Undergardeners Read Online Free Page B

his might. Frantically, the others tried to stop him, Digger spluttering like a balloon from which the air was rapidly escaping.
    â€œBy my feet and inches,” breathed Chuck.
    â€œNow you’ve…
    â€¦gone and…
    â€¦done it!” squeaked Snick and Snock.
    A distant wind approached, gathering force as it came. All along the tunnel walls, shutters and doors clattered as they opened and closed with the force of it. The dust began to swirl at their feet. Mouse stammered, “Wh…wh…what’s going on? What have I done now?” He turned to Alkus in consternation, only to see a huge grin on her face.
    â€œNever mind, lad,” she laughed. “We can soon fix it.”
    â€œYou’ve turned on the extractor fans, that’s what you’ve done,” shouted Qwolsh above the clamor.
    â€œFull blast too,” roared Alkus through her grin. With one hand she grabbed hold of Snick and with the other she caught Snock before the force of the gale blew the tiny deer mice down the tunnel. Supported by the wind, they now floated at the ends of Alkus’s outstretched arms. Snock (or was it Snick?) had grabbed the picnic basket and Snick (or Snock) was clinging to the tablecloth, which quivered and snapped like a flag in a gale. The white gloves they had placed in the basket suddenly seemed to come alive. Stretching to attention, they leaped out and disappeared down the tunnel, tumbling under and over, flapping and slapping at each other in a mad glove dance. Above the screech of the wind, Mouse became aware of a humming sound. It was his companions humming for all they were worth. Gradually the noise diminished and the wind died away as they succeeded in bringing the hurricane under control.

    â€œWheeee!” squealed Snick and Snock as they floated back to the ground.
    â€œThat was…
    â€¦wonder…
    â€¦ful.”
    Mouse was horrified at what he had done. His mouth hung wide open and he was being very careful that no sound whatsoever came from it. Not so the mice, who were dancing around him, holding an end apiece of the tablecloth and chanting, “Do it…
    â€¦again, Mouse…
    â€¦do it…
    â€¦again.”
    â€œNo! No! No! Do no such thing,” growled Digger, who was scrambling about on all fours after his many pairs of spectacles
    Chuck slowly raised his head from the earth floor where he had been holding on to a tree root with his teeth. Opening his eyes, he shook his head from side to side, saying to no one in particular, “Wow! What a…pthoo!…” He spat out some root, “…wind. Strongest we’ve ever had.” He started making notes in a small, battered-looking notebook from his tool bag. “The sum of the roots…pthoo!…” He spat out some more root. “…No! I mean the velocity. The sum of the velocity multiplied by the centrifugal force added to the direction of airflow minus two feet equals…equals…” Clearing his throat importantly, he stroked his chin. Finally he snapped the notebook shut. “Well, well,” he said weightily, “that was some wind.” He looked down modestly as everyone murmured respectfully.
    Digger, putting away the last of his many pairs of spectacles, said, “Very impressive, very impressive.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” said Mouse, who liked things to be logical. “Minus two feet? Feet don’t have anything to do with it.”
    â€œOf course they don’t, that’s why I’m subtracting them.” The groundhog looked condescendingly at Mouse.
    â€œYes, but…” started Mouse.
    â€œThank you, Chuck,” said Alkus. “You have explained it very well indeed. I had no idea it had such force.” She tugged on Mouse’s sleeve, gestured for him to bend down and whispered, “Don’t make him angry. We have enough anger to deal with at the moment.”
    Mouse could see what she