Chapter Eight

CHARLIE THE CHIMP IS A HELP!

Tinker came to the big cage first. He peered inside. Charlie the Chimp was there all right, sitting at the back of his cage, his brown eyes looking at the children with curiosity. He got up and went over to where Tinker was peering in, and pressed his nose against the strong wire, almost against Tinker’s. Then he blew hard, and Tinker backed away, surprised and cross.

‘He blew at me!’ he said to the others, who were laughing at Tinker’s disgust. The chimp made a funny noise that Mischief the monkey immediately tried to imitate. The chimpanzee stared at Mischief, then he grew very excited. He rattled his cage, jumped up and down, and made some very queer noises indeed.

A boy came running up at once. It was the boy who had knocked Tinker down. ‘Hey - what are you doing to the chimp?’ he called. ‘Oh - aren’t you the boy who shouted at my Grandad - the one I knocked down?’

‘Yes. And don’t you dare try that on again, or you’ll be sorry!’ said Tinker, in a fierce voice.

‘Shut up, Tinker,’ said Julian. He turned to the boy. ‘Your name’s Jeremy, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘Well, we’ve just been talking to your Grandad over there, and he said we could get the chimpanzee to help us with our camping gear. It’s all right for him to come out of his cage, isn’t it?’

‘Oh yes - I take him out two or three times a day,’ said Jeremy. ‘He gets bored in his cage. He’d love to help put up your tents - he’s always helping us circus folk with things like that. He’s as strong as a lion.’

‘Is he - er - is he safe?’ asked Dick, eyeing the big animal doubtfully.

‘Safe? What do you mean - safe?’ asked Jeremy, surprised. ‘He’s as safe as I am! Charlie, come on out! Go on, you can undo your cage perfectly well, you know you can!’

The chimpanzee made a funny little chuckling noise, put his hand through the wire, reached the bolt, pulled it, took his hand back - and pushed open the cage door.

‘See? Easy, isn’t it?’ said Jeremy, grinning. ‘Charlie boy, come along. Your help’s wanted!’

Charlie lumbered out of his cage, and went with the children to where they had left their tents and ground-sheets and the rest. He walked with his fists on the ground in a most inelegant manner, making a funny little groaning noise all the time. Mischief was rather afraid of him, and kept well to the back - but the chimpanzee suddenly turned round, caught hold of Mischief, and sat him up on his shoulder! Mischief held on, not knowing whether to be scared or jubilant!

‘I wish I had my camera here,’ said Anne to George. ‘Just look at them - Mischief is as pleased as can be!’

They arrived at the pile of camping gear. ‘Carry this, Charlie, and follow us,’ ordered Jeremy. The chimp grabbed at this, that and the other, and, with his great arms full, followed the children to where they thought they could camp, with the great hedge to shelter them from the wind.

‘Drop those things, Charlie,’ said Jeremy, ‘and go back for the rest. Buck up. Don’t stand there staring! You’ve got work to do!’

But Charlie still crouched there, staring straight at Mischief. ‘Oh! He wants Mischief the monkey to go with him!’ cried George. ‘Go on, Mischief, have a ride again!’

Mischief leapt up on to the chimpanzee’s shoulders. Charlie put up a great paw to steady him and then lumbered off to fetch the rest of the things. One of the ground-sheets came undone, and slithered over his head like a tent, so that he couldn’t see where he was going. In a rage he leapt on it and began to jump up and down, up and down, growling most terrifyingly. The children felt rather scared.

‘Charlie, don’t be an ass!’ said Jeremy, and pulled it away from him, rolling it up swiftly. The chimpanzee could manage it then, and his good temper immediately came back again.

Everything was soon piled up in one place, and Julian and Dick began to put up the tents. Charlie watched them with the greatest interest, and helped most intelligently when he saw that he could.

‘He’s a good sort, isn’t he?’ said Jeremy, proud that his friend the chimpanzee could show off like this. ‘Did you see him put that tent-pole in exactly the right place? And you ought to see him fetch the pails of water for the horses each day. He carries a full pail in each hand!’

‘He ought to get wages,’ said Tinker.

‘He does!’ said Jeremy. ‘He gets eight bananas a day and as many oranges as he likes. And he LOVES sweets!’

‘Oh! I think I’ve got some!’ said Tinker and delved into one of his pockets. He brought up a peculiar mixture of things, among which was a screwed-up sweet bag. Inside was a mess of half-melted boiled sweets.

‘You can’t give him those!’ said Anne. ‘They’re old and sticky and messy!’

But Charlie thought differently. He took the paper bag straight out of Tinker’s hand, sniffed it - and then put the whole thing into his mouth at once!

‘He’ll choke!’ said Julian.

‘Not Charlie!’ said Jeremy. ‘Let him be. He’ll go straight back to his cage, get in, shoot the bolt and sit there sucking sweets till they’re gone. He’ll be as happy as can be.’

‘Well - he certainly deserved a reward,’ said George. ‘He did all the heavy work! Come on, let’s finish putting everything straight. I say - won’t it be fun sleeping out in tents tonight! We’d better have supper first.’

‘You can come and join us, if you like,’ said Jeremy. ‘We don’t have posh food like you, of course - but it’s good food, all the same. Old Grandma cooks it in her pot. She’s two hundred years old.’

The children laughed in disbelief. ‘Two hundred! Nobody lives as long as that!’ said George.

‘Well, that’s what she tells everyone,’ said Jeremy. ‘And she looks it, too! But her eyes are as sharp as needles still! Shall I tell her you’ll be here to supper?’

‘Well - would there be enough for so many extra?’ said Julian. ‘We meant to bring our own meal. Should we bring that and share everything with you? We’ve more than enough. Our cook Jenny said she would have it all ready for us to bring down tonight - a meat-pie - cold sausages - and apples and bananas.’

‘Sh! Don’t say bananas in front of Charlie,’ said Jeremy. ‘He’ll worry you for them all the time. All right - you bring your food and we’ll share with you round our camp-fire. I’ll tell old Grandma. We’re having a sing-song tonight, and Fred the Fiddler’s playing his fiddle. Ah, that fiddle! Its tunes get into your feet and away you go!’

This all sounded very exciting. Julian thought they ought to go back home before anyone began to be worried about their complete disappearance, and pack up the food for supper that night.

‘We’ll be back as soon as we can,’ said he. ‘And thanks awfully for all your help. Come on, Mischief. Say good-bye to Charlie for the moment, and don’t look so gloomy. We’re coming back here tonight!’

They all went back over the fence, feeling a little tired now, but full of their plans for the evening. ‘It’s almost like belonging to the circus, going back to sit round a camp-fire and eat supper from that old black stewpot on the fire,’ said Tinker. ‘I bet the supper will taste delicious. I say - I hope Dad won’t mind us popping off to the circus camp.’

‘I don’t expect he’ll even notice that we’ve gone,’ said George. ‘My father never notices things like that. Sometimes he doesn’t even notice when people are there, in front of his nose!’

‘Well, that must be useful at times if they’re people he doesn’t like,’ said Tinker. ‘Now - let’s see what Jenny’s got that we can take back with us.’

Jenny listened wide-eyed to all they had to say. ‘Well, well, well!’ she said. ‘Camping out with the circus-folk! Whatever next? I’d like to know what your parents would think of that, Master Julian!’

‘We’ll ask them, next time we see them,’ said Julian, with a grin. ‘What do you have for our supper? We’re taking it down to our camp.’

‘I thought maybe you’d do that,’ said Jenny. ‘It’s all cold. A meat pie - cold sausages - a cucumber and lettuce hearts and tomatoes, rolls - and apples and bananas. Will that be enough?’

‘Gosh, yes,’ said Tinker, thrilled. ‘What about something to drink?’

‘You can take lemonade or orangeade with you, whichever you please,’ said Jenny. ‘But listen now - don’t go bursting into your father’s workroom. He’s worked hard all day, and he’s tired.’

‘And cross, I expect,’ said Tinker. ‘People are always cross when they’re tired. Except you, dear, dear Jenny.’

‘Ha! You want something else out of my cupboard, calling me your dear, dear Jenny,’ she said with a twinkle.

‘Could we have some sugar-lumps?’ asked Tinker. ‘Oh, Jenny, there are the loveliest horses you ever saw down in the circus field. I want to give them a sugar lump each.’

‘And yourself a few as well!’ said Jenny. ‘All right. I’ll pack up everything for you, and give you a few enamel plates and mugs and knives. What about Timmy? Doesn’t he want a meal too?’

‘Wuff!’ said Timmy, glad that someone had remembered him. Jenny patted his big head. ‘It’s all ready in the larder for you,’ she said. ‘George, you go and get it. He must be hungry.’

George fetched a plate of meat and biscuits from the larder and Timmy fell on it with happy little barks. Yes - he was very, VERY hungry!

At last all the food was ready-packed to take down the garden to the field. What a lot there seemed! Well, they would certainly have plenty to spare for their circus friends. They said good night to Jenny, and set off down the garden again. They thought they had better not disturb Professor Hayling.

‘He might be cross and forbid us to go and feed with the circus-folk,’ said Tinker. ‘Mischief, come off that basket, and don’t pretend you weren’t fishing in it for a banana. And please put on your best table-manners tonight, or Charlie the Chimp will be ashamed of you!’

It was fun going back down the garden and over the fence into the field again. The sun was sinking fast and soon the shadows would fall. How lovely to sit round a fire and eat supper with the kindly circus-folk - and perhaps to sing old songs with them - and hear Fred the Fiddler fiddle his old, old tunes! What fun to creep into a tent, and sleep with the cries of owls around, and stars shining in at the tent opening!

There they go, over the fence, handing the food one to another. Take your paw out of that basket, Mischief! That’s right, Timmy, nibble his ear if he’s as mischievous as his name! You’re all going to have some fun tonight!