Read Online Mystery of the Vanished Prince by Enid Blyton - Free Book Online Page A

joined in a camp sing-song the night he had disappeared, and had then had some cocoa and gone off to his tent with the three other boys he shared it with.
    These three boys could give no help at all. They had been tired and had fallen asleep immediately they had got into their sleeping-bags. When they awoke, it was morning, and the Prince’s sleeping-bag was empty.
    That was all they could say.
    “There’s not very much to go on,” thought Fatty. “I suppose someone has kidnapped the boy. I’ll have to question Ern and Sid and Perce, though I don’t expect any of them know a thing - and I’ll have to snoop round the camp a bit too, and keep my ears open.”
    He cycled round to Pip’s that afternoon and found Larry and Daisy there. “Has any one got a relation of some sort up at the camping-ground?” asked Fatty. “I haven’t as many relations as you have. Larry - can’t you produce a cousin or something who might be staying at the camp?”
    “No,” said Larry. “What about you, Pip?”
    “What schools are up there?” said Pip. “Where’s the paper? I saw a list of them to-day.”
    They scanned the list carefully. “Ah - there are boys from Lillington-Peterhouse,” said Pip. “I know a cousin of mine goes there. He might be at the camp.”
    “What’s his name?” asked Fatty.
    “Ronald Hilton,” said Pip. “He’s older than I am.”
    “We could go and find the Lillington-Peterhouse lot,” said Fatty, “and ask for Ronald. If he’s there you can have a pow-wow and the rest of us will have a snoop round, and keep our ears open.”
    “I don’t much want to have a pow-wow with Ronald,” said Pip. “He’ll think it awful cheek. I tell you, he’s older than I am.”
    “Do you realize this may be a Mystery?” said Fatty, severely. “I know it doesn’t seem like one at all, and we’ve begun all wrong, somehow - but it’s a possible mystery, so it’s your duty to do what you can, Pip.”
    “Right,” said Pip, meekly. “I’ll pow-wow, then. But if I get a clip on the ear, come and rescue me. I hope if it’s a mystery it livens up a bit. I can’t get up much interest in a little foreign prince being kidnapped.”
    “Nor can I,” admitted Daisy. “But you never know. I bet we don’t get much out of Ern, Sid, or Perce, Fatty. They wouldn’t notice anything if it went on under their noses!”
    “Got your bikes, Larry and Daisy?” asked Fatty. “Come on then, let’s go. We won’t use the ferry, we’ll go round by the bridge, and up to the camp that way. It’s not very far on bikes.”
    They set off, with Buster as usual in Fatty’s basket. He sat up there, perky and proud, looking down his nose at any other dog he met.
    “If you get any fatter I shan’t be able to take you in my basket much longer, Buster,” panted Fatty, as he toiled up a hill.
    “Woof,” agreed Buster, politely. He turned round and tried to lick Fatty’s nose, but Fatty dodged.
    They got to the camp at last. It was in a very large field, sloping down to the river on one side. Clumps of trees stood here and there. Tents were everywhere, and smoke rose from where a meal was cooking. Boys hurried about, yelling and laughing.
    The Find-Outers put their bicycles against a hedge. Fatty spoke to a boy coming along.
    “I say! Where’s the Lillington-Peterhouse lot?”
    The boy jerked his head towards the river. “Last tents down there.”
    The five children strolled down to the tents. Pip looked nervous. He really didn’t like accosting a cousin two years older than himself, and very much bigger. He hoped he wouldn’t see him.
    But in a moment or two he got a thump on the back and a cheerful-faced boy, three inches taller than Pip, shouted at him.
    “Philip! What are you doing? Don’t say you’ve come to look me up!”
    Pip turned round. He grinned. “Hallo, Ronald!” he said. “Yes, I did come to look you up. Awful cheek on my part. Hope you don’t mind.”
    It was funny to hear Pip being called by his right name, Philip. Pip introduced his cousin to the others. Ronald stared hard at Fatty.
    “I