25

the camp is searched

soon a long procession of vans was going down the winding road that led away from borken. thetwo girls and gussy were in pedro’s little van, and he was driving the small skewbald horse thatbelonged to him.

jack was driving mas van for her, and the old lady looked really happy. she loved a bit ofexcitement, 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 drivingfank’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 tophilip – and to toni too for so cheerfully driving his van for him. the circus folk were alwaysready 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 chimpanzeesliked going fast. they were all excited at being on the move again. feefo and fum chattered awaytogether, looking through the window of their van.

‘where are we going?’ dinah asked pedro, through the open window of the van. pedroshrugged his shoulders. he had no idea.

‘we must get away from borken, where a lot of trouble may start,’ he said, ‘and try to findsomewhere more peaceful. we shall probably make for some country road, and keep away fromall 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 exactlyright in it. ‘we’re making for some country road,’ she told lucy-ann. ‘it’s a pity we still can’t getin 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 englandinstead of here!’ said lucy-ann. ‘well, anyway, we’re safe for the moment, and out of that towerroom. i was getting tired of that! nothing to do all day but to play games with those funny cardsthey brought us!’

they all stopped for a meal at about one o’clock. the vans stood at one side of the road, and thecircus folk sat beside them and ate. it was like summer, although it was only april. the sun wasvery 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 thetime. 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 atthe boy.

‘i don’t know what we’d have done without you, snoozy, when we were shut up in that towerroom,’ 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 philipwas driving them. he had fed them himself again when the procession halted for a meal, and thebears 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, intendingto 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. thenthey 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 folklooked worried. what was this? soldiers already? and why were they being halted? they haddone nothing wrong!

they jumped down from their vans, and gathered together in little knots, waiting. jack pokedhis head back into ma’s van, which he was driving. ‘this is it, ma,’ he said. ‘i think the vans aregoing 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 comealong. look shy if you can.’

pedro also knew what was about to happen. he called to the two girls, ‘come out, and mix withthe circus folk. go with toni and bingo. i’ll come too. i’ll put my arms round you both as if youwere 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 wouldappear 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 theworse for you, if you have. i warn you to give him up now, at once, because when we find himyou will be severely punished.’

the boss looked surprised. he was sitting in his great chair inside his van. ‘i do not know whatyou mean,’ he said. ‘search my vans! you are welcome!’

the boss thought that the soldiers were looking for a deserter, a young man, perhaps. he didnot know they were hunting for a small boy, and certainly had no idea they were after the littleprince aloysius!

the captain gave a sharp command. his soldiers marched down the sides of the vans, keeping awatch for anyone who might try to hide in the wayside bushes. then they began to searchcarefully, probing each van, lifting up piles of rugs or clothes to see if anyone could be hiddenthere.

they stopped at the sight of philip. they had been told that although they must at all costs findgussy, there were three other children, too, to look for. children whose presence in the campwould tell them the prince was somewhere about too.

they came up to the bears’ van, their heels clicking sharply. their loud voices angered the threebears, and they growled and flung themselves at the bars.

toni came up and spoke to them, telling them to keep out of sight of the bears.

‘we had trouble with them yesterday,’ he said, ‘and this boy, who helps the trainer, only justmanaged to keep them under control. as you see, the bars of the cage were broken and had to bemended. keep out of sight, please, or they will break the bars again.’

philip didn’t understand what toni was saying, but guessed. he decided that the best thing hecould do to avoid being questioned was to get inside the bears’ cage, and pretend to quieten them.

so in he went, and the bears fawned round him in delight.

the soldiers watched from a safe distance. the captain was satisfied. obviously this boybelonged to the circus, and travelled as a helper with the bears. he could not be one of the boysthey had been told to look out for. they went on to the next van, and toni winked at philip.

‘good!’ he said. ‘keep there. you are safer with the bears than anywhere else!’

the soldiers went from van to van. they hardly glanced at dinah or lucy-ann, who, withpedro’s arms round them, were standing watching the two chimpanzees. madame fifi had takenthe opportunity of giving them a little airing.

the captain, however, glanced sharply at pedro. could he be one of the boys they sought? hebeckoned to him. pedro came over, still with the girls, smiling, and at ease.

the captain snapped something at him in tauri-hessian. pedro answered smoothly, pointing tohis mother’s van. he was saying that he travelled with his mother, and his little cousin, anna-maria.

‘and these two girls?’ said the captain, sharply.

‘they are with the circus too,’ said pedro. ‘they belong to the boy who manages the bears –you have seen him. they are jabberwockians, and speak very little hessian. but they speak frenchif you would like to ask them anything.’

dinah heard pedro say the word ‘jabberwockians’ and guessed that he was saying that she andlucy-ann belonged to jabberwocky! dinah immediately poured out a string of utter gibberish tothe captain, waving her hands about, and smiling broadly. lucy nodded her head now and again asif she agreed with her sister!

‘all right, all right,’ said the captain, in his own language. ‘it’s all nonsense to me, this. i can’tunderstand a word! what is she saying?’

pedro grinned. he told the captain that dinah thought him very magnificent, much grander thancaptains in jabberwocky. he was pleased. he saluted the two smiling girls smartly, and wentaway, satisfied that they were certainly not english. he really must find out where the land ofjabberwocky was – he didn’t seem to have heard of it. these circus folk came from queer places!

and now the soldiers had reached ma’s caravan. jack was still sitting in the driver’s seat, kikion his shoulder. he had warned her not to talk, because he was afraid her english words mightgive them away. ‘but you can make noises,’ he told her, and kiki understood perfectly.

she raised her crest as the men came near and coughed loudly. the soldiers looked at her insurprise.

‘powke,’ said jack, patting kiki. ‘powke, arka powke.’ he knew that this meant ‘clever parrot,’

because the people who had come to marvel at kiki when she had been on show, had so often saidthose two words. ‘arka powke!’ clever parrot!

kiki gave a loud hiccup, and then another. the soldiers were tickled, and roared with laughter.

then kiki clucked like a hen laying eggs, and that amused them even more.

this was the kind of thing kiki liked. it gave her a wonderful opportunity for showing off. sheput down her head, looked wickedly at the soldiers, and gave them the full benefit of heraeroplane-in-trouble noise.

they were extremely startled, and stepped back at once. kiki cackled idiotically, laughing tillthe soldiers and jack were laughing helplessly too!

a sharp voice came from hehind them. it was their captain. they jumped to attention at once.

‘why waste time on this boy?’ said the captain. ‘you can see he is a circus boy, with a parrotlike that! search the van!’

jack knew enough of the hessian language now to understand roughly what the captain hadsaid. he wasn’t suspected then – and it was obvious that none of the soldiers suspected philip orthe girls. now there was only gussy left. would he play up and be sensible?

two soldiers went into ma’s van. they saw gussy at once, sitting beside ma. ‘who’s this?’

they said, sharply. ‘what’s her name?’