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. "What?"
"Pretty rocks," the second reminded. "Highbulp come
see!"
"Rats," Gorge muttered. Those around him seemed so
excited - there were dozens of them now - that he set down
his codpiece bowl, picked up his candle, and went to see
what they had found. A parade of small figures carrying
candles headed for the rear of the cavern - the guides
leading, Gorge following them, and a horde of others
following him. Most of them - latecomers on the scene -
didn't know where they were going or why, but they
followed anyway. Far back in the cavern, a crack in the rock
led into an eroded tunnel, which wound away, curving
upward.
As he entered the crack, Gorge belched mightily. "Too
much turnips in stew," he muttered.
By ones and threes and fives, the gully dwarves entered
and disappeared from the sight of those remaining.
The Lady Drule and several other ladies were just
coming back from a side chamber, where they had been
preparing sleeping quarters. At sight of the last candles
disappearing into the tunnel, Drule asked, "Now what goin'
on? Where Highbulp?"
Hunch was inspecting the stew. He looked up and
shrugged. "Somebody find somethin'. Highbulp go see." He
tasted the stew. "Good," he said. He tasted again, then
turned away, philosophically. "Life like stew," he said.
"Fulla rats an' turnips."
The Lady Drule glanced after him, mildly bewildered,
then glanced around the cavern. Only a few of the males
were there, some asleep, some more interested in eating
than in following the Highbulp around, and two or three
who had started on the trek into the tunnel, then lost interest
and turned back
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