He’ll cuff me as soon as I go near, thought Jo, rubbing her left ear, which still stung from Bufflo’s cuff. They won’t listen to me, I know. Still I’ll try.

She went up to the group of men cautiously. She saw Bufflo take out a dagger-knife from his belt, and tie it to the end of the thin rope that the rubber-man held. She guessed in a moment what he was about to do, and ran to him.

“No, Bufflo, no! Don’t throw that knife up — you’ll hurt someone — you might wound one of them! No, Bufflo, no!”

“Clear out,” said Bufflo, angrily and raised his hand to slap her. She dodged away.

She went round the group to her uncle. “Uncle Fredo,” she said beseechingly, “Listen. I can hear voices — I think those…”

Alfredo pushed her away roughly. “Will you stop this, Jo? Do you want a good whipping? You behave like a buzzing fly!”

Mr. Slither called her. “See here, Jo — if you want to be useful, hold Beauty for me. He will be in the way in a minute.”

He draped the great snake over her shoulders, and Beauty hissed loudly. He began to coil himself round Jo, and she caught hold of his tail. She liked Beauty, but just at that moment she didn’t want him at all!

She stood back and watched what Bufflo was going to do. She knew, of course, and her heart beat fearfully. He was going to throw his knife through that high slit-window, a thing that surely only Bufflo, with his unerring aim, could possibly do!

But if he gets it through the window, it may stick into one of the four up there — or into Mr. Terry-Kane, she thought, in a panic. It might wound Dick — or Timmy! Oh, I wish Bufflo wouldn’t do it!

She heard low voices again — this time they came from just the other side of the wall! Men were going to follow those secret passages, and go right up to the tower-room! Jo knew they were! They would be there before Bufflo and the others had followed out their rescue plan. She pictured the four children being dragged down the stairs, and Terry-Kane, too. Would Timmy defend them? He would — but the men would certainly deal with him. They knew there was a dog there, because Timmy had barked the night before.

Oh, dear, thought Jo, in despair. I must do something! But what can I DO?

Chapter Twenty

A lot of excitement

Jo suddenly made up her mind. She would follow the men through those passages, and see if she could warn the others by shouting when she came near enough to the tower-room. She would help them somehow. Bufflo and the others would be too late to save them now.

Jo ran to the wall. She was up the peg-rope left there and down the other side in a trice. She made her way to where the missing stone left the gap in the old wall.