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opened an eye, saw the parrot and sat up at once.
 Good. He s awake, thought Jack, and pushed the map in front of him, pointing to the tent-like
drawing, and trying to make the man understand that he wanted to get there.
 Ahhhh, said the old fellow, in a hoarse voice.  Pikkatioratyforg. Ahhhhhh!
 Very helpful! thought Jack. The old man got up and tottered a little way down the path. Then
he pointed with his stick.
 Surkytalar, he said.  Surky.
 Surky, repeated Jack, and looked where he was pointing. Then he stared hard. He knew why
the bicyclist had drawn the tent now! In a big field were crowds of tents and vans! It must be a
circus of some kind a travelling circus!
 Of course! Surky he means circus, thought Jack.  It s a circus. That s why that fellow on the
bike directed me there. He thought I wanted the circus thought I was trying to make my way to it,
because I d got a talking parrot. Well, well, well! I ve solved that puzzle!
He thanked the old man and thought he might as well make his way to the circus. Somebody
there might possibly speak English. Circus people knew all kinds of languages. Anyway they were
usually kindly folk, they might give him a meal and help him a bit.
So Jack, suddenly feeling very hungry again, went down the long winding road to the field
where the circus was.
It took him about half an hour to reach it and when he got there he saw that it was packing up to
move on. The tents were being taken down, horses were being put into some of the vans and there
was a great deal of shouting and noise.
Jack leaned over the gate. A boy came by, carrying a load of boxes that looked very heavy. As
he passed, the pile toppled over, and he dropped about four of them. Jack leapt over the gate and
went to help.
The boy was about his own age, swarthy and black-eyed. He grinned at Jack, and said something
he couldn t understand. He said it again, in another language. Still Jack didn t understand.
 Merci beaucoup, said the boy, trying again this time in French. Ah Jack understood that!
 Ce n est rien! he answered. The boy looked at Kiki and rattled off something in French again,
asking Jack if he was a circus boy and had come to ask for a job there.
Jack answered as best he could, for his French was not really very good.  I should like a job,
said Jack, in French.  Better still, I should like a meal!
 Come with me then, said the boy, again in French, and Jack followed him to a van. A woman
sat there, peeling potatoes.
 Ma! said the boy, in English.  Here s a hungry kid. Got anything for him?
Jack stared at the boy in astonishment. Why, he was speaking English!  Hey! said Jack,  why
didn t you speak English before? I m English!
 My Dad s English, said the boy, grinning.  My Ma s Spanish. We don t mind what language
we speak, really. We ve picked them all up in our wanderings around. Ma, give this boy something
to eat. Do you think he can get a job with us? Where do you want to go? he asked Jack.
 Well is there a place called Borken anywhere about? asked Jack, hopefully.
 Borken! Yes, we re on the way there, said the boy, and Jack felt suddenly cheerful.  It s a big
town, and outside there s the Castle of Borken on a hill.
Jack drank all this in. A castle would that be where the others had been taken? This was a bit
of luck after all his set-backs. He would certainly go with this travelling circus if they would have
him.
Ma gave him a meal. It was very rich and rather greasy, but Jack enjoyed it because he was so
hungry. Then Ma said something commanding in Spanish and the boy nodded.
 Got to take you to the Boss, he said.  And let him look you over. Got anyone to speak for you?
Anyone s name to give? The Boss will give you up to the police if you ve run away from any kind
of trouble.
 No, I don t know anyone here who will speak for me, said Jack, anxiously.  I just want to get
to Borken. I ve got friends there.
 Oh, well maybe they ll speak for you, said the boy.  Look, my name s Pedro. What s yours?
 Jack, said Jack. He followed Pedro to a big motor caravan. Pedro rapped on the door, and a
voice growled something from inside. They went in, and Jack saw a vast, enormously fat man
sitting in a great chair. He had startlingly blue eyes, grey curly hair, and a beard that fell to his
waist. He looked rather a terrifying kind of person.
 You speak for me, Pedro, said Jack.  I shan t be able to understand a word he says, unless he
speaks English.
 I spik the English, said the old man, in his deep, growling voice.  English boys are good boys.
Where you come from?
 Well nowhere particularly, said Jack, wondering what to say.  Er I ve just been wandering
about since I came to this country. But I m hoping to meet my friends at Borken.
The old man fired a question or two at Pedro. Pedro turned to Jack.  He wants to know if you ve
ever been in trouble with the police? he asked. This was awkward. Had he been in trouble with the
Hessian police? Well, no, not really, Jack considered. So he shook his head.
 He wants to know if you ll make yourself useful here? said Pedro.  He can see you must be
used to circuses because you re carrying a talking parrot around with you. He says that if we stop
here and there on the road to Borken, you can put your parrot on show if you like, and earn a bit of
money by making it talk. He says, make it talk now.
Jack rubbed Kiki s soft neck.  Talk, Kiki, he said.  Make a noise!
Kiki was always ready to talk. She raised her crest and began unexpectedly to sing at the top of
her voice.  Humpty-dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty-dumpty fell down the well,
ding-dong-ding-dong, pussy s in the well, Fussy-Gussy, ha, ha, ha! Wipe your feet and shut the
door, oh, you naughty boy, pop-pop-POP!
Kiki ended with a loud sneeze and a hiccup which sent Pedro into fits of laughter. Kiki cackled
too, and then went off into her express-train performance, which drew people from all over the field
at once.
 Ha! She is goot, fery, fery goot! said the old man, laughing, which made him appear as if an
earthquake was shaking him.  Yes yes you may come with us, boy.
 I say! Your parrot s a wonder, isn t she? said Pedro, as they walked back to his van.  Would
you like to sleep with me in my little van look, the one behind Ma s? There ll be room for you if
you don t mind a squash.
Jack didn t mind at all! He would soon be on the way to Borken. Borken Castle! Would he find [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]