16. The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag
WhenthesixmonkeysweretransformedbyKikiAruintosixgiantsoldiersfiftyfeettall,theirheadscameabovethetopofthetrees,whichinthispartoftheforestwerenotsohighasinsomeotherparts;and,althoughthetreesweresomewhatscattered,thebodiesofthegiantsoldiersweresobigthattheyquitefilledthespacesinwhichtheystoodandthebranchespressedthemoneveryside.
Ofcourse,Kikiwasfoolishtohavemadehissoldierssobig,fornowtheycouldnotgetoutoftheforest.Indeed,theycouldnotstirastep,butwereimprisonedbythetrees.Evenhadtheybeeninthelittleclearingtheycouldnothavemadetheirwayoutofit,buttheywerealittlebeyondtheclearing.Atfirst,theothermonkeyswhohadnotbeenenchantedwereafraidofthesoldiers,andhastilyquittedtheplace;butsoonfindingthatthegreatmenstoodstockstill,althoughgruntingindignantlyattheirtransformation,thebandofmonkeysreturnedtothespotandlookedatthemcuriously,notguessingthattheywerereallymonkeysandtheirownfriends.
Thesoldierscouldn’tseethem,theirheadsbeingabovethetrees;theycouldnotevenraisetheirarmsordrawtheirsharpswords,socloselyweretheyheldbytheleafybranches.Sothemonkeys,findingthegiantshelpless,beganclimbinguptheirbodies,andpresentlyallthebandwereperchedontheshouldersofthegiantsandpeeringintotheirfaces.
"I’mEbu,yourfather,"criedonesoldiertoamonkeywhohadpercheduponhisleftear,"butsomecruelpersonhasenchantedme."
"I’myourUnclePeeker,"saidanothersoldiertoanothermonkey.