chapter 6 storm in the night

it was fun to go back to their little camping-place again. it was growing dark, as they had stayed tohave a good meal at kirrin cottage, and timmy had eaten a most enormous plate of meat, vegetablesand gravy. then he had sat down and sighed as if to say 'that was jolly good! i could do with somemore!'

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however, nobody took any notice of this, so he trotted off to have a good look round the garden tomake sure it was just the same as when he had left it a day or two before. then it was time to startback to the camping-place, and timmy heard george's whistle.

'well, nobody laughed at timmy this evening!' said anne. 'not even your father!'

'oh, i expect mother had told him not to,' said george. 'anyway, i said i would stay away till tim'sear is better, and i mean to.'

'well, i'm quite willing,' said anne. 'the only thing i'm a bit worried about is - do you suppose therewill be anyone snooping about in that old cottage again!'

'you dreamed it all!' said george. 'you admitted you did!'

'well, yes, i did wonder if i had dreamed it,' said anne, as they walked up the long carters lane tothe moor. 'but now that it will soon be dark, i'm beginning to think i didn't dream it - and it isn't avery nice feeling.'

'oh, don't be silly!' said george impatiently. 'you can't chop and change about like that. anyway,we've got timmy - no one would dare to upset timmy! would they, tim?'

but timmy was ahead, hoping against hope that he might for once in a way catch a rabbit. therewere so many about on the common at this time of the evening, peeping at him here, making fun ofhim there, and showing their little white bobtails as soon as he moved in their direction.

the two girls got safely back to their camp. the tent was still up, their heather-bed out in the open,covered with the old rug. they put down their loads thankfully, and went to the little spring for adrink.

george yawned. 'i'm tired. let's get to bed at once, shall we? or wait - perhaps it would be a goodidea to have a look in at that cottage to make sure no one is there to disturb us tonight.'

'oh no - i don't want to look,' said anne. 'it's getting dark now.'

'all right - i'll go with timmy,' said george, and off she went. she came back in about five minutes,her little torch shining in front of her, for it was now almost dark.

'nothing to report,' she said. 'nothing whatever - except one bat flying round that big room.

timmy nearly went mad when it flew down and almost touched his nose.'

'oh. that's when he barked, i suppose,' said anne, who was now curled up on the heather-bed. 'iheard him. come on, george - i'm sleepy.'

'i must just look at timmy's ear once more,' said george and shone her torch on it.

'well, buck up, then,' said anne. 'that's about the thousandth time today you've examined it.'

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'it does seem much better,' said george, and she patted timmy. 'i shall be glad when i can take thisawful collar off him. i'm sure he hates it.'

'i don't believe he even notices it now,' said anne. 'george, are you coming or not? i really can't keepawake one minute more.'

'i'm coming,' said george. 'no, tim - you are not sleeping on our bed. i told you that last night.

there's hardly enough room for anne and me.'

she climbed carefully on to the heather-bed, and lay looking up at the twinkling stars. 'i feel happytonight,' she said, 'because julian and dick are coming. i was down in the dumps when i thought theymight not be coming at all these hols. when do you suppose they'll be here, anne?'

there was no answer. anne was asleep. george sighed. she would have liked to plan what they weregoing to do when the boys came. timmy's ear would surely be all right in a day or two -and the boys could carry everything back from this little camp to kirrin cottage - and then long daysof swimming and boating and fishing and all kinds of fun could begin - begin - begin - be...

and now george was asleep too! she didn't feel a small spider running over her hand, wonderingwhether or not to spin a web between her finger and thumb. she didn't hear the scramble of ahedgehog not far off - though timmy did and pricked one ear. it was a very peaceful night indeed.

next day the girls were very cheerful. they made a good breakfast of some of the food they hadbrought, and then spent some time getting more heather for their bed, which, under the weight oftheir two bodies, was now rather flat and uncomfortable.

'now for a swim!' said george. they put on their swim-suits, threw cardigans over their shouldersand set off to the little pool. on the way they saw jet, the little mongrel dog, in the distance, and theboy with him. jet tore up to them and danced round timmy excitedly.

the boy called to them. 'it's all right, don't worry, i'm not going near your place! i'm still keeping mypromise! jet - come here!'

the girls took no notice of the grinning boy, but couldn't resist patting the little one-eyed mongrel. jetreally was like a piece of quicksilver, darting in and out and round about. he shot back to the boy atonce.

the girls went on to the pool - and stopped in dismay when they came near. someone was alreadythere, swimming vigorously!

'who is it?' said anne. 'dear me, this lonely common seems absolutely crowded with people!'

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george was staring at the swimmer in utmost amazement. 'anne - it's that boy!' she said. 'look -tousled hair and everything! but-but...'

'but we've just met him going in the opposite direction!' said anne, also amazed. 'how extraordinary!

no, it can't be the boy!'

they went a little nearer. yes - it was the boy. he called out to them. 'i'm just going out. i shan't be aminute!'

'how did you get here?' shouted george. 'we never saw you turn back and run.'

'i've been here for about ten minutes,' shouted back the boy.

'fibber!' yelled back george at once.

'ah - barmy as usual!' yelled the boy. 'same as yesterday!'

he got out and walked off, dripping wet, in the direction of the trenches and pits which he wasdigging. george looked about for jet, but she couldn't see him. 'perhaps he's in the pool too,' she said.

'come on, anne - let's swim. i must say that that boy is extraordinary! i suppose he thinks it's funnyto meet people, then double back and appear again!'

'he was nicer the first time of all that we saw him,' said anne. 'i liked him then. i just don'tunderstand him now. ooooh - isn't this water lovely and warm!'

they had a long swim, got out and basked in the sun, lying on the heather, and then swam again.

then they began to feel hungry and went back to their little camping place.

the day passed quickly. they saw no more of the puzzling boy, or of jet. they occasionally heardthe sharp noise of metal on stone, or of chipping, from the place where the boy was presumably stilldigging in the old roman camp.

'or what he hopes is an old roman camp,' said george. 'personally i think he's so mad that i don'tsuppose he would know the difference between a roman camp and a boy scout's camp!'

they settled down on their heather-bed that night, but saw no stars twinkling above them this time.

instead there were rather heavy clouds, and it was not nearly so warm.

'gosh - i hope it's not going to rain!' said george. 'our tent wouldn't be much good against a realdownpour! we could squeeze into it all right, but it's not a proper waterproof tent. do you think it'sgoing to rain, anne?'

'no,' said anne, sleepily. 'anyway, i'm not getting up till i have to! i'm tired.'

she went to sleep, and so did george. timmy didn't, though. he had heard the far-off growl ofthunder, and he was uneasy. timmy was not afraid of thunderstorms, but he didn't like them.

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they were things that growled like enormous dogs in the sky, and flashed angrily - but he nevercould get at them, or frighten them!

he closed both eyes, and put down one ear, leaving the other one up, listening.

another thunder growl came, and one large and heavy drop of rain fell on timmy's black nose.

then another fell on his cardboard collar and made a very loud noise indeed, startling him. he sat up,growling.

the rain came closer, and soon large drops, the size of half-crowns, peppered the faces of the twosleeping girls. then came such a crash of thunder that they both awoke in a fright.

'blow! it's a thunderstorm!' said george. 'and thunder rain too. we shall be soaked.'

'better get into the tent,' said anne, as a flash of lightning forked down the sky and lighted upeverything with a quick brilliance.

'no good,' said george. 'it's soaked already. there's nothing for it but to get into the cottage, anne. atleast we'll have a roof over our heads or rather, a ceiling, for the roof's gone. come on.'

anne didn't in the least want to shelter in the old cottage, but there was absolutely nothing else to do.

the girls grabbed their rug and ran through the rain, george flashing her torch to guide them.

timmy ran too, barking.

they came to the doorway of the cottage and went inside. what a relief to get out of the rain!

the two girls huddled down into a corner, the rug round them - but soon they were too hot and threwit off.

the storm passed overhead with a few terrific crashes and much lightning. gradually the rain grewless and soon stopped. one star came out, and then others followed as the thunder-clouds swept awayin the wind.

'we can't go back to the tent - we'll have to stay here,' said george. 'i'll go and get our bags forpillows. we can lie on the rug.'

anne went with her, and carried a bag back too. soon the girls were lying in a corner on the rug, theirheads on the bags, and timmy close beside them.

'good night,' said anne. 'we'll try to go to sleep again! blow that storm!'

soon they were both asleep - but timmy wasn't. timmy was uneasy. very uneasy! and quitesuddenly he broke into a volley of such loud barks that both girls woke up in a panic.

'timmy! what's the matter? oh tim, what is it?' cried george. she clutched his leather collar andheld on to him.

'don't leave us! timmy, what's scared you?'