Five Go Off In A Caravan Chapter Eight UP IN THE HILLS（在线收听）

Chapter Eight UP IN THE HILLS

The  four  children  were  upset  and  puzzled  by  the  behaviour  of  the  two  men.  George  told  how Timmy  had  wakened  her  by  growling  and  how  she  had  heard  the  men  talking  together  in  low voices.

'I don't really think they had come to steal anything,' she said. 'I think they were just meeting near here for a secret talk. They didn't know the caravans were here and walked straight into ours.'

'They're bad-tempered brutes,' said Julian. 'And I don't care what  you say, George, I'm going to lock your caravan door tonight. I know you've got Timmy - but I'm not running any risk of these men coming back, Timmy or no Timmy.'

Anne was so scared that George consented to let Julian lock the red caravan door. Timmy was locked in with them. The boys went back to their own caravan, and Julian locked his door, too, from the inside. He wanted to be on the safe side.

'I'll be glad to get away from here up into the hills,' he said. 'I shan't feel safe as long as we are quite so near the camp. We'll be all right up in the hills.'

'We'll go first thing after breakfast,' said Dick, settling down to his bunk again. 'Gosh, it's a good thing the girls had Timmy tonight. Those fellows looked as if they meant to go for you properly, Ju.'

'Yes.  I  shouldn't  have  had  much  chance  against  the  two  of  them  either,'  said  Julian.  'They  are both hefty, strong fellows.'

The next morning all the four awoke early. Nobody felt inclined to lie and snooze  - all of them were anxious to get off before Lou and Dan appeared again.

'You get the breakfast, Anne and George, and Dick and I will catch the horses and put them in the caravan shafts,' said Julian. 'Then we shall be ready to go off immediately after breakfast.'

They  had  breakfast  and  cleared  up.  They  got  up  on  to  the  driving-seats  and  were  just  about  to drive away when Lou and Dan came down the track towards them.

'Oh, you're going, are you?' said Dan, with an ugly grin on his face. 'That's right. Nice to see kids so obedient. Where you going?'

'Up into the hills,' said Julian. 'Not that it's anything to do with you where we go.'

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'Why don't you go round the foot of the hills, instead of over the top?' said Lou. 'Silly way to go up there, with the caravans dragging them horses back all the way.'

Julian was just about to say that he didn't intend to go right up to the top of the hills and over to the other side, when he stopped himself. No - just as well not to let these fellows know that he meant to camp up there, or they might come and worry them all again.

He clicked to Dobby. 'We're going the way we want to go,' he said to Lou in a curt voice. 'And that's up the hill. Get out of the way, please.'

As Dobby was walking straight at them, the men had to jump to one side. They scowled at the four children. Then they all heard the sound of  running footsteps  and along  came Nobby, with Barker and Growler at his heels as usual.

'Hey, what you going so early for?' he yelled. 'Let me come part of the way with you.'

'No, you don't,' said his uncle, and gave the surprised boy an unexpected cuff. 'I've told these kids to  clear out,  and they're  going.  I won't  have no  meddling strangers round this camp.  And don't you  kid  yourself  they  want  to  make  friends  with  you,  see!  You  go  and  get  out  those  dogs  and exercise  them,  or  I'll  give  you  another  box  on  the  ears  that'll  make  you  see  all  the  stars  in  the sky.'

Nobby stared at him, angry and afraid. He knew his uncle too well to defy him. He turned on his heel  sullenly  and  went  off  back  to  the  camp.  The  caravans  overtook  him  on  the  way.  Julian called to him in a low voice:

'Cheer up, Nobby. We'll be waiting for you up in the hills - don't tell Lou and your uncle about it.

Let them think we've gone right away. Bring Pongo up sometime!'

Nobby grinned. 'Right you are!' he said. 'I can bring the dogs up to exercise them, too  - but not today. I daren't today. And as soon as those two are safely out for the day I'll bring you down to the camp and show you round, see? That all right?'

'Fine,' said Julian, and drove on. Neither Lou nor Dan had heard a word, or even guessed that this conversation was going on, for Nobby had been careful to walk on all the time and not even turn his face towards the children.

The road wound upwards into the hills. At first it was not very steep, but wound to and fro across the  side  of  the  hill.  Half-way  up  the  caravans  crossed  a  stone  bridge  under  which  a  very  swift stream flowed.

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'That stream's in a hurry!' said George, watching it bubble and gurgle downwards. 'Look - is that where it starts from - just there in the hillside?'

She  pointed  some  way  up  the  hill,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  stream  really  did  suddenly  start  just where she pointed.

'But it can't suddenly start there - not such a big fast stream as this!' said Julian, stopping Dobby on the other side of the bridge. 'Let's go and see, I'm thirsty,  and if there's a spring there, it will be very cold and clear - lovely to drink from. Come on, we'll go and see.'

But  there  was  no  spring.  The  stream  did  not  'begin'  just  there,  but  flowed  out  of  a  hole  in  the hillside,  as  big  and  as  fast  as  it  was  just  under  the  stone  bridge.  The  children  bent  down  and peered into the water-filled hole.

'It comes out from inside the hill,' said Anne, surprised. 'Fancy it running around in the hill itself.

It must be glad to find a way out!'

They  didn't  like  to  drink  it  as  it  was  not  the  clear,  fresh  spring  they  had  hoped  to  find.  But, wandering  a  little  farther  on,  they  came  to  a  real  spring  that  gushed  out  from  beneath  a  stone, cold and crystal clear. They drank from this and voted that it was the nicest drink they had ever had  in  their  lives.  Dick  followed  the  spring-water  downwards  and  saw  that  it  joined  the  little rushing stream.

'I suppose it flows into the lake,' he said. 'Come on. Let's get on and find a farm, Julian. I'm sure I heard the crowing of a cock just then, so one can't be far away.'

They  went  round  a  bend  of  the  hill  and  saw  the  farm,  a  rambling  collection  of  old  buildings sprawling down the hillside. Hens ran about, clucking. Sheep grazed above the farm, and cows chewed the cud in fields nearby. A man was  working not far off, and Julian hailed him. 'Good morning! Are you the farmer?'

'No.  Farmer's  over  yonder,' said  the man, pointing to  a barn near the farmhouse. 'Be  careful of the dogs.'

The two caravans went on towards the farm. The farmer heard them coming and came out with his  dogs.  When  he  saw  that  there  were  only  children  driving  the  two  caravans  he  looked surprised.

Julian had a polite, well-mannered way with him that all the grown-ups liked. Soon he was deep in a talk with the man, with most satisfactory results. The farmer was willing to supply them with 36

any farm produce they wanted, and they could have as much milk as they liked at any time. His wife, he was sure, would cook them anything they asked her to, and bake them cakes, too.

'Perhaps I could arrange payment with her?' said Julian. 'I'd like to pay for everything as I buy it.'

'That's right, son,' said the farmer. 'Always pay your way as you go along, and you won't come to any harm. You go and see my old woman. She likes children and she'll make you right welcome.

Where are you going to camp?'

'I'd like to camp somewhere with a fine view over the lake,' said Julian. 'We can't see it from just here. Maybe a bit farther on we'll get just the view I want.'

'Yes, you go on about half a mile,' said the farmer. The track goes that far - and when you come to  a  clump  of  fine  birch  trees  you'll  see  a  sheltered  hollow,  set  right  in  the  hillside,  with  a wonderful  fine  view  over  the  lake.  You  can  pull  your  caravans  in  there,  son,  and  you'll  be sheltered from the winds.'

'Thanks  awfully,'  said  all  the  children  together,  thinking  what  a  nice  man  this  old  farmer  was.

How different from Lou and Dan, with their threats and rages!

'We'll go and see your wife first, sir,' said Julian. Then we'll go on and pull into the hollow you suggest. We'll be seeing you again some time, I expect.'

They went to see the farmer's wife, a fat, round-cheeked old woman, whose little curranty eyes twinkled with good humour. She made them very welcome, gave them hot buns from the oven and told them to help themselves to the little purple plums on the tree outside the old farmhouse.

Julian  arranged  to  pay  on  the  spot  for  anything  they  bought  each  day.  The  prices  the  farmer's wife asked seemed very low indeed, but she would not hear of taking any more money for her goods.

'It'll be a pleasure to see your bonny faces at my door!' she said. That'll be part of my payment, see?  I  can  tell  you're  well-brought-up  children  by  your  nice  manners  and  ways.  You'll  not  be doing any damage or foolishness on the farm, I know.'

The children came away laden with all kinds of food, from eggs and ham to scones and ginger cakes. She pushed a bottle of raspberry syrup into Anne's hand when the little girl said good-bye.

But when Julian turned back to pay her for it she was quite annoyed.

'If I want to make a present to somebody I'll do it!' she said. 'Go on with you . . . paying for this and paying for that. I'll have a little something extra for you each time, and don't you dare to ask to pay for it, or I'll be after you with my rolling pin!'

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'Isn't  she  awfully  nice?'  said  Anne  as  they  made  their  way  back  to  the  caravans.  'Even  Timmy offered to shake hands with her without you telling him to, George - and he hardly ever does that to anyone, does he?'

They packed the things away into the larder, got up into the driving-seats, clicked to Dobby and Trotter and set off up the track again.

Just  over  half  a  mile  away  was  a  clump  of  birch  trees.  'We'll  find  that  sheltered  hollow  near them,' said Julian.

'Yes, look - there it is - set back into the hill, a really cosy place! Just right for camping in - and oh, what a magnificent view!'

It  certainly was. They could see right down the steep hillside to the lake. It lay spread out,  flat and  smooth,  like  an  enchanted  mirror.  From  where  they  were  they  could  now  see  right  to  the opposite banks of the lake - and it was indeed a big stretch of water.

'Isn't  it  blue?'  said  Anne,  staring.  'Bluer  even  than  the  sky.  Oh,  won't  it  be  lovely  to  see  this marvellous view every single day we're here?'

Julian  backed  the  caravans  into  the  hollow.  Heather  grew  there,  like  a  springy  purple  carpet.

Harebells, pale as an evening sky, grew in clumps in crevices of the hill behind. It was a lovely spot for camping in.

George's sharp ears caught the sound of water and she went to look for it. She called back to the others.  'What  do  you  think?  There's  another  spring  here,  coming  out  of  the  hill.  Drinking  and washing water laid on! Aren't we lucky?'

'We certainly are,' said Julian. 'It's a lovely place - and nobody will disturb us here!'

But he spoke too soon!