FREE!
The narrow place Danny had clambered into seemed more like a crevice
than a passage. In parts the rough walls were so close together that
he could only just pass. Further on, he had to bend his head, so low
was the rocky roof. In another place a craggy boulder had to be climbed
over, and a deep crack jumped across. And ever the cool breeze fanned
his face, making his candle flare and gutter. As he stopped to listen,
a faint sound reached his ears, a kind of sigh. As he pressed onwards
the sound increased.
“The sea!” he whispered.
And then, through the dense blackness ahead, a grey patch showed,
pricked here and there with a faint star. A rush of joy and relief
filled Danny’s heart. Fresh air! The upper world again!
Hurrying over the rough floor he reached the opening in the rocky wall,
and stepped out on to a ledge, very narrow, very perilous. Away before
him stretched a vast expanse of sea, heaving and shimmering in the pale
light of dawn. Taking a great breath of the cold, salty air, Danny
looked about him.
Below him the cliff dropped smooth and precipitous, to where the green
water churned and foamed among sharp points of rock. The grey wall
above his head ran skywards, straight and smooth. There was no way up
or down. And in front the lonely sea tossed and foamed, with never a
boat in sight.
Sea gulls swooped about, with their sad, sharp cries--their gleaming,
silver wings seeming to mock the boy, prisoner on a ledge that was to
them but a resting-place.
[Illustration: He stepped out on to a ledge, very narrow, very
perilous.]
Once again Danny came very near to despair. A wild recklessness seized
him. He would jump down into that churning foam and water, and hope
for the best; hope that he would not strike a rock. It was the only
thing to do. He could almost feel himself falling, falling through the
cold air, feel the shock of the splash into the foaming sea far below.
There was something exhilarating about it. He would probably be killed.
Oh, it would be a relief from the horror of the last few hours! And he
would be dying for his country!
With the thought of his country, however, he returned to a saner mood.
No, that was all rot. To hurl yourself to useless destruction is not
to die for your country. He had a great secret to carry and deliver,
so as to save England. He knew that there was only about one chance in
a thousand that if he jumped down he would ever be able to reach the
shore in safety. It was not for him to take risks. His heart sank as he
realised the only course left to him--for to shout for help would be
useless: this was a lonely place at best, and there was no chance of
any one being near at dawn.
“I must go back.”
He spoke the words aloud. And his voice sounded weak and shaky. Oh, the
horror of going back into that nightmare of dark passages and vaults!
But it was his duty. Here, there was no chance of escape; there, there
might possibly be.
“It’s more horrible to go back than to jump down into the sea,” he
said, “but I’ll do it for England’s sake, and to keep my promise to do
my duty, and not give in to myself.”
Clenching his fists tight, he turned his back on the sea and faced the
darkness. Why had he come here if it was all for no purpose? Even as he
wondered this, his eye fell on something that gave him the answer. In
a cranny in the wall three objects were stowed: a powerful telescope,
a signalling flag, and a strong flashlight. So the spies, also, had
discovered this ledge! To whom did they mean to signal? Obviously to
someone out to sea--to a submarine--a stealthy scout, sent from some
enemy squadron lying out in a bank of mist; the picture rose in Danny’s
mind.
Picking up the telescope, he scanned the sea, half expecting to see a
little black point--a periscope--watching, watching for the expected
signal. There was nothing in view; but he had made an important
discovery, namely that such a watching scout was expected by the spies;
that they had made arrangements to signal across the sea, as well as
by the other means Danny had discovered. To have learnt this important
piece of information made his difficult task of getting to the cliff
worth while; the time so expended had not been time lost. Danny knew
now why he had been led thither. With this added information to report,
he was more than ever impatient to be out--more full of hope and
determination.
Back along the rocky crack he went; back through the crypt; back
into the passage. For the second time he hurried silently along it.
At the place where it turned a sharp corner he paused to listen,
breathlessly. Yes, there it was--“buzz, buzz-buzz, buzzzz----”
Danny put out his lantern. In the darkness he turned the corner and
watched the spy at work. The yellow light of the candle was not
sufficient to pierce the shadows and reveal him to the enemy. What
should he do now? As before, he longed to attack the man. But this
course would, he knew, be worse than useless. The spy was very much
intent upon his work. Inch by inch Danny crawled nearer. What should he
do?
Suddenly an inspiration came. The man was facing the wall, his back to
the passage. His ears were filled with the noise of the buzzer, his
eyes fixed on a notebook he held in his hand. His whole attention was
engrossed. It might be possible, with great care, to slip behind him in
the dim light and pass by! It would be a desperate attempt, but it was
_the only way_.
Danny measured the space with his eye. His heart beat wildly. Dare he
attempt it? Of course, he would dare anything for England! And this
was not a forlorn hope; it was a chance of escape depending upon steady
nerve, self-control, and infinite care.
He remembered how he had always been the best Cub at “stalking” when
the Cubmaster stood blindfold, and the Cubs had to creep near him. That
practice had not been wasted. Inch by inch he crept up. “Buzz, buzz!”
went the apparatus. Oh, if only it would go on buzzing--if only the spy
would stick to his job for five minutes longer! Nearer and nearer Danny
crawled. Once he lay flat and _froze_, as the spy changed his position
and actually glanced up the dark passage! Then he resumed his slow
progress.
At last he crouched a yard from the man. The buzzer buzzed hard; the
spy bent forward, writing in his book. Like a mouse running silently
along the wainscot, Danny slid past him, almost brushing the man’s
legs. Without pausing or turning, not daring to breathe, he crawled on.
At last, hidden by the shadows, he paused, and, kneeling up, slowly
turned his head. The man was still intent on his work. The task was
accomplished! Danny breathed again. There was infinite gratitude in his
pounding heart.
Rising softly to a standing position, he tiptoed on down the passage.
He had been forced, of course, to leave his lantern behind. He dared
not use his electric light in case another spy lurked ahead. In the
pitch darkness he pressed on as quickly as he could. Every now and
then he paused to listen. There was no sound of following steps. He
felt pretty confident that he would not meet a German at the end of
the passage, for they would not dare try to get in or out by daylight,
and by now the sun must have risen. Before long the Scouts on the day
watch would be coming to relieve those who had patrolled the roads
the long night through. No, the spies would have little chance above
ground--they must stay in their horrible underground haunts, or up in
the tower. They were like rats in a trap! Danny nearly laughed aloud
at the thought, for once he was out of the passage, these rats would be
in his power!
Splash, splash! He had stepped without knowing it into the water.
He paused a minute, nerving himself for what was to follow. Then
the thought that only this lay between him and freedom gave him new
courage. Wading in, he was soon waist-deep. When the water was up to
his neck, and he had already descended four steps, he took a big breath
and dived. Three, four, five strong strokes and he was out in the dim,
green light at the bottom of the pool. A fish swam out of his way.
Weeds and lily buds swayed about him. He raised his hands above his
head, kicked with his legs, and rose to the surface of the pool. He was
free, free, free!
The early-morning sun shone down in golden glory through the trees.
A thousand birds were singing. Scrambling out of the water, Danny
stood on the bank and looked around him at the beautiful world he had
scarcely hoped to see again.
“Thank God!” he said from the bottom of his heart. Then he set briskly
out to perform the great duty that lay before him.