Five Children and It

tory was running in his head at breakfast, and as he took his third cup of tea he said dreamily, 'I wish there w

for a hundred pounds in two-shilling pieces with Queen Victoria's head on, to prevent mistakes - which they had always felt to be a really r

her me. You've

know it,'

isagreeably. 'You asked me to let you have your wishes wherever y

' said Robert

?' said the Psammead

now soon enough. And

ou've let your

, somehow,' s

could, and everyone kept expecting something awful to happen every minute. It was most agitating; they knew, from what the Psammead had said, that they must have wished for something more than usually undesirable, and they spent several hours in most agonizing unc

you remember? He said, "I wish there were Red Indians in England," - and now the

e soothingly. It was almost impossible to believe that it cou

id we'd let ourselves in for a nice thing. That means

t again at sunset,' said Jane; but sh

ssy, I'm going to break something, and you must let me have every penny of money you've got. The Indians w

she followed her sister meekl

nto the bath. Then she took the jug back into the bedroom and dropped it on the floor. You know how a jug always breaks if you happen to drop it by accident. If you happen to drop it on purpose, it is

oker. Jane told her that it was wrong, of course,

it's a matter of

d-fourpence - but the girls between them had nearly four shil

to take the four children with him. They had planned this in the happy hour when they believed that they were going to get that hundred pounds, in two-shilling pieces, out of the Psammead. They had arranged to pay the farmer

could not help seeing that she had acted with the most far-seeing promptitude, just like a born general. She fetched

. 'I've broken the toile

me mischief,' said Martha, dumpi

ou'll be a dear and go and buy it for us. Your cousins keep a china-shop, don't they? And I would l

ng into town yourse

ake the Lamb. And I say, Martha, look here - I'll give you my Liberty box, if you'll go. Look, it's

you want is to get the precious Lamb off your hands for the a

eny it at once - Martha had no business

d with a bang that made

' said Anthea softly. '

t mind you don't get into none of your outr

. Do put on that lovely purple frock, Martha, and the hat with the pink cornflowers, and the y

om time to time; so far all was well - she could see no Red Indians. When with a rush and a scurry and some

t is better not to go flat, of course, but you will observe that Anthea did not give way till her aim was accomplished. She had got the dear Lamb out of danger - she felt certain the Red Indians would be round the White House or nowhere - the farmer's cart would not come

, and nothing could be said till they had all been helped to minced beef. Then cook left the room, and Anthea told her tale. But it is a mistake to tell a thrilling tale when people are eating minced

m almost sure it was b

ished it would

,' said Ja

something to make this mush go down - if it was Indians, they'd have been infesti

had acted with nobility and discretion, and after that it was very hard to be called a little silly, especially when she had

the mincy plates and brought in the treacle-puddi

e Lamb out of the light for the afternoon; but as for Red Indians - why, you know jolly well th

rking amid the undergrowth, for anything you

DO lurk, really, thou

xious fo

as utter rot breaking the water-jug; and as for the missionary-box, I believe it's a treas

Indians they would be entirely his own fault, so he did not wish to believe in them. And trying not to beli

ns, when you can see for yourselves that it's Jane w

felt at all like breaking it. For there, peering round the corner of the window, among the red leaves of the Virginia creeper, was a face - a brown face, w

ayed open. The treacle-pudding was growing whi

rawn, and the spell was broken. I am sorry to sa

she said. 'I

a Spectator of the week before the week before last, they hid them behind the crinkle

ey reached their mother's bedroom. '

aid Anthea, 'b

ans, however, could be d

Robert, 'what

dressed up as like Indians as we can, and looked out of the windows, or even went out. They might think we were the p

and the cook

rt. 'They wouldn't notice anything out of the way, e

hey come rig

you'd be sure to notice it next day, even if it escaped your attention at the time,'

e - it's not very well. I could cut its feathers without it minding much. It's ve

ians were in the poultry-yard. Robert went. In five

an squinting at me from under the old hen-coop. I just brandished the feathers and yelled, and got away before he cou

was a lot of black calico that had been got to cover school-books with. They cut strips of this into a sort of fine fringe, and fastened it round their heads with the amber-coloured r

e right colour. We're all rather pale, and I'm sure

t,' sai

obert hastily. 'I think we ought to be really RED - it

n mixed some in a saucer with milk, as they had seen cook do for the kitchen floor. Then they carefully paint

timonial pleased them very much. Hastily telling her not to be a goose, and that it was only a game, the four blanketed, feathered,

rness from the garden was a row of

freezing attack. We must pretend like mad. Like that game of cards where you pretend

any previous practice - they rushed through the gate and struck four warlike attitudes in face

can talk English,' said C

to a walking-stick. This was a flag of truce, and she waved it, in the hope that the Indians wou

he said in excellent

ighty tribe of

, with a sudden insp

- the - the - Mazawat

I do - the tribe - I

elow the brow o

be these?' asked Golden Ea

as sucking her thumb and could evidently think of no name for herself, he added, 'This great w

ddenly of Robert, who, taken unawares, could only rep

ce is useless. Return, therefore, to your own land, O brother, and smoke pipes of peace in your wampums with your squaws

rong,' murmured Cyri

ooked inquir

he said. 'Bring up thy tribe, that we may hold pow

r bows and arrows, and tomahawks, and scalping-knives, and

came in shorter and shorter gasps. For the little real Red Indians were closing up round them - comi

for the Psammead. It might help us. If it doesn't - well, I suppose we shall

' said Anthea. 'If they st

ed down some half-dozen Indians, over whose blanketed bodies the children leaped, and made straight for the sand-Pit. This was no time for the safe easy way by which carts go down - right over the edge of

with them just at the very spot where t

e. Sharp knives and axes gleamed round them, but worse than these

Mounted Police - these also have lied to us, if not with their tongue, yet by their silence. Ye have lied under the cover of the Truce-flag of the Pale-face. Ye hav

tarted to look for fuel. The four children, each held between two strong little In

first and then roast us?'

opened his eyes at he

dren, and now sat on the ground gazing at th

back, and they came back empty-handed. They had not been able to find a single sti

t come. Next moment they were released, and fell in a trembling heap. Their heads did not hurt at all. They only felt strangely cool! Wild war-whoops rang in their ears. When they ventured to open their eyes they saw four of their foes dancing round them with wild leaps and screams

o each other's arms,

me off in the hands of the victors - without struggle, without resistance, they yielded the

f they don't,' said Robert, trying to rub some of

ire the correct thing. O strange unnatural country, wherein a man may find no wood to burn his enemy! - Ah, for the boundless forests of my native land, wh

d of the dusky figures. For every single Indian had vanished on the instant at their leader's w

rn of storks and long grasses on it. A

r luck; she said it was an odd one

ear!' sighed Anthea, thr

most of me while you've got me. I shall give y

t been so very horrid

a, ag

he gamekeeper. He's been a-proposin' to me off and on ever since you come home from the clergyman'

lace where the poker had broken it. She was very glad to be able to do this, and she does