the party from the castle mount as they set forth, Lady Philippa on her
black Arabian jennet, Eleanor and Roger on their forest ponies.

The children had had their own discussion about that wall the day before,
and returned to it as they rode along the trail that led to Mother Izan's
cottage. It was a longer way than it seemed from the height, for a marsh
full of tall reeds almost encircled the hill on which the Fairies' Well
was, and the trail kept to the high moorland above.

"I do wonder what is the matter with the wall," mused Eleanor. "Do you
suppose it can be bewitched, Roger?"

"Maybe," Roger admitted. "But if Mother Izan can't keep her cow out of the
bog I don't see how she could pull down a stone wall. It's like the story
of Dinas Emrys father told me," he added with relish. "King Vortigern was
building a castle on Snowdon, and every night whatever they had built in
the daytime fell down. After awhile they sent for old Merlin to see what
the matter was. And it was two great serpents in a pool away down under
the foundation. One was white and one was red, and they fought all the
time. First the white one had the best of it, but the red one beat him at
last, and chased him out of the pool. Merlin told them that the red
serpent meant the British and the white serpent the Saxons, and the
British would drive the Saxons out. But they haven't done it yet."

This was deliciously horrible. "You don't suppose there are snakes under
our castle, do you, Roger?"

"Of course not," said Roger, pulling in his lively pony. "That was nothing
but a tale. I wish I could bore a hole into the cliff, and see."