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‘Those are the ones you should try your best to avoid,’ Dahlaine cautioned ‘Eight legs erous than snakes’

‘I thought snakes were about as bad as it’s likely to get,’ Rabbit said

Dahlaine shook his head ‘Snake-venom kills - usually very quickly Spider-venom paralyzes its prey Most spiders spin webs that capture the prey Then the spider bites the captive to keep it in one place until the spider’s ready to eat again It’s not uncoled in the aiting to be eaten’

‘That’s terrible!’ Rabbit exclaiets worse,’ Dahlaine replied ‘A spider doesn’t have jaws – or teeth - so it can’t chew its food A significant part of its venoestive fluid that liquefies the internal organs and flesh of any creature it attacks Then the spider’s able to suck that liquid out of whatever - or whoever - it’s having for supper All that’s left when the spider finishes is skin and bones’

‘We’d better cobow said

‘Fire, ht be the best answer,’ Dahlaine agreed

‘Is there any part of a spider’s body that’s not protected by the outer shell?’ Longbow asked

Dahlaine thought about it ‘The eyes, possibly’ Then he sbow’

‘Oh?’

‘A spider has eight eyes, you know’

‘No,’ Longbow replied, ‘I didn’t know that There ht be a few possibilities there, then Maybe this isn’t quite as hopeless as we first thought it was’

3

Longbow hadn’t slept much in the past few days and he was bone-tired He went sorassy basin and bedded down in the forest to the west of the geyser Dahlaine’s suggestion that the turtle-shelled spiders bow’s sense of helplessness, and he fell into a deep sleep almost before he’d laid his head down

It was ly fao away’

He sat up quickly and looked around, but there was nobody there He was al voice, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on just whose voice it was

He lay down again and went back to sleep alo away Put not thyself in needless danger Stand aside, brave Longbow, stand aside’