Chapter Eight

"My great-grandfather's not coming," Jennifer told Jamie when they met the next morning. "We'll have to go looking for the new-moon stones by ourselves."

"Oh " said Jamie. "Did he tell you how to get there?"

No, but he gave me this," said Jennifer. She showed Jamie the pendulum and demonstrated how it worked. Jamie liked it a lot. He was quite enthusiastic.

"Hey, that's all right!" he told her. "It's almost like it can speak or something."

"Hello down there!" called a voice. Jennifer looked up.

"Hello! Great-grandfather, is that you?"

"It certainly better be! If I'm somebody else then I'm definitely in trouble," said Moffat and he poked his head out through the attic window. "All ready to go?"

"All ready," said Jamie.

"I wish you were going too," Jennifer called up.

"So do I," said Moffat sadly. "It's no fun being left behind. But I guess I'll have to wait until next time...

"Maybe we should wait too," said Jennifer.

"Maybe you'd better get going instead. Here, I packed a picnic lunch in case you got hungry," said Moffat and he lowered a small pack down on the end of a rope.

Jennifer consulted the pendulum, letting it dangle on the end of its string while she pointed into the ravine. "Is that the way to go?" she asked. The pendulum nodded yes, so they set off.

"Good hunting!" called down Moffat as they left.

The way led down the side of a steep cliff. Normally it would have been very hard going, but the pendulum seemed to know the best way to go and they climbed down without much difficulty. At the base of the cliff they found a path. The pendulum nodded yes so they followed it. Everything seemed to be going just fine. But then, just as the path turned towards a small stream, the pendulum swung suddenly over to no. Jennifer stopped.

"Shouldn't we keep on the path?" she asked.

The pendulum shook itself no so Jennifer pointed off to the side. The pendulum nodded yes immediately. It was hard to see why. The path led straight to a board that spanned the stream just ahead. If they went the way the pendulum said they'd have to cross a small swamp.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Jennifer asked the pendulum.

It was. It nodded yes, so Jennifer and Jamie headed off into the swamp. As it turned out it wasn't as bad as it looked. There were plenty of rocks and they managed to cross the stream without getting wet. When they reached the other side they found the path again.

"I still don't see why we couldn't have crossed over on the board," said Jamie. "It would've worked just as well."

"Shh!" said Jennifer suddenly. "I hear something!"