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

Mrs. Evans hurried to fry bacon and eggs again, and soon the big kitchen was full of the savoury smell.

"Golly, if I stay here and smell that I shall feel hungry all over again," said Philip. "Bill, we're going up to see Trefor the shepherd to ask about our donkeys. Mother, can we have a picnic in the mountains as soon as the donkeys come?"

"Yes — when I'm sure I can keep on my donkey all right," said his mother. "If mine's a very fat donkey I shall slide off!"

"They are not fat," Effans assured her. "They are used in the mountains and they are strong and small. Sometimes we use ponies, but Trefor's brother breeds donkeys, and they are just as good."

"Well, we'll go and have a talk with Trefor," said Philip, getting up and letting Snowy fall off his knee. "Come on, everyone! Kiki, do you want to be left with the raspberries? You greedy bird!"

Kiki flew to Jack's shoulder, and the party set off up the path that Effans had pointed out to them. Snowy bounded with them, turning a deaf ear to his mother's bleats. Already he seemed one of the company, petted by them all, though Kiki was not altogether pleased to have another creature taking up so much of the children's attention.

They went up the steep little path. The sun was up higher now and was hot. The children only wore thin blouses or shirts, and shorts, but they felt very warm. They came to a spring gushing out of the hillside and sat down to drink, and cool their hands and feet. Snowy drank too, and then capered about lightly on her strong little legs, leaping from place to place almost as if she had wings.

"I wish I could leap like a goat," said Jack lazily. "It looks so lovely and easy to spring high into the air like that, and land wherever you want to."

Philip suddenly made a grab at something that was slithering past him on the warm bank. Dinah sat up at once. "What is it, what is it?"

"This," said Philip, and showed the others a silvery-grey, snake-like creature, with bright little eyes.

Dinah screamed at once. "A snake! Philip, put it down. Philip, it'll bite you."

"It won't," said Philip scornfully. "It's not a snake — and anyway British snakes don't bite unless they're adders. I've told you that before. This is a slow-worm — and a very fine specimen too!"

The children looked in fascination as the silvery slow-worm wriggled over Philip's knees. It certainly looked very like a snake, but it wasn't. Lucy-Ann and Jack knew that, but Dinah always forgot. She was so terrified of snakes that to her anything that glided along must belong to the snake family.

"It's horrible," she said with a shudder. "Let it go, Philip. How do you know it's not a snake?"

"Well — for one thing it blinks its eyes and no snake does that," said Philip. "Watch it. It blinks like a lizard — and no wonder, because it belongs to the lizard family."

As he spoke the little creature blinked its eyes. It stayed still on Philip's knee and made no further attempt to escape. Philip put his hand over it and it stayed there quite happy.

"I've never had a slow-worm for a pet," said Philip. "I've a good mind . . ."

"Philip! If you dare to keep that snake for a pet I'll tell Mother to send you home!" said Dinah in great alarm.

"Dinah, it's not a snake!" said Philip impatiently. "It's a lizard — a legless lizard — quite harmless and very interesting. I'm going to keep it for a pet if it'll stay with me."

"Stay with you! Of course it will," said Jack. "Did you ever know an animal that wouldn't? I should hate to go to a jungle with you, Philip — you'd have monkeys hanging lovingly round your neck, and tigers purring at you, and snakes wrapping themselves round your legs, and . . ."

Dinah gave a little scream. "Don't say such horrible things! Philip, make that slow-worm go away."

Instead he slipped it into his pocket. "Now don't make a fuss, Dinah," he said. "You don't need to come near me. I don't expect it will stay with me because it won't like my pocket — but I'll just see."

They set off up the hill once more, Dinah hanging back sulkily. Oh dear! Philip would go and spoil the holiday by keeping something horrible again!