Enid Blyton stories. by Enid blyton enid blyton, enid blyton (black authors fiction txt) 📖

BILLY,S LITTLE BOATS

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, a crowd of little brownies had to leave their home hurriedly.They lived in Bluebell Wood, and one day it was sold to a builder. Alas for the brownies and the rabbits, the birds and the little mice—they all had to leave when the trees were chopped down, and the wood made ready for houses to be built all over it!The birds flew to another wood. The rabbits fled to the hillside a mile away. The little mice held a meeting, and decided to hide somewhere till the houses were built, and then become house-mice and live on food in the larders of the houses.The brownies, too, held a meeting. They were very tiny folk, these brownies, so small that you could easily hold six in your hand together. They were small enough to use a violet leaf for an umbrella, so you can guess how tiny they were." We will go to our cousins, who live in the Wishing Wood," said the chief brownie, Chippy. " I know the way quite well. You go through the wood—down the lane—across the river—and up the hill. On the other side is the Wishing Wood. It is a big place and there will be plenty of room for us to live there with our cousins."So one night they set off. They ran through their own spoilt wood. They went down the lane, which seemed simply enormous to them. Then they came to the river.

Billy,s little boats

But here they had to stop in dismay. They hadn't thought at all how they were to cross it! Now what were they to do?" We haven't wings, so we can't fly," said Chippy." And there are no boats about," said Tiggy." Not even a leaf or two we could use as a raft," said Snippy." What shall we do? " said every one together. " We must get across to-night! "A rabbit popped his head out of a nearby hole. " What's the matter? " he said." Oh, can you help us? " asked the brownies, and they told the rabbit their trouble." No, I can't help you," said the rabbit, shaking his whiskery head. " But I know a very, very kind little boy called Billy, who lives in that house over there. He is very clever and be might help you. He once got me out of a trap. Go and knock at his window. He'll wake and do his best for you."It was moonlight and the brownies could see the window that the rabbit pointed to. It had bars across, for it was a nursery window. They thanked the rabbit and ran to the garden hedge, crept through it and ran to the house. They climbed up the thick ivy, and stood on Billy's window-sill. By the moonlight that shone into the room they could quite well see Billy, fast asleep in his small bed.Chippy tapped at the window. Billy stirred. Chippy tapped again. Billy sat up, wide awake. When he saw the brownies at the window he was too astonished to speak. Then he jumped out of bed and ran to let them in." Oh! " he said, " you dear little tiny creatures! I've always longed to see the little folk—and now I really have. I do hope I'm awake and not dreaming! "" Oh, you're awake all right," said Chippy. " Listen, Billy! A rabbit told us you were clever and kind. Do you think you could help us? "" I can try," said Billy, at once. " What do you want me to do? "" Well," said Chippy, " we have to leave our home and we want to get to Wishing Wood, which is across the river and over the hill. We haven't wings to fly over the river, and we haven't boats. Could you tell us how to get across, please, Billy? "

Billy,s little boats

Billy thought hard for a moment. " Let me see," he said. " It's no use lending you my ship—it's far too big. And I've lost the oars of my little boat. And paper boats would soak with water and sink half-way across. Oh! I know! I know! I've thought of just the right thing for you! "" What? What? " cried the brownies excitedly." I'll make you walnut-shell boats! " said Billy. " They'll be just the right size for you. One of you will go nicely into each. They float beauti­fully—and I can make you tiny sails so that the wind will blow you across! "Billy ran downstairs. He had counted the brownies and there were                                                                                                                        As soon as the brownies saw how the boats were made, they began to help.

billy,s little boat

eleven of them. He took six walnuts from the dish of nuts on the dining-room sideboard.He ran upstairs again. He carefully slit each walnut into its two half-shells and took out the nut. He and the brownies chewed the nuts between them as Billy worked." Now, there you are! " said Billy, when he had the six shells empty, standing neatly in their halves. " Twelve little boats! Good! Now I'll make the masts and the sails."He got out a box in which he kept all sorts of odds and ends. In it were a lot of dead matches. Billy was not allowed to touch proper matches, only ones that had already been struck, but he had quite a lot of these.He took a dead match and made holes in a small piece of white paper so that he could slip the bit of paper on the match for a sail! The match was the mast, you see. When he had got the sail nicely fixed, he looked for his tube of seccotine." What's that? " asked the brownies in surprise, as they saw Billy squee2ing a tiny, sticky sort of worm out of the tube on to the end of the match." It's seccotine—sticky stuff that sticks things together," said Billy. " This drop of seccotine will stick the end of the match to the bottom of the walnut shell, you see, brownies—and then you will have a nice straight mast, with a dear little sail to catch the wind! "The brownies were simply amazed to see Billy making them the dear little walnut-shell boats. Billy was so quick and so clever!He stuck the match into the bottom of a shell. He arranged the bit of paper for a sail. The boat was ready!" One boat done," he said. " Now for the next! "As soon as the brownies saw how the boats were made, they began to help. Tiggy got in a bit of a mess with the seccotine, which stuck to his hands, and then everything seemed to stick to him Poor Tiggy!It was not long before there were twelve boats finished. " You only need eleven," said Billy, " but it would be quite a good idea to let the twelfth boat carry your bits of luggage. I can tie it on to one of the other boats."Soon Billy and the brownies were creeping quietly down the garden

Billy,s little boats

to the river. Billy carried all the boats on a tiny tray, for fear of spoiling them. When he came to the river, he set the tray down on the ground.He launched one tiny boat, and it bobbed up and down beautifully on the ripples. The wind pulled at the tiny sail. Billy carefully put a brownie in the boat, and away it went, bobbing merrily over the river. Then another boat followed it—and another—and another—till the whole fleet was sailing away, looking perfectly lovely on the moonlit water.The last but one had the twelfth luggage boat tied to the back of it. The two little boats bobbed safely away, the brownie in the first one waving good-bye. Billy stood and watched his fleet of walnut-shell boats sailing across to the other side, the wind blowing hard on the little paper sails. Not one boat sank." I do feel proud and pleased," said Billy to himself. " I've really done something to-night. I'll go to Wishing Wood some day and see if I can find those brownies again! "He hasn't been yet, but I expect he will go soon. Would you like to make