Five on a Hike Together Read Free Page A

tightly and tied to it, and now a blazer to carry. But none of them noticed the weight at the outset of their day.
    „I"m glad you girls took my advice and wore your thickest shoes," said Julian, looking with approval at their brogues. „Some of our walking may be wet. Have you got changes of socks?"
    „Yes. We brought everything you told us to," said Anne. „Your rucksack looks a bit ful er than ours, Ju!"
    „Well, I"ve got maps and things in it," said Julian. 'It"s a queer place, this moor - miles and miles and miles of it! Queer names on it too - Blind Valley - Rabbit Hil - Lost Lake - Coney Copse!"
    „Rabbit Hil ! Timmy would love that," said George, and Timmy pricked up his ears. Rabbits?
    Ah, that was the kind of place he liked!
    „Well, actual y we"re going towards Rabbit Hill now," said Julian, „And after that there"s Coney Copse, and as coney is a country word for rabbit, Timmy ought to enjoy himself!"
    „Woof," said Timmy joyfully and bounded ahead. He felt very happy. His four friends were with him, their rucksacks were ful of delicious-smel ing sandwiches, and a long, long walk lay ahead, teeming, he hoped with rabbits!
    It was lovely walking along in the sun. They soon left the little vil age behind and took a winding lane. The hedges on either side became so high that the four couldn"t see over the tops at all.
    „What a sunken lane!" said Dick. „I feel as if I"m walking in a tunnel! And how narrow! I wouldn"t like to drive a car along this lane. If I met another car I might have to back for miles!"
    „We shan"t meet anyone much," said Julian, „It"s only in the summer that cars come along these lanes - people on holiday, touring round the countryside. Look - we take that path now - it leads to Rabbit Hil , according to the map!"
    They climbed over a stile in the high hedge and walked over a field towards a curious little hil . Timmy suddenly went mad with excitement. He could smel rabbits - and he could see them too!
    „You don"t often see so many rabbits out in the daytime," said George, surprised. „Big ones and little ones too - what a scampering."
    They came to the hil and sat down quietly to watch the rabbits. But it was quite impossible to make Timmy do the same. The sight and smel of so many made him quite wild. He pulled away from George"s hand and went bounding madly up the hil , scattering rabbits by the dozen.

    „Timmy!" yelled George, but for once Timmy paid no attention. He rushed here and rushed there, getting very angry as first one rabbit and then another neatly popped down a hole.
    „It"s no use cal ing him," said Dick. 'He won"t catch one, anyway - see how nippy they are, It"s my belief they"re having a game with our Timmy!"
    It did look rather like it. As soon as Timmy had chased two or three rabbits down one hole, a few more would pop up from another behind him. Tht children laughed, It was as good as a pantomime.
    „Where do you mean to have lunch?" asked Anne, „If we stay here much longer I shal real y have to have something to eat - and it"s not nearly time yet. I wish I didn"t always feel so hungry in the open air."
    „Well, come on then," said Julian. „We"ve got some way to go before we get to our lunch-place. I"ve made a pretty good time-table of our tour - we"re going to go all round the moors and finish at the place we started at! I"ve real y marked it all out pretty well."
    „Do we sleep at farm-houses or something at night?" asked George. „I should like that. Wil they mind having us, do you think? Or do we go to inns?"
    „Farm-houses for two nights and inns for the other nights," said Julian. „I"ve marked them all."
    They went up Rabbit Hill and down the other side. There were just as many rabbits there.
    Timmy chased them til he panted like an engine going uphil ! His tongue hung out, dripping wet.
    „You"ve had enough, Tim," said George. „Be sensible now."
    But Timmy couldn"t be sensible with so many rabbits about. So they left him to chase and