en
poker, the point of which he had blown red-hot in the fire, followed by
the cook with his longest spit. Through the crowd, which scattered
right and left before them, they came down upon Curdie. Uttering a
shrill whistle, he caught the poker a blow with his mattock, knocking
the point to the ground, while the page behind him started forward, and
seizing the point of the spit, held on to it with both hands, the cook
kicking him furiously.

Ere the butler could raise the poker again, or the cook recover the
spit, with a roar to terrify the dead, Lina dashed into the room, her
eyes flaming like candles. She went straight at the butler. He was
down in a moment, and she on the top of him, wagging her tail over him
like a lioness.

'Don't kill him, Lina,' said Curdie.

'Oh, Mr Miner!' cried the butler.

'Put your foot on his mouth, Lina,' said Curdie. 'The truth Fear tells
is not much better than her lies.'

The rest of the creatures now came stalking, rolling, leaping, gliding,
hobbling into the room, and each as he came took the next place along
the wall, until, solemn and grotesque, all stood ranged, awaiting
orders.

And now some of the culprits were stealing to the doors nearest them.
Curdie whispered to the two creatures next him. Off went Ballbody,
rolling and bounding through the crowd like a spent cannon shot, and
when the foremost reached the door to the corridor, there he lay at the
foot of it grinning; to the other door scuttled a scorpion, as big as a
huge crab. The rest stood so still that some began to think they were
only boys dressed up to look awful; they persuaded themselves they were
only another part of the housemaid's and page's vengeful contrivance,
and their evil spirits began to rise again. Meantime Curdie had, with
a second sharp blow from the hammer of his mattock, disabled the cook,
so that he yielded the spit with a groan. He now turned to the
avengers.

'Go at them,' he said.

The whole nine-and-forty obeyed at once, each for himself, and after
his own fashion. A scene of confusion and terror followed. The crowd
scattered like a dance of flies. The creatures had been instructed not
to hurt much, but to hunt incessantly, until everyone had rushed from
the house. The women shrieked, and ran hither and thither through the
hall, pursued each by her own horror, and snapped at by every other in
passing. If one threw herself down in hysterical despair, she was
instantly poked