"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 20 - Five Have a Mystery to Solve" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

There was no answer at all. The man yelled again, and then an answer came from beyond the door, and hurrying footsteps could be heard. Then in came the other big rough fellow, and looked round, shining his torch. He lighted an oil lamp on a box, and switched off his torch.
‘Always you sleep, Emilio!’ growled the first man. ‘Always you are late! You know the boat comes tonight to take the next batch of' goods - have you the list? We must wrap them up quickly and take them to the shore. That little statue has to go, I know!’
He went over to the statue of a boy, whose eyes gleamed with emeralds. ‘Well, boy?’ said the man, ‘you’re going out into the world! How’ll you like that after being in the dark so long? Don’t glare at me like that, or I’ll box your ears!’
Apparently the golden boy went on glaring, for the man gave his head a sharp smack. The other fellow came over and shifted a long, deep box over from the wall to the little golden statue. Then he began to wrap it up carefully, rolling material round and round it from head to foot while the golden boy stood patiently.
‘What time is Lanyon coming for it?’ asked Emilio. ‘Have I time to wrap another?’
‘Yes - that one over there,’ said the first fellow, pointing. Emilio went whistling over to it, passing the chest behind which the girls were hiding. They crouched right to the floor, afraid of being seen. But Emilio was sharp-eyed, and thought he saw something move as he passed by the chest. He stopped. What was that poking out by the side of the chest - a foot? A FOOT!
Emilio rushed round the chest, his torch switched on again. He gave a loud shout. ‘Carlo! There’s someone here! Come quickly!’
Carlo, the second man, dropped what he was holding and raced round to Emilio, who had now pulled the girls roughly to their feet.
‘What are you doing here? How did you get in?’ shouted Emilio.
Julian shot out from his hiding-place at once, followed by Dick and Wilfrid. George was doing all she could to hold back Timmy, who was now deafening everyone with his angry barks. He did his best to get away from George, but she was afraid he might fly at Emilio’s throat. The two men were full of amazement to see the five children and Timmy!
‘Keep that dog back or I’ll shoot him,’ said Carlo, producing a gun. ‘Who are you? What do you mean by coming into this place?’
‘We came by boat - but the boat got washed out to sea,’ said Julian. ‘We’ve been camping on the island. We just - er - wandered into this place by mistake.’
‘By mistake! Well, I can tell you that you’ve certainly made the biggest mistake in your life!’ said Carlo. ‘You’ll have to stay here for quite a long time - till our job’s done, at any rate!’
‘What’s your job?’ asked Julian, bluntly.
‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ said Carlo. ‘Well - one part of it is to guard the island, and keep off strangers! Now, we’ve jobs to do tonight and tomorrow, and I’m afraid you’re going to have a miserable time! You’ll stay down here in this old cellar till we come back again - and what will happen to you after that, I don’t know, because I’ll have to tell my employer you’ve been spying down here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t hand you over to the police - or lock you up down here for a month, on bread and water!’
Timmy growled very fiercely indeed, and tugged hard to get away from George and fly at this hateful man. She hung on to him for all she was worth, though how she longed to let him leap at the man and get him on the ground!
‘Better go, Carlo, or we’ll miss that boat out there,’ said Emilio, grumpily. ‘We’ll deal with these kids when we get back!’ He shouldered the box into which he had put the wrapped statue, and started for the door. Carlo followed him, backing all the time to make sure that George did not set Timmy on to him. He shut the great door with a loud bang, and shot the bolt.
‘Don’t say anything for a minute in case they are listening outside the door,’ said Julian. So they all stood in silence, Anne’s knees trembling a little. Oh dear - how unlucky to be caught like this!
‘Relax!’ said Julian, at last. ‘You all look so stiff and tense!’
‘Well, I should think so!’ said Dick. ‘I don’t particularly want to stay shut up here till those men deign to come back and do a bit more stealing. Suppose they never came back! We’d be here for keeps!’
‘No, Dick!’ said Anne, and to everyone’s surprise, she began to laugh. ‘We can easily escape!’
‘What - through that locked and bolted door?’ said Dick. ‘Not a hope!’
‘But we can easily escape!’ said Anne, and George suddenly brightened up and nodded her head, smiling. ‘Oh yes - of course! Don’t look so solemn, Dick! Look up there!’
Dick looked up to where Anne was pointing. ‘What am I supposed to look at?’ he said. ‘The old stone wall?’
‘No - just there - over the top of that tall chest,’ said Anne.
Dick looked - and then a large smile came over his face. ‘WHAT an idiot I am! That’s the old iron door in the side of the old well-wall, isn’t it - the opening I looked through! It looks just like an ordinary ventilation hole from down here - and I don’t really believe anyone would ever notice it except us, who know what it is. I see what you’re getting at, Anne!’
‘Good old Anne!’ said George, realizing what Anne had in mind. ‘Of course - we’ve only got to climb up to that hole in the wall, open the door there, and then go up the well - and we’re safe!’
‘Yes. But it’s easier said than done,’ said Julian, soberly. ‘We’ve got to get hold of the rope, and climb right up it to the top - not very easy!’
‘Suppose the rope’s at the top, with the bucket hanging on the hook?’ said Anne. ‘We’d never reach it then!’
‘We’ll think of something!’ said Julian. ‘Anyway, it’s our only hope of escape. Now - we’ll push that huge, high chest or wardrobe or whatever it is, right over against the wall, under thit opening into the well - and then we’ll haul a table on top of that - there’s a sturdy little one over there. Come on! We’ll be through that opening in no time, and up the well. What a shock for dear Emilio and Carlo when they come back, and find that the birds have flown!’


Chapter Eighteen
A MOST EXCITING TIME!

It was quite a job pushing the heavy chest over towards the stone wall of the castle. It took all of them, shoving with all their might, to do it.
‘We seem to be making an awful noise with the chest scraping over the floor,’ panted Dick. ‘I hope we’re not heard!’
Timmy wished he could help. He kept jumping up and pressing his paws on the side of the chest, but Dick stopped him. ‘You’re getting in the way,’ he said. ‘You go and sit near the door and warn us if you hear those men coming.’
So Timmy ran to the door and sat there, his head cocked to one side, listening, while the others went on shoving the heavy chest along. At last it was in position. Then came the job of hoisting a stout little wooden table on top. Julian climbed up to the top of the chest to take the table from Dick, but just couldn’t manage it, it was so heavy and solid. So Wilfrid climbed up beside him, and between the two of them they pulled up the little oblong table, and set it firmly on top of the chest. Julian stood on it - and found he could easily reach the little iron door, that led into the old well.
‘Good,’ he said, and he gave the door a hard shove. It shook a little, but didn’t budge. He gave it another hard push. ‘What’s up?’ said Dick, climbing up beside Julian. ‘It must open - the bolt’s not there any more - it fell off into the well. I expect it’s rusted a little again. We’ll both shove it together.’
The girls watched the boys anxiously, dreading every moment to hear the two men returning. Together the boys pushed at the iron door - and it groaned and then gave way, swinging open inside the well-wall! To the boys’ delight, there was the rope, hanging near them!
‘We’ve done it!’ Dick called down softly to the girls. ‘We’ll come down and help you up to the table here - then we’ll try our luck up the well.’
The girls were soon on the chest top. There wasn’t room for everyone on the table, and the boys were debating what to do next.
‘You go up the rope, Julian,’ said Dick. ‘You can climb up to the top and get out and look around and make sure there’s no one about. Then Wilfrid can climb up - do you think you can, Wilfrid?’
‘Of course,’ said the boy. ‘Then I can help Julian to wind up the girls!’
‘Right!’ said Dick. ‘I’ll stay here with the girls, and help each of them on to the rope, first Anne - and you two can wind the rope up, with her on it. Then George can go - and I’ll follow last of all and shut the well-door.’
‘And when the men come they won’t know how in the world we got out of the treasure chamber!’ said Anne, grinning. ‘What a shock for them!’
‘When you’ve all gone up safely, I’ll climb in myself and shut the door,’ said Dick. ‘Ready, Ju? I’ll shine my torch for you!’
Julian nodded. He squeezed through the old iron door, reached out for the rope, and swung on it for a moment. Then up he went, hand-over-hand, till he reached the top, a little out of breath, but delighted to be out in the open air and the bright moonlight. It seemed almost as light as day!
He called down the well. ‘I’m at the top, Dick, and all’s well. Moon’s out, and all is quiet.’