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 Jack¹. ‘We’ll have to keep a sharp lookout² 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 moss³. It was so very very soft, and springytoo.
　　Jack slung⁴ his field glasses round him. They might be useful in trying to spot any men from faroff. He and Philip slid through the green fronds⁵ of fern. Jack called back to the girls, raising hisvoice high.
　　‘If you should happen to spot anyone near here, remember to untie⁶ 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 dismal⁷ squawk.
　　‘What a pity, what a pity!’ she said gloomily, and raised up her crest⁸ 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.’

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