is
piece of luck as well as others. Or it may have been that... but
why pursue the question further? The fact remains that in all their
adventures the muddle-headed inventions which we call foreign languages
never bothered them in the least. They could always understand and
be understood. If you can explain this, please do. I daresay I could
understand your explanation, though you could never understand mine.

So when the girl said, 'Who are you?' everyone understood at once, and
Anthea replied--

'We are children--just like you. Don't be frightened. Won't you show us
where you live?'

Jane put her face right into the Psammead's basket, and burrowed her
mouth into its fur to whisper--

'Is it safe? Won't they eat us? Are they cannibals?'

The Psammead shrugged its fur.

'Don't make your voice buzz like that, it tickles my ears,' it said
rather crossly. 'You can always get back to Regent's Park in time if you
keep fast hold of the charm,' it said.

The strange girl was trembling with fright.

Anthea had a bangle on her arm. It was a sevenpenny-halfpenny trumpery
thing that pretended to be silver; it had a glass heart of turquoise
blue hanging from it, and it was the gift of the maid-of-all-work at the
Fitzroy Street house. 'Here,' said Anthea, 'this is for you. That is
to show we will not hurt you. And if you take it I shall know that you
won't hurt us.'

The girl held out her hand. Anthea slid the bangle over it, and the
girl's face lighted up with the joy of possession.

'Come,' she said, looking lovingly at the bangle; 'it is peace between
your house and mine.'

She picked up her fish and pitcher and led the way up the narrow path by
which she had come and the others followed.

'This is something like!' said Cyril, trying to be brave.

'Yes!' said Robert, also assuming a boldness he was far from feeling,
'this really and truly IS an adventure! Its being in the Past makes it
quite different from the Phoenix and Carpet happenings.'

The belt of thick-growing acacia trees and shrubs--mostly prickly and
unpleasant-looking--seemed about half a mile across. The path was narrow
and the wood dark. At last, ahead, daylight shone through the boughs and
leaves.

The whole party suddenly came out of the wood's shadow into the glare of
the sunlight that shone on a great stretch of yellow sand, dotted with
heaps of grey rocks where spiky cactus plants showed gaudy crimson and
pink flowers among their shabby, san