SECRET SEVEN ON THE TRAIL by Enid Blyton

CHAPTER 11 A GREAT DISCUSSION

At five o'clock every single member of the Secret Seven was in the shed in Peter's garden. All of them had raced home quickly after afternoon school, gobbled their teas, and come rushing to the meeting.

The password was whispered quickly, as one after another passed into the shed, each wearing the badge with S.S. on. "Cheeky Charlie, Cheeky Charlie, Cheeky Charlie."

Jack and George had had little time to exchange more than a few words with one another. They were bursting to tell their strange story!

" Now, we're all here," said Peter. " Scamper, sit by the door and keep guard. Bark if you hear anything at all. This is a most important meeting."

Scamper got up and went solemnly to the door. He sat down by it, listening, looking very serious.

" Oh, do buck up, Peter," said Pam. " I can't wait a minute more to hear what it's all about! "

" All right, all right," said Peter. " You know that we weren't going to call another meeting till the Christmas hols, unless something urgent happened. Well, it's happened. Jack, you start off with the story, please."

Jack was only too ready to tell it. He described how he had hidden in the laurel bush to overhear what the Famous Five said at their meeting in the summer-house, he repeated the ridiculous make-up that Susie had invented to deceive the Secret Seven, and to send them off on a wild-goose chase just to make fun of them.

He told them how Peter had laughed at the story and said it was a make-up of Susie's, but how he and George had decided to go to Tigger's Barn just in case it wasn't.

" But I was right," interrupted Peter. " It was a make-up, but just by chance there was some truth in it, too, though Susie didn't know."

George took up the tale. He told the others how he and Jack had gone to Tigger's Barn, thinking that Susie and Jeff were in front of them. And then came the thrilling part of their adventure in the old tumbledown house!

Everyone listened intently, the girls holding their breath when George came to the bit where the three men arrived.

Then Jack told how he went to the doorway to listen, and fell into the cupboard, and George told how he had gone to look for Jack, and had said the password, Cheeky Charlie, which had had such surprising results.

" Do you mean to say, there actually is a man called Cheeky Charlie ? " asked Barbara, in amazement. " Our password is only the name of a dog , just fancy there being a man called that, too! My goodness!"

"Don't interrupt," said Peter. "Go on, both of you."

Everyone sat up with wide eyes when George told how the men had thought he was a messenger from Cheeky Charlie, and when he told them about the note they had given him, and produced it from

The note was passed from hand to hand. Peter rapped on a box at last.

" We've all seen the note now," he said. " And we've heard Jack and George tell what happened last night. It's quite clear that we've hit on something queer again. Do the Secret Seven think we should try and solve this new mystery ? "

Everyone yelled and rapped on boxes, and Scamper barked in excitement too.

"Right," said Peter. "I agree too. But we have got to be very, very careful this time, or else the Famous Five will try and interfere, and they might spoil everything. Nobody, nobody - must say a single word about this to anyone in the world. Is that agreed?"

It was. Scamper came up and laid a big paw on Peter's knee, as if he thoroughly agreed too.

"Go back to the door, Scamper," said Peter. "We depend on you to give us warning if any of those tiresome Famous Five come snooping round. On guard, Scamper."

Scamper trotted back to his place by the door obediently. The Seven crowded more closely together, and began a grand discussion.

" First, let's sort out all the things that Jack and George heard," said Peter. "Then we'll try and make out what they mean. At the moment I'm in a muddle about everything and haven't the slightest idea what the men are going to do."

"Right," said Jack. "Well, as I told you, I heard the men talking, but their voices were very low, and I could only catch words now and again."

" What words were they ? " asked Peter. " Tell us carefully."

" Well, they kept saying something about' loading and unloading'," said Jack. " And they kept on and on mentioning ' points'."

" What sort of points ? " asked Peter.

Jack shook his head.

"I've no idea. They mentioned figures too. They said ' six-two' quite a lot of times, and then they said' maybe seven-ten'. And they said there mustn't be a moon, and I heard them talk about darkness, fog, and mist. Honestly, I couldn't make head or tail of it. I only know they must have been discussing some plan."

" What else did you hear ? " asked Janet.

"Nothing," answered Jack. "I fell into the cupboard then, and when the door shut on me I couldn't hear another word."

" And all I can add is that the men asked me if Cheeky Charlie was at Dalling's or Hammond's," said George. "But goodness knows what that meant."

" Perhaps they are the name of a workshop or works of some kind," suggested Colin. "We could find out."

" Yes. We might be able to trace those," said Peter. " Now, this note. Whatever can it mean ? It's got the word ' points' here again. And they talk about trucks and lorries... it's plain that there's some robbery planned, I think. But what kind? They want fog, too. Well, that's understandable, I suppose."

"Shall we take the note to the police?" said Barbara.

" Oh no! Not yet!" said George. " It's my note, and I'd like to see if we can't do something about it ourselves before we tell any grown-ups. After all, we've managed lots of affairs very well so far. I don't see why we shouldn't be able to do something about this one too."

" I'm all for trying," said Peter. " It's jolly exciting. And we've got quite a lot to go on, really. We know the names of three of the four men. Zeb, which is probably short for Zebedee, a most unusual name; and Larry, probably short for Laurence; and Cheeky Charlie, who is perhaps the boss."

" Yes, and we know he's at Balling's or Hammond's," said Jack. "What do we do first, Peter?"

Scamper suddenly began to bark wildly and scrape at the door.

" Not another word!" said Peter, sharply. " There's someone outside!"