Page:Poor Cecco - 1925.djvu/89

Rh steady pace along the road behind them, were two enormous rats. Even at that distance one could see their whiskers twitching and their eyes peering from side to side. At of them Bulka’s bites, which he had nearly forgotten about, began to smart again.

“We’ll keep quite still,” said Poor Cecco, “and perhaps they will pass by and not see us.”

So they lay down, as flat as they could, among the grasses, scarcely daring to breathe. But the rats must have known they were there. For as soon as they came within a few feet of where the three friends were in hiding they stopped short, puffing and blowing, and sat down in the road to consult.

“It’s no use,” said Jensina, “they must certainly have seen us. They are policemen rats.”

They were very fat rats, and elderly, They were hot and tired from coming so far along the dusty road. One of them, who was in quite a perspiration, began at once to mop his face and brush his whiskers, grumbling as he did so, and staring about him.

Jensina was watching them intently.

“I can’t hear what they are saying,” she whispered, “but at any rate they are not going to attack us now. The best thing is to go straight on, and pretend to take no notice of them.” And so saying, she rose to her feet, and humming a little tune, began to walk away. Bulka and Poor Cecco followed, looking back over their shoulders.