Five On A Treasure Island

Enid Blyton

Five On A Treasure Island

The first book in the Famous Five series, 1942

Chapter One. A GREAT SURPRISE

"Mother, have you heard about our summer holidays yet?" said Julian, at the breakfast-table. "Can we go to Polseath as usual?"

"I'm afraid not," said his mother. "They are quite full up this year."

The three children at the breakfast-table looked at one another in great disappointment. They did so love the house at Polseath. The beach was so lovely there, too, and the bathing was fine.

"Cheer up," said Daddy. "I dare say we'll find somewhere else just as good for you. And anyway, Mother and I won't be able to go with you this year. Has Mother told you?"

"No!" said A

"Well, this time Daddy wants me to go to Scotland with him," said Mother. "All by ourselves! And as you are really getting big enough to look after yourselves now, we thought it would be rather fun for you to have a holiday on your own too. But now that you can't go to Polseath, I don't really quite know where to send you."

"What about Quentin's?" suddenly said Daddy. Quentin was his brother, the children's uncle. They had only seen him once, and had been rather frightened of him. He was a very tall, frowning man, a clever scientist who spent all his time studying. He lived by the sea- but that was about all that the children knew of him!

"Quentin?" said Mother, pursing up her lips. "Whatever made you think of him? I shouldn't think he'd want the children messing about in his little house."

"Well," said Daddy, "I had to see Quentin's wife in town the other day, about a business matter- and I don't think things are going too well for them. Fa

"Yes- and she has a child of her own too, hasn't she?" said the children's mother. "Let me see- what's her name- something fu

"Same age as me," said Dick. "Fancy having a cousin we've never seen! She must be jolly lonely all by herself. I've got Julian and A

"Well, your Aunt Fa

The children began to feel rather excited. It would be fun to go to a place they had never been to before, and stay with an unknown cousin.

"Are there cliffs and rocks and sands there?" asked A

"I don't remember it very well," said Daddy. "But I feel sure it's an exciting kind of place. Anyway, you'll love it! It's called Kirrin Bay. Your Aunt Fa

"Oh Daddy, do telephone to Aunt Fa

"Oh, you always say that, wherever you go!" said Daddy, with a laugh. "All right- I'll ring up now, and see if there's any chance."

They had all finished their breakfast, and they got up to wait for Daddy to telephone. He went out into the hall, and they heard him putting the call through.

"I hope it's all right for us!" said Julian. "I wonder what Georgina 's like. Fu

Daddy came back in about ten minutes' time, and the children knew at once that he had fixed up everything. He smiled round at them.

"Well, that's settled," he said. "Your Aunt Fa

"We'll be as quiet as mice in the house!" said Dick. "Honestly we will. Oh, goody, goody- when are we going, Daddy?"

"Next week, if Mother can manage it," said Daddy.

Mother nodded her head. "Yes," she said, "There's nothing much to get ready for them- just bathing suits and jerseys and shorts. They all wear the same."

"How lovely it will be to wear shorts again," said A

"Well, you'll soon be doing it," said Mother, with a laugh. "Remember to put ready any toys or books you want, won't you? Not many, please, because there won't be a great deal of room."

"A

"No, I wasn't," said A

"And do you remember, the year before, A

Mother chimed in. "You know, I remember a little boy called Dick who put aside two golliwogs, one teddy bear, three toy dogs, two toy cats and his old monkey to take down to Polseath one year," she said.

Then it was Dick's turn to go red. He changed the subject at once.

"Daddy, are we going by train or by car?" he asked.

"By car," said Daddy. "We can pile everything into the boot. Well- what about Tuesday?"

"That would suit me well," said Mother. "Then we could take the children down, come back, and do our own packing at leisure, and start off for Scotland on the Friday. Yes- we'll arrange for Tuesday."

So Tuesday it was. The children counted the days eagerly, and A

"It's a lovely day, hurrah!" cried Julian, leaping out of bed. "I don't know why, but it always seems very important that it should be su

A

A

They started soon after breakfast. Their car was a big one, so it held them all very comfortably. Mother sat in front with Daddy, and the three children sat behind, their feet on two suitcases. In the luggage-place at the back of the car were all kinds of odds and ends, and one small trunk. Mother really thought they had remembered everything.

Along the crowded London roads they went, slowly at first, and then, as they left the town behind, more quickly. Soon they were right into the open country, and the car sped along fast. The children sang songs to themselves, as they always did when they were happy.