SPPOKS and SPOIL

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22823, 23 September 1939, Page 6 (Supplement)

SPPOKS and SPOIL

life iUt Jtott’lt Is!" , liJiSdbS'tbelieve it.” . Pile niarht I’ll show with all the scorn .his-r.sex and two years’ tfifaneruirity over his cousin Judy Mh6i|BS|6ntillecl?him.' . • soared of anything. 1 aejm'-nddn’t -believe the castle’s ihat’s aIL” g^SW|3l*:‘come , and ask Old Tom," When mother Was only as jßßßtjwSl -am now, so he ought to k glance at the ruined walls aßaahiSii on the rugged Cornish SHtotS? Gerald ' stumbled along the sbbStow bath after his cousin. . She nimble-footed, and, had Ipjwaifetr the rocky bridge which the ; little stream running iigrtothe cove bgldw some’ time be* could catch up. with her. |lS?Jf'Ou know, for a girl, you manpttfe these rocks jolly well,” he said, gjbxious to .atone for his disbelief in iPer story of the haunted ruin. pn.“OH well, I’ve lived here all my jinfe.”- Judy answered, somewhat ipaollifietL “There’s Old Tom now," gfcSfae added, pointing to a little potPSlgd 'Slreltered from the Atlantic a: spur of .the' rocky. Ipromcuitory on top of which the pSstlef^was'built; 1 r:: |p;pia?patH widened Here, and .to-ffigwhw-the two children, made their Bray&Uickly down to -the sandy iPOor-of the 'covC, and came up to Kyld Torn ."just as' that’worthy"’•was gsettling ddwh to his afternoon pipe gbtifside the-door. K: As >;usual,, -fishing-nets were dryin. the though, -no one ISquld: remember seeing Old Tom' go Ipfit fishing; nor, indeed, did he ever ‘scemto usafcthe boat, which, howfver, .. H&OM ways , v kept. .. freshly minted, tied to. .an; iron - ring toShented. into the rock surroundgag the little creek near his epttage. I ’Hewas a. surly individual,' morose ghd suent, still seemingly as strong ps a : 'horse, though no one knew »owield he was. r He openly . discouraged visitors, and only Gerald’s iPofty : :. scorn of her story had Ipempted Judy to appeal to Old Tom. pji“Ohj> aye, it’s haunted, right Sttipugn,” he mumbled' in answer to ESwir'-. query, “though.; What by,- I pjtoh’t''rightly know. SOme, say one i||ning, some another. Most agrees ||*B toe ghosts of the. crew of one: of ships that ; came . over jpFitfajthe' Armada, and .was.lwrecked Jthe ‘rocks' ypiider; Maybe ”tis; ’tisn’t.” Kf’Qferald grinned. been up to see the ghosts, Blunt?" he asked cheekily.

Tom darted a quick glance at him. “No, 1 haven’t, young man. I knows - what’s-my business, and what isn’t. There be queerer things in the World than you’ll have heard of yet, and ye’ll do well not to try to find out before your time;’’ ; - So saying, he turned away and entered the cottage, slamming the door behind him. ' Thus dismissed,, the cousins started off up the to the village; “Well, are you satisfied?” Judy asked triumphantly. ■ ■ “Not a bit,” answered Gerald, 'and added seriously, "there’s something

• '"/■ “ ■: queer about, it ail, though. But rTll bet my boots those ghosts are nice hefty humans of some kind. But Why ■ spread the spook story, I ■Wonder?” ■ ■ "Gerald. I tell you 1 ve seen them ™“lx>ok here, Judy, I don’t doubt you’ve seen something, and Tin going'to keep a look-out to-night and try to find out what. There s some monkey business going .on about here—and what’s more. Old Tom knows what it is.” , '■ That night, as soon as he judged his uncle and aunt would be asleep, Gerald crept from his room.. Each stair creaked under his weight as he stealthily made his way_ down to the back door, and let .himself out into the deserted street. ■ Once clear of the house, he put on his shoes, and quickly covered

the distance between the village_and the cliff path; but arrived there, he picked his way more cautiously. It was very dark. The moon, if there was one, was behind the clouds, and . several times he stumbled, and would have fallen, but for the scrubby bushes that overhung the path. A sudden turn brought him in view of the castle, a dim shape in the glodm, and his heart quickened with excitement, as he realised that someone—or something—was undoubtedly moving about between the ruined walls.

Creeping, as far up the path as he considered safe, Gerald clamberedun over some rocks, and by way of a small detour came to where a large boulder overhung the grassy platform which had once been a room in the castle, but from which the roof and much of the walls.had long since crumbled away. ' By flinging himself full length he was able to slither up to _ a point where he could see without being seen. Now he could hear someone moving about, and whoever it was Was making no attempt to move quietly. . Peering cautiously over the edge, Gerald, his eyes now accustomed to the gloom, saw a man in the act of levering a large stone from one of the walls. This done, he dragged out an iron-bound chest, which he proceeded to unrope. A sound to his right made Gerald hastily withdraw his head —a second man was stumbling up the pathway. “That you. Jake?” called the man at the box softly, as he flashed his torch in the direction of the sound. “Wish it weren’t,” answered the other irritably. “What’s the big idea, Carruthers, telling me to

bring the stuff to a forsaken hole like this?” “It’s the chief’s idea; and a. good one, too,” Carruthers answered, taking the parcel Jake held out to him. - “Half the disasters in this game are due to fools trying to get the stuff out of the country too quick. We hold it here until the first hue and cry after a job is over. “Then the yacht comes across and stands off the headland there, we lower the stuff to Old Tom, and he rows it out. It’s dead easy, and the ‘haunted ruin’ story is all to the good—no one comes prying. What’s that?" He had continued unroping the box while he spoke, and Gerald, in his eagerness- to see what it contained, leaned too far over on his rocky perch, missed bis bold, and

landed with a thud not 10 yards from the two men.

Flight was impossible, so he just stood his ground, his heart thumping madly, as Carruthers started towards him, an ugly look on his face. ,

“Spying, feh?” he snarled, as he grasped Gerald’s arm and dragged him forward. "I suppose you heard my little recitation? That s Just too bad! We’ll have to put you where you can’t repeat it, that’s all. Fetch me that rope, Jake.” “What are you going to do with the kid?” asked Jake nervously. “Lower him over with a note to Tom to take him out to the yacht with the stuff. The chief’ll know what to do with him.” Gerald looked wildly round, but as though Carruthers knew what w;.. passing in his mind, he quickly thrust a handkerchief Into the boy’s mouth, and bound his arms securely to his sides.

Then he drew a piece of paper from his pocket and hastily scribbled something—instructions to Old Tom, Gerald guessed. This he secured in Gerald’s bonds. Meanwhile the man Jake had been unwinding a length of rope from the windlass which they had apparently concealed in the tower, and this was in turn passed under Gerald’s arms. Then Carruthers ran to the edge of the cliff and signalled to someone below.

“He’s there, all right,” he muttered. “Now, sonny, over with you, and a pleasant journey!’’ Carefully, but none too gently, Gerald was lowered over the cliff. He closed his eyes, and for what seemed hours he hung in mid-air. Round and round, to and fro, he swung, until suddenly his feet touched the beach below, and a light flashed in his face. “Well, if it ain’t little nosey parker!” said a voice which the boy recognised as Old Tom’s. “So your curiosity got the better of you, did it?” So saying, he snatched and read Carruthers’ instructions; then, loosening the windlass rope, he flashed his torch towards the clifftop, and hastily bundled Gerald into the boat which he and Judy had seen that afternoon.

The rope disappeared into the blackness above, and a few minutes later a torch flashed. Old Tom replied with the necessary signal, x and the box was lowered to the beach. But before Tom could loosen it, a voice nearby called: “Stay right where you are, Tom. There - are five of us here, so you , are well covered. ' Hammond, release that boy in the boat, and bring him here,” The man addressed as Hammond, speedily set Gerald free, and as he came up to the men surrounding Old Tom, he saw with relief that three of them were coastguards, and of the other two one was Judy’s father. , “The lad’s about all in," he said to the coastguard captain. “I’ll get him home. You know where he is if he’s wanted.” “What happened, uncle?” asked Gerald as they turned away. “How did you manage to turn up just then?” ; “Well, my boy, 1 hardly know whether to praise or blame you.” answered Mr Mander. “You must never set up as a lone detective again. If it hadn’t been for Judy, I hate to think what might have happened to you, for you fell -hr with as desperate a gang of criminals as it’s possible to meet.” “Judy!” exclaimed Gerald. “Yes, Judy,” said his uncle., "Apparently she followed you on your little sleuthing expedition, and was hidden behind a rock • when

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