Emil is frightened. I explain to him that this cave is called the Robbers’ Cave. The robbers like hiding out here, because it is so dark. Suddenly, Emil is no longer so tired, and he quickly climbs on.
“At last – firm ground beneath our feet again,” Emil laughs, when we are at the top. He fishes the map out of his rucksack, and we consider where we need to go next. There’s a place on the map marked Siweschlëff. That is the next stop.
This time, I go ahead. I squeeze between the rocks. It is really narrow. At times, I have to pull in my stomach.
Behind me, I hear a scraping sound. I turn round to Emil. He is trying to move. But it’s no use. He is stuck firm. His rucksack is too big. I grab him by the arm and pull. It doesn’t work. I put my feet against the rocks and pull again. This time, it works. We fall to the ground.
“Phew!” Emil laughs. His rucksack is still stuck. We both pull as hard as we can.
“Scrraatch.” The rucksack is free. But there are a few scuffs on it. We knock the dirt off the rucksack and head on. There are numbers on the rocks. We ask ourselves what these numbers mean. “Maybe a robber’s hoard is hidden here. And that’s the secret code for the hiding place,” Emil says.
