There didn’t seem to be anyone about the newly-arrived vans. The doors and windows were shut. The four stood and looked curiously at them.

“There’s a big box under that nearest caravan,” said Julian. “I wonder what’s in it!”

The box was long, shallow and wide. On the sides were round holes, punched into it at intervals. George went to the caravan and bent down to look at the box, wondering if there was anything alive in it.

Timmy went with her, sniffing at the holes in curiosity. He suddenly backed away, and barked loudly. George put her hand on his collar to drag him off but he wouldn’t go with her. He barked without stopping!

A noise came from inside the box — a rustling, dry, sliding sort of noise that made Timmy bark even more frantically.

“Stop it, Timmy! Stop it!” said George, tugging at him. “Julian, come and help me. There’s something in that box that Timmy has never met before — goodness knows what — and he’s half-puzzled and half-scared. He’s barking defiance — and he’ll never stop unless we drag him away!”

An angry voice came from the bottom of the field by the stile. “Hey you! Take that dog away! What do you mean by poking into my business — upsetting my snakes!”

“Oooh — snakes!” said Anne, retiring quickly to her own caravan. “George, it’s snakes in there. Do get Timmy away.”

Julian and George managed to drag Timmy away, half-choking him with his collar, though he didn’t seem to notice this at all. The angry voice was now just behind them. George turned and saw a little dark man, middle-aged, with gleaming black eyes. He was shaking his fist, still shouting.

“Sorry,” said George, pulling Timmy harder. “Please stop shouting, or my dog will go for you.”

“Go for me! He will go for me! You keep a dangerous dog like that, which smells out my snakes and will go for me!” yelled the angry little man, dancing about like a boxer on his toes. “Ahhhhhh! Wait till I let out my snakes — and then your dog will run and run, and will never be seen again!”

This was a most alarming threat. With an enormous heave Julian, Dick and George at last got Timmy under control, dragged him up the steps of Anne’s caravan, and shut the door on him. Anne tried to quieten him, while the other three went out to the angry little man again.

He had dragged out the big, shallow box, and had opened the lid. The three watched, fascinated. What snakes had he in there? Rattlesnakes? Cobras? They were all ready to run for their lives if the snakes were as angry as their owner.

A great head reared itself out of the box, and swung itself from side to side. Two unblinking dark eyes gleamed — and then a long, long body writhed out and glided up the man’s legs, round his waist and round his neck. He fondled it, talking in a low, caressing voice.