Five Have a Mystery to Solve

[Moonraker]

Good points, Rob. I have now finished the book and have made no more notes. Most of the irritation was to be found in the first four chapters. A mediocre story.

[timv]

For me, Mystery To Solve has always seemed a bit confusing - perhaps because of Enid's early signs of dementia? It is not as bad as Together Again, where Enid unusually addresses the audience directly (unusual for a more 'adult' adventure story of hers), but it has plot and character lines that seem to have been abandoned or not carried through. What happened to earlier visitors who I think we are told 'disappeared'?
Most obviously there is Wilfred - a 'genius at handling animals' like Philip Mannering, and a bit of a 'wild boy' as a male equivalent to Tassie. But after his introduction he drifts in and out of the plot, and when the guards catch him on the island and send him packing (not as violently as you'd expect given their reputation) he seems to disappear altogether. The guards do not mount a major search for other children after they find him; the Five do not seem sufficently aware of the risk that the men will be 'on the alert' either. When they get out of the well, they do not think of immediately trying to hide (or guard) their boat in case the men go looking for it; it is a surprise to Anne next morning to find the men trying to take it.
Incidentally, a look at the oral evidence in local history books on what was going on at Brownsea in the 1930s-50s shows me what Enid presumably heard from the locals at Studland. The guards set by owner Mrs Bonham Christie (one a woman) used to confront trespassers as they landed and push their boats off with threats, and once at least threw objectors into the water!

[Julie2owlsdene]

I've almost finished reading this book now. It doesn't flow like the rest of the F.F. for me, but one thing that was quite obvious towards the end of the book, when the Five and Wifred were walking into the cave towards the castle and came upon dungeons, and kept on about poor prisoners of long ago.

Yet Lucas told the tale that the castle was built by a lonely old man who wanted to be alone and kept his treasures there. Why would he have taken any prisoners. It wasn't a medieval castle, just one that was built for someone's own residence! So for me, this seemed that Enid had forgotten the reason the castle had been built, and was thinking of old medieval castles built by kings.

[number 6]

Yes, you're right Julie! You've jogged my memory! I've not read this book for a few years, but I can remember thinking the same as you regarding the Castle. Clearly Enid was struggling with her memory by then, confusing basic characters/situations, etc. I wonder if She, or her family, just thought the start of her illness was down to overworking/tiredness? Little was known about her condition in those days & certainly the early signs wouldn't have been obvious.

[pete9012S]

Good points Julie.Your description reminded me a little of 1946's The Castle Of Adventure:

I’d like to go right into the castle, said Jack.
No, no! said Tassie, her eyes widening as if she was scared. The others looked at her with interest.
Why not? asked Jack. It’s empty, isn’t it?
No, it’s not empty, said Tassie. There are voices and cryings and the sound of feet. It is not a good place to go.
You’ve been listening to village talk, said Philip scornfully. Who would be there now? There’s no coming and going, there’s no-one ever seen about the castle! It’s only the owls hooting there, or the bats squeaking or something.
What’s the old story about the castle? asked Dinah. Do you know it, Tassie?
It’s said that a wicked man lived there once, who got people to visit him in his castle and they were never heard of again, said Tassie, speaking in a low voice as if she was afraid that the wicked man, whoever he was, might hear her. They heard cries and groans, and the clashing of swords. It is said, too, that he used to lock people up in hidden rooms, and starve them to death.
What a nice old man! said Philip, with a laugh. I don’t believe a word of it. You always get these stories about old places. I expect some half-mad old fellow came along, bought the old castle, patched it up, and lived there pretending to be an old-time baron or something. He must have been mad to live in a lonely place like that.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Just a quick question - does anyone know what Wilfrid plays in order to bring birds and animals to him? Does Enid Blyton call it a "pipe" or a "flute"? I want to mention it in an article I'm writing, but I can't find my copy of Five Have a Mystery to Solve!

[Poppy]

Enid calls it a pipe, Anita.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks, Poppy!

[pete9012S]

It's mentioned a few times in the book as:

..its big eyes stared straight at the boy with the curious little pipe.

He then sat down and pulled out his queer little whistle-pipe, as Anne called it.

it? No - no! George could be difficult and unkind at times, but she wasn’t mean. And what a mean thing it would be, to destroy the beautiful little pipe, with its magic trills!

- and Wilfrid shall play his magic pipe and bring his furred and feathered friends to see us.’

[Wolfgang]

It's also mentioned in the annual.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Cheers!

[timv]

Regarding the question of the 'lonely old man' who built the castle on Whispering Island:

Like Julie, I presume Enid vaguely remembered the plot of The Castle of Adventure and became confused with that; but in both cases the owners were fairly recent and presumably restored the castles from origional semi-ruins(the elderly owner in Castle of A. seems to be within living memory as Tassie has heard tales of him from her elders and his furniture is still in the building). Wilfred refers to one of the guards employed by the late owner of Whispering Island as Lucas, who is now the groundsman at the local golf club , ie the owner built or rebuilt the castle not that many decades ago; but Enid then becomes confused over the castle being stormed and burnt after the owner fell into disfavour with the King which sounds like an event centuries ago! I assumed Wilfred (accidentally due to a muddle by Enid, or less likely by design by Enid) was muddling up two separate events - the careers of the castle's original owner, disgraced by the King centuries before, and that of the man who used to employ Lucas.

'Lucas' is in fact the only 'real' character in an Enid novel who can be traced as appaearing on TV, I think - I saw Enid's 'caddy' at the Studland Golf Course on TV in 2003, claiming to have been told by Enid she was putting him in the book. To confuse matters, the 'real' castle on the island - ie Brownsea Castle, built c. 1540, originally called Branksea - was burnt down in real life in 1896, having been 'restored' earlier that century. I would guess that this is behind Enid's story.

[pete9012S]

An interesting post timv.
I will try and find the parts of the book that mention the King and then post them here.

[pete9012S]

Here's what I've found so far:

George was very curious about the island that lay in the middle of the harbour. ‘'What’s it called?'’ she asked Wilfrid. But he didn’t know.

He did know, however, that there was a queer story about it. ‘'It belonged to a lonely old man,'’ he said. ‘'He lived in a big house in the very middle of the wood. The island was given to his family by a king - James the Second, I think.

This old man was the very very last one of his family. People kept wanting to buy his island, and he had some kind of watchmen to keep people from landing on it. These watchmen were pretty fierce - they had guns'.’

‘'Gosh - did they shoot people who tried to land, then?'’ asked Dick.‘'Well - they shot just to frighten them off, not to hurt them, I suppose,'’ said Wilfrid. ‘'Anyway, a lot of sightseers had an awful fright when they tried to land. BANG-BANG! Shooting all round them!

My granny told me that someone she knew, who had a lot of money, wanted to buy part of the island - and he had his hat shot right off when his boat tried to land!’'

‘'Is there anyone there now?'’ asked Julian. ‘'I suppose the old fellow is dead? Has he a son or anyone to follow him?'’ ‘

'I don’t think so,’' said Wilfrid. ‘'But I don’t know an awful lot about it. I tell you who does, though - one of the groundsmen on the golf-course, called Lucas. He was once one of the watchmen who kept visitors away from the island.’' ‘'It might be rather interesting to talk to him,'’ said Dick. ‘'I’'d rather like to walk over the golf-course, too. My father plays a good game of golf, and I know something about it.'’

[pete9012S]

Here's Lucas relating his tale:

‘Well, now,’said Lucas, ‘that island’s always been a mystery-place. It’s called Wailing Island by some folks because the wind makes a right queer wailing noise round some of its high cliffs. And others call it Whispering Island because it’s full of trees that whisper in the strong winds that always blow across it. But most of us call it Keep-Away Island - and that’s the best name of all, for there’s never been any welcome there, what with the dark cliffs, the cruel rocks, and the dense woods.’

Lucas paused, and looked at the listening faces around him. He was a born story-teller, and knew it. How often Wilfrid had listened to his tales of the birds and animals he met during his work on the course! Lucas was one of the few people that the boy admired and loved.
‘Do go on, Lucas!’said Wilfrid, touching the man’s bare, warm arm. ‘Tell us about the rich old man who hated everyone, and bought the island years ago.’

‘I’m telling the story my own way,’said Lucas, with great dignity. ‘You sit patient now, or I’ll start my ditching again. Sit like this dog, see - he don’t even twitch a muscle, good dog that he is. Well now, about this rich old man. He was so afraid of being robbed that he bought that lonely island. He built himself a great castle right in the middle of the thick woods. Cut down about a hundred trees, to make room for it, so the story goes, and brought every single stick and stone from the mainland. Did you see the old quarry on this here golf-course, as you came along to me?’

‘Yes, we did,’said Julian, remembering. ‘I felt sorry for anyone who sent a golf-ball there!’
‘Well, young sir, out of that quarry came the great stones that the old man used for his castle,’said Lucas. ‘’Tis said that big, flat-bottomed boats had to be made to ferry the stones across to the island - and to this day the road through this golf-course is the one made by horses dragging the great stones down to the water’s-edge.’
‘Were you alive then?’said Wilfrid.

‘Bless you, boy, no, of course not,’said Lucas, with a great chuckle of a laugh. ‘Long afore my time, that was. Well, the stone house - or castle - whatever you like to call it - was built. And the old man brought to it all kinds of treasures - beautiful statues, some of gold, it was said, but that I disbelieve. Ah, many’s the queer tale I’ve heard of what that rich old man took over to Whispering Island - a great bed made of pure gold, and set with precious stones - a necklace of rubies as big as pigeons’eggs - a wonderful sword with a jewelled handle worth a king’s fortune - and other things I disremember.’

He paused and looked round. Julian asked him a quick question. ‘What happened to all these things?’
‘Well now, he fell foul of the king of the land, and one morning what did he see landing on the shores of his island but ships of all kinds,’said Lucas, enjoying the rapt attention of his audience. ‘A lot of them were sunk by the wicked rocks but enough men were left to storm the queer stone castle in the wood, and they killed the old man and all his servants.’
‘Did they find the treasures the old fellow had collected?’asked Dick.
‘Never a one!’said Lucas. ‘Never a one. Some say it was all a tale - the old man never did bring any wonders there - and some say they’re still there, on Whispering Island. Meself, I think it’s all a yarn - but a good yarn at that!’

‘Who owns the island now?’asked Dick.
‘Well, an old fellow and his wife went to live there-maybe they paid rent to the Crown for it, maybe they bought it - but they didn’t care for anything except for the birds and the animals there,’said Lucas, picking up his curved bill-hook again, and hacking lightly at some briars. ‘They wouldn’t allow nobody there, and it was they who kept the gamekeepers with guns to frighten away sightseers. They wanted peace and quiet for themselves, and for all the wildlife on the island - and a fine idea too. Many a time when I was there with the other keepers - three of us there were - many a time I’ve had rabbits gambolling over my feet, and snakes gliding by me - and the birds as tame as canaries.’

‘I’d love to go there,’said Wilfrid, his eyes shining. ‘I’d have a good time with all the wild creatures! Can anyone go there now?’
‘No,’said Lucas, getting up. ‘Not a soul has lived in the old stone castle since the old man and his wife fell ill and died. The place is empty. The island belongs to a great-nephew of the old couple now, but he never goes there. Just keeps a couple of men on the island to frighten off visitors - pretty fierce they are, so I’ve been told. Well, there you are, that’s the story of Whispering Island - not very pleasant - a bit grim and ugly. It belongs to the birds and the beasts now, and good luck to them!’

‘Thank you for telling us the story,’said Anne, and the old countryman smiled down at her, his eyes wrinkling, and his brown hand patting her cheek.
‘I’ll be off to my hedging and ditching again,’he said, ‘and I’ll feel the sun warm on my bare back, and hear the birds a singing to me from the bushes. That’s happiness enough for anyone - and pity it is that more folks don’t know it!’