“Come on. Let’s see what these wicked stone men are!” said Jack, with a grin. He dismounted from his pony, and passed through the great broken archway. It was dark inside the queer temple. “Have you got a torch, Mike?” called Jack. Mike usually had a torch, a knife, string, and everything anyone could possibly want, somewhere about his person. Mike felt about and produced a torch.
He flashed it on — and the boys jumped in fright. Even Ranni and Pilescu jumped. For there, at the back of the temple-like cave, was a big stone man, seated on a low, flat rock!
“Oooh!” said Paul, and found Ranni’s hand at once.
“It’s an old statue!” said Jack, laughing at himself, and feeling ashamed of his sudden fright. “Look — there are more, very broken and old. Aren’t they odd? However did they get here?”
“Long, long ago the Baronians believed in strange gods,” said Ranni. “These are probably stone images of them. This must be an ancient temple, forgotten and lost, known only to Beowald.”
“That sitting statue is the only one not broken,” said Jack. “It’s got a great crack down the middle of its body though — look. I guess one day it will fall in half. What a horrid face the stone man has got — sort of sneering.”
“They are very rough statues,” said Pilescu, running his hand over them. “I have seen the same kind in other places in Baronia. Always they were in mountain-side temples like this.”
“Let’s go home!” called Nora, who was beginning to be very tired. “What sort of stone men have you found? Come and tell us.”
“Only statues, cowardy custard,” said Jack, coming out of the ruined temple. “You might just as well have seen them. Gee-up, there! Off we go!”
Off they went again, on the downward path towards Killimooin Castle, which could be seen very plainly now in the distance. In a short while Beowald said goodbye and disappeared into the bushes that grew just there. His goats followed him. The children could hear him playing on his flute, a strange melody that went on and on like a brook bubbling down a hill.