"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 12 - Five Go Down to The Sea" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

СYes, I agree,Т said Julian. СWeТll go and collect him, and then come back and take the other passage. IТm sure it leads down to the sea.Т
They made their way along the left-hand passage. It was not difficult, because it was much wider than the one they had already come down. TimmyТs barking became louder and louder as they went down. George whistled piercingly, hoping that Timmy would come rushing up. But he didnТt.
СItТs funny that he doesnТt come,Т said George, worried. СI think he must be hurt. TIMMY!Т
The passage wound round a corner, and then once more divided into two. To the childrenТs surprise they saw a rough door set into the rocky wall of the passage on the left-hand side. A door! How very extraordinary!
СLook, a door!Т said Dick, amazed. СAnd a jolly stout one, too.Т
СTimmyТs behind it!Т said George. СHe must have gone through it and it shut behind him. Timmy! WeТre here! WeТre coming!Т
She pushed at the door, but it didnТt open. She saw that it was lightly latched, and lifted the old iron latch. The door opened easily and all the four went through into a curious cave beyond. It was more like a low-roofed room!
Timmy flung himself at them as soon as they came through the door. He wasnТt hurt. He was so pleased to see them that he barked the place down! СWoof! WOOOOOF!Т
СOh, Timmy, how did you get here?Т said George, hugging him. СDid the door click behind you? My word, what a queer place this is! ItТs a storeroom - look at all the boxes and crates and things!Т
They looked round the strange cave, and at that moment there was a soft click. Then something slid smoothly into place. Julian leapt to the door and tried to open it.
СItТs locked! SomebodyТs locked it, and bolted it! I heard them. Let us out, let us out, I say!Т

Chapter Fifteen

LOCKED IN THE CAVE

Dick, George and Anne looked at one another in dismay. Someone must have been lying in wait for them, someone must have captured Timmy and shut him up. And now they were captured, too!
Timmy began to bark when Julian shouted. He ran to the door. Julian was hammering on it and even kicking it.
A voice came from the other side of the door, a drawling voice, sounding rather amused.
СYou came at an awkward time, thatТs all, and you must remain where you are till tomorrow.Т
СWho are you?Т said Julian fiercely. СHow dare you lock us in like this!Т
СI believe you have food and drink with you,Т said the voice. СI noticed the packs on your backs, which I presume contain food. That is lucky for you! Now be sensible. You must pay the penalty of being inquisitive!Т
СYou let us out!Т shouted Julian, enraged at the cool voice with its impertinent tone. He kicked the door again out of temper, though he knew that it wasnТt the slightest use!
There was no reply. Whoever it was outside the cave door had gone. Julian gave the door one last furious kick and looked round at the others.
СThat fellow must have been watching us from somewhere. Probably followed us all the way to the old house, and saw the packs on our backs then. It must have been he that you heard down in the house when we were in the tower, Anne.Т
Timmy barked again. He was still at the door. George called him. СTim! ItТs no use! The doorТs locked. Oh dear, why did we let you go into that hole first? If you hadnТt run on ahead and somehow got yourself caught, youТd have been able to protect us when those men lay in wait!Т
СWell, what do we do now?Т said Anne, trying to sound brave.
СWhat can we do?Т said George. СNothing at all! Here we are, locked and bolted in a cave inside the cliff, with nobody near except the fellow who locked us in. If anybodyТs got any good ideas IТd like to hear them!Т
СYou do sound cross!Т said Anne. СI suppose there isnТt anything to do but wait till weТre let out. I only hope that man remembers weТre here. Nobody else knows where we are.Т
СHorrid thought!Т said Dick. СStill, IТve no doubt that Mrs Penruthlan would raise the alarm, and a search-party would set out to find us.Т
СWhat a hope theyТd have!Т said George. СEven if they did trace us to the old tower, they wouldnТt know the secret entrance to the passage!Т
СWell, letТs look on the cheerful side,Т said Julian, undoing the pack from his back. СLetТs have some food.Т
Everybody cheered up at once. СI feel quite hungry,Т said Anne in surprise. СIt must be past our dinnertime now. Well, anyway, eating will be something to do!Т
They had a very good meal and felt thankful that Mrs Penruthlan had packed up so much food. If they were not going to be let out till the next day they would need plenty to eat!
They examined the boxes and crates. Some were very old. All were empty. There was a big seamanТs chest there, too, with СAbram TrelawnyТ painted on it. They lifted the lid. That was empty, too, save for one old brass button.
СAbram Trelawny,Т said Dick, looking at the name. СHe must have been a sailor on one of the ships that the Wreckers enticed to the rocks. This chest must have been rolled up on the beach by the waves and brought up here. I dare say this cave was the place where the man who owned that old house took his share of the booty and hid it.Т
СYes, I think youТre right,Т said Julian. СThat is why it has a door that can be locked. The Wrecker probably stored quite a lot of valuable things here from different wrecks, and didnТt want any other Wrecker to creep up from the cave and take them. What a hateful lot they must have been! Well, there doesnТt seem anything of real interest here.Т
It was very, very boring in the cave. The children used only one torch because they were afraid that if they used the two they had brought they might exhaust both batteries, and then have to be in the dark.
Julian examined the cave from top to bottom to see if there was any possible way of escape. But there wasnТt. That was quite clear. The cave walls were made of solid rock, and there wasnТt a hole anywhere through which to escape, big or small!
СThat fellow said weТd come at an awkward time,Т said Julian, throwing himself down on the ground. СWhy? Are they expecting some smuggled goods tonight? TheyТve signalled out to sea twice already this week, as we know. HasnТt the boat they expected come along yet? If so, they must be expecting it tonight, and so weТve come at an awkward time!Т
СIf only we werenТt locked in this beastly cave!Т said George. СWe might have spied on them and seen what they were up to, and might even have been able to stop them somehow, or get word to the police.Т
СWell, we canТt now,Т said Dick gloomily. СTimmy, you were an ass to get caught; you really were.Т
Timmy put his tail down and looked as gloomy as Dick. He didnТt like being in this low-roofed cave. Why didnТt they open the door and go out? He went to the door and whined, scraping at it with his feet.
СNo good, Tim. It wonТt open,Т said Anne. СI think heТs thirsty, George.Т
There was nothing for Timmy to drink except home-made lemonade, and he didnТt seem to like that very much.
СDonТt waste it on him if he doesnТt like it,Т said Julian hastily. СWe may be jolly glad of it ourselves tomorrow.Т
Dick glanced at his watch. СOnly half past two!Т he groaned. СHours and hours to wait. LetТs have a game of some sort, noughts and crosses would be better than nothing.Т
They played noughts and crosses till they were sick of them. They played word-games and guessing games. They had a light tea at five oТclock and began to wonder what Mrs Penruthlan would think when they didnТt turn up that evening.
СIf Mr Penruthlan is mixed up in this affair, and itТs pretty certain that he is,Т said Julian, СheТll not be best pleased to be told to fetch the police to look for us! ItТs just the one night he wonТt want the police about!Т
СI think youТre wrong,Т said George. СI think heТd be delighted to have the police looking for lost children, and not poking their noses into his affairs tonight!Т