the officers had seen. She was several times the
size of Spite or Hide, and compared to the Brownies was as an elephant
to a child. She was covered with a fur robe of a uniform brownish-red
color, fringed with black. Her fangs were huge tusks, her feet immense
brushes armed with sharp claws. Woe to the enemy that fell within her
power! The Brownie officers had as brave hearts as ever beat under
uniform, but the wonder upon their faces was somewhat touched with
terror as they looked from this monster into each other's eyes. There
could be no mistake about it. This was the great giantess Cteniza, the
Queen of the Pixies!

[Illustration: FIG. 119.--Peep-oh! Pixie!]

The giantess turned, clambered up the ridge and made straight for the
bushlet wherein the Brownies were hid. They grasped their swords and
silently waited. Cteniza reached the bush. She stretched up an arm
to--seize the Brownies? No! she fastened a strong cord to a twig and
pulled it taut. The trap-door of her cave slowly raised until it stood
ajar. Then another line was made fast to the bush and carried over to
the top of the door. The trap swung in this wise and thus allowed the
Pixie queen to enter her den when she wished to return. This done, she
went down the ridge, gazed around her, and began spreading a thick
snare over the ground round about the trap-door.[BB] She had not seen
the Brownie officers at all.

"We are safe this time," whispered MacWhirlie to Vigilant, "but what
shall we do? It would be folly for two of us, or even the whole guard,
to attack that creature without some great advantage on our part."

"We must wait and watch," was the answer. "Our action must depend upon
the Pixie queen's."

"Aye, Aye," responded the Lieutenant, "but there is one thing I have
settled. These cords shall be cut and the monster shut out from her den.
If there is any hope at all for the recovery of our Captain and comrades
it lies in that. Come what may the giantess shall never get back into
her cave; at least until we have had a a chance to explore it."

Queen Cteniza had by this time finished her snare of strong cords, and a
smooth silken sheet stretched irregularly upon the grass. She gazed
contentedly upon her work, cast a glance upon her trap-door swinging
snugly by its lines, and set off in the direction of the Pixie camp. She
stopped suddenly. She had caught sight of one of the sentinels in the
outer circle of guards, and at the same moment the sentine