The Circus of Adventure by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online Page A

see the brocks!’
    ‘Maybe, maybe,’ said the older man, with a twinkle in his bright eyes. He turned to the boys. ‘What are you wanting to know about the brocks?’ he said.
    ‘Well—I’d like to watch them,’ said Philip at once. ‘I’m keen on wild creatures—all kinds. I’ve not had much chance of seeing badgers, though. Where can I see them around here? We’re at Quarry Cottage.’
    ‘Ah, so that’s where you be,’ said the old man. ‘Then you’ll find old Brock not far away from you, little master. You may see him in the woods on the east side of the cottage—that’s the most likely place—or you may see him down in the old quarry. I saw a badger’s sett there—his den, you know—last year. I knew he had his hole down there by the big pile of earth he’d taken out of it.’
    ‘Yes—that’s right. He always does that,’ said Philip, wishing he could get to know this old fellow. He felt sure that he would be able to tell him many tales. ‘Well, thanks very much. We’ll watch in both places.’
    ‘There’s owls in the quarry too,’ said the old man. ‘Little owls, and barn-owls and tawnies. They go there for the rats and mice. I’ve heard them—the barn-owls—screeching their heads off. Frighten the life out of you, they do!’
    ‘I know,’ said Jack, making up his mind at once that he would go and watch in the quarry. He liked owls very much. Perhaps he could get a young one and tame it. But he’d have to be careful not to let it see Snoozy the dormouse. That would be the end of Snoozy!
    The boys walked off together, exploring the cone-shaped hill. A shout from above attracted their attention.
    ‘Jack! Philip! We’re going back in a minute. Are you coming with us, or do you want to follow sometime later?’
    ‘We’ll come now,’ shouted Jack, and he and Philip began to climb up towards the others. They found Gussy awake but scowling. He spat something out of his mouth as they came up.
    ‘Manners, manners!’ said Jack, reprovingly.
    ‘He says somebody popped bits of grass into his mouth,’ said Dinah, with a giggle. ‘So he keeps on spitting them out. Did you put them in, Jack?’
    ‘No,’ said Jack. ‘And Philip didn’t either.’
    ‘There you are!’ said Dinah, triumphantly, turning to the sulky Gussy. ‘Nobody put anything in your mouth when you were asleep. You’re just making it all up. I bet you chewed a bit of grass yourself.’
    ‘I did not,’ said Gussy. ‘It was a wicket thing to do. It nearly chocked me. I was chocked.’
    ‘Choked, you mean,’ said Lucy-Ann. ‘Well, it’s a mystery. Nobody did it—and yet you were nearly “chocked” with grass. Don’t spit any more. You can’t have any left in your mouth now.’
    Jack and Philip threw a quick look at one another. They knew quite well who had played this trick on poor Gussy. Gussy saw the look and rounded on them. ‘You know who did it! I saw you look!’
    ‘All right. We know who did it,’ said Jack. ‘A jolly good trick too. We thought of doing it ourselves, you looked so silly with your mouth wide open, snoring.’
    ‘I do not snore,’ said Gussy. ‘And tell me who did it.’
    ‘Come on,’ said Bill. ‘I expect it was old Kiki. She’s done it before—to me! Can’t you see a joke, Gus?’
    Gus suddenly exploded into his own language. He stood there, shaking his long hair back, his face scarlet, and a string of incomprehensible words coming from his mouth. Nobody understood a thing.
    Kiki was intensely interested with this string of what sounded like gibberish. She sat herself on Jack’s shoulder, near to the angry Gus, and listened intently. When he stopped for breath, she continued on her own.
    ‘Gibberollydockeryblowykettlefussy-gussy,’ she began, and poured out strings of nonsense into which she wove many of the words she knew, mixed up with ones she didn’t! Everyone roared. It sounded exactly as if Kiki was talking to Gus in his own language.
    Gus was silenced. He