‘Yes,’ said Skip joyously. ‘Oh, isn’t it grand, Hop? ‘We’ve got the Princess safe, and we’ve got the bottles of goodness too, so that soon we’ll be in our own dear little cottage once more!’
‘Hold tight,’ said the bird suddenly. Everyone held tightly to their feathers. Then off they went into the air, far above the spires and towers of Witchland, carried strongly along on the big broad back of the Dragon-bird.
It was fine. The bird flapped its wings steadily, and the air rushed whistling by their ears. Witchland was left behind, and the Glass Hill. They were going very fast indeed, and didn’t they enjoy it!
They had been flying along steadily for some time when Hop happened to look behind them. Witchland could hardly be seen – it was just a blur in the distance.
But out of that blur Hop suddenly saw a little black spot come. He strained his eyes to see what it was.
‘Look, Skip,’ he said, pointing behind. ‘Can you make out what that is? Is it another bird, or what is it?’
Skip looked, and so did Peronel and Jump, but none of them could make out what it was.
‘We shall soon see,’ said Hop. ‘It’s catching us up. I expect it is a bird of some sort.’
‘Then it won’t catch us up!’ croaked the Dragon-bird. ‘I fly faster than any bird living.’
‘Well, but it is catching us up,’ said Hop, as the black spot grew larger.
The Dragon-bird looked round to see this fast-flying bird. Then he gave such a jump and such a cry of alarm that his four passengers were very nearly jolted off. Hop just saved Skip by catching hold of one of his legs and pulling him safely up again.
‘Don’t do that,’ said Hop to the Dragon-bird, very severely. ‘Or at any rate be polite enough to tell us when you’re going to do it.’
‘I couldn’t help it!’ croaked the Dragon-bird. ‘Do you know what that black speck following us is?’
‘No, what?’ asked everybody.
‘It’s old Witch Green-eyes on her magic carpet!’ panted the bird. ‘She must have missed you and come after you!’
‘Oh, quick, quick, quick!’ cried the brownies in fright. ‘Fly your fastest, Dragon-bird! Quick, quick!’
The Dragon-bird flapped its wings even faster and tore through the air so swiftly that Peronel’s hair shot out straight behind her.
Behind them came that horrid black speck, getting bigger and bigger every minute that passed.
‘Fly your fastest, Dragon-bird!’
‘We can’t be very far away from Fairyland,’ shouted Hop. ‘We must have gone miles and miles already. Go on, brave Dragon-bird.’
On they went, and on and on. But every time they looked behind they shivered – for the black speck was so much larger.
At last they could see quite plainly that it was a witch sitting on a flat magic carpet that raced through the air in a most marvellous way.
‘Oh buttons and buttercups!’ groaned Hop in despair. ‘Fancy, to be so near Fairyland, and yet to be so near being captured, too! Go on Dragon-bird, keep it up!’
‘I – can’t – go – on – much – longer!’ panted the bird. ‘I’m – so – tired – and – you’re – all so heavy!’ He ran the last words together, for he was very nearly breathless. The brownies could feel his heart beating bump-bump-bump in his body and they felt terribly sorry for him.
Suddenly Hop gave a shout of joy.
‘Look! Look!’ he cried, pointing before them. ‘There are the palaces of Fairyland. We’re nearly there, we’re nearly there! Go on, dear old Dragon-bird!’
The bird’s wings were flapping more slowly, but he put on an extra spurt when he heard the good news.
Behind them, closer and closer, came the old Witch Green-eyes on her carpet. She was so excited that she stood up and her hair flew behind her in the wind like long black snakes.
‘I’ll catch you, I’ll catch you!’ she shouted. The brownies could just hear her voice, and they shivered.
Nearer and nearer she came. And nearer and nearer came Fairyland.
‘I – can’t – fly – any – more!’ gasped the bird suddenly, and began to drop downwards.
‘Go on, go on!’ shouted Hop. ‘You can, you can! Look, there are the walls of Fairyland; you’ve only got to fly over them and you’re safe!’
The bird made for the walls, tried to fly over them – and just missed them. It sank to the ground just outside Fairyland and lay there exhausted, whilst its four passengers scrambled off its back in dismay.
The Princess covered her eyes as she saw the witch rapidly coming down to them on her magic carpet. She was brave enough not to cry, but she felt very like it indeed.
‘We’ll fight for you!’ said Hop, putting his arm round her. ‘Don’t be afraid!’
Bump! The witch landed just in front of them, jumped off her carpet, and ran over to them.
‘Ho, ho!’ she laughed. ‘So I’ve caught you after all!’
The brownies looked at her in despair.
‘Keep away from the Princess,’ shouted Hop bravely, ‘or we’ll fight you.’
‘Pooh! You haven’t anything to fight with!’ said the witch, grabbing at the Princess.
‘Oh, haven’t we!’ cried Hop, and took out his bottle of goodness. ‘We’ll whack you with these bottles of goodness, if you dare to touch the Princess!’
The witch turned from the frightened Princess, and stared at Hop in amazement.
‘Bottles of goodness!’ she cried. ‘Where did you get those from?’
‘The Bottler, of course!’ said Hop, swinging his bottle round as if to hit the witch.
‘Don’t do that – you might break it!’ cried the witch. ‘Goodness is one of the most precious things in the world, and witches can hardly ever get hold of any. Give it to me!’
‘Give it to you !’ said Hop, ‘I should just think not ! What would you do with a bottle of goodness I’d like to know!’
‘I could make a wonderful spell!’ said the witch. ‘Oh, give it to me, I beg of you!’
‘We can’t get into Fairyland if we give you our goodness,’ answered Hop, ‘so we’re going to keep it.’
‘Then I shall keep the Princess!’ shouted the witch in a temper.
The brownies looked at each other in despair. How could they give up their precious bottles when they had gone through so many adventures to get them?
But they couldn’t, COULDN’T let the brave little Princess be taken off by old Witch Green-eyes again. So with a sigh they knew they would have to give up their bottles of goodness.
‘Very well, Witch Green-eyes,’ said Hop, in a sad little voice. ‘You shall have our three bottles if you will promise to let Peronel go free, and if you will promise, too, not to take us three brownies back with you.’
The witch looked greedily at the three brightly coloured bottles.
‘Give them to me!’ she begged, stretching out her hand. ‘Peronel shall go free, and so shall you, too.’
‘Let us see the Princess safely into Fairyland first,’ said Hop. ‘And if you try to play us a trick, and snatch us all away and our bottles too, we will smash them so that they will be no use to you!’
‘Yes, we will !’ said Skip and Jump, thinking Hop was very clever and very brave.
‘Let her go into the gates of Fairyland then,’ said the witch, ‘and give me the bottles afterwards!’
So Peronel ran quickly round the walls till she came to where the big gates of Fairyland stood tightly closed.
The brownies and the witch watched her beat at them with her little fists, and saw them open. There was a sound like a glad, astonished cry, and then the gates closed.
‘They’re shut again!’ said Hop sadly.
‘Quite shut,’ said Skip.
‘Now give me the bottles,’ said the witch greedily.
They gave her their precious bottles, and watched her whilst she ran chuckling to the magic carpet.
Then, whoo-oo-oo-oo! The carpet rose quickly into the air, and soon the
witch had become nothing but a tiny bird-like speck in the sky.
The three brownies looked at each other.
‘Our precious, precious bottles!’ said Hop.
‘We can’t go back to Brownie Town!’ said Skip in a choking voice.
‘Still, we got Peronel back all right,’ said Jump, looking in all his pockets for a handkerchief.
Then a croak reminded them that their good friend the Dragon-bird was still near them.
They ran up to him and praised him and thanked him.
‘I’m tired,’ he said, ‘so tired. Let’s all cuddle up here and go to sleep. Then in the morning we will think of our future plans, for I shall never leave you now.’
So the three forlorn little brownies cuddled together into the Dragon-bird, and soon fell fast asleep.
Their Very Last Adventure of All
The sun went down and still the brownies slept. Night came on and still they lay sleeping. They were so tired out with excitement that they didn’t even wake when the morning sun shone straight on to their faces.
But they did wake when they heard an excited little voice shouting into their ears, and felt someone tugging and pulling at their shoulders.
‘Wake up, oh wake up! Oh, please, do wake up!’ called a voice.
The brownies sat up with a jerk and looked at their awakener.
It was the Princess Peronel!
‘Buttons and buttercups!’ said Hop in the deepest astonishment. ‘What are you doing here?’
Peronel was dancing and skipping about in great excitement.
‘Oh, I’ve told everyone all about you and your adventures!’ she cried. ‘And the King and Queen are so glad to have me back. And I’ve told them how you found your goodness, and how you gave it up to old Witch Green-eyes to save me. And I’ve told them I love you, and want you to come back to Fairyland, so I can play with you sometimes. And they think you’re brave and good, and WHAT DO YOU THINK?’
‘What?’ asked the brownies, who had been listening in amazement.
‘There’s a royal carriage coming to fetch you back to Brownie Town!’ cried Peronel, hopping round with excitement. ‘It’s coming in about two minutes, and I wanted to ride in it with you, so I’ve come out to tell you about it. I guessed you’d be here till the morning!’
‘Good gracious!’ said Hop, jumping up and trying to make his clothes look as if they hadn’t been slept in. ‘But, Peronel – how lovely of you to arrange it all!’
‘I’m going to rescue you now, you see, to pay you back for you rescuing me !’ laughed Peronel. ‘And the old Dragon-bird’s coming too, of course. I told everyone how brave he was.’
Well, there was such excitement among the five of them that they really didn’t know what to do with themselves. They pulled their tunics straight, smoothed their hair and brushed the dust from each other a score of times, whilst the Dragon-bird preened every feather most proudly.
‘There’s the royal carriage!’ shouted Hop suddenly. Sure enough, there it was, coming out from the gates of Fairyland. Eight white horses drew it, and very grand and sparkling it looked. It drew up when the Princess stopped it.
In she got, and in got the three brownies. The Dragon-bird walked proudly along behind.
Then off set the royal carriage once more. It turned in through the gates of Fairyland, and the three brownies were so glad to be back again, that the tears ran down their faces in big trickles. The Princess was kept quite busy drying their eyes for them.
The carriage drove through Elfland, where hundred of elves were waiting to cheer the carriage as it passed. Then it went through Cuckoo Wood, where scores and scores of woodland folk cheered them and ran after the carriage throwing roses and honeysuckle flowers.
Hop, Skip and Jump were so happy that they really didn’t know what to do.
‘Fancy being back again!’ said Hop.
‘Fancy being back again!’ echoed Skip.
‘But just fancy it!’ cried Jump in delight.
The Princess laughed. ‘It’s just as nice for me as for you!’ she said. ‘I was dreadfully homesick too!’
At last they reached Brownie Town. Hop, Skip and Jump knew every brownie who came running after the carriage, and called to their friends in joy.
‘There’s Gobo, dear old Gobo!’ cried Hop.
‘And Pinkie!’ cried Skip.
‘And Pippet and Gruffles, and Hoppety!’ cried Jump.
The Dragon-bird was very happy too. He walked solemnly along behind the carriage, and everyone stared at him in wonder, for they had never seen anything like him in Fairyland before.
‘Here’s the Palace!’ said Peronel, as the royal carriage turned into the gates. It went up the long twisting drive, and at last stopped at the great shining doors of the Palace.
And on the steps to welcome the three brownies were their Majesties, the King and Queen.
‘Welcome!’ they cried. ‘Welcome to the brave little brownies who rescued our daughter, and gave up their hard-won bottles of goodness for her safety. All your mischievous past is forgiven, for we know now that you are worthy of being brought back to Brownie Town! Welcome, too, to the brave Dragon-bird!’
‘Hip-hip-hurrah!’ shouted everyone.
‘Don’t let us have any more speeches,’ begged Peronel. ‘Let’s get to the feast. I’m sure the brownies are hungry!’
The brownies were really much too excited to feel hungry, but they were always ready for a feast.
And it was a feast. There were twenty different puddings, twelve different jellies, sixteen different blancmanges and fifty different sorts of cake!
There was only one guest there who tried everything – and that was the Dragon-bird, who really had a most enormous appetite.
After the feast, the King ordered three cheers for Hop, Skip and Jump, and one big cheer for the Dragon-bird. Then he took a little key off his watch-chain and gave it to Hop.
‘Here is the key of Crab-apple Cottage,’ he said kindly. ‘I expect you would like to go and get things straight there, wouldn’t you?’
So off went the brownies to their dear little cottage and, except for dust, it was all just exactly as they had left it.
‘Isn’t it lovely to be home?’ cried Hop, sitting on all the chairs one after another.
‘Isn’t it lovely to be home?’ cried Skip, lying on all the beds in turn.
‘Isn’t it perfectly, absolutely lovely to be HOME?’ cried Jump, winding up all the clocks joyfully.
‘We’ll never be bad again!’ said Hop, solemnly.
‘Never,’ said Skip.
‘Never, never, never,’ said Jump.
So they settled down in their cottage again, and dusted and scrubbed, and made it as spick and span as could be. Everybody brought them flowers, and they put them in jugs and bowls, and made Crab-apple Cottage look sweeter than it had ever done before.
And once again the three brownies were happy – especially on Saturday afternoons, for then they always went to the Palace to play with the little Princess.
As for the Dragon-bird, he was much too fond of them all to go away. So they kept him for a pet. Every Saturday he takes them for a fine long fly in the air.
So if you happen to see a big, peculiar-looking bird flying quickly overhead one day, don’t be alarmed. It will only be the Dragon-bird, taking his four passengers for their Saturday afternoon ride.
GOODBYE!
And now the three brownies
are happy once more,
And the Princess is smiling all day;
She often comes knocking
at their cottage door
(Usually just about quarter-past four),
And asks them
to come out and play.
But first they have tea,
and they eat jammy bread,
While they talk just as fast as they can
Of the Vanishing Door
and the Hob-Goblin Red,
Of the Very Wise Man
with his ver
y big head,
And, of course,
of the old Saucepan Man.
And Hop laughs to think
of the worm they once met
Who was in such a terrible hurry;
And Skip says he really will never forget
The time when the Green Railway
Train was upset
And put everyone in a flurry!
So they chatter and laugh
while they finish their tea,
Then they think they will go out to play;
And off they all clatter,
as merry as can be,
To take the old Dragon-bird
out for a spree
Away in the air, hip hurray!
They have a fine time
in the sunny blue sky,
And then come to earth with a bump.
And after that Peronel calls out ‘Goodbye!
Goodbye, dear old Dragon-bird,
thanks for the fly,
And goodbye to you,
Hop, Skip and Jump!’
Enid Blyton, The Enid Blyton Book of Brownies
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