The Secret Seven (6 page)

Moonlight filled the room. On a low, untidy bed lay the old caretaker, not even undressed! He looked dirty and shabby, and he was snoring as he slept. Peter turned to go – and his torch suddenly knocked against the door and fell with a crash to the floor.

He stood petrified, but the old man didn't stir. Then Peter remembered how deaf he was! Thank goodness – he hadn't even heard the noise! He shut the door quietly and the two boys stood out in the hall. Peter tried his torch to see if he had broken it. No, it was all right. Good.

«Now we'll go upstairs», he whispered. «You're not afraid, are you, Jack?»

«Not very», said Jack. «Just a bit. Come on.»

They went up the stairs that creaked and cracked in a very tiresome manner. Up to the first floor with five or six rooms to peep into – all as empty as one another. Then up to the top floor.

«We'll have to be careful now», said Jack. He spoke in such a whisper that Peter could hardly hear him. «These are the only rooms we haven't been into. The prisoner must be here somewhere.»

All the doors were ajar! Well, then, how could there be a prisoner – unless he was tied up? The two boys looked into each room, half-scared in case they saw something horrid. But there was absolutely nothing there at all. The rooms were either dark and empty, or full of moonlight and nothing else.

«It's queer, isn't it?» whispered Jack. «Honestly I don't understand it. Surely those noises did come from the house somewhere? Yet there's nothing and no one here except the old caretaker!»

They stood there, wondered what to do next – and once more that far-away, muffled squealing came on the night air, a kind of whinnying noise, followed by a series of curious thuds and crashes.

«There is a prisoner here somewhere – and he's knocking for help – and squealing too», said Peter, forgetting to whisper. «Someone downstairs. But we've looked everywhere.»

Jack was making for the stairs. «Come on – we must have missed a cupboard or something!» he called.

Down they went, not caring now about the noise they made. They came to the kitchen. The noises had stopped again. Then the thudding began once more. Jack clutched Peter.

«I know where it's coming from – under our feet! There's a cellar there. That's where the prisoner is!»

«Look for the cellar door then», said Peter. They found it at last, in a dark corner of the passage between kitchen and scullery. They turned the handle – and what a surprise – the door opened!

«It's not locked!» whispered Jack. «Why doesn't the prisoner escape then?»

Stone steps led downwards into the darkness. Peter flashed his torch down them. He called, in rather a shaky voice:

«Who's there? Who is it down there?»

There was no answer at all. The boys listened with straining ears. They could distinctly hear the sound of very heavy breathing, loud and harsh.

«We can hear you breathing!» called Jack. «Do tell us who you are. We've come to rescue you.»

Still no reply. This was dreadful. Both boys were really scared. They didn't dare to go down the steps. Their legs simply refused to move downwards. Yet it seemed very cowardly to go back into the passage again.

And then another sound came to them – the sound of low voices somewhere! Then came the sound of a key being turned in a lock – and a door being opened!

Jack clutched Peter in a panic. «It's those men I heard last night. They're back again. Quick – we must hide before they find us here.»

The two boys, strange little figures in white, stood for a moment, not knowing where to go. Then Peter stripped off his white sheet and cap. «Take yours off, too», he whispered to Jack. «We shan't be so easily seen in our dark overcoats, if we slip into the shadows somewhere.»

They threw their things into a corner and then slipped into the hall. They crouched there in a corner, hoping that the men would go straight down into the cellar.

But they didn't. «Better see if that old caretaker is asleep», said a voice, and two men came into the hall to open the caretaker's door.

And then one of them caught sight of Peter's whitewashed face, which gleamed queerly out of the middle of the dark shadows. Peter had forgotten his face was white!

«Good gracious – look there – in that corner! Whatever is it?» cried one of the men. «Look – over there, Mac.»

The men looked towards the corner where the two boys were crouching. «Faces! White faces!» said the other man. «I don't like it. Here, switch on your torch. It's just a trick of the moonlight or something.»

A powerful torch was switched on, and the two boys were discovered at once! With a few strides the man called Mac went over to them. He picked up both boys at once, gave them a rough shake and set them on their feet.

«Now then – what's the meaning of this – hiding here with your faces all painted up like that! What are you doing?»

«Let go my arm. You're hurting», said Jack, angrily. «The thing is – what are you up to?»

«What do you mean?» said the man roughly.

The thudding noise began again, and the two boys looked at the men.

«That's what I mean», said Jack. «Who's down there? Who are you keeping prisoner?»

Jack got a clout on the head that made him see stars. Then he and Peter were dragged to a nearby cupboard and locked in. The men seemed furiously angry for some reason or other. Peter put his ear to the crack and tried to hear what they were saying.

«What are we going to do now? If those kids get anyone here, we're done.»

«Right. Keep the kids here too, then. Put them down with Kerry Blue! We'll fetch him tomorrow night and clear off, and nobody will know anything. The job will be done by then.»

«What about the kids?»

«We'll leave them locked up here – and send a card to the old caretaker to tell him to look down in his cellar the day after tomorrow. He'll get a shock when he finds the kids prisoners there! Serve them right, little pests.»

Peter listened. Who was Kerry Blue? What a peculiar name! He trembled when he heard the men coming to the door. But they didn't unlock it. One of them called through the crack.

«You can stay there for a while. Teach you to come poking your noses into what's no business of yours!»

Then began various curious noises. Something seemed to be brought into the scullery. The boys heard the crackling of wood as if a fire was being lighted. Then a nasty smell came drifting through the cracks of the door.

«Oooh! They're boiling something. Whatever is it?» said Peter. «Horrible smell!»

They couldn't think what it was. They heard a lot of squealing again, and some snorting, and a thundering noise like muffled hooves thudding on stone. It was all very, very extraordinary.

The cupboard, made to take a few coats, was small and cold and airless. The two boys were very uncomfortable. They were glad when one of the men unlocked the door and told them to come out.

«Now, you let us go», began Peter, and got a rough blow on his shoulder at once.

«No cheek from you», said one of the men and hustled the boys to the cellar door. He thrust both of them through it, and they half-fell down the top steps. The door shut behind them. They could hear it being locked. Blow, blow! blow! Now they were prisoners too! A noise came from below them. Oh dear – was Kerry Blue down there, whoever he was?

«Switch your torch on», whispered Jack. «For goodness sake let's have a look at the prisoner and see what he's like!»

11 – The Prisoner

Peter switched on his torch, his hand trembling as he did so. What were they going to see?

What they saw was so surprising that both boys gave a gasp of amazement. They were looking down on a beautiful horse, whose pricked ears and rolling eyes showed that he was as scared as they were!

«A horse!» said Jack, feebly. «It's a horse!»

«Yes – that squealing was its frightened whinny – and thudding was its hooves on the stone floor when it rushed about in panic», said Peter. «Oh, Jack – poor, poor thing! How wicked to keep a horse down here like this! Why do they do it!»

«It's such a beauty. It looks like a racehorse», said Jack. «Do you suppose they've stolen it? Do you think they're hiding it here till they can change it to another colour, or something – horse thieves do do that, you know – and then sell it somewhere under a different name.»

«I don't know. You may be right», said Peter. «I'm going down to him.»

«Aren't you afraid?» said Jack. «Look at his rolling eyes!»

«No, I'm not afraid», said Peter, who was quite used to the horses on his father's farm, and had been brought up with them since he was a baby. «Poor thing – it wants talking to and calming.» Peter went down the steps, talking as he went. «So you're Kerry Blue, are you? And a beautiful name it is, too, for a beautiful horse! Don't be frightened, beauty. I'm your friend. Just let me stroke that velvety nose of yours and you'll be all right!»

The horse squealed and shied away. Peter took no notice. He went right up to the frightened creature and rubbed his hand fearlessly down its soft nose. The horse stood absolutely still. Then it suddenly nuzzled against the boy and made queer little snorting sounds.

«Jack, come on. The horse is friendly now», called Peter. «He's such a beauty. What brutes those men are to keep a horse down in a dark cellar like this. It's enough to make it go mad!»

Jack came down the steps. He stroked the horse's back and then gave an exclamation. «Ugh! He feels sticky and wet!»

Peter shone his torch on to the horse's coat. It gleamed wetly. «Jack! You were right! Those men have been dyeing him!» cried Peter. «His coat's still wet with the dye.»

«And that's the horrid smell we smelt – the dye being boiled up ready to use», said Jack. «Poor old Kerry Blue! What have they been doing to you?»

The horse had a mass of straw in one corner and a rough manger of hay in another. Oats were in a heavy pail. Water was in another pail.

«Well, if we want a bed, we'll have to use the straw», said Peter. «And have oats for a feed!»

«We shan't need to», said Jack. «I bet old Colin and George will come and look for us soon. We'll shout the place down as soon as we hear them!»

They settled down on the straw to wait. Kerry Blue decided to lie down on the straw too. The boys leaned against his warm body, wishing he didn't smell so strongly of dye.

Up in the field, where the snow was now rapidly melting, Colin and George had been waiting impatiently for a long time. They had seen Jack and Peter disappear over the gate, and had had a difficult time holding Scamper back, because he wanted to follow them. They had stood there quietly for about half an hour, wondering whenever Peter and Jack were coming back, when Scamper began to growl.

«He can hear something», said Colin. «Yes – a car – coming down the lane. I do hope it's not those men again. Jack and Peter will be caught, if so!»

The car had no trailer-van behind it this time. It stopped at the gate of the old house and two men got out. Scamper suddenly barked loud, and was at once cuffed by Colin. «Idiot!» hissed Colin. «Now you've given us away!»

One of the men came to the field gate at once. He gazed at the six snowmen. «Come and look here!» he called to the other man, who went to stand beside him. How Colin and George trembled and quaked!

«What? Oh, we saw the snowmen there last night. Don't you remember?» he said. «Some kids have been messing about again today and built a few more. Come on. That dog we heard barking must be a stray one about somewhere.»

The men left the gate and went up the drive to the house. Colin and George breathed freely again. That was a narrow escape! Thank goodness for their white faces, caps and sheets. Thank goodness Scamper was in white, too.

For a long time there was no sound at all. Colin and George got colder and colder and more and more impatient. WHAT was happening? They wished they knew. Were Jack and Peter caught?

At last, just as they thought they really must give up and go and scout round the house themselves to see what was happening, they heard sounds again. Voices! Ah, the men were back again. There was the sound of a car door being shut quietly. The engine started up. The car moved down the lane to turn in at the field gate again, go round in a circle and come out facing up the lane. It went by quickly, squelching in the soft, melting snow.

«They're gone, said Colin. «And we were awful mutts not to have stolen up to the gate and taken the car's number! Now it's too late.»

«Yes. We could have done that», said George. «What shall we do now? Wait to see if Peter and Jack come out?»

«Yes, but not for too long», said Colin. «My feet are really frozen.»

They waited for about five minutes, and still no Peter or Jack came. So, sloshing through the fast-melting snow, the two boys went to the gate. They climbed over. Soon they were in the drive of the old house, hurrying up to the front door, with Scamper at their heels.

«But, of course, they couldn't get in there, nor in the other doors either. And then, like Jack and Peter, they discovered the open window! In they went. They stood on the kitchen floor and listened. They could hear nothing at all.

They called softly. «Jack! Peter! Are you here?» Nobody answered. Not a Sound was to be heard in the house. Then Scamper gave a loud bark and ran into the passage between the scullery and the kitchen. He scraped madly at a door there. The boys followed at once, and no sooner had they got there than they heard Peter's voice.

«Who's there? That you, Colin and George? Say the password if it's you!»

«Weekdays! Where are you?» called George.

«Down here, in the cellar. We'll come up», said Peter's voice. «We're all right. Can you unlock the door – or has the key been taken?»

«No, it's here», said Colin. «Left in the door.»

He turned the key and unlocked the door. He pushed it open just as Jack and Peter came up to the top of the cellar steps!And behind them came somebody else – somebody whose feet made a thudding sound on the stone steps – Kerry Blue! He wasn't going to be left behind in the dark cellar, all alone! He was going to keep beside these nice kind boys.

Colin and George gaped in astonishment. They stared at Kerry Blue as if they had never seen a horse in their lives before. A horse – down in the cellar – locked up with Peter and Jack. How extraordinary!