Chapter 19 JO JOINS IN
　　THE 'scientitist', as Skippy persisted in calling him, was put into an empty caravan¹ with windows anddoors shut, because he shouted so loudly. When the snake-man opened the door and slid in one of hispythons the scientist stopped shouting at once and lay extremely still.
　　The snake-man opened the door and his python glided² out again. But the man in the caravan hadlearnt his lesson. Not another sound came from him!
　　Then everyone in the camp held a conference. There was no hurry about it at all, because it had beendecided that nothing should be done before night-time.
　　'If we make a rescue in the daylight, then the police will come,' said Alfredo. 'They will interfere³.
　　They will not believe a word we say. They never do.'
　　'How shall we rescue them?' said Skippy. 'Do we go through these strange passages and up steep 81stone stairs? It does not sound nice to me.'
　　'It isn't at all nice,' Jo assured her. 'And anyway it wouldn't be sensible. The door leading to thetower-room is locked, I told you. And that man has got the key.'
　　'Ah!' said Bufflo, springing up at once. 'You didn't tell us that before! He has the key? Then I will getit from him!'
　　'I didn't think of that,' said Jo, watching Bufflo leap up the caravan steps.
　　He came out in a minute or two and joined them again. 'He has no key on him,' he said. 'He says henever had. He says we are all mad, and he will get the police.'
　　'He will find it hard to get the police just yet,' said Mrs. Alfredo, and gave a high little laugh. 'He hasthrown away the key - or given it to a friend, perhaps?'
　　'Well, it's settled we can't get in through the door that leads to the tower-room, then,' said the snake-man, who seemed to have a better grasp of things than the others. 'Right. Is there any other way intothe room?'
　　'Only by the window,' said Jo. 'That slit⁴-window there, see? Too high for any ladder, of course.
　　Anyway, we've got to get into the courtyard first. We'll have to climb over the high castle wall.'
　　'That is easy,' said the rubber-man. 'I can climb any wall. But not, perhaps, one so high as the towerwall.'
　　'Can anyone get into or out of the slit of a window?' asked Bufflo screwing up his eyes to look at thetower.
　　'Oh, yes - it's bigger than you think,' said Jo. 'It's very deep - the walls are so thick, you see -though I don't think they are so thick up there as they are down below. But Bufflo, how can anyoneget up to that window?'

分享到：