Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton

that had once formed the floor of the big courtyard were now cracked and were no longer lying flat. Most of them were covered with sand or weeds.

    "Look! There's a rabbit!" cried Dick, as a big sandy rabbit lollopped slowly across the yard. It disappeared into a hole on the other side. Then another rabbit appeared, sat up and looked at the children, and then vanished too. The children were thrilled. They had never seen such tame rabbits before.
    A third rabbit appeared. It was a small one with absurdly big ears, and the tiniest white bob of a tail. It didn't even look at the children. It bounded about in a playful way, and then, to the children's enormous delight, it sat up on its hind legs, and began to wash its big ears, pulling down first one and then another.
    But this was too much for Timothy. He had watched the other two bound across the yard and then disappear without so much as barking at them. But to see this youngster actually sitting there washing its ears under his very nose was really too much for any dog. He gave an excited yelp and rushed full-tilt at the surprised rabbit.
    For a moment the little thing didn't move. It had never been frightened or chased before, and it stared with big eyes at the rushing dog. Then it turned itself about and tore off at top speed, its white bobtail going up and down as it bounded away. It disappeared under a gorse bush near the children. Timothy went after it, vanishing under the big bush too.
    Then a shower of sand and earth was thrown up as Tim tried to go down the hole after the rabbit and scraped and scrabbled with his strong front paws as fast as he could. He yelped and whined in excitement, not seeming to hear George's voice calling to him. He meant to get that rabbit! He went almost mad as he scraped at the hole, making it bigger and bigger.
    "Tim! Do you hear me! Come out of there!" shouted George. "You're not to chase the rabbits here. You know you mustn't. You're very naughty. Come out!"
    But Tim didn't come out. He just went on and on scraping away madly. George went to fetch him. Just as she got up to the gorse bush the scraping suddenly stopped. There came a scared yelp— and no more noise was heard. George peered under the prickly bush in astonishment.
    Tim had disappeared! He just simply wasn't there any more. There was the big rabbit-hole, made enormous by Tim— but there was no Tim.
    "I say, Julian— Tim's gone," said George in a scared voice. "He surely can't have gone down that rabbit's hole can he? I mean— he's such a big dog!"
    The children crowded round the big gorse bush. There came the sound of a muffled whine from somewhere below it. Julian looked astonished.
    "He is down the hole!" he said. "How queer! I never heard of a dog really going down a rabbit-hole before. However are we going to get him out?"
    "We'll have to dig up the gorse bush, to begin with," said George, in a determined voice. She would have dug up the whole of Kirrin Castle to get Tim back, that was certain! "I can't have poor old Tim whining for help down there and not do what we can to help him."
    The bush was far too big and prickly to creep underneath. Julian was glad they had brought tools of all kinds. He went to fetch an axe. They had brought a small one with them and it would do to chop away the prickly branches and trunk of the gorse bush. The children slashed at it and soon the poor bush began to look a sorry sight.

    It took a long time to destroy it, for it was prickly, sturdy and stout. Every child's hands were scratched by the time the bush had been reduced to a mere stump. Then they could see the hole quite well. Julian shone his torch down it.
    He gave a shout of surprise. "I know what's happened! The old well is here! The rabbits had a hole at the side of it— and Tim scraped away to make it bigger and uncovered a bit of the well-hole— and he's fallen down the well!"
    "Oh no, oh no," cried George, in panic. "Oh Tim, Tim, are you all right?"
    A distant whine came