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　　The extra passenger
　　Jack¹ stared in distress² at the four children being bundled into the car – Philip and Dinah at theback with three men, and Gussy and Lucy-Ann in front with the driver. What a crowd! If anyonesaw the car going along with such a number of people in, surely it would be noticed and stopped?
　　‘Yes, it would,’ thought Jack, ‘so that means they can’t be going very far – they will arrive attheir destination before daylight. Are they going to take them to some hiding place fairly nearthen? Why in the world have they got Philip and the girls as well as Gussy?’
　　Everyone was now in the car. The doors were shut as quietly as possible. The engine wasstarted up – and just at that very moment Jack had an idea!
　　He ran, crouching⁴, to the back of the car. He hadn’t had time to shut the luggage boot properlywhen he had opened it to look inside. Could he get into it before the car drove off? It was such afine big one.
　　The car began to move very slowly out of the quarry⁵, bumping over rough places. Jack flunghimself at the back of it, and clambered up on to the luggage boot. It swung right open, and Jackhalf-fell into it. Kiki was astounded⁶, and flew off his shoulder at once. Jack stared at her anxiously.
　　He dared not call her back.
　　But, as soon as she saw Jack settled in the boot, she flew down again, and found his shoulder.
　　She talked solemnly into his ear, in a very low voice, trying to tell him in parrot language that shethought these goings-on were extremely peculiar⁷, but that so long as Jack approved of them, shedid too – and she was coming with him, even in this dark, smelly car boot!
　　Jack felt comforted to have her. He puzzled over everything. Where was Bill? And Aunt Allie?
　　How was it these fellows had been able to get into Quarry Cottage so easily and capture everyone?
　　But what had they done with Bill? Was he lying knocked out in the cottage? Ought Jack to havegone to see, instead of climbing into the boot?

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