as well past noon when at last they arrived at a scooped out area of
land between the two mountains, connecting them half way to their
summit, like the web foot of a duck.

Here, hungry and tired, they paused for lunch, and somehow, two
sandwiches and a boiled egg apiece didn't seem to go very far.

"I have to apologize," said Billie. "There was nothing in the camp to
eat. I suppose that's why Mr. Lupo made his mysterious visit to the
village: to get supplies."

"I'm thankful it's all gone and there is no more," announced Percy.
"It's something less to carry," he added, tying a cord around Nancy's
coat and his own and hanging them over his back like a peddler's pack.

"Be still," whispered Elinor, raising a warning hand, "I was certain I
heard music off in that direction."

The six friends sat silently listening for strains of music. In the
stillness of the forest they heard nothing but the songs of the birds,
broken occasionally by the caw of a crow or the tapping of a woodpecker.
But it was good to stop chattering for a while in this peaceful place,
and Billie, lying on her back looking up into the interlacing branches
of the trees, smiled happily.

How could she have been out of humor when just at their very doorstep
lay the most wonderful enchanted forest? It would not be easy to recall
silly domestic troubles in the midst of all this beauty.

"Curious. I was certain I heard the sound of some instrument like a
mandolin or a zither," said Elinor. "It was just one strain, almost as
if the wind had blown over an aeolian harp."

"It was fairy music," put in Mary.

"Like enough," said Ben; "and we had better be moving on," he added,
rising and leading the way. "The fairies don't like human ears to hear
their music and they might be playing tricks on us. Then we'd be in the
deuce of a fix out in the wilderness."

"They don't mind at all," said Mary. "You're entirely mistaken, Ben. You
are thinking of elves. The fairies are kind little people who never harm
anyone."

They had been walking for some time when they heard cries behind them.

"Help! Help!" screamed the voice of Nancy from around a curve in the
trail.

"What did I tell you," said Ben, running back with the others to see
what had happened, and then bursting into a perfect roar of laughter.

There was Percy in the act of killing a long black snake, which was
curled up with head thrust out in an attitude of defence, and there was
Nancy, who had evi