initial commit of ebook 27922HEADmain

226 files changed, 13304 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6833f05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+* text=auto
+*.txt text
+*.md text
diff --git a/27922-8.txt b/27922-8.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a6ac6c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-8.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,4340 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of David and the Phoenix, by Edward Ormondroyd
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: David and the Phoenix
+
+Author: Edward Ormondroyd
+
+Illustrator: Joan  Raysor
+
+Release Date: January 28, 2009 [EBook #27922]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVID AND THE PHOENIX ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                         Transcriber's note:
+
+       Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the
+       U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
+
+
+
+                                DAVID
+
+                               and the
+
+                               PHOENIX
+
+
+
+
+                        _by Edward Ormondroyd_
+
+
+                      ILLUSTRATED BY JOAN RAYSOR
+
+
+
+
+                  Follett Publishing Company CHICAGO
+
+
+
+
+
+
+             DAVID AND THE PHOENIX, by Edward Ormondroyd
+
+                _Copyright 1957, by Edward Ormondroyd_
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+
+1.  _In Which David Goes Mountain Climbing, and a
+     Mysterious Voice Is Overheard_                         9
+
+2.  _In Which David Meets the Phoenix, and There Is a
+     Change in Plans_                                      19
+
+3.  _In Which It Is Decided that David Should Have an
+     Education, and an Experiment Is made_                 34
+
+4.  _In Which David and the Phoenix Go To Visit the
+     Gryffins, and a Great Danger Is Narrowly Averted_     45
+
+5.  _In Which the Scientist Arrives in Pursuit of the
+     Phoenix, and There Are Alarums and Excursions by
+     Night_                                                61
+
+6.  _In Which the Phoenix Has a Plan, and David and
+     the Phoenix Call On a Sea Monster_                    79
+
+7.  _In Which the Phoenix's Plan Is Carried Out, and
+     There Are More Alarums and Excursions in the Night_   99
+
+8.  _In Which David and the Phoenix Visit a Banshee,
+     and a Surprise Is Planted in the Enemy's Camp_       115
+
+9.  _In Which David and the Phoenix Call On a Faun,
+     and a Lovely Afternoon Comes to a Strange End_       138
+
+10. _In Which a Five Hundredth Birthday Is Celebrated,
+     and the Phoenix Bows to Tradition_                   156
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+_For Shirley and Josh_
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+1: _In Which David Goes Mountain Climbing, and a Mysterious Voice Is
+Overheard_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+All the way there David had saved this moment for himself, struggling
+not to peek until the proper time came. When the car finally stopped,
+the rest of them got out stiffly and went into the new house. But
+David walked slowly into the back yard with his eyes fixed on the
+ground. For a whole minute he stood there, not daring to look up. Then
+he took a deep breath, clenched his hands tightly, and lifted his
+head.
+
+There it was!--as Dad had described it, but infinitely more grand. It
+swept upward from the valley floor, beautifully shaped and soaring, so
+tall that its misty blue peak could surely talk face to face with the
+stars. To David, who had never seen a mountain before, the sight was
+almost too much to bear. He felt so tight and shivery inside that he
+didn't know whether he wanted to laugh, or cry, or both. And the
+really wonderful thing about the mountain was the way it _looked_ at
+him. He was certain that it was smiling at him, like an old friend who
+had been waiting for years to see him again. And when he closed his
+eyes, he seemed to hear a voice which whispered, "Come along, then,
+and climb."
+
+It would be so easy to go! The back yard was hedged in (with part of
+the hedge growing right across the toes of the mountain), but there
+was a hole in the privet large enough to crawl through. And just
+beyond the hedge the mountainside awaited him, going up and up in one
+smooth sweep until the green and tawny faded into hazy heights of
+rock. It was waiting for him. "Come and climb," it whispered, "come
+and climb."
+
+But there was a great deal to do first. They were going to move into
+the new house. The moving van was standing out in front, the car must
+be unloaded. David would be needed to carry things. Regretfully, he
+waved his hand at the peak and whispered, "It shouldn't take
+long--I'll be back as soon as I can." Then he went around to the front
+door to see what could be done about speeding things up.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Inside, everything was in confusion. Dad was pushing chairs and
+tables around in an aimless way. Mother was saying, "They'll all have
+to go out again; we forgot to put down the rug first." Aunt Amy was
+making short dashes between the kitchen and the dining room, muttering
+to herself. And Beckie was roaring in her crib because it was time for
+her bottle. David asked, "Can I do anything?"--hoping that the answer
+would be no.
+
+"C'mere," Aunt Amy said, grabbing him by the arm. "Help me look for
+that ironing board."
+
+When the ironing board was finally located, Mother had something for
+him to do. And when he was finished with that, Dad called for his
+help. So the afternoon wore on without letup--and also without any
+signs of progress in their moving. When David finally got a chance to
+sneak out for a breathing spell, he felt his heart sink. Somehow, in
+all the rush and confusion, the afternoon had disappeared. Already the
+evening sun was throwing shadows across the side of the mountain and
+touching its peak with a ruddy blaze. It was too late now. He would
+have to wait until morning before he could climb.
+
+As he gazed up miserably at the glowing summit, he thought he saw a
+tiny speck soar out from it in a brief circle. Was it a bird of some
+sort, or just one of those dots that swim before your eyes when you
+stare too long at the sky? It almost seemed like the mountain waving
+its hand, as if to say that it was quite all right for him to wait
+until morning. He felt better then, and returned more cheerfully to
+the moving.
+
+It was long after dark before the moving van drove away. Beckie
+crooned happily over her bottle, and the rest of them gathered in the
+kitchen for a late supper of sandwiches and canned soup. But David
+could not eat until he had found the courage to ask one question:
+
+"May I climb the mountain tomorrow?"
+
+Aunt Amy muttered something about landslides, which were firmly fixed
+in her mind as the fate of people who climbed mountains. But Dad said,
+"I don't see why not, do you?" and looked to Mother for agreement.
+
+Mother said, "Well ... be very careful," in a doubtful tone, and that
+was that.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+You never know what you will find when you climb a mountain, even if
+you have climbed them before--which, of course, David never had.
+Looking up from the foot of the mountain, he had thought that it was a
+smooth slope from bottom to top. But he was discovering as he climbed
+that it was not smooth at all, but very much broken up. There were
+terraces, ledges, knolls, ravines, and embankments, one after
+another. The exciting part of it was that each feature concealed the
+ones above it. At the top of a rise would be an outcropping of
+strangely colored rock, invisible from below. Beyond the outcropping,
+a small stand of aspens would quiver in the breeze, their quicksilver
+leaves hiding a tiny meadow on the slope behind. And when the meadow
+had been discovered, there would be a something else beyond. He was a
+real explorer now. When he got to the top, he thought, he would build
+a little tower of stones, the way explorers always do.
+
+But at the end of two hours' steady climbing, he was ready to admit
+that he would never reach the peak that day. It still rose above his
+head, seeming as far distant as ever. But he did not care now. It had
+been a glorious climb, and the distance he had already covered was a
+considerable one. He looked back. The town looked like a model of a
+town, with little toy houses and different-colored roofs among the
+trees that made a darker patch on the pattern of the valley floor. The
+mountains on the other side of the valley seemed like blue clouds
+stretching out over the edge of the world. Even the peak could not
+give him a better view than this.
+
+David gazed up the face of a scarp which rose like a cliff above
+him--a smooth, bare wall of rock that had halted his climb. Halfway
+up the scarp was a dark horizontal line of bushes, something like a
+hedge. Apparently there was a ledge or shelf there, and he decided to
+climb up to it before he returned home. To scale the rock face itself
+was impossible, however: there were no hand or foot holds. So he
+turned and made his way through the grass until he reached the end of
+the bare stone. Then he started upward again. It was hard work. Vines
+clutched at his feet, and the close-set bushes seemed unwilling to let
+him pass. He had one nasty slip, which might have been his last if he
+had not grabbed a tough clump of weeds at the crucial instant.
+
+But, oh! it was worth it. He felt like shouting when at last he
+reached the ledge. Truly it was an enchanted place! It was a long,
+level strip of ground, several yards wide, carpeted with short grass
+and dandelions. Bushes grew along most of the outer edge. The inner
+edge was bounded by a second scarp--a wall of red stone with sparkling
+points of light imbedded in its smooth surface.
+
+David threw himself on the grass and rolled in it. It was warm and
+soft and sweet-smelling; it soothed away the hurt of his aching
+muscles and the sting of his scratches. He rolled over on his back and
+cushioned his head in his hands. The sky seemed to be slipping along
+overhead like a broad blue river. The breeze ruffled his hair and
+whispered, the bushes murmured and gossiped to each other. Even the
+sunlight seemed to hum to him as it laid warm hands on his face.
+
+But there was another sound, which now and then rose above these
+murmurs. Then it would fade and be drowned out by the breeze. Hard to
+say why, but it just did not seem to fit there. David propped himself
+up on his elbows and listened more intently. The sound faded: he had
+been imagining it. No, he had not been imagining it--there it was
+again. He sat up. Now he noticed that the ledge was divided by a
+thicket which grew from the inner side to the outer. The noise,
+whatever it was, came from the other side of the thicket.
+
+David's curiosity was aroused, but it occurred to him that it might be
+wise to be cautious. The noise did not sound dangerous, but--well, he
+had never been up a mountain before, and there was no telling what he
+might find. He dropped into a crouch and crept silently up to the
+tangle of bushes. His heart began to pound, and he swallowed to
+relieve the dryness in his throat. The noise was much more distinct
+now, and it sounded like--like--yes, not only sounded like, but
+_was_--someone talking to himself.
+
+Who could it possibly be? Well, there was only one way to find out.
+
+He dropped down on his stomach and carefully began to worm his way
+under the thicket. The branches grew very low, and the ground was full
+of lumps and knobs which dug into him with every movement. There were
+vines, too, and some prickly things like thistles, which had to be
+pushed out of the way without allowing their leaves to rustle. He
+progressed by inches, pushing with his toes, pulling with his finger
+tips, wriggling with the rest of his body. At last he could see light
+breaking through the foliage in front of him--he was nearing the other
+side. A bunch of leaves hung before his face. He hesitated, then
+pushed them aside gently, slowly--and peered out.
+
+He thought his heart would stop.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+2: _In Which David Meets the Phoenix, and There Is a Change in Plans_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+There stood an enormous bird.
+
+David had been to the zoo, and at home he had a book of birds with
+colored pictures. He knew the more common large birds of the world:
+the ostrich, the condor, the albatross, eagles, cranes, storks. But
+_this_ bird--! Its shape was like that of an eagle, but stouter. Its
+neck had the length and elegant curve of a swan's neck. Its head was
+again like an eagle's, with a hooked bird-of-prey beak, but the
+expression in its brown eyes was mild. The long wings were blunt at
+the tips, the tail was short and broad. The legs, feathered halfway
+down, ended in taloned feet. An iridescent sheen sparkled on its
+plumage, reflecting sunlight from the scarlet crest, the golden neck
+and back, the breast of silver, the sapphire wings and tail. Its size
+alone would have been enough to take David's breath away. He could
+have stood beneath the arch of that neck with room to spare.
+
+But the most astonishing thing was that the bird had an open book on
+the ground and was apparently trying to learn part of it by heart.
+
+"_Vivo, vives, vive_," the bird read, very slowly and distinctly,
+staring hard at the book. "_Vivimos, vivís, viven._ _That_ is simple
+enough, you blockhead! Now, then, without looking." It cleared its
+throat, looked away from the book, and repeated in a rapid mutter:
+"_Vivo vives vive vi_--ah--_vivi_--oh, dear, what _is_ the matter with
+me?" Here the temptation to peek overcame it for an instant, and its
+head wavered. But it said, "No, no!" in a firm tone, looked carefully
+the other way, and began once more.
+
+"_Vivo, vives, vive_--quite correct so far. Ah--_vi_--ah--Oh, dear,
+these verbs! Where was I? Oh, yes. _Vivo_--"
+
+David's head reeled as he watched this amazing performance. There was
+no need to pinch himself to see if he were dreaming: he was perfectly
+wide awake. Everything else around him was behaving in a normal way.
+The mountain was solid beneath him, the sunlight streamed down as
+before. Yet there was the bird, unmistakably before him, undeniably
+studying its book and speaking to itself. David's mind caught hold of
+a phrase and repeated it over and over again: "What on _earth_? What
+on _earth_?" But of course there was no answer to that question. And
+he might have lain hidden there all day, staring out at the bird and
+marveling, had it not been for a bee which came droning into the
+thicket straight for him.
+
+He had a horror of bees, ever since he had once bumped into a hive by
+mistake. When he heard that dread sound approaching, his whole body
+broke into a sweat. All thought of the bird was immediately driven
+from his head. He could tell from the noise that it was one of those
+big black-and-yellow fuzzy bees, the ones with the nasty dispositions.
+Perhaps--the thought paralyzed him--perhaps he was lying on its nest.
+On it came, buzzing and blundering through the leaves. Suddenly it
+was upon him, so close that he could feel the tiny breeze stirred up
+by its wings. All self-control vanished. He beat at it wildly with his
+hands, burst out of the thicket like an explosion, and smashed full
+tilt into the bird before he could stop himself.
+
+With a piercing squawk the bird shot into the air, flipped over, and
+came fluttering down facing him--talons outstretched, hooked beak
+open, eyes a-glare. Completely terrified, David turned and bolted for
+the thicket. He managed to thrash halfway through when a vine trapped
+his feet. He pitched forward, shielding his face with his arms, and
+was caught up short by a dead branch snagging his shirt.
+
+He was stuck. This was the end. He closed his eyes and waited, too
+numb with fear to think or cry out.
+
+Nothing happened. Slowly he turned his head around. The bird, although
+it still glared menacingly, seemed undecided whether to attack or
+flee.
+
+"What, may I ask, are you doing here?" it said at last, in a severe
+voice.
+
+"I--I--I was taking a walk," David said faintly. "I'm awfully sorry if
+I bothered you or anything."
+
+"You should not have come up here at _all_," the bird snapped.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Well, I'm really sorry. But there was a bee in the bush here. I--I
+didn't mean to...." The fright had been too much. Tears started in
+David's eyes, and his lip began to tremble.
+
+The bird seemed reassured, for its manner visibly softened. It lowered
+and folded its wings, and the glare faded from its eyes.
+
+"I'd go away," David mumbled apologetically, "only I'm stuck." He
+rubbed his eyes on his sleeve.
+
+The bird looked at his dismal face and began to fidget awkwardly.
+"There, there," it said. "I had no intention of--I am afraid that
+I--Stuck, did you say? Very easily mended, my dear fellow! Merely a
+question of--Here, let me look." It crashed through the thicket to
+where David was caught and thrust its head down through the branches.
+Its muffled voice came floating up. "Take heart! There seems to
+be--aha! just so--One moment, please--bit of vine--_there_ we are!"
+There was a snapping sound from below, and David's foot was released.
+He unstuck the snag from his shirt, pushed his way out of the thicket,
+and sat down weakly on the grass. Whew! At least the bird was not
+going to harm him. It seemed to be quite a kindly creature, really. He
+had just frightened it and made it angry by bursting out of the bushes
+so suddenly.
+
+He heard a flailing in the thicket, followed by the bird's anxious
+voice: "Hello! Are you still there?"
+
+"Yes. What--?"
+
+There were more sounds of struggle. "This is rather awkward. I--the
+fact is, I am afraid, that I am stuck myself. Could you--"
+
+"Yes, of course," said David. He smiled to himself, a little shakily,
+and re-entered the thicket. When he had disentangled the bird, the two
+of them sat down on the grass and looked at each other. They
+hesitated, not quite sure how to begin.
+
+"I trust," said the bird at last, "that you are not of a scientific
+turn of mind?"
+
+"I don't know," said David. "I'm interested in things, if that's what
+you mean."
+
+"No, it is not. There is a great deal of difference between the
+interest shown by normal people and the obsessive interest of
+scientists. You are not, I hope, acquainted with any scientists?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Ah," said the bird, with a relieved sigh. "Everything is quite all
+right, then. I do hope that you will forgive my behavior. I am not
+usually so rude. The fact is that you gave me quite a horrible start."
+
+"Oh, I'm sorry I frightened you."
+
+"Frightened, my dear fellow?" said the bird testily. "I am never
+frightened. I do not know the meaning of the word."
+
+"What I mean is," David said quickly, "that you frightened _me_." This
+seemed to pacify the bird; and David, to heighten the good
+impression, added: "Golly, you looked fierce."
+
+The bird smiled complacently, "I _can_ rise to a terrifying ferocity
+when aroused. A noble strain of fighting blood courses through my
+veins. Not that I go out of my way to seek quarrels, you understand.
+On the contrary. 'Peaceful' could well describe my general attitude.
+Meditative. I am usually to be found Thinking. I have a powerful
+intellect. No doubt you have noticed the stamp of genius on my brow."
+
+David supposed that the bird meant its scarlet crest, and he nodded.
+"That's one of the first things I noticed about you."
+
+"Indeed?" cried the bird delightedly. "You are certainly more alert
+than most! But, as I was saying, I am usually to be found Thinking.
+The first condition of Thinking is solitude. And that, I fear, is a
+desideratum most difficult of realization."
+
+"I beg your pardon?"
+
+"People," explained the bird, "do not leave you alone."
+
+"Oh," said David. He flushed, thinking that the words had been aimed
+at him, and began to get up. But the bird signaled him to remain where
+he was.
+
+"I do not mean _you_, my dear fellow. I assure you that I am delighted
+to make your acquaintance. It is all the others. Do you know that I
+have spent the greater part of my life being pursued? I was chased out
+of Egypt like a common game bird. Out of the mountains of Greece, too.
+The hills of Lebanon, the desert of Africa, the Arabian wilds--no
+matter where I fled, people would come prying and peering and sneaking
+after me. I have tried Tibet, China, and the steppes of Siberia--with
+the same result. At last I heard of a region where there was peace,
+where the inhabitants let each other alone. Here, I thought, I
+should--"
+
+"Pardon me for interrupting. Where?"
+
+"Why, _here_, to be brief," said the bird, waving its wing toward the
+valley. "Here, I thought, I should be able to breathe. At _my_ age one
+likes a little quiet. Would you believe that I am close to five
+hundred years old?"
+
+"Golly!" said David. "You don't look it."
+
+The bird gave a pleased laugh. "My splendid physical condition _does_
+conceal my years. At any rate, I settled here in the hope of being
+left alone. But do you think I was safe?"
+
+David, seeing that he was supposed to answer no, shook his head.
+
+"Quite right," sighed the bird. "I was not. I had been here no more
+than three months when a Scientist was hot on my trail. A most
+disagreeable fellow, always sneaking about with binoculars, a camera,
+and, I fear, a gun. That is why you startled me for an instant. I
+thought you were he."
+
+"Oh," David cried, "I'm awfully sorry. I didn't bother you on purpose.
+It's just that I never saw a mountain before, so I climbed up here to
+see what one looked like."
+
+"You climbed up here?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Climbed," said the bird, looking very thoughtful. "Climbed ... I
+might have known.... It proves, you see, that the same thing could be
+done again by someone older and stronger. A very grave point."
+
+"Oh, I see," said David. "You mean the--"
+
+"Precisely! The Scientist. He is, I fear, very persistent. I first
+noticed him over there"--the bird waved its wing toward the opposite
+side of the valley--"so I removed to this location. But he will
+undoubtedly continue his pursuit. The bad penny always turns up. It
+will not be long before the sharp scientific nose is again quivering
+in my direction."
+
+"Oh, dear, that's terrible!"
+
+"Your sympathy touches me," said the bird huskily. "It is most unusual
+to find someone who understands. But have no fear for me. I am taking
+steps. I am preparing. Imagine his disappointment when he arrives here
+and finds me flown from the nest. I am, to be brief, leaving. Do you
+see this book?"
+
+"Yes," said David. "I heard you reading it, but I couldn't understand
+it. Is it magic?"
+
+"No, my boy, it is Spanish. I have chosen a little spot (chilly, but
+isolated) in the Andes Mountains. South America, you know. And of
+course one must be prepared. I am learning Spanish so that I shall be
+able to make my way about in South America. I must admit my extreme
+reluctance to depart. I have become very fond of this ledge. It is
+exactly suited to my needs--ideal climate, magnificent view...."
+
+They fell into a lengthy silence. The bird gazed sadly out over the
+valley, and David rested his chin in his hands and thought. The
+mystery was clearing up. The bird's presence on the mountain and the
+fact that it had been reading a book were explained. And so natural
+was its speech that David found himself accepting it as nothing
+unusual. The thing that worried him now was that the bird would soon
+leave. Here they had only just met, and already the promise of a most
+interesting friendship was dissolving. The bird had taken time to talk
+to him and explain things to him as though he were an equal. And
+although he did not understand many of the long words it used, he felt
+pleased at being spoken to as though he did understand. And the bird
+knew all about faraway countries--had visited them and lived in them
+and had adventures in them for almost five hundred years. Oh, there
+were so many things David wanted to know and ask about! But the bird
+was leaving. If only he could persuade it to stay, even for a short
+while! He could try, anyhow--after all, the bird had said itself that
+it did not want to go.
+
+"Bird--" He stopped, and flushed. It was hard to put into words.
+
+"Your servant, my boy."
+
+"Well--I--I don't believe I know your name," David stammered, unable
+to get the real question out.
+
+"Ah, forgive me!" cried the bird, jumping up. "Permit me the honor of
+presenting myself. I daresay my name is familiar to you, celebrated as
+it is in song and story. I am the one and only, the Unique, Phoenix."
+And the Phoenix bowed deeply.
+
+"Very glad to meet you," said David. "I'm David."
+
+"Delighted, my dear fellow! An honor and a pleasure." They shook hand
+and wing solemnly. "Now, as you were saying--?"
+
+"Well, Phoenix, I was just thinking," David stammered. "It's too
+bad--I mean, couldn't you--it would be nice if we--Well, do you really
+_have_ to go to South America? It would be nice if you'd stay a while,
+until the Scientist shows up, anyway--and I like talking with you...."
+His face burned. It seemed like a lot to ask.
+
+The Phoenix harrumphed several times in its throat and shuffled its
+feet. "Really, I cannot tell you how--how much you--well, really--such
+a delightful request! Ah--harrumph! Perhaps it can be arranged."
+
+"Oh, Phoenix!" David threw his arms around the bird's neck and then,
+unable to restrain himself any longer, turned a somersault on the
+grass.
+
+"But for the present, it seems to be getting late," said the Phoenix.
+"We shall talk it over some other time and decide."
+
+"Golly, it _is_ late--I hadn't noticed. Well, I'll have to go, or
+they'll worry about me at home. But I can come up and see you
+tomorrow, can't I?"
+
+"Of course, my boy! In the bustle of morning, in the hush of noon, in
+the--ah--to be brief, at any time."
+
+"And I'll bring you some cookies, if you like."
+
+"Ah," said the Phoenix, closing its eyes. "Sugar cookies, by any
+chance?" it asked faintly. David noticed the feathers of its throat
+jumping up and down with rapid swallowing motions.
+
+"I'll ask Aunt Amy to make some tonight."
+
+"Ah, splendid, my boy! Splendid! Shall we say not more than--ah--that
+is, not _less_ than--ah--fifteen?"
+
+"All right, Phoenix. My Aunt Amy keeps a big jar full of cookies, and
+I can have as many as I like."
+
+The Phoenix took David's arm, and together they strolled to the other
+end of the ledge.
+
+"Now, don't mention this to anyone, but there is an old goat trail
+down this side. It is somewhat grown over, but eyes as sharp as yours
+should have no trouble with it. It will make your travels up and down
+easier. Another thing--I trust you will not make known our
+rendezvous?"
+
+"Our what?"
+
+"You will not tell anyone that I am here?"
+
+"Oh, no. I won't say a word! Well, I'll see you tomorrow."
+
+"Yes. As the French so cleverly say it--ah--well, to be brief,
+good-by, my boy. Until tomorrow, then."
+
+David waved his hand, found the goat trail, and started down. He was
+too happy even to whistle, so he contented himself with running
+whenever he found a level place. And when he reached home, he stood on
+his hands in the back yard for two whole seconds.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+3: _In Which It Is Decided that David Should Have an Education, and an
+Experiment Is Made_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Next day it took less than an hour to reach the ledge, and David was
+sure that he could shorten the time even more when he was familiar
+with the goat trail.
+
+The Phoenix was not in sight when he arrived, and for an instant David
+was stricken with fright. Had the bird gone in spite of its promise?
+But no--he heard a reassuring noise. It came from the thicket, and it
+sounded very much like a snore.
+
+David smiled to himself and shouted, "Hello, Phoenix!"
+
+There was a thrashing sound in the thicket, and the Phoenix appeared,
+looking very rumpled and yawning behind its wing.
+
+"Greetings, my boy!" it cried. "A splendid morning!" Then the Phoenix
+caught sight of the paper bag in David's hand, and swallowed in a
+suggestive way.
+
+David thrust the bag of cookies behind his back. "Now, Phoenix," he
+said firmly, "you have to promise me you won't go away to South
+America. You said last night that it could be arranged, so let's
+arrange it right now. Until we do, not one."
+
+The Phoenix drew itself up indignantly. "My very dear fellow," it
+said, "you wound me. You cut me to the quick. I will not be bribed.
+I--" It stopped and swallowed again. "Oh, well," it continued, more
+mildly, "one does not fight fate, does one? I suppose under these
+circumstances, I must accept."
+
+"It's settled, then!" David cried joyfully.
+
+So they sat down on the grass together, and for a long time nothing
+was heard but sounds of munching.
+
+"My boy," said the Phoenix at last, brushing the crumbs from its
+chest, "I take a modest pride in my way with words, but nothing in the
+language can do these--ah--baked poems justice. Words fail me."
+
+"I'm glad you like them," David said politely.
+
+"And now, my boy," continued the Phoenix, as it settled back
+comfortably, "I have been thinking. Yesterday you showed an
+intelligent interest in my problems and asked intelligent questions.
+You did not scoff, as others might have done. You have very rare
+qualities."
+
+David flushed, and mumbled denials.
+
+"Do not be so modest, my boy! I speak the truth. It came to me that
+such a mind as yours, having these qualities, should be further
+cultivated and refined. And I should be avoiding my clear-cut duty if
+I did not take this task in hand myself. Of course, I suppose some
+attempt to educate you has already been made, has it not?"
+
+"Well, I go to school, if that's what you mean. Not now, though,
+because it's summer vacation."
+
+"And what do they teach you there?"
+
+"Oh, reading and writing and arithmetic, and things like that."
+
+"Aha!" said the Phoenix triumphantly. "Just as I suspected--a
+classical education. Understand me--I have nothing against a
+classical education as such. I realize that mathematics, Greek, and
+Latin are excellent for the discipline of the mind. But in the broad
+view, a classical education is not a true education. Life is real,
+life is earnest. One must face it with a _practical_ education. The
+problems of Life, my dear fellow!--classical education completely
+ignores them! For example, how do you tell a true Unicorn from a false
+one?"
+
+"I--I don't know."
+
+"I thought not. Where do you find the Philosopher's Stone?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"Well, then, I shall ask a simple one. What is the first rule of
+defense when attacked by a Chimera?"
+
+David squirmed uncomfortably. "I'm afraid I don't know that, either,"
+he said in a small voice.
+
+"There you are!" cried the Phoenix. "You do not have a true, practical
+education--you are not ready for Life. I, my boy, am going to take
+your education in hand."
+
+"Oh," said David. "Do you mean--are you going to give me--lessons?"
+Through his mind flashed a picture of the Phoenix (with spectacles on
+its beak and a ruler in its wing) writing out sentences on a
+blackboard. The thought gave him a sinking feeling. After all, it was
+summer--and summer was supposed to be vacation time.
+
+"And what an education it will be!" the Phoenix went on, ignoring his
+question. "Absolutely without equal! The full benefit of my vast
+knowledge, plus a number of trips to--"
+
+"Oh, _traveling_!" said David, suddenly feeling much better. "That's
+different. Oh, Phoenix, that'll be wonderful! Where will we go?"
+
+"Everywhere, my boy!" said the Phoenix, with an airy wave of its wing.
+"To all corners of the earth. We shall visit my friends and
+acquaintances."
+
+"Oh, do you have--"
+
+"Of course, my boy! I am nothing if not a good mixer. My acquaintances
+(to mention but a few) include Fauns, Dragons, Unicorns, Trolls,
+Gryffins, Gryffons, Gryffens--"
+
+"Excuse me," David interrupted. "What were those last three, please?"
+
+"Gryffins," explained the Phoenix, "are the small, reddish, friendly
+ones. Gryffons are the quick-tempered proud ones. Gryffens--ah, well,
+the most anyone can say for them is that they are harmless. They are
+very stupid."
+
+"I see," said David doubtfully. "What do they look like?"
+
+"Each looks like the others, my boy, except that some are bigger and
+some are smaller. But to continue: Sea Monsters, Leprechauns, Rocs,
+Gnomes, Elves, Basilisks, Nymphs--ah--and many others. All are of the
+Better Sort, since, as I have many times truly observed, one is known
+by the company one keeps. And your education will cost you nothing. Of
+course it _would_ be agreeable if you could supply me with cookies
+from time to time."
+
+"As many as you want, Phoenix. Will we go to Africa?"
+
+"Naturally, my boy. Your education will include--"
+
+"And Egypt? And China? And Arabia?"
+
+"Yes. Your education will--"
+
+"Oh, Phoenix, Phoenix!" David jumped up and began to caper, while the
+Phoenix beamed. But suddenly he stopped.
+
+"How are we going to travel, Phoenix?"
+
+"I have wings, my boy."
+
+"Yes, but I don't."
+
+"Do not be so dense, my dear fellow. I shall carry you on my back, of
+course."
+
+"Oh," said David weakly, "on your--on your back. Are you sure
+that--isn't there some other--I mean, can you do it?"
+
+The Phoenix drew itself up to its full height. "I am hurt--yes, deeply
+hurt--by your lack of faith. My magnificent build should make it
+evident that I am an exceedingly powerful flyer. In the heyday of my
+youth I could fly around the world in five hours. But come along. I
+shall give you proof positive."
+
+David reluctantly followed the Phoenix to a spot on the edge of the
+shelf where there was a gap in the bushes. He glanced over the brink.
+The sheer face of the scarp fell away beneath them, plunging down to
+the tiny trees and rocks below. He stepped back quickly with a
+shudder.
+
+"Let's--let's do it tomorrow," he quavered.
+
+"Nonsense," said the Phoenix firmly. "No time like the present. Now,
+then, up on my back."
+
+"H-h-how am I going to sit?"
+
+"On my back. Quite so--now, your arms around my neck--your legs
+_behind_ my wings, please--there we are. Ready?"
+
+"No," said David faintly.
+
+"Splendid! The proof is to be demonstrated, the--to be brief, we are
+off!"
+
+The great wings were outstretched. David gulped, clutched the
+Phoenix's neck tightly, and shut his eyes. He felt a hopping
+sensation, then a long, sickening downward swoop that seemed to leave
+his stomach far behind. A tremendous rush of air snatched at his
+shirt. He opened his eyes and choked with fright. The ground below was
+rushing up to meet them, swaying and revolving. Something was terribly
+wrong. The Phoenix was breathing in hoarse gasps; its wings were
+pounding the air frantically. Now they had turned back. The scarp
+loomed before them, solid and blank. Above them--high above them--was
+the ledge. It looked as though they would not get back to it.
+
+Up ... up ... up.... They crawled through the air. The wings flapped
+wildly, faster and faster. They were gaining--slipping back--gaining
+again. The Phoenix sobbed as it stretched its neck in the last effort.
+Fifty feet ... twenty feet ... ten.... With a tremendous surge of its
+wings, the Phoenix managed to get one claw over the edge and to seize
+the branch of a bush in its beak. David's legs slipped from the bird's
+back. He dangled over the abyss from the outstretched neck, and
+prayed. The bush saved them. They scrabbled up over the edge, tottered
+there for an instant, and dropped on the grass.
+
+For a long time they lay gasping and trembling.
+
+At last the Phoenix weakly raised its head. "Puff--well, my boy--puff
+puff--whew!--very narrow squeak. I--puff--"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+David could not answer. The earth reeled under him and would not stop
+no matter how tightly he clutched the grass.
+
+"Puff--I repeat, I am--puff--an exceedingly powerful flyer. There are
+few birds--none, I daresay--who--puff--could have done even this
+much. The truth of the matter is that you are a lot--puff--heavier
+than you look. I hope you are not being overfed at home?"
+
+"I--I don't know," said David, wondering whether or not he was going
+to be sick.
+
+"Well, my course is clear," said the Phoenix firmly. "I must practice.
+Setting-up exercises, roadwork, and what not. Rigorous diet. Lots of
+sleep. Regular hours. Courage, my dear fellow! We shall do it yet!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+And so for the following week the Phoenix practiced.
+
+Every morning David climbed up to the ledge, bringing sandwiches for
+himself, cookies for the Phoenix, and a wet towel. Then, while he kept
+count, the Phoenix did setting-up exercises. After this, the bird
+would jog trot up and down the ledge and practice jumping. Then there
+would be a fifteen-minute rest and refreshment period. And when that
+was over, the Phoenix would launch itself into the air. This was the
+part David liked best. It was a magnificent sight. The Phoenix dashed
+back and forth at top speed, wheeled in circles, shot straight up like
+a rocket--plunged, hovered, looped--rolled, soared, fluttered. Now and
+then it would swoop back to the ledge beside David and wipe the sweat
+from its brow.
+
+"I trust you see signs of progress, my boy?"
+
+David would wrap the wet towel around the Phoenix's neck. "You're
+doing better and better, Phoenix. I especially like that part where
+you twist over on your back and loop and plunge, all at the same
+time."
+
+"I do perform that rather well, don't I? It is not easy. But just the
+thing for acquiring (ouch!) muscle tone. Are there any more cookies?
+Ah, there are. Delicious! As I was saying, let this be a lesson to
+you, my boy. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."
+
+The Phoenix would take wing again. And David would settle back against
+a rock and watch. Sometimes he thought of the education he was to get.
+Sometimes he thought how nice it would be if _he_ could fly. And
+sometimes he did not think at all, but just sat with his eyes half
+shut, feeling the sunlight on his face and listening to the rustle of
+the wind in the thicket.
+
+At the end of the week the Phoenix, after a brilliant display of
+acrobatics, landed on the ledge, clasped its wings behind its back,
+and looked solemnly at David.
+
+"Well, my boy," it said, "I believe your education can begin
+forthwith. Are you ready?"
+
+
+
+
+4: _In Which David and the Phoenix Go To Visit the Gryffins, and a
+Great Danger Is Narrowly Averted_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+A chill raced up and down David's spine as he got to his feet.
+
+"Do--do you think a week's practice is enough?"
+
+"Absolutely, my dear fellow. I am now in the very pink of condition.
+Not that I was ever out of condition, mind you. It was merely that
+I--ah--well, to be brief, my boy, I am now ready."
+
+"Yes, but--well, you remember the last time."
+
+"Yes. Look here--if it will make you feel better, suppose we have a
+trial flight along the ledge."
+
+"Well--all right."
+
+David got up as before on the Phoenix's back. The Phoenix spread its
+wings and hopped into the air. They glided easily down the length of
+the ledge, clearing the thicket in the middle by a good two feet.
+
+"There you are, my boy," said the bird proudly, as they landed at the
+other end. "Shall we go?"
+
+"Let's go," said David, as bravely as he could.
+
+They were in the air again. Once more he felt that rush of wind
+against his face and heard the pounding of wings. But this time there
+was no giddy downward swoop. He breathed again and opened his eyes.
+The world was falling away, and everything on it was growing smaller
+by the second. The valley could be cradled in two hands; the mountains
+on either side looked like wrinkles in gray cloth. Now he could see
+plains in the distance, and little silver threads of rivers. As he
+looked, the whole world began to revolve slowly. The Phoenix was
+soaring in a wide circle.
+
+"Well, my boy," it called over its shoulder, "whom shall we visit
+first?"
+
+"It's really up to you, Phoenix," David shouted back, "but how about
+the--the--Biffens or Whiffens, or whatever you called them?"
+
+"You mean the Gryffins, Gryffons, and Gryffens, my boy? Very well. We
+shall visit the Gryffins only, however. It is best to leave the others
+alone."
+
+The Phoenix swung around and began to fly toward the morning sun with
+such tremendous speed that David had to crouch down to avoid being
+blown off. The wind screamed past his ears, tore at his shirt and
+hair, and made his eyes brim over with tears. It was cold, but he was
+too excited to care. Below them, plains, rivers, forests, and cities
+rushed across the face of the earth.
+
+"This is wonderful, Phoenix!" David shouted.
+
+The Phoenix's reply was not clear. "... normal speed ... air stream ...
+prime days of my youth ..." were the only words David caught, but he could
+tell from the tone that the Phoenix was pleased.
+
+The view below was not to last long. Within half an hour they had run
+into a heavy overcast, and for a long time it was like flying through
+very wet, cold cotton. David glanced down, hoping to see the fog thin
+out. Suddenly he caught sight of a black object rocketing up toward
+them. Before he could call out a warning, the thing hurtled by, so
+close that its backwash very nearly knocked him from the bird's back.
+The Phoenix reduced speed; and the black object, after banking in a
+wide curve, came cruising up alongside. David was amazed to see that
+it was a pale but beautiful lady, dressed all in black, sitting on a
+broom.
+
+"Hello, Phoenix!" she cried in a teasing voice. "I haven't seen you in
+_ever_ so long."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Good morning, I am sure," the Phoenix replied stiffly, staring
+straight ahead.
+
+"Phoenix," the lady continued coaxingly, "I'm awfully bored. Won't you
+race me? Please?"
+
+"Idle hands find mischief to do," said the Phoenix severely. "_We_ are
+making good use of our time, and I suggest that _you_ do the same."
+
+"Don't be so stuffy, Phoenix." She pouted. "Come and race with me.
+I've got a new broom, and I want to see how good it is. Please!"
+
+"No," said the Phoenix sharply.
+
+"Oh, all right for _you_!" she said, tossing her head. "You just don't
+dare, because you know I'll beat your tail feathers off!" And she shot
+back into the mist below.
+
+"Indeed!" the Phoenix snorted. "Beat my tail feathers off! Ha!"
+
+"Is she a Witch?" David asked.
+
+"Yes, my boy, and a shocking example of the decline of the younger
+generation. She will come to no good end, believe me. Tail feathers,
+indeed!"
+
+Just then they burst out of the clouds and into the hot sunlight.
+Below them, the land was wild and desolate, a vast rolling plain
+covered for the most part with dry, tawny grass. Here and there were
+groves of trees drooping beneath the sun. The Phoenix, still snorting
+indignantly to itself, dropped to within a hundred feet of the ground.
+They began to soar back and forth.
+
+"Can you see anything, my boy?"
+
+David had never seen a Gryffin, of course; so he was not sure what to
+look for. But he caught sight of something lying in the shade of a
+bush and pointed it out to the Phoenix.
+
+"Ah, quite so," the Phoenix said doubtfully. "It does not look like
+a--but we can take a closer look."
+
+They landed and walked toward the bush. In its shadow sprawled a very
+untidy animal. Its tail and hindquarters were exactly like those of a
+panther, its chest and forelegs were like a hawk's, and it had pointed
+wings. Burrs matted its dusty fur. Its claws were shabby and split,
+and numerous black flies were crawling over its haunches. The bush
+trembled with its snoring.
+
+"Bah! We are wasting our time here, my boy. This is a Gryffen. A
+disgusting brute, isn't it?" And the Phoenix sniffed disapprovingly.
+
+"Maybe if we wake it up," David suggested, "it could tell us where the
+other ones live."
+
+"Next to impossible. For one thing, a cannon could not awaken the
+beast. For another thing, it would not, even if awake, be able to tell
+us anything. You simply cannot imagine the stupidity of these brutes."
+
+"Well, let's _try_ it, anyway," David said.
+
+"Very well, my boy. But it will be a complete waste of time." The
+Phoenix shrugged its shoulders, stepped up to the Gryffen, and kicked
+it violently.
+
+"Phoenix!" David cried in alarm. "Don't hurt it!"
+
+"No fear," said the Phoenix, delivering another lusty kick. "One
+simply cannot damage a sleeping Gryffen. Give me a hand, my boy."
+
+David took hold of the Gryffen's wing, and the Phoenix seized its
+tail. For the next ten minutes they kicked and pulled and pounded,
+shouting "HEY!" and "WAKE UP!" at the top of their lungs. It was hot
+work, and David finally admitted to himself that the Phoenix had been
+right. But before he could say so, the Phoenix completely lost its
+temper and savagely bit the Gryffen's tail.
+
+That did it. The Gryffen opened one eye halfway and said, "Unffniph?"
+
+"GET UP!!" the Phoenix bellowed.
+
+The Gryffen struggled into a sitting position and yawned a tremendous
+and noisy yawn. Then it squinted blearily at David and murmured,
+"What day is it?"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Wednesday," David said. "Could you please tell us--"
+
+"Oh, Wednesday," said the Gryffen. It thought about this for a while,
+mumbling "Wednesday ... Wednesday ..." to itself. It lifted one leg as
+if to scratch the fly bites, changed its mind in mid-gesture, and
+dropped the leg again. "Oh, _Wednesday_," it said at last. "So it
+isn't Saturday?"
+
+"No," said David. "What we want to know is--"
+
+"Not Saturday," said the Gryffen, sinking down to the ground with a
+huge sigh of relief. "Ah! Come back on Saturday. Saturday afternoon. I
+generally get up on Saturday ... in the ... afternoon...." The words
+faded into a snore.
+
+"There you are, my dear fellow," said the Phoenix. "Just as I said.
+Oaf! Boor!"
+
+"A _very_ annoying animal," said David angrily.
+
+"I agree, my boy. But the Gryffins are different, I assure you. Now,
+let me see. Where should we look--"
+
+"There they come!" David cried suddenly. "Look!" And indeed, a number
+of winged creatures were loping down a hillside toward them.
+
+"Good heavens!" the Phoenix shouted. "Those are the ones we do _not_
+want to meet! On my back, _quick_!"
+
+"What are they?" David gasped as he threw himself on the bird's back.
+
+"Gryffons!"
+
+The Phoenix rushed along the ground a few feet and sprang into the
+air. But it was too late. The foremost Gryffons, with powerful strokes
+of their wings, shot up to meet them. The Phoenix swerved sharply.
+They missed the snapping beak of the first Gryffon by half an inch and
+dodged the second--only to smash into a third. David was stunned by
+the blow and the fall. When he regained consciousness, he found
+himself in the tight grip of two Gryffons. The Phoenix was struggling
+feebly with another, and still more were crowding around them,
+screaming like hawks.
+
+They looked like the sleeping Gryffen, but were as large as ponies.
+Their eyes were yellow and unblinking, and their tails twitched like
+an angry cat's. Their smell, like the lion house in the zoo, made
+David feel faint.
+
+"Well, Phoenix," said the largest Gryffon coldly, "you know the Rule,
+I believe?"
+
+The Phoenix smiled weakly and cleared its throat. "Ah, there,
+Gryffon," it said unsteadily. "Fancy meeting you here. Ah--ah--rule?
+What rule?"
+
+"Rule 26," said the Gryffon. "'No human being shall be allowed to
+enter the--'"
+
+"Oh, that rule," said the Phoenix, with a careless laugh. "I thought
+everyone knew that the Council of 1935 had changed it. Can it be that
+you have not yet heard?"
+
+"That won't do, Phoenix. You have also heard, of course, of the
+penalty for breaking the Rule, which you must suffer along with this
+human boy?"
+
+"Now, one moment, my dear Gryffon! I--ah--"
+
+"Death!"
+
+The Phoenix quailed, and David's legs went limp under him. But they
+had no chance to plead with the Gryffons. Their captors formed two
+lines, one on each side of them, and at a scream of command from the
+leader, all began to march. The Gryffon that had been holding the
+Phoenix winked horribly at David and made a throat-cutting gesture
+with its wing.
+
+"Courage, my boy," the Phoenix whispered. "It is always darkest before
+dawn."
+
+Presently they reached a hillside. David and the Phoenix were marched
+up to a cave and thrown in. Two of the Gryffons sat down at the
+entrance to guard them while the others went off to consider the best
+method of carrying out the penalty.
+
+David was terribly frightened now, but he did not want to let the
+Phoenix know it. In a voice which trembled a little he asked, "What
+are we going to do?"
+
+The Phoenix frowned. "Do not be downcast, my boy. My brain is equal to
+any occasion. I shall Think. Silence, please."
+
+And the Phoenix, covering its eyes with one wing, Thought.
+
+To keep himself occupied, David explored the cave. But there was
+nothing to see. The cave was small and bare. He tested the walls
+thoroughly to see if there were any places where they might dig their
+way out. There were none. His feet raised a cloud of fine dust, which
+got into his eyes and nose and made him sneeze violently. Discouraged,
+he went back to the Phoenix and sat down. There was a long silence.
+
+Gradually an idea came to David. It started as a small, faint thought
+at the back of his mind, wavered, began to grow and expand and fill
+out--became bigger and clearer and better and--
+
+"Phoenix!" cried David, jumping to his feet.
+
+"My boy, my very dear boy," said the Phoenix, its voice breaking with
+emotion, "I have Thought, I have Pondered, I have--well, to be brief,
+it is no use. Stiff upper lip, my boy! We are Doomed."
+
+"Phoenix, I--"
+
+"Let this be a lesson to you, my boy, even though it be your last one.
+Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Ah! who could have said, in
+the golden days of my youth, that I should come to such an end! Oh,
+miserable bird! Oh, unhappy boy!"
+
+"Phoenix--"
+
+"But we can show them how to die, my boy! We still have that--the last
+magnificent gesture. Let those who have lived wisely and well show
+that they can die in the same way! I hope I am to go first, so that
+you may have an example to follow."
+
+"_Phoenix!_"
+
+"My boy?"
+
+"Listen, please!" And David whispered in the Phoenix's ear.
+
+The plan had seemed like a good one while it was still in his mind,
+but put into words it sounded a little too simple. As he whispered,
+David began to feel more and more foolish, so that finally he stopped
+altogether.
+
+"I--I guess it's really kind of silly," he stammered.
+
+But the Phoenix was looking at him with hope and admiration in its
+eyes. "My very dear chap," it said solemnly, "I salute you. I humbly
+await your signal."
+
+"Do you really think it will work?"
+
+"My boy, it must--it can--it shall. Proceed."
+
+Poor as the plan now seemed to David, he prepared to carry it out.
+Holding his breath so as not to sneeze again, he scooped up as much
+dust as he could hold in two hands. Then he took his position on one
+side of the cave, nodded the Phoenix toward the other, and glanced out
+to see if the guardian Gryffons were looking. They were not.
+
+"Now," he whispered.
+
+The cave rocked with their uproar. David screamed at the top of his
+voice and kicked the walls. The Phoenix let out a series of
+ear-splitting whistles and squawks and beat its wings frantically.
+Echoes bounced from wall to wall. The two Gryffons came rushing into
+the cave, adding to the racket with their shrieking. "Now!" David
+shouted, and he flung the double handful of dust into the Gryffons'
+faces. Instantly they were all choking and sneezing in the thick
+cloud. He plunged between the legs of the two Gryffons, who in the
+confusion began to bite and tear savagely at each other.
+
+David and the Phoenix burst out of the cave together. The other
+Gryffons, aroused by the noise, were bounding toward them. David flung
+himself on the Phoenix's back and shouted "Fly!" and sneezed. From
+somewhere behind him a set of talons snatched out and ripped through
+the back of his shirt. He kicked blindly and felt his foot crunch into
+something which shrieked. "Fly, Phoenix!" he sobbed. The Phoenix was
+already in the air and needed no encouragement. They heard raucous
+cries and the thunder of wings behind them. David looked back over his
+shoulder. The Gryffons were rising from the ground in pursuit, their
+legs drawn up under them and their wings beating. "Faster!" he
+screamed.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"You have seen nothing in the way of flying until now, my boy," the
+Phoenix shouted back. "Watch this!" Its wings were two blurs slicing
+through the air and roaring like kettledrums. The ground below
+streamed backwards. David looked back again. The Gryffons were falling
+into the distance. Their cries were getting fainter. Now they looked
+like a flock of starlings ... now like a cluster of flies ... now
+like gnats. And then they had faded out of sight, and David and the
+Phoenix were streaking over the grassland alone.
+
+Ten minutes later they reached a shore and landed. They flopped on the
+sand, panting. And David, suddenly feeling very faint, closed his eyes
+and put his head between his knees. After they had got their breath,
+the Phoenix patted David on the shoulder and said huskily:
+
+"I congratulate you, my boy. Your plan was magnificent--precisely what
+_I_ should have done, had I thought of it first. Needless to say, we
+shall not go on looking for the Gryffins. But now you know exactly
+what they are like: midway in size between the Gryffens and Gryffons,
+and reddish in color. Most amiable souls, willing to do anything for
+anyone. It is hard to believe that they are all related. But enough,
+my boy. Let us go home."
+
+As soon as they reached the ledge, the Phoenix put David down and
+prepared to take off again.
+
+"Where are you going, Phoenix?" David asked.
+
+"Some business to attend to, my boy."
+
+Muttering under its breath something that sounded like "tail feathers,
+indeed!" the Phoenix soared off. And David, stiff and sore and
+thoroughly tired, started down the mountainside for home.
+
+
+
+
+5: _In Which the Scientist Arrives in Pursuit of the Phoenix, and
+There Are Alarums and Excursions by Night_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+The lights downstairs were all on when David got home, and as soon as
+he opened the front door he could tell that they had company.
+
+He shouted, "I'm home!" and sneezed. The dust from the Gryffons' cave
+still clung to him, tickling his nose.
+
+"Well, here he is at last," said Dad's voice. "Come on in, David."
+Then, as David walked into the living room, "Good heavens, Son, what's
+happened to you?"
+
+"Your _back_, David!" Mother said in a horrified voice. "Your poor
+back! What _happened_ to you?"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+David felt himself. The back of his shirt was ripped to tatters, and
+there were three lines of caked blood across his shoulders. He
+remembered now: it was the Gryffon that had tried to grab him as he
+and the Phoenix made their escape. But he had promised the Phoenix to
+keep its secret.
+
+He stammered, "I--I had an accident."
+
+"And dust all _over_ you!" Mother went on.
+
+"Well," said David desperately, "it was a _dusty_ accident."
+
+"It seems to have been very dusty indeed," said a third voice. There
+was a loud sneeze.
+
+David's father jumped up. "You gave me such a shock when you came in
+that I almost forgot, David. We have a guest." And he introduced David
+to a very tall, thin man with a bald head. His face and neck were
+burnt red by the sun, and he had on a pair of thick glasses which made
+his pale eyes look immense. For some reason David took an instant
+dislike to him, but he shook hands politely and said, "How do you do?"
+
+"David, eh?" said the man. "Well, well. Are you a good boy, David?"
+
+Of all the stupid questions in the world, that was the one David hated
+most. He clenched his teeth and looked the other way.
+
+"David, dear," said Mother with an awkward laugh, "I think you'd
+better go upstairs and wash and change."
+
+When David came into the living room again, the guest was talking
+excitedly. "... completely unknown to man," he was saying. "It's the
+discovery of the age. My name will be famous if I succeed in my
+plans."
+
+"How fascinating!" Mother said. "And to think of it happening right
+here!"
+
+"And it's huge," the guest said, "simply huge. And brilliantly
+colored. For a scientist like myself, it's more than fascinating."
+
+David was listening now. Scientist? _Scientist!_ His heart missed a
+beat, and he choked. Oh, no, it couldn't be _the_ Scientist. _Or could
+it?_
+
+"David here spends all his time up on the mountain," his father said.
+"Maybe he's seen it."
+
+The guest turned his big, pale, unpleasant eyes on David. "Well,
+David," he said, "maybe you can help me. Now, have you seen anything
+unusual on the mountain?"
+
+"Unusual?" said David unsteadily. There was a pain in his chest from
+the pounding of his heart.
+
+"Yes, David," the guest went on, "unusual. So unusual that you
+couldn't miss it: a very large bird with bright plumage."
+
+The floor under David seemed to rock. It was true, then--it was
+horribly true. This was the Scientist who had been chasing the
+Phoenix. This was their enemy.
+
+"Bird?" David dodged. "Wh-wh-why, there are lots of birds up there.
+Sparrows and meadow larks and--and sparrows...."
+
+"But nothing like a huge bird with bright feathers?"
+
+Well, he would have to tell a lie. After all, it was for the Phoenix's
+sake.
+
+"No," said David.
+
+"Ah," said the Scientist. But his cold eyes bored into David's for
+another instant, plainly saying, "I'm not fooled, young man."
+
+"It's odd," he continued, "that no one has seen it. But I have no
+doubt it's somewhere here. I am going to begin my search as soon as my
+equipment gets here."
+
+"Tell us about it," said Mother politely.
+
+"Well, I discovered it on the other side of the valley, you know,"
+said the Scientist eagerly. "Quite by accident--I was really looking
+for another species. Now, birds, you know, have fixed habits. If you
+know those habits, you can predict just what they will do at any time.
+This particular bird was a daytime creature, so I tried to watch it
+between dawn and dusk. But it seemed to have a mind of its own--you
+might almost say an intelligence. It avoided me in a very clever way,
+and it avoided my traps also. Uncanny! So after several weeks I
+decided to shoot it if I got the chance. Then suddenly it disappeared,
+but I'm certain it came over to this side of the valley--"
+
+There was no escape from the subject during dinner. The Scientist
+could think and talk of nothing else. He described the merits of
+deadfalls, snares, steel traps, and birdlime. He asked which they
+thought would make the best bait, a rabbit, a beefsteak, a live lamb,
+or carrion. He told them all about the new high-powered, long-range
+rifle which he had ordered. And he vowed to them all that he would not
+rest until the bird was either caught or killed "for the advancement
+of human learning."
+
+David listened with horror. The dinner before him went untouched. His
+only thought was that now he would have to warn the Phoenix as soon as
+possible. The Phoenix would go to South America after all, and his
+education would end before it had even started. All because of this
+hateful man! He fought to hold back his tears.
+
+Dinner was over at last. David mumbled his excuses and ducked out of
+the dining room, but Aunt Amy seized him firmly just as he thought he
+had got away.
+
+"Bedtime for you, David," she said firmly.
+
+"Oh, Aunt Amy, please! I've got to--"
+
+"Upstairs, young man. You've had enough gallivanting around for one
+day. You're all worn out."
+
+"I'm _not_!" said David, struggling. "I feel fine. Look, I just _have_
+to--"
+
+It was useless. She marched him upstairs to his room and stood in the
+doorway until he had undressed and put on his pajamas and got into
+bed.
+
+"Now," she said, "you go to sleep. The mountain will still be there in
+the morning--unless there's a landslide. Good night." And she turned
+out the light and shut the door.
+
+This was awful! He could not sneak downstairs, because the stairs
+could be seen from the living room. He could not climb out of his
+window, because a rose arbor was directly beneath it, and he would be
+ripped by the thorns. And Mother always came in to say good night
+before she went to bed. If he was not there when she came in tonight,
+there would be a lot of unpleasant explaining to do. The only thing,
+then, was to wait until the Scientist went home and everyone was in
+bed.
+
+It was a maddening wait. The Scientist's voice went on and on like the
+drone of an electric fan, interrupted only by an occasional murmur
+from Mother or Dad. For a while David sat in bed twisting the sheets
+in his hands; then he got up and paced the room in his bare feet. It
+seemed to him that three or four whole nighttimes had passed before he
+finally heard all three voices raised and talking at once.
+
+The Scientist was going! Now they were saying good-by at the front
+door ... now the door was being closed ... now there were footsteps on
+the stairs. He jumped into bed just before Mother put her head in and
+said, "Good night, dear." David murmured, pretending to be half
+asleep. His door closed again. The light switches snapped, and there
+was silence.
+
+He waited another half hour to make sure everyone was asleep. As
+quickly and silently as he could, he pulled on his clothes, crept out
+of his room, and slid cautiously down the bannister. In the back yard
+he put on his shoes, dived through the hedge, and started to race up
+the mountainside.
+
+Fortunately there was a nearly-full moon and no clouds in the sky. But
+even with this light, it was not easy to keep to the trail. Several
+times he lost his way, so that the trip took much longer than usual.
+But he found the ledge at last, climbed over the final difficult rock,
+and sat down to catch his breath. When he could speak, he called
+softly:
+
+"Phoenix!"
+
+There was no answer.
+
+"Phoenix!" He pushed through the thicket to the other side of the
+ledge. "_Phoenix!_"
+
+The Phoenix was gone.
+
+The tears that had been stopped up all evening could be held no
+longer. David dropped to the ground, leaned his forehead against a
+rock, and let them go. He had just remembered. As soon as they had
+come back from the Gryffon adventure, the Phoenix had flown off on
+some sort of business. And it had not said when it would return.
+
+The tears cleared David's mind and made him feel better. Now what? He
+began to think. If he stayed on the ledge all night, they might find
+out at home and make a terrible fuss. But if he did not warn the
+Phoenix before morning, the Scientist might creep up while the bird
+was resting and trap it or shoot it. So he would have to warn the
+Phoenix _and_ return home. And the only way to do both these things
+was to write the Phoenix a note.
+
+But he had neither paper nor pencil.
+
+A fine mess he had made of everything! Now he would have to go all the
+way back home, write the note, come all the way back up to the ledge,
+and then go home again.
+
+David trudged down the mountainside in a very low mood. Now that he
+had a definite plan to work on, his fear was gone, but he felt that he
+had been pretty stupid to rush off without thinking of everything
+first. In his mind he could hear the Phoenix saying, "Look before you
+leap, my boy," and other wise words of advice. And he had cried, too.
+Lucky that no one had been there to see _that_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+As he approached the house he was surprised to see all the lights
+ablaze and to hear his name being called. "Oh-oh," he thought,
+"they've found out I've gone."
+
+"Here I am!" he shouted, opening the door. "What's the matter?"
+
+It was a strange sight which met him inside. Dad, in his gray pajamas,
+was waving a revolver and making fierce noises. Mother, looking
+frightened, had a shoe in one hand. Aunt Amy, with her hair in rags,
+was also well-armed--with a big cast-iron frying pan. Beckie was
+howling upstairs.
+
+"David!" Mother cried. "Are you all right? Where have you been? Did he
+hurt you?"
+
+"Who?" said David. "I'm all right. What's the matter?"
+
+"The burglar!" said Mother excitedly. "He put his head in the window
+and said '_pssssst!_'"
+
+"I tell you, burglars don't say _pssssst_!" Dad said. "They try to
+make as little noise as possible. Just let me catch him doing it
+again!" he added, waving his pistol.
+
+"Running around on that mountain at all hours of the night," Aunt Amy
+grumbled, "with burglars and I don't know what-all loose in town!"
+
+"And then we found that you were gone, and we thought he had stolen
+you," Mother went on. "Where have you been?"
+
+"I couldn't sleep," said David. "So I went for a walk."
+
+"Well, thank heavens you're safe," said Mother.
+
+"Hankering after that mountain all night," Aunt Amy muttered. "As if
+he wasn't up there all day."
+
+"Look here, Son," said Dad. "What do you know about this?"
+
+"Honestly, Dad," said David, "I couldn't sleep. There's nothing wrong
+with that. I can't help it if I can't sleep. So I took a walk. There's
+nothing wrong with--"
+
+"Oh, all right, all right," his father said. "I suppose it's just a
+coincidence. Let's all get back to sleep. And, David, the next time
+you can't sleep, try counting sheep."
+
+Gradually the house calmed down. Beckie stopped wailing, Dad put away
+his gun, good nights were said, the lights were turned off.
+
+David knew that it would be at least an hour before he dared to move
+again, and he would have to be doubly careful this time. And he was a
+little nervous himself now about that burglar. What if he should meet
+him when he went out again? He tried to forget about that by thinking
+of what he would put in the note for the Phoenix.
+
+He had got as far as "Dear Phoenix:" and was wondering how you spelled
+"Phoenix," when there came a swish and a thump at his window, followed
+by a cautious whisper:
+
+"_Pssssst!_"
+
+David felt his scalp prickle. "Wh-wh-who's that?" he quavered.
+
+"Is that you, my boy?" whispered a familiar, guarded voice. "Ah, thank
+heavens!"
+
+And the Phoenix crawled through the window.
+
+Weak with relief, David snapped on the bedside light. The Phoenix
+presented a shocking sight. Its face was drawn with fatigue, and it
+looked rather draggled. Its back sagged, its wings drooped to the
+floor, and it walked with a limp.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Oh, Phoenix, Phoenix!" David whispered. He jumped to support the bird
+before it collapsed entirely.
+
+"Ah, thank you, my boy," the Phoenix murmured. "Your bed, I presume?
+May I? Thank you." The springs creaked under its weight as the Phoenix
+gingerly lay down.
+
+"What a night, my boy, _what_ a night!" it sighed weakly, closing its
+eyes.
+
+"Oh, Phoenix, what happened? Can I do anything for you?" David
+whispered.
+
+"A damp, cooling cloth upon my forehead would be welcome, my boy,"
+murmured the Phoenix. "Also a bit of nourishment."
+
+David slid down the bannister, got a handful of cookies and a glass of
+milk, and dampened a dish towel. When he returned, the Phoenix was
+fast asleep.
+
+"Phoenix," he whispered, "wake up. Here's your--"
+
+The Phoenix awoke with a violent start and stared wildly around the
+room. "Trapped!" it muttered, making a frenzied effort to get off the
+bed.
+
+"Not so _loud_!" David whispered sharply. "It's me!"
+
+Understanding dawned in the Phoenix's eyes, and it eased itself back
+with a sigh. "Ah, you, my boy. You gave me quite a fright. I
+thought--" But here the Phoenix caught sight of the milk and cookies
+and sat up again.
+
+"Ambrosia," it sighed reverently. "And nectar. You _are_ a prince, my
+dear fellow!" And the Phoenix reached out eagerly.
+
+"Now, Phoenix," David whispered as he wrapped the wet towel around the
+Phoenix's head, "what's happened?"
+
+"Ah, that feels heavenly, my boy! (Munch munch.) What has happened?
+(Munch munch. Gulp.) I was insulted, I accepted a challenge, and I
+brilliantly maintained my honor. Let that be a lesson to you, my boy:
+death before dishonor. Yes, in spite of my age, I--"
+
+"But Phoenix, what _happened_?"
+
+"To be brief, then, my boy, for brevity is the soul of wit--although I am
+not trying to be witty now; I am simply too worn out--Brevity--ah--where
+was I?"
+
+"I _think_ you were telling me what happened to you tonight," David
+said.
+
+"Ah, yes, quite so! Well, I raced the Witch, to put it quite simply."
+
+"Oh, Phoenix! Did you win?"
+
+"She said that she would 'beat my tail feathers off,' did she not?
+Behold, my dear fellow--every tail feather intact!"
+
+"Good for you, Phoenix! How did it go?"
+
+"I found her somewhere over Scotland and accepted her challenge. We
+jockeyed about for starting positions, and she insulted me by offering
+me a handicap--which, of course, I refused. For several hundred miles
+it was nip and tuck, as it were. Then, over Luxembourg, I put all my
+energies into a magnificent sprint and won the race by three and a
+half broom lengths. She claimed a foul and went off in a fit of sulks,
+of course. (I never saw a Witch who was a good loser.) And I--well,
+the fact is, my boy, that I am not as young as I used to be. I simply
+_crawled_ home."
+
+"Oh, you poor Phoenix! But you won, though. Good for you, Phoenix.
+I'm proud of you! I didn't like her at all."
+
+"There you are--I had to win, for both of us. Now, as I wended my
+weary way homeward, I realized that I should be too tired to go
+traveling tomorrow. So I decided to tell you, in case you should want
+to do something else during the day. But I did not know which house
+was yours. I had to pick one at random. I thrust my head in a window
+and uttered a cautious _pssssst_! Imagine my dismay when I was
+answered by a piercing scream! I had to beat a hasty and undignified
+retreat into a garage until all was peaceful again. Then I did the
+same thing at the next house, and the next, with the same results."
+The Phoenix sighed. "Would you believe it, my boy?--this is the fifth
+house I tried. But I knew I was on the right track when I heard them
+calling for you."
+
+"Oh, so it was _you_," said David. "You almost frightened Mother to
+death. She thought you were a burglar."
+
+"My dear fellow, I am really sorry for having caused any
+misunderstanding or fright," said the Phoenix apologetically. "It was
+just that I wanted to tell you of my victory--that is, to tell you
+that I should be indisposed tomorrow."
+
+Then David recalled that he had something to say too. The shock of
+remembering was such that he blurted out the news without thinking of
+softening the blow.
+
+"Phoenix, listen! The Scientist is here!"
+
+The Phoenix sat up in bed with a jerk, and David barely suppressed its
+startled exclamation by clamping a hand over its beak.
+
+"It's not so bad yet," he whispered hurriedly, "because he's not sure
+where you are, and he has to wait for his equipment to get here. But,
+oh, Phoenix, now I suppose you'll go to South America after all, and I
+won't have any more education."
+
+The Phoenix leaped to its feet and struck a defiant pose. "My boy," it
+said angrily, "you are mistaken. I refuse to be chased around any
+longer. Even the lowly worm turns. Am I a mouse, or am I the Phoenix?
+If that insufferable man wishes to pursue me further, if he cannot
+mind his own business, then, by Jove, we shall meet him face to face
+and FIGHT TO THE FINISH!"
+
+Its voice, which had been getting louder and louder, ended in an
+indignant squawk (its battle cry, as it explained later). David's
+warning _ssh!_ was too late. They heard rapid footsteps and the sound
+of light switches snapping.
+
+"Quick!" David said. "Out the window!"
+
+With a hasty "Farewell, my boy," the Phoenix plunged headlong toward
+the window--and tripped over the sill. There was a resounding crash
+outside as the bird landed on the rose arbor, a brief but furious
+thrashing and muttering, and then the receding flurry of wings.
+
+Dad burst into the room with his revolver, followed by Mother and Aunt
+Amy (with two frying pans, this time).
+
+"He stuck his head in the window and said _pssssst!_ at me!" David
+cried. "A big dark shape in the window!"
+
+This time Dad telephoned the police. In no time at all, three carloads
+of weary policemen were swarming over the house and yard, with guns
+and flashlights drawn. It was the fifth--or was it the sixth?--call
+they had received from the neighborhood that night, they explained.
+There followed an hour of questions, arguments, and theories, during
+which everyone became very excited. Everyone, that is, except
+David--although he acted excited to avoid suspicion. But he was happy.
+He had warned the Phoenix, the Phoenix was going to stay, and there
+was nothing to worry about until tomorrow.
+
+
+
+
+6: _In Which the Phoenix Has a Plan, and David and the Phoenix Call On
+a Sea Monster_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+"Well, you're in all the papers this morning, Phoenix," said David, as
+he sat down beside the reclining bird next morning. "They don't know
+who you are, but they're all talking about what happened last night.
+They call you the 'Whispering Burglar.' The police are pretty
+worried."
+
+"My dear chap," said the Phoenix apologetically, "let me repeat my
+sincere regrets for causing alarm. It was not my desire to--the
+_police_, did you say? Have they discovered any clues?"
+
+"No," said David reassuringly. "They can't find a thing. They think
+the Whispering Burglar climbed up a ladder to say _pssssst!_ into the
+upstairs windows. Only they can't find the ladder. They call it the
+'Missing Mystery Clue.'"
+
+The Phoenix gazed at the sky and mused. "In all the papers, you say?
+Well, Fame at last--although hardly the kind I had expected. What a
+pity that there can be no photographs with the story. Imagine a
+picture of me on the front page! A profile, perhaps--or would a
+full-length shot be more effective? Or both, let us say, with--"
+
+"I know you'd look very handsome, Phoenix," David interrupted, "but
+what we _should_ be thinking about is the Scientist. What are we going
+to do?"
+
+"Oh, _that_," said the Phoenix. "I was coming to that, my boy. The
+battle is already half won. I have a Plan."
+
+"Good for you, Phoenix! What is it?"
+
+"Aha!" said the Phoenix, with a mysterious smile. "All will unfold in
+time. Rest assured that the Plan is brilliant. In one stroke of genius
+it solves everything. Tactics, my boy! Napoleon had nothing on me."
+
+"But what _is_ it, Phoenix?"
+
+"Tut, my boy," said the Phoenix in a maddening way. "Control your
+impatience. You will see. Now, we shall have to buy some things, so we
+shall need money. Let me see.... Several of the Leprechauns have large
+pots of gold.... No, I fear they would not part with so much as a
+penny. Tightfisted, my dear fellow!--you never saw such misers.
+Hmmm.... Well, there are the Dragons, of course; they guard heaps of
+treasure in caves. But no--they are excellent chaps in most respects,
+but frightfully stuffy about loans and gifts. No.... The Djinn? No,
+his money is all tied up in Arabian oil speculation. Aha! Why didn't I
+think of that before? The Sea Monster, of course!"
+
+"Do Sea Monsters have money?" asked David.
+
+"No, but the Sea Monster should know where pirate treasure is
+buried--quite in its nautical line. We shall visit the Monster, my
+boy. Tomorrow, of course--I could not fly a foot today to save my
+life. My muscles are killing me!"
+
+"Oh, poor Phoenix!" David said. But he was so excited that he could
+not feel much pity. Pirate treasure! They were going to dig for pirate
+treasure!
+
+"We shall need a spade. I trust you will arrange for it, my boy?"
+
+"Of course, Phoenix," said David, jumping to his feet. "I'll get
+everything ready right away. Don't move till I get back."
+
+"Impossible, my boy." The Phoenix groaned as it shifted into a more
+comfortable position.
+
+David raced home to collect the necessary things for the trip.
+Remembering how cold it had been last time, he took his leather jacket
+out of the closet, and a pair of gloves and a scarf. For the Phoenix
+he borrowed a bottle of liniment and took all the cookies from the
+cooky jar. And he picked the shortest of three spades in the garage.
+During the rest of the day he massaged the Phoenix's back and wings
+with the liniment. He was exploding with curiosity about the Plan, of
+course. But the Phoenix would only smile its smuggest smile and tell
+him to "wait and see, wait and see"--which almost drove David mad.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Tomorrow took its time, the way it always does when you are anxious to
+see it arrive, but it finally came. And David found himself with the
+spade held tightly under one arm, his jacket zipped up to his chin,
+gloves on, and scarf knotted, all ready to go.
+
+"To the west, this time," said the Phoenix, as David got up on its
+back. "This is the Monster's Pacific season, you know. Ready, my boy?
+Splendid! We are off!"
+
+Over the mountains and desert they sped, over the shore, out across
+the ocean. For a long time they hurtled through a huge blue
+loneliness, dark blue below, lighter blue above. Once they passed over
+a ship, a pencil dot trailing a pin-scratch of white. Another time
+they startled a high-flying albatross, which gave a frightened squawk
+and plunged down out of sight with folded wings. Aside from that,
+there was nothing to see until they reached the islands.
+
+The Phoenix slowed down to a glide and dropped lower. "These are the
+coral atolls of the Pacific, my boy," it called over its shoulder.
+"That lake in the center of each island is called the lagoon."
+
+David was enchanted by the atolls. They were made of tiny islets,
+strung together like the beads of a necklace. And the colors! The dark
+blue of the sea became lighter around the islands, melting from
+sapphire to turquoise to jade. The atolls were ringed with dazzling
+white surf and beach, and they all had cool green swaths of palm trees
+and underbrush. And each lagoon also had its varying shades of blue,
+like the outer sea.
+
+"I fear we may have trouble, my boy," said the Phoenix, as they
+scanned the empty beaches. "The Monster shifts about from island to
+island to avoid discovery. We shall just have to search."
+
+And search they did, atoll after atoll, until at the end of an hour
+they were rewarded. David suddenly spotted a dark object stretched out
+on the beach of a lagoon, and at the same time the Phoenix said "Aha!"
+triumphantly. They began to spiral down.
+
+The Sea Monster was immense. Its body could have filled the living
+room at home. Its neck was twenty feet long, and so was its tail
+(which ended in a barbed point). It had huge seal-like flippers, and
+its polished brown hide was made up of scales as big as dinner plates.
+
+"Wake up, Monster!" The Phoenix cried. "We--"
+
+The next instant they were lost in a cloud of flying sand and spray,
+through which could be heard a prodigious splash. When it had cleared,
+they found themselves alone on the beach. The only sign of the Sea
+Monster was a great furrow in the sand, which led down to the agitated
+water.
+
+"Golly, that was fast!" David marveled, as they shook the sand from
+themselves. "Do you think it'll come back, Phoenix?"
+
+"Of course, my boy. Curiosity, if nothing else, will bring it up
+again. In the meantime, we might as well sit down and wait."
+
+They sat down and waited. David took off his jacket. For fifteen
+minutes they heard nothing but the murmuring of the surf and the
+rustling clatter of palm fronds. At last there was a slight splashing
+noise from the lagoon.
+
+"There," David whispered, pointing.
+
+Thirty feet offshore, an ear was being thrust cautiously above the
+rippled surface. It twitched once or twice, then pointed quiveringly
+in their direction.
+
+"Come out, Monster!" the Phoenix shouted. "It is I, the Phoenix."
+
+The Sea Monster's head appeared slowly, followed by several yards of
+neck. It peered at them short-sightedly, weaving its head from side to
+side to get a better view. David saw that it had two short, straight
+horns just in front of its ears, eyes that were soft and cowlike, and
+a most expressive set of whiskers. The whiskers were now at a
+doubtful, half-mast angle.
+
+"Ah, Phoenix," said the Sea Monster at last in a mild voice. "Can't
+you remember to wake me a bit more gently? I thought you were--"
+
+"Come on out," said the Phoenix firmly, "and stop looking like a lost
+sheep."
+
+"Uh--what about--uh--that?" said the Sea Monster hesitantly, pointing
+one ear at David.
+
+"This," said the Phoenix, "is David. He is getting an education. I
+assure you that he will not bite."
+
+The Sea Monster swam toward them, heaved itself out of the water, and
+offered its huge flipper for David to shake.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Sorry I rushed off like that," it said. "The trouble is, I've had
+such a bad case of war nerves. Why, sometimes I jump out of my skin at
+nothing at all."
+
+"Were you in the war?" David asked.
+
+"Ah, _was_ I," sighed the Sea Monster. It flopped down comfortably on
+its belly, curled its tail around its front flippers, and sighed
+again. But David noticed that its whiskers had perked up to a quite
+cheerful angle. The Sea Monster was obviously delighted to have
+someone listen to its troubles.
+
+"Yes," it said, heaving a third sigh, "I was. From the very beginning,
+much against my will. Guns all over the place! Terrible!"
+
+"Did they shoot you?" David asked, horrified.
+
+"Well, _at_ me, anyway. I'm thankful to say they never hit me, but
+there were some pretty near misses. All the oceans were simply packed
+with ships. I couldn't lift my head out of water without bringing down
+a perfect rain of shells and bullets."
+
+"The _intelligent_ thing in that case," the Phoenix broke in with a
+sniff, "would have been to stay _under_ water."
+
+"Thank you, Phoenix," said the Sea Monster dryly. "But I _do_ like to
+breathe now and then. Anyway, I wasn't safe even under water. They'd
+drop depth charges on me. One ship even launched a torpedo at me!"
+
+"How awful!" said David.
+
+"Tut! my boy," said the Phoenix. "I have no doubt our friend is
+stretching the truth shamelessly. You need not look so smug, Monster.
+You were not the only one in the war. _I_ have gone through
+anti-aircraft fire a number of times. Some of it was very severe. In
+fact, once I--"
+
+"Once I had the whole North Atlantic fleet after _me_," the Sea
+Monster interrupted proudly.
+
+"And _I_ remember the Franco-Prussian War!" said the Phoenix. "Which,
+I daresay, you do _not_."
+
+"Well--uh--no, I don't."
+
+"There you are!" the Phoenix crowed.
+
+The Sea Monster, looking rather ruffled, pointedly turned from the
+Phoenix and said to David, "What should you like to do, David?"
+
+David suddenly remembered what they had come for, and the excitement
+rushed back into his heart. He opened his mouth to cry "We want to dig
+for treasure!" and then stopped short. Asking for money, he knew, was
+an impolite thing to do--especially from someone you had only just
+met. And there was no telling how the Sea Monster might feel about
+people nosing around for its treasure. So he looked at the Phoenix and
+waited for it to speak.
+
+The Phoenix caught David's glance, cleared its throat several times,
+and looked apologetically at the Sea Monster. "Monster, old chap," it
+said soothingly, "I am deeply sorry for having doubted you just now.
+Deeply sorry."
+
+"Quite all right," said the Sea Monster stiffly.
+
+"Yes," the Phoenix continued, "we both know that you have passed
+through perilous times, through dangers which (I must confess) would
+have left _me_ a shattered wreck."
+
+The Sea Monster sighed sadly, but its whiskers were beginning to rise
+again.
+
+"The Monster bears up very well under this fearful strain--don't you
+think so, my boy? A splendid example for the rest of us. Magnificent."
+
+The Sea Monster's whiskers were quivering with pleasure.
+
+"Monster, old chap, old friend, you were never one to let a boon
+companion down. If I have said it once, I have said it a hundred
+times: 'The Sea Monster,' I have said, 'the Sea Monster is the helpful
+sort. Mention the words Staunch Friend,' I have said, 'and
+immediately the Sea Monster comes to mind.'"
+
+The Phoenix reached up one wing and began to pat the Sea Monster's
+flipper.
+
+"Monster, old chum, we--ah--we--Well, the plain fact is that
+we--ah--we have need of--such a trifling matter" (here the Phoenix
+gave a careless laugh) "that I should not really bring it up at all.
+Ah--we need a bit of money."
+
+"Oh," said the Sea Monster. Its whiskers sagged.
+
+"Now, please do not be offended, Monster," said the Phoenix hastily.
+"After all, you have no need for the treasure, and it does absolutely
+no good buried under the ground."
+
+"It doesn't do any harm there, either," said the Sea Monster. "Really,
+Phoenix, I never thought _you_--"
+
+"Monster," said the Phoenix solemnly, "_this_--is a matter of life or
+death."
+
+"Life or death--ha!"
+
+"Please, Monster," said David. "It really is life or death, because
+the Scientist is chasing the Phoenix, and the Phoenix has a plan to
+escape him, and we need some money to carry out the plan so the
+Scientist can't hurt the Phoenix."
+
+"A few small coins will do," added the Phoenix, with a winning smile.
+"A louis d'or, for example, or some pieces of eight. After which you
+may bury the rest again."
+
+"_Please_, Monster!" David begged.
+
+The Monster looked at David, and at the Phoenix, and then at David
+again, and then at the lagoon. It sighed a very doubtful sigh.
+
+"Oh ... all right," it said reluctantly. "But for goodness sake, don't
+go telling anyone where you found it."
+
+"Of course not," said the Phoenix. And David leaped up and shouted
+"Hooray!" and grabbed the spade and his jacket.
+
+"The stuff is on the next island," said the Sea Monster. "I can swim
+over with you two on my back. This way, please--we have to leave from
+the outer beach."
+
+The Sea Monster was a magnificent swimmer. Its neck cut through the
+water like the stem of a Viking ship, and it left a frothing wake
+behind. Every once in a while it would plunge its head into the water
+and come up with a fish, which it would swallow whole.
+
+"Should you like some breakfast, David?" said the Sea Monster.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"No, thank you," David answered, "but you go right ahead. Phoenix," he
+added, "what _are_ you doing?"
+
+The Phoenix, which had been walking up and down with its wings clasped
+behind its back, stopped and gazed over the sea. "Pacing the
+quarter-deck, my boy. Scanning the horizon. That is what one usually
+does at sea, I believe."
+
+"You'll be wanting us to call you Admiral next," said the Sea Monster
+acidly.
+
+They steamed on. Twenty minutes and seventy-six large breakfast fish
+later they sighted the island--a little smudge on the horizon, dead
+ahead.
+
+"Land ho!" a voice croaked. "Thank heavens."
+
+David turned in surprise. The Phoenix was no longer pacing the
+quarter-deck and scanning the horizon. It was sitting limply with its
+head down and a glassy stare in its eyes.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"You had better hurry up," David said to the Sea Monster. "I think the
+Phoenix is seasick."
+
+"Am not," the Phoenix gasped. "Merely (ulp!) temporary."
+
+The Sea Monster turned and smiled sweetly at the Phoenix. "You'll get
+used to it in no time, Admiral."
+
+When they landed, however, the Phoenix recovered rapidly and even
+began to put on a slight nautical swagger. The Sea Monster humped off
+down the beach, followed eagerly by the two treasure hunters. In a few
+minutes it came to a halt and sniffed the sand very carefully,
+swinging its head snakelike to and fro. It settled on one spot,
+sniffed it thoroughly, felt the sand with its whiskers, and then
+solemnly announced: "Here."
+
+"Ahoy, me hearties!" the Phoenix shouted. "Turn to and stand by to
+splice the main brace! Steady as she goes, mates!"
+
+David needed no encouragement from anyone. He began to dig furiously.
+Flashing in the sun, the spade bit into the beach, and coarse white
+sand spurted in all directions. The Phoenix was quite as excited as
+David. It danced around the deepening hole with eyes asparkle,
+shouting such piratical terms as "Shiver me timbers!" "Strike your
+colors!" and "Give 'em no quarter, lads!" Suddenly it began to beat
+time with its wing and to sing in a raucous voice:
+
+    "Cut the King's throat and take the King's gold--
+    Heave ho, bullies, for Panama!
+    There's plenty of loot for the lad who is bold--
+    Heave away, bullies, for Panama!"
+
+"You're flat on that last note," said the Sea Monster.
+
+"My dear Monster, I have perfect pitch!"
+
+"Oh, yes--you have perfect sea legs, too."
+
+"Well, ah--How are you coming along, my boy? Any signs of treasure?"
+
+David did not hear. In fact he heard nothing from the first crunch of
+the spade onward. His education was now richer by this fact: once you
+start out after treasure, you can think of nothing else until it is
+found. The sun was beating hotly on him, little rivulets of sweat
+poured down his face and arms, his muscles ached, blisters were
+beginning to form on his hands. Heedless of all, he dug on. He had
+settled into the rhythm of it now, and nothing could distract him.
+
+"Tell you what's a good thing for seasickness," said the Sea Monster
+slyly. "You take a--" Pretending not to hear, the Phoenix stood first
+on one leg and then on the other and stared into the sky. David dug
+tirelessly.
+
+Suddenly the spade grated on something solid, and they all jumped.
+David shouted "Here it is!" and shoveled up sand frantically. The
+Phoenix danced around the hole, also shouting. Even the Sea Monster
+arched its neck to get a better view. They could see a brass ring,
+crusted with verdigris, fastened to a partly-exposed piece of wood.
+The sand flew. Now they could see studded strips of metal bound to the
+wood, and a rusty padlock. And in a few minutes a whole chest, with
+slanting sides and a curved lid and tarnished brass hinges, was
+uncovered. David threw the spade on the beach, seized the brass
+handle, and tugged. It came off in his hand.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Here, let me," said the Sea Monster. David got out of the hole, and
+the Sea Monster worked one flipper carefully under the chest. "Look
+out," it said, and heaved its flipper up. The chest shot into the air,
+tumbled down end over end, and split wide open on the beach.
+
+David gasped. A dazzling, sparkling heap spilled out on the sand.
+There were heaps of gold and silver coins, the silver black with
+tarnish but the gold still bright. There were pearls, rubies,
+diamonds, beryls, emeralds, opals, sapphires, amethysts. And
+bracelets, necklaces, pendants, sunbursts, brooches, rings, pins,
+combs, buckles, lockets, buttons, crucifixes. And carved pieces of
+jade and ivory and coral and jet. And coronets, crowns, tiaras, arm
+bands. And jeweled daggers, picture frames, vases, silver knives and
+forks and spoons, sugar bowls, platters, goblets.
+
+For an hour they examined the treasure. David fairly wallowed in it,
+exclaiming "Look at this one!" or "Oh, how beautiful!" or just
+"Golly!" The Phoenix muttered such things as "King's ransom" and
+"Wealth of the Indies." The Sea Monster was not interested in the
+treasure, but kept glancing nervously out to sea.
+
+At last the Phoenix said, "Well, my boy, I think we had better make
+our choice. Three or four coins should do it."
+
+The Sea Monster gave a relieved sigh. "Let's get the rest of it
+underground right away. You have no idea what trouble it can cause."
+
+The choice was difficult. There were so many coins, all of them with
+queer writing and heads of unknown gods and kings. David finally
+picked out four gold pieces and tied them up in his handkerchief.
+Then the Sea Monster swept the rest of the treasure into the hole.
+They all pushed sand in on top of it and jumped on the mound till it
+was level with the rest of the beach.
+
+The Phoenix turned to the Sea Monster and said solemnly: "Monster, old
+fellow, I knew you would not fail us. You stood forth in our hour of
+need, and we shall not forget."
+
+And David echoed, "Thank you, Monster."
+
+The Sea Monster ducked its head and blushed. A wave of fiery red
+started at its nose, traveled rapidly back over its ears, down its
+neck, along the body, and fanned out to the tips of its flippers and
+the extreme end of the barb in its tail.
+
+Even its whiskers turned pink.
+
+"Well--uh--glad to help--uh--nothing to it, really," it mumbled. Then
+it turned abruptly, galloped down to the sea, plunged into the surf,
+and was gone.
+
+
+
+
+7: _In Which the Phoenix's Plan Is Carried Out, and There Are More
+Alarums and Excursions in the Night_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+"Now, my boy," said the Phoenix, when they got back to the ledge that
+afternoon, "are the shops still open?"
+
+"I think they're open till six," said David, shaking the sand out of
+his shoes. "Are we going to buy something?"
+
+"Precisely, my boy. A hardware store should have what we need. Now,
+you will take our gold and purchase the following." And the Phoenix
+listed the things it wanted, and told David which to bring to the
+ledge and which to leave below.
+
+"... and a hatchet," the Phoenix concluded.
+
+"We have one at home already," said David. "Now, listen, Phoenix,
+_can't_ you tell me what all this is for? What are we going to do with
+it?"
+
+"My boy, the feline's existence was terminated as a direct result of
+its inquisitiveness."
+
+"What did you say?"
+
+"Curiosity killed the cat," explained the Phoenix.
+
+"Oh. But--"
+
+"Now, run along, my boy. A very important Thought has just come to me.
+I must Meditate a while." The Phoenix glanced at the thicket and hid a
+yawn behind one wing.
+
+"Oh, all _right_," said David. "I'll see you in the morning, then."
+
+It wasn't until he got home that he thought of something. He couldn't
+spend pirate gold pieces, or even show them to anyone, without being
+asked a lot of embarrassing questions. What to do? Ask Dad or Mother
+or Aunt Amy to lend him some money? More embarrassing questions....
+Well, he would have to rob his bank. But wait--why hadn't he
+remembered? Just before they had moved, Uncle Charles had given him a
+ten-dollar bill as a farewell present. He had been saving it for a
+model airplane, but the excitement of the last few days had driven it
+completely out of his mind. Of course the Phoenix's Plan was more
+important than any model plane could be.
+
+So he kept the gold pieces tied up in his handkerchief and took his
+ten dollars to a hardware store, where he bought what the Phoenix
+wanted--a coil of rope, an electric door bell, a pushbutton, and one
+hundred feet of insulated wire. Then he brought the package home, hid
+it behind the woodpile in the garage, and sat down to think.
+Wire--bell--pushbutton. What could the Phoenix possibly want with
+them? And what was the rope for? And the hatchet? The more he puzzled
+over it the more confused he became, and finally he just gave up.
+There was only one thing he was sure about: whatever the Plan was,
+they would have to carry it out as soon as possible. Two days had
+passed since the Scientist had shown up. The new gun he had ordered
+might arrive at any time now. Perhaps even today, when they had been
+digging up the pirate treasure, the Scientist had got his new rifle
+and had started to hunt through the mountains.
+
+The thought gave David a creepy feeling on the back of his neck. They
+certainly would have to hurry.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Early next morning David climbed up to the ledge, bringing with him
+the coil of rope and the hatchet. As an afterthought he had added a
+paper bag full of cookies.
+
+"Here's the stuff, Phoenix," he called out as he stepped onto the
+ledge. "Where are you?"
+
+There was a crash from the thicket as though someone had jumped up in
+it suddenly, and the Phoenix stumbled out, rubbing its eyes.
+
+"Ah, splendid, my boy! Yes. I was just--ah--Thinking."
+
+"Phoenix," said David, "I'm not going to ask you again what your Plan
+is, because I know you'll tell me when it's time. But whatever it is,
+we'd better do it right now. The Scientist may show up any minute."
+
+"Precisely, my boy. Never put off until tomorrow what can be done
+today. One of my favorite proverbs. We shall begin immediately--" Here
+the Phoenix caught sight of the bag in David's hand and added hastily:
+"But, of course, we must not forget that first things come first."
+
+"You might have brought more," said the Phoenix, fifteen minutes
+later.
+
+"There weren't any more in the jar," David said. "Phoenix, please tell
+me what we're going to do. I don't care if curiosity _did_ kill the
+cat. I've been thinking about the rope and wire and bell all night,
+and I can't make heads or tails out of it."
+
+The Phoenix gave a pleased laugh. "Of course you cannot, my boy. The
+Plan is far too profound for you to guess what it is. But set your
+mind at rest. I shall now explain the rope and hatchet."
+
+David leaned forward eagerly.
+
+"Now, scientists, you know, have fixed habits. If you know those
+habits, you can predict just what they will do at any time. Our
+particular Scientist is a daytime creature--that is to say, he comes
+at dawn and goes at dusk. His invariable habit, my boy!"
+
+"Well?"
+
+"There you are, my boy!" said the Phoenix triumphantly. "_We shall
+sleep during the day and continue your education at night!_"
+
+"Oh," said David. He thought about this a while, then asked, "But
+suppose the Scientist comes up on the ledge during the day and catches
+you asleep?"
+
+"Aha! That is where the rope and hatchet come in. Never fear, my
+boy--I thought of that also. We are going to construct a snare at each
+end of the ledge."
+
+"How?"
+
+"Hand me that twig, my boy." The Phoenix took the twig, found a bare
+spot of earth, and sketched a picture. "First we find a sapling and
+clear the branches from it with the hatchet--like this. Next we get a
+stake, cut a notch in it, and drive it into the ground--so. The
+sapling is bent down to it and fitted into the notch, which holds it
+down. You see, my boy? Now we make a noose--so--from a piece of rope,
+tie it to the end of the sapling, and spread the loop out on the
+path--this way. The whole snare is hidden under grass and leaves." The
+Phoenix beamed and flung out its wings in a dramatic gesture. "Just
+picture it, my dear chap! The Scientist, smiling evilly as he skulks
+along the path! The unwary footstep! The sapling, jarred out of the
+notch, springing upward! The tightened noose! And our archenemy
+dangling by the foot in mid-air, completely at our mercy!
+Magnificent!"
+
+"Golly, Phoenix," said David, "that's pretty clever."
+
+"_Clever_, my boy? Better to say 'a stroke of genius.' Only I,
+Phoenix, could have thought of it. And consider the poetic justice of
+it! This is exactly the sort of trap that the Scientist once set for
+me! Well, shall we begin?"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The Phoenix had made the snares sound delightfully simple, but they
+soon discovered that the job was harder than it sounded. First they
+had to find the right kind of sapling, springy and strong. The sapling
+had to be in the right place--one by the goat trail, the other at the
+far end of the ledge. When they had been chosen, David had to shinny
+up them to lop off their branches. That was a very awkward business;
+the saplings swayed and trembled under his weight, and he could only
+use one hand for the hatchet. Then he had to make two stakes from
+stout, hard wood, cut a notch at one end, and drive them into the
+ground with the flat of the hatchet. But the hardest part was trying
+to bend the sapling down to the stake and fitting it into the notch.
+It took the weight of both of them to bring the sapling to the ground.
+If they got the slightest bit off balance, it would spring up again.
+Once David fell off; the sapling went _swish!_ back into the air,
+flinging the astonished Phoenix thirty feet up the mountainside.
+
+It was not until afternoon, when the sun had turned ruddy and shadows
+were beginning to stretch dark fingers across the land, that they
+finished the job. But at last the saplings were set in the notches,
+the nooses were formed and fastened on. Grass and leaves were strewn
+over the snares; chips, hewn branches, and other evidences of their
+work were removed. They sat down and looked proudly at each other.
+
+"My boy," said the Phoenix, "I have had a wide, and sometimes painful,
+experience with traps; so you may believe me when I say that these
+are among the best I have seen. We have done well."
+
+"They're sure strong enough," David agreed, flexing his fingers to
+take the stiffness out of them. "But what are we going to do if the
+Scientist does get caught in one?"
+
+"We shall burn that bridge when we reach it, my boy. Now, do you have
+the pliers, wire-cutters, and screw driver below?"
+
+"Yes, they're down in the cellar. What are we going to do with them,
+Phoenix?"
+
+"Patience, patience! You will be told when the time comes. I shall
+meet you tonight after dark, as soon as it is safe for me to come
+down. I trust you will have everything ready?"
+
+"Are you coming _down_?"
+
+"Precisely, my boy. A risk, I admit, but a necessary one. There is a
+hedge at the back of your house, is there not? Splendid. You may await
+me there."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+David, sitting in the shadow of the hedge, jumped when he heard the
+Phoenix's quiet "Good evening, my boy."
+
+"Phoenix," he whispered, "how did you do it? Golly, I didn't see you
+at all, and it isn't even dark yet."
+
+"I have been hunted long enough, my boy, to have learned a few tricks.
+It is merely a matter of gliding close to the ground, selecting the
+best shadows, and keeping a sharp lookout. Well, let us get on with
+the Plan. Have you the tools here?"
+
+"Yes, here they are."
+
+"Splendid! Now, my boy, since we must continue your education during
+the night, it is necessary that we have some way of getting in touch
+with each other. If you climb the mountainside in the dark, you may
+unwittingly fall into our own snare. It is far easier for me to come
+down than it is for you to go up, and under cover of darkness I can do
+it quite safely. The question now is, how will you know when I have
+arrived? That, my boy, is the nub, or crux, of the situation. A
+difficult problem, you will admit. But I have worked out the
+solution."
+
+The Phoenix lowered its voice impressively.
+
+"My boy, we are going to install this bell in your room, and the
+pushbutton on the base of that telephone pole. When I arrive here at
+night, I shall press the button to let you know that I am ready to go.
+A magnificent idea, isn't it?"
+
+It did not seem very practical to David. "Well, Phoenix, that's a good
+idea," he said carefully. "But how are we going to hide the wires?
+And what about the noise of the bell?"
+
+"Nothing to it, my boy! The wires? There are wires between your house
+and the telephone pole already--one more would not be noticed. The
+noise? You have a pillow on your bed, under which the bell can be
+muffled."
+
+"Yes, that's true." It still sounded impractical.
+
+"Just imagine it!" the Phoenix continued enthusiastically. "Perhaps
+later we can install another bell at this end. Then we could learn
+Morse code and send messages to each other. Exactly like a private
+telephone line!"
+
+Put in this way, the idea had a certain appeal, and David found
+himself warming to it. But there was another thing to consider.
+
+"How about electricity, Phoenix?"
+
+"Look above you, my boy! The telephone pole is simply loaded down with
+power lines waiting to be tapped."
+
+The Phoenix was evidently set on carrying out the Plan, and David did
+not want to wear out the bird's patience with more objections.
+And--well, why not? There should be no harm in trying it out, anyway.
+
+They gathered up the tools and walked along the hedge to the telephone
+pole, which was in one corner of the yard. The Phoenix began to
+uncoil the wire, while David gazed up doubtfully at the shadowy maze
+of lines and insulators on the cross-arms.
+
+"Electricity," said the Phoenix thoughtfully, "is a complicated and
+profound subject. There are amperes, and there are volts, and there
+are kilowatt hours. I might also mention positive and negative
+and--ah--all that sort of thing. Most profound. Perhaps I had better
+investigate up there. Screw driver, please."
+
+The Phoenix took the screw driver in one claw and flew up to the top
+of the pole. David could hear the creak of the lines under the
+Phoenix's weight and the rattling of the screw driver against the
+porcelain insulators. For some minutes the Phoenix investigated,
+clicking and scraping about, and muttering "Quite so" and "_There_ we
+are." Then it fluttered down again and rubbed its wings together.
+
+"The whole situation up there is a lot simpler than I thought it would
+be, my boy. The power lines merely come up to the pole on one side,
+pass through the insulators, and go away from the pole on the other
+side. Child's play! The covering on the lines is rather tough,
+however. We shall have to use the wire-cutters."
+
+The Phoenix returned to the top of the pole with the cutters, and
+worked on the wires for five more minutes. Bits of debris began to
+shower down on the hedge. One of the wires vibrated on a low note like
+a slack guitar string.
+
+"We must not forget the difference between alternating and direct
+current, my boy," said the Phoenix as it flew down again. "An
+important problem, that. Where is our wire? Ah, there we are. The
+pliers, please."
+
+"Do you need any help up there?" David asked.
+
+"No, everything is coming along beautifully, thank you. I shall have
+everything finished in a flash."
+
+Trailing one end of the wire in its beak, the Phoenix flew up into the
+darkness once more. The tinkering sounds began again, and a spurt of
+falling debris rattled in the leaves of the hedge.
+
+Suddenly it happened. There was a terrific burst of blue light, a
+sharp squawk from the Phoenix, and a shower of sparks. Another blue
+flash blazed up. The lights in the house, and down the whole street,
+flickered and went out. In the blackness which followed, each stage of
+the Phoenix's descent could be heard as clearly as cannon shots: the
+twanging and snapping as it tumbled through the wires, a drawn-out
+squawk and the flop of wings in the air below, the crash into the
+hedge, the jarring thud against the ground. Broken wires began to
+sputter ominously and fire out sparks. A smell of singed feathers and
+burning rubber filled the air.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+By the light of the sparks David saw the Phoenix staggering to its
+feet. He jumped to the bird's side, but the Phoenix waved him away
+with its wing.
+
+"Quick, my boy," it gasped. "We must make a strategic retreat! Meet me
+on the ledge in the morning. Ouch!" The Phoenix beat at the smoldering
+sparks in its tail and flew off, leaving a trail of acrid smoke
+hanging in the air.
+
+David had the presence of mind to gather up all the tools, the wire,
+bell, and pushbutton, and one of the Phoenix's feathers, which had
+been torn out during the fall. He slipped through a cellar window, hid
+the equipment under a stack of old boxes, and ran noisily up the
+stairs into the kitchen.
+
+"Hey!" he shouted. "The lights are out!"
+
+"Is that you, dear?" came Mother's anxious voice from the dining room.
+
+"The telephone's dead!" Dad shouted from the hall.
+
+Aunt Amy came bumping down the stairs with a candle. "It's that
+burglar!" she cried. "Turning out all the lights so he can murder us
+in our beds!"
+
+"Look!" David shouted, "the line's broken in our back yard!"
+
+They could hear the wailing of sirens now. Fire trucks, repair trucks,
+and police cars pulled up in front of the house. Everyone in the block
+turned out to see what had happened. It took the repair men an hour to
+untangle the wires and fix them. And all the time policemen were
+going through the crowd, asking questions and writing things down in
+their notebooks. They were looking rather haggard, David thought.
+
+
+
+
+8: _In Which David and the Phoenix Visit a Banshee, and a Surprise Is
+Planted in the Enemy's Camp_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Next day Mother asked David to help her straighten out the garden,
+which had been trampled by the repair men; so he could not go to see
+the Phoenix until after lunch. But when that was finished, he rushed
+up the mountainside as fast as he could, wondering all the way what he
+and the Phoenix were going to do now.
+
+The ledge was empty when he got there. He shouted, "Phoenix!" and
+listened.
+
+"Hel-l-lp!" came a faint answering cry from the other end of the
+ledge.
+
+David jumped through the thicket. A pitiful sight met his eyes. There
+was the Phoenix, dangling by one foot from the snare, its wings feebly
+struggling and its free foot clawing the air. The feathers of its
+wings and tail were singed. Great beads of sweat rolled from its
+forehead into a puddle on the ground below. The snared foot was blue
+and swollen.
+
+"Get me down," gasped the Phoenix weakly.
+
+David took a running leap at the sapling, which broke under the sudden
+increase of weight, and the two of them crashed to the ground. He
+unfastened the noose and dragged the Phoenix to the shadiest, softest
+spot on the ledge.
+
+"Hoist with my own petard," said the Phoenix bitterly. "Rub my foot,
+will you? Oh dear oh dear oh dear! Hurts."
+
+"What happened?" David asked as he rubbed the swollen foot. "How long
+have you been caught?"
+
+"Missed my way in the dark," said the Phoenix, wiping its brow.
+"Thought I was on the other side of the ledge, and landed right on
+that fool trap. Hung there all night and all morning. Thought you
+would never come, my boy. Oh dear, oh dear, what a horrible
+experience! My tail was still on fire when I landed, too. I fully
+expected to be burned to a crisp." A large tear rolled down the
+Phoenix's beak.
+
+David murmured soothing words and continued to chafe the Phoenix's
+foot. "Does it feel any better now?"
+
+"The feeling is coming back, my boy," said the Phoenix, gritting its
+beak. "Ouch! All pins and needles." It flexed its toes gingerly. "Rub
+a bit more, please. Gently."
+
+The swelling began to go down. With a handful of damp grass David
+soothed the marks left by the noose.
+
+"That stupid Electric Company!" the Phoenix suddenly burst out.
+"Putting everyone in danger with a short-circuited power line! Let
+this be a lesson to you, my boy. Anything worth doing is worth doing
+well. They will hear from us, believe me! We shall write them a stiff
+complaint!"
+
+"Well, Phoenix," said David hopefully, "we can set the snare again if
+we can find another good sapling; and we still have the other one, so
+we're pretty well protected. And why couldn't we meet every night by
+the hedge, the way we did last night? The bell was a good idea, but
+we _could_ get along without it."
+
+The Phoenix sighed. "I suppose you are right, my boy. There is no use
+crying over spilt milk. One must set one's jaw and--good heavens, my
+boy! _Duck!_"
+
+The Phoenix threw itself to the ground and wildly motioned to David to
+do the same. He flattened himself out beside the bird and said, "What
+is it, Phoenix?"
+
+"Down the mountainside," whispered the Phoenix. "Look! Do not stick
+your head over too far."
+
+David wormed his way to the edge, peered down, and gasped. Below him,
+on the grassy slope at the foot of the scarp, was a figure clad in
+khaki. It was the Scientist.
+
+"Do you think he saw us?" the Phoenix whispered.
+
+"I don't think so," David whispered back. "He's looking off to the
+left. Oh, Phoenix, what if he comes up here? What'll we do?"
+
+"Listen," hissed the Phoenix, "run down there. Talk to him, lead him
+away, distract his attention, anything. Only be quick!"
+
+"All right!"
+
+The Phoenix melted into the thicket, and David jumped to his feet. As
+he dashed down the trail his brain whirled with questions. What should
+he do? What could he say? How could he lead the Scientist away? Where
+would the Phoenix go?
+
+In his haste he forgot one important thing. His foot tripped over the
+pile of grass and leaves on the trail. The released sapling sprang
+upward, the noose tightened with a cruel jerk around his ankle, and he
+was snatched into the air. As the blood rushed to his head he lost
+control of himself and began to struggle wildly and shout at the top
+of his voice.
+
+The flat dry voice of the Scientist drifted to him as if through a
+long tunnel. "What's all this? What are you doing here? Who set this
+snare?"
+
+"Get me down," David choked. "Please!"
+
+A hand seized him by the scruff of the neck. A knife flashed through
+the air and cut the rope. David landed on his feet, but his legs gave
+way and he dropped to his knees. He felt dizzy as the blood rushed
+away from his head again.
+
+The Scientist tilted his sun helmet back and said, "Well,
+well--David," in a disagreeable tone. His eyes narrowed behind the
+spectacles. "What is this snare doing here?"
+
+David struggled to his feet and clutched a bush for support. "Thank
+you for cutting me down," he said.
+
+The cold blue eyes found David's and held them in a hypnotic stare.
+"What is this trap doing here? Who set it?"
+
+"I--I was coming down the trail and--and--I was caught in it," David
+stammered.
+
+"You are avoiding my question, young man," said the Scientist.
+"Who--set--this--snare? Answer me!"
+
+There was a brilliant flash of gold and blue in the sunlight, the
+whistle of feathers cleaving the air, the sharp _thwock!_ of fisted
+talons striking. The Scientist pitched forward with a surprised grunt
+and lay still across the trail--and the Phoenix, executing a flip in
+the air to check its speed, settled down beside David.
+
+"View halloo!" it shouted excitedly. "Yoicks and Tallyho! Did you see
+that stoop, my boy? By Jove, the best-trained falcon could not have
+done better! Believe me, I have been saving that blow for a long time!
+By Jove, what a magnificent stoop! I think I shall take up
+Scientist-hunting as a regular thing!"
+
+"Thank goodness, Phoenix!" David exclaimed. "Another minute and you
+would've been too late! But I hope you haven't--hurt him very much."
+
+"Nonsense, my boy," said the Phoenix. "A head so stuffed with
+scientific fact cannot be injured. He will come to in a short while."
+The Phoenix lifted the Scientist's sun helmet and examined the back of
+his head. "A large lump is developing, my boy. A most pleasant sight!
+I fear the sun helmet is now useless--crushed like an eggshell." And
+the Phoenix smiled proudly.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Well, I hope it isn't serious," David said doubtfully. "Anyway, we'll
+have to do something."
+
+"Precisely, my boy. But I think we should have a drink first." The
+Phoenix detached a canteen from the Scientist's belt and took a deep
+swig. "Ah, delicious! Our friend is well prepared, my boy." And
+indeed, the Scientist had all sorts of things with him: a hand-ax, a
+sheath knife, a compass, a camera, binoculars, a stop watch, notebooks
+and pencils, a coil of rope, maps. There was also a packet of
+sandwiches, which the Phoenix opened and began to eat.
+
+"Now, listen, Phoenix, we have to do something."
+
+"Quite right, my boy," the Phoenix mumbled, with its mouth full. "Have
+a sandwich--spoils of war--peanut butter--very nourishing. The fact is
+that I have just thought of another plan, which cannot fail. Have we
+any money left?"
+
+"Yes, four gold pieces. Why?"
+
+"Splendid. Now, my boy, I shall leave you. When the Scientist wakes
+up, you will help him down to wherever he lives. Find out where his
+room is. I shall meet you by the hedge at midnight. Be sure you have
+the gold pieces with you."
+
+"All right. What are we--"
+
+"Sure you will not have a sandwich?"
+
+"No, thank you. What are we--"
+
+"Very well. Farewell, then, my boy. Till midnight."
+
+David poured what was left in the canteen over the Scientist's head
+and fanned him with a notebook. Presently the man stirred and groaned.
+Then he sat up and muttered, "What hit me?"
+
+"Can you stand up yet?" David said.
+
+Too dazed to ask any more questions, the Scientist got up, groaning,
+put on his broken spectacles, collected his scattered equipment, and
+leaned on David. The two of them proceeded slowly down the trail
+together, frequently sitting down to rest. The Scientist murmured the
+name of his hotel and pointed out the direction.
+
+Townspeople stared at them as they passed, but no one stopped them or
+asked questions, and they reached the hotel without further incident.
+They entered the lobby, and the Scientist sank into a chair.
+
+"Let me help you to your room," said David.
+
+In a few minutes the Scientist got up again, and they took the
+elevator to the fourth floor. David closely watched the direction they
+were going, and when they came into the Scientist's room, he looked
+quickly through the window. There was a fire escape just outside. He
+had the information now: fourth floor, west side, fire escape by
+window.
+
+The Scientist eased himself onto the bed with a groan.
+
+Then he turned to David and said severely: "There's something strange
+about all this, and I intend to get to the bottom of it. You'll be
+hearing from me, young man!"
+
+"All right," said David, closing the door. "And you'll be hearing from
+_us_," he added in an undertone, "if I know the Phoenix!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Flying at night was colder than flying by day, but it was more
+thrilling, too. They whistled through an immense blackness. Stars
+glittered overhead, and quicksilver patches of moonlight and shadow
+flashed across the clouds below. They were going to Ireland, but why,
+David did not know. The Phoenix was playing its wait-and-see game
+again.
+
+In an hour or so they shot out over the edge of the cloud mass, and
+David could see a rocky coast below, dark and cold in the half-light.
+The Phoenix began to slant down toward it, and presently they landed
+in a little meadow. One side of the meadow ran down to a bog filled
+with reeds, and on the other side was a gloomy wood. Everything was
+dark and indistinct, but David thought he could tell why the Phoenix
+had called this the Emerald Isle. The grass beneath their feet was the
+thickest he had ever felt. He touched a boulder and found it furry
+with moss. With the wood and the reed-choked bog, the whole place
+would be rich with various greens in the daylight.
+
+Just then they saw a little man approaching them from the wood. He was
+three feet tall, dressed all in green, and had a long white beard.
+When he reached them he raised his cap politely and said, "Good
+evenin' to you."
+
+"A fine evening to you, my good Leprechaun," said the Phoenix. "Could
+you kindly tell us--"
+
+"Will you have a cigar?" the Leprechaun interrupted.
+
+With a surprised "Thank you very much," the Phoenix took the cigar,
+bit off the end, and popped it into its beak. The Leprechaun lighted
+it, and the Phoenix puffed away.
+
+"Stick o' gum, lad?" said the Leprechaun to David, holding out a pack.
+
+"Why, yes, thank you," said David. He took the stick of gum from the
+pack, and was immediately sorry for it. The stick was made of wood and
+had a small wire spring, like a mouse trap, which snapped down on his
+finger and made him yelp with pain. At the same instant the Phoenix's
+cigar exploded, knocking the startled bird backwards into a bush.
+
+"Haw haw haw!" shouted the Leprechaun, rolling on the ground and
+holding his sides. "Haw haw haw!"
+
+In a trice the Phoenix had pounced on the Leprechaun and pinned him to
+the ground.
+
+"Let him up," said David furiously. "I'll punch his head for him."
+
+"I think, my boy," said the Phoenix coldly, "that I shall carry the
+creature up into the clouds and drop him. Or should we take him back
+with us and hand him over to the Scientist?"
+
+"Now, don't take offense, Your Honor," said the Leprechaun. "I thought
+you'd look at it as kind o' comic."
+
+"Exceedingly comic," said the Phoenix severely. "I am quite overcome
+with mirth and merriment. But perhaps--_perhaps_--I shall let you off
+lightly if you tell us where the Banshee lives."
+
+"The--the Banshee of Mare's Nest Wood?"
+
+"The same. Speak!"
+
+A new light of respect and fear came into the Leprechaun's eyes.
+"She's a terror, she is. What'll you be wanting--"
+
+"None of your business!" roared the Phoenix. "Where is she?"
+
+The Leprechaun had begun to tremble. "Follow the path yonder through
+the wood until you reach the cave, Your Honor. You're not friends o'
+hers, are you? You'll not be telling on me? I'm real sorry for those
+jokes, Your Honor."
+
+The Leprechaun's fright was so genuine now that the Phoenix relented
+and let him go. The little creature dashed off like a rabbit into the
+bog.
+
+"Let that be a lesson to you, my boy," said the Phoenix. "Beware the
+Leprechaun bearing gifts. But I wonder why the thought of the Banshee
+frightened him so?"
+
+They followed the path until they came to the mouth of a cave under a
+heap of rocks. The Phoenix plunged in, and David nervously followed.
+The cave turned out to be a long passageway which led, after several
+turns, into a chamber.
+
+From the ceiling of this rocky vault hung an electric light bulb,
+which glared feebly through drifts of smoke. All around the walls were
+wooden boxes, stacked up to make shelves and cupboards. These were
+filled with an astonishing array of objects: bottles, vials, alembics,
+retorts, test tubes, decanters, cages, boxes, jars, pots, skulls,
+books, snake skins, wands, waxen images, pins and needles, locks of
+hair, crystal balls, playing cards, dice, witch-hazel forks, tails of
+animals, spices, bottles of ink in several colors, clay pipes, a
+small brass scale, compasses, measuring cups, a piggy bank which
+squealed off and on in a peevish way, balls of string and ribbons, a
+pile of magazines called _The Warlock Weekly_, a broken ukulele,
+little heaps of powder, colored stones, candle ends, some potted
+cacti, and an enormous cash register. In the middle of the chamber a
+little hideous crone in a Mother Hubbard crouched over a saucepan,
+stirring it with a wooden spoon. The saucepan was resting in the coals
+of an open fire, and smoke and steam together spread out in a murky,
+foul-smelling fog.
+
+The crone peered at them over the top of her spectacles and cackled,
+"Come in, come in, dearies. I'll be with you as soon as ever I finish
+this brew."
+
+The Phoenix, who had been gazing around the chamber in surprise, said,
+"My dear Banshee, since when have you taken up witchcraft? This is
+most unexpected."
+
+"Ah, 'tis the Phoenix!" exclaimed the hag, peering at them again.
+"Well, fancy that now! Och, you may well ask, and I'll be telling you.
+'Tis a poor life being a Banshee--long hours and not so much as
+sixpence in it for a full night's work, and I got that sick of it! So
+I changed me trade. 'Sure, you'll never make a go of it,' they told
+me, 'and at your age,' they says, 'and once you've got your station
+in life,' they says, 'there's no changing it.' 'It's in the prime of
+me life I am,' says I, 'and I'll not be changing me mind for all your
+cackling,' says I, 'and if certain mouths don't shut up,' says I,
+'I'll cast spells that'll make certain people wish they were dead.'
+That set them back on their heels, you may be sure. Well, 'twas the
+best decision of me life. The money pours in like sorrows to a widow,
+and I'll be retiring within the year to live out my days like a proper
+queen."
+
+Then the Banshee caught sight of David and hobbled over to him,
+peering into his frightened eyes.
+
+"Ah, the wee darling," she crooned, "the plump little mannikin. What a
+broth he'd make, to be sure." She pinched his arm, and he started back
+in terror. "So firm and plump, to make the mouth water. Sell him to
+me, Phoenix!"
+
+"Nonsense," said the Phoenix sharply. "What we desire--"
+
+At this instant the contents of the saucepan began to hiss and bubble.
+"Whoops, dearies, the brew is boiling!" shrieked the Banshee, and she
+hobbled back to the fire to resume her work. She looked in a recipe
+book, stirred, clapped her hands, sang hair-raising incantations in a
+quavery voice, and added a pinch of salt and sulfur. She sprinkled
+spices from a shaker, waved her wand, popped in a dead toad, and
+fanned up the fire with an ostrich plume.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Now for the hard part," she said, grinning at them toothlessly. She
+measured out a spoonful of green powder, weighed it in the scales, and
+flung it into the saucepan. There was a loud explosion. A huge blast
+of steam flared out and engulfed them. When it had cleared, they saw
+the Banshee tilting the saucepan over a small bottle. One ruby drop of
+fluid fell into the bottle. It darted forth rays of light as it fell,
+and tinkled like a silver coin rolling down flights of marble steps.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The Banshee corked the bottle and held it up proudly to the light.
+"Will you look at that, now?" she crooned. "The finest ever I brewed.
+Ah, the mystic droplet! Some swain will be buying that, now, and
+putting it in a lassie's cup o' tea, and she'll be pining away for
+love of him before the day's out."
+
+She put the bottle on the shelf, pasted a label on it, and turned to
+them with a businesslike air.
+
+"Now, dearies, what'll you be wanting? Philtres? Poison?--I've a
+special today, only five shillings a vial. A spell? What about your
+fortunes?--one shilling if seen in the crystal ball, one and six if
+read from the palm. A hex?--I've the finest in six counties. A ticket
+to the Walpurgis Night Ball?"
+
+"We want a Wail," said the Phoenix. "And we shall accept nothing but
+the best and loudest you have."
+
+"Ah, a Banshee's Wail, is it?" cried the hag. "You've come to the
+right shop, dearies, to be sure. Now, let me see...." She hobbled to a
+shelf which contained a row of boxes, ran her finger along them,
+stopped at one, and took it down. "Here we are--key of C-sharp, two
+minutes long, only five shillings threepence."
+
+"No, no," said the Phoenix. "A larger one. We have something more than
+mice to frighten."
+
+"A bigger one? Och, here's a lovely one, now--five minutes long,
+ascending scale with a sob at the end, guaranteed to scare a statue.
+Yours for ten and six. I call that a real bargain, now!"
+
+"Bah!" said the Phoenix impatiently. "Enough of these squeaks! We want
+a real _Wail_, my dear Banshee--such a Wail as never before was heard
+on the face of this earth. And stop this babbling about shillings and
+pence. We are prepared to pay in gold." The Phoenix took the four
+pieces of gold from David and carelessly tossed them into the air.
+
+The Banshee's eyes flew wide open, and she twirled herself around like
+a top. "Och, the sweet music of its tinkling!" she exclaimed. "The
+lovely sheen of light upon it! _There's_ a sight for eyes used to
+naught but silver! Ah, but dearies, I've no Wail worth four pieces of
+gold. I'll have to make one up special." She hobbled rapidly around
+the chamber until she had found a box as large as a bird cage, and an
+ear trumpet. She opened the box, shook it to make sure it was empty,
+and put in two heads of cabbage. ("Such monstrous appetites these
+Wails do have!" she explained.) She fastened the lid carefully with a
+catch-lock, and inserted the ear trumpet in a hole in one side of the
+box. Then she disappeared through a sound-proof door, which they had
+not seen before on account of the smoke.
+
+Fifteen minutes later the Banshee came out with the box, plugging up
+the hole in its side with a bit of wax. She was pale and trembling,
+and beads of sweat covered her face. She smiled weakly at them, seized
+an earthen-ware jug, and drained it in one gulp. The color began to
+return to her face.
+
+"Wsssht!" she gasped, wiping her brow with the sleeve of her Mother
+Hubbard. "Ah, dearies, that was the effort of me life! 'Tis a Wail to
+make one burst with pride, though I do say it meself. Thirteen minutes
+long by the clock, with a range of ten octaves! 'Twould frighten the
+Old Nick himself!"
+
+"Splendid!" said the Phoenix. "The fact is, I sometimes suspect that
+that is precisely with whom we are dealing at home."
+
+The light suddenly dawned on David. "Phoenix!" he cried. "I bet we're
+going to give the Wail to the Scientist!"
+
+"Precisely, my boy!" The Phoenix beamed.
+
+"Oh, golly golly golly!" David sang as he danced around.
+
+"And I'll guarantee it, dearies!" the Banshee cackled. "One hundred
+per cent satisfaction or your money back!"
+
+"Defeat and confusion to the enemy!" the Phoenix shouted, giving the
+special squawk which was its battle cry.
+
+The Banshee received her gold. The Phoenix told David for goodness
+sake not to drop the box or let the lid pop open, or they would regret
+it to their dying day. David, hearing the rustle of the Wail as it
+ravenously attacked the cabbages inside the box, assured the Phoenix
+that he would be careful. The Banshee said, "Ah, Phoenix, do sell the
+laddie to me," but her tone was more teasing than serious, and they
+all laughed. Good-bys were said all round, and David and the Phoenix
+left. The last thing they heard as they felt their way up the dark
+passage was the happy cackling of the Banshee and the clang of the
+cash register.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+They got back to the hotel before dawn and very carefully crept down
+the fire escape into the Scientist's room. They put the box on the
+bedside table, stuck out their tongues at the sleeping Scientist, and
+crept out again. Then they went home, the Phoenix to the ledge and
+David to bed, where he fell asleep instantly.
+
+The Wail was wildly successful. The Scientist released it from its box
+at seven o'clock in the morning. People living in the hotel thought
+the world had come to its end. The rest of the town wondered if it was
+a riot, or an earthquake, or both with three steam calliopes thrown
+in for good measure. David, who lived twelve blocks from the hotel,
+stirred in his sleep and dreamed he was riding a fire engine. Even the
+Phoenix claimed later that a kind of moan was borne on the breeze all
+the way up to the ledge.
+
+The hotel burst into activity like a kicked anthill. People poured
+down the fire escapes, shot out through the doors, lowered themselves
+into the street with ropes of knotted blankets. Others barricaded
+themselves in their rooms by piling furniture against the doors and
+windows. One guest found his way to the cellar and hid in an ash can
+for two days. The manager crawled into the office safe and locked the
+door, without even bothering to remember that he was the only one who
+knew the combination. The telephone exchange was jammed as calls
+flooded in to mobilize the Boy Scouts, the Red Cross, the Salvation
+Army, the National Guard, and the Volunteer Flood Control Association.
+When the Wail finally died out (which was not until seven-thirty,
+because it had devoured both cabbages during the night and had grown
+to more than twice its original size) the police entered the hotel in
+force, armed to the eyebrows. They found nothing. At the end of a
+three-hour search the Chief handed in his resignation.
+
+As for the Scientist, he disappeared completely. A farmer living three
+miles out of town said he saw a man, dressed in a nightshirt and
+head-bandage, running down the valley road. The farmer guessed the
+man's speed to be thirty-five miles an hour. But, he added, there was
+such a cloud of dust being raised that he could not see very well.
+
+"It might have been fifty miles an hour," he said.
+
+No one doubted him.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+9: _In Which David and the Phoenix Call On a Faun, and a Lovely
+Afternoon Comes to a Strange End_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+The Phoenix was dead tired. And no wonder--all in one week it had
+escaped from Gryffons, raced with a Witch, made round-trip flights to
+the Pacific Isles and Ireland, been caught in a snare, got burned by a
+short circuit, and been knocked down by an exploding cigar. Even a
+bird as strong as the Phoenix cannot do all these things without
+needing a rest. So the traveling part of David's education was
+stopped for a while to let the Phoenix recover.
+
+The days went by pleasantly on the ledge. Summer was at its height.
+The sun fell on them with just the right amount of warmth as they
+lolled on the grass. The air was filled with a lazy murmuring.
+"Listen," the murmuring seemed to say, "don't talk, don't think--close
+your eyes and listen." Below them, the whole valley danced and wavered
+in the heat waves, so that it seemed to be under water.
+
+There were long, lazy conversations that began nowhere and ended
+nowhere--the wonderful kind in which you say whatever comes to your
+head without fear of being misunderstood, because what you say has
+little importance anyway. The Phoenix told of the times and adventures
+it had had. Of the forgotten corners of the world where life went on
+as it had from the beginning, and of friends who lived there. Of
+Trolls who mined metal from the earth and made from it wondrous
+machines which whirred and clattered and clanked and did absolutely
+nothing. ("The best kind of machine after all, my boy, since they
+injure no one, and there is nothing to worry about when they break
+down.") Of Unicorns ("Excellent chaps, but so frightfully melancholy")
+which shone white in the sun and tossed their ivory horns like
+rapiers. Of a Dragon who, having no treasure to guard, got together a
+pathetic heap of colored pebbles in its cave. ("And really, he came to
+believe in time that they were absolutely priceless, and went about
+with a worried frown of responsibility on his brow!") David, in turn,
+told the Phoenix about the games he used to play when he lived in the
+flat country, and all about school, and Mother and Dad and Aunt Amy
+and Beckie.
+
+He could not help laughing now and then over the Scientist's defeat.
+But whenever this came up, the Phoenix would shake its head with a
+kind of sad wisdom.
+
+"My boy, there are certain things, such as head colds and forgetting
+where you have left your keys, which are inevitable--and I am afraid
+that the Scientist is, too."
+
+"Oh, Phoenix, you don't think he'll come back, do you?"
+
+"Yes, my boy, I do. I can see the whole train of events: He will
+recover from his fright. He will be curious about the Wail, and will
+return to investigate it. Once here, he will remember us, and we shall
+have to take him into account once more."
+
+"Oh. Do you think it'll happen soon?"
+
+"Oh, no, my boy, nothing to worry about for the time being. But we
+must remember that it will happen some day."
+
+"Yes, I guess you're right. I think he's hateful!"
+
+"I cannot disagree with you there, my boy. Of course, I have no doubt
+that, in general, the advancement of science is all to the good.
+Knowledge is power. But on days like this I sometimes wonder.... Does
+it not seem to you that the highest aim in life at the moment is to
+enjoy the sunlight and allow others to do the same?"
+
+"You're right, Phoenix--but then, you always are. I was just thinking
+the same thing. It's funny ... I mean ... well, _you_ know. Why can't
+people leave other people alone--and--and--well, just _enjoy_
+themselves and lie in the sun and listen to the wind?"
+
+"That is the way of the world, my boy. Getting and spending, and all
+that sort of thing. But come! Why should we worry over the follies of
+the rest of the world? A day like this was made for living, not
+thinking. Begone, dull care!"
+
+And they would forget the Scientist and watch a pair of butterflies
+chase each other instead.
+
+But one day the Phoenix suddenly stood up with a startled expression
+on its face. "My dear chap!" it exclaimed. "I have just remembered!
+Tomorrow...."
+
+"What about tomorrow?"
+
+"Why, my boy, tomorrow another century rounds its mark. To be brief,
+tomorrow is my birthday. My five hundredth birthday."
+
+"Well, congratulations, Phoenix!"
+
+"Thank you, my boy. Five hundred.... Destiny.... Have I mentioned
+before, my boy, that I have a magnificent destiny?"
+
+"No. What is it, Phoenix?"
+
+"I--well, it is strange, my boy, but I do not know ... but that it is
+magnificent no one can doubt."
+
+"Do I have one too?"
+
+"Of course, my boy. We all do."
+
+David was glad of that. He did not know exactly what a destiny was,
+however, and he tried to think of how one would look. But the only
+picture which came to his mind was that of a small, mousy creature
+(his destiny) looking up in admiration to a splendid thing of flame
+and gold, dazzling to the eyes--the Phoenix's mysterious destiny.
+
+He said, "We'll have to do something special tomorrow to celebrate,
+Phoenix."
+
+The Phoenix looked thoughtful. "I think we had better do whatever we
+are going to do _today_," it said.
+
+"Well, we can do something today _and_ tomorrow, then," said David.
+"After all, a birthday only comes once a year, and it seems a shame to
+spend only one day on it. Especially when it's a five hundredth
+birthday."
+
+"Tomorrow ..." said the Phoenix doubtfully. "I have a strange feeling,
+my boy--for once, I find myself unable to explain--most odd, _most_
+odd ... five hundredth birthday...."
+
+"Ah, well," it went on more cheerfully, "I shall undoubtedly remember
+later. The pressing question is, what shall we do now?"
+
+David got up, thought for a while, and suddenly flung his arms wide.
+"Oh, Phoenix," he cried, "it's such a beautiful day, I wish it could
+go on forever! Couldn't we go somewhere--somewhere where we--oh, I
+don't know. I can't explain it. Anywhere _you_ say, Phoenix."
+
+The Phoenix looked at him for a long time. "I think I understand, my
+boy. Yes.... How about one of the forgotten places I told you about?
+Should you like to meet a Faun?"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was a green valley, completely enclosed by the barren mountains
+which towered above it. At one end a waterfall hung on the face of a
+cliff, a misty thread pouring into a rainbow-arched pool. A brook
+serpentined through fields and groves of trees. There were flocks of
+sheep and goats in the fields. Here and there were strange ruins of
+marble and red granite--columns, peristyles, benches carved with
+lions' heads, and pedestals.
+
+They landed in a little glade, and David got down in silent
+wonderment. The very stillness of the air was enchanted. The grass,
+dappled with sun and shadow, wore a mantle of flowers. Clouds of
+butterflies sprang up at their approach and swirled about them. To
+their right stood two broken columns, half-hidden beneath a wild
+tangle of vine and clusters of purple grapes. Beyond was the forest,
+dark and cool and silent, with shafts of sunlight in it like golden
+spears pinning the forest floor to earth. There was no breeze. And as
+David stood there, scarcely daring to breathe, they heard the sound of
+shepherd pipes coming from the edge of the wood. It was a minor tune,
+but somehow lilting too, with the rippling of water in it, and the
+laughter of birds flying high, and the whisper of reeds as they bend
+together by the edge of streams, and the gaiety of crickets by night,
+and the pouring of summer rain.
+
+The piping died away, and the Phoenix beckoned to the spellbound
+David. Together they walked across the glade, leaving behind them a
+wake of swirling butterflies. An immense oak stood at the edge of the
+forest. At its foot, on a bed of moss, sat the Faun.
+
+He was the same size as David. From the waist down he was covered with
+shaggy hair like a goat's, and instead of feet he had cloven hooves.
+The hair on his head was black and curly, and tumbled around small
+pointed ears and a pair of short horns. His eyes were slanted slightly
+upward, and he had a pointed chin and a snub nose.
+
+The Faun waved his pipes saucily at the Phoenix and gave a wry smile.
+"Hullo, Phoenix! Back again to honor us with your wit and wisdom? What
+gems of advice have you got for us now?"
+
+"My dear Faun," said the Phoenix stiffly, "I have brought my friend
+David, who is acquiring an education. We--"
+
+The Faun smiled at David. "Want to race?" he said.
+
+"Sure," said David. "Where to?"
+
+"One moment," harrumphed the Phoenix. "What we--"
+
+"Down to that pedestal and back," said the Faun.
+
+"All right. Wait till I tie my shoe."
+
+The Phoenix harrumphed again. "This is all very well in its place, but
+we _should_--"
+
+"Ready?" said the Faun. "One, two, three, _go_!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+They dashed for the stone marker. It was an even race until they
+reached the pedestal, but there David tried to turn without slowing
+down, slipped on the grass, and went sprawling on his hands and knees.
+The Faun knew better. He sprang at the pedestal with both hooves,
+bounced from it like a spring, and began to race back to the oak. But
+then he too fell, tripping over a vine, and David shot past him and
+touched the oak one jump ahead of him, shouting "First!"
+
+They sat down on the moss, panting. The Faun said, "You can really
+run! I'm sorry you fell."
+
+"Well, you fell too, so that makes us even," said David. They looked
+at each other and for some reason burst out laughing. They rolled
+around on the moss and laughed until tears came, while the Phoenix
+fidgeted in reproachful silence.
+
+When they had calmed down a little, the Faun said, "Can you dance?"
+
+"No," said David. "I wish I could, though."
+
+"The educational value of dancing is practically nil," the Phoenix
+began severely. "I advise--"
+
+"Sure you can dance," said the Faun. "Listen." He brought the pipes to
+his lips and began to play.
+
+And much to his surprise and delight, David found himself dancing as
+though he had never done anything else in his life. The wonderful
+thing was that he did not have to think about what he was doing: the
+music was doing it all for him. He saw that even the Phoenix was
+shuffling around in time to the piping, and looking very embarrassed
+about it, too.
+
+"There," said the Faun when they had finished, "you _can_ dance, and
+very well. Even old Phoenix can dance." Suddenly he jumped up and
+cried, "Let's go--come on!" and started to run.
+
+David followed, not knowing where they were going and not caring. The
+Phoenix came after them, half running and half flying to keep up. They
+raced across the glade, through a stand of trees, and out into the
+meadow beyond. There they came to a bank of daisies, and threw
+themselves into the middle of it and began to pelt each other with
+blossoms. The Phoenix, finally caught up in the spirit of it,
+collected a huge bunch while they were wrestling, flew suddenly over
+them, and drowned them beneath a deluge of flowers. Near by was the
+stream. They splashed in the shallows, skipped pebbles over the
+surface, and dug a harbor with two dikes in the sandy part of the
+shore. The Faun showed David how to build little boats of reeds, and
+the Phoenix made them sail by blowing up a wind with its wings.
+
+They had a tree-climbing contest, which David won because his feet
+were better than hooves for standing on branches. But the Faun won the
+jumping contest because of the tremendous spring in his legs. They
+came out even in the handstand, somersault, and skin-the-cat contest.
+And the Phoenix won when they played skip-rope with a piece of vine,
+because it could hover in the air with its wings while the vine
+swished over and under.
+
+They had fun with the sheep and goats, too. The Faun made the animals
+dance and caper to a tune from his pipes, and showed David how to
+ride on the rams. You crept up very quietly from behind--jumped
+suddenly on their backs--got a quick grip around their necks--and away
+in a rush! It was almost as good as flying, except that you got jolted
+off sooner or later. Then watch out!--it took some quick dodging to
+escape the horns of the angry rams. They left the goats alone, because
+of their sharper horns and the wicked look in their eyes.
+
+"I know where some pictures are," said the Faun. "Come on!" And he led
+them to a kind of glade ringed with shattered columns. The ground
+there was covered with moss and drifts of leaves. They each got a
+stick to clear away the debris, and uncovered a beautiful mosaic
+pavement. It was made of bits of colored stone and tile, which were
+arranged to make pictures. There were scenes of youths treading out
+wine, minstrels with lyres, gods with curly hair, and a beast which
+was half man and half horse. There were maidens dancing to flute and
+drums, hunters battling with boars and lions, warriors clashing with
+sword and shield and spear. There were series of pictures telling
+stories of wonders and adventures in far-distant lands, voyages, wars,
+conquests. The Faun proudly pointed out a picture of other Fauns
+dancing with Nymphs. The Phoenix gazed very thoughtfully at some
+scenes of a bird building and sitting in a nest of flames. But the
+last pictures of this story had been broken up by roots, so they could
+not see how it ended.
+
+When they came to the end of the valley, where the rainbow arched over
+the pool, David told them of the pot of gold which is supposed to be
+at the foot of rainbows. They looked for it, but without success,
+because the rainbow disappeared whenever they got too close to it. So
+David and the Faun contented themselves with jumping into the pool and
+ducking each other and making bubbly noises, while the Phoenix, who
+could not swim, stood on the shore and beamed at them. They picked
+ferns from under the waterfall and made wreaths and garlands, which
+they threw at the Phoenix's head like quoits. The Faun showed them a
+certain place to shout from if you wanted to hear an echo. The Phoenix
+shouted, "A stitch in time saves nine!" and the echo dolorously
+answered, "A switch is fine for crime."
+
+Wet and tired from splashing in the pool, they stretched out in the
+sun to dry. A grapevine grew near them, and they gorged themselves on
+the fruit, smearing their faces and hands with purple. And David
+closed his eyes and thought, "Now I'm having a dream, and so is the
+Phoenix. We're all dreaming the same thing and living in the dream,
+and I wish--oh, I wish none of us will ever wake up!"
+
+But he had just opened his eyes again when the Faun leaped to his feet
+and cried "Listen!" and flicked his pointed ears forward like a cat.
+
+David stood up and said in a puzzled voice, "I don't hear anything."
+He noticed that the Phoenix had also got up, and was listening
+uncomfortably to whatever it was.
+
+"Listen! Oh, listen!" cried the Faun. There was a joyous light in his
+eyes as he leaned forward with his lips slightly parted, straining
+toward the mysterious silence. Suddenly he shouted, "I'm coming, I'm
+coming!" and dashed off into the wood.
+
+"Good heavens," muttered the Phoenix. "I had forgotten about--this.
+Let us go home, my boy."
+
+A strange, uncontrollable trembling had seized David's legs. He still
+could hear nothing, but some feeling, some hint of an unknown,
+tremendous event hung quivering in the air about them and sent little
+electric thrills racing up and down his whole body.
+
+"Oh, Phoenix, what is it, what is it?" he whispered.
+
+"I think we had best be going, my boy," said the Phoenix anxiously.
+"Come along."
+
+"Phoenix--" But he heard it now. It came whispering toward them, the
+sound of pipes caroling--pipes such as the Faun had played, but
+greater, as an organ is greater than a flute. The wild, sweet sound
+rose and fell, swelled like a full choir, diminished into one soprano
+voice that pierced David through and through, caressing and tugging,
+calling, "Come ... come ... run ... run...."
+
+"Phoenix!" David cried. "Oh, Phoenix, listen, listen!"
+
+"Run ... run ..." the pipes whispered.
+
+"Let us go home, my boy," said the Phoenix warningly.
+
+"Come ... come ..." cried the pipes.
+
+They could be resisted no longer. In a transport of joy, David shouted "I'm
+coming!" and raced away toward the sound. There was nothing in his mind
+now, nothing in the whole world, but a desire to be near those pipes. He
+must run like the winds, leap and shout, roll in the grass, throw himself
+down flowered slopes, follow that magic music wherever it should lead. He
+fled blindly through the wood, heedless of the branches which whipped his
+face and the thorns which tore at his legs. The pipes were calling more
+loudly now: "Run ... run ... faster ... faster...." Then the Phoenix
+plunged to earth in front of him, threw out both wings, and shouted "Stop!"
+
+"Let me go, Phoenix!" David cried. "Let me by! I want to run, I must
+run!"
+
+He made a desperate effort to push past the outstretched wings. But
+the Phoenix flung him to the ground, picked him up before he could
+kick once, and threw him on its back. Then they were flying at full
+speed, dodging through gaps in the branches and between close-set
+trunks, with leaves and twigs slashing them from every side. They
+burst out of the wood and sped over a meadow. David saw below them a
+huge Faun-like figure pacing majestically across the sward. A flaming
+wreath encircled its brow, garlands of flowers hung from its arms and
+shoulders, and those enchanted pipes were lifted to its lips. Around
+the cloven hooves, and trailing out behind, danced a multitude of
+creatures--lambs and kids gamboling, goats and rams tossing their
+horns, foxes, furry waves of squirrels, rabbits kicking up their
+heels, Fauns and Nymphs rollicking, frogs and crickets and serpents.
+Above them flew birds and butterflies and beetles and bats in swirling
+clouds. Full-voiced, the glorious pipes sang. "Come, come, run, run!
+Follow, leap and dance, adore and obey! Run, oh, run, heed me before
+all passes! Follow, before it is too late, too late, too late...."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+And David, in a delirium of desire, shouted "I'm coming!" and jumped
+from the Phoenix's back.
+
+For an instant, as he fell through the air, he thought he would
+succeed in joining the dancing throng. But the Phoenix, plunging after
+him falconwise with folded wings, seized his collar in its talons, and
+snatched him up from the very arms of the Faun, who had recognized him
+and called his name as he fell.
+
+Up toward the cloudless sky they soared. David cried, pleaded,
+pommeled the Phoenix with his fists. The Phoenix ignored his
+struggling and continued to climb with tremendous wing strokes. Up and
+up and up.... The piping grew fainter in the distance, its magic
+weakened. The enchanted dancers diminished into specks, the valley
+fell away until it was only a green splash nestled among the jagged
+peaks. And David burst into tears ... and then wondered why he was
+crying ... and tried to remember, and could not. The trembling left
+his body, and he dangled limply. His eyes closed.
+
+
+
+
+10: _In Which a Five Hundredth Birthday Is Celebrated, and the Phoenix
+Bows to Tradition_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+"That's funny," said David, rubbing his eyes and looking around in a
+puzzled way. "Where are we, Phoenix?"
+
+"'Home is the sailor, home from the hill,'" the Phoenix said, "'And
+the hunter home from the sea.' Or is it the other way around? At any
+rate, we are home, my boy."
+
+And so they were.
+
+"Weren't we playing with a Faun just now?"
+
+"Quite so."
+
+"But there was something else," David said. "Something ... Didn't
+somebody say, 'Follow, before it is too late,' or something like that?
+_Did_ we follow?--I can't remember."
+
+"No, my boy. By the time one hears that, it is already too late."
+
+"Oh." Too late for what? he wondered. Oh, well ... He sighed, and fell
+to daydreaming.
+
+A cough from the Phoenix brought him back.
+
+"Beg your pardon?"
+
+"I have never seen you so thoughtful, my boy. However, I believe I
+know what you are thinking about. It _is_ a difficult problem, is it
+not?"
+
+"Yes, I was just--"
+
+"--thinking what you could get me for a birthday present," interrupted
+the Phoenix. "Am I not correct?"
+
+David, who had not even given this a thought until now, flushed.
+
+"Aha!" said the Phoenix triumphantly. "Just as I thought! Believe me,
+my dear fellow, when you have been around as long as _I_ have, you can
+read the minds of your friends as easily as a book. Now, the problem
+of what to give is a hard one at any time, but the problem of what to
+give for a five hundredth birthday is even harder. A monogrammed ash
+tray? I do not receive cigars often enough to make that practical. A
+hand-knitted sweater? It would not fit (they never do). A gold-plated
+watch chain? I have no watch. No, the best idea would be to get me
+something which I can use."
+
+"Certainly, Phoenix," David stammered. "What _do_ you want, then?"
+
+"Ah! We have reached the kernel of the problem. And the answer, my
+boy, is this: cinnamon."
+
+"Cinnamon?"
+
+"Precisely. Also a box of matches--the kind that strike anywhere, you
+know."
+
+"Well--all right. It doesn't sound like much of a present, but if
+that's what you really want.... What are you going to do with them,
+Phoenix? I mean, if you don't mind my asking."
+
+"The plain fact is, my boy," said the Phoenix doubtfully, "the plain
+fact is--well, I do not know. Odd! But something tells me I shall need
+them. Well, it will come to me in the morning, no doubt. And then, of
+course, I shall be very glad to have them on hand."
+
+"All right, cinnamon and matches, then. And I'll get some--no, I won't
+tell you _that_. It'll be a surprise."
+
+"A surprise? Splendid, my boy! You could not, I suppose, drop me a
+small hint? No? But of course not--one hint and my powerful Intellect
+could guess everything--and then the surprise would be spoiled. Well,
+until tomorrow, then!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+[Illustration]
+
+That evening David shut himself in his room and robbed his bank. It
+was a squat, cast-iron box, with "A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned" in
+raised letters on one side. The only way to open it was to smash it
+with a crowbar, but it could be emptied. It had to be tilted just so,
+with a knife blade in the slot to catch the coins and guide them out.
+This is what David did, with a bread knife borrowed from the kitchen.
+It was a slow, uncertain job, and one coin (he guessed it was a dime
+by the way it rattled) never did come out. But the rest, which
+included his change from Uncle Charles's present, would be enough.
+
+Early next morning he went to the store and bought three large boxes
+of stick cinnamon, two cans of powdered cinnamon, and a huge box of
+matches. For the surprise he got a whole quart of strawberry ice
+cream, with a piece of dry ice to keep it from melting. He wanted to
+buy a cake, too, and candles, but there was not enough money left.
+Then he remembered that a new batch of cookies had been baked at home
+yesterday, which would have to do instead. He wrapped the cinnamon and
+matches up in a neat package with white paper, tied it in a blue
+ribbon, and wrote on it "To Feenix, Happy 500 Birthday, from David."
+Then he took all the cookies from the jar, borrowed two plates and
+spoons, put everything into a large paper bag, and set out for the
+Phoenix's ledge.
+
+He was surprised to find the Phoenix working busily in the middle of a
+wide place on the ledge. Apparently the bird had been at it all night,
+for a huge pile of sticks and brush had been heaped up on the ground
+and shaped roughly like a nest. Right now the Phoenix was struggling
+with a small log, trying to get it on the pile.
+
+"Hello, Phoenix! Happy birthday!"
+
+"Ah, there, my boy! Thank you very much. Could you kindly give me a
+hand with this log?"
+
+They heaved and grunted the piece of wood to the top of the pile, and
+David said, "What's this for, Phoenix?"
+
+"This, my boy, is a pyre. A bit untidy around the edges, but
+nonetheless a pyre."
+
+"Oh," said David. "What's that?"
+
+"Well--a _pyre_, you know--a sort of fire, as it were."
+
+"Oh, _fire_. I thought you said--oh, yes. Fire. Isn't it awfully
+_warm_ for a fire?"
+
+"The weather _is_ unusually tropical," said the Phoenix, cocking one
+eye toward the sun. "This fire, however, is necessary--but I shall
+explain later. Meanwhile, if you will just aid me with this branch--"
+And for the next fifteen minutes they worked over the heap, adding to
+it and shaping it up. David kept his thoughts to himself. He could see
+that the Phoenix knew what it was doing, so everything must be all
+right.
+
+"By the way, my boy," said the Phoenix casually, when they had
+finished, "my prediction was correct. I knew it would be. The
+inevitable has occurred."
+
+"What are you talking about, Phoenix?"
+
+"The Scientist, my boy. He is in our midst once more."
+
+David clutched a branch in the heap and said "Oh, Phoenix!" in a
+frightened voice.
+
+"Now, my dear fellow, there is no cause for alarm. He is not nearby at
+present. I sent him back."
+
+"Sent him back? How?"
+
+"Nothing to it, my boy," said the Phoenix smugly. "He was up at the
+crack of dawn, toiling with typical stupidity in full sight on the
+slope below. He was making a blind of green branches to hide in while
+he spies on me. (Really, the childishness of his efforts! To think for
+a minute he could fool _me_ with such tricks!) Well, I waited until he
+had gone down the slope to cut more greenery, and when his back was
+turned, I slipped down to the blind and took his binoculars."
+
+"But Phoenix, what did you want with his binoculars?"
+
+"I did not want his binoculars, my boy, but _he_ did. His language
+when he discovered the loss was simply frightful--I could hear it all
+the way up here. Of course, he had to return to town for another
+pair."
+
+"But he'll be back!"
+
+"Precisely, my boy. But he will have something to keep him busy when
+he returns. I took the liberty of destroying his blind. _That_ will
+hold him."
+
+"But it won't hold him long, Phoenix! We've got to think of something
+else. Now your whole birthday is spoiled!"
+
+"On the contrary, my boy, it will hold him long enough. Now please do
+not ask me why; you must take my word for it, and I shall explain
+later. And my birthday is _not_ spoiled. I am looking forward with a
+great deal of pleasure to the surprise which you promised me. Come,
+let us enjoy it, whatever it is, and forget the Scientist."
+
+"Well ... are you _sure_ about the Scientist?"
+
+"Absolutely."
+
+The Phoenix was so positive that David began to feel better. He picked
+up the paper bag and said: "Well, it isn't much of a surprise,
+really--just a birthday party. And your present. But I think the
+present should come after the party, don't you?"
+
+"Quite so, my boy. But I shall leave the management of the whole
+affair in your capable hands."
+
+"All right," said David. "Now, you'll have to turn around, Phoenix,
+and not look while I'm getting it ready."
+
+The Phoenix obediently turned around, clasping its wings behind its
+back, and tried hard not to peek. David set the party things out on
+the grass: ice cream in the middle, the cookies in a ring around it,
+plates on either side, and spoons beside the plates. He set the
+Phoenix's present off to one side, where it could be reached when they
+had finished.
+
+"All right, Phoenix, you can turn around now."
+
+The Phoenix took a long look at everything, and said huskily: "My dear
+chap, this is quite the nicest moment of my life. How can I possibly
+thank you?"
+
+They sat down in their places. David passed the cookies and served the ice
+cream, and said that as far as he was concerned, this was the best birthday
+party he had ever been to. And the Phoenix said, "Quite so, my boy, but
+might I make so bold as to ask why?" And David answered, "Well, the reason
+is that usually during birthday parties you have to play stupid games, like
+pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and button-button-who-has-the-button, in spite
+of the fact that eating good things is the real reason for having a party,
+as everybody knows." And the Phoenix said, "Precisely, my boy, but people
+have somehow lost the main idea of the thing. When you come right down to
+it, ice cream is the basis of any sensible party, and everything else is a
+waste of time." And David said, "Yes, Phoenix, but don't forget cake and
+cookies, and candy and nuts and things. They're not as good as ice cream,
+but they're not a complete waste of time, either." And the Phoenix said,
+"Of course not, my dear fellow, they are important too. And speaking of ice
+cream, have you noticed that, while chocolate is very good, and vanilla
+enjoys great popularity, still there is _nothing_ like strawberry?" And
+David said, "Yes, you're right"--rather sadly, because the Phoenix was
+eating most of it.
+
+At last the ice cream carton was empty and all the cookies were gone.
+They both sighed regretfully and brushed away the crumbs. And the
+Phoenix looked hopefully at the present David had brought.
+
+"Happy birthday, Phoenix," David said, and he handed the gift over
+with a little bow.
+
+"Thank you, my boy, thank you." The Phoenix opened the package eagerly
+and gave a pleased cry. "_Just_ what I wanted, my dear chap!"
+
+"I'm glad you like it," David said. "Do you know yet what it's for?
+Can you really use it for something?"
+
+The Phoenix suddenly stopped smiling and looked at David with a
+strange expression on its face--an expression David had never seen
+there before. A vague dread swept through him, and he faltered,
+"Phoenix ... you _do_ know what it's for? What is it? Tell me."
+
+"Well, my boy--well, the fact _is_--yes, I do know. It came to me this
+morning while I was constructing the--ah--nest, here. I am afraid it
+will be a bit hard to explain. The cinnamon--ah--the cinnamon--well,
+cinnamon _branches_ are what I should really have...."
+
+"But Phoenix, what's it _for_?"
+
+"Behold, my boy." The Phoenix opened the boxes, and spread the
+cinnamon sticks on the nest. Then it took the cans and sprinkled the
+cinnamon powder over the top and sides of the heap, until the whole
+nest was a brick-dust red.
+
+"There we are, my boy," said the Phoenix sadly. "The traditional
+cinnamon pyre of the Phoenix, celebrated in song and story."
+
+And with the third mention of the word "pyre," David's legs went weak
+and something seemed to catch in his throat. He remembered now where
+he had heard that word before. It was in his book of explorers, and it
+meant--it meant--
+
+"Phoenix," he choked, "wh-wh-who is the pyre for?"
+
+"For myself," said the Phoenix.
+
+"_Phoenix!_"
+
+"Now, I implore you--please--oh, dear, I _knew_ it would be difficult
+to explain. Look at me, my boy."
+
+David did as he was told, although his eyes were filled with tears and
+he could not see through the blur.
+
+"Now," said the Phoenix gently, "the fact is that I have, besides my
+unusually acute Intellect, an Instinct. This Instinct told me that it
+was my birthday today. It also told me to build this nest of cinnamon.
+Now it tells me that I must make this nest my pyre, because that is
+what the Phoenix does at the end of five hundred years. Now, please,
+my boy!--I admit it does not appear to be a very joyful way of
+celebrating, but it must be done. This is the traditional end of the
+Phoenix, my boy, and we cannot ignore the tradition, no matter what
+our feelings may be. Do you see?"
+
+"No!" David cried. "Please, Phoenix, don't do it! It's horrible! I
+won't let you do it!"
+
+"But I must, my dear chap! I cannot help it. This is what it means to
+be the Phoenix. Nothing can stop the tradition. Please, my boy, do not
+take on so! It is not in the least horrible, I assure you. My Instinct
+tells me so."
+
+"You said you were going to give me an education," David sobbed. "You
+said we would see--you said--and we've only been on four
+adventures--you never told me about this--"
+
+"I am terribly sorry, my boy. I could not tell you about it because I
+did not _know_ about it until now. As for your education, it is a pity
+to have it cut short in this way. I had great plans.... But
+consider--you have had four adventures which no one else in the whole
+world has had! And besides, my boy, we shall see each other again. I
+do not know how or where, but I am positive of it." The Phoenix
+flicked a tear from its eye with the tip of one wing, while with the
+other it patted David awkwardly on the shoulder.
+
+"Don't go, Phoenix, _please_ don't go."
+
+"I must, my boy. Here, permit me to present you with a small token
+(ouch!) of our friendship."
+
+Dimly, through his tears, David saw the Phoenix pluck the longest,
+bluest feather from its tail, and he felt it being pressed into his
+hand.
+
+"Good-by, David," said the Phoenix gruffly.
+
+David could stand it no longer. He turned and rushed blindly from the
+Phoenix, blundered into the thicket, and dropped to the ground with
+his head buried in his arms. Behind him he heard the sticks snapping
+as the Phoenix mounted its pyre. A match rasped against the box. The
+first tongue of flame sizzled in the branches. David pressed his hands
+over his ears to shut out the sound, but he could feel the heat of the
+flames as they sprang up. And the noise would not be shut out. It grew
+and grew, popping, crackling, roaring, until it seemed to fill the
+world....
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Perhaps he fainted. Or perhaps from numbness he slipped into a kind of
+deep sleep. Whichever it was, he returned to consciousness again
+suddenly. His hands had slipped from his ears, and a sound had brought
+him back. He lifted his head and listened. The fire had burnt itself
+out now. The only noise was the hiss and pop of dying embers. But
+these sounds were too gentle to have awakened him--it must have been
+something else. Yes--it was a voice. He could hear it quite plainly
+now. There were angry shouts coming from somewhere below the ledge.
+
+Carefully avoiding the sight of the pyre, David crawled to the edge
+and glanced over. Far down, on the slope at the foot of the scarp, was
+a tiny figure dancing and bellowing with rage. The Scientist had
+returned and discovered the ruins of his blind. David watched him
+dully. No need to worry about _him_ any more. How harmless he looked
+now, even ridiculous! David turned away.
+
+He noticed then that he was holding something in his hand, something
+soft and heavy. As he lifted it to look more closely, it flashed in
+the sunlight. It was the feather the Phoenix had given him, the tail
+feather. Tail feather?... But the Phoenix's tail had been a sapphire
+blue. The feather in his hand was of the purest, palest gold.
+
+There was a slight stir behind him. In spite of himself, he glanced at
+the remains of the pyre. His mouth dropped open. In the middle of the
+white ashes and glowing coals there was movement. Something within was
+struggling up toward the top. The noises grew stronger and more
+definite. Charred sticks were being snapped, ashes kicked aside,
+embers pushed out of the way. Now, like a plant thrusting its way out
+of the soil, there appeared something pale and glittering, which
+nodded in the breeze. Little tongues of flame, it seemed, licking out
+into the air.... No, not flames! A crest of golden feathers!... A
+heave from below lifted the ashes in the center of the pile, a fine
+cloud of flakes swirled up into the breeze, there was a flash of
+sunlight glinting on brilliant plumage. And from the ruins of the pyre
+stepped forth a magnificent bird.
+
+It was the Phoenix, it must be the Phoenix! But it was a new and
+different Phoenix. It was young and wild, with a fierce amber eye; its
+crest was tall and proud, its body the slim, muscular body of a
+hunter, its wings narrow and long and pointed like a falcon's, the
+great beak and talons razor-sharp and curving. And all of it, from
+crest to talons, was a burnished gold that reflected the sun in a
+thousand dazzling lights.
+
+The bird stretched its wings, shook the ash from its tail, and began
+to preen itself. Every movement was like the flash of a silent
+explosion.
+
+"Phoenix," David whispered. "Phoenix."
+
+The bird started, turned toward him, looked at him for an instant with
+wild, fearless eyes, then continued its preening. Suddenly it stopped
+and cocked its head as if listening to something. Then David heard it
+too: a shout down the mountainside, louder and clearer now, excited
+and jubilant. He shivered and looked down. The Scientist was tearing
+up the goat trail as fast as his long legs would carry him--and he was
+waving a rifle.
+
+"Phoenix!" David cried. "Fly! Fly, Phoenix!"
+
+The bird looked at the Scientist, then at David, its glance curious
+but without understanding. Paralyzed with fear, David remained on his
+knees as the Scientist reached an open place and threw the gun up to
+his shoulder. The bullet went whining by with an ugly hornet-noise,
+and the report of the gun echoed along the scarp.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Fly, Phoenix!" David sobbed. A second bullet snarled at the bird, and
+spattered out little chips of rock from the inner wall of the ledge.
+
+"Oh, fly, fly!" David jumped up and flung himself between the bird
+and the Scientist. "It's me!" he cried. "It's David!" The bird gazed
+at him closely, and a light flickered in its eye as though the name
+had reached out and almost, but not quite, touched an ancient memory.
+Hesitantly it stretched forth one wing, and with the tip of it lightly
+brushed David's forehead, leaving there a mark that burned coolly.
+
+"_Get away from that bird, you little idiot!_" the Scientist shrieked.
+"_GET AWAY!_"
+
+David ignored him. "Fly, Phoenix!" he cried, and he pushed the bird
+toward the edge.
+
+Understanding dawned in the amber eyes at last. The bird, with one
+clear, defiant cry, leaped to an out-jutting boulder. The golden wings
+spread, the golden neck curved back, the golden talons pushed against
+the rock. The bird launched itself into the air and soared out over
+the valley, sparkling, flashing, shimmering; a flame, large as a
+sunburst, a meteor, a diamond, a star, diminishing at last to a speck
+of gold dust, which glimmered twice in the distance before it was gone
+altogether.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+_The Author_
+
+Edward Ormondroyd
+
+
+When Edward Ormondroyd was about thirteen, his family moved from
+Pennsylvania to Ann Arbor, Michigan. He and a friend began to read
+Arthur Ransome's boating stories and, inspired by the adventures of
+the Swallows, built their own fourteen-foot sailboat and tried to
+re-create that English magic on the Huron River.
+
+In 1943 he graduated from high school and joined the Navy. Destroyer
+Escort 419 was his home for the next two years. "When the war was
+over, she looked in on China and Korea, and came home. She did show me
+San Francisco Bay at dusk. One look convinced me that I would like to
+live by it; and I have, ever since."
+
+After the war, Mr. Ormondroyd went to the University of California at
+Berkeley. He graduated in 1951, and since then has been busy writing,
+sailing as able seaman aboard a tanker, and working as a bookstore
+clerk and machine tender. He lives in Berkeley, California. He is
+married and has one son.
+
+It was while Mr. Ormondroyd was at college that David and the Phoenix
+first intruded into his consciousness. "_One day, when I was walking
+across campus, I had a sudden vision of a large and pompous bird
+diving out of a window, tripping on the sill, and falling into a rose
+arbor below. I had to explain to myself why the poor bird was in such
+a situation in the first place, and what became of it afterwards. The
+result of my investigation was_ DAVID AND THE PHOENIX."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+David and
+
+the Phoenix
+
+
+Edward Ormondroyd
+
+_Illustrated by Joan Raysor_
+
+
+David knew that one should be prepared for anything when one climbs a
+mountain, but he never dreamed what he would find that June morning on
+the mountain ledge.
+
+There stood an enormous bird, with a head like an eagle, a neck like a
+swan, and a scarlet crest. The most astonishing thing was that the
+bird had an open book on the ground and was reading from it!
+
+This was David's first sight of the fabulous Phoenix and the beginning
+of a pleasant and profitable partnership. The Phoenix found a great
+deal lacking in David's education--he flunked questions like "How do
+you tell a true from a false Unicorn?"--and undertook to supplement it
+with a practical education, an education that would be a preparation
+for Life. The education had to be combined with offensive and
+defensive measures against a Scientist who was bent on capturing the
+Phoenix, but the two projects together involved exciting and hilarious
+adventures for boy and bird.
+
+A wonderful read-aloud book, adventurous and very funny, with much of
+the magic as well as the humor of the fantastic.
+
+_Follett Publishing Company_
+
+_New York_   CHICAGO   _Toronto_
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's David and the Phoenix, by Edward Ormondroyd
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVID AND THE PHOENIX ***
+
+***** This file should be named 27922-8.txt or 27922-8.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/2/7/9/2/27922/
+
+Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/27922-8.zip b/27922-8.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c066ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-8.zip
diff --git a/27922-h.zip b/27922-h.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8569821
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h.zip
diff --git a/27922-h/27922-h.htm b/27922-h/27922-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bcdb470
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/27922-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,4608 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of David and the Phoenix, by Edward Ormondroyd
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+/*<![CDATA[  XML blockout */
+<!--
+body { margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; background-color:#FFFFFF; }
+
+p { margin-top: .75em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: .75em; }
+
+h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6
+{
+    text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+    clear: both;
+}
+
+hr
+{
+    width: 33%;
+    margin-top: 2em;
+    margin-bottom: 2em;
+    margin-left: auto;
+    margin-right: auto;
+    clear: both;
+}
+
+a[name] { position: static; }
+     a:link {color:#0000ff; text-decoration:none; }
+    a:visited {color:#0000ff; text-decoration:none; }
+     a:hover { color:#ff0000; }
+
+table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}
+.tocch    { text-align: right; vertical-align: top;}
+.tocpg    {text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;}
+
+.tr { text-align:center; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; margin-top: 5%; margin-bottom: 5%; padding: 2em; background-color: #f6f2f2; color: black;     border: solid black 1px;}
+.f1 { font-size: x-large; font-weight:bold; }
+.f2 { font-size:smaller; }
+.pagenum
+{ /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+    /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+    position: absolute;
+    left: 92%;
+    font-size: smaller;
+    text-align: right;
+    font-style: normal;
+} /* page numbers */
+
+.center   {text-align: center;}
+.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+.caption  {font-weight: bold;}
+
+/* Images */
+.figcenter   {margin: auto; text-align: center;}
+
+.figleft
+{
+    float: left; clear: left; margin-left: 0; margin-bottom: 0em;
+    margin-top: 0em; margin-right: 0em; padding: 0; text-align: center;
+}
+
+.figright
+{
+    float: right; clear: right; margin-left: 0em; margin-bottom: 0em;
+    margin-top: 0em; margin-right: 0; padding: 0; text-align: center;
+}
+
+/* Poetry */
+.poem             {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align: left;}
+
+.poem br          {display: none;}
+
+.poem .stanza     {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;}
+
+.poem span.i0
+{
+    display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;
+}
+
+.poem span.i2
+{
+    display: block; margin-left: 2em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;
+}
+
+.poem span.i4
+{
+    display: block; margin-left: 4em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;
+}
+
+// -->
+/* XML end  ]]>*/
+    </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+
+
+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of David and the Phoenix, by Edward Ormondroyd
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: David and the Phoenix
+
+Author: Edward Ormondroyd
+
+Illustrator: Joan  Raysor
+
+Release Date: January 28, 2009 [EBook #27922]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVID AND THE PHOENIX ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<div class="tr">
+<p class="center">Transcriber's note:</p>
+<p class="center">Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.</p></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Cover" width="600" height="762" /></div>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/image_602.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="540" /></div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h1>DAVID</h1>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/image_005.jpg" width="400" height="390" alt=""  />
+</div>
+<h3>and the</h3>
+<h1>PHOENIX</h1>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><i>by Edward Ormondroyd</i></h2>
+
+<h3>ILLUSTRATED BY JOAN RAYSOR</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h3>Follett Publishing Company&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap f2">Chicago</span></h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h4>DAVID AND THE PHOENIX, by Edward Ormondroyd</h4>
+
+<h4><i>Copyright 1957, by Edward Ormondroyd</i></h4>
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>Contents</h2>
+
+<table summary="Contents">
+<tr><td class="tocch">1.</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><a href="#In_Which_David_Goes_Mountain_Climbing_and_a_Mysterious_Voice_Is"><i>In Which David Goes Mountain Climbing, and a
+Mysterious Voice Is Overheard</i></a></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">2.</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><a href="#In_Which_David_Meets_the_Phoenix_and_There_Is_a_Change_in_Plans"><i>In Which David Meets the Phoenix, and There Is a
+Change in Plans</i></a></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_19">19</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">3.</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><a href="#In_Which_It_Is_Decided_that_David_Should_Have_an_Education_and_an"><i>In Which It Is Decided that David Should Have an
+Education, and an Experiment Is made</i></a></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_34">34</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">4.</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><a href="#In_Which_David_and_the_Phoenix_Go_To_Visit_the_Gryffins_and_a"><i>In Which David and the Phoenix Go To Visit the
+Gryffins, and a Great Danger Is Narrowly Averted</i></a></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_45">45</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">5.</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><a href="#In_Which_the_Scientist_Arrives_in_Pursuit_of_the_Phoenix_and"><i>In Which the Scientist Arrives in Pursuit of the
+Phoenix, and There Are Alarums and Excursions by
+Night</i></a></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_61">61</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">6.</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><a href="#In_Which_the_Phoenix_Has_a_Plan_and_David_and_the_Phoenix_Call_On"><i>In Which the Phoenix Has a Plan, and David and
+the Phoenix Call On a Sea Monster</i></a></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_79">79</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">7.</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><a href="#In_Which_the_Phoenixs_Plan_Is_Carried_Out_and_There_Are_More"><i>In Which the Phoenix's Plan Is Carried Out, and
+There Are More Alarums and Excursions in the Night</i></a></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_99">99</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">8.</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><a href="#In_Which_David_and_the_Phoenix_Visit_a_Banshee_and_a_Surprise_Is"><i>In Which David and the Phoenix Visit a Banshee,
+and a Surprise Is Planted in the Enemy's Camp</i></a></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_115">115</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">9.</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><a href="#In_Which_David_and_the_Phoenix_Call_On_a_Faun_and_a_Lovely"><i>In Which David and the Phoenix Call On a Faun,
+and a Lovely Afternoon Comes to a Strange End</i></a></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_138">138</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tocch">10.</td>
+  <td>&nbsp;</td>
+  <td><a href="#In_Which_a_Five_Hundredth_Birthday_Is_Celebrated_and_the_Phoenix"><i>In Which a Five Hundredth Birthday Is Celebrated,
+and the Phoenix Bows to Tradition</i></a></td>
+<td class="tocpg"><a href="#Page_156">156</a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>For Shirley and Josh</i></h2>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span></p>
+<p class="f1"><a name="In_Which_David_Goes_Mountain_Climbing_and_a_Mysterious_Voice_Is" id="In_Which_David_Goes_Mountain_Climbing_and_a_Mysterious_Voice_Is"></a>1: <i>In Which David Goes Mountain Climbing,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and a Mysterious Voice<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Is Overheard</i></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/image_011.jpg" width="400" height="351" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+
+<p>All the way there David had saved this moment for himself, struggling
+not to peek until the proper time came. When the car finally stopped,
+the rest of them got out stiffly and went into the new house. But
+David walked slowly into the back yard with his eyes fixed on the
+ground. For a whole minute he stood there, not daring to look up. Then
+he took a deep breath,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> clenched his hands tightly, and lifted his
+head.</p>
+
+<p>There it was!&mdash;as Dad had described it, but infinitely more grand. It
+swept upward from the valley floor, beautifully shaped and soaring, so
+tall that its misty blue peak could surely talk face to face with the
+stars. To David, who had never seen a mountain before, the sight was
+almost too much to bear. He felt so tight and shivery inside that he
+didn't know whether he wanted to laugh, or cry, or both. And the
+really wonderful thing about the mountain was the way it <i>looked</i> at
+him. He was certain that it was smiling at him, like an old friend who
+had been waiting for years to see him again. And when he closed his
+eyes, he seemed to hear a voice which whispered, "Come along, then,
+and climb."</p>
+
+<p>It would be so easy to go! The back yard was hedged in (with part of
+the hedge growing right across the toes of the mountain), but there
+was a hole in the privet large enough to crawl through. And just
+beyond the hedge the mountainside awaited him, going up and up in one
+smooth sweep until the green and tawny faded into hazy heights of
+rock. It was waiting for him. "Come and climb," it whispered, "come
+and climb."</p>
+
+<p>But there was a great deal to do first. They were going to move into
+the new house. The moving van was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> standing out in front, the car must
+be unloaded. David would be needed to carry things. Regretfully, he
+waved his hand at the peak and whispered, "It shouldn't take
+long&mdash;I'll be back as soon as I can." Then he went around to the front
+door to see what could be done about speeding things up.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/image_013.jpg" width="500" height="473" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>Inside, everything was in confusion. Dad was pushing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> chairs and
+tables around in an aimless way. Mother was saying, "They'll all have
+to go out again; we forgot to put down the rug first." Aunt Amy was
+making short dashes between the kitchen and the dining room, muttering
+to herself. And Beckie was roaring in her crib because it was time for
+her bottle. David asked, "Can I do anything?"&mdash;hoping that the answer
+would be no.</p>
+
+<p>"C'mere," Aunt Amy said, grabbing him by the arm. "Help me look for
+that ironing board."</p>
+
+<p>When the ironing board was finally located, Mother had something for
+him to do. And when he was finished with that, Dad called for his
+help. So the afternoon wore on without letup&mdash;and also without any
+signs of progress in their moving. When David finally got a chance to
+sneak out for a breathing spell, he felt his heart sink. Somehow, in
+all the rush and confusion, the afternoon had disappeared. Already the
+evening sun was throwing shadows across the side of the mountain and
+touching its peak with a ruddy blaze. It was too late now. He would
+have to wait until morning before he could climb.</p>
+
+<p>As he gazed up miserably at the glowing summit, he thought he saw a
+tiny speck soar out from it in a brief circle. Was it a bird of some
+sort, or just one of those dots that swim before your eyes when you
+stare too long at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> sky? It almost seemed like the mountain waving
+its hand, as if to say that it was quite all right for him to wait
+until morning. He felt better then, and returned more cheerfully to
+the moving.</p>
+
+<p>It was long after dark before the moving van drove away. Beckie
+crooned happily over her bottle, and the rest of them gathered in the
+kitchen for a late supper of sandwiches and canned soup. But David
+could not eat until he had found the courage to ask one question:</p>
+
+<p>"May I climb the mountain tomorrow?"</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Amy muttered something about landslides, which were firmly fixed
+in her mind as the fate of people who climbed mountains. But Dad said,
+"I don't see why not, do you?" and looked to Mother for agreement.</p>
+
+<p>Mother said, "Well ... be very careful," in a doubtful tone, and that
+was that.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>You never know what you will find when you climb a mountain, even if
+you have climbed them before&mdash;which, of course, David never had.
+Looking up from the foot of the mountain, he had thought that it was a
+smooth slope from bottom to top. But he was discovering as he climbed
+that it was not smooth at all, but very much broken up. There were
+terraces, ledges, knolls, ravines, and embankments,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> one after
+another. The exciting part of it was that each feature concealed the
+ones above it. At the top of a rise would be an outcropping of
+strangely colored rock, invisible from below. Beyond the outcropping,
+a small stand of aspens would quiver in the breeze, their quicksilver
+leaves hiding a tiny meadow on the slope behind. And when the meadow
+had been discovered, there would be a something else beyond. He was a
+real explorer now. When he got to the top, he thought, he would build
+a little tower of stones, the way explorers always do.</p>
+
+<p>But at the end of two hours' steady climbing, he was ready to admit
+that he would never reach the peak that day. It still rose above his
+head, seeming as far distant as ever. But he did not care now. It had
+been a glorious climb, and the distance he had already covered was a
+considerable one. He looked back. The town looked like a model of a
+town, with little toy houses and different-colored roofs among the
+trees that made a darker patch on the pattern of the valley floor. The
+mountains on the other side of the valley seemed like blue clouds
+stretching out over the edge of the world. Even the peak could not
+give him a better view than this.</p>
+
+<p>David gazed up the face of a scarp which rose like a cliff above
+him&mdash;a smooth, bare wall of rock that had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> halted his climb. Halfway
+up the scarp was a dark horizontal line of bushes, something like a
+hedge. Apparently there was a ledge or shelf there, and he decided to
+climb up to it before he returned home. To scale the rock face itself
+was impossible, however: there were no hand or foot holds. So he
+turned and made his way through the grass until he reached the end of
+the bare stone. Then he started upward again. It was hard work. Vines
+clutched at his feet, and the close-set bushes seemed unwilling to let
+him pass. He had one nasty slip, which might have been his last if he
+had not grabbed a tough clump of weeds at the crucial instant.</p>
+
+<p>But, oh! it was worth it. He felt like shouting when at last he
+reached the ledge. Truly it was an enchanted place! It was a long,
+level strip of ground, several yards wide, carpeted with short grass
+and dandelions. Bushes grew along most of the outer edge. The inner
+edge was bounded by a second scarp&mdash;a wall of red stone with sparkling
+points of light imbedded in its smooth surface.</p>
+
+<p>David threw himself on the grass and rolled in it. It was warm and
+soft and sweet-smelling; it soothed away the hurt of his aching
+muscles and the sting of his scratches. He rolled over on his back and
+cushioned his head in his hands. The sky seemed to be slipping along<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>
+overhead like a broad blue river. The breeze ruffled his hair and
+whispered, the bushes murmured and gossiped to each other. Even the
+sunlight seemed to hum to him as it laid warm hands on his face.</p>
+
+<p>But there was another sound, which now and then rose above these
+murmurs. Then it would fade and be drowned out by the breeze. Hard to
+say why, but it just did not seem to fit there. David propped himself
+up on his elbows and listened more intently. The sound faded: he had
+been imagining it. No, he had not been imagining it&mdash;there it was
+again. He sat up. Now he noticed that the ledge was divided by a
+thicket which grew from the inner side to the outer. The noise,
+whatever it was, came from the other side of the thicket.</p>
+
+<p>David's curiosity was aroused, but it occurred to him that it might be
+wise to be cautious. The noise did not sound dangerous, but&mdash;well, he
+had never been up a mountain before, and there was no telling what he
+might find. He dropped into a crouch and crept silently up to the
+tangle of bushes. His heart began to pound, and he swallowed to
+relieve the dryness in his throat. The noise was much more distinct
+now, and it sounded like&mdash;like&mdash;yes, not only sounded like, but
+<i>was</i>&mdash;someone talking to himself.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Who could it possibly be? Well, there was only one way to find out.</p>
+
+<p>He dropped down on his stomach and carefully began to worm his way
+under the thicket. The branches grew very low, and the ground was full
+of lumps and knobs which dug into him with every movement. There were
+vines, too, and some prickly things like thistles, which had to be
+pushed out of the way without allowing their leaves to rustle. He
+progressed by inches, pushing with his toes, pulling with his finger
+tips, wriggling with the rest of his body. At last he could see light
+breaking through the foliage in front of him&mdash;he was nearing the other
+side. A bunch of leaves hung before his face. He hesitated, then
+pushed them aside gently, slowly&mdash;and peered out.</p>
+
+<p>He thought his heart would stop.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/image_020.jpg" width="500" height="664" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/image_021_01.jpg" width="400" height="211" alt=""  />
+<img src="images/image_021_03.jpg" width="187" height="188" alt=""  />
+</div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="f1"><a name="In_Which_David_Meets_the_Phoenix_and_There_Is_a_Change_in_Plans" id="In_Which_David_Meets_the_Phoenix_and_There_Is_a_Change_in_Plans"></a>2: <i>In Which David<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meets the Phoenix,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and There Is a <br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Change in Plans</i></p>
+
+
+<p>There stood an enormous bird.</p>
+
+<p>David had been to the zoo, and at home he had a book of birds with
+colored pictures. He knew the more common large birds of the world:
+the ostrich, the condor, the albatross, eagles, cranes, storks. But
+<i>this</i> bird&mdash;! Its shape was like that of an eagle, but stouter. Its
+neck had the length and elegant curve of a swan's neck. Its head<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> was
+again like an eagle's, with a hooked bird-of-prey beak, but the
+expression in its brown eyes was mild. The long wings were blunt at
+the tips, the tail was short and broad. The legs, feathered halfway
+down, ended in taloned feet. An iridescent sheen sparkled on its
+plumage, reflecting sunlight from the scarlet crest, the golden neck
+and back, the breast of silver, the sapphire wings and tail. Its size
+alone would have been enough to take David's breath away. He could
+have stood beneath the arch of that neck with room to spare.</p>
+
+<p>But the most astonishing thing was that the bird had an open book on
+the ground and was apparently trying to learn part of it by heart.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Vivo, vives, vive</i>," the bird read, very slowly and distinctly,
+staring hard at the book. "<i>Vivimos, viv&iacute;s, viven.</i> <i>That</i> is simple
+enough, you blockhead! Now, then, without looking." It cleared its
+throat, looked away from the book, and repeated in a rapid mutter:
+"<i>Vivo vives vive vi</i>&mdash;ah&mdash;<i>vivi</i>&mdash;oh, dear, what <i>is</i> the matter with
+me?" Here the temptation to peek overcame it for an instant, and its
+head wavered. But it said, "No, no!" in a firm tone, looked carefully
+the other way, and began once more.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Vivo, vives, vive</i>&mdash;quite correct so far. Ah&mdash;<i>vi</i>&mdash;ah&mdash;Oh,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> dear,
+these verbs! Where was I? Oh, yes. <i>Vivo</i>&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>David's head reeled as he watched this amazing performance. There was
+no need to pinch himself to see if he were dreaming: he was perfectly
+wide awake. Everything else around him was behaving in a normal way.
+The mountain was solid beneath him, the sunlight streamed down as
+before. Yet there was the bird, unmistakably before him, undeniably
+studying its book and speaking to itself. David's mind caught hold of
+a phrase and repeated it over and over again: "What on <i>earth</i>? What
+on <i>earth</i>?" But of course there was no answer to that question. And
+he might have lain hidden there all day, staring out at the bird and
+marveling, had it not been for a bee which came droning into the
+thicket straight for him.</p>
+
+<p>He had a horror of bees, ever since he had once bumped into a hive by
+mistake. When he heard that dread sound approaching, his whole body
+broke into a sweat. All thought of the bird was immediately driven
+from his head. He could tell from the noise that it was one of those
+big black-and-yellow fuzzy bees, the ones with the nasty dispositions.
+Perhaps&mdash;the thought paralyzed him&mdash;perhaps he was lying on its nest.
+On it came, buzzing and blundering through the leaves. Suddenly it
+was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> upon him, so close that he could feel the tiny breeze stirred up
+by its wings. All self-control vanished. He beat at it wildly with his
+hands, burst out of the thicket like an explosion, and smashed full
+tilt into the bird before he could stop himself.</p>
+
+<p>With a piercing squawk the bird shot into the air, flipped over, and
+came fluttering down facing him&mdash;talons outstretched, hooked beak
+open, eyes a-glare. Completely terrified, David turned and bolted for
+the thicket. He managed to thrash halfway through when a vine trapped
+his feet. He pitched forward, shielding his face with his arms, and
+was caught up short by a dead branch snagging his shirt.</p>
+
+<p>He was stuck. This was the end. He closed his eyes and waited, too
+numb with fear to think or cry out.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing happened. Slowly he turned his head around. The bird, although
+it still glared menacingly, seemed undecided whether to attack or
+flee.</p>
+
+<p>"What, may I ask, are you doing here?" it said at last, in a severe
+voice.</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I&mdash;I was taking a walk," David said faintly. "I'm awfully sorry if
+I bothered you or anything."</p>
+
+<p>"You should not have come up here at <i>all</i>," the bird snapped.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_025.jpg" width="600" height="622" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>"Well, I'm really sorry. But there was a bee in the bush here. I&mdash;I
+didn't mean to...." The fright had been too much. Tears started in
+David's eyes, and his lip began to tremble.</p>
+
+<p>The bird seemed reassured, for its manner visibly softened. It lowered
+and folded its wings, and the glare faded from its eyes.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I'd go away," David mumbled apologetically, "only I'm stuck." He
+rubbed his eyes on his sleeve.</p>
+
+<p>The bird looked at his dismal face and began to fidget awkwardly.
+"There, there," it said. "I had no intention of&mdash;I am afraid that
+I&mdash;Stuck, did you say? Very easily mended, my dear fellow! Merely a
+question of&mdash;Here, let me look." It crashed through the thicket to
+where David was caught and thrust its head down through the branches.
+Its muffled voice came floating up. "Take heart! There seems to
+be&mdash;aha! just so&mdash;One moment, please&mdash;bit of vine&mdash;<i>there</i> we are!"
+There was a snapping sound from below, and David's foot was released.
+He unstuck the snag from his shirt, pushed his way out of the thicket,
+and sat down weakly on the grass. Whew! At least the bird was not
+going to harm him. It seemed to be quite a kindly creature, really. He
+had just frightened it and made it angry by bursting out of the bushes
+so suddenly.</p>
+
+<p>He heard a flailing in the thicket, followed by the bird's anxious
+voice: "Hello! Are you still there?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. What&mdash;?"</p>
+
+<p>There were more sounds of struggle. "This is rather awkward. I&mdash;the
+fact is, I am afraid, that I am stuck myself. Could you&mdash;"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes, of course," said David. He smiled to himself, a little shakily,
+and re-entered the thicket. When he had disentangled the bird, the two
+of them sat down on the grass and looked at each other. They
+hesitated, not quite sure how to begin.</p>
+
+<p>"I trust," said the bird at last, "that you are not of a scientific
+turn of mind?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," said David. "I'm interested in things, if that's what
+you mean."</p>
+
+<p>"No, it is not. There is a great deal of difference between the
+interest shown by normal people and the obsessive interest of
+scientists. You are not, I hope, acquainted with any scientists?"</p>
+
+<p>"No."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah," said the bird, with a relieved sigh. "Everything is quite all
+right, then. I do hope that you will forgive my behavior. I am not
+usually so rude. The fact is that you gave me quite a horrible start."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I'm sorry I frightened you."</p>
+
+<p>"Frightened, my dear fellow?" said the bird testily. "I am never
+frightened. I do not know the meaning of the word."</p>
+
+<p>"What I mean is," David said quickly, "that you frightened <i>me</i>." This
+seemed to pacify the bird; and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> David, to heighten the good
+impression, added: "Golly, you looked fierce."</p>
+
+<p>The bird smiled complacently, "I <i>can</i> rise to a terrifying ferocity
+when aroused. A noble strain of fighting blood courses through my
+veins. Not that I go out of my way to seek quarrels, you understand.
+On the contrary. 'Peaceful' could well describe my general attitude.
+Meditative. I am usually to be found Thinking. I have a powerful
+intellect. No doubt you have noticed the stamp of genius on my brow."</p>
+
+<p>David supposed that the bird meant its scarlet crest, and he nodded.
+"That's one of the first things I noticed about you."</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed?" cried the bird delightedly. "You are certainly more alert
+than most! But, as I was saying, I am usually to be found Thinking.
+The first condition of Thinking is solitude. And that, I fear, is a
+desideratum most difficult of realization."</p>
+
+<p>"I beg your pardon?"</p>
+
+<p>"People," explained the bird, "do not leave you alone."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," said David. He flushed, thinking that the words had been aimed
+at him, and began to get up. But the bird signaled him to remain where
+he was.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I do not mean <i>you</i>, my dear fellow. I assure you that I am delighted
+to make your acquaintance. It is all the others. Do you know that I
+have spent the greater part of my life being pursued? I was chased out
+of Egypt like a common game bird. Out of the mountains of Greece, too.
+The hills of Lebanon, the desert of Africa, the Arabian wilds&mdash;no
+matter where I fled, people would come prying and peering and sneaking
+after me. I have tried Tibet, China, and the steppes of Siberia&mdash;with
+the same result. At last I heard of a region where there was peace,
+where the inhabitants let each other alone. Here, I thought, I
+should&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Pardon me for interrupting. Where?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, <i>here</i>, to be brief," said the bird, waving its wing toward the
+valley. "Here, I thought, I should be able to breathe. At <i>my</i> age one
+likes a little quiet. Would you believe that I am close to five
+hundred years old?"</p>
+
+<p>"Golly!" said David. "You don't look it."</p>
+
+<p>The bird gave a pleased laugh. "My splendid physical condition <i>does</i>
+conceal my years. At any rate, I settled here in the hope of being
+left alone. But do you think I was safe?"</p>
+
+<p>David, seeing that he was supposed to answer no, shook his head.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Quite right," sighed the bird. "I was not. I had been here no more
+than three months when a Scientist was hot on my trail. A most
+disagreeable fellow, always sneaking about with binoculars, a camera,
+and, I fear, a gun. That is why you startled me for an instant. I
+thought you were he."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," David cried, "I'm awfully sorry. I didn't bother you on purpose.
+It's just that I never saw a mountain before, so I climbed up here to
+see what one looked like."</p>
+
+<p>"You climbed up here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"Climbed," said the bird, looking very thoughtful. "Climbed ... I
+might have known.... It proves, you see, that the same thing could be
+done again by someone older and stronger. A very grave point."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I see," said David. "You mean the&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely! The Scientist. He is, I fear, very persistent. I first
+noticed him over there"&mdash;the bird waved its wing toward the opposite
+side of the valley&mdash;"so I removed to this location. But he will
+undoubtedly continue his pursuit. The bad penny always turns up. It
+will not be long before the sharp scientific nose is again quivering
+in my direction."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Oh, dear, that's terrible!"</p>
+
+<p>"Your sympathy touches me," said the bird huskily. "It is most unusual
+to find someone who understands. But have no fear for me. I am taking
+steps. I am preparing. Imagine his disappointment when he arrives here
+and finds me flown from the nest. I am, to be brief, leaving. Do you
+see this book?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said David. "I heard you reading it, but I couldn't understand
+it. Is it magic?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, my boy, it is Spanish. I have chosen a little spot (chilly, but
+isolated) in the Andes Mountains. South America, you know. And of
+course one must be prepared. I am learning Spanish so that I shall be
+able to make my way about in South America. I must admit my extreme
+reluctance to depart. I have become very fond of this ledge. It is
+exactly suited to my needs&mdash;ideal climate, magnificent view...."</p>
+
+<p>They fell into a lengthy silence. The bird gazed sadly out over the
+valley, and David rested his chin in his hands and thought. The
+mystery was clearing up. The bird's presence on the mountain and the
+fact that it had been reading a book were explained. And so natural
+was its speech that David found himself accepting it as nothing
+unusual. The thing that worried him now was that the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> bird would soon
+leave. Here they had only just met, and already the promise of a most
+interesting friendship was dissolving. The bird had taken time to talk
+to him and explain things to him as though he were an equal. And
+although he did not understand many of the long words it used, he felt
+pleased at being spoken to as though he did understand. And the bird
+knew all about faraway countries&mdash;had visited them and lived in them
+and had adventures in them for almost five hundred years. Oh, there
+were so many things David wanted to know and ask about! But the bird
+was leaving. If only he could persuade it to stay, even for a short
+while! He could try, anyhow&mdash;after all, the bird had said itself that
+it did not want to go.</p>
+
+<p>"Bird&mdash;" He stopped, and flushed. It was hard to put into words.</p>
+
+<p>"Your servant, my boy."</p>
+
+<p>"Well&mdash;I&mdash;I don't believe I know your name," David stammered, unable
+to get the real question out.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, forgive me!" cried the bird, jumping up. "Permit me the honor of
+presenting myself. I daresay my name is familiar to you, celebrated as
+it is in song and story. I am the one and only, the Unique, Phoenix."
+And the Phoenix bowed deeply.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Very glad to meet you," said David. "I'm David."</p>
+
+<p>"Delighted, my dear fellow! An honor and a pleasure." They shook hand
+and wing solemnly. "Now, as you were saying&mdash;?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Phoenix, I was just thinking," David stammered. "It's too
+bad&mdash;I mean, couldn't you&mdash;it would be nice if we&mdash;Well, do you really
+<i>have</i> to go to South America? It would be nice if you'd stay a while,
+until the Scientist shows up, anyway&mdash;and I like talking with you...."
+His face burned. It seemed like a lot to ask.</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix harrumphed several times in its throat and shuffled its
+feet. "Really, I cannot tell you how&mdash;how much you&mdash;well, really&mdash;such
+a delightful request! Ah&mdash;harrumph! Perhaps it can be arranged."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Phoenix!" David threw his arms around the bird's neck and then,
+unable to restrain himself any longer, turned a somersault on the
+grass.</p>
+
+<p>"But for the present, it seems to be getting late," said the Phoenix.
+"We shall talk it over some other time and decide."</p>
+
+<p>"Golly, it <i>is</i> late&mdash;I hadn't noticed. Well, I'll have to go, or
+they'll worry about me at home. But I can come up and see you
+tomorrow, can't I?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, my boy! In the bustle of morning, in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> the hush of noon, in
+the&mdash;ah&mdash;to be brief, at any time."</p>
+
+<p>"And I'll bring you some cookies, if you like."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah," said the Phoenix, closing its eyes. "Sugar cookies, by any
+chance?" it asked faintly. David noticed the feathers of its throat
+jumping up and down with rapid swallowing motions.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll ask Aunt Amy to make some tonight."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, splendid, my boy! Splendid! Shall we say not more than&mdash;ah&mdash;that
+is, not <i>less</i> than&mdash;ah&mdash;fifteen?"</p>
+
+<p>"All right, Phoenix. My Aunt Amy keeps a big jar full of cookies, and
+I can have as many as I like."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix took David's arm, and together they strolled to the other
+end of the ledge.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, don't mention this to anyone, but there is an old goat trail
+down this side. It is somewhat grown over, but eyes as sharp as yours
+should have no trouble with it. It will make your travels up and down
+easier. Another thing&mdash;I trust you will not make known our
+rendezvous?"</p>
+
+<p>"Our what?"</p>
+
+<p>"You will not tell anyone that I am here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no. I won't say a word! Well, I'll see you tomorrow."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. As the French so cleverly say it&mdash;ah&mdash;well,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> to be brief,
+good-by, my boy. Until tomorrow, then."</p>
+
+<p>David waved his hand, found the goat trail, and started down. He was
+too happy even to whistle, so he contented himself with running
+whenever he found a level place. And when he reached home, he stood on
+his hands in the back yard for two whole seconds.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 150px;">
+<img src="images/image_035.jpg" width="150" height="317" alt=""  />
+<br />
+<br />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/image_036.jpg" width="400" height="372" alt=""  /><br />
+</div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="f1"><a name="In_Which_It_Is_Decided_that_David_Should_Have_an_Education_and_an" id="In_Which_It_Is_Decided_that_David_Should_Have_an_Education_and_an"></a>3: <i>In Which It Is Decided <br />
+  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;that David Should Have<br />
+  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;an Education, and an<br />
+  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Experiment Is Made</i></p>
+<p>Next day it took less than an hour to reach the ledge, and David was
+sure that he could shorten the time even more when he was familiar
+with the goat trail.</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix was not in sight when he arrived, and for an instant David
+was stricken with fright. Had the bird gone in spite of its promise?
+But no&mdash;he heard a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> reassuring noise. It came from the thicket, and it
+sounded very much like a snore.</p>
+
+<p>David smiled to himself and shouted, "Hello, Phoenix!"</p>
+
+<p>There was a thrashing sound in the thicket, and the Phoenix appeared,
+looking very rumpled and yawning behind its wing.</p>
+
+<p>"Greetings, my boy!" it cried. "A splendid morning!" Then the Phoenix
+caught sight of the paper bag in David's hand, and swallowed in a
+suggestive way.</p>
+
+<p>David thrust the bag of cookies behind his back. "Now, Phoenix," he
+said firmly, "you have to promise me you won't go away to South
+America. You said last night that it could be arranged, so let's
+arrange it right now. Until we do, not one."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix drew itself up indignantly. "My very dear fellow," it
+said, "you wound me. You cut me to the quick. I will not be bribed.
+I&mdash;" It stopped and swallowed again. "Oh, well," it continued, more
+mildly, "one does not fight fate, does one? I suppose under these
+circumstances, I must accept."</p>
+
+<p>"It's settled, then!" David cried joyfully.</p>
+
+<p>So they sat down on the grass together, and for a long time nothing
+was heard but sounds of munching.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"My boy," said the Phoenix at last, brushing the crumbs from its
+chest, "I take a modest pride in my way with words, but nothing in the
+language can do these&mdash;ah&mdash;baked poems justice. Words fail me."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad you like them," David said politely.</p>
+
+<p>"And now, my boy," continued the Phoenix, as it settled back
+comfortably, "I have been thinking. Yesterday you showed an
+intelligent interest in my problems and asked intelligent questions.
+You did not scoff, as others might have done. You have very rare
+qualities."</p>
+
+<p>David flushed, and mumbled denials.</p>
+
+<p>"Do not be so modest, my boy! I speak the truth. It came to me that
+such a mind as yours, having these qualities, should be further
+cultivated and refined. And I should be avoiding my clear-cut duty if
+I did not take this task in hand myself. Of course, I suppose some
+attempt to educate you has already been made, has it not?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I go to school, if that's what you mean. Not now, though,
+because it's summer vacation."</p>
+
+<p>"And what do they teach you there?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, reading and writing and arithmetic, and things like that."</p>
+
+<p>"Aha!" said the Phoenix triumphantly. "Just as I suspected&mdash;a
+classical education. Understand me&mdash;I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> have nothing against a
+classical education as such. I realize that mathematics, Greek, and
+Latin are excellent for the discipline of the mind. But in the broad
+view, a classical education is not a true education. Life is real,
+life is earnest. One must face it with a <i>practical</i> education. The
+problems of Life, my dear fellow!&mdash;classical education completely
+ignores them! For example, how do you tell a true Unicorn from a false
+one?"</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I don't know."</p>
+
+<p>"I thought not. Where do you find the Philosopher's Stone?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, I shall ask a simple one. What is the first rule of
+defense when attacked by a Chimera?"</p>
+
+<p>David squirmed uncomfortably. "I'm afraid I don't know that, either,"
+he said in a small voice.</p>
+
+<p>"There you are!" cried the Phoenix. "You do not have a true, practical
+education&mdash;you are not ready for Life. I, my boy, am going to take
+your education in hand."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," said David. "Do you mean&mdash;are you going to give me&mdash;lessons?"
+Through his mind flashed a picture of the Phoenix (with spectacles on
+its beak and a ruler in its wing) writing out sentences on a
+blackboard. The thought gave him a sinking feeling. After all, it was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span>
+summer&mdash;and summer was supposed to be vacation time.</p>
+
+<p>"And what an education it will be!" the Phoenix went on, ignoring his
+question. "Absolutely without equal! The full benefit of my vast
+knowledge, plus a number of trips to&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, <i>traveling</i>!" said David, suddenly feeling much better. "That's
+different. Oh, Phoenix, that'll be wonderful! Where will we go?"</p>
+
+<p>"Everywhere, my boy!" said the Phoenix, with an airy wave of its wing.
+"To all corners of the earth. We shall visit my friends and
+acquaintances."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, do you have&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, my boy! I am nothing if not a good mixer. My acquaintances
+(to mention but a few) include Fauns, Dragons, Unicorns, Trolls,
+Gryffins, Gryffons, Gryffens&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Excuse me," David interrupted. "What were those last three, please?"</p>
+
+<p>"Gryffins," explained the Phoenix, "are the small, reddish, friendly
+ones. Gryffons are the quick-tempered proud ones. Gryffens&mdash;ah, well,
+the most anyone can say for them is that they are harmless. They are
+very stupid."</p>
+
+<p>"I see," said David doubtfully. "What do they look like?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Each looks like the others, my boy, except that some are bigger and
+some are smaller. But to continue: Sea Monsters, Leprechauns, Rocs,
+Gnomes, Elves, Basilisks, Nymphs&mdash;ah&mdash;and many others. All are of the
+Better Sort, since, as I have many times truly observed, one is known
+by the company one keeps. And your education will cost you nothing. Of
+course it <i>would</i> be agreeable if you could supply me with cookies
+from time to time."</p>
+
+<p>"As many as you want, Phoenix. Will we go to Africa?"</p>
+
+<p>"Naturally, my boy. Your education will include&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"And Egypt? And China? And Arabia?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. Your education will&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Phoenix, Phoenix!" David jumped up and began to caper, while the
+Phoenix beamed. But suddenly he stopped.</p>
+
+<p>"How are we going to travel, Phoenix?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have wings, my boy."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but I don't."</p>
+
+<p>"Do not be so dense, my dear fellow. I shall carry you on my back, of
+course."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," said David weakly, "on your&mdash;on your back. Are you sure
+that&mdash;isn't there some other&mdash;I mean, can you do it?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix drew itself up to its full height. "I am hurt&mdash;yes, deeply
+hurt&mdash;by your lack of faith. My magnificent build should make it
+evident that I am an exceedingly powerful flyer. In the heyday of my
+youth I could fly around the world in five hours. But come along. I
+shall give you proof positive."</p>
+
+<p>David reluctantly followed the Phoenix to a spot on the edge of the
+shelf where there was a gap in the bushes. He glanced over the brink.
+The sheer face of the scarp fell away beneath them, plunging down to
+the tiny trees and rocks below. He stepped back quickly with a
+shudder.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's&mdash;let's do it tomorrow," he quavered.</p>
+
+<p>"Nonsense," said the Phoenix firmly. "No time like the present. Now,
+then, up on my back."</p>
+
+<p>"H-h-how am I going to sit?"</p>
+
+<p>"On my back. Quite so&mdash;now, your arms around my neck&mdash;your legs
+<i>behind</i> my wings, please&mdash;there we are. Ready?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," said David faintly.</p>
+
+<p>"Splendid! The proof is to be demonstrated, the&mdash;to be brief, we are
+off!"</p>
+
+<p>The great wings were outstretched. David gulped, clutched the
+Phoenix's neck tightly, and shut his eyes. He felt a hopping
+sensation, then a long, sickening downward<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> swoop that seemed to leave
+his stomach far behind. A tremendous rush of air snatched at his
+shirt. He opened his eyes and choked with fright. The ground below was
+rushing up to meet them, swaying and revolving. Something was terribly
+wrong. The Phoenix was breathing in hoarse gasps; its wings were
+pounding the air frantically. Now they had turned back. The scarp
+loomed before them, solid and blank. Above them&mdash;high above them&mdash;was
+the ledge. It looked as though they would not get back to it.</p>
+
+<p>Up ... up ... up.... They crawled through the air. The wings flapped
+wildly, faster and faster. They were gaining&mdash;slipping back&mdash;gaining
+again. The Phoenix sobbed as it stretched its neck in the last effort.
+Fifty feet ... twenty feet ... ten.... With a tremendous surge of its
+wings, the Phoenix managed to get one claw over the edge and to seize
+the branch of a bush in its beak. David's legs slipped from the bird's
+back. He dangled over the abyss from the outstretched neck, and
+prayed. The bush saved them. They scrabbled up over the edge, tottered
+there for an instant, and dropped on the grass.</p>
+
+<p>For a long time they lay gasping and trembling.</p>
+
+<p>At last the Phoenix weakly raised its head. "Puff&mdash;well,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> my boy&mdash;puff
+puff&mdash;whew!&mdash;very narrow squeak. I&mdash;puff&mdash;"</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_044.jpg" width="600" height="632" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>David could not answer. The earth reeled under him and would not stop
+no matter how tightly he clutched the grass.</p>
+
+<p>"Puff&mdash;I repeat, I am&mdash;puff&mdash;an exceedingly powerful flyer. There are
+few birds&mdash;none, I daresay&mdash;who&mdash;puff&mdash;could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> have done even this
+much. The truth of the matter is that you are a lot&mdash;puff&mdash;heavier
+than you look. I hope you are not being overfed at home?"</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I don't know," said David, wondering whether or not he was going
+to be sick.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, my course is clear," said the Phoenix firmly. "I must practice.
+Setting-up exercises, roadwork, and what not. Rigorous diet. Lots of
+sleep. Regular hours. Courage, my dear fellow! We shall do it yet!"</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>And so for the following week the Phoenix practiced.</p>
+
+<p>Every morning David climbed up to the ledge, bringing sandwiches for
+himself, cookies for the Phoenix, and a wet towel. Then, while he kept
+count, the Phoenix did setting-up exercises. After this, the bird
+would jog trot up and down the ledge and practice jumping. Then there
+would be a fifteen-minute rest and refreshment period. And when that
+was over, the Phoenix would launch itself into the air. This was the
+part David liked best. It was a magnificent sight. The Phoenix dashed
+back and forth at top speed, wheeled in circles, shot straight up like
+a rocket&mdash;plunged, hovered, looped&mdash;rolled, soared, fluttered. Now and
+then it would swoop back to the ledge beside David and wipe the sweat
+from its brow.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I trust you see signs of progress, my boy?"</p>
+
+<p>David would wrap the wet towel around the Phoenix's neck. "You're
+doing better and better, Phoenix. I especially like that part where
+you twist over on your back and loop and plunge, all at the same
+time."</p>
+
+<p>"I do perform that rather well, don't I? It is not easy. But just the
+thing for acquiring (ouch!) muscle tone. Are there any more cookies?
+Ah, there are. Delicious! As I was saying, let this be a lesson to
+you, my boy. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix would take wing again. And David would settle back against
+a rock and watch. Sometimes he thought of the education he was to get.
+Sometimes he thought how nice it would be if <i>he</i> could fly. And
+sometimes he did not think at all, but just sat with his eyes half
+shut, feeling the sunlight on his face and listening to the rustle of
+the wind in the thicket.</p>
+
+<p>At the end of the week the Phoenix, after a brilliant display of
+acrobatics, landed on the ledge, clasped its wings behind its back,
+and looked solemnly at David.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, my boy," it said, "I believe your education can begin
+forthwith. Are you ready?"</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figright" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/image_047.jpg" width="400" height="436" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="f1"><a name="In_Which_David_and_the_Phoenix_Go_To_Visit_the_Gryffins_and_a" id="In_Which_David_and_the_Phoenix_Go_To_Visit_the_Gryffins_and_a"></a>4: <i>In Which David and the <br />
+  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Phoenix Go To Visit <br />
+  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the Gryffins, and a<br />
+  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Great Danger Is<br />
+  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Narrowly Averted</i></p>
+<p>A chill raced up and down David's spine as he got to his feet.</p>
+
+<p>"Do&mdash;do you think a week's practice is enough?"</p>
+
+<p>"Absolutely, my dear fellow. I am now in the very pink of condition.
+Not that I was ever out of condition, mind you. It was merely that
+I&mdash;ah&mdash;well, to be brief, my boy, I am now ready."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but&mdash;well, you remember the last time."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes. Look here&mdash;if it will make you feel better, suppose we have a
+trial flight along the ledge."</p>
+
+<p>"Well&mdash;all right."</p>
+
+<p>David got up as before on the Phoenix's back. The Phoenix spread its
+wings and hopped into the air. They glided easily down the length of
+the ledge, clearing the thicket in the middle by a good two feet.</p>
+
+<p>"There you are, my boy," said the bird proudly, as they landed at the
+other end. "Shall we go?"</p>
+
+<p>"Let's go," said David, as bravely as he could.</p>
+
+<p>They were in the air again. Once more he felt that rush of wind
+against his face and heard the pounding of wings. But this time there
+was no giddy downward swoop. He breathed again and opened his eyes.
+The world was falling away, and everything on it was growing smaller
+by the second. The valley could be cradled in two hands; the mountains
+on either side looked like wrinkles in gray cloth. Now he could see
+plains in the distance, and little silver threads of rivers. As he
+looked, the whole world began to revolve slowly. The Phoenix was
+soaring in a wide circle.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, my boy," it called over its shoulder, "whom shall we visit
+first?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It's really up to you, Phoenix," David shouted back, "but how about
+the&mdash;the&mdash;Biffens or Whiffens, or whatever you called them?"</p>
+
+<p>"You mean the Gryffins, Gryffons, and Gryffens, my boy? Very well. We
+shall visit the Gryffins only, however. It is best to leave the others
+alone."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix swung around and began to fly toward the morning sun with
+such tremendous speed that David had to crouch down to avoid being
+blown off. The wind screamed past his ears, tore at his shirt and
+hair, and made his eyes brim over with tears. It was cold, but he was
+too excited to care. Below them, plains, rivers, forests, and cities
+rushed across the face of the earth.</p>
+
+<p>"This is wonderful, Phoenix!" David shouted.</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix's reply was not clear. "... normal speed ... air stream
+... prime days of my youth ..." were the only words David caught, but
+he could tell from the tone that the Phoenix was pleased.</p>
+
+<p>The view below was not to last long. Within half an hour they had run
+into a heavy overcast, and for a long time it was like flying through
+very wet, cold cotton. David glanced down, hoping to see the fog thin
+out. Suddenly he caught sight of a black object rocketing up toward
+them. Before he could call out a warning, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> thing hurtled by, so
+close that its backwash very nearly knocked him from the bird's back.
+The Phoenix reduced speed; and the black object, after banking in a
+wide curve, came cruising up alongside. David was amazed to see that
+it was a pale but beautiful lady, dressed all in black, sitting on a
+broom.</p>
+
+<p>"Hello, Phoenix!" she cried in a teasing voice. "I haven't seen you in
+<i>ever</i> so long."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_050.jpg" width="600" height="608" alt=""  />
+</div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Good morning, I am sure," the Phoenix replied stiffly, staring
+straight ahead.</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix," the lady continued coaxingly, "I'm awfully bored. Won't you
+race me? Please?"</p>
+
+<p>"Idle hands find mischief to do," said the Phoenix severely. "<i>We</i> are
+making good use of our time, and I suggest that <i>you</i> do the same."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't be so stuffy, Phoenix." She pouted. "Come and race with me.
+I've got a new broom, and I want to see how good it is. Please!"</p>
+
+<p>"No," said the Phoenix sharply.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, all right for <i>you</i>!" she said, tossing her head. "You just don't
+dare, because you know I'll beat your tail feathers off!" And she shot
+back into the mist below.</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed!" the Phoenix snorted. "Beat my tail feathers off! Ha!"</p>
+
+<p>"Is she a Witch?" David asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, my boy, and a shocking example of the decline of the younger
+generation. She will come to no good end, believe me. Tail feathers,
+indeed!"</p>
+
+<p>Just then they burst out of the clouds and into the hot sunlight.
+Below them, the land was wild and desolate, a vast rolling plain
+covered for the most part with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> dry, tawny grass. Here and there were
+groves of trees drooping beneath the sun. The Phoenix, still snorting
+indignantly to itself, dropped to within a hundred feet of the ground.
+They began to soar back and forth.</p>
+
+<p>"Can you see anything, my boy?"</p>
+
+<p>David had never seen a Gryffin, of course; so he was not sure what to
+look for. But he caught sight of something lying in the shade of a
+bush and pointed it out to the Phoenix.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, quite so," the Phoenix said doubtfully. "It does not look like
+a&mdash;but we can take a closer look."</p>
+
+<p>They landed and walked toward the bush. In its shadow sprawled a very
+untidy animal. Its tail and hindquarters were exactly like those of a
+panther, its chest and forelegs were like a hawk's, and it had pointed
+wings. Burrs matted its dusty fur. Its claws were shabby and split,
+and numerous black flies were crawling over its haunches. The bush
+trembled with its snoring.</p>
+
+<p>"Bah! We are wasting our time here, my boy. This is a Gryffen. A
+disgusting brute, isn't it?" And the Phoenix sniffed disapprovingly.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe if we wake it up," David suggested, "it could tell us where the
+other ones live."</p>
+
+<p>"Next to impossible. For one thing, a cannon could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> not awaken the
+beast. For another thing, it would not, even if awake, be able to tell
+us anything. You simply cannot imagine the stupidity of these brutes."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, let's <i>try</i> it, anyway," David said.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, my boy. But it will be a complete waste of time." The
+Phoenix shrugged its shoulders, stepped up to the Gryffen, and kicked
+it violently.</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix!" David cried in alarm. "Don't hurt it!"</p>
+
+<p>"No fear," said the Phoenix, delivering another lusty kick. "One
+simply cannot damage a sleeping Gryffen. Give me a hand, my boy."</p>
+
+<p>David took hold of the Gryffen's wing, and the Phoenix seized its
+tail. For the next ten minutes they kicked and pulled and pounded,
+shouting "HEY!" and "WAKE UP!" at the top of their lungs. It was hot
+work, and David finally admitted to himself that the Phoenix had been
+right. But before he could say so, the Phoenix completely lost its
+temper and savagely bit the Gryffen's tail.</p>
+
+<p>That did it. The Gryffen opened one eye halfway and said, "Unffniph?"</p>
+
+<p>"GET UP!!" the Phoenix bellowed.</p>
+
+<p>The Gryffen struggled into a sitting position and yawned a tremendous
+and noisy yawn. Then it squinted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> blearily at David and murmured,
+"What day is it?"</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_054.jpg" width="600" height="512" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>"Wednesday," David said. "Could you please tell us&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Wednesday," said the Gryffen. It thought about this for a while,
+mumbling "Wednesday ... Wednesday ..." to itself. It lifted one leg as
+if to scratch the fly bites, changed its mind in mid-gesture, and
+dropped the leg again. "Oh, <i>Wednesday</i>," it said at last. "So it
+isn't Saturday?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," said David. "What we want to know is&mdash;"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Not Saturday," said the Gryffen, sinking down to the ground with a
+huge sigh of relief. "Ah! Come back on Saturday. Saturday afternoon. I
+generally get up on Saturday ... in the ... afternoon...." The words
+faded into a snore.</p>
+
+<p>"There you are, my dear fellow," said the Phoenix. "Just as I said.
+Oaf! Boor!"</p>
+
+<p>"A <i>very</i> annoying animal," said David angrily.</p>
+
+<p>"I agree, my boy. But the Gryffins are different, I assure you. Now,
+let me see. Where should we look&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"There they come!" David cried suddenly. "Look!" And indeed, a number
+of winged creatures were loping down a hillside toward them.</p>
+
+<p>"Good heavens!" the Phoenix shouted. "Those are the ones we do <i>not</i>
+want to meet! On my back, <i>quick</i>!"</p>
+
+<p>"What are they?" David gasped as he threw himself on the bird's back.</p>
+
+<p>"Gryffons!"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix rushed along the ground a few feet and sprang into the
+air. But it was too late. The foremost Gryffons, with powerful strokes
+of their wings, shot up to meet them. The Phoenix swerved sharply.
+They missed the snapping beak of the first Gryffon by half an inch and
+dodged the second&mdash;only to smash into a third.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> David was stunned by
+the blow and the fall. When he regained consciousness, he found
+himself in the tight grip of two Gryffons. The Phoenix was struggling
+feebly with another, and still more were crowding around them,
+screaming like hawks.</p>
+
+<p>They looked like the sleeping Gryffen, but were as large as ponies.
+Their eyes were yellow and unblinking, and their tails twitched like
+an angry cat's. Their smell, like the lion house in the zoo, made
+David feel faint.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Phoenix," said the largest Gryffon coldly, "you know the Rule,
+I believe?"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix smiled weakly and cleared its throat. "Ah, there,
+Gryffon," it said unsteadily. "Fancy meeting you here. Ah&mdash;ah&mdash;rule?
+What rule?"</p>
+
+<p>"Rule 26," said the Gryffon. "'No human being shall be allowed to
+enter the&mdash;'"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, that rule," said the Phoenix, with a careless laugh. "I thought
+everyone knew that the Council of 1935 had changed it. Can it be that
+you have not yet heard?"</p>
+
+<p>"That won't do, Phoenix. You have also heard, of course, of the
+penalty for breaking the Rule, which you must suffer along with this
+human boy?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Now, one moment, my dear Gryffon! I&mdash;ah&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Death!"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix quailed, and David's legs went limp under him. But they
+had no chance to plead with the Gryffons. Their captors formed two
+lines, one on each side of them, and at a scream of command from the
+leader, all began to march. The Gryffon that had been holding the
+Phoenix winked horribly at David and made a throat-cutting gesture
+with its wing.</p>
+
+<p>"Courage, my boy," the Phoenix whispered. "It is always darkest before
+dawn."</p>
+
+<p>Presently they reached a hillside. David and the Phoenix were marched
+up to a cave and thrown in. Two of the Gryffons sat down at the
+entrance to guard them while the others went off to consider the best
+method of carrying out the penalty.</p>
+
+<p>David was terribly frightened now, but he did not want to let the
+Phoenix know it. In a voice which trembled a little he asked, "What
+are we going to do?"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix frowned. "Do not be downcast, my boy. My brain is equal to
+any occasion. I shall Think. Silence, please."</p>
+
+<p>And the Phoenix, covering its eyes with one wing, Thought.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>To keep himself occupied, David explored the cave. But there was
+nothing to see. The cave was small and bare. He tested the walls
+thoroughly to see if there were any places where they might dig their
+way out. There were none. His feet raised a cloud of fine dust, which
+got into his eyes and nose and made him sneeze violently. Discouraged,
+he went back to the Phoenix and sat down. There was a long silence.</p>
+
+<p>Gradually an idea came to David. It started as a small, faint thought
+at the back of his mind, wavered, began to grow and expand and fill
+out&mdash;became bigger and clearer and better and&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix!" cried David, jumping to his feet.</p>
+
+<p>"My boy, my very dear boy," said the Phoenix, its voice breaking with
+emotion, "I have Thought, I have Pondered, I have&mdash;well, to be brief,
+it is no use. Stiff upper lip, my boy! We are Doomed."</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix, I&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Let this be a lesson to you, my boy, even though it be your last one.
+Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Ah! who could have said, in
+the golden days of my youth, that I should come to such an end! Oh,
+miserable bird! Oh, unhappy boy!"</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix&mdash;"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But we can show them how to die, my boy! We still have that&mdash;the last
+magnificent gesture. Let those who have lived wisely and well show
+that they can die in the same way! I hope I am to go first, so that
+you may have an example to follow."</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Phoenix!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>"My boy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Listen, please!" And David whispered in the Phoenix's ear.</p>
+
+<p>The plan had seemed like a good one while it was still in his mind,
+but put into words it sounded a little too simple. As he whispered,
+David began to feel more and more foolish, so that finally he stopped
+altogether.</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I guess it's really kind of silly," he stammered.</p>
+
+<p>But the Phoenix was looking at him with hope and admiration in its
+eyes. "My very dear chap," it said solemnly, "I salute you. I humbly
+await your signal."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you really think it will work?"</p>
+
+<p>"My boy, it must&mdash;it can&mdash;it shall. Proceed."</p>
+
+<p>Poor as the plan now seemed to David, he prepared to carry it out.
+Holding his breath so as not to sneeze again, he scooped up as much
+dust as he could hold in two hands. Then he took his position on one
+side of the cave, nodded the Phoenix toward the other, and glanced out
+to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> see if the guardian Gryffons were looking. They were not.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," he whispered.</p>
+
+<p>The cave rocked with their uproar. David screamed at the top of his
+voice and kicked the walls. The Phoenix let out a series of
+ear-splitting whistles and squawks and beat its wings frantically.
+Echoes bounced from wall to wall. The two Gryffons came rushing into
+the cave, adding to the racket with their shrieking. "Now!" David
+shouted, and he flung the double handful of dust into the Gryffons'
+faces. Instantly they were all choking and sneezing in the thick
+cloud. He plunged between the legs of the two Gryffons, who in the
+confusion began to bite and tear savagely at each other.</p>
+
+<p>David and the Phoenix burst out of the cave together. The other
+Gryffons, aroused by the noise, were bounding toward them. David flung
+himself on the Phoenix's back and shouted "Fly!" and sneezed. From
+somewhere behind him a set of talons snatched out and ripped through
+the back of his shirt. He kicked blindly and felt his foot crunch into
+something which shrieked. "Fly, Phoenix!" he sobbed. The Phoenix was
+already in the air and needed no encouragement. They heard raucous
+cries and the thunder of wings behind them. David looked back over his
+shoulder. The Gryffons were rising<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> from the ground in pursuit, their
+legs drawn up under them and their wings beating. "Faster!" he
+screamed.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_061.jpg" width="600" height="563" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>"You have seen nothing in the way of flying until now, my boy," the
+Phoenix shouted back. "Watch this!" Its wings were two blurs slicing
+through the air and roaring like kettledrums. The ground below
+streamed backwards. David looked back again. The Gryffons were falling
+into the distance. Their cries were getting fainter. Now they looked
+like a flock of starlings ... now like a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> cluster of flies ... now
+like gnats. And then they had faded out of sight, and David and the
+Phoenix were streaking over the grassland alone.</p>
+
+<p>Ten minutes later they reached a shore and landed. They flopped on the
+sand, panting. And David, suddenly feeling very faint, closed his eyes
+and put his head between his knees. After they had got their breath,
+the Phoenix patted David on the shoulder and said huskily:</p>
+
+<p>"I congratulate you, my boy. Your plan was magnificent&mdash;precisely what
+<i>I</i> should have done, had I thought of it first. Needless to say, we
+shall not go on looking for the Gryffins. But now you know exactly
+what they are like: midway in size between the Gryffens and Gryffons,
+and reddish in color. Most amiable souls, willing to do anything for
+anyone. It is hard to believe that they are all related. But enough,
+my boy. Let us go home."</p>
+
+<p>As soon as they reached the ledge, the Phoenix put David down and
+prepared to take off again.</p>
+
+<p>"Where are you going, Phoenix?" David asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Some business to attend to, my boy."</p>
+
+<p>Muttering under its breath something that sounded like "tail feathers,
+indeed!" the Phoenix soared off. And David, stiff and sore and
+thoroughly tired, started down the mountainside for home.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/image_063.jpg" width="300" height="294" alt=""  />
+</div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="f1"><a name="In_Which_the_Scientist_Arrives_in_Pursuit_of_the_Phoenix_and" id="In_Which_the_Scientist_Arrives_in_Pursuit_of_the_Phoenix_and"></a>5: <i>In Which the Scientist<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Arrives in Pursuit <br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;of the Phoenix, and<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There Are Alarums and<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Excursions by Night</i></p>
+
+
+<p>The lights downstairs were all on when David got home, and as soon as
+he opened the front door he could tell that they had company.</p>
+
+<p>He shouted, "I'm home!" and sneezed. The dust from the Gryffons' cave
+still clung to him, tickling his nose.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, here he is at last," said Dad's voice. "Come<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> on in, David."
+Then, as David walked into the living room, "Good heavens, Son, what's
+happened to you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Your <i>back</i>, David!" Mother said in a horrified voice. "Your poor
+back! What <i>happened</i> to you?"</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_064.jpg" width="600" height="542" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>David felt himself. The back of his shirt was ripped to tatters, and
+there were three lines of caked blood across his shoulders. He
+remembered now: it was the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> Gryffon that had tried to grab him as he
+and the Phoenix made their escape. But he had promised the Phoenix to
+keep its secret.</p>
+
+<p>He stammered, "I&mdash;I had an accident."</p>
+
+<p>"And dust all <i>over</i> you!" Mother went on.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said David desperately, "it was a <i>dusty</i> accident."</p>
+
+<p>"It seems to have been very dusty indeed," said a third voice. There
+was a loud sneeze.</p>
+
+<p>David's father jumped up. "You gave me such a shock when you came in
+that I almost forgot, David. We have a guest." And he introduced David
+to a very tall, thin man with a bald head. His face and neck were
+burnt red by the sun, and he had on a pair of thick glasses which made
+his pale eyes look immense. For some reason David took an instant
+dislike to him, but he shook hands politely and said, "How do you do?"</p>
+
+<p>"David, eh?" said the man. "Well, well. Are you a good boy, David?"</p>
+
+<p>Of all the stupid questions in the world, that was the one David hated
+most. He clenched his teeth and looked the other way.</p>
+
+<p>"David, dear," said Mother with an awkward laugh, "I think you'd
+better go upstairs and wash and change."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When David came into the living room again, the guest was talking
+excitedly. "... completely unknown to man," he was saying. "It's the
+discovery of the age. My name will be famous if I succeed in my
+plans."</p>
+
+<p>"How fascinating!" Mother said. "And to think of it happening right
+here!"</p>
+
+<p>"And it's huge," the guest said, "simply huge. And brilliantly
+colored. For a scientist like myself, it's more than fascinating."</p>
+
+<p>David was listening now. Scientist? <i>Scientist!</i> His heart missed a
+beat, and he choked. Oh, no, it couldn't be <i>the</i> Scientist. <i>Or could
+it?</i></p>
+
+<p>"David here spends all his time up on the mountain," his father said.
+"Maybe he's seen it."</p>
+
+<p>The guest turned his big, pale, unpleasant eyes on David. "Well,
+David," he said, "maybe you can help me. Now, have you seen anything
+unusual on the mountain?"</p>
+
+<p>"Unusual?" said David unsteadily. There was a pain in his chest from
+the pounding of his heart.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, David," the guest went on, "unusual. So unusual that you
+couldn't miss it: a very large bird with bright plumage."</p>
+
+<p>The floor under David seemed to rock. It was true, then&mdash;it was
+horribly true. This was the Scientist who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> had been chasing the
+Phoenix. This was their enemy.</p>
+
+<p>"Bird?" David dodged. "Wh-wh-why, there are lots of birds up there.
+Sparrows and meadow larks and&mdash;and sparrows...."</p>
+
+<p>"But nothing like a huge bird with bright feathers?"</p>
+
+<p>Well, he would have to tell a lie. After all, it was for the Phoenix's
+sake.</p>
+
+<p>"No," said David.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah," said the Scientist. But his cold eyes bored into David's for
+another instant, plainly saying, "I'm not fooled, young man."</p>
+
+<p>"It's odd," he continued, "that no one has seen it. But I have no
+doubt it's somewhere here. I am going to begin my search as soon as my
+equipment gets here."</p>
+
+<p>"Tell us about it," said Mother politely.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I discovered it on the other side of the valley, you know,"
+said the Scientist eagerly. "Quite by accident&mdash;I was really looking
+for another species. Now, birds, you know, have fixed habits. If you
+know those habits, you can predict just what they will do at any time.
+This particular bird was a daytime creature, so I tried to watch it
+between dawn and dusk. But it seemed to have a mind of its own&mdash;you
+might almost say an intelligence. It avoided me in a very clever way,
+and it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> avoided my traps also. Uncanny! So after several weeks I
+decided to shoot it if I got the chance. Then suddenly it disappeared,
+but I'm certain it came over to this side of the valley&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>There was no escape from the subject during dinner. The Scientist
+could think and talk of nothing else. He described the merits of
+deadfalls, snares, steel traps, and birdlime. He asked which they
+thought would make the best bait, a rabbit, a beefsteak, a live lamb,
+or carrion. He told them all about the new high-powered, long-range
+rifle which he had ordered. And he vowed to them all that he would not
+rest until the bird was either caught or killed "for the advancement
+of human learning."</p>
+
+<p>David listened with horror. The dinner before him went untouched. His
+only thought was that now he would have to warn the Phoenix as soon as
+possible. The Phoenix would go to South America after all, and his
+education would end before it had even started. All because of this
+hateful man! He fought to hold back his tears.</p>
+
+<p>Dinner was over at last. David mumbled his excuses and ducked out of
+the dining room, but Aunt Amy seized him firmly just as he thought he
+had got away.</p>
+
+<p>"Bedtime for you, David," she said firmly.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Aunt Amy, please! I've got to&mdash;"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Upstairs, young man. You've had enough gallivanting around for one
+day. You're all worn out."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm <i>not</i>!" said David, struggling. "I feel fine. Look, I just <i>have</i>
+to&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>It was useless. She marched him upstairs to his room and stood in the
+doorway until he had undressed and put on his pajamas and got into
+bed.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," she said, "you go to sleep. The mountain will still be there in
+the morning&mdash;unless there's a landslide. Good night." And she turned
+out the light and shut the door.</p>
+
+<p>This was awful! He could not sneak downstairs, because the stairs
+could be seen from the living room. He could not climb out of his
+window, because a rose arbor was directly beneath it, and he would be
+ripped by the thorns. And Mother always came in to say good night
+before she went to bed. If he was not there when she came in tonight,
+there would be a lot of unpleasant explaining to do. The only thing,
+then, was to wait until the Scientist went home and everyone was in
+bed.</p>
+
+<p>It was a maddening wait. The Scientist's voice went on and on like the
+drone of an electric fan, interrupted only by an occasional murmur
+from Mother or Dad. For a while David sat in bed twisting the sheets
+in his hands;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> then he got up and paced the room in his bare feet. It
+seemed to him that three or four whole nighttimes had passed before he
+finally heard all three voices raised and talking at once.</p>
+
+<p>The Scientist was going! Now they were saying good-by at the front
+door ... now the door was being closed ... now there were footsteps on
+the stairs. He jumped into bed just before Mother put her head in and
+said, "Good night, dear." David murmured, pretending to be half
+asleep. His door closed again. The light switches snapped, and there
+was silence.</p>
+
+<p>He waited another half hour to make sure everyone was asleep. As
+quickly and silently as he could, he pulled on his clothes, crept out
+of his room, and slid cautiously down the bannister. In the back yard
+he put on his shoes, dived through the hedge, and started to race up
+the mountainside.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately there was a nearly-full moon and no clouds in the sky. But
+even with this light, it was not easy to keep to the trail. Several
+times he lost his way, so that the trip took much longer than usual.
+But he found the ledge at last, climbed over the final difficult rock,
+and sat down to catch his breath. When he could speak, he called
+softly:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix!"</p>
+
+<p>There was no answer.</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix!" He pushed through the thicket to the other side of the
+ledge. "<i>Phoenix!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix was gone.</p>
+
+<p>The tears that had been stopped up all evening could be held no
+longer. David dropped to the ground, leaned his forehead against a
+rock, and let them go. He had just remembered. As soon as they had
+come back from the Gryffon adventure, the Phoenix had flown off on
+some sort of business. And it had not said when it would return.</p>
+
+<p>The tears cleared David's mind and made him feel better. Now what? He
+began to think. If he stayed on the ledge all night, they might find
+out at home and make a terrible fuss. But if he did not warn the
+Phoenix before morning, the Scientist might creep up while the bird
+was resting and trap it or shoot it. So he would have to warn the
+Phoenix <i>and</i> return home. And the only way to do both these things
+was to write the Phoenix a note.</p>
+
+<p>But he had neither paper nor pencil.</p>
+
+<p>A fine mess he had made of everything! Now he would have to go all the
+way back home, write the note, come all the way back up to the ledge,
+and then go home again.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>David trudged down the mountainside in a very low mood. Now that he
+had a definite plan to work on, his fear was gone, but he felt that he
+had been pretty stupid to rush off without thinking of everything
+first. In his mind he could hear the Phoenix saying, "Look before you
+leap, my boy," and other wise words of advice. And he had cried, too.
+Lucky that no one had been there to see <i>that</i>.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>As he approached the house he was surprised to see all the lights
+ablaze and to hear his name being called. "Oh-oh," he thought,
+"they've found out I've gone."</p>
+
+<p>"Here I am!" he shouted, opening the door. "What's the matter?"</p>
+
+<p>It was a strange sight which met him inside. Dad, in his gray pajamas,
+was waving a revolver and making fierce noises. Mother, looking
+frightened, had a shoe in one hand. Aunt Amy, with her hair in rags,
+was also well-armed&mdash;with a big cast-iron frying pan. Beckie was
+howling upstairs.</p>
+
+<p>"David!" Mother cried. "Are you all right? Where have you been? Did he
+hurt you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Who?" said David. "I'm all right. What's the matter?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"The burglar!" said Mother excitedly. "He put his head in the window
+and said '<i>pssssst!</i>'"</p>
+
+<p>"I tell you, burglars don't say <i>pssssst</i>!" Dad said. "They try to
+make as little noise as possible. Just let me catch him doing it
+again!" he added, waving his pistol.</p>
+
+<p>"Running around on that mountain at all hours of the night," Aunt Amy
+grumbled, "with burglars and I don't know what-all loose in town!"</p>
+
+<p>"And then we found that you were gone, and we thought he had stolen
+you," Mother went on. "Where have you been?"</p>
+
+<p>"I couldn't sleep," said David. "So I went for a walk."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, thank heavens you're safe," said Mother.</p>
+
+<p>"Hankering after that mountain all night," Aunt Amy muttered. "As if
+he wasn't up there all day."</p>
+
+<p>"Look here, Son," said Dad. "What do you know about this?"</p>
+
+<p>"Honestly, Dad," said David, "I couldn't sleep. There's nothing wrong
+with that. I can't help it if I can't sleep. So I took a walk. There's
+nothing wrong with&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, all right, all right," his father said. "I suppose it's just a
+coincidence. Let's all get back to sleep. And, David, the next time
+you can't sleep, try counting sheep."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Gradually the house calmed down. Beckie stopped wailing, Dad put away
+his gun, good nights were said, the lights were turned off.</p>
+
+<p>David knew that it would be at least an hour before he dared to move
+again, and he would have to be doubly careful this time. And he was a
+little nervous himself now about that burglar. What if he should meet
+him when he went out again? He tried to forget about that by thinking
+of what he would put in the note for the Phoenix.</p>
+
+<p>He had got as far as "Dear Phoenix:" and was wondering how you spelled
+"Phoenix," when there came a swish and a thump at his window, followed
+by a cautious whisper:</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Pssssst!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>David felt his scalp prickle. "Wh-wh-who's that?" he quavered.</p>
+
+<p>"Is that you, my boy?" whispered a familiar, guarded voice. "Ah, thank
+heavens!"</p>
+
+<p>And the Phoenix crawled through the window.</p>
+
+<p>Weak with relief, David snapped on the bedside light. The Phoenix
+presented a shocking sight. Its face was drawn with fatigue, and it
+looked rather draggled. Its back sagged, its wings drooped to the
+floor, and it walked with a limp.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_075.jpg" width="600" height="417" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>"Oh, Phoenix, Phoenix!" David whispered. He jumped to support the bird
+before it collapsed entirely.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, thank you, my boy," the Phoenix murmured. "Your bed, I presume?
+May I? Thank you." The springs creaked under its weight as the Phoenix
+gingerly lay down.</p>
+
+<p>"What a night, my boy, <i>what</i> a night!" it sighed weakly, closing its
+eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Phoenix, what happened? Can I do anything for you?" David
+whispered.</p>
+
+<p>"A damp, cooling cloth upon my forehead would be welcome, my boy,"
+murmured the Phoenix. "Also a bit of nourishment."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>David slid down the bannister, got a handful of cookies and a glass of
+milk, and dampened a dish towel. When he returned, the Phoenix was
+fast asleep.</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix," he whispered, "wake up. Here's your&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix awoke with a violent start and stared wildly around the
+room. "Trapped!" it muttered, making a frenzied effort to get off the
+bed.</p>
+
+<p>"Not so <i>loud</i>!" David whispered sharply. "It's me!"</p>
+
+<p>Understanding dawned in the Phoenix's eyes, and it eased itself back
+with a sigh. "Ah, you, my boy. You gave me quite a fright. I
+thought&mdash;" But here the Phoenix caught sight of the milk and cookies
+and sat up again.</p>
+
+<p>"Ambrosia," it sighed reverently. "And nectar. You <i>are</i> a prince, my
+dear fellow!" And the Phoenix reached out eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Phoenix," David whispered as he wrapped the wet towel around the
+Phoenix's head, "what's happened?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, that feels heavenly, my boy! (Munch munch.) What has happened?
+(Munch munch. Gulp.) I was insulted, I accepted a challenge, and I
+brilliantly maintained my honor. Let that be a lesson to you, my boy:
+death before dishonor. Yes, in spite of my age, I&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"But Phoenix, what <i>happened</i>?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"To be brief, then, my boy, for brevity is the soul of wit&mdash;although I am
+not trying to be witty now; I am simply too worn out&mdash;Brevity&mdash;ah&mdash;where
+was I?"</p>
+
+<p>"I <i>think</i> you were telling me what happened to you tonight," David
+said.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, yes, quite so! Well, I raced the Witch, to put it quite simply."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Phoenix! Did you win?"</p>
+
+<p>"She said that she would 'beat my tail feathers off,' did she not?
+Behold, my dear fellow&mdash;every tail feather intact!"</p>
+
+<p>"Good for you, Phoenix! How did it go?"</p>
+
+<p>"I found her somewhere over Scotland and accepted her challenge. We
+jockeyed about for starting positions, and she insulted me by offering
+me a handicap&mdash;which, of course, I refused. For several hundred miles
+it was nip and tuck, as it were. Then, over Luxembourg, I put all my
+energies into a magnificent sprint and won the race by three and a
+half broom lengths. She claimed a foul and went off in a fit of sulks,
+of course. (I never saw a Witch who was a good loser.) And I&mdash;well,
+the fact is, my boy, that I am not as young as I used to be. I simply
+<i>crawled</i> home."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, you poor Phoenix! But you won, though.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> Good for you, Phoenix.
+I'm proud of you! I didn't like her at all."</p>
+
+<p>"There you are&mdash;I had to win, for both of us. Now, as I wended my
+weary way homeward, I realized that I should be too tired to go
+traveling tomorrow. So I decided to tell you, in case you should want
+to do something else during the day. But I did not know which house
+was yours. I had to pick one at random. I thrust my head in a window
+and uttered a cautious <i>pssssst</i>! Imagine my dismay when I was
+answered by a piercing scream! I had to beat a hasty and undignified
+retreat into a garage until all was peaceful again. Then I did the
+same thing at the next house, and the next, with the same results."
+The Phoenix sighed. "Would you believe it, my boy?&mdash;this is the fifth
+house I tried. But I knew I was on the right track when I heard them
+calling for you."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, so it was <i>you</i>," said David. "You almost frightened Mother to
+death. She thought you were a burglar."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear fellow, I am really sorry for having caused any
+misunderstanding or fright," said the Phoenix apologetically. "It was
+just that I wanted to tell you of my victory&mdash;that is, to tell you
+that I should be indisposed tomorrow."</p>
+
+<p>Then David recalled that he had something to say<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> too. The shock of
+remembering was such that he blurted out the news without thinking of
+softening the blow.</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix, listen! The Scientist is here!"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix sat up in bed with a jerk, and David barely suppressed its
+startled exclamation by clamping a hand over its beak.</p>
+
+<p>"It's not so bad yet," he whispered hurriedly, "because he's not sure
+where you are, and he has to wait for his equipment to get here. But,
+oh, Phoenix, now I suppose you'll go to South America after all, and I
+won't have any more education."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix leaped to its feet and struck a defiant pose. "My boy," it
+said angrily, "you are mistaken. I refuse to be chased around any
+longer. Even the lowly worm turns. Am I a mouse, or am I the Phoenix?
+If that insufferable man wishes to pursue me further, if he cannot
+mind his own business, then, by Jove, we shall meet him face to face
+and FIGHT TO THE FINISH!"</p>
+
+<p>Its voice, which had been getting louder and louder, ended in an
+indignant squawk (its battle cry, as it explained later). David's
+warning <i>ssh!</i> was too late. They heard rapid footsteps and the sound
+of light switches snapping.</p>
+
+<p>"Quick!" David said. "Out the window!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>With a hasty "Farewell, my boy," the Phoenix plunged headlong toward
+the window&mdash;and tripped over the sill. There was a resounding crash
+outside as the bird landed on the rose arbor, a brief but furious
+thrashing and muttering, and then the receding flurry of wings.</p>
+
+<p>Dad burst into the room with his revolver, followed by Mother and Aunt
+Amy (with two frying pans, this time).</p>
+
+<p>"He stuck his head in the window and said <i>pssssst!</i> at me!" David
+cried. "A big dark shape in the window!"</p>
+
+<p>This time Dad telephoned the police. In no time at all, three carloads
+of weary policemen were swarming over the house and yard, with guns
+and flashlights drawn. It was the fifth&mdash;or was it the sixth?&mdash;call
+they had received from the neighborhood that night, they explained.
+There followed an hour of questions, arguments, and theories, during
+which everyone became very excited. Everyone, that is, except
+David&mdash;although he acted excited to avoid suspicion. But he was happy.
+He had warned the Phoenix, the Phoenix was going to stay, and there
+was nothing to worry about until tomorrow.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span></p>
+<p class="f1"><a name="In_Which_the_Phoenix_Has_a_Plan_and_David_and_the_Phoenix_Call_On" id="In_Which_the_Phoenix_Has_a_Plan_and_David_and_the_Phoenix_Call_On"></a>6: <i>In Which the Phoenix <br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Has a Plan, and David<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and the Phoenix <br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Call On a Sea Monster</i></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_081.jpg" width="600" height="343" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+
+<p>"Well, you're in all the papers this morning, Phoenix," said David, as
+he sat down beside the reclining bird next morning. "They don't know
+who you are, but they're all talking about what happened last night.
+They call you the 'Whispering Burglar.' The police are pretty
+worried."</p>
+
+<p>"My dear chap," said the Phoenix apologetically,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> "let me repeat my
+sincere regrets for causing alarm. It was not my desire to&mdash;the
+<i>police</i>, did you say? Have they discovered any clues?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," said David reassuringly. "They can't find a thing. They think
+the Whispering Burglar climbed up a ladder to say <i>pssssst!</i> into the
+upstairs windows. Only they can't find the ladder. They call it the
+'Missing Mystery Clue.'"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix gazed at the sky and mused. "In all the papers, you say?
+Well, Fame at last&mdash;although hardly the kind I had expected. What a
+pity that there can be no photographs with the story. Imagine a
+picture of me on the front page! A profile, perhaps&mdash;or would a
+full-length shot be more effective? Or both, let us say, with&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I know you'd look very handsome, Phoenix," David interrupted, "but
+what we <i>should</i> be thinking about is the Scientist. What are we going
+to do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, <i>that</i>," said the Phoenix. "I was coming to that, my boy. The
+battle is already half won. I have a Plan."</p>
+
+<p>"Good for you, Phoenix! What is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Aha!" said the Phoenix, with a mysterious smile. "All will unfold in
+time. Rest assured that the Plan is brilliant. In one stroke of genius
+it solves everything.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> Tactics, my boy! Napoleon had nothing on me."</p>
+
+<p>"But what <i>is</i> it, Phoenix?"</p>
+
+<p>"Tut, my boy," said the Phoenix in a maddening way. "Control your
+impatience. You will see. Now, we shall have to buy some things, so we
+shall need money. Let me see.... Several of the Leprechauns have large
+pots of gold.... No, I fear they would not part with so much as a
+penny. Tightfisted, my dear fellow!&mdash;you never saw such misers.
+Hmmm.... Well, there are the Dragons, of course; they guard heaps of
+treasure in caves. But no&mdash;they are excellent chaps in most respects,
+but frightfully stuffy about loans and gifts. No.... The Djinn? No,
+his money is all tied up in Arabian oil speculation. Aha! Why didn't I
+think of that before? The Sea Monster, of course!"</p>
+
+<p>"Do Sea Monsters have money?" asked David.</p>
+
+<p>"No, but the Sea Monster should know where pirate treasure is
+buried&mdash;quite in its nautical line. We shall visit the Monster, my
+boy. Tomorrow, of course&mdash;I could not fly a foot today to save my
+life. My muscles are killing me!"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, poor Phoenix!" David said. But he was so excited that he could
+not feel much pity. Pirate treasure! They were going to dig for pirate
+treasure!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We shall need a spade. I trust you will arrange for it, my boy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, Phoenix," said David, jumping to his feet. "I'll get
+everything ready right away. Don't move till I get back."</p>
+
+<p>"Impossible, my boy." The Phoenix groaned as it shifted into a more
+comfortable position.</p>
+
+<p>David raced home to collect the necessary things for the trip.
+Remembering how cold it had been last time, he took his leather jacket
+out of the closet, and a pair of gloves and a scarf. For the Phoenix
+he borrowed a bottle of liniment and took all the cookies from the
+cooky jar. And he picked the shortest of three spades in the garage.
+During the rest of the day he massaged the Phoenix's back and wings
+with the liniment. He was exploding with curiosity about the Plan, of
+course. But the Phoenix would only smile its smuggest smile and tell
+him to "wait and see, wait and see"&mdash;which almost drove David mad.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Tomorrow took its time, the way it always does when you are anxious to
+see it arrive, but it finally came. And David found himself with the
+spade held tightly under one arm, his jacket zipped up to his chin,
+gloves on, and scarf knotted, all ready to go.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"To the west, this time," said the Phoenix, as David got up on its
+back. "This is the Monster's Pacific season, you know. Ready, my boy?
+Splendid! We are off!"</p>
+
+<p>Over the mountains and desert they sped, over the shore, out across
+the ocean. For a long time they hurtled through a huge blue
+loneliness, dark blue below, lighter blue above. Once they passed over
+a ship, a pencil dot trailing a pin-scratch of white. Another time
+they startled a high-flying albatross, which gave a frightened squawk
+and plunged down out of sight with folded wings. Aside from that,
+there was nothing to see until they reached the islands.</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix slowed down to a glide and dropped lower. "These are the
+coral atolls of the Pacific, my boy," it called over its shoulder.
+"That lake in the center of each island is called the lagoon."</p>
+
+<p>David was enchanted by the atolls. They were made of tiny islets,
+strung together like the beads of a necklace. And the colors! The dark
+blue of the sea became lighter around the islands, melting from
+sapphire to turquoise to jade. The atolls were ringed with dazzling
+white surf and beach, and they all had cool green swaths of palm trees
+and underbrush. And each lagoon also had its varying shades of blue,
+like the outer sea.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I fear we may have trouble, my boy," said the Phoenix, as they
+scanned the empty beaches. "The Monster shifts about from island to
+island to avoid discovery. We shall just have to search."</p>
+
+<p>And search they did, atoll after atoll, until at the end of an hour
+they were rewarded. David suddenly spotted a dark object stretched out
+on the beach of a lagoon, and at the same time the Phoenix said "Aha!"
+triumphantly. They began to spiral down.</p>
+
+<p>The Sea Monster was immense. Its body could have filled the living
+room at home. Its neck was twenty feet long, and so was its tail
+(which ended in a barbed point). It had huge seal-like flippers, and
+its polished brown hide was made up of scales as big as dinner plates.</p>
+
+<p>"Wake up, Monster!" The Phoenix cried. "We&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>The next instant they were lost in a cloud of flying sand and spray,
+through which could be heard a prodigious splash. When it had cleared,
+they found themselves alone on the beach. The only sign of the Sea
+Monster was a great furrow in the sand, which led down to the agitated
+water.</p>
+
+<p>"Golly, that was fast!" David marveled, as they shook the sand from
+themselves. "Do you think it'll come back, Phoenix?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Of course, my boy. Curiosity, if nothing else, will bring it up
+again. In the meantime, we might as well sit down and wait."</p>
+
+<p>They sat down and waited. David took off his jacket. For fifteen
+minutes they heard nothing but the murmuring of the surf and the
+rustling clatter of palm fronds. At last there was a slight splashing
+noise from the lagoon.</p>
+
+<p>"There," David whispered, pointing.</p>
+
+<p>Thirty feet offshore, an ear was being thrust cautiously above the
+rippled surface. It twitched once or twice, then pointed quiveringly
+in their direction.</p>
+
+<p>"Come out, Monster!" the Phoenix shouted. "It is I, the Phoenix."</p>
+
+<p>The Sea Monster's head appeared slowly, followed by several yards of
+neck. It peered at them short-sightedly, weaving its head from side to
+side to get a better view. David saw that it had two short, straight
+horns just in front of its ears, eyes that were soft and cowlike, and
+a most expressive set of whiskers. The whiskers were now at a
+doubtful, half-mast angle.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, Phoenix," said the Sea Monster at last in a mild voice. "Can't
+you remember to wake me a bit more gently? I thought you were&mdash;"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Come on out," said the Phoenix firmly, "and stop looking like a lost
+sheep."</p>
+
+<p>"Uh&mdash;what about&mdash;uh&mdash;that?" said the Sea Monster hesitantly, pointing
+one ear at David.</p>
+
+<p>"This," said the Phoenix, "is David. He is getting an education. I
+assure you that he will not bite."</p>
+
+<p>The Sea Monster swam toward them, heaved itself out of the water, and
+offered its huge flipper for David to shake.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_088.jpg" width="600" height="481" alt=""  />
+</div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Sorry I rushed off like that," it said. "The trouble is, I've had
+such a bad case of war nerves. Why, sometimes I jump out of my skin at
+nothing at all."</p>
+
+<p>"Were you in the war?" David asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, <i>was</i> I," sighed the Sea Monster. It flopped down comfortably on
+its belly, curled its tail around its front flippers, and sighed
+again. But David noticed that its whiskers had perked up to a quite
+cheerful angle. The Sea Monster was obviously delighted to have
+someone listen to its troubles.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," it said, heaving a third sigh, "I was. From the very beginning,
+much against my will. Guns all over the place! Terrible!"</p>
+
+<p>"Did they shoot you?" David asked, horrified.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, <i>at</i> me, anyway. I'm thankful to say they never hit me, but
+there were some pretty near misses. All the oceans were simply packed
+with ships. I couldn't lift my head out of water without bringing down
+a perfect rain of shells and bullets."</p>
+
+<p>"The <i>intelligent</i> thing in that case," the Phoenix broke in with a
+sniff, "would have been to stay <i>under</i> water."</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, Phoenix," said the Sea Monster dryly. "But I <i>do</i> like to
+breathe now and then. Anyway, I wasn't<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> safe even under water. They'd
+drop depth charges on me. One ship even launched a torpedo at me!"</p>
+
+<p>"How awful!" said David.</p>
+
+<p>"Tut! my boy," said the Phoenix. "I have no doubt our friend is
+stretching the truth shamelessly. You need not look so smug, Monster.
+You were not the only one in the war. <i>I</i> have gone through
+anti-aircraft fire a number of times. Some of it was very severe. In
+fact, once I&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Once I had the whole North Atlantic fleet after <i>me</i>," the Sea
+Monster interrupted proudly.</p>
+
+<p>"And <i>I</i> remember the Franco-Prussian War!" said the Phoenix. "Which,
+I daresay, you do <i>not</i>."</p>
+
+<p>"Well&mdash;uh&mdash;no, I don't."</p>
+
+<p>"There you are!" the Phoenix crowed.</p>
+
+<p>The Sea Monster, looking rather ruffled, pointedly turned from the
+Phoenix and said to David, "What should you like to do, David?"</p>
+
+<p>David suddenly remembered what they had come for, and the excitement
+rushed back into his heart. He opened his mouth to cry "We want to dig
+for treasure!" and then stopped short. Asking for money, he knew, was
+an impolite thing to do&mdash;especially from someone you had only just
+met. And there was no telling how the Sea<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> Monster might feel about
+people nosing around for its treasure. So he looked at the Phoenix and
+waited for it to speak.</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix caught David's glance, cleared its throat several times,
+and looked apologetically at the Sea Monster. "Monster, old chap," it
+said soothingly, "I am deeply sorry for having doubted you just now.
+Deeply sorry."</p>
+
+<p>"Quite all right," said the Sea Monster stiffly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," the Phoenix continued, "we both know that you have passed
+through perilous times, through dangers which (I must confess) would
+have left <i>me</i> a shattered wreck."</p>
+
+<p>The Sea Monster sighed sadly, but its whiskers were beginning to rise
+again.</p>
+
+<p>"The Monster bears up very well under this fearful strain&mdash;don't you
+think so, my boy? A splendid example for the rest of us. Magnificent."</p>
+
+<p>The Sea Monster's whiskers were quivering with pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>"Monster, old chap, old friend, you were never one to let a boon
+companion down. If I have said it once, I have said it a hundred
+times: 'The Sea Monster,' I have said, 'the Sea Monster is the helpful
+sort. Mention the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> words Staunch Friend,' I have said, 'and
+immediately the Sea Monster comes to mind.'"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix reached up one wing and began to pat the Sea Monster's
+flipper.</p>
+
+<p>"Monster, old chum, we&mdash;ah&mdash;we&mdash;Well, the plain fact is that
+we&mdash;ah&mdash;we have need of&mdash;such a trifling matter" (here the Phoenix
+gave a careless laugh) "that I should not really bring it up at all.
+Ah&mdash;we need a bit of money."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," said the Sea Monster. Its whiskers sagged.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, please do not be offended, Monster," said the Phoenix hastily.
+"After all, you have no need for the treasure, and it does absolutely
+no good buried under the ground."</p>
+
+<p>"It doesn't do any harm there, either," said the Sea Monster. "Really,
+Phoenix, I never thought <i>you</i>&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Monster," said the Phoenix solemnly, "<i>this</i>&mdash;is a matter of life or
+death."</p>
+
+<p>"Life or death&mdash;ha!"</p>
+
+<p>"Please, Monster," said David. "It really is life or death, because
+the Scientist is chasing the Phoenix, and the Phoenix has a plan to
+escape him, and we need some money to carry out the plan so the
+Scientist can't hurt the Phoenix."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"A few small coins will do," added the Phoenix, with a winning smile.
+"A louis d'or, for example, or some pieces of eight. After which you
+may bury the rest again."</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Please</i>, Monster!" David begged.</p>
+
+<p>The Monster looked at David, and at the Phoenix, and then at David
+again, and then at the lagoon. It sighed a very doubtful sigh.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh ... all right," it said reluctantly. "But for goodness sake, don't
+go telling anyone where you found it."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course not," said the Phoenix. And David leaped up and shouted
+"Hooray!" and grabbed the spade and his jacket.</p>
+
+<p>"The stuff is on the next island," said the Sea Monster. "I can swim
+over with you two on my back. This way, please&mdash;we have to leave from
+the outer beach."</p>
+
+<p>The Sea Monster was a magnificent swimmer. Its neck cut through the
+water like the stem of a Viking ship, and it left a frothing wake
+behind. Every once in a while it would plunge its head into the water
+and come up with a fish, which it would swallow whole.</p>
+
+<p>"Should you like some breakfast, David?" said the Sea Monster.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_094.jpg" width="600" height="296" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>"No, thank you," David answered, "but you go right ahead. Phoenix," he
+added, "what <i>are</i> you doing?"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix, which had been walking up and down with its wings clasped
+behind its back, stopped and gazed over the sea. "Pacing the
+quarter-deck, my boy. Scanning the horizon. That is what one usually
+does at sea, I believe."</p>
+
+<p>"You'll be wanting us to call you Admiral next," said the Sea Monster
+acidly.</p>
+
+<p>They steamed on. Twenty minutes and seventy-six large breakfast fish
+later they sighted the island&mdash;a little smudge on the horizon, dead
+ahead.</p>
+
+<p>"Land ho!" a voice croaked. "Thank heavens."</p>
+
+<p>David turned in surprise. The Phoenix was no longer pacing the
+quarter-deck and scanning the horizon.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> It was sitting limply with its
+head down and a glassy stare in its eyes.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/image_095.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>"You had better hurry up," David said to the Sea Monster. "I think the
+Phoenix is seasick."</p>
+
+<p>"Am not," the Phoenix gasped. "Merely (ulp!) temporary."</p>
+
+<p>The Sea Monster turned and smiled sweetly at the Phoenix. "You'll get
+used to it in no time, Admiral."</p>
+
+<p>When they landed, however, the Phoenix recovered rapidly and even
+began to put on a slight nautical swagger. The Sea Monster humped off
+down the beach, followed eagerly by the two treasure hunters. In a few
+minutes it came to a halt and sniffed the sand very carefully,
+swinging its head snakelike to and fro. It settled on one spot,
+sniffed it thoroughly, felt the sand with its<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> whiskers, and then
+solemnly announced: "Here."</p>
+
+<p>"Ahoy, me hearties!" the Phoenix shouted. "Turn to and stand by to
+splice the main brace! Steady as she goes, mates!"</p>
+
+<p>David needed no encouragement from anyone. He began to dig furiously.
+Flashing in the sun, the spade bit into the beach, and coarse white
+sand spurted in all directions. The Phoenix was quite as excited as
+David. It danced around the deepening hole with eyes asparkle,
+shouting such piratical terms as "Shiver me timbers!" "Strike your
+colors!" and "Give 'em no quarter, lads!" Suddenly it began to beat
+time with its wing and to sing in a raucous voice:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Cut the King's throat and take the King's gold&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Heave ho, bullies, for Panama!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">There's plenty of loot for the lad who is bold&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Heave away, bullies, for Panama!"<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>"You're flat on that last note," said the Sea Monster.</p>
+
+<p>"My dear Monster, I have perfect pitch!"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes&mdash;you have perfect sea legs, too."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, ah&mdash;How are you coming along, my boy? Any signs of treasure?"</p>
+
+<p>David did not hear. In fact he heard nothing from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> the first crunch of
+the spade onward. His education was now richer by this fact: once you
+start out after treasure, you can think of nothing else until it is
+found. The sun was beating hotly on him, little rivulets of sweat
+poured down his face and arms, his muscles ached, blisters were
+beginning to form on his hands. Heedless of all, he dug on. He had
+settled into the rhythm of it now, and nothing could distract him.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell you what's a good thing for seasickness," said the Sea Monster
+slyly. "You take a&mdash;" Pretending not to hear, the Phoenix stood first
+on one leg and then on the other and stared into the sky. David dug
+tirelessly.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the spade grated on something solid, and they all jumped.
+David shouted "Here it is!" and shoveled up sand frantically. The
+Phoenix danced around the hole, also shouting. Even the Sea Monster
+arched its neck to get a better view. They could see a brass ring,
+crusted with verdigris, fastened to a partly-exposed piece of wood.
+The sand flew. Now they could see studded strips of metal bound to the
+wood, and a rusty padlock. And in a few minutes a whole chest, with
+slanting sides and a curved lid and tarnished brass hinges, was
+uncovered. David threw the spade on the beach, seized the brass
+handle, and tugged. It came off in his hand.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_098.jpg" width="600" height="573" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>"Here, let me," said the Sea Monster. David got out of the hole, and
+the Sea Monster worked one flipper carefully under the chest. "Look
+out," it said, and heaved its flipper up. The chest shot into the air,
+tumbled down end over end, and split wide open on the beach.</p>
+
+<p>David gasped. A dazzling, sparkling heap spilled out on the sand.
+There were heaps of gold and silver<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> coins, the silver black with
+tarnish but the gold still bright. There were pearls, rubies,
+diamonds, beryls, emeralds, opals, sapphires, amethysts. And
+bracelets, necklaces, pendants, sunbursts, brooches, rings, pins,
+combs, buckles, lockets, buttons, crucifixes. And carved pieces of
+jade and ivory and coral and jet. And coronets, crowns, tiaras, arm
+bands. And jeweled daggers, picture frames, vases, silver knives and
+forks and spoons, sugar bowls, platters, goblets.</p>
+
+<p>For an hour they examined the treasure. David fairly wallowed in it,
+exclaiming "Look at this one!" or "Oh, how beautiful!" or just
+"Golly!" The Phoenix muttered such things as "King's ransom" and
+"Wealth of the Indies." The Sea Monster was not interested in the
+treasure, but kept glancing nervously out to sea.</p>
+
+<p>At last the Phoenix said, "Well, my boy, I think we had better make
+our choice. Three or four coins should do it."</p>
+
+<p>The Sea Monster gave a relieved sigh. "Let's get the rest of it
+underground right away. You have no idea what trouble it can cause."</p>
+
+<p>The choice was difficult. There were so many coins, all of them with
+queer writing and heads of unknown gods and kings. David finally
+picked out four gold pieces<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> and tied them up in his handkerchief.
+Then the Sea Monster swept the rest of the treasure into the hole.
+They all pushed sand in on top of it and jumped on the mound till it
+was level with the rest of the beach.</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix turned to the Sea Monster and said solemnly: "Monster, old
+fellow, I knew you would not fail us. You stood forth in our hour of
+need, and we shall not forget."</p>
+
+<p>And David echoed, "Thank you, Monster."</p>
+
+<p>The Sea Monster ducked its head and blushed. A wave of fiery red
+started at its nose, traveled rapidly back over its ears, down its
+neck, along the body, and fanned out to the tips of its flippers and
+the extreme end of the barb in its tail.</p>
+
+<p>Even its whiskers turned pink.</p>
+
+<p>"Well&mdash;uh&mdash;glad to help&mdash;uh&mdash;nothing to it, really," it mumbled. Then
+it turned abruptly, galloped down to the sea, plunged into the surf,
+and was gone.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 150px;">
+<img src="images/image_101.jpg" width="150" height="296" alt=""  />
+</div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="f1"><a name="In_Which_the_Phoenixs_Plan_Is_Carried_Out_and_There_Are_More" id="In_Which_the_Phoenixs_Plan_Is_Carried_Out_and_There_Are_More"></a>7: <i>In Which the Phoenix's<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Plan Is Carried Out, and<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There Are More Alarums<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and Excursions in the Night</i></p>
+<p>"Now, my boy," said the Phoenix, when they got back to the ledge that
+afternoon, "are the shops still open?"</p>
+
+<p>"I think they're open till six," said David, shaking the sand out of
+his shoes. "Are we going to buy something?"</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely, my boy. A hardware store should have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> what we need. Now,
+you will take our gold and purchase the following." And the Phoenix
+listed the things it wanted, and told David which to bring to the
+ledge and which to leave below.</p>
+
+<p>"... and a hatchet," the Phoenix concluded.</p>
+
+<p>"We have one at home already," said David. "Now, listen, Phoenix,
+<i>can't</i> you tell me what all this is for? What are we going to do with
+it?"</p>
+
+<p>"My boy, the feline's existence was terminated as a direct result of
+its inquisitiveness."</p>
+
+<p>"What did you say?"</p>
+
+<p>"Curiosity killed the cat," explained the Phoenix.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh. But&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Now, run along, my boy. A very important Thought has just come to me.
+I must Meditate a while." The Phoenix glanced at the thicket and hid a
+yawn behind one wing.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, all <i>right</i>," said David. "I'll see you in the morning, then."</p>
+
+<p>It wasn't until he got home that he thought of something. He couldn't
+spend pirate gold pieces, or even show them to anyone, without being
+asked a lot of embarrassing questions. What to do? Ask Dad or Mother
+or Aunt Amy to lend him some money? More embarrassing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> questions....
+Well, he would have to rob his bank. But wait&mdash;why hadn't he
+remembered? Just before they had moved, Uncle Charles had given him a
+ten-dollar bill as a farewell present. He had been saving it for a
+model airplane, but the excitement of the last few days had driven it
+completely out of his mind. Of course the Phoenix's Plan was more
+important than any model plane could be.</p>
+
+<p>So he kept the gold pieces tied up in his handkerchief and took his
+ten dollars to a hardware store, where he bought what the Phoenix
+wanted&mdash;a coil of rope, an electric door bell, a pushbutton, and one
+hundred feet of insulated wire. Then he brought the package home, hid
+it behind the woodpile in the garage, and sat down to think.
+Wire&mdash;bell&mdash;pushbutton. What could the Phoenix possibly want with
+them? And what was the rope for? And the hatchet? The more he puzzled
+over it the more confused he became, and finally he just gave up.
+There was only one thing he was sure about: whatever the Plan was,
+they would have to carry it out as soon as possible. Two days had
+passed since the Scientist had shown up. The new gun he had ordered
+might arrive at any time now. Perhaps even today, when they had been
+digging up the pirate treasure, the Scientist had got his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> new rifle
+and had started to hunt through the mountains.</p>
+
+<p>The thought gave David a creepy feeling on the back of his neck. They
+certainly would have to hurry.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Early next morning David climbed up to the ledge, bringing with him
+the coil of rope and the hatchet. As an afterthought he had added a
+paper bag full of cookies.</p>
+
+<p>"Here's the stuff, Phoenix," he called out as he stepped onto the
+ledge. "Where are you?"</p>
+
+<p>There was a crash from the thicket as though someone had jumped up in
+it suddenly, and the Phoenix stumbled out, rubbing its eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, splendid, my boy! Yes. I was just&mdash;ah&mdash;Thinking."</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix," said David, "I'm not going to ask you again what your Plan
+is, because I know you'll tell me when it's time. But whatever it is,
+we'd better do it right now. The Scientist may show up any minute."</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely, my boy. Never put off until tomorrow what can be done
+today. One of my favorite proverbs. We shall begin immediately&mdash;" Here
+the Phoenix caught sight of the bag in David's hand and added hastily:
+"But, of course, we must not forget that first things come first."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You might have brought more," said the Phoenix, fifteen minutes
+later.</p>
+
+<p>"There weren't any more in the jar," David said. "Phoenix, please tell
+me what we're going to do. I don't care if curiosity <i>did</i> kill the
+cat. I've been thinking about the rope and wire and bell all night,
+and I can't make heads or tails out of it."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix gave a pleased laugh. "Of course you cannot, my boy. The
+Plan is far too profound for you to guess what it is. But set your
+mind at rest. I shall now explain the rope and hatchet."</p>
+
+<p>David leaned forward eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, scientists, you know, have fixed habits. If you know those
+habits, you can predict just what they will do at any time. Our
+particular Scientist is a daytime creature&mdash;that is to say, he comes
+at dawn and goes at dusk. His invariable habit, my boy!"</p>
+
+<p>"Well?"</p>
+
+<p>"There you are, my boy!" said the Phoenix triumphantly. "<i>We shall
+sleep during the day and continue your education at night!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," said David. He thought about this a while, then asked, "But
+suppose the Scientist comes up on the ledge during the day and catches
+you asleep?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Aha! That is where the rope and hatchet come in. Never fear, my
+boy&mdash;I thought of that also. We are going to construct a snare at each
+end of the ledge."</p>
+
+<p>"How?"</p>
+
+<p>"Hand me that twig, my boy." The Phoenix took the twig, found a bare
+spot of earth, and sketched a picture. "First we find a sapling and
+clear the branches from it with the hatchet&mdash;like this. Next we get a
+stake, cut a notch in it, and drive it into the ground&mdash;so. The
+sapling is bent down to it and fitted into the notch, which holds it
+down. You see, my boy? Now we make a noose&mdash;so&mdash;from a piece of rope,
+tie it to the end of the sapling, and spread the loop out on the
+path&mdash;this way. The whole snare is hidden under grass and leaves." The
+Phoenix beamed and flung out its wings in a dramatic gesture. "Just
+picture it, my dear chap! The Scientist, smiling evilly as he skulks
+along the path! The unwary footstep! The sapling, jarred out of the
+notch, springing upward! The tightened noose! And our archenemy
+dangling by the foot in mid-air, completely at our mercy!
+Magnificent!"</p>
+
+<p>"Golly, Phoenix," said David, "that's pretty clever."</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Clever</i>, my boy? Better to say 'a stroke of genius.' Only I,
+Phoenix, could have thought of it. And consider<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> the poetic justice of
+it! This is exactly the sort of trap that the Scientist once set for
+me! Well, shall we begin?"</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_107.jpg" width="600" height="553" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>The Phoenix had made the snares sound delightfully simple, but they
+soon discovered that the job was harder than it sounded. First they
+had to find the right kind of sapling, springy and strong. The sapling
+had to be in the right place&mdash;one by the goat trail, the other at the
+far<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> end of the ledge. When they had been chosen, David had to shinny
+up them to lop off their branches. That was a very awkward business;
+the saplings swayed and trembled under his weight, and he could only
+use one hand for the hatchet. Then he had to make two stakes from
+stout, hard wood, cut a notch at one end, and drive them into the
+ground with the flat of the hatchet. But the hardest part was trying
+to bend the sapling down to the stake and fitting it into the notch.
+It took the weight of both of them to bring the sapling to the ground.
+If they got the slightest bit off balance, it would spring up again.
+Once David fell off; the sapling went <i>swish!</i> back into the air,
+flinging the astonished Phoenix thirty feet up the mountainside.</p>
+
+<p>It was not until afternoon, when the sun had turned ruddy and shadows
+were beginning to stretch dark fingers across the land, that they
+finished the job. But at last the saplings were set in the notches,
+the nooses were formed and fastened on. Grass and leaves were strewn
+over the snares; chips, hewn branches, and other evidences of their
+work were removed. They sat down and looked proudly at each other.</p>
+
+<p>"My boy," said the Phoenix, "I have had a wide, and sometimes painful,
+experience with traps; so you may<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> believe me when I say that these
+are among the best I have seen. We have done well."</p>
+
+<p>"They're sure strong enough," David agreed, flexing his fingers to
+take the stiffness out of them. "But what are we going to do if the
+Scientist does get caught in one?"</p>
+
+<p>"We shall burn that bridge when we reach it, my boy. Now, do you have
+the pliers, wire-cutters, and screw driver below?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, they're down in the cellar. What are we going to do with them,
+Phoenix?"</p>
+
+<p>"Patience, patience! You will be told when the time comes. I shall
+meet you tonight after dark, as soon as it is safe for me to come
+down. I trust you will have everything ready?"</p>
+
+<p>"Are you coming <i>down</i>?"</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely, my boy. A risk, I admit, but a necessary one. There is a
+hedge at the back of your house, is there not? Splendid. You may await
+me there."</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>David, sitting in the shadow of the hedge, jumped when he heard the
+Phoenix's quiet "Good evening, my boy."</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix," he whispered, "how did you do it? Golly, I didn't see you
+at all, and it isn't even dark yet."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I have been hunted long enough, my boy, to have learned a few tricks.
+It is merely a matter of gliding close to the ground, selecting the
+best shadows, and keeping a sharp lookout. Well, let us get on with
+the Plan. Have you the tools here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, here they are."</p>
+
+<p>"Splendid! Now, my boy, since we must continue your education during
+the night, it is necessary that we have some way of getting in touch
+with each other. If you climb the mountainside in the dark, you may
+unwittingly fall into our own snare. It is far easier for me to come
+down than it is for you to go up, and under cover of darkness I can do
+it quite safely. The question now is, how will you know when I have
+arrived? That, my boy, is the nub, or crux, of the situation. A
+difficult problem, you will admit. But I have worked out the
+solution."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix lowered its voice impressively.</p>
+
+<p>"My boy, we are going to install this bell in your room, and the
+pushbutton on the base of that telephone pole. When I arrive here at
+night, I shall press the button to let you know that I am ready to go.
+A magnificent idea, isn't it?"</p>
+
+<p>It did not seem very practical to David. "Well, Phoenix, that's a good
+idea," he said carefully. "But how<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> are we going to hide the wires?
+And what about the noise of the bell?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing to it, my boy! The wires? There are wires between your house
+and the telephone pole already&mdash;one more would not be noticed. The
+noise? You have a pillow on your bed, under which the bell can be
+muffled."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, that's true." It still sounded impractical.</p>
+
+<p>"Just imagine it!" the Phoenix continued enthusiastically. "Perhaps
+later we can install another bell at this end. Then we could learn
+Morse code and send messages to each other. Exactly like a private
+telephone line!"</p>
+
+<p>Put in this way, the idea had a certain appeal, and David found
+himself warming to it. But there was another thing to consider.</p>
+
+<p>"How about electricity, Phoenix?"</p>
+
+<p>"Look above you, my boy! The telephone pole is simply loaded down with
+power lines waiting to be tapped."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix was evidently set on carrying out the Plan, and David did
+not want to wear out the bird's patience with more objections.
+And&mdash;well, why not? There should be no harm in trying it out, anyway.</p>
+
+<p>They gathered up the tools and walked along the hedge to the telephone
+pole, which was in one corner of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span> the yard. The Phoenix began to
+uncoil the wire, while David gazed up doubtfully at the shadowy maze
+of lines and insulators on the cross-arms.</p>
+
+<p>"Electricity," said the Phoenix thoughtfully, "is a complicated and
+profound subject. There are amperes, and there are volts, and there
+are kilowatt hours. I might also mention positive and negative
+and&mdash;ah&mdash;all that sort of thing. Most profound. Perhaps I had better
+investigate up there. Screw driver, please."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix took the screw driver in one claw and flew up to the top
+of the pole. David could hear the creak of the lines under the
+Phoenix's weight and the rattling of the screw driver against the
+porcelain insulators. For some minutes the Phoenix investigated,
+clicking and scraping about, and muttering "Quite so" and "<i>There</i> we
+are." Then it fluttered down again and rubbed its wings together.</p>
+
+<p>"The whole situation up there is a lot simpler than I thought it would
+be, my boy. The power lines merely come up to the pole on one side,
+pass through the insulators, and go away from the pole on the other
+side. Child's play! The covering on the lines is rather tough,
+however. We shall have to use the wire-cutters."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix returned to the top of the pole with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> the cutters, and
+worked on the wires for five more minutes. Bits of debris began to
+shower down on the hedge. One of the wires vibrated on a low note like
+a slack guitar string.</p>
+
+<p>"We must not forget the difference between alternating and direct
+current, my boy," said the Phoenix as it flew down again. "An
+important problem, that. Where is our wire? Ah, there we are. The
+pliers, please."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you need any help up there?" David asked.</p>
+
+<p>"No, everything is coming along beautifully, thank you. I shall have
+everything finished in a flash."</p>
+
+<p>Trailing one end of the wire in its beak, the Phoenix flew up into the
+darkness once more. The tinkering sounds began again, and a spurt of
+falling debris rattled in the leaves of the hedge.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly it happened. There was a terrific burst of blue light, a
+sharp squawk from the Phoenix, and a shower of sparks. Another blue
+flash blazed up. The lights in the house, and down the whole street,
+flickered and went out. In the blackness which followed, each stage of
+the Phoenix's descent could be heard as clearly as cannon shots: the
+twanging and snapping as it tumbled through the wires, a drawn-out
+squawk and the flop of wings in the air below, the crash into the
+hedge, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> jarring thud against the ground. Broken wires began to
+sputter ominously and fire out sparks. A smell of singed feathers and
+burning rubber filled the air.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_114.jpg" width="600" height="681" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>By the light of the sparks David saw the Phoenix staggering to its
+feet. He jumped to the bird's side, but the Phoenix waved him away
+with its wing.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Quick, my boy," it gasped. "We must make a strategic retreat! Meet me
+on the ledge in the morning. Ouch!" The Phoenix beat at the smoldering
+sparks in its tail and flew off, leaving a trail of acrid smoke
+hanging in the air.</p>
+
+<p>David had the presence of mind to gather up all the tools, the wire,
+bell, and pushbutton, and one of the Phoenix's feathers, which had
+been torn out during the fall. He slipped through a cellar window, hid
+the equipment under a stack of old boxes, and ran noisily up the
+stairs into the kitchen.</p>
+
+<p>"Hey!" he shouted. "The lights are out!"</p>
+
+<p>"Is that you, dear?" came Mother's anxious voice from the dining room.</p>
+
+<p>"The telephone's dead!" Dad shouted from the hall.</p>
+
+<p>Aunt Amy came bumping down the stairs with a candle. "It's that
+burglar!" she cried. "Turning out all the lights so he can murder us
+in our beds!"</p>
+
+<p>"Look!" David shouted, "the line's broken in our back yard!"</p>
+
+<p>They could hear the wailing of sirens now. Fire trucks, repair trucks,
+and police cars pulled up in front of the house. Everyone in the block
+turned out to see what had happened. It took the repair men an hour to
+untangle<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> the wires and fix them. And all the time policemen were
+going through the crowd, asking questions and writing things down in
+their notebooks. They were looking rather haggard, David thought.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figright" style="width: 200px;">
+<img src="images/image_117.jpg" width="200" height="330" alt=""  />
+</div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="f1"><a name="In_Which_David_and_the_Phoenix_Visit_a_Banshee_and_a_Surprise_Is" id="In_Which_David_and_the_Phoenix_Visit_a_Banshee_and_a_Surprise_Is"></a>8: <i>In Which David and the<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Phoenix Visit a Banshee,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and a Surprise Is Planted<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;in the Enemy's Camp</i></p>
+<p>Next day Mother asked David to help her straighten out the garden,
+which had been trampled by the repair men; so he could not go to see
+the Phoenix until after lunch. But when that was finished, he rushed
+up the mountainside as fast as he could, wondering all the way what he
+and the Phoenix were going to do now.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The ledge was empty when he got there. He shouted, "Phoenix!" and
+listened.</p>
+
+<p>"Hel-l-lp!" came a faint answering cry from the other end of the
+ledge.</p>
+
+<p>David jumped through the thicket. A pitiful sight met his eyes. There
+was the Phoenix, dangling by one foot from the snare, its wings feebly
+struggling and its free foot clawing the air. The feathers of its
+wings and tail were singed. Great beads of sweat rolled from its
+forehead into a puddle on the ground below. The snared foot was blue
+and swollen.</p>
+
+<p>"Get me down," gasped the Phoenix weakly.</p>
+
+<p>David took a running leap at the sapling, which broke under the sudden
+increase of weight, and the two of them crashed to the ground. He
+unfastened the noose and dragged the Phoenix to the shadiest, softest
+spot on the ledge.</p>
+
+<p>"Hoist with my own petard," said the Phoenix bitterly. "Rub my foot,
+will you? Oh dear oh dear oh dear! Hurts."</p>
+
+<p>"What happened?" David asked as he rubbed the swollen foot. "How long
+have you been caught?"</p>
+
+<p>"Missed my way in the dark," said the Phoenix, wiping its brow.
+"Thought I was on the other side of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> the ledge, and landed right on
+that fool trap. Hung there all night and all morning. Thought you
+would never come, my boy. Oh dear, oh dear, what a horrible
+experience! My tail was still on fire when I landed, too. I fully
+expected to be burned to a crisp." A large tear rolled down the
+Phoenix's beak.</p>
+
+<p>David murmured soothing words and continued to chafe the Phoenix's
+foot. "Does it feel any better now?"</p>
+
+<p>"The feeling is coming back, my boy," said the Phoenix, gritting its
+beak. "Ouch! All pins and needles." It flexed its toes gingerly. "Rub
+a bit more, please. Gently."</p>
+
+<p>The swelling began to go down. With a handful of damp grass David
+soothed the marks left by the noose.</p>
+
+<p>"That stupid Electric Company!" the Phoenix suddenly burst out.
+"Putting everyone in danger with a short-circuited power line! Let
+this be a lesson to you, my boy. Anything worth doing is worth doing
+well. They will hear from us, believe me! We shall write them a stiff
+complaint!"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Phoenix," said David hopefully, "we can set the snare again if
+we can find another good sapling; and we still have the other one, so
+we're pretty well protected. And why couldn't we meet every night by
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> hedge, the way we did last night? The bell was a good idea, but
+we <i>could</i> get along without it."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix sighed. "I suppose you are right, my boy. There is no use
+crying over spilt milk. One must set one's jaw and&mdash;good heavens, my
+boy! <i>Duck!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix threw itself to the ground and wildly motioned to David to
+do the same. He flattened himself out beside the bird and said, "What
+is it, Phoenix?"</p>
+
+<p>"Down the mountainside," whispered the Phoenix. "Look! Do not stick
+your head over too far."</p>
+
+<p>David wormed his way to the edge, peered down, and gasped. Below him,
+on the grassy slope at the foot of the scarp, was a figure clad in
+khaki. It was the Scientist.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think he saw us?" the Phoenix whispered.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think so," David whispered back. "He's looking off to the
+left. Oh, Phoenix, what if he comes up here? What'll we do?"</p>
+
+<p>"Listen," hissed the Phoenix, "run down there. Talk to him, lead him
+away, distract his attention, anything. Only be quick!"</p>
+
+<p>"All right!"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix melted into the thicket, and David jumped to his feet. As
+he dashed down the trail his brain whirled with questions. What should
+he do? What could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> he say? How could he lead the Scientist away? Where
+would the Phoenix go?</p>
+
+<p>In his haste he forgot one important thing. His foot tripped over the
+pile of grass and leaves on the trail. The released sapling sprang
+upward, the noose tightened with a cruel jerk around his ankle, and he
+was snatched into the air. As the blood rushed to his head he lost
+control of himself and began to struggle wildly and shout at the top
+of his voice.</p>
+
+<p>The flat dry voice of the Scientist drifted to him as if through a
+long tunnel. "What's all this? What are you doing here? Who set this
+snare?"</p>
+
+<p>"Get me down," David choked. "Please!"</p>
+
+<p>A hand seized him by the scruff of the neck. A knife flashed through
+the air and cut the rope. David landed on his feet, but his legs gave
+way and he dropped to his knees. He felt dizzy as the blood rushed
+away from his head again.</p>
+
+<p>The Scientist tilted his sun helmet back and said, "Well,
+well&mdash;David," in a disagreeable tone. His eyes narrowed behind the
+spectacles. "What is this snare doing here?"</p>
+
+<p>David struggled to his feet and clutched a bush for support. "Thank
+you for cutting me down," he said.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The cold blue eyes found David's and held them in a hypnotic stare.
+"What is this trap doing here? Who set it?"</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;I was coming down the trail and&mdash;and&mdash;I was caught in it," David
+stammered.</p>
+
+<p>"You are avoiding my question, young man," said the Scientist.
+"Who&mdash;set&mdash;this&mdash;snare? Answer me!"</p>
+
+<p>There was a brilliant flash of gold and blue in the sunlight, the
+whistle of feathers cleaving the air, the sharp <i>thwock!</i> of fisted
+talons striking. The Scientist pitched forward with a surprised grunt
+and lay still across the trail&mdash;and the Phoenix, executing a flip in
+the air to check its speed, settled down beside David.</p>
+
+<p>"View halloo!" it shouted excitedly. "Yoicks and Tallyho! Did you see
+that stoop, my boy? By Jove, the best-trained falcon could not have
+done better! Believe me, I have been saving that blow for a long time!
+By Jove, what a magnificent stoop! I think I shall take up
+Scientist-hunting as a regular thing!"</p>
+
+<p>"Thank goodness, Phoenix!" David exclaimed. "Another minute and you
+would've been too late! But I hope you haven't&mdash;hurt him very much."</p>
+
+<p>"Nonsense, my boy," said the Phoenix. "A head so stuffed with
+scientific fact cannot be injured. He will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> come to in a short while."
+The Phoenix lifted the Scientist's sun helmet and examined the back of
+his head. "A large lump is developing, my boy. A most pleasant sight!
+I fear the sun helmet is now useless&mdash;crushed like an eggshell." And
+the Phoenix smiled proudly.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_123.jpg" width="600" height="594" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>"Well, I hope it isn't serious," David said doubtfully. "Anyway, we'll
+have to do something."</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely, my boy. But I think we should have a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> drink first." The
+Phoenix detached a canteen from the Scientist's belt and took a deep
+swig. "Ah, delicious! Our friend is well prepared, my boy." And
+indeed, the Scientist had all sorts of things with him: a hand-ax, a
+sheath knife, a compass, a camera, binoculars, a stop watch, notebooks
+and pencils, a coil of rope, maps. There was also a packet of
+sandwiches, which the Phoenix opened and began to eat.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, listen, Phoenix, we have to do something."</p>
+
+<p>"Quite right, my boy," the Phoenix mumbled, with its mouth full. "Have
+a sandwich&mdash;spoils of war&mdash;peanut butter&mdash;very nourishing. The fact is
+that I have just thought of another plan, which cannot fail. Have we
+any money left?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, four gold pieces. Why?"</p>
+
+<p>"Splendid. Now, my boy, I shall leave you. When the Scientist wakes
+up, you will help him down to wherever he lives. Find out where his
+room is. I shall meet you by the hedge at midnight. Be sure you have
+the gold pieces with you."</p>
+
+<p>"All right. What are we&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Sure you will not have a sandwich?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, thank you. What are we&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Very well. Farewell, then, my boy. Till midnight."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>David poured what was left in the canteen over the Scientist's head
+and fanned him with a notebook. Presently the man stirred and groaned.
+Then he sat up and muttered, "What hit me?"</p>
+
+<p>"Can you stand up yet?" David said.</p>
+
+<p>Too dazed to ask any more questions, the Scientist got up, groaning,
+put on his broken spectacles, collected his scattered equipment, and
+leaned on David. The two of them proceeded slowly down the trail
+together, frequently sitting down to rest. The Scientist murmured the
+name of his hotel and pointed out the direction.</p>
+
+<p>Townspeople stared at them as they passed, but no one stopped them or
+asked questions, and they reached the hotel without further incident.
+They entered the lobby, and the Scientist sank into a chair.</p>
+
+<p>"Let me help you to your room," said David.</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes the Scientist got up again, and they took the
+elevator to the fourth floor. David closely watched the direction they
+were going, and when they came into the Scientist's room, he looked
+quickly through the window. There was a fire escape just outside. He
+had the information now: fourth floor, west side, fire escape by
+window.</p>
+
+<p>The Scientist eased himself onto the bed with a groan.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then he turned to David and said severely: "There's something strange
+about all this, and I intend to get to the bottom of it. You'll be
+hearing from me, young man!"</p>
+
+<p>"All right," said David, closing the door. "And you'll be hearing from
+<i>us</i>," he added in an undertone, "if I know the Phoenix!"</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Flying at night was colder than flying by day, but it was more
+thrilling, too. They whistled through an immense blackness. Stars
+glittered overhead, and quicksilver patches of moonlight and shadow
+flashed across the clouds below. They were going to Ireland, but why,
+David did not know. The Phoenix was playing its wait-and-see game
+again.</p>
+
+<p>In an hour or so they shot out over the edge of the cloud mass, and
+David could see a rocky coast below, dark and cold in the half-light.
+The Phoenix began to slant down toward it, and presently they landed
+in a little meadow. One side of the meadow ran down to a bog filled
+with reeds, and on the other side was a gloomy wood. Everything was
+dark and indistinct, but David thought he could tell why the Phoenix
+had called this the Emerald Isle. The grass beneath their feet was the
+thickest he had ever felt. He touched a boulder and found it furry<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span>
+with moss. With the wood and the reed-choked bog, the whole place
+would be rich with various greens in the daylight.</p>
+
+<p>Just then they saw a little man approaching them from the wood. He was
+three feet tall, dressed all in green, and had a long white beard.
+When he reached them he raised his cap politely and said, "Good
+evenin' to you."</p>
+
+<p>"A fine evening to you, my good Leprechaun," said the Phoenix. "Could
+you kindly tell us&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Will you have a cigar?" the Leprechaun interrupted.</p>
+
+<p>With a surprised "Thank you very much," the Phoenix took the cigar,
+bit off the end, and popped it into its beak. The Leprechaun lighted
+it, and the Phoenix puffed away.</p>
+
+<p>"Stick o' gum, lad?" said the Leprechaun to David, holding out a pack.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, yes, thank you," said David. He took the stick of gum from the
+pack, and was immediately sorry for it. The stick was made of wood and
+had a small wire spring, like a mouse trap, which snapped down on his
+finger and made him yelp with pain. At the same instant the Phoenix's
+cigar exploded, knocking the startled bird backwards into a bush.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Haw haw haw!" shouted the Leprechaun, rolling on the ground and
+holding his sides. "Haw haw haw!"</p>
+
+<p>In a trice the Phoenix had pounced on the Leprechaun and pinned him to
+the ground.</p>
+
+<p>"Let him up," said David furiously. "I'll punch his head for him."</p>
+
+<p>"I think, my boy," said the Phoenix coldly, "that I shall carry the
+creature up into the clouds and drop him. Or should we take him back
+with us and hand him over to the Scientist?"</p>
+
+<p>"Now, don't take offense, Your Honor," said the Leprechaun. "I thought
+you'd look at it as kind o' comic."</p>
+
+<p>"Exceedingly comic," said the Phoenix severely. "I am quite overcome
+with mirth and merriment. But perhaps&mdash;<i>perhaps</i>&mdash;I shall let you off
+lightly if you tell us where the Banshee lives."</p>
+
+<p>"The&mdash;the Banshee of Mare's Nest Wood?"</p>
+
+<p>"The same. Speak!"</p>
+
+<p>A new light of respect and fear came into the Leprechaun's eyes.
+"She's a terror, she is. What'll you be wanting&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"None of your business!" roared the Phoenix. "Where is she?"</p>
+
+<p>The Leprechaun had begun to tremble. "Follow the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> path yonder through
+the wood until you reach the cave, Your Honor. You're not friends o'
+hers, are you? You'll not be telling on me? I'm real sorry for those
+jokes, Your Honor."</p>
+
+<p>The Leprechaun's fright was so genuine now that the Phoenix relented
+and let him go. The little creature dashed off like a rabbit into the
+bog.</p>
+
+<p>"Let that be a lesson to you, my boy," said the Phoenix. "Beware the
+Leprechaun bearing gifts. But I wonder why the thought of the Banshee
+frightened him so?"</p>
+
+<p>They followed the path until they came to the mouth of a cave under a
+heap of rocks. The Phoenix plunged in, and David nervously followed.
+The cave turned out to be a long passageway which led, after several
+turns, into a chamber.</p>
+
+<p>From the ceiling of this rocky vault hung an electric light bulb,
+which glared feebly through drifts of smoke. All around the walls were
+wooden boxes, stacked up to make shelves and cupboards. These were
+filled with an astonishing array of objects: bottles, vials, alembics,
+retorts, test tubes, decanters, cages, boxes, jars, pots, skulls,
+books, snake skins, wands, waxen images, pins and needles, locks of
+hair, crystal balls, playing cards, dice, witch-hazel forks, tails of
+animals, spices, bottles of ink in several<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> colors, clay pipes, a
+small brass scale, compasses, measuring cups, a piggy bank which
+squealed off and on in a peevish way, balls of string and ribbons, a
+pile of magazines called <i>The Warlock Weekly</i>, a broken ukulele,
+little heaps of powder, colored stones, candle ends, some potted
+cacti, and an enormous cash register. In the middle of the chamber a
+little hideous crone in a Mother Hubbard crouched over a saucepan,
+stirring it with a wooden spoon. The saucepan was resting in the coals
+of an open fire, and smoke and steam together spread out in a murky,
+foul-smelling fog.</p>
+
+<p>The crone peered at them over the top of her spectacles and cackled,
+"Come in, come in, dearies. I'll be with you as soon as ever I finish
+this brew."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix, who had been gazing around the chamber in surprise, said,
+"My dear Banshee, since when have you taken up witchcraft? This is
+most unexpected."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, 'tis the Phoenix!" exclaimed the hag, peering at them again.
+"Well, fancy that now! Och, you may well ask, and I'll be telling you.
+'Tis a poor life being a Banshee&mdash;long hours and not so much as
+sixpence in it for a full night's work, and I got that sick of it! So
+I changed me trade. 'Sure, you'll never make a go of it,' they told
+me, 'and at your age,' they says, 'and once you've<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> got your station
+in life,' they says, 'there's no changing it.' 'It's in the prime of
+me life I am,' says I, 'and I'll not be changing me mind for all your
+cackling,' says I, 'and if certain mouths don't shut up,' says I,
+'I'll cast spells that'll make certain people wish they were dead.'
+That set them back on their heels, you may be sure. Well, 'twas the
+best decision of me life. The money pours in like sorrows to a widow,
+and I'll be retiring within the year to live out my days like a proper
+queen."</p>
+
+<p>Then the Banshee caught sight of David and hobbled over to him,
+peering into his frightened eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, the wee darling," she crooned, "the plump little mannikin. What a
+broth he'd make, to be sure." She pinched his arm, and he started back
+in terror. "So firm and plump, to make the mouth water. Sell him to
+me, Phoenix!"</p>
+
+<p>"Nonsense," said the Phoenix sharply. "What we desire&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>At this instant the contents of the saucepan began to hiss and bubble.
+"Whoops, dearies, the brew is boiling!" shrieked the Banshee, and she
+hobbled back to the fire to resume her work. She looked in a recipe
+book, stirred, clapped her hands, sang hair-raising incantations in a
+quavery voice, and added a pinch of salt and sulfur. She<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span> sprinkled
+spices from a shaker, waved her wand, popped in a dead toad, and
+fanned up the fire with an ostrich plume.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_132.jpg" width="600" height="600" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>"Now for the hard part," she said, grinning at them toothlessly. She
+measured out a spoonful of green powder, weighed it in the scales, and
+flung it into the saucepan. There was a loud explosion. A huge blast
+of steam flared out and engulfed them. When it had cleared, they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> saw
+the Banshee tilting the saucepan over a small bottle. One ruby drop of
+fluid fell into the bottle. It darted forth rays of light as it fell,
+and tinkled like a silver coin rolling down flights of marble steps.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_133.jpg" width="600" height="603" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>The Banshee corked the bottle and held it up proudly to the light.
+"Will you look at that, now?" she crooned. "The finest ever I brewed.
+Ah, the mystic droplet! Some swain will be buying that, now, and
+putting it in a lassie's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> cup o' tea, and she'll be pining away for
+love of him before the day's out."</p>
+
+<p>She put the bottle on the shelf, pasted a label on it, and turned to
+them with a businesslike air.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, dearies, what'll you be wanting? Philtres? Poison?&mdash;I've a
+special today, only five shillings a vial. A spell? What about your
+fortunes?&mdash;one shilling if seen in the crystal ball, one and six if
+read from the palm. A hex?&mdash;I've the finest in six counties. A ticket
+to the Walpurgis Night Ball?"</p>
+
+<p>"We want a Wail," said the Phoenix. "And we shall accept nothing but
+the best and loudest you have."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, a Banshee's Wail, is it?" cried the hag. "You've come to the
+right shop, dearies, to be sure. Now, let me see...." She hobbled to a
+shelf which contained a row of boxes, ran her finger along them,
+stopped at one, and took it down. "Here we are&mdash;key of C-sharp, two
+minutes long, only five shillings threepence."</p>
+
+<p>"No, no," said the Phoenix. "A larger one. We have something more than
+mice to frighten."</p>
+
+<p>"A bigger one? Och, here's a lovely one, now&mdash;five minutes long,
+ascending scale with a sob at the end, guaranteed to scare a statue.
+Yours for ten and six. I call that a real bargain, now!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Bah!" said the Phoenix impatiently. "Enough of these squeaks! We want
+a real <i>Wail</i>, my dear Banshee&mdash;such a Wail as never before was heard
+on the face of this earth. And stop this babbling about shillings and
+pence. We are prepared to pay in gold." The Phoenix took the four
+pieces of gold from David and carelessly tossed them into the air.</p>
+
+<p>The Banshee's eyes flew wide open, and she twirled herself around like
+a top. "Och, the sweet music of its tinkling!" she exclaimed. "The
+lovely sheen of light upon it! <i>There's</i> a sight for eyes used to
+naught but silver! Ah, but dearies, I've no Wail worth four pieces of
+gold. I'll have to make one up special." She hobbled rapidly around
+the chamber until she had found a box as large as a bird cage, and an
+ear trumpet. She opened the box, shook it to make sure it was empty,
+and put in two heads of cabbage. ("Such monstrous appetites these
+Wails do have!" she explained.) She fastened the lid carefully with a
+catch-lock, and inserted the ear trumpet in a hole in one side of the
+box. Then she disappeared through a sound-proof door, which they had
+not seen before on account of the smoke.</p>
+
+<p>Fifteen minutes later the Banshee came out with the box, plugging up
+the hole in its side with a bit of wax.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> She was pale and trembling,
+and beads of sweat covered her face. She smiled weakly at them, seized
+an earthen-ware jug, and drained it in one gulp. The color began to
+return to her face.</p>
+
+<p>"Wsssht!" she gasped, wiping her brow with the sleeve of her Mother
+Hubbard. "Ah, dearies, that was the effort of me life! 'Tis a Wail to
+make one burst with pride, though I do say it meself. Thirteen minutes
+long by the clock, with a range of ten octaves! 'Twould frighten the
+Old Nick himself!"</p>
+
+<p>"Splendid!" said the Phoenix. "The fact is, I sometimes suspect that
+that is precisely with whom we are dealing at home."</p>
+
+<p>The light suddenly dawned on David. "Phoenix!" he cried. "I bet we're
+going to give the Wail to the Scientist!"</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely, my boy!" The Phoenix beamed.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, golly golly golly!" David sang as he danced around.</p>
+
+<p>"And I'll guarantee it, dearies!" the Banshee cackled. "One hundred
+per cent satisfaction or your money back!"</p>
+
+<p>"Defeat and confusion to the enemy!" the Phoenix shouted, giving the
+special squawk which was its battle cry.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The Banshee received her gold. The Phoenix told David for goodness
+sake not to drop the box or let the lid pop open, or they would regret
+it to their dying day. David, hearing the rustle of the Wail as it
+ravenously attacked the cabbages inside the box, assured the Phoenix
+that he would be careful. The Banshee said, "Ah, Phoenix, do sell the
+laddie to me," but her tone was more teasing than serious, and they
+all laughed. Good-bys were said all round, and David and the Phoenix
+left. The last thing they heard as they felt their way up the dark
+passage was the happy cackling of the Banshee and the clang of the
+cash register.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>They got back to the hotel before dawn and very carefully crept down
+the fire escape into the Scientist's room. They put the box on the
+bedside table, stuck out their tongues at the sleeping Scientist, and
+crept out again. Then they went home, the Phoenix to the ledge and
+David to bed, where he fell asleep instantly.</p>
+
+<p>The Wail was wildly successful. The Scientist released it from its box
+at seven o'clock in the morning. People living in the hotel thought
+the world had come to its end. The rest of the town wondered if it was
+a riot, or an earthquake, or both with three steam calliopes<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> thrown
+in for good measure. David, who lived twelve blocks from the hotel,
+stirred in his sleep and dreamed he was riding a fire engine. Even the
+Phoenix claimed later that a kind of moan was borne on the breeze all
+the way up to the ledge.</p>
+
+<p>The hotel burst into activity like a kicked anthill. People poured
+down the fire escapes, shot out through the doors, lowered themselves
+into the street with ropes of knotted blankets. Others barricaded
+themselves in their rooms by piling furniture against the doors and
+windows. One guest found his way to the cellar and hid in an ash can
+for two days. The manager crawled into the office safe and locked the
+door, without even bothering to remember that he was the only one who
+knew the combination. The telephone exchange was jammed as calls
+flooded in to mobilize the Boy Scouts, the Red Cross, the Salvation
+Army, the National Guard, and the Volunteer Flood Control Association.
+When the Wail finally died out (which was not until seven-thirty,
+because it had devoured both cabbages during the night and had grown
+to more than twice its original size) the police entered the hotel in
+force, armed to the eyebrows. They found nothing. At the end of a
+three-hour search the Chief handed in his resignation.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>As for the Scientist, he disappeared completely. A farmer living three
+miles out of town said he saw a man, dressed in a nightshirt and
+head-bandage, running down the valley road. The farmer guessed the
+man's speed to be thirty-five miles an hour. But, he added, there was
+such a cloud of dust being raised that he could not see very well.</p>
+
+<p>"It might have been fifty miles an hour," he said.</p>
+
+<p>No one doubted him.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_139.jpg" width="600" height="299" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 225px;">
+<img src="images/image_140.jpg" width="225" height="316" alt=""  />
+</div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="f1"><a name="In_Which_David_and_the_Phoenix_Call_On_a_Faun_and_a_Lovely" id="In_Which_David_and_the_Phoenix_Call_On_a_Faun_and_a_Lovely"></a>9: <i>In Which David and<br />
+  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the Phoenix Call On<br />
+  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a Faun, and a Lovely<br />
+  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Afternoon Comes to<br />
+  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a Strange End</i></p>
+<p>The Phoenix was dead tired. And no wonder&mdash;all in one week it had
+escaped from Gryffons, raced with a Witch, made round-trip flights to
+the Pacific Isles and Ireland, been caught in a snare, got burned by a
+short circuit, and been knocked down by an exploding cigar. Even a
+bird as strong as the Phoenix cannot do all these things without
+needing a rest.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> So the traveling part of David's education was
+stopped for a while to let the Phoenix recover.</p>
+
+<p>The days went by pleasantly on the ledge. Summer was at its height.
+The sun fell on them with just the right amount of warmth as they
+lolled on the grass. The air was filled with a lazy murmuring.
+"Listen," the murmuring seemed to say, "don't talk, don't think&mdash;close
+your eyes and listen." Below them, the whole valley danced and wavered
+in the heat waves, so that it seemed to be under water.</p>
+
+<p>There were long, lazy conversations that began nowhere and ended
+nowhere&mdash;the wonderful kind in which you say whatever comes to your
+head without fear of being misunderstood, because what you say has
+little importance anyway. The Phoenix told of the times and adventures
+it had had. Of the forgotten corners of the world where life went on
+as it had from the beginning, and of friends who lived there. Of
+Trolls who mined metal from the earth and made from it wondrous
+machines which whirred and clattered and clanked and did absolutely
+nothing. ("The best kind of machine after all, my boy, since they
+injure no one, and there is nothing to worry about when they break
+down.") Of Unicorns ("Excellent chaps, but so frightfully melancholy")
+which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> shone white in the sun and tossed their ivory horns like
+rapiers. Of a Dragon who, having no treasure to guard, got together a
+pathetic heap of colored pebbles in its cave. ("And really, he came to
+believe in time that they were absolutely priceless, and went about
+with a worried frown of responsibility on his brow!") David, in turn,
+told the Phoenix about the games he used to play when he lived in the
+flat country, and all about school, and Mother and Dad and Aunt Amy
+and Beckie.</p>
+
+<p>He could not help laughing now and then over the Scientist's defeat.
+But whenever this came up, the Phoenix would shake its head with a
+kind of sad wisdom.</p>
+
+<p>"My boy, there are certain things, such as head colds and forgetting
+where you have left your keys, which are inevitable&mdash;and I am afraid
+that the Scientist is, too."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Phoenix, you don't think he'll come back, do you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, my boy, I do. I can see the whole train of events: He will
+recover from his fright. He will be curious about the Wail, and will
+return to investigate it. Once here, he will remember us, and we shall
+have to take him into account once more."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh. Do you think it'll happen soon?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, my boy, nothing to worry about for the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> time being. But we
+must remember that it will happen some day."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I guess you're right. I think he's hateful!"</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot disagree with you there, my boy. Of course, I have no doubt
+that, in general, the advancement of science is all to the good.
+Knowledge is power. But on days like this I sometimes wonder.... Does
+it not seem to you that the highest aim in life at the moment is to
+enjoy the sunlight and allow others to do the same?"</p>
+
+<p>"You're right, Phoenix&mdash;but then, you always are. I was just thinking
+the same thing. It's funny ... I mean ... well, <i>you</i> know. Why can't
+people leave other people alone&mdash;and&mdash;and&mdash;well, just <i>enjoy</i>
+themselves and lie in the sun and listen to the wind?"</p>
+
+<p>"That is the way of the world, my boy. Getting and spending, and all
+that sort of thing. But come! Why should we worry over the follies of
+the rest of the world? A day like this was made for living, not
+thinking. Begone, dull care!"</p>
+
+<p>And they would forget the Scientist and watch a pair of butterflies
+chase each other instead.</p>
+
+<p>But one day the Phoenix suddenly stood up with a startled expression
+on its face. "My dear chap!" it exclaimed. "I have just remembered!
+Tomorrow...."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What about tomorrow?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, my boy, tomorrow another century rounds its mark. To be brief,
+tomorrow is my birthday. My five hundredth birthday."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, congratulations, Phoenix!"</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, my boy. Five hundred.... Destiny.... Have I mentioned
+before, my boy, that I have a magnificent destiny?"</p>
+
+<p>"No. What is it, Phoenix?"</p>
+
+<p>"I&mdash;well, it is strange, my boy, but I do not know ... but that it is
+magnificent no one can doubt."</p>
+
+<p>"Do I have one too?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, my boy. We all do."</p>
+
+<p>David was glad of that. He did not know exactly what a destiny was,
+however, and he tried to think of how one would look. But the only
+picture which came to his mind was that of a small, mousy creature
+(his destiny) looking up in admiration to a splendid thing of flame
+and gold, dazzling to the eyes&mdash;the Phoenix's mysterious destiny.</p>
+
+<p>He said, "We'll have to do something special tomorrow to celebrate,
+Phoenix."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix looked thoughtful. "I think we had better do whatever we
+are going to do <i>today</i>," it said.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, we can do something today <i>and</i> tomorrow, then," said David.
+"After all, a birthday only comes once a year, and it seems a shame to
+spend only one day on it. Especially when it's a five hundredth
+birthday."</p>
+
+<p>"Tomorrow ..." said the Phoenix doubtfully. "I have a strange feeling,
+my boy&mdash;for once, I find myself unable to explain&mdash;most odd, <i>most</i>
+odd ... five hundredth birthday...."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, well," it went on more cheerfully, "I shall undoubtedly remember
+later. The pressing question is, what shall we do now?"</p>
+
+<p>David got up, thought for a while, and suddenly flung his arms wide.
+"Oh, Phoenix," he cried, "it's such a beautiful day, I wish it could
+go on forever! Couldn't we go somewhere&mdash;somewhere where we&mdash;oh, I
+don't know. I can't explain it. Anywhere <i>you</i> say, Phoenix."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix looked at him for a long time. "I think I understand, my
+boy. Yes.... How about one of the forgotten places I told you about?
+Should you like to meet a Faun?"</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>It was a green valley, completely enclosed by the barren mountains
+which towered above it. At one end a waterfall hung on the face of a
+cliff, a misty thread pouring<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> into a rainbow-arched pool. A brook
+serpentined through fields and groves of trees. There were flocks of
+sheep and goats in the fields. Here and there were strange ruins of
+marble and red granite&mdash;columns, peristyles, benches carved with
+lions' heads, and pedestals.</p>
+
+<p>They landed in a little glade, and David got down in silent
+wonderment. The very stillness of the air was enchanted. The grass,
+dappled with sun and shadow, wore a mantle of flowers. Clouds of
+butterflies sprang up at their approach and swirled about them. To
+their right stood two broken columns, half-hidden beneath a wild
+tangle of vine and clusters of purple grapes. Beyond was the forest,
+dark and cool and silent, with shafts of sunlight in it like golden
+spears pinning the forest floor to earth. There was no breeze. And as
+David stood there, scarcely daring to breathe, they heard the sound of
+shepherd pipes coming from the edge of the wood. It was a minor tune,
+but somehow lilting too, with the rippling of water in it, and the
+laughter of birds flying high, and the whisper of reeds as they bend
+together by the edge of streams, and the gaiety of crickets by night,
+and the pouring of summer rain.</p>
+
+<p>The piping died away, and the Phoenix beckoned to the spellbound
+David. Together they walked across<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> the glade, leaving behind them a
+wake of swirling butterflies. An immense oak stood at the edge of the
+forest. At its foot, on a bed of moss, sat the Faun.</p>
+
+<p>He was the same size as David. From the waist down he was covered with
+shaggy hair like a goat's, and instead of feet he had cloven hooves.
+The hair on his head was black and curly, and tumbled around small
+pointed ears and a pair of short horns. His eyes were slanted slightly
+upward, and he had a pointed chin and a snub nose.</p>
+
+<p>The Faun waved his pipes saucily at the Phoenix and gave a wry smile.
+"Hullo, Phoenix! Back again to honor us with your wit and wisdom? What
+gems of advice have you got for us now?"</p>
+
+<p>"My dear Faun," said the Phoenix stiffly, "I have brought my friend
+David, who is acquiring an education. We&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>The Faun smiled at David. "Want to race?" he said.</p>
+
+<p>"Sure," said David. "Where to?"</p>
+
+<p>"One moment," harrumphed the Phoenix. "What we&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Down to that pedestal and back," said the Faun.</p>
+
+<p>"All right. Wait till I tie my shoe."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix harrumphed again. "This is all very well in its place, but
+we <i>should</i>&mdash;"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Ready?" said the Faun. "One, two, three, <i>go</i>!"</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_148.jpg" width="600" height="452" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>They dashed for the stone marker. It was an even race until they
+reached the pedestal, but there David tried to turn without slowing
+down, slipped on the grass, and went sprawling on his hands and knees.
+The Faun knew better. He sprang at the pedestal with both hooves,
+bounced from it like a spring, and began to race back to the oak. But
+then he too fell, tripping over a vine, and David shot past him and
+touched the oak one jump ahead of him, shouting "First!"</p>
+
+<p>They sat down on the moss, panting. The Faun said, "You can really
+run! I'm sorry you fell."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, you fell too, so that makes us even," said David. They looked
+at each other and for some reason burst out laughing. They rolled
+around on the moss and laughed until tears came, while the Phoenix
+fidgeted in reproachful silence.</p>
+
+<p>When they had calmed down a little, the Faun said, "Can you dance?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," said David. "I wish I could, though."</p>
+
+<p>"The educational value of dancing is practically nil," the Phoenix
+began severely. "I advise&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Sure you can dance," said the Faun. "Listen." He brought the pipes to
+his lips and began to play.</p>
+
+<p>And much to his surprise and delight, David found himself dancing as
+though he had never done anything else in his life. The wonderful
+thing was that he did not have to think about what he was doing: the
+music was doing it all for him. He saw that even the Phoenix was
+shuffling around in time to the piping, and looking very embarrassed
+about it, too.</p>
+
+<p>"There," said the Faun when they had finished, "you <i>can</i> dance, and
+very well. Even old Phoenix can dance." Suddenly he jumped up and
+cried, "Let's go&mdash;come on!" and started to run.</p>
+
+<p>David followed, not knowing where they were going<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span> and not caring. The
+Phoenix came after them, half running and half flying to keep up. They
+raced across the glade, through a stand of trees, and out into the
+meadow beyond. There they came to a bank of daisies, and threw
+themselves into the middle of it and began to pelt each other with
+blossoms. The Phoenix, finally caught up in the spirit of it,
+collected a huge bunch while they were wrestling, flew suddenly over
+them, and drowned them beneath a deluge of flowers. Near by was the
+stream. They splashed in the shallows, skipped pebbles over the
+surface, and dug a harbor with two dikes in the sandy part of the
+shore. The Faun showed David how to build little boats of reeds, and
+the Phoenix made them sail by blowing up a wind with its wings.</p>
+
+<p>They had a tree-climbing contest, which David won because his feet
+were better than hooves for standing on branches. But the Faun won the
+jumping contest because of the tremendous spring in his legs. They
+came out even in the handstand, somersault, and skin-the-cat contest.
+And the Phoenix won when they played skip-rope with a piece of vine,
+because it could hover in the air with its wings while the vine
+swished over and under.</p>
+
+<p>They had fun with the sheep and goats, too. The Faun made the animals
+dance and caper to a tune from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> his pipes, and showed David how to
+ride on the rams. You crept up very quietly from behind&mdash;jumped
+suddenly on their backs&mdash;got a quick grip around their necks&mdash;and away
+in a rush! It was almost as good as flying, except that you got jolted
+off sooner or later. Then watch out!&mdash;it took some quick dodging to
+escape the horns of the angry rams. They left the goats alone, because
+of their sharper horns and the wicked look in their eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"I know where some pictures are," said the Faun. "Come on!" And he led
+them to a kind of glade ringed with shattered columns. The ground
+there was covered with moss and drifts of leaves. They each got a
+stick to clear away the debris, and uncovered a beautiful mosaic
+pavement. It was made of bits of colored stone and tile, which were
+arranged to make pictures. There were scenes of youths treading out
+wine, minstrels with lyres, gods with curly hair, and a beast which
+was half man and half horse. There were maidens dancing to flute and
+drums, hunters battling with boars and lions, warriors clashing with
+sword and shield and spear. There were series of pictures telling
+stories of wonders and adventures in far-distant lands, voyages, wars,
+conquests. The Faun proudly pointed out a picture of other Fauns
+dancing with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> Nymphs. The Phoenix gazed very thoughtfully at some
+scenes of a bird building and sitting in a nest of flames. But the
+last pictures of this story had been broken up by roots, so they could
+not see how it ended.</p>
+
+<p>When they came to the end of the valley, where the rainbow arched over
+the pool, David told them of the pot of gold which is supposed to be
+at the foot of rainbows. They looked for it, but without success,
+because the rainbow disappeared whenever they got too close to it. So
+David and the Faun contented themselves with jumping into the pool and
+ducking each other and making bubbly noises, while the Phoenix, who
+could not swim, stood on the shore and beamed at them. They picked
+ferns from under the waterfall and made wreaths and garlands, which
+they threw at the Phoenix's head like quoits. The Faun showed them a
+certain place to shout from if you wanted to hear an echo. The Phoenix
+shouted, "A stitch in time saves nine!" and the echo dolorously
+answered, "A switch is fine for crime."</p>
+
+<p>Wet and tired from splashing in the pool, they stretched out in the
+sun to dry. A grapevine grew near them, and they gorged themselves on
+the fruit, smearing their faces and hands with purple. And David
+closed his eyes and thought, "Now I'm having a dream, and so is the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>
+Phoenix. We're all dreaming the same thing and living in the dream,
+and I wish&mdash;oh, I wish none of us will ever wake up!"</p>
+
+<p>But he had just opened his eyes again when the Faun leaped to his feet
+and cried "Listen!" and flicked his pointed ears forward like a cat.</p>
+
+<p>David stood up and said in a puzzled voice, "I don't hear anything."
+He noticed that the Phoenix had also got up, and was listening
+uncomfortably to whatever it was.</p>
+
+<p>"Listen! Oh, listen!" cried the Faun. There was a joyous light in his
+eyes as he leaned forward with his lips slightly parted, straining
+toward the mysterious silence. Suddenly he shouted, "I'm coming, I'm
+coming!" and dashed off into the wood.</p>
+
+<p>"Good heavens," muttered the Phoenix. "I had forgotten about&mdash;this.
+Let us go home, my boy."</p>
+
+<p>A strange, uncontrollable trembling had seized David's legs. He still
+could hear nothing, but some feeling, some hint of an unknown,
+tremendous event hung quivering in the air about them and sent little
+electric thrills racing up and down his whole body.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Phoenix, what is it, what is it?" he whispered.</p>
+
+<p>"I think we had best be going, my boy," said the Phoenix anxiously.
+"Come along."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix&mdash;" But he heard it now. It came whispering toward them, the
+sound of pipes caroling&mdash;pipes such as the Faun had played, but
+greater, as an organ is greater than a flute. The wild, sweet sound
+rose and fell, swelled like a full choir, diminished into one soprano
+voice that pierced David through and through, caressing and tugging,
+calling, "Come ... come ... run ... run...."</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix!" David cried. "Oh, Phoenix, listen, listen!"</p>
+
+<p>"Run ... run ..." the pipes whispered.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us go home, my boy," said the Phoenix warningly.</p>
+
+<p>"Come ... come ..." cried the pipes.</p>
+
+<p>They could be resisted no longer. In a transport of joy, David shouted
+"I'm coming!" and raced away toward the sound. There was nothing in
+his mind now, nothing in the whole world, but a desire to be near
+those pipes. He must run like the winds, leap and shout, roll in the
+grass, throw himself down flowered slopes, follow that magic music
+wherever it should lead. He fled blindly through the wood, heedless of
+the branches which whipped his face and the thorns which tore at his
+legs. The pipes were calling more loudly now: "Run ...<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> run ... faster
+... faster...." Then the Phoenix plunged to earth in front of him,
+threw out both wings, and shouted "Stop!"</p>
+
+<p>"Let me go, Phoenix!" David cried. "Let me by! I want to run, I must
+run!"</p>
+
+<p>He made a desperate effort to push past the outstretched wings. But
+the Phoenix flung him to the ground, picked him up before he could
+kick once, and threw him on its back. Then they were flying at full
+speed, dodging through gaps in the branches and between close-set
+trunks, with leaves and twigs slashing them from every side. They
+burst out of the wood and sped over a meadow. David saw below them a
+huge Faun-like figure pacing majestically across the sward. A flaming
+wreath encircled its brow, garlands of flowers hung from its arms and
+shoulders, and those enchanted pipes were lifted to its lips. Around
+the cloven hooves, and trailing out behind, danced a multitude of
+creatures&mdash;lambs and kids gamboling, goats and rams tossing their
+horns, foxes, furry waves of squirrels, rabbits kicking up their
+heels, Fauns and Nymphs rollicking, frogs and crickets and serpents.
+Above them flew birds and butterflies and beetles and bats in swirling
+clouds. Full-voiced, the glorious pipes sang. "Come, come, run, run!
+Follow, leap and dance,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> adore and obey! Run, oh, run, heed me before
+all passes! Follow, before it is too late, too late, too late...."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_156.jpg" width="600" height="750" alt=""  />
+</div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And David, in a delirium of desire, shouted "I'm coming!" and jumped
+from the Phoenix's back.</p>
+
+<p>For an instant, as he fell through the air, he thought he would
+succeed in joining the dancing throng. But the Phoenix, plunging after
+him falconwise with folded wings, seized his collar in its talons, and
+snatched him up from the very arms of the Faun, who had recognized him
+and called his name as he fell.</p>
+
+<p>Up toward the cloudless sky they soared. David cried, pleaded,
+pommeled the Phoenix with his fists. The Phoenix ignored his
+struggling and continued to climb with tremendous wing strokes. Up and
+up and up.... The piping grew fainter in the distance, its magic
+weakened. The enchanted dancers diminished into specks, the valley
+fell away until it was only a green splash nestled among the jagged
+peaks. And David burst into tears ... and then wondered why he was
+crying ... and tried to remember, and could not. The trembling left
+his body, and he dangled limply. His eyes closed.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figright" style="width: 250px;">
+<img src="images/image_158.jpg" width="250" height="404" alt=""  />
+</div>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="f1"><a name="In_Which_a_Five_Hundredth_Birthday_Is_Celebrated_and_the_Phoenix" id="In_Which_a_Five_Hundredth_Birthday_Is_Celebrated_and_the_Phoenix"></a>10: <i>In Which a Five Hundredth<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Birthday Is Celebrated,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and the Phoenix<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bows to Tradition</i></p>
+<p>"That's funny," said David, rubbing his eyes and looking around in a
+puzzled way. "Where are we, Phoenix?"</p>
+
+<p>"'Home is the sailor, home from the hill,'" the Phoenix said, "'And
+the hunter home from the sea.' Or is it the other way around? At any
+rate, we are home, my boy."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And so they were.</p>
+
+<p>"Weren't we playing with a Faun just now?"</p>
+
+<p>"Quite so."</p>
+
+<p>"But there was something else," David said. "Something ... Didn't
+somebody say, 'Follow, before it is too late,' or something like that?
+<i>Did</i> we follow?&mdash;I can't remember."</p>
+
+<p>"No, my boy. By the time one hears that, it is already too late."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh." Too late for what? he wondered. Oh, well ... He sighed, and fell
+to daydreaming.</p>
+
+<p>A cough from the Phoenix brought him back.</p>
+
+<p>"Beg your pardon?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have never seen you so thoughtful, my boy. However, I believe I
+know what you are thinking about. It <i>is</i> a difficult problem, is it
+not?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I was just&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"&mdash;thinking what you could get me for a birthday present," interrupted
+the Phoenix. "Am I not correct?"</p>
+
+<p>David, who had not even given this a thought until now, flushed.</p>
+
+<p>"Aha!" said the Phoenix triumphantly. "Just as I thought! Believe me,
+my dear fellow, when you have been around as long as <i>I</i> have, you can
+read the minds of your<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> friends as easily as a book. Now, the problem
+of what to give is a hard one at any time, but the problem of what to
+give for a five hundredth birthday is even harder. A monogrammed ash
+tray? I do not receive cigars often enough to make that practical. A
+hand-knitted sweater? It would not fit (they never do). A gold-plated
+watch chain? I have no watch. No, the best idea would be to get me
+something which I can use."</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly, Phoenix," David stammered. "What <i>do</i> you want, then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! We have reached the kernel of the problem. And the answer, my
+boy, is this: cinnamon."</p>
+
+<p>"Cinnamon?"</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely. Also a box of matches&mdash;the kind that strike anywhere, you
+know."</p>
+
+<p>"Well&mdash;all right. It doesn't sound like much of a present, but if
+that's what you really want.... What are you going to do with them,
+Phoenix? I mean, if you don't mind my asking."</p>
+
+<p>"The plain fact is, my boy," said the Phoenix doubtfully, "the plain
+fact is&mdash;well, I do not know. Odd! But something tells me I shall need
+them. Well, it will come to me in the morning, no doubt. And then, of
+course, I shall be very glad to have them on hand."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"All right, cinnamon and matches, then. And I'll get some&mdash;no, I won't
+tell you <i>that</i>. It'll be a surprise."</p>
+
+<p>"A surprise? Splendid, my boy! You could not, I suppose, drop me a
+small hint? No? But of course not&mdash;one hint and my powerful Intellect
+could guess everything&mdash;and then the surprise would be spoiled. Well,
+until tomorrow, then!"</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/image_161.jpg" width="500" height="296" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>That evening David shut himself in his room and robbed his bank. It
+was a squat, cast-iron box, with "A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned" in
+raised letters on one side. The only way to open it was to smash it
+with a crowbar, but it could be emptied. It had to be tilted just so,
+with a knife blade in the slot to catch the coins and guide<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span> them out.
+This is what David did, with a bread knife borrowed from the kitchen.
+It was a slow, uncertain job, and one coin (he guessed it was a dime
+by the way it rattled) never did come out. But the rest, which
+included his change from Uncle Charles's present, would be enough.</p>
+
+<p>Early next morning he went to the store and bought three large boxes
+of stick cinnamon, two cans of powdered cinnamon, and a huge box of
+matches. For the surprise he got a whole quart of strawberry ice
+cream, with a piece of dry ice to keep it from melting. He wanted to
+buy a cake, too, and candles, but there was not enough money left.
+Then he remembered that a new batch of cookies had been baked at home
+yesterday, which would have to do instead. He wrapped the cinnamon and
+matches up in a neat package with white paper, tied it in a blue
+ribbon, and wrote on it "To Feenix, Happy 500 Birthday, from David."
+Then he took all the cookies from the jar, borrowed two plates and
+spoons, put everything into a large paper bag, and set out for the
+Phoenix's ledge.</p>
+
+<p>He was surprised to find the Phoenix working busily in the middle of a
+wide place on the ledge. Apparently the bird had been at it all night,
+for a huge pile of sticks<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> and brush had been heaped up on the ground
+and shaped roughly like a nest. Right now the Phoenix was struggling
+with a small log, trying to get it on the pile.</p>
+
+<p>"Hello, Phoenix! Happy birthday!"</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, there, my boy! Thank you very much. Could you kindly give me a
+hand with this log?"</p>
+
+<p>They heaved and grunted the piece of wood to the top of the pile, and
+David said, "What's this for, Phoenix?"</p>
+
+<p>"This, my boy, is a pyre. A bit untidy around the edges, but
+nonetheless a pyre."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," said David. "What's that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well&mdash;a <i>pyre</i>, you know&mdash;a sort of fire, as it were."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, <i>fire</i>. I thought you said&mdash;oh, yes. Fire. Isn't it awfully
+<i>warm</i> for a fire?"</p>
+
+<p>"The weather <i>is</i> unusually tropical," said the Phoenix, cocking one
+eye toward the sun. "This fire, however, is necessary&mdash;but I shall
+explain later. Meanwhile, if you will just aid me with this branch&mdash;"
+And for the next fifteen minutes they worked over the heap, adding to
+it and shaping it up. David kept his thoughts to himself. He could see
+that the Phoenix knew what it was doing, so everything must be all
+right.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"By the way, my boy," said the Phoenix casually, when they had
+finished, "my prediction was correct. I knew it would be. The
+inevitable has occurred."</p>
+
+<p>"What are you talking about, Phoenix?"</p>
+
+<p>"The Scientist, my boy. He is in our midst once more."</p>
+
+<p>David clutched a branch in the heap and said "Oh, Phoenix!" in a
+frightened voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, my dear fellow, there is no cause for alarm. He is not nearby at
+present. I sent him back."</p>
+
+<p>"Sent him back? How?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing to it, my boy," said the Phoenix smugly. "He was up at the
+crack of dawn, toiling with typical stupidity in full sight on the
+slope below. He was making a blind of green branches to hide in while
+he spies on me. (Really, the childishness of his efforts! To think for
+a minute he could fool <i>me</i> with such tricks!) Well, I waited until he
+had gone down the slope to cut more greenery, and when his back was
+turned, I slipped down to the blind and took his binoculars."</p>
+
+<p>"But Phoenix, what did you want with his binoculars?"</p>
+
+<p>"I did not want his binoculars, my boy, but <i>he</i> did. His language
+when he discovered the loss was simply<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> frightful&mdash;I could hear it all
+the way up here. Of course, he had to return to town for another
+pair."</p>
+
+<p>"But he'll be back!"</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely, my boy. But he will have something to keep him busy when
+he returns. I took the liberty of destroying his blind. <i>That</i> will
+hold him."</p>
+
+<p>"But it won't hold him long, Phoenix! We've got to think of something
+else. Now your whole birthday is spoiled!"</p>
+
+<p>"On the contrary, my boy, it will hold him long enough. Now please do
+not ask me why; you must take my word for it, and I shall explain
+later. And my birthday is <i>not</i> spoiled. I am looking forward with a
+great deal of pleasure to the surprise which you promised me. Come,
+let us enjoy it, whatever it is, and forget the Scientist."</p>
+
+<p>"Well ... are you <i>sure</i> about the Scientist?"</p>
+
+<p>"Absolutely."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix was so positive that David began to feel better. He picked
+up the paper bag and said: "Well, it isn't much of a surprise,
+really&mdash;just a birthday party. And your present. But I think the
+present should come after the party, don't you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Quite so, my boy. But I shall leave the management of the whole
+affair in your capable hands."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"All right," said David. "Now, you'll have to turn around, Phoenix,
+and not look while I'm getting it ready."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix obediently turned around, clasping its wings behind its
+back, and tried hard not to peek. David set the party things out on
+the grass: ice cream in the middle, the cookies in a ring around it,
+plates on either side, and spoons beside the plates. He set the
+Phoenix's present off to one side, where it could be reached when they
+had finished.</p>
+
+<p>"All right, Phoenix, you can turn around now."</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix took a long look at everything, and said huskily: "My dear
+chap, this is quite the nicest moment of my life. How can I possibly
+thank you?"</p>
+
+<p>They sat down in their places. David passed the cookies and served the ice
+cream, and said that as far as he was concerned, this was the best birthday
+party he had ever been to. And the Phoenix said, "Quite so, my boy, but
+might I make so bold as to ask why?" And David answered, "Well, the reason
+is that usually during birthday parties you have to play stupid games, like
+pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and button-button-who-has-the-button, in spite
+of the fact that eating good things is the real reason for having a party,
+as everybody knows." And the Phoenix said, "Precisely, my boy, but people
+have somehow lost<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> the main idea of the thing. When you come right down to
+it, ice cream is the basis of any sensible party, and everything else is a
+waste of time." And David said, "Yes, Phoenix, but don't forget cake and
+cookies, and candy and nuts and things. They're not as good as ice cream,
+but they're not a complete waste of time, either." And the Phoenix said,
+"Of course not, my dear fellow, they are important too. And speaking of ice
+cream, have you noticed that, while chocolate is very good, and vanilla
+enjoys great popularity, still there is <i>nothing</i> like strawberry?" And
+David said, "Yes, you're right"&mdash;rather sadly, because the Phoenix was
+eating most of it.</p>
+
+<p>At last the ice cream carton was empty and all the cookies were gone.
+They both sighed regretfully and brushed away the crumbs. And the
+Phoenix looked hopefully at the present David had brought.</p>
+
+<p>"Happy birthday, Phoenix," David said, and he handed the gift over
+with a little bow.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, my boy, thank you." The Phoenix opened the package eagerly
+and gave a pleased cry. "<i>Just</i> what I wanted, my dear chap!"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad you like it," David said. "Do you know yet what it's for?
+Can you really use it for something?"</p>
+
+<p>The Phoenix suddenly stopped smiling and looked at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> David with a
+strange expression on its face&mdash;an expression David had never seen
+there before. A vague dread swept through him, and he faltered,
+"Phoenix ... you <i>do</i> know what it's for? What is it? Tell me."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, my boy&mdash;well, the fact <i>is</i>&mdash;yes, I do know. It came to me this
+morning while I was constructing the&mdash;ah&mdash;nest, here. I am afraid it
+will be a bit hard to explain. The cinnamon&mdash;ah&mdash;the cinnamon&mdash;well,
+cinnamon <i>branches</i> are what I should really have...."</p>
+
+<p>"But Phoenix, what's it <i>for</i>?"</p>
+
+<p>"Behold, my boy." The Phoenix opened the boxes, and spread the
+cinnamon sticks on the nest. Then it took the cans and sprinkled the
+cinnamon powder over the top and sides of the heap, until the whole
+nest was a brick-dust red.</p>
+
+<p>"There we are, my boy," said the Phoenix sadly. "The traditional
+cinnamon pyre of the Phoenix, celebrated in song and story."</p>
+
+<p>And with the third mention of the word "pyre," David's legs went weak
+and something seemed to catch in his throat. He remembered now where
+he had heard that word before. It was in his book of explorers, and it
+meant&mdash;it meant&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix," he choked, "wh-wh-who is the pyre for?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"For myself," said the Phoenix.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Phoenix!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>"Now, I implore you&mdash;please&mdash;oh, dear, I <i>knew</i> it would be difficult
+to explain. Look at me, my boy."</p>
+
+<p>David did as he was told, although his eyes were filled with tears and
+he could not see through the blur.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," said the Phoenix gently, "the fact is that I have, besides my
+unusually acute Intellect, an Instinct. This Instinct told me that it
+was my birthday today. It also told me to build this nest of cinnamon.
+Now it tells me that I must make this nest my pyre, because that is
+what the Phoenix does at the end of five hundred years. Now, please,
+my boy!&mdash;I admit it does not appear to be a very joyful way of
+celebrating, but it must be done. This is the traditional end of the
+Phoenix, my boy, and we cannot ignore the tradition, no matter what
+our feelings may be. Do you see?"</p>
+
+<p>"No!" David cried. "Please, Phoenix, don't do it! It's horrible! I
+won't let you do it!"</p>
+
+<p>"But I must, my dear chap! I cannot help it. This is what it means to
+be the Phoenix. Nothing can stop the tradition. Please, my boy, do not
+take on so! It is not in the least horrible, I assure you. My Instinct
+tells me so."</p>
+
+<p>"You said you were going to give me an education,"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> David sobbed. "You
+said we would see&mdash;you said&mdash;and we've only been on four
+adventures&mdash;you never told me about this&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I am terribly sorry, my boy. I could not tell you about it because I
+did not <i>know</i> about it until now. As for your education, it is a pity
+to have it cut short in this way. I had great plans.... But
+consider&mdash;you have had four adventures which no one else in the whole
+world has had! And besides, my boy, we shall see each other again. I
+do not know how or where, but I am positive of it." The Phoenix
+flicked a tear from its eye with the tip of one wing, while with the
+other it patted David awkwardly on the shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't go, Phoenix, <i>please</i> don't go."</p>
+
+<p>"I must, my boy. Here, permit me to present you with a small token
+(ouch!) of our friendship."</p>
+
+<p>Dimly, through his tears, David saw the Phoenix pluck the longest,
+bluest feather from its tail, and he felt it being pressed into his
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Good-by, David," said the Phoenix gruffly.</p>
+
+<p>David could stand it no longer. He turned and rushed blindly from the
+Phoenix, blundered into the thicket, and dropped to the ground with
+his head buried in his arms. Behind him he heard the sticks snapping
+as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span> the Phoenix mounted its pyre. A match rasped against the box. The
+first tongue of flame sizzled in the branches. David pressed his hands
+over his ears to shut out the sound, but he could feel the heat of the
+flames as they sprang up. And the noise would not be shut out. It grew
+and grew, popping, crackling, roaring, until it seemed to fill the
+world....</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Perhaps he fainted. Or perhaps from numbness he slipped into a kind of
+deep sleep. Whichever it was, he returned to consciousness again
+suddenly. His hands had slipped from his ears, and a sound had brought
+him back. He lifted his head and listened. The fire had burnt itself
+out now. The only noise was the hiss and pop of dying embers. But
+these sounds were too gentle to have awakened him&mdash;it must have been
+something else. Yes&mdash;it was a voice. He could hear it quite plainly
+now. There were angry shouts coming from somewhere below the ledge.</p>
+
+<p>Carefully avoiding the sight of the pyre, David crawled to the edge
+and glanced over. Far down, on the slope at the foot of the scarp, was
+a tiny figure dancing and bellowing with rage. The Scientist had
+returned and discovered the ruins of his blind. David watched him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>
+dully. No need to worry about <i>him</i> any more. How harmless he looked
+now, even ridiculous! David turned away.</p>
+
+<p>He noticed then that he was holding something in his hand, something
+soft and heavy. As he lifted it to look more closely, it flashed in
+the sunlight. It was the feather the Phoenix had given him, the tail
+feather. Tail feather?... But the Phoenix's tail had been a sapphire
+blue. The feather in his hand was of the purest, palest gold.</p>
+
+<p>There was a slight stir behind him. In spite of himself, he glanced at
+the remains of the pyre. His mouth dropped open. In the middle of the
+white ashes and glowing coals there was movement. Something within was
+struggling up toward the top. The noises grew stronger and more
+definite. Charred sticks were being snapped, ashes kicked aside,
+embers pushed out of the way. Now, like a plant thrusting its way out
+of the soil, there appeared something pale and glittering, which
+nodded in the breeze. Little tongues of flame, it seemed, licking out
+into the air.... No, not flames! A crest of golden feathers!... A
+heave from below lifted the ashes in the center of the pile, a fine
+cloud of flakes swirled up into the breeze, there was a flash of
+sunlight glinting on brilliant plumage. And from the ruins of the pyre
+stepped forth a magnificent bird.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was the Phoenix, it must be the Phoenix! But it was a new and
+different Phoenix. It was young and wild, with a fierce amber eye; its
+crest was tall and proud, its body the slim, muscular body of a
+hunter, its wings narrow and long and pointed like a falcon's, the
+great beak and talons razor-sharp and curving. And all of it, from
+crest to talons, was a burnished gold that reflected the sun in a
+thousand dazzling lights.</p>
+
+<p>The bird stretched its wings, shook the ash from its tail, and began
+to preen itself. Every movement was like the flash of a silent
+explosion.</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix," David whispered. "Phoenix."</p>
+
+<p>The bird started, turned toward him, looked at him for an instant with
+wild, fearless eyes, then continued its preening. Suddenly it stopped
+and cocked its head as if listening to something. Then David heard it
+too: a shout down the mountainside, louder and clearer now, excited
+and jubilant. He shivered and looked down. The Scientist was tearing
+up the goat trail as fast as his long legs would carry him&mdash;and he was
+waving a rifle.</p>
+
+<p>"Phoenix!" David cried. "Fly! Fly, Phoenix!"</p>
+
+<p>The bird looked at the Scientist, then at David, its glance curious
+but without understanding. Paralyzed with fear, David remained on his
+knees as the Scientist reached<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> an open place and threw the gun up to
+his shoulder. The bullet went whining by with an ugly hornet-noise,
+and the report of the gun echoed along the scarp.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/image_174.jpg" width="600" height="630" alt=""  />
+</div>
+
+<p>"Fly, Phoenix!" David sobbed. A second bullet snarled at the bird, and
+spattered out little chips of rock from the inner wall of the ledge.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, fly, fly!" David jumped up and flung himself<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> between the bird
+and the Scientist. "It's me!" he cried. "It's David!" The bird gazed
+at him closely, and a light flickered in its eye as though the name
+had reached out and almost, but not quite, touched an ancient memory.
+Hesitantly it stretched forth one wing, and with the tip of it lightly
+brushed David's forehead, leaving there a mark that burned coolly.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Get away from that bird, you little idiot!</i>" the Scientist shrieked.
+"<i>GET AWAY!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>David ignored him. "Fly, Phoenix!" he cried, and he pushed the bird
+toward the edge.</p>
+
+<p>Understanding dawned in the amber eyes at last. The bird, with one
+clear, defiant cry, leaped to an out-jutting boulder. The golden wings
+spread, the golden neck curved back, the golden talons pushed against
+the rock. The bird launched itself into the air and soared out over
+the valley, sparkling, flashing, shimmering; a flame, large as a
+sunburst, a meteor, a diamond, a star, diminishing at last to a speck
+of gold dust, which glimmered twice in the distance before it was gone
+altogether.</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><i>The Author</i></h2>
+
+<h2>Edward Ormondroyd</h2>
+<p>When Edward Ormondroyd was about thirteen, his family moved from
+Pennsylvania to Ann Arbor, Michigan. He and a friend began to read
+Arthur Ransome's boating stories and, inspired by the adventures of
+the Swallows, built their own fourteen-foot sailboat and tried to
+re-create that English magic on the Huron River.</p>
+
+<p>In 1943 he graduated from high school and joined the Navy. Destroyer
+Escort 419 was his home for the next two years. "When the war was
+over, she looked in on China and Korea, and came home. She did show me
+San Francisco Bay at dusk. One look convinced me that I would like to
+live by it; and I have, ever since."</p>
+
+<p>After the war, Mr. Ormondroyd went to the University of California at
+Berkeley. He graduated in 1951, and since then has been busy writing,
+sailing as able seaman aboard a tanker, and working as a bookstore
+clerk and machine tender. He lives in Berkeley, California. He is
+married and has one son.</p>
+
+<p>It was while Mr. Ormondroyd was at college that David and the Phoenix
+first intruded into his consciousness. "<i>One day, when I was walking
+across campus, I had a sudden vision of a large and pompous bird
+diving out of a window, tripping on the sill, and falling into a rose
+arbor below. I had to explain to myself why the poor bird was in such
+a situation in the first place, and what became of it afterwards. The
+result of my investigation was</i> <span class="smcap">David and the Phoenix</span>."</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 65%;' />
+
+<h2>David and<br />
+the Phoenix</h2>
+<h3>Edward Ormondroyd</h3>
+<h3><i>Illustrated by Joan Raysor</i></h3>
+<p>David knew that one should be prepared for anything when one climbs a
+mountain, but he never dreamed what he would find that June morning on
+the mountain ledge.</p>
+
+<p>There stood an enormous bird, with a head like an eagle, a neck like a
+swan, and a scarlet crest. The most astonishing thing was that the
+bird had an open book on the ground and was reading from it!</p>
+
+<p>This was David's first sight of the fabulous Phoenix and the beginning
+of a pleasant and profitable partnership. The Phoenix found a great
+deal lacking in David's education&mdash;he flunked questions like "How do
+you tell a true from a false Unicorn?"&mdash;and undertook to supplement it
+with a practical education, an education that would be a preparation
+for Life. The education had to be combined with offensive and
+defensive measures against a Scientist who was bent on capturing the
+Phoenix, but the two projects together involved exciting and hilarious
+adventures for boy and bird.</p>
+
+<p>A wonderful read-aloud book, adventurous and very funny, with much of
+the magic as well as the humor of the fantastic.</p>
+
+<h3>
+<i>Follett Publishing Company</i></h3>
+<h3>
+  <i>New York</i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="smcap">CHICAGO</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Toronto</i>
+</h3>
+
+
+<hr style='width: 65%;' />
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's David and the Phoenix, by Edward Ormondroyd
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVID AND THE PHOENIX ***
+
+***** This file should be named 27922-h.htm or 27922-h.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/2/7/9/2/27922/
+
+Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+
+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/27922-h/images/cover.jpg b/27922-h/images/cover.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa5904a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/cover.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_005.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_005.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e8a0f52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_005.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_011.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_011.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c145554
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_011.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_013.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_013.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ede5551
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_013.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_020.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_020.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b991397
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_020.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_021_01.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_021_01.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..16e95c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_021_01.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_021_03.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_021_03.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aedf6cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_021_03.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_025.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_025.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..55f5d30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_025.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_035.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_035.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..36f6172
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_035.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_036.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_036.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a849b94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_036.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_044.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_044.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7768ce5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_044.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_047.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_047.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b3a4d32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_047.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_050.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_050.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6788973
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_050.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_054.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_054.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7fde9f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_054.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_061.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_061.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d1cf3b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_061.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_063.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_063.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4a1b6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_063.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_064.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_064.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cb87e72
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_064.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_075.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_075.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..961459c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_075.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_081.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_081.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..39316ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_081.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_088.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_088.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d8335fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_088.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_094.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_094.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85136b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_094.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_095.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_095.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b3b611d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_095.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_098.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_098.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..80553b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_098.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_101.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_101.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac72086
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_101.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_107.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_107.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa20ff2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_107.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_114.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_114.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7763c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_114.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_117.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_117.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..04f9e39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_117.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_123.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_123.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..23cbe45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_123.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_132.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_132.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c62d4e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_132.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_133.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_133.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..29d2b0b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_133.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_139.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_139.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0717366
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_139.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_140.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_140.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae151a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_140.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_148.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_148.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f92830d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_148.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_156.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_156.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d13f4dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_156.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_158.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_158.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c1786d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_158.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_161.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_161.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d173ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_161.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_174.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_174.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b8cfab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_174.jpg
diff --git a/27922-h/images/image_602.jpg b/27922-h/images/image_602.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e454b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-h/images/image_602.jpg
diff --git a/27922-page-images/c0001-image1.jpg b/27922-page-images/c0001-image1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..72b284d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/c0001-image1.jpg
diff --git a/27922-page-images/c0002-image1.png b/27922-page-images/c0002-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c12a844
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/c0002-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/c0003-image1.png b/27922-page-images/c0003-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e134fd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/c0003-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/c0004-image1.png b/27922-page-images/c0004-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4194db1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/c0004-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/f0001-image1.png b/27922-page-images/f0001-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f0f88c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/f0001-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/f0002-image1.png b/27922-page-images/f0002-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f985042
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/f0002-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/f0003-image1.png b/27922-page-images/f0003-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5682f85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/f0003-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/f0004-image1.png b/27922-page-images/f0004-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cc41f71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/f0004-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/f0005-image1.png b/27922-page-images/f0005-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c26183
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/f0005-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/f0006-image1.png b/27922-page-images/f0006-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c637949
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/f0006-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/f0007-image1.png b/27922-page-images/f0007-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..636e87c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/f0007-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/f0008-image1.png b/27922-page-images/f0008-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..257b281
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/f0008-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0009-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0009-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c42d44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0009-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0010.png b/27922-page-images/p0010.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a3c205c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0010.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0011-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0011-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..912a8a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0011-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0012.png b/27922-page-images/p0012.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2bd1e68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0012.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0013.png b/27922-page-images/p0013.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d6aaf52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0013.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0014.png b/27922-page-images/p0014.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fe2921a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0014.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0015.png b/27922-page-images/p0015.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b88419d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0015.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0016.png b/27922-page-images/p0016.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..33e45cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0016.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0017.png b/27922-page-images/p0017.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0009de4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0017.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0018-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0018-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c7b8e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0018-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0019-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0019-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..480dafe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0019-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0020.png b/27922-page-images/p0020.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dfa0349
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0020.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0021.png b/27922-page-images/p0021.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..788043c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0021.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0022.png b/27922-page-images/p0022.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af3271d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0022.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0023-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0023-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a6ffac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0023-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0024.png b/27922-page-images/p0024.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..caf3f9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0024.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0025.png b/27922-page-images/p0025.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1161094
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0025.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0026.png b/27922-page-images/p0026.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4f9bb7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0026.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0027.png b/27922-page-images/p0027.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2222ad8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0027.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0028.png b/27922-page-images/p0028.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f9e083
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0028.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0029.png b/27922-page-images/p0029.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f46efbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0029.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0030.png b/27922-page-images/p0030.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..631e0eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0030.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0031.png b/27922-page-images/p0031.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8eb0153
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0031.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0032.png b/27922-page-images/p0032.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9def619
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0032.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0033-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0033-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f512d1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0033-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0034-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0034-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2c4e24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0034-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0035.png b/27922-page-images/p0035.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8515bb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0035.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0036.png b/27922-page-images/p0036.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e920158
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0036.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0037.png b/27922-page-images/p0037.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..544f2c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0037.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0038.png b/27922-page-images/p0038.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..36aa518
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0038.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0039.png b/27922-page-images/p0039.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c2c200b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0039.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0040.png b/27922-page-images/p0040.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..80a9059
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0040.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0041.png b/27922-page-images/p0041.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e834328
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0041.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0042-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0042-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1079c43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0042-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0043.png b/27922-page-images/p0043.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4292f86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0043.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0044.png b/27922-page-images/p0044.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9639805
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0044.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0045-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0045-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f1ea62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0045-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0046.png b/27922-page-images/p0046.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ed37dd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0046.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0047.png b/27922-page-images/p0047.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5eed07b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0047.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0048-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0048-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..085e74d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0048-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0049.png b/27922-page-images/p0049.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..583d887
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0049.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0050.png b/27922-page-images/p0050.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..01725e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0050.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0051.png b/27922-page-images/p0051.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..056a5cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0051.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0052-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0052-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eb6e120
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0052-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0053.png b/27922-page-images/p0053.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96d6b38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0053.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0054.png b/27922-page-images/p0054.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aed1301
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0054.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0055.png b/27922-page-images/p0055.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..abf771d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0055.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0056.png b/27922-page-images/p0056.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3bb70c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0056.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0057.png b/27922-page-images/p0057.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ace8d30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0057.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0058.png b/27922-page-images/p0058.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e73f6ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0058.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0059-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0059-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f2957d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0059-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0060.png b/27922-page-images/p0060.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba12dff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0060.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0061-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0061-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f3280c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0061-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0062-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0062-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bfa6746
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0062-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0063.png b/27922-page-images/p0063.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e2e4c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0063.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0064.png b/27922-page-images/p0064.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..415064e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0064.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0065.png b/27922-page-images/p0065.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a29c2e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0065.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0066.png b/27922-page-images/p0066.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3961fdb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0066.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0067.png b/27922-page-images/p0067.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..569cde5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0067.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0068.png b/27922-page-images/p0068.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cf2c7f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0068.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0069.png b/27922-page-images/p0069.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..963868b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0069.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0070.png b/27922-page-images/p0070.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cc071af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0070.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0071.png b/27922-page-images/p0071.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3f47292
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0071.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0072.png b/27922-page-images/p0072.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fe2e5a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0072.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0073-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0073-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab26efc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0073-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0074.png b/27922-page-images/p0074.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a8b0b12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0074.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0075.png b/27922-page-images/p0075.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac5852e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0075.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0076.png b/27922-page-images/p0076.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b357bb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0076.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0077.png b/27922-page-images/p0077.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb20c0b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0077.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0078.png b/27922-page-images/p0078.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a38ea45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0078.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0079-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0079-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..34cb459
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0079-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0080.png b/27922-page-images/p0080.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2816bd9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0080.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0081.png b/27922-page-images/p0081.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0a93044
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0081.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0082.png b/27922-page-images/p0082.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4eac5f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0082.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0083.png b/27922-page-images/p0083.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dd468dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0083.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0084.png b/27922-page-images/p0084.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c08cff5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0084.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0085.png b/27922-page-images/p0085.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73e1673
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0085.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0086-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0086-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c57988d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0086-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0087.png b/27922-page-images/p0087.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c09274
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0087.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0088.png b/27922-page-images/p0088.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..106d84b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0088.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0089.png b/27922-page-images/p0089.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e9431bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0089.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0090.png b/27922-page-images/p0090.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b1a3bb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0090.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0091.png b/27922-page-images/p0091.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15bc64e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0091.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0092-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0092-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4eedb6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0092-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0093-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0093-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e4516d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0093-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0094.png b/27922-page-images/p0094.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9db519a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0094.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0095.png b/27922-page-images/p0095.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..df6f690
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0095.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0096-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0096-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da7a92f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0096-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0097.png b/27922-page-images/p0097.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d89c052
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0097.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0098.png b/27922-page-images/p0098.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7931c1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0098.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0099-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0099-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7f0950e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0099-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0100.png b/27922-page-images/p0100.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c76b06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0100.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0101.png b/27922-page-images/p0101.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73d56bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0101.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0102.png b/27922-page-images/p0102.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68786a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0102.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0103.png b/27922-page-images/p0103.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b5428c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0103.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0104-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0104-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..abaf529
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0104-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0105.png b/27922-page-images/p0105.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..899a7b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0105.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0106.png b/27922-page-images/p0106.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7c55ece
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0106.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0107.png b/27922-page-images/p0107.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..559a8a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0107.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0108.png b/27922-page-images/p0108.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6cba7bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0108.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0109.png b/27922-page-images/p0109.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..811a03a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0109.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0110.png b/27922-page-images/p0110.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2fef146
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0110.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0111-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0111-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7b6c08
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0111-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0112.png b/27922-page-images/p0112.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..11d1085
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0112.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0113.png b/27922-page-images/p0113.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1debceb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0113.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0114.png b/27922-page-images/p0114.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e571f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0114.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0115-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0115-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..308d719
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0115-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0116.png b/27922-page-images/p0116.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc58caa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0116.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0117.png b/27922-page-images/p0117.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3de1c28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0117.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0118.png b/27922-page-images/p0118.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15031d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0118.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0119.png b/27922-page-images/p0119.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac4a157
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0119.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0120.png b/27922-page-images/p0120.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d64f5ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0120.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0121-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0121-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e8f3079
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0121-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0122.png b/27922-page-images/p0122.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a9aefd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0122.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0123.png b/27922-page-images/p0123.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..69b6539
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0123.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0124.png b/27922-page-images/p0124.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7242762
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0124.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0125.png b/27922-page-images/p0125.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..51b81e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0125.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0126.png b/27922-page-images/p0126.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7f18bd1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0126.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0127.png b/27922-page-images/p0127.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2a9685
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0127.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0128.png b/27922-page-images/p0128.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..98937a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0128.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0129.png b/27922-page-images/p0129.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f938398
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0129.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0130-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0130-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..db78a53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0130-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0131-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0131-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f9986d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0131-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0132.png b/27922-page-images/p0132.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9caae45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0132.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0133.png b/27922-page-images/p0133.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f41d218
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0133.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0134.png b/27922-page-images/p0134.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b31866f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0134.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0135.png b/27922-page-images/p0135.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2e9584
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0135.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0136.png b/27922-page-images/p0136.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..39d44b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0136.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0137-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0137-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd13972
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0137-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0138-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0138-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ccea79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0138-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0139.png b/27922-page-images/p0139.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eccc4d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0139.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0140.png b/27922-page-images/p0140.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..95f69bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0140.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0141.png b/27922-page-images/p0141.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..93dd342
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0141.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0142.png b/27922-page-images/p0142.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9dc495e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0142.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0143.png b/27922-page-images/p0143.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..433166e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0143.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0144.png b/27922-page-images/p0144.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3320d4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0144.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0145.png b/27922-page-images/p0145.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1cf7f21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0145.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0146-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0146-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d2cd386
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0146-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0147.png b/27922-page-images/p0147.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7504cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0147.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0148.png b/27922-page-images/p0148.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..65f52fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0148.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0149.png b/27922-page-images/p0149.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c66420
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0149.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0150.png b/27922-page-images/p0150.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..feef9b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0150.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0151.png b/27922-page-images/p0151.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..02d71a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0151.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0152.png b/27922-page-images/p0152.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..475f3e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0152.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0153.png b/27922-page-images/p0153.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..106cb9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0153.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0154-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0154-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..936da23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0154-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0155.png b/27922-page-images/p0155.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..93698fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0155.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0156-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0156-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2de544c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0156-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0157.png b/27922-page-images/p0157.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0ed3a1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0157.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0158-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0158-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e0516f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0158-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0159.png b/27922-page-images/p0159.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2b61a09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0159.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0160.png b/27922-page-images/p0160.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..80e0310
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0160.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0161.png b/27922-page-images/p0161.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9419925
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0161.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0162.png b/27922-page-images/p0162.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..21b041f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0162.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0163.png b/27922-page-images/p0163.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e5034f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0163.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0164.png b/27922-page-images/p0164.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..660e3a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0164.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0165.png b/27922-page-images/p0165.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..14053c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0165.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0166.png b/27922-page-images/p0166.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..397b48b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0166.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0167.png b/27922-page-images/p0167.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..310984d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0167.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0168.png b/27922-page-images/p0168.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0a82167
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0168.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0169.png b/27922-page-images/p0169.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fcd120f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0169.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0170.png b/27922-page-images/p0170.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85979e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0170.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0171.png b/27922-page-images/p0171.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..60cc084
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0171.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0172-image1.png b/27922-page-images/p0172-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4a3640
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0172-image1.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/p0173.png b/27922-page-images/p0173.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bda3537
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/p0173.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/q0001.png b/27922-page-images/q0001.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b190ade
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/q0001.png
diff --git a/27922-page-images/q0002-image1.png b/27922-page-images/q0002-image1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3206110
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922-page-images/q0002-image1.png
diff --git a/27922.txt b/27922.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..95196c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,4340 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of David and the Phoenix, by Edward Ormondroyd
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: David and the Phoenix
+
+Author: Edward Ormondroyd
+
+Illustrator: Joan  Raysor
+
+Release Date: January 28, 2009 [EBook #27922]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVID AND THE PHOENIX ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                         Transcriber's note:
+
+       Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the
+       U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
+
+
+
+                                DAVID
+
+                               and the
+
+                               PHOENIX
+
+
+
+
+                        _by Edward Ormondroyd_
+
+
+                      ILLUSTRATED BY JOAN RAYSOR
+
+
+
+
+                  Follett Publishing Company CHICAGO
+
+
+
+
+
+
+             DAVID AND THE PHOENIX, by Edward Ormondroyd
+
+                _Copyright 1957, by Edward Ormondroyd_
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+Contents
+
+
+1.  _In Which David Goes Mountain Climbing, and a
+     Mysterious Voice Is Overheard_                         9
+
+2.  _In Which David Meets the Phoenix, and There Is a
+     Change in Plans_                                      19
+
+3.  _In Which It Is Decided that David Should Have an
+     Education, and an Experiment Is made_                 34
+
+4.  _In Which David and the Phoenix Go To Visit the
+     Gryffins, and a Great Danger Is Narrowly Averted_     45
+
+5.  _In Which the Scientist Arrives in Pursuit of the
+     Phoenix, and There Are Alarums and Excursions by
+     Night_                                                61
+
+6.  _In Which the Phoenix Has a Plan, and David and
+     the Phoenix Call On a Sea Monster_                    79
+
+7.  _In Which the Phoenix's Plan Is Carried Out, and
+     There Are More Alarums and Excursions in the Night_   99
+
+8.  _In Which David and the Phoenix Visit a Banshee,
+     and a Surprise Is Planted in the Enemy's Camp_       115
+
+9.  _In Which David and the Phoenix Call On a Faun,
+     and a Lovely Afternoon Comes to a Strange End_       138
+
+10. _In Which a Five Hundredth Birthday Is Celebrated,
+     and the Phoenix Bows to Tradition_                   156
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+_For Shirley and Josh_
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+1: _In Which David Goes Mountain Climbing, and a Mysterious Voice Is
+Overheard_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+All the way there David had saved this moment for himself, struggling
+not to peek until the proper time came. When the car finally stopped,
+the rest of them got out stiffly and went into the new house. But
+David walked slowly into the back yard with his eyes fixed on the
+ground. For a whole minute he stood there, not daring to look up. Then
+he took a deep breath, clenched his hands tightly, and lifted his
+head.
+
+There it was!--as Dad had described it, but infinitely more grand. It
+swept upward from the valley floor, beautifully shaped and soaring, so
+tall that its misty blue peak could surely talk face to face with the
+stars. To David, who had never seen a mountain before, the sight was
+almost too much to bear. He felt so tight and shivery inside that he
+didn't know whether he wanted to laugh, or cry, or both. And the
+really wonderful thing about the mountain was the way it _looked_ at
+him. He was certain that it was smiling at him, like an old friend who
+had been waiting for years to see him again. And when he closed his
+eyes, he seemed to hear a voice which whispered, "Come along, then,
+and climb."
+
+It would be so easy to go! The back yard was hedged in (with part of
+the hedge growing right across the toes of the mountain), but there
+was a hole in the privet large enough to crawl through. And just
+beyond the hedge the mountainside awaited him, going up and up in one
+smooth sweep until the green and tawny faded into hazy heights of
+rock. It was waiting for him. "Come and climb," it whispered, "come
+and climb."
+
+But there was a great deal to do first. They were going to move into
+the new house. The moving van was standing out in front, the car must
+be unloaded. David would be needed to carry things. Regretfully, he
+waved his hand at the peak and whispered, "It shouldn't take
+long--I'll be back as soon as I can." Then he went around to the front
+door to see what could be done about speeding things up.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Inside, everything was in confusion. Dad was pushing chairs and
+tables around in an aimless way. Mother was saying, "They'll all have
+to go out again; we forgot to put down the rug first." Aunt Amy was
+making short dashes between the kitchen and the dining room, muttering
+to herself. And Beckie was roaring in her crib because it was time for
+her bottle. David asked, "Can I do anything?"--hoping that the answer
+would be no.
+
+"C'mere," Aunt Amy said, grabbing him by the arm. "Help me look for
+that ironing board."
+
+When the ironing board was finally located, Mother had something for
+him to do. And when he was finished with that, Dad called for his
+help. So the afternoon wore on without letup--and also without any
+signs of progress in their moving. When David finally got a chance to
+sneak out for a breathing spell, he felt his heart sink. Somehow, in
+all the rush and confusion, the afternoon had disappeared. Already the
+evening sun was throwing shadows across the side of the mountain and
+touching its peak with a ruddy blaze. It was too late now. He would
+have to wait until morning before he could climb.
+
+As he gazed up miserably at the glowing summit, he thought he saw a
+tiny speck soar out from it in a brief circle. Was it a bird of some
+sort, or just one of those dots that swim before your eyes when you
+stare too long at the sky? It almost seemed like the mountain waving
+its hand, as if to say that it was quite all right for him to wait
+until morning. He felt better then, and returned more cheerfully to
+the moving.
+
+It was long after dark before the moving van drove away. Beckie
+crooned happily over her bottle, and the rest of them gathered in the
+kitchen for a late supper of sandwiches and canned soup. But David
+could not eat until he had found the courage to ask one question:
+
+"May I climb the mountain tomorrow?"
+
+Aunt Amy muttered something about landslides, which were firmly fixed
+in her mind as the fate of people who climbed mountains. But Dad said,
+"I don't see why not, do you?" and looked to Mother for agreement.
+
+Mother said, "Well ... be very careful," in a doubtful tone, and that
+was that.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+You never know what you will find when you climb a mountain, even if
+you have climbed them before--which, of course, David never had.
+Looking up from the foot of the mountain, he had thought that it was a
+smooth slope from bottom to top. But he was discovering as he climbed
+that it was not smooth at all, but very much broken up. There were
+terraces, ledges, knolls, ravines, and embankments, one after
+another. The exciting part of it was that each feature concealed the
+ones above it. At the top of a rise would be an outcropping of
+strangely colored rock, invisible from below. Beyond the outcropping,
+a small stand of aspens would quiver in the breeze, their quicksilver
+leaves hiding a tiny meadow on the slope behind. And when the meadow
+had been discovered, there would be a something else beyond. He was a
+real explorer now. When he got to the top, he thought, he would build
+a little tower of stones, the way explorers always do.
+
+But at the end of two hours' steady climbing, he was ready to admit
+that he would never reach the peak that day. It still rose above his
+head, seeming as far distant as ever. But he did not care now. It had
+been a glorious climb, and the distance he had already covered was a
+considerable one. He looked back. The town looked like a model of a
+town, with little toy houses and different-colored roofs among the
+trees that made a darker patch on the pattern of the valley floor. The
+mountains on the other side of the valley seemed like blue clouds
+stretching out over the edge of the world. Even the peak could not
+give him a better view than this.
+
+David gazed up the face of a scarp which rose like a cliff above
+him--a smooth, bare wall of rock that had halted his climb. Halfway
+up the scarp was a dark horizontal line of bushes, something like a
+hedge. Apparently there was a ledge or shelf there, and he decided to
+climb up to it before he returned home. To scale the rock face itself
+was impossible, however: there were no hand or foot holds. So he
+turned and made his way through the grass until he reached the end of
+the bare stone. Then he started upward again. It was hard work. Vines
+clutched at his feet, and the close-set bushes seemed unwilling to let
+him pass. He had one nasty slip, which might have been his last if he
+had not grabbed a tough clump of weeds at the crucial instant.
+
+But, oh! it was worth it. He felt like shouting when at last he
+reached the ledge. Truly it was an enchanted place! It was a long,
+level strip of ground, several yards wide, carpeted with short grass
+and dandelions. Bushes grew along most of the outer edge. The inner
+edge was bounded by a second scarp--a wall of red stone with sparkling
+points of light imbedded in its smooth surface.
+
+David threw himself on the grass and rolled in it. It was warm and
+soft and sweet-smelling; it soothed away the hurt of his aching
+muscles and the sting of his scratches. He rolled over on his back and
+cushioned his head in his hands. The sky seemed to be slipping along
+overhead like a broad blue river. The breeze ruffled his hair and
+whispered, the bushes murmured and gossiped to each other. Even the
+sunlight seemed to hum to him as it laid warm hands on his face.
+
+But there was another sound, which now and then rose above these
+murmurs. Then it would fade and be drowned out by the breeze. Hard to
+say why, but it just did not seem to fit there. David propped himself
+up on his elbows and listened more intently. The sound faded: he had
+been imagining it. No, he had not been imagining it--there it was
+again. He sat up. Now he noticed that the ledge was divided by a
+thicket which grew from the inner side to the outer. The noise,
+whatever it was, came from the other side of the thicket.
+
+David's curiosity was aroused, but it occurred to him that it might be
+wise to be cautious. The noise did not sound dangerous, but--well, he
+had never been up a mountain before, and there was no telling what he
+might find. He dropped into a crouch and crept silently up to the
+tangle of bushes. His heart began to pound, and he swallowed to
+relieve the dryness in his throat. The noise was much more distinct
+now, and it sounded like--like--yes, not only sounded like, but
+_was_--someone talking to himself.
+
+Who could it possibly be? Well, there was only one way to find out.
+
+He dropped down on his stomach and carefully began to worm his way
+under the thicket. The branches grew very low, and the ground was full
+of lumps and knobs which dug into him with every movement. There were
+vines, too, and some prickly things like thistles, which had to be
+pushed out of the way without allowing their leaves to rustle. He
+progressed by inches, pushing with his toes, pulling with his finger
+tips, wriggling with the rest of his body. At last he could see light
+breaking through the foliage in front of him--he was nearing the other
+side. A bunch of leaves hung before his face. He hesitated, then
+pushed them aside gently, slowly--and peered out.
+
+He thought his heart would stop.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+2: _In Which David Meets the Phoenix, and There Is a Change in Plans_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+There stood an enormous bird.
+
+David had been to the zoo, and at home he had a book of birds with
+colored pictures. He knew the more common large birds of the world:
+the ostrich, the condor, the albatross, eagles, cranes, storks. But
+_this_ bird--! Its shape was like that of an eagle, but stouter. Its
+neck had the length and elegant curve of a swan's neck. Its head was
+again like an eagle's, with a hooked bird-of-prey beak, but the
+expression in its brown eyes was mild. The long wings were blunt at
+the tips, the tail was short and broad. The legs, feathered halfway
+down, ended in taloned feet. An iridescent sheen sparkled on its
+plumage, reflecting sunlight from the scarlet crest, the golden neck
+and back, the breast of silver, the sapphire wings and tail. Its size
+alone would have been enough to take David's breath away. He could
+have stood beneath the arch of that neck with room to spare.
+
+But the most astonishing thing was that the bird had an open book on
+the ground and was apparently trying to learn part of it by heart.
+
+"_Vivo, vives, vive_," the bird read, very slowly and distinctly,
+staring hard at the book. "_Vivimos, vivis, viven._ _That_ is simple
+enough, you blockhead! Now, then, without looking." It cleared its
+throat, looked away from the book, and repeated in a rapid mutter:
+"_Vivo vives vive vi_--ah--_vivi_--oh, dear, what _is_ the matter with
+me?" Here the temptation to peek overcame it for an instant, and its
+head wavered. But it said, "No, no!" in a firm tone, looked carefully
+the other way, and began once more.
+
+"_Vivo, vives, vive_--quite correct so far. Ah--_vi_--ah--Oh, dear,
+these verbs! Where was I? Oh, yes. _Vivo_--"
+
+David's head reeled as he watched this amazing performance. There was
+no need to pinch himself to see if he were dreaming: he was perfectly
+wide awake. Everything else around him was behaving in a normal way.
+The mountain was solid beneath him, the sunlight streamed down as
+before. Yet there was the bird, unmistakably before him, undeniably
+studying its book and speaking to itself. David's mind caught hold of
+a phrase and repeated it over and over again: "What on _earth_? What
+on _earth_?" But of course there was no answer to that question. And
+he might have lain hidden there all day, staring out at the bird and
+marveling, had it not been for a bee which came droning into the
+thicket straight for him.
+
+He had a horror of bees, ever since he had once bumped into a hive by
+mistake. When he heard that dread sound approaching, his whole body
+broke into a sweat. All thought of the bird was immediately driven
+from his head. He could tell from the noise that it was one of those
+big black-and-yellow fuzzy bees, the ones with the nasty dispositions.
+Perhaps--the thought paralyzed him--perhaps he was lying on its nest.
+On it came, buzzing and blundering through the leaves. Suddenly it
+was upon him, so close that he could feel the tiny breeze stirred up
+by its wings. All self-control vanished. He beat at it wildly with his
+hands, burst out of the thicket like an explosion, and smashed full
+tilt into the bird before he could stop himself.
+
+With a piercing squawk the bird shot into the air, flipped over, and
+came fluttering down facing him--talons outstretched, hooked beak
+open, eyes a-glare. Completely terrified, David turned and bolted for
+the thicket. He managed to thrash halfway through when a vine trapped
+his feet. He pitched forward, shielding his face with his arms, and
+was caught up short by a dead branch snagging his shirt.
+
+He was stuck. This was the end. He closed his eyes and waited, too
+numb with fear to think or cry out.
+
+Nothing happened. Slowly he turned his head around. The bird, although
+it still glared menacingly, seemed undecided whether to attack or
+flee.
+
+"What, may I ask, are you doing here?" it said at last, in a severe
+voice.
+
+"I--I--I was taking a walk," David said faintly. "I'm awfully sorry if
+I bothered you or anything."
+
+"You should not have come up here at _all_," the bird snapped.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Well, I'm really sorry. But there was a bee in the bush here. I--I
+didn't mean to...." The fright had been too much. Tears started in
+David's eyes, and his lip began to tremble.
+
+The bird seemed reassured, for its manner visibly softened. It lowered
+and folded its wings, and the glare faded from its eyes.
+
+"I'd go away," David mumbled apologetically, "only I'm stuck." He
+rubbed his eyes on his sleeve.
+
+The bird looked at his dismal face and began to fidget awkwardly.
+"There, there," it said. "I had no intention of--I am afraid that
+I--Stuck, did you say? Very easily mended, my dear fellow! Merely a
+question of--Here, let me look." It crashed through the thicket to
+where David was caught and thrust its head down through the branches.
+Its muffled voice came floating up. "Take heart! There seems to
+be--aha! just so--One moment, please--bit of vine--_there_ we are!"
+There was a snapping sound from below, and David's foot was released.
+He unstuck the snag from his shirt, pushed his way out of the thicket,
+and sat down weakly on the grass. Whew! At least the bird was not
+going to harm him. It seemed to be quite a kindly creature, really. He
+had just frightened it and made it angry by bursting out of the bushes
+so suddenly.
+
+He heard a flailing in the thicket, followed by the bird's anxious
+voice: "Hello! Are you still there?"
+
+"Yes. What--?"
+
+There were more sounds of struggle. "This is rather awkward. I--the
+fact is, I am afraid, that I am stuck myself. Could you--"
+
+"Yes, of course," said David. He smiled to himself, a little shakily,
+and re-entered the thicket. When he had disentangled the bird, the two
+of them sat down on the grass and looked at each other. They
+hesitated, not quite sure how to begin.
+
+"I trust," said the bird at last, "that you are not of a scientific
+turn of mind?"
+
+"I don't know," said David. "I'm interested in things, if that's what
+you mean."
+
+"No, it is not. There is a great deal of difference between the
+interest shown by normal people and the obsessive interest of
+scientists. You are not, I hope, acquainted with any scientists?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Ah," said the bird, with a relieved sigh. "Everything is quite all
+right, then. I do hope that you will forgive my behavior. I am not
+usually so rude. The fact is that you gave me quite a horrible start."
+
+"Oh, I'm sorry I frightened you."
+
+"Frightened, my dear fellow?" said the bird testily. "I am never
+frightened. I do not know the meaning of the word."
+
+"What I mean is," David said quickly, "that you frightened _me_." This
+seemed to pacify the bird; and David, to heighten the good
+impression, added: "Golly, you looked fierce."
+
+The bird smiled complacently, "I _can_ rise to a terrifying ferocity
+when aroused. A noble strain of fighting blood courses through my
+veins. Not that I go out of my way to seek quarrels, you understand.
+On the contrary. 'Peaceful' could well describe my general attitude.
+Meditative. I am usually to be found Thinking. I have a powerful
+intellect. No doubt you have noticed the stamp of genius on my brow."
+
+David supposed that the bird meant its scarlet crest, and he nodded.
+"That's one of the first things I noticed about you."
+
+"Indeed?" cried the bird delightedly. "You are certainly more alert
+than most! But, as I was saying, I am usually to be found Thinking.
+The first condition of Thinking is solitude. And that, I fear, is a
+desideratum most difficult of realization."
+
+"I beg your pardon?"
+
+"People," explained the bird, "do not leave you alone."
+
+"Oh," said David. He flushed, thinking that the words had been aimed
+at him, and began to get up. But the bird signaled him to remain where
+he was.
+
+"I do not mean _you_, my dear fellow. I assure you that I am delighted
+to make your acquaintance. It is all the others. Do you know that I
+have spent the greater part of my life being pursued? I was chased out
+of Egypt like a common game bird. Out of the mountains of Greece, too.
+The hills of Lebanon, the desert of Africa, the Arabian wilds--no
+matter where I fled, people would come prying and peering and sneaking
+after me. I have tried Tibet, China, and the steppes of Siberia--with
+the same result. At last I heard of a region where there was peace,
+where the inhabitants let each other alone. Here, I thought, I
+should--"
+
+"Pardon me for interrupting. Where?"
+
+"Why, _here_, to be brief," said the bird, waving its wing toward the
+valley. "Here, I thought, I should be able to breathe. At _my_ age one
+likes a little quiet. Would you believe that I am close to five
+hundred years old?"
+
+"Golly!" said David. "You don't look it."
+
+The bird gave a pleased laugh. "My splendid physical condition _does_
+conceal my years. At any rate, I settled here in the hope of being
+left alone. But do you think I was safe?"
+
+David, seeing that he was supposed to answer no, shook his head.
+
+"Quite right," sighed the bird. "I was not. I had been here no more
+than three months when a Scientist was hot on my trail. A most
+disagreeable fellow, always sneaking about with binoculars, a camera,
+and, I fear, a gun. That is why you startled me for an instant. I
+thought you were he."
+
+"Oh," David cried, "I'm awfully sorry. I didn't bother you on purpose.
+It's just that I never saw a mountain before, so I climbed up here to
+see what one looked like."
+
+"You climbed up here?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Climbed," said the bird, looking very thoughtful. "Climbed ... I
+might have known.... It proves, you see, that the same thing could be
+done again by someone older and stronger. A very grave point."
+
+"Oh, I see," said David. "You mean the--"
+
+"Precisely! The Scientist. He is, I fear, very persistent. I first
+noticed him over there"--the bird waved its wing toward the opposite
+side of the valley--"so I removed to this location. But he will
+undoubtedly continue his pursuit. The bad penny always turns up. It
+will not be long before the sharp scientific nose is again quivering
+in my direction."
+
+"Oh, dear, that's terrible!"
+
+"Your sympathy touches me," said the bird huskily. "It is most unusual
+to find someone who understands. But have no fear for me. I am taking
+steps. I am preparing. Imagine his disappointment when he arrives here
+and finds me flown from the nest. I am, to be brief, leaving. Do you
+see this book?"
+
+"Yes," said David. "I heard you reading it, but I couldn't understand
+it. Is it magic?"
+
+"No, my boy, it is Spanish. I have chosen a little spot (chilly, but
+isolated) in the Andes Mountains. South America, you know. And of
+course one must be prepared. I am learning Spanish so that I shall be
+able to make my way about in South America. I must admit my extreme
+reluctance to depart. I have become very fond of this ledge. It is
+exactly suited to my needs--ideal climate, magnificent view...."
+
+They fell into a lengthy silence. The bird gazed sadly out over the
+valley, and David rested his chin in his hands and thought. The
+mystery was clearing up. The bird's presence on the mountain and the
+fact that it had been reading a book were explained. And so natural
+was its speech that David found himself accepting it as nothing
+unusual. The thing that worried him now was that the bird would soon
+leave. Here they had only just met, and already the promise of a most
+interesting friendship was dissolving. The bird had taken time to talk
+to him and explain things to him as though he were an equal. And
+although he did not understand many of the long words it used, he felt
+pleased at being spoken to as though he did understand. And the bird
+knew all about faraway countries--had visited them and lived in them
+and had adventures in them for almost five hundred years. Oh, there
+were so many things David wanted to know and ask about! But the bird
+was leaving. If only he could persuade it to stay, even for a short
+while! He could try, anyhow--after all, the bird had said itself that
+it did not want to go.
+
+"Bird--" He stopped, and flushed. It was hard to put into words.
+
+"Your servant, my boy."
+
+"Well--I--I don't believe I know your name," David stammered, unable
+to get the real question out.
+
+"Ah, forgive me!" cried the bird, jumping up. "Permit me the honor of
+presenting myself. I daresay my name is familiar to you, celebrated as
+it is in song and story. I am the one and only, the Unique, Phoenix."
+And the Phoenix bowed deeply.
+
+"Very glad to meet you," said David. "I'm David."
+
+"Delighted, my dear fellow! An honor and a pleasure." They shook hand
+and wing solemnly. "Now, as you were saying--?"
+
+"Well, Phoenix, I was just thinking," David stammered. "It's too
+bad--I mean, couldn't you--it would be nice if we--Well, do you really
+_have_ to go to South America? It would be nice if you'd stay a while,
+until the Scientist shows up, anyway--and I like talking with you...."
+His face burned. It seemed like a lot to ask.
+
+The Phoenix harrumphed several times in its throat and shuffled its
+feet. "Really, I cannot tell you how--how much you--well, really--such
+a delightful request! Ah--harrumph! Perhaps it can be arranged."
+
+"Oh, Phoenix!" David threw his arms around the bird's neck and then,
+unable to restrain himself any longer, turned a somersault on the
+grass.
+
+"But for the present, it seems to be getting late," said the Phoenix.
+"We shall talk it over some other time and decide."
+
+"Golly, it _is_ late--I hadn't noticed. Well, I'll have to go, or
+they'll worry about me at home. But I can come up and see you
+tomorrow, can't I?"
+
+"Of course, my boy! In the bustle of morning, in the hush of noon, in
+the--ah--to be brief, at any time."
+
+"And I'll bring you some cookies, if you like."
+
+"Ah," said the Phoenix, closing its eyes. "Sugar cookies, by any
+chance?" it asked faintly. David noticed the feathers of its throat
+jumping up and down with rapid swallowing motions.
+
+"I'll ask Aunt Amy to make some tonight."
+
+"Ah, splendid, my boy! Splendid! Shall we say not more than--ah--that
+is, not _less_ than--ah--fifteen?"
+
+"All right, Phoenix. My Aunt Amy keeps a big jar full of cookies, and
+I can have as many as I like."
+
+The Phoenix took David's arm, and together they strolled to the other
+end of the ledge.
+
+"Now, don't mention this to anyone, but there is an old goat trail
+down this side. It is somewhat grown over, but eyes as sharp as yours
+should have no trouble with it. It will make your travels up and down
+easier. Another thing--I trust you will not make known our
+rendezvous?"
+
+"Our what?"
+
+"You will not tell anyone that I am here?"
+
+"Oh, no. I won't say a word! Well, I'll see you tomorrow."
+
+"Yes. As the French so cleverly say it--ah--well, to be brief,
+good-by, my boy. Until tomorrow, then."
+
+David waved his hand, found the goat trail, and started down. He was
+too happy even to whistle, so he contented himself with running
+whenever he found a level place. And when he reached home, he stood on
+his hands in the back yard for two whole seconds.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+3: _In Which It Is Decided that David Should Have an Education, and an
+Experiment Is Made_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Next day it took less than an hour to reach the ledge, and David was
+sure that he could shorten the time even more when he was familiar
+with the goat trail.
+
+The Phoenix was not in sight when he arrived, and for an instant David
+was stricken with fright. Had the bird gone in spite of its promise?
+But no--he heard a reassuring noise. It came from the thicket, and it
+sounded very much like a snore.
+
+David smiled to himself and shouted, "Hello, Phoenix!"
+
+There was a thrashing sound in the thicket, and the Phoenix appeared,
+looking very rumpled and yawning behind its wing.
+
+"Greetings, my boy!" it cried. "A splendid morning!" Then the Phoenix
+caught sight of the paper bag in David's hand, and swallowed in a
+suggestive way.
+
+David thrust the bag of cookies behind his back. "Now, Phoenix," he
+said firmly, "you have to promise me you won't go away to South
+America. You said last night that it could be arranged, so let's
+arrange it right now. Until we do, not one."
+
+The Phoenix drew itself up indignantly. "My very dear fellow," it
+said, "you wound me. You cut me to the quick. I will not be bribed.
+I--" It stopped and swallowed again. "Oh, well," it continued, more
+mildly, "one does not fight fate, does one? I suppose under these
+circumstances, I must accept."
+
+"It's settled, then!" David cried joyfully.
+
+So they sat down on the grass together, and for a long time nothing
+was heard but sounds of munching.
+
+"My boy," said the Phoenix at last, brushing the crumbs from its
+chest, "I take a modest pride in my way with words, but nothing in the
+language can do these--ah--baked poems justice. Words fail me."
+
+"I'm glad you like them," David said politely.
+
+"And now, my boy," continued the Phoenix, as it settled back
+comfortably, "I have been thinking. Yesterday you showed an
+intelligent interest in my problems and asked intelligent questions.
+You did not scoff, as others might have done. You have very rare
+qualities."
+
+David flushed, and mumbled denials.
+
+"Do not be so modest, my boy! I speak the truth. It came to me that
+such a mind as yours, having these qualities, should be further
+cultivated and refined. And I should be avoiding my clear-cut duty if
+I did not take this task in hand myself. Of course, I suppose some
+attempt to educate you has already been made, has it not?"
+
+"Well, I go to school, if that's what you mean. Not now, though,
+because it's summer vacation."
+
+"And what do they teach you there?"
+
+"Oh, reading and writing and arithmetic, and things like that."
+
+"Aha!" said the Phoenix triumphantly. "Just as I suspected--a
+classical education. Understand me--I have nothing against a
+classical education as such. I realize that mathematics, Greek, and
+Latin are excellent for the discipline of the mind. But in the broad
+view, a classical education is not a true education. Life is real,
+life is earnest. One must face it with a _practical_ education. The
+problems of Life, my dear fellow!--classical education completely
+ignores them! For example, how do you tell a true Unicorn from a false
+one?"
+
+"I--I don't know."
+
+"I thought not. Where do you find the Philosopher's Stone?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"Well, then, I shall ask a simple one. What is the first rule of
+defense when attacked by a Chimera?"
+
+David squirmed uncomfortably. "I'm afraid I don't know that, either,"
+he said in a small voice.
+
+"There you are!" cried the Phoenix. "You do not have a true, practical
+education--you are not ready for Life. I, my boy, am going to take
+your education in hand."
+
+"Oh," said David. "Do you mean--are you going to give me--lessons?"
+Through his mind flashed a picture of the Phoenix (with spectacles on
+its beak and a ruler in its wing) writing out sentences on a
+blackboard. The thought gave him a sinking feeling. After all, it was
+summer--and summer was supposed to be vacation time.
+
+"And what an education it will be!" the Phoenix went on, ignoring his
+question. "Absolutely without equal! The full benefit of my vast
+knowledge, plus a number of trips to--"
+
+"Oh, _traveling_!" said David, suddenly feeling much better. "That's
+different. Oh, Phoenix, that'll be wonderful! Where will we go?"
+
+"Everywhere, my boy!" said the Phoenix, with an airy wave of its wing.
+"To all corners of the earth. We shall visit my friends and
+acquaintances."
+
+"Oh, do you have--"
+
+"Of course, my boy! I am nothing if not a good mixer. My acquaintances
+(to mention but a few) include Fauns, Dragons, Unicorns, Trolls,
+Gryffins, Gryffons, Gryffens--"
+
+"Excuse me," David interrupted. "What were those last three, please?"
+
+"Gryffins," explained the Phoenix, "are the small, reddish, friendly
+ones. Gryffons are the quick-tempered proud ones. Gryffens--ah, well,
+the most anyone can say for them is that they are harmless. They are
+very stupid."
+
+"I see," said David doubtfully. "What do they look like?"
+
+"Each looks like the others, my boy, except that some are bigger and
+some are smaller. But to continue: Sea Monsters, Leprechauns, Rocs,
+Gnomes, Elves, Basilisks, Nymphs--ah--and many others. All are of the
+Better Sort, since, as I have many times truly observed, one is known
+by the company one keeps. And your education will cost you nothing. Of
+course it _would_ be agreeable if you could supply me with cookies
+from time to time."
+
+"As many as you want, Phoenix. Will we go to Africa?"
+
+"Naturally, my boy. Your education will include--"
+
+"And Egypt? And China? And Arabia?"
+
+"Yes. Your education will--"
+
+"Oh, Phoenix, Phoenix!" David jumped up and began to caper, while the
+Phoenix beamed. But suddenly he stopped.
+
+"How are we going to travel, Phoenix?"
+
+"I have wings, my boy."
+
+"Yes, but I don't."
+
+"Do not be so dense, my dear fellow. I shall carry you on my back, of
+course."
+
+"Oh," said David weakly, "on your--on your back. Are you sure
+that--isn't there some other--I mean, can you do it?"
+
+The Phoenix drew itself up to its full height. "I am hurt--yes, deeply
+hurt--by your lack of faith. My magnificent build should make it
+evident that I am an exceedingly powerful flyer. In the heyday of my
+youth I could fly around the world in five hours. But come along. I
+shall give you proof positive."
+
+David reluctantly followed the Phoenix to a spot on the edge of the
+shelf where there was a gap in the bushes. He glanced over the brink.
+The sheer face of the scarp fell away beneath them, plunging down to
+the tiny trees and rocks below. He stepped back quickly with a
+shudder.
+
+"Let's--let's do it tomorrow," he quavered.
+
+"Nonsense," said the Phoenix firmly. "No time like the present. Now,
+then, up on my back."
+
+"H-h-how am I going to sit?"
+
+"On my back. Quite so--now, your arms around my neck--your legs
+_behind_ my wings, please--there we are. Ready?"
+
+"No," said David faintly.
+
+"Splendid! The proof is to be demonstrated, the--to be brief, we are
+off!"
+
+The great wings were outstretched. David gulped, clutched the
+Phoenix's neck tightly, and shut his eyes. He felt a hopping
+sensation, then a long, sickening downward swoop that seemed to leave
+his stomach far behind. A tremendous rush of air snatched at his
+shirt. He opened his eyes and choked with fright. The ground below was
+rushing up to meet them, swaying and revolving. Something was terribly
+wrong. The Phoenix was breathing in hoarse gasps; its wings were
+pounding the air frantically. Now they had turned back. The scarp
+loomed before them, solid and blank. Above them--high above them--was
+the ledge. It looked as though they would not get back to it.
+
+Up ... up ... up.... They crawled through the air. The wings flapped
+wildly, faster and faster. They were gaining--slipping back--gaining
+again. The Phoenix sobbed as it stretched its neck in the last effort.
+Fifty feet ... twenty feet ... ten.... With a tremendous surge of its
+wings, the Phoenix managed to get one claw over the edge and to seize
+the branch of a bush in its beak. David's legs slipped from the bird's
+back. He dangled over the abyss from the outstretched neck, and
+prayed. The bush saved them. They scrabbled up over the edge, tottered
+there for an instant, and dropped on the grass.
+
+For a long time they lay gasping and trembling.
+
+At last the Phoenix weakly raised its head. "Puff--well, my boy--puff
+puff--whew!--very narrow squeak. I--puff--"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+David could not answer. The earth reeled under him and would not stop
+no matter how tightly he clutched the grass.
+
+"Puff--I repeat, I am--puff--an exceedingly powerful flyer. There are
+few birds--none, I daresay--who--puff--could have done even this
+much. The truth of the matter is that you are a lot--puff--heavier
+than you look. I hope you are not being overfed at home?"
+
+"I--I don't know," said David, wondering whether or not he was going
+to be sick.
+
+"Well, my course is clear," said the Phoenix firmly. "I must practice.
+Setting-up exercises, roadwork, and what not. Rigorous diet. Lots of
+sleep. Regular hours. Courage, my dear fellow! We shall do it yet!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+And so for the following week the Phoenix practiced.
+
+Every morning David climbed up to the ledge, bringing sandwiches for
+himself, cookies for the Phoenix, and a wet towel. Then, while he kept
+count, the Phoenix did setting-up exercises. After this, the bird
+would jog trot up and down the ledge and practice jumping. Then there
+would be a fifteen-minute rest and refreshment period. And when that
+was over, the Phoenix would launch itself into the air. This was the
+part David liked best. It was a magnificent sight. The Phoenix dashed
+back and forth at top speed, wheeled in circles, shot straight up like
+a rocket--plunged, hovered, looped--rolled, soared, fluttered. Now and
+then it would swoop back to the ledge beside David and wipe the sweat
+from its brow.
+
+"I trust you see signs of progress, my boy?"
+
+David would wrap the wet towel around the Phoenix's neck. "You're
+doing better and better, Phoenix. I especially like that part where
+you twist over on your back and loop and plunge, all at the same
+time."
+
+"I do perform that rather well, don't I? It is not easy. But just the
+thing for acquiring (ouch!) muscle tone. Are there any more cookies?
+Ah, there are. Delicious! As I was saying, let this be a lesson to
+you, my boy. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."
+
+The Phoenix would take wing again. And David would settle back against
+a rock and watch. Sometimes he thought of the education he was to get.
+Sometimes he thought how nice it would be if _he_ could fly. And
+sometimes he did not think at all, but just sat with his eyes half
+shut, feeling the sunlight on his face and listening to the rustle of
+the wind in the thicket.
+
+At the end of the week the Phoenix, after a brilliant display of
+acrobatics, landed on the ledge, clasped its wings behind its back,
+and looked solemnly at David.
+
+"Well, my boy," it said, "I believe your education can begin
+forthwith. Are you ready?"
+
+
+
+
+4: _In Which David and the Phoenix Go To Visit the Gryffins, and a
+Great Danger Is Narrowly Averted_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+A chill raced up and down David's spine as he got to his feet.
+
+"Do--do you think a week's practice is enough?"
+
+"Absolutely, my dear fellow. I am now in the very pink of condition.
+Not that I was ever out of condition, mind you. It was merely that
+I--ah--well, to be brief, my boy, I am now ready."
+
+"Yes, but--well, you remember the last time."
+
+"Yes. Look here--if it will make you feel better, suppose we have a
+trial flight along the ledge."
+
+"Well--all right."
+
+David got up as before on the Phoenix's back. The Phoenix spread its
+wings and hopped into the air. They glided easily down the length of
+the ledge, clearing the thicket in the middle by a good two feet.
+
+"There you are, my boy," said the bird proudly, as they landed at the
+other end. "Shall we go?"
+
+"Let's go," said David, as bravely as he could.
+
+They were in the air again. Once more he felt that rush of wind
+against his face and heard the pounding of wings. But this time there
+was no giddy downward swoop. He breathed again and opened his eyes.
+The world was falling away, and everything on it was growing smaller
+by the second. The valley could be cradled in two hands; the mountains
+on either side looked like wrinkles in gray cloth. Now he could see
+plains in the distance, and little silver threads of rivers. As he
+looked, the whole world began to revolve slowly. The Phoenix was
+soaring in a wide circle.
+
+"Well, my boy," it called over its shoulder, "whom shall we visit
+first?"
+
+"It's really up to you, Phoenix," David shouted back, "but how about
+the--the--Biffens or Whiffens, or whatever you called them?"
+
+"You mean the Gryffins, Gryffons, and Gryffens, my boy? Very well. We
+shall visit the Gryffins only, however. It is best to leave the others
+alone."
+
+The Phoenix swung around and began to fly toward the morning sun with
+such tremendous speed that David had to crouch down to avoid being
+blown off. The wind screamed past his ears, tore at his shirt and
+hair, and made his eyes brim over with tears. It was cold, but he was
+too excited to care. Below them, plains, rivers, forests, and cities
+rushed across the face of the earth.
+
+"This is wonderful, Phoenix!" David shouted.
+
+The Phoenix's reply was not clear. "... normal speed ... air stream ...
+prime days of my youth ..." were the only words David caught, but he could
+tell from the tone that the Phoenix was pleased.
+
+The view below was not to last long. Within half an hour they had run
+into a heavy overcast, and for a long time it was like flying through
+very wet, cold cotton. David glanced down, hoping to see the fog thin
+out. Suddenly he caught sight of a black object rocketing up toward
+them. Before he could call out a warning, the thing hurtled by, so
+close that its backwash very nearly knocked him from the bird's back.
+The Phoenix reduced speed; and the black object, after banking in a
+wide curve, came cruising up alongside. David was amazed to see that
+it was a pale but beautiful lady, dressed all in black, sitting on a
+broom.
+
+"Hello, Phoenix!" she cried in a teasing voice. "I haven't seen you in
+_ever_ so long."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Good morning, I am sure," the Phoenix replied stiffly, staring
+straight ahead.
+
+"Phoenix," the lady continued coaxingly, "I'm awfully bored. Won't you
+race me? Please?"
+
+"Idle hands find mischief to do," said the Phoenix severely. "_We_ are
+making good use of our time, and I suggest that _you_ do the same."
+
+"Don't be so stuffy, Phoenix." She pouted. "Come and race with me.
+I've got a new broom, and I want to see how good it is. Please!"
+
+"No," said the Phoenix sharply.
+
+"Oh, all right for _you_!" she said, tossing her head. "You just don't
+dare, because you know I'll beat your tail feathers off!" And she shot
+back into the mist below.
+
+"Indeed!" the Phoenix snorted. "Beat my tail feathers off! Ha!"
+
+"Is she a Witch?" David asked.
+
+"Yes, my boy, and a shocking example of the decline of the younger
+generation. She will come to no good end, believe me. Tail feathers,
+indeed!"
+
+Just then they burst out of the clouds and into the hot sunlight.
+Below them, the land was wild and desolate, a vast rolling plain
+covered for the most part with dry, tawny grass. Here and there were
+groves of trees drooping beneath the sun. The Phoenix, still snorting
+indignantly to itself, dropped to within a hundred feet of the ground.
+They began to soar back and forth.
+
+"Can you see anything, my boy?"
+
+David had never seen a Gryffin, of course; so he was not sure what to
+look for. But he caught sight of something lying in the shade of a
+bush and pointed it out to the Phoenix.
+
+"Ah, quite so," the Phoenix said doubtfully. "It does not look like
+a--but we can take a closer look."
+
+They landed and walked toward the bush. In its shadow sprawled a very
+untidy animal. Its tail and hindquarters were exactly like those of a
+panther, its chest and forelegs were like a hawk's, and it had pointed
+wings. Burrs matted its dusty fur. Its claws were shabby and split,
+and numerous black flies were crawling over its haunches. The bush
+trembled with its snoring.
+
+"Bah! We are wasting our time here, my boy. This is a Gryffen. A
+disgusting brute, isn't it?" And the Phoenix sniffed disapprovingly.
+
+"Maybe if we wake it up," David suggested, "it could tell us where the
+other ones live."
+
+"Next to impossible. For one thing, a cannon could not awaken the
+beast. For another thing, it would not, even if awake, be able to tell
+us anything. You simply cannot imagine the stupidity of these brutes."
+
+"Well, let's _try_ it, anyway," David said.
+
+"Very well, my boy. But it will be a complete waste of time." The
+Phoenix shrugged its shoulders, stepped up to the Gryffen, and kicked
+it violently.
+
+"Phoenix!" David cried in alarm. "Don't hurt it!"
+
+"No fear," said the Phoenix, delivering another lusty kick. "One
+simply cannot damage a sleeping Gryffen. Give me a hand, my boy."
+
+David took hold of the Gryffen's wing, and the Phoenix seized its
+tail. For the next ten minutes they kicked and pulled and pounded,
+shouting "HEY!" and "WAKE UP!" at the top of their lungs. It was hot
+work, and David finally admitted to himself that the Phoenix had been
+right. But before he could say so, the Phoenix completely lost its
+temper and savagely bit the Gryffen's tail.
+
+That did it. The Gryffen opened one eye halfway and said, "Unffniph?"
+
+"GET UP!!" the Phoenix bellowed.
+
+The Gryffen struggled into a sitting position and yawned a tremendous
+and noisy yawn. Then it squinted blearily at David and murmured,
+"What day is it?"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Wednesday," David said. "Could you please tell us--"
+
+"Oh, Wednesday," said the Gryffen. It thought about this for a while,
+mumbling "Wednesday ... Wednesday ..." to itself. It lifted one leg as
+if to scratch the fly bites, changed its mind in mid-gesture, and
+dropped the leg again. "Oh, _Wednesday_," it said at last. "So it
+isn't Saturday?"
+
+"No," said David. "What we want to know is--"
+
+"Not Saturday," said the Gryffen, sinking down to the ground with a
+huge sigh of relief. "Ah! Come back on Saturday. Saturday afternoon. I
+generally get up on Saturday ... in the ... afternoon...." The words
+faded into a snore.
+
+"There you are, my dear fellow," said the Phoenix. "Just as I said.
+Oaf! Boor!"
+
+"A _very_ annoying animal," said David angrily.
+
+"I agree, my boy. But the Gryffins are different, I assure you. Now,
+let me see. Where should we look--"
+
+"There they come!" David cried suddenly. "Look!" And indeed, a number
+of winged creatures were loping down a hillside toward them.
+
+"Good heavens!" the Phoenix shouted. "Those are the ones we do _not_
+want to meet! On my back, _quick_!"
+
+"What are they?" David gasped as he threw himself on the bird's back.
+
+"Gryffons!"
+
+The Phoenix rushed along the ground a few feet and sprang into the
+air. But it was too late. The foremost Gryffons, with powerful strokes
+of their wings, shot up to meet them. The Phoenix swerved sharply.
+They missed the snapping beak of the first Gryffon by half an inch and
+dodged the second--only to smash into a third. David was stunned by
+the blow and the fall. When he regained consciousness, he found
+himself in the tight grip of two Gryffons. The Phoenix was struggling
+feebly with another, and still more were crowding around them,
+screaming like hawks.
+
+They looked like the sleeping Gryffen, but were as large as ponies.
+Their eyes were yellow and unblinking, and their tails twitched like
+an angry cat's. Their smell, like the lion house in the zoo, made
+David feel faint.
+
+"Well, Phoenix," said the largest Gryffon coldly, "you know the Rule,
+I believe?"
+
+The Phoenix smiled weakly and cleared its throat. "Ah, there,
+Gryffon," it said unsteadily. "Fancy meeting you here. Ah--ah--rule?
+What rule?"
+
+"Rule 26," said the Gryffon. "'No human being shall be allowed to
+enter the--'"
+
+"Oh, that rule," said the Phoenix, with a careless laugh. "I thought
+everyone knew that the Council of 1935 had changed it. Can it be that
+you have not yet heard?"
+
+"That won't do, Phoenix. You have also heard, of course, of the
+penalty for breaking the Rule, which you must suffer along with this
+human boy?"
+
+"Now, one moment, my dear Gryffon! I--ah--"
+
+"Death!"
+
+The Phoenix quailed, and David's legs went limp under him. But they
+had no chance to plead with the Gryffons. Their captors formed two
+lines, one on each side of them, and at a scream of command from the
+leader, all began to march. The Gryffon that had been holding the
+Phoenix winked horribly at David and made a throat-cutting gesture
+with its wing.
+
+"Courage, my boy," the Phoenix whispered. "It is always darkest before
+dawn."
+
+Presently they reached a hillside. David and the Phoenix were marched
+up to a cave and thrown in. Two of the Gryffons sat down at the
+entrance to guard them while the others went off to consider the best
+method of carrying out the penalty.
+
+David was terribly frightened now, but he did not want to let the
+Phoenix know it. In a voice which trembled a little he asked, "What
+are we going to do?"
+
+The Phoenix frowned. "Do not be downcast, my boy. My brain is equal to
+any occasion. I shall Think. Silence, please."
+
+And the Phoenix, covering its eyes with one wing, Thought.
+
+To keep himself occupied, David explored the cave. But there was
+nothing to see. The cave was small and bare. He tested the walls
+thoroughly to see if there were any places where they might dig their
+way out. There were none. His feet raised a cloud of fine dust, which
+got into his eyes and nose and made him sneeze violently. Discouraged,
+he went back to the Phoenix and sat down. There was a long silence.
+
+Gradually an idea came to David. It started as a small, faint thought
+at the back of his mind, wavered, began to grow and expand and fill
+out--became bigger and clearer and better and--
+
+"Phoenix!" cried David, jumping to his feet.
+
+"My boy, my very dear boy," said the Phoenix, its voice breaking with
+emotion, "I have Thought, I have Pondered, I have--well, to be brief,
+it is no use. Stiff upper lip, my boy! We are Doomed."
+
+"Phoenix, I--"
+
+"Let this be a lesson to you, my boy, even though it be your last one.
+Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Ah! who could have said, in
+the golden days of my youth, that I should come to such an end! Oh,
+miserable bird! Oh, unhappy boy!"
+
+"Phoenix--"
+
+"But we can show them how to die, my boy! We still have that--the last
+magnificent gesture. Let those who have lived wisely and well show
+that they can die in the same way! I hope I am to go first, so that
+you may have an example to follow."
+
+"_Phoenix!_"
+
+"My boy?"
+
+"Listen, please!" And David whispered in the Phoenix's ear.
+
+The plan had seemed like a good one while it was still in his mind,
+but put into words it sounded a little too simple. As he whispered,
+David began to feel more and more foolish, so that finally he stopped
+altogether.
+
+"I--I guess it's really kind of silly," he stammered.
+
+But the Phoenix was looking at him with hope and admiration in its
+eyes. "My very dear chap," it said solemnly, "I salute you. I humbly
+await your signal."
+
+"Do you really think it will work?"
+
+"My boy, it must--it can--it shall. Proceed."
+
+Poor as the plan now seemed to David, he prepared to carry it out.
+Holding his breath so as not to sneeze again, he scooped up as much
+dust as he could hold in two hands. Then he took his position on one
+side of the cave, nodded the Phoenix toward the other, and glanced out
+to see if the guardian Gryffons were looking. They were not.
+
+"Now," he whispered.
+
+The cave rocked with their uproar. David screamed at the top of his
+voice and kicked the walls. The Phoenix let out a series of
+ear-splitting whistles and squawks and beat its wings frantically.
+Echoes bounced from wall to wall. The two Gryffons came rushing into
+the cave, adding to the racket with their shrieking. "Now!" David
+shouted, and he flung the double handful of dust into the Gryffons'
+faces. Instantly they were all choking and sneezing in the thick
+cloud. He plunged between the legs of the two Gryffons, who in the
+confusion began to bite and tear savagely at each other.
+
+David and the Phoenix burst out of the cave together. The other
+Gryffons, aroused by the noise, were bounding toward them. David flung
+himself on the Phoenix's back and shouted "Fly!" and sneezed. From
+somewhere behind him a set of talons snatched out and ripped through
+the back of his shirt. He kicked blindly and felt his foot crunch into
+something which shrieked. "Fly, Phoenix!" he sobbed. The Phoenix was
+already in the air and needed no encouragement. They heard raucous
+cries and the thunder of wings behind them. David looked back over his
+shoulder. The Gryffons were rising from the ground in pursuit, their
+legs drawn up under them and their wings beating. "Faster!" he
+screamed.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"You have seen nothing in the way of flying until now, my boy," the
+Phoenix shouted back. "Watch this!" Its wings were two blurs slicing
+through the air and roaring like kettledrums. The ground below
+streamed backwards. David looked back again. The Gryffons were falling
+into the distance. Their cries were getting fainter. Now they looked
+like a flock of starlings ... now like a cluster of flies ... now
+like gnats. And then they had faded out of sight, and David and the
+Phoenix were streaking over the grassland alone.
+
+Ten minutes later they reached a shore and landed. They flopped on the
+sand, panting. And David, suddenly feeling very faint, closed his eyes
+and put his head between his knees. After they had got their breath,
+the Phoenix patted David on the shoulder and said huskily:
+
+"I congratulate you, my boy. Your plan was magnificent--precisely what
+_I_ should have done, had I thought of it first. Needless to say, we
+shall not go on looking for the Gryffins. But now you know exactly
+what they are like: midway in size between the Gryffens and Gryffons,
+and reddish in color. Most amiable souls, willing to do anything for
+anyone. It is hard to believe that they are all related. But enough,
+my boy. Let us go home."
+
+As soon as they reached the ledge, the Phoenix put David down and
+prepared to take off again.
+
+"Where are you going, Phoenix?" David asked.
+
+"Some business to attend to, my boy."
+
+Muttering under its breath something that sounded like "tail feathers,
+indeed!" the Phoenix soared off. And David, stiff and sore and
+thoroughly tired, started down the mountainside for home.
+
+
+
+
+5: _In Which the Scientist Arrives in Pursuit of the Phoenix, and
+There Are Alarums and Excursions by Night_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+The lights downstairs were all on when David got home, and as soon as
+he opened the front door he could tell that they had company.
+
+He shouted, "I'm home!" and sneezed. The dust from the Gryffons' cave
+still clung to him, tickling his nose.
+
+"Well, here he is at last," said Dad's voice. "Come on in, David."
+Then, as David walked into the living room, "Good heavens, Son, what's
+happened to you?"
+
+"Your _back_, David!" Mother said in a horrified voice. "Your poor
+back! What _happened_ to you?"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+David felt himself. The back of his shirt was ripped to tatters, and
+there were three lines of caked blood across his shoulders. He
+remembered now: it was the Gryffon that had tried to grab him as he
+and the Phoenix made their escape. But he had promised the Phoenix to
+keep its secret.
+
+He stammered, "I--I had an accident."
+
+"And dust all _over_ you!" Mother went on.
+
+"Well," said David desperately, "it was a _dusty_ accident."
+
+"It seems to have been very dusty indeed," said a third voice. There
+was a loud sneeze.
+
+David's father jumped up. "You gave me such a shock when you came in
+that I almost forgot, David. We have a guest." And he introduced David
+to a very tall, thin man with a bald head. His face and neck were
+burnt red by the sun, and he had on a pair of thick glasses which made
+his pale eyes look immense. For some reason David took an instant
+dislike to him, but he shook hands politely and said, "How do you do?"
+
+"David, eh?" said the man. "Well, well. Are you a good boy, David?"
+
+Of all the stupid questions in the world, that was the one David hated
+most. He clenched his teeth and looked the other way.
+
+"David, dear," said Mother with an awkward laugh, "I think you'd
+better go upstairs and wash and change."
+
+When David came into the living room again, the guest was talking
+excitedly. "... completely unknown to man," he was saying. "It's the
+discovery of the age. My name will be famous if I succeed in my
+plans."
+
+"How fascinating!" Mother said. "And to think of it happening right
+here!"
+
+"And it's huge," the guest said, "simply huge. And brilliantly
+colored. For a scientist like myself, it's more than fascinating."
+
+David was listening now. Scientist? _Scientist!_ His heart missed a
+beat, and he choked. Oh, no, it couldn't be _the_ Scientist. _Or could
+it?_
+
+"David here spends all his time up on the mountain," his father said.
+"Maybe he's seen it."
+
+The guest turned his big, pale, unpleasant eyes on David. "Well,
+David," he said, "maybe you can help me. Now, have you seen anything
+unusual on the mountain?"
+
+"Unusual?" said David unsteadily. There was a pain in his chest from
+the pounding of his heart.
+
+"Yes, David," the guest went on, "unusual. So unusual that you
+couldn't miss it: a very large bird with bright plumage."
+
+The floor under David seemed to rock. It was true, then--it was
+horribly true. This was the Scientist who had been chasing the
+Phoenix. This was their enemy.
+
+"Bird?" David dodged. "Wh-wh-why, there are lots of birds up there.
+Sparrows and meadow larks and--and sparrows...."
+
+"But nothing like a huge bird with bright feathers?"
+
+Well, he would have to tell a lie. After all, it was for the Phoenix's
+sake.
+
+"No," said David.
+
+"Ah," said the Scientist. But his cold eyes bored into David's for
+another instant, plainly saying, "I'm not fooled, young man."
+
+"It's odd," he continued, "that no one has seen it. But I have no
+doubt it's somewhere here. I am going to begin my search as soon as my
+equipment gets here."
+
+"Tell us about it," said Mother politely.
+
+"Well, I discovered it on the other side of the valley, you know,"
+said the Scientist eagerly. "Quite by accident--I was really looking
+for another species. Now, birds, you know, have fixed habits. If you
+know those habits, you can predict just what they will do at any time.
+This particular bird was a daytime creature, so I tried to watch it
+between dawn and dusk. But it seemed to have a mind of its own--you
+might almost say an intelligence. It avoided me in a very clever way,
+and it avoided my traps also. Uncanny! So after several weeks I
+decided to shoot it if I got the chance. Then suddenly it disappeared,
+but I'm certain it came over to this side of the valley--"
+
+There was no escape from the subject during dinner. The Scientist
+could think and talk of nothing else. He described the merits of
+deadfalls, snares, steel traps, and birdlime. He asked which they
+thought would make the best bait, a rabbit, a beefsteak, a live lamb,
+or carrion. He told them all about the new high-powered, long-range
+rifle which he had ordered. And he vowed to them all that he would not
+rest until the bird was either caught or killed "for the advancement
+of human learning."
+
+David listened with horror. The dinner before him went untouched. His
+only thought was that now he would have to warn the Phoenix as soon as
+possible. The Phoenix would go to South America after all, and his
+education would end before it had even started. All because of this
+hateful man! He fought to hold back his tears.
+
+Dinner was over at last. David mumbled his excuses and ducked out of
+the dining room, but Aunt Amy seized him firmly just as he thought he
+had got away.
+
+"Bedtime for you, David," she said firmly.
+
+"Oh, Aunt Amy, please! I've got to--"
+
+"Upstairs, young man. You've had enough gallivanting around for one
+day. You're all worn out."
+
+"I'm _not_!" said David, struggling. "I feel fine. Look, I just _have_
+to--"
+
+It was useless. She marched him upstairs to his room and stood in the
+doorway until he had undressed and put on his pajamas and got into
+bed.
+
+"Now," she said, "you go to sleep. The mountain will still be there in
+the morning--unless there's a landslide. Good night." And she turned
+out the light and shut the door.
+
+This was awful! He could not sneak downstairs, because the stairs
+could be seen from the living room. He could not climb out of his
+window, because a rose arbor was directly beneath it, and he would be
+ripped by the thorns. And Mother always came in to say good night
+before she went to bed. If he was not there when she came in tonight,
+there would be a lot of unpleasant explaining to do. The only thing,
+then, was to wait until the Scientist went home and everyone was in
+bed.
+
+It was a maddening wait. The Scientist's voice went on and on like the
+drone of an electric fan, interrupted only by an occasional murmur
+from Mother or Dad. For a while David sat in bed twisting the sheets
+in his hands; then he got up and paced the room in his bare feet. It
+seemed to him that three or four whole nighttimes had passed before he
+finally heard all three voices raised and talking at once.
+
+The Scientist was going! Now they were saying good-by at the front
+door ... now the door was being closed ... now there were footsteps on
+the stairs. He jumped into bed just before Mother put her head in and
+said, "Good night, dear." David murmured, pretending to be half
+asleep. His door closed again. The light switches snapped, and there
+was silence.
+
+He waited another half hour to make sure everyone was asleep. As
+quickly and silently as he could, he pulled on his clothes, crept out
+of his room, and slid cautiously down the bannister. In the back yard
+he put on his shoes, dived through the hedge, and started to race up
+the mountainside.
+
+Fortunately there was a nearly-full moon and no clouds in the sky. But
+even with this light, it was not easy to keep to the trail. Several
+times he lost his way, so that the trip took much longer than usual.
+But he found the ledge at last, climbed over the final difficult rock,
+and sat down to catch his breath. When he could speak, he called
+softly:
+
+"Phoenix!"
+
+There was no answer.
+
+"Phoenix!" He pushed through the thicket to the other side of the
+ledge. "_Phoenix!_"
+
+The Phoenix was gone.
+
+The tears that had been stopped up all evening could be held no
+longer. David dropped to the ground, leaned his forehead against a
+rock, and let them go. He had just remembered. As soon as they had
+come back from the Gryffon adventure, the Phoenix had flown off on
+some sort of business. And it had not said when it would return.
+
+The tears cleared David's mind and made him feel better. Now what? He
+began to think. If he stayed on the ledge all night, they might find
+out at home and make a terrible fuss. But if he did not warn the
+Phoenix before morning, the Scientist might creep up while the bird
+was resting and trap it or shoot it. So he would have to warn the
+Phoenix _and_ return home. And the only way to do both these things
+was to write the Phoenix a note.
+
+But he had neither paper nor pencil.
+
+A fine mess he had made of everything! Now he would have to go all the
+way back home, write the note, come all the way back up to the ledge,
+and then go home again.
+
+David trudged down the mountainside in a very low mood. Now that he
+had a definite plan to work on, his fear was gone, but he felt that he
+had been pretty stupid to rush off without thinking of everything
+first. In his mind he could hear the Phoenix saying, "Look before you
+leap, my boy," and other wise words of advice. And he had cried, too.
+Lucky that no one had been there to see _that_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+As he approached the house he was surprised to see all the lights
+ablaze and to hear his name being called. "Oh-oh," he thought,
+"they've found out I've gone."
+
+"Here I am!" he shouted, opening the door. "What's the matter?"
+
+It was a strange sight which met him inside. Dad, in his gray pajamas,
+was waving a revolver and making fierce noises. Mother, looking
+frightened, had a shoe in one hand. Aunt Amy, with her hair in rags,
+was also well-armed--with a big cast-iron frying pan. Beckie was
+howling upstairs.
+
+"David!" Mother cried. "Are you all right? Where have you been? Did he
+hurt you?"
+
+"Who?" said David. "I'm all right. What's the matter?"
+
+"The burglar!" said Mother excitedly. "He put his head in the window
+and said '_pssssst!_'"
+
+"I tell you, burglars don't say _pssssst_!" Dad said. "They try to
+make as little noise as possible. Just let me catch him doing it
+again!" he added, waving his pistol.
+
+"Running around on that mountain at all hours of the night," Aunt Amy
+grumbled, "with burglars and I don't know what-all loose in town!"
+
+"And then we found that you were gone, and we thought he had stolen
+you," Mother went on. "Where have you been?"
+
+"I couldn't sleep," said David. "So I went for a walk."
+
+"Well, thank heavens you're safe," said Mother.
+
+"Hankering after that mountain all night," Aunt Amy muttered. "As if
+he wasn't up there all day."
+
+"Look here, Son," said Dad. "What do you know about this?"
+
+"Honestly, Dad," said David, "I couldn't sleep. There's nothing wrong
+with that. I can't help it if I can't sleep. So I took a walk. There's
+nothing wrong with--"
+
+"Oh, all right, all right," his father said. "I suppose it's just a
+coincidence. Let's all get back to sleep. And, David, the next time
+you can't sleep, try counting sheep."
+
+Gradually the house calmed down. Beckie stopped wailing, Dad put away
+his gun, good nights were said, the lights were turned off.
+
+David knew that it would be at least an hour before he dared to move
+again, and he would have to be doubly careful this time. And he was a
+little nervous himself now about that burglar. What if he should meet
+him when he went out again? He tried to forget about that by thinking
+of what he would put in the note for the Phoenix.
+
+He had got as far as "Dear Phoenix:" and was wondering how you spelled
+"Phoenix," when there came a swish and a thump at his window, followed
+by a cautious whisper:
+
+"_Pssssst!_"
+
+David felt his scalp prickle. "Wh-wh-who's that?" he quavered.
+
+"Is that you, my boy?" whispered a familiar, guarded voice. "Ah, thank
+heavens!"
+
+And the Phoenix crawled through the window.
+
+Weak with relief, David snapped on the bedside light. The Phoenix
+presented a shocking sight. Its face was drawn with fatigue, and it
+looked rather draggled. Its back sagged, its wings drooped to the
+floor, and it walked with a limp.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Oh, Phoenix, Phoenix!" David whispered. He jumped to support the bird
+before it collapsed entirely.
+
+"Ah, thank you, my boy," the Phoenix murmured. "Your bed, I presume?
+May I? Thank you." The springs creaked under its weight as the Phoenix
+gingerly lay down.
+
+"What a night, my boy, _what_ a night!" it sighed weakly, closing its
+eyes.
+
+"Oh, Phoenix, what happened? Can I do anything for you?" David
+whispered.
+
+"A damp, cooling cloth upon my forehead would be welcome, my boy,"
+murmured the Phoenix. "Also a bit of nourishment."
+
+David slid down the bannister, got a handful of cookies and a glass of
+milk, and dampened a dish towel. When he returned, the Phoenix was
+fast asleep.
+
+"Phoenix," he whispered, "wake up. Here's your--"
+
+The Phoenix awoke with a violent start and stared wildly around the
+room. "Trapped!" it muttered, making a frenzied effort to get off the
+bed.
+
+"Not so _loud_!" David whispered sharply. "It's me!"
+
+Understanding dawned in the Phoenix's eyes, and it eased itself back
+with a sigh. "Ah, you, my boy. You gave me quite a fright. I
+thought--" But here the Phoenix caught sight of the milk and cookies
+and sat up again.
+
+"Ambrosia," it sighed reverently. "And nectar. You _are_ a prince, my
+dear fellow!" And the Phoenix reached out eagerly.
+
+"Now, Phoenix," David whispered as he wrapped the wet towel around the
+Phoenix's head, "what's happened?"
+
+"Ah, that feels heavenly, my boy! (Munch munch.) What has happened?
+(Munch munch. Gulp.) I was insulted, I accepted a challenge, and I
+brilliantly maintained my honor. Let that be a lesson to you, my boy:
+death before dishonor. Yes, in spite of my age, I--"
+
+"But Phoenix, what _happened_?"
+
+"To be brief, then, my boy, for brevity is the soul of wit--although I am
+not trying to be witty now; I am simply too worn out--Brevity--ah--where
+was I?"
+
+"I _think_ you were telling me what happened to you tonight," David
+said.
+
+"Ah, yes, quite so! Well, I raced the Witch, to put it quite simply."
+
+"Oh, Phoenix! Did you win?"
+
+"She said that she would 'beat my tail feathers off,' did she not?
+Behold, my dear fellow--every tail feather intact!"
+
+"Good for you, Phoenix! How did it go?"
+
+"I found her somewhere over Scotland and accepted her challenge. We
+jockeyed about for starting positions, and she insulted me by offering
+me a handicap--which, of course, I refused. For several hundred miles
+it was nip and tuck, as it were. Then, over Luxembourg, I put all my
+energies into a magnificent sprint and won the race by three and a
+half broom lengths. She claimed a foul and went off in a fit of sulks,
+of course. (I never saw a Witch who was a good loser.) And I--well,
+the fact is, my boy, that I am not as young as I used to be. I simply
+_crawled_ home."
+
+"Oh, you poor Phoenix! But you won, though. Good for you, Phoenix.
+I'm proud of you! I didn't like her at all."
+
+"There you are--I had to win, for both of us. Now, as I wended my
+weary way homeward, I realized that I should be too tired to go
+traveling tomorrow. So I decided to tell you, in case you should want
+to do something else during the day. But I did not know which house
+was yours. I had to pick one at random. I thrust my head in a window
+and uttered a cautious _pssssst_! Imagine my dismay when I was
+answered by a piercing scream! I had to beat a hasty and undignified
+retreat into a garage until all was peaceful again. Then I did the
+same thing at the next house, and the next, with the same results."
+The Phoenix sighed. "Would you believe it, my boy?--this is the fifth
+house I tried. But I knew I was on the right track when I heard them
+calling for you."
+
+"Oh, so it was _you_," said David. "You almost frightened Mother to
+death. She thought you were a burglar."
+
+"My dear fellow, I am really sorry for having caused any
+misunderstanding or fright," said the Phoenix apologetically. "It was
+just that I wanted to tell you of my victory--that is, to tell you
+that I should be indisposed tomorrow."
+
+Then David recalled that he had something to say too. The shock of
+remembering was such that he blurted out the news without thinking of
+softening the blow.
+
+"Phoenix, listen! The Scientist is here!"
+
+The Phoenix sat up in bed with a jerk, and David barely suppressed its
+startled exclamation by clamping a hand over its beak.
+
+"It's not so bad yet," he whispered hurriedly, "because he's not sure
+where you are, and he has to wait for his equipment to get here. But,
+oh, Phoenix, now I suppose you'll go to South America after all, and I
+won't have any more education."
+
+The Phoenix leaped to its feet and struck a defiant pose. "My boy," it
+said angrily, "you are mistaken. I refuse to be chased around any
+longer. Even the lowly worm turns. Am I a mouse, or am I the Phoenix?
+If that insufferable man wishes to pursue me further, if he cannot
+mind his own business, then, by Jove, we shall meet him face to face
+and FIGHT TO THE FINISH!"
+
+Its voice, which had been getting louder and louder, ended in an
+indignant squawk (its battle cry, as it explained later). David's
+warning _ssh!_ was too late. They heard rapid footsteps and the sound
+of light switches snapping.
+
+"Quick!" David said. "Out the window!"
+
+With a hasty "Farewell, my boy," the Phoenix plunged headlong toward
+the window--and tripped over the sill. There was a resounding crash
+outside as the bird landed on the rose arbor, a brief but furious
+thrashing and muttering, and then the receding flurry of wings.
+
+Dad burst into the room with his revolver, followed by Mother and Aunt
+Amy (with two frying pans, this time).
+
+"He stuck his head in the window and said _pssssst!_ at me!" David
+cried. "A big dark shape in the window!"
+
+This time Dad telephoned the police. In no time at all, three carloads
+of weary policemen were swarming over the house and yard, with guns
+and flashlights drawn. It was the fifth--or was it the sixth?--call
+they had received from the neighborhood that night, they explained.
+There followed an hour of questions, arguments, and theories, during
+which everyone became very excited. Everyone, that is, except
+David--although he acted excited to avoid suspicion. But he was happy.
+He had warned the Phoenix, the Phoenix was going to stay, and there
+was nothing to worry about until tomorrow.
+
+
+
+
+6: _In Which the Phoenix Has a Plan, and David and the Phoenix Call On
+a Sea Monster_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+"Well, you're in all the papers this morning, Phoenix," said David, as
+he sat down beside the reclining bird next morning. "They don't know
+who you are, but they're all talking about what happened last night.
+They call you the 'Whispering Burglar.' The police are pretty
+worried."
+
+"My dear chap," said the Phoenix apologetically, "let me repeat my
+sincere regrets for causing alarm. It was not my desire to--the
+_police_, did you say? Have they discovered any clues?"
+
+"No," said David reassuringly. "They can't find a thing. They think
+the Whispering Burglar climbed up a ladder to say _pssssst!_ into the
+upstairs windows. Only they can't find the ladder. They call it the
+'Missing Mystery Clue.'"
+
+The Phoenix gazed at the sky and mused. "In all the papers, you say?
+Well, Fame at last--although hardly the kind I had expected. What a
+pity that there can be no photographs with the story. Imagine a
+picture of me on the front page! A profile, perhaps--or would a
+full-length shot be more effective? Or both, let us say, with--"
+
+"I know you'd look very handsome, Phoenix," David interrupted, "but
+what we _should_ be thinking about is the Scientist. What are we going
+to do?"
+
+"Oh, _that_," said the Phoenix. "I was coming to that, my boy. The
+battle is already half won. I have a Plan."
+
+"Good for you, Phoenix! What is it?"
+
+"Aha!" said the Phoenix, with a mysterious smile. "All will unfold in
+time. Rest assured that the Plan is brilliant. In one stroke of genius
+it solves everything. Tactics, my boy! Napoleon had nothing on me."
+
+"But what _is_ it, Phoenix?"
+
+"Tut, my boy," said the Phoenix in a maddening way. "Control your
+impatience. You will see. Now, we shall have to buy some things, so we
+shall need money. Let me see.... Several of the Leprechauns have large
+pots of gold.... No, I fear they would not part with so much as a
+penny. Tightfisted, my dear fellow!--you never saw such misers.
+Hmmm.... Well, there are the Dragons, of course; they guard heaps of
+treasure in caves. But no--they are excellent chaps in most respects,
+but frightfully stuffy about loans and gifts. No.... The Djinn? No,
+his money is all tied up in Arabian oil speculation. Aha! Why didn't I
+think of that before? The Sea Monster, of course!"
+
+"Do Sea Monsters have money?" asked David.
+
+"No, but the Sea Monster should know where pirate treasure is
+buried--quite in its nautical line. We shall visit the Monster, my
+boy. Tomorrow, of course--I could not fly a foot today to save my
+life. My muscles are killing me!"
+
+"Oh, poor Phoenix!" David said. But he was so excited that he could
+not feel much pity. Pirate treasure! They were going to dig for pirate
+treasure!
+
+"We shall need a spade. I trust you will arrange for it, my boy?"
+
+"Of course, Phoenix," said David, jumping to his feet. "I'll get
+everything ready right away. Don't move till I get back."
+
+"Impossible, my boy." The Phoenix groaned as it shifted into a more
+comfortable position.
+
+David raced home to collect the necessary things for the trip.
+Remembering how cold it had been last time, he took his leather jacket
+out of the closet, and a pair of gloves and a scarf. For the Phoenix
+he borrowed a bottle of liniment and took all the cookies from the
+cooky jar. And he picked the shortest of three spades in the garage.
+During the rest of the day he massaged the Phoenix's back and wings
+with the liniment. He was exploding with curiosity about the Plan, of
+course. But the Phoenix would only smile its smuggest smile and tell
+him to "wait and see, wait and see"--which almost drove David mad.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Tomorrow took its time, the way it always does when you are anxious to
+see it arrive, but it finally came. And David found himself with the
+spade held tightly under one arm, his jacket zipped up to his chin,
+gloves on, and scarf knotted, all ready to go.
+
+"To the west, this time," said the Phoenix, as David got up on its
+back. "This is the Monster's Pacific season, you know. Ready, my boy?
+Splendid! We are off!"
+
+Over the mountains and desert they sped, over the shore, out across
+the ocean. For a long time they hurtled through a huge blue
+loneliness, dark blue below, lighter blue above. Once they passed over
+a ship, a pencil dot trailing a pin-scratch of white. Another time
+they startled a high-flying albatross, which gave a frightened squawk
+and plunged down out of sight with folded wings. Aside from that,
+there was nothing to see until they reached the islands.
+
+The Phoenix slowed down to a glide and dropped lower. "These are the
+coral atolls of the Pacific, my boy," it called over its shoulder.
+"That lake in the center of each island is called the lagoon."
+
+David was enchanted by the atolls. They were made of tiny islets,
+strung together like the beads of a necklace. And the colors! The dark
+blue of the sea became lighter around the islands, melting from
+sapphire to turquoise to jade. The atolls were ringed with dazzling
+white surf and beach, and they all had cool green swaths of palm trees
+and underbrush. And each lagoon also had its varying shades of blue,
+like the outer sea.
+
+"I fear we may have trouble, my boy," said the Phoenix, as they
+scanned the empty beaches. "The Monster shifts about from island to
+island to avoid discovery. We shall just have to search."
+
+And search they did, atoll after atoll, until at the end of an hour
+they were rewarded. David suddenly spotted a dark object stretched out
+on the beach of a lagoon, and at the same time the Phoenix said "Aha!"
+triumphantly. They began to spiral down.
+
+The Sea Monster was immense. Its body could have filled the living
+room at home. Its neck was twenty feet long, and so was its tail
+(which ended in a barbed point). It had huge seal-like flippers, and
+its polished brown hide was made up of scales as big as dinner plates.
+
+"Wake up, Monster!" The Phoenix cried. "We--"
+
+The next instant they were lost in a cloud of flying sand and spray,
+through which could be heard a prodigious splash. When it had cleared,
+they found themselves alone on the beach. The only sign of the Sea
+Monster was a great furrow in the sand, which led down to the agitated
+water.
+
+"Golly, that was fast!" David marveled, as they shook the sand from
+themselves. "Do you think it'll come back, Phoenix?"
+
+"Of course, my boy. Curiosity, if nothing else, will bring it up
+again. In the meantime, we might as well sit down and wait."
+
+They sat down and waited. David took off his jacket. For fifteen
+minutes they heard nothing but the murmuring of the surf and the
+rustling clatter of palm fronds. At last there was a slight splashing
+noise from the lagoon.
+
+"There," David whispered, pointing.
+
+Thirty feet offshore, an ear was being thrust cautiously above the
+rippled surface. It twitched once or twice, then pointed quiveringly
+in their direction.
+
+"Come out, Monster!" the Phoenix shouted. "It is I, the Phoenix."
+
+The Sea Monster's head appeared slowly, followed by several yards of
+neck. It peered at them short-sightedly, weaving its head from side to
+side to get a better view. David saw that it had two short, straight
+horns just in front of its ears, eyes that were soft and cowlike, and
+a most expressive set of whiskers. The whiskers were now at a
+doubtful, half-mast angle.
+
+"Ah, Phoenix," said the Sea Monster at last in a mild voice. "Can't
+you remember to wake me a bit more gently? I thought you were--"
+
+"Come on out," said the Phoenix firmly, "and stop looking like a lost
+sheep."
+
+"Uh--what about--uh--that?" said the Sea Monster hesitantly, pointing
+one ear at David.
+
+"This," said the Phoenix, "is David. He is getting an education. I
+assure you that he will not bite."
+
+The Sea Monster swam toward them, heaved itself out of the water, and
+offered its huge flipper for David to shake.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Sorry I rushed off like that," it said. "The trouble is, I've had
+such a bad case of war nerves. Why, sometimes I jump out of my skin at
+nothing at all."
+
+"Were you in the war?" David asked.
+
+"Ah, _was_ I," sighed the Sea Monster. It flopped down comfortably on
+its belly, curled its tail around its front flippers, and sighed
+again. But David noticed that its whiskers had perked up to a quite
+cheerful angle. The Sea Monster was obviously delighted to have
+someone listen to its troubles.
+
+"Yes," it said, heaving a third sigh, "I was. From the very beginning,
+much against my will. Guns all over the place! Terrible!"
+
+"Did they shoot you?" David asked, horrified.
+
+"Well, _at_ me, anyway. I'm thankful to say they never hit me, but
+there were some pretty near misses. All the oceans were simply packed
+with ships. I couldn't lift my head out of water without bringing down
+a perfect rain of shells and bullets."
+
+"The _intelligent_ thing in that case," the Phoenix broke in with a
+sniff, "would have been to stay _under_ water."
+
+"Thank you, Phoenix," said the Sea Monster dryly. "But I _do_ like to
+breathe now and then. Anyway, I wasn't safe even under water. They'd
+drop depth charges on me. One ship even launched a torpedo at me!"
+
+"How awful!" said David.
+
+"Tut! my boy," said the Phoenix. "I have no doubt our friend is
+stretching the truth shamelessly. You need not look so smug, Monster.
+You were not the only one in the war. _I_ have gone through
+anti-aircraft fire a number of times. Some of it was very severe. In
+fact, once I--"
+
+"Once I had the whole North Atlantic fleet after _me_," the Sea
+Monster interrupted proudly.
+
+"And _I_ remember the Franco-Prussian War!" said the Phoenix. "Which,
+I daresay, you do _not_."
+
+"Well--uh--no, I don't."
+
+"There you are!" the Phoenix crowed.
+
+The Sea Monster, looking rather ruffled, pointedly turned from the
+Phoenix and said to David, "What should you like to do, David?"
+
+David suddenly remembered what they had come for, and the excitement
+rushed back into his heart. He opened his mouth to cry "We want to dig
+for treasure!" and then stopped short. Asking for money, he knew, was
+an impolite thing to do--especially from someone you had only just
+met. And there was no telling how the Sea Monster might feel about
+people nosing around for its treasure. So he looked at the Phoenix and
+waited for it to speak.
+
+The Phoenix caught David's glance, cleared its throat several times,
+and looked apologetically at the Sea Monster. "Monster, old chap," it
+said soothingly, "I am deeply sorry for having doubted you just now.
+Deeply sorry."
+
+"Quite all right," said the Sea Monster stiffly.
+
+"Yes," the Phoenix continued, "we both know that you have passed
+through perilous times, through dangers which (I must confess) would
+have left _me_ a shattered wreck."
+
+The Sea Monster sighed sadly, but its whiskers were beginning to rise
+again.
+
+"The Monster bears up very well under this fearful strain--don't you
+think so, my boy? A splendid example for the rest of us. Magnificent."
+
+The Sea Monster's whiskers were quivering with pleasure.
+
+"Monster, old chap, old friend, you were never one to let a boon
+companion down. If I have said it once, I have said it a hundred
+times: 'The Sea Monster,' I have said, 'the Sea Monster is the helpful
+sort. Mention the words Staunch Friend,' I have said, 'and
+immediately the Sea Monster comes to mind.'"
+
+The Phoenix reached up one wing and began to pat the Sea Monster's
+flipper.
+
+"Monster, old chum, we--ah--we--Well, the plain fact is that
+we--ah--we have need of--such a trifling matter" (here the Phoenix
+gave a careless laugh) "that I should not really bring it up at all.
+Ah--we need a bit of money."
+
+"Oh," said the Sea Monster. Its whiskers sagged.
+
+"Now, please do not be offended, Monster," said the Phoenix hastily.
+"After all, you have no need for the treasure, and it does absolutely
+no good buried under the ground."
+
+"It doesn't do any harm there, either," said the Sea Monster. "Really,
+Phoenix, I never thought _you_--"
+
+"Monster," said the Phoenix solemnly, "_this_--is a matter of life or
+death."
+
+"Life or death--ha!"
+
+"Please, Monster," said David. "It really is life or death, because
+the Scientist is chasing the Phoenix, and the Phoenix has a plan to
+escape him, and we need some money to carry out the plan so the
+Scientist can't hurt the Phoenix."
+
+"A few small coins will do," added the Phoenix, with a winning smile.
+"A louis d'or, for example, or some pieces of eight. After which you
+may bury the rest again."
+
+"_Please_, Monster!" David begged.
+
+The Monster looked at David, and at the Phoenix, and then at David
+again, and then at the lagoon. It sighed a very doubtful sigh.
+
+"Oh ... all right," it said reluctantly. "But for goodness sake, don't
+go telling anyone where you found it."
+
+"Of course not," said the Phoenix. And David leaped up and shouted
+"Hooray!" and grabbed the spade and his jacket.
+
+"The stuff is on the next island," said the Sea Monster. "I can swim
+over with you two on my back. This way, please--we have to leave from
+the outer beach."
+
+The Sea Monster was a magnificent swimmer. Its neck cut through the
+water like the stem of a Viking ship, and it left a frothing wake
+behind. Every once in a while it would plunge its head into the water
+and come up with a fish, which it would swallow whole.
+
+"Should you like some breakfast, David?" said the Sea Monster.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"No, thank you," David answered, "but you go right ahead. Phoenix," he
+added, "what _are_ you doing?"
+
+The Phoenix, which had been walking up and down with its wings clasped
+behind its back, stopped and gazed over the sea. "Pacing the
+quarter-deck, my boy. Scanning the horizon. That is what one usually
+does at sea, I believe."
+
+"You'll be wanting us to call you Admiral next," said the Sea Monster
+acidly.
+
+They steamed on. Twenty minutes and seventy-six large breakfast fish
+later they sighted the island--a little smudge on the horizon, dead
+ahead.
+
+"Land ho!" a voice croaked. "Thank heavens."
+
+David turned in surprise. The Phoenix was no longer pacing the
+quarter-deck and scanning the horizon. It was sitting limply with its
+head down and a glassy stare in its eyes.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"You had better hurry up," David said to the Sea Monster. "I think the
+Phoenix is seasick."
+
+"Am not," the Phoenix gasped. "Merely (ulp!) temporary."
+
+The Sea Monster turned and smiled sweetly at the Phoenix. "You'll get
+used to it in no time, Admiral."
+
+When they landed, however, the Phoenix recovered rapidly and even
+began to put on a slight nautical swagger. The Sea Monster humped off
+down the beach, followed eagerly by the two treasure hunters. In a few
+minutes it came to a halt and sniffed the sand very carefully,
+swinging its head snakelike to and fro. It settled on one spot,
+sniffed it thoroughly, felt the sand with its whiskers, and then
+solemnly announced: "Here."
+
+"Ahoy, me hearties!" the Phoenix shouted. "Turn to and stand by to
+splice the main brace! Steady as she goes, mates!"
+
+David needed no encouragement from anyone. He began to dig furiously.
+Flashing in the sun, the spade bit into the beach, and coarse white
+sand spurted in all directions. The Phoenix was quite as excited as
+David. It danced around the deepening hole with eyes asparkle,
+shouting such piratical terms as "Shiver me timbers!" "Strike your
+colors!" and "Give 'em no quarter, lads!" Suddenly it began to beat
+time with its wing and to sing in a raucous voice:
+
+    "Cut the King's throat and take the King's gold--
+    Heave ho, bullies, for Panama!
+    There's plenty of loot for the lad who is bold--
+    Heave away, bullies, for Panama!"
+
+"You're flat on that last note," said the Sea Monster.
+
+"My dear Monster, I have perfect pitch!"
+
+"Oh, yes--you have perfect sea legs, too."
+
+"Well, ah--How are you coming along, my boy? Any signs of treasure?"
+
+David did not hear. In fact he heard nothing from the first crunch of
+the spade onward. His education was now richer by this fact: once you
+start out after treasure, you can think of nothing else until it is
+found. The sun was beating hotly on him, little rivulets of sweat
+poured down his face and arms, his muscles ached, blisters were
+beginning to form on his hands. Heedless of all, he dug on. He had
+settled into the rhythm of it now, and nothing could distract him.
+
+"Tell you what's a good thing for seasickness," said the Sea Monster
+slyly. "You take a--" Pretending not to hear, the Phoenix stood first
+on one leg and then on the other and stared into the sky. David dug
+tirelessly.
+
+Suddenly the spade grated on something solid, and they all jumped.
+David shouted "Here it is!" and shoveled up sand frantically. The
+Phoenix danced around the hole, also shouting. Even the Sea Monster
+arched its neck to get a better view. They could see a brass ring,
+crusted with verdigris, fastened to a partly-exposed piece of wood.
+The sand flew. Now they could see studded strips of metal bound to the
+wood, and a rusty padlock. And in a few minutes a whole chest, with
+slanting sides and a curved lid and tarnished brass hinges, was
+uncovered. David threw the spade on the beach, seized the brass
+handle, and tugged. It came off in his hand.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Here, let me," said the Sea Monster. David got out of the hole, and
+the Sea Monster worked one flipper carefully under the chest. "Look
+out," it said, and heaved its flipper up. The chest shot into the air,
+tumbled down end over end, and split wide open on the beach.
+
+David gasped. A dazzling, sparkling heap spilled out on the sand.
+There were heaps of gold and silver coins, the silver black with
+tarnish but the gold still bright. There were pearls, rubies,
+diamonds, beryls, emeralds, opals, sapphires, amethysts. And
+bracelets, necklaces, pendants, sunbursts, brooches, rings, pins,
+combs, buckles, lockets, buttons, crucifixes. And carved pieces of
+jade and ivory and coral and jet. And coronets, crowns, tiaras, arm
+bands. And jeweled daggers, picture frames, vases, silver knives and
+forks and spoons, sugar bowls, platters, goblets.
+
+For an hour they examined the treasure. David fairly wallowed in it,
+exclaiming "Look at this one!" or "Oh, how beautiful!" or just
+"Golly!" The Phoenix muttered such things as "King's ransom" and
+"Wealth of the Indies." The Sea Monster was not interested in the
+treasure, but kept glancing nervously out to sea.
+
+At last the Phoenix said, "Well, my boy, I think we had better make
+our choice. Three or four coins should do it."
+
+The Sea Monster gave a relieved sigh. "Let's get the rest of it
+underground right away. You have no idea what trouble it can cause."
+
+The choice was difficult. There were so many coins, all of them with
+queer writing and heads of unknown gods and kings. David finally
+picked out four gold pieces and tied them up in his handkerchief.
+Then the Sea Monster swept the rest of the treasure into the hole.
+They all pushed sand in on top of it and jumped on the mound till it
+was level with the rest of the beach.
+
+The Phoenix turned to the Sea Monster and said solemnly: "Monster, old
+fellow, I knew you would not fail us. You stood forth in our hour of
+need, and we shall not forget."
+
+And David echoed, "Thank you, Monster."
+
+The Sea Monster ducked its head and blushed. A wave of fiery red
+started at its nose, traveled rapidly back over its ears, down its
+neck, along the body, and fanned out to the tips of its flippers and
+the extreme end of the barb in its tail.
+
+Even its whiskers turned pink.
+
+"Well--uh--glad to help--uh--nothing to it, really," it mumbled. Then
+it turned abruptly, galloped down to the sea, plunged into the surf,
+and was gone.
+
+
+
+
+7: _In Which the Phoenix's Plan Is Carried Out, and There Are More
+Alarums and Excursions in the Night_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+"Now, my boy," said the Phoenix, when they got back to the ledge that
+afternoon, "are the shops still open?"
+
+"I think they're open till six," said David, shaking the sand out of
+his shoes. "Are we going to buy something?"
+
+"Precisely, my boy. A hardware store should have what we need. Now,
+you will take our gold and purchase the following." And the Phoenix
+listed the things it wanted, and told David which to bring to the
+ledge and which to leave below.
+
+"... and a hatchet," the Phoenix concluded.
+
+"We have one at home already," said David. "Now, listen, Phoenix,
+_can't_ you tell me what all this is for? What are we going to do with
+it?"
+
+"My boy, the feline's existence was terminated as a direct result of
+its inquisitiveness."
+
+"What did you say?"
+
+"Curiosity killed the cat," explained the Phoenix.
+
+"Oh. But--"
+
+"Now, run along, my boy. A very important Thought has just come to me.
+I must Meditate a while." The Phoenix glanced at the thicket and hid a
+yawn behind one wing.
+
+"Oh, all _right_," said David. "I'll see you in the morning, then."
+
+It wasn't until he got home that he thought of something. He couldn't
+spend pirate gold pieces, or even show them to anyone, without being
+asked a lot of embarrassing questions. What to do? Ask Dad or Mother
+or Aunt Amy to lend him some money? More embarrassing questions....
+Well, he would have to rob his bank. But wait--why hadn't he
+remembered? Just before they had moved, Uncle Charles had given him a
+ten-dollar bill as a farewell present. He had been saving it for a
+model airplane, but the excitement of the last few days had driven it
+completely out of his mind. Of course the Phoenix's Plan was more
+important than any model plane could be.
+
+So he kept the gold pieces tied up in his handkerchief and took his
+ten dollars to a hardware store, where he bought what the Phoenix
+wanted--a coil of rope, an electric door bell, a pushbutton, and one
+hundred feet of insulated wire. Then he brought the package home, hid
+it behind the woodpile in the garage, and sat down to think.
+Wire--bell--pushbutton. What could the Phoenix possibly want with
+them? And what was the rope for? And the hatchet? The more he puzzled
+over it the more confused he became, and finally he just gave up.
+There was only one thing he was sure about: whatever the Plan was,
+they would have to carry it out as soon as possible. Two days had
+passed since the Scientist had shown up. The new gun he had ordered
+might arrive at any time now. Perhaps even today, when they had been
+digging up the pirate treasure, the Scientist had got his new rifle
+and had started to hunt through the mountains.
+
+The thought gave David a creepy feeling on the back of his neck. They
+certainly would have to hurry.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Early next morning David climbed up to the ledge, bringing with him
+the coil of rope and the hatchet. As an afterthought he had added a
+paper bag full of cookies.
+
+"Here's the stuff, Phoenix," he called out as he stepped onto the
+ledge. "Where are you?"
+
+There was a crash from the thicket as though someone had jumped up in
+it suddenly, and the Phoenix stumbled out, rubbing its eyes.
+
+"Ah, splendid, my boy! Yes. I was just--ah--Thinking."
+
+"Phoenix," said David, "I'm not going to ask you again what your Plan
+is, because I know you'll tell me when it's time. But whatever it is,
+we'd better do it right now. The Scientist may show up any minute."
+
+"Precisely, my boy. Never put off until tomorrow what can be done
+today. One of my favorite proverbs. We shall begin immediately--" Here
+the Phoenix caught sight of the bag in David's hand and added hastily:
+"But, of course, we must not forget that first things come first."
+
+"You might have brought more," said the Phoenix, fifteen minutes
+later.
+
+"There weren't any more in the jar," David said. "Phoenix, please tell
+me what we're going to do. I don't care if curiosity _did_ kill the
+cat. I've been thinking about the rope and wire and bell all night,
+and I can't make heads or tails out of it."
+
+The Phoenix gave a pleased laugh. "Of course you cannot, my boy. The
+Plan is far too profound for you to guess what it is. But set your
+mind at rest. I shall now explain the rope and hatchet."
+
+David leaned forward eagerly.
+
+"Now, scientists, you know, have fixed habits. If you know those
+habits, you can predict just what they will do at any time. Our
+particular Scientist is a daytime creature--that is to say, he comes
+at dawn and goes at dusk. His invariable habit, my boy!"
+
+"Well?"
+
+"There you are, my boy!" said the Phoenix triumphantly. "_We shall
+sleep during the day and continue your education at night!_"
+
+"Oh," said David. He thought about this a while, then asked, "But
+suppose the Scientist comes up on the ledge during the day and catches
+you asleep?"
+
+"Aha! That is where the rope and hatchet come in. Never fear, my
+boy--I thought of that also. We are going to construct a snare at each
+end of the ledge."
+
+"How?"
+
+"Hand me that twig, my boy." The Phoenix took the twig, found a bare
+spot of earth, and sketched a picture. "First we find a sapling and
+clear the branches from it with the hatchet--like this. Next we get a
+stake, cut a notch in it, and drive it into the ground--so. The
+sapling is bent down to it and fitted into the notch, which holds it
+down. You see, my boy? Now we make a noose--so--from a piece of rope,
+tie it to the end of the sapling, and spread the loop out on the
+path--this way. The whole snare is hidden under grass and leaves." The
+Phoenix beamed and flung out its wings in a dramatic gesture. "Just
+picture it, my dear chap! The Scientist, smiling evilly as he skulks
+along the path! The unwary footstep! The sapling, jarred out of the
+notch, springing upward! The tightened noose! And our archenemy
+dangling by the foot in mid-air, completely at our mercy!
+Magnificent!"
+
+"Golly, Phoenix," said David, "that's pretty clever."
+
+"_Clever_, my boy? Better to say 'a stroke of genius.' Only I,
+Phoenix, could have thought of it. And consider the poetic justice of
+it! This is exactly the sort of trap that the Scientist once set for
+me! Well, shall we begin?"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The Phoenix had made the snares sound delightfully simple, but they
+soon discovered that the job was harder than it sounded. First they
+had to find the right kind of sapling, springy and strong. The sapling
+had to be in the right place--one by the goat trail, the other at the
+far end of the ledge. When they had been chosen, David had to shinny
+up them to lop off their branches. That was a very awkward business;
+the saplings swayed and trembled under his weight, and he could only
+use one hand for the hatchet. Then he had to make two stakes from
+stout, hard wood, cut a notch at one end, and drive them into the
+ground with the flat of the hatchet. But the hardest part was trying
+to bend the sapling down to the stake and fitting it into the notch.
+It took the weight of both of them to bring the sapling to the ground.
+If they got the slightest bit off balance, it would spring up again.
+Once David fell off; the sapling went _swish!_ back into the air,
+flinging the astonished Phoenix thirty feet up the mountainside.
+
+It was not until afternoon, when the sun had turned ruddy and shadows
+were beginning to stretch dark fingers across the land, that they
+finished the job. But at last the saplings were set in the notches,
+the nooses were formed and fastened on. Grass and leaves were strewn
+over the snares; chips, hewn branches, and other evidences of their
+work were removed. They sat down and looked proudly at each other.
+
+"My boy," said the Phoenix, "I have had a wide, and sometimes painful,
+experience with traps; so you may believe me when I say that these
+are among the best I have seen. We have done well."
+
+"They're sure strong enough," David agreed, flexing his fingers to
+take the stiffness out of them. "But what are we going to do if the
+Scientist does get caught in one?"
+
+"We shall burn that bridge when we reach it, my boy. Now, do you have
+the pliers, wire-cutters, and screw driver below?"
+
+"Yes, they're down in the cellar. What are we going to do with them,
+Phoenix?"
+
+"Patience, patience! You will be told when the time comes. I shall
+meet you tonight after dark, as soon as it is safe for me to come
+down. I trust you will have everything ready?"
+
+"Are you coming _down_?"
+
+"Precisely, my boy. A risk, I admit, but a necessary one. There is a
+hedge at the back of your house, is there not? Splendid. You may await
+me there."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+David, sitting in the shadow of the hedge, jumped when he heard the
+Phoenix's quiet "Good evening, my boy."
+
+"Phoenix," he whispered, "how did you do it? Golly, I didn't see you
+at all, and it isn't even dark yet."
+
+"I have been hunted long enough, my boy, to have learned a few tricks.
+It is merely a matter of gliding close to the ground, selecting the
+best shadows, and keeping a sharp lookout. Well, let us get on with
+the Plan. Have you the tools here?"
+
+"Yes, here they are."
+
+"Splendid! Now, my boy, since we must continue your education during
+the night, it is necessary that we have some way of getting in touch
+with each other. If you climb the mountainside in the dark, you may
+unwittingly fall into our own snare. It is far easier for me to come
+down than it is for you to go up, and under cover of darkness I can do
+it quite safely. The question now is, how will you know when I have
+arrived? That, my boy, is the nub, or crux, of the situation. A
+difficult problem, you will admit. But I have worked out the
+solution."
+
+The Phoenix lowered its voice impressively.
+
+"My boy, we are going to install this bell in your room, and the
+pushbutton on the base of that telephone pole. When I arrive here at
+night, I shall press the button to let you know that I am ready to go.
+A magnificent idea, isn't it?"
+
+It did not seem very practical to David. "Well, Phoenix, that's a good
+idea," he said carefully. "But how are we going to hide the wires?
+And what about the noise of the bell?"
+
+"Nothing to it, my boy! The wires? There are wires between your house
+and the telephone pole already--one more would not be noticed. The
+noise? You have a pillow on your bed, under which the bell can be
+muffled."
+
+"Yes, that's true." It still sounded impractical.
+
+"Just imagine it!" the Phoenix continued enthusiastically. "Perhaps
+later we can install another bell at this end. Then we could learn
+Morse code and send messages to each other. Exactly like a private
+telephone line!"
+
+Put in this way, the idea had a certain appeal, and David found
+himself warming to it. But there was another thing to consider.
+
+"How about electricity, Phoenix?"
+
+"Look above you, my boy! The telephone pole is simply loaded down with
+power lines waiting to be tapped."
+
+The Phoenix was evidently set on carrying out the Plan, and David did
+not want to wear out the bird's patience with more objections.
+And--well, why not? There should be no harm in trying it out, anyway.
+
+They gathered up the tools and walked along the hedge to the telephone
+pole, which was in one corner of the yard. The Phoenix began to
+uncoil the wire, while David gazed up doubtfully at the shadowy maze
+of lines and insulators on the cross-arms.
+
+"Electricity," said the Phoenix thoughtfully, "is a complicated and
+profound subject. There are amperes, and there are volts, and there
+are kilowatt hours. I might also mention positive and negative
+and--ah--all that sort of thing. Most profound. Perhaps I had better
+investigate up there. Screw driver, please."
+
+The Phoenix took the screw driver in one claw and flew up to the top
+of the pole. David could hear the creak of the lines under the
+Phoenix's weight and the rattling of the screw driver against the
+porcelain insulators. For some minutes the Phoenix investigated,
+clicking and scraping about, and muttering "Quite so" and "_There_ we
+are." Then it fluttered down again and rubbed its wings together.
+
+"The whole situation up there is a lot simpler than I thought it would
+be, my boy. The power lines merely come up to the pole on one side,
+pass through the insulators, and go away from the pole on the other
+side. Child's play! The covering on the lines is rather tough,
+however. We shall have to use the wire-cutters."
+
+The Phoenix returned to the top of the pole with the cutters, and
+worked on the wires for five more minutes. Bits of debris began to
+shower down on the hedge. One of the wires vibrated on a low note like
+a slack guitar string.
+
+"We must not forget the difference between alternating and direct
+current, my boy," said the Phoenix as it flew down again. "An
+important problem, that. Where is our wire? Ah, there we are. The
+pliers, please."
+
+"Do you need any help up there?" David asked.
+
+"No, everything is coming along beautifully, thank you. I shall have
+everything finished in a flash."
+
+Trailing one end of the wire in its beak, the Phoenix flew up into the
+darkness once more. The tinkering sounds began again, and a spurt of
+falling debris rattled in the leaves of the hedge.
+
+Suddenly it happened. There was a terrific burst of blue light, a
+sharp squawk from the Phoenix, and a shower of sparks. Another blue
+flash blazed up. The lights in the house, and down the whole street,
+flickered and went out. In the blackness which followed, each stage of
+the Phoenix's descent could be heard as clearly as cannon shots: the
+twanging and snapping as it tumbled through the wires, a drawn-out
+squawk and the flop of wings in the air below, the crash into the
+hedge, the jarring thud against the ground. Broken wires began to
+sputter ominously and fire out sparks. A smell of singed feathers and
+burning rubber filled the air.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+By the light of the sparks David saw the Phoenix staggering to its
+feet. He jumped to the bird's side, but the Phoenix waved him away
+with its wing.
+
+"Quick, my boy," it gasped. "We must make a strategic retreat! Meet me
+on the ledge in the morning. Ouch!" The Phoenix beat at the smoldering
+sparks in its tail and flew off, leaving a trail of acrid smoke
+hanging in the air.
+
+David had the presence of mind to gather up all the tools, the wire,
+bell, and pushbutton, and one of the Phoenix's feathers, which had
+been torn out during the fall. He slipped through a cellar window, hid
+the equipment under a stack of old boxes, and ran noisily up the
+stairs into the kitchen.
+
+"Hey!" he shouted. "The lights are out!"
+
+"Is that you, dear?" came Mother's anxious voice from the dining room.
+
+"The telephone's dead!" Dad shouted from the hall.
+
+Aunt Amy came bumping down the stairs with a candle. "It's that
+burglar!" she cried. "Turning out all the lights so he can murder us
+in our beds!"
+
+"Look!" David shouted, "the line's broken in our back yard!"
+
+They could hear the wailing of sirens now. Fire trucks, repair trucks,
+and police cars pulled up in front of the house. Everyone in the block
+turned out to see what had happened. It took the repair men an hour to
+untangle the wires and fix them. And all the time policemen were
+going through the crowd, asking questions and writing things down in
+their notebooks. They were looking rather haggard, David thought.
+
+
+
+
+8: _In Which David and the Phoenix Visit a Banshee, and a Surprise Is
+Planted in the Enemy's Camp_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Next day Mother asked David to help her straighten out the garden,
+which had been trampled by the repair men; so he could not go to see
+the Phoenix until after lunch. But when that was finished, he rushed
+up the mountainside as fast as he could, wondering all the way what he
+and the Phoenix were going to do now.
+
+The ledge was empty when he got there. He shouted, "Phoenix!" and
+listened.
+
+"Hel-l-lp!" came a faint answering cry from the other end of the
+ledge.
+
+David jumped through the thicket. A pitiful sight met his eyes. There
+was the Phoenix, dangling by one foot from the snare, its wings feebly
+struggling and its free foot clawing the air. The feathers of its
+wings and tail were singed. Great beads of sweat rolled from its
+forehead into a puddle on the ground below. The snared foot was blue
+and swollen.
+
+"Get me down," gasped the Phoenix weakly.
+
+David took a running leap at the sapling, which broke under the sudden
+increase of weight, and the two of them crashed to the ground. He
+unfastened the noose and dragged the Phoenix to the shadiest, softest
+spot on the ledge.
+
+"Hoist with my own petard," said the Phoenix bitterly. "Rub my foot,
+will you? Oh dear oh dear oh dear! Hurts."
+
+"What happened?" David asked as he rubbed the swollen foot. "How long
+have you been caught?"
+
+"Missed my way in the dark," said the Phoenix, wiping its brow.
+"Thought I was on the other side of the ledge, and landed right on
+that fool trap. Hung there all night and all morning. Thought you
+would never come, my boy. Oh dear, oh dear, what a horrible
+experience! My tail was still on fire when I landed, too. I fully
+expected to be burned to a crisp." A large tear rolled down the
+Phoenix's beak.
+
+David murmured soothing words and continued to chafe the Phoenix's
+foot. "Does it feel any better now?"
+
+"The feeling is coming back, my boy," said the Phoenix, gritting its
+beak. "Ouch! All pins and needles." It flexed its toes gingerly. "Rub
+a bit more, please. Gently."
+
+The swelling began to go down. With a handful of damp grass David
+soothed the marks left by the noose.
+
+"That stupid Electric Company!" the Phoenix suddenly burst out.
+"Putting everyone in danger with a short-circuited power line! Let
+this be a lesson to you, my boy. Anything worth doing is worth doing
+well. They will hear from us, believe me! We shall write them a stiff
+complaint!"
+
+"Well, Phoenix," said David hopefully, "we can set the snare again if
+we can find another good sapling; and we still have the other one, so
+we're pretty well protected. And why couldn't we meet every night by
+the hedge, the way we did last night? The bell was a good idea, but
+we _could_ get along without it."
+
+The Phoenix sighed. "I suppose you are right, my boy. There is no use
+crying over spilt milk. One must set one's jaw and--good heavens, my
+boy! _Duck!_"
+
+The Phoenix threw itself to the ground and wildly motioned to David to
+do the same. He flattened himself out beside the bird and said, "What
+is it, Phoenix?"
+
+"Down the mountainside," whispered the Phoenix. "Look! Do not stick
+your head over too far."
+
+David wormed his way to the edge, peered down, and gasped. Below him,
+on the grassy slope at the foot of the scarp, was a figure clad in
+khaki. It was the Scientist.
+
+"Do you think he saw us?" the Phoenix whispered.
+
+"I don't think so," David whispered back. "He's looking off to the
+left. Oh, Phoenix, what if he comes up here? What'll we do?"
+
+"Listen," hissed the Phoenix, "run down there. Talk to him, lead him
+away, distract his attention, anything. Only be quick!"
+
+"All right!"
+
+The Phoenix melted into the thicket, and David jumped to his feet. As
+he dashed down the trail his brain whirled with questions. What should
+he do? What could he say? How could he lead the Scientist away? Where
+would the Phoenix go?
+
+In his haste he forgot one important thing. His foot tripped over the
+pile of grass and leaves on the trail. The released sapling sprang
+upward, the noose tightened with a cruel jerk around his ankle, and he
+was snatched into the air. As the blood rushed to his head he lost
+control of himself and began to struggle wildly and shout at the top
+of his voice.
+
+The flat dry voice of the Scientist drifted to him as if through a
+long tunnel. "What's all this? What are you doing here? Who set this
+snare?"
+
+"Get me down," David choked. "Please!"
+
+A hand seized him by the scruff of the neck. A knife flashed through
+the air and cut the rope. David landed on his feet, but his legs gave
+way and he dropped to his knees. He felt dizzy as the blood rushed
+away from his head again.
+
+The Scientist tilted his sun helmet back and said, "Well,
+well--David," in a disagreeable tone. His eyes narrowed behind the
+spectacles. "What is this snare doing here?"
+
+David struggled to his feet and clutched a bush for support. "Thank
+you for cutting me down," he said.
+
+The cold blue eyes found David's and held them in a hypnotic stare.
+"What is this trap doing here? Who set it?"
+
+"I--I was coming down the trail and--and--I was caught in it," David
+stammered.
+
+"You are avoiding my question, young man," said the Scientist.
+"Who--set--this--snare? Answer me!"
+
+There was a brilliant flash of gold and blue in the sunlight, the
+whistle of feathers cleaving the air, the sharp _thwock!_ of fisted
+talons striking. The Scientist pitched forward with a surprised grunt
+and lay still across the trail--and the Phoenix, executing a flip in
+the air to check its speed, settled down beside David.
+
+"View halloo!" it shouted excitedly. "Yoicks and Tallyho! Did you see
+that stoop, my boy? By Jove, the best-trained falcon could not have
+done better! Believe me, I have been saving that blow for a long time!
+By Jove, what a magnificent stoop! I think I shall take up
+Scientist-hunting as a regular thing!"
+
+"Thank goodness, Phoenix!" David exclaimed. "Another minute and you
+would've been too late! But I hope you haven't--hurt him very much."
+
+"Nonsense, my boy," said the Phoenix. "A head so stuffed with
+scientific fact cannot be injured. He will come to in a short while."
+The Phoenix lifted the Scientist's sun helmet and examined the back of
+his head. "A large lump is developing, my boy. A most pleasant sight!
+I fear the sun helmet is now useless--crushed like an eggshell." And
+the Phoenix smiled proudly.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Well, I hope it isn't serious," David said doubtfully. "Anyway, we'll
+have to do something."
+
+"Precisely, my boy. But I think we should have a drink first." The
+Phoenix detached a canteen from the Scientist's belt and took a deep
+swig. "Ah, delicious! Our friend is well prepared, my boy." And
+indeed, the Scientist had all sorts of things with him: a hand-ax, a
+sheath knife, a compass, a camera, binoculars, a stop watch, notebooks
+and pencils, a coil of rope, maps. There was also a packet of
+sandwiches, which the Phoenix opened and began to eat.
+
+"Now, listen, Phoenix, we have to do something."
+
+"Quite right, my boy," the Phoenix mumbled, with its mouth full. "Have
+a sandwich--spoils of war--peanut butter--very nourishing. The fact is
+that I have just thought of another plan, which cannot fail. Have we
+any money left?"
+
+"Yes, four gold pieces. Why?"
+
+"Splendid. Now, my boy, I shall leave you. When the Scientist wakes
+up, you will help him down to wherever he lives. Find out where his
+room is. I shall meet you by the hedge at midnight. Be sure you have
+the gold pieces with you."
+
+"All right. What are we--"
+
+"Sure you will not have a sandwich?"
+
+"No, thank you. What are we--"
+
+"Very well. Farewell, then, my boy. Till midnight."
+
+David poured what was left in the canteen over the Scientist's head
+and fanned him with a notebook. Presently the man stirred and groaned.
+Then he sat up and muttered, "What hit me?"
+
+"Can you stand up yet?" David said.
+
+Too dazed to ask any more questions, the Scientist got up, groaning,
+put on his broken spectacles, collected his scattered equipment, and
+leaned on David. The two of them proceeded slowly down the trail
+together, frequently sitting down to rest. The Scientist murmured the
+name of his hotel and pointed out the direction.
+
+Townspeople stared at them as they passed, but no one stopped them or
+asked questions, and they reached the hotel without further incident.
+They entered the lobby, and the Scientist sank into a chair.
+
+"Let me help you to your room," said David.
+
+In a few minutes the Scientist got up again, and they took the
+elevator to the fourth floor. David closely watched the direction they
+were going, and when they came into the Scientist's room, he looked
+quickly through the window. There was a fire escape just outside. He
+had the information now: fourth floor, west side, fire escape by
+window.
+
+The Scientist eased himself onto the bed with a groan.
+
+Then he turned to David and said severely: "There's something strange
+about all this, and I intend to get to the bottom of it. You'll be
+hearing from me, young man!"
+
+"All right," said David, closing the door. "And you'll be hearing from
+_us_," he added in an undertone, "if I know the Phoenix!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Flying at night was colder than flying by day, but it was more
+thrilling, too. They whistled through an immense blackness. Stars
+glittered overhead, and quicksilver patches of moonlight and shadow
+flashed across the clouds below. They were going to Ireland, but why,
+David did not know. The Phoenix was playing its wait-and-see game
+again.
+
+In an hour or so they shot out over the edge of the cloud mass, and
+David could see a rocky coast below, dark and cold in the half-light.
+The Phoenix began to slant down toward it, and presently they landed
+in a little meadow. One side of the meadow ran down to a bog filled
+with reeds, and on the other side was a gloomy wood. Everything was
+dark and indistinct, but David thought he could tell why the Phoenix
+had called this the Emerald Isle. The grass beneath their feet was the
+thickest he had ever felt. He touched a boulder and found it furry
+with moss. With the wood and the reed-choked bog, the whole place
+would be rich with various greens in the daylight.
+
+Just then they saw a little man approaching them from the wood. He was
+three feet tall, dressed all in green, and had a long white beard.
+When he reached them he raised his cap politely and said, "Good
+evenin' to you."
+
+"A fine evening to you, my good Leprechaun," said the Phoenix. "Could
+you kindly tell us--"
+
+"Will you have a cigar?" the Leprechaun interrupted.
+
+With a surprised "Thank you very much," the Phoenix took the cigar,
+bit off the end, and popped it into its beak. The Leprechaun lighted
+it, and the Phoenix puffed away.
+
+"Stick o' gum, lad?" said the Leprechaun to David, holding out a pack.
+
+"Why, yes, thank you," said David. He took the stick of gum from the
+pack, and was immediately sorry for it. The stick was made of wood and
+had a small wire spring, like a mouse trap, which snapped down on his
+finger and made him yelp with pain. At the same instant the Phoenix's
+cigar exploded, knocking the startled bird backwards into a bush.
+
+"Haw haw haw!" shouted the Leprechaun, rolling on the ground and
+holding his sides. "Haw haw haw!"
+
+In a trice the Phoenix had pounced on the Leprechaun and pinned him to
+the ground.
+
+"Let him up," said David furiously. "I'll punch his head for him."
+
+"I think, my boy," said the Phoenix coldly, "that I shall carry the
+creature up into the clouds and drop him. Or should we take him back
+with us and hand him over to the Scientist?"
+
+"Now, don't take offense, Your Honor," said the Leprechaun. "I thought
+you'd look at it as kind o' comic."
+
+"Exceedingly comic," said the Phoenix severely. "I am quite overcome
+with mirth and merriment. But perhaps--_perhaps_--I shall let you off
+lightly if you tell us where the Banshee lives."
+
+"The--the Banshee of Mare's Nest Wood?"
+
+"The same. Speak!"
+
+A new light of respect and fear came into the Leprechaun's eyes.
+"She's a terror, she is. What'll you be wanting--"
+
+"None of your business!" roared the Phoenix. "Where is she?"
+
+The Leprechaun had begun to tremble. "Follow the path yonder through
+the wood until you reach the cave, Your Honor. You're not friends o'
+hers, are you? You'll not be telling on me? I'm real sorry for those
+jokes, Your Honor."
+
+The Leprechaun's fright was so genuine now that the Phoenix relented
+and let him go. The little creature dashed off like a rabbit into the
+bog.
+
+"Let that be a lesson to you, my boy," said the Phoenix. "Beware the
+Leprechaun bearing gifts. But I wonder why the thought of the Banshee
+frightened him so?"
+
+They followed the path until they came to the mouth of a cave under a
+heap of rocks. The Phoenix plunged in, and David nervously followed.
+The cave turned out to be a long passageway which led, after several
+turns, into a chamber.
+
+From the ceiling of this rocky vault hung an electric light bulb,
+which glared feebly through drifts of smoke. All around the walls were
+wooden boxes, stacked up to make shelves and cupboards. These were
+filled with an astonishing array of objects: bottles, vials, alembics,
+retorts, test tubes, decanters, cages, boxes, jars, pots, skulls,
+books, snake skins, wands, waxen images, pins and needles, locks of
+hair, crystal balls, playing cards, dice, witch-hazel forks, tails of
+animals, spices, bottles of ink in several colors, clay pipes, a
+small brass scale, compasses, measuring cups, a piggy bank which
+squealed off and on in a peevish way, balls of string and ribbons, a
+pile of magazines called _The Warlock Weekly_, a broken ukulele,
+little heaps of powder, colored stones, candle ends, some potted
+cacti, and an enormous cash register. In the middle of the chamber a
+little hideous crone in a Mother Hubbard crouched over a saucepan,
+stirring it with a wooden spoon. The saucepan was resting in the coals
+of an open fire, and smoke and steam together spread out in a murky,
+foul-smelling fog.
+
+The crone peered at them over the top of her spectacles and cackled,
+"Come in, come in, dearies. I'll be with you as soon as ever I finish
+this brew."
+
+The Phoenix, who had been gazing around the chamber in surprise, said,
+"My dear Banshee, since when have you taken up witchcraft? This is
+most unexpected."
+
+"Ah, 'tis the Phoenix!" exclaimed the hag, peering at them again.
+"Well, fancy that now! Och, you may well ask, and I'll be telling you.
+'Tis a poor life being a Banshee--long hours and not so much as
+sixpence in it for a full night's work, and I got that sick of it! So
+I changed me trade. 'Sure, you'll never make a go of it,' they told
+me, 'and at your age,' they says, 'and once you've got your station
+in life,' they says, 'there's no changing it.' 'It's in the prime of
+me life I am,' says I, 'and I'll not be changing me mind for all your
+cackling,' says I, 'and if certain mouths don't shut up,' says I,
+'I'll cast spells that'll make certain people wish they were dead.'
+That set them back on their heels, you may be sure. Well, 'twas the
+best decision of me life. The money pours in like sorrows to a widow,
+and I'll be retiring within the year to live out my days like a proper
+queen."
+
+Then the Banshee caught sight of David and hobbled over to him,
+peering into his frightened eyes.
+
+"Ah, the wee darling," she crooned, "the plump little mannikin. What a
+broth he'd make, to be sure." She pinched his arm, and he started back
+in terror. "So firm and plump, to make the mouth water. Sell him to
+me, Phoenix!"
+
+"Nonsense," said the Phoenix sharply. "What we desire--"
+
+At this instant the contents of the saucepan began to hiss and bubble.
+"Whoops, dearies, the brew is boiling!" shrieked the Banshee, and she
+hobbled back to the fire to resume her work. She looked in a recipe
+book, stirred, clapped her hands, sang hair-raising incantations in a
+quavery voice, and added a pinch of salt and sulfur. She sprinkled
+spices from a shaker, waved her wand, popped in a dead toad, and
+fanned up the fire with an ostrich plume.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Now for the hard part," she said, grinning at them toothlessly. She
+measured out a spoonful of green powder, weighed it in the scales, and
+flung it into the saucepan. There was a loud explosion. A huge blast
+of steam flared out and engulfed them. When it had cleared, they saw
+the Banshee tilting the saucepan over a small bottle. One ruby drop of
+fluid fell into the bottle. It darted forth rays of light as it fell,
+and tinkled like a silver coin rolling down flights of marble steps.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The Banshee corked the bottle and held it up proudly to the light.
+"Will you look at that, now?" she crooned. "The finest ever I brewed.
+Ah, the mystic droplet! Some swain will be buying that, now, and
+putting it in a lassie's cup o' tea, and she'll be pining away for
+love of him before the day's out."
+
+She put the bottle on the shelf, pasted a label on it, and turned to
+them with a businesslike air.
+
+"Now, dearies, what'll you be wanting? Philtres? Poison?--I've a
+special today, only five shillings a vial. A spell? What about your
+fortunes?--one shilling if seen in the crystal ball, one and six if
+read from the palm. A hex?--I've the finest in six counties. A ticket
+to the Walpurgis Night Ball?"
+
+"We want a Wail," said the Phoenix. "And we shall accept nothing but
+the best and loudest you have."
+
+"Ah, a Banshee's Wail, is it?" cried the hag. "You've come to the
+right shop, dearies, to be sure. Now, let me see...." She hobbled to a
+shelf which contained a row of boxes, ran her finger along them,
+stopped at one, and took it down. "Here we are--key of C-sharp, two
+minutes long, only five shillings threepence."
+
+"No, no," said the Phoenix. "A larger one. We have something more than
+mice to frighten."
+
+"A bigger one? Och, here's a lovely one, now--five minutes long,
+ascending scale with a sob at the end, guaranteed to scare a statue.
+Yours for ten and six. I call that a real bargain, now!"
+
+"Bah!" said the Phoenix impatiently. "Enough of these squeaks! We want
+a real _Wail_, my dear Banshee--such a Wail as never before was heard
+on the face of this earth. And stop this babbling about shillings and
+pence. We are prepared to pay in gold." The Phoenix took the four
+pieces of gold from David and carelessly tossed them into the air.
+
+The Banshee's eyes flew wide open, and she twirled herself around like
+a top. "Och, the sweet music of its tinkling!" she exclaimed. "The
+lovely sheen of light upon it! _There's_ a sight for eyes used to
+naught but silver! Ah, but dearies, I've no Wail worth four pieces of
+gold. I'll have to make one up special." She hobbled rapidly around
+the chamber until she had found a box as large as a bird cage, and an
+ear trumpet. She opened the box, shook it to make sure it was empty,
+and put in two heads of cabbage. ("Such monstrous appetites these
+Wails do have!" she explained.) She fastened the lid carefully with a
+catch-lock, and inserted the ear trumpet in a hole in one side of the
+box. Then she disappeared through a sound-proof door, which they had
+not seen before on account of the smoke.
+
+Fifteen minutes later the Banshee came out with the box, plugging up
+the hole in its side with a bit of wax. She was pale and trembling,
+and beads of sweat covered her face. She smiled weakly at them, seized
+an earthen-ware jug, and drained it in one gulp. The color began to
+return to her face.
+
+"Wsssht!" she gasped, wiping her brow with the sleeve of her Mother
+Hubbard. "Ah, dearies, that was the effort of me life! 'Tis a Wail to
+make one burst with pride, though I do say it meself. Thirteen minutes
+long by the clock, with a range of ten octaves! 'Twould frighten the
+Old Nick himself!"
+
+"Splendid!" said the Phoenix. "The fact is, I sometimes suspect that
+that is precisely with whom we are dealing at home."
+
+The light suddenly dawned on David. "Phoenix!" he cried. "I bet we're
+going to give the Wail to the Scientist!"
+
+"Precisely, my boy!" The Phoenix beamed.
+
+"Oh, golly golly golly!" David sang as he danced around.
+
+"And I'll guarantee it, dearies!" the Banshee cackled. "One hundred
+per cent satisfaction or your money back!"
+
+"Defeat and confusion to the enemy!" the Phoenix shouted, giving the
+special squawk which was its battle cry.
+
+The Banshee received her gold. The Phoenix told David for goodness
+sake not to drop the box or let the lid pop open, or they would regret
+it to their dying day. David, hearing the rustle of the Wail as it
+ravenously attacked the cabbages inside the box, assured the Phoenix
+that he would be careful. The Banshee said, "Ah, Phoenix, do sell the
+laddie to me," but her tone was more teasing than serious, and they
+all laughed. Good-bys were said all round, and David and the Phoenix
+left. The last thing they heard as they felt their way up the dark
+passage was the happy cackling of the Banshee and the clang of the
+cash register.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+They got back to the hotel before dawn and very carefully crept down
+the fire escape into the Scientist's room. They put the box on the
+bedside table, stuck out their tongues at the sleeping Scientist, and
+crept out again. Then they went home, the Phoenix to the ledge and
+David to bed, where he fell asleep instantly.
+
+The Wail was wildly successful. The Scientist released it from its box
+at seven o'clock in the morning. People living in the hotel thought
+the world had come to its end. The rest of the town wondered if it was
+a riot, or an earthquake, or both with three steam calliopes thrown
+in for good measure. David, who lived twelve blocks from the hotel,
+stirred in his sleep and dreamed he was riding a fire engine. Even the
+Phoenix claimed later that a kind of moan was borne on the breeze all
+the way up to the ledge.
+
+The hotel burst into activity like a kicked anthill. People poured
+down the fire escapes, shot out through the doors, lowered themselves
+into the street with ropes of knotted blankets. Others barricaded
+themselves in their rooms by piling furniture against the doors and
+windows. One guest found his way to the cellar and hid in an ash can
+for two days. The manager crawled into the office safe and locked the
+door, without even bothering to remember that he was the only one who
+knew the combination. The telephone exchange was jammed as calls
+flooded in to mobilize the Boy Scouts, the Red Cross, the Salvation
+Army, the National Guard, and the Volunteer Flood Control Association.
+When the Wail finally died out (which was not until seven-thirty,
+because it had devoured both cabbages during the night and had grown
+to more than twice its original size) the police entered the hotel in
+force, armed to the eyebrows. They found nothing. At the end of a
+three-hour search the Chief handed in his resignation.
+
+As for the Scientist, he disappeared completely. A farmer living three
+miles out of town said he saw a man, dressed in a nightshirt and
+head-bandage, running down the valley road. The farmer guessed the
+man's speed to be thirty-five miles an hour. But, he added, there was
+such a cloud of dust being raised that he could not see very well.
+
+"It might have been fifty miles an hour," he said.
+
+No one doubted him.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+9: _In Which David and the Phoenix Call On a Faun, and a Lovely
+Afternoon Comes to a Strange End_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+The Phoenix was dead tired. And no wonder--all in one week it had
+escaped from Gryffons, raced with a Witch, made round-trip flights to
+the Pacific Isles and Ireland, been caught in a snare, got burned by a
+short circuit, and been knocked down by an exploding cigar. Even a
+bird as strong as the Phoenix cannot do all these things without
+needing a rest. So the traveling part of David's education was
+stopped for a while to let the Phoenix recover.
+
+The days went by pleasantly on the ledge. Summer was at its height.
+The sun fell on them with just the right amount of warmth as they
+lolled on the grass. The air was filled with a lazy murmuring.
+"Listen," the murmuring seemed to say, "don't talk, don't think--close
+your eyes and listen." Below them, the whole valley danced and wavered
+in the heat waves, so that it seemed to be under water.
+
+There were long, lazy conversations that began nowhere and ended
+nowhere--the wonderful kind in which you say whatever comes to your
+head without fear of being misunderstood, because what you say has
+little importance anyway. The Phoenix told of the times and adventures
+it had had. Of the forgotten corners of the world where life went on
+as it had from the beginning, and of friends who lived there. Of
+Trolls who mined metal from the earth and made from it wondrous
+machines which whirred and clattered and clanked and did absolutely
+nothing. ("The best kind of machine after all, my boy, since they
+injure no one, and there is nothing to worry about when they break
+down.") Of Unicorns ("Excellent chaps, but so frightfully melancholy")
+which shone white in the sun and tossed their ivory horns like
+rapiers. Of a Dragon who, having no treasure to guard, got together a
+pathetic heap of colored pebbles in its cave. ("And really, he came to
+believe in time that they were absolutely priceless, and went about
+with a worried frown of responsibility on his brow!") David, in turn,
+told the Phoenix about the games he used to play when he lived in the
+flat country, and all about school, and Mother and Dad and Aunt Amy
+and Beckie.
+
+He could not help laughing now and then over the Scientist's defeat.
+But whenever this came up, the Phoenix would shake its head with a
+kind of sad wisdom.
+
+"My boy, there are certain things, such as head colds and forgetting
+where you have left your keys, which are inevitable--and I am afraid
+that the Scientist is, too."
+
+"Oh, Phoenix, you don't think he'll come back, do you?"
+
+"Yes, my boy, I do. I can see the whole train of events: He will
+recover from his fright. He will be curious about the Wail, and will
+return to investigate it. Once here, he will remember us, and we shall
+have to take him into account once more."
+
+"Oh. Do you think it'll happen soon?"
+
+"Oh, no, my boy, nothing to worry about for the time being. But we
+must remember that it will happen some day."
+
+"Yes, I guess you're right. I think he's hateful!"
+
+"I cannot disagree with you there, my boy. Of course, I have no doubt
+that, in general, the advancement of science is all to the good.
+Knowledge is power. But on days like this I sometimes wonder.... Does
+it not seem to you that the highest aim in life at the moment is to
+enjoy the sunlight and allow others to do the same?"
+
+"You're right, Phoenix--but then, you always are. I was just thinking
+the same thing. It's funny ... I mean ... well, _you_ know. Why can't
+people leave other people alone--and--and--well, just _enjoy_
+themselves and lie in the sun and listen to the wind?"
+
+"That is the way of the world, my boy. Getting and spending, and all
+that sort of thing. But come! Why should we worry over the follies of
+the rest of the world? A day like this was made for living, not
+thinking. Begone, dull care!"
+
+And they would forget the Scientist and watch a pair of butterflies
+chase each other instead.
+
+But one day the Phoenix suddenly stood up with a startled expression
+on its face. "My dear chap!" it exclaimed. "I have just remembered!
+Tomorrow...."
+
+"What about tomorrow?"
+
+"Why, my boy, tomorrow another century rounds its mark. To be brief,
+tomorrow is my birthday. My five hundredth birthday."
+
+"Well, congratulations, Phoenix!"
+
+"Thank you, my boy. Five hundred.... Destiny.... Have I mentioned
+before, my boy, that I have a magnificent destiny?"
+
+"No. What is it, Phoenix?"
+
+"I--well, it is strange, my boy, but I do not know ... but that it is
+magnificent no one can doubt."
+
+"Do I have one too?"
+
+"Of course, my boy. We all do."
+
+David was glad of that. He did not know exactly what a destiny was,
+however, and he tried to think of how one would look. But the only
+picture which came to his mind was that of a small, mousy creature
+(his destiny) looking up in admiration to a splendid thing of flame
+and gold, dazzling to the eyes--the Phoenix's mysterious destiny.
+
+He said, "We'll have to do something special tomorrow to celebrate,
+Phoenix."
+
+The Phoenix looked thoughtful. "I think we had better do whatever we
+are going to do _today_," it said.
+
+"Well, we can do something today _and_ tomorrow, then," said David.
+"After all, a birthday only comes once a year, and it seems a shame to
+spend only one day on it. Especially when it's a five hundredth
+birthday."
+
+"Tomorrow ..." said the Phoenix doubtfully. "I have a strange feeling,
+my boy--for once, I find myself unable to explain--most odd, _most_
+odd ... five hundredth birthday...."
+
+"Ah, well," it went on more cheerfully, "I shall undoubtedly remember
+later. The pressing question is, what shall we do now?"
+
+David got up, thought for a while, and suddenly flung his arms wide.
+"Oh, Phoenix," he cried, "it's such a beautiful day, I wish it could
+go on forever! Couldn't we go somewhere--somewhere where we--oh, I
+don't know. I can't explain it. Anywhere _you_ say, Phoenix."
+
+The Phoenix looked at him for a long time. "I think I understand, my
+boy. Yes.... How about one of the forgotten places I told you about?
+Should you like to meet a Faun?"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was a green valley, completely enclosed by the barren mountains
+which towered above it. At one end a waterfall hung on the face of a
+cliff, a misty thread pouring into a rainbow-arched pool. A brook
+serpentined through fields and groves of trees. There were flocks of
+sheep and goats in the fields. Here and there were strange ruins of
+marble and red granite--columns, peristyles, benches carved with
+lions' heads, and pedestals.
+
+They landed in a little glade, and David got down in silent
+wonderment. The very stillness of the air was enchanted. The grass,
+dappled with sun and shadow, wore a mantle of flowers. Clouds of
+butterflies sprang up at their approach and swirled about them. To
+their right stood two broken columns, half-hidden beneath a wild
+tangle of vine and clusters of purple grapes. Beyond was the forest,
+dark and cool and silent, with shafts of sunlight in it like golden
+spears pinning the forest floor to earth. There was no breeze. And as
+David stood there, scarcely daring to breathe, they heard the sound of
+shepherd pipes coming from the edge of the wood. It was a minor tune,
+but somehow lilting too, with the rippling of water in it, and the
+laughter of birds flying high, and the whisper of reeds as they bend
+together by the edge of streams, and the gaiety of crickets by night,
+and the pouring of summer rain.
+
+The piping died away, and the Phoenix beckoned to the spellbound
+David. Together they walked across the glade, leaving behind them a
+wake of swirling butterflies. An immense oak stood at the edge of the
+forest. At its foot, on a bed of moss, sat the Faun.
+
+He was the same size as David. From the waist down he was covered with
+shaggy hair like a goat's, and instead of feet he had cloven hooves.
+The hair on his head was black and curly, and tumbled around small
+pointed ears and a pair of short horns. His eyes were slanted slightly
+upward, and he had a pointed chin and a snub nose.
+
+The Faun waved his pipes saucily at the Phoenix and gave a wry smile.
+"Hullo, Phoenix! Back again to honor us with your wit and wisdom? What
+gems of advice have you got for us now?"
+
+"My dear Faun," said the Phoenix stiffly, "I have brought my friend
+David, who is acquiring an education. We--"
+
+The Faun smiled at David. "Want to race?" he said.
+
+"Sure," said David. "Where to?"
+
+"One moment," harrumphed the Phoenix. "What we--"
+
+"Down to that pedestal and back," said the Faun.
+
+"All right. Wait till I tie my shoe."
+
+The Phoenix harrumphed again. "This is all very well in its place, but
+we _should_--"
+
+"Ready?" said the Faun. "One, two, three, _go_!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+They dashed for the stone marker. It was an even race until they
+reached the pedestal, but there David tried to turn without slowing
+down, slipped on the grass, and went sprawling on his hands and knees.
+The Faun knew better. He sprang at the pedestal with both hooves,
+bounced from it like a spring, and began to race back to the oak. But
+then he too fell, tripping over a vine, and David shot past him and
+touched the oak one jump ahead of him, shouting "First!"
+
+They sat down on the moss, panting. The Faun said, "You can really
+run! I'm sorry you fell."
+
+"Well, you fell too, so that makes us even," said David. They looked
+at each other and for some reason burst out laughing. They rolled
+around on the moss and laughed until tears came, while the Phoenix
+fidgeted in reproachful silence.
+
+When they had calmed down a little, the Faun said, "Can you dance?"
+
+"No," said David. "I wish I could, though."
+
+"The educational value of dancing is practically nil," the Phoenix
+began severely. "I advise--"
+
+"Sure you can dance," said the Faun. "Listen." He brought the pipes to
+his lips and began to play.
+
+And much to his surprise and delight, David found himself dancing as
+though he had never done anything else in his life. The wonderful
+thing was that he did not have to think about what he was doing: the
+music was doing it all for him. He saw that even the Phoenix was
+shuffling around in time to the piping, and looking very embarrassed
+about it, too.
+
+"There," said the Faun when they had finished, "you _can_ dance, and
+very well. Even old Phoenix can dance." Suddenly he jumped up and
+cried, "Let's go--come on!" and started to run.
+
+David followed, not knowing where they were going and not caring. The
+Phoenix came after them, half running and half flying to keep up. They
+raced across the glade, through a stand of trees, and out into the
+meadow beyond. There they came to a bank of daisies, and threw
+themselves into the middle of it and began to pelt each other with
+blossoms. The Phoenix, finally caught up in the spirit of it,
+collected a huge bunch while they were wrestling, flew suddenly over
+them, and drowned them beneath a deluge of flowers. Near by was the
+stream. They splashed in the shallows, skipped pebbles over the
+surface, and dug a harbor with two dikes in the sandy part of the
+shore. The Faun showed David how to build little boats of reeds, and
+the Phoenix made them sail by blowing up a wind with its wings.
+
+They had a tree-climbing contest, which David won because his feet
+were better than hooves for standing on branches. But the Faun won the
+jumping contest because of the tremendous spring in his legs. They
+came out even in the handstand, somersault, and skin-the-cat contest.
+And the Phoenix won when they played skip-rope with a piece of vine,
+because it could hover in the air with its wings while the vine
+swished over and under.
+
+They had fun with the sheep and goats, too. The Faun made the animals
+dance and caper to a tune from his pipes, and showed David how to
+ride on the rams. You crept up very quietly from behind--jumped
+suddenly on their backs--got a quick grip around their necks--and away
+in a rush! It was almost as good as flying, except that you got jolted
+off sooner or later. Then watch out!--it took some quick dodging to
+escape the horns of the angry rams. They left the goats alone, because
+of their sharper horns and the wicked look in their eyes.
+
+"I know where some pictures are," said the Faun. "Come on!" And he led
+them to a kind of glade ringed with shattered columns. The ground
+there was covered with moss and drifts of leaves. They each got a
+stick to clear away the debris, and uncovered a beautiful mosaic
+pavement. It was made of bits of colored stone and tile, which were
+arranged to make pictures. There were scenes of youths treading out
+wine, minstrels with lyres, gods with curly hair, and a beast which
+was half man and half horse. There were maidens dancing to flute and
+drums, hunters battling with boars and lions, warriors clashing with
+sword and shield and spear. There were series of pictures telling
+stories of wonders and adventures in far-distant lands, voyages, wars,
+conquests. The Faun proudly pointed out a picture of other Fauns
+dancing with Nymphs. The Phoenix gazed very thoughtfully at some
+scenes of a bird building and sitting in a nest of flames. But the
+last pictures of this story had been broken up by roots, so they could
+not see how it ended.
+
+When they came to the end of the valley, where the rainbow arched over
+the pool, David told them of the pot of gold which is supposed to be
+at the foot of rainbows. They looked for it, but without success,
+because the rainbow disappeared whenever they got too close to it. So
+David and the Faun contented themselves with jumping into the pool and
+ducking each other and making bubbly noises, while the Phoenix, who
+could not swim, stood on the shore and beamed at them. They picked
+ferns from under the waterfall and made wreaths and garlands, which
+they threw at the Phoenix's head like quoits. The Faun showed them a
+certain place to shout from if you wanted to hear an echo. The Phoenix
+shouted, "A stitch in time saves nine!" and the echo dolorously
+answered, "A switch is fine for crime."
+
+Wet and tired from splashing in the pool, they stretched out in the
+sun to dry. A grapevine grew near them, and they gorged themselves on
+the fruit, smearing their faces and hands with purple. And David
+closed his eyes and thought, "Now I'm having a dream, and so is the
+Phoenix. We're all dreaming the same thing and living in the dream,
+and I wish--oh, I wish none of us will ever wake up!"
+
+But he had just opened his eyes again when the Faun leaped to his feet
+and cried "Listen!" and flicked his pointed ears forward like a cat.
+
+David stood up and said in a puzzled voice, "I don't hear anything."
+He noticed that the Phoenix had also got up, and was listening
+uncomfortably to whatever it was.
+
+"Listen! Oh, listen!" cried the Faun. There was a joyous light in his
+eyes as he leaned forward with his lips slightly parted, straining
+toward the mysterious silence. Suddenly he shouted, "I'm coming, I'm
+coming!" and dashed off into the wood.
+
+"Good heavens," muttered the Phoenix. "I had forgotten about--this.
+Let us go home, my boy."
+
+A strange, uncontrollable trembling had seized David's legs. He still
+could hear nothing, but some feeling, some hint of an unknown,
+tremendous event hung quivering in the air about them and sent little
+electric thrills racing up and down his whole body.
+
+"Oh, Phoenix, what is it, what is it?" he whispered.
+
+"I think we had best be going, my boy," said the Phoenix anxiously.
+"Come along."
+
+"Phoenix--" But he heard it now. It came whispering toward them, the
+sound of pipes caroling--pipes such as the Faun had played, but
+greater, as an organ is greater than a flute. The wild, sweet sound
+rose and fell, swelled like a full choir, diminished into one soprano
+voice that pierced David through and through, caressing and tugging,
+calling, "Come ... come ... run ... run...."
+
+"Phoenix!" David cried. "Oh, Phoenix, listen, listen!"
+
+"Run ... run ..." the pipes whispered.
+
+"Let us go home, my boy," said the Phoenix warningly.
+
+"Come ... come ..." cried the pipes.
+
+They could be resisted no longer. In a transport of joy, David shouted "I'm
+coming!" and raced away toward the sound. There was nothing in his mind
+now, nothing in the whole world, but a desire to be near those pipes. He
+must run like the winds, leap and shout, roll in the grass, throw himself
+down flowered slopes, follow that magic music wherever it should lead. He
+fled blindly through the wood, heedless of the branches which whipped his
+face and the thorns which tore at his legs. The pipes were calling more
+loudly now: "Run ... run ... faster ... faster...." Then the Phoenix
+plunged to earth in front of him, threw out both wings, and shouted "Stop!"
+
+"Let me go, Phoenix!" David cried. "Let me by! I want to run, I must
+run!"
+
+He made a desperate effort to push past the outstretched wings. But
+the Phoenix flung him to the ground, picked him up before he could
+kick once, and threw him on its back. Then they were flying at full
+speed, dodging through gaps in the branches and between close-set
+trunks, with leaves and twigs slashing them from every side. They
+burst out of the wood and sped over a meadow. David saw below them a
+huge Faun-like figure pacing majestically across the sward. A flaming
+wreath encircled its brow, garlands of flowers hung from its arms and
+shoulders, and those enchanted pipes were lifted to its lips. Around
+the cloven hooves, and trailing out behind, danced a multitude of
+creatures--lambs and kids gamboling, goats and rams tossing their
+horns, foxes, furry waves of squirrels, rabbits kicking up their
+heels, Fauns and Nymphs rollicking, frogs and crickets and serpents.
+Above them flew birds and butterflies and beetles and bats in swirling
+clouds. Full-voiced, the glorious pipes sang. "Come, come, run, run!
+Follow, leap and dance, adore and obey! Run, oh, run, heed me before
+all passes! Follow, before it is too late, too late, too late...."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+And David, in a delirium of desire, shouted "I'm coming!" and jumped
+from the Phoenix's back.
+
+For an instant, as he fell through the air, he thought he would
+succeed in joining the dancing throng. But the Phoenix, plunging after
+him falconwise with folded wings, seized his collar in its talons, and
+snatched him up from the very arms of the Faun, who had recognized him
+and called his name as he fell.
+
+Up toward the cloudless sky they soared. David cried, pleaded,
+pommeled the Phoenix with his fists. The Phoenix ignored his
+struggling and continued to climb with tremendous wing strokes. Up and
+up and up.... The piping grew fainter in the distance, its magic
+weakened. The enchanted dancers diminished into specks, the valley
+fell away until it was only a green splash nestled among the jagged
+peaks. And David burst into tears ... and then wondered why he was
+crying ... and tried to remember, and could not. The trembling left
+his body, and he dangled limply. His eyes closed.
+
+
+
+
+10: _In Which a Five Hundredth Birthday Is Celebrated, and the Phoenix
+Bows to Tradition_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+"That's funny," said David, rubbing his eyes and looking around in a
+puzzled way. "Where are we, Phoenix?"
+
+"'Home is the sailor, home from the hill,'" the Phoenix said, "'And
+the hunter home from the sea.' Or is it the other way around? At any
+rate, we are home, my boy."
+
+And so they were.
+
+"Weren't we playing with a Faun just now?"
+
+"Quite so."
+
+"But there was something else," David said. "Something ... Didn't
+somebody say, 'Follow, before it is too late,' or something like that?
+_Did_ we follow?--I can't remember."
+
+"No, my boy. By the time one hears that, it is already too late."
+
+"Oh." Too late for what? he wondered. Oh, well ... He sighed, and fell
+to daydreaming.
+
+A cough from the Phoenix brought him back.
+
+"Beg your pardon?"
+
+"I have never seen you so thoughtful, my boy. However, I believe I
+know what you are thinking about. It _is_ a difficult problem, is it
+not?"
+
+"Yes, I was just--"
+
+"--thinking what you could get me for a birthday present," interrupted
+the Phoenix. "Am I not correct?"
+
+David, who had not even given this a thought until now, flushed.
+
+"Aha!" said the Phoenix triumphantly. "Just as I thought! Believe me,
+my dear fellow, when you have been around as long as _I_ have, you can
+read the minds of your friends as easily as a book. Now, the problem
+of what to give is a hard one at any time, but the problem of what to
+give for a five hundredth birthday is even harder. A monogrammed ash
+tray? I do not receive cigars often enough to make that practical. A
+hand-knitted sweater? It would not fit (they never do). A gold-plated
+watch chain? I have no watch. No, the best idea would be to get me
+something which I can use."
+
+"Certainly, Phoenix," David stammered. "What _do_ you want, then?"
+
+"Ah! We have reached the kernel of the problem. And the answer, my
+boy, is this: cinnamon."
+
+"Cinnamon?"
+
+"Precisely. Also a box of matches--the kind that strike anywhere, you
+know."
+
+"Well--all right. It doesn't sound like much of a present, but if
+that's what you really want.... What are you going to do with them,
+Phoenix? I mean, if you don't mind my asking."
+
+"The plain fact is, my boy," said the Phoenix doubtfully, "the plain
+fact is--well, I do not know. Odd! But something tells me I shall need
+them. Well, it will come to me in the morning, no doubt. And then, of
+course, I shall be very glad to have them on hand."
+
+"All right, cinnamon and matches, then. And I'll get some--no, I won't
+tell you _that_. It'll be a surprise."
+
+"A surprise? Splendid, my boy! You could not, I suppose, drop me a
+small hint? No? But of course not--one hint and my powerful Intellect
+could guess everything--and then the surprise would be spoiled. Well,
+until tomorrow, then!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+[Illustration]
+
+That evening David shut himself in his room and robbed his bank. It
+was a squat, cast-iron box, with "A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned" in
+raised letters on one side. The only way to open it was to smash it
+with a crowbar, but it could be emptied. It had to be tilted just so,
+with a knife blade in the slot to catch the coins and guide them out.
+This is what David did, with a bread knife borrowed from the kitchen.
+It was a slow, uncertain job, and one coin (he guessed it was a dime
+by the way it rattled) never did come out. But the rest, which
+included his change from Uncle Charles's present, would be enough.
+
+Early next morning he went to the store and bought three large boxes
+of stick cinnamon, two cans of powdered cinnamon, and a huge box of
+matches. For the surprise he got a whole quart of strawberry ice
+cream, with a piece of dry ice to keep it from melting. He wanted to
+buy a cake, too, and candles, but there was not enough money left.
+Then he remembered that a new batch of cookies had been baked at home
+yesterday, which would have to do instead. He wrapped the cinnamon and
+matches up in a neat package with white paper, tied it in a blue
+ribbon, and wrote on it "To Feenix, Happy 500 Birthday, from David."
+Then he took all the cookies from the jar, borrowed two plates and
+spoons, put everything into a large paper bag, and set out for the
+Phoenix's ledge.
+
+He was surprised to find the Phoenix working busily in the middle of a
+wide place on the ledge. Apparently the bird had been at it all night,
+for a huge pile of sticks and brush had been heaped up on the ground
+and shaped roughly like a nest. Right now the Phoenix was struggling
+with a small log, trying to get it on the pile.
+
+"Hello, Phoenix! Happy birthday!"
+
+"Ah, there, my boy! Thank you very much. Could you kindly give me a
+hand with this log?"
+
+They heaved and grunted the piece of wood to the top of the pile, and
+David said, "What's this for, Phoenix?"
+
+"This, my boy, is a pyre. A bit untidy around the edges, but
+nonetheless a pyre."
+
+"Oh," said David. "What's that?"
+
+"Well--a _pyre_, you know--a sort of fire, as it were."
+
+"Oh, _fire_. I thought you said--oh, yes. Fire. Isn't it awfully
+_warm_ for a fire?"
+
+"The weather _is_ unusually tropical," said the Phoenix, cocking one
+eye toward the sun. "This fire, however, is necessary--but I shall
+explain later. Meanwhile, if you will just aid me with this branch--"
+And for the next fifteen minutes they worked over the heap, adding to
+it and shaping it up. David kept his thoughts to himself. He could see
+that the Phoenix knew what it was doing, so everything must be all
+right.
+
+"By the way, my boy," said the Phoenix casually, when they had
+finished, "my prediction was correct. I knew it would be. The
+inevitable has occurred."
+
+"What are you talking about, Phoenix?"
+
+"The Scientist, my boy. He is in our midst once more."
+
+David clutched a branch in the heap and said "Oh, Phoenix!" in a
+frightened voice.
+
+"Now, my dear fellow, there is no cause for alarm. He is not nearby at
+present. I sent him back."
+
+"Sent him back? How?"
+
+"Nothing to it, my boy," said the Phoenix smugly. "He was up at the
+crack of dawn, toiling with typical stupidity in full sight on the
+slope below. He was making a blind of green branches to hide in while
+he spies on me. (Really, the childishness of his efforts! To think for
+a minute he could fool _me_ with such tricks!) Well, I waited until he
+had gone down the slope to cut more greenery, and when his back was
+turned, I slipped down to the blind and took his binoculars."
+
+"But Phoenix, what did you want with his binoculars?"
+
+"I did not want his binoculars, my boy, but _he_ did. His language
+when he discovered the loss was simply frightful--I could hear it all
+the way up here. Of course, he had to return to town for another
+pair."
+
+"But he'll be back!"
+
+"Precisely, my boy. But he will have something to keep him busy when
+he returns. I took the liberty of destroying his blind. _That_ will
+hold him."
+
+"But it won't hold him long, Phoenix! We've got to think of something
+else. Now your whole birthday is spoiled!"
+
+"On the contrary, my boy, it will hold him long enough. Now please do
+not ask me why; you must take my word for it, and I shall explain
+later. And my birthday is _not_ spoiled. I am looking forward with a
+great deal of pleasure to the surprise which you promised me. Come,
+let us enjoy it, whatever it is, and forget the Scientist."
+
+"Well ... are you _sure_ about the Scientist?"
+
+"Absolutely."
+
+The Phoenix was so positive that David began to feel better. He picked
+up the paper bag and said: "Well, it isn't much of a surprise,
+really--just a birthday party. And your present. But I think the
+present should come after the party, don't you?"
+
+"Quite so, my boy. But I shall leave the management of the whole
+affair in your capable hands."
+
+"All right," said David. "Now, you'll have to turn around, Phoenix,
+and not look while I'm getting it ready."
+
+The Phoenix obediently turned around, clasping its wings behind its
+back, and tried hard not to peek. David set the party things out on
+the grass: ice cream in the middle, the cookies in a ring around it,
+plates on either side, and spoons beside the plates. He set the
+Phoenix's present off to one side, where it could be reached when they
+had finished.
+
+"All right, Phoenix, you can turn around now."
+
+The Phoenix took a long look at everything, and said huskily: "My dear
+chap, this is quite the nicest moment of my life. How can I possibly
+thank you?"
+
+They sat down in their places. David passed the cookies and served the ice
+cream, and said that as far as he was concerned, this was the best birthday
+party he had ever been to. And the Phoenix said, "Quite so, my boy, but
+might I make so bold as to ask why?" And David answered, "Well, the reason
+is that usually during birthday parties you have to play stupid games, like
+pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and button-button-who-has-the-button, in spite
+of the fact that eating good things is the real reason for having a party,
+as everybody knows." And the Phoenix said, "Precisely, my boy, but people
+have somehow lost the main idea of the thing. When you come right down to
+it, ice cream is the basis of any sensible party, and everything else is a
+waste of time." And David said, "Yes, Phoenix, but don't forget cake and
+cookies, and candy and nuts and things. They're not as good as ice cream,
+but they're not a complete waste of time, either." And the Phoenix said,
+"Of course not, my dear fellow, they are important too. And speaking of ice
+cream, have you noticed that, while chocolate is very good, and vanilla
+enjoys great popularity, still there is _nothing_ like strawberry?" And
+David said, "Yes, you're right"--rather sadly, because the Phoenix was
+eating most of it.
+
+At last the ice cream carton was empty and all the cookies were gone.
+They both sighed regretfully and brushed away the crumbs. And the
+Phoenix looked hopefully at the present David had brought.
+
+"Happy birthday, Phoenix," David said, and he handed the gift over
+with a little bow.
+
+"Thank you, my boy, thank you." The Phoenix opened the package eagerly
+and gave a pleased cry. "_Just_ what I wanted, my dear chap!"
+
+"I'm glad you like it," David said. "Do you know yet what it's for?
+Can you really use it for something?"
+
+The Phoenix suddenly stopped smiling and looked at David with a
+strange expression on its face--an expression David had never seen
+there before. A vague dread swept through him, and he faltered,
+"Phoenix ... you _do_ know what it's for? What is it? Tell me."
+
+"Well, my boy--well, the fact _is_--yes, I do know. It came to me this
+morning while I was constructing the--ah--nest, here. I am afraid it
+will be a bit hard to explain. The cinnamon--ah--the cinnamon--well,
+cinnamon _branches_ are what I should really have...."
+
+"But Phoenix, what's it _for_?"
+
+"Behold, my boy." The Phoenix opened the boxes, and spread the
+cinnamon sticks on the nest. Then it took the cans and sprinkled the
+cinnamon powder over the top and sides of the heap, until the whole
+nest was a brick-dust red.
+
+"There we are, my boy," said the Phoenix sadly. "The traditional
+cinnamon pyre of the Phoenix, celebrated in song and story."
+
+And with the third mention of the word "pyre," David's legs went weak
+and something seemed to catch in his throat. He remembered now where
+he had heard that word before. It was in his book of explorers, and it
+meant--it meant--
+
+"Phoenix," he choked, "wh-wh-who is the pyre for?"
+
+"For myself," said the Phoenix.
+
+"_Phoenix!_"
+
+"Now, I implore you--please--oh, dear, I _knew_ it would be difficult
+to explain. Look at me, my boy."
+
+David did as he was told, although his eyes were filled with tears and
+he could not see through the blur.
+
+"Now," said the Phoenix gently, "the fact is that I have, besides my
+unusually acute Intellect, an Instinct. This Instinct told me that it
+was my birthday today. It also told me to build this nest of cinnamon.
+Now it tells me that I must make this nest my pyre, because that is
+what the Phoenix does at the end of five hundred years. Now, please,
+my boy!--I admit it does not appear to be a very joyful way of
+celebrating, but it must be done. This is the traditional end of the
+Phoenix, my boy, and we cannot ignore the tradition, no matter what
+our feelings may be. Do you see?"
+
+"No!" David cried. "Please, Phoenix, don't do it! It's horrible! I
+won't let you do it!"
+
+"But I must, my dear chap! I cannot help it. This is what it means to
+be the Phoenix. Nothing can stop the tradition. Please, my boy, do not
+take on so! It is not in the least horrible, I assure you. My Instinct
+tells me so."
+
+"You said you were going to give me an education," David sobbed. "You
+said we would see--you said--and we've only been on four
+adventures--you never told me about this--"
+
+"I am terribly sorry, my boy. I could not tell you about it because I
+did not _know_ about it until now. As for your education, it is a pity
+to have it cut short in this way. I had great plans.... But
+consider--you have had four adventures which no one else in the whole
+world has had! And besides, my boy, we shall see each other again. I
+do not know how or where, but I am positive of it." The Phoenix
+flicked a tear from its eye with the tip of one wing, while with the
+other it patted David awkwardly on the shoulder.
+
+"Don't go, Phoenix, _please_ don't go."
+
+"I must, my boy. Here, permit me to present you with a small token
+(ouch!) of our friendship."
+
+Dimly, through his tears, David saw the Phoenix pluck the longest,
+bluest feather from its tail, and he felt it being pressed into his
+hand.
+
+"Good-by, David," said the Phoenix gruffly.
+
+David could stand it no longer. He turned and rushed blindly from the
+Phoenix, blundered into the thicket, and dropped to the ground with
+his head buried in his arms. Behind him he heard the sticks snapping
+as the Phoenix mounted its pyre. A match rasped against the box. The
+first tongue of flame sizzled in the branches. David pressed his hands
+over his ears to shut out the sound, but he could feel the heat of the
+flames as they sprang up. And the noise would not be shut out. It grew
+and grew, popping, crackling, roaring, until it seemed to fill the
+world....
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Perhaps he fainted. Or perhaps from numbness he slipped into a kind of
+deep sleep. Whichever it was, he returned to consciousness again
+suddenly. His hands had slipped from his ears, and a sound had brought
+him back. He lifted his head and listened. The fire had burnt itself
+out now. The only noise was the hiss and pop of dying embers. But
+these sounds were too gentle to have awakened him--it must have been
+something else. Yes--it was a voice. He could hear it quite plainly
+now. There were angry shouts coming from somewhere below the ledge.
+
+Carefully avoiding the sight of the pyre, David crawled to the edge
+and glanced over. Far down, on the slope at the foot of the scarp, was
+a tiny figure dancing and bellowing with rage. The Scientist had
+returned and discovered the ruins of his blind. David watched him
+dully. No need to worry about _him_ any more. How harmless he looked
+now, even ridiculous! David turned away.
+
+He noticed then that he was holding something in his hand, something
+soft and heavy. As he lifted it to look more closely, it flashed in
+the sunlight. It was the feather the Phoenix had given him, the tail
+feather. Tail feather?... But the Phoenix's tail had been a sapphire
+blue. The feather in his hand was of the purest, palest gold.
+
+There was a slight stir behind him. In spite of himself, he glanced at
+the remains of the pyre. His mouth dropped open. In the middle of the
+white ashes and glowing coals there was movement. Something within was
+struggling up toward the top. The noises grew stronger and more
+definite. Charred sticks were being snapped, ashes kicked aside,
+embers pushed out of the way. Now, like a plant thrusting its way out
+of the soil, there appeared something pale and glittering, which
+nodded in the breeze. Little tongues of flame, it seemed, licking out
+into the air.... No, not flames! A crest of golden feathers!... A
+heave from below lifted the ashes in the center of the pile, a fine
+cloud of flakes swirled up into the breeze, there was a flash of
+sunlight glinting on brilliant plumage. And from the ruins of the pyre
+stepped forth a magnificent bird.
+
+It was the Phoenix, it must be the Phoenix! But it was a new and
+different Phoenix. It was young and wild, with a fierce amber eye; its
+crest was tall and proud, its body the slim, muscular body of a
+hunter, its wings narrow and long and pointed like a falcon's, the
+great beak and talons razor-sharp and curving. And all of it, from
+crest to talons, was a burnished gold that reflected the sun in a
+thousand dazzling lights.
+
+The bird stretched its wings, shook the ash from its tail, and began
+to preen itself. Every movement was like the flash of a silent
+explosion.
+
+"Phoenix," David whispered. "Phoenix."
+
+The bird started, turned toward him, looked at him for an instant with
+wild, fearless eyes, then continued its preening. Suddenly it stopped
+and cocked its head as if listening to something. Then David heard it
+too: a shout down the mountainside, louder and clearer now, excited
+and jubilant. He shivered and looked down. The Scientist was tearing
+up the goat trail as fast as his long legs would carry him--and he was
+waving a rifle.
+
+"Phoenix!" David cried. "Fly! Fly, Phoenix!"
+
+The bird looked at the Scientist, then at David, its glance curious
+but without understanding. Paralyzed with fear, David remained on his
+knees as the Scientist reached an open place and threw the gun up to
+his shoulder. The bullet went whining by with an ugly hornet-noise,
+and the report of the gun echoed along the scarp.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Fly, Phoenix!" David sobbed. A second bullet snarled at the bird, and
+spattered out little chips of rock from the inner wall of the ledge.
+
+"Oh, fly, fly!" David jumped up and flung himself between the bird
+and the Scientist. "It's me!" he cried. "It's David!" The bird gazed
+at him closely, and a light flickered in its eye as though the name
+had reached out and almost, but not quite, touched an ancient memory.
+Hesitantly it stretched forth one wing, and with the tip of it lightly
+brushed David's forehead, leaving there a mark that burned coolly.
+
+"_Get away from that bird, you little idiot!_" the Scientist shrieked.
+"_GET AWAY!_"
+
+David ignored him. "Fly, Phoenix!" he cried, and he pushed the bird
+toward the edge.
+
+Understanding dawned in the amber eyes at last. The bird, with one
+clear, defiant cry, leaped to an out-jutting boulder. The golden wings
+spread, the golden neck curved back, the golden talons pushed against
+the rock. The bird launched itself into the air and soared out over
+the valley, sparkling, flashing, shimmering; a flame, large as a
+sunburst, a meteor, a diamond, a star, diminishing at last to a speck
+of gold dust, which glimmered twice in the distance before it was gone
+altogether.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+_The Author_
+
+Edward Ormondroyd
+
+
+When Edward Ormondroyd was about thirteen, his family moved from
+Pennsylvania to Ann Arbor, Michigan. He and a friend began to read
+Arthur Ransome's boating stories and, inspired by the adventures of
+the Swallows, built their own fourteen-foot sailboat and tried to
+re-create that English magic on the Huron River.
+
+In 1943 he graduated from high school and joined the Navy. Destroyer
+Escort 419 was his home for the next two years. "When the war was
+over, she looked in on China and Korea, and came home. She did show me
+San Francisco Bay at dusk. One look convinced me that I would like to
+live by it; and I have, ever since."
+
+After the war, Mr. Ormondroyd went to the University of California at
+Berkeley. He graduated in 1951, and since then has been busy writing,
+sailing as able seaman aboard a tanker, and working as a bookstore
+clerk and machine tender. He lives in Berkeley, California. He is
+married and has one son.
+
+It was while Mr. Ormondroyd was at college that David and the Phoenix
+first intruded into his consciousness. "_One day, when I was walking
+across campus, I had a sudden vision of a large and pompous bird
+diving out of a window, tripping on the sill, and falling into a rose
+arbor below. I had to explain to myself why the poor bird was in such
+a situation in the first place, and what became of it afterwards. The
+result of my investigation was_ DAVID AND THE PHOENIX."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+David and
+
+the Phoenix
+
+
+Edward Ormondroyd
+
+_Illustrated by Joan Raysor_
+
+
+David knew that one should be prepared for anything when one climbs a
+mountain, but he never dreamed what he would find that June morning on
+the mountain ledge.
+
+There stood an enormous bird, with a head like an eagle, a neck like a
+swan, and a scarlet crest. The most astonishing thing was that the
+bird had an open book on the ground and was reading from it!
+
+This was David's first sight of the fabulous Phoenix and the beginning
+of a pleasant and profitable partnership. The Phoenix found a great
+deal lacking in David's education--he flunked questions like "How do
+you tell a true from a false Unicorn?"--and undertook to supplement it
+with a practical education, an education that would be a preparation
+for Life. The education had to be combined with offensive and
+defensive measures against a Scientist who was bent on capturing the
+Phoenix, but the two projects together involved exciting and hilarious
+adventures for boy and bird.
+
+A wonderful read-aloud book, adventurous and very funny, with much of
+the magic as well as the humor of the fantastic.
+
+_Follett Publishing Company_
+
+_New York_   CHICAGO   _Toronto_
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's David and the Phoenix, by Edward Ormondroyd
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAVID AND THE PHOENIX ***
+
+***** This file should be named 27922.txt or 27922.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        https://www.gutenberg.org/2/7/9/2/27922/
+
+Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+https://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/27922.zip b/27922.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c8f916b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/27922.zip
diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6312041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..39613e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #27922 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27922)