Lima Sekawan - Rahasia Harta Karun

Warning: spoiler is a place on earth.

The back cover's gone, so can't tell you what teaser they put there.

This book was one of my favs in the Famous Five series and this time I recall why. I told you, of course.

Seems like all Famous Five books I pick up start with Anne and George receiving a letter at school. This time, it's from Julian. The boys get a few days off -- some nerds won a scholarship or something -- to coincide with the girls' half-term weekend. So, Julian asks his sis and cousin to join him and Dick "in a hike" -- the title says "on a hike" and the book says "in a hike"? Isn't English a confusing language!

The letter tells Anne that Julian will telephone tonight. Once again, the efficiency of British postal service. Julian, presumably to stick with postal service efficiency theme, keeps his promise and telephones, telling Anne where they should meet and what they should bring. And after breakfast on Friday, off they go.

Also going off are Julian and Dick. They call Willis and Johnson "awful swotters" -- way to appreciate the guys who won them the off-days there. They talk about Timmy and how fat he was when they last saw him. Julian says Timmy won't get too much chocolate and ice cream during the term-time because "the girls don't get as much pocket money as [they] do." So what have we learned from Ms Enid Blyton so far, Kids? Girls can't go out at night and are given less money than boys.

Before long, the Five are together again and they waste no time in having ginger-beer. They also get tons -- 64 rounds of bread -- of sandwiches to go from a nice shop-woman, whose son works in a prison nearby. Pay attention because Enid didn't write such detail just for the sake of it.

They start their hike across the countryside. It's October, the sun is shining generously, and I so want to be with them. Now, here are the "queer" names on Julian's map: Blind Alley, Rabbit Hill, Lost Lake, and Coney -- "a country word for rabbit" according to Ju -- Copse. I mentioned this because I remember the Indonesian translator going with Hutan Arnab for Coney Copse. Which is great! Now that's some translator with creativity.

The Five get to Rabbit Hill -- a hill full of rabbits, naturally -- and Timmy loses his mind. Next comes Coney Copse. Here, not only does Timmy lose his mind, he loses half his body, too, getting stuck halfway through a huge rabbit hole. The kids spend 20 mins to pull him out but all the pulling results in injuries to Timmy's back and leg. The leg apparently hurts so much that the dog walks only on three legs.

When they reach the next village, a lady tells them to see Mr Gaston, who's not a vet but knows how to take care of horses and dogs. As the day's quickly getting dark, Julian decides that he and George will take Timmy to Mr Gaston, while Dick and Anne will go ahead to Blue Pond Farm, where they're supposed to spend the night. Julian and George will join them there once Timmy has been seen to.

The children split. Dick and Anne try to get directions from a man who says nothing but "Ar" and they get lost as the result. Then out of the sudden, bells start clanging wildly and scare Anne to death! To her relief, they stop after a while. Dick and Anne speculate what to make of the bells but draw nothing. They also have other problems to worry about: it's completely dark now and they have yet to reach Blue Pond Farm.

At last they find themselves approaching a house with lights on. Inside, there's a deaf woman. Sorry, lemme politically correct it, a woman with hearing impairments. After some Tarzan-like conversation, the woman understands that Dick is asking her to take Anne for the night. She then sends Anne to a small loft upstairs. Dick himself makes his way to a barn outside. Both have a hard time trying to sleep. By then, Dick realizes that in now way is this house Blue Pond Farm.

When Dick finally manages to sleep, strange things happen. A mysterious man calls Dick's name from outside the barn window. He then proceeds to relay a queer message from someone called Nailer: Two-Trees, Gloomy Water, Saucy Jane, and Maggie knows. Before disappearing, the man throws Dick a crumpled piece of paper. OMG, this has got to be an adventure!

Then another man comes into the barn! Dick is luckily hidden. He keeps out of sight while the man seemingly waits for something or someone. Dick falls asleep and in the morning, seeing the man gone, thinks it's all in his dreams.

All right, I'll go faster. Turns out the man in the barn is the son of the lady with hearing impairments and he doesn't like kids! Oh no, in Blytonian world, that makes him a sure criminal. But I said I'd make it fast. Dick and Anne scrambles away from the house and leaves some money for the makeshift inn services -- which is nice. A kid they meet on their way tells them that the lady's son is called Dirty Dick.

Now, I don't know 'bout you, but isn't it clear that the mysterious figure at the window was actually looking for this man called Dirty Dick, whom the odd message was intended for? Our Dick just happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right name.

Apparently, it's not very clear, because the Five only figure this out long after. Oh, BTW, Mr Gaston took care of Timmy's leg and now he's fine, Julian and George spent the night at the actual Blue Pond Farm, they finally got together again in the village, and the bells were meant to warn everyone in the area of someone having broken out of the prison -- remember the prison 10 paragraphs up? The man from the prison must've been the one speaking to Dick in the barn.

For a change, it's little sweet Anne who makes the connection. Dick produces the crumpled paper and now they're convinced what happened wasn't just him dreaming. They decide to report this to the police. The next village has a police station with a lone officer who thinks the kids are wasting his time. He even tears the "clue" paper into four pieces! I know what you're thinking, but no, the village is called Reebles, not St Peterswood.

Having been turned away by the Law, the Five are determined to take matters into their hands. That is, they march to a farm-house nearby, have an old lady serve them a helluva meal, and are told that there's indeed a place called Two-Trees, by a lake called Gloomy Water, woohoo!

They get directions from an old man at the post office. They also hear a story of Two Trees having been beautiful and merry in the past, before being destroyed by a big fire one night. The old man was the postman who used to deliver letters there, so he knows the place very well. As the area is surrounded by marshland, he marks the dangerous spots on Julian's map. Julian then has this brilliant idea of camping there and rents ground sheets and rugs from the friendly old man.

They find the blackened Two Trees by Gloomy Water and settle in its cellar, the only habitable spot in the ruin. Well, to her credit, it's Anne again who makes the discovery of the cellar. She also spots a working water pump. I tell ya, this gal is on a roll! Soon, the Five are having their meal. I always feel Blytonian time is not to be taken seriously. It's common to have one big meal after another in the space of what can't be more than a couple of hours, without a single mention of anyone having to visit the loo.

After meal, the children discuss the case. They deduce that Saucy Jane must be a boat. They study the paper from Nailer, the pieces having been taped together. On it, four lines are drawn to meet in the center. At the outer end of each line is a small word, which after much effort the kids manage to read: Tock Hill, Steeple, Chimney, and Tall Stone. They decide to sleep on the strange clues and see how it goes in the morning. Good idea.

Morning. After breakfast, the Five have a look around the area and finally spot a boat house. They get inside, where three boats are tied up to posts. Merry Meg, Cheeky Charlie, and Careful Carrie -- no Saucy Jane. There's also a raft. The kids leave it alone for now and try to walk around the lake to see if Saucy Jane is hidden somewhere on the banks. It's a difficult task with all the thickness and they soon give up. They're about to take the raft when they see a couple approaching.

Dirty Dick and Maggie.

The Five make no secrets of their existence and instead pretend to be a bunch of kids camping on their half-term break. Dirty Dick and Maggie are so happy to hear this and invite the children and dog to have a party. Well, of course not. They're unhappy. The children and dog pay no attention and proceed to have yet another meal. But then they see the couple taking one of the boats into Gloomy Water.

Not wanting to miss anything, the Five quickly follow suit and take the raft. More unhappiness from Dirty Dick and Maggie. They then have the kids follow them around the lake, paddling hard. Dirty Dick apparently has trained muscles as he manages to exhaust the kids without wearing himself out. And thus complete is the rowing sequence for the day.

The children go into their cellar and find that some of their food is missing. No prizes in guessing who took it. Julian and Timmy go over to the couple's tent to confront them but they're nowhere in sight. Julian comes back to his brother and sister and cousin -- boy was that a mouthful -- but not Timmy. And when he does, he brings some food with him! The kids see this as a fair exchange and let Timmy go back and forth several times until they have enough food and can have their usual decent meal.

Dirty Dick -- it's surprising I haven't written Dirty Harry so far -- and Maggie are expectedly angry as hell, but they can't do anything with Timmy around. Can't disagree with them there, this is a dog that's better than a dozen policemen, mind you. Score: Dirty Dick and Maggie 1, Famous Five 1.

Things soon get even better for the Five, however. Dick thinks he's got the clues figured out and he has! Nailer must've committed a robbery and put the goods away before getting caught and sent to prison. He tried to inform his accomplices -- Dick and Maggie -- of the goods' whereabouts. Where the four lines meet on the paper marks Saucy Jane's location -- the hidden goods! So, they have to find the one spot on the lake where the four objects -- Tock Hill and friends -- can be seen at the same time.

Morning again and the children are excited. And why shouldn't they? They're this close to find the stolen goods! They get the raft and hit the lake. Enid did a good job describing the process of locating the exact spot where all the four objects can be seen. Good idea also to mark the spot with a cork and a wooden box bound to string (two pieces tied together) with a knife and a flashlight on the other end to make it sink into the water. Never mind how the children have been carrying such items in their pockets all along.

Beneath them, a boat that is Saucy Jane awaits.

While they're contemplating what to do next, Dirty Dick and Maggie come in their boat. They're looking for the same spot and when they find it, their boat hits the raft hard. More angry exchange -- and Timmy's growls -- follows. Things settle down when Julian tells the couple that tomorrow they have to be back in school. Dirty Dick and Maggie clearly think they can afford to wait another day and collect the treasure when the children are gone. With that, they row away. Uh, bad idea there.

Julian dives courageously into the cold water and swims all the way down to the poor Saucy Jane. Yes, there's a bag inside. But it's heavy and they don't have enough bits of rope on the raft. What's more, Dirty Dick and Maggie are watching them from the lake bank.

It's decided, then, that they'll come back tonight, making use of the moonlight. "Smashing idea!" says Dick. Well, if I were Dirty Dick and Maggie, I would be anticipating this move. After all, they've seen Julian dive and there's no way he might have overlooked the boat and the sight of things in it.

One must remember, however, that this is Famous Five we're reading. So, the children conveniently find a good, strong piece of rope in the boat house and happily have their meal -- a late lunch, since it's now a quarter to three. They also have a game of cricket before going back into the cellar for a nap.

Midnight -- ten to eleven, to be precise. The Five quietly paddle their raft toward the marked spot. This time Dick dives with Julian and together the boys tie the rope to the waterproof bag inside the sunken boat. It takes them two trips, but they finally manage to secure the bag. Now it's pull, pull time!

Pull, pull they do. The bag surfaces at last! But it's too heavy, so they drag it behind the raft as they row to the lakeside. No surprises await. Which is expected, given the few pages left at this point.

They carry the bag into the cellar and take out the contents -- jewel boxes with precious diamond necklaces, rings, bracelets, and what have you inside! The jewelry stolen from Queen of Fallonia and a visiting princess, they suppose. The kids divide the jewels among them, each hiding the pieces, wrapped in a handkerchief, at the bottom of his or her rucksack.

No time for breakfast in the morning. Which must be tough on these ever hungry Five. They rush out of the area, leaving Two-Trees and Gloomy Water behind. But not before a scene in which Dirty Dick and Maggie find the empty boxes in the cellar and, seemingly out of their minds, try to chase the kids -- only to find themselves bogged in the marshy ground. See, everything in Blytonian world has its purpose, even an old postman marking marshy spots on a map!

Anyway, the adventure is drawing to a close. The Five are back at the post office in the village. Julian makes a phone call to the nice Mr Gaston, who says he'll pick them up in his car shortly and drive them to see the police inspector. While waiting for him, what to do? Why, breakfast cum lunch, of course!

Everything's wrapping up nicely. The inspector listens to the story and praises the Five. He wastes no time in sending his men to pick up Dirty Dick and Maggie, deep in marshy trouble. Since the kids have to be back in school that very afternoon, the friendly inspector allows them to wash up in the police station and sends them back to their respective schools -- in police cars! Dude! How cool is that!

I lost count of the queer occurrences long ago, so let's just go with 19.

This book is surely one of the better Blytons. Nailer's message is so memorable, "Dua Pohon, Air Suram, Saucy Jane, dan Maggie tahu" was fresh in my mind before I started re-reading the story. Even the TV dramatization was also exciting, if memory serves.

Next: The Mystery of the Invisible Thief.

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