“We’re two girls,” said Anne, thinking that the men might treat George less roughly if they knew she was not a boy. “I’m a girl and so is she.”

She got a scowl from George, but took no notice. This was not the time to pretend anything. These men were ruthless, and very angry. They thought their plans had gone wrong, all because of two boys. Perhaps when they found they had got two girls, they would let them go.

The men began to question them. “Where are the boys then?”

“We’ve no idea! Lost in the mist,” said Anne. “We all went out to go back home, and got separated, so George, I mean Georgina, and I went back to the quarry.”

“Did you hear the plane?”

“Of course!”

“Did you see or hear it dropping anything?”

“We didn’t see anything drop, we heard it,” said Anne. George stared at her furiously. Why was Anne giving all this away? Perhaps she thought that Timmy would be given back to them if they proved helpful? George immediately changed her mind about feeling cross with Anne. If only Timmy were all right!

“Did you pick up what the plane dropped?” The man rapped out the question so sharply that Anne humped. What should she say?

“Oh yes,” she heard herself saying. “We picked up a few queer parcels. What was in them, do you know?”

“Never you mind,” said the man. “What did you do with the parcels?”

George stared at Anne, wondering what she was going to say. Surely, surely she wouldn’t give that secret away?

“I didn’t do anything with them,” said Anne, in an innocent voice. “The boys said they would hide them. So they went off into the mist with them, but they didn’t come back. So George and I went to the quarry again. That’s when you caught us.”

The men talked among themselves in low voices. Then Sniffer’s father turned to the girls again.

“Where did the boys hide these packets?”

“How do I know?” said Anne. “I didn’t go with them. I didn’t see what they did with them.”

“Do you think they will still have got them with them?” asked the man.

“Why don’t you go and find the boys and ask them?” said Anne. “I haven’t seen or heard of the boys since they left us and went into the mist. I don’t know what became of them or the parcels!”

“They’re probably lost somewhere on the moors,” said the old, grey-haired gypsy. “With the packets! We’ll look for the boys tomorrow. They won’t get home in this! We’ll fetch them back here.”

“They wouldn’t come,” said George. “As soon as they saw you, they’d run. You’d never catch them. Any way they’d get back home as soon as the mist cleared.”

“Take these girls away,” said the old gypsy, sounding tired of them. “Put them in the far cave, and tie them up.”

“Where’s my dog?” shouted George, suddenly. “You bring me my dog!”