ong cautiously, feeling his
way; the little brown sphere of his body rose and sank, rose and
sank. His legs were so very long and thin that one alone would
certainly not have been enough to support his body. He needed
all at once, unquestionably. As they were jointed in the middle,
they rose high in the air above him.

Maya clapped her hands together.

"Well!" she cried. "Did you ever? Would you have dreamed that
such delicate legs, legs as fine as a hair, could be so nimble
and useful--that one could really use them--and they'd know
what to do? Fridolin, I think it's wonderful, simply wonderful."

"Ah, bah," said the bark-beetle. "Don't take things so
seriously. Just laugh when you see something funny; that's all."

"But I don't feel like laughing. Often we laugh at something and
later find out it was just because we haven't understood."

By this time the stranger had joined them and was looking down
at Maya from the height of his pointed triangles of legs.

"Good-morning," he said, "a real wind-storm--a pretty strong
draught, don't you think, or--no? You are of a different
opinion?" He clung to the tree as hard as he could.

Fridolin turned to hide his laughing, but little Maya replied
politely that she quite agreed with him and that was why she had
not gone out flying. Then she introduced herself. The stranger
squinted down at her through his legs.

"Maya, of the nation of bees," he repeated. "Delighted, really.
I have heard a good deal about bees.-- I myself belong to the
general family of spiders, species daddy-long-legs, and my name
is Hannibal."

The word spider has an evil sound in the ears of all smaller
insects, and Maya could not quite conceal her fright, especially
as she was reminded of her agony in Thekla's web. Hannibal
seemed to take no notice, so Maya decided, "Well if need be I'll
fly away, and he can whistle for me; he has no wings and his web
is somewhere else."

"I am thinking," said Hannibal, "thinking very hard.-- If you
will permit me, I will come a little closer. That big branch
there makes a good shield against the wind."

"Why, certainly," said Maya, making room for him.

Fridolin said good-by and left. Maya stayed; she was eager to
get at Hannibal's personality.

"The many, many different kinds of animals there are in the
world," she thought. "Every day a fresh discovery."

The wind had subsided some, and the sun shone through the
branches. From below rose the song of a ro