chapter 10 in the middle of the night

'what is it, dick? what can you see?' cried george, putting down her cards as soon as she hearddick's call. julian rushed to stand beside him at once, imagining all sorts of things. anne went too,with timmy leaping excitedly. they all stared out of the window, anne half fearfully.

'it's gone!' cried dick, in disappointment.

'but what was it?' asked george.

'i don't know. it was over there - on the opposite slope, where old towers is,' said dick. 'i don't knowhow to describe it - it was like a - like a rainbow - no, not quite like that - how can i describe it?'

'try,' said julian, excited.

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'well - let me think - you know how, on a very hot day, all the air shimmers, don't you!' said dick.

'well that's what i saw on the hill over there - rising high into the sky and then disappearing. ashimmering!'

'what colour?' asked anne, amazed.

'i don't know - all colours it seemed,' said dick. 'i don't quite know how to explain - it's somethingi've never seen before. it just came suddenly - and the shimmering rose all the way up into the sky,and then disappeared. that's all.'

'well - that's what aily's mother said - mists - and shimmerings,' said julian, remembering. 'gosh- so that wasn't just a tale she told us. there was some truth in it. but what in the wide world can thisshimmering be?'

'had we better go back to the farm and tell them there?' asked anne, hopefully, not at all wanting tospend the night in the hut now.

'no! they've probably heard the tale already,' said julian. 'besides - this is exciting. we might be ableto find out something more about it. we can easily watch old towers from here - it's one of the veryfew places where anyone can look straight across at it. as the crow flies, it's less than a mile away -though it's many miles by the road.'

they all gazed towards the opposite hill again, though they couldn't see it, of course, hopingsomething would happen. but nothing did happen. the sky was pitch black, for heavy clouds hadcome up - and the distant hill couldn't be seen.

'well - i'm tired of looking out into the darkness,' said anne, turning away. 'let's go on with ourgame.'

'right,' said julian, and they all sat down again, dick watching the others play, but occasionallyglancing out of the window into the black darkness there.

anne was out of the game next, and she got up and went to the food cupboard.

'i think i'll start preparing a meal,' she said. 'we'll have boiled eggs, shall we, to begin with - and i'llboil a kettle too and make some cocoa - or would you rather have tea?'

'cocoa,' said everyone, and anne got out the tin.

'i'll want some snow, for the kettle,' she said.

'well, there's some nice clean snow just behind the hut,' said dick. 'oh wait, anne - you won't likegoing out in the dark now, will you? i'll get it! if you hear me yell, you'll know there's somethinggoing on!'

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timmy went out with him, much to anne's relief. she held the kettle, waiting for the snow - and thensuddenly there came a loud yell!

'hey! who's that?'

anne let go the kettle in fright, and it dropped on the floor with a crash, making the other two jumpviolently. julian rushed to the door.

'dick! what's up?'

dick appeared at the doorway, grinning, with timmy beside him.

'nothing much. sorry if i frightened you. but i was just scraping up some snow in the basin here,when something rushed at me, and butted me!'

'whatever was it?' said george, startled. 'and why didn't timmy bark?'

'because he knew it was harmless, i suppose,' said dick, grinning aggravatingly. 'here, anne -here's the snow for the kettle.'

'dick! don't be so annoying!' said george. 'who was out there?'

'well - i couldn't really see much, because i'd put my torch down to scrape up the snow,' said dick.

'but i rather think it was fany the lamb! it was gone before i had time to call out. i got quite a shock!'

'fany the lamb!' said julian. 'well - that must mean that little aily is about. what can she be doingout in the darkness at this time of night?'

he went to the door and called: 'aily! aily, if you're there, come in here and we'll give yousomething to eat.'

but there was no answering call. nobody appeared out of the darkness, no lamb came frisking up.

timmy stood by julian, looking out into the darkness, his ears pricked. he had been surprised whenthe tiny lamb trotted up out of the darkness, and had had half a mind to bark. but who would bark ata lamb? not timmy!

julian shut the door.

'if that kid is out there in this frosty night, with only the few clothes she had on yesterday, i shouldthink she'll catch her death of cold,' he said. 'cheer up, anne - and for goodness' sake, don't be scaredif you hear a noise outside or see a little face looking in at the window. it will only be that mad littleaily!'

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'i don't want to see any faces looking in at the window, whether it's aily or not,' said anne, puttingsnow into the kettle. 'honestly i think she must be mad, wandering about these snowy hills alone atnight. i don't wonder her mother was cross.'

it wasn't long before they were all sitting round the small table eating a very nice meal. boiled eggs,laid that morning, cheese and new bread and butter, and a jar of home-made jam they found in thecupboard. they drank steaming hot cups of cocoa, into each of which anne had ladled a spoonful ofcream.

'no king or queen in all the world could possibly have enjoyed their meal more than i have,'

said dick. 'anne, shall i take the milk and cream out into the snow - they'll keep for ages out there.'

'all right. but for goodness' sake don't put them where the lamb can get them - if it was a lamb thatbutted you,' said anne, giving them to dick. 'and don't yell again if you can help it!'

however, dick didn't see anything this time, nor did anything come up and butt him. he was quitedisappointed!

'i'll wash the plates and cups out in the snow tomorrow,' said anne. 'how long are you all going tostay up? it's awfully early, i know - but i'm half asleep already! the air up here is so very strong!'

'all right. we'll all pack up,' said julian. 'you take those two bunks over there, girls, and we'll havethese. shall we have the little oil-stove on, or not?'

'yes,' said dick. 'this place will be an ice-box if we don't!'

'i'd like it on too,' said anne. 'what with shimmerings and buttings and yellings. i feel i'd like a littlelight in the room, even if it only comes from an oil-stove!'

'well - i know you don't believe my 'shimmerings',' said dick. 'but i swear they're true! and what'smore, i bet we'll all see them before we leave this hut! well - good night, girls - i'm for bed!'

in a few minutes' time the bunks were creaking as the four children settled into them. they were notas comfortable as beds, but quite good. george's bunk creaked more than anyone's.

'i suppose you've got timmy in your bunk, making it creak like that!' said anne sleepily. 'well, i'mglad i'm in the bunk above yours, george. i bet tim falls out in the night!'

one by one they fell asleep. the oil-stove burned steadily. it was turned rather low, and shadowsquivered on the ceiling and walls. and then something made timmy's ears prick up as he lay 44asleep on george's feet. first one ear pricked up - and then the other - and suddenly timmy sat upstraight and growled in his throat. nobody awoke - they were all too sound asleep.

timmy growled again and again - and then he barked sharply. 'woof!'

everyone awoke at once. timmy barked again, and george put out a hand to him.

'sh! what's the matter? is there someone about, tim?'

'what's up, do you think?' said julian, from his bunk on the other side of the room. nobody couldhear or see anything out of the ordinary. why was timmy barking then?

the oil-stove was still burning, its light throwing a small round pattern of yellow on the ceiling.

it made a small cosy noise as it burned, a kind of bubbling. there was nothing else to be heard at all.

'it must be someone prowling outside,' said dick at last. 'shall we let timmy go and see?'

'well - let's lie down and see if he barks again,' said julian. 'for all we know a mouse may have runacross the floor. tim would bark at that just as soon as he would bark at an elephant!'

'yes. you're right,' said george. 'all right - we'll lie down again. timmy's lying down too. now, forgoodness' sake, tim, if it is a mouse somewhere, do use your common sense, and let it play if itwants to - and don't wake us up.'

timmy licked her face. he kept his ears well up for a while. the others all went to sleep exceptanne. she lay with her eyes open, wondering what had startled timmy. she didn't believe it was amouse!

so it was the wakeful anne who heard the noise when it came again. she thought at first that it wasjust a noise in her ears, the kind she often heard when she lay down to sleep, and the room was quiet.

but then she felt certain that it wasn't in her ears - it was a real noise. but what a peculiar one!

'it's a kind of deep deep grumbling noise,' thought anne, sitting up. timmy gave a little whine as if tosay he was hearing something again too. 'a sort of thunder-rumble, but far far below me, not above!'

it grew a little louder, and timmy growled.

'it's all right, tim,' whispered anne. 'it must be far-off thunder, i think!'

but then the shuddering began! this was so astonishing that anne didn't know what to make of it. atfirst she thought it was herself, beginning to shiver with the cold. but no - even her bunk vibrated toher fingers when she touched the wooden side!

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then she really was frightened. she called out loudly.

'julian! dick! wake up - something queer is happening. do wake up!'

and timmy began to bark again. woof, woof, woof! woof, woof!