chapter 6 a grand day

'i think it's got a jolly good name, mystery moor,' said dick, as the four of them went along.

'look at it stretching for miles, all blazing with gorse.'

'i don't think it looks at all mysterious,' said henry, surprised.

'well, it's got a sort of quietness and broodiness,' said anne. 'as if something big happened long agoin the past and it's waiting for something to happen again.'

'quiet and broody? it sounds like one of the farmyard hens sitting on her eggs!' said henry with alaugh. 'i think it might be a bit frightening and mysterious at night, but it's just an ordinary stretch ofcountry in the day-time, fine for riding over. i can't think why it's called mystery moor.'

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'we'll have to look it up in some book that tells about this part of the country,' said dick. 'i expect itwas called that because of some queer happenings or other, hundreds of years ago, when peoplebelieved in witches and things like that.'

they followed no road or path, but rode where they pleased. there were great stretches of wiry grass,masses of heather springing up afresh, and, blazing its gold everywhere on this lovely april day, wasthe gorse.

anne sniffed continually as they rode past the gorse bushes. dick looked at her.

'you sound like sniffer!' he said. 'have you got a cold?'

anne laughed. 'no, of course not. but i do so love the smell of the gorse. what does it smell of?

vanilla? hot coconut? it's a lovely warm smell!'

'look! what's that moving over there?' said julian, suddenly reining in his horse. they all strainedtheir eyes to see.

'why, it's caravans!' said julian, at last. 'of course! they were setting out today, weren't they?

well, they must find it very rough going, that's all i can say. there's no real road anywhere, as far as ican see.'

'where can they be going?' wondered anne. 'what's over in that direction?'

'they'll come to the coast if they keep on the way they are going,' said julian, considering. 'let's rideover and have a look at them, shall we?'

'yes. good idea!' said dick. so they turned their horses' heads to the right, and rode towards thefaraway caravans. these made quite a splash of colour as they went along. there were four of them -two red ones, a blue one and a yellow one. they went very slowly indeed, each pulled by a small,wiry horse.

'they all look like skewbalds, brown and white,' said dick. 'it's funny that so many gypsies haveskewbald horses. i wonder why it is?'

they heard shouting as they came near the caravans, and saw one man pointing them out to another.

it was sniffer's father!

'look, that's the fellow who woke us up in the stable last night,' said julian to dick. 'sniffer's father!

what a nasty bit of work he is! why doesn't he get a haircut?'

'good morning!' called dick, as they rode up to the caravans on their horses. 'nice day!'

there was no answer. the gypsies driving their caravans and those walking alongside, looked sourlyat the four riders.

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'where are you going?' asked henry. 'to the coast?'

'it's naught to do with you,' said one of the gypsies, an old man with curly grey hair.

'surly folk, aren't they?' said dick to julian. 'i suppose they think we're spying on them, or something.

i wonder how they manage about food on this moor, no shops or anything. i suppose they take it allwith them.'

'i'll ask them,' said henry, not at all put off by the surly looks. she rode right up to sniffer's father.

'how do you manage about food, and water?' she asked.

'we got food there,' said snifler's father, jerking his head back towards one of the caravans. 'as forwater, we know where the springs are.'

'are you camping on the moor for a long time?' asked henry, thinking that a gypsy's life might be afine one, for a time! fancy living out here on this lovely moor with gorse blazing gold all around, andprimroses by the thousand in the sheltered corners!

'that's naught to do with you!' shouted the old man with curly grey hair. 'you clear off and let usalone!'

'come on, henry,' said julian, swinging round to go off. 'they don't like us asking them questions.

they think it's prying, not interest. may be they have lots of things to hide, and don't want us pokingaround - one or two chickens from a farm, a duck or so from some pond. they live from hand tomouth, these folk.'

some dark-eyed children peered from the vans as they went by. one or two were running outside, butthey sheered off like frightened rabbits when henry cantered towards them.

'oh well, they simply don't want to be friendly,' she said, and went to join the other three. 'what astrange life they lead, in their houses on wheels! never staying anywhere for long, always on themove. get up, there, sultan. go after the others!'

her horse obediently followed the other three, taking care not to step into any rabbit-holes! what funit was to be out here in the sunshine, jogging up and down on a horse's back, without a care in theworld! henry was very happy.

the other three were enjoying their day, but they were not quite so happy. they kept wonderingabout george. they missed timmy too. he should be trotting beside them, enjoying the day as well!

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they lost sight of the caravans after a time. julian kept track of the way they went, half-afraid ofbeing lost. he had a compass with him, and checked their direction continually. 'it would never do tohave to spend a night out here!' he said. 'nobody would ever find us!'

they had a magnificent lunch about half-past twelve. really, mrs. johnson had surpassed herself!

egg and sardine sandwiches, tomato and lettuce, ham - there seemed no end to them!

great slices of cherry cake were added too, and a large, juicy pear each.

'i like this kind of cherry cake,' said dick, looking at his enormous slice. 'the cherries have all goneto the bottom. they make a very nice last mouthful!'

'any drinks?' said henry, and was handed a bottle of ginger-beer. she drank it thirstily.

'why does ginger-beer taste so nice on a picnic?' she said. 'much nicer than drinking it sitting downin a shop, even if it's got ice in it!'

'there's a spring or something nearby,' said julian. 'i can hear it bubbling.'

they all listened. yes, there was a little bubbling, tinkling noise. anne got up to trace it. she found itin a few minutes and called the others. there was a round pool, cool and blue, lying two or three feetdown, and into it, from one side, fell a crystal clear spring of water, tinkling as it fell.

'one of the springs that the gypsies use, when they travel this deserted moor, i expect,' said julian. hecupped his hands under the falling water and got his palms full. he carried the water to his mouth andsipped it.

'delicious! cool as an ice-box,' he said. 'taste it, anne.'

they rode a little farther, but the moor seemed the same everywhere, heather, wiry grass, gorse, aclear spring falling into a pool or tiny stream here and there, and a few trees, mostly silver birch.

larks sang all the time, soaring high in the air, almost too far up to see.

'their song falls down like raindrops,' said anne, holding out her hands as if to catch them.

henry laughed. she liked this family, and was very glad they had asked her to come out with them.

she thought george was silly to have stayed at the stables.

'i think we ought to go home,' said julian at last, looking at his watch. 'we're a good way away.

let me see now. we want to make more or less for the setting sun. come on!'

he led the way, his horse picking its own path over the heather. the others followed. dick stoppedafter a while.

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'are you sure we're quite right, ju? i don't somehow feel that we are. the moor is different here,rather sandy and not so much gorse.'

julian stopped his horse and looked round and about. 'yes, it does look a bit different,' he said.

'but yet we seem to be going in the right direction. let's go a bit more to the west. if only there wassomething on the horizon to guide us. but this moor hasn't a thing that stands out anywhere!'

they went on again, and then henry gave an exclamation. 'i say! what's this? do come here.'

the two boys and anne swerved over to henry. she was now off her horse, and was bending over,scraping away at the heather.

'look, it seems like rails, or something,' said henry. 'very old and rusty. but they can't be, surely?'

everyone was now down on their knees, scraping sand and heather away. julian sat back andconsidered.

'yes, it's rails. old ones, as you say. but what in the world were rails laid down here for?'

'i can't think,' said henry. 'i only caught sight of them by chance, they're so overgrown. i couldn'tbelieve my eyes!'

'they must lead from somewhere to somewhere!' said dick. 'perhaps there was a quarry, orsomething on the moor and they ran little engines with trucks there, to fetch the sand, and take it backto town to sell.'

'that's about it,' said julian. 'it's very sandy here, as we noticed. good, fine sand. may be there is aquarry on the moor. well, that way, behind us goes right out on the moor, so this way must lead backto some town or village, probably milling green or somewhere like that.'

'yes. you're right,' said dick. 'in which case, if we follow the lines along, we'll get back tocivilization sooner or later!'

'well, seeing that we seem to be more or less lost, that would be quite a good idea!' said henry.

she mounted her horse again and rode along the lines.

'they're fairly easy to see!' she called. 'if you ride between them, that is, because they go so straight.'

the lines ran steadily over the moor, sometimes very overgrown, and in about half an hour's timehenry gave a cry and pointed forward. 'houses! i thought we'd soon come to some place!'

'it is milling green!' said julian, as the rails came to a sudden end, and they rode out into a small cart-road.

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'well, we haven't far to go now, to get to the stables,' said henry, pleased. 'i say, wouldn't it be fun tofollow those lines all across the moor and see where they really lead to?'

'yes. we might do that one day,' said julian. 'gosh, it's getting late. i wonder how old george hasbeen getting on today!'

they walked quickly along to the stables, thinking of george. would she have retired to bed?

would she still be cross, or worse still, hurt and grieved? it was anybody's guess!