Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson Read Free Book Online

me. I listened for a bit, and then I began to wonder if hearing so many bad words was doing me any good. So I started rolling the melon (which was very big and heavy) along the path in front of me, whistling so that I shouldn't hear what the old man was saying. Then he shouted that the police would come after me, so I made a scornful noise to show that I wasn't afraid of the police at all.'
    'How could you dare?' whispered Sniff in deep admiration.
    'I really can't think,' said Snufkin. 'But now you must listen - that ugly old man was the police! And after dashing into his house to get into his uniform, he began to follow me. I ran and ran and the melon rolled and rolled, until in the end we were going so fast that I didn't know which was the melon and which was me.'
    'And that was how you landed in prison I suppose?' said Moomintroll. 'I suppose it was there you met those creatures - Snorks didn't you call them?'
    'Don't interrupt!' said Snufkin. 'I was just going to tell you how cold and horrible it was in my cell, what with the spiders and rats. I met the Snorks outside, after I had escaped one moonless night.'

    'Did you climb out of the window with a rope made from your sheets?' asked Sniff.
    'No, I dug myself out with a tin-opener,' said Snufkin. 'Twice I came up too soon, once just behind the guard and another time just inside the prison walls. But I went down and started digging again, and the third time I came up in a field. It was turnips and not melons this time, I'm sorry to say. The Snork and his sister were fishing for minnows with their tails in a nearby stream.'
    'I should never think of fishing with my tail,' said Moomintroll. 'One should have respect for one's tail. What did you do then?'
    'Oh, we celebrated my escape with minnows and cowslip wine for many hours,' answered Snufkin. 'And how beautiful the pale green Snork maiden was! She had sparkling blue eyes and was covered with beautiful soft fluff. She could weave mats of grass, and brew soothing herb drinks if you had tummy-ache. She always wore a flower behind her ear, and round her ankle she had a little gold ring.'
    'Pah! Women!' scoffed Moomintroll. 'That was a rotten story. Didn't anything exciting happen?'
    'Wasn't my escape from prison exciting enough?' said Snufkin, and went on playing his mouth-organ.
    Moomintroll sniffed once more and then crept into his sleeping-bag and turned his nose to the wall.
    But that night he dreamt about a little Snork maiden who looked like him, and he had given her a rose to put behind her ear.
    In the morning he sat up muttering 'how silly' to himself.
    The others had already begun to take down the tent, and Snufkin declared that they would reach the highest peak that day.
    'But how do you know that the Observatory is on that peak especially?' asked Sniff, craning his neck to see the top, but without success as it was hidden in the clouds.
    'Well,' answered Snufkin, 'you only have to look at the ground just here. It's covered with cigarette ends which have obviously been thrown out of the windows by those absent-minded scientists up there.'
    'Oh, I see,' said Sniff, looking a bit crestfallen, and wishing he'd noticed the cigarette ends himself.
    They began to trudge up a little twisting path, tied to each other by a rope to be on the safe side.
    'Don't forget I warned you,' shouted Sniff, who was last.' Don't blame me if something dreadful happens to us.' Higher and higher, steeper and steeper.
    'Phew!' said Moomintroll mopping his brow. 'Mamma said it was cold here. Thank goodness the crocodiles ate up those woolly trousers!'
    They stopped and looked down into the valley, feeling very small and lonely amongst the vast empty hills. The only living thing to be seen was an eagle circling far above them on outspread wings.
    'What an enormous bird!' exclaimed Sniff. 'I feel quite sorry for him all alone in this place.'

    'I expect there are a Mrs Eagle somewhere, and probably some baby eaglets too,' said Snufkin.
    The