They Found a Cave (15 page)

With everything settled they moved towards the cave, though Mad Dad left her at the entrance, saying he needed no more sleep that night, but would begin his search at once for Nigel and Tas.

Cherry climbed through, making a face at the staring goats as she passed, and crept tip-toe to her bed. She nearly giggled aloud when she found Brick, oblivious of all that had happened, still snoring gently, and Fluffles asleep on the hearth. Just as though nothing of any importance had happened since she ventured out.

The fire was lit, porridge made, and the sun already licking at the mouth of Capra Cave when Cherry awoke.

‘Here,' said Brick, handing her a full bowl, ‘I suppose you expect breakfast in bed. A girl would!'

Just to show him a girl wouldn't, she sprang out and ate the porridge, sitting on Nigel's wall, with her legs dangling pleasantly, so that the sun warmed them through her pyjamas.

‘Thanks, Brick. You beat me to it this morning all right. I didn't mean to sleep late, but somehow…'

‘I know—bit worried and all that.' Brick actually sent one of his rare smiles her way, and it was full of sympathy. ‘Did you sit up late?'

‘Er…yes,' she answered, and then to change the subject, ‘Do you realize how close we are to Christmas Day?'

‘Oh lor'!' grunted Brick. ‘What do you want us to do? Hang festoons of holly round Nippy's pictures on the wall, or what?'

‘Yes, and provide a lucky threepenny-bit to stir in the Christmas pudding, which I shall be making with at least a dozen eggs. Oh, Nippy, do take Fluffles somewhere else for his breakfast, will you? I can hear Joe Whitty coming.' All the time she chatted Cherry was pondering whether to tell Brick about last night or not. Somehow it didn't seem quite the time until Nippy was out of the cave.

‘D'you know what, Cherry? I put Fluffles' tin of milk over there, and what do you think happened? A big goanna came and lapped up all the milk. There was Fluffles swearing like mad while its great purple tongue darted in and out. Pig!'

‘It won't hurt you!'

‘I know that. Mad Dad told me all about iguanas. He does look like a dragon though, doesn't he? I mean, suppose he spat fire from his forked tongue instead of milk?'

‘Aren't you going out to watch for them?' she suggested. ‘You could feed Fluffles again as you go in the other cave.'

Joe Whitty alighted on the wall, screamed at the cat, and proceeded to enjoy himself. ‘Joe Whitty! Here's Joe Whitty!' he announced, his impertinent head cocked on one side as he watched Nippy lead his cat away.

Cherry turned to Brick, but before she could speak he asked her if she was ready to milk. ‘I've fed Lily and Angela,' he said. ‘If you milk now I'll clear up here. But first I want to get Nippy to climb the High Crag. He ought to see right down the valley from there. He's got eyes like a hawk.'

 

The sound of milk thrumming in the bucket and the gentle champing of Lily eating was abruptly silenced by a yell from Nippy. Cherry could see him beyond the tarn. He had climbed High Crag and was waving so frantically that it seemed he must overbalance any minute. Swinging the bucket to a handy ledge she dashed out of the goats' cave, calling to Brick.

‘But look!' Brick panted as he came running. ‘He's not the right side for seeing down the valley. He's looking in the wrong direction.'

Nippy had his back to them and was staring into what they knew was thick bush, going on endlessly to regions unexplored.

‘Can you see him?' Cherry cried as soon as she stood below him.

‘No!'

‘Can't you see anybody?'

‘No, I can't!'

‘You idiot! Then what did you yell for?' they demanded, furious in their disappointment.

‘'Cos I can't see Nig,
but I can see his signals.
'

‘What do you mean—Nig's signals?'

‘Yes. You remember how we used to signal about Ma with the tea towels on the line? Well, that's what Nig is doing over there. Only I can't remember—which was it meant Ma was in a temper? You know, the “Danger” one? Was it four?'

‘Yes, and three was “everything lovely—come down for tea”. Quick, Nippy! Which is it? Three or four? Quick—tell us!'

‘Not sure. It's three now, but in a minute it may change, see?'

‘Oh, you're hopeless,' fumed Brick, dancing round impatiently. ‘Why don't you tell us? Look, there can't be tea towels waving out in the bush, Cherry.'

‘No-o, but—do you mean handkerchiefs, Nippy? Only Nig wouldn't have one, I expect, or anyway, not more than one.'

‘I can't answer silly questions and
look
, too. I must watch my signals. Come up both of you and see for yourselves,' yelled Nippy, turning his back on them again.

It was not long before they had scrambled up beside him and he was pointing out what could not be a bush fire, for it was three steady points of smoke rising from the flank of a great hill, from which they were separated by a steep cleft ending in a gully.

‘Still three,' Nippy exulted. ‘He must be all right. But why doesn't he come home? I think he must want us to go to him.'

‘Then he's hurt. Of course—that's it! You know, in stories it's always a broken ankle—'

‘Oh, shut up! Why should he? All these months we've none of us done anything as silly as that, have we? Why should Nig go and sprain his dashed ankle, then?' demanded Brick indignantly. ‘Let's all shout together to tell him we've seen his signal.'

They shouted ‘coo—ee!' several times, and listened intently for an answer. There seemed to be a reply from the direction of the smoke, but they could not be certain.

‘I can't understand it,' said Brick. ‘If it is Old Nig over there he couldn't get to the cave by a worse way.'

‘Tas reckoned he'd get bushed, didn't he?'

‘Looks as though Tas was right.'

‘What are we to do? He doesn't seem to be coming, so perhaps Nippy's right and we'd better go across.'

‘Yes, Cherry, I think we'll have to. Could you fix up some dinner in a bag? And bring some matches, too. While you're gone Nippy and I will get three fires ready to answer his signals. If we make them on bare rock it will be safe, and we'll get smoke if we use green leaves.'

 

Before their fires had died down there was a small answering puff of smoke from the hill opposite, so they set out well content. Down the steep slope they threw themselves joyfully, down, down, till the sunlight penetrated no more, and the scrub grew rank and dense. Great trunks of fallen trees blocked their path, too enormous and slippery to clamber over, and as they pushed their way round, a dank smell rose from the ferns and mosses which now covered the wet ground.

In Indian file they pushed on, with Nippy's shorter legs in the middle. With the tangle of growth and huge trees overhead it was impossible to keep to a direction. Their only guide was to get to the lowest point, cross over, and climb up the far side.

‘Look out for snakes,' whispered Cherry. She felt she had to whisper down there. They none of them spoke loudly, feeling vaguely that it would be rude to disturb the ageless quiet of the gully. Even their footfalls were muffled by moss, and the only sound, except the rustle of a bird, was a low gurgle that water sometimes made under the ferns.

A rotting tree-trunk, spanned between two rocks, helped them to cross, and soon after another broad tree-trunk made a convenient path upwards above the undergrowth. In a few places they had to go on hands and knees, but after this it was easier, and soon they could see blue sky in patches overhead. At last they emerged into open bush, where the trees were sparse and the undergrowth thin.

‘What about a rest?' panted Nippy, sinking on to a rock.

Almost at once they heard a laugh overhead, and directly above them—some way up, hanging out with the aid of a tree branch—was
Tas.

‘Tas!' they shrieked.

‘Hullo! Here you are at last,' he grinned.

‘Tas! But we thought those signals were from Nig.'

‘So they were. He's up here, too. Didn't you hear us shout?'

‘We weren't sure if it was just some hawks shrieking.'

‘Oh, thanks! I'll tell Nig you reckon the screaming of hawks is like his voice calling.'

‘Don't be a chump. Is he all right? Are either of you hurt?' Cherry demanded.

‘'Course not. We're right as two crows.'

‘Then if you're neither of you hurt,' Brick bellowed indignantly, ‘why didn't you come home?'

‘Yes,' Cherry cried in support, ‘'stead of…' Her voice failed in a gulp of fury as she pictured them both exploring round, while in Capra Cave they had worried themselves into a ferment.

Even Nippy added an indignant squeak, ‘'Stead of making us come all this hot way.'

‘Don't explode, you three,' advised Tas kindly. ‘It's all right, but I can't yell everything to you from here. Come up and you shall hear all about it.'

‘Why do we have to climb any more? Why can't you two come to us?' cried Nippy.

‘Listen, Nipper! There's a surprise for all of you up here. Nig's messing about with it now, as a matter of fact. That's why we wanted you to come over to us, see?'

‘A surprise? Oh, that's different.' Gone were weariness and aching legs. ‘What is it, Tas?'

‘I'm not telling,' said Tas. ‘Come and see,' he repeated, and disappeared from their view.

After some more hard scrambling, Cherry, Brick, and Nippy came out on a fairly level stretch of rock, which faced their own High Crag on the other side of the gully. It fell away from a low cliff pitted with holes, and held a growth of stunted saplings. Among the scrub a fire burned, and Tas was bending over it to grill a small piece of steak.

‘Oh-oo! Is dinner ready?' Nippy cried excitedly, sniffing like a terrier.

‘No—it isn't. And Nig wants to show you wot he's found, first.'

‘Where
is
Nig?' Brick also came and gazed hungrily at the raw meat. ‘What is it he's found, Tas? Cherry reckons it's gold.'

‘Aw! You and your gold!' scoffed Tas. ‘Reckon Pommies always expect to pick up a lump like a football somewhere in Tassie. Up here, too! There might be a few specks in the creek. Mad Dad told me once there was enough to make a girl's wedding ring, but not enough to pay for the washing. 'Course it
might
be worth something, wot Nig's found. I dunno… Here, you git away, Nippy. I can manage to cook this by meself, thanks.'

‘Yes, and I bet you'll have a few tastes, too.'

‘Hullo, all of you. Don't quarrel!' cried Nigel, emerging with a beaming smile from one of the larger holes at the back. ‘Got something to show you.'

All their questions were brushed aside as Nigel took them to his hole, and showed them how to squeeze, one at a time, into a small shallow cave. Cherry, blinking in the dim light, was first inside, and in spite of what Tas had said she fixed her eyes on the rock round her hoping to see it suddenly glint and sparkle with a flash of gold.

‘Mind your heads!' Nigel warned, as the next one clambered in on hands and knees.

By the time they were all packed in, the light from the entrance, which was all there was, had been almost entirely excluded.

‘Bother!' said Nigel. ‘You've shut out all the light.' He fumbled about in his pockets. ‘Don't move forward, anyone. I'll light a match in a minute. Or better still, call to Tas, will you, Brick? Ask him to bring a twist of bark along for a torch.'

While Tas was coming they sat on the damp floor in eerie silence, listening to each other's breathing. There was no other sound except a faint drip-drip-drip of water seeping somewhere in the wall.

At last Tas came, and a wavering beam of light danced up a wall throwing gigantic shadows. It revealed the roof only, which was slightly domed in one place where a couple of bats were clinging. Nippy relieved the general tension with a giggle. ‘Bats!' he muttered. ‘All this—to see a couple of bats!'

‘Thanks, Tas,' said Nigel, taking no notice of Nippy. ‘Can you throw the light down a bit? I mean on the floor.'

‘That do?'

‘That's better. Hullo! What's the matter, Cherry?'

For at the sight of what lay on the floor Cherry had been unable to stifle a cry. She had been looking for nuggets of gold and was all unprepared for the sight which met her gaze, the sight of a skeleton with a grinning skull stretched just at her feet.

Brick and Nippy did nothing but stare. The torch flared up for a moment, showing the clear outlines of everything—the great teeth and the arm bones out-stretched—and then it abruptly went out.

‘Well,' said Nigel's voice in the darkness, ‘what do you think of him? Would you like the light again?'

‘No, thanks, Nig,' said Nippy. ‘I'd—I'd rather have dinner. I didn't think it was just some old bones.'

‘“Old bones”! What do you mean? This is a real discovery. One of the rarest things in the world. Tell them, Tas!'

‘See, what Nig's found is the bones of a Blackfellow. A dinkum Tasmanian abo, Nippy.' He blew on the bark and flashed another light in. ‘Take a look at him! He's all complete with not a bone out of place. Those are his tools or weapons beside him. S'pose something must have happened to him so his tribe didn't know he died in here. 'Member Mad Dad told us they burned their dead, so it's dashed rare to find a skeleton now.'

‘Yes,' said Cherry, ‘I remember what Mad Dad told us. It's very—it's awfully interesting, Nig, and all that. But think what we could have done if it had been a lump of gold instead.'

‘Huh!' grunted Brick. ‘I think this is much better. I like your old skeleton, Nig.'