FIVE RUN AWAY TOGETHER - by Enid Blyton

16 THE STICKS GET A FRIGHT

BUT the Sticks didn't go! The children peeped out of the spy-hole at the top of the cave-roof every now and again, and saw one or other of the Sticks. The evening went on and it began to be dark. Still the Sticks didn't go. Julian ran down to the nearby shore and discovered a small boat there. So the Sticks had managed to find their way round the island, rowed near the wreck, maybe landed on it too, and then come to the shore, cleverly avoiding the rocks they might strike against.

"It looks as if the Sticks have come to stay for the night," said Julian, gloomily. "This is going to spoil our stay here, isn't it? We rush away here to escape from the Sticks and lo and behold! the Sticks are on top of us again. It's too bad."

"Let's frighten them," said .George, her eyes shining by the light of the one candle in the cave.

"What do you mean?" said Dick, cheering up. He always liked George's ideas, mad as they sometimes were.

"Well, I suppose they must be living down in one of the dungeon rooms, mustn't they?" said George. "There is no place in the ruins to live in proper shelter, or we'd be there ourselves, and the only other place is down in the dungeons. I wouldn't care to sleep there myself, but I don't suppose the Sticks would mind."

"Well, what about it?" said Dick. "What's your idea?"

"Couldn't we creep down, and do a bit of shouting, so that the echoes start up all round?" said George. "You know how frightening we found the echoes when we first went down into the dungeons. We only had to say one or two words, and the echoes began saying them over and over again shouting them back at us."

"Oh yes, I remember," said Anne. "And wasn't Timmy frightened when he barked! The echoes barked back at him, and he thought there were thousands of dogs hiding down there! He was awfully frightened."

"It's a good idea," said Julian. "Serve the Sticks right for coming to our island like this! If we can frighten them away, that would be one up to us! Let's do it."

"What about Timothy?" said Anne. "Hadn't we better leave him behind?"

"No. He can come and stand at the dungeon entrance to guard it for us," said George. "Then if any of the real smugglers happened to come, Timmy could give us warning. I'm not going to leave him behind."

"Come on, then, let's go now!" said Julian. "It would be a fine trick to play. It's quite dark, but I've got my torch, and as soon as we are certain that the Sticks are down in the dungeons, we can start to play our joke."

There was no sign or sound of the Sticks anywhere about. No light of fire or candle was to be seen, no sound of voices to be heard. Either they had gone, or they were below in the dungeons. The stones had been taken from the entrance, so the children felt sure they were down there.

"Now Timmy, you stay quite still and quiet here," whispered George to Timmy. "Bark if anyone comes, but not unless. We're going down into the dungeons."

"I think perhaps I'll stay up here with Timothy," said Anne, suddenly. She didn't like the dark look of the dungeon entrance. "You see, George, Timmy might be frightened or lonely up here by himself."

The others chuckled. They knew Anne was frightened. Julian squeezed her arm. "You stay here, then," he said, kindly. "You keep old Timmy company."

Then Julian, George and Dick went down the long flight of steps that led into the deep old dungeons of Kirrin Castle. They had been there the summer before, when they had been seeking for lost treasure; now here they were again!

They crept down the steps and came to the many cellars or dungeons cut out of the rock below the castle. There were scores of those, some big and some small, queer, damp underground rooms in which, maybe, unhappy prisoners had been kept in the olden days.