Since sitting down he had felt curiously warm. Smee, he said, this
seat is hot. He jumped up. Odds bobs, hammer and tongs I m burning.
They examined the mushroom, which was of a size and solidity unknown on
the mainland; they tried to pull it up, and it came away at once in
their hands, for it had no root. Stranger still, smoke began at once to
ascend. The pirates looked at each other. A chimney! they both
exclaimed.
They had indeed discovered the chimney of the home under the ground. It
was the custom of the boys to stop it with a mushroom when enemies were
in the neighbourhood.
Not only smoke came out of it. There came also children s voices, for
so safe did the boys feel in their hiding-place that they were gaily
chattering. The pirates listened grimly, and then replaced the
mushroom. They looked around them and noted the holes in the seven
trees.
Did you hear them say Peter Pan s from home? Smee whispered,
fidgeting with Johnny Corkscrew.
Hook nodded. He stood for a long time lost in thought, and at last a
curdling smile lit up his swarthy face. Smee had been waiting for it.
Unrip your plan, captain, he cried eagerly.
To return to the ship, Hook replied slowly through his teeth, and
cook a large rich cake of a jolly thickness with green sugar on it.
There can be but one room below, for there is but one chimney. The
silly moles had not the sense to see that they did not need a door
apiece. That shows they have no mother. We will leave the cake on the
shore of the Mermaids Lagoon. These boys are always swimming about
there, playing with the mermaids. They will find the cake and they will
gobble it up, because, having no mother, they don t know how dangerous
tis to eat rich damp cake. He burst into laughter, not hollow
laughter now, but honest laughter. Aha, they will die.
Smee had listened with growing admiration.
It s the wickedest, prettiest policy ever I heard of! he cried, and
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