Five Go Down to the Sea (4 page)

„Oh, I expect he can look after himself," said Julian. „He"s used to this coast. Come on, it"s time we went."

They all rode off, Timmy running beside their bicycles. Nobody said anything. They couldn"t help feeling worried about Yan. Whatever could have happened to him?

They arrived at the farm and put their bicycles away. They went in to find Mrs Penruthlan.

They told her about Yan, and how he had disappeared.

„You don"t think he might have been swept off his feet and drowned, do you?" asked Anne.

Mrs Penruthlan laughed. „Good gracious, no! That boy knows his way about the countryside and the seashore blindfold. He"s cleverer than you think. He never misses anything! He"s a poor little thing, but he looks after himself al right!"

This was rather comforting. Perhaps Yan would turn up again, with his dark eyes fixed unblinkingly on them!

After a high-tea as good as any they had had, they went for a walk down the honeysuckle-scented lanes, accompanied as usual by the five dogs. They sat on a stile, and Dick handed round some barley-sugar.

„Look!" said George suddenly. „Do you see what I see? Look!" She nodded her head towards an oak tree in the hedge, not far off. The others stared up into it.

Two dark eyes stared back. Yan! He had fol owed them as usual, and had hidden himself to watch them. Anne was so tremendously relieved to see him that she cal ed to him in delight.

„Oh, Yan! Have a barley-sugar?"

Yan slithered down the tree at top speed and came up. He held out his hand for the barley-sugar. For the first time he smiled, and his dirty, sullen face lighted up enchantingly.

Anne stared at him. Why, he was a dear little fel ow! His eyes shone and twinkled, and a dimple came in each cheek.

„Here you are, here"s a couple more sweets for you," Dick said, very glad to see that the small boy hadn"t been drowned. Yan almost snatched them from him! lt was plain that he very, very seldom had any sweets! Timmy was making a fuss of him as usual. He lay down on his back and rol ed over Yan"s feet. He licked his bare knees and arms, and jumped up at him, almost knocking the boy down. Yan laughed, and fel on Timmy, rolling over and over with him. Julian, Dick and Anne watched and laughed.

But George was not pleased. Timmy was her dog, and she didn"t like him to make a fuss of anyone she disapproved of. She was glad that Yan was safe but she stil didn"t like him!

So she scowled, and Julian nudged Dick to make him see the scowl, George saw him and scowled worse than ever.

„You"l be sorry you gave him sweets," she said. „He"l be round us worse than ever now."

Yan came up after a minute or two, sucking al three sweets at once, so that his right cheek was very swol en indeed.

„Come, see my Granddad," he said, earnestly, talking even worse than usual because of the sweets. „I tell him "bout you all. He tell you many things."

He stared at them al seriously. „Grandad likes sweets too," he added, solemnly. „Iss. Iss, he do."

Julian laughed. „Al right. We"ll come and see him tomorrow afternoon. Now you clear off or you won"t get any more sweets. Understand?"

„Iss," said Yan, nodding his head. He took the three sweets out of his mouth, looked at them to see how much he had sucked them, and then put them back again.

„Clear off now," said Julian again. „But wait a bit, I"ve just thought; how did you get away from that beach this afternoon? Did you climb that cliff?"

„No," said Yan, shifting his sweets to the other cheek. „I came the Wreckers" Way. My Grandad learnt it me."

He was off and away before anyone could ask him another question. The four looked at one another. „Did you hear that?" said Julian. „He went the Wreckers" Way. What"s that, do you suppose? We must have been on one of the beaches the wreckers used long, long ago."

„Yes. But how did he get off that beach, and away into safety?" said Dick. „I"d like to know more about the Wreckers" Way! I certainly think we"d better pay a visit to old Great-Grandad tomorrow. He might have some very interesting things to tell us."

„Well, we"ll go and see him," said George, getting up. „But just you remember what I said.

Yan wil pester us more than ever now we"ve encouraged him."

„Oh well, he doesn"t seem such a bad kid after all," said Dick, remembering that sudden smile and the eager acceptance of a few sweets. „And if he persuades Grandad to let us into the secret of Wreckers" Way, we might have some fun doing a bit of exploring. Don"t you think so, Ju?"

„It might even lead to an adventure," said Julian, laughing at Anne"s serious face. „Cheer up, Anne. I can"t even smell an adventure in Tremannon. I"m just pul ing your leg!"

„I think you"re wrong," said Anne. „If you can"t smell one somewhere, I can. I don"t want to, but I can!"

The next day was Sunday. It made no difference to the time that the two Penruthlans got up, however. As Mrs Penruthlan said, the cows and horses, hens and ducks didn"t approve of late Sunday breakfasts! They wanted attending to at exactly the same time each day!

„Wil you be going to church?" asked Mrs Penruthlan. „It"s a beautiful walk across the fields to Tremannon Church, and you"d like Parson. He"s a good man, he is."

„Yes, we"re all going," said Julian. „We can tie Timmy up outside. He"s used to that. And we thought we"d go up and see your old shepherd this afternoon, Mrs Penruthlan, and see what tales he has to tell."

„Yan wil show you the way," said the farmer"s wife, bustling off to her cooking. „I"l get you a fine Sunday dinner. Do you like fresh fruit salad with cream?"

„Rather!" said everyone at once.

„Can"t we help you to do something?" said Anne. „I"ve just seen al the peas you"re going to shell. Piles of them! And don"t you want help with those red currant? I love getting the currants off their stalks with a fork!"

„Well, you"l have a few odd minutes before you go to church, I expect," said Mrs Penruthlan, looking pleased. „It would be a bit of help today. But the boys needn"t help."

„I like that!" said George, indignantly. „How unfair! Why shouldn"t they, just because they"re boys?"

„Don"t fly off the handle, George," grinned Dick. „We"re going to help, don"t worry. We like podding peas too! You"re not going to have all the treats!"

Dick had a very neat way of turning the tables on George when he saw her flying into a tantrum. She smiled unwil ingly. She was always jealous of the boys because she so badly wanted to be one herself, and wasn"t! She hitched up her shorts, and went to get a pan of peas to shell.

Soon the noise of the popping of pads was to be heard, a very pleasant noise, Anne thought. The four of them sat on the big kitchen step, out in the sun, with Timmy sitting beside them, watching with interest. He didn"t stay with them long though.

Up came his four friends, the little Scottie trotting valiantly behind, trying to keep up with the longer legs of the others. „Woof!" said the biggest collie. Timmy wagged his tail politely, but didn"t stir.

„Woof!" said the col ie again, and pranced around invitingly.

„Timmy! He says “Wil you come and play?” " said George. „Aren"t you going? You aren"t the least help with shelling peas, and you keep breathing down my neck."

Timmy gave George a flying lick and leapt off the step joyful y. He pounced on the Scottie, rolled him over, and then took on all three collies at once. They were big, strong dogs, but no match for Timmy!

„Look at him," said George, proudly. „He can manage the whole lot single-handed."

„Single-footed!" said Dick. „He"s faster than even that biggest col ie and stronger than the whole lot. Good old Tim. He"s come in jol y useful in some of our adventures!"

„I"ve no doubt he wil again," said Julian. „I"d rather have one Timmy than two police-dogs."

„I should think his ears are burning, the way we"re talking about him!" said Anne. „Oh, sorry, Dick, that pod popped unexpectedly!"

„That"s the second lot of peas you"ve shot all over me," said Dick, scrabbling inside his shirt.

„I must just find one that went down my neck, or I shall be fidgeting al through church."

„You always do," said Anne. „Look - isn"t that Yan?"

It was! He came sidling up, looking as dirty as ever, and gave them a quick smile that once more entirely changed his sul en little face. He held out his hand, palm upwards, and said something.

„What"s he saying?" said Dick. „Oh, he"s asking for a sweet."

„Don"t give him one," said Julian, quickly. „Don"t turn him into a little beggar. Make him work for a sweet this time. Yan, if you want a sweet, you can help pod these peas."

Mrs Penruthlan appeared at once. „But see he washes those filthy hands first," she commanded, and disappeared again. Yan looked at his hands, then put them under his arm-pits.

„Go and wash them," said Julian. But Yan shook his head, and sat down a little way away from them.

„Al right. Don"t wash your hands. Don"t shell the peas. Don"t have a sweet," said George.

Yan scowled at George. He didn"t seem to like her any more than she liked him. He waited til someone split a pod, and a few peas shot out on to the ground instead of into the dish. Then he darted at them, picked them up and ate them. He was as quick as a cat.

„My Grandad says come see him," announced Yan. „I take you."

„Right," said Julian. „We"ll come this afternoon. We"ll get Mrs Penruthlan to pack us up a basket, and we"ll have tea in the hil s. You can share it if you wash your hands and face."

„I shouldn"t think he"s ever washed himself in his life," said George. „Oh, here"s Timmy come back. I wil not have him fawn round that dirty little boy. Here, Timmy!"

But Timmy darted to Yan with the greatest delight and pawed at him to come and have a game. They began to roll over and over like two puppies.

„If you"re going to church, you"d better get ready," said Mrs Penruthlan, appearing again, this time with arms floured up to the elbow. „My, what a lot of peas you"ve done for me!"

„I wish I had time to do the red currants," said Anne. „We"ve practical y finished the peas, anyway, Mrs Penruthlan. We"ve done thousands, I should think!"

„Ah, Mr Penruthlan is real fond of peas," said the farmer"s wife. „He can eat a whole tureen at one sitting."

She disappeared again. The children went to get ready for church, and then off they went. It certainly was a lovely walk over the fields, with honeysuckle trailing everywhere!

The church was smal and old and lovely. Yan went with them, trailing behind, right to the church door. When he saw George tying Timmy up to a railing, he sat down beside him and looked pleased. George didn"t look pleased, however. Now Timmy and Yan would play about together al the time she was in church! How annoying!

The church was cool and dark, except for three lovely stained-glass windows through which the sun poured, its bril iance dimmed by the colours of the glass. „Parson" was as nice as Mrs Penruthlan had said, a simple, friendly person whose words were listened to by everyone, from an old, old woman bent almost double in a corner to a solemn-eyed five year old clutching her mother"s hand.

It was dazzling to come out into the sun again from the cool dimness of the church. Timmy barked a welcome. Yan was stil there, sitting with his arm round Timmy"s neck. He gave them his sudden smile, and untied Timmy, who promptly went mad and tore out of the churchyard at sixty miles an hour. He always did that when he had been tied up.

„You come see Grandad," said Yan to Dick, and pul ed at his arm.

„This afternoon," said Dick. „You can show us the way. Come after dinner."

So, after the children had had a dinner of cold boiled beef and carrots, with a dumpling each, and „lashings" of peas and new potatoes, followed by a truly magnificent fruit salad and cream, Yan appeared at the door to take them to his Grandad.

„Did you see the amount of peas that Mr Penruthlan got through?" said Anne, in awe. „I should think he real y did manage a tureen al to himself. I wish he"d say something beside

“Ah” and “Ock” and the other peculiar sounds he makes. Conversation is awful y difficult with him."

„Is Yan taking you up to Grandad?" called Mrs Penruthlan. „I"l put a few cakes in the basket for him, too, then, and for Grandad."

„Don"t put us up a big tea," begged Dick. „We only want a snack, just to keep us going til high-tea."

But all the same the basket was quite heavy when Mrs Penruthlan had finished packing it!

It was a long walk over the fields to the shepherd"s hut. Yan led the way proudly. They crossed the fields, and climbed stiles, walked up narrow cart-paths, and at last came to a cone-shaped hil on which sheep grazed peaceful y. Half-grown lambs, wearing their wool y coats, unlike the shorn sheep, gambol ed here and there - then remembered that they were nearly grown up, and walked sedately.

The old shepherd was sitting outside his hut, smoking a clay pipe. He wasn"t very big, and he seemed shrivelled up, like an apple stored too long. But there was stil sweetness in him, and the children liked him at once. He had Yan"s sudden smile, that lighted up eyes that were stil as blue as the summer sky above them.

His face had a thousand wrinkles that creased and ran into one another when he smiled.

His shaggy eye-brows, curly beard and hair were al grey, as grey as the wool y coats of the sheep he had lived with all his life.

„You be welcome," he said, in his slow Cornish voice. „Yan here have told me about you."

„We"ve brought our tea to share with you," said Dick. „We"ll have it later on. Is it true that your father was one of the Wreckers in the old days?"

The old fel ow nodded his head. Julian got out a bag of boiled sweets, and offered them to the old man. He took one eagerly. Yan edged up at once and was given one too.

Judging by the crunching that went on old Gran-dad stil had plenty of teeth! When the sweet had gone, he began to talk. He talked slowly and simply, almost as Yan might have done, and sometimes paused to find a word he wanted.

Living with sheep al his life doesn"t make for easy talking, thought Julian, interested in this old man with the wise, keen eyes. He must be much more at home with sheep than with human beings.