FIVE RUN AWAY TOGETHER - by Enid Blyton

18 AN UNEXPECTED PRISONER

THE Sticks stared at Edgar as if he was mad.

"Cows throwing things?" said Mrs. Stick at last. "What do you mean by that? Cows don't throw any thing."

"These ones did," said Edgar, and then began to exaggerate in order to make his parents sympathise with him. "They were dreadful cows, they were-hundreds of them, with horns as long as reindeer, and awful mooing voices. And they threw things at me and Tinker. Proper scared he was, and so was I. I dropped the cushions I was taking down, and rushed away to hide."

"Where are the cushions?" said Mr. Stick, looking round. "I can't see no cushions. I suppose you'll tell us the cows ate them."

"Didn't you take everything down into the dungeons?" demanded Mrs. Stick. "Because that room's empty now. There's not a thing in it."

"I didn't take nothing down at all," said Edgar, coming cautiously out of the dungeon entrance. "I dropped the cushions just about where you're standing. What's happened to them?"

"Look "ere!" said Mr. Stick, in amazement. " 'Oo's been 'ere since we've been gone? Someone's taken them cushions and everything else too. Where have they put them?"

"Pa, it was them cows," said Edgar, looking all round as if he expected to see cows walking off with cushions and silver and blankets.

"Shut up about them cows," said Mrs. Stick, suddenly losing her temper. "For one thing there aren't any cows on this island, and that we do know, for we looked all over it this morning. What we heard last night must have been queer sort of echoes rumbling round. No, my boy, there's something funny about all this. Looks as if there w somebody on the island!"

A dismal howl came echoing up from below the ground. It was Stinker, terrified at being alone below, and not daring to come up.

"Poor lamb!" said Mrs. Stick, who seemed much fonder of Stinker than of anyone else.

"What's up with him?"

Stinker let out an even more doleful howl, and Mrs. Stick hurried down-the steps to go to him. Mr. Stick followed her, and Edgar lost no time in going after them.

"Quick!" said Julian, standing up. "Come with me, Dick. We may just have time to get that trunk! Run!"

The two boys ran quickly down to the courtyard of the ruined castle. Each took a handle of the small trunk, and lifted it between .them. They staggered back to George with it.

"We'll take it to the cave," whispered Julian. "You stay here a few minutes and see what happens."

The boys went over the cliff with the trunk. George flattened herself behind her bush and watched. Mr. Stick appeared again in a few minutes, and looked round for the trunk. His mouth fell open in astonishment when he saw that it was gone. He yelled down the entrance to the dungeon.

"Clara! The trunk's gone!"

Mrs. Stick was already on her way up, with Stinker close beside her and Edgar just behind. She climbed out and stared round.

"Gone?" she said, in enormous surprise. "Gone? Where's it gone?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" said Mr. Stick. "We leave it here a few minutes ... and then it goes. Walks off by itself; just like all the other things!"

"Look here! There's someone on this island," said Mrs. Stick. "And I'm going to find out who it is. Got your gun, Pa?"

"I have," said Mr. Stick, slapping his belt. "You get a good stout stick too, and we'll take Tinker. If we don't ferret out whoever's trying to spoil our plans, my name's not Stick!"