THE MAGIC CAKE
As the last drum beat died away in the distance, the Gnome turned to Ned and said: "Come, let us hasten, for I am rather hungry, and you no doubt are in need of nourishment also."
Ned obeyed willingly, for he had tasted nothing since breakfast and was now as hungry as a healthy youngster should be.
At the farther end of the cavern was an inclined plane, very much like the chutes at Coney Island.
Carefully seating Ned at his side the Gnome said: "Now hold tight, and hold your breath and hold your tongue—in fact, hold everything you've got—for we are going to take a swift shoot to the bottom of the mountain and you'll find out what the word swift means if you never have before!"
At this they began to move, and in another moment they were traveling as fast as a bullet from a gun.
The wind, whistling by, cut Ned's cheeks like little sharp needles; his hair stood out behind like feathers on a speeding arrow.
They were going so fast it was almost impossible to breathe.
Presently a tiny light appeared in the distance, and he saw that they were now on a level, although still going at a tremendous rate of speed.
In another moment they shot through the little round hole of light, which turned out to be the opening at the other end, and he and the Gnome landed safely on a big soft bunker of moss in the midst of a beautiful forest.