There was a silence. Neither of the boys liked to tell George that her beloved boat had been smashed to pieces by Markhoff. But she had to know, of course, and Julian told her in a few short words.

George said nothing at all. They all sat silently for a few minutes, hearing nothing but Timmy’s heavy, almost snoring, breathing.

“Would it be possible, when it’s dark, to creep up into the courtyard, and go round the walls to the big gate?” said Dick, breaking the silence. “We can’t escape anywhere down here, it’s certain — not without a boat, anyhow.”

“Should we wait till Red and Markhoff have gone off in the helicopter?” said Julian. “Then we’d be much safer.”

“Yes — but what about Jo?” asked Dick. “They think she’s George, don’t they? — and they’ll take her away with them, just as they planned to do with George. I don’t see how we can try to escape ourselves without first trying to save Jo. She’s been a brick about George.”

They talked round and round the idea of trying to save Jo, but nobody could think of any really sensible plan at all. Time went on, and they all felt hungry and rather cold. “If only we could do something, it wouldn’t be so bad!” groaned Dick. “I wonder what’s happening up at the house.”

Up at the grey stone house with its big square-tower, plenty was happening!

To begin with, Markhoff had gone to shoot Timmy, as Red had ordered. But when he got to the summer-house there was no dog there!

Markhoff stared in the greatest amazement! The dog had been tied up, even though he was doped — and now, there was the loose rope, and no dog attached to it!

Markhoff gazed round the summer-house in astonishment. Who could have loosed Timmy? He darted across to the locked shed where he had tied Julian and Dick with rope to the iron staples. The door was still locked, of course — and Markhoff turned the key and pushed it open.

“Here, you…” he began, shouting roughly. Then he stopped dead. Nobody was there! Again there was loose rope — this time cut here and there, so that it lay in short pieces — and again the prisoners had gone. No dog. No boys.

Markhoff couldn’t believe his eyes. He looked all round the shed. “But it was locked from the outside!” he muttered. “What’s all this? Who’s freed the dog and the boys? What will Red say?”

Markhoff looked at the helicopter standing ready for flight in the middle of the yard, and half decided to desert Red and get away himself. Then, remembering Red’s mad tempers, and his cruel revenges on anyone who dared to let him down, he changed his mind.

“We’d better get off now, before it’s dark,” he thought. “There’s something queer going on here. There must be somebody else here that we know nothing about. I’d better find Red and tell him.”