Читать книгу Three Boys and a Circus - Enid blyton - Страница 5

CHAPTER 3
DICK GETS INTO TROUBLE—AND OUT OF IT!

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Dick ran quietly to the dogs’ big cage. All the circus folk were sitting having a kind of picnic meal on the common. No one was near. Dick looked into the dogs’ cage.

There were two big water bowls—and both were empty! Two of the dogs stared at Dick, their tongues hanging out.

“You’re thirsty!” said Dick. “I’ll get you some water. You’re thirsty, too, aren’t you, Bouncer? Come on, we’ll go to that stream over there.”

Dick picked up a big pail and set off to the stream. Bouncer lapped thirstily at the water. Dick filled the pail and went back to the dogs. He slipped inside the cage and filled the bowls. All the dogs ran to drink. Dick looked round their cage.

“Filthy dirty!” he said. “I guess that horrid Larry hasn’t cleaned their cage for ages. I’ve a good mind to do it!”

He ran back to Pedro and told him. “Would you really clean their cage for me?” asked the boy eagerly. “Well, I’ll tell you where the scrubbing-brush, disinfectant, and everything is kept. But whilst you are doing it, Dick, you’d better bring all the dogs in here to me. You can’t clean out their cage with them all round you. I say, you are a brick!”

“I’ll go and get the dogs,” said Dick, not thinking it at all a strange thing to do. He went off to the cage, and let out all the seven dogs. The eighth one was still with Pedro. “Come on, come on,” said the boy, and he led them to the caravan.

The boy went quite mad with delight. He got all the dogs on to his bed and hugged them wildly. Dick saw that he had tears in his eyes, and he guessed how much Pedro loved his dogs.

“Oh, thank you, Dick,” said the boy. “It’s the first time I’ve seen them since I got my legs hurt.”

“I’ll go and get on with the cleaning,” said Dick. He went off to the cage. He set to work with a will, and soon the cage was washed and scrubbed from end to end, and smelt of good disinfectant. Dick was quite proud of his work when he had finished.

Then Madame Sara, who owned the five monkeys, came up and stared at him in surprise. “What’s this?” she asked. “Who told you to do that? And where are the dogs?”

“Oh, I let them out,” said Dick, emptying the dirty water out of his pail. “You see, I——”

“Let them out!” squealed Madame Sara, in horror. “Let them out! Don’t you know those are valuable dogs! Ravelini! Ravelini! This boy has let out your dogs!”

Ravelini came hurrying up, his face as black as thunder. Dick took one look at him and decided not to wait. He ran! How he ran! He didn’t stop till he was right down the road and round the corner.

And then he discovered that he hadn’t got Bouncer with him! Goodness! Now what was he to do? He couldn’t possibly leave Bouncer behind. He sat under a hedge and thought hard. Where was Bouncer? Oh—of course—he was in Pedro’s caravan, having a good time with all the other dogs. Well, he must get him back, that was quite certain.

Dick was tired. He had walked a long way that day and he had cleaned out a very large cage. He lay down, with the sun warming him, and shut his eyes. Before he knew it he was fast asleep.

When he woke up, the circus was gone. Dick stared at the place where it had rested for an hour or two, and his heart sank. What about Bouncer?

“I shall follow the circus,” thought Dick. “Then when it settles into camp I’ll go and find Pedro again and get back Bouncer.”

So he set off to the next town, walking as fast as he could. A kind woman gave him some bread and jam for his tea.

On he went again, and towards night came to a big field outside the nearby town.

And there he heard the sound of the little clown’s concertina playing once more.

“The circus is in that field!” thought Dick joyfully, and he crept up to the hedge. It was dark, but there were two or three camp fires glowing in the field, and the circus folk sat round them, tired after their long day.

Dick looked for Mr. Ravelini’s caravan, where Pedro lay in bed. It was near a camp fire!

“I can’t possibly go and speak to Pedro yet,” thought Dick. “I should be seen—and I guess Mr. Ravelini would whip me well if he caught me round the circus again!”

Not far away was a small cart, in which were piled a great many wooden benches that were used in the circus ring. Dick squeezed through the hedge and made his way to it. He crept underneath, and lay there, waiting for the circus folk to go to their caravans. He had not yet made up his mind how to look for Bouncer.

As he lay there he saw some queer white shapes moving round the cart. He could not imagine what they were—but when one of them began to nibble his shoe, he gave a yell that made all the circus folk prick up their ears.

A lantern flashed in his direction—and Dick saw that the queer white figures he had seen were only the six beautiful white circus goats! How he wished he hadn’t yelled like that! He lay quiet, hoping that nobody would see him.

But Larry spotted him and dragged him out from underneath the cart. “Got you!” he cried. “Got you! what are you doing round our camp—come to steal something? You just come to Mr. Ravelini!”

“No, no!” yelled poor Dick. The last thing he wanted was to see Mr. Ravelini again. He struggled hard—but Larry held his arms in a tight grip, and jerked him over to Mr. Ravelini’s camp fire.

“So!” said the ringmaster in surprise. “We meet again! What do you want now?”

“Only my dog Bouncer, please, sir,” said Dick in a fright.

“Don’t be afraid,” said Ravelini in a gentle voice. “I know now what you were doing this morning—you were cleaning out that dirty cage for Pedro—and you had given him the dogs. I can tell you I was surprised when I opened my caravan door and saw all those dogs on Pedro’s bed.”

“Is Bouncer here, please?” asked Dick anxiously.

“He’s with Pedro,” said Ravelini. “Let this boy go, Larry. He did what you hadn’t done and should have done, you lazy good-for-nothing fellow—gave the dogs water and cleaned their cage!”

Larry scowled, but did not dare to say anything to the ringmaster. He let go Dick’s arm, but pinched it hard before he dropped it.

“You can go and find Bouncer,” said Mr. Ravelini. “He’s in my caravan. And wait—are you hungry?”

“Yes, sir,” said Dick.

Madame Sara ladled a large mug of soup from the big black pot on the fire.

“There you are,” she said. “Pedro has some bread. Go and ask him for it.”

Dick sped off to Pedro’s caravan, being careful not to spill the fine-smelling soup. There was a light in the caravan. Dick knocked and opened the door.

“Gracious! It’s you!” cried Pedro—and Bouncer leapt right off the bed, and nearly knocked the mug of soup out of Dick’s hand. Dick put the soup down and hugged his yelping dog.

The two boys were very pleased to see each other again. They told one another all that had happened, whilst Dick ate his hot soup, and dipped big pieces of bread into it. Bouncer licked out the mug when Dick had finished. The little, hurt dog, Leppi, was still on Pedro’s bed, and looked solemnly at the boys whilst they talked.

“Where are you going to sleep to-night?” said Pedro.

“In a haystack, if I can find one,” said Dick. “It’s a nice warm place, but a bit tickly. Bouncer makes a good hot-water bottle!”

“Stay here and sleep in our caravan,” said Pedro. “Do you know what I’m going to do, Dick? I’m going to ask my uncle if he’ll let you stay on with me till I’m well enough to look after our dogs again—and you can look after them till then! How would you like that?”

“Fine!” said Dick in surprise and delight. “Will he let me, do you think?”

“I’m sure he will,” said Pedro. “He’s got a good heart, though he shouts and roars. Look, pull out that old roll of mattress just there, and put it below my bunk. I’ll give you one of my blankets. Bouncer will do for a pillow!”

Dick did as he was told. He unrolled the little mattress and lay down. Bouncer would not be a pillow, so Dick took a cushion from a chair. He rolled Pedro’s blanket round him.

“First time I’ve slept in a caravan,” he said. “It’s fun. I like it! Good night, Pedro.”

“Good night,” said Pedro—and then both the boys fell asleep, each with a dog cuddled up to him. They did not wake when Mr. Ravelini came to bed himself. He held up the lamp and looked at the two sleeping boys, one on the floor and one in the bunk.

The two dogs woke and growled softly. The ringmaster chuckled. “Growl away!” he said. “Growl away! Well, well, it’s a crowded caravan to-night—we’d better leave the door open for a little air!”

He left the door open and blew out the lamp. The cool summer night crept in, and the stars looked down. The camp slept peacefully. Only the six goats stirred now and again, white shadows underneath a caravan.