"Blyton, Enid - Adv 02 - The Adventurous Four Again" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

"What you doing here?"
Tom couldn't move. His feet seemed to be growing into the ground. He watched the stumpy, short-necked man heave himself out of the hole and come towards him. He was frightened, and backed away, suddenly finding himself able to move.
He backed straight into the box on which the lamp was set. The box went over and the lamp with it. It smashed at once, flared up, and then went out. The cave was instantly in black darkness.
The bearded man began to mutter something and to feel about as if he were looking for another lamp or a candle. Tom knew that this was his only chance of escape. He ran softly behind the pile of boxes to the hole in the wall that looked out on to the underground river.
He was through the hole in a trice. He had hoped there would be a ledge there, or a rock of some kind he could hold to, whilst he flashed his torch round to see what kind of a way of escape he had chosen. But there was no rock and no ledgeЧonly the cold, rushing river!
Tom landed in the water with a splash. He caught his breath with the coldness of it. Then he began to strike out with all his might, fearing that the bearded man might come after him.
The current of the swiftly-flowing river bore him away rapidly. Tom let himself be taken along, keeping himself afloat quite easily, but shivering with the cold. He thought of his torch gloomily. It was in his pocket, but not wrapped up in the oilskin. It would be of no use at all now. H this underground river landed him somewhere inside the cliff again, he would be in complete darkness.
"Lost for ever!" said Tom dolefully. "Oh why did I disobey Andy? I'll never get out of this mess, never! Golly, how cold the water is!"
The river bore him along, gurgling in a deep voice as it went. It apparently ran in a deep channel of rock. Tom could not see if they were passing through caves or not, nor could he see if there were any banks of rock or sand to the river. He just had to go on with it, trying to keep his balance and not be rolled over and over like a log of wood. Once his foot struck against a jutting rock, and it was badly bruised. But there was no one to hear his cry. He bit his lip with the pain, and after that was very much afraid of being bumped against a rock again.
He grew very tired and cold. And then, just as he felt he really could not go on one moment longer, he saw a bright light in front of him, a big wide, dazzling patch of light that filled him with joy.
"Sunshine!" said Tom. "That's sunshine! I must be getting near the place where the river rushes out of the cliff. I've escaped!"
YesЧit was sunshine! Hurrah! Tom suddenly felt so weak with relief that he couldn't seem to keep his balance any more, and the current took him and rolled him over and over. He gasped and spluttered, striking out as best he could to hold his face and shoulders out of the swift-running water.
He was taken to where sea and river met. A big wave ran up and caught him as the river took him there. Luckily for him he was thrown sideways on to a rock, and managed to pull himself up out of reach of the water.
He couldn't move. He lay there on his back, gasping for breath, shivering and trembling, whilst just below him river and sea fought their eternal battle, as one met the other, sending up spray and foam that fell pattering down on poor tired-out Tom.


CHAPTER 9.
Wherever is Tom?

MEANWHILE, what were Andy, Jill and Mary doing? They had been having quite a good time, though not so exciting a time as poor Tom.
They climbed steadily down the cliff, to the great alarm of all the sea-birds whose nests they passed. Once more dozens of eggs fell into the sea, knocked in by the excited up rush of the sitting birds. Jill almost made up her mind she would never climb the cliff again! She really couldn't bear to see so many eggs wasted.
They came at last to the foot of the cliff. There were some glorious rock-pools there, full of the finest sea anemones that the children had ever seen.
"LookЧhere's a red anemone whose feelers are as big as a peony's petals!" said Jill. "I should think he feeds on prawns and crabsЧnothing so small as a shrimp would do for Aim!"
The three explored the pools thoroughly, and disturbed some enormous crabs. "Look out!" said Andy, "a nip from a big fellow like that won't be very pleasant!"
It was warm down there at the foot of the cliff. The wind was not strong there as it was up on the cliff, and the sun felt hot. Mary glanced up at the steep, towering cliff above.
"I bet Tom's beginning to feel hungry again!" she said. "I'm hungry myselfЧbut I suppose we'd better wait till Tom comes down. He'll come as soon as he feels hungry!"
"It shouldn't take him very long to take a few snapshots," said Andy. "I'm surprised he isn't here by now. Maybe he's watching the birds. They're as good as a show sometimes!"
"Let's go and sit near that river," said Mary. "We'll take some food there, and wait for Tom. It would be rather a nice place to have a picnic. Look how the spray flies in the air where river and sea meet on the rocks."
"Yes. Let's go and get some food and eat it there," said Jill. "I really do feel very hungry. We can give Tom a call when we see him come down the cliff."
They went to where they had anchored the boat in the deep pool. In the cabin were the plentiful stores of food they had brought with them. They rummaged about, finding it hard to choose what to take.
"Sardines, bread and butter, potted meat, hard-boiled eggsЧand tinned plums," said Jill.
"NoЧtinned pears," said Mary. "Those are nicest of all. Here's a big tin. And where's the ginger-beer? Mother gave us plenty this time. Oh, here it is."
They took everything to a high rock overlooking the spot where river and sea met. Spray was sometimes flung as high as their rock, but they didn't mind thatЧit was all part of the fun to dodge it when it came!
They set out the meal, and then looked up at the side of the cliff to see if there was any sign of Tom coming down. But there wasn't.
"What can he be doing?" said Jill impatiently. "He's been ages!"
"WellЧwe'll wait five minutes more, and then begin without him," said Mary. "And if there's nothing left he'll jolly well have to go and get something else himself! "
They waited for five minutes, but still there was no Tom. Andy looked a little worried, but he said nothing. They opened the sardines, spread butter on their bread, and began a delicious meal. By the end of it there was not much leftЧand still no Tom!
"AndyЧyou don't think Tom's in any difficulty up there, do you?" said Jill suddenly. "It's so unlike him not to turn up long before a meal-time."
"WellЧI've been wondering about that myself," said Andy. "I think I'd better go up the cliff again and fetch him down. He may have gone to sleep."
"What a nuisance he is!" said Mary. "Poor AndyЧhaving all that climb again!"
"Oh, I don't mind," said Andy. "Now you girls stay here till we come. It's nice and sunny, and you're not much bothered with the wind. I'll be as quick as I can."
Off he went. Soon the girls could see him, small and far off, up the cliff-side, climbing steadily, the sea-birds flying wildly round his head.
"I bet he gives Tom a scolding!" said Jill, lying down on her back, enjoying the feel of the sun-warmed rock behind her. "Won't Tom be famished when he comes back!"
Andy climbed steadily, and at last came to the resting-place where they had had their dinner. There was no one there, of courseЧbut what was this at the back? Tom's camera again! So he was not photographing the birds after all! Well, what was he doing thenЧand where was he? Andy began to feel frightened.
He left the camera where it was, and went on round the cliff, on the narrow ledge that led to the waterfall. It was now no longer a trickle, but was pouring out in a great cataract!
Andy went right up to it. An awful thought came to him. Could Tom have been foolish enough to try and get into the cliff through the waterfall hole? Surely, surely not!
"I forbade him to, anyway," said Andy, but he couldn't help feeling that Tom would have disobeyed him easily if he had wanted to badly enough. Had he gone inside? And had the water suddenly grown in volume, and closed his way out again?
Andy stood looking at the waterfall, knowing there was nothing to do for Tom, if he really had gone inside. Either the boy would have to wait till the waterfall lessened in volume againЧor find some other way out. And what way was there? None, so far as Andy could see!
The boy sat there for some time. Then, thinking that he must not leave the girls alone any longer, he got up to go. But he did not feel at all happy.
As he moved away from the waterfall its noise grew less. The boy turned round and saw that once again it had lessened, until now it was no more than a gushing spring. What a queer thing it was! He turned to go on again, and then stopped, his eyes almost falling out of his head!