Page:The fairy tales of science.djvu/313

 But here comes another little fellow, in far more splendid habiliments than those of the guardian of the gems. He wears a complete suit of armour, every plate of which is formed of a different metal. His helmet is of gold, and surmounted by a graceful plume, formed entirely of the finest conceivable silver wire. Everything about him is metallic, and so highly polished, that our eyes are fairly dazzled by the apparition. As he walks towards us, his armour makes a pleasant jingling noise; and as he sits down on the stalagmite vacated by his brother gnome, we hear such a crash, that we half expect to see the elaborate suit of metal tumble into pieces.

"I come to speak to you of the real treasures of the earth, and not of those useless bodies misnamed precious stones. I am the keeper of the metals, those wonderful substances which have been such important aids to human progress, and without which, indeed, any high degree of civilization were impossible. Unlike the jewels guarded by the boastful gnome who vanished as I approached, the metals are not merely ornamental, for you must be aware that they are essential to every process connected with the tilling of the soil, the building of houses and temples, the construction of roads, the manufacture of clothing, the navigation of seas—to every art, in fine, which elevates man above the condition of the brute.

"I will not attempt to describe the properties of the various metals confided to my care, nor will