"Blyton, Enid - Adv 05 - Mountain of Adventure" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

There were a few more quiet remarks from Kiki, who was apparently talking to herself. Then silence. The little camp slept under the stars. The night-wind nosed into the tent, but could not get into the cosy sleeping-bags. Snowy felt too hot, walked over Philip, trod on Jack and went to lie in the tent opening. He gave a tiny bleat and Kiki bleated in answer.

David was up and about before the children the next day. He was looking at his donkeys when Philip put a towsled head out of the tent opening to sniff at the morning. "Lovely!" he said. "Stop butting me, Snowy! Your little head is jolly hard! Jack! Stir yourself. It's a gorgeous morning."

Soon all the campers were out of their sleeping-bags and running about. They splashed at the spring, laughing at nothing. Snowy bounded everywhere, quite mad too. Kiki hooted like a car, and startled the donkeys. Even David smiled to see such early-morning antics!

They had breakfast — tongue, cream cheese and rather stale bread, with a tomato each. There was no lemonade left because they had been so lavish with it the day before, so they drank the cold spring water and vowed it was just as nice as lemonade.

"David! Shall we get to the Vale of Butterflies today?" asked Jack, and then repeated it again slowly, flapping his arms to show David that he was talking about butterflies. It took David a minute or two to realise this. Then he shook his head.

"Tomorrow?" asked Philip, and David nodded. He went to strap the packs on the donkeys again and to put on the big pannier baskets. All the little grey creatures were waiting impatiently to set off. Already the sun was getting well above the mountains, and, for David and the donkeys at any rate, it was late!

They set off at last, though Jack had to gallop back to get his field-glasses which he had left behind, hanging from a tree-branch. Then they were all in a line, one donkey behind the other, ambling over the mountains with the wind in their hair.

Jack felt sure he saw a couple of buzzards that day and rode most of the time with his field-glasses in his hand, ready to clap them to his eyes at the first sight of specks in the sky. The others saw red squirrels, shy but tame, among the trees they passed. One shared the children's lunch, darting up for tit-bits, but keeping a wary eye for Kiki and Snowy.

"It wants to come with you, Philip," said Lucy-Ann, amused when the red squirrel put a paw on Philip's knee.

Philip stroked the pretty little thing gently. It quivered, half frightened, but did not bound away. Then Kiki swooped down and the squirrel fled.

"You would spoil things, you jealous bird!" said Philip. "Go away. I don't want you. Go to Jack, and let the squirrels come to me."

Swallows flew round them once again, not attracted by the food, but by the flies that pestered the donkeys. The children could hear the snapping of their beaks as they caught the flies. "We ought to get Jack to tame a few swallows and take them with us to catch the flies," said Lucy-Ann, slapping at a big one on her leg. "Horrid things! I've been bitten by something already. You wouldn't think there'd be any as high up as this, would you?"

Sally the slow-worm came out to eat the fly that Lucy-Ann had killed. She was getting much too tame for Dinah's liking. She lay in the sun, gleaming like silver, and then slid under Philip as Snowy came up enquiringly.

"Keep your nose out of things," said Philip, pushing the kid away as it tried to nose under him to find the slow-worm. Snowy butted him hard and then tried to get on his lap.

"Too hot, too hot," said Philip. "Why did we ever bring a little pest like you, Snowy? You breathed down my neck all night!"

Lucy-Ann giggled. She loved Snowy. They all did. The kid was mischievous, given to butting, and didn't mind treading on anyone — but he was so lively, so full of spring and bounce, so affectionate that it was impossible to be cross with him for long.

"Come on," said Philip at last. "David's clearing his throat as if he's going to tell us we're too lazy for words."

David had a habit of clearing his throat about a dozen times before he spoke. It was a nervous habit which Kiki copied to perfection. She would sit near him, and make a noise as if she was clearing her throat every time he did the same thing. Then she would go off into a cackle of laughter. David was rather scared of her.

They travelled well that second day, and went a long way. When the time came to camp again, David looked earnestly over the mountains as if he was searching for something.

"Lost your handkerchief, old chap?" said Jack, and everyone laughed. David looked solemnly at him, not understanding. Then he suddenly began to flap his arms like wings, and to say a few words in Welsh.

He looked comical standing there, flapping like that. The children had to turn away, trying not to laugh. "He says tomorrow we shall see the butterfly valley," said Jack. "Good! It ought to be a real sight, if it's anything like I imagine it to be!"

They had a meal and prepared to camp out again. The evening was not so fine as the day. It had clouded over and there was no sunset to watch, and no stars to come gleaming out, one by one.

"If it rains, you'll get wet, David," said Jack. David shrugged his shoulders and said something in his singsong voice, then wrapped himself in his rug on the bare ground.

"It won't rain," said Philip, looking at the sky. "But it's much colder. Brrrrr! I'll be glad of my sleeping-bag tonight."

"Good night!" called the girls. "Sleep well."