Beowald was as nimble as a goat himself, and it was amazing to the children to think that a blind youth should be so sure-footed. But then Beowald knew every inch of the mountain-side.
Up they went and up. Sometimes the way was so steep that the ponies almost fell as they scrambled along, and sent crowds of stones rumbling down the mountain-side. Ranni and Pilescu began to be doubtful about going farther. Ranni reined in his fat little pony.
“Beowald! Is the way much steeper?” he asked. “This is dangerous for the children.”
“Ranni! It isn’t!” cried Paul indignantly. “I won’t go back without seeing over the top. I won’t!”
“We shall soon be there,” said Beowald, turning his dark eyes to Ranni. “I can smell the forest already!”
The children all sniffed the air eagerly, but they could smell nothing. They wished they had ears and nose like Beowald’s. He could not see, but he could sense many things that they could not.
They came to a narrow ledge and one by one the ponies went round it, pressing their bodies close against the rocky side of the mountain, for a steep precipice, with a fall of many hundreds of feet, was the other side! Nora and Peggy would not look, but the boys did not mind. It was exciting to be so high.
The old goat rounded the ledge first, and Beowald followed. “We are here!” he called.
The ledge widened out round the bend — and the children saw that they were on the other side of Killimooin Mountains! They were not right at the top of the mountain they were on, but had rounded a bend on the shoulder, and were now looking down on the thing they wanted so much to see — the Secret Forest!
“The Secret Forest!” cried Paul, and Jack echoed his words.