Page:The land of enchantment (1907, Cassell).djvu/40

 Of course they had to own their failure and tell him of their accident.

“But,” they asked, ”how came you to be here?”

“Oh, I wanted a holiday, and as Sir Oracle consented to spare me, I thought I might as well come and join you if you will allow me.”

They were all of them thoughtful for a time.

“Yes,” said the ground-gnome, following out his train of ideas, “to get the right sort of experience is not always easy. Now, I ought to know a good deal about underground ways, and if——”

He paused without concluding the sentence.

“If what?” asked the maker of ghosts.

“Oh,” returned the other with a smile, “I was only wishing that we could come across the yellow dwarf.”

“What?” cried both his hearers together.

“Why, the dwarfs, you know, are splendid miners; they’ve got all the best experience.”

The maker of ghosts and the maker of shadows rapidly related their adventure.

“Well, now,” said the ground-gnome, “your experience may not prove so dear after all. The thing is to hit on a plan. The dwarfs only work at night, and vanish at daybreak. What we want is to find out where they work. Let’s see—one of you is by occupation a maker of ghosts and the other a maker of shadows? I thought as much. Can either of you crow? Very good: I’ll tell you my idea; then let us three lay our heads together, and for once, I think, we’ll astonish the yellow dwarf.”

Several days were now spent by the three in laying their plans. The maker of ghosts made a large cock, the maker of shadows a big dark shadow, whilst the ground-gnome saw to his glow-worms, looked out two pairs of goloshes, put up some small tins of compressed food essence, polished the lamps, picks and spades, and got ready three large strong baskets. One special item of the preparations was a length of fine but strong silken cord. Now, this was their plan. They proposed to descend the shaft just before sunset and go to the gallery first worked by the maker of ghosts and his friend. From this as a starting-place they would try to find the passage in which they met the yellow dwarf. Likely enough it would prove a difficult task, nor was it probable that the plan of the mines would be here of much use; hence the wise precaution of bringing with them the silken cord, which they would unwind as they went