“Now Mike and Jack, you must go to bed, too,” said big Ranni, coming up. “Paul is fast asleep. You have had a very hard time, and you need rest, too. Come.”
The children themselves could hardly believe that all their adventures really had happened, when they awoke next day. The boys lay and blinked at the ceiling. They felt stiff, but happy. They had rescued Rannie and Pilescu. They had found the robbers. They had been in the Secret Forest. They couldn’t help feeling very pleased with themselves.
“Mother, I’m going up on the mountain-side to find Beowald,” said Paul at breakfast time. “I’m going to tell him he must leave his goats and come to live with me. When we go back to the palace he must come too. I shall never forget all he did for us.”
“Take Ranni and Pilescu with you,” said his mother. “I’m afraid of those robbers still.”
“You needn’t be,” said Paul. “You will never see them again! Ranni! Will you come with me, and find Beowald?”
Ranni nodded. He and Pilescu looked none the worse for their adventure, except that Ranni had a great bump on his head.
The mist had entirely gone. The mountains shone clear all around, their summits sharp against the sky. The five children, with Ranni and Pilescu, mounted their ponies, and turned their shaggy heads up the mountain-side.
They came to the temple-cave after about an hour. Beowald was not anywhere there. Ranni lifted his great voice and shouted down the mountain-side:
“BEOWALD! BEOWALD!”
They heard an answering cry, musical and clear, coming from a distance. They sat down to wait for the blind goatherd. Paul was already planning a uniform for him. He would show Beowald what princely gratitude was!