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Authors: Enid Blyton
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up of stones ourselves! We might come across something very interesting!"
„Right. It"s decided that we stay on then, is it?" said Dick. „What about you, Anne?"
„Oh yes - of course I"l stay," said Anne, not wanting to in the least, but knowing that she simply could not bear not to be with the others.
The Five walked round and about the cottage for a while, trying to make out where the people that the girls had seen the night before had come from - from what direction did they come and go?
„The figures I saw first in the lightning stood about there," said Anne, pointing. „Let"s go and see if there are any foot-prints. It was pouring with rain and the ground must have been very muddy."
„Good idea," said Dick, and off they went to where Anne had pointed. But it was a heathery piece of ground, and difficult to tell even if anyone had trodden there, for the heather was thick and springy.
„Let"s look just outside the window now - the one where Anne saw someone looking in,"
said Dick. And there they had a find! Just in front of the window were two quite deeply-printed foot-marks. One was slightly blurred as if the maker of them had turned his foot sideways as he waited. The other was very clear indeed.
Dick got out a piece of paper. „I rather think I"ll measure these," he said, „and make a note of the pattern on the soles. They had rubber soles and heels - look at the markings -
crepe rubber I should think."
He measured the prints. „Size eight shoes," he said. „Same as yours, Ju. Then he careful y drew an exact picture of the sole and heel markings.
„You"re quite a detective, Dick," said Anne, admiringly, and he laughed.
„Oh, anyone can copy foot-prints!" he said. „The thing is to match them up with the owner!"
„I have a feeling it"s getting on for supper-time - if anyone wants any supper," said George. „It"s half-past eight! Would you believe that the time could fly so fast."
„I don"t really feel very hungry," said Dick. „We"ve done pretty well today."
„Well, don"t waste our precious food if you don"t feel hungry," said George. „We shall have to keep going home for more if we eat everything too quickly."
Nobody felt terribly hungry. They made a cosy corner in the cottage and had a slice of cake and a biscuit each, with a drink of pineapple juice and spring-water. George had had the bright idea of fil ing the big empty pineapple tin, and they each fil ed a mug from it in turn, and drank.
„It"s getting dark," said Julian. „Are we going to sleep inside the cottage or out?"
„In," said Dick, promptly. „We"ll make things just as difficult for any night-prowlers as possible!"
„Right," said Julian. „I bet they won"t be pleased to find old Timmy here too. Shall we go out and get some heather for beds? I don"t fancy sharing a thin rug between the four of us."
Soon they were al dragging in armfuls of the springy heather. They laid it in the front room, in two corners, for the boys thought they would rather be in the same room as the girls, in case of danger.
„You need an awful lot of heather to make a soft bed," said Dick, trying his. „My bones seem to go right through the clumps and rub against the floor!"
„We can put our macs over our heather," said Julian. „That wil help. The girls can have the rug. We shan"t need any covering, it"s so hot."
By the time they had finished, it was dark. George lay on her heather and yawned. „I"m going to sleep," she announced. „We don"t need to keep guard or anything like that do we? Timmy wil bark if anyone comes near."
„You"re right. I real y don"t think we need take turns at keeping awake," said Julian. „Move up, Dick - you"ve left me no room."
Julian was the last to go to sleep. He lay awake puzzling over the lifted stone slab. It was clear that someone had expected to find something under it. How did they know it was that particular slab? Had they a map? If so, it must have shown the wrong stone - or perhaps the
„Right. It"s decided that we stay on then, is it?" said Dick. „What about you, Anne?"
„Oh yes - of course I"l stay," said Anne, not wanting to in the least, but knowing that she simply could not bear not to be with the others.
The Five walked round and about the cottage for a while, trying to make out where the people that the girls had seen the night before had come from - from what direction did they come and go?
„The figures I saw first in the lightning stood about there," said Anne, pointing. „Let"s go and see if there are any foot-prints. It was pouring with rain and the ground must have been very muddy."
„Good idea," said Dick, and off they went to where Anne had pointed. But it was a heathery piece of ground, and difficult to tell even if anyone had trodden there, for the heather was thick and springy.
„Let"s look just outside the window now - the one where Anne saw someone looking in,"
said Dick. And there they had a find! Just in front of the window were two quite deeply-printed foot-marks. One was slightly blurred as if the maker of them had turned his foot sideways as he waited. The other was very clear indeed.
Dick got out a piece of paper. „I rather think I"ll measure these," he said, „and make a note of the pattern on the soles. They had rubber soles and heels - look at the markings -
crepe rubber I should think."
He measured the prints. „Size eight shoes," he said. „Same as yours, Ju. Then he careful y drew an exact picture of the sole and heel markings.
„You"re quite a detective, Dick," said Anne, admiringly, and he laughed.
„Oh, anyone can copy foot-prints!" he said. „The thing is to match them up with the owner!"
„I have a feeling it"s getting on for supper-time - if anyone wants any supper," said George. „It"s half-past eight! Would you believe that the time could fly so fast."
„I don"t really feel very hungry," said Dick. „We"ve done pretty well today."
„Well, don"t waste our precious food if you don"t feel hungry," said George. „We shall have to keep going home for more if we eat everything too quickly."
Nobody felt terribly hungry. They made a cosy corner in the cottage and had a slice of cake and a biscuit each, with a drink of pineapple juice and spring-water. George had had the bright idea of fil ing the big empty pineapple tin, and they each fil ed a mug from it in turn, and drank.
„It"s getting dark," said Julian. „Are we going to sleep inside the cottage or out?"
„In," said Dick, promptly. „We"ll make things just as difficult for any night-prowlers as possible!"
„Right," said Julian. „I bet they won"t be pleased to find old Timmy here too. Shall we go out and get some heather for beds? I don"t fancy sharing a thin rug between the four of us."
Soon they were al dragging in armfuls of the springy heather. They laid it in the front room, in two corners, for the boys thought they would rather be in the same room as the girls, in case of danger.
„You need an awful lot of heather to make a soft bed," said Dick, trying his. „My bones seem to go right through the clumps and rub against the floor!"
„We can put our macs over our heather," said Julian. „That wil help. The girls can have the rug. We shan"t need any covering, it"s so hot."
By the time they had finished, it was dark. George lay on her heather and yawned. „I"m going to sleep," she announced. „We don"t need to keep guard or anything like that do we? Timmy wil bark if anyone comes near."
„You"re right. I real y don"t think we need take turns at keeping awake," said Julian. „Move up, Dick - you"ve left me no room."
Julian was the last to go to sleep. He lay awake puzzling over the lifted stone slab. It was clear that someone had expected to find something under it. How did they know it was that particular slab? Had they a map? If so, it must have shown the wrong stone - or perhaps the
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