“Right. Thanks awfully,” said Julian. Jock got out of Dick’s sleeping-bag and went backwards out of the tent, with Timmy obligingly licking his nose all the way. Jock then found the bag of food and rolled it in to Julian, who put it safely under the groundsheet.

“Good night,” said Jock, in a low voice, and they heard him scrambling over the heather. Timmy went with him, pleased at this unexpected visitor, and the chance of a midnight walk. Jock was glad to have the dog’s company. Timmy went right to the farm with him and then bounded back over the moorland to the camping-place, longing to pounce on the rabbits he could smell here and there, but wanting to get back to George.

In the morning Anne was amazed to find the food in her “larder” under the gorse-bush. Julian had popped it there to surprise her. “Look at this!” she cried, in astonishment. “Meat-pies — more tomatoes — eggs — golly, where did they come from?”

“Spook-train brought them in the night,” said Dick, with a grin.

“Volcano shot them up into the air,” said Mr. Luffy, who was also there. Anne threw a tea-cloth at him.

“Tell me how it came here,” she demanded. “I was worried about what to give you all for breakfast — and now there’s more than we can possibly eat. Who put it there? George, do you know?”

But George didn’t. She glanced at the smiling faces of the two boys. “I bet Jock was here last night,” she said to them. “Wasn’t he?” And to herself she said: “Yes — and somehow I think they’ve planned something together. You won’t trick me, Dick and Julian. I’ll be on the look-out from now on! Wherever you go, I go too!”

Chapter Ten

Hunt for a spook-train

That day passed pleasantly enough. The children, Timmy, and Mr. Luffy all went off to a pool high up on the moorlands. It was called “The Green Pool” because of its cucumber-green colour. Mr. Luffy explained that some curious chemicals found there caused the water to look green.

“I hope we shan’t come out looking green, too,” said Dick, getting into his bathing trunks. “Are you going to bathe, Mr. Luffy?”

Mr. Luffy was. The children expected him to be a very poor swimmer and to splash about at the edge and do very little — but to their surprise he was magnificent in the water, and could swim faster even than Julian.

They had great fun, and when they were tired they came out to bask in the sun. The high road ran alongside the green pool, and the children watched a herd of sheep being driven along, then a car or two came by, and finally a big army lorry. A boy sat beside the driver, and to the children’s surprise he waved wildly at them.

“Who was that?” said Julian astonished. “Surely he doesn’t know us?”