The Magic Faraway Tree Read online

  "It's gone!" said Dick. Then he saw the others laughing, and he guessed that Toffee Shocks were not quite the usual kind of sweets. He began to laugh, too. "Goodness, that did frighten me!" he said. "I say, wouldn't I like to give the master at my old school a Toffee Shock!"

  Moon-Face looked at his clock. "Old Saucepan is a long time," he said. "It's half-past three now, and he promised to be really quick."

  "Hallo-here's somebody coming now," said Moon-Face, hearing footsteps on the ladder that led up through the cloud. "Perhaps it’s old Saucepan. But I can't hear his kettles clanking!" Down the ladder came a wooden soldier. He saluted as he went past.

  "Hie, hie!" shouted Moon-Face suddenly. "Wait a minute! How is it that you live in the Land of Goodies?"

  "I don't," said the wooden soldier, in surprise. "I live in the Land of Toys."

  "What! Is the Land of Toys up there now?" cried Moon-Face, standing up in astonishment.

  "Of course!" said the soldier. "The Land of Goodies doesn't arrive till next week."

  "Goodness!" groaned Moon-Face, as the soldier disappeared down the tree. "Old Saucepan has made a mistake. He's gone to the Land of Toys instead of to the Land of Goodies. I expect he is hunting everywhere for nice things to bring down to us-he's such a dear old stupid that he wouldn't know it wasn't the right land."

  "We'd better go and tell him," said Silky. "You children can stay here till we come back, and then we'll have a nice tea of Pop Biscuits and Google Buns. Help yourself to Toffee Shocks whilst we are gone."

  "We'll come too," said Bessie, jumping up. "The Land of Toys sounds exciting. I wish we'd brought Peronel, our doll. She would have loved to visit the Land of Toys."

  "I suppose it isn't at all a dangerous land!"' said Jo. "Just toys come alive?"

  "Of course it's not dangerous," said Silky.

  They all went up the ladder. They were very anxious to see what the Land of Toys was like. It was exactly as they imagined it! Dolls' houses, toy sweet shops, toy forts, toy railway stations stood about everywhere, but much bigger than proper toys. Golliwogs, teddy bears, dolls of all kinds, stuffed animals and clockwork toys ran or walked about, talking and laughing.

  "I say! This is fun!" said Bessie. "Oh, look at those wooden soldiers all walking in a row!" The children stared round, but Moon-Face pulled their arms.

  "Come on," he said. "We've got to find out where the old Saucepan Man has got to! I can't see him anywhere."

  The six of them wandered about the Land of Toys. Clockwork animals ran everywhere. A big Noah's Ark suddenly opened its lid and let out scores of wooden animals walking in twos. Noah came behind, humming.

  The Saucepan Man was simply nowhere to be seen. "I'd better ask someone if they've seen him," said Moon-Face at last. So he stopped a big golliwog and spoke to him.

  "Have you seen a little man hung about with kettles and saucepans?" he asked.

  "Yes," said the golliwog at once. "He's bad. He tried to steal some sweets out of the sweet shop over there."

  "I'm sure Saucepan wouldn't steal a thing!" said Jo angrily.

  "Well, he did," said the golliwog. "I saw him."

  "I know what happened," said Moon-Face, suddenly. "Old Saucepan thought this was the Land of Goodies. He didn't know it was the Land of Toys. So when he saw the sweet shop he thought he could take as many as he liked. You can in the Land of Goodies, you know. And people must have thought he was stealing."

  "Oh, dear," said Silky, in dismay. "Golliwog, what happened to the Saucepan Man?"

  "The policeman came up and took him off to prison," said the golliwog. "There's the policeman over there. You can ask him all about it."

  The golliwog went off.

  The children, Moon-Face and Silky went over to the policeman. He told them it was quite true what the golliwog had said Saucepan had tried to take sweets out of the sweet shop, and he had been locked up.

  "Oh, we must rescue him!" cried Jo at once. "Where is he?"

  "You must certainly not rescue him," said the policeman crossly. "I shan't tell you where he is!" And no matter how much the children begged him, he would NOT tell them where he had put poor Saucepan.

  "Well, we must just go and look for him ourselves, that's all," said Jo. And the six of them wandered off through the Land of Toys, shouting loudly as they went.

  "Saucepan! Dear old Saucepan! Where are you?"

  14

  An Exciting Rescue

  The children, Moon-Face and Silky went down the crooked streets of the Land of Toys, calling the old Saucepan Man.

  "Of course, Saucepan is very deaf," said Jo.

  "He might not hear us calling him, even if he were locked up somewhere quite near." They went on again, shouting and calling. The toys hurrying by stared at them in astonishment.

  "Why do you keep calling 'Saucepan, Saucepan'?" asked a beautifully dressed doll. "Are you selling saucepans, or something?"

  "No," said Jo. "We're looking for a friend."

  Just then Silky heard something. She clutched Jo's arm. "Sh!" she said. "Listen! Do listen!"

  Everyone stood still and listened. Then, floating on the air came a well-known voice, singing a silly song: "Two trees in a teapot, Two spoons in a pie, Two clocks up the chimney. Hi-tiddly-hie!"

  "It's Saucepan!" cried Jo. "Nobody but Saucepan sings those silly songs. Where is he?" They looked all round. There was a toy fort not far off, but, of course, much bigger than a proper toy fort. The song seemed to come from there.

  "Two mice on a lamp-post, Two hums in a bee. Two shoes on a rabbit. Hi-tiddly-hee!"

  Jo laughed loudly. "I never knew such a stupid song in my life," he said. "I can't think how old Saucepan can make it up. It's coming from that fort. That's where he is locked up." Everyone looked at the red-painted fort. Soldiers walked up and down on it. A drawbridge was pulled up so that no one could go in or out. When a soldier wanted to go out the drawbridge was let down and the soldier stepped over it. Then it was pulled up again.

  "Well, Saucepan is certainly in there," said Moon-Face. "And, by the way, don't call to him, any of you. We don't want the guards to know that there are any friends of his here -else they may guess we'll try and rescue him."

  "Oh, do let's try and let him know we're here," said Bessie. "He would be so very, very glad. He must feel so worried and unhappy."

  "I know a way of telling him we are here, without anyone guessing we are friends of his," said Jo suddenly. "Listen." He stood and thought for a moment. Then he raised his voice and sang a little song: "Two boys in the high-road, Two girls in the street, Two friends feeling sorry. Tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet!"

  Everyone roared with laughter. "It's very clever, Jo," said Dick. "Two boys-Saucepan will know that's you and me-two girls-that's Bessie and Fanny-two friends, Silky and Moon-Face! Saucepan will know we're all here!"

  A frightful noise came from the fort-a clanging and a banging, a clanking and crashing. Everyone listened.

  "That's old Saucepan dancing round madly to let us know he heard and understood," said Jo. "Now the thing is-how are we going to rescue him?"

  They walked down the street, talking, trying to think of some good way to save poor Saucepan. They came to a clothes shop. In it were dolls' clothes of all sorts. In the window was a set of sailor's clothes, too. Jo stared at them.

  "Now, I wonder," he said. "I just wonder if they've got any soldier's clothes. Moon-Face, lend me your big purse if it's got any money in."

  Moon-Face put his large purse into Jo's hand. Jo disappeared into the shop. He came out with three sets of bright red soldier's uniforms, with big, black, furry bearskins for hats.

  "Come on," he said in excitement. "Come somewhere that we shan't be seen." They all hurried down the street and came to a field where some toy cows stood grazing.

  They climbed over the gate and went behind the hedge. "Dick, see if this uniform will fit you," said Jo. "I'll put this one on."

  "But Jo-Jo-what are you going to do?" asked Bessie in surpr
ise.

  "I should have thought you could have guessed," said Jo, putting on the uniform quickly. "We're going to see if we can march into the fort and get old Saucepan out! I should think they will let down the drawbridge for us if we are dressed like soldiers."

  "Is this third suit for me?" asked Moon-Face, excitedly.

  "No, Moon-Face," said Jo. "I didn't think you'd look a bit like a soldier, even if you were dressed like one. You must stay outside and look after the girls. This third suit is for old Saucepan. The soldiers wouldn't let us take him out of the fort all hung round with kettles and saucepans! They would know it was the prisoner and would stop him. He'll have to take off his kettles and things and dress in this. Then, maybe we can rescue him quite easily."

  "Jo, you are really very, very clever," said Silky.

  Jo felt very pleased. He buckled his belt, and put on his black bearskin. My word, he did look grand! So did Dick.

  "Now we're ready," said Jo. "Moon-Face, if by any chance Dick and I are caught, you must take the girls safely back to the Tree. See?"

  "I see," said Moon-Face. "Good luck, boys!"

  Everyone went out of the field and walked back to the fort. When they got near it, Dick and Jo began to march very well, indeed. Left, right, left, right, left, right! They came to the fort. "Soldier, let down the drawbridge!" yelled Jo, in his loudest and most commanding voice. The sentinel peered over the wall of the fort. When he saw two such smart soldiers, he saluted at once, and set to work to let down the drawbridge. Crash! It fell flat to the ground, and Dick and Jo walked over it into the fort.

  Creak, creeeee-eak! The drawbridge was drawn up again. Jo and Dick marched right into the fort. Soldiers saluted at once.

  "I wish to talk to the prisoner here," said Jo.

  "Yes, captain," said a wooden soldier, saluting. He took a key from his belt and gave it to Jo. "First door on the right, sir," he said. "Be careful. He may be fierce."

  "Thanks, my man," said Jo, and marched to the first door on the right. He unlocked it and he and Dick went in and shut the door. Saucepan was there! When he saw the two soldiers, he fell on his knees.

  "Set me free, set me free!" he begged. "I did not mean to steal the sweets. I thought this was the Land of Goodies."

  "Saucepan! It's us!" whispered Jo, taking off his helmet so that Saucepan could see him plainly. "We've come to save you. Put on this uniform, quick!"

  "But what about my kettles and saucepans?" said Saucepan. "I can't leave them behind."

  "Don't be silly. You'll have to," said Jo. "Quick, Dick, help him off with them."

  The two boys stripped off every pan and made Saucepan dress up in the red uniform. He trembled so much with excitement that they had to do up every button for him.

  "Now march close to us and don't say a word," said Jo, when Saucepan was ready. His kettles and saucepans lay in a heap on the floor. He fell over them as he scrambled across to Jo and Dick. Jo opened the door. All three marched out, keeping in step. Left, right, left, right, left, right! The other soldiers in the fort looked up but saw nothing but three of their comrades -or so they thought. Jo shouted to the sentinel: "Let down the drawbridge!"

  "Very good, captain!" cried the sentinel, and let it down with a crash. Jo, Dick and Saucepan marched out at once. Left, right, left, right, left, right.

  Moon-Face and the girls could hardly believe that the third soldier was old Saucepan. He did look so different in uniform, without his pans hung all round him. Silky flew to hug him.

  And then the sentinel of the fort yelled out in a loud voice: "I believe that's the prisoner! I believe he's escaped! Hie, hie, after them!"

  "Goodness! Run! run!" cried Jo, at once. And they all ran. How they ran! Soldiers poured out of the fort after them, golliwogs and teddy bears joined in the chase, and dolls of all kinds pattered behind on their small feet.

  "To the hole in the cloud!" shouted Jo. "Run, Bessie; run, Fanny! Oh, I do hope we get there in time!"

  15

  A Shock for the Toys

  How the children and the others ran! They knew quite well that if they were caught they would be put into the toy fort-and then the Land of Toys would move away from the Faraway Tree, and goodness knew how long they might have to stay there! So they ran at top speed. Fanny fell behind a little, and Jo caught her hand to help her. Panting and puffing, they raced down the streets of the Land of Toys, trying to remember where the hole led down through the cloud to the Faraway Tree.

  Jo remembered the way. He led them all to the hole-and there was the ladder, thank goodness! "Down you go!" cried the boy to Silky, Bessie and Fanny. "Hurry! Get into Moon-Face's room quickly."

  Down the girls went, and then Dick, Moon-Face, Saucepan and Jo. Jo only just got down in time, for a large golliwog, with very long legs, had almost caught them up-and as Jo went down he reached out and tried to catch Jo's collar.

  Jo jerked himself away. His collar tore -and the boy half slid, half climbed down the ladder to safety. Soon he was in Moon-Face's house with the others-but what was this? The toys did not stay up in their land-they poured down the ladder after the children and their friends!

  "They're coming in here!" yelled Moon-Face. "Oh, why didn't we shut the door?"

  But it was too late then to shut the door. Soldiers, golliwogs, bears and dolls poured into Moon-Face's funny round room-and Moon-Face, quick as lightning, gave them each a push towards the middle of his room.

  The opening of his slippery-slip was there-and one by one all the astonished toys fell into the hole and found themselves sliding wildly down the inside of the tree! As soon as Jo and the others saw what Moon-Face was doing, they did the same.

  "Down you go!" said Jo to a fat golliwog, giving him a hard push-and down he went.

  "A push for you!" yelled Dick to a big blue teddy bear-and down the slide went the bear.

  Soon the children could do no more pushing, for they began to giggle. It really was too funny to see the toys rushing in, being pushed, and going down the slide, squealing and kicking for all they were worth. But after a while no more toys came, and Moon-Face shut his door. He flung himself on his curved bed, and laughed till the tears ran down his cheeks and wetted his pillow.

  "What will the toys do?" asked Jo at last.

  "Climb back up the tree to the Land of Toys," said Moon-Face, drying his eyes. "We'll see them out of my window. They won't interfere with us again!"

  After about an hour the toys began to come past Moon-Face's window, slowly, as if they were tired. Not one of them tried to open the door and get into Moon-Face's house.

  "They're afraid that if they don't get back into their land at once it will move away!" said Silky. "Let's sit here and watch them all -and have a few Google Buns and Pop Biscuits."

  "I'm so very sorry to have caused all this trouble," said the Saucepan Man in a humble voice. "And I didn't bring anything back for tea either. You see, I really thought, when I got into the Land of Toys, that it was the Land of Goodies, because one of the first things I saw was that toy sweet shop. And in the Land of Goodies you can just take anything you like without paying-so of course I went right into the shop and began to empty some chocolates out of a box. That's why they put me into prison. It was dreadful. Oh, I was glad to hear Jo singing. I knew at once that you would try to rescue me." This was a very long speech for Saucepan to make. He looked so unhappy and sorry that everyone forgave him at once for making such a silly mistake.

  "Cheer up, Saucepan," said Moon-Face. "The Land of Goodies will soon come along-and we'll ALL go and visit it, not just you -and we'll have the grandest feast we have ever had in our lives."

  "Oh, but do you think we ought to?" began Jo. "Honestly, we seem to get into a fix every single time we go up the ladder."

  "I'll make quite sure that the Land of Goodies is there," said Moon-Face. "Nothing whatever can go wrong if we visit it. Don't be afraid. I say, Jo, you and Dick and Saucepan do look awfully grand in your soldier's uniforms. Are you always going to
wear them?"

  "Oh, gracious-I forgot we haven't got our proper clothes," said Jo. "Mother will be cross if we leave them in the Land of Toys. We left them under a hedge near the fort."

  "And I left my lovely kettles and saucepans in the fort," said Saucepan in a mournful voice. "I feel funny without them. I don't like being a soldier. I want to be a Saucepan Man."

  "I'd like you to be our dear old Saucepan Man, too," said Silky. "It doesn't seem you, somehow, dressed up like that. But I don't see how we are to get anything back. Certainly none of us is going back into the Land of Toys again!"

  Just then three sailor dolls, last of all the toys, came climbing slowly up the tree. They were no crying. Their sailor clothes were torn and soaking wet.

  Moon-Face opened his door. "What's the matter?" he asked. "What's happened to you?"

  "Awful things," said the first sailor. "We were climbing up this tree when we came to a window, and we all peeped in. And a very angry pixie flew out at us and pushed us off the branch. The Faraway Tree was growing thorns just there and they tore our clothes to bits. And then a whole lot of washing water came pouring down the tree on top of us and soaked us. So we feel dreadful. If only we could get some new clothes!"

  "Listen!" cried Jo suddenly. "How would you like to have our soldier uniforms?. They are quite new and very smart."

  "Oooh!" said all the sailor dolls together. "We'd love that. Would you really give us those? We shall get into such trouble if we go back to the Land of Toys like this."

  "We'll give you them on one condition, sailor dolls," said Jo. "You must find our own things in the Land of Toys and throw them down the ladder to us. We'll tell you where they are."

  "We can easily do that," promised the sailors.

  So Jo, Dick and the Saucepan stripped off their smart uniforms and gave them to the sailor dolls who took off their torn blue clothes and dressed themselves in the red trousers, tunics and bearskin helmets. They looked as smart as could be.