Glaudot swallowed hard. He had never had a great deal of physical courage....
Just then they heard a great fluttering, groaning sound. Robin said: "You see, he's asleep. He's snoring."
"I—I don't think I could possibly—"
"He's liable to want us for breakfast. Come on."
They got up swiftly and silently, and crept to the walking stick. It was the size of a young tree. It would be heavy, perhaps too heavy for them to handle.
"Easy now," Robin said. She nimbly climbed the ledges on the cave-wall and tipped the great walking stick, then leaped down and grabbed the front end as Glaudot got a grip on the rear of the big pole.
"Heavy," Glaudot said.
"But not too heavy, I—I think."
"Try to lift it," said Glaudot.
They tried. Together they could barely get it overhead.