“You stay behind, Anne,” said Mr. Luffy. But she wouldn’t. So he carried her as he followed the men who were making their way through the heather, down to Olly’s Yard. They did not bother with Wooden-Leg Sam. They went straight to the tunnel and walked up it quietly. Mr. Luffy was a good way behind with Anne. She refused to stay with him in the yard.

“No,” she said, “I’m not a coward. Really I’m not. I want to help to rescue the boys. I wish George was here. Where’s George?”

Mr. Luffy had no idea. Anne clung to his hand, scared but eager to prove that she was not a coward. Mr. Luffy thought she was grand!

Meanwhile, Julian and the others had been in the vent for a good while, tired and uncomfortable. The men had searched in vain for them and were now looking closely into every niche at the sides of the tunnel.

And, of course, they found the vent! One of the men shone his light up it. It shone on to poor Julian’s feet! The man gave a loud shout that almost made Julian fall off the rung he was standing on.

“Here they are! Up this vent. Who’d have thought it? Come on down or it’ll be the worse for you!”

Julian didn’t move. George pushed desperately at the iron bars above her head, but she could not move them. One of the men climbed up the vent and caught hold of Julian’s foot.

He dragged so hard at it that the boy’s foot was forced off the rung. Then the man dragged off the other foot, and Julian found himself hanging by his arms with the man tugging hard at his feet. He could hang on no longer. His tired arms gave way and he fell heavily down, landing half on the man and half on the pile of soot. Another man pounced on Julian at once, whilst the first climbed up the vent to find the next boy. Soon Dick felt his feet being tugged at, too.

“All right, all right. I’ll come down!” he yelled, and climbed down. Then Jock climbed down, too. The men looked at them angrily.

“Giving us a chase like this! Who undid your ropes?” said Mr. Andrews, roughly. One of the men put a hand on his arm and nodded up towards the vent. “Someone else is coming down,” he said. “We only tied up three boys, didn’t we? Who’s this, then?”

It was George, of course. She wasn’t going to desert the three boys. Down she came, as black as a nigger with soot.

“Another boy!” said the men. “Where did he come from?”

“Any more up there?” asked Mr. Andrews.

“Look and see,” said Julian, and got a box on the ears for his answer.

“Treat ’em rough now,” ordered Peters. “Teach ’em a lesson, the little pests. Take ’em away.”

The children’s hearts sank. The men caught hold of them roughly. Blow! Now they would be made prisoners again.