Now all this happened a very long time ago, when pigs had quite straight tails like most of the other animals, and suddenly, looking at his tail, the fairy had an idea. “I know, I know,” she said. “You shall have a curly tail. It will be an immense improvement, and _so_ uncommon.” The pig looked rather pleased. “Well, have your own way,” he said. “I can’t see my own tail, in any case, but I dare say it wouldn’t look bad.” So the fairy touched the pig’s tail with her wand, and it instantly curled up into nice little rings. Ever since that day pigs have had curly tails, and now you know how they came by this beautiful adornment. FIVE The Second Adventure of the Rainbow Cat The Rainbow Cat went on and on until at last he came to the country of the Tree-goblins. The Tree-goblins are happy people; they live in the trees like birds, though they can’t fly. They are indeed very friendly with the birds, and they understand the bird language, so that they are able to send one another messages without any need of the post--which is very convenient! When winter comes the goblins go and live in their caves underground. It is a great change after the trees, and they are always delighted when spring returns again. There are no animals in Tree-goblin-land, but the Rainbow Cat was an old friend here too, and was received as kindly as in Cloud-land. The Tree-goblins are rather funny little creatures; they like to keep themselves _to_ themselves, as the saying goes, and there are not even any fairies living in their country. But they are on very friendly terms with the fairy folk, and their principal occupation is making fairy clothes. These are the tiniest, finest little garments imaginable, and they are made of all sorts of pretty things. Spider thread, of course, and moonbeams, and softest silk from silk-worms, and flower-petals dipped in magic wells so that they cannot fade, and thistledown, and moss-velvet, and foam, and lichen--oh, there is no end to the things that are used to make clothes for the fairies. [Illustration] And when they are finished the birds carry them to the fairies and bring back orders. Sometimes, when it’s a very special occasion, the fairies come to be fitted or to choose the stuffs and the styles, but not often. They are easy to fit and easy to suit, and the birds do the ordering most satisfactorily. The Rainbow Cat liked being in Tree-goblin-land very much indeed. He lived in a beautiful copper-beech. When the morning sun shone through the leaves his little house was filled with a lovely rosy light which was most pleasing and becoming. Every morning a chorus of little birds sang songs to him for his delight, and every evening they lulled him to sleep with soft lullabies. They thought him a very grand and beautiful person, and so indeed he was. When he had been in Tree-goblin-land for two or three days the Chief of the Goblins came to see him one morning early. He was in great trouble.