Mystery of the Vanished Prince Read Online Free PDF Page B

his mouth open.
    Mr. Goon exploded too, but in a different way. He was very angry. He took a step forward and Ern instinctively lowered the umbrella and put its vast circle just in front of Mr. Goon’s nose.
    “Don’t you hurt the Princess, Uncle,” came Ern’s quavering voice from behind the huge umbrella. Then Buster joined in the fun again, and flew at Mr. Goon’s ankles, snapping very deftly at the bicycle clips that held his trousers tightly round his legs.
    Mr. Goon roared in anger. “I’ll report that dog! I’ll report you too, Ern - trying to stick that umbrella into me!”
    “Mr. Goon, I hope you won’t upset the relations of the British with the Tetaruans,” said Fatty, solemnly. “We don’t want the Prince of Tetarua complaining that you have frightened his sister. After all, Teturua is a friendly State. If the Prime Minister had an incident like this reported to him by an angry Prince, there might be…”
    Mr. Goon didn’t stay to listen to any more. He knew when he was defeated. He didn’t know anything about the Tetaruans, but he did know that little States were very touchy nowadays, and he was rather horrified to hear what Fatty said. He got on his bicycle, aimed a last kick at Buster, and sailed away in a purple dignity.
    “I’ll have something more to say to you, young Ern,” he shouted, as he pedalled past, with Buster at his back-wheel, making him wobble almost into the river. “I’ll come up to your camp, you see if I don’t!”
    He left Ern petrified by his threat, but still valiantly holding the umbrella. Every one collapsed weakly on the grass, and even Sid managed to open his mouth wide enough to let out a sudden guffaw.
    “Our poor ice-creams,” said Bets, suddenly relapsing into English, and looking at the ice-cream in her carton. It was like custard. Nobody noticed she was speaking English except Fatty, who gave her a little frown.
    They licked up their ice-creams with difficulty. Sid managed to pour his somehow into his mouth, between his stuck teeth. Fatty grinned round.
    “A most creditable performance!” he said. “Princess, my congratulations!”
    “Binga-bonga-banga,” said Bets, graciously.
    “What about fresh ice-creams?” said Fatty. But Ern, Perce, and Sid couldn’t stay. Ern had heard the church clock striking twelve, and as he had been promised a camp dinner by the caravanners next to his tent, if he got back at half-past twelve, he felt impelled to go.
    He bowed most politely to Bets, and handed the State Umbrella to Fatty. “Pleased to have met you,” said Ern. “I’ll tell your brother about you when next I see him over the hedge. Like as peas in a pod, you are!”
    Sid and Perce nodded a good-bye, and then they all went off to get the ferry across the river to the hills on the other side.
    “Thank goodness we can talk properly again,” said Larry. “My word, Fatty - what a morning! I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed myself so much!”
     
    Disappearance!
     
    Two days later Fatty, Larry, and Pip all had tremendous shocks. Fatty got down to breakfast before his mother and father, and poured himself out some coffee. He took the two papers they had each morning to his own place, and prepared to enjoy them in peace.
    The headlines flared at him, big and black. “Disappearance of a Prince from Camp. Vanishes in the night. Prince Bongawah gone.”
    And in Larry’s house, Larry too was reading the same headlines out to Daisy, having found the papers on the front doorstep and brought them in.
    In Pip’s house, Pip was, as usual trying to read his father’s newspaper back to front. The back page was never very interesting to Pip, because it was all about horse-racing, golf, and tennis, in none of which he took any interest. Cricket scores were usually in too small print for him to see. So he waited patiently for his father to study the cricket scores himself on the back page, when Pip would be able to read the front page.
    And there, staring at him, were some very interesting headlines. “Prince