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

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. It must be a lost ball.’
‘Well, all balls lost on golf-courses should be taken in to the pro,’ said Julian. ‘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, we ought to hire you out to golfers who keep losing their balls - you’d save them no end of trouble!’
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!’
Timmy gave George a disgusted look, and pattered off into the bracken, nosing for balls again. 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. He was such a horrid little boy in some ways - so rude, so mannerless, so selfish - then how was it that animals liked him so much? 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. He emptied his pockets of balls and grinned. ‘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! Wilfrid would go mad with joy - wouldn’t you Wilfrid?’
‘I’d like it very much,’ said the boy, his eyes shining. ‘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!’
And, hearing that welcome word, Timmy shot up the steep hill at top speed, his tail waving joyously.
‘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!’