Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton Page A

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