brownies trembled.
‘Remember the magic word,’ whispered Hop anxiously. ‘It’s our only chance.’
‘I SMELL BROWNIES!’ said the Golden Dwarf again, and strode over to the shaking curtain.
He pulled it aside. Out sprang Hop, Skip, and Jump. ‘Kerolamisti –’ shouted Hop.
‘Cootalimar –’ went on Skip.
‘Cawnokeeto!’ finished Jump.
The Golden Dwarf stared at them in terror.
‘The Word! The Word!’ he cried, and pulled at his hair. Then he uttered a deep groan, jumped into the air, and vanished completely.
The brownies and the Saucepan Man stared at the place where the Golden Dwarf had stood. Nothing happened. He didn’t come back.
‘You’ve done the trick!’ said the Saucepan Man. ‘He’s gone for good!’
‘Hurrah!’ cried Hop. ‘Thank goodness we remembered the magic word! Come on, Saucepan Man – let’s get away from this horrid castle!’
Over the window-sill they clambered, and were soon scrambling down the saucepans as fast as they could go. ‘We’ll leave them there,’ said the Saucepan Man. ‘I don’t
want to waste any more time here, in case the Dragon-bird comes back.’
So off they all went in the moonlight, to the signpost pointing to Witchland.
Their Adventure with the Labeller and the Bottler
They hadn’t gone very far when the Saucepan Man began to yawn.
‘I’m
so
sleepy,’ he said, ‘and it really must be very late. What about getting underneath a bush and going to sleep till morning?’
The brownies thought it would be a very good idea. So they all cuddled together beneath a bush, and went fast asleep till the sun rose.
‘Wake up! Wake up!’ cried Hop. ‘It’s time to go on our way to Witchland and rescue the Princess Peronel.’
The others woke with a jump. They washed in a nearby stream, picked some blackberries for breakfast and went on towards the sign-post.
Suddenly a great black shadow came over them.
‘Oh! Oh!’ yelled the Saucepan Man in terror. ‘It’s the Dragon-bird again. Run! Run!’
The brownies ran helter-skelter to some bushes. The black shadow grew darker.
Zee-ee-ee! The Dragon-bird landed on the ground by them with a thud.
‘Where is my master? Where is my master?’ it cried in a croaking voice.
‘We have said a magic word and made him vanish for ever!’ shouted Hop bravely. ‘And if you don’t leave us alone, we’ll make
you
vanish too, you horrid
Dragon-bird.’
‘No, no!’ shrieked the bird. ‘Oh, most powerful wizard, let me serve
you
, now that my master the Golden Dwarf, is gone. Let me be your slave.’
‘Gracious!’ said Hop. ‘Here is a to-do! Goodness knows we don’t a Dragon-bird always at our heels, begging to be our slave.’
The Saucepan Man, who seemed to hear the Dragon-bird quite well, crawled out from under his bush and walked up to it.
‘Go away!’ he said. ‘If we want you we will call you. Don’t come bothering us now, or we will make you disappear, as we did your master.’
‘I will come if ever you want me,’ croaked the bird sadly. ‘I will await that time.’
It spread its wings, rose into the air, and in a few moments was out of sight.
‘That was rather a nasty shock,’ said Hop.
‘I quite thought it would take us all away again. Ugh! I hope we never see the ugly thing any more!’
‘So do
we
!’ said Skip and Jump.
‘Come on,’ said the Saucepan Man, and once more the four set off to the signpost.
At last they reached it, and set off down the road towards Witchland.
‘Don’t you bother to come with us,’ said Hop to the Saucepan Man. ‘We can find our way quite well now.’
‘No, I can’t hear any bell,’ said the Saucepan Man, standing still to listen. ‘You must be mistaken.’
‘Oh dear, you
are
deaf !’ sighed Hop, and quickly wrote down what he had said.
‘Ho, ho!’ laughed the Saucepan Man. ‘So you think you could find the way by yourself, do you? Ho, ho! You just follow me, and you’ll soon see you couldn’t find the
‘Remember the magic word,’ whispered Hop anxiously. ‘It’s our only chance.’
‘I SMELL BROWNIES!’ said the Golden Dwarf again, and strode over to the shaking curtain.
He pulled it aside. Out sprang Hop, Skip, and Jump. ‘Kerolamisti –’ shouted Hop.
‘Cootalimar –’ went on Skip.
‘Cawnokeeto!’ finished Jump.
The Golden Dwarf stared at them in terror.
‘The Word! The Word!’ he cried, and pulled at his hair. Then he uttered a deep groan, jumped into the air, and vanished completely.
The brownies and the Saucepan Man stared at the place where the Golden Dwarf had stood. Nothing happened. He didn’t come back.
‘You’ve done the trick!’ said the Saucepan Man. ‘He’s gone for good!’
‘Hurrah!’ cried Hop. ‘Thank goodness we remembered the magic word! Come on, Saucepan Man – let’s get away from this horrid castle!’
Over the window-sill they clambered, and were soon scrambling down the saucepans as fast as they could go. ‘We’ll leave them there,’ said the Saucepan Man. ‘I don’t
want to waste any more time here, in case the Dragon-bird comes back.’
So off they all went in the moonlight, to the signpost pointing to Witchland.
Their Adventure with the Labeller and the Bottler
They hadn’t gone very far when the Saucepan Man began to yawn.
‘I’m
so
sleepy,’ he said, ‘and it really must be very late. What about getting underneath a bush and going to sleep till morning?’
The brownies thought it would be a very good idea. So they all cuddled together beneath a bush, and went fast asleep till the sun rose.
‘Wake up! Wake up!’ cried Hop. ‘It’s time to go on our way to Witchland and rescue the Princess Peronel.’
The others woke with a jump. They washed in a nearby stream, picked some blackberries for breakfast and went on towards the sign-post.
Suddenly a great black shadow came over them.
‘Oh! Oh!’ yelled the Saucepan Man in terror. ‘It’s the Dragon-bird again. Run! Run!’
The brownies ran helter-skelter to some bushes. The black shadow grew darker.
Zee-ee-ee! The Dragon-bird landed on the ground by them with a thud.
‘Where is my master? Where is my master?’ it cried in a croaking voice.
‘We have said a magic word and made him vanish for ever!’ shouted Hop bravely. ‘And if you don’t leave us alone, we’ll make
you
vanish too, you horrid
Dragon-bird.’
‘No, no!’ shrieked the bird. ‘Oh, most powerful wizard, let me serve
you
, now that my master the Golden Dwarf, is gone. Let me be your slave.’
‘Gracious!’ said Hop. ‘Here is a to-do! Goodness knows we don’t a Dragon-bird always at our heels, begging to be our slave.’
The Saucepan Man, who seemed to hear the Dragon-bird quite well, crawled out from under his bush and walked up to it.
‘Go away!’ he said. ‘If we want you we will call you. Don’t come bothering us now, or we will make you disappear, as we did your master.’
‘I will come if ever you want me,’ croaked the bird sadly. ‘I will await that time.’
It spread its wings, rose into the air, and in a few moments was out of sight.
‘That was rather a nasty shock,’ said Hop.
‘I quite thought it would take us all away again. Ugh! I hope we never see the ugly thing any more!’
‘So do
we
!’ said Skip and Jump.
‘Come on,’ said the Saucepan Man, and once more the four set off to the signpost.
At last they reached it, and set off down the road towards Witchland.
‘Don’t you bother to come with us,’ said Hop to the Saucepan Man. ‘We can find our way quite well now.’
‘No, I can’t hear any bell,’ said the Saucepan Man, standing still to listen. ‘You must be mistaken.’
‘Oh dear, you
are
deaf !’ sighed Hop, and quickly wrote down what he had said.
‘Ho, ho!’ laughed the Saucepan Man. ‘So you think you could find the way by yourself, do you? Ho, ho! You just follow me, and you’ll soon see you couldn’t find the
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