"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 10 - Five On a Hike Together" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

He was off at once, sailing away down the road on his bicycle. The old woman suddenly came in, a knife in one hand, a loaf in the other.
СDid I hear Jim?Т she said. СOh yes - heТs got his sandwiches. You should have told me he was in!Т
СHe said he was in a hurry,Т explained Julian. СAnd he said we were to tell you heТd be late today because he had to take some stuff to the prison.Т
СIТve got another son there,Т said the woman. The four looked at her. Did she mean he was a prisoner? And what prison?
She guessed their thoughts and smiled. СOh, my Tom isnТt a prisoner!Т she said. СHeТs a warder - a fine fellow. Not a nice job there though - IТm always afraid of those men in prison - a fierce lot, a bad lot!Т
СYes - IТve heard there is a big prison on this moor,Т said Julian. СItТs marked on our map too. WeТre not going near it, of course.Т
'No. DonТt you take the girls near there,Т said the woman, disappearing again. СIf I donТt get on with your sandwiches youТll not have them before tomorrow morning,Т
Only one customer came in while the children were waiting - a solemn old man smoking a clay pipe. He looked round the shop, couldnТt see the woman, took a packet of blancmange powder, which he slipped into his pocket, and put the money down on the counter.
СTell Тer when Тer comes,Т he mumbled with his pipe still in his mouth, and out he shuffled. Timmy growled. The old man smelt very unwashed and Timmy didnТt like him.At last the sandwiches were finished and the old woman appeared again. She had packed them up neatly in four parcels of grease-proof paper, and had pencilled on each what they were, Julian read what she had written and winked at the others.
СMy word - weТre in for a grand time!Т he said. СCheese, Pork, Ham and Egg - and whatТs this?Т
'Oh, thatТs four slices of my home-made fruit cake,Т said the old woman. СIТm not charging you for that, ItТs just so that you can taste it!Т
СIt looks like half the cake!Т said Julian, touched, СBut we shall pay for it, with many thanks. How much is all that?Т
She told him. Julian put down the money and added some extra for the cake. СThere you are, and many thanks,Т he said. СAnd that money there was left by an old fellow with a clay pipe who took a packet of blanc mange powder.Т
СThat would be Old Man Gupps,Т said the woman. СWell, I hope youТll enjoy your tour. Come back here if you want any more sandwiches cut! If you eat all those today you wonТt do badly!Т
СWoof,Т said Timmy, hoping that he too would share a few. The woman produced a bone for him, and he took it up in his mouth.
СThanks!Т Julian said. СCome on - now weТll really start!Т


Chapter Three

ACROSS THE COUNTRYSIDE

They set off at last, Timmy running in front. School already seemed far behind them. The October sun shone down warmly, and the trees in the village glowed yellow and red and golden, dressed in their autumn colourings. A few leaves floated down in the breeze, but not until there was a real frost would many come whirling down.
СItТs a heavenly day,Т said George. СI wish I hadnТt got my blazer on. IТm cooked already.Т
СWell, take it off and carry it over your shoulder,Т said Julian. СIТm going to do the same. Our jerseys are quite warm enough today!Т
They took off their thick blazers and carried them. Each of them had a rucksack, a mac rolled up tightly and tied to it, and now a blazer to carry. But none of them noticed the weight at the outset of their day.
СIТm glad you girls took my advice and wore your thickest shoes,Т said Julian, looking with approval at their brogues. СSome of our walking may be wet. Have you got changes of socks?Т
СYes. We brought everything you told us to,Т said Anne. СYour rucksack looks a bit fuller than ours, Ju!Т
СWell, IТve got maps and things in it,Т said Julian. 'ItТs a queer place, this moor - miles and miles and miles of it! Queer names on it too - Blind Valley - Rabbit Hill - Lost Lake - Coney Copse!Т
СRabbit Hill! Timmy would love that,Т said George, and Timmy pricked up his ears. Rabbits? Ah, that was the kind of place he liked!
СWell, actually weТre going towards Rabbit Hill now,Т said Julian, СAnd after that thereТs Coney Copse, and as coney is a country word for rabbit, Timmy ought to enjoy himself!Т
СWoof,Т said Timmy joyfully and bounded ahead. He felt very happy. His four friends were with him, their rucksacks were full of delicious-smelling 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 village behind and took a winding lane. The hedges on either side became so high that the four couldnТt see over the tops at all.
СWhat a sunken lane!Т said Dick. СI feel as if IТm walking in a tunnel! And how narrow! I wouldnТt like to drive a car along this lane. If I met another car I might have to back for miles!Т
СWe shanТt meet anyone much,Т said Julian, СItТs 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 Hill, according to the map!Т
They climbed over a stile in the high hedge and walked over a field towards a curious little hill. Timmy suddenly went mad with excitement. He could smell rabbits - and he could see them too!
СYou donТt often see so many rabbits out in the daytime,Т said George, surprised. СBig ones and little ones too - what a scampering.Т
They came to the hill and sat down quietly to watch the rabbits. But it was quite impossible to make Timmy do the same. The sight and smell of so many made him quite wild. He pulled away from GeorgeТs hand and went bounding madly up the hill, scattering rabbits by the dozen.
СTimmy!Т 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.
СItТs no use calling him,Т said Dick. 'He wonТt catch one, anyway - see how nippy they are, ItТs my belief theyТre having a game with our Timmy!Т
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.
СWhere do you mean to have lunch?Т asked Anne, СIf we stay here much longer I shall really have to have something to eat - and itТs not nearly time yet. I wish I didnТt always feel so hungry in the open air.Т
СWell, come on then,Т said Julian. СWeТve got some way to go before we get to our lunch-place. IТve made a pretty good time-table of our tour - weТre going to go all round the moors and finish at the place we started at! IТve really marked it all out pretty well.Т
СDo we sleep at farm-houses or something at night?Т asked George. СI should like that. Will they mind having us, do you think? Or do we go to inns?Т
СFarm-houses for two nights and inns for the other nights,Т said Julian. СIТve marked them all.Т
They went up Rabbit Hill and down the other side. There were just as many rabbits there. Timmy chased them till he panted like an engine going uphill! His tongue hung out, dripping wet.
СYouТve had enough, Tim,Т said George. СBe sensible now.Т
But Timmy couldnТt be sensible with so many rabbits about. So they left him to chase and dart and race at top speed and went on down the hill. Timmy came rushing after them when they got to the bottom.
СNow perhaps youТll stop tearing about like a mad thing and walk with us,Т scolded George. But she spoke too soon, for soon they were in a small wood which Julian informed them was Coney Copse.
СAnd as I told you, coney means rabbit, so you canТt expect Timmy to stop being mad just yet,Т said Julian.