chapter 8 sniffer makes a promise

george was feeling very lonely by the time the evening came. how had the others got on withouther? had they missed her at all? perhaps they hadn't even thought of her!

'anyway, they didn't have you, timmy!' said george. 'you wouldn't go off and leave me, wouldyou?'

timmy pressed against her, glad to see that she was happier again. he wondered where the otherswere, and where they had gone to all day.

there was suddenly a clattering of hooves in the stableyard and george flew to the door. yes, theywere back! how should she behave? she felt cross and relieved and rather humble and glad all atonce! she stood there, not knowing whether to frown or to smile.

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the others made up her mind for her. 'hallo, george!' shouted dick. 'we did miss you!'

'how's your head?' called anne. 'i hope it's better!'

'hallo!' called henry. 'you ought to have come. we've had a super day!'

'come and help us stable the horses, george,' shouted julian. 'tell us what you've been doing!'

timmy had sped over to them, barking in delight. george found her legs running towards them too, awelcoming smile on her face.

'hallo!' she called. 'let me help! did you really miss me? i missed you too.'

the boys were very relieved to see that george was herself again. nothing more was said about herheadache! she busied herself unsaddling the horses and listening to their story of the day.

then she told them about sniffer and his patrins, and how she had given him a brand- newhandkerchief.

'but i'm sure he thinks he's got to keep it spotlessly clean!' she said. 'he never used it once when iwas with him. there's the supper-bell, we'll only just be in time! are you hungry?'

'you bet we are!' said dick. 'though after mrs. johnson's sandwiches i never thought i'd be able toeat any supper at all. how's clip?'

'never mind now. i'll tell you everything at supper,' said george. 'do you want any help, henry?'

henry was surprised to hear george call her henry instead of henrietta. 'no thanks - er -george,' she said. 'i can manage.'

it was a very jolly supper-time that evening. the youngsters were set at a table by themselves, so theolder ones talked to their hearts' content.

captain johnson was very interested to hear about the old railway they had found. 'i never knew therewas anything like that on the moors,' he said. 'though, of course, we've only been here about fifteenyears, so we don't know a great deal of the local history. you want to go and ask old ben theblacksmith about that. he's lived here all his life, and a long life it is, for he's over eighty!'

'well, we've got to take some of the horses to be shod tomorrow, haven't we?' said henry, eagerly.

'we could ask him then! why, he might even have helped to make the rails!'

'we saw the caravans, george, when we had got pretty far out on the moor,' said julian.

'goodness knows where they were heading for, towards the coast, i should think. what's the coastlike beyond the moor, captain johnson?'

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'wild,' said the captain. 'great, unclimbable cliffs, and reefs or rocks stretching out to sea. only thebirds live there. there's no bathing, no boating, no beach.'

'well, it beats me where those caravans are going,' said dick. 'it's a mystery. they go every threemonths, don't they?'

'about that,' said captain johnson. 'i've no idea what the attraction of the moor is for the gypsies.

it just beats me! usually they won't go anywhere where there are not a few farms, or at least a smallvillage where they can sell their goods.'

'i'd like to go after them and see where they are and what they're doing,' said julian, eating his thirdhard-boiled egg.

'all right. let's,' said george.

'but how? we don't know where they've gone,' said henry.

'well, sniffer's going to join them tomorrow, or as soon as clip is all right for walking,' said george.

'and he's got to follow the patrins left on the way by the others. he says that he looks at the placeswhere fires have been made on the way, and beside them somewhere he will see the patrins, the sticksthat point in the direction he must follow.'

'he's sure to destroy them,' said dick. 'we couldn't follow them!'

'we'll ask him to leave his own patrins,' said george. 'i think he will. he's not a bad little boy, really.

i could ask him to leave plenty of patrins, so that we could easily find the way.'

'well, it might be fun to see if we could read the right road to go, just as easily as the gypsies do,'

said julian. 'we could make it a day's ride. it would be interesting!'

henry gave a most enormous yawn, and that made anne yawn too, though hers was a very politeone.

'henry!' said mrs. johnson.

'sorry,' said henry. 'it just came almost like a sneeze does. i don't know why, but i feel almostasleep.'

'go to bed then,' said mrs. johnson. 'you've had such a day of air and sunshine! you all look verybrown too. the april sun has been as hot as june today.'

the five of them, and timmy, went out for a last look at the horses, and to do one or two small jobs.

henry yawned again, and that set everyone else off, even george.

'me for the straw!' said julian, with a laugh. 'oh, the thought of that warm, comfy straw bed is toogood for words! you girls are welcome to the beds!'

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'i hope sniffer's pa doesn't come in the middle of the night again,' said dick.

'i shall tie up the latch,' said julian. 'well, let's go and say goodnight to mrs. johnson.'

it wasn't long before the three girls were in bed and the two boys cuddled down in the straw of thestable. clip was there still, but he no longer fidgeted. he lay down quietly, and did not once move hisbad leg. it was getting much better. he would certainly be able to go after the others the next day!

julian and dick fell asleep at once. no one came creeping in at the stable door that night.

nothing disturbed them until the morning, when a cock got into the stable through a window, sat on arafter just above them, and crowed loudly enough to wake both boys with a jump.

'what's that!' said dick. 'that awful screeching in my ear! was it you, ju?'

the cock crowed again and the boys laughed. 'blow him!' said julian, settling down again. 'i could dowith another couple of hours sleep!'

that morning sniffer came slipping in at the gate again. he never came boldly in, he slid through thehedge, or crept in at the gate, or appeared round a corner. he saw george and went over to her.

'master george,' he called, much to julian's amusement. 'is clip better?'

'yes!' called back george. 'captain johnson says you can take him today. but wait a bit, sniffer, iwant to ask you something before you go.'

sniffer was pleased. he liked this girl who had presented him with such a magnificent handkerchief.

he took it carefully out of his pocket, hoping to please her.

'see,' he said. 'how clean it is! i have kept it very carefully.' he sniffed loudly.

'you're a fathead,' said george, exasperated. 'i gave it to you to use, not to keep clean in your pocket.

it's to stop your sniffing. honestly, you're a bit of a mutt, sniffer. i shall take that hanky away if youdon't use it!'

sniffer looked alarmed. he shook it out carefully and then lightly touched his nose with it. he thenfolded it up conscientiously in the right creases and put it back into his pocket again.

'now, no sniffing!' commanded george, trying not to laugh. 'listen, sniffer, you know those patrinsyou showed me yesterday?'

'yes, master george,' said sniffer.

'well, will the other gypsies who have gone in front, leave you patrins to follow, so that you willknow the way?' said george.

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sniffer nodded. 'yes, but not many, because i have been that way twice before. they will only leavethem in places where i might go wrong.'

'i see,' said george. 'now sniffer, we want to have a sort of game. we want to see which of us canfollow patrins, and we want you to lay patrins for us quite often, on your way to your family today.

will you?'

'oh yes, i will,' said sniffer, quite proud to have a favour asked of him. 'i will lay the ones i showedyou, the cross, the long sticks, and the big and little leaf.'

'yes, do,' said george. 'that will mean that you have passed in a certain direction and you are a boyand a dog. that's right, isn't it?'

'yes,' said sniffer, nodding his head. 'you have remembered!'

'right. and we're going to have a kind of game, trying to pretend we are travelling gypsies followingothers who have passed,' said george.

'you must not show yourselves when you come up to our caravans,' said sniffer, looking suddenlyalarmed. 'i should get into trouble for laying patrins for you.'

'all right. we'll be careful,' said george. 'now let's go and get clip.'

they fetched the patient little skewbald who came out gladly. he no longer limped, and his restseemed to have done him good. he went off at a good pace with sniffer. the last george heard ofthem was a very loud sniff indeed!

'sniffer!' she shouted, warningly. he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the hanky. he waved itgaily in the air, a sudden grin lighting up his face.

george went to find the others. 'sniffer has taken clip,' she said. 'what about going down to theblacksmith, and taking those horses that want shoeing?'

'good idea,' said julian. 'we can ask him all about mystery moor then, and the strange little railwayline, or whatever it is! come on.'

they took the horses that needed shoeing. there were six of them, so they each rode one, and julianled the sixth. timmy ran happily along beside them. he loved the horses, and they regarded him as areal friend, bending their long noses down to sniff at him, whenever he came near.

they went slowly down the long lane to the blacksmith's. 'there it is!' said george. 'a proper oldsmithy with a lovely fire! and there's the smith!'

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old ben was a mighty figure of a man, even though he was over eighty. he didn't shoe many horsesnow, but sat in the sun, watching all that was going on. he had a great mane of white hair, and eyesthat were as black as the coal he had so many times heated to a fiery flame.

'good morning, young masters and miss,' he said and julian grinned. that would please george andhenry!

'we've got some questions to ask you,' said george, dismounting.

'ask away!' said the old man. 'if it's about this place, there's nothing much old ben can't tell you!

give jim your horses. now, ask away!'