Chapter 6 GETTING READY FOR CAMPING OUT

Chapter 6 GETTING READY FOR CAMPING OUT
Dick and Julian were most interested to hear about Tinker and the Travelling Circus - and the old, olddocument.
'You made a bit of a fool of yourself,' said Julian, looking at Tinker. 'Still, there's no harm done,apparently. I vote we go and see where we can put up our tents. Personally, I shall be thrilled to see abit of circus life so close to me! I wonder how they'll manage to put on a show. I suppose they'veeverything with them, and can put up a circus ring and a marquee and anything else necessary.'
'There are a lot of big vans,' said Anne. 'I went down to have a look about half an hour ago. The fieldis almost full now, except for one corner near our hedge that I suppose they have left for our tents.'
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'I saw the posters about the circus as we cycled back,' said Dick. 'Dead-Shot Dick - Chimpanzee thatplays Cricket - the Boneless Man - Madelon and her Beautiful Horses - Monty and Winks² the clowns- the Dancing Donkey - Mr. Wooh, the Wonder Wizard - gosh, it sounded quite a circus. I'm glad wecan camp in the same field - we shall really see behind the scenes, then.'
'Don't forget there was Charlie the Chimp¹, and the Bonzo Band,' said Julian. 'What fun if the chimpgot loose and peeped in at the kitchen window!'
'It wouldn't be at all funny,' said Anne. 'Jenny would run for miles! So would Tinker's monkey!'
'What about putting up our own tents after tea?' said Dick. 'The carrier said he'd have them here bytea-time. It's hotter than ever today. I don't feel I can do much at the moment. I just want to laze.'
'Woof,' said Timmy, who was lying down with his head on his paws, panting.
'You feel the same, old chap, don't you?' said Julian, poking³ him with his toe. 'You're tired out withyour long run to Kirrin and back again, aren't you?'
'The roads were so dusty!' said Dick. 'He kept sneezing whenever a car passed us, because the dustgot up his nose. Poor old Tim. You really are tired out with that long, long run!'
'Woof!' said Tim, suddenly sitting up straight and pawing vigorously at George. Everyone laughed.
'He says he's not at all tired, he wants a walk,' chuckled⁴ Dick.
'Well, if he's not tired, I am,' said Julian. 'It really was a job sorting out all our things at Kirrin -and cycling there and back. No, Timmy - I am NOT going to take you for a walk!'
Timmy whined⁵, and at once Mischief⁶ the monkey leapt down from Tinker's shoulder and went tocuddle against the big dog, making small comforting noises. He even put his thin little arms roundTimmy's neck!
'You're just being a little bit soppy, Mischief,' said Tinker, but Mischief didn't care. His big friendwas sad about something, or he wouldn't have whined. Timmy put out a big red tongue and licked thelittle creature delicately on his nose. Then he suddenly pricked⁷ up his ears, and sat straight up. He hadheard a noise from somewhere. So had all the others.
'It's music of some kind,' said Anne. 'Oh - I believe I know what it is!'
'What?' said the others.
'It must be Tapper's Travelling Circus Band practising for opening night,' said Anne.
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'Well, that's tomorrow,' yawned George. 'Yes - it does sound like a band. Maybe we shall see thebandsmen after tea, when we put up our tents. I'd like to see the Boneless Man, wouldn't you?'
'NO!' said Anne. 'He'd be all limp and wriggly⁸ and horrid⁹ - like a worm or a jellyfish! I shan't go andsee him. But I'd love to see the horses and the Dancing Donkey. Does he dance to the band, do youthink?'
'We'll find out when we go,' said Dick, 'as it opens tomorrow. If Mr. Tapper isn't annoyed aboutTinker trying to turn them out, he might let us wander round.'
'I don't think I want to come,' said Tinker. 'Mr. Tapper was rude - and that boy knocked me flat.'
'Well, I expect I'd do the same if I thought you were being rude to my Grandad,' said Julian, lazily.
'Now - it's settled, is it, that we go down with our things to the field after tea, and see if we can put upour tents in some sheltered corner?'
'Yes,' said everyone. Dick idly tickled¹⁰ Mischief's nose with a thin blade of grass. The monkeysneezed at once, and then again. He rubbed his little paw across his nose and stared disapprovingly¹¹ atDick. Then he sneezed once more.
'Borrow a hanky, old thing,' said Julian. And, to everyone's intense amusement, Mischief leapt acrossto Dick and neatly¹² pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket! Then he pretended to blow his nose.
Everyone roared with laughter, and Mischief was delighted. 'You'll be stolen to act in a circus oneday, if you behave like that!' said Dick, snatching back his hanky. 'The Pick-pocket Monkey!'
'He'd be very good in a circus,' said Julian.
'I'd never let him join a circus!' said Tinker at once. 'He might have a dreadful life.'
'No. I don't think he would,' said Julian. 'Circus-folk love their animals and are proud of them.
And after all, if they treated them unkindly, the animals wouldn't be happy or healthy, and couldn'tenjoy their acts. Most circus people treat their animals like one of the family.'
'What! Even a chimpanzee!' said Anne, in horror.
'They're nice creatures - and very clever,' said Julian. 'Mischief, do not remove my handkerchief,please. It was funny the first time, but not a second time. Look at him now, trying to undo¹³ Timmy'scollar.'
'Come and sit quietly by me, Mischief,' ordered Tinker, and the little creature obediently went to himand cuddled on to his knee, making a soft, crooning noise.
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'You're a humbug,' said Tinker, fondling him. 'You be careful I don't give you away to the circus, andget an elephant in exchange!'
'Idiot!' said Dick, and everyone laughed at the thought of Tinker and an elephant. What in the worldwould he do with it?
A voice called from the house. 'Tinker! The carrier's come with all the camping things. He's put themin the hall, just where your father will fall over them. You'd better come and see to them now.'
'In a few minutes, Jenny!' called back Tinker. 'We're busy.'
'You're a real fibber, Tinker,' said Dick. 'We are not busy. You could easily go to find out where thethings are, and see if they're all there. There are quite a lot.'
'We'll go in twenty minutes or so,' said Anne, yawning. 'I bet Tinker's father is asleep this hotafternoon. He won't stir out of his study.'
But she was wrong. Professor Hayling was wide awake, and when he had finished his work, hewanted a drink of very cold water. He threw open his study door, strode out towards the kitchen -and fell over a pile of all kinds of camping gear, bringing them down with a tremendous noise.
Jenny rushed out of the kitchen with loud screams of fright, and the Professor bellowed¹⁴ in anger as hetook a ground-sheet off his head, and a tent-pole off his back. 'WHAT ARE THESETHINGS? I WILL NOT HAVE THEM IN THE HALL! JENNY! JENNY! Take them down to thebonfire and burn the lot!'
'Our camping things!' cried George, listening in horror. 'Quick! We must get them! Oh, I do hopeTinker's father hasn't hurt himself. Blow, blow, blow!'
While Julian and Dick deftly¹⁵ removed everything that had fallen on to the angry Professor and tookthem down the garden, Anne and George comforted him, and made such a fuss of him that he beganto feel decidedly less angry. He sat down in a chair and wiped his forehead. 'I hope you've taken allthose things down to the bottom of the garden?' he asked, after a while.
'Yes,' said Tinker, truthfully. 'Er - they're all by the bonfire, but it's not lighted yet.'
'I'll light it myself tomorrow,' said his father, and Tinker heaved a sigh of relief. His father wouldforget, of course - and anyhow, everything was going to be taken into the camping field after tea.
'Have a cup of nice hot tea, sir,' said Jenny, appearing with a tray of tea-things. 'Sit you down anddrink this. It's newly made. Best thing to have after a fall and a shock.'
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She turned and whispered crossly to Tinker. 'Didn't I call to you and tell you the Professor would tripover those things, the poor man? Now you just get your own tea, while I take him into the dining-room and comfort him with a nice hot scone¹⁶, and a cup of tea!'
'I'll get our tea,' said Anne. 'Then we'll set up the tents down in the field, and enjoy ourselves.
And Tinker, don't you get into any more trouble with the circus folk.'
'I'll see he doesn't,' said George, firmly. 'Come on - let's go down to the field while Anne gets the tea.
I could do with a bun or two!'
Between them, Dick and Julian had lugged¹⁷ all the things down the garden - two tents, groundsheets,blankets, tent-pegs and all the rest. Timmy ran with them in excitement, wondering what all the fusswas about. Mischief, of course, leapt to the top of whatever was being carried, and chatteredexcitedly all the way down the garden.
He got into trouble when he ran off with a tent-peg, but Timmy managed to catch him and make himdrop it. Then, very solemnly, Timmy carried the tent-peg to Julian.
'Good dog!' said Julian. 'Just keep an eye on that wicked little monkey, Tim, will you? There are allsorts of things he might run off with!'
So Timmy kept an eye on Mischief, nosing him away whenever he thought the monkey was going topick up something he shouldn't. Finally Mischief became tired of Timmy's nose and leapt on hisback, where, clinging to the dog's collar, he rode just as if he were on horseback.
'Only it's dogback, not horseback,' said Anne, with a laugh.
'They would make quite a good pair for the circus,' said Dick. 'I bet Mischief could hold on to reins,if Timmy had any!'
'Well, he's not going to have any,' said George. 'The next thing would be a whip! Whew! What a lotof things we've got - is that the lot?'
It was, thank goodness. A bell rang out from the house at that moment, and everyone heaved a sighof relief.
'Tea at last!' said Dick. 'I could drink a whole potful. Come on - we've finished piling up all thethings. We'll get busy after tea with them, I can't do a thing more. Don't you agree, Timmy?'
'WOOF!' said Timmy, heartily¹⁸, and galloped¹⁹ up the garden path at top speed, with Mischiefscampering after him.
'Talk about a circus!' said Dick. 'We've a ready-made one here! All right, Anne - we're coming!
We're coming!'

1 chimp   

n.黑猩猩

参考例句：

• In fact,the color of gorilla and chimp are light-color.其实大猩猩和黑猩猩的肤色是较为浅的。
• The chimp is the champ.猩猩是冠军。

2 winks   

v.使眼色( wink的第三人称单数 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• I'll feel much better when I've had forty winks. 我打个盹就会感到好得多。
• The planes were little silver winks way out to the west. 飞机在西边老远的地方，看上去只是些很小的银色光点。 来自辞典例句

3 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

4 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

5 whined   

v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨

参考例句：

• The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句

6 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

7 pricked   

刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。

8 wriggly   

adj.蠕动的，回避的；蜿蜒

参考例句：

• When he picked up, a wriggly kissy puppy, I saw tension ease from my father's face. 当他挑选了一只身体扭动、喜欢舔吻人的小狗时，我看到凝重的表情从他脸上消失了。 来自互联网

9 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

10 tickled   

（使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐

参考例句：

• We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友，我们高兴极了。
• I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚，使她发笑。

11 disapprovingly   

adv.不以为然地，不赞成地，非难地

参考例句：

• When I suggested a drink, she coughed disapprovingly. 我提议喝一杯时，她咳了一下表示反对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He shook his head disapprovingly. 他摇了摇头，表示不赞成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

13 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

14 bellowed   

v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫

参考例句：

• They bellowed at her to stop. 他们吼叫着让她停下。
• He bellowed with pain when the tooth was pulled out. 当牙齿被拔掉时，他痛得大叫。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 deftly   

adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He deftly folded the typed sheets and replaced them in the envelope. 他灵巧地将打有字的纸折好重新放回信封。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At last he had a clew to her interest, and followed it deftly. 这一下终于让他发现了她的兴趣所在，于是他熟练地继续谈这个话题。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

16 scone   

n.圆饼，甜饼，司康饼

参考例句：

• She eats scone every morning.她每天早上都吃甜饼。
• Scone is said to be origined from Scotland.司康饼据说来源于苏格兰。

17 lugged   

vt.用力拖拉（lug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• She lugged the heavy case up the stairs. 她把那只沉甸甸的箱子拖上了楼梯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They used to yell that at football when you lugged the ball. 踢足球的时候，逢着你抢到球，人们总是对你这样嚷嚷。 来自辞典例句

18 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

19 galloped   

（使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事

参考例句：

• Jo galloped across the field towards him. 乔骑马穿过田野向他奔去。
• The children galloped home as soon as the class was over. 孩子们一下课便飞奔回家了。