Page:The Children Who Followed the Piper.djvu/98

 went on their webs struck across his face.

The trees were stirless and were like stones. The iron weed and the fire weed, the wolf weed and the lion weed grew under the trees. Valentine went on, holding the sword in his hand. And then, suddenly, he came upon hounds that were hunting in the Dark Forest.

They stopped and then they ran toward him. Valentine put his back to a tree and he held the sword in his hands. The hounds were black, with bristling hair, and foam dropped from their jaws. Right up to him they came. He struck at the first of them with his sword, and it yelped and drew back. Another and another dashed at him, but when he flashed the sword they drew back, whimpering. With tongues hanging out and jaws dripping with foam they dashed again and again at him. Always they yelped and whimpered and drew back when the bright sword was flashed at them. And at last they came on no more.