Julian found the path
quite by chance and went along it as fast as he could. He used his
torch, for he did not think he would meet anyone out on such a
lonely way at that time of night. The path was very much overgrown,
but he could follow it fairly easily, even running at times.
’If that spook-train
stops about twenty minutes in the yard again, as it did before, it
will give me just about time to reach the other end of the tunnel,’
panted Julian. Til be at Kilty’s Yard before it comes.’
It seemed a very long
way. But at last the path led downwards, and some way below him
Julian could see what might be a railway yard. Then he saw that big
sheds were built there - or what looked like big sheds in the
starlight.
He remembered what
the old porter had said. Kilty’s Yard was used for something else
now-maybe the lines had been taken up. Maybe even the tunnel had
been stopped up, too. He slipped quickly down the path and came
into what had once been the old railway yard. Big buildings loomed
up on every side. Julian thought they must be workshops of some
kind. He switched his torch on and off very quickly, but the short
flash had shown him what he was looking for -two pairs of railway
lines. They were old and rusty, but he knew they must lead to the
tunnel.
He followed them
closely, right up to the black mouth of the dark tunnel. He
couldn’t see inside at all. He switched his torch on and off
quickly. Yes - the lines led right inside the tunnel. Julian
stopped and wondered what to do.
Til sneak into the
tunnel a little way and see if it’s bricked up anywhere,’ he
thought. So in he went, walking between one pair of lines. He put
on his torch, certain that no one would see its light and challenge
him to say what he was doing out so late at night.
The tunnel stretched
before him, a great yawning hole, disappearing into deep blackness.
It was certainly not bricked up. Julian saw a little niche in the
brickwork of the tunnel and decided to crouch in it. It was one of
the niches made for workmen to stand in when trains went by in the
old days.
Julian crouched down
in the dirty old niche and waited. He glanced at the luminous face
of his watch. He had been twenty minutes getting here. Maybe the
train would be along in a few minutes. He would be very, very close
to it! Julian couldn’t help wishing that Dick was with him. It was
so eerie waiting there in the dark for a mysterious train that
apparently belonged to no one and came and went from nowhere to
nowhere!
He waited and he
waited. Once he thought he heard a rumble far away down the tunnel,
and he held his breath, feeling certain that the train was coming.
But it didn’t come. Julian waited for half an hour and still the
train had not appeared. What had happened to it?
Til wait another ten
minutes and then I’m going,’ Julian decided. Tve had about enough
of hiding in a dark, dirty tunnel waiting for a train that doesn’t
come! Maybe it has decided to stay in Olly’s Yard for the
night.’
After ten minutes he
gave it up. He left the tunnel, went into Kilty’s Yard and then up
the path to the moors. He hurried along it, eager to see if Dick
was at the other end of the tunnel. Surely he would wait there till
Julian came back!
Dick was there, tired
and impatient. When he saw a quick flash from Julian’s torch he
answered it with his own. The two boys joined company
thankfully.
’You have been ages!’
said Dick, reproachfully. ‘What happened? The spook-train went back
into the tunnel ages and ages ago. It only stayed about twenty
minutes in the yard again.’
’Went back into the
tunnel!’ exclaimed Julian. ‘Did it really? Well, it never came out
the other side! I waited for ages. I never even heard it - though I
did hear a very faint rumble once, or thought I did.’
The boys fell silent,
puzzled and mystified. What sort of a train was this that puffed
out of a tunnel at dead of night, and went back again, but didn’t
appear out of the other end?
’I suppose the
entrance to that second tunnel the porter told us about is really
bricked up?’ said Julian at last. ‘If it wasn’t, the train could go
down there, of course.’
’Yes. That’s the only
solution, if the train’s a real one and not a spook one,’ agreed
Dick. ‘Well, we can’t go exploring the tunnels now - let’s wait and
do it in the daytime. I’ve had enough tonight!’
Julian had had enough
too. In silence the two boys went back to camp. They quite forgot
the string in front of their tent, and scrambled right through it.
They got into the sleeping-bags thankfully.
The string, fastened
to George’s big toe through a hole she had cut in her sleeping-bag,
pulled hard, and George woke up with a jump. Timmy was awake,
having heard the boys come back. He licked George when she sat
up.
George had not
undressed properly. She slipped quickly out of her bag and crawled
out of her tent. Now she would catch the two boys going off
secretly and follow them!
But there was no sign
or sound of them anywhere around. She crawled silently to their
tent. Both boys had fallen asleep immediately, tired out with their
midnight trip. Julian snored a little, and Dick breathed so deeply
that George could quite well hear him as she crouched outside,
listening. She was very puzzled. Someone had pulled at her toe - so
somebody must have scrambled through that string. After listening
for a few minutes, she gave it up and went back to her tent.
In the morning,
George was furious! Julian and Dick related their night’s
adventure, and George could hardly believe that once again they had
gone without her - and that they had managed to get away without
disturbing the string! Dick saw George’s face and couldn’t help
laughing.
’Sorry, old thing. We
discovered your little trick and avoided it when we set out - but
typically, we forgot all about it coming back. We must have given
your toe a frightful tug. Did we? I suppose you did tie the other
end of the string to your toe?’
George looked as if
she could throw all the breakfast things at him. Fortunately for
everyone, Jock arrived at that moment. He didn’t wear his usual
beaming smile but seemed rather subdued.
’Hallo, Jock!’ said
Julian. ‘Just in time for a spot of breakfast. Sit down and join
us.’
’I can’t,’ said Jock.
‘I’ve only a few minutes. Listen. Isn’t it rotten - I’m to go away
and stay with my stepfather’s sister for two weeks! Two weeks!
You’ll be gone when I come back, won’t you?’
’Yes. But, Jock, why
have you got to go away?’ said
Dick, surprised. ‘Has
there been a row or something?’
’I don’t know,’ said
Jock. ‘Mum won’t say, but she looks pretty miserable. My
stepfather’s in a frightful temper. It’s my opinion they want me
out of the way for some reason. I don’t know this sister of my
stepfather’s very well - only met her once - but she’s pretty
awful.’
’Well, come over here
and stay with us, if they want to get rid of you,’ said Julian,
sorry for Jock. Jock’s face brightened.
’I say, that’s a fine
idea!’ he said.
’Smashing,’ agreed
Dick. ‘Well, I don’t see what’s to stop you. If they want to get
rid of you, it can’t matter where you go for a fortnight. We’d love
to have you.’
’Right. I’ll come,’
said Jock. ‘I’ll not say a word about it, though, to my stepfather.
I’ll let Mum into the secret. She was going to take me away today,
but I’ll just tell her I’m coming to you instead. I don’t think
she’ll split on me, and I hope she’ll square things with my
step-aunt.’ jock’s face beamed again now. The others beamed back,
even George, and Timmy wagged his tail. It would be nice to have
Jock - and what a lot they had to tell him.
He went off to break
the news to his mother, while the others washed up and cleared
things away. George became sulky again when Jock was gone. She
simply could not or would not realise that Julian meant what he
said!
When they began to
discuss everything that had happened the night before, George
refused to listen. ‘I’m not going to bother about your stupid
spook-trains any more,’ she said. ‘You wouldn’t let me join you
when I wanted to, and now I shan’t take any interest in the
matter.’
And she walked off
with Timmy, not saying where she was going.
’Well, let her go,’
said Julian, exasperated and cross. ‘What does she expect me to do?
Climb down and say we’ll let her come the next night we go?’
’We said we’d go in
the daytime,’ said Dick. ‘She could come then, because if Anne
doesn’t want to come it won’t matter leaving her here alone in the
daytime.’
’You’re right,’ said
Julian. ‘Let’s call her back and tell her.’ But by that time George
was out of hearing.
’She’s taken
sandwiches,’ said Anne. ‘She means to be gone all day. Isn’t she an
idiot?’
Jock came back after
a time, with two rugs and an extra jersey and more food. ‘I had
hard work to persuade Mum,’ he said. ‘But she said yes at last.
Though mind you, I’d have come anyhow! I’m not going to be shoved
about by my stepfather just out of spite. I say - isn’t this great!
I never thought I’d be camping out with you. If there isn’t room in
your tent for me, Julian, I can sleep out on the heather.’
’There’ll be room,’
said Julian. ‘Hallo, Mr Luffy! You’ve been out early!’
Mr Luffy came up and
glanced at Jock. ‘Ah, is this your friend from the farm? How do you
do? Come to spend a few days with us? I see you have an armful of
rugs!’
’Yes. Jock’s coming
to camp a bit with us,’ said Julian. ‘Look at all the food he’s
brought. Enough to stand a siege!’
’It is indeed,’ said
Mr Luffy. ‘Well, I’m going to go through some of my specimens this
morning. What are you going to do?’
’Oh, mess about till
lunchtime,’ said Julian. ‘Then we might go for a walk.’
Mr Luffy went back to
his tent and they could hear him whistling softly as he set to
work. Suddenly Jock sat up straight and looked alarmed.
’What’s the matter?’
asked Dick. Then he heard what Jock had heard. A shrill whistle
blown loudly by somebody some way off.
That’s my
stepfather’s whistle,’ said Jock. ‘He’s whistling for me. Mum must
have told him, or else he’s found out I’ve come over here.’
’Quick - let’s scoot
away and hide,’ said Anne. ‘If you’re not here he can’t take you
back! Come on! Maybe he’ll get tired of looking for you, and
go.’
Nobody could think of
a better idea, and certainly nobody wanted to face a furious Mr
Andrews. All four shot down the slope and made their way to where
the heather was high and thick. They burrowed into it and lay
still, hidden by some high bracken.
Mr Andrews’s voice
could soon be heard, shouting for Jock, but no Jock appeared. Mr
Andrews came out by Mr Luffy’s tent. Mr Luffy, surprised at the
shouting, put his head out of his tent to see what it was all
about. He didn’t like the look of Mr Andrews at all.
’Where’s Jock?’ Mr
Andrews demanded, scowling at him.
’I really do not
know,’ said Mr Luffy.
’He’s got to come
back,’ said Mr Andrews, roughly. ‘I won’t have him hanging about
here with those kids.’
’What’s wrong with
them?’ inquired Mr Luffy. ‘I must say I find them very well-behaved
and pleasant-mannered. ‘
Mr Andrews stared at
Mr Luffy, and put him down as a silly, harmless old fellow who
would probably help him to get Jock back if he went about it the
right way.
’Now look here,’ said
Mr Andrews. ‘I don’t know who you are, but you must be a friend of
the children’s. And if so, then I’d better warn you they’re running
into danger. See?’
’Really? In what
way?’ asked Mr Luffy, mildly and disbelievingly.
’Well, there’s bad
and dangerous places about these moorlands,’ said Mr Andrews. ‘Very
bad. I know them. And those children have been messing about in
them. See? And if Jock comes here, he’ll start messing about too,
and I don’t want him to get into any danger. It would break his
mother’s heart.’
’Quite, ‘said Mr
Luffy.
’Well, will you talk
to him and send him back?’ said Mr Andrews. ‘That railway yard now
- that’s a most dangerous place. And folks do say that there’re
spook-trains there. I wouldn’t want Jock to be mixed up in anything
of that sort.’
’Quite,’ said Mr
Luffy again, looking closely at Mr Andrews. ‘You seem very
concerned about this - er -railway yard.’
’Me? Oh, no,’ said Mr
Andrews. ‘Never been near the horrible place. I wouldn’t want to
see spook-trains - make me run a mile! It’s just that I don’t want
Jock to get into danger. I’d be most obliged if you’d talk to him
and send him home, when they all come back from wherever they
are.’
’Quite,’ said Mr
Luffy again, most irritatingly. Mr Andrews gazed at Mr Luffy’s
bland face and suddenly wished he could smack it. ‘Quite, quite,
quite!’ Gr-r-r-r-r-r-r!
He turned and went
away. When he had gone for some time, and was a small speck in the
distance, Mr Luffy called loudly.
’He’s gone! Please
send Jock here so that I can - er -address a few words to
him.’
Four children
appeared from their heathery hiding-place. Jock went over to Mr
Luffy, looking mutinous.
’I just wanted to
say,’ said Mr Luffy, ‘that I quite understand why you want to be
away from your stepfather, and that I consider it’s no business of
mine where you go in order to get away from him!’
Jock grinned. ‘Oh,
thanks awfully,’ he said. ‘I thought you were going to send me
back!’ He rushed over to the others. ‘It’s all right,’ he said.
‘I’m going to stay, and, I say - what about going and exploring
down that tunnel after lunch? We might find that spook-train
then!’
’Good idea!’ said
Julian. ‘We will! Poor old George -she’ll miss that little
adventure too!’