Page:On a pincushion.djvu/201

“Here we are!” said the little man, as they passed from the darkness into the light through a kind of archway. Then he quietly shook Jack from his shoulders on to the ground, and sat down to rest beside him. When he had a little recovered from his giddiness and fright, Jack raised himself, and looked about him. It was quite as strange as the fire had seemed to him. There were. great hills, and they were of every shade of red and orange, some pale, some bright, and on the hill-sides were lakes of fire. The sky was one mass of flame, and many of the hills" smoked.

“Well, what do you think of it?” asked the fire-fairy.

“It’s certainly very odd,” said Jack, fearful of saying what he really thought, lest he might be thought rude. “ But where do you live? I don’t see any houses.”

“The towns are farther. If you want to see them, you must get on my shoulders again,” said Jack’s friend, taking him again on his back as he spoke.

On they went again, passing over the ground so quickly that Jack could not see half enough