ADVENTURES BY THE WAY 35

in a moment. So bright and so hot was
the fire, that it seemed impossible for the
boy to pass it, and so it certainly would
have been if he had not had the weapon by
which the obstacle could be removed. He
shook his handkerchief before him, once
more uttered the word, and had the satis-
faction of seeing the fire vanish as suddenly
as it appeared; then little Hurly-Burly
breathed freely again, and stepped boldly
into the forest; not forgetting, however, to
pause for a moment before he did so, and
pronounce three times the word which had
already served him so well. He had no
idea which way to go, but having been told
by the hedgehog to use his wits, looked
carefully around him to see whether there
was anything which might direct him. He
did not expect, of course, to see a finger-
post by the wayside, on which would be
written ‘To the Falls’ or ‘To Venomista’s
Oak,’ but he fancied that there might be
something to guide him one way or the
other. He might hear the noise of falling
water, or see the tracks of many animals,
who would be likely to go to the spot where
water was to be found, or he might meet