Part 6 (1/2)

The cave rocked with their uproar David screamed at the top of his voice and kicked the walls The Phoenix let out a series of ear-splitting whistles and squawks and beat its wings frantically

Echoes bounced fro into the cave, adding to the racket with their shrieking ”Now!” David shouted, and he flung the double handful of dust into the Gryffons'

faces Instantly they were all choking and sneezing in the thick cloud He plunged between the legs of the two Gryffons, who in the confusion began to bite and tear savagely at each other

David and the Phoenix burst out of the cave together The other Gryffons, aroused by the noise, were bounding toward the himself on the Phoenix's back and shouted ”Fly!” and sneezed From somewhere behind hih the back of his shi+rt He kicked blindly and felt his foot crunch into so which shrieked ”Fly, Phoenix!” he sobbed The Phoenix was already in the air and needed no encourages behind them David looked back over his shoulder The Gryffons were rising fros drawn up under the ”Faster!” he screa in the way of flying until now, s were two blurs slicing through the air and roaring like kettledruain The Gryffons were falling into the distance Their cries were getting fainter Now they looked like a flock of starlingsnow like a cluster of fliesnow like gnats And then they had faded out of sight, and David and the Phoenix were streaking over the grassland alone

Ten minutes later they reached a shore and landed They flopped on the sand, panting And David, suddenly feeling very faint, closed his eyes and put his head between his knees After they had got their breath, the Phoenix patted David on the shoulder and said huskily:

”I congratulate you, nificent--precisely what _I_ should have done, had I thought of it first Needless to say, we shall not go on looking for the Gryffins But now you know exactly what they are like: midway in size between the Gryffens and Gryffons, and reddish in color Most a for anyone It is hard to believe that they are all related But enough, o hoe, the Phoenix put David down and prepared to take off again

”Where are you going, Phoenix?” David asked

”So under its breath so that sounded like ”tail feathers, indeed!” the Phoenix soared off And David, stiff and sore and thoroughly tired, started down the mountainside for home

5: _In Which the Scientist Arrives in Pursuit of the Phoenix, and There Are Alaruht_

[Illustration]

The lights downstairs were all on when David got home, and as soon as he opened the front door he could tell that they had company

He shouted, ”I'm ho to hi his nose

”Well, here he is at last,” said Dad's voice ”Co room, ”Good heavens, Son, what's happened to you?”

”Your _back_, David!” Mother said in a horrified voice ”Your poor back! What _happened_ to you?”

[Illustration]

David felt himself The back of his shi+rt was ripped to tatters, and there were three lines of caked blood across his shoulders He rerab him as he and the Phoenix made their escape But he had promised the Phoenix to keep its secret

He stammered, ”I--I had an accident”

”And dust all _over_ you!” Mother went on

”Well,” said David desperately, ”it was a _dusty_ accident”

”It seems to have been very dusty indeed,” said a third voice There was a loud sneeze

David's father juave ot, David We have a guest” And he introduced David to a very tall, thin man with a bald head His face and neck were burnt red by the sun, and he had on a pair of thick glasses which made his pale eyes look immense For some reason David took an instant dislike to him, but he shook hands politely and said, ”How do you do?”