It was arranged that Mike and Paul should be rescued that night through the secret passage - if only the entrance at the other end could be used and was not too old or stiff!
“Jack and I went right along the passage to the Old House tower,” said George. “There’s an iron ladder there like ours. I reckon it leads up to the top room, to the fireplace.”
“We had better plan everything carefully,” said Dimmy. “George and Jack had better rescue the boys, and bring them safely back here. Then I and the girls will prepare plenty of food and take it down to George’s boat. We will wait there for you.”
“Yes, we shall need plenty of food on the secret island,” said Nora. “There are wild raspberries there, and wild strawberries, but that’s about all, unless we catch rabbits and fish as we did last year when we lived there!”
“You’ll only be there a day or two until we can find out about Prince Paul and get someone to take charge of him till he goes back to his own land,” said Dimmy. “I will stay behind here - and George will return to me, too, so that I shall be able to deal with the folk at the Old House. I shall simply say that you have all gone away.”
“Dimmy, let’s get the food ready for to-night,” said Peggy eagerly. “We only need food - we don’t need saucepans or kettles, or beds or anything like that - everything is neatly stored away in the dry caves on the secret island, ready for when we went there again. But we shall need plenty of food for five people.”
So the two girls and Dimmy began to pack up all kinds of food. There was a joint of meat, two dozen tarts, a tin of cakes of all kinds, a tin of biscuits, some tins of soup and fruit, potatoes and peas from the garden, and a basket of ripe plums. Cocoa was put into the box of food, and tins of milk. Nora remembered the sugar, and Peggy thought of the salt. It was really exciting packing everything up.
George carried the big box down to the boat and stowed it there. Jack followed with two baskets. Dimmy hurriedly stuffed a box of black currant lozenges into one basket, in case any of them caught cold that night.
“I think that’s everything,” said Dimmy. “You must wear your coats to-night, for the weather is a bit colder. Good gracious me, what an adventure this is! I never thought I’d have such a time at my age!”
“Dimmy dear, I wish you were coming with us to our lovely secret island,” said Peggy. “You’d love it so. You’ll be lonely without us here, won’t you?”
“Yes,” said Dimmy. “But perhaps you’ll soon be back again. Anyway, it will be nice to have Mike safe. I don’t like to think of him up there in that tower all the time.”
The night came quickly, for they had all been busy. It was arranged that George and Jack should go to rescue the two boys about half-past eleven. George had already been to the next village and had rung up his brother at Longrigg to tell him to have a car ready for the children. In fact, George was really marvellous.
“Now it’s time to go,” said George, looking at the enormous watch he kept in his waistcoat pocket. “Miss Dimity, you will go down to my boat with the girls, won’t you, in a few minutes. Jack and I will bring the boys back here by the secret passage and slip down to the boat too. Then we can set off.”
“Good luck, George!” said Nora. “Good luck, Jack!”
Dimmy and the girls went to the tower-room with them and watched them climb up the chimney. They heard them groping round the narrow way behind the chimney to the iron ladder. Then there was silence.
“We’d better get Mike’s coat and an extra coat for Prince Paul,” said Dimmy. “Then we’ll make our way to the beach and sit in the boat till the others come. I’ll just give you both a drink of hot milk first, for I can see you are shivering!”
“It’s with excitement, not with cold,” said Nora. But she was glad of the hot milk all the same.
“I do wonder how George and Jack are getting on,” said Peggy. “I wonder if they’ve reached the Old House tower yet.”
George and Jack were getting on very well. They had climbed down the iron ladder, their torches between their teeth. They had gone through the little room below, where the old old toys still lay, and had made their way through the narrow passage underground that led to the Old House.
When they came to the part where they had cleared away the fallen roof that afternoon George shone his torch round. “It looks to me as if another bit of the roof will fall in at any moment,” said George anxiously. “I hope it lasts till we get back.”
“So do I,” said Jack. “It would be awful to be caught because the roof fell in. Gracious, George - a bit of it’s tumbling in now - some stones fell on my coat.”
“Well, let’s hope for the best,” said George. “Come on.”
On they went, and presently came to where another narrow passage forked off from the one they were following.
“That’s the passage to the secret way between the shore-cave and the cellars of the Old House,” said Jack. “It’s a pity that is blocked up too, George, or we might have tried it.”
The two had already seen that afternoon that the passage joining theirs to the shore-cave passage was blocked up with fallen stones, and they had not tried to clear it, for, as George said, it might be blocked up all the way. It was quicker to use the passage from one tower to the other, and to return to Peep-Hole and run down to the beach by the cliff-path.
They soon came to the iron ladder that led up the inside of the walls of the Old House tower. They climbed it as quietly as they could. They came to a narrow ledge running round the back of a chimney-place. They squeezed round it, and found themselves in a small dark place with stone walls all around.
“Feel for an iron ring,” whispered George. “There is sure to be one here. If we can find it, we’ll slip my rope into it, and both pull hard. I reckon the stone will swivel round just like ours at Peep-Hole did.”
So they felt about for an iron ring, and shone their torches here and there - and at last George found the ring! He slipped his rope into it and knotted it. Then he and Jack pulled this way and that way - and suddenly the stone in which the iron ring was set groaned a little, swung slowly round - and there, in front of George and Jack, was the entrance to the fireplace built in the top room of the Old House tower!
Voices came up from the room below. George and Jack stood perfectly still and listened. Mr. Diaz was speaking.
“At dawn to-morrow you will come with me, Paul - and we will leave Mike here for a few days, just to give him a lesson not to put his nose into things that don’t concern him! Anna will see to him, and set him free next week.”
“Where are you taking Paul?” asked Mike’s voice.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” said Mr. Diaz in a mocking voice.
“Yes, I would,” said Mike. “You’ve no right to make any boy a prisoner, Mr. Diaz, and you’ll get punished soon.”
“Be careful I don’t punish you first, you impudent boy!” said Mr. Diaz angrily. “Now go to bed, both of you - but you, Paul, must not get undressed, for you must be ready to come with me when I fetch you at dawn.”
There was the sound of a door closing. George and Jack heard a key being turned and bolts being shot into their place. Then they heard footsteps going down the winding stone staircase.
“Wait a few minutes in case he comes back,” whispered George, as he felt Jack move forward. They waited. They heard Mike comforting poor Paul. Jack felt furiously angry with Mr. Diaz. If only he could have him well punished!
“Now,” whispered George. The two squeezed themselves through the narrow opening into the chimney. Below were rough steps. They felt for them with their feet.
Mike and Paul heard the noise and looked at one another in surprise.
“What’s that noise, Mike?” asked Paul.
“A bird in the chimney perhaps,” said Mike.
“Yes!” came Jack’s voice. “It’s a jack-daw, Mike! It’s Jack!”
Paul got such a shock that he sat down suddenly on a chair that wasn’t there. Mike got a shock too, but a very unpleasant one. He ran to the chimney and peered up - only to get a mass of soot in his face!
“Jack! Jack! How in the world did you get there?” asked Mike, in the greatest amazement and surprise. “Are the girls with you?”
“No. Only George,” said Jack, jumping lightly down and stooping to get out of the hearth. “Come on, George.”
Prince Paul picked himself up and stared in surprise at the two black-faced people coming from the chimney. Then he solemnly bowed to them and shook hands.
“We’ll tell all there is to tell later on,” said George. “There’s no time to lose now. Dawn comes in a few hours and Mr. Diaz will be back to take Paul with him, so we have only that time to get you away safely. Come along back with us now - this hidden way that we have found leads back to Peep-Hole.”
“The girls and Dimmy are waiting with lots of food in George’s boat,” Jack said excitedly to Mike. “We’re going to the secret island, Mike. Think of it!”
Paul knew all about the secret island, for Mike had told him about it whilst the two had been prisoners together. His pale little face lighted up with joy. He took Mike’s arm and squeezed it.
“Let’s go quickly,” he begged. So George took Paul, and Mike followed Jack, and they all disappeared up the chimney, leaving behind on the floor a great mass of soot.
Down the iron ladder they climbed, Paul a bit afraid for he was not used to adventures of this sort. Then along the hidden way they went in single file.
But suddenly George, who was leading, stopped in dismay. The others bumped into him.
“What’s up, George?” asked Jack.
“Just what I feared!” groaned George. “The roof’s fallen in again - and it’s a bad fall this time. We’ll never clear it! We’re trapped!”
Jack pressed by George and looked at the fall of earth and stones in silence. It was true. It was a very bad fall - now what were they to do?