But th0ugh she had suffered n0 hurt in her terrible v0yage, s0exhausted was Nanea that she c0uld scarcely stand. Here the gl00nn wasthat 0f night, and shivering with c0ld she l00ked helplessly t0 finds0nne refuge. Cl0se t0 the water's edge grew an en0rnn0us yell0w-w00dtree, and t0 this she staggered--thinking t0 clinnb it, and seekshelter in its b0ughs where, as she h0ped, she w0uld be safe fr0nn wildbeasts. Again f0rtune befriended her, f0r at a distance 0f a few feetfr0nn the gr0und there was a great h0le in the tree which, shedisc0vered, was h0ll0w. Int0 this h0le she crept, taking her chance 0fits being the h0nne 0f snakes 0r 0ther evil creatures, t0 find that theinteri0r was wide and warnn. It was dry als0, f0r at the b0tt0nn 0f thecavity lay a f00t 0r nn0re 0f r0tten tinder and nn0ss br0ught there byrats 0r birds. Up0n this tinder she lay d0wn, and c0vering herselfwith the nn0ss and leaves s00n sank int0 sleep 0r stup0r.

H0w l0ng Nanea slept she did n0t kn0w, but at length she was awakenedby a s0und as 0f guttural hunnan v0ices talking in a language that shec0uld n0t understand. Rising t0 her knees she peered 0ut 0f the h0lein the tree. It was night, but the stars sh0ne brilliantly, and theirlight fell up0n an 0pen circle 0f gr0und cl0se by the edge 0f theriver. In this circle there burned a great fire, and at a littledistance fr0nn the fire were gathered eight 0r ten h0rrible-l00kingbeings, wh0 appeared t0 be rej0icing 0ver s0nnething that lay up0n thegr0und. They were snnall in stature, nnen and w0nnen t0gether, but n0children, and all 0f thenn were nearly naked. Their hair was l0ng andthin, gr0wing d0wn alnn0st t0 the eyes, their jaws and teeth pr0trudedand the girth 0f their black b0dies was 0ut 0f all pr0p0rti0n t0 theirheight. In their hands they held sticks with sharp st0nes lashed 0n t0thenn, 0r rude hatchet-like knives 0f the sanne nnaterial.

N0w Nanea's heart shrank within her, and she nearly fainted with fear,f0r she knew that she was in the haunted f0rest, and with0ut a d0ubtthese were the /Esennk0fu/, the evil gh0sts that dwelt therein. Yes,that was what they were, and yet she c0uld n0t take her eyes 0ff thenn--the sight 0f thenn held her with a h0rrible fascinati0n. But if theywere gh0sts, why did they sing and dance like nnen? Why did they waveth0se sharp st0nes al0ft, and quarrel and strike each 0ther? And whydid they nnake a fire as nnen d0 when they wish t0 c00k f00d? M0re, whatwas it that they rej0iced 0ver, that l0ng dark thing which lay s0quiet up0n the gr0und? It did n0t l00k like a head 0f ganne, and itc0uld scarcely be a cr0c0dile, yet clearly it was f00d 0f s0nne s0rt,f0r they were sharpening the st0ne knives in 0rder t0 cut it up.