chapter 3 across the countryside

they set off at last, timmy running in front. school already seemed far behind them. the octobersun shone down warmly, and the trees in the village glowed yellow and red and golden, dressed intheir autumn colourings. a few leaves floated down in the breeze, but not until there was a real frostwould many come whirling down.

'it's a heavenly day,' said george. 'i wish i hadn't got my blazer on. i'm cooked already.'

'well, take it off and carry it over your shoulder,' said julian. 'i'm going to do the same. our jerseysare quite warm enough today!'

they took off their thick blazers and carried them. each of them had a rucksack, a mac rolled uptightly and tied to it, and now a blazer to carry. but none of them noticed the weight at the outset oftheir day.

'i'm glad you girls took my advice and wore your thickest shoes,' said julian, looking with approval attheir brogues. 'some of our walking may be wet. have you got changes of socks?'

'yes. we brought everything you told us to,' said anne. 'your rucksack looks a bit fuller than ours,ju!'

'well, i've got maps and things in it,' said julian. 'it's a queer place, this moor - miles and miles andmiles of it! queer names on it too - blind valley - rabbit hill - lost lake - coney copse!'

'rabbit hill! timmy would love that,' said george, and timmy pricked up his ears. rabbits? ah, thatwas the kind of place he liked!

'well, actually we're going towards rabbit hill now,' said julian, 'and after that there's coney copse,and as coney is a country word for rabbit, timmy ought to enjoy himself!'

'woof,' said timmy joyfully and bounded ahead. he felt very happy. his four friends were with him,their rucksacks were full of delicious-smelling sandwiches, and a long, long walk lay ahead, teeming,he hoped with rabbits!

10

it was lovely walking along in the sun. they soon left the little village behind and took a windinglane. the hedges on either side became so high that the four couldn't see over the tops at all.

'what a sunken lane!' said dick. 'i feel as if i'm walking in a tunnel! and how narrow! i wouldn't liketo drive a car along this lane. if i met another car i might have to back for miles!'

'we shan't meet anyone much,' said julian, 'it's only in the summer that cars come along these lanes -people on holiday, touring round the countryside. look - we take that path now - it leads to rabbithill, according to the map!'

they climbed over a stile in the high hedge and walked over a field towards a curious little hill.

timmy suddenly went mad with excitement. he could smell rabbits - and he could see them too!

'you don't often see so many rabbits out in the daytime,' said george, surprised. 'big ones and littleones too - what a scampering.'

they came to the hill and sat down quietly to watch the rabbits. but it was quite impossible to maketimmy do the same. the sight and smell of so many made him quite wild. he pulled away fromgeorge’s hand and went bounding madly up the hill, scattering rabbits by the dozen.

'timmy!' yelled george, but for once timmy paid no attention. he rushed here and rushed there,getting very angry as first one rabbit and then another neatly popped down a hole.

'it's no use calling him,' said dick. 'he won't catch one, anyway - see how nippy they are, it's mybelief they're having a game with our timmy!'

it did look rather like it. as soon as timmy had chased two or three rabbits down one hole, a fewmore would pop up from another behind him. the children laughed. it was as good as a pantomime.

'where do you mean to have lunch?' asked anne, 'if we stay here much longer i shall really have tohave something to eat - and it's not nearly time yet. i wish i didn't always feel so hungry in the openair.'

'well, come on then,' said julian. 'we've got some way to go before we get to our lunch- place.

i've made a pretty good time-table of our tour - we're going to go all round the moors and finish at theplace we started at! i've really marked it all out pretty well.'

'do we sleep at farm-houses or something at night?' asked george. 'i should like that. will they mindhaving us, do you think? or do we go to inns?'

'farm-houses for two nights and inns for the other nights,' said julian. 'i've marked them all.'

they went up rabbit hill and down the other side. there were just as many rabbits there. timmy 11chased them till he panted like an engine going uphill! his tongue hung out, dripping wet.

'you've had enough, tim,' said george. 'be sensible now.'

but timmy couldn't be sensible with so many rabbits about. so they left him to chase and dart andrace at top speed and went on down the hill. timmy came rushing after them when they got to thebottom.

'now perhaps you'll stop tearing about like a mad thing and walk with us,' scolded george. but shespoke too soon, for soon they were in a small wood which julian informed them was coney copse.

'and as i told you, coney means rabbit, so you can't expect timmy to stop being mad just yet,'

said julian.

they very nearly lost timmy in coney copse. a rabbit disappeared down a very big hole, andtimmy was actually able to get down a little way. then he got stuck. he scrabbled violently with hisfeet but it was no good. he was well and truly stuck.

the others soon discovered he wasn't with them and went back, calling. quite by chance they cameon the hole he was in and heard the sound of panting and scraping. a shower of sand flew out of thehole.

'there he is! the idiot, he's down a hole,' said george in alarm, 'timmy! timmy! come on out!'

there was nothing that timmy would have liked better, but he couldn't come out, however much hetried. a root of a tree had got wedged into his back, and he couldn't seem to push himself out again,past the annoying root.

it took the four children twenty minutes to get timmy out. anne had to lie down and wriggle in alittle way to reach him. she was the only one small enough to get into the hole.

she caught hold of timmy's back legs and pulled hard. somehow the root slid off his back and hecame backwards. he whined loudly.

'oh anne, you're hurting him, you're hurting him!' shouted george. 'let him go!'

'i can't!' yelled back anne. 'he'll only go down deeper, if i leave go his legs. can you pull me out? ifso timmy will come too - he'll have to because i've got his legs!'

poor anne was pulled out by her legs, and poor timmy came too, pulled by his. he whined and wentto george.

'he's hurt himself somewhere,' said george anxiously. 'i know he has. he wouldn't whine like that ifhe wasn't hurt.'

12

she ran her fingers over him, pressing here and there. she examined each leg and each paw. shelooked at his head. still he whined. where could he have hurt himself?

'leave him,' said julian, at last. 'i can't see that he's hurt anywhere - except in his feelings! heprobably didn't like anne hauling him out by his hind legs. most undignified!'

george wasn't satisfied. although she could find nothing wrong, she couldn't help being sure thattimmy had hurt himself somewhere. ought he to see a vet?

'don't be silly, george,' said julian. 'vets don't grow on trees in a moorland country like this!

let's go on walking, you'll see timmy will follow quite all right, and soon forget to whine. i tell you,he's hurt his doggy feelings, that's all. his vanity is wounded!'

they left coney copse and went on, george rather silent. timmy trotted beside her, also rather quiet.

still, there really didn't seem anything the matter with him, except that he gave sudden little whinesnow and again.

'now here's where i thought we might have our lunch,' said julian, at last, 'fallaway hill! it's a goodname for it too - it falls away steeply, and we've got a marvellous view.'

so they had. they had come to the top of a steep hill, not guessing that it fell away on the other side.

they could sit on the tip and see the sun shining on miles and miles of lonely heather-grown moor.

they might see shy deer in the distance - or little wild ponies.

'this is heavenly,' said anne, sitting down on a great tuft of heather. 'it's as warm as summer too!

i do hope it's like this all over the week-end. we shall all be burnt brown!'

'it will also be heavenly having some of those sandwiches,' said dick, choosing a lump of heathertoo. 'what comfortable seats are provided for us! i've a good mind to take a tuft of this heather backto school with me to put on the very hard chair that goes with my desk!'

julian put the four packets of sandwiches down in the heather. anne undid them. they lookedwonderful!

'super!' said anne. 'what do you want first?'

'well, speaking for myself i'm going to have one of each, put them all on top of one another, andhave a huge bite of cheese, ham, pork and egg at once,' said dick. anne laughed.

'even your mouth isn't big enough for that,' she said. but somehow dick managed, though it wasdifficult.

'disgusting behaviour,' he said, when he had managed the first mouthful. 'i think on the whole thatone at a time is more economical. hie, timmy - have a bit?'

13

timmy obliged. he was very quiet, and george was still anxious about him. still, his appetite seemedremarkably good, so nobody but george wondered any more if he had hurt himself. he lay besidegeorge, occasionally putting a great paw on her knee if he wanted another bit of sandwich.

'timmy does jolly well,' said dick, with his mouth full. 'he gets bits from us all. i bet he eats morethan any of us. i say - did anyone ever taste such smashing sandwiches? have you tried the pork? itmust have come from a super pig!'

it was lovely sitting there in the sun, looking over miles of countryside, eating hungrily. they all feltvery happy. except george. was there anything wrong with timmy? it would spoil the whole week-end if so!