chapter 5 yan - and his grandad

the next day was sunday. it made no difference to the time that the two penruthlans got up, however.

as mrs. penruthlan said, the cows and horses, hens and ducks didn't approve of late sundaybreakfasts! they wanted attending to at exactly the same time each day!

'will you be going to church?' asked mrs. penruthlan. 'it's a beautiful walk across the fields totremannon church, and you'd like parson. he's a good man, he is.'

'yes, we're all going,' said julian. 'we can tie timmy up outside. he's used to that. and we thoughtwe'd go up and see your old shepherd this afternoon, mrs. penruthlan, and see what tales he has totell.'

'yan will show you the way,' said the farmer's wife, bustling off to her cooking. 'i'll get you a finesunday dinner. do you like fresh fruit salad with cream?'

'rather!' said everyone at once.

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'can't we help you to do something?' said anne. 'i've just seen all the peas you're going to shell.

piles of them! and don't you want help with those red currant? i love getting the currants off theirstalks with a fork!'

'well, you'll have a few odd minutes before you go to church, i expect,' said mrs. penruthlan, lookingpleased. 'it would be a bit of help today. but the boys needn't help.'

'i like that!' said george, indignantly. 'how unfair! why shouldn't they, just because they're boys?'

'don't fly off the handle, george,' grinned dick. 'we're going to help, don't worry. we like poddingpeas too! you're not going to have all the treats!'

dick had a very neat way of turning the tables on george when he saw her flying into a tantrum.

she smiled unwillingly. she was always jealous of the boys because she so badly wanted to be oneherself, and wasn't! she hitched up her shorts, and went to get a pan of peas to shell.

soon the noise of the popping of pads was to be heard, a very pleasant noise, anne thought. the fourof them sat on the big kitchen step, out in the sun, with timmy sitting beside them, watching withinterest. he didn't stay with them long though.

up came his four friends, the little scottie trotting valiantly behind, trying to keep up with the longerlegs of the others. 'woof!' said the biggest collie. timmy wagged his tail politely, but didn't stir.

'woof!' said the collie again, and pranced around invitingly.

'timmy! he says ''will you come and play?'' ' said george. 'aren't you going? you aren't the leasthelp with shelling peas, and you keep breathing down my neck.'

timmy gave george a flying lick and leapt off the step joyfully. he pounced on the scottie, rolledhim over, and then took on all three collies at once. they were big, strong dogs, but no match fortimmy!

'look at him,' said george, proudly. 'he can manage the whole lot single-handed.'

'single-footed!' said dick. 'he's faster than even that biggest collie and stronger than the whole lot.

good old tim. he's come in jolly useful in some of our adventures!'

'i've no doubt he will again,' said julian. 'i'd rather have one timmy than two police-dogs.'

'i should think his ears are burning, the way we're talking about him!' said anne. 'oh, sorry, dick,that pod popped unexpectedly!'

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'that's the second lot of peas you've shot all over me,' said dick, scrabbling inside his shirt. 'i mustjust find one that went down my neck, or i shall be fidgeting all through church.'

'you always do,' said anne. 'look - isn't that yan?'

it was! he came sidling up, looking as dirty as ever, and gave them a quick smile that once moreentirely changed his sullen little face. he held out his hand, palm upwards, and said something.

'what's he saying?' said dick. 'oh, he's asking for a sweet.'

'don't give him one,' said julian, quickly. 'don't turn him into a little beggar. make him work for asweet this time. yan, if you want a sweet, you can help pod these peas.'

mrs. penruthlan appeared at once. 'but see he washes those filthy hands first,' she commanded, anddisappeared again. yan looked at his hands, then put them under his arm-pits.

'go and wash them,' said julian. but yan shook his head, and sat down a little way away from them.

'all right. don't wash your hands. don't shell the peas. don't have a sweet,' said george.

yan scowled at george. he didn't seem to like her any more than she liked him. he waited tillsomeone split a pod, and a few peas shot out on to the ground instead of into the dish. then he dartedat them, picked them up and ate them. he was as quick as a cat.

'my grandad says come see him,' announced yan. 'i take you.'

'right,' said julian. 'we'll come this afternoon. we'll get mrs. penruthlan to pack us up a basket, andwe'll have tea in the hills. you can share it if you wash your hands and face.'

'i shouldn't think he's ever washed himself in his life,' said george. 'oh, here's timmy come back. iwill not have him fawn round that dirty little boy. here, timmy!'

but timmy darted to yan with the greatest delight and pawed at him to come and have a game.

they began to roll over and over like two puppies.

'if you're going to church, you'd better get ready,' said mrs. penruthlan, appearing again, this timewith arms floured up to the elbow. 'my, what a lot of peas you've done for me!'

'i wish i had time to do the red currants,' said anne. 'we've practically finished the peas, anyway,mrs. penruthlan. we've done thousands, i should think!'

'ah, mr. penruthlan is real fond of peas,' said the farmer's wife. 'he can eat a whole tureen at onesitting.'

she disappeared again. the children went to get ready for church, and then off they went. it certainlywas a lovely walk over the fields, with honeysuckle trailing everywhere!

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the church was small and old and lovely. yan went with them, trailing behind, right to the churchdoor. when he saw george tying timmy up to a railing, he sat down beside him and looked pleased.

george didn't look pleased, however. now timmy and yan would play about together all the timeshe was in church! how annoying!

the church was cool and dark, except for three lovely stained-glass windows through which the sunpoured, its brilliance dimmed by the colours of the glass. 'parson' was as nice as mrs.

penruthlan had said, a simple, friendly person whose words were listened to by everyone, from anold, old woman bent almost double in a corner to a solemn-eyed five year old clutching her mother'shand.

it was dazzling to come out into the sun again from the cool dimness of the church. timmy barked awelcome. yan was still there, sitting with his arm round timmy's neck. he gave them his suddensmile, and untied timmy, who promptly went mad and tore out of the churchyard at sixty miles anhour. he always did that when he had been tied up.

'you come see grandad,' said yan to dick, and pulled at his arm.

'this afternoon,' said dick. 'you can show us the way. come after dinner.'

so, after the children had had a dinner of cold boiled beef and carrots, with a dumpling each, and'lashings' of peas and new potatoes, followed by a truly magnificent fruit salad and cream, yanappeared at the door to take them to his grandad.

'did you see the amount of peas that mr. penruthlan got through?' said anne, in awe. 'i should thinkhe really did manage a tureen all to himself. i wish he'd say something beside 'ah' and'ock' and the other peculiar sounds he makes. conversation is awfully difficult with him.'

'is yan taking you up to grandad?' called mrs. penruthlan. 'i'll put a few cakes in the basket for him,too, then, and for grandad.'

'don't put us up a big tea,' begged dick. 'we only want a snack, just to keep us going till high-tea.'

but all the same the basket was quite heavy when mrs. penruthlan had finished packing it!

it was a long walk over the fields to the shepherd's hut. yan led the way proudly. they crossed thefields, and climbed stiles, walked up narrow cart-paths, and at last came to a cone-shaped hill onwhich sheep grazed peacefully. half-grown lambs, wearing their woolly coats, unlike the shornsheep, gambolled here and there - then remembered that they were nearly grown up, and walkedsedately.

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the old shepherd was sitting outside his hut, smoking a clay pipe. he wasn't very big, and he seemedshrivelled up, like an apple stored too long. but there was still sweetness in him, and the childrenliked him at once. he had yan's sudden smile, that lighted up eyes that were still as blue as thesummer sky above them.

his face had a thousand wrinkles that creased and ran into one another when he smiled. his shaggyeye-brows, curly beard and hair were all grey, as grey as the woolly coats of the sheep he had livedwith all his life.

'you be welcome,' he said, in his slow cornish voice. 'yan here have told me about you.'

'we've brought our tea to share with you,' said dick. 'we'll have it later on. is it true that your fatherwas one of the wreckers in the old days?'

the old fellow nodded his head. julian got out a bag of boiled sweets, and offered them to the oldman. he took one eagerly. yan edged up at once and was given one too.

judging by the crunching that went on old grandad still had plenty of teeth! when the sweet hadgone, he began to talk. he talked slowly and simply, almost as yan might have done, and sometimespaused to find a word he wanted.

living with sheep all his life doesn't make for easy talking, thought julian, interested in this old manwith the wise, keen eyes. he must be much more at home with sheep than with human beings.

grandad certainly had some interesting things to tell them, dreadful things, anne thought.

'you've seen them rocks down on tremannon coast,' began grandad. 'wicked rocks they be, hungryfor ships and men. there's many a ship been wrecked on purpose! ay, you can look disbelieving-like,but it's true.'

'how did they get wrecked on purpose?' asked dick. 'were they lured here by a false light, orsomething?'

the old man lowered his voice as if he was afraid of being overheard.

'way back up the coast, more than a hundred years ago, there was a light set to guide the ships thatsail round here,' said grandad. 'they were to sail towards that light, and then hug the coast and avoidthe rocks that stood out to sea. they were safe then. but, on wild nights, a light was set two milesfarther down the coast, to bemuse lost ships, and drag them to the rocks round tremannon coves.'

'how wicked!' said anne and george together. 'how could men do that?'

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'it's fair amazing what men will do,' said grandad, nodding his head. 'take my old dad now - a kindman he was and went to church, so he did, and took me with him. but he was the one that set thefalse light burning every time, and sent men to watch the ship coming in on the rocks -crashing over them to break into pieces.'

'did you - did you ever see a ship crashing to its death?' asked dick, imagining the groaning of thesailing ships, and the groaning of the men flung into the raging sea.

'ay. i did so,' said grandad, his eyes taking on a very far-away look. 'i were sent to the cove with themen, and had to hold a lantern to bemuse the ship again when she came to the rocks. poor thing, shegroaned like a live thing, she did, when she ran into them wicked rocks, and split into pieces. andnext day i went to the cove to help get the goods that were scattered all around the cove. there werelots drownded that night, and...'

'don't tell us about that,' said dick, feeling sick. 'where did they flash the false light from? fromthese hills, or from the cliff somewhere?'

'i'll show you where my dad flashed it from,' said grandad, and he got up slowly. 'there's only oneplace on these hills where you could see the light a-flashing. the wreckers had to find somewherewell hidden, so that their wicked light couldn't be seen from inland, or the police would stop it, but itcould be seen plainly by any ship on the sea near this coast!'

he took them round his hill, and then pointed towards the coast. set between two hills there the roofof a house could just be seen, and from it rose a tower. it could only be seen from that one spot! dicktook a few steps to each side of it, and at once the house disappeared behind one or other of the hillson each side of it.

'i were the only one that ever knew the false light could be seen from inland,' said grandad, pointingwith his pipe-stem towards the far-off square tower. 'i were watching lambs one night up here, and isaw the light a-flashing. and i heard there was a ship wrecked down in tremannon cove that night soi reckoned it were the wreckers at work.'

'did you often see the light flashing over there, when you watched the sheep?' asked george.

'oh ay, many a time,' said the shepherd. 'and always on wild, stormy nights, when ships werelabouring along, and in trouble, looking for some light to guide them into shore. then a light wouldflare out over there, and i'd say to meself ''now may the good god help those sailors tonight, for it'ssure that nobody else will!'' '

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'how horrible!' said george, quite appalled at such wickedness. 'you must be glad that you never seethat false light shining there on stormy nights now!'

grandad looked at george, and his eyes were scared and strange. he lowered his voice and spoke togeorge as if she were a boy.

'little master,' he said, 'that light still flares on dark and stormy nights. the place is a ruin, andjackdaws build in the tower. but three times this year i've seen that light again! come a stormy nightit'll flare again! i know it in my bones, little master, i know it in my bones!'