The white goat was a wonderful creature. It gave the most delicious milk, it ran errands, and if any of the hens got out, it found them and drove them back. It was most useful.
The goat took the note in its mouth, and ran off to the Enchanted Wood. It came to the Faraway Tree and bleated to the red squirrel, who peeped out from his hole low down in the trunk.
The squirrel took the note and bounded up to Moon-Face with it. Moon-Face was delighted, and shouted down to Silky, who came up and read it.
"We’ll ask the Old Saucepan Man as soon as Mister Watzisname is asleep," said Moon-Face. "The children haven’t asked Watzisname—so Saucepan will have to creep down the tree with us, without telling him."
They sent a note back by the little goat, saying that they would arrive at three o’clock that afternoon. The children were excited. Mother had gone by that time, and the girls began to make the cottage look pretty with jars of flowers. Bessie baked some chocolate cakes, and Fanny made some toffee. ]o cut bread and butter.
"We’ll have a fine tea," he said. "I hope the Saucepan Man won’t be too deaf this afternoon."
By three o’clock everything was ready. The children were neat and clean. The table looked fine with its bread and butter, cakes, and toffee. Bessie went to the gate to look for their visitors.
She couldn’t see them coming down the lane.
"They are late!" she called to the others. "I expect the Saucepan Man has got tangled up with his saucepans or something!"
Half-past three came and no visitors. The children were rather disappointed. "Perhaps Moon-Face read my letter wrongly, and thought it was four o’clock," said Bessie.
But when four o’clock came and still no Moon-Face, Silky, or Saucepan Man arrived, they got really worried.
"I do hope nothing has happened," said Bessie, feeling upset. "There’s all our nice tea and nobody to eat it." .
"We’ll wait a bit longer, then we’ll eat our share," said ]o. So, when five o’clock came, and nobody had arrived, the children sadly ate half the tea themselves.
"Something’s happened," said Jo gloomily. "Oh dear! What do you think it is?" said Bessie, alarmed. "Could we go and see?"
"No," said Jo. "Not now, anyway. Mother will be back soon. We’d better go tonight. The rope is let down. the tree then for us to pull ourselves up by, and it won’t take long to climb up."
"We really must find out what’s wrong," said Bessie, clearing away. "We’ll take their share of the tea with us."
So, that night, when it was quite dark, the three children slipped out of bed, dressed, and crept out of the back door. They had to take a lantern, for there was no moon that night. Jo swung it in front of him and they could see where to tread.
Down the dark lane they went, over the ditch and into the Enchanted Wood. The trees were whispering very loudly together tonight. "Wisha-wisha-wisha!" they said.
"Oh, how I wish I knew what they were saying!" said Fanny.
"Come on," said Jo. "We’d better not be too long, Fanny. We want to be back by daylight."
They made their way· through the dark wood. As there was no moon there were no fairy-folk about at all that night. The children soon came to the Faraway Tree, and looked for the rope.
But there was no rope at all this time—and they had to begin to climb up as usual, holding on to the boughs carefully, for it was very difficult to see.
Before they had got farther than two branches up, a strange thing happened. Someone caught hold of Jo’s shoulder and pushed him roughly down! Jo fell, caught hold of the lowest branch, and just saved himself in time.
"Who did that?" he cried angrily. He undid his lantern from his belt, where he had put it whilst climbing, and flashed it up the tree, calling to Bessie and Fanny to go no farther.
And standing grinning in the lower branches of the tree were four red goblins, with pointed ears, wide mouths, and wicked little eyes!
"No one is allowed to come up the tree now," said one of the goblins. "And no one is allowed to come down either."
"But why not?" asked Jo, astonished.
"Because it’s our tree now!"
"Your tree! What nonsense!" said Jo. "We’ve come to see our friends who live in the tree. Let us pass." .
"No!" said the goblins, and they grinned widely. "You-can’t—come—up!"
"It’s no good," said a tiny voice beside Jo. "The goblins have taken Everyone prisoner in the tree. If you go up they’ll only push you down, or take you prisoners too."
Jo flashed his lantern downwards, and the children saw that it was the little red squirrel speaking—the one who looked after the cushions for Moon-Face.
"Hallo!" said Jo. "Do tell me what’s happened. I can’t understand it!"
"Oh, it’s easy enough to understand," said the squirrel. "The Land of the Red Goblins came to the top of the Faraway Tree. The goblins found the hole that leads down through the clouds, and poured down it! They took Everyone prisoner. Moon-Face and everyone else are locked up in their houses in the tree-trunk. I can tell you Mister Watzisname and the Angry Pixie have nearly battered their doors down in rage!"
"But why have the goblins locked them up?" asked Bessie, in surprise.
"Well, they want some magic spells that the Tree-dwellers know," said the squirrel. "They are going to keep them all locked up till they tell the spells. Isn’t it dreadful?"
"Oh dear!" said Fanny. "Whatever can we do to help them?”
"I don’t know," said the squirrel sadly. "If only you could get up to them you might be able to make some plan. But the goblins won’t let anyone up the tree."
"Wisha-wisha-wisha-wisha!" whispered the trees loudly.
"You know, I can’t help feeling that the trees want to tell us something tonight," said Bessie suddenly. "I always feel that they are whispering secrets to one another—but tonight I feel that they want to tell them to us!"`
"I shouldn’t be surprised," said the squirrel. “The Faraway Tree is King of the Wood, and now that trouble has come to it all the other trees are angry. Perhaps they want to help us."
"Wisha-wisha-wisha," said the trees loudly.
"Put your arms round a tree-trunk and press your left ear to the tree," said the squirrel suddenly. "I have heard it said that that is the only way to hear a tree’s words.”
Each of the children found a small tree. They put their arms round the trunks and pressed their left ears to the trees. And then they could quite clearly hear what the trees were whispering.
"Help the Faraway Tree-dwellers!" the leaves whispered. "Help them!"
"But how can we?" whispered back the children eagerly. "Tell us!"
"Go up the slippery-slip," said the trees, in their leafy voices. "Go through the trap-door and up the slippery-slip!"
"Oh!" cried all the children at once. "Of course! Why ever didn’t we think of it ourselves?"
"Sh!" said the squirrel, in alarm. "Don’t let the goblins hear you. What did the trees say?"
"They said we were to go through the trap-door and up the slippery-slip," said Jo, in a low voice. "We can get right up to Moon-Face’s then. It’s a wonderful idea."
"Come on then!" said Bessie, and the three of them ran to the Faraway Tree, and felt about for the little trap-door. Ooooh! Another adventure!
XXIII
A MOST EXCITING NIGHT
"If only we can creep up the slippery-slip that runs right round and round the middle of the trunk, and get to Moon-Face’s at the top, we shall be able to help him!" said Jo, feeling about for the trap-door.
"I wonder why Moon-Face didn’t slip down it himself," said Bessie.
"Oh, he’d think that there would be plenty of red goblins at the bottom of the tree, ready to catch him when he Hew out of the trap-door," said Jo. "But I don’t believe they know about this slide!"
He found the trap-door and swung it open.
"Hold it open for me whilst I climb in," he said. Bessie held it. Jo began to climb up.
But, dear me, it
was most terribly slippery! He simply couldn’t manage to get up the slippery-slip at all! As fast as he climbed up a little way he slid down again. He groaned.
"This is awful! We can never get up this way! I shall keep slipping down all the time."
"Let me try!" said Bessie eagerly. So Jo slid out of the trap-door and Bessie crept in. But it was just the same for her as for Jo. The slide was far too steep and slippery to be climbed.
"Wisha-wisha-wisha!" said the trees nearby. Bessie ran to one, put her arms round its trunk, and pressed her left ear to it. She listened.
"Tell the squirrel to go!" whispered the leaves. "Tell the squirrel to go!" .
"Red squirrel, you go up!" said Bessie at once. "Can you manage to, do you think?"
"Yes," said the squirrel. "I have claws on my feet to hold with, and I am used to climbing. But what’s the use of me going? I am not clever enough to make plans with Moon-Face."
"Wisha-wisha-wisha!" said the trees loudly. Jo pressed his ear to one. "The squirrel can throw a rope down the slippery-slip!" whispered the tree.
"Of course!" said Jo, in delight. "Why didn’t I think of it?"
"Tell us," said the girls. Jo told them. "The squirrel must climb the slide to the top. He must ask Moon-Face for the rope that is let down for the cushions. But instead of letting it down through the branches of the tree, he must let it down through the slide inside. Then we can hang on and be pulled up!"
"Oooh! That’s a really good idea," said Bessie.
"Sh!" said Jo, as he heard a shout from a goblin up the tree. "We don’t want them to guess what we’re doing.”
"The goblins are coming down!" whispered Fanny in alarm. "I can hear them. What shall we do?"
"We’d better get inside the trap-door and sit at the bottom of the slippery-slip as quiet as mice," whispered Jo. "Go in first, squirrel, and climb up. You know what to do, don’t you?"
"Yes," said the squirrel, and disappeared up the slide, digging his sharp little claws into it just as if he were climbing up the outside of a tree-trunk! Jo pushed Bessie inside and then Fanny. He climbed in himself and shut the trap-door just in time.
Three goblins jumped down to the foot of the tree and began hunting round about. "I know I heard someone!" said one of them.
"Well, so long as we don’t let them pass us up the tree, they can’t do much!" said another with a laugh. "I don’t think you heard anyone—it was just the trees whispering."
"Wisha-wisha-wisha!" said the trees at once.
"There! What did I tell you?" said the goblin. They jumped back into the boughs of the Faraway Tree, and the children hugged one another and chuckled.
"I wonder if the squirrel has got up to the top of the slide yet," said Jo.
As he spoke a little sound came down the slide—a soft, slinky sound—and something suddenly touched them!
"Ooh! A snake!" cried Bessie in alarm.
"Don’t be silly! It’s the rope that the good little squirrel has sent down!" said Jo, feeling it. "Now, we’d better go up one at a time, for Moon-Face will never be able to pull us all up at once."
Fanny went first. She was hauled all the way up the slide. It was very strange, so dark and quiet. At last she reached the top. Moon-Face was there, red. with pulling. A light burnt in his funny round room. He was simply overjoyed to see Fanny. He hugged her, and then sent down the rope for Bessie. She came up—and then Jo.
"Don’t make too much noise," said Moon-Face in a low voice, as he squeezed them all. "The goblins are outside Everyone’s door."
"Oh, Moon-Face, we’re so sorry you are captured like this," said Jo. "Couldn’t you have slid down the slide and escaped? Or did you think there might be goblins at the bottom?"
"Well, I did," said Moon-Face, "but I also thought that if I slid down I'd be leaving all my friends behind in the tree, and that seemed a mean thing to do."
"Yes, it would be rather mean," said Jo, "to save yourself and leave the others. Moon-Face, what can we do to help?" ·
"Well, I simply don’t know," said Moon-Face. "I’ve thought and I’ve thought—but I can’t think of anything really good at all."
"It’s a pity Silky isn’t here," said Jo. "We could talk it all over with her then. She’s clever.”
"We can’t possibly get at her," said Moon-Face. "She’s locked in, just as I am."
"Jo! Moon-Face!" said Fanny suddenly, her face red with excitement. "I’ve thought of a way to help."
"What?" cried the others.
"Well—couldn’t the red squirrel slip down the slide, out of the trap-door, and take a note to the brownies in the wood?" asked Fanny. "Do you remember how we helped them when we first came to the wood—they said they would always be pleased to help us if we wanted them?"
"Yes—but how could they help?" asked Moon-Face doubtfully. Nobody quite knew. But Jo suddenly nodded his head and gave a squeal.
"Sh!" said everyone at once.
"Sorry," said Jo, "but I really have got an idea at last. Listen! The red squirrel can tell the brownies to come up here in crowds—we’ll pull them up on the rope. Then Moon-Face can shout out to the goblins outside that he’ll tell them the magic spells they want to know—and when they open the door the brownies and ourselves can all pour out and defeat the goblins!"
"That’s a splendid idea!" said Moon-Face, looking at Jo in admiration.
"Simply wonderful!" said the girls. Jo was pleased.
"And we’ll unlock Everyone’s doors and they can all join in!" he said. "My word, this is going to be exciting! Can you see how dreadfully angry the Angry Pixie will be—and Mister Watzisname? My goodness, they’ll go for the red goblins like wild cats !"
Everyone chuckled. The red squirrel touched Jo’s knee. "Will you give me the note then?" he said. "I know where Mister Whiskers lives, and I will take the letter to him, and let him call all the brownies together."
Jo took out his pencil and wrote a note on Moon-Face’s paper. He folded it and gave it to the red squirrel, who folded it even smaller and tucked it inside his cheek.
"That’s in case I’m caught by the goblins," he said. "They’ll never think of looking for a note inside my cheek!" He sat on his bushy tail, gave himself a push, and set off down the slippery-slip at a tremendous pace.
Fanny giggled. "His tail is a cushion," she said. "Isn’t he a darling? I do hope he’ll find Mister Whiskers all right."
"Well, we’d better just sit quietly and wait,"
said Moon-Face. "I don’t want the goblins opening my door and seeing you all here. They’ll know we’ve got a plan then."
"We brought you the tea you didn’t eat this afternoon," said Bessie, and she undid the bag. "Here are some radish sandwiches, some buns, and some toffee."
"We’ll all have some," said Moon-Face. "And I’ve got some Pop Biscuits too."
So they sat round quietly on Moon-Face’s curved sofa and bed and chairs, and ate and whispered, waiting for the squirrel to come back with Mister Whiskers and the brownies. Whatever would happen then?
XXIV
THE RED GOBLINS GET A SHOCK
It seemed a long time before anything happened. Then Moon-Face pricked up his ears and listened. "Someone’s coming up the slippery-slip," he said. "It must be the little squirrel."
"I hope it isn’t a goblin!" said Fanny, looking rather scared.
But it was the red squirrel. He hopped out of the slippery-slip hole and nodded at Everyone. "It’s all right," he said. "The brownies are coming. I found Mister Whiskers and he has slipped out to fetch all his family. There are fifty-one of them!"
"We’d better let down the rope then," said Moon-Face, and he let it slither down the slide. Someone caught hold of it at the other end, and the rope tightened.
"There’s a brownie there now!" said Moon-Face, and he and Jo hauled on the rope. It was heavy. They pulled and they pulled, panting hard.
"This brownie is jolly heavy!" said Jo. And no wonder—for when they at last got the rope to the top, there
was not one brownie—but five, hanging on to the rope! They leapt into Moon-Face’s tiny round room, and began to whisper excitedly.
Moon-Face told them all about the goblins, and they grinned when they heard his plan.
Down went the rope again, and this time six brownies came up on it. By this time the room was very crowded. But nobody minded.
"We’ll have to sit on each other’s knees," said Jo, and giggled at the sight of so many people in Moon-Face’s little tree-room.
The brownies all looked exactly the same. They all had very long beards, though Mister Whiskers’ beard was the longest. It reached right down to his toes.
The rope fetched up all the fifty-one little men, and by that time there was really no room to move! Everyone was excited, and there was such a lot of whispering that it sounded like a thousand leaves rustling at once!
"Now I’m going to bang on the inside of my door and tell the goblins I will let them know the magic spell they want!" said Moon-Face. "As soon as they open the door you must all pour out and either push them down the tree or take them prisoner."
"I say, I’ve thought of such a good idea," said
Jo suddenly. "Let’s push them all into this room of Moon-Face’s—and send someone down the tree to bolt the trap-door—then when they slide down, thinking to escape, they’ll all be nicely boxed up in the slide till we open the trap-door and let them out! Then we can take them one by one and tie them up!”
"That is a good idea," said Mister Whiskers. "Two brownies had better go up the ladder that leads through the clouds, to stop any goblins trying to escape that way—and six of us had better slide down to the foot to stop them escaping into the wood."
Six of the brownies at once took cushions and slid down the slippery-slip. They shot out of the trap-door, and bolted it on the outside. They surrounded the foot of the tree, ready to prevent any goblins from escaping.
The rest of them waited for Moon-Face to speak to the goblins outside. They were all tremendously excited.
Moon-Face banged on the inside of his door. A goblin outside shouted to him: