‘I should think not!’ said Dick. ‘They’re not our things, nor our caravans. They belong to somebody else and we’ve got to take extra good care of them. I think we ought to leave Timmy on guard, don’t you, Ju?’
‘Yes, I do,’ said Julian at once. ‘These caravans are too valuable to leave at the mercy of any passing tramp though I suppose we could lock them up. Anyway we’ll leave Timmy on guard today poor old Timmy, it’s a shame, isn’t it?’
Timmy didn’t answer. He looked gloomy and miserable. What! They were all going off without him again? He knew what ‘on guard’ meant he was to stay here with these houses on wheels till the children chose to come back. He badly wanted to see Pongo again. He stood with his ears and tail drooping, the picture of misery.
But there was no help for it. The children felt that they couldn’t leave the caravans unguarded while they were still so uncertain about Lou and Tiger Dan. So they all patted poor Timmy and fondled him, and then said good-bye. He sat down on the rocky ledge with his back to them and wouldn’t even watch them go.
‘He’s sulking,’ said George. ‘Poor Timothy!’
It didn’t take them very long to get down to the camp, and they found Nobby, Pongo, Barker and Growler waiting for them. Nobby was grinning from ear to ear.
‘You saw my signal all right?’ he said. ‘Uncle hasn’t changed his mind in fact, he seems quite to have taken to you, and says I’m to show you all round and let you see anything you want to. That was his shirt I waved. I thought if I waved something enormous you’d know things were absolutely safe.’
‘Where shall we put the bathing-things and the picnic baskets while we see round the camp?’ asked Anne. ‘Somewhere cool, if possible.’
‘Put them in my caravan,’ said Nobby, and led them to a caravan painted blue and yellow, with red wheels. The children remembered having seen it when the procession passed by their house a week or two before.
They peeped inside. It wasn’t nearly so nice as theirs. It was much smaller, for one thing, and very untidy. It looked dirty, too, and had a nasty smell. Anne didn’t like it very much.
‘Not so good as yours!’ said Nobby. ‘I wish I had a caravan like yours. I’d feel like a prince. Now what do you want to see first? The elephant? Come on, then.’
They went to the tree to which Old Lady the elephant was tied. She curled her trunk round Nobby and looked at the children out of small, intelligent eyes.
‘Well, Old Lady!’ said Nobby. ‘Want a bathe?’
The elephant trumpeted and made the children jump. ‘I’ll take you later on,’ promised Nobby. ‘Now then hup, hup, hup!’
At these words the elephant curled her trunk tightly round Nobby’s waist and lifted him bodily into the air, placing him gently on her big head!
Anne gasped.
‘Oh! Did she hurt you, Nobby?’
”Course not!’ said Nobby. ‘Old Lady wouldn’t hurt anyone, would you, big one?’
A small man came up. He had bright eyes that shone as if they had been polished, and a very wide grin. ‘Good morning,’ he said. ‘How do you like my Old Lady? Like to see her play cricket?’
‘Oh, yes!’ said everyone, and the small man produced a cricket bat and held it out to Old Lady. She took it in her trunk and waved it about. Nobby slipped deftly off her head to the ground.
‘I’ll play with her, Larry,’ he said, and took the ball from the small man. He threw it to Old Lady and she hit it smartly with the bat. It sailed over their heads!
Julian fetched the ball. He threw it at the elephant, and again the great creature hit the ball with a bang. Soon all the children were playing with Old Lay and enjoying the game very much.
Some small camp children came up to watch. But they were as scared as rabbits as soon as Julian or George spoke to them and scuttled of to their caravans at once. They were dirty and ragged, but most of them had beautiful eyes and thick curly hair, though it wanted brushing and washing.
Nobby went to fetch Pongo, who was dancing to and fro in his cage, making anguished sounds, thinking he was forgotten. He was simply delighted to see the children again, and put his arm right round Anne at once. Then he pulled George’s hair and hid his face behind his paws, peeping out mischievously.
‘He’s a caution, aren’t you, Pongo?’ said Nobby. ‘Now you keep with me, Pongo, or I’ll put you back into your cage, see?’
They went to see the dogs and let them all out. They were mostly terrier dogs, or mongrels, smart, well-kept little things who jumped up eagerly at Nobby, and made a great fuss of him. It was clear that they loved him and trusted him.
‘Like to see them play football?’ asked Nobby. ‘Here, Barker fetch the ball. Go on, quick!’
Barker darted off to Nobby’s caravan. The door was shut, but the clever little dog stood on his hind legs and jerked the handle with his nose. The door opened and in went Barker. He came out dribbling a football with his nose. Down the steps it went and into the camp field. All the dogs leapt on it with howls of delight.
‘Yap-yap-yap! Yap-yap!’ They dribbled that football to and fro, while Nobby stood with his legs open to make a goal for them.
It was Barker’s job and Growler’s to score the goals, and the task of the other dogs to stop them. So it was a most amusing game to watch. Once, when Barker scored a goal by hurling himself on the ball and sending it rolling fast between Nobby’s arched legs, Pongo leapt into the fray, picked up the ball and ran off with it.
‘Foul, foul!’ yelled Nobby and all the dogs rushed after the mischievous chimpanzee. He leapt on to the top of a caravan and began to bounce the ball there, grinning down at the furious dogs.
‘Oh, this is such fun!’ said Anne, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. ‘Oh, dear! I’ve got such a pain in my side from laughing.’
Nobby had to climb up to the roof of the caravan to get the ball. Pongo jumped down the other side, but left the ball balanced neatly on the chimney. He was really a most mischievous chimpanzee.
Then they went to see the beautiful horses. All of them had shining satiny coats. They were being trotted round a big field by a slim, tall young fellow called Rossy, and they obeyed his slightest word.
‘Can I ride Black Queen, Rossy?’ asked Nobby eagerly. ‘Do let me!’
‘Okay,’ said Rossy, his black hair shining like the horses’ coats. Then Nobby amazed the watching children, for he leapt on to a great black horse, stood up on her back and trotted all round the field like that!
‘He’ll fall!’ cried Anne. But he didn’t, of course. Then he suddenly swung himself down on to his hands and rode Black Queen standing upside down.
‘Good, good!’ cried Rossy. ‘You are good with horses, young one! Now ride Fury!’
Fury was a small, fiery-looking little horse, whose gleaming eyes showed a temper. Nobby ran to her and leapt on her bare-backed. She rose up, snorting and tried to throw him off. But he wouldn’t be thrown off. No matter what she did, Nobby clung on like a limpet to a rock.
At last Fury tired of it and began to canter round the field. Then she galloped and suddenly she stopped absolutely dead, meaning to fling Nobby over her head!
But the boy was waiting for that trick and threw himself backwards at once. ‘Good, good!’ cried Rossy. ‘She will soon eat out of your hand, Nobby! Good boy.’
‘Nobby, Nobby, you’re terribly clever!’ yelled Anne. ‘Oh, I wish I could do the things you do! I wish I could.’
Nobby slid off Fury’s back, looking pleased. It was nice to show off a little to his ‘posh’ friends. Then he looked round and about. ‘I say where’s that chimp? Up to some mischief, I’ll be bound! Let’s go and find him.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
A LOVELY DAY WITH A HORRID END
They soon saw Pongo. He was coming round one of the caravans, looking exceedingly pleased with himself. He went to Anne and held out his paw to her, making little affectionate noises.
Anne took what he held. She looked at it. It’s a hard-boiled egg! Oh, Nobby, he’s been at the picnic baskets!’
So he had! Two of the eggs were gone, and some of the tomatoes! Nobby smacked the chimpanzee and took him back to his cage. He was very sad and made a noise as if he was crying, hiding his face in his paws. Anne was upset.