"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 20 - Five Have a Mystery to Solve" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

‘You next, Wilfrid,’ said Dick. ‘Can you get hold of the rope all right, do you think? For pity’s sake don’t fall into the water. My torch will give you plenty of light.’
‘Don’t worry about me! It’s just like being on the ropes at gym in school,’ said Wilfrid, scornfully. He swung his legs into the opening, leapt at the rope, hung on, and began to climb up just like a monkey.
Julian’s voice came down the well again, echoing hollowly, sounding rather queer. ‘Wilfrid’s safely up. Now send Anne - we’ll wind up the rope for her, so that she doesn’t need to climb, only to hang on.’
Through the opening went Anne, and sat on its ledge. ‘Can you swing the rope a bit, Julian?’ she called. ‘It’s rather far for me to jump.’
‘Good gracious! For goodness sake be careful!’ called Julian, in alarm. ‘Tell Dick to help you.’
But the well-wall opening was so small that Dick couldn’t even look through it while Anne was sitting there. ‘Don’t jump till you’ve got firm hold of the rope, Anne,’ he told his sister, anxiously. ‘Is Ju swinging it to and fro? Can you see it clearly? It’s so dark in the well, and my torch isn’t too good now!’
‘Yes. I can see it,’ said Anne. ‘It bumped against my legs then, and I just missed getting it. Here it comes again - I’ve got it! I’m going to hold on to it tightly and drop off the ledge. Here I go!’
She sounded very much braver than she felt. She let herself drop off the ledge, and there she swung on the thick rope, with the black water far below! ‘Wind me up, Ju!’ she called, and held on as the two boys at the top exerted all their strength. Dick saw her disappear up the well, and heaved a sigh of relief. Now for George.
He climbed down from the table and chest and looked for George and Timmy, shining his torch everywhere. To his utmost surprise he couldn’t see them! He called softly. ‘Timmy!’
A small, stifled whine came from somewhere. Dick frowned. ‘George - where are you? For goodness sake buck up and come out from where you’re hiding. Those men might come back at any time! Don’t play the fool.’
A dark curly head poked out from behind a large box near the door, and George spoke in a very fierce voice. ‘You know Timmy can’t hang on to a rope! He’d fall and be drowned. I think you are all horrid to forget that he can’t climb. I’m staying here with him. You go on up the well.’
‘Certainly not!’ said Dick at once. ‘I shall stay here with you. I suppose it’s no use asking you to let me stay with Tim, while you climb up?’
‘Not the slightest use. He’s my dog, and I’m jolly well sticking by him,’ said George. ‘He’d never desert me, I’m sure of that.’
Dick knew George only too well when she was in one of her determined moods. Nothing, absolutely nothing, would make her change her mind!
‘All right, George - I expect I’d feel the same if Timmy was mine,’ said Dick. ‘I’m staying here with you, though!’
‘No,’ said George. ‘We’ll be all right, Tim and I.’
Dick ran to the chest and table that he had used to get up to the opening in the well-wall, and climbed quickly to the top. He swung himself through, sat on the edge of the opening and called up the well.
‘Julian? Are you there? Listen - George won’t leave Timmy because he can’t climb up the rope. So I’m staying with her!’
No sooner had he said these words, than he heard someone unlocking the door of the room they were in! Timmy growled so fiercely that Dick’s heart jumped in fear. Suppose Tim leapt at those men - and one of them had a gun!
George heard the noise of the key turning in the door, and quick as lightning she went behind a pile of boxes with Timmy. ‘Go for them, Timmy, just as soon as you can!’ she said. ‘Get them down before they can hurt you.’
‘Woof,’ said Timmy, understanding every word. He stood beside George, ears cocked, showing his teeth in a snarl. The door opened, and a man came in, carrying a lantern. ‘I’ve brought you a light,’ he began - and then Timmy leapt at him!
Crash! Down went the lantern and the light went out. Down went the man too, shouting in fear as the big dog leapt on his chest, his hairy face so close that the man could feel the dog’s hot breath. The man’s head struck against the edge of a chest, and he was suddenly still and silent.
‘Knocked out, I do believe!’ said Dick to himself, and very cautiously shone his torch round. Yes - there was the man on the floor, eyes closed, unmoving!
George was at the open door, looking out, Timmy by her side. ‘Dick! I’m taking Timmy down the secret way through the cliffs. I’ll be perfectly safe with him.’
‘I must tell Julian,’ said Dick. ‘He’s still at the top of the well, expecting you and Timmy. You go as quickly as you can - and be careful. Timmy will look after you.’
George disappeared at top speed, her shoes making no sound. She looked anxious but not afraid. ‘Good as a boy!’ thought Dick, for the hundredth time. ‘Every bit as good as a boy. Doesn’t turn a hair! Now I’d better get back to that opening in the well, and tell Julian that George and Timmy have gone down the secret way. That man is still knocked out, thank goodness!’
He was soon on top of the chest and table, and peering through the hole. He could see the light from Julian’s torch far away at the top, the light flashing on and off as if signalling. Dick called up ‘Julian!’
‘Oh, so you’re still there,’ said Julian, sounding very relieved. ‘Anything happened?’
‘Yes,’ said Dick. ‘I’ll tell you in a minute. Swing the rope a bit, Ju.’
The rope swung near Dick, and he caught it, and was just about to swing himself into the well when he heard a noise. He looked back into the vast room, which was now in darkness, for he had switched off his torch.
Someone came in hurriedly. ‘What’s happened? Why didn’t you...’ Then he stopped as the light from the lantern he carried picked out the figure of the man on the floor. He gave an exclamation and knelt down by him. Dick grinned to himself - what about a nice little shock for this fellow? He reached down to the sturdy little table, gave it a shove that sent it hurtling down to the floor, and then swung himself into the well on the rope. He was just in time to see the table fall with a crash by the man with the lantern, and to hear him shout in fear - and then Julian and Wilfrid hauled him up the well, still grinning to himself. ‘Bit of a shock for those men!’ he thought. ‘George and Timmy disappeared - and the rest of us gone most mysteriously! Pull, Julian, pull! I’ve a nice little story to tell you!’
And soon he was up on the well-wall, telling the others what had happened. They laughed in delight.
‘Good old George! Good old Timmy!’
‘George knows the way down the cliff passage all right - and if she didn’t Timmy would take her safely,’ said Julian. ‘We’ll go down on the rocks and meet her, I think. She should be all right because the moon’s out now, and everything is as light as day!’
And off they all went through the wood, laughing when they thought how puzzled and mystified those men must be!


Chapter Nineteen
ANNE IS A TIGER!

In the meantime, George was hurrying down the secret way through the cliffs. Timmy ran first in front and then behind, his ears pricked for any possible pursuer or danger. He could hear no one. Good! Both he and George were glad to hear the babbling of the funny little underground stream as it ran swiftly down towards the sea. ‘It’s a nice friendly sound, Tim,’ said George. ‘I like it.’
Once or twice they slipped from the wet ledges into the water, and George felt a bit afraid of falling and breaking her torch. ‘It wouldn’t be much fun if we had to go down this passage in the pitch dark!’ she told Timmy, and he gave a little woof of agreement.
‘What’s that bright light?’ said George, suddenly, stopping in the passage. ‘Look, Tim - awfully bright. Is it someone coming with a lantern?’
Timmy gave a loud bark and rush in front. He knew that lantern all right! It was the one that somebody sometimes hung in the sky, and that George called the Moon. Didn’t she know?
George soon did know, of course, and cried out in delight. ‘Oh, it’s the moon, of course, dear old moon. I’d forgotten it was a moonlight night tonight. I wonder where the others are, Timmy. You’ll have to smell them out!’
Timmy already knew where they were! He had caught their scent on the wind. They weren’t very far away! He barked joyously. Soon they would all be together again!
He and George came out of the tunnel in the cliff and found themselves on the rocks. The sea was splashing over them, and the waves gleamed brightly in the bright moonlight.
George saw something moving in the distance. She put her hand on Timmy’s collar. ‘Careful, Tim,’ she said. ‘Is that someone coming over there? Stay by me.’
But Timmy disobeyed for once! He leapt away and splashed through pools, over seaweed, over slippery rocks, barking madly. ‘Timmy!’ called George, not recognising who was coming. ‘TIMMY! COME BACK!’
And then she saw who were coming over the rock in the bright moonlight, picking their way through the slippery seaweed. She waved and shouted joyfully.