The Mystery of the Amphibious Jeep

by Moxham, Paul

  Sarah smiled. “Of course! So now we just need to move the lever again.”

  Amy nodded. “Can you do it since I’m steering? It’s the bottom one, and you need to move it down.”

  “Okay.” Sarah waited a moment for another car to pass them and then she reached forward and took hold of the lever. She attempted to push it down, but it didn’t move. “I can’t seem to make it go down.”

  “Here, take hold of the wheel while I try.” Amy waited a moment for her sister to take hold of the steering wheel and then she grabbed the lever with both hands. She pushed down with all her might, but it didn’t make any difference. She achieved the same result as her sister, which was nothing.

  Suddenly, the road, which had been mostly flat ever since leaving the estate, dipped down. As the vehicle increased its speed, Amy gave the lever one more try. But still it was the same result.

  As the jeep started going faster, Amy sat back down and took hold of the wheel. “I can’t get it to move. It must be stuck. But that has to be what caused the pedals to not move. Tex said the lever kept the jeep at a constant speed, which is what has happened.”

  “But we’re going faster now!” Sarah exclaimed.

  Amy nodded. “I know, but that’s because of this steep descent. Hopefully, the road will flatten out soon.”

  “What if we save ourselves and climb out of the hatch and jump off?” Sarah suggested.

  “No, we’d hurt ourselves,” Amy replied. “We’re going too fast to attempt that. As long as road flattens out soon, we’ll…” She paused as a sign came into view as the road intersected with another one. She couldn’t believe her eyes as she looked at the name indicated on the sign. “Saint-Vinez!”

  “Isn’t that the place we went to last holidays?” Sarah asked. “The one where Quigley’s friend lives?”

  “Yes, which means we’re on the French coast just as I thought. I didn’t think we were that far down south.” She quickly swung the steering wheel to the side and headed down the road that led to the village.

  “What are you doing?” Sarah questioned. “I thought you wanted to stay on the other road in case it flattened out.”

  Amy nodded. “Yes, but then I thought about Saint-Vinez and I realized there’s something in the village that will help us.”

  Sarah frowned. “There is?”

  “Yes. You’ll see in a moment.” Amy fell silent as she concentrated on navigating her way down the narrow side streets until she got to the main street which was much wider. She drove down to the end and then pointed at something. “Look!”

  “It’s a roundabout!” Sarah exclaimed.

  Amy nodded as she turned the steering wheel to the right and around the roundabout the vehicle went. “Yes, I recalled seeing it while we walked to The Black Badger.”

  A few seconds later, Sarah realized what Amy planned to do. “Of course! If you keep on going around in a circle, the jeep will run out of petrol.”

  “Yes,” Amy said. “Though, I don’t know how long that will be, so we also need to be on the lookout for a car or a person who might be able to help us.”

  “Well, since it’s after midnight I don’t think that will happen anytime soon,” Sarah said.

  Amy kept on steering the jeep round and round the roundabout for five or so minutes before a car with its headlights blazing came down the road. Amy glanced at her sister. “Go up the hatch and call out. We need to let them know that we need help.”

  Sarah nodded and hurriedly climbed the ladder. She flung open the hatch and, standing on the very top of the jeep, waved her hands to and fro as she yelled out. “Please help us!”

  As the car approached the roundabout, it slowed down and the driver’s window was cranked down. As a head poked down and gazed at the jeep, Sarah realised that the car was a police vehicle. She eagerly called out again. “We need help! Help us!”

  The man climbed out of his vehicle and waited until the jeep passed by before he shouted at Sarah. “What’s the trouble?”

  “We can’t stop the jeep!” Sarah shouted. “Climb up the ladder!”

  The man nodded as the jeep passed by. He waited until the vehicle came around again and then he ran towards the ladder. He caught hold of the rungs without any trouble and followed Sarah down into the jeep.

  As the police officer caught sight of Amy, he paused in shock. “Hey! I know you. You’re Amy.” He then glanced at Sarah. “And you’re Sarah. You were caught up in the smuggling racket at Ghost Island a few months ago!”

  As Sarah looked closer at the man and saw the thinning grey hair and wispy moustache, she realised it was Constable Bouchard. She hugged him. “It’s so good to see a familiar face.”

  The constable smiled. “Don’t you worry, I’ll have this sorted in no time.” He turned to Amy. “Why can’t you stop?”

  “The middle lever is jammed,” Amy said. “It needs to be pushed down.”

  “That seems easy enough.” The constable reached over and took of the lever. “Yes, it does seem to be stuck, but…” He paused as the lever suddenly moved down. As it slid back into its original position, the man released his grip. “There, that’s fixed now.”

  “I’ll see if that’s made…” Amy smiled as the jeep slowed down. “Yes, the brake is working now.”

  A few seconds later, the amphibious jeep came to a complete stop. As it did so, Amy sighed with relief. “Thanks a lot. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t come along.”

  “It’s good to be of service,” Constable Bouchard replied. “Now, do you mind telling me how you got to be driving this contraption?”

  Amy nodded. “We were escaping from burglars—”

  “Burglars?” the constable questioned. “What burglars?”

  Quickly, the girls told the man about Elmer and Frenchie. After they had done so, he frowned. “How long ago did all of this occur?”

  “I’m not sure,” Amy admitted. “However, I think the men should still be in the area since this was their only vehicle.”

  Constable Bouchard nodded as he quickly climbed up the ladder. “You stay here. I’ll send someone to get you as soon as I’ve dispatched men to Lord Bismarck’s house.”

  “Okay, good luck!” Amy shouted.

  As the man clambered down the outside of the jeep, Sarah sighed. “Well, it looks as though our adventure is finally over.”

  Amy nodded. “Yes, I just hope the constable and his men can capture the crooks.”

  ~

  The sun was just rising above the horizon as the two girls raced down the garden path of Rose Cottage. They were soon inside and telling everyone about their adventures.

  There was someone that they were delighted to see more than anyone and that was Monty.

  “What did the crooks do to him?” Amy asked as she lovingly held the terrier in her arms.

  Tex laughed. “They didn’t do anything. Monty was just enjoying himself. In fact, it wasn’t until we noticed that you two hadn’t returned and we all went outside and had a look around that Monty came bounding back.”

  “He must have been chasing rabbits,” Sarah piped up.

  “Probably,” Tex replied. “Anyway, enough about him, I just want to apologise for getting you girls mixed up in the theft of the jeep. If I had heard the men stealing the jeep then—”

  “But the men pushed it down the hill,” Amy interrupted. “So there’s nothing you could have done about that.”

  “It was my fault,” Sarah said. “If I hadn’t left my sunhat in your jeep then we wouldn’t have been outside when the men came.”

  “But then the men would have got away with the jeep and the valuables as well,” Joe said.

  You mean Constable Bouchard caught the crooks?” Sarah asked.

  Tex nodded. “He telephoned just before you came home. A patrol boat caught sight of them in a rowboat. They were attempting to row all the way to Spain.”

  Sarah’s green eyes shone. “That’s excellent news. Lord Bismarck will be plea
sed to get his valuables back.”

  Will nodded. “Yes, though he’s currently on holiday in Switzerland so I’m not sure when he’ll hear the news.”

  Mrs Mitchell suddenly stood up. “Are you girl’s hungry? Do you want me to make you something?”

  “Yes, thanks,” Sarah replied.

  “Yes, I’m starving,” Amy said. As Mrs Mitchell went into the kitchen, Amy turned to Tex. “Did you know that the middle lever in the jeep had problems?”

  Tex nodded. “Yes, that was one of the issues that I was going to get the mechanic to look at. Every now and then, the lever would get jammed and I’d have to push really hard on it to get it moving again.”

  “Is that lever something you made up?” Amy asked. “I don’t think Dad’s car has one.”

  Tex shook his head. “I didn’t make it up. In fact, I read about an inventor a few years ago who was trialling a similar method in his car and so, when I was modifying the jeep, I thought it would be the perfect fit. You see, if I was travelling long distances across an empty expanse of water, instead of me having to put my foot down on the pedal the whole time, I could just move the lever to the on position and the jeep would stay at the speed that it was travelling at, thus allowing me to stand up and get something to eat and so on.”

  “That sounds like a marvellous invention,” Joe said. “Though, it wouldn’t be so useful in cars since you wouldn’t often go at a constant speed but, for travelling around the world, that would be helpful.”

  “So, when do you think you’ll start your trip?” Sarah asked.

  “Well, I have to get the jeep fixed up, then go to London and speak to Ben Carlin, so maybe in four or so weeks I’ll start my journey,” Tex replied.

  “How long do you think it will take?” Joe questioned.

  Tex chuckled. “I have no idea. In fact, I have no idea how far I’ll even travel. I know I said I was going to travel around the world, but I’ll just take the journey one day at a time.”

  Amy patted Monty. “He’s such a lovely dog. I’m going to miss him.”

  “Well, if I come to England again, I’ll come and visit you,” Tex said. “And, if I’m still driving the jeep, I’ll take you lot out for a day in the vehicle.”

  Joe smiled. “Great! Maybe another adventure will come our way then.”

  Tex laughed. “Maybe. Only time will tell, won’t it, Monty? He reached down and patted the dog.

  The terrier barked joyfully. “Woof, woof!”

  The End

  PS: This story was inspired by the real life Aussie adventurer Ben Carlin. In 1948, he set out from New York City with an audacious plan to circumnavigate the world in an army amphibious jeep called Half-Safe. It was a 50,000 mile journey through fierce Atlantic hurricanes, across uncharted North African desert, into dense South East Asian jungles and over the icy swells of the North Pacific. Against all odds he survived, arriving back in New York City in 1958.

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  ~

  The Mystery of Smugglers Cove

  ~

  Chapter 1: Smugglers Cove

  The bicycle skidded to a halt as Joe Mitchell stopped beside a huge oak tree. His slim frame rocked forward, causing a lock of brown hair to fall into his eyes. He glanced back at his two sisters who were still pedalling furiously. Grinning broadly, he called out to them. “I told you I’d win!”

  “Well, your legs are much longer than ours,” Sarah panted. “Next time we race, Amy and I need a head start to make it fair.” Only eight years old, she was the younger of Joe’s two siblings and had short blonde hair.

  “Look!” Joe exclaimed as he caught sight of a large house in the distance. “That old place looks interesting.”

  They headed down a dirt road and, a minute later, found themselves in front of two big, steel gates. At the end of a long, overgrown driveway was a three-storey mansion.

  “I wonder who lives there,” Amy said. “It looks terribly old.” The curious ten year old twirled a strand of her brown hair around her finger.

  “I bet nobody does,” Sarah stated, her green eyes filled with doubt. “Look at all those weeds and bushes everywhere. If someone lived there, wouldn’t they keep the garden tidy?”

  “Let’s see if the gates are open.” Like many twelve year old boys, Joe was always on the lookout for an adventure, and this place looked very intriguing. He tried to open the gates, but they didn’t budge. “Help me, you two.”

  The girls threw their bicycles on the grass and joined Joe in trying to move the rusty gates but they had no luck.

  Joe stepped back and glanced around. “I wonder what this place is called.”

  “Chandler Manor!” Amy exclaimed triumphantly a moment later. She pointed to an old metal nameplate attached to the gatepost.

  “Yes, that’s right,” a cheery voice called out.

  The children spun around and saw a boy of about Joe’s age with flaming red hair. His freckles and cheeky smile gave him a goofy look, but he looked as though he would be fun to have as a friend.

  “My name’s Will,” the boy said. “Actually, it’s William, but most people call me Will. You’re new here, aren’t you? I haven’t seen you around Smugglers Cove before.”

  “We just arrived yesterday,” Joe said. “We’re staying at Rose Cottage. It’s a little place on the cliff overlooking the cove.”

  “What a coincidence,” Will said. “That’s where my father and I stayed while we were looking for a house to buy. “Have you got the bedroom with the skylight?”

  Joe grinned. “Yes, it’s fantastic.”

  “There was a fire at our house,” Sarah piped up. “That’s why we came here.”

  “Were you there at the time?” Will asked.

  “No, it happened while we were at school,” Amy replied. “The house was too badly damaged to stay in, so our parents decided to rent a place here for the summer holidays. It’s a lot smaller than Danfield, though.”

  “Isn’t that in London?” Will said.

  “Yes, but how did you know?” Joe asked.

  Will grinned. “We used to live quite close to Danfield.”

  “Why did you move here?” Amy asked.

  “My dad wanted some peace and quiet so he could write his novels, so we moved here after the war ended,” Will replied.

  Joe turned back towards Chandler Manor. “Does anyone live here?”

  Will shook his head. “No. The owner died five years ago, just after we moved in.”

 
“It looks very mysterious,” Joe said. “I wouldn’t mind exploring it.”

  “If you want to do some exploring, I know just the place,” Will said. “Have you heard anything about the history of Smugglers Cove?”

  “No, do tell us,” Amy said.

  “How about we go and buy ice creams and I tell you all about it?” Will suggested. “There’s a place called Darby’s that sells really yummy ones.”

  Sarah looked disappointed. “But we don’t have any money.”

  “Don’t worry, my dad gives me heaps of pocket money, so I can buy ice creams for all of us,” Will replied.

  The four children rode back into the village. As they passed the police station, they saw the local constable talking to the baker. Both of them were plumpish with round faces, but the constable was taller than the baker and wore thick-rimmed spectacles.

  They brought their bicycles to a halt a few moments later outside Darby’s. It was an attractive little shop with tables and chairs both inside and outside. After grabbing an ice cream each, they went outside and sat at a table surrounded by pots of red geraniums.

  Will launched into his story. “A long, long time ago, smuggling was a roaring trade around here. Ships used to anchor off the coast and smugglers would transport the goods to the beach and into the caves where, as legend says, there were a maze of tunnels. These tunnels criss-crossed all over Smugglers Cove, but to this day, only a few have been found.”

  “Why didn’t the police discover where the tunnels came out?” Amy asked.

  “Well, apparently the smugglers made the exits to the tunnels underneath houses,” Will replied. “That way, they could slip down to the cove, get the goods, transport them to the tunnels, and be back in bed by sunrise, all without going out the front door.”

  Joe frowned as he licked the ice cream that was dribbling down the cone. “That sounds a bit farfetched.”

  “Why would anyone go to all that trouble?” Sarah asked.

  “Smuggling was an easy way to make money back then.” Will glanced around. Apparently satisfied that no one was listening, he looked back at the others. “Can you keep a secret?”