8 SCAMPER IS A HELP

CHAPTER EIGHT SCAMPER IS A HELP JACK CAME to see Peter just before nine the next day. 'I came to tell you that Susie's not been near the cave,' he told Peter. 'I kept an eye on her all yesterday evening and this morning. She's gone off to her music lesson now, so we're safe till twelve o'clock anyhow.' 'Right,' said Peter. 'Well, help me with the few jobs I have to do, and then we'll go up with Janet and Scamper. We'll try to get there just before the others come.' So at five to ten, Peter, Janet, Scamper, and Jack made their way to the quarry and then up to the cave.

They looked up to where the jug was so carefully balanced on a ledge, and grinned. 'I'll get it,' said Jack, and climbed up to remove it. 'We'll have to break these threads ourselves,' said Janet. 'What a waste of booby-traps, wasn't it? Ooh, be careful, you'll get honey all over you!' They broke the threads as carefully as possible, so as not to get themselves sticky, and went into the cave. And then they stood there in astonishment, gazing round as if they could not believe their eyes! The tins were all opened – and emptied! Some were flung on the floor. Two more of the cushions had gone. A bottle of orangeade had disappeared, and so had a bottle of water. The tin of peppermints had completely vanished, and also some more books. A torch that Colin had left on a shelf had gone too. 'But – but – how could anyone get in?'

stammered Peter, utterly astonished. 'Our booby-traps were still there – those threads were quite unbroken. NOBODY could have come in, and yet look at this. I don't like it. There's something very strange going on in this cave – and I just don't – like – it!' The three children felt scared. It was quite clear that no one had gone into the cave, because the sticky silk threads would certainly have been broken. But how could their belongings have been taken, and their tins emptied, if no one had been in the cave? 'You know,' said Jack, looking all round him fearfully, 'you know, Peter, I was quite certain I saw somebody slipping into the cave that time we played hide-and-seek. You kept saying I must have imagined it, but I didn't.' 'Well, certainly somebody's about, somebody who likes eating and drinking,' said Peter. 'And if he didn't get into our cave from the outside, he must know a way in from the

inside!' 'But that's silly too,' said Janet. 'We know there's no way into the cave from the inside. We've had a jolly good look.' 'Scamper seems very interested in the cave this morning,' said Jack. 'Look at him sniffing and nosing round.' Scamper certainly was interested. He ran here and there excitedly, giving little barks and whimpers, as if to say, 'I could tell you such a lot if only I could speak!' He ran over to the place where he had buried his bone, dug it up, and carefully took it to another corner and buried it there. Peter laughed. 'He's afraid our visitor might find his bone – see how deep he's burying it this time! Hey, Scamper, you're sending sand all over us!' Janet looked round at the untidy cave with its empty tins and scattered books. Tears came into her eyes. 'I made it all so nice,' she said.

'And we had such a lot of good food here. WHO is this horrible visitor who comes when we're not here and steals like this? Where does he come from? How does he get here if he doesn't come in at the entrance?' 'Let's look all round the cave again, very, very carefully to see if there's another entrance somewhere,' said Jack. 'There might be a small hole that someone could wriggle through, covered with sand.' They looked thoroughly, Scamper sniffing too. But no, no matter how Scamper sniffed all round and about, or how the children dug here and there to find a hole under the rocky walls, nothing was found that would help to solve the mystery. 'And a very strange mystery it is too,' said Peter. 'I said I didn't like it, and I don't. I vote we clear up this cave and find another meeting-place. It's going to be no fun if we keep having our things stolen and messed

about by some unknown visitor.' 'Yes. I don't feel as if I want to be here any more either,' said Janet. 'It's a shame. It's such a good place. Well, the others will be along soon, so let's just clear up a bit, and we'll tell them when they come.' It wasn't long before the others came, all four of them, chattering and laughing as they walked through the old quarry. As soon as they arrived at the cave, Peter told them what had happened. They stared at his grave face and listened in astonishment to what he told them. 'It's very odd,' said George. 'I don't understand it. Taking food – and cushions – and books! It sounds like someone hiding somewhere and needing food, and something soft to lie on.' 'If one or two of us hid here in the cave tonight, we might see whoever it is that comes,' said Colin.