So they cantered straight up to the little group of five caravans. Four or five men appeared as soon as they heard the sound of hooves. They looked silent and rather forbidding. Sniffer ran out and shouted.

“Hallo! Clip’s fine! Quite all right again!”

His father gave him a push and said something sharp to him. He disappeared under the nearest caravan.

Julian rode up to Sniffer’s father. “Did I hear Sniffer say that Clip was quite all right?” he asked. “Where is he?”

“Over there,” said the man, with a nod of his head. “No need for you to see him. He’s mended fine.”

“All right, all right! I’m not going to take him away from you!” said Julian. “This is a nice sheltered place you’ve got, isn’t it? How long are you staying?”

“What’s that to do with you?” said an old gypsy, unpleasantly.

“Nothing,” said Julian, surprised. “Just a polite question, that’s all!”

“How do you get water?” called George. “Is there a good spring here?”

There was no reply at all. The four or five men had now been joined by others, and there were three mangy-looking dogs growling round. Timmy was beginning to growl back.

“You’d better go before our dogs get at you,” said Sniffer’s father, sourly.

“Where’s Liz?” said George, remembering Sniffer’s dog, but before she got an answer the three dogs suddenly made an attack on Timmy! They pounced on him and he had hard work to keep them off. He was far bigger than they were, but they were nippy little things.

“Call off those dogs!” yelled Julian, seeing that George was dismounting to go to Timmy’s help. She would get bitten. “Do you hear me? Call off those dogs.”

Sniffer’s father whistled. The three dogs reluctantly left Timmy and went over to the men, their tails down. George had reached Tim and had now got her hand on his collar to stop him from chasing the other three dogs.

“Mount your horse, whistle Timmy, and we’ll go,” shouted Julian, not at all liking the silent, sour-looking gypsies. George did as she was told. Timmy ran beside her, and they all cantered away from the unpleasant camp.

The men stood watching them in complete silence. “What’s up with them?” said Dick puzzled. “Anyone would think they were planning another Bartle affair!”

“Don’t!” said Anne. “They’re planning something, all alone out here, far away from anywhere! I shan’t go near them again.”

“They thought we were prying and spying,” said Dick. “That’s all. Poor old Sniffer. What a life he has!”

“We couldn’t even tell him that we found his patrins useful,” said George. “Oh well, there’s probably nothing in it, not even an adventure!”

Was she right or wrong? Julian looked at Dick and Dick looked back, his eyebrows raised. They didn’t know. Oh well, time would tell!

Chapter Eleven

A nice little plan

The five of them told Captain and Mrs Johnson about their afternoon’s experience, as they were having supper.