The Quest Begins

"THAT happened five years ago," continued the King, "and from that day to this I have never been able to find out where the magician lives. I fear that Fortunata is lost for ever!"

Sir Tristram knelt before the King. "Grant me this quest, I pray you, sire!"

The King sat in silence for a moment. "Be it so!" he replied. "But I fear you little know the dangers and the trials which await you. Arms and money I can provide, but in no other way can I help you. If you succeed, then ask of me what you will and it is yours. Many have set out on this quest, but none return. Now my court is deserted, for a sad king has but few friends."

It was a clear, sunny morning. Sir Tristram and George were already upon their way to seek the enchanted Princess.

George was riding—actually riding!—upon a beautiful pony which the King had given him. You may imagine how proud he felt!

In which direction should they go? Sir Tristram and he talked it over, and, as it did not matter very much, they rode down the hill and out on to the plain, hoping by and by to come upon a good road to somewhere.

"It will be all right," said George. "On we go!"

He had scarcely said this when he caught sight of a little weathercock perched up on the top of a house roof. To be sure! His friend the weathercock had told him to ask any of his family he might meet to show him the way.

This weathercock was pointing straight down a long road across the plain, and when George told Sir Tristram this he nodded his head and said: "'Tis well! The weathercock knows the way better than we do."

They rode and rode until at last they came to a great forest. And now a dreadful thing happened, for when they were right in the middle of it they lost their way.

Sir Tristram dismounted. "Let us eat and then rest awhile. We shall find our way by and by. Here the adventure begins, young squire."

So they sat down under a great tree and ate and drank. After they had finished their meal Sir Tristram took off some of his armour and lay down on the soft mossy bank. After a time he fell asleep.

George nearly fell asleep too. He felt only half awake, and lay on his back listening to the sighing of the wind in the trees and the twittering of the birds. Sometimes it sounded as if they were talking to one another, and sometimes as if they were laughing. Who ever heard birds laugh?

He felt in his pocket for his knife, as he wanted to try to make a whistle out of a piece of wood as Father did. In one pocket he found nothing and in the other some leaves, which he took out to throw away.

"Why, these must be Tom Tiddler's leaves!" he thought. "Alexander said that I wasn't to throw them away. I'll put one of them in my cap."

He fixed one carefully in the side of his cap, and put the others back in his pocket. Then, all of a sudden, he seemed to hear voices, quite tiny voices, talking high up in the air above him.

"Yes!" said the first voice, "it is a long way to the magician's castle."

George sat up and listened eagerly.

"Nobody has ever found the way there yet," said the second voice.

"That's because they are so stupid," was the reply. "You must follow the sun until it sinks, and then follow it again when it rises, until you arrive."

"No, no!" exclaimed another voice. "First of all you must cross the black lake, and that is impossible."

"Then there is the glass mountain to climb," cried a fourth voice. "That's ever so slippery, you know!"

"And then there are the two guardians of the gate. Nobody ever passed them alive!" The fifth voice said this.

"And even if you get into the castle, that's no use, for it is enchanted ground," said a squeaky voice. "You have to know the magic word, and nobody knows that."

"Pooh! Rubbish!" answered a great big voice. "The weathercock who sits on the very tip-top of the highest tower of the castle knows it. But nobody has ever asked him yet."

Then the voices were silent. George stood up and looked all round him, but he could see nobody. As he looked up into the trees a few birds flew away, and then there was silence in the forest.

"Well, we know the way to the castle now," he thought. "Oh, what an adventure it's going to be! Won't Alexander be sorry that he missed it!"

DOUBLE YOUR THUMBS