by B. B.
Two figures muffled in overcoats stood without. One Smokoe immediately recognized as Doctor Bowers and the other, a tall man with a tanned face, was a stranger.
‘Well, Smokoe, may we come in?’ asked Doctor Bowers. ‘I’ve brought Colonel Hensman with me; the name will be familiar to you, I think,’ he added with a wry smile.
Smokoe stood for a moment looking at his visitors. ‘Come in, gentlemen,’ he said at last. ‘I reckon I knows wot you’ve a cum for. They’re under the bed yonder, all three on ’em. We thought you might be Sergeant Buntin’, so they hid up.’
Doctor Bowers stamped the slush from his boots and his companion shook the wet from his tweed hat. ‘But don’t be too ’ard on ’em, sir,’ said Smokoe, turning to Colonel Hensman. ‘They’ve bin good lads ter me, grand lads they be.’ Smokoe looked towards the bed. ‘Come on out, me young masters, you’ve bin cotched proper now, the game’s up!’
There was a commotion in the corner and the relieved Colonel Hensman saw his sons emerge one by one. First Robin, then Big John and, finally, Little John; all dirty, with unkempt, tangled hair, scarred of knee and clad in skins. The outlaws of Brendon Chase had been run to earth at last, run to earth by their distracted father who had hastened home a month before his leave was due.
Epilogue
My narrative is at an end, and what could be more fitting than it should end on this last night of the old year? What happened to the outlaws is now no concern of ours. I will not describe the just punishments and penances which they had to undergo before they had fully expiated their sins. It would be superfluous to tell of their return to the Dower House, and of the meeting with poor Aunt Ellen. Even the story of how, later, Smokoe was persuaded to go into Brendon Cottage Hospital and was cured of his ‘nose’ has nothing to do with this story.
Much water has flowed down the Blindrush since those far-off days. Big John married his Angela and holds a responsible post in the Department of Woods and Forests, Robin is now a prosperous country doctor with a practice many times larger than that of Doctor Bowers. Little John is sheep farming in New Zealand and grows some of the best mutton you ever tasted. All this is by the way.
And as to the bear, it was never seen or heard of again! Whether or not Smokoe’s charge of buckshot put a lingering termination to its career, or whether, as I like to fancy, it still secretly lives in Brendon Chase, I do not know. But the oak remains, little changed since that lovely summer day when the outlaws first came upon it, though its only occupants are now brown owls.
I am told that it is still possible to trace the site of Smokoe’s kilns in the Chase, and the ruins of his shack, but the old man has long been gathered to his fathers, and the incense of his fires ascends no more upon the windless air.
With what more fitting lines could I conclude my story than those of the immortal Keats?
On the fairest time of June
You may go, with sun or moon,
Or the seven stars to light you
Or the polar ray to right you;
But you never may behold
Little John, or Robin bold,
Never one, of all the clan
Thrumming on an empty can
Some old hunting ditty …
1905 Born 25 July in Lamport, Northamptonshire
1930 Having studied at the Northampton School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London, teaches art at Rugby School for seventeen years
1939 Marries Cecily
1942 The Little Grey Men is published and wins the Carnegie Medal
1944 Brendon Chase is published
1948 Down the Bright Stream, the sequel to The Little Grey Men, is published
1957 Bill Badger and the Wandering Wind is published, which is followed by Bill Badger and the Pirates and many other Bill Badger titles
1958 Monty Woodpig’s Caravan is published
1976 Lord of the Forest is published
1990 Receives the MBE
1990 Dies aged eighty-five
Interesting Facts
B. B. was a sickly child who was educated at home, unlike his twin brother Roger, who was sent away to school. His most famous book, The Little Grey Men, was inspired by seeing a creature he believed to be a gnome in his attic at the age of four.
B. B. lived in the country for most of his life and loved animals, as well as traditional field sports – hunting, shooting and fishing. He based his pen name on the size of the lead shot he used to shoot geese.
B. B. wrote books for adults as well as children, and was renowned for his illustrations, which he published under his real name, Denys Watkins-Pitchford.
Where Did the Story Come From?
B.B.’s inspiration for Brendon Chase came from his love of wild places and his imagination. As he was often ill as a child he had not been permitted to play with other boys, so did not experience the sort of adventures Robin, John and Harold relished.
Guess Who?
A ‘Whoever heard of an outlaw burying wild boar?’
B ‘Gad, sir! I’ll give them a taste of me huntin’ crop.’
C ‘I’ve caught the first wood white I’ve ever seen in High Wood.’
D ‘Well we’ve searched the Chase all through and can’t find no trace.’
E ‘Well, ef you ain’t the cunningest young monkey I don’t know who is!’
ANSWERS:
A) Robin
B) Sir William Bary
C) The Whiting
D) Bunting
E) Smokoe Joe
Words Glorious Words!
Here are some words and meanings from the story. You can also look them up in the dictionary or online for fuller explanations!
inexorable impossible to stop or prevent
virulent highly infectious
quarantine a time during which people or animals are kept away from others if they have an infectious disease
poacher someone who hunts or catches fish or game illegally
miscreant someone who has done something wrong or unlawful
sotto voce in a quiet voice
Quiz
Thinking caps on – let’s see how much you can remember! Answers are on the next page. (No peeking!)
1 Which butterfly does the Whiting hope to spot on his lone trip to the Chase?
a) Wood White
b) Purple Emperor
c) Comma
d) Brimstone
2 What did Big John find inside a hollow oak stump?
a) a swarm of bees
b) a bird’s nest
c) a pig
d) a hornets’ nest
3 Where does Harold go in search of ammunition?
a) the Dower House
b) Rumbold’s potting shed
c) Brendon
d) Martyr Bar
4 What did the boys call the dog they found in the Chase?
a) Tilly
b) Gyp
c) Whisky
d) Bang
5 What did Smokoe Joe give the boys for Christmas?
a) an owl
b) a wood carving
c) a case of butterflies
d) a dog
ANSWERS:
1) b
2) a
3) c
4) d
5) b
1944 was the year before the Second World War finally ended.
6 June 1944 was D-Day, when 155,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy, France.
In August the hiding place of Anne Frank and her family was found and they were sent to concentration camps.
Food in Britain was rationed and people were encouraged to grow their own vegetables.
The famous volcano Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupted for the last time in March 1944.
Make and Do
Make some blackberry muffins to share with your friends!
YOU WILL NEED:
❋ A 12-hole baking tin and 12 muffin cases
❋ An adult to help you
❋ 55g butter (plus extra to grease the tin)
❋ 2 eggs
❋ 100 ml full fat milk
❋ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
❋ 200g plain flour
❋ 2 teaspoons baking powder
❋ 110g fresh blackberries
1 Ask an adult to preheat the oven to 200˚C/160˚C fan/gas mark 4. Grease the muffin tin and line it with muffin cases.
2 Put the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat them until they are light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Then beat in the milk and vanilla extract.
3 Sift the flour and baking powder together into another bowl. Mix and add to the muffin mixture. Add the blackberries and stir until they are mixed through evenly.
4 Divide the mixture between the muffin cases. They should be two-thirds full.
5 Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes, until the muffins are well risen and firm to the touch.
6 Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
Did You Know?
Robin, John and Harold love reading and took with them books to read, as well as supplies. These are the books they took.
Life in the Woods by Henry D. Thoreau
This book – also called Walden – is an account of the time the American author spent living simply in a cabin he built himself in Walden Pond in Massachusetts between 1845 and 1847.
Bevis, The Story of a Boy by Richard Jefferies
This novel is based on the author’s childhood adventures in the countryside around his father’s small farm in Wiltshire during the 1850s and 1860s.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
These two American children’s classics were published in 1876 and 1884. They are adventure stories set along the Mississippi River, with a big cast of characters.
Puffin Writing Tips
Change your scenery and go see something you’ve never seen before.
Two heads are better than one! Find a writing buddy to test ideas on and develop ideas!
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First published by Hollis and Carter 1944
Published by Jane Nissen Books 2000
Published by Puffin Books 2016
Copyright © The Estate of Denys Watkins-Pitchford, 1944
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted
Cover illustration by Denys Watkins-Pitchford
ISBN: 978–0–141–36208–3