‘Good-they’re quite all right,’ said Philip, and gave them a little talk to which they listened entranced, as if they understood every word!
Fank was better-but still could not stand up. Philip went to see him, and the little man took his hand and poured out a stream of completely unintelligible words. Philip knew what he was saying, though! Here was a grateful man if ever there was one! Fank loved his bears as if they were his brothers, and he had been almost mad with anxiety the night before, when he heard they had escaped.
‘I’ll take them on till you’re well,’ said Philip, and Fank understood, and shook Philip’s hand fervently.
The next thing was clothes. The camp was to set off in three hours, so Ma had got to hurry if she was going to get the four of them clothes that would disguise the fact that they were English.
She went to Lucia, an old bent woman who kept the clothes of the circus-folk in order-not the ordinary ones they wore every day, but their fine ones, worn in the ring-their glittering capes and skirts, their silken shirts and magnificent cloaks. These were valuable, and old Lucia’s needle was always busy. So was her iron. Nobody could press fine clothes as well or as carefully as Lucia.
By the time the circus-folk were ready to strike camp, nobody would have recognized Dinah, Lucy-Ann, Philip and Jack! Toni had lent them grease-paint and each of them was as dark as a Tauri-Hessian-face, neck, legs, and hands! The girls wore the Tauri-Hessian dress-long skirts and shawls, and gay ribbons in their hair.
The boys looked just like roughly brought-up boys of the country, and seemed to have grown older all of a sudden. Lucy-Ann stared at Jack in surprise, hardly recognizing this brown youth, whose teeth gleamed suddenly white in his dark face.
Ma was pleased with her efforts, but most of all she was delighted with Gussy. Nobody, nobody could possibly think that Gussy was anything but a girl. He looked really pretty! All five of them, Pedro too, roared with laughter when poor Gussy came down Ma’s caravan steps, looking very red in the face, very angry, and very ashamed.
‘Dis is my little grandchild, Anna-Maria!’ said Ma, with a broad smile. ‘Be kind to her, plizz!’
Gussy looked as if he was about to burst into tears. ‘Yes, go on, cry!’ said Philip, hard-heartedly. ‘You’ll be exactly like a girl then, Anna-Maria!’
Dinah gave him a punch. ‘It’s only soft girls that cry!’ she said. ‘Oh dear-doesn’t Gussy-I mean Anna-Maria-look priceless?’
‘Smashing!’ said Jack. ‘Honestly, he’s as pretty as a picture. Thank goodness for his long hair-that’s what makes him look like a girl more than anything!’
‘I cut it short soon, soon, soon,’ said poor Gussy, furiously. ‘Snip-snip-like that!’
‘You can’t. You told us that Princes of this country have to wear it long, like you do,’ said Dinah.
‘I will not be a Prince then,’ said Gussy. He looked suddenly very forlorn, and gazed at Lucy-Ann beseechingly, feeling that she had the kindest heart of the lot.
‘Do not tizz me,’ he begged. ‘I hate zis. I am full of shamefulness.’
‘All right, Gussy, er-Anna-Maria,’ said Jack. ‘We won’t tizz you. Cheer up-you’ll be a Prince again before long, I’m sure.’
‘If my uncle is alive, I will be,’ said Gussy, soberly. ‘If he is dead-I must be King!’
‘God save the King,’ said Kiki, devoutly, and raised her crest impressively. ‘Fetch the doctor and save the King!’
Chapter 25
THE CAMP IS SEARCHED
SOON a long procession of vans was going down the winding road that led away from Borken. The two girls and Gussy were in Pedro’s little van, and he was driving the small skewbald horse that belonged to him.
Jack was driving Ma’s van for her, and the old lady looked really happy. She loved a bit of excitement, and she roared with laughter whenever she caught sight of poor Gussy.
Philip, of course, was driving the van in which the bears’ cage was built. Toni was driving Fank’s little living-van, whistling cheerfully. Fank lay on his mattress inside, glad to feel better, and to know that ‘that wonder-boy’ Philip had got his bears in charge. He felt full of gratitude to Philip-and to Toni too for so cheerfully driving his van for him. The circus-folk were always ready to help one another. That was one of the nicest things about them.
The vans rumbled along the road, going very slowly, for neither the bears nor the chimpanzees liked going fast. They were all excited at being on the move again. Feefo and Fum chattered away together, looking through the window of their van.
‘Where are we going?’ Dinah asked Pedro, through the open window of the van. Pedro shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea.
‘We must get away from Borken, where a lot of trouble may start,’ he said, ‘and try to find somewhere more peaceful. We shall probably make for some country road, and keep away from all the main roads. Soldiers will use those, if trouble starts.’
Dinah went back into the van. The Tauri-Hessian dress suited her well, and she looked exactly right in it. ‘We’re making for some country road,’ she told Lucy-Ann. ‘It’s a pity we still can’t get in touch with Mother or Bill. They really will be dreadfully worried about us by now.’
‘I suppose the police will have been told and will be hunting everywhere for us-but in England instead of here!’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Well, anyway, we’re safe for the moment, and out of that tower-room. I was getting tired of that! Nothing to do all day but to play games with those funny cards they brought us!’
They all stopped for a meal at about one o’clock. The vans stood at one side of the road, and the circus-folk sat beside them and ate. It was like summer, although it was only April. The sun was very hot, and masses of brilliant flowers were out everywhere.
Philip’s little dormouse came out to share the meal with him. He had had it with him all the time. It was scared by the noisy talk of the circus-folk, and only appeared when things were quiet. It sat on the palm of Philip’s hand, enjoying a nut, its big black eyes now and again glancing up at the boy.
‘I don’t know what we’d have done without you, Snoozy, when we were shut up in that tower-room,’ said Philip, softly. ‘You kept us all amused with your little games and antics, didn’t you? And you told Jack where we were, the other night-you ran under the door to him!’
Soon they were on the way again. The bears settled down to sleep, happy to know that Philip was driving them. He had fed them himself again when the procession halted for a meal, and the bears grunted at him happily. Fank heard them and was happy too.
The procession wound down the road, came out into a main road, and went down that, intending to turn off at a country road about two miles on. But halfway down something happened.
Three powerful military cars swept by the procession, and drove right up to the head of it. Then they stopped, and soldiers leapt down from the cars, with a captain in command.
‘Halt!’ he said, to the front driver, and the whole procession came to a stop. The circus-folk looked worried. What was this? Soldiers already? And why were they being halted? They had done nothing wrong!
They jumped down from their vans, and gathered together in little knots, waiting. Jack poked his head back into Ma’s van, which he was driving. ‘This is it, Ma,’ he said. ‘I think the vans are going to be searched. Give Gussy something to do, and scold him as if he was your grandchild. Gussy, you’re a girl, remember-so don’t answer back, or even say a word, when the men come along. Look shy if you can.’
Pedro also knew what was about to happen. He called to the two girls, ‘Come out, and mix with the circus folk. Go with Toni and Bingo. I’ll come too. I’ll put my arms round you both as if you were my sisters or my friends.’
Philip, however, didn’t move. He decided that he was in a very good place, driving the bears’ van! The men would be sure to upset the bears and he would have to pacify them. He would appear to the men to be a bear-trainer!
The captain found the Boss. Pedro heard him talking to him in sharp tones.
‘We are going to search your vans. We suspect you have someone here we want. It will be the worse for you, if you have. I warn you to give him up now, at once, because when we find him you will be severely punished.’