Five on a Secret Trail (4 page)

„I did not!" said Anne, indignant again. „I know there was someone there - in fact, more than one person, because I"m sure I heard whispering!"

George raised her voice. „Timmy!" she cal ed loudly, making Anne jump violently. „Timmy!

Come along. We"ve sent you on a sil y wild goose chase - but now we"ll go back to bed!"

Timmy came trotting out of the cottage and went obediently to George. She heard him yawn as he stood beside her, and she laughed.

„Anne had a bad dream, that"s all, Timmy," she said.

Anne felt cross - very cross. She said no more and they left the old cottage and went back to their heather-bed. Anne climbed on to her side and turned over with her back to George. Al right - let George think it was a dream if she liked!

But when Anne awoke in the morning and remembered the happenings of the night before, she too began to wonder uneasily if she had dreamed what she had seen and heard in the old cottage.

„After all - Timmy would certainly have caught anyone who was there," she thought. „And he wasn"t at all excited, so there can"t have been anyone in the cottage. And anyway, why would they come? It"s just sil y!"

So, when George talked about Anne"s dreaming in the middle of the night, Anne did not defend herself. She really could not be sure that it had really happened. So she held her tongue when George teased her, and said nothing.

„Let"s go and see that boy and his camp," George said when they had eaten a few rather stale sandwiches and some shortbread biscuits. „I"m beginning to feel bored, aren"t you? I wish Timmy"s ear would quite heal up. I"d go back home like a shot then."

They set off in the direction of the camp with Timmy. They heard a chip-chipping noise as they came near, and then something small and hairy shot out from a bush and rushed up, barking a welcome.

„Hal o, Jet!" said Anne. „Don"t you let Timmy have any more of your bones!"

The chipping noise had stopped. The two girls went on and came to a very messy piece of common. It had been well dug over, in some places very deeply. Surely that boy couldn"t have done so much excavating by himself?

„Hey! Where are you?" called George. Then she saw the boy below her, examining something in a trench he had dug out. He jumped and looked upwards.

Then he scowled. „Look - you promised not to come and disturb me!" he shouted. „You"re mean. Just like girls to break a promise."

„Well! I like that!" said George, amazed. „It was you who broke yours! Who came messing round our camp yesterday evening I"d like to know?"

„Not me!" said the boy at once. „I always keep my promises. Now go away and keep yours. Girls! Pooh!"

„Well, I can"t say we think much of you," said George, disgusted. „We"re going. We don"t want to see anything of your sil y digging. Good-bye!"

„Good-bye and good riddance!" called the boy rudely, and turned back to his work.

„I think he must be quite mad," said Anne. „First he makes a promise - then last evening he broke his promise and even said he hadn"t made one - and now today he says he did make a promise and that he"d kept his and we"d broken ours. Idiotic!"

They went up a little rabbit path, and into a small copse of birch trees. Someone was sitting there reading. He looked up as they came.

The two girls stopped in amazement. It was that boy again! But how had he got here?

They had just left him behind in a trench! Anne looked at the title of the book he was reading. Goodness - what a learned title - something about Archaeology.

„Another little trick of yours, I suppose?" said George, sarcastical y, stopping in front of him.

„You must be a jolly good runner, I must say, to have got here so quickly. Funny boy, aren"t you - very very funny!"

„Good gracious - it"s those potty girls again," groaned the boy. „Can"t you leave me alone? You talked a lot of rubbish yesterday - and now you"re talking it again."

„How did you get here so quickly," said Anne, puzzled.

„I didn"t get here quickly. I came very slowly, reading my book as I went," said the boy.

„Fibber!" said George. „You must have run at top speed. Why do you pretend like this? It"s only a minute or so ago that we saw you."

„Now you"re the fibber!" said the boy. „I do think you two girls are awful. Go away and leave me alone and never let me see you again!"

Timmy didn"t like the tone of the boy"s voice and he growled. The boy scowled at him.

„And just you shut up too," he said.

Anne pul ed at George"s sleeve. „Come on," she said, „it"s no good staying here arguing.

The boy"s crazy - just mad - we"ll never get any sense out of him!"

The two girls walked off together, Timmy fol owing.

The boy took absolutely no notice. His face was turned to his book and he was quite absorbed in it.

„I"ve never met anyone quite so mad before!" said Anne, rather puzzled. „By the way, George - you don"t suppose it could have been that idiotic boy last night in the cottage?"

„No. I tel you I think you dreamed it," said George, firmly. „Though that boy is quite idiot enough to explore an old cottage in the middle of the night. He would probably think it a very good time to do so. Oh Anne, look - there"s a pool - in that hol ow down there. Do you think we could bathe in it?"

It certainly shone very temptingly. They went down to have a closer look. „Yes - we"ll have a swim this afternoon," said George. „And then I really think, Anne, we ought to go back to Kirrin Cottage and get a few more provisions. The sandwiches we"ve got left are so dry that we real y shan"t enjoy eating them - and as Timmy"s ear isn"t healed, it looks as if we"ll have to stay a bit longer."

„Right!" said Anne, and they went on back to the camp. They changed into their swim-suits in the afternoon and went off to the little pool. It was fairly deep, very warm and quite clean. They spent a lovely hour swimming and basking and swimming again - then they reluctantly dressed and began to think of going off on the long journey to Kirrin Cottage.

George"s mother was very surprised to see the two girls and Timmy. She said yes, of course, they could have some more food, and sent them to ask Joan for all she could spare.

„By the way, I"ve heard from Julian and Dick," she said. „They"re back from France - and may be here in a day or two! Shall I tel them to join you or wil you come back here?"

„Tell them to come and fetch us as soon as they get here!" said George, delighted. Her face shone. Ah - the Five would be together again. How wonderful!

„Leave me directions to give them so that they can find you," said her mother. „Then you can al come back - together. The boys can help to carry everything."

What fun, what fun! Julian and Dick again, now things would be exciting, things would happen, as they always did. What FUN!

It was fun to go back to their little camping-place again. It was growing dark, as they had stayed to have a good meal at Kirrin Cottage, and Timmy had eaten a most enormous plate of meat, vegetables and gravy. Then he had sat down and sighed as if to say „That was jolly good! I could do with some more!"

However, nobody took any notice of this, so he trotted off to have a good look round the garden to make sure it was just the same as when he had left it a day or two before. Then it was time to start back to the camping-place, and Timmy heard George"s whistle.

„Well, nobody laughed at Timmy this evening!" said Anne. „Not even your father!"

„Oh, I expect Mother had told him not to," said George. „Anyway, I said I would stay away til Tim"s ear is better, and I mean to."

„Well, I"m quite wil ing," said Anne. „The only thing I"m a bit worried about is - do you suppose there wil be anyone snooping about in that old cottage again!"

„You dreamed it all!" said George. „You admitted you did!"

„Well, yes, I did wonder if I had dreamed it," said Anne, as they walked up the long Carters Lane to the moor. „But now that it wil soon be dark, I"m beginning to think I didn"t dream it - and it isn"t a very nice feeling."

„Oh, don"t be sil y!" said George impatiently. „You can"t chop and change about like that.

Anyway, we"ve got Timmy - no one would dare to upset Timmy! Would they, Tim?"

But Timmy was ahead, hoping against hope that he might for once in a way catch a rabbit. There were so many about on the common at this time of the evening, peeping at him here, making fun of him there, and showing their little white bobtails as soon as he moved in their direction.

The two girls got safely back to their camp. The tent was stil up, their heather-bed out in the open, covered with the old rug. They put down their loads thankfully, and went to the little spring for a drink.

George yawned. „I"m tired. Let"s get to bed at once, shall we? Or wait - perhaps it would be a good idea to have a look in at that cottage to make sure no one is there to disturb us tonight."

„Oh no - I don"t want to look," said Anne. „It"s getting dark now."

„Al right - I"l go with Timmy," said George, and off she went. She came back in about five minutes, her little torch shining in front of her, for it was now almost dark.

„Nothing to report," she said. „Nothing whatever - except one bat flying round that big room. Timmy nearly went mad when it flew down and almost touched his nose."

„Oh. That"s when he barked, I suppose," said Anne, who was now curled up on the heather-bed. „I heard him. Come on, George - I"m sleepy."

„I must just look at Timmy"s ear once more," said George and shone her torch on it.

„Well, buck up, then," said Anne. „That"s about the thousandth time today you"ve examined it."

„It does seem much better," said George, and she patted Timmy. „I shall be glad when I can take this awful col ar off him. I"m sure he hates it."

„I don"t believe he even notices it now," said Anne. „George, are you coming or not? I real y can"t keep awake one minute more."

„I"m coming," said George. „No, Tim - you are not sleeping on our bed. I told you that last night. There"s hardly enough room for Anne and me."

She climbed carefully on to the heather-bed, and lay looking up at the twinkling stars. „I feel happy tonight," she said, „because Julian and Dick are coming. I was down in the dumps when I thought they might not be coming at al these hols. When do you suppose they"l be here, Anne?"

There was no answer. Anne was asleep. George sighed. She would have liked to plan what they were going to do when the boys came. Timmy"s ear would surely be al right in a day or two - and the boys could carry everything back from this little camp to Kirrin Cottage - and then long days of swimming and boating and fishing and all kinds of fun could begin - begin - begin - be...

And now George was asleep too! She didn"t feel a smal spider running over her hand, wondering whether or not to spin a web between her finger and thumb. She didn"t hear the scramble of a hedgehog not far off - though Timmy did and pricked one ear. It was a very peaceful night indeed.

Next day the girls were very cheerful. They made a good breakfast of some of the food they had brought, and then spent some time getting more heather for their bed, which, under the weight of their two bodies, was now rather flat and uncomfortable.

„Now for a swim!" said George. They put on their swim-suits, threw cardigans over their shoulders and set off to the little pool. On the way they saw Jet, the little mongrel dog, in the distance, and the boy with him. Jet tore up to them and danced round Timmy excitedly.

The boy cal ed to them. „It"s all right, don"t worry, I"m not going near your place! I"m stil keeping my promise! Jet - come here!"

The girls took no notice of the grinning boy, but couldn"t resist patting the little one-eyed mongrel. Jet real y was like a piece of quicksilver, darting in and out and round about. He shot back to the boy at once.

The girls went on to the pool - and stopped in dismay when they came near. Someone was already there, swimming vigorously!

„Who is it?" said Anne. „Dear me, this lonely common seems absolutely crowded with people!"

George was staring at the swimmer in utmost amazement. „Anne - it"s that boy!" she said.

„Look - tousled hair and everything! But-but..."

„But we"ve just met him going in the opposite direction!" said Anne, also amazed. „How extraordinary! No, it can"t be the boy!"

They went a little nearer. Yes - it was the boy. He cal ed out to them. „I"m just going out. I shan"t be a minute!"

„How did you get here?" shouted George. „We never saw you turn back and run."

„I"ve been here for about ten minutes," shouted back the boy.

„Fibber!" yelled back George at once.

„Ah - barmy as usual!" yelled the boy. „Same as yesterday!"

He got out and walked off, dripping wet, in the direction of the trenches and pits which he was digging. George looked about for Jet, but she couldn"t see him. „Perhaps he"s in the pool too," she said. „Come on, Anne - let"s swim. I must say that that boy is extraordinary! I suppose he thinks it"s funny to meet people, then double back and appear again!"

„He was nicer the first time of all that we saw him," said Anne. „I liked him then. I just don"t understand him now. Ooooh - isn"t this water lovely and warm!"

They had a long swim, got out and basked in the sun, lying on the heather, and then swam again. Then they began to feel hungry and went back to their little camping place.

The day passed quickly. They saw no more of the puzzling boy, or of Jet. They occasionally heard the sharp noise of metal on stone, or of chipping, from the place where the boy was presumably stil digging in the old Roman camp.

„Or what he hopes is an old Roman camp," said George. „Personal y I think he"s so mad that I don"t suppose he would know the difference between a Roman camp and a Boy Scout"s camp!"

They settled down on their heather-bed that night, but saw no stars twinkling above them this time. Instead there were rather heavy clouds, and it was not nearly so warm.

„Gosh - I hope it"s not going to rain!" said George. „Our tent wouldn"t be much good against a real downpour! We could squeeze into it all right, but it"s not a proper waterproof tent. Do you think it"s going to rain, Anne?"