Chapter 6 MAKING PLANS
It was very exciting making plans to go to the light-house. Tinker told them all about it, time andtime again. 'It's very tall - and there's an iron stairway - a spiral¹ one, going from the bottom up to thetop. And at the top is a little room for the lamp that used to flash to warn ships away.'
'It sounds smashing,' said George. 'What about Timmy, though? Can he climb up a spiral stairway?'
'Well, he can live down at the bottom, can't he, if it's too difficult for him to climb up?' said Tinker.
'Mischief² can climb it easily - he simply races up!'
'If Timmy has to live at the bottom, I shall live there with him,' said George.
'Why not wait and see the light-house before you arrange the sleeping places?' said Julian, giving hera friendly punch. 'Now first we must find out exactly where it is - and the way to get there. It's a pityTinker can't turn into a real car - he could run us there in no time!'
Tinker at once imagined himself to be a large van, taking the Five and all their luggage along theroad. He raced round the room, making his usual car noise, and hooting³ so loudly that he madeeveryone jump. Julian caught him as he raced round the table and sat him down firmly.
'Any more of that and we leave you behind,' he said. 'Now - where's that map of yours - let's have alook at it - and then we'll get Aunt Fanny's big map of the coast, and track down the road to yourlight-house.'
Soon Tinker and the Five were studying a large-scale map of the coast, Mischief sitting on Dick'sshoulder and tickling⁴ his neck.
'See - that's the way to go,' said Julian. 'It really wouldn't be far by sea - look, round the coast here,cut across this bay, round the headland - and just there are the rocks on which the old light-housestands. But by road it's a very long way.'
'Better go by car, though,' said Dick. 'We've a good bit of luggage to take - not only our clothes, butcrockery and things like that. And food.'
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'There are still some stores there,' said Tinker, eagerly. 'Dad left some when we went away from thelight-house.'
'They'll probably have gone bad,' said Julian.
'Well - don't take too much,' said Tinker. 'It's a pretty rough way over the rocks to the lighthouse -there isn't a road that runs right up to it, you know. We shall have to carry everything ourselves, oncewe get to the place. We can always get fresh food if we want it - the village isn't all that far away -but there are some days when you can't even leave the light-house! You see the waves

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