
　　“琪琪真的非常聪明，能把听起来押韵的词放在一起，”露西安说，“忙晕，头晕，莉齐晕——我从来没有这样想过。聪明的琪琪！”
　　琪琪尖叫起来，高高竖起她的头冠，把它从一边摇到另一边。当她对自己的表现感到很满意的时候，经常会这么做。
　　“虚荣的鸟！臭美的鸟！”杰克说着，抓了抓她头上的羽毛，“你别去打扰莉齐。她大概是菲利普养过的最无害的宠物了。”
　　“莉齐比那些可怕的大鼠、小鼠、蜘蛛、甲虫和刺猬好多了。”黛娜补充道，“和它们相比，我真的很喜欢莉齐。”
　　“天哪！”露西安惊讶地说，“你有很大的进步，黛娜！”
　　莉齐和琪琪都加入了孩子们的早餐，但是琪琪非常专心地盯着莉齐，确保自己能抢走她想要的食物，让她一点儿也吃不到。吃完早餐之后，孩子们制订了今天的计划。
　　“我们先去找奥托，”杰克说，“我是说菲利普和我去。女孩们，你们没必要来。也许你们可以打包一些罐头给我们，让我们去寻找穿过群山的出路时带着。我们估计要在路上吃一顿饭。”
　　“没错，”黛娜说，“我希望你们找到奥托时，他会有好转。那么，当你们把他带到这儿来的时候，我们吃点东西就可以一起出发。过了山口，我们去找朱利叶斯，设法给母亲和比尔捎个信。也许比尔会驾驶着他的飞机过来。”
　　“也许他会去参加寻宝活动，并且让我们帮忙，”露西安说，“真是一个不错的计划！”
　　这听起来确实很不错。两个男孩出发了，留下了琪琪和女孩们。他们很快地越过了山坡，一路上都小心地提防着佩皮和其他人。
　　但是他们没看到任何人。他们小心翼翼地向牛棚走去。杰克让菲利普守在附近，如果有人过来，就发出警告。然后自己蹑手蹑脚地走到棚子里，偷偷地往里面看。里面一点声音也没有。
　　他站在原地看不见最后一个牛棚。于是他轻轻地走了进去，跨过倒塌的瓦砾。他用很轻的声音喊道：“奥托！我回来了！你好点了吗？”
　　没有回复。杰克怀疑那人是否睡着了。他走到最后一个隔间。
　　它是空的。奥托不在那儿。杰克迅速环顾四周。会发生了什么呢？
　　他看到他昨天给奥托开的那罐肉和水果都没被碰过。奥托什么也没吃。为什么呢？
　　“可恶！一定是那些人发现他离开了小屋，来找他了，”杰克想，“他们在这里发现了他。天哪！他们对他做了什么？我们最好小心一点，以防那些人盯上我们。即使奥托没有把我供出来，他们也一定知道是有人放了他。”
　　杰克回到了菲利普身边。“奥托不见了，”他说，“你敢和我一起去小屋看看吗？我们可能会发现一些线索——比如他们对奥托做了什么。”
　　“咱们可以爬到以前爬过的那棵大树上，”菲利普说，“从上边可以看到飞机的那棵。如果看到他们在飞机附近，我们就知道小屋是安全的；但如果我们认为那些人就在茅屋旁，我们就不应该去冒险。他们可能在等我们回来。如果我们被抓住，女孩们就不知道该怎么办了。”
　　“好吧。我去爬那棵树。”杰克说着，蹿了上去，菲利普紧随其后。他把望远镜带上，用它观察着停放飞机的地方——杰克发出了响亮的呼喊：“天哪！飞机又走了！它不见了！”
　　“不，不会吧，”菲利普惊讶地说，“嗯——这次我可没有听到声音，你呢，杰克？”
　　“嗯，昨晚我半睡半醒的时候，确实听到了一阵噪音，”杰克回答，“是的，现在我想起来了，一定就是那架飞机的声音。我们可能把他们吓跑了。当他们知道其他人在这里——藏在一个他们找不到的地方，还救走了他们的囚犯——他们被吓坏了。”
　　“是的——而且当他们发现自己得不到宝藏。因为坠落的岩石堵住了它的入口，我想他们估计认为待在这里也没什么用，”菲利普说，“他们就放弃了。谢天谢地！现在我们可以回到女孩们的身边，马上去寻找出山谷的通道。说实话，我当时有点担心要把奥托带走，因为照你说的来看，我们可能没法带着他走得很快。而且，如果他的心脏病发作，我们就不知道该怎么办了。”
　　“我想知道他们把他带到哪里去了，”杰克说，“我希望他们发现不能从奥托那里得到任何有价值的信息，能把他带回到他应该待的地方，并给他找个医生。”
　　他们从树上爬下来，赶回到两个女孩的身边。现在该去找出山的通道了。
　　看到两个男孩这么快就回来了，女孩们感到很惊讶，但是让她们更加惊讶的是，只有他们俩回来。
　　“奥托呢？”黛娜问道。
　　“掉井底。”琪琪说。她说完，发现没人注意到自己，便发出了一声尖叫声。
　　杰克解释说：“飞机走了——奥托也不在了——所以我想他们可能都走了，可能是因为无法找到宝藏而放弃了。我们终于摆脱他们了！”
　　“好哇！好哇！”黛娜说，知道他们的敌人已经彻底离开了，不由得舒了一大口气，“那么，我们现在该怎么办呢？”
　　“去找出山的通道，”杰克说，“我有奥托画的地图。谢天谢地，他给了我这张图。如果没有地图，我敢肯定我们永远也找不到通道。我的意思是，这些山的出口可能在任何地方。很明显，只有一条路可以出去，那就是这个——通风道。来吧，我们走吧。黛娜，罐头打包好了吗？”
　　“好了，”黛娜说，“现在，我们往哪个方向走？向上爬，还是向下走？”
　　“向上爬。”菲利普说着，仔细地看了看杰克从口袋里掏出的地图。他分析道：“一直到瀑布开始的这个地方，看！再沿着一面岩壁往前。看，奥托画的，在这儿，然后我们会到达一片茂密的树林，看，从这个陡坡往上走到另一个岩架。我们就会找到一条正确的路，我想这条路是山谷里的人想离开这里去别的地方时所使用的。一旦我们找到了那条路，我就会感觉安心好多。”
　　“我也是，”黛娜热切地说，“能看到一条正确的路真好。我们甚至还可能会在这条路上看到人呢。”
　　“你不应该这样想，因为在这个山谷里除了我们和那些人以外，根本没有其他人的影子，”杰克说，“但是我得说，这也有点奇怪，因为一想到这个漂亮的山谷里有一条这么完美的通道，但山谷又如此荒凉，我想知道为什么。”
　　“哦，我想这是有原因的，”黛娜说，“来吧，我们走吧。第一段路很简单，我们只需要靠近瀑布走。”
　　但是这并不像她想象的那么容易，因为那里的山崖非常陡峭，孩子们不得不进行很多很艰苦的攀爬。最终，他们还是成功了，经过这几天的磨砺，他们已经很习惯跋涉了。
　　瀑布一路咆哮着从他们身边流过。当它落下时，发出了可怕的声音。露西安想，当他们到达山顶的时候，就听不到瀑布湍急的流水声了，那该多好啊！
　　过了一段时间，他们来到瀑布的源头。水流从山坡上的一个大洞里喷出来，以一个很陡的角度掉了下来，撞击在下面巨大的岩石上。这真是一幅奇妙的景象。
　　“天哪，看到那一大堆水突然从山中冒出来，让我有种很奇怪的感受，”露西安坐下来说，“这一切简直太突然了。”
　　“我想，当积雪融化、大雨倾盆时，大量的水就会聚集到山顶上，”杰克说，“所有的水聚集起来后，就一定需要释放。其中一个方式就是通过这个洞——形成一个巨大的瀑布。”
　　“我们现在去哪儿？”黛娜问道，因为她急着要离开山谷。
　　“我们得爬到那块岩架上，”杰克说，“天哪，它看起来有点窄呀——它就在瀑布的右边！露西安，你千万不要往下看，你会头晕的。”
　　“我不太想走到那儿去。”可怜的露西安说。
　　“我会帮你的，”杰克说，“只要你不低头看，就没事了。”
　　他们沿着岩石壁架谨慎地向前挪动，露西安紧紧地抓住杰克的手。琪琪飞到他们头顶上方，大声鼓励着。
　　“看他们怎么跑，看他们怎么跑！”她喊道，显然还记得《三只瞎老鼠》的第二段。
　　露西安咯咯地笑了。“我们不是在跑，琪琪，”她说，“哦，谢天谢地，这块岩石已经走完了。现在我们该穿过那片树林了，对不对？”
　　杰克看了看地图。“是的。显然我们应该直接穿过它。我的指南针在哪？我把它调好，这样可以确保我们沿着奥托在地图上画的方向走一条直线。”
　　他们走进森林。那是一片松林，漆黑而寂静。高高的松树下什么也没有长出来。风吹着它们，发出耳语般的声音，让琪琪心烦意乱。
　　“嘘！”她叫道，“嘘！”
　　“树林的尽头在这里！”杰克叫道，“现在我们得到另一个陡峭的岩架上去了——然后我们再往下看就能看到路了。大家快来吧！”
19 A great disappointment – and a plan
　　19 A great disappointment - and a plan
　　It certainly was a stiff climb again, up the steep, rather stony slope to the ledge they could seesome way above. Lucy-Ann almost cried because her feet kept slipping so.
　　‘I take one step up, and slip two steps back,’ she wailed.
　　‘Well, hang on to me then,’ said Philip, and gave her a tug up each time she took a step.
　　They all wanted a rest when they came to the next ledge, and to their delight they saw a patch ofwild raspberries growing there. They could sit down in the canes and feast as they rested. Lovely!
　　Kiki liked the raspberries very much indeed, and ate so many that Jack called to her.
　　‘Kiki! You’ll go pop!’
　　‘Pop goes the weasel,’ answered Kiki, and helped herself to a few dozen more raspberries.
　　Soon they all felt they could go on again. They were very high up now, and could see evenmore mountains towering behind the ones they knew. It was a most magnificent sight.
　　‘I feel very small and lost somehow, with all those great mountains sitting there,’ said Lucy-Ann, and the others felt the same. ‘Come on - let’s go round the ledge now. We shall soon see theroad. Thank goodness this ledge isn’t narrow. It’s almost wide enough to take a car.’
　　It was not so easy walking round the ledge as Lucy-Ann thought, however, for there had been afall of rocks there, further along, and there was a good deal of scrambling about to be done. Theywere thankful when they had got over the rock-fall and come to smoother ground again.
　　The ledge rounded a bend in the mountainside, and then, quite suddenly, the children saw theroad below them. Yes, it was really a road! They stood and looked at it in delight.
　　‘I never thought I should be so pleased to see a road again,’ said Dinah. ‘The road out of thevalley! The road to Somewhere at last!’
　　‘Look,’ said Lucy-Ann, ‘it winds up from quite a long way down. We can’t see where it goes tofrom here, because it’s hidden round the bend.’
　　‘You can see the pass, the Windy Pass, from here, though,’ said Jack, pointing. ‘See where thismountain and the next almost touch? That’s where the pass must be - fairly high up and awfullynarrow. I bet we’ll have to go through it in single file.’
　　‘No, we won’t,’ said Philip scornfully. ‘It’s bound to be wide enough to take a cart. It onlylooks narrow because we’re far off.’
　　‘Come on, let’s get down to the road,’ said Dinah, and began to climb down to it. They wereabout twenty feet above it.
　　‘I say, isn’t it overgrown with grass and weeds!’ said Jack, astonished. ‘That shows how little ithas been used lately. Strange, isn’t it? You’d think the people would put their only road out of thevalley into some sort of order.’
　　‘It’s jolly peculiar, I think,’ said Philip. ‘Come on - we can at least see it’s a road, even if it isovergrown with weeds.’
　　They walked along the road for some way. It wound upwards always, following long curves inand out on the slopes of the mountain. At last the children could clearly see where the Windy Passmust be, a narrow passage between the two mountains, theirs and the next.
　　It was cold so high up and the wind was very strong. If the children had not been warm withclimbing they would have shivered. As it was, they were all as warm as toast.
　　‘Now - round this next corner - and I bet we shall see the pass!’ cried Jack. ‘Then hurrah forthe way out of this mysterious valley!’
　　They rounded the corner. Yes - there lay the pass - or what must once have been the pass. Butit was a pass no longer.
　　Something had happened. The narrow way between the great mountains was blocked high withgreat rocks and black boulders. It was impassable.
　　At first the four children didn’t quite take it in. They stood and stared in wonder.
　　‘What’s happened there?’ said Jack at last. ‘It looks like an earthquake or something. Did youever see such a terrible mess?’
　　‘Great holes have been blown in the rocky walls on either side of the pass,’ said Philip. ‘Look,even high up there are holes like craters.’
　　They stared in silence, and then Jack turned to the others. ‘Do you know what I think hashappened?’ he said. ‘Well, when enemies were here, fighting, they bombed the pass - and blockedit. All that devastation has been caused by bombs - I’m sure it has.’
　　‘Yes, I think you’re right, Jack,’ said Philip. ‘It’s just what it looks like. Aeroplanes must haveflown just over the pass, and dropped scores of bombs on the narrow road there. It’s absolutelyimpassable.’
　　‘Do you mean - we can’t get out?’ asked Lucy-Ann in a trembling voice. Philip nodded.
　　‘Afraid so,’ he said. ‘Nobody could get over that steep, high, dangerous wall of blown up rocks.
　　This explains why people haven’t come along to live in this valley yet. I suppose most of thoseliving here were killed, and the rest escaped over the pass. Then it was blown up and nobodycould come back. Those men in the plane, Juan and the rest, must have got wind of some treasurehidden in the valley, and thought they would try to enter the place by plane. About the only way toenter it too.’
　　Lucy-Ann sat down and cried. ‘I’m so disappointed,’ she wailed. ‘I thought we were going toescape from this horrid, lonely valley, I really did. But now we’re still prisoners here - and n-n-n-nobody can come in to rescue us!’
　　The others sat down by Lucy-Ann, feeling rather desperate too. They stared hopelessly at theblocked pass. What a terrible blow! Just as they had so hoped they would be able to escape, andget to Julius, and tell him about the treasure.
　　‘Let’s have something to eat,’ suggested Dinah. ‘We’ll feel better then. No wonder we feel a bitdumpy now.’
　　‘Humpy dumpy,’ said Kiki at once. That made them laugh.
　　‘Idiot!’ said Philip. ‘You don’t care about a blocked up pass, do you, Kiki? You could fly over.
　　It’s a pity we can’t tie a message to your leg and send you over to Julius for help.’
　　‘Oooh - couldn’t we do that?’ said Lucy-Ann at once.
　　‘No, silly! For one thing, Kiki would probably tear the message off her leg,’ said Jack, ‘and foranother she’d never know who to go and look for. She’s a clever bird, but not as clever as that.’
　　They felt a lot better after their meal. They ate it with their backs to the blocked pass. Nobodycould bear to look at it.
　　‘I suppose we’ll have to go back to our cave,’ said Dinah at last. ‘Doesn’t seem anything else todo really.’
　　‘No, I suppose there isn’t,’ said Jack rather gloomily. ‘What a sell, isn’t it?’
　　They had a good long rest. The sun was very fierce, but the wind was so strong that they werenever too hot. In fact Lucy-Ann went to a rock that sheltered her from the wind, because she felttoo cool.
　　They started back after their rest. They were not nearly so cheerful and talkative as when theyhad set out that morning. The thought of having to stay in the lonely valley, after having such highhopes of escaping, was very damping to all of them.
　　Lucy-Ann looked so miserable that Jack tried to think of something to cheer her up. He thoughtof something really startling.
　　‘Cheer up, Lucy- Ann,’ he said. ‘Maybe we’ll find the treasure now, to make up for ourdisappointment.’
　　Lucy-Ann stopped and stared at him, thrilled. ‘Really?’ she said. ‘Oh, Jack - yes, let’s look forthe treasure ourselves now!’
　　Everyone stopped and thought about it for a few exciting moments. ‘Well, why not?’ saidPhilip. ‘We can’t get word about it to Julius, because we can’t get over the pass. Those men havegone, and Otto is gone too. There’s only us left. We might as well hunt for the treasure. It wouldbe something exciting to do, to pass away the time.’
　　‘How simply gorgeous!’ cried Dinah. ‘Just what I’ve always wanted to do - hunt for treasure.
　　When shall we start? Tomorrow?’
　　‘I say - suppose we really found it!’ said Philip, looking thrilled. ‘Should we get a share of it, Iwonder?’
　　‘What a good thing Otto gave you the map, Freckles!’ said Dinah to Jack. She always calledhim Freckles when she felt in a very good humour. ‘Let’s have a look at it.’
　　Jack took it out of his pocket. He unfolded the sheet of paper and spread it out. Otto had markedit with compass directions, just as he had marked the map showing the way to the pass.
　　‘See the things he has drawn or printed,’ said Jack. ‘See this funny shaped rock - it’s shapedlike a man in a cloak, with a ball-like head. If we saw that rock, we’d know it was a signpost to thetreasure.’
　　‘And what’s this - a bent tree?’ asked Dinah. ‘Yes, but how are we to know where to look forthem? We can’t go wandering all over the mountainside looking for queer-shaped rocks and benttrees and things.’
　　‘Of course not,’ said Jack. ‘We’d have to begin properly, from the beginning - and thebeginning is the waterfall we know. Otto drew a path from where the cowshed is to the waterfall,see - well, we can start right at the waterfall without bothering about the path. Then, from the topof the fall we must look for that bent tree, and walk to there. Then from the bent tree we look forthis - let’s see, what did he say that was? - oh yes, it’s a stretch of smooth black rock - well, whenwe get there, we look next for a spring of water - and from there we look out for that funnyshaped rock. Then somewhere about there is the treasure.’
　　‘Golly!’ said Lucy- Ann, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. ‘Let’s get back to thewaterfall and start straight away. Come on!’
　　Jack folded up the map and looked round at the three excited faces. He grinned. ‘The treasurewon’t be much use to us, cooped up in this valley as we are,’ he said. ‘But it will be somethingreally thrilling to do.’
　　They set off once again, their minds busy with treasure hunting. If only they could find whatthose men had been looking for and had not found! What would Bill say? He would wish togoodness he had been with them. He always said they fell into adventure after adventure.
　　When they got back to the waterfall, the sun had gone in, and huge black clouds hung over theirmountain. Enormous drops of rain began to fall. The children gazed in disappointment at thelowering sky.
　　‘Blow! said Philip. ‘There’s going to be a rain storm, I should think. No good going off treasurehunting in this. Better get into the cave before we get soaked. Here comes the rain properly!’
　　They only just got into their cosy cave in time. Then the rain pelted down in torrents, and addedits voice to the roar of the waterfall.
　　‘Rain all you like!’ called Jack. ‘But do be sunny tomorrow - we’re going treasure hunting!’
第19章 一个巨大的失望——还有一个计划
　　第19章 一个巨大的失望——还有一个计划
　　这又是一次难度很大的攀登，孩子们需要爬上一个陡峭的、多石的斜坡，才能登上他们看到的在高处的岩架。露西安几乎要哭了，因为她的脚老是在上边滑来滑去。
　　“我向前迈一步，就向后滑两步。”她哭着说。
　　“好吧，那就抓紧我。”菲利普说，每次露西安迈一步，菲利普就拉她一把。
　　当所有人都到达了岩架时，他们都想休息一下，并很高兴地看到那里生长着一片野树莓。他们想坐在藤上，一边休息一边大吃大喝。这多完美呀！琪琪非常喜欢树莓，吃了很多，杰克向她叫着说：“琪琪！再吃，你的肚子会砰地爆炸的！”
　　“砰，去追黄鼠狼。”琪琪回答，又吃了几十个野树莓。
　　很快，他们都觉得自己可以继续攀登了。他们现在已经爬得很高了，能看到更多的山峰。这些山峰比他们之前在山谷里看到的还要高很多。真是壮观的景象啊！
　　“被群山围绕，我觉得自己太渺小了，感觉丢进去就找不到了。”露西安说，其他人也有同感，“来吧——我们再绕着岩架走，很快就能看到路了。谢天谢地，这个岩架并不窄。
　　它几乎宽到可以走车了。”
　　不过，绕着岩架走并不像露西安想象的那么容易，因为再往前走，路上就出现了一些从高处滑落的岩石。两个男孩走在前面，给女孩们寻找一条走起来更安全的路。终于，四个孩子从岩石上爬下来，又回到了平坦的地面上，大家感到十分庆幸。
　　岩架随着山腰拐弯了，下面的路突然出现在四个孩子的视线里。是的，那真是一条路！他们站着，高兴地看着它。
　　“我从来没想到会因为看到一条路而感到这么高兴，”黛娜说，“这就是走出山谷的路！
　　终于有一条通向别的地方的路啦！”
　　“你们看，”露西安说，“这条路从很远的地方蜿蜒着下来。它从这里开始，但是因为隐藏在那个拐弯的地方，所以看不出到哪里结束。”
　　“不过，从这里你可以看到通道，也就是通风道，”杰克指着说，“看到这座山和下一座山几乎连在一起的地方了吗？那一定就是通风道所在的地方——非常高，也非常狭窄。我敢打赌，我们只有排成一列才能穿过它。”
　　“不，不用的，”菲利普轻蔑地说，“它一定很宽，足够走一辆车。只是因为我们离它很远，它才看起来很窄。”
　　“来吧，我们到路上去。”黛娜说着，开始往下爬。他们距离那条路只有二十英尺左右。
　　“我说，这上面都长满了野草，”杰克惊讶地说，“可以看出来最近很少有人走这条路。
　　很奇怪，不是吗？一般人们都会把他们唯一的一条离开山谷的路维护得很好呢。”
　　高山之间那狭窄的道路被巨大的圆形岩石和黑色卵石堵住了。
　　“我想，这真是太奇怪了，”菲利普说，“来吧——虽然这路上长满了杂草，但至少还可以看出它是一条路。”
　　他们沿着这条唯一的路走了一段。它总是蜿蜒向上的，像是一条长长的缠绕在倾斜山坡上的曲线，一会儿往里，一会儿往外。过了一会儿，孩子们终于看清了通风道所在的地方——在他们所在的山和下一座大山之间的一条狭窄通道。
　　天气很冷，而且风很大。好在孩子们一直在爬山，身上始终是暖和的，否则肯定会冷得发抖。事实上，每个人现在都像烤面包一样感觉很温暖。
　　“现在——绕过下一个拐角——我打赌我们会看到那个通道的！”杰克喊道，“咱们现在可以为马上要走出这个神秘山谷欢呼了！”
　　他们消失在山的拐角处。是的，那里有个通道——或者说曾经是一条通道，现在已经不再是了。
　　这里一定发生了什么事。高山之间那狭窄的道路被巨大的圆形岩石和黑色卵石堵住了。孩子们没法越过去。
　　起初，大家都不能接受这个事实。他们站在原地，惊讶地盯着这不可思议的一幕。
　　“到底发生了什么呀？”杰克终于开口了，“看起来像是地震之类的。你以前见过这么糟糕的场面吗？”
　　“在通道两边的石墙上，被炸出了许多大坑，”菲利普说，“看，即使在墙的高处，也有像弹坑一样的东西。”
　　他们默默地看着这景象，然后杰克转向其他人。“你们知道我觉得在这儿发生了什么吗？”他说，“好吧，当敌人还在这里时，一定是在他们炸了它，挡住了这条路。所有的破坏应该都是由炸弹造成的，我敢肯定。”
　　“是的，我想你说得对，杰克，”菲利普说，“看起来就像你说的。飞机一定是在越过山口之后，向狭窄的通道上投下了几十枚炸弹。这儿绝对没有办法通过了。”
　　“你是说，我们出不去了吗？”露西安用颤抖的声音问。菲利普点点头。
　　“恐怕是的，”他说，“没有人能越过这堵陡峭高耸的危险的岩石墙。这就能解释为什么没有别的地方的人来这个山谷生活了。我想大部分住在这里的人都死了，其余的人为了逃命，通过了山口。然后通道就被轰炸了，没人能回来。飞机上的那些人，包括胡安和其他人，一定听说山谷里有宝藏，所以他们就设法坐飞机进入了山谷里。这也是唯一来这儿的办法了。”
　　露西安坐下来哭了起来。“我太失望了，”她哭着说，“我以为我们会逃离这个可怕的、荒无人烟的山谷，我真的以为能顺利逃走。但现在我们还是被困在这里——没——没——没有人能来救我们！”
　　其他人坐在露西安的旁边，也觉得很绝望。他们无助地看着被挡住的通道。这景象对孩子们来说是多么可怕的一击！就在刚才，他们还满怀希望，以为可以逃走，找到朱利叶斯，把宝藏的事告诉他。
　　“我们吃点东西吧，”黛娜建议道，“吃完我们会感觉好些的。现在有点难过，是正常的。”
　　“昏皮敦皮。”琪琪马上说，逗得孩子们开怀大笑。
　　“笨蛋！”菲利普说，“你不在乎这个封闭的通道，是吗，琪琪？你可以飞过去。很遗憾，我们不能把一张字条绑在你的腿上，让你送到朱利叶斯那里寻求帮助。”
　　“哦——我们不能那样做吗？”露西安马上问道。
　　“不能，小傻瓜！首先，琪琪可能会把这字条从她腿上撕下来，”杰克说，“其次，她永远都不知道该去找谁。她是只聪明的鸟，但没有聪明到那个地步。”
　　饱餐一顿之后，四个孩子感觉好多了。他们是背对着那被堵住的通道吃的饭。没人想再看一眼。
　　“我想我们得回山洞里了。”黛娜终于说，“看来真的没有别的事可做了。”
　　“是，我想确实是没什么其他的事能做了，”杰克忧郁地说，“真倒霉，不是吗？”
　　他们好好地休息了一会儿。阳光非常猛烈，但是风也很大，所以感觉不太热。其实，露西安都冷得躲在一块岩石后避风了，因为她觉得太凉了。
　　孩子们休息好后就回去了。他们不像早上出发时那么高兴，话也没那么多。一想到要继续在这荒僻的山谷里待下去，特别是当大家对离开山谷已经产生了很大的希望之后，刚才的一切让所有的人都感到很沮丧。
　　露西安看上去很痛苦，杰克试图想用点儿什么方法让她高兴起来。这时，他想到了一个惊人的主意。
　　“振作起来，露西安，”他说，“也许我们现在可以去寻宝，弥补我们的失望。”
　　露西安停下了脚步，盯着杰克，激动万分。“真的吗？”她说，“噢，杰克——太好了，让我们去寻宝吧！”
　　每个人都激动地停了下来，想了一会儿。“好主意，为什么不呢？”菲利普说，“因为我们无法越过这条路的路口，所以不能把这个消息传递给朱利叶斯。那些人走了，奥托也走了。只剩下我们了。我们不妨去寻找宝藏。这将是一件令人兴奋的事情，反正我们有的是时间。”
　　“太完美了！”黛娜叫道，“这正是我一直想做的——寻找宝藏。我们什么时候开始？明天吗？”
　　“我说——假设我们真的找到了它！”菲利普激动地说，“我想知道，那个宝藏的话，我们可以分一杯羹吗？”
　　“奥托给了你地图，这真是太好了，小雀斑！”黛娜对杰克说。她心情好的时候，总叫他小雀斑。“让我们看一看。”
　　杰克把地图从口袋里拿了出来。他打开那张纸，把它摊开。奥托在上面标了东西南北，就像他在地图上标出了通往山口的路一样。
　　“看看他画的东西，”杰克说，“看看这个形状古怪的石头，它的形状像一个披着斗篷的人，脑袋像球一样。如果我们看到那块石头，就会知道它是宝藏的路标。”
　　“这是什么？一棵弯弯的树？”黛娜问道，“是的，但是我们怎么知道去哪里找呢？我们不能像无头苍蝇一样乱找，到处寻找形状古怪的岩石、弯曲的树木和其他路标。”
　　“当然不，”杰克说，“我们得妥善地从起点开始找图上的标志——这个起点就是我们的瀑布。奥托画了一条从牛棚到瀑布的路径，我们可以从瀑布开始，不用担心那条路具体怎么走。然后，我们必须从瀑布的顶端去找那棵弯弯的树，设法到达那里。我们再从弯弯的树上找到这个。让我们看看，他说那是什么？哦，是的，那是一片光滑的黑色岩石。嗯，当我们到达那里时，我们再寻找下一个，也就是泉水，从那里我们再寻找奇异的岩石。在那附近的某个地方就会有宝藏。”
　　“天哪！”露西安说，她的眼睛几乎要从头上飞出来，“让我们回到瀑布那里，直接开始。来吧！”
　　杰克把地图折起来，看了看身边那三张激动的脸。他咧嘴一笑。“像我们这样被困在这个山谷里，宝藏对我们来说用处不大，”他说，“但这肯定会是一件非常令人兴奋的事情。”
　　他们又出发了，他们的脑子里只有寻宝。要是他们能找到那些人一直在寻找却没有找到的东西就好了！比尔会说什么呢？他会很想自己和他们在一起探险的。他经常说他们总是忙于一次又一次的冒险。
　　当他们回到瀑布的时候，太阳已经不见了，巨大的乌云笼罩着四周的群山。豆大的雨点开始落下。孩子们失望地望着变暗的天空。
　　“可恶！”菲利普说，“看起来要有暴风雨了。这下可没法寻找宝藏了。我们最好在被雨淋透之前回到山洞。呀，雨来了！”
　　他们在最后一刻进入了舒适的山洞。很快，大雨倾盆而下，伴随的是瀑布的吼声。
　　“想下多少就下多少！”杰克说，“但明天一定要阳光灿烂——因为我们要去寻宝啦！”
20 Signposts to the treasure
　　20 Signposts to the treasure
　　They slept very soundly indeed that night, for they were tired out. The rain fell all night long, buttowards dawn the clouds cleared away, and the sky, when the sun rose, was a clear pale blue.
　　Lucy-Ann liked it very much when she parted the soaking fern fronds and looked out.
　　‘Everything’s newly washed and clean, even the sky,’ she said. ‘Lovely! Just look!’
　　‘Just the day for a treasure hunt,’ said Jack. ‘I hope this sun will dry the grass quickly, or weshall get our feet soaked.’
　　‘Good thing we brought so many tins out of the men’s hut,’ said Dinah, reaching down two orthree. ‘Are there still some in that bush where we first hid them, Jack?’
　　‘Plenty,’ said Jack. ‘I took one or two to open for Otto the day before yesterday, but there areheaps left. We can go and get them some time.’
　　They tied back the fern fronds and ate their breakfast sitting at the front of the cave, looking outon the far mountains, backed by the sky, which was now turning a deeper blue.
　　‘Well, shall we set off?’ said Jack, when they had finished. ‘Kiki, take your head out of that tin.
　　You know it’s completely empty.’
　　‘Poor Kiki!’ said Kiki. ‘What a pity!’
　　They all scrambled out of the cave. Things were certainly drying fast in the hot summer sun.
　　‘Look, those rocks are steaming!’ said Lucy-Ann in surprise, pointing to some nearby rocks. Sothey were. They looked most peculiar with the steam rising up.
　　‘Better take some food with us,’ said Jack. ‘Got some, Dinah?’
　　‘Of course,’ said Dinah. ‘We can’t come all the way back here for food.’
　　‘We’ve got to get to where the waterfall begins, just as we did yesterday,’ said Jack. ‘Followme, all of you. I know the way.’
　　They soon stood at the top of the waterfall, and once more watched the great gush of watersurge out from the heart of the mountain. It seemed twice as big and turbulent as the day before.
　　‘Well, I suppose the underground water has been swelled up because of last night’s rain,’ saidPhilip. ‘And so the waterfall is bigger and stronger.’
　　‘Yes, that’s the reason,’ said Jack, raising his voice to a shout because of the noise of the water.
　　‘Kiki, stop screeching in my ear.’
　　The waterfall excited Kiki, and she made a terrible noise that morning. Jack would not have heron his shoulder after a while, because of her screeches. She flew off in a huff.
　　‘Now, what about that bent tree?’ said Dinah, remembering. By this time they were standing alittle way above the beginning of the waterfall. ‘I can’t see any bent tree at all!’
　　‘Oh, golly - don’t say there isn’t a bent tree!’ groaned Jack, looking this way and that, all roundand about and above his head. ‘Gosh, there doesn’t seem to be one, does there?’
　　There didn’t. What few trees they could see were perfectly straight. Then Lucy-Ann gave a cryand pointed downwards. ‘There it is, isn’t it? - just below us, on the other side of the waterfall.
　　Look!’
　　They all went to stand by Lucy-Ann, and looked. She was right. On the other side of the fall,some way below them, was a curiously bent tree. It was a birch tree, and why it should havegrown so bent over was a puzzle. The wind was no stronger there than anywhere else. Anyway, itwas decidedly bent and that was all that mattered.
　　They crossed above the beginning of the waterfall, clambering over the rocks, and thenscrambled down on the other side of the fall. They reached the bent tree at last.
　　‘First signpost,’ said Jack.
　　‘No second,’ said Dinah. ‘The waterfall is really the first.’
　　‘Well, second then,’ said Jack. ‘Now for the third - a big stretch of flat black rock - a wall of it,I should think.’
　　They all looked in every direction for a stretch of black rock. This time it was Jack’s keen eyesthat spotted it. It was some way off, and looked difficult to reach, for it meant climbing along thesteep face of the mountainside, which just there was very cliff-like.
　　Still, it had to be done, so they set off. It was easier after the first stretch, for there were all kindsof plants and bushes firmly rooted in the sloping cliff, and these could be used as handholds orfootholds. Jack helped Lucy-Ann along, but Dinah scorned Philip’s help, especially as she knewhe had the lizard somewhere about him.
　　It took them at least half an hour of stiff scrambling and climbing to reach the wall of blackrock, though actually, in distance, it was not so very far. They stood by the rock, panting.
　　‘Funny shiny black rock,’ said Jack, running his fingers over the smooth surface. ‘Wonder whatit is.’
　　‘Oh, never mind,’ said Dinah, impatient to get on. ‘What’s our next signpost? This is the third.’
　　‘A spring of water,’ said Philip. ‘Isn’t that right, Jack - or shall we look at the map?’
　　‘No - I know it by heart,’ said Jack. ‘A spring of water is next. Not that I can see one at all -though I wish I could because I could do with a drink after that hot scramble. My hands are filthyand so are my knees.’
　　‘Yes, we could all do with a jolly good wash now,’ said Philip. ‘A good old rub and a scrub.’
　　‘Rubbenascrub,’ said Kiki, and went off into one of her dreadful cackles.
　　‘Stop it, Kiki,’ said Jack. ‘I’ll give you a rubbenascrub in a minute.’
　　There was no spring of water to be seen. Lucy-Ann began to look very disappointed.
　　‘Cheer up!’ said Jack. ‘We may not be able to see the spring from this wall of rock - but we cansurely find it if it’s anywhere near.’
　　‘Let’s listen,’ suggested Dinah.
　　So they stood perfectly still and listened. ‘Shhhhhh!’ said Kiki annoyingly.
　　Jack smacked her on the beak. She gave a dismal squawk and sat silent. And, in the silence ofthe peaceful mountainside, the children heard the tinkle-tinkle of water - a merry, gurgling noise,cheerful and friendly.
　　‘I can hear it!’ cried Lucy-Ann in delight. ‘It comes from somewhere over there.’
　　She leapt across to a little thicket of trees, and there, hidden deep in the flower-strewn grass,bubbled a clear spring, trickling down the hillside, a tiny stream of crystal cold water.
　　‘It starts just up there, look,’ said Jack, and pointed to a big bush. The spring bubbled out frombelow the bush. ‘Fourth signpost!’
　　‘Now for the fifth - and last!’ said Lucy-Ann excited. ‘Oooh - do you honestly think we aregetting near to the treasure? It’s really not very far from our waterfall cave. I thought I could hearthe faint, distant roar of the fall when I stood listening for the gurgling of the spring.’
　　‘I thought I could too,’ said Dinah. ‘Now, what do we look for next?’
　　‘The oddly shaped rock,’ said Jack. ‘You know - like a man in a long cloak, with a round headat the top.’
　　‘Easy!’ said Philip triumphantly, and pointed upwards. ‘There it is - quite clear against thesky!’
　　They all looked up. Philip was right. There stood the curious-shaped rock, easy to see againstthe sky.
　　‘Come on!’ said Jack excitedly. ‘Up we go! Come along, treasure hunters!’
　　They climbed up to where the odd-shaped rock stood. Other rocks lay about, but this one wasmuch taller, and, because of its height and shape, it stood out among the others.
　　‘Our last signpost!’ said Jack. ‘And now - where’s the treasure?’
　　Ah, yes - where was the treasure? Lucy-Ann looked about the hillside as if she half expected itto be strewn there. The others began to search for a cave opening. But nobody could find anything.
　　‘Why didn’t you ask Otto exactly where to find the treasure, after coming to the last signpost?’
　　complained Dinah, tired and disappointed, coming over to Jack.
　　‘Well, I didn’t know we were going to look for it, silly, did I?’ said Jack. ‘I thought JuliusMuller was going to take charge of the treasure hunt. No doubt if he got as far as this he’d knowwhere the treasure was all right.’
　　‘Well, it’s most awfully disappointing to come all this way, and read the map so well, and thennot find a thing,’ said Dinah, who was cross and tired. ‘I’m fed up. I shan’t hunt any more. Youcan all go on looking if you like, but I’m going to have a rest.’
　　She flung herself down, and lay flat, looking upwards at the steep mountainside above her. Itwas ridged with flat slabs of rock, sticking out here and there like ledges. Dinah examined themlazily with her eyes. Then she sat up suddenly.
　　‘Hi!’ she called to the others. ‘Look up there!’
　　They came over to her and looked up. ‘See those big ledges of rock sticking out all the way upthe cliff-side?’ she said. ‘Like shelves. Well, look halfway up - see one that sticks out rather far?
　　Look underneath it. Is that a hole there?’
　　‘It does look rather like a hole,’ said Jack. ‘Maybe a fox- hole, though. Still, it’s the onlysizeable hole hereabouts, so we’d better explore. I’ll go up. Coming, Tufty?’
　　‘Rather,’ said Philip. ‘It doesn’t look difficult. Aren’t you two girls coming too?’
　　Dinah forgot that she was fed up, and she joined in the climb to the hole under the ledge ofrock. When they got there they found that it was a very big hole indeed. It could not possibly beseen from above, for the shelf of rock stuck right out over it and hid it. It could only be seen fromone place below, at a certain angle - and that was the place where Dinah had flung herself downsome time back.
　　‘Bit of luck you happened to spot it, Dinah,’ said Jack. ‘We might have hunted all day andnever found it. I wonder if this is the entrance to the real treasure cave.’
　　They peered down. The hole yawned below them, dark and appearing rather vast. ‘Where’s mytorch?’ said Jack, and, taking it from his pocket, he switched it on.
　　The children gazed down into the hole. It seemed nothing but a hole. No treasure was there.
　　But, as Jack swung his torch a little further down, Dinah thought she caught sight of a passagefurther back.
　　‘I believe,’ she said, almost falling into the hole in her excitement, ‘I do believe it goes rightback, into a passage.’
　　Kiki flew off Jack’s shoulder and disappeared into the hole. A mournful voice floated up tothem.
　　‘What’s down there, Kiki?’ called Jack.
　　‘Three blind mice,’ answered Kiki, solemnly and untruthfully. ‘Three blind mice. Pop!’
　　‘You’re a fibber,’ said Jack. ‘Anyway - down we go to find the . . .’
　　‘Three blind mice,’ said Kiki, and went off into an imitation of Lucy-Ann’s giggle.
第20章 宝藏的路标
　　第20章 宝藏的路标
　　那天晚上，所有的孩子都睡得很香，因为他们白天都累坏了。雨下了一整夜，直到黎明，乌云散去，天空才晴朗了起来，当太阳升起时，天空是一片清澈的淡蓝色。露西安拨开被雨淋湿的蕨类植物的叶子，向外张望，看到了此刻美妙的蓝天。她很喜欢眼前的一切。
　　“所有的东西都被雨水冲洗干净了，包括天空，”露西安说，“太美妙了！快看看！”
　　“今天真是寻宝的好日子，”杰克说，“我希望太阳能很快地把草晒干，不然我们的鞋在草地里走就要湿透了。”
　　“幸好我们从那两个男人的茅屋里弄了这么多罐头，”黛娜说着，把手伸向放在地上的罐头，拿了两三个，“我们最开始的时候在灌木丛里藏了一些罐头。杰克，那边还有没吃的罐头吗？”
　　“很多，”杰克说，“前天我拿了两个罐头给奥托，当时那里还剩下一堆呢。我们可以找个时间去把它们都拿回来。”
　　他们把蕨类植物的叶子捆起来，坐在洞前吃早饭，眺望着远方的群山。山背后的天空此刻变得更深了。
　　“那么，我们出发吧。”大家吃完早饭之后，杰克提议，“琪琪，把头从罐子里拿出来。
　　你知道它已经都空了。”
　　“可怜的琪琪！”琪琪说，“真遗憾！”
　　孩子们都爬出了山洞。在炎炎夏日的阳光下，地上的水很快就干透了。“瞧，那些岩石在冒热气呢！”露西安指着附近的岩石惊讶地说。她说得对，确实有热气从那些石头表面升起来。孩子们看到蒸气上升的时候，觉得这一幕很特别。
　　“我们今天最好带点食物，”杰克说，“黛娜，你带上了吗？”
　　“当然！”黛娜说，“我们不能大老远回来找吃的。”
　　“就像我们昨天计划的那样，我们首先必须到达瀑布的源头。”杰克说，“你们都跟着我走。我知道路。”
　　很快，孩子们就站在了瀑布的顶端，再一次看到阵阵水流从山的中心涌出。水流似乎比前一天的还大两倍，也比前一天的更汹涌澎湃。
　　“好吧，我想是因为昨晚下的雨，地下水也增加了，”菲利普说，“所以瀑布越来越大，水的流速也越来越快。”
　　“是的，就是因为这个。”杰克大声地说。水的声音太大，他不得不提高了嗓门，大喊大叫：“琪琪，别在我耳边尖叫了。”
　　瀑布的声音让琪琪很兴奋，那天早上她发出了可怕的声音。因为这个，杰克在一段时间里都没让她待在自己的肩膀上。琪琪怒气冲冲地飞走了。
　　“那么，那棵弯弯的树呢？”黛娜问，她记住了树这个标志。这时，他们正站在离瀑布稍远的地方。“我根本看不见任何弯弯的树！”
　　“噢，天哪——别说没有一棵弯曲的树！”杰克呻吟着四处张望，也抬起头看来看去，“天哪，这儿好像真的没有，是不是？”
　　孩子们所站的地方确实没有弯弯的树。他们能看到的几棵树都是笔直的。突然，露西安叫了一声，朝下面指了指：“在那儿，是不是？就在我们下面，在瀑布的另一边。看！”
　　其他几个人全都站在露西安的旁边，看着她指的方向。她说的是对的。在瀑布的另一边，在他们下面的某个地方，有一棵弯得很奇怪的树。那是一棵桦树，为什么它长得那么弯，这简直是一个谜。那里的风也不比别的地方强。不管怎么说，那树确实是弯的，这才是最重要的。
　　四个孩子越过瀑布的源头，爬过岩石，下来后，来到了瀑布的另一边。他们终于找到了那棵弯弯的树。
　　“寻宝路上的第一个路标。”杰克说。
　　“这不是第一个，这是第二个，”黛娜说，“瀑布才是第一个。”
　　“那么，好吧，这是第二个。”杰克说，“接着该找第三个了，一大块平坦的黑色岩石。
　　我觉得那是岩石形成的一堵墙。”
　　所有人开始四下张望起来，想找一块黑色的岩石。这次是杰克敏锐的眼睛发现了它。
　　它离孩子们有一段距离，看起来很难到达，因为这意味着要沿着陡峭如悬崖般的山坡往上爬。
　　不过，这件事必须要做，所以他们还是出发了。走完前面的一小段路之后就容易多了，因为倾斜的山坡上生长着各种各样的植物和灌木，这些植物和灌木牢牢地扎根在陡峭的山坡上，它们可以用作攀爬时的支撑点。在攀爬这里时，杰克帮助了露西安，但黛娜却对菲利普提供的帮助不屑一顾，尤其是当她知道蜥蜴会在菲利普身上的某个地方的时候。
　　他们花了至少半个小时才艰难地爬上了黑色的岩壁，但实际上，那棵弯弯的树到这块黑色岩石的距离并不遥远。他们站在岩石旁，呼呼地喘着粗气。
　　“这真是个有趣又闪亮的黑色岩石，”杰克说，他的手指在石头那光滑的表面上滑动着，“真想知道这表面上是什么。”
　　“哦，别想了，”黛娜说，迫不及待地想爬上去，“我们的下一个路标是什么？这已经是第三个了。”
　　“一股泉水，”菲利普回答，“我说得对吧，杰克？还是我们再看一下地图？”
　　“不用啦，我已经记在心里了，”杰克说，“下一个就是泉水。但是站在这里，我看不见它——尽管我真希望自己能看见，因为在这艰难的攀爬之后我太想喝点儿水了。我的手很脏，我的膝盖也很脏。”
　　“是的，我们现在应该好好洗洗身上蹭脏的地方了，”菲利普说，“得好好洗一洗。”
　　“洗洗摩擦。”琪琪说着，同时发出一阵可怕的咯咯笑声。
　　“住口，琪琪，”杰克说，“我马上给你来一份洗洗摩擦。”
　　可这里并没有泉水。露西安开始显得很失望。
　　“打起精神来！”杰克说，“这堵岩石墙上是没有泉水，但如果它离我们不远的话，我们肯定能找到。”
　　“听！”黛娜建议道。
　　其他三个人听到黛娜的话后都静静地站着，准备侧耳聆听。“嘘！”琪琪略感烦人地说。
　　杰克拍了拍她的嘴。她发出凄厉的叫声，便静静地坐着了。宁静的山坡上，孩子们听到了潺潺的流水声——那是愉快的、汩汩的、欢快的、友好的声音。
　　“我能听到它！”露西安高兴地叫道，“它在那边的某个地方。”
　　她纵身跃进一片小树丛，清澈的泉水在撒满鲜花的草丛里潺潺地流淌，还有一股晶莹清凉的溪流从山坡上流下来。
　　“看，泉水就是从那儿开始的。”杰克说着，指向一个大灌木丛。泉水从灌木下面冒出来。“第四个路标！”
　　“现在是第五个，也是最后一个！”露西安兴奋地说，“哦——你觉得我们真的离宝藏越来越近了吗？它离我们的瀑布洞不远。当我站在这里聆听泉水的潺潺声时，我觉得我能听到遥遥传来的瀑布的微弱的咆哮声。”
　　“我想我也听到了，”黛娜说，“现在，我们接下来要找什么？”
　　“好奇怪的石头，”杰克说，“你知道的，它就像一个披着长斗篷、长着圆脑袋的人。”
　　“简单！”菲利普得意扬扬地说着，指着天空，“就在那儿——在天空的衬托下，相当清晰！”
　　另外三个孩子都抬起头来。菲利普说的是正确的。那里立着一块形状奇特的岩石，在天空的映衬下，很容易看到它。
　　“来吧！”杰克兴奋地说，“我们走吧！过来这里，寻宝者们！”
　　他们爬上了那块奇怪岩石所在的地方。和周围其他的岩石比起来，这块石头要高得多，而且由于高度和形状，它在其他岩石中显得很突出。
　　“我们最后的路标！”杰克说，“现在，宝藏在哪儿呢？”
　　啊，是的——宝藏在哪里？露西安在山坡上看了看，好像她指望着宝藏就散落在那里。其他人开始寻找一个山洞的入口。但没人能找到任何类似的洞口。
　　“你当时为什么不问问奥托到底会在什么地方找到宝藏呢？”黛娜又累又失望地向杰克抱怨道。
　　“好吧，我当时不知道我们要来寻宝，我是不是个傻瓜？”杰克埋怨自己，“我还以为朱利叶斯•穆勒负责寻宝呢。毫无疑问，如果他走到这里的话，他就会知道宝藏在哪里了。”
　　“好吧，这样一来，我实在是太失望了，已经按照地图找来了，但却什么也找不到，”黛娜说，她又累又生气，“我受够了。我再也不找了。如果你们愿意的话，你们可以继续找，但我要休息一下。”
　　说完，她扑通一声躺在地上，望着上方那陡峭的山坡。山坡的脊是由平坦的石板构成的，像山脊一样在各个位置凸起。黛娜懒洋洋地打量着它们，突然坐了起来。
　　“嗨！”她对其他人喊道，“看那里！”
　　他们聚拢到她身边，抬起头来。“看到那些从悬崖边一直伸出来的大石头了吗？”她说，“就像一个货架。嗯，往那上边中间的地方看——看到一个往外伸出很长的东西了吗？
　　看那下面。那是一个洞吗？”
　　“它看起来确实像个洞，”杰克说，“不过，也许只是一个狐狸窝。不过，这是附近唯一的一个大洞，所以我们最好去看看。我要去。草丛头，你也一起来？”
　　“当然啦，”菲利普说，“我觉得这路看起来并不困难。你们两个女孩子也来吗？”
　　黛娜忘记了自己此时已经累坏了，也爬上了岩石，往下面的洞走去。到达那里后，他们发现那确实是一个很大的洞。从上面是看不见的，因为那块伸出来的岩石正好挡住了它，把它藏了起来。人们只能从下面的一个地方，以一定的角度才能发现它——就是黛娜刚才躺下的地方。
　　“真幸运，黛娜，你碰巧发现了它，”杰克说，“否则我们可能要花一整天来找这个洞，还找不到它。我不知道这是不是真正的宝藏的入口。”
　　他们的视线都集中在洞里。洞像是在孩子们的身下裂开了，里面漆黑一片，看上去感觉空间很大。“我的手电筒在哪里？”杰克说着，从口袋里掏出手电筒，按下了开关。
　　孩子们向下凝视着洞。它似乎只是一个洞。没有宝藏。但当杰克把他的手电筒往下一挥时，黛娜觉得自己看到了一条通向更远处的通道。
　　“我相信，”她说，激动得几乎要掉到洞里去了，“我相信它会通向另一条通道。”
　　琪琪从杰克的肩膀上飞下来，消失在洞里。一个悲伤的声音飘向他们。
　　“那里是什么？琪琪。”杰克。
　　“三只瞎老鼠，”琪琪没有按照事实严肃地回答，“三只瞎老鼠。砰！”
　　“你是个说谎的家伙，”杰克说，“不管怎样，我们下去找……”
　　“三只瞎老鼠。”琪琪说，同时模仿着露西安的傻笑飞走了。
21 The strange caves
　　21 The strange caves
　　Jack went down the hole first. He lowered himself right in, and only had to drop about a foot to theground below.
　　‘Lucy-Ann, you come next,’ he said, and helped her down. Then came the others, excited andeager. Had they really found the treasure cave?
　　‘It simply must be the hiding place for the treasure!’ said Jack. ‘There isn’t another hole or caveanywhere. Now, let me flash my torch round a bit.’
　　At the back of the hole, as Dinah had thought, there was a passage - quite a wide one, and fairlyhigh. A very tall man could have walked down it with ease.
　　‘Come on!’ said Jack, his voice shaking with excitement. ‘We’re getting warm!’
　　They followed him down the passage, Kiki sitting on his shoulder. Lucy-Ann held on to hissleeve, half fearful of what they might find.
　　The passage was wide and high all the way along, but wound about a little. It went downwards,and kept more or less in the same direction, for all its windings - that is, towards the heart of themountain.
　　Suddenly the passage came to an abrupt end. Jack paused, and gasped. In front of him was amost extraordinary sight.
　　His torch shone brightly on to an unending mass of brilliant columns, hanging from the highroof of a cave. Whatever could they be?
　　Lucy-Ann clutched his arm and gasped too. She stared at the shining white things. She saw thatother white columns were growing up from the floor of the cave too. Some had met the hangingones, and had joined, so that it seemed as if the cave roof was being supported by pillars.
　　‘Jack! What is it? Is it the treasure?’ whispered Lucy-Ann.
　　‘It’s icicles, isn’t it?’ said Dinah in an awed tone. ‘I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in mylife! Look at them hanging down - so still and white and lovely!’
　　‘No - they’re not icicles,’ said Jack. ‘They are stalactites - at least, the hanging ones are.
　　They’re not made of ice, either - but of limestone, I think. My word - what a sight!’
　　The children stood quite still and gazed their fill at the silent, beautiful cave. Its roof was as highas a cathedral, and the graceful stalactites hung down from it in dozens, gleaming in the light ofJack’s torch.
　　‘The ones growing up from the floor are stalagmites, I think,’ said Jack. ‘Aren’t they, Philip?
　　Do you know anything about them? I’ve never in my life seen anything like this before!’
　　‘Yes - they’re stalagmites,’ said Philip. ‘I remember seeing pictures of them. Stalactites andstalagmites. Gosh, what a sight!’
　　Kiki tried to say the two words and couldn’t. Even she seemed to be awed by the amazing andunexpected discovery.
　　‘Oh, look!’ said Lucy-Ann suddenly, and pointed to what looked like an old, old shawl carvedin ivory. ‘Look - this has grown here too - it’s just like a shawl - even to the pattern in it! Andlook at that sort of gate over there - all carved too! Surely somebody made them - surely theydidn’t just grow!’
　　‘Well - they formed,’ said Jack, trying to explain. ‘You know - just as the crystals in asnowflake form. They don’t grow because they’re not alive - they form.’
　　Lucy- Ann couldn’t quite understand. Secretly she thought that all the marvellous hangingpillars had grown, and then got frozen in their beauty.
　　I thought this must be the treasure!’ she said, half laughing.
　　‘I’m not surprised,’ said Jack. ‘It’s too beautiful for words. Fancy finding a cave like this! It’slike an enormous underground cathedral - it just wants an organ to begin playing a grand andmagnificent hymn.’
　　‘There’s a kind of path down the middle,’ said Dinah. ‘I don’t know if it’s just a natural path,Jack, or whether it has been made by man. Do you see what I mean?’
　　‘Yes,’ said Jack, flashing his torch along it. ‘Bit of both, I think. Well - shall we go on? There’sno treasure here.’
　　They went along the middle of the great silent hall, surrounded on all sides by the hangingicicle-like pillars. Lucy-Ann pointed out many that had joined with columns growing from theground.
　　‘The drops of water from the stalactites must have dripped to the ground, and made stalagmitesform there, growing up to meet the column above,’ said Philip. ‘They must have taken ages andages to form - hundreds of years. I say - no wonder this cave feels awfully old to us. I feel as ifthere is no Time here at all - no years, or days of the week or hours - just nothing.’
　　Lucy-Ann didn’t like that very much. It gave her a strange feeling of being only a dream, andnot real. She took hold of Jack’s arm and was glad to feel its nice, solid warmth.
　　They walked slowly to the end of the enormous cave. A great archway stood there, and that toowas set with stalactites, which, however, did not hang far down. The children could walk underthem with ease.
　　‘This archway is quite like a tunnel,’ said Philip. His voice sounded big and hollow there andmade them all jump. Kiki gave a mournful cough, which was magnified to a hollow, giant coughthat startled everyone very much.
　　They came to another cave. The roof of this was not so high as the one before, and only small,icicle-like stalactites hung from it.
　　‘Do those stalactites shine in the dark?’ asked Dinah suddenly. ‘I thought I saw somethingglowing in the corner over there.’
　　Jack switched off his torch - and immediately the children gasped. For up in the roof and overthe walls there glowed thousands of tiny stars. They were green and blue, and shone and flickeredin a most enchanting manner.
　　‘Gracious! What are they?’ whispered Dinah, amazed. ‘Are they alive?’
　　The boys didn’t know. They watched the shimmering flickering stars, that seemed to go in andout like elfin lights. ‘Might be a kind of glowworm,’ said Jack. ‘Aren’t they lovely?’
　　He put on his torch again and the roof shone brightly in the yellow-white light. The starsdisappeared.
　　‘Oh, do put your torch out!’ begged Lucy-Ann. ‘I want to watch those stars a bit longer. I neversaw anything so fascinating in my life! They shine like phosphorescence - all blue and green andgreen and blue; look how they flicker off and on. Oh, I wish I could take a hundred back with meand put them on my bedroom ceiling at home!’
　　The others laughed, but they too thought that the shining, flickering stars were most entrancingto watch. Jack did not put on his torch again until each had gazed his fill.
　　‘That’s two simply wonderful caves,’ said Lucy-Ann with a sigh. ‘What will the next one be? Ireally do feel as if we’d discovered Aladdin’s Cave, or something like that!’
　　A long passage, leading downwards, led out of the cave of stars, as Lucy-Ann named it.
　　‘We found a cave of echoes, a cave of stalactites and a cave of stars,’ she said. ‘I like this part ofour adventure. Now I’d like to find a cave of treasure.’
　　The tunnel they were in was wide and high like the first passage they had entered. Jack’s torchsuddenly shone brightly on something on the floor. He stopped.
　　‘Look at that!’ he said. ‘What is it?’
　　Dinah bent to pick it up. ‘It’s a brooch,’ she said. A brooch without its pin. The pin’s gone. Itmust have broken and the brooch fell off whoever was wearing it. Isn’t it perfectly lovely?’
　　It certainly was. It was a large gold brooch, about three inches wide, set with brilliant redstones, as red as blood.
　　‘Are they rubies?’ said Dinah in awe. ‘Look how they glow! Oh, Jack, do you think this is a bitof the treasure?’
　　‘Probably,’ said Jack, and at once excitement caught hold of the children again, and their heartsbegan to beat fast. A ruby brooch, set in carved gold! What would the other treasure be?
　　Wonderful visions arose in the children’s minds and they stumbled on their way eagerly their eyessearching the ground for any other gleaming jewel.
　　‘If we could find a cave of jewels,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Oooooh - all gleaming like stars and suns!
　　That’s what I would love.’
　　‘We might find something like that,’ said Dinah. ‘If we do, I shall deck myself from head tofoot with them and pretend I’m a princess.’
　　The passage went on and on, still leading downwards, but, when Jack looked at his compass, hesaw that he was no longer going into the heart of the mountain, but in the opposite direction. Hehoped they wouldn’t suddenly come out into the daylight without finding the cave of treasure.
　　Suddenly they came to steps that led downwards. They were carved out of the solid rock, steep,wide steps that curved as the passage curved.
　　‘Almost a spiral stairway,’ said Jack. ‘Where are we coming to now?’
　　There were about twenty of the steps. Then came an enormous door, made of some kind of stoutwood, set with iron studs. The children stood and stared at it.
　　A door! What was behind it? Was it locked and bolted? Who had put it there, and why? Was itto shut in the treasure cave and guard it?
　　There was no handle to turn. There was not even a lock to be seen. There were great bolts, butthese were not shot into place.
　　‘How can you open a door without a handle?’ said Jack in despair. He pushed at the door, but itremained quite firm.
　　‘Kick it, like we did the door of the hut,’ said Philip, and Jack kicked it hard. But the door didnot open.
　　They stared at it in despair. To come so far and then to be stopped by a door! It was too bad.
　　Jack shone his torch all over the door, from top to bottom.
　　Lucy-Ann’s sharp eyes noticed something. ‘See that iron stud?’ she said, pointing. ‘It’s muchbrighter than the others. I wonder why.’
　　Jack shone his torch on it, and saw that it was slightly bigger than the others - and also, asLucy-Ann said, it was brighter, as if it had had some handling.
　　He pressed it. Nothing happened. He banged on it with a stone. No result at all.
　　‘Let me try,’ said Philip, and pushed Jack aside. ‘Shine your torch on it closely. That’s right.’
　　Philip took hold of the iron stud and shook it. It seemed to give a little. He shook it again.
　　Nothing happened. Then he thought of twisting it.
　　It twisted round very easily indeed. There was a loud click - and the door swung slowly open.
　　Jack switched off his torch, afraid that anyone in the cave might see them - though if anyone hadbeen there surely they would have heard the bangs and kicks at the door.
　　The door now stood wide open. A dim light shone beyond, showing another cave. Lucy-Annclutched Jacks arm in fright.
　　‘It’s full of people,’ she whispered. ‘Look!’
第21章 几个奇怪的洞穴
　　第21章 几个奇怪的洞穴
　　杰克率先下了洞。他在洞里低着身子，在地下不得不比在外边要低一英尺左右。
　　“露西安，下一个轮到你啦。”他说，便扶着她下到了洞里。之后，另外两个孩子也下来了。他们既兴奋又心切。他们真的找到了藏宝洞吗？
　　“这儿一定是藏宝的地方啦！”杰克说，“因为这儿附近也没有别的坑或者洞穴了。现在，让我用手电筒照一照这附近。”
　　在洞的后面，正如黛娜所想的，有一条通道——相当宽，相当高。即使一个个子很高的人也可以很容易地在里面直立行走。
　　“大家跟上！”杰克说，他的声音激动得都颤抖了起来，“这个通道里很暖和！”
　　大家跟着杰克走到通道里，琪琪坐在他的肩膀上。露西安紧紧抓住他的袖子，有点害怕他们会发现什么。
　　这通道一路上又宽又高，但有点弯弯曲曲。尽管它有许多的弯曲，但是一路向下，差不多是朝同一个方向走去，朝着山的中心蜿蜒而去的。
　　突然，通道戛然而止。大家的面前没有路了。杰克停下来，喘着气。在他面前是一幅非常奇特的景象。
　　手电筒光照亮了一根根从高高的洞穴顶上垂挂下来的耀眼的白色柱子。
　　“这是什么呢？”露西安紧紧抓住了杰克的胳膊，喘着气说。她凝视着那些闪闪发光的白色东西。她看到其他白色的柱形物也像是从洞的地面上长出来似的。有些从下面长出来的碰到了从上面垂下来的，它们碰到了一起，仿佛整个洞穴的顶是由这些柱子支撑着的。
　　“杰克！这些是什么？是宝藏吗？”露西安低声问。
　　“这是冰柱吗？”黛娜用敬畏的口气说，“我还从没见过这么美丽的东西！看看它们垂下来的样子——多么安静、洁白、可爱！”
　　“不——它们不是冰柱，”杰克说，“它们是钟乳石——至少挂着的那些是。它们也不是冰做的——我想是石灰岩做的。天哪——这是多么壮观的景象啊！”
　　孩子们静静地站着，注视着寂静美丽的洞穴。它的顶部像一座大教堂的穹顶那么高，在杰克的手电筒的照亮下，可以看到数十根优雅的钟乳石从洞顶垂下，闪闪发光。
　　“我想，从地面上长出来的是石笋，”杰克说，“菲利普，你说对不对？你对钟乳石和石笋有什么了解吗？我从来没见过它们！这还是第一次呢。”
　　“是的——它们是石笋，”菲利普说，“我记得以前看到过一些石笋的照片。钟乳石和石笋。天哪，多么漂亮的景象！”
　　琪琪试着说这两个词，却做不到。似乎她也被这个惊人的意外发现吓了一大跳。
　　“哦，看！”露西安突然说，指着一条看上去像旧披巾的东西，它被雕刻在象牙般的东西上，“看——这里也长出了这种东西——它就像一条披巾——甚至它还有图案呢！再看看那边的那扇门——那些也都被雕刻了花纹！这肯定是人为制造的——它们肯定不是长出来的！”
　　“嗯——它们不是被造出来的，而是被动形成的。”杰克试图解释，“你知道——就像雪花状的晶体。它们不是长出来的，是因为它们本来就没有生命，而是被动形成的。”
　　露西安不能完全理解杰克的话。在她心里，她还是认为这些所有不可思议的柱子都是生长出来的，然后它们的美丽就被冻住了。
　　“我想这一定就是宝物了！”她笑着说。
　　“我一点也不奇怪，”杰克说，“它太美了，都无法用语言表达。真想不到会找到这样的一个洞穴！它就像一个巨大的地下大教堂——只需要一架管风琴就可以开始演奏宏伟壮丽的赞美诗了。”
　　“看，中间好像有一条小路，”黛娜说，“不知道这条路是天然的还是人造的呢？杰克，你明白我的意思吗？”
　　“我明白你想说的，”杰克一边说，一边用手电筒照着它，“我想可能是人们在自然形成的路的基础上进行了修缮。那么——我们继续吧。这里并没有宝藏。”
　　他们走在寂静的走廊的中间，四周环绕着悬空的冰柱。露西安指出许多竖着的感觉是从地上长出来的柱子。
　　“一定是从钟乳石上滴下的水珠落在地上，之后在那儿形成了石笋，一直长到和上面的石柱相接，”菲利普说，“它们一定是经过了很长很长的时间才形成的，可能有几百年。要我说，怪不得我们觉得这个洞穴很古老。我觉得时间冻结在这里，看不出年月，看不出星期，甚至连小时的痕迹也看不出来——什么时间的痕迹都看不出来。”
　　露西安不太喜欢眼前的景象。她有一种奇怪的感觉——这一切只是个梦，而不是真的。她抓住杰克的胳膊。杰克胳膊上传来的温度让她感到既高兴又温暖。
　　他们慢慢地走到了那个巨大洞穴的尽头。那里有一扇大拱门，拱门那里也有钟乳石，不过，钟乳石并没有垂下太长。孩子们可以轻松地走在它们的下面。
　　“这拱门很像一条隧道。”菲利普说，他的声音听起来又大又空洞，把他们都吓了一跳。琪琪悲伤地咳嗽了一声，这声咳嗽也被放大成空洞的巨大的声音。每个人都非常吃惊。
　　他们来到了另一个山洞。它的洞顶不像刚才的那个那么高，只有像小冰柱一样的钟乳石挂在上面。
　　“那些钟乳石会在黑暗中发光吗？”黛娜突然问道，“我感觉我看见了那边角落里有个发光的东西。”
　　杰克关掉了手电筒——孩子们立刻倒抽了一口冷气。因为在屋顶和墙壁的上方，闪烁着成千上万颗小星星。它们是绿色和蓝色的，闪烁着最迷人的光芒。
　　“天哪！这是什么呀？”黛娜小声说，感觉非常惊讶，“它们是活着的吗？”
　　两个男孩也不知道。他们聚精会神地注视着那些闪烁的星星，它们似乎像小精灵发出的光芒一样明明灭灭。“可能是一种萤火虫，”杰克说，“它们不是很可爱吗？”
　　于是，杰克又打开了手电筒，接着这洞顶就被黄白色的手电筒光覆盖了。星星消失了。
　　“哦，把你的手电筒关掉！”露西安恳求道，“我想再多看看那些星星。我从来没见过这么迷人的东西！它们像磷光一样——闪烁的光都是青绿色、绿色和蓝色的，看看它们是怎么忽隐忽现的。哦，我真希望我能带一百个闪光回家，放在卧室的天花板上！”
　　其他人都开始嘲笑她，但他们也认为闪烁的星星是这一段路里最引人入胜的。杰克没有再打开他的手电筒，直到过了一会儿，每个人都等着手电筒的光来照亮眼前的路。
　　“真是两个奇妙的洞穴，”露西安叹了口气说，“下一个会是什么？我真的觉得我们好像发现了阿拉丁的洞穴，或者什么类似的！”
　　一条继续向下的长廊和这个星星洞穴里连接在了一起——这是露西安给那个有萤火微光的洞穴取的名字。
　　“我们发现了一个回声洞穴、一个钟乳石洞穴和一个星星洞穴，”她说，“我喜欢我们冒险的这一部分。现在我想找到一个藏宝洞。”
　　他们进入的隧道又宽又高，就像他们进入的第一个隧道。杰克的手电筒突然把地上什么东西照得闪闪发光。他停住了脚步。
　　“看看！”他说，“这是什么？”
　　黛娜弯下腰把它捡起来。“是胸针，”她说，“一个没有针尖的胸针。针不见了。一定是坏了，胸针从戴胸针的人身上掉了下来。是不是很有趣？”
　　当然不是。那是一枚巨大的金色胸针，宽约三英寸，镶着鲜红的宝石，红得像血一样。
　　“那是红宝石吗？”黛娜敬畏地说，“看，它们在发光呢！哦，杰克，你觉得这就是宝藏吗？”
　　“可能吧。”杰克说，顿时，孩子们又兴奋了起来，他们的心开始怦怦直跳。一个红宝石胸针，红宝石镶嵌在金子里！其他的宝藏是什么呢？孩子们的脑海里浮现出美妙的景象，他们急切地跌跌绊绊地走着，眼睛都盯着地面，寻找着其他闪闪发光的宝石。
　　“如果我们能找到一个珠宝洞，”露西安说，“哇哦——所有的一切都像星星和太阳一样闪耀！那简直是我的最爱。”
　　“我们可能会找到这样的东西，”黛娜说，“如果我们这样做了，我就用它们从头到脚地装饰自己，假装自己是个公主。”
　　孩子们沿着这条路一直往下走，一直往下走。但是杰克看了看指南针，发现自己已经不是往山的中心的方向走，而是走在了与山中心相反的方向。他希望他们不会一无所获就走出了山洞和隧道。
　　突然，他们走上了通向下面的台阶。这些台阶是用坚硬的岩石雕刻而成，陡峭宽阔的台阶随着弯曲的通道盘旋着。
　　“几乎是螺旋楼梯，”杰克说，“我们现在到哪儿去了？”
　　大约有二十级台阶。接着映入眼帘的是一扇巨大的门——由一种粗壮的木头做成，上面镶着铁钉。孩子们站着盯着它看。
　　一扇门！它背后是什么？它被锁上了吗？谁把它放在那里的，为什么？宝藏是被关在里面吗？它是用来守卫宝藏的吗？
　　没有什么把手可以转动，甚至连锁眼都看不见。只有许多巨大的门闩，但这些门闩并没有被锁上。
　　“你怎么能打开一扇没有把手的门呢？”杰克绝望地说。他试着推开门，但门很牢固，纹丝不动。
　　“踢它，就像我踢小屋的门一样。”菲利普说，于是杰克狠狠地踢了它一脚。但是门还是没有开。
　　他们绝望地看着它。从早晨开始，孩子们一路走了这么远，却被门挡住了去路！这真是太糟糕了。杰克用他的手电筒从上到下把门照了个遍。
　　露西安的眼神很敏锐，注意到了一些东西。“看到那个铁钉了吗？”她问道，并指着它，“看起来它比其他的要明亮得多。我想知道这是为什么。”
　　杰克用手电筒照了照它，发现它比其他的稍微大一点。正如露西安所说的，它也更亮一些，仿佛它可能是个按钮或者什么的。
　　他按下它。什么事儿也没有发生。他用石头砸它，也没有什么结果。
　　“让我试试，”菲利普说着，便把杰克推到一边，“把你的手电筒贴在上面照着。对，就是这样。”
　　菲利普抓住铁钉，摇了摇。它似乎有点变化。他又摇了一遍。什么也没有发生。然后他想到了个主意，开始扭动它。
　　它确实转起来很轻松。砰的一声巨响，门慢慢地打开了。杰克关掉了手电筒，生怕洞里的人会看见他们——如果有人在里面的话，他们肯定会听到砰砰的声音，还有踢门声。
　　门现在大开着。昏暗的灯光照在远处，露出了另一个洞穴。露西安惊慌地抓住杰克的胳膊。
　　“全都是人，”她低声说，“看！”
22 The treasure at last!
　　22 The treasure at last!
　　The four children stared breathlessly through the open door. They saw something that made themfeel very creepy.
　　In the dim light figures stood about all over the place. Their eyes gleamed queerly and theirteeth shone in the darkness. Their arms and necks flashed and glittered with jewels.
　　The children clutched one another in fright. Who were these strange, silent folk, standing aboutwith gleaming eyes, covered with jewels?
　　The people in the cave did not move. They did not speak a word either. Not one of them wassitting. All were standing. They stood there, some turned towards the frightened children, someturned away. Why didn’t they speak? Why didn’t they point to the children and say, ‘Look -who’s there?’
　　Lucy-Ann began to shiver. ‘Let’s go back. I don’t like them. They’re not alive. Only their eyesare.’
　　Kiki suddenly gave a squawk, left Jack’s shoulder, and flew to the shoulder of one of the nearbyfigures, a woman dressed in clothes that glowed richly in the half-light of the cave.
　　Still the woman did not move. How strange! The children suddenly felt much better when theysaw that Kiki did not seem in the least afraid of the queer company.
　　‘Polly put the kettle on,’ said Kiki, and pecked at the hair of the woman he was sitting on.
　　The children held their breath again. What would the woman do to Kiki - enchant her with herstrange eyes, cast a spell on her and turn her into stone? Perhaps all these people had been turnedinto stone?
　　‘Let’s go back,’ said Lucy-Ann urgently. ‘I don’t like this cave. I don’t like these people, ortheir horrid gleaming eyes.’
　　Jack suddenly jumped down the step that was below the great open door. He marched boldlyinto the silent cave. Lucy-Ann squealed and tried to catch his sleeve.
　　Jack walked right up to the woman on whose shoulder Kiki sat. He peered closely at her. Helooked into her wide open glittering eyes. He touched her hair. Then he turned to the horrifiedchildren.
　　‘What do you think? She’s a statue - all dressed up beautifully - with real hair - and jewels foreyes! What do you think of that?’
　　The others could not believe it - but they were very thankful to hear Jack’s words, and to seehim wandering among the crowd of still figures, apparently quite unharmed.
　　Philip and Dinah stepped down into the cave of figures too, but Lucy-Ann still did not quitedare to. She watched the others looking at the strange, beautiful statues, and tried to make herselfjoin them.
　　At last she screwed up her courage to step down into the cave. She looked fearfully at thewoman on whose shoulder Kiki had flown. Yes - Jack was right. She was nothing but a beautifulstatue, with a finely-moulded face and a cloud of dark hair. She had magnificent jewels for eyes,and her glittering teeth were exquisite jewels too. Round her neck were golden chains, set withprecious stones, and her waxen fingers gleamed with rings. Round her waist was the mostbeautiful belt that Lucy-Ann had ever seen, carved and set with shining red and blue stones.
　　There were dozens of these statues in the cave, some of men and some of women. Some ofthem carried small babies in their arms, fat, smiling babies dressed in the most exquisite clothes,set with thousands of tiny pearls.
　　It was the babies that gave Jack the clue to what the statues were.
　　‘Do you know what they are?’ he said. ‘They are statues taken from churches somewhere in thiscountry. This one represents Mary, the mother of Jesus - and the little baby is meant to be JesusHimself. That’s why they are adorned with such lovely jewels. People have spent heaps of moneyon them to make them beautiful.’
　　‘Oh yes - and some of them are carried in processions at church festivals,’ said Dinah,remembering how her mother had once described such a festival to her. ‘Well, fancy - statuestaken from churches! Whatever for?’
　　‘Stolen, I should think,’ said Jack. ‘Stolen by people who took advantage of the troubled war-times, and hid them here - meaning to collect them when they had a chance.’
　　‘They must be worth a lot of money,’ said Philip, fingering the magnificent jewels. ‘Gosh, I didget a terrible fright when I first saw them! I honestly thought they were real people.’
　　‘So did I,’ said Lucy-Ann, who had now recovered. ‘I couldn’t bear them to stand so still andsilent. I nearly screamed with fright!’
　　‘We were idiots not to guess they were statues,’ said Dinah. ‘I say - where does the light comefrom that lights these statues? It’s only a faint sort of light, but it’s enough to see them by quitewell.’
　　Jack looked all round. ‘It must be a sort of phosphorescent glow from the walls and roof of thecave,’ he said. ‘It’s rather a greenish light, isn’t it?’
　　‘I say - there’s another archway here!’ called Philip, from beyond the statues. ‘Come and see. Ibelieve there’s another cave beyond.’
　　They all went to see. Through the archway was yet another cave, lighted with the same dim,greenish glow. In it were stacked great square, oblong or round, flat things. There were no statuesat all. The children went to see what the flat things were.
　　‘Pictures!’ said Jack, as he tried to swing one to face him. ‘Enormous ones! Where did theycome from? Churches too, do you think?’
　　‘Oh - picture galleries very likely,’ said Philip. ‘Maybe they are famous and quite pricelesspictures - very old too. Look at that one - it looks terribly old-fashioned. My word - these thingsmay be worth a fortune - heaps of fortunes! I remember reading not so long ago about picturesthat were worth two or three million pounds!’
　　‘I didn’t know there was so much money in the world,’ said Lucy-Ann, startled. She gazed inawe at the dusty, dim old pictures, tracing their great carved frames with her finger.
　　‘Some of the pictures have been taken out of their frames to bring them here,’ said Jack, pullingat a roll of thick canvas. ‘Look, this one must have been cut from its frame and rolled up so as tobe taken away easily.’
　　There were about fifty rolls of canvas besides the framed pictures. Jack shone his torch on tomany of the pictures, but none of the children thought the subjects interesting. So many wereportraits of rather fat and stern-looking men. Others were scenes from the Bible, or from oldlegends.
　　‘Well, this really is a find!’ said Jack. ‘I bet if those men could have found these, they wouldhave made a simply enormous fortune selling them.’
　　‘Of course - they were after all these,’ said Philip. ‘And that’s what those crates were for. Topack them in. They meant to crate them carefully and fly them away little by little. What a brainwave on their part!’
　　‘And Otto fooled them!’ said Jack. ‘Took them to a rock-fall and said the treasure cave wasbehind it - so they meekly gave up and flew off. What idiots!’
　　‘And we found everything!’ rejoiced Lucy-Ann. ‘Oh, I wish we could tell Bill!’
　　‘Are there any more caves?’ wondered Jack, and walked over to the end of the second cave.
　　‘Yes! Here’s another archway and another cave. Books here! And old documents! Come andlook!’
　　‘Old books are sometimes as precious and as rare as old pictures,’ said Philip, gazing round atthe piles of enormous, heavily-bound books. ‘I say - look at this one! It’s a bible, but in a foreignlanguage. Isn’t it enormous? Look at the old printing!’
　　‘These really are caves of treasure,’ said Jack. ‘Treasure from churches, libraries and picturegalleries. I suppose the war-lords must have hidden them away, meaning to get them when peacecame and make a lot of money out of their loot. How awful to steal things like this, though!’
　　‘There’s a little cave here, just off this book cave,’ called Dinah, who was exploring by herself.
　　‘There is a big chest here. Oh, and another - and another! What’s in them, I wonder?’
　　Jack came over to her and lifted up the heavy lid of one chest. He stared down in surprise at theglittering coins piled together in the chest.
　　‘Gold!’ he said. ‘The gold coinage of some country, I can’t tell which. I’ve never seen goldcoins like these before. My goodness, there’s a fortune in that box too - and in that chest, and thatone! Fortunes everywhere!’
　　‘It’s like a dream,’ said Lucy-Ann, and she sat down on one of the chests. ‘It really is. A cave ofgleaming icicles, or stalags— whatever you call them! A cave of stars! A cave of glittering,jewelled statues! A cave of pictures, and a cave of old books! And now a cave of gold! I can’tbelieve it.’
　　It did seem extraordinary. They all sat down on the oak chests and rested. The dim greenishlight still shone everywhere, a kind of pale glow that did not seem to come from anywhere inparticular, and yet was everywhere.
　　It was very quiet there. The children could hear themselves breathing, and a cough from Jacksounded startlingly loud.
　　Then another sound came through the stillness - a sound so completely unexpected andsurprising that nobody could believe their ears!
　　‘Cluck! Cluck-luck-luck!’
　　‘Whatever’s that?’ said Lucy-Ann at last. ‘It sounded like a hen clucking.’
　　‘Must have been old Kiki,’ said Jack, looking around for her. But she was just near by, sittingon another chest, humped up, looking rather dismal. She had had enough of caves. The childrenstared at her. Could it have been Kiki?
　　They listened to see if she would make the same noise again. But she didn’t stir. And then thenoise came once more, quite clearly, from another direction altogether.
　　‘Cluck-luck-lurrrrrrk! Cluck-luck-lurrrrk!’
　　‘It is a hen!’ said Jack, jumping up. ‘Making an egg-laying noise. But - a hen - in these caves!
　　It’s impossible!’
　　All the children were now on their feet. Dinah pointed to some steps at the back of the littlecave of gold. ‘That’s where the noise comes from,’ she said.
　　‘I’ll go up first and see if it really is a hen,’ said Jack. ‘I can’t believe it.’
　　He went cautiously up the steps, and at the same time the clucking began again. Kiki woke upand heard it in astonishment. She immediately began to cluck too, which evidently astonished thehidden clucker, who got very excited and let off a perfect volley of clucks.
　　Jack came to the top of the steps. There was another door there, but not a very stout one. It wasajar. He pushed it open a little more, very slowly, so that he might see in without attractingattention, though he did not expect to see anything but a hen.
　　What he saw transfixed him with astonishment. Philip dug his fingers into his back.
　　‘Go on, Jack - what’s up?’
　　Jack turned round to the others. ‘I say,’ he said in a half whisper, ‘it’s awfully odd - but there’sa little cell-like room up here - furnished - table and chairs and a lighted lamp! And - there’s ameal on the table!’
　　‘Come down quickly then,’ whispered Dinah. ‘We don’t want to bump into anyone. It must besomeone who’s guarding the treasure till the others come to get it. Come down!’
　　But it was too late. A curious, quavering voice came from the cell-like room into which Jackhad peeped. A few strange words reached them - but they couldn’t understand a single one. Nowwhat was going to happen?
第22章 终于找到宝藏了！
　　第22章 终于找到宝藏了！
　　四个孩子屏住呼吸，盯着看那敞开的大门。眼前的一切让他们感到毛骨悚然。
　　在昏暗的灯光下，到处都是人影。那些人的眼睛散发着奇异的光，牙齿在半明半暗的黑暗中也闪闪发光。他们的手臂和脖子上流动着宝石的光芒。
　　孩子们惊恐地互相抓着对方。这些奇怪的、沉默的人们，眼睛里闪闪发光，满身珠光宝气——那么他们都是谁呢？
　　山洞里的人们一动不动。他们一句话也没说。没有一个人是坐着的，都是站着的。他们站在那里，有的是面对着这四个受惊的孩子，有的面对其他方向。他们为什么不说话？
　　他们为什么不指着孩子们问“快看，是谁在那里？”
　　露西安吓得开始抽泣起来。“让我们回去吧。我不喜欢他们。他们不是活着的。而且他们的眼睛闪闪发光。”
　　琪琪突然大叫一声，离开了杰克的肩膀，飞到附近一个人的肩膀上，一个衣着华丽的女人，她的衣服在半明半暗的洞穴里发着光。
　　那女人还是不动。太奇怪了！当孩子们看到琪琪一点也不害怕这个奇怪的女人时，他们突然感觉好多了。
　　“波莉把水壶放在上面。”琪琪说着，啄了一下女人的头发。
　　孩子们屏住了呼吸。这个女人会把琪琪怎样，用她奇怪的眼睛迷惑琪琪，对她施咒，还是把她变成一块石头？也许这些人都要被变成石头了？
　　“我们回去吧，”露西安急切地说，“我不喜欢这个洞。我不喜欢这些人，也不喜欢他们那些闪光的可怕的眼睛。”
　　杰克突然跳到那扇大门下面的台阶上。他大胆地走进寂静的洞穴。露西安尖叫一声，伸手去抓他的衣袖。
　　杰克径直走到那个肩膀上多了个琪琪的女人的面前。他看着她那双睁得大大的、闪闪发光的眼睛。他抚摸她的头发，然后转向惊恐的孩子们。
　　“你们猜怎么着？她原来是一座雕像——全身打扮得都很漂亮——有真正的头发——还有珠宝当眼睛！你们怎么看？”
　　其他人都不敢相信——但他们很感激杰克说这一番话，看着他在那一群静止的人影中游荡，还安然无恙。
　　菲利普和黛娜也下了台阶，来到这个满是雕像的洞里，只有露西安还是不敢进去。她看着其他人，又看了看这些奇怪又漂亮的雕像，也想和伙伴们一起进去。
　　最后，她鼓起勇气走进了山洞。她害怕地看着那个琪琪站过的女人。是的，杰克说得对。她只不过是一尊美丽的雕像，有一张精致的脸蛋，一头乌黑的头发。她用华丽的珠宝当眼睛，她的牙齿也是精美的珠宝。她的颈项上挂着镶着宝石的金链，蜡质的手指上戴着闪烁的戒指，腰上系着一条露西安见过的最美丽的腰带，上面是闪烁的红蓝宝石。
　　山洞里有许多这样的雕像，有些是男人，有些是女人。有些人怀里还抱着小婴儿，胖胖的、面带微笑的婴儿穿着最精致的衣服，上面镶着成千上万颗小珍珠。
　　正是这些婴儿给了杰克关于这些雕像的线索。
　　“你知道这些是什么吗？”他说，“这些肯定是从这个国家某个地方的教堂里取出来的雕像。这个代表耶稣的母亲马利亚，而这个小婴儿就是耶稣本人。这就是为什么它们装饰着如此可爱的珠宝。人们花了很多钱让它们变得如此美丽华贵。”
　　“哦，是的——其中一些出现在教堂纪念活动的游行中，”黛娜说，想起母亲曾向她描述过这样一个节日，“哇！奇形怪状的教堂雕像！它们为什么在这里？”
　　“我想是偷来的，”杰克说，“被一些人趁着战乱偷来了，并藏在这里——为了在他们方便的时候把它们运走。”
　　“它们一定值很多钱，”菲利普一边说，一边抚摸着那些华丽的珠宝，“天哪，我第一次见到它们的时候吓了一大跳！我真的以为它们是真人。”
　　“我也是，”露西安说，她现在已经不害怕了，“它们就那么安静地站着，让我感到很不安。我吓得差点尖叫起来！”
　　“我们都是傻瓜，没看出来它们是雕像，”黛娜说，“我说，这照亮雕像的灯光是从哪里来的呢？这只是一种微弱的光，但也足以看清雕像了。”
　　有些人怀里还抱着小婴儿，胖胖的、面带微笑的婴儿穿着最精致的衣服，上面镶着成千上万颗小珍珠。
　　杰克看了看四周。“一定是洞穴的墙壁和洞顶发出的磷光，”他说，“它有点发绿，是不是？”
　　“我说，这儿还有一个拱门！”菲利普从雕像后边喊道，“来看看。我相信那边还有一个洞穴。”
　　他们都过去看。穿过拱门来到了另一个山洞，同样被微弱的绿色光芒照耀着。里面堆着方形的、长方形的，还有圆形的、扁平的东西。一座雕像都没有。孩子们去看那些扁平的东西是什么。
　　“画！”杰克一边说，一边试着摆动一张来正对着他，“大幅的画！它们从哪里来？也许也是教堂，你们觉得呢？”
　　“哦，很可能是画廊，”菲利普说，“也许它们很有名，也很珍贵——也很古老。看看那幅，它看起来是一种非常古老的风格。要我说的话，这些东西可能值一大笔钱，好大一笔钱！我记得不久前我读到有些画值二三百万英镑呢！”
　　“我不知道世界上会有那么多钱。”露西安吃惊地说。她敬畏地望着那些满是灰尘的、暗淡的旧画，用手指摸着装画的雕刻着花纹的巨大画框。
　　“有些绘画是从画框里取出来，带到这里的，”杰克说着，拉着一卷厚厚的画布，“你看，这一幅一定是从画框上剪下来的，卷起来后更容易拿走。”
　　除了装裱好的画外，还有大约五十卷画布。杰克用手电筒照了许多画，但没有一个主题能引起孩子们的兴趣。好多张画描绘的是特别胖和严肃的男人肖像，而另一些则是来自《圣经》或古老传说中的场景。
　　“嗯，这真是个大发现！”杰克说，“我敢打赌，如果这些人能找到这些东西，他们卖掉就能赚大钱了。”
　　“当然——他们就是冲着这些来的，”菲利普说，“这就是那些木条箱的用途，为了装宝藏。他们打算偷偷摸摸地把它们装箱，一点一点地运走。他们的脑子可真好使！”
　　“然后他们被奥托骗了！”杰克说，“被他带到一个岩石坍塌的地方，说藏宝洞在落石的后面——于是他们就这么放弃了，开着飞机飞走了。多么愚蠢的家伙！”
　　“没想到最后是我们找到了！”露西安欢喜地说，“哦，我希望我们能告诉比尔！”
　　“还有其他的我们没走到的洞穴吗？”杰克问着，走到第二个洞的尽头，“有啊！这是另一个拱门和另一个洞穴。里面有书！还有一些旧文件！过来看！”
　　“旧书有时和旧画一样珍贵，一样罕见，”菲利普一边说，一边环视着周围一堆堆厚厚的、沉重的书，“我说——看这个！这是一本《圣经》，但不是用英文写的。是不是很大？
　　看看这古老的印刷品！”
　　“这真是装满了宝藏的洞穴，”杰克说，“来自教堂、图书馆和画廊的宝藏。我想那些军队的首领把它们藏在这里，一定是打算在和平到来时再带走，从这些战利品中赚很多钱。
　　不过，偷这样的东西真是太可恶了！”
　　“这里还有个小山洞，与这个储存书的洞相连，”黛娜自顾自地继续查看着，“这儿有一个大箱子。哦，还有一个——还有一个！我想知道里面有什么？”
　　杰克走到她跟前，掀开一个箱子的盖子。他吃惊地看着箱子里那堆闪闪发光的钱币。
　　“黄金！”他说，“某个国家的黄金钱币，但我不知道是哪个国家的。我以前从未见过这样的金币。我的天哪，这个箱子里也有一大笔财富——还有那个箱子，那个也是！装满了财富！”
　　“就像做梦一样，”露西安说，她坐在其中一个箱子上，“真的像做梦。一个满是闪烁的冰柱或石笋——不管你怎么称呼它们——的洞穴！一个满是星星的洞穴！一个全都是闪闪发光的珠宝雕像的洞穴！一个堆满了图画和旧书的洞穴！现在是一个摆满黄金的洞穴！我不能相信这一切。”
　　这真是太不可思议了！他们都坐在橡木箱子上休息。昏暗的绿光仍在周围闪烁，一种苍白的光芒似乎不是来自任何地方，而是无处不在。
　　那里非常安静。孩子们能听到自己的呼吸声，接着是杰克的咳嗽声，那声音大得惊人。
　　在寂静中又传来了另一种声音——一种完全出乎意料和令人惊讶的声音，没有人能相信自己的耳朵！
　　“咯咯！咯咯——咯——咯！”
　　“什么声音？”露西安终于开口了，“这听起来像母鸡咯咯叫。”
　　“一定是老琪琪。”杰克说完，便四下里寻找她。但实际上她就在附近，坐在另一个箱子上，驼着背，看上去很忧郁，因为她已受够了洞穴。孩子们盯着她看。刚才是琪琪叫吗？
　　孩子们仔细听着，看琪琪是否还会发出同样的声音。但她没有动。这时，声音又从另一个方向传来，很清晰。
　　“咯——咯——咯——！咯——咯——咯——！”
　　“那是一只母鸡！”杰克说着，跳了起来，“这是生蛋时候才会发出的叫声。但是，一只母鸡，在这些洞里！这是不可能的！”
　　所有的孩子都站起来了。黛娜指着那小小的堆满金子的洞后面的台阶。“声音就是从那儿传来的。”她说。
　　“我先上去看看是不是真的是母鸡，”杰克说，“真不敢相信。”
　　他小心翼翼地走上台阶，同时，咯咯的叫声又开始了。醒来的琪琪听到了，显得十分惊讶。她马上开始咯咯地叫起来，这显然让那个隐藏的咯咯者感到非常吃惊，又发出了一连串完美的咯咯声。
　　杰克走到台阶的顶端。那里有另一扇门，看起来不是很结实。它半开着。他又推开了一点，慢慢地，想在不引起任何注意的情况下看看里面的情况。尽管除了一只母鸡之外，他没有想到会看到别的东西。
　　但眼前的一切让他无比惊讶。菲利普把手指伸到他的背上。
　　“走啊，杰克，怎么了？”
　　杰克转向其他人。“我说，”他低声耳语着说，“这太奇怪了——可是里面是一间小房间——家具齐全——桌子、椅子和一盏点着的灯！还有——桌子上有一桌饭菜？！”
　　“那就快下来吧，”黛娜低声说，“我们可不想撞到任何人。他一定是留在这儿看守宝藏的人，等着别人来取这些宝贝。快下来！”
　　但为时已晚。一个奇怪的颤抖的声音从杰克偷看过的房间里传来。他们听到了几句奇怪的话，但一句也没听懂。接下来会发生什么呢？
23 The guardians of the treasure
　　23 The guardians of the treasure
　　The children stood absolutely still, holding their breath. Who was there, in that little room at thetop of the steps? The voice came again, repeating the words that the children could not understand.
　　Then to the top of the little flight of steps came a brown hen! It stood there, its head on one side,peering down at the children. ‘Cluck!’ it said, in a friendly kind of voice. ‘Cluck-luck!’
　　‘Cluck!’ said Kiki at once.
　　Lucy-Ann clutched Dinah. ‘Was it the hen talking before?’ she whispered in amazement.
　　It wasn’t, of course. The quavering voice came again, and to the children’s surprise it soundedreally frightened.
　　Nobody came to where Jack stood almost at the top of the steps. The boy screwed up hiscourage and marched into the little room.
　　At the other end of it, under a small archway or rock, stood an old, old man. Behind him was awoman, just as old, but more bent. They stared at Jack in amazement, and then, turning to oneanother, they poured out a stream of hurried words that the children could not understand at all.
　　Lucy-Ann wondered what Jack was doing up in the little room. Somebody ought to be withhim. She went up the steps and joined Jack. The two old people stared at the red-haired freckledchild, so like Jack.
　　Then the old woman made a crooning noise, pushed past her husband and went over to Lucy-Ann. She put her arms round her and kissed her. Then she patted her hair. Lucy-Ann was surprisedand not very pleased. Who was this funny old woman who suddenly seemed so affectionate?
　　She called to the others. ‘Dinah! Philip! Come along up! It’s two old people here with theirhen!’
　　Soon all four children were in the little underground room. As soon as the old man heard themtalking, he joined in eagerly, speaking English in a strange, clipped way.
　　‘Ah, ah! You are English children! That is goot, very goot. Once, long time ago, I was in yourso beautiful country. I was in a big London hotel.’
　　‘Thank goodness he speaks English,’ said Philip. ‘I say - what are they doing here, with thetreasure? Are they in league with the other men?’
　　‘Have to find out,’ said Jack. ‘They seem quite harm- less, anyhow. But there may be others.’
　　He turned to the old man. The old woman was still making a fuss of Lucy-Ann. Evidently theyhad not set eyes on children for a long time.
　　‘Who else is here besides you?’ demanded Jack.
　　‘Just me and Elsa, my old wife, and our hen Martha,’ answered the old man. ‘We guard allthose things in the caves, till the day when they go back to their right homes. May that day comesoon!’
　　‘I don’t believe the poor old things know that the war was over long ago,’ said Jack to theothers, in a low voice. ‘I wonder who left them here to guard these things.’ He turned to the oldman again. ‘Who told you to guard these things?’ he asked.
　　‘Julius Muller,’ said the old man promptly. ‘Ah, what a great man! How he worked against theenemy, even when they were shooting and bombing and burning in our valley! It was he whodiscovered that the enemy was using our mountain caves to hide away these treasures - treasuresstolen from our churches and many other places.’
　　‘Just what we thought,’ said Philip, intensely interested. ‘Go on - tell us more.’
　　‘Then the people fled from our valley,’ said the old man. ‘Many were killed. The valley wasempty, all save me and Elsa, my old wife. We hid with our hens and our pig, and no one found us.
　　Then one day Julius Muller found us and ordered us to come here, by a way he knew, and guardthe treasure - not for the enemy, no - but for him and the people! He said that one day the enemywould be defeated and would flee away - and then he and the others would come back to find thetreasure - but he has not come.’
　　‘He can’t,’ said Jack. ‘The pass is blocked. No one can get in or out of this valley now - exceptby aeroplane. The war has been over a long time. But bad people are after the treasure - peoplewho have heard it is hidden here, and have come to steal it.’
　　The old fellow looked scared and bewildered, as if he only half understood what Jack wastelling him. The children thought that he must have lived so long underground that his mind couldnot take in much news from the outer world. To him, his wife, the treasure, and perhaps his hen,were the only things that mattered.
　　‘Do you live here, in this room?’ asked Lucy-Ann. ‘Where do you get your food from? Doesyour hen like living underground?’
　　‘There are great stores of food here,’ said the old man. ‘There is even corn for Martha, the hen.
　　When we first came here, we had six hens and our pig. But the pig died. And one by one the hensdied. Only Martha is left. She does not lay many eggs now. Perhaps one in fourteen days.’
　　‘Cluck,’ said Martha in a proud voice. She was evidently proud of her one egg a fortnight.
　　Kiki repeated the cluck and then went off into a series of quacks. The hen looked surprised andalarmed. So did the two old people.
　　‘Shut up, Kiki,’ said Jack. ‘You’re showing off.’
　　‘What is that bird?’ asked the old man. ‘Is it a - how do you call it? - a parrot?’
　　‘Yes,’ said Jack. ‘She’s mine. Always goes with me everywhere. But I say - don’t you want toknow how we came here?’
　　‘Ah, yes, of course!’ said the old man. ‘It is all so surprising, you understand - and my wits aredull now - I cannot take in many things at once. You must tell me about yourselves, please. Wife,what about some food for these children?’
　　Elsa did not understand and the old man repeated what he said in her own language. She noddedand smiled a kind toothless smile. Taking Lucy-Ann by the hand, she went over to where tins andjars stood on a rocky ledge.
　　‘She’s very keen on Lucy-Ann,’ said Philip. ‘She can’t fuss over her enough.’
　　The old man heard and understood. ‘We had a little granddaughter,’ he said. ‘So like this littlegirl, with red hair and a sweet face. She lived with us. And one day the enemy came and took heraway and we never saw her again. So now my wife sees her little lost one in your sister. You mustexcuse her, for maybe she really thinks her small Greta has come back.’
　　‘Poor old things!’ said Dinah. ‘What an awful life they must have led - lost under thismountain, guarding a treasure for Julius Muller, waiting for him for ages, not knowing what hadhappened outside in the world! If we hadn’t come, they might never have come out again!’
　　To the children’s delight, Elsa got them a really fine meal. She would not let poor Lucy-Annleave her side, though, so the little girl had to trot everywhere with her. Jack told the old man alittle of their own story, though it was plain that the old fellow did not really follow it all. His witswere dull, as he said, and he could not really understand all this sudden news from a world he hadalmost forgotten.
　　Kiki enjoyed herself enormously. Martha, the hen, was obviously used to keeping the oldcouple company and pecked about under the table, brushing against everyone’s legs. Kiki climbeddown to join her, and kept up an interested, if one-sided conversation with her.
　　‘How many times have I told you to wipe your feet?’ she asked Martha. ‘Blow your nose. Putthe kettle on.’
　　‘Cluck,’ answered Martha politely.
　　‘Humpy dumpy,’ went on Kiki, evidently anxious to teach Martha a few nursery rhymes now.
　　‘See how they run! Quack, quack, quack, quack!’
　　The hen looked surprised, ruffled up her feathers and stared at Kiki. ‘Cluck, luck, luck,’ shesaid, and pecked up a few crumbs.
　　Lucy-Ann and the others giggled at this conversation. Then Lizzie also thought she would jointhe company, as there was plenty of food going. She ran down Philip’s sleeve and appeared on thetable, much to the old woman’s alarm.
　　‘Meet Dizzy Lizzie,’ said Philip politely.
　　‘I say - they must think we’re queer visitors!’ said Dinah, keeping a watchful eye on Lizzie incase she came any nearer. ‘Walking in like this - with a parrot and a lizard - and staying todinner!’
　　‘I don’t think they are bothering much,’ said Philip. ‘Just enjoying the change. It must be nice tohave company after being alone so long.’
　　When they had finished the meal, the old woman spoke to her husband. He turned to thechildren.
　　‘My wife says, are you tired? Would you like a rest? We have a beautiful place to rest in, whenwe want to enjoy the sun.’
　　This surprised the children very much. The sun! How did these old people ever see the sun -unless they went through all the cave and passages to the hole that gave on to the mountainside?
　　‘Where do you go to rest then?’ asked Jack.
　　‘Come,’ said the old man, and led him out of the little cell-like room. Elsa took Lucy-Ann bythe hand. They all followed the old man. He went along a broad passage, hollowed out of the rock.
　　‘I should think most of these tunnels were hollowed out by underground rivers at some time orother,’ said Jack. ‘Then they took a different course, and the tunnels dried up, and became thesepassages, linking all the caves together.’
　　The passage twisted a little and then quite suddenly came into daylight. The children foundthemselves on a flat ledge of rock, hung about by ferns and other plants, full in the sun. Howsimply delicious!
　　‘Another way into the treasure caves,’ said Dinah. But she was wrong. Nobody could possiblyenter the caves by way of the ledge. The ledge of rock jutted over a great precipice that fell sheerdown many hundreds of feet. No one, not even a goat, could climb up or down to it. It was, as theold man said, a fine, sunny resting place - but that was all.
　　Martha pecked about on the ledge of rock, though what she could find there the childrencouldn’t imagine. Kiki sat near by and watched her. She had formed a firm friendship withMartha. The children rather liked Martha themselves. She was such a nice, plump little thing,friendly and natural, and as much of a pet to the old couple as Kiki was to them.
　　They all lay down in the sun. It was delicious to feel its warm rays after being so longunderground. As they lay there they heard something rumbling in the distance.
　　‘The waterfall,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Fancy - we must be fairly near it, if we can hear it!’
　　They lay there sleepily. The old fellow sat on a rock near by, smoking a pipe. He seemed verycontented. Elsa had disappeared.
　　‘Isn’t it strange to think we’ve found the treasure - and can’t do anything about it at all!’ saidDinah. ‘We’re stuck here. No way of getting word to anyone. And never will have, as far as I cansee, till the pass into the valley is unblocked - and that may not be for ages!’
　　‘Oh dear - don’t say such gloomy things,’ begged Lucy-Ann. Anyway, the men are gone.
　　That’s one good thing. I felt awfully afraid when they were in the valley too. Thank goodnessthey’ve gone!’
　　She spoke too soon. There came a familiar throbbing noise - and the children sat up at once.
　　‘The plane’s back! Blow! Those men will be about again now - and maybe they’ve even got thereal truth out of Otto - where the treasure really is!’ said Jack. ‘We shall have to be jolly carefulnow.’
第23章 宝藏的守护者们
　　第23章 宝藏的守护者们
　　孩子们静静地站在原地，一动不动，屏住呼吸。究竟是谁在台阶顶端的那个小房间里？那个声音又传来了，重复着那些孩子们听不懂的话。
　　然后，在台阶的顶端出现了一只棕色的母鸡！它站在那里，头歪向一边，同时还向下看着孩子们。“咯咯！”它用友好的声音说，“咯咯——咯！”
　　“咯咯！”琪琪马上回答。
　　露西安抓住了黛娜。“刚才是母鸡在说话吗？”她惊讶地低声说。
　　当然不是。那颤抖的声音又传过来了，听起来很让人害怕。
　　没有其他的孩子走到站在台阶顶端的杰克身边。没想到这个小男孩竟然鼓足勇气走进了小房间。
　　在房间的尽头，一扇石头小拱门下，站着一位老人。在他的后面有一个女人，和他一样年迈，背驼得更厉害。他们惊愕地盯着杰克，然后转身面对对方，滔滔不绝地说着孩子们根本听不懂的话。
　　露西安想知道杰克在小屋里干什么。而且这时应该有朋友和他在一起。于是，她走上台阶，和杰克站到了一起。两个老人盯着那个长得很像杰克的，红头发、长着雀斑的孩子。
　　老妇人低声地哼了一声，从她丈夫身边挤了过去，走到露西安身边。她搂住了露西安，吻了吻她，然后抚弄着露西安的头发。露西安很惊讶，也不太乐意被人这么对待。这个突然表现得那么亲热的有趣的老妇人是谁？
　　她对其他人喊道：“黛娜！菲利普！过来吧！这里有两位老人和他们的母鸡！”
　　很快，四个孩子都进入了地下小屋。老爷爷一听到他们谈话，就迫不及待地加入了进来，用一种奇怪的、断断续续的方式说着英语。
　　“啊，啊！你是英国的孩子！那是好的，非常好的。很久以前，有一次，我去了你们那么美丽的国家。我住在伦敦的一家大旅馆里。”
　　“谢天谢地，他会说英语，”菲利普说，“我说，他们在这里干什么，和宝藏在一起？他们和那些人是一伙的吗？”
　　“必须问清楚，”杰克说，“不管怎么说，这两个老人好像比较友善，不会伤害别人。但这儿也可能有其他人。”接着杰克转向老人。老妇人还是和露西安在一起。显然，他们很久没有见过孩子了。
　　“除了你们，还有谁在这儿？”杰克迫不及待地提出自己的疑问。
　　“只有我和我的老婆埃尔莎，还有我们的母鸡，玛莎，”老人回答，“我们看守这洞里的一切，直到它们物归原处。愿那一天快点到来！”
　　“我不相信这些可怜的老家伙不知道战争已经结束很久了，”杰克低声对其他人说，“我不知道是谁请他们留在这儿保护这些东西的。”他又转向老人问道：“谁告诉你们要保护这些东西的？”
　　“朱利叶斯•穆勒，”老人马上说，“啊，多么伟大的人啊！他是如何对付我们的敌人的，尤其是当敌人在我们的山谷里随意开枪、扔炸弹和烧毁东西的时候！是他发现敌人在利用我们的山洞藏匿宝藏，那些从我们的教堂和其他许多地方偷来的宝藏。”
　　“和我们想的一样，”菲利普立刻燃起了很大的兴趣，“请继续讲——我们还想知道更多的事情。”
　　“然后人们就从我们的山谷逃走了。”老人说，“许多人都被杀了。山谷里空荡荡的，只有我和我的老伴儿埃尔莎。我们把我们的母鸡和猪也藏了起来，没有人发现我们。直到有一天，朱利叶斯•穆勒找到我们，命令我们跟着他来到这里，守卫宝藏——不是为了敌人，绝对不是，而是为他和我们的民族！他说有一天敌人会被打败，会从这里逃跑。那时他和我们的人就会来取回宝藏，但是他还没有来。”
　　“他来不了了，”杰克说，“通道被堵住了。现在没有人能进出这个山谷，除非坐飞机。
　　战争已经结束很久了。但是坏人们也在寻找宝藏。他们听说宝藏藏在这里，想来偷它们。”
　　那老人听了这番话之后，看上去很害怕。但他也很迷惑，好像对杰克说的话似懂非懂。孩子们认为他一定是在洞穴里生活了太久，所以他无法一下子接收这么多外界的消息。对他来说，唯一重要的是他的妻子、宝藏，也许还有他的母鸡。
　　“你们住在这间屋子里吗？”露西安问道，“你从哪里获取食物呢？你的母鸡喜欢住在地下吗？”
　　“我们在这儿藏了很多食物，”老人说，“甚至还有玉米喂玛莎。当我们刚到这里时，我们有六只母鸡还有我们的猪。但是猪已经死了。母鸡也一只一只地死去，只剩下玛莎。她现在下蛋不多了。大概每两周才有一个。”
　　“咯咯。”玛莎骄傲地说。她显然为自己每两周下一个鸡蛋感到骄傲。
　　琪琪重复了一遍“咯咯”的声音，又发出一连串的嘎嘎声。母鸡看上去既惊讶又慌张。
　　两个老人也是如此。
　　“闭嘴，琪琪，”杰克说，“你现在在炫耀。”
　　“这是什么鸟？”老人问，“这是——你们怎么称呼来着——一只鹦鹉吗？”
　　“是的，”杰克说，“她是我的，总和我在一起。但要我说，难道你不想知道我们是怎么来到这里的吗？”
　　“啊，是的，当然了！”老人说，“你知道，这一切简直太令人惊讶了。我的脑子也没以前好用了，不能一下子接受很多东西。也请你向我介绍一下你们吧。老伴儿，给这些孩子做点吃的吧。”
　　埃尔莎没有明白，所以老人又用他们自己的语言重复了一遍。她点了点头，抿着嘴露出了一个和善的笑容。她拉着露西安的手，走到一个摆满罐子和瓶子的岩石架旁边。
　　“她很喜欢露西安，”菲利普说，“好像怎么关心都不够。”
　　老人专心地听着孩子们的话，明白了菲利普的意思。“我们有一个小孙女，”他说，“就像这个小女孩，红头发，一张可爱的脸蛋。她以前和我们住在一起。有一天，敌人来了，把她带走了，我们再也没有见过她。现在我妻子在你的妹妹身上看到了她失去的小宝贝的影子。请你体谅她，也许她真的以为她的小葛丽塔已经回来了。”
　　“可怜的老人！”黛娜说，“他们现在一定过着很可怕的生活——迷失在这座山下，为朱利叶斯•穆勒守护着一笔财富，等了这么久，不知道外面的世界发生的一切！如果我们没有来，他们可能再也出不来了。”
　　让孩子们非常高兴的是，埃尔莎为他们准备了一顿丰盛的饭菜。她不愿意让可怜的露西安离开她的身边，所以小女孩不得不跟着她到处跑。杰克给老人讲了一些他们自己的故事，尽管讲得很清楚，但老人并没有完全理解。正如他所说，他的头脑没以前好用了，无法真正理解从那个他几乎已经忘记的世界突然传来的消息。
　　琪琪非常享受现在的时光。那只名叫玛莎的母鸡显然习惯了和这对老夫妇做伴，在桌子底下啄来啄去，蹭着每个人的腿。琪琪爬下来和她一起，进行着很风趣的交谈——尽管只是单方面的。
　　“我告诉过你多少次把你的脚擦干净？”她问玛莎，“擤鼻涕，烧水壶。”
　　“咯咯。”玛莎礼貌地回答。
　　“昏皮敦皮，”琪琪继续说，显然试图教玛莎一些儿歌，“看他们跑！呱，呱，呱，呱！”
　　母鸡看上去很惊讶，竖起羽毛，盯着琪琪。“咳咳，咳，咳。”她说着，同时啄食着地上的面包渣。
　　露西安和其他人听到了这段对话都呵呵地笑了起来。莉齐也想加入大家，因为那里有很多食物。它顺着菲利普的衣袖跑下去，出现在桌子上，吓了老妇人一跳。
　　“这是头晕的莉齐。”菲利普礼貌地说。
　　“我说，他们一定认为我们是很奇怪的客人！”黛娜说，她对莉齐保持着警惕，以免她靠近自己，“像这样，带着一只鹦鹉和一只蜥蜴，走进来，然后留下来吃晚饭！”
　　“我倒觉得他们不太介意，”菲利普说，“他们只是在享受这些新事物。在独自居住了那么久之后，有别人的陪伴一定感觉不错。”
　　他们吃完饭后，老妇人和她丈夫说了几句。老头子转向孩子们。
　　“我老伴儿问，你们累了吗？想休息一下吗？我们有一个美丽的地方可以休息，还可以享受阳光。”
　　这使孩子们非常吃惊。阳光！这两个老人怎么能看见太阳呢？除非他们穿过所有的洞穴和通道来到山坡上的入口。”
　　“你们休息的地方在哪儿呢？”杰克问。
　　“来吧。”老人说着，领着他走出了小房间。埃尔莎拉着露西安的手。他们都跟着那个老头。他沿着一条宽阔的、在岩石中挖出来的通道向前走。
　　“我认为，这些隧道中的大部分都曾被地下河流掏空，”杰克说，“然后河流改变了方向，隧道干涸了，变成了现在的样子，把所有的洞穴连接在一起。”
　　通道稍稍拐了一下，然后突然就亮了。孩子们发现自己在一块平坦的岩石上，四周被蕨类植物和其他植物围绕着，阳光铺满了这里。简直太美妙了！
　　“通往藏宝洞的另一条路。”黛娜说。但她错了。没有人能从这个岩架上进入洞穴。岩石是从一个巨大的悬崖上伸出来的，而这个悬崖又有几百英尺高。没有人，甚至连一只山羊都爬不上去，也爬不下来。正如老人所说，这是一个阳光明媚的好地方，但不会是另外一条通向藏宝洞的路。
　　玛莎在岩石的边缘上到处啄来啄去，尽管孩子们无法想象她能在那里找到什么。琪琪坐在旁边看着她。她与玛莎之间已经建立起了牢固的友谊。孩子们都很喜欢玛莎。她是这样一个可爱的胖胖的小东西，既友好又自然。玛莎对老夫妇来说就像琪琪对孩子们一样重要。
　　所有人都躺在阳光下很久。能感觉到温暖的阳光真是太美好了。当他们躺在那里的时候，他们听到远处有什么东西在隆隆作响。
　　“瀑布！”露西安说，“想象一下——如果我们能听到它的话，我们一定离它很近了！”
　　他们懒散地躺在那里。老人坐在附近的一块岩石上抽烟斗。他似乎很满足。埃尔莎不知道去哪了。
　　“想到我们找到了宝藏，却什么也不能做，这难道不奇怪吗？”黛娜说，“我们被困在这里。没办法告诉任何人。在我看来，在进入山谷的通道被疏通之前都不可能和任何人联系，而且这种情况可能会持续很久！”
　　“哦，亲爱的，不要说这种悲观的话，”露西安说，“不管怎么说，那些坏人都走了。这是一件好事。当他们在山谷里时，我感到非常害怕。谢天谢地，他们走了！”
　　她说得太早了。一种熟悉的噪音响了起来。孩子们立刻坐了起来。
　　“飞机回来了！可恶！那些人又回来了。也许他们从奥托那里得知了事情的真相，知道了宝藏就在这里！”杰克说，“我们现在得很小心了。”
24 Juan finds the caves
　　24 Juan finds the caves
　　The children held a council of war. What would be the best thing to do? Suppose the men didknow the way into the treasure caves now, and came to them? They would begin to take away thetreasure, that was certain.
　　‘And we can’t stop them,’ said Philip. ‘They are jolly tough men. They wouldn’t let a pack ofchildren and two old people prevent them from taking what they wanted. I can’t think why they’vecome back unless it is to search for the treasure again and find it this time.’
　　Everyone agreed with Jack. ‘If only we could escape and get news to Bill,’ sighed Philip. ‘Butthere simply isn’t a way.’
　　The plane had not come into sight - they had only heard the sound of its engines. The old mandid not seem to have heard anything at all. The children decided not to tell him, in case he got intoa panic.
　　‘What do you think it would be best for us to do?’ said Philip. ‘Stay here with the old coupleand see if the men do come and take anything away? We can hide somewhere quite easily. Or goback to our own fern cave beyond the waterfall? I always felt safe there. And we’ve got plenty offood there too.’
　　‘There’s plenty here,’ said Dinah. ‘Let’s stay here. After all, if the men do come, we can hide inthat stalactite cave - there are plenty of hiding places there, behind those frozen columns. Theywon’t see us. One of us could always be on guard there, to see who comes in or out.’
　　‘Perhaps you’re right,’ said Jack. ‘We must just wait and see what happens. Once the men reallydo find the treasure caves, there will be a lot of coming and going - taking the treasure to the plane- taking off with it in the air - coming back again to fetch more - and so on.’
　　‘Shouldn’t be surprised if they bring more planes here, as soon as they’ve discovered exactlywhere the treasure is,’ said Philip. ‘It would be a slow business taking one or two crates at a time.’
　　‘Lucy-Ann is asleep,’ said Dinah. ‘I think I’ll snooze too. It’s so lovely here in the sun. Thosemen won’t be along yet, so nobody needs to be on guard in the caves.’
　　‘It would be almost better to be on guard at the entrance,’ said Philip thoughtfully. ‘Then wecould spot anyone in plenty of time.’
　　‘Yes, that’s a much better idea,’ said Jack, settling down to snooze too. ‘I’m sure the men won’tbe along today. The sun’s going down. They’ll wait till tomorrow.’
　　That night the children spent in the old couple’s ‘bedroom.’ It was a smallish cave leading offfrom their ‘sitting room,’ where the children had had their meal. In the ‘bedroom’ was a pile ofrugs, spotlessly clean, and the old people insisted on giving up this room to the children.
　　‘We can sleep in chairs,’ said the old man. ‘That will be no hardship.’
　　The old woman covered Lucy-Ann up carefully and even kissed her goodnight. ‘She reallythinks I’m Greta, her lost grandchild,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘I just can’t stop her making a fuss of me,because I’m so sorry for her.’
　　In the morning, after another good meal, Jack said he was going to take first watch at theentrance to the passage that led to the caves. Philip was to take second watch, two hours later.
　　The boy settled himself down on the edge of the hole, under the big slab of rock that stuck outfrom the hillside. It was a fine sunny morning. The others thought they would go and examinesome of the statues in the statue cave, and the old man said he would tell them their histories, andwhere they had come from.
　　Jack sat there, gazing out down the hillside. He could see a long way. He could see scores ofhigh mountains around, one behind the other. The pine forests on them looked like short grass. Heput his field glasses to his eyes to watch the birds around.
　　It was a disappointing district for wild birds. There seemed to be very few. Jack swung hisglasses from side to side of the hill, examining everything.
　　And then he suddenly got a tremendous shock. He had trained his glasses on to a bush, behindwhich he thought he had seen a quick movement. He had wondered if some bird or animal washiding there.
　　He saw no bird. Instead, he saw the head and shoulders of Juan - and Juan was gazing steadilyup at him through a pair of field glasses, just as Jack was gazing down at him through field glassestoo!
　　Jack was simply petrified. He stared down through his glasses, and Juan stared up, each seeingthe other quite clearly. So Juan had come once more to seek the treasure! Had he come to thatcliff-side by chance - or had he got the same map from Otto that Jack had had?
　　‘I’ve given the show away properly now,’ thought Jack angrily. ‘I’ve only got to pop into thishole and he’ll know where the entrance is at once. But if I wander away on the hillside, he’ll beafter me. What a fix I’m in!’
　　Juan did not take his eyes off Jack. He knelt there by the bush, his field glasses fixed on the boy,watching his every movement.
　　‘He can’t possibly see the hole that I’m sitting on the edge of,’ thought Jack. ‘I think perhaps itwould be best if I left this place and began to climb up the hillside. If I do, and Juan follows, hemay miss the hole altogether.’
　　He was about to do this, when Philip leapt up beside him.
　　‘My turn now, Freckles,’ said Philip. ‘Hallo, what are you looking at?’
　　‘Pity you came just then,’ said Jack. ‘There is Juan down there, Philip - and he’s got his glassestrained on to me - and on you too now! I was just about to crawl up the hillside to make him chaseme, and perhaps miss this hole, when you came. Now he’ll know there’s a cave here and he’ll beup in no time.’
　　‘Golly!’ said Philip, alarmed. ‘We’d better warn the others at once then.’
　　‘Yes, it’s the only thing to do now,’ said Jack, and he jumped back into the hole. ‘Come on. Itwon’t take Juan long to be up here. Blow! Why didn’t I think he might be about already?’
　　They made their way quickly along the passage and through the many caves. They came to thelittle cell-like room and found the others there. Jack hurriedly told them what had happened.
　　‘We must hide,’ he said. But the old couple did not seem to take this in. They would not hide.
　　‘We have nothing to be afraid of,’ said the old man in a dignified manner. ‘They will not hurtus.’
　　‘You have plenty to be afraid of,’ said Jack desperately. ‘Do come and hide!’
　　But they wouldn’t. Jack could not waste any more time in arguing, because he wanted to get thegirls to safety. He hurried them off.
　　‘In the cave of stalactites?’ asked Dinah. Jack nodded. But when he came to the cave of silentstatues, he paused. Wouldn’t this be a better place? Suppose they all stood at the back, in the dimshadows, and posed like statues? Would anyone notice them? It was worth trying.
　　‘Take shawls off some of the figures,’ said the boy. ‘Wrap them round you. Stand quite stillright at the back there.’
　　It didn’t take long to drape themselves and stand right at the back. ‘Do you remember that gamecalled statues that we used to play?’ whispered Lucy-Ann. ‘You had to stand quite still, or youwere caught. I feel like that now.’
　　‘Well, be sure you stand still or you will be caught,’ said Jack. ‘Sh! Isn’t that somebody?’
　　‘Shhhhhh!’ said Kiki at once. Jack smacked her on her beak.
　　‘Be quiet! Do you want to give us away, silly bird?’
　　Kiki opened her beak to squawk and then thought better of it. She flew off somewhere anddisappeared. Jack was quite glad to see her go, for he didn’t want her chattering and attractingattention to them.
　　A noise came from the tunnel beyond. Somebody was already there. It must be Juan.
　　‘He’s already gone through the cave of stalactites and the cave of stars,’ whispered Philip. ‘Nowhe’s in the tunnel leading here. He’ll be at the door in a minute. Pity we didn’t shut it. He mightnot have guessed how to twist that iron stud to get it open.’
　　The door was almost closed, but not shut. As the children watched it, in the dim greenish glowof the cave, they saw it slowly pushed open. Then the gleaming barrel of a revolver came round it.
　　Juan was evidently taking no chances.
　　Lucy-Ann gulped. Oh dear! She hoped the gun wouldn’t go off. She didn’t like guns at all.
　　The door was opened wide and Juan stood there, revolver in hand. He gasped when he saw thesilent figures standing about, their curious eyes gleaming.
　　‘Put your hands up!’ said Juan sharply, to the statues. The statues did nothing of the sort. Juan’shand trembled. The children guessed he was feeling panicky as they had felt when they too hadfirst seen the strange silent company.
　　‘Wipe your feet!’ ordered a sharp voice, and the children jumped violently. It was Kiki. She wassitting just above Juan, on a ledge of rock.
　　‘Who’s there?’ shouted Juan. ‘I tell you I’ll shoot if anyone moves.’
　　The statues didn’t move - not even the four live ones.
　　‘Who’s there?’ called Juan again.
　　‘Three blind mice,’ answered Kiki, and went off into a terrible cackle of laughter. It was almosttoo much for Juan. He backed a little, and tried to see which of the statues was talking.
　　‘Pop goes the weasel!’ said Kiki, and then began to cluck like Martha. Juan’s hand trembledagain. But he advanced a little, going down the step into the cave. Then he saw, as the childrenhad seen, that the figures were only bejewelled statues, and he laughed loudly.
　　‘Fool!’ he said to himself.
　　‘Fool!’ repeated Kiki, and Juan swung round at once.
　　‘Who’s there? One of you children, I suppose. Wait till I get you!’
　　Kiki began to mew like a cat. The man looked for this unexpected cat, then decided it was oneof the children again, playing a trick on him. Kiki flew silently to the next cave and began to talkto herself there.
　　‘One, two, button my shoe, see how they run!’
　　The man took one more glance at the company of statues and went into the next cave. Thechildren heaved a sigh of relief. But they dared not move yet.
　　It seemed a very long time till the man came back. With him came the two old people, evidentlyvery frightened. Juan shouted at them in their own language, and the children could not understanda word.
　　Then, without another glance at the statues, Juan went through the stout oaken door and shut it.
　　The bang echoed loudly through the cave and made everyone jump.
　　Then they heard another sound which made their hearts sink. It was the noise of strong boltsbeing shot home on the other side of the door.
　　Crash! Crash, crash! All three bolts were shot firmly into place. Now the door could notpossibly be opened from the inside.
　　‘Did you hear that?’ groaned Jack. ‘We’re prisoners now. If only we’d hidden in the cave ofstalactites or the cave of stars, we’d have been all right. We could have got out of the hole. Nowwe can’t. We’ll have to stay here till the men set us free - if they ever do.’
第24章 胡安发现了洞穴
　　第24章 胡安发现了洞穴
　　孩子们开了一次战斗准备会议。假设这些人现在已经知道进入藏宝洞的路了，要来寻宝了，现在最好应该做些什么呢？可以肯定的是他们会开始运走宝藏了。
　　“我们阻止不了他们，”杰克说，“他们是一群强大的家伙，不会让一群孩子和两个老人阻止他们拿走想要的东西。我不明白他们为什么回来了，难道是想再次试试寻找宝藏？”
　　每个人都同意杰克的想法。“要是我们能逃出去，把消息告诉比尔就好了。”菲利普叹了口气，“但根本没有办法。”
　　飞机还没有出现在视野中，他们只听到了发动机的声音。老爷爷似乎什么也没听见。
　　孩子们决定不告诉他，以免让他陷入恐慌。
　　“你觉得我们最好的方案是什么？”菲利普问，“跟这对老夫妇待在这儿，看看他们会不会找到这里拿走东西？我们可以很容易地藏在某个地方。或者我们回到瀑布那自己的洞里？我觉得在那里一直都安全，而且我们也有很多食物。”
　　“这里也有很多，”黛娜说，“我们待在这里吧。毕竟，如果这些人真的来了，我们可以躲在那个钟乳石洞里——在那些冻结的柱子后面会有很多的藏身之处，他们不会发现我们的。我们中的一个人随时可以在那里放哨，看看谁进来，谁出去。”
　　“也许你说得对，”杰克说，“我们必须在这儿等着，看看会发生什么。一旦这些人真的找到了藏宝洞，就会有很多人来来去去，比如把宝藏装上飞机之后带着它们飞走，然后再回来取更多的财宝——就这样不停地重复。”
　　“一旦他们确定了宝藏的位置，我想他们很快会派更多飞机到这里来。”菲利普说，“因为一次拿一两个箱子显然太慢了。”
　　“露西安睡着了，”黛娜说，“我想我也要打个盹儿。在阳光下真是太舒服了。这些人不会这么快就来到这里，所以现在不需要在山洞里站岗。”
　　“最好在入口处站岗，”菲利普边想边说，“这样我们就有足够的时间发现接近这里的人了。”
　　“是的，这是个更好的主意，”杰克说着，也准备打一会儿盹儿，“我相信这些人今天不会来了。太阳要落山了。他们应该会等到明天再开始寻宝。”
　　那天晚上，孩子们在这对老夫妇的“卧室”里度过。这是一个小洞穴，直接连接到孩子们刚才吃饭的“客厅”。“卧室”里有一堆地毯，一尘不染，两个老人坚持要把这个房间让给孩子们。
　　“我们可以睡在椅子里，”老人说，“那也不是问题。”
　　老妇人小心翼翼地帮露西安把毯子盖好，甚至吻了吻她，道了晚安。“她真的以为我是她失去的孙女葛丽塔，”露西安说，“我为她感到难过，所以不忍心拒绝她的热情。”
　　第二天早上，又美美地吃了一顿之后，杰克说他将率先在通往洞穴的通道入口处站岗。两个小时后轮到菲利普站第二班岗。
　　杰克出了洞口，在山坡上伸出来的一块大块岩石下面找了个地方坐下来。真是个阳光明媚的早晨。其他孩子打算去参观雕像洞穴中的雕像，老人说自己会给他们讲解雕像的历史，以及它们是从哪儿来的。
　　杰克坐在那里，注视着山腰。他能看到很远的地方。周围高山连绵，层峦叠嶂。群山上面的松林看起来像是小草。他把望远镜举到眼前，开始观察周围的鸟儿。
　　这是一个令人失望的野鸟区。因为这儿的野鸟看上去没几只。杰克把望远镜从山的一边转到另一边，监视着一切。
　　突然，他看到了一个让他大吃一惊的景象。他把望远镜对准一丛灌木，因为它后面有个什么东西正在快速地移动。他想知道是不是有什么鸟或动物藏在那里。
　　他没有看到鸟，反而看到了胡安的头和肩膀。胡安正透过一副望远镜注视着他，就像杰克正透过望远镜注视着他一样！
　　杰克被惊呆了。他透过望远镜往那边看，看到胡安在抬头盯着他，两人都把彼此看得很清楚。胡安又来找宝藏了！他是偶然来到那个悬崖边上的吗？还是他从奥托那里得到了和杰克一样的地图？
　　“我现在已经暴露了。”杰克生气地想，“我只要跳进这个洞里，他马上就知道入口在哪里。但如果我在山坡上游荡，他也会很快追上我。真是进退两难啊！”
　　胡安没有把目光从杰克身上移开。他跪在树丛旁，透过望远镜紧紧地盯着那孩子，注视着他的一举一动。
　　“他应该不会看到我边上的这个洞，”杰克想，“我想，我离开这个地方，开始往山坡上爬会是最好的方案。如果胡安跟着我，他可能不会注意到这个洞。”
　　他正准备这么做的时候，菲利普突然跳了上来，来到了他的身旁。“现在轮到我了，小雀斑，”菲利普说，“哈喽，你在看什么呢？”
　　“真可惜你这时候来了，”杰克说，“那边就是胡安，菲利普。他举着望远镜盯上我了。
　　现在你也一样，被盯上了！我正要爬上山坡，让他追我，也许这样他会错过这个洞，但是好巧不巧，这时你来了。现在他一定知道这里有个洞穴，他很快就会上来的。”
　　“天哪！”菲利普着急地说，“那我们最好马上通知其他人！”
　　“是的，这应该是现在最重要的事了，”杰克说着，便跳回了洞里，“来吧。胡安很快就会到达这里。可恶！为什么我没想到他已经开始寻宝了呢！”
　　他们迅速地沿着通道在许多洞穴穿行前进。他们来到那个像小房间的洞里，找到了其他人。杰克赶紧告诉他们发生了什么事。
　　“我们得藏起来。”杰克说。但这对老夫妇似乎并不同意这一点。他们不会躲藏起来的。
　　“我们没有什么可害怕的，”老人威严地说，“他们不会伤害我们的。”
　　“有很多原因能让你害怕的，”杰克绝望地说，“来吧，跟我们藏起来吧！”
　　但是他们还是不愿意。杰克不愿再浪费时间争论了，他首先要把两个女孩带到一个安全的地方。他催促她们赶快跑。
　　“去钟乳石的洞穴里？”黛娜问道。杰克点了点头。但是当他来到摆放雕像的洞穴时，他停了下来。这不是更好的地方吗？假设他们都站在后面，站在阴暗的阴影里，摆出雕像的姿势？会有人注意到他们吗？这个办法值得一试。
　　“把披巾从那些石头人的身上取下来，”男孩说，“包住自己。站在后面的那个地方。”
　　没过多久，他们就披着披巾，站在雕像后面。“你还记得我们以前玩的那个叫作雕像的游戏吗？”露西安低声说，“你必须站着不动，否则你会被抓住的。我现在就是那种感觉。”
　　“好吧，你们一定要站着不动，否则你们会被抓住的。”杰克说，“嘘！是有人来了吗？”
　　“嘘嘘！”琪琪马上说。杰克拍了拍她的嘴。
　　杰克命令道：“安静！你想出卖我们吗，傻鸟？”
　　琪琪张开嘴准备大声叫一声，然后想了想，又把嘴闭上了。她飞到某个地方消失了。
　　杰克很高兴看到她走了，因为他不想让她喋喋不休并引起别人的注意。
　　从远处的隧道传来一声巨响。有人已经到这里了。一定是胡安。
　　“他已经穿过钟乳石洞和星星洞穴了，”菲利普小声说道，“现在他在通往这里的隧道里。他马上就到了。可惜我们没把门关上。否则他可能不会想到怎样把铁钉拧开。”
　　门几乎关上了，但没有关死。在昏暗的绿色的洞穴里，孩子们看着它慢慢被推开。然后，一只闪闪发光的左轮手枪枪管在门边出现。胡安显然很小心，不愿冒险。
　　露西安深吸了一口气。噢，亲爱的！她希望枪不会响，她一点也不喜欢枪。
　　门打开的角度已经很大了，胡安拿着左轮手枪站在那里。当他看到那些沉默的身影和他们闪闪发光的眼睛时，不禁倒吸了一口冷气。
　　“举起手来！”胡安严厉地对雕像说。这些雕像一点反应都没有。胡安的手在颤抖。孩子们猜想，他也和他们第一次看到这些奇怪的沉默的身影时一样惊慌失措。
　　“擦你的脚！”一个尖厉的声音传来，孩子们被吓了一跳。原来这是琪琪发出的声音。
　　她坐在胡安正上方的一块岩石的突出处。
　　“谁在那里？”胡安喊道，“我告诉你，谁动我就开枪！”
　　所有的雕像一动也没动，包括那四个活着的。
　　“谁在那里？”胡安再喊。
　　“三只瞎老鼠。”琪琪回答，发出一阵可怕的笑声。对胡安来说，这几乎不能接受了。
　　他后退了几步，想看看是哪个雕像在说话。
　　“砰！去追黄鼠狼！”琪琪说，然后开始像玛莎一样咯咯叫起来。胡安的手颤抖起来。
　　但是他向前走了几步，沿着台阶走到山洞里。然后，胡安看到的景象，就像孩子们看到的那样，这些人影只不过是镶有宝石的雕像，他大声笑了起来。
　　“傻瓜！”他自言自语地说。
　　“傻瓜！”琪琪重复了一遍，胡安立刻转过身来。
　　“谁在那里？又是一个孩子吧。等着我来抓你！”
　　琪琪开始像猫一样喵喵地叫起来。那人不得不寻找一只出乎意料的猫，他认定那是孩子中的一个，在戏弄自己。琪琪默默地飞到下一个洞穴，开始在那自言自语：“一，二，扣上我的鞋扣，看看他们跑！”
　　那人又看了一眼那些雕像，走进了下一个山洞。孩子们松了一口气。但他们还是不敢动。
　　似乎过了很长时间，胡安才回来。和他一起来的是那两位老人，他们显然非常害怕。
　　胡安用他们自己的语言对他们喊叫，孩子们一个字也听不懂。
　　胡安一眼都没有看那些雕像，而是径直穿过厚重的橡木大门，关上了门。砰，山洞里立刻回荡着巨响，把大家都吓一大跳。
　　然后，他们听到了另一种声音，使他们的心沉了下去。从门的另一边传来的是大门闩被锁上的声音。
　　砰！砰！砰！所有的三个门闩都被死死地锁上。现在门不可能从里面打开了。
　　“你们听到了吗？”杰克呻吟着，“我们现在成囚犯了。如果当时我们藏在钟乳石洞或星星洞穴里，我们就没事了。我们本可以从洞里逃出来。现在不能了。我们得待在这儿，直到那些人把我们放出来——如果他们会放我们的话。”
25 Philip’s astonishing plan
　　25 Philip’s astonishing plan
　　The old couple looked panic-stricken when four of the statues apparently talked and came alive.
　　But when the children took off their borrowed draperies and carefully gave them back to the rightstatues again, the old couple saw who they were.
　　Elsa came running to Lucy-Ann and hugged her. The old man stood trembling.
　　‘What did he say to you?’ demanded Jack.
　　‘He said he was going to make us prisoners here, and that he was bringing others back with himto remove all our treasure,’ said the old man. Tears suddenly poured down his cheeks. ‘He is a badman. Have I guarded these beautiful things all this time to let them fall into the hands of a man sobad?’
　　‘It’s sickening,’ said Jack. ‘We simply can’t do a thing! We shall just have to stand by andwatch those rogues take away everything, pack them into crates and fly off with them!’
　　‘Let’s go out to that sunny ledge,’ said Dinah. ‘I can’t bear this gloom any more. I shall feelbetter when we are out there. Let’s ask the old man if his wife would bring a picnic meal out there,Jack. You and Philip can help her to bring it. I can’t think properly down here in the dark, with allthose statues trying to listen.’
　　‘All right,’ said Jack, seeing that Dinah was on the point of tears. ‘You go off with Lucy-Annand Kiki. We’ll soon come. You’ll feel better in the sunshine.’
　　‘Wasn’t Kiki clever to lead the man away from us?’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘He was scared when shesuddenly spoke to him. So should I have been! I should have thought it was one of the statuesspeaking.’
　　She and Dinah made their way to the sunny ledge. Dinah threw herself down there thankfully.
　　‘I don’t like this adventure any more, Dinah, do you?’ asked Lucy-Ann. ‘It’s not so bad ifthere’s something we can do - but we seem to be helpless here.’
　　‘I like to make adventures go the way I want them to,’ said Dinah rather sulkily. ‘I don’t likethem to make me do things I don’t like. Don’t talk to me, Lucy-Ann. I shall snap at you. I feelcross.’
　　‘It’s only because of the strain we went through whilst we were pretending to be statues,’ saidLucy-Ann.
　　‘Don’t sound so grown-up,’ snapped Dinah. ‘It’s not that - I just feel bad tempered because Iwant to get out of this valley and I can’t.’
　　Lucy-Ann said nothing more. She settled down in the sun, waiting for the picnic that Jack andPhilip would soon be bringing out with Elsa. Kiki sat murmuring to herself near by. Martha thehen arrived and began pecking about companionably. Kiki talked to her, and she clucked back.
　　Dinah forgot her bad temper when the others came out with a picnic meal. They had a goodfeast and then discussed all the morning’s happening once more. In the middle of the discussionthey heard the sound of the plane again, and this time saw it rising high into the sky.
　　‘Why, they’re off again!’ said Jack in surprise. ‘Why?’
　　‘Probably to get other men along to help in removing everything, now they really do knowwhere the treasure is,’ said Philip. ‘And as you suggested, Jack - they might even bring moreplanes.’
　　It was hateful feeling that they were complete prisoners. Jack and Philip went desperately to thebolted door once and tried to move it - but it was hopeless of course. The bolts were old but stillvery strong.
　　There was nothing to do, and they felt bored. They went to examine the statues more closelyand to look at the old pictures and the musty old books.
　　The statues were loaded with magnificent jewels. Some of the figures were really beautifullymade and dressed, but others were crude and garish. Each one, however, was adorned with jewels,though the children were not able to tell if all the gleaming brooches, dazzling earrings andnecklaces, glittering bracelets, belts and rings were really valuable or not. Probably some were,and others were only semi-precious.
　　‘I expect the men will strip the statues of their jewellery and take only that, leaving the figuresbehind,’ said Jack. ‘They will crate the pictures and books.’
　　‘Why couldn’t we strip the jewels off and hide them away somewhere so that the men wouldn’tget them?’ suddenly said Dinah. ‘I don’t see why wicked men like that should have them.’
　　‘Good idea!’ said Jack. ‘Come on - we’ll take the jewellery now and hide it somewhere!’
　　But as soon as they began to remove it, the old couple flew at them in horror.
　　‘Not do that! Ah, bad boy!’ cried the old man, removing a brooch from Jack’s hand.
　　‘We only want to hide the things from those men,’ protested Jack. ‘They’ll be back and stealthese things soon.’
　　‘They belong to these,’ said the old man, waving his hand towards the statues. ‘They must notbe removed by anyone. It is against the law of the Church.’
　　The children did not try again. It was plain that Elsa and the old man would fly into a rage ifthey attempted to. They seemed to think that it was a very wicked and unholy act to take away anyof the adornments belonging to the figures.
　　The long day passed at last. Nobody slept very well that night. They were worried about whatwas going to happen. It was horrid to feel they were at the mercy of rogues like Juan.
　　They were all out on the sunny ledge the next morning, early having breakfast there. They hadno meals in the caves now if they could help it.
　　‘Listen,’ said Dinah suddenly. ‘I can hear the plane coming back.’
　　They all listened, the old couple too. The noise grew louder. It became very loud indeed. ThenJack leapt to his feet.
　　‘It’s not just one plane! It’s many! Look, there’s one! - circling down - and another over there!
　　- and here comes another! Gracious! Juan’s got quite a fleet of planes!’
　　There were four altogether. Evidently Juan meant to do the job properly. The children picturedthe planes landing one by one on the long wide strip of grass at the bottom of the valley.
　　‘Now we can expect things to happen,’ said Jack. ‘The whole of the treasure will be gone soon.’
　　‘What a shame!’ said Dinah. ‘And we can’t do a thing to stop it!’
　　‘If only we could get word to Bill!’ said Jack desperately. ‘But there’s no way out of the valleyexcept in one of those planes.’
　　Philip stared at Jack a moment. Then he said something so exciting that the others could hardlybelieve their ears.
　　‘Yes - that’s the only way out. And I’m going to take it.’
　　There was silence. Then Jack spoke, astonished.
　　‘Whatever do you mean? You can’t fly a plane.’
　　‘Of course not. But I can hide in one!’ said Philip. ‘Didn’t we hide, all of us, in a plane, cominghere? Well, why shouldn’t I hide in one leaving here? I bet I could hide unseen - and slip outwhen I had a chance, and get word to Bill about everything.’
　　‘Philip! It’s a grand idea!’ said Jack. ‘But I’ll go, not you.’
　　‘You jolly well won’t!’ said Philip. ‘It’s my idea! Nobody else is going to pinch such a gorgeousidea. I’m going, see?’
　　‘I don’t want either of you to go,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘You might be seen. Something awful mighthappen to you. Don’t leave us.’
　　‘Jack will be with you,’ said Philip. ‘And the old couple. You’ll be all right. I tell you, it’s theonly way to get help - to fly off in one of the planes, when the men go on their next trip. They’llhave to come back two or three times to take all these things - and, if only I can get word to Bill,he can catch the men actually doing the stealing!’
　　‘It sounds too good to be true,’ said Dinah. ‘I don’t believe you can do it. Anyway - how areyou even going to get to the plane? You know we’re bolted in. Nobody can get out.’
　　‘I shall watch my chance and slip out through that door when the men are going to and fro,’ saidPhilip, enjoying his planning. ‘Then I shall hide in the cave of stalactites and go up the passage tothe hole as soon as I can. Then I’ll get along back to the planes, and choose one to hop into. I don’treckon they will have left anyone on guard there, as they think we’re all well and trulyimprisoned.’
　　‘It sounds easy, but it won’t be,’ said Jack. ‘Better let me do it, Tufty.’
　　‘Think again!’ said Philip. ‘This is my own pet adventure, see?’
　　‘You might even be able to squeeze into a crate,’ said Dinah thoughtfully. ‘Nobody would thinkof looking into a packed crate.’
　　‘Good idea!’ said Philip. ‘In fact, jolly good!’
　　‘Well, we can expect quite a horde of men here today,’ said Jack. ‘It will surprise the poor oldcouple. They will be in a dreadful state when they see their well-guarded treasure going.’
　　‘Philip, we won’t pretend that we are any of the statues today when the men come,’ said Dinah.
　　‘Only you. The men are sure to have a hunt round for us if they can’t find us today, so we’d betterall be found, except you. You can be a statue again, and wait your chance to rush out of the door.’
　　‘Yes. I think I will,’ said Philip. ‘It may not work, but it’s the only thing to do. Now - when willthose men be along? It will take them about an hour and a half to get here. It’s half an hour sincewe saw the planes. I mustn’t leave it to the last minute to put myself in place.’
　　‘Better go now,’ said Lucy-Ann, who was on pins and needles about the whole thing. ‘We’llcome with you and see that you’re in a good place and really look like a statue.’
　　They all went down the passage, and made their way through the various caves to the one inwhich the statues stood. Martha the hen came too. She had attached herself to Jack now, andfollowed him wherever he went. She had laid an egg that morning, and the old woman had madeLucy-Ann have it for breakfast.
　　‘Look! - there’s a half-hidden ledge here not far from the door,’ said Dinah eagerly. ‘If youstood there you would hardly be seen, it’s so dark there. And you would be near the door to creepout if you got a chance.’
　　‘Yes, that does seem the best place,’ said Philip. ‘It really does. Now what about a shawl orsomething to drape over my head? I don’t want my short hair to give me away.’
　　They found a very big shawl and draped it carefully round him. He went to stand on the littleledge, and everyone agreed that it was a splendid place.
　　‘You can hardly be seen,’ said Jack. ‘Well, good luck, Tufty. We’ll go now, and we shan’t hide.
　　We shall let the men see us and hope they’ll think there’s nobody else in the caves at all. If youcan’t escape we shall know, because you’ll still be about tonight.’
　　‘Goodbye,’ said Philip, looking exactly like a statue. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll be off andaway soon, and I’ll get word to Bill and Mother. We’ll soon rescue you, don’t you worry!’
第25章 菲利普的惊人计划
　　第25章 菲利普的惊人计划
　　当这四尊雕像开始说话、活了起来的时候，这对老夫妇十分惊慌。但当孩子们把借来的披巾脱下来，又小心翼翼地把它们归还给了原主时，这对老夫妇才认出了他们是谁。
　　埃尔莎跑到露西安跟前，爱怜地抚摸着她。老头站在那里，浑身发抖。
　　“他对你说了什么？”杰克连忙问道。
　　“他说要把我们关在这里，再带别人过来，把我们所有的财宝都运走。”老人说着，突然泪流满面，“他是个坏人。难道这些我一直守护的宝藏，最后要落入一个如此邪恶的人的手中吗？”
　　“这真让人恶心，”杰克说，“我们完全无能为力了！我们只好袖手旁观，看着那些坏蛋抢走一切，把宝藏装进木板箱，然后一起用飞机运走！”
　　“我们去那个阳光明媚的岩架上吧，”黛娜说，“我再也不能忍受这种阴郁了。我在外面会感觉好一些。杰克，让老爷爷告诉他的妻子带着吃的，咱们到外边野餐去吧。你和菲利普可以帮着老奶奶一起拿。在这黑暗中我都没法好好地思考，因为我感觉所有的雕像都在试图窃听我们说话。”
　　“好吧，”杰克表示同意，他看到黛娜快要哭了，“你、露西安和琪琪先走。我们很快就会来了。在阳光下你会感觉好一些。”
　　“琪琪刚才多么聪明，把那个坏蛋从我们身边引走。”露西安说，“当她突然对他说话时，胡安肯定吓坏了。要是我的话，我也会一样害怕！我会以为是其中一座雕像在说话呢。”
　　她和黛娜来到了阳光明媚的岩架上。黛娜坐下后，心中充满了感激。
　　“黛娜，我再也不喜欢这种冒险了，你呢？”露西安问道，“如果我们还能做点儿什么改变现状的话，就不那么糟糕——但我们在这里什么都做不了，我感觉很无助。”
　　“我喜欢让冒险按照我希望的方式进行，”黛娜闷闷不乐地说，“我不喜欢他们让我做我不喜欢的事情。别跟我说话了，露西安。否则我要对你发脾气了。因为我心情很不好。”
　　“这都是因为我们假装自己是雕像时，情绪太紧张了。”露西安说。
　　“别装得那么成熟，”黛娜生气地说，“不是因为这个。我只是觉得现在心情不好，因为我想离开这个山谷，但现在又没有办法。”
　　露西安不说话了，在阳光下坐了下来。过一会儿，杰克和菲利普将和埃尔莎带着吃的到户外来野餐。琪琪坐在附近喃喃自语。母鸡玛莎来了，开始友好地到处啄食。琪琪跟她说话，她咯咯地回答。
　　当其他人出来野餐时，黛娜忘记了她的坏脾气。大家美美地吃了一顿，又讨论了早上的事情。在讨论的时候，他们听到了飞机的声音，这一次，他们看到飞机高高地升上了天空。
　　“看看，他们又起飞了！”杰克惊讶地说，“为什么呢？”
　　“既然他们现在知道宝藏的真正位置了，也许是去通知别人来帮忙，之后把所有东西搬走，”菲利普说，“就像你说的，杰克——他们甚至可能带来很多架飞机。”
　　他们很不喜欢这种被当作囚犯的感觉。一次，杰克和菲利普绝望地走到那扇被锁上的门边，想把它推开——当然，这是不可能的。门闩虽然很旧，但仍然很牢固。
　　他们什么也做不了，感到很无聊，便去仔细地查看雕像、旧画和发霉的旧书。
　　雕像上镶满了华丽的珠宝。有些造型精美，穿着也很漂亮，但有些则造得很粗糙，过度花哨。然而，所有的雕像都用珠宝装饰着，尽管孩子们不知道所有那些闪闪发光的胸针、耳环、项链、手镯、腰带和戒指是否真的值很多钱。也许有些是，有些只是一般珍贵的。
　　“我预计这些人会把这些珠宝首饰拿走，只留下那些雕像，”杰克说，“他们还会把画和书装在那些板条箱里。”
　　“我们为什么不把珠宝摘下来藏在什么地方，这样坏人们就不会得到它们了。”黛娜突然说道，“我不明白这些宝藏为什么就注定要落在这些人的手里。”
　　“好主意！”杰克说，“来吧——我们现在就把珠宝藏起来吧！”
　　但是，他们刚开始把它们取下来，那对老夫妇就惊恐地冲向他们。
　　“不能这样做！啊，坏孩子！”老人嚷道，从杰克手里夺过一枚胸针。
　　“我们只是想瞒着那些人，把宝藏藏起来，”杰克解释道，“他们很快就会回来偷走这些东西。”
　　“珠宝是属于这些雕像的，”老人说着，还向雕像挥手，“它们绝不能被任何人拿走。这是违反教会规定的！”
　　孩子们不再试了。很明显，这样做会惹得埃尔莎和那个老爷爷大发雷霆。两位老人好像认为，拿走这些雕像的任何一件装饰品都是非常邪恶的行为，是对神圣的亵渎。
　　漫长的一天终于过去了。那天晚上没人睡得好。他们都担心会发生什么。自己的命运任凭像胡安这样的流氓摆布，让他们感到很不安。
　　第二天一大早，他们就来到阳光明媚的岩架上吃早饭。他们现在已经尽量不在洞穴内吃饭了。
　　“听着，”黛娜突然说，“我能听到飞机飞回来的声音。”
　　他们都听着，老两口也一样竖着耳朵听着。飞机的噪音变得非常大，音量不断升高。
　　杰克跳了起来。
　　“不仅仅是一架飞机！是很多架！看，那有一架正在盘旋，那边还有一架！后边又来了一架！天哪！胡安有那么多架飞机呀！”
　　一共有四架飞机。显然，胡安打算漂亮地完成这个任务。孩子们想象着飞机一架接一架地降落在山谷底部宽阔的长草坪上。
　　“我们知道即将发生什么事情了，”杰克说，“所有的宝藏很快都将从这个藏宝洞穴里消失。”
　　“太可惜了！”黛娜说，“我们也没办法阻止他们！”
　　“要是我们能通知比尔就好了！”杰克绝望地说，“但是，除了那几架飞机外，没有别的办法离开山谷。”
　　菲利普盯着杰克看了一会儿，然后说出了令人兴奋的话，其他人简直不敢相信自己的耳朵。
　　菲利普说：“是的——这是唯一的出路。我要抓住这个机会。”
　　紧接着便是一阵沉默。然后杰克惊讶地说：“你是什么意思？你不会驾驶飞机呀。”
　　“当然不会。但我可以藏在其中一架飞机里面！”菲利普说，“我们大家不是都躲在飞机上来到这里的吗？好吧，我为什么不躲在飞机上离开呢？我敢打赌我可以藏在飞机上而不被发现——有机会的话我就溜出去，把这一切都告诉比尔。”
　　“菲利普！这是一个好主意！”杰克说，“但是应该我去，不是你。”
　　“没门！”菲利普说，“这是我的主意！没有别人能想到这么好的主意。我去，明白了吗？”
　　“我不希望任何一个人去冒这个险，”露西安说，她的嘴唇在颤抖，“你可能会被发现，可能会遇到更可怕的事情。别离开我们。”
　　“杰克会和你在一起的，”菲利普说。“还有老夫妇。你们会没事的。我告诉你，这是获得帮助的唯一途径——当这些人下一次出行时，乘一架飞机离开。他们得回来两三次，才能把这些东西全都拿走。要是我能通知比尔的话，他就能抓住那些偷东西的人了！”
　　“这计划听起来太让人难以相信了，”黛娜说，“我不相信你能做到。不管怎样，你怎么去到飞机上呢？你知道我们被关起来了。没有人可以离开。”
　　“我要抓住机会，等他们来来往往时，我就溜出那扇门，”菲利普说，享受着他的计划，“我要藏在钟乳石洞里，尽快通过通道溜到那里去。然后我会回到停着飞机的地方，选择一架爬进去，藏起来。我不认为他们会把谁留在飞机上看着，因为他们都以为我们被彻底地真正地囚禁了。”
　　“听起来很容易，但事实并非如此，”杰克说，“还是让我来做吧，草丛头。”
　　“再想想！”菲利普说，“这将是我个人的冒险，明白吗？”
　　“你甚至可以挤进一个板条箱里，”黛娜若有所思地说，“没有人会想到去看一个装满东西的板条箱。”
　　“好主意！”菲利普说，“真的很棒！”
　　“嗯，我觉得今天会有很多人来这里，”杰克说，“这对可怜的老夫妇一定会被吓坏的。
　　当他们看到自己精心守护的宝藏被拿走时，一定会受到很大的打击。”
　　“菲利普，我们其他人今天不需要把自己打扮成雕像，混在那些真雕像中间，”黛娜说，“只有你需要。如果他们今天找不到我们的话，他们肯定会到处寻找，所以除了你，我们最好都被找到。这样的话，你可以再次成为一尊雕像，然后等待机会冲出那扇门。”
　　“是的。我就这样做，”菲利普说，“这可能行不通，但这是唯一可行的方法。这些人什么时候会出现？他们到这儿大约要一个半小时。从我们看到飞机到现在已经半个小时了。
　　我不能等到最后时刻才把自己伪装好。”
　　“最好现在就走，”露西安说，她现在简直是如坐针毡，“我们会和你一起去，帮你找到一个好地方，扮得像一尊雕像。”
　　他们所有人都沿着通道走，穿过不同的洞穴，来到了雕像所在的洞穴。玛莎也来了。
　　现在她已经喜欢上了杰克，不管他走到哪里，她都跟着他。那天早上她生了一个蛋，老奶奶叫露西安把蛋给吃了。
　　“看！——在离门不远的地方，有一块半掩的岩石。”黛娜急切地说，“如果你站在那里，你几乎不会被人看见，那里太黑了。那儿离门很近，如果你有机会的话，就很快地偷偷溜出去。”
　　“是的，那似乎是最好的地方，”菲利普同意，“确实是。把披巾或者什么东西挂在我头上怎么样？我不想让我的短发泄露了我的真实身份。”
　　他们发现了一条非常大的披巾，小心翼翼地把它围在菲利普的头上。他站在那块半掩的岩石上，大家都认为这是一个很好的地方。
　　“已经很难发现你了，”杰克说，“好吧，祝你好运，草丛头。我们现在就走，不会藏起来。我们要让这些人看到我们，希望他们会认为洞穴里没有其他人。如果你逃不掉，我们也会知道，因为你今晚还会在这里。”
　　“再见，”菲利普说，他看上去就像一尊雕像，“别为我担心。我马上就要离开这里了，我去通知比尔和妈妈。然后我们马上就来救你们，别担心！”
26 The getaway
　　26 The getaway
　　In about an hour’s time Philip heard the sound of footsteps and then the bolts of the door were shotback. Juan’s revolver appeared round the opening door again. But this time there was no Kiki totalk to him - nobody to be seen or heard except the silent company of statues.
　　Juan came down into the cave. Other men followed him. Philip watched them through a fold ofthe shawl. He hoped they wouldn’t start stripping the jewels off the statues at once, or they mightdiscover him.
　　The men exclaimed in wonder at the statues. They had powerful torches with them which theyswitched on at once. Philip was not prepared for that. He shrank back into his corner, glad of thedraping shawl.
　　The men were a rough-looking lot, and they called out to one another in surprise as they saw thegleaming jewels on the necks and arms of the statues. Some of them grabbed brooches andnecklaces at once. Juan gave a sharp order and the men replaced them sulkily.
　　Philip counted the men. There were eight. Otto was not among them, but that was notsurprising. Juan, Pepi and Luis were there. There were two men for each aeroplane, apparently.
　　Juan led the way to the next cave, through the tunnel. Their footsteps echoed hollowly as theypassed through. Philip wondered if they would all go on to the next cave - and the next. If so, hecould slip out of the open door straight away, and make his way down the hillside at once.
　　He listened. He could hear the men’s voices from the next cave, where the pictures were. Thenfootsteps again, farther away. Then only a faint murmur of voices.
　　‘They’ve gone to the cave of books - and then they’ll go to the cave where the gold is,’ thoughtPhilip. ‘I’ve plenty of time to get through the door and away.’
　　He dropped his shawl on the floor and went quietly to the door. He was through it in a trice. Upthe winding steps he went, off to the cave of stars - then to the cave of gleaming stalactites. Hebegan to feel safer. He didn’t think there would be anyone on guard outside the hole, but he meantto be careful there.
　　There was nobody on guard. The hillside was empty. Philip climbed out of the hole and beganto make his way downwards. Soon he was well on his way, keeping a sharp look-out the wholetime just in case all the men had not gone down into the caves.
　　He was tired and hungry by the time he reached the men’s hut. Thank goodness the door wasopen and there was nobody about! The boy got himself a good meal. He found a box containingbars of chocolate, and slipped some of the bars into his pocket, in case he had to go some timewithout food.
　　Then he went along to the planes. There they were, four of them, looking quite big as he walkedbeside them. Which should he get into?
　　He climbed up into the cabin of each and looked inside. In the last one there was a big heap ofcoats and rugs. It seemed the best plane to get into. He could pile the things over him and hidehimself that way. He didn’t at the moment see any chance of squeezing himself into a crate, asDinah had suggested. Anyway, the crates were not in the plane, they were under the tarpaulins,where they had always been.
　　Having decided exactly what he was going to do, he had plenty of time left on his hands. Heknew that the men would not be back for some time. They would be carrying heavy, awkwardloads and would go far more slowly than he had gone.
　　He amused himself by snooping around. He went into the hut and found a coat hanging upthere. He ran his hands through the pockets, thinking that any information he could get hold ofmight be useful to Bill, when he got to him.
　　There was a notebook in one of the pockets. Philip flipped over the pages. He could makenothing of it. It contained sentences in some kind of code, and plenty of numbers. Perhaps Billcould make head or tail of it. He couldn’t!
　　He went to the cowshed. There was nothing to be seen there but the still-open tins of fruit,swarming with flies. Philip stared at them. ‘Oh yes - they are what Jack left for Otto,’ he thought.
　　‘Ugh, look at the flies!’
　　He took a stick, dug a hole and buried the evil-smelling tins and their contents. Then he strolledoff again and came to the tree where they had all once hidden. He squinted up and saw something.
　　‘Golly, what’s that?’
　　Then he remembered. ‘Of course - we left our suitcases up there. I’d forgotten all about them.
　　Fancy them still being there!’
　　He debated whether to get them down and hide them. ‘No,’ he thought, ‘they might be found,and then the men might start looking for me. I’ll leave them there.’
　　He kept a good look out for the returning men as the afternoon wore on. He helped himself tosome biscuits and a tin of peaches at about five o’clock. Still no sign of the men.
　　But about ten minutes later he saw them far away in the distance. He was by the planes, waiting,ready to jump into the one he had chosen as soon as he saw the men coming.
　　He counted the men quickly. Yes - eight - so they were all back. He climbed up the steps andleapt into the cabin. He went to the pile of rugs and coats and got underneath, pulling them overhim so that not even the toe of his shoe showed.
　　‘Good thing it’s a hot day,’ he thought. ‘The men certainly won’t want their coats or macks.’
　　He heard the voices of the men. Evidently they were pleased with their successful day. Thenthere was a silence. They had passed the planes, and were on their way to the hut. ‘Probably getthemselves a meal, and then pack up the things they have brought from the treasure caves,’
　　thought Philip. He yawned. He felt sleepy now that he was lying down.
　　Soon he was asleep, and he slept so soundly that he did not even stir when, some hours later,two men entered his plane. But he did wake when the propellers swung round as the enginessuddenly roared out! He nearly gave himself away by sitting up in a fright.
　　Then he remembered where he was, and lay perfectly still, wondering if it was nighttime. Hecould see nothing under the pile of coats, of course. It might have been midnight or noon for all heknew.
　　One by one the planes took off. Philip’s plane went last of all. He felt it leave the ground like abird and then he was away in the air.
　　‘They haven’t seen me! They don’t guess they’ve got me on board!’ thought Philip, delighted.
　　‘It was easy after all. Hurrah!’
　　He fell asleep again, and the planes roared on through the night. Where were they going? To asecret landing-place? To an ordinary aerodrome?
　　The other children, who were sleeping that night out on the ledge, heard the roar of the planesas they left. It was such a hot night that they had felt stifled indoors and had begged the old coupleto let them take the rugs out on the ledge.
　　‘You will not walk in your sleep?’ the old man had said. ‘You might walk off the ledge!’
　　‘Not one of us walks in our sleep,’ said Jack. ‘We’ll be all right.’
　　Elsa, the old woman, had not wanted Lucy-Ann to sleep out on the ledge at all, and had almostcried when Lucy-Ann had insisted. Kiki and Martha were both there too. But the lizard wasn’t.
　　She was with Philip, sharing his adventure.
　　The children had had a horrid day. The men had found both them and the old couple in the‘sitting room’ and had shouted at them and questioned them, and frightened them very much. Theold man had told them that he had been living in the caves for a long time, guarding the treasure,and the men had jumped to the conclusion that the children also had been living there with them.
　　‘Good thing they didn’t ask us how we got to this valley,’ said Jack afterwards. ‘They just tookit for granted that we and the old people came here together ages ago.’
　　The old man and woman had rushed to the rescue of their beloved statues when the men hadbegun to strip off the jewellery. The men had struck the poor old things and shouted at them. Theold man had taken his weeping, trembling wife away, and the children had done their best tocomfort them.
　　They had not gone near the men again, but had gone to sit on the sunny ledge, and wondered ifPhilip had managed to escape. ‘I’m sure he did,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘All the men kept together, andPhilip could easily have slipped out of the cave of statues when they came to question us.’
　　The men had gone at last, taking with them a haul of jewels, one very precious figure, somepictures and a few old papers. Two of them carried a box of the gold between them. The childrenpictured their difficulties, hauling it up and down the mountainside.
　　The men had bolted the door behind them again, and once more the little company wereprisoners. How they wondered what was happening to Philip! Had he managed to hide in one ofthe aeroplanes? Would he slip into a crate? When would the planes go off?
　　They knew that the planes had gone when they awoke in the night to hear the throb of theengines. They all sat up and listened. Kiki gave a squawk and pecked Martha to wake her.
　　‘There go the planes,’ said Jack. ‘I bet Philip’s in one. Now we shall soon be rescued. What ashock for Bill when he hears all about us! Do you think Bill will fly over in his aeroplane too?’
　　‘I hope so,’ said Lucy-Ann fervently. ‘I’m longing to see Bill again. I sometimes feel as if we’llbe in this valley all our lives.’
　　‘Don’t be silly,’ said Dinah. ‘Oh, Kiki, leave Martha alone. Whatever are you doing to her tomake her cluck like that?’
　　‘Shhhh!’ said Kiki cheekily.
　　‘Don’t talk back to me!’ said Dinah, lying down again. ‘Well, I’m glad we heard those planes.
　　Good luck to you, Philip, wherever you are!’
　　‘Good luck!’ called the others, and Kiki echoed the words too. ‘Good luck!’
　　‘Cluck-luck-luck!’ said Martha the hen, sounding exactly as if she was joining in with the goodwishes as well!
第26章 逃跑
　　第26章 逃跑
　　大约过了一个小时，菲利普听到了脚步声，门上的门闩被打开了。胡安的左轮手枪又出现在敞开的门前。但这一次琪琪没有跟他说话——除了无声的雕像之外，他没有看见任何人或听到任何的声音。
　　胡安下到了洞穴里。其他人都在后面跟着。菲利普通过披巾的缝隙望着他们。他希望他们不要立刻把这些珠宝从雕像上拆下来，否则他就可能会被发现了。
　　那些人对雕像惊叹不已。他们立刻打开手上拿着的强光手电筒。菲利普对此毫无准备。他缩回角落里，很庆幸这时候有披巾盖在他身上。
　　这些人看上去很粗野，当他们看到雕像脖子上和手臂上闪闪发光的珠宝时，他们惊奇地互相呼喊着。有些人立刻把胸针和项链抓起来。胡安严厉地下了一个命令。那几个人只好很不情愿地把它们放了回去。
　　菲利普数了数，一共有八个人。奥托不在其中，但这并不奇怪。胡安、佩皮和路易斯都在。显然，每架飞机上都有两个人。
　　胡安在前面打头阵，带着其他的人穿过隧道，来到了下一个山洞。他们走过时，脚步声空洞地回响着。菲利普不知道他们是不是所有人都去了下一个山洞——然后再去下一个洞。如果他们都离开了这个洞的话，他就可以直接从敞开的门溜出去，沿着山坡往下走了。
　　他仔细地听着声响。旁边装画的洞穴传来了谈话声，然后是走得更远的脚步声，最后只有微弱的咕哝声。
　　“他们去了装书画的洞穴——然后应该去了有金子的洞，”菲利普想，“这么说的话，我现在就有足够的时间通过这扇门溜走了。”
　　他把披巾扔在地上，悄悄地走到门口。一眨眼的工夫，他就消失在门口。菲利普通过弯弯曲曲的台阶，走到满是“星星”的洞穴里，又走到闪闪发光的钟乳石洞里。他开始觉得安全了。菲利普觉得洞外不会有人站岗，但他仍然打算对洞外多留神。
　　没有人站岗。山坡上空荡荡的。菲利普从洞里爬出来，开始往下走。很快他就上路了，一直保持着警惕，以防还有其他人没有进入洞穴。
　　他到达那些人的小屋时，感觉又累又饿。谢天谢地，门是开着的，周围一个人也没有！菲利普好好地饱餐了一顿。他发现了一个装有巧克力棒的盒子，又把一些巧克力棒塞进口袋，以防自己在一段时间内吃不到东西。
　　然后他走向那一排飞机。四架飞机都在那儿，他走在它们的旁边，它们显得很高大。
　　他应该选哪一架呢？
　　他爬上了每个机舱，往里面看。在最后一架里有一大堆毯子和外套。这似乎是最适合藏身的飞机。他可以把东西堆在身上，那样就可以把自己藏起来。他没有像黛娜所建议的那么做——把自己塞进板条箱里。毕竟，箱子不在飞机上，它们在防水布下面，在它们之前一直待着的地方。
　　决定了自己要怎么做了之后，菲利普还剩下很多时间。他知道这些人在短时间内不会回来。他们要背着沉重又笨拙的包袱，走得肯定会比自己慢得多。
　　为了给自己找点乐子，他开始在四处查探。他走进小屋，发现一件大衣挂在那里。他把手伸进了大衣的口袋，心想要是能找到任何会对比尔有用的信息就好了。
　　口袋里有一个笔记本。菲利普翻了翻，但他什么也不懂。上面写了一些代码语句，以及大量的数字。也许比尔能搞清楚这件事。但他自己不明白！
　　他又去了牛棚。那里没有什么值得注意的，只有那两个还开着口的罐头，周围满是苍蝇。菲利普看着它们。“哦，是的——这就是杰克留给奥托的东西，”他想，“啊，看那些恶心的苍蝇！”
　　他拿起一根棍子，挖了一个洞，把那些恶臭的罐子和里面的东西埋了起来。他离开后，走到他们曾经躲藏过的那棵树上。他眯起眼睛看见了什么。“天哪，那是什么？”
　　然后他想起来了。“对了，我们把箱子放在那儿了。之后又把它们全都忘在脑后了。真想不到它们还在那儿！”
　　他在心里盘算着是不是要把它们弄下来藏起来。“不，”他想，“它们可能会被找到，然后这些人可能就会开始找我了。我还是不动它们了。”
　　随着时间的慢慢流逝，他时刻监视着那些要回来的人。大约五点，他又吃了些饼干和一罐桃子。可还是没有人的踪迹。
　　但大约十分钟后，他远远地看见了他们。他在飞机上等待着，准备到时候一看到这些人要来了，就立刻跳进自己所选择的那架飞机。
　　他快速地数了数这些人。是的，八个，他们都回来了。他爬上台阶，跳进机舱，钻到那堆毯子和外套下面，把它们拉到他身上，连鞋尖都没露出来。
　　“还好，今天很热，”他想，“那些家伙肯定不会想要穿他们的外套。”
　　他听到了那些人的声音。显然，他们对自己的收获很满意。随后是一阵沉默。他们已经走过了飞机，正在去小屋的路上。“也许先去吃顿饭，然后再把他们从藏宝洞带来的东西装箱。”菲利普想。他打了个哈欠。整个人躺下后感到昏昏欲睡。
　　很快菲利普就睡着了，睡得很沉，甚至几个小时后，有两个人上了他所在的飞机的时候，他都没有动弹。但当螺旋桨旋转，引擎突然咆哮起来的时候，他被惊醒了。菲利普吓得差一点坐起来，暴露自己的行踪。
　　这时他想起了自己在什么地方，于是就静静地躺着，想着现在是不是晚上了。当然，在那堆毯子和外套下面，他什么也看不见。他不知道是午夜还是中午。
　　飞机一架接一架地起飞。菲利普的飞机是最后一架。他感到自己像小鸟一样离开了地面，然后他就飞到了空中。
　　“他们没发现我！他们没想到自己正载我一程！”菲利普高兴地想，“这毕竟很容易。好哇！”
　　他很快又睡着了。飞机呼啸着穿过了黑夜。他们要去哪里？一个秘密着陆点吗？或者一个普通的飞机场？
　　那天晚上，其他的孩子都睡在岩架上，听着飞机离开时发出的轰鸣声。这是一个如此炎热的夜晚，他们在洞里感到很闷，于是请求老两口让他们把毯子拿到岩架上。
　　“你们不会梦游吧？”老人说，“你们可能会不知不觉地走下岩架！”
　　“我们都不会梦游，”杰克说，“我们会没事的。”
　　老妇人埃尔莎根本不想露西安睡在岩架上，当露西安坚持时，她差点哭出来。琪琪和玛莎也在那里。但是那只蜥蜴不在。她和菲利普一起去冒险了。
　　孩子们度过了可怕的一天。那八个人在“卧室”里找到了其他三个孩子和那对老夫妇，对他们大声喊叫，逼问他们，把他们都吓坏了。老人告诉他们自己在山洞里住了很长一段时间，一直守护着宝藏。那些人就以为孩子们也一直和他们住在一起。
　　“幸好他们没有问我们是怎么到这个山谷来的，”杰克后来说，“他们只是想当然地认为我们和两个老人多年前一起来到这里。”
　　当这些人开始从雕塑身上剥去钻石和珠宝时，老头和他的妻子跑过去保护他们心爱的雕像。那些人把这对可怜的夫妻打了一顿，朝他们大声喊叫。老头把全身颤抖、不住哭泣的妻子带走了。三个孩子尽力地安慰他们。
　　他们没有再去靠近那些坏人，而是坐在阳光明媚的岩架上，想知道菲利普是否成功地逃走了。“我敢肯定他做到了，”露西安说，“当这些人来问我们的时候，他们一直都站在一起，菲利普很容易抓住机会就从石洞里溜出去了。”
　　他们终于走了，带走了一大堆珠宝、一座非常宝贵的雕像、一些绘画和一些旧文件。
　　还有两人一起扛了一箱金子。孩子们想象着他们把箱子拖上山坡的困难。
　　这些人又把身后的门闩上了。洞里的人又一次成为了囚犯。他们多么想知道菲利普那边发生了什么！他有没有设法躲进一架飞机里？他会藏在板条箱里吗？飞机什么时候起飞？
　　当他们夜间醒来，听到发动机的轰鸣声时，就知道飞机已经起飞了。他们都坐起来，听着。琪琪大叫了一声，啄了一下玛莎，把她叫醒。
　　“飞机起飞了，”杰克说，“我敢打赌菲利普一定在其中一架上面。我们很快就能得救了。当比尔听到关于我们的一切时，他会多么震惊啊！你们认为比尔也会驾驶他的飞机赶过来吗？”
　　“我希望如此，”露西安热切地说，“我渴望再次见到比尔。有时我觉得我们会一辈子困在这个山谷里。”
　　“别傻了，”黛娜说，“哦，琪琪，别理玛莎。你对她做了什么，让她那样咯咯叫？”
　　“嘘！”琪琪厚颜无耻地说。
　　“别跟我顶嘴！”黛娜说着又躺下了，“好吧，我很高兴我们听到了那些飞机的轰鸣声。
　　无论你在哪里，祝你好运，菲利普！”
　　“祝你好运！”其他人喊道，琪琪也重复了这句话，“祝你好运！”
　　“咯咯——咯——咯！”母鸡玛莎说，听起来就好像她也和大家一样送上了自己的祝福！
27 A discovery – and a fine idea
　　27 A discovery - and a fine idea
　　The next day the men were all back again in the four planes. They soon arrived once more at thetreasure caves, going through the old books and papers, unrolling the dozens of canvases andlooking at the pictures. They had gone to find the children and the old couple and had shouted atthem again.
　　They had found out that somebody had helped himself to food from the hut, and they could notmake it out. Hadn’t they imprisoned all the children and the old people in the caves?
　　The children, of course, guessed at once that it was Philip who had helped himself to the food.
　　But they were not going to say so. So Jack put on a bewildered air and replied quite stupidly, andDinah did the same. Lucy-Ann sobbed and the men soon gave up questioning her.
　　As for the old couple, they knew nothing, of course. They did not even appear to have missedPhilip. The men gave up their questioning after a while, and returned to their work.
　　Elsa was sad to see Lucy- Ann sobbing. She took her by the hand and led her into the‘bedroom.’ She took down a picture she had put on a ledge there, and showed Lucy-Ann a spacebehind. Lucy-Ann stared at it.
　　‘What is it?’ she said. Then she called to Jack. ‘Jack! Come here, and bring the old man. Theold woman doesn’t understand what I say.’
　　They came, and when Jack saw the yawning space behind the picture, he turned to the old man.
　　‘What’s that? A hidey-hole?’
　　‘Oh, it is only a hole in the wall,’ said the old fellow. ‘My wife did not like it, so she covered itwith a picture.’
　　The old woman poured out a torrent of words to him. He turned to Jack. ‘My wife is sadbecause your little sister is frightened by those men. She says she can hide in this hole and theywill not find her.’
　　‘Let me see what it’s like,’ said Jack, and climbed into it. It was more than a hole. It was a tiny,round dark tunnel that had once been a waterway. Where could it lead to - if it led anywhere?
　　‘It’s a little tunnel!’ Jack called back. ‘Rather like the one that led out of our fern cave into thecave of echoes. I’ll see if it goes anywhere.’
　　He crawled on for some way, and then it suddenly dipped down so steeply that he could haveslid down it if it had not been so narrow. It ended in a hole that seemed to open out in the roof of amuch bigger passage. Jack flashed his torch down. Yes, that really was a passage down there! Hecrawled back to the girls.
　　‘Come behind me,’ he said. ‘I may have found a way of escape. We’ll have to use a ropethough.’
　　They crawled in single file till they came to the hole that dropped into the wide passage. Jackundid the rope he always carried round his waist. He tied it to a rock and let it drop down into thepassage, then down he went.
　　The girls followed. Jack flashed his torch up and down the passage. ‘Which way shall we go?’
　　he said.
　　‘I can hear a funny noise,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘It’s the waterfall, I do believe!’
　　They went down the passage towards the noise - and to their intense surprise and delight theycame out on to the ledge behind the waterfall, the one on which Lucy-Ann and Dinah had caperedabout to hold the attention of Pepi some days before.
　　‘I say! It’s the waterfall ledge - and that is the passage that leads back to the cave of echoes!’
　　said Jack. ‘Would you believe it? We can get back to our old fern cave and we shan’t be prisonersin the treasure caves any more. Let’s go and fetch the old couple too.’
　　He went back down the passage, swarmed up the rope, wriggled back up the little tunnel andcame out into the sitting room. He told the old man where the passage led to. ‘Come too,’ he said.
　　‘We will take you to a safe place.’
　　The old man laughed sadly. ‘We cannot do as you do and crawl and climb,’ he said. ‘It isimpossible. You go, and we will put back the picture over the hole and no one will guess.’
　　Jack went back to the girls, Kiki with him. ‘Pity we couldn’t take Martha too,’ he said. ‘I gotquite fond of her. But the old people would miss her. They simply won’t come with us. I thinkthey’re right too - they’d never be able to swarm along that little tunnel, and swing down that rope- nor would they ever be able to get down into the fern cave. Come on! I’m longing to get back toour own cave. Ha ha - we’ve escaped after all! Won’t those men be wild!’
　　‘I hope they won’t hurt those two old people,’ said Lucy-Ann anxiously. ‘She is such a dear,gentle old woman.’
　　They went down the winding passage and came to the cave of echoes, where Kiki annoyedthem by squawking and screeching all the time, bringing back echoes of hundreds of magnifiedsquawks and screeches that almost deafened them.
　　They got through the little drainpipe-like tunnel that led to the back of the fern cave, anddropped thankfully down to the rugs still spread out there.
　　‘Home again,’ said Jack, and laughed. ‘Funny to think we feel this is home - but I really do.’
　　They settled down for a rest. ‘Those men must have gone off somewhere in their planes lastnight, unloaded their goods and taken off again almost at once to get back so quickly,’ said Dinahthoughtfully. ‘I really hardly expected to see them in the caves today. I didn’t hear the planescome back, did you?’
　　‘No - but the wind has changed, so maybe the sound didn’t blow in our direction,’ said Jack.
　　‘It’s not so sunny now - looks like rain again. The wind’s jolly strong.’
　　‘We shall have to keep a look out for Bill and Philip if they come,’ said Dinah. ‘Philip won’tknow we’re here, will he?’
　　‘Do you girls mind if I go this evening and just have a snoop round about the men’s hut?’ askedJack. ‘You know - in case by any chance old Tufty didn’t get away but got caught and is aprisoner.’
　　‘Golly! I didn’t even think of that!’ said Lucy-Ann in horror. ‘Oh, Jack, surely you don’t thinkhe got caught, do you?’
　　‘Not for a minute,’ said Jack cheerfully. ‘But it would be just as well to make sure. I’d better gonow whilst the men are busy in the caves. By the way, were all eight of them there, do you know?’
　　‘I think so,’ said Dinah, frowning. ‘But I really couldn’t be certain. Do you remember, Lucy-Ann?’
　　‘No. I didn’t look at them,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Horrid things!’
　　‘I expect they were all there,’ said Jack. ‘Brr-r-r-r - the wind’s cold today. I’ll put on an extrajersey. So long, girls, I’ll be back in a short time!’
　　Off he went, following the familiar way back to the men’s hut. He did not think that Philipwould have been caught, but still, he must make sure. He scouted cautiously about. The hut doorwas shut. He went up to it and peeped in at the window. No Philip there. Good!
　　‘Better just pop up to the cowshed,’ thought Jack. ‘They might have got him tied up there.’ Sooff he went. No - it was empty - good!
　　There was a sudden rush of wind such as often sweeps through a mountainside valley. A torrentof rain came down and the boy ran for a tree. It was the tree in which they had once all hidden, agood big thick one, that would keep the rain off. He crouched there whilst the wind whipped roundhim.
　　There was such a noise of wind that the boy did not hear footsteps coming behind the tree. Hedid not see the burly figure of Pepi there, staring in surprise at the crouched boy.
　　In a trice Pepi was round the tree and had got hold of Jack’s shoulders. The boy gave a howl offright. Pepi gripped him tightly.
　　‘Let me go!’ yelled Jack. ‘You brute, let me go! You’re twisting my shoulder!’
　　Pepi took up a stick and grinned. ‘A little of this will do you good,’ he said. ‘You boys are a lotof trouble to us. Where are the others? You will tell me or I will beat you black and blue.’
　　‘Let me go!’ yelled Jack, and kicked hard at Pepi’s ankles. The man gave a yelp of pain and hitJack on the back with the heavy stick. Jack kicked him again.
　　What would have happened to poor Jack is easy to guess - if something hadn’t happened toPepi first! The wind howled round and shook the tree violently. Something fell from the tree andhit the raging man full on the shoulder. He dropped down at once, shouting, clutching at hisshoulder. Jack sped off into the wind. He turned and looked back. Pepi was trying to get up,groaning. The wind howled again, and the big tree spat out something else that hit Pepi on thehead. He fell back and did not move.
　　‘Golly!’ said Jack, staring. ‘It’s two of our suitcases that we left up the tree! They just blewdown at the right moment. I hope they haven’t killed him.’
　　He went back cautiously to the still man. No, he wasn’t killed - just completely knocked out.
　　Jack saw his chance at once. He took his rope and roped the man’s hands firmly together, and thenhis feet. Then he tied him to the tree.
　　‘Now you won’t be able to come after me, my dear Pepi,’ said Jack, taking a quick look up thetree in case the remaining two suitcases should come down. ‘I suppose the others left you here onguard today, as they knew somebody had been at the food. Well, you won’t be much use as aguard for the rest of the day, but never mind. The tree will shelter you from the storm.’
　　Suddenly such an extraordinary idea struck Jack that he stood perfectly still and gasped. Thenhe struck his hands together and yelled out loudly: ‘I must do it, I must, I must! But have I time?
　　Have I time?’
　　He began to run as fast as he could through the wind and the rain. ‘Why didn’t I think of itbefore? If those men are in the treasure caves, I can bolt the door on them, just as they did to us -and make them prisoners! Why didn’t I think of it before? It may be too late now.’
　　He ran and ran, gasping and panting, hot as fire in spite of the wind and the rain.
　　‘It won’t be any good. The men will be out of the caves by now,’ he thought. ‘I may see them atany minute. Oh, why didn’t I think of this before? I could have gone and bolted them in before Ileft Dinah and Lucy-Ann!’
　　It certainly was a most wonderful idea. The men would be absolute prisoners. They did notknow the way out behind the picture, and would never think of looking for it there. Certainly theold people would not tell them. Oh, if only they were still in the caves!
　　The rain poured down. The wind blew like a gale. Fortunately it was behind Jack now and ithelped him on. He was soaked through, but he didn’t care.
　　There was no sign of the men. Jack slowed down when he came near the waterfall. He didn’twant to run right into them. He began to think more calmly.
　　‘Maybe they won’t come out till the rain stops and the storm dies down. Rain would spoil theold books and papers and pictures. Yes, they’ll be sure to wait. I may be in time yet. The men mayeven decide to stay the night there if the storm doesn’t clear.’
　　Jack was right. The men, having looked out of the entrance hole of the caves, had seen the rainstorm sweeping over the mountainside and had decided not to venture out with their treasures.
　　They would be ruined.
　　‘Better spend the night here,’ said one of the men. ‘In that room with the rugs. We’ll turn theold people and children out.’
　　Only the old people were there. They made vague gestures when the men asked where thechildren were, pointing towards the passage that led to the sunny ledge. The men settled down onthe rugs, and one of them got out a pack of cards. He set the lamp so that they could all see, andthen began to deal the cards. The old people went into their ‘sitting room,’ sad and afraid. Howthey hoped that the men would not look behind the picture in the next room!
　　When Jack arrived at the treasure caves he could hardly walk through the passages. Hestumbled along, past the cave of stalactites, past the cave of stars and into the first treasure cave,through the open door at the bottom of the curving stairway. He could see no men at all. His heartsank. Had they gone then? Had he missed them?
　　He went cautiously on. When he came to the ‘sitting room’ he peeped in and saw the old couplethere, with Martha the hen.
　　Then he heard the noise of the men in the next room. He beckoned to the old couple. They rosesilently and followed him in surprise. Jack did not speak till he was well out of earshot of the men.
　　‘Come,’ he said, leading them out of the cave of statues and out of the stout door. ‘I am going tobolt the men in. But I don’t want to lock you in too.’
　　He shot all the bolts triumphantly. Crash! Crash! Crash! He’d done it! He’d done it!
第27章 一个发现和一个好主意
　　第27章 一个发现和一个好主意
　　第二天，这些人又驾着四架飞机回来了。很快，他们又一次来到了藏宝洞，翻看旧书和那些文件，展开了几十幅画布，看着那些画作。他们又在洞穴里找到那三个孩子和那对老夫妇，再次对他们大喊大叫。
　　他们发现有人从茅屋里偷吃了东西，但搞不清是怎么回事。所有的孩子和老人不是都被他们关在这山洞里了吗？
　　当然，孩子们马上就猜到是菲利普拿走的食物。但他们绝不会暴露自己的朋友。于是杰克装出一副迷惑不解的样子，傻乎乎地回答，黛娜也照样做了。露西安竟开始哭起来，男人们很快就不再问她了。
　　至于那对老夫妇，他们当然是什么也不知道。他们似乎已经忘记了菲利普。过了一会儿，那伙人放弃了审问，回去继续干活了。
　　埃尔莎看到露西安哭得这么伤心，便拉起她的手，领她进了“卧室”。她从岩架上拿下一幅画，让露西安看那幅画背后的一个洞。露西安盯着那个空洞。
　　“这是什么？”她问道。然后她便喊来了杰克：“杰克！过来，把那个老爷爷也带来。因为这个老奶奶听不懂我说的话。”
　　孩子们和老爷爷都来了。当杰克看到画后面岩缝裂开的地方时，他转向老人，问道：“这是什么？一个能躲藏的地方吗？”
　　“哦，那只是墙上的一个洞，”老人说，“我妻子不喜欢它，所以她在上面贴了一幅画。”
　　老妇人滔滔不绝地对老爷爷说着什么。接着老爷爷转向杰克，对他说：“我妻子很伤心，因为你妹妹害怕那些人。她说她可以躲在这个洞里，这样他们就找不到她了。”
　　“让我看看它是什么样子的。”杰克说着便爬了进去。这不仅仅是一个洞。这是一条又窄又圆的黑暗隧道——曾经应该是一条水道。它通向哪里呢？如果它真的能通向什么地方的话。
　　“这是一条小隧道！”杰克对其他人喊叫着，“这隧道就像那条从我们的蕨丛洞通向回音洞的隧道一样。我看看它能通到哪里。”
　　他接着往前爬了一段路。突然这条隧道陡直地往下跌，要不是隧道很窄，杰克很可能已经从上面滑下去了。隧道的尽头是一个洞穴。这洞穴似乎连着一条更大的隧道。杰克打开了手电筒。是的，在这个洞的地面上确实有个口子，连接着另外一条隧道！检查完毕，杰克便爬回到女孩们的身边。
　　“来，跟在我后面，”他说，“我可能找到了一条出路。不过这次我们得借助绳子的力量了。”
　　他们排成一列向前爬行，一直来到那个洞里，下去就是一条宽阔的通道。杰克解开了缠在腰间的绳子。他把绳子的一头绑在一块石头上，把另一头从地面上的开口扔下去，让它掉进了通道里，然后杰克便抓着绳子下去了。
　　女孩们跟在杰克的后面也下来了。杰克在通道里不停地用手电筒照着四周。“我们走哪条路？”他问道。
　　“我能听到一种奇怪的声音，”露西安说，“我相信那是瀑布！”
　　他们沿着通道朝有声音的地方走去，出乎孩子们的意料，他们很高兴地发现自己竟然来到了瀑布后面的岩架上——就是几天前露西安和黛娜在瀑布上蹦蹦跳跳，想引起佩皮注意的那个地方。
　　“我说！那是瀑布边缘的岩架，也就是通向回音洞的通道！”杰克说，“你能相信吗？我们现在可以回到我们亲爱的老蕨丛洞了，我们再也不会被囚禁在藏宝洞里了。我们去把那对老夫妇也一起叫来吧。”
　　于是杰克便开始沿着通道往回走，爬上绳子，沿着小隧道扭动着回到了“卧室”里。他告诉老人这条路通向哪里。“来吧，”他说，“我们会带你们去一个安全的地方。”
　　老人有些伤心地笑了。“我们不能像你们那样爬啊爬啊的，”他说，“这是不可能的。你们走吧，我们就待在这儿。我们不会说你们去哪儿的。我们将把画放回去，把洞口盖上，没有人会猜出来的。”
　　杰克又回到女孩们身边，琪琪也和他重逢了。“可惜我们不能把玛莎也带走，”杰克说，“我很喜欢她。但是老人肯定会想念她的。他们就是不愿意和我们一起走。我认为他们也是对的。他们永远不可能在那条那么窄的小隧道里爬来爬去，不可能从绳子上荡下来，更不可能从蕨丛洞出去爬下山。来吧！我简直迫不及待要回到我们自己的洞里了。哈哈，我们总算逃出来了！那几个人发现我们不在了，会不会很抓狂？”
　　“我希望他们不会伤害那两个老人，”露西安有点儿焦虑地说，“她是个多么可爱温柔的老奶奶啊。”
　　他们沿着蜿蜒的通道走了下去，来到了回音洞。在那里，琪琪不停地扯着嗓子大声尖叫惹恼了孩子们，因为这个回声洞可以制造数百个尖叫声放大的回音，几乎把人的耳朵都要震聋了。
　　他们穿过了通向蕨丛洞后面的像排水管一样的小隧道，掉到了还铺在那里的毯子上，心里充满了感激。
　　“又到家了。”杰克笑着说，“想到我们竟然把这里当家了就觉得真好笑。但我真的是已经把这儿看作我们的家了。”
　　三个孩子开始坐下来休息。黛娜若有所思地说：“那些人昨晚一定是乘飞机去了什么地方，卸下货物，没有任何耽搁就又回来了。我真没想到今天在山洞里会又碰到他们。但这次我没听到飞机回来的声音，你们听到了吗？”
　　“没有，但是可能是因为风向改变了，所以声音或许没有传到我们这边，”杰克说，“现在天气不太好，看起来又要下雨了。而且风也越来越大了。”
　　“如果比尔和菲利普要来了的话，我们就得一直好好留意外面的情况了。”黛娜说，“菲利普不知道我们在这儿，对吧？”
　　“女孩们，如果我今晚去那些人的小屋探查一下，你们不介意吧？”杰克问，“你们知道，万一草丛头昨晚没能顺利逃脱或被抓住的话，没准已经成了一个囚犯。”
　　“天哪！我从来都没这么想过！”露西安惊恐地说，“噢，杰克，你不会真的认为他被抓住了吧？”
　　“我当然没这么想过，”杰克信心满满，“但是去检查一下，确保他没被抓住也无妨。他们在山洞里正忙着呢，所以现在是我去的最佳时机了。顺便再确认一下他们八个人都在洞里，你们觉得呢？”
　　“我想是的。”黛娜皱着眉头说，“但我真的不能肯定。露西安，你还记得吗？”
　　“没有。我没有看他们。”露西安却说，“太可怕了！”
　　“我想他们应该都在山洞里忙活着，”杰克说，“呃，今天风很大。我会多穿一件球衣。
　　再见，女孩们，我一会儿就回来！”
　　杰克离开了。他沿着熟悉的小路回到小屋。他认为菲利普不会被抓住的，但他必须亲自检查，确定一下。他谨慎地观察着。小屋的门关着。他走到跟前，从窗子往里看。没有菲利普。太棒了！
　　“最好再去牛棚看看，”杰克想，“他们可能把他捆在那儿了。”于是他快速地来到牛棚。没有菲利普，牛棚也是空的。很好！
　　突然刮起一阵大风，横扫了整片山谷。顿时，大雨倾盆而下，杰克马上跑向一棵树。
　　以前，孩子们都曾经藏在那棵树上。那棵树又大又粗，还可以挡雨呢。他蹲在那里，任凭大风在身边团团转。
　　风声很大，杰克没有听到后面的脚步声，也没有看到佩皮那魁梧的身影——他正惊讶地盯着那个蜷缩在树下的男孩。
　　转眼间，佩皮便绕过了树，一把抓住杰克的肩膀。杰克被吓得大叫了一声。佩皮紧紧地抓住他。
　　“放开我！”杰克喊道，“你这个坏蛋，放开我！你在扭我的肩膀！”
　　佩皮顺手抄起了一根棍子，咧嘴一笑。“这是你自找的，”他说，“你们这些孩子给我们添了多少麻烦。你的同伙在哪儿？要么告诉我，要么我就让你的身上青一块紫一块的。”
　　“放开我！”杰克大喊着，使劲地踢着佩皮的脚踝。那人痛得叫了一声，便用棍子给杰克的背重重地来了一下。杰克也回敬了他一脚。
　　很容易猜到可怜的杰克将会遭遇些什么，当然这得是在佩皮没发生什么意外的基础上！但此时，风咆哮着猛烈地摇晃着树干和树叶。突然，有什么东西从树上掉了下来，砸在暴怒的佩皮的肩膀上。他立刻松开了手，大叫着，紧紧捂住自己的肩膀。杰克见状，立刻撒腿就跑，一头扎进了风中。他回头看了看，发现佩皮试着站起来，不断地发出呻吟。
　　风又咆哮起来，大树上又吐出了一些东西，砸在了佩皮的脑袋上。他往后一倒，一动也不动。
　　风声很大，杰克没有听到后面的脚步声，也没有看到佩皮那魁梧的身影——他正惊讶地盯着那个蜷缩在树下的男孩。
　　“天哪！”杰克盯着佩皮叫道，“我们忘记把留在树上的箱子拿下来了！其中两个箱子竟然在这个时候被吹下来了。太巧了！我希望这两个箱子没有把他砸死。”
　　他小心翼翼地回到躺在地上一动不动的佩皮那里。还好，他没有死——只是被砸晕了。杰克立刻行动起来。他拿起绳子，把那人的双手紧紧地绑在一起，又把他的脚紧紧地绑在一起。最后杰克把佩皮绑在了树上。
　　杰克很快地爬上了树，检查还在树上的另外两个行李箱，以防它们在什么时候砸下来。当从树上下来后，他对着昏迷的佩皮说：“现在你不能来追我了，亲爱的佩皮。我想今天其他人把你留在这里守着，是因为你们知道有人偷吃你们的食物了。好吧，估计你今天接下来再也无法尽到一个看守的职责了。没关系，至少这棵树可以让你免受暴风雨的袭击。”
　　当杰克一动不动地站在原地喘气，一个绝妙的主意突然在他脑海中闪过。他双手合十，大声喊道：“我必须这样做，我必须得这么做，必须！但是我还有时间吗？我还有时间吗？”
　　他开始拔腿狂奔，快得好像能够穿越狂风暴雨。他想：“为什么我之前没想到呢？如果那些人在藏宝洞里的话，我就能像他们对付我们一样对付他们了，哈，把他们锁起来，把他们变成囚犯！为什么我以前没想到呢？现在可能已经太晚了。”
　　不管风雨如何猛烈，杰克一直没有停下。整个人气喘吁吁，因为跑得太急，他的身上热得像火一样。
　　“估计已经来不及了。这些人现在应该从洞穴里出来了，”他想，“我现在随时都可能撞到他们。为什么我刚才没想到这个主意？在我离开黛娜和露西安之前，我本可以溜进去把他们那些人反锁在洞里的！”
　　这当然是一个非常棒的主意。如果真的实现的话，那些人都会被变成囚犯。而且他们不知道洞里那幅画背后的小路，也不会想到去那儿找出路。老夫妻当然不会告诉他们。
　　哦，要是他们还在山洞里就好了！
　　雨从天上浇下来。风刮得很猛。幸运的是杰克跑在了风雨的前面。他感觉上天都在帮他。杰克早就浑身湿透了，但他不在乎。
　　没有任何人的影子。杰克靠近瀑布的时候放慢了速度。他不想撞到他们。他开始冷静地思考起来。
　　“也许在暴风雨停止之前，他们是不会从洞里出来的。因为雨水会破坏旧书、纸张和图画。是的，他们一定会等雨停的。我可能还来得及。如果乌云不散、天不转晴的话，这些人甚至有可能在藏宝洞里过夜的。”
　　杰克想的是对的。这些人从洞窟的入口向外已经看到外面肆虐的暴风雨，决定不带着宝藏出去冒险。这些宝藏可能会被全部毁掉的。
　　“最好留在这儿过夜吧，”其中一个男人说，“在那个有地毯的房间里。我们把那两个老人和孩子们赶出去。”
　　当这些人进屋时，发现只有老人在那里。当他们逼问孩子们在哪里时，老人们含糊地打着手势，指着通向外面有阳光的岩架。男人们在地毯上坐了下来，其中一个拿出一副纸牌。他把灯光调好，好让同伴能看见。然后他便开始发牌了。老人们走进他们的“客厅”，既伤心又害怕。他们多么希望这些人不要从隔壁房间里贴着的画后面发现什么！
　　当杰克到达藏宝洞时，他几乎无法穿过通道。他跌跌撞撞地走过去，穿过钟乳石洞，经过了星星洞穴，进入了第一个藏宝洞，走过弯弯的楼梯，通过那里敞开的门。他什么人也没看见。他的心一沉。他们已经走了吗？自己是不是已经错过了？
　　杰克继续小心翼翼地往前走。当他来到“客厅”时，他往里看了看，发现那对老夫妇和母鸡玛莎在那儿。
　　然后他听到隔壁房间里男人的声音。他向那对老夫妇招手。两个老人默默地站起来，惊奇地跟着他。杰克一路都没说话，直到他完全听不见那些强盗的声音。
　　“来吧，”他说，同时便领着两个老人走出摆放雕像的洞穴，回到那扇结实的大门，“我要把这些人都锁在里面。但我不想把你们也留在那儿。”
　　他成功地插上了所有的门闩。轰！轰！轰！杰克做到了！他做到了！
28 The day after the storm
　　28 The day after the storm
　　As soon as he had shot the bolts safely home, Jack collapsed. His tussle with Pepi, his long runthrough the wind and the rain, and the terrific excitement of making the men prisoners had beentoo much for him. He sank down on the steps outside the bolted door, and lay there quite still.
　　It was dark there. The old couple felt about for Jack in alarm. What was happening to the poorboy?
　　They found his torch in his pocket and took it out. They switched it on and looked anxiously atJacks pale face and closed eyes. They tried to drag him up the steps.
　　‘His clothes are wet,’ said the old woman, feeling Jacks soaked jersey and shorts. ‘He will get achill, a terrible chill. Maybe he will die of it. What shall we do, old man?’
　　The old man answered her in her own language. ‘We will drag him up these steps. We willmake him comfortable in the cave of stars. You shall wrap him in your shawl and he shall have mycoat.’
　　Together the old couple managed to drag Jack up the steps. How they panted and groaned. Theycould not get him any further than the top. The old man stripped off Jack’s wet things and put hiscoat round him. The old woman wrapped him all round in her thick shawl. They squeezed out hiswet things and hung them on the rocky wall to dry.
　　They were frightened. What were they going to do now? Those men were bolted in the caveswith what was left of their precious treasure. How angry they would be when they discoveredwhat had happened!
　　Jack soon came to himself again. He sat up, wondering where he was. He had been in a kind ofhalf faint, half asleep. He clutched at his clothes. What on earth had he got on? A shawl? Gracious,was he dressed up as a statue again?
　　The old people heard him moving and switched on the torch again. They looked anxiously athim and were relieved to see that he was no longer so white.
　　‘You are better now?’ asked the old man gently.
　　‘Yes, thanks. I’m all right,’ said Jack, pulling at the shawl. ‘Whatever’s this?’
　　‘Your clothes were so wet,’ said the old man. ‘We had to take them off to dry them or youwould have got a terrible chill. You have my coat and my wife’s shawl.’
　　‘Oh - well, thank you,’ said Jack, feeling rather foolish in the coat and shawl. ‘Sorry I gave youa fright. But I just conked out - that run up the mountainside, I suppose. I say - wasn’t it a goodidea bolting those men in?’
　　‘Ah - but what will they do to us when they know?’ said the old man sadly.
　　‘Nothing! How can they?’ said Jack. ‘They are on the wrong side of the bolted door, aren’tthey? Don’t you worry, we’re all right!’
　　He got up. His legs were not very steady, but he could walk all right. ‘I’m just going to theentrance of the caves to see if by any chance that awful wind storm has died down,’ he said. ‘If ithas, I’ll make my way to the fern cave, where the two girls are. They’ll be scared by themselves.’
　　Somehow he stumbled along to the entrance. The clouds were so low and black that it was likenight outside. Rain still swept over the hillside in great torrents. It was quite impossible to go out.
　　‘I should get completely lost,’ thought Jack. ‘Golly, the girls will be so worried about me! Ihope they won’t be frightened all by themselves. Well, it’s no use - I’ll have to spend the nighthere with the old people - but it won’t be very comfortable.’
　　It wasn’t comfortable. They found a place in the cave of stars, a rounded, hollowed-out basin ofrock, with only a few sharp edges. For the sake of warmth they all huddled together. Jack tried tomake the old people take back their coat and shawl, saying that his clothes were almost dry.
　　But the old woman grew very angry when he suggested this, and scolded her husband hard inwords that Jack could not understand, but whose meaning he could guess.
　　‘My old one says that you are a bad bad boy to talk of putting on wet clothes,’ said the oldfellow. ‘We will press close together. It is not cold in this cave.’
　　It wasn’t very cold, it was true. Jack lay between the old man and his wife, looking up at theroof of the strange cave. He watched the curious greenish-blue stars shine and fade, flicker andglow. There were hundreds of them, most enchanting to watch. Jack wondered about them for along time and then fell asleep.
　　In the morning the old people awoke first and felt stiff and uncomfortable. But they did notmove for fear of disturbing Jack. He awoke at last and sat up. He saw the glowing stars above andaround, and knew where he was at once.
　　‘I wonder what the time is,’ he said, looking at his watch. ‘Half past seven! Gracious, I wonderwhat those men are doing! Are my clothes dry?’
　　Luckily they were. Jack put them on quickly, and gave back the coat and shawl with warmthanks. ‘Now, you stay here a bit,’ he said to the old couple. ‘I’m just going to the bolted door tosee if I can hear anything.’
　　He went off, feeling quite himself again now. As soon as he came to the top of the curvingstairway that led down to the oaken door, he heard bangs and crashes. Ah - the men haddiscovered that they were bolted in!
　　Crash! Bang! Thud! Smash!
　　They were hammering at the stout door for all they were worth. How they shouted and yelled,how they kicked at that door and tried to smash it down!
　　Jack stood at the top of the steps and grinned in delight. Serve them right! They were getting ataste of their own medicine. They had locked the children in - and now they themselves wereprisoners.
　　Suddenly there was a loud bang that made Jack jump. It was a revolver shot. The men wereshooting at the door, hoping to smash the bolts.
　　Bang! Bang! Bang!
　　Jack went back a little way, afraid that a bullet might glance off somehow and hit him, thoughthis was impossible. BANG ! BANG !
　　The bolts could not be smashed. The men gave the door a few more blows with something thenstopped. Jack ran back to tell the old couple all about it.
　　But they were frightened, so it wasn’t much fun telling them. ‘I think I’ll take you to the ferncave, where the girls are,’ he told the old man. ‘We have food and rugs in that cave. Come withme.’
　　The old couple wouldn’t stir out of the place they knew so well. They were terrified of the openair, of the hillside and the outer world. They shrank back and nothing that Jack could say wouldmake them change their minds.
　　‘Well, I shall just have to go to the girls myself then,’ said Jack at last. ‘I’ll bring them backhere with food and rugs. We might as well all be together. Those men are no longer a danger to us.
　　They can’t possibly get out. Even if they find the hole behind that picture, I’m sure they won’t getany further than the cave of echoes.’
　　He said good-bye to the frightened old people and went out into the sunshine. It was warm onhis head and back - delicious. The sky was blue again, and the wind had gone.
　　He made his way to the waterfall, arriving there without any mistake, for he could follow the‘signposts’ easily now. He was hailed by the girls as soon as they saw him. They were peeping outthrough the fern fronds.
　　‘Jack! You didn’t come back last night! Oh, Jack, I hardly slept at all, wondering what hadhappened to you,’ cried Lucy-Ann.
　　‘What happened?’ asked Dinah, who was looking rather pale. She too had been very anxious,especially when the storm had come.
　　‘Heaps!’ said Jack. ‘Marvellous news! Best in the world!’
　　‘Gracious! Is Philip back then? - and Bill here?’ cried Lucy-Ann at once.
　　‘No - that’s not my news,’ said Jack. ‘Do you know what I’ve done? Bolted those men into thecaves. What do you think of that?’
　　‘What a wonderful idea!’ said the girls together. ‘But what about the old people?’ asked Dinah.
　　‘Oh, I got them out first,’ said Jack. ‘And I found Pepi back by the cowshed place, and tied himup properly. He’s bound to that big tree where we once hid.’
　　‘ JACK ! How marvellous you are!’ cried Lucy-Ann. ‘Did you fight him?’
　　‘Well - not exactly,’ said Jack. ‘He caught me, and I kicked him hard. And just then the windblew hard and a couple of our suitcases fell out of the tree and knocked him out. It was as much ofa surprise to me as to him.’
　　‘Oh - of course - we left our suitcases up there!’ said Dinah. ‘Oh, Jack - what a good thing wedid!’
　　‘Pepi must have had a most uncomfortable night,’ said Jack. ‘The rain and wind were his onlycompanions.’
　　He told them how he had left the old couple in the cave of stars, and related the tale of the angrymen trying to smash down the door.
　　‘I can’t get the old people to leave the caves,’ he said. ‘So we’d better take rugs and food and goback there to keep them company. They lent me their coat and shawl last night when my thingswere soaked. We can’t leave them alone there without food or bedding.’
　　‘Oh dear - I do like this cave so much better than anywhere else,’ sighed Lucy-Ann. ‘Still -those old people have been very good to us. Is Martha there too, Jack?’
　　‘Golly! - no, I’d forgotten all about her,’ said Jack, remembering. ‘I hope those men don’t killand eat her.’
　　This was a dreadful thought, and made poor Lucy-Ann quite dumb for a minute or two. PoorMartha. Surely the men would leave her alone?
　　Kiki, of course, was as delighted to see Jack as the girls had been. She nestled on his shoulder,making crooning noises all the time he was talking, pulling at his ear and ruffling up his hair. Jackscratched her poll, delighted to have her again.
　　The girls collected a few tins, and Jack piled rugs over his shoulder. Then, with Kiki flyingahead, they set off to follow the familiar ‘signposts’ to the treasure caves. The sun beat downhotly. It was a really lovely day.
　　‘I wish I could draw a plan of how that hole behind the picture leads to our fern cave,’ saidDinah. ‘The mountain is riddled with holes and caves. I say, isn’t the waterfall loud this morning?
　　- and it seems bigger than ever. I suppose it’s all the rain last night.’
　　They arrived at the entrance to the caves at last and went in. They made their way to the cave ofstars and the old couple greeted them warmly and joyfully. The old woman was full of delight tosee Lucy-Ann again, and greeted her lovingly.
　　‘I’m hungry,’ said Lucy-Ann, trying to wriggle out of Elsa’s arms. ‘Very hungry.’
　　They all were. It was a strange place to have a meal in - the cave of stars. The children watchedthe flickering, shining lights, quite entranced by them. If only Lucy-Ann could take some home forher bedroom ceiling! She wished this once again as she watched the shining stars.
　　‘Well, now, all we’ve got to do is to wait,’ said Jack, arranging the pile of rugs for everyone tosit on as comfortably as possible. ‘Everything rests with Philip now. Those men evidently don’tknow he hid in a plane or they would have said something. He must have escaped all right. Whatis he doing, I wonder?’
第28章 暴风雨后的那一天
　　第28章 暴风雨后的那一天
　　杰克一下就将三个门闩全都推到底，接着瘫倒在了地上。刚才和佩皮奋力搏斗，一直不停地在风雨中奔跑，以及把这些人都变成囚犯的那种极度兴奋，终于让他筋疲力尽了。
　　他倒在大门外面的台阶下，一动不动地躺着。
　　一片漆黑中，老夫妇很担心杰克。这个可怜的孩子怎么了？
　　他们在他的口袋里找到了手电筒，把它拿了出来。他们打开开关，焦急地看着杰克苍白的脸、紧闭的双眼。他们试图把他拖上台阶。
　　“他的衣服湿透了，”老妇人说，她摸到了杰克湿湿的运动衫和短裤，“他这样会着凉的，如果严重的话，甚至有生命危险。老头子，我们该怎么办呢？”
　　老头用他们自己的语言回答她：“我们先把他拖上台阶，然后让他在星星洞中舒舒服服地休息一下。你把围巾裹在他头上，我给他披上我的外套。”
　　两个老人想方设法想把杰克拖上台阶。无论他们多么气喘吁吁地呻吟着，不管他们多么努力，都没办法把他拉过顶层的台阶。老头脱下杰克身上的湿衣服，把自己的外套裹在杰克身上。老妇人用厚厚的围巾把他盖得严严实实。他们把杰克衣服里的水挤出来，然后挂在岩壁上晾干。
　　他们感到很害怕。现在该做些什么？那伙人与剩下的宝藏一起被关在山洞里。当他们发现自己被关起来的时候，他们得多么生气啊！
　　杰克很快苏醒了过来。他坐了起来，一时不知道自己在哪儿。他刚才处于半睡半醒的状态。他抓住身上的衣服。自己到底穿着些什么？一条围巾吗？天哪，他又把自己打扮成雕像了吗？
　　老人们听到他发出的动静，又打开了手电筒。他们焦急地望着他，看到他的脸没那么苍白了，便松了一口气。
　　“你好些了吗？”老头温柔地问。
　　“是的，谢谢。我没事了，”杰克拉着围巾说，“这是什么？”
　　“你的衣服太湿了，”老头说，“我们已经把它们脱下来晾了，否则你会着凉的。你穿着我的外套和我妻子的围巾。”
　　“哦，好吧，谢谢你们。”杰克说，但觉得自己穿着外套和围巾有点傻，“对不起，我吓着你们了。我只是累坏了。我想这可能是一直在山坡上跑的缘故吧。我说，把那些人关起来是不是个好主意啊？”
　　“啊，是啊，但他们知道了以后会对我们做些什么呢？”老人有些悲观。
　　“什么也做不了！他们能做什么呢？”杰克说，“他们在门闩的另一边，是不是？别担心，我们会没事的！”
　　他站了起来。他的腿因为太累而不太稳，但还能走路。“我去洞穴的入口看看那可怕的暴风雨是不是已经平息了，”杰克说，“如果是的话，我得去那两个姑娘所在的蕨丛洞。她们自己在那会很害怕的。”
　　他跌跌撞撞地走到了洞穴的入口处。乌云还是又低又黑，外面就像夜晚一样。雨水仍然从山坡上倾泻而下。现在要出去是不可能的了。
　　“我肯定会迷路的，”杰克想，“天哪，女孩们肯定会很担心我的！我希望她们不会太害怕。好吧，没办法。我得在这儿和两位老人一起过夜，但待在这里一定不会很舒服。”
　　的确，老人和杰克待得不舒服。他们在星星洞穴里找到了一个地方，是一个圆圆的中空的岩石盆地，边缘也不太锋利。为了让身上能暖和一点儿，他们都凑在一起。其间，杰克想让老人把外套和围巾拿回去，他说自己的衣服已经快干了。
　　但是当他提出这个建议时，老妇人变得非常生气，用杰克听不懂的语言严厉地责备她的丈夫，杰克大概能猜出来她在说什么。
　　“我的老伴儿说你是个坏孩子总是要穿湿衣服，”老头说，“我们靠得更近些。这个洞里不是太冷。”
　　确实不是很冷。杰克躺在老头和他妻子之间，抬头看着这个奇怪的洞顶。他看着这些奇异的蓝绿色的星星闪着闪着又消失了。那里有成百上千颗星星，让人看着很着迷。杰克的头脑一直在想着这些星星，很快就睡着了。
　　早晨，老人们首先醒来，身体感到很僵硬，不舒服。但是他们没有动，因为害怕吵醒杰克。过了一会儿，杰克终于醒了，坐了起来。他看到了头顶和周围发光的星星，想起了自己在哪里。
　　“我看看现在几点了，”他看着手表说，“七点半！天哪，我去看看那些人在干什么！我的衣服干了？”
　　幸运的是，它们确实干了。杰克赶紧换上了自己的衣服，把大衣和围巾还给了老夫妻，并表示了深深的感谢。“现在，你们在这儿待一会儿，”他对老夫妻说，“我去那扇锁上的门那里，看看能不能听到什么。”
　　他过去了，感觉自己比之前好多了。他一直走到弯弯的楼梯的顶端，那里通向橡木门。他听到了砰砰声和撞击声。啊——那些人发现自己被困在里面了！
　　砰！砰！砰！
　　他们拼命地敲那扇坚固的门，又嚷又叫，又是拳打又是脚踢，想把门撞倒！
　　杰克站在台阶顶上高兴地笑了。活该！他们终于自食恶果了，尝到了被锁在洞里的滋味。之前他们把孩子们锁在里面，而现在他们自己也成了囚犯。
　　突然一声巨响把杰克吓了一跳。是左轮手枪的枪响。那些人在朝门开枪，希望把门闩击碎。
　　砰！砰！砰！
　　杰克向后退了一步，害怕一颗流弹会不小心击中他，虽然这是不可能的。砰！砰！
　　门闩没有被击碎。那些人又用什么东西对着门打了几下就停了下来。杰克跑回去把一切都告诉了那对老夫妇。
　　但是老人们很害怕，告诉杰克自己并没有因为强盗们受罪而觉得有趣。“我想我最好把你们带到姑娘们所在的小洞里去，”他对老人们说，“那个洞里有食物和毯子。跟我来吧。”
　　老人们不愿离开他们熟悉的地方。他们害怕洞外、山坡和外面的世界。他们开始退缩了，杰克费尽口舌都无法改变他们的想法。
　　“那么，我只好自己去了，”杰克最后说，“我会带食物和毯子回来。我们还是待在一起比较好。那些人现在对我们不再构成威胁。他们不可能出得来。即使他们找到了那幅画后面的那个洞，我敢肯定他们也走不到回音洞。”
　　他向受惊的老人告了别，走到了外边的阳光里。头和背部都沐浴在温暖而柔和的阳光下，让他感到非常舒服。天空又变蓝了，风也停了。
　　他向瀑布走去，顺利地到达了那里，没有再出什么岔子。因为此时他已经不再害怕会在路上遇上什么陌生人，杰克现在可以很容易地沿着“路标”走了。此时，两个女孩也正从蕨类植物的叶子中探出头来，寻找杰克的踪影。她们一看见杰克，便和他打招呼。
　　“杰克！你昨晚没回来！噢，杰克，我昨晚几乎睡不着觉，因为不知道你那边出了什么事。”露西安喊道。
　　“发生了什么事情？”黛娜的脸色显得有些苍白。她十分焦虑，尤其是当暴风雨来临的时候。
　　“很多事！”杰克说，“不可思议的事情！世界上最好的事儿！”
　　“天哪！菲利普回来了？和比尔一起吗？”露西安马上叫道。
　　“不，那不是我说的好消息，”杰克说，“你们知道我做了什么吗？我把那些人关进了山洞里。你们觉得我干得怎么样？”
　　“这主意太棒了！”女孩们异口同声地回答。“老爷爷和老奶奶呢？”黛娜问道。
　　“哦，我当然没有把他们也锁起来，”杰克说，“我昨天先是在牛棚旁边碰见了佩皮，把他捆了个结实。他现在就被绑在我们曾经藏身的那棵大树上。”
　　“杰克！你简直太了不起了！”露西安叫道，“你跟他打架了？”
　　“嗯，但也不完全是，”杰克说，“他抓住了我，我狠狠地踢了他一脚。就在这时，大风刮得很大，把我们的几个手提箱都从树上吹了下来，正好撞倒了他。对我和他来说，这都是出乎意料的事情，谁都没想到。”
　　“哦，对，我们把手提箱落在那儿了！”黛娜说，“噢，杰克，看来我们当时做了件好事！”
　　“佩皮一定过了一个非常不舒服的夜晚，”杰克说，“狂风暴雨是他唯一的伙伴。”
　　杰克告诉了女孩们他是如何把那对老夫妇留在星星洞穴里的，并且讲述了那些愤怒的人试图砸碎大门。
　　“我没有说服老人离开洞穴，”他说，“所以我们最好带上毯子和食物，回到那里去陪他们。昨晚我的衣服湿透了，是他们把外套和围巾借给了我。我们不能把他们单独留在一个没有食物和床的地方。”
　　“哦，天哪，我最喜欢这个蕨丛洞了，其他什么山洞都没有这个好，”露西安叹息道，“不过，他们对我们很好。玛莎也在吗，杰克？”
　　“天哪！不，我完全把她给忘了。”杰克回忆道，“我希望那些人不会杀了她，吃掉她。”
　　这是一个可怕的想法，让可怜的露西安沉默了一两分钟。可怜的玛莎。那些人肯定不会对她有恶意吧？
　　当然，琪琪看到杰克时和两个女孩一样高兴。她依偎在杰克的肩膀上，在他说话的时候发出低沉的声音，用嘴拉着他的耳朵，拨弄他的头发。杰克刮了一下她头上的羽毛，很高兴和她重聚。
　　两个女孩收拾了一些罐头，杰克把毯子扛在肩上。然后，三个人跟着飞在最前面的琪琪，开始沿着熟悉的“路标”向藏宝洞走去。太阳暖洋洋地照在头顶，这真是美好的一天啊。
　　“我真希望能画一张平面图，展示一下那幅画背后的洞是怎么通向我们的蕨丛洞的，”黛娜说，“这座山里满是洞穴和隧道。我说，今天早上瀑布的声音是不是很大？它听起来比以前更大了。我想是因为昨晚下了一场雨的缘故。”
　　他们终于到达了洞穴的入口，走了进去。他们向星星洞穴走去，受到了老夫妇热情而快乐的接待。老妇人见了露西安，尤其高兴，亲切地抚摸着她。
　　“我饿了，”露西安说着，想从埃尔莎的怀里挣脱出来，“饿死了。”
　　他们每个人都很饿。老人和孩子在星星洞穴这样一个奇怪的地方吃了一顿饭。孩子们看着摇曳闪动的光，简直要被它们迷住了。露西安注视着这些闪亮的星星，又一次希望自己要是能带一些回家去，放在卧室天花板上就好了！
　　“好吧，现在唯一要做的就是等待了，”杰克说着，铺好毯子，让每个人都尽可能舒适地坐在上面，“现在一切都要靠菲利普了。那些人显然不知道他当时藏在飞机里，否则他们会告诉我们的。菲利普一定是逃走了。我想知道他现在在干什么。”
29 A very strange journey
　　29 A very strange journey
　　What had happened to Philip? He was certainly having a most adventurous time.
　　He slept under the pile of coats and rugs in the plane until dawn. Then the planes landed, andbumped along the ground on their huge wheels. Philip awoke at once.
　　He made a peephole through the rugs and watched to see what the two men in his plane weredoing. They were getting out. What a bit of luck that they hadn’t even looked round the plane, ortaken a coat from the pile!
　　Other men outside were greeting the new arrivals. Philip sat up and tried to hear what was said.
　　But half of the speech was in a foreign language, and there was such a babel that it was impossibleto make out anything.
　　He glanced round the plane. One of the crates was now in it, and a tarpaulin was tied looselyround it. Philip tried to see what was in it. Packed in straw was one of the statues, evidently onethat was very valuable.
　　Philip peeped cautiously out of the window of the plane, for now the men’s voices had ceased.
　　Where were the men? Could he slip out now and escape to get help?
　　He stared in surprise. The planes, and others too, were on a vast grassy plain - and in front andall round was the blue sea. All round! Well, then, they must be on some island somewhere.
　　He sat and thought for a moment. These men were rogues. They were doing a deal in valuabletreasures hidden and perhaps forgotten during the last war; they had planes of their own - and asecret landing ground. What could be better than a lonely island, say, off the coast of Scotland?
　　‘Then I suppose they’ll have motor boats or launches of their own to get the stuff away,’
　　thought Philip. ‘A proper gang of them! I’ll never get away from here without being seen - never.
　　If it’s an island - and it seems as if it must be - I’m as much a prisoner here as I was in thetreasure caves. Blow!’
　　Then Dinah’s idea came into his mind. What about hiding in the crate? That figure would besure to be put on board a boat and shipped off somewhere to be sold. Well, couldn’t he go with it?
　　He peeped out again to see where the men were. They were evidently having food and drink ina hut some distance off. Philip reckoned that he would have at least half an hour to get to work.
　　He loosened the tarpaulin a little more. He found that the crate was fastened by a hasp. Hepulled it undone, and the whole side of the crate opened, like a sideways lid. Straw began totumble out.
　　The figure was inside, packed loosely round with straw. Philip thought it must be the statue ofsome old-time saint. He looked at it closely. Could it be made of gold? It looked like it. Anyway,it didn’t matter. It was going to lie where Philip had just been lying - under the pile of rugs andcoats. And Philip was going to take its place.
　　It was not really very difficult to get the figure out of the straw, but it was heavy once it was out.
　　Philip almost fell under its weight, though it was only about as big as he was himself.
　　He dragged it to the pile of rugs. He put it right underneath, and piled the things over it so thatnot a scrap of it showed. Then he cleared up the fallen bits of straw and pushed them carefullyback into the crate.
　　Then he had the task of creeping into the straw himself. The statue had made quite a hole, andPhilip settled down in the same place. He pulled the straw carefully round him, and dragged thesideways lid shut. But he could not fasten the hasp, and had to leave it, hoping that if the men sawit open they would simply think it had come undone by accident.
　　It was terribly warm in the straw. Philip began to be alarmed in case he might not be able tobreathe after a time, and burrowed a little tunnel from his mouth and nose to the outside of thestraw. After that he felt better.
　　He had been in the crate about a quarter of an hour when two men drove up in a cart. Theyunloaded all the planes. They carefully slid the crate that Philip was in out of the plane, and whenthe side swung open, fastened the hasp carefully. They did not guess for one moment that a liveboy was inside, instead of a silent statue.
　　Philip’s crate was loaded into the cart with other things. Then the cart was driven off towardsthe sea, bumping over ruts as it went. Philip was terribly jolted. The straw tickled and pricked himeverywhere. He could hardly breathe.
　　But he didn’t mind. He would soon be on board ship, and taken to the mainland somewhere.
　　Then he could escape and go to the police. So he lay there patiently, trying to avoid the sharpprickles of the straw by wriggling about every now and again.
　　He could see nothing in the crate. He could only guess when the cart arrived at a small jetty,beside which a big launch was moored. He was carried on board and dumped on a lower deck.
　　Bump! Philip gasped, for he was very much shaken. Other things were dumped beside him.
　　Then there came the sound of shouts and orders. The motor of the launch started up and Philip feltthe vessel moving smoothly over the water. They were off!
　　‘These men don’t lose much time,’ thought Philip. ‘They don’t have these things on their handsvery long. Wonder who buys them?’
　　The trip to the mainland, wherever it was, was a long one. Philip was now quite sure that thelanding ground for the planes was on some lonely island. At last the launch eased into some kindof harbour and came to a stop. Men began to unload it at once.
　　The crate was rather roughly handled, and once poor Philip was put upside-down for half aminute. That was terrible. He thought he would have to call out. But just when he was certain hecouldn’t bear it any longer, he felt the crate being lifted again and put on a car or into a van, whichdrove off almost immediately.
　　After a while it stopped. Philip heard the sound of an engine whistling and his heart leapt forjoy. They were probably at a railway station. Perhaps he would be put into the luggage van - or ona goods train. It would be easy enough to escape then. He had not dared to before, for he had feltcertain that all the men handling the crate so far had been accomplices of the others.
　　He was not put on a train. He was left in a yard, along with other goods that were to go by alater train. He strained his ears, hoping to hear the van being driven off. Then, he thought, it wouldbe safe for him to get out.
　　He waited for about twenty minutes. Then he began to try and wriggle out. But he could notundo the hasp. Blow!
　　He yelled. ‘Hi! Hi! Help me!’
　　A porter not far off jumped in alarm. He looked all round. There was no one in sight except asolitary passenger waiting for the next train, and another porter on the opposite platform.
　　Philip yelled again, ‘Hi! Hi! Let me out!’
　　The porter felt terribly scared. He looked at the waiting passenger. Had he heard the shouts too- or was it just the porter’s own imagination? The passenger had heard them, and he was lookingmost alarmed.
　　‘Somebody in trouble somewhere,’ said the man, walking to the porter. ‘Sounds as if he’s inthat little yard there.’
　　‘There’s nobody there,’ said the porter, staring into the yard.
　　‘Hi! Hurry up and let me out!’ came Philip’s urgent voice, and to the horror of the passengerand the porter, the big crate began to rock violently.
　　‘There’s someone in there!’ cried the porter, and ran to the crate. He undid the hasp withtrembling fingers and out came Philip, straw in his hair, straw down his neck, straw all over him,looking wild and terribly excited.
　　‘I want the police station,’ said Philip. ‘Can’t stop to explain anything to you now. Where’s thepolice station?’
　　‘Over there,’ stuttered the porter, pointing to a small square building about a hundred yardsaway from the railway station. ‘But - but - but . . .’
　　Philip left him ‘but-ing’ away, and sped off to the police station, thrilled at his escape. He hadmanaged it wonderfully, he thought.
　　He shot into the police station and almost scared the policeman there out of his life.
　　‘I want to report something important to somebody in authority,’ said Philip. ‘Who’s the headman here?’
　　‘I’m the constable here,’ said the policeman. ‘Who are you, and what do you want? You canreport to me.’
　　‘I want to use the telephone,’ said Philip, thinking it would be a good thing to get into touchwith Bill at once. ‘Will you get a number for me, please?’
　　‘Here here - you can’t go using our police phones without good cause,’ said the policeman,beginning to feel that this straw-strewn boy was mad. ‘What’s your name, and where do you live?’
　　‘My name is Philip Mannering,’ said Philip impatiently. ‘Don’t hold me up, please. I’ve veryimportant things to report to somebody.’
　　The name caught the policeman’s attention at once. ‘Philip Mannering?’ he said. ‘Here - areyou one of the missing children? There’s four been missing for days. You one of them?’
　　He drew a leaflet from a drawer and looked at it. He passed it across to Philip. To the boy’ssurprise he saw a photograph of himself, Lucy-Ann, Jack and Dinah - and Kiki too, of course - atthe head of the paper, and their names and descriptions underneath.
　　‘Yes - I’m that boy,’ he said, pointing to his photograph. ‘Philip Mannering. And I want to getin touch with Bill Smugs - no, his real name’s Cunningham, of course - at once. It’s MOSTIMPORTANT .’
　　The policeman suddenly got very busy. He took up the receiver of the phone. He barked anumber into it, which he got at once. He evidently got on to somebody in high authorityimmediately.
　　‘Sir, one of the missing children has just turned up here - Philip Mannering - wants to reportsomething to Detective Inspector Cunningham. Yes, sir. I will, sir.’ He turned to Philip.
　　‘Are the other children with you?’
　　‘No - but they’re all right - so far,’ said Philip. ‘I’ve escaped and I want help to rescue them.
　　Can I get on to Bill Cunningham, please?’
　　The policeman spoke into the telephone. ‘The other children are all right, but not with him.
　　Please notify Mrs Mannering. More news to follow. When will the Inspector be here?’
　　The policeman put the receiver down and gazed in a very pleased manner at Philip. To thinkthat this exciting case of Missing Children should be reported to his little station!
　　‘Where am I?’ asked Philip suddenly. ‘What is this place called?’
　　‘Don’t you know?’ said the policeman, surprised. ‘It’s Gairdon, on the north-east coast ofScotland.’
　　‘I guessed that’s about where I’d be,’ said Philip. ‘Sorry I can’t tell you anything, constable -but I think I’d better wait for Bill.’
　　Bill came - in his aeroplane! He landed at the nearest aerodrome, took a fast police car, andarrived at Gairdon in two hours’ time. Very good going. Philip heard the car roaring up and ran tomeet it.
　　‘Bill! I knew you’d come! Oh, Bill - I’ve got the most exciting news for you! I don’t knowwhere to begin.’
第29章 一段不同寻常的旅行
　　第29章 一段不同寻常的旅行
　　菲利普在干什么呢？他正在经历一场超乎想象的冒险。
　　他在飞机上的一堆外套和毯子下面一直睡到天亮。当飞机着陆的时候，巨大的轮子在地面上颠簸。菲利普立刻就被惊醒了。
　　他在毯子里扒开一条缝，向外窥探着，看看飞机上的两个人在做什么。他们正准备下飞机。值得庆幸的是他们俩甚至都没有好好地看一眼飞机上的环境，或者从菲利普身上的那堆东西里取一件外套！
　　其他人在外面站着，迎接这两个新来的人从飞机上下来。菲利普坐起身来，想听听他们在说些什么。但他们的话有一半用的是外语，而且外面很吵闹，什么都听不清。
　　菲利普环顾四周，只见机舱中放着一个板条箱，上面松松地捆着一块油布。菲利普想看看里面有什么。一尊雕像躺在箱子里的稻草上，显然非常贵重。
　　菲利普小心翼翼地从飞机的窗口往外瞥了一眼，因为他现在已经听不到人们说话的声音了。他们去哪里了？他现在能从飞机上溜出去寻求帮助了吗？
　　眼前的景象让他非常震惊。所有的飞机都停在一片广阔的草地上。环绕在它们四周的是蔚蓝的大海。四周都是！原来，他们是在一个岛上。
　　菲利普坐下来想了一会儿：这些人都是强盗，他们在买卖上一场战争中被藏起来的或者被遗忘的珍贵宝藏；他们有自己的飞机，还有一个秘密的着陆点。还有什么地方，比苏格兰海岸外的一个孤岛更适合进行交易呢？
　　“那么，我想他们有摩托艇或自己亲自把这些东西运走，”菲利普心里想，“他们甚至有庞大的船队！这样的话，我永远都不可能偷偷地离开这里，永远都不可能。如果它是一个孤岛，似乎它就是个孤岛，那我在这里就像在藏宝洞里一样还是个囚犯。可恶！”
　　这时，以前黛娜说过的一个主意浮现在他的脑海里。那么藏在板条箱里怎么样？箱子里的那尊雕像肯定会被装船，然后运往其他地方出售。那么，他可以和它一起走吧？
　　他又向外张望，想看看那些人去哪儿了。显然，他们在不远处的一间茅屋里大吃大喝。菲利普估计自己至少能有半个小时来完成这个计划。
　　菲利普又把油布扯开一点。他发现板条箱是用铁环拴着的。他一松开铁环，箱子的整个侧面就像一个侧盖一样打开了，掉出了些稻草。
　　那雕像在里面，被松软的稻草包裹住。菲利普想这一定是某个古代圣徒的雕像。他靠近雕像，仔细地看了看。它是金子做的吗？浑身金闪闪，看起来真像金子。
　　不管怎样，现在都不重要了。因为它马上就会躺到菲利普刚刚躺过的地方——一堆毯子和外套下面。而菲利普将会取而代之，躺进箱子里。
　　要把这个雕像从稻草中取出来并不难，但把它取出来了以后，菲利普才发现它很重。
　　在它的重压之下，菲利普差点儿被压垮了，尽管这雕像和菲利普的个头差不多一样大。
　　他把雕像拖到一堆毯子那里，把它放到毯子下面，又在上面堆了几件外套，这样就不会露出一点痕迹。接着，菲利普把撒出来的稻草清理干净，小心翼翼地推回到板条箱里。
　　下一步就是他自己爬进稻草里去。那座雕像在草里压出了一个大洞，菲利普就在这个地方坐了下来。他小心翼翼地把稻草放回他的周围，把侧面的木板拉上。但是他不能把铁环系紧，所以只能放弃这个步骤了，希望如果这些人看到它松开了，能以为它只是偶然坏了的。
　　稻草里非常暖和。菲利普开始警觉起来，因为他怕过不了多久就会喘不上气来，于是他在稻草堆里钻出了一个小洞，让嘴巴和鼻子露在外面。这样他就感觉好多了。
　　他在板条箱里待了大约一刻钟，这时有两个人开着车过来。他们把飞机上所有的东西都卸了下来。装着菲利普的板条箱也被小心翼翼地从飞机上拖了出来，当箱子一侧的板子裂开口的时候，他们仔细地扣上了它的铁环。这两个人一点也没有想到里面竟然装着一个活生生的男孩，而不是一座沉默的雕像。
　　菲利普所在的板条箱与别的东西一起都被装上了货车。那辆货车向海边的方向驶去，一路在坑坑洼洼的地上颠簸。箱子里的菲利普也在不停地摇晃着，稻草刺得他浑身发痒。
　　他几乎无法呼吸了。
　　但是菲利普并不介意。他很快就会上船，被带到大陆的某个地方。然后他就可以逃跑去报警了。他耐心地躺在那儿，不时地扭动着身子，以免稻草刺着他。
　　他在板条箱里什么也看不见。他只能猜测车在某个时候到了一个小码头，那里停着一艘大货船。他被抬上了船，丢在甲板层上。
　　砰！菲利普惊讶地吸了口气。其他东西被扔在他身边。接着传来喊声和命令声。货船的马达启动了，菲利普感到船在水面上平稳地移动着。他们起航了！
　　“这些人一点儿也没浪费时间，”菲利普想，“他们没把这些东西留在手上很久。不知道他们打算把这些卖给谁？”
　　这次大陆之行，无论要在哪里登陆，都是一段漫长的旅程。菲利普现在十分肯定，飞机的着陆地是某座孤岛。最后，货船慢慢地驶入了某个港口，停了下来。人们立刻开始卸货。
　　搬板条箱的人的动作非常粗鲁，可怜的菲利普被倒立了半分钟。这真是太可怕了。他差点就大声地喊了出来。但就在他觉得再也受不了的时候，他感觉到有人把板条箱又给抬了起来，装上了一辆汽车或一辆货车，很快就开走了。
　　过了一会儿，车停了下来。菲利普听到了发动机的呼啸声，他的心兴奋地跳了起来。
　　他们可能在火车站。也许他会被放进行李车或货车上。那就很容易逃脱了。他之前不敢试图逃跑，因为他很确定，到目前为止，所有搬运木箱的人都是那伙坏蛋的同谋。
　　但他没有上火车，而是被留在了一个院子里，和其他的货物一起被安排上下一班火车。他竖起耳朵，希望能听到那辆货车开走的声音。就在这时，他觉得从箱子里逃出去会是安全的。
　　他等了大约二十分钟，然后开始准备逃跑。但他无法解开这个扣着的铁环。可恶！
　　他喊道：“嗨！嗨！救救我！”
　　听到声音，不远处的一个搬运工吓得跳了起来。他看了看四周，除了一个独自等候下一趟火车的旅客和另一个在对面月台上的搬运工之外，看不到一个人。
　　菲利普再次喊道：“嗨！嗨！让我出去！”
　　那个搬运工感到非常害怕。他看了看正在等车的旅客，想知道他是不是也听到了喊声——还是只是自己的幻觉？显然旅客也听到了，他看上去也非常惊慌。
　　“有什么人在附近遇害了吧，”那人说，向看门人走去，“听起来他好像在那个小院子里。”
　　“那儿没有人。”搬运工说着，望着院子。
　　“嗨！快点，放我出去！”菲利普急切的声音传来。让旅客和搬运工更加害怕的是一个大板条箱开始猛烈地摇晃起来。
　　“有人在那里！”搬运工叫道，跑向板条箱。他用颤抖的双手解开铁环，菲利普爬了出来，头发上插着稻草，脖子下面也是，全身都是，看上去既疯狂又兴奋。
　　“我要去警察局，”菲利普说，“现在没时间和你们解释。警察局在哪里？”
　　“在那边，”搬运工结结巴巴地说，指着离火车站一百码远的一个小广场，“但是，但是，但是……”
　　菲利普把搬运工留在了那里，飞快地跑向警察局。他对自己能逃出来感到兴奋不已。
　　自己刚才做得太棒了。
　　他冲进警察局，差点把那里的警察吓得半死。
　　“我想向你们这儿管事的人报告一些重要的事情，”菲利普说，“请问这儿的头儿是哪位？”
　　“我是这儿的局长，”警察说，“你是谁，你想要干什么？你可以向我汇报。”
　　“我想用一下电话，”菲利普说，他认为立刻跟比尔取得联系是件好事，“请让我打个电话好吗？”
　　“慢着，慢着——你不能无缘无故地使用我们的警用电话，”那个警察说着，开始觉得这个满身稻草的男孩疯了，“你叫什么名字？你的家在哪里？”
　　“我叫菲利普•曼纳林，”菲利普不耐烦地说，“请不要耽误我的时间。我有很重要的事情要告诉别人。”
　　这个名字立刻引起了警察的注意。“菲利普•曼纳林？”他说，“等一下，你就是其中一个失踪的孩子？有四个孩子已经失踪好几天了。你是其中之一吗？”
　　他从抽屉里抽出一张传单，看了看。他把它递给菲利普。令男孩惊讶的是，他看到了报纸的头条是自己、露西安、杰克和黛娜的照片，当然还有琪琪的。照片下面是他们的名字和对他们的描述。
　　“是的，我就是这个男孩，”他指着自己的照片说，“菲利普•曼纳林。我想马上联系比尔•斯莫格斯。不，他的真名当然是坎宁安。这是最重要的。”
　　警察突然忙了起来。他拿起电话听筒。他对那边说了一个号码，电话立刻就接通了。
　　显然，他已经及时与高层官员取得了联系。
　　“先生，一个失踪的孩子菲利普•曼纳林。他刚刚出现在这里，他要向坎宁安探长报告一些事情。是的，先生。我会的，先生。”他转向菲利普。
　　“其他孩子和你在一起吗？”
　　“不，不过他们都还好，就目前来说。”菲利普说，“我先逃走了，我想帮助他们。我能和比尔•坎宁安讲话吗？”
　　警察对着电话说：“其他的孩子都很好，但不跟他在一起。请通知曼纳林夫人。还会有更多的消息。巡查员什么时候到？”
　　警察放下听筒，满意地看着菲利普。想到这个令人激动的失踪儿童案件将会与他的小警察局联系在一起！
　　“我在哪儿？”菲利普突然问道，“这个地方叫什么？”
　　“你不知道吗？”警察惊讶地说，“这里是盖尔登，在苏格兰东北海岸。”
　　“我猜大概就在这里，”菲利普说，“对不起，警官，我不能告诉你任何事，我想我最好等比尔。”
　　比尔乘着他的飞机来了！他降落在最近的机场，然后乘坐一辆快速警车，两小时后到达了盖尔登。太好了。菲利普听到汽车的呼啸声，便跑去迎接它。
　　“比尔！我就知道你会来的！哦，比尔，我有个最令人兴奋的消息要告诉你！我不知道从哪里开始讲起。”
30 Bill gets busy
　　30 Bill gets busy
　　Bill swung out of the car, took hold of Philip by the arm and had a good look at him. ‘You’re allright?’ he demanded. ‘All of you? Your mother’s been nearly off her head with worry.’
　　‘I’m all right, Bill, so’s everybody. But we’ve fallen right into the middle of a mostextraordinary adventure,’ said Philip. ‘I must tell you quickly. We’ve got to get busy. You see . . .’
　　‘Come into the police station,’ said Bill. Philip followed the burly figure, full of relief to hearhis determined voice, and to see his strong, clever face.
　　Soon the whole story was being poured out. Bill listened in amazement, occasionally rappingout a sharp question. When he heard how Philip had taken the statue out of the crate and puthimself in its place, and was taken to the railway station, he burst out laughing.
　　‘I never in my life knew children like you! Whatever will you do next? I can’t cope with you.
　　But, joking apart, this is a most extraordinary thing, Philip, most amazing. The men you gotcaught up with are the very men I’d been after for some time. We couldn’t find out what they wereup to - though we knew jolly well they were up to no good.’
　　‘Really?’ said Philip, astonished. ‘By the way, Bill - that night we were to go with you in yourplane - and got into the wrong one - we heard shots. Was that anything to do with you?’
　　‘It was,’ said Bill grimly. ‘It so happened that two of the men were spotted there, and detained.
　　They shot their way out - and that was what you heard. I nearly got a bullet in my leg. I can tellyou, we shall be very glad to get our hands on them and have something to charge them with.
　　Clever rogues! They are crooks from South America, in touch with the old Nazis, who have toldthem the whereabouts of many of the lost or hidden treasures in Europe. Many of them have neverbeen found, you know.’
　　‘Gosh - you wait till you see our treasure caves!’ said Philip. ‘Oh - by the way, here’s anotebook I pinched from one of the men’s coats.’
　　He handed it over. Bill squinted at it, and his eyes nearly fell out of his head.
　　‘I say - my word! - look here - this is a code - the code the rascals use - and a list of all thepeople concerned in this racket - with their addresses in code! Philip, you deserve a medal. This isa first-class find. We can round up the whole gang.’
　　Philip was delighted at Bill’s pleasure. Bill got up and went to the telephone. He made manycalls, short, sharp and to the point. Philip listened but could not make much of them. He hoped Billwould soon set off to rescue the others. They would be waiting most anxiously.
　　Bill put down the telephone receiver at last. ‘We’re taking my aeroplane and another, andtwelve men counting myself,’ he said. ‘Starting at twelve.’
　　‘I’m going too, aren’t I?’ said Philip anxiously.
　　‘I think you’d better stay and see your mother,’ said Bill. ‘And also - there may be a bit of adust-up, you know, when we get there.’
　　Philip stared at him in the greatest indignation. ‘Bill! The others will be there - Jack and the rest- and you’d keep me out of it? Didn’t I come here, didn’t I . . .’
　　‘All right, all right, old son,’ said Bill. ‘You shall come. Goodness knows what furtheradventure you’d get into if I left you behind.’
　　Philip cheered up at once. He took Lizzie out of his pocket and introduced her to Bill. ‘Meetbusy Dizzy Lizzie,’ he said, and Lizzie ran on to Bill’s knee.
　　‘Sounds like Kiki’s make-up,’ said Bill. ‘Busy Dizzy Lizzie! What a name for a lizard!’
　　‘I suppose we can’t get anything to eat here, can we?’ asked Philip, wondering if there wereever any eatables at a police station. ‘I’ve had chocolate to nibble at times, but that’s all.’
　　‘I was going to suggest that we should ask the good constable here to provide us with a reallyslap-up meal,’ said Bill. ‘We could go to the hotel, but you don’t look very presentable at themoment - you seem to exude bits of straw from top to toe. We’ll have a good meal and then giveyou a wash and brush-up.’
　　The wind got up as they ate their meal. Bill stared out of the window. ‘Hope this wind diesdown,’ he said. ‘Looks a bit stormy to me.’
　　Bill was right. Just before it was time for them to set off in the car to the aerodrome, thetelephone rang. Bill answered it. He listened gravely and turned to Philip.
　　‘There’s a gale warning out,’ he said. ‘Afraid it’s no good starting off yet, Philip. Very stormyweather where we want to go.’
　　‘Blow!’ said Philip, disappointed and anxious. ‘The others will be so worried, waiting andwaiting for us.’
　　‘Yes, they will,’ said Bill. ‘But the aerodrome doesn’t give out warnings like this withoutreason. They are apparently expecting one of those sudden gale-storms that mean a plane must flyabsolutely blind. Not so funny. We’ll have to wait a bit.’
　　Philip looked upset. It would be too awful if those men got back to the valley before they didand perhaps caught the others. And he did so badly want Bill to catch the men red-handed -wanted him to get there before them and wait for them to come again and take away the treasures.
　　‘By the way, Bill - how do you know where to fly to?’ he asked suddenly. ‘I didn’t know whatthe valley was - or where - except that it is in Austria. Elsa and the old man told us that.’
　　‘It’s down in that interesting little notebook you gave me,’ said Bill, ‘together with other placeswhere they may also find hidden treasures. Oh, that notebook told me quite a lot I wanted to know,Philip.’
　　Bill got out a map and showed Philip exactly where the valley was. ‘It had a bad time in thewar,’ he said, ‘and the only pass into it was bombed. It hasn’t been unblocked again, as far as Iknow. Plans were afoot to work on it this year. A man called Julius Muller - the one you were toldto get in touch with - has been trying to get permission to unblock the valley and enter it.’
　　‘I wonder what happened to Otto,’ said Philip. ‘The poor prisoner, you know.’
　　‘His address is in the book,’ said Bill. ‘I have already asked for information about him, Idaresay I shall get some soon.’
　　He did. The telephone rang that afternoon and a voice informed Bill that Otto Engler had beenfound outside a big hospital, unconscious. He had almost died of heart trouble, but was makingslight progress now, though he could not speak a word.
　　‘I bet those brutes ill-treated him and made him tell them the exact whereabouts of the treasurecaves,’ said Philp, ‘and then took him and left him somewhere in the street, ill and terrified.’
　　‘Quite likely,’ agreed Bill. ‘They wouldn’t stop at much.’ The telephone bell rang again, andBill took up the receiver once more.
　　‘Gale getting worse,’ he told Philip. ‘Have to put off our trip till tomorrow. Pity your mother’sso far away or we could have dropped in to see her. I’ve been trying to get her on the phone.’
　　Philip did speak to his mother that afternoon, though it was only a three minute talk. MrsMannering was so relieved to hear his voice that she could hardly say a word herself. However,Philip found plenty to say, and had to stop halfway through because he was cut off.
　　Next day dawned fair and warm. The wind had almost gone - blown itself out in the night,which had been extremely stormy and wild. Philip had awakened once or twice and had felt gladthey had not tried to fly through it, for certainly it was a very wild storm.
　　He had slept in a comfortable bed put up in the cell of the police station. This seemed veryexciting to him. ‘First time I’ve ever passed a night in prison,’ he told Bill.
　　‘Well, I hope it will be the last,’ said Bill. ‘Prison is not a pleasant place, my boy.’
　　Bill’s car was brought to the door. It was large and bright and swift. He and Philip got in, Billstarted up the engine and they roared away. Twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy miles anhour and more! Philip was thrilled.
　　‘She does go,’ he said. ‘Funny that a car seems faster than an aeroplane when you’re in it. Muchmore of a rush, somehow.’
　　They reached the aerodrome at last. There was Bill’s plane, its propellers whirring fast. Besideit was another, very like it. Eleven men stood about, waiting. They saluted Bill.
　　‘Get into my plane,’ Bill ordered Philip. ‘I want a word with my men.’
　　He had his word and got in. Five of the men got in Bill’s plane and six in the other. There was aterrific roar, and first Bill’s plane took off and then the other one. They flew into the wind, circledround, rose higher and then made off for the east.
　　Philip gave a sigh of relief. Now things were on the move again. He would soon see the others.
　　How glad they would be!
　　After some time Bill spoke to Philip. ‘We’re coming to that valley of yours, Philip, now - orshould be. Have a look out and see if you recognise it.’
　　Philip looked down. ‘Oh yes!’ he cried. ‘That’s it! And look - there are four planes down there!
　　That’s where we land! You’d better look out in case the men are about and shoot!’
　　Bill’s plane roared down lower. It swung into the wind and landed perfectly. The second planefollowed suit.
　　The engines stopped. There was silence. Bill waited to see if anyone came running out. No, nota soul. He and the other men poured out. Philip followed.
　　There seemed to be no one about at all. Bill told his men to scatter and make a search beforethey went any further. Soon one of them gave a shout. ‘Hey! There’s one of them here! All tied uplike a chicken!’
　　It was Pepi, half dead with cold and hunger. He was so glad to be set free that he did not showmuch surprise at seeing so many strangers. In charge of one of the men he tottered over to Bill.
　　‘Put him in the hut and lock him up,’ ordered Bill. ‘Who could have tied him up, Philip?’
　　‘I can’t imagine,’ said Philip, puzzled. ‘And look, Bill, here are two of our suitcases - fallen outof the tree, I suppose. Funny.’
　　‘There are still seven men to be accounted for,’ said Bill. ‘Right. Well, now - we’d better set offto these treasure caves. Look out, men, in case there’s any ambush. We don’t want to be shot upwithout warning.’
　　They set off, Philip telling Bill the way. Bill was filled with amazement to see the valley, thetowering mountains, the burnt ruins . . . it seemed so extraordinary to think of the four childrenmarooned here in the middle of such thrilling adventures.
　　‘Can you hear the waterfall now?’ asked Philip eagerly, after a time. ‘I can! We’re getting near.’
　　The men were amazed to hear the noise of the great waterfall, and even more astonished to seeit. They did not say very much, for they were tough men, not easily surprised by anything. Butthey stood and stared for some time.
　　‘Now - careful - because we’re getting near to the cave entrance,’ said Philip at last. ‘Shall I gofirst? I think I’d better.’
第30章 比尔开始忙活了
　　第30章 比尔开始忙活了
　　比尔从车里走了出来，抓住菲利普的胳膊，仔细地打量着他。“你没事吧？”他问道，“其他人呢？你的母亲担心得快发疯了。”
　　“我很好，比尔，大家都很好。我们正在经历一场最特别的冒险，”菲利普回答，“我得赶紧告诉你。我们必须快点儿行动起来。你懂吗？”
　　“到警察局里来。”比尔说。菲利普跟着那个魁梧的身影进了屋。听到比尔坚定的声音，看到他那张坚强、聪明的脸，菲利普心里踏实了下来。
　　很快，菲利普就讲完了整个故事。比尔惊奇地听着，不时地提出一些尖锐的问题。当他听到菲利普说他把雕像从板条箱里拿出来，自己坐进去，然后被带到火车站时，突然大笑起来。
　　“我一生中从未见过像你这样的孩子！你还会做出什么不可思议的事情？我真是应付不了你。但是，说正经的，这次的情况很特别，菲利普，你做的一切让我刮目相看。你追踪的正是我追了一段时间的人。尽管我们知道他们没安好心，但还不知道他们具体在干什么勾当。”
　　“真的吗？”菲利普惊讶地说，“顺便问一下，比尔，那天晚上，我们本来打算坐你的飞机走的，结果坐错了飞机。而且我们听到了枪声。这跟你有什么关系吗？”
　　“是的，”比尔冷冷地说，“碰巧其中两个人在那里被发现并被拘留。他们开枪，冲出了一条路——这就是你们听到的。我的腿差点中弹。我可以告诉你，我们将很高兴抓住他们，并有一个起诉他们的理由。那伙狡猾的强盗！他们是与纳粹有联系的南美人，一些老纳粹分子告诉他们许多在欧洲丢失或隐藏的珍宝的下落——你知道，它们很多都从来没有被发现过。”
　　“天哪，你等着看我们的藏宝洞吧！”菲利普说，“哦，对了，这是我从其中一个人的大衣里掏出来的一个笔记本。”
　　他把它递给比尔。比尔眯起眼睛看着它，眼珠子差点掉到了地上。他惊讶地说：“我说——天哪！看这里，这是一个代码，那伙罪犯使用的代码还有所有相关人员的名单。他们的地址都用代码编写在这里！菲利普，你应该得到一枚奖章。这真是个第一流的发现。这下我们把整伙人一锅端了。”
　　菲利普看到比尔如此兴奋，自己也感到很高兴。比尔站起身走到电话旁。他打了许多电话，简短、尖锐、一针见血。菲利普在一旁听着，但没有听懂很多。他希望比尔马上动身去救其他的孩子。他们一定在焦急地等待着。
　　比尔终于放下了电话听筒。“我们会乘我的飞机和另外一架飞机前去，包括我自己在内一共有十二个人，”他对菲利普说，“十二点出发。”
　　“我也去，对吗？”菲利普焦急地问。
　　“我想你最好留下来看看你妈妈，”比尔说，“而且——你知道，当我们到达那里的时候，情况可能会比较混乱。”
　　菲利普义愤填膺地盯着他。“比尔！杰克他们都在那里，而你却要阻止我去？是我一路过来告诉你一切的，不是吗？”
　　“好吧，好吧，孩子，”比尔说，“你也去。天知道如果我把你丢下，你又会陷入什么新的冒险。”
　　菲利普立刻高兴起来。他从口袋里掏出莉齐，把它介绍给比尔。“来见见忙得头晕的莉齐。”他说。莉齐跑到比尔的膝盖上。
　　“听起来像是琪琪化妆品的名字，”比尔说，“忙晕的莉齐！这是蜥蜴的名字！”
　　“我想我们能在这儿吃点东西吧？”菲利普问，他不知道警察局里有没有什么食物，“我这一路只吃过几口巧克力，仅此而已。”
　　“我建议，我们应该让这里的治安官给我们提供一顿真正的大餐，”比尔开玩笑说，“我们可以去酒店，但你现在看上去不怎么体面。你从头到脚都插着稻草。我们会美美地饱餐一顿，然后你再好好地洗个澡。”
　　他们吃饭时，外面开始刮风。比尔盯着窗外。“希望风能停，”他说，“我觉得暴风雨要来了。”
　　比尔说的是对的。就在他们上车去机场之前，电话铃响了。比尔接了电话。他严肃地听着，转向菲利普。
　　“有大风警报，”他说，“现在起飞恐怕不太好，菲利普。我们想去的地方有暴风雨天气。”
　　“可恶！”菲利普失望而焦急地说，“但其他人会很担心，已经等了我们这么长时间。”
　　“是的，他们会的，”比尔说，“但机场不会无缘无故地发出这样的警告。他们显然是预测到将有一场突如其来的暴风雨，这意味着飞机要在两眼一抹黑的情况下飞行。这可不好玩。我们也许要再等一会儿。”
　　菲利普看起来很沮丧。如果那伙人在他们到达之前就回去了，也许还会抓住其他的孩子，那可就太可怕了。菲利普非常想让比尔当场抓住那些人，想让他赶在那伙人之前到达，在洞里等着那些去而复返的强盗来运走宝藏。
　　“顺便问一下，比尔，你怎么知道该飞往哪里？”菲利普突然问道，“我不知道那个山谷叫什么，也不知道它在哪里，只知道它在奥地利。”
　　“这就写在你给我的那个有趣的小笔记本里，”比尔说，“还有其他疑似也藏着宝藏的地方。哦，那本笔记本告诉了我很多我想知道的事，菲利普。”
　　比尔拿出一张地图，将山谷的确切位置指给菲利普看。“那里的人们在战争中度过了一段艰难的时期，”他说，“唯一的入口被炸毁了。据我所知，它还没有被疏通。一项针对这项工作的计划将在今年开始执行。一个名叫朱利叶斯•穆勒的人，也就是你们被告知要去联系的那个人，一直在努力获得许可，打开这个山谷进去。”
　　“我想知道奥托怎么样了，”菲利普说，“你知道，那个可怜的囚犯。”
　　“他的地址在笔记本里，”比尔说，“我已经问过关于他的信息了。我想我很快就会得到一些。”
　　比尔很快就得到消息了。那天下午，电话铃响了，一个声音通知比尔，奥托•恩格勒在一家大医院外面被发现，他昏迷不醒，还差点死于心脏病，但病情现在稍有好转，尽管他一句话也说不出来。
　　“我敢打赌那些坏蛋又虐待了他，让他告诉他们宝藏的确切位置，”菲利普义愤填膺地说，“然后带他回去，把他随便丢在街上某个地方，任凭病魔与恐惧折磨他。”
　　“很有可能，”比尔同意，“他们不会耽搁太久的。”这时，电话铃又响了，比尔拿起听筒又听了一遍。
　　“风越来越大了，”他对菲利普说，“我们得把飞行推迟到明天。真可惜，你妈妈离得太远，要不我们就可以去看她了。我一直在试着给她打电话。”
　　那天下午，菲利普跟他的母亲谈过话，尽管那只是三分钟的谈话。曼纳林夫人听到菲利普的声音，感到如释重负，几乎一个字也说不出来。然而，菲利普有很多话要说，但是不得不中途停下来，因为信号中断了。
　　第二天，天气晴朗而温暖。风几乎消失了，似乎是被留在了昨天的夜里——昨夜的风狂暴猛烈。菲利普醒了一两次，很高兴他们没有尝试飞着穿过狂风暴雨，因为那确实是一场非常猛烈的暴风雨。
　　他睡在警察局牢房里一张舒适的床上。这让他觉得很刺激。“这是我第一次在监狱里度过一夜。”他对比尔说。
　　“好吧，我希望这是你最后一次待在牢房里，”比尔说，“我的孩子，监狱可不是个愉快的地方。”
　　比尔的车开到门口。它宽敞明亮，速度又快。他和菲利普上了车。比尔发动引擎，汽车咆哮着离开了。每小时二十、三十、四十、五十、六十，速度已经达到了每小时七十英里以上！菲利普非常兴奋。
　　“它确实很能跑，”他说，“有趣的是，当你坐在车里的时候，会感觉汽车似乎比飞机还快。无论如何，它很刺激。”
　　他们终于到达了机场。比尔的飞机停在那，螺旋桨飞快地旋转着。在它旁边停着另一架，外表和它很像。十一个男人站在那里等着。他们向他行礼。
　　“到我的飞机上去。”比尔命令菲利普，“我想和我的人说句话。”
　　说完了后，他也上飞机了。有五个人上了比尔的飞机，另外六个人上了另一架。一阵可怕的吼声后，先是比尔的飞机起飞，接着另一架也起飞了。他们迎风飞行，盘旋了一周后升到了更高的位置，然后向东方飞去。
　　菲利普松了一口气。终于，事情又向前进展了。他很快就会看到其他人。他们会多么高兴啊！
　　过了一段时间，比尔找菲利普说了几句话。“我们很快就将进入你们冒险的山谷了，菲利普。或者只是我们认为的那个山谷。你看看能不能认出它来。”
　　菲利普低头向下望。“哦，是的！”他喊出来，“就是它！看，下面有四架飞机！这就是我们降落的地方！你最好小心点，以防他们在附近开枪！”
　　比尔的飞机呼啸着降了下来。它在风中摇摆，完成了一次完美的降落。第二架飞机紧随其后。
　　引擎停下来了。周围一片寂静。比尔等着看有没有人跑出来。不，一个人的踪迹都没有。他和其他的人下了飞机。菲利普跟在比尔的身边。
　　周围似乎根本没有人。比尔叫他的人散开，让他们先去查看一下周围的环境。很快他们其中一个大喊起来：“嘿！这里有一个！像只鸡一样被绑住了！”
　　是佩皮，他饿得半死。他很高兴自己被释放，看到这么多的陌生人，他并不感到惊讶。在一个警察的监护下，他踉踉跄跄地朝比尔走去。
　　“把他带到茅屋去关起来，”比尔命令道，“是谁把他捆起来的，菲利普？”
　　“我也不知道，”菲利普迷惑地说，“瞧，比尔，这是我们的两个手提箱——我想是从树上掉下来的吧。真有意思。”
　　“我们还要找到剩下的七个人，”比尔说，“好吧，现在，我们最好去那个藏宝洞。伙计们，小心有埋伏！我们可不想在没有任何警告的情况下遭到伏击。”
　　他们出发了，菲利普给比尔指路。比尔震惊地看着山谷四周高耸的群山和烧毁的废墟。想到四个孩子被困在这里，经历的激动人心的冒险，真是太非同寻常了。
　　过了一会儿，菲利普急切地问道：“你现在能听到瀑布的声音吗？我能！我们越来越近了。”
　　大瀑布的声音让每个人都很吃惊，但更让人吃惊的是瀑布的样子。大家都不怎么说话，因为他们每个都是狠角色，对任何事情都不会轻易感到惊讶。但是他们还是站在瀑布下盯着看了一会儿。
　　“现在要小心了，因为我们快到洞口了，”走在最后的菲利普说，“让我走在前面，好吗？这样最好。”
31 An exciting finish
　　31 An exciting finish
　　Jack, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, Kiki and the old couple were still in the cave of stars. They had justfinished their meal, and were wondering what to do. What a pity the old couple wouldn’t comeoutside the mountain - it was such a lovely day!
　　‘We could easily go and sun ourselves there,’ said Lucy-Ann longingly. ‘There’s no dangerfrom those men. They can’t get out of that locked door.’
　　Just as she spoke, Jack clutched hold of her arm and made her jump. ‘Sh! I can hear voices.’
　　They all listened fearfully. Yes - there were voices - coming down the tunnel that led from thecave of stalactites to the cave they were now in.
　　‘More men! Quick, hide!’ said Dinah urgently. In a panic the children began to run to the otherend of the cave, stumbling and tripping, their feet echoing round the big vault.
　　‘Halt!’ cried a stern voice, and a big figure stood just inside the cave. ‘Stand still! Put yourhands up!’
　　Lucy-Ann knew that voice. Of course she did. ‘Bill! BILL !’ she squealed. ‘Oh, Bill, we thoughtyou were never coming!’
　　She ran across the cave and flung herself on the surprised Bill. Jack and Dinah followed,shouting in delight. Lucy-Ann caught sight of Philip and flung herself on him too.
　　‘Philip! Dear Philip, you did escape and get Bill!’
　　Philip was astonished to see the children and the old couple there. He had left them in thetreasure caves. How had they got out? And where were the men?
　　The old couple came slowly up, half frightened to see so many people by the light of thepowerful torches. Bill was gentle with them.
　　‘Poor frightened moles,’ he said to Philip. ‘Well, they will be well looked after and rewarded.
　　Now - where are these men?’
　　‘I bolted them in,’ said Jack proudly. ‘They are prisoners in the treasure caves.’
　　This was news to Philip - and, of course, to Bill too. They questioned Jack eagerly, and he toldthem how the old woman had shown them the hole behind the picture, and how they had managedto escape through it to the cave of echoes and from there to their own fern cave. Then how Jackhad gone to the men’s hut, and had come up against Pepi and tied him up - finally how he had gothis Great Idea, and slipped back to bolt the men in.
　　‘Well - that seems pretty good work to me!’ said Bill. ‘But it won’t be an easy job routing themout of those caves. I wonder if we could take them by surprise from the back - get in at thepicture-hole and give them a shock.’
　　‘Oh yes!’ said Jack. ‘Of course you could. You could leave one or two of your men at the bolteddoor here, attracting the attention of the seven men - and whilst they are shouting and yelling atone another, the rest of your men could go in the other way and surprise them.’
　　‘That seems a very sound plan,’ said Bill, and gave some orders. He turned to Philip. ‘I’mleaving two men here. Take them to the bolted door in half an hour’s time, and they will thenattract the men’s attention. Jack, you come with me and the others, and show me the way back toyour fern cave, and through the cave of echoes to the passage that leads to the hole at the back ofthat picture.’
　　The little procession set off. The two men left behind waited for half an hour and then went withPhilip to the bolted door at the bottom of the curving steps. They rapped on it and shouted.
　　An answering shout came from inside. ‘Who are you? Let us out! Open the door!’
　　The men inside banged at the door and the men outside did the same. It was a perfect babel ofnoise. All the seven men were there, arguing, banging, demanding to be set free, and generallylosing their tempers.
　　Meantime Bill, Jack and the others had gone to the fern cave. They had crawled in, and found totheir dismay that they had to wriggle through the drain-pipe hole at the back. One of them almostgot stuck.
　　‘I must say you children manage to get into the most marvellous scrapes,’ said Bill, emergingfrom the hole into the cave of echoes. ‘My, I’m hot!’
　　‘Hot, hot, HOT , HOT !’ said the echoes at once. Bill jumped. ‘What’s that?’
　　‘That, that, THAT , THAT !’ shouted the echoes alarmingly. Jack laughed. ‘It’s only the echoes,’ hesaid. Kiki began to squawk, and then whistled like an express engine. The noise was deafening.
　　‘Kiki always does that here,’ said Jack, leading the way. ‘Shut up, Kiki! Bad bird!’
　　Soon they were in the passage that led to behind the waterfall - but before they got there theycame to the hole in the roof.
　　‘Have you got a rope on you, Bill?’ said Jack. ‘We’ve got to get up here. I used my rope to tieup Pepi. If you can get me on your shoulder, and shove me up, I can crawl into the hole, fix therope and let it down.’
　　It was soon done. One after another the men crawled into the hole, thinking that never in theirlives had they done so much climbing, creeping and crawling. They looked at Jack in admiration.
　　What a boy!
　　Jack came to the hole behind the picture. He listened. Not a sound. The men were all at thebolted door, shouting, kicking and arguing.
　　Jack gave the picture a push and it fell. The room was empty. He jumped down and the othersfollowed one by one.
　　‘Hope there’s no more of this, sir,’ said one of the men to Bill. ‘You want thinner men for thisjob.’
　　‘Better go cautiously now,’ said Jack. ‘We are near the treasure caves. We go straight throughthree and then come to the cave of statues. That’s where the bolted door is.’
　　‘Quiet now,’ ordered Bill, and, treading softly in their rubber-soled shoes, the men movedslowly forward, revolvers glinting in their hands.
　　Through the cave of gold - through the cave of books - through the cave of pictures. Jack laidhis hand warningly on Bill’s arm. He could hear something.
　　‘It’s the men,’ he said. ‘Hark! - they must have got rocks or something to hammer at the doorlike that. They really will break it down, I should think, by the noise.’
　　Bill stepped from the tunnel into the cave of statues. Although he had been prepared for themby Philip, he could not help jumping a little when he saw them in that dim greenish glow. His menstepped silently behind him.
　　At the far end were the seven men. They had found a big rock and were using it as a battering-ram. Crash! It struck the door violently. Crash!
　　‘Now’s our chance,’ whispered Bill. ‘They have their hands full - not a revolver to be seenamong them. Come on!’
　　The men moved swiftly up behind Juan and the others. A sharp, stern voice barked out behindthem:
　　‘Hands up! We’ve got you cold!’
　　The men all had their backs to Bill. At his voice, they jumped in surprise, and put their handsabove their heads at once. Then Juan swung round, his hands still high. His eyes swept the sterngroup of men in front of him.
　　‘How did you get here?’ he said, between his teeth. ‘What other way in is there? Who locked usin?’
　　‘No questions answered now,’ snapped Bill. He called loudly to the two men outside the door.
　　‘Hey, Jim! Pete! Unbolt the door. We’ve got ’em.’
　　The door was unbolted. It swung open and Jim and Pete looked round it, grinning. ‘Pretty littleplay we had,’ said Pete. ‘Quite enjoyed it, I did.’
　　Jack slipped down too. The girls had been told to keep away till the men had been captured.
　　They were with the old couple in the cave of stars, waiting impatiently.
　　Bill counted the men. ‘All seven here. Good. And we’ve got the eighth all right too. Pete, takethese fellows back to the planes. Shoot at the first sign of trouble. I’ll stay here and have a look-see. It looks mighty interesting.’
　　The men were marched off, handcuffed, swearing and stumbling. Jack watched them go,delighted to think that he had had the idea of bolting them in. Bill had clapped him on the back forthat.
　　Once the men had passed through the cave of stars, the girls came running to join Jack, Philipand Bill. They showed the astonished Bill everything. He whistled when he saw so manytreasures.
　　‘Fortunes here,’ he said. ‘Well, it won’t be an easy task finding out where all these things camefrom and sending them back. Perhaps Julius Muller can help.’
　　‘And the old couple can too,’ said Lucy-Ann eagerly. ‘They know the histories of most of thestatues, anyway.’
　　The old man and his wife were collected on the way out and taken with everyone else to theplanes. They made no objection now to going into the open air. They evidently thought that Billwas some Great Man Who Must Be Obeyed. They bowed to him whenever he spoke to them.
　　‘We’ll have to take them with us for questioning,’ said Bill. ‘But we’ll return them as soon aspossible - to the village where this good man, Julius, lives. He may be good enough to look afterthese old people.’
　　Everyone got into one or other of the planes. There were six of them. In three of them were theeight prisoners with their guards. In two others were pilots and the old couple. Bill’s plane carriedthe children.
　　Their plane rose up, and the children looked down at the strange valley for the last time.
　　‘Yes, have a good look,’ said Bill. It will be in all the papers presently - the Valley ofTreasure.’
　　‘No, Bill - the Valley of Adventure!’ said Jack. ‘That’s what we shall always call it - the Valleyof Adventure!’
　　‘I’m glad we found Martha all right,’ said Lucy-Ann suddenly. ‘I did like her so much. She wassweet.’
　　‘Good heavens! Who’s Martha?’ said Bill, startled. ‘I thought the old woman was called Elsa.
　　Don’t tell me Martha is someone we’ve left behind!’
　　‘Oh no, Bill - she’s sitting on Elsa’s knee now in one of the other planes - she might even layan egg there,’ said Lucy-Ann.
　　Bill looked even more astonished. ‘She’s a hen!’ explained Lucy-Ann. ‘She got left behind inthe caves with the men and we were afraid she might have been killed by them. But she wasn’t.
　　She hid under the table and came clucking to join us when we went to find her. You were busylooking at the gold, I expect.’
　　‘I must have missed her,’ said Bill. ‘To think I haven’t yet made the acquaintance of one of theladies in this thrilling adventure. What a pity!’
　　‘What a pity, what a pity, what a pity!’ said Kiki at once. ‘Cluck-luck-luck! Pop goes Martha!’
第31章 一个精彩的结局
　　第31章 一个精彩的结局
　　她跑过山洞，扑向满脸吃惊的比尔。
　　杰克、黛娜、露西安、琪琪和那对老夫妇还在那有“星星”的洞里。他们刚吃完饭，不知道该怎么办。外边天气多好啊！只可惜这对老夫妇不肯出去。
　　“我们可以去那儿晒太阳，”露西安渴望地说，“这些人对我们来说，构不成威胁。门锁着了，他们出不来。”
　　就在她说话时，杰克抓住了她的胳膊，这个举动吓得露西安跳了起来。“嘘！我听到声音了。”
　　他们都竖起耳朵听着。是的，有声音，是从钟乳石洞通向他们现在所在的这个洞的隧道里传来的。
　　“来的人更多了！快藏起来！”黛娜说。孩子们惊慌失措地跑到洞的另一头，一路跌跌撞撞的，他们的脚步声回荡在大山洞中。
　　“站住！”一个严厉的声音喊道，一个身影站在洞里，“站住！把手举起来！”
　　露西安认得这个声音。她当然认得。“比尔！比尔！”她尖叫起来，“哦，比尔，我们以为你永远不会来了！”
　　她跑过山洞，扑向满脸吃惊的比尔。杰克和黛娜跟在露西安后边，高兴地喊着。露西安看见了菲利普，也扑向他，叫道：“菲利普！亲爱的菲利普，原来你逃出来了，还找到了比尔！”
　　菲利普看到孩子们和那对老夫妇在那里，感到非常惊讶。他离开时他们还被困在藏宝洞里。他们是怎么逃出来的？那伙人在哪里？
　　那对老夫妇慢慢地走了上来，看到这么多人拿着强光手电筒围过来，有点害怕。比尔对他们很温和。
　　“可怜的老人家，你们受惊了，”比尔对菲利普说，“嗯，他们会得到很好的照顾和奖励。那些人现在在哪里？”
　　“我把他们关在里面了。”杰克骄傲地说，“他们是藏宝洞里的囚犯。”
　　这对菲利普来说是个好消息，当然，对比尔来说也是如此。他们急切地询问着杰克。
　　杰克告诉他们那个老妇人是怎样给他们展示被画遮住的小洞，他们是怎样设法从那里逃到回音洞，又是怎样从回音洞逃到他们自己的蕨丛洞里。然后，杰克怎样去了那伙人的茅屋，又怎样走到佩皮跟前，把他捆了起来——最后，他怎样想出了这个好主意，又怎样溜回来，把那伙人都锁在了里面。
　　“嗯，在我看来，干得真不赖啊！”比尔说，“但要把他们从那些洞穴里赶出来可不是一件容易的事。我不知道我们能不能从背后给他们一个惊喜，也就是从那个画背后的洞里进去，来一次出乎意料的攻击。”
　　“哦，是的！”杰克说，“当然可以。你可以留一两个人守在大门这里，吸引这七个男人的注意力，当他们互相喊叫的时候，其他人可以从另一个方向冲过去，杀他们个措手不及。”
　　“这个计划似乎很合理。”比尔说，并下了一些命令。他转向菲利普：“我要在这儿留下两个人。半小时后那两个人会去到藏宝洞的门口，之后他们会吸引那些人的注意力。杰克，你跟我和其他人一起来，带我回到你们的蕨丛洞，通过那个回声洞前往那幅画后面的隧道。”
　　这一小队人马出发了。留下的那两个人等了半个小时，便和菲利普一起走到那扇大门的门口。门就在那弯弯曲曲的楼梯下面。他们敲门，冲着它大声喊叫。
　　一个喊声从洞里面传来：“你是谁？让我们出去！打开这扇门！”
　　里面的人在敲门，外面的人也在做同样的事。场面陷入了混乱。七个人都在那里，争吵着，砰砰地敲着，要求被放出来，他们越来越愤怒。
　　与此同时，比尔、杰克和其他人都去了蕨丛洞。他们爬了进去，沮丧地发现他们不得不从后面与排水管一样宽的洞里钻出来。其中有一个人差点被卡住了。
　　“我得说，只有你们孩子才能进入这最神奇的地方，”比尔说着，从洞里钻出来，进入了回音洞里，“哦，好热！”
　　“热，热，热，热！”回声立刻说。比尔吓了一跳。“那是什么？”
　　“么，么，么，么！”回声大喊道。杰克笑了。“这只是回声。”他说。琪琪开始尖叫，然后吹了口哨，就像火车发动机发出的声音。噪音震耳欲聋。
　　“琪琪总是在这里这样干。”杰克说着，领着路，“闭嘴，琪琪！你这只坏鸟！”
　　很快他们就到了通向瀑布后面的通道里。在此之前，他们先到了那个洞的底部，也就是连接着通道的顶部。
　　“比尔，你身上有绳子吗？”杰克说，“我们得从这儿上去。我的绳子用来绑佩皮了。如果你能让我站在你的肩膀上，把我推上去，我就能爬进洞里，把绳子固定好，再把它放下。”
　　这些很快就完成了。他们一个接一个地爬进洞里，心想他们这辈子从来没有过这么长时间的爬行，匍匐前进和像虫子一样蠕动。他们羡慕地看着杰克。多么了不起的孩子！
　　杰克来到画后面的那个洞穴。他听着。一点声音都没有。原来那些人都站在大门前，喊叫着，踢着，争论着。
　　杰克推了一下这幅画，它掉了下来。这个房间是空的。他跳了下来，其他人一个一个地照做。
　　“希望我们不会再这样回去了，先生。”其中一个人对比尔说，“你得找更瘦一些的人才能胜任这份工作。”
　　“现在最好小心点，”杰克说，“我们在藏宝洞附近。我们将经过三个洞穴，然后到达摆放雕像的洞穴。大门就在那里。”
　　“现在安静点。”比尔命令道，他的人穿着胶底鞋缓缓地向前走着，手中的左轮手枪闪闪发光。
　　穿过金子的洞穴，再穿过书籍的洞穴，最后穿过图画的洞穴。杰克小心翼翼地把手放在比尔的胳膊上。他听到了什么。
　　“就是那伙人，”他说，“听！他们一定是在用石头之类的东西来砸那扇门。噪音这么大，我想那扇门真的会被打破的。”
　　比尔从隧道走进雕像的洞穴里。虽然菲利普已经帮助他们做好了心理准备，但当他看到那些被笼罩在暗淡的绿光下的雕像时，还是感到有点惊讶。他的人默默地跟在后面。
　　在另一边是那七个罪犯。他们发现了一块大石头，正拿它当撞锤。砰！他们把它猛烈地撞在门上。砰！
　　“现在是我们的机会了，”比尔低声说，“他们的手忙不过来，连手枪都看不见。来吧！”
　　比尔和他的人迅速地走到了胡安他们的身后。一个尖锐而严厉的声音在他们身后响起：“举起手来！你们被瞄准了！”
　　这些人背对着比尔，听到他的声音，无不被惊吓得跳了起来，立刻把手举过头顶。胡安转过身来，双手举得高高的。他用严厉的目光扫视着面前这群人。
　　“你们是怎么到这儿来的？”他咬牙切齿地说，“难道还有别的路？把我们锁在这里的是谁？”
　　“现在不是回答问题的时候。”比尔厉声说道。他大声地向门外的两个人喊叫：“嗨，吉姆！皮特！把门打开。我们抓到他们了。”
　　门闩被拔出来。门开了。吉姆和皮特看了看，笑了。“我们玩得很开心，”皮特说，“我很享受自己像疯了一样地大喊大叫。”
　　杰克也走了过去。在抓捕行动之前，两个女孩被告知在抓住那些人之前不要靠近。她们和那对老夫妇正在星星洞穴里焦急地等待着。
　　比尔数了数人。“七个在这里。好。第八个已经在我们手里。皮特，把这些人带到飞机上去。如果有麻烦就开枪。我要待在这儿看看。这些洞穴看起来非常有趣。”
　　这些人全被戴上了手铐。他们咒骂着，跌跌撞撞地走了。杰克看着他们从洞里离开，为自己想到了把他们关起来的好主意而感到高兴。比尔为此赞许地拍了拍他的背。
　　囚犯们一穿过星星洞穴，女孩们就跑过来与杰克、菲利普和比尔会合。他们带着吃惊的比尔欣赏了洞里的一切。比尔看到这么多宝物，吹起了口哨。
　　“这真是一笔无价的财富！”他说，“好吧，找出所有这些东西的来源，再把它们送回去可不是一件容易的事情。也许朱利叶斯•穆勒能帮上忙。”
　　“这对老夫妇也可以，”露西安急切地说，“不管怎样，他们知道大多数雕像的来历和历史。”
　　老人和他的妻子在出洞的路上被接走，和其他人一起上了飞机。现在他们不反对到户外去了。他们认为比尔显然是个了不起的人，必须服从他。他一开口，他们就向他鞠躬。
　　“我们得带他们一起去审问，”比尔说，“但是我们会尽快把他们送回来——送回那个好人朱利叶斯住的村庄。他应该会把两个老人照顾得很好。”
　　每个人都登上了一架飞机。现在一共有六架飞机。其中有三架载着看守和八名囚犯，两架载着飞行员和那对老夫妇。比尔的飞机上是四个孩子。
　　他们的飞机升到了空中，孩子们最后一次俯视这片陌生的山谷。
　　“是的，好好看看，”比尔说，“它马上就会出现在所有的报纸上，宝藏谷。”
　　“不，比尔，这是冒险谷！”杰克说，“这就是我们给它起的名字，冒险谷！”
　　“我很高兴我们找到了玛莎。”露西安突然说道，“我真的很喜欢她。她很可爱。”
　　“天哪！玛莎是谁？”比尔说，他吓了一跳，“我还以为那个老妇人叫埃尔莎呢。别告诉我，我们丢下了一个叫玛莎的人！”
　　“哦，不，比尔。她现在坐在埃尔莎的膝盖上，坐在另一架飞机上，说不定她还会在那里生一个蛋呢。”
　　比尔看上去更吃惊了。“她是一只母鸡！”露西安解释道，“她和那些人一起被留在山洞里了，我们担心她可能被他们杀掉。但她没有。她躲在了桌子底下，当我们去找她的时候，她咯咯叫着来迎接我们。我想你当时是在忙着看金子。”
　　“我一定是漏掉她了，”比尔说，“想想看，在这次惊险的冒险中，我还没有认识其中一位女士呢。真遗憾！”
　　“多可惜，多可惜，多可惜！”琪琪马上说，“咯咯——咯——咯！砰！去追玛莎！”