The Secret Mountain

Even the monkeys were quiet — but when they began to move in the tree and to chatter again Ra

And soon they had a great surprise — for when they rounded a rocky corner of the yellow mountain they heard voices! They all stopped still at once, hardly daring to breathe. Voices! Could they be natives — or folk from the Mountain.

The voices were deep and harsh — like the voices of rooks, Jack thought. Ra

Everyone else sank down quietly behind the bushes and stayed as still as mice. Mafumu wriggled forward into a thick bush. It was prickly, but the boy did not seem to feel the scratches. He parted the bush-twigs carefully and looked through.

Then he looked back towards Ra

The two of them stayed there for some time. The others waited impatiently, hearing the harsh voices of the strangers, and wondering what Ra

Suddenly there came a grating sound, a rolling, groaning noise — and the voices stopped. The queer noise came again, such a grating sound that it set everyone’s teeth on edge! With the rolling sound of rumbling thunder the noise echoed around — and then stopped. Now only the sharp calls of the birds, the ceaseless hum of thousands of insects and the silly chatter of monkeys could be heard — and behind it all the roaring of the waterfall in the distance.

Ra

The Way Into The Secret Mountain

“Quick, Ra

“We saw some of the Folk of the Secret Mountain!” said Ra

“Golly!” said Mike, his eyes wide with excitement. “Go on — what happened?”

“The queerest thing happened,” said Ra

“What sort of rock?” asked Pilescu.

“It was an enormous rock,” said Ra

“Why, he couldn’t surely move an enormous rock!” cried Mike.

“That’s what I thought,” said Ra

“What happened when the rock swung round?” asked Pilescu.

“It not only swung round, it slid to one side,” said Ra

Everyone stared at Ra

“Go on,” whispered Peggy at last.

“I couldn’t see how the great doorway was opened,” said Ra

“And did the people go into the mountain?” asked Mike.

“They did,” answered Ra

Everyone sat silent for a while, thinking of the queer entrance to the Secret Mountain. So that was what Mafumu’s uncle had meant when he said that to get into the mountain one had to walk through rock!

“Well — what are we going to do?” said Jack. “We know the way in — but I wonder how that great studded door is opened! Oh, Ra

“We’d better,” said Ra

The children could hardly wait for the sudden nightfall to come. They found themselves good hiding-places — though Jack and Mafumu found the best. Theirs was up a big tree not far from the mountain entrance. Mafumu found it, of course, and helped Jack up there. The others were behind or in the middle of thick bushes.

When the stars hung brightly, and a crescent moon shone in the sky, Ra

Big Ra

Ra

He tried again and again — and just as he was giving up something happened. He pushed at the right place quite by accident! With a groaning roar the enormous rock swung slowly round and then slid back. The noise it made was terrific. Ra

The studded door shone in the moonlight. It did not open. It stood there; big and solid, strange and silent, barring the way. Nobody came. Nobody shouted to see who had swung back the rock. Only the night-sounds came on the air, and the sound of the distant waterfall.

Everyone waited, trembling with excitement. Jack nearly fell out of his tree, he shivered so much with wonder and expectation. But absolutely nothing happened. The rock remained where it was, the door shone behind.

“Ra

Ra

The others watched him from their hiding-places. He went right up to the door. He felt over it with his hand. He pushed gently against it. He tried to slide it to one side. He tried all the studs and knobs to see if by chance any of them opened the great door. But no matter what he did, the door remained shut.

“Let us come and see,” whispered Mike to Pilescu. The boy felt that he could not keep still any longer. Pilescu was also longing to go to the mountain door, so he, Mike, Paul, and the two girls crept forward in the shadows.

Jack wanted to come too — and began to climb carefully down the tree, getting caught in a great creeper as he did so. Mafumu tried to untangle him, but the more he tried, the more mixed-up poor Jack got.