It took a long time for Julian and Dick to fall asleep. They were both worried - worried about Georgeand worried about themselves, too. They were also very hungry, and their hunger kept them awake asmuch as their anxiety.
Dick fell asleep at last. Julian still lay awake, hoping that Anne was nice and warm between them. Hedidn't feel very warm himself.
He heard the whisper of the leaves in the trees, and then the scamper1 of tiny paws behind his head.
He wondered what animal it was - a mouse?
Something ran lightly over his hair and he shivered. A spider, perhaps. Well he couldn't move, or hewould disturb Anne. If it wanted to make a web over his hair it would have to. He shut his eyes andbegan to doze2 off. Soon he was dreaming.
He awoke very suddenly, with a jump. He heard the hoot3 of an owl4. That must have been whatwakened him. Now it would be ages before he slept again.
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He shut his eyes. The owl hooted5 again and Julian frowned, hoping that Anne would not wake.
She stirred and muttered in her sleep. Julian touched her lightly. She felt quite warm.
He settled down again and shut his eyes. Then he opened them. He had heard something! Not an owlor the pattering of some little animal's feet - but another sound, a bigger one. He listened.
There was a rustling6 going on somewhere. Some much bigger animal was about.
Julian was suddenly panic-stricken. Then he reasoned sternly with himself. There were no dangerouswild animals in this country, not even a wolf. It was probably a badger7 out on a nightly prowl. Helistened for any snuffling sound, but he heard none, only the rustling as the animal moved aboutthrough the bushes.
It came nearer. It came right over to him! He felt warm breath on his ear and made a quick movementof revulsion. He sat up swiftly and put out his hand. It fell on something warm and hairy. Hewithdrew his hand at once, feeling for his torch in panic. To touch something warm and hairy in thepitch darkness was too much even for Julian!
Something caught hold of his arm, and he gave a yell and fought it off. Then he got the surprise of hislife. The animal spoke8.
'Julian!' said a voice. 'It's me!'
Julian, his hands trembling, flashed his torch round. The light fell on a dirty dark face, with tangledhair over its eyes.
'Jo!' said Julian. 'Jo! What on earth are you doing here? You scared me stiff. I thought you were somehorrible hairy animal. I must have touched your head.'
'You did,' said Jo, squeezing in under the bush. Anne and Dick, who had both wakened up at Julian'syell, gazed at her, speechless with surprise. Jo of all people, here in the middle of the wood. How hadshe got there?
'You're surprised to see me, aren't you?' said Jo. 'I got caught by Jake. But he didn't know you werefollowing behind. He dragged me off to the cottage he lives in and locked me up. He knew I'd spentthe night at Kirrin Cottage, and he said he was going to take me to my Dad, who would give me theworst hiding I'd ever had in my life. So he would, too.'
'So that's what happened to you!' said Dick.
'Then I broke the window and got out,' said Jo. 'That Jake! I'll never do a thing he tells me again -locking me up like that. I hate that worse than anything! Well, then I came to look for you.'
'How did you find us?' said Julian, in wonder.
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'Well, first I went to the caravan9,' said Jo. 'Old Ma Smith - the one who always sits stirring a pot -she told me you'd been asking for my Dad's caravan. I guessed you'd go off to find it. So along I wentafter you - but there was the caravan all by itself, and nobody there. Not even George.'
'Where is George, do you know?' asked Anne.
'No. I don't,' said Jo. 'Dad's taken her somewhere else. I expect he put her on Blackie, becauseBlackie's gone, too.'
'What about Timmy?' asked Dick.
Jo looked away. 'I reckon they've done Timmy in,' she said. Nobody said anything. The thought thatTimmy might have come to harm was too dreadful to speak about.
'How did you find us here?' asked Julian at last.
'That was easy,' said Jo. 'I can follow anybody's trail. I'd have come quicker, but it got dark. My, youdid wander round, didn't you?'
'Yes. We did,' said Dick. 'Do you mean to say you followed all our wanderings in and out and roundabout?'
'Oh, yes,' said Jo. 'Properly tired me out, you did, with all your messing round and round. Why didyou leave the wheel-ruts?'
Julian told her. 'You're daft,' said Jo. 'If you're going somewhere off the path, just mark the trees witha nick as you go along - one here and one there - and then you can always find your way back.'
'We didn't even know we were lost till we were,' said Anne. She took Jo's hand and squeezed it.
She was so very, very glad to see her. Now they would be able to get out of this horrible wood.
Jo was surprised and touched, but she withdrew her hand at once. She didn't like being fondled,though she would not have minded Dick taking her hand. Dick was her hero, someone above allothers. He had been kind to her, and she was glad she had found him.
'We found something written on the caravan wall,' said Julian. 'We think we know where George hasbeen taken. It's a place called Red Tower. Do you know it?'
'There's no place called Red Tower,' said Jo at once. 'It's...'
'Don't be silly, Jo. You can't possibly know if there's no place called Red Tower,' said Dick,impatiently. 'There may be hundreds of places with that name. That's the place we've got to find,anyway. The police will know it.'
Jo gave a frightened movement. 'You promised you wouldn't tell the police.'
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'Yes - we promised that - but only if you took us to George,' said Dick. 'And you didn't. And anywayif you had taken us to the caravan George wouldn't have been there. So we'll jolly well have to call inthe police now and find out where Red Tower is.'
'Was it Red Tower George had written down?' asked Jo. 'Well, then - I can take you to George!'
'How can you, when you say there's no place called Red Tower?' began Julian, exasperated10. 'I don'tbelieve a word you say, Jo. You're a fraud - and I half-believe you're still working for our enemiestoo!'
'I'm not,' said Jo. 'I'm NOT! You're mean. I tell you Red Tower isn't a place. Red Tower is a man.'
There was a most surprised silence after this astonishing remark. A man! Nobody had thought of that.
Jo spoke again, pleased at the surprise she had caused. 'His name's Tower, and he's got red hair,flaming red - so he's called Red Tower. See?'
'Are you making this up, by any chance?' asked Dick, after a pause. 'You have made up things before,you know.'
'All right. You can think I made it up, then,' said Jo, sulkily. 'I'll go. Get yourselves out of this thebest you can. You're mean.'
She wriggled11 away, but Julian caught hold of her arm. 'Oh, no, you don't! You'll just stay with usnow, if I have to tie you to me all night long! You see, we find it difficult to trust you, Jo - and that'syour fault, not ours. But we'll trust you just this once. Tell us about Red Tower, and take us to wherehe lives. If you do that, we'll trust you for evermore.'
'Will Dick trust me, too?' said Jo, trying to get away from Julian's hand.
'Yes,' said Dick shortly. He felt as if he would dearly like to smack12 this unpredictable, annoying,extraordinary, yet somehow likeable ragamuffin girl. 'But I don't feel as if I like you very much atpresent. If you want us to like you as well as to trust you, you'll have to help us a lot more than youhave done.'
'All right,' said Jo, and she wriggled down again. 'I'm tired. I'll show you the way out in the morning,and then I'll take you to Red's. But you won't like Red. He's a beast.'
She would say nothing more, so once again they tried to sleep. They felt happier now that Jo waswith them and would show them the right way out of the wood. Julian hardly thought she wouldleave them in the lurch13 now. He shut his eyes and was soon dreaming.
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Jo woke first. She uncurled like an animal and stretched, forgetting where she was. She woke up theothers, and they all sat up, feeling stiff, dirty and hungry.
'I'm thirsty as well as hungry,' complained Anne. 'Where can we get something to eat and drink?'
'Better get back home for a wash and a meal, and to let Joan know where we are,' said Julian.
'Come on, Jo - show us the way.'
Jo led the way immediately. The others wondered how in the world she knew it. They were evenmore astonished when they found themselves on the wheel-rut path in about two minutes.
'Gracious! We were as near to it as that!' said Dick. 'And yet we seemed to walk for miles throughthis horrible wood.'
'You did,' said Jo. 'You went round in an enormous circle, and you were almost back where youstarted. Come on - I'll take you my way back to your house now - it's much better than any bus!'
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1
scamper
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| v.奔跑，快跑 | |
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2
doze
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| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
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3
hoot
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| n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭 | |
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4
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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5
hooted
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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7
badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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8
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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9
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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10
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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11
wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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12
smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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13
lurch
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| n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行 | |
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