Chapter 2 OFF TO BILLYCOCK HILL
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.'

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