Finn Family Moomintroll (7 page)

In a couple of seconds the glade was empty. Snufkin felt them against his legs as they scattered into the wood, and they stung him rather like nettles.

The Hemulen slid down on to the grass completely exhausted.

'Oh!' he moaned. 'There has never been anything but trouble and danger since I came into the Moomin family.'

'Do calm yourself, Hemul,' said Snufkin. 'After all you've been pretty lucky.'

'Wretched Hatti-creatures,' grumbled the Hemulen. 'I shall take their barometer with me anyhow, to punish them.'

'Better let it be,' warned Snufkin.

But the Hemulen unhooked the big, shiny barometer from the pole and stuck it triumphantly under his arm.

'Now we'll go back to the others,' he said. 'I'm awfully hungry.'

When they arrived all the others were eating pancakes, and tunnyfish which Moominpappa had caught in the sea.

'Hi!' cried Moomintroll. 'We've been round the whole island, and on the farther side there is a dreadful wild cliff that goes right down into the sea.'

'And we've seen a mass of Hattifatteners!' Sniff told them. 'At least a hundred!'

'Don't mention those creatures again,' said the Hemulen with deep feeling. 'I can't stand it. But here, come and see my war trophy.' And he proudly put the barometer in the middle of the tablecloth.

'Oh! So bright and beautiful!' exclaimed the Snork Maiden. 'Is it a clock?'

'No, it's a barometer,' said Moominpappa. 'It tells you if the weather will be fine or stormy. Sometimes it's quite right.' And he tapped the barometer. Then he put his face into a serious crease and said: 'It
is
stormy!'

'A big storm?' asked Sniff anxiously.

'Look for yourself,' replied Moominpappa. 'The barometer points to "00" and that is the lowest a barometer can point to - if it isn't fooling us.'

But it certainly didn't look as if it were fooling. The golden mist had thickened to a yellow-grey fog, and out towards the horizon the sea was strangely black.

'We must go home!' said the Snork.

'Not yet!' begged the Snork Maiden. 'We haven't had time to explore the cliff on the other side properly! We haven't even bathed!'

'We can wait a little and see what happens, can't we?' said Moomintroll. 'It would be such a pity to go home just when we've discovered this island!'

'But if there's a storm we shan't be able to go at all!' said the Snork, brightly.

'That would be wonderful!' burst out Sniff. 'We could stay here for ever and ever.'

'Quiet children, I must think,' said Moominpappa. He went down to the beach and sniffed the air, turned his head in all directions and wrinkled his forehead.

There was a rumble in the distance.

'Thunder!' said Sniff. 'Ooh, how awful!'

Over the horizon loomed a threatening bank of cloud. It was dark blue and drove little light puffy clouds in front of it. Now and then a great flash of lightning lit up the sea.

'We stay' decided Moominpappa.

'The whole night?' squeaked Sniff.

'I think so,' Moominpappa replied. 'Hurry up now and build a house, as the rain will come soon.'

The Adventure
was dragged high up on to the sand, and on the edge of the wood they quickly made a house with the sail and some blankets. Moominmamma filled up the gaps with moss, and the Snork dug a ditch round it so that the rainwater would have somewhere to go. Everybody ran to and fro putting their things safely under cover, while the thunder rolled nearer and a little wind came sighing anxiously through the trees.

'I'll go and see what the weather's like out on the point,' said Snufkin, and, pulling his hat firmly down over his ears, he set off. Alone and happy he ran out to the farthermost point of rock and put his back against a large boulder.

The sea had changed. It was dark green now with white-horses, and the rocks shone yellow like phosphorus. Rumbling solemnly the thunderstorm came up from the south. It spread its black sail over the sea; it spread over half the sky and the lightning flashed with an ominous glint.

'It's coming right over the island,' thought Snufkin with a thrill of joy and excitement. He stood facing the storm as it advanced over the sea. And suddenly he saw a small black rider on something black, like a horse with short legs. Only for a moment were they visible against the creamy white crest of the cloud-bank, the rider's cloak billowed out like a wing, they rose higher... Then they were lost in a blinding network of lightning, the clouds obscured the sun and rain was driving like a grey curtain over the sea. I have seen the Hobgoblin! thought Snufkin. It must have been the Hobgoblin and his black panther! They really exist, they aren't just an old fairy-tale.

Snufkin turned, and skipped back over the stones. He just reached the tent in time, for heavy drops of rain were already hitting the sail-cloth and it was being whipped about in the wind. Sniff had rolled himself completely in a blanket as he was rather afraid of thunder, and the others sat hunched-up next to one another. The tent smelt strongly of the Hemulen's botanical specimens.

Now there was a terrific clap of thunder right over their heads and their little refuge was lit again and again by flashes of white light. The thunder rumbled round the sky like a great train while the sea hurled its biggest waves against Lonely Island.

'What a blessing we aren't on the sea,' said Moominmamma. 'Dear me, what weather!'

The Snork Maiden put her trembling paw in Moomintroll's, and he felt very protecting and manly.

Sniff lay under his blanket and screamed.

'Now it's right over us!' said Moominpappa. And at that moment a giant flash of lightning lit up the island, followed by a rending crash.

'That struck something!' said the Snork.

It was really a bit too much. The Hemulen sat holding his head. 'Trouble! Always trouble!' he muttered.

Now it began to move off to the south. The thunder claps got farther and farther away, the lightning became fainter, and at last there was only the rustle of the rain and the sound of the sea as it broke on the shore.

I won't tell them about the Hobgoblin yet, thought Snufkin. They are scared enough as it is.

'You can come out now, Sniff,' said Snufkin. 'It's all over.'

Sniff disentangled himself from the blanket, yawned and scratched his ear. He was a bit embarrassed because he had made such a fuss. 'What's the time?' he asked.

'Nearly eight,' answered the Snork.

'Then I think we'll go and lie down,' said Moominmamma. 'All this has been very disturbing.'

'But wouldn't it be exciting to find out what the lightning struck?' said Moomintroll.

'In the morning!' said his mother. 'In the morning we'll explore everything and have a bathe. Now the island is wet and grey and unpleasant.' She tucked them up and then went to sleep herself with her handbag under her pillow.

Outside the storm redoubled its fury. The voice of the waves was now mixed with strange sounds: laughter, running feet and the clanging of great bells far out to sea. Snufkin lay still and listened, dreaming and remembering his trip round the world. Soon I must set out again, he thought. But not yet.

Chapter four

In which owing to the Hattifatteners' night attack the Snork Maiden loses her hair, and in which the most remarkable discovery is made on Lonely Island.

IN the middle of the night the Snork Maiden woke up with an awful feeling. Something had touched her face. She didn't dare to look but sniffed uneasily around her. There was a smell of burning, so she pulled the blanket over her head and called tremulously to Moomintroll.

He woke up at once and asked her what was the matter.

'There's something dangerous in here,' came a muffled voice from under the blanket. 'I can
feel it.'

Moomintroll stared into the darkness. There
was
something! Little lights... Pale gleaming shapes that pattered to and fro between the sleepers. Moomintroll was terrified and woke Snufkin.

'Look!' he gasped. 'Ghosts!'

'It's all right,' said Snufkin. 'Those are Hattifatteners. The thundery weather has electrified them - that's why they shine so. Keep quite still, otherwise you might get an electric shock.'

The Hattifatteners seemed to be looking for something. They poked about in all the hampers, and the burning smell became stronger, and then suddenly they all collected in the corner where the Hemulen was sleeping.

'Do you think they're after him?' asked Moomintroll, anxiously.

'They're probably only looking for the barometer,' said Snufkin. 'I warned him not to take it. Now they've found it.'

The Hattifatteners were all clinging to the barometer and had clambered up on to the Hemulen so as to reach it better; the smell of burning was very strong now.

Sniff woke up and began to whimper, and at the same time there was a piercing scream. A Hattifattener had trodden on the Hemulen's nose.

In a moment everybody was awake and on their feet. Pandemonium broke loose. Hattifatteners were trodden on; Sniff got an electric shock; the Hemulen rushed about screaming with terror, and then entangled himself in the sail so that the whole tent collapsed on top of them. It was quite frightful.

Sniff maintained afterwards that it was at least an hour before they had found their way out of the sail. (Perhaps he exaggerated a bit.)

But by the time they had all sorted themselves out the Hattifatteners had disappeared into the wood with the barometer. And nobody had the least desire to follow them.

The Hemulen, moaning piteously, thrust his nose into the sand. 'This has gone too far!' he said. 'Why can't a poor innocent botanist live his life in peace and quiet?'

'Life is not peaceful,' said Snufkin, contentedly.

'Look children!' said Moominpappa, 'it has cleared up. Soon it'll begin to get light.'

Moominmamma shivered and clutched her handbag tight as she looked out over the stormy night sea. 'Shall we build a new house and try to sleep again?' she asked.

'That wouldn't be any use,' said Moomintroll. 'We'll wrap ourselves up in the blankets and wait till the sun gets up.'

So they sat in a row on the beach, very close to one another, and Sniff sat in the middle because he thought it was safest.

The night was nearly over now and the storm was far away, but the breakers still thundered in over the sand. The sky began to grow pale in the east and it

was very cold. Then, in the first light of dawn, they saw the Hattifatteners setting off from the island. Boatloads of them glided away like shadows from behind the point and steered out to sea.

The Hemulen breathed a sigh of relief. 'I hope I never see a Hattifattener again,' he said.

'They're probably looking for a new island for themselves,' said Snufkin, enviously. 'A secret island that nobody will ever find!' And he followed the little boats with longing eyes.

The Snork Maiden was sleeping with her head in Moomintroll's lap when the first golden streak showed on the eastern horizon. A few little puffs of cloud that the storm had forgotten turned a soft shell pink, and then the sun lifted his shining head over the sea.

Moomintroll bent down to wake the Snork Maiden up, and then he noticed a terrible thing. Her beautiful fluffy fringe was burnt right off. It must have happened when the Hattifatteners brushed against her. What would she say? How could he comfort her? It was a catastrophe!