The children walked round the golf-course together, after talking to old Lucas. 'We must keep out ofthe way of anyone playing,' said Dick, 'or we might get hit on the head with a ball! Hey, Timmy,what are you doing in the bracken?'
Timmy came out with something in his mouth. He dropped it at George's feet. It was a golf-ball,fairly new. George picked it up. 'What do we do with this?' she said. 'There's no golfer near us. Itmust be a lost ball.'
'Well, all balls lost on golf-courses should be taken in to the pro1,' said Julian. 'By right they belong tohim if found on the course.'
'What's a pro?' asked Anne.
'A professional golfer - a man who's very very good at the game, and is in charge of a golf-course,'
explained Julian. 'Well I'm blessed - here comes old Tim again with another ball.
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Timmy, we ought to hire you out to golfers who keep losing their balls - you'd save them no end oftrouble!'
Timmy was pleased to be patted and praised. He set off into the rough again at once, sniping here andthere.
'Anyone would think that golf-balls smelt2 like rabbits or something, the way Timmy sniffs3 them out!'
said Anne, as Timmy ran up with yet another ball. 'My word, golfers must be jolly careless, losing somany balls!'
They went on round the course, which was set with great stretches of gorse, full of brilliant blossom4.
A baby rabbit fled from the bracken as Timmy nosed there for balls. Timmy chased it, and thefrightened little creature dodged5 this way and that, trying to escape. 'Let it go, Tim, let it go!' yelledGeorge, but Timmy was much too excited to pay any attention.
Wilfrid suddenly bent6 down as the rabbit raced near him, and gave a curious low whistle. The rabbitswerved, came straight towards him, and leapt into his arms, lying there trembling. Timmy jumpedup to it at once, but George dragged him away.
'NO, Timmy. Sorry, but NO, you can't have the little thing. Down! DOWN, I say!'
Timmy gave George a disgusted look, and pattered off into the bracken, nosing for balls again.
He was very cross with George. Rabbits were meant to be chased, weren't they? Why did Georgehave to spoil his fun?
George stared at Wilfrid. The rabbit was still nestling in his arms, and he was making a curious noiseto it. The tiny thing was trembling from head to tail. Everyone watched it, glad that it was safe. Theywere all silent, astonished at the way that Wilfrid had rescued the little creature. How had the rabbitknown that Wilfrid's arms were ready to save it?
He took it to the bracken, dropped it gently, and watched it race like lightning to the nearest burrow7.
Then he turned and patted Timmy, who stood silently by, watching.
'Sorry, Tim,' he said. 'It's so little, and you're so big!'
'Woof,' said Tim, exactly as if he understood, and he gave Wilfrid's hand a quick lick8. Then hepranced round the boy, barking, as if he wanted a game, and Wilfrid raced off with him at top speed.
The others followed, impressed once again by Wilfrid's uncanny way with animals. He was such ahorrid little boy in some ways - so rude, so mannerless, so selfish - then how was it that animals likedhim so much? George frowned. She thought it was all wrong that animals should 30love Wilfrid and go to him - why, even Timmy was all over him! If she wasn't careful he wouldspend more time with Wilfrid than with her! That would never do!
Timmy found five more balls, and soon Julian's pockets were heavy with them. They made their wayto the small club-house in the distance, meaning to give in the balls. It was set in a little dip, andlooked friendly and welcoming. They all went in at the door, and Julian walked over to the pro, whowas checking some score-cards. He emptied his pockets of balls and grinned. 'A present from ourdog!' he said.
'My word - did he find all those?' said the pro, pleased. 'Not bad ones, either. I'll stand you all somelemonade or orangeade - which will you have?'
They all had orangeade, and the pro sent a packet of biscuits to Timmy, who was waiting patientlyoutside. He was delighted!
'We're staying in that little cottage up on the hillside,' said Dick. 'Do you know it?'
'Course I do!' said the pro. 'My grandmother lived there once upon a time. You've a wonderful viewthere, haven't you? One of the finest in the world, I reckon10! You can see Whispering Island fromthere, too. Ought to be called 'Mystery Island'! It's said that folks have gone there, and never comeback!'
'What happened to them?' asked Anne.
'Oh well - maybe it's all a tale!' said the pro. 'There's supposed to be priceless things there, packedaway somewhere - and collectors from all over the world have come here, and tried to get over to thatisland - not to steal, you understand, but just to see if they could find anything worthwhile and buy itfor museums - or maybe for their own collections. It's said there are statues in the wood, white assnow - but that I never did believe!'
'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 silly tales. But I do know that twomen came down here from some museum in London, and hired a boat to go across. They took awhite flag with them so that the two keepers wouldn't shoot at them - and after that nobody heard aword 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 thepolice reckoned11 a mist came down, they lost direction, and ended by drifting way out to sea.'
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'But did they jump out of their boat, and try to swim back - and get drowned?' asked Dick. 'Or did apassing steamer or yacht12 save them?'
'They weren't picked up, that's certain,' said the pro. 'Else they'd have arrived safely back at theirhomes, sometime or other. But they didn't. No - I reckon the poor fellows 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 patrol13 boat,' said the pro. 'But the keepersswore they'd seen nobody arriving, and that they were the only people on the place. The police landedand searched everywhere, and they found nothing except the great white castle-like house in thewoods and hundreds of wild animals, so tame that they'd sit and watch you as you walked by.'
'All very mysterious,' said Julian, getting up. 'Well, thanks for the welcome orangeade, and for yourinformation! We'd already heard a bit from a groundsman of yours - Lucas - a real old countryman,and a born story-teller!'
'Ah, Lucas - yes, he knows that island well,' said the pro. 'He was once one of the keepers, I believe!
Well - come and see me again some time - thanks for the balls. It isn't everyone who's honest enoughto come and give them in when they find them!'
They all said good- bye and went out. Timmy pranced9 along in joy. Sitting down outside theclubhouse didn't suit him at all!
'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 aboutthere again, hunting for balls.
The others went to walk up the hill, talking about the island. 'I wonder what really did happen tothose two collector men who were never heard of again,' said Anne. 'Funny that their boat was foundadrift and empty.'
'They must have been drowned, of course,' said Dick. 'I wonder if anything is left of the old treasuresthat were once taken there. No - there wouldn't be - the police would have made a very thoroughsearch!'
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'I wish we could go to the island!' said George. 'I don't expect the keepers would shoot at us, wouldthey? They might even let us on, to make a change for them - they must be so bored with onlythemselves 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, really,' said George. 'But wouldn't it be a grand adventure if wemanaged 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 gomad 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 rowround the island to see if I could spot any animals there.'
'You'll do nothing of the sort!' said Julian, at once. 'So don't try any silly tricks, see?'
'I shan't promise!' said Wilfrid, irritatingly14. '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 ravenous15! What's for lunch, Anne?'
'We'll open a tin of tongue,' said Anne, 'and there's plenty of bread left, and lettuce16, which I left inwater. And tomatoes. And heaps of fruit.'
'Sounds good!' said George. 'Dinner, Timmy, dinner!'
And, hearing that welcome word, Timmy shot up the steep hill at top speed, his tail waving joyously17.
'Wish I was a dog and could tear up a hill like that!' said Anne, panting18. 'Give me a push, Julian!
I'll never get to the top!'
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1
pro
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| n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者 | |
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smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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3
sniffs
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的第三人称单数 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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4
blossom
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| n.花，开花；vi.开花，发展 | |
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5
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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6
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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7
burrow
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| vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞 | |
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lick
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| vt.舔（吃），打败，轻拍，吞卷；n.舔，少许 | |
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9
pranced
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| v.（马）腾跃( prance的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
reckon
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| vt.计算，估计，认为；vi.计（算），判断，依靠 | |
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11
reckoned
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| 计算( reckon的过去式和过去分词 )； 猜想； 考虑； 思忖 | |
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12
yacht
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| n.游艇，快艇 | |
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13
patrol
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| v.巡逻，巡查；n.巡逻，巡查，巡逻队 | |
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14
irritatingly
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| 刺激地，使愤怒地 | |
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15
ravenous
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| adj.极饿的，贪婪的 | |
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16
lettuce
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| n.莴苣；生菜 | |
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17
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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18
panting
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| (发动机等的)喷气声 | |
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