s though they were asking, "what is the
matter?" Then they, too, joined in the shout of their good friends the
Brownies, whistling, trilling, carolling until the air was alive with
songs. The trees clapped their leaf hands together; the flowers raised
their plumed hats; the bees, butterflies and wasps hummed in chorus with
the joyful cry. It seemed as though all nature had joined in with their
happy friends to celebrate the rescue of Bruce, chief of the Brownies;
and happiest heart of all was that of Agatha the good.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote BD: Appendix, Note A.]

[Footnote BE: Appendix, Note B.]

CHAPTER XXIX.

BREAKING CAMP.

The rescued Bruce was carried by his rejoicing friends and followers to
the upper air. The fresh breeze and bright sunshine wrought like a charm
to renew his strength. The time of his captivity had been short; but he
had been so roughly handled by his giant captors, and the cords with
which he had been bound had so galled him that he was quite unable to
walk. He was therefore laid upon a leaf stretcher and carried to his
tent. A few words explained the manner of his capture. He had been
surprised by the giantess who rushed upon him from behind, knocked him
senseless by a blow of her claw, bound him, and then carried him into
her den. The monster had already slain the two sentinels, sucked their
blood, and hung the bodies upon the wall where they had been found. But
Bruce was reserved to feed the maw of Prince Proud, and was therefore
thrust into the branch cave. As, however, the worthy youth was
"moulting," and in the listless estate which has been described, the
Captain lay in bonds awaiting the revival of Proud's appetite. To this
fact both Bruce and his gallant rescuers owed their lives.

"But what became of Proud?" The Lieutenant naturally raised this
question after all the party had got out of the cave.

"Well," said Sergeant Rise, laughing, "he's down there among the bones
at the bottom of the cave, alive or dead, I don't know which. After you
had dodged by the Prince, we attacked him vigorously, but he did little
more than move back slowly, occasionally striking out in a blind way.
All at once, however, he dashed forward, and plunged out of the branch
into the bottom of the main cave. We were taken by surprise, and were
sent flying in all directions in an awkward and ludicrous manner. A
score or so of Brownies had just entered the branch from the ladders,
and they were s