nd
Ummuz-cane--while he was thus softly thinking of all these happy things,
he suddenly saw the gigantic Ukka-tree above him, lit up marvellously
red, and glowing as if with the setting of the sun. He shut his eyes
with dread, for he saw all the forest monkeys lit up too, stock-still,
staring, staring; and he heard a curious crackle and whs-s-s-ss.

Nod turned his little head and looked back over his shoulder. And
against the snowy gloom of the forest he saw not only sparks, but
flames, wagging up out of the chimney-hole. The door of the hut was like
the frame of a furnace. And a trembling fear came over him, so that for
a moment he could neither breathe nor move. Then, throwing down his
basket of ice, and calling softly, "Mutta, O Mutta!" he scrambled over
the snow as fast as he could and rushed into the hut. But he was too
late; before he could jump, spluttering and choking, out of the door
again, with just an armful of anything he could see, its walls were
ablaze. Dry and tangled, its roof burnt like straw--a huge red fire
pouring out smoke and flame, hissing, gushing, crackling, bubbling,
roaring. And presently after, while Nod ran snapping his fingers,
dancing with horror in the snow, and calling shriller and shriller,

"Thumb, Thimble; Thimble, Thumb,
Leave your sticks and hurry home:
Thicker and thicker the smoke do come!
Thumb, Thimble; Thimble, Thumb!"

he heard above the flames a multitudinous howling and squealing, and he
looked over his shoulder, and saw hundreds upon hundreds of faces in the
forest staring out between the branches at the fire. By the time that
Thimble and Thumb in their red jackets were scampering on all fours,
helter-skelter, downhill out of the forest, a numberless horde of the
Forest-mulgars were frisking and howling round the blaze, and the flames
were floating half as high as Glint's great Ukka-tree. They squealed,
"Walla, walla!" (water), grinning and gibbering one to another as they
came tumbling along; but they might just as well have called
"Moonshine!" for every drop was frozen. Nor would twenty flowing springs
and all Assasimmon's slaves have quenched that fire now. And when the
Forest-mulgars saw that the Mulla-mulgars had given up hope of putting
the fire out, they pelted it with snowballs, and scampered about,
gathering up every stick and straw and shred they could find, and did
their utmost to keep it in. For at last, in their joy that the little
Portin