The Flight To Adventure

Chapter 17 The Poor Prisoner

Hey everyone, i would like you all to give a shout out to Crazy_to_the_End for the awsome book cover.

Sure enough it was the men's plane. The children all recognized it quite well as they watched it vanishing into the air. It flew towards west.
"Wonder if it's going back to the Bill's aerodrome." Said Jack" wonder if Bill knows about these men."
"Well, we don't know very much ourselves except that they are after some treasure" said Charles" But honestly what treasure they think that they can find here in this place, I really can't understand that."
"Do you think they will come back?" Asked Jenny.
"Sure to" said Charles" I don't think that they would give up so easily. Maybe they have just gone to report that there are other people here too now and they might bring back some men to smell us out."
"Do you think both men have gone?"asked jenny.
" I should think so"said Jack " but we can go and have a jolly look around and see. If one men is left he will be near that shed of their's. He won't know how many of us there are here. He may think that there are men with us, you know and not dare to move about too much by himself."
But when the children left the cave in the morning and went to look around. They could find no sign of either Julian or Tim. There was no fire. It had been stamped out. And this time the shed was well and truly locked and the key was taken. No amount of shaking or kicking would open the door.
"Well, if we had known that the men would fly off,we might have asked them for a lift" said Jack with a grin" I wonder when they will come back, if they do come back."
Not till it's daylight tomorrow I think"said Charles" I expect they will take off at night again.Let's go and have another squint at those crates from the plane."
But there was nothing to see. They were empty as before. The children wandred about for some hours and then had a meal under a tree. They went to get a tin or two from the store they had hidden in the bushes.
After the meal, Charles suggested that they should go back to the waterfall and the girls should take them into the cave of echoes and down the passage that led behind the water. So off they went, first hiding any kind of their trace of being near the shed.
But when they got back to their cave, Jack gave an annoyed exclamation and began to search in his pockets.
"What's the matter?"asked his sister.
"Well, do you know what i have done"said Jack " I have left the tin opener behind. I thought we might want another tin opened,so i put it down on the roots of the tree,under which we had our picnic and i must have left it there because i have not got it now."
"Oh Jack"said Charles worriedly" we can never open a tin without a tin opener"
"Yes, i know"said Jack rather gloomily" Well, i think there's only one thing to be done now, I must go and get ir back. You go to the cave of echoes with the girls, Charles and I will go with Lili and hunt for the opener. "
"I will come with you Jack" said Jenny feeling sorry for her brother.
"No , you have had a jolly long walk already" said Jack" You go with the others and I will be quicker by myself. I will just sit down for a moment before i start back again. I can explore that cave some other time."
He sat down on the moss for a moment to even his breathing . Then he got up, with Lili on his shoulder
"Come on let's go Lili" he said to the bird and tunred to move. Suddenly he heard a noise in a distance, a throbbing sound, which seemed very familiar. Rrrr,Rrrr,Rrrr...
"Gosh lili, are those men coming back so soon already? " said Jack staring into the western sky which now shone with twilight. "Yes , thats a plane alright . But is it theirs? "
The plane came near, growing larger and larger.An idea came into Jack's mind. He ran to where the men's shed was and climbed quickly up into a tree,not far from the spot where they had their camp fire.
" Now stay quite Lili. Not even a word. You understand. Shhh..shhh" he told the bird.
"Shh, shhh"the parrot whispered in a hoarse voice and then was quite. She pressed closely against Jack's neck as she sat on his shoulder.
The plane roared near. It circled lower and lower. And then it droped onto the long runway. It bounced along on it's high wheels and then came to a stop.Jack could not see the plane from where he was.
But he kept his gaze on the shed. The men arrived there soon.Jack peered through the leaves , nearly overbalancing in his effort to see through,for twilight was almost there.
This time there were four men. Jack looked very hard. He could see that one men was evidently a prisoner, for he had his hands tied behind him. How starnge the boy thought.
He waddled along, his head bent,going from side to side a little, as if he was dizzy. Now and again one of the other men would give him a shove to keep him straight. They came straight to the camp fire.
Julian set to light the fire and Tim went off to the shed to get some tins. He took out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He came out from the shed holding a few tins.
The prisoner sat down on the grass, his head bent. It was obvious that he was not feeling very well or he was merely very afraid. The fourth men , who acted like a guard of the prisoner,sat by the fire, saying nothing and just watching Julian and Tim.
At first they talked in low voices and Jack could not make out their words. They drank hot soup and then opened a jar of fresh meat. They ate bread with it,which they had brought from the plane. The prisoner looked up and saw them eating but the three men did not offer him anything to eat. He said something in a low voice. Julian laughed.
He spoke loudly to the guard"Tell him , he won't get anything to eat or drink till he tells us what we want to know."
The guard repeated it all in a language that Jack couldn't make out. The prisoner said something and the guard struck him on his cheek. Jack watched in horror. What cowards were those men, hitting someone with his hand tied behnd.
The men tried to dodge but failed. He then bent his head and sat there dismally.
"He says you have got the map, what else do you want?"said the guard.
"We can't read the map"said Julian."it's all messed up.If he can't explain it to us. He will have to show us the way then."
The guard translated this to the prisoner. He shook his head "He says he is too weak to walk so far." Said the guard.
"We will have to drag him then"said Julian, now opening a tin of pineapples."Tell him he is to take us tomorrow. If he won't he gets nothing to eat or drink. He will soon come around when he's half starved."
They finished their meal. Then Tim yawned. "I am off to bed" he said " There is a chair for you Eddie, the floor is good enough for the prisoner."
The man begged to have his hands untied but they would not allow him to.Jack felt sorry for him. They stamped out the fire and went to the hut. Jack imagined Tim and Julian on the mattress and Eddie in the comfortable chair. The poor prisoner would have to lie on the cold,hard floor,with his hands still tied behund him.
Jack waited till he thought the coast was all clear. Then he climbed down the tree quitely. Lili had been as quite as a mouse, all this time. Not even had a whisper come from her beak. Jack tip toed to the hut and peeked in cautiousy through the window.
A candel burnt in the hut and by its flickering light,he could make out the four men. The prisoner was trying to make himself comfortable on the floor.
It was dark now. Jack hoped he would be able to go back to hut alright. He sliped his hand into his pocket and was relieved to find a small torch there. He went to the tree where they ate in the day, sure enough the tin opener was lying there . He picked it up and made his way for the cave.
He was very clever in the dark for he had very sharp eyes. Once or twice he stoped,unable to think which way to go but Lili always knew. She flew infront of him and whistled for him.
"Dear Lili"said Jack happily" I really can't make my way without you."
The others were very worried about him. When darkness fell and still no Jack had arrived, Jenny longed to go and look for him.
"I'm sure he's lost.I'm certain of it" she said almost in tears.
"Yes and we would all get lost too,if we went out on mountainside in this darkness."said Charles" I expect he hunted about for the opener,saw that twilight was coming and decided not to risk coming back in the dark. He will be back tommorow early in the morning, for certain."
It was too dark to do anything . Clara made the beds and they laid down on them quitely. Jenny cried quitely. She was sure something had happened to Jack.
Then there came scramblimg noise near the opening of the cave and the ferns were parted and pushed aside. All the children sat up, their hearts beating very fast. Was jt Jack or had someone discovered their hiding place?
"Hello there"came Jack's voice" where is everybody?"
He switched on his torch and saw three delighted faces. Jenny almost fell on him.
"Jack we thought you were lost. Where had you been? We are so hungry too. Have you brought the tin opener?"
"Yes, i have brought that and plenty of news too" said Jack "what about a meal, while i tell you everything.?"

AURTHOR'S NOTE
Sorry for the long wait guys. But i'm quite busy with studies and stuff these days so I get very little time to write. Hopefully you guys understand.
Nimz