“Where’s George?” she asked, after she had helped Dick to rub his wrists and arms.

“Up in that tower,” said Julian. “If we dared to go out in that yard you could look up and see her. And there’s poor old Tim, look — half-doped — lying in that summer-house place over there.”

“I shan’t let him be shot,” said Jo. “He’s a nice dog. I shall go and drag him down into those caves underground.”

“Not now!” said Julian, horrified. “If you’re seen now, you’ll spoil everything. We’ll all be tied up then!”

But Jo had already darted over to the summer-house and was fondling poor old Timmy.

The slam of a door made the boys jump and sent Jo into the shadows at the back of the summer-house at once. It was Red, coming across the yard!

“Quick! He’s coming over here!” said Dick, in a panic. “Let’s get back to the iron loops and put our hands behind us so that he thinks we’re still bound.”

So, when Red came over to the door of the shed, it looked exactly as if the boys still had their hands tied behind them. He laughed.

“You can stay here till the police come!” he said. Then he shut the shed door and locked it. He strolled over to the helicopter and examined it thoroughly. Then back he went to the door he had come from, opened it, and slammed it shut. He was gone.

When everything was quiet Jo sped back from the summer-house to the shed. She unlocked the door of the shed. “Come out,” she said. “And we’ll lock it again. Then nobody will know you aren’t here. Hurry!”

There was nothing for it but to come out and hope there was nobody looking. Jo locked the shed door after them and hurried them back to the door that led underground. They slipped through it and half-fell down the steep steps.

“Thanks, Jo,” said Dick.

They sat down. Julian scratched his head, and for the life of him could not think of anything sensible to do. The police were not coming because they didn’t know a thing about Red, or where George was or anything. And before long George would be flown off in that helicopter, and Timmy would be shot.

Julian thought of the high square tower and groaned. “There’s no way of getting George out of that tower,” he said aloud. “It’ll be locked and barred, or George would have got out at once. We can’t even get to her. It’s no good trying to make our way into the house — we’d be seen and caught at once.”

Jo looked at Dick. “Do you badly want George to be rescued?” she said.

“That’s a silly question,” said Dick. “I want it more than anything else in the world.”

“Well — I’ll go and get her, then,” said Jo, and she got up as if she really meant it.

“Don’t make jokes now,” said Julian. “This really is serious, Jo.”