distinctly excited. "I think I'll catch the bus into the next town," said Julian. "The telephone-box here is too easily overheard. I'd rather go to a kiosk somewhere in a street, where nobody can hear what I'm saying."
"All right. You go," said Dick. "We'll do some shopping and go back to the caravans. I wonder what Uncle Quentin will say!"
Julian went off to the bus-stop. The others wandered in and out of the few village shops, doing their marketing. Tomatoes, lettuces, mustard and cress, sausage rolls, fruit cake, tins of fruit, and plenty of creamy milk in big quart bottles.
They met some of the fair-folk in the street, and everyone was very friendly indeed. Mrs. Alfredo was there with an enormous basket, nearly as big as herself. She beamed and called across to them.
"You see I have to do my shopping myself! That big bad man is too lazy to do it for me. And he has no brains. I tell him to bring back meat and he brings fish, I tell him to buy cabbage and he brings lettuce. He has no brains!"
The children laughed. It was strange to find great big Alfredo, a real fire-eater, ordered about and grumbled at by his tiny little wife.
"It's a change to find them all so friendly," said George, pleased. "Long may it last. There's the snake-man, Mr. Slither — he hasn't got his snakes with him, though."
"He'd have the whole village to himself if he did!" said Anne. "I wonder what he buys to feed his snakes on."
"They're only fed once a fortnight," said Jo. "They swallow…"
"No, don't tell me," said Anne, hastily. "I don't really want to know. Look, there's Skippy."
Skippy waved cheerily. She carried bags filled to bursting too. The fair-folk certainly did themselves well.
"They must make a lot of money," said Anne.
"Well, they spend it when they have it," said Jo. "They never save. It's either a good time for them or a very bad time. They must have had a good run at the last show-place—they all seem very rich!"
They went back to the camp and spent a very interesting day, because the fair-folk, eager to make up for their unfriendly behaviour, made them all very welcome. Alfredo explained his fire-eating a little more, and showed how he put wads of cotton wool at the hook-end of his torches, and then soaked them in petrol to flare easily.
The rubber-man obligingly wriggled in and out of the wheel-spokes of his caravan, a most amazing feat. He also doubled himself up, and twisted his arms and legs together in such a peculiar manner that he seemed to be more like a four-tentacled octdpus than a human being.
He offered to teach Dick how to do this, but Dick couldn't even bend himself properly double. He was disappointed because he couldn't help thinking what a marvellous trick it would be to perform in the playing-field at school.
Mr. Slither gave them a most entertaining talk about snakes, and ended up with some information about poisonous snakes that he said they might find very useful indeed.
"Take rattlers now," he said, "or mambas, or any poisonous snake. If you want to catch one to tame, don't go after it with a stick, or pin it to the ground. That frightens it and you can't do anything with it."
"What do you have to do then?" asked George.
"Well, you want to watch their forked tongues," said Mr. Slither, earnestly. "You know how they put them out, and make them quiver and shake?"
"Yes," said everyone.
"Well, now, if a poisonous snake makes its tongue go all stiff without a quiver in it, just be careful," said Mr.
Slither, solemnly. "Don't you touch it then. But if its tongue is nice and quivery, just slide your arms along its body, and it will let you pick it up." He went through the motions he described, picking up a pretend snake and letting its body slither through his arms. It was fascinating to watch, but very weird.
"Thanks most awfully," said Dick. "Whenever I pick up poisonous snakes, I'll do exactly as you say."
The others laughed. Dick sounded as if he went about picking up poisonous snakes
"All right. You go," said Dick. "We'll do some shopping and go back to the caravans. I wonder what Uncle Quentin will say!"
Julian went off to the bus-stop. The others wandered in and out of the few village shops, doing their marketing. Tomatoes, lettuces, mustard and cress, sausage rolls, fruit cake, tins of fruit, and plenty of creamy milk in big quart bottles.
They met some of the fair-folk in the street, and everyone was very friendly indeed. Mrs. Alfredo was there with an enormous basket, nearly as big as herself. She beamed and called across to them.
"You see I have to do my shopping myself! That big bad man is too lazy to do it for me. And he has no brains. I tell him to bring back meat and he brings fish, I tell him to buy cabbage and he brings lettuce. He has no brains!"
The children laughed. It was strange to find great big Alfredo, a real fire-eater, ordered about and grumbled at by his tiny little wife.
"It's a change to find them all so friendly," said George, pleased. "Long may it last. There's the snake-man, Mr. Slither — he hasn't got his snakes with him, though."
"He'd have the whole village to himself if he did!" said Anne. "I wonder what he buys to feed his snakes on."
"They're only fed once a fortnight," said Jo. "They swallow…"
"No, don't tell me," said Anne, hastily. "I don't really want to know. Look, there's Skippy."
Skippy waved cheerily. She carried bags filled to bursting too. The fair-folk certainly did themselves well.
"They must make a lot of money," said Anne.
"Well, they spend it when they have it," said Jo. "They never save. It's either a good time for them or a very bad time. They must have had a good run at the last show-place—they all seem very rich!"
They went back to the camp and spent a very interesting day, because the fair-folk, eager to make up for their unfriendly behaviour, made them all very welcome. Alfredo explained his fire-eating a little more, and showed how he put wads of cotton wool at the hook-end of his torches, and then soaked them in petrol to flare easily.
The rubber-man obligingly wriggled in and out of the wheel-spokes of his caravan, a most amazing feat. He also doubled himself up, and twisted his arms and legs together in such a peculiar manner that he seemed to be more like a four-tentacled octdpus than a human being.
He offered to teach Dick how to do this, but Dick couldn't even bend himself properly double. He was disappointed because he couldn't help thinking what a marvellous trick it would be to perform in the playing-field at school.
Mr. Slither gave them a most entertaining talk about snakes, and ended up with some information about poisonous snakes that he said they might find very useful indeed.
"Take rattlers now," he said, "or mambas, or any poisonous snake. If you want to catch one to tame, don't go after it with a stick, or pin it to the ground. That frightens it and you can't do anything with it."
"What do you have to do then?" asked George.
"Well, you want to watch their forked tongues," said Mr. Slither, earnestly. "You know how they put them out, and make them quiver and shake?"
"Yes," said everyone.
"Well, now, if a poisonous snake makes its tongue go all stiff without a quiver in it, just be careful," said Mr.
Slither, solemnly. "Don't you touch it then. But if its tongue is nice and quivery, just slide your arms along its body, and it will let you pick it up." He went through the motions he described, picking up a pretend snake and letting its body slither through his arms. It was fascinating to watch, but very weird.
"Thanks most awfully," said Dick. "Whenever I pick up poisonous snakes, I'll do exactly as you say."
The others laughed. Dick sounded as if he went about picking up poisonous snakes
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