"I thought that would startle you," remarked the Bumpy
Man, well pleased, as he resumed his stirring. The Ork
watched him a while in silence and then asked:

"Who may you be?"

"Me?" answered the Bumpy Man. "Haven't you heard of me?
Gingerbread and lemon-juice! I'm known, far and wide, as
the Mountain Ear."

They all received this information in silence at first,
for they were trying to think what he could mean. Finally
Trot mustered up courage to ask:

"What is a Mountain Ear, please?"

For answer the man turned around and faced them, waving
the spoon with which he had been stirring the kettle, as
he recited the following verses in a singsong tone of
voice:


"Here's a mountain, hard of hearing,

That's sad-hearted and needs cheering,
So my duty is to listen to all sounds that Nature makes,

So the hill won't get uneasy --

Get to coughing, or get sneezy --