and feet with her
horrible granite shoe, and he was soon down; but the captain had got
his back to the wall and stood out longer. The goblins would have torn
them all to pieces, but the king had given orders to carry them away
alive, and over each of them, in twelve groups, was standing a knot of
goblins, while as many as could find room were sitting upon their
prostrate bodies.

Curdie burst in dancing and gyrating and stamping and singing like a
small incarnate whirlwind.

'Where 'tis all a hole, sir,
Never can be holes:
Why should their shoes have soles, sir,
When they've got no souls?

'But she upon her foot, sir,
Has a granite shoe:
The strongest leather boot, sir,
Six would soon be through.'

The queen gave a howl of rage and dismay; and before she recovered her
presence of mind, Curdie, having begun with the group nearest him, had
eleven of the knights on their legs again.

'Stamp on their feet!' he cried as each man rose, and in a few minutes
the hall was nearly empty, the goblins running from it as fast as they
could, howling and shrieking and limping, and cowering every now and
then as they ran to cuddle their wounded feet in their hard hands, or
to protect them from the frightful stamp-stamp of the armed men.

And now Curdie approached the group which, in trusting in the queen and
her shoe, kept their guard over the prostrate captain. The king sat on
the captain's head, but the queen stood in front, like an infuriated
cat, with her perpendicular eyes gleaming green, and her hair standing
half up from her horrid head. Her heart was quaking, however, and she
kept moving about her skin-shod foot with nervous apprehension. When
Curdie was within a few paces, she rushed at him, made one tremendous
stamp at his opposing foot, which happily he withdrew in time, and
caught him round the waist, to dash him on the marble floor. But just
as she caught him, he came down with all the weight of his iron-shod
shoe upon her skin-shod foot, and with a hideous howl she dropped him,
squatted on the floor, and took her foot in both her hands. Meanwhile
the rest rushed on the king and the bodyguard, sent them flying, and
lifted the prostrate captain, who was all but pressed to death. It was
some moments before he recovered breath and consciousness.

'Where's the princess?' cried Curdie, again and again.

No one knew, and off they all rushed in search of her.

Through every room in the house