Part 5 (1/2)
”GET UP!!” the Phoenix bellowed
The Gryffen struggled into a sitting position and yawned a tremendous and noisy yawn Then it squinted blearily at David and murmured, ”What day is it?”
[Illustration]
”Wednesday,” David said ”Could you please tell us--”
”Oh, Wednesday,” said the Gryffen It thought about this for a while,”WednesdayWednesday ” to itself It lifted one leg as if to scratch the fly bites, changed its ain ”Oh, _Wednesday_,” it said at last ”So it isn't Saturday?”
”No,” said David ”What ant to know is--”
”Not Saturday,” said the Gryffen, sinking down to the ground with a huge sigh of relief ”Ah! Coet up on Saturdayin theafternoon” The words faded into a snore
”There you are, my dear fellow,” said the Phoenix ”Just as I said
Oaf! Boor!”
”A _very_ annoying aniree, my boy But the Gryffins are different, I assure you Now, let me see Where should we look--”
”There they come!” David cried suddenly ”Look!” And indeed, a nu down a hillside toward them
”Good heavens!” the Phoenix shouted ”Those are the ones we do _not_ want to asped as he threw himself on the bird's back
”Gryffons!”
The Phoenix rushed along the ground a few feet and sprang into the air But it was too late The fores, shot up to meet the beak of the first Gryffon by half an inch and dodged the second--only to smash into a third David was stunned by the blow and the fall When he regained consciousness, he found higling feebly with another, and stilllike hawks
They looked like the sleeping Gryffen, but were as large as ponies
Their eyes were yellow and unblinking, and their tails twitched like an angry cat's Their smell, like the lion house in the zoo, est Gryffon coldly, ”you know the Rule, I believe?”
The Phoenix smiled weakly and cleared its throat ”Ah, there, Gryffon,” it said unsteadily ”Fancyyou here Ah--ah--rule?
What rule?”
”Rule 26,” said the Gryffon ”'No hu shall be allowed to enter the--'”
”Oh, that rule,” said the Phoenix, with a careless laugh ”I thought everyone knew that the Council of 1935 had changed it Can it be that you have not yet heard?”
”That won't do, Phoenix You have also heard, of course, of the penalty for breaking the Rule, which youwith this human boy?”
”Now, one moment, my dear Gryffon! I--ah--”
”Death!”