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.Sometimes the two travelers were in complete darkness, at other times theywhirled by the narrow, well-lighted ledges of a queer cave city where thesubjects of the Mountain King lived in cell-like apertures in the silverrock like the cliff dwellers of old.Then without warning the car wouldplunge to the work caverns below, past the gloomy shafts of the silvermines, or dart up to the living quarters and grottoes of the King himself,caves so lavishly furnished and glowing with jewels Handy let out littleshrieks of astonishment.In the King's subterranean gardens, silverswallows bathed in the silver fountains, silver maples rustled their lacybranches in the lavender-scented breezes, silver-petalled flowers withjeweled centers grew as riotously as daisies and buttercups in the upstairsworld.The mountaineers themselves, working listlessly with pick and shovel in themines or walking soberly along the ledges beside their little cliffdwellings, seemed undersized and unhappy to the Goat Girl.Not that shecaught more than a flying glimpse of them as the silver car tore by.Infact, she was so frantically busy holding on to the front rail of the carwith all her various hands and catching her breath after each dizzy swoopthat her mind was in a perfect whirl.The groans and snorts of Nox were farfrom reassuring, but afraid to look back lest she herself be flung out,Handy clung desperately to the rail wondering when the wild ride would endand where under the mountain the silver car was taking them.The last wordsPage 56ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlof Nifflepok rang unpleasantly in her ears, and as they raced by a cavemarked "Potters Den," the Goat Girl positively shuddered.Here, set out invast silver pots and buried to their chins in the silver earth, were scoresof the King's pale-faced prisoners.A grim-looking gardener was wateringthem from a milk can, and from the hungry way they lapped up the few dropsthat fell to them, Handy concluded that this was probably their only food."First I shot over a mountain, and now I'm shooting through one!" moaned thedistracted Goat Girl, trying to collect her spinning thoughts andfaculties."Oh, myC4y, we're going to pot for sure.Oh, this time we arereally done for!"Then all at once Handy's good common sense began to assert itself.And astheir strange chariot with a sudden increase of speed and power againdashed down into the darkness, she snatched the precious blue flower fromher pocket and at the exact moment the silver car turned over and flungthem into space, Handy began pulling the petals from the flower and lettingthem drift down ahead of her own rapidly falling body.It was just lightenough for her to see Nox, with bristling horns and quivering nostrils,fall past, when she herself started to turn so many and such dizzysomersaults she lost all count of time and distance.CHAPTER 12PRISONERS OF THE WIZARDWhat seemed to be hours later, though in reality it was only a few moments,the two luckless prisoners found themselves side by side on a heap of softblue flower petals.They were in a small circular pit with one amethystburning dimly in the grating that covered the top.The Goat Girl had norecollection of her final landing and gazing up at the grilled ceilingwondered dully how they had come through without being cut to pieces."It tilted," wheezed the Royal Ox, answering the unspoken question inHandy's eyes, "just tilted and slid us down.20A fortunate thing you keptPage 57ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthat magic flower, m'lass.HaC4rumph!" Weakly and still trembling in everylimb, Nox tried to rise, but his legs gave way beneath him, and for a goodfifteen minutes he and the Goat Girl rested on the flower petals sayingnever a word.The tapping of footsteps in the corridor brought Handyquickly to her feet, and as Nox managed to heave himself upright the bluepetals vanished, leaving only a tiny flower on the floor.Handy had justtime to stuff it into her pocket when an invisible door in the side of thepit opened and twelve depressed workmen in silver cloth caps and overallsstepped inside.They carried brooms, mops and dust pans and stood staringin dismay at the seven-armed Goat Girl and angry-looking Ox."We were sent to brush up!" stuttered the first workman, touching his capuneasily."But C4 there C4 seemsC4""To be nothing to brush!" finished Handy sarcastically."Sorry to disappointyou.Now get OUT!" ordered the Goat Girl furiously, and seizing buckets,brooms and mops from their nerveless fingers, Handy pummeled them left andright with her seven hands [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]