“Ranni! You haven’t told us your adventures yet. How did you escape from the Secret Mountain?”
“It was unexpectedly easy,” shouted back Ranni, who was sitting beside Pilescu. “No one suspected that Pilescu and I were anything but ordinary Mountain Folk when we went down the golden stairway with them. We went down and down for ages and at last came to a big cave where most of them seem to live.”
“Oh yes, Mafumu and I once saw that,” said Jack. “Go on, Ranni.”
“We didn’t like to go and sit in the cave in case somebody spoke to us and we couldn’t answer in their language,” said Ranni. “So we waited about in a passage until we saw a little party of the Mountain Folk going along with spears. We thought they must be going hunting so we joined them, walking behind them.”
“How exciting!” said Nora. “Didn’t they guess who you were?”
“Not once,” said Ranni. “We followed them down all kinds of dark passages until we came into the big hall-like place whose steps lead up to the rock-entrance. They worked a lever and the big door slid open. Then they set that great rock turning and sliding, and the way was open to us!”
“You were lucky,” said Jack. “I wish I had shared that adventure.”
“It wasn’t quite so good after that,” said Ranni. “We had to find our way back to the planes and we got completely lost up in the mountain-pass. We found our way at last by a great stroke of luck — and arrived at the planes, very tired indeed, but safe!”
“It didn’t take you long to get them going,” shouted Peggy. “Did you find it difficult to spot the Secret Mountain?”
“No. Very easy,” said Ranni. “It looks so yellow from the air — and besides, it’s the only one with a flat top.”