FIVE GO OFF IN A CARAVAN

16 A SURPRISING DISCOVERY

 'Listen ... somebody's coming!' said Nobby, and Pongo gave an ugly growl. The sound of voices could be heard coming up the hill. Then a dog barked.

 'It's all right. It's Timmy ... and the others,' said Julian, unspeakably glad to welcome them back. He stood up and yelled.

 'All right! Come along!'

 George, Timmy, Dick and Anne came running up the track. 'Hallo!' shouted Dick. 'We thought it would be safe, because we saw Lou and Dan in the distance, running along at the bottom of the hill. I say ... there's Pongo!'

 Pongo shook hands with Dick, and then went to the back of Timmy, to shake hands with his tail. But Timmy was ready for him, and backing round, he held out his paw to Pongo instead. It was very funny to see the two animals solemnly shaking hands with one another.

 'Hallo, Nobby!' said Dick. 'Goodness... what have you been doing to yourself? You look as if you've been in the wars.'

 'Well, I have, rather,' said Nobby, with a feeble grin. He was very much shaken, and did not get up. Pongo ran to Anne and tried to put his arms round her.

 'Oh, Pongo ... you squeeze too hard,' said Anne. 'Julian, did anything happen? Did the men come? Have you any news?'

 'Plenty,' said Julian. 'But what I want first is a jolly good drink. I've had none all day. Ginger-beer, I think.'

 'We're all thirsty. I'll get five bottles ... no, six, because I expect Pongo would like some.'

Pongo loved ginger-beer. He sat down with the children on the rocky ledge, and took his glass from Anne just like a child. Timmy was a little jealous, but as he didn't like ginger-beer he couldn't make a fuss.

Julian began to tell the others about his day, and how he had hidden on the caravan roof. He described how the men had come ... and had gone under the caravan ... and then moved it. They all listened with wide eyes. What a story!

 Then Nobby told his part. 'I butted in and almost gave the game away,' he said, when Julian had got as far as the men falling asleep and snoring. 'But, you see, I had to come and warn you. Lou and Dan swear they'll poison Timmy somehow, even if they have to dope him, put him into a sack and take him down to the camp to do it. Or they might knock him on the head.'

 'Let them try!' said George, in her fiercest voice, and put her arm round Timmy. Pongo at once put his arm round Timmy too.

'And they said they'd damage your caravans too ... maybe put a fire underneath and burn them up,' went on Nobby.

The four children stared at him in horror. 'But they wouldn't do a thing like that, surely?' said Julian, at last. They'd get into trouble with the police if they did.'

'Well, I'm just telling you what they said,' Nobby went on. 'You don't know Lou and Tiger Dan like I do. They'll stick at nothing to get their way ... or to get anybody out of their way. They tried to poison Timmy, didn't they? And poor old Barker got it instead.'

 'Is ... is Barker ... all right?' asked Anne.

 'No,' said Nobby. 'He's dying, I think. I've given him to Lucilla to dose. She's a marvel with sick animals. I've put Growler with the other dogs. He's safe with them.'

He stared round at the other children, his mouth trembling, sniffing as if he had a bad cold.

 'I dursent go back,' he said, in a low voice, 'I dursent. They'll half-kill me.'

 'You're not going back, so that's settled,' said Julian, in a brisk voice. 'You're staying here with us. We shall love to have you. It was jolly decent of you to come up and warn us ... and bad luck to have got caught like that. You're our friend now ... and we'll stick together.'