The Story of the Three Goblins | Page 2

gold and silver."
Suddenly they heard a big rough voice say, "Yes, you are on Tom Tiddler's ground, and Tom Tiddler will lock you all up, you little thieves."
The goblins dropped their handfuls of gold and silver, and found themselves caught up by a great big giant who carried them off, with great long strides, to his house.
Tom Tiddler took them into a large kitchen where Mrs. Tiddler was busy making the tea.
"Wife," said he, "put these goblins in the pantry, and we will have them fried on toast for breakfast."
The poor little brothers were locked up in the pantry, and they sat down on the floor holding each others hands very tight and shaking with fear.
At last they grew bolder, and began to think how they could get away. They tried to open the window, and found to their joy that Tom Tiddler had forgotten to lock it. They crept out very quietly and climbed down by the thick ivy which grew up the wall.
The goblins ran as fast as they could, only stopping to fill a sack which they had found with gold and silver. They knew that Tom Tiddler and his wife were at tea, and would not think of coming out for some time.
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[Illustration]
The brothers managed, after a great deal of hard work, to get the sack over the fence, and as it was too heavy to drag with them they agreed to bury it in the forest and dig it up as they came back.
Just when they were ready a rabbit came up to them. "Hullo, little chaps," said the rabbit, "where are you off to?"
"We are on our way to the fairies' cave," they replied.
"You have a long way to go yet," said the rabbit; "the cave is on an island in the sea; but I am going that way, and if you jump on my back I will give you a lift."
The little brothers thanked the rabbit very much, as they were feeling tired after their hard work. As soon as they were safely seated the rabbit started off.
On and on they went until they had left the dark forest far behind, and were on the sea-shore. Here the rabbit stopped, saying, "I can take you no farther; you have now to cross the water, and must consult the Great Fish. He will appear if you knock three times on the rock. Take also this red dust, you will find it useful;" and putting a little bag of red dust into Red-Cap's hand the rabbit ran off.
The goblins did as the rabbit had told them, and when they had knocked three times on a rock a large fish raised itself slowly out of the water and said, "Why have you called me?"
"Please will you tell us how to get to the fairies' cave?" said Blue-Cap.
"Look between the rocks so green, There a boat will soon be seen; In the boat you all must sail, Wafted gently by the gale."
said the fish, and sank again beneath the blue waves.
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[Illustration]
The brothers, after looking about for a little while, found a white boat between two big rocks covered with green seaweed. They pulled it out and got in, and no sooner had they sat down than a gentle wind sprang up and blew them steadily out to sea. They were rather frightened as they had never been on the sea before, but soon they saw that they were coming to land. The land proved to be an island, and when the boat stopped on the yellow sand the goblins all jumped out.
They made the boat fast by tying the rope to a large piece of rock, and feeling that their hardest work was coming walked bravely over the sands, carrying a boat-hook which they had found in the boat.
They soon came to a dark cave in the rocks. In front of the cave was a big dragon which breathed fire out of its mouth and roared like hundreds of lions. The goblins, after trying many times, managed to creep over the rocks behind the dragon, and throwing the dust which the rabbit had given them into its flaming eyes they at last, after a hard fight, killed the monster and entered the cave.
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[Illustration]
The goblins looked round in the darkness for the serpent of which they had heard, but they could not find it.
At last, when they were sadly thinking of going back to the boat, Red-Cap cried out that he saw something yellow in the dark shadow of a rock.
It was the serpent's tail!
They all ran after it, shouting loudly, and it led them some way down a rocky passage.
It went very quickly, and they had to run very fast to keep it in sight; but at last they caught it, and after a sharp struggle--in which