27 The adventure boils up
　　But it was not anyone – it was a peal¹ of thunder so loud that the noise had penetrated² even down tothe underground room.
　　‘I hope the girls won’t be frightened,’ said Bill, thinking of them scurrying³ down the hillside inthe darkness. ‘I wonder if it’s raining.’
　　‘They’ll be all right with Tassie, I think,’ said Jack⁴. ‘She will know places to shelter in. Shewon’t be silly enough to stand under trees or anything like that. There are a few little caves hereand there in the hillside. Maybe they’ll use those till the storm is past.’
　　Silence again. It was astonishing how so many people, all standing⁵ rather uncomfortably in suitsof armour⁶, could manage to do so without a single creak or clank!
　　One man cleared his throat, and the sound was strange in the hidden room.
　　‘Don’t do that again, Jim,’ said Bill. There was dead silence once more. Jack sighed softly. Itwas unbearably⁷ exciting to stand hidden in armour, wet with perspiration⁸, almost panting withheat, waiting for the other men to come.
　　Then suddenly, sounding quite loud, there came the noise of a door being unlocked. Then thetapestry on one wall shook – and someone lifted it up from behind!
　　Everyone stiffened¹⁰ inside the suits of armour. Eyes peered through the visors. Who wascoming?
　　A man came out from behind the tapestry⁹, and folded it back, hanging one end on a nail, so thatothers following could come into the room easily. Jack saw an opening behind, leading into thewall. From it came soft-footed men, one after the other – and with them they brought Philip!

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