The sun shone down hotly as the Five sped down the sandy road that ran alongside Kirrin Bay.
Timmy loped easily beside them, his tongue hanging out quite a long way. Anne always said that hehad the longest tongue of any dog she had ever known!
The sea was as blue as forget-me-nots as they cycled along beside it. Across the bay they could seelittle Kirrin Island, with Kirrin Castle towering up.
'Doesn't it look fine?' said Dick. 'I half wish we were going to spend Whitsun at Kirrin Cottage, andgoing bathing, and rowing across to George's little island over there.'
'We can do that in the summer hols,' said Julian. 'It's fun to explore other parts of the country whenwe can. Toby says the caves in Billycock Hill are marvellous.'
'What's Toby like?' asked George. 'We've never seen him, Anne and I.'
'He's a bit of a joker,' said Dick, 'Likes to put caterpillars1 down people's necks and so on - and bewareif he has a magnificent rose in his buttonhole and asks you to smell it.'
'Why?' asked Anne, surprised.
'Because when you bend down to smell it you'll get a squirt of water in your face,' said Dick. 'It's atrick rose.'
'I don't think I'm going to like him much,' said George, who didn't take kindly2 to tricks of this sort.
'I'll probably bash him on the head if he does things like that to me.'
'That won't be any good,' said Dick cheerfully. 'He won't bash you back - he'll just think up someworse trick. Don't scowl3, George - we're on holiday! Toby's all right - a bit of an ass4, that's all.'
They had now left Kirrin Bay behind and were cycling down a country lane, set with hawthornhedges each side. The may was over now, and the first wild roses were showing pink here and there.
A little breeze got up, and was very welcome indeed.
'We'll have an ice when we come to a village,' said Julian after they had cycled about six miles.
'Two ices,' said Anne. 'Oh dear - this hill - what a steep one we've come to. I don't know whether it'sworse to ride up slowly and painfully, or to get off and push my bike to the top.'
Timmy tore up to the top in front of them and then sat down to wait in the cool breeze there, histongue hanging out longer than ever. Julian came to the top first and looked down the other side.
'There's a village there,' he said. 'Right at the bottom. Let's see - yes, it's Tennick village - we'll 6stop and ask if it sells ices.'
It did, of course, strawberry and vanilla5. The four children sat on a seat under a tree outside the smallvillage shop, and dug little wooden spoons into ice-tubs. Timmy sat nearby, watching hopefully. Heknew that at least he would be able to lick out the empty tubs.
'Oh, Tim - I didn't mean to buy you one, because you really are a bit fat,' said George, looking at thebeseeching brown eyes fixed6 on her ice cream. 'But as you'll probably get very thin running so farwhile we're cycling, I'll buy you a whole one for yourself.'
'Wuff,' said Timmy, bounding into the little shop at once and putting his great paws up on thecounter, much to the surprise of the woman behind it.
'It's a waste, really, giving Timmy an ice,' said Anne when George and the dog came out. 'He justloosens it with his tongue and gulps7 it down. I sometimes wonder he doesn't chew up the cardboardtub, too!'
After ten minutes' rest they all set off again, feeling nice and cool inside. It really was lovely cyclingthrough the June countryside - the trees were so fresh and green still, and the fields they passed weregolden with butter-cups - thousands and thousands of them, nodding their polished heads in the wind.
There was very little traffic on these deserted8 country roads - an occasional farm-cart, and sometimesa car, but little else. The Five kept to the lanes as much as they could, for they all preferred theirquaint winding9 curves set with hedges of all kinds, to the wide, dusty main roads, straight anduninteresting.
'We ought to get to Billycock Farm about four o'clock,' said Dick. 'Or may be sooner. What time dowe have our lunch, Julian? And where?'
'We'll find a good place about one o'clock,' said Julian. 'And not a minute before. So it's no goodanyone saying they are hungry yet. It's only twelve.'
'I'm more thirsty than hungry,' said Anne. 'And I'm sure old Timmy must be dying of thirst! Let's stopat the next stream so that he can have a drink.'
'There's one,' said Dick, pointing to where a stream wound across a nearby field. 'Hey, Tim - go andhave a drink, old fellow!'
Timmy shot through the hedge to the stream and began to lap. The others dismounted and stoodwaiting. Anne picked a spray of honeysuckle and put it through a buttonhole of her blouse. 'Now Ican sniff10 it all the time,' she said. 'Delicious!'
7'Hey, Tim - leave some water for the fishes!' shouted Dick. 'George, stop him drinking any more.
He's swelling11 up like a balloon.'
'He's not,' said George. 'Timmy! That's enough! Here, boy, here!'
Timmy took one last lap and then raced over to George. He pranced12 round her, barking joyfully13.
'There - he feels much better now,' said George, and away they all went again, groaning14 as theycycled slowly up the many hills in that part of the country, and shouting with delight as they spedfuriously down the other side.
Julian had decided15 where to have their midday meal - on the top of a high hill! Then they could seeall the country for miles around, and there would also be a nice cooling breeze.
'Cheer up,' he said as they came to the steepest hill they had so far encountered. 'We'll have our lunchat the top of this hill - and a good long rest!'
'Thank goodness,' panted Anne. 'We'll be as stiff as anything tomorrow!'
It really was lovely at the top of the hill! It was so high that they could see the countryside spreadingfor miles and miles around them.
'You can see five counties from here,' said Julian. 'But don't ask me which - I've forgotten! Let's lie inthis heather and have a bit of a rest before we have our lunch.'
It was soft and comfortable lying in the springy heather, but Timmy did not approve of a rest beforelunch. He wanted his bone! He went to where George had put her bicycle down, and sniffed16 in herbasket. Yes - his bone was most certainly there! He glanced round to make sure that everyone wasresting, and nobody watching him. Then he began to nuzzle a paper parcel out of the basket.
Anne was lying nearest to him, and she heard the crackling of the paper and sat up. 'Timmy!' shesaid, shocked. 'Oh, Timmy - fancy helping17 yourself to our sandwiches!'
George sat up at once, and Timmy put his tail down, still wagging it a little as if to say, 'Sorry -but after all, it is my bone!'
'Oh - he just wants his bone,' said George. 'He's not after our sandwiches. As if he should take them,Anne! You might have known he wouldn't!'
'I feel rather like having mine now,' said Anne. 'Julian, can't we have some? - and I do want a drink.'
The idea of a drink made everyone long to begin lunch and soon they were unwrapping ham andtomato sandwiches, and enormous slices of Joan's fruit cake. Julian found the little cardboard 8drinking cups, and poured out the orangeade carefully.
'This is fine,' said Dick, munching18 his sandwiches and gazing out over the rolling countryside, withits moorlands, its stretches of farmland with the fields of green corn, and its sloping hills.
'Look - see that hill far away in the distance, Julian - over there - would that be Billycock Hill do youthink? It's rather a funny shape.'
'I'll look through my field-glasses,' said Julian, and took them from their leather case. He put them tohis eyes and stared hard at the far-away hill that lay to the north of them.
'Yes - I think it probably is Billycock Hill,' he said. 'It's got such a queerly-shaped top; it looks a bitlike an old Billycock hat.'
He handed the glasses round, and everyone looked at the far-off hill. George put the glasses toTimmy's eyes. 'There you are!' she said. 'Have a squint19, Timmy! Julian, it doesn't look so very faraway.'
'It's not, as the crow flies,' said Julian, taking back his glasses and surveying the countryside aroundthem again. 'But it's a long, long way through those hundreds of little winding lanes. Any moresandwiches, anyone?'
'There aren't any more left,' said Dick. 'Or fruit cake either. Have a humbug20 if you're still hungry.'
The humbugs21 were passed round and Timmy waited hopefully for his turn. George gave him one.
'Not that it's much use to you,' she said. 'You just swallow it without even one suck!'
'We'll rest for half an hour more,' said Julian. 'Gosh, I do feel sleepy!'
They all snuggled down into the soft clumps22 of heather, and soon they were asleep in the warm sun.
Even Timmy snoozed, with one ear half up just in case someone came by. But nobody did.
In fact it was so very quiet on the top of the hill that three-quarters of an hour went by before anyoneawoke. Anne felt something crawling up her arm and woke with a jump.
'Ugh - a big beetle23!' she said, and shook it off. She glanced at her watch. 'Dick! Ju! Wake up! Wemust get on, or we'll never be there by tea-time!'
Soon they were once more on their way, tearing down the hill at top speed, shouting as they went,with Timmy barking madly beside them. Really, the start of a holiday was the happiest thing in theworld!
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1
caterpillars
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| n.毛虫( caterpillar的名词复数 )；履带 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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vanilla
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| n.香子兰，香草 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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gulps
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| n.一大口（尤指液体）( gulp的名词复数 )v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的第三人称单数 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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pranced
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| v.（马）腾跃( prance的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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16
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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munching
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| v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 ) | |
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squint
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| v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的 | |
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humbug
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| n.花招，谎话，欺骗 | |
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21
humbugs
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| 欺骗( humbug的名词复数 )； 虚伪； 骗子； 薄荷硬糖 | |
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clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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beetle
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| n.甲虫，近视眼的人 | |
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