‘Can we stay and help you this morning, Toby?’ asked Julian, when he and Anne came back. He knew that Toby had many jobs to do on the farm, although it was a holiday week - and he thought, too, that it would be good for the boy to have company that worrying morning.
‘Yes. I’d like you to!’ said Toby, brightening at once. ‘I told Dad I’d lime-wash the hen-houses today - it’s just the kind of day for that, nice and dry with a little breeze. You and Dick could help and we’d get them all done by dinner-time.’
‘Right. We’ll help you all morning, then we’ll go back to our camp and have a picnic lunch,’ said Julian. ‘If you’ve finished all the jobs you have to do, you could come back with us - and we could go on a hike or something this afternoon.’
‘Oh yes!’ said Toby, cheering up considerably. ‘Come on, then - we’ll get the lime and find the brushes. Hey, Binky, come and help us - and you, too, Timmy.’
‘Wait a minute - can’t we help?’ said George. ‘I can lime-wash hen-houses as well as anyone!’
‘Oh, no, George - it’s a messy job - a job for boys not girls,’ said Toby, and went off with Dick and Julian, leaving George looking furious.
‘Now you’ve offended George,’ said Dick, grinning. Toby was genuinely surprised.
‘Have I really?’ he said. ‘Oh, of course - I forgot she doesn’t like to be girlish! Half a minute!’ He ran back to the window of the sitting-room and called through it.
‘Hie, George! What about doing a job for my mother? She never has time to weed her flower-garden and she is always upset because it’s so untidy. I suppose you and Anne couldn’t do something about that?’
‘Yes, of course!’ called Anne, going out of the dour. ‘Let’s find a trowel each, and something to put weeds in. George! Don’t look so gloomy! Let’s weed the whole bed and make it marvellous for Mrs Thomas. She’s so kind and generous, I’d like to do something for her.’
‘All right. So would I,’ said George, more graciously, and went with her cousin into the garden,
‘I wish little Benny was at home,’ said Anne, as she and George began their task a few minutes later, complete with trowels and two old tin pails for the weeds. ‘I’d like him running round us, asking questions in that dear little high voice of his. And Curly, his pigling, running about like a funny little pig-puppy!’
‘Yes. I like Benny, too,’ said George, pulling up a handful of weeds. ‘My word - there are more weeds than flowers in this bed.’
‘Let’s take Benny up to the camp with us this afternoon, if Toby comes,’ said Anne. ‘Then Toby can take him back with him when he goes. I love little Benny - I could look after him while you and the boys go hiking this afternoon.’
‘All right,’ said George, torn between wanting to stay with Anne and little Benny and his pig and going with the boys. ‘Help - I’ve been stung by a most vicious nettle!’
All the children worked hard that morning. The hen-houses had been scrubbed down and well and truly lime-washed. Now they were drying quickly, the doors flung open to sun and wind. The girls had practically cleared the big flower-bed of weeds and were feeling rather pleased with it - and with themselves too!
There came the sound of a car at about a quarter to one. ‘That must be Mrs Thomas coming back from her shopping,’ said George. ‘Quick, let’s finish this bed before she sees us - we’ve only about ten minutes’ more work.’
‘Benny will soon come running to see what we are doing,’ said Anne. ‘And little Curly, too. My word - I’ve just filled my ninth pail of weeds!’
The three boys came by just then, swinging their empty pails and carrying their big brushes. Timmy came, too, with quite a few white patches on his coat!
‘Hallo, girls!’ said Dick. ‘My word you’ve done a fine job on that bed - you can actually see the flowers now!’
The girls sat back, pleased. ‘Yes, it looks a bit better,’ said Anne, pushing back her hair. ‘Your mother’s home, I think, Toby. We’d better go now, because you’ll soon be having your dinner, and we’ll be as hungry as hunters by the time we get back to our camp.’
‘Right,’ said Toby. ‘Here, I’ll take those pails of weeds for you - and the trowels!’
‘Oh - thanks,’ said George. ‘Dick, Anne and I will go off to the camp now, with Timmy, and take the salad and stuff that wants washing under the spring - you bring the rest of the food, will you?’
‘Of course,’ said Dick. ‘You take one basket, and we’ll take the other.’
They went off with Toby. Anne and George went to look for Mrs Thomas, but she had gone into the dairy and was not to be seen.
‘Never mind - she’ll be busy,’ said Anne. ‘We’ll go off straight away and get our lunch ready.’
They went off to the farm-gate and up the path on to the steep slopes of Billycock Hill, the basket between them. Soon they were out of sight.
The boys washed their hands under a pump in the yard. Toby had gone to see his mother and to tell her what the police had said - but his father had already told her. She was very worried indeed.
‘Poor Jeff! Poor Ray!’ she said. Then she looked round as she heard the footsteps of Dick and Julian. ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘I thought it was Benny. Where is he?’
‘Benny - well, he was with you, wasn’t he?’ said Toby. ‘You didn’t leave him in the car, did you?’
‘What do you mean, Toby?’ said Mrs Thomas, looking startled. ‘I left Benny here at the farm. I didn’t take him with me - I never do when I have a lot of shopping, he gets so bored!’
‘But, Mother - I’ve not seen him all morning!’ said Toby. ‘He’s not at the farm. I’ve not seen him for hours!’
‘Oh, Toby!’ said his mother, looking frightened.
‘Toby, what’s happened to him then? I thought you’d look after him, as you usually do!’
‘And I thought he’d gone with you,’ groaned Toby. ‘Dick - Julian have you seen Benny, or Curly?’
‘No - we haven’t set eyes on him this morning!’ said Dick. ‘Gosh - where’s he got to? He mayhave gone up Billycock Hill to try and find our camp - I know he wanted to.’
‘Toby - the horse-pond!’ said Mrs Thomas, looking pale. ‘Go there - he may have fallen in. Look in the loft of the barn, too - and go into the machinery shed. Oh, Benny, Benny, where are you?’
She turned to Dick and Julian, standing anxiously beside her. ‘Go up to your camp,’ she said. ‘Hunt and call all the way. He may be lost on the hill-side. My little Benny! Perhaps his pigling “runned away” again, as he so often tells us - and he followed and got lost! Oh, dear, whatever shall I do?’
Chapter Twenty
A PECULIAR MESSAGE
Toby raced off to the horse-pond, very frightened. The pond was deep in the middle and Benny couldn’t swim. Dick and Julian went off hurriedly through the farm-gate up to Billycock Hill, calling as they went.
‘Benny! Benny, where are you? Benny!’
They toiled up the steep, heathery slopes, looking for any sign of the small boy, but there was none. They were both anxious, Benny was such a little wanderer, and his pig made such a good excuse for going long distances!
‘Benny! BENNY!’ they called, and sometimes the echo came back to them, calling the name, too.
‘Perhaps he will be at the camp,’ said Dick. ‘I know he wanted to visit it. He may be there, the little monkey - with Curly, too.’
‘I hope so,’ said Julian, soberly. ‘But it’s a long way for his small legs to go. I don’t see how he could possibly find the way without someone to guide him - he has never been there yet!’
‘Well, maybe the girls spotted him on their way up,’ said Dick. ‘My word - this is a day, isn’t it? - nobody knows where Jeff and Ray are - and nobody knows where little Benny is either! I don’t call this a very good holiday!’
‘Exciting - but decidedly worrying,’ said Julian. ‘Why do we always run into something like this? We never seem to have a really peaceful time!’
Dick glanced
sideways at Julian and gave a fleeting smile. ‘Would you like a really peaceful time, Ju?’ he said. ‘I don’t think you would! Come on - let’s shout again!’
They came to the camp at last, not having seen a sign of Benny or the pigling. He was not at the camp either, that was quite clear. The girls and Timmy were alone.
They were horrified when they were told about Benny. Anne went pale. ‘Let’s go and look for him at once,’ she said. ‘We must!’
‘Well, can you make some sandwiches very quickly?’ asked Dick. ‘We’re all hungry, and it won’t take a minute. We can munch them as we go. Let’s make a plan of campaign while you’re cutting them.’
George and Anne set to work with the sandwiches. Anne’s finger were all thumbs, she was so shocked to hear that little Benny was missing. ‘Oh, I hope nothing’s happened to him!’ she said. ‘Missing all the morning - for hours! Poor Mrs Thomas!’
‘The sandwiches are ready,’ said George. ‘Now, what’s the plan, Julian? We all separate, I suppose, and quarter the hill, shouting all the time?’
‘That’s it,’ said Julian, beginning on his sandwiches hungrily, and slipping some tomatoes and radishes into his pocket. ‘You go round that side, Anne and George, one of you high up on the hill, and one lower down, so that your shouts cover as much distance as possible. And Dick and I will do the same on this side. We’ll go down to Butterfly Farm, too, in case he has wandered there.’
They all set off, and soon the hill echoed to stentorian shouts. ‘BENNY! BE-ENNY! BENNY! Coo-ee, Benny! Coo-ee!’
Over the heather scrambled the four, with Timmy excitedly leaping about, too. He knew that Benny was lost, and he was sniffing for some smell of the small boy - but his sharp nose could find nothing.
Julian went to Butterfly Farm and searched all about, but there was no sign of the boy there. In fact, there was no sign of anyone, not even old Mrs Janes. She had gone off somewhere, and the two men were out butterflying as usual. In fact, George and Anne saw them as they searched their side of the hill, and called to them.
‘Have you seen anything of a small boy and a little pig?’
The two men were curt and unhelpful. ‘No. No sign at all.’
‘I suppose they’re annoyed because they still think the boys broke the glass of their Butterfly House!’ said George ‘Well, I wish they would hunt for Benny instead of butterflies.’
It was two hours before Benny was found, and the Five had almost given up looking for him. They had met together as they came round the hill, and were standing in despair, wondering what to do next, when Timmy suddenly pricked up his ears. Then he barked - an excited little bark that said as plainly as possible, ‘I’ve heard something interesting.’
‘What is it then, Tim, what is it?’ cried George at once. ‘Go find, go find!’
Timmy trotted off, his ears well pricked. He stopped every now and again and listened, then went on again. The children listened, too, but they could hear nothing - no call, no groan, no whimper.
‘Why - he’s going downhill towards the caves,’ said Julian at last. ‘The caves! Why didn’t we think of those? But how could that tiny little fellow have found the way there - it’s a long and complicated way from Billycock Farm?’
‘He might have followed Curly, the pig,’ said Anne, ‘We always thought that he only pretended that the pig ran away, so that he could wander where he liked and blame it on the pig. But this time the pig might really have “runned away”!’
‘Let’s hope it’s Benny that Timmy can hear,’ said Julian. ‘I must say I can’t hear a single sound and I’ve got pretty sharp ears!’
And then the next minute they all heard something - a small, tired voice calling high and clear - ‘Curly! Curly! I want you!’
‘BENNY!’ yelled everyone and leapt ahead so fast that the heathery ground shook beneath their trampling feet.
Timmy was there first, of course, and when the four children came up, they saw him gently licking the golden-haired little boy, who had put his arms round the dog’s neck in delight. Benny was sitting just outside the entrance of the caves, all by himself - his pigling was not there.
‘Benny! Oh, Benny darling, we’ve found you,’ cried Anne, and knelt down beside him. He looked up at the others, not seeming at all surprised to see them.
‘Curly runned away,’ he said. ‘He runned right away. Curly’s gonned in there,’ and he pointed into the caves.
‘Thank goodness you didn’t follow him!’ said George. ‘You might never have been found! Come along - we must take you home!’
But as soon as she lifted up the child he began to kick and scream. ‘No! No! I want Curly! I want Curly!’
‘Darling, he’ll come along when he’s tired of the caves,’ said Anne. ‘But your Mummy wants you now - and your dinner is waiting for you.’
‘I’m hungry,’ announced Benny. ‘I want my dinner - but I want Curly, too. Curly! Curly! Come here!’
‘We must take Benny back,’ said Dick. ‘His mother will be so terribly worried. Curly will eventually come out if he’s got sense enough to remember the way - if not, well - it’s just too bad! We daren’t go wandering down the unroped paths in case we get lost. Come on, bring Benny, George.’
‘Curly will come when he’s ready,’ George said, as she carried the little boy away from the entrance to the caves. ‘But now your Mummy wants you, and your dinner’s waiting.’
With Timmy jumping up delightedly beside her, she carried the small boy down the chalky path, talking to him. They were all so thankful to have found him that they felt quite cheerful, forgetting Jeff and Ray for a time. They teased little Benny, trying to make him forget his lost pet.
Mrs Thomas was overjoyed to see the small boy again. She cried over him as she took him into her arms. ‘Oh, Benny, Benny - what a bad pair you are, you and your pigling.’
‘He runned away,’ said Benny, of course. He was set down at the table to have his dinner and began to eat very fast indeed because he was so hungry. Everyone sat and watched him, so glad to have him safe again that they hardly took their eyes off him while he gobbled his meal.
He finished at last. ‘I’m going to look for Curly,’ he announced as he got down from his chair.
‘Oh, no, you’re not,’ said his mother. ‘You’re going to stay with me. I want you to help me to make some cakes. Curly will come home when he’s ready.’
And in an hour’s time, when Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Toby were busy at the messy job of cleaning out the duck-pond, Curly did come back. He trotted into the farmyard, making his usual funny little squeals, arid everyone looked round at once.
‘CURLY! You have come back! Oh, you bad little pig!’ cried George, and Timmy ran up to the pigling and sniffed him and licked him. The pig turned himself round to look for Benny - and Julian laughed.
‘Someone’s written something on him - in black! Come here, Curly, and let’s see.’
Curly trotted over to him, and Julian examined the rather smudged black lettering. ‘Can’t make it out,’ he said. ‘Somebody’s printed something on his pink little body - silly thing to do - but it will wash off.’
‘Wait!’ said Dick sharply, as Julian bent to get one of the rags they were using, to wash the pigling’s body. ‘WAIT, I say! Look - isn’t that a J and a T and below those are letters that look like R and V - no, W, because half that letter has been rubbed off by heather or something.’
Now everyone was staring in excitement. ‘J... T, and R... W!’ said Toby in a breathless voice. Then it rose to a shout. ‘They stand for JEFF THOMAS AND RAY WELLS. What does it mean - who put those letters there?’
‘There are some more letters, smaller and rather smudged,’ said Julian. ‘Hold the pigling still, Dick. We must, we must make out what they are! It’s some kind of message from Jeff and Ray. The pigling must have been where they are hidden!’
They all looked earnestly at the smudgy letters, which appeared to be five in number. They were almost unreadable - but D
ick’s sharp brain got hold of them at last.
‘The word is CAVES!’ he said. ‘See - the first letter might be G or O or C - but the third one is certainly V and last is S. I’m sure it’s CAVES - and that’s where Curly went, we know.’
‘Whew! That’s where Jeff and Ray are hidden then,’ said Julian. ‘Quite near, after all - and we thought they had been taken away by car and hidden miles away! Quick - where’s your father, Toby?’
Mr Thomas was found and was shown Curly, with the smudgy black letters on his back. He was astounded. ‘So Curly went wandering in the caves, did he - what a pig he is! Can’t keep his nose out of anything! And somehow he went to where Jeff and Ray were. What a strange way to send a message - they could surely have tied one on to his tail, or round his neck - these letters are almost unreadable!’
‘I nearly washed them off, thinking that somebody had played a silly joke on Curly,’ said Julian. ‘My word - if I had, we’d not have known where Jeff and Ray were. What shall we do now, sir? Go to the caves at once? Telephone the police?’
‘Both!’ said Mr Thomas. ‘The police must know because they are searching everywhere, of course. Now - you start off to the caves - but take a ball of string with you, because Jeff and Ray won’t have been hidden in any of the roped tunnels, where sightseers so often go, and without string you might not be able to find your way back down the unroped ones. You may find that you need to unwind the string in order to get back safely. And take Timmy. He’ll be useful.’
‘He certainly will!’ said Julian. ‘And we’ll take the little pig, too, so that Timmy can smell him, and then smell the tracks Curly made as he wandered through the caves, and follow them! We shan’t have to wander all about wondering where Jeff and Ray are then.’
The Five set off at once, with Toby, too, all as excited as they could possibly be.