turned loose in the world again?" he asked in a faltering voice.
Humphrey shook his head firmly. "No. Not quite," he said. "Masterman must have gone to the place where they are buried in order to set their spirits free. That is why people have been seeing strange things lately. However, the spirits of the knights are harmless without their bodies. They can only frighten. Right now I imagine that the evil Dr. Masterman is waiting for a chance to free the bodies of his long-dead friends from their tomb. And if he does that, horrible things will happen. A pack of vicious, merciless, bloodthirsty creatures will be turned loose on the world."
Humphrey frowned grimly, and everyone was silent. After several minutes Fergie spoke up. He sounded skeptical.
"Look, Mr. Childermass," he said, "if this Rufus Whatsisname can turn loose the spirits of his buddies, why can't he turn loose their bodies?"
Humphrey shrugged. "I'm not sure why. Maybe Father Higgins is resisting him. Even though he's possessed, maybe he still has a mind of his own, sort of, and that mind may be fighting against doing something evil. Or maybe Masterman has to wait until a certain time to do his dirty workâmagic has its rules, and they have to be followed. The important thing is that we still may have some time to stop something ghastly from happening. And here's what we have to do: We have to go to the isle of Lundy, find the room where these knights are trapped, and fix things so that they will never ever bother the world again."
Johnny's eyes shone, and he began to get excited. Years ago he had read about Lundy in National Geographic. The island was about three miles long, and it had all sorts of odd rock formations as well as the ruins of an old castle. In the logo's a man named Harman had owned Lundy, and he had tried to make it a separate country with its own coins and stamps. In the midst of his thoughts, Johnny pausedâsomething was puzzling him.
"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "How come you think that's where the tomb of the knights is?"
The professor smiled smugly. "Well, we're not absolutely sure," he said, "but that's where the knights came from. And Lundy is the solution to one of those notes. Remember bustard custard and drake cake? Well, how about puffin muffins?"
"Puffin what?" asked Fergie. "What are you talkin' about?"
Johnny knew. Suddenly he remembered that puffins nested all over the isle of Lundy. Puffins are large birds with bodies like ducks, big feathery ruffs around their faces, and enormous curved beaks. Harman had put puffins on the Lundy stamps and coins that he had issued. Patiently Johnny explained all this to Fergie, who looked at him as if he didn't believe one word he was saying.
"Young John is correct," put in Humphrey with a kind smile. "In fact, in the old Norse language Lund Y means Puffin Island. There's always the possibility, I suppose, that we're going on a wild goose chase, but I don't think so, and neither does Roderick. I'm not exactly sure what we'll do when we find the tomb of the knights, but the riddles on those other scraps of paper may help us to figure that out. Are you boys ready for a short ocean voyage out to the mouth of the stormy Bristol Channel?"
Fergie and Johnny looked at each other. They imagined themselves in a rowboat, being pitched about by mountainous waves. But they were not about to admit that they were scared, so they nodded and said that they wanted to go.
"Fine!" said Humphrey, rubbing his hands enthusiastically. "And now I'd like to invite you all over to my house for dinner."
As it turned out, Humphrey lived just on the other side of the Clifton suspension bridge. His house was made of yellowish stone with steep Gothic gables and fancy carved wooden decorations on the eaves. Tall brick chimneys rose above the trees that crowded about the house, and on the front porch were stacks of broken chairs. Inside, the house smelled of wood smoke and damp paper, and in the enormous
Humphrey shook his head firmly. "No. Not quite," he said. "Masterman must have gone to the place where they are buried in order to set their spirits free. That is why people have been seeing strange things lately. However, the spirits of the knights are harmless without their bodies. They can only frighten. Right now I imagine that the evil Dr. Masterman is waiting for a chance to free the bodies of his long-dead friends from their tomb. And if he does that, horrible things will happen. A pack of vicious, merciless, bloodthirsty creatures will be turned loose on the world."
Humphrey frowned grimly, and everyone was silent. After several minutes Fergie spoke up. He sounded skeptical.
"Look, Mr. Childermass," he said, "if this Rufus Whatsisname can turn loose the spirits of his buddies, why can't he turn loose their bodies?"
Humphrey shrugged. "I'm not sure why. Maybe Father Higgins is resisting him. Even though he's possessed, maybe he still has a mind of his own, sort of, and that mind may be fighting against doing something evil. Or maybe Masterman has to wait until a certain time to do his dirty workâmagic has its rules, and they have to be followed. The important thing is that we still may have some time to stop something ghastly from happening. And here's what we have to do: We have to go to the isle of Lundy, find the room where these knights are trapped, and fix things so that they will never ever bother the world again."
Johnny's eyes shone, and he began to get excited. Years ago he had read about Lundy in National Geographic. The island was about three miles long, and it had all sorts of odd rock formations as well as the ruins of an old castle. In the logo's a man named Harman had owned Lundy, and he had tried to make it a separate country with its own coins and stamps. In the midst of his thoughts, Johnny pausedâsomething was puzzling him.
"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "How come you think that's where the tomb of the knights is?"
The professor smiled smugly. "Well, we're not absolutely sure," he said, "but that's where the knights came from. And Lundy is the solution to one of those notes. Remember bustard custard and drake cake? Well, how about puffin muffins?"
"Puffin what?" asked Fergie. "What are you talkin' about?"
Johnny knew. Suddenly he remembered that puffins nested all over the isle of Lundy. Puffins are large birds with bodies like ducks, big feathery ruffs around their faces, and enormous curved beaks. Harman had put puffins on the Lundy stamps and coins that he had issued. Patiently Johnny explained all this to Fergie, who looked at him as if he didn't believe one word he was saying.
"Young John is correct," put in Humphrey with a kind smile. "In fact, in the old Norse language Lund Y means Puffin Island. There's always the possibility, I suppose, that we're going on a wild goose chase, but I don't think so, and neither does Roderick. I'm not exactly sure what we'll do when we find the tomb of the knights, but the riddles on those other scraps of paper may help us to figure that out. Are you boys ready for a short ocean voyage out to the mouth of the stormy Bristol Channel?"
Fergie and Johnny looked at each other. They imagined themselves in a rowboat, being pitched about by mountainous waves. But they were not about to admit that they were scared, so they nodded and said that they wanted to go.
"Fine!" said Humphrey, rubbing his hands enthusiastically. "And now I'd like to invite you all over to my house for dinner."
As it turned out, Humphrey lived just on the other side of the Clifton suspension bridge. His house was made of yellowish stone with steep Gothic gables and fancy carved wooden decorations on the eaves. Tall brick chimneys rose above the trees that crowded about the house, and on the front porch were stacks of broken chairs. Inside, the house smelled of wood smoke and damp paper, and in the enormous
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