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Chapter Twenty EVERYTHING BOILS UP!

Meanwhile the three boys and  Timmy were having a strange journey underground. Timmy led the way without faltering¹, stopping every now and again for the others to catch up with him. The tunnel at first had a very low roof and the boys had to walk along in a stooping position, which was  very  tiring  indeed.  But  after  a  bit  the  roof  became  higher  and  Julian,  flashing  his  torch round, saw that the walls and floor, instead of being made of soil, were now made of rock. He tried to reckon out where they were.

'We've  come  practically  straight  towards  the  cliff,'  he  said  to  Dick.  'That's  allowing  for  a  few turns and twists. The tunnel has sloped down so steeply the last few hundred  yards that I think we must be very far underground indeed.'

It  was  not  until  the  boys  heard  the  curious  booming  noise  that  George  had  heard  in  the  caves, that they knew they must be under the rocky bed of the sea. They were walking under the sea to Kirrin Island. How strange, how unbelievably astonishing!

'It's like a peculiarly vivid dream,' said Julian. 'I'm not sure I like it very much! All right, Tim  --

we're coming. Hallo - what's this?'

They  all  stopped.  Julian  flashed  his  torch  ahead  and  saw  a  pile  of  fallen  rocks.  Timmy  had managed to squeeze himself through a hole in them and go through to the other side, but the boys couldn't.

'This  is  where  the  spades  come  in,  Martin!'  said  Dick,  cheerfully.  'Take  a  hand!'  By  dint  of pushing and shovelling², the boys at last managed to move the pile of fallen rocks enough to make a way past.

'Thank goodness for the spades!' said Julian.

They  went  on,  and  were  soon  very  glad  of  the  spades  again,  to  move  another  heap  of  rock.

Timmy  barked  impatiently  when  they  kept  him  waiting.  He  was  very  anxious  to  get  back  to George.

Soon  they  came  to  where  the  tunnel  forked  into  two.  But  Timmy  took  the  right-hand  passage without hesitation³, and when that one forked into three, he again chose one without stopping to think for one moment.

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'Marvellous,  isn't  he?' said  Julian. 'All  done by smell! He's been this  way once, so  he knows it again. We should be completely lost under here if we came by ourselves.'

Martin was not enjoying this adventure at all. He said very little, but labored⁴ on after the others.

Dick  guessed he  was  worrying about  what  was  going to  happen  when the adventure was  over.

Poor Martin. All he wanted to do was to draw -- and instead of that he had been dragged into one horrible job after another, and used as a cat's-paw by his evil guardian⁵.

'Do you think we're anywhere near the island?' said Dick, at last. 'I'm getting tired of this!'

'Yes, we must be,' said Julian. 'In fact I think we'd better be as quiet as we can, in case we come suddenly on the enemy!'

So, without speaking again, they went as quietly as they could  -- and then suddenly they saw a faint light ahead of them. Julian put out his hand to stop the others. They were nearing the cave where George's father had his books and papers -- where George had found him the night before.

Timmy  stood  in  front  of  them,  listening  too.  He  was  not  going  'to  run  headlong  into  danger!

They heard voices, and listened intently to see whose they were.

'George's -- and Uncle Quentin's,' said Julian at last. And, as if Timmy had also satisfied himself that those were indeed the two voices, the dog ran ahead and went into the lighted cave, barking joyfully⁶.

'Timmy!' came George's voice, and they heard something overturn as she sprang up. 'Where have you been?'

'Woof,' said Timmy, trying to explain. 'Woof!'

And  then  Julian  and  Dick  ran  into  the  cave  followed  by  Martin!  Uncle  Quentin  and  George stared in the very greatest amazement⁷.

'Julian!  Dick!  And  Martin!  How  did  you  get  here?'  cried  George,  whilst  Timmy  jumped  and capered⁸ round her.

'I'll explain,' said Julian. 'It was Timmy that fetched us!' And he related the whole story of how Timmy had come into Kirrin Cottage in  the early morning and had jumped on his  bed, and all that  had  happened  since.  And  then,  in  their  turn,  Uncle  Quentin  and  George  told  all  that  had happened to them!

'Where are the two men?' asked Julian.

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'Somewhere on the island,' said George. 'I went scouting⁹ after them some time ago, and followed them up to where they get out into the little stone room. I think they're there until half past ten, when they'll go up and signal, so that people will think everything is all right.'

'Well, what are our plans?' said Julian. 'Will you come back down the passage under the sea with us? Or what shall we do?'

'Better not do that,' said Martin, quickly. 'My guardian may be coming -- and he's in touch with other men.  If he  wonders  where  I  am,  and thinks  something is up, he may  call in  two or three others, and we might meet them making their way up the passage.'

They  did  not  know,  of  course,  that  Mr.  Curton  was  even  then  lying  with  a  broken  leg  at  the bottom of the quarry¹⁰. Uncle Quentin considered.

'I've  been  given  seven  hours  to  say  whether  or  not  I  will  give  the  fellows  my  secret,'  he  said.

'That  time  will be up just after half past  ten.  Then the men will come down again  to  see me.  I think between us we ought to be able to capture them -- especially as we've got Timmy with us!'

'Yes - that's a good idea,' said Julian. 'We could hide somewhere 'till they come  -- and then set Timmy on them before they suspect anything!'

Almost before he had finished these words the light in the cave went out! Then a voice spoke¹¹ out of the blackness. 'Keep still! One movement and I'll shoot.'

George  gasped.  What  was  happening?  Had  the  men  come  back  unexpectedly?  Oh,  why  hadn't Timmy given them warning? She had been fondling his ears, so probably he had been unable to hear anything! She held Timmy's collar, afraid that he would fly at the man in the darkness and be shot. The voice spoke again.

'Will you or will you not give us your secret?'

'Not,' said Uncle Quentin, in a low voice.

'You  will  have  this  whole  island,  and  all  your  work  blown  up  then,  and  yourself  too  and  the others?'

'Yes!  You  can  do  'what  you  like!'  suddenly  yelled  George.  You'll  be  blown  up  yourself  too.

You'll never be able' to get away in a boat - you'll go on the rocks!'

The man in the darkness laughed. 'We shall be safe,' he said. 'Now, keep at the back of the cave. I have you covered with my revolver.'

They all crouched¹² at the back. Timmy growled¹³, but George made him stop at once. She did not know if the men knew he was free or not. Quiet footsteps passed across the cave in the darkness.

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George listened, straining her ears. Two pairs of foot steps! Both men were passing through the cave.  She  knew  where  they  were  going!  They  were  going  to  escape  by  the  undersea  passage  -

and  leave  the  island  to  be  blown  up  behind  them!  As  soon  as  the  footsteps  had  died  away, George switched on her torch.

'Father!  Those  men  are  escaping  now,  down  the  sea-tunnel.  We  must  escape  too  -  but  not  that way. My boat is on the shore. Let's get there quickly and get away before there's any explosion.'

'Yes,  come  along,'  said  her  father.  'But  if  only  I  could  get  up  into  my  tower,  I  could  stop  any wicked plan of theirs! They mean to  use the power there,  I know  - but  if  I  could  get  up to  the glass room, I could undo¹⁴ all their 'plans!'

'Oh do be quick then, Father!' cried George, getting in quite a panic now. 'Save my island if you can!'

They all made their way through the cave, up to the passage that led to the stone flight of steps from the little stone room. And there they had a shock!

The  stone  could  not  be  opened  from  the  inside!  The  men  had  altered  the  mechanism  so  that  it could now only be opened from the outside. In vain Uncle Quentin swung the lever to and fro.

Nothing happened. The stone would not move.

'It's only from outside it can be opened,' he said in despair. 'We're trapped!'

They  sat  down  on  the  stone  steps  in  a  row,  one  above  the  other.  They  were  cold,  hungry  and miserable¹⁵. What could they do now? Make their way back to the cave and then go on 'down the'

under-sea tunnel?

'I  don't  want  to  do  that,'  said  Uncle  Quentin.  'I'm  so  afraid  that  if  there  is  an  explosion,  it  may crack the rocky bed of the sea, which is the roof of the tunnel - and then water would pour in. It wouldn't be pleasant if we happened to be there at that moment.'

'Oh no. Don't let's be trapped like that,' said George, with a shudder¹⁶. 'I couldn't bear it.'

'Perhaps I could get something to explode this stone away,' said her father, after a while. 'I've got plenty of stuff if only I've time to put it together.'

'Listen!' said Julian, suddenly. 'I can hear something outside this wall. Sh!'

They all listened intently. Timmy whined¹⁷ and scratched at the stone that would not move.

'It's voices!' cried Dick. 'Lots of them. Who can it be?'

'Be quiet,' said Julian, fiercely. 'We must find out!'

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'I know, I know!' said George, suddenly. 'It's the fishermen who have come over in their boats!

That's why the men didn't wait till half past ten! That's why they've gone in such a hurry! They saw the fisher-boats coming!'

'Then Anne must have brought them!' cried Dick. She must have run home to Aunt Fanny, told her  everything  and  given  the  news  to  the  fishermen  -  and  they've  come  to  rescue  us!  Anne!

ANNE! WE'RE HERE!'

Timmy  began  to  bark  deafeningly.  The  others  encouraged  him,  because  they  felt  certain  that Timmy's bark was louder than their shouts! 'WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!'

Anne heard the barking and the shouting as soon as she ran into the little stone room. 'Where are you? Where are you?' she yelled.

'HERE! HERE! MOVE THE STONE!' yelled Julian, shouting so loudly that everyone near him jumped violently.

'Move  aside,  Miss  -  I  can  see  which  stone  it  is,'  said  a  man's  deep  voice.  It  was  one  of  the fishermen. He felt round and about the stone in the recess¹⁸,  sure it was  the right  one because it was cleaner than the others through being used as an entrance.

Suddenly  he  touched  the  right  place,  and  found  a  tiny  iron  spike.  He  pulled  it  down  -  and  the lever swung back behind it, and pulled the stone aside! Everyone hurried out, one on top of the other! The six fishermen standing¹⁹ in the little room stared in astonishment²⁰. Aunt Fanny was there too,  and  Anne.  Aunt  Fanny  ran  to  her  husband  as  soon  as  he  appeared  -  but  to  her  surprise  he pushed her away quite roughly.

He ran out of the room, and hurried to the tower. Was he in time to save the island and everyone on it? Oh hurry, hurry!'