Read Online The Wombles to the Rescue by Elisabeth Beresford - Free Book Online

top half out of the water. Bubbles were still bursting on the surface of the Mere and the strange, juicy smell was becoming more and more pronounced. ‘That’s what you’ve done, young Womble. Ruined all the life’s work of me, Botany Womble. Everything was a-going so well, apart from a trouble or two, and now it’s done for and I holds you to blame . . .’
    â€˜I still don’t understand . . .’
    â€˜No, nor ever will now that all’s ruined. All them years ago out in Australia I had this idea. I went down to the harbour to see about stores and as I looked over the side of this ship what did I see? I see all these lovely little rich green plants a-growing under the water. Well, I says to myself, Botany Womble, this is a right rich country with plenty of ground for growing, but one day maybe things could change and those troublesome Human Beings, silly creatures, will use up a lot of land for their houses and this and that. And then what will happen to growing land? Eh?’
    â€˜I don’t know,’ whispered Wellington, whose eyes were now as round as pennies as Cousin Botany pointed one silver-grey paw at him as if it was entirely his, Wellington’s, fault that all this was happening.
    â€˜I’ll tell you,’ said Cousin Botany. ‘I’ll tell you, young Womble. It’s what’s happening here on this very Wimbledon Common. There’ll be a lot of open space and the trees and bushes and plants’ll be cut right back and there won’t be enough food to go round . And there’s me, Botany Womble, as has built or tried to build Womble feeding grounds under the water. A ND YOU ’ VE GONE AND RUINED ’ EM ALL !’
    And to Wellington’s horror old Cousin Botany took off his ancient straw hat, put it down on the ground and began to jump up and down on it as he said, ‘That’s that then. All my work done and over with. I’ll not work for this burrow no more. I won’t, I won’t, I WON ’ T !’
    â€˜I say, Wellington,’ said Tomsk, slowly surfacing among the bubbles, ‘there’s something very sort of funny about the bottom of the Mere. Something sort of funny which I don’t think is oil . . .’
    â€˜Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear,’ said Wellington. ‘O H DEAR !’

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    Chapter 7
    Tomsk Has an Idea
    Botany was a most unusual Womble for until now he had been a non-talker, but once he saw the Womble-made oil rig and the greasy bubbles on the water he changed completely, because he really did think that all his careful work had been destroyed. He stopped being slow and quiet and thoughtful and became very angry indeed. He dashed into Queen’s Mere with a turn of speed surprising in a Womble of his age, and grabbed hold of the astonished Tomsk by the scruff of his neck and dragged him out of the water. Then Cousin Botany gripped on to Wellington’s fur – which wasn’t difficult as it was all standing on end – and he tugged and pulled and argued the two young Wombles back to the burrow and down the main corridor and into the Workshop. There Tobermory was wearily mending a brace and bit while trying to think of the answer to the woodworm which had attacked all the doors in the burrow.
    â€˜Here, what’s all this?’ he demanded, looking rather astonished as well he might for the three muddy, dripping Wombles really did make a most unusual picture.
    â€˜This,’ said Botany, his voice quite hoarse with anger and breathlessness, ‘this is two of your precious young Wombles as have ruined all my years of work. You do with them as you will, Tobermory, seeing as you’re in charge, but if I had my way I’d send them to Coventry for THREE MONTHS .’
    The threat of not being allowed to talk to anybody for three months was so awful, indeed unheard of, that both Tomsk and Wellington sagged at the knees, their mouths open and their eyes rolling.