“I want something to eat,” said Paul. “I’m terribly hungry. I shall ask Yamen to give me the very nicest, most delicious food she’s got.”
The thought of food made everyone eager to set out again. Ranni got up and pulled Paul to his feet. “Well, come along then,” he said. “We shall soon be home now!”
One by one they hauled themselves up the rope that led to the temple-cave. Their feet found the rough places to help them, as they went up, and at last all six of them were standing in the big temple-cave.
It seemed dark there, darker than it should have been. Ranni looked towards the entrance.
“We can’t go home!” he said in disappointment. “Look at that mist! It is like a thick fog. We could not see our hands in front of our faces if we went out in that. We should be completely lost in two minutes.”
“Well, we must stay here till the mist clears,” said Pilescu. “I am afraid it will not clear for some hours. When the mountain mists are as thick as this one, they last a long time.”
“Oh, Pilescu! We must get back now we’re so near home!” said Paul, almost in tears. “We must! I’m so hungry I can’t stay here one more minute.”
Jack looked at the blind goatherd, who was standing, quietly listening.
“Beowald can guide us back,” said Jack. “You know your way by night, or in the thickest mist, don’t you, Beowald?”
Beowald nodded. “It is all the same to me,” he said. “If you wish, I will take you back to Killimooin Castle. My feet know the way! Is the mist very thick? I can feel that there is one, but I do not know how thick.”
“It’s the thickest one I’ve ever seen,” said Pilescu, peering out. “I’m not at all sure I like to trust myself even to you, Beowald!”
“You are safe with me on the mountain-side,” said the goatherd. He took out his little flute and played one of his queer tunes on it. An enormous horned head suddenly appeared at the entrance of the cave, and everyone jumped in fright.
“Ha, old one, you are there!” cried Beowald, as he heard the patter of the big goat’s hooves. “Keep by me, old one, and together we will lead these friends of ours safely down our mountain-side!”
“Take hands,” ordered Ranni. “Don’t let go, whatever you do. If anything happens, and you have to let go, shout and keep on shouting so that we keep in touch with one another. We have had enough narrow escapes for one day!”
Everyone took hands. Beowald went out of the cave, playing his flute, his left hand firmly clasped in Ranni’s big one. Behind Ranni came Paul, then Mike, then Jack, then Pilescu, all firmly holding hands.
“I feel as if we’re going to play ‘Ring-a-ring-of-roses’!” said Jack, with a laugh.
“Well, don’t let’s play the ‘all-fall-down’ part,” said Mike at once. “It wouldn’t be at all a good thing to do on a steep mountain-side like this.”
They felt light-hearted at the idea of going home at last. With Beowald’s music sounding plaintively through the mist, they stumbled along down the steep mountain-path. Two or three times one or other of the boys fell, and broke hands. They shouted at once, and the party stopped and joined together again.
It was slow work walking in the thick mist. They could barely see the person in front. Only Beowald walked steadily and surely. He could see with his feet!
“Don’t go too fast, Beowald,” said Ranni, as he felt the little prince dragging behind him. “Remember, we cannot see anything — not even our own feet.”
“Neither can Beowald!” thought Mike. “How marvellous he is! Whatever should we have done without him?”
They stumbled downwards slowly for more than an hour and a half. Then Ranni gave a shout.
“We’re almost there! I can hear the hens clucking at the back of the castle, and a dog barking. Bear up, Paul, we are nearly home!”
They came to the flight of steps, and stumbled up them, tired out. Beowald slipped away with the big goat. The others hardly saw him go. They were so excited at getting back in safety. Killimooin Castle at last! They hammered on the big iron-studded door impatiently.
The End of the Adventure
The door flew open — and there stood Yamen with Nora and Peggy close behind her. With screams of excitement and delight the two girls flung themselves on the boys. Yamen beamed in joy. The lost ones were home again! They were dragged indoors, and Yamen ran up the-big stone staircase, shouting at the top of her voice:
“Majesty! They’re back! The little prince is safe! He is safe!”
The whole household gathered to hear the story of the returned wanderers. Servants peered round the door. The smaller children, clinging to the hands of their nurses, gazed open-eyed at the untidy, dirty boys and the two big Baronians. Tooku, his arm still bound up, came running up from the kitchen. What an excitement there was!
“We’ve been to the Secret Forest!” announced Paul, grandly. He had forgotten his tiredness and his hunger. He was the Prince of Baronia, back from rescuing his men.
“The Secret Forest!” repeated Yamen, with awe in her voice, and all the servants sighed and nodded to one another. Truly their prince was a prince!
“No, Paul, no — you cannot have been there!” said his mother. She glanced at Ranni and Pilescu, who nodded, smiling.
“It’s true, mother,” said Paul. “We found that Ranni and Pilescu had been captured by the robbers, and taken down below the temple-cave. There’s a mountain river flowing underground there, and it’s the only way there is to the Secret Forest!”
Bit by bit the whole story came out. Everyone listened, entranced.
When Paul came to the part where the roof had fallen in and they had almost been drowned, his mother caught him up into her arms, and wept tears over him. Paul was very indignant.
“Mother! Let me go! I’m not a baby, to be cried over!”
“No — you’re a hero, little lord!” said Yamen, admiringly. “I go to get you a meal fit for the greatest little prince that Baronia has ever had!”
She turned and went down to her kitchen, planning a really royal meal. Ah, that little Paul — what a prince he was! Yamen marvelled at him, and at the two English boys, as she quickly rolled out pastry on her kitchen table. She would give them such a meal. Never would they forget it!
“Where is Beowald?” asked the Queen, when she had listened again and again to the thrilling tale of how Beowald had appeared just in time to free them before the cave filled with water. “I must thank Beowald and reward him.”
“Didn’t he come in with us?” said Jack. But no, Beowald was not there. He was far away on his mountain-side, playing to his goats, hidden by the mist.
“Mother, I want Beowald to come and live with me,” said Paul. “I like him, and he plays the flute beautifully. That shall be his reward, mother.”
“If he wants to, he shall,” promised the Queen, though she did not think that the blind goatherd would want such a reward. “Now, you must get yourselves clean, and then a good meal will be ready. Oh, how thankful I am that you are all back in safety!”
Half an hour later the whole party looked quite different. They were clean again, and had on spotless clothes. How tired they looked, thought the girls. But perhaps they were only hungry!
Yamen had prepared a marvellous meal. The smell of cooking came up from the big kitchen, and the five travellers could hardly wait for the first dish to appear — a thick, delicious soup, almost a meal in itself!
The boys had never eaten so much before. Ranni and Pilescu put away enormous quantities, too. Paul had to stop first. He put down his spoon with a sigh, leaving some of his pudding on his plate.