Five Go to Billycock Hill (8 page)

They piled heather into the tents, spread their macs there, too, and then looked at the sky. Yes, there was no doubt about it - there was rain coming and probably a storm! Stil , it might clear tomorrow, and be as fine as ever. If it wasn"t they would go and explore the caves that Toby had told them about.

It was now almost dark and the children decided that they would al get into one tent and have the radio on again. They called Timmy, but he preferred to be outside.

They set the radio going - but almost immediately Timmy began to bark. George switched off at once.

„That"s the bark he gives when somebody is coming," she said. „I wonder who it is?"

„Toby, to say we"d better go to the farm for the night," guessed Dick.

„Mr Gringle hunting for moths!" said Anne with a giggle.

„Old Mrs Janes looking for things to make spells with!" said George.

Everyone laughed. „Idiot!" said Dick. „Though I must say this looks a night for witches!"

Timmy went on barking, and Julian put his head out of the tent. „What"s up, Tim?" he said.

„Who"s coming?"

„Wuff, wuff," said Timmy, not turning his head to Julian, but seeming to watch something or someone in the half-light.

„It may be a hedgehog he"s seen," said George from inside the tent. „He always barks at them because he knows he can"t pick them up."

„Well - maybe you"re right," said Julian. „But I think I"l just go out and get Timmy to take me to whatever it is he"s barking at. I feel I"d like to know. He obviously hears or sees something!"

He slid out of the tent-opening and went to Timmy. „Come on, Tim," he said. „Who is it?

What"s upsetting you?"

Timmy wagged his tail and ran in front of Julian. He obviously had no doubts about where he was going. Julian fol owed him, stumbling over the heather and wishing he had brought his torch, for it was now half-dark.

Timmy ran some way down the hil towards the airfield, then rounded a clump of birch-trees and stopped. He barked loudly again. Julian saw a dark shadow moving there and cal ed out.

„Who"s there? Who is it?"

„It"s only me - Mr Brent," said an annoyed voice, and Julian caught sight of a long stick with a shadowy net on the end. „I"ve come out to examine our honey-traps before the rain comes and washes away the moths feeding there."

„Oh," said Julian. „I might have thought of that when Timmy barked. Is Mr Gringle about, too?"

„Yes - so if your dog barks again you"l know it"s only us," said Mr Brent. „We"re often prowling around at night - this is just as good a hil for moths at night as it is for butterflies by day. Can"t you stop that dog barking at me? Really, he"s very badly trained."

„Shut up, Tim," ordered Julian, and Timmy obediently closed his mouth, but stil stood stiffly, staring at the man in the darkness.

„I"m going on to our next honey-trap," said the man. „So you can take that noisy dog back to wherever you are camping." Mr Brent began to move away, flashing a torch in front of him.

„We"re just up the hil ," said Julian. „About a hundred yards. Oh - you"ve got a torch, I see. I wish I"d brought mine."

The man said nothing more, but went slowly on his way, the beam of his torch growing fainter. Julian began to climb back up the hil to the tents, but in the growing darkness it was not easy! He missed his way and went much too far to the right. Timmy was puzzled and went to him, tugging gently at his sleeve.

„Am I going wrong?" said Julian. „Blow! I"d soon get lost on this lonely hil -side. Dick!

George! Anne! Give a shout, wil you? I don"t know where I am."

But he had wandered so far off the path that the three didn"t hear him - and Timmy had to guide him for a good way before he saw the torches of the others flashing up above, He felt most relieved. He had no wish to be caught in a heavy rain-storm on the exposed side of Billycock Hill!

„Is that you, Julian?" called Anne"s anxious voice. „What a long time you"ve been! Did you get lost?"

„Almost!" said Julian. „Like a fat-head I went without my torch - but Timmy here knew the way all right. I"m glad I"m back - it"s just beginning to rain!"

„Who was Tim barking at?" asked George.

„One of the Butterfly Men - Mr Brent, the one Dick and I saw today," said Julian. „I just caught the glint of his dark glasses in the half-light, and saw the butterfly net he carried.

He said Mr Gringle was out, too."

„But whatever for, with a storm coming?" marvelled Anne. „Al the moths would be wel in hiding."

„They"ve come out to examine their moth-traps, as they call them," said Julian. „They spread sticky stuff like honey or something round the trunks of trees - and the moths fly down to it by the score. Then they come along and col ect any they want to take back."

„I see - and I suppose Mr Brent was afraid the rain might wash away the clinging moths,"

said Dick. „Well, they"l both be caught in the storm, that"s certain. Hark at the rain pelting down on the tent now!"

Timmy squeezed into the tent, not liking the sting of the heavy raindrops. He sat down by George and Anne.

„You do take up a lot of room in a smal tent, Tim," said George. „Can"t you make yourself a bit smal er?"

Timmy couldn"t. He was a big dog, and rather a sprawly one. He put his wet head on George"s knee and heaved a heavy sigh. George patted him.

„Humbug!" she said. „What are you sighing about? Because you"ve finished your bone?

Because it"s raining and you can"t go and sit and bark at anything moving on the hil ?"

„What shall we do now?" said Julian, setting his torch on the radio set, so that it more or less lighted up the tent. „There"s nothing on the radio we want to hear."

„I"ve got a pack of cards in the pocket of my mac," said George, much to everybody"s joy, and she got them out. „Let"s have a game of some sort."

It was rather dificult in the smal tent, with Timmy sometimes getting up just when al the cards were neatly dealt, and upsetting the piles. The storm grew fiercer and the rain tried its best to lash its way through the canvas of the little tent.

Then Timmy began to bark again, startling everyone very much. He climbed over legs and knees and poked his head out of the tent opening, barking loudly.

„Good gracious - you almost gave me a heart attack!" said Dick, pulling him back. „You"l get soaked out there, Tim. Come back - it"s only those mad Moth-men out there picking moths off rain-soaked honey-traps. Don"t worry about them. They"re probably enjoying themselves enormously."

But Timmy simply would NOT stop barking, and even growled when Julian tried to drag him into the tent.

„Whatever"s up with him?" said Julian, bewildered. „Oh, stop it, Timmy! You"re deafening us!"

„Something"s upsetting him - something unusual," said George. „Listen - was that a yell?"

Everyone listened, but the rain was pelting down so hard that it was impossible to hear anything but the slashing rain and the wind.

„Well, we can"t do much about it, whatever it is that"s upsetting Timmy," said Dick. „We can"t possibly go wandering about in this storm - we"d get soaked through and probably lost!"

Timmy was stil barking, and George grew cross. „Timmy! Stop! Do you hear me? I won"t have it."

It was so seldom that George was angry with him that Timmy turned in surprise. George pounced at his col ar and dragged him forcibly into the tent. „Now - be QUIET!" she commanded. „Whatever it is, we can"t do anything about it!"

Just then another noise rose above the howling of the wind and the torrents of rain, and the Five pricked up their ears at once, sitting absolutely stil .

„R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r! R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r! R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R! R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R!"

They all looked round at one another. „Aeroplanes!" said Dick. „Aeroplanes! In this weather, too. Whatever is going on?"

The little company in the tent were amazed. Why should aeroplanes take off from the airfield in the middle of a stormy night?

„For experiments in storms, perhaps?" said Dick. „No - that would be rather unnecessary."

„Perhaps they were aeroplanes landing there, not leaving," suggested Anne.

„Possibly - perhaps seeking the shelter of the airfield when they were caught in this storm,"

said Dick. But Julian shook his head.

„No," he said. „This airfield is too far off the ordinary air-routes - nobody would bother about it; it"s so small for one thing - more of a little experimental station than anything else.

Any aeroplane in difficulties could easily go to a first-class airfield for shelter or help."

„I wonder if Jeff went up in one of the two we heard,' said George.

Anne yawned. „What about bedding down?" she said. „This tent is so hot and stuffy that I feel half-asleep."

„Yes - it"s getting late," said Julian, looking at his watch. „You two girls and Timmy can have this tent - it wil save you going out into the rain. Fasten the flap after we"ve gone - and yell if you want anything."

„Right. Good night, Ju, good night, Dick," said the girls, and the boys scrambled out into the rain. Anne fastened the flap of the tent, and wrapped her rug round her. She burrowed into her heathery bed and made herself comfortable. George did the same.

„Good night," said Anne, sleepily. „Keep Tim on your side. I can"t bear him on my legs, he"s so heavy."

The Five slept soundly and awoke the next morning to a dismal scene of rain and dark clouds.

„How disappointing!" said Dick, peering out of his tent. We ought to have listened to the weather forecast to see if it would clear today. What"s the time, Julian?"

„Just gone eight," said Julian. „My word, we are sleepy these days! Well, it"s not raining so very hard now - let"s see if the girls are awake, and put on our macs and go and wash at the spring."

They all had breakfast - not quite so merry as usual, because it was a bit of a crowd in the tent and not nearly so much fun as having it in the sunshine. Stil , the day might clear, and then they could go down to see Toby at the farm.

„I suppose we"d better go and explore those caves this morning," said Dick, after breakfast. „There"s nothing else to do, and I refuse to play cards al morning."

„We all refuse!" said George. „Let"s put on our macs and see if we can find the caves."

„We can look at the map," said Julian. „It"s a large-scale one. There must be a road or lane to them - they are quite wel -known. They"re probably round the hil a bit - lower down."

„Well, never mind - we"l see if we can find them, and if we can"t it won"t matter. We shall have been for a walk!" said Dick.

They set off in a fine drizzle, walking through the damp heather, Timmy leaping in front.

„Everyone got torches!" said Dick suddenly. „I"ve got mine. We"ll need them in the caves!"

Yes, everyone had a torch - except Timmy, and he, as Anne pointed out, had eyes that were far better for seeing in the dark than any torch could ever be!

They made their way down the hil and then veered off to the north side - and came suddenly upon a wide, rather chalky path, where the heather had been cut well back.

„This rather looks as if it led somewhere," said Julian, stopping.

„It might lead to an old chalk quarry," said Dick, kicking some loose white lumps of chalk.

„Like the one near Kirrin."

„Well, let"s follow it up and see," said George, and they went along it, kicking the lumps of chalk as they went. They rounded a corner and saw a notice.

TO BILLYCOCK CAVES

Warning

Keep only to the roped ways.

Beware of losing your way in the

unroped tunnels.

„This sounds good," said Julian. „Let"s see - what did Toby tell us about the caves?"

„They"re thousands of years old - they"ve got stalagmites and stalactites," said George.

„Oh - I know what those are," said Anne. „They look like icicles hanging from the roof -

while below, on the floor of the cave, other icicles seem to grow upwards to meet them!"

„Yes - the roof ones are stalactites and the ground ones are stalagmites," said Dick.

„I simply never can remember which is which," said Anne.

„It"s easy!" said Julian. „The stalactite icicles have to hold tight to the roof - and the stalagmite might some day join with the ones above them!"

The others laughed.

„I shall never forget which are which now," said Anne.

The path they were following altered as they came near to the caves, and lost its chalky look. Just in front of the entrance the way was properly paved, and was no longer rough.

The entrance was only about six feet high, and had over it a white board with two words painted very large in black.

BILLYCOCK CAVES

The warning they had read on the first notice they had come to was repeated on another one just inside the entrance. „Read it, Tim," said George, seeing him looking at it. „And keep close to us!"

They went right in, and had to switch on their torches at once. Timmy was amazed to see the walls around him glittering suddenly in the light of the four torches. He began to bark, and the noise echoed all around in a very weird manner.

Timmy didn"t like it, and he pressed close to George. She laughed. „Come on, sil y. These are only caves. You"ve been in plenty in your life, Timmy! Goodness - don"t they feel cold!

I"m glad of my mac!"

They passed through one or two small and ordinary caves and then came to a magnificent one, full of what looked like gleaming icicles. Some hung down from the roof, others rose up from the ground. In some places the one below had reached to the one hanging down, so that they had joined, making it look as if the cave was held up by great shining pil ars.

„Oh!" said Anne, catching her breath. „What a wonderful sight! How they gleam and shine!"

„It reminds me of cathedrals I have seen," said Julian, looking up at the roof of the cave. „I don"t know why. Al these finely-wrought pil ars... come along, let"s go into the next cave."

The next one was smal er, but contained some splendid coloured „icicles" that shone and gleamed in the light of the torches. „It"s like a cave in Fairyland," said Anne. „Full of rainbow colours!"