Five Go to Billycock Hill Read Online Free PDF Page A

world. Dick sat down on it and grinned at Julian.
    „Just made for us!" he said. „We shall sleep like tops here. We hardly need a rug to lie on, it"s so close-grown. Help me up, Ju - my legs won"t do anything now I"ve sat down!"
    Julian pul ed him up and they cal ed to the girls: „Anne! George! Bring the supper here.
    We"ve found a good place. It"s by this giant gorse bush."
    The girls came along with the meal, and the boys fetched a couple of rugs from the pile of things that they had brought in the hand-cart. They spread them on the heather.
    „I say! This certainly is a good place," said George, coming up with Anne and Timmy, carrying a loaf of bread, a pat of butter and tomatoes. Anne had the milk and the cheese. Timmy was carrying a little bag of his own biscuits.
    „The gorse bush wil shelter us from too much wind," said Dick, taking the milk from Anne.
    „It"s an ideal spot - and the view is superb."
    It was a very happy supper they had, sitting in the heather, while the sun sank lower and lower in the west. The evenings were very light now, and certainly they would not need candles! They finished up everything, and then went to wash at the little spring that bubbled out so cheerfully.
    They lay down on their rugs in the heather while it was stil daylight. „Good night!" said Dick, and promptly fel fast asleep. „Good night!" called Julian, and lay for a few seconds looking at the view, which was now becoming dim and blue.
    Timmy kept the two girls awake for a minute or two, trying to squeeze in between them.
    „Do keep stil , Timmy," said George. „And just remember you"re on guard, even though I don"t expect there is anyone nearer than a mile - and that wil be at Billycock Farm! Lie stil now, or I"l push you off the rug! Good night, Anne."
    George was soon asleep, and so was Timmy, tired out with so many miles of running. Anne lay awake for a few minutes, looking at the evening star which shone large and golden in the sky. She felt very happy. „I don"t want to grow up," she thought. „There can"t be anything nicer in the world than this - being with the others, having fun with them. No - I don"t want to grow up!"
    Then she, too, fel asleep, and night came quietly down, with stars bril iant in the sky, and very little noise to be heard anywhere - just the gurgling of the spring some way away, and the far-off bark of some dog - perhaps Binky at the farm. The breeze died down, so that even that could not be heard.
    No one except Timmy awoke at all that night. Timmy put up one ear when he heard a squeak just above his head. It came again and he opened one eye. It was a small black bat circling and swooping, hunting for insects. Its squeak was so high that only Timmy"s quick ear caught it. He put down his listening ear and went to sleep again.
    Nobody stirred until a very loud noise awakened them. R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r! R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r! They all woke up with a jump and the boys sat up straight, startled. What could it be?
    „It"s a plane," said Julian, staring up at a smal aeroplane flying over the hil . „It must be one from that airfield down there! I say - it"s five past nine! Five past nine - we"ve slept for nearly twelve hours!"
    „Well, I"m going to sleep for some more," said Dick, snuggling down into his heathery bed again and shutting his eyes.
    „No, you"re not," said Julian, giving him a shove. „It"s too good a day to waste in any more sleep. Hey, you girls - are you awake?"
    „Yes," called George, sitting up, rubbing her eyes. „That aeroplane wakened me. Anne"s awake, too - and you can see that Timmy is; he"s gone after a rabbit or something."
    „We"ll all go and wash at the spring," said Anne, scrambling off the rug. „And George and I wil get breakfast. Anyone like a boiled egg?"
    The sun shone down out of a blue sky, and the little breeze awoke and began to blow again. They washed in the cold water, and Timmy drank it, lapping it thirstily as it splashed down over his nose. Then