The Adventurous Four (af-1) by Enid Blyton

Author:Enid Blyton [Blyton, Enid ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: child_det
Published: 1941-10-24T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

A Prisoner in the Cave

What had happened to Tom? A great many things. He had rowed safely to the beach where the caves lay hidden in the cliff behind. He had dragged the boat up the sand and had gone into the first cave. He stumbled through the rocky archway and into the queer Round Cave, which was so full of food.

He had no torch, so he had to feel around in the dark for his camera. It took him a long time to find it.

"Where did I put it?" wondered the boy anxiously. "Oh, if only I had a match!"

But he hadn't. He felt over tins and boxes-and at last his hand-fell on the box-like shape of his camera, safe in its waterproof covering!

"Good," Tom thought. "Now I'll just rush down to the boat and row back. I really must be quick or the others will be worried."

But Tom had a dreadful shock as he was about to make his way out of the Round Cave back to the beach. He heard voices!

The boy stood perfectly still, his heart beating fast. Whose voices were these?

They came nearer. Men were on the beach outside! Men had found his boat! Was it the enemy?

Alas for poor Tom-it was the enemy! Tom had not heard the boom of the seaplane coming down on the water. He had not seen a rubber boat putting off hurriedly to the cave. But now he could hear the voices of the men.

They had seen the boat on the beach, and had come to examine it. They soon saw that it was the stolen boat, which had now been missed and was being searched for.

The men knew at once where the owner of the boat was—in the eavel And they were going to search for him there.

Tom darted back into the Round Cave and hid be-hind a big pile of boxes. He felt quite certain he would be found—and as he crouched there, trembling and excited, he made up his mind very, very firmly that he would not say how many others had come to the islands with him. He would make the men think that he was the only one—then nlaybe the other three would not be hunted for.

"I've been a perfect silly to run into danger like this," thought poor Tom. "But, at any rate, I can save the others from being hunted for, perhaps."

The men came into the Round Cave. They had powerful torches which they flashed around—and almost at once they saw Tom's feet sticking out from behind a box.

They dragged him out and stood him up. They seemed most astonished to find only a boy. They had expected a man. They talked quickly among themselves in a language that Tom could not understand.

Then one man, who could talk English, spoke to Tom. "How did you get to this island?"

"I set off in a sailing-boat and a storm blew up and wrecked me," said Tom. "You can see my boat off the coast of the next island, if you look.

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