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They stood patiently waiting their turn, whilst Snowy skipped about
like a mad thing, not in the least tired with his long trip.
"We'll put up the tents after we've had a meal and a rest," said Philip.
"Get out the food, Lucy-Ann and Dinah. There's a nice flat stone here
we can use as a table."
Soon the supper, or high tea, was spread out on the big flat stone,
and mugs of lemonade were set by each plate. The children drained them
at once, and Jack was sent to get more ice-cold water from the spring.
They all ate quickly, for they were very hungry again. They said very
little until the first edge of their appetite had worn off, then they
all talked with their mouths full, eager to make the others remember
the lovely day.
David ate too and listened. The donkeys pulled at the grass. Snowy
was with Dapple, and Kiki was eating a tomato and dripping juice down
Jack's neck. They all felt as if they couldn't possibly be happier.
"Now we'll put up the tents," said Jack at last. "Come on, Philip!
It'll be dark before we've put them up if we don't make haste!"
Chapter 8
FIRST NIGHT IN CAMP
THE girls washed the dirty crockery in the cold spring water while
David and the boys unpacked the tents from the donkey that carried them.
They took off the whole of his pack, and also unstrapped the heavy
panniers from the other donkey. Both were delighted to be rid of their
loads. They lay down on the ground and rolled, kicking their legs up
into the air.
Kiki couldn't understand this at all, and flew up into a tree. "She
thinks they've gone mad," said Jack. "It's all right, Kiki, they're
only feeling glad because their packs have gone!"
Kiki made a noise like a train screeching in a tunnel, and the two
rolling donkeys leapt to their feet in alarm and raced some way down
the hill. David also jumped violently, and then called to the donkeys.
"Kiki, if you do that again I'll tie your beak up!" threatened Jack.
"Spoiling this lovely peaceful evening with that horrible screech!"
"Wipe your feet, wipe your feet!" screamed Kiki and danced from foot
to foot on her branch.
The tents were soon put up, side by side. David did not want to sleep
in one. He preferred to sleep outside. He had never slept in a tent,
and he thought they were quite unnecessary.
"Well, I'd just as soon he slept outside," said Jack to Philip. "I
don't believe he's ever had a bath in his life, do you?"
"Let's leave the tent-flaps open," said Lucy-Ann, coming up with the
clean crockery. "Then we can look out down the mountainside. I wouldn't
mind a bit sleeping in the open air, like David, as a matter of fact."
"Wind's too cold," said Jack. "You'll be glad to have a cosy
sleeping-bag, Lucy-Ann! David must be very hardy  he's only got a thin
rug to cover himself with, and he's apparently going to sleep on the
bare ground!"
The sun had now disappeared completely. It had gone behind the
mountains in a perfect blaze of colour, and all the summits had gleamed
for a while, and then darkness had crept up to the very tops, leaving
only a clear sky beyond. Stars were now winking here and there, and
a cold wind was blowing up the mountain.
The donkeys were tied loosely to trees. Some of them were lying down.
Dapple was looking out for Snowy, but the kid had gone to Philip, and
was waiting for him to go into his tent.
They all washed at the spring  all, that is, but David, who seemed
rather astonished to see the four children solemnly splashing
themselves with the cold water. He had drawn his thin rug over him and
was lying quite still, looking up to the starry sky.
"He's not what you might call a very cheerful companion, is he?" said
Jack. "I expect he thinks we're all quite mad, the way we joke and laugh
and fool about. Buck up, Philip, and get into the tent."
The girls were already in their tent. They had slid down into their
sleeping-bags and tied them up loosely at the neck. Each bag had a big
hood to come over the head. They were comfortable, quite roomy, and
very warm.
Lucy-Ann could see out of the tent opening. Stars twinkled in the
sky, looking very big and bright. There was no sound at all, except
of the trickle-trickle of the spring, and the sound of the wind in the
trees.
"We might be all alone in the world," said Lucy-Ann to Dinah. "Dinah,
imagine that we are. It gives you an awfully queer feeling. It's wizard!"
But Dinah hadn't got Lucy-Ann's imagination and she yawned. "Go to
sleep," she said. "Are the boys in their tent yet? I wish they were
a bit further away. I've got an awful feeling that slow-worm will come
slithering in here in the night."
"It won't hurt you if it does," said Lucy-Ann, snuggling down in her
sleeping-bag. "Oh, this is super! I do think we have lovely holidays,
don't you, Dinah?"
But Dinah was asleep already. Her eyes had shut and she was dreaming.
Lucy-Ann stayed awake a little longer enjoying the sound of the running
spring and the wind. She still felt rather as if she was on her donkey,
jogging up and down. Then her eyes closed too.
The boys talked for a little while. They had thoroughly enjoyed their
day. They gazed out of the open flap of the tent. "It's pretty wild
and desolate here," said Jack sleepily. "It's surprising there's a track
to follow, really. Decent of Bill and Aunt Allie to let us come by
ourselves!"
"Mmmmmmm!" said Philip, listening, but too sleepy to answer.
"Mmmmmmm!" imitated Kiki from the top of the tent outside. It was
too hot for her in it.
"There's Kiki," said Jack. "I wondered where she was. Philip, aren't
you hot with Snowy on top of you?"
"Mmmmmmm!" said Philip, and again there came the echo from the
tent-top. "Mmmmmmm!"
Snowy was almost on top of Philip. He had tried his hardest to squeeze
into the boy's sleeping-bag with him, but Philip was quite firm about
that.
"If you think you're going to stick your sharp little hooves into
me all night long, you're wrong, Snowy," he said, and tied up his bag
firmly at the neck, in case Snowy should try any tricks in the night.
The slow-worm was somewhere about too. Philip was too sleepy to bother
to think where. Sally slid about where she pleased. Philip was now quite
used to the sudden slithering movement that occurred at times somewhere
about his body, and which meant that Sally was on the move again.
There were a few more quiet remarks from Kiki, who was apparently
talking to herself. Then silence. The little camp slept under the stars.
The night-wind nosed into the tent, but could not get into the cosy
sleeping-bags. Snowy felt too hot, walked over Philip, trod on Jack
and went to lie in the tent opening. He gave a tiny bleat and Kiki bleated
in answer.
David was up and about before the children the next day. He was looking
at his donkeys when Philip put a towsled head out of the tent opening
to sniff at the morning. "Lovely!" he said. "Stop butting me, Snowy!
Your little head is jolly hard! Jack! Stir yourself. It's a gorgeous
morning."
Soon all the campers were out of their sleeping-bags and running about.
They splashed at the spring, laughing at nothing. Snowy bounded
everywhere, quite mad too. Kiki hooted like a car, and startled the
donkeys. Even David smiled to see such early-morning antics!
They had breakfast  tongue, cream cheese and rather stale bread,
with a tomato each. There was no lemonade left because they had been [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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