Five on a Hike Together (3 page)

„It wil also be heavenly having some of those sandwiches," said Dick, choosing a lump of heather too. „What comfortable seats are provided for us! I"ve a good mind to take a tuft of this heather back to school with me to put on the very hard chair that goes with my desk!"

Julian put the four packets of sandwiches down in the heather. Anne undid them. They looked wonderful!

„Super!" said Anne. „What do you want first?"

„Well, speaking for myself I"m going to have one of each, put them all on top of one another, and have a huge bite of cheese, ham, pork and egg at once," said Dick. Anne laughed.

„Even your mouth isn"t big enough for that," she said. But somehow Dick managed, though it was difficult.

„Disgusting behaviour," he said, when he had managed the first mouthful. „I think on the whole that one at a time is more economical. Hie, Timmy - have a bit?"

Timmy obliged. He was very quiet, and George was stil anxious about him. Stil , his appetite seemed remarkably good, so nobody but George wondered any more if he had hurt himself. He lay beside George, occasional y putting a great paw on her knee if he wanted another bit of sandwich.

„Timmy does jol y wel ," said Dick, with his mouth full. „He gets bits from us all. I bet he eats more than any of us. I say - did anyone ever taste such smashing sandwiches? Have you tried the pork? It must have come from a super pig!"

It was lovely sitting there in the sun, looking over miles of countryside, eating hungrily. They all felt very happy. Except George. Was there anything wrong with Timmy? It would spoil the whole week-end if so!

They lazed for some time in the sun after they had finished their meal. There were three sandwiches each left, and half a piece each of the fruit cake. No one had been able to manage a whole piece, much as they would have liked to.

Timmy seemed to think he could finish al the cake that was left, but Julian said no. „It"s such a gorgeous cake it would be real y wasted on Timmy," he said., „You"ve had enough, Tim. Greedy dog!"

„Woof," said Timmy, wagging his tail, and eyeing the cake watchful y. He sighed when he saw it being packed up. He had only had a bit of George"s half-slice - what a cake!

„I"l pack three sandwiches and a half-slice of the cake into each of four bags," said Julian, „Anyone can eat his or hers whenever they like. I expect we shal have a good meal at the farm-house I"ve chosen for tonight, so you can eat when you like before then."

'I don"t feel as if I could eat anything til tomorrow morning," said Anne, putting her bag of food into her rucksack. „But it"s odd how hungry you keep on getting, even if you feel you can"t possibly be for hours and hours."

„Well, Timmy can wolf anything you don"t want," said Julian. „Nothing wasted when Tim"s about. Now are we al ready? We"re going through a little vil age soon, where we"ll stop for a drink. I could do with a ginger-beer. And then on we go to our farm-house. We ought to try and arrive about five, because it gets dark so soon."

„What"s the farm-house cal ed?" asked Anne.

„Blue Pond Farm," said Julian. „Nice name, isn"t it? I hope it"s stil got a blue pond."

„Suppose they haven"t room for us?" said Anne.

„Oh, they can always put a couple of girls somewhere," said Julian. „Dick and I can sleep in a barn if necessary. We"re not particular!"

„I"d like to sleep in a barn too," said Anne, „I"d love to. Let"s not ask for a bedroom, let"s al sleep in a barn - on straw or hay or something."

„No," said Julian. „You girls wil have to be in the house. It gets cold at night, and we"ve brought no rugs. We boys wil be al right with our macs over us. I"m not letting you two girls do that."

„It"s stupid being a girl!" said George, for about the mil ionth time in her life. „Always having to be careful when boys can do as they like! I"m going to sleep in a barn, anyway. I don"t care what you say, Ju!"

„Oh yes you do," said Julian, „You know quite well that if ever you go against the orders of the chief - that"s me, my girl, in case you didn"t know it - you won"t come out with us again. You may look like a boy and behave like a boy, but you"re a girl al the same. And like it or not, girls have got to be taken care of."

„I should have thought that boys hated having to take care of girls," said George, sulkily.

„Especial y girls like me who don"t like it."

„Well, decent boys like looking after their girl cousins or their sisters," said Julian, „And oddly enough decent girls like it. But I won"t count you as a girl, George, decent or otherwise. I"l merely count you as a boy who"s got to have an eye on him - my eye, see? So take that look off your face, and don"t make yourself any more difficult than you already are."

George couldn"t help laughing, and the sulky look went at once. She gave Julian a punch. „Al right. You win. You"re so jolly domineering these days I feel quite afraid of you!"

„You"re not afraid of anyone," said Dick. „You"re the bravest girl I ever knew! Aha! That"s made old George blush like a girl! Let me warm my hands, George!"

And Dick held his hands up in front of George"s scarlet face, pretending to warm them at her fiery blush. She didn"t know whether to be pleased or angry. She pushed his hands away and got up, looking more like a boy than ever with her short tousled hair and her well-freckled face!

The others got up and stretched. Then they settled their rucksacks on their backs again, with their macs fastened to them, threw their blazers over their shoulders and set oft down Fal away Hill.

Timmy followed, but he didn"t bound about as usual. He went slowly and careful y.

George looked round for him, and frowned.

„What is the matter with Timmy?" she said. „Look at him! Not a jump or a scamper in him!"

They all stopped and watched him. He came towards them and they saw that he was limping slightly with his left hind leg. George dropped down beside him and felt the leg careful y.

„I think he must have twisted it - sprained it or something, when he was down that rabbit-hole," she said. She patted him gently on the back and he winced.

„What"s the matter, Tim?" said George, and she parted the hair on his back, examining the white skin underneath to see why he had winced when she had patted him.

„He"s got an awful bruise here," she said at last, and the others bent to see. „Something must have hurt his back down in that hole. And Anne must have hurt one of his legs when she held on to them and dragged him out. I told you not to hold on to his legs, Anne."

„Well, how were we to get him out if I didn"t?" demanded Anne, feeling cross but rather guilty. „Did you want him to stick there for days and days?"

„I don"t think there"s much damage done," said Julian, feeling the hind leg. „I honestly think he"s only just twisted it a bit, George. He"l be all right after tonight, I"m sure."

„But I must be certain," said George. „Did you say we come to a vil age soon, Ju?"

„Yes - Beacons Vil age," said Julian, „We can ask if there"s a vet anywhere in the district if you like. He"l look at Timmy"s leg and tel you if there"s anything much wrong. But I don"t think there is."

„We"ll go on to the vil age then," said George. „Oh dear - the only time I ever wish Timmy was a little dog is when he"s hurt - because he"s so very very heavy to carry."

„Well, don"t think of carrying him yet," said Dick. 'He can walk on three legs even if he can"t on four! He"s not as bad as al that, are you, Timmy?"

„Woof," said Timmy, mournful y. He was rather enjoying all the fuss. George patted his head. „Come on," she said, „we"ll soon get that leg put right. Come on, Tim."

They all went on, looking round to see how Timmy was getting on. He followed slowly, and then began to limp more badly. Final y he lifted his left hind leg up from the ground and ran on three legs only.

„Poor boy," said George. „Poor Timmy! I do hope his leg wil be all right tomorrow. I can"t possibly go on with the hike if it isn"t."

It was rather a gloomy company that came to Beacons Vil age, Julian made his way to a little inn that stood in the middle, called Three Shepherds.

A woman was shaking a duster out of a window, Julian called up to her.

„I say! Is there a vet anywhere in this district? I want someone to have a look at our dog"s leg."

„No. No vet here," answered the woman. „Not one nearer than Marlins over six miles away."

George"s heart sank. Timmy would never be able to walk six miles.

„Is there a bus?" she called.

„No. Not to Marlins," said the woman. „No bus goes there, missy. But if you want your dog"s leg seen to, you go up to Spiggy House, up along there. Mr. Gaston lives there with his horses, and he knows about dogs too. You take the dog there. He"l know what to do."

„Oh thank you," said George, gratefully. „Is it very far?"

„About half a mile," said the woman. „See that hil ? You go up there, take the turning to the right and you"l see a big house. That"s Spiggy House. You can"t mistake it because of the stables built al round it. Ask for Mr. Gaston. He"s nice, he is. Maybe you"l have to wait a little if he"s out with his horses though - he may not be in til it"s almost dark "

The four held a little council. „We"d better go up to this Mr. Gaston"s, I think," said Julian.

„But I think you and Anne, Dick, should go on to the farm-house I planned to stay in for the night, and make arrangements for us. We don"t want to leave it til the last minute. I"l go with George and Timmy, of course."

„Right," said Dick. „I"l take Anne now. It wil be dark pretty soon. Got your torch, Julian?"

„Yes," said Julian. „And I"m pretty good at finding my way, as you know. I shall come back to this vil age after we"ve been to Mr. Gaston"s, and then make straight for the farm-house. It"s about a mile and a half away."

„Thanks awful y for saying you"l come with me, Julian," said George. „Let"s go now, shall we? Well, Dick and Anne - see you later!"

Julian set off with George and Timmy up the hil to Spiggy House. Timmy went on three legs, and stil seemed very sorry for himself. Anne and Dick watched him, feeling sorry for him.

„I hope he"s al right tomorrow," said Dick. „It wil spoil our week-end if he"s not, no doubt about that!"

They turned away and walked through the little vil age of Beacons. „Now for Blue Pond Farm-house," said Dick. „Julian didn"t give me very clear directions, I think I"l ask someone exactly where it is."

But they met nobody except a man driving a little cart. Dick hailed him and he pul ed up his horse.

„Are we on the right road for Blue Pond Farm-house?" shouted Dick.

„Ar," answered the man, nodding his head.

„Is it straight on - or do we take any paths or little lanes?" asked Dick,

„Ar," said the man, nodding again.

„What does he mean - “ar”?" said Dick. He raised his voice again.

„Is it this way?" and he pointed.

„Ar," said the man again. He raised his whip and pointed up the road where the two were going, and then across to the west.

„Oh, I see - we turn to the right up there?" cal ed Dick.

„Ar," said the man, nodding, and drove on so suddenly that the horse almost stepped on Dick"s foot.

„Well - if we find the farm-house after all those “ars” we"l be clever," said Dick. „Come on!"

It began to get dark very suddenly. The sun had gone, and a big black cloud slid smoothly over the sky. „It"s going to rain," said Dick. „Blow! I thought it was going to be a lovely evening."

„We"d better hurry," said Anne. „I hate sheltering under a hedge in the pouring rain, with drips down my neck, and puddles round my feet!"

They hurried. They went up the road that led out of the vil age and then came to a turning on the right. This must be the one the man had meant. They stopped and looked down it It seemed to be like one of the sunken lanes they had walked down in the morning, and it looked rather dark and tunnel-like now, in the twilight.

„I hope it"s right," said Dick. „We"ll ask the very first person we meet."

„If we do meet anyone!" said Anne, feeling that they never would in this curious deep lane. They went up it. It wound round and about and then went downhil into a very muddy bit indeed. Anne found herself sloshing about in thick mud.

„A stream or something must run across the lane here," she said. „Ugh! The water"s got into my shoes! I"m sure we don"t go this way, Dick. The water"s quite deep farther on, I"m certain. I was up to my ankles just now."

Dick looked about in the deepening twilight. He made out something above him in the high hedge that grew on the steep bank each side.

„Look - is that a stile?" he said, „Where"s my torch? At the bottom of my rucksack, of course! Can you get it out, Anne, to save me taking the thing off?"

Anne found the torch and gave it to Dick. He switched it on, and immediately the shadows round them grew blacker, and the lane seemed more tunnel-like than ever. Dick flashed the torch upwards to what he had thought was a stile.

„Yes - it is a stile," he said. „I expect that leads up to the farm-house - a short cut, probably.

I"ve no doubt this lane is the one used by the farm-carts, and probably goes right round to the farm - but if this is a short cut we might as well take it. It must lead somewhere, anyway!"

They scrambled up the bank to the stile. Dick helped Anne over, and they found themselves in a wide field. In front of them was a narrow path, running between crops of some sort.

„Yes - this is obviously a short cut," said Dick, pleased. „I expect we"ll see the lights of the farm-house in a minute."

„Or fall into the blue pond first," said Anne, rather dismal y. It was just beginning to rain and she was wondering if it was worth while to untie her mac from her shoulder and put it on.

Or was the farm-house real y nearby? Julian had said it wasn"t very far.

They walked across the field and came to another stile. The rain was coming down fast now, Anne decided to put on her mac. She stood under a thick bush and Dick helped her on with it. She had a small sou"wester in the pocket and put that on too. Dick put his on and they set off again.