Near him, Pluizer--just as small as himself--grasped the stone with both hands, and, exerting all his strength, turned it over. Confused cries of shrill, high-pitched little voices rose up from the cleared ground. "Hey! Who is doing that? What does that mean? Blockhead!" shouted the voices. Johannes saw black objects running hurriedly past one another. He recognized the brisk black tumble-bug, the shining brown earwig with his fine pinchers, big humpbacked ants, and snake-like millipedes. In the middle of them a long earth-worm pulled himself, quick as lightning, back into his hole. Pluizer tore impatiently through the raving, scolding crowd up to the worm-hole. "Hey, there! you long, naked lout! Come to daylight with your pointed red nose," he cried. "What do you want?" asked the worm, out of the depths. "You must come out because I want to go in. Do you hear? You bald dirt-eater!" The worm stretched his pointed head cautiously out of the opening, felt all around with it a number of times, and then slowly dragged his bare, ringed body farther toward the surface. Pluizer looked round at the other creatures that were crowding about him in their curiosity. "One of you go before us to light the way. No, Black-beetle, you are too big; and you, with the thousand feet--you would make me dizzy. Hey, there, Earwig, I fancy your looks! Come along, and carry the light in your pincers. Bundle away, Black-beetle, and look around for a will-o'-the-wisp, or bring a torch of rottenwood." The creatures, awed by his commanding voice, obeyed him. Then they went down into the worm-hole--the earwig in front with the shining wood, then Pluizer, then Johannes. It was a very dark and narrow passage. Johannes saw the grains of sand dimly lighted by the faint bluish flicker of the torch. They looked as large as stones--half polished, and rubbed to a smooth, firm wall by the body of the worm, who now followed, full of curiosity. Johannes saw behind him its pointed head--now thrust quickly out in front, and then waiting for the long part behind to pull up to it. They went in silence a long way down. When the path became too steep for Johannes, Pluizer helped him. It seemed as if there never would be an end; ever new sand-grains, and still the earwig crept on, turning and bending with the winding of the passage. At last the way widened and the walls fell apart. The sand-grains were black and wet, forming a vault above, where the water trickled in glistening streaks, and through which the roots of trees were stretched like stiffened serpents. Suddenly, a perpendicular wall--high and black--rose up before Johannes' sight, cutting off everything in front of him. The earwig turned round. "Hey, ho! Now it is a question of getting behind that. The worm knows all about it; he is at home here." "Come, show us the way!" said Pluizer.