HIDING-PLACE
They went down the hill with Timmy. Julian gave Dick some instructions. 'Have a meal in the town,' he said. 'Keep away for the day, so as to give the men a chance to come up the hill. Go to the post office and see if there are any letters for us — and buy some tins of fruit. They'll make a nice change.'
'Right, Captain!' said Dick. 'And just you be careful, old boy. These men will stick at nothing —
bad-tempered brutes they are.'
'Look after the girls,' said Julian. 'Don't let George do anything mad!'
Dick grinned. 'Who can stop George doing what she wants to? Not me!'
They were now at the bottom of the hill. The circus camp lay nearby. The children could hear the barking of the dogs and the shrill trumpeting of Old Lady.
They looked about for Nobby. He was nowhere to be seen. Blow! It wouldn't be any good setting off to the town and laying such a good plan if they couldn't tell Nobby they were going!
Nobody dared to go into the camp. Julian thought of the two red cloths that Nobby and Pongo had waved. Double-danger! It would be wise not to go into the camp that morning. He stood still, undecided what to do.
Then he opened his mouth and yelled:
'Nobby! NOBBY!'
No answer and no Nobby. The elephant man heard him shouting and came up. 'Do you want Nobby? I'll fetch him.'
Thanks,' said Julian.
The little man went off, whistling. Soon Nobby appeared from behind a caravan, looking rather scared. He didn't come near Julian, but stood a good way away, looking pale and troubled.
'Nobby! We're going into the town for the day,' yelled Julian at the top of his voice. 'We're .
. .'
Tiger Dan suddenly appeared behind Nobby and grabbed his arm fiercely. Nobby put up a hand to protect his face, as if he expected a blow. Julian yelled again:
'We're going into the town, Nobby! We shan't be back till evening. Can you hear me? WE'RE
GOING TO THE TOWN!'
The whole camp must have heard Julian. But he was quite determined that, whoever else didn't hear, Tiger Dan certainly should.
Nobby tried to shake off his uncle's hand, and opened his mouth to yell back something. But Dan roughly put his hand across Nobby's mouth and hauled him away, shaking him as a dog shakes a rat.
'HOW'S BARKER?' yelled Julian. But Nobby had disappeared, dragged into his uncle's caravan by Dan. The little elephant man heard, however.
'Barker's bad,' he said. 'Not dead yet. But nearly. Never saw a dog so sick in my life. Nobby's fair upset!'
The children walked off with Timmy. George had had to hold his collar all the time, for once he saw Dan he growled without stopping, and tried to get away from George.
Thank goodness Barker isn't dead,' said Anne. 'I do hope he'll get better.'
'Not much chance,' said Julian. 'That meat must have been chockful of poison. Poor old Nobby. How awful to be under the thumb of a fellow like Tiger Dan.'
'I just simply can't imagine him as a clown — Tiger Dan, I mean,' said Anne. 'Clowns are always so merry and gay and jolly.'
'Well, that's just acting,' said Dick. 'A clown needn't be the same out of the ring as he has to be when he's in it. If you look at photographs of clowns when they're just being ordinary men, they've got quite sad faces.'
'Well, Tiger Dan hasn't got a sad face. He's got a nasty, ugly, savage, cruel, fierce one,' said Anne, looking quite fierce herself.
That made the others laugh. Dick turned round to see if anyone was watching them walking towards the bus-stop, where the buses turned to go to the town.
'Lou the acrobat is watching us,' he said. 'Good! Can he see the bus-stop from where he is, Ju?'
Julian turned round. 'Yes, he can. He'll watch to see us all get into the bus — so I'd better climb in, too, and I'll get out at the first stop, double back, and get into the hills by some path he won't be able to see.'
'Right,' said Dick, enjoying the thought of playing a trick on Lou. 'Come on. There's the bus.
We'll have to run for it.'
They all
They went down the hill with Timmy. Julian gave Dick some instructions. 'Have a meal in the town,' he said. 'Keep away for the day, so as to give the men a chance to come up the hill. Go to the post office and see if there are any letters for us — and buy some tins of fruit. They'll make a nice change.'
'Right, Captain!' said Dick. 'And just you be careful, old boy. These men will stick at nothing —
bad-tempered brutes they are.'
'Look after the girls,' said Julian. 'Don't let George do anything mad!'
Dick grinned. 'Who can stop George doing what she wants to? Not me!'
They were now at the bottom of the hill. The circus camp lay nearby. The children could hear the barking of the dogs and the shrill trumpeting of Old Lady.
They looked about for Nobby. He was nowhere to be seen. Blow! It wouldn't be any good setting off to the town and laying such a good plan if they couldn't tell Nobby they were going!
Nobody dared to go into the camp. Julian thought of the two red cloths that Nobby and Pongo had waved. Double-danger! It would be wise not to go into the camp that morning. He stood still, undecided what to do.
Then he opened his mouth and yelled:
'Nobby! NOBBY!'
No answer and no Nobby. The elephant man heard him shouting and came up. 'Do you want Nobby? I'll fetch him.'
Thanks,' said Julian.
The little man went off, whistling. Soon Nobby appeared from behind a caravan, looking rather scared. He didn't come near Julian, but stood a good way away, looking pale and troubled.
'Nobby! We're going into the town for the day,' yelled Julian at the top of his voice. 'We're .
. .'
Tiger Dan suddenly appeared behind Nobby and grabbed his arm fiercely. Nobby put up a hand to protect his face, as if he expected a blow. Julian yelled again:
'We're going into the town, Nobby! We shan't be back till evening. Can you hear me? WE'RE
GOING TO THE TOWN!'
The whole camp must have heard Julian. But he was quite determined that, whoever else didn't hear, Tiger Dan certainly should.
Nobby tried to shake off his uncle's hand, and opened his mouth to yell back something. But Dan roughly put his hand across Nobby's mouth and hauled him away, shaking him as a dog shakes a rat.
'HOW'S BARKER?' yelled Julian. But Nobby had disappeared, dragged into his uncle's caravan by Dan. The little elephant man heard, however.
'Barker's bad,' he said. 'Not dead yet. But nearly. Never saw a dog so sick in my life. Nobby's fair upset!'
The children walked off with Timmy. George had had to hold his collar all the time, for once he saw Dan he growled without stopping, and tried to get away from George.
Thank goodness Barker isn't dead,' said Anne. 'I do hope he'll get better.'
'Not much chance,' said Julian. 'That meat must have been chockful of poison. Poor old Nobby. How awful to be under the thumb of a fellow like Tiger Dan.'
'I just simply can't imagine him as a clown — Tiger Dan, I mean,' said Anne. 'Clowns are always so merry and gay and jolly.'
'Well, that's just acting,' said Dick. 'A clown needn't be the same out of the ring as he has to be when he's in it. If you look at photographs of clowns when they're just being ordinary men, they've got quite sad faces.'
'Well, Tiger Dan hasn't got a sad face. He's got a nasty, ugly, savage, cruel, fierce one,' said Anne, looking quite fierce herself.
That made the others laugh. Dick turned round to see if anyone was watching them walking towards the bus-stop, where the buses turned to go to the town.
'Lou the acrobat is watching us,' he said. 'Good! Can he see the bus-stop from where he is, Ju?'
Julian turned round. 'Yes, he can. He'll watch to see us all get into the bus — so I'd better climb in, too, and I'll get out at the first stop, double back, and get into the hills by some path he won't be able to see.'
'Right,' said Dick, enjoying the thought of playing a trick on Lou. 'Come on. There's the bus.
We'll have to run for it.'
They all
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