“But how are we to get up to the Air-Spirits, or down to the Gnomes?” asked the children, disconsolately.
“I may be able to help you about that,” answered the cat. “But while one of you is gone, the other must stay here and mind the magic fire which I shall kindle before we start; for if the fire goes out, Rumpty-Dudget will take the burnt logs and blacken Henry’s face all over with them, and then we should never be able to get him back. Do you two children run about and pick up all the dried sticks you can find, and pile them up in a heap, while I get the touch-wood ready.”
In a very few minutes, a large heap of fagots had been gathered together, as high as the top of Princess Hilda’s head. Meanwhile, the cat had drawn a large circle on the ground with the tip of his tail, and in the center of the circle was the heap of fagots. It had now become quite dark, but the cat’s eyes burned as brightly as if two yellow lamps had been set in his head.
“Come inside the circle, children,” said he, “while I light the touch-wood.”
In they came accordingly, and the cat put the touch-wood on the ground and sat down in front of it with his nose resting against it, and stared at it with his flaming yellow eyes and by and by it began to smoke and smolder, and at last it caught fire and burned famously.
“That will do nicely,” said the cat; “now put some sticks upon it.” So this was done, and the fire was fairly started, and burned blue, red and yellow.
“And now there is no time to be lost,” said the cat. “Prince Frank, you will stay beside this fire and keep it burning, until I come back with Princess Hilda from the kingdoms of the Gnomes and Air-Spirits. Remember, that if you let it go out, all will be lost; nevertheless, you must on no account go outside the circle to gather more fagots, if those that are already here get used up. You may, perhaps, be tempted to do otherwise; but if you yield to the temptation, all will go wrong; and the only way your brother Henry can be saved will be for you to get into the fire yourself, in place of the fagots.”
Though Prince Frank did not much like the idea of being left alone in the woods all night, still, since it was for his brother’s sake, he consented; but he made up his mind to be very careful not to use up the fagots too fast, or to go outside the ring. So Princess Hilda and Tom the cat bade him farewell, and then the cat stretched out his tail as straight as the handle of a saucepan. Princess Hilda took hold of it, and away! right up the tall pine-tree they went, and were out of sight in the twinkling of an eye.