Five Get Into Trouble Read Free

and had actual y made Timmy twelve sandwiches with it, all neatly cut and packed.

    The others laughed. George never minded taking trouble over Timmy. He wolfed his sandwiches eagerly, and thumped his tail hard on the mossy ground. They all sat and munched happily, perfectly contented to be together out in the open air, eating a wonderful lunch.

    Anne gave a scream. 'George! Look what you're doing! You're eating one of Timmy's sandwiches!'

    'Urhh!' said George. 'I thought it tasted a bit strong. I must have given Timmy one of mine and taken his instead. Sorry, Tim!'

    'Woof,' said Tim politely, and accepted another of his sandwiches.

    'At the rate he eats them he wouldn't real y notice if he had twenty or fifty,' remarked Julian. 'He's had al his now, hasn't he? Well, look out, everybody — he'l be after ours. Aha
    — the band has struck up again!'

    Everyone listened to the thrush. 'Mind how you go,' sang the thrush. 'Mind how you go!
    Mind how you do-it, do-it, do-it!'

    'Sounds like a Safety First poster,' said Dick, and settled down with his head on a cushion of moss. 'Al right, old bird — we'll mind how we go — but we're going to have a bit of a snooze now, so don't play the band too loudly!'

    'It would be a good idea to have a bit of a rest,' said Julian, yawning. 'We've done pretty wel , so far. We don't want to tire ourselves out the very first day. Get off my legs, Timmy — you're frightfully heavy with al those sandwiches inside you.'

    Timmy removed himself. He went to George and flumped himself down beside her, licking her face. She pushed him away.

    'Don't be so licky,' she said, sleepily, 'just be on guard like a good dog, and see that nobody comes along and steals our bikes.'

    Timmy knew what 'on guard' meant, of course. He sat up straight when he heard the words, and looked careful y al round, sniffing as he did so. Anyone about? No. Not a sight, sound or smel of any stranger. Timmy lay down again, one ear cocked, and one eye very slightly open. George always thought it was marvellous the way he could be asleep with one ear and eye and awake with the others. She was about to say this to Dick and Julian when she saw that they were sound asleep.

    She fell asleep too. Nobody came to disturb them. A small robin hopped near inquisitively, and, with his head on one side, considered whether or not it would be a good thing to pul a few hairs out of Timmy's tail to line his new nest. The slit in Timmy's awake-eye widened a little — woe betide the robin if he tried any funny tricks on Timmy!

    The robin flew off. The thrush sang a little more, and the rabbit came out again. Timmy's eye opened wide. The rabbit fled. Timmy gave a tiny snore. Was he awake or was he asleep? The rabbit wasn't going to wait and find out!

    It was half past three when they all awoke one by one. Julian looked at his watch. 'It's almost tea-time!' he said, and Anne gave a little squeal.

    'Oh no — why we've only just had lunch, and I'm stil as ful as can be!'

    Julian grinned. 'It's al right. We'll go by our tummies for our meals, not by our watches, Anne. Come on, get up! We'll go without you if you don't.'

    They wheeled their bicycles out of the primrose copse and mounted again. The breeze was lovely to feel on their faces. Anne gave a little groan.

    'Oh dear — I feel a bit stiff already. Do you mean to go very many miles more, Ju?'

    'No, not many,' said Julian. 'I thought we'd have tea somewhere when we feel like it —
    and then do a bit of shopping for our supper and breakfast — and then hunt about for a real y good place to put up our tents for the night. I found a little lake on the map, and I thought we could have a swim in it if we can find it.'

    This all sounded very good indeed. George felt she could cycle for miles if a swim in a lake was at the end of it.

    'That's a very nice plan of yours,' she said, approvingly. 'Very nice indeed. I think our whole tour ought to be planned round lakes — so that we can