"Blyton, Enid - The Five Find-Outers 15 - The Mystery of Banshee Towers 1.1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

"I think we _all_ ought to pop up to Banshee Towers and have a look round to see if by any chance the picture with the boat has been hung somewhere else," said Daisy. "After all, some of the pictures look very alike - they are _all_ sea-pictures with waves and cliffs and skies and ships. I'd rather like to solve this particular little mystery - not leave it in the air. It's a nice day - we could cycle up again."

"Yes. Let's do that," said Pip. "What do you say Ern?"

"Good idea." said Ern. "I'd like to find my little boat! Let's go now!"

And before long the six children were on their bicycles, once more on their way to Banshee Towers. A little Mystery like this was not going to beat the Find-Outers! They took the dogs too, in the boxes on Ern's and Fatty's back wheels. It was quite a little company, cycling along up the hill to Banshee Towers.

They were there at last - but what a shock! There was a notice up that said "CLOSED FOR TEMPORARY REPAIRS".

"Blow! Look at that!" said Ern, in dismay. "Now we shan't be able to find out about the boat."

It was indeed a blow. "Panting up that steep hill all for nothing!" groaned Pip. "Is the turnstile man anywhere about? He's a surly fellow, but he might let us in if we told him we only want to be there for half a minute."

"I wonder what repairs they are doing?" said Fatty. "The place seemed in very good order to me."

"Look - it's probably pipes they are replacing," said Larry. pointing to a pile of pipes of all sizes. "Looks as if their water-system has gone wrong. These arc lead pipes - like we have in our houses at home. Probably the place is damp and you can't have damp in a picture-gallery. Ruins the pictures at once!"

"Yes. You're probably right," said Fatty, examining the pipes. "Well, Easter is over so they won't have many visitors till Whitsun - good time now to do any repairs. Well, what shall we do? Shall we just look round to see if _any_one's about? "

They wandered around, but saw no one. "What a waste of a morning," said Larry. "What can we do now?"

"I tell you what we _could_ do, which would be rather fun," said Pip. "You remember how the dogs discovered some secret way up the hill, that led to the great fireplace in the Armour Room? They must have found an entrance somewhere on the hill - a cave or a hole of some sort - that had a passage leading to Banshee Towers! Can't we look for that?"

"Well, it _would_ be fun," said Larry, and the others nodded. "Anyone brought a torch?"

Three of them had torches in their pockets. Good! "I don't expect there's much chance either of finding where the dogs made their way into the hill, or of getting up any passages ourselves," said Fatty. "It was probably nothing more than a large rabbit-hole they found, leading into some underground warren. Anyway - let's have a shot at finding it."

"The dogs will help," said Ern, and away they went on their bicycles down the hill with Bingo and Buster racing behind. Halfway down Fatty leapt off his bike, and called to Buster.

"Buster! Find! Find, Buster!"

Buster stood still with his ears pricked. _Find?_ What was he to find? There were no rabbits here. He and Bingo hadn't sniffed the scent of a single one. What _could_ Fatty mean?

"Find, Buster! Find the hole you discovered the other day!" ordered Fatty. "FIND!"

He pointed here and there over the hill. Buster still stood with his ears cocked, his head on one side, trying his hardest to understand what his master wanted. It suddenly dawned on him that there was a hole somewhere - the hole he and Bingo had found - perhaps that was what Fatty wanted? A hole!

He gave a sharp little bark, and ran a little way uphill. He stood there, looking from side to side, sniffing the wind. Bingo came to join him, though he hadn't the faintest idea of what Fatty wanted.

Buster gave another short bark, and ran to the right, and then made for a great bush that overhung a steep part of the hill. Bingo followed, yapping.

"Come on - I think old Buster has understood what I meant," said Fatty, and he and the others climbed up the hill, soon becoming out of breath, for it was very steep just there. They had carefully hidden their bicycles under some thick bushes, a little lower down.

Both dogs had disappeared! Fatty yelled loudly. "BUSTER! Where are you? BUSTER!"

Buster appeared by the overhanging bush, and barked. Bingo appeared and barked too. What Buster did, he had to do as well!

"Come on," said Fatty. "I think Buster's found what we want! Whew - look here, under this bush - a great hole! I bet Buster thought it was a giant rabbit-hole. I have a feeling that this is where _we_ disappear - into the heart of the hill. Let's hope we come up in the right place! Follow me, everybody!"