Five On Kirrin Island Again Chapter Nineteen A MEETING WITH MARTIN（在线收听）

Chapter Nineteen A MEETING WITH MARTIN

TIMMY  ran  round  the  house  and  made  for  the  moor  behind.  It  was  most  extraordinary.

Wherever was he going?

'This is awfully queer,' said Julian. 'I'm sure George can't be anywhere in this direction.'

Timmy went on swiftly, occasionally turning his head to make sure everyone was following him.

He led the way to the quarry!

'The quarry! Did George come here then?' said Dick. 'But why?'

The  dog  disappeared  down  into  the  middle  of  the  quarry,  slipping  and  sliding  down  the  steep sides as he went. The others followed as best they could. Luckily it was not as slippery as before, and they reached the bottom without accident.

Timmy went straight to the shelf of rock and disappeared underneath it. They heard him give a short sharp bark as if to say 'Come on! This is the way! Hurry up!'

'He's  gone  into  the  tunnel  under  there,'  said  Dick.  'Where  we  thought  we  might  explore  and didn't. There must be a passage or something there, then. But is George there?'

'I'll  go first,' said  Julian, and wriggled through the hole. He was soon  in  the wider bit and then came out into the part where he could almost stand. He walked a little way in the dark, hearing Timmy bark impatiently now and then. But in a moment or two Julian stopped.

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'It's no good trying to follow you in the dark, Timmy!' he called. 'We'll have to go back and get torches. I can't see a foot in front of me!'

Dick was just struggling through the first part of the hole. Julian called to him to go back.

'It's too dark,' he said. 'We must go and get torches. If George for some reason is up this passage, she must have had an accident, and we'd better get a rope, and some brandy.'

Anne began to cry. She didn't like the idea of George lying hurt in that dark passage. Julian put his  arm  round  her  as  soon  as  he  was  in  the  open  air  again.  He  helped  her  up  the  sides  of  the quarry, followed by Dick.

'Now  don't  worry.  We'll  get  her  all  right.  But  it  beats  me  why  she  went  there  and  I  still  can't imagine how Tim and she came from the island, if they are here, instead of on the beach!'

'Look there's Martin!' suddenly said Dick in surprise. So there was! He was standing at the top of the quarry, and seemed just as surprised to see them as they were to see him! 'You're up early,'

called Dick. 'And goodness me -- are you going gardening or something? Why the spades?'

Martin looked sheepish and didn't seem to know what to say. Julian suddenly walked up to him and caught hold of his shoulder. 'Look here, Martin! There's some funny business going on here!

What are you going to do with those spades? Have you seen George? Do you know where she is, or anything about her? Come on, tell me!'

Martin  shook  his  shoulder  away  from  Julian's  grip,  looking  extremely  surprised.  'George?  No!

What's happened to him?'

'George  isn't  a  him  -  she's  a  her,'  said  Anne,  still  crying.  'She's  disappeared.  We  thought  she'd gone  to  the  island  to  find  her  dog  --  and  Timmy  suddenly  appeared  at  Kirrin  Cottage,  and brought us here!'

'So  it  looks  as  if  George  might  be  somewhere  near  here,'  said  Julian.  'And  I  want  to  know  if you've seen her or know anything of her whereabouts?'

'No, Julian. I swear I don't!' said Martin.

'Well, tell me what you're doing here so early in the morning, with spades,' said Julian, roughly.

'Who are you waiting for? Your father?'

'Yes,' said Martin.

'And what are you going to do?' asked Dick. 'Going exploring up the hole there?'

'Yes,' said Martin again, sullen and worried. 'No harm in that, is there?'

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'It's all - very - queer,' said Julian, eyeing him and speaking slowly and loudly. 'But - let me tell you this - we're going exploring -- not you! If there's anything queer up that hole, we'll 'find it!

We shall not allow you or your father to get through the hole. So go and find him and tell him that!'

Martin  didn't  move. He went  very  white, and stared at  Julian miserably.  Anne went  up to  him, tears still on her face and put her hand on his arm.

'Martin, what is it? Why do you look like that? What's the mystery?' And then, to the dismay and horror of everyone, Martin turned away with a noise that sounded very like a sob! He stood with his back to them, his shoulders shaking.

'Good gracious! What is up?' said Julian, in exasperation. 'Pull yourself together, Martin! Tell us what's worrying you.'

'Everything,  everything!'  said  Martin,  in  a  muffled  voice.  Then  he  swung  round  to  face  them.

'You don't know what it is to have no mother and no father - nobody who cares about you – and then...'

'But you have got a father!' said Dick at once.

'I haven't. He's not my father, that man. He's only my guardian, but he makes me call him father whenever we're on a job together.'

'A job? What sort of job?' said Julian.

'Oh  any  kind  --  all  beastly,'  said  Martin.  'Snooping  round  and  finding  things  out  about  people, and then getting money from them if we promise to say nothing - and receiving stolen goods and selling them - and helping people like the men who are after your uncle's secret...'

'Oho!'  said  Dick  at  once.  Now  we're  coming  to  it.  I  thought  you  and  Mr.  Curton  were  both suspiciously interested in Kirrin Island. What's this present job, then?'

'My guardian will half-kill me for telling all this,' said Martin. 'But, you see, they're planning to blow up the island -- and it's about the worst thing I've ever been mixed up in - and I know your uncle is there - and perhaps George too now, you say. I can't go on with it!'

A few more tears ran down his cheeks. It was awful to see a boy crying like that, and the three felt sorry for Martin now. They were also full of horror when they heard him say that the island was to be blown up!

'How do you know this?' asked Julian.

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'Well, Mr. Curton's got a wireless receiver and transmitter as you know,' explained Martin, 'and so have the fellows on the island -- the ones who are after your uncle's secret -- so they can easily keep in touch with one another. They mean to get the secret if they can - if not they are going to blow the whole place sky-high so that nobody can get the secret. But they can't get away by boat, because they don't know the way through those rocks....'

'Well, how will they get away then?' demanded Julian.

'We feel sure this hole that Timmy found the other day, leads down to the sea, and under the sea-bed to Kirrin Island,' said Martin. 'Yes, I know it sounds too mad to be true - but Mr. Curton's got an old map which clearly shows there was once a passage under the sea-bed. If there is - well, the fellows across on the island can escape down it, after making all preparations for the island to be blown up. See?'

'Yes,' said Julian, taking a long breath.  'I do see. I see it all very clearly now. .1 see something else too! Timmy has found his way from the island, using that same passage you have just told us  about  -  and  that's  why  he's  led  us  back  here  --  to  take  us  to  the  island  and  rescue  Uncle Quentin and George.'

There  was  a  deep  silence.  Martin  stared  at  the  ground.  Dick  and  Julian  thought  hard.  Anne sobbed a little. It all seemed quite unbelievable to her. Then Julian put his hand on Martin's arm.

'Martin! You did right to tell us. We may be able to prevent something dreadful. But  you must help. We may need those spades of yours - and I expect you've got torches too. We haven't. We don't want to waste time going back and getting them  - so will you come with us  and help us?

Will you lend us those spades and torches?'

'Would you trust me?' said Martin, in a low voice. 'Yes, I want to come and help you. And if we get in now, my guardian won't be able to follow, because he won't have a torch. We can get to the island and bring your uncle and George safely back.'

'Good for you!' said Dick. 'Well, come on then. We've been talking far too long. Come on down again, Ju. Hand him a spade and torch, Martin.'

'Anne, you're not to come,' said Julian, to his little sister. 'You're to go back and tell Aunt Fanny what's happened. Will you do that?'

'Yes.  I  don't  want  to  come,'  said  Anne.  'I'll  go  back  now.  Do  be  careful,  Julian!'  She  climbed down  with  the  boys  and  then  stood  and  watched  till  all  three  had  disappeared,  into  the  hole.

Timmy, who had been waiting impatiently during the talking, barking now and again, was glad 84

to find that at last they were going to make a move. He ran ahead in the tunnel, his eyes gleaming green every time he turned to see if they were following.

Anne began to climb up the steep side of the quarry again. Then, thinking she heard a cough, she stopped and crouched under a bush. She peered through the leaves and saw Mr. Curton. Then she heard his voice.

'Martin! Where on earth are you?' So he had come to look for Martin and go up the tunnel with him! Anne hardly dared to breathe. Mr. Curton called again and again, then made an impatient noise and began to climb down the side of the quarry.

Suddenly he slipped! He clutched at a bush as he passed, but  it gave way. He rolled quite near Anne, and caught sight of her.' He looked astonished, but then his look became one of fear as he rolled  more  and  more  quickly  to  the  bottom  of  the  deep  quarry.  Anne  heard  him  give  a  deep groan as at last he came to a stop.

Anne peered down in fright. Mr. Curton was sitting up, holding one of his legs and groaning. He looked up to see if he could spy Anne.

'Anne!' he called. 'I've broken my leg, I think. Can you fetch help? What are you doing here so early? Have you seen Martin?'

Anne did  not  answer.  If  he had broken his  leg, then he  couldn't  go after  the others!  And Anne could get away quickly. She climbed carefully, afraid of rolling down to the bottom and having to lie beside the horrid Mr. Curton.

'Anne! Have you seen Martin? Look for him and get help for me, will you?' shouted Mr.' Curton, and then groaned again.

Anne climbed to the top of the quarry and looked down. She cupped her hands round her mouth and shouted loudly:  'You're a very wicked man.  I shan't  fetch help  for  you.  I simply can't  bear you!'

Arid,  having  got,  all  that  off  her  chest,  the  little  girl  shot  off  at  top  speed  over  the  moor.

'I must tell Aunt Fanny. She'll know what to do! Oh, I hope the others are safe. What shall we do if the island blows up? I'm glad, glad, glad I told Mr. Curton he was very wicked man.' And on she ran, panting. Aunt Fanny would know what to do!