Algernon Blackwood

“ Tompkyns had not gone out. It sat licking itself in front of the fireplace, one leg stuck in the air like a ship’s mast. Apparently it was interested in nothing except cleaning itself. But the lizard knew better.
“And that’s you!” added Snitch, keeping its keen eyes fixed on the great yellow Mrs. Tompkyns. “I see you! And⁠—you see me!”
“You can’t fool a hawk or a cat,” it went on, talking to Sambo in its slate-pencil little squeak. “They see everything. Dogs are slower, and you human beings slowest of all. But hawks and cats⁠—” it gave a shiver, “are almost as sharp as we are. ”

“ The boy knelt down and put his ear to the earth, while Snitch wriggled round on to his back as he did so. “Listen hard and keep still as a mouse. You must hardly breathe.”
After listening intently for several minutes, Sambo caught a queer faint murmur in the earth, but below the surface. It was a soft, grating sound, rather as if he rubbed sand between finger and thumb close to his ear.
“Earth worms,” Snitch told him. “Hundreds of them. They pass the soft earth through the whole length of their bodies. You see the casts on the lawn in the morning usually. A bird can hear that noise. ”

“ It seemed all they could think of to say in this amazing moment, as the cow, carrying a child perched on the tip of each horn, went walking beneath the stars across the field.
“I’ll guide her to the gate,” piped the lizard, and then did a wonderful and clever thing. She slid down the horn, scuttled over the head between the twitching ears, slipped along the wet nose and muzzle, and by tickling the cow’s mouth first on one side and then on the other, she persuaded the animal to turn right or left as she wanted. ”

“ Snitch answered at once, to Sambo’s great surprise and happiness. He had expected a row. “You’re a female. All females have sharp tongues. I’m one myself.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Snitch,” whispered Topsy, “and I won’t do it again.”
Snitch laughed. “Perhaps not,” she snapped. “But you’ll do something worse. Anyhow, forgiven and forgotten. So let’s get on. The Lights are burning again. We’ll move fast.”
“Thank you for saving our lives,” put in Sambo quickly. “You did save them, you know. It was wonderful.”
“Oh, that’s nothing,” said the lizard. “I can always fool a cat.” ”

“ The Rule is, When Lights are on, move fast; when Lights are out, keep still. Got it? Better say it after me to make sure.”
The children repeated the Safety Rule together: “When Lights are on, move fast. When Lights are out, keep still.”
“That’s right,” whispered Snitch approvingly. “I’ll go first now, and you follow. Join me on the lawn. The Lights will go down with you.”
There was a flicker of the great tail, a chuckling laugh, a swift rattling scuttle of four marvellous feet⁠—and it was gone into empty space.
Sambo and Topsy peered over the edge into the gulf of darkness. ”

“ And Sambo felt the same. He saw no reason why he shouldn’t be small like his companions. Everything in the world was either small or big compared with something else. He was big compared to an ant anyhow, occurred to him.
“Oh, I’m all right,” he replied. “Bigger than a beetle anyhow. I feel all darty. I could flash away like lightning⁠—if only I could see.”
“I only hope I shan’t roll,” said Topsy. “I’m awfully round⁠—rather hedge-hoggy⁠—”
A shrill noise stopped her. It was Snitch screaming.
“Hush!” cried the lizard. “You mustn’t use that word. Hedgehogs and snakes eat us⁠—sometimes. ”

“ It was the warning sneeze.
“Snitch! Snitch!” came the sharp danger signal. “An owl! We’ve been seen!”
XI Sambo, balanced precariously on his narrow tip, had a sort of convulsion. His first instinct, to protect Topsy, was useless, because he couldn’t reach her. His second instinct, to protect himself, was also useless, because he didn’t know what to do. He remembered the rule and kept still. It was the only possible thing to do, anyhow. Perhaps he wouldn’t be noticed. He clung as tight and still as ivy to the horn⁠—while the swooping owl shot past him through the air. ”

“ The children followed more slowly, Sambo first, pulling his fat sister after him with his left hand. His right hand clutched the long hair of the great flank.
They mounted slowly; it was a laborious business; the body lay soft and warm beneath their feet. Higher and higher they rose towards the stars, and steeper and steeper grew the slope.
“Tread lightly,” came the lizard’s warning from above, “and if you feel the body move, catch hold of the hair and stop dead. The tail may come flicking round. You never know! She may think flies are tickling her in her dream.” ”

“ XIII Sambo had now learned a lesson the lizard perhaps had intended him to learn. He realised that Topsy didn’t need Adventures as he needed them. That was why she had forgotten all about the Night Out, even if she had ever taken part in it at all. Their natures were different. He also realised, after the talk with his father, that if he talked too much, he would have to grow up into a Naturalist, whereas what he meant to grow up into was an engineer⁠—a man who drove tremendous engines, built bridges, and dammed up great torrents. ”

“ Snitch said, in a forgiving voice. “Now, we’ll begin with the Night Garden.”
“The Night Garden!” exclaimed Sambo. “Do you mean the Garden at Night?”
“It’s easier to read,” explained the lizard. “There’s more going on. You’re all out of the way, for one thing!”
“Oh!” gasped Sambo, beginning to understand.
“You,” went on the lizard rather contemptuously, “think everything goes to sleep when you do and because you do. You think only owls and bats are awake at night.” She twitched her head and gave a little laugh. “Now, be ready tonight when Topsy’s asleep. I’ll come for you.” ”

“ How Topsy managed it was a mystery, but while Sambo pushed and heaved her from below, the fat little body somehow found a footing on the smooth horn and swarmed slowly up it, and a few minutes later her gurgling laughter was heard high up in the air.
“I’m up!” she cried, waving an arm. “On the very top. Hurry up, Sambo! You give me half a horn’s start, remember, for the race!”
It was now Sambo’s turn. But Snitch did not come down to help him. She stayed by Topsy. “You’ll do it easily,” she piped. “You’re a man.” ”

“ She stopped for breath and Sambo stared at her. A queer feeling came over him. Was his sister joking, or had she really forgotten?
“Topsy,” he asked solemnly, “don’t you remember a lizard and a cow and an owl and a tremendous cat and a lot of glowworms flying about to light us⁠—?”
“Glowworms don’t fly,” exclaimed Nannie, bursting into the room, “they crawl on the ground, for one thing. And, for another, you’d better finish your breakfast instead of talking nonsense. I spoke to you once.”
It was quite clear that Topsy remembered nothing of the adventure, nothing at all. ”

“ The lizard stopped singing. “I wish you wouldn’t interrupt,” it spat at him. “I can get flies myself when I want them. I want one now. That’s why I sing. I always sing when I’m hungry and on the hunt. When you’re hungry, you cry. That’s the difference between us.”
It began its monotonous song again, swaying to and fro rather more violently now. The sight fascinated Sambo. He stared and stared. At the same time he noticed that the big fly had stopped buzzing on the glass.
How many times Snitch sang that verse over and over again, Sambo could not say. ”

“ Sambo instantly stooped down to tie his bootlace, while Nannie and Topsy walked on ahead.
“Dear Snitch,” he began at once, “I want to ask you something very important, please.”
“Unimportant things, anyhow, aren’t worth asking,” mentioned the lizard. “Quick, now, for I want my dinner.”
“Did Topsy come with us last night?” asked the boy.
Snitch laughed. “If she did,” came the answer, “she’d never stop talking about it. She’d tell everybody in the house. Females always divulge, as I’ve already warned you.”
“Oh!” cried Sambo, “then you’ve made her forget it on purpose!” ”

“ The cat’s gigantic body didn’t frighten her.
“It’s old Mrs. Tompkyns,” she whispered with a gurgling little laugh. “Let’s get on her back, Sambo! We’ll climb up by the tail⁠—”
She never finished her sentence. What happened, happened so quickly, and with such appalling noise, that Sambo hardly knew what it was. Afterwards he knew, but at the moment it just seemed as if the house had fallen, or the great cedars had come crashing down about them. One thing he heard clearly, but only one⁠—the voice of the lizard. Its shrill squeak penetrated in that instant above all else:
“Run for your lives! ”

“ The lizard did not answer for a moment. She was thinking, evidently. “Between the flicking ears and up the horns would be the most interesting,” she said presently. “They’re slippery, and you could slide down them like banisters. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Sambo felt his sister’s hand tighten on his own. He remembered that he was a man. “Are they easy to get up?” he asked in a faint little voice.
“Not very,” answered Snitch, “but I’ll help you. Sliding down is the real difficulty. If you slide the wrong side you may land on the nose and mouth and the cow might snort. ”

“ There’s just as much noise coming from our right, too, only we can’t hear it because the wind’s the other way. The things on our right can hear and smell us, but all those we hear to our left, though they know someone’s about, don’t know exactly what or where.”
“Smell?” asked Sambo, sniffing hard. “Why, I can’t smell anything at all.”
“I’ll tell you about smell later,” replied Snitch. “For the moment let’s deal with hearing. That rustling you hear is made up of a good many things, all moving stealthily. Several field-mice are flitting in and out of the grass, hunting for food ”

“ X Climb up a sleeping cow! What an adventure!
The lizard’s body made a trail through the thick grass, but in spite of this the children had difficulty in keeping up. Topsy was puffing and grunting, while Sambo, holding her hand, dragged her along behind him. Great drops of dew splashed their faces. The grass was stiff. They stumbled and tripped as they went. Beetles and insects watched them pass but did not interfere. There was only the starry sky to light them, for Snitch had dismissed the glowworms for safety’s sake.
As they drew nearer, the body of the cow grew bigger. ”

“ And the lizard, raising itself on its front paws, which seemed gigantic now, suddenly sneezed.
“Snitch!” it went. And instantly all the Lights went out. It was so dark that the children couldn’t see each other. Topsy and Sambo held hands very tightly, waiting. Then the lizard repeated the sneeze, doing it twice this time, very rapidly: “Snitch! Snitch!” it went. And instantly the Lights came on again.
“There!” said their guide, “now you see! Only remember that when the Lights go out you must keep still⁠—absolutely still. You mustn’t move a muscle till they come on again. ”

“ No one ever saw it but Sambo.
“That’s the way to hide,” it explained. “Keep quite still and no one notices you. Choose a background of the same colour as your clothes and you’re very hard to see⁠—almost invisible.”
“But I’m rather big for that,” the boy objected.
“All human beings are too big,” grumbled the lizard. “If you were the same size as us you’d be much happier. ”

“ Snitch continued more calmly, “is something harmless. A squirrel perched high on a branch above our heads is eating its nuts. It dropped that bit just to let us know it’s seen us. Friendly little things, squirrels, but rather conceited about their sparkling eyes and bushy tails.” Snitch gave a subdued yet shrill squeak, and the squirrel answered with a similar noise. More things dropped.
The lizard gave a sudden start. “That’s a warning,” she whispered. “Something’s moving towards us from the side we can’t hear⁠—the right. Let’s get into the field a bit. It’s safer.” ”

“ No human can keep quite still for more than a few seconds: you flick your eyelids, bite your lips, twitch your fingers, wiggle your toes, wrinkle your nose, twist your neck, and breathe so heavily that your ribs heave up and down like a storm at sea. ”

“ She changed from one interest to another very quickly always.
“I say, Nannie,” the boy asked a few minutes later when he was alone with her, “is that really true about glowworms?”
“That they can’t fly?” replied Nannie. “Of course it is. I read all about them in a book. They’re beetles. The female gives the light and it crawls on the ground. Now, run and get your boots on.” She said a lot of other things about going for a walk, what he was to wear, and where they were going, but Sambo heard none of it. He was more puzzled than ever. Had the whole Adventure been a dream then, he wondered? ”

“ The cow at last was fully up. She stood motionless.
“Hold tight!” piped Snitch. “She’s going to shake her head, I think. They usually do when they’re up.”
And this cow did. Sambo shut his eyes. Why he wasn’t shaken off into the stars he never knew. It was an appalling shake. The whole earth seemed to shake. Every bone in his body rattled. His head nearly fell off. He bit his tongue. His teeth clicked. But, at last, the shaking grew less and stopped⁠—and the cow began to walk across the field.
Sambo found his breath and opened his eyes. “Are you all right, Topsy?” he called out. ”

“ And Sambo saw a pointed muzzle pushed suddenly into view over the edge of the white page. Two bright eyes winked at him. Snitch lay along the binding of the book, her colour merging with the colour of the binding so that she was practically invisible. Unless she moved, it was impossible to see her. Her outline was lost against the dark background.
“Another thing you can’t do as we do it,” she went on to explain, darting back upon the white page again, “is⁠—keep absolutely still. Boys⁠—grownups too for that matter⁠—make unnecessary movements all the time. ”

“ Again Snitch kept silent for several minutes. “This time,” she said in a still lower voice, “I’m going to sleep for about six months, I’m afraid.”
Sambo caught his breath. “Six months!” he exclaimed. He thought at first his friend was teasing him. “Why, you’d die if you did that.” And he laughed a little. But his laughter stopped as he heard the lizard’s next words: “Oh, no,” she explained, “I shan’t die. Every autumn, when the insects get scarce, and the sun grows cold, we lizards just crawl into a shelter and go to sleep. We sleep till our food comes back and the days are warm again. ”