It stood in a plain alone, and
shot right up, I don't know how many thousand feet, into the air, a long,
narrow, spearlike mountain. The whole face of it, from top to bottom, was
covered with a network of spiders' webs, with threads of various sizes,
from that of silk to that of whipcord. The webs shook, and quivered, and
waved in the sun, glittering like silver. All about ran huge, greedy
spiders, catching huge, silly flies, and devouring them.
"Here they sat down to consider what could be done. The spiders did not
heed them, but ate away at the flies. At the foot of the mountain, and all
round it, was a ring of water, not very broad, but very deep. Now, as they
sat watching, one of the spiders, whose web was woven across this water,
somehow or other lost his hold, and fell on his back. Tricksey-Wee and
Buffy-Bob ran to his assistance, and laying hold each of one of his legs,
succeeded, with the help of the other legs, which struggled spiderfully,
in getting him out upon dry land. As soon as he had shaken himself, and
dried himself a little, the spider turned to the children, saying,
"'And now, what can I do for you?'
"'Tell us, please,' said they, 'how we can get up the mountain to the
she-eagle's nest.
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