Five Go Down to the Sea (16 page)

Julian suddenly saw light. He knew why Dick had snatched Clopper"s head. He knew!

„Mr Penruthlan, why does the Guv"nor always have someone in charge of Clopper"s head?" he said. „Maybe he hides something precious there, something he doesn"t want anyone to find! Quick, let"s go and see!"

At that moment Dick appeared again, round another corner, stil holding Clopper"s head, with Sid and the Guv"nor hard on his heels. He hadn"t been able to stop for a moment, or even to hide anywhere. He panted up to Mr Penruthlan, and thrust the head at him.

„Take it. I bet it"s got the goods in it!"

Then Sid and the Guv"nor raced up too, both in a furious rage. The Guv"nor tried to snatch Clopper away from the big farmer. But he was a smal man and Mr Penruthlan was well over six feet. He calmly held the horse"s head out of reach with his strong right hand, and fended off the Guv"nor with the other.

Everyone ran up at once. The Barnies surrounded the little group in excitement, and one or two farm-men came up too. Mrs Penruthlan and the girls, who were now up, heard the excitement and came running out as well. Hens scattered away, clucking, and the four dogs and Timmy barked madly.

The Guv"nor was beside himself with fury. He began to hit the farmer, but was immediately pulled away by Mr Binks.

Then one of the farm-men shouldered his way through the excited crowd, and put his great hand on to the Guv"nor"s shoulder. He held him in a grip of iron.

„Don"t let him go," said the farmer. He lowered Clopper"s head and looked round at the puzzled Barnies.

„Fetch that barrel," he said to Julian, and the boy got it at once, placing it in front of the farmer. The Guv"nor watched, his face going white.

„You leave that horse alone," he said. „It"s my property. What do you think you"re doing'?"

„You say this horse is your property?" said the farmer. „Is it entirely your property, inside as well as outside?"

The Guv"nor said nothing. He looked very worried indeed. Mr Penruthlan turned the head upside down, and looked into the neck. He put his hand in and scrabbled about. He found the little lid and opened it. Out fel about a dozen cigarettes.

„They"re mine," said Mr Binks. „I keep them there. Anything wrong with that, sir? It"s a little place the Guv"nor had made for me."

„Nothing wrong with that, Mr Binks," said the farmer, and put his hand in again. He pul ed at the lid, and ran his finger round the hole where Mr Binks kept his cigarettes. The Guv"nor watched, breathing quickly.

„I can feel something, Guv"nor," said Mr Penruthlan, watching the man"s face. „I can feel a false bottom to this clever little space. How do I get it open, Guv"nor? Wil you tell me, or do I smash Clopper up to find it?"

„Don"t smash him!" said Sid and Mr Binks together. They turned to the Guv"nor, puzzled.

„What"s up?" said Sid. „We never knew there was a secret about Clopper."

„There isn"t," said the Guv"nor, stubbornly.

„Ah, I"ve found the trick!" said Mr Penruthlan, suddenly. „Now I"ve got it!" He worked his fingers about in the space that he had suddenly hit on, behind the place where Mr Binks had his cigarettes. He pul ed out a package done up in white paper, a small package, but worth many hundreds of pounds!

„What"s this, Guv"nor?" he asked the white-faced man. „Is it one of the many packets of drugs you"ve handled round this coast? Was it because of this secret of yours that you told Sid never to let Clopper out of his sight? Shall I open this packet, Guv"nor, and see what"s inside?"

A murmur arose from the Barnies, a murmur of horror. Sid turned fiercely on the Guv"nor.

„You made me guard your horrible drugs, not Clopper! To think I"ve been helping you al this time, helping a man who"s only fit for prison! I"l never work with Clopper again!

Never!"

Almost in tears poor Sid pushed his way through the amazed Barnies and went off by himself. After a few moments Mr Binks followed him.

Mr Penruthlan put the white package into his pocket. „Lock the Guv"nor up in the small barn," he ordered. „And you, Dan, get on your bike and get the police. As for you, Barnies, I don"t know rightly what to say. You"ve lost your Guv"nor, but it"s good riddance, I"l tel you that."

The Barnies stared after the Guv"nor as he was dragged away by two farm-men, over to the smal barn.

„We never liked him," said one. „But he had money to tide us over bad times. Money from smuggling in those wicked drugs! He used us Barnies as a screen for his goings-on. It"s good riddance, you"re right."

„We"ll manage," said another Barnie. „We"ll get along. Hey, Sid, come back. Cheer up!"

Sid and Mr Binks came back, looking rather solemn. „We"re not going to use Clopper any more," said Sid. „He"l bring us bad luck. We"ll get a donkey instead, and work up another act. Mr Binks says he couldn"t wear Clopper again, and I feel the same."

„Right," said the farmer, picking up Clopper"s head. „Get the back and front legs. I"l take charge of old Clopper. I"ve always been fond of him, and he won"t bring any bad luck to me!"

There was nothing more to be done. The Barnies said rather a forlorn good-bye. Sid and Mr Binks shook hands solemnly with each of the children. Sid gave Clopper one last pat and turned away.

„We"ll go off now," said Mr Binks. „Thanks for everything, Mr Penruthlan, sir. So long!"

„See you again when next you"re by here," said Mr Penruthlan. „You can have my barn any time, Sid."

The Guv"nor was safely locked up, waiting for the police. Mr Penruthlan picked Clopper up, legs and al , and looked down at the five children, for Yan was now with them.

He smiled at them all, looking suddenly quite a different man. „Well, that"s all finished up!"

he said. „Dick, I thought you"d gone mad when you went off with old Clopper"s head!"

„It was certainly a bit of a brain-wave," said Dick, modestly. „It came over me al of a sudden. Only just in time, too, the Barnies were nearly on their way again!"

They went over to the farm-house. Mrs Penruthlan had already run across. The girls guessed why, and they were right!

„I"m getting a meal for you!" she cried, as they came in. „Poor children, not a mite to eat have you had today. No breakfast, nothing. Come away in and help me. You can turn out the whole larder if you like!"

They very nearly did! Ham and tongue and pies went on the table. Anne picked crisp lettuces from the garden and washed them. Julian piled tomatoes in a dish. George cooked a dozen hard-boiled eggs at the stove. A fruit-tart and a jam-tart appeared as if by magic and two great jugs of creamy milk were set at each end of the table.

Yan hovered around, getting into everybody"s way, his eyes nearly falling out of his head at the sight of the food. Mrs Penruthlan laughed.

„Get away from under my feet, you dirty little ruffian! Do you want to eat with us?"

„Iss," said Yan, his eyes sparkling. „ISS!"

„Then go upstairs and wash those dirty hands!" said the farmer"s wife. And, marvel of marvels, Yan went off upstairs as good as gold, and came down with hands that really were almost clean!

They all sat down. Julian solemnly put a chair beside him, and arranged Clopper in such a way that it looked as if he were sitting down too! Anne gave a giggle.

„Oh, Clopper! You look quite real. Mr Penruthlan, what are you going to do with him?"

„I"m going to give him away," said the farmer munching as hard with his teeth as he did without them. „To friends of mine."

„Lucky friends!" said Dick, helping himself to a hard-boiled egg and salad. „Do they know how to work the back and front legs, sir?"

„Oh yes," said the farmer. „They know fine. They"l do wel with Clopper. There"s only one thing they don"t know. Haw-haw-haw!"

The children looked at him in surprise. Why the sudden guffaw?

Mr Penruthlan choked, and his wife banged him on the back. „Careful now, Mr Penruthlan," she said. „Mr Clopper"s looking at you!"

The farmer guffawed again. Then he looked round at the listening children. „I was tel ing you," he said, „there"s only one thing these friends of mine don"t know."

„What"s that?" asked George.

„Well, they don"t know how to undo the zip!" said the farmer, and roared again til the tears came into his eyes. „They don"t know how to - how to - haw-haw-haw-haw - undo the ZIP!"

„Mr Penruthlan now, behave yourself!" said his amused wife. „Why don"t you say straight out that you"re giving Clopper to Julian and Dick, instead of spluttering away like that?"

„Gosh, are you real y?" said Dick, thril ed. „Thanks most awfully!"

„Well, you got me what I wanted, so it"s only right and fair I should give you what you wanted," said the farmer, taking another plate of ham. „You"l do well with Clopper, you and your brother. You can give us a show one day before you leave for home. Haw-haw -

Clopper"s a queer one, see him looking at us now!"

„He winked!" said George, in an astonished voice, and Timmy came out from under the table to stare at Clopper with the others. „I saw him wink!"

Well, it wouldn"t be surprising if he did wink. He"s real y had a most exciting time!