It was wonderful to wake up the next morning and remember everything. Jack sat up and gave a yell to wake the others. It was not long before everyone was dressed and down to breakfast. They were to go to the airport to meet Ranni and Pilescu, the big Baronians, at ten o’clock. All the things they were taking with them went into one small bag.
“Mummy, I’m sorry I won’t see much of you these hols.” said Peggy.
“Well, Daddy and I may fly over to Baronia to fetch you back,” said her mother. “We could come a week or two before it’s time for you to return to school, so we should see quite a bit of you!”
“Oh — that would be lovely!” said Nora and Peggy together, and the boys beamed in delight. “Will you come in the White Swallow?”
The White Swallow was the name given to Captain Arnold’s famous aeroplane. In it he and Mrs. Arnold had flown many thousands of miles, for they were both excellent pilots. They had had many adventures, and this was partly why they liked their children to go off on their own and have their own adventures too.
“It doesn’t do to coddle children too much and shelter them,” said Captain Arnold many a time to his wife. “We don’t want children like that — we want boys and girls of spirit and courage, who can stand on their feet and are not afraid of what may happen to them. We want them to grow up adventurous and strong, of some real use in the world! So we must not say no when a chance comes along to help them to be plucky and independent!”
“If we can grow up like you and Mummy, we shall be all right!” said Peggy. “You tried to fly all the way to Australia by yourselves in that tiny plane — and you’ve set up ever so many flying records. We ought to be adventurous children!”
“I think you are,” said her mother, with a laugh. “You’ve certainly had some marvellous adventures already — more than most children have all their lives long!”
When the car drew up at the door to take the children to the airport, they all clattered down the steps at once. “It’s a good thing it’s a big car!” said Mike. “Seven of us is quite a crowd!”
Everyone got in. The car set off at a good speed, and soon came to the big airport. It swept in through the gates. Mike, who was looking out of the window, gave a loud shout.
“There’s your aeroplane, Paul! I can see it. It’s the smartest one on the air-field.”
“And the loveliest,” said Nora, looking in delight at the beautiful plane towards which they were racing. It was bright blue with silver edges, and it shone brilliantly in the sun. The car stopped a little way from it. Everyone got out. Paul gave a yell.
“There’s Pilescu! And Ranni! Look, over there, behind the plane!”
The two big Baronians had heard the engine of the car and they had come to see if it was the children arriving. Pilescu gave a deep-throated shout.
“Paul! My little lord!”
Paul raced over the grass to Pilescu. The big red-bearded man bowed low and then lifted the boy up in his strong arms.
“Pilescu! How are you? It’s grand to see you again,” said Paul, in the Baronian language that always sounded so strange to the other children.
Pilescu was devoted to the little prince. He had held him in his arms when he was only a few minutes old, and had vowed to be his man as long as he lived. His arms pressed so tightly round the small boy that Paul gasped for breath.
“Pilescu! I can’t breathe! Let me down,” he squealed. Pilescue grinned and set him down. Paul turned to Ranni, who bowed low and then gave him a hug like a bear, almost as tight as Pilescu’s.
“Ranni! Have you got any of the chocolate I like so much?” asked Paul. Ranni put his hand into his pocket and brought out a big packet of thick chocolate, wrapped in colourful paper. It had a Baronian name on it. Paul liked it better than any other chocolate, and had often shared it with Mike and Jack, when a parcel had arrived for him from Baronia.
Ranni and Pilescu welcomed the other children, beaming in delight to see them all, and Captain and Mrs. Arnold too. They had all shared a strange adventure in Africa, hidden in a Secret Mountain, and it was pleasant to be together again.
“Look after all these rascals, Pilescu,” said Mrs. Arnold, as she said goodbye to the excited children. “You know what monkeys they can be!”
“Madam, they are safe with me and with Ranni,” said Pilescu, his red beard flaming in the sun. He bowed from his waist, and took Mrs. Arnold’s small hand into his big one. He kissed it with much dignity. Mike felt perfectly certain he would never be able to kiss anyone’s hand like that.
“Is the plane ready?” asked Captain Arnold, climbing into the cockpit to have a look round. “My word, she is a marvellous machine! I’ll say this for Baronia — you have some mighty fine designers of aircraft! You beat us hollow, and we are pretty good at it, too.”
All the children were now munching chocolate, talking to Ranni. The big bear-like man was happy to see them all again. Nora and Peggy hung on to him, remembering the thrilling, dangerous days when they had all been inside the Secret Mountain in Africa.
A mechanic came up and did a few last things to the engine of the great aeroplane. In a minute or two the engines started up and a loud throbbing filled the air.
“Doesn’t it sound lovely?” said Mike. “We’re really going!”
“Get in, children,” said Pilescu. “Say your goodbyes — then we must go.”
The children hugged their parents, and Paul bowed, and kissed Mrs. Arnold’s hand. She laughed and gave him a squeeze. “Goodbye, little Paul. Mind you don’t lead my four into trouble! Jack, look after everyone. Mike, take care of your sisters. Nora and Peggy, see that the boys don’t get up to mischief!”
“Goodbye, Mummy! Goodbye, Daddy! Write to us. Come and fetch us when the hols are nearly over!”
“Goodbye, Captain Arnold! Goodbye, Mrs. Arnold!”
The roar of the aeroplane drowned everything. Pilescu was at the controls. Ranni was beside him. The children were sitting behind in comfortable armchairs. The engine roared more loudly.
“R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r! R-r-r-r-r-r-r —!” The big machine taxied slowly over the runway — faster — faster — and then, light as a bird, it left the ground, skimmed over the hedges and the trees, and was up in the sky in two minutes.
“Off to Baronia!” said Mike, thrilled.
“Adventuring again,” said Jack. “Isn’t this fun?”
“The runway looks about one inch long!” said Nora, peering out of the window.
“In half an hour we shall be over the sea,” said Paul. “Let’s look out for it.”
It was grand to be in the big aeroplane once more. All the children were used to flying, and loved the feeling of being high up in the sky. Sometimes clouds rolled below them, looking like vast snow-fields. The sun shone down on the whiteness, and the clouds below the plane became almost too dazzling to look at.
Suddenly there was a break in the clouds, and Mike gave a yell.
“The sea! Look — through the clouds. Hi, Ranni, Ranni, isn’t that the sea already?”
Ranni turned and nodded. “We are going very fast,” he shouted. “We want to be in Baronia by lunch time.”
“I’m so happy,” said Nora, her eyes shining. “I’ve always wanted to go to Baronia, Paul. And now we’re really going.”
“I am happy too,” said Paul. “I like your country, and I like you, too. But I like Baronia better. Maybe you also will like Baronia better.”
“Rubbish!” said Mike. “As if any country could be nicer than our own!”
“You will see,” said the little prince. “Have some more chocolate?”
The children helped themselves from Paul’s packet. “Well, I certainly think your chocolate is better than ours,” said Mike, munching contentedly. “Look, there’s the sea again. Doesn’t it look smooth and flat?”
It was fun watching for the sea to appear and reappear between the gaps in the clouds.. Then the plane flew over land again. The clouds cleared away, and the children could see the country below, spread out like an enormous, coloured map.
They flew over great towns, wreathed in misty smoke. They flew over stretches of green countryside, where farms and houses looked like toys. They watched the rivers, curling along like blue and silver snakes. They flew over tall mountains, and on some of them was snow.
“Funny to see that in the middle of summer,” said Mike. “How’s the time getting on? I say — twelve o’clock already! We shall be there in another hour or so.”
The plane roared along steadily. Ranni took Pilescu’s place after two hours had gone by. He sat and talked to the children for a while, gazing devotedly at the little prince. Mike thought he was like a big dog, worshipping his master! He thought Paul was very lucky to have such friends as Ranni and Pilescu.
“Soon we shall see the palace,” he said, looking down. “Now we are over the borders of Baronia, Paul! Look, there is the river Jollu! And there is the town of Kikibora.”
Paul began to look excited. It was three months since he had been home, and he was longing to see his father and mother, and his little brothers and sisters.
Mike and Jack fell silent. They wondered if Paul’s mother would be at the airfield to greet them. Would they have to kiss her hand? “I shall really feel an awful idiot,” thought Mike, uncomfortably.
“There is the palace!” cried Paul, suddenly. The children saw a palace standing on a hillside — a palace that almost seemed to have come straight from a fairytale! It was a beautiful place, with shining towers and minarets, and below it was a blue lake in which the reflection of the palace shone.
“Oh! It’s beautiful!” said Nora. “Oh, Paul — I feel rather grand. Fancy living in a palace! It may seem ordinary to you — but it’s wonderful to me!”
The aeroplane circled round and flew lower. Beside the palace was a great runway, on which the royal planes landed. Ranni’s plane swooped low like a bird, its great wheels skimmed the ground, the plane slowed down and came to a halt not far from a little crowd of people.
“Welcome to Baronia!” said Paul, his eyes shining. “Welcome to Baronia!”