The Caravan Family 1945

8/19/2019 The Caravan Family 1945

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(LEFT)

The Caravan Family

1st edition, illustrated by William Fyffe

1945

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Frontis from the 1953 reprint,

illustrated by Ruth Gervis

llustrations by !illiam Fyffe

ta"en from

the 1st edition

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!$%& a happy day it 'as for (i"e,

)elinda and %nn 'hen they dis*overed t'o

empty *aravans in a field+ $o' e*ited they

'ere 'hen -addy 'ent off 'ith the farmer and

*ame ba*" to say he had really bou.ht them+

&he *hildren *ould hardly 'ait formovin./in day, but there 'as a lot to be done

before they *ould start life as the 0aravan

Family %t last everythin. 'as ready the

*aravans 'ere painted and furnished, and the

sun shone for the happy family 'hen the .reat

day arrived

&here 'ere many sunny days in store for

them, deli.htful ones, too, and in tellin. thestory of the adventures of the 0aravan Family,

nid )lyton .ives her ever/.ro'in. family of

readers another e*itin. boo"

&here are five other boo"s about (i"e,

)elinda and %nn

&$ 0%R%% F%(8 1945&$ %:08 ;% F%(8 194#

&$ <= &%R F%(8 195>

&$ %- F%(8 195>

&$ ):&&R0:< F%R( F%(8 1951

&$ ?: @%)&$ F%(8 1951

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&here is no *hildrenAs 'riter so universally beloved

as nid )lyton, no *hildrenAs boo"s so mu*h enBoyed as

hers

he holds the "ey to the *hildAs mind, no matter'hat his a.e, and *an hold him en*hanted and absorbed

as no other 'riter has ever been able to do !hat is her

se*retC <erhaps her lively ima.ination and humour, her

unerrin. simpli*ity and real understandin. of *hildren

supplies the ans'er !hatever it is, her boo"s are

perfe*t for all *hildren, *ompletely free from horror and

vul.arity, built al'ays on the soundest morals

he has *hildren of her o'n 'ho love her stories asmu*h as any other *hild

$er boo"s .o all over the 'orld, 'el*omed ea.erly

by every boy and .irl %meri*an *hildren read them,

%ustralians and outh %fri*ans 'el*ome them and the

*hildren of urope "no' her name and love her tales,

'hi*h are translated into many different lan.ua.es

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TE C!"!#!$ F!%&L'

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The

Caravan Family

y

Illustrated by

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LTTE"W"T -"E++

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4 +ETTL&$* &$ 235 *&$* T E. &$ TE C!"!#!$ 44

6 T"LE &$ TE $&*T 5

7 .!#E' !$. CL--E" 5

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9 ! L#EL' T&%E &$ TE !' 0

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12 ! W$.E"FL +"-"&+E 94

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1 "$. TE $E/T C"$E"

-%--8 had been a'ay for t'o lon. years,

and no' he 'as ba*" a.ain+ (ummy smiled

all day lon., and the three *hildren 'ere happytoo

oon -addy and (ummy be.an to tal"

about 'here they 'ere .oin. to live D!e *anAt

live 'ith Granny any more,D said -addy D !e

must have a home of our o'nD

D% dear little house in the *ountry+D said

(i"e, the eldest

D0alled 0herry 0otta.e,D said )elinda, 'ho

'as net

D%nd letAs "eep *o's,D said %nn, the

youn.estD!eAll try and find all you 'ant,D said

-addy, and he lau.hed

o they tried &hey heard of *otta.es here

and houses there, but oh dear, 'hen they 'ent

to see them, they didnAt li"e them a bit+

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D!ell, 'hatever are 'e to doCD said

(ummyD !e really *anAt all live at GrannyAs

for the rest of our lives+D&hen they found one dear little *otta.e 'ith

roses .ro'in. all the 'ay up the 'alls t 'as

set on a hill and had a lovely vie'

D !eAll have this+D said (ummy )ut the

pri*e 'as very hi.h, and -addy hadnAt enou.h

money to buy it o that 'as no .ood either

&hey *ame a'ay from the *otta.e feelin.

rather sad D!e shall never find a home,D said

(ummy, and she loo"ed so miserable that

-addy put his arm round her and .ave her a

hu.D -onAt .ive up hope+D he saidD !hy, you

may find a home round the very net *orner+D

D&hin.s li"e that donAt happen, -addy,D

said (ummy, but she lau.hed

D 'onder 'hatAs round the net *orner,Dsaid )elinda D t 'ould be funny if -addyAs

'ords *ame true+D

D !eAll see 'hat houses there are 'hen 'e

*ome to the net *orner,D said (i"e o they

all loo"ed hard 'hen they *ame to it

&here 'ere no houses to be seen at allE

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only t'o old *aravans, set in the *orner of

the field+

D&heyAre empty,D said (i"e D0an .etover the .ate and

have a loo" at them,

-addyC Ave never

seen a *aravan really

*lose toD

&he three *hil/

dren *limbed over

the .ate, 'hile

(ummy and -addy

leaned a.ainst it,

'aitin. %nn 'asthe first at the

*aravans D&here are

steps to .o up into

them,D she *ried

Dhall 'e .o upC&hereAs no one

here+D

)ut the doors 'ere lo*"ed &he *hildren

*ouldnAt .et inside &hey stood on one of the

'heels and peeped throu.h a 'indo'

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D&heyAre uite bi. inside+D said )elinda

Doo"+EthatAs 'here the stove isEand the

smo"e *omes out of the little *himney/thin. atthe top tAs a'fully dirty inside, thou.hD

&he *hildren had a .ood loo" at the t'o

*aravans &hey had on*e been painted a .ay

yello' and blue, but no' the paint 'as dull

and *ra*"ed &he shafts into 'hi*h horses had

on*e been ba*"ed, to pull the *aravans alon.,

slanted to the .round, and there 'ere no horses

to be seen

D$o' 'ish we lived in a *aravan+D said

%nn, lon.in.ly D;ust thin" of it, (i"e+ !hen

'e .ot tired of livin. in one pla*e, 'e *ould put in the horses and .o off to another+D

D% house on 'heels+D said )elinda D(i"e

E'hy shouldn't 'e live in a *aravanC %fter

allE'e *anAt .et a house+D

DetAs .o and as" -addy+D said (i"e, andthe three of them sped off to the .ate

D-addy+ -addy+ !hy *anAt 'e live in a

*aravanCD *ried )elinda D!hy *anAt 'eC -o

you suppose these 'ould be for saleCD

-addy and (ummy lau.hed D ive in a

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Caravan! =h no, darlin., 'e *ouldnAt do

thatD

D)ut 'hy notCD said %nn D *an thin" ofall sorts of .ood reasons 'hy 'e should, and

not a sin.le reason 'hy 'e shouldnAt+D

D0ouldnAt 'e live in a *aravan for the

summerEBust till

'e find a houseCD

said (i"e, sud/

denly D t 'ould be

a "ind of holiday,

(ummy E and you

did say youAd li"e to

.o off for a holiday,a lon. one, no'

-addy is home

a.ainD

D!ell,D said

(ummy and -addyto.ether, and loo"ed

at one another %

holidayEin

*aravans /Bust till

they

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*ould find a houseC t 'asnAt a bad idea at

all+

% bi. burly man *ame 'al"in. alon. thelane -addy spo"e to him DGood afternoon+

0ould you tell us if these *aravans are for

saleCD

D&hey are,D said the farmer D&hey belon.

to me bou.ht them off some .ipsies last

year !hy, do you 'ant themC 8ou *an have

them *heapD

uddenly everyone felt very e*ited &he

*aravans 'ere for saleE*heap+ =h -addy,

-addy, do buy them, thou.ht all the *hildren,

loo"in. at him 'ith bi. eyesD!ellEAll *ome alon. and tal" to you

about them,D said -addy %nd he 'ent alon.

'ith the farmer

!ill you believe it CE'hen he *ame ba*",

he had bou.ht both the *aravans+ &he *hildrenhun. on to his arms, lau.hin. and shoutin. in

e*itement

D=h -addy+ &heyAre ours, theyAre really

ours+ !hen *an 'e move inC =h, our ne'

home was Bust round the *orner after all+D

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D&he *aravans 'ill have to be 'ell

*leaned, repaired and re/painted,D said

-addy D&hat 'ill ta"e three 'ee"s %nd'e must buy t'o horses (y .oodnessE

'eAre .oin. to have some fun+D

D !e shall be the 0aravan Family+D said

)elinda D !hat adventures 'e shall have+D

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0 TE TW C!"!#!$+

GR%8 held up her hands in horror

'hen she heard that -addy had bou.ht t'o

*aravans

D(y dear\" she said, D'hat can you bethin"in. ofC -onAt do a thin. li"e that 8ou

*an stay 'ith me for al'aysD

Do, Granny dear,D said (ummy D8ou

have had enou.h of three noisy *hildren in

your little house 8ou deserve a little pea*eand uiet no' !e shall

be very happy in the

*aravansD

=f *ourse, Granny

had to .o and see them

he thou.ht they 'eredreadful D8ouAll live li"e

.ipsies,D she said D *anAt

bear itD

D0ome inside

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and have a loo",D said )elinda, slippin.

her hand into GrannyAs -addy had the "eys

no', so the *aravans *ould be unlo*"edGranny and )elinda 'ent up the steps to the

door of the *aravan t 'as a funny door 8ou

*ould open all of it at on*e if you 'anted toE

or you *ould open Bust the top half and leave

the bottom half shut

DsnAt it a .ood ideaCD said )elinda to

Granny D one of your doors open li"e that,

Granny o'

see 'hat a lot

of room there is

inside this*aravan &his

'ill be

(ummyAs and

-addyAsD

Grannyloo"ed round

he sa' 'hat

loo"ed li"e a

bi. 'ide room,

'ith

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t'o little 'indo's at the front, and a

bi..er 'indo' do'n ea*h side &here 'ere no

*urtains, of *ourse &here 'as an old stove atone end and a very old and dirty sin", 'ith

taps

DGood .ra*ious+D said Granny D8ou *an

even have runnin. 'ater didnAt "no' thatE

and *oo" too !ell, 'ell, 'ellEit really mi.ht

be rather e*itin.D

D-addy is havin. t'o bun"s made on this

side Bust li"e a ship has,D said )elinda D =ne,

the lo'er one, *an be used as a *ou*h in the

day/time, and the other 'ill fold do'n flat

a.ainst the 'all, and be out of the 'ayDGranny be.an to .et e*ited Dt could be

made very ni*e,D she said, Dyes, very ni*e 8ou

*an have *upboards or lo*"ers built a.ainst the

'alls to "eep your thin.s in <retty *urtains at

the 'indo's % flap/table built a.ainst the'all, that lets do'n flat 'hen you donAt 'ant

it Gay ru.s on the floorEand thi*" *or"

*arpet underneath to "eep out the *old and

dampD

D%ll this sounds as if it 'ould *ost rather a

lot of money,D said (ummy, *omin. in too

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D shall help you,D said Granny, at on*e D

didnAt li"e this *aravan ideaEbut if you are set

on it, 'eAll do everythin. as ni*ely as possible shall help you+D

!ell, of *ourse, that made thin.s more

e*itin. than ever, for GrannyAs ideas of

helpin. 'ere very .enerous he too" the

*hildren shoppin. 'ith her, and they *hose .ay

blue and yello' ru.s for their *aravan floor,

and a very .ay pie*e of stuff for *urtains

Granny .ot them blue and yello' blan"ets for

their bun"s and a blue eiderdo'n ea*h

DAm simply =GG to live in our *ara/

van+D said (i"e, hoppin. about D *anAt 'ait&hree 'ee"s is a terribly lon. timeD

t 'as )ut there 'as a .reat deal to do

&'o men arrived one day to repair the

*aravans &hey put a ne' 'heel on one &hey

mended the *himney of the other &hey too"out the old stoves ready for ne' ones to be put

in &hey mended the rotten old floorboards

Dverythin. is all ri.ht no', sir,D they said

to -addy D!e *an .et on 'ith the *leanin.

and paintin.D

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&hen 'hat a to/do there 'as, *leanin. the

*aravans &hey 'ere s*rubbed 'ell, even the

'heels &hen they 'ere ready for the paintin.D!hat *olours shall 'e haveCD said -addy

DRed,D said (i"e

D Green,D said )elinda

D)lue, yello', oran.e and 'hite,D said

%nn

Dilly+D said (i"e D(ummy, 'hat do you

'antCD

D etAs have yello' and red,D said (ummy

D 8ello' for the sun that 'e hope 'ill shine

do'n on us this summer, and red for the roses

it 'ill put into your *hee"sDD=h yes,D said the *hildren DRed and

yello'+D

o red and yello' it 'as &he men let

(ummy *hoose the *olours and she *hose a

ladybird red, deep and *lear he *hose a*reamy yello'

&hen the men be.an the paintin. &hey

painted the *aravans yello', 'ith red round

the 'indo's, and a red ed.e to the roof &he

*himneys 'ere red and yello' and the spo"es

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and rims of the 'heels 'ere painted red

&he door 'as yello', and the shafts 'ere blue

D &he *aravans loo" lovely, lovely,lovely+D *ried %nn D =h -addy, oh (ummy,

arenAt they the finest homes in the 'orld CD

D !e shall have to live in them before 'e

say that+D said (ummy, lau.hin. Do' 'e

must have the

stoves and sin"s

put in &hey are

ready to be done

to/morro'D

(en *ame the

net day, and put afine little "it*hen/

ran.e in (ummyAs

*aravan, one that

'ould both *oo"

the meals and heatthe *aravan )ut in

the *hildrenAs

*aravan 'as put a

*losed stove, for

heatin. only

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D Ad li"e to *oo",D 'ailed )elinda, but

(ummy said no, she 'ould be the only one

doin. the *oo"in.+D)ut Ad li"e to *oo" the ba*on and e..s,

and put mil" puddin.s into the oven+D said

)elinda D =h, (ummy, do let us have a stove

that *oo"s, in our *aravan+ 8ou al'ays said

that must learn to *oo" some day+D

D8esEbut not in your *aravan+D said

(ummy D 8ou *an *ome and help me *oo" in

mine if you 'ant to+D

D &heyAre ready to live in no' !hen *an

'e move in, -addy, say 'henCD *ried (i"e

Det 'ee",D said -addyD =h, simply *anAt 'ait till then+D *ried

%nn )ut she had to, of *ourse+

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2 %#&$*&$ .!'

%& last movin./in day *ame &he *hildren

a'o"e at GrannyAs very, very

early t 'as a fine day &hat 'as .ood

obody li"es movin. on a rainy day

&here 'as very little for the family to ta"e

to the *aravans, e*ept trun"s of *lothes,

boo"s and toys, for almost everythin. 'as no'

at the *aravans

(en had laid a thi*" *or" *arpet of dar"

red on the 'ooden boards of ea*h *aravan,runnin. it a little 'ay up the 'alls, to "eep out

drau.hts =n top of this 'ere the .ay ru.s the

*hildren had *hosen

D do love the t'o little sin"s,D said (i"e,

rememberin. them D)elinda, did you see the bi. tan" near the roof, 'here 'e "eep the

'ater C &hen 'hen 'e turn the taps, the 'ater

*omes out of them Bust as it does here at

GrannyAsD

D&hereAs a bi. tan" under the *aravan

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too,D said %nn D sa' it !e have to "eep

that full of 'ater as 'ell, and thereAs a handle

thin. 'e have to 'or" 'hen 'e 'ant to pumpthe 'ater up into our roof tan"D

D&here are three lovely bun"s for us in our

*aravan,D said (i"e D shall have the bottom

one be*ause Am the eldest 8ou have the

middle one, )elinda, be*ause you are the net

oldest %nd %nn *an have the top oneD

D=h, shall li"e that,D said %nn, pleased D

*an *limb ri.ht up to it ea*h ni.ht $o'

lovely+D

-addy hired a *ar 'ith a trailer to ta"e the

little family do'n to the pla*e 'here the*aravans 'ere nto the trailer 'ere put the bi.

trun"s, and all the odds and endsEa fe'

*hairs, one or t'o stools, (ummyAs 'or"/

stand, a fe' pi*tures, some etra ru.s, and

thin.s li"e that &here 'as a bo full of *hina,too, and *oo"in. thin.s

Granny 'aved .ood/bye DAll *ome and

have tea 'ith you net 'ee",D she said D8ouAll

have settled in by then+D

DGood/bye, .ood/bye+D *alled the 0ara/

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van Family, and the *ar drove off, the

trailer Boltin. alon. behind it

DAm the happiest person in the 'orld,D said%nn, her round fa*e red 'ith Boy D Am .oin.

to live in a house on 'heels+D

&he *hildren *ould hardly 'ait till the *ar

arrived at the *aravans )ut at last they

'ere there

%nd there 'ere the *aravans, standin.

in the

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field *orner, loo"in. so ne' and .ay, in

their *oats of red and yello'+ &he *hildren

tumbled out of the *ar to open the .ate, and the*ar and trailer bumped slo'ly over the rou.h

field, and *ame to a stop near the t'o

*aravans

-addy .ave (i"e the "eys, and the boy

sped off to unlo*" the doors &here 'as rather

a stron. smell of ne' paint, but that 'ould

soon pass off (i"e peeped into the *aravans

'ith deli.ht

$o' simply lovely they loo"edEso shin/

in. and spotless and .ay+ (i"eAs heart Bumped

'ith Boy !hat dear little homes to have+)elinda loo"ed in too, and .ave a .asp of

deli.ht

D%renAt the bun"s lovely 'ith their blue and

yello' beddin.+ %nd loo" at our sin" 'ith its

t'o bri.ht taps+ %nd donAt you love the .ayru.s on the floorC %nd oh look,(i"e+E-addy

has "ept his promise and had shelves made for

our boo"s !onAt they loo" lovely arran.ed

thereCD

&he .ay *urtains flapped in the 'ind, as

)elinda opened the 'indo's &he s'eet

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summer air *ame blo'in. in, and the sound

of the 'hisperin. trees

D0ome and help, (i"e and )elinda+D *alled-addy, from the trailer D)rin. in

some of the *hairs (ummy and 'ill brin.the boesD

t 'as the .reatest fun in the 'orld,

unpa*"in. everythin. and findin. a pla*e for it

in the *aravan &here 'ere bi. *upboards flat

and lon., in ea*h *aravan, set 'ith shelves

(ummy and )elinda

33



arran.ed the *hina in one of the *upboards

in (ummyAs o'n *aravan

(i"e and )elinda arran.ed their boo"s onthe shelves, and put their toys into a lo*"er

&hen they helped to unpa*" *lothes and put

those neatly into the *upboards too

Do',D said (ummy, Dthere is one thin.

'e shall all have to remember, espe*ially

(i"e, 'ho is so untidyE'e must remember to

put everythin. a'ay tidily &he rule 'hen you

are livin. in a *aravan is that everythin. has a

pla*e, and must be "ept thereD

D8es, (i"e *anAt leave his *lothes about or

theyAll be trodden on,D said )elinda D(ummy,'e promise to "eep our *aravan neat and tidy

and *leanD

D =h yes E'eAll sha"e the mats and polish

the *or" *arpet, and "eep the sin" *lean, and

*lean the 'indo's too+D said %nnDGranny 'ill be very surprised if you turn

into su*h useful, helpful little people+D said

(ummy D he 'as al'ays sayin. you didnAt

do enou.h for yourselves !ell, no' that you

have a *aravan of your very o'n, Bust see 'hat

you *an do+D

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%t last all the boes and trun"s 'ere un/

pa*"ed, the *hairs and stools .iven a pla*e, the

toys arran.ed, and a fe' vases set about the*aravans

DAll fill them 'ith flo'ers,D said %nn D=h,

(ummy, 'onAt it be lovely to sleep in our

*aravans C Am really lon.in. for bedtime+D

35



4 +ETTL&$* &$

&$ first meal of the 0aravan Family 'as

very e*itin. (ummy li.hted her little fire,

and it burned beautifully

D (i"eAs Bob 'ill be to see that 'e al'ays

have plenty of 'ood to burn,D said (ummy

(i"e thou.ht that 'ould be fine &hin.s li"ethat didnAt seem li"e 'or" &hey Bust seemed

fun

(ummy set her "ettle on the bri.ht fire to

boil %nn s"ipped do'n the *aravan steps to

see if the smo"e 'as *omin. out of the littlered *himney

Dt is, it is+D she *ried D0ome and see+ t

does loo" ni*eD

&he others lau.hed, but they 'ent to see

the smo"e *omin. out of the *himney, all the

same Do' the *aravan loo"s alive+D said

)elinda DtAs breathin. &he smo"e is its

breath+D

(ummy sent %nn to the farm to as" for

e..s he *ame ba*" 'ithout them

36



D &here are bi. .eese there,D she said D&hey

hissed at meD

D%nn *anAt say A)o+A to a .oose+D said(i"e, and he too" his little sisterAs hand

D 0ome

on,

)aby

All say

A)=+A,li"e

that,

very

loudly,

and

the

.eese

'ill let

us .o

by+D

o,'hen

they

*ame to

the

.eese,

37



'ho raised their heads on their lon. ne*"s,

and hissed, (i"e fa*ed them boldly D )=+D he

said Det us passD%nd the .eese, 'ho 'ould not have hurt

them, anyho', 'addled off, *a*"lin. (i"e and

%nn 'ent to the farmhouse, and the farmerAs

'ife .ave them t'elve e..s

D aid by my ni*e bro'n hens+D she said to

%nn Doo"E'ould you li"e to see a .oosee..CD

he sho'ed %nn an enormous e..

DGoodness+D said %nn D&hat 'ould do for my

brea"fast, dinner and tea+ &he .eese 'onAt hurt

me, 'ill theyCD

D)less you, no+D said the farmerAs 'ife

D&heir hissin. and *a*"lin. is their 'ay of

tal"in. to youD

D donAt li"e your *o's either,D said %nn

D&hey have sharp hornsD

D They 'onAt hurt you+D said the farmerAs'ife D 0o's are your friendsD

D donAt thin" they are, really,D said %nn D

&hey moo at me so loudlyD

D!ell, bi. animals have bi. voi*es,D said the

farmerAs 'ife, lau.hin. D&he *o's .ive you

your mil" and butter and *heese

3#



39



8ou *ome alon. here one day, and All

sho' you ho' to mil" a *o'D

D *ould never do that+D said %nn, feelin.uite s*ared

D %h, if you live in the *ountry, you must

learn .ood *ountry 'ays+D said the farmerAs

'ife Do', ta"e your e..s, and tell your

mother if she 'ants any mil" to/morro' to let

me "no'D

(ummy boiled the e..s for tea )elinda

*ut bread/and/butter -addy ran do'n to the

little villa.e to buy a *a"e

(i"e set a blue table*loth out on the .reen

.rass !hite daisies .re' all round, theiryello' eyes loo"in. at the *hildren

D&his is the ni*est meal have ever had,D

said )elinda, Dand itAs the ni*est e.. Ave ever

tasted 'ish *ould have anotherD

D!ell, you *an,D said (ummy D&here are plenty Goodness me, )elinda, 'ish Granny

*ould see you eatin. li"e this he 'as al'ays

so upset be*ause she said you played 'ith your

food instead of eatin. itD

4>



D!ell, Am hun.ry no',D said )elinda

D<erhaps people are hun.rier 'hen they live in

the *ountry than 'hen they live in a to'n,(ummyD

%fter tea, )elinda 'anted to 'ash up

(ummy 'as surprised D)ut you hate 'ashin.

up,D she said D8ou 'ere uite a nau.hty .irl

at GrannyAs, tryin. to .et out of Bobs li"e thatD

D !ell, itAs su*h a ni*e little sin", and do

'ant to turn on the *aravan taps,D said

)elinda D8our fire ma"es the 'ater hot in the

tan", doesnAt it, (ummyC *an .et hot 'ater

and *oldD

o )elinda 'ashed up, and enBoyed turn/in. on the taps and seein. the 'ater rush out

into the bri.ht little sin"

&hen they all sat on the *aravan steps and

enBoyed the evenin. air &he sun 'as sin"in.

&he shado's of the trees .re' lon.er andlon.er &he daisies *losed their eyes % bat

fle' *lose by, and )elinda suealed

D-onAt be silly,D said -addy DtAs only a

bat f you live in the *ountry you must learn

to li"e and understand the *ountry

41



*reatures, )elindaEyes, even bats and

beetles, mi*e and ear'i.s+D

D=h, never *ould,D said )elindaDtAs be*ause you donAt "no' enou.h about

them that you are afraid of them,D said -addy

D8ou 'ill have to learn a lot out hereEand it

'ill be very .ood for you, )elinda+D

%nn suddenly ya'ned, and (ummy sa'

her

D)ed/time+D she said DGo alon., you t'o

.irls Get undressed, *lean your teeth, and

brush your hair 'ell Give me a *all 'hen you

are safely in your bun"s (i"e *an stay up till

youAre ready, as he is the eldestD%nd, for on*e in a 'ay, no one made any

fuss about .oin. to bed %h, .oin. to bed in

bun"s in a *aravan, 'ith the .reen fields

outside, and *o's pullin. at the .rassEthat

'as fun, .reat fun+D$urrah for bed/time+D said %nn, and

s"ipped up the steps li"e a 'ee"/old lamb+

)elinda hurried after her, Bust as anious to

.o to bed as %nn

D-onAt be lon.+D shouted (i"e DtAs

42



so e*itin. to .o to bed in a *aravanE

*an hardly 'ait -onAt be lon.+D

D!e shanAt be very ui*"+D *alled ba*")elinda D!eAre .oin. to enBoy every sin.le

minuteEarenAt 'e, %nnCD

43



5 *&$* T E. &$ TEC!"!#!$

& really 'as fun .oin. to bed in the

*aravan &he t'o .irls undressed and 'ashed&hey *leaned their teeth at the little sin", and

then they brushed their hair 'ell

&hey had to .ive their hair one hundred

stro"es 'ith the brush, be*ause (ummy had

said that made it ni*e and shiny &hen theysaid their prayers, "neelin. do'n beside

(i"eAs bun"

D said a bi. than" you to God for our

lovely *aravan,D said %nn DtAs funny, Ave

often prayed to God for lots of little thin.s

'anted, and $e didnAt .ive them to meE butthe loveliest thin. of all thatAs happened to me,

'hi*h is havin. a *aravan, didnAt even as"

$im forD

D <erhaps the little thin.s you thou.ht you

'anted 'ouldnAt have been .ood for you,D

44



said )elinda 'isely D%nd perhaps livin. in

a *aravan will be .ood for you 8ou may learn

to li"e *o's, for instan*e, and .eeseDD%nd you may learn not to sueal at bats+D

%nn ans'ered

ba*" D!ell,

donAt *are ho'

.ood a *aravan

'ill be for me,

Am .oin. to

enBoy every

minute %re you

ready for bed C

8ouAd better *allfor (i"eD

D(i"e,

'eAre ready+D

shouted )elinda,

puttin. her head out of

the 'indo'DAll *ome and tu*" you up later,D *alled

(ummy, as (i"e ran to his *aravan

%nn had *limbed up into the top bun" t

'as simply lovely to lie there, in the funny,

narro' little bed, and loo" out of

45



the 'indo' on the opposite side %nn

*ould see a bi. red and 'hite *o' there

)elinda 'as no' in the middle bun", andshe pulled the blue and yello' blan"et round

her he boun*ed up and do'n a little &he

bun" 'as uite sprin.y and *omfortable

(i"e didnAt ta"e lon. in .ettin. ready for

bed $e 'as soon in the bottom bun" %ll the

'indo's 'ere open, and the *urtains ble' in

the breee =ne of the taps dripped a little and

made a plin"/plon" sound % *o' moo/ed

DtAs lovely,D said )elinda Do e*itin.

$allo, (ummy+Ehere 'e all are, *uddled up

in our bun"sD(ummy tu*"ed them up and "issed them

he had to stand on the side of (i"eAs bun" to

.et to %nn

D-onAt fall out, darlin., 'ill youCD she said

D8ouAd .et uite a bump if you didD(ummy shut one of the front 'indo's,

be*ause the 'ind ble' strai.ht on to the

bun"s, and she 'as afraid there 'as too mu*h

drau.ht )ut she left the others 'ide open and

did not dra' the *urtains a*ross, be*ause the

*hildren be..ed her not to

46



D do li"e loo"in. at the trees 'avin., and

the *o's, and the birds that sometimes flya*ross,D said )elinda

D!ho has left the tap drippin.CD said

(ummy, hearin. the plin"/plon" of the drops

fallin. into the sin" D o' thatAs very silly,

isnAt itC 8ou "no' there is only Bust so mu*h

'ater in the tan"Eand by the time the

mornin. *ame the tan" 'ould be uite empty,

and you 'ould have to fill it a.ain % lot of

trouble for nothin.+D

Dorry, (ummy,D said (i"e D 'as

47



the last at the little sin" *an see 'eAll

have to be very *areful and tidy here+D

D 'ish it 'as 'inter/time and 'e *ouldhave a fire in our little stove,D said %nn

D!ell, Am .oin. to let my fire out at

on*e+D said (ummy D t ma"es our *aravan

too hot o', .o to sleep, all of you+D

)ut 'ho *ould .o to sleep ui*"ly on their

first ni.ht in a *aravanC ot (i"e, )elinda or

%nn+ &hey lay and tal"ed

D *an see a *o' *he'in. the *ud,D said

(i"e D8ou donAt "no' 'hat that means, do

you, %nnC !ell, the *o' pulls at .rass and

s'allo's itEthen she brin.s it ba*" into hermouth, later, and *he's it 'hen she 'ants toD

D 'ish *ould do that 'ith toffees,D said

%nn D&heyAd last a lon. time then &here .oes

a bat+ heard it suea"+D

D8ou must have sharp ears+D said (i"e Dots of people *anAt hear the suea" of a bat,

you "no' 'ish one 'ould *ome in throu.h

the 'indo', then 'e *ould see it *lose toD

)elinda .ave a 'ail D-onAt say thin.s li"e

that+ 8ou "no' hate batsD

4#



D&hatAs be*ause youAre Bust silly,D said

(i"e D&heyAre dear little thin.s, reallyE li"e

tiny mi*e 'ith 'in.sD&he *hildren lay for a lon. time listenin.

to the evenin. sounds &hey heard a man

*allin. to another in the distan*e t 'as the

farmer shoutin. to one of his men

&hen they heard a do. bar"in. &he li.ht

slo'ly faded and dar"ness be.an to *reep into

the *aravan

D=h listen, do listen+D suddenly said (i"e,

in a lo' voi*e D!hatAs that sin.in.C =h, isnAt

it marvellousCD

DtAs fairy musi*+D said %nn, sittin. up indeli.ht

DtAs a ni.htin.ale+D said )elinda (ummy

put her head in at the *aravan door and

'hispered

D%re you *hildren asleepC 0an you hearthe ni.htin.aleEand no' thereAs anotherCD

!ith the loud trillin. son. of the ni.htin/

.ale in their ears, the *hildren at last fell

asleep D$o' lu*"y 'e are+D 'as )elindaAs last

thou.ht D$o' lu*"y 'e are to have

ni.htin.ales to sin. us to sleep+A

49



3 T"LE &$ TE $&*T

(:((8 and -addy 'ere asleep in the

front *aravan &he *hildren 'ere all asleep in

theirs =utside, in the ni.ht, the ni.htin.ales

still san.Enot one or t'o no', but doens ofthem

)elinda dreamt of musi*al/boes as she

slept &hen suddenly she a'o"e 'ith a Bump

%t first she *ould not remember 'here she

'as &hen she "ne' =f *ourse, she 'as in the*aravan+ he sat up in her bun" !hat *ould

have 'a"ened herC

he heard a stran.e .runtin. noise outside,

and then somethin. bumped a.ainst the

*aravan and shoo" it violently &hen there

*ame a harsh rubbin. sound)elinda 'as fri.htened !hatever *ould it

be C he *alled softly to (i"e

D(i"e+ (i"e+ !a"e up+ thin" thereAs

someone tryin. to .et into our *aravan+ =h,

(i"e, do 'a"e up+D

5>



(i"e did 'a"e up, and so

did %nn &hey sat up in their

bun"s, and 'hen %nn heardthe ueer noises, and felt the

*aravan sha"in., she be.an to

*ry

D 'ant (ummy+ !hat is

itC Am afraidD

DtAs all ri.ht, %nn,D said

(i"e DAll .o and see 'ho it

isD

(i"e 'as Bust as afraid as the others, but

he "ne' that a boy must al'ays loo" after his

sisters o he s'un. his le.s out of his bun",and 'as Bust about to stand up 'hen somethin.

ban.ed a.ainst the *aravan at the front

D=h, itAs .one round to the front no',D

'ailed %nn D=h ui*", )elinda, shut the

'indo' in *ase it *omes in+DDAll peep out of the 'indo' and see if

*an spot anythin.,D said (i"e Df itAs a robber,

All yell for (ummy and -addyD

$e stu*" his head *autiously out of the

front 'indo', and dre' it ba*" a.ain at on*e

51



Domethin. breathed hard at me,D he said

D heard it,D said %nn D=h, there must be

thin.s all round the *aravan no'EitAs bein. bumped from every side+D

o it 'as )umpEthudEbumpEbiff+ %nn

*lun. to the sides of her bun", and opened her

mouth to yell

)efore she *ould yell an enormous noise

boomed into the *aravan, and %nn almost fell

out of her bun"

(i"e suddenly roared 'ith lau.hter D tAs

all ri.ht, .irls,D he said DtAs the *o's+D

D Cows! D said )elinda, indi.nantly D !hat

are they tryin. to .et into the *aravan forCDD&heyAre not,D said (i"e D&heyAre Bust

inuisitive, thatAs all suppose they didnAt li"e

to *ome and peep round 'hen 'e 'ere all

aboutEbut no' that itAs dar" and uiet theyAve

*ome to see 'here 'eAve .ot toD% *o' rubbed itself hard a.ainst a *orner of

the *aravan, and it shoo" a little &hen another

*o' bumped a.ainst it

"Well!" said %nn, *rossly D do thin" they

are bad *o's, *omin. and 'a"in. us

52



up li"e this %re they .oin. to bump into

our *aravan all ni.htCD

Do,D said (i"e, Dbe*ause Am .oin. to *hasethem a'ay+D

$e opened the door of the *aravan, slipped

do'n the steps, and met a surprised *o' fa*e to

fa*e in the starlit dar"ness

D (oo+D said the *o', startled, and ba*"ed

a'ayDo' you .et a'ay from our *aravan,

please,D said (i"e, firmly DGo alon.+ 8es, and

you too %nd is that another *o' there C !ell,

.et a'ay, all of you, and donAt *ome ba*" a.ain

till mornin. !e 'ant to .o to sleepD

&he startled *o's lumbered off to the other

side of the field, 'here they stood for a lon.

time thin"in. about (i"e and his sudden

appearan*e (i"e 'ent ba*" into the *aravan

D8ouAre very brave,D said %nn, in .reat

admiration D&hey mi.ht have put their hornsinto youD

DtAs only bulls that do that, silly,D said (i"e,

.ettin. into his bun" a.ain D say, are you .irls

hotC hall leave the door of the *aravan openC

53



D=h no" said )elinda D!hy, the *o's

mi.ht all *ome 'al"in. in+D

o the door 'as shut, and the *hildrensoon fell asleep a.ain &hey slept soundly

)elinda a'o"e first, and lay laily loo"in. out

of the 'indo'

D tAs lovely to .o to sleep in a *aravan+D

she thou.ht D )ut itAs even lovelier to 'a"e up

in one+D

he slipped out and opened the door he

sat on the topmost step in her ni.htie, hu..in.

her "nees % nearby thrush san. to her

D;u/dee, ;u/dee, ;u/dee+D

D&hatAs not my name,D said )elinda D(yname is )elinda, not ;udyD

&he *o's 'ere all lyin. do'n no',

*he'in. the *ud &he trees 'hispered se*rets

to.ether, standin. *hee" to *hee" % nearby

stream made a .ur.lin. sound D&he 'orldloo"s so *lean and fresh and ne',D thou.ht

)elinda, Dand the .rass is all silvery 'ith de'

&he farm do. is up, and so are the birdsEand

thereAs a bee too, flyin. to find some honey

&he bee is our friend too must tell %nn thatD

54



omeone loo"ed out of the 'indo' of the

other *aravan t 'as (ummy D$allo,

)elinda+D she *ried D%re you enBoyin. this

beautiful mornin. C $urry up and dress, and

you *an help me to *oo" brea"fast+D

)elinda didnAt 'a"e the others he dressed

ui*"ly and ran to help (ummy oon a smellof ba*on and e..s fryin. *rept over the t'o

*aravans

D)rea"fast, laybones, brea"fast+D *ried

)elinda, loo"in. in at the open door of her

*aravan, and 'a"in. up (i"e and %nn 'ith

55



a Bump D0ome on, do hurry up Ave been

up for simply ages+D

D8ou might have 'o"en us up too+D said(i"e, as he and %nn s*rambled into their

*lothes D!e donAt 'ant to miss a sin.le

minute of this *aravan holidayD

56



.!#E' !$. CL--E"

&$ happy summer days 'ent by &he

*hildren .re' used to a *aravan life, and

be*ame as bro'n as ripe a*orns (i"e

*olle*ted 'ood every day for his motherAs fire,and sta*"ed it neatly under the *aravan for her

)elinda and %nn *arried 'ater from the

farmerAs 'ell to pour into the tan" under the

*aravan -addy pumped it from there into the

roof tan" 'hen it 'as needed

(ummy 'ent do'n to the villa.e to shop,

and the *hildren often 'ent 'ith her to help

*arry ba*" the thin.s )elinda and %nn tidied

their *aravan every day, *leaned the little sin",

and shoo" the mats

D8ou are really .ood, useful *hildren no',Dsaid (ummy, pleased D%nd the holiday is

doin. us all .oodD

)ut one day the 0aravan Family .ot a

sho*" &he farmer *ame to -addy and said -

57



he 'as very sorry, but he 'ould have to

ta"e the field they 'ere in for t'o of his bulls

D&his is the only field 'ith a really stron.

fen*in. round it,D he said D =ne of my bulls

5#



is su*h a bad/tempered fello' must put

him some'here safe no' o Am afraid must

as" you to .oD%nn burst into tears D!e *anAt .o, 'e

*anAt+D she said D !e havenAt any horses to

ta"e us %nd the *aravans are too heavy for us

to pull ourselvesD

D&hatAs all ri.ht,D said -addy to the farmer

D didnAt mean to stay here all the summer,

anyho' !hatAs the .ood of havin. a house on

'heels if you stay in the same pla*e all the

time C !e 'ant a bit of adventure+D

%nn dried her eyes &hat sounded lovely,

she thou.ht D)ut 'hat about horses, -addyCDshe said

D *an sell you t'o,D said the farmer D =r

if you donAt li"e 'hat Ave .ot to sell you, you

*an .o to the net farm and loo" at the horses

there 8ou 'ant stron., uiet horses for*aravansD

%ll the 0aravan Family 'ent to loo" at the

horses the farmer had to sellEand they loved

them at on*e+

D&his is -avey,D said the farmer, pattin. a

stron. little horse 'ith a 'hite star on its

59



forehead D8ou *ould let the *hildren ride

on him, heAs so .oodD

(i"e beamed $e had al'ays lon.ed torideEand no' he 'ould be able to+

D%nd this is 0lopper,D said the farmer,

pattin. another horse, dar" bro'n and 'hite D

ot uite so .ood/tempered as -avey here, but

a .ood horse, and stron.D

-addy "ne' uite a lot about horses $e

made the farmer trot them round and about

6>



$e loo"ed at their teeth $e mounted

-avey and rode him round the field

&hen he and the farmer bar.ained to.etherover the pri*e -addy "ne' 'hat he *ould

afford to pay, and he 'ouldnAt .o any hi.her

than that n the end he .ot the horses for the

money he had, and he and (i"e led -avey and

0lopper proudly to the *aravans

Do' 'eAve .ot t'o horses of our o'n+D

said %nn, in deli.ht D-avey, do li"e you

%nd 0lopper, your bi. sha..y feet ma"e a

noise li"e your nameD

D!hen are 'e .oin.CD said (i"e, 'ho,

no' that they had horses, 'as lon.in. to be.one D&o/morro'C %nd 'here are 'e .oin.CD

D donAt "no' 'here+D said -addy,

lau.hin. D!hat do you thin", (ummyC $ave

you any idea 'here you 'ant to .oCD

DetAs .o to my brotherAs farm, the*hildrenAs :n*le ed,D said (ummy, sud/

denly D tAs almost hayma"in. time, and the

*hildren 'ill love that &hey *an help %nd

maybe -avey and 0lopper *ould help too

61



&hey *ould pull the ma*hine that *uts the

.rass+D

D=h (ummyE;o letAs .o to :n*le edAs+D*ried the *hildren, 'ho had never been there

D!eAll help in the hayma"in. !eAd love thatD

D%ll ri.ht,D said -addy D!eAll .o there t

'ill ta"e us a day and a half, should thin"

o' (i"e, 'ant to sho' you ho' to .room

a horse, then you *an help me ea*h ni.ht !e

must loo" after -avey and 0lopper 'ell, for

they are no' part of our 0aravan FamilyD

&he net day there 'as .reat e*itement D

o pa*"in. up 'hen 'e move+D said %nn,

s"ippin. about as -addy put -avey bet'eenthe blue shafts of the first *aravan Do buyin.

ti*"ets+ o 'aitin. about for a tai or train+D

D !e Bust put in the horses and off 'e .o+D

said (i"e, lau.hin. as he ba*"ed 0lopper into

the shafts of his o'n *aravann about half an hour they 'ere all ready to

.o &he fannerAs 'ife .ave them a present of

t'elve ne'/laid e..s and a pound of butter

62



-addy 'as to drive the first *aravan, and

(i"e 'as to drive the other (i"e 'as 'ild

'ith deli.ht -addy had eplained the harnessand the reins to him, and ea*tly 'hat to do

(ummy 'as to sit beside him at first, in *ase

he did anythin. silly

DAm to drive our *aravan,D he told the .irls,

proudly, and ho' they stared+

D 'ant to, too,D said %nn at on*e, but

(ummy said no, not yet anyho'

-addy sat in front of his *aravan, and

(i"e *limbed on to the front of his, 'ith

(ummy beside him a*h of the .irls put their

heads out of the front 'indo's, one ea*h side-addy *li*"ed to -avey, and the little

bla*" horse set off over the bumpy field, the

*aravan Boltin. behind him

&hen *ame (i"eAs *aravan, the boy

proudly holdin. the reins D 0lopper *ould .o'ithout you drivin. him,D said )elinda

D-onAt disturb me,D said (i"e, Dor mi.ht

drive into a dit*hD

D!eAre off, 'eAre off in our house on

'heels+D san. %nn D!eAre .oin. far, far a'ay

and our house is *omin. too+ Good/bye,

63



*o's .ood/bye, .eese 'eAre off and

a'ay+D

%nd do'n the 'indin. lane 'ent the t'ored and yello' *aravans, 'ith %nn sin.in. at

the top of her voi*e

64



8 FF T $CLE $E.6+

!$%& fun it 'as to travel for miles and

miles in a *aravan+ -avey and 0lopper did not

.o fast, but they 'ent very steadily

&he *ountryside 'as very beautiful Bust

then ometimes the *hildren *ould smell

honeysu*"le on the 'ayside hed.es &hey

heard the little yello'hammer sin.in., Dittle

bit of bread and no cheese" as loudly as he*ould

&he *orn 'as .ro'in. 'ell, 'avin. sturdy

and .reen in the 'ind ome farmers 'ere

already hayma"in. as the t'o *aravans passed

byD=h, do hope :n*le ed 'onAt have

finished his hayma"in. by the time 'e .et

there,D said )elinda, 'ho had set her heart on

helpin.

-addy had a map to sho' him the 'ay to

65



:n*leAs farm t 'as fun to loo" at it 'ith

him and see the 'ay

D)y a 'ood, do'n a hill, alon. by thisriver,D said -addy, readin. the map, and

pointin. 'ith his fin.er D8es, 'e should be

there by to/morro' afternoonD

-o'n lon. dusty lanes 'ent the t'o

*aravans, the horsesA hooves ma"in. a *lip/

*loppin. noise as they 'al"ed -addy "ept off

the main roads 'hen he *ould &he lanes 'ere

so mu*h prettier

ometimes the .irls sat in their *aravan,

and sometimes they ran beside it =n*e there

'as a .reat s*are be*ause %nn disappeared +D%nn+ !hereAs %nnCD suddenly said

(ummy Dhe 'as runnin. beside the *aravan

a fe' minutes a.o )elinda, 'hereAs %nnCD

)elinda 'as no' sittin. beside her father

in the front of the first *aravan D donAt "no',(ummy,D she said D snAt she in the roadC

&hatAs 'here sa' her lastD

D =h dearE'e must have left her behind

some'here+D said (ummy DAll turn this

*aravan round and .o ba*" to find her

66



8ou *an stay here and .ive -avey a rest,

-addyD

o (ummy and (i"e turned their *aravan

round and 'ent ba*" to loo" for the missin.

%nn )ut they *ouldnAt find her any'here+&hey didnAt "no' 'hat to do (i"e felt

alarmed <oor little %nn+ he 'ould be so

fri.htened $ad she 'andered off and .ot

really lost C

D!ell, donAt "no' 'hat to do,D said

(ummy, at last D!eAve .one ba*" a lon.

'ay =h loo"EthereAs -addy *omin. 'ith his

*aravanEand ho' fast -avey is .oin.+D

-addy shouted out as he *ame near

D!eAve .ot %nn+ he 'as fast asleep *urled up

under your eiderdo'n in your bun"+D

67



!ell, (ummy and (i"e did feel .lad

%nn 'as surprised to find 'hat a fuss every/

one suddenly made of her 'hen she satsleepily in the bun"

D!ell, after that sho*", thin" 'eAll dra'

up on this bit of *ommon, and have a meal and

a bit of a rest,D said -addy D&he horses 'ant a

drin" and a rest, too &a"e them to that pond,

(i"e, and then tether them loosely to some

post or treeD

&hey spent a lay time over their meal

-avey and 0lopper pulled at the .rass, and

then lay do'n in the sun &he *aravans

.leamed .aily in the bri.ht sunshine, and the'indo's 'in"ed and blin"ed

D !ellEoff 'e .o on*e more,D said

-addy D%nd mindEif anyone thin"s of .oin.

to sleep under eiderdo'ns a.ain, 'ill they

please 'arn us before they doCDveryone lau.hed -addy too" his pla*e

behind -avey, and (i"e too" his behind

0lopper (ummy 'ent inside her o'n *aravan

to 'ash up the fe' pi*ni* thin.s (i"e 'as

uite able to drive 0lopper himself no'

&hat ni.ht they *amped in a field full of

6#



bi. moon/daisies and red sorrel &he

horses, 'ell/fed, 'atered and rubbed do'n,

lay *ontentedly in the shado' of the *aravansD ast ni.ht 'e 'ere some'here different,

and to/morro' 'eAll be some'here else too,D

said %nn, sleepily D do li"e livin. in a

*aravan 'ith horses to ta"e you 'herever you

'ant to .oD

&hey set off a.ain the net day, and the

*hildren .ot e*ited 'hen at last they dre'

near to :n*le edAs bi. farm

D!onAt he be surprised to see us+D they

said D=h, letAs hope he hasnAt done his

hayma"in. yet+DD&hatAs the boundary of :n*leAs farm,D said

(ummy, suddenly, pointin. to a 'ood in the

distan*e Do' 'e are nearly thereD

&hey *ame to a bi. field, 'here lon. .rass,

*lover and butter*ups 'aved to.ether &'o orthree men 'ere there, tal"in. (ummy .ave a

*all

Ded+ $i, ed+ $allo, there+ $allo+D

n the .reatest surprise ed turnedE and

'hen he sa' the t'o .ay *aravans, 'ith

(ummy, -addy, and the three *hildren

69



'avin. to him, he *ould hardly believe his

eyes+D Well! D he said at last, and ran to the lane

to 'el*ome them all D Well!!hat a 'onder/

ful surprise+ !onAt your %unt 0lara be

astonishedC !here did you *ome fromC $o'

lon. are you stayin.CD

7>



D%s lon. as youAll have us,D said -addy

D!eAve *ome to help 'ith the hayma"in. see

you havenAt be.un yetDDo, not yet,D said :n*le ed D 'anted to

be.in it last 'ee" be*ause the 'eather 'as so

fine, but Ave had a bit of bad lu*"D

D!hy, 'hatAs 'ron.CD as"ed (ummy D

hope itAs nothin. serious, ed+D

DAve t'o of my horses ill,D said :n*le ed,

Dso *anAt *ut the .rass yetD

D!eAll lend you -avey and 0lopper+D *ried

(i"e D&heyAll pull the ma*hine for you

&heyAre proper farm/horses, really they are+D

D0ome alon. to the farm/house,D said:n*le ed D !ell, 'ell, this is a bit of .ood

ne's, to be sure % 'hole family to visit meE

and t'o horses to lend me+ !eAll all start the

hayma"in. to/morro'+D

o off they 'ent to the farm/house, alltal"in. at the top of their voi*es+

71



9 ! L#EL' T&%E &$ TE !'

:0 - and %unt 0lara 'ere simply

deli.hted to 'el*ome the 0aravan Family&hey .ave them a .lorious tea, and then 'ent

to see the t'o .ay *aravans

D&his is my sleepin./bun", the topmost of

all,D said %nn, proudly

D %nd loo"Eour taps have runnin. 'ater+D

said (i"e, and he turned one on D%nd in

(ummyAs *aravan there is hot 'ater from one

tap, 'hen she has the fire .oin. *olle*t the

'ood for it every dayD

DtAs all lovely,D said %untie 0lara D

almost 'ish lived hi a *aravan too o youAve*ome to help 'ith the hayma"in., have youC

!ell, 'e 'ant all hands then, *an tell you+D

D!eAll be.in to/morro',D promised (i"e

D !e 'ill 'or" Bust as hard as anybody else,

be*ause sin*e 'eAve lived so mu*h in the

72



open air, 'e have all .ro'n stron. and

healthyD

et day the fun be.an First of all -aveyand 0lopper 'ere put to dra. the .rass/*uttin.

ma*hine &hey pulled it alon., and the "nives

of the ma*hine *ut the .rass easily, leavin. it

behind in bi. piles

D$o' funny the hay/field loo"s no'+D said

%nn, dan*in. amon. the short stems DtAs had

its hair *ut+ o' *an 'e be.in to toss the hay,

:n*le CD

D&oss it as mu*h as you li"e,D said the

farmer D&he drier it .ets, the better shall li"e

it+ $asnAt the hay a lovely s'eet smell no'CD&he lon. *ut .rass turned a .rey/.reen

*olour and smelt deli*ious )elinda said she

'ould li"e some s*ent made of it, to put on her

han"y

&he *hildren tossed it about, thre' it at oneanother, rolled over and over in it, and had a

lovely time *amper, the farm do., *ame to

Boin them $e 'as a bi. *ollie, and he had a

fine time, too

D$eAs hayma"in. as 'ell+D said %nn, and

73



tried to bury him in the s'eet/smellin.hay )ut he 'ouldnAt be buried

veryone 'as pleased net day 'hen they

'ere .iven bi. hand/ra"es and told to turn the

ro's of hay over, so that the sun *ould dry the

'et bits underneath &he *hildren 'or"ed very

hard

74



&he sun shone do'n hotly, and :n*le ed

'as pleased D;ust ri.ht for the hay+D he said Dt

'ill dry beautifully, and shall .et it ui*"lya'ay and built into hay/sta*"s before the rain

*omesD

D&hen your *o's 'ill have lots to eat in the

'inter, 'onAt theyCD said )elinda

!hen the hay had been 'ell ra"ed and

turned the farmer said it must be .ot into neat'ind/ro'sEbi. lon. ro's all the 'ay do'n the

field

DFet*h -avey,D he said to (i"e D<ut him in

that bi. horse/ra"e ma*hine, (i"e, then lead him

up and do'n the field &he .irls 'ill love to see

ho' the enormous ra"e at the ba*" of the

ma*hine puts the hay into lon. neat ro'sD

&he .irls did li"e 'at*hin., as (i"e proudly

led the horse/ra"e up and do'n the field D (i"e,

the bi. steel teeth slide under the hay and .et

hold of it+D *ried )elindaD8es,D said (i"e D%nd no' see 'hat

happens %s soon as the ra"e is full of hay, pull

at this handle, 'hi*h lifts up the steel teethEand

then the hay is neatly dropped in a lon. ro'

snAt it *lever, %nnCD

75



)efore the evenin. *ame the hay 'as all

*olle*ted into 'ind/ro's by the horse/ra"e,

and (i"eAs le.s 'ere uite tired of 'al"in. upand do'n the field

Do' to build the hay/*o*"s+D *ried %untie

0lara, 'ho 'as helpin. &he *hildren li"ed her

very mu*h he 'as pretty and Bolly, and she

had brou.ht them out a really lovely pi*ni*

lun*h

&he *hildren helped to build the hay*o*"s

all do'n the field $o' pretty they loo"ed in

the evenin. sun, 'ith their shado's slantin.

behind them+

D do thin" a hay/field loo"s lovely 'ith itshay/*o*"s standin. so uietly there,D said

)elinda D(i"eEloo", thereAs %nn, fast asleep

in that *orner+ etAs bury her in hay+D

o they did, and soon there 'as nothin. to

be seen of %nn at all he 'as Bust anotherhay/*o*"+ (ummy 'as astonished to see no

%nn, and 'ent huntin. and *allin. for the little

.irl, 'hile (i"e and )elinda ran a'ay,

.i..lin.

%nn heard her mother *allin., and 'o"e up

!hat 'as this all round herC !hat a

76



funny blan"et, thou.ht %nn, tryin. to sit

up he *alled to her mother D(ummy+

(ummy+ !here am CD D)less the *hild, sheAsa hay/*o*"+D said (ummy, lau.hin., and

pi*"ed her out of the hay D0ome alon.,

darlin., itAs time for supper and bed 8ouAre

tired outD

DtAs been su*h fun,D said %nn, sleepily

D!hat do 'e do net 'ith the hayCD

77



D%s soon as *an shall ta"e it in the bi.

hay/'a.on to the ri*"/yard,D said her :n*le D

ome shall store in my sheds, and 'hat is left shall build into hay/sta*"sD

D 0an 'e ride home on the hay/'a.ons CD

as"ed (i"e DtAs su*h fun to do that shall lie

on the very, very top of the hay in the 'a.on,

and loo" up at the s"y, and smell the s'eetness

of the hayD

D8ou shall do all that and more+D said

(ummy D)ut *ome alon. home to your

*aravan no'Eyou are almost fallin. asleep on

your feet+D

o ba*" to the *aravans they 'ent, and fellasleep at on*e, 'ith the s'eet smell of the hay

driftin. in at the *aravan 'indo's !hat a

lovely time they 'ere havin.+

7#



1 LE!"$&$* T %&L7

t 'as .reat fun livin. near :n*le edAs

farm $e told -addy the best pla*e to

/put the *aravans

DGo into that field,D he said, pointin. D tAs

not too far from the farm/house, youAll be

sheltered from the 'ind, and thereAs a *lear

stream nearby for 'ashin. 'ater -rin"in.

'ater you *an .et from the 'ell outside the

farm/houseDo the t'o *aravans 'ere pla*ed there, and

a very *osy, sunny spot it 'as 0o's lived in

the field, and -avey and 0lopper lived there

too &hey helped :n*le ed, and he 'as .lad

of themD&heyAre fine horses for 'or",D he said,

fondlin. their bi. noses D!hen youAre tired of

*aravannin., All buy them from you+D

D!e shall never, never be tired of livin. in

a *aravan+D said %nn D%nd donAt

79



'ant to sell -avey and 0lopper love

them -avey al'ays .ives me a ride 'hen

as" himDa*h mornin. and evenin. the *o's 'ere

ta"en to the sheds to be mil"ed &he *hildren

'ent to 'at*h, and they loved to hear the

splish splash of the mil" in the bi. pails (i"e

'anted to try his hand at mil"in.

D%ll ri.ht, you *an try,D said %untie 0lara,

and she .ave him a mil"in./stool to sit on

D&hatAs ri.htE.et *lose up to the *o' $ave

you .ot stron. hands C 8es, you haveEbut

you 'ant to be .entle, too, not rou.hD

(i"e be.an to mil" the *o', but he 'asnAtvery .ood at it $e .ot some mil", but it too"

him a lon. time to .et even half a pail full

D&here isnAt any ni*e froth on it li"e yours,

%untie,D he said

Do,D said %unt 0lara D&hatAs the si.n of a.ood mil"er, you "no'Efroth on the top 8ou

try, )elinda+D

o )elinda tried, and she 'as really very

.ood indeed+ $er stron. little hands 'or"ed

#>



a'ay, and the s'ish of the mil" in the pail

'as a pleasant sound to hear &here 'as plenty

of froth too+ )elinda felt very proud &hen

%nn 'anted to try D)ut youAre afraid of *o's,

silly+D said (i"e

#1



D=h, Am not no',D said %nn, and she

'asnAt ivin. in the *ountry and doin. all

"inds of Bobs had made her mu*h moresensible he didnAt thin" *o's 'ould run after

her and toss her no'+ he sat do'n on the stool

beside a bi., .entle *o' *alled )utter*up

)ut %nnAs hands 'ere too small for mil"in.,

and she soon .ave it up D )elindaAs the one+D

she said D(i"e and are no .ood at mil"in.DD8es, )elinda is .ood,D said her aunt Do'

)elinda, be sure to .et every drop of the last

mil" from your *o'Ethat is al'ays the

ri*hest+D

D%re you .oin. to ma"e butter from the*ream you .et off the top of the mil"CD said

%nn D0an help you 'hen you do that,

%untieC -o let me+D

D%ll ri.ht, you shall,D said %untie 0lara D

ma"e butter every Friday 8ou *ome alon. to

the dairy then, and you shall help me+D(i"e too" the *o's ba*" to the field 'hen

they 'ere mil"ed =ne of them opened its

mouth to moo, and (i"e had a .reat surprise

$e *alled to his :n*le

#2



D say, :n*leEthis *o', )utter*up, opened

her mouth 'ide Bust no'Eand, do you "no',

sheAs lost all her top teeth+ <oor, poor thin.E she 'onAt be able to eat+D

:n*le ed .ave a bi. roar of a lau.h

D!hat thin.s you do say+D he said D% *o'

never has any upper teeth, silly boy+ -idnAt you

"no' that}"

(i"e 'ent rather red %nn and )elinda*ame s"ippin. up to see 'hat :n*le ed 'as

lau.hin. at $e opened the *o'As mouth and

made them loo" into it

D-o you see 'hat she has instead of upper

teethCD he said D&hereAs a bare fleshy pad there Eno teeth at all 8ou see, a *o' Bust pulls at

the .rass and brea"s it offEthen she s'allo's

it do'n into one of her four stoma*hsE/D

D Four stoma*hs+D *ried the three *hildren

to.ether "Four!"

D!ellEfour stoma*hs, or one stoma*h 'ithfour rooms in it, 'hi*hever you li"e,D said

:n*le D&he *o' pulls the .rass, and s'allo's

it do'n strai.ht a'ay into stoma*h

#3



#4



number one &hen, 'hen she is restin., she

brin.s ba*" the .rass a.ain to her mouth, and

spends a very happy time *he'in. it+DD8es, "no',D said (i"e D&hatAs *alled

*he'in. the *ud, isnAt itCD

DRi.ht+D said :n*le D&hen, 'hen the .rass

is *he'ed, the *o' sends it do'n to her se*ond

stoma*h, and from there it .oes to the third and

to the fourthDD!hat a funny animal a *o' is+D said

)elinda Dot a bit li"e a horse+ % horse has

stron. upper teeth -avey has and so has

0lopper $ave they .ot four stoma*hs too,

:n*leCD

Do, only one,D said her un*le D%nd their

hooves are different too oo" at )utter*upAs

hoof, (i"eD

(i"e lifted it up, and .ave a *ry of surprise

DtAs split in t'o+ ot a bit li"e -aveyAs, 'ho has

his hoof uite 'holeDD&he *o' al'ays has a split hoof,D said

:n*le ed Dt helps her 'hen she 'al"s on

damp .round, as she often does %ll ri.ht,

)utter*up, 'eAve finished 'ith you+ Go and Boin

the others+D

)utter*up, surprised at havin. her mouth

#5



and hoof loo"ed at so *losely, lumbered

a'ay 'ith a moo

D li"e *o's no',D said %nn D used tothin" they 'ere so fier*eEbut they are .entle

and slo' and friendly sayE'onAt it be fun

to help to ma"e the butter on FridayCD

#6



11 ! *"E!T T&%E &$ TE

.!&"'

= the net Friday the *hildren did their

*aravan Bobs ui*"ly, be*ause they all 'anted

to rush off to the farm and 'at*h butter bein.

made&hey made their beds and tidied their

*aravans &hey *leaned the sin", and pumped

up 'ater from the tan" beneath the *aravan to

the roof/tan", so that there 'ould be plenty to

run do'n to the taps 'hen they 'ere turnedon

(i"e shot off to *olle*t 'ood for his

motherAs fire, and sta*"ed it neatly under the

*aravan )elinda and %nn ran do'n to the

villa.e to buy a fe' thin.s their mother

'antedD s that all, (ummy CD said )elinda, 'hen

she brou.ht ba*" the thin.s and put them into

her motherAs *upboard D0an 'e .o to the dairy

no', and 'at*h %untie 0laraCD

D=ff you .o+D said (ummy, pleased to

#7



see the *hildrenAs rosy/bro'n fa*es, and to

"no' ho' mu*h they 'ere learnin. of .ood

*ountry 'ays &hey 'ould have to .o to

s*hool in the autumnEbut mean'hile they

##



'ere learnin. *ountry lessons they 'ould

never, never for.et

&he *hildren rushed to the dairy as fast asthey *ould .o, hopin. that %untie 0lara hadnAt

be.un her butter/ma"in. 'ithout them %nnAs

le.s 'erenAt as lon. as the othersA so (i"e

'aited for her

)elinda .ot to the dairy first he loo"ed

round the bi., *ool, 'hite/'ashed pla*e, 'ith

its stone floors and shelves t 'as lovely+

D%untie+ =h %untie, youAve be.un to ma"e

the butter+D she *ried in dismay )ut her aunt

shoo" her head 'ith a smile

D=h no, havenAt &his isnAt the butter/*hurn Am usin. &his is the mil" and *ream

separator Am 'or"in.Eit separates the mil"

from the *ream for me &hen *an use the

*ream for my butterD

%nn and (i"e *ame in, and they 'at*hed'ith )elinda, as their aunt turned the handle of

the separatin./ma*hine D !at*h the t'o pipes

that *ome out there from the side of the

ma*hine,D said %untie 0lara

&he *hildren 'at*hed &hey had seen their

aunt pour fresh mil" in at the top of

#9



the separatorEand no', lo and behold, out

of the t'o side/pipes *ame mil" and *ream,

uite separate+D&he top pipe has .ot *ream *omin. out of

it+D said )elinda D %nd the bottom pipe has

mil" =h %untie, isnAt it *leverCD

D0an turn the handle, pleaseCD as"ed %nn

D-o let me+D o %nn turned the handle, and

'as deli.hted to see the mil" and *ream

flo'in. separately out of the t'o pipes

&he *ream 'as added to some *ream

already in a .reat bi. *ro*" D o' for the

butter,D said %untie 0lara, rollin. up her

sleeves D&hat al'ays ma"es me hot &he butter/*hurn isnAt so easy to use as the

separator+D

&he butter/*hurn 'as a bi. bee*h/barrel

mounted on a 'ooden frame t had a handle

too %untie 0lara poured the *ream into the*hurn t did loo" thi*" and yello' and

deli*ious %nn po"ed her fin.er into it and .ot

it *overed 'ith *ream, 'hi*h she li*"ed off

Dau.hty+D said her aunt D8ouAre as bad as

the farm *at heAs al'ays han.in.

9>



round ta"in. a li*" at the mil"/pails and a

li*" at the *ream/*ro*"+D

he too" hold ofthe handle and be.an

to turn it &o the

*hildrenAs surprise the

'hole barrel turned

over and over

D=h, har" at the

*ream, splashin.

a'ay inside+D *ried

)elinda D!hat a

lovely sound+D

D %untie, ho' doesthe *hurn ma"e

butterCD as"ed %nn,

puled

D 0ream .oes solid

'hen itAs 'hipped, or'hen itAs sha"en

about li"e this,D said

%untie 0lara, her fa*e .ettin. red, for the

*hurn 'as heavy D tAs bein. sha"en

about 'ell inside this *hurnEthe butter

'ill soon *omeD

91



D 'ant to turn it,D said %nn, but it 'as too

heavy for her t 'as too heavy for )elinda

too, but (i"eAs stron. arms turned it uite'ell

D%hEthe butterAs *omin.+D said %untie

0lara, 'hen she too" the handle a.ain D

al'ays re*"on it ta"es about t'enty minutes

ome fol"s ta"e lon.erEbutter *omes ui*"ly

for me, than" .oodness+D

&heir aunt too" the lid off the *hurn and let

the *hildren loo" inside !here 'as the thi*"

*ream C t 'as .one+ nstead they sa' lumps

of yello' butter s'immin. in 'hat loo"ed li"e

thin mil"D&hatAs the buttermil",D said their aunt,

puttin. the lid on Do'EBust a minute or t'o

more and the butter 'ill be ready+D

he s'un. the *hurn over and over a.ain,

and then stopped &he lumps of butter 'ereta"en out and 'ashed &hen 'ith a 'ooden

butter/roller *lever %unt 0lara made the butter

firm and hard

D et me help you ma"e it into half/pound

and pound pats+D *ried (i"e, 'ho 'as *lever

92



'ith his hands oon the shelf 'as piled

'ith the neat butter/pats, all 'rapped up in the

printed farm paperD%untie 0lara, Ad li"e to help you to ma"e

the butter ea*h 'ee", and separate the mil"

and *ream too,D said (i"e, suddenly D)elinda

is helpin. to mil" the *o's ea*h day, and %nn

says she 'ants to help to feed the hens o All

help 'ith the butter Am stron., and *an

easily s'in. the *hurnD

D&han" you, (i"e,D said his aunt, .rate/

fully D&hereAs so mu*h to do on a farm Bust

no'EAd be .lad to have your helpD

D !e love helpin.+D said %nnDn return for helpin. to mil" the *o's,

shall .ive )elinda four pints of mil" a day,D

said %untie 0lara D%nd for helpin. me 'ith

the butter, you shall have t'o pounds of it

ea*h 'ee", (i"eEand for helpin. 'ith thehens you shall have t'o doen e..s, %nn+D

!ell, 'asnAt that simply lovely+

93



10 ! W$.E"FL +"-"&+E

&$ summer days 'ent by far too ui*"ly

D=h dear+D si.hed (i"e D 'ish these lovely,

e*itin. days 'ouldnAt fly so fast+D

D!ell, 'eAve done a tremendous lot of

thin.s sin*e 'e be*ame a 0aravan Family,D

said )elinda D%nd Ave made up my mind

about one thin.Eand that is that 'ill al'ays

live in the *ountry if *an tAs mu*h ni*er than

to'nDD8esEreal, proper thin.s happen in the

*ountry,D said (i"e D&hin.s .ro'Eand

*alves and lambs are bornEand hay is *utE

and sheep are shearedEand *o's are mil"ed

Eand/A%nd the harvest is brou.ht in+D said %nn,

rememberin. ho' she had helped 'ith that D

=h, 'erenAt the fields of *orn lovely, (i"e,

'hen they 'ere tall and .olden and ripeCD

D li"ed 'at*hin. that 'onderful self/

bindin. ma*hine at 'or" in the fields,D said

94



(i"e t *ertainly had been amain. to 'at*h

t had *ut the *orn, .athered it into sheaves,

tied ea*h sheaf neatly 'ith strin., and then hadthro'n the sheaf on to the .round+

D$arvest/home 'as fun,D said )elinda D

li"ed .oin. 'ith the 'a.ons to the ri*"/yards

Eand 'asnAt the harvest/home supper .rand

fun, (i"eCD

veryone, from the oldest farm 'or"er,

&om, to little %nn, had sat do'n to a .rand

supper .iven by %untie 0lara, 'hen the last

'a.on of *orn had been ta"en to the yard,

ready for *orn/sta*"s to be built later on %nn

had fallen fast asleep in the middle of the feast)ut no' those lovely days 'ere past, and

eptember 'as in )la*"berries 'ere be.in/

nin. to ripen on the hed.es, and (ummy had

already made a bla*"berry tart

(i"eAs heart 'as sad $e "ne' that he and%nn and )elinda 'ere soon to .o to s*hool

a.ain &hey had already missed a 'hole term

&hey *ould not do that any more

95



D o' suppose 'eAll have to .o and live

in a house,D he .roaned to the .irls, as they saton the steps of their *aravan, 'aitin. for

(ummy and -addy to *ome ba*" from the

station

D(ummy mi.ht not have found a s*hool

that 'ould do for us,D said )elinda hope/

96



fully D<erhaps 'e shall live in our *aravan

all the 'interD

D *anAt bear to thin" 'eAll have to say.ood/bye to -avey and 0lopper,D said %nn,

loo"in. ready to *ry D do love them soD

D&hereAs the smo"e from the train,D said

)elinda D (ummy and -addy 'ill soon be

here etAs .o over the fields and meet themD

o the three little *aravanners, all as bro'n

as berries, hurried off to meet their mother and

father

D&here they are+D said %nn, and 'aved

&'o people, *omin. over a field, 'aved ba*"

(i"e rushed ahead to meet themD-id you find a s*hoolC ay you didnAt+

ay 'e *an still live in our *aravan and not in

a house+D (i"e almost shouted his uestions

D!eAll tell you 'hen 'e .et to the *ara/

vans,D said (ummy D$ave you .ot the "ettle boilin. for tea, )elinda, as as"ed youCD

)elinda nodded D8es, (ummyEand the

bread and butter is *utEand thereAs a fresh

lettu*e or t'oEand some of %untieAs stra'/

97



berry Bam, and a *ho*olate *a"e she made

for usD

D Good+D said -addy, and loo"ed for'ardto su*h a ni*e tea, eaten sittin. on the soft

.rass, 'ith *o's nearby, and -avey and

0lopper nosin. up for tit/bits

D!ell,D said (ummy, 'hen they 'ere

seated at their pi*ni* tea, D'ellE'eAve found a

s*hool, a fine one too, that tea*hes .ardenin.

and ridin. and s'immin. and allo's you to

"eep pets, and has *o's to mil" and pi.s and

.oats and hens+D

&he *hildren *heered up a little D%nd no

proper lessons at allCD said %nn, hopefullyD=f *ourse there 'ill be lessons+D said

-addy D8ou must learn ho' to use your

brains, or they 'onAt be any use to you or to

other peopleD

D !hen do 'e .o CD said )elinda, .loomilyD&he s*hool be.ins net 'ee",D said

(ummy

&he *hildren loo"ed .loomier and .loom/

ier =nly a fe' days more, and they 'ould

have to say .ood/bye to -avey and 0lopper

and the t'o .ay *aravans

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D )ut (ummy and have de*ided that 'e

'ill live near the s*hool in our *aravans,D said

-addy, smilin. D %nd 'e have arran.ed thatyou shall be s*hool *hildren all the 'ee"Eand

*aravan *hildren from Friday to (onday+ $o'

'ill that suit you CD

D=h+ =$+D yelled the *hildren, and .ot up

and dan*ed round in deli.ht D0an 'e really live

in our *aravan every 'ee"/endC %ll the 'intertoo C %renAt 'e .oin. to have a house after allC

hall 'e still be the 0aravan FamilyCD

D8es,D said (ummy and -addy, lau.hin. at

the *hildrenAs surprise and Boy D %nd 'e had

better set off to/morro' in the *aravans, be*ause

it 'ill ta"e t'o or three days to .et to the s*hool,

and 'e 'ant to be 'ell settled in before you

startD

D-avey+ 0lopper+ -o you hearCD *alled %nn,

runnin. to the t'o horses, 'ho lifted their heads

to listen to her D!eAre .oin. travellin. a.ain to/morro' 'ith you+ =h, 'onAt it be fun CD

o, the net day, they said .ood/bye to

%untie 0lara and :n*le ed, and than"ed them

for a lovely time &hey put -avey

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and 0lopper bet'een the shafts, and -addy

and (i"e too" the reins &hen off they 'ent,

rumblin. over the field to the .ateD&he 0aravan Family is off a.ain+D *ried

%nn D=ur 'heels are turnin. fast, and soon

'e shall be miles a'ay Good/bye, .ood/bye+D

Good/bye, little 0aravan Family !e hope

youAll have lots more fun+

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The Caravan Family

1st edition, illustrated by William Fyffe

1945

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Frontis from the 1st edition,

llustrated

by William Fyffe

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Frontis from the 1953 reprint,

illustrated by Ruth Gervis

llustrations by !illiam Fyffe

ta"en from

the 1st edition

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The Caravan Family 1945