"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 12 - Five Go Down to The Sea" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

Dick spoke urgently, and Julian began to feel scared too. He hesitated. Should they wade over the rocks a little way? The next wave decided him. It would be folly to do any such thing! Another wave like that and both he and Dick would be flung off the rock they were standing on!
‘Look out, here comes an even bigger one!’ yelled Julian, and the two boys leapt off their rock and raced back up the cove. Even so, the wave lapped right up to their feet.
They went back to the girls. ‘Can’t see him anywhere,’ said Julian, speaking more cheerfully than he felt. ‘The whole beach is covered with the tide now, more than covered. The lower caves are full too.’
‘He - he won’t be drowned, will he?’ said Anne, fearfully.
‘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 all 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 followed them as usual, and had hidden himself to watch them. Anne was so tremendously relieved to see him that she called 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 fellow! 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 rolled over Yan’s feet. He licked his bare knees and arms, and jumped up at him, almost knocking the boy down. Yan laughed, and fell 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 still 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’ll be sorry you gave him sweets,’ she said. ‘He’ll be round us worse than ever now.’
Yan came up after a minute or two, sucking all three sweets at once, so that his right cheek was very swollen 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 all seriously. ‘Grandad likes sweets too,’ he added, solemnly. ‘Iss. Iss, he do.’
Julian laughed. ‘All 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 will 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 pulling 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!’


Chapter Five

YAN - AND HIS GRANDAD

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!
‘Will 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 will show you the way,’ said the farmer’s wife, bustling off to her cooking. ‘I’ll 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 all 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’ll 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 unwillingly. 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 collie again, and pranced around invitingly.