nd faggots and blankets over
their heads, and struggled on, but the faggots kept slipping loose, and
did not cover their stooping backs and buttocks. They shouted,
threatened, shook their hands towards the heights; one or two even flung
pebbles up that only bounced down upon their own heads again. It was all
in vain. They halted once more, and squatted down in despair. To add to
their misery, it was so cold in this gorge that the breath of the
Hill-mulgars froze in long icicles on their beards, and whensoever they
turned to speak to one another, or if they sneezed (as they often did in
the cold, and with the snuff-like ice-dust), their fringes tinkled like
glass. At last Ghibba, who had been sitting lost in thought of what to
be doing next, suddenly groped his way forward, and bade two of his
people sit down to their firesticks to make fire.

"What is this Whisker-face tinkering at now?" muttered Thumb. "What is
he after now? We had best have come alone."

"I know not," said Nod; "but if he can fight Noses, Thumb, as well as he
can fight Beaks, we shall soon be getting on again."

They crouched miserably in the snow, huddled up in shadow-blankets. The
Obobbomans peeped further into the ravine, chattering together, at a
loss to understand why the travellers were sitting there so still. But
at last fire came to the firesticks, and Ghibba then bade two or three
of his Mountaineers kindle torches. Whereupon he gave to each a bundle
of the eagle feathers which they had plucked from the five carcasses on
the pass, and told them to burn them piecemeal in their torches.

"Ghost of a Moh-man!" grunted Thumb sourly; "he has lost his cheesy
wits!"

With feathers fizzling, away they went again, slipping, staggering, and
straining at the rope. Down at once hailed the stones again, the
Obobbomans gambolling and squealing with delight in their silly
mischief. And now no longer little were the snowballs, for the
Long-noses all this time had been busy making big ones. These four or
five of them, shoving together, with noses laid sidelong, rolled slowly
to the edge, and pushed over. Down they came, bounding and rebounding
into the abyss, and broke into fragments on the travellers' heads. Some,
too, of the craftier of the Long-noses had mingled stones and ice in
these great balls.

Thumb groaned and sweated in spite of the cold, for he, being by far the
fattest and broadest of the travellers, received the most stones, and
stumbled