Five Go Down to the Sea by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online

in a way, linked with the witches and brownies, the wreckers and the kil ers of long-ago days, through this old, old man.
    Yan appeared again as soon as Julian opened the tea-basket. They had now gone back to the hut, and sat outside in the sunshine, surrounded by nibbling sheep. One or two of the half-grown lambs came up, looking hot in their unshorn wool y coats. They nosed round the old shepherd, and he rubbed their wool y noses.
    „These be lambs I fed from a bottle," he explained. „They always remember. Go away now, Wool y. Cake"s wasted on you."
    Yan wolfed quite half the tea. He gave Anne a quick grin of pure pleasure, showing both his dimples at once. She smiled back. She liked this funny little boy now, and felt sorry for him. She was sure that his old Grandad didn"t give him enough to eat!
    The church bel s began to ring, and the sun was now sliding down the sky. „We must go,"
    said Julian, reluctantly. „It"s quite a long walk back. Thanks for a most interesting afternoon, Grandad. I expect you"l be glad to be rid of us now, and smoke your pipe in peace with your sheep around you."
    „Ay, I wil ," said Grandad, truthfully. „I do be one for my own company, and I likes to think my own thoughts. Long thoughts they be, too, going back nigh on a hundred years. If I wants to talk, I talks to my sheep. It"s rare and wunnerful how they listen."
    The children laughed, but Grandad was quite solemn, and meant every word he said.
    They packed up the basket, and said good-bye to the old man.
    „Well, what do you think he meant when he talked about the light stil flashing in the old tower?" said Dick, as they went over the hil s back to the farm. „What an extraordinary thing to say. Was it true, do you suppose?"
    „There"s only one way to find out!" said George, her eyes dancing. „Wait for a wild and stormy night and go and see!"
    „But what about our agreement?" said Julian, solemnly. „If anything exciting seems about to happen we turn our backs on it. That"s what we decided. Don"t you remember?"
    „Pooh!" said George.
    „We ought to keep the agreement," said Anne, doubtful y. She knew quite wel that the others didn"t think so!
    „Look! Who are all these people?" said Dick, suddenly. They were just climbing over a stile to cross a lane to another field.
    They sat on the stile and stared. Some carts were going by, open wagons, their canvas tops folded down. They were the most old-fashioned carts the children had ever seen, not in the least like gipsy caravans.
    Ten or eleven people were with the wagons, dressed in the clothes of other days! Some rode in the wagons and some walked. Some were middle-aged, some were young, but they all looked cheerful and gay.
    The children stared. After Grandad"s tales of long ago these old-time folk seemed just right! For a few moments Anne felt herself back in Grandad"s time, when he was a boy.
    He must have seen people dressed like these!
    „Who are they?" she said, wonderingly. And then the children saw red lettering painted on the biggest cart:

    THE BARNIES

    „Oh! It"s the Barnies! Don"t you remember Mrs Penruthlan tel ing us about them?" said Anne. „The strolling players, who play to the country-folk around, in the barns. What fun!"
    The Barnies waved to the watching children. One man, dressed in velvet and lace, with a sword at his side, and a wig of curly hair, threw a leaflet or two to them. They read them with interest.

    THE BARNIES ARE COMING!

    They wil sing, they wil dance, they wil fiddle.
    They wil perform plays of all kinds.
    Edith Wells, the nightingale singer.
    Bonnie Carter, the old-time dancer.
    Janie Coster and her fiddle.
    John Walters, finest tenor in the world.
    Georgie Roth - he"ll make you laugh!
    And Others.
    We also present Clopper, the Funniest Horse in the World!

    THE BARNIES ARE COMING!

    „This"l be fun!" said George, pleased. She cal ed out to the passing wagons: „Wil you be playing at Tremannon Farm?"
    „Oh, yes!" called a man with