Five Have a Wonderful Time by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online Page A

cold as ice! Come on — let's get down to the
    little jetty and have a look at the fishing-boats."

    They went down to the sun-warmed stone jetty and began talking to the fishermen there. Some were sitting in the sun mending their nets, and were very willing to talk.
    "How nice to have a bit of friendliness shown us instead of the stares and rudeness of the fair-folk!" said Dick to Julian, who nodded and agreed.
    A fisherman took them on his boat, and explained a lot of things they already knew and some they didn't. It was nice to sit and listen to his broad speech, and to watch his bright blue eyes as he talked. He was as brown as an oak-apple.
    "Could we ever hire a boat here if we wanted to?" asked Julian. "Is there one we could manage by ourselves? We are quite good at sailing."
    "Old Joseph there has a boat he could hire out if you wanted one," said the man they were talking to. "He hired it out the other day, and I expect he'd hire it out to you too if so be you can really manage it."
    "Thanks. We'll ask him, if we ever decide to go out," said Julian. He looked at his watch. "We'd better go and get some tea somewhere. We want to be home before dark. We're camping over at Faynights Castle."
    "Oh ay?" said the fisherman. "You've got the fair-folk there now, haven't you? They were here two weeks since. My, that fire-eater is a fair treat, he is! And that rope-man — well! I tell you this — I tied him up in my fishing-line — you can see it here, strong as two ropes it is! I tied him up with all the knots I know — and in under a minute he stood up and the line fell off him, knots and all!"
    "Ay, that is so," said the old fellow called Joseph. "A wonder he is, that man. So is the rubber fellow. He called for a drain-pipe, narrow as this, see? And he wriggled through it, quick as an eel. Fair scared me, it did, to see him wriggling out of the other end."
    "We'll go and see them perform when they begin their show," said Julian. "At the moment they're not very friendly towards us. They don't like us being in their field."
    "They keeps themselves to themselves," said Joseph. "They had a heap of trouble at the place they were in before they came to us — someone set the police on them, and now they won't make friends with anyone."
    "Well, we must go," said Julian, and they said goodbye to the friendly fishermen and went. They stopped and had tea at a little tea-shop, and then made their way home. "Anyone want to take the bus?" said Julian. "We can easily get home before dark if we walk — but if the girls are tired we'll bus from Tinkers' Green."
    "Of course we're not tired!" said George indignantly. "Have you ever known me say I'm tired, Julian?"
    "All right, all right — it was just a bit of politeness on my part," said Julian. "Come on — let's get going."
    The way was longer than they had thought. It was getting dark when they got to the stile that led into the caravan field. They climbed over it and made their way slowly to their corner.
    And then they suddenly stopped and stared. They looked all round and stared again.
    Their two caravans were gone! They could see the places where they had stood, and where their fire had been. But no caravans stood there now!
    " Well !" said Julian, astounded. "This beats everything! Are we dreaming? I can't see a sign of our caravans anywhere!"
    "Yes — but — how could they go?" said Anne, almost stammering in her surprise. "I mean—we had no horses to pull them away anywhere! They couldn't go just by themselves."
    There was a silence. The four were completely bewildered. How could two large, solid caravans disappear into thin air?
    "Look — there are wheel-marks in the grass," said Dick suddenly. "See — our caravans went this way —
    come on, follow. Down the hillside, look!"
    In the greatest astonishment the four children and Timmy followed the wheel-marks. Julian glanced back once, feeling that they were being watched. But not one of the fair-folk was to be seen.