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

‘Here I am! I’ve escaped all right!’
What a joyful meeting that was! They all sat down on a convenient rock and talked nineteen to the dozen, telling each other what had happened. And then a big wave suddenly came up and splashed all over them!
‘Blow!’ said Julian. ‘Tide’s coming in, I suppose. Come on - let’s get back to Whispering Wood.’
Anne gave a most enormous yawn. ‘I don’t know what the time is,’ she said. ‘And it’s so bright everywhere that I’m not sure if it’s day or night. All I know is that I’m suddenly most awfully SLEEPY.’
Julian glanced at his watch. ‘It’s very late,’ he said. ‘Long past our bedtime. What shall we do - risk sleeping here on the island - or find Wilfrid’s boat and row across to the mainland - and have a nice long, peaceful snooze in that dear little cottage?’
‘Oh, don’t let’s stay on the island!’ said Anne. ‘I’d never go to sleep! I’d be afraid those men would find us.’
‘Don’t be silly, Anne,’ said George, trying not to yawn. ‘They wouldn’t have the remotest idea where to look for us! I honestly don’t fancy looking for Wilfrid’s boat, rowing all the way to the mainland, and then climbing up that steep hill to the cottage!’
‘Well - all right,’ said Anne. ‘But oughtn’t somebody to be on guard - oughtn’t we each to take turn?’
‘Why so fussy, Anne?’ asked George. ‘Timmy would hear anyone!’
‘I suppose he would,’ said Anne, giving way. ‘We’ll stay here then.’
They were all very tired. The boys pulled up armfuls of old dry bracken and spread it in a sheltered patch of grass, where bushes surrounded them, and sheltered them from the wind. It was not far from the cove where Wilfrid’s boat lay. They snuggled into the bracken.
‘Nice and cosy!’ said George, yawning. ‘Ohhh! I’ve never felt so sleepy in my life!’ And in three seconds she was sound asleep! Wilfrid dropped off at once too, and Dick and Julian were soon giving little gentle snores.
Anne was still awake. She felt nervous. ‘I’d dearly like to know if those men are safely underground!’ she thought. ‘I can’t imagine that they are very pleased at us getting away - they’ll know we’ll go to the mainland as soon as we can, and tell everyone what we have found! I should have thought they would try to stop us leaving. They must hnow we have a boat!’
She lay and worried, keeping her ears open for any strange sound. Timmy heard her tossing and turning and crept over to her very quietly, so as not to wake George. He lay down beside Anne, giving her a loving lick as if to say, ‘Now, you go to sleep, and I’ll keep watch!’
But still Anne didn’t fall asleep. Still she kept her ears wide open for any unusual sound - and then, quite suddenly, she heard something. So did Timmy. He sat up, and gave a very small growl.
Anne strained her ears. Yes - it was certainly voices she could hear - low voices, that didn’t want to be heard. It was the men coming to find Wilfrid’s boat! Once they had that, the children couldn’t get away from Whispering Island!
Timmy ran a little way from the bushes, and looked round at Anne as if to say, ‘Coming with me?’
Anne got up quietly and went to Timmy. He ran on in front, and she followed. She really must see what was happening, then if it was anything important, she could run back and rouse everyone. Timmy was taking her to the cove where Wilfrid had left his boat, hauled high up on the sand, for fear of big waves.
They were both as quiet as they could be. Timmy growled a little when he heard the voices again, much nearer this time.
The men had come quietly round the island in their own boat, to set Wilfrid’s boat adrift. Anne saw them pushing Wilfrid’s boat down the sand towards the sea. Once it was adrift, she and the others would be prisoners on the island! She yelled at the top of her voice.
‘You stop that! It’s OUR boat!’ And Timmy began to bark his head off, prancing round the men, and showing his big white teeth. The barking awoke all the others and they leapt up at once. ‘That’s Timmy!’ shouted Julian. ‘That’s Timmy barking! Come on, quickly - but be careful!’
They ran at top speed to the cove. Timmy was still barking madly - and someone was yelling. It sounded like Anne. ANNE - no, no, it couldn’t be quiet little Anne!’ thought Julian.
But it was! For when the four arrived at the cove, there was Anne yelling to Timmy to bite the men, and dancing about in a rare old temper!
‘How DARE you come and take our boat! I’ll tell Timmy to bite you! And he will too! Get them, Tim, get them! How DARE you take our boat! Bite them, Timmy!’
Timmy had already bitten both the men, who were now rowing away in their own boat at top speed. Anne picked up a stone and sent it whizzing after them. It struck their boat and made them jump.
Anne jumped too when she turned and saw Julian, George, Wilfrid and Dick. ‘I’m so glad you’ve come!’ she said. ‘I think Timmy and I have frightened them off. The beasts!’
‘Frightened them off! You’ve scared them stiff!’ said Julian, hugging his sister. ‘You even scared me! Good gracious - the mouse has certainly turned into a fearsome tiger! I can almost see smoke coming out of your nostrils.’
‘A tiger? Did I really sound like a tiger?’ said Anne. ‘I’m glad! I hated you all thinking I was a mouse. You’d better be careful now, I might turn into a tiger again!’
The men were now out of sight, and Timmy sent a volley of barks after their vanished boat. What chance had any men against a dog and a tiger? WOOF!
‘Julian - why can’t we row back to the mainland now?’ demanded Anne. ‘I’m so hungry and there’s nothing to eat here now. And I wasn’t really very comfortable in that brackeny bed. I’m longing to sleep in a proper bed. I’ve a good mind to take that boat of Wilfrid’s and row myself back, if you don’t want to come.’
Julian couldn’t help laughing at this new fierce Anne. He put his arm round her.
‘I believe it’s dangerous to say no to a tiger,’ he said. ‘So you shall have your way, Anne. I’m awfully hungry too - and I bet the others are.’
And, in five minutes time, the six of them were out on the sea, Julian taking one oar, and Dick the other, ‘Swish-swash - swish-swash’ went the oars, and the boat rocked as it sped along.
‘I bet if those men spot us out on the sea in a boat, going across to the mainland, they will feel pretty uncomfortable!’ said Julian. ‘They’ll know we’ll be going to the police first thing tomorrow. My word - this has been quite an adventure, hasn’t it! I shall be glad of a little peace now!’
Well - you’ll soon have it, Julian! That little cottage is waiting for you all, with its glorious view over the Harbour and Whispering Island. You’ll have quite a bit of excitement tomorrow, of course, when the police take you back to the island in their boat, and you show them the old well, the vast treasure-chamber, the secret passage, and all the rest. You’ll be there when all the men are rounded up, you’ll watch them chugging off, prisoners, in the police boat, amazed that the Famous Five should have defeated them. What an adventure! And what a relief when all the excitement is over, and you lie peacefully on the hillside, with the little cottage just behind you.
‘Now for a real lazy time!’ said Anne, when the Five had seen the last of the police. ‘Let’s all go out on the hill in the sunshine, and have orangeade and biscuits and fruit salad - and Wilfrid shall play his magic pipe and bring his furred and feathered friends to see us.’
‘Has he found his pipe then?’ said Dick, pleased.
‘Yes. He took the well-bucket to get some water to drink - and lo and behold the pipe was in the bottom of the bucket!’ said Anne. ‘He thinks it must have fallen there the last time he went to fetch water from the well - and nobody noticed it!’
‘Oh good!’ said George, thankfully. ‘Wilfrid, what about playing a tune on your little pipe? I’m so glad it’s found. I’d like to hear it again.’
Wilfrid was pleased. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘I’ll see if my friends here still remember me!’
He sat down on the hillside a little away from the others and began to blow down the pipe - and out came the strange little tune! At once the birds in the trees around turned their heads. In the bushes the lizards raised themselves, put their quaint heads on one side and listened. Rabbits stopped their play. The big hare bounded up the hill, its great ears taking in every note. A magpie flew down to the boy’s foot and sat there.
Wilfrid didn’t stir. He just went on playing as the creatures came to listen. Timmy listened too, and went to the boy, pressing against him, licking his ear. Then he went back to George.
We’ll leave them all there in the sunshine, quiet and peaceful, watching the little creatures that Wilfrid can always bring around him.
Julian is lying back, looking at the April sky, glad that their adventure ended so well. Dick is looking down at Whispering Island, set in the brilliant blue harbour. Anne is half asleep - quiet little Anne who can turn into a tiger if she has to!
And George, of course, is close to Timmy, her arm round his neck, very happy indeed. Good-bye, Five - it was fun sharing in your grand adventure!