at last the Dragon-bird
landed by them with a flop. It pecked at Skip’s saucepans and dented them badly. Then it spread its wings, rose into the air, and flew away again.
‘Oh my stars!’ said Jump, shaking like a jelly. ‘This is the sort of adventure that doesn’t agree with me at all. Has that horrid bird gone?’
‘Yes,’ said Hop. ‘It’s a nasty-looking thing too, I can tell you. It’s got scales as well as feathers, and a long tail. It must have thought we were piles of
saucepans!’
‘Come on while we’re safe,’ said Skip.
They ran towards the castle and, panting and breathless, flung themselves down at the foot of it.
‘Isn’t it a funny colour!’ said Hop, looking at it closely. ‘It looks just like toffee!’
Skip broke a piece off and licked it.
‘It
is
toffee!’ he said. ‘My goodness! Fancy a castle built of toffee!’
‘Toffee!’ cried Jump in delight. ‘I say, how lovely! I’m going to have a really big bit!’
He broke off a fine fat piece and began chewing it. It was delicious.
‘I suppose it was built by magic,’ said Hop. ‘I can’t imagine
people
building it, can you? They’d get so terribly sticky.’
‘Well, don’t let’s forget about the Saucepan Man,’ said Skip, looking round about him. ‘I expect he’s feeling very lonely and afraid.’
‘Let’s explore round the outside of the castle,’ said Hop. ‘Maybe we can find some way of getting in then.’
Off went the brownies, after having carefully taken off the saucepans and hidden them under a bush. They were afraid that the Golden Dwarf might hear the clanking if they carried them about.
They marched off round the toffee castle, looking everywhere for a window or a door.
Not one was to be seen.
‘Goodness!’ said Hop at last. ‘No wonder nobody ever sees the Golden Dwarf, if there’s no window and no door on the ground-floor.’
‘I don’t believe there’s any way of getting into the castle at all except by that window right at the very top,’ said Skip, craning his neck to see.
He was right. Not a door was to be seen, and no windows either, except the big one set right at the very top of the castle, where the Dragon-bird had flown in with the Saucepan Man.
The brownies came back to their saucepans and sat down under the bush.
‘Well, that
is
a puzzle,’ said Hop. ‘We haven’t a ladder, and there’s no door – so how ever
can
we get in?’
‘We can’t,’ said Jump. ‘The only thing left to do is to go back to that signpost, and take the road to Witchland.’
‘What, and leave the poor old Saucepan Man to be eaten by the Golden Dwarf ?’ cried Skip, who was very tender-hearted. ‘After he’s been so very kind to us too!’
The others looked uncomfortable. They didn’t like leaving their friend behind, but they didn’t really see what else there was to do.
‘Listen!’ said Skip. ‘If you want something badly enough, you’re sure to find out a way. Now let’s just keep quiet and think very, very hard.’
The three brownies put their heads on their hands, shut they eyes, and thought.
They thought and thought and thought.
The sun went down. Still the brownies thought.
The moon came up. Still the brownies thought.
Then Hop raised his head. ‘If only we could get something to climb up the wall with,’ he said. ‘But we haven’t anything at all.’
‘Except silly old saucepans,’ said Jump mournfully.
‘Yes – saucepans,’ repeated Hop. Then his eyes widened as a great thought came into his head.
‘
Saucepans
!’ he said again, and chuckled. Then he got up and did a little dance of joy. Skip and Jump stared at him in astonishment.
‘Are you mad, Hop?’ asked Skip.
‘Or do you feel ill?’ asked Jump.
‘No, I’m not mad!’ answered Hop. ‘I’ve only got that fantastic feeling you get when you suddenly think of a perfectly splendid idea.’
‘What is it?’ asked Skip and Jump together.
‘Well, here we’ve been groaning and
landed by them with a flop. It pecked at Skip’s saucepans and dented them badly. Then it spread its wings, rose into the air, and flew away again.
‘Oh my stars!’ said Jump, shaking like a jelly. ‘This is the sort of adventure that doesn’t agree with me at all. Has that horrid bird gone?’
‘Yes,’ said Hop. ‘It’s a nasty-looking thing too, I can tell you. It’s got scales as well as feathers, and a long tail. It must have thought we were piles of
saucepans!’
‘Come on while we’re safe,’ said Skip.
They ran towards the castle and, panting and breathless, flung themselves down at the foot of it.
‘Isn’t it a funny colour!’ said Hop, looking at it closely. ‘It looks just like toffee!’
Skip broke a piece off and licked it.
‘It
is
toffee!’ he said. ‘My goodness! Fancy a castle built of toffee!’
‘Toffee!’ cried Jump in delight. ‘I say, how lovely! I’m going to have a really big bit!’
He broke off a fine fat piece and began chewing it. It was delicious.
‘I suppose it was built by magic,’ said Hop. ‘I can’t imagine
people
building it, can you? They’d get so terribly sticky.’
‘Well, don’t let’s forget about the Saucepan Man,’ said Skip, looking round about him. ‘I expect he’s feeling very lonely and afraid.’
‘Let’s explore round the outside of the castle,’ said Hop. ‘Maybe we can find some way of getting in then.’
Off went the brownies, after having carefully taken off the saucepans and hidden them under a bush. They were afraid that the Golden Dwarf might hear the clanking if they carried them about.
They marched off round the toffee castle, looking everywhere for a window or a door.
Not one was to be seen.
‘Goodness!’ said Hop at last. ‘No wonder nobody ever sees the Golden Dwarf, if there’s no window and no door on the ground-floor.’
‘I don’t believe there’s any way of getting into the castle at all except by that window right at the very top,’ said Skip, craning his neck to see.
He was right. Not a door was to be seen, and no windows either, except the big one set right at the very top of the castle, where the Dragon-bird had flown in with the Saucepan Man.
The brownies came back to their saucepans and sat down under the bush.
‘Well, that
is
a puzzle,’ said Hop. ‘We haven’t a ladder, and there’s no door – so how ever
can
we get in?’
‘We can’t,’ said Jump. ‘The only thing left to do is to go back to that signpost, and take the road to Witchland.’
‘What, and leave the poor old Saucepan Man to be eaten by the Golden Dwarf ?’ cried Skip, who was very tender-hearted. ‘After he’s been so very kind to us too!’
The others looked uncomfortable. They didn’t like leaving their friend behind, but they didn’t really see what else there was to do.
‘Listen!’ said Skip. ‘If you want something badly enough, you’re sure to find out a way. Now let’s just keep quiet and think very, very hard.’
The three brownies put their heads on their hands, shut they eyes, and thought.
They thought and thought and thought.
The sun went down. Still the brownies thought.
The moon came up. Still the brownies thought.
Then Hop raised his head. ‘If only we could get something to climb up the wall with,’ he said. ‘But we haven’t anything at all.’
‘Except silly old saucepans,’ said Jump mournfully.
‘Yes – saucepans,’ repeated Hop. Then his eyes widened as a great thought came into his head.
‘
Saucepans
!’ he said again, and chuckled. Then he got up and did a little dance of joy. Skip and Jump stared at him in astonishment.
‘Are you mad, Hop?’ asked Skip.
‘Or do you feel ill?’ asked Jump.
‘No, I’m not mad!’ answered Hop. ‘I’ve only got that fantastic feeling you get when you suddenly think of a perfectly splendid idea.’
‘What is it?’ asked Skip and Jump together.
‘Well, here we’ve been groaning and
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