Chapter Six

GETTING READY FOR CAMPING OUT

Dick and Julian were most interested to hear about Tinker and the Travelling Circus - and the old, old document.

‘You made a bit of a fool of yourself,’ said Julian, looking at Tinker. ‘Still, there’s no harm done, apparently. I vote we go and see where we can put up our tents. Personally, I shall be thrilled to see a bit of circus life so close to me! I wonder how they’ll manage to put on a show. I suppose they’ve everything with them, and can put up a circus ring and a marquee and anything else necessary.’

‘There are a lot of big vans,’ said Anne. ‘I went down to have a look about half an hour ago. The field is almost full now, except for one corner near our hedge that I suppose they have left for our tents.’

‘I saw the posters about the circus as we cycled back,’ said Dick. ‘Dead-Shot Dick - Chimpanzee that plays Cricket - the Boneless Man - Madelon and her Beautiful Horses - Monty and Winks the clowns - the Dancing Donkey - Mr Wooh, the Wonder Wizard - gosh, it sounded quite a circus. I’m glad we can camp in the same field - we shall really see behind the scenes, then.’

‘Don’t forget there was Charlie the Chimp, and the Bonzo Band,’ said Julian. ‘What fun if the chimp got loose and peeped in at the kitchen window!’

‘It wouldn’t be at all funny,’ said Anne. ‘Jenny would run for miles! So would Tinker’s monkey!’

‘What about putting up our own tents after tea?’ said Dick. ‘The carrier said he’d have them here by tea-time. It’s hotter than ever today. I don’t feel I can do much at the moment. I just want to laze.’

‘Woof,’ said Timmy, who was lying down with his head on his paws, panting.

‘You feel the same, old chap, don’t you?’ said Julian, poking him with his toe. ‘You’re tired out with your long run to Kirrin and back again, aren’t you?’

‘The roads were so dusty!’ said Dick. ‘He kept sneezing whenever a car passed us, because the dust got up his nose. Poor old Tim. You really are tired out with that long, long run!’

‘Woof!’ said Tim, suddenly sitting up straight and pawing vigorously at George. Everyone laughed.

‘He says he’s not at all tired, he wants a walk,’ chuckled Dick.

‘Well, if he’s not tired, I am,’ said Julian. ‘It really was a job sorting out all our things at Kirrin - and cycling there and back. No, Timmy - I am NOT going to take you for a walk!’

Timmy whined, and at once Mischief the monkey leapt down from Tinker’s shoulder and went to cuddle against the big dog, making small comforting noises. He even put his thin little arms round Timmy’s neck!

‘You’re just being a little bit soppy, Mischief,’ said Tinker, but Mischief didn’t care. His big friend was sad about something, or he wouldn’t have whined. Timmy put out a big red tongue and licked the little creature delicately on his nose. Then he suddenly pricked up his ears, and sat straight up, He had heard a noise from somewhere. So had all the others.

‘It’s music of some kind,’ said Anne. ‘Oh - I believe I know what it is!’

‘What?’ said the others.

‘It must be Tapper’s Travelling Circus Band practising for opening night,’ said Anne.

‘Well, that’s tomorrow,’ yawned George. ‘Yes - it does sound like a band. Maybe we shall see the bandsmen after tea, when we put up our tents. I’d like to see the Boneless Man, wouldn’t you?’

‘NO!’ said Anne. ‘He’d be all limp and wriggly and horrid - like a worm or a jellyfish! I shan’t go and see him. But I’d love to see the horses and the Dancing Donkey. Does he dance to the band, do you think?’

‘We’ll find out when we go,’ said Dick, ‘as it opens tomorrow. If Mr Tapper isn’t annoyed about Tinker trying to turn them out, he might let us wander round.’

‘I don’t think I want to come,’ said Tinker. ‘Mr Tapper was rude - and that boy knocked me flat.’

‘Well, I expect I’d do the same if I thought you were being rude to my Grandad,’ said Julian, lazily ‘Now - it’s settled, is it, that we go down with our things to the field after tea, and see if we can put up our tents in some sheltered corner?’

‘Yes,’ said everyone. Dick idly tickled Mischief’s nose with a thin blade of grass. The monkey sneezed at once, and then again. He rubbed his little paw across his nose and stared disapprovingly at Dick. Then he sneezed once more.

‘Borrow a hanky, old thing,’ said Julian. And, to everyone’s intense amusement, Mischief leapt across to Dick and neatly pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket! Then he pretended to blow his nose.

Everyone roared with laughter, and Mischief was delighted. ‘You’ll be stolen to act in a circus one day, if you behave like that!’ said Dick, snatching back his hanky. ‘The Pick-pocket Monkey!’

‘He’d be very good in a circus,’ said Julian.

‘I’d never let him join a circus!’ said Tinker at once. ‘He might have a dreadful life.’

‘No. I don’t think he would,’ said Julian. ‘Circus-folk love their animals and are proud of them. And after all, if they treated them unkindly, the animals wouldn’t be happy or healthy, and couldn’t enjoy their acts. Most circus people treat their animals like one of the family.’

‘What! Even a chimpanzee!’ said Anne, in horror.

‘They’re nice creatures - and very clever,’ said Julian. ‘Mischief, do not remove my handkerchief, please. It was funny the first time, but not a second time. Look at him now, trying to undo Timmy’s collar.’

‘Come and sit quietly by me, Mischief,’ ordered Tinker, and the little creature obediently went to him and cuddled on to his knee, making a soft, crooning noise.

‘You’re a humbug,’ said Tinker, fondling him. ‘You be careful I don’t give you away to the circus, and get an elephant in exchange!’

‘Idiot!’ said Dick, and everyone laughed at the thought of Tinker and an elephant. What in the world would he do with it?

A voice called from the house. ‘Tinker! The carrier’s come with all the camping things. He’s put them in the hall, just where your father will fall over them. You’d better come and see to them now.’

‘In a few minutes, Jenny!’ called back Tinker. ‘We’re busy.’

‘You’re a real fibber, Tinker,’ said Dick. ‘We are not busy. You could easily go to find out where the things are, and see if they’re all there. There are quite a lot.’

‘We’ll go in twenty minutes or so,’ said Anne, yawning. ‘I bet Tinker’s father is asleep this hot afternoon. He won’t stir out of his study.’

But she was wrong. Professor Hayling was wide awake, and when he had finished his work, he wanted a drink of very cold water. He threw open his study door, strode out towards the kitchen - and fell over a pile of all kinds of camping gear, bringing them down with a tremendous noise.

Jenny rushed out of the kitchen with loud screams of fright, and the Professor bellowed in anger as he took a ground-sheet off his head, and a tent-pole off his back. ‘WHAT ARE THESE THINGS? I WILL NOT HAVE THEM IN THE HALL! JENNY! JENNY! Take them down to the bonfire and burn the lot!’

‘Our camping things!’ cried George, listening in horror. ‘Quick! We must get them! Oh, I do hope Tinker’s father hasn’t hurt himself. Blow, blow, blow!’

While Julian and Dick deftly removed everything that had fallen on to the angry Professor and took them down the garden, Anne and George comforted him, and made such a fuss of him that he began to feel decidedly less angry. He sat down in a chair and wiped his forehead. ‘I hope you’ve taken all those things down to the bottom of the garden?’ he asked, after a while.

‘Yes,’ said Tinker, truthfully. ‘Er - they’re all by the bonfire, but it’s not lighted yet.’

‘I’ll light it myself tomorrow,’ said his father, and Tinker heaved a sigh of relief. His father would forget, of course - and anyhow, everything was going to be taken into the camping field after tea.

‘Have a cup of nice hot tea, sir,’ said Jenny, appearing with a tray of tea-things. ‘Sit you down and drink this. It’s newly made. Best thing to have after a fall and a shock.’

She turned and whispered crossly to Tinker. ‘Didn’t I call to you and tell you the Professor would trip over those things, the poor man? Now you just get your own tea, while I take him into the dining-room and comfort him with a nice hot scone, and a cup of tea!’

‘I’ll get our tea,’ said Anne. ‘Then we’ll set up the tents down in the field, and enjoy ourselves. And Tinker, don’t you get into any more trouble with the circus folk.’

‘I’ll see he doesn’t,’ said George, firmly. ‘Come on - let’s go down to the field while Anne gets the tea. I could do with a bun or two!’

Between them, Dick and Julian had lugged all the things down the garden - two tents, ground-sheets, blankets, tent-pegs and all the rest. Timmy ran with them in excitement, wondering what all the fuss was about. Mischief, of course, leapt to the top of whatever was being carried, and chattered excitedly all the way down the garden.

He got into trouble when he ran off with a tentpeg, but Timmy managed to catch him and make him drop it. Then, very solemnly, Timmy carried the tent-peg to Julian.

‘Good dog!’ said Julian. ‘Just keep an eye on that wicked little monkey, Tim, will you? There are all sorts of things he might run off with!’

So Timmy kept an eye on Mischief, nosing him away whenever he thought the monkey was going to pick up something he shouldn’t. Finally Mischief became tired of Timmy’s nose and leapt on his back, where, clinging to the dog’s collar, he rode just as if he were on horseback. ‘Only it’s dogback, not horseback,’ said Anne, with a laugh.

‘They would make quite a good pair for the circus,’ said Dick. ‘I bet Mischief could hold on to reins, if Timmy had any!’

‘Well, he’s not going to have any,’ said George. ‘The next thing would be a whip! Whew! What a lot of things we’ve got - is that the lot?’

It was, thank goodness. A bell rang out from the house at that moment, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

‘Tea at last!’ said Dick. ‘I could drink a whole potful. Come on - we’ve finished piling up all the things. We’ll get busy after tea with them, I can’t do a thing more. Don’t you agree, Timmy?’

‘WOOF!’ said Timmy, heartily, and galloped up the garden path at top speed, with Mischief scampering after him.

‘Talk about a circus!’ said Dick. ‘We’ve a ready-made one here! All right, Anne - we’re coming! We’re coming!’