hey met with various adventures,
and in all of them Lina proved so helpful, and so ready to risk her
life for the sake of her companion, that Curdie grew not merely very
fond but very trustful of her; and her ugliness, which at first only
moved his pity, now actually increased his affection for her. One day,
looking at her stretched on the grass before him, he said:

'Oh, Lina! If the princess would but burn you in her fire of roses!'

She looked up at him, gave a mournful whine like a dog, and laid her
head on his feet. What or how much he could not tell, but clearly she
had gathered something from his words.

CHAPTER 12

More Creatures

One day from morning till night they had been passing through a forest.
As soon as the sun was down Curdie began to be aware that there were
more in it than themselves. First he saw only the swift rush of a
figure across the trees at some distance. Then he saw another and then
another at shorter intervals. Then he saw others both farther off and
nearer. At last, missing Lina and looking about after her, he saw an
appearance as marvellous as herself steal up to her, and begin
conversing with her after some beast fashion which evidently she
understood.

Presently what seemed a quarrel arose between them, and stranger noises
followed, mingled with growling. At length it came to a fight, which
had not lasted long, however, before the creature of the wood threw
itself upon its back, and held up its paws to Lina. She instantly
walked on, and the creature got up and followed her. They had not gone
far before another strange animal appeared, approaching Lina, when
precisely the same thing was repeated, the vanquished animal rising and
following with the former. Again, and yet again, and again, a fresh
animal came up, seemed to be reasoned and certainly was fought with and
overcome by Lina, until at last, before they were out of the wood, she
was followed by forty-nine of the most grotesquely ugly, the most
extravagantly abnormal animals imagination can conceive. To describe
them were a hopeless task.

I knew a boy who used to make animals out of heather roots. Wherever he
could find four legs, he was pretty sure to find a head and a tail.
His beasts were a most comic menagerie, and right fruitful of laughter.
But they were not so grotesque and extravagant as Lina and her
followers. One of them, for instance, was like a boa constrictor
walking on four little stumpy legs