13 Noises in the night
　　Jack¹ went down the stone stairways of the tower, whistling softly. Kiki whistled with him. If itwas a tune² she knew, she would whistle it all through with Jack.
　　They came into the old courtyard. There was no sign of the eagles. They were probably roostingnow. But, at Jack’s coming, there was a general scurrying³ all around the yard.
　　‘Rabbits!’ said Jack, in delight. ‘Golly, what hundreds of them! I suppose they all come out thistime of the evening. I’ll curl myself up in that sandy corner and watch them for a bit. Now, don’tyou frighten them, Kiki.’
　　He went over to the soft sand, taking with him the thick rugs and a packet of chocolate biscuits.
　　He curled himself up, and lay there, watching the rabbits creeping out of their holes again.
　　It was a lovely sight to see. There were big ones and little ones, dark ones and light ones andplayful ones. Some nibbled⁴ patches of wiry grass here and there. Others leapt about madly.
　　Jack lay there contentedly⁵ and nibbled his biscuits, enjoying the chocolate on them. He watchedthe rabbits in delight. Kiki watched them too, murmuring a few remarks into Jack’s ear now andagain.
　　‘I bet the eagles catch a good few of those rabbits,’ thought Jack, suddenly feeling sleepy. Hefinished his last biscuit, and pulled the rugs more closely around him. He felt a little chilly⁶ now.
　　The sand didn’t feel quite so soft as it had done before, either. Jack hoped he wasn’t going to beuncomfortable. Perhaps it would have been better to have chosen a patch of heather.
　　‘Well, I’m too sleepy to change my bed now,’ he thought. ‘Much too sleepy. Kiki, move up abit. Your claws are digging into my neck. You’d better get off me and perch⁷ somewhere else.’
　　But before Kiki could move, Jack was asleep. Kiki stayed where she was. The rabbits grewbolder and played nearer to the sleeping boy. A half-moon came out of the evening clouds andlighted up the dreaming courtyard.

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