SECRET SEVEN WIN THROUGH by Enid Blyton

CHAPTER 6 JACK IS VERY PUZZLED

The cave was a great success. On rainy days it was a wonderful place to lie in and read, or play games. Each of the seven burrowed into the sand and made his or her own bed or hole. Each had a cushion for their head. The shelves were always kept stacked with papers and magazines, and with food and drink.

'We couldn't have found a better place,' said Colin. 'Jack, does Susie ever bother about where you disappear to for hours on end ?'

'Goodness, yes,' said Jack. 'She keeps on and on about it. She knows our old shed is no longer a meeting-place, because she went to have a look at it. I have to be awfully careful not to let her follow me when I come here. Yesterday I turned round and there she was, keeping to the bushes beside the road, hoping I wouldn't see her.'

'What did you do ?' asked Pam.

'I turned a corner and went off to the sweet shop instead of coming here,' said Jack. 'I do hope she won't find our cave.'

'Let's go into the quarry and play hide-and-seek,' said Janet, getting up. 'The sun's out again, and I'm longing to stretch my legs.'

So off they all went. Jack was chosen to shut his eyes and count a hundred before he began looking. The cave was to be Home.

Jack stood by a tree at the other side of the quarry, counting nice and slowly. When he had counted a hundred, he looked round. Could he see anyone behind a bush, or lying in the lush grass near-by?

No, not one of the others was to be seen. He moved cautiously round his tree, keeping his eyes open for sudden movement somewhere.

He glanced towards the cave, which he could just see between a gap in the broom bushes that hid it so well. Then he stared. Someone was slipping into the cave! Who was it? He just couldn't see.

'That's not fair,' thought Jack. 'They haven't given me a chance to find them. Well, I'll soon find out which of the seven it is, and tell them what I think of them!'

He saw a patch of blue near-by and recognized Pam's frock behind a bush. He rushed at her, but she escaped and ran squealing to the cave.

Then he found Barbara, Janet, and Scamper together, crouching behind a great hummock of sand. He ran to catch them and fell headlong over a tuft of grass. They rushed away, the girls squealing and Scamper barking.

He nearly caught Colin behind a tree, but Colin was too quick for him. 'Let's see... that only leaves one more,' said Jack to himself. 'The first one I saw going into the cave, then the three girls, then Colin , myself, and so there's just one more. It's Peter or George.'

He hunted here and there, and then suddenly fell over two giggling boys. It was Peter and George, half-buried in the soft sand. Jack grabbed at Peter and caught him, but George escaped to the cave.

I'm caught all right!' said Peter, grinning. I'll be "He" next. Let's call out to everyone in the cave.'

'Wait a minute,' said Jack, looking puzzled. "There's something I don't understand. Let's go up to the cave.'

Peter went with him to the cave, where the other five were waiting.

'What don't you understand?' asked Peter.

'Well, listen, first I saw someone slipping into the cave immediately after I'd finished counting,' said Jack, 'which wasn't really fair. Then I found Pam, then Janet and Barbara, then Colin, then you and George, Peter.'

'Well, what's puzzling you?' asked Peter.

'Just this, that makes eight of us, not counting Scamper,' said Jack. 'And what I want to know is...  who was the eighth?'

They all counted. Yes, Jack was right. That made eight, not seven. Everyone said at once that they hadn't slipped into the cave before Jack discovered them.

'Well, who was that first person then, if it wasn't any of us ?' said Jack, really puzzled. 'I tell you I saw somebody go into the cave before I discovered any of you. Who was it?'

Everyone began to look round uneasily. Peter pulled the green curtain back as far as he could, and the sunshine filled the cave, except for the dark places at the back.

'There's nobody here,' said Pam. 'Oh, Jack, do you suppose it could have been Susie?'

'I don't know. I only just saw somebody, but I haven't any idea who it was,' said Jack. 'And look here, surely that somebody must still be in here! I found Pam almost immediately, and she rushed off to the cave. You didn't see anyone here, did you, Pam?'

'Of course not,' said Pam. 'If I'd seen Susie I would have smacked her!'

Peter took down a torch from the shelf of rock near-by and switched it on. He flashed it towards the dark corners at the end of the cave. 'Come forth!' he said, in a hollow voice. 'Come forth, O wicked intruder!'

But nobody came. The far corners of the cave, now lighted brilliantly by the torch, were quite empty.

'It's queer,' said Jack, frowning. 'Very queer. Give me the torch, Peter. I'll go and see if there's any corner or hole at the end of the cave that we haven't noticed.'

'Well, there isn't,' said Peter, giving him the torch.

'Janet and I had a jolly good look when we first found the cave!'

All the same, Jack went to the far end and had a very good look round, flashing the torch everywhere. There seemed to be nowhere that anyone could hide.

He came back, still looking puzzled. 'Cheer up,* said Peter. 'You must have imagined someone, Jack. Anyway, would anyone come to that cave while we were all of us here, in plain view?'

'But that's just what we were not,' said Jack. 'We were playing hide-and-seek, and there wasn't a sound, and all of you but me were well hidden. Anybody coming here just then would not have heard or seen anything of us. They would have thought the place deserted.'

'Yes. I see what you mean,' said Peter. 'All the same, there's nobody here. So cheer up, Jack, and let's go on with the game. My turn to find you all. Go and hide!'