Blyton, Enid – Famous Five 14 – Five Have Plenty of Fun

‘I think you ought to ring them now,’ said Joan. ‘And what’s more I don’t think you ought to go over to the island if you’re suspicious of the people there.’

‘We’ll have Timmy with us,’ said Dick. ‘Don’t worry.’

‘And Sally too,’ added Berta at once.

Joan said no more, but went out to get the raspberries and ice-cream, looking worried. She brought in an enormous glass dish of fresh red raspberries and another dish of creamy-looking ice-cream blocks from the refrigerator.

A sigh of admiration went up from everyone. ‘Who could want anything better?’ said Dick. ‘And that ice-cream – how do you get it like that, Joan – not too frozen and not too melty? Just how I like it. I do hope some American doesn’t get hold of you and whisk you away across the ocean – you’re worth your weight in gold!’

Joan laughed. ‘You say such extravagant things, Master Dick – and all because of an ordinary dish like raspberries and ice-cream. Get along with you! Master Lesley will tell you there’s nothing clever about raspberries and cream.’

‘I agree with every word the others say,’ said Berta fervently. ‘You’re wunnerful, you’re a honey, you’re…’

But Joan had run out of the room, laughing, very pleased. She didn’t mind what she did for children like these!

After they had finished lunch, they went down to the beach. James was still with the boat.

‘She’s finished!’ he called. ‘You going out in her now? I’ll give you a hand down with her, then.’

Soon all five children and the dogs as well were in George’s boat. The boys took the oars and began to pull hard towards the island. Timmy stood at the prow as he loved to do, fore-paws on the edge of the boat, looking out across the water.

‘He fancies himself as a figure-head,’ said Dick. ‘Ah, here comes Sally – she wants to be one too. Mind you don’t fall overboard, Sally, and get your pretty feet wet. You’ll have to learn to swim if you do!’

Sally stood close beside Timmy, and both dogs looked eagerly towards the island – Timmy because he knew there were hundreds of rabbits there, and Sally because for her it was still quite an adventure to go out in a boat like this.

Berta, too, gazed eagerly at the little island as they drew near. She had heard so many tales about it now! She looked especially at the old castle rising up from it. It was in ruins, and Berta thought it must be very old indeed. Like all Americans, she loved old buildings and old customs. How lucky George was to own an island like this!

Rocks guarded the island, and the sea ran strongly over them, sending up spray and foam.

‘However are we going to get safely to the shore of the island?’ said Berta, rather alarmed at the array of fierce-looking rocks that guarded it.

‘There’s a little cove we always use,’ said George. She was at the tiller, and she steered the boat cleverly in and out of the rocks.

They rounded a low wall of very sharp rocks and Berta suddenly saw the little cove.

‘Oh – is that the cove you mean?’ she said. ‘Why, it’s like a little harbour going right up to that stretch of sand!’

There was a smooth inlet of water running between rocks, making a natural little harbour, as Berta said. The boat slid smoothly into the inlet and up to the beach of sand.

Dick leapt out and pulled it up the shore. ‘She’s safe here,’ he told Berta. ‘Welcome to Kirrin Island!’

Berta laughed. She felt very happy. What a truly wonderful place to come to!

George led the way up the sandy beach to the rocks behind, and they climbed over them. They stopped at the top, and Berta exclaimed in amazement.

‘Rabbits! Thousands of them! Simply thousands. My, my, I never saw such tame ones in my life. Will they let me pick them up?’

‘No,’ said George. ‘They’re not as tame as that! They’ll run away when we go near – but they will probably not go into their holes. They know us – we’ve so often been here.’

Sally the poodle was amazed at the rabbits. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She stood close beside Berta, staring at the scuttling rabbits, her nose twitching as she tried to get their smell. She simply couldn’t understand why Timmy didn’t run at them.

Timmy stood quite still beside George, his tail down, looking very mournful. A visit to Kirrin Island was not such a pleasure to him as to the children, because he wasn’t allowed to hunt the rabbits. What a waste of rabbits!

‘Poor old Tim! Look at him!’ said Julian. ‘He looks the picture of misery. Look at Sally, too – she’s longing to go after the rabbits, but she doesn’t think it’s good manners to chase them till Timmy does!’

Good manners or not, little Sally could bear it no longer! She suddenly made a dart at a rabbit who had come temptingly near, and it leapt into the air in fright.

‘Sally!’ called George, in a most peremptory manner. ‘NO! You’re not to chase my rabbits! Tim – go and fetch her here!’

Timmy went off to Sally and gave a tiny little growl. Sally looked at him in amazement. Could her friend Timmy really be growling at her? Timmy began to push himself against her and she found herself shep-herded over to George.

‘Good dog, Timmy,’ said George, pleased to have shown everyone how obedient he was. ‘Sally, you mustn’t chase these rabbits, because they are too tame! They haven’t learnt to run away properly yet, because not many people come here and frighten them.’

‘Whoever was here this morning scared them all right,’ said Julian, remembering. ‘Gosh, don’t let’s forget there may be people here. Well – I can’t see anyone so far!’

They went cautiously forward, towards the old castle. Timmy running ahead. Then Julian stopped and pointed to the ground.

‘Cigarette ends – look! Fresh ones, too. There are people here, that’s certain. Walk ahead of us, Tim.’

But at that moment there came the sound that Anne had heard the night before – the sound of a motorboat’s engine. R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!

‘They’re escaping!’ cried Dick. ‘Quick, run to the other side of the island! We may see them then!’

Chapter Twelve

VERY SUSPICIOUS

The children, with the two dogs barking excitedly, ran to the other, seaward side of the island. Great rocks lay out there, and the sea splashed over them.

‘There it is – a motorboat!’ cried Dick. They all stood and watched the boat riding over the sea at a very fast speed.

‘Where are the glasses – did we bring them with us?’ said Julian. ‘I’d like to focus them on the boat and see if I can read the name – or even see the men in it!’

But the glasses had been left behind at Kirrin Cottage – what a pity!

‘They must have anchored their motorboat out there, and somehow clambered inshore over the rocks,’ said George. ‘It’s a dangerous thing to do if you don’t know the best way.’

‘Yes – and if they came last night, as I think they must have done, because I’m sure now it was the engine of the motorboat that I heard,’ said Anne, ‘if they came last night, they must have clambered to the shore in the dark. I wonder they managed it!’

‘It must have been the light of a lantern or a torch you saw on the island in the night,’ said Julian. ‘They probably didn’t want to be seen arriving on the island, and that’s why they went to the other side, the seaward side. I wonder if they were men spying to find out if Berta is with us or not.’

‘Let’s snoop around a bit more and see if we can find anything else,’ said Anne. ‘The motorboat is almost out of sight now.’

They went back to the other side of the island. Berta looked with awe at the old ruined castle in the middle. Jackdaws circled round a tower, calling loudly. ‘Chack-chack-chack!’

‘Once upon a time my castle had strong walls all round it,’ said George. ‘And there were two great towers. One’s almost in ruins, as you can see, but the other is fairly good. Come right into the castle.’

Berta followed the others in, struck dumb with awe. To think that this island, and this wonderful old ruined castle, belonged to George! How very, very lucky she was!

She went through a great doorway, and found herself in a dark room, with stone walls enclosing it. Two narrow, slit-like windows brought in all the light there was.

‘It’s strange and old and mysterious,’ said Berta, half to herself. ‘It’s asleep and dreaming of the old days when people lived here. It doesn’t like us being here!’