The
next scrambled down over his shoulders until he swung by his leader's
heels; the next followed, and so on. Three such Mulgar strings presently
hung down from their staves over the abyss. And there being thirty Men
of the Mountains in all, each string consisted of ten. [For this reason
some call these Mountain-mulgars Caterpillar or Ladder Mulgars.]

When they were all thus quietly dangling, their leader bade Thumb
advance. Stepping warily over the little heaps of baskets, this the
brothers did. But as Nod passed each string in turn, and saw it swinging
softly over the sheer precipice, and all the ten faces with pale eyes
blinking sadly up at him out of their fluff of hair, he thought he
should certainly be toppled over and dashed to pieces. At last, however,
all three were safely passed by. But the rocky ledge was here so narrow
that Thimble could not even turn himself about to thank the
Mountain-mulgars for their courtesy, nor to watch them climb back one by
one to their mountain-path again.

On and on, up, ever up, climbed the ribbon-like path winding about the
granite flanks of Kush. Once Nod lifted up his face, and saw in one
swift glimpse the glittering peaks and crest of the mountains rising in
beauty, crowned with snow, out of the vast sun-shafted precipices. He
hastily shut his eyes, and his knees trembled. But there could be no
turning back now. He followed on close behind his fat, panting brother,
until suddenly Thumb leapt back to a standstill, shouting in a voice of
fear: "O ho, ho! Illa ulla, illa ulla! O ho, ho!"

"O Thumb, why do you call 'ho!' like that?" said Nod anxiously.

"Back, back!" Thumb cried; "du steepa datz."

Nod stooped low on the smooth rock, and under the tatters of Thumb's
metal-hooked coat stared out between his brother's bandy legs. He simply
looked out of that hairy window straight into the empty air. They stood
like peering cormorants at the cliff's edge. The path had come to an
end.

Thumb whined softly and coughed, and a faint steam rose up from his
body. "We must go back," he barked huskily.

"Yes, brother," said Thimble softly; "but I cannot go back. If I turn,
down I go. But if you two can turn, down go will I."

"Tishnar, O Tishnar," cried Nod in terror, "the hills are dancing."

"Softly, softly, child!" said Thumb. "It is only your giddy eyes
rolling. What's more," he said, pretending to laugh, "those old hairy
Men of the Mountains, even if only Meermuts, _must_