d beasts uncountable; and leagues of Ukka and
Barbary-nuts; and boundless fields of Ummuz, and orchards of fruit, and
bowers of flowers and pleasure. And his, too, is the Rose of all the
Mulgars." And as he listened Thimble shuffled from foot to foot, his
heart uneasy, to hear her cry so hollowly the beauty of that Rose. And
at her bidding, out of the cupboard they took the civeted bundles of all
the stuff and little Mulgar treasures she had been hoarding up all
these years for them against this last day.

She gave Thumb and Thimble each a red Oomgar's jacket with curved metal
hooks, and to Nod the little coat of mountain-sheep's wool, with its
nine ivory buttons. She divided and shared everything between
them--their father's knives and cudgels, the beads blue and emerald, the
Margarita stones. The Portingal's rusty hatchet, burned with a cross on
its stock, she gave to Thumb; a little fat black greasy book of sorcery,
made of Exxswixxia leaves, to Thimble; and to Nod, last of all, picking
it out of the stitched serpent-skin lining of her great wool cap, she
gave the Wonderstone.

"I give this to Nod," she said to his brothers, "because he is a
Nizza-neela, and has magic in him. Come close, my sons, Thumb and
Thimble, and see. His winking [or left][3] eye has green within the
hazel; his thumbs grow lean and long; he still keeps two milk-teeth; and
bears the Nizza-neela tuft betwixt his ears." With her hot skinny
fingers she stroked softly back his hair, and showed his brothers the
little velvety patch, or tuft, or badge, or crest, on the top of his
head, above the parting. "O Mulla-mulgars, how I begged your father to
take this Wonderstone with him on his journey! but he would not. He
said, 'Keep it, and let my sons, if need be, carry it after me to the
kingdom of my brother. He will know by this one thing that they are
indeed my sons, Mulla-mulgars, Princes of Tishnar, sibbetha eena manga
Moh!'"

[3] On the right or cudgel side, the Mulgars say, sits Bravery;
on the winking, woman, or left side, Craft.

"Never, little Nod," said his old dying mother--"never lose, nor give
away, nor sport with, nor even lend this Wonderstone; and if in your
long journey you are in danger of the Third Sleep,[4] or lost, or in
great fear, spit with your spittle on the stone, and rub softly three
times with your left thumb, Samaweeza: Tishnar will hear you; help will
come."

[4] First Sleep is night-sleep; Second Slee