第37章

Of course we don't want to live in their horrid country! It is far too glaring for our quieter and more refined tastes.But we might use it as a sort of outhouse, you know.Even our creatures' eyes might get used to it, and if they did grow blind that would be of no consequence, provided they grew fat as well.But we might even keep their great cows and other creatures, and then we should have a few more luxuries, such as cream and cheese, which at present we only taste occasionally, when our brave men have succeeded in carrying some off from their farms.'

'It is worth thinking of,' said the king; 'and I don't know why you should be the first to suggest it, except that you have a positive genius for conquest.But still, as you say, there is something very troublesome about them; and it would be better, as Iunderstand you to suggest, that we should starve him for a day or two first, so that he may be a little less frisky when we take him out.'

'Once there was a goblin Living in a hole;Busy he was cobblin'

A shoe without a sole.

'By came a birdie:

"Goblin, what do you do?"

"Cobble at a sturdie Upper leather shoe."'"What's the good o' that, Sir?"

Said the little bird.

"Why it's very Pat, Sir -

Plain without a word.

'"Where 'tis all a hole, Sir, Never can be holes:

Why should their shoes have soles, Sir, When they've got no souls?"'

'What's that horrible noise?' cried the queen, shuddering from pot-metal head to granite shoes.

'I declare,' said the king with solemn indignation, 'it's the sun-creature in the hole!'

'Stop that disgusting noise!' cried the crown prince valiantly, getting up and standing in front of the heap of stones, with his face towards Curdie's prison.'Do now, or I'll break your head.'

'Break away,' shouted Curdie, and began singing again:

'Once there was a goblin, Living in a hole -'

'I really cannot bear it,' said the queen.'If I could only get at his horrid toes with my slippers again!'

'I think we had better go to bed,' said the king.

'It's not time to go to bed,' said the queen.

'I would if I was you,' said Curdie.

'Impertinent wretch!' said the queen, with the utmost scorn in her voice.

'An impossible if,' said His Majesty with dignity.

'Quite,' returned Curdie, and began singing again:

'Go to bed, Goblin, do.

Help the queen Take off her shoe.

'If you do, It will disclose A horrid set Of sprouting toes.'

'What a lie!' roared the queen in a rage.

'By the way, that reminds me,' said the king, 'that for as long as we have been married, I have never seen your feet, queen.I think you might take off your shoes when you go to bed! They positively hurt me sometimes.'

'I will do as I like,' retorted the queen sulkily.

'You ought to do as your own hubby wishes you,' said the king.

'I will not,' said the queen.

'Then I insist upon it,' said the king.

Apparently His Majesty approached the queen for the purpose of following the advice given by Curdie, for the latter heard a scuffle, and then a great roar from the king.

'Will you be quiet, then?' said the queen wickedly.

'Yes, yes, queen.I only meant to coax you.'

'Hands off!' cried the queen triumphantly.'I'm going to bed.You may come when you like.But as long as I am queen I will sleep in my shoes.It is my royal privilege.Harelip, go to bed.'

'I'm going,' said Harelip sleepily.

'So am I,' said the king.

'Come along, then,' said the queen; 'and mind you are good, or I'll -'

'Oh, no, no, no!' screamed the king in the most supplicating of tones.

Curdie heard only a muttered reply in the distance; and then the cave was quite still.

They had left the fire burning, and the light came through brighter than before.Curdie thought it was time to try again if anything could be done.But he found he could not get even a finger through the chink between the slab and the rock.He gave a great rush with his shoulder against the slab, but it yielded no more than if it had been part of the rock.All he could do was to sit down and think again.

By and by he came to the resolution to pretend to be dying, in the hope they might take him out before his strength was too much exhausted to let him have a chance.Then, for the creatures, if he could but find his axe again, he would have no fear of them; and if it were not for the queen's horrid shoes, he would have no fear at all.

Meantime, until they should come again at night, there was nothing for him to do but forge new rhymes, now his only weapons.He had no intention of using them at present, of course; but it was well to have a stock, for he might live to want them, and the manufacture of them would help to while away the time.