Five Have a Mystery to Solve (6 page)

„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 sil y 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 fel ows 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."

„Al 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-tel er!"

„Ah, Lucas - yes, he knows that island wel ," said the pro. „He was once one of the keepers, I believe! Well - come and see me again some time - thanks for the bal s. 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 al !

„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 bal s.

The others went to walk up the hil , 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, real y," 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"l do nothing of the sort!" said Julian, at once. „So don"t try any sil y 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 hil at top speed, his tail waving joyously.

„Wish I was a dog and could tear up a hil like that!" said Anne, panting. „Give me a push, Julian! I"l never get to the top!"

Timmy was waiting for the children at the top of the hil , his tail waving, his mouth open as he panted. He picked something up, as the children came, threw it into the air, and caught it.

„Another golf-bal , Timmy?" said Dick, as Timmy threw the bal into the air again with a toss of his big head.

„No - it"s too big for that," said George. „Drop it, Timmy. What have you found?"

Timmy dropped the ball at George"s feet. It was bigger than a golf-bal , and had a hole right through it. „Oh, it"s one of those bal s that children throw up and try to catch on a stick," said George. „Somebody must have dropped it. Al right, Tim, you can have it."

„He won"t swallow it, wil he?" said Wilfrid, anxiously. „It"s not awfully big - and I once saw a dog swallow something by mistake, that he threw into the air to catch."

„Timmy"s much too sensible to swallow any bal ," said George. „You needn"t worry about him. Anyway, I can do any worrying necessary. He"s my dog."

„Al right, al right, al right!" said Wilfrid. „Miss High-and-Mighty can look after her own dog.

Fine!"

George looked round at him furiously and he made a face at her. Then he whistled to Timmy - yes, he actual y dared to whistle to him!

„Nobody whistles for my dog except me," said George. „And anyway, he won"t come to you."

But, to her surprise and horror, Timmy did go to Wilfrid, and pranced all round him, expecting a game. George cal ed him sternly, and he looked at her in surprise. He began to trot over to her when Wilfrid whistled again, and obediently Timmy turned as if to go to him.

George caught hold of the dog"s col ar, and aimed a punch at the whistling boy. It missed him, and he danced round, laughing.

„Stop it now, you two," said Julian, seeing George"s look of fury. „I said STOP IT! Wilfrid, go on ahead, and keep going. George, don"t be an ass. He"s only teasing you to make you lose your temper. Don"t please him by losing it!"

George said nothing more, but her eyes blazed. Oh dear! thought Anne, now we shan"t have any peace! She won"t forgive Wilfrid for making Timmy go to him! Blow Wilfrid - he real y is a little pest at times.

They were al very hungry for their lunch and very pleased with everything that Anne provided. Dick went into the little cottage to help her, because George insisted on keeping her hand on Timmy"s collar al the time, in case Wilfrid should entice him to his side.

„He"s making some of his peculiar noises now," said Dick to Anne. „Noises that animals can"t seem to resist! I don"t wonder that George has got Timmy tightly by the collar! I"m not a dog, but I find those little whiny noises Wilfrid is making very curious indeed, and I"d love to go nearer!"

„Well, I hope we"re not going to have black looks from George from now on," said Anne.

„Wilfrid"s an awful little idiot at times, and MOST irritating - but he"s not bad underneath, if you know what I mean."

„Well, I don"t really," said Dick, cutting some tomatoes in half. „I think he"s a badly brought-up little pest - and if I were a dog, I"d bite him, not fawn on him! Have I cut up enough tomatoes, Anne?"

„Good gracious, yes!" said Anne. „However many do you think we"re going to eat - forty or fifty? Look, you open this tin for me, Dick. I do so hate opening tins. I nearly always cut myself."

„Don"t you ever open one again, then," said Dick. „I"m the official tin-opener from now on!

Dear old Anne, whatever should we do without you! You take everything on your shoulders, and we just let you! George ought to help more. She"s a girl like you - but she never gets the meals or anything. I"l tick her off one of these days."

„No, don"t," said Anne, in alarm. „I like doing things on my own. George would only break things or upset them. She"s as ham-handed as a boy when it comes to washing up or setting out crockery though she means wel ."

„So boys are ham-handed, are they?" said Dick, pretending to be offended. „When have I ever broken anything, I"d like to know? I"m as careful as any girl, when I handle crockery!"

Alas for Dick! The glass he was holding suddenly slipped from his hand, fel to the floor, and broke! Anne looked at him and gave a sudden delighted giggle. „Old Ham-hand!" she said. „Can"t pick up a glass without dropping it! Look, take out this tray for me, and for goodness sake don"t drop that!"

They all had a delicious lunch, and ate practical y everything. Wilfrid sat a little away from everyone, scattering crumbs around as he ate. Birds of all kinds were soon round him, even hopping on to his hands. A magpie flew down to his left shoulder. Wilfrid greeted it like an old friend. „Hal o, Maggie Pie! How"s the family? I hope Polly Pie has recovered from her cold. And is Peter Pie"s bad leg better? And what about old Granpa Pie - does he stil chase you young ones?"

The magpie put its glossy head on one side and chattered back to him in bird-language, which Wilfrid appeared to understand. He stroked the bird"s gleaming breast, and fondled it lovingly. George deliberately didn"t watch. She turned her back on Wilfrid and the magpie, and talked to Timmy. The others couldn"t help being amused.

The magpie put Wilfrid"s conversation to an end very suddenly. The boy was about to put half a tomato into his mouth when the bird bent down its head and snatched away the tomato with its powerful beak. Then it rose quickly into the air on its big wings, making a noise exactly as if it were laughing!

Everyone roared with laughter except the surprised Wilfrid. „He"s gone to take your tomato to Polly Pie, I should think," said Anne, and that made everyone laugh again.

„I"l have another tomato now, please," said Wilfrid.

„Sorry. You"re unlucky. They"re al gone," said Dick.

It was lovely sitting up on the hil side, watching the boats in the harbour, and seeing the beautiful, white-sailed yachts bending to and fro in the strong wind that blew there. They could all see Whispering Island quite clearly, and noticed that no boats went anywhere near it. Clearly everyone knew that men might be there, watching for intruders.

„There might be badgers there," said Wilfrid, suddenly. „I"ve never been really close to a badger."

„I shouldn"t think anyone but you would want to be!" said George. „Smelly things! There"s one thing - you can"t call one with your whistle-pipe - there aren"t any here!"

„Wilfrid - get out your pipe and make the little rabbits come again," said Anne, suddenly.

„While we"re al sitting here quietly. Would they come?"

„Yes, I think so," said Wilfrid, and felt in his pocket. He felt in another pocket, and looked worried. Then he stood up and patted himself all over, looking really distressed. He stared round at the others, anguish on his face.

„It"s gone," he said. „I must have lost it! It"s gone! I"l never have another like it, never."

„Oh, it must be in one of your pockets," said Dick, touched by the look on the boy"s face.

„Here, let me feel."

But no - the pipe wasn"t there. Wilfrid looked as if he were about to burst into tears. He began to hunt all round, and everyone helped him. No - not quite everyone. George didn"t. Dick glanced at her, and frowned. George was pleased that the precious pipe was lost. How she must dislike poor Wilfrid! Well, he was dislikeable at times, no doubt about it - but he was so distressed now that surely nobody could help feeling sorry for him!

George got up and began to clear away the remains of the meal. She carried plates and glasses to the hut, and after a while Anne followed her.

„I"m sorry for poor old Wilfrid, aren"t you?" she said.

„No, I"m not," said George, shortly. „Serves him right! I hope he never finds his sil y pipe.

That wil teach him not to try and get Timmy away from me!"

„Oh, don"t be sil y! He only does it for fun!" said Anne, shocked. „Why do you take things so seriously, George? You know Timmy loves you better than anyone in the world and always wil . He"s your dog and nobody, nobody else"s! Wilfrid"s only teasing you when he tries to get Timmy to go to him."

„Timmy goes, though," said George, desperately. „And he shouldn"t. He shouldn"t."

„He can"t help it, I think," said Anne. „Wilfrid has some peculiar attraction for animals - and that little whistle-pipe of his is like a magic cal to them."

„I"m glad it"s gone!" said George. „Glad, glad, glad!"

„Then I think you"re sil y and unkind," said Anne, and walked off, knowing that she could do nothing with George in this mood. She worried a little as she went. Did George know where the pipe was? Had she found it - and hidden it - or destroyed it? No - no! George could be difficult and unkind at times, but she wasn"t mean. And what a mean thing it would be, to destroy the beautiful little pipe, with its magic tril s!

Anne went back to the others, meaning to try and comfort Wilfrid - but he wasn"t there.

„Where"s he gone?" asked Anne.

„To look for his precious whistle-pipe," said Dick. „He"s real y heartbroken about it, I think.

He says he"s going to walk back the way we came from the golf-course, and then he"s going to walk everywhere there that we walked this morning, and hunt and hunt. He"s even going down to the club-house to see if he dropped it there. He"ll never find it!"

„Poor old Wilfrid!" said Anne, tender-hearted as ever. „I wish he"d waited for me. I"d have gone with him. He"s awfully upset, isn"t he? Won"t he be able to call the wild animals to him any more?"

„I"ve no idea," said Dick. „Er - I suppose old George doesn"t know anything about it?