ep in the black mud, with a heavy stone
on top of her. Surely she could never again thwart their plans of evil,
hatched and nurtured in the foul darkness of the quags. She was buried
deep; they had left no sign; who would know where to look for her?

Day after day passed by until the time of the New Moon was eagerly
looked for by the good folk who dwelt around the marshes, for they knew
they had no friend like the Moon, whose light enabled them to find the
pathways through the bog-land, and drove away all the vile things into
their dark holes and corners. So they put lucky pennies in their pouches
and straws in their hats, and searched for the crescent Moon in the sky.
But evening twilight brought no Moon, which was not strange, for she was
buried deep in the bog.

The nights were pitch dark, and the Horrors held frolic in the marshes
and swarmed abroad in ever-increasing numbers, so that no traveller was
safe. The poor people were so frightened and dumbfounded at being
forsaken by the friendly Moon, that some of them went to the old Wise
Woman of the Mill and besought her to find out what was the matter.

The Wise Woman gazed long into her magic mirror, and then made a brew of
herbs, into which she looked just as long, muttering words that nobody
but herself could understand.

'It's very strange,' she said at last; 'but there's nought to say what
has become of her. I'll look again later on; meantime if ye do learn
anything, let me know.'

So they went away more mystified than ever, and, as the following nights
brought no Moon, they could do nothing but stand about in groups in the
streets discussing the strange thing. The disappearance of the Moon was
the one topic. By the fireside, at the work-bench, in the inn and all
about, their tongues went nineteen to the dozen; and no wonder, for who
had ever heard of the Moon being lost, stolen or strayed?

But it chanced one day that a man from the other side of the marshes was
sitting in the inn, smoking his pipe and listening to the talk of the
other inmates, when all of a sudden he sat bolt upright, slapped his
thigh and cried out, 'I' fegs! Now I mind where that there Moon be!'

Then he told them how one night he had got lost in the marshes and was
frightened to death; how he went blundering on in the dark with all the
Evil Things after him, and, at last, how a great bright light burst out
of a pool and showed him the way to go.

When they heard this they all took