Five Go to Billycock Hill Read Free

if to say,
    „Sorry - but after al , it is my bone!"
    „Oh - he just wants his bone," said George. „He"s not after our sandwiches. As if he should take them, Anne! You might have known he wouldn"t!"

    „I feel rather like having mine now," said Anne. „Julian, can"t we have some? - and I do want a drink."
    The idea of a drink made everyone long to begin lunch and soon they were unwrapping ham and tomato sandwiches, and enormous slices of Joan"s fruit cake. Julian found the little cardboard drinking cups, and poured out the orangeade careful y.
    „This is fine," said Dick, munching his sandwiches and gazing out over the rol ing countryside, with its moorlands, its stretches of farmland with the fields of green corn, and its sloping hil s. „Look - see that hil far away in the distance, Julian - over there - would that be Bil ycock Hil do you think? It"s rather a funny shape."
    „I"l look through my field-glasses," said Julian, and took them from their leather case. He put them to his eyes and stared hard at the far-away hil that lay to the north of them.
    „Yes - I think it probably is Billycock Hill," he said. „It"s got such a queerly-shaped top; it looks a bit like an old Billycock hat."
    He handed the glasses round, and everyone looked at the far-off hil . George put the glasses to Timmy"s eyes. „There you are!" she said. „Have a squint, Timmy! Julian, it doesn"t look so very far away."
    „It"s not, as the crow flies," said Julian, taking back his glasses and surveying the countryside around them again. „But it"s a long, long way through those hundreds of little winding lanes. Any more sandwiches, anyone?"
    „There aren"t any more left," said Dick. „Or fruit cake either. Have a humbug if you"re stil hungry,"
    The humbugs were passed round and Timmy waited hopeful y for his turn. George gave him one. „Not that it"s much use to you," she said. „You just swallow it without even one suck!"
    „We"ll rest for half an hour more," said Julian. „Gosh, I do feel sleepy!"
    They all snuggled down into the soft clumps of heather, and soon they were asleep in the warm sun. Even Timmy snoozed, with one ear half up just in case someone came by. But nobody did. In fact it was so very quiet on the top of the hil that three-quarters of an hour went by before anyone awoke. Anne felt something crawling up her arm and woke with a jump.
    „Ugh - a big beetle!" she said, and shook it off. She glanced at her watch. „Dick! Ju! Wake up! We must get on, or we"ll never be there by tea-time!"
    Soon they were once more on their way, tearing down the hil at top speed, shouting as they went, with Timmy barking madly beside them. Real y, the start of a holiday was the happiest thing in the world!

Chapter Three
BILLYCOCK FARM

    The Five certainly cycled fast that afternoon, and would have arrived at Billycock Hill even sooner than they did if it hadn"t been for Timmy. He panted so much in the heat that they stopped for brief rests every fifteen minutes.
    „It"s a pity he"s so big and heavy," said Anne. „If he had been a smal dog we could have taken turns at carrying him in our bicycle baskets."
    Billycock Hill was soon very near. It certainly was a queer shape, very like an old-fashioned hat. It was partly heather-clad and partly sloping meadow land. Cows grazed in the meadows, and farther up the hil , where there was shorter, wiry grass, the farmer had put a good many sheep.
    Nestling down at the foot of the hil was a rambling old farm-building, with outhouses and stables and a big greenhouse. „That must be Billycock Farm," said Julian. „Well, we"ve made very good time, you know - it"s only half past three. Let"s wash our faces in that stream over there - we all look rather hot and dirty. Timmy, you can have a bathe if you want to!"
    The water was cool and silky to the touch, and the children laved it over their faces and necks, wishing they could do as Timmy was doing - lie down in the stream and let the water flow