retreating howls, he perceived that
he had routed them. He stood for a little, weighing his battle-axe in
his hand as if it had been the most precious lump of metal--but indeed
no lump of gold itself could have been so precious at the time as that
common tool--then untied the end of the string from it, put the ball in
his pocket, and still stood thinking. It was clear that the cobs'
creatures had found his axe, had between them carried it off, and had
so led him he knew not where. But for all his thinking he could not
tell what he ought to do, until suddenly he became aware of a glimmer
of light in the distance. Without a moment's hesitation he set out for
it, as fast as the unknown and rugged way would permit. Yet again
turning a corner, led by the dim light, he spied something quite new in
his experience of the underground regions--a small irregular shape of
something shining. Going up to it, he found it was a piece of mica, or
Muscovy glass, called sheep-silver in Scotland, and the light flickered
as if from a fire behind it. After trying in vain for some time to
discover an entrance to the place where it was burning, he came at
length to a small chamber in which an opening, high in the wall,
revealed a glow beyond. To this opening he managed to scramble up, and
then he saw a strange sight.

Below sat a little group of goblins around a fire, the smoke of which
vanished in the darkness far aloft. The sides of the cave were full of
shining minerals like those of the palace hall; and the company was
evidently of a superior order, for every one wore stones about head, or
arms, or waist, shining dull gorgeous colours in the light of the fire.
Nor had Curdie looked long before he recognized the king himself, and
found that he had made his way into the inner apartment of the royal
family. He had never had such a good chance of hearing something. He
crept through the hole as softly as he could, scrambled a good way down
the wall towards them without attracting attention, and then sat down
and listened. The king, evidently the queen, and probably the crown
prince and the Prime Minister were talking together. He was sure of
the queen by her shoes, for as she warmed her feet at the fire, he saw
them quite plainly.

'That will be fun!' said the one he took for the crown prince. It was
the first whole sentence he heard.

'I don't see why you should think it such a grand affair!' said his
stepmother, tossing her he