Five Have A Mystery To Solve
Special
Note from ENID BLYTON
My
readers will want to know if Whispering Island is real, set in the great blue
harbour in the story - and if the little cottage on the hills is there still -
and the golf-course in the story - and Lucas, who tells the children about the
island. Yes, the island is real, and lies in the great harbour, still full of
whispering trees. The little cottage on the hills is still there, with its
magnificent view and its old well - and Lucas can be found on the golf-course,
nut-brown and bright-eyed, telling stories of the animals and birds he loves so
much. I have taken them all and put them into this book for you - as well as
the friends you know so well - The Famous Five
Chapter
One
EASTER
HOLIDAYS
‘The
nicest word in the English language is holidays!’ said Dick, helping himself to
a large spoonful of marmalade. ‘Pass the toast, Anne. Mother, do you feel
down-hearted to have us all tearing about the place again?’
‘Of
course not,’ said his mother. ‘The only thing that really worries me when
holidays come, is Food - Food with a capital F. We never seem to have enough in
the house when all three of you are back. And by the way - does anyone know
what has happened to the sausages that were in the larder?’
‘Sausages
- sausages - let me think!’ said Julian, frowning. Anne gave a sudden giggle.
She knew quite well what had happened.
‘Well,
Mother - you said we could get our own meal last night, as you were out,’ said
Julian. ‘So we poked about and decided on sausages.’
‘Yes,
but Julian - two whole pounds of sausages!’ said his mother. ‘I know
‘She
brought Timmy,’ said Anne. ‘He rather likes sausages too, Mother.’
‘Well,
that’s the last time I leave the larder door unlocked, when I go out!’ said her
mother. ‘Fancy cooking those lovely pork sausages for a dog - especially Timmy,
with his enormous appetite! Really, Anne! I meant to have them for our lunch
today.’
‘Well
- we rather thought we’d go and spend the day at Kirrin, with George and
Timmy,’ said Dick. ‘That’s if you don’t want us for anything, Mother.’
‘I
do want you,’ said his mother. ‘Mrs Layman is coming to tea, and she said she
wants to see you about something.’
The
three groaned, and Dick protested at once. ‘Oh Mother - the first day of the
holidays - and we have to be in to tea! It’s too bad - a glorious spring day
like this too!’
‘Oh
- we’ll be in to tea all right,’ said Julian, giving Dick a sharp little kick
under the table, as he saw his mother’s disappointed face. ‘Mrs Layman’s a nice
old thing - she was always giving us little treats when we were little.’
‘And
she never forgets our birthdays,’ said Anne. ‘Do you think we could ask George
over too - with Timmy? George will be awfully disappointed if we aren’t with
her the first day of the hols.’
‘Yes,
of course you can,’ said her mother. ‘Go and ring her up now, and arrange it.
And don’t forget to put our old Tibby-cat into the shed, with a saucer of milk.
She’s scared stiff of Timmy - he’s so enormous. And please, all of you, TRY to
look clean at tea-time.’
‘I’ll
see to Dick and Anne,’ said Julian, with a grin. ‘I must remember to find their
overalls!’
‘I’m
going to phone George now, this very minute,’ said Anne, getting up from the
table. ‘Do you mind, Mother? I’ve finished - and I’d like to catch George
before she takes Tim for a walk, or does some shopping for Aunt Fanny.’
‘Uncle
Quentin will be glad to be rid of George even for a meal,’ said Dick. ‘He fell
over her lacrosse stick yesterday, and wanted to know why she left her fishing
net about! George didn’t know what he was talking about!’
‘Poor
old
‘Yes.
She’s thrilled,’ said Anne. ‘She says it’s just as well we’re not going to
spend the day with her, because Uncle Quentin has lost some papers he was
working on, and he’s turning the house upside down. George said she will
probably be mad as a hatter by the time she arrives this afternoon! Uncle
Quentin even made Aunt Fanny turn out her knitting bag to see if the papers
were there!’
‘Dear
old Quentin,’ said her mother. ‘Such a truly brilliant scientist - remembers
every book he’s ever read - every paper he’s ever written - and has the finest
brain I know - and yet loses some valuable paper or other almost every week!’
‘He
loses something else every day of the week too,’ said Dick, with a grin. ‘His
temper! Poor old George - she’s always in some sort of trouble!’
‘Well,
anyway, she’s jolly glad to be coming over here!’ said Anne. ‘She’s biking
over, with Timmy. She’ll be here for lunch. Is that all right, Mother?’
‘Of
course!’ said her mother. ‘Now - seeing that you had today’s dinner for last
night’s supper, you’d better do a little shopping for me. What shall we have?’
‘SAUSAGES!’
said everyone, at once.
 ‘All right - sausages. But Timmy
can have a bone - a nice meaty bone. I am NOT going to buy any more sausages
for him, that’s quite certain.’
‘And
shall we get some nice cakes for tea as Mrs Layman is coming?’ said Anne. ‘Or
are you going to make some, Mother?’
‘I’ll
make a few buns,’ said her mother. ‘And you can choose whatever else you like -
so long as you don’t buy up the shop!’
The
three went off shopping, cycling along the lane to the village. It was a truly
lovely spring day. The celandines were golden in the ditches, and daisies were
scattered everywhere. Dick burst into song as they went, and the cows in the
nearby fields lifted their heads in surprise, as Dick’s loud voice swept round
them.
Anne
laughed. It was good to be with her brothers again She missed them very much
when she was at school. And now - they would have almost a whole month together
- with their cousin George too. She was suddenly overwhelmed with joy, and
lifted up her voice and joined Dick in his singing. Her brothers looked at her
with affection and amusement.
‘Good
old Anne,’ said Dick.  ‘Whatever
makes you say that? You just wait - you may get a surprise one day!’
‘Yes
- we may!’ said Julian. ‘But I doubt it. A mouse can’t suddenly turn into a
tiger! Anyway, one tiger’s enough. George is the tiger of our family - my word,
she can put out her claws all right - and roar - and ramp and rave!’
Everyone
laughed at the picture of George as a tiger.  She turned round fiercely.
‘LOOK
OUT, IDIOT! You nearly had me over! Can’t you see where you’re going? Be
sensible, can’t you?’
‘Hey,
Anne - whatever’s the matter?’ said Julian, amazed to hear his gentle little
sister lashing out so suddenly.
Anne
laughed. ‘It’s all right. I was just being a tiger for a moment - putting out
my claws! I thought Dick and you might like to see them!’
‘Well,
well!’ said Dick, riding beside her, ‘I’ve never heard you yell like that
before. Surprising - but quite pleasing! What about you showing old George your
claws sometime when she gets out of hand?’
‘Stop
teasing,’ said Anne. ‘Here’s the butcher’s. For goodness sake go and get the
sausages and be sensible. I’ll go and buy the cakes.’
The
baker’s shop was full of new-made buns and cakes, and smelt deliciously of
home-made bread. Anne enjoyed herself choosing a vast selection. ‘After all,’
she thought, ‘there will be eight of us - counting Timmy - and if we’re all
hungry, cakes soon disappear.’
The
boys were very pleased to see all the paper bags.
‘Looks
like a good tea today,’ said Dick. ‘I hope the old lady - what’s her name now -
Layman - who’s coming to tea today, has a good appetite. I wonder what she’s
going to tell us about.’
‘Did
you buy a nice meaty bone for Timmy?’ asked Anne. ‘He’ll like that for his
tea.’
‘We
bought such a beauty that I’m pretty sure Mother will say it’s good enough to
make soup from,’ said Dick, with a grin. ‘So I’ll keep it in my saddlebag till
he comes. Dear old Tim. He deserves a jolly good bone. Best dog I ever knew!’
‘He’s
been on a lot of adventures with us,’ said Anne, bicycling beside the boys, as
the road was empty. ‘And he seemed to enjoy them all.’
‘Yes.
So did we!’ said Dick. ‘Well - who knows? An adventure may be lying in wait for
us these hols too! I seem to smell one in the air!’
‘You
don’t!’ said Anne. ‘You’re just making that up. I’d like a bit of peace after a
hectic term at school. I worked jolly hard this last term.’
‘Well
- you were top of your form, and captain of Games - so you deserve to have the
kind of holiday you like,’ said Julian, proud of his young sister. ‘And so you
shall! Adventures are OUT! Do you hear that, Dick? We keep absolutely clear of
them. So that’s that!’
‘Is
it, Ju?’ said Anne, laughing. ‘Well - we’ll see!’
Chapter
Two
A
VISITOR TO TEA
George
and Timmy were waiting for Julian, Dick and Anne, when they arrived home. Timmy
was standing in the road, ears pricked, long tail waving. He went quite mad
when he saw their bicycles rounding the corner, and galloped towards them at
top speed, barking madly, much to the horror of a baker’s boy with a large
basket.
The
boy disappeared into the nearest garden at top speed, yelling ‘Mad dog, mad
dog!’ Timmy tore past, and forced the three to dismount, for they were afraid
of knocking him over.
‘Dear
Timmy!’ said Anne, patting the excited dog. ‘Do put your tongue in - I’m sure
it will fall out some day!’
Timmy
ran to each of them in turn, woofing in delight, licking everyone, and
altogether behaving as if he hadn’t seen them for a year!
‘Now
that’s enough, old boy,’ said Dick, pushing him away, and trying to mount his
bicycle once more. ‘After all, we did see you yesterday. Where’s George?’
George
had heard Timmy barking, and had now run out into the road too. The three
cycled up to her, and she grinned happily at them.
‘Hallo!
You’ve been shopping, I see.  Sorry
you couldn’t come over to Kirrin Cottage - but I’m jolly glad you asked me to
come to you - my father still hasn’t found the papers he’s lost, and honestly
our place is like a mad-house - cupboards being turned out - even the kitchen
store-cupboard! and I left poor Mother up in the loft, looking there - though
why Father should think they might be there, I don’t know!’
‘Poor
old George - I can just see your father tearing his hair, and shouting - and
all the time he’s probably put the papers into the waste-paper basket by
mistake!’ said Dick, with a chuckle.
‘Gracious
- we never thought of that!’ said George. ‘I’d better phone Mother at once, and
tell her to look. Bright idea of yours, Dick.’
‘Well,
you go and phone, and we’ll put our bikes away,’ said Julian.  You’re in disgrace over sausages, let me
tell you.   I say, who’s this Mrs Layman who’s coming to tea? Have we got to stay in
and have tea with her? I hoped we might be going off for a picnic this
afternoon.’
‘Nothing
doing, old thing,’ said Dick, ‘Mrs Layman is apparently coming to talk to us
about something. So we have to be in - with clean hands, nice manners, and
everything. So behave yourself, George!’
George
gave him a friendly punch. ‘That’s unfair,’ said Dick. ‘You know I can’t punch
you back.  ‘He called me a mouse, George - he said we’d one
tiger - you - and that was enough in the family. So I went for him - put out my
claws for a moment, and gave him such a surprise. I rather liked it!’
‘Good
old Anne!’ said George, amused. ‘But you’re not really cut out to be a tiger,
and rage and roar, you know.’
‘I
could be, if I had to,’ said Anne, obstinately. ‘One of these days I’ll
surprise you all. You just wait!’
‘All
right. We will,’ said Julian, putting his arm round his sister. ‘Come on, now -
we’d better get indoors before Timmy gets some of the cakes out of the bags.
 ‘Shall I give him one?’
‘NO!’
said Julian. ‘Cherry buns are wasted on him, you know that. Don’t you remember
how he chews the bun part and spits out the cherries?’
‘Woof,’
said Timmy, exactly as if he agreed. He went to sniff at the bag with his bone
inside.
'That’s
your dinner, Tim,’ said Anne. ‘Plenty of meat on it, too. Look there’s Mother
at the window, beckoning. I expect she wants the sausages. NO, Timmy - the
sausages are NOT for you. Get down! Good gracious, I never in my life knew such
a hungry dog. Anybody would think you starved him, George.’
‘Well,
they’d think wrong, then,’ said George. ‘Timmy, come to heel.’
Timmy
came, still looking round longingly at the various bags that the others were
now taking from their saddle-bags.
They
all went indoors, and deposited the goods on the kitchen table. The cook opened
the bags and looked inside, keeping a sharp eye on Timmy.
 ‘Funny how sausages always
disappear when he’s around.
Timmy
trotted out of the kitchen. He thought it was a pity that cooks didn’t like
him. He liked them very much indeed - they always smelt so deliciously of
cooking, and there were always so many titbits around which he longed for, but
was seldom offered. Ah well - he’d trot into the kitchen again when Cookie had
gone upstairs for something! He might perhaps find a few bits and pieces on the
floor then!
‘Hallo,
Georgina dear!’ said her aunt, coming into the kitchen, Timmy following her in
delight. ‘Timmy, go out of the kitchen. I don’t trust you within a mile of
sausages. Go on - shoo!’
Timmy
‘shooed’. He liked Anne’s mother, but knew that when she said ‘Shoo!’ she meant
it. He lay down on a rug in the living-room, with a heavy sigh, wondering how
long it would be before he had that lovely meaty bone. He put his head on his
paws, and kept his ears pricked for George. He thought it most unfair that
George shouldn’t be shooed out of the kitchen too.
‘Now
for goodness sake, keep out of my way while I cook the lunch,’ said Cook, to
the children milling round her kitchen. ‘And shut the door, please.   He’s not
that kind of dog. He’s never greedy!’
‘Well,
he must be the first dog ever born that wasn’t greedy,’ said Cookie. ‘Can’t
trust any of them! There was that pug-dog of Mrs Lane’s - crunched up lumps of
sugar whenever it could reach a sugar-bowl - and that fat poodle next door -
came and knocked over the cream that the milkman left outside the back door -
deliberated knocked it over, mark you - and then licked up every drop. Ha - his
mistress tried to make out he didn’t like cream - but you should have seen his
nose - covered in cream up to his eyes!’
Timmy
looked in at the kitchen door, his nose in the air, for all the world as if he
were deeply offended at Cookie’s remarks. Julian laughed. ‘You’ve wounded his
pride, Cookie!’ he said.
‘I’ll
wound him somewhere else, too, if he comes sniffing round me when I’m cooking,’
said Cookie. That made George give one of her scowls, but the others couldn’t
help laughing!
The
morning went very pleasantly. The five went down to the beach, and walked round
the high cliffs, enjoying the stiff breeze that blew in their faces. Timmy
raced after every seagull that dared to sit on the smooth sand, annoyed that
each one rose up lazily on great wings, as soon as he almost reached it.
They
were all hungry for their dinner, and not one single morsel was left when they
had finished! Cookie had made a tremendous steamed pudding, with lashings of
treacle, which was, as usual, a huge success.
‘Wish
I had a tongue like Timmy’s and could lick up the lovely treacle left on the
bottom of the dish,’ said George. ‘Such a waste!’
‘You
certainly won’t be able to eat any tea, I’m sure of that!’ said her aunt. But,
of course, she was wrong. When teatime came, they all felt quite ready for it,
and were most impatient when Mrs Layman was late!
The
tea looked lovely, laid on a big table, over a white lace cloth. The children
sat and looked at it longingly. When would Mrs Layman arrive?
‘I
begin to feel I’m not going to like Mrs Layman,’ said George, at last. ‘I can’t
bear looking at those cream cakes when I’m hungry.’
The
front door bell rang. Hurrah! Then in came a cheerful, smiling old lady,
nodding to everyone, very pleased to see such a nice little party waiting for
her.
‘This
is Mrs Layman, children,’ said Julian’s mother. ‘Sit down, Mrs Layman. We’re
delighted to have you.’
‘Well,
I’ve come to ask the children something,’ said Mrs Layman. ‘But we’ll have tea
first, and then I’ll say what I’ve come to say. My, my - what a wonderful tea!
I’m glad I feel hungry!’
Everyone
else was hungry too, and soon the bread and butter, the sandwiches, the buns,
the cakes and everything else disappeared. Timmy sat quietly by George, who
slipped him a titbit now and again, when no one was looking. Mrs Layman chatted
away. She was a most interesting person, and the children liked her very much.
‘Well
now,’ she said, when tea was finished, ‘I’m sure you must be wanting to know
why I asked to come to tea today. I wanted to ask your mother, Julian, if there
was any chance of you three - and this other boy here - what’s his name -
George? would you like to help me out of a difficulty.’
Nobody
pointed out that George was a girl, not a boy, and that George was short for
Georgina. George, as usual, was pleased to be taken for a boy. They all looked
at Mrs Layman, listening to her with interest.
‘It’s
like this,’ she said.  Well, I have
to go to look after a cousin of mine, who’s ill - and Wilfrid can’t bear to be
left alone. I just wondered if your mother would allow you children to share
the little house with Wilfrid - and well - keep him company. He feels a bit
scary being on his own. I’ve a good woman there, who comes in to cook and clean
- but poor Wilfrid’s really scared of being in such a lonely place, high up on
the hill.’
‘You
mean that lovely little house with the wonderful view?’ said Julian’s mother.
‘Yes.
It’s rather primitive in some ways - no water laid on, only just a well to use
- and no electricity or gas - just candles, or an oil lamp. Maybe it sounds too
old-fashioned for words - but honestly the view makes up for it! Perhaps the
children would like to come over and see it, before they decide?’ Mrs Layman
looked earnestly round at everyone, and nobody knew quite what to say.
‘Well
- we’ll certainly come and see it,’ said Julian’s mother. ‘And if the children
feel like it, well, they can stay there. They do like being on their own, of
course.’
‘Yes,’
said Julian. ‘We’ll come and see it, Mrs Layman. Mother’s going to be busy with
a bazaar soon - she’ll be glad to get us out of the way - and, of course, we do
like being on our own!’
Mrs
Layman looked extremely pleased. ‘Tomorrow, then?’ she said. ‘About ten
o’clock. You’ll love the view. Wonderful, wonderful! You can see right over the
great harbour, and for miles around. Well - I must be going now. I’ll tell
Wilfrid you children may be keeping him company. He’s such a nice lad - so
helpful. You’ll love him.’
Julian
had his doubts about the nice helpful Wilfrid. He even wondered if Mrs Layman
wanted to get away from Wilfrid, and leave him to himself! No - that was too
silly. Anyway, they’d soon see what the place was like, tomorrow.
‘It
would be fun to be on our own again,’ said George, when Mrs Layman had gone. ‘I
don’t expect this Wilfrid would be any bother. He’s probably just a silly kid,
scared of being left alone - though apparently there is a woman there! Well -
we’ll go tomorrow! Maybe the view will make up for dear Wilfrid!’
Chapter
Three
THE
COTTAGE ON THE HILL - AND WILFRID
Next
day the children prepared to go and see the cottage belonging to Mrs Layman.
‘You coming too, Mother?’ asked Julian. ‘We’d like your advice!’
‘Well
no, dear,’ said his mother. ‘I’ve rather a lot to do - there’s a meeting on at
the Village Hall, and I promised to go to it.’
‘You’re
full of good works, Mother,’ said Julian, giving her a hug. ‘All right, we’ll
go by ourselves. I daresay we shall know at once whether we’d like to stay in
the cottage - or not. Also, we MUST know what this Wilfrid is like! It’s a
quarter to ten, and George is already here, with Timmy. I’ll call the others
and we’ll get our bikes.’
Soon
the four were on their bicycles, with Timmy, as usual, running alongside, his
long tongue out, his eyes bright and happy. This was Timmy’s idea of perfect
happiness - to be with the four children all day long!
They
went along a road that ran on the top of a hill. They swung round a corner -
and there, spread far below them, was a great sea-vista that included a wonderful
harbour, filled with big and little ships. The sea was as blue as the
Mediterranean, quite breathtaking. Anne jumped off her bicycle at once.
‘I
must just feast my eyes on all this before I go a yard further!’ she said.
‘What a panorama! What miles of sea and sky!’
She
put her bicycle against a gate and then climbed over and stood by herself,
gazing down at the view. Dick joined her.
Then
suddenly a voice shouted loudly ‘FORE! FORE!’ A small white thing came whizzing
through the air and landed just by Anne’s foot. She jumped in surprise.
‘It’s
a golf-ball,’ said Dick. ‘No, don’t pick it up. Whoever’s playing with it, has
to come and hit it from exactly where it fell. Good thing you weren’t hit,
Anne. I didn’t realize that this gate led on to a golf-course!’
‘We
ought to have a walk over it,’ said Anne. ‘Just look at those gorse bushes over
there, absolutely flaming with yellow blossom - and all the tiny flowers
springing up everywhere - speedwell and coltsfoot and daisies and celandines -
beautiful. And oh - what a view!’
‘Yes
- and if Mrs Layman’s cottage has a view anything like this, I’d certainly like
to stay there!’ said Dick. ‘Think of getting out of bed in the morning and
seeing this enormous view out of the window - the harbour - the sea beyond -
the hills all round - the great spread of sky...’
‘You
ought to be a poet, Dick!’ said Anne, in surprise. The golfers came up at that
moment, and the children stood aside and watched one of them address the ball,
and then strike it easily and strongly. The ball soared through the air, and
landed far away on a smooth green fairway.
‘Good
shot!’ said the man’s partner, and the two sauntered off together.
‘Funny
game, really,’ said Anne. ‘Just hitting a ball all round the course.’
‘Wish
I had some clubs!’ said Dick. ‘I’m sure I could hit some smashing shots!’
‘Well,
if that cottage is anywhere near the golf-course, perhaps you could pay to have
a lesson,’ said Anne. ‘I bet you could hit a ball as far as that man!’
The
others were now yelling for them to come back, so they went to fetch their
bicycles. Soon they were all riding along the road again. ‘We have to look for
a small white gate, with “Hill Cottage” painted on it,’ said George. ‘On the
hillside facing the sea.’
‘There
it is!’ cried Anne. ‘We’ll pile our bicycles together against the hedge, and go
in at the gate.’
They
left their bicycles in a heap and went through the gate. Not far to their left
stood a funny old cottage, its back to them, its front looking down the steep
hill that ran towards the great harbour and the sea beyond.
‘It’s
like a cottage out of an old fairy-tale,’ said Anne. ‘Funny little chimneys -
rather crooked walls - a thatched roof, all uneven - and what tiny windows!’
They
walked down a little winding path that led to the cottage. They soon came to a
well, and leaned over it to see the water deep down. ‘So that’s the water we’d
have to drink!’ said Anne, wrinkling up her nose. ‘And we’d have to let down
the bucket by winding this handle - and down it would go on the rope! Do you
suppose the water is pure?’
‘Well,
seeing that people must have drunk it for years on end - the ones living in
that cottage, anyway - I should imagine it’s all right!’ said Julian. ‘Come on
- let’s find the front door of the cottage - if it has one!’
It
had one wooden door, hung rather crooked, with an old brass knocker. It faced
down the hill, and was flanked on each side by small windows. Two other small
windows were above. Julian looked at them. The bedrooms would be very small, he
thought - would there really be room for them all?
He
knocked at the door. Nobody came to open it. He knocked again, and then looked
for a bell, but there wasn’t one.
‘See
if the door is unlocked,’ said Anne. So Julian turned the handle - and at once
the door gave under his hand! It opened straight into a room that looked like a
kitchen-living-room.
Julian
gave a shout. ‘Anyone at home?’
There
was no answer. ‘Well - as this is obviously the cottage we were meant to see,
we’d better go in,’ said Julian and in they all went.
It
was old, very old. The carved wooden furniture was old too. Ancient oil lamps
stood on two tables in the room, and in a recess there was an oilstove with a
saucepan on top. A narrow, crooked stairway made of wood curved up to the floor
above. Julian went up, and found himself in a long, darkish room, its roof
thatched with reed and held up by black beams.
‘This
place must be hundreds of years old!’ he called down to the others. ‘I don’t
think it’s big enough for us four and the others too - the cook and that boy
called Wilfrid.’
Just
as he finished calling down the stairs, the front door was flung open and
someone came in.
‘What
are you doing here?’ he shouted. ‘This is my cottage!’
Julian
went quickly down the stairs, and there, facing them all, stood a boy of about
ten, a scowl on his brown face.
‘Er
- are you Wilfrid, by any chance?’ asked Dick, politely.
‘Yes,
I am. And who are you? And where’s my aunt?
‘Is
your aunt Mrs Layman?’ asked Julian. ‘If so, she asked us to come and see her
cottage, and decide if we’d like to keep you company.  ‘So clear off. I’m all right here alone. My
aunt’s a nuisance, always fussing round.’
‘I
thought there was a cook too,’ said Julian. ‘Where is she?’
‘She
only comes in the morning, and I sent her off,’ said Wilfrid. ‘She left me some
food. I want to be alone. I don’t want you. So clear off’
‘Don’t
be a fathead, Wilfrid,’ said Julian. ‘You can’t live all alone here. You’re
just a kid.’
‘I
shan’t be living all alone. I’ve plenty of friends,’ said Wilfrid, defiantly.
‘You
CAN’T have plenty of friends here in this lonely place, with only the hills and
sky around you,’ said Dick.
‘Well,
I have!’ said Wilfrid. ‘And here’s one - so look out!’ And, to the horror of
the two girls, he put his hand into his pocket, and brought out a snake!
Anne
screamed, and tried to hide behind Julian. Wilfrid saw her fright and came
towards her, holding the snake by its middle, so that it swayed to and fro, its
bright little eyes gleaming.
‘Don’t
be scared, Anne,’ said Julian. ‘It’s only a harmless grass-snake.  If that snake
is the only friend you have, you’ll be pretty lonely here by yourself!’
‘I’ve
plenty of friends, I tell you!’ shouted Wilfrid, stuffing the snake back into
his pocket.  ‘Just show us your other friends. If they’re kids
like you, it’s just too bad!’
‘Kids?
I don’t make friends with kids!’ said Wilfrid, scornfully. ‘I’ll show you I’m
speaking the truth. Come out here on the hillside, and see some of my other
friends.’
They
all trooped out of the little cottage, on to the hillside, amazed at this
fierce, strange boy. When they were in the open, they saw that he had eyes as
bright blue as the speedwell in the grass, and hair almost as yellow as the
celandines.
‘Sit
down and keep quiet,’ he ordered. ‘Over there, by that bush. And don’t move a
finger. I’ll soon make you believe in my friends!
They
all sat down obediently beside the gorse-bush, puzzled and rather amused. The
boy sat down too, and drew something out of his pocket. What was it? George
tried to see, but it was half-hidden in his right hand.
He
put it to his mouth, and began to whistle. It was a soft, weird whistle that
grew loud and then died away again. There was no tune, no melody, just a kind
of beautiful dirge that pulled at the heart. Sad, thought Anne, such a sad
little tune - if you could call it a tune!
Something
stirred a little way down the hill - and then, to everyone’s astonishment, an
animal appeared - a hare!  Then the hare lollopped right
up to Wilfrid - and began to dance! Soon another came, but this one only
watched. The first one then seemed to go mad, and leapt about wildly, utterly
unafraid.
The
tune changed a little - and a rabbit appeared! Then another and another. One
came to Wilfrid’s feet and sniffed at them, its whiskers quivering. Then it lay
down against the boy’s foot.
A
bird fiew down - a beautiful magpie! It stood nearby, watching the hare,
fascinated. It took no notice of the children at all. They all held their
breath, amazed and delighted.
And
then Timmy gave a little growl, deep down in his throat. He didn’t really mean
to, but he just couldn’t help it! At once the hares, the rabbits and the magpie
fled, the magpie squawking in fright.
Wilfrid
faced round at once, his eyes blazing. He lifted his hand to strike Timmy - but
George caught his fist at once.
‘Let
go!’ yelled Wilfrid. ‘That dog scared my friends! I’ll get a stick and whip
him. He’s the worst dog in the world, he’s...’
And
then something strange happened. Timmy came gently over to Wilfrid, lay down,
and put his head on the angry boy’s knee, looking up at him lovingly. The boy,
his hand still raised to strike, lowered it, and fondled Timmy’s head, making a
curious crooning noise.
‘Timmy!
Come here!’ ordered George, amazed and angry. To think that her dog, her very
own dog, should go to a boy who had been about to strike him!
Timmy
stood up, gave Wilfrid a lick, and went to George.
The
boy watched him, and then spoke to them all. ‘You can come and stay in my
cottage,’ he said, ‘if you’ll bring that dog too. There aren’t many dogs like
him - he’s a wonderful dog. I’d like him for one of my friends.’
 Well, well, Timmy - there must indeed by something about that boy, if you
stand looking after him as if you had lost one of your very best friends!
Chapter
Four
SETTLING
IN
The
Five stared after Wilfrid in silence. Timmy wagged his tail and whined. He
wanted the boy to come back.
‘Well,
thank you, Timmy, old thing,’ said Anne, patting the big dog on the head. ‘We
certainly wouldn’t have had this lovely little cottage, with its incredible
view, if you hadn’t made friends with Wilfrid. What a funny boy he is!’
‘Jolly
queer, I think!’ said George, still amazed at the way that Timmy had gone to
Wilfrid, when the boy had been about to strike him.  ‘That boy must have a
wonderful love for animals. They would never come to him as they did, if they
didn’t trust him absolutely. Anyone who loves animals as he does must be pretty
decent.’
‘I
bet I could make them come to me if I had that pipe,’ said George, making up
her mind to borrow it if she could.
Anne
went back into the cottage. She was delighted with it. ‘It must be very very
old,’ she thought. ‘It stands dreaming here all day long, full of memories of
the people who have lived here and loved it. And how they must all have loved
this view - miles and miles of heather, great stretches of sea - and the
biggest, highest, widest sky I’ve ever seen. It’s a happy place. Even the
clouds seem happy - they’re scurrying along, so white against the blue!’
She
explored the cottage thoroughly. She decided that the room above, under the
thatch, should be for the three boys. There were two mattresses - one small,
one larger. ‘The little one for Wilfrid - the big one for Dick and Julian,’ she
thought. ‘And I and George can sleep down in the living-room, with Tim on
guard. I wonder if there are any rugs we could sleep on. Ah - wait a bit - this
couch is a pull-out bed - just right for us two girls! Good!’
Anne
enjoyed herself thoroughly. This was the kind of problem she liked - fixing up
this and that for the others! She found a little larder, facing north. It had a
few tins in it, and a jug of milk, slightly sour. It also had two loaves of
extremely stale bread, and a tin of rather hard cakes.
‘Mrs
Layman doesn’t seem to be a very good housekeeper for herself and Wilfrid,’
thought Anne, seriously. ‘We’ll have to go down to the village and put in a
stock of decent food. I might get a small ham - the boys would like that.
Goodness - this is going to be fun!’
Julian
came to the door to see what she was doing. When he saw her happy, serious
face, he chuckled. ‘Acting “mother” to us, as usual?’ he said. ‘Deciding who’s
going to sleep where, and which of us is to do the shopping, and which the
washing-up? Dear old Anne - what should we do without you when we go off on our
own?’
‘I
love it,’ said Anne, happily. ‘Julian, we need another rug or two, and a
pillow, and some food. And...’
‘Well,
we’ll have to go back home and collect a few clothes and other things,’ said
Julian. ‘We can shop on the way back, and get whatever we want. I wonder if
that woman that Mrs Layman spoke about will be coming in to help?’
‘Well
- Wilfrid said he sent her off,’ said Anne. ‘And I think perhaps as the cottage
is so small, it might be better if we managed it ourselves. I think I could do
a bit of cooking on that oil-stove in the corner - and anyway we can pretty
well live on cold stuff, you know - ham and salad and potted meat and fruit. It
would be easy enough for any of us to pop down to the village on our bikes, to
fetch anything we needed.’
‘Listen!’
said Julian, cocking his head to one side. ‘Is that somebody calling us?’
Yes
- it was. When Julian went outside, he saw Mrs Layman at the gate that led on
to the hillside where the cottage stood. He went over to her.
‘We
LOVE the cottage!’ he said. ‘And if it’s all right, we’d like to move in today.
We can easily pop home and bring back anything we want. It’s a glorious old
place, isn’t it - and the view must be the finest anywhere!’
‘Well,
that harbour is the second biggest stretch of water in the whole world,’ said
Mrs Layman. ‘The only stretch that is any bigger, is Sydney Harbour - so you
have something to feast your eyes on, Julian!’
‘My
word, yes,’ said Julian. ‘It’s amazing - and so very blue! I only wish I could
paint - but I can’t. At least - not very well!’
‘What
about Wilfrid?’ said Mrs Layman, anxiously. ‘Is he behaving himself? He’s -
well - he’s rather a dificult boy at times. And he can be very rude.  ‘He’ll have to toe the
line, and do as he’s told. We all do our bit, when we’re away together. He’s a
wonder with animals, isn’t he?’
‘Well
- yes, I suppose he is!’ said Mrs Layman. ‘Though I can’t say I like pet
snakes, or pet beetles, and owls that come and hoot down the chimney at night
to find out if Wilfrid will go out and hoot back to them!’
Julian
laughed. ‘We shan’t mind that,’ he said. ‘And he’s managed to get over what
might have been our biggest difficulty - he has made friends with our dog,
Timmy. In fact, he informed us that if Timmy stayed, we could all stay - but
only if Timmy stayed!’
Mrs
Layman laughed. ‘That’s so like Wilfrid,’ she said. ‘He’s an odd boy. Don’t
stand any nonsense from him!’
‘We
shan’t,’ said Julian, cheerfully. ‘I’m surprised he wants to stay on with us,
actually. I should have thought he would rather go home, than be with a lot of
strangers.’
‘He
can’t go home,’ said Mrs Layman. ‘His sister has measles, and his mother
doesn’t want Wilfrid to catch it. So you’ll have to put up with him, I fear.’
‘And
he’ll have to put up with us!’ said Julian. ‘Thanks very much for letting us
have the cottage, Mrs Layman. We’ll take great care of everything.’
‘I
know you will,’ said the old lady. ‘Well, goodbye, Julian. Have a good time.
I’ll get back to my car now. Give Wilfrid my love. I hope he doesn’t fill the
cottage with animals of all kinds!’
‘We
shan’t mind if he does!’ said Julian, and waited politely until Mrs Layman had
disappeared, and he could hear the noise of a car starting up.
He
went back to the cottage and stood outside, looking down at the amazing view.
 A steamer went busily along,
making for a great seaside town far away on the other side.
Anne
came to join Julian. ‘Glorious, isn’t it?’ she said. ‘We’re so very high up
here that it seems as if we can see half the world at our feet. Is that an
island in the middle of the harbour, Ju?’
‘Yes
- and a well-wooded one too!’ said Julian. ‘I wonder what it’s called - and who
lives there. I can’t see a single house there, can you?’
Dick
called to Anne. ‘Anne! George and I are going to fetch our bikes and ride down
to the village. Give us your shopping list, will you?  ‘I’ve made a
list somewhere. I think I’d better go with you. There will be food and other
things to bring back - unless Mother would bring everything up by car this
afternoon.’
‘Yes
- that’s a good idea,’ said Dick. ‘We’ll go to Kirrin Cottage first and get George’s
things - and then home to get ours. I’ll leave all the shopping with Mother,
and all our luggage, so that she can pop up here in the car with it. She’ll
love the view!’
‘I’ll
stay behind and tidy up the cottage, and find out how the stove works,’ said
Anne, happily. ‘I’ll have everything neat and tidy by the time Mother comes
this afternoon, Dick. Oh, here’s Julian with the list. Why don’t you go off on
your bike with George and Dick, Julian? I’ll be quite happy here, messing
about.’
‘Yes,
I’m going to,’ said Julian, putting his list into his pocket. ‘Look after
yourself, Anne! We’ll take Timmy with us, to give him a run.’
Off
went the three, Timmy loping behind, very glad of the run. Anne waited till
they were out of sight, then went happily back to the cottage. She was almost
there when she heard someone calling her. She turned and saw a fresh-faced
woman waving.
‘I’m
Sally!’ she called. ‘Do you want any help with the cooking and cleaning?
Wilfrid told me not to come any more, but if you want me, I will.’
‘Oh,
I think we can manage, Sally,’ said Anne. ‘There’s so many of us now, we can do
all the jobs. Did you sleep here?’
‘Oh
no, miss!’ said Sally, coming up. ‘I just came in to help, and then went back
home. You tell me if you want me any time, and I’ll gladly come. Where’s that
monkey of a Wilfrid? He spoke to me very rudely this morning, the young
varmint. I’ll tell his grandmother of him - not that that’s much good! He just
laughs at her! Don’t you stand any nonsense from him!’
‘I
won’t,’ said Anne, smiling. ‘Where do you live, in case we do want you?’
‘Just
the other side of the road, in the small wood there,’ said Sally. ‘You’ll see
my tiny cottage when you go by the wood on your bikes.’
She
disappeared up the hill and across the road there. Anne went back happily to
her household tasks. She cleaned out the little larder, and then found a pail
and went to the well. She hung the pail on the hook at the end of the rope, and
then worked the old handle that let the pail down to the water, swinging on the
rope. Splash! It was soon full, and Anne wound it up again. The water looked
crystal clear, and was as cold as ice - but all the same Anne wondered if she
ought to boil it!
Someone
came quietly behind her - and jumped at her with a loud howl! Anne dropped the
pail of water, and gave a scream. Then she saw it was Wilfrid, dancing round
her, grinning.
‘Idiot!’
she said.  ‘I can’t see him. You can’t
any of you stay here unless you have that dog. I like him. He’s a wonderful
dog.’
‘He’s
gone down to the village with the others,’ said Anne. ‘Now will you please pick
up that pail and get more water?’
‘No,
I won’t,’ said Wilfrid. ‘I’m not your servant! Get it yourself!’
‘Very
well, I will. But I’ll tell George, who owns Timmy, how rude you are - and you
may be quite sure that Timmy won’t be friends with you,’ said Anne, picking up
the pail.
‘I’ll
get the water, I’ll get the water!’ shouted Wilfrid, and snatched the pail.
 Don’t you dare!’
And
off he went to the well and filled the pail. Well! What a time they were all
going to have with such a very peculiar boy! Anne didn’t like him at all!

Wilfrid
brought back the pail to Anne, and dumped it down. ‘Like to see my pet
beetles?’ he said.
‘No
thank you,’ said Anne. ‘I don’t like beetles very much.’
‘Well,
you ought to!’ said Wilfrid. ‘I’ve two very beautiful ones. You can hold them
if you like.
‘Do get out of my way, Wilfrid. If you had any manners, you’d carry that pail
indoors for me.’
‘I
haven’t any manners,’ said Wilfrid. ‘Everybody tells me that. Anyway, I don’t
want to carry your pail, if you don’t want to see my beetles.’
‘Oh
go away!’ said Anne, exasperated, picking up the pail herself. Wilfrid went to
a little thick bush and sat down by it. He put his face almost on the grass,
and looked under the bush. Anne felt uncomfortable. Was he going to call his
beetles out? She couldn’t help putting down her pail, and standing still to
watch.
No
beetles came out from under the bush - but something else did. A very large,
awkward-looking toad came crawling out, and sat there, looking up at Wilfrid with
the greatest friendliness. Anne was amazed. How did Wilfrid know the toad was
there? And why in the world should it come out to see him? She stood and stared
- and shivered, because she really did not like toads. ‘I know they have
beautiful eyes, and are intelligent, and eat all kinds of harmful insects, but
I just can’t go near one!’ she thought. ‘Oh goodness - Wilfrid’s tickling its
back - and it’s scratching where he’s tickled it - just like we would!’
‘Come
and say how do you do to my pet toad,’ called Wilfrid. ‘I’ll carry your pail
for you then.’
Anne
picked up her pail in a hurry, afraid that Wilfrid might whistle up a few
snakes next. What a boy! How she wished the others would come back! Why,
Wilfrid might own a boa constrictor - or have a small crocodile somewhere -
or... but no, she was being silly! If only the others would come back!
To
her horror the toad crawled right on to Wilfrid’s hand, and looked up at him
out of its really beautiful eyes. That was too much for Anne. She fied into the
cottage, spilling half the water as she went.
‘I
wish I was like George,’ she thought. ‘She wouldn’t really mind that toad. I’m
silly. I ought to try and like all creatures. Oh my goodness, look at that
enormous spider in the corner of the sink! It’s sitting there, looking at me
out of its eight eyes! Wilfrid, Wilfrid - PLEASE come and get this spider out
of the sink for me!’
Wilfrid
sauntered in, fortunately without the toad. He held his hand out to the spider
and made a curious clicking, ticking noise. The spider perked up at once, waved
two curious little antennae about, and crawled across the sink to Wilfrid’s
hand. Anne shuddered. She simply couldn’t help it! She shut her eyes, and when
she opened them, the spider had gone and so had Wilfrid.
‘I
suppose he’s now teaching it to dance, or something!’ she thought, trying to
make herself smile. ‘I can’t think how insects and animals and birds like him.
I simply can’t bear him. If I were a rabbit or bird or beetle, I’d run miles
away from him. What’s this curious attraction he has for creatures of all
kinds?’
Wilfrid
had completely disappeared, and Anne thankfully went on with her little jobs.
‘I’ll tidy up the loft where the boys will sleep,’ she thought. ‘I’ll wash this
living-room floor. I’ll make a list of the things in the larder. I’ll clean
that dirty window over there. I’ll... good gracious, what’s that noise?’
It
was the sound of magpies chattering noisily - a harsh but pleasant noise. Anne
peered out of the little cottage window. Well, what a sight! There stood
Wilfrid in front of the window, a magpie on each outstretched hand - and one on
the top of his head! It stood there, chattering loudly, and then turned round
and round, getting its feet mixed up in the boy’s thick hair.
 ‘It’s such a nice feeling. Or would you like a young rabbit to cuddle?
  I’d like that.’
Wilfrid
jerked the magpies off his hands and shook his head violently so that the third
one flew up, squawking cheerfully.  She watched, fascinated, as the strange
little dirgelike tune came to her ears. She found her feet walking to the door.
Good gracious - could there be some peculiar kind of magic in that pipe that
made her go to Wilfrid, just as the other creatures did?
She
stopped at the door, just as a baby rabbit came lollopping round a tall clump
of grass. It was the funniest, roundest, dearest little thing, with a tiny
bobtail and big ears.
It
went straight to Wilfrid and nestled against him. The boy stroked it and
murmured to it. Then he called to Anne softly.
‘Well
- here’s the baby rabbit you asked for. Like to come and stroke it?’
Anne
went softly over the grass, expecting the rabbit to bolt at once. Wilfrid
continued to fondle it, and the little thing looked at him with big, unwinking
eyes. Anne bent down to stroke it - but immediately it leapt in fright and fled
into the grass.
‘Oh
dear - why did it do that?’ said Anne, disappointed. ‘It was quite all right
with you! Wilfrid, how do you get all these creatures to come to you?’
‘Shan’t
tell you,’ said Wilfrid, getting up. ‘Is there anything to eat in the cottage?
I’m hungry.’
He
pushed Anne aside and went into the cottage. He opened the larder door, and
took down a tin.  He didn’t
offer Anne any.
‘Couldn’t
you have cut me a piece too?’ said Anne.  ‘Especially to people who
come to my cottage when I don’t want them.’
‘Oh
don’t be so silly!’ said Anne, exasperated. ‘It isn’t your cottage - it belongs
to your grandmother. She told us so. Anyway, you said we could stay if Timmy
stayed too.’
‘I’ll
soon make Timmy my dog,’ said Wilfrid, taking another bite. ‘You’ll see! Soon he
won’t want that girl George any more - and he’ll follow at my heels all day and
night. You’ll see!’
Anne
laughed scornfully. Timmy following at this boy’s heels? That could never
happen! Timmy loved George with all his doggy heart. He would never desert her
for Wilfrid no matter how much he whistled on pipes, or put on his special
croony voice. Anne was absolutely certain of that!
 ‘Then you’ll run for miles!’
‘Oh
no I won’t!’ said Anne, hurrying into the cottage. ‘Just watch yourself run!’
 Somebody else was most astonished too - and that was
Julian, who had arrived back before the others, anxious not to leave Anne alone
in the cottage for too long.
He
came just in time to see Anne drenching Wilfrid, and stared in the utmost
amazement. Anne behaving like that? Anne looking really fierce - quiet,
peaceful Anne! What in the world had happened?
‘Anne!’
he called. ‘What’s the matter? What’s Wilfrid been doing?’
‘Oh
- Julian!’ said Anne, glad to see him, but horrified that he had come just
then. Wilfrid was drenched from head to foot. He stood there, gasping,
taken-aback, bewildered. Why, Anne had seemed such a quiet, frightened little
thing - scared even of a spider!
‘That
girl!’ said Wilfrid, half-choking, shaking the water off himself. ‘That bad,
wicked girl! She’s like a tiger! She sprang at me, and threw the water all over
me! I won’t let her stay in my cottage!’
The
boy was so angry, so wet, so taken-aback, that Julian had to laugh! He roared
in delight, and clapped Anne on the back. ‘The mouse has turned into a tiger!
Well, you said you might one day, Anne - and you haven’t lost much time! Let me
see if you’ve grown claws!’
He
took Anne’s hands and pretended to examine her nails. Anne was half-laughing,
half-crying now, and pulled her hand away. ‘Oh Julian! I shouldn’t have soaked
Wilfrid - but he was SO IRRITATING I lost my temper, and...’
‘All
right, all right - it’s quite a good thing to do sometimes,’ said Julian. ‘And
I bet young Wilfrid deserved all he got. I only hope the water was icy cold!
Have you a change of clothes here, Wilfrid? Go and get into them, then.’
The
boy stood there, dripping wet, and made no effort to obey. Julian spoke again.
‘You heard what I said, Wilfrid. Jump to it! Go and change!’
The
boy looked so wet and miserable that Anne felt suddenly sorry for what she had
done. She ran to him and felt his wet shoulders. ‘Oh, I’m sorry!’ she said. ‘I
truly am. I don’t know why I turned into a tiger so suddenly!’
Wilfrid
gave a little half-laugh, half-sob. ‘I’m sorry too,’ he mumbled. ‘You’re nice -
and your nose is like that baby rabbit’s - it’s - it’s a bit woffly!’
He
ran into the cottage and slammed the door. ‘Let him be for a while,’ said
Julian, seeing that Anne made a move to go after him. ‘This will do him good.
Nothing like having a pail of cold water flung over you to make you see things
as they really are! He was really touched when you said you were sorry.
‘Well,
yes - just a bit,’ said Julian, giving his sister an affectionate pat. ‘But a
rabbit’s nose is very nice, you know - very nice indeed. I don’t think you’ll
have much trouble with Wilfrid after this little episode. He didn’t know that
you had the heart of a tiger, as well as a nose like a rabbit’s!’
Wilfrid
came out of the cottage in about ten minutes, dressed in dry clothes, carrying
his wet ones in a bundle. ‘I’ll hang those out on the bushes for you, to dry in
the sun,’ said Anne, and took them from him, smiling. He suddenly smiled back.
‘Thanks,’
he said. ‘I don’t know how they got so wet! Must have been pouring with rain!’
Julian
chuckled and smacked him gently on the back. ‘Rain can do an awful lot of good
at times!’ he said. ‘Well, Anne, we’ve brought you back a whole lot of goods
for your larder. Here come the others. We’ll carry everything in for you - with
Wilfrid’s help too!’
Chapter
Six
LUCAS
- AND HIS TALE
It
was fun storing all the shopping away. Anne enjoyed it more than anyone, for
she really was a most domesticated little person.
‘A
real home-maker!’ said Dick, appreciatively, when he saw how neat and
comfortable she had made the loft, where the three boys were to sleep. ‘Just
about room for the three of us, plus all the baggage in the corner! And how
good the larder looks!’
Anne
looked at her well-stored larder, and smiled. Now she could give her little
‘family’ really nice meals. All those tins! She read the names on them. ‘Fruit
salad. Tinned pears. Tinned peaches. Sardines. Ham. Tongue.’ A new cake in that
round tin, big enough to last for at least three days. Biscuits. Chocolate
wafers - good old Julian - he knew how much she loved those - and George did,
too!
Anne
felt very happy, as she arranged all her goods. She no longer felt guilty at
drenching poor Wilfrid. Indeed she couldn’t help feeling a little thrill when
she remembered how she had suddenly turned into a tiger for a minute or two! It
was fun to be a tiger for once. ‘I might even be one again, if the chance
arose,’ thought Anne. ‘How surprised Wilfrid was - and Julian too. Oh dear - poor
Wilfrid. Still, he’s much nicer now.’
And
indeed he was! He was most polite to both the girls, and, as Dick said, he
didn’t ‘throw his weight’ about nearly so much. They all settled down very well
together in the little cottage.
They
had most of their meals out-of-doors, sitting on the warm grass. It was rather
a squeeze indoors, for the cottage really was very small. Anne enjoyed herself
preparing the meals, with sometimes a little help from George - and the boys
carried everything out. Wilfrid did his share, and was pleased when he had a
clap on the back from Julian.
It
was glorious sitting out in the sun, high up on their hill. They could look
down on the harbour, watch the yachts and the busy little boats, and enjoy the
wonderful views all round.
George
was very curious about the island that lay in the middle of the harbour.
‘What’s it called?’ she asked Wilfrid. But he didn’t know. He did know,
however, that there was a queer story about it. ‘It belonged to a lonely old
man,’ he said. ‘He lived in a big house in the very middle of the wood. The
island was given to his family by a king - James the Second, I think. This old
man was the very very last one of his family. People kept wanting to buy his
island, and he had some kind of watchmen to keep people from landing on it.
These watchmen were pretty fierce - they had guns.’
‘Gosh
- did they shoot people who tried to land, then?’ asked Dick.
‘Well
- they shot just to frighten them off, not to hurt them, I suppose,’ said
Wilfrid. ‘Anyway, a lot of sightseers had an awful fright when they tried to
land. BANG-BANG! Shooting all round them! My granny told me that someone she
knew, who had a lot of money, wanted to buy part of the island - and he had his
hat shot right off when his boat tried to land!’
‘Is
there anyone there now?’ asked Julian. ‘I suppose the old fellow is dead? Has
he a son or anyone to follow him?’
‘I
don’t think so,’ said Wilfrid. ‘But I don’t know an awful lot about it. I tell
you who does, though - one of the groundsmen on the golf-course, called Lucas.
He was once one of the watchmen who kept visitors away from the island.’
‘It
might be rather interesting to talk to him,’ said Dick. ‘I’d rather like to
walk over the golf-course, too. My father plays a good game of golf, and I know
something about it.’
‘Well,
let’s go now,’ said George. ‘Timmy is longing for a good long walk, even though
he ran all the way down to the village and back today! Walk, Timmy? Walk?’
‘Woof-woof,’
said Timmy, and leapt up at once.
Walk?
Of course he was ready for a walk! He leapt all round George, pretending to
pounce at her feet. Wilfrid tried to catch hold of him, but couldn’t. ‘I wish
you were my dog,’ he told Timmy. ‘I’d never let you out of my sight.’
Timmy
ran up to him then, and gave him a loving lick. It was astonishing how he
seemed to like Wilfrid. Nobody could understand it. As George said, ‘Timmy is
usually so particular about making friends! Still, Wilfrid is nicer than he
was!’
The
Five, with Wilfrid too, went up the hill, crossed over the road that ran along
the top, and climbed over a stile. They found themselves on one of the fairways
of the golf-course, not far from a green, in which stood a pole with a bright
red flag waving at the top.
Wilfrid
knew very little about the game of golf, but the others had watched their
parents play many a time. ‘Look out - someone’s going to pitch his ball on this
green,’ said Julian, and they stood by the hedge to watch the man play his
ball. He struck it beautifully with his club, and the ball rose, and fell right
on to the green. It rolled to within about a foot of the hole in which the
flag-pole stood.
Timmy
ran forward a few steps, as he always did when a ball rolled near him. Then he
remembered that this was golf, and he must never, never touch a ball on the
fairway or on the green.
The
players passed by, and went on with their game. Then they disappeared, to play
off another tee.
‘Well,
let’s see if we can find Lucas now,’ said Wilfrid, crossing the fairway to
where he could get a good look over the course. ‘You’ll like him. There’s not
much he doesn’t know about the animals and birds here. I think he’s a wonderful
man!’
Wilfrid
stood on the slope of a hill and looked all round. ‘There he is!’ he said,
pointing to where a man was trimming up a ditch. ‘See? Down there. He’s using
his bill-hook to make things tidy.’
They
went down the hill towards the ditch at the bottom.  ‘Hey, Lucas! How are you?’
‘Afternoon,
young sir,’ said the groundsman, turning towards them. His face was as brown as
a well-ripened nut, and his arms and shoulders were even browner. He wore no
shirt or vest, and his dark, deep-set eyes twinkled as they took in the five
children and the dog.
He
held out a brown hand to Timmy, who licked it gravely, wagging his tail.
‘Ha!’
said Lucas to Timmy, and gave a loud, hearty laugh. ‘Think I’m a-going to stand
here all afternoon, do you? Well, I aren’t. I got work to do, ole dog, so git
up!  Want me to stop and have a rest, don’t you?’
‘Lucas,
we came to ask you something,’ said Wilfrid. ‘About the island in the harbour.
What’s its name - and does anyone live there now?’
‘We
can see it from that little cottage almost at the top of the hill on the other
side of the road,’ said Dick. ‘It looks awfully quiet and lonely.’
‘And
so it is,’ said Lucas, sitting down on the bank of the ditch. Timmy at once sat
up beside him, sniffing him with pleasure. He put his arm round the dog, and
began to talk, his bright eyes going from one to other of the children. He was
so friendly, and so completely natural that the children felt he was an old,
old friend. They sat down too, sniffing the smell of the gorse bushes nearby.
‘They smell like coconut,’ thought Anne. ‘Yes - just like coconut!’
‘Well,
now,’ said Lucas, ‘that island’s always been a mystery-place. It’s called
Wailing Island by some folks because the wind makes a right queer wailing noise
round some of its high cliffs. And others call it Whispering Island because
it’s full of trees that whisper in the strong winds that always blow across it.
But most of us call it Keep-Away Island - and that’s the best name of all, for
there’s never been any welcome there, what with the dark cliffs, the cruel
rocks, and the dense woods.’
Lucas
paused, and looked at the listening faces around him. He was a born
story-teller, and knew it. How often Wilfrid had listened to his tales of the
birds and animals he met during his work on the course! Lucas was one of the
few people that the boy admired and loved.
‘Do
go on, Lucas!’ said Wilfrid, touching the man’s bare, warm arm. ‘Tell us about
the rich old man who hated everyone, and bought the island years ago.’
‘I’m
telling the story my own way,’ said Lucas, with great dignity. ‘You sit patient
now, or I’ll start my ditching again. Sit like this dog, see - he don’t even
twitch a muscle, good dog that he is. Well now, about this rich old man. He was
so afraid of being robbed that he bought that lonely island. He built himself a
great castle right in the middle of the thick woods. Cut down about a hundred
trees, to make room for it, so the story goes, and brought every single stick
and stone from the mainland. Did you see the old quarry on this here
golf-course, as you came along to me?’
‘Yes,
we did,’ said Julian, remembering. ‘I felt sorry for anyone who sent a
golf-ball there!’
‘Well,
young sir, out of that quarry came the great stones that the old man used for
his castle,’ said Lucas. ‘’Tis said that big, Hat-bottomed boats had to be made
to ferry the stones across to the island - and to this day the road through
this golf-course is the one made by horses dragging the great stones down to
the water’s-edge.’
‘Were
you alive then?’ said Wilfrid.
‘Bless
you, boy, no, of course not,’ said Lucas, with a great chuckle of a laugh.
‘Long afore my time, that was. Well, the stone house - or castle - whatever you
like to call it - was built. And the old man brought to it all kinds of
treasures - beautiful statues, some of gold, it was said, but that I
disbelieve. Ah, many’s the queer tale I’ve heard of what that rich old man took
over to Whispering Island - a great bed made of pure gold, and set with
precious stones - a necklace of rubies as big as pigeons’ eggs - a wonderful
sword with a jewelled handle worth a king’s fortune - and other things I
disremember.’
He
paused and looked round. Julian asked him a quick question. ‘What happened to
all these things?’
‘Well
now, he fell foul of the king of the land, and one morning what did he see
landing on the shores of his island but ships of all kinds,’ said Lucas,
enjoying the rapt attention of his audience. ‘A lot of them were sunk by the
wicked rocks but enough men were left to storm the queer stone castle in the
wood, and they killed the old man and all his servants.’
‘Did
they find the treasures the old fellow had collected?’ asked Dick.
‘Never
a one!’ said Lucas. ‘Never a one. Some say it was all a tale - the old man
never did bring any wonders there - and some say they’re still there, on
Whispering Island. Meself, I think it’s all a yarn - but a good yarn at that!’
‘Who
owns the island now?’ asked Dick.
‘Well,
an old fellow and his wife went to live there-maybe they paid rent to the Crown
for it, maybe they bought it - but they didn’t care for anything except for the
birds and the animals there,’ said Lucas, picking up his curved bill-hook
again, and hacking lightly at some briars. ‘They wouldn’t allow nobody there,
and it was they who kept the gamekeepers with guns to frighten away sightseers.
They wanted peace and quiet for themselves, and for all the wildlife on the
island - and a fine idea too. Many a time when I was there with the other
keepers - three of us there were - many a time I’ve had rabbits gambolling over
my feet, and snakes gliding by me - and the birds as tame as canaries.’
‘I’d
love to go there,’ said Wilfrid, his eyes shining. ‘I’d have a good time with
all the wild creatures! Can anyone go there now?’
‘No,’
said Lucas, getting up. ‘Not a soul has lived in the old stone castle since the
old man and his wife fell ill and died. The place is empty. The island belongs
to a great-nephew of the old couple now, but he never goes there. Just keeps a
couple of men on the island to frighten off visitors - pretty fierce they are,
so I’ve been told. Well, there you are, that’s the story of Whispering Island -
not very pleasant - a bit grim and ugly. It belongs to the birds and the beasts
now, and good luck to them!’
‘Thank
you for telling us the story,’ said Anne, and the old countryman smiled down at
her, his eyes wrinkling, and his brown hand patting her cheek.
‘I’ll
be off to my hedging and ditching again,’ he said, ‘and I’ll feel the sun warm
on my bare back, and hear the birds a-singing to me from the bushes. That’s
happiness enough for anyone - and pity it is that more folks don’t know it!’
Chapter
Seven
UP
ON THE GOLF-COURSE
The
children walked round the golf-course together, after talking to old Lucas. ‘We
must keep out of the way of anyone playing,’ said Dick, ‘or we might get hit on
the head with a ball! Hey, Timmy, what are you doing in the bracken?’
Timmy
came out with something in his mouth. He dropped it at George’s feet. It was a
golf-ball, fairly new. George picked it up. ‘What do we do with this?’ she
said. ‘There’s no golfer near us.  ‘By
right they belong to him if found on the course.’
‘What’s
a pro?’ asked Anne.
‘A
professional golfer - a man who’s very very good at the game, and is in charge
of a golf-course,’ explained Julian. ‘Well I’m blessed - here comes old Tim
again with another ball.
Timmy
was pleased to be patted and praised. He set off into the rough again at once,
sniping here and there.
‘Anyone
would think that golf-balls smelt like rabbits or something, the way Timmy
sniffs them out!’ said Anne, as Timmy ran up with yet another ball. ‘My word,
golfers must be jolly careless, losing so many balls!’
They
went on round the course, which was set with great stretches of gorse, full of
brilliant blossom. A baby rabbit fled from the bracken as Timmy nosed there for
balls. Timmy chased it, and the frightened little creature dodged this way and
that, trying to escape. ‘Let it go, Tim, let it go!’ yelled George, but Timmy
was much too excited to pay any attention.
Wilfrid
suddenly bent down as the rabbit raced near him, and gave a curious low
whistle. The rabbit swerved, came straight towards him, and leapt into his
arms, lying there trembling. Timmy jumped up to it at once, but George dragged
him away.
‘NO,
Timmy. Sorry, but NO, you can’t have the little thing. Down! DOWN, I say!’
 He was very cross with George. Rabbits were meant to be chased,
weren’t they? Why did George have to spoil his fun?
George
stared at Wilfrid. The rabbit was still nestling in his arms, and he was making
a curious noise to it. The tiny thing was trembling from head to tail. Everyone
watched it, glad that it was safe. They were all silent, astonished at the way
that Wilfrid had rescued the little creature. How had the rabbit known that
Wilfrid’s arms were ready to save it?
He
took it to the bracken, dropped it gently, and watched it race like lightning
to the nearest burrow. Then he turned and patted Timmy, who stood silently by,
watching.
‘Sorry,
Tim,’ he said. ‘It’s so little, and you’re so big!’
‘Woof,’
said Tim, exactly as if he understood, and he gave Wilfrid’s hand a quick lick.
Then he pranced round the boy, barking, as if he wanted a game, and Wilfrid
raced off with him at top speed.
The
others followed, impressed once again by Wilfrid’s uncanny way with animals.  George frowned. She thought
it was all wrong that animals should love Wilfrid and go to him - why, even
Timmy was all over him! If she wasn’t careful he would spend more time with Wilfrid
than with her! That would never do!
Timmy
found five more balls, and soon Julian’s pockets were heavy with them. They
made their way to the small club-house in the distance, meaning to give in the
balls. It was set in a little dip, and looked friendly and welcoming. They all
went in at the door, and Julian walked over to the pro, who was checking some
score-cards.  ‘A present from our
dog!’ he said.
‘My
word - did he find all those?’ said the pro, pleased. ‘Not bad ones, either.
I’ll stand you all some lemonade or orangeade - which will you have?’
They
all had orangeade, and the pro sent a packet of biscuits to Timmy, who was
waiting patiently outside. He was delighted!
‘We’re
staying in that little cottage up on the hillside,’ said Dick. ‘Do you know
it?’
‘Course
I do!’ said the pro. ‘My grandmother lived there once upon a time. You’ve a
wonderful view there, haven’t you? One of the finest in the world, I reckon!
You can see Whispering Island from there, too. Ought to be called “Mystery
Island”! It’s said that folks have gone there, and never come back!’
‘What
happened to them?’ asked Anne.
‘Oh
well - maybe it’s all a tale!’ said the pro. ‘There’s supposed to be priceless
things there, packed away somewhere - and collectors from all over the world
have come here, and tried to get over to that island - not to steal, you
understand, but just to see if they could find anything worth-while and buy it
for museums - or maybe for their own collections. It’s said there are statues
in the wood, white as snow - but that I never did believe!’
‘And
didn’t the collectors ever come back?’ asked Julian.
‘It’s
said that a lot of them didn’t,’ said the pro, ‘but that may be all silly
tales. But I do know that two men came down here from some museum in London,
and hired a boat to go across. They took a white flag with them so that the two
keepers wouldn’t shoot at them - and after that nobody heard a word about them.
They just disappeared!’
‘Well
- what could have happened to them?’ asked Julian.
‘Nobody
knows,’ said the pro. ‘Their boat was found miles out to sea, drifting - and
empty. So the police reckoned a mist came down, they lost direction, and ended
by drifting way out to sea.’
‘But
did they jump out of their boat, and try to swim back - and get drowned?’ asked
Dick. ‘Or did a passing steamer or yacht save them?’
‘They
weren’t picked up, that’s certain,’ said the pro. ‘Else they’d have arrived
safely back at their homes, sometime or other. But they didn’t. No - I reckon
the poor fellows were drowned. Of course, maybe they were shot by the keepers,
when they tried to land, and their boat was set adrift!’
‘Didn’t
the police do anything?’ asked Julian, puzzled.
‘Oh
yes - they went across to the island in the coastguard patrol boat,’ said the
pro. ‘But the keepers swore they’d seen nobody arriving, and that they were the
only people on the place. The police landed and searched everywhere, and they
found nothing except the great white castle-like house in the woods and
hundreds of wild animals, so tame that they’d sit and watch you as you walked
by.’
‘All
very mysterious,’ said Julian, getting up. ‘Well, thanks for the welcome
orangeade, and for your information! We’d already heard a bit from a groundsman
of yours - Lucas - a real old countryman, and a born story-teller!’
‘Ah,
Lucas - yes, he knows that island well,’ said the pro. ‘He was once one of the
keepers, I believe! Well - come and see me again some time - thanks for the
balls. It isn’t everyone who’s honest enough to come and give them in when they
find them!’
They
all said good-bye and went out. Timmy pranced along in joy. Sitting down
outside the clubhouse didn’t suit him at all!
‘Did
you enjoy your biscuits, Tim?’ asked George, and he ran up and gave her hand a
quick lick. What a question! He always enjoyed biscuits! He ran off into the
bracken and began to nose about there again, hunting for balls.
The
others went to walk up the hill, talking about the island. ‘I wonder what
really did happen to those two collector men who were never heard of again,’
said Anne. ‘Funny that their boat was found adrift and empty.’
‘They
must have been drowned, of course,’ said Dick. ‘I wonder if anything is left of
the old treasures that were once taken there. No - there wouldn’t be - the
police would have made a very thorough search!’
‘I
wish we could go to the island!’ said George. ‘I don’t expect the keepers would
shoot at us, would they? They might even let us on, to make a change for them -
they must be so bored with only themselves to talk to.’
‘That’s
very wishful thinking, George,’ said Julian. ‘We are CERTAINLY not going near
the island, so put that right out of your head.’
‘Well
- I knew it was impossible, really,’ said George. ‘But wouldn’t it be a grand
adventure if we managed to get on the mysterious Whispering Island and explore
it without the keepers knowing!’
‘Not
such a grand adventure if we were all peppered with shot from the keepers’
guns!’ said Dick. ‘Anyway, we wouldn’t find anything of interest - the
treasures must have been removed long ago. The only possible things of interest
would be the very tame wild creatures there!  ‘What’s more, I might hire
a boat myself and row round the island to see if I could spot any animals
there.’
‘You’ll
do nothing of the sort!’ said Julian, at once. ‘So don’t try any silly tricks,
see?’
‘I
shan’t promise!’ said Wilfrid, irritatingly. ‘You just never know!’
‘Oh
yes, I do know! You’re just trying to sound big!’ said Julian. ‘Come along
quickly, everyone - it’s past our dinner-time, and I’m ravenous! What’s for
lunch, Anne?’
‘We’ll
open a tin of tongue,’ said Anne, ‘and there’s plenty of bread left, and lettuce,
which I left in water. And tomatoes. And heaps of fruit.’
‘Sounds
good!’ said George. ‘Dinner, Timmy, dinner!’

‘Wish
I was a dog and could tear up a hill like that!’ said Anne, panting. ‘Give me a
push, Julian! I’ll never get to the top!’
Chapter
Eight
MOSTLY
ABOUT WILFRID
Timmy
was waiting for the children at the top of the hill, his tail waving, his mouth
open as he panted. He picked something up, as the children came, threw it into
the air, and caught it.

‘No
- it’s too big for that,’ said George. ‘Drop it, Timmy. What have you found?’
Timmy
dropped the ball at George’s feet. It was bigger than a golf-ball, and had a
hole right through it.  ‘Somebody must have dropped it. All
right, Tim, you can have it.’
‘He
won’t swallow it, will he?’ said Wilfrid, anxiously. ‘It’s not awfully big -
and I once saw a dog swallow something by mistake, that he threw into the air
to catch.’
‘Timmy’s
much too sensible to swallow any ball,’ said George. ‘You needn’t worry about
him. Anyway, I can do any worrying necessary. He’s my dog.’
‘All
right, all right, all right!’ said Wilfrid. ‘Miss High-and-Mighty can look
after her own dog. Fine!’
George
looked round at him furiously and he made a face at her. Then he whistled to
Timmy - yes, he actually dared to whistle to him!
‘Nobody
whistles for my dog except me,’ said George. ‘And anyway, he won’t come to
you.’
But,
to her surprise and horror, Timmy did go to Wilfrid, and pranced all round him,
expecting a game. George called him sternly, and he looked at her in surprise.
He began to trot over to her when Wilfrid whistled again, and obediently Timmy
turned as if to go to him.
George
caught hold of the dog’s collar, and aimed a punch at the whistling boy. It
missed him, and he danced round, laughing.
‘Stop
it now, you two,’ said Julian, seeing George’s look of fury. ‘I said STOP IT!
Wilfrid, go on ahead, and keep going.   Don’t please him by losing it!’
George
said nothing more, but her eyes blazed. Oh dear! thought Anne, now we shan’t
have any peace! She won’t forgive Wilfrid for making Timmy go to him! Blow
Wilfrid - he really is a little pest at times.
They
were all very hungry for their lunch and very pleased with everything that Anne
provided. Dick went into the little cottage to help her, because George
insisted on keeping her hand on Timmy’s collar all the time, in case Wilfrid
should entice him to his side.
‘He’s
making some of his peculiar noises now,’ said Dick to Anne. ‘Noises that
animals can’t seem to resist! I don’t wonder that George has got Timmy tightly
by the collar! I’m not a dog, but I find those little whiny noises Wilfrid is
making very curious indeed, and I’d love to go nearer!’
‘Well,
I hope we’re not going to have black looks from George from now on,’ said Anne.
  Have I cut up enough tomatoes, Anne?’
‘Good
gracious, yes!’ said Anne. ‘However many do you think we’re going to eat -
forty or fifty? Look, you open this tin for me, Dick. I do so hate opening
tins. I nearly always cut myself.’
‘Don’t
you ever open one again, then,’ said Dick. ‘I’m the official tin-opener from
now on! Dear old Anne, whatever should we do without you!  George ought to help more. She’s a girl
like you - but she never gets the meals or anything. I’ll tick her off one of
these days.’
‘No,
don’t,’ said Anne, in alarm. ‘I like doing things on my own. George would only
break things or upset them. She’s as ham-handed as a boy when it comes to
washing up or setting out crockery though she means well.’
‘So
boys are ham-handed, are they?’ said Dick, pretending to be offended. ‘When
have I ever broken anything, I’d like to know? I’m as careful as any girl, when
I handle crockery!’
Alas
for Dick! The glass he was holding suddenly slipped from his hand, fell to the
floor, and broke! Anne looked at him and gave a sudden delighted giggle. ‘Old
Ham-hand!’ she said. ‘Can’t pick up a glass without dropping it! Look, take out
this tray for me, and for goodness sake don’t drop that!’
They
all had a delicious lunch, and ate practically everything. Wilfrid sat a little
away from everyone, scattering crumbs around as he ate. Birds of all kinds were
soon round him, even hopping on to his hands. A magpie flew down to his left
shoulder. Wilfrid greeted it like an old friend. ‘Hallo, Maggie Pie! How’s the
family? I hope Polly Pie has recovered from her cold. And is Peter Pie’s bad
leg better? And what about old Granpa Pie - does he still chase you young
ones?’
The
magpie put its glossy head on one side and chattered back to him in
bird-language, which Wilfrid appeared to understand. He stroked the bird’s
gleaming breast, and fondled it lovingly. George deliberately didn’t watch. She
turned her back on Wilfrid and the magpie, and talked to Timmy. The others
couldn’t help being amused.
The
magpie put Wilfrid’s conversation to an end very suddenly. The boy was about to
put half a tomato into his mouth when the bird bent down its head and snatched
away the tomato with its powerful beak. Then it rose quickly into the air on
its big wings, making a noise exactly as if it were laughing!
Everyone
roared with laughter except the surprised Wilfrid. ‘He’s gone to take your
tomato to Polly Pie, I should think,’ said Anne, and that made everyone laugh
again.
‘I’ll
have another tomato now, please,’ said Wilfrid.
‘Sorry.
You’re unlucky. They’re all gone,’ said Dick.
It
was lovely sitting up on the hillside, watching the boats in the harbour, and
seeing the beautiful, white-sailed yachts bending to and fro in the strong wind
that blew there. They could all see Whispering Island quite clearly, and
noticed that no boats went anywhere near it. Clearly everyone knew that men
might be there, watching for intruders.
‘There
might be badgers there,’ said Wilfrid, suddenly. ‘I’ve never been really close
to a badger.’
‘I
shouldn’t think anyone but you would want to be!’ said George. ‘Smelly things!
There’s one thing - you can’t call one with your whistle-pipe - there aren’t
any here!’
‘Wilfrid
- get out your pipe and make the little rabbits come again,’ said Anne,
suddenly. ‘While we’re all sitting here quietly. Would they come?’
‘Yes,
I think so,’ said Wilfrid, and felt in his pocket. He felt in another pocket,
and looked worried. Then he stood up and patted himself all over, looking
really distressed. He stared round at the others, anguish on his face.
‘It’s
gone,’ he said. ‘I must have lost it! It’s gone! I’ll never have another like
it, never.’
‘Oh,
it must be in one of your pockets,’ said Dick, touched by the look on the boy’s
face. ‘Here, let me feel.’
But
no - the pipe wasn’t there. Wilfrid looked as if he were about to burst into
tears. He began to hunt all round, and everyone helped him. No - not quite
everyone. George didn’t. Dick glanced at her, and frowned. George was pleased
that the precious pipe was lost. How she must dislike poor Wilfrid! Well, he
was dislikeable at times, no doubt about it - but he was so distressed now that
surely nobody could help feeling sorry for him!
George
got up and began to clear away the remains of the meal. She carried plates and
glasses to the hut, and after a while Anne followed her.
‘I’m
sorry for poor old Wilfrid, aren’t you?’ she said.
‘No,
I’m not,’ said George, shortly. ‘Serves him right! I hope he never finds his
silly pipe. That will teach him not to try and get Timmy away from me!’
‘Oh,
don’t be silly! He only does it for fun!’ said Anne, shocked. ‘Why do you take
things so seriously, George? You know Timmy loves you better than anyone in the
world and always will. He’s your dog and nobody, nobody else’s! Wilfrid’s only
teasing you when he tries to get Timmy to go to him.’
‘Timmy
goes, though,’ said George, desperately. ‘And he shouldn’t. He shouldn’t.’
‘He
can’t help it, I think,’ said Anne.  ‘Glad, glad, glad!’
‘Then
I think you’re silly and unkind,’ said Anne, and walked off, knowing that she
could do nothing with George in this mood. She worried a little as she went.
Did George know where the pipe was? Had she found it - and hidden it - or
destroyed it? No - no! George could be difficult and unkind at times, but she
wasn’t mean. And what a mean thing it would be, to destroy the beautiful little
pipe, with its magic trills!
Anne
went back to the others, meaning to try and comfort Wilfrid - but he wasn’t
there. ‘Where’s he gone?’ asked Anne.
‘To
look for his precious whistle-pipe,’ said Dick. ‘He’s really heartbroken about
it, I think. He says he’s going to walk back the way we came from the
golf-course, and then he’s going to walk everywhere there that we walked this
morning, and hunt and hunt. He’s even going down to the club-house to see if he
dropped it there. He’ll never find it!’
‘Poor
old Wilfrid!’ said Anne, tender-hearted as ever. ‘I wish he’d waited for me.
I’d have gone with him. He’s awfully upset, isn’t he? Won’t he be able to call
the wild animals to him any more?’
‘I’ve
no idea,’ said Dick. ‘Er - I suppose old George doesn’t know anything about it?
Perhaps that’s a mean thing to say - but George might have found it and kept it
just for a joke.’
‘No.
No, I don’t think she’d do that,’ said Anne; ‘It would be a very poor joke.
Well - we’ll just have to hope Wilfrid finds it. What are you going to do this
afternoon? Sleep, by the look of you!’
‘Yes
- sleep out in the warm sun here, till three o’clock,’ said Julian. ‘Then I’m
going for a walk - down to the harbour. I might even have a bathe.’
‘We’ll
all go,’ said Dick, sleepily. ‘Oh how lovely it is to feel lazy - and warm -
and well-fed - and sleeeeeeeepy! So long, everyone! I’m asleep!’
Chapter
Nine
OFF
TO WHISPERING ISLAND
The
two boys, and Anne and George, slept soundly in the sun until just past three
o’clock. Then a large fly buzzed around Anne’s head, and awoke her. She sat up
and looked at her watch.
‘Gracious!
It’s ten past three!’ she said, in surprise. ‘Wake up, Julian! Dick, stir
yourself! Don’t you want to go and bathe?’
Yawning
loudly the two boys sat up, and looked all round. George was still asleep.
Wilfrid hadn’t yet come back.
‘Still
hunting for his precious pipe, I suppose,’ said Anne. ‘Get up, you two boys.
Dick, you’re not to lie down, you’ll only go to sleep again. Where are your
bathing-things? I’ll get them. And does anyone know where our bathing towels
are? We’ll probably have to dress and undress with them round us!’
‘They’re
up in our room, chucked into a corner,’ said Dick, sleepily. ‘Gosh, I was sound
asleep. I really thought I was in my bed, when I awoke!’
Anne
went to fetch the bath-towels and the bathing things. She called back to the
boys. ‘I’ve got everything. Buck up, Julian, don’t go to sleep again!’
‘Right!’
said Julian, sitting up and stretching himself. ‘Oh this sun - it’s GLORIOUS!’
He
poked Dick with his toe. ‘Get up! We’ll leave you behind if you snore again.
George, good-bye - we’re going!’
George
sat up, yawning, and Timmy stood over her and licked her cheek. She patted him.
‘All right, Timmy, I’m ready. It’s so warm that I’m LONGING for a dip - and
you’ll love it too, Tim!’
Carrying
their bathing-things they made their way down the hill, and across a stretch of
moorland to the edge of the sea, Timmy running joyously behind them. Beyond lay
Whispering Island, a great tree-clad mass, and all around and about little
boats plied, and yachts sailed in the wind, enjoying themselves in the great
harbour which stretched far beyond the island to a big seaside town on the
opposite coast.
The
four went behind some rocks, and stripped off their clothes, emerging three
minutes later in their scanty bathing things. Anne raced to the edge of the
water, and let it lap over her toes. ‘Lovely!’ she said ‘It’s not a bit cold! I
shall enjoy my swim!’
‘Woof!’
said Timmy and plunged into the water. He loved the sea too, and was a fine
swimmer! He waited for George to come in and then swam to her. She put her arms
round his neck and let him drag her along with him. Dear Timmy! How strong he
was, thought George.
They
had a wonderful time in the water. Further out the waves were big, and curled
over like miniature waterfalls, sweeping the children along with them. They
yelled in joy, and choked when the water splashed into their mouths. It was an
ideal day for bathing.
When
they came out, they lay on the sand in the sun, Timmy beside George, keeping
guard as usual. It was really warm. George sat up and looked longingly out to
sea, where the wind was whipping up the waves tremendously.
‘Wish
we had a boat!’ she said. ‘If we were back home, I could get out my own boat,
and we could go out in the cool breeze and get dry.’
Julian
pointed lazily to a big notice not far off. It said ‘BOATS FOR HIRE. INQUIRE AT
HUT.’
‘Oh
good!’ said George. ‘I’ll go and inquire. I’d love a good row!’
She
slipped on her sandals, and went to the hut to which the sign pointed. A boy of
about fifteen sat there, staring out to sea. He looked round as George came
along.
‘Want
a boat?’ he said.
‘Yes,
please. How much?’ asked George. ‘For four of us - and a dog.’
‘Fifty
pence an hour,’ said the boy. ‘Or a pound a day. Or three pounds a week. Better
to take it by the week if you’re staying here. It works out very cheap then.’
George
went back to the boys and Anne. ‘Shall we take the boat by the week?’ she said.
‘It’ll cost three pounds. We could do lots of rowing about, and it would be
fun.’
‘Right,’
said Dick. ‘Anyone got any money?’
‘There’s
some in my pocket, but not enough, I’m afraid,’ said Julian. ‘I’ll go and fix
up the boat for us to have tomorrow - we’ll take it for a whole week. I can
easily bring the money with me in the morning.’
The
boat-boy was very obliging. ‘You can have the boat today and onwards, if you
like, you needn’t wait till tomorrow,’ he said. ‘I know you’ll bring me the
money all right! So, if you’d like to have it this afternoon, it’s up to you.
Choose which boat you like. They’re all the same. If you want to take it out at
night too, and do some fishing, you can - but tie it up safe, won’t you?’
‘Of
course,’ said Julian, going to look at the boats. He beckoned to the others,
and they all came over.
‘Any
boat we like, day or night!’ said Julian. ‘Which do you fancy? Starfish -
Splasho - Adventure - Sea-gull - Rock-a-bye? They all look good, sound little
boats to me!’
‘I’d
like “Adventure”, I think,’ said George, thinking that that particular little
boat looked sturdy, deari and sound. ‘Nice name - and nice little boat!’
So
Adventure it was! ‘And a jolly good name for any boat of ours!’ said Dick,
pushing it down to the sea with Julian. ‘Whooooosh! There she goes! Steady my
beauty - we want to get in! Chuck in all our clothes, George! We can dress when
we feel cold.’
Soon
they were all in the boat, bobbing about on the waves. Julian took the oars and
pulled out to sea. Now they were in the full breeze - and a spanking one it was
too! ‘I’m certainly not hot any more!’ said George, pulling her bathing-towel
round her shoulders.
The
tide was running out, and pulled the boat strongly out to sea. Whispering
Island suddenly seemed very much nearer! ‘Better look out!’ said George,
suddenly. ‘We don’t know if a keeper’s on guard somewhere on the shore of the
island. We’re getting pretty near.’
But
the out-going tide swept the boat on and on towards the island, so that very
soon they could see a sandy shore. Dick then took one oar, and Julian the
other, and they tried to row against the tide and take the boat back into
calmer water.
It
was no good. The tide was far too strong. Very soon the boat was quite near the
shore of the island and then an enormous wave flung them right up the sand, and
left the boat grounded as it went back again. It slid over to one side, and
they all promptly fell out!
‘Whew!’
said Julian. ‘What a tide! I’d no idea it ran so strongly, or I’d never have
brought the boat out so far.’
‘What
shall we do!’ said Anne, rather scared. She kept looking all round for a keeper
with a gun. Suppose they got into real trouble through coming right on to the
island?
‘I
think we’ll have to stay on the island till the tide turns, and we can row back
on it,’ said Julian. ‘I can’t think why that boat-boy didn’t warn us about the
tide. I suppose he thought we knew.’
They
pulled the boat a little further up on the firm sand, took out their bundle of
clothes, and hid them under a bush. They walked up the beach towards a wood,
thick with great trees. As they neared them, they heard a strange, mysterious
sound.
‘Whispering!’
said George, stopping. ‘The trees are really whispering. Listen! It’s just as
if they were talking to one another under their breath! No wonder it’s called
Whispering Island!’
‘I
don’t like it much,’ said Anne. ‘It almost sounds as if they’re saying nasty
things about us!’
‘Shooey,
shooey, shooey, shooey!’ said the trees, nodding towards one another as the
wind shook them. ‘Shooey, shooey!’
‘Just
the noise of whispering!’ said George. ‘Well - what do we do now? We’ll have to
wait an hour or two till the tide turns again!’
‘Shall
we explore?’ said Dick. ‘After all, we’ve got Timmy with us. No one is likely
to attack us if they see him!’
‘They
can shoot him, can’t they, if they have guns?’ said George. ‘If he growled one
of his terrifying growls, and ran at them, showing his teeth, they’d be scared
to bits, and fire at him.’
‘I
think you’re right,’ said Julian, angry with himself for landing them all into
what might be serious trouble.  ‘I think we ought to try and find the
guards, and tell them the tide swept us on to the island quite by accident - we
couldn’t stop the boat surging on! We’re not grown-ups, come to snoop around,
so they’re sure to believe us - and we’d be safe from any chasing or shooting
then.’
They
all looked at Julian. He nodded. ‘Yes - good idea. Give ourselves up, and ask
for help! After all, we hadn’t any real intention of actually landing - the
tide simply threw the boat into that sandy cove!’
So
they walked up to the back of the cove and into the wood, whose whispering was
very loud indeed, once they were actually among the trees. No one was to be
seen. The wood was so thick that it was in parts quite difficult to clamber
through. After about ten minutes very hard walking and clambering, Julian came
to a stop. He had seen something through the trees.
The
others pressed behind him. Julian pointed in front, and the others saw what
looked like a great grey wall, made of stone.
‘The
old castle, I imagine!’ Julian whispered, and at once the trees themselves
seemed to whisper even more loudly! They all made their way to the wall, and
walked alongside it. It was a very high wall indeed, and they could hardly see
the top! They came to a corner and peeped round. A great courtyard lay there -
quite empty.
‘Better
shout, I think,’ said Dick, beginning to feel rather creepy, but before they
could do that two enormous men suddenly came down a flight of great stone
steps. They looked so fierce, that Timmy couldn’t help giving a blood-curdling
growl. They stopped short at once, and looked all round, startled.
‘The
noise came from over there,’ said one of the men, pointing to his left - and,
to the children’s great relief, both swung off in the wrong direction!
‘We’d
better get back to the cove,’ whispered Julian. ‘I don’t at all like the look
of those men - they look proper thugs. Quiet as you can, now. George, don’t let
Timmy bark.’
They
made their way back beside the stone wall, through the whispering trees, and
there they were, at the cove.
‘We’d
better row back as quickly as we can,’ said Julian. ‘I think something’s wrong
here. Those men looked like foreigners. They certainly weren’t game-keepers. I
wish we hadn’t come.’
‘Ju
- where’s our boat?’ said Dick, in a shocked voice. ‘It’s gone. This can’t be
the right cove!’
The
others stared round. Certainly there was no boat! They must have come to the
wrong cove.
‘It
looks the same cove to me,’ said George. ‘Except that the sea has come in a bit
more. Do you think it took our boat away - gosh, look at that big wave sweeping
right in - and sucking back!’
‘My
word, yes! Our boat could easily have been dragged out on a wave like that!’
said Julian, very worried. ‘Look out - here comes another!’
‘It
is the same cove!’ said Anne, looking under a bush at the back. ‘Here are our
clothes, look! We hid them here!’
‘Take
them out quickly!’ called Julian, as another big wave swept right in.  We should have pulled our boat as far up as we could.’
‘I’m
cold now,’ said Anne. ‘I’m going to dress. It will be easier to carry a
bathing-suit than a heap of clothes!’
‘Good
idea!’ said Dick, and they all promptly dressed, feeling warmer at once.
‘We
might as well leave our bathing-things under the bush where we left our
clothes,’ said George. ‘At least we’ll know it’s the same cove, if we find them
there!’
‘The
thing is - what are we going to do now?’ said Julian, worried. ‘No boat to get
back in - and why on earth did we choose one called Adventure! We might have
known something would happen!’
Chapter
Ten
THE
FIVE ARE IN A FIX
Julian
went to the mouth of the cove and looked out over the waves, hoping that he
might see their boat bobbing somewhere. ‘I could swim out to it if so,’ he
thought, ‘and bring it in. No - there’s not a sign of a boat! I could kick
myself for being so careless!’
Dick
came up, looking worried. ‘I suppose it’s too far to swim back to the mainland,
isn’t it?’ he said. ‘I could have a shot - and get another boat and come back
for everyone.’
‘No.
Too far,’ said Julian. ‘The tide’s too strong for any swimmer at the moment.
We’re certainly in a fix!’
‘We
can’t signal, I suppose?’ said Dick.
‘What
with?’ asked Julian. ‘You could wave a shirt for an hour and it wouldn’t be
seen from the mainland!’
‘Well
- we must think of something!’ said Dick, exasperated. ‘What about trying to
find a boat here? Surely those men must have one to get to and fro.’
‘Of
course!’ said Julian, clapping Dick on the back. ‘Where are my brains? They
seem to be going soft or something! We could snoop round and about tonight, to
see if there’s a boat anywhere. They may have two or three. They’d have to get
food from the mainland at times.’
The
two girls and Timmy came up then, and Timmy whined. ‘He doesn’t seem to like
this island,’ said George.  ‘I’m jolly glad
he’s with us. Can you girls think of any good ideas - we can’t!’
‘We
could signal,’ said George.
‘No
good. A signal from here couldn’t be seen,’ said Dick. ‘We’ve already thought
of that.’
‘Well
- if we lighted a fire here on the beach tonight, when the tide’s out, surely
that would be seen?’ said Anne.
Dick
and Julian looked at one another. ‘Yes!’ said Julian. ‘If we lighted it on a
hilly bit it would be better still - on that cliff up there, for instance.’
‘Wouldn’t
the guards see it?’ asked Dick.
‘We’d
have to chance that,’ said Julian. ‘Yes - we could do that. Good idea, Anne. I
say - we’re going to get jolly hungry, aren’t we? Anyone got anything to eat?’
‘I’ve
two bars of chocolate - a bit soft now though,’ said George, digging into the
pocket of her shorts.
‘And
I’ve some peppermints,’ said Anne. ‘What about you boys? You always take
barley-sugars about with you, Dick - don’t say you haven’t any just when we
could all do with them!’
‘I’ve
a new packet!’ said Dick. ‘Let’s all have one now!’ He pulled the packet from
his pocket and handed it round.  Timmy
was given one too, but his was gone in a flash!
‘Wasted
on you, Tim, absolutely wasted!’ said Anne.    No, Timmy, don’t go sniffing into Dick’s pocket for
another!’
Timmy
was disappointed. He went snuffling round the cove, and then, scenting a rabbit
smell, he followed it with his nose to the ground. The children didn’t notice
that he had disappeared, but went on talking, trying to solve their very real
difficulty.
No
boat. No food. No way of getting help except by signalling in some way. Not
very funny, thought Dick.
And
then, very suddenly, a loud sound broke the silence - CRACK!
Everyone
jumped up at once. ‘That was a gunshot,’ said Dick. ‘The keepers! But what were
they shooting at?’
‘Where’s
Timmy?’ cried George, looking all round. ‘Tim, Tim, where are you TIM!’
Everyone’s
heart went cold. Timmy! No, the shot couldn’t have been meant for old Timmy!
Surely the keepers wouldn’t shoot a dog!
George
was nearly mad with dread. She clutched at Dick, tears streaming down her
cheeks. ‘Dick! It couldn’t be Timmy, could it? Oh Timmy, where are you? TIMMY!
Come to me!’
‘Listen!
Listen a minute, George!’ said Dick, as shouts came from the distance. ‘I
thought I heard Tim whine then. Isn’t that him coming through the bushes?’
There
was the noise of rustling as some creature pressed through the last year’s old
bracken fronds - and then Timmy’s head appeared, his bright eyes looking for
them.
‘Oh
Timmy, darling Timmy, I thought you’d been shot!’ cried George, hugging the big
dog. ‘Did they shoot at you? Are you hurt anywhere?’
‘I
bet I know why he was shot at,’ said Dick.  Drop it, you robber, you!’
Timmy
stood there, the ham in his mouth, wagging his tail joyously. He had felt
hungry, and was sure the others did too - so he had gone a hunting!
‘Where
did you get that, you bad dog?’ said Julian. Timmy wished he could tell him. He
would have said ‘Well, I went sniffing after a rabbit - and I came to a shed
stored with tins of food - and one was open with this piece of ham inside,
waiting for me. And here it is!’
He
dropped the ham at George’s feet. It smelt extremely good. ‘Well, thanks, old
fellow,’ said Julian. ‘We could do with some of that - though we’ll have to pay
for it when we meet the owner, whoever he is!’
‘Julian
- he has been shot at!’ said George, in a trembling voice. ‘Look - his tail’s
bleeding, and some fur is gone.’
‘My
word, yes!’ said Julian, examining Timmy’s tail. ‘Good gracious - those fellows
mean business. I really think I’d better find them and tell them we’re here, in
case they take a pot-shot at us too!’
‘Well,
let’s go now - all of us,’ said Dick. ‘They probably thought Timmy was a wolf
or a fox or something, slinking through the trees. Poor old fellow!’
Timmy
was not at all disturbed. He was so proud of finding and bringing back the ham
that he even wagged his wounded tail!
‘It’s
quite certain that no animals or birds will be tame and friendly on this island
now,’ said Anne. ‘They’ll have been scared stiff by the game-keepers potting at
this and that.’
‘You’re
right,’ said Julian. ‘It rather makes me think that the fellows on the island
are no longer merely gamekeepers, put in to preserve the wild life, and to
frighten sight-seers away - but real, fierce guards of some kind. Like those
two horrible men we saw in the courtyard!’
‘Well,
what are they guarding then?’ said George.
‘That’s
what I’d very much like to find out,’ said Julian. ‘And I think perhaps I’ll
snoop round a bit and see what I can discover. When it’s getting dark, though,
not now.’
‘I
wish we hadn’t come,’ said Anne. ‘I wish we were safe in our cottage with Wilfrid.
I wonder if he’s found his whistle-pipe. Goodness, it seems ages since we hired
that boat!’
‘Can’t
we go quietly through the woods and explore a bit?’ asked George. ‘Or walk
round the shore to see if there’s a boat anywhere? I’m getting bored, sitting
here, talking.’
‘Well
- I suppose old Tim would give us warning at once if he heard anyone near,’
said Julian, who was also longing to stretch his legs. ‘We’ll go in single
file, like Indians, and make as little noise as we can. Timmy can go ahead. He’ll
give us instant warning if we come near any of the keepers.’
They
all stood up, and Timmy looked at them, wagging his nicked tail. ‘I’ll look
after you,’ said his two bright eyes. ‘Don’t be afraid!’
They
made their way carefully and quietly through the whispering trees. ‘Sh, sh, sh,
shoo, shooey,’ said the leaves above their heads, as if warning everyone to go
as quietly as possible. And then suddenly Timmy stopped and gave a low, warning
growl. They all stood still at once, listening.
They
could hear nothing. They were in a dense part of the wood, and it was dark and
sunless. What was Timmy growling at? He took a step forward, and growled softly
again.
Julian
went forward too, as silently as he could. He stopped suddenly and stared. What
in the world was that strange figure, gleaming out of the shadows? His heart
began to beat loudly. The figure stood there, silently, an arm out-stretched as
if pointing at him!
He
thought it moved and he took a step backwards in fear. Was it a ghost or
something? It was so very very white and shone so queerly. The others, coming
up behind, suddenly saw it too and stopped in fright. Timmy growled again, and
all the hackles on his neck rose up. What was THIS?
Everyone
stood absolutely still, and Anne gave a gulp. She took hold of Dick’s arm, and
he held it tightly against him. And then George gave a very small laugh. To
everyone’s horror she went forward, and touched the hand of the gleaming
figure.
‘How
do you do?’ she said. ‘It is so nice to meet a well-mannered statue!’
Well!
A statue! Only a statue! It had looked so real standing there, and yet so
ghostly. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief, and Timmy ran forward, and sniffed
at the statue’s flowing robes.
‘Look
around you,’ said Julian.  I hope they don’t suddenly come alive - they really look as if
they might!’
Chapter
Eleven
A
STRANGE DISCOVERY
The
children were astonished to see so many gleaming statues, standing in the
darkness of the wood. They wandered round them, and then came to a large shed.
They peeped inside.
‘Look
here!’ said Dick, excited. ‘Long, deep boxes, strong as iron! And see what’s in
these two!’
They
all came to look. In the first, packed in what looked like sawdust, was a
beautifully carved statue of a boy. The next box seemed to be entirely full of
sawdust, and Anne had to scrape quite a lot away to see if anything was packed
there too.
 ‘Lovely! Why are these statues being
packed away like this?’
‘Use
your brain!’ said Dick. ‘It’s obvious that they’re works of art - and are
probably very old. They’re being packed to send away in some boat or ship - to
be transported somewhere where they’ll fetch a lot of money - America,
probably!’
‘Did
they come from the old castle, do you think?’ asked George. ‘It’s quite near. I
expect this shed belongs to it. But how was it that the police didn’t find them
in the castle when they searched? They must have gone there, and looked into
every corner! And what about the statues in the wood outside - why haven’t they
been packed away?’
‘Too
big, probably,’ said Julian. ‘And too heavy. A small boat wouldn’t be strong
enough to take great things like that. But those little statues are quite
perfect for transporting - they don’t weigh as much as the big ones - and they
aren’t marked by the weather, through standing in rain, sun and snow! Not a
mark on them!’
‘You’re
right,’ said Anne. ‘I noticed that those big ones outside were green here and
there, and some had bits knocked off them. I wish we could get inside the
castle and see the things there!’
‘The
man at the golf-club, the one we took those lost balls to - he said something
about statues as white as snow, standing in this wood - do you remember?’ said
Dick.
‘Yes.
They must have stood there for some time,’ said Julian. ‘I don’t feel they can
be very valuable, else they would be put carefully indoors, under cover. But
these little beauties - I guess they’re worth a lot of money!’
‘Who
do you suppose packed them in here?’ said Anne.
‘Maybe
those big men we saw,’ said Julian. ‘Even small statues like these need someone
very strong indeed to carry them here to this shed, and pack them like this.
Then, of course, they would have to be carried to some boat - or ship -
probably to a boat first, and then rowed out to a waiting ship. But I don’t
think those guards are the men behind all this - someone with great knowledge
of old things must be the ringleader. He probably heard the old legend of the
island, came to have a look round, and made quite a lot of interesting
discoveries!’
‘Where?’
asked George. ‘In the castle?’
‘Probably
- though carefully hidden away!’ said Julian. ‘For all we know there may be
scores of really valuable old treasures hidden there still. That sword with a
jewelled handle, for instance! And the bed made of gold, and...’
‘To
think they might all be quite near us somewhere on Whispering Island!’ said
Anne. ‘Wouldn’t I love to be able to say I’d slept on a bed of pure gold!’
‘Well,
I think you’d find it jolly hard,’ said Dick.
Timmy
suddenly gave a small whine, and licked George’s hand. ‘What is it?’ she said.
‘What do you want, Timmy?’
‘Perhaps
he’s hungry,’ said Anne.
‘Thirsty,
more likely!’ said Julian. ‘Look at his tongue hanging out!’
‘Oh,
poor Tim - you haven’t had a drink for hours!’ said George. ‘Well - where on
earth can we get you one? We’ll have to look for a puddle, I’m afraid. Come on!’
They
left the shed where the beautiful little statues were lying in their sawdust,
and went out into the sunshine. Everywhere was dry. Julian felt worried.
‘We
shall all be thirsty soon!’ he said. ‘I wonder where we can get some water?’
‘Would
it be too dangerous to go near the castle and see if there’s a tap anywhere?’
asked George, ready to face almost anything to get her dog a drink!
‘Yes,
it would,’ said Julian, in a very decided voice. ‘We’re not going near any of
those men with guns. They might have been told to shoot on sight, and that
wouldn’t be very pleasant. We’d be peppered all over with shot!’
‘Look
- what’s that round thing over there - like a little circular wall?’ said Dick,
pointing to something behind the shed where the statues lay in their boxes.
They
all went over to it - and Anne guessed what it was at once! ‘A well! An old
well!’ she said. ‘Look, it has an old wooden beam over the top, with a pulley
to wind and unwind a bucket. 1s there a bucket - let’s hope so! We can let it down
to the water and fill it for Timmy then.’
Timmy
put his paws on the rim of the wall and sniffed. Water! That was what he wanted
more than anything. He began to whine.
‘All
right, Timmy - we’ll send the bucket down,’ said George. ‘It’s still on the hook!
Julian, this handle’s awfully stiff - can you turn it to let down the bucket?’
 Alas - it jerked right off the hook, and
with a weird, echoing jangling sound, fell from the top to the bottom of the
well - landing in the water with a terrific splash!
‘Blow,
blow, blow!’ said Julian, and Timmy gave an anguished howl. He peered down at
the lost bucket, now on its side in the water at the bottom of the well,
gradually filling itself.
‘It’ll
probably sink below the water now,’ said Julian, with a groan. ‘Is there a
ladder down the well? - if so I could shin down and get the bucket.’
But
there wasn’t, though it looked as if there had been at some time, for here and
there were staples in the brick side of the well-wall.
‘What
can we do?’ asked Anne. ‘Can we possibly pull up the bucket?’
‘No
- I’m afraid we can’t,’ said Dick. ‘But wait a minute - I could shin down the
rope, couldn’t I, and pick the bucket out of the water. And easily get up
again, because George and Julian could turn the well-handle, and pull me up
that way!’
‘Righto.
Down you go then,’ said Julian. ‘The rope’s good and strong, not frayed or
rotten. We’ll wind you and the bucket up all right!’
The
boy sat on the side of the well-wall, and reached out for the rope. He swung
himself on to it, and swayed there a moment or two, looking down the long, dark
hole below him, with the water at the bottom. Then down he went, hand-over-hand,
just as he so often did at school in the gym.
He
came to the bottom, reached down, took hold of the bucket-handle, and filled
the bucket full. The water felt as cold as ice to his hand. ‘All right. Pull me
up!’ he shouted, his voice sounding very hollow and strange as it rose up
through the well-walls.
 Julian and George turned the handle valiantly, but it was
slow work. Gradually Dick came up nearer and nearer to the top. When he was
half-way they heard him give an exclamation, and call out something; but they
couldn’t make out what it was and went on winding the groaning rope, slowly but
surely.
 Timmy fell on it with excited barks, and began to lap vigorously.
‘Didn’t
you hear me yelling to you to stop when I was halfway up?’ demanded Dick, still
swinging on the rope. ‘Don’t let go that handle. Hang on to it for a minute.’
‘What’s
the excitement?’ asked Julian, in surprise. ‘Why did you yell to us? We
couldn’t make out what you said.’
Dick
swung himself to one side, caught hold of the well-top, and hauled himself up,
so that he could sit on the well-wall. ‘I shouted because I suddenly saw
something jolly peculiar as I came up the well,’ he said. ‘And I wanted to stop
and see what it was!’
‘Well
- what was it?’ asked Julian.
‘I
don’t quite know. It looked awfully like a little door! An iron door,’ said
Dick. ‘I say, don’t let Timmy drink all that water-he’ll be ill. We’ll let the
pail down again in a minute and get some more for ourselves.’
‘Go
on about what you saw,’ said George. ‘How could there be a door in the side of
a well going deep down into the earth?’
‘Well,
I tell you, there was one,’ said Dick. ‘Look, Timmy’s gone and upset the pail
now! Let’s send it down on the pulley to be filled again, and I’ll go down on
the rope again too. But when I come up and you hear me shout ‘Stop!’ just STOP
winding, see?’
‘Here’s
the bucket for the hook,’ said Julian.  Ready?’
Down
went Dick and the bucket again - splash went the bucket and filled with water
once more. Then up came Dick again, wound up by Julian and George as before. As
soon as they heard him shout ‘STOP’ they stopped their winding and peered down.
They
saw Dick peering hard at the side of the well-wall, and pulling at it with his
fingers. Then he shouted again. ‘All right. UP WE go!’
They
hauled him up to the top, and he clambered off the rope, swung himself on to
the well-wall and sat there.
‘Yes.
It is some kind of opening in the well-wall - it is a door - and it has a bolt
this side to undo, but it was too stiff for my fingers. I’d have to go down and
jiggle it about with my knife before I could loosen it.’
‘A
door in a well! But where on earth would it lead to?’ said Julian, astonished.
‘That’s
what we’re going to find out!’ grinned Dick, rather pleased with himself. ‘Who
would ever think of putting a door in the side of a well? Somebody did - but
WHY? Very cunning - and mysterious - and unguessable. I rather think I’ll go
straight down again and see if I can’t open that door - and discover what it
leads to!’
‘Oh
DO, Dick, do!’ said George. ‘If you don’t, I will!’
‘Hang
on to the rope. Down I go again!’ said Dick. And down he went, much to Timmy’s
surprise. The others looked down anxiously. Gould Dick open the well-door? What
would he find behind it? Quick, Dick, quick - everybody’s waiting for you!
Chapter
Twelve
A
GREAT SURPRISE - AND A SHOCK FOR GEORGE
As
soon as Dick shouted ‘STOP’ Julian and George hung on to the rope to stop it
going down any further. Dick was swinging just opposite the strange door. He
began to feel round it, and to jiggle it. It had no lock, apparently, but there
was a bolt on his side. He tried to push back the bolt - and suddenly it came
away from the door, and dropped down into the well. It had rusted so much that
it could not even hold to the door, once it was handled!
The
door felt loose, now the bolt was gone. Dick ran his hands round it, trying to
loosen it further, and banged it with his fist. Rust fell off it, and Dick’s
hands were soon brown with the old old rust.
He
saw a little knob at the top of the door and gave it a tug. Ah - the door felt
looser now. He ran his knife all round the edges, scraping away all the rust he
could find. Then he managed to get his strongest knife-blade in between the
door-edge and the well-wall, and used it as a lever to force the door open.
It
opened slowly and painfully, with creaks and groans. It was about eighteen
inches high and not quite so much wide. Dick pulled it back with difficulty and
then peered through the hole.
He
could see nothing at all but black darkness - how very disappointing! He
fumbled in his pocket to see if he had a torch. Yes - good! He shone it through
the little door, his hand trembling with excitement. What would he see?
His
torch was small and not very powerful.  The eyes seemed to glare up at him in a very threatening manner! He
switched his torch to the right - and yet another face gleamed up at him. ‘A
queer face,’ thought Dick. ‘Yellow as can be! YELLOW! YELLOW! I believe that
face is made of gold!’
His
hand was trembling even more, he shone his torch here and there through the
opening, catching first one yellow face in its light, and then another. The
faces had yellow bodies too, and their eyes glinted very queerly.
‘I
believe - yes, I really do believe - that I’ve found the hiding-place of the
golden statues!’ thought Dick. ‘And those gleaming eyes must be precious
jewels. My word, I did have a shock when I saw them all looking at me! Whatever
is this place they’re in?’
‘DICK!
What can you see? Do tell us!’ yelled Julian, and poor Dick almost fell off the
rope when the shouts echoed round him. ‘Pull me up!’ he shouted. ‘It’s too
extraordinary for words. Pull me up and I’ll tell you!’
And
before a minute had passed, he was standing by the others, his eyes gleaming
almost as brightly as the eyes of the golden statues, his words tumbling over
one another.
‘That
door leads into the place where all the treasures are hidden. The first thing I
saw was a golden statue staring at me - brilliant eyes in a yellow face - a
golden face, real gold! There are dozens of them. I don’t think they liked me
much - they glared so! Thank goodness they didn’t say a word - though I half
expected them to. My word, what a hiding-place - right down under the earth!’
‘There
must be another entrance to it,’ said Julian, thrilled to hear such
extraordinary news. ‘The well door must be a secret one. Statues couldn’t be
pushed through it.  ‘I can’t believe
it. I think I must be dreaming it. Quick, let me go down!’
One
by one they all went down on the rope and looked through the door. Anne came
back rather scared. She had felt very queer when she had seen the silent
statues looking at her. ‘I know they’re not really looking, it’s only that
their eyes gleam,’ she said. ‘But I kept expecting one or other to take a step
forward and speak to me!’
‘Well
- the next thing to do is to climb down through the door, and see exactly where
the statues are, underground,’ said Julian. ‘And find out the opening they were
brought in by. There must be a door the other end of their room, through which
they were brought. What a hiding-place, though! No wonder the police could find
nothing in the way of statues or other treasures.’
‘We
might find the golden sword there, with the jewelled handle!’ said Anne. ‘And
the golden bed.’
She
had hardly finished speaking when there came a loud noise from behind them.
 Whatever was the matter?
‘Sh!’
said George, fiercely.  Stop it!’
Timmy
stopped barking and whined instead. Then he ran off towards the wood, his tail
waving happily. ‘Who in the world is he going to meet?’ said George, amazed.
‘Someone he knows, by the look of his tail!’
The
others all followed Timmy, who raced along towards the cove where they had
landed - and lost - their boat. And there, in the cove, was another boat! A
small one, to be sure, but still, a boat - and by it, fondling Timmy, was
Wilfrid! Wilfrid! What an amazing thing!
‘WILFRID!
How did you get here - did you hire that boat? Did you come all by yourself?
Did you...’
Wilfrid
grinned round in delight, thrilled at the surprise he was giving everyone.
Timmy licked him without stopping, and George didn’t even seem to notice!
‘Well,’
he said, ‘you didn’t come back, so I guessed something was wrong - and when the
boat boy told me you’d taken one of his boats, and it had been reported tossing
about, empty on the water near the island, I guessed what had happened - I
said, ‘Aha! they didn’t make the boat fast when they got to the island - and
now they’re marooned there! You were pretty mean to go without me - but I
guessed you’d be pleased to see me, if I borrowed a boat and came over!’
Anne
was so pleased that she gave the boy a hug. ‘Now we can go back whenever we
want to,’ she said.
‘But
we don’t want to, at the moment,’ said Dick. ‘We’ve made some startling
discoveries, Wilfrid - and I’m jolly pleased you’ll be able to share in them!
Er - what have you got in your pocket'' Something keeps poking its head out at
me.’
‘Oh,
that’s only a baby hedgehog,’ said Wilfrid, taking it out gently. ‘It got
trodden on - by a horse I think - so I’m just caring for it for a day or two.’
He put it back into his pocket. ‘But I say - go on - tell me what you’ve found.
Not the lost treasures, surely?’
‘Yes!’
said Anne. ‘We saw them when we went down a well near the castle.’
‘Gracious
- did somebody throw them into the water there?’ said Wilfrid, amazed.
‘No,’
said Dick, and told him about the curious door in the side of the well-wall.

‘I
am glad I came!’ he said. ‘I nearly didn’t. I thought you wouldn’t really want
me - and I knew George wouldn’t be pleased, because of Timmy. I can’t help him
coming round me - and anyway he’d feel hurt if I pushed him off.’
Timmy
came nosing round him at that moment, with his ball. He wanted Wilfrid to throw
it for him. But Wilfrid didn’t notice the ball. He just patted the soft head,
and went on talking.
‘The
boat boy wasn’t very pleased when he heard that the boat you hired was loose on
the sea. He said you’d hired it for a week, and there it was, back the same
day, wet and empty! His cousin brought it in. No damage done.’
‘I’ll
make it up to him when I see him,’ said Julian. ‘I haven’t paid him for the
hire of it either, but he knows I will, when I get back. I had no idea that the
sea would throw up waves here whose backwash would drag out an unmoored boat.’
‘You
ought to have taken me with you,’ said Wil-frid, grinning. Timmy, tired of
trying to make him throw his ball, went off to George, who was only too pleased
to. She threw it into the air, and Timmy leapt up and caught it.
Then
very suddenly he made a horrible noise and rolled over, kicking as if he were
in great pain. ‘What’s the matter, Timmy?’ cried George, and rushed to him.
Wilfrid ran too.
‘That
ball’s stuck in his throat!’ cried Wilfrid. ‘I knew it was dangerous! I told
you it was! Cough it up, Timmy, cough it up. Oh, you poor, choking thing! Oh
Timmy, Timmy!’
The
boy was beside himself with fear that the dog would choke, as he had once seen
another dog do, and as for George, she was wild with terror. Poor Timmy’s eyes
looked terrible as he choked and choked, trying to get the ball out of his
throat.
‘He’ll
choke to death,’ cried Wilfrid. ‘Julian, force his mouth open, and hold it. I
must try to get out the ball. Quick!’
Timmy
was growing weaker, and it was not too difficult to force his mouth wide open.
Wilfrid could see the ball down the dog’s throat - the ball with the hole in
the middle. He put his small hand into the dog’s big mouth, and forced his
fore-finger into the hole in the ball. His finger-joint stuck there - Wilfrid
gently drew back his hand - and the ball came too, on his finger! There it was,
with his finger still stuck in the hole! Timmy began to breathe again, great
panting breaths, while George stroked his head and cried for joy that he was
all right.
‘I
shouldn’t have given you that ball, I shouldn’t!’ she said.  Oh Timmy, Timmy, I’m very very sorry. Timmy, are you all right?’
Wilfrid
had gone off but now came back with some water from the pail. He dipped his
hand in it and let drops of water drip into the dog’s mouth. Timmy swallowed it
gratefully. His throat was sore, but the water was cool and soothing. George
let Wilfrid do this without a word. She looked rather white and shaken. Why -
Timmy might be dead by now if Wilfrid hadn’t put his finger into that hole in
the ball, and drawn it out!
‘Thank
you, Wilfrid,’ she said, in a low voice. ‘You were very clever.’
‘Thank
goodness the ball had a hole through it,’ said Wilfrid, and he put his arms
round Timmy’s neck. The dog licked him gratefully. Then he turned and licked
George too.
‘He
says he belongs to both of us now,’ said George. ‘I’ll share him with you. You
saved his life.’
‘Thanks,’
said Wilfrid. ‘I’d love to have just a bit of him - he’s the nicest dog I
know!’
Chapter
Thirteen
A
MEAL - A SLEEP - AND A DISAPPEARANCE
‘I
feel hungry again,’ said George, who always had a very good appetite indeed.
‘We’ve finished all that ham, haven’t we? I had to give old Timmy some. What
about a barley sugar, Dick?’
‘Two
more left for each of us - just ten,’ said Dick, counting. ‘Sorry, Timmy, old
thing - none for you this time. Have one, everybody? We’ll have five left
then!’
‘Oh,
I quite forgot to tell you,’ said Wilfrid, taking a barley sugar. ‘I brought
some food in my boat! I didn’t think you’d taken any, and I guessed you’d soon
be jolly hungry!’
‘You’re
a marvel, Wilfrid!’ said Julian, wondering why he had ever disliked the boy.
‘What have you brought?’
‘Come
and see,’ said Wilfrid, and they all went over to the boat, Timmy walking as
close to the boy as he could. Higgledy-piggledy in the boat was a pile of tins,
a large loaf of bread, and a pound package of butter, looking rather soft.
‘Gracious!’
said Anne, in delight. ‘How in the world did you carry all these from the
cottage to your boat? Look, everyone, Wilfrid has even brought some, plates and
spoons!’
‘I
put everything into a sack, and carried them over my shoulder,’ said Wilfrid,
enjoying everyone’s delighted surprise. ‘I fell over going down the hill to the
shore, and all the tins rolled out, and simply shot down the slope!’
Everyone
laughed at the thought of the tins rolling at top speed down the hill. Anne
slipped her arm through Wilfrid’s and gave it a squeeze.
‘You
did jolly well,’ she said, and Wilfrid beamed at her, astonished and pleased at
everyone’s warm friendliness. Timmy went up to the boat and began sniffing at
the bread. Then he turned and barked as if to say ‘Is there anything here for
me?’
Wilfrid
understood at once. ‘Oh yes, Timmy!’ he said.
‘I
brought a special tin of dogmeat for you - here you are - a large tin of
Waggomeat!’
Timmy
recognized the tin at once, and barked joyfully. He pawed Wilfrid as if to say
‘Come on, then - open it! I’m hungry!’
‘Anyone
got a tin-opener?’ said George. ‘It would be too dreadful if we couldn’t open
the tins!’
‘Gosh
- I never even thought about that!’ said Wilfrid.  I’ve a thing on my pocket-knife that’s supposed to open tins,’ said
Dick, taking out a very large closed knife. ‘I’ve never bothered to use it - so
let’s hope it will work the trick. Chuck me a tin, Wilfrid.’
Wilfrid
threw him the tin of Waggomeat. With everyone watching very anxiously indeed,
Dick opened a peculiar-looking tool in his knife, and gashed the point into the
top of the tin. It worked!
‘First
time I’ve ever used it,’ said Dick, running the gadget round the tin-top.
‘Three cheers for the man who thought of including it in a knife!’
‘Will
Timmy be able to swallow yet?’ asked George, anxiously. ‘His throat must still
be hurting him where that wooden ball choked him.’
‘Oh,
Timmy will be able to judge that for himself,’ said Julian. ‘If I know anything
about him, not even a sore throat will stop him from wolfing half that tin!’
Julian
was right. As soon as Wilfrid scraped out a third of the meat with his knife on
to a flat stone nearby, Timmy was wolfing it in great gulps!
‘Nothing
much the matter with your throat now, Tim!’ said Anne, patting him. ‘Dear old
Tim. Don’t ever choke again. I simply couldn’t bear it!’
‘Let’s
have a meal ourselves now,’ said George. ‘We’ll open more of those tins. We
don’t need to be stingy about them because we can leave in Wilfrid’s boat at
any time, and get back to the mainland.’
Soon
they had opened a tin of tongue, two tins of fruit, and a large tin of baked
beans. They cut the big loaf into six pieces (one for Timmy, of course) and
then sat down at the back of the cove to feast.
‘Best
meal I ever had in my life!’ said Dick, enjoying himself. ‘Tasty food - fresh
air - sea nearby - sun on our heads - and friends sitting all round me!’
‘Woof!’
said Timmy, at once, and gave Dick a very wet lick.
‘He
says he couldn’t agree more,’ said Anne, with a laugh.
‘The
sun’s going down,’ said George. ‘What are we going to do? Go back to the
mainland in Wilfrid’s boat - or stay here for the night?’
‘Stay
here,’ said Julian. ‘Nobody knows we’re here, and I want to snoop round a bit
tonight, when those men can’t see me. There’s a lot of things that puzzle me.
For instance, how on earth do they send away the things from here - such as
those packed statues we saw? It must mean that a fairly big vessel comes along
to collect them, I suppose. And I’d like to know how many men there are on the
island - presumably the guards we saw, with guns - and the men who have found
that underground cave, where everything was hidden. Then we’ll go back, tell
the police, and leave things to them!’
‘Couldn’t
Wilfrid take the two girls back to the mainland, then come back with the boat?’
said Dick. ‘I don’t think we ought to let them run any risk.’
Before
Julian could reply, George spoke quickly - and crossly. ‘We’re staying here -
though Anne can go back if she wants to. But Timmy and I are staying with you
boys, so that’s that.’
‘All
right, all right, no need to shout!’ said Dick, pretending to cover his ears.
‘What about you, though, Anne? You’re the youngest, and...’
‘I’m
staying,’ said Anne. ‘I’d be worried stiff all night if I left you on the
island. And I certainly don’t want to miss any excitement!’
‘Right,’
said Julian. ‘We all stay then. Wilfrid, did you know that Timmy has his nose
in the pocket where you keep your hedgehog?’
‘Yes.
They’re just making friends,’ said Wilfrid. ‘Anyway, the hedgehog’s only a baby
- his quills won’t prick Timmy’s nose, they’re still too soft. He’s a dear
little thing. I thought I’d call him Spiky.’
‘Wuff,’
said Timmy, quite agreeing. He was sitting between George and Wilfrid, very
happy indeed, for both fondled him and patted him at the same time.
‘I
think I’ll take a walk round the island,’ suddenly announced Wilfrid. ‘Timmy,
like to come with me?’
Timmy
got up at once, but George pulled him down.  ‘Timmy’s been shot at once, by the men here - and I’m not going to risk
it again - besides, we don’t want them to know we’re here.’
‘I’d
be very careful,’ persisted Wilfrid. ‘I wouldn’t let them spot me. They didn’t
spot me coming over in the boat.’
Julian
sat up very suddenly. ‘How do we know they didn’t?’ he said. ‘I never thought
of that! They might have a telescope - they might keep watch all the time -
they might even have seen us in our boat! After all, they can’t risk being
spied on!’
‘I
don’t think they could have seen us,’ said Dick. ‘They would have made a
search.’
‘I’m
jolly sure they didn’t see me,’ boasted Wilfrid. ‘They’d have been waiting for
me on the shore, if they had.’ He got up and looked all round. ‘I think I’ll go
for my walk now,’ he said.
‘NO!
You are DEFINITELY not to go for a walk, Wilfrid,’ said Julian, and lay back in
the sun again. It was sinking now, but still very bright. Dick began to think
of the night, and how he and Julian would snoop round and find the way into
that strange place underground where those golden statues stood silently in the
darkness.
Then
he fell fast asleep, and only awoke when Anne gave him a friendly punch. He sat
up and began a long and leisurely conversation with his sister - and then Anne
suddenly looked all round.
‘Where’s
Wilfrid?’ she said. They all sat up then, and looked startled. Wilfrid was
nowhere to be seen!
‘He
must have slipped away without a sound!’ said Dick, angrily.
He’s been gone quite a long time! He’ll get caught, as sure as can be. Good
thing Timmy didn’t go with him - he might have been caught too - and shot!’
George
put her arms round Timmy in fear.‘Timmy would never go with Wilfrid if I wasn’t
there too,’ she said.  I say - those men will
guess there’s someone else on the island with Wilfrid, won’t they? They might
even make him tell all he knew - and where the boat is, and everything!’
‘What
shall we do?’ said Anne. ‘We’d better go after him.’
‘Timmy
will track him for us,’ said George, getting up. ‘Come on, Tim. Find Wilfrid.
Find that silly disobedient boy Wilfrid!’
Timmy
understood at once. He put his nose to the ground, found Wilfrid’s scent, and
began to walk away. ‘Not too fast, Timmy,’ said George, and he at once slowed
down. George looked round at the little place among the bushes where they had
been sitting. ‘Had we better take a tin or two with us?’ she said.
‘Yes.
Good idea,’ said Julian. ‘You just never know!’
He
and Dick took a couple of tins each, stuffed uncomfortably into their pockets.
Blow Wilfrid!
‘He
must have gone in this direction,’ said Dick. ‘I never spotted him slinking
away, the little nuisance! I’m surprised Timmy didn’t make a sound! Track him,
Tim, track him!’
‘Listen!’
said Anne, suddenly, and she stopped. ‘Listen!’ They all listened - and didn’t
at all like what they heard. It was Wilfrid’s voice, yelling in fright.
‘Let
me go! Let me go!’
And
then a stern, loud and threatening voice came ‘Who are you with? Where are
they? You’re not alone, we’re certain of that!’
‘Quick
- we must hide!’ said Julian, angry and worried. ‘Dick, look about for a good
place and I will too.’
‘No
good,’ said Dick. ‘They’ll beat everywhere for us. Better climb trees.’
‘Good
idea!’ said Julian. ‘Anne, come with me.  Hurry,
everybody! Hurry!’
Chapter
Fourteen
WILFRID
HAS AN ADVENTURE ON HIS OWN
What
about Timmy? He can’t climb,’ said George, fearfully. ‘He might be shot.’
‘Put
him under a bush and tell him to sit, sit, sit!’ said Julian, urgently. ‘He
knows perfectly well what that means. Go on, George, quick.’
George
took Timmy by the collar and led him to a very thick bush. She pushed him under
it. He turned himself round, poked his nose out of the leaves, and looked at
her in surprise.
‘Sit,
Timmy! Sit, and keep quiet!’ said George. ‘Sit, sit, sit - and keep quiet.
Understand?’
‘Woof,’