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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/4356-h.zip b/4356-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a732974 --- /dev/null +++ b/4356-h.zip diff --git a/4356-h/4356-h.htm b/4356-h/4356-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..07836cd --- /dev/null +++ b/4356-h/4356-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,10292 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<HTML> +<HEAD> + +<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> + +<TITLE> +The Project Gutenberg E-text of Sky Island, by L. Frank Baum +</TITLE> + +<STYLE TYPE="text/css"> +BODY { color: Black; + background: White; + margin-right: 10%; + margin-left: 10%; + font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; + text-align: justify } + +P {text-indent: 4% } + +P.noindent {text-indent: 0% } + +P.poem {text-indent: 0%; + margin-left: 10%; + font-size: small } + +P.letter {text-indent: 0%; + font-size: small ; + margin-left: 10% ; + margin-right: 10% } + +P.footnote {font-size: small ; + text-indent: 0% ; + margin-left: 0% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +P.transnote {font-size: small ; + text-indent: 0% ; + margin-left: 0% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +P.intro {font-size: medium ; + text-indent: -5% ; + margin-left: 5% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +P.finis { font-size: larger ; + text-align: center ; + text-indent: 0% ; + margin-left: 0% ; + margin-right: 0% } + +</STYLE> + +</HEAD> + +<BODY> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sky Island, by L. Frank Baum + +<table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto" cellpadding="4" border="3"> +<tr> +<td> +THIS EBOOK WAS ONE OF PROJECT GUTENBERG'S EARLY FILES, THERE IS +AN IMPROVED ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF THIS TITLE WHICH MAY VIEWED AT EBOOK <big><b><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39159/39159-h/39159-h.htm"> +[ #39159 ]</a></b></big> +</td> +</tr> +</table> + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Sky Island + Being the further exciting adventures of Trot and Cap'n + Bill after their visit to the sea fairies + +Author: L. Frank Baum + +Posting Date: August 1, 2009 [EBook #4356] +Release Date: August, 2003 +First Posted: January 14, 2002 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SKY ISLAND *** + + + + +Produced by Charles Aldarondo. HTML version by Al Haines. + + + + + +</pre> + + +<BR><BR> + +<H1 ALIGN="center"> +SKY ISLAND +</H1> + +<BR> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> + BEING THE FURTHER EXCITING ADVENTURES<BR> + OF TROT AND CAP'N BILL AFTER THEIR<BR> + VISIT TO THE SEA FAIRIES<BR> +</H3> + +<BR> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BY +</H3> + +<H2 ALIGN="center"> +L. FRANK BAUM +</H2> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +TO +<BR> +MY SISTER +<BR> +MARY LOUISE BREWSTER +</H3> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<H2 ALIGN="center"> +CONTENTS +</H2> + +<TABLE ALIGN="center" WIDTH="80%"> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">1. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap01">A MYSTERIOUS ARRIVAL</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">2. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap02">THE MAGIC UMBRELLA</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">3. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap03">A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">4. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap04">THE ISLAND IN THE SKY</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">5. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap05">THE BOOLOOROO OF THE BLUES</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">6. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap06">THE SIX SNUBNOSED PRINCESSES</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">7. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap07">GHIP-GHISIZZLE PROVES FRIENDLY</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">8. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap08">THE BLUE CITY</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">9. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap09">THE TRIBULATION OF TROT</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">10. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap10">THE KING'S TREASURE CHAMBER</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">11. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap11">BUTTON-BRIGHT ENCOUNTERS THE BLUE WOLF</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">12. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap12">THROUGH THE FOG BANK</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">13. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap13">THE PINK COUNTRY</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">14. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap14">TOURMALINE THE POVERTY QUEEN</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">15. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap15">THE SUNRISE TRIBE AND THE SUNSET TRIBE</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">16. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap16">ROSALIE THE WITCH</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">17. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap17">THE ARRIVAL OF POLYCHROME</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">18. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap18">MAYRE, QUEEN OF THE PINK COUNTRY</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">19. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap19">THE WAR OF THE PINKS AND BLUES</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">20. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap20">GHIP-GHISIZZLE HAS A BAD TIME</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">21. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap21">THE CAPTURE OF CAP'N BILL</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">22. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap22">TROT'S INVISIBLE ADVENTURE</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">23. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap23">THE GIRL AND THE BOOLOOROO</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">24. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap24">THE AMAZING CONQUEST OF THE BLUES</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">25. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap25">THE RULER OF SKY ISLAND</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">26. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap26">TROT CELEBRATES THE VICTORY</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">27. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap27">THE FATE OF THE MAGIC UMBRELLA</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">28. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap28">THE ELEPHANT'S HEAD COMES TO LIFE</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">29. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap29">TROT REGULATES THE PINKIES</A></TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">30. </TD> +<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> +<A HREF="#chap30">THE JOURNEY HOME</A></TD> +</TR> + +</TABLE> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +A LITTLE TALK TO MY READERS +</H3> + +<P> +WITH "The Sea Fairies," my book for 1911, I ventured into a new field +of fairy literature and to my delight the book was received with much +approval by my former readers, many of whom have written me that they +like Trot "almost as well as Dorothy." As Dorothy was an old, old +friend and Trot a new one, I think this is very high praise for Cap'n +Bill's little companion. Cap'n Bill is also a new character who seems +to have won approval, and so both Trot and the old sailor are again +introduced in the present story, which may be called the second of the +series of adventures of Trot and Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +But you will recognize some other acquaintances in "Sky Island." Here, +for instance, is Button-Bright, who once had an adventure with Dorothy +in Oz, and without Button-Bright and his Magic Umbrella you will see +that the story of "Sky Island" could never have been written. As +Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter, lives in the sky, it is natural +that Trot and Button-Bright meet her during their adventures there. +</P> + +<P> +This story of Sky Island has astonished me considerably, and I think it +will also astonish you. The sky country is certainly a remarkable fair +land, but after reading about it I am sure you will agree with me that +our old Mother Earth is a very good place to live upon and that Trot +and Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were fortunate to get back to it again. +</P> + +<P> +By the way, one of my little correspondents has suggested that I print +my address in this book, so that the children may know where letters +will reach me. I am doing this, as you see, and hope that many will +write to me and tell me how they like "Sky Island." My greatest +treasures are these letters from my readers and I am always delighted +to receive them. +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +L. FRANK BAUM. +<BR> +"OZCOT" at HOLLYWOOD in CALIFORNIA +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap01"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +A MYSTERIOUS ARRIVAL +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 1 +</H3> + +<P> +"Hello," said the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"Hello," answered Trot, looking up surprised. "Where did you come from?" +</P> + +<P> +"Philadelphia," said he. +</P> + +<P> +"Dear me," said Trot, "you're a long way from home, then." +</P> + +<P> +"'Bout as far as I can get, in this country," the boy replied, gazing +out over the water. "Isn't this the Pacific Ocean?" +</P> + +<P> +"Of course." +</P> + +<P> +"Why of course?" he asked. +</P> + +<P> +"Because it's the biggest lot of water in all the world." +</P> + +<P> +"How do you know?" +</P> + +<P> +"Cap'n Bill told me," she said. +</P> + +<P> +"Who's Cap'n Bill?" +</P> + +<P> +"An old sailorman who's a friend of mine. He lives at my house, +too—the white house you see over there on the bluff." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh; is that your home?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes," said Trot proudly. "Isn't it pretty?" +</P> + +<P> +"It's pretty small, seems to me," answered the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"But it's big enough for mother and me, an' for Cap'n Bill," said Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Haven't you any father?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, 'ndeed. Cap'n Griffith is my father, but he's gone most of the +time, sailin' on his ship. You mus' be a stranger in these parts, +little boy, not to know 'bout Cap'n Griffith," she added, looking at +her new acquaintance intently. +</P> + +<P> +Trot wasn't very big herself, but the boy was not quite as big as Trot. +He was thin, with a rather pale complexion, and his blue eyes were +round and earnest. He wore a blouse waist, a short jacket, and +knickerbockers. Under his arm he held an old umbrella that was as tall +as he was. Its covering had once been of thick, brown cloth, but the +color had faded to a dull drab except in the creases, and Trot thought +it looked very old-fashioned and common. The handle, though, was really +curious. It was of wood and carved to resemble an elephant's head. The +long trunk of the elephant was curved to make a crook for the handle. +The eyes of the beast were small red stones, and it had two tiny tusks +of ivory. +</P> + +<P> +The boy's dress was rich and expensive, even to his fine silk stockings +and tan shoes, but the umbrella looked old and disreputable. +</P> + +<P> +"It isn't the rainy season now," remarked Tot with a smile. +</P> + +<P> +The boy glanced at his umbrella and hugged it tighter. "No," he said, +"but umbrellas are good for other things 'sides rain." +</P> + +<P> +"'Fraid of gett'n sun-struck?" asked Trot. +</P> + +<P> +He shook his head, still gazing far out over the water. "I don't +b'lieve this is bigger than any other ocean," said he. "I can't see any +more of it than I can of the Atlantic." +</P> + +<P> +"You'd find out if you had to sail across it," she declared. +</P> + +<P> +"When I was in Chicago I saw Lake Michigan," he went on dreamily, "and +it looked just as big as this water does." +</P> + +<P> +"Looks don't count, with oceans," she asserted. "Your eyes can only see +jus' so far, whether you're lookin' at a pond or a great sea." +</P> + +<P> +"Then it doesn't make any difference how big an ocean is," he replied. +"What are those buildings over there?" pointing to the right, along the +shore of the bay. +</P> + +<P> +"That's the town," said Trot. "Most of the people earn their living by +fishing. The town is half a mile from here, an' my house is almost a +half-mile the other way, so it's 'bout a mile from my house to the +town." +</P> + +<P> +The boy sat down beside her on the flat rock. +</P> + +<P> +"Do you like girls?" asked Trot, making room for him. +</P> + +<P> +"Not very well," the boy replied. "Some of 'em are pretty good fellows, +but not many. The girls with brothers are bossy, an' the girls without +brothers haven't any 'go' to 'em. But the world's full o' both kinds, +and so I try to take 'em as they come. They can't help being girls, of +course. Do you like boys?" +</P> + +<P> +"When they don't put on airs or get roughhouse," replied Trot. "My +'sperience with boys is that they don't know much, but think they do." +</P> + +<P> +"That's true," he answered. "I don't like boys much better than I do +girls, but some are all right, and—you seem to be one of 'em." +</P> + +<P> +"Much obliged," laughed Trot. "You aren't so bad, either, an' if we +don't both turn out worse than we seem, we ought to be friends." +</P> + +<P> +He nodded rather absently and tossed a pebble into the water. "Been to +town?" he asked. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes. Mother wanted some yarn from the store. She's knittin' Cap'n Bill +a stocking." +</P> + +<P> +"Doesn't he wear but one?" +</P> + +<P> +"That's all. Cap'n Bill has one wooden leg," she explained. "That's why +he don't sailor any more. I'm glad of it, 'cause Cap'n Bill knows +ev'rything. I s'pose he knows more than anyone else in all the world." +</P> + +<P> +"Whew!" said the boy. "That's taking a good deal for granted. A +one-legged sailor can't know much." +</P> + +<P> +"Why not?" asked Trot a little indignantly. "Folks don't learn things +with their legs, do they?" +</P> + +<P> +"No, but they can't get around without legs to find out things." +</P> + +<P> +"Cap'n Bill got 'round lively 'nough once, when he had two meat legs," +she said. "He's sailed to most ev'ry country on the earth, an' found +out all that the people in 'em knew and a lot besides. He was +shipwrecked on a desert island once, and another time a cannibal king +tried to boil him for dinner, an' one day a shark chased him seven +leagues through the water, an'—" +</P> + +<P> +"What's a league?" asked the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"It's a—a distance, like a mile is. But a league isn't a mile, you +know." +</P> + +<P> +"What is it, then?" +</P> + +<P> +"You'll have to ask Cap'n Bill. He knows ever'thing." +</P> + +<P> +"Not ever'thing," objected the boy. "I know some things Cap'n Bill +don't know." +</P> + +<P> +"If you do, you're pretty smart," said Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"No, I'm not smart. Some folks think I'm stupid. I guess I am. But I +know a few things that were wonderful. Cap'n Bill may know more'n I +do—a good deal more—but I'm sure he can't know the same things. Say, +what's your name?" +</P> + +<P> +"I'm Mayre Griffith, but ever'body calls me 'Trot.' I's a nickname I +got when I was a baby, 'cause I trotted so fast when I walked, an' it +seems to stick. What's YOUR name?" +</P> + +<P> +"Button-Bright." +</P> + +<P> +"How did it happen?" +</P> + +<P> +"How did what happen?" +</P> + +<P> +"Such a funny name." +</P> + +<P> +The boy scowled a little. "Just like your own nickname happened," he +answered gloomily. "My father once said I was bright as a button, an' +it made ever'body laugh. So they always call me Button-Bright." +</P> + +<P> +"What's your real name?" she inquired. +</P> + +<P> +"Saladin Paracelsus de Lambertine Evagne von Smith." +</P> + +<P> +"Guess I'll call you Button-Bright," said Trot, sighing. "The only +other thing would be 'Salad,' an' I don't like salads. Don't you find +it hard work to 'member all of your name?" +</P> + +<P> +"I don't try to," he said. "There's a lot more of it, but I've +forgotten the rest." +</P> + +<P> +"Thank you," said Trot. "Oh, here comes Cap'n Bill!" as she glanced +over her shoulder. +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright turned also and looked solemnly at the old sailor who +came stumping along the path toward them. Cap'n Bill wasn't a very +handsome man. He was old, not very tall, somewhat stout and chubby, +with a round face, a bald head, and a scraggly fringe of reddish +whisker underneath his chin. But his blue eyes were frank and merry, +and his smile like a ray of sunshine. He wore a sailor shirt with a +broad collar, a short peajacket and wide-bottomed sailor trousers, one +leg of which covered his wooden limb but did not hide it. As he came +"pegging" along the path—as he himself described his hobbling +walk—his hands were pushed into his coat pockets, a pipe was in his +mouth, and his black neckscarf was fluttering behind him in the breeze +like a sable banner. +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright liked the sailor's looks. There was something very +winning—something jolly and carefree and honest and sociable—about +the ancient seaman that made him everybody's friend, so the strange boy +was glad to meet him. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, well, Trot," he said, coming up, "is this the way you hurry to +town?" +</P> + +<P> +"No, for I'm on my way back," said she. "I did hurry when I was going, +Cap'n Bill, but on my way home I sat down here to rest an' watch the +gulls—the gulls seem awful busy today, Cap'n Bill—an' then I found +this boy." +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill looked at the boy curiously. "Don't think as ever I sawr him +at the village," he remarked. "Guess as you're a stranger, my lad." +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright nodded. +</P> + +<P> +"Hain't walked the nine mile from the railroad station, have ye?" asked +Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"No," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +The sailor glanced around him. "Don't see no waggin er no autymob'l," +he added. +</P> + +<P> +"No," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"Catch a ride wi' some one?" +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright shook his head. +</P> + +<P> +"A boat can't land here; the rocks is too thick an' too sharp," +continued Cap'n Bill, peering down toward the foot of the bluff on +which they sat and against which the waves broke in foam. +</P> + +<P> +"No," said Button-Bright, "I didn't come by water." +</P> + +<P> +Trot laughed. "He must 'a' dropped from the sky, Cap'n Bill!" she +exclaimed. +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright nodded very seriously. "That's it," he said. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, a airship, eh?" cried Cap'n Bill in surprise. "I've hearn tell o' +them sky keeridges; someth'n' like flyin' autymob'ls, ain't they?" +</P> + +<P> +"I don't know," said Button-Bright. "I've never seen one." +</P> + +<P> +Both Trot and Cap'n Bill now looked at the boy in astonishment. "Now +then, lemme think a minute," said the sailor reflectively. "Here's a +riddle for us to guess, Trot. He dropped from the sky, he says, an' yet +he didn't come in a airship!" +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "'Riddlecum, riddlecum ree;<BR> + What can the answer be?'"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +Trot looked the boy over carefully. She didn't see any wings on him. +The only queer thing about him was his big umbrella. "Oh!" she said +suddenly, clapping her hands together. "I know now." +</P> + +<P> +"Do you?" asked Cap'n Bill doubtfully. "Then you're some smarter ner I +am, mate." +</P> + +<P> +"He sailed down with the umbrel!" she cried. "He used his umbrel as a +para—para—" +</P> + +<P> +"Shoot," said Cap'n Bill. "They're called parashoots, mate; but why, I +can't say. Did you drop down in that way, my lad?" he asked the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes," said Button-Bright. "That was the way." +</P> + +<P> +"But how did you get up there?" asked Trot. "You had to get up in the +air before you could drop down, an'—oh, Cap'n Bill! He says he's from +Phillydelfy, which is a big city way at the other end of America." +</P> + +<P> +"Are you?" asked the sailor, surprised. +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright nodded again. "I ought to tell you my story," he said, +"and then you'd understand. But I'm afraid you won't believe me, and—" +he suddenly broke off and looked toward the white house in the distance +"—Didn't you say you lived over there?" he inquired. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes," said Trot. "Won't you come home with us?" +</P> + +<P> +"I'd like to," replied Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"All right, let's go then," said the girl, jumping up. +</P> + +<P> +The three walked silently along the path. The old sailorman had +refilled his pipe and lighted it again, and he smoked thoughtfully as +he pegged along beside the children. "Know anyone around here?" he +asked Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"No one but you two," said the boy, following after Trot, with his +umbrella tucked carefully underneath his arm. +</P> + +<P> +"And you don't know us very well," remarked Cap'n Bill. "Seems to me +you're pretty young to be travelin' so far from home an' among +strangers. But I won't say anything more till we've heard your story. +Then, if you need my advice, or Trot's advice—she's a wise little +girl, fer her size, Trot is—we'll freely give it an' be glad to help +you." +</P> + +<P> +"Thank you," replied Button-Bright. "I need a lot of things, I'm sure, +and p'raps advice is one of 'em." +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap02"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE MAGIC UMBRELLA +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 2 +</H3> + +<P> +When they reached the neat frame cottage which stood on a high bluff a +little back from the sea and was covered with pretty green vines, a +woman came to the door to meet them. She seemed motherly and good, and +when she saw Button-Bright, she exclaimed, "Goodness me! Who's this +you've got, Trot?" +</P> + +<P> +"It's a boy I've just found," explained the girl. "He lives way off in +Phillydelphy." +</P> + +<P> +"Mercy sakes alive!" cried Mrs. Griffith, looking into his upturned +face. "I don't believe he's had a bite to eat since he started. Ain't +you hungry, child?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"Run, Trot, an' get two slices o' bread-an'-butter," commanded Mrs. +Griffith. "Cut 'em thick, dear, an' use plenty of butter." +</P> + +<P> +"Sugar on 'em?" asked Trot, turning to obey. +</P> + +<P> +"No," said Button-Bright. "Just bread-an'-butter's good enough when +you're hungry, and it takes time to spread sugar on." +</P> + +<P> +"We'll have supper in an hour," observed Trot's mother briskly, "but a +hungry child can't wait a whole hour, I'm sure. What are you grinning +at, Cap'n Bill? How dare you laugh when I'm talking? Stop it this +minute, you old pirate, or I'll know the reason why!" +</P> + +<P> +"I didn't, mum," said Cap'n Bill meekly. "I on'y—" +</P> + +<P> +"Stop right there, sir! How dare you speak when I'm talking?" She +turned to Button-Bright, and her tone changed to one of much gentleness +as she said, "Come in the house, my poor boy, an' rest yourself. You +seem tired out. Here, give me that clumsy umbrella." +</P> + +<P> +"No, please," said Button-Bright, holding the umbrella tighter. +</P> + +<P> +"Then put it in the rack behind the door," she urged. +</P> + +<P> +The boy seemed a little frightened. "I—I'd rather keep it with me, if +you please," he pleaded. +</P> + +<P> +"Never mind," Cap'n Bill ventured to say, "it won't worry him so much +to hold the umbrella, mum, as to let it go. Guess he's afraid he'll +lose it, but it ain't any great shakes, to my notion. Why, see here, +Button-Bright, we've got half-a-dozen umbrellas in the closet that's +better ner yours." +</P> + +<P> +"Perhaps," said the boy. "Yours may look a heap better, sir, but—I'll +keep this one, if you please." +</P> + +<P> +"Where did you get it?" asked Trot, appearing just then with a plate of +bread-and-butter. +</P> + +<P> +"It—it belongs in our family," said Button-Bright, beginning to eat +and speaking between bites. "This umbrella has been in our family +years, an' years, an' years. But it was tucked away up in our attic an' +no one ever used it 'cause it wasn't pretty." +</P> + +<P> +"Don't blame 'em much," remarked Cap'n Bill, gazing at it curiously. +"It's a pretty old-lookin' bumbershoot." They were all seated in the +vine-shaded porch of the cottage—all but Mrs. Griffith, who had gone +into the kitchen to look after the supper—and Trot was on one side of +the boy, holding the plate for him, while Cap'n Bill sat on the other +side. +</P> + +<P> +"It is old," said Button-Bright. "One of my great-great-grandfathers +was a Knight—an Arabian Knight—and it was he who first found this +umbrella." +</P> + +<P> +"An Arabian Night!" exclaimed Trot. "Why, that was a magic night, +wasn't it?" +</P> + +<P> +"There's diff'rent sorts o' nights, mate," said the sailor, "an' the +knight Button-Bright means ain't the same night you mean. Soldiers used +to be called knights, but that were in the dark ages, I guess, an' +likely 'nough Butt'n-Bright's great-gran'ther were that sort of a +knight." +</P> + +<P> +"But he said an Arabian Knight," persisted Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, if he went to Araby, or was born there, he'd be an Arabian +Knight, wouldn't he? The lad's gran'ther were prob'ly a furriner, an' +yours an' mine were, too, Trot, if you go back far enough; for Ameriky +wasn't diskivered in them days." +</P> + +<P> +"There!" said Trot triumphantly. "Didn't I tell you, Button-Bright, +that Cap'n Bill knows ever'thing?" +</P> + +<P> +"He knows a lot, I expect," soberly answered the boy, finishing the +last slice of bread-and-butter and then looking at the empty plate with +a sigh. "But if he really knows ever'thing, he knows about the Magic +Umbrella, so I won't have to tell you anything about it." +</P> + +<P> +"Magic!" cried Trot with big, eager eyes. "Did you say MAGIC Umbrel, +Button-Bright?" +</P> + +<P> +"I said 'Magic.' But none of our family knew it was a Magic Umbrella +till I found it out for myself. You're the first people I've told the +secret to," he added, glancing into their faces rather uneasily. +</P> + +<P> +"Glory me!" exclaimed the girl, clapping her hands in ecstacy. "It must +be jus' ELEGANT to have a Magic Umbrel!" +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill coughed. He had a way of coughing when he was suspicious. +"Magic," he observed gravely, "was once lyin' 'round loose in the +world. That was in the Dark Ages, I guess, when the magic Arabian +Nights was. But the light o' Civilization has skeered it away long ago, +an' magic's been a lost art since long afore you an' I was born, Trot." +</P> + +<P> +"I know that fairies still live," said Trot reflectively. She didn't +like to contradict Cap'n Bill, who knew "ever'thing." +</P> + +<P> +"So do I," added Button-Bright. "And I know there's magic still in the +world—or in my umbrella, anyhow." +</P> + +<P> +"Tell us about it!" begged the girl excitedly. +</P> + +<P> +"Well," said the boy, "I found it all out by accident. It rained in +Philadelphia for three whole days, and all the umbrellas in our house +were carried out by the family and lost or mislaid or something, so +that when I wanted to go to Uncle Bob's house, which is at Germantown, +there wasn't an umbrella to be found. My governess wouldn't let me go +without one, and—" +</P> + +<P> +"Oh," said Trot. "Do you have a governess?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, but I don't like her. She's cross. She said I couldn't go to +Uncle Bob's because I had no umbrella. Instead she told me to go up in +the attic and play. I was sorry 'bout that, but I went up in the attic, +and pretty soon I found in a corner this old umbrella. I didn't care +how it looked. It was whole and strong and big, and would keep me from +getting wet on the way to Uncle Bob's. So off I started for the car, +but I found the streets awful muddy, and once I stepped in a mud-hole +way up to my ankle. 'Gee!,' I said, 'I wish I could fly through the air +to Uncle Bob's.' +</P> + +<P> +"I was holding up the open umbrella when I said that, and as soon as I +spoke, the umbrella began lifting me up into the air. I was awful +scared at first, but I held on tight to the handle, and it didn't pull +very much, either. I was going pretty fast, for when I looked down all +the big buildings were sliding past me so swift that it made me dizzy, +and before I really knew what had happened the umbrella settled down +and stood me on my feet at Uncle Bob's front gate. +</P> + +<P> +"I didn't tell anybody about the wonderful thing that had happened, +'cause I thought no one would believe me. Uncle Bob looked sharp at the +thing an' said, 'Button-Bright, how did your father happen to let you +take that umbrella?' 'He didn't,' I said. 'Father was away at the +office, so I found it in the attic an' I jus' took it.' Then Uncle Bob +shook his head an' said I ought to leave it alone. He said it was a +fam'ly relic that had been handed down from father to son for many +generations. But I told him my father had never handed it to me, though +I'm his son. Uncle Bob said our fam'ly always believed that it brought +'em good luck to own this umbrella. He couldn't say why, not knowing +its early history, but he was afraid that if I lost the umbrella, bad +luck would happen to us. So he made me go right home to put the +umbrella back where I got it. I was sorry Uncle Bob was so cross, and I +didn't want to go home yet, where the governess was crosser 'n he was. +I wonder why folks get cross when it rains? But by that time it had +stopped raining—for awhile, anyhow—and Uncle Bob told me to go +straight home and put the umbrella in the attic an' never touch it +again. +</P> + +<P> +"When I was around the corner, I thought I'd see if I could fly as I +had before. I'd heard of Buffalo, but I didn't know just where it was, +so I said to the umbrella, 'Take me to Buffalo.' Up in the air I went, +just as soon as I said it, and the umbrella sailed so fast that I felt +as if I was in a gale of wind. It was a long, long trip, and I got +awful tired holding onto the handle, but just as I thought I'd have to +let go, I began to drop down slowly, and then I found myself in the +streets of a big city. I put down the umbrella and asked a man what the +name of the city was, and he said 'Buffalo'." +</P> + +<P> +"How wonderful!" gasped Trot. Cap'n Bill kept on smoking and said +nothing. +</P> + +<P> +"It was magic, I'm sure," said Button-Bright. "It surely couldn't have +been anything else." +</P> + +<P> +"P'raps," suggested Trot, "the umbrella can do other magic things." +</P> + +<P> +"No," said the boy. "I've tried it. When I landed in Buffalo I was hot +and thirsty. I had ten cents car fare, but I was afraid to spend it. So +I held up the umbrella and wished I had an ice-cream soda, but I didn't +get it. Then I wished for a nickel to buy an ice-cream soda with, but I +didn't get that, either. I got frightened and was afraid the umbrella +didn't have any magic left, so to try it I said 'Take me to Chicago.' I +didn't want to go to Chicago, but that was the first place I thought +of, and I soon saw this was going to be another long journey, so I +called out to the umbrella, 'Never mind. Stop! I guess I won't go to +Chicago. I've changed my mind, so take me home again.' But the umbrella +wouldn't. It kept right on flying, and I shut my eyes and held on. At +last I landed in Chicago, and then I was in a pretty fix. It was nearly +dark, and I was too tired and hungry to make the trip home again. I +knew I'd get an awful scolding, too, for running away and taking the +family luck with me, so I thought that as long as I was in for it, I'd +better see a good deal of the country while I had the chance. I +wouldn't be allowed to come away again, you know." +</P> + +<P> +"No, of course not," said Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"I bought some buns and milk with my ten cents, and then I walked +around the streets of Chicago for a time and afterward slept on a bench +in one of the parks. In the morning I tried to get the umbrella to give +me a magic breakfast, but it won't do anything but fly. I went to a +house and asked a woman for something to eat, and she gave me all I +wanted and advised me to go straight home before my mother worried +about me. She didn't know I lived in Philadelphia. That was this +morning." +</P> + +<P> +"This mornin'!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill. "Why, lad, it takes three or four +days for the railroad trains to get to this coast from Chicago." +</P> + +<P> +"I know," replied Button-Bright. "But I didn't come on a railroad +train. This umbrella goes faster than any train ever did. This morning +I flew from Chicago to Denver, but no one there would give me any +lunch. A policeman said he'd put me in jail if he caught me begging, so +I got away and told the umbrella to take me to the Pacific Ocean. When +I stopped I landed over there by the big rock. I shut up the umbrella +and saw a girl sitting on the rock, so I went up and spoke to her. +That's all." +</P> + +<P> +"Goodness me!" said Trot. "If that isn't a fairy story, I never heard +one." +</P> + +<P> +"It IS a fairy story," agreed Button-Bright. "Anyhow, it's a magic +story, and the funny part of it is, it's true. I hope you believe me, +but I don't know as I'd believe it myself if it hadn't been me that it +happened to." +</P> + +<P> +"I believe ev'ry word of it!" declared Trot earnestly. +</P> + +<P> +"As fer me," said Cap'n Bill slowly, "I'm goin' to believe it, too, +by'm'by, when I've seen the umbrel fly once." +</P> + +<P> +"You'll see me fly away with it," asserted the boy. "But at present +it's pretty late in the day, and Philadelphia is a good way off. Do you +s'pose, Trot, your mother would let me stay here all night?" +</P> + +<P> +"Course she would!" answered Trot. "We've got an extra room with a nice +bed in it, and we'd love to have you stay just as long as you want to, +wouldn't we, Cap'n Bill?" +</P> + +<P> +"Right you are, mate," replied the old man, nodding his bald head. +"Whether the umbrel is magic or not, Butt'n-Bright is welcome." +</P> + +<P> +Mrs. Griffith came out soon after and seconded the invitation, so the +boy felt quite at home in the little cottage. It was not long before +supper was on the table and in spite of all the bread-and-butter he had +eaten Button-Bright had a fine appetite for the good things Trot's +mother had cooked. Mrs. Griffith was very kind to the children, but not +quite so agreeable toward poor Cap'n Bill. When the old sailorman at +one time spilled some tea on the tablecloth, Trot's mother flew angry +and gave the culprit such a tongue-lashing that Button-Bright was sorry +for him. But Cap'n Bill was meek and made no reply. "He's used to it, +you know," whispered Trot to her new friend, and indeed, Cap'n Bill +took it all cheerfully and never minded a bit. +</P> + +<P> +Then it came Trot's turn to get a scolding. When she opened the parcel +she had bought at the village, it was found she had selected the wrong +color of yarn, and Mrs. Griffith was so provoked that Trot's scolding +was almost as severe as that of Cap'n Bill. Tears came to the little +girl's eyes, and to comfort her the boy promised to take her to the +village next morning with his magic umbrella, so she could exchange the +yarn for the right color. +</P> + +<P> +Trot quickly brightened at this promise, although Cap'n Bill looked +grave and shook his head solemnly. When supper was over and Trot had +helped with the dishes, she joined Button-Bright and the sailorman on +the little porch again. Dusk had fallen, and the moon was just rising. +They all sat in silence for a time and watched the silver trail that +topped the crests of the waves far out to sea. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, Button-Bright!" cried the little girl presently. "I'm so glad +you're going to let me fly with you way to town and back tomorrow. +Won't it be fine, Cap'n Bill?" +</P> + +<P> +"Dunno, Trot," said he. "I can't figger how both of you can hold on to +the handle o' that umbrel." +</P> + +<P> +Trot's face fell. "I'll hold on to the handle," said Button-Bright, +"and she can hold on to me. It doesn't pull hard at all. You've no idea +how easy it is to fly that way after you get used to it." +</P> + +<P> +"But Trot ain't used to it," objected the sailor. "If she happened to +lose her hold and let go, it's goodbye Trot. I don't like to risk it, +for Trot's my chum, an' I can't afford to lose her." +</P> + +<P> +"Can't you tie us together, then?" asked the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"We'll see, we'll see," replied Cap'n Bill, and began to think very +deeply. He forgot that he didn't believe the umbrella could fly, and +after Button-Bright and Trot had both gone to bed, the old sailor went +out into the shed and worked a while before he, too, turned into his +"bunk." The sandman wasn't around, and Cap'n Bill lay awake for hours +thinking of the strange tale of the Magic Umbrella before he finally +sank into slumber. Then he dreamed about it, and waking or dreaming he +found the tale hard to believe. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap03"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 3 +</H3> + +<P> +They had early breakfasts at Trot's house, because they all went to bed +early, and it is possible to sleep only a certain number of hours if +one is healthy in body and mind. And right after breakfast Trot claimed +Button-Bright's promise to take her to town with the Magic Umbrella. +</P> + +<P> +"Any time suits me," said the boy. He had taken his precious umbrella +to bed with him and even carried it to the breakfast table, where he +stood it between his knees as he ate; so now he held it close to him +and said he was ready to fly at a moment's notice. This confidence +impressed Cap'n Bill, who said with a sigh: +</P> + +<P> +"Well, if you MUST go, Trot, I've pervided a machine that'll carry you +both comf'table. I'm summat of an inventor myself, though there ain't +any magic about me." +</P> + +<P> +Then he brought from the shed the contrivance he had made the night +before. It was merely a swing seat. He had taken a wide board that was +just long enough for both the boy and girl to sit upon, and had bored +six holes in it, two holes at each end and two in the middle. Through +these holes he had run stout ropes in such a way that the seat could +not turn and the occupants could hold on to the ropes on either side of +them. The ropes were all knotted together at the top, where there was a +loop that could be hooked upon the crooked handle of the umbrella. +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright and Trot both thought Cap'n Bill's invention very clever. +The sailor placed the board upon the ground while they sat in their +places, Button-Bright at the right of Trot, and then the boy hooked the +rope loop to the handle of the umbrella, which he spread wide open. "I +want to go to the town over yonder," he said, pointing with his finger +to the roofs of the houses that showed around the bend in the cliff. +</P> + +<P> +At once the umbrella rose into the air, slowly at first, but quickly +gathering speed. Trot and Button-Bright held fast to the ropes and were +carried along very easily and comfortably. It seemed scarcely a minute +before they were in the town, and when the umbrella set them down just +in front of the store—for it seemed to know just where they wanted to +go—a wondering crowd gathered around them. Trot ran in and changed the +yarn, while Button-Bright stayed outside and stared at the people who +stared at him. They asked questions, too, wanting to know what sort of +an aeroplane this was and where his power was stored and lots of other +things, but the boy answered not a sound. When the little girl came +back and took her seat, Button-Bright said, "I want to go to Trot's +house." +</P> + +<P> +The simple villagers could not understand how the umbrella suddenly +lifted the two children into the air and carried them away. They had +read of airships, but here was something wholly beyond their +comprehension. +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill had stood in front of the house, watching with a feeling +akin to bewilderment the flight of the Magic Umbrella. He could follow +its course until it descended in the village, and he was so amazed and +absorbed that his pipe went out. He had not moved from his position +when the umbrella started back. The sailor's big blue eyes watched it +draw near and settle down with its passengers upon just the spot it had +started from. +</P> + +<P> +Trot was joyous and greatly excited. "Oh, Cap'n, it's gal-lor-ious!" +she cried in ecstasy. "It beats ridin' in a boat or—or—in anything +else. You feel so light an' free an'—an'—glad! I'm sorry the trip +didn't last longer, though. Only trouble is, you go too fast." +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright was smiling contentedly. He had proved to both Trot and +Cap'n Bill that he had told the truth about the Magic Umbrella, however +marvelous his tale had seemed to them. "I'll take you on another trip, +if you like," said he. "I'm in no hurry to go home, and if you will let +me stay with you another day, we can make two or three little trips +with the family luck." +</P> + +<P> +"You mus' stay a whole week," said Trot decidedly. "An' you mus' take +Cap'n Bill for an air-ride, too." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, Trot! I dunno as I'd like it," protested Cap'n Bill nervously. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes you would. You're sure to like it." +</P> + +<P> +"I guess I'm too heavy." +</P> + +<P> +"I'm sure the umbrella could carry twenty people if they could be +fastened to the handle," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"Solid land's pretty good to hold on to," decided Cap'n Bill. "A rope +might break, you know." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, Cap'n Bill! You're scared stiff," said Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"I ain't, mate. It ain't that at all. But I don't see that human +critters has any call to fly in the air, anyhow. The air were made for +the birds, an'—an' muskeeters, an'—" +</P> + +<P> +"An' flyin'-fishes," added Trot. "I know all that, Cap'n, but why +wasn't it made for humans, too, if they can manage to fly in it? We +breathe the air, an' we can breathe it high up, just as well as down on +the earth." +</P> + +<P> +"Seein' as you like it so much, Trot, it would be cruel for me to go +with Butt'n-Bright an' leave you at home," said the sailor. "When I +were younger—which is ancient history—an' afore I had a wooden leg, I +could climb a ship's ropes with the best of 'em, an' walk out on a boom +or stand atop a mast. So you know very well I ain't skeered about the +highupness." +</P> + +<P> +"Why can't we all go together?" asked the boy. "Make another seat, +Cap'n, and swing it right under ours. Then we can all three ride +anywhere we want to go." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, do!" exclaimed Trot. "And see here, Cap'n, let's take a day off +and have a picnic. Mother is a little cross today, and she wants to +finish knitting your new stockin', so I guess she'll be glad to get rid +of us." +</P> + +<P> +"Where'll we go?" he asked, shifting on his wooden leg uneasily. +</P> + +<P> +"Anywhere. I don't care. There'll be the air-ride there an' the +air-ride back, an' that's the main thing with ME. If you say we'll go, +Cap'n, I'll run in an' pack a basket of lunch." +</P> + +<P> +"How'll we carry it?" +</P> + +<P> +"Swing it to the bottom of your seat." +</P> + +<P> +The old sailor stood silent a moment. He really longed to take the +air-ride but was fearful of danger. However, Trot had gone safely to +town and back and had greatly enjoyed the experience. "All right," he +said. "I'll risk it, mate, although I guess I'm an old fool for +temptin' fate by tryin' to make a bird o' myself. Get the lunch, Trot, +if your mother'll let you have it, and I'll rig up the seat." +</P> + +<P> +He went into the shed and Trot went to her mother. Mrs. Griffith, busy +with her work, knew nothing of what was going on in regard to the +flight of the Magic Umbrella. She never objected when Trot wanted to go +away with Cap'n Bill for a day's picnicking. She knew the child was +perfectly safe with the old sailor, who cared for Trot even better than +her mother would have done. If she had asked any questions today and +had found out they intended to fly in the air, she might have seriously +objected, but Mrs. Griffith had her mind on other things and merely +told the girl to take what she wanted from the cupboard and not bother +her. So Trot, remembering that Button-Bright would be with them and had +proved himself to be a hearty eater, loaded the basket with all the +good things she could find. +</P> + +<P> +By the time she came out, lugging the basket with both hands, Cap'n +Bill appeared with the new seat he had made for his own use, which he +attached by means of ropes to the double seat of the boy and girl. "Now +then, where'll we go?" asked Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Anywhere suits me," replied Cap'n Bill. They had walked to the high +bluff overlooking the sea, where a gigantic acacia tree stood on the +very edge. A seat had been built around the trunk of the tree, for this +was a favorite spot for Trot and Cap'n Bill to sit and talk and watch +the fleet of fishing boats sail to and from the village. When they came +to this tree, Trot was still trying to think of the most pleasant place +to picnic. She and Cap'n Bill had been every place that was desirable +and nearby, but today they didn't want a nearby spot. They must decide +upon one far enough away to afford them a fine trip through the air. +Looking far out over the Pacific, the girl's eyes fell upon a dim +island lying on the horizon line just where the sky and water seemed to +meet, and the sight gave her an idea. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, Cap'n Bill!" she exclaimed. "Let's go to that island for our +picnic. We've never been there yet, you know." +</P> + +<P> +The sailor shook his head. "It's a good many miles away, Trot," he +said, "further than it looks to be from here." +</P> + +<P> +"That won't matter," remarked Button-Bright. "The umbrella will carry +us there in no time." +</P> + +<P> +"Let's go!" repeated Trot. "We'll never have another such chance, +Cap'n. It's too far to sail or row, and I've always wanted to visit +that island." +</P> + +<P> +"What's the name of it?" inquired Button-Bright while the sailor +hesitated to decide. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, it's got an awful hard name to pernounce," replied the girl, "so +Cap'n Bill and I jus' call it 'Sky Island' 'cause it looks as if it was +half in the sky. We've been told it's a very pretty island, and a few +people live there and keep cows and goats and fish for a living. There +are woods and pastures and springs of clear water, and I'm sure we +would find it a fine place for a picnic." +</P> + +<P> +"If anything happened on the way," observed Cap'n Bill, "we'd drop in +the water." +</P> + +<P> +"Of course," said Trot, "and if anything happened while we were flyin' +over the land, we'd drop there. But nothing's goin' to happen, Cap'n. +Didn't Button-Bright come safe all the way from Philydelfy?" +</P> + +<P> +"I think I'd like to go to Sky Island," said the boy. "I've always +flown above the land so far, and it will be something new to fly over +the ocean." +</P> + +<P> +"All right, I'm agree'ble," decided Cap'n Bill. "But afore we starts on +such a long journey, s'pose we make a little trial trip along the +coast. I want to see if the new seat fits me an' make certain the +umbrel will carry all three of us." +</P> + +<P> +"Very well," said Button-Bright. "Where shall we go?" +</P> + +<P> +"Let's go as far as Smuggler's Cove an' then turn 'round an' come back. +If all's right an' shipshape, then we can start for the island." +</P> + +<P> +They put the broad double seat on the ground, and then the boy and girl +sat in their places and Button-Bright spread open the Magic Umbrella. +Cap'n Bill sat in his seat just in front of them, all being upon the +ground. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't we look funny?" said Trot with a chuckle of glee. "But hold fast +the ropes, Cap'n, an' take care of your wooden leg." +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright addressed the umbrella, speaking to it very respectfully, +for it was a thing to inspire awe. "I want to go as far as Smuggler's +Cove and then turn around in the air and come back here," he said. At +once the umbrella rose into the air, lifting after it first the seat in +which the children sat, and then Cap'n Bill's seat. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't kick your heels, Trot!" cried the sailor in a voice that proved +he was excited by his novel experience. "You might bump me in the nose." +</P> + +<P> +"All right," she called back. "I'll be careful." +</P> + +<P> +It was really a wonderful, exhilarating ride, and Cap'n Bill wasn't +long making up his mind he liked the sensation. When about fifty feet +above the ground the umbrella began moving along the coast toward +Smuggler's Cove, which it soon reached. Looking downward, Cap'n Bill +suddenly exclaimed, "Why, there' a boat cast loose, an' it's goin' to +smash on the rocks. Hold on a minute, Butt'n-Bright, till we can land +an' drag it ashore." +</P> + +<P> +"Hold on a minute, Umbrella!" cried the boy. But the Magic Umbrella +kept steadily upon its way. It made a circle over the Cove and then +started straight back the way it had come. "It's no use, sir," said +Button-Bright to the sailor. "If I once tell it to go to a certain +place, the umbrella will go there, and nowhere else. I've found that +out before this. You simply CAN'T stop it." +</P> + +<P> +"Won't let you change your mind, eh?" replied Cap'n Bill. "Well, that +has its advantidges, an' its disadvantiges. If your ol' umbrel hadn't +been so obstinate, we could have saved that boat." +</P> + +<P> +"Never mind," said Trot briskly, "here we are safe back again. Wasn't +it jus' the—the fascinatingest ride you ever took, Cap'n?" +</P> + +<P> +"It's pretty good fun," admitted Cap'n Bill. "Beats them aeroplanes an' +things all holler, 'cause it don't need any regulatin.'" +</P> + +<P> +"If we're going to that island, we may as well start right away," said +Button-Bright when they had safely landed. +</P> + +<P> +"All right. I'll tie on the lunch-basket," answered the sailor. He +fastened it so it would swing underneath his own seat, and they all +took their places again. +</P> + +<P> +"Ready?" asked the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"Let 'er go, my lad." +</P> + +<P> +"I want to go to Sky Island," said Button-Bright to the umbrella, using +the name Trot had given him. The umbrella started promptly. It rose +higher than before, carrying the three voyagers with it, and then +started straight away over the ocean. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap04"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE ISLAND IN THE SKY +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 4 +</H3> + +<P> +They clung tightly to the ropes, but the breeze was with them, so after +a few moments, when they became accustomed to the motion, they began to +enjoy the ride immensely. +</P> + +<P> +Larger and larger grew the island, and although they were headed +directly toward it, the umbrella seemed to rise higher and higher into +the air the farther it traveled. They had not journeyed ten minutes +before they came directly over the island, and looking down they could +see the forests and meadows far below them. But the umbrella kept up +its rapid flight. +</P> + +<P> +"Hold on, there!" cried Cap'n Bill. "If it ain't keerful, the ol' thing +will pass by the island." +</P> + +<P> +"I—I'm sure it has passed it already," exclaimed Trot. "What's wrong, +Button-Bright? Why don't we stop?" +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright seemed astonished, too. +</P> + +<P> +"Perhaps I didn't say it right," he replied after a moment's thought. +Then, looking up at the umbrella, he repeated distinctly, "I said I +wanted to go to Sky Island! Sky Island, don't you understand?" +</P> + +<P> +The umbrella swept steadily along, getting farther and farther out to +sea and rising higher and higher toward the clouds. +</P> + +<P> +"Mack'rel an' herrings!" roared Cap'n Bill, now really frightened. +"Ain't there any blamed way at all to stop her?" +</P> + +<P> +"None that I know of," said Button-Bright anxiously. +</P> + +<P> +"P'raps," said Trot after a pause during which she tried hard to think. +"P'raps 'Sky Island' isn't the name of that island at all." +</P> + +<P> +"Why, we know very well it ain't the name of it," yelled Cap'n Bill +from below. "We jus' called it that 'cause its right name is too hard +to say." +</P> + +<P> +"That's the whole trouble, then," returned Button-Bright. "Somewhere in +the world there's a real Sky Island, and having told the Magic Umbrella +to take us there, it's going to do so." +</P> + +<P> +"Well, I declare!" gasped the sailorman. "Can't we land anywhere else?" +</P> + +<P> +"Not unless you care to tumble off," said the boy. "I've told the +umbrella to take us to Sky Island, so that's the exact place we're +bound for. I'm sorry. It was your fault for giving me the wrong name." +</P> + +<P> +They glided along in silence for a while. The island was now far behind +them, growing small in the distance. "Where do you s'pose the real Sky +Island can be?" asked Trot presently. +</P> + +<P> +"We can't tell anything about it until we get there," Button-Bright +answered. "Seems to me I've heard of the Isle of Skye, but that's over +in Great Britain, somewhere the other side of the world, and it isn't +Sky Island, anyhow." +</P> + +<P> +"This miser'ble ol' umbrel is too pertic'ler," growled Cap'n Bill. "It +won't let you change your mind an' it goes ezzac'ly where you say." +</P> + +<P> +"If it didn't," said Trot, "we'd never know where we were going." +</P> + +<P> +"We don't know now," said the sailor. "One thing's certain, folks: +we're gett'n' a long way from home." +</P> + +<P> +"And see how the clouds are rolling just above us," remarked the boy, +who was almost as uneasy as Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"We're in the sky, all right," said the girl. "If there could be an +island up here among the clouds, I'd think it was there we're going." +</P> + +<P> +"Couldn't there be one?" asked Button-Bright. "Why couldn't there be an +island in the sky that would be named Sky Island?" +</P> + +<P> +"Of course not!" declared Cap'n Bill. "There wouldn't be anything to +hold it up, you know." +</P> + +<P> +"What's holding US up?" asked Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Magic, I guess." +</P> + +<P> +"Then magic might hold an island in the sky. Whee-e-e! What a black +cloud!" +</P> + +<P> +It grew suddenly dark, for they were rushing through a thick cloud that +rolled around them in billows. Trot felt little drops of moisture +striking her face and knew her clothing was getting damp and soggy. +"It's a rain cloud," she said to Button-Bright, "and it seems like an +awful big one, 'cause it takes so long for us to pass through it." +</P> + +<P> +The umbrella never hesitated a moment. It made a path through the +length of the heavy, black cloud at last and carried its passengers +into a misty, billowy bank of white, which seemed as soft and fleecy as +a lady's veil. When this broke away, they caught sight of a majestic +rainbow spanning the heavens, its gorgeous colors glinting brightly in +the sun, its arch perfect and unbroken from end to end. But it was only +a glimpse they had, for quickly they dove into another bank of clouds +and the rainbow disappeared. +</P> + +<P> +Here the clouds were not black, nor heavy, but they assumed queer +shapes. Some were like huge ships, some like forest trees, and others +piled themselves into semblances of turreted castles and wonderful +palaces. The shapes shifted here and there continually, and the +voyagers began to be bewildered by the phantoms. +</P> + +<P> +"Seems to me we're goin' down," called Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Down where?" asked Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"Who knows?" said Button-Bright. "But we're dropping, all right." +</P> + +<P> +It was a gradual descent. The Magic Umbrella maintained a uniform +speed, swift and unfaltering, but its path through the heavens was now +in the shape of an arch, as a flying arrow falls. The queer shapes of +the clouds continued for some time, and once or twice Trot was a little +frightened when a monstrous airy dragon passed beside them or a huge +giant stood upon a peak of cloud and stared savagely at the intruders +into his domain. But none of these fanciful, vapory creatures seemed +inclined to molest them or to interfere with their flight, and after a +while the umbrella dipped below this queer cloudland and entered a +clear space where the sky was of an exquisite blue color. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, look!" called Cap'n Bill. "There's land below us." The boy and +girl leaned over and tried to see this land, but Cap'n Bill was also +leaning over, and his big body hid all that was just underneath them. +</P> + +<P> +"Is it an island?" asked Trot solemnly. +</P> + +<P> +"Seems so," the old sailor replied. "The blue is around all one side of +it an' a pink sunshine around the other side. There's a big cloud just +over the middle, but I guess it's surely an island, Trot, an' bein' as +it's in the sky, it's likely to be Sky Island." +</P> + +<P> +"Then we shall land there," said the boy confidently. "I knew the +umbrella wouldn't make a mistake." +</P> + +<P> +Presently Cap'n Bill spoke again. "We're goin' down on the blue part o' +the island," he said. "I can see trees an' ponds an' houses. Hold +tight, Trot! Hold tight, Butt'n-Bright! I'm afeared we're a'goin' to +bump somethin'!" +</P> + +<P> +They were certainly dropping very quickly now, and the rush of air made +their eyes fill with water so that they could not see much below them. +Suddenly, the basket that was dangling below Cap'n Bill struck +something with a loud thud, and this was followed by a yell of anger. +Cap'n Bill sat flat upon the ground, landing with such a force that +jarred the sailorman and made his teeth click together, while down upon +him came the seat that Trot and Button-Bright occupied, so that for a +moment they were all tangled up. +</P> + +<P> +"Get off from me! Get off from my feet, I say!" cried an excited voice. +"What in the Sky do you mean by sitting on my feet? Get off! Get off at +once!" +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap05"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE BOOLOOROO OF THE BLUES +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 5 +</H3> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill suspected that these remarks were addressed to him, but he +couldn't move just then because the seat was across him, and a boy and +girl were sprawling on the seat. As the Magic Umbrella was now as +motionless as any ordinary umbrella might be, Button-Bright first +released the catch and closed it up, after which he unhooked the +crooked handle from the rope and rose to his feet. Trot had managed by +this time to stand up, and she pulled the board off from Cap'n Bill. +All this time the shrill, excited voice was loudly complaining because +the sailor was on his feet, and Trot looked to see who was making the +protest, while Cap'n Bill rolled over and got on his hands and knees so +he could pull his meat leg and his wooden leg into an upright position, +which wasn't a very easy thing to do. +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright and Trot were staring with all their might at the +queerest person they had ever seen. They decided it must be a man +because he had two long legs, a body as round as a ball, a neck like an +ostrich, and a comical little head set on the top of it. But the most +curious thing about him was his skin, which was of a lovely sky-blue +tint. His eyes were also sky-blue, and his hair, which was trained +straight up and ended in a curl at the top of his head, was likewise +blue in color and matched his skin and his eyes. He wore tight-fitting +clothes made of sky-blue silk, with a broad blue ruffle around his long +neck, and on his breast glittered a magnificent jewel in the form of a +star, set with splendid blue stones. +</P> + +<P> +If the blue man astonished the travelers, they were no less surprised +by his surroundings, for look where they might, everything they beheld +was of the same blue color as the sky above. They seemed to have landed +in a large garden, surrounded by a high wall of blue stone. The trees +were all blue, the grass was blue, the flowers were blue, and even the +pebbles in the paths were blue. There were many handsomely carved +benches and seats of blue wood scattered about the garden, and near +them stood a fountain made of blue marble, which shot lovely sprays of +blue water into the blue air. +</P> + +<P> +But the angry inhabitants of this blue place would not permit them to +look around them in peace, for as soon as Cap'n Bill rolled off his +toes, he began dancing around in an excited way and saying very +disrespectful things of his visitors. "You brutes! You apes! You +miserable, white-skinned creatures! How dare you come into my garden +and knock me on the head with that awful basket and then fall on my +toes and cause me pain and suffering? How dare you, I say? Don't you +know you will be punished for your impudence? Don't you know the +Boolooroo of the Blues will have revenge? I can have you patched for +this insult, and I will—just as sure as I'm the Royal Boolooroo of Sky +Island!" +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, is this Sky Island, then?" asked Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Of course it's Sky Island. What else could it be? And I'm its Ruler, +its King, its sole Royal Potentate and Dictator. Behold in the +Personage you have injured the Mighty Quitey Righty Boolooroo of the +Blues!" Here he strutted around in a very pompous manner and wagged his +little head contemptuously at them. +</P> + +<P> +"Glad to meet you, sir," said Cap'n Bill. "I allus had a likin' for +kings, bein' as they're summat unusual. Please 'scuse me for a-sittin' +on your royal toes, not knowin' as your toes were there." +</P> + +<P> +"I won't excuse you!" roared the Boolooroo. "But I'll punish you. You +may depend upon that." +</P> + +<P> +"Seems to me," said Trot, "you're actin' rather imperlite to strangers. +If anyone comes to our country to visit us, we always treat 'em decent." +</P> + +<P> +"YOUR country!" exclaimed the Boolooroo, looking at them more carefully +and seeming interested in their appearance. "Where in the Sky did you +come from, then, and where is your country located?" +</P> + +<P> +"We live on the Earth when we're at home," replied the girl. +</P> + +<P> +"The Earth? Nonsense! I've heard of the Earth, my child, but it isn't +inhabited. No one can live there because it's just a round, cold, +barren ball of mud and water," declared the Blueskin. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, you're wrong about that," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"You surely are," added Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"Why, we live there ourselves," cried Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't believe it. I believe you are living in Sky Island, where you +have no right to be, with your horrid white skins. And you've intruded +into the private garden of the palace of the Greatly Stately Irately +Boolooroo, which is a criminal offense. And you've bumped my head with +your basket and smashed my toes with your boards and bodies, which is a +crime unparalleled in all the history of Sky Island! Aren't you sorry +for yourselves?" +</P> + +<P> +"I'm sorry for you," replied Trot, "'cause you don't seem to know the +proper way to treat visitors. But we won't stay long. We'll go home +pretty soon." +</P> + +<P> +"Not until you have been punished!" exclaimed the Boolooroo sternly. +"You are my prisoners." +</P> + +<P> +"Beg parding, your Majesty," said Cap'n Bill, "but you're takin' a good +deal for granted. We've tried to be friendly and peaceable, an' we've +'poligized for hurtin' you, but if that don't satisfy you, you'll have +to make the most of it. You may be the Boolooroo of the Blues, but you +ain't even a tin whistle to us, an' you can't skeer us for half a +minute. I'm an ol' man, myself, but if you don't behave, I'll spank you +like I would a baby, an' it won't be any trouble at all to do it, +thank'e. As a matter o' fact, we've captured your whole bloomin' blue +island, but we don't like the place very much, and I guess we'll give +it back. It gives us the blues, don't it, Trot? So as soon as we eat a +bite of lunch from our basket, we'll sail away again." +</P> + +<P> +"Sail away? How?" asked the Boolooroo. +</P> + +<P> +"With the Magic Umbrel," said Cap'n Bill, pointing to the umbrella that +Button-Bright was holding underneath his arm. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, ho! I see, I see," said the Boolooroo, nodding his funny head. "Go +ahead, then, and eat your lunch." +</P> + +<P> +He retreated a little way to a marble seat beside the fountain, but +watched the strangers carefully. Cap'n Bill, feeling sure he had won +the argument, whispered to the boy and girl that they must eat and get +away as soon as possible, as this might prove a dangerous country for +them to remain in. Trot longed to see more of the strange blue island, +and especially wanted to explore the magnificent blue palace that +adjoined the garden and which had six hundred tall towers and turrets; +but she felt that her old friend was wise in advising them to get away +quickly. So she opened the basket, and they all three sat in a row on a +stone bench and began to eat sandwiches and cake and pickles and cheese +and all the good things that were packed in the lunch basket. +</P> + +<P> +They were hungry from the long ride, and while they ate they kept their +eyes busily employed in examining all the queer things around them. The +Boolooroo seemed quite the queerest of anything, and Trot noticed that +when he pulled the long curl that stuck up from the top of his head, a +bell tinkled somewhere in the palace. He next pulled at the bottom of +his right ear, and another faraway bell tinkled; then he touched the +end of his nose, and still another bell was faintly heard. The +Boolooroo said not a word while he was ringing the bells, and Trot +wondered if that was the way he amused himself. But now the frown died +away from his face and was replaced with a look of satisfaction. +</P> + +<P> +"Have you nearly finished?" he inquired. +</P> + +<P> +"No," said Trot, "we've got to eat our apples yet." +</P> + +<P> +"Apples? Apples? What are apples?" he asked. +</P> + +<P> +Trot took some from the basket. "Have one?" she said. "They're awful +good." +</P> + +<P> +The Boolooroo advanced a step and took the apple, which he regarded +with much curiosity. +</P> + +<P> +"Guess they don't grow anywhere but on the Earth," remarked Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"Are they good to eat?" asked the Boolooroo. +</P> + +<P> +"Try it and see," answered Trot, biting into an apple herself. +</P> + +<P> +The Blueskin sat down on the end of their bench, next to Button-Bright, +and began to eat his apple. He seemed to like it, for he finished it in +a hurry, and when it was gone he picked up the Magic Umbrella. +</P> + +<P> +"Let that alone!" said Button-Bright, making a grab for it. But the +Boolooroo jerked it away in an instant, and standing up he held the +umbrella behind him and laughed aloud. +</P> + +<P> +"Now then," said he, "you can't get away until I'm willing to let you +go. You are my prisoners." +</P> + +<P> +"I guess not," returned Cap'n Bill, and reaching out one of his long +arms, the sailorman suddenly grasped the Boolooroo around his long, +thin neck and shook him until his whole body fluttered like a flag. +"Drop that umbrel. Drop it!" yelled Cap'n Bill, and the Boolooroo +quickly obeyed. The Magic Umbrella fell to the ground, and +Button-Bright promptly seized it. Then the sailor let go his hold and +the King staggered to a seat, choking and coughing to get his breath +back. +</P> + +<P> +"I told you to let things alone," growled Cap'n Bill. "If you don't +behave, your Majesty, this Blue Island'll have to get another +Boolooroo." +</P> + +<P> +"Why?" asked the Blueskin. +</P> + +<P> +"Because I'll prob'ly spoil you for a king, an' mebbe for anything +else. Anyhow, you'll get badly damaged if you try to interfere with us, +an' that's a fact." +</P> + +<P> +"Don't kill him, Cap'n Bill," said Trot cheerfully. +</P> + +<P> +"Kill me? Why, he couldn't do that," observed the King, who was trying +to rearrange the ruffle around his neck. "Nothing can kill me." +</P> + +<P> +"Why not?" asked Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"Because I haven't lived my six hundred years yet. Perhaps you don't +know that every Blueskin in Sky Island lives exactly six hundred years +from the time he is born." +</P> + +<P> +"No, I didn't know that," admitted the sailor. +</P> + +<P> +"It's a fact," said the King. "Nothing can kill us until we've lived to +the last day of our appointed lives. When the final minute is up, we +die; but we're obliged to live all of the six hundred years whether we +want to or not. So you needn't think of trying to kill anybody on Sky +Island. It can't be done." +</P> + +<P> +"Never mind," said Cap'n Bill. "I'm no murderer, thank goodness, and I +wouldn't kill you if I could, much as you deserve it." +</P> + +<P> +"But isn't six hundred years an awful long time to live?" questioned +Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"It seems like it at first," replied the King, "but I notice that +whenever any of my subjects get near the end of their six hundred, they +grow nervous and say the life is altogether too short." +</P> + +<P> +"How long have you lived?" asked Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +The King coughed again and turned a bit bluer. "That is considered an +impertinent question in Sky Island," he answered, "but I will say that +every Boolooroo is elected to reign three hundred years, and I've +reigned not quite—ahem!—two hundred." +</P> + +<P> +"Are your kings elected, then?" asked Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, of course. This is a Republic, you know. The people elect all +their officers from the King down. Every man and every woman is a +voter. The Boolooroo tells them whom to vote for, and if they don't +obey, they are severely punished. It's a fine system of government, and +the only thing I object to is electing the Boolooroo for only three +hundred years. It ought to be for life. My successor has already been +elected, but he can't reign for a hundred years to come." +</P> + +<P> +"I think three hundred years is plenty long enough," said Trot. "It +gives someone else a chance to rule, an' I wouldn't be s'prised if the +next king is a better one. Seems to me you're not much of a Boolooroo." +</P> + +<P> +"That," replied the King indignantly, "is a matter of opinion. I like +myself very much, but I can't expect you to like me, because you're +deformed and ignorant." +</P> + +<P> +"I'm not!" cried Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, you are. Your legs are too short and your neck is nothing at all. +Your color is most peculiar, but there isn't a shade of blue about any +of you, except the deep-blue color of the clothes the old ape that +choked me wears. Also, you are ignorant because you know nothing of Sky +Island, which is the Center of the Universe and the only place anyone +would care to live." +</P> + +<P> +"Don't listen to him, Trot," said Button-Bright. "He's an ignorant +himself." +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill packed up the lunch basket. One end of the rope was still +tied to the handle of the basket, and the other end to his swing seat, +which lay on the ground before them. +</P> + +<P> +"Well," said he, "let's go home. We've seen enough of this Blue Country +and its Blue Boolooroo, I guess, an' it's a long journey back again." +</P> + +<P> +"All right," agreed Trot, jumping up. +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright stood on the bench and held up the Magic Umbrella, so he +could open it, and the sailor had just attached the ropes when a thin +blue line shot out from behind them and in a twinkling wound itself +around the umbrella. At the same instant another blue cord wound itself +around the boy's body, and others caught Trot and Cap'n Bill in their +coils, so that all had their arms pinned fast to their sides and found +themselves absolutely helpless. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap06"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE SIX SNUBNOSED PRINCESSES +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 6 +</H3> + +<P> +The Boolooroo was laughing and dancing around in front of them as if +well pleased. For a moment the prisoners could not imagine what had +happened to them, but presently half a dozen Blueskins, resembling in +shape and costume their ruler but less magnificently dressed, stepped +in front of them and bowed low to the Boolooroo. +</P> + +<P> +"Your orders, most Mighty, Flighty, Tight and Righty Monarch, have been +obeyed," said the leader. +</P> + +<P> +"Very well, Captain. Take that umbrella and carry it to my Royal +Treasury. See that it is safely locked up. Here's the key, and if you +don't return it to me within five minutes, I'll have you patched." +</P> + +<P> +The Captain took the key and the Magic Umbrella and hastened away to +the palace. Button-Bright had already hooked the ropes to the +elephant-trunk handle, so that when the Captain carried away the +umbrella, he dragged after him first the double seat, then Cap'n Bill's +seat, which was fastened to it, and finally the lunch-basket, which was +attached to the lower seat. At every few steps some of these would trip +up the Captain and cause him to take a tumble, but as he had only five +minutes' time in which to perform his errand, he would scramble to his +feet again and dash along the path until a board or the basket tripped +him up again. +</P> + +<P> +They all watched him with interest until he had disappeared within the +palace, when the King turned to his men and said: +</P> + +<P> +"Release the prisoners. They are now quite safe, and cannot escape me." +</P> + +<P> +So the men unwound the long cords that were twined around the bodies of +our three friends, and set them free. These men seemed to be soldiers, +although they bore no arms except the cords. Each cord had a weight at +the end, and when the weight was skillfully thrown by a soldier, it +wound the cord around anything in the twinkling of an eye and held fast +until it was unwound again. +</P> + +<P> +Trot decided these Blueskins must have stolen into the garden when +summoned by the bells the Boolooroo had rung, but they had kept out of +sight and crept up behind the bench on which our friends were seated +until a signal from the king aroused them to action. +</P> + +<P> +The little girl was greatly surprised by the suddenness of her capture, +and so was Button-Bright. Cap'n Bill shook his head and said he was +afeared they'd get into trouble. "Our mistake," he added, "was in +stoppin' to eat our lunch. But it's too late now to cry over spilt +milk." +</P> + +<P> +"I don't mind, not much anyhow," asserted Trot bravely. "We're in no +hurry to get back, are we, Button-Bright?" +</P> + +<P> +"I'm not," said the boy. "If they hadn't taken the umbrella, I wouldn't +care how long we stopped in this funny island. Do you think it's a +fairy country, Trot?" +</P> + +<P> +"Can't say, I'm sure," she answered. "I haven't seen anything here yet +that reminds me of fairies, but Cap'n Bill said a floating island in +the sky was sure to be a fairyland." +</P> + +<P> +"I think so yet, mate," returned the sailor. "But there's all sorts o' +fairies, I've heard. Some is good, an' some is bad, an' if all the +Blueskins are like their Boolooroo, they can't be called fust-class." +</P> + +<P> +"Don't let me hear any more impudence, prisoners!" called the Boolooroo +sternly. "You are already condemned to severe punishment, and if I have +any further trouble with you, you are liable to be patched." +</P> + +<P> +"What's being patched?" inquired the girl. +</P> + +<P> +The soldiers all laughed at this question, but the King did not reply. +Just then a door in the palace opened and out trooped a group of girls. +There were six of them, all gorgeously dressed in silken gowns with +many puffs and tucks and ruffles and flounces and laces and ribbons, +everything being in some shade of blue, grading from light blue to deep +blue. Their blue hair was elaborately dressed and came to a point at +the top of their heads. The girls approached in a line along the garden +path, all walking with mincing steps and holding their chins high. +Their skirts prevented their long legs from appearing as grotesque as +did those of the men, but their necks were so thin and long that the +ruffles around them only made them seem the more absurd. +</P> + +<P> +"Ah," said the King with a frown, "here come the Six Snubnosed +Princesses, the most beautiful and aristocratic ladies in Sky Island." +</P> + +<P> +"They're snubnosed, all right," observed Trot, looking at the girls +with much interest, "but I should think it would make 'em mad to call +'em that." +</P> + +<P> +"Why?" asked the Boolooroo in surprise. "Is not a snub nose the highest +mark of female beauty?" +</P> + +<P> +"Is it?" asked the girl. +</P> + +<P> +"Most certainly. In this favored island, which is the Center of the +Universe, a snub nose is an evidence of high breeding which any lady +would be proud to possess." +</P> + +<P> +The Six Snubnosed Princesses now approached the fountain and stood in a +row, staring with haughty looks at the strangers. +</P> + +<P> +"Goodness me, your Majesty!" exclaimed the first. "What queer, +dreadful-looking creatures are these? Where in all the Sky did they +come from?" +</P> + +<P> +"They say they came from the Earth, Cerulia," answered the Boolooroo. +</P> + +<P> +"But that is impossible," said another Princess. "Our scientists have +proved that the Earth is not inhabited." +</P> + +<P> +"Your scientists'll have to guess again, then," said Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"But how did they get to Sky Island?" inquired the third snubnosed one. +</P> + +<P> +"By means of a Magic Umbrella, which I have captured and put away in my +Treasure Chamber," replied the Boolooroo. +</P> + +<P> +"What will you do with the monsters, papa?" asked the fourth Princess. +</P> + +<P> +"I haven't decided yet," said the Boolooroo. "They're curiosities, you +see, and may serve to amuse us. But as they're only half civilized, I +shall make them my slaves." +</P> + +<P> +"What are they good for? Can they do anything useful?" asked the fifth. +</P> + +<P> +"We'll see," returned the King impatiently. "I can't decide in a hurry. +Give me time, Azure, give me time. If there's anything I hate, it's a +hurry." +</P> + +<P> +"I've an idea, your Majesty," announced the sixth Snubnosed Princess, +whose complexion was rather darker than that of her sisters, "and it +has come to me quite deliberately, without any hurry at all. Let us +take the little girl to be our maid—to wait upon us and amuse us when +we're dull. All the other ladies of the court will be wild with envy, +and if the child doesn't prove of use to us, we can keep her for a +living pincushion." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh! Ah! That will be fine!" cried all the other five, and the +Boolooroo said: +</P> + +<P> +"Very well, Indigo, it shall be as you desire." Then he turned to Trot +and added, "I present you to the Six Lovely Snubnosed Princesses, to be +their slave. If you are good and obedient, you won't get your ears +boxed oftener than once an hour." +</P> + +<P> +"I won't be anybody's slave," protested Trot. "I don't like these +snubnosed, fussy females, an' I won't have anything to do with 'em." +</P> + +<P> +"How impudent!" cried Cerulia. +</P> + +<P> +"How vulgar!" cried Turquoise. +</P> + +<P> +"How unladylike!" cried Sapphire. +</P> + +<P> +"How silly!" cried Azure. +</P> + +<P> +"How absurd!" cried Cobalt. +</P> + +<P> +"How wicked!" cried Indigo. And then all six held up their hands as if +horrified. +</P> + +<P> +The Boolooroo laughed. "You'll know how to bring her to time, I +imagine," he remarked, "and if the girl isn't reasonable and obedient, +send her to me and I'll have her patched. Now, then, take her away." +</P> + +<P> +But Trot was obstinate and wouldn't budge a step. "Keep us together, +your Majesty," begged Cap'n Bill. "If we're to be slaves, don't +separate us, but make us all the same kind o' slaves." +</P> + +<P> +"I shall do what pleases me," declared the Boolooroo angrily. "Don't +try to dictate, old Moonface, for there's only one Royal Will in Sky +Island, and that's my own." +</P> + +<P> +He then gave a command to a soldier, who hastened away to the palace +and soon returned with a number of long, blue ribbons. One he tied +around Trot's waist and then attached to it six other ribbons. Each of +the Six Snubnosed Princesses held the end of a ribbon, and then they +turned and marched haughtily away to the palace, dragging the little +girl after them. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't worry, Trot," cried Button-Bright. "We'll get you out of this +trouble pretty soon." +</P> + +<P> +"Trust to us, mate," added Cap'n Bill. "We'll manage to take care o' +you." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, I'm all right," answered Trot with fine courage. "I'm not afraid +of these gawkies." +</P> + +<P> +But the princesses pulled her after them, and soon they had all +disappeared into one of the entrances to the Blue Palace. +</P> + +<P> +"Now, then," said the Boolooroo. "I will instruct you two in your +future duties. I shall make old Moonface—" +</P> + +<P> +"My name's Cap'n Bill Weedles," interrupted the sailor. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't care what your name is. I shall call you old Moonface," +replied the king, "for that suits you quite well. I shall appoint you +the Royal Nectar Mixer to the court of Sky Island, and if you don't mix +our nectar properly, I'll have you patched." +</P> + +<P> +"How do you mix it?" asked Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't mix it. It's not the Boolooroo's place to mix nectar," was the +stern reply. "But you may inquire of the palace servants, and perhaps +the Royal Chef or the Major-domo will condescend to tell you. Take him +to the servants' quarters, Captain Ultramarine, and give him a suit of +the royal livery." +</P> + +<P> +So Cap'n Bill was lad away by the chief of the soldiers, and when he +had gone, the king said to Button-Bright, "You, slave, shall be the +Royal Bootblue. Your duty will be to keep the boots and shoes of the +royal family nicely polished with blue." +</P> + +<P> +"I don't know how," answered Button-Bright surlily. +</P> + +<P> +"You'll soon learn. The Royal Steward will supply you with blue paste, +and when you've brushed this on our shoes, you must shine them with +Q-rays of Moonshine. Do you understand?" +</P> + +<P> +"No," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +Then the Boolooroo told one of the soldiers to take the boy to the +shoeblue den and have him instructed in his duties, and the soldiers +promptly obeyed and dragged Button-Bright away to the end of the palace +where the servants lived. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap07"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +GHIP-GHISIZZLE PROVES FRIENDLY +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 7 +</H3> + +<P> +The Royal Palace was certainly a magnificent building, with large and +lofty rooms and superb furnishings, all being in shades of blue. The +soldier and the boy passed through several broad corridors and then +came to a big hall where many servants were congregated. These were +staring in bewilderment at Cap'n Bill, who had been introduced to them +by Captain Ultramarine. Now they turned in no less surprise to examine +the boy, and their looks expressed not only astonishment but dislike. +</P> + +<P> +The servants were all richly attired in blue silk liveries, and they +seemed disposed to resent the fact that these strangers had been added +to their ranks. They scowled and muttered and behaved in a very +unfriendly way, even after Captain Ultramarine had explained that the +newcomers were merely base slaves, and not to be classed with the free +royal servants of the palace. +</P> + +<P> +One of those present, however, showed no especial enmity to +Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill, and this Blueskin attracted the boy's +notice because his appearance was so strange. He looked as if he were +made of two separate men, each cut through the middle and then joined +together, half of one to half of the other. One side of his blue hair +was curly and the other half straight; one ear was big and stuck out +from the side of his head, while the other ear was small and flat; one +eye was half shut and twinkling, while the other was big and staring; +his nose was thin on one side and flat on the other, while one side of +his mouth curled up and the other down. Button-Bright also noticed that +he limped as he walked because one leg was a trifle longer than the +other, and that one hand was delicate and slender and the other thick +and hardened by use. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't stare at him," a voice whispered in the boy's ear. "The poor +fellow has been patched, that's all." +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright turned to see who had spoken and found by his side a tall +young Blueskin with a blue-gold chain around his neck. He was quite the +best looking person the boy had seen in Sky Island, and he spoke in a +pleasant way and seemed quite friendly. But the two-sided man had +overheard the remark, and he now stepped forward and said in a careless +tone: +</P> + +<P> +"Never mind. It's no disgrace to be patched in a country ruled by such +a cruel Boolooroo as we have. Let the boy look at me if he wants to. +I'm not pretty, but that's not my fault. Blame the Boolooroo." +</P> + +<P> +"I—I'm glad to meet you, sir," stammered Button-Bright. "What is your +name, please?" +</P> + +<P> +"I'm now named Jimfred Jonesjinks, and my partner is called Fredjim +Jinksjones. He's busy at present guarding the Treasure Chamber, but +I'll introduce you to him when he comes back. We've had the misfortune +to be patched, you know." +</P> + +<P> +"What is being patched?" asked the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"They cut two of us in halves and mismatch the halves—half of one to +half of the other, you know—and then the other two halves are patched +together. It destroys our individuality and makes us complex creatures, +so it's the worst punishment than can be inflicted in Sky Island." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh," said Button-Bright, alarmed at such dreadful butchery. "Doesn't +it hurt?" +</P> + +<P> +"No, it doesn't hurt," replied Jimfred. "But it makes one frightfully +nervous. They stand you under a big knife, which drops and slices you +neatly in two, exactly in the middle. Then they match half of you to +another person who has likewise been sliced, and there you are, patched +to someone you don't care about and haven't much interest in. If your +half wants to do something, the other half is likely to want to do +something different, and the funny part of it is you don't quite know +which is your half and which is the other half. It's a terrible +punishment, and in a country where one can't die or be killed until he +has lived his six hundred years, to be patched is a great misfortune." +</P> + +<P> +"I'm sure it is," said Button-Bright earnestly. "But can't you ever +get—get—UNpatched again?" +</P> + +<P> +"If the Boolooroo would consent, I think it could be done," Jimfred +replied, "but he never will consent. This is about the meanest +Boolooroo who ever ruled this land, and he was the first to invent +patching people as a punishment. I think we will all be glad when his +three hundred years of rule are ended." +</P> + +<P> +"When will that be?" inquired the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"Hush-sh-sh!" cried everyone in a chorus, and they all looked over +their shoulders as if frightened by the question. The officer with the +blue-gold chain pulled Button-Bright's sleeve and whispered, "Follow +me, please." And then he beckoned to Cap'n Bill and led the two slaves +to another room where they were alone. +</P> + +<P> +"I must instruct you in your duties," said he when they were all +comfortably seated in cozy chairs with blue cushions. "You must learn +how to obey the Boolooroo's commands, so he won't become angry and have +you patched." +</P> + +<P> +"How could he patch US?" asked the sailorman curiously. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, he'd just slice you all in halves and then patch half of the boy +to half of the girl, and the other half to half of you, and the other +half of you to the other half of the girl. See?" +</P> + +<P> +"Can't say I do," said Cap'n Bill, much bewildered. "It's a reg'lar +mix-up." +</P> + +<P> +"That's what it's meant to be," explained the young officer. +</P> + +<P> +"An' seein' as we're Earth folks, an' not natives of Sky Island, I've +an idea the slicing machine would about end us, without bein' patched," +continued the sailor. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh," said Button-Bright, "so it would." +</P> + +<P> +"While you are in this country, you can't die till you've lived six +hundred years," declared the officer. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "That's different, of course. But who are +you, please?" +</P> + +<P> +"My name is Ghip-Ghi-siz-zle. Can you remember it?" +</P> + +<P> +"I can 'member the 'sizzle,'" said the boy, "but I'm 'fraid the +Gwip—Grip—Glip—" +</P> + +<P> +"Ghip-Ghi-siz-zle" repeated the officer slowly. "I want you to remember +my name, because if you are going to live here, you are sure to hear of +me a great many times. Can you keep a secret?" +</P> + +<P> +"I can try," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"I've kep' secrets—once in a while," asserted Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, try to keep this one. I'm to be the next Boolooroo of Sky +Island." +</P> + +<P> +"Good for you!" cried the sailor. "I wish you was the Boolooroo now, +sir. But it seems you've got to wait a hundred years or more afore you +can take his place." +</P> + +<P> +Ghip-Ghisizzle rose to his feet and paced up and down the room for a +time, a frown upon his face. Then he halted and faced Cap'n Bill. +"Sir," said he, "there lies all my trouble. I'm quite sure the present +Boolooroo has reigned three hundred years next Thursday, but he claims +it is only two hundred years, and as he holds the Royal Book of Records +under lock and key in the Royal Treasury, there is no way for us to +prove he is wrong." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "How old is the Boolooroo?" +</P> + +<P> +"He was two hundred years old when he was elected," replied +Ghip-Ghisizzle. "If he has already reigned three hundred years as I +suspect, then he is now five hundred years old. You see, he is trying +to steal another hundred years of rule so as to remain a tyrant all his +life." +</P> + +<P> +"He don't seem as old as that," observed Cap'n Bill thoughtfully. "Why, +I'm only sixty myself, an' I guess I look twice as old as your king +does." +</P> + +<P> +"We do not show our age in looks," the officer answered. "I am just +about your age, sir—sixty-two my next birthday—but I'm sure I don't +look as old as that." +</P> + +<P> +"That's a fact," agreed Cap'n Bill. Then he turned to Button-Bright and +added, "Don't that prove Sky Island is a fairy country as I said?" +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, I've known that all along," said the boy. "The slicing and +patching proves it, and so do lots of other things." +</P> + +<P> +"Now then," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "let us talk over your duties. It +seems you must mix the royal nectar, Cap'n Bill. Do you know how to do +that?" +</P> + +<P> +"I'm free to say as I don't, friend Sizzle." +</P> + +<P> +"The Boolooroo is very particular about his nectar. I think he has +given you this job so he can find fault with you and have you punished. +But we will fool him. You are strangers here, and I don't want you +imposed upon. I'll send Tiggle to the royal pantry and keep him there +to mix the nectar. Then when the Boolooroo or the Queen or any of the +Snubnosed Princesses call for a drink, you can carry it to them and it +will be sure to suit them." +</P> + +<P> +"Thank'e sir," said Cap'n Bill. "That's real kind of you." +</P> + +<P> +"Your job, Button-Bright, is easier," continued Ghip-Ghisizzle. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm no bootblack," declared the boy. "The Boolooroo has no right to +make me do his dirty work." +</P> + +<P> +"You're a slave," the officer reminded him, "and a slave must obey." +</P> + +<P> +"Why?" asked Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"Because he can't help himself. No slave ever wants to obey, but he +just has to. And it isn't dirty work at all. You don't black the royal +boots and shoes, you merely blue them with a finely perfumed blue +paste. Then you shine them neatly and your task is done. You will not +be humiliated by becoming a bootblack. You'll be a bootblue." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "I don't see much difference, but perhaps +it's a little more respectable." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, the Royal Bootblue is considered a high official in Sky Island. +You do your work at evening or early morning, and the rest of the day +you are at liberty to do as you please." +</P> + +<P> +"It won't last long, Button-Bright," said Cap'n Bill consolingly. +"Somethin's bound to happen pretty soon, you know." +</P> + +<P> +"I think so myself," answered the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"And now," remarked Ghip-Ghisizzle, "since you understand your new +duties, perhaps you'd like to walk out with me and see the Blue City +and the glorious Blue Country of Sky Island." +</P> + +<P> +"We would that!" cried Cap'n Bill promptly. +</P> + +<P> +So they accompanied their new friend through a maze of passages—for +the palace was very big—and then through a high, arched portal into +the streets of the City. So rapid had been their descent when the +umbrella landed them in the royal garden that they had not even caught +a glimpse of the Blue City, so now they gazed with wonder and interest +at the splendid sights that met their eyes. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap08"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE BLUE CITY +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 8 +</H3> + +<P> +The Blue City was quite extensive, and consisted of many broad streets +paved with blue marble and lined with splendid buildings of the same +beautiful material. There were houses and castles and shops for the +merchants, and all were prettily designed and had many slender spires +and imposing turrets that rose far into the blue air. Everything was +blue here, just as was everything in the Royal Palace and gardens, and +a blue haze overhung all the city. +</P> + +<P> +"Doesn't the sun ever shine?" asked Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"Not in the blue part of Sky Island," replied Ghip-Ghisizzle. "The moon +shines here every night, but we never see the sun. I am told, however, +that on the other half of the Island—which I have never seen—the sun +shines brightly but there is no moon at all." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "Is there another half to Sky Island?' +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, a dreadful place called the Pink Country. I'm told everything +there is pink instead of blue. A fearful place it must be, indeed!" +said the Blueskin with a shudder. +</P> + +<P> +"I dunno 'bout that," remarked Cap'n Bill. "That Pink Country sounds +kind o' cheerful to me. Is your Blue Country very big?" +</P> + +<P> +"It is immense," was the proud reply. "This enormous city extends a +half mile in all directions from the center, and the country outside +the City is fully a half-mile further in extent. That's very big, isn't +it?" +</P> + +<P> +"Not very," replied Cap'n Bill with a smile. "We've cities on the Earth +ten times bigger, an' then some big besides. We'd call this a small +town in our country." +</P> + +<P> +"Our Country is thousands of miles wide and thousands of miles +long—it's the great United States of America!" added the boy earnestly. +</P> + +<P> +Ghip-Ghisizzle seemed astonished. He was silent a moment, and then he +said, "Here in Sky Island we prize truthfulness very highly. Our +Boolooroo is not very truthful, I admit, for he is trying to +misrepresent the length of his reign, but our people as a rule speak +only the truth." +</P> + +<P> +"So do we," asserted Cap'n Bill. "What Button-Bright said is the honest +truth, every word of it." +</P> + +<P> +"But we have been led to believe that Sky Island is the greatest +country in the universe—meaning, of course, our half of it, the Blue +Country." +</P> + +<P> +"It may be for you, perhaps," the sailor stated politely. "An' I don't +imagine any island floatin' in the sky is any bigger. But the Universe +is a big place, an' you can't be sure of what's in it till you've +traveled like we have." +</P> + +<P> +"Perhaps you are right," mused the Blueskin, but he still seemed to +doubt them. +</P> + +<P> +"Is the Pink side of Sky Island bigger than the Blue side?" asked +Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"No, it is supposed to be the same size," was the reply. +</P> + +<P> +"Then why haven't you ever been there? Seems to me you could walk +across the whole island in an hour," said the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"The two parts are separated by an impassable barrier," answered +Ghip-Ghisizzle. "Between them lies the Great Fog Bank." +</P> + +<P> +"A fog bank? Why, that's no barrier!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"It is indeed," returned the Blueskin. "The Fog Bank is so thick and +heavy that it blinds one, and if once you got into the Bank, you might +wander forever and not find your way out again. Also, it is full of +dampness that wets your clothes and your hair until you become +miserable. It is furthermore said that those who enter the Fog Bank +forfeit the six hundred years allowed them to live and are liable to +die at any time. Here we do not die, you know; we merely pass away." +</P> + +<P> +"How's that?" asked the sailor. "Isn't 'pass'n' away' jus' the same as +dyin'?" +</P> + +<P> +"No indeed. When our six hundred years are ended, we march into the +Great Blue Grotto, through the Arch of Phinis, and are never seen +again." +</P> + +<P> +"That's queer," said Button-Bright. "What would happen if you didn't +march through the Arch?" +</P> + +<P> +"I do not know, for no one has ever refused to do so. It is the Law, +and we all obey it." +</P> + +<P> +"It saves funeral expenses, anyhow," remarked Cap'n Bill. "Where is +this Arch?" +</P> + +<P> +"Just outside the gates of the City. There is a mountain in the center +of the Blue land, and the entrance to the Great Blue Grotto is at the +foot of the mountain. According to our figures, the Boolooroo ought to +march into this Grotto a hundred years from next Thursday, but he is +trying to steal a hundred years and so perhaps he won't enter the Arch +of Phinis. Therefore, if you will please be patient for about a hundred +years, you will discover what happens to one who breaks the Law." +</P> + +<P> +"Thank'e," remarked Cap'n Bill. "I don't expect to be very curious a +hundred years from now." +</P> + +<P> +"Nor I," added Button-Bright, laughing at the whimsical speech. "But I +don't see how the Boolooroo is able to fool you all. Can't any of you +remember two or three hundred years back when he first began to rule?" +</P> + +<P> +"No," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "that's a long time to remember, and we +Blueskins try to forget all we can, especially whatever is unpleasant. +Those who remember are usually the unhappy ones; only those able to +forget find the most joy in life." +</P> + +<P> +During this conversation they had been walking along the streets of the +Blue City, where many of the Blueskin inhabitants stopped to gaze +wonderingly at the sailor and the boy, whose strange appearance +surprised them. They were a nervous, restless people, and their +egg-shaped heads, set on the ends of long, thin necks, seemed so +grotesque to the strangers that they could scarcely forbear laughing at +them. The bodies of these people were short and round and their legs +exceptionally long, so when a Blueskin walked, he covered twice as much +ground at one step as Cap'n Bill or Button-Bright did. The women seemed +just as repellent as the men, and Button-Bright began to understand +that the Six Snubnosed Princesses were, after all, rather better +looking than most of the females of the Blue Country and so had a +certain right to be proud and haughty. +</P> + +<P> +There were no horses nor cows in this land, but there were plenty of +blue goats, from which the people got their milk. Children tended the +goats—wee Blueskin boys and girls whose appearance was so comical that +Button-Bright laughed whenever he saw one of them. +</P> + +<P> +Although the natives had never seen before this any human beings made +as Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were, they took a strong dislike to the +strangers and several times threatened to attack them. Perhaps if +Ghip-Ghisizzle, who was their favorite, had not been present, they +would have mobbed our friends with vicious ill-will and might have +seriously injured them. But Ghip-Ghisizzle's friendly protection made +them hold aloof. +</P> + +<P> +By and by they passed through a City gate, and their guide showed them +the outer walls, which protected the City from the country beyond. +There were several of these gates, and from their recesses stone steps +led to the top of the wall. They mounted a flight of these steps and +from their elevation plainly saw the low mountain where the Arch of +Phinis was located, and beyond that the thick, blue-gray Fog Bank, +which constantly rolled like billows of the ocean and really seemed, +from a distance, quite forbidding. +</P> + +<P> +"But it wouldn't take long to get there," decided Button-Bright, "and +if you were close up, it might not be worse than any other fog. Is the +Pink Country on the other side of it?" +</P> + +<P> +"So we are told in the Book of Records," replied Ghip-Ghisizzle. "None +of us now living know anything about it, but the Book of Records calls +it the 'Sunset Country' and says that at evening the pink shades are +drowned by terrible colors of orange and crimson and golden-yellow and +red. Wouldn't it be horrible to be obliged to look upon such a sight? +It must give the poor people who live there dreadful headaches." +</P> + +<P> +"I'd like to see that Book of Records," mused Cap'n Bill, who didn't +think the description of the Sunset Country at all dreadful. +</P> + +<P> +"I'd like to see it myself," returned Ghip-Ghisizzle with a sigh, "but +no one can lay hands on it because the Boolooroo keeps it safely locked +up in his Treasure Chamber." +</P> + +<P> +"Where's the key to the Treasure Chamber?" asked Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"The Boolooroo keeps it in his pocket night and day," was the reply. +"He is afraid to let anyone see the Book because it would prove he has +already reigned three hundred years next Thursday, and then he would +have to resign the throne to me and leave the Palace and live in a +common house." +</P> + +<P> +"My Magic Umbrella is in that Treasure Chamber," said Button-Bright, +"and I'm going to try to get it." +</P> + +<P> +"Are you?" inquired Ghip-Ghisizzle eagerly. "Well, if you manage to +enter the Treasure Chamber, be sure to bring me the Book of Records. If +you can do that, I will be the best and most grateful friend you ever +had!" +</P> + +<P> +"I'll see," said the boy. "It ought not to be hard work to break into +the Treasure chamber. Is it guarded?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes. The outside guard is Jimfred Jinksjones, the double patch of the +Fredjim whom you have met, and the inside guard is a ravenous creature +known as the Blue Wolf, which has teeth a foot long and as sharp as +needles." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "But never mind the Blue Wolf; I must manage +to get my umbrella somehow or other." +</P> + +<P> +They now walked back to the palace, still objects of much curiosity to +the natives, who sneered at them and mocked them but dared not +interfere with their progress. At the palace they found that dinner was +about to be served in the big dining hall of the servants and +dependents and household officers of the royal Boolooroo. +Ghip-Ghisizzle was the Majordomo and Master of Ceremonies, so he took +his seat at the end of the long table and placed Cap'n Bill on one side +of him and Button-Bright on the other, to the great annoyance of the +other Blueskins present, who favored the strangers with nothing +pleasanter than envious scowls. +</P> + +<P> +The Boolooroo and his Queen and daughters—the Six Snubnosed +Princesses—dined in formal state in the Banquet Hall, where they were +waited upon by favorite soldiers of the Royal Bodyguard. Here in the +servants' hall there was one vacant seat next to Button-Bright which +was reserved for Trot; but the little girl had not yet appeared, and +the sailorman and the boy were beginning to be uneasy about her. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap09"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE TRIBULATION OF TROT +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 9 +</H3> + +<P> +The apartments occupied by the Six Snubnosed Princesses were so +magnificent that when Trot first entered them, led by her haughty +captors, she thought they must be the most beautiful rooms in the +world. There was a long and broad reception room, with forty-seven +windows in it, and opening out of it were six lovely bedchambers, each +furnished in the greatest luxury. Adjoining each sleeping room was a +marble bath, and each Princess had a separate boudoir and a dressing +room. The furnishings were of the utmost splendor, blue-gold and blue +gems being profusely used in the decorations, while the divans and +chairs were of richly carved bluewood upholstered in blue satins and +silks. The draperies were superbly embroidered, and the rugs upon the +marble floors were woven with beautiful scenes in every conceivable +shade of blue. +</P> + +<P> +When they first reached the reception room, Princess Azure cast herself +upon a divan while her five sisters sat or reclined in easy chairs with +their heads thrown back and their blue chins scornfully elevated. Trot, +who was much annoyed at the treatment she had received, did not +hesitate to seat herself also in a big easy chair. +</P> + +<P> +"Slave!" cried Princess Cerulia, "Fetch me a mirror." +</P> + +<P> +"Slave!" cried Princess Turquoise, "A lock of my hair is loosened; bind +it up." +</P> + +<P> +"Slave!" cried Princess Cobalt, "Unfasten my shoes; they're too tight." +</P> + +<P> +"Slave!" cried Princess Sapphire, "Bring hither my box of blue +chocolates." +</P> + +<P> +"Slave!" cried Princess Azure, "Stand by my side and fan me." +</P> + +<P> +"Slave!" cried Princess Indigo, "Get out of that chair. How dare you +sit in our presence?" +</P> + +<P> +"If you're saying all those things to me," replied Trot, "you may as +well save your breath. I'm no slave." And she cuddled down closer in +the chair. +</P> + +<P> +"You ARE a slave!" shouted the six all together. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm not!" +</P> + +<P> +"Our father, the Revered and Resplendent Royal Ruler of the Blues, has +made you our slave," asserted Indigo with a yawn. +</P> + +<P> +"But he can't," objected the little girl. "I'm some Royal an' Rapturous +an' Ridic'lous myself, an' I won't allow any cheap Boolooroo to order +me 'round." +</P> + +<P> +"Are you of royal birth?" asked Azure, seeming surprised. +</P> + +<P> +"Royal! Why, I'm an American, Snubnoses, and if there's anything +royaler than an American, I'd like to know what it is." +</P> + +<P> +The Princesses seemed uncertain what reply to make to this speech and +began whispering together. Finally, Indigo said to Trot, "We do not +think it matters what you were in your own country, for having left +there you have forfeited your rank. By recklessly intruding into our +domain, you have become a slave, and being a slave you must obey us or +suffer the consequences." +</P> + +<P> +"What cons'quences?" asked the girl. +</P> + +<P> +"Dare to disobey us and you will quickly find out," snapped Indigo, +swaying her head from side to side on its long, swan-like neck like the +pendulum of a clock. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't want any trouble," said Trot gravely. "We came to Sky Island +by mistake and wanted to go right away again; but your father wouldn't +let us. It isn't our fault we're still here, an' I'm free to say you're +a very dis'gree'ble an' horrid lot of people with no manners to speak +of, or you'd treat us nicely." +</P> + +<P> +"No impertinence!" cried Indigo savagely. +</P> + +<P> +"Why, it's the truth," replied Trot. +</P> + +<P> +Indigo made a rush and caught Trot by both shoulders. The Princess was +twice the little girl's size, and she shook her victim so violently +that Trot's teeth rattled together. Then Princess Cobalt came up and +slapped one side of the slave's face, and Princess Turquoise ran +forward and slapped the other side. Cerulia gave Trot a push one way, +and Sapphire pushed her the other way, so the little girl was quite out +of breath and very angry when finally her punishment ceased. She had +not been much hurt, though, and she was wise enough to understand that +these Princesses were all cruel and vindictive, so that her safest plan +was to pretend to obey them. +</P> + +<P> +"Now then," commanded Princess Indigo, "go and feed my little blue dog +that crows like a rooster." +</P> + +<P> +"And feed my pretty blue cat that sings like a bird," said Princess +Azure. +</P> + +<P> +"And feed my soft, blue lamb that chatters like a monkey," said +Princess Cobalt. +</P> + +<P> +"And feed my poetic blue parrot that barks like a dog," said Princess +Sapphire. +</P> + +<P> +"And feed my fuzzy blue rabbit that roars like a lion," said Princess +Turquoise. +</P> + +<P> +"And feed my lovely blue peacock that mews like a cat," said Princess +Cerulia. +</P> + +<P> +"Anything else?" asked Trot, drawing a long breath. +</P> + +<P> +"Not until you have properly fed our pets," replied Azure with a scowl. +</P> + +<P> +"What do they eat, then?" +</P> + +<P> +"Meat!" +</P> + +<P> +"Milk!" +</P> + +<P> +"Clover!" +</P> + +<P> +"Seeds!" +</P> + +<P> +"Bread!" +</P> + +<P> +"Carrots!" +</P> + +<P> +"All right," said Trot, "where do you keep the menagerie?" +</P> + +<P> +"Our pets are in our boudoirs," said Indigo harshly. "What a little +fool you are!" +</P> + +<P> +"Perhaps," said Trot, pausing as she was about to leave the room, "when +I grow up I'll be as big a fool as any of you." +</P> + +<P> +Then she ran away to escape another shaking, and in the first boudoir +she found the little blue dog curled up on a blue cushion in a corner. +Trot patted his head gently, and this surprised the dog, who was +accustomed to cuffs and kicks. So he licked Trot's hand and wagged his +funny little tail and then straightened up and crowed like a rooster. +The girl was delighted with the queer doggie, and she found some meat +in a cupboard and fed him out of her hand, patting the tiny creature +and stroking his soft blue hair. The doggie had never in his life known +anyone so kind and gentle, so when Trot went into the next boudoir, the +animal followed close at her heels, wagging his tail every minute. +</P> + +<P> +The blue cat was asleep on a window seat, but it woke up when Trot +tenderly took it in her lap and fed it milk from a blue-gold dish. It +was a pretty cat and instantly knew the little girl was a friend vastly +different from its own bad-tempered mistress, so it sang beautifully as +a bird sings, and both the cat and the dog followed Trot into the third +boudoir. +</P> + +<P> +Here was a tiny baby lamb with fleece as blue as a larkspur and as soft +as milk. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, you darling!" cried Trot, hugging the little lamb tight in her +arms. At once the lamb began chattering just as a monkey chatters, only +in the most friendly and grateful way, and Trot fed it a handful of +fresh blue clover and smoothed and petted it until the lamb was eager +to follow her wherever she might go. +</P> + +<P> +When she came to the fourth boudoir, a handsome blue parrot sat on a +blue perch and began barking as if it were nearly starved. Then it +cried out, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Rub-a-dub, dub,<BR> + Gimme some grub!"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +Trot laughed and gave it some seeds, and while the parrot ate them she +stroked gently his soft feathers. The bird seemed much astonished at +the unusual caress and turned upon the girl first one little eye and +then the other as if trying to discover why she was so kind. He had +never experienced kind treatment in all his life. So it was no wonder +that when the little girl entered the fifth boudoir she was followed by +the parrot, the lamb, the cat and the dog, who all stood beside her and +watched her feed the peacock, which she found strutting around and +mewing like a cat for his dinner. Said the parrot, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "I spy a peacock's eye<BR> + On every feather. I wonder why?"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +The peacock soon came to love Trot as much as the other bird and all +the beasts did, and it spread its tail and strutted after her into the +next boudoir, the sixth one. As she entered this room, Trot gave a +start of fear, for a terrible roar like the roar of a lion greeted her. +But there was no lion there; a fuzzy, blue rabbit was making all the +noise. "For goodness sake keep quiet," said Trot. "Here's a nice blue +carrot for you. The color seems all wrong, but it may taste jus' as +good as if it was red." +</P> + +<P> +Evidently it did taste good, for the rabbit ate it greedily. When it +was not roaring, the creature was so soft and fluffy that Trot played +with it and fondled it a long time after it had finished eating, and +the rabbit played with the cat and the dog and the lamb and did not +seem a bit afraid of the parrot or the peacock. But all of a sudden in +pounced Princess Indigo with a yell of anger. +</P> + +<P> +"So this is how you waste your time, is it?" exclaimed the Princess, +and grabbing Trot's arm, she jerked the girl to her feet and began +pushing her from the room. All the pets began to follow her, and seeing +this, Indigo yelled at them to keep back. As they paid no attention to +this command, the princess seized a basin of water and dashed the fluid +over the beasts and birds, after which she renewed her attempt to push +Trot from the room. The pets rebelled at such treatment, and believing +they ought to protect Trot, whom they knew to be their friend, they +proceeded to defend her. The little blue dog dashed at Indigo and bit +her right ankle, while the blue cat scratched her left leg with its +claws and the parrot flew upon her shoulder and pecked her ear. The +lamb ran up and butted Indigo so that she stumbled forward on her face, +when the peacock proceeded to pound her head with his wings. Indigo, +screaming with fright, sprang to her feet again, but the rabbit ran +between her legs and tripped her up, all the time roaring loudly like a +lion, and the dog crowed triumphantly, as a rooster crows, while the +cat warbled noisily and the lamb chattered and the parrot barked and +the peacock screeched "me-ow!" +</P> + +<P> +Altogether, Indigo was, as Trot said, "scared stiff," and she howled +for help until her sisters ran in and rescued her, pulling her through +the bedchamber into the reception room. When she was alone, Trot sat +down on the floor and laughed until the tears came to her eyes, and she +hugged all the pets and kissed them every one and thanked them for +protecting her. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "That's all right;<BR> + We like a fight,"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +declared the parrot in reply. +</P> + +<P> +The Princesses were horrified to find Indigo so scratched and bitten, +and they were likewise amazed at the rebellion of their six pets, which +they had never petted, indeed, but kept in their boudoirs so they could +abuse them whenever they felt especially wicked or ill-natured. None of +the snubnosed ones dared enter the room where the girl was, but they +called through a crack in the door for Trot to come out instantly. +Trot, pretending not to hear, paid no attention to these demands. +</P> + +<P> +Finding themselves helpless and balked of their revenge, the Six +Snubnosed Princesses finally recovered from their excitement and +settled down to a pleasant sisterly quarrel, as was their customary +amusement. Indigo wanted to have Trot patched, and Cerulia wanted her +beaten with knotted cords, and Cobalt wanted her locked up in a dark +room, and Sapphire wanted her fed on sand, and Turquoise wanted her +bound to a windmill, and so between these various desires, they +quarreled and argued until dinner time arrived. +</P> + +<P> +Trot was occupying Indigo's room, so that Princess was obliged to dress +with Azure, not daring to enter her own chamber, and the two sisters +quarreled so enthusiastically that they almost came to blows before +they were ready for dinner. +</P> + +<P> +Before the Six Snubnosed Princesses went to the Royal Banquet Hall, +Cobalt stuck her head through a crack of the door and said to Trot, "If +you want any dinner, you'll find it in the servants' hall. I advise you +to eat, for after our dinner we will decide upon a fitting punishment +for you, and then I'm sure you won't have much appetite." +</P> + +<P> +"Thank you," replied the girl. "I'm right hungry, jus' now." She waited +until the snubnosed sextette had pranced haughtily away, and then she +came out, followed by all the pets, and found her way to the servants' +quarters. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap10"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE KING'S TREASURE CHAMBER +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 10 +</H3> + +<P> +All the Blueskins assembled in the servants' hall were amazed to see +the pets of the Princesses trailing after the strange little girl, but +Trot took her place next to Button-Bright at the table, and the parrot +perched upon her shoulder, while the peacock stood upon one side of her +chair, and the lamb upon the other, and the cat and dog lay at her feet +and the blue rabbit climbed into her lap and cuddled down there. Some +of the Blueskins insisted that the animals and birds must be put out of +the room, but Ghip-Ghisizzle said they could remain, as they were the +favored pets of the lovely Snubnosed Princesses. +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill was delighted to see his dear little friend again, and so +was Button-Bright, and now that they were reunited—for a time, at +least—they paid little heed to the sour looks and taunting remarks of +the ugly Blueskins and ate heartily of the dinner, which was really +very good. +</P> + +<P> +The meal was no sooner over than Ghip-Ghisizzle was summoned to the +chamber of his Majesty the Boolooroo, but before he went away, he took +Trot and Cap'n Bill and Button-Bright into a small room and advised +them to stay there until he returned so that the servants and soldiers +would not molest them. "My people seem to dislike strangers," said the +Majordomo thoughtfully, "and that surprises me because you are the +first strangers they have ever seen. I think they imagine you will +become favorites of the Boolooroo and of the Princesses, and that is +why they are jealous and hate you." +</P> + +<P> +"They needn't worry 'bout that," replied Trot. "The Snubnoses hate me +worse than the people do." +</P> + +<P> +"I can't imagine a bootblue becoming a royal favorite," grumbled +Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"Or a necktie mixer," added Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"You don't mix neckties; you're a nectar mixer," said Ghip-Ghisizzle +correcting the sailor. "I'll not be gone long, for I'm no favorite of +the Boolooroo, either, so please stay quietly in this room until my +return." +</P> + +<P> +The Majordomo found the Boolooroo in a bad temper. He had finished his +dinner, where his six daughters had bitterly denounced Trot all through +the meal and implored their father to invent some new and terrible +punishment for her. Also, his wife, the Queen, had made him angry by +begging for gold to buy ribbons with. Then, when he had retired to his +own private room, he decided to send for the umbrella he had stolen +from Button-Bright and test its magic powers. But the umbrella, in his +hands, proved just as common as any other umbrella might be. He opened +it and closed it, and turned it this way and that, commanding it to do +all sorts of things, but of course the Magic Umbrella would obey no one +but a member of the family that rightfully owned it. At last the +Boolooroo threw it down and stamped upon it and then kicked it into a +corner, where it rolled underneath a cabinet. Then he sent for +Ghip-Ghisizzle. +</P> + +<P> +"Do you know how to work that Magic Umbrella?" he asked the Majordomo. +</P> + +<P> +"No, your Majesty, I do not," was the reply. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, find out. Make the Whiteskins tell you so that I can use it for +my own amusement." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll do my best, your Majesty," said Ghip-Ghisizzle. +</P> + +<P> +"You'll do more than that, or I'll have you patched!" roared the angry +Boolooroo. "And don't waste any time, either, for as soon as we find +out the secret of the umbrella I'm going to have the three strangers +marched through the Arch of Phinis, and that will be the end of them." +</P> + +<P> +"You can't do that, your Majesty," said the Majordomo. +</P> + +<P> +"Why can't I?" +</P> + +<P> +"They haven't lived six hundred years yet, and only those who have +lived that length of time are allowed to march through the Arch of +Phinis into the Great Blue Grotto." +</P> + +<P> +The King looked at him with a sneer. "Has anyone ever come out of that +Arch alive?" he asked. +</P> + +<P> +"No," said Ghip-ghisizzle, "but no one has ever gone into the Blue +Grotto until his allotted time was up." +</P> + +<P> +"Well, I'm going to try the experiment," declared the Boolooroo. "I +shall march these three strangers through the Arch, and if by chance +they come out alive, I'll do a new sort of patching—I'll chop off +their heads and mix 'em up, putting the wrong head on each of 'em. Ha, +ha! Won't it be funny to see the old Moonface's head on the little +girl? Ho, ho! I really hope they'll come out of the Great Blue Grotto +alive!" +</P> + +<P> +"I also hope they will," replied Ghip-Ghisizzle. +</P> + +<P> +"Then I'll bet you four buttonholes they don't. I've a suspicion that +once they enter the Great Blue Grotto that's the last of them." +</P> + +<P> +Ghip-Ghisizzle went away quite sad and unhappy. He did not approve the +way the strangers were being treated and thought it was wicked and +cruel to try to destroy them. +</P> + +<P> +During his absence, the prisoners had been talking together very +earnestly. "We must get away from here somehow 'r other," said Cap'n +Bill, "but o' course we can't stir a step without the Magic Umbrel." +</P> + +<P> +"No, I must surely manage to get my umbrella first," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"Do it quick, then," urged Trot, "for I can't stand those snubnoses +much longer." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll do it tonight," said the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"The sooner, the better, my lad," remarked the sailor, "but seein' as +the Blue Boolooroo has locked it up in his Treasure Chamber, it mayn't +be easy to get hold of." +</P> + +<P> +"No, it won't be easy," Button-Bright admitted. "But it has to be done, +Cap'n Bill, and there's no use waiting any longer. No one here likes +us, and in a few days they may make an end of us." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, Button-Bright! There's a Blue Wolf in the Treasure Chamber!" +exclaimed Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I know." +</P> + +<P> +"An' a patched man on guard outside," Cap'n Bill reminded him. +</P> + +<P> +"I know," repeated Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"And the key's in the King's own pocket," added Trot despairingly. +</P> + +<P> +The boy nodded. He didn't say how he would overcome all these +difficulties, so the little girl feared they would never see the Magic +Umbrella again. But their present position was a very serious one, and +even Cap'n Bill dared not advise Button-Bright to give up the desperate +attempt. +</P> + +<P> +When Ghip-Ghisizzle returned, he said, "You must be very careful not to +anger the Boolooroo, or he may do you a mischief. I think the little +girl had better keep away from the Princesses for tonight unless they +demand her presence. The boy must go for the King's shoes and blue them +and polish them and then take them back to the Royal Bedchamber. Cap'n +Bill won't have anything to do, for I've ordered Tiggle to mix the +nectar." +</P> + +<P> +"Thank 'e, friend Sizzle," said Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"Now follow me, and I will take you to your rooms." +</P> + +<P> +He led them to the rear of the palace, where he gave them three small +rooms on the ground floor, each having a bed in it. Cap'n Bill's room +had a small door leading out into the street of the City, but Ghip +Ghisizzle advised him to keep this door locked, as the city people +would be sure to hurt the strangers if they had the chance to attack +them. +</P> + +<P> +"You're safer in the palace than anywhere else," said the Majordomo, +"for there is no way you can escape from the island, and here the +servants and soldiers dare not injure you for fear of the Boolooroo." +</P> + +<P> +He placed Trot and her six pets—which followed her wherever she +went—in one room, and Cap'n Bill in another, and took Button-Bright +away with him to show the boy the way to the King's bedchamber. As they +proceeded, they passed many rooms with closed doors, and before one of +these a patched Blueskin was pacing up and down in a tired and sleepy +way. It was Jimfred Jinksjones, the double of the Fredjim Jonesjinks +they had talked with in the servants' hall, and he bowed low before the +Majordomo. +</P> + +<P> +"This is the King's new bootblue, a stranger who has lately arrived +here," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, introducing the boy to the patched man. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm sorry for him," muttered Jimfred. "He's a queer-looking chap, with +his pale yellow skin, and I imagine our cruel Boolooroo is likely to +patch him before long, as he did me—I mean us." +</P> + +<P> +"No he won't," said Button-Bright positively. "The Boolooroo's afraid +of me." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, that's different," said Jimfred. "You're the first person I ever +knew that could scare our Boolooroo." +</P> + +<P> +They passed on, and Ghip-Ghisizzle whispered, "That is the Royal +Treasure Chamber." Button-Bright nodded. He had marked the place well +so he couldn't miss it when he wanted to find it again. When they came +to the King's apartments there was another guard before the door, this +time a long-necked soldier with a terrible scowl. +</P> + +<P> +"This slave is the Royal Bootblue," said Ghip-Ghisizzle to the guard. +"You will allow him to pass into his Majesty's chamber to get the royal +shoes and to return them when they are blued." +</P> + +<P> +"All right," answered the guard. "Our Boolooroo is in an ugly mood +tonight. It will go hard with this little short-necked creature if he +doesn't polish the shoes properly." +</P> + +<P> +Then Ghip-Ghisizzle left Button-Bright and went away, and the boy +passed through several rooms to the Royal Bedchamber, where his Majesty +sat undressing. +</P> + +<P> +"Hi, there! What are you doing here?" he roared as he saw Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"I've come for the shoes," said the boy. +</P> + +<P> +The king threw them at his head, aiming carefully, but Button-Bright +dodged the missiles, and one smashed a mirror while the other shattered +a vase on a small table. His Majesty looked around for something else +to throw, but the boy seized the shoes and ran away, returning to his +own room. +</P> + +<P> +While he polished the shoes he told his plans to Cap'n Bill and Trot +and asked them to be ready to fly with him as soon as he returned with +the Magic Umbrella. All they need to do was to step out into the +street, through the door of Cap'n Bill's room, and open the umbrella. +Fortunately, the seats and the lunch-basket were still attached to the +handle—or so they thought—and there would be nothing to prevent their +quickly starting on the journey home. +</P> + +<P> +They waited a long time, however, to give the Boolooroo time to get to +sleep, so it was after midnight when Button-Bright finally took the +shoes in his hand and started for the Royal Bedchamber. He passed the +guard of the Royal Treasury and Fredjim nodded good-naturedly to the +boy. But the sleepy guard before the King's apartments was cross and +surly. +</P> + +<P> +"What are you doing here at this hour?" he demanded. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm returning his Majesty's shoes," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"Go back and wait till morning," commanded the guard. +</P> + +<P> +"If you prevent me from obeying the Boolooroo's orders," returned the +boy quietly, "he will probably have you patched." +</P> + +<P> +This threat frightened the long-necked guard, who did not know what +orders the Boolooroo had given his Royal Bootblue. "Go in, then," said +he, "but if you make a noise and waken his Majesty, the chances are +you'll get yourself patched." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll be quiet," promised the boy. +</P> + +<P> +Indeed, Button-Bright had no desire to waken the Boolooroo, whom he +found snoring lustily with the curtains of his high-posted bed drawn +tightly around him. The boy had taken off his own shoes after he passed +the guard and now he tiptoed carefully into the room, set down the +royal shoes very gently and then crept to the chair where his Majesty's +clothes were piled. Scarcely daring to breathe for fear of awakening +the terrible monarch, the boy searched in the royal pockets until he +found a blue-gold key attached to a blue-gold chain. At once he decided +this must be the key to the Treasure Chamber, but in order to make sure +he searched in every other pocket—without finding another key. +</P> + +<P> +Then Button-Bright crept softly out of the room again, and in one of +the outer rooms he sat down near a big cabinet and put on his shoes. +Poor Button-Bright did not know that lying disregarded beneath that +very cabinet at his side was the precious umbrella he was seeking, or +that he was undertaking a desperate adventure all for nothing. He +passed the long-necked guard again, finding the man half asleep, and +then made his way to the Treasure Chamber. Facing Jimfred, he said to +the patched man in a serious tone, "His Majesty commands you to go at +once to the corridor leading to the apartments of the Six Snubnosed +Princesses and to guard the entrance until morning. You are to permit +no one to enter or leave the apartments." +</P> + +<P> +"But—good gracious!" exclaimed the surprised Jimfred. "Who will guard +the Treasure Chamber?" +</P> + +<P> +"I am to take your place," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, very well," replied Jimfred. "This is a queer freak for our +Boolooroo to indulge in, but he is always doing something absurd. +You're not much of a guard, seems to me, but if anyone tries to rob the +Treasure Chamber you must ring this big gong, which will alarm the +whole palace and bring the soldiers to your assistance. Do you +understand?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +Then Fredjim stalked away to the other side of the palace to guard the +Princesses, and Button-Bright was left alone with the key to the +Treasure Chamber in his hand. But he had not forgotten that the +ferocious Blue Wolf was guarding the interior of the Chamber, so he +searched in some of the rooms until he found a sofa-pillow, which he +put under his arm and then returned to the corridor. +</P> + +<P> +He placed the key in the lock, and the bolt turned with a sharp click. +Button-Bright did not hesitate. He was afraid, to be sure, and his +heart was beating fast with the excitement of the moment, but he knew +he must regain the Magic Umbrella if he would save his comrades and +himself from destruction, for without it they could never return to the +Earth. So he summoned up his best courage, opened the door, stepped +quickly inside, and closed the door after him. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap11"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +BUTTON-BRIGHT ENCOUNTERS THE BLUE WOLF +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 11 +</H3> + +<P> +A low, fierce growl greeted him. The Treasure Chamber was pretty dark, +although the moonlight came in through some of the windows, but the boy +had brought with him the low brass lamp that lighted the corridor, and +this he set upon a table beside the door before he took time to look +around him. +</P> + +<P> +The Treasure Chamber was heaped and crowded with all the riches the +Boolooroo had accumulated during his reign of two or three hundred +years. Piles of gold and jewels were on all sides, and precious +ornaments and splendid cloths, rare pieces of carved furniture, vases, +bric-a-brac and the like, were strewn about the room in astonishing +profusion. +</P> + +<P> +Just at the boy's feet crouched a monstrous animal of most fearful +aspect. He knew at a glance it was the terrible Blue Wolf, and the +sight of the beast sent a shiver through him. The Blue Wolf's head was +fully as big as that of a lion, and its wide jaws were armed with rows +of long, pointed teeth. His shoulders and front legs were huge and +powerful, but the rest of the wolf's body dwindled away until at the +tail it was no bigger than a dog. The jaws were therefore the dangerous +part of the creature, and its small blue eyes flashed wickedly at the +intruder. +</P> + +<P> +Just as the boy made his first step forward, the Blue Wolf sprang upon +him with its enormous jaws stretched wide open. Button-Bright jammed +the sofa-pillow into the brute's mouth and crowded it in as hard as he +could. The terrible teeth came together and buried themselves in the +pillow, and then Mr. Wolf found he could not pull them out +again—because his mouth was stuffed full. He could not even growl or +yelp, but rolled upon the floor trying in vain to release himself from +the conquering pillow. +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright paid no further attention to the helpless animal, but +caught up the blue-brass lamp and began a search for his umbrella. Of +course he could not find it, as it was not there. He came across a +small book bound in light-blue leather which lay upon an exquisitely +carved center-table. It was named, in dark-blue letters stamped on the +leather, "The Royal Record Book," and remembering Ghip-Ghisizzle longed +to possess this book, Button-Bright hastily concealed it inside his +blouse. Then he renewed his search for the umbrella, but it was quite +in vain. He hunted in every crack and corner, bumbling the treasures +here and there in the quest, but at last he became positive that the +Magic Umbrella was not there. +</P> + +<P> +The boy was bitterly disappointed and did not know what to do next. But +he noticed that the Blue Wolf had finally seized an edge of the +sofa-pillow in its sharp claws and was struggling to pull the thing out +of his mouth; so, there being no object in his remaining longer in the +room where he might have to fight the wolf again, Button-Bright went +out and locked the door behind him. +</P> + +<P> +While he stood in the corridor wondering what to do next, a sudden +shouting reached his ears. It was the voice of the Boolooroo, saying +"My Key, my Key! Who has stolen my golden Key?" And then there followed +shouts of soldiers and guards and servants, and the rapid pattering of +feet was heard throughout the palace. +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright took to his heels and ran along the passages until he +came to Cap'n Bill's room, where the sailorman and Trot were anxiously +awaiting him. +</P> + +<P> +"Quick!" cried the boy. "We must escape from here at once, or we will +be caught and patched." +</P> + +<P> +"Where's the umbrel?" asked Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't know. I can't find it. But all the palace is aroused, and the +Boolooroo is furious. Come, let's get away at once!" +</P> + +<P> +"Where'll we go?" inquired Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"We must make for the open country and hide in the Fog Bank or in the +Arch of Phinis," replied the boy. +</P> + +<P> +They did not stop to argue any longer, but all three stepped out of the +little door into the street, where they first clasped hands so they +would not get separated in the dark, and then ran as swiftly as they +could down the street, which was deserted at this hour by the citizens. +They could not go very fast because the sailorman's wooden leg was +awkward to run with and held them back, but Cap'n Bill hobbled quicker +than he had ever hobbled before in all his life, and they really made +pretty good progress. +</P> + +<P> +They met no one on the streets and continued their flight until at last +they came to the City Wall, which had a blue-iron gate in it. Here was +a Blueskin guard, who had been peacefully slumbering when aroused by +the footsteps of the fugitives. "Halt!" cried the guard fiercely. +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill halted long enough to grab the man around his long neck with +one hand and around his long leg with the other hand. Then he raised +the Blueskin in the air and threw him far over the wall. A moment later +they had unfastened the gate and fled into the open country, where they +headed toward the low mountain whose outlines were plainly visible in +the moonlight. +</P> + +<P> +The guard was now howling and crying for help. In the city were +answering shouts. A hue and cry came from every direction, reaching as +far as the palace. Lights began to twinkle everywhere in the streets, +and the Blue city hummed like a beehive filled with angry bees. "It +won't do for us to get caught now," panted Cap'n Bill as they ran +along. "I'm more afeared o' them Blue citizens ner I am 'o the Blue +Boolooroo. They'd tear us to pieces if they could." +</P> + +<P> +Sky Island was not a very big place, especially the blue part of it, +and our friends were now very close to the low mountain. Presently they +paused before a grim archway of blue marble, above which was carved the +one word, "Phinis." The interior seemed dark and terrible as they +stopped to regard it as a possible place of refuge. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't like that place, Cap'n," whispered Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"No more do I, mate," he answered. +</P> + +<P> +"I think I'd rather take a chance on the Fog Bank," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +Just then they were all startled by a swift flapping of wings, and a +voice cried in shrill tones, +</P> + +<P> +"Where are you, Trot? As like as not I've been forgot!" +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill jumped this way and Button-Bright that, and then there +alighted on Trot's shoulder the blue parrot that had been the pet of +the Princess Cerulia. Said the bird, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Gee! I've flown<BR> + Here all alone.<BR> + It's pretty far,<BR> + But here we are!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +and then he barked like a dog and chuckled with glee at having found +his little friend. +</P> + +<P> +In escaping the palace, Trot had been obliged to leave all the pets +behind her, but it seemed that the parrot had found some way to get +free and follow her. They were all astonished to hear the bird +talk—and in poetry, too—but Cap'n Bill told Trot that some parrots he +had known had possessed a pretty fair gift of language, and he added +that this blue one seemed an unusually bright bird. "As fer po'try," +said he, "that's as how you look at po'try. Rhymes come from your head, +but real po'try from your heart, an' whether the blue parrot has a +heart or not, he's sure got a head." +</P> + +<P> +Having decided not to venture into the Arch of Phinis, they again +started on, this time across the country straight toward the Fog Bank, +which hung like a blue-grey cloud directly across the center of the +island. They knew they were being followed by bands of the Blueskins, +for they could hear the shouts of their pursuers growing louder and +louder every minute, since their long legs covered the ground more +quickly than our friends could possibly go. Had the journey been much +farther, the fugitives would have been overtaken, but when the leaders +of the pursuing Blueskins were only a few yards behind them, they +reached the edge of the Fog Bank and without hesitation plunged into +its thick mist, which instantly hid them from view. +</P> + +<P> +The Blueskins fell back, horrified at the mad act of the strangers. To +them the Fog Bank was the most dreadful thing in existence, and no +Blueskin had ever ventured within it even for a moment. +</P> + +<P> +"That's the end of those short-necked Yellowskins," said one, shaking +his head. "We may as well go back and report the matter to the +Boolooroo." +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap12"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THROUGH THE FOG BANK +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 12 +</H3> + +<P> +It was rather moist in the Fog Bank. "Seems like a reg'lar drizzle," +said Trot. "I'll be soaked through in a minute." She had been given a +costume of blue silk in exchange for her own dress, and the silk was so +thin that the moisture easily wetted it. +</P> + +<P> +"Never mind," said Cap'n Bill. "When it's a case of life 'n' death, +clo's don't count for much. I'm sort o' drippy myself." +</P> + +<P> +Cried the parrot, fluttering his feathers to try to keep them from +sticking together, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Floods and gushes fill our path—<BR> + This is not my day for a bath!<BR> + Shut if off, or fear my wrath."<BR> +</P> + +<P> +"We can't," laughed Trot. "We'll jus' have to stick it out till we get +to the other side." +</P> + +<P> +"Had we better go to the other side?" asked Button-Bright anxiously. +</P> + +<P> +"Why not?" returned Cap'n Bill. "The other side's the only safe side +for us." +</P> + +<P> +"We don't know that, sir," said the boy. "Ghip-Ghisizzle said it was a +terrible country." +</P> + +<P> +"I don't believe it," retorted the sailor stoutly. "Sizzle's never been +there, an' he knows nothing about it. 'The Sunset Country' sounds sort +o' good to me." +</P> + +<P> +"But how'll we ever manage to get there?" inquired Trot. "Aren't we +already lost in this fog?" +</P> + +<P> +"Not yet," said Cap'n Bill. "I've kep' my face turned straight ahead +ever since we climbed inter this bank o' wetness. If we don't get +twisted any, we'll go straight through to the other side." +</P> + +<P> +It was no darker in the Fog Bank than it had been in the Blue Country. +They could see dimly the mass of fog, which seemed to cling to them, +and when they looked down, they discovered that they were walking upon +white pebbles that were slightly tinged with the blue color of the sky. +Gradually this blue became fainter until, as they progressed, +everything became a dull gray. +</P> + +<P> +"I wonder how far it is to the other side," remarked Trot wearily. +</P> + +<P> +"We can't say till we get there, mate," answered the sailor in a +cheerful voice. Cap'n Bill had a way of growing more and more cheerful +when danger threatened. +</P> + +<P> +"Never mind," said the girl. "I'm as wet as a dishrag now, and I'll +never get any wetter." +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Wet, wet, wet!<BR> + It's awful wet, you bet!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +moaned the parrot on her shoulder. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "I'm a fish-pond, I'm a well;<BR> + I'm a clam without a shell!"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +"Can't you dry up?" asked Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Not this evening, thank you, sir;<BR> + To talk and grumble I prefer,"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +replied the parrot dolefully. +</P> + +<P> +They walked along more slowly now, still keeping hold of hands, for +although they were anxious to get through the Fog Bank, they were tired +with the long run across the country and with their day's adventures. +They had no sleep and it was a long time past midnight. +</P> + +<P> +"Look out!" cried the parrot sharply; and they all halted to find a +monstrous frog obstructing their path. Cap'n Bill thought it was as big +as a whale, and as it squatted on the gray pebbles, its eyes were on a +level with those of the old sailor. +</P> + +<P> +"Ker-chug, herk-choo!" grunted the frog. "What in the Sky is THIS +crowd?" +</P> + +<P> +"W-we're strangers," stammered Trot, "an' we're tryin' to 'scape from +the Blueskins an' get into the Pink Country." +</P> + +<P> +"I don't blame you," said the frog in a friendly tone. "I hate those +Blueskins. The Pinkies, however, are very decent neighbors." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, I'm glad to hear that!" cried Button-Bright. "Can you tell us, +Mister—Mistress—good Mr. Frog—eh, eh, your Royal Highness, if we're +on the right road to the Pink Country?" +</P> + +<P> +The frog seemed to laugh, for he gurgled in his throat in a very funny +way. "I'm no Royal Highness," he said. "I'm just a common frog, and a +little wee tiny frog, too. But I hope to grow in time. This Fog Bank is +the Paradise of Frogs, and our King is about ten times as big as I am." +</P> + +<P> +"Then he's a big 'un, an' no mistake," admitted Cap'n Bill. "I'm glad +you like your country, but it's a mite too damp for us, an' we'd be +glad to get out of it." +</P> + +<P> +"Follow me," said the frog. "I'll lead you to the border. It's only +about six jumps." He turned around, made a mighty leap and disappeared +in the gray mist. Our friends looked at one another in bewilderment. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't see how we can foller that lead," remarked Cap'n Bill, "but we +may as well start in the same direction." +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Brooks and creeks,<BR> + How it leaks!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +muttered the parrot. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "How can we jog<BR> + To a frog in the fog?"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +The big frog seemed to understand their difficulty, for he kept making +noises in his throat to guide them to where he had leaped. When at last +they came up to him, he made a second jump—out of sight, as +before—and when they attempted to follow, they found a huge lizard +lying across the path. Cap'n Bill thought it must be a giant alligator +at first, it was so big, but he looked at them sleepily and did not +seem at all dangerous. +</P> + +<P> +"O, Liz—you puffy Liz—Get out of our way and mind your biz," cried +the parrot. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Creep-a-mousie, crawl-a-mousie, please move on!<BR> + We can't move a step till you are gone."<BR> +</P> + +<P> +"Don't disturb me," said the lizard. "I'm dreaming about parsnips. Did +you ever taste a parsnip?" +</P> + +<P> +"We're in a hurry, if it's the same to you, sir," said Cap'n Bill +politely. +</P> + +<P> +"Then climb over me or go around, I don't care which," murmured the +lizard. "When they're little, they're juicy; when they're big, there's +more of 'em; but either way there's nothing so delicious as a parsnip. +There are none here in the Fog Bank, so the best I can do is dream of +them. Oh, parsnips, par-snips, p-a-r-snips!" He closed his eyes +sleepily and resumed his dreams. +</P> + +<P> +Walking around the lizard, they resumed their journey and soon came to +the frog, being guided by its grunts and croaks. Then off it went +again, its tremendous leap carrying it far into the fog. Suddenly, +Cap'n Bill tripped and would have fallen flat had not Trot and +Button-Bright held him up. Then he saw that he had stumbled over the +claw of a gigantic land-crab, which lay sprawled out upon the pebbly +bottom. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, beg parding, I'm sure!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill, backing away. +</P> + +<P> +"Don't mention it," replied the crab in a tired tone. "You did not +disturb me, so there is no harm done." +</P> + +<P> +"We didn't know you were here," explained Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Probably not," said the crab. "It's no place for me, anyhow, for I +belong in the Constellations, you know, with Taurus and Gemini and the +other fellows. But I had the misfortune to tumble out of the Zodiac +some time ago. My name is Cancer, but I'm not a disease. Those who +examine the heavens in these days, alas! can find no Cancer there." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes we can, sir, Mister Cancer!" said the parrot with a chuckle. +</P> + +<P> +"Once," remarked Cap'n Bill, "I sawr a picter of you in an almanac." +</P> + +<P> +"Ah, the almanacs always did us full justice," the crab replied, "but +I'm told they're not fashionable now." +</P> + +<P> +"If you don't mind, we'd like to pass on," said Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"No, I don't mind, but be careful not to step on my legs. They're +rheumatic, it's so moist here." +</P> + +<P> +They climbed over some of the huge legs and walked around others. Soon +they had left the creature far behind. "Aren't you rather slow?" asked +the frog when once more they came up to him. +</P> + +<P> +"It isn't that," said Trot. "You are rather swift, I guess." The frog +chuckled and leaped again. They noticed that the fog had caught a soft +rose tint and was lighter and less dense than before, for which reason +the sailor remarked that they must be getting near to the Pink Country. +</P> + +<P> +On this jump they saw nothing but a monstrous turtle, which lay asleep +with its head and legs drawn into its shell. It was not in their way, +so they hurried on and rejoined the frog, which said to them, "I'm +sorry, but I'm due at the King's Court in a few minutes, and I can't +wait for your short, weak legs to make the journey to the Pink Country. +But if you will climb upon my back, I think I can carry you to the +border in one more leap." +</P> + +<P> +"I'm tired," said Trot, "an' this awful fog's beginnin' to choke me. +Let's ride on the frog, Cap'n." +</P> + +<P> +"Right you are, mate," he replied, and although he shook a bit with +fear, the old man at once began to climb to the frog's back. Trot +seated herself on one side of him and Button-bright on the other, and +the sailor put his arms around them both to hold them tight together. +</P> + +<P> +"Are you ready?" asked the frog. +</P> + +<P> +"Ding-dong!" cried the parrot. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "All aboard, let 'er go!<BR> + Jump the best jump that you know."<BR> +</P> + +<P> +"Don't—don't! Jump sort o' easy, please," begged Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +But the frog was unable to obey his request. Its powerful hind legs +straightened like steel springs and shot the big body, with its +passengers, through the fog like an arrow launched from a bow. They +gasped for breath and tried to hang on, and then suddenly the frog +landed just at the edge of the Fog Bank, stopping so abruptly that his +three riders left his back and shot far ahead of him. They felt the fog +melt away and found themselves bathed in glorious rays of sunshine, but +they had no time to consider this change because they were still +shooting through the air, and presently—before they could think of +anything at all—all three were rolling heels over head on the soft +grass of a meadow. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap13"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE PINK COUNTRY +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 13 +</H3> + +<P> +When the travelers could collect their senses and sit up, they stared +about them in bewilderment, for the transition from the sticky, damp +fog to this brilliant scene was so abrupt as to daze them at first. +</P> + +<P> +It was a Pink Country indeed. The grass was a soft pink, the trees were +pink, all the fences and buildings which they saw in the near distance +were pink—even the gravel in the pretty paths was pink. Many shades of +color were there, of course, grading from a faint blush rose to deep +pink verging on red, but no other color was visible. In the sky hung a +pink glow, with rosy clouds floating here and there, and the sun was +not silvery white, as we see it from the Earth, but a distinct pink. +</P> + +<P> +The sun was high in the sky just now, which proved the adventurers had +been a long time in passing through the Fog Bank. But all of them were +wonderfully relieved to reach this beautiful country in safety, for +aside from the danger that threatened them in the Blue Country, the +other side of the island was very depressing. Here the scene that +confronted them was pretty and homelike, except for the prevailing +color and the fact that all the buildings were round, without a single +corner or angle. +</P> + +<P> +Half a mile distant was a large City, its pink tintings glistening +bravely in the pink sunshine, while hundreds of pink banners floated +from its numerous domes. The country between the Fog Bank and the city +was like a vast garden, very carefully kept and as neat as wax. +</P> + +<P> +The parrot was fluttering its wings and pruning its feathers to remove +the wet of the fog. Trot and Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were all +soaked to the skin and chilled through, but as they sat upon the pink +grass they felt the rays of the sun sending them warmth and rapidly +drying their clothes; so, being tired out, they laid themselves +comfortably down and first one and then another fell cozily asleep. +</P> + +<P> +It was the parrot that aroused them. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Look out—look out—<BR> + There's folks about!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +it screamed. +</P> + +<P> +"The apple-dumplings, fat and pink, Will be here quicker than a wink!" +</P> + +<P> +Trot stared up in alarm and rubbed her eyes; Cap'n Bill rolled over and +blinked, hardly remembering where he was; Button-Bright was on his feet +in an instant. Advancing toward them were four of the natives of the +Pink Country. +</P> + +<P> +Two were men and two were women, and their appearance was in sharp +contrast to that of the Blueskins. For the Pinkies were round and +chubby—almost like "apple-dumplings," as the parrot called them—and +they were not very tall, the highest of the men being no taller than +Trot or Button-Bright. They all had short necks and legs, pink hair and +eyes, rosy cheeks and pink complexions, and their faces were +good-natured and jolly in expression. +</P> + +<P> +The men wore picturesque pink clothing and round hats with pink +feathers in them, but the apparel of the women was still more gorgeous +and striking. Their dresses consisted of layer after layer of gauzy +tuck and ruffles and laces, caught here and there with bows of dainty +ribbon. The skirts—which of course were of many shades of pink—were +so fluffy and light that they stuck out from the fat bodies of the +Pinkie women like the skirts of ballet-dancers, displaying their chubby +pink ankles and pink kid shoes. They wore rings and necklaces and +bracelets and brooches of rose-gold set with pink gems, and all four of +the new arrivals, both men and women, carried sharp-pointed sticks made +of rosewood for weapons. +</P> + +<P> +They halted a little way from our adventurers, and one of the women +muttered in a horrified voice, "Blueskins!" +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Guess again! The more you guess<BR> + I rather think you'll know the less,"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +retorted the parrot, and then he added grumblingly in Trot's ear, "Blue +feathers don't make bluebirds." +</P> + +<P> +"Really," said the girl, standing up and bowing respectfully to the +Pinkies, "we are not Blueskins, although we are wearing the blue +uniforms of the Boolooroo and have just escaped from the Blue Country. +If you will look closely, you will see that our skins are white." +</P> + +<P> +"There is some truth in what she says," remarked one of the men +thoughtfully. "Their skins are not blue, but neither are they white. To +be exact, I should call the skin of the girl and that of the boy a +muddy pink, rather faded, while the skin of the gigantic monster with +them is an unpleasant brown." +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill looked cross for a minute, for he did not like to be called +a "gigantic monster," although he realized he was much larger than the +pink people. +</P> + +<P> +"What country did you come from" asked the woman who had first spoken. +</P> + +<P> +"From the Earth," replied Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"The Earth! The Earth!" they repeated. "That is a country we have never +heard of. Where is it located?" +</P> + +<P> +"Why, down below somewhere," said the boy, who did now know in which +direction the Earth lay. "It isn't just one country, but a good many +countries." +</P> + +<P> +"We have three countries in Sky Island," returned the woman. "They are +the Blue Country, the Fog Country and the Pink Country. But of course +this end of the Island is the most important." +</P> + +<P> +"How came you in the Blue Country, from whence you say you escaped?" +asked the man. +</P> + +<P> +"We flew there by means of a Magic Umbrella," explained Button-Bright, +"but the wicked Boolooroo stole it from us." +</P> + +<P> +"Stole it! How dreadful," they all cried in a chorus. +</P> + +<P> +"And they made us slaves," said Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"An' wanted fer to patch us," added Cap'n Bill indignantly. +</P> + +<P> +"So we ran away and passed through the Fog Bank and came here," said +Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +The Pinkies turned away and conversed together in low tones. Then one +of the women came forward and addressed the strangers. "Your story is +the strangest we have ever heard," said she, "and your presence here is +still more strange and astonishing. So we have decided to take you to +Tourmaline and let her decide what shall be your fate." +</P> + +<P> +"Who is Tourmaline?" inquired Trot doubtfully, for she didn't like the +idea of being "taken" to anyone. +</P> + +<P> +"The Queen of the Pinkies. She is the sole Ruler of our country, so the +word of Tourmaline is the Law of the Land." +</P> + +<P> +"Seems to me we've had 'bout enough of kings an' queens," remarked +Cap'n Bill. "Can't we shy your Tut-Tor-mar-line—or whatever you call +her—in some way an' deal with you direct?" +</P> + +<P> +"No. Until we prove your truth and honor we must regard you as enemies +of our race. If you had a Magic Umbrella, you may be magicians and +sorcerers come here to deceive us and perhaps betray us to our natural +enemies, the Blueskins." +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Mud and bricks, fiddlesticks!<BR> + We don't play such nasty tricks,"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +yelled the parrot angrily, and this caused the Pinkies to shrink back +in alarm, for they had never seen a parrot before. +</P> + +<P> +"Surely this is magic!" declared one of the men. "No bird can talk +unless inspired by witchcraft." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh yes, parrots can," said Trot. But this incident had determined the +Pinkies to consider our friends prisoners and to take them immediately +before their Queen. +</P> + +<P> +"Must we fight you?" asked the woman. "Or will you come with us +peaceably?" +</P> + +<P> +"We'll go peaceable," answered Cap'n Bill. "You're a-makin' a sad +mistake, for we're as harmless as doves; but seein' as you're +suspicious, we'd better have it out with your Queen first as last." +</P> + +<P> +Their clothing was quite dry by this time, although much wrinkled and +discolored by the penetrating fog, so at once they prepared to follow +the Pinkies. The two men walked on either side of them, holding the +pointed sticks ready to jab them if they attempted to escape, and the +two women followed in the rear, also armed with sharp sticks. +</P> + +<P> +So the procession moved along the pretty roadways to the City, which +they soon reached. There was a strong, high wall of pink marble around +it, and they passed through a gate made of pink metal bars and found +themselves in a most delightful and picturesque town. The houses were +big and substantial, all round in shape, with domed roofs and circular +windows and doorways. In all the place there was but one street—a +circular one that started at the gate and wound like a corkscrew toward +the center of the City. It was paved with pink marble, and between the +street and the houses that lined both sides of it were gardens filled +with pink flowers and pink grass lawns, which were shaded by pink trees +and shrubbery. +</P> + +<P> +As the Queen lived in the very center of the city, the captives were +obliged to parade the entire length of this street, and that gave all +the Pink Citizens a chance to have a good look at the strangers. The +Pinkies were every one short and fat and gorgeously dressed in pink +attire, and their faces indicated that they were contented and happy. +They were much surprised at Cap'n Bill's great size and wooden leg—two +very unusual things in their experience—and the old sailor frightened +more than one Pink boy and girl and sent them scampering into the +houses, where they viewed the passing procession from behind the window +shutters in comparative safety. As for the grown people, many of them +got out their sharp-pointed sticks to use as weapons in case the +strangers attacked them or broke away from their guards. A few, more +bold than the others, followed on at the tail of the procession, and so +presently they all reached an open, circular place in the exact center +of the Pink City. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap14"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +TOURMALINE THE POVERTY QUEEN +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 14 +</H3> + +<P> +The open space which they entered was paved with pink marble, and +around it were two rows of large, pink statues, at least life-size and +beautifully sculptured. All were set upon nicely carved pink pedestals. +They were, of course, statues of Pinky men and women, and all had bands +of pink metal around their foreheads, in the center of each band being +a glistening pink jewel. +</P> + +<P> +About the middle of the open space inside the statues, which appeared +to be the public meeting place of the Pinkies, was a small, low house, +domed like all the other houses but built of a coarse pink stone +instead of the fine marble to be seen everywhere else. It had no +ornamentation, being exceedingly plain in appearance. No banners +floated from it; no flowers grew near it. +</P> + +<P> +"Here," said one of their guides as the procession halted before the +little stone building, "is the palace of Tourmaline, who is our Queen." +</P> + +<P> +"What, that little cabin?" exclaimed Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Of course. Did you suppose a palace would be like one of our handsome +residences?" asked the woman, evidently surprised. +</P> + +<P> +"I thought it would be better," said the girl. "All the palaces I've +seen were splendid." +</P> + +<P> +"A splendid palace!" exclaimed one of the Pinkies, and then they looked +at one another in amazement and seemed to doubt that their ears had +heard aright. +</P> + +<P> +"These intruders are very peculiar people," remarked a man in the crowd. +</P> + +<P> +"They seem very ignorant, poor things!" said another in reply. +</P> + +<P> +"Come!" commanded the woman who led the party. "You three must follow +me to the presence of Tourmaline. The people must wait outside, for +there is no room for them in the palace." +</P> + +<P> +So they followed her through the low archway, and in a room beyond, +very simply furnished, sat a young girl engaged in darning a pair of +pink stockings. She was a beautiful girl of about seventeen years of +age, not fat like all the rest of the Pinkies but slender and well +formed according to our own ideas of beauty. Her complexion was not a +decided pink, but a soft, rosy tint not much deeper than that of Trot's +skin. Instead of a silken gown furbelowed like all the others they had +seen women wear in this land, Tourmaline was dressed in a severely +plain robe of coarse pink cloth much resembling bedticking. Across her +brow, however, was a band of rose gold, in the center of which was set +a luminous pink jewel which gleamed more brilliantly than a diamond. It +was her badge of office and seemed very incongruous when compared with +her poor rainment and simple surroundings. +</P> + +<P> +As they entered, the girl sighed and laid down her work. Her expression +was patient and resigned as she faced her audience. "What is it, +Coralie?" she asked the woman. +</P> + +<P> +"Here are three strange people, Tourmaline," was the reply, "who say +they have entered our country through the Fog Bank. They tell a queer +story of an escape from the Blueskins, so I decided to bring them to +you, that you may determine their fate." +</P> + +<P> +The Queen gazed upon our friends with evident interest. She smiled—a +little sadly—at Trot, seemed to approve Button-Bright's open, frank +face, and was quite surprised because Cap'n Bill was so much bigger +than her own people. "Are you a giant?" she asked the sailor in a soft, +sweet voice. +</P> + +<P> +"No, your Majesty," he replied, "I'm only—" +</P> + +<P> +"Majesty!" she exclaimed, flushing a deeper pink. "Are you addressing +that word to me?" +</P> + +<P> +"O' course, ma'am," answered Cap'n Bill. "I'm told that's the proper +way to speak to a Queen." +</P> + +<P> +"Perhaps you are trying to ridicule me," she continued, regarding the +sailor's face closely. "There is nothing majestic about me, as you know +very well. Coralie, do you consider 'majesty' a proper word to use when +addressing a Queen?" she added, appealing to the Pinky woman. +</P> + +<P> +"By no means," was the prompt reply. +</P> + +<P> +"What shall I call her, then?" inquired Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"Just Tourmaline. That is her name, and it is sufficient," said the +woman. +</P> + +<P> +"The Ruler of a country ought to be treated with great respec'," +declared Trot a little indignantly, for she thought the pretty little +queen was not being properly deferred to. +</P> + +<P> +"Why?" asked Tourmaline curiously. +</P> + +<P> +"Because the Ruler is the mos' 'risticratic person in any land," +explained the little girl. "Even in America ever'body bows low to our +President, an' the Blueskins are so 'fraid o' their Boolooroo that they +tremble whenever they go near him." +</P> + +<P> +"But surely that is all wrong," said Tourmaline gravely. "The Ruler is +appointed to protect and serve the people, and here in the Pink Country +I have the full power to carry out the laws. I even decree death when +such a punishment is merited. Therefore I am a mere agent to direct the +laws, which are the Will of the People, and am only a public servant +obliged constantly to guard the welfare of my subjects." +</P> + +<P> +"In that case," said Button-Bright, "you're entitled to the best there +is to pay for your trouble. A powerful ruler ought to be rich and to +live in a splendid palace. Your folks ought to treat you with great +respect, as Trot says." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh no," responded Tourmaline quickly. "That would indeed be very +wrong. Too much should never be given to anyone. If, with my great +power, conferred upon me by the people, I also possessed great wealth, +I might be tempted to be cruel and overbearing. In that case my +subjects would justly grow envious of my superior station. If I lived +as luxuriously as my people do and had servants and costly gowns, the +good Pinkies would say that their Queen had more than they themselves, +and it would be true. No, our way is best. The Ruler, be it king or +queen, has absolute power to rule, but no riches, no high station, no +false adulation. The people have the wealth and honor, for it is their +due. The Queen has nothing but the power to execute the laws, to adjust +grievances and to compel order." +</P> + +<P> +"What pays you, then, for all your bother?" asked Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"I have one great privilege. After my death a pink marble statue of me +will be set up in the Grand Court, with the statues of the other Kings +and Queens who have ruled this land, and all the Pinkies in ages to +come will then honor me as having been a just and upright queen. That +is my reward." +</P> + +<P> +"I'm sorry for you, ma'am," said Cap'n Bill. "Your pay for bein' a +queen is sort o' like a life-insurance. If don't come due till after +you're dead, an' then you can't get much fun out o' it." +</P> + +<P> +"I did not choose to be the Queen," answered Tourmaline simply. "A +misfortune of birth placed me here, and I cannot escape my fate. It is +much more desirable to be a private citizen, happy and carefree. But we +have talked long enough of myself. Tell me who you are, and why you +have come here." +</P> + +<P> +Between them they told the story of how the Magic Umbrella had taken +them to Sky Island, which they did not know when they started was +anywhere in existence. Button-Bright told this, and then Trot related +their adventures among the Blueskins and how the Boolooroo had stolen +the umbrella and prevented them from going home again. The parrot on +her shoulder kept interrupting her continually, for the mention of the +Boolooroo seemed to make the bird frantic with rage. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Naughty, naughty Boolooroo!<BR> + He's the worst I ever knew!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +the parrot repeated over and over again. +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill finished the story by telling of their escape through the +Fog Bank. "We didn't know what your Pink Country was like, o' course," +he said, "but we knew it couldn't be worse than the Blue Country, an' +we didn't take any stock in their stories that the Fog Bank would be +the death o' us." +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Pretty wet! Pretty wet<BR> + Was the journey, you can bet!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +declared the parrot in conclusion. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, it was wet an' sticky, all right," agreed the sailor, "but the +big frog helped us an' we got through all right." +</P> + +<P> +"But what can you do here?" asked Tourmaline. "You are not like my +people, the Pinkies, and there is no place for you in our country." +</P> + +<P> +"That's true enough," said Cap'n Bill, "but we had to go somewhere, an' +this was the likeliest place we could think of. Your Sky Island ain't +very big, so when we couldn't stay in the Blue Country, where ever'body +hated us, or in the Fog Bank, which ain't healthy an' is too wet for +humans to live in for long, we nat'rally were forced to enter the Pink +Country, where we expected to find nice people." +</P> + +<P> +"We ARE nice," said Tourmaline, "but it is our country, not yours, and +we have no place here for strangers. In all our history you are the +first people from outside our borders who have ever stepped a foot in +our land. We do not hate you, as you say the Blueskins do, nor are we +savage or cruel, but we do not want you here, and I am really puzzled +what to do with you." +</P> + +<P> +"Isn't there a law to cover this case?" asked Coralie. +</P> + +<P> +"I do not remember any such law," replied the queen, "but I will search +in the Great Book and see if I can find anything that refers to strange +people entering our land." +</P> + +<P> +"If not," said the woman, "you must make a law. It is your duty." +</P> + +<P> +"I know," answered Tourmaline, "but I hope such a responsibility will +not fall upon my shoulders. These poor strangers are in a very +uncomfortable position, and I wish I could help them to get back to +their own country." +</P> + +<P> +"Thank you," said Trot. "We wish so, too. Haven't you any fairies here?" +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, there are fairies, of course, as there are everywhere," answered +Tourmaline, "but none that we can call to our assistance or command to +do our bidding." +</P> + +<P> +"How about witches?" asked Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"I know of one witch," said Tourmaline thoughtfully, "but she is not +very obliging. She says it makes her head ache to perform witchcraft, +and so she seldom indulges in it. But if there is no other way, I may +be obliged to call upon Rosalie for help. I'll look in the Great Book +first. Meantime, you will go home with Coralie, who will feed you and +give you entertainment. Tomorrow morning come to me again and then I +will decree your fate." The little queen then picked up her stocking +and began to darn the holes in it, and Coralie, without any formal +parting, led the strangers from the miserable palace. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap15"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE SUNRISE TRIBE AND THE SUNSET TRIBE +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 15 +</H3> + +<P> +Although Trot and her comrades were still prisoners, they were far more +comfortable than they had been in the Blue Country. Coralie took them +to her own home, where she lived in great luxury, being one of the +prominent women of the Pinkies. In this country the women seemed fully +as important as the men, and instead of being coddled and petted, they +performed their share of the work, both in public and private affairs, +and were expected to fight in the wars exactly as the men did. +</P> + +<P> +Our friends learned considerable about the Pinkies during that +afternoon and evening, for their hostess proved kind and agreeable and +frankly answered all their questions. Although this half of Sky Island +was no larger than the Blue Country, being no more than two miles +square, it had several hundred inhabitants. These were divided into two +tribes, which were called the Sunrise Tribe and the Sunset Tribe. The +Sunrise Tribe lived in the eastern half of the Pink Country and the +Sunset Tribe in the west half, and there was great rivalry between +them, and sometimes war. +</P> + +<P> +It was all a question of social importance. The Sunrise Tribe claimed +that every day the sun greeted them first of all, which proved they +were the most important; but on the other hand, the Sunset Tribe +claimed that the sun always deserted the other tribe and came to them, +which was evidence that they were the most attractive people. On Sky +Island—at least on the Pink side—the sun arose in wonderful splendor, +but also it set in a blaze of glory, and so there were arguments on +both sides, and for want of something better to argue about, the +Pinkies took this queer subject as a cause of dispute. +</P> + +<P> +Both Tribes acknowledged Tourmaline their Queen and obeyed the laws of +the country, and just at this time there was peace in the land, and all +the inhabitants of the east and west were friendly. But they had been +known, Coralie said, to fight one another fiercely with their sharp +sticks, at which times a good many were sure to get hurt. +</P> + +<P> +"Why do they call this an Island?" asked Button-Bright. "There isn't +any water around it, is there?" +</P> + +<P> +"No, but there is sky all around it," answered Coralie. "And if one +should step off the edge, he would go tumbling into the great sky and +never be heard of again." +</P> + +<P> +"Is there a fence around the edge?" asked Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Only a few places are fenced," was the reply. "Usually there are rows +of thick bushes set close to the edge to prevent people from falling +off. Once there was a King of the Pinkies who was cruel and overbearing +and imagined he was superior to the people he ruled, so one day his +subjects carried him to the edge of the island and threw him over the +bushes." +</P> + +<P> +"Goodness me!" said Trot. "He might have hit someone on the Earth." +</P> + +<P> +"Guess he skipped it, though," added Cap'n Bill, "for I never heard of +a Pinky till I came here." +</P> + +<P> +"And I have never heard of the Earth," retorted Coralie. "Of course, +there must be such a place, because you came from there, but the Earth +is never visible in our sky." +</P> + +<P> +"No," said Button-Bright, "'cause it's UNDER your island. But it's +there, all right, and it's a pretty good place to live. I wish I could +get back to it." +</P> + +<P> +"So do I, Button-Bright!" exclaimed Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Let's fly!" cried the parrot, turning his head so that one bright +little eye looked directly into the girl's eye. "Say goodbye and let's +fly through the sky, far and high!" +</P> + +<P> +"If we only had my umbrella, we'd fly in a minute," sighed +Button-Bright. "But the Boolooroo stole it." +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Naughty, naughty Boolooroo,<BR> + What a wicked thing to do!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +wailed the parrot, and they all agreed with him. +</P> + +<P> +Coralie belonged to the Sunset Tribe, as she lived west of the queen's +palace, which was the center of the Pink Country. A servant came to the +room where they were conversing to state that the sun was about to set, +and at once Coralie arose and took the strangers to an upper balcony, +where all the household had assembled. +</P> + +<P> +The neighboring houses also had their balconies and roofs filled with +people, for it seemed all the Sunset Tribe came out every night to +witness the setting of the sun. It was really a magnificent sight, and +Trot scarcely breathed as the great, golden ball sank low in the sky +and colored all the clouds with gorgeous tints of orange, red and +yellow. Never on the Earth was there visible such splendor, and as the +little girl watched the ever-changing scene, she decided the Sunset +Tribe was amply justified in claiming that the West was the favored +country of the sun. +</P> + +<P> +"You see," said Cap'n Bill, "the sky is all around us, an' we're high +up, so the sun really loses itself in the clouds an' leaves a trail of +beauty behind him." +</P> + +<P> +"He does that!" agreed Trot. "This is almost worth comin' for, Cap'n." +</P> + +<P> +"But not quite," said Button-bright sadly. "I'd get along without the +sunset if only we could go home." +</P> + +<P> +They went in to dinner after this, and sat at Coralie's own table with +her husband and children and found the meal very good. After a pleasant +evening, during which no reference was made to their being prisoners, +they were shown to prettily furnished rooms—all in pink—and slept +soundly in the soft beds provided for them. Trot wakened early the next +morning and went out on the balcony to see the sunrise. The little girl +was well repaid, for the splendor of the rising sun was almost equal to +that of the setting sun. Surely this was a wonderful country and much +more delightful than the Blue side of the island, where the sun was +hidden by the great Fog and only the moon was visible. +</P> + +<P> +When she went in, she found that both Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were +up and dressed, so they decided to take a walk before breakfast. No one +restrained them or interfered with them in any way. "They know we can't +get away," observed the sailor, "so they don't need to watch us." +</P> + +<P> +"We could go into the Fog Bank again," suggested Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"We could, mate, but we won't," answered Cap'n Bill. "If there's no way +for us to get clean off'n Sky Island, I'd rather stay with the Pinkies +than with the Blues." +</P> + +<P> +"I wonder what they'll do with us," said Button-Bright. "The Queen +seems like a nice girl, and I don't think she'll hurt us, whatever +happens." +</P> + +<P> +They walked freely along the circular street, seeing such sights as the +Pink City afforded, and then returned to Coralie's house for breakfast. +Coralie herself was not there, as she had been summoned to the Queen's +palace, but her husband looked after the guests, and when breakfast was +finished he said to them, "I am to take you to Tourmaline, who has +promised to decide your fate this morning. I am curious to know what +she will do with you, for in all our history we have never before had +strangers intrude upon us." +</P> + +<P> +"We're curious, too," said Trot, "but we'll soon find out." As they +walked down the street, they observed that the sky was now covered with +dark clouds which entirely hid the sun. +</P> + +<P> +"Does it ever rain here?" inquired Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"Certainly," answered Coralie's husband, "that is the one drawback of +our country: it rains quite often. And although it makes the flowers +and the grass grow, I think rain is very disagreeable. I am always glad +to see the rainbow, which is a sign that the sun will shine again." +</P> + +<P> +"Looks like rain now," remarked Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"It does," said the man, glancing at the sky. "We must hurry, or we may +get wet." +</P> + +<P> +"Haven't you any umbrellas?" asked Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"No, we don't know what umbrellas are," replied the Pinky man. +</P> + +<P> +It did not rain at once, and they reached Tourmaline's wretched hut in +safety. There they found quite a number of Pinkies assembled, and a +spirited discussion was taking place when they arrived. +</P> + +<P> +"Come in, please," said Tourmaline, opening the door for them, and when +they had entered, she placed a pinkwood bench for them to sit upon and +went back to her throne, which was a common rocking chair. At her right +were seated six men and women of the Sunrise Tribe, and on her left six +men and women of the Sunset Tribe, among the latter being Coralie. The +contrast between the plain, simple dress of the Queen and the gorgeous +apparel of her Counselors was quite remarkable, yet her beauty far +surpassed that of any of her people, and her demeanor was so modest and +unassuming that it was difficult for the prisoners to believe that her +word would decree life or death and that all the others were +subservient to her. Tourmaline's eyes were so deep a shade of pink that +they were almost hazel, and her hair was darker than that of the +others, being a golden-red in color. These points, taken with her +light-pink skin and slender form, rendered her distinctive among the +Pinkies, whatever gown she might wear. +</P> + +<P> +When the strangers were seated, she turned to them and said, "I have +searched through the Great Book of Laws and found nothing about foreign +people entering our land. There is a law that if any of the Blueskins +break through the Fog Bank, they shall be driven back with sharp +sticks; but you are not Blueskins, so this Law does not apply to you. +Therefore, in order to decide your fate, I have summoned a Council of +twelve of my people, who will vote as to whether you shall be permitted +to remain here or not. They wanted to see you before they cast their +final vote, that they may examine you carefully and discover if you are +worthy to become inhabitants of the Pink Country." +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "The rose is red, the violet's blue,<BR> + But Trot is sweeter than the two!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +declared the parrot in a loud voice. It was a little verse Cap'n Bill +had taught the bird that very morning while Trot was seeing the sun +rise. +</P> + +<P> +The Pinkies were startled and seemed a little frightened at hearing a +bird speak so clearly. Trot laughed and patted the bird's head in +return for the compliment. "Is the Monster Man whose legs are part wood +a dangerous creature?" asked one of the Sunrise Tribe. +</P> + +<P> +"Not to my friends," replied Cap'n Bill, much amused. "I s'pose I could +fight your whole crowd of Pinkies if I had to, an' make you run for +your lives, but bein' as you're friendly to us, you ain't in any +danger." The sailor thought this speech was diplomatic and might "head +off any trouble," but the Pinkies seemed uneasy, and several of them +picked up their slender, pointed sticks and held them in their hands. +They were not cowardly, but it was evident they mistrusted the big man, +who on Earth was not considered big at all, but rather undersized. +</P> + +<P> +"What we'd like," said Trot, "is to stay here, cozy an' peaceable, till +we can find a way to get home to the Earth again. Your country is much +nicer than the Blue Country, and we like you pretty well from what +we've seen of you, so if you'll let us stay, we won't be any more +trouble to you than we can help." +</P> + +<P> +They all gazed upon the little girl curiously, and one of them said, +"How strangely light her color is! And it is pink, too, which is in her +favor. But her eyes are of that dreadful blue tint which prevails in +the other half of Sky Island, while her hair is a queer color unknown +to us. She is not like our people and would not harmonize with the +universal color here." +</P> + +<P> +"That's true," said another. "The three strangers are all inharmonious. +If allowed to remain here, they would ruin the color scheme of the +country, where all is now pink." +</P> + +<P> +"In spite of that," said Coralie, "they are harmless creatures and have +done us no wrong." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes they have," replied a nervous little Sunrise man, "they wronged us +by coming here." +</P> + +<P> +"They could not help doing that," argued Coralie, "and it is their +misfortune that they are here on Sky Island at all. Perhaps if we keep +them with us for a while, they may find a way to return safely to their +own country." +</P> + +<P> +"We'll fly through the sky by-and-by—ki-yi!" yelled the parrot with +startling suddenness. +</P> + +<P> +"Is that true?" asked a Pinky seriously. +</P> + +<P> +"Why, we would if we could," answered Trot. "We flew to this island, +anyhow." +</P> + +<P> +"Perhaps," said another, "if we pushed them off the edge, they could +fly down again. Who knows?" +</P> + +<P> +"We know," answered Cap'n Bill hastily. "We'd tumble, but we wouldn't +fly." +</P> + +<P> + "They'd take a fall—<BR> + And that is all!"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +observed the parrot, fluttering its wings. There was silence for a +moment while all the Pinkies seemed to think deeply. Then the Queen +asked the strangers to step outside while they counseled together. Our +friends obeyed, and leaving the room they all entered the courtyard and +examined the rows of pink marble statues for nearly an hour before they +were summoned to return to the little room in Tourmaline's palace. +</P> + +<P> +"We are now ready to vote as to your fate," said the pretty Queen to +them. "We have decided there are but two things for us do to: either +permit you to remain here as honored guests or take you to an edge of +the island and throw you over the bushes into the sky." +</P> + +<P> +They were silent at hearing this dreadful alternative, but the parrot +screamed shrilly, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Oh, what a dump! Oh, what a jump!<BR> + Won't we all thump when we land with a bump?"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +"If we do," said Cap'n Bill thoughtfully, "we'll none of us know it." +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap16"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +ROSALIE THE WITCH +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 16 +</H3> + +<P> +Trot and Button-Bright had now become worried and anxious, for they +knew if they were tossed over the edge of the island they would be +killed. Cap'n Bill frowned and set his jaws tight together. The old +sailor had made up his mind to make a good fight for his boy and girl, +as well as for his own life, if he was obliged to do so. +</P> + +<P> +The twelve Counselors then voted, and when the vote was counted, +Tourmaline announced that six had voted to allow the strangers to +remain and six to toss them over the bushes. "We seem evenly divided on +this matter," remarked the Queen with a puzzled look at her Council. +</P> + +<P> +Trot thought the pretty Queen was their friend, so she said, "Of course +you'll have the deciding vote, then, you being the Ruler." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh no," replied Tourmaline. "Since I have asked these good people to +advise me, it would be impolite to side against some of them and with +the others. That would imply that the judgment of some of my Counselors +is wrong, and the judgment of others right. I must ask someone else to +cast the deciding vote." +</P> + +<P> +"Who will it be, then?" inquired Trot. "Can't I do it? Or Cap'n Bill or +Button-Bright?" +</P> + +<P> +Tourmaline smiled and shook her head, while all the Counselors murmured +their protests. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Let Trot do it<BR> + Or you'll rue it!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +advised the parrot, and then he barked like a dog and made them all +jump. +</P> + +<P> +"Let me think a moment," said the Queen, resting her chin on her hand. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "A Pink can think<BR> + As quick's a wink!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +the parrot declared. But Tourmaline's thoughts required time, and all +her Counselors remained silent and watched her anxiously. +</P> + +<P> +At last she raised her head and said, "I shall call upon Rosalie the +Witch. She is wise and honest and will decide the matter justly." +</P> + +<P> +The Pinkies seemed to approve this choice, so Tourmaline rose and took +a small, pink paper parcel from a drawer. In it was a pink powder, +which she scattered upon the seat of a big armchair. Then she lighted +this powder, which at first flashed vivid pink and then filled all the +space around the chair with a thick, pink cloud of smoke. Presently the +smoke cleared away, when they all saw seated within the chair Rosalie +the Witch. +</P> + +<P> +This famous woman was much like the other Pinkies in appearance except +that she was somewhat taller and not quite so fat as most of the +people. Her skin and hair and eyes were all of a rosy, pink color, and +her gown was of spiderweb gauze that nicely matched her complexion. She +did not seem very old, for her features were smiling and attractive and +pleasant to view. She held in her hand a slender staff tipped with a +lustrous pink jewel. +</P> + +<P> +All the Pinkies present bowed very respectfully to Rosalie, who +returned the salutation with a dignified nod. Then Tourmaline began to +explain the presence of the three strangers and the difficulty of +deciding what to do with them. +</P> + +<P> +"I have summoned you here that you may cast the deciding vote," added +the Queen. "What shall we do, Rosalie, allow them to remain here as +honored guests, or toss them over the bushes into the sky?" +</P> + +<P> +Rosalie, during Tourmaline's speech, had been attentively examining the +faces of the three Earth people. Now she said, +</P> + +<P> +"Before I decide, I must see who these strangers are. I will follow +their adventures in a vision to discover if they have told you the +truth. And in order that you may all share my knowledge, you shall see +the vision as I see it." She then bowed her head and closed her eyes. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Rock-a-bye, baby, on a treetop;<BR> + Don't wake her up, or the vision will stop,"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +muttered the parrot, but no one paid any attention to the noisy bird. +</P> + +<P> +Gradually, a pink mist formed in the air about the Witch, and in this +mist the vision began to appear. +</P> + +<P> +First, there was Button-bright in the attic of his house, finding the +Magic Umbrella. Then his first flight was shown, and afterward his trip +across the United States until he landed on the bluff where Trot sat. +In rapid succession the scenes shifted and disclosed the trial flights, +with Trot and Cap'n Bill as passengers, then the trip to Sky Island and +the meeting with the Boolooroo. No sound was heard, but it was easy +from the gestures of the actors for the Pinkies to follow all the +adventures of the strangers in the Blue Country. Button-Bright was +greatly astonished to see in this vision how the Boolooroo had tested +the Magic Umbrella and in a fit of rage cast it into a corner +underneath the cabinet, with the seats and lunch basket still attached +to the handle by means of the rope. The boy now knew why he could not +find the umbrella in the Treasure Chamber, and he was provoked to think +he had several times been quite close to it without knowing it was +there. The last scene ended with the trip through the Fog Bank and the +assistance rendered them by the friendly frog. After the three tumbled +upon the grass of the Pink Country, the vision faded away, and Rosalie +lifted her head with a smile of triumph at the success of her +witchcraft. +</P> + +<P> +"Did you see clearly?" she asked. +</P> + +<P> +"We did, O Wonderful Witch!" they declared. +</P> + +<P> +"Then," said Rosalie, "there can be no doubt in your minds that these +strangers have told you the truth." +</P> + +<P> +"None at all," they admitted. +</P> + +<P> +"What arguments are advanced by the six Counselors who voted to allow +them to remain here as guests?" inquired the Witch. +</P> + +<P> +"They have done us no harm," answered Coralie, speaking for her side, +"therefore we should, in honor and justice, do them no harm." +</P> + +<P> +Rosalie nodded. "What arguments have the others advanced?" she asked. +</P> + +<P> +"They interfere with our color scheme and do not harmonize with our +people," a man of the Sunrise Tribe answered. +</P> + +<P> +Again Rosalie nodded, and Trot thought her eyes twinkled a little. +</P> + +<P> +"I think I now fully comprehend the matter," said she, "and so I will +cast my vote. I favor taking the Earth people to the edge of the island +and casting them into the sky." +</P> + +<P> +For a moment there was perfect silence in the room. All present +realized that this was a decree of death to the strangers. Trot was +greatly surprised at the decision, and for a moment she thought her +heart had stopped beating, for a wave of fear swept over her. +Button-Bright flushed red as a Pinky and then grew very pale. He crept +closer to Trot and took her hand in his own, pressing it to give the +little girl courage. As for Cap'n Bill, he was watching the smiling +face of the Witch in a puzzled but not hopeless way, for he thought she +did not seem wholly in earnest in what she had said. +</P> + +<P> +"The case is decided," announced Tourmaline in a clear, cold voice. +"The three strangers shall be taken at once to the edge of the island +and thrown over the bushes into the sky." +</P> + +<P> +"It's raining hard outside," announced Coralie, who sat near the door. +"Why not wait until this shower is over?" +</P> + +<P> +"I have said 'at once,'" replied the little Queen with dignity, "and so +it must be at once. We are accustomed to rain, so it need not delay us, +and when a disagreeable duty is to be performed, the sooner it is +accomplished the better." +</P> + +<P> +"May I ask, ma'am," said Cap'n Bill, addressing the Witch, "why you +have decided to murder of us in this cold-blooded way?" +</P> + +<P> +"I did not decide to murder you," answered Rosalie. +</P> + +<P> +"To throw us off the island will be murder," declared the sailor. +</P> + +<P> +"Then they cannot throw you off," the Witch replied. +</P> + +<P> +"The Queen says they will." +</P> + +<P> +"I know," said Rosalie, "but I'm quite positive her people can't do it." +</P> + +<P> +This statement astonished all the Pinkies, who looked at the Witch +inquiringly. "Why not?" asked Tourmaline. +</P> + +<P> +"It is evident to me," said the Witch, speaking slowly and distinctly, +"that these Earth people are protected in some way by fairies. They may +not be aware of this themselves, nor did I see any fairies in my +vision. But if you will think upon it carefully, you will realize that +the Magic Umbrella has no power in itself, but is enchanted by fairy +power so that it is made to fly and carry passengers through the air BY +FAIRIES. This being the case, I do not think you will be allowed to +injure these favored people in any way; but I am curious to see in what +manner the fairies will defend them, and therefore I have voted to have +them thrown off the island. I bear these strangers no ill will, nor do +I believe they are in any danger. But since you, Tourmaline, have +determined to attempt this terrible thing at once, I shall go with you +and see what will happen." +</P> + +<P> +Some of the Pinkies looked pleased and some troubled at this speech, +but they all prepared to escort the prisoners to the nearest edge of +the island. The rain was pouring down in torrents, and umbrellas were +unknown; but all of them, both men and women, slipped gossamer +raincoats over their clothing, which kept the rain from wetting them. +Then they caught up their sharp sticks and surrounding the doomed +captives commanded them to march to meet their fate. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap17"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE ARRIVAL OF POLYCHROME +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 17 +</H3> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill had determined to fight desperately for their lives, but he +was a shrewd old sailorman, and he found much that was reasonable in +the Witch's assertion that fairies would protect them. He had often +wondered how the Magic Umbrella could fly and obey spoken commands, but +now he plainly saw that the thing must be directed by some invisible +power, and that power was quite likely to save them from the cruel +death that had been decreed. To be sure, the Magic Umbrella was now in +the Blue Country, and the fairies that directed its flight might be +with the umbrella instead of with them, yet the old sailor had already +experienced some strange adventures in Trot's company and knew she had +managed to escape every danger that had threatened. So he decided not +to fight until the last moment and meekly hobbled along the street as +he was commanded to do. Trot was also encouraged by the Witch's +suggestion, for she believed in fairies and trusted them; but +Button-Bright could find no comfort in their situation, and his face +was very sad as he marched along by Trot's side. +</P> + +<P> +If they had followed the corkscrew windings of the street, it would +have been a long journey to the outer edge of the Pink Country, but +Tourmaline took a shortcut, leading them through private gardens and +even through houses, so that they followed almost a bee line to their +destination. It rained all the way and the walking was very +disagreeable, but our friends were confronting an important crisis in +their strange adventures, and with possible death at their journey's +end, they were in no hurry to arrive there. +</P> + +<P> +Once free of the City they traversed the open country, and here they +often stepped into sticky, pink mud up to their ankles. Cap'n Bill's +wooden leg would often go down deep and stick fast in this mud, and at +such times he would be helpless until two of the Pinkies—who were a +strong people—pulled him out again. The parrot was getting its +feathers sadly draggled in the rain, and the poor bird soon presented a +wet and woebegone appearance. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Soak us again,<BR> + Drown us with rain!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +it muttered in a resigned tone; and then it would turn to Trot and +moan, "The rose is red, the violet's blue, The Pinkies are a beastly +crew!" +</P> + +<P> +The country was not so trim and neatly kept near the edge, for it was +evident the people did not care to go too near to the dangerous place. +There was a row of thick bushes which concealed the gulf below, and as +they approached these bushes the rain abruptly ceased, and the clouds +began to break and drift away in the sky. "Two of you seize the girl +and throw her over," said Tourmaline in a calm, matter-of-fact way, +"and two others must throw the boy over. It may take four, perhaps, to +lift the huge and ancient man." +</P> + +<P> +"More'n that," said Cap'n Bill grimly. "I'm pretty sure it'll take all +o' you, young lady, an' the chances are you won't do it then." +</P> + +<P> +They had halted a short distance from the bushes, and now there +suddenly appeared through a rift in the clouds an immense Rainbow. It +was perfectly formed and glistened with a dozen or more superb tintings +that were so vivid and brilliant and blended into one another so +exquisitely that everyone paused to gaze enraptured upon the sight. +Steadily, yet with wonderful swiftness, the end of the great bow +descended until it rested upon the pink field—almost at the feet of +the little party of observers. Then they saw, dancing gaily upon the +arch, a score of beautiful maidens, dressed in fleecy robes of rainbow +tints which fluttered around them like clouds. +</P> + +<P> +"The Daughters of the Rainbow!" whispered Tourmaline in an awed voice, +and the Witch beside her nodded and said, "Fairies of the sky. What did +I tell you, Tourmaline?" +</P> + +<P> +Just then one of the maidens tripped lightly down the span of the arch +until near the very end, leaning over to observe the group below. She +was exquisitely fair, dainty as a lily and graceful as a bough swaying +in the breeze. "Why, it's Polychrome!" exclaimed Button-Bright in a +voice of mingled wonder and delight. "Hello, Polly! Don't you remember +me?" +</P> + +<P> +"Of course I remember Button-Bright," replied the maiden in a sweet, +tinkling voice. "The last time I saw you was in the Land of Oz." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh!" cried Trot, turning to stare at the boy with big, wide-open eyes. +"Were you ever in the Land of Oz?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes," he answered, still looking at the Rainbow's Daughter, and then +he said appealingly, "These people want to kill us, Polly. Can't you +help us?" +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Polly wants a cracker!<BR> + Polly wants a cracker!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +screeched the parrot. +</P> + +<P> +Polychrome straightened up and glanced at her sisters. "Tell Father to +call for me in an hour or two," said she. "There is work for me to do +here, for one of my old friends is in trouble." +</P> + +<P> +With this she sprang lightly from the rainbow and stood beside +Button-Bright and Trot, and scarcely had she left the splendid arch +when it lifted and rose into the sky. The other end had been hidden in +the clouds, and now the Rainbow began to fade gradually, like mist, and +the sun broke through the clouds and shot its cheering rays over the +Pink Country until presently the Rainbow had vanished altogether and +the only reminder of it was the lovely Polychrome standing among the +wondering band of Pinkies. "Tell me," she said gently to the boy, "why +are you here, and why do these people of the sky wish to destroy you?" +</P> + +<P> +In a few hurried words Button-Bright related their adventures with the +Magic Umbrella and how the Boolooroo had stolen it and they had been +obliged to escape into the Pink Country. Polychrome listened and then +turned to the Queen. "Why have you decreed death to these innocent +strangers?" she asked. +</P> + +<P> +"They do not harmonize with our color scheme," replied Tourmaline. +</P> + +<P> +"That is utter nonsense," declared Polychrome impatiently. "You're so +dreadfully pink here that your color, which in itself is beautiful, had +become tame and insipid. What you really need is some sharp contrast to +enhance the charm of your country, and to keep these three people here +would be a benefit rather than an injury to you." +</P> + +<P> +At this, the Pinkies looked downcast and ashamed, while only Rosalie +the Witch laughed and seemed to enjoy the rebuke. "But," protested +Tourmaline, "the Great Book of Laws says our country shall harbor none +but the Pinkies." +</P> + +<P> +"Does it indeed?" asked the Rainbow's Daughter. "Come, let us return at +once to your City and examine your Book of Laws. I am quite sure I can +find in them absolute protection for these poor wanderers." +</P> + +<P> +They dared not disobey Polychrome's request, so at once they all turned +and walked back to the City. As it was still muddy underfoot, the +Rainbow's Daughter took a cloak from one of the women, partly rolled +it, and threw it upon the ground. Then she stepped upon it and began +walking forward. The cloak unrolled as she advanced, affording a +constant carpet for her feet and for those of the others who followed +her. So, being protected from the mud and wet, they speedily gained the +City and in a short time were all gathered in the low room of +Tourmaline's palace, where the Great Book of Laws lay upon a table. +</P> + +<P> +Polychrome began turning over the leaves, while the others all watched +her anxiously and in silence. "Here," she said presently, "is a Law +which reads as follows: 'Everyone in the Pink Country is entitled to +the protection of the Ruler and to a house and a good living, except +only the Blueskins. If any of the natives of the Blue Country should +ever break through the Fog Bank, they must be driven back with sharp +sticks.' Have you read this Law, Tourmaline?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes," said the Queen, "but how does that apply to these strangers?" +</P> + +<P> +"Why, being in the Pink Country, as they surely are, and not being +Blueskins, they are by this Law entitled to protection, to a home and +good living. The Law does not say 'Pinkies,' it says any who are in the +Pink Country." +</P> + +<P> +"True," agreed Coralie, greatly pleased, and all the other Pinkies +nodded their heads and repeated, "True, true!" +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "The rose is red, the violet's blue,<BR> + The law's the thing, because it's true!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +cried the parrot. +</P> + +<P> +"I am indeed relieved to have you interpret the Law in this way," +declared Tourmaline. "I knew it was cruel to throw these poor people +over the edge, but that seemed to us the only thing to be done." +</P> + +<P> +"It was cruel and unjust," answered Polychrome as sternly as her sweet +voice could speak. "But here," she added, for she had still continued +to turn the leaves of the Great Book, "is another Law which you have +also overlooked. It says, 'The person, whether man or woman, boy or +girl, living in the Pink Country who has the lightest skin shall be the +Ruler—King or Queen—as long as he or she lives, unless someone of a +lighter skin is found, and this Ruler's commands all the people must +obey.' Do you know this Law?" +</P> + +<P> +"Oh yes," replied Tourmaline. "That is why I am the Queen. You will +notice my complexion is of a lighter pink than that of any other of my +people." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes," remarked Polychrome, looking at her critically, "when you were +made Queen without doubt you had the lightest-colored skin in all the +Pink Country. But now you are no longer Queen of the Pinkies, +Tourmaline." +</P> + +<P> +Those assembled were so startled by this statement that they gazed at +the Rainbow's Daughter in astonishment for a time. Then Tourmaline +asked, "Why not, your Highness?" +</P> + +<P> +"Because here is one lighter in color than yourself," pointed to Trot. +"This girl is, by the Law of the Great Book, the rightful Queen of the +Pinkies, and as loyal citizens you are all obliged to obey her +commands. Give me that circlet from your brow, Tourmaline." Without +hesitation Tourmaline removed the rose-gold circlet with its glittering +jewel and handed it to Polychrome, who turned and placed it upon Trot's +brow. Then she called in a loud, imperative voice, "Greet your new +Queen, Pinkies!" +</P> + +<P> +One by one they all advanced, knelt before Trot and pressed her hand to +their lips. "Long live Queen Mayre!" called out Cap'n Bill, dancing +around on his wooden leg in great delight. "Vive la—Vive la—ah, ah, +Trot!" +</P> + +<P> +"Thank you, Polly," said Button-Bright gratefully. "This will fix us +all right, I'm sure." +</P> + +<P> +"Why, I have done nothing," returned Polychrome, smiling upon him. "It +is the Law of the Country. Isn't it surprising how little people know +of their Laws? Are you all contented, Pinkies?" she asked, turning to +the people. +</P> + +<P> +"We are!" they cried. Then several of the men ran out to spread the +news throughout the City and Country, so that a vast crowd soon began +to gather in the Court of the Statues. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap18"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +MAYRE, QUEEN OF THE PINK COUNTRY +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 18 +</H3> + +<P> +Polychrome now dismissed all but Button-Bright, Cap'n Bill, Rosalie the +Witch and the new Queen of the Pinkies. Tourmaline hastened away to her +father's house to put on a beautiful gown all covered with flounces and +ribbons, for she was glad to be relieved of the duties of the Queen and +was eager to be gaily dressed and one of the people again. +</P> + +<P> +"I s'pose," said Trot, "I'll have to put on one of Tourmaline's common +pink dresses." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes," replied Polychrome, "you must follow the customs of the country, +absurd though they may be. In the little sleeping chamber adjoining +this room you will find plenty of gowns poor enough for the Queen to +wear. Shall I assist you to put one on?" +</P> + +<P> +"No," answered Trot, "I guess I can manage it alone." +</P> + +<P> +When she withdrew to the little chamber, the Rainbow's Daughter began +conversing with the Witch, whom she urged to stay with the new queen +and protect her as long as she ruled the Pink Country. Rosalie, who +longed to please the powerful Polychrome, whose fairy powers as +Daughters of the Rainbow were far superior to her own witchcraft, +promised faithfully to devote herself to Queen Mayre as long as she +might need her services. +</P> + +<P> +By the time Trot was dressed in pink and had returned to the room, +there was an excited and clamorous crowd assembled in the court, and +Polychrome took the little girl's hand and led her out to greet her new +subjects. The Pinkies were much impressed by the fact that the +Rainbow's Daughter was their new Queen's friend, and that Rosalie the +Witch stood on Trot's left hand and treated her with humble deference. +So they shouted their approval very enthusiastically and pressed +forward one by one to kneel before their new Ruler and kiss her hand. +</P> + +<P> +The parrot was now on Cap'n Bill's shoulder, for Trot thought a Queen +ought not to carry a bird around, but the parrot did not mind the +change and was as much excited as anyone in the crowd. "Oh, what bliss +to kiss a miss!" he shouted as Trot held out her hand to be kissed by +her subjects, and then he would scream, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "We're in the sky and flyin' high;<BR> + We're goin' to live instead of die,<BR> + It's time to laugh instead of cry;<BR> + Oh, my! Ki-yi! Ain't this a pie?"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill let the bird jabber as he pleased, for the occasion was a +joyful one, and it was no wonder the parrot was excited. And while the +throng shouted greetings to the Queen, suddenly the great Rainbow +appeared in the sky and dropped its end right on the Court of the +Statues. Polychrome stooped to kiss Trot and Button-Bright, gave Cap'n +Bill a charming smile and Rosalie the Witch a friendly nod of farewell. +Then she sprang lightly upon the arch of the Rainbow and was greeted by +the bevy of dancing, laughing maidens who were her sisters. "I shall +keep watch over you, Button-Bright," she called to the boy. "Don't +despair, whatever happens, for behind the clouds is always the Rainbow!" +</P> + +<P> +"Thank you, Polly," he answered, and Trot also thanked the lovely +Polychrome, and so did Cap'n Bill. The parrot made quite a long speech, +flying high above the arch where Polychrome stood and then back to +Cap'n Bill's shoulder. Said he, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "We Pollys know our business, and we're all right!<BR> + We'll take good care of Cap'n Bill and Trot and Button-Bright.<BR> + You watch 'em from the Rainbow, and I'll watch day and night,<BR> + And we'll call a sky policeman if trouble comes in sight!"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +Suddenly, the bow lifted and carried the dancing maidens into the sky. +The colors faded, the arch slowly dissolved and the heavens were clear. +Trot turned to the Pinkies. "Let's have a holiday today," she said. +"Have a good time and enjoy yourselves. I don't jus' know how I'm goin' +to rule this country yet, but I'll think it over an' let you know." +Then she went into the palace hut with Cap'n Bill and Button-Bright and +Rosalie the Witch, and the people went away to enjoy themselves and +talk over the surprising events of the day. +</P> + +<P> +"Dear me," said Trot, throwing herself into a chair, "wasn't that a +sudden change of fortune, though? That Rainbow's Daughter is a pretty +good fairy. I'm glad you know her, Button-Bright." +</P> + +<P> +"I was sure something would happen to save you," remarked Rosalie, "and +that was why I voted to have you thrown off the edge. I wanted to +discover who would come to your assistance, and I found out. Now I have +made a friend of Polychrome, and that will render me more powerful as a +Witch, for I can call upon her for assistance whenever I need her." +</P> + +<P> +"But see here," said Cap'n Bill. "You can't afford to spend your time +a-rulin' this tucked-up country, Trot." +</P> + +<P> +"Why not?" asked Trot, who was pleased with her new and important +position. +</P> + +<P> +"It'd get pretty tiresome, mate, after you'd had a few quarrels with +the Pinkies, for they expec' their Queen to be as poor as poverty an' +never have any fun in life." +</P> + +<P> +"You wouldn't like it for long, I'm sure," added Button-Bright +seriously. +</P> + +<P> +Trot seemed thoughtful. "No, I don't know's I would," she admitted. +"But as long as we stay here, it seems a pretty good thing to be Queen. +I guess I'm a little proud of it. I wish mother could see me rulin' the +Pinkies, an' Papa Griffith, too. Wouldn't they open their eyes?" +</P> + +<P> +"They would, mate, but they can't see you," said Cap'n Bill. "So the +question is, what's to be done?" +</P> + +<P> +"We ought to get home," observed the boy. "Our folks will worry about +us, and Earth's the best place to live, after all. If we could only get +hold of my Magic Umbrella, we'd be all right." +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "The rose is red, the violet's blue,<BR> + But the umbrel's stolen by the Boolooroo!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +screamed the parrot. +</P> + +<P> +"That's it," said Cap'n Bill. "The Boolooroo's got the umbrel, an' that +settles the question." +</P> + +<P> +"Tell me," said Rosalie, "If you had your Magic Umbrella, could you fly +home again in safety?" +</P> + +<P> +"Of course we could," replied Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"And would you prefer to go home to remaining here?" +</P> + +<P> +"We would indeed!" +</P> + +<P> +"Then why do you not get the umbrella?" +</P> + +<P> +"How?" asked Trot eagerly. +</P> + +<P> +"You must go into the Blue Country and force the Boolooroo to give up +your property." +</P> + +<P> +"Through the Fog Bank?" asked Cap'n Bill doubtfully. +</P> + +<P> +"And let the Boolooroo capture us again?" demanded Button-Bright with a +shiver. +</P> + +<P> +"An' have to wait on the Snubnoses instead of bein' a Queen?" said Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"You must remember that conditions have changed, and you are now a +powerful Ruler," replied Rosalie. "The Pinkies are really a great +nation, and they are pledged to obey your commands. Why not assemble an +army, march through the Fog Bank, fight and conquer the Boolooroo and +recapture the Magic Umbrella?" +</P> + +<P> +"Hooray!" shouted Cap'n Bill, pounding his wooden leg on the floor. +"That's the proper talk! Let's do it, Queen Trot." +</P> + +<P> +"It doesn't seem like a bad idea," added Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"Do you think the Pinkies would fight the Blueskins?" asked Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Why not?" replied the sailorman. "They have sharp sticks an' know how +to use 'em, whereas the Blueskins have only them windin'-up cords with +weights on the ends." +</P> + +<P> +"The Blueskins are the biggest people," said the girl. +</P> + +<P> +"But they're cowards, I'm sure," declared the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"Anyhow," the sailor remarked, "that's our only hope of ever gett'n' +home again. I'd like to try it, Trot." +</P> + +<P> +"If you decide on this adventure," said Rosalie, "I believe I can be of +much assistance to you." +</P> + +<P> +"That'll help," asserted Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"And we've one good friend among the Blueskins," said Button-Bright. +"I'm sure Ghip-Ghisizzle will side with us, and I've got the Royal +Record Book, which proves that the Boolooroo has already reigned his +lawful three hundred years." +</P> + +<P> +"Does the book say that?" inquired Trot with interest. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, I've been reading it." +</P> + +<P> +"Then Sizzle'll be the new Boolooroo," said the girl, "an' p'raps we +won't have to fight, after all." +</P> + +<P> +"We'd better go prepared, though," advised Cap'n Bill, "fer that awful +ol' Boolooroo won't give up without a struggle. When shall we start?" +</P> + +<P> +Trot hesitated, so they all looked to Rosalie for advice. "Just as soon +as we can get the army together and ready," decided the Witch. "That +will not take long. Perhaps two or three days." +</P> + +<P> +"Good!" cried Cap'n Bill, and the parrot screamed, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Here's a lovely how-d'y'-do—<BR> + We're going to fight the Boolooroo!<BR> + We'll get the Six Snubnoses, too,<BR> + And make 'em all feel mighty blue."<BR> +</P> + +<P> +"Either that or the other thing," said Trot. "Anyhow, we're in for it." +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap19"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE WAR OF THE PINKS AND BLUES +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 19 +</H3> + +<P> +Much to the surprise of the Earth people, the Pinkies made no objection +whatever to undertaking the adventure. Their lives were so monotonous +and uninteresting that they welcomed anything in the way of excitement. +This march through the unknown Fog Bank to fight the unknown Blueskins +aroused them to enthusiasm, and although the result of the expedition +could not be foretold and some of them were almost certain to get hurt, +they did not hesitate to undertake the war. +</P> + +<P> +It appeared that Coralie was Captain of the Sunset Tribe and a man +named Tintint the Captain of the Sunrise Tribe. Tintint had a very pink +skin and eyes so faded in their pink color that he squinted badly in +order to see anything around him. He was a fat and pompous little +fellow and loved to strut up and down his line of warriors twirling his +long, pointed stick so that all might admire him. +</P> + +<P> +By Rosalie's advice the Army of Conquest consisted of one hundred +Sunsets and one hundred Sunrises. Many more were eager to go, but the +Witch thought that would be enough. The warriors consisted of both men +and women, equally divided, and there was no need to provide uniforms +for them because their regular pink clothing was a distinctive uniform +in itself. Each one bore a long, pointed stick as the main weapon and +had two short, pointed sticks stuck in his belt. +</P> + +<P> +While the army was getting ready, Rosalie the Witch went to the central +edge of the Fog Bank and fearlessly entered it. There she called for +the King of the Giant Frogs, who came at her bidding, and the two held +an earnest and long talk together. Meantime, Cap'n Bill had the army +assembled in the Court of the Statues, where Queen Mayre appeared and +told the Pinkies that the sailorman was to be Commander in Chief of the +Expedition and all must obey his commands. Then Cap'n Bill addressed +the army and told them what the Fog Bank was like. He advised them all +to wear their raincoats over their pretty pink clothes so they would +not get wet, and he assured them that all the creatures to be met with +in the Fog were perfectly harmless. +</P> + +<P> +"When we come to the Blue Country, though," he added, "you're liable to +be pretty busy. The Blueskins are tall an' lanky, an' ugly an' fierce, +an' if they happen to capture you, you'll all be patched, which is a +deep disgrace an' a uncomfortable mix-up." +</P> + +<P> +"Will they throw us over the edge?" asked Captain Tintint. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't think so," replied Cap'n Bill. "While I was there I never +heard the edge mentioned. They're cruel enough to do that—'specially +the Boolooroo—but I guess they've never thought o' throwin' folks over +the edge. They fight with long cords that have weights on the ends, +which coil 'round you an' make you helpless in a jiffy; so whenever +they throw them cords you mus' ward 'em off with your long sticks. +Don't let 'em wind around your bodies, or you're done for." +</P> + +<P> +He told them other things about the Blueskins, so they would not be +frightened when they faced the enemy and found them so different in +appearance from themselves, and also he assured them that the Pinkies +were so much the braver and better armed that he had no doubt they +would easily conquer. +</P> + +<P> +On the third day, just at sunrise, the army moved forward to the Fog +Bank, headed by Cap'n Bill, clad in an embroidered pink coat with wide, +flowing pink trousers, and accompanied by Trot and Button-Bright and +Rosalie the Witch, all bundled up in their pink raincoats. The parrot +was there, too, as the bird refused to be left behind. +</P> + +<P> +They had not advanced far into the deep fog when they were halted by a +queer barrier consisting of a long line of gigantic frogs, crouching so +close together that no Pinkie could squeeze between them. As the heads +of the frogs were turned the other way, toward the Blue Country, the +army could not at first imagine what the barrier was. But Rosalie said +to them, "Our friends the frogs have agreed to help us through the Fog +Bank. Climb upon their backs, as many on each frog as are able to hold +on, and then we shall make the journey more quickly." Obeying this +injunction, the Pinkies began climbing upon the frogs, and by crowding +close together, all were able to find places. On the back of the King +Frog rode Trot and her parrot, besides Rosalie, Button-Bright, Cap'n +Bill and the captains of the two companies of the army. +</P> + +<P> +When all were seated, clinging to one another so they would not slide +off, Cap'n Bill gave the word of command and away leaped the frogs, all +together. They bounded a long distance at this jump—some farther than +others—and as soon as they landed they jumped again, without giving +their passengers a chance to get their breaths. It was a bewildering +and exciting ride, but a dozen of the huge jumps accomplished the +journey, and at the edge of the Fog Bank each frog stopped so suddenly +that the Pinkies went flying over their heads to tumble into the blue +fields of the Blue Country, where they rolled in a confused mass until +they could recover and scramble to their feet. No one was hurt, +however, and the King Frog had been wise enough to treat his passengers +more gently by slowing down at the edge and allowing his riders to slip +to the ground very comfortably. +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill at once formed his army into line of battle and had them all +remove the cumbersome raincoats, which they piled in a heap at the edge +of the Fog Bank. It was a splendid array of warriors, and from where +they stood they could discover several Blueskins rushing in a panic +toward the Blue City as fast as their long, blue legs could carry them. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, they know we're here, anyhow," said Cap'n Bill, "and instead of +waitin' to see what'll they do, I guess we'll jus' march on the City +an' ask 'em to please surrender." +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap20"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +GHIP-GHISIZZLE HAS A BAD TIME +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 20 +</H3> + +<P> +The Boolooroo was quite busy at the time the Pinkies invaded his +country. He had discovered the loss of the Book of Records, and after +being frightened 'most to death at the prospect of his fraud on the +people's being made public, he decided to act boldly and hold his +position as Boolooroo at any cost. +</P> + +<P> +Since Ghip-Ghisizzle was to be the next Boolooroo, the king suspected +him first of all, so he had the Majordomo bound with cords and brought +before him, when he accused him of stealing the Book of Records. Of +course, Ghip-Ghisizzle denied taking the Book, but he became almost as +nervous at its loss as had the Boolooroo. He secretly believed that +Button-Bright had taken the Book from the Treasure Chamber, and if this +were true it might prove as great a misfortune as if the king had kept +it locked up. For Button-Bright had escaped into the Fog Bank, and +Ghip-Ghisizzle was afraid the boy would never again be seen in the Blue +Country. +</P> + +<P> +He did not tell the Boolooroo of this suspicion, because in that case +the king would realize he was secure and that his deception could never +be proved against him. The Majordomo simply denied taking the Record +Book, and the Boolooroo did not believe he spoke truly. To prevent his +rival from ever becoming the Ruler of the Blue Country, the Boolooroo +determined to have him patched, but for some time he could find no +other Blueskin to patch him with. No one had disobeyed a command or +done anything wrong, so the king was in a quandary until he discovered +that a servant named Tiggle had mixed the royal nectar for Cap'n Bill, +who had been ordered to do it at the time of his capture. This was +sufficient excuse for the Boolooroo, who at once had Tiggle made a +prisoner and brought before him. +</P> + +<P> +This servant was not so long-legged as Ghip-Ghisizzle, and his head was +thicker and his nose flatter. But that pleased the Boolooroo all the +more. He realized that when the great knife had sliced the prisoners in +two and their halves were patched together, they would present a +ridiculous sight and all the Blueskins would laugh at them and avoid +them. So on the very morning that the Pinkies arrived, the Boolooroo +had ordered his two prisoners brought into the room of the palace where +the Great Knife stood, and his soldiers were getting ready to perform +the operation of patching Ghip-Ghisizzle with Tingle when a messenger +came running to say that a great army of the Pinkies had broken through +the Fog Bank. +</P> + +<P> +"Never mind," said the Boolooroo, "I'll attend to them in a minute. I'm +busy now." +</P> + +<P> +"They are marching on the City," said the frightened messenger. "If you +delay, Most High and Mighty One, we shall all be captured. You'd better +save your City first and do your patching afterward." +</P> + +<P> +"What!" roared the Boolooroo. "Dare you dictate to me?" But he was +impressed by the man's logic. After locking the prisoners, who were +still bound, in the Room of the Great Knife, the Ruler hurried away to +assemble his soldiers. By this time the Pinkies had advanced halfway to +the walls of the City, so the first thing the Boolooroo did was to +order all the gates closed and locked, and then he placed a line of +soldiers on the wall to prevent any of the Pinkies from climbing over. +Therefore, when Cap'n Bill's army reached the wall, he was obliged to +halt his ranks until he could find a way to enter the City. +</P> + +<P> +Now when the Boolooroo looked through the blue-steel bars of the main +gate and saw the enemy armed with sharp-pointed sticks, he began to +tremble; and when he thought how painful it would be to have his body +and arms and legs prodded and pricked by such weapons, he groaned aloud +and was very miserable. But the thought occurred to him that if he +could avoid being caught by the Pinkies, they would be unable to harm +him. So he went among his people and reminded them how horrible it +would feel to be punched full of holes by the invaders and urged them +to fight desperately and drive the Pinkies back into the Fog Bank. +</P> + +<P> +Only a few of the Blueskins were soldiers, and these all belonged to +the King's bodyguard, but the citizens realized that they must indeed +fight bravely to save themselves from getting hurt, so they promised +the Boolooroo to do all they could. They armed themselves with long +cords having weights fastened to the ends and practiced throwing these +weights in such a manner that the cords would wind around their +enemies. Also, they assembled in the streets in small groups and told +each other in frightened whispers that all their trouble was due to the +Boolooroo's cruel treatment of the Earth people. If he had received +them as friends instead of making them slaves, they would never have +escaped to the Pinkies and brought an army into the Blue Country that +they might be revenged. The Blueskins had not liked their Boolooroo +before this, and now they began to hate him, forgetting they had also +treated the strangers in a very disagreeable manner. +</P> + +<P> +Meantime, the Six Snubnosed Princesses had seen from their rooms in a +tower of the palace the army of the Pinkies marching upon them, and the +sight had served to excite them greatly. They had been quarreling +bitterly among themselves all morning, and strangely enough this +quarrel was all about which of them should marry Ghip-Ghisizzle. They +knew that some day the Majordomo would become Boolooroo, and each one +of the six had determined to marry him so as to be Queen and thus force +her sisters to obey her commands. They paid no attention to the fact +that Ghip-Ghisizzle did not want to marry any of them, for they had +determined that when it was agreed who should have him, they would ask +their father to force the man to marry. +</P> + +<P> +While they quarreled in one room of the palace, Ghip-Ghisizzle was in +danger of being patched in another room; but the Six Snubnosed +Princesses did not know that. The arrival of the Pinkies gave them +something new to talk about, so they hurried downstairs and along the +corridors so as to gain the courtyard and take part in the exciting +scenes. But as they passed the closed doors of the Room of the Great +Knife, they heard a low moan and stopped to listen. The moan was +repeated, and being curious, they unlocked the door—the key having +been left on the outside—and entered the room. +</P> + +<P> +At once, the Pinkies were forgotten, for there upon the floor, tightly +bound, lay Ghip-Ghisizzle, and beside him poor Tiggle, who had uttered +the moans. +</P> + +<P> +The six Princesses sat down in a circle facing the captives, and +Cerulia said, "Ghip, my dear, we will release you on one condition: +That you choose a wife from among us and promise to marry the one +selected as soon as the Pinkies are driven back into the Fog Bank." +</P> + +<P> +Ghip-Ghisizzle managed to shake his head. Then he said, "Really, +ladies, you must excuse me. I'd rather be patched than mismatched, as I +would be with a lovely, snub-nosed wife. You are too beautiful for me; +go seek your husbands elsewhere." +</P> + +<P> +"Monster!" cried Indigo. "If you choose me, I'll scratch your eyes out!" +</P> + +<P> +"If you choose me," said Cobalt in a rage, "I'll tear out your hair by +the roots!" +</P> + +<P> +"If I am to be your wife," screamed Azure, "I'll mark your obstinate +face with my fingernails!" +</P> + +<P> +"And I," said Turquoise passionately, "will pound your head with a +broomstick!" +</P> + +<P> +"I'll shake him till his teeth rattle!" shrieked Sapphire. +</P> + +<P> +"The best way to manage a husband," observed Cerulia angrily, "is to +pull his nose." +</P> + +<P> +"Ladies," said Ghip-Ghisizzle when he had a chance to speak, "do not +anticipate these pleasures, I beg of you, for I shall choose none among +you for a wife." +</P> + +<P> +"We'll see about that," said Indigo. +</P> + +<P> +"I think you will soon change your mind," added Azure. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm going to be patched to Tingle, here, as soon as the Boolooroo +returns," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and it's against the law for a patched +man to marry anyone. It's regarded as half-bigamy." +</P> + +<P> +"Dear me!" cried Cerulia. "If he's patched, he never can be Boolooroo." +</P> + +<P> +"Then he musn't be patched," declared Sapphire. "We must save him from +that fate, girls, and force him to decide among us. Otherwise, none of +us can ever be the Queen." +</P> + +<P> +This being evident, they proceeded to unbind the long legs of +Ghip-Ghisizzle, leaving his body and arms, however, tied fast together. +Then between them they got him upon his feet and led him away, paying +no attention to poor Tiggle, who whined to be released so he could +fight in the war. After a hurried consultation, the Six Snubnosed +Princesses decided to hide the Majordomo in one of their boudoirs, so +they dragged him up the stairs to their reception room and fell to +quarreling as to whose boudoir should be occupied by their captive. Not +being able to settle the question, they finally locked him up in a +vacant room across the hall and told him he must stay there until he +had decided to marry one of the Princesses and could make a choice +among them. +</P> + +<A NAME="chap21"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE CAPTURE OF CAP'N BILL +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 21 +</H3> + +<P> +While this was transpiring in the palace, Cap'n Bill and the Pinkies +had encamped before the principal gate of the City and a tent had been +pitched for Trot and Button-Bright and Rosalie. The army had been very +fearful and weak-kneed when it first entered the Blue Country, but +perceiving that the Boolooroo and his people were afraid of them and +had locked themselves up in the City, the Pinkies grew bolder and +longed to make an attack. +</P> + +<P> +One of them, in his curiosity to examine the Blue City, got a little +too near the wall, and a blue soldier threw his cord-and-weight at him. +The cord didn't wind around the Pinkie, as he was too far off, but the +weight hit him in the eye and made him howl lustily as he trotted back +to this comrades at full speed. After this experience, the invaders +were careful to keep a safe distance from the wall. +</P> + +<P> +The Boolooroo, having made all preparations to receive the enemy, was +annoyed because they held back. He was himself so nervous and excited +that he became desperate, and after an hour of tedious waiting, during +which time he pranced around impatiently, he decided to attack the +hated Pinkies and rid the country of them. +</P> + +<P> +"Their dreadful color makes me hysterical," he said to his soldiers, +"so if I am to have any peace of mind, we must charge the foe and drive +them back into the Fog Bank. But take all the prisoners you can, my +brave men, and tomorrow we will have a jolly time patching them. Don't +be afraid; those pink creatures have no blue blood in their veins, and +they'll run like rabbits when they see us coming." +</P> + +<P> +Then he ordered the gate thrown open, and immediately the Blueskins +poured out into the open plain and began to run toward the Pinkies. The +Boolooroo went out, too, but he kept well behind his people, +remembering the sharp sticks with which the enemy were armed. +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill was alert and had told his army what to do in case of an +attack. The Pinkies did not run like rabbits, but formed a solid line +and knelt down with their long, sharp sticks pointed directly toward +the Blueskins, the other ends being set firmly upon the ground. Of +course, the Blueskins couldn't run against these sharp points, so they +halted a few feet away and began swinging their cord-and-weights. But +the Pinkies were too close together to be caught in this manner, and +now by command of Cap'n Bill they suddenly rose to their feet and began +jabbing their sticks at the foe. The Blueskins hesitated until a few +got pricked and began to yell with terror, when the whole of the +Boolooroo's attacking party turned around and ran back to the gate, +their Ruler reaching it first of all. The Pinkies tried to chase them, +but their round, fat legs were no match for the long, thin legs of the +Blueskins, who quickly gained the gate and shut themselves up in the +City again. +</P> + +<P> +"It is evident," panted the Boolooroo, facing his defeated soldiers +wrathfully, "that you are a pack of cowards!" +</P> + +<P> +"But we followed your own royal example in running," replied the +Captain. +</P> + +<P> +"I merely ran back to the City to get a drink of water, for I was +thirsty," declared the Boolooroo. +</P> + +<P> +"So did we! So did we!" cried the soldiers eagerly. "We were all +thirsty." +</P> + +<P> +"Your High and Mighty Spry and Flighty Majesty," remarked the Captain +respectfully, "it occurs to me that the weapons of the Pinkies are +superior to our own. What we need in order to oppose them successfully +is a number of sharp sticks which are longer than their own." +</P> + +<P> +"True, true!" exclaimed the Boolooroo enthusiastically. "Get to work at +once and make yourselves long, sharp sticks, and then we will attack +the enemy again." +</P> + +<P> +So the soldiers and citizens all set to work preparing long, sharp +sticks, and while they were doing this, Rosalie the Witch had a vision +in which she saw exactly what was going on inside the City wall. Queen +Trot and Cap'n Bill and Button-Bright saw the vision, too, for they +were all in the tent together, and the sight made them anxious. +</P> + +<P> +"What can be done?" asked the girl. "The Blueskins are bigger and +stronger than the Pinkies, and if they have sharp sticks which are +longer than ours, they will surely defeat us." +</P> + +<P> +"I have one magic charm," said Rosalie thoughtfully, "that will save +our army; but I am allowed to work only one magic charm every three +days—not oftener—and perhaps I'll need the magic for other things." +</P> + +<P> +"Strikes me, ma'am," returned the sailor, "that what we need most on +this expedition is to capture the Blueskins. If we don't, we'll need +plenty of magic to help us back to the Pink Country; but if we do, we +can take care of ourselves without magic." +</P> + +<P> +"Very well," replied Rosalie. "I will take your advice, Cap'n, and +enchant the weapons of the Pinkies." She then went out and had all the +Pinkies come before her, one by one, and she enchanted their sharp +sticks by muttering some cabalistic words and making queer passes with +her hands over the weapons. "Now," she said to them, "you will be +powerful enough to defeat the Blueskins whatever they may do." The +Pinkies were overjoyed at this promise, and it made them very brave +indeed, since they now believed they would surely be victorious. +</P> + +<P> +When the Boolooroo's people were armed with long, thin, lances of +bluewood all sharpened to fine points at one end, they prepared to +march once more against the invaders. Their sticks were twice as long +as those of the Pinkies, and the Boolooroo chuckled with glee to think +what fun they would have in punching holes in the round, fat bodies of +his enemies. +</P> + +<P> +Out from the gate they marched very boldly and pressed on to attack the +Pinkies, who were drawn up in line of battle to receive them, with +Cap'n Bill at their head. When the opposing forces came together, +however, and the Blueskins pushed their points against the Pinkies, the +weapons which had been enchanted by Rosalie began to whirl in swift +circles—so swift that the eye could scarcely follow the motion. The +result was that the lances of the Boolooroo's people could not touch +the Pinkies, but were thrust aside with violence and either broken in +two or sent hurling through the air in all directions. Finding +themselves so suddenly disarmed, the amazed Blueskins turned about and +ran again, while Cap'n Bill, greatly excited by his victory, shouted to +his followers to pursue the enemy, and hobbled after them as fast as he +could make his wooden leg go, swinging his sharp stick as he advanced. +</P> + +<P> +The Blues were in such a frightened, confused mass that they got in one +another's way and could not make very good progress on the retreat, so +the old sailor soon caught up with them and began jabbing at the crowd +with his stick. Unfortunately, the Pinkies had not followed their +commander, being for the moment dazed by their success, so that Cap'n +Bill was all alone among the Blueskins when he stepped his wooden leg +into a hole in the ground and tumbled full length, his sharp stick +flying from his hand and pricking the Boolooroo in the leg as it fell. +</P> + +<P> +At this, the Ruler of the Blues stopped short in his flight to yell +with terror, but seeing that only the sailorman was pursuing them and +that this solitary foe had tumbled flat upon the ground, he issued a +command and several of his people fell upon poor Cap'n Bill, seized him +in their long arms, and carried him struggling into the City, where he +was fast bound. +</P> + +<P> +Then a panic fell upon the Pinkies at the loss of their leader, and +Trot and Button-Bright called out in vain for them to rescue Cap'n +Bill. By the time the army recovered their wits and prepared to obey, +it was too late. And although Trot ran with them in her eagerness to +save her friend, the gate was found to be fast barred, and she knew it +was impossible for them to force an entrance into the City. +</P> + +<P> +So she went sorrowfully back to the camp, followed by the Pinkies, and +asked Rosalie what could be done. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm sure I do not know," replied the Witch. "I cannot use another +magic charm until three days have expired, but if they do not harm +Cap'n Bill during that time, I believe I can then find a way to save +him." +</P> + +<P> +"Three days is a long time," remarked Trot dismally. +</P> + +<P> +"The Boolooroo may decide to patch him at once," added Button-Bright +with equal sadness, for he, too, mourned the sailor's loss. +</P> + +<P> +"It can't be helped," replied Rosalie. "I am not a fairy, my dears, but +merely a witch, and so my magic powers are limited. We can only hope +that the Boolooroo won't patch Cap'n Bill for three days." +</P> + +<P> +When night settled down upon the camp of the Pinkies, where many tents +had now been pitched, all the invaders were filled with gloom. The band +tried to enliven them by playing the "Dead March," but it was not a +success. The Pinkies were despondent in spite of the fact that they had +repulsed the attack of the Blues, for as yet they had not succeeded in +gaining the City or finding the Magic Umbrella, and the blue dusk of +this dread country—which was so different from their own land of +sunsets—made them all very nervous. They saw the moon rise for the +first time in their lives, and its cold, silvery radiance made them +shudder and prevented them from going to sleep. Trot tried to interest +them by telling them that on the Earth the people had both the sun and +the moon and loved them both; but nevertheless it is certain that had +not the terrible Fog Bank stood between them and the Pink Land, most of +the invading army would have promptly deserted and gone back home. +</P> + +<P> +Trot couldn't sleep, either, she was so worried over Cap'n Bill. She +went back to the tent where Rosalie and Button-Bright were sitting in +the moonlight and asked the Witch if there was no way in which she +could secretly get into the City of the Blues and search for her +friend. Rosalie thought it over for some time and then replied: +</P> + +<P> +"We can make a rope ladder that will enable you to climb to the top of +the wall and descend into the City. But if anyone should see you, you +would be captured." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll risk that," said the child, excited at the prospect of gaining +the side of Cap'n Bill in this adventurous way. "Please make the rope +ladder at once, Rosalie!" +</P> + +<P> +So the Witch took some ropes and knotted together a ladder long enough +to reach the top of the wall. When it was finished, the three—Rosalie, +Trot and Button-Bright—stole out into the moonlight and crept +unobserved into the shadow of the wall. The Blueskins were not keeping +a very close watch, as they were confident the Pinkies could not get +into the City. +</P> + +<P> +The hardest part of Rosalie's task was to toss up one end of the rope +ladder until it would catch on some projection on top of the wall. +There were few such projections, but after creeping along the wall for +a distance, they saw the end of a broken flagstaff near the top edge. +The Witch tossed up the ladder, trying to catch it upon this point, and +on the seventh attempt she succeeded. +</P> + +<P> +"Good!" cried Trot. "Now I can climb up." +</P> + +<P> +"Don't you want me to go with you?" asked Button-Bright a little +wistfully. +</P> + +<P> +"No," said the girl. "You must stay to lead the army. And if you can +think of a way, you must try to rescue us. Perhaps I'll be able to save +Cap'n Bill by myself; but if I don't, it's all up to you, +Button-Bright." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll do my best," he promised. +</P> + +<P> +"And here, keep my polly till I come back," added Trot, giving him the +bird. "I can't take it with me, for it would be a bother, an' if it +tried to spout po'try, I'd be discovered in a jiffy." +</P> + +<P> +As the beautiful Witch kissed the little girl goodbye, she slipped upon +her finger a curious ring. At once, Button-Bright exclaimed, "Why, +where has she gone?" +</P> + +<P> +"I'm right here," said Trot's voice by his side. "Can't you see me?" +</P> + +<P> +"No," replied the boy, mystified. +</P> + +<P> +Rosalie laughed. "It's a magic ring I've loaned you, my dear," said +she, "and as long as you wear it, you will be invisible to all eyes, +those of Blueskins and Pinkies alike. I'm going to let you wear this +wonderful ring, for it will save you from being discovered by your +enemies. If at any time you wish to be seen, take the ring from your +finger; but as long as you wear it, no one can see you, not even Earth +people." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, thank you!" cried Trot. "That will be fine." +</P> + +<P> +"I see you have another ring on your hand," said Rosalie, "and I +perceive it is enchanted in some way. Where did you get it?" +</P> + +<P> +"The Queen of the Mermaids gave it to me," answered Trot. "But Sky +Island is so far away from the sea that the ring won't do me any good +while I'm here. It's only to call the mermaids to me if I need them, +and they can't swim in the sky, you see." +</P> + +<P> +Rosalie smiled and kissed her again. "Be brave, my dear," she said, +"and I am sure you will be able to find Cap'n Bill without getting in +danger yourself. But be careful not to let any Blueskin touch you, for +while you are in contact with any person you will become visible. Keep +out of their way, and you will be perfectly safe. Don't lose the ring, +for you must give it back to me when you return. It is one of my +witchcraft treasures, and I need it in my business." +</P> + +<P> +The Trot climbed the ladder, although neither Button-Bright nor Rosalie +could see her do so, and when she was on top the broad wall she pulled +up the knotted ropes and began to search for a place to let it down on +the other side. A little way off she found a bluestone seat near to the +inner edge, and attaching the ladder to this, she easily descended it +and found herself in the Blue City. A guard was pacing up and down near +her, but as he could not see the girl, he of course paid no attention +to her. So after marking the place where the ladder hung that she might +know how to reach it again, Trot hurried away through the streets of +the city. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap22"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +TROT'S INVISIBLE ADVENTURE +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 22 +</H3> + +<P> +All the Blueskins except a few soldiers had gone to bed and were sound +asleep. A blue gloom hung over the city, which was scarcely relieved by +a few bluish, wavering lights here and there, but Trot knew the general +direction in which the palace lay, and she decided to go there first. +She believed the Boolooroo would surely keep so important a prisoner as +Cap'n Bill locked up in his own palace. +</P> + +<P> +Once or twice the little girl lost her way, for the streets were very +puzzling to one not accustomed to them, but finally she sighted the +great palace and went up to the entrance. There she found a double +guard posted. They were sitting on a bench outside the doorway, and +both stood up as she approached. +</P> + +<P> +"We thought we heard footsteps," said one. +</P> + +<P> +"So did we," replied the other, "yet there is no one in sight." +</P> + +<P> +Trot then saw that the guards were the two patched men, Jimfred +Jonesjinks and Fredjim Jinksjones, who had been talking together quite +cheerfully. It was the first time the girl had seen them together, and +she marveled at the queer patching that had been so strongly united +here, yet so thoroughly separated them. +</P> + +<P> +"You see," remarked Jimfred as they seated themselves again upon the +bench, "The Boolooroo has ordered the patching to take place tomorrow +morning after breakfast. The old Earth man is to be patched to poor +Tiggle instead of Ghip-Ghisizzle, who has in some way managed to escape +from the Room of the Great Knife—no one knows how but Tiggle, and +Tiggle won't tell." +</P> + +<P> +"We're sorry for anyone who has to be patched," replied Fredjim in a +reflective tone, "for although it didn't hurt us as much as we +expected, it's a terrible mix-up to be in until we become used to our +strange combination. You and we are about alike, now, Jimfred, although +we were so different before." +</P> + +<P> +"Not so," said Jimfred. "We are really more intelligent than you are, +for the left side of our brain was always the keenest before we were +patched." +</P> + +<P> +"That may be," admitted Fredjim, "but we are much the strongest, +because our right arm was by far the best before we were patched." +</P> + +<P> +"We are not sure of that," responded Jimfred, "for we have a right arm, +too, and it is pretty strong." +</P> + +<P> +"We will test it," suggested the other, "by all pulling upon one end of +this bench with our right arms. Whichever can pull the bench from the +others must be the strongest." +</P> + +<P> +While they were tussling at the bench, dragging it first here and then +there in the trial of strength, Trot opened the door of the palace and +walked in. It was pretty dark in the hall, and only a few dim blue +lights showed at intervals down the long corridors. As the girl walked +through these passages, she could hear snores of various degrees coming +from behind some of the closed doors and knew that all the regular +inmates of the place were sound asleep. So she mounted to the upper +floor, and thinking she would be likely to find Cap'n Bill in the Room +of the Great Knife, she went there and tried the door. It was locked, +but the key had been left on the outside. She waited until the sentry +who was pacing the corridor had his back toward her, and then she +turned the key and slipped within, softly closing the door behind her. +</P> + +<P> +It was pitch dark in the room, and Trot didn't know how to make a +light. After a moment's thought she began feeling her way to the +window, stumbling over objects as she went. Every time she made a +noise, someone groaned, and that made the child uneasy. At last she +found a window and managed to open the shutters and let the moonlight +in. It wasn't a very strong moonlight, but it enabled her to examine +the interior of the room. In the center stood the Great Knife, which +the Boolooroo used to split people in two when he patched them, and at +one side was a dark form huddled upon the floor and securely bound. +</P> + +<P> +Trot hastened to this form and knelt beside it, but was disappointed to +find it was only Tiggle. The man stirred a little and rolled against +Trot's knee, when she at once became visible to him. "Oh, it's the +Earth child," said he. "Are you condemned to be patched, too, little +one?" +</P> + +<P> +"No," answered Trot. "Tell me where Cap'n Bill is." +</P> + +<P> +"I can't," said Tiggle. "The Boolooroo has hidden him until tomorrow +morning, when he's to be patched to me. Ghip-Ghisizzle was to have been +my mate, but Ghip escaped, being carried away by the Six Snubnosed +Princesses." +</P> + +<P> +"Why?" she asked. +</P> + +<P> +"One of them means to marry him," explained Tiggle. +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, that's worse than being patched!" cried Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"Much worse," said Tiggle with a groan. +</P> + +<P> +But now an idea occurred to the girl. "Would you like to escape?" she +asked the captive. "If I get you out of the palace, can you hide +yourself so that you won't be found?" +</P> + +<P> +"Certainly!" he declared. "I know a house where I can hide so snugly +that all the Boolooroo's soldiers cannot find me." +</P> + +<P> +"All right," said Trot. "I'll do it, for when you're gone, the +Boolooroo will have no one to patch Cap'n Bill to." +</P> + +<P> +"He may find someone else," suggested the prisoner. +</P> + +<P> +"But it will take him time to do that, and time is all I want," +answered the child. Even while she spoke, Trot was busy with the knots +in the cords, and presently she had unbound Tiggle, who soon got upon +his feet. "Now I'll go to one end of the passage and make a noise," +said she, "and when the guard runs to see what it is, you must run the +other way. Outside the palace, Jimfred and Fredjim are on guard, but if +you tip over the bench they are seated on, you can easily escape them." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll do that, all right," promised the delighted Tiggle. "You've made +a friend of me, little girl, and if ever I can help you, I'll do it +with pleasure." +</P> + +<P> +Then Trot started for the door, and Tiggle could no longer see her +because she was not now touching him. The man was much surprised at her +disappearance, but listened carefully, and when he heard the girl make +a noise at one end of the corridor, he opened the door and ran in the +opposite direction as he had been told to do. +</P> + +<P> +Of course, the guard could not discover what made the noise, and Trot +ran little risk, as she was careful not to let him touch her. When +Tiggle had escaped, the little girl wandered through the palace in +search of Cap'n Bill, but soon decided such a quest in the dark was +likely to fail and she must wait until morning. She was tired, too, and +thought she would find a vacant room—of which there were many in the +big palace—and go to sleep until daylight. She remembered there was a +comfortable vacant room just opposite the suite of the Six Snubnosed +Princesses, so she stole softly up to it and tried the door. It was +locked, but the key was outside, as the Blueskins seldom took a door +key from its place. So she turned the key, opened the door, and walked +in. +</P> + +<P> +Now this was the chamber in which Ghip-Ghisizzle had been confined by +the Princesses, his arms being bound tight to his body, but his legs +left free. The Boolooroo in his search had failed to discover what had +become of Ghip Ghisizzle, but the poor man had been worried every +minute for fear his retreat would be discovered or that the terrible +Princesses would come for him and nag him until he went crazy. There +was one window in his room, and the prisoner had managed to push open +the sash with his knees. Looking out, he found that a few feet below +the window was the broad wall that ran all around the palace gardens. A +little way to the right the wall joined the wall of the City, being on +the same level with it. +</P> + +<P> +Ghip-Ghisizzle had been thinking deeply upon this discovery, and he +decided that if anyone entered his room, he would get through the +window, leap down upon the wall, and try in this way to escape. It +would be a dangerous leap, for as his arms were bound, he might topple +off the wall into the garden; but he resolved to take this chance. +Therefore, when Trot rattled at the door of his room, Ghip-Ghisizzle +ran and seated himself upon the window sill, dangling his long legs +over the edge. When she finally opened the door, he slipped off and let +himself fall to the wall, where he doubled up in a heap. The next +minute, however, he had scrambled to his knees and was running swiftly +along the garden wall. +</P> + +<P> +Trot, finding the window open, came and looked out, and she saw the +Majordomo's tall form hastening along the top of the wall. The guards +saw him, too, outlined against the sky in the moonlight, and they began +yelling at him to stop, but Ghip-Ghisizzle kept right on until he +reached the city Wall, when he began to follow that. More guards were +yelling now, running along the foot of the wall to keep the fugitive in +sight, and people began to pour out of the houses and join in the chase. +</P> + +<P> +Poor Ghip realized that if he kept on the wall, he would merely circle +the city and finally be caught. If he leaped down into the City, he +would be seized at once. Just then he came opposite the camp of the +Pinkies and decided to trust himself to the mercies of his Earth +friends rather than be made a prisoner by his own people, who would +obey the commands of their detested but greatly feared Boolooroo. So +suddenly he gave a mighty leap and came down into the field outside the +city. Again he fell in a heap and rolled over and over, for it was a +high wall and the jump a dangerous one; but finally he recovered and +got upon his feet, delighted to find he had broken none of his bones. +</P> + +<P> +Some of the Blueskins had by now opened a gate, and out rushed a crowd +to capture the fugitive; but Ghip-Ghisizzle made straight for the camp +of the Pinkies, and his pursuers did not dare follow him far in that +direction. They soon gave up the chase and returned to the City, while +the runaway Majordomo was captured by Captain Coralie and marched away +to the tent of Rosalie the Witch, a prisoner of the Pinkies. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap23"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE GIRL AND THE BOOLOOROO +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 23 +</H3> + +<P> +Trot watched from the window the escape of Ghip-Ghisizzle but did not +know, of course, who it was. Then, after the City had quieted down +again, she lay upon the bed without undressing and was sound asleep in +a minute. +</P> + +<P> +The blue dawn was just breaking when she opened her eyes with a start +of fear that she might have overslept, but soon she found that no one +else in the palace was yet astir. Even the guards had gone to sleep by +this time and were adding their snores to the snores of the other +inhabitants of the Royal Palace. So the little girl got up and, finding +a ewer of water and a basin upon the dresser, washed herself carefully +and then looked in a big mirror to see how her hair was. To her +astonishment, there was no reflection at all; the mirror was blank so +far as Trot was concerned. She laughed a little at that, remembering +she wore the ring of Rosalie the Witch, which rendered her invisible. +Then she slipped quietly out of the room and found it was already light +enough in the corridors for her to see all objects distinctly. +</P> + +<P> +After hesitating a moment which way to turn, she decided to visit the +Snubnosed Princesses and passed through the big reception room to the +sleeping room of Indigo. There this Princess, the crossest and most +disagreeable of all the disagreeable six, was curled up in bed and +slumbering cozily. The little blue dog came trotting out of Indigo's +boudoir and crowed like a rooster, for although he could not see Trot, +his keen little nose scented her presence. Thinking it time the +Princess awoke, Trot leaned over and gave her snub nose a good tweak, +and at once Indigo sprang out of her bed and rushed into the chamber of +Cobalt, which adjoined her own. Thinking it was this sister who had +slyly attacked her, Indigo rushed at the sleeping Cobalt and slapped +her face. +</P> + +<P> +At once there was war. The other four Princesses, hearing the screams +and cries of rage, came running into Cobalt's room, and as fast as they +appeared, Trot threw pillows at them, so that presently all six were +indulging in a free-for-all battle and snarling like tigers. The blue +lamb came trotting into the room, and Trot leaned over and patted the +pretty little animal, but as she did so, she became visible for an +instant, each pat destroying the charm of the ring while the girl was +in contact with a living creature. These flashes permitted some of the +Princesses to see her, and at once they rushed toward her with furious +cries. But the girl realized what had happened, and leaving the lamb, +she stepped back into a corner and her frenzied enemies failed to find +her. It was a little dangerous, though, remaining in a room where six +girls were feeling all around for her, so she went away and left them +to their vain search while she renewed her hunt for Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +The sailorman did not seem to be in any of the rooms she entered, so +she decided to visit the Boolooroo's own apartments. In the room where +Rosalie's vision had shown them the Magic Umbrella lying under a +cabinet, Trot attempted to find it, for she considered that next to +rescuing Cap'n Bill this was the most important task to accomplish; but +the umbrella had been taken away and was no longer beneath the cabinet. +This was a severe disappointment to the child, but she reflected that +the umbrella was surely someplace in the Blue city, so there was no +need to despair. +</P> + +<P> +Finally, she entered the King's own sleeping chamber and found the +Boolooroo in bed and asleep, with a funny nightcap tied over his +egg-shaped head. As Trot looked at him, she was surprised to see that +he had one foot out of bed and that to his big toe was tied a cord that +led out of the bedchamber into a small dressing room beyond. Trot +slowly followed this cord and in the dressing room came upon Cap'n +Bill, who was lying asleep upon a lounge and snoring with great vigor. +His arms were tied to his body, and his body was tied fast to the +lounge. The wooden leg stuck out into the room at an angle, and the +shoe on his one foot had been removed so that the end of the cord could +be fastened to the sailor's big toe. +</P> + +<P> +This arrangement had been a clever thought of the Boolooroo. Fearing +his important prisoner might escape before he was patched as +Ghip-Ghisizzle had done, the cruel King of the Blues had kept Cap'n +Bill in his private apartments and had tied his own big toe to the +prisoner's big toe, so that if the sailor made any attempt to get away, +he would pull on the cord, and that would arouse the Boolooroo. +</P> + +<P> +Trot saw through this cunning scheme at once, so the first thing she +did was to untie the cord from Cap'n Bill's big toe and retie it to the +leg of the lounge. Then she unfastened her friend's hands and leaned +over to give his leathery face a smacking kiss. Cap'n Bill sat up and +rubbed his eyes. He looked around the room and rubbed his eyes again, +seeing no one who could have kissed him. Then he discovered that his +bonds had been removed, and he rubbed his eyes once more to make sure +he was not dreaming. The little girl laughed softly. +</P> + +<P> +"Trot!" exclaimed the sailor, recognizing her voice. +</P> + +<P> +Then Trot came up and took his hand, the touch at once rendering her +visible to him. "Dear me!" said the bewildered sailor. "However did you +get here, mate, in the Boolooroo's own den? Is the Blue City captured?" +</P> + +<P> +"Not yet," she replied, "but YOU are, Cap'n, and I've come to save you." +</P> + +<P> +"All alone, Trot?" +</P> + +<P> +"All alone, Cap'n Bill. But it's got to be done, jus' the same." And +then she explained about the magic ring Rosalie had lent her, which +rendered her invisible while she wore it—unless she touched some +living creature. Cap'n Bill was much interested. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm willing to be saved, mate," he said, "for the Boolooroo is set on +patchin' me right after breakfas', which I hope the cook'll be late +with." +</P> + +<P> +"Who are you to be patched to?" she asked. +</P> + +<P> +"A feller named Tiggle, who's in disgrace 'cause he mixed the royal +necktie for me." +</P> + +<P> +"That was nectar, not necktie," corrected Trot. "But you needn't be +'fraid of bein' patched with Tiggle, 'cause I've set him loose. By this +time he's in hiding, where he can't be found." +</P> + +<P> +"That's good," said Cap'n Bill, nodding approval, "but the blamed ol' +Boolooroo's sure to find someone else. What's to be done, mate?" +</P> + +<P> +Trot thought about it for a moment. Then she remembered how some +unknown man had escaped from the palace the night before by means of +the wall, which he had reached from the window of the very chamber in +which she had slept. Cap'n Bill might easily do the same. And the rope +ladder she had used would help the sailor down from the top of the +wall. "Could you climb down a rope ladder, Cap'n?" she asked. +</P> + +<P> +"Like enough," said he. "I've done it many a time on shipboard." +</P> + +<P> +"But you hadn't a wooden leg then," she reminded him. +</P> + +<P> +"The wooden leg won't bother much," he assured her. +</P> + +<P> +So Trot tied a small sofa cushion around the end of his wooden leg so +it wouldn't make any noise pounding upon the floor, and then she +quietly led the sailor through the room of the sleeping Boolooroo and +through several other rooms until they came to the passage. Here a +soldier was on guard, but he had fallen asleep for a moment in order to +rest himself. They passed the Blueskin without disturbing him and soon +reached the chamber opposite the suite of the Six Snubnosed Princesses, +whom they could hear still quarreling loudly among themselves. +</P> + +<P> +Trot locked the door from the inside so no one could disturb them, and +then led the sailor to the window. The garden was just below. +</P> + +<P> +"But good gracious me! It's a drop o' ten feet, Trot," he exclaimed. +</P> + +<P> +"And you've only one foot to drop, Cap'n," she said, laughing. +"Couldn't you let yourself down with one of the sheets from the bed?" +</P> + +<P> +"I'll try," he rejoined. "But can YOU do that circus act, Trot?" +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, I'm goin' to stay here an' find the Magic Umbrella," she replied. +"Bein' invis'ble, Cap'n, I'm safe enough. What I want to do is to see +you safe back with the Pinkies, an' then I'll manage to hold my own all +right, never fear." +</P> + +<P> +So they brought a blue sheet and tied one end to a post of the blue bed +and let the other end dangle out the blue window. "Goodbye, mate," said +Cap'n Bill, preparing to descend. "Don't get reckless." +</P> + +<P> +"I won't, Cap'n. Don't worry." +</P> + +<P> +Then he grasped the sheet with both hands and easily let himself down +to the wall. Trot had told him where to find the rope ladder she had +left and how to fasten it to the broken flagstaff so he could climb +down into the field outside the City. As soon as he was safe on the +wall, Cap'n Bill began to hobble along the broad top toward the +connecting wall that surrounded the entire City—just as Ghip-Ghisizzle +had done—and Trot anxiously watched him from the window. +</P> + +<P> +But the Blue City was now beginning to waken to life. One of the +soldiers came from a house, sleepily yawning and stretching himself, +and presently his eyes lit upon the huge form of Cap'n Bill hastening +along the top of the wall. The soldier gave a yell that aroused a score +of his comrades and brought them tumbling into the street. When they +saw how the Boolooroo's precious prisoner was escaping, they instantly +became alert and wide-awake, and every one started in pursuit along the +foot of the wall. +</P> + +<P> +Of course, the long-legged Blueskins could run faster than poor Cap'n +Bill. Some of them soon got ahead of the old sailorman and came to the +rope ladder which Trot had left dangling from the stone bench, where it +hung down inside the City. The Blue soldiers promptly mounted this +ladder and so gained the wall, heading off the fugitive. When Cap'n +Bill came up, panting and all out of breath, the Blueskins seized him +and held him fast. +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill was terribly disappointed at being recaptured, and so was +Trot, who had eagerly followed his every movement from her window in +the palace. The little girl would have cried with vexation, and I think +she did weep a few tears before she recovered her courage; but Cap'n +Bill was a philosopher, in his way, and had learned to accept ill +fortune cheerfully. Knowing he was helpless, he made no protest when +they again bound him and carried him down the ladder like a bale of +goods. +</P> + +<P> +Others were also disappointed by his capture. Button-Bright had heard +the parrot squawking, "Oh, there's Cap'n Bill! There's Cap'n Bill! I +see him still, up on that hill! It's Cap'n Bill!" So the boy ran out of +his tent to find the sailor scurrying along the top of the wall as fast +as he could go. At once Button-Bright aroused Coralie, who got her +Pinkies together and quickly marched them toward the wall to assist in +the escape of her Commander in Chief. But they were too late. Before +they could reach the wall, the Blueskins had captured Trot's old friend +and lugged him down in to the City, so Coralie and Button-Bright were +forced to return to their camp discomfited. There Ghip-Ghisizzle and +Rosalie were awaiting them, and they all went into the Witch's tent and +held a council of war. +</P> + +<P> +"Tell me," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "did you not take the Royal Record Book +from the Treasure Chamber of the Boolooroo?" +</P> + +<P> +"I did," replied the boy. "I remember that you wanted it, and so I have +kept it with me ever since that night. Here it is." And he presented +the little blue book to the Majordomo, the only friend the adventurers +had found among all the Blueskins. +</P> + +<P> +Ghip-Ghisizzle took the book eagerly and at once began turning over its +leaves. "Ah!" he exclaimed presently. "It is just as I suspected. The +wicked Boolooroo had already reigned over the Blue Country three +hundred years last Thursday, so that now he has no right to rule at +all. I myself have been the rightful Ruler of the Blues since Thursday, +and yet this cruel and deceitful man has not only deprived me of my +right to succeed him, but he has tried to have me patched so that I +could never become the Boolooroo." +</P> + +<P> +"Does the book tell how old he is?" asked Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"Yes. He is not five hundred years old, and has yet another hundred +years to live. He planned to rule the Blue Country until the last, but +I now know the deception he has practiced and have the Royal Record +Book to prove it. With this I shall be able to force him to resign that +I may take his place, for all the people will support me and abide by +the Law. The tyrant will perhaps fight me and my cause desperately, but +I am sure to win in the end." +</P> + +<P> +"If we can help you," said Button-Bright, "the whole Pink Army will +fight for you. Only, if you win, you must promise to give me back my +Magic Umbrella and let us fly away to our own homes again." +</P> + +<P> +"I will do that most willingly," agreed Ghip-Ghisizzle. "And now let us +consult together how best to take the Blue City and capture the +Boolooroo. As I know my own country much better than you or the Pinkies +do, I think I can find a way to accomplish our purpose." +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap24"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE AMAZING CONQUEST OF THE BLUES +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 24 +</H3> + +<P> +The shouting and excitement in the City following upon the recapture of +Cap'n Bill aroused the sleeping Boolooroo. He found the cord still tied +to his big toe and at first imagined his prisoner safe in the dressing +room. While he put on his clothes, the king occasionally gave the cord +a sudden pull, hoping to hurt Cap'n Bill's big toe and make him yell; +but as no response came to this mean action, the Boolooroo finally +looked into the room only to find he had been pulling on a leg of the +couch and that his prisoner had escaped. +</P> + +<P> +Then he flew into a mighty rage, and running out into the hall he aimed +a blow at the unfaithful guard, knocking the fellow off his feet. Then +he rushed downstairs into the courtyard, shouting loudly for his +soldiers and threatening to patch everybody in his dominions if the +sailorman was not recaptured. +</P> + +<P> +While the Boolooroo stormed and raged, a band of soldiers and citizens +came marching in, surrounding Cap'n Bill, who was again firmly bound. +</P> + +<P> +"So-ho!" roared the monarch. "You thought you could defy me, Earth +Clod, did you? But you were mistaken. No one can resist the Mighty +Boolooroo of the Blues, so it is folly for you to rebel against my +commands. Hold him fast, my men, and as soon as I've had my coffee and +oatmeal I'll take him to the Room of the Great Knife and patch him." +</P> + +<P> +"I wouldn't mind a cup o' coffee myself," said Cap'n Bill. "I've had +consid'ble exercise this mornin', and I'm all ready for breakfas'." +</P> + +<P> +"Very well," replied the Boolooroo, "you shall eat with me, for then I +can keep an eye on you. My guards are not to be trusted, and I don't +mean to let you out of my sight again until you are patched." +</P> + +<P> +So Cap'n Bill and the Boolooroo had breakfast together, six Blueskins +standing in a row back of the sailorman to grab him if he attempted to +escape. But Cap'n Bill made no such attempt, knowing it would be +useless. +</P> + +<P> +Trot was in the room, too, standing in a corner and listening to all +that was said while she racked her little brain for an idea that would +enable her to save Cap'n Bill from being patched. No one could see her, +so no one—not even Cap'n Bill—knew she was there. +</P> + +<P> +After breakfast was over, a procession was formed, headed by the +Boolooroo, and they marched the prisoner through the palace until they +came to the Room of the Great Knife. Invisible Trot followed soberly +after them, still wondering what she could do to save her friend. +</P> + +<P> +As soon as they entered the Room of the great Knife, the Boolooroo gave +a yell of disappointment. +</P> + +<P> +"What's become of Tiggle?" he shouted. "Where's Tiggle? Who has +released Tiggle? Go at once, you dummies, and find him, or it will go +hard with you!" +</P> + +<P> +The frightened soldiers hurried away to find Tiggle, and Trot was well +pleased because she knew Tiggle was by this time safely hidden. +</P> + +<P> +The Boolooroo stamped up and down the room, muttering threats and +declaring Cap'n Bill should be punished whether Tiggle was found or +not, and while they waited, Trot took time to make an inspection of the +place, which she now saw for the first time in broad daylight. +</P> + +<P> +The Room of the Great Knife was high and big, and around it ran rows of +benches for the spectators to sit upon. In one place at the head of the +room was a raised platform for the royal family, with elegant +throne-chairs for the King and Queen and six smaller but richly +upholstered chairs for the Snubnosed Princesses. The poor Queen, by the +way, was seldom seen, as she passed all her time playing solitaire with +a deck that was one card short, hoping that before she had lived her +entire six hundred years she would win the game. Therefore, her Majesty +paid no attention to anyone and no one paid any attention to her. +</P> + +<P> +In the center of the room stood the terrible knife that gave the place +its name, a name dreaded by every inhabitant of the Blue City. The +knife was built into a huge framework like a derrick, that reached to +the ceiling, and it was so arranged that when the Boolooroo pulled a +cord the great blade would drop down in its frame and neatly cut in two +the person who stood under it. And in order that the slicing would be +accurate, there was another frame to which the prisoner was tied so +that he couldn't wiggle either way. This frame was on rollers so that +it could be placed directly underneath the knife. +</P> + +<P> +While Trot was observing this dreadful machine, the door opened and in +walked the Six Snubnosed Princesses, all in a row and with their chins +up as if they disdained everyone but themselves. They were +magnificently dressed, and their blue hair was carefully arranged in +huge towers upon their heads, with blue plumes stuck into the tops. +These plumes waved gracefully in the air with every mincing step the +Princesses took. Rich jewels of blue stones glittered upon their +persons, and the royal ladies were fully as gorgeous as they were +haughty and overbearing. They marched to their chairs and seated +themselves to enjoy the cruel scene their father was about to enact, +and Cap'n Bill bowed to them politely and said: +</P> + +<P> +"Mornin', girls. Hope ye feel as well as ye look." +</P> + +<P> +"Papa," exclaimed Turquoise angrily, "can you not prevent this vile +Earth Being from addressing us? It is an insult to be spoken to by one +about to be patched." +</P> + +<P> +"Control yourselves, my dears," replied the Boolooroo. "The worst +punishment I know how to inflict on anyone this prisoner is about to +suffer. You'll see a very pretty patching, my royal daughters." +</P> + +<P> +"When?" inquired Cobalt. +</P> + +<P> +"When? As soon as the soldiers return with Tiggle," said he. +</P> + +<P> +But just then in came the soldiers to say that Tiggle could not be +found anywhere in the City; he had disappeared as mysteriously as had +Ghip-Ghisizzle. Immediately, the Boolooroo flew into another towering +rage. +</P> + +<P> +"Villains!" he shouted. "Go out and arrest the first living thing you +meet, and whoever it proves to be will be instantly patched to Cap'n +Bill." +</P> + +<P> +The Captain of the Guards hesitated to obey this order. "Suppose it's a +friend?" he suggested. +</P> + +<P> +"Friend!" roared the Boolooroo. "I haven't a friend in the country. +Tell me, sir, do you know of anyone who is my friend?" +</P> + +<P> +The Captain shook his head. "I can't think of anyone just now, your +Spry and Flighty High and Mighty Majesty," he answered. +</P> + +<P> +"Of course not," said the Boolooroo. "Everyone hates me, and I don't +object to that because I hate everybody. But I'm the Ruler here, and +I'll do as I please. Go and capture the first living creature you see +and bring him here to be patched to Cap'n Bill." +</P> + +<P> +So the Captain took a file of soldiers and went away very sorrowful, +for he did not know who would be the victim, and if the Boolooroo had +no friends, the Captain had plenty and did not wish to see them patched. +</P> + +<P> +Meanwhile, Trot, being invisible to all, was roaming around the room, +and behind a bench she found a small end of rope, which she picked up. +Then she seated herself in an out-of-the-way place and quietly waited. +</P> + +<P> +Suddenly there was a noise in the corridor and evidence of scuffling +and struggling. Then the door flew open and in came the soldiers +dragging a great blue billygoat, which was desperately striving to get +free. +</P> + +<P> +"Villains!" howled the Boolooroo. "What does this mean?" +</P> + +<P> +"Why, you said to fetch the first living creature we met, and that was +this billygoat," replied the Captain, panting hard as he held fast to +one of the goat's horns. +</P> + +<P> +The Boolooroo stared a moment, and then he fell back to his throne, +laughing boisterously. The idea of patching Cap'n Bill to a goat was +vastly amusing to him, and the more he thought of it the more he roared +with laughter. Some of the soldiers laughed, too, being tickled with +the absurd notion, and the Six Snubnosed Princesses all sat up straight +and permitted themselves to smile contemptuously. This would indeed be +a severe punishment, therefore the Princesses were pleased at the +thought of Cap'n Bill's becoming half a billygoat, and the billygoat's +being half Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"They look something alike, you know," suggested the Captain of the +Guards, looking from one to the other doubtfully, "and they're nearly +the same size if you stand the goat on his hind legs. They've both got +the same style of whiskers, and they're both of 'em obstinate and +dangerous, so they ought to make a good patch." +</P> + +<P> +"Splendid! Fine! Glorious!" cried the Boolooroo, wiping the tears of +merriment from his eyes. "We will proceed with the Ceremony of Patching +at once." +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill regarded the billygoat with distinct disfavor, and the +billygoat glared evilly upon Cap'n Bill. Trot was horrified, and wrung +her little hands in sore perplexity, for this was a most horrible fate +that awaited her dear friend. +</P> + +<P> +"First, bind the Earth Man in the frame," commanded the Boolooroo. +"We'll slice him in two before we do the same to the billygoat." +</P> + +<P> +So they seized Cap'n Bill and tied him into the frame so that he +couldn't move a jot in any direction. Then they rolled the frame +underneath the Great Knife and handed the Boolooroo the cord that +released the blade. But while this was going on, Trot had crept up and +fastened one end of her rope to the frame in which Cap'n Bill was +confined. Then she stood back and watched the Boolooroo, and just as he +pulled the cord, she pulled on her rope and dragged the frame on its +rollers away, so that the Great Knife fell with a crash and sliced +nothing but the air. +</P> + +<P> +"Huh!" exclaimed the Boolooroo. "That's queer. Roll him up again, +soldiers." +</P> + +<P> +The soldiers again rolled the frame in position, having first pulled +the Great Knife once more to the top of the derrick. The immense blade +was so heavy that it took the strength of seven Blueskins to raise it. +When all was in readiness, the King pulled the cord a second time, and +Trot at the same instant pulled upon her rope. The same thing happened +as before. Cap'n Bill rolled away in his frame, and the knife fell +harmlessly. +</P> + +<P> +Now, indeed, the Boolooroo was as angry as he was amazed. He jumped +down from the platform and commanded the soldiers to raise the Great +Knife into position. When this was accomplished, the Boolooroo leaned +over to try to discover why the frame rolled away—seemingly of its own +accord—and he was the more puzzled because it had never done such a +thing before. +</P> + +<P> +As he stood, bent nearly double, his back was toward the billygoat, +which in their interest and excitement the soldiers were holding in a +careless manner. Before any could stop him, he butted his Majesty so +furiously that the King soared far into the air and tumbled in a heap +among the benches, where he lay moaning and groaning. +</P> + +<P> +The goat's warlike spirit was roused by this successful attack. Finding +himself free, he turned and assaulted the soldiers, butting them so +fiercely that they tumbled down in bunches, and as soon as they could +rise again ran frantically from the room and along the corridors as if +a fiend was after them. By this time the goat was so animated by the +spirit of conquest that he rushed at the Six Snubnosed Princesses, who +had all climbed upon their chairs and were screaming in a panic of +fear. Six times the goat butted, and each time he tipped over a chair +and sent a haughty Princess groveling upon the floor, where the ladies +got mixed up in their long, blue trains and flounces and laces and +struggled wildly until they recovered their footing. Then they sped in +great haste for the door, and the goat gave a final butt that sent the +row of royal ladies all diving into the corridor in another tangle, +whereupon they shrieked in a manner that terrified everyone within +sound of their voices. +</P> + +<P> +As the Room of the Great Knife was now cleared of all but Cap'n Bill, +who was tied in his frame, and of Trot and the moaning Boolooroo, who +lay hidden behind the benches, the goat gave a victorious bleat and +stood in the doorway to face any enemy that might appear. Trot had been +as surprised as anyone at this sudden change of conditions, but she was +quick to take advantage of the opportunities it afforded. First she ran +with her rope to the goat, and as the animal could not see her, she +easily succeeded in tying the rope around its horns and fastening the +loose end to a pillar of the doorway. Next she hurried to Cap'n Bill +and began to unbind him, and as she touched the sailor she became +visible. He nodded cheerfully, then, and said, "I had a notion it was +you, mate, as saved me from the knife. But it were a pretty close call, +an' I hope it won't happen again. I couldn't shiver much, bein' bound +so tight, but when I'm loose I mean to have jus' one good shiver to +relieve my feelin's." +</P> + +<P> +"Shiver all you want to, Cap'n," she said as she removed the last +bonds. "But first you've got to help me save us both." +</P> + +<P> +"As how?" he asked, stepping from the frame. +</P> + +<P> +"Come and get the Boolooroo," she said, going toward the benches. The +sailor followed and pulled out the Boolooroo, who, when he saw the +terrible goat was captured and tied fast, quickly recovered his +courage. "Hi, there!" he cried. "Where are my soldiers? What do you +mean, prisoner, by daring to lay hands upon me? Let me go this minute +or I'll—I'll have you patched TWICE!" +</P> + +<P> +"Don't mind him, Cap'n," said Trot, "but fetch him along to the frame." +The Boolooroo looked around to see where the voice came from, and Cap'n +Bill grinned joyfully and caught up the king in both his strong arms, +dragging the struggling Monarch of the Blues to the frame. +</P> + +<P> +"Stop it! How dare you?" roared the frightened Boolooroo. "I'll have +revenge! I'll—I'll—" +</P> + +<P> +"You'll take it easy, 'cause you can't help yourself," said Cap'n Bill. +"What next, Queen Trot?" +</P> + +<P> +"Hold him steady in the frame, and I'll tie him up," she replied. So +Cap'n Bill held the Boolooroo, and the girl tied him fast in position +as Cap'n Bill had been tied, so that his Majesty couldn't wiggle at +all. Then they rolled the frame in position underneath the Great Knife +and Trot held in her hand the cord which would release it. +</P> + +<P> +"All right, Cap'n," she said in a satisfied tone. "I guess we can run +this Blue Country ourselves after this." The Boolooroo was terrified to +find himself in danger of being sliced by the same knife he had so +often wickedly employed to slice others. Like Cap'n Bill, he had no +room to shiver, but he groaned very dismally and was so full of fear +that his blue hair nearly stood on end. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap25"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE RULER OF SKY ISLAND +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 25 +</H3> + +<P> +The girl now took off Rosalie's ring and put it carefully away in her +pocket. "It won't matter who sees me now," she remarked, "an' I want +'em to know that you an' me, Cap'n, are running this kingdom. I'm Queen +o' the Pinkies an' Booloorooess o' the Blues, an'—" +</P> + +<P> +"What's that?" asked the sailor. "You're—you're WHAT, Trot?" +</P> + +<P> +"Booloorooess. Isn't that right, Cap'n?" +</P> + +<P> +"I dunno, mate. It sounds bigger ner you are, an' I don't like the +word, anyhow. S'pose you jus' call yourself the Boss? That fills the +bill an' don't need pernouncin'." +</P> + +<P> +"All right," she said. "Queen o' the Pinkies an' Boss o' the Blues. +Seems funny, don't it, Cap'n Bill?" +</P> + +<P> +Just then they heard a sound of footsteps in the corridor. The soldiers +had recovered their courage, and fearful of the anger of their dreaded +Boolooroo, whom the Princesses declared would punish them severely, had +ventured to return to the room. They came rather haltingly, though, and +the Captain of the Guards first put his head cautiously through the +doorway to see if the coast was clear. The goat discovered him and +tried to make a rush, but the rope held the animal back, and when the +Captain saw this, he came forward more boldly. +</P> + +<P> +"Halt!" cried Trot. The Captain halted, his soldiers peering curiously +over his shoulders and the Six Snubnosed Princesses looking on from +behind, where they considered themselves safe. "If anyone dares enter +this room without my permission," said Trot, "I'll pull this cord and +slice your master that once was the Boolooroo." +</P> + +<P> +"Don't come in! Don't come in!" yelled the Boolooroo in a terrified +voice. +</P> + +<P> +Then they saw that the sailor was free and the Boolooroo bound in his +place. The soldiers were secretly glad to observe this, but the +Princesses were highly indignant. "Release his Majesty at once!" cried +Indigo from the corridor. "You shall be severely punished for this +rebellion." +</P> + +<P> +"Don't worry," replied Trot. "His Majesty isn't his Majesty any longer. +He's jus' a common Blueskin. Cap'n Bill and I perpose runnin' this +Island ourselves, after this. You've all got to obey ME, for I'm the +Booloorooess—no, I mean the Boss—o' the Blues, and I've a notion to +run things my own way." +</P> + +<P> +"You can't," said Turquoise scornfully. "The Law says—" +</P> + +<P> +"Bother the Law!" exclaimed Trot. "I'll make the Laws myself from now +on, and I'll unmake every Law you ever had before I conquered you." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, have you conquered us, then?" asked the Captain of the Guards in a +surprised tone. +</P> + +<P> +"Of course," said Trot. "Can't you see?" +</P> + +<P> +"It looks like it," admitted the Captain. +</P> + +<P> +"Cap'n Bill is goin' to be my General o' the Army an' the Royal Manager +o' the Blue Country," continued Trot, "so you'll mind what he says." +</P> + +<P> +"Nonsense!" shouted Indigo. "March in and capture them, Captain! Never +mind if they do slice the Boolooroo. I'm his daughter, and I'LL rule +the kingdom." +</P> + +<P> +"You won't!" screamed Cobalt. "I'll rule it!" +</P> + +<P> +"I'll rule it myself!" cried Cerulia. +</P> + +<P> +"No, no!" yelled Turquoise. "I'll be the Ruler." +</P> + +<P> +"That shall be MY privilege!" shouted Sapphire. Cobalt began to say, +"I'm the—" +</P> + +<P> +"Be quiet!" said Trot sternly. "Would you have your own father sliced +so that you could rule in his place?" +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, yes, of course!" rejoined the six Princesses without a second's +hesitation. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, well! What d' ye think o' that, Mr. Boolooroo?" asked Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"They're undutiful daughters. Don't pay any attention to them," replied +the frightened Boolooroo. +</P> + +<P> +"We're not goin' to," said Trot. "Now, you Blue Cap'n, who are you and +your soldiers going to obey, me or the snubnosed ones?" +</P> + +<P> +"You!" declared the Captain of the Guards positively, for he hated the +Princesses, as did all the Blueskins. +</P> + +<P> +"Then escort those girls to their rooms, lock 'em in, an' put a guard +before the door." +</P> + +<P> +At once the soldiers seized the Princesses and notwithstanding their +snarls and struggles marched them to their rooms and locked them in. +While they were gone on this errand, the Boolooroo begged to be +released, whining and wailing for fear the knife would fall upon him. +But Trot did not think it safe to unbind him just then. When the +soldiers returned, she told their leader to put a strong guard before +the palace and to admit no one unless either she or Cap'n Bill gave the +order to do so. The soldiers obeyed readily, and when Trot and Cap'n +Bill were left alone, they turned the goat loose in the Room of the +Great Knife and then locked the animal in with the Boolooroo. +</P> + +<P> +"The billygoat is the very best guard we could have, for ever'body's +'fraid o' him," remarked Cap'n Bill as he put the key of the room in +his pocket. "So now, Queen Trot, what's next on the program?" +</P> + +<P> +"Next," said Trot, "we're goin' to hunt for that umbrel, Cap'n. I don't +mean to stay in this dismal Blue Country long, even if I am the Queen. +Let's find the umbrel and go home as soon as we can." +</P> + +<P> +"That suits me," the sailor joyfully exclaimed, and then the two began +a careful search through the palace. They went into every room and +looked behind the furniture and underneath the beds and in every crack +and corner, but no place could they spy the Magic Umbrella. Cap'n Bill +even ventured to enter the rooms of the Six Snubnosed Princesses, who +were by this time so thoroughly alarmed that they had become meek and +mild as could be. But the umbrella wasn't there, either. +</P> + +<P> +Finally, they returned to the great throne room of the palace, where +they seated themselves on the throne and tried to think what could +possibly have become of the precious umbrella. While they were sitting +and talking together, the Captain of the Guards entered and bowed +respectfully. "Beg pardon, your Small-Sized Majesty," said he to Trot, +"but it is my duty to report that the Pinkies are preparing to attack +the City." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh! I'd forgotten the Pinkies!" exclaimed the girl. "Tell me, Captain, +have you such a thing as a Brass Band in this City?" +</P> + +<P> +"We have two fine bands, but they are not brass," replied the Captain. +"Their instruments are made of blue metal." +</P> + +<P> +"Well, order 'em out," commanded Trot. "And say, get all the soldiers +together and tell all the people there's going to be a high time in the +Blue City tonight. We'll have music and dancing and eating and—" +</P> + +<P> +"An' neckties to drink, Trot. Don't forget the royal neckties," urged +Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"We'll have all the fun there is going," continued the girl, "for we +are to entertain the Army of the Pinkies." +</P> + +<P> +"The Pinkies!" exclaimed the Captain of the Guards. "Why, they're our +enemies, your Short Highness." +</P> + +<P> +"Not any more," replied Trot. "I'm Queen of the Pinkies, an' I'm also +Queen of the Blues, so I won't have my people quarreling. Tell the Blue +people we are to throw open the gates and welcome the Pinkies to the +City, where everybody will join in a grand celebration. And jus' as +soon as you've spread the news an' got the bands tuned up and the +soldiers ready to march, you let us know, and we'll head the +procession." +</P> + +<P> +"Your Microscopic Majesty shall be obeyed," said the Captain, and went +away to carry out these commands. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap26"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +TROT CELEBRATES THE VICTORY +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 26 +</H3> + +<P> +The Blue people were by this time dazed with wonder at all the events +that had transpired that eventful day, but they still had wit enough to +be glad the war was over, for in war someone is likely to get hurt, and +it is foolish to take such chances when one can remain quietly at home. +The Blues did not especially admire the Pinkies, but it was easier to +entertain them than to fight them, and above all, the Blueskins were +greatly rejoiced that their wicked Boolooroo had been conquered and +could no longer abuse them. So they were quite willing to obey the +orders of their girl Queen and in a short time the blasts of trumpets +and roll of drums and clashing of cymbals told Trot and Cap'n Bill that +the Blue Bands had assembled before the palace. +</P> + +<P> +So they went down and found that a great crowd of people had gathered, +and these cheered Trot with much enthusiasm—which was very different +from the scowls and surly looks with which they had formerly greeted +their strange visitors from the Earth. +</P> + +<P> +The soldiers wore their best blue uniforms and were formed before the +palace in marching order, so Trot and Cap'n Bill headed the procession, +and then came the soldiers—all keeping step—and then the bands, +playing very loud noises on their instruments, and finally the crowd of +Blue citizens waving flags and banners and shouting joyfully. In this +order they proceeded to the main gate, which Trot ordered the guards to +throw wide open. Then they all marched out a little way into the fields +and found that the Army of Pinkies had already formed and was advancing +steadily toward them. +</P> + +<P> +At the head of the Pinkies were Ghip-Ghisizzle and Button-Bright, who +had the parrot on his shoulder, and they were supported by Captain +Coralie and Captain Tintint and Rosalie the Witch. They had decided to +capture the Blue City at all hazards, that they might rescue Trot and +Cap'n Bill and conquer the Boolooroo, so when from a distance they saw +the Blueskins march from the gate with banners flying and bands +playing, they supposed a most terrible fight was about to take place. +</P> + +<P> +However, as the two forces came nearer together, Button-Bright spied +Trot and Cap'n Bill standing before the enemy, and the sight astonished +him considerably. +</P> + +<P> +"Welcome, friends!" shouted Cap'n Bill in a loud voice; and "Welcome!" +cried Trot; and "Welcome!" roared the Blue soldiers and the people of +the Blue City. +</P> + +<P> +"Hooray!" yelled the parrot, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Welcome to our happy home<BR> + From which no longer will we roam!"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +And then he flapped his wings and barked like a dog with pure delight, +and added as fast as his bird's tongue could speak, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "One army's pink and one is blue,<BR> + But neither one is in a stew<BR> + Because the naughty Boolooroo<BR> + Is out of sight, so what we'll do<BR> + Is try to be a jolly crew<BR> + And dance and sing our too-ral-loo<BR> + And to our friends be ever true<BR> + And to our foes—"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +"Stop it!" said Button-Bright, "I can't hear myself think." +</P> + +<P> +The Pinkies were amazed at the strange reception of the Blues and +hesitated to advance, but Trot now ran up in front of them and made a +little speech. "Pinkies," said she, "your Queen has conquered the +Boolooroo and is now the Queen of the Blues. All of Sky Island except +the Fog Bank is now my kingdom, so I welcome my faithful Pinkies to my +Blue City, where you are to be royally entertained and have a good +time. The war is over an' ever'body must be sociable an' happy or I'll +know the reason why!" +</P> + +<P> +Now, indeed, the Pinkies raised a great shout of joy, and the Blues +responded with another joyful shout, and Rosalie kissed the little girl +and said she had performed wonders, and everybody shook hands with +Cap'n Bill and congratulated him upon his escape, and the parrot flew +to Trot's shoulder and screeched, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "The Pinkies are pink, the Blues are blue,<BR> + But Trot's the Queen, so too-ral-loo!"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +When the Blueskins saw Ghip-Ghisizzle, they raised another great shout, +for he was the favorite of the soldiers and very popular with all the +people. But Ghip-Ghisizzle did not heed the shouting. He was looking +downcast and sad, and it was easy to see he was disappointed because he +had not conquered the Boolooroo himself. But the people called upon him +for a speech, so he faced the Blueskins and said, "I escaped from the +City because the Boolooroo tried to patch me as you all know, and the +Six Snubnosed Princesses tried to marry me, which would have been a far +greater misfortune. But I have recovered the Book of Royal Records, +which has long been hidden in the Treasure Chamber, and by reading it I +find that the Boolooroo is not your lawful Boolooroo at all, having +reigned more than his three hundred years. Since last Thursday, I, +Ghip-Ghisizzle, have been the lawful Boolooroo of the Blue Country, but +now that you are conquered by Queen Trot, I suppose I am conquered, +too, and you have no Boolooroo at all." +</P> + +<P> +"Hooray!" cried the parrot. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Here's a pretty howdy-do—<BR> + You haven't any Boolooroo!"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +Trot had listened carefully to the Majordomo's speech. When he +finished, she said cheerfully, "Don't worry, Sizzle dear, it'll all +come right pretty soon. Now then, let's enter the City an' enjoy the +grand feast that's being cooked. I'm nearly starved, myself, for this +conquerin' kingdoms is hard work." +</P> + +<P> +So the Pinkies and the Blues marched side by side into the City, and +there was great rejoicing and music and dancing and feasting and games +and merrymaking that lasted for three full days. Trot carried Rosalie +and Captain Coralie and Ghip-Ghisizzle to the palace, and of course +Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were with her. They had the Royal chef +serve dinner at once, and they ate in great state, seated in the Royal +Banquet Hall, where they were waited on by a hundred servants. The +parrot perched upon the back of Queen Trot's chair, and the girl fed it +herself, being glad to have the jolly bird with her again. +</P> + +<P> +After they had eaten all they could and the servants had been sent +away, Trot related her adventures, telling how with the assistance of +the billygoat she had turned the tables on the wicked Boolooroo. Then +she gave Rosalie back her magic ring, thanking the kind Witch for all +she had done for them. "And now," said she, "I want to say to +Ghip-'Sizzle that jus' as soon as we can find Button-Bright's umbrel +we're going to fly home again. I'll always be Queen of Sky Island, but +the Pink and Blue Countries must each have a Ruler. I think I'll make +'Sizzle the Boolooroo of the Blues, but I want you to promise me, Ghip, +that you'll destroy the Great Knife and its frame and clean up the room +and turn it into a skating rink an' never patch anyone as long as you +rule the Blueskins." +</P> + +<P> +Ghip-Ghisizzle was overjoyed at the prospect of being Boolooroo of the +Blues, but he looked solemn at the promise Trot exacted. "I'm not +cruel," he said, "and I don't approve of patching in general, so I'll +willingly destroy the Great Knife. But before I do that, I want the +privilege of patching the Snubnosed Princesses to each other—mixing +the six as much as possible—and then I want to patch the former +Boolooroo to the billygoat, which is the same punishment he was going +to inflict upon Cap'n Bill." +</P> + +<P> +"No," said Trot positively. "There's been enough patching in this +country, and I won't have any more of it. The old Boolooroo and the six +stuck-up Princesses will be punished enough by being put out of the +palace. The people don't like 'em a bit, so they'll be outcasts and +wanderers, and that will make 'em sorry they were so wicked an' cruel +when they were powerful. Am I right, Cap'n Bill?" +</P> + +<P> +"You are, mate," replied the sailor. +</P> + +<P> +"Please, Queen Trot," begged Ghip-Ghisizzle, "let me patch just the +Boolooroo. It will be such a satisfaction." +</P> + +<P> +"I have said no, an' I mean it," answered the girl. "You let the poor +old Boolooroo alone. There's nothing that hurts so much as a come-down +in life, an' I 'spect the old rascal's goin' to be pretty miser'ble +by'm'by." +</P> + +<P> +"What does he say to his reversal of fortune?" asked Rosalie. +</P> + +<P> +"Why, I don't b'lieve he knows about it," said Trot. "Guess I'd better +send for him an' tell him what's happened." +</P> + +<P> +So the Captain of the Guards was given the key and told to fetch the +Boolooroo from the Room of the Great Knife. The guards had a terrible +struggle with the goat, which was loose in the room and still wanted to +fight, but finally they subdued the animal, and then they took the +Boolooroo out of the frame he was tied in and brought both him and the +goat before Queen Trot, who awaited them in the throne room of the +palace. When the courtiers and the people assembled saw the goat, they +gave a great cheer, for the beast had helped to dethrone their wicked +Ruler. +</P> + +<P> +"What's goin' to happen to this tough ol' warrior, Trot?" asked Cap'n +Bill. "It's my idee as he's braver than the whole Blue Army put +together." +</P> + +<P> +"You're right, Cap'n," she returned. "I'll have 'Sizzle make a fine +yard for the goat, where he'll have plenty of blue grass to eat. An' +I'll have a pretty fence put around it an' make all the people honor +an' respec' him jus' as long as he lives." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll gladly do that," promised the new Boolooroo, "and I'll feed the +honorable goat all the shavings and leather and tin cans he can eat, +besides the grass. He'll be the happiest goat in Sky Island, I assure +you." +</P> + +<P> +As they led the now-famous animal from the room, the Boolooroo +shuddered and said, "How dare you people give orders in my palace? I'm +the Boolooroo!" +</P> + +<P> +"'Scuse me," said Trot. "I neglected to tell you that you're not the +Boolooroo any more. We've got the Royal Record Book, an' it proves +you've already ruled this country longer than you had any right to. +'Sides all that, I'm the Queen o' Sky Island—which means Queen o' the +Pinkies an' Queen o' the Blues, both of 'em. So things are run as I +say, an' I've made Ghip-Ghisizzle Boolooroo in your place. He'll look +after this end of the Island hereafter, an' unless I'm much mistaken, +he'll do it a heap better than you did." +</P> + +<P> +The former Boolooroo groaned. "What's going to become of me, then?" he +asked. "Am I to be patched, or what?" +</P> + +<P> +"You won't be hurt," answered the girl, "but you'll have to find some +other place to stay besides this palace, an' perhaps you'll enjoy +workin' for a livin' by way of variety." +</P> + +<P> +"Can't I take any of the treasure with me?" he pleaded. +</P> + +<P> +"Not even a bird cage," said she. "Ever'thing in the palace now belongs +to Ghip-Ghisizzle." +</P> + +<P> +"Except the Six Snubnosed Princesses," exclaimed the new Boolooroo +earnestly. "Won't you please get rid of them, too, your Majesty? Can't +they be discharged?" +</P> + +<P> +"Of course," said Trot. "They must go with their dear father an' +mother. Isn't there some house in the City they can all live in, Ghip?" +</P> + +<P> +"Why, I own a little cabin at the end of the town," said +Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and I'll let them use that, as I won't need it any +longer. It isn't a very pretty cabin, and the furniture is cheap and +common, but I'm sure it is good enough for this wicked man and his +family." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll not be wicked any more," sighed the old Boolooroo. "I'll reform. +It's always best to reform when it is no longer safe to remain wicked. +As a private citizen, I shall be a model of deportment, because it +would be dangerous to be otherwise." +</P> + +<P> +Trot now sent for the Princesses, who had been weeping and wailing and +fighting among themselves ever since they learned that their father had +been conquered. When first they entered the throne room, they tried to +be as haughty and scornful as ever, but the Blues who were assembled +there all laughed at them and jeered them, for there was not a single +person in all the Blue Country who loved the Princesses the least +little bit. +</P> + +<P> +Trot told the girls that they must go with their father to live in +Ghip-Ghisizzle's little old cabin, and when they heard this dreadful +decree, the six snubnosed ones began to scream and have hysterics, and +between them they managed to make so much noise that no one could hear +anything else. So Ghip-Ghisizzle ordered the Captain to take a file of +soldiers and escort the raving beauties to their new home. +</P> + +<P> +This was done, the once-royal family departing from the palace with +shamed and downcast looks. Then the Room of the Great Knife was cleared +of its awful furniture. The frames were split into small pieces of +bluewood and the benches chopped into kindling and the immense sharp +knife broken into bits. All the rubbish was piled into the square +before the palace and a bonfire made of it, while the Blue people +clustered around and danced and sang with joy as the blue flames +devoured the dreadful instrument that had once caused them so much +unhappiness. +</P> + +<P> +That evening Trot gave a grand ball in her palace, to which the most +important of the Pinkies and the Blueskins were invited. The combined +bands of both the countries played the music, and a fine supper was +served. The Pinkies would not dance with the Blues, however, nor would +the Blues dance with the Pinkies. The two nations were so different in +all ways that they were unable to agree at all, and several times +during the evening quarrels arose and there was fighting between them, +which Trot promptly checked. +</P> + +<P> +"I think it would be best for us to go back to our own country as soon +as possible," suggested Rosalie the Witch, "for if we stay here very +long, the Blueskins may rise against us and cause the Pinkies much +trouble." +</P> + +<P> +"Jus' as soon as we find that umbrel," promised Trot, "we'll dive into +the Fog Bank an' make tracks for the Land of Sunrise an' Sunset." +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap27"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE FATE OF THE MAGIC UMBRELLA +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 27 +</H3> + +<P> +Next morning the search for the Magic Umbrella began in earnest. With +many to hunt for it and the liberty of the whole palace to aid them, +every inch of the great building was carefully examined. But no trace +of the umbrella could be found. Cap'n Bill and Button-Bright went down +to the cabin of the former Boolooroo and tried to find out what he had +done with the umbrella, but the old Boolooroo said, +</P> + +<P> +"I had it brought from the Treasure Chamber and tried to make it work, +but there was no magic about the thing. So I threw it away. I haven't +any idea what became of it." +</P> + +<P> +The six former Princesses were sitting upon a rude bench, looking quite +bedraggled and untidy. Said Indigo: +</P> + +<P> +"If you will make Ghip-Ghisizzle marry me, I'll find your old umbrella." +</P> + +<P> +"Where is it?" asked Button-Bright eagerly. +</P> + +<P> +"Make Ghip-Ghisizzle marry me, and I'll tell you," repeated Indigo. +"But I won't say another word about it until after I am married." +</P> + +<P> +So they went back to the palace and proposed to the new Boolooroo to +marry Indigo so they could get their Magic Umbrella. But Ghip-Ghisizzle +positively refused. +</P> + +<P> +"I'd like to help you," said he, "but nothing will ever induce me to +marry one of those snubnoses." +</P> + +<P> +"They're very pretty—for Blueskins," said Trot. +</P> + +<P> +"But when you marry a girl, you marry the inside as well as the +outside," declared Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and inside these Princesses there +are wicked hearts and evil thoughts. I'd rather be patched than marry +the best of them." +</P> + +<P> +"Which IS the best?" asked Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"I don't know, I'm sure," was the reply. "Judging from their actions in +the past, there is no best." +</P> + +<P> +Rosalie the Witch now went to the cabin and put Indigo into a deep +sleep by means of a powerful charm. Then, while the Princess slept, the +Witch made her tell all she knew, which wasn't a great deal, to be +sure; but it was soon discovered that Indigo had been deceiving them +and knew nothing at all about the umbrella. She had hoped to marry +Ghip-Ghisizzle and become Queen, after which she could afford to laugh +at their reproaches. So the Witch woke her up and went back to the +palace to tell Trot of her failure. +</P> + +<P> +The girl and Button-bright and Cap'n Bill were all rather discouraged +by this time, for they had searched high and low and had not found a +trace of the all-important umbrella. That night none of them slept +much, for they all lay awake wondering how they could ever return to +the Earth and to their homes. +</P> + +<P> +In the morning of the third day after Trot's conquest of the Blues, the +little girl conceived another idea. She called all the servants of the +palace to her and questioned them closely. But not one could remember +having seen anything that looked like an umbrella. +</P> + +<P> +"Are all the servants of the old Boolooroo here?" inquired Cap'n Bill, +who was sorry to see Trot looking so sad and downcast. +</P> + +<P> +"All but one," was the reply. "Tiggle used to be a servant, but he +escaped and ran away." +</P> + +<P> +"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Trot. "Tiggle is in hiding somewhere. Perhaps he +doesn't know there's been a revolution and a new Boolooroo rules the +country. If he did, there's no need for him to hide any longer, for he +is now in no danger." +</P> + +<P> +She now dispatched messengers all through the City and the surrounding +country, who cried aloud for Tiggle, saying that the new Boolooroo +wanted him. Tiggle, hiding in the cellar of a deserted house in a back +street, at last heard these cries and joyfully came forth to confront +the messengers. Having heard of the old Boolooroo's downfall and +disgrace, the old man consented to go to the palace again, and as soon +as Trot saw him she asked about the umbrella. +</P> + +<P> +Tiggle thought hard for a minute and then said he remembered sweeping +the King's rooms and finding a queer thing—that might have been an +umbrella—lying beneath a cabinet. It had ropes and two wooden seats +and a wicker basket all attached to the handle. +</P> + +<P> +"That's it!" cried Button-Bright excitedly, and "That's it! That's it!" +cried both Trot and Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"But what did you do with it?" asked Ghip-Ghisizzle. +</P> + +<P> +"I dragged it out and threw it on the rubbish heap in an alley back of +the palace," said Tiggle. At once they all rushed out to the alley and +began digging in the rubbish heap. By and by Cap'n Bill uncovered the +lunch basket, and pulling on this he soon drew up the two seats, and +finally the Magic Umbrella. +</P> + +<P> +"Hurrah!" shouted Button-Bright, grabbing the umbrella and hugging it +tight in his arms. +</P> + +<P> +"Hooray!" shrieked the parrot. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Cap'n Bill's a lucky fellah,<BR> + 'Cause he found the old umbrella!"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +Trot's face was wreathed in smiles. "This is jus' the best luck that +could have happened to us," she exclaimed, "'cause now we can go home +whenever we please." +</P> + +<P> +"Let's go now—this minute—before we lose the umbrella again," said +Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +But Trot shook her head. "Not yet," she replied. "We've got to +straighten out things in Sky Island first of all. A Queen has some +duties, you know, and as long as I'm Queen here, I've got to live up to +the part." +</P> + +<P> +"What has to be did, mate?" inquired Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, we've fixed the Blue Country pretty well by makin' 'Sizzle the +Boolooroo of it; but the Pinkies mus' be looked after, too, 'cause +they've stood by us an' helped us to win. We must take 'em home again +safe an' sound and get a new Queen to rule over 'em. When that's done, +we can go home any time we want to." +</P> + +<P> +"Quite right, Trot," said the sailor approvingly. "When do we march?" +</P> + +<P> +"Right away," she replied. "I've had enough of the Blue Country, +haven't you?" +</P> + +<P> +"We have, mate." +</P> + +<P> +"We've had plenty of it," observed Button-Bright. +</P> + +<P> +"And the Pinkies are anxious to get home," added Rosalie, who was +present. +</P> + +<P> +So Cap'n Bill unhooked the seats from the handle of the umbrella and +wound the ropes around the two boards and made a package of them, which +he carried under his arm. Trot took the empty lunch basket, and +Button-Bright held fast to the precious umbrella. Then they returned to +the palace to bid goodbye to Ghip-Ghisizzle and the Blues. +</P> + +<P> +The new Boolooroo seemed rather sorry to lose his friends, but the +people were secretly glad to get rid of the strangers, especially of +the Pinkies. They maintained a sullen silence while Coralie and Captain +Tintint formed their ranks in marching order, and they did not even +cheer when Trot said to them in a final speech: +</P> + +<P> +"I'm the Queen of Sky Island, you know, and the new Boolooroo has to +carry out my orders and treat you all nicely while I'm away. I don't +know when I'll come back, but you'd better watch out an' not make any +trouble, or I'll find a way to make you sorry for it. So now, goodbye!" +</P> + +<P> +"And good riddance!" screamed the Six Snubnosed Girls who had once been +Princesses and who were now in the crowd that watched the departure. +</P> + +<P> +But Trot paid no attention to them. She made a signal to the Pinkie +Band, which struck up a fine Pink March, and then the Army stepped out +with the left foot first, and away went the conquerors down the streets +of the Blue City, out of the blue-barred gateway and across the country +toward the Fog Bank. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap28"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE ELEPHANT'S HEAD COMES TO LIFE +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 28 +</H3> + +<P> +When they reached the edge of the Fog Bank, the Pinkies all halted to +put on their raincoats, and Button-Bright put up his umbrella and held +it over himself and Trot. Then, when everybody was ready, they entered +the Fog and Rosalie the Witch made a signal to call the Frog King and +his subjects to aid them as they had done before. +</P> + +<P> +Pretty soon the great frogs appeared, a long line of them facing Trot +and her Pink Army and sitting upon their haunches close together. +</P> + +<P> +"Turn around so we can get upon your backs," said Rosalie. +</P> + +<P> +"Not yet," answered the Frog King in a gruff, deep voice. "You must +first take that insulting umbrella out of my dominions." +</P> + +<P> +"Why, what is there about my umbrella that seems insulting?" asked +Button-Bright in surprise. +</P> + +<P> +"It is an intimation that you don't like our glorious climate and +object to our delightful fog and are trying to ward off its soulful, +clinging kisses," replied the Frog King in an agitated voice. "There +has never been an umbrella in my kingdom before, and I'll not allow one +in it now. Take it away at once!" +</P> + +<P> +"But we can't," explained Trot. "We've got to take the umbrella with us +to the Pink Country. We'll put it down if you like, an' cross the bank +in this drizzle—which may be clingin' an' soulful, but is too wet to +be comfort'ble. But the umbrella's got to go with us." +</P> + +<P> +"It can't go another inch," cried the obstinate frog with an angry +croak, "nor shall any of your people advance another step while that +insulting umbrella is with you." +</P> + +<P> +Trot turned to Rosalie. "What shall we do?" she asked. +</P> + +<P> +"I really do not know," replied the Witch, greatly perplexed. +</P> + +<P> +"Can't you MAKE the frogs let us through?" inquired the boy. +</P> + +<P> +"No, I have no power over the frogs," Rosalie answered. "They carried +us before as a favor, but if the king now insists that we cannot pass +with the umbrella, we must go back to the Blue Country or leave your +umbrella behind us." +</P> + +<P> +"We won't do that!" said Button-Bright indignantly. "Can't we fight the +frogs?" +</P> + +<P> +"Fight!" cried Trot. "Why, see how big they are. They could eat up our +whole army if they wanted to." +</P> + +<P> +But just then, while they stood dismayed at this unfortunate position, +a queer thing happened. The umbrella in Button-Bright's hand began to +tremble and shake. He looked down at the handle and saw that the red +eyes of the carved elephant's head were rolling fiercely and sending +out red sparks of anger in all directions. The trunk swayed from side +to side, and the entire head began to swell and grow larger. +</P> + +<P> +In his fright, the boy sprang backward a step and dropped the umbrella +to the ground, and as he did so, it took the form of a complete +elephant, growing rapidly to a monstrous size. Then, flapping its ears +and wagging its tail—which was merely the covered frame of the +umbrella—the huge elephant lifted its trunk and charged the line of +astonished frogs. +</P> + +<P> +In a twinkling the frogs all turned and made the longest leaps their +powerful legs enabled them to. The King jumped first of all, and in a +panic of fear the others followed his example. They were out of sight +in an instant, and then the elephant turned its head and looked at +Button-Bright and at once trotted into the depths of the fog. +</P> + +<P> +"He wants us to follow," said the boy, gasping in amazement at this +wonderful transformation. So immediately they began marching through +the fog behind the elephant, and as the great beast advanced the frogs +scrambled out of his way and hid themselves in the moist banks until he +had passed them by. +</P> + +<P> +Cap'n Bill had to mind his wooden leg carefully, and the old sailor was +so excited that he mumbled queer sentences about "Araby Ann Knights" +and "ding-donged magic" and the "fool foolishness of fussin' with +witches an' sich," until Trot wondered whether her old friend had gone +crazy or was only badly scared. +</P> + +<P> +It was a long journey, and all the Pinkies were dripping water from +their raincoats, and their fat little legs were tired and aching when +the pink glow showing through the fog at last announced that they were +nearing the Pink Country. +</P> + +<P> +At the very edge of the Fog Bank the elephant halted, winked at +Button-Bright, lowered its head and began to shrink in size and dwindle +away. By the time the boy came up to it, closely followed by Trot and +Cap'n Bill, the thing was only the well-known Magic Umbrella, with the +carved elephant's head for a handle, and it lay motionless upon the +ground. Button-Bright picked it up, and as he examined it he thought +the tiny eyes still twinkled a little, as if with triumph and pride. +</P> + +<P> +Trot drew a long breath. +</P> + +<P> +"That was SOME magic, I guess!" she exclaimed. "Don't you think so, +Rosalie?" +</P> + +<P> +"It was the most wonderful thing I ever saw," admitted the Witch. "The +fairies who control Button-Bright's umbrella must be very powerful +indeed!" +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap29"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +TROT REGULATES THE PINKIES +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 29 +</H3> + +<P> +The Pinkies were rejoiced to find themselves again in their beloved +land of sunrises and sunsets. They sang and shouted with glee, and the +Band uncovered its pink instruments and played the National Pink +Anthem, while the parrot flew from Trot's shoulder to Cap'n Bill's +shoulder and back again, screaming ecstatically, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Hooray! We're through the wetful fogs<BR> + Where the elephant scared the fretful frogs!"<BR> +</P> + +<P> +There was a magnificent sunset in the sky just then, and it cheered the +Pinkies and gave them renewed strength. Away they hastened across the +pink fields to the Pink City, where all the Pink people who had been +left behind ran out to welcome them home again. +</P> + +<P> +Trot and Button-Bright, with Cap'n Bill and Rosalie the Witch, went to +the humble palace, where they had a simple supper of coarse food and +slept upon hard beds. In the houses of the City, however, there was +much feasting and merrymaking, and it seemed to Trot that the laws of +the country which forbade the Queen from enjoying all the good things +the people did were decidedly wrong and needed changing. +</P> + +<P> +The next morning Rosalie said to the little girl, "Will you make +Tourmaline the Queen again when you go away?" +</P> + +<P> +"I'll send for her and see about it," replied Trot. +</P> + +<P> +But when Tourmaline arrived at the palace, dressed all in lovely, +fluffy robes and with a dainty pink plume in her pink hair, she begged +most earnestly not to be made the Queen again. +</P> + +<P> +"I'm having a good time just now after years of worry and uncomfortable +living in this uncomfortable old hut of a palace," said the poor girl, +"so it would be cruel for you to make me the servant of the people +again and condemn me to want and misery." +</P> + +<P> +"That seems reason'ble," replied Trot thoughtfully. +</P> + +<P> +"Rosalie's skin is just as light a pink as my own," continued +Tourmaline. "Why don't you make her the Queen?" +</P> + +<P> +"I hadn't thought of that," said Trot. Then she turned to Rosalie and +asked, "How would you like to rule the Pinkies?" +</P> + +<P> +"I wouldn't like it," replied the Witch with a smile. "The Queen is the +poorest and most miserable creature in all the kingdom, and I'm sure I +don't deserve such a fate. I've always tried to be a good witch and to +do my duty." +</P> + +<P> +Trot thought this over quite seriously for a time. Then one of her +quaint ideas came to her—so quaint that it was entirely sensible. "I'm +the Queen of the Pinkies just now, am I not?" she asked. +</P> + +<P> +"Of course," answered Rosalie. "None can dispute that." +</P> + +<P> +"Then I've the right to make new laws, haven't I?" +</P> + +<P> +"I believe so." +</P> + +<P> +"In that case," said the girl, "I'm goin' to make a law that the Queen +shall have the same food an' the same dresses an' the same good times +that her people have; and she shall live in a house jus' as good as the +houses of any of her people, an' have as much money to spend as +anybody. But no more. The Queen can have her share of ever'thing +'cordin' to the new law, but if she tries to get more than her share, +I'll have the law say she shall be taken to the edge an' pushed off. +What do you think of THAT law, Rosalie?" +</P> + +<P> +"It's a good law and a just one," replied the Witch approvingly. +</P> + +<P> +So Trot sent for the Royal Scribbler, who was a very fat Pinky with +large, pink eyes and curly pink hair, and had him carefully write the +new law into the Great Book of Laws. The Royal Scribbler wrote it very +nicely in pink ink, with a big capital letter at the beginning and a +fine flourish at the end. After Trot had signed her name to it as +Queen, she called all of the important people of the land to assemble +in the Court of the Statues and ordered the Royal Declaimer to read to +them the new law. The Pinkies seemed to think it was a just law and +much better than the old one, and Rosalie said: +</P> + +<P> +"Now no one can object to becoming Queen, since the Ruler of the +Pinkies will no longer be obliged to endure suffering and hardships." +</P> + +<P> +"All right," said Trot. "In that case, I'll make you the Queen, +Rosalie, for you've got more sense than Tourmaline has and your powers +as a witch will help you protect the people." +</P> + +<P> +At once she made the announcement, telling the assembled Pinkies that +by virtue of her high office as Queen of Sky Island she would leave +Rosalie the Witch to rule over the Pink Country while she returned to +the Earth with her friends. As Rosalie was greatly loved and respected, +the people joyfully accepted her as their Queen, and Trot ordered them +to tear down the old hut and build a new palace for Rosalie—one which +would be just as good as any other house in the City, but no better. +She further ordered a pink statue of Tourmaline to be set up in the +Court, and also a pink statue of herself, so that the record of all the +rulers of the Pinkies should be complete. +</P> + +<P> +The people agreed to do all this as soon as possible, and some of the +leaders whispered together and then asked Coralie to be their spokesman +in replying to Queen Trot's speech. +</P> + +<P> +Coralie stood on a chair and made a bow, after which she thanked Trot +in the name of the Pinkies for leading them safely into the Blue +Country and out again, and for giving them so good a Queen as Rosalie. +The Pinkies would be sorry to have their new friends, the Earth people, +leave them, but asked the Queen of Sky Island to carry with her the +royal band of pink gold which she now wore upon her brow, together with +the glistening pink jewel set in its center. It would remind her, +Coralie declared, of the Beautiful Land of Sunset and Sunrise and of +the fact that the Pinkies would always be glad to welcome her back. +</P> + +<P> +Trot knew she would never return to Sky Island, but she did not tell +them that. She merely thanked Coralie and the Pinkies and said they +might all come to the Court after dinner and see her and her comrades +fly away through the sky. +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<A NAME="chap30"></A> +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +THE JOURNEY HOME +</H3> + +<H3 ALIGN="center"> +CHAPTER 30 +</H3> + +<P> +After the Pinkies had been dismissed, their new Queen Rosalie, by means +of a clever charm, conjured up a dinner table set with very nice things +to eat. They all enjoyed a hearty meal and afterward sat and talked +over their adventures. +</P> + +<P> +"Will you take the parrot home with you, Trot?" asked Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P> +"Guess not, Cap'n," she answered. "Mother wouldn't like to have him +hangin' 'round an' screechin' bad po'try ev'ry minute. I'll give him to +Rosalie, for I'm sure she'll take good care of him." +</P> + +<P> +Rosalie accepted the gift with pleasure, but the parrot looked sober +for a while and then said, +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "This looks to me like a giveaway;<BR> + But here I am, and here I'll stay.<BR> + The country's pink, but we'll all be blue<BR> + When Trot goes home as she says she'll do."<BR> +</P> + +<P> +They now packed the lunchbasket with the remains of the feast, for they +knew a long journey was before them and feared they might be hungry +before they landed again. Cap'n Bill straightened out the ropes and +adjusted the seats, while Button-Bright examined the umbrella to see if +it had been injured in any way when the elephant tramped through the +Fog Bank. +</P> + +<P> +The boy looked into the small red eyes of the carved elephant's-head +handle with some misgivings, but as seen in the strong sunshine the +eyes were merely red stones, while the handle plainly showed the marks +of the tool that had carved it. +</P> + +<P> +When all was ready, they went into the Court of the Statues, where all +the Pinkies were assembled—together with their Pink Band—and Cap'n +Bill hooked the swinging seats onto the handle of the Magic Umbrella. +</P> + +<P> +Trot kissed Rosalie and Coralie and Tourmaline goodbye and said to them: +</P> + +<P> +"If you ever happen to come to Earth, you must be sure to visit me, and +I'll try to give you a good time. But p'raps you'll stay here all your +lives." +</P> + +<P> +"I think we shall," replied Rosalie, laughing, "for in all Sky Island +there will be no Magic Umbrella for us to fly with." +</P> + +<P> +"And when you see Polychrome," added Trot, "jus' give her my love." +</P> + +<P> +Then she and Button-Bright seated themselves in the double seat, which +was flat upon the pink ground, and Cap'n Bill sat before them on his +own seat, to which the lunch basket had been fastened by means of a +stout cord. +</P> + +<P> +"Hold fast!" said the sailor man, and they all held fast to the ropes +while the boy, glancing up toward the open umbrella he held, said +solemnly and distinctly: +</P> + +<P> +"Take us to Trot's house on the Earth." The umbrella obeyed, at once +mounting into the air. It moved slowly at first, but gradually +increased its speed. First it lifted the seat of the boy and the girl, +then Cap'n Bill's seat, and finally the lunch basket. +</P> + +<P CLASS="poem"> + "Fly high!—Mind your eye!<BR> + Don't cry!—Bye-bye!"<BR> +</P> + +<P CLASS="noindent"> +shouted the parrot from the Pink Witch's shoulder. +</P> + +<P> +Trot leaned over and waved her hand. The Pink Band played as loud as it +could—in order that the travelers might hear it as long as +possible—and Rosalie and Coralie and Tourmaline threw kisses to their +vanishing friends as long as they remained in sight. +</P> + +<HR ALIGN="center" WIDTH="60%"> + +<P> +"Seems good to be on the way home again," remarked Trot as the umbrella +bumped into a big, black cloud. +</P> + +<P> +"It reely does, mate," answered the sailorman joyously. +</P> + +<P> +Fast through the cloud the umbrella swept, and then suddenly it sailed +into a clear, blue sky, across which a great and gorgeous Rainbow +spread its radiant arch. Upon the bow danced the dainty Daughters of +the Rainbow, and the umbrella passed near enough to it for the +passengers to observe Polychrome merrily leading her sisters, her +fleecy robes waving prettily in the gentle breeze. +</P> + +<P> +"Goodbye, Polly!" cried Button-Bright, and Trot and Cap'n Bill both +called out, "Goodbye!" +</P> + +<P> +Polychrome heard and nodded to them smilingly, never halting in her +graceful dance. Then the umbrella dropped far below the arch, which +presently faded from view. +</P> + +<P> +It was an exciting ride. Scenes presented themselves entirely different +from those they had seen on their former voyage, for the sky changes +continually, and the clouds of a moment ago are not the clouds of an +hour ago. Once they passed between two small stars as brilliant as +diamonds, and once an enormous bird whose wings spread so wide that +they shadowed the sun soared directly over them and lost itself in the +vague distance of the limitless sky. +</P> + +<P> +They rode quite comfortably, however, and were full of eager interest +in what they saw. The rush of air past them made them hungry, so Cap'n +Bill drew up the lunchbasket and held it so that Button-Bright and Trot +could help themselves to the pink food, which tasted very good. And +finally a dark rim appeared below them, which the sailor declared must +be the Earth. He proved to be correct, and when they came nearer, they +found themselves flying over the waves of the ocean. Pretty soon a +small island appeared, and Trot exclaimed, +</P> + +<P> +"That's the Sky Island we thought we were goin' to—only we didn't." +</P> + +<P> +"Yes, an' there's the mainland, mate!" cried Cap'n Bill excitedly, +pointing toward a distant coast. +</P> + +<P> +On swept the Magic Umbrella. Then its speed gradually slackened; the +houses and trees on the coast could be seen, and presently—almost +before they realized it—they were set down gently upon the high bluff +near the giant acacia. A little way off stood the white cottage where +Trot lived. +</P> + +<P> +It was growing dusk as Cap'n Bill unhooked the seats and Button-Bright +folded up the umbrella and tucked it under his arm. Trot seized the +lunchbasket and ran to the house, where she found her mother busy in +the kitchen. +</P> + +<P> +"Well, I'm back again," said the little girl. "Is supper ready, mama?" +</P> + +<P> +Button-Bright stayed all night with them, but next morning, bright and +early, he hooked one of the seats to his Magic Umbrella, said goodbye +to Trot and Cap'n Bill, and flew into the air to begin his journey to +Philadelphia. Just before he started, Trot said: +</P> + +<P> +"Let me know if you get home safe, Button-Bright, an' come an' see me +again as quick as you can." +</P> + +<P> +"I'll try to come again," said the boy. "We've had a good time, haven't +we, Trot?" +</P> + +<P> +"The bes' time I EVER had!" she replied enthusiastically. Then she +asked, "Didn't you like it, too, Cap'n Bill?" +</P> + +<P> +"Parts o' it, mate," the sailor answered as he thoughtfully made marks +in the sand with the end of his wooden leg, "but seems to me the bes' +part of all was gett'n' home again." +</P> + +<P> +After several days Trot received a postal card from Button-Bright. It +was awkwardly scrawled, for the boy was not much of a writer, but Trot +managed to make out the words. It read as follows: +</P> + +<BR> + +<P CLASS="letter"> +"Got home safe, Trot, and the folks were so worried they forgot to +scold me. Father has taken the Magic Umbrella and locked it up in the +big, strong chest in the attic. He put the key in his own pocket, so I +don't know as I'll ever be able to see you again. But I'll never forget +the Queen of Sky Island, and I send my love to you and Cap'n Bill. +</P> + +<P CLASS="letter"> +"Your friend, +<BR> +"Button-Bright." +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR> + +<P CLASS="finis"> +THE END +</P> + +<BR><BR><BR><BR> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sky Island, by L. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Sky Island + Being the further exciting adventures of Trot and Cap'n + Bill after their visit to the sea fairies + +Author: L. Frank Baum + +Posting Date: August 1, 2009 [EBook #4356] +Release Date: August, 2003 +First Posted: January 14, 2002 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SKY ISLAND *** + + + + +Produced by Charles Aldarondo. HTML version by Al Haines. + + + + + + + + + +SKY ISLAND + + + BEING THE FURTHER EXCITING ADVENTURES + OF TROT AND CAP'N BILL AFTER THEIR + VISIT TO THE SEA FAIRIES + + +BY + +L. FRANK BAUM + + + + + +TO + +MY SISTER + +MARY LOUISE BREWSTER + + + + +CONTENTS + + 1. A MYSTERIOUS ARRIVAL + 2. THE MAGIC UMBRELLA + 3. A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE + 4. THE ISLAND IN THE SKY + 5. THE BOOLOOROO OF THE BLUES + 6. THE SIX SNUBNOSED PRINCESSES + 7. GHIP-GHISIZZLE PROVES FRIENDLY + 8. THE BLUE CITY + 9. THE TRIBULATION OF TROT + 10. THE KING'S TREASURE CHAMBER + 11. BUTTON-BRIGHT ENCOUNTERS THE BLUE WOLF + 12. THROUGH THE FOG BANK + 13. THE PINK COUNTRY + 14. TOURMALINE THE POVERTY QUEEN + 15. THE SUNRISE TRIBE AND THE SUNSET TRIBE + 16. ROSALIE THE WITCH + 17. THE ARRIVAL OF POLYCHROME + 18. MAYRE, QUEEN OF THE PINK COUNTRY + 19. THE WAR OF THE PINKS AND BLUES + 20. GHIP-GHISIZZLE HAS A BAD TIME + 21. THE CAPTURE OF CAP'N BILL + 22. TROT'S INVISIBLE ADVENTURE + 23. THE GIRL AND THE BOOLOOROO + 24. THE AMAZING CONQUEST OF THE BLUES + 25. THE RULER OF SKY ISLAND + 26. TROT CELEBRATES THE VICTORY + 27. THE FATE OF THE MAGIC UMBRELLA + 28. THE ELEPHANT'S HEAD COMES TO LIFE + 29. TROT REGULATES THE PINKIES + 30. THE JOURNEY HOME + + + + +A LITTLE TALK TO MY READERS + + +WITH "The Sea Fairies," my book for 1911, I ventured into a new field +of fairy literature and to my delight the book was received with much +approval by my former readers, many of whom have written me that they +like Trot "almost as well as Dorothy." As Dorothy was an old, old +friend and Trot a new one, I think this is very high praise for Cap'n +Bill's little companion. Cap'n Bill is also a new character who seems +to have won approval, and so both Trot and the old sailor are again +introduced in the present story, which may be called the second of the +series of adventures of Trot and Cap'n Bill. + +But you will recognize some other acquaintances in "Sky Island." Here, +for instance, is Button-Bright, who once had an adventure with Dorothy +in Oz, and without Button-Bright and his Magic Umbrella you will see +that the story of "Sky Island" could never have been written. As +Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter, lives in the sky, it is natural +that Trot and Button-Bright meet her during their adventures there. + +This story of Sky Island has astonished me considerably, and I think it +will also astonish you. The sky country is certainly a remarkable fair +land, but after reading about it I am sure you will agree with me that +our old Mother Earth is a very good place to live upon and that Trot +and Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were fortunate to get back to it again. + +By the way, one of my little correspondents has suggested that I print +my address in this book, so that the children may know where letters +will reach me. I am doing this, as you see, and hope that many will +write to me and tell me how they like "Sky Island." My greatest +treasures are these letters from my readers and I am always delighted +to receive them. + +L. FRANK BAUM. + +"OZCOT" at HOLLYWOOD in CALIFORNIA + + + + +A MYSTERIOUS ARRIVAL + +CHAPTER 1 + + +"Hello," said the boy. + +"Hello," answered Trot, looking up surprised. "Where did you come from?" + +"Philadelphia," said he. + +"Dear me," said Trot, "you're a long way from home, then." + +"'Bout as far as I can get, in this country," the boy replied, gazing +out over the water. "Isn't this the Pacific Ocean?" + +"Of course." + +"Why of course?" he asked. + +"Because it's the biggest lot of water in all the world." + +"How do you know?" + +"Cap'n Bill told me," she said. + +"Who's Cap'n Bill?" + +"An old sailorman who's a friend of mine. He lives at my house, +too--the white house you see over there on the bluff." + +"Oh; is that your home?" + +"Yes," said Trot proudly. "Isn't it pretty?" + +"It's pretty small, seems to me," answered the boy. + +"But it's big enough for mother and me, an' for Cap'n Bill," said Trot. + +"Haven't you any father?" + +"Yes, 'ndeed. Cap'n Griffith is my father, but he's gone most of the +time, sailin' on his ship. You mus' be a stranger in these parts, +little boy, not to know 'bout Cap'n Griffith," she added, looking at +her new acquaintance intently. + +Trot wasn't very big herself, but the boy was not quite as big as Trot. +He was thin, with a rather pale complexion, and his blue eyes were +round and earnest. He wore a blouse waist, a short jacket, and +knickerbockers. Under his arm he held an old umbrella that was as tall +as he was. Its covering had once been of thick, brown cloth, but the +color had faded to a dull drab except in the creases, and Trot thought +it looked very old-fashioned and common. The handle, though, was really +curious. It was of wood and carved to resemble an elephant's head. The +long trunk of the elephant was curved to make a crook for the handle. +The eyes of the beast were small red stones, and it had two tiny tusks +of ivory. + +The boy's dress was rich and expensive, even to his fine silk stockings +and tan shoes, but the umbrella looked old and disreputable. + +"It isn't the rainy season now," remarked Tot with a smile. + +The boy glanced at his umbrella and hugged it tighter. "No," he said, +"but umbrellas are good for other things 'sides rain." + +"'Fraid of gett'n sun-struck?" asked Trot. + +He shook his head, still gazing far out over the water. "I don't +b'lieve this is bigger than any other ocean," said he. "I can't see any +more of it than I can of the Atlantic." + +"You'd find out if you had to sail across it," she declared. + +"When I was in Chicago I saw Lake Michigan," he went on dreamily, "and +it looked just as big as this water does." + +"Looks don't count, with oceans," she asserted. "Your eyes can only see +jus' so far, whether you're lookin' at a pond or a great sea." + +"Then it doesn't make any difference how big an ocean is," he replied. +"What are those buildings over there?" pointing to the right, along the +shore of the bay. + +"That's the town," said Trot. "Most of the people earn their living by +fishing. The town is half a mile from here, an' my house is almost a +half-mile the other way, so it's 'bout a mile from my house to the +town." + +The boy sat down beside her on the flat rock. + +"Do you like girls?" asked Trot, making room for him. + +"Not very well," the boy replied. "Some of 'em are pretty good fellows, +but not many. The girls with brothers are bossy, an' the girls without +brothers haven't any 'go' to 'em. But the world's full o' both kinds, +and so I try to take 'em as they come. They can't help being girls, of +course. Do you like boys?" + +"When they don't put on airs or get roughhouse," replied Trot. "My +'sperience with boys is that they don't know much, but think they do." + +"That's true," he answered. "I don't like boys much better than I do +girls, but some are all right, and--you seem to be one of 'em." + +"Much obliged," laughed Trot. "You aren't so bad, either, an' if we +don't both turn out worse than we seem, we ought to be friends." + +He nodded rather absently and tossed a pebble into the water. "Been to +town?" he asked. + +"Yes. Mother wanted some yarn from the store. She's knittin' Cap'n Bill +a stocking." + +"Doesn't he wear but one?" + +"That's all. Cap'n Bill has one wooden leg," she explained. "That's why +he don't sailor any more. I'm glad of it, 'cause Cap'n Bill knows +ev'rything. I s'pose he knows more than anyone else in all the world." + +"Whew!" said the boy. "That's taking a good deal for granted. A +one-legged sailor can't know much." + +"Why not?" asked Trot a little indignantly. "Folks don't learn things +with their legs, do they?" + +"No, but they can't get around without legs to find out things." + +"Cap'n Bill got 'round lively 'nough once, when he had two meat legs," +she said. "He's sailed to most ev'ry country on the earth, an' found +out all that the people in 'em knew and a lot besides. He was +shipwrecked on a desert island once, and another time a cannibal king +tried to boil him for dinner, an' one day a shark chased him seven +leagues through the water, an'--" + +"What's a league?" asked the boy. + +"It's a--a distance, like a mile is. But a league isn't a mile, you +know." + +"What is it, then?" + +"You'll have to ask Cap'n Bill. He knows ever'thing." + +"Not ever'thing," objected the boy. "I know some things Cap'n Bill +don't know." + +"If you do, you're pretty smart," said Trot. + +"No, I'm not smart. Some folks think I'm stupid. I guess I am. But I +know a few things that were wonderful. Cap'n Bill may know more'n I +do--a good deal more--but I'm sure he can't know the same things. Say, +what's your name?" + +"I'm Mayre Griffith, but ever'body calls me 'Trot.' I's a nickname I +got when I was a baby, 'cause I trotted so fast when I walked, an' it +seems to stick. What's YOUR name?" + +"Button-Bright." + +"How did it happen?" + +"How did what happen?" + +"Such a funny name." + +The boy scowled a little. "Just like your own nickname happened," he +answered gloomily. "My father once said I was bright as a button, an' +it made ever'body laugh. So they always call me Button-Bright." + +"What's your real name?" she inquired. + +"Saladin Paracelsus de Lambertine Evagne von Smith." + +"Guess I'll call you Button-Bright," said Trot, sighing. "The only +other thing would be 'Salad,' an' I don't like salads. Don't you find +it hard work to 'member all of your name?" + +"I don't try to," he said. "There's a lot more of it, but I've +forgotten the rest." + +"Thank you," said Trot. "Oh, here comes Cap'n Bill!" as she glanced +over her shoulder. + +Button-Bright turned also and looked solemnly at the old sailor who +came stumping along the path toward them. Cap'n Bill wasn't a very +handsome man. He was old, not very tall, somewhat stout and chubby, +with a round face, a bald head, and a scraggly fringe of reddish +whisker underneath his chin. But his blue eyes were frank and merry, +and his smile like a ray of sunshine. He wore a sailor shirt with a +broad collar, a short peajacket and wide-bottomed sailor trousers, one +leg of which covered his wooden limb but did not hide it. As he came +"pegging" along the path--as he himself described his hobbling +walk--his hands were pushed into his coat pockets, a pipe was in his +mouth, and his black neckscarf was fluttering behind him in the breeze +like a sable banner. + +Button-Bright liked the sailor's looks. There was something very +winning--something jolly and carefree and honest and sociable--about +the ancient seaman that made him everybody's friend, so the strange boy +was glad to meet him. + +"Well, well, Trot," he said, coming up, "is this the way you hurry to +town?" + +"No, for I'm on my way back," said she. "I did hurry when I was going, +Cap'n Bill, but on my way home I sat down here to rest an' watch the +gulls--the gulls seem awful busy today, Cap'n Bill--an' then I found +this boy." + +Cap'n Bill looked at the boy curiously. "Don't think as ever I sawr him +at the village," he remarked. "Guess as you're a stranger, my lad." + +Button-Bright nodded. + +"Hain't walked the nine mile from the railroad station, have ye?" asked +Cap'n Bill. + +"No," said Button-Bright. + +The sailor glanced around him. "Don't see no waggin er no autymob'l," +he added. + +"No," said Button-Bright. + +"Catch a ride wi' some one?" + +Button-Bright shook his head. + +"A boat can't land here; the rocks is too thick an' too sharp," +continued Cap'n Bill, peering down toward the foot of the bluff on +which they sat and against which the waves broke in foam. + +"No," said Button-Bright, "I didn't come by water." + +Trot laughed. "He must 'a' dropped from the sky, Cap'n Bill!" she +exclaimed. + +Button-Bright nodded very seriously. "That's it," he said. + +"Oh, a airship, eh?" cried Cap'n Bill in surprise. "I've hearn tell o' +them sky keeridges; someth'n' like flyin' autymob'ls, ain't they?" + +"I don't know," said Button-Bright. "I've never seen one." + +Both Trot and Cap'n Bill now looked at the boy in astonishment. "Now +then, lemme think a minute," said the sailor reflectively. "Here's a +riddle for us to guess, Trot. He dropped from the sky, he says, an' yet +he didn't come in a airship!" + + "'Riddlecum, riddlecum ree; + What can the answer be?'" + +Trot looked the boy over carefully. She didn't see any wings on him. +The only queer thing about him was his big umbrella. "Oh!" she said +suddenly, clapping her hands together. "I know now." + +"Do you?" asked Cap'n Bill doubtfully. "Then you're some smarter ner I +am, mate." + +"He sailed down with the umbrel!" she cried. "He used his umbrel as a +para--para--" + +"Shoot," said Cap'n Bill. "They're called parashoots, mate; but why, I +can't say. Did you drop down in that way, my lad?" he asked the boy. + +"Yes," said Button-Bright. "That was the way." + +"But how did you get up there?" asked Trot. "You had to get up in the +air before you could drop down, an'--oh, Cap'n Bill! He says he's from +Phillydelfy, which is a big city way at the other end of America." + +"Are you?" asked the sailor, surprised. + +Button-Bright nodded again. "I ought to tell you my story," he said, +"and then you'd understand. But I'm afraid you won't believe me, and--" +he suddenly broke off and looked toward the white house in the distance +"--Didn't you say you lived over there?" he inquired. + +"Yes," said Trot. "Won't you come home with us?" + +"I'd like to," replied Button-Bright. + +"All right, let's go then," said the girl, jumping up. + +The three walked silently along the path. The old sailorman had +refilled his pipe and lighted it again, and he smoked thoughtfully as +he pegged along beside the children. "Know anyone around here?" he +asked Button-Bright. + +"No one but you two," said the boy, following after Trot, with his +umbrella tucked carefully underneath his arm. + +"And you don't know us very well," remarked Cap'n Bill. "Seems to me +you're pretty young to be travelin' so far from home an' among +strangers. But I won't say anything more till we've heard your story. +Then, if you need my advice, or Trot's advice--she's a wise little +girl, fer her size, Trot is--we'll freely give it an' be glad to help +you." + +"Thank you," replied Button-Bright. "I need a lot of things, I'm sure, +and p'raps advice is one of 'em." + + + + +THE MAGIC UMBRELLA + +CHAPTER 2 + + +When they reached the neat frame cottage which stood on a high bluff a +little back from the sea and was covered with pretty green vines, a +woman came to the door to meet them. She seemed motherly and good, and +when she saw Button-Bright, she exclaimed, "Goodness me! Who's this +you've got, Trot?" + +"It's a boy I've just found," explained the girl. "He lives way off in +Phillydelphy." + +"Mercy sakes alive!" cried Mrs. Griffith, looking into his upturned +face. "I don't believe he's had a bite to eat since he started. Ain't +you hungry, child?" + +"Yes," said Button-Bright. + +"Run, Trot, an' get two slices o' bread-an'-butter," commanded Mrs. +Griffith. "Cut 'em thick, dear, an' use plenty of butter." + +"Sugar on 'em?" asked Trot, turning to obey. + +"No," said Button-Bright. "Just bread-an'-butter's good enough when +you're hungry, and it takes time to spread sugar on." + +"We'll have supper in an hour," observed Trot's mother briskly, "but a +hungry child can't wait a whole hour, I'm sure. What are you grinning +at, Cap'n Bill? How dare you laugh when I'm talking? Stop it this +minute, you old pirate, or I'll know the reason why!" + +"I didn't, mum," said Cap'n Bill meekly. "I on'y--" + +"Stop right there, sir! How dare you speak when I'm talking?" She +turned to Button-Bright, and her tone changed to one of much gentleness +as she said, "Come in the house, my poor boy, an' rest yourself. You +seem tired out. Here, give me that clumsy umbrella." + +"No, please," said Button-Bright, holding the umbrella tighter. + +"Then put it in the rack behind the door," she urged. + +The boy seemed a little frightened. "I--I'd rather keep it with me, if +you please," he pleaded. + +"Never mind," Cap'n Bill ventured to say, "it won't worry him so much +to hold the umbrella, mum, as to let it go. Guess he's afraid he'll +lose it, but it ain't any great shakes, to my notion. Why, see here, +Button-Bright, we've got half-a-dozen umbrellas in the closet that's +better ner yours." + +"Perhaps," said the boy. "Yours may look a heap better, sir, but--I'll +keep this one, if you please." + +"Where did you get it?" asked Trot, appearing just then with a plate of +bread-and-butter. + +"It--it belongs in our family," said Button-Bright, beginning to eat +and speaking between bites. "This umbrella has been in our family +years, an' years, an' years. But it was tucked away up in our attic an' +no one ever used it 'cause it wasn't pretty." + +"Don't blame 'em much," remarked Cap'n Bill, gazing at it curiously. +"It's a pretty old-lookin' bumbershoot." They were all seated in the +vine-shaded porch of the cottage--all but Mrs. Griffith, who had gone +into the kitchen to look after the supper--and Trot was on one side of +the boy, holding the plate for him, while Cap'n Bill sat on the other +side. + +"It is old," said Button-Bright. "One of my great-great-grandfathers +was a Knight--an Arabian Knight--and it was he who first found this +umbrella." + +"An Arabian Night!" exclaimed Trot. "Why, that was a magic night, +wasn't it?" + +"There's diff'rent sorts o' nights, mate," said the sailor, "an' the +knight Button-Bright means ain't the same night you mean. Soldiers used +to be called knights, but that were in the dark ages, I guess, an' +likely 'nough Butt'n-Bright's great-gran'ther were that sort of a +knight." + +"But he said an Arabian Knight," persisted Trot. + +"Well, if he went to Araby, or was born there, he'd be an Arabian +Knight, wouldn't he? The lad's gran'ther were prob'ly a furriner, an' +yours an' mine were, too, Trot, if you go back far enough; for Ameriky +wasn't diskivered in them days." + +"There!" said Trot triumphantly. "Didn't I tell you, Button-Bright, +that Cap'n Bill knows ever'thing?" + +"He knows a lot, I expect," soberly answered the boy, finishing the +last slice of bread-and-butter and then looking at the empty plate with +a sigh. "But if he really knows ever'thing, he knows about the Magic +Umbrella, so I won't have to tell you anything about it." + +"Magic!" cried Trot with big, eager eyes. "Did you say MAGIC Umbrel, +Button-Bright?" + +"I said 'Magic.' But none of our family knew it was a Magic Umbrella +till I found it out for myself. You're the first people I've told the +secret to," he added, glancing into their faces rather uneasily. + +"Glory me!" exclaimed the girl, clapping her hands in ecstacy. "It must +be jus' ELEGANT to have a Magic Umbrel!" + +Cap'n Bill coughed. He had a way of coughing when he was suspicious. +"Magic," he observed gravely, "was once lyin' 'round loose in the +world. That was in the Dark Ages, I guess, when the magic Arabian +Nights was. But the light o' Civilization has skeered it away long ago, +an' magic's been a lost art since long afore you an' I was born, Trot." + +"I know that fairies still live," said Trot reflectively. She didn't +like to contradict Cap'n Bill, who knew "ever'thing." + +"So do I," added Button-Bright. "And I know there's magic still in the +world--or in my umbrella, anyhow." + +"Tell us about it!" begged the girl excitedly. + +"Well," said the boy, "I found it all out by accident. It rained in +Philadelphia for three whole days, and all the umbrellas in our house +were carried out by the family and lost or mislaid or something, so +that when I wanted to go to Uncle Bob's house, which is at Germantown, +there wasn't an umbrella to be found. My governess wouldn't let me go +without one, and--" + +"Oh," said Trot. "Do you have a governess?" + +"Yes, but I don't like her. She's cross. She said I couldn't go to +Uncle Bob's because I had no umbrella. Instead she told me to go up in +the attic and play. I was sorry 'bout that, but I went up in the attic, +and pretty soon I found in a corner this old umbrella. I didn't care +how it looked. It was whole and strong and big, and would keep me from +getting wet on the way to Uncle Bob's. So off I started for the car, +but I found the streets awful muddy, and once I stepped in a mud-hole +way up to my ankle. 'Gee!,' I said, 'I wish I could fly through the air +to Uncle Bob's.' + +"I was holding up the open umbrella when I said that, and as soon as I +spoke, the umbrella began lifting me up into the air. I was awful +scared at first, but I held on tight to the handle, and it didn't pull +very much, either. I was going pretty fast, for when I looked down all +the big buildings were sliding past me so swift that it made me dizzy, +and before I really knew what had happened the umbrella settled down +and stood me on my feet at Uncle Bob's front gate. + +"I didn't tell anybody about the wonderful thing that had happened, +'cause I thought no one would believe me. Uncle Bob looked sharp at the +thing an' said, 'Button-Bright, how did your father happen to let you +take that umbrella?' 'He didn't,' I said. 'Father was away at the +office, so I found it in the attic an' I jus' took it.' Then Uncle Bob +shook his head an' said I ought to leave it alone. He said it was a +fam'ly relic that had been handed down from father to son for many +generations. But I told him my father had never handed it to me, though +I'm his son. Uncle Bob said our fam'ly always believed that it brought +'em good luck to own this umbrella. He couldn't say why, not knowing +its early history, but he was afraid that if I lost the umbrella, bad +luck would happen to us. So he made me go right home to put the +umbrella back where I got it. I was sorry Uncle Bob was so cross, and I +didn't want to go home yet, where the governess was crosser 'n he was. +I wonder why folks get cross when it rains? But by that time it had +stopped raining--for awhile, anyhow--and Uncle Bob told me to go +straight home and put the umbrella in the attic an' never touch it +again. + +"When I was around the corner, I thought I'd see if I could fly as I +had before. I'd heard of Buffalo, but I didn't know just where it was, +so I said to the umbrella, 'Take me to Buffalo.' Up in the air I went, +just as soon as I said it, and the umbrella sailed so fast that I felt +as if I was in a gale of wind. It was a long, long trip, and I got +awful tired holding onto the handle, but just as I thought I'd have to +let go, I began to drop down slowly, and then I found myself in the +streets of a big city. I put down the umbrella and asked a man what the +name of the city was, and he said 'Buffalo'." + +"How wonderful!" gasped Trot. Cap'n Bill kept on smoking and said +nothing. + +"It was magic, I'm sure," said Button-Bright. "It surely couldn't have +been anything else." + +"P'raps," suggested Trot, "the umbrella can do other magic things." + +"No," said the boy. "I've tried it. When I landed in Buffalo I was hot +and thirsty. I had ten cents car fare, but I was afraid to spend it. So +I held up the umbrella and wished I had an ice-cream soda, but I didn't +get it. Then I wished for a nickel to buy an ice-cream soda with, but I +didn't get that, either. I got frightened and was afraid the umbrella +didn't have any magic left, so to try it I said 'Take me to Chicago.' I +didn't want to go to Chicago, but that was the first place I thought +of, and I soon saw this was going to be another long journey, so I +called out to the umbrella, 'Never mind. Stop! I guess I won't go to +Chicago. I've changed my mind, so take me home again.' But the umbrella +wouldn't. It kept right on flying, and I shut my eyes and held on. At +last I landed in Chicago, and then I was in a pretty fix. It was nearly +dark, and I was too tired and hungry to make the trip home again. I +knew I'd get an awful scolding, too, for running away and taking the +family luck with me, so I thought that as long as I was in for it, I'd +better see a good deal of the country while I had the chance. I +wouldn't be allowed to come away again, you know." + +"No, of course not," said Trot. + +"I bought some buns and milk with my ten cents, and then I walked +around the streets of Chicago for a time and afterward slept on a bench +in one of the parks. In the morning I tried to get the umbrella to give +me a magic breakfast, but it won't do anything but fly. I went to a +house and asked a woman for something to eat, and she gave me all I +wanted and advised me to go straight home before my mother worried +about me. She didn't know I lived in Philadelphia. That was this +morning." + +"This mornin'!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill. "Why, lad, it takes three or four +days for the railroad trains to get to this coast from Chicago." + +"I know," replied Button-Bright. "But I didn't come on a railroad +train. This umbrella goes faster than any train ever did. This morning +I flew from Chicago to Denver, but no one there would give me any +lunch. A policeman said he'd put me in jail if he caught me begging, so +I got away and told the umbrella to take me to the Pacific Ocean. When +I stopped I landed over there by the big rock. I shut up the umbrella +and saw a girl sitting on the rock, so I went up and spoke to her. +That's all." + +"Goodness me!" said Trot. "If that isn't a fairy story, I never heard +one." + +"It IS a fairy story," agreed Button-Bright. "Anyhow, it's a magic +story, and the funny part of it is, it's true. I hope you believe me, +but I don't know as I'd believe it myself if it hadn't been me that it +happened to." + +"I believe ev'ry word of it!" declared Trot earnestly. + +"As fer me," said Cap'n Bill slowly, "I'm goin' to believe it, too, +by'm'by, when I've seen the umbrel fly once." + +"You'll see me fly away with it," asserted the boy. "But at present +it's pretty late in the day, and Philadelphia is a good way off. Do you +s'pose, Trot, your mother would let me stay here all night?" + +"Course she would!" answered Trot. "We've got an extra room with a nice +bed in it, and we'd love to have you stay just as long as you want to, +wouldn't we, Cap'n Bill?" + +"Right you are, mate," replied the old man, nodding his bald head. +"Whether the umbrel is magic or not, Butt'n-Bright is welcome." + +Mrs. Griffith came out soon after and seconded the invitation, so the +boy felt quite at home in the little cottage. It was not long before +supper was on the table and in spite of all the bread-and-butter he had +eaten Button-Bright had a fine appetite for the good things Trot's +mother had cooked. Mrs. Griffith was very kind to the children, but not +quite so agreeable toward poor Cap'n Bill. When the old sailorman at +one time spilled some tea on the tablecloth, Trot's mother flew angry +and gave the culprit such a tongue-lashing that Button-Bright was sorry +for him. But Cap'n Bill was meek and made no reply. "He's used to it, +you know," whispered Trot to her new friend, and indeed, Cap'n Bill +took it all cheerfully and never minded a bit. + +Then it came Trot's turn to get a scolding. When she opened the parcel +she had bought at the village, it was found she had selected the wrong +color of yarn, and Mrs. Griffith was so provoked that Trot's scolding +was almost as severe as that of Cap'n Bill. Tears came to the little +girl's eyes, and to comfort her the boy promised to take her to the +village next morning with his magic umbrella, so she could exchange the +yarn for the right color. + +Trot quickly brightened at this promise, although Cap'n Bill looked +grave and shook his head solemnly. When supper was over and Trot had +helped with the dishes, she joined Button-Bright and the sailorman on +the little porch again. Dusk had fallen, and the moon was just rising. +They all sat in silence for a time and watched the silver trail that +topped the crests of the waves far out to sea. + +"Oh, Button-Bright!" cried the little girl presently. "I'm so glad +you're going to let me fly with you way to town and back tomorrow. +Won't it be fine, Cap'n Bill?" + +"Dunno, Trot," said he. "I can't figger how both of you can hold on to +the handle o' that umbrel." + +Trot's face fell. "I'll hold on to the handle," said Button-Bright, +"and she can hold on to me. It doesn't pull hard at all. You've no idea +how easy it is to fly that way after you get used to it." + +"But Trot ain't used to it," objected the sailor. "If she happened to +lose her hold and let go, it's goodbye Trot. I don't like to risk it, +for Trot's my chum, an' I can't afford to lose her." + +"Can't you tie us together, then?" asked the boy. + +"We'll see, we'll see," replied Cap'n Bill, and began to think very +deeply. He forgot that he didn't believe the umbrella could fly, and +after Button-Bright and Trot had both gone to bed, the old sailor went +out into the shed and worked a while before he, too, turned into his +"bunk." The sandman wasn't around, and Cap'n Bill lay awake for hours +thinking of the strange tale of the Magic Umbrella before he finally +sank into slumber. Then he dreamed about it, and waking or dreaming he +found the tale hard to believe. + + + + +A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE + +CHAPTER 3 + + +They had early breakfasts at Trot's house, because they all went to bed +early, and it is possible to sleep only a certain number of hours if +one is healthy in body and mind. And right after breakfast Trot claimed +Button-Bright's promise to take her to town with the Magic Umbrella. + +"Any time suits me," said the boy. He had taken his precious umbrella +to bed with him and even carried it to the breakfast table, where he +stood it between his knees as he ate; so now he held it close to him +and said he was ready to fly at a moment's notice. This confidence +impressed Cap'n Bill, who said with a sigh: + +"Well, if you MUST go, Trot, I've pervided a machine that'll carry you +both comf'table. I'm summat of an inventor myself, though there ain't +any magic about me." + +Then he brought from the shed the contrivance he had made the night +before. It was merely a swing seat. He had taken a wide board that was +just long enough for both the boy and girl to sit upon, and had bored +six holes in it, two holes at each end and two in the middle. Through +these holes he had run stout ropes in such a way that the seat could +not turn and the occupants could hold on to the ropes on either side of +them. The ropes were all knotted together at the top, where there was a +loop that could be hooked upon the crooked handle of the umbrella. + +Button-Bright and Trot both thought Cap'n Bill's invention very clever. +The sailor placed the board upon the ground while they sat in their +places, Button-Bright at the right of Trot, and then the boy hooked the +rope loop to the handle of the umbrella, which he spread wide open. "I +want to go to the town over yonder," he said, pointing with his finger +to the roofs of the houses that showed around the bend in the cliff. + +At once the umbrella rose into the air, slowly at first, but quickly +gathering speed. Trot and Button-Bright held fast to the ropes and were +carried along very easily and comfortably. It seemed scarcely a minute +before they were in the town, and when the umbrella set them down just +in front of the store--for it seemed to know just where they wanted to +go--a wondering crowd gathered around them. Trot ran in and changed the +yarn, while Button-Bright stayed outside and stared at the people who +stared at him. They asked questions, too, wanting to know what sort of +an aeroplane this was and where his power was stored and lots of other +things, but the boy answered not a sound. When the little girl came +back and took her seat, Button-Bright said, "I want to go to Trot's +house." + +The simple villagers could not understand how the umbrella suddenly +lifted the two children into the air and carried them away. They had +read of airships, but here was something wholly beyond their +comprehension. + +Cap'n Bill had stood in front of the house, watching with a feeling +akin to bewilderment the flight of the Magic Umbrella. He could follow +its course until it descended in the village, and he was so amazed and +absorbed that his pipe went out. He had not moved from his position +when the umbrella started back. The sailor's big blue eyes watched it +draw near and settle down with its passengers upon just the spot it had +started from. + +Trot was joyous and greatly excited. "Oh, Cap'n, it's gal-lor-ious!" +she cried in ecstasy. "It beats ridin' in a boat or--or--in anything +else. You feel so light an' free an'--an'--glad! I'm sorry the trip +didn't last longer, though. Only trouble is, you go too fast." + +Button-Bright was smiling contentedly. He had proved to both Trot and +Cap'n Bill that he had told the truth about the Magic Umbrella, however +marvelous his tale had seemed to them. "I'll take you on another trip, +if you like," said he. "I'm in no hurry to go home, and if you will let +me stay with you another day, we can make two or three little trips +with the family luck." + +"You mus' stay a whole week," said Trot decidedly. "An' you mus' take +Cap'n Bill for an air-ride, too." + +"Oh, Trot! I dunno as I'd like it," protested Cap'n Bill nervously. + +"Yes you would. You're sure to like it." + +"I guess I'm too heavy." + +"I'm sure the umbrella could carry twenty people if they could be +fastened to the handle," said Button-Bright. + +"Solid land's pretty good to hold on to," decided Cap'n Bill. "A rope +might break, you know." + +"Oh, Cap'n Bill! You're scared stiff," said Trot. + +"I ain't, mate. It ain't that at all. But I don't see that human +critters has any call to fly in the air, anyhow. The air were made for +the birds, an'--an' muskeeters, an'--" + +"An' flyin'-fishes," added Trot. "I know all that, Cap'n, but why +wasn't it made for humans, too, if they can manage to fly in it? We +breathe the air, an' we can breathe it high up, just as well as down on +the earth." + +"Seein' as you like it so much, Trot, it would be cruel for me to go +with Butt'n-Bright an' leave you at home," said the sailor. "When I +were younger--which is ancient history--an' afore I had a wooden leg, I +could climb a ship's ropes with the best of 'em, an' walk out on a boom +or stand atop a mast. So you know very well I ain't skeered about the +highupness." + +"Why can't we all go together?" asked the boy. "Make another seat, +Cap'n, and swing it right under ours. Then we can all three ride +anywhere we want to go." + +"Yes, do!" exclaimed Trot. "And see here, Cap'n, let's take a day off +and have a picnic. Mother is a little cross today, and she wants to +finish knitting your new stockin', so I guess she'll be glad to get rid +of us." + +"Where'll we go?" he asked, shifting on his wooden leg uneasily. + +"Anywhere. I don't care. There'll be the air-ride there an' the +air-ride back, an' that's the main thing with ME. If you say we'll go, +Cap'n, I'll run in an' pack a basket of lunch." + +"How'll we carry it?" + +"Swing it to the bottom of your seat." + +The old sailor stood silent a moment. He really longed to take the +air-ride but was fearful of danger. However, Trot had gone safely to +town and back and had greatly enjoyed the experience. "All right," he +said. "I'll risk it, mate, although I guess I'm an old fool for +temptin' fate by tryin' to make a bird o' myself. Get the lunch, Trot, +if your mother'll let you have it, and I'll rig up the seat." + +He went into the shed and Trot went to her mother. Mrs. Griffith, busy +with her work, knew nothing of what was going on in regard to the +flight of the Magic Umbrella. She never objected when Trot wanted to go +away with Cap'n Bill for a day's picnicking. She knew the child was +perfectly safe with the old sailor, who cared for Trot even better than +her mother would have done. If she had asked any questions today and +had found out they intended to fly in the air, she might have seriously +objected, but Mrs. Griffith had her mind on other things and merely +told the girl to take what she wanted from the cupboard and not bother +her. So Trot, remembering that Button-Bright would be with them and had +proved himself to be a hearty eater, loaded the basket with all the +good things she could find. + +By the time she came out, lugging the basket with both hands, Cap'n +Bill appeared with the new seat he had made for his own use, which he +attached by means of ropes to the double seat of the boy and girl. "Now +then, where'll we go?" asked Trot. + +"Anywhere suits me," replied Cap'n Bill. They had walked to the high +bluff overlooking the sea, where a gigantic acacia tree stood on the +very edge. A seat had been built around the trunk of the tree, for this +was a favorite spot for Trot and Cap'n Bill to sit and talk and watch +the fleet of fishing boats sail to and from the village. When they came +to this tree, Trot was still trying to think of the most pleasant place +to picnic. She and Cap'n Bill had been every place that was desirable +and nearby, but today they didn't want a nearby spot. They must decide +upon one far enough away to afford them a fine trip through the air. +Looking far out over the Pacific, the girl's eyes fell upon a dim +island lying on the horizon line just where the sky and water seemed to +meet, and the sight gave her an idea. + +"Oh, Cap'n Bill!" she exclaimed. "Let's go to that island for our +picnic. We've never been there yet, you know." + +The sailor shook his head. "It's a good many miles away, Trot," he +said, "further than it looks to be from here." + +"That won't matter," remarked Button-Bright. "The umbrella will carry +us there in no time." + +"Let's go!" repeated Trot. "We'll never have another such chance, +Cap'n. It's too far to sail or row, and I've always wanted to visit +that island." + +"What's the name of it?" inquired Button-Bright while the sailor +hesitated to decide. + +"Oh, it's got an awful hard name to pernounce," replied the girl, "so +Cap'n Bill and I jus' call it 'Sky Island' 'cause it looks as if it was +half in the sky. We've been told it's a very pretty island, and a few +people live there and keep cows and goats and fish for a living. There +are woods and pastures and springs of clear water, and I'm sure we +would find it a fine place for a picnic." + +"If anything happened on the way," observed Cap'n Bill, "we'd drop in +the water." + +"Of course," said Trot, "and if anything happened while we were flyin' +over the land, we'd drop there. But nothing's goin' to happen, Cap'n. +Didn't Button-Bright come safe all the way from Philydelfy?" + +"I think I'd like to go to Sky Island," said the boy. "I've always +flown above the land so far, and it will be something new to fly over +the ocean." + +"All right, I'm agree'ble," decided Cap'n Bill. "But afore we starts on +such a long journey, s'pose we make a little trial trip along the +coast. I want to see if the new seat fits me an' make certain the +umbrel will carry all three of us." + +"Very well," said Button-Bright. "Where shall we go?" + +"Let's go as far as Smuggler's Cove an' then turn 'round an' come back. +If all's right an' shipshape, then we can start for the island." + +They put the broad double seat on the ground, and then the boy and girl +sat in their places and Button-Bright spread open the Magic Umbrella. +Cap'n Bill sat in his seat just in front of them, all being upon the +ground. + +"Don't we look funny?" said Trot with a chuckle of glee. "But hold fast +the ropes, Cap'n, an' take care of your wooden leg." + +Button-Bright addressed the umbrella, speaking to it very respectfully, +for it was a thing to inspire awe. "I want to go as far as Smuggler's +Cove and then turn around in the air and come back here," he said. At +once the umbrella rose into the air, lifting after it first the seat in +which the children sat, and then Cap'n Bill's seat. + +"Don't kick your heels, Trot!" cried the sailor in a voice that proved +he was excited by his novel experience. "You might bump me in the nose." + +"All right," she called back. "I'll be careful." + +It was really a wonderful, exhilarating ride, and Cap'n Bill wasn't +long making up his mind he liked the sensation. When about fifty feet +above the ground the umbrella began moving along the coast toward +Smuggler's Cove, which it soon reached. Looking downward, Cap'n Bill +suddenly exclaimed, "Why, there' a boat cast loose, an' it's goin' to +smash on the rocks. Hold on a minute, Butt'n-Bright, till we can land +an' drag it ashore." + +"Hold on a minute, Umbrella!" cried the boy. But the Magic Umbrella +kept steadily upon its way. It made a circle over the Cove and then +started straight back the way it had come. "It's no use, sir," said +Button-Bright to the sailor. "If I once tell it to go to a certain +place, the umbrella will go there, and nowhere else. I've found that +out before this. You simply CAN'T stop it." + +"Won't let you change your mind, eh?" replied Cap'n Bill. "Well, that +has its advantidges, an' its disadvantiges. If your ol' umbrel hadn't +been so obstinate, we could have saved that boat." + +"Never mind," said Trot briskly, "here we are safe back again. Wasn't +it jus' the--the fascinatingest ride you ever took, Cap'n?" + +"It's pretty good fun," admitted Cap'n Bill. "Beats them aeroplanes an' +things all holler, 'cause it don't need any regulatin.'" + +"If we're going to that island, we may as well start right away," said +Button-Bright when they had safely landed. + +"All right. I'll tie on the lunch-basket," answered the sailor. He +fastened it so it would swing underneath his own seat, and they all +took their places again. + +"Ready?" asked the boy. + +"Let 'er go, my lad." + +"I want to go to Sky Island," said Button-Bright to the umbrella, using +the name Trot had given him. The umbrella started promptly. It rose +higher than before, carrying the three voyagers with it, and then +started straight away over the ocean. + + + + +THE ISLAND IN THE SKY + +CHAPTER 4 + + +They clung tightly to the ropes, but the breeze was with them, so after +a few moments, when they became accustomed to the motion, they began to +enjoy the ride immensely. + +Larger and larger grew the island, and although they were headed +directly toward it, the umbrella seemed to rise higher and higher into +the air the farther it traveled. They had not journeyed ten minutes +before they came directly over the island, and looking down they could +see the forests and meadows far below them. But the umbrella kept up +its rapid flight. + +"Hold on, there!" cried Cap'n Bill. "If it ain't keerful, the ol' thing +will pass by the island." + +"I--I'm sure it has passed it already," exclaimed Trot. "What's wrong, +Button-Bright? Why don't we stop?" + +Button-Bright seemed astonished, too. + +"Perhaps I didn't say it right," he replied after a moment's thought. +Then, looking up at the umbrella, he repeated distinctly, "I said I +wanted to go to Sky Island! Sky Island, don't you understand?" + +The umbrella swept steadily along, getting farther and farther out to +sea and rising higher and higher toward the clouds. + +"Mack'rel an' herrings!" roared Cap'n Bill, now really frightened. +"Ain't there any blamed way at all to stop her?" + +"None that I know of," said Button-Bright anxiously. + +"P'raps," said Trot after a pause during which she tried hard to think. +"P'raps 'Sky Island' isn't the name of that island at all." + +"Why, we know very well it ain't the name of it," yelled Cap'n Bill +from below. "We jus' called it that 'cause its right name is too hard +to say." + +"That's the whole trouble, then," returned Button-Bright. "Somewhere in +the world there's a real Sky Island, and having told the Magic Umbrella +to take us there, it's going to do so." + +"Well, I declare!" gasped the sailorman. "Can't we land anywhere else?" + +"Not unless you care to tumble off," said the boy. "I've told the +umbrella to take us to Sky Island, so that's the exact place we're +bound for. I'm sorry. It was your fault for giving me the wrong name." + +They glided along in silence for a while. The island was now far behind +them, growing small in the distance. "Where do you s'pose the real Sky +Island can be?" asked Trot presently. + +"We can't tell anything about it until we get there," Button-Bright +answered. "Seems to me I've heard of the Isle of Skye, but that's over +in Great Britain, somewhere the other side of the world, and it isn't +Sky Island, anyhow." + +"This miser'ble ol' umbrel is too pertic'ler," growled Cap'n Bill. "It +won't let you change your mind an' it goes ezzac'ly where you say." + +"If it didn't," said Trot, "we'd never know where we were going." + +"We don't know now," said the sailor. "One thing's certain, folks: +we're gett'n' a long way from home." + +"And see how the clouds are rolling just above us," remarked the boy, +who was almost as uneasy as Cap'n Bill. + +"We're in the sky, all right," said the girl. "If there could be an +island up here among the clouds, I'd think it was there we're going." + +"Couldn't there be one?" asked Button-Bright. "Why couldn't there be an +island in the sky that would be named Sky Island?" + +"Of course not!" declared Cap'n Bill. "There wouldn't be anything to +hold it up, you know." + +"What's holding US up?" asked Trot. + +"Magic, I guess." + +"Then magic might hold an island in the sky. Whee-e-e! What a black +cloud!" + +It grew suddenly dark, for they were rushing through a thick cloud that +rolled around them in billows. Trot felt little drops of moisture +striking her face and knew her clothing was getting damp and soggy. +"It's a rain cloud," she said to Button-Bright, "and it seems like an +awful big one, 'cause it takes so long for us to pass through it." + +The umbrella never hesitated a moment. It made a path through the +length of the heavy, black cloud at last and carried its passengers +into a misty, billowy bank of white, which seemed as soft and fleecy as +a lady's veil. When this broke away, they caught sight of a majestic +rainbow spanning the heavens, its gorgeous colors glinting brightly in +the sun, its arch perfect and unbroken from end to end. But it was only +a glimpse they had, for quickly they dove into another bank of clouds +and the rainbow disappeared. + +Here the clouds were not black, nor heavy, but they assumed queer +shapes. Some were like huge ships, some like forest trees, and others +piled themselves into semblances of turreted castles and wonderful +palaces. The shapes shifted here and there continually, and the +voyagers began to be bewildered by the phantoms. + +"Seems to me we're goin' down," called Trot. + +"Down where?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"Who knows?" said Button-Bright. "But we're dropping, all right." + +It was a gradual descent. The Magic Umbrella maintained a uniform +speed, swift and unfaltering, but its path through the heavens was now +in the shape of an arch, as a flying arrow falls. The queer shapes of +the clouds continued for some time, and once or twice Trot was a little +frightened when a monstrous airy dragon passed beside them or a huge +giant stood upon a peak of cloud and stared savagely at the intruders +into his domain. But none of these fanciful, vapory creatures seemed +inclined to molest them or to interfere with their flight, and after a +while the umbrella dipped below this queer cloudland and entered a +clear space where the sky was of an exquisite blue color. + +"Oh, look!" called Cap'n Bill. "There's land below us." The boy and +girl leaned over and tried to see this land, but Cap'n Bill was also +leaning over, and his big body hid all that was just underneath them. + +"Is it an island?" asked Trot solemnly. + +"Seems so," the old sailor replied. "The blue is around all one side of +it an' a pink sunshine around the other side. There's a big cloud just +over the middle, but I guess it's surely an island, Trot, an' bein' as +it's in the sky, it's likely to be Sky Island." + +"Then we shall land there," said the boy confidently. "I knew the +umbrella wouldn't make a mistake." + +Presently Cap'n Bill spoke again. "We're goin' down on the blue part o' +the island," he said. "I can see trees an' ponds an' houses. Hold +tight, Trot! Hold tight, Butt'n-Bright! I'm afeared we're a'goin' to +bump somethin'!" + +They were certainly dropping very quickly now, and the rush of air made +their eyes fill with water so that they could not see much below them. +Suddenly, the basket that was dangling below Cap'n Bill struck +something with a loud thud, and this was followed by a yell of anger. +Cap'n Bill sat flat upon the ground, landing with such a force that +jarred the sailorman and made his teeth click together, while down upon +him came the seat that Trot and Button-Bright occupied, so that for a +moment they were all tangled up. + +"Get off from me! Get off from my feet, I say!" cried an excited voice. +"What in the Sky do you mean by sitting on my feet? Get off! Get off at +once!" + + + + +THE BOOLOOROO OF THE BLUES + +CHAPTER 5 + + +Cap'n Bill suspected that these remarks were addressed to him, but he +couldn't move just then because the seat was across him, and a boy and +girl were sprawling on the seat. As the Magic Umbrella was now as +motionless as any ordinary umbrella might be, Button-Bright first +released the catch and closed it up, after which he unhooked the +crooked handle from the rope and rose to his feet. Trot had managed by +this time to stand up, and she pulled the board off from Cap'n Bill. +All this time the shrill, excited voice was loudly complaining because +the sailor was on his feet, and Trot looked to see who was making the +protest, while Cap'n Bill rolled over and got on his hands and knees so +he could pull his meat leg and his wooden leg into an upright position, +which wasn't a very easy thing to do. + +Button-Bright and Trot were staring with all their might at the +queerest person they had ever seen. They decided it must be a man +because he had two long legs, a body as round as a ball, a neck like an +ostrich, and a comical little head set on the top of it. But the most +curious thing about him was his skin, which was of a lovely sky-blue +tint. His eyes were also sky-blue, and his hair, which was trained +straight up and ended in a curl at the top of his head, was likewise +blue in color and matched his skin and his eyes. He wore tight-fitting +clothes made of sky-blue silk, with a broad blue ruffle around his long +neck, and on his breast glittered a magnificent jewel in the form of a +star, set with splendid blue stones. + +If the blue man astonished the travelers, they were no less surprised +by his surroundings, for look where they might, everything they beheld +was of the same blue color as the sky above. They seemed to have landed +in a large garden, surrounded by a high wall of blue stone. The trees +were all blue, the grass was blue, the flowers were blue, and even the +pebbles in the paths were blue. There were many handsomely carved +benches and seats of blue wood scattered about the garden, and near +them stood a fountain made of blue marble, which shot lovely sprays of +blue water into the blue air. + +But the angry inhabitants of this blue place would not permit them to +look around them in peace, for as soon as Cap'n Bill rolled off his +toes, he began dancing around in an excited way and saying very +disrespectful things of his visitors. "You brutes! You apes! You +miserable, white-skinned creatures! How dare you come into my garden +and knock me on the head with that awful basket and then fall on my +toes and cause me pain and suffering? How dare you, I say? Don't you +know you will be punished for your impudence? Don't you know the +Boolooroo of the Blues will have revenge? I can have you patched for +this insult, and I will--just as sure as I'm the Royal Boolooroo of Sky +Island!" + +"Oh, is this Sky Island, then?" asked Trot. + +"Of course it's Sky Island. What else could it be? And I'm its Ruler, +its King, its sole Royal Potentate and Dictator. Behold in the +Personage you have injured the Mighty Quitey Righty Boolooroo of the +Blues!" Here he strutted around in a very pompous manner and wagged his +little head contemptuously at them. + +"Glad to meet you, sir," said Cap'n Bill. "I allus had a likin' for +kings, bein' as they're summat unusual. Please 'scuse me for a-sittin' +on your royal toes, not knowin' as your toes were there." + +"I won't excuse you!" roared the Boolooroo. "But I'll punish you. You +may depend upon that." + +"Seems to me," said Trot, "you're actin' rather imperlite to strangers. +If anyone comes to our country to visit us, we always treat 'em decent." + +"YOUR country!" exclaimed the Boolooroo, looking at them more carefully +and seeming interested in their appearance. "Where in the Sky did you +come from, then, and where is your country located?" + +"We live on the Earth when we're at home," replied the girl. + +"The Earth? Nonsense! I've heard of the Earth, my child, but it isn't +inhabited. No one can live there because it's just a round, cold, +barren ball of mud and water," declared the Blueskin. + +"Oh, you're wrong about that," said Button-Bright. + +"You surely are," added Cap'n Bill. + +"Why, we live there ourselves," cried Trot. + +"I don't believe it. I believe you are living in Sky Island, where you +have no right to be, with your horrid white skins. And you've intruded +into the private garden of the palace of the Greatly Stately Irately +Boolooroo, which is a criminal offense. And you've bumped my head with +your basket and smashed my toes with your boards and bodies, which is a +crime unparalleled in all the history of Sky Island! Aren't you sorry +for yourselves?" + +"I'm sorry for you," replied Trot, "'cause you don't seem to know the +proper way to treat visitors. But we won't stay long. We'll go home +pretty soon." + +"Not until you have been punished!" exclaimed the Boolooroo sternly. +"You are my prisoners." + +"Beg parding, your Majesty," said Cap'n Bill, "but you're takin' a good +deal for granted. We've tried to be friendly and peaceable, an' we've +'poligized for hurtin' you, but if that don't satisfy you, you'll have +to make the most of it. You may be the Boolooroo of the Blues, but you +ain't even a tin whistle to us, an' you can't skeer us for half a +minute. I'm an ol' man, myself, but if you don't behave, I'll spank you +like I would a baby, an' it won't be any trouble at all to do it, +thank'e. As a matter o' fact, we've captured your whole bloomin' blue +island, but we don't like the place very much, and I guess we'll give +it back. It gives us the blues, don't it, Trot? So as soon as we eat a +bite of lunch from our basket, we'll sail away again." + +"Sail away? How?" asked the Boolooroo. + +"With the Magic Umbrel," said Cap'n Bill, pointing to the umbrella that +Button-Bright was holding underneath his arm. + +"Oh, ho! I see, I see," said the Boolooroo, nodding his funny head. "Go +ahead, then, and eat your lunch." + +He retreated a little way to a marble seat beside the fountain, but +watched the strangers carefully. Cap'n Bill, feeling sure he had won +the argument, whispered to the boy and girl that they must eat and get +away as soon as possible, as this might prove a dangerous country for +them to remain in. Trot longed to see more of the strange blue island, +and especially wanted to explore the magnificent blue palace that +adjoined the garden and which had six hundred tall towers and turrets; +but she felt that her old friend was wise in advising them to get away +quickly. So she opened the basket, and they all three sat in a row on a +stone bench and began to eat sandwiches and cake and pickles and cheese +and all the good things that were packed in the lunch basket. + +They were hungry from the long ride, and while they ate they kept their +eyes busily employed in examining all the queer things around them. The +Boolooroo seemed quite the queerest of anything, and Trot noticed that +when he pulled the long curl that stuck up from the top of his head, a +bell tinkled somewhere in the palace. He next pulled at the bottom of +his right ear, and another faraway bell tinkled; then he touched the +end of his nose, and still another bell was faintly heard. The +Boolooroo said not a word while he was ringing the bells, and Trot +wondered if that was the way he amused himself. But now the frown died +away from his face and was replaced with a look of satisfaction. + +"Have you nearly finished?" he inquired. + +"No," said Trot, "we've got to eat our apples yet." + +"Apples? Apples? What are apples?" he asked. + +Trot took some from the basket. "Have one?" she said. "They're awful +good." + +The Boolooroo advanced a step and took the apple, which he regarded +with much curiosity. + +"Guess they don't grow anywhere but on the Earth," remarked Cap'n Bill. + +"Are they good to eat?" asked the Boolooroo. + +"Try it and see," answered Trot, biting into an apple herself. + +The Blueskin sat down on the end of their bench, next to Button-Bright, +and began to eat his apple. He seemed to like it, for he finished it in +a hurry, and when it was gone he picked up the Magic Umbrella. + +"Let that alone!" said Button-Bright, making a grab for it. But the +Boolooroo jerked it away in an instant, and standing up he held the +umbrella behind him and laughed aloud. + +"Now then," said he, "you can't get away until I'm willing to let you +go. You are my prisoners." + +"I guess not," returned Cap'n Bill, and reaching out one of his long +arms, the sailorman suddenly grasped the Boolooroo around his long, +thin neck and shook him until his whole body fluttered like a flag. +"Drop that umbrel. Drop it!" yelled Cap'n Bill, and the Boolooroo +quickly obeyed. The Magic Umbrella fell to the ground, and +Button-Bright promptly seized it. Then the sailor let go his hold and +the King staggered to a seat, choking and coughing to get his breath +back. + +"I told you to let things alone," growled Cap'n Bill. "If you don't +behave, your Majesty, this Blue Island'll have to get another +Boolooroo." + +"Why?" asked the Blueskin. + +"Because I'll prob'ly spoil you for a king, an' mebbe for anything +else. Anyhow, you'll get badly damaged if you try to interfere with us, +an' that's a fact." + +"Don't kill him, Cap'n Bill," said Trot cheerfully. + +"Kill me? Why, he couldn't do that," observed the King, who was trying +to rearrange the ruffle around his neck. "Nothing can kill me." + +"Why not?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"Because I haven't lived my six hundred years yet. Perhaps you don't +know that every Blueskin in Sky Island lives exactly six hundred years +from the time he is born." + +"No, I didn't know that," admitted the sailor. + +"It's a fact," said the King. "Nothing can kill us until we've lived to +the last day of our appointed lives. When the final minute is up, we +die; but we're obliged to live all of the six hundred years whether we +want to or not. So you needn't think of trying to kill anybody on Sky +Island. It can't be done." + +"Never mind," said Cap'n Bill. "I'm no murderer, thank goodness, and I +wouldn't kill you if I could, much as you deserve it." + +"But isn't six hundred years an awful long time to live?" questioned +Trot. + +"It seems like it at first," replied the King, "but I notice that +whenever any of my subjects get near the end of their six hundred, they +grow nervous and say the life is altogether too short." + +"How long have you lived?" asked Button-Bright. + +The King coughed again and turned a bit bluer. "That is considered an +impertinent question in Sky Island," he answered, "but I will say that +every Boolooroo is elected to reign three hundred years, and I've +reigned not quite--ahem!--two hundred." + +"Are your kings elected, then?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"Yes, of course. This is a Republic, you know. The people elect all +their officers from the King down. Every man and every woman is a +voter. The Boolooroo tells them whom to vote for, and if they don't +obey, they are severely punished. It's a fine system of government, and +the only thing I object to is electing the Boolooroo for only three +hundred years. It ought to be for life. My successor has already been +elected, but he can't reign for a hundred years to come." + +"I think three hundred years is plenty long enough," said Trot. "It +gives someone else a chance to rule, an' I wouldn't be s'prised if the +next king is a better one. Seems to me you're not much of a Boolooroo." + +"That," replied the King indignantly, "is a matter of opinion. I like +myself very much, but I can't expect you to like me, because you're +deformed and ignorant." + +"I'm not!" cried Trot. + +"Yes, you are. Your legs are too short and your neck is nothing at all. +Your color is most peculiar, but there isn't a shade of blue about any +of you, except the deep-blue color of the clothes the old ape that +choked me wears. Also, you are ignorant because you know nothing of Sky +Island, which is the Center of the Universe and the only place anyone +would care to live." + +"Don't listen to him, Trot," said Button-Bright. "He's an ignorant +himself." + +Cap'n Bill packed up the lunch basket. One end of the rope was still +tied to the handle of the basket, and the other end to his swing seat, +which lay on the ground before them. + +"Well," said he, "let's go home. We've seen enough of this Blue Country +and its Blue Boolooroo, I guess, an' it's a long journey back again." + +"All right," agreed Trot, jumping up. + +Button-Bright stood on the bench and held up the Magic Umbrella, so he +could open it, and the sailor had just attached the ropes when a thin +blue line shot out from behind them and in a twinkling wound itself +around the umbrella. At the same instant another blue cord wound itself +around the boy's body, and others caught Trot and Cap'n Bill in their +coils, so that all had their arms pinned fast to their sides and found +themselves absolutely helpless. + + + + +THE SIX SNUBNOSED PRINCESSES + +CHAPTER 6 + + +The Boolooroo was laughing and dancing around in front of them as if +well pleased. For a moment the prisoners could not imagine what had +happened to them, but presently half a dozen Blueskins, resembling in +shape and costume their ruler but less magnificently dressed, stepped +in front of them and bowed low to the Boolooroo. + +"Your orders, most Mighty, Flighty, Tight and Righty Monarch, have been +obeyed," said the leader. + +"Very well, Captain. Take that umbrella and carry it to my Royal +Treasury. See that it is safely locked up. Here's the key, and if you +don't return it to me within five minutes, I'll have you patched." + +The Captain took the key and the Magic Umbrella and hastened away to +the palace. Button-Bright had already hooked the ropes to the +elephant-trunk handle, so that when the Captain carried away the +umbrella, he dragged after him first the double seat, then Cap'n Bill's +seat, which was fastened to it, and finally the lunch-basket, which was +attached to the lower seat. At every few steps some of these would trip +up the Captain and cause him to take a tumble, but as he had only five +minutes' time in which to perform his errand, he would scramble to his +feet again and dash along the path until a board or the basket tripped +him up again. + +They all watched him with interest until he had disappeared within the +palace, when the King turned to his men and said: + +"Release the prisoners. They are now quite safe, and cannot escape me." + +So the men unwound the long cords that were twined around the bodies of +our three friends, and set them free. These men seemed to be soldiers, +although they bore no arms except the cords. Each cord had a weight at +the end, and when the weight was skillfully thrown by a soldier, it +wound the cord around anything in the twinkling of an eye and held fast +until it was unwound again. + +Trot decided these Blueskins must have stolen into the garden when +summoned by the bells the Boolooroo had rung, but they had kept out of +sight and crept up behind the bench on which our friends were seated +until a signal from the king aroused them to action. + +The little girl was greatly surprised by the suddenness of her capture, +and so was Button-Bright. Cap'n Bill shook his head and said he was +afeared they'd get into trouble. "Our mistake," he added, "was in +stoppin' to eat our lunch. But it's too late now to cry over spilt +milk." + +"I don't mind, not much anyhow," asserted Trot bravely. "We're in no +hurry to get back, are we, Button-Bright?" + +"I'm not," said the boy. "If they hadn't taken the umbrella, I wouldn't +care how long we stopped in this funny island. Do you think it's a +fairy country, Trot?" + +"Can't say, I'm sure," she answered. "I haven't seen anything here yet +that reminds me of fairies, but Cap'n Bill said a floating island in +the sky was sure to be a fairyland." + +"I think so yet, mate," returned the sailor. "But there's all sorts o' +fairies, I've heard. Some is good, an' some is bad, an' if all the +Blueskins are like their Boolooroo, they can't be called fust-class." + +"Don't let me hear any more impudence, prisoners!" called the Boolooroo +sternly. "You are already condemned to severe punishment, and if I have +any further trouble with you, you are liable to be patched." + +"What's being patched?" inquired the girl. + +The soldiers all laughed at this question, but the King did not reply. +Just then a door in the palace opened and out trooped a group of girls. +There were six of them, all gorgeously dressed in silken gowns with +many puffs and tucks and ruffles and flounces and laces and ribbons, +everything being in some shade of blue, grading from light blue to deep +blue. Their blue hair was elaborately dressed and came to a point at +the top of their heads. The girls approached in a line along the garden +path, all walking with mincing steps and holding their chins high. +Their skirts prevented their long legs from appearing as grotesque as +did those of the men, but their necks were so thin and long that the +ruffles around them only made them seem the more absurd. + +"Ah," said the King with a frown, "here come the Six Snubnosed +Princesses, the most beautiful and aristocratic ladies in Sky Island." + +"They're snubnosed, all right," observed Trot, looking at the girls +with much interest, "but I should think it would make 'em mad to call +'em that." + +"Why?" asked the Boolooroo in surprise. "Is not a snub nose the highest +mark of female beauty?" + +"Is it?" asked the girl. + +"Most certainly. In this favored island, which is the Center of the +Universe, a snub nose is an evidence of high breeding which any lady +would be proud to possess." + +The Six Snubnosed Princesses now approached the fountain and stood in a +row, staring with haughty looks at the strangers. + +"Goodness me, your Majesty!" exclaimed the first. "What queer, +dreadful-looking creatures are these? Where in all the Sky did they +come from?" + +"They say they came from the Earth, Cerulia," answered the Boolooroo. + +"But that is impossible," said another Princess. "Our scientists have +proved that the Earth is not inhabited." + +"Your scientists'll have to guess again, then," said Trot. + +"But how did they get to Sky Island?" inquired the third snubnosed one. + +"By means of a Magic Umbrella, which I have captured and put away in my +Treasure Chamber," replied the Boolooroo. + +"What will you do with the monsters, papa?" asked the fourth Princess. + +"I haven't decided yet," said the Boolooroo. "They're curiosities, you +see, and may serve to amuse us. But as they're only half civilized, I +shall make them my slaves." + +"What are they good for? Can they do anything useful?" asked the fifth. + +"We'll see," returned the King impatiently. "I can't decide in a hurry. +Give me time, Azure, give me time. If there's anything I hate, it's a +hurry." + +"I've an idea, your Majesty," announced the sixth Snubnosed Princess, +whose complexion was rather darker than that of her sisters, "and it +has come to me quite deliberately, without any hurry at all. Let us +take the little girl to be our maid--to wait upon us and amuse us when +we're dull. All the other ladies of the court will be wild with envy, +and if the child doesn't prove of use to us, we can keep her for a +living pincushion." + +"Oh! Ah! That will be fine!" cried all the other five, and the +Boolooroo said: + +"Very well, Indigo, it shall be as you desire." Then he turned to Trot +and added, "I present you to the Six Lovely Snubnosed Princesses, to be +their slave. If you are good and obedient, you won't get your ears +boxed oftener than once an hour." + +"I won't be anybody's slave," protested Trot. "I don't like these +snubnosed, fussy females, an' I won't have anything to do with 'em." + +"How impudent!" cried Cerulia. + +"How vulgar!" cried Turquoise. + +"How unladylike!" cried Sapphire. + +"How silly!" cried Azure. + +"How absurd!" cried Cobalt. + +"How wicked!" cried Indigo. And then all six held up their hands as if +horrified. + +The Boolooroo laughed. "You'll know how to bring her to time, I +imagine," he remarked, "and if the girl isn't reasonable and obedient, +send her to me and I'll have her patched. Now, then, take her away." + +But Trot was obstinate and wouldn't budge a step. "Keep us together, +your Majesty," begged Cap'n Bill. "If we're to be slaves, don't +separate us, but make us all the same kind o' slaves." + +"I shall do what pleases me," declared the Boolooroo angrily. "Don't +try to dictate, old Moonface, for there's only one Royal Will in Sky +Island, and that's my own." + +He then gave a command to a soldier, who hastened away to the palace +and soon returned with a number of long, blue ribbons. One he tied +around Trot's waist and then attached to it six other ribbons. Each of +the Six Snubnosed Princesses held the end of a ribbon, and then they +turned and marched haughtily away to the palace, dragging the little +girl after them. + +"Don't worry, Trot," cried Button-Bright. "We'll get you out of this +trouble pretty soon." + +"Trust to us, mate," added Cap'n Bill. "We'll manage to take care o' +you." + +"Oh, I'm all right," answered Trot with fine courage. "I'm not afraid +of these gawkies." + +But the princesses pulled her after them, and soon they had all +disappeared into one of the entrances to the Blue Palace. + +"Now, then," said the Boolooroo. "I will instruct you two in your +future duties. I shall make old Moonface--" + +"My name's Cap'n Bill Weedles," interrupted the sailor. + +"I don't care what your name is. I shall call you old Moonface," +replied the king, "for that suits you quite well. I shall appoint you +the Royal Nectar Mixer to the court of Sky Island, and if you don't mix +our nectar properly, I'll have you patched." + +"How do you mix it?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"I don't mix it. It's not the Boolooroo's place to mix nectar," was the +stern reply. "But you may inquire of the palace servants, and perhaps +the Royal Chef or the Major-domo will condescend to tell you. Take him +to the servants' quarters, Captain Ultramarine, and give him a suit of +the royal livery." + +So Cap'n Bill was lad away by the chief of the soldiers, and when he +had gone, the king said to Button-Bright, "You, slave, shall be the +Royal Bootblue. Your duty will be to keep the boots and shoes of the +royal family nicely polished with blue." + +"I don't know how," answered Button-Bright surlily. + +"You'll soon learn. The Royal Steward will supply you with blue paste, +and when you've brushed this on our shoes, you must shine them with +Q-rays of Moonshine. Do you understand?" + +"No," said Button-Bright. + +Then the Boolooroo told one of the soldiers to take the boy to the +shoeblue den and have him instructed in his duties, and the soldiers +promptly obeyed and dragged Button-Bright away to the end of the palace +where the servants lived. + + + + +GHIP-GHISIZZLE PROVES FRIENDLY + +CHAPTER 7 + + +The Royal Palace was certainly a magnificent building, with large and +lofty rooms and superb furnishings, all being in shades of blue. The +soldier and the boy passed through several broad corridors and then +came to a big hall where many servants were congregated. These were +staring in bewilderment at Cap'n Bill, who had been introduced to them +by Captain Ultramarine. Now they turned in no less surprise to examine +the boy, and their looks expressed not only astonishment but dislike. + +The servants were all richly attired in blue silk liveries, and they +seemed disposed to resent the fact that these strangers had been added +to their ranks. They scowled and muttered and behaved in a very +unfriendly way, even after Captain Ultramarine had explained that the +newcomers were merely base slaves, and not to be classed with the free +royal servants of the palace. + +One of those present, however, showed no especial enmity to +Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill, and this Blueskin attracted the boy's +notice because his appearance was so strange. He looked as if he were +made of two separate men, each cut through the middle and then joined +together, half of one to half of the other. One side of his blue hair +was curly and the other half straight; one ear was big and stuck out +from the side of his head, while the other ear was small and flat; one +eye was half shut and twinkling, while the other was big and staring; +his nose was thin on one side and flat on the other, while one side of +his mouth curled up and the other down. Button-Bright also noticed that +he limped as he walked because one leg was a trifle longer than the +other, and that one hand was delicate and slender and the other thick +and hardened by use. + +"Don't stare at him," a voice whispered in the boy's ear. "The poor +fellow has been patched, that's all." + +Button-Bright turned to see who had spoken and found by his side a tall +young Blueskin with a blue-gold chain around his neck. He was quite the +best looking person the boy had seen in Sky Island, and he spoke in a +pleasant way and seemed quite friendly. But the two-sided man had +overheard the remark, and he now stepped forward and said in a careless +tone: + +"Never mind. It's no disgrace to be patched in a country ruled by such +a cruel Boolooroo as we have. Let the boy look at me if he wants to. +I'm not pretty, but that's not my fault. Blame the Boolooroo." + +"I--I'm glad to meet you, sir," stammered Button-Bright. "What is your +name, please?" + +"I'm now named Jimfred Jonesjinks, and my partner is called Fredjim +Jinksjones. He's busy at present guarding the Treasure Chamber, but +I'll introduce you to him when he comes back. We've had the misfortune +to be patched, you know." + +"What is being patched?" asked the boy. + +"They cut two of us in halves and mismatch the halves--half of one to +half of the other, you know--and then the other two halves are patched +together. It destroys our individuality and makes us complex creatures, +so it's the worst punishment than can be inflicted in Sky Island." + +"Oh," said Button-Bright, alarmed at such dreadful butchery. "Doesn't +it hurt?" + +"No, it doesn't hurt," replied Jimfred. "But it makes one frightfully +nervous. They stand you under a big knife, which drops and slices you +neatly in two, exactly in the middle. Then they match half of you to +another person who has likewise been sliced, and there you are, patched +to someone you don't care about and haven't much interest in. If your +half wants to do something, the other half is likely to want to do +something different, and the funny part of it is you don't quite know +which is your half and which is the other half. It's a terrible +punishment, and in a country where one can't die or be killed until he +has lived his six hundred years, to be patched is a great misfortune." + +"I'm sure it is," said Button-Bright earnestly. "But can't you ever +get--get--UNpatched again?" + +"If the Boolooroo would consent, I think it could be done," Jimfred +replied, "but he never will consent. This is about the meanest +Boolooroo who ever ruled this land, and he was the first to invent +patching people as a punishment. I think we will all be glad when his +three hundred years of rule are ended." + +"When will that be?" inquired the boy. + +"Hush-sh-sh!" cried everyone in a chorus, and they all looked over +their shoulders as if frightened by the question. The officer with the +blue-gold chain pulled Button-Bright's sleeve and whispered, "Follow +me, please." And then he beckoned to Cap'n Bill and led the two slaves +to another room where they were alone. + +"I must instruct you in your duties," said he when they were all +comfortably seated in cozy chairs with blue cushions. "You must learn +how to obey the Boolooroo's commands, so he won't become angry and have +you patched." + +"How could he patch US?" asked the sailorman curiously. + +"Oh, he'd just slice you all in halves and then patch half of the boy +to half of the girl, and the other half to half of you, and the other +half of you to the other half of the girl. See?" + +"Can't say I do," said Cap'n Bill, much bewildered. "It's a reg'lar +mix-up." + +"That's what it's meant to be," explained the young officer. + +"An' seein' as we're Earth folks, an' not natives of Sky Island, I've +an idea the slicing machine would about end us, without bein' patched," +continued the sailor. + +"Oh," said Button-Bright, "so it would." + +"While you are in this country, you can't die till you've lived six +hundred years," declared the officer. + +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "That's different, of course. But who are +you, please?" + +"My name is Ghip-Ghi-siz-zle. Can you remember it?" + +"I can 'member the 'sizzle,'" said the boy, "but I'm 'fraid the +Gwip--Grip--Glip--" + +"Ghip-Ghi-siz-zle" repeated the officer slowly. "I want you to remember +my name, because if you are going to live here, you are sure to hear of +me a great many times. Can you keep a secret?" + +"I can try," said Button-Bright. + +"I've kep' secrets--once in a while," asserted Cap'n Bill. + +"Well, try to keep this one. I'm to be the next Boolooroo of Sky +Island." + +"Good for you!" cried the sailor. "I wish you was the Boolooroo now, +sir. But it seems you've got to wait a hundred years or more afore you +can take his place." + +Ghip-Ghisizzle rose to his feet and paced up and down the room for a +time, a frown upon his face. Then he halted and faced Cap'n Bill. +"Sir," said he, "there lies all my trouble. I'm quite sure the present +Boolooroo has reigned three hundred years next Thursday, but he claims +it is only two hundred years, and as he holds the Royal Book of Records +under lock and key in the Royal Treasury, there is no way for us to +prove he is wrong." + +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "How old is the Boolooroo?" + +"He was two hundred years old when he was elected," replied +Ghip-Ghisizzle. "If he has already reigned three hundred years as I +suspect, then he is now five hundred years old. You see, he is trying +to steal another hundred years of rule so as to remain a tyrant all his +life." + +"He don't seem as old as that," observed Cap'n Bill thoughtfully. "Why, +I'm only sixty myself, an' I guess I look twice as old as your king +does." + +"We do not show our age in looks," the officer answered. "I am just +about your age, sir--sixty-two my next birthday--but I'm sure I don't +look as old as that." + +"That's a fact," agreed Cap'n Bill. Then he turned to Button-Bright and +added, "Don't that prove Sky Island is a fairy country as I said?" + +"Oh, I've known that all along," said the boy. "The slicing and +patching proves it, and so do lots of other things." + +"Now then," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "let us talk over your duties. It +seems you must mix the royal nectar, Cap'n Bill. Do you know how to do +that?" + +"I'm free to say as I don't, friend Sizzle." + +"The Boolooroo is very particular about his nectar. I think he has +given you this job so he can find fault with you and have you punished. +But we will fool him. You are strangers here, and I don't want you +imposed upon. I'll send Tiggle to the royal pantry and keep him there +to mix the nectar. Then when the Boolooroo or the Queen or any of the +Snubnosed Princesses call for a drink, you can carry it to them and it +will be sure to suit them." + +"Thank'e sir," said Cap'n Bill. "That's real kind of you." + +"Your job, Button-Bright, is easier," continued Ghip-Ghisizzle. + +"I'm no bootblack," declared the boy. "The Boolooroo has no right to +make me do his dirty work." + +"You're a slave," the officer reminded him, "and a slave must obey." + +"Why?" asked Button-Bright. + +"Because he can't help himself. No slave ever wants to obey, but he +just has to. And it isn't dirty work at all. You don't black the royal +boots and shoes, you merely blue them with a finely perfumed blue +paste. Then you shine them neatly and your task is done. You will not +be humiliated by becoming a bootblack. You'll be a bootblue." + +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "I don't see much difference, but perhaps +it's a little more respectable." + +"Yes, the Royal Bootblue is considered a high official in Sky Island. +You do your work at evening or early morning, and the rest of the day +you are at liberty to do as you please." + +"It won't last long, Button-Bright," said Cap'n Bill consolingly. +"Somethin's bound to happen pretty soon, you know." + +"I think so myself," answered the boy. + +"And now," remarked Ghip-Ghisizzle, "since you understand your new +duties, perhaps you'd like to walk out with me and see the Blue City +and the glorious Blue Country of Sky Island." + +"We would that!" cried Cap'n Bill promptly. + +So they accompanied their new friend through a maze of passages--for +the palace was very big--and then through a high, arched portal into +the streets of the City. So rapid had been their descent when the +umbrella landed them in the royal garden that they had not even caught +a glimpse of the Blue City, so now they gazed with wonder and interest +at the splendid sights that met their eyes. + + + + +THE BLUE CITY + +CHAPTER 8 + + +The Blue City was quite extensive, and consisted of many broad streets +paved with blue marble and lined with splendid buildings of the same +beautiful material. There were houses and castles and shops for the +merchants, and all were prettily designed and had many slender spires +and imposing turrets that rose far into the blue air. Everything was +blue here, just as was everything in the Royal Palace and gardens, and +a blue haze overhung all the city. + +"Doesn't the sun ever shine?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"Not in the blue part of Sky Island," replied Ghip-Ghisizzle. "The moon +shines here every night, but we never see the sun. I am told, however, +that on the other half of the Island--which I have never seen--the sun +shines brightly but there is no moon at all." + +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "Is there another half to Sky Island?' + +"Yes, a dreadful place called the Pink Country. I'm told everything +there is pink instead of blue. A fearful place it must be, indeed!" +said the Blueskin with a shudder. + +"I dunno 'bout that," remarked Cap'n Bill. "That Pink Country sounds +kind o' cheerful to me. Is your Blue Country very big?" + +"It is immense," was the proud reply. "This enormous city extends a +half mile in all directions from the center, and the country outside +the City is fully a half-mile further in extent. That's very big, isn't +it?" + +"Not very," replied Cap'n Bill with a smile. "We've cities on the Earth +ten times bigger, an' then some big besides. We'd call this a small +town in our country." + +"Our Country is thousands of miles wide and thousands of miles +long--it's the great United States of America!" added the boy earnestly. + +Ghip-Ghisizzle seemed astonished. He was silent a moment, and then he +said, "Here in Sky Island we prize truthfulness very highly. Our +Boolooroo is not very truthful, I admit, for he is trying to +misrepresent the length of his reign, but our people as a rule speak +only the truth." + +"So do we," asserted Cap'n Bill. "What Button-Bright said is the honest +truth, every word of it." + +"But we have been led to believe that Sky Island is the greatest +country in the universe--meaning, of course, our half of it, the Blue +Country." + +"It may be for you, perhaps," the sailor stated politely. "An' I don't +imagine any island floatin' in the sky is any bigger. But the Universe +is a big place, an' you can't be sure of what's in it till you've +traveled like we have." + +"Perhaps you are right," mused the Blueskin, but he still seemed to +doubt them. + +"Is the Pink side of Sky Island bigger than the Blue side?" asked +Button-Bright. + +"No, it is supposed to be the same size," was the reply. + +"Then why haven't you ever been there? Seems to me you could walk +across the whole island in an hour," said the boy. + +"The two parts are separated by an impassable barrier," answered +Ghip-Ghisizzle. "Between them lies the Great Fog Bank." + +"A fog bank? Why, that's no barrier!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill. + +"It is indeed," returned the Blueskin. "The Fog Bank is so thick and +heavy that it blinds one, and if once you got into the Bank, you might +wander forever and not find your way out again. Also, it is full of +dampness that wets your clothes and your hair until you become +miserable. It is furthermore said that those who enter the Fog Bank +forfeit the six hundred years allowed them to live and are liable to +die at any time. Here we do not die, you know; we merely pass away." + +"How's that?" asked the sailor. "Isn't 'pass'n' away' jus' the same as +dyin'?" + +"No indeed. When our six hundred years are ended, we march into the +Great Blue Grotto, through the Arch of Phinis, and are never seen +again." + +"That's queer," said Button-Bright. "What would happen if you didn't +march through the Arch?" + +"I do not know, for no one has ever refused to do so. It is the Law, +and we all obey it." + +"It saves funeral expenses, anyhow," remarked Cap'n Bill. "Where is +this Arch?" + +"Just outside the gates of the City. There is a mountain in the center +of the Blue land, and the entrance to the Great Blue Grotto is at the +foot of the mountain. According to our figures, the Boolooroo ought to +march into this Grotto a hundred years from next Thursday, but he is +trying to steal a hundred years and so perhaps he won't enter the Arch +of Phinis. Therefore, if you will please be patient for about a hundred +years, you will discover what happens to one who breaks the Law." + +"Thank'e," remarked Cap'n Bill. "I don't expect to be very curious a +hundred years from now." + +"Nor I," added Button-Bright, laughing at the whimsical speech. "But I +don't see how the Boolooroo is able to fool you all. Can't any of you +remember two or three hundred years back when he first began to rule?" + +"No," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "that's a long time to remember, and we +Blueskins try to forget all we can, especially whatever is unpleasant. +Those who remember are usually the unhappy ones; only those able to +forget find the most joy in life." + +During this conversation they had been walking along the streets of the +Blue City, where many of the Blueskin inhabitants stopped to gaze +wonderingly at the sailor and the boy, whose strange appearance +surprised them. They were a nervous, restless people, and their +egg-shaped heads, set on the ends of long, thin necks, seemed so +grotesque to the strangers that they could scarcely forbear laughing at +them. The bodies of these people were short and round and their legs +exceptionally long, so when a Blueskin walked, he covered twice as much +ground at one step as Cap'n Bill or Button-Bright did. The women seemed +just as repellent as the men, and Button-Bright began to understand +that the Six Snubnosed Princesses were, after all, rather better +looking than most of the females of the Blue Country and so had a +certain right to be proud and haughty. + +There were no horses nor cows in this land, but there were plenty of +blue goats, from which the people got their milk. Children tended the +goats--wee Blueskin boys and girls whose appearance was so comical that +Button-Bright laughed whenever he saw one of them. + +Although the natives had never seen before this any human beings made +as Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were, they took a strong dislike to the +strangers and several times threatened to attack them. Perhaps if +Ghip-Ghisizzle, who was their favorite, had not been present, they +would have mobbed our friends with vicious ill-will and might have +seriously injured them. But Ghip-Ghisizzle's friendly protection made +them hold aloof. + +By and by they passed through a City gate, and their guide showed them +the outer walls, which protected the City from the country beyond. +There were several of these gates, and from their recesses stone steps +led to the top of the wall. They mounted a flight of these steps and +from their elevation plainly saw the low mountain where the Arch of +Phinis was located, and beyond that the thick, blue-gray Fog Bank, +which constantly rolled like billows of the ocean and really seemed, +from a distance, quite forbidding. + +"But it wouldn't take long to get there," decided Button-Bright, "and +if you were close up, it might not be worse than any other fog. Is the +Pink Country on the other side of it?" + +"So we are told in the Book of Records," replied Ghip-Ghisizzle. "None +of us now living know anything about it, but the Book of Records calls +it the 'Sunset Country' and says that at evening the pink shades are +drowned by terrible colors of orange and crimson and golden-yellow and +red. Wouldn't it be horrible to be obliged to look upon such a sight? +It must give the poor people who live there dreadful headaches." + +"I'd like to see that Book of Records," mused Cap'n Bill, who didn't +think the description of the Sunset Country at all dreadful. + +"I'd like to see it myself," returned Ghip-Ghisizzle with a sigh, "but +no one can lay hands on it because the Boolooroo keeps it safely locked +up in his Treasure Chamber." + +"Where's the key to the Treasure Chamber?" asked Button-Bright. + +"The Boolooroo keeps it in his pocket night and day," was the reply. +"He is afraid to let anyone see the Book because it would prove he has +already reigned three hundred years next Thursday, and then he would +have to resign the throne to me and leave the Palace and live in a +common house." + +"My Magic Umbrella is in that Treasure Chamber," said Button-Bright, +"and I'm going to try to get it." + +"Are you?" inquired Ghip-Ghisizzle eagerly. "Well, if you manage to +enter the Treasure Chamber, be sure to bring me the Book of Records. If +you can do that, I will be the best and most grateful friend you ever +had!" + +"I'll see," said the boy. "It ought not to be hard work to break into +the Treasure chamber. Is it guarded?" + +"Yes. The outside guard is Jimfred Jinksjones, the double patch of the +Fredjim whom you have met, and the inside guard is a ravenous creature +known as the Blue Wolf, which has teeth a foot long and as sharp as +needles." + +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "But never mind the Blue Wolf; I must manage +to get my umbrella somehow or other." + +They now walked back to the palace, still objects of much curiosity to +the natives, who sneered at them and mocked them but dared not +interfere with their progress. At the palace they found that dinner was +about to be served in the big dining hall of the servants and +dependents and household officers of the royal Boolooroo. +Ghip-Ghisizzle was the Majordomo and Master of Ceremonies, so he took +his seat at the end of the long table and placed Cap'n Bill on one side +of him and Button-Bright on the other, to the great annoyance of the +other Blueskins present, who favored the strangers with nothing +pleasanter than envious scowls. + +The Boolooroo and his Queen and daughters--the Six Snubnosed +Princesses--dined in formal state in the Banquet Hall, where they were +waited upon by favorite soldiers of the Royal Bodyguard. Here in the +servants' hall there was one vacant seat next to Button-Bright which +was reserved for Trot; but the little girl had not yet appeared, and +the sailorman and the boy were beginning to be uneasy about her. + + + + +THE TRIBULATION OF TROT + +CHAPTER 9 + + +The apartments occupied by the Six Snubnosed Princesses were so +magnificent that when Trot first entered them, led by her haughty +captors, she thought they must be the most beautiful rooms in the +world. There was a long and broad reception room, with forty-seven +windows in it, and opening out of it were six lovely bedchambers, each +furnished in the greatest luxury. Adjoining each sleeping room was a +marble bath, and each Princess had a separate boudoir and a dressing +room. The furnishings were of the utmost splendor, blue-gold and blue +gems being profusely used in the decorations, while the divans and +chairs were of richly carved bluewood upholstered in blue satins and +silks. The draperies were superbly embroidered, and the rugs upon the +marble floors were woven with beautiful scenes in every conceivable +shade of blue. + +When they first reached the reception room, Princess Azure cast herself +upon a divan while her five sisters sat or reclined in easy chairs with +their heads thrown back and their blue chins scornfully elevated. Trot, +who was much annoyed at the treatment she had received, did not +hesitate to seat herself also in a big easy chair. + +"Slave!" cried Princess Cerulia, "Fetch me a mirror." + +"Slave!" cried Princess Turquoise, "A lock of my hair is loosened; bind +it up." + +"Slave!" cried Princess Cobalt, "Unfasten my shoes; they're too tight." + +"Slave!" cried Princess Sapphire, "Bring hither my box of blue +chocolates." + +"Slave!" cried Princess Azure, "Stand by my side and fan me." + +"Slave!" cried Princess Indigo, "Get out of that chair. How dare you +sit in our presence?" + +"If you're saying all those things to me," replied Trot, "you may as +well save your breath. I'm no slave." And she cuddled down closer in +the chair. + +"You ARE a slave!" shouted the six all together. + +"I'm not!" + +"Our father, the Revered and Resplendent Royal Ruler of the Blues, has +made you our slave," asserted Indigo with a yawn. + +"But he can't," objected the little girl. "I'm some Royal an' Rapturous +an' Ridic'lous myself, an' I won't allow any cheap Boolooroo to order +me 'round." + +"Are you of royal birth?" asked Azure, seeming surprised. + +"Royal! Why, I'm an American, Snubnoses, and if there's anything +royaler than an American, I'd like to know what it is." + +The Princesses seemed uncertain what reply to make to this speech and +began whispering together. Finally, Indigo said to Trot, "We do not +think it matters what you were in your own country, for having left +there you have forfeited your rank. By recklessly intruding into our +domain, you have become a slave, and being a slave you must obey us or +suffer the consequences." + +"What cons'quences?" asked the girl. + +"Dare to disobey us and you will quickly find out," snapped Indigo, +swaying her head from side to side on its long, swan-like neck like the +pendulum of a clock. + +"I don't want any trouble," said Trot gravely. "We came to Sky Island +by mistake and wanted to go right away again; but your father wouldn't +let us. It isn't our fault we're still here, an' I'm free to say you're +a very dis'gree'ble an' horrid lot of people with no manners to speak +of, or you'd treat us nicely." + +"No impertinence!" cried Indigo savagely. + +"Why, it's the truth," replied Trot. + +Indigo made a rush and caught Trot by both shoulders. The Princess was +twice the little girl's size, and she shook her victim so violently +that Trot's teeth rattled together. Then Princess Cobalt came up and +slapped one side of the slave's face, and Princess Turquoise ran +forward and slapped the other side. Cerulia gave Trot a push one way, +and Sapphire pushed her the other way, so the little girl was quite out +of breath and very angry when finally her punishment ceased. She had +not been much hurt, though, and she was wise enough to understand that +these Princesses were all cruel and vindictive, so that her safest plan +was to pretend to obey them. + +"Now then," commanded Princess Indigo, "go and feed my little blue dog +that crows like a rooster." + +"And feed my pretty blue cat that sings like a bird," said Princess +Azure. + +"And feed my soft, blue lamb that chatters like a monkey," said +Princess Cobalt. + +"And feed my poetic blue parrot that barks like a dog," said Princess +Sapphire. + +"And feed my fuzzy blue rabbit that roars like a lion," said Princess +Turquoise. + +"And feed my lovely blue peacock that mews like a cat," said Princess +Cerulia. + +"Anything else?" asked Trot, drawing a long breath. + +"Not until you have properly fed our pets," replied Azure with a scowl. + +"What do they eat, then?" + +"Meat!" + +"Milk!" + +"Clover!" + +"Seeds!" + +"Bread!" + +"Carrots!" + +"All right," said Trot, "where do you keep the menagerie?" + +"Our pets are in our boudoirs," said Indigo harshly. "What a little +fool you are!" + +"Perhaps," said Trot, pausing as she was about to leave the room, "when +I grow up I'll be as big a fool as any of you." + +Then she ran away to escape another shaking, and in the first boudoir +she found the little blue dog curled up on a blue cushion in a corner. +Trot patted his head gently, and this surprised the dog, who was +accustomed to cuffs and kicks. So he licked Trot's hand and wagged his +funny little tail and then straightened up and crowed like a rooster. +The girl was delighted with the queer doggie, and she found some meat +in a cupboard and fed him out of her hand, patting the tiny creature +and stroking his soft blue hair. The doggie had never in his life known +anyone so kind and gentle, so when Trot went into the next boudoir, the +animal followed close at her heels, wagging his tail every minute. + +The blue cat was asleep on a window seat, but it woke up when Trot +tenderly took it in her lap and fed it milk from a blue-gold dish. It +was a pretty cat and instantly knew the little girl was a friend vastly +different from its own bad-tempered mistress, so it sang beautifully as +a bird sings, and both the cat and the dog followed Trot into the third +boudoir. + +Here was a tiny baby lamb with fleece as blue as a larkspur and as soft +as milk. + +"Oh, you darling!" cried Trot, hugging the little lamb tight in her +arms. At once the lamb began chattering just as a monkey chatters, only +in the most friendly and grateful way, and Trot fed it a handful of +fresh blue clover and smoothed and petted it until the lamb was eager +to follow her wherever she might go. + +When she came to the fourth boudoir, a handsome blue parrot sat on a +blue perch and began barking as if it were nearly starved. Then it +cried out, + + "Rub-a-dub, dub, + Gimme some grub!" + +Trot laughed and gave it some seeds, and while the parrot ate them she +stroked gently his soft feathers. The bird seemed much astonished at +the unusual caress and turned upon the girl first one little eye and +then the other as if trying to discover why she was so kind. He had +never experienced kind treatment in all his life. So it was no wonder +that when the little girl entered the fifth boudoir she was followed by +the parrot, the lamb, the cat and the dog, who all stood beside her and +watched her feed the peacock, which she found strutting around and +mewing like a cat for his dinner. Said the parrot, + + "I spy a peacock's eye + On every feather. I wonder why?" + +The peacock soon came to love Trot as much as the other bird and all +the beasts did, and it spread its tail and strutted after her into the +next boudoir, the sixth one. As she entered this room, Trot gave a +start of fear, for a terrible roar like the roar of a lion greeted her. +But there was no lion there; a fuzzy, blue rabbit was making all the +noise. "For goodness sake keep quiet," said Trot. "Here's a nice blue +carrot for you. The color seems all wrong, but it may taste jus' as +good as if it was red." + +Evidently it did taste good, for the rabbit ate it greedily. When it +was not roaring, the creature was so soft and fluffy that Trot played +with it and fondled it a long time after it had finished eating, and +the rabbit played with the cat and the dog and the lamb and did not +seem a bit afraid of the parrot or the peacock. But all of a sudden in +pounced Princess Indigo with a yell of anger. + +"So this is how you waste your time, is it?" exclaimed the Princess, +and grabbing Trot's arm, she jerked the girl to her feet and began +pushing her from the room. All the pets began to follow her, and seeing +this, Indigo yelled at them to keep back. As they paid no attention to +this command, the princess seized a basin of water and dashed the fluid +over the beasts and birds, after which she renewed her attempt to push +Trot from the room. The pets rebelled at such treatment, and believing +they ought to protect Trot, whom they knew to be their friend, they +proceeded to defend her. The little blue dog dashed at Indigo and bit +her right ankle, while the blue cat scratched her left leg with its +claws and the parrot flew upon her shoulder and pecked her ear. The +lamb ran up and butted Indigo so that she stumbled forward on her face, +when the peacock proceeded to pound her head with his wings. Indigo, +screaming with fright, sprang to her feet again, but the rabbit ran +between her legs and tripped her up, all the time roaring loudly like a +lion, and the dog crowed triumphantly, as a rooster crows, while the +cat warbled noisily and the lamb chattered and the parrot barked and +the peacock screeched "me-ow!" + +Altogether, Indigo was, as Trot said, "scared stiff," and she howled +for help until her sisters ran in and rescued her, pulling her through +the bedchamber into the reception room. When she was alone, Trot sat +down on the floor and laughed until the tears came to her eyes, and she +hugged all the pets and kissed them every one and thanked them for +protecting her. + + "That's all right; + We like a fight," + +declared the parrot in reply. + +The Princesses were horrified to find Indigo so scratched and bitten, +and they were likewise amazed at the rebellion of their six pets, which +they had never petted, indeed, but kept in their boudoirs so they could +abuse them whenever they felt especially wicked or ill-natured. None of +the snubnosed ones dared enter the room where the girl was, but they +called through a crack in the door for Trot to come out instantly. +Trot, pretending not to hear, paid no attention to these demands. + +Finding themselves helpless and balked of their revenge, the Six +Snubnosed Princesses finally recovered from their excitement and +settled down to a pleasant sisterly quarrel, as was their customary +amusement. Indigo wanted to have Trot patched, and Cerulia wanted her +beaten with knotted cords, and Cobalt wanted her locked up in a dark +room, and Sapphire wanted her fed on sand, and Turquoise wanted her +bound to a windmill, and so between these various desires, they +quarreled and argued until dinner time arrived. + +Trot was occupying Indigo's room, so that Princess was obliged to dress +with Azure, not daring to enter her own chamber, and the two sisters +quarreled so enthusiastically that they almost came to blows before +they were ready for dinner. + +Before the Six Snubnosed Princesses went to the Royal Banquet Hall, +Cobalt stuck her head through a crack of the door and said to Trot, "If +you want any dinner, you'll find it in the servants' hall. I advise you +to eat, for after our dinner we will decide upon a fitting punishment +for you, and then I'm sure you won't have much appetite." + +"Thank you," replied the girl. "I'm right hungry, jus' now." She waited +until the snubnosed sextette had pranced haughtily away, and then she +came out, followed by all the pets, and found her way to the servants' +quarters. + + + + +THE KING'S TREASURE CHAMBER + +CHAPTER 10 + + +All the Blueskins assembled in the servants' hall were amazed to see +the pets of the Princesses trailing after the strange little girl, but +Trot took her place next to Button-Bright at the table, and the parrot +perched upon her shoulder, while the peacock stood upon one side of her +chair, and the lamb upon the other, and the cat and dog lay at her feet +and the blue rabbit climbed into her lap and cuddled down there. Some +of the Blueskins insisted that the animals and birds must be put out of +the room, but Ghip-Ghisizzle said they could remain, as they were the +favored pets of the lovely Snubnosed Princesses. + +Cap'n Bill was delighted to see his dear little friend again, and so +was Button-Bright, and now that they were reunited--for a time, at +least--they paid little heed to the sour looks and taunting remarks of +the ugly Blueskins and ate heartily of the dinner, which was really +very good. + +The meal was no sooner over than Ghip-Ghisizzle was summoned to the +chamber of his Majesty the Boolooroo, but before he went away, he took +Trot and Cap'n Bill and Button-Bright into a small room and advised +them to stay there until he returned so that the servants and soldiers +would not molest them. "My people seem to dislike strangers," said the +Majordomo thoughtfully, "and that surprises me because you are the +first strangers they have ever seen. I think they imagine you will +become favorites of the Boolooroo and of the Princesses, and that is +why they are jealous and hate you." + +"They needn't worry 'bout that," replied Trot. "The Snubnoses hate me +worse than the people do." + +"I can't imagine a bootblue becoming a royal favorite," grumbled +Button-Bright. + +"Or a necktie mixer," added Cap'n Bill. + +"You don't mix neckties; you're a nectar mixer," said Ghip-Ghisizzle +correcting the sailor. "I'll not be gone long, for I'm no favorite of +the Boolooroo, either, so please stay quietly in this room until my +return." + +The Majordomo found the Boolooroo in a bad temper. He had finished his +dinner, where his six daughters had bitterly denounced Trot all through +the meal and implored their father to invent some new and terrible +punishment for her. Also, his wife, the Queen, had made him angry by +begging for gold to buy ribbons with. Then, when he had retired to his +own private room, he decided to send for the umbrella he had stolen +from Button-Bright and test its magic powers. But the umbrella, in his +hands, proved just as common as any other umbrella might be. He opened +it and closed it, and turned it this way and that, commanding it to do +all sorts of things, but of course the Magic Umbrella would obey no one +but a member of the family that rightfully owned it. At last the +Boolooroo threw it down and stamped upon it and then kicked it into a +corner, where it rolled underneath a cabinet. Then he sent for +Ghip-Ghisizzle. + +"Do you know how to work that Magic Umbrella?" he asked the Majordomo. + +"No, your Majesty, I do not," was the reply. + +"Well, find out. Make the Whiteskins tell you so that I can use it for +my own amusement." + +"I'll do my best, your Majesty," said Ghip-Ghisizzle. + +"You'll do more than that, or I'll have you patched!" roared the angry +Boolooroo. "And don't waste any time, either, for as soon as we find +out the secret of the umbrella I'm going to have the three strangers +marched through the Arch of Phinis, and that will be the end of them." + +"You can't do that, your Majesty," said the Majordomo. + +"Why can't I?" + +"They haven't lived six hundred years yet, and only those who have +lived that length of time are allowed to march through the Arch of +Phinis into the Great Blue Grotto." + +The King looked at him with a sneer. "Has anyone ever come out of that +Arch alive?" he asked. + +"No," said Ghip-ghisizzle, "but no one has ever gone into the Blue +Grotto until his allotted time was up." + +"Well, I'm going to try the experiment," declared the Boolooroo. "I +shall march these three strangers through the Arch, and if by chance +they come out alive, I'll do a new sort of patching--I'll chop off +their heads and mix 'em up, putting the wrong head on each of 'em. Ha, +ha! Won't it be funny to see the old Moonface's head on the little +girl? Ho, ho! I really hope they'll come out of the Great Blue Grotto +alive!" + +"I also hope they will," replied Ghip-Ghisizzle. + +"Then I'll bet you four buttonholes they don't. I've a suspicion that +once they enter the Great Blue Grotto that's the last of them." + +Ghip-Ghisizzle went away quite sad and unhappy. He did not approve the +way the strangers were being treated and thought it was wicked and +cruel to try to destroy them. + +During his absence, the prisoners had been talking together very +earnestly. "We must get away from here somehow 'r other," said Cap'n +Bill, "but o' course we can't stir a step without the Magic Umbrel." + +"No, I must surely manage to get my umbrella first," said Button-Bright. + +"Do it quick, then," urged Trot, "for I can't stand those snubnoses +much longer." + +"I'll do it tonight," said the boy. + +"The sooner, the better, my lad," remarked the sailor, "but seein' as +the Blue Boolooroo has locked it up in his Treasure Chamber, it mayn't +be easy to get hold of." + +"No, it won't be easy," Button-Bright admitted. "But it has to be done, +Cap'n Bill, and there's no use waiting any longer. No one here likes +us, and in a few days they may make an end of us." + +"Oh, Button-Bright! There's a Blue Wolf in the Treasure Chamber!" +exclaimed Trot. + +"Yes, I know." + +"An' a patched man on guard outside," Cap'n Bill reminded him. + +"I know," repeated Button-Bright. + +"And the key's in the King's own pocket," added Trot despairingly. + +The boy nodded. He didn't say how he would overcome all these +difficulties, so the little girl feared they would never see the Magic +Umbrella again. But their present position was a very serious one, and +even Cap'n Bill dared not advise Button-Bright to give up the desperate +attempt. + +When Ghip-Ghisizzle returned, he said, "You must be very careful not to +anger the Boolooroo, or he may do you a mischief. I think the little +girl had better keep away from the Princesses for tonight unless they +demand her presence. The boy must go for the King's shoes and blue them +and polish them and then take them back to the Royal Bedchamber. Cap'n +Bill won't have anything to do, for I've ordered Tiggle to mix the +nectar." + +"Thank 'e, friend Sizzle," said Cap'n Bill. + +"Now follow me, and I will take you to your rooms." + +He led them to the rear of the palace, where he gave them three small +rooms on the ground floor, each having a bed in it. Cap'n Bill's room +had a small door leading out into the street of the City, but Ghip +Ghisizzle advised him to keep this door locked, as the city people +would be sure to hurt the strangers if they had the chance to attack +them. + +"You're safer in the palace than anywhere else," said the Majordomo, +"for there is no way you can escape from the island, and here the +servants and soldiers dare not injure you for fear of the Boolooroo." + +He placed Trot and her six pets--which followed her wherever she +went--in one room, and Cap'n Bill in another, and took Button-Bright +away with him to show the boy the way to the King's bedchamber. As they +proceeded, they passed many rooms with closed doors, and before one of +these a patched Blueskin was pacing up and down in a tired and sleepy +way. It was Jimfred Jinksjones, the double of the Fredjim Jonesjinks +they had talked with in the servants' hall, and he bowed low before the +Majordomo. + +"This is the King's new bootblue, a stranger who has lately arrived +here," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, introducing the boy to the patched man. + +"I'm sorry for him," muttered Jimfred. "He's a queer-looking chap, with +his pale yellow skin, and I imagine our cruel Boolooroo is likely to +patch him before long, as he did me--I mean us." + +"No he won't," said Button-Bright positively. "The Boolooroo's afraid +of me." + +"Oh, that's different," said Jimfred. "You're the first person I ever +knew that could scare our Boolooroo." + +They passed on, and Ghip-Ghisizzle whispered, "That is the Royal +Treasure Chamber." Button-Bright nodded. He had marked the place well +so he couldn't miss it when he wanted to find it again. When they came +to the King's apartments there was another guard before the door, this +time a long-necked soldier with a terrible scowl. + +"This slave is the Royal Bootblue," said Ghip-Ghisizzle to the guard. +"You will allow him to pass into his Majesty's chamber to get the royal +shoes and to return them when they are blued." + +"All right," answered the guard. "Our Boolooroo is in an ugly mood +tonight. It will go hard with this little short-necked creature if he +doesn't polish the shoes properly." + +Then Ghip-Ghisizzle left Button-Bright and went away, and the boy +passed through several rooms to the Royal Bedchamber, where his Majesty +sat undressing. + +"Hi, there! What are you doing here?" he roared as he saw Button-Bright. + +"I've come for the shoes," said the boy. + +The king threw them at his head, aiming carefully, but Button-Bright +dodged the missiles, and one smashed a mirror while the other shattered +a vase on a small table. His Majesty looked around for something else +to throw, but the boy seized the shoes and ran away, returning to his +own room. + +While he polished the shoes he told his plans to Cap'n Bill and Trot +and asked them to be ready to fly with him as soon as he returned with +the Magic Umbrella. All they need to do was to step out into the +street, through the door of Cap'n Bill's room, and open the umbrella. +Fortunately, the seats and the lunch-basket were still attached to the +handle--or so they thought--and there would be nothing to prevent their +quickly starting on the journey home. + +They waited a long time, however, to give the Boolooroo time to get to +sleep, so it was after midnight when Button-Bright finally took the +shoes in his hand and started for the Royal Bedchamber. He passed the +guard of the Royal Treasury and Fredjim nodded good-naturedly to the +boy. But the sleepy guard before the King's apartments was cross and +surly. + +"What are you doing here at this hour?" he demanded. + +"I'm returning his Majesty's shoes," said Button-Bright. + +"Go back and wait till morning," commanded the guard. + +"If you prevent me from obeying the Boolooroo's orders," returned the +boy quietly, "he will probably have you patched." + +This threat frightened the long-necked guard, who did not know what +orders the Boolooroo had given his Royal Bootblue. "Go in, then," said +he, "but if you make a noise and waken his Majesty, the chances are +you'll get yourself patched." + +"I'll be quiet," promised the boy. + +Indeed, Button-Bright had no desire to waken the Boolooroo, whom he +found snoring lustily with the curtains of his high-posted bed drawn +tightly around him. The boy had taken off his own shoes after he passed +the guard and now he tiptoed carefully into the room, set down the +royal shoes very gently and then crept to the chair where his Majesty's +clothes were piled. Scarcely daring to breathe for fear of awakening +the terrible monarch, the boy searched in the royal pockets until he +found a blue-gold key attached to a blue-gold chain. At once he decided +this must be the key to the Treasure Chamber, but in order to make sure +he searched in every other pocket--without finding another key. + +Then Button-Bright crept softly out of the room again, and in one of +the outer rooms he sat down near a big cabinet and put on his shoes. +Poor Button-Bright did not know that lying disregarded beneath that +very cabinet at his side was the precious umbrella he was seeking, or +that he was undertaking a desperate adventure all for nothing. He +passed the long-necked guard again, finding the man half asleep, and +then made his way to the Treasure Chamber. Facing Jimfred, he said to +the patched man in a serious tone, "His Majesty commands you to go at +once to the corridor leading to the apartments of the Six Snubnosed +Princesses and to guard the entrance until morning. You are to permit +no one to enter or leave the apartments." + +"But--good gracious!" exclaimed the surprised Jimfred. "Who will guard +the Treasure Chamber?" + +"I am to take your place," said Button-Bright. + +"Oh, very well," replied Jimfred. "This is a queer freak for our +Boolooroo to indulge in, but he is always doing something absurd. +You're not much of a guard, seems to me, but if anyone tries to rob the +Treasure Chamber you must ring this big gong, which will alarm the +whole palace and bring the soldiers to your assistance. Do you +understand?" + +"Yes," said Button-Bright. + +Then Fredjim stalked away to the other side of the palace to guard the +Princesses, and Button-Bright was left alone with the key to the +Treasure Chamber in his hand. But he had not forgotten that the +ferocious Blue Wolf was guarding the interior of the Chamber, so he +searched in some of the rooms until he found a sofa-pillow, which he +put under his arm and then returned to the corridor. + +He placed the key in the lock, and the bolt turned with a sharp click. +Button-Bright did not hesitate. He was afraid, to be sure, and his +heart was beating fast with the excitement of the moment, but he knew +he must regain the Magic Umbrella if he would save his comrades and +himself from destruction, for without it they could never return to the +Earth. So he summoned up his best courage, opened the door, stepped +quickly inside, and closed the door after him. + + + + +BUTTON-BRIGHT ENCOUNTERS THE BLUE WOLF + +CHAPTER 11 + + +A low, fierce growl greeted him. The Treasure Chamber was pretty dark, +although the moonlight came in through some of the windows, but the boy +had brought with him the low brass lamp that lighted the corridor, and +this he set upon a table beside the door before he took time to look +around him. + +The Treasure Chamber was heaped and crowded with all the riches the +Boolooroo had accumulated during his reign of two or three hundred +years. Piles of gold and jewels were on all sides, and precious +ornaments and splendid cloths, rare pieces of carved furniture, vases, +bric-a-brac and the like, were strewn about the room in astonishing +profusion. + +Just at the boy's feet crouched a monstrous animal of most fearful +aspect. He knew at a glance it was the terrible Blue Wolf, and the +sight of the beast sent a shiver through him. The Blue Wolf's head was +fully as big as that of a lion, and its wide jaws were armed with rows +of long, pointed teeth. His shoulders and front legs were huge and +powerful, but the rest of the wolf's body dwindled away until at the +tail it was no bigger than a dog. The jaws were therefore the dangerous +part of the creature, and its small blue eyes flashed wickedly at the +intruder. + +Just as the boy made his first step forward, the Blue Wolf sprang upon +him with its enormous jaws stretched wide open. Button-Bright jammed +the sofa-pillow into the brute's mouth and crowded it in as hard as he +could. The terrible teeth came together and buried themselves in the +pillow, and then Mr. Wolf found he could not pull them out +again--because his mouth was stuffed full. He could not even growl or +yelp, but rolled upon the floor trying in vain to release himself from +the conquering pillow. + +Button-Bright paid no further attention to the helpless animal, but +caught up the blue-brass lamp and began a search for his umbrella. Of +course he could not find it, as it was not there. He came across a +small book bound in light-blue leather which lay upon an exquisitely +carved center-table. It was named, in dark-blue letters stamped on the +leather, "The Royal Record Book," and remembering Ghip-Ghisizzle longed +to possess this book, Button-Bright hastily concealed it inside his +blouse. Then he renewed his search for the umbrella, but it was quite +in vain. He hunted in every crack and corner, bumbling the treasures +here and there in the quest, but at last he became positive that the +Magic Umbrella was not there. + +The boy was bitterly disappointed and did not know what to do next. But +he noticed that the Blue Wolf had finally seized an edge of the +sofa-pillow in its sharp claws and was struggling to pull the thing out +of his mouth; so, there being no object in his remaining longer in the +room where he might have to fight the wolf again, Button-Bright went +out and locked the door behind him. + +While he stood in the corridor wondering what to do next, a sudden +shouting reached his ears. It was the voice of the Boolooroo, saying +"My Key, my Key! Who has stolen my golden Key?" And then there followed +shouts of soldiers and guards and servants, and the rapid pattering of +feet was heard throughout the palace. + +Button-Bright took to his heels and ran along the passages until he +came to Cap'n Bill's room, where the sailorman and Trot were anxiously +awaiting him. + +"Quick!" cried the boy. "We must escape from here at once, or we will +be caught and patched." + +"Where's the umbrel?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"I don't know. I can't find it. But all the palace is aroused, and the +Boolooroo is furious. Come, let's get away at once!" + +"Where'll we go?" inquired Trot. + +"We must make for the open country and hide in the Fog Bank or in the +Arch of Phinis," replied the boy. + +They did not stop to argue any longer, but all three stepped out of the +little door into the street, where they first clasped hands so they +would not get separated in the dark, and then ran as swiftly as they +could down the street, which was deserted at this hour by the citizens. +They could not go very fast because the sailorman's wooden leg was +awkward to run with and held them back, but Cap'n Bill hobbled quicker +than he had ever hobbled before in all his life, and they really made +pretty good progress. + +They met no one on the streets and continued their flight until at last +they came to the City Wall, which had a blue-iron gate in it. Here was +a Blueskin guard, who had been peacefully slumbering when aroused by +the footsteps of the fugitives. "Halt!" cried the guard fiercely. + +Cap'n Bill halted long enough to grab the man around his long neck with +one hand and around his long leg with the other hand. Then he raised +the Blueskin in the air and threw him far over the wall. A moment later +they had unfastened the gate and fled into the open country, where they +headed toward the low mountain whose outlines were plainly visible in +the moonlight. + +The guard was now howling and crying for help. In the city were +answering shouts. A hue and cry came from every direction, reaching as +far as the palace. Lights began to twinkle everywhere in the streets, +and the Blue city hummed like a beehive filled with angry bees. "It +won't do for us to get caught now," panted Cap'n Bill as they ran +along. "I'm more afeared o' them Blue citizens ner I am 'o the Blue +Boolooroo. They'd tear us to pieces if they could." + +Sky Island was not a very big place, especially the blue part of it, +and our friends were now very close to the low mountain. Presently they +paused before a grim archway of blue marble, above which was carved the +one word, "Phinis." The interior seemed dark and terrible as they +stopped to regard it as a possible place of refuge. + +"Don't like that place, Cap'n," whispered Trot. + +"No more do I, mate," he answered. + +"I think I'd rather take a chance on the Fog Bank," said Button-Bright. + +Just then they were all startled by a swift flapping of wings, and a +voice cried in shrill tones, + +"Where are you, Trot? As like as not I've been forgot!" + +Cap'n Bill jumped this way and Button-Bright that, and then there +alighted on Trot's shoulder the blue parrot that had been the pet of +the Princess Cerulia. Said the bird, + + "Gee! I've flown + Here all alone. + It's pretty far, + But here we are!" + +and then he barked like a dog and chuckled with glee at having found +his little friend. + +In escaping the palace, Trot had been obliged to leave all the pets +behind her, but it seemed that the parrot had found some way to get +free and follow her. They were all astonished to hear the bird +talk--and in poetry, too--but Cap'n Bill told Trot that some parrots he +had known had possessed a pretty fair gift of language, and he added +that this blue one seemed an unusually bright bird. "As fer po'try," +said he, "that's as how you look at po'try. Rhymes come from your head, +but real po'try from your heart, an' whether the blue parrot has a +heart or not, he's sure got a head." + +Having decided not to venture into the Arch of Phinis, they again +started on, this time across the country straight toward the Fog Bank, +which hung like a blue-grey cloud directly across the center of the +island. They knew they were being followed by bands of the Blueskins, +for they could hear the shouts of their pursuers growing louder and +louder every minute, since their long legs covered the ground more +quickly than our friends could possibly go. Had the journey been much +farther, the fugitives would have been overtaken, but when the leaders +of the pursuing Blueskins were only a few yards behind them, they +reached the edge of the Fog Bank and without hesitation plunged into +its thick mist, which instantly hid them from view. + +The Blueskins fell back, horrified at the mad act of the strangers. To +them the Fog Bank was the most dreadful thing in existence, and no +Blueskin had ever ventured within it even for a moment. + +"That's the end of those short-necked Yellowskins," said one, shaking +his head. "We may as well go back and report the matter to the +Boolooroo." + + + + +THROUGH THE FOG BANK + +CHAPTER 12 + + +It was rather moist in the Fog Bank. "Seems like a reg'lar drizzle," +said Trot. "I'll be soaked through in a minute." She had been given a +costume of blue silk in exchange for her own dress, and the silk was so +thin that the moisture easily wetted it. + +"Never mind," said Cap'n Bill. "When it's a case of life 'n' death, +clo's don't count for much. I'm sort o' drippy myself." + +Cried the parrot, fluttering his feathers to try to keep them from +sticking together, + + "Floods and gushes fill our path-- + This is not my day for a bath! + Shut if off, or fear my wrath." + +"We can't," laughed Trot. "We'll jus' have to stick it out till we get +to the other side." + +"Had we better go to the other side?" asked Button-Bright anxiously. + +"Why not?" returned Cap'n Bill. "The other side's the only safe side +for us." + +"We don't know that, sir," said the boy. "Ghip-Ghisizzle said it was a +terrible country." + +"I don't believe it," retorted the sailor stoutly. "Sizzle's never been +there, an' he knows nothing about it. 'The Sunset Country' sounds sort +o' good to me." + +"But how'll we ever manage to get there?" inquired Trot. "Aren't we +already lost in this fog?" + +"Not yet," said Cap'n Bill. "I've kep' my face turned straight ahead +ever since we climbed inter this bank o' wetness. If we don't get +twisted any, we'll go straight through to the other side." + +It was no darker in the Fog Bank than it had been in the Blue Country. +They could see dimly the mass of fog, which seemed to cling to them, +and when they looked down, they discovered that they were walking upon +white pebbles that were slightly tinged with the blue color of the sky. +Gradually this blue became fainter until, as they progressed, +everything became a dull gray. + +"I wonder how far it is to the other side," remarked Trot wearily. + +"We can't say till we get there, mate," answered the sailor in a +cheerful voice. Cap'n Bill had a way of growing more and more cheerful +when danger threatened. + +"Never mind," said the girl. "I'm as wet as a dishrag now, and I'll +never get any wetter." + + "Wet, wet, wet! + It's awful wet, you bet!" + +moaned the parrot on her shoulder. + + "I'm a fish-pond, I'm a well; + I'm a clam without a shell!" + +"Can't you dry up?" asked Cap'n Bill. + + "Not this evening, thank you, sir; + To talk and grumble I prefer," + +replied the parrot dolefully. + +They walked along more slowly now, still keeping hold of hands, for +although they were anxious to get through the Fog Bank, they were tired +with the long run across the country and with their day's adventures. +They had no sleep and it was a long time past midnight. + +"Look out!" cried the parrot sharply; and they all halted to find a +monstrous frog obstructing their path. Cap'n Bill thought it was as big +as a whale, and as it squatted on the gray pebbles, its eyes were on a +level with those of the old sailor. + +"Ker-chug, herk-choo!" grunted the frog. "What in the Sky is THIS +crowd?" + +"W-we're strangers," stammered Trot, "an' we're tryin' to 'scape from +the Blueskins an' get into the Pink Country." + +"I don't blame you," said the frog in a friendly tone. "I hate those +Blueskins. The Pinkies, however, are very decent neighbors." + +"Oh, I'm glad to hear that!" cried Button-Bright. "Can you tell us, +Mister--Mistress--good Mr. Frog--eh, eh, your Royal Highness, if we're +on the right road to the Pink Country?" + +The frog seemed to laugh, for he gurgled in his throat in a very funny +way. "I'm no Royal Highness," he said. "I'm just a common frog, and a +little wee tiny frog, too. But I hope to grow in time. This Fog Bank is +the Paradise of Frogs, and our King is about ten times as big as I am." + +"Then he's a big 'un, an' no mistake," admitted Cap'n Bill. "I'm glad +you like your country, but it's a mite too damp for us, an' we'd be +glad to get out of it." + +"Follow me," said the frog. "I'll lead you to the border. It's only +about six jumps." He turned around, made a mighty leap and disappeared +in the gray mist. Our friends looked at one another in bewilderment. + +"Don't see how we can foller that lead," remarked Cap'n Bill, "but we +may as well start in the same direction." + + "Brooks and creeks, + How it leaks!" + +muttered the parrot. + + "How can we jog + To a frog in the fog?" + +The big frog seemed to understand their difficulty, for he kept making +noises in his throat to guide them to where he had leaped. When at last +they came up to him, he made a second jump--out of sight, as +before--and when they attempted to follow, they found a huge lizard +lying across the path. Cap'n Bill thought it must be a giant alligator +at first, it was so big, but he looked at them sleepily and did not +seem at all dangerous. + +"O, Liz--you puffy Liz--Get out of our way and mind your biz," cried +the parrot. + + "Creep-a-mousie, crawl-a-mousie, please move on! + We can't move a step till you are gone." + +"Don't disturb me," said the lizard. "I'm dreaming about parsnips. Did +you ever taste a parsnip?" + +"We're in a hurry, if it's the same to you, sir," said Cap'n Bill +politely. + +"Then climb over me or go around, I don't care which," murmured the +lizard. "When they're little, they're juicy; when they're big, there's +more of 'em; but either way there's nothing so delicious as a parsnip. +There are none here in the Fog Bank, so the best I can do is dream of +them. Oh, parsnips, par-snips, p-a-r-snips!" He closed his eyes +sleepily and resumed his dreams. + +Walking around the lizard, they resumed their journey and soon came to +the frog, being guided by its grunts and croaks. Then off it went +again, its tremendous leap carrying it far into the fog. Suddenly, +Cap'n Bill tripped and would have fallen flat had not Trot and +Button-Bright held him up. Then he saw that he had stumbled over the +claw of a gigantic land-crab, which lay sprawled out upon the pebbly +bottom. + +"Oh, beg parding, I'm sure!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill, backing away. + +"Don't mention it," replied the crab in a tired tone. "You did not +disturb me, so there is no harm done." + +"We didn't know you were here," explained Trot. + +"Probably not," said the crab. "It's no place for me, anyhow, for I +belong in the Constellations, you know, with Taurus and Gemini and the +other fellows. But I had the misfortune to tumble out of the Zodiac +some time ago. My name is Cancer, but I'm not a disease. Those who +examine the heavens in these days, alas! can find no Cancer there." + +"Yes we can, sir, Mister Cancer!" said the parrot with a chuckle. + +"Once," remarked Cap'n Bill, "I sawr a picter of you in an almanac." + +"Ah, the almanacs always did us full justice," the crab replied, "but +I'm told they're not fashionable now." + +"If you don't mind, we'd like to pass on," said Button-Bright. + +"No, I don't mind, but be careful not to step on my legs. They're +rheumatic, it's so moist here." + +They climbed over some of the huge legs and walked around others. Soon +they had left the creature far behind. "Aren't you rather slow?" asked +the frog when once more they came up to him. + +"It isn't that," said Trot. "You are rather swift, I guess." The frog +chuckled and leaped again. They noticed that the fog had caught a soft +rose tint and was lighter and less dense than before, for which reason +the sailor remarked that they must be getting near to the Pink Country. + +On this jump they saw nothing but a monstrous turtle, which lay asleep +with its head and legs drawn into its shell. It was not in their way, +so they hurried on and rejoined the frog, which said to them, "I'm +sorry, but I'm due at the King's Court in a few minutes, and I can't +wait for your short, weak legs to make the journey to the Pink Country. +But if you will climb upon my back, I think I can carry you to the +border in one more leap." + +"I'm tired," said Trot, "an' this awful fog's beginnin' to choke me. +Let's ride on the frog, Cap'n." + +"Right you are, mate," he replied, and although he shook a bit with +fear, the old man at once began to climb to the frog's back. Trot +seated herself on one side of him and Button-bright on the other, and +the sailor put his arms around them both to hold them tight together. + +"Are you ready?" asked the frog. + +"Ding-dong!" cried the parrot. + + "All aboard, let 'er go! + Jump the best jump that you know." + +"Don't--don't! Jump sort o' easy, please," begged Cap'n Bill. + +But the frog was unable to obey his request. Its powerful hind legs +straightened like steel springs and shot the big body, with its +passengers, through the fog like an arrow launched from a bow. They +gasped for breath and tried to hang on, and then suddenly the frog +landed just at the edge of the Fog Bank, stopping so abruptly that his +three riders left his back and shot far ahead of him. They felt the fog +melt away and found themselves bathed in glorious rays of sunshine, but +they had no time to consider this change because they were still +shooting through the air, and presently--before they could think of +anything at all--all three were rolling heels over head on the soft +grass of a meadow. + + + + +THE PINK COUNTRY + +CHAPTER 13 + + +When the travelers could collect their senses and sit up, they stared +about them in bewilderment, for the transition from the sticky, damp +fog to this brilliant scene was so abrupt as to daze them at first. + +It was a Pink Country indeed. The grass was a soft pink, the trees were +pink, all the fences and buildings which they saw in the near distance +were pink--even the gravel in the pretty paths was pink. Many shades of +color were there, of course, grading from a faint blush rose to deep +pink verging on red, but no other color was visible. In the sky hung a +pink glow, with rosy clouds floating here and there, and the sun was +not silvery white, as we see it from the Earth, but a distinct pink. + +The sun was high in the sky just now, which proved the adventurers had +been a long time in passing through the Fog Bank. But all of them were +wonderfully relieved to reach this beautiful country in safety, for +aside from the danger that threatened them in the Blue Country, the +other side of the island was very depressing. Here the scene that +confronted them was pretty and homelike, except for the prevailing +color and the fact that all the buildings were round, without a single +corner or angle. + +Half a mile distant was a large City, its pink tintings glistening +bravely in the pink sunshine, while hundreds of pink banners floated +from its numerous domes. The country between the Fog Bank and the city +was like a vast garden, very carefully kept and as neat as wax. + +The parrot was fluttering its wings and pruning its feathers to remove +the wet of the fog. Trot and Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were all +soaked to the skin and chilled through, but as they sat upon the pink +grass they felt the rays of the sun sending them warmth and rapidly +drying their clothes; so, being tired out, they laid themselves +comfortably down and first one and then another fell cozily asleep. + +It was the parrot that aroused them. + + "Look out--look out-- + There's folks about!" + +it screamed. + +"The apple-dumplings, fat and pink, Will be here quicker than a wink!" + +Trot stared up in alarm and rubbed her eyes; Cap'n Bill rolled over and +blinked, hardly remembering where he was; Button-Bright was on his feet +in an instant. Advancing toward them were four of the natives of the +Pink Country. + +Two were men and two were women, and their appearance was in sharp +contrast to that of the Blueskins. For the Pinkies were round and +chubby--almost like "apple-dumplings," as the parrot called them--and +they were not very tall, the highest of the men being no taller than +Trot or Button-Bright. They all had short necks and legs, pink hair and +eyes, rosy cheeks and pink complexions, and their faces were +good-natured and jolly in expression. + +The men wore picturesque pink clothing and round hats with pink +feathers in them, but the apparel of the women was still more gorgeous +and striking. Their dresses consisted of layer after layer of gauzy +tuck and ruffles and laces, caught here and there with bows of dainty +ribbon. The skirts--which of course were of many shades of pink--were +so fluffy and light that they stuck out from the fat bodies of the +Pinkie women like the skirts of ballet-dancers, displaying their chubby +pink ankles and pink kid shoes. They wore rings and necklaces and +bracelets and brooches of rose-gold set with pink gems, and all four of +the new arrivals, both men and women, carried sharp-pointed sticks made +of rosewood for weapons. + +They halted a little way from our adventurers, and one of the women +muttered in a horrified voice, "Blueskins!" + + "Guess again! The more you guess + I rather think you'll know the less," + +retorted the parrot, and then he added grumblingly in Trot's ear, "Blue +feathers don't make bluebirds." + +"Really," said the girl, standing up and bowing respectfully to the +Pinkies, "we are not Blueskins, although we are wearing the blue +uniforms of the Boolooroo and have just escaped from the Blue Country. +If you will look closely, you will see that our skins are white." + +"There is some truth in what she says," remarked one of the men +thoughtfully. "Their skins are not blue, but neither are they white. To +be exact, I should call the skin of the girl and that of the boy a +muddy pink, rather faded, while the skin of the gigantic monster with +them is an unpleasant brown." + +Cap'n Bill looked cross for a minute, for he did not like to be called +a "gigantic monster," although he realized he was much larger than the +pink people. + +"What country did you come from" asked the woman who had first spoken. + +"From the Earth," replied Button-Bright. + +"The Earth! The Earth!" they repeated. "That is a country we have never +heard of. Where is it located?" + +"Why, down below somewhere," said the boy, who did now know in which +direction the Earth lay. "It isn't just one country, but a good many +countries." + +"We have three countries in Sky Island," returned the woman. "They are +the Blue Country, the Fog Country and the Pink Country. But of course +this end of the Island is the most important." + +"How came you in the Blue Country, from whence you say you escaped?" +asked the man. + +"We flew there by means of a Magic Umbrella," explained Button-Bright, +"but the wicked Boolooroo stole it from us." + +"Stole it! How dreadful," they all cried in a chorus. + +"And they made us slaves," said Trot. + +"An' wanted fer to patch us," added Cap'n Bill indignantly. + +"So we ran away and passed through the Fog Bank and came here," said +Button-Bright. + +The Pinkies turned away and conversed together in low tones. Then one +of the women came forward and addressed the strangers. "Your story is +the strangest we have ever heard," said she, "and your presence here is +still more strange and astonishing. So we have decided to take you to +Tourmaline and let her decide what shall be your fate." + +"Who is Tourmaline?" inquired Trot doubtfully, for she didn't like the +idea of being "taken" to anyone. + +"The Queen of the Pinkies. She is the sole Ruler of our country, so the +word of Tourmaline is the Law of the Land." + +"Seems to me we've had 'bout enough of kings an' queens," remarked +Cap'n Bill. "Can't we shy your Tut-Tor-mar-line--or whatever you call +her--in some way an' deal with you direct?" + +"No. Until we prove your truth and honor we must regard you as enemies +of our race. If you had a Magic Umbrella, you may be magicians and +sorcerers come here to deceive us and perhaps betray us to our natural +enemies, the Blueskins." + + "Mud and bricks, fiddlesticks! + We don't play such nasty tricks," + +yelled the parrot angrily, and this caused the Pinkies to shrink back +in alarm, for they had never seen a parrot before. + +"Surely this is magic!" declared one of the men. "No bird can talk +unless inspired by witchcraft." + +"Oh yes, parrots can," said Trot. But this incident had determined the +Pinkies to consider our friends prisoners and to take them immediately +before their Queen. + +"Must we fight you?" asked the woman. "Or will you come with us +peaceably?" + +"We'll go peaceable," answered Cap'n Bill. "You're a-makin' a sad +mistake, for we're as harmless as doves; but seein' as you're +suspicious, we'd better have it out with your Queen first as last." + +Their clothing was quite dry by this time, although much wrinkled and +discolored by the penetrating fog, so at once they prepared to follow +the Pinkies. The two men walked on either side of them, holding the +pointed sticks ready to jab them if they attempted to escape, and the +two women followed in the rear, also armed with sharp sticks. + +So the procession moved along the pretty roadways to the City, which +they soon reached. There was a strong, high wall of pink marble around +it, and they passed through a gate made of pink metal bars and found +themselves in a most delightful and picturesque town. The houses were +big and substantial, all round in shape, with domed roofs and circular +windows and doorways. In all the place there was but one street--a +circular one that started at the gate and wound like a corkscrew toward +the center of the City. It was paved with pink marble, and between the +street and the houses that lined both sides of it were gardens filled +with pink flowers and pink grass lawns, which were shaded by pink trees +and shrubbery. + +As the Queen lived in the very center of the city, the captives were +obliged to parade the entire length of this street, and that gave all +the Pink Citizens a chance to have a good look at the strangers. The +Pinkies were every one short and fat and gorgeously dressed in pink +attire, and their faces indicated that they were contented and happy. +They were much surprised at Cap'n Bill's great size and wooden leg--two +very unusual things in their experience--and the old sailor frightened +more than one Pink boy and girl and sent them scampering into the +houses, where they viewed the passing procession from behind the window +shutters in comparative safety. As for the grown people, many of them +got out their sharp-pointed sticks to use as weapons in case the +strangers attacked them or broke away from their guards. A few, more +bold than the others, followed on at the tail of the procession, and so +presently they all reached an open, circular place in the exact center +of the Pink City. + + + + +TOURMALINE THE POVERTY QUEEN + +CHAPTER 14 + + +The open space which they entered was paved with pink marble, and +around it were two rows of large, pink statues, at least life-size and +beautifully sculptured. All were set upon nicely carved pink pedestals. +They were, of course, statues of Pinky men and women, and all had bands +of pink metal around their foreheads, in the center of each band being +a glistening pink jewel. + +About the middle of the open space inside the statues, which appeared +to be the public meeting place of the Pinkies, was a small, low house, +domed like all the other houses but built of a coarse pink stone +instead of the fine marble to be seen everywhere else. It had no +ornamentation, being exceedingly plain in appearance. No banners +floated from it; no flowers grew near it. + +"Here," said one of their guides as the procession halted before the +little stone building, "is the palace of Tourmaline, who is our Queen." + +"What, that little cabin?" exclaimed Trot. + +"Of course. Did you suppose a palace would be like one of our handsome +residences?" asked the woman, evidently surprised. + +"I thought it would be better," said the girl. "All the palaces I've +seen were splendid." + +"A splendid palace!" exclaimed one of the Pinkies, and then they looked +at one another in amazement and seemed to doubt that their ears had +heard aright. + +"These intruders are very peculiar people," remarked a man in the crowd. + +"They seem very ignorant, poor things!" said another in reply. + +"Come!" commanded the woman who led the party. "You three must follow +me to the presence of Tourmaline. The people must wait outside, for +there is no room for them in the palace." + +So they followed her through the low archway, and in a room beyond, +very simply furnished, sat a young girl engaged in darning a pair of +pink stockings. She was a beautiful girl of about seventeen years of +age, not fat like all the rest of the Pinkies but slender and well +formed according to our own ideas of beauty. Her complexion was not a +decided pink, but a soft, rosy tint not much deeper than that of Trot's +skin. Instead of a silken gown furbelowed like all the others they had +seen women wear in this land, Tourmaline was dressed in a severely +plain robe of coarse pink cloth much resembling bedticking. Across her +brow, however, was a band of rose gold, in the center of which was set +a luminous pink jewel which gleamed more brilliantly than a diamond. It +was her badge of office and seemed very incongruous when compared with +her poor rainment and simple surroundings. + +As they entered, the girl sighed and laid down her work. Her expression +was patient and resigned as she faced her audience. "What is it, +Coralie?" she asked the woman. + +"Here are three strange people, Tourmaline," was the reply, "who say +they have entered our country through the Fog Bank. They tell a queer +story of an escape from the Blueskins, so I decided to bring them to +you, that you may determine their fate." + +The Queen gazed upon our friends with evident interest. She smiled--a +little sadly--at Trot, seemed to approve Button-Bright's open, frank +face, and was quite surprised because Cap'n Bill was so much bigger +than her own people. "Are you a giant?" she asked the sailor in a soft, +sweet voice. + +"No, your Majesty," he replied, "I'm only--" + +"Majesty!" she exclaimed, flushing a deeper pink. "Are you addressing +that word to me?" + +"O' course, ma'am," answered Cap'n Bill. "I'm told that's the proper +way to speak to a Queen." + +"Perhaps you are trying to ridicule me," she continued, regarding the +sailor's face closely. "There is nothing majestic about me, as you know +very well. Coralie, do you consider 'majesty' a proper word to use when +addressing a Queen?" she added, appealing to the Pinky woman. + +"By no means," was the prompt reply. + +"What shall I call her, then?" inquired Cap'n Bill. + +"Just Tourmaline. That is her name, and it is sufficient," said the +woman. + +"The Ruler of a country ought to be treated with great respec'," +declared Trot a little indignantly, for she thought the pretty little +queen was not being properly deferred to. + +"Why?" asked Tourmaline curiously. + +"Because the Ruler is the mos' 'risticratic person in any land," +explained the little girl. "Even in America ever'body bows low to our +President, an' the Blueskins are so 'fraid o' their Boolooroo that they +tremble whenever they go near him." + +"But surely that is all wrong," said Tourmaline gravely. "The Ruler is +appointed to protect and serve the people, and here in the Pink Country +I have the full power to carry out the laws. I even decree death when +such a punishment is merited. Therefore I am a mere agent to direct the +laws, which are the Will of the People, and am only a public servant +obliged constantly to guard the welfare of my subjects." + +"In that case," said Button-Bright, "you're entitled to the best there +is to pay for your trouble. A powerful ruler ought to be rich and to +live in a splendid palace. Your folks ought to treat you with great +respect, as Trot says." + +"Oh no," responded Tourmaline quickly. "That would indeed be very +wrong. Too much should never be given to anyone. If, with my great +power, conferred upon me by the people, I also possessed great wealth, +I might be tempted to be cruel and overbearing. In that case my +subjects would justly grow envious of my superior station. If I lived +as luxuriously as my people do and had servants and costly gowns, the +good Pinkies would say that their Queen had more than they themselves, +and it would be true. No, our way is best. The Ruler, be it king or +queen, has absolute power to rule, but no riches, no high station, no +false adulation. The people have the wealth and honor, for it is their +due. The Queen has nothing but the power to execute the laws, to adjust +grievances and to compel order." + +"What pays you, then, for all your bother?" asked Trot. + +"I have one great privilege. After my death a pink marble statue of me +will be set up in the Grand Court, with the statues of the other Kings +and Queens who have ruled this land, and all the Pinkies in ages to +come will then honor me as having been a just and upright queen. That +is my reward." + +"I'm sorry for you, ma'am," said Cap'n Bill. "Your pay for bein' a +queen is sort o' like a life-insurance. If don't come due till after +you're dead, an' then you can't get much fun out o' it." + +"I did not choose to be the Queen," answered Tourmaline simply. "A +misfortune of birth placed me here, and I cannot escape my fate. It is +much more desirable to be a private citizen, happy and carefree. But we +have talked long enough of myself. Tell me who you are, and why you +have come here." + +Between them they told the story of how the Magic Umbrella had taken +them to Sky Island, which they did not know when they started was +anywhere in existence. Button-Bright told this, and then Trot related +their adventures among the Blueskins and how the Boolooroo had stolen +the umbrella and prevented them from going home again. The parrot on +her shoulder kept interrupting her continually, for the mention of the +Boolooroo seemed to make the bird frantic with rage. + + "Naughty, naughty Boolooroo! + He's the worst I ever knew!" + +the parrot repeated over and over again. + +Cap'n Bill finished the story by telling of their escape through the +Fog Bank. "We didn't know what your Pink Country was like, o' course," +he said, "but we knew it couldn't be worse than the Blue Country, an' +we didn't take any stock in their stories that the Fog Bank would be +the death o' us." + + "Pretty wet! Pretty wet + Was the journey, you can bet!" + +declared the parrot in conclusion. + +"Yes, it was wet an' sticky, all right," agreed the sailor, "but the +big frog helped us an' we got through all right." + +"But what can you do here?" asked Tourmaline. "You are not like my +people, the Pinkies, and there is no place for you in our country." + +"That's true enough," said Cap'n Bill, "but we had to go somewhere, an' +this was the likeliest place we could think of. Your Sky Island ain't +very big, so when we couldn't stay in the Blue Country, where ever'body +hated us, or in the Fog Bank, which ain't healthy an' is too wet for +humans to live in for long, we nat'rally were forced to enter the Pink +Country, where we expected to find nice people." + +"We ARE nice," said Tourmaline, "but it is our country, not yours, and +we have no place here for strangers. In all our history you are the +first people from outside our borders who have ever stepped a foot in +our land. We do not hate you, as you say the Blueskins do, nor are we +savage or cruel, but we do not want you here, and I am really puzzled +what to do with you." + +"Isn't there a law to cover this case?" asked Coralie. + +"I do not remember any such law," replied the queen, "but I will search +in the Great Book and see if I can find anything that refers to strange +people entering our land." + +"If not," said the woman, "you must make a law. It is your duty." + +"I know," answered Tourmaline, "but I hope such a responsibility will +not fall upon my shoulders. These poor strangers are in a very +uncomfortable position, and I wish I could help them to get back to +their own country." + +"Thank you," said Trot. "We wish so, too. Haven't you any fairies here?" + +"Oh, there are fairies, of course, as there are everywhere," answered +Tourmaline, "but none that we can call to our assistance or command to +do our bidding." + +"How about witches?" asked Button-Bright. + +"I know of one witch," said Tourmaline thoughtfully, "but she is not +very obliging. She says it makes her head ache to perform witchcraft, +and so she seldom indulges in it. But if there is no other way, I may +be obliged to call upon Rosalie for help. I'll look in the Great Book +first. Meantime, you will go home with Coralie, who will feed you and +give you entertainment. Tomorrow morning come to me again and then I +will decree your fate." The little queen then picked up her stocking +and began to darn the holes in it, and Coralie, without any formal +parting, led the strangers from the miserable palace. + + + + +THE SUNRISE TRIBE AND THE SUNSET TRIBE + +CHAPTER 15 + + +Although Trot and her comrades were still prisoners, they were far more +comfortable than they had been in the Blue Country. Coralie took them +to her own home, where she lived in great luxury, being one of the +prominent women of the Pinkies. In this country the women seemed fully +as important as the men, and instead of being coddled and petted, they +performed their share of the work, both in public and private affairs, +and were expected to fight in the wars exactly as the men did. + +Our friends learned considerable about the Pinkies during that +afternoon and evening, for their hostess proved kind and agreeable and +frankly answered all their questions. Although this half of Sky Island +was no larger than the Blue Country, being no more than two miles +square, it had several hundred inhabitants. These were divided into two +tribes, which were called the Sunrise Tribe and the Sunset Tribe. The +Sunrise Tribe lived in the eastern half of the Pink Country and the +Sunset Tribe in the west half, and there was great rivalry between +them, and sometimes war. + +It was all a question of social importance. The Sunrise Tribe claimed +that every day the sun greeted them first of all, which proved they +were the most important; but on the other hand, the Sunset Tribe +claimed that the sun always deserted the other tribe and came to them, +which was evidence that they were the most attractive people. On Sky +Island--at least on the Pink side--the sun arose in wonderful splendor, +but also it set in a blaze of glory, and so there were arguments on +both sides, and for want of something better to argue about, the +Pinkies took this queer subject as a cause of dispute. + +Both Tribes acknowledged Tourmaline their Queen and obeyed the laws of +the country, and just at this time there was peace in the land, and all +the inhabitants of the east and west were friendly. But they had been +known, Coralie said, to fight one another fiercely with their sharp +sticks, at which times a good many were sure to get hurt. + +"Why do they call this an Island?" asked Button-Bright. "There isn't +any water around it, is there?" + +"No, but there is sky all around it," answered Coralie. "And if one +should step off the edge, he would go tumbling into the great sky and +never be heard of again." + +"Is there a fence around the edge?" asked Trot. + +"Only a few places are fenced," was the reply. "Usually there are rows +of thick bushes set close to the edge to prevent people from falling +off. Once there was a King of the Pinkies who was cruel and overbearing +and imagined he was superior to the people he ruled, so one day his +subjects carried him to the edge of the island and threw him over the +bushes." + +"Goodness me!" said Trot. "He might have hit someone on the Earth." + +"Guess he skipped it, though," added Cap'n Bill, "for I never heard of +a Pinky till I came here." + +"And I have never heard of the Earth," retorted Coralie. "Of course, +there must be such a place, because you came from there, but the Earth +is never visible in our sky." + +"No," said Button-Bright, "'cause it's UNDER your island. But it's +there, all right, and it's a pretty good place to live. I wish I could +get back to it." + +"So do I, Button-Bright!" exclaimed Trot. + +"Let's fly!" cried the parrot, turning his head so that one bright +little eye looked directly into the girl's eye. "Say goodbye and let's +fly through the sky, far and high!" + +"If we only had my umbrella, we'd fly in a minute," sighed +Button-Bright. "But the Boolooroo stole it." + + "Naughty, naughty Boolooroo, + What a wicked thing to do!" + +wailed the parrot, and they all agreed with him. + +Coralie belonged to the Sunset Tribe, as she lived west of the queen's +palace, which was the center of the Pink Country. A servant came to the +room where they were conversing to state that the sun was about to set, +and at once Coralie arose and took the strangers to an upper balcony, +where all the household had assembled. + +The neighboring houses also had their balconies and roofs filled with +people, for it seemed all the Sunset Tribe came out every night to +witness the setting of the sun. It was really a magnificent sight, and +Trot scarcely breathed as the great, golden ball sank low in the sky +and colored all the clouds with gorgeous tints of orange, red and +yellow. Never on the Earth was there visible such splendor, and as the +little girl watched the ever-changing scene, she decided the Sunset +Tribe was amply justified in claiming that the West was the favored +country of the sun. + +"You see," said Cap'n Bill, "the sky is all around us, an' we're high +up, so the sun really loses itself in the clouds an' leaves a trail of +beauty behind him." + +"He does that!" agreed Trot. "This is almost worth comin' for, Cap'n." + +"But not quite," said Button-bright sadly. "I'd get along without the +sunset if only we could go home." + +They went in to dinner after this, and sat at Coralie's own table with +her husband and children and found the meal very good. After a pleasant +evening, during which no reference was made to their being prisoners, +they were shown to prettily furnished rooms--all in pink--and slept +soundly in the soft beds provided for them. Trot wakened early the next +morning and went out on the balcony to see the sunrise. The little girl +was well repaid, for the splendor of the rising sun was almost equal to +that of the setting sun. Surely this was a wonderful country and much +more delightful than the Blue side of the island, where the sun was +hidden by the great Fog and only the moon was visible. + +When she went in, she found that both Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were +up and dressed, so they decided to take a walk before breakfast. No one +restrained them or interfered with them in any way. "They know we can't +get away," observed the sailor, "so they don't need to watch us." + +"We could go into the Fog Bank again," suggested Trot. + +"We could, mate, but we won't," answered Cap'n Bill. "If there's no way +for us to get clean off'n Sky Island, I'd rather stay with the Pinkies +than with the Blues." + +"I wonder what they'll do with us," said Button-Bright. "The Queen +seems like a nice girl, and I don't think she'll hurt us, whatever +happens." + +They walked freely along the circular street, seeing such sights as the +Pink City afforded, and then returned to Coralie's house for breakfast. +Coralie herself was not there, as she had been summoned to the Queen's +palace, but her husband looked after the guests, and when breakfast was +finished he said to them, "I am to take you to Tourmaline, who has +promised to decide your fate this morning. I am curious to know what +she will do with you, for in all our history we have never before had +strangers intrude upon us." + +"We're curious, too," said Trot, "but we'll soon find out." As they +walked down the street, they observed that the sky was now covered with +dark clouds which entirely hid the sun. + +"Does it ever rain here?" inquired Button-Bright. + +"Certainly," answered Coralie's husband, "that is the one drawback of +our country: it rains quite often. And although it makes the flowers +and the grass grow, I think rain is very disagreeable. I am always glad +to see the rainbow, which is a sign that the sun will shine again." + +"Looks like rain now," remarked Cap'n Bill. + +"It does," said the man, glancing at the sky. "We must hurry, or we may +get wet." + +"Haven't you any umbrellas?" asked Button-Bright. + +"No, we don't know what umbrellas are," replied the Pinky man. + +It did not rain at once, and they reached Tourmaline's wretched hut in +safety. There they found quite a number of Pinkies assembled, and a +spirited discussion was taking place when they arrived. + +"Come in, please," said Tourmaline, opening the door for them, and when +they had entered, she placed a pinkwood bench for them to sit upon and +went back to her throne, which was a common rocking chair. At her right +were seated six men and women of the Sunrise Tribe, and on her left six +men and women of the Sunset Tribe, among the latter being Coralie. The +contrast between the plain, simple dress of the Queen and the gorgeous +apparel of her Counselors was quite remarkable, yet her beauty far +surpassed that of any of her people, and her demeanor was so modest and +unassuming that it was difficult for the prisoners to believe that her +word would decree life or death and that all the others were +subservient to her. Tourmaline's eyes were so deep a shade of pink that +they were almost hazel, and her hair was darker than that of the +others, being a golden-red in color. These points, taken with her +light-pink skin and slender form, rendered her distinctive among the +Pinkies, whatever gown she might wear. + +When the strangers were seated, she turned to them and said, "I have +searched through the Great Book of Laws and found nothing about foreign +people entering our land. There is a law that if any of the Blueskins +break through the Fog Bank, they shall be driven back with sharp +sticks; but you are not Blueskins, so this Law does not apply to you. +Therefore, in order to decide your fate, I have summoned a Council of +twelve of my people, who will vote as to whether you shall be permitted +to remain here or not. They wanted to see you before they cast their +final vote, that they may examine you carefully and discover if you are +worthy to become inhabitants of the Pink Country." + + "The rose is red, the violet's blue, + But Trot is sweeter than the two!" + +declared the parrot in a loud voice. It was a little verse Cap'n Bill +had taught the bird that very morning while Trot was seeing the sun +rise. + +The Pinkies were startled and seemed a little frightened at hearing a +bird speak so clearly. Trot laughed and patted the bird's head in +return for the compliment. "Is the Monster Man whose legs are part wood +a dangerous creature?" asked one of the Sunrise Tribe. + +"Not to my friends," replied Cap'n Bill, much amused. "I s'pose I could +fight your whole crowd of Pinkies if I had to, an' make you run for +your lives, but bein' as you're friendly to us, you ain't in any +danger." The sailor thought this speech was diplomatic and might "head +off any trouble," but the Pinkies seemed uneasy, and several of them +picked up their slender, pointed sticks and held them in their hands. +They were not cowardly, but it was evident they mistrusted the big man, +who on Earth was not considered big at all, but rather undersized. + +"What we'd like," said Trot, "is to stay here, cozy an' peaceable, till +we can find a way to get home to the Earth again. Your country is much +nicer than the Blue Country, and we like you pretty well from what +we've seen of you, so if you'll let us stay, we won't be any more +trouble to you than we can help." + +They all gazed upon the little girl curiously, and one of them said, +"How strangely light her color is! And it is pink, too, which is in her +favor. But her eyes are of that dreadful blue tint which prevails in +the other half of Sky Island, while her hair is a queer color unknown +to us. She is not like our people and would not harmonize with the +universal color here." + +"That's true," said another. "The three strangers are all inharmonious. +If allowed to remain here, they would ruin the color scheme of the +country, where all is now pink." + +"In spite of that," said Coralie, "they are harmless creatures and have +done us no wrong." + +"Yes they have," replied a nervous little Sunrise man, "they wronged us +by coming here." + +"They could not help doing that," argued Coralie, "and it is their +misfortune that they are here on Sky Island at all. Perhaps if we keep +them with us for a while, they may find a way to return safely to their +own country." + +"We'll fly through the sky by-and-by--ki-yi!" yelled the parrot with +startling suddenness. + +"Is that true?" asked a Pinky seriously. + +"Why, we would if we could," answered Trot. "We flew to this island, +anyhow." + +"Perhaps," said another, "if we pushed them off the edge, they could +fly down again. Who knows?" + +"We know," answered Cap'n Bill hastily. "We'd tumble, but we wouldn't +fly." + + "They'd take a fall-- + And that is all!" + +observed the parrot, fluttering its wings. There was silence for a +moment while all the Pinkies seemed to think deeply. Then the Queen +asked the strangers to step outside while they counseled together. Our +friends obeyed, and leaving the room they all entered the courtyard and +examined the rows of pink marble statues for nearly an hour before they +were summoned to return to the little room in Tourmaline's palace. + +"We are now ready to vote as to your fate," said the pretty Queen to +them. "We have decided there are but two things for us do to: either +permit you to remain here as honored guests or take you to an edge of +the island and throw you over the bushes into the sky." + +They were silent at hearing this dreadful alternative, but the parrot +screamed shrilly, + + "Oh, what a dump! Oh, what a jump! + Won't we all thump when we land with a bump?" + +"If we do," said Cap'n Bill thoughtfully, "we'll none of us know it." + + + + +ROSALIE THE WITCH + +CHAPTER 16 + + +Trot and Button-Bright had now become worried and anxious, for they +knew if they were tossed over the edge of the island they would be +killed. Cap'n Bill frowned and set his jaws tight together. The old +sailor had made up his mind to make a good fight for his boy and girl, +as well as for his own life, if he was obliged to do so. + +The twelve Counselors then voted, and when the vote was counted, +Tourmaline announced that six had voted to allow the strangers to +remain and six to toss them over the bushes. "We seem evenly divided on +this matter," remarked the Queen with a puzzled look at her Council. + +Trot thought the pretty Queen was their friend, so she said, "Of course +you'll have the deciding vote, then, you being the Ruler." + +"Oh no," replied Tourmaline. "Since I have asked these good people to +advise me, it would be impolite to side against some of them and with +the others. That would imply that the judgment of some of my Counselors +is wrong, and the judgment of others right. I must ask someone else to +cast the deciding vote." + +"Who will it be, then?" inquired Trot. "Can't I do it? Or Cap'n Bill or +Button-Bright?" + +Tourmaline smiled and shook her head, while all the Counselors murmured +their protests. + + "Let Trot do it + Or you'll rue it!" + +advised the parrot, and then he barked like a dog and made them all +jump. + +"Let me think a moment," said the Queen, resting her chin on her hand. + + "A Pink can think + As quick's a wink!" + +the parrot declared. But Tourmaline's thoughts required time, and all +her Counselors remained silent and watched her anxiously. + +At last she raised her head and said, "I shall call upon Rosalie the +Witch. She is wise and honest and will decide the matter justly." + +The Pinkies seemed to approve this choice, so Tourmaline rose and took +a small, pink paper parcel from a drawer. In it was a pink powder, +which she scattered upon the seat of a big armchair. Then she lighted +this powder, which at first flashed vivid pink and then filled all the +space around the chair with a thick, pink cloud of smoke. Presently the +smoke cleared away, when they all saw seated within the chair Rosalie +the Witch. + +This famous woman was much like the other Pinkies in appearance except +that she was somewhat taller and not quite so fat as most of the +people. Her skin and hair and eyes were all of a rosy, pink color, and +her gown was of spiderweb gauze that nicely matched her complexion. She +did not seem very old, for her features were smiling and attractive and +pleasant to view. She held in her hand a slender staff tipped with a +lustrous pink jewel. + +All the Pinkies present bowed very respectfully to Rosalie, who +returned the salutation with a dignified nod. Then Tourmaline began to +explain the presence of the three strangers and the difficulty of +deciding what to do with them. + +"I have summoned you here that you may cast the deciding vote," added +the Queen. "What shall we do, Rosalie, allow them to remain here as +honored guests, or toss them over the bushes into the sky?" + +Rosalie, during Tourmaline's speech, had been attentively examining the +faces of the three Earth people. Now she said, + +"Before I decide, I must see who these strangers are. I will follow +their adventures in a vision to discover if they have told you the +truth. And in order that you may all share my knowledge, you shall see +the vision as I see it." She then bowed her head and closed her eyes. + + "Rock-a-bye, baby, on a treetop; + Don't wake her up, or the vision will stop," + +muttered the parrot, but no one paid any attention to the noisy bird. + +Gradually, a pink mist formed in the air about the Witch, and in this +mist the vision began to appear. + +First, there was Button-bright in the attic of his house, finding the +Magic Umbrella. Then his first flight was shown, and afterward his trip +across the United States until he landed on the bluff where Trot sat. +In rapid succession the scenes shifted and disclosed the trial flights, +with Trot and Cap'n Bill as passengers, then the trip to Sky Island and +the meeting with the Boolooroo. No sound was heard, but it was easy +from the gestures of the actors for the Pinkies to follow all the +adventures of the strangers in the Blue Country. Button-Bright was +greatly astonished to see in this vision how the Boolooroo had tested +the Magic Umbrella and in a fit of rage cast it into a corner +underneath the cabinet, with the seats and lunch basket still attached +to the handle by means of the rope. The boy now knew why he could not +find the umbrella in the Treasure Chamber, and he was provoked to think +he had several times been quite close to it without knowing it was +there. The last scene ended with the trip through the Fog Bank and the +assistance rendered them by the friendly frog. After the three tumbled +upon the grass of the Pink Country, the vision faded away, and Rosalie +lifted her head with a smile of triumph at the success of her +witchcraft. + +"Did you see clearly?" she asked. + +"We did, O Wonderful Witch!" they declared. + +"Then," said Rosalie, "there can be no doubt in your minds that these +strangers have told you the truth." + +"None at all," they admitted. + +"What arguments are advanced by the six Counselors who voted to allow +them to remain here as guests?" inquired the Witch. + +"They have done us no harm," answered Coralie, speaking for her side, +"therefore we should, in honor and justice, do them no harm." + +Rosalie nodded. "What arguments have the others advanced?" she asked. + +"They interfere with our color scheme and do not harmonize with our +people," a man of the Sunrise Tribe answered. + +Again Rosalie nodded, and Trot thought her eyes twinkled a little. + +"I think I now fully comprehend the matter," said she, "and so I will +cast my vote. I favor taking the Earth people to the edge of the island +and casting them into the sky." + +For a moment there was perfect silence in the room. All present +realized that this was a decree of death to the strangers. Trot was +greatly surprised at the decision, and for a moment she thought her +heart had stopped beating, for a wave of fear swept over her. +Button-Bright flushed red as a Pinky and then grew very pale. He crept +closer to Trot and took her hand in his own, pressing it to give the +little girl courage. As for Cap'n Bill, he was watching the smiling +face of the Witch in a puzzled but not hopeless way, for he thought she +did not seem wholly in earnest in what she had said. + +"The case is decided," announced Tourmaline in a clear, cold voice. +"The three strangers shall be taken at once to the edge of the island +and thrown over the bushes into the sky." + +"It's raining hard outside," announced Coralie, who sat near the door. +"Why not wait until this shower is over?" + +"I have said 'at once,'" replied the little Queen with dignity, "and so +it must be at once. We are accustomed to rain, so it need not delay us, +and when a disagreeable duty is to be performed, the sooner it is +accomplished the better." + +"May I ask, ma'am," said Cap'n Bill, addressing the Witch, "why you +have decided to murder of us in this cold-blooded way?" + +"I did not decide to murder you," answered Rosalie. + +"To throw us off the island will be murder," declared the sailor. + +"Then they cannot throw you off," the Witch replied. + +"The Queen says they will." + +"I know," said Rosalie, "but I'm quite positive her people can't do it." + +This statement astonished all the Pinkies, who looked at the Witch +inquiringly. "Why not?" asked Tourmaline. + +"It is evident to me," said the Witch, speaking slowly and distinctly, +"that these Earth people are protected in some way by fairies. They may +not be aware of this themselves, nor did I see any fairies in my +vision. But if you will think upon it carefully, you will realize that +the Magic Umbrella has no power in itself, but is enchanted by fairy +power so that it is made to fly and carry passengers through the air BY +FAIRIES. This being the case, I do not think you will be allowed to +injure these favored people in any way; but I am curious to see in what +manner the fairies will defend them, and therefore I have voted to have +them thrown off the island. I bear these strangers no ill will, nor do +I believe they are in any danger. But since you, Tourmaline, have +determined to attempt this terrible thing at once, I shall go with you +and see what will happen." + +Some of the Pinkies looked pleased and some troubled at this speech, +but they all prepared to escort the prisoners to the nearest edge of +the island. The rain was pouring down in torrents, and umbrellas were +unknown; but all of them, both men and women, slipped gossamer +raincoats over their clothing, which kept the rain from wetting them. +Then they caught up their sharp sticks and surrounding the doomed +captives commanded them to march to meet their fate. + + + + +THE ARRIVAL OF POLYCHROME + +CHAPTER 17 + + +Cap'n Bill had determined to fight desperately for their lives, but he +was a shrewd old sailorman, and he found much that was reasonable in +the Witch's assertion that fairies would protect them. He had often +wondered how the Magic Umbrella could fly and obey spoken commands, but +now he plainly saw that the thing must be directed by some invisible +power, and that power was quite likely to save them from the cruel +death that had been decreed. To be sure, the Magic Umbrella was now in +the Blue Country, and the fairies that directed its flight might be +with the umbrella instead of with them, yet the old sailor had already +experienced some strange adventures in Trot's company and knew she had +managed to escape every danger that had threatened. So he decided not +to fight until the last moment and meekly hobbled along the street as +he was commanded to do. Trot was also encouraged by the Witch's +suggestion, for she believed in fairies and trusted them; but +Button-Bright could find no comfort in their situation, and his face +was very sad as he marched along by Trot's side. + +If they had followed the corkscrew windings of the street, it would +have been a long journey to the outer edge of the Pink Country, but +Tourmaline took a shortcut, leading them through private gardens and +even through houses, so that they followed almost a bee line to their +destination. It rained all the way and the walking was very +disagreeable, but our friends were confronting an important crisis in +their strange adventures, and with possible death at their journey's +end, they were in no hurry to arrive there. + +Once free of the City they traversed the open country, and here they +often stepped into sticky, pink mud up to their ankles. Cap'n Bill's +wooden leg would often go down deep and stick fast in this mud, and at +such times he would be helpless until two of the Pinkies--who were a +strong people--pulled him out again. The parrot was getting its +feathers sadly draggled in the rain, and the poor bird soon presented a +wet and woebegone appearance. + + "Soak us again, + Drown us with rain!" + +it muttered in a resigned tone; and then it would turn to Trot and +moan, "The rose is red, the violet's blue, The Pinkies are a beastly +crew!" + +The country was not so trim and neatly kept near the edge, for it was +evident the people did not care to go too near to the dangerous place. +There was a row of thick bushes which concealed the gulf below, and as +they approached these bushes the rain abruptly ceased, and the clouds +began to break and drift away in the sky. "Two of you seize the girl +and throw her over," said Tourmaline in a calm, matter-of-fact way, +"and two others must throw the boy over. It may take four, perhaps, to +lift the huge and ancient man." + +"More'n that," said Cap'n Bill grimly. "I'm pretty sure it'll take all +o' you, young lady, an' the chances are you won't do it then." + +They had halted a short distance from the bushes, and now there +suddenly appeared through a rift in the clouds an immense Rainbow. It +was perfectly formed and glistened with a dozen or more superb tintings +that were so vivid and brilliant and blended into one another so +exquisitely that everyone paused to gaze enraptured upon the sight. +Steadily, yet with wonderful swiftness, the end of the great bow +descended until it rested upon the pink field--almost at the feet of +the little party of observers. Then they saw, dancing gaily upon the +arch, a score of beautiful maidens, dressed in fleecy robes of rainbow +tints which fluttered around them like clouds. + +"The Daughters of the Rainbow!" whispered Tourmaline in an awed voice, +and the Witch beside her nodded and said, "Fairies of the sky. What did +I tell you, Tourmaline?" + +Just then one of the maidens tripped lightly down the span of the arch +until near the very end, leaning over to observe the group below. She +was exquisitely fair, dainty as a lily and graceful as a bough swaying +in the breeze. "Why, it's Polychrome!" exclaimed Button-Bright in a +voice of mingled wonder and delight. "Hello, Polly! Don't you remember +me?" + +"Of course I remember Button-Bright," replied the maiden in a sweet, +tinkling voice. "The last time I saw you was in the Land of Oz." + +"Oh!" cried Trot, turning to stare at the boy with big, wide-open eyes. +"Were you ever in the Land of Oz?" + +"Yes," he answered, still looking at the Rainbow's Daughter, and then +he said appealingly, "These people want to kill us, Polly. Can't you +help us?" + + "Polly wants a cracker! + Polly wants a cracker!" + +screeched the parrot. + +Polychrome straightened up and glanced at her sisters. "Tell Father to +call for me in an hour or two," said she. "There is work for me to do +here, for one of my old friends is in trouble." + +With this she sprang lightly from the rainbow and stood beside +Button-Bright and Trot, and scarcely had she left the splendid arch +when it lifted and rose into the sky. The other end had been hidden in +the clouds, and now the Rainbow began to fade gradually, like mist, and +the sun broke through the clouds and shot its cheering rays over the +Pink Country until presently the Rainbow had vanished altogether and +the only reminder of it was the lovely Polychrome standing among the +wondering band of Pinkies. "Tell me," she said gently to the boy, "why +are you here, and why do these people of the sky wish to destroy you?" + +In a few hurried words Button-Bright related their adventures with the +Magic Umbrella and how the Boolooroo had stolen it and they had been +obliged to escape into the Pink Country. Polychrome listened and then +turned to the Queen. "Why have you decreed death to these innocent +strangers?" she asked. + +"They do not harmonize with our color scheme," replied Tourmaline. + +"That is utter nonsense," declared Polychrome impatiently. "You're so +dreadfully pink here that your color, which in itself is beautiful, had +become tame and insipid. What you really need is some sharp contrast to +enhance the charm of your country, and to keep these three people here +would be a benefit rather than an injury to you." + +At this, the Pinkies looked downcast and ashamed, while only Rosalie +the Witch laughed and seemed to enjoy the rebuke. "But," protested +Tourmaline, "the Great Book of Laws says our country shall harbor none +but the Pinkies." + +"Does it indeed?" asked the Rainbow's Daughter. "Come, let us return at +once to your City and examine your Book of Laws. I am quite sure I can +find in them absolute protection for these poor wanderers." + +They dared not disobey Polychrome's request, so at once they all turned +and walked back to the City. As it was still muddy underfoot, the +Rainbow's Daughter took a cloak from one of the women, partly rolled +it, and threw it upon the ground. Then she stepped upon it and began +walking forward. The cloak unrolled as she advanced, affording a +constant carpet for her feet and for those of the others who followed +her. So, being protected from the mud and wet, they speedily gained the +City and in a short time were all gathered in the low room of +Tourmaline's palace, where the Great Book of Laws lay upon a table. + +Polychrome began turning over the leaves, while the others all watched +her anxiously and in silence. "Here," she said presently, "is a Law +which reads as follows: 'Everyone in the Pink Country is entitled to +the protection of the Ruler and to a house and a good living, except +only the Blueskins. If any of the natives of the Blue Country should +ever break through the Fog Bank, they must be driven back with sharp +sticks.' Have you read this Law, Tourmaline?" + +"Yes," said the Queen, "but how does that apply to these strangers?" + +"Why, being in the Pink Country, as they surely are, and not being +Blueskins, they are by this Law entitled to protection, to a home and +good living. The Law does not say 'Pinkies,' it says any who are in the +Pink Country." + +"True," agreed Coralie, greatly pleased, and all the other Pinkies +nodded their heads and repeated, "True, true!" + + "The rose is red, the violet's blue, + The law's the thing, because it's true!" + +cried the parrot. + +"I am indeed relieved to have you interpret the Law in this way," +declared Tourmaline. "I knew it was cruel to throw these poor people +over the edge, but that seemed to us the only thing to be done." + +"It was cruel and unjust," answered Polychrome as sternly as her sweet +voice could speak. "But here," she added, for she had still continued +to turn the leaves of the Great Book, "is another Law which you have +also overlooked. It says, 'The person, whether man or woman, boy or +girl, living in the Pink Country who has the lightest skin shall be the +Ruler--King or Queen--as long as he or she lives, unless someone of a +lighter skin is found, and this Ruler's commands all the people must +obey.' Do you know this Law?" + +"Oh yes," replied Tourmaline. "That is why I am the Queen. You will +notice my complexion is of a lighter pink than that of any other of my +people." + +"Yes," remarked Polychrome, looking at her critically, "when you were +made Queen without doubt you had the lightest-colored skin in all the +Pink Country. But now you are no longer Queen of the Pinkies, +Tourmaline." + +Those assembled were so startled by this statement that they gazed at +the Rainbow's Daughter in astonishment for a time. Then Tourmaline +asked, "Why not, your Highness?" + +"Because here is one lighter in color than yourself," pointed to Trot. +"This girl is, by the Law of the Great Book, the rightful Queen of the +Pinkies, and as loyal citizens you are all obliged to obey her +commands. Give me that circlet from your brow, Tourmaline." Without +hesitation Tourmaline removed the rose-gold circlet with its glittering +jewel and handed it to Polychrome, who turned and placed it upon Trot's +brow. Then she called in a loud, imperative voice, "Greet your new +Queen, Pinkies!" + +One by one they all advanced, knelt before Trot and pressed her hand to +their lips. "Long live Queen Mayre!" called out Cap'n Bill, dancing +around on his wooden leg in great delight. "Vive la--Vive la--ah, ah, +Trot!" + +"Thank you, Polly," said Button-Bright gratefully. "This will fix us +all right, I'm sure." + +"Why, I have done nothing," returned Polychrome, smiling upon him. "It +is the Law of the Country. Isn't it surprising how little people know +of their Laws? Are you all contented, Pinkies?" she asked, turning to +the people. + +"We are!" they cried. Then several of the men ran out to spread the +news throughout the City and Country, so that a vast crowd soon began +to gather in the Court of the Statues. + + + + +MAYRE, QUEEN OF THE PINK COUNTRY + +CHAPTER 18 + + +Polychrome now dismissed all but Button-Bright, Cap'n Bill, Rosalie the +Witch and the new Queen of the Pinkies. Tourmaline hastened away to her +father's house to put on a beautiful gown all covered with flounces and +ribbons, for she was glad to be relieved of the duties of the Queen and +was eager to be gaily dressed and one of the people again. + +"I s'pose," said Trot, "I'll have to put on one of Tourmaline's common +pink dresses." + +"Yes," replied Polychrome, "you must follow the customs of the country, +absurd though they may be. In the little sleeping chamber adjoining +this room you will find plenty of gowns poor enough for the Queen to +wear. Shall I assist you to put one on?" + +"No," answered Trot, "I guess I can manage it alone." + +When she withdrew to the little chamber, the Rainbow's Daughter began +conversing with the Witch, whom she urged to stay with the new queen +and protect her as long as she ruled the Pink Country. Rosalie, who +longed to please the powerful Polychrome, whose fairy powers as +Daughters of the Rainbow were far superior to her own witchcraft, +promised faithfully to devote herself to Queen Mayre as long as she +might need her services. + +By the time Trot was dressed in pink and had returned to the room, +there was an excited and clamorous crowd assembled in the court, and +Polychrome took the little girl's hand and led her out to greet her new +subjects. The Pinkies were much impressed by the fact that the +Rainbow's Daughter was their new Queen's friend, and that Rosalie the +Witch stood on Trot's left hand and treated her with humble deference. +So they shouted their approval very enthusiastically and pressed +forward one by one to kneel before their new Ruler and kiss her hand. + +The parrot was now on Cap'n Bill's shoulder, for Trot thought a Queen +ought not to carry a bird around, but the parrot did not mind the +change and was as much excited as anyone in the crowd. "Oh, what bliss +to kiss a miss!" he shouted as Trot held out her hand to be kissed by +her subjects, and then he would scream, + + "We're in the sky and flyin' high; + We're goin' to live instead of die, + It's time to laugh instead of cry; + Oh, my! Ki-yi! Ain't this a pie?" + +Cap'n Bill let the bird jabber as he pleased, for the occasion was a +joyful one, and it was no wonder the parrot was excited. And while the +throng shouted greetings to the Queen, suddenly the great Rainbow +appeared in the sky and dropped its end right on the Court of the +Statues. Polychrome stooped to kiss Trot and Button-Bright, gave Cap'n +Bill a charming smile and Rosalie the Witch a friendly nod of farewell. +Then she sprang lightly upon the arch of the Rainbow and was greeted by +the bevy of dancing, laughing maidens who were her sisters. "I shall +keep watch over you, Button-Bright," she called to the boy. "Don't +despair, whatever happens, for behind the clouds is always the Rainbow!" + +"Thank you, Polly," he answered, and Trot also thanked the lovely +Polychrome, and so did Cap'n Bill. The parrot made quite a long speech, +flying high above the arch where Polychrome stood and then back to +Cap'n Bill's shoulder. Said he, + + "We Pollys know our business, and we're all right! + We'll take good care of Cap'n Bill and Trot and Button-Bright. + You watch 'em from the Rainbow, and I'll watch day and night, + And we'll call a sky policeman if trouble comes in sight!" + +Suddenly, the bow lifted and carried the dancing maidens into the sky. +The colors faded, the arch slowly dissolved and the heavens were clear. +Trot turned to the Pinkies. "Let's have a holiday today," she said. +"Have a good time and enjoy yourselves. I don't jus' know how I'm goin' +to rule this country yet, but I'll think it over an' let you know." +Then she went into the palace hut with Cap'n Bill and Button-Bright and +Rosalie the Witch, and the people went away to enjoy themselves and +talk over the surprising events of the day. + +"Dear me," said Trot, throwing herself into a chair, "wasn't that a +sudden change of fortune, though? That Rainbow's Daughter is a pretty +good fairy. I'm glad you know her, Button-Bright." + +"I was sure something would happen to save you," remarked Rosalie, "and +that was why I voted to have you thrown off the edge. I wanted to +discover who would come to your assistance, and I found out. Now I have +made a friend of Polychrome, and that will render me more powerful as a +Witch, for I can call upon her for assistance whenever I need her." + +"But see here," said Cap'n Bill. "You can't afford to spend your time +a-rulin' this tucked-up country, Trot." + +"Why not?" asked Trot, who was pleased with her new and important +position. + +"It'd get pretty tiresome, mate, after you'd had a few quarrels with +the Pinkies, for they expec' their Queen to be as poor as poverty an' +never have any fun in life." + +"You wouldn't like it for long, I'm sure," added Button-Bright +seriously. + +Trot seemed thoughtful. "No, I don't know's I would," she admitted. +"But as long as we stay here, it seems a pretty good thing to be Queen. +I guess I'm a little proud of it. I wish mother could see me rulin' the +Pinkies, an' Papa Griffith, too. Wouldn't they open their eyes?" + +"They would, mate, but they can't see you," said Cap'n Bill. "So the +question is, what's to be done?" + +"We ought to get home," observed the boy. "Our folks will worry about +us, and Earth's the best place to live, after all. If we could only get +hold of my Magic Umbrella, we'd be all right." + + "The rose is red, the violet's blue, + But the umbrel's stolen by the Boolooroo!" + +screamed the parrot. + +"That's it," said Cap'n Bill. "The Boolooroo's got the umbrel, an' that +settles the question." + +"Tell me," said Rosalie, "If you had your Magic Umbrella, could you fly +home again in safety?" + +"Of course we could," replied Button-Bright. + +"And would you prefer to go home to remaining here?" + +"We would indeed!" + +"Then why do you not get the umbrella?" + +"How?" asked Trot eagerly. + +"You must go into the Blue Country and force the Boolooroo to give up +your property." + +"Through the Fog Bank?" asked Cap'n Bill doubtfully. + +"And let the Boolooroo capture us again?" demanded Button-Bright with a +shiver. + +"An' have to wait on the Snubnoses instead of bein' a Queen?" said Trot. + +"You must remember that conditions have changed, and you are now a +powerful Ruler," replied Rosalie. "The Pinkies are really a great +nation, and they are pledged to obey your commands. Why not assemble an +army, march through the Fog Bank, fight and conquer the Boolooroo and +recapture the Magic Umbrella?" + +"Hooray!" shouted Cap'n Bill, pounding his wooden leg on the floor. +"That's the proper talk! Let's do it, Queen Trot." + +"It doesn't seem like a bad idea," added Button-Bright. + +"Do you think the Pinkies would fight the Blueskins?" asked Trot. + +"Why not?" replied the sailorman. "They have sharp sticks an' know how +to use 'em, whereas the Blueskins have only them windin'-up cords with +weights on the ends." + +"The Blueskins are the biggest people," said the girl. + +"But they're cowards, I'm sure," declared the boy. + +"Anyhow," the sailor remarked, "that's our only hope of ever gett'n' +home again. I'd like to try it, Trot." + +"If you decide on this adventure," said Rosalie, "I believe I can be of +much assistance to you." + +"That'll help," asserted Cap'n Bill. + +"And we've one good friend among the Blueskins," said Button-Bright. +"I'm sure Ghip-Ghisizzle will side with us, and I've got the Royal +Record Book, which proves that the Boolooroo has already reigned his +lawful three hundred years." + +"Does the book say that?" inquired Trot with interest. + +"Yes, I've been reading it." + +"Then Sizzle'll be the new Boolooroo," said the girl, "an' p'raps we +won't have to fight, after all." + +"We'd better go prepared, though," advised Cap'n Bill, "fer that awful +ol' Boolooroo won't give up without a struggle. When shall we start?" + +Trot hesitated, so they all looked to Rosalie for advice. "Just as soon +as we can get the army together and ready," decided the Witch. "That +will not take long. Perhaps two or three days." + +"Good!" cried Cap'n Bill, and the parrot screamed, + + "Here's a lovely how-d'y'-do-- + We're going to fight the Boolooroo! + We'll get the Six Snubnoses, too, + And make 'em all feel mighty blue." + +"Either that or the other thing," said Trot. "Anyhow, we're in for it." + + + + +THE WAR OF THE PINKS AND BLUES + +CHAPTER 19 + + +Much to the surprise of the Earth people, the Pinkies made no objection +whatever to undertaking the adventure. Their lives were so monotonous +and uninteresting that they welcomed anything in the way of excitement. +This march through the unknown Fog Bank to fight the unknown Blueskins +aroused them to enthusiasm, and although the result of the expedition +could not be foretold and some of them were almost certain to get hurt, +they did not hesitate to undertake the war. + +It appeared that Coralie was Captain of the Sunset Tribe and a man +named Tintint the Captain of the Sunrise Tribe. Tintint had a very pink +skin and eyes so faded in their pink color that he squinted badly in +order to see anything around him. He was a fat and pompous little +fellow and loved to strut up and down his line of warriors twirling his +long, pointed stick so that all might admire him. + +By Rosalie's advice the Army of Conquest consisted of one hundred +Sunsets and one hundred Sunrises. Many more were eager to go, but the +Witch thought that would be enough. The warriors consisted of both men +and women, equally divided, and there was no need to provide uniforms +for them because their regular pink clothing was a distinctive uniform +in itself. Each one bore a long, pointed stick as the main weapon and +had two short, pointed sticks stuck in his belt. + +While the army was getting ready, Rosalie the Witch went to the central +edge of the Fog Bank and fearlessly entered it. There she called for +the King of the Giant Frogs, who came at her bidding, and the two held +an earnest and long talk together. Meantime, Cap'n Bill had the army +assembled in the Court of the Statues, where Queen Mayre appeared and +told the Pinkies that the sailorman was to be Commander in Chief of the +Expedition and all must obey his commands. Then Cap'n Bill addressed +the army and told them what the Fog Bank was like. He advised them all +to wear their raincoats over their pretty pink clothes so they would +not get wet, and he assured them that all the creatures to be met with +in the Fog were perfectly harmless. + +"When we come to the Blue Country, though," he added, "you're liable to +be pretty busy. The Blueskins are tall an' lanky, an' ugly an' fierce, +an' if they happen to capture you, you'll all be patched, which is a +deep disgrace an' a uncomfortable mix-up." + +"Will they throw us over the edge?" asked Captain Tintint. + +"I don't think so," replied Cap'n Bill. "While I was there I never +heard the edge mentioned. They're cruel enough to do that--'specially +the Boolooroo--but I guess they've never thought o' throwin' folks over +the edge. They fight with long cords that have weights on the ends, +which coil 'round you an' make you helpless in a jiffy; so whenever +they throw them cords you mus' ward 'em off with your long sticks. +Don't let 'em wind around your bodies, or you're done for." + +He told them other things about the Blueskins, so they would not be +frightened when they faced the enemy and found them so different in +appearance from themselves, and also he assured them that the Pinkies +were so much the braver and better armed that he had no doubt they +would easily conquer. + +On the third day, just at sunrise, the army moved forward to the Fog +Bank, headed by Cap'n Bill, clad in an embroidered pink coat with wide, +flowing pink trousers, and accompanied by Trot and Button-Bright and +Rosalie the Witch, all bundled up in their pink raincoats. The parrot +was there, too, as the bird refused to be left behind. + +They had not advanced far into the deep fog when they were halted by a +queer barrier consisting of a long line of gigantic frogs, crouching so +close together that no Pinkie could squeeze between them. As the heads +of the frogs were turned the other way, toward the Blue Country, the +army could not at first imagine what the barrier was. But Rosalie said +to them, "Our friends the frogs have agreed to help us through the Fog +Bank. Climb upon their backs, as many on each frog as are able to hold +on, and then we shall make the journey more quickly." Obeying this +injunction, the Pinkies began climbing upon the frogs, and by crowding +close together, all were able to find places. On the back of the King +Frog rode Trot and her parrot, besides Rosalie, Button-Bright, Cap'n +Bill and the captains of the two companies of the army. + +When all were seated, clinging to one another so they would not slide +off, Cap'n Bill gave the word of command and away leaped the frogs, all +together. They bounded a long distance at this jump--some farther than +others--and as soon as they landed they jumped again, without giving +their passengers a chance to get their breaths. It was a bewildering +and exciting ride, but a dozen of the huge jumps accomplished the +journey, and at the edge of the Fog Bank each frog stopped so suddenly +that the Pinkies went flying over their heads to tumble into the blue +fields of the Blue Country, where they rolled in a confused mass until +they could recover and scramble to their feet. No one was hurt, +however, and the King Frog had been wise enough to treat his passengers +more gently by slowing down at the edge and allowing his riders to slip +to the ground very comfortably. + +Cap'n Bill at once formed his army into line of battle and had them all +remove the cumbersome raincoats, which they piled in a heap at the edge +of the Fog Bank. It was a splendid array of warriors, and from where +they stood they could discover several Blueskins rushing in a panic +toward the Blue City as fast as their long, blue legs could carry them. + +"Well, they know we're here, anyhow," said Cap'n Bill, "and instead of +waitin' to see what'll they do, I guess we'll jus' march on the City +an' ask 'em to please surrender." + + + + +GHIP-GHISIZZLE HAS A BAD TIME + +CHAPTER 20 + + +The Boolooroo was quite busy at the time the Pinkies invaded his +country. He had discovered the loss of the Book of Records, and after +being frightened 'most to death at the prospect of his fraud on the +people's being made public, he decided to act boldly and hold his +position as Boolooroo at any cost. + +Since Ghip-Ghisizzle was to be the next Boolooroo, the king suspected +him first of all, so he had the Majordomo bound with cords and brought +before him, when he accused him of stealing the Book of Records. Of +course, Ghip-Ghisizzle denied taking the Book, but he became almost as +nervous at its loss as had the Boolooroo. He secretly believed that +Button-Bright had taken the Book from the Treasure Chamber, and if this +were true it might prove as great a misfortune as if the king had kept +it locked up. For Button-Bright had escaped into the Fog Bank, and +Ghip-Ghisizzle was afraid the boy would never again be seen in the Blue +Country. + +He did not tell the Boolooroo of this suspicion, because in that case +the king would realize he was secure and that his deception could never +be proved against him. The Majordomo simply denied taking the Record +Book, and the Boolooroo did not believe he spoke truly. To prevent his +rival from ever becoming the Ruler of the Blue Country, the Boolooroo +determined to have him patched, but for some time he could find no +other Blueskin to patch him with. No one had disobeyed a command or +done anything wrong, so the king was in a quandary until he discovered +that a servant named Tiggle had mixed the royal nectar for Cap'n Bill, +who had been ordered to do it at the time of his capture. This was +sufficient excuse for the Boolooroo, who at once had Tiggle made a +prisoner and brought before him. + +This servant was not so long-legged as Ghip-Ghisizzle, and his head was +thicker and his nose flatter. But that pleased the Boolooroo all the +more. He realized that when the great knife had sliced the prisoners in +two and their halves were patched together, they would present a +ridiculous sight and all the Blueskins would laugh at them and avoid +them. So on the very morning that the Pinkies arrived, the Boolooroo +had ordered his two prisoners brought into the room of the palace where +the Great Knife stood, and his soldiers were getting ready to perform +the operation of patching Ghip-Ghisizzle with Tingle when a messenger +came running to say that a great army of the Pinkies had broken through +the Fog Bank. + +"Never mind," said the Boolooroo, "I'll attend to them in a minute. I'm +busy now." + +"They are marching on the City," said the frightened messenger. "If you +delay, Most High and Mighty One, we shall all be captured. You'd better +save your City first and do your patching afterward." + +"What!" roared the Boolooroo. "Dare you dictate to me?" But he was +impressed by the man's logic. After locking the prisoners, who were +still bound, in the Room of the Great Knife, the Ruler hurried away to +assemble his soldiers. By this time the Pinkies had advanced halfway to +the walls of the City, so the first thing the Boolooroo did was to +order all the gates closed and locked, and then he placed a line of +soldiers on the wall to prevent any of the Pinkies from climbing over. +Therefore, when Cap'n Bill's army reached the wall, he was obliged to +halt his ranks until he could find a way to enter the City. + +Now when the Boolooroo looked through the blue-steel bars of the main +gate and saw the enemy armed with sharp-pointed sticks, he began to +tremble; and when he thought how painful it would be to have his body +and arms and legs prodded and pricked by such weapons, he groaned aloud +and was very miserable. But the thought occurred to him that if he +could avoid being caught by the Pinkies, they would be unable to harm +him. So he went among his people and reminded them how horrible it +would feel to be punched full of holes by the invaders and urged them +to fight desperately and drive the Pinkies back into the Fog Bank. + +Only a few of the Blueskins were soldiers, and these all belonged to +the King's bodyguard, but the citizens realized that they must indeed +fight bravely to save themselves from getting hurt, so they promised +the Boolooroo to do all they could. They armed themselves with long +cords having weights fastened to the ends and practiced throwing these +weights in such a manner that the cords would wind around their +enemies. Also, they assembled in the streets in small groups and told +each other in frightened whispers that all their trouble was due to the +Boolooroo's cruel treatment of the Earth people. If he had received +them as friends instead of making them slaves, they would never have +escaped to the Pinkies and brought an army into the Blue Country that +they might be revenged. The Blueskins had not liked their Boolooroo +before this, and now they began to hate him, forgetting they had also +treated the strangers in a very disagreeable manner. + +Meantime, the Six Snubnosed Princesses had seen from their rooms in a +tower of the palace the army of the Pinkies marching upon them, and the +sight had served to excite them greatly. They had been quarreling +bitterly among themselves all morning, and strangely enough this +quarrel was all about which of them should marry Ghip-Ghisizzle. They +knew that some day the Majordomo would become Boolooroo, and each one +of the six had determined to marry him so as to be Queen and thus force +her sisters to obey her commands. They paid no attention to the fact +that Ghip-Ghisizzle did not want to marry any of them, for they had +determined that when it was agreed who should have him, they would ask +their father to force the man to marry. + +While they quarreled in one room of the palace, Ghip-Ghisizzle was in +danger of being patched in another room; but the Six Snubnosed +Princesses did not know that. The arrival of the Pinkies gave them +something new to talk about, so they hurried downstairs and along the +corridors so as to gain the courtyard and take part in the exciting +scenes. But as they passed the closed doors of the Room of the Great +Knife, they heard a low moan and stopped to listen. The moan was +repeated, and being curious, they unlocked the door--the key having +been left on the outside--and entered the room. + +At once, the Pinkies were forgotten, for there upon the floor, tightly +bound, lay Ghip-Ghisizzle, and beside him poor Tiggle, who had uttered +the moans. + +The six Princesses sat down in a circle facing the captives, and +Cerulia said, "Ghip, my dear, we will release you on one condition: +That you choose a wife from among us and promise to marry the one +selected as soon as the Pinkies are driven back into the Fog Bank." + +Ghip-Ghisizzle managed to shake his head. Then he said, "Really, +ladies, you must excuse me. I'd rather be patched than mismatched, as I +would be with a lovely, snub-nosed wife. You are too beautiful for me; +go seek your husbands elsewhere." + +"Monster!" cried Indigo. "If you choose me, I'll scratch your eyes out!" + +"If you choose me," said Cobalt in a rage, "I'll tear out your hair by +the roots!" + +"If I am to be your wife," screamed Azure, "I'll mark your obstinate +face with my fingernails!" + +"And I," said Turquoise passionately, "will pound your head with a +broomstick!" + +"I'll shake him till his teeth rattle!" shrieked Sapphire. + +"The best way to manage a husband," observed Cerulia angrily, "is to +pull his nose." + +"Ladies," said Ghip-Ghisizzle when he had a chance to speak, "do not +anticipate these pleasures, I beg of you, for I shall choose none among +you for a wife." + +"We'll see about that," said Indigo. + +"I think you will soon change your mind," added Azure. + +"I'm going to be patched to Tingle, here, as soon as the Boolooroo +returns," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and it's against the law for a patched +man to marry anyone. It's regarded as half-bigamy." + +"Dear me!" cried Cerulia. "If he's patched, he never can be Boolooroo." + +"Then he musn't be patched," declared Sapphire. "We must save him from +that fate, girls, and force him to decide among us. Otherwise, none of +us can ever be the Queen." + +This being evident, they proceeded to unbind the long legs of +Ghip-Ghisizzle, leaving his body and arms, however, tied fast together. +Then between them they got him upon his feet and led him away, paying +no attention to poor Tiggle, who whined to be released so he could +fight in the war. After a hurried consultation, the Six Snubnosed +Princesses decided to hide the Majordomo in one of their boudoirs, so +they dragged him up the stairs to their reception room and fell to +quarreling as to whose boudoir should be occupied by their captive. Not +being able to settle the question, they finally locked him up in a +vacant room across the hall and told him he must stay there until he +had decided to marry one of the Princesses and could make a choice +among them. + + + + +THE CAPTURE OF CAP'N BILL + +CHAPTER 21 + + +While this was transpiring in the palace, Cap'n Bill and the Pinkies +had encamped before the principal gate of the City and a tent had been +pitched for Trot and Button-Bright and Rosalie. The army had been very +fearful and weak-kneed when it first entered the Blue Country, but +perceiving that the Boolooroo and his people were afraid of them and +had locked themselves up in the City, the Pinkies grew bolder and +longed to make an attack. + +One of them, in his curiosity to examine the Blue City, got a little +too near the wall, and a blue soldier threw his cord-and-weight at him. +The cord didn't wind around the Pinkie, as he was too far off, but the +weight hit him in the eye and made him howl lustily as he trotted back +to this comrades at full speed. After this experience, the invaders +were careful to keep a safe distance from the wall. + +The Boolooroo, having made all preparations to receive the enemy, was +annoyed because they held back. He was himself so nervous and excited +that he became desperate, and after an hour of tedious waiting, during +which time he pranced around impatiently, he decided to attack the +hated Pinkies and rid the country of them. + +"Their dreadful color makes me hysterical," he said to his soldiers, +"so if I am to have any peace of mind, we must charge the foe and drive +them back into the Fog Bank. But take all the prisoners you can, my +brave men, and tomorrow we will have a jolly time patching them. Don't +be afraid; those pink creatures have no blue blood in their veins, and +they'll run like rabbits when they see us coming." + +Then he ordered the gate thrown open, and immediately the Blueskins +poured out into the open plain and began to run toward the Pinkies. The +Boolooroo went out, too, but he kept well behind his people, +remembering the sharp sticks with which the enemy were armed. + +Cap'n Bill was alert and had told his army what to do in case of an +attack. The Pinkies did not run like rabbits, but formed a solid line +and knelt down with their long, sharp sticks pointed directly toward +the Blueskins, the other ends being set firmly upon the ground. Of +course, the Blueskins couldn't run against these sharp points, so they +halted a few feet away and began swinging their cord-and-weights. But +the Pinkies were too close together to be caught in this manner, and +now by command of Cap'n Bill they suddenly rose to their feet and began +jabbing their sticks at the foe. The Blueskins hesitated until a few +got pricked and began to yell with terror, when the whole of the +Boolooroo's attacking party turned around and ran back to the gate, +their Ruler reaching it first of all. The Pinkies tried to chase them, +but their round, fat legs were no match for the long, thin legs of the +Blueskins, who quickly gained the gate and shut themselves up in the +City again. + +"It is evident," panted the Boolooroo, facing his defeated soldiers +wrathfully, "that you are a pack of cowards!" + +"But we followed your own royal example in running," replied the +Captain. + +"I merely ran back to the City to get a drink of water, for I was +thirsty," declared the Boolooroo. + +"So did we! So did we!" cried the soldiers eagerly. "We were all +thirsty." + +"Your High and Mighty Spry and Flighty Majesty," remarked the Captain +respectfully, "it occurs to me that the weapons of the Pinkies are +superior to our own. What we need in order to oppose them successfully +is a number of sharp sticks which are longer than their own." + +"True, true!" exclaimed the Boolooroo enthusiastically. "Get to work at +once and make yourselves long, sharp sticks, and then we will attack +the enemy again." + +So the soldiers and citizens all set to work preparing long, sharp +sticks, and while they were doing this, Rosalie the Witch had a vision +in which she saw exactly what was going on inside the City wall. Queen +Trot and Cap'n Bill and Button-Bright saw the vision, too, for they +were all in the tent together, and the sight made them anxious. + +"What can be done?" asked the girl. "The Blueskins are bigger and +stronger than the Pinkies, and if they have sharp sticks which are +longer than ours, they will surely defeat us." + +"I have one magic charm," said Rosalie thoughtfully, "that will save +our army; but I am allowed to work only one magic charm every three +days--not oftener--and perhaps I'll need the magic for other things." + +"Strikes me, ma'am," returned the sailor, "that what we need most on +this expedition is to capture the Blueskins. If we don't, we'll need +plenty of magic to help us back to the Pink Country; but if we do, we +can take care of ourselves without magic." + +"Very well," replied Rosalie. "I will take your advice, Cap'n, and +enchant the weapons of the Pinkies." She then went out and had all the +Pinkies come before her, one by one, and she enchanted their sharp +sticks by muttering some cabalistic words and making queer passes with +her hands over the weapons. "Now," she said to them, "you will be +powerful enough to defeat the Blueskins whatever they may do." The +Pinkies were overjoyed at this promise, and it made them very brave +indeed, since they now believed they would surely be victorious. + +When the Boolooroo's people were armed with long, thin, lances of +bluewood all sharpened to fine points at one end, they prepared to +march once more against the invaders. Their sticks were twice as long +as those of the Pinkies, and the Boolooroo chuckled with glee to think +what fun they would have in punching holes in the round, fat bodies of +his enemies. + +Out from the gate they marched very boldly and pressed on to attack the +Pinkies, who were drawn up in line of battle to receive them, with +Cap'n Bill at their head. When the opposing forces came together, +however, and the Blueskins pushed their points against the Pinkies, the +weapons which had been enchanted by Rosalie began to whirl in swift +circles--so swift that the eye could scarcely follow the motion. The +result was that the lances of the Boolooroo's people could not touch +the Pinkies, but were thrust aside with violence and either broken in +two or sent hurling through the air in all directions. Finding +themselves so suddenly disarmed, the amazed Blueskins turned about and +ran again, while Cap'n Bill, greatly excited by his victory, shouted to +his followers to pursue the enemy, and hobbled after them as fast as he +could make his wooden leg go, swinging his sharp stick as he advanced. + +The Blues were in such a frightened, confused mass that they got in one +another's way and could not make very good progress on the retreat, so +the old sailor soon caught up with them and began jabbing at the crowd +with his stick. Unfortunately, the Pinkies had not followed their +commander, being for the moment dazed by their success, so that Cap'n +Bill was all alone among the Blueskins when he stepped his wooden leg +into a hole in the ground and tumbled full length, his sharp stick +flying from his hand and pricking the Boolooroo in the leg as it fell. + +At this, the Ruler of the Blues stopped short in his flight to yell +with terror, but seeing that only the sailorman was pursuing them and +that this solitary foe had tumbled flat upon the ground, he issued a +command and several of his people fell upon poor Cap'n Bill, seized him +in their long arms, and carried him struggling into the City, where he +was fast bound. + +Then a panic fell upon the Pinkies at the loss of their leader, and +Trot and Button-Bright called out in vain for them to rescue Cap'n +Bill. By the time the army recovered their wits and prepared to obey, +it was too late. And although Trot ran with them in her eagerness to +save her friend, the gate was found to be fast barred, and she knew it +was impossible for them to force an entrance into the City. + +So she went sorrowfully back to the camp, followed by the Pinkies, and +asked Rosalie what could be done. + +"I'm sure I do not know," replied the Witch. "I cannot use another +magic charm until three days have expired, but if they do not harm +Cap'n Bill during that time, I believe I can then find a way to save +him." + +"Three days is a long time," remarked Trot dismally. + +"The Boolooroo may decide to patch him at once," added Button-Bright +with equal sadness, for he, too, mourned the sailor's loss. + +"It can't be helped," replied Rosalie. "I am not a fairy, my dears, but +merely a witch, and so my magic powers are limited. We can only hope +that the Boolooroo won't patch Cap'n Bill for three days." + +When night settled down upon the camp of the Pinkies, where many tents +had now been pitched, all the invaders were filled with gloom. The band +tried to enliven them by playing the "Dead March," but it was not a +success. The Pinkies were despondent in spite of the fact that they had +repulsed the attack of the Blues, for as yet they had not succeeded in +gaining the City or finding the Magic Umbrella, and the blue dusk of +this dread country--which was so different from their own land of +sunsets--made them all very nervous. They saw the moon rise for the +first time in their lives, and its cold, silvery radiance made them +shudder and prevented them from going to sleep. Trot tried to interest +them by telling them that on the Earth the people had both the sun and +the moon and loved them both; but nevertheless it is certain that had +not the terrible Fog Bank stood between them and the Pink Land, most of +the invading army would have promptly deserted and gone back home. + +Trot couldn't sleep, either, she was so worried over Cap'n Bill. She +went back to the tent where Rosalie and Button-Bright were sitting in +the moonlight and asked the Witch if there was no way in which she +could secretly get into the City of the Blues and search for her +friend. Rosalie thought it over for some time and then replied: + +"We can make a rope ladder that will enable you to climb to the top of +the wall and descend into the City. But if anyone should see you, you +would be captured." + +"I'll risk that," said the child, excited at the prospect of gaining +the side of Cap'n Bill in this adventurous way. "Please make the rope +ladder at once, Rosalie!" + +So the Witch took some ropes and knotted together a ladder long enough +to reach the top of the wall. When it was finished, the three--Rosalie, +Trot and Button-Bright--stole out into the moonlight and crept +unobserved into the shadow of the wall. The Blueskins were not keeping +a very close watch, as they were confident the Pinkies could not get +into the City. + +The hardest part of Rosalie's task was to toss up one end of the rope +ladder until it would catch on some projection on top of the wall. +There were few such projections, but after creeping along the wall for +a distance, they saw the end of a broken flagstaff near the top edge. +The Witch tossed up the ladder, trying to catch it upon this point, and +on the seventh attempt she succeeded. + +"Good!" cried Trot. "Now I can climb up." + +"Don't you want me to go with you?" asked Button-Bright a little +wistfully. + +"No," said the girl. "You must stay to lead the army. And if you can +think of a way, you must try to rescue us. Perhaps I'll be able to save +Cap'n Bill by myself; but if I don't, it's all up to you, +Button-Bright." + +"I'll do my best," he promised. + +"And here, keep my polly till I come back," added Trot, giving him the +bird. "I can't take it with me, for it would be a bother, an' if it +tried to spout po'try, I'd be discovered in a jiffy." + +As the beautiful Witch kissed the little girl goodbye, she slipped upon +her finger a curious ring. At once, Button-Bright exclaimed, "Why, +where has she gone?" + +"I'm right here," said Trot's voice by his side. "Can't you see me?" + +"No," replied the boy, mystified. + +Rosalie laughed. "It's a magic ring I've loaned you, my dear," said +she, "and as long as you wear it, you will be invisible to all eyes, +those of Blueskins and Pinkies alike. I'm going to let you wear this +wonderful ring, for it will save you from being discovered by your +enemies. If at any time you wish to be seen, take the ring from your +finger; but as long as you wear it, no one can see you, not even Earth +people." + +"Oh, thank you!" cried Trot. "That will be fine." + +"I see you have another ring on your hand," said Rosalie, "and I +perceive it is enchanted in some way. Where did you get it?" + +"The Queen of the Mermaids gave it to me," answered Trot. "But Sky +Island is so far away from the sea that the ring won't do me any good +while I'm here. It's only to call the mermaids to me if I need them, +and they can't swim in the sky, you see." + +Rosalie smiled and kissed her again. "Be brave, my dear," she said, +"and I am sure you will be able to find Cap'n Bill without getting in +danger yourself. But be careful not to let any Blueskin touch you, for +while you are in contact with any person you will become visible. Keep +out of their way, and you will be perfectly safe. Don't lose the ring, +for you must give it back to me when you return. It is one of my +witchcraft treasures, and I need it in my business." + +The Trot climbed the ladder, although neither Button-Bright nor Rosalie +could see her do so, and when she was on top the broad wall she pulled +up the knotted ropes and began to search for a place to let it down on +the other side. A little way off she found a bluestone seat near to the +inner edge, and attaching the ladder to this, she easily descended it +and found herself in the Blue City. A guard was pacing up and down near +her, but as he could not see the girl, he of course paid no attention +to her. So after marking the place where the ladder hung that she might +know how to reach it again, Trot hurried away through the streets of +the city. + + + + +TROT'S INVISIBLE ADVENTURE + +CHAPTER 22 + + +All the Blueskins except a few soldiers had gone to bed and were sound +asleep. A blue gloom hung over the city, which was scarcely relieved by +a few bluish, wavering lights here and there, but Trot knew the general +direction in which the palace lay, and she decided to go there first. +She believed the Boolooroo would surely keep so important a prisoner as +Cap'n Bill locked up in his own palace. + +Once or twice the little girl lost her way, for the streets were very +puzzling to one not accustomed to them, but finally she sighted the +great palace and went up to the entrance. There she found a double +guard posted. They were sitting on a bench outside the doorway, and +both stood up as she approached. + +"We thought we heard footsteps," said one. + +"So did we," replied the other, "yet there is no one in sight." + +Trot then saw that the guards were the two patched men, Jimfred +Jonesjinks and Fredjim Jinksjones, who had been talking together quite +cheerfully. It was the first time the girl had seen them together, and +she marveled at the queer patching that had been so strongly united +here, yet so thoroughly separated them. + +"You see," remarked Jimfred as they seated themselves again upon the +bench, "The Boolooroo has ordered the patching to take place tomorrow +morning after breakfast. The old Earth man is to be patched to poor +Tiggle instead of Ghip-Ghisizzle, who has in some way managed to escape +from the Room of the Great Knife--no one knows how but Tiggle, and +Tiggle won't tell." + +"We're sorry for anyone who has to be patched," replied Fredjim in a +reflective tone, "for although it didn't hurt us as much as we +expected, it's a terrible mix-up to be in until we become used to our +strange combination. You and we are about alike, now, Jimfred, although +we were so different before." + +"Not so," said Jimfred. "We are really more intelligent than you are, +for the left side of our brain was always the keenest before we were +patched." + +"That may be," admitted Fredjim, "but we are much the strongest, +because our right arm was by far the best before we were patched." + +"We are not sure of that," responded Jimfred, "for we have a right arm, +too, and it is pretty strong." + +"We will test it," suggested the other, "by all pulling upon one end of +this bench with our right arms. Whichever can pull the bench from the +others must be the strongest." + +While they were tussling at the bench, dragging it first here and then +there in the trial of strength, Trot opened the door of the palace and +walked in. It was pretty dark in the hall, and only a few dim blue +lights showed at intervals down the long corridors. As the girl walked +through these passages, she could hear snores of various degrees coming +from behind some of the closed doors and knew that all the regular +inmates of the place were sound asleep. So she mounted to the upper +floor, and thinking she would be likely to find Cap'n Bill in the Room +of the Great Knife, she went there and tried the door. It was locked, +but the key had been left on the outside. She waited until the sentry +who was pacing the corridor had his back toward her, and then she +turned the key and slipped within, softly closing the door behind her. + +It was pitch dark in the room, and Trot didn't know how to make a +light. After a moment's thought she began feeling her way to the +window, stumbling over objects as she went. Every time she made a +noise, someone groaned, and that made the child uneasy. At last she +found a window and managed to open the shutters and let the moonlight +in. It wasn't a very strong moonlight, but it enabled her to examine +the interior of the room. In the center stood the Great Knife, which +the Boolooroo used to split people in two when he patched them, and at +one side was a dark form huddled upon the floor and securely bound. + +Trot hastened to this form and knelt beside it, but was disappointed to +find it was only Tiggle. The man stirred a little and rolled against +Trot's knee, when she at once became visible to him. "Oh, it's the +Earth child," said he. "Are you condemned to be patched, too, little +one?" + +"No," answered Trot. "Tell me where Cap'n Bill is." + +"I can't," said Tiggle. "The Boolooroo has hidden him until tomorrow +morning, when he's to be patched to me. Ghip-Ghisizzle was to have been +my mate, but Ghip escaped, being carried away by the Six Snubnosed +Princesses." + +"Why?" she asked. + +"One of them means to marry him," explained Tiggle. + +"Oh, that's worse than being patched!" cried Trot. + +"Much worse," said Tiggle with a groan. + +But now an idea occurred to the girl. "Would you like to escape?" she +asked the captive. "If I get you out of the palace, can you hide +yourself so that you won't be found?" + +"Certainly!" he declared. "I know a house where I can hide so snugly +that all the Boolooroo's soldiers cannot find me." + +"All right," said Trot. "I'll do it, for when you're gone, the +Boolooroo will have no one to patch Cap'n Bill to." + +"He may find someone else," suggested the prisoner. + +"But it will take him time to do that, and time is all I want," +answered the child. Even while she spoke, Trot was busy with the knots +in the cords, and presently she had unbound Tiggle, who soon got upon +his feet. "Now I'll go to one end of the passage and make a noise," +said she, "and when the guard runs to see what it is, you must run the +other way. Outside the palace, Jimfred and Fredjim are on guard, but if +you tip over the bench they are seated on, you can easily escape them." + +"I'll do that, all right," promised the delighted Tiggle. "You've made +a friend of me, little girl, and if ever I can help you, I'll do it +with pleasure." + +Then Trot started for the door, and Tiggle could no longer see her +because she was not now touching him. The man was much surprised at her +disappearance, but listened carefully, and when he heard the girl make +a noise at one end of the corridor, he opened the door and ran in the +opposite direction as he had been told to do. + +Of course, the guard could not discover what made the noise, and Trot +ran little risk, as she was careful not to let him touch her. When +Tiggle had escaped, the little girl wandered through the palace in +search of Cap'n Bill, but soon decided such a quest in the dark was +likely to fail and she must wait until morning. She was tired, too, and +thought she would find a vacant room--of which there were many in the +big palace--and go to sleep until daylight. She remembered there was a +comfortable vacant room just opposite the suite of the Six Snubnosed +Princesses, so she stole softly up to it and tried the door. It was +locked, but the key was outside, as the Blueskins seldom took a door +key from its place. So she turned the key, opened the door, and walked +in. + +Now this was the chamber in which Ghip-Ghisizzle had been confined by +the Princesses, his arms being bound tight to his body, but his legs +left free. The Boolooroo in his search had failed to discover what had +become of Ghip Ghisizzle, but the poor man had been worried every +minute for fear his retreat would be discovered or that the terrible +Princesses would come for him and nag him until he went crazy. There +was one window in his room, and the prisoner had managed to push open +the sash with his knees. Looking out, he found that a few feet below +the window was the broad wall that ran all around the palace gardens. A +little way to the right the wall joined the wall of the City, being on +the same level with it. + +Ghip-Ghisizzle had been thinking deeply upon this discovery, and he +decided that if anyone entered his room, he would get through the +window, leap down upon the wall, and try in this way to escape. It +would be a dangerous leap, for as his arms were bound, he might topple +off the wall into the garden; but he resolved to take this chance. +Therefore, when Trot rattled at the door of his room, Ghip-Ghisizzle +ran and seated himself upon the window sill, dangling his long legs +over the edge. When she finally opened the door, he slipped off and let +himself fall to the wall, where he doubled up in a heap. The next +minute, however, he had scrambled to his knees and was running swiftly +along the garden wall. + +Trot, finding the window open, came and looked out, and she saw the +Majordomo's tall form hastening along the top of the wall. The guards +saw him, too, outlined against the sky in the moonlight, and they began +yelling at him to stop, but Ghip-Ghisizzle kept right on until he +reached the city Wall, when he began to follow that. More guards were +yelling now, running along the foot of the wall to keep the fugitive in +sight, and people began to pour out of the houses and join in the chase. + +Poor Ghip realized that if he kept on the wall, he would merely circle +the city and finally be caught. If he leaped down into the City, he +would be seized at once. Just then he came opposite the camp of the +Pinkies and decided to trust himself to the mercies of his Earth +friends rather than be made a prisoner by his own people, who would +obey the commands of their detested but greatly feared Boolooroo. So +suddenly he gave a mighty leap and came down into the field outside the +city. Again he fell in a heap and rolled over and over, for it was a +high wall and the jump a dangerous one; but finally he recovered and +got upon his feet, delighted to find he had broken none of his bones. + +Some of the Blueskins had by now opened a gate, and out rushed a crowd +to capture the fugitive; but Ghip-Ghisizzle made straight for the camp +of the Pinkies, and his pursuers did not dare follow him far in that +direction. They soon gave up the chase and returned to the City, while +the runaway Majordomo was captured by Captain Coralie and marched away +to the tent of Rosalie the Witch, a prisoner of the Pinkies. + + + + +THE GIRL AND THE BOOLOOROO + +CHAPTER 23 + + +Trot watched from the window the escape of Ghip-Ghisizzle but did not +know, of course, who it was. Then, after the City had quieted down +again, she lay upon the bed without undressing and was sound asleep in +a minute. + +The blue dawn was just breaking when she opened her eyes with a start +of fear that she might have overslept, but soon she found that no one +else in the palace was yet astir. Even the guards had gone to sleep by +this time and were adding their snores to the snores of the other +inhabitants of the Royal Palace. So the little girl got up and, finding +a ewer of water and a basin upon the dresser, washed herself carefully +and then looked in a big mirror to see how her hair was. To her +astonishment, there was no reflection at all; the mirror was blank so +far as Trot was concerned. She laughed a little at that, remembering +she wore the ring of Rosalie the Witch, which rendered her invisible. +Then she slipped quietly out of the room and found it was already light +enough in the corridors for her to see all objects distinctly. + +After hesitating a moment which way to turn, she decided to visit the +Snubnosed Princesses and passed through the big reception room to the +sleeping room of Indigo. There this Princess, the crossest and most +disagreeable of all the disagreeable six, was curled up in bed and +slumbering cozily. The little blue dog came trotting out of Indigo's +boudoir and crowed like a rooster, for although he could not see Trot, +his keen little nose scented her presence. Thinking it time the +Princess awoke, Trot leaned over and gave her snub nose a good tweak, +and at once Indigo sprang out of her bed and rushed into the chamber of +Cobalt, which adjoined her own. Thinking it was this sister who had +slyly attacked her, Indigo rushed at the sleeping Cobalt and slapped +her face. + +At once there was war. The other four Princesses, hearing the screams +and cries of rage, came running into Cobalt's room, and as fast as they +appeared, Trot threw pillows at them, so that presently all six were +indulging in a free-for-all battle and snarling like tigers. The blue +lamb came trotting into the room, and Trot leaned over and patted the +pretty little animal, but as she did so, she became visible for an +instant, each pat destroying the charm of the ring while the girl was +in contact with a living creature. These flashes permitted some of the +Princesses to see her, and at once they rushed toward her with furious +cries. But the girl realized what had happened, and leaving the lamb, +she stepped back into a corner and her frenzied enemies failed to find +her. It was a little dangerous, though, remaining in a room where six +girls were feeling all around for her, so she went away and left them +to their vain search while she renewed her hunt for Cap'n Bill. + +The sailorman did not seem to be in any of the rooms she entered, so +she decided to visit the Boolooroo's own apartments. In the room where +Rosalie's vision had shown them the Magic Umbrella lying under a +cabinet, Trot attempted to find it, for she considered that next to +rescuing Cap'n Bill this was the most important task to accomplish; but +the umbrella had been taken away and was no longer beneath the cabinet. +This was a severe disappointment to the child, but she reflected that +the umbrella was surely someplace in the Blue city, so there was no +need to despair. + +Finally, she entered the King's own sleeping chamber and found the +Boolooroo in bed and asleep, with a funny nightcap tied over his +egg-shaped head. As Trot looked at him, she was surprised to see that +he had one foot out of bed and that to his big toe was tied a cord that +led out of the bedchamber into a small dressing room beyond. Trot +slowly followed this cord and in the dressing room came upon Cap'n +Bill, who was lying asleep upon a lounge and snoring with great vigor. +His arms were tied to his body, and his body was tied fast to the +lounge. The wooden leg stuck out into the room at an angle, and the +shoe on his one foot had been removed so that the end of the cord could +be fastened to the sailor's big toe. + +This arrangement had been a clever thought of the Boolooroo. Fearing +his important prisoner might escape before he was patched as +Ghip-Ghisizzle had done, the cruel King of the Blues had kept Cap'n +Bill in his private apartments and had tied his own big toe to the +prisoner's big toe, so that if the sailor made any attempt to get away, +he would pull on the cord, and that would arouse the Boolooroo. + +Trot saw through this cunning scheme at once, so the first thing she +did was to untie the cord from Cap'n Bill's big toe and retie it to the +leg of the lounge. Then she unfastened her friend's hands and leaned +over to give his leathery face a smacking kiss. Cap'n Bill sat up and +rubbed his eyes. He looked around the room and rubbed his eyes again, +seeing no one who could have kissed him. Then he discovered that his +bonds had been removed, and he rubbed his eyes once more to make sure +he was not dreaming. The little girl laughed softly. + +"Trot!" exclaimed the sailor, recognizing her voice. + +Then Trot came up and took his hand, the touch at once rendering her +visible to him. "Dear me!" said the bewildered sailor. "However did you +get here, mate, in the Boolooroo's own den? Is the Blue City captured?" + +"Not yet," she replied, "but YOU are, Cap'n, and I've come to save you." + +"All alone, Trot?" + +"All alone, Cap'n Bill. But it's got to be done, jus' the same." And +then she explained about the magic ring Rosalie had lent her, which +rendered her invisible while she wore it--unless she touched some +living creature. Cap'n Bill was much interested. + +"I'm willing to be saved, mate," he said, "for the Boolooroo is set on +patchin' me right after breakfas', which I hope the cook'll be late +with." + +"Who are you to be patched to?" she asked. + +"A feller named Tiggle, who's in disgrace 'cause he mixed the royal +necktie for me." + +"That was nectar, not necktie," corrected Trot. "But you needn't be +'fraid of bein' patched with Tiggle, 'cause I've set him loose. By this +time he's in hiding, where he can't be found." + +"That's good," said Cap'n Bill, nodding approval, "but the blamed ol' +Boolooroo's sure to find someone else. What's to be done, mate?" + +Trot thought about it for a moment. Then she remembered how some +unknown man had escaped from the palace the night before by means of +the wall, which he had reached from the window of the very chamber in +which she had slept. Cap'n Bill might easily do the same. And the rope +ladder she had used would help the sailor down from the top of the +wall. "Could you climb down a rope ladder, Cap'n?" she asked. + +"Like enough," said he. "I've done it many a time on shipboard." + +"But you hadn't a wooden leg then," she reminded him. + +"The wooden leg won't bother much," he assured her. + +So Trot tied a small sofa cushion around the end of his wooden leg so +it wouldn't make any noise pounding upon the floor, and then she +quietly led the sailor through the room of the sleeping Boolooroo and +through several other rooms until they came to the passage. Here a +soldier was on guard, but he had fallen asleep for a moment in order to +rest himself. They passed the Blueskin without disturbing him and soon +reached the chamber opposite the suite of the Six Snubnosed Princesses, +whom they could hear still quarreling loudly among themselves. + +Trot locked the door from the inside so no one could disturb them, and +then led the sailor to the window. The garden was just below. + +"But good gracious me! It's a drop o' ten feet, Trot," he exclaimed. + +"And you've only one foot to drop, Cap'n," she said, laughing. +"Couldn't you let yourself down with one of the sheets from the bed?" + +"I'll try," he rejoined. "But can YOU do that circus act, Trot?" + +"Oh, I'm goin' to stay here an' find the Magic Umbrella," she replied. +"Bein' invis'ble, Cap'n, I'm safe enough. What I want to do is to see +you safe back with the Pinkies, an' then I'll manage to hold my own all +right, never fear." + +So they brought a blue sheet and tied one end to a post of the blue bed +and let the other end dangle out the blue window. "Goodbye, mate," said +Cap'n Bill, preparing to descend. "Don't get reckless." + +"I won't, Cap'n. Don't worry." + +Then he grasped the sheet with both hands and easily let himself down +to the wall. Trot had told him where to find the rope ladder she had +left and how to fasten it to the broken flagstaff so he could climb +down into the field outside the City. As soon as he was safe on the +wall, Cap'n Bill began to hobble along the broad top toward the +connecting wall that surrounded the entire City--just as Ghip-Ghisizzle +had done--and Trot anxiously watched him from the window. + +But the Blue City was now beginning to waken to life. One of the +soldiers came from a house, sleepily yawning and stretching himself, +and presently his eyes lit upon the huge form of Cap'n Bill hastening +along the top of the wall. The soldier gave a yell that aroused a score +of his comrades and brought them tumbling into the street. When they +saw how the Boolooroo's precious prisoner was escaping, they instantly +became alert and wide-awake, and every one started in pursuit along the +foot of the wall. + +Of course, the long-legged Blueskins could run faster than poor Cap'n +Bill. Some of them soon got ahead of the old sailorman and came to the +rope ladder which Trot had left dangling from the stone bench, where it +hung down inside the City. The Blue soldiers promptly mounted this +ladder and so gained the wall, heading off the fugitive. When Cap'n +Bill came up, panting and all out of breath, the Blueskins seized him +and held him fast. + +Cap'n Bill was terribly disappointed at being recaptured, and so was +Trot, who had eagerly followed his every movement from her window in +the palace. The little girl would have cried with vexation, and I think +she did weep a few tears before she recovered her courage; but Cap'n +Bill was a philosopher, in his way, and had learned to accept ill +fortune cheerfully. Knowing he was helpless, he made no protest when +they again bound him and carried him down the ladder like a bale of +goods. + +Others were also disappointed by his capture. Button-Bright had heard +the parrot squawking, "Oh, there's Cap'n Bill! There's Cap'n Bill! I +see him still, up on that hill! It's Cap'n Bill!" So the boy ran out of +his tent to find the sailor scurrying along the top of the wall as fast +as he could go. At once Button-Bright aroused Coralie, who got her +Pinkies together and quickly marched them toward the wall to assist in +the escape of her Commander in Chief. But they were too late. Before +they could reach the wall, the Blueskins had captured Trot's old friend +and lugged him down in to the City, so Coralie and Button-Bright were +forced to return to their camp discomfited. There Ghip-Ghisizzle and +Rosalie were awaiting them, and they all went into the Witch's tent and +held a council of war. + +"Tell me," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "did you not take the Royal Record Book +from the Treasure Chamber of the Boolooroo?" + +"I did," replied the boy. "I remember that you wanted it, and so I have +kept it with me ever since that night. Here it is." And he presented +the little blue book to the Majordomo, the only friend the adventurers +had found among all the Blueskins. + +Ghip-Ghisizzle took the book eagerly and at once began turning over its +leaves. "Ah!" he exclaimed presently. "It is just as I suspected. The +wicked Boolooroo had already reigned over the Blue Country three +hundred years last Thursday, so that now he has no right to rule at +all. I myself have been the rightful Ruler of the Blues since Thursday, +and yet this cruel and deceitful man has not only deprived me of my +right to succeed him, but he has tried to have me patched so that I +could never become the Boolooroo." + +"Does the book tell how old he is?" asked Button-Bright. + +"Yes. He is not five hundred years old, and has yet another hundred +years to live. He planned to rule the Blue Country until the last, but +I now know the deception he has practiced and have the Royal Record +Book to prove it. With this I shall be able to force him to resign that +I may take his place, for all the people will support me and abide by +the Law. The tyrant will perhaps fight me and my cause desperately, but +I am sure to win in the end." + +"If we can help you," said Button-Bright, "the whole Pink Army will +fight for you. Only, if you win, you must promise to give me back my +Magic Umbrella and let us fly away to our own homes again." + +"I will do that most willingly," agreed Ghip-Ghisizzle. "And now let us +consult together how best to take the Blue City and capture the +Boolooroo. As I know my own country much better than you or the Pinkies +do, I think I can find a way to accomplish our purpose." + + + + +THE AMAZING CONQUEST OF THE BLUES + +CHAPTER 24 + + +The shouting and excitement in the City following upon the recapture of +Cap'n Bill aroused the sleeping Boolooroo. He found the cord still tied +to his big toe and at first imagined his prisoner safe in the dressing +room. While he put on his clothes, the king occasionally gave the cord +a sudden pull, hoping to hurt Cap'n Bill's big toe and make him yell; +but as no response came to this mean action, the Boolooroo finally +looked into the room only to find he had been pulling on a leg of the +couch and that his prisoner had escaped. + +Then he flew into a mighty rage, and running out into the hall he aimed +a blow at the unfaithful guard, knocking the fellow off his feet. Then +he rushed downstairs into the courtyard, shouting loudly for his +soldiers and threatening to patch everybody in his dominions if the +sailorman was not recaptured. + +While the Boolooroo stormed and raged, a band of soldiers and citizens +came marching in, surrounding Cap'n Bill, who was again firmly bound. + +"So-ho!" roared the monarch. "You thought you could defy me, Earth +Clod, did you? But you were mistaken. No one can resist the Mighty +Boolooroo of the Blues, so it is folly for you to rebel against my +commands. Hold him fast, my men, and as soon as I've had my coffee and +oatmeal I'll take him to the Room of the Great Knife and patch him." + +"I wouldn't mind a cup o' coffee myself," said Cap'n Bill. "I've had +consid'ble exercise this mornin', and I'm all ready for breakfas'." + +"Very well," replied the Boolooroo, "you shall eat with me, for then I +can keep an eye on you. My guards are not to be trusted, and I don't +mean to let you out of my sight again until you are patched." + +So Cap'n Bill and the Boolooroo had breakfast together, six Blueskins +standing in a row back of the sailorman to grab him if he attempted to +escape. But Cap'n Bill made no such attempt, knowing it would be +useless. + +Trot was in the room, too, standing in a corner and listening to all +that was said while she racked her little brain for an idea that would +enable her to save Cap'n Bill from being patched. No one could see her, +so no one--not even Cap'n Bill--knew she was there. + +After breakfast was over, a procession was formed, headed by the +Boolooroo, and they marched the prisoner through the palace until they +came to the Room of the Great Knife. Invisible Trot followed soberly +after them, still wondering what she could do to save her friend. + +As soon as they entered the Room of the great Knife, the Boolooroo gave +a yell of disappointment. + +"What's become of Tiggle?" he shouted. "Where's Tiggle? Who has +released Tiggle? Go at once, you dummies, and find him, or it will go +hard with you!" + +The frightened soldiers hurried away to find Tiggle, and Trot was well +pleased because she knew Tiggle was by this time safely hidden. + +The Boolooroo stamped up and down the room, muttering threats and +declaring Cap'n Bill should be punished whether Tiggle was found or +not, and while they waited, Trot took time to make an inspection of the +place, which she now saw for the first time in broad daylight. + +The Room of the Great Knife was high and big, and around it ran rows of +benches for the spectators to sit upon. In one place at the head of the +room was a raised platform for the royal family, with elegant +throne-chairs for the King and Queen and six smaller but richly +upholstered chairs for the Snubnosed Princesses. The poor Queen, by the +way, was seldom seen, as she passed all her time playing solitaire with +a deck that was one card short, hoping that before she had lived her +entire six hundred years she would win the game. Therefore, her Majesty +paid no attention to anyone and no one paid any attention to her. + +In the center of the room stood the terrible knife that gave the place +its name, a name dreaded by every inhabitant of the Blue City. The +knife was built into a huge framework like a derrick, that reached to +the ceiling, and it was so arranged that when the Boolooroo pulled a +cord the great blade would drop down in its frame and neatly cut in two +the person who stood under it. And in order that the slicing would be +accurate, there was another frame to which the prisoner was tied so +that he couldn't wiggle either way. This frame was on rollers so that +it could be placed directly underneath the knife. + +While Trot was observing this dreadful machine, the door opened and in +walked the Six Snubnosed Princesses, all in a row and with their chins +up as if they disdained everyone but themselves. They were +magnificently dressed, and their blue hair was carefully arranged in +huge towers upon their heads, with blue plumes stuck into the tops. +These plumes waved gracefully in the air with every mincing step the +Princesses took. Rich jewels of blue stones glittered upon their +persons, and the royal ladies were fully as gorgeous as they were +haughty and overbearing. They marched to their chairs and seated +themselves to enjoy the cruel scene their father was about to enact, +and Cap'n Bill bowed to them politely and said: + +"Mornin', girls. Hope ye feel as well as ye look." + +"Papa," exclaimed Turquoise angrily, "can you not prevent this vile +Earth Being from addressing us? It is an insult to be spoken to by one +about to be patched." + +"Control yourselves, my dears," replied the Boolooroo. "The worst +punishment I know how to inflict on anyone this prisoner is about to +suffer. You'll see a very pretty patching, my royal daughters." + +"When?" inquired Cobalt. + +"When? As soon as the soldiers return with Tiggle," said he. + +But just then in came the soldiers to say that Tiggle could not be +found anywhere in the City; he had disappeared as mysteriously as had +Ghip-Ghisizzle. Immediately, the Boolooroo flew into another towering +rage. + +"Villains!" he shouted. "Go out and arrest the first living thing you +meet, and whoever it proves to be will be instantly patched to Cap'n +Bill." + +The Captain of the Guards hesitated to obey this order. "Suppose it's a +friend?" he suggested. + +"Friend!" roared the Boolooroo. "I haven't a friend in the country. +Tell me, sir, do you know of anyone who is my friend?" + +The Captain shook his head. "I can't think of anyone just now, your +Spry and Flighty High and Mighty Majesty," he answered. + +"Of course not," said the Boolooroo. "Everyone hates me, and I don't +object to that because I hate everybody. But I'm the Ruler here, and +I'll do as I please. Go and capture the first living creature you see +and bring him here to be patched to Cap'n Bill." + +So the Captain took a file of soldiers and went away very sorrowful, +for he did not know who would be the victim, and if the Boolooroo had +no friends, the Captain had plenty and did not wish to see them patched. + +Meanwhile, Trot, being invisible to all, was roaming around the room, +and behind a bench she found a small end of rope, which she picked up. +Then she seated herself in an out-of-the-way place and quietly waited. + +Suddenly there was a noise in the corridor and evidence of scuffling +and struggling. Then the door flew open and in came the soldiers +dragging a great blue billygoat, which was desperately striving to get +free. + +"Villains!" howled the Boolooroo. "What does this mean?" + +"Why, you said to fetch the first living creature we met, and that was +this billygoat," replied the Captain, panting hard as he held fast to +one of the goat's horns. + +The Boolooroo stared a moment, and then he fell back to his throne, +laughing boisterously. The idea of patching Cap'n Bill to a goat was +vastly amusing to him, and the more he thought of it the more he roared +with laughter. Some of the soldiers laughed, too, being tickled with +the absurd notion, and the Six Snubnosed Princesses all sat up straight +and permitted themselves to smile contemptuously. This would indeed be +a severe punishment, therefore the Princesses were pleased at the +thought of Cap'n Bill's becoming half a billygoat, and the billygoat's +being half Cap'n Bill. + +"They look something alike, you know," suggested the Captain of the +Guards, looking from one to the other doubtfully, "and they're nearly +the same size if you stand the goat on his hind legs. They've both got +the same style of whiskers, and they're both of 'em obstinate and +dangerous, so they ought to make a good patch." + +"Splendid! Fine! Glorious!" cried the Boolooroo, wiping the tears of +merriment from his eyes. "We will proceed with the Ceremony of Patching +at once." + +Cap'n Bill regarded the billygoat with distinct disfavor, and the +billygoat glared evilly upon Cap'n Bill. Trot was horrified, and wrung +her little hands in sore perplexity, for this was a most horrible fate +that awaited her dear friend. + +"First, bind the Earth Man in the frame," commanded the Boolooroo. +"We'll slice him in two before we do the same to the billygoat." + +So they seized Cap'n Bill and tied him into the frame so that he +couldn't move a jot in any direction. Then they rolled the frame +underneath the Great Knife and handed the Boolooroo the cord that +released the blade. But while this was going on, Trot had crept up and +fastened one end of her rope to the frame in which Cap'n Bill was +confined. Then she stood back and watched the Boolooroo, and just as he +pulled the cord, she pulled on her rope and dragged the frame on its +rollers away, so that the Great Knife fell with a crash and sliced +nothing but the air. + +"Huh!" exclaimed the Boolooroo. "That's queer. Roll him up again, +soldiers." + +The soldiers again rolled the frame in position, having first pulled +the Great Knife once more to the top of the derrick. The immense blade +was so heavy that it took the strength of seven Blueskins to raise it. +When all was in readiness, the King pulled the cord a second time, and +Trot at the same instant pulled upon her rope. The same thing happened +as before. Cap'n Bill rolled away in his frame, and the knife fell +harmlessly. + +Now, indeed, the Boolooroo was as angry as he was amazed. He jumped +down from the platform and commanded the soldiers to raise the Great +Knife into position. When this was accomplished, the Boolooroo leaned +over to try to discover why the frame rolled away--seemingly of its own +accord--and he was the more puzzled because it had never done such a +thing before. + +As he stood, bent nearly double, his back was toward the billygoat, +which in their interest and excitement the soldiers were holding in a +careless manner. Before any could stop him, he butted his Majesty so +furiously that the King soared far into the air and tumbled in a heap +among the benches, where he lay moaning and groaning. + +The goat's warlike spirit was roused by this successful attack. Finding +himself free, he turned and assaulted the soldiers, butting them so +fiercely that they tumbled down in bunches, and as soon as they could +rise again ran frantically from the room and along the corridors as if +a fiend was after them. By this time the goat was so animated by the +spirit of conquest that he rushed at the Six Snubnosed Princesses, who +had all climbed upon their chairs and were screaming in a panic of +fear. Six times the goat butted, and each time he tipped over a chair +and sent a haughty Princess groveling upon the floor, where the ladies +got mixed up in their long, blue trains and flounces and laces and +struggled wildly until they recovered their footing. Then they sped in +great haste for the door, and the goat gave a final butt that sent the +row of royal ladies all diving into the corridor in another tangle, +whereupon they shrieked in a manner that terrified everyone within +sound of their voices. + +As the Room of the Great Knife was now cleared of all but Cap'n Bill, +who was tied in his frame, and of Trot and the moaning Boolooroo, who +lay hidden behind the benches, the goat gave a victorious bleat and +stood in the doorway to face any enemy that might appear. Trot had been +as surprised as anyone at this sudden change of conditions, but she was +quick to take advantage of the opportunities it afforded. First she ran +with her rope to the goat, and as the animal could not see her, she +easily succeeded in tying the rope around its horns and fastening the +loose end to a pillar of the doorway. Next she hurried to Cap'n Bill +and began to unbind him, and as she touched the sailor she became +visible. He nodded cheerfully, then, and said, "I had a notion it was +you, mate, as saved me from the knife. But it were a pretty close call, +an' I hope it won't happen again. I couldn't shiver much, bein' bound +so tight, but when I'm loose I mean to have jus' one good shiver to +relieve my feelin's." + +"Shiver all you want to, Cap'n," she said as she removed the last +bonds. "But first you've got to help me save us both." + +"As how?" he asked, stepping from the frame. + +"Come and get the Boolooroo," she said, going toward the benches. The +sailor followed and pulled out the Boolooroo, who, when he saw the +terrible goat was captured and tied fast, quickly recovered his +courage. "Hi, there!" he cried. "Where are my soldiers? What do you +mean, prisoner, by daring to lay hands upon me? Let me go this minute +or I'll--I'll have you patched TWICE!" + +"Don't mind him, Cap'n," said Trot, "but fetch him along to the frame." +The Boolooroo looked around to see where the voice came from, and Cap'n +Bill grinned joyfully and caught up the king in both his strong arms, +dragging the struggling Monarch of the Blues to the frame. + +"Stop it! How dare you?" roared the frightened Boolooroo. "I'll have +revenge! I'll--I'll--" + +"You'll take it easy, 'cause you can't help yourself," said Cap'n Bill. +"What next, Queen Trot?" + +"Hold him steady in the frame, and I'll tie him up," she replied. So +Cap'n Bill held the Boolooroo, and the girl tied him fast in position +as Cap'n Bill had been tied, so that his Majesty couldn't wiggle at +all. Then they rolled the frame in position underneath the Great Knife +and Trot held in her hand the cord which would release it. + +"All right, Cap'n," she said in a satisfied tone. "I guess we can run +this Blue Country ourselves after this." The Boolooroo was terrified to +find himself in danger of being sliced by the same knife he had so +often wickedly employed to slice others. Like Cap'n Bill, he had no +room to shiver, but he groaned very dismally and was so full of fear +that his blue hair nearly stood on end. + + + + +THE RULER OF SKY ISLAND + +CHAPTER 25 + + +The girl now took off Rosalie's ring and put it carefully away in her +pocket. "It won't matter who sees me now," she remarked, "an' I want +'em to know that you an' me, Cap'n, are running this kingdom. I'm Queen +o' the Pinkies an' Booloorooess o' the Blues, an'--" + +"What's that?" asked the sailor. "You're--you're WHAT, Trot?" + +"Booloorooess. Isn't that right, Cap'n?" + +"I dunno, mate. It sounds bigger ner you are, an' I don't like the +word, anyhow. S'pose you jus' call yourself the Boss? That fills the +bill an' don't need pernouncin'." + +"All right," she said. "Queen o' the Pinkies an' Boss o' the Blues. +Seems funny, don't it, Cap'n Bill?" + +Just then they heard a sound of footsteps in the corridor. The soldiers +had recovered their courage, and fearful of the anger of their dreaded +Boolooroo, whom the Princesses declared would punish them severely, had +ventured to return to the room. They came rather haltingly, though, and +the Captain of the Guards first put his head cautiously through the +doorway to see if the coast was clear. The goat discovered him and +tried to make a rush, but the rope held the animal back, and when the +Captain saw this, he came forward more boldly. + +"Halt!" cried Trot. The Captain halted, his soldiers peering curiously +over his shoulders and the Six Snubnosed Princesses looking on from +behind, where they considered themselves safe. "If anyone dares enter +this room without my permission," said Trot, "I'll pull this cord and +slice your master that once was the Boolooroo." + +"Don't come in! Don't come in!" yelled the Boolooroo in a terrified +voice. + +Then they saw that the sailor was free and the Boolooroo bound in his +place. The soldiers were secretly glad to observe this, but the +Princesses were highly indignant. "Release his Majesty at once!" cried +Indigo from the corridor. "You shall be severely punished for this +rebellion." + +"Don't worry," replied Trot. "His Majesty isn't his Majesty any longer. +He's jus' a common Blueskin. Cap'n Bill and I perpose runnin' this +Island ourselves, after this. You've all got to obey ME, for I'm the +Booloorooess--no, I mean the Boss--o' the Blues, and I've a notion to +run things my own way." + +"You can't," said Turquoise scornfully. "The Law says--" + +"Bother the Law!" exclaimed Trot. "I'll make the Laws myself from now +on, and I'll unmake every Law you ever had before I conquered you." + +"Oh, have you conquered us, then?" asked the Captain of the Guards in a +surprised tone. + +"Of course," said Trot. "Can't you see?" + +"It looks like it," admitted the Captain. + +"Cap'n Bill is goin' to be my General o' the Army an' the Royal Manager +o' the Blue Country," continued Trot, "so you'll mind what he says." + +"Nonsense!" shouted Indigo. "March in and capture them, Captain! Never +mind if they do slice the Boolooroo. I'm his daughter, and I'LL rule +the kingdom." + +"You won't!" screamed Cobalt. "I'll rule it!" + +"I'll rule it myself!" cried Cerulia. + +"No, no!" yelled Turquoise. "I'll be the Ruler." + +"That shall be MY privilege!" shouted Sapphire. Cobalt began to say, +"I'm the--" + +"Be quiet!" said Trot sternly. "Would you have your own father sliced +so that you could rule in his place?" + +"Yes, yes, of course!" rejoined the six Princesses without a second's +hesitation. + +"Well, well! What d' ye think o' that, Mr. Boolooroo?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"They're undutiful daughters. Don't pay any attention to them," replied +the frightened Boolooroo. + +"We're not goin' to," said Trot. "Now, you Blue Cap'n, who are you and +your soldiers going to obey, me or the snubnosed ones?" + +"You!" declared the Captain of the Guards positively, for he hated the +Princesses, as did all the Blueskins. + +"Then escort those girls to their rooms, lock 'em in, an' put a guard +before the door." + +At once the soldiers seized the Princesses and notwithstanding their +snarls and struggles marched them to their rooms and locked them in. +While they were gone on this errand, the Boolooroo begged to be +released, whining and wailing for fear the knife would fall upon him. +But Trot did not think it safe to unbind him just then. When the +soldiers returned, she told their leader to put a strong guard before +the palace and to admit no one unless either she or Cap'n Bill gave the +order to do so. The soldiers obeyed readily, and when Trot and Cap'n +Bill were left alone, they turned the goat loose in the Room of the +Great Knife and then locked the animal in with the Boolooroo. + +"The billygoat is the very best guard we could have, for ever'body's +'fraid o' him," remarked Cap'n Bill as he put the key of the room in +his pocket. "So now, Queen Trot, what's next on the program?" + +"Next," said Trot, "we're goin' to hunt for that umbrel, Cap'n. I don't +mean to stay in this dismal Blue Country long, even if I am the Queen. +Let's find the umbrel and go home as soon as we can." + +"That suits me," the sailor joyfully exclaimed, and then the two began +a careful search through the palace. They went into every room and +looked behind the furniture and underneath the beds and in every crack +and corner, but no place could they spy the Magic Umbrella. Cap'n Bill +even ventured to enter the rooms of the Six Snubnosed Princesses, who +were by this time so thoroughly alarmed that they had become meek and +mild as could be. But the umbrella wasn't there, either. + +Finally, they returned to the great throne room of the palace, where +they seated themselves on the throne and tried to think what could +possibly have become of the precious umbrella. While they were sitting +and talking together, the Captain of the Guards entered and bowed +respectfully. "Beg pardon, your Small-Sized Majesty," said he to Trot, +"but it is my duty to report that the Pinkies are preparing to attack +the City." + +"Oh! I'd forgotten the Pinkies!" exclaimed the girl. "Tell me, Captain, +have you such a thing as a Brass Band in this City?" + +"We have two fine bands, but they are not brass," replied the Captain. +"Their instruments are made of blue metal." + +"Well, order 'em out," commanded Trot. "And say, get all the soldiers +together and tell all the people there's going to be a high time in the +Blue City tonight. We'll have music and dancing and eating and--" + +"An' neckties to drink, Trot. Don't forget the royal neckties," urged +Cap'n Bill. + +"We'll have all the fun there is going," continued the girl, "for we +are to entertain the Army of the Pinkies." + +"The Pinkies!" exclaimed the Captain of the Guards. "Why, they're our +enemies, your Short Highness." + +"Not any more," replied Trot. "I'm Queen of the Pinkies, an' I'm also +Queen of the Blues, so I won't have my people quarreling. Tell the Blue +people we are to throw open the gates and welcome the Pinkies to the +City, where everybody will join in a grand celebration. And jus' as +soon as you've spread the news an' got the bands tuned up and the +soldiers ready to march, you let us know, and we'll head the +procession." + +"Your Microscopic Majesty shall be obeyed," said the Captain, and went +away to carry out these commands. + + + + +TROT CELEBRATES THE VICTORY + +CHAPTER 26 + + +The Blue people were by this time dazed with wonder at all the events +that had transpired that eventful day, but they still had wit enough to +be glad the war was over, for in war someone is likely to get hurt, and +it is foolish to take such chances when one can remain quietly at home. +The Blues did not especially admire the Pinkies, but it was easier to +entertain them than to fight them, and above all, the Blueskins were +greatly rejoiced that their wicked Boolooroo had been conquered and +could no longer abuse them. So they were quite willing to obey the +orders of their girl Queen and in a short time the blasts of trumpets +and roll of drums and clashing of cymbals told Trot and Cap'n Bill that +the Blue Bands had assembled before the palace. + +So they went down and found that a great crowd of people had gathered, +and these cheered Trot with much enthusiasm--which was very different +from the scowls and surly looks with which they had formerly greeted +their strange visitors from the Earth. + +The soldiers wore their best blue uniforms and were formed before the +palace in marching order, so Trot and Cap'n Bill headed the procession, +and then came the soldiers--all keeping step--and then the bands, +playing very loud noises on their instruments, and finally the crowd of +Blue citizens waving flags and banners and shouting joyfully. In this +order they proceeded to the main gate, which Trot ordered the guards to +throw wide open. Then they all marched out a little way into the fields +and found that the Army of Pinkies had already formed and was advancing +steadily toward them. + +At the head of the Pinkies were Ghip-Ghisizzle and Button-Bright, who +had the parrot on his shoulder, and they were supported by Captain +Coralie and Captain Tintint and Rosalie the Witch. They had decided to +capture the Blue City at all hazards, that they might rescue Trot and +Cap'n Bill and conquer the Boolooroo, so when from a distance they saw +the Blueskins march from the gate with banners flying and bands +playing, they supposed a most terrible fight was about to take place. + +However, as the two forces came nearer together, Button-Bright spied +Trot and Cap'n Bill standing before the enemy, and the sight astonished +him considerably. + +"Welcome, friends!" shouted Cap'n Bill in a loud voice; and "Welcome!" +cried Trot; and "Welcome!" roared the Blue soldiers and the people of +the Blue City. + +"Hooray!" yelled the parrot, + + "Welcome to our happy home + From which no longer will we roam!" + +And then he flapped his wings and barked like a dog with pure delight, +and added as fast as his bird's tongue could speak, + + "One army's pink and one is blue, + But neither one is in a stew + Because the naughty Boolooroo + Is out of sight, so what we'll do + Is try to be a jolly crew + And dance and sing our too-ral-loo + And to our friends be ever true + And to our foes--" + +"Stop it!" said Button-Bright, "I can't hear myself think." + +The Pinkies were amazed at the strange reception of the Blues and +hesitated to advance, but Trot now ran up in front of them and made a +little speech. "Pinkies," said she, "your Queen has conquered the +Boolooroo and is now the Queen of the Blues. All of Sky Island except +the Fog Bank is now my kingdom, so I welcome my faithful Pinkies to my +Blue City, where you are to be royally entertained and have a good +time. The war is over an' ever'body must be sociable an' happy or I'll +know the reason why!" + +Now, indeed, the Pinkies raised a great shout of joy, and the Blues +responded with another joyful shout, and Rosalie kissed the little girl +and said she had performed wonders, and everybody shook hands with +Cap'n Bill and congratulated him upon his escape, and the parrot flew +to Trot's shoulder and screeched, + + "The Pinkies are pink, the Blues are blue, + But Trot's the Queen, so too-ral-loo!" + +When the Blueskins saw Ghip-Ghisizzle, they raised another great shout, +for he was the favorite of the soldiers and very popular with all the +people. But Ghip-Ghisizzle did not heed the shouting. He was looking +downcast and sad, and it was easy to see he was disappointed because he +had not conquered the Boolooroo himself. But the people called upon him +for a speech, so he faced the Blueskins and said, "I escaped from the +City because the Boolooroo tried to patch me as you all know, and the +Six Snubnosed Princesses tried to marry me, which would have been a far +greater misfortune. But I have recovered the Book of Royal Records, +which has long been hidden in the Treasure Chamber, and by reading it I +find that the Boolooroo is not your lawful Boolooroo at all, having +reigned more than his three hundred years. Since last Thursday, I, +Ghip-Ghisizzle, have been the lawful Boolooroo of the Blue Country, but +now that you are conquered by Queen Trot, I suppose I am conquered, +too, and you have no Boolooroo at all." + +"Hooray!" cried the parrot. + + "Here's a pretty howdy-do-- + You haven't any Boolooroo!" + +Trot had listened carefully to the Majordomo's speech. When he +finished, she said cheerfully, "Don't worry, Sizzle dear, it'll all +come right pretty soon. Now then, let's enter the City an' enjoy the +grand feast that's being cooked. I'm nearly starved, myself, for this +conquerin' kingdoms is hard work." + +So the Pinkies and the Blues marched side by side into the City, and +there was great rejoicing and music and dancing and feasting and games +and merrymaking that lasted for three full days. Trot carried Rosalie +and Captain Coralie and Ghip-Ghisizzle to the palace, and of course +Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were with her. They had the Royal chef +serve dinner at once, and they ate in great state, seated in the Royal +Banquet Hall, where they were waited on by a hundred servants. The +parrot perched upon the back of Queen Trot's chair, and the girl fed it +herself, being glad to have the jolly bird with her again. + +After they had eaten all they could and the servants had been sent +away, Trot related her adventures, telling how with the assistance of +the billygoat she had turned the tables on the wicked Boolooroo. Then +she gave Rosalie back her magic ring, thanking the kind Witch for all +she had done for them. "And now," said she, "I want to say to +Ghip-'Sizzle that jus' as soon as we can find Button-Bright's umbrel +we're going to fly home again. I'll always be Queen of Sky Island, but +the Pink and Blue Countries must each have a Ruler. I think I'll make +'Sizzle the Boolooroo of the Blues, but I want you to promise me, Ghip, +that you'll destroy the Great Knife and its frame and clean up the room +and turn it into a skating rink an' never patch anyone as long as you +rule the Blueskins." + +Ghip-Ghisizzle was overjoyed at the prospect of being Boolooroo of the +Blues, but he looked solemn at the promise Trot exacted. "I'm not +cruel," he said, "and I don't approve of patching in general, so I'll +willingly destroy the Great Knife. But before I do that, I want the +privilege of patching the Snubnosed Princesses to each other--mixing +the six as much as possible--and then I want to patch the former +Boolooroo to the billygoat, which is the same punishment he was going +to inflict upon Cap'n Bill." + +"No," said Trot positively. "There's been enough patching in this +country, and I won't have any more of it. The old Boolooroo and the six +stuck-up Princesses will be punished enough by being put out of the +palace. The people don't like 'em a bit, so they'll be outcasts and +wanderers, and that will make 'em sorry they were so wicked an' cruel +when they were powerful. Am I right, Cap'n Bill?" + +"You are, mate," replied the sailor. + +"Please, Queen Trot," begged Ghip-Ghisizzle, "let me patch just the +Boolooroo. It will be such a satisfaction." + +"I have said no, an' I mean it," answered the girl. "You let the poor +old Boolooroo alone. There's nothing that hurts so much as a come-down +in life, an' I 'spect the old rascal's goin' to be pretty miser'ble +by'm'by." + +"What does he say to his reversal of fortune?" asked Rosalie. + +"Why, I don't b'lieve he knows about it," said Trot. "Guess I'd better +send for him an' tell him what's happened." + +So the Captain of the Guards was given the key and told to fetch the +Boolooroo from the Room of the Great Knife. The guards had a terrible +struggle with the goat, which was loose in the room and still wanted to +fight, but finally they subdued the animal, and then they took the +Boolooroo out of the frame he was tied in and brought both him and the +goat before Queen Trot, who awaited them in the throne room of the +palace. When the courtiers and the people assembled saw the goat, they +gave a great cheer, for the beast had helped to dethrone their wicked +Ruler. + +"What's goin' to happen to this tough ol' warrior, Trot?" asked Cap'n +Bill. "It's my idee as he's braver than the whole Blue Army put +together." + +"You're right, Cap'n," she returned. "I'll have 'Sizzle make a fine +yard for the goat, where he'll have plenty of blue grass to eat. An' +I'll have a pretty fence put around it an' make all the people honor +an' respec' him jus' as long as he lives." + +"I'll gladly do that," promised the new Boolooroo, "and I'll feed the +honorable goat all the shavings and leather and tin cans he can eat, +besides the grass. He'll be the happiest goat in Sky Island, I assure +you." + +As they led the now-famous animal from the room, the Boolooroo +shuddered and said, "How dare you people give orders in my palace? I'm +the Boolooroo!" + +"'Scuse me," said Trot. "I neglected to tell you that you're not the +Boolooroo any more. We've got the Royal Record Book, an' it proves +you've already ruled this country longer than you had any right to. +'Sides all that, I'm the Queen o' Sky Island--which means Queen o' the +Pinkies an' Queen o' the Blues, both of 'em. So things are run as I +say, an' I've made Ghip-Ghisizzle Boolooroo in your place. He'll look +after this end of the Island hereafter, an' unless I'm much mistaken, +he'll do it a heap better than you did." + +The former Boolooroo groaned. "What's going to become of me, then?" he +asked. "Am I to be patched, or what?" + +"You won't be hurt," answered the girl, "but you'll have to find some +other place to stay besides this palace, an' perhaps you'll enjoy +workin' for a livin' by way of variety." + +"Can't I take any of the treasure with me?" he pleaded. + +"Not even a bird cage," said she. "Ever'thing in the palace now belongs +to Ghip-Ghisizzle." + +"Except the Six Snubnosed Princesses," exclaimed the new Boolooroo +earnestly. "Won't you please get rid of them, too, your Majesty? Can't +they be discharged?" + +"Of course," said Trot. "They must go with their dear father an' +mother. Isn't there some house in the City they can all live in, Ghip?" + +"Why, I own a little cabin at the end of the town," said +Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and I'll let them use that, as I won't need it any +longer. It isn't a very pretty cabin, and the furniture is cheap and +common, but I'm sure it is good enough for this wicked man and his +family." + +"I'll not be wicked any more," sighed the old Boolooroo. "I'll reform. +It's always best to reform when it is no longer safe to remain wicked. +As a private citizen, I shall be a model of deportment, because it +would be dangerous to be otherwise." + +Trot now sent for the Princesses, who had been weeping and wailing and +fighting among themselves ever since they learned that their father had +been conquered. When first they entered the throne room, they tried to +be as haughty and scornful as ever, but the Blues who were assembled +there all laughed at them and jeered them, for there was not a single +person in all the Blue Country who loved the Princesses the least +little bit. + +Trot told the girls that they must go with their father to live in +Ghip-Ghisizzle's little old cabin, and when they heard this dreadful +decree, the six snubnosed ones began to scream and have hysterics, and +between them they managed to make so much noise that no one could hear +anything else. So Ghip-Ghisizzle ordered the Captain to take a file of +soldiers and escort the raving beauties to their new home. + +This was done, the once-royal family departing from the palace with +shamed and downcast looks. Then the Room of the Great Knife was cleared +of its awful furniture. The frames were split into small pieces of +bluewood and the benches chopped into kindling and the immense sharp +knife broken into bits. All the rubbish was piled into the square +before the palace and a bonfire made of it, while the Blue people +clustered around and danced and sang with joy as the blue flames +devoured the dreadful instrument that had once caused them so much +unhappiness. + +That evening Trot gave a grand ball in her palace, to which the most +important of the Pinkies and the Blueskins were invited. The combined +bands of both the countries played the music, and a fine supper was +served. The Pinkies would not dance with the Blues, however, nor would +the Blues dance with the Pinkies. The two nations were so different in +all ways that they were unable to agree at all, and several times +during the evening quarrels arose and there was fighting between them, +which Trot promptly checked. + +"I think it would be best for us to go back to our own country as soon +as possible," suggested Rosalie the Witch, "for if we stay here very +long, the Blueskins may rise against us and cause the Pinkies much +trouble." + +"Jus' as soon as we find that umbrel," promised Trot, "we'll dive into +the Fog Bank an' make tracks for the Land of Sunrise an' Sunset." + + + + +THE FATE OF THE MAGIC UMBRELLA + +CHAPTER 27 + + +Next morning the search for the Magic Umbrella began in earnest. With +many to hunt for it and the liberty of the whole palace to aid them, +every inch of the great building was carefully examined. But no trace +of the umbrella could be found. Cap'n Bill and Button-Bright went down +to the cabin of the former Boolooroo and tried to find out what he had +done with the umbrella, but the old Boolooroo said, + +"I had it brought from the Treasure Chamber and tried to make it work, +but there was no magic about the thing. So I threw it away. I haven't +any idea what became of it." + +The six former Princesses were sitting upon a rude bench, looking quite +bedraggled and untidy. Said Indigo: + +"If you will make Ghip-Ghisizzle marry me, I'll find your old umbrella." + +"Where is it?" asked Button-Bright eagerly. + +"Make Ghip-Ghisizzle marry me, and I'll tell you," repeated Indigo. +"But I won't say another word about it until after I am married." + +So they went back to the palace and proposed to the new Boolooroo to +marry Indigo so they could get their Magic Umbrella. But Ghip-Ghisizzle +positively refused. + +"I'd like to help you," said he, "but nothing will ever induce me to +marry one of those snubnoses." + +"They're very pretty--for Blueskins," said Trot. + +"But when you marry a girl, you marry the inside as well as the +outside," declared Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and inside these Princesses there +are wicked hearts and evil thoughts. I'd rather be patched than marry +the best of them." + +"Which IS the best?" asked Button-Bright. + +"I don't know, I'm sure," was the reply. "Judging from their actions in +the past, there is no best." + +Rosalie the Witch now went to the cabin and put Indigo into a deep +sleep by means of a powerful charm. Then, while the Princess slept, the +Witch made her tell all she knew, which wasn't a great deal, to be +sure; but it was soon discovered that Indigo had been deceiving them +and knew nothing at all about the umbrella. She had hoped to marry +Ghip-Ghisizzle and become Queen, after which she could afford to laugh +at their reproaches. So the Witch woke her up and went back to the +palace to tell Trot of her failure. + +The girl and Button-bright and Cap'n Bill were all rather discouraged +by this time, for they had searched high and low and had not found a +trace of the all-important umbrella. That night none of them slept +much, for they all lay awake wondering how they could ever return to +the Earth and to their homes. + +In the morning of the third day after Trot's conquest of the Blues, the +little girl conceived another idea. She called all the servants of the +palace to her and questioned them closely. But not one could remember +having seen anything that looked like an umbrella. + +"Are all the servants of the old Boolooroo here?" inquired Cap'n Bill, +who was sorry to see Trot looking so sad and downcast. + +"All but one," was the reply. "Tiggle used to be a servant, but he +escaped and ran away." + +"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Trot. "Tiggle is in hiding somewhere. Perhaps he +doesn't know there's been a revolution and a new Boolooroo rules the +country. If he did, there's no need for him to hide any longer, for he +is now in no danger." + +She now dispatched messengers all through the City and the surrounding +country, who cried aloud for Tiggle, saying that the new Boolooroo +wanted him. Tiggle, hiding in the cellar of a deserted house in a back +street, at last heard these cries and joyfully came forth to confront +the messengers. Having heard of the old Boolooroo's downfall and +disgrace, the old man consented to go to the palace again, and as soon +as Trot saw him she asked about the umbrella. + +Tiggle thought hard for a minute and then said he remembered sweeping +the King's rooms and finding a queer thing--that might have been an +umbrella--lying beneath a cabinet. It had ropes and two wooden seats +and a wicker basket all attached to the handle. + +"That's it!" cried Button-Bright excitedly, and "That's it! That's it!" +cried both Trot and Cap'n Bill. + +"But what did you do with it?" asked Ghip-Ghisizzle. + +"I dragged it out and threw it on the rubbish heap in an alley back of +the palace," said Tiggle. At once they all rushed out to the alley and +began digging in the rubbish heap. By and by Cap'n Bill uncovered the +lunch basket, and pulling on this he soon drew up the two seats, and +finally the Magic Umbrella. + +"Hurrah!" shouted Button-Bright, grabbing the umbrella and hugging it +tight in his arms. + +"Hooray!" shrieked the parrot. + + "Cap'n Bill's a lucky fellah, + 'Cause he found the old umbrella!" + +Trot's face was wreathed in smiles. "This is jus' the best luck that +could have happened to us," she exclaimed, "'cause now we can go home +whenever we please." + +"Let's go now--this minute--before we lose the umbrella again," said +Button-Bright. + +But Trot shook her head. "Not yet," she replied. "We've got to +straighten out things in Sky Island first of all. A Queen has some +duties, you know, and as long as I'm Queen here, I've got to live up to +the part." + +"What has to be did, mate?" inquired Cap'n Bill. + +"Well, we've fixed the Blue Country pretty well by makin' 'Sizzle the +Boolooroo of it; but the Pinkies mus' be looked after, too, 'cause +they've stood by us an' helped us to win. We must take 'em home again +safe an' sound and get a new Queen to rule over 'em. When that's done, +we can go home any time we want to." + +"Quite right, Trot," said the sailor approvingly. "When do we march?" + +"Right away," she replied. "I've had enough of the Blue Country, +haven't you?" + +"We have, mate." + +"We've had plenty of it," observed Button-Bright. + +"And the Pinkies are anxious to get home," added Rosalie, who was +present. + +So Cap'n Bill unhooked the seats from the handle of the umbrella and +wound the ropes around the two boards and made a package of them, which +he carried under his arm. Trot took the empty lunch basket, and +Button-Bright held fast to the precious umbrella. Then they returned to +the palace to bid goodbye to Ghip-Ghisizzle and the Blues. + +The new Boolooroo seemed rather sorry to lose his friends, but the +people were secretly glad to get rid of the strangers, especially of +the Pinkies. They maintained a sullen silence while Coralie and Captain +Tintint formed their ranks in marching order, and they did not even +cheer when Trot said to them in a final speech: + +"I'm the Queen of Sky Island, you know, and the new Boolooroo has to +carry out my orders and treat you all nicely while I'm away. I don't +know when I'll come back, but you'd better watch out an' not make any +trouble, or I'll find a way to make you sorry for it. So now, goodbye!" + +"And good riddance!" screamed the Six Snubnosed Girls who had once been +Princesses and who were now in the crowd that watched the departure. + +But Trot paid no attention to them. She made a signal to the Pinkie +Band, which struck up a fine Pink March, and then the Army stepped out +with the left foot first, and away went the conquerors down the streets +of the Blue City, out of the blue-barred gateway and across the country +toward the Fog Bank. + + + + +THE ELEPHANT'S HEAD COMES TO LIFE + +CHAPTER 28 + + +When they reached the edge of the Fog Bank, the Pinkies all halted to +put on their raincoats, and Button-Bright put up his umbrella and held +it over himself and Trot. Then, when everybody was ready, they entered +the Fog and Rosalie the Witch made a signal to call the Frog King and +his subjects to aid them as they had done before. + +Pretty soon the great frogs appeared, a long line of them facing Trot +and her Pink Army and sitting upon their haunches close together. + +"Turn around so we can get upon your backs," said Rosalie. + +"Not yet," answered the Frog King in a gruff, deep voice. "You must +first take that insulting umbrella out of my dominions." + +"Why, what is there about my umbrella that seems insulting?" asked +Button-Bright in surprise. + +"It is an intimation that you don't like our glorious climate and +object to our delightful fog and are trying to ward off its soulful, +clinging kisses," replied the Frog King in an agitated voice. "There +has never been an umbrella in my kingdom before, and I'll not allow one +in it now. Take it away at once!" + +"But we can't," explained Trot. "We've got to take the umbrella with us +to the Pink Country. We'll put it down if you like, an' cross the bank +in this drizzle--which may be clingin' an' soulful, but is too wet to +be comfort'ble. But the umbrella's got to go with us." + +"It can't go another inch," cried the obstinate frog with an angry +croak, "nor shall any of your people advance another step while that +insulting umbrella is with you." + +Trot turned to Rosalie. "What shall we do?" she asked. + +"I really do not know," replied the Witch, greatly perplexed. + +"Can't you MAKE the frogs let us through?" inquired the boy. + +"No, I have no power over the frogs," Rosalie answered. "They carried +us before as a favor, but if the king now insists that we cannot pass +with the umbrella, we must go back to the Blue Country or leave your +umbrella behind us." + +"We won't do that!" said Button-Bright indignantly. "Can't we fight the +frogs?" + +"Fight!" cried Trot. "Why, see how big they are. They could eat up our +whole army if they wanted to." + +But just then, while they stood dismayed at this unfortunate position, +a queer thing happened. The umbrella in Button-Bright's hand began to +tremble and shake. He looked down at the handle and saw that the red +eyes of the carved elephant's head were rolling fiercely and sending +out red sparks of anger in all directions. The trunk swayed from side +to side, and the entire head began to swell and grow larger. + +In his fright, the boy sprang backward a step and dropped the umbrella +to the ground, and as he did so, it took the form of a complete +elephant, growing rapidly to a monstrous size. Then, flapping its ears +and wagging its tail--which was merely the covered frame of the +umbrella--the huge elephant lifted its trunk and charged the line of +astonished frogs. + +In a twinkling the frogs all turned and made the longest leaps their +powerful legs enabled them to. The King jumped first of all, and in a +panic of fear the others followed his example. They were out of sight +in an instant, and then the elephant turned its head and looked at +Button-Bright and at once trotted into the depths of the fog. + +"He wants us to follow," said the boy, gasping in amazement at this +wonderful transformation. So immediately they began marching through +the fog behind the elephant, and as the great beast advanced the frogs +scrambled out of his way and hid themselves in the moist banks until he +had passed them by. + +Cap'n Bill had to mind his wooden leg carefully, and the old sailor was +so excited that he mumbled queer sentences about "Araby Ann Knights" +and "ding-donged magic" and the "fool foolishness of fussin' with +witches an' sich," until Trot wondered whether her old friend had gone +crazy or was only badly scared. + +It was a long journey, and all the Pinkies were dripping water from +their raincoats, and their fat little legs were tired and aching when +the pink glow showing through the fog at last announced that they were +nearing the Pink Country. + +At the very edge of the Fog Bank the elephant halted, winked at +Button-Bright, lowered its head and began to shrink in size and dwindle +away. By the time the boy came up to it, closely followed by Trot and +Cap'n Bill, the thing was only the well-known Magic Umbrella, with the +carved elephant's head for a handle, and it lay motionless upon the +ground. Button-Bright picked it up, and as he examined it he thought +the tiny eyes still twinkled a little, as if with triumph and pride. + +Trot drew a long breath. + +"That was SOME magic, I guess!" she exclaimed. "Don't you think so, +Rosalie?" + +"It was the most wonderful thing I ever saw," admitted the Witch. "The +fairies who control Button-Bright's umbrella must be very powerful +indeed!" + + + + +TROT REGULATES THE PINKIES + +CHAPTER 29 + + +The Pinkies were rejoiced to find themselves again in their beloved +land of sunrises and sunsets. They sang and shouted with glee, and the +Band uncovered its pink instruments and played the National Pink +Anthem, while the parrot flew from Trot's shoulder to Cap'n Bill's +shoulder and back again, screaming ecstatically, + + "Hooray! We're through the wetful fogs + Where the elephant scared the fretful frogs!" + +There was a magnificent sunset in the sky just then, and it cheered the +Pinkies and gave them renewed strength. Away they hastened across the +pink fields to the Pink City, where all the Pink people who had been +left behind ran out to welcome them home again. + +Trot and Button-Bright, with Cap'n Bill and Rosalie the Witch, went to +the humble palace, where they had a simple supper of coarse food and +slept upon hard beds. In the houses of the City, however, there was +much feasting and merrymaking, and it seemed to Trot that the laws of +the country which forbade the Queen from enjoying all the good things +the people did were decidedly wrong and needed changing. + +The next morning Rosalie said to the little girl, "Will you make +Tourmaline the Queen again when you go away?" + +"I'll send for her and see about it," replied Trot. + +But when Tourmaline arrived at the palace, dressed all in lovely, +fluffy robes and with a dainty pink plume in her pink hair, she begged +most earnestly not to be made the Queen again. + +"I'm having a good time just now after years of worry and uncomfortable +living in this uncomfortable old hut of a palace," said the poor girl, +"so it would be cruel for you to make me the servant of the people +again and condemn me to want and misery." + +"That seems reason'ble," replied Trot thoughtfully. + +"Rosalie's skin is just as light a pink as my own," continued +Tourmaline. "Why don't you make her the Queen?" + +"I hadn't thought of that," said Trot. Then she turned to Rosalie and +asked, "How would you like to rule the Pinkies?" + +"I wouldn't like it," replied the Witch with a smile. "The Queen is the +poorest and most miserable creature in all the kingdom, and I'm sure I +don't deserve such a fate. I've always tried to be a good witch and to +do my duty." + +Trot thought this over quite seriously for a time. Then one of her +quaint ideas came to her--so quaint that it was entirely sensible. "I'm +the Queen of the Pinkies just now, am I not?" she asked. + +"Of course," answered Rosalie. "None can dispute that." + +"Then I've the right to make new laws, haven't I?" + +"I believe so." + +"In that case," said the girl, "I'm goin' to make a law that the Queen +shall have the same food an' the same dresses an' the same good times +that her people have; and she shall live in a house jus' as good as the +houses of any of her people, an' have as much money to spend as +anybody. But no more. The Queen can have her share of ever'thing +'cordin' to the new law, but if she tries to get more than her share, +I'll have the law say she shall be taken to the edge an' pushed off. +What do you think of THAT law, Rosalie?" + +"It's a good law and a just one," replied the Witch approvingly. + +So Trot sent for the Royal Scribbler, who was a very fat Pinky with +large, pink eyes and curly pink hair, and had him carefully write the +new law into the Great Book of Laws. The Royal Scribbler wrote it very +nicely in pink ink, with a big capital letter at the beginning and a +fine flourish at the end. After Trot had signed her name to it as +Queen, she called all of the important people of the land to assemble +in the Court of the Statues and ordered the Royal Declaimer to read to +them the new law. The Pinkies seemed to think it was a just law and +much better than the old one, and Rosalie said: + +"Now no one can object to becoming Queen, since the Ruler of the +Pinkies will no longer be obliged to endure suffering and hardships." + +"All right," said Trot. "In that case, I'll make you the Queen, +Rosalie, for you've got more sense than Tourmaline has and your powers +as a witch will help you protect the people." + +At once she made the announcement, telling the assembled Pinkies that +by virtue of her high office as Queen of Sky Island she would leave +Rosalie the Witch to rule over the Pink Country while she returned to +the Earth with her friends. As Rosalie was greatly loved and respected, +the people joyfully accepted her as their Queen, and Trot ordered them +to tear down the old hut and build a new palace for Rosalie--one which +would be just as good as any other house in the City, but no better. +She further ordered a pink statue of Tourmaline to be set up in the +Court, and also a pink statue of herself, so that the record of all the +rulers of the Pinkies should be complete. + +The people agreed to do all this as soon as possible, and some of the +leaders whispered together and then asked Coralie to be their spokesman +in replying to Queen Trot's speech. + +Coralie stood on a chair and made a bow, after which she thanked Trot +in the name of the Pinkies for leading them safely into the Blue +Country and out again, and for giving them so good a Queen as Rosalie. +The Pinkies would be sorry to have their new friends, the Earth people, +leave them, but asked the Queen of Sky Island to carry with her the +royal band of pink gold which she now wore upon her brow, together with +the glistening pink jewel set in its center. It would remind her, +Coralie declared, of the Beautiful Land of Sunset and Sunrise and of +the fact that the Pinkies would always be glad to welcome her back. + +Trot knew she would never return to Sky Island, but she did not tell +them that. She merely thanked Coralie and the Pinkies and said they +might all come to the Court after dinner and see her and her comrades +fly away through the sky. + + + + +THE JOURNEY HOME + +CHAPTER 30 + + +After the Pinkies had been dismissed, their new Queen Rosalie, by means +of a clever charm, conjured up a dinner table set with very nice things +to eat. They all enjoyed a hearty meal and afterward sat and talked +over their adventures. + +"Will you take the parrot home with you, Trot?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"Guess not, Cap'n," she answered. "Mother wouldn't like to have him +hangin' 'round an' screechin' bad po'try ev'ry minute. I'll give him to +Rosalie, for I'm sure she'll take good care of him." + +Rosalie accepted the gift with pleasure, but the parrot looked sober +for a while and then said, + + "This looks to me like a giveaway; + But here I am, and here I'll stay. + The country's pink, but we'll all be blue + When Trot goes home as she says she'll do." + +They now packed the lunchbasket with the remains of the feast, for they +knew a long journey was before them and feared they might be hungry +before they landed again. Cap'n Bill straightened out the ropes and +adjusted the seats, while Button-Bright examined the umbrella to see if +it had been injured in any way when the elephant tramped through the +Fog Bank. + +The boy looked into the small red eyes of the carved elephant's-head +handle with some misgivings, but as seen in the strong sunshine the +eyes were merely red stones, while the handle plainly showed the marks +of the tool that had carved it. + +When all was ready, they went into the Court of the Statues, where all +the Pinkies were assembled--together with their Pink Band--and Cap'n +Bill hooked the swinging seats onto the handle of the Magic Umbrella. + +Trot kissed Rosalie and Coralie and Tourmaline goodbye and said to them: + +"If you ever happen to come to Earth, you must be sure to visit me, and +I'll try to give you a good time. But p'raps you'll stay here all your +lives." + +"I think we shall," replied Rosalie, laughing, "for in all Sky Island +there will be no Magic Umbrella for us to fly with." + +"And when you see Polychrome," added Trot, "jus' give her my love." + +Then she and Button-Bright seated themselves in the double seat, which +was flat upon the pink ground, and Cap'n Bill sat before them on his +own seat, to which the lunch basket had been fastened by means of a +stout cord. + +"Hold fast!" said the sailor man, and they all held fast to the ropes +while the boy, glancing up toward the open umbrella he held, said +solemnly and distinctly: + +"Take us to Trot's house on the Earth." The umbrella obeyed, at once +mounting into the air. It moved slowly at first, but gradually +increased its speed. First it lifted the seat of the boy and the girl, +then Cap'n Bill's seat, and finally the lunch basket. + + "Fly high!--Mind your eye! + Don't cry!--Bye-bye!" + +shouted the parrot from the Pink Witch's shoulder. + +Trot leaned over and waved her hand. The Pink Band played as loud as it +could--in order that the travelers might hear it as long as +possible--and Rosalie and Coralie and Tourmaline threw kisses to their +vanishing friends as long as they remained in sight. + + * * * * * + +"Seems good to be on the way home again," remarked Trot as the umbrella +bumped into a big, black cloud. + +"It reely does, mate," answered the sailorman joyously. + +Fast through the cloud the umbrella swept, and then suddenly it sailed +into a clear, blue sky, across which a great and gorgeous Rainbow +spread its radiant arch. Upon the bow danced the dainty Daughters of +the Rainbow, and the umbrella passed near enough to it for the +passengers to observe Polychrome merrily leading her sisters, her +fleecy robes waving prettily in the gentle breeze. + +"Goodbye, Polly!" cried Button-Bright, and Trot and Cap'n Bill both +called out, "Goodbye!" + +Polychrome heard and nodded to them smilingly, never halting in her +graceful dance. Then the umbrella dropped far below the arch, which +presently faded from view. + +It was an exciting ride. Scenes presented themselves entirely different +from those they had seen on their former voyage, for the sky changes +continually, and the clouds of a moment ago are not the clouds of an +hour ago. Once they passed between two small stars as brilliant as +diamonds, and once an enormous bird whose wings spread so wide that +they shadowed the sun soared directly over them and lost itself in the +vague distance of the limitless sky. + +They rode quite comfortably, however, and were full of eager interest +in what they saw. The rush of air past them made them hungry, so Cap'n +Bill drew up the lunchbasket and held it so that Button-Bright and Trot +could help themselves to the pink food, which tasted very good. And +finally a dark rim appeared below them, which the sailor declared must +be the Earth. He proved to be correct, and when they came nearer, they +found themselves flying over the waves of the ocean. Pretty soon a +small island appeared, and Trot exclaimed, + +"That's the Sky Island we thought we were goin' to--only we didn't." + +"Yes, an' there's the mainland, mate!" cried Cap'n Bill excitedly, +pointing toward a distant coast. + +On swept the Magic Umbrella. Then its speed gradually slackened; the +houses and trees on the coast could be seen, and presently--almost +before they realized it--they were set down gently upon the high bluff +near the giant acacia. A little way off stood the white cottage where +Trot lived. + +It was growing dusk as Cap'n Bill unhooked the seats and Button-Bright +folded up the umbrella and tucked it under his arm. Trot seized the +lunchbasket and ran to the house, where she found her mother busy in +the kitchen. + +"Well, I'm back again," said the little girl. "Is supper ready, mama?" + +Button-Bright stayed all night with them, but next morning, bright and +early, he hooked one of the seats to his Magic Umbrella, said goodbye +to Trot and Cap'n Bill, and flew into the air to begin his journey to +Philadelphia. Just before he started, Trot said: + +"Let me know if you get home safe, Button-Bright, an' come an' see me +again as quick as you can." + +"I'll try to come again," said the boy. "We've had a good time, haven't +we, Trot?" + +"The bes' time I EVER had!" she replied enthusiastically. Then she +asked, "Didn't you like it, too, Cap'n Bill?" + +"Parts o' it, mate," the sailor answered as he thoughtfully made marks +in the sand with the end of his wooden leg, "but seems to me the bes' +part of all was gett'n' home again." + +After several days Trot received a postal card from Button-Bright. It +was awkwardly scrawled, for the boy was not much of a writer, but Trot +managed to make out the words. It read as follows: + + +"Got home safe, Trot, and the folks were so worried they forgot to +scold me. Father has taken the Magic Umbrella and locked it up in the +big, strong chest in the attic. He put the key in his own pocket, so I +don't know as I'll ever be able to see you again. But I'll never forget +the Queen of Sky Island, and I send my love to you and Cap'n Bill. + +"Your friend, + +"Button-Bright." + + + + +THE END + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sky Island, by L. Frank Baum + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SKY ISLAND *** + +***** This file should be named 4356.txt or 4356.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/5/4356/ + +Produced by Charles Aldarondo. HTML version by Al Haines. + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Hart +and may be reprinted only when these Etexts are free of all fees.] +[Project Gutenberg is a TradeMark and may not be used in any sales +of Project Gutenberg Etexts or other materials be they hardware or +software or any other related product without express permission.] + +*END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.10/04/01*END* + + + + +Edited by Charles Aldarondo (aldarondo@yahoo.com) + +SKY ISLAND + +BEING THE FURTHER EXCITING ADVENTURES +OF TROT AND CAP'N BILL AFTER THEIR +VISIT TO THE SEA FAIRIES + +BY L. FRANK BAUM + + + + + +TO + +MY SISTER + +MARY LOUISE BREWSTER + + + + + +A LITTLE TALK TO MY READERS + + + + + +WITH "The Sea Fairies," my book for 1911, I ventured into a new +field of fairy literature and to my delight the book was received +with much approval by my former readers, many of whom have written +me that they like Trot "almost as well as Dorothy." As Dorothy was +an old, old friend and Trot a new one, I think this is very high +praise for Cap'n Bill's little companion. Cap'n Bill is also a new +character who seems to have won approval, and so both Trot and the +old sailor are again introduced in the present story, which may be +called the second of the series of adventures of Trot and Cap'n +Bill. + +But you will recognize some other acquaintances in "Sky Island." +Here, for instance, is Button-Bright, who once had an adventure with +Dorothy in Oz, and without Button-Bright and his Magic Umbrella you +will see that the story of "Sky Island" could never have been +written. As Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter, lives in the sky, it +is natural that Trot and Button-Bright meet her during their +adventures there. + +This story of Sky Island has stonished me considerably, and I think +it will also astonish you. The sky country is certainly a remarkable +fairland, but after reading about it I am sure you will agree with +me that our old Mother Earth is a very good place to live upon and +that Trot and Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were fortunate to get +back to it again. + +By the way, one of my little correspondents has suggested that I +print my address in this book, so that the children may know where +letters will reach me. I am doing this, as you see, and hope that +many will write to me and tell me how they like "Sky Island." My +greatest treasures are these letters from my readers and I am always +delighted to receive them. + +L. FRANK BAUM. + +"OZCOT" at HOLLYWOOD in CALIFORNIA + + + + + + +A MYSTERIOUS ARRIVAL + +CHAPTER 1 + + + + + +"Hello," said the boy. + +"Hello," answered Trot, looking up surprised. "Where did you come +from?" + +"Philadelphia," said he. + +"Dear me," said Trot, "you're a long way from home, then." + +"'Bout as far as I can get, in this country," the boy replied, gazing +out over the water. "Isn't this the Pacific Ocean?" + +"Of course." + +"Why of course?" he asked. + +"Because it's the biggest lot of water in all the world." + +"How do you know?" + +"Cap'n Bill told me," she said. + +"Who's Cap'n Bill?" + +"An old sailorman who's a friend of mine. He lives at my house, too-- +the white house you see over there on the bluff." + +"Oh; is that your home?" + +"Yes," said Trot proudly. "Isn't it pretty?" + +"It's pretty small, seems to me," answered the boy. + +"But it's big enough for mother and me, an' for Cap'n Bill," said +Trot. + +"Haven't you any father?" + +"Yes, 'ndeed. Cap'n Griffith is my father, but he's gone most of the +time, sailin' on his ship. You mus' be a stranger in these parts, +little boy, not to know 'bout Cap'n Griffith," she added, looking at +her new acquaintance intently. + +Trot wasn't very big herself, but the boy was not quite as big as +Trot. He was thin, with a rather pale complexion, and his blue eyes +were round and earnest. He wore a blouse waist, a short jacket, and +knickerbockers. Under his arm he held an old umbrella that was as +tall as he was. Its covering had once been of thick, brown cloth, +but the color had faded to a dull drab except in the creases, and +Trot thought it looked very old-fashioned and common. The handle, +though, was really curious. It was of wood and carved to resemble an +elephant's head. The long trunk of the elephant was curved to make a +crook for the handle. The eyes of the beast were small red stones, +and it had two tiny tusks of ivory. + +The boy's dress was rich and expensive, even to his fine silk +stockings and tan shoes, but the umbrella looked old and +disreputable. + +"It isn't the rainy season now," remarked Tot with a smile. + +The boy glanced at his umbrella and hugged it tighter. "No," he +said, "but umbrellas are good for other things 'sides rain." + +"'Fraid of gett'n sun-struck?" asked Trot. + +He shook his head, still gazing far out over the water. "I don't +b'lieve this is bigger than any other ocean," said he. "I can't see +any more of it than I can of the Atlantic." + +"You'd find out if you had to sail across it," she declared. + +"When I was in Chicago I saw Lake Michigan," he went on dreamily, +"and it looked just as big as this water does." + +"Looks don't count, with oceans," she asserted. "Your eyes can only +see jus' so far, whether you're lookin' at a pond or a great sea." + +"Then it doesn't make any difference how big an ocean is," he +replied. "What are those buildings over there?" pointing to the +right, along the shore of the bay. + +"That's the town," said Trot. "Most of the people earn their living +by fishing. The town is half a mile from here, an' my house is +almost a half-mile the other way, so it's 'bout a mile from my house +to the town." + +The boy sat down beside her on the flat rock. + +"Do you like girls?" asked Trot, making room for him. + +"Not very well," the boy replied. "Some of 'em are pretty good +fellows, but not many. The girls with brothers are bossy, an' the +girls without brothers haven't any 'go' to 'em. But the world's full +o' both kinds, and so I try to take 'em as they come. They can't +help being girls, of course. Do you like boys?" + +"When they don't put on airs or get roughhouse," replied Trot. "My +'sperience with boys is that they don't know much, but think they +do." + +"That's true," he answered. "I don't like boys much better than I do +girls, but some are all right, and--you seem to be one of 'em." + +"Much obliged," laughed Trot. "You aren't so bad, either, an' if we +don't both turn out worse than we seem, we ought to be friends." + +He nodded rather absently and tossed a pebble into the water. "Been +to town?" he asked. + +"Yes. Mother wanted some yarn from the store. She's knittin' Cap'n +Bill a stocking." + +"Doesn't he wear but one?" + +"That's all. Cap'n Bill has one wooden leg," she explained. "That's +why he don't sailor any more. I'm glad of it, 'cause Cap'n Bill +knows ev'rything. I s'pose he knows more than anyone else in all the +world." + +"Whew!" said the boy. "That's taking a good deal for granted. A +one-legged sailor can't know much." + +"Why not?" asked Trot a little indignantly. "Folks don't learn +things with their legs, do they?" + +"No, but they can't get around without legs to find out things." + +"Cap'n Bill got 'round lively 'nough once, when he had two meat +legs," she said. "He's sailed to most ev'ry country on the earth, +an' found out all that the people in 'em knew and a lot besides. He +was shipwrecked on a desert island once, and another time a cannibal +king tried to boil him for dinner, an' one day a shark chased him +seven leagues through the water, an'--" + +"What's a league?" asked the boy. + +"It's a--a distance, like a mile is. But a league isn't a mile, you +know." + +"What is it, then?" + +"You'll have to ask Cap'n Bill. He knows ever'thing." + +"Not ever'thing," objected the boy. "I know some things Cap'n Bill +don't know." + +"If you do, you're pretty smart," said Trot. + +"No, I'm not smart. Some folks think I'm stupid. I guess I am. But I +know a few things that were wonderful. Cap'n Bill may know more'n I +do--a good deal more--but I'm sure he can't know the same things. +Say, what's your name?" + +"I'm Mayre Griffith, but ever'body calls me 'Trot.' I's a nickname I +got when I was a baby, 'cause I trotted so fast when I walked, an' +it seems to stick. What's YOUR name?" + +"Button-Bright." + +"How did it happen?" + +"How did what happen?" + +"Such a funny name." + +The boy scowled a little. "Just like your own nickname happened," he +answered gloomily. "My father once said I was bright as a button, +an' it made ever'body laugh. So they always call me Button-Bright." + +"What's your real name?" she inquired. + +"Saladin Paracelsus de Lambertine Evagne von Smith." + +"Guess I'll call you Button-Bright," said Trot, sighing. "The only +other thing would be 'Salad,' an' I don't like salads. Don't you +find it hard work to 'member all of your name?" + +"I don't try to," he said. "There's a lot more of it, but I've +forgotten the rest." + +"Thank you," said Trot. "Oh, here comes Cap'n Bill!" as she glanced +over her shoulder. + +Button-Bright turned also and looked solemnly at the old sailor who +came stumping along the path toward them. Cap'n Bill wasn't a very +handsome man. He was old, not very tall, somewhat stout and chubby, +with a round face, a bald head, and a scraggly fringe of reddish +whisker underneath his chin. But his blue eyes were frank and merry, +and his smile like a ray of sunshine. He wore a sailor shirt with a +broad collar, a short peajacket and wide-bottomed sailor trousers, +one leg of which covered his wooden limb but did not hide it. As he +came "pegging" along the path--as he himself described his hobbling +walk--his hands were pushed into his coat pockets, a pipe was in his +mouth, and his black neckscarf was fluttering behind him in the +breeze like a sable banner. + +Button-Bright liked the sailor's looks. There was something very +winning--something jolly and carefree and honest and sociable--about +the ancient seaman that made him everybody's friend, so the strange +boy was glad to meet him. + +"Well, well, Trot," he said, coming up, "is this the way you hurry +to town?" + +"No, for I'm on my way back," said she. "I did hurry when I was +going, Cap'n Bill, but on my way home I sat down here to rest an' +watch the gulls--the gulls seem awful busy today, Cap'n Bill--an' +then I found this boy." + +Cap'n Bill looked at the boy curiously. "Don't think as ever I sawr +him at the village," he remarked. "Guess as you're a stranger, my +lad." + +Button-Bright nodded. + +"Hain't walked the nine mile from the railroad station, have ye?" +asked Cap'n Bill. + +"No," said Button-Bright. + +The sailor glanced around him. "Don't see no waggin er no +autymob'l," he added. + +"No," said Button-Bright. + +"Catch a ride wi' some one?" + +Button-Bright shook his head. + +"A boat can't land here; the rocks is too thick an' too sharp," +continued Cap'n Bill, peering down toward the foot of the bluff on +which they sat and against which the waves broke in foam. + +"No," said Button-Bright, "I didn't come by water." + +Trot laughed. "He must 'a' dropped from the sky, Cap'n Bill!" she +exclaimed. + +Button-Bright nodded very seriously. "That's it," he said. + +"Oh, a airship, eh?" cried Cap'n Bill in surprise. "I've hearn tell +o' them sky keeridges; someth'n' like flyin' autymob'ls, ain't +they?" + +"I don't know," said Button-Bright. "I've never seen one." + +Both Trot and Cap'n Bill now looked at the boy in astonishment. "Now +then, lemme think a minute," said the sailor reflectively. "Here's a +riddle for us to guess, Trot. He dropped from the sky, he says, an' +yet he didn't come in a airship!" + +"'Riddlecum, riddlecum ree; +What can the answer be?'" + +Trot looked the boy over carefully. She didn't see any wings on him. +The only queer thing about him was his big umbrella. "Oh!" she said +suddenly, clapping her hands together. "I know now." + +"Do you?" asked Cap'n Bill doubtfully. "Then you're some smarter ner +I am, mate." + +"He sailed down with the umbrel!" she cried. "He used his umbrel as +a para--para--" + +"Shoot," said Cap'n Bill. "They're called parashoots, mate; but why, +I can't say. Did you drop down in that way, my lad?" he asked the +boy. + +"Yes," said Button-Bright. "That was the way." + +"But how did you get up there?" asked Trot. "You had to get up in +the air before you could drop down, an'--oh, Cap'n Bill! He says +he's from Phillydelfy, which is a big city way at the other end of +America." + +"Are you?" asked the sailor, surprised. + +Button-Bright nodded again. "I ought to tell you my story," he said, +"and then you'd understand. But I'm afraid you won't believe me, +and--" he suddenly broke off and looked toward the white house in +the distance "--Didn't you say you lived over there?" he inquired. + +"Yes," said Trot. "Won't you come home with us?" + +"I'd like to," replied Button-Bright. + +"All right, let's go then," said the girl, jumping up. + +The three walked silently along the path. The old sailorman had +refilled his pipe and lighted it again, and he smoked thoughtfully +as he pegged along beside the children. "Know anyone around here?" +he asked Button-Bright. + +"No one but you two," said the boy, following after Trot, with his +umbrella tucked carefully underneath his arm. + +"And you don't know us very well," remarked Cap'n Bill. "Seems to me +you're pretty young to be travelin' so far from home an' among +strangers. But I won't say anything more till we've heard your +story. Then, if you need my advice, or Trot's advice--she's a wise +little girl, fer her size, Trot is--we'll freely give it an' be glad +to help you." + +"Thank you," replied Button-Bright. "I need a lot of things, I'm +sure, and p'raps advice is one of 'em." + + + + + + +THE MAGIC UMBRELLA + +CHAPTER 2 + + + + + +When they reached the neat frame cottage which stood on a high bluff +a little back from the sea and was covered with pretty green vines, +a woman came to the door to meet them. She seemed motherly and good, +and when she saw Button-Bright, she exclaimed, "Goodness me! Who's +this you've got, Trot?" + +"It's a boy I've just found," explained the girl. "He lives way off +in Phillydelphy." + +"Mercy sakes alive!" cried Mrs. Griffith, looking into his upturned +face. "I don't believe he's had a bite to eat since he started. +Ain't you hungry, child?" + +"Yes," said Button-Bright. + +"Run, Trot, an' get two slices o' bread-an'-butter," commanded Mrs. +Griffith. "Cut 'em thick, dear, an' use plenty of butter." + +"Sugar on 'em?" asked Trot, turning to obey. + +"No," said Button-Bright. "Just bread-an'-butter's good enough when +you're hungry, and it takes time to spread sugar on." + +"We'll have supper in an hour," observed Trot's mother briskly, "but +a hungry child can't wait a whole hour, I'm sure. What are you +grinning at, Cap'n Bill? How dare you laugh when I'm talking? Stop +it this minute, you old pirate, or I'll know the reason why!" + +"I didn't, mum," said Cap'n Bill meekly. "I on'y--" + +"Stop right there, sir! How dare you speak when I'm talking?" She +turned to Button-Bright, and her tone changed to one of much +gentleness as she said, "Come in the house, my poor boy, an' rest +yourself. You seem tired out. Here, give me that clumsy umbrella." + +"No, please," said Button-Bright, holding the umbrella tighter. + +"Then put it in the rack behind the door," she urged. + +The boy seemed a little frightened. "I--I'd rather keep it with me, +if you please," he pleaded. + +"Never mind," Cap'n Bill ventured to say, "it won't worry him so +much to hold the umbrella, mum, as to let it go. Guess he's afraid +he'll lose it, but it ain't any great shakes, to my notion. Why, see +here, Button-Bright, we've got half-a-dozen umbrellas in the closet +that's better ner yours." + +"Perhaps," said the boy. "Yours may look a heap better, sir, +but--I'll keep this one, if you please." + +"Where did you get it?" asked Trot, appearing just then with a plate +of bread-and-butter. + +"It--it belongs in our family," said Button-Bright, beginning to eat +and speaking between bites. "This umbrella has been in our family +years, an' years, an' years. But it was tucked away up in our attic +an' no one ever used it 'cause it wasn't pretty." + +"Don't blame 'em much," remarked Cap'n Bill, gazing at it curiously. +"It's a pretty old-lookin' bumbershoot." They were all seated in the +vine-shaded porch of the cottage--all but Mrs. Griffith, who had +gone into the kitchen to look after the supper--and Trot was on one +side of the boy, holding the plate for him, while Cap'n Bill sat on +the other side. + +"It is old," said Button-Bright. "One of my great-great-grandfathers +was a Knight--an Arabian Knight--and it was he who first found this +umbrella." + +"An Arabian Night!" exclaimed Trot. "Why, that was a magic night, +wasn't it?" + +"There's diff'rent sorts o' nights, mate," said the sailor, "an' the +knight Button-Bright means ain't the same night you mean. Soldiers +used to be called knights, but that were in the dark ages, I guess, +an' likely 'nough Butt'n-Bright's great-gran'ther were that sort of +a knight." + +"But he said an Arabian Knight," persisted Trot. + +"Well, if he went to Araby, or was born there, he'd be an Arabian +Knight, wouldn't he? The lad's gran'ther were prob'ly a furriner, +an' yours an' mine were, too, Trot, if you go back far enough; for +Ameriky wasn't diskivered in them days." + +"There!" said Trot triumphantly. "Didn't I tell you, Button-Bright, +that Cap'n Bill knows ever'thing?" + +"He knows a lot, I expect," soberly answered the boy, finishing the +last slice of bread-and-butter and then looking at the empty plate +with a sigh. "But if he really knows ever'thing, he knows about the +Magic Umbrella, so I won't have to tell you anything about it." + +"Magic!" cried Trot with big, eager eyes. "Did you say MAGIC Umbrel, +Button-Bright?" + +"I said 'Magic.' But none of our family knew it was a Magic Umbrella +till I found it out for myself. You're the first people I've told +the secret to," he added, glancing into their faces rather uneasily. + +"Glory me!" exclaimed the girl, clapping her hands in ecstacy. "It +must be jus' ELEGANT to have a Magic Umbrel!" + +Cap'n Bill coughed. He had a way of coughing when he was suspicious. +"Magic," he observed gravely, "was once lyin' 'round loose in the +world. That was in the Dark Ages, I guess, when the magic Arabian +Nights was. But the light o' Civilization has skeered it away long +ago, an' magic's been a lost art since long afore you an' I was +born, Trot." + +"I know that fairies still live," said Trot reflectively. She didn't +like to contradict Cap'n Bill, who knew "ever'thing." + +"So do I," added Button-Bright. "And I know there's magic still in +the world--or in my umbrella, anyhow." + +"Tell us about it!" begged the girl excitedly. + +"Well," said the boy, "I found it all out by accident. It rained in +Philadelphia for three whole days, and all the umbrellas in our +house were carried out by the family and lost or mislaid or +something, so that when I wanted to go to Uncle Bob's house, which +is at Germantown, there wasn't an umbrella to be found. My governess +wouldn't let me go without one, and--" + +"Oh," said Trot. "Do you have a governess?" + +"Yes, but I don't like her. She's cross. She said I couldn't go to +Uncle Bob's because I had no umbrella. Instead she told me to go up +in the attic and play. I was sorry 'bout that, but I went up in the +attic, and pretty soon I found in a corner this old umbrella. I +didn't care how it looked. It was whole and strong and big, and +would keep me from getting wet on the way to Uncle Bob's. So off I +started for the car, but I found the streets awful muddy, and once I +stepped in a mud-hole way up to my ankle. 'Gee!,' I said, 'I wish I +could fly through the air to Uncle Bob's.' + +"I was holding up the open umbrella when I said that, and as soon as +I spoke, the umbrella began lifting me up into the air. I was awful +scared at first, but I held on tight to the handle, and it didn't +pull very much, either. I was going pretty fast, for when I looked +down all the big buildings were sliding past me so swift that it +made me dizzy, and before I really knew what had happened the +umbrella settled down and stood me on my feet at Uncle Bob's front +gate. + +"I didn't tell anybody about the wonderful thing that had happened, +'cause I thought no one would believe me. Uncle Bob looked sharp at +the thing an' said, 'Button-Bright, how did your father happen to +let you take that umbrella?' 'He didn't,' I said. 'Father was away +at the office, so I found it in the attic an' I jus' took it.' Then +Uncle Bob shook his head an' said I ought to leave it alone. He said +it was a fam'ly relic that had been handed down from father to son +for many generations. But I told him my father had never handed it +to me, though I'm his son. Uncle Bob said our fam'ly always believed +that it brought 'em good luck to own this umbrella. He couldn't say +why, not knowing its early history, but he was afraid that if I lost +the umbrella, bad luck would happen to us. So he made me go right +home to put the umbrella back where I got it. I was sorry Uncle Bob +was so cross, and I didn't want to go home yet, where the governess +was crosser 'n he was. I wonder why folks get cross when it rains? +But by that time it had stopped raining--for awhile, anyhow--and +Uncle Bob told me to go straight home and put the umbrella in the +attic an' never touch it again. + +"When I was around the corner, I thought I'd see if I could fly as I +had before. I'd heard of Buffalo, but I didn't know just where it +was, so I said to the umbrella, 'Take me to Buffalo.' Up in the air +I went, just as soon as I said it, and the umbrella sailed so fast +that I felt as if I was in a gale of wind. It was a long, long trip, +and I got awful tired holding onto the handle, but just as I thought +I'd have to let go, I began to drop down slowly, and then I found +myself in the streets of a big city. I put down the umbrella and +asked a man what the name of the city was, and he said 'Buffalo'." + +"How wonderful!" gasped Trot. Cap'n Bill kept on smoking and said +nothing. + +"It was magic, I'm sure," said Button-Bright. "It surely couldn't +have been anything else." + +"P'raps," suggested Trot, "the umbrella can do other magic things." + +"No," said the boy. "I've tried it. When I landed in Buffalo I was +hot and thirsty. I had ten cents car fare, but I was afraid to spend +it. So I held up the umbrella and wished I had an ice-cream soda, +but I didn't get it. Then I wished for a nickel to buy an ice-cream +soda with, but I didn't get that, either. I got frightened and was +afraid the umbrella didn't have any magic left, so to try it I said +'Take me to Chicago.' I didn't want to go to Chicago, but that was +the first place I thought of, and I soon saw this was going to be +another long journey, so I called out to the umbrella, 'Never mind. +Stop! I guess I won't go to Chicago. I've changed my mind, so take +me home again.' But the umbrella wouldn't. It kept right on flying, +and I shut my eyes and held on. At last I landed in Chicago, and +then I was in a pretty fix. It was nearly dark, and I was too tired +and hungry to make the trip home again. I knew I'd get an awful +scolding, too, for running away and taking the family luck with me, +so I thought that as long as I was in for it, I'd better see a good +deal of the country while I had the chance. I wouldn't be allowed to +come away again, you know." + +"No, of course not," said Trot. + +"I bought some buns and milk with my ten cents, and then I walked +around the streets of Chicago for a time and afterward slept on a +bench in one of the parks. In the morning I tried to get the +umbrella to give me a magic breakfast, but it won't do anything but +fly. I went to a house and asked a woman for something to eat, and +she gave me all I wanted and advised me to go straight home before +my mother worried about me. She didn't know I lived in Philadelphia. +That was this morning." + +"This mornin'!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill. "Why, lad, it takes three or +four days for the railroad trains to get to this coast from +Chicago." + +"I know," replied Button-Bright. "But I didn't come on a railroad +train. This umbrella goes faster than any train ever did. This +morning I flew from Chicago to Denver, but no one there would give +me any lunch. A policeman said he'd put me in jail if he caught me +begging, so I got away and told the umbrella to take me to the +Pacific Ocean. When I stopped I landed over there by the big rock. I +shut up the umbrella and saw a girl sitting on the rock, so I went +up and spoke to her. That's all." + +"Goodness me!" said Trot. "If that isn't a fairy story, I never +heard one." + +"It IS a fairy story," agreed Button-Bright. "Anyhow, it's a magic +story, and the funny part of it is, it's true. I hope you believe +me, but I don't know as I'd believe it myself if it hadn't been me +that it happened to." + +"I believe ev'ry word of it!" declared Trot earnestly. + +"As fer me," said Cap'n Bill slowly, "I'm goin' to believe it, too, +by'm'by, when I've seen the umbrel fly once." + +"You'll see me fly away with it," asserted the boy. "But at present +it's pretty late in the day, and Philadelphia is a good way off. Do +you s'pose, Trot, your mother would let me stay here all night?" + +"Course she would!" answered Trot. "We've got an extra room with a +nice bed in it, and we'd love to have you stay just as long as you +want to, wouldn't we, Cap'n Bill?" + +"Right you are, mate," replied the old man, nodding his bald head. +"Whether the umbrel is magic or not, Butt'n-Bright is welcome." + +Mrs. Griffith came out soon after and seconded the invitation, so +the boy felt quite at home in the little cottage. It was not long +before supper was on the table and in spite of all the +bread-and-butter he had eaten Button-Bright had a fine appetite for +the good things Trot's mother had cooked. Mrs. Griffith was very +kind to the children, but not quite so agreeable toward poor Cap'n +Bill. When the old sailorman at one time spilled some tea on the +tablecloth, Trot's mother flew angry and gave the culprit such a +tongue-lashing that Button-Bright was sorry for him. But Cap'n Bill +was meek and made no reply. "He's used to it, you know," whispered +Trot to her new friend, and indeed, Cap'n Bill took it all +cheerfully and never minded a bit. + +Then it came Trot's turn to get a scolding. When she opened the +parcel she had bought at the village, it was found she had selected +the wrong color of yarn, and Mrs. Griffith was so provoked that +Trot's scolding was almost as severe as that of Cap'n Bil l. Tears +came to the little girl's eyes, and to comfort her the boy promised +to take her to the village next morning with his magic umbrella, so +she could exchange the yarn for the right color. + +Trot quickly brightened at this promise, although Cap'n Bill looked +grave and shook his head solemnly. When supper was over and Trot had +helped with the dishes, she joined Button-Bright and the sailorman +on the little porch again. Dusk had fallen, and the moon was just +rising. They all sat in silence for a time and watched the silver +trail that topped the crests of the waves far out to sea. + +"Oh, Button-Bright!" cried the little girl presently. "I'm so glad +you're going to let me fly with you way to town and back tomorrow. +Won't it be fine, Cap'n Bill?" + +"Dunno, Trot," said he. "I can't figger how both of you can hold on +to the handle o' that umbrel." + +Trot's face fell. "I'll hold on to the handle," said Button-Bright, +"and she can hold on to me. It doesn't pull hard at all. You've no +idea how easy it is to fly that way after you get used to it." + +"But Trot ain't used to it," objected the sailor. "If she happened +to lose her hold and let go, it's goodbye Trot. I don't like to risk +it, for Trot's my chum, an' I can't afford to lose her." + +"Can't you tie us together, then?" asked the boy. + +"We'll see, we'll see," replied Cap'n Bill, and began to think very +deeply. He forgot that he didn't believe the umbrella could fly, and +after Button-Bright and Trot had both gone to bed, the old sailor +went out into the shed and worked a while before he, too, turned +into his "bunk." The sandman wasn't around, and Cap'n Bill lay awake +for hours thinking of the strange tale of the Magic Umbrella before +he finally sank into slumber. Then he dreamed about it, and waking +or dreaming he found the tale hard to believe. + + + + + + +A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE + +CHAPTER 3 + + + + + +They had early breakfasts at Trot's house, because they all went to +bed early, and it is possible to sleep only a certain number of +hours if one is healthy in body and mind. And right after breakfast +Trot claimed Button-Bright's promise to take her to town with the +Magic Umbrella. + +"Any time suits me," said the boy. He had taken his precious +umbrella to bed with him and even carried it to the breakfast table, +where he stood it between his knees as he ate; so now he held it +close to him and said he was ready to fly at a moment's notice. This +confidence impressed Cap'n Bill, who said with a sigh: + +"Well, if you MUST go, Trot, I've pervided a machine that'll carry +you both comf'table. I'm summat of an inventor myself, though there +ain't any magic about me." + +Then he brought from the shed the contrivance he had made the night +before. It was merely a swing seat. He had taken a wide board that +was just long enough for both the boy and girl to sit upon, and had +bored six holes in it, two holes at each end and two in the middle. +Through these holes he had run stout ropes in such a way that the +seat could not turn and the occupants could hold on to the ropes on +either side of them. The ropes were all knotted together at the top, +where there was a loop that could be hooked upon the crooked handle +of the umbrella. + +Button-Bright and Trot both thought Cap'n Bill's invention very +clever. The sailor placed the board upon the ground while they sat +in their places, Button-Bright at the right of Trot, and then the +boy hooked the rope loop to the handle of the umbrella, which he +spread wide open. "I want to go to the town over yonder," he said, +pointing with his finger to the roofs of the houses that showed +around the bend in the cliff. + +At once the umbrella rose into the air, slowly at first, but quickly +gathering speed. Trot and Button-Bright held fast to the ropes and +were carried along very easily and comfortably. It seemed scarcely a +minute before they were in the town, and when the umbrella set them +down just in front of the store--for it seemed to know just where +they wanted to go--a wondering crowd gathered around them. Trot ran +in and changed the yarn, while Button-Bright stayed outside and +stared at the people who stared at him. They asked questions, too, +wanting to know what sort of an aeroplane this was and where his +power was stored and lots of other things, but the boy answered not +a sound. When the little girl came back and took her seat, +Button-Bright said, "I want to go to Trot's house." + +The simple villagers could not understand how the umbrella suddenly +lifted the two children into the air and carried them away. They had +read of airships, but here was something wholly beyond their +comprehension. + +Cap'n Bill had stood in front of the house, watching with a feeling +akin to bewilderment the flight of the Magic Umbrella. He could +follow its course until it descended in the village, and he was so +amazed and absorbed that his pipe went out. He had not moved from +his position when the umbrella started back. The sailor's big blue +eyes watched it draw near and settle down with its passengers upon +just the spot it had started from. + +Trot was joyous and greatly excited. "Oh, Cap'n, it's gal-lor-ious!" +she cried in ecstasy. "It beats ridin' in a boat or--or--in anything +else. You feel so light an' free an'--an'--glad! I'm sorry the trip +didn't last longer, though. Only trouble is, you go too fast." + +Button-Bright was smiling contentedly. He had proved to both Trot +and Cap'n Bill that he had told the truth about the Magic Umbrella, +however marvelous his tale had seemed to them. "I'll take you on +another trip, if you like," said he. "I'm in no hurry to go home, +and if you will let me stay with you another day, we can make two or +three little trips with the family luck." + +"You mus' stay a whole week," said Trot decidedly. "An' you mus' +take Cap'n Bill for an air-ride, too." + +"Oh, Trot! I dunno as I'd like it," protested Cap'n Bill nervously. + +"Yes you would. You're sure to like it." + +"I guess I'm too heavy." + +"I'm sure the umbrella could carry twenty people if they could be +fastened to the handle," said Button-Bright. + +"Solid land's pretty good to hold on to," decided Cap'n Bill. "A +rope might break, you know." + +"Oh, Cap'n Bill! You're scared stiff," said Trot. + +"I ain't, mate. It ain't that at all. But I don't see that human +critters has any call to fly in the air, anyhow. The air were made +for the birds, an'--an' muskeeters, an'--" + +"An' flyin'-fishes," added Trot. "I know all that, Cap'n, but why +wasn't it made for humans, too, if they can manage to fly in it? We +breathe the air, an' we can breathe it high up, just as well as down +on the earth." + +"Seein' as you like it so much, Trot, it would be cruel for me to go +with Butt'n-Bright an' leave you at home," said the sailor. "When I +were younger--which is ancient history--an' afore I had a wooden +leg, I could climb a ship's ropes with the best of 'em, an' walk out +on a boom or stand atop a mast. So you know very well I ain't +skeered about the highupness." + +"Why can't we all go together?" asked the boy. "Make another seat, +Cap'n, and swing it right under ours. Then we can all three ride +anywhere we want to go." + +"Yes, do!" exclaimed Trot. "And see here, Cap'n, let's take a day +off and have a picnic. Mother is a little cross today, and she wants +to finish knitting your new stockin', so I guess she'll be glad to +get rid of us." + +"Where'll we go?" he asked, shifting on his wooden leg uneasily. + +"Anywhere. I don't care. There'll be the air-ride there an' the +air-ride back, an' that's the main thing with ME. If you say we'll +go, Cap'n, I'll run in an' pack a basket of lunch." + +"How'll we carry it?" + +"Swing it to the bottom of your seat." + +The old sailor stood silent a moment. He really longed to take the +air-ride but was fearful of danger. However, Trot had gone safely to +town and back and had greatly enjoyed the experience. "All right," +he said. "I'll risk it, mate, although I guess I'm an old fool for +temptin' fate by tryin' to make a bird o' myself. Get the lunch, +Trot, if your mother'll let you have it, and I'll rig up the seat." + +He went into the shed and Trot went to her mother. Mrs. Griffith, +busy with her work, knew nothing of what was going on in regard to +the flight of the Magic Umbrella. She never objected when Trot +wanted to go away with Cap'n Bill for a day's picnicking. She knew +the child was perfectly safe with the old sailor, who cared for Trot +even better than her mother would have done. If she had asked any +questions today and had found out they intended to fly in the air, +she might have seriously objected, but Mrs. Griffith had her mind on +other things and merely told the girl to take what she wanted from +the cupboard and not bother her. So Trot, remembering that +Button-Bright would be with them and had proved himself to be a +hearty eater, loaded the basket with all the good things she could +find. + +By the time she came out, lugging the basket with both hands, Cap'n +Bill appeared with the new seat he had made for his own use, which +he attached by means of ropes to the double seat of the boy and +girl. "Now then, where'll we go?" asked Trot. + +"Anywhere suits me," replied Cap'n Bill. They had walked to the high +bluff overlooking the sea, where a gigantic acacia tree stood on the +very edge. A seat had been built around the trunk of the tree, for +this was a favorite spot for Trot and Cap'n Bill to sit and talk and +watch the fleet of fishing boats sail to and from the village. When +they came to this tree, Trot was still trying to think of the most +pleasant place to picnic. She and Cap'n Bill had been every place +that was desirable and nearby, but today they didn't want a nearby +spot. They must decide upon one far enough away to afford them a +fine trip through the air. Looking far out over the Pacific, the +girl's eyes fell upon a dim island lying on the horizon line just +where the sky and water seemed to meet, and the sight gave her an +idea. + +"Oh, Cap'n Bill!" she exclaimed. "Let's go to that island for our +picnic. We've never been there yet, you know." + +The sailor shook his head. "It's a good many miles away, Trot," he +said, "further than it looks to be from here." + +"That won't matter," remarked Button-Bright. "The umbrella will +carry us there in no time." + +"Let's go!" repeated Trot. "We'll never have another such chance, +Cap'n. It's too far to sail or row, and I've always wanted to visit +that island." + +"What's the name of it?" inquired Button-Bright while the sailor +hesitated to decide. + +"Oh, it's got an awful hard name to pernounce," replied the girl, +"so Cap'n Bill and I jus' call it 'Sky Island' 'cause it looks as if +it was half in the sky. We've been told it's a very pretty island, +and a few people live there and keep cows and goats and fish for a +living. There are woods and pastures and springs of clear water, and +I'm sure we would find it a fine place for a picnic." + +"If anything happened on the way," observed Cap'n Bill, "we'd drop +in the water." + +"Of course," said Trot, "and if anything happened while we were +flyin' over the land, we'd drop there. But nothing's goin' to +happen, Cap'n. Didn't Button-Bright come safe all the way from +Philydelfy?" + +"I think I'd like to go to Sky Island," said the boy. "I've always +flown above the land so far, and it will be something new to fly +over the ocean." + +"All right, I'm agree'ble," decided Cap'n Bill. "But afore we starts +on such a long journey, s'pose we make a little trial trip along the +coast. I want to see if the new seat fits me an' make certain the +umbrel will carry all three of us." + +"Very well," said Button-Bright. "Where shall we go?" + +"Let's go as far as Smuggler's Cove an' then turn 'round an' come +back. If all's right an' shipshape, then we can start for the +island." + +They put the broad double seat on the ground, and then the boy and +girl sat in their places and Button-Bright spread open the Magic +Umbrella. Cap'n Bill sat in his seat just in front of them, all +being upon the ground. + +"Don't we look funny?" said Trot with a chuckle of glee. "But hold +fast the ropes, Cap'n, an' take care of your wooden leg." + +Button-Bright addressed the umbrella, speaking to it very +respectfully, for it was a thing to inspire awe. "I want to go as +far as Smuggler's Cove and then turn around in the air and come back +here," he said. At once the umbrella rose into the air, lifting +after it first the seat in which the children sat, and then Cap'n +Bill's seat. + +"Don't kick your heels, Trot!" cried the sailor in a voice that +proved he was excited by his novel experience. "You might bump me in +the nose." + +"All right," she called back. "I'll be careful." + +It was really a wonderful, exhilarating ride, and Cap'n Bill wasn't +long making up his mind he liked the sensation. When about fifty +feet above the ground the umbrella began moving along the coast +toward Smuggler's Cove, which it soon reached. Looking downward, +Cap'n Bill suddenly exclaimed, "Why, there' a boat cast loose, an' +it's goin' to smash on the rocks. Hold on a minute, Butt'n-Bright, +till we can land an' drag it ashore." + +"Hold on a minute, Umbrella!" cried the boy. But the Magic Umbrella +kept steadily upon its way. It made a circle over the Cove and then +started straight back the way it had come. "It's no use, sir," said +Button-Bright to the sailor. "If I once tell it to go to a certain +place, the umbrella will go there, and nowhere else. I've found that +out before this. You simply CAN'T stop it." + +"Won't let you change your mind, eh?" replied Cap'n Bill. "Well, +that has its advantidges, an' its disadvantiges. If your ol' umbrel +hadn't been so obstinate, we could have saved that boat." + +"Never mind," said Trot briskly, "here we are safe back again. +Wasn't it jus' the--the fascinatingest ride you ever took, Cap'n?" + +"It's pretty good fun," admitted Cap'n Bill. "Beats them aeroplanes +an' things all holler, 'cause it don't need any regulatin.'" + +"If we're going to that island, we may as well start right away," +said Button-Bright when they had safely landed. + +"All right. I'll tie on the lunch-basket," answered the sailor. He +fastened it so it would swing underneath his own seat, and they all +took their places again. + +"Ready?" asked the boy. + +"Let 'er go, my lad." + +"I want to go to Sky Island," said Button-Bright to the umbrella, +using the name Trot had given him. The umbrella started promptly. It +rose higher than before, carrying the three voyagers with it, and +then started straight away over the ocean. + + + + + + +THE ISLAND IN THE SKY + +CHAPTER 4 + + + + + +They clung tightly to the ropes, but the breeze was with them, so +after a few moments, when they became accustomed to the motion, they +began to enjoy the ride immensely. + +Larger and larger grew the island, and although they were headed +directly toward it, the umbrella seemed to rise higher and higher +into the air the farther it traveled. They had not journeyed ten +minutes before they came directly over the island, and looking down +they could see the forests and meadows far below them. But the +umbrella kept up its rapid flight. + +"Hold on, there!" cried Cap'n Bill. "If it ain't keerful, the ol' +thing will pass by the island." + +"I--I'm sure it has passed it already," exclaimed Trot. "What's +wrong, Button-Bright? Why don't we stop?" + +Button-Bright seemed astonished, too. + +"Perhaps I didn't say it right," he replied after a moment's +thought. Then, looking up at the umbrella, he repeated distinctly, +"I said I wanted to go to Sky Island! Sky Island, don't you +understand?" + +The umbrella swept steadily along, getting farther and farther out +to sea and rising higher and higher toward the clouds. + +"Mack'rel an' herrings!" roared Cap'n Bill, now really frightened. +"Ain't there any blamed way at all to stop her?" + +"None that I know of," said Button-Bright anxiously. + +"P'raps," said Trot after a pause during which she tried hard to +think. "P'raps 'Sky Island' isn't the name of that island at all." + +"Why, we know very well it ain't the name of it," yelled Cap'n Bill +from below. "We jus' called it that 'cause its right name is too +hard to say." + +"That's the whole trouble, then," returned Button-Bright. "Somewhere +in the world there's a real Sky Island, and having told the Magic +Umbrella to take us there, it's going to do so." + +"Well, I declare!" gasped the sailorman. "Can't we land anywhere +else?" + +"Not unless you care to tumble off," said the boy. "I've told the +umbrella to take us to Sky Island, so that's the exact place we're +bound for. I'm sorry. It was your fault for giving me the wrong +name." + +They glided along in silence for a while. The island was now far +behind them, growing small in the distance. "Where do you s'pose the +real Sky Island can be?" asked Trot presently. + +"We can't tell anything about it until we get there," Button-Bright +answered. "Seems to me I've heard of the Isle of Skye, but that's +over in Great Britain, somewhere the other side of the world, and it +isn't Sky Island, anyhow." + +"This miser'ble ol' umbrel is too pertic'ler," growled Cap'n Bill. +"It won't let you change your mind an' it goes ezzac'ly where you +say." + +"If it didn't," said Trot, "we'd never know where we were going." + +"We don't know now," said the sailor. "One thing's certain, folks: +we're gett'n' a long way from home." + +"And see how the clouds are rolling just above us," remarked the +boy, who was almost as uneasy as Cap'n Bill. + +"We're in the sky, all right," said the girl. "If there could be an +island up here among the clouds, I'd think it was there we're +going." + +"Couldn't there be one?" asked Button-Bright. "Why couldn't there be +an island in the sky that would be named Sky Island?" + +"Of course not!" declared Cap'n Bill. "There wouldn't be anything to +hold it up, you know." + +"What's holding US up?" asked Trot. + +"Magic, I guess." + +"Then magic might hold an island in the sky. Whee-e-e! What a black +cloud!" + +It grew suddenly dark, for they were rushing through a thick cloud +that rolled around them in billows. Trot felt little drops of +moisture striking her face and knew her clothing was getting damp +and soggy. "It's a rain cloud," she said to Button-Bright, "and it +seems like an awful big one, 'cause it takes so long for us to pass +through it." + +The umbrella never hesitated a moment. It made a path through the +length of the heavy, black cloud at last and carried its passengers +into a misty, billowy bank of white, which seemed as soft and fleecy +as a lady's veil. When this broke away, they caught sight of a +majestic rainbow spanning the heavens, its gorgeous colors glinting +brightly in the sun, its arch perfect and unbroken from end to end. +But it was only a glimpse they had, for quickly they dove into +another bank of clouds and the rainbow disappeared. + +Here the clouds were not black, nor heavy, but they assumed queer +shapes. Some were like huge ships, some like forest trees, and +others piled themselves into semblances of turreted castles and +wonderful palaces. The shapes shifted here and there continually, +and the voyagers began to be bewildered by the phantoms. + +"Seems to me we're goin' down," called Trot. + +"Down where?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"Who knows?" said Button-Bright. "But we're dropping, all right." + +It was a gradual descent. The Magic Umbrella maintained a uniform +speed, swift and unfaltering, but its path through the heavens was +now in the shape of an arch, as a flying arrow falls. The queer +shapes of the clouds continued for some time, and once or twice Trot +was a little frightened when a monstrous airy dragon passed beside +them or a huge giant stood upon a peak of cloud and stared savagely +at the intruders into his domain. But none of these fanciful, vapory +creatures seemed inclined to molest them or to interfere with their +flight, and after a while the umbrella dipped below this queer +cloudland and entered a clear space where the sky was of an +exquisite blue color. + +"Oh, look!" called Cap'n Bill. "There's land below us." The boy and +girl leaned over and tried to see this land, but Cap'n Bill was also +leaning over, and his big body hid all that was just underneath +them. + +"Is it an island?" asked Trot solemnly. + +"Seems so," the old sailor replied. "The blue is around all one side +of it an' a pink sunshine around the other side. There's a big cloud +just over the middle, but I guess it's surely an island, Trot, an' +bein' as it's in the sky, it's likely to be Sky Island." + +"Then we shall land there," said the boy confidently. "I knew the +umbrella wouldn't make a mistake." + +Presently Cap'n Bill spoke again. "We're goin' down on the blue part +o' the island," he said. "I can see trees an' ponds an' houses. Hold +tight, Trot! Hold tight, Butt'n-Bright! I'm afeared we're a'goin' to +bump somethin'!" + +They were certainly dropping very quickly now, and the rush of air +made their eyes fill with water so that they could not see much +below them. Suddenly, the basket that was dangling below Cap'n Bill +struck something with a loud thud, and this was followed by a yell +of anger. Cap'n Bill sat flat upon the ground, landing with such a +force that jarred the sailorman and made his teeth click together, +while down upon him came the seat that Trot and Button-Bright +occupied, so that for a moment they were all tangled up. + +"Get off from me! Get off from my feet, I say!" cried an excited +voice. "What in the Sky do you mean by sitting on my feet? Get off! +Get off at once!" + + + + + + +THE BOOLOOROO OF THE BLUES + +CHAPTER 5 + + + + + +Cap'n Bill suspected that these remarks were addressed to him, but +he couldn't move just then because the seat was across him, and a +boy and girl were sprawling on the seat. As the Magic Umbrella was +now as motionless as any ordinary umbrella might be, Button-Bright +first released the catch and closed it up, after which he unhooked +the crooked handle from the rope and rose to his feet. Trot had +managed by this time to stand up, and she pulled the board off from +Cap'n Bill. All this time the shrill, excited voice was loudly +complaining because the sailor was on his feet, and Trot looked to +see who was making the protest, while Cap'n Bill rolled over and got +on his hands and knees so he could pull his meat leg and his wooden +leg into an upright position, which wasn't a very easy thing to do. + +Button-Bright and Trot were staring with all their might at the +queerest person they had ever seen. They decided it must be a man +because he had two long legs, a body as round as a ball, a neck like +an ostrich, and a comical little head set on the top of it. But the +most curious thing about him was his skin, which was of a lovely +sky-blue tint. His eyes were also sky-blue, and his hair, which was +trained straight up and ended in a curl at the top of his head, was +likewise blue in color and matched his skin and his eyes. He wore +tight-fitting clothes made of sky-blue silk, with a broad blue +ruffle around his long neck, and on his breast glittered a +magnificent jewel in the form of a star, set with splendid blue +stones. + +If the blue man astonished the travelers, they were no less +surprised by his surroundings, for look where they might, everything +they beheld was of the same blue color as the sky above. They seemed +to have landed in a large garden, surrounded by a high wall of blue +stone. The trees were all blue, the grass was blue, the flowers were +blue, and even the pebbles in the paths were blue. There were many +handsomely carved benches and seats of blue wood scattered about the +garden, and near them stood a fountain made of blue marble, which +shot lovely sprays of blue water into the blue air. + +But the angry inhabitants of this blue place would not permit them +to look around them in peace, for as soon as Cap'n Bill rolled off +his toes, he began dancing around in an excited way and saying very +disrespectful things of his visitors. "You brutes! You apes! You +miserable, white-skinned creatures! How dare you come into my garden +and knock me on the head with that awful basket and then fall on my +toes and cause me pain and suffering? How dare you, I say? Don't you +know you will be punished for your impudence? Don't you know the +Boolooroo of the Blues will have revenge? I can have you patched for +this insult, and I will--just as sure as I'm the Royal Boolooroo of +Sky Island!" + +"Oh, is this Sky Island, then?" asked Trot. + +"Of course it's Sky Island. What else could it be? And I'm its +Ruler, its King, its sole Royal Potentate and Dictator. Behold in +the Personage you have injured the Mighty Quitey Righty Boolooroo of +the Blues!" Here he strutted around in a very pompous manner and +wagged his little head contemptuously at them. + +"Glad to meet you, sir," said Cap'n Bill. "I allus had a likin' for +kings, bein' as they're summat unusual. Please 'scuse me for +a-sittin' on your royal toes, not knowin' as your toes were there." + +"I won't excuse you!" roared the Boolooroo. "But I'll punish you. +You may depend upon that." + +"Seems to me," said Trot, "you're actin' rather imperlite to +strangers. If anyone comes to our country to visit us, we always +treat 'em decent." + +"YOUR country!" exclaimed the Boolooroo, looking at them more +carefully and seeming interested in their appearance. "Where in the +Sky did you come from, then, and where is your country located?" + +"We live on the Earth when we're at home," replied the girl. + +"The Earth? Nonsense! I've heard of the Earth, my child, but it +isn't inhabited. No one can live there because it's just a round, +cold, barren ball of mud and water," declared the Blueskin. + +"Oh, you're wrong about that," said Button-Bright. + +"You surely are," added Cap'n Bill. + +"Why, we live there ourselves," cried Trot. + +"I don't believe it. I believe you are living in Sky Island, where +you have no right to be, with your horrid white skins. And you've +intruded into the private garden of the palace of the Greatly +Stately Irately Boolooroo, which is a criminal offense. And you've +bumped my head with your basket and smashed my toes with your boards +and bodies, which is a crime unparalleled in all the history of Sky +Island! Aren't you sorry for yourselves?" + +"I'm sorry for you," replied Trot, "'cause you don't seem to know +the proper way to treat visitors. But we won't stay long. We'll go +home pretty soon." + +"Not until you have been punished!" exclaimed the Boolooroo sternly. +"You are my prisoners." + +"Beg parding, your Majesty," said Cap'n Bill, "but you're takin' a +good deal for granted. We've tried to be friendly and peaceable, an' +we've 'poligized for hurtin' you, but if that don't satisfy you, +you'll have to make the most of it. You may be the Boolooroo of the +Blues, but you ain't even a tin whistle to us, an' you can't skeer +us for half a minute. I'm an ol' man, myself, but if you don't +behave, I'll spank you like I would a baby, an' it won't be any +trouble at all to do it, thank'e. As a matter o' fact, we've +captured your whole bloomin' blue island, but we don't like the +place very much, and I guess we'll give it back. It gives us the +blues, don't it, Trot? So as soon as we eat a bite of lunch from our +basket, we'll sail away again." + +"Sail away? How?" asked the Boolooroo. + +"With the Magic Umbrel," said Cap'n Bill, pointing to the umbrella +that Button-Bright was holding underneath his arm. + +"Oh, ho! I see, I see," said the Boolooroo, nodding his funny head. +"Go ahead, then, and eat your lunch." + +He retreated a little way to a marble seat beside the fountain, but +watched the strangers carefully. Cap'n Bill, feeling sure he had won +the argument, whispered to the boy and girl that they must eat and +get away as soon as possible, as this might prove a dangerous +country for them to remain in. Trot longed to see more of the +strange blue island, and especially wanted to explore the +magnificent blue palace that adjoined the garden and which had six +hundred tall towers and turrets; but she felt that her old friend +was wise in advising them to get away quickly. So she opened the +basket, and they all three sat in a row on a stone bench and began +to eat sandwiches and cake and pickles and cheese and all the good +things that were packed in the lunch basket. + +They were hungry from the long ride, and while they ate they kept +their eyes busily employed in examining all the queer things around +them. The Boolooroo seemed quite the queerest of anything, and Trot +noticed that when he pulled the long curl that stuck up from the top +of his head, a bell tinkled somewhere in the palace. He next pulled +at the bottom of his right ear, and another faraway bell tinkled; +then he touched the end of his nose, and still another bell was +faintly heard. The Boolooroo said not a word while he was ringing +the bells, and Trot wondered if that was the way he amused himself. +But now the frown died away from his face and was replaced with a +look of satisfaction. + +"Have you nearly finished?" he inquired. + +"No," said Trot, "we've got to eat our apples yet." + +"Apples? Apples? What are apples?" he asked. + +Trot took some from the basket. "Have one?" she said. "They're awful +good." + +The Boolooroo advanced a step and took the apple, which he regarded +with much curiosity. + +"Guess they don't grow anywhere but on the Earth," remarked Cap'n +Bill. + +"Are they good to eat?" asked the Boolooroo. + +"Try it and see," answered Trot, biting into an apple herself. + +The Blueskin sat down on the end of their bench, next to +Button-Bright, and began to eat his apple. He seemed to like it, for +he finished it in a hurry, and when it was gone he picked up the +Magic Umbrella. + +"Let that alone!" said Button-Bright, making a grab for it. But the +Boolooroo jerked it away in an instant, and standing up he held the +umbrella behind him and laughed aloud. + +"Now then," said he, "you can't get away until I'm willing to let +you go. You are my prisoners." + +"I guess not," returned Cap'n Bill, and reaching out one of his long +arms, the sailorman suddenly grasped the Boolooroo around his long, +thin neck and shook him until his whole body fluttered like a flag. +"Drop that umbrel. Drop it!" yelled Cap'n Bill, and the Boolooroo +quickly obeyed. The Magic Umbrella fell to the ground, and +Button-Bright promptly seized it. Then the sailor let go his hold +and the King staggered to a seat, choking and coughing to get his +breath back. + +"I told you to let things alone," growled Cap'n Bill. "If you don't +behave, your Majesty, this Blue Island'll have to get another +Boolooroo." + +"Why?" asked the Blueskin. + +"Because I'll prob'ly spoil you for a king, an' mebbe for anything +else. Anyhow, you'll get badly damaged if you try to interfere with +us, an' that's a fact." + +"Don't kill him, Cap'n Bill," said Trot cheerfully. + +"Kill me? Why, he couldn't do that," observed the King, who was +trying to rearrange the ruffle around his neck. "Nothing can kill +me." + +"Why not?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"Because I haven't lived my six hundred years yet. Perhaps you don't +know that every Blueskin in Sky Island lives exactly six hundred +years from the time he is born." + +"No, I didn't know that," admitted the sailor. + +"It's a fact, said the King. "Nothing can kill us until we've lived +to the last day of our appointed lives. When the final minute is up, +we die; but we're obliged to live all of the six hundred years +whether we want to or not. So you needn't think of trying to kill +anybody on Sky Island. It can't be done." + +"Never mind," said Cap'n Bill. "I'm no murderer, thank goodness, and +I wouldn't kill you if I could, much as you deserve it." + +"But isn't six hundred years an awful long time to live?" questioned +Trot. + +"It seems like it at first," replied the King, "but I notice that +whenever any of my subjects get near the end of their six hundred, +they grow nervous and say the life is altogether too short." + +"How long have you lived?" asked Button-Bright. + +The King coughed again and turned a bit bluer. "That is considered +an impertinent question in Sky Island," he answered, "but I will say +that every Boolooroo is elected to reign three hundred years, and +I've reigned not quite--ahem!--two hundred." + +"Are your kings elected, then?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"Yes, of course. This is a Republic, you know. The people elect all +their officers from the King down. Every man and every woman is a +voter. The Boolooroo tells them whom to vote for, and if they don't +obey, they are severely punished. It's a fine system of government, +and the only thing I object to is electing the Boolooroo for only +three hundred years. It ought to be for life. My successor has +already been elected, but he can't reign for a hundred years to +come." + +"I think three hundred years is plenty long enough," said Trot. "It +gives someone else a chance to rule, an' I wouldn't be s'prised if +the next king is a better one. Seems to me you're not much of a +Boolooroo." + +"That," replied the King indignantly, "is a matter of opinion. I +like myself very much, but I can't expect you to like me, because +you're deformed and ignorant." + +"I'm not!" cried Trot. + +"Yes, you are. Your legs are too short and your neck is nothing at +all. Your color is most peculiar, but there isn't a shade of blue +about any of you, except the deep-blue color of the clothes the old +ape that choked me wears. Also, you are ignorant because you know +nothing of Sky Island, which is the Center of the Universe and the +only place anyone would care to live." + +"Don't listen to him, Trot," said Button-Bright. "He's an ignorant +himself." + +Cap'n Bill packed up the lunch basket. One end of the rope was still +tied to the handle of the basket, and the other end to his swing +seat, which lay on the ground before them. + +"Well," said he, "let's go home. We've seen enough of this Blue +Country and its Blue Boolooroo, I guess, an' it's a long journey +back again." + +"All right," agreed Trot, jumping up. + +Button-Bright stood on the bench and held up the Magic Umbrella, so +he could open it, and the sailor had just attached the ropes when a +thin blue line shot out from behind them and in a twinkling wound +itself around the umbrella. At the same instant another blue cord +wound itself around the boy's body, and others caught Trot and Cap'n +Bill in their coils, so that all had their arms pinned fast to their +sides and found themselves absolutely helpless. + + + + + + +THE SIX SNUBNOSED PRINCESSES + +CHAPTER 6 + + + + + +The Boolooroo was laughing and dancing around in front of them as if +well pleased. For a moment the prisoners could not imagine what had +happened to them, but presently half a dozen Blueskins, resembling +in shape and costume their ruler but less magnificently dressed, +stepped in front of them and bowed low to the Boolooroo. + +"Your orders, most Mighty, Flighty, Tight and Righty Monarch, have +been obeyed," said the leader. + +"Very well, Captain. Take that umbrella and carry it to my Royal +Treasury. See that it is safely locked up. Here's the key, and if +you don't return it to me within five minutes, I'll have you +patched." + +The Captain took the key and the Magic Umbrella and hastened away to +the palace. Button-Bright had already hooked the ropes to the +elephant-trunk handle, so that when the Captain carried away the +umbrella, he dragged after him first the double seat, then Cap'n +Bill's seat, which was fastened to it, and finally the lunch-basket, +which was attached to the lower seat. At every few steps some of +these would trip up the Captain and cause him to take a tumble, but +as he had only five minutes' time in which to perform his errand, he +would scramble to his feet again and dash along the path until a +board or the basket tripped him up again. + +They all watched him with interest until he had disappeared within +the palace, when the King turned to his men and said: + +"Release the prisoners. They are now quite safe, and cannot escape +me." + +So the men unwound the long cords that were twined around the bodies +of our three friends, and set them free. These men seemed to be +soldiers, although they bore no arms except the cords. Each cord had +a weight at the end, and when the weight was skillfully thrown by a +soldier, it wound the cord around anything in the twinkling of an +eye and held fast until it was unwound again. + +Trot decided these Blueskins must have stolen into the garden when +summoned by the bells the Boolooroo had rung, but they had kept out +of sight and crept up behind the bench on which our friends were +seated until a signal from the king aroused them to action. + +The little girl was greatly surprised by the suddenness of her +capture, and so was Button-Bright. Cap'n Bill shook his head and +said he was afeared they'd get into trouble. "Our mistake," he +added, "was in stoppin' to eat our lunch. But it's too late now to +cry over spilt milk." + +"I don't mind, not much anyhow," asserted Trot bravely. "We're in no +hurry to get back, are we, Button-Bright?" + +"I'm not," said the boy. "If they hadn't taken the umbrella, I +wouldn't care how long we stopped in this funny island. Do you think +it's a fairy country, Trot?" + +"Can't say, I'm sure," she answered. "I haven't seen anything here +yet that reminds me of fairies, but Cap'n Bill said a floating +island in the sky was sure to be a fairyland." + +"I think so yet, mate," returned the sailor. "But there's all sorts +o' fairies, I've heard. Some is good, an' some is bad, an' if all +the Blueskins are like their Boolooroo, they can't be called +fust-class." + +"Don't let me hear any more impudence, prisoners!" called the +Boolooroo sternly. "You are already condemned to severe punishment, +and if I have any further trouble with you, you are liable to be +patched." + +"What's being patched?" inquired the girl. + +The soldiers all laughed at this question, but the King did not +reply. Just then a door in the palace opened and out trooped a group +of girls. There were six of them, all gorgeously dressed in silken +gowns with many puffs and tucks and ruffles and flounces and laces +and ribbons, everything being in some shade of blue, grading from +light blue to deep blue. Their blue hair was elaborately dressed and +came to a point at the top of their heads. The girls approached in a +line along the garden path, all walking with mincing steps and +holding their chins high. Their skirts prevented their long legs +from appearing as grotesque as did those of the men, but their necks +were so thin and long that the ruffles around them only made them +seem the more absurd. + +"Ah," said the King with a frown, "here come the Six Snubnosed +Princesses, the most beautiful and aristocratic ladies in Sky +Island." + +"They're snubnosed, all right," observed Trot, looking at the girls +with much interest, "but I should think it would make 'em mad to +call 'em that." + +"Why?" asked the Boolooroo in surprise. "Is not a snub nose the +highest mark of female beauty?" + +"Is it?" asked the girl. + +"Most certainly. In this favored island, which is the Center of the +Universe, a snub nose is an evidence of high breeding which any lady +would be proud to possess." + +The Six Snubnosed Princesses now approached the fountain and stood +in a row, staring with haughty looks at the strangers. + +"Goodness me, your Majesty!" exclaimed the first. "What queer, +dreadful-looking creatures are these? Where in all the Sky did they +come from?" + +"They say they came from the Earth, Cerulia," answered the +Boolooroo. + +"But that is impossible," said another Princess. "Our scientists +have proved that the Earth is not inhabited." + +"Your scientists'll have to guess again, then," said Trot. + +"But how did they get to Sky Island?" inquired the third snubnosed +one. + +"By means of a Magic Umbrella, which I have captured and put away in +my Treasure Chamber," replied the Boolooroo. + +"What will you do with the monsters, papa?" asked the fourth +Princess. + +"I haven't decided yet," said the Boolooroo. "They're curiosities, +you see, and may serve to amuse us. But as they're only half +civilized, I shall make them my slaves." + +"What are they good for? Can they do anything useful?" asked the +fifth. + +"We'll see," returned the King impatiently. "I can't decide in a +hurry. Give me time, Azure, give me time. If there's anything I +hate, it's a hurry." + +"I've an idea, your Majesty," announced the sixth Snubnosed +Princess, whose complexion was rather darker than that of her +sisters, "and it has come to me quite deliberately, without any +hurry at all. Let us take the little girl to be our maid--to wait +upon us and amuse us when we're dull. All the other ladies of the +court will be wild with envy, and if the child doesn't prove of use +to us, we can keep her for a living pincushion." + +"Oh! Ah! That will be fine!" cried all the other five, and the +Boolooroo said: + +"Very well, Indigo, it shall be as you desire." Then he turned to +Trot and added, "I present you to the Six Lovely Snubnosed +Princesses, to be their slave. If you are good and obedient, you +won't get your ears boxed oftener than once an hour." + +"I won't be anybody's slave," protested Trot. "I don't like these +snubnosed, fussy females, an' I won't have anything to do with 'em." + +"How impudent!" cried Cerulia. + +"How vulgar!" cried Turquoise. + +"How unladylike!" cried Sapphire. + +"How silly!" cried Azure. + +"How absurd!" cried Cobalt. + +"How wicked!" cried Indigo. And then all six held up their hands as +if horrified. + +The Boolooroo laughed. "You'll know how to bring her to time, I +imagine," he remarked, "and if the girl isn't reasonable and +obedient, send her to me and I'll have her patched. Now, then, take +her away." + +But Trot was obstinate and wouldn't budge a step. "Keep us together, +your Majesty," begged Cap'n Bill. "If we're to be slaves, don't +separate us, but make us all the same kind o' slaves." + +"I shall do what pleases me," declared the Boolooroo angrily. "Don't +try to dictate, old Moonface, for there's only one Royal Will in Sky +Island, and that's my own." + +He then gave a command to a soldier, who hastened away to the palace +and soon returned with a number of long, blue ribbons. One he tied +around Trot's waist and then attached to it six other ribbons. Each +of the Six Snubnosed Princesses held the end of a ribbon, and then +they turned and marched haughtily away to the palace, dragging the +little girl after them. + +"Don't worry, Trot," cried Button-Bright. "We'll get you out of this +trouble pretty soon." + +"Trust to us, mate," added Cap'n Bill. "We'll manage to take care o' +you." + +"Oh, I'm all right," answered Trot with fine courage. "I'm not +afraid of these gawkies." + +But the princesses pulled her after them, and soon they had all +disappeared into one of the entrances to the Blue Palace. + +"Now, then," said the Boolooroo. "I will instruct you two in your +future duties. I shall make old Moonface--" + +"My name's Cap'n Bill Weedles," interrupted the sailor. + +"I don't care what your name is. I shall call you old Moonface," +replied the king, "for that suits you quite well. I shall appoint +you the Royal Nectar Mixer to the court of Sky Island, and if you +don't mix our nectar properly, I'll have you patched." + +"How do you mix it?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"I don't mix it. It's not the Boolooroo's place to mix nectar," was +the stern reply. "But you may inquire of the palace servants, and +perhaps the Royal Chef or the Major-domo will condescend to tell +you. Take him to the servants' quarters, Captain Ultramarine, and +give him a suit of the royal livery." + +So Cap'n Bill was lad away by the chief of the soldiers, and when he +had gone, the king said to Button-Bright, "You, slave, shall be the +Royal Bootblue. Your duty will be to keep the boots and shoes of the +royal family nicely polished with blue." + +"I don't know how," answered Button-Bright surlily. + +"You'll soon learn. The Royal Steward will supply you with blue +paste, and when you've brushed this on our shoes, you must shine +them with Q-rays of Moonshine. Do you understand?" + +"No," said Button-Bright. + +Then the Boolooroo told one of the soldiers to take the boy to the +shoeblue den and have him instructed in his duties, and the soldiers +promptly obeyed and dragged Button-Bright away to the end of the +palace where the servants lived. + + + + + + +GHIP-GHISIZZLE PROVES FRIENDLY + +CHAPTER 7 + + + + + +The Royal Palace was certainly a magnificent building, with large +and lofty rooms and superb furnishings, all being in shades of blue. +The soldier and the boy passed through several broad corridors and +then came to a big hall where many servants were congregated. These +were staring in bewilderment at Cap'n Bill, who had been introduced +to them by Captain Ultramarine. Now they turned in no less surprise +to examine the boy, and their looks expressed not only astonishment +but dislike. + +The servants were all richly attired in blue silk liveries, and they +seemed disposed to resent the fact that these strangers had been +added to their ranks. They scowled and muttered and behaved in a +very unfriendly way, even after Captain Ultramarine had explained +that the newcomers were merely base slaves, and not to be classed +with the free royal servants of the palace. + +One of those present, however, showed no especial enmity to +Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill, and this Blueskin attracted the boy's +notice because his appearance was so strange. He looked as if he +were made of two separate men, each cut through the middle and then +joined together, half of one to half of the other. One side of his +blue hair was curly and the other half straight; one ear was big and +stuck out from the side of his head, while the other ear was small +and flat; one eye was half shut and twinkling, while the other was +big and staring; his nose was thin on one side and flat on the +other, while one side of his mouth curled up and the other down. +Button-Bright also noticed that he limped as he walked because one +leg was a trifle longer than the other, and that one hand was +delicate and slender and the other thick and hardened by use. + +"Don't stare at him," a voice whispered in the boy's ear. "The poor +fellow has been patched, that's all." + +Button-Bright turned to see who had spoken and found by his side a +tall young Blueskin with a blue-gold chain around his neck. He was +quite the best looking person the boy had seen in Sky Island, and he +spoke in a pleasant way and seemed quite friendly. But the two-sided +man had overheard the remark, and he now stepped forward and said in +a careless tone: + +"Never mind. It's no disgrace to be patched in a country ruled by +such a cruel Boolooroo as we have. Let the boy look at me if he +wants to. I'm not pretty, but that's not my fault. Blame the +Boolooroo." + +"I--I'm glad to meet you, sir," stammered Button-Bright. "What is +your name, please?" + +"I'm now named Jimfred Jonesjinks, and my partner is called Fredjim +Jinksjones. He's busy at present guarding the Treasure Chamber, but +I'll introduce you to him when he comes back. We've had the +misfortune to be patched, you know." + +"What is being patched?" asked the boy. + +"They cut two of us in halves and mismatch the halves--half of one +to half of the other, you know--and then the other two halves are +patched together. It destroys our individuality and makes us complex +creatures, so it's the worst punishment than can be inflicted in Sky +Island." + +"Oh," said Button-Bright, alarmed at such dreadful butchery. +"Doesn't it hurt?" + +"No, it doesn't hurt," replied Jimfred. "But it makes one +frightfully nervous. They stand you under a big knife, which drops +and slices you neatly in two, exactly in the middle. Then they match +half of you to another person who has likewise been sliced, and +there you are, patched to someone you don't care about and haven't +much interest in. If your half wants to do something, the other half +is likely to want to do something different, and the funny part of +it is you don't quite know which is your half and which is the other +half. It's a terrible punishment, and in a country where one can't +die or be killed until he has lived his six hundred years, to be +patched is a great misfortune." + +"I'm sure it is," said Button-Bright earnestly. "But can't you ever +get--get--UNpatched again?" + +"If the Boolooroo would consent, I think it could be done," Jimfred +replied, "but he never will consent. This is about the meanest +Boolooroo who ever ruled this land, and he was the first to invent +patching people as a punishment. I think we will all be glad when +his three hundred years of rule are ended." + +"When will that be?" inquired the boy. + +"Hush-sh-sh!" cried everyone in a chorus, and they all looked over +their shoulders as if frightened by the question. The officer with +the blue-gold chain pulled Button-Bright's sleeve and whispered, +"Follow me, please." And then he beckoned to Cap'n Bill and led the +two slaves to another room where they were alone. + +"I must instruct you in your duties," said he when they were all +comfortably seated in cozy chairs with blue cushions. "You must +learn how to obey the Boolooroo's commands, so he won't become angry +and have you patched." + +"How could he patch US?" asked the sailorman curiously. + +"Oh, he'd just slice you all in halves and then patch half of the +boy to half of the girl, and the other half to half of you, and the +other half of you to the other half of the girl. See?" + +"Can't say I do," said Cap'n Bill, much bewildered. "It's a reg'lar +mix-up." + +"That's what it's meant to be," explained the young officer. + +"An' seein' as we're Earth folks, an' not natives of Sky Island, +I've an idea the slicing machine would about end us, without bein' +patched," continued the sailor. + +"Oh," said Button-Bright, "so it would." + +"While you are in this country, you can't die till you've lived six +hundred years," declared the officer. + +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "That's different, of course. But who are +you, please?" + +"My name is Ghip-Ghi-siz-zle. Can you remember it?" + +"I can 'member the 'sizzle,'" said the boy, "but I'm 'fraid the +Gwip--Grip--Glip--" + +"Ghip-Ghi-siz-zle" repeated the officer slowly. "I want you to +remember my name, because if you are going to live here, you are +sure to hear of me a great many times. Can you keep a secret?" + +"I can try," said Button-Bright. + +"I've kep' secrets--once in a while," asserted Cap'n Bill. + +"Well, try to keep this one. I'm to be the next Boolooroo of Sky +Island." + +"Good for you!" cried the sailor. "I wish you was the Boolooroo now, +sir. But it seems you've got to wait a hundred years or more afore +you can take his place." + +Ghip-Ghisizzle rose to his feet and paced up and down the room for a +time, a frown upon his face. Then he halted and faced Cap'n Bill. +"Sir," said he, "there lies all my trouble. I'm quite sure the +present Boolooroo has reigned three hundred years next Thursday, but +he claims it is only two hundred years, and as he holds the Royal +Book of Records under lock and key in the Royal Treasury, there is +no way for us to prove he is wrong." + +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "How old is the Boolooroo?" + +"He was two hundred years old when he was elected," replied +Ghip-Ghisizzle. "If he has already reigned three hundred years as I +suspect, then he is now five hundred years old. You see, he is +trying to steal another hundred years of rule so as to remain a +tyrant all his life." + +"He don't seem as old as that," observed Cap'n Bill thoughtfully. +"Why, I'm only sixty myself, an' I guess I look twice as old as your +king does." + +"We do not show our age in looks," the officer answered. "I am just +about your age, sir--sixty-two my next birthday--but I'm sure I +don't look as old as that." + +"That's a fact," agreed Cap'n Bill. Then he turned to Button-Bright +and added, "Don't that prove Sky Island is a fairy country as I +said?" + +"Oh, I've known that all along," said the boy. "The slicing and +patching proves it, and so do lots of other things." + +"Now then," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "let us talk over your duties. It +seems you must mix the royal nectar, Cap'n Bill. Do you know how to +do that?" + +"I'm free to say as I don't, friend Sizzle." + +"The Boolooroo is very particular about his nectar. I think he has +given you this job so he can find fault with you and have you +punished. But we will fool him. You are strangers here, and I don't +want you imposed upon. I'll send Tiggle to the royal pantry and keep +him there to mix the nectar. Then when the Boolooroo or the Queen or +any of the Snubnosed Princesses call for a drink, you can carry it +to them and it will be sure to suit them." + +"Thank'e sir," said Cap'n Bill. "That's real kind of you." + +"Your job, Button-Bright, is easier," continued Ghip-Ghisizzle. + +"I'm no bootblack," declared the boy. "The Boolooroo has no right to +make me do his dirty work." + +"You're a slave," the officer reminded him, "and a slave must obey." + +"Why?" asked Button-Bright. + +"Because he can't help himself. No slave ever wants to obey, but he +just has to. And it isn't dirty work at all. You don't black the +royal boots and shoes, you merely blue them with a finely perfumed +blue paste. Then you shine them neatly and your task is done. You +will not be humiliated by becoming a bootblack. You'll be a +bootblue." + +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "I don't see much difference, but perhaps +it's a little more respectable." + +"Yes, the Royal Bootblue is considered a high official in Sky +Island. You do your work at evening or early morning, and the rest +of the day you are at liberty to do as you please." + +"It won't last long, Button-Bright," said Cap'n Bill consolingly. +"Somethin's bound to happen pretty soon, you know." + +"I think so myself," answered the boy. + +"And now," remarked Ghip-Ghisizzle, "since you understand your new +duties, perhaps you'd like to walk out with me and see the Blue City +and the glorious Blue Country of Sky Island." + +"We would that!" cried Cap'n Bill promptly. + +So they accompanied their new friend through a maze of passages--for +the palace was very big--and then through a high, arched portal into +the streets of the City. So rapid had been their descent when the +umbrella landed them in the royal garden that they had not even +caught a glimpse of the Blue City, so now they gazed with wonder and +interest at the splendid sights that met their eyes. + + + + + + +THE BLUE CITY + +CHAPTER 8 + + + + + +The Blue City was quite extensive, and consisted of many broad +streets paved with blue marble and lined with splendid buildings of +the same beautiful material. There were houses and castles and shops +for the merchants, and all were prettily designed and had many +slender spires and imposing turrets that rose far into the blue air. +Everything was blue here, just as was everything in the Royal Palace +and gardens, and a blue haze overhung all the city. + +"Doesn't the sun ever shine?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"Not in the blue part of Sky Island," replied Ghip-Ghisizzle. "The +moon shines here every night, but we never see the sun. I am told, +however, that on the other half of the Island--which I have never +seen--the sun shines brightly but there is no moon at all." + +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "Is there another half to Sky Island?' + +"Yes, a dreadful place called the Pink Country. I'm told everything +there is pink instead of blue. A fearful place it must be, indeed!" +said the Blueskin with a shudder. + +"I dunno 'bout that," remarked Cap'n Bill. "That Pink Country sounds +kind o' cheerful to me. Is your Blue Country very big?" + +"It is immense," was the proud reply. "This enormous city extends a +half mile in all directions from the center, and the country outside +the City is fully a half-mile further in extent. That's very big, +isn't it?" + +"Not very," replied Cap'n Bill with a smile. "We've cities on the +Earth ten times bigger, an' then some big besides. We'd call this a +small town in our country." + +"Our Country is thousands of miles wide and thousands of miles +long--it's the great United States of America!" added the boy +earnestly. + +Ghip-Ghisizzle seemed astonished. He was silent a moment, and then +he said, "Here in Sky Island we prize truthfulness very highly. Our +Boolooroo is not very truthful, I admit, for he is trying to +misrepresent the length of his reign, but our people as a rule speak +only the truth." + +"So do we," asserted Cap'n Bill. "What Button-Bright said is the +honest truth, every word of it." + +"But we have been led to believe that Sky Island is the greatest +country in the universe--meaning, of course, our half of it, the +Blue Country." + +"It may be for you, perhaps," the sailor stated politely. "An' I +don't imagine any island floatin' in the sky is any bigger. But the +Universe is a big place, an' you can't be sure of what's in it till +you've traveled like we have." + +"Perhaps you are right," mused the Blueskin, but he still seemed to +doubt them. + +"Is the Pink side of Sky Island bigger than the Blue side?" asked +Button-Bright. + +"No, it is supposed to be the same size," was the reply. + +"Then why haven't you ever been there? Seems to me you could walk +across the whole island in an hour," said the boy. + +"The two parts are separated by an impassable barrier," answered +Ghip-Ghisizzle. "Between them lies the Great Fog Bank." + +"A fog bank? Why, that's no barrier!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill. + +"It is indeed," returned the Blueskin. "The Fog Bank is so thick and +heavy that it blinds one, and if once you got into the Bank, you +might wander forever and not find your way out again. Also, it is +full of dampness that wets your clothes and your hair until you +become miserable. It is furthermore said that those who enter the +Fog Bank forfeit the six hundred years allowed them to live and are +liable to die at any time. Here we do not die, you know; we merely +pass away." + +"How's that?" asked the sailor. "Isn't 'pass'n' away' jus' the same +as dyin'?" + +"No indeed. When our six hundred years are ended, we march into the +Great Blue Grotto, through the Arch of Phinis, and are never seen +again." + +"That's queer," said Button-Bright. "What would happen if you didn't +march through the Arch?" + +"I do not know, for no one has ever refused to do so. It is the Law, +and we all obey it." + +"It saves funeral expenses, anyhow," remarked Cap'n Bill. "Where is +this Arch?" + +"Just outside the gates of the City. There is a mountain in the +center of the Blue land, and the entrance to the Great Blue Grotto +is at the foot of the mountain. According to our figures, the +Boolooroo ought to march into this Grotto a hundred years from next +Thursday, but he is trying to steal a hundred years and so perhaps +he won't enter the Arch of Phinis. Therefore, if you will please be +patient for about a hundred years, you will discover what happens to +one who breaks the Law." + +"Thank'e," remarked Cap'n Bill. "I don't expect to be very curious a +hundred years from now." + +"Nor I," added Button-Bright, laughing at the whimsical speech. "But +I don't see how the Boolooroo is able to fool you all. Can't any of +you remember two or three hundred years back when he first began to +rule?" + +"No," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "that's a long time to remember, and we +Blueskins try to forget all we can, especially whatever is +unpleasant. Those who remember are usually the unhappy ones; only +those able to forget find the most joy in life." + +During this conversation they had been walking along the streets of +the Blue City, where many of the Blueskin inhabitants stopped to +gaze wonderingly at the sailor and the boy, whose strange appearance +surprised them. They were a nervous, restless people, and their +egg-shaped heads, set on the ends of long, thin necks, seemed so +grotesque to the strangers that they could scarcely forbear laughing +at them. The bodies of these people were short and round and their +legs exceptionally long, so when a Blueskin walked, he covered twice +as much ground at one step as Cap'n Bill or Button-Bright did. The +women seemed just as repellent as the men, and Button-Bright began +to understand that the Six Snubnosed Princesses were, after all, +rather better looking than most of the females of the Blue Country +and so had a certain right to be proud and haughty. + +There were no horses nor cows in this land, but there were plenty of +blue goats, from which the people got their milk. Children tended +the goats--wee Blueskin boys and girls whose appearance was so +comical that Button-Bright laughed whenever he saw one of them. + +Although the natives had never seen before this any human beings +made as Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were, they took a strong +dislike to the strangers and several times threatened to attack +them. Perhaps if Ghip-Ghisizzle, who was their favorite, had not +been present, they would have mobbed our friends with vicious +ill-will and might have seriously injured them. But Ghip-Ghisizzle's +friendly protection made them hold aloof. + +By and by they passed through a City gate, and their guide showed +them the outer walls, which protected the City from the country +beyond. There were several of these gates, and from their recesses +stone steps led to the top of the wall. They mounted a flight of +these steps and from their elevation plainly saw the low mountain +where the Arch of Phinis was located, and beyond that the thick, +blue-gray Fog Bank, which constantly rolled like billows of the +ocean and really seemed, from a distance, quite forbidding. + +"But it wouldn't take long to get there," decided Button-Bright, +"and if you were close up, it might not be worse than any other fog. +Is the Pink Country on the other side of it?" + +"So we are told in the Book of Records," replied Ghip-Ghisizzle. +"None of us now living know anything about it, but the Book of +Records calls it the 'Sunset Country' and says that at evening the +pink shades are drowned by terrible colors of orange and crimson and +golden-yellow and red. Wouldn't it be horrible to be obliged to look +upon such a sight? It must give the poor people who live there +dreadful headaches." + +"I'd like to see that Book of Records," mused Cap'n Bill, who didn't +think the description of the Sunset Country at all dreadful. + +"I'd like to see it myself," returned Ghip-Ghisizzle with a sigh, +"but no one can lay hands on it because the Boolooroo keeps it +safely locked up in his Treasure Chamber." + +"Where's the key to the Treasure Chamber?" asked Button-Bright. + +"The Boolooroo keeps it in his pocket night and day," was the reply. +"He is afraid to let anyone see the Book because it would prove he +has already reigned three hundred years next Thursday, and then he +would have to resign the throne to me and leave the Palace and live +in a common house." + +"My Magic Umbrella is in that Treasure Chamber," said Button-Bright, +"and I'm going to try to get it." + +"Are you?" inquired Ghip-Ghisizzle eagerly. "Well, if you manage to +enter the Treasure Chamber, be sure to bring me the Book of Records. +If you can do that, I will be the best and most grateful friend you +ever had!" + +"I'll see," said the boy. "It ought not to be hard work to break +into the Treasure chamber. Is it guarded?" + +"Yes. The outside guard is Jimfred Jinksjones, the double patch of +the Fredjim whom you have met, and the inside guard is a ravenous +creature known as the Blue Wolf, which has teeth a foot long and as +sharp as needles." + +"Oh," said Button-Bright. "But never mind the Blue Wolf; I must +manage to get my umbrella somehow or other." + +They now walked back to the palace, still objects of much curiosity +to the natives, who sneered at them and mocked them but dared not +interfere with their progress. At the palace they found that dinner +was about to be served in the big dining hall of the servants and +dependents and household officers of the royal Boolooroo. +Ghip-Ghisizzle was the Majordomo and Master of Ceremonies, so he +took his seat at the end of the long table and placed Cap'n Bill on +one side of him and Button-Bright on the other, to the great +annoyance of the other Blueskins present, who favored the strangers +with nothing pleasanter than envious scowls. + +The Boolooroo and his Queen and daughters--the Six Snubnosed +Princesses--dined in formal state in the Banquet Hall, where they +were waited upon by favorite soldiers of the Royal Bodyguard. Here +in the servants' hall there was one vacant seat next to +Button-Bright which was reserved for Trot; but the little girl had +not yet appeared, and the sailorman and the boy were beginning to be +uneasy about her. + + + + + + +THE TRIBULATION OF TROT + +CHAPTER 9 + + + + + +The apartments occupied by the Six Snubnosed Princesses were so +magnificent that when Trot first entered them, led by her haughty +captors, she thought they must be the most beautiful rooms in the +world. There was a long and broad reception room, with forty-seven +windows in it, and opening out of it were six lovely bedchambers, +each furnished in the greatest luxury. Adjoining each sleeping room +was a marble bath, and each Princess had a separate boudoir and a +dressing room. The furnishings were of the utmost splendor, +blue-gold and blue gems being profusely used in the decorations, +while the divans and chairs were of richly carved bluewood +upholstered in blue satins and silks. The draperies were superbly +embroidered, and the rugs upon the marble floors were woven with +beautiful scenes in every conceivable shade of blue. + +When they first reached the reception room, Princess Azure cast +herself upon a divan while her five sisters sat or reclined in easy +chairs with their heads thrown back and their blue chins scornfully +elevated. Trot, who was much annoyed at the treatment she had +received, did not hesitate to seat herself also in a big easy chair. + +"Slave!" cried Princess Cerulia, "Fetch me a mirror." + +"Slave!" cried Princess Turquoise, "A lock of my hair is loosened; +bind it up." + +"Slave!" cried Princess Cobalt, "Unfasten my shoes; they're too +tight." + +"Slave!" cried Princess Sapphire, "Bring hither my box of blue +chocolates." + +"Slave!" cried Princess Azure, "Stand by my side and fan me." + +"Slave!" cried Princess Indigo, "Get out of that chair. How dare you +sit in our presence?" + +"If you're saying all those things to me," replied Trot, "you may as +well save your breath. I'm no slave." And she cuddled down closer in +the chair. + +"You ARE a slave!" shouted the six all together. + +"I'm not!" + +"Our father, the Revered and Resplendent Royal Ruler of the Blues, +has made you our slave," asserted Indigo with a yawn. + +"But he can't," objected the little girl. "I'm some Royal an' +Rapturous an' Ridic'lous myself, an' I won't allow any cheap +Boolooroo to order me 'round." + +"Are you of royal birth?" asked Azure, seeming surprised. + +"Royal! Why, I'm an American, Snubnoses, and if there's anything +royaler than an American, I'd like to know what it is." + +The Princesses seemed uncertain what reply to make to this speech +and began whispering together. Finally, Indigo said to Trot, "We do +not think it matters what you were in your own country, for having +left there you have forfeited your rank. By recklessly intruding +into our domain, you have become a slave, and being a slave you must +obey us or suffer the consequences." + +"What cons'quences?" asked the girl. + +"Dare to disobey us and you will quickly find out," snapped Indigo, +swaying her head from side to side on its long, swan-like neck like +the pendulum of a clock. + +"I don't want any trouble," said Trot gravely. "We came to Sky +Island by mistake and wanted to go right away again; but your father +wouldn't let us. It isn't our fault we're still here, an' I'm free +to say you're a very dis'gree'ble an' horrid lot of people with no +manners to speak of, or you'd treat us nicely." + +"No impertinence!" cried Indigo savagely. + +"Why, it's the truth," replied Trot. + +Indigo made a rush and caught Trot by both shoulders. The Princess +was twice the little girl's size, and she shook her victim so +violently that Trot's teeth rattled together. Then Princess Cobalt +came up and slapped one side of the slave's face, and Princess +Turquoise ran forward and slapped the other side. Cerulia gave Trot +a push one way, and Sapphire pushed her the other way, so the little +girl was quite out of breath and very angry when finally her +punishment ceased. She had not been much hurt, though, and she was +wise enough to understand that these Princesses were all cruel and +vindictive, so that her safest plan was to pretend to obey them. + +"Now then," commanded Princess Indigo, "go and feed my little blue +dog that crows like a rooster." + +"And feed my pretty blue cat that sings like a bird," said Princess +Azure. + +"And feed my soft, blue lamb that chatters like a monkey," said +Princess Cobalt. + +"And feed my poetic blue parrot that barks like a dog," said +Princess Sapphire. + +"And feed my fuzzy blue rabbit that roars like a lion," said +Princess Turquoise. + +"And feed my lovely blue peacock that mews like a cat," said +Princess Cerulia. + +"Anything else?" asked Trot, drawing a long breath. + +"Not until you have properly fed our pets," replied Azure with a +scowl. + +"What do they eat, then?" + +"Meat!" + +"Milk!" + +"Clover!" + +"Seeds!" + +"Bread!" + +"Carrots!" + +"All right," said Trot, "where do you keep the menagerie?" + +"Our pets are in our boudoirs," said Indigo harshly. "What a little +fool you are!" + +"Perhaps," said Trot, pausing as she was about to leave the room, +"when I grow up I'll be as big a fool as any of you." + +Then she ran away to escape another shaking, and in the first +boudoir she found the little blue dog curled up on a blue cushion in +a corner. Trot patted his head gently, and this surprised the dog, +who was accustomed to cuffs and kicks. So he licked Trot's hand and +wagged his funny little tail and then straightened up and crowed +like a rooster. The girl was delighted with the queer doggie, and +she found some meat in a cupboard and fed him out of her hand, +patting the tiny creature and stroking his soft blue hair. The +doggie had never in his life known anyone so kind and gentle, so +when Trot went into the next boudoir, the animal followed close at +her heels, wagging his tail every minute. + +The blue cat was asleep on a window seat, but it woke up when Trot +tenderly took it in her lap and fed it milk from a blue-gold dish. +It was a pretty cat and instantly knew the little girl was a friend +vastly different from its own bad-tempered mistress, so it sang +beautifully as a bird sings, and both the cat and the dog followed +Trot into the third boudoir. + +Here was a tiny baby lamb with fleece as blue as a larkspur and as +soft as milk. + +"Oh, you darling!" cried Trot, hugging the little lamb tight in her +arms. At once the lamb began chattering just as a monkey chatters, +only in the most friendly and grateful way, and Trot fed it a +handful of fresh blue clover and smoothed and petted it until the +lamb was eager to follow her wherever she might go. + +When she came to the fourth boudoir, a handsome blue parrot sat on a +blue perch and began barking as if it were nearly starved. Then it +cried out, + +"Rub-a-dub, dub, +Gimme some grub!" + +Trot laughed and gave it some seeds, and while the parrot ate them +she stroked gently his soft feathers. The bird seemed much +astonished at the unusual caress and turned upon the girl first one +little eye and then the other as if trying to discover why she was +so kind. He had never experienced kind treatment in all his life. So +it was no wonder that when the little girl entered the fifth boudoir +she was followed by the parrot, the lamb, the cat and the dog, who +all stood beside her and watched her feed the peacock, which she +found strutting around and mewing like a cat for his dinner. Said +the parrot, + +"I spy a peacock's eye +On every feather. I wonder why?" + +The peacock soon came to love Trot as much as the other bird and all +the beasts did, and it spread its tail and strutted after her into +the next boudoir, the sixth one. As she entered this room, Trot gave +a start of fear, for a terrible roar like the roar of a lion greeted +her. But there was no lion there; a fuzzy, blue rabbit was making +all the noise. "For goodness sake keep quiet," said Trot. "Here's a +nice blue carrot for you. The color seems all wrong, but it may +taste jus' as good as if it was red." + +Evidently it did taste good, for the rabbit ate it greedily. When it +was not roaring, the creature was so soft and fluffy that Trot +played with it and fondled it a long time after it had finished +eating, and the rabbit played with the cat and the dog and the lamb +and did not seem a bit afraid of the parrot or the peacock. But all +of a sudden in pounced Princess Indigo with a yell of anger. + +"So this is how you waste your time, is it?" exclaimed the Princess, +and grabbing Trot's arm, she jerked the girl to her feet and began +pushing her from the room. All the pets began to follow her, and +seeing this, Indigo yelled at them to keep back. As they paid no +attention to this command, the princess seized a basin of water and +dashed the fluid over the beasts and birds, after which she renewed +her attempt to push Trot from the room. The pets rebelled at such +treatment, and believing they ought to protect Trot, whom they knew +to be their friend, they proceeded to defend her. The little blue +dog dashed at Indigo and bit her right ankle, while the blue cat +scratched her left leg with its claws and the parrot flew upon her +shoulder and pecked her ear. The lamb ran up and butted Indigo so +that she stumbled forward on her face, when the peacock proceeded to +pound her head with his wings. Indigo, screaming with fright, sprang +to her feet again, but the rabbit ran between her legs and tripped +her up, all the time roaring loudly like a lion, and the dog crowed +triumphantly, as a rooster crows, while the cat warbled noisily and +the lamb chattered and the parrot barked and the peacock screeched +"me-ow!" + +Altogether, Indigo was, as Trot said, "scared stiff," and she howled +for help until her sisters ran in and rescued her, pulling her +through the bedchamber into the reception room. When she was alone, +Trot sat down on the floor and laughed until the tears came to her +eyes, and she hugged all the pets and kissed them every one and +thanked them for protecting her. + +"That's all right; +We like a fight," + +declared the parrot in reply. + +The Princesses were horrified to find Indigo so scratched and +bitten, and they were likewise amazed at the rebellion of their six +pets, which they had never petted, indeed, but kept in their +boudoirs so they could abuse them whenever they felt especially +wicked or ill-natured. None of the snubnosed ones dared enter the +room where the girl was, but they called through a crack in the door +for Trot to come out instantly. Trot, pretending not to hear, paid +no attention to these demands. + +Finding themselves helpless and balked of their revenge, the Six +Snubnosed Princesses finally recovered from their excitement and +settled down to a pleasant sisterly quarrel, as was their customary +amusement. Indigo wanted to have Trot patched, and Cerulia wanted +her beaten with knotted cords, and Cobalt wanted her locked up in a +dark room, and Sapphire wanted her fed on sand, and Turquoise wanted +her bound to a windmill, and so between these various desires, they +quarreled and argued until dinner time arrived. + +Trot was occupying Indigo's room, so that Princess was obliged to +dress with Azure, not daring to enter her own chamber, and the two +sisters quarreled so enthusiastically that they almost came to blows +before they were ready for dinner. + +Before the Six Snubnosed Princesses went to the Royal Banquet Hall, +Cobalt stuck her head through a crack of the door and said to Trot, +"If you want any dinner, you'll find it in the servants' hall. I +advise you to eat, for after our dinner we will decide upon a +fitting punishment for you, and then I'm sure you won't have much +appetite." + +"Thank you," replied the girl. "I'm right hungry, jus' now." She +waited until the snubnosed sextette had pranced haughtily away, and +then she came out, followed by all the pets, and found her way to +the servants' quarters. + + + + + + +THE KING'S TREASURE CHAMBER + +CHAPTER 10 + + + + + +All the Blueskins assembled in the servants' hall were amazed to see +the pets of the Princesses trailing after the strange little girl, +but Trot took her place next to Button-Bright at the table, and the +parrot perched upon her shoulder, while the peacock stood upon one +side of her chair, and the lamb upon the other, and the cat and dog +lay at her feet and the blue rabbit climbed into her lap and cuddled +down there. Some of the Blueskins insisted that the animals and +birds must be put out of the room, but Ghip-Ghisizzle said they +could remain, as they were the favored pets of the lovely Snubnosed +Princesses. + +Cap'n Bill was delighted to see his dear little friend again, and so +was Button-Bright, and now that they were reunited--for a time, at +least--they paid little heed to the sour looks and taunting remarks +of the ugly Blueskins and ate heartily of the dinner, which was +really very good. + +The meal was no sooner over than Ghip-Ghisizzle was summoned to the +chamber of his Majesty the Boolooroo, but before he went away, he +took Trot and Cap'n Bill and Button-Bright into a small room and +advised them to stay there until he returned so that the servants +and soldiers would not molest them. "My people seem to dislike +strangers," said the Majordomo thoughtfully, "and that surprises me +because you are the first strangers they have ever seen. I think +they imagine you will become favorites of the Boolooroo and of the +Princesses, and that is why they are jealous and hate you." + +"They needn't worry 'bout that," replied Trot. "The Snubnoses hate +me worse than the people do." + +"I can't imagine a bootblue becoming a royal favorite," grumbled +Button-Bright. + +"Or a necktie mixer," added Cap'n Bill. + +"You don't mix neckties; you're a nectar mixer," said Ghip-Ghisizzle +correcting the sailor. "I'll not be gone long, for I'm no favorite +of the Boolooroo, either, so please stay quietly in this room until +my return." + +The Majordomo found the Boolooroo in a bad temper. He had finished +his dinner, where his six daughters had bitterly denounced Trot all +through the meal and implored their father to invent some new and +terrible punishment for her. Also, his wife, the Queen, had made him +angry by begging for gold to buy ribbons with. Then, when he had +retired to his own private room, he decided to send for the umbrella +he had stolen from Button-Bright and test its magic powers. But the +umbrella, in his hands, proved just as common as any other umbrella +might be. He opened it and closed it, and turned it this way and +that, commanding it to do all sorts of things, but of course the +Magic Umbrella would obey no one but a member of the family that +rightfully owned it. At last the Boolooroo threw it down and stamped +upon it and then kicked it into a corner, where it rolled underneath +a cabinet. Then he sent for Ghip-Ghisizzle. + +"Do you know how to work that Magic Umbrella?" he asked the +Majordomo. + +"No, your Majesty, I do not," was the reply. + +"Well, find out. Make the Whiteskins tell you so that I can use it +for my own amusement." + +"I'll do my best, your Majesty," said Ghip-Ghisizzle. + +"You'll do more than that, or I'll have you patched!" roared the +angry Boolooroo. "And don't waste any time, either, for as soon as +we find out the secret of the umbrella I'm going to have the three +strangers marched through the Arch of Phinis, and that will be the +end of them." + +"You can't do that, your Majesty," said the Majordomo. + +"Why can't I?" + +"They haven't lived six hundred years yet, and only those who have +lived that length of time are allowed to march through the Arch of +Phinis into the Great Blue Grotto." + +The King looked at him with a sneer. "Has anyone ever come out of +that Arch alive?" he asked. + +"No," said Ghip-ghisizzle, "but no one has ever gone into the Blue +Grotto until his allotted time was up." + +"Well, I'm going to try the experiment," declared the Boolooroo. "I +shall march these three strangers through the Arch, and if by chance +they come out alive, I'll do a new sort of patching--I'll chop off +their heads and mix 'em up, putting the wrong head on each of 'em. +Ha, ha! Won't it be funny to see the old Moonface's head on the +little girl? Ho, ho! I really hope they'll come out of the Great +Blue Grotto alive!" + +"I also hope they will," replied Ghip-Ghisizzle. + +"Then I'll bet you four buttonholes they don't. I've a suspicion +that once they enter the Great Blue Grotto that's the last of them." + +Ghip-Ghisizzle went away quite sad and unhappy. He did not approve +the way the strangers were being treated and thought it was wicked +and cruel to try to destroy them. + +During his absence, the prisoners had been talking together very +earnestly. "We must get away from here somehow 'r other," said Cap'n +Bill, "but o' course we can't stir a step without the Magic Umbrel." + +"No, I must surely manage to get my umbrella first," said +Button-Bright. + +"Do it quick, then," urged Trot, "for I can't stand those snubnoses +much longer." + +"I'll do it tonight," said the boy. + +"The sooner, the better, my lad," remarked the sailor, "but seein' +as the Blue Boolooroo has locked it up in his Treasure Chamber, it +mayn't be easy to get hold of." + +"No, it won't be easy," Button-Bright admitted. "But it has to be +done, Cap'n Bill, and there's no use waiting any longer. No one here +likes us, and in a few days they may make an end of us." + +"Oh, Button-Bright! There's a Blue Wolf in the Treasure Chamber!" +exclaimed Trot. + +"Yes, I know." + +"An' a patched man on guard outside," Cap'n Bill reminded him. + +"I know," repeated Button-Bright. + +"And the key's in the King's own pocket," added Trot despairingly. + +The boy nodded. He didn't say how he would overcome all these +difficulties, so the little girl feared they would never see the +Magic Umbrella again. But their present position was a very serious +one, and even Cap'n Bill dared not advise Button-Bright to give up +the desperate attempt. + +When Ghip-Ghisizzle returned, he said, "You must be very careful not +to anger the Boolooroo, or he may do you a mischief. I think the +little girl had better keep away from the Princesses for tonight +unless they demand her presence. The boy must go for the King's +shoes and blue them and polish them and then take them back to the +Royal Bedchamber. Cap'n Bill won't have anything to do, for I've +ordered Tiggle to mix the nectar." + +"Thank 'e, friend Sizzle," said Cap'n Bill. + +"Now follow me, and I will take you to your rooms." + +He led them to the rear of the palace, where he gave them three +small rooms on the ground floor, each having a bed in it. Cap'n +Bill's room had a small door leading out into the street of the +City, but Ghip Ghisizzle advised him to keep this door locked, as +the city people would be sure to hurt the strangers if they had the +chance to attack them. + +"You're safer in the palace than anywhere else," said the Majordomo, +"for there is no way you can escape from the island, and here the +servants and soldiers dare not injure you for fear of the +Boolooroo." + +He placed Trot and her six pets--which followed her wherever she +went--in one room, and Cap'n Bill in another, and took Button-Bright +away with him to show the boy the way to the King's bedchamber. As +they proceeded, they passed many rooms with closed doors, and before +one of these a patched Blueskin was pacing up and down in a tired +and sleepy way. It was Jimfred Jinksjones, the double of the Fredjim +Jonesjinks they had talked with in the servants' hall, and he bowed +low before the Majordomo. + +"This is the King's new bootblue, a stranger who has lately arrived +here," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, introducing the boy to the patched man. + +"I'm sorry for him," muttered Jimfred. "He's a queer-looking chap, +with his pale yellow skin, and I imagine our cruel Boolooroo is +likely to patch him before long, as he did me--I mean us." + +"No he won't," said Button-Bright positively. "The Boolooroo's +afraid of me." + +"Oh, that's different," said Jimfred. "You're the first person I +ever knew that could scare our Boolooroo." + +They passed on, and Ghip-Ghisizzle whispered, "That is the Royal +Treasure Chamber." Button-Bright nodded. He had marked the place +well so he couldn't miss it when he wanted to find it again. When +they came to the King's apartments there was another guard before +the door, this time a long-necked soldier with a terrible scowl. + +"This slave is the Royal Bootblue," said Ghip-Ghisizzle to the +guard. "You will allow him to pass into his Majesty's chamber to get +the royal shoes and to return them when they are blued." + +"All right," answered the guard. "Our Boolooroo is in an ugly mood +tonight. It will go hard with this little short-necked creature if +he doesn't polish the shoes properly." + +Then Ghip-Ghisizzle left Button-Bright and went away, and the boy +passed through several rooms to the Royal Bedchamber, where his +Majesty sat undressing. + +"Hi, there! What are you doing here?" he roared as he saw +Button-Bright. + +"I've come for the shoes," said the boy. + +The king threw them at his head, aiming carefully, but Button-Bright +dodged the missiles, and one smashed a mirror while the other +shattered a vase on a small table. His Majesty looked around for +something else to throw, but the boy seized the shoes and ran away, +returning to his own room. + +While he polished the shoes he told his plans to Cap'n Bill and Trot +and asked them to be ready to fly with him as soon as he returned +with the Magic Umbrella. All they need to do was to step out into +the street, through the door of Cap'n Bill's room, and open the +umbrella. Fortunately, the seats and the lunch-basket were still +attached to the handle--or so they thought--and there would be +nothing to prevent their quickly starting on the journey home. + +They waited a long time, however, to give the Boolooroo time to get +to sleep, so it was after midnight when Button-Bright finally took +the shoes in his hand and started for the Royal Bedchamber. He +passed the guard of the Royal Treasury and Fredjim nodded +good-naturedly to the boy. But the sleepy guard before the King's +apartments was cross and surly. + +"What are you doing here at this hour?" he demanded. + +"I'm returning his Majesty's shoes," said Button-Bright. + +"Go back and wait till morning," commanded the guard. + +"If you prevent me from obeying the Boolooroo's orders," returned +the boy quietly, "he will probably have you patched." + +This threat frightened the long-necked guard, who did not know what +orders the Boolooroo had given his Royal Bootblue. "Go in, then," +said he, "but if you make a noise and waken his Majesty, the chances +are you'll get yourself patched." + +"I'll be quiet," promised the boy. + +Indeed, Button-Bright had no desire to waken the Boolooroo, whom he +found snoring lustily with the curtains of his high-posted bed drawn +tightly around him. The boy had taken off his own shoes after he +passed the guard and now he tiptoed carefully into the room, set +down the royal shoes very gently and then crept to the chair where +his Majesty's clothes were piled. Scarcely daring to breathe for +fear of awakening the terrible monarch, the boy searched in the +royal pockets until he found a blue-gold key attached to a blue-gold +chain. At once he decided this must be the key to the Treasure +Chamber, but in order to make sure he searched in every other +pocket--without finding another key. + +Then Button-Bright crept softly out of the room again, and in one of +the outer rooms he sat down near a big cabinet and put on his shoes. +Poor Button-Bright did not know that lying disregarded beneath that +very cabinet at his side was the precious umbrella he was seeking, +or that he was undertaking a desperate adventure all for nothing. He +passed the long-necked guard again, finding the man half asleep, and +then made his way to the Treasure Chamber. Facing Jimfred, he said +to the patched man in a serious tone, "His Majesty commands you to +go at once to the corridor leading to the apartments of the Six +Snubnosed Princesses and to guard the entrance until morning. You +are to permit no one to enter or leave the apartments." + +"But--good gracious!" exclaimed the surprised Jimfred. "Who will +guard the Treasure Chamber?" + +"I am to take your place," said Button-Bright. + +"Oh, very well," replied Jimfred. "This is a queer freak for our +Boolooroo to indulge in, but he is always doing something absurd. +You're not much of a guard, seems to me, but if anyone tries to rob +the Treasure Chamber you must ring this big gong, which will alarm +the whole palace and bring the soldiers to your assistance. Do you +understand?" + +"Yes," said Button-Bright. + +Then Fredjim stalked away to the other side of the palace to guard +the Princesses, and Button-Bright was left alone with the key to the +Treasure Chamber in his hand. But he had not forgotten that the +ferocious Blue Wolf was guarding the interior of the Chamber, so he +searched in some of the rooms until he found a sofa-pillow, which he +put under his arm and then returned to the corridor. + +He placed the key in the lock, and the bolt turned with a sharp +click. Button-Bright did not hesitate. He was afraid, to be sure, +and his heart was beating fast with the excitement of the moment, +but he knew he must regain the Magic Umbrella if he would save his +comrades and himself from destruction, for without it they could +never return to the Earth. So he summoned up his best courage, +opened the door, stepped quickly inside, and closed the door after +him. + + + + + + +BUTTON-BRIGHT ENCOUNTERS THE BLUE WOLF + +CHAPTER 11 + + + + + +A low, fierce growl greeted him. The Treasure Chamber was pretty +dark, although the moonlight came in through some of the windows, +but the boy had brought with him the low brass lamp that lighted the +corridor, and this he set upon a table beside the door before he +took time to look around him. + +The Treasure Chamber was heaped and crowded with all the riches the +Boolooroo had accumulated during his reign of two or three hundred +years. Piles of gold and jewels were on all sides, and precious +ornaments and splendid cloths, rare pieces of carved furniture, +vases, bric-a-brac and the like, were strewn about the room in +astonishing profusion. + +Just at the boy's feet crouched a monstrous animal of most fearful +aspect. He knew at a glance it was the terrible Blue Wolf, and the +sight of the beast sent a shiver through him. The Blue Wolf's head +was fully as big as that of a lion, and its wide jaws were armed +with rows of long, pointed teeth. His shoulders and front legs were +huge and powerful, but the rest of the wolf's body dwindled away +until at the tail it was no bigger than a dog. The jaws were +therefore the dangerous part of the creature, and its small blue +eyes flashed wickedly at the intruder. + +Just as the boy made his first step forward, the Blue Wolf sprang +upon him with its enormous jaws stretched wide open. Button-Bright +jammed the sofa-pillow into the brute's mouth and crowded it in as +hard as he could. The terrible teeth came together and buried +themselves in the pillow, and then Mr. Wolf found he could not pull +them out again--because his mouth was stuffed full. He could not +even growl or yelp, but rolled upon the floor trying in vain to +release himself from the conquering pillow. + +Button-Bright paid no further attention to the helpless animal, but +caught up the blue-brass lamp and began a search for his umbrella. +Of course he could not find it, as it was not there. He came across +a small book bound in light-blue leather which lay upon an +exquisitely carved center-table. It was named, in dark-blue letters +stamped on the leather, "The Royal Record Book," and remembering +Ghip-Ghisizzle longed to possess this book, Button-Bright hastily +concealed it inside his blouse. Then he renewed his search for the +umbrella, but it was quite in vain. He hunted in every crack and +corner, bumbling the treasures here and there in the quest, but at +last he became positive that the Magic Umbrella was not there. + +The boy was bitterly disappointed and did not know what to do next. +But he noticed that the Blue Wolf had finally seized an edge of the +sofa-pillow in its sharp claws and was struggling to pull the thing +out of his mouth; so, there being no object in his remaining longer +in the room where he might have to fight the wolf again, +Button-Bright went out and locked the door behind him. + +While he stood in the corridor wondering what to do next, a sudden +shouting reached his ears. It was the voice of the Boolooroo, saying +"My Key, my Key! Who has stolen my golden Key?" And then there +followed shouts of soldiers and guards and servants, and the rapid +pattering of feet was heard throughout the palace. + +Button-Bright took to his heels and ran along the passages until he +came to Cap'n Bill's room, where the sailorman and Trot were +anxiously awaiting him. + +"Quick!" cried the boy. "We must escape from here at once, or we +will be caught and patched." + +"Where's the umbrel?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"I don't know. I can't find it. But all the palace is aroused, and +the Boolooroo is furious. Come, let's get away at once!" + +"Where'll we go?" inquired Trot. + +"We must make for the open country and hide in the Fog Bank or in +the Arch of Phinis," replied the boy. + +They did not stop to argue any longer, but all three stepped out of +the little door into the street, where they first clasped hands so +they would not get separated in the dark, and then ran as swiftly as +they could down the street, which was deserted at this hour by the +citizens. They could not go very fast because the sailorman's wooden +leg was awkward to run with and held them back, but Cap'n Bill +hobbled quicker than he had ever hobbled before in all his life, and +they really made pretty good progress. + +They met no one on the streets and continued their flight until at +last they came to the City Wall, which had a blue-iron gate in it. +Here was a Blueskin guard, who had been peacefully slumbering when +aroused by the footsteps of the fugitives. "Halt!" cried the guard +fiercely. + +Cap'n Bill halted long enough to grab the man around his long neck +with one hand and around his long leg with the other hand. Then he +raised the Blueskin in the air and threw him far over the wall. A +moment later they had unfastened the gate and fled into the open +country, where they headed toward the low mountain whose outlines +were plainly visible in the moonlight. + +The guard was now howling and crying for help. In the city were +answering shouts. A hue and cry came from every direction, reaching +as far as the palace. Lights began to twinkle everywhere in the +streets, and the Blue city hummed like a beehive filled with angry +bees. "It won't do for us to get caught now," panted Cap'n Bill as +they ran along. "I'm more afeared o' them Blue citizens ner I am 'o +the Blue Boolooroo. They'd tear us to pieces if they could." + +Sky Island was not a very big place, especially the blue part of it, +and our friends were now very close to the low mountain. Presently +they paused before a grim archway of blue marble, above which was +carved the one word, "Phinis." The interior seemed dark and terrible +as they stopped to regard it as a possible place of refuge. + +"Don't like that place, Cap'n," whispered Trot. + +"No more do I, mate," he answered. + +"I think I'd rather take a chance on the Fog Bank," said +Button-Bright. + +Just then they were all startled by a swift flapping of wings, and a +voice cried in shrill tones, + +"Where are you, Trot? +As like as not I've been forgot!" + +Cap'n Bill jumped this way and Button-Bright that, and then there +alighted on Trot's shoulder the blue parrot that had been the pet of +the Princess Cerulia. Said the bird, + +"Gee! I've flown +Here all alone. +t's pretty far, +But here we are!" + +and then he barked like a dog and chuckled with glee at having found +his little friend. + +In escaping the palace, Trot had been obliged to leave all the pets +behind her, but it seemed that the parrot had found some way to get +free and follow her. They were all astonished to hear the bird +talk--and in poetry, too--but Cap'n Bill told Trot that some parrots +he had known had possessed a pretty fair gift of language, and he +added that this blue one seemed an unusually bright bird. "As fer +po'try," said he, "that's as how you look at po'try. Rhymes come +from your head, but real po'try from your heart, an' whether the +blue parrot has a heart or not, he's sure got a head." + +Having decided not to venture into the Arch of Phinis, they again +started on, this time across the country straight toward the Fog +Bank, which hung like a blue-grey cloud directly across the center +of the island. They knew they were being followed by bands of the +Blueskins, for they could hear the shouts of their pursuers growing +louder and louder every minute, since their long legs covered the +ground more quickly than our friends could possibly go. Had the +journey been much farther, the fugitives would have been overtaken, +but when the leaders of the pursuing Blueskins were only a few yards +behind them, they reached the edge of the Fog Bank and without +hesitation plunged into its thick mist, which instantly hid them +from view. + +The Blueskins fell back, horrified at the mad act of the strangers. +To them the Fog Bank was the most dreadful thing in existence, and +no Blueskin had ever ventured within it even for a moment. + +"That's the end of those short-necked Yellowskins," said one, +shaking his head. "We may as well go back and report the matter to +the Boolooroo." + + + + + + +THROUGH THE FOG BANK + +CHAPTER 12 + + + + + +It was rather moist in the Fog Bank. "Seems like a reg'lar drizzle," +said Trot. "I'll be soaked through in a minute." She had been given +a costume of blue silk in exchange for her own dress, and the silk +was so thin that the moisture easily wetted it. + +"Never mind," said Cap'n Bill. "When it's a case of life 'n' death, +clo's don't count for much. I'm sort o' drippy myself." + +Cried the parrot, fluttering his feathers to try to keep them from +sticking together, + +"Floods and gushes fill our path-- +This is not my day for a bath! +Shut if off, or fear my wrath." + +"We can't," laughed Trot. "We'll jus' have to stick it out till we +get to the other side." + +"Had we better go to the other side?" asked Button-Bright anxiously. + +"Why not?" returned Cap'n Bill. "The other side's the only safe side +for us." + +"We don't know that, sir," said the boy. "Ghip-Ghisizzle said it was +a terrible country." + +"I don't believe it," retorted the sailor stoutly. "Sizzle's never +been there, an' he knows nothing about it. 'The Sunset Country' +sounds sort o' good to me." + +"But how'll we ever manage to get there?" inquired Trot. "Aren't we +already lost in this fog?" + +"Not yet," said Cap'n Bill. "I've kep' my face turned straight ahead +ever since we climbed inter this bank o' wetness. If we don't get +twisted any, we'll go straight through to the other side." + +It was no darker in the Fog Bank than it had been in the Blue +Country. They could see dimly the mass of fog, which seemed to cling +to them, and when they looked down, they discovered that they were +walking upon white pebbles that were slightly tinged with the blue +color of the sky. Gradually this blue became fainter until, as they +progressed, everything became a dull gray. + +"I wonder how far it is to the other side," remarked Trot wearily. + +"We can't say till we get there, mate," answered the sailor in a +cheerful voice. Cap'n Bill had a way of growing more and more +cheerful when danger threatened. + +"Never mind," said the girl. "I'm as wet as a dishrag now, and I'll +never get any wetter." + +"Wet, wet, wet! +It's awful wet, you bet!" + +moaned the parrot on her shoulder. + +"I'm a fish-pond, I'm a well; +I'm a clam without a shell!" + +"Can't you dry up?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"Not this evening, thank you, sir; +To talk and grumble I prefer," + +replied the parrot dolefully. + +They walked along more slowly now, still keeping hold of hands, for +although they were anxious to get through the Fog Bank, they were +tired with the long run across the country and with their day's +adventures. They had no sleep and it was a long time past midnight. + +"Look out!" cried the parrot sharply; and they all halted to find a +monstrous frog obstructing their path. Cap'n Bill thought it was as +big as a whale, and as it squatted on the gray pebbles, its eyes +were on a level with those of the old sailor. + +"Ker-chug, herk-choo!" grunted the frog. "What in the Sky is THIS +crowd?" + +"W-we're strangers," stammered Trot, "an' we're tryin' to 'scape +from the Blueskins an' get into the Pink Country." + +"I don't blame you," said the frog in a friendly tone. "I hate those +Blueskins. The Pinkies, however, are very decent neighbors." + +"Oh, I'm glad to hear that!" cried Button-Bright. "Can you tell us, +Mister--Mistress--good Mr. Frog--eh, eh, your Royal Highness, if +we're on the right road to the Pink Country?" + +The frog seemed to laugh, for he gurgled in his throat in a very +funny way. "I'm no Royal Highness," he said. "I'm just a common +frog, and a little wee tiny frog, too. But I hope to grow in time. +This Fog Bank is the Paradise of Frogs, and our King is about ten +times as big as I am." + +"Then he's a big 'un, an' no mistake," admitted Cap'n Bill. "I'm +glad you like your country, but it's a mite too damp for us, an' +we'd be glad to get out of it." + +"Follow me," said the frog. "I'll lead you to the border. It's only +about six jumps." He turned around, made a mighty leap and +disappeared in the gray mist. Our friends looked at one another in +bewilderment. + +"Don't see how we can foller that lead," remarked Cap'n Bill, "but +we may as well start in the same direction." + +"Brooks and creeks, +How it leaks!" + +muttered the parrot. + +"How can we jog +To a frog in the fog?" + +The big frog seemed to understand their difficulty, for he kept +making noises in his throat to guide them to where he had leaped. +When at last they came up to him, he made a second jump--out of +sight, as before--and when they attempted to follow, they found a +huge lizard lying across the path. Cap'n Bill thought it must be a +giant alligator at first, it was so big, but he looked at them +sleepily and did not seem at all dangerous. + +"O, Liz--you puffy Liz--Get out of our way and mind your biz," cried +the parrot. + +"Creep-a-mousie, crawl-a-mousie, please move on! +We can't move a step till you are gone." + +"Don't disturb me," said the lizard. "I'm dreaming about parsnips. +Did you ever taste a parsnip?" + +"We're in a hurry, if it's the same to you, sir," said Cap'n Bill +politely. + +"Then climb over me or go around, I don't care which," murmured the +lizard. "When they're little, they're juicy; when they're big, +there's more of 'em; but either way there's nothing so delicious as +a parsnip. There are none here in the Fog Bank, so the best I can do +is dream of them. Oh, parsnips, par-snips, p-a-r-snips!" He closed +his eyes sleepily and resumed his dreams. + +Walking around the lizard, they resumed their journey and soon came +to the frog, being guided by its grunts and croaks. Then off it went +again, its tremendous leap carrying it far into the fog. Suddenly, +Cap'n Bill tripped and would have fallen flat had not Trot and +Button-Bright held him up. Then he saw that he had stumbled over the +claw of a gigantic land-crab, which lay sprawled out upon the pebbly +bottom. + +"Oh, beg parding, I'm sure!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill, backing away. + +"Don't mention it," replied the crab in a tired tone. "You did not +disturb me, so there is no harm done." + +"We didn't know you were here," explained Trot. + +"Probably not," said the crab. "It's no place for me, anyhow, for I +belong in the Constellations, you know, with Taurus and Gemini and +the other fellows. But I had the misfortune to tumble out of the +Zodiac some time ago. My name is Cancer, but I'm not a disease. +Those who examine the heavens in these days, alas! can find no +Cancer there." + +"Yes we can, sir, Mister Cancer!" said the parrot with a chuckle. + +"Once," remarked Cap'n Bill, "I sawr a picter of you in an almanac." + +"Ah, the almanacs always did us full justice," the crab replied, +"but I'm told they're not fashionable now." + +"If you don't mind, we'd like to pass on," said Button-Bright. + +"No, I don't mind, but be careful not to step on my legs. They're +rheumatic, it's so moist here." + +They climbed over some of the huge legs and walked around others. +Soon they had left the creature far behind. "Aren't you rather +slow?" asked the frog when once more they came up to him. + +"It isn't that," said Trot. "You are rather swift, I guess." The +frog chuckled and leaped again. They noticed that the fog had caught +a soft rose tint and was lighter and less dense than before, for +which reason the sailor remarked that they must be getting near to +the Pink Country. + +On this jump they saw nothing but a monstrous turtle, which lay +asleep with its head and legs drawn into its shell. It was not in +their way, so they hurried on and rejoined the frog, which said to +them, "I'm sorry, but I'm due at the King's Court in a few minutes, +and I can't wait for your short, weak legs to make the journey to +the Pink Country. But if you will climb upon my back, I think I can +carry you to the border in one more leap." + +"I'm tired," said Trot, "an' this awful fog's beginnin' to choke me. +Let's ride on the frog, Cap'n." + +"Right you are, mate," he replied, and although he shook a bit with +fear, the old man at once began to climb to the frog's back. Trot +seated herself on one side of him and Button-bright on the other, +and the sailor put his arms around them both to hold them tight +together. + +"Are you ready?" asked the frog. + +"Ding-dong!" cried the parrot. + +"All aboard, let 'er go! +Jump the best jump that you know." + +"Don't--don't! Jump sort o' easy, please," begged Cap'n Bill. + +But the frog was unable to obey his request. Its powerful hind legs +straightened like steel springs and shot the big body, with its +passengers, through the fog like an arrow launched from a bow. They +gasped for breath and tried to hang on, and then suddenly the frog +landed just at the edge of the Fog Bank, stopping so abruptly that +his three riders left his back and shot far ahead of him. They felt +the fog melt away and found themselves bathed in glorious rays of +sunshine, but they had no time to consider this change because they +were still shooting through the air, and presently--before they +could think of anything at all--all three were rolling heels over +head on the soft grass of a meadow. + + + + + + +THE PINK COUNTRY + +CHAPTER 13 + + + + + +When the travelers could collect their senses and sit up, they +stared about them in bewilderment, for the transition from the +sticky, damp fog to this brilliant scene was so abrupt as to daze +them at first. + +It was a Pink Country indeed. The grass was a soft pink, the trees +were pink, all the fences and buildings which they saw in the near +distance were pink--even the gravel in the pretty paths was pink. +Many shades of color were there, of course, grading from a faint +blush rose to deep pink verging on red, but no other color was +visible. In the sky hung a pink glow, with rosy clouds floating here +and there, and the sun was not silvery white, as we see it from the +Earth, but a distinct pink. + +The sun was high in the sky just now, which proved the adventurers +had been a long time in passing through the Fog Bank. But all of +them were wonderfully relieved to reach this beautiful country in +safety, for aside from the danger that threatened them in the Blue +Country, the other side of the island was very depressing. Here the +scene that confronted them was pretty and homelike, except for the +prevailing color and the fact that all the buildings were round, +without a single corner or angle. + +Half a mile distant was a large City, its pink tintings glistening +bravely in the pink sunshine, while hundreds of pink banners floated +from its numerous domes. The country between the Fog Bank and the +city was like a vast garden, very carefully kept and as neat as wax. + +The parrot was fluttering its wings and pruning its feathers to +remove the wet of the fog. Trot and Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill +were all soaked to the skin and chilled through, but as they sat +upon the pink grass they felt the rays of the sun sending them +warmth and rapidly drying their clothes; so, being tired out, they +laid themselves comfortably down and first one and then another fell +cozily asleep. + +It was the parrot that aroused them. + +"Look out--look out-- +There's folks about!" + +it screamed. + +"The apple-dumplings, fat and pink, Will be here quicker than a +wink!" + +Trot stared up in alarm and rubbed her eyes; Cap'n Bill rolled over +and blinked, hardly remembering where he was; Button-Bright was on +his feet in an instant. Advancing toward them were four of the +natives of the Pink Country. + +Two were men and two were women, and their appearance was in sharp +contrast to that of the Blueskins. For the Pinkies were round and +chubby--almost like "apple-dumplings," as the parrot called +them--and they were not very tall, the highest of the men being no +taller than Trot or Button-Bright. They all had short necks and +legs, pink hair and eyes, rosy cheeks and pink complexions, and +their faces were good-natured and jolly in expression. + +The men wore picturesque pink clothing and round hats with pink +feathers in them, but the apparel of the women was still more +gorgeous and striking. Their dresses consisted of layer after layer +of gauzy tuck and ruffles and laces, caught here and there with bows +of dainty ribbon. The skirts--which of course were of many shades of +pink--were so fluffy and light that they stuck out from the fat +bodies of the Pinkie women like the skirts of ballet-dancers, +displaying their chubby pink ankles and pink kid shoes. They wore +rings and necklaces and bracelets and brooches of rose-gold set with +pink gems, and all four of the new arrivals, both men and women, +carried sharp-pointed sticks made of rosewood for weapons. + +They halted a little way from our adventurers, and one of the women +muttered in a horrified voice, "Blueskins!" + +"Guess again! The more you guess +I rather think you'll know the less," + +retorted the parrot, and then he added grumblingly in Trot's ear, +"Blue feathers don't make bluebirds." + +"Really," said the girl, standing up and bowing respectfully to the +Pinkies, "we are not Blueskins, although we are wearing the blue +uniforms of the Boolooroo and have just escaped from the Blue +Country. If you will look closely, you will see that our skins are +white." + +"There is some truth in what she says," remarked one of the men +thoughtfully. "Their skins are not blue, but neither are they white. +To be exact, I should call the skin of the girl and that of the boy +a muddy pink, rather faded, while the skin of the gigantic monster +with them is an unpleasant brown." + +Cap'n Bill looked cross for a minute, for he did not like to be +called a "gigantic monster," although he realized he was much larger +than the pink people. + +"What country did you come from" asked the woman who had first +spoken. + +"From the Earth," replied Button-Bright. + +"The Earth! The Earth!" they repeated. "That is a country we have +never heard of. Where is it located?" + +"Why, down below somewhere," said the boy, who did now know in which +direction the Earth lay. "It isn't just one country, but a good many +countries." + +"We have three countries in Sky Island," returned the woman. "They +are the Blue Country, the Fog Country and the Pink Country. But of +course this end of the Island is the most important." + +"How came you in the Blue Country, from whence you say you escaped?" +asked the man. + +"We flew there by means of a Magic Umbrella," explained +Button-Bright, "but the wicked Boolooroo stole it from us." + +"Stole it! How dreadful," they all cried in a chorus. + +"And they made us slaves," said Trot. + +"An' wanted fer to patch us," added Cap'n Bill indignantly. + +"So we ran away and passed through the Fog Bank and came here," said +Button-Bright. + +The Pinkies turned away and conversed together in low tones. Then +one of the women came forward and addressed the strangers. "Your +story is the strangest we have ever heard," said she, "and your +presence here is still more strange and astonishing. So we have +decided to take you to Tourmaline and let her decide what shall be +your fate." + +"Who is Tourmaline?" inquired Trot doubtfully, for she didn't like +the idea of being "taken" to anyone. + +"The Queen of the Pinkies. She is the sole Ruler of our country, so +the word of Tourmaline is the Law of the Land." + +"Seems to me we've had 'bout enough of kings an' queens," remarked +Cap'n Bill. "Can't we shy your Tut-Tor-mar-line--or whatever you +call her--in some way an' deal with you direct?" + +"No. Until we prove your truth and honor we must regard you as +enemies of our race. If you had a Magic Umbrella, you may be +magicians and sorcerers come here to deceive us and perhaps betray +us to our natural enemies, the Blueskins." + +"Mud and bricks, fiddlesticks! +We don't play such nasty tricks," + +yelled the parrot angrily, and this caused the Pinkies to shrink +back in alarm, for they had never seen a parrot before. + +"Surely this is magic!" declared one of the men. "No bird can talk +unless inspired by witchcraft." + +"Oh yes, parrots can," said Trot. But this incident had determined +the Pinkies to consider our friends prisoners and to take them +immediately before their Queen. + +"Must we fight you?" asked the woman. "Or will you come with us +peaceably?" + +"We'll go peaceable," answered Cap'n Bill. "You're a-makin' a sad +mistake, for we're as harmless as doves; but seein' as you're +suspicious, we'd better have it out with your Queen first as last." + +Their clothing was quite dry by this time, although much wrinkled +and discolored by the penetrating fog, so at once they prepared to +follow the Pinkies. The two men walked on either side of them, +holding the pointed sticks ready to jab them if they attempted to +escape, and the two women followed in the rear, also armed with +sharp sticks. + +So the procession moved along the pretty roadways to the City, which +they soon reached. There was a strong, high wall of pink marble +around it, and they passed through a gate made of pink metal bars +and found themselves in a most delightful and picturesque town. The +houses were big and substantial, all round in shape, with domed +roofs and circular windows and doorways. In all the place there was +but one street--a circular one that started at the gate and wound +like a corkscrew toward the center of the City. It was paved with +pink marble, and between the street and the houses that lined both +sides of it were gardens filled with pink flowers and pink grass +lawns, which were shaded by pink trees and shrubbery. + +As the Queen lived in the very center of the city, the captives were +obliged to parade the entire length of this street, and that gave +all the Pink Citizens a chance to have a good look at the strangers. +The Pinkies were every one short and fat and gorgeously dressed in +pink attire, and their faces indicated that they were contented and +happy. They were much surprised at Cap'n Bill's great size and +wooden leg--two very unusual things in their experience--and the old +sailor frightened more than one Pink boy and girl and sent them +scampering into the houses, where they viewed the passing procession +from behind the window shutters in comparative safety. As for the +grown people, many of them got out their sharp-pointed sticks to use +as weapons in case the strangers attacked them or broke away from +their guards. A few, more bold than the others, followed on at the +tail of the procession, and so presently they all reached an open, +circular place in the exact center of the Pink City. + + + + + + +TOURMALINE THE POVERTY QUEEN + +CHAPTER 14 + + + + + +The open space which they entered was paved with pink marble, and +around it were two rows of large, pink statues, at least life-size +and beautifully sculptured. All were set upon nicely carved pink +pedestals. They were, of course, statues of Pinky men and women, and +all had bands of pink metal around their foreheads, in the center of +each band being a glistening pink jewel. + +About the middle of the open space inside the statues, which +appeared to be the public meeting place of the Pinkies, was a small, +low house, domed like all the other houses but built of a coarse +pink stone instead of the fine marble to be seen everywhere else. It +had no ornamentation, being exceedingly plain in appearance. No +banners floated from it; no flowers grew near it. + +"Here," said one of their guides as the procession halted before the +little stone building, "is the palace of Tourmaline, who is our +Queen." + +"What, that little cabin?" exclaimed Trot. + +"Of course. Did you suppose a palace would be like one of our +handsome residences?" asked the woman, evidently surprised. + +"I thought it would be better," said the girl. "All the palaces I've +seen were splendid." + +"A splendid palace!" exclaimed one of the Pinkies, and then they +looked at one another in amazement and seemed to doubt that their +ears had heard aright. + +"These intruders are very peculiar people," remarked a man in the +crowd. + +"They seem very ignorant, poor things!" said another in reply. + +"Come!" commanded the woman who led the party. "You three must +follow me to the presence of Tourmaline. The people must wait +outside, for there is no room for them in the palace." + +So they followed her through the low archway, and in a room beyond, +very simply furnished, sat a young girl engaged in darning a pair of +pink stockings. She was a beautiful girl of about seventeen years of +age, not fat like all the rest of the Pinkies but slender and well +formed according to our own ideas of beauty. Her complexion was not +a decided pink, but a soft, rosy tint not much deeper than that of +Trot's skin. Instead of a silken gown furbelowed like all the others +they had seen women wear in this land, Tourmaline was dressed in a +severely plain robe of coarse pink cloth much resembling bedticking. +Across her brow, however, was a band of rose gold, in the center of +which was set a luminous pink jewel which gleamed more brilliantly +than a diamond. It was her badge of office and seemed very +incongruous when compared with her poor rainment and simple +surroundings. + +As they entered, the girl sighed and laid down her work. Her +expression was patient and resigned as she faced her audience. "What +is it, Coralie?" she asked the woman. + +"Here are three strange people, Tourmaline," was the reply, "who say +they have entered our country through the Fog Bank. They tell a +queer story of an escape from the Blueskins, so I decided to bring +them to you, that you may determine their fate." + +The Queen gazed upon our friends with evident interest. She +smiled--a little sadly--at Trot, seemed to approve Button-Bright's +open, frank face, and was quite surprised because Cap'n Bill was so +much bigger than her own people. "Are you a giant?" she asked the +sailor in a soft, sweet voice. + +"No, your Majesty," he replied, "I'm only--" + +"Majesty!" she exclaimed, flushing a deeper pink. "Are you +addressing that word to me?" + +"O' course, ma'am," answered Cap'n Bill. "I'm told that's the proper +way to speak to a Queen." + +"Perhaps you are trying to ridicule me," she continued, regarding +the sailor's face closely. "There is nothing majestic about me, as +you know very well. Coralie, do you consider 'majesty' a proper word +to use when addressing a Queen?" she added, appealing to the Pinky +woman. + +"By no means," was the prompt reply. + +"What shall I call her, then?" inquired Cap'n Bill. + +"Just Tourmaline. That is her name, and it is sufficient," said the +woman. + +"The Ruler of a country ought to be treated with great respec'," +declared Trot a little indignantly, for she thought the pretty +little queen was not being properly deferred to. + +"Why?" asked Tourmaline curiously. + +"Because the Ruler is the mos' 'risticratic person in any land," +explained the little girl. "Even in America ever'body bows low to +our President, an' the Blueskins are so 'fraid o' their Boolooroo +that they tremble whenever they go near him." + +"But surely that is all wrong," said Tourmaline gravely. "The Ruler +is appointed to protect and serve the people, and here in the Pink +Country I have the full power to carry out the laws. I even decree +death when such a punishment is merited. Therefore I am a mere agent +to direct the laws, which are the Will of the People, and am only a +public servant obliged constantly to guard the welfare of my +subjects." + +"In that case," said Button-Bright, "you're entitled to the best +there is to pay for your trouble. A powerful ruler ought to be rich +and to live in a splendid palace. Your folks ought to treat you with +great respect, as Trot says." + +"Oh no," responded Tourmaline quickly. "That would indeed be very +wrong. Too much should never be given to anyone. If, with my great +power, conferred upon me by the people, I also possessed great +wealth, I might be tempted to be cruel and overbearing. In that case +my subjects would justly grow envious of my superior station. If I +lived as luxuriously as my people do and had servants and costly +gowns, the good Pinkies would say that their Queen had more than +they themselves, and it would be true. No, our way is best. The +Ruler, be it king or queen, has absolute power to rule, but no +riches, no high station, no false adulation. The people have the +wealth and honor, for it is their due. The Queen has nothing but the +power to execute the laws, to adjust grievances and to compel +order." + +"What pays you, then, for all your bother?" asked Trot. + +"I have one great privilege. After my death a pink marble statue of +me will be set up in the Grand Court, with the statues of the other +Kings and Queens who have ruled this land, and all the Pinkies in +ages to come will then honor me as having been a just and upright +queen. That is my reward." + +"I'm sorry for you, ma'am," said Cap'n Bill. "Your pay for bein' a +queen is sort o' like a life-insurance. If don't come due till after +you're dead, an' then you can't get much fun out o' it." + +"I did not choose to be the Queen," answered Tourmaline simply. "A +misfortune of birth placed me here, and I cannot escape my fate. It +is much more desirable to be a private citizen, happy and carefree. +But we have talked long enough of myself. Tell me who you are, and +why you have come here." + +Between them they told the story of how the Magic Umbrella had taken +them to Sky Island, which they did not know when they started was +anywhere in existence. Button-Bright told this, and then Trot +related their adventures among the Blueskins and how the Boolooroo +had stolen the umbrella and prevented them from going home again. +The parrot on her shoulder kept interrupting her continually, for +the mention of the Boolooroo seemed to make the bird frantic with +rage. + +"Naughty, naughty Boolooroo! +He's the worst I ever knew!" + +the parrot repeated over and over again. + +Cap'n Bill finished the story by telling of their escape through the +Fog Bank. "We didn't know what your Pink Country was like, o' +course," he said, "but we knew it couldn't be worse than the Blue +Country, an' we didn't take any stock in their stories that the Fog +Bank would be the death o' us." + +"Pretty wet! Pretty wet +Was the journey, you can bet!" + +declared the parrot in conclusion. + +"Yes, it was wet an' sticky, all right," agreed the sailor, "but the +big frog helped us an' we got through all right." + +"But what can you do here?" asked Tourmaline. "You are not like my +people, the Pinkies, and there is no place for you in our country." + +"That's true enough," said Cap'n Bill, "but we had to go somewhere, +an' this was the likeliest place we could think of. Your Sky Island +ain't very big, so when we couldn't stay in the Blue Country, where +ever'body hated us, or in the Fog Bank, which ain't healthy an' is +too wet for humans to live in for long, we nat'rally were forced to +enter the Pink Country, where we expected to find nice people." + +"We ARE nice," said Tourmaline, "but it is our country, not yours, +and we have no place here for strangers. In all our history you are +the first people from outside our borders who have ever stepped a +foot in our land. We do not hate you, as you say the Blueskins do, +nor are we savage or cruel, but we do not want you here, and I am +really puzzled what to do with you." + +"Isn't there a law to cover this case?" asked Coralie. + +"I do not remember any such law," replied the queen, "but I will +search in the Great Book and see if I can find anything that refers +to strange people entering our land." + +"If not," said the woman, "you must make a law. It is your duty." + +"I know," answered Tourmaline, "but I hope such a responsibility +will not fall upon my shoulders. These poor strangers are in a very +uncomfortable position, and I wish I could help them to get back to +their own country." + +"Thank you," said Trot. "We wish so, too. Haven't you any fairies +here?" + +"Oh, there are fairies, of course, as there are everywhere," +answered Tourmaline, "but none that we can call to our assistance or +command to do our bidding." + +"How about witches?" asked Button-Bright. + +"I know of one witch," said Tourmaline thoughtfully, "but she is not +very obliging. She says it makes her head ache to perform +witchcraft, and so she seldom indulges in it. But if there is no +other way, I may be obliged to call upon Rosalie for help. I'll look +in the Great Book first. Meantime, you will go home with Coralie, +who will feed you and give you entertainment. Tomorrow morning come +to me again and then I will decree your fate." The little queen then +picked up her stocking and began to darn the holes in it, and +Coralie, without any formal parting, led the strangers from the +miserable palace. + + + + + + +THE SUNRISE TRIBE AND THE SUNSET TRIBE + +CHAPTER 15 + + + + + +Although Trot and her comrades were still prisoners, they were far +more comfortable than they had been in the Blue Country. Coralie +took them to her own home, where she lived in great luxury, being +one of the prominent women of the Pinkies. In this country the women +seemed fully as important as the men, and instead of being coddled +and petted, they performed their share of the work, both in public +and private affairs, and were expected to fight in the wars exactly +as the men did. + +Our friends learned considerable about the Pinkies during that +afternoon and evening, for their hostess proved kind and agreeable +and frankly answered all their questions. Although this half of Sky +Island was no larger than the Blue Country, being no more than two +miles square, it had several hundred inhabitants. These were divided +into two tribes, which were called the Sunrise Tribe and the Sunset +Tribe. The Sunrise Tribe lived in the eastern half of the Pink +Country and the Sunset Tribe in the west half, and there was great +rivalry between them, and sometimes war. + +It was all a question of social importance. The Sunrise Tribe +claimed that every day the sun greeted them first of all, which +proved they were the most important; but on the other hand, the +Sunset Tribe claimed that the sun always deserted the other tribe +and came to them, which was evidence that they were the most +attractive people. On Sky Island--at least on the Pink side--the sun +arose in wonderful splendor, but also it set in a blaze of glory, +and so there were arguments on both sides, and for want of something +better to argue about, the Pinkies took this queer subject as a +cause of dispute. + +Both Tribes acknowledged Tourmaline their Queen and obeyed the laws +of the country, and just at this time there was peace in the land, +and all the inhabitants of the east and west were friendly. But they +had been known, Coralie said, to fight one another fiercely with +their sharp sticks, at which times a good many were sure to get +hurt. + +"Why do they call this an Island?" asked Button-Bright. "There isn't +any water around it, is there?" + +"No, but there is sky all around it," answered Coralie. "And if one +should step off the edge, he would go tumbling into the great sky +and never be heard of again." + +"Is there a fence around the edge?" asked Trot. + +"Only a few places are fenced," was the reply. "Usually there are +rows of thick bushes set close to the edge to prevent people from +falling off. Once there was a King of the Pinkies who was cruel and +overbearing and imagined he was superior to the people he ruled, so +one day his subjects carried him to the edge of the island and threw +him over the bushes." + +"Goodness me!" said Trot. "He might have hit someone on the Earth." + +"Guess he skipped it, though," added Cap'n Bill, "for I never heard +of a Pinky till I came here." + +"And I have never heard of the Earth," retorted Coralie. "Of course, +there must be such a place, because you came from there, but the +Earth is never visible in our sky." + +"No," said Button-Bright, "'cause it's UNDER your island. But it's +there, all right, and it's a pretty good place to live. I wish I +could get back to it." + +"So do I, Button-Bright!" exclaimed Trot. + +"Let's fly!" cried the parrot, turning his head so that one bright +little eye looked directly into the girl's eye. "Say goodbye and +let's fly through the sky, far and high!" + +"If we only had my umbrella, we'd fly in a minute," sighed +Button-Bright. "But the Boolooroo stole it." + +"Naughty, naughty Boolooroo, +What a wicked thing to do!" + +wailed the parrot, and they all agreed with him. + +Coralie belonged to the Sunset Tribe, as she lived west of the +queen's palace, which was the center of the Pink Country. A servant +came to the room where they were conversing to state that the sun +was about to set, and at once Coralie arose and took the strangers +to an upper balcony, where all the household had assembled. + +The neighboring houses also had their balconies and roofs filled +with people, for it seemed all the Sunset Tribe came out every night +to witness the setting of the sun. It was really a magnificent +sight, and Trot scarcely breathed as the great, golden ball sank low +in the sky and colored all the clouds with gorgeous tints of orange, +red and yellow. Never on the Earth was there visible such splendor, +and as the little girl watched the ever-changing scene, she decided +the Sunset Tribe was amply justified in claiming that the West was +the favored country of the sun. + +"You see," said Cap'n Bill, "the sky is all around us, an' we're +high up, so the sun really loses itself in the clouds an' leaves a +trail of beauty behind him." + +"He does that!" agreed Trot. "This is almost worth comin' for, +Cap'n." + +"But not quite," said Button-bright sadly. "I'd get along without +the sunset if only we could go home." + +They went in to dinner after this, and sat at Coralie's own table +with her husband and children and found the meal very good. After a +pleasant evening, during which no reference was made to their being +prisoners, they were shown to prettily furnished rooms--all in +pink--and slept soundly in the soft beds provided for them. Trot +wakened early the next morning and went out on the balcony to see +the sunrise. The little girl was well repaid, for the splendor of +the rising sun was almost equal to that of the setting sun. Surely +this was a wonderful country and much more delightful than the Blue +side of the island, where the sun was hidden by the great Fog and +only the moon was visible. + +When she went in, she found that both Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill +were up and dressed, so they decided to take a walk before +breakfast. No one restrained them or interfered with them in any +way. "They know we can't get away," observed the sailor, "so they +don't need to watch us." + +"We could go into the Fog Bank again," suggested Trot. + +"We could, mate, but we won't," answered Cap'n Bill. "If there's no +way for us to get clean off'n Sky Island, I'd rather stay with the +Pinkies than with the Blues." + +"I wonder what they'll do with us," said Button-Bright. "The Queen +seems like a nice girl, and I don't think she'll hurt us, whatever +happens." + +They walked freely along the circular street, seeing such sights as +the Pink City afforded, and then returned to Coralie's house for +breakfast. Coralie herself was not there, as she had been summoned +to the Queen's palace, but her husband looked after the guests, and +when breakfast was finished he said to them, "I am to take you to +Tourmaline, who has promised to decide your fate this morning. I am +curious to know what she will do with you, for in all our history we +have never before had strangers intrude upon us." + +"We're curious, too," said Trot, "but we'll soon find out." As they +walked down the street, they observed that the sky was now covered +with dark clouds which entirely hid the sun. + +"Does it ever rain here?" inquired Button-Bright. + +"Certainly," answered Coralie's husband, "that is the one drawback +of our country: it rains quite often. And although it makes the +flowers and the grass grow, I think rain is very disagreeable. I am +always glad to see the rainbow, which is a sign that the sun will +shine again." + +"Looks like rain now," remarked Cap'n Bill. + +"It does," said the man, glancing at the sky. "We must hurry, or we +may get wet." + +"Haven't you any umbrellas?" asked Button-Bright. + +"No, we don't know what umbrellas are," replied the Pinky man. + +It did not rain at once, and they reached Tourmaline's wretched hut +in safety. There they found quite a number of Pinkies assembled, and +a spirited discussion was taking place when they arrived. + +"Come in, please," said Tourmaline, opening the door for them, and +when they had entered, she placed a pinkwood bench for them to sit +upon and went back to her throne, which was a common rocking chair. +At her right were seated six men and women of the Sunrise Tribe, and +on her left six men and women of the Sunset Tribe, among the latter +being Coralie. The contrast between the plain, simple dress of the +Queen and the gorgeous apparel of her Counselors was quite +remarkable, yet her beauty far surpassed that of any of her people, +and her demeanor was so modest and unassuming that it was difficult +for the prisoners to believe that her word would decree life or +death and that all the others were subservient to her. Tourmaline's +eyes were so deep a shade of pink that they were almost hazel, and +her hair was darker than that of the others, being a golden-red in +color. These points, taken with her light-pink skin and slender +form, rendered her distinctive among the Pinkies, whatever gown she +might wear. + +When the strangers were seated, she turned to them and said, "I have +searched through the Great Book of Laws and found nothing about +foreign people entering our land. There is a law that if any of the +Blueskins break through the Fog Bank, they shall be driven back with +sharp sticks; but you are not Blueskins, so this Law does not apply +to you. Therefore, in order to decide your fate, I have summoned a +Council of twelve of my people, who will vote as to whether you +shall be permitted to remain here or not. They wanted to see you +before they cast their final vote, that they may examine you +carefully and discover if you are worthy to become inhabitants of +the Pink Country." + +"The rose is red, the violet's blue, +But Trot is sweeter than the two!" + +declared the parrot in a loud voice. It was a little verse Cap'n +Bill had taught the bird that very morning while Trot was seeing the +sun rise. + +The Pinkies were startled and seemed a little frightened at hearing +a bird speak so clearly. Trot laughed and patted the bird's head in +return for the compliment. "Is the Monster Man whose legs are part +wood a dangerous creature?" asked one of the Sunrise Tribe. + +"Not to my friends," replied Cap'n Bill, much amused. "I s'pose I +could fight your whole crowd of Pinkies if I had to, an' make you +run for your lives, but bein' as you're friendly to us, you ain't in +any danger." The sailor thought this speech was diplomatic and might +"head off any trouble," but the Pinkies seemed uneasy, and several +of them picked up their slender, pointed sticks and held them in +their hands. They were not cowardly, but it was evident they +mistrusted the big man, who on Earth was not considered big at all, +but rather undersized. + +"What we'd like," said Trot, "is to stay here, cozy an' peaceable, +till we can find a way to get home to the Earth again. Your country +is much nicer than the Blue Country, and we like you pretty well +from what we've seen of you, so if you'll let us stay, we won't be +any more trouble to you than we can help." + +They all gazed upon the little girl curiously, and one of them said, +"How strangely light her color is! And it is pink, too, which is in +her favor. But her eyes are of that dreadful blue tint which +prevails in the other half of Sky Island, while her hair is a queer +color unknown to us. She is not like our people and would not +harmonize with the universal color here." + +"That's true," said another. "The three strangers are all +inharmonious. If allowed to remain here, they would ruin the color +scheme of the country, where all is now pink." + +"In spite of that," said Coralie, "they are harmless creatures and +have done us no wrong." + +"Yes they have," replied a nervous little Sunrise man, "they wronged +us by coming here." + +"They could not help doing that," argued Coralie, "and it is their +misfortune that they are here on Sky Island at all. Perhaps if we +keep them with us for a while, they may find a way to return safely +to their own country." + +"We'll fly through the sky by-and-by--ki-yi!" yelled the parrot with +startling suddenness. + +"Is that true?" asked a Pinky seriously. + +"Why, we would if we could," answered Trot. "We flew to this island, +anyhow." + +"Perhaps," said another, "if we pushed them off the edge, they could +fly down again. Who knows?" + +"We know," answered Cap'n Bill hastily. "We'd tumble, but we +wouldn't fly." + +"They'd take a fall-- +And that is all!" + +observed the parrot, fluttering its wings. There was silence for a +moment while all the Pinkies seemed to think deeply. Then the Queen +asked the strangers to step outside while they counseled together. +Our friends obeyed, and leaving the room they all entered the +courtyard and examined the rows of pink marble statues for nearly an +hour before they were summoned to return to the little room in +Tourmaline's palace. + +"We are now ready to vote as to your fate," said the pretty Queen to +them. "We have decided there are but two things for us do to: either +permit you to remain here as honored guests or take you to an edge +of the island and throw you over the bushes into the sky." + +They were silent at hearing this dreadful alternative, but the +parrot screamed shrilly, + +"Oh, what a dump! Oh, what a jump! +Won't we all thump when we land with a bump?" + +"If we do," said Cap'n Bill thoughtfully, "we'll none of us know +it." + + + + + + +ROSALIE THE WITCH + +CHAPTER 16 + + + + + +Trot and Button-Bright had now become worried and anxious, for they +knew if they were tossed over the edge of the island they would be +killed. Cap'n Bill frowned and set his jaws tight together. The old +sailor had made up his mind to make a good fight for his boy and +girl, as well as for his own life, if he was obliged to do so. + +The twelve Counselors then voted, and when the vote was counted, +Tourmaline announced that six had voted to allow the strangers to +remain and six to toss them over the bushes. "We seem evenly divided +on this matter," remarked the Queen with a puzzled look at her +Council. + +Trot thought the pretty Queen was their friend, so she said, "Of +course you'll have the deciding vote, then, you being the Ruler." + +"Oh no," replied Tourmaline. "Since I have asked these good people +to advise me, it would be impolite to side against some of them and +with the others. That would imply that the judgment of some of my +Counselors is wrong, and the judgment of others right. I must ask +someone else to cast the deciding vote." + +"Who will it be, then?" inquired Trot. "Can't I do it? Or Cap'n Bill +or Button-Bright?" + +Tourmaline smiled and shook her head, while all the Counselors +murmured their protests. + +"Let Trot do it +Or you'll rue it!" + +advised the parrot, and then he barked like a dog and made them all +jump. + +"Let me think a moment," said the Queen, resting her chin on her +hand. + +"A Pink can think +As quick's a wink!" + +the parrot declared. But Tourmaline's thoughts required time, and +all her Counselors remained silent and watched her anxiously. + +At last she raised her head and said, "I shall call upon Rosalie the +Witch. She is wise and honest and will decide the matter justly." + +The Pinkies seemed to approve this choice, so Tourmaline rose and +took a small, pink paper parcel from a drawer. In it was a pink +powder, which she scattered upon the seat of a big armchair. Then +she lighted this powder, which at first flashed vivid pink and then +filled all the space around the chair with a thick, pink cloud of +smoke. Presently the smoke cleared away, when they all saw seated +within the chair Rosalie the Witch. + +This famous woman was much like the other Pinkies in appearance +except that she was somewhat taller and not quite so fat as most of +the people. Her skin and hair and eyes were all of a rosy, pink +color, and her gown was of spiderweb gauze that nicely matched her +complexion. She did not seem very old, for her features were smiling +and attractive and pleasant to view. She held in her hand a slender +staff tipped with a lustrous pink jewel. + +All the Pinkies present bowed very respectfully to Rosalie, who +returned the salutation with a dignified nod. Then Tourmaline began +to explain the presence of the three strangers and the difficulty of +deciding what to do with them. + +"I have summoned you here that you may cast the deciding vote," +added the Queen. "What shall we do, Rosalie, allow them to remain +here as honored guests, or toss them over the bushes into the sky?" + +Rosalie, during Tourmaline's speech, had been attentively examining +the faces of the three Earth people. Now she said, + +"Before I decide, I must see who these strangers are. I will follow +their adventures in a vision to discover if they have told you the +truth. And in order that you may all share my knowledge, you shall +see the vision as I see it." She then bowed her head and closed her +eyes. + +"Rock-a-bye, baby, on a treetop; +Don't wake her up, or the vision will stop," + +muttered the parrot, but no one paid any attention to the noisy +bird. + +Gradually, a pink mist formed in the air about the Witch, and in +this mist the vision began to appear. + +First, there was Button-bright in the attic of his house, finding +the Magic Umbrella. Then his first flight was shown, and afterward +his trip across the United States until he landed on the bluff where +Trot sat. In rapid succession the scenes shifted and disclosed the +trial flights, with Trot and Cap'n Bill as passengers, then the trip +to Sky Island and the meeting with the Boolooroo. No sound was +heard, but it was easy from the gestures of the actors for the +Pinkies to follow all the adventures of the strangers in the Blue +Country. Button-Bright was greatly astonished to see in this vision +how the Boolooroo had tested the Magic Umbrella and in a fit of rage +cast it into a corner underneath the cabinet, with the seats and +lunch basket still attached to the handle by means of the rope. The +boy now knew why he could not find the umbrella in the Treasure +Chamber, and he was provoked to think he had several times been +quite close to it without knowing it was there. The last scene ended +with the trip through the Fog Bank and the assistance rendered them +by the friendly frog. After the three tumbled upon the grass of the +Pink Country, the vision faded away, and Rosalie lifted her head +with a smile of triumph at the success of her witchcraft. + +"Did you see clearly?" she asked. + +"We did, O Wonderful Witch!" they declared. + +"Then," said Rosalie, "there can be no doubt in your minds that +these strangers have told you the truth." + +"None at all," they admitted. + +"What arguments are advanced by the six Counselors who voted to +allow them to remain here as guests?" inquired the Witch. + +"They have done us no harm," answered Coralie, speaking for her +side, "therefore we should, in honor and justice, do them no harm." + +Rosalie nodded. "What arguments have the others advanced?" she +asked. + +"They interfere with our color scheme and do not harmonize with our +people," a man of the Sunrise Tribe answered. + +Again Rosalie nodded, and Trot thought her eyes twinkled a little. + +"I think I now fully comprehend the matter," said she, "and so I +will cast my vote. I favor taking the Earth people to the edge of +the island and casting them into the sky." + +For a moment there was perfect silence in the room. All present +realized that this was a decree of death to the strangers. Trot was +greatly surprised at the decision, and for a moment she thought her +heart had stopped beating, for a wave of fear swept over her. +Button-Bright flushed red as a Pinky and then grew very pale. He +crept closer to Trot and took her hand in his own, pressing it to +give the little girl courage. As for Cap'n Bill, he was watching the +smiling face of the Witch in a puzzled but not hopeless way, for he +thought she did not seem wholly in earnest in what she had said. + +"The case is decided," announced Tourmaline in a clear, cold voice. +"The three strangers shall be taken at once to the edge of the +island and thrown over the bushes into the sky." + +"It's raining hard outside," announced Coralie, who sat near the +door. "Why not wait until this shower is over?" + +"I have said 'at once,'" replied the little Queen with dignity, "and +so it must be at once. We are accustomed to rain, so it need not +delay us, and when a disagreeable duty is to be performed, the +sooner it is accomplished the better." + +"May I ask, ma'am," said Cap'n Bill, addressing the Witch, "why you +have decided to murder of us in this cold-blooded way?" + +"I did not decide to murder you," answered Rosalie. + +"To throw us off the island will be murder," declared the sailor. + +"Then they cannot throw you off," the Witch replied. + +"The Queen says they will." + +"I know," said Rosalie, "but I'm quite positive her people can't do +it." + +This statement astonished all the Pinkies, who looked at the Witch +inquiringly. "Why not?" asked Tourmaline. + +"It is evident to me," said the Witch, speaking slowly and +distinctly, "that these Earth people are protected in some way by +fairies. They may not be aware of this themselves, nor did I see any +fairies in my vision. But if you will think upon it carefully, you +will realize that the Magic Umbrella has no power in itself, but is +enchanted by fairy power so that it is made to fly and carry +passengers through the air BY FAIRIES. This being the case, I do not +think you will be allowed to injure these favored people in any way; +but I am curious to see in what manner the fairies will defend them, +and therefore I have voted to have them thrown off the island. I +bear these strangers no ill will, nor do I believe they are in any +danger. But since you, Tourmaline, have determined to attempt this +terrible thing at once, I shall go with you and see what will +happen." + +Some of the Pinkies looked pleased and some troubled at this speech, +but they all prepared to escort the prisoners to the nearest edge of +the island. The rain was pouring down in torrents, and umbrellas +were unknown; but all of them, both men and women, slipped gossamer +raincoats over their clothing, which kept the rain from wetting +them. Then they caught up their sharp sticks and surrounding the +doomed captives commanded them to march to meet their fate. + + + + + + +THE ARRIVAL OF POLYCHROME + +CHAPTER 17 + + + + + +Cap'n Bill had determined to fight desperately for their lives, but +he was a shrewd old sailorman, and he found much that was reasonable +in the Witch's assertion that fairies would protect them. He had +often wondered how the Magic Umbrella could fly and obey spoken +commands, but now he plainly saw that the thing must be directed by +some invisible power, and that power was quite likely to save them +from the cruel death that had been decreed. To be sure, the Magic +Umbrella was now in the Blue Country, and the fairies that directed +its flight might be with the umbrella instead of with them, yet the +old sailor had already experienced some strange adventures in Trot's +company and knew she had managed to escape every danger that had +threatened. So he decided not to fight until the last moment and +meekly hobbled along the street as he was commanded to do. Trot was +also encouraged by the Witch's suggestion, for she believed in +fairies and trusted them; but Button-Bright could find no comfort in +their situation, and his face was very sad as he marched along by +Trot's side. + +If they had followed the corkscrew windings of the street, it would +have been a long journey to the outer edge of the Pink Country, but +Tourmaline took a shortcut, leading them through private gardens and +even through houses, so that they followed almost a bee line to +their destination. It rained all the way and the walking was very +disagreeable, but our friends were confronting an important crisis +in their strange adventures, and with possible death at their +journey's end, they were in no hurry to arrive there. + +Once free of the City they traversed the open country, and here they +often stepped into sticky, pink mud up to their ankles. Cap'n Bill's +wooden leg would often go down deep and stick fast in this mud, and +at such times he would be helpless until two of the Pinkies--who +were a strong people--pulled him out again. The parrot was getting +its feathers sadly draggled in the rain, and the poor bird soon +presented a wet and woebegone appearance. + +"Soak us again, +Drown us with rain!" + +it muttered in a resigned tone; and then it would turn to Trot and +moan, "The rose is red, the violet's blue, The Pinkies are a beastly +crew!" + +The country was not so trim and neatly kept near the edge, for it +was evident the people did not care to go too near to the dangerous +place. There was a row of thick bushes which concealed the gulf +below, and as they approached these bushes the rain abruptly ceased, +and the clouds began to break and drift away in the sky. "Two of you +seize the girl and throw her over," said Tourmaline in a calm, +matter-of-fact way, "and two others must throw the boy over. It may +take four, perhaps, to lift the huge and ancient man." + +"More'n that," said Cap'n Bill grimly. "I'm pretty sure it'll take +all o' you, young lady, an' the chances are you won't do it then." + +They had halted a short distance from the bushes, and now there +suddenly appeared through a rift in the clouds an immense Rainbow. +It was perfectly formed and glistened with a dozen or more superb +tintings that were so vivid and brilliant and blended into one +another so exquisitely that everyone paused to gaze enraptured upon +the sight. Steadily, yet with wonderful swiftness, the end of the +great bow descended until it rested upon the pink field--almost at +the feet of the little party of observers. Then they saw, dancing +gaily upon the arch, a score of beautiful maidens, dressed in fleecy +robes of rainbow tints which fluttered around them like clouds. + +"The Daughters of the Rainbow!" whispered Tourmaline in an awed +voice, and the Witch beside her nodded and said, "Fairies of the +sky. What did I tell you, Tourmaline?" + +Just then one of the maidens tripped lightly down the span of the +arch until near the very end, leaning over to observe the group +below. She was exquisitely fair, dainty as a lily and graceful as a +bough swaying in the breeze. "Why, it's Polychrome!" exclaimed +Button-Bright in a voice of mingled wonder and delight. "Hello, +Polly! Don't you remember me?" + +"Of course I remember Button-Bright," replied the maiden in a sweet, +tinkling voice. "The last time I saw you was in the Land of Oz." + +"Oh!" cried Trot, turning to stare at the boy with big, wide-open +eyes. "Were you ever in the Land of Oz?" + +"Yes," he answered, still looking at the Rainbow's Daughter, and +then he said appealingly, "These people want to kill us, Polly. +Can't you help us?" + +"Polly wants a cracker! +Polly wants a cracker!" + +screeched the parrot. + +Polychrome straightened up and glanced at her sisters. "Tell Father +to call for me in an hour or two," said she. "There is work for me +to do here, for one of my old friends is in trouble." + +With this she sprang lightly from the rainbow and stood beside +Button-Bright and Trot, and scarcely had she left the splendid arch +when it lifted and rose into the sky. The other end had been hidden +in the clouds, and now the Rainbow began to fade gradually, like +mist, and the sun broke through the clouds and shot its cheering +rays over the Pink Country until presently the Rainbow had vanished +altogether and the only reminder of it was the lovely Polychrome +standing among the wondering band of Pinkies. "Tell me," she said +gently to the boy, "why are you here, and why do these people of the +sky wish to destroy you?" + +In a few hurried words Button-Bright related their adventures with +the Magic Umbrella and how the Boolooroo had stolen it and they had +been obliged to escape into the Pink Country. Polychrome listened +and then turned to the Queen. "Why have you decreed death to these +innocent strangers?" she asked. + +"They do not harmonize with our color scheme," replied Tourmaline. + +"That is utter nonsense," declared Polychrome impatiently. "You're +so dreadfully pink here that your color, which in itself is +beautiful, had become tame and insipid. What you really need is some +sharp contrast to enhance the charm of your country, and to keep +these three people here would be a benefit rather than an injury to +you." + +At this, the Pinkies looked downcast and ashamed, while only Rosalie +the Witch laughed and seemed to enjoy the rebuke. "But," protested +Tourmaline, "the Great Book of Laws says our country shall harbor +none but the Pinkies." + +"Does it indeed?" asked the Rainbow's Daughter. "Come, let us return +at once to your City and examine your Book of Laws. I am quite sure +I can find in them absolute protection for these poor wanderers." + +They dared not disobey Polychrome's request, so at once they all +turned and walked back to the City. As it was still muddy underfoot, +the Rainbow's Daughter took a cloak from one of the women, partly +rolled it, and threw it upon the ground. Then she stepped upon it +and began walking forward. The cloak unrolled as she advanced, +affording a constant carpet for her feet and for those of the others +who followed her. So, being protected from the mud and wet, they +speedily gained the City and in a short time were all gathered in +the low room of Tourmaline's palace, where the Great Book of Laws +lay upon a table. + +Polychrome began turning over the leaves, while the others all +watched her anxiously and in silence. "Here," she said presently, +"is a Law which reads as follows: 'Everyone in the Pink Country is +entitled to the protection of the Ruler and to a house and a good +living, except only the Blueskins. If any of the natives of the Blue +Country should ever break through the Fog Bank, they must be driven +back with sharp sticks.' Have you read this Law, Tourmaline?" + +"Yes," said the Queen, "but how does that apply to these strangers?" + +"Why, being in the Pink Country, as they surely are, and not being +Blueskins, they are by this Law entitled to protection, to a home +and good living. The Law does not say 'Pinkies,' it says any who are +in the Pink Country." + +"True," agreed Coralie, greatly pleased, and all the other Pinkies +nodded their heads and repeated, "True, true!" + +"The rose is red, the violet's blue, +The law's the thing, because it's true!" + +cried the parrot. + +"I am indeed relieved to have you interpret the Law in this way," +declared Tourmaline. "I knew it was cruel to throw these poor people +over the edge, but that seemed to us the only thing to be done." + +"It was cruel and unjust," answered Polychrome as sternly as her +sweet voice could speak. "But here," she added, for she had still +continued to turn the leaves of the Great Book, "is another Law +which you have also overlooked. It says, 'The person, whether man or +woman, boy or girl, living in the Pink Country who has the lightest +skin shall be the Ruler--King or Queen--as long as he or she lives, +unless someone of a lighter skin is found, and this Ruler's commands +all the people must obey.' Do you know this Law?" + +"Oh yes," replied Tourmaline. "That is why I am the Queen. You will +notice my complexion is of a lighter pink than that of any other of +my people." + +"Yes," remarked Polychrome, looking at her critically, "when you +were made Queen without doubt you had the lightest-colored skin in +all the Pink Country. But now you are no longer Queen of the +Pinkies, Tourmaline." + +Those assembled were so startled by this statement that they gazed +at the Rainbow's Daughter in astonishment for a time. Then +Tourmaline asked, "Why not, your Highness?" + +"Because here is one lighter in color than yourself," pointed to +Trot. "This girl is, by the Law of the Great Book, the rightful +Queen of the Pinkies, and as loyal citizens you are all obliged to +obey her commands. Give me that circlet from your brow, Tourmaline." +Without hesitation Tourmaline removed the rose-gold circlet with its +glittering jewel and handed it to Polychrome, who turned and placed +it upon Trot's brow. Then she called in a loud, imperative voice, +"Greet your new Queen, Pinkies!" + +One by one they all advanced, knelt before Trot and pressed her hand +to their lips. "Long live Queen Mayre!" called out Cap'n Bill, +dancing around on his wooden leg in great delight. "Vive la--Vive +la--ah, ah, Trot!" + +"Thank you, Polly," said Button-Bright gratefully. "This will fix us +all right, I'm sure." + +"Why, I have done nothing," returned Polychrome, smiling upon him. +"It is the Law of the Country. Isn't it surprising how little people +know of their Laws? Are you all contented, Pinkies?" she asked, +turning to the people. + +"We are!" they cried. Then several of the men ran out to spread the +news throughout the City and Country, so that a vast crowd soon +began to gather in the Court of the Statues. + + + + + + +MAYRE, QUEEN OF THE PINK COUNTRY + +CHAPTER 18 + + + + + +Polychrome now dismissed all but Button-Bright, Cap'n Bill, Rosalie +the Witch and the new Queen of the Pinkies. Tourmaline hastened away +to her father's house to put on a beautiful gown all covered with +flounces and ribbons, for she was glad to be relieved of the duties +of the Queen and was eager to be gaily dressed and one of the people +again. + +"I s'pose," said Trot, "I'll have to put on one of Tourmaline's +common pink dresses." + +"Yes," replied Polychrome, "you must follow the customs of the +country, absurd though they may be. In the little sleeping chamber +adjoining this room you will find plenty of gowns poor enough for +the Queen to wear. Shall I assist you to put one on?" + +"No," answered Trot, "I guess I can manage it alone." + +When she withdrew to the little chamber, the Rainbow's Daughter +began conversing with the Witch, whom she urged to stay with the new +queen and protect her as long as she ruled the Pink Country. +Rosalie, who longed to please the powerful Polychrome, whose fairy +powers as Daughters of the Rainbow were far superior to her own +witchcraft, promised faithfully to devote herself to Queen Mayre as +long as she might need her services. + +By the time Trot was dressed in pink and had returned to the room, +there was an excited and clamorous crowd assembled in the court, and +Polychrome took the little girl's hand and led her out to greet her +new subjects. The Pinkies were much impressed by the fact that the +Rainbow's Daughter was their new Queen's friend, and that Rosalie +the Witch stood on Trot's left hand and treated her with humble +deference. So they shouted their approval very enthusiastically and +pressed forward one by one to kneel before their new Ruler and kiss +her hand. + +The parrot was now on Cap'n Bill's shoulder, for Trot thought a +Queen ought not to carry a bird around, but the parrot did not mind +the change and was as much excited as anyone in the crowd. "Oh, what +bliss to kiss a miss!" he shouted as Trot held out her hand to be +kissed by her subjects, and then he would scream, + +"We're in the sky and flyin' high; +We're goin' to live instead of die, +It's time to laugh instead of cry; +Oh, my! Ki-yi! Ain't this a pie?" + +Cap'n Bill let the bird jabber as he pleased, for the occasion was a +joyful one, and it was no wonder the parrot was excited. And while +the throng shouted greetings to the Queen, suddenly the great +Rainbow appeared in the sky and dropped its end right on the Court +of the Statues. Polychrome stooped to kiss Trot and Button-Bright, +gave Cap'n Bill a charming smile and Rosalie the Witch a friendly +nod of farewell. Then she sprang lightly upon the arch of the +Rainbow and was greeted by the bevy of dancing, laughing maidens who +were her sisters. "I shall keep watch over you, Button-Bright," she +called to the boy. "Don't despair, whatever happens, for behind the +clouds is always the Rainbow!" + +"Thank you, Polly," he answered, and Trot also thanked the lovely +Polychrome, and so did Cap'n Bill. The parrot made quite a long +speech, flying high above the arch where Polychrome stood and then +back to Cap'n Bill's shoulder. Said he, + +"We Pollys know our business, and we're all right! +We'll take good care of Cap'n Bill and Trot and Button-Bright. +You watch 'em from the Rainbow, and I'll watch day and night, +And we'll call a sky policeman if trouble comes in sight!" + +Suddenly, the bow lifted and carried the dancing maidens into the +sky. The colors faded, the arch slowly dissolved and the heavens +were clear. Trot turned to the Pinkies. "Let's have a holiday +today," she said. "Have a good time and enjoy yourselves. I don't +jus' know how I'm goin' to rule this country yet, but I'll think it +over an' let you know." Then she went into the palace hut with Cap'n +Bill and Button-Bright and Rosalie the Witch, and the people went +away to enjoy themselves and talk over the surprising events of the +day. + +"Dear me," said Trot, throwing herself into a chair, "wasn't that a +sudden change of fortune, though? That Rainbow's Daughter is a +pretty good fairy. I'm glad you know her, Button-Bright." + +"I was sure something would happen to save you," remarked Rosalie, +"and that was why I voted to have you thrown off the edge. I wanted +to discover who would come to your assistance, and I found out. Now +I have made a friend of Polychrome, and that will render me more +powerful as a Witch, for I can call upon her for assistance whenever +I need her." + +"But see here," said Cap'n Bill. "You can't afford to spend your +time a-rulin' this tucked-up country, Trot." + +"Why not?" asked Trot, who was pleased with her new and important +position. + +"It'd get pretty tiresome, mate, after you'd had a few quarrels with +the Pinkies, for they expec' their Queen to be as poor as poverty +an' never have any fun in life." + +"You wouldn't like it for long, I'm sure," added Button-Bright +seriously. + +Trot seemed thoughtful. "No, I don't know's I would," she admitted. +"But as long as we stay here, it seems a pretty good thing to be +Queen. I guess I'm a little proud of it. I wish mother could see me +rulin' the Pinkies, an' Papa Griffith, too. Wouldn't they open their +eyes?" + +"They would, mate, but they can't see you," said Cap'n Bill. "So the +question is, what's to be done?" + +"We ought to get home," observed the boy. "Our folks will worry +about us, and Earth's the best place to live, after all. If we could +only get hold of my Magic Umbrella, we'd be all right." + +"The rose is red, the violet's blue, +But the umbrel's stolen by the Boolooroo!" + +screamed the parrot. + +"That's it," said Cap'n Bill. "The Boolooroo's got the umbrel, an' +that settles the question." + +"Tell me," said Rosalie, "If you had your Magic Umbrella, could you +fly home again in safety?" + +"Of course we could," replied Button-Bright. + +"And would you prefer to go home to remaining here?" + +"We would indeed!" + +"Then why do you not get the umbrella?" + +"How?" asked Trot eagerly. + +"You must go into the Blue Country and force the Boolooroo to give +up your property." + +"Through the Fog Bank?" asked Cap'n Bill doubtfully. + +"And let the Boolooroo capture us again?" demanded Button-Bright +with a shiver. + +"An' have to wait on the Snubnoses instead of bein' a Queen?" said +Trot. + +"You must remember that conditions have changed, and you are now a +powerful Ruler," replied Rosalie. "The Pinkies are really a great +nation, and they are pledged to obey your commands. Why not assemble +an army, march through the Fog Bank, fight and conquer the Boolooroo +and recapture the Magic Umbrella?" + +"Hooray!" shouted Cap'n Bill, pounding his wooden leg on the floor. +"That's the proper talk! Let's do it, Queen Trot." + +"It doesn't seem like a bad idea," added Button-Bright. + +"Do you think the Pinkies would fight the Blueskins?" asked Trot. + +"Why not?" replied the sailorman. "They have sharp sticks an' know +how to use 'em, whereas the Blueskins have only them windin'-up +cords with weights on the ends." + +"The Blueskins are the biggest people," said the girl. + +"But they're cowards, I'm sure," declared the boy. + +"Anyhow," the sailor remarked, "that's our only hope of ever gett'n' +home again. I'd like to try it, Trot." + +"If you decide on this adventure," said Rosalie, "I believe I can be +of much assistance to you." + +"That'll help," asserted Cap'n Bill. + +"And we've one good friend among the Blueskins," said Button-Bright. +"I'm sure Ghip-Ghisizzle will side with us, and I've got the Royal +Record Book, which proves that the Boolooroo has already reigned his +lawful three hundred years." + +"Does the book say that?" inquired Trot with interest. + +"Yes, I've been reading it." + +"Then Sizzle'll be the new Boolooroo," said the girl, "an' p'raps we +won't have to fight, after all." + +"We'd better go prepared, though," advised Cap'n Bill, "fer that +awful ol' Boolooroo won't give up without a struggle. When shall we +start?" + +Trot hesitated, so they all looked to Rosalie for advice. "Just as +soon as we can get the army together and ready," decided the Witch. +"That will not take long. Perhaps two or three days." + +"Good!" cried Cap'n Bill, and the parrot screamed, + +"Here's a lovely how-d'y'-do-- +We're going to fight the Boolooroo! +We'll get the Six Snubnoses, too, +And make 'em all feel mighty blue." + +"Either that or the other thing," said Trot. "Anyhow, we're in for +it." + + + + + + +THE WAR OF THE PINKS AND BLUES + +CHAPTER 19 + + + + + +Much to the surprise of the Earth people, the Pinkies made no +objection whatever to undertaking the adventure. Their lives were so +monotonous and uninteresting that they welcomed anything in the way +of excitement. This march through the unknown Fog Bank to fight the +unknown Blueskins aroused them to enthusiasm, and although the +result of the expedition could not be foretold and some of them were +almost certain to get hurt, they did not hesitate to undertake the +war. + +It appeared that Coralie was Captain of the Sunset Tribe and a man +named Tintint the Captain of the Sunrise Tribe. Tintint had a very +pink skin and eyes so faded in their pink color that he squinted +badly in order to see anything around him. He was a fat and pompous +little fellow and loved to strut up and down his line of warriors +twirling his long, pointed stick so that all might admire him. + +By Rosalie's advice the Army of Conquest consisted of one hundred +Sunsets and one hundred Sunrises. Many more were eager to go, but +the Witch thought that would be enough. The warriors consisted of +both men and women, equally divided, and there was no need to +provide uniforms for them because their regular pink clothing was a +distinctive uniform in itself. Each one bore a long, pointed stick +as the main weapon and had two short, pointed sticks stuck in his +belt. + +While the army was getting ready, Rosalie the Witch went to the +central edge of the Fog Bank and fearlessly entered it. There she +called for the King of the Giant Frogs, who came at her bidding, and +the two held an earnest and long talk together. Meantime, Cap'n Bill +had the army assembled in the Court of the Statues, where Queen +Mayre appeared and told the Pinkies that the sailorman was to be +Commander in Chief of the Expedition and all must obey his commands. +Then Cap'n Bill addressed the army and told them what the Fog Bank +was like. He advised them all to wear their raincoats over their +pretty pink clothes so they would not get wet, and he assured them +that all the creatures to be met with in the Fog were perfectly +harmless. + +"When we come to the Blue Country, though," he added, "you're liable +to be pretty busy. The Blueskins are tall an' lanky, an' ugly an' +fierce, an' if they happen to capture you, you'll all be patched, +which is a deep disgrace an' a uncomfortable mix-up." + +"Will they throw us over the edge?" asked Captain Tintint. + +"I don't think so," replied Cap'n Bill. "While I was there I never +heard the edge mentioned. They're cruel enough to do +that--'specially the Boolooroo--but I guess they've never thought o' +throwin' folks over the edge. They fight with long cords that have +weights on the ends, which coil 'round you an' make you helpless in +a jiffy; so whenever they throw them cords you mus' ward 'em off +with your long sticks. Don't let 'em wind around your bodies, or +you're done for." + +He told them other things about the Blueskins, so they would not be +frightened when they faced the enemy and found them so different in +appearance from themselves, and also he assured them that the +Pinkies were so much the braver and better armed that he had no +doubt they would easily conquer. + +On the third day, just at sunrise, the army moved forward to the Fog +Bank, headed by Cap'n Bill, clad in an embroidered pink coat with +wide, flowing pink trousers, and accompanied by Trot and +Button-Bright and Rosalie the Witch, all bundled up in their pink +raincoats. The parrot was there, too, as the bird refused to be left +behind. + +They had not advanced far into the deep fog when they were halted by +a queer barrier consisting of a long line of gigantic frogs, +crouching so close together that no Pinkie could squeeze between +them. As the heads of the frogs were turned the other way, toward +the Blue Country, the army could not at first imagine what the +barrier was. But Rosalie said to them, "Our friends the frogs have +agreed to help us through the Fog Bank. Climb upon their backs, as +many on each frog as are able to hold on, and then we shall make the +journey more quickly." Obeying this injunction, the Pinkies began +climbing upon the frogs, and by crowding close together, all were +able to find places. On the back of the King Frog rode Trot and her +parrot, besides Rosalie, Button-Bright, Cap'n Bill and the captains +of the two companies of the army. + +When all were seated, clinging to one another so they would not +slide off, Cap'n Bill gave the word of command and away leaped the +frogs, all together. They bounded a long distance at this jump--some +farther than others--and as soon as they landed they jumped again, +without giving their passengers a chance to get their breaths. It +was a bewildering and exciting ride, but a dozen of the huge jumps +accomplished the journey, and at the edge of the Fog Bank each frog +stopped so suddenly that the Pinkies went flying over their heads to +tumble into the blue fields of the Blue Country, where they rolled +in a confused mass until they could recover and scramble to their +feet. No one was hurt, however, and the King Frog had been wise +enough to treat his passengers more gently by slowing down at the +edge and allowing his riders to slip to the ground very comfortably. + +Cap'n Bill at once formed his army into line of battle and had them +all remove the cumbersome raincoats, which they piled in a heap at +the edge of the Fog Bank. It was a splendid array of warriors, and +from where they stood they could discover several Blueskins rushing +in a panic toward the Blue City as fast as their long, blue legs +could carry them. + +"Well, they know we're here, anyhow," said Cap'n Bill, "and instead +of waitin' to see what'll they do, I guess we'll jus' march on the +City an' ask 'em to please surrender." + + + + + + +GHIP-GHISIZZLE HAS A BAD TIME + +CHAPTER 20 + + + + + +The Boolooroo was quite busy at the time the Pinkies invaded his +country. He had discovered the loss of the Book of Records, and +after being frightened 'most to death at the prospect of his fraud +on the people's being made public, he decided to act boldly and hold +his position as Boolooroo at any cost. + +Since Ghip-Ghisizzle was to be the next Boolooroo, the king +suspected him first of all, so he had the Majordomo bound with cords +and brought before him, when he accused him of stealing the Book of +Records. Of course, Ghip-Ghisizzle denied taking the Book, but he +became almost as nervous at its loss as had the Boolooroo. He +secretly believed that Button-Bright had taken the Book from the +Treasure Chamber, and if this were true it might prove as great a +misfortune as if the king had kept it locked up. For Button-Bright +had escaped into the Fog Bank, and Ghip-Ghisizzle was afraid the boy +would never again be seen in the Blue Country. + +He did not tell the Boolooroo of this suspicion, because in that +case the king would realize he was secure and that his deception +could never be proved against him. The Majordomo simply denied +taking the Record Book, and the Boolooroo did not believe he spoke +truly. To prevent his rival from ever becoming the Ruler of the Blue +Country, the Boolooroo determined to have him patched, but for some +time he could find no other Blueskin to patch him with. No one had +disobeyed a command or done anything wrong, so the king was in a +quandary until he discovered that a servant named Tiggle had mixed +the royal nectar for Cap'n Bill, who had been ordered to do it at +the time of his capture. This was sufficient excuse for the +Boolooroo, who at once had Tiggle made a prisoner and brought before +him. + +This servant was not so long-legged as Ghip-Ghisizzle, and his head +was thicker and his nose flatter. But that pleased the Boolooroo all +the more. He realized that when the great knife had sliced the +prisoners in two and their halves were patched together, they would +present a ridiculous sight and all the Blueskins would laugh at them +and avoid them. So on the very morning that the Pinkies arrived, the +Boolooroo had ordered his two prisoners brought into the room of the +palace where the Great Knife stood, and his soldiers were getting +ready to perform the operation of patching Ghip-Ghisizzle with +Tingle when a messenger came running to say that a great army of the +Pinkies had broken through the Fog Bank. + +"Never mind," said the Boolooroo, "I'll attend to them in a minute. +I'm busy now." + +"They are marching on the City," said the frightened messenger. "If +you delay, Most High and Mighty One, we shall all be captured. You'd +better save your City first and do your patching afterward." + +"What!" roared the Boolooroo. "Dare you dictate to me?" But he was +impressed by the man's logic. After locking the prisoners, who were +still bound, in the Room of the Great Knife, the Ruler hurried away +to assemble his soldiers. By this time the Pinkies had advanced +halfway to the walls of the City, so the first thing the Boolooroo +did was to order all the gates closed and locked, and then he placed +a line of soldiers on the wall to prevent any of the Pinkies from +climbing over. Therefore, when Cap'n Bill's army reached the wall, +he was obliged to halt his ranks until he could find a way to enter +the City. + +Now when the Boolooroo looked through the blue-steel bars of the +main gate and saw the enemy armed with sharp-pointed sticks, he +began to tremble; and when he thought how painful it would be to +have his body and arms and legs prodded and pricked by such weapons, +he groaned aloud and was very miserable. But the thought occurred to +him that if he could avoid being caught by the Pinkies, they would +be unable to harm him. So he went among his people and reminded them +how horrible it would feel to be punched full of holes by the +invaders and urged them to fight desperately and drive the Pinkies +back into the Fog Bank. + +Only a few of the Blueskins were soldiers, and these all belonged to +the King's bodyguard, but the citizens realized that they must +indeed fight bravely to save themselves from getting hurt, so they +promised the Boolooroo to do all they could. They armed themselves +with long cords having weights fastened to the ends and practiced +throwing these weights in such a manner that the cords would wind +around their enemies. Also, they assembled in the streets in small +groups and told each other in frightened whispers that all their +trouble was due to the Boolooroo's cruel treatment of the Earth +people. If he had received them as friends instead of making them +slaves, they would never have escaped to the Pinkies and brought an +army into the Blue Country that they might be revenged. The +Blueskins had not liked their Boolooroo before this, and now they +began to hate him, forgetting they had also treated the strangers in +a very disagreeable manner. + +Meantime, the Six Snubnosed Princesses had seen from their rooms in +a tower of the palace the army of the Pinkies marching upon them, +and the sight had served to excite them greatly. They had been +quarreling bitterly among themselves all morning, and strangely +enough this quarrel was all about which of them should marry +Ghip-Ghisizzle. They knew that some day the Majordomo would become +Boolooroo, and each one of the six had determined to marry him so as +to be Queen and thus force her sisters to obey her commands. They +paid no attention to the fact that Ghip-Ghisizzle did not want to +marry any of them, for they had determined that when it was agreed +who should have him, they would ask their father to force the man to +marry. + +While they quarreled in one room of the palace, Ghip-Ghisizzle was +in danger of being patched in another room; but the Six Snubnosed +Princesses did not know that. The arrival of the Pinkies gave them +something new to talk about, so they hurried downstairs and along +the corridors so as to gain the courtyard and take part in the +exciting scenes. But as they passed the closed doors of the Room of +the Great Knife, they heard a low moan and stopped to listen. The +moan was repeated, and being curious, they unlocked the door--the +key having been left on the outside--and entered the room. + +At once, the Pinkies were forgotten, for there upon the floor, +tightly bound, lay Ghip-Ghisizzle, and beside him poor Tiggle, who +had uttered the moans. + +The six Princesses sat down in a circle facing the captives, and +Cerulia said, "Ghip, my dear, we will release you on one condition: +That you choose a wife from among us and promise to marry the one +selected as soon as the Pinkies are driven back into the Fog Bank." + +Ghip-Ghisizzle managed to shake his head. Then he said, "Really, +ladies, you must excuse me. I'd rather be patched than mismatched, +as I would be with a lovely, snub-nosed wife. You are too beautiful +for me; go seek your husbands elsewhere." + +"Monster!" cried Indigo. "If you choose me, I'll scratch your eyes +out!" + +"If you choose me," said Cobalt in a rage, "I'll tear out your hair +by the roots!" + +"If I am to be your wife," screamed Azure, "I'll mark your obstinate +face with my fingernails!" + +"And I," said Turquoise passionately, "will pound your head with a +broomstick!" + +"I'll shake him till his teeth rattle!" shrieked Sapphire. + +"The best way to manage a husband," observed Cerulia angrily, "is to +pull his nose." + +"Ladies," said Ghip-Ghisizzle when he had a chance to speak, "do not +anticipate these pleasures, I beg of you, for I shall choose none +among you for a wife." + +"We'll see about that," said Indigo. + +"I think you will soon change your mind," added Azure. + +"I'm going to be patched to Tingle, here, as soon as the Boolooroo +returns," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and it's against the law for a +patched man to marry anyone. It's regarded as half-bigamy." + +"Dear me!" cried Cerulia. "If he's patched, he never can be +Boolooroo." + +"Then he musn't be patched," declared Sapphire. "We must save him +from that fate, girls, and force him to decide among us. Otherwise, +none of us can ever be the Queen." + +This being evident, they proceeded to unbind the long legs of +Ghip-Ghisizzle, leaving his body and arms, however, tied fast +together. Then between them they got him upon his feet and led him +away, paying no attention to poor Tiggle, who whined to be released +so he could fight in the war. After a hurried consultation, the Six +Snubnosed Princesses decided to hide the Majordomo in one of their +boudoirs, so they dragged him up the stairs to their reception room +and fell to quarreling as to whose boudoir should be occupied by +their captive. Not being able to settle the question, they finally +locked him up in a vacant room across the hall and told him he must +stay there until he had decided to marry one of the Princesses and +could make a choice among them. + + + + + + +THE CAPTURE OF CAP'N BILL + +CHAPTER 21 + + + + + +While this was transpiring in the palace, Cap'n Bill and the Pinkies +had encamped before the principal gate of the City and a tent had +been pitched for Trot and Button-Bright and Rosalie. The army had +been very fearful and weak-kneed when it first entered the Blue +Country, but perceiving that the Boolooroo and his people were +afraid of them and had locked themselves up in the City, the Pinkies +grew bolder and longed to make an attack. + +One of them, in his curiosity to examine the Blue City, got a little +too near the wall, and a blue soldier threw his cord-and-weight at +him. The cord didn't wind around the Pinkie, as he was too far off, +but the weight hit him in the eye and made him howl lustily as he +trotted back to this comrades at full speed. After this experience, +the invaders were careful to keep a safe distance from the wall. + +The Boolooroo, having made all preparations to receive the enemy, +was annoyed because they held back. He was himself so nervous and +excited that he became desperate, and after an hour of tedious +waiting, during which time he pranced around impatiently, he decided +to attack the hated Pinkies and rid the country of them. + +"Their dreadful color makes me hysterical," he said to his soldiers, +"so if I am to have any peace of mind, we must charge the foe and +drive them back into the Fog Bank. But take all the prisoners you +can, my brave men, and tomorrow we will have a jolly time patching +them. Don't be afraid; those pink creatures have no blue blood in +their veins, and they'll run like rabbits when they see us coming." + +Then he ordered the gate thrown open, and immediately the Blueskins +poured out into the open plain and began to run toward the Pinkies. +The Boolooroo went out, too, but he kept well behind his people, +remembering the sharp sticks with which the enemy were armed. + +Cap'n Bill was alert and had told his army what to do in case of an +attack. The Pinkies did not run like rabbits, but formed a solid +line and knelt down with their long, sharp sticks pointed directly +toward the Blueskins, the other ends being set firmly upon the +ground. Of course, the Blueskins couldn't run against these sharp +points, so they halted a few feet away and began swinging their +cord-and-weights. But the Pinkies were too close together to be +caught in this manner, and now by command of Cap'n Bill they +suddenly rose to their feet and began jabbing their sticks at the +foe. The Blueskins hesitated until a few got pricked and began to +yell with terror, when the whole of the Boolooroo's attacking party +turned around and ran back to the gate, their Ruler reaching it +first of all. The Pinkies tried to chase them, but their round, fat +legs were no match for the long, thin legs of the Blueskins, who +quickly gained the gate and shut themselves up in the City again. + +"It is evident," panted the Boolooroo, facing his defeated soldiers +wrathfully, "that you are a pack of cowards!" + +"But we followed your own royal example in running," replied the +Captain. + +"I merely ran back to the City to get a drink of water, for I was +thirsty," declared the Boolooroo. + +"So did we! So did we!" cried the soldiers eagerly. "We were all +thirsty." + +"Your High and Mighty Spry and Flighty Majesty," remarked the +Captain respectfully, "it occurs to me that the weapons of the +Pinkies are superior to our own. What we need in order to oppose +them successfully is a number of sharp sticks which are longer than +their own." + +"True, true!" exclaimed the Boolooroo enthusiastically. "Get to work +at once and make yourselves long, sharp sticks, and then we will +attack the enemy again." + +So the soldiers and citizens all set to work preparing long, sharp +sticks, and while they were doing this, Rosalie the Witch had a +vision in which she saw exactly what was going on inside the City +wall. Queen Trot and Cap'n Bill and Button-Bright saw the vision, +too, for they were all in the tent together, and the sight made them +anxious. + +"What can be done?" asked the girl. "The Blueskins are bigger and +stronger than the Pinkies, and if they have sharp sticks which are +longer than ours, they will surely defeat us." + +"I have one magic charm," said Rosalie thoughtfully, "that will save +our army; but I am allowed to work only one magic charm every three +days--not oftener--and perhaps I'll need the magic for other +things." + +"Strikes me, ma'am," returned the sailor, "that what we need most on +this expedition is to capture the Blueskins. If we don't, we'll need +plenty of magic to help us back to the Pink Country; but if we do, +we can take care of ourselves without magic." + +"Very well," replied Rosalie. "I will take your advice, Cap'n, and +enchant the weapons of the Pinkies." She then went out and had all +the Pinkies come before her, one by one, and she enchanted their +sharp sticks by muttering some cabalistic words and making queer +passes with her hands over the weapons. "Now," she said to them, +"you will be powerful enough to defeat the Blueskins whatever they +may do." The Pinkies were overjoyed at this promise, and it made +them very brave indeed, since they now believed they would surely be +victorious. + +When the Boolooroo's people were armed with long, thin, lances of +bluewood all sharpened to fine points at one end, they prepared to +march once more against the invaders. Their sticks were twice as +long as those of the Pinkies, and the Boolooroo chuckled with glee +to think what fun they would have in punching holes in the round, +fat bodies of his enemies. + +Out from the gate they marched very boldly and pressed on to attack +the Pinkies, who were drawn up in line of battle to receive them, +with Cap'n Bill at their head. When the opposing forces came +together, however, and the Blueskins pushed their points against the +Pinkies, the weapons which had been enchanted by Rosalie began to +whirl in swift circles--so swift that the eye could scarcely follow +the motion. The result was that the lances of the Boolooroo's people +could not touch the Pinkies, but were thrust aside with violence and +either broken in two or sent hurling through the air in all +directions. Finding themselves so suddenly disarmed, the amazed +Blueskins turned about and ran again, while Cap'n Bill, greatly +excited by his victory, shouted to his followers to pursue the +enemy, and hobbled after them as fast as he could make his wooden +leg go, swinging his sharp stick as he advanced. + +The Blues were in such a frightened, confused mass that they got in +one another's way and could not make very good progress on the +retreat, so the old sailor soon caught up with them and began +jabbing at the crowd with his stick. Unfortunately, the Pinkies had +not followed their commander, being for the moment dazed by their +success, so that Cap'n Bill was all alone among the Blueskins when +he stepped his wooden leg into a hole in the ground and tumbled full +length, his sharp stick flying from his hand and pricking the +Boolooroo in the leg as it fell. + +At this, the Ruler of the Blues stopped short in his flight to yell +with terror, but seeing that only the sailorman was pursuing them +and that this solitary foe had tumbled flat upon the ground, he +issued a command and several of his people fell upon poor Cap'n +Bill, seized him in their long arms, and carried him struggling into +the City, where he was fast bound. + +Then a panic fell upon the Pinkies at the loss of their leader, and +Trot and Button-Bright called out in vain for them to rescue Cap'n +Bill. By the time the army recovered their wits and prepared to +obey, it was too late. And although Trot ran with them in her +eagerness to save her friend, the gate was found to be fast barred, +and she knew it was impossible for them to force an entrance into +the City. + +So she went sorrowfully back to the camp, followed by the Pinkies, +and asked Rosalie what could be done. + +"I'm sure I do not know," replied the Witch. "I cannot use another +magic charm until three days have expired, but if they do not harm +Cap'n Bill during that time, I believe I can then find a way to save +him." + +"Three days is a long time," remarked Trot dismally. + +"The Boolooroo may decide to patch him at once," added Button-Bright +with equal sadness, for he, too, mourned the sailor's loss. + +"It can't be helped," replied Rosalie. "I am not a fairy, my dears, +but merely a witch, and so my magic powers are limited. We can only +hope that the Boolooroo won't patch Cap'n Bill for three days." + +When night settled down upon the camp of the Pinkies, where many +tents had now been pitched, all the invaders were filled with gloom. +The band tried to enliven them by playing the "Dead March," but it +was not a success. The Pinkies were despondent in spite of the fact +that they had repulsed the attack of the Blues, for as yet they had +not succeeded in gaining the City or finding the Magic Umbrella, and +the blue dusk of this dread country--which was so different from +their own land of sunsets--made them all very nervous. They saw the +moon rise for the first time in their lives, and its cold, silvery +radiance made them shudder and prevented them from going to sleep. +Trot tried to interest them by telling them that on the Earth the +people had both the sun and the moon and loved them both; but +nevertheless it is certain that had not the terrible Fog Bank stood +between them and the Pink Land, most of the invading army would have +promptly deserted and gone back home. + +Trot couldn't sleep, either, she was so worried over Cap'n Bill. She +went back to the tent where Rosalie and Button-Bright were sitting +in the moonlight and asked the Witch if there was no way in which +she could secretly get into the City of the Blues and search for her +friend. Rosalie thought it over for some time and then replied: + +"We can make a rope ladder that will enable you to climb to the top +of the wall and descend into the City. But if anyone should see you, +you would be captured." + +"I'll risk that," said the child, excited at the prospect of gaining +the side of Cap'n Bill in this adventurous way. "Please make the +rope ladder at once, Rosalie!" + +So the Witch took some ropes and knotted together a ladder long +enough to reach the top of the wall. When it was finished, the +three--Rosalie, Trot and Button-Bright--stole out into the moonlight +and crept unobserved into the shadow of the wall. The Blueskins were +not keeping a very close watch, as they were confident the Pinkies +could not get into the City. + +The hardest part of Rosalie's task was to toss up one end of the +rope ladder until it would catch on some projection on top of the +wall. There were few such projections, but after creeping along the +wall for a distance, they saw the end of a broken flagstaff near the +top edge. The Witch tossed up the ladder, trying to catch it upon +this point, and on the seventh attempt she succeeded. + +"Good!" cried Trot. "Now I can climb up." + +"Don't you want me to go with you?" asked Button-Bright a little +wistfully. + +"No," said the girl. "You must stay to lead the army. And if you can +think of a way, you must try to rescue us. Perhaps I'll be able to +save Cap'n Bill by myself; but if I don't, it's all up to you, +Button-Bright." + +"I'll do my best," he promised. + +"And here, keep my polly till I come back," added Trot, giving him +the bird. "I can't take it with me, for it would be a bother, an' if +it tried to spout po'try, I'd be discovered in a jiffy." + +As the beautiful Witch kissed the little girl goodbye, she slipped +upon her finger a curious ring. At once, Button-Bright exclaimed, +"Why, where has she gone?" + +"I'm right here," said Trot's voice by his side. "Can't you see me?" + +"No," replied the boy, mystified. + +Rosalie laughed. "It's a magic ring I've loaned you, my dear," said +she, "and as long as you wear it, you will be invisible to all eyes, +those of Blueskins and Pinkies alike. I'm going to let you wear this +wonderful ring, for it will save you from being discovered by your +enemies. If at any time you wish to be seen, take the ring from your +finger; but as long as you wear it, no one can see you, not even +Earth people." + +"Oh, thank you!" cried Trot. "That will be fine." + +"I see you have another ring on your hand," said Rosalie, "and I +perceive it is enchanted in some way. Where did you get it?" + +"The Queen of the Mermaids gave it to me," answered Trot. "But Sky +Island is so far away from the sea that the ring won't do me any +good while I'm here. It's only to call the mermaids to me if I need +them, and they can't swim in the sky, you see." + +Rosalie smiled and kissed her again. "Be brave, my dear," she said, +"and I am sure you will be able to find Cap'n Bill without getting +in danger yourself. But be careful not to let any Blueskin touch +you, for while you are in contact with any person you will become +visible. Keep out of their way, and you will be perfectly safe. +Don't lose the ring, for you must give it back to me when you +return. It is one of my witchcraft treasures, and I need it in my +business." + +The Trot climbed the ladder, although neither Button-Bright nor +Rosalie could see her do so, and when she was on top the broad wall +she pulled up the knotted ropes and began to search for a place to +let it down on the other side. A little way off she found a +bluestone seat near to the inner edge, and attaching the ladder to +this, she easily descended it and found herself in the Blue City. A +guard was pacing up and down near her, but as he could not see the +girl, he of course paid no attention to her. So after marking the +place where the ladder hung that she might know how to reach it +again, Trot hurried away through the streets of the city. + + + + + + +TROT'S INVISIBLE ADVENTURE + +CHAPTER 22 + + + + + +All the Blueskins except a few soldiers had gone to bed and were +sound asleep. A blue gloom hung over the city, which was scarcely +relieved by a few bluish, wavering lights here and there, but Trot +knew the general direction in which the palace lay, and she decided +to go there first. She believed the Boolooroo would surely keep so +important a prisoner as Cap'n Bill locked up in his own palace. + +Once or twice the little girl lost her way, for the streets were +very puzzling to one not accustomed to them, but finally she sighted +the great palace and went up to the entrance. There she found a +double guard posted. They were sitting on a bench outside the +doorway, and both stood up as she approached. + +"We thought we heard footsteps," said one. + +"So did we," replied the other, "yet there is no one in sight." + +Trot then saw that the guards were the two patched men, Jimfred +Jonesjinks and Fredjim Jinksjones, who had been talking together +quite cheerfully. It was the first time the girl had seen them +together, and she marveled at the queer patching that had been so +strongly united here, yet so thoroughly separated them. + +"You see," remarked Jimfred as they seated themselves again upon the +bench, "The Boolooroo has ordered the patching to take place +tomorrow morning after breakfast. The old Earth man is to be patched +to poor Tiggle instead of Ghip-Ghisizzle, who has in some way +managed to escape from the Room of the Great Knife--no one knows how +but Tiggle, and Tiggle won't tell." + +"We're sorry for anyone who has to be patched," replied Fredjim in a +reflective tone, "for although it didn't hurt us as much as we +expected, it's a terrible mix-up to be in until we become used to +our strange combination. You and we are about alike, now, Jimfred, +although we were so different before." + +"Not so," said Jimfred. "We are really more intelligent than you +are, for the left side of our brain was always the keenest before we +were patched." + +"That may be," admitted Fredjim, "but we are much the strongest, +because our right arm was by far the best before we were patched." + +"We are not sure of that," responded Jimfred, "for we have a right +arm, too, and it is pretty strong." + +"We will test it," suggested the other, "by all pulling upon one end +of this bench with our right arms. Whichever can pull the bench from +the others must be the strongest." + +While they were tussling at the bench, dragging it first here and +then there in the trial of strength, Trot opened the door of the +palace and walked in. It was pretty dark in the hall, and only a few +dim blue lights showed at intervals down the long corridors. As the +girl walked through these passages, she could hear snores of various +degrees coming from behind some of the closed doors and knew that +all the regular inmates of the place were sound asleep. So she +mounted to the upper floor, and thinking she would be likely to find +Cap'n Bill in the Room of the Great Knife, she went there and tried +the door. It was locked, but the key had been left on the outside. +She waited until the sentry who was pacing the corridor had his back +toward her, and then she turned the key and slipped within, softly +closing the door behind her. + +It was pitch dark in the room, and Trot didn't know how to make a +light. After a moment's thought she began feeling her way to the +window, stumbling over objects as she went. Every time she made a +noise, someone groaned, and that made the child uneasy. At last she +found a window and managed to open the shutters and let the +moonlight in. It wasn't a very strong moonlight, but it enabled her +to examine the interior of the room. In the center stood the Great +Knife, which the Boolooroo used to split people in two when he +patched them, and at one side was a dark form huddled upon the floor +and securely bound. + +Trot hastened to this form and knelt beside it, but was disappointed +to find it was only Tiggle. The man stirred a little and rolled +against Trot's knee, when she at once became visible to him. "Oh, +it's the Earth child," said he. "Are you condemned to be patched, +too, little one?" + +"No," answered Trot. "Tell me where Cap'n Bill is." + +"I can't," said Tiggle. "The Boolooroo has hidden him until tomorrow +morning, when he's to be patched to me. Ghip-Ghisizzle was to have +been my mate, but Ghip escaped, being carried away by the Six +Snubnosed Princesses." + +"Why?" she asked. + +"One of them means to marry him," explained Tiggle. + +"Oh, that's worse than being patched!" cried Trot. + +"Much worse," said Tiggle with a groan. + +But now an idea occurred to the girl. "Would you like to escape?" +she asked the captive. "If I get you out of the palace, can you hide +yourself so that you won't be found?" + +"Certainly!" he declared. "I know a house where I can hide so snugly +that all the Boolooroo's soldiers cannot find me." + +"All right," said Trot. "I'll do it, for when you're gone, the +Boolooroo will have no one to patch Cap'n Bill to." + +"He may find someone else," suggested the prisoner. + +"But it will take him time to do that, and time is all I want," +answered the child. Even while she spoke, Trot was busy with the +knots in the cords, and presently she had unbound Tiggle, who soon +got upon his feet. "Now I'll go to one end of the passage and make a +noise," said she, "and when the guard runs to see what it is, you +must run the other way. Outside the palace, Jimfred and Fredjim are +on guard, but if you tip over the bench they are seated on, you can +easily escape them." + +"I'll do that, all right," promised the delighted Tiggle. "You've +made a friend of me, little girl, and if ever I can help you, I'll +do it with pleasure." + +Then Trot started for the door, and Tiggle could no longer see her +because she was not now touching him. The man was much surprised at +her disappearance, but listened carefully, and when he heard the +girl make a noise at one end of the corridor, he opened the door and +ran in the opposite direction as he had been told to do. + +Of course, the guard could not discover what made the noise, and +Trot ran little risk, as she was careful not to let him touch her. +When Tiggle had escaped, the little girl wandered through the palace +in search of Cap'n Bill, but soon decided such a quest in the dark +was likely to fail and she must wait until morning. She was tired, +too, and thought she would find a vacant room--of which there were +many in the big palace--and go to sleep until daylight. She +remembered there was a comfortable vacant room just opposite the +suite of the Six Snubnosed Princesses, so she stole softly up to it +and tried the door. It was locked, but the key was outside, as the +Blueskins seldom took a door key from its place. So she turned the +key, opened the door, and walked in. + +Now this was the chamber in which Ghip-Ghisizzle had been confined +by the Princesses, his arms being bound tight to his body, but his +legs left free. The Boolooroo in his search had failed to discover +what had become of Ghip Ghisizzle, but the poor man had been worried +every minute for fear his retreat would be discovered or that the +terrible Princesses would come for him and nag him until he went +crazy. There was one window in his room, and the prisoner had +managed to push open the sash with his knees. Looking out, he found +that a few feet below the window was the broad wall that ran all +around the palace gardens. A little way to the right the wall joined +the wall of the City, being on the same level with it. + +Ghip-Ghisizzle had been thinking deeply upon this discovery, and he +decided that if anyone entered his room, he would get through the +window, leap down upon the wall, and try in this way to escape. It +would be a dangerous leap, for as his arms were bound, he might +topple off the wall into the garden; but he resolved to take this +chance. Therefore, when Trot rattled at the door of his room, +Ghip-Ghisizzle ran and seated himself upon the window sill, dangling +his long legs over the edge. When she finally opened the door, he +slipped off and let himself fall to the wall, where he doubled up in +a heap. The next minute, however, he had scrambled to his knees and +was running swiftly along the garden wall. + +Trot, finding the window open, came and looked out, and she saw the +Majordomo's tall form hastening along the top of the wall. The +guards saw him, too, outlined against the sky in the moonlight, and +they began yelling at him to stop, but Ghip-Ghisizzle kept right on +until he reached the city Wall, when he began to follow that. More +guards were yelling now, running along the foot of the wall to keep +the fugitive in sight, and people began to pour out of the houses +and join in the chase. + +Poor Ghip realized that if he kept on the wall, he would merely +circle the city and finally be caught. If he leaped down into the +City, he would be seized at once. Just then he came opposite the +camp of the Pinkies and decided to trust himself to the mercies of +his Earth friends rather than be made a prisoner by his own people, +who would obey the commands of their detested but greatly feared +Boolooroo. So suddenly he gave a mighty leap and came down into the +field outside the city. Again he fell in a heap and rolled over and +over, for it was a high wall and the jump a dangerous one; but +finally he recovered and got upon his feet, delighted to find he had +broken none of his bones. + +Some of the Blueskins had by now opened a gate, and out rushed a +crowd to capture the fugitive; but Ghip-Ghisizzle made straight for +the camp of the Pinkies, and his pursuers did not dare follow him +far in that direction. They soon gave up the chase and returned to +the City, while the runaway Majordomo was captured by Captain +Coralie and marched away to the tent of Rosalie the Witch, a +prisoner of the Pinkies. + + + + + + +THE GIRL AND THE BOOLOOROO + +CHAPTER 23 + + + + + +Trot watched from the window the escape of Ghip-Ghisizzle but did +not know, of course, who it was. Then, after the City had quieted +down again, she lay upon the bed without undressing and was sound +asleep in a minute. + +The blue dawn was just breaking when she opened her eyes with a +start of fear that she might have overslept, but soon she found that +no one else in the palace was yet astir. Even the guards had gone to +sleep by this time and were adding their snores to the snores of the +other inhabitants of the Royal Palace. So the little girl got up +and, finding a ewer of water and a basin upon the dresser, washed +herself carefully and then looked in a big mirror to see how her +hair was. To her astonishment, there was no reflection at all; the +mirror was blank so far as Trot was concerned. She laughed a little +at that, remembering she wore the ring of Rosalie the Witch, which +rendered her invisible. Then she slipped quietly out of the room and +found it was already light enough in the corridors for her to see +all objects distinctly. + +After hesitating a moment which way to turn, she decided to visit +the Snubnosed Princesses and passed through the big reception room +to the sleeping room of Indigo. There this Princess, the crossest +and most disagreeable of all the disagreeable six, was curled up in +bed and slumbering cozily. The little blue dog came trotting out of +Indigo's boudoir and crowed like a rooster, for although he could +not see Trot, his keen little nose scented her presence. Thinking it +time the Princess awoke, Trot leaned over and gave her snub nose a +good tweak, and at once Indigo sprang out of her bed and rushed into +the chamber of Cobalt, which adjoined her own. Thinking it was this +sister who had slyly attacked her, Indigo rushed at the sleeping +Cobalt and slapped her face. + +At once there was war. The other four Princesses, hearing the +screams and cries of rage, came running into Cobalt's room, and as +fast as they appeared, Trot threw pillows at them, so that presently +all six were indulging in a free-for-all battle and snarling like +tigers. The blue lamb came trotting into the room, and Trot leaned +over and patted the pretty little animal, but as she did so, she +became visible for an instant, each pat destroying the charm of the +ring while the girl was in contact with a living creature. These +flashes permitted some of the Princesses to see her, and at once +they rushed toward her with furious cries. But the girl realized +what had happened, and leaving the lamb, she stepped back into a +corner and her frenzied enemies failed to find her. It was a little +dangerous, though, remaining in a room where six girls were feeling +all around for her, so she went away and left them to their vain +search while she renewed her hunt for Cap'n Bill. + +The sailorman did not seem to be in any of the rooms she entered, so +she decided to visit the Boolooroo's own apartments. In the room +where Rosalie's vision had shown them the Magic Umbrella lying under +a cabinet, Trot attempted to find it, for she considered that next +to rescuing Cap'n Bill this was the most important task to +accomplish; but the umbrella had been taken away and was no longer +beneath the cabinet. This was a severe disappointment to the child, +but she reflected that the umbrella was surely someplace in the Blue +city, so there was no need to despair. + +Finally, she entered the King's own sleeping chamber and found the +Boolooroo in bed and asleep, with a funny nightcap tied over his +egg-shaped head. As Trot looked at him, she was surprised to see +that he had one foot out of bed and that to his big toe was tied a +cord that led out of the bedchamber into a small dressing room +beyond. Trot slowly followed this cord and in the dressing room came +upon Cap'n Bill, who was lying asleep upon a lounge and snoring with +great vigor. His arms were tied to his body, and his body was tied +fast to the lounge. The wooden leg stuck out into the room at an +angle, and the shoe on his one foot had been removed so that the end +of the cord could be fastened to the sailor's big toe. + +This arrangement had been a clever thought of the Boolooroo. Fearing +his important prisoner might escape before he was patched as +Ghip-Ghisizzle had done, the cruel King of the Blues had kept Cap'n +Bill in his private apartments and had tied his own big toe to the +prisoner's big toe, so that if the sailor made any attempt to get +away, he would pull on the cord, and that would arouse the +Boolooroo. + +Trot saw through this cunning scheme at once, so the first thing she +did was to untie the cord from Cap'n Bill's big toe and retie it to +the leg of the lounge. Then she unfastened her friend's hands and +leaned over to give his leathery face a smacking kiss. Cap'n Bill +sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked around the room and rubbed his +eyes again, seeing no one who could have kissed him. Then he +discovered that his bonds had been removed, and he rubbed his eyes +once more to make sure he was not dreaming. The little girl laughed +softly. + +"Trot!" exclaimed the sailor, recognizing her voice. + +Then Trot came up and took his hand, the touch at once rendering her +visible to him. "Dear me!" said the bewildered sailor. "However did +you get here, mate, in the Boolooroo's own den? Is the Blue City +captured?" + +"Not yet," she replied, "but YOU are, Cap'n, and I've come to save +you." + +"All alone, Trot?" + +"All alone, Cap'n Bill. But it's got to be done, jus' the same." And +then she explained about the magic ring Rosalie had lent her, which +rendered her invisible while she wore it--unless she touched some +living creature. Cap'n Bill was much interested. + +"I'm willing to be saved, mate," he said, "for the Boolooroo is set +on patchin' me right after breakfas', which I hope the cook'll be +late with." + +"Who are you to be patched to?" she asked. + +"A feller named Tiggle, who's in disgrace 'cause he mixed the royal +necktie for me." + +"That was nectar, not necktie," corrected Trot. "But you needn't be +'fraid of bein' patched with Tiggle, 'cause I've set him loose. By +this time he's in hiding, where he can't be found." + +"That's good," said Cap'n Bill, nodding approval, "but the blamed +ol' Boolooroo's sure to find someone else. What's to be done, mate?" + +Trot thought about it for a moment. Then she remembered how some +unknown man had escaped from the palace the night before by means of +the wall, which he had reached from the window of the very chamber +in which she had slept. Cap'n Bill might easily do the same. And the +rope ladder she had used would help the sailor down from the top of +the wall. "Could you climb down a rope ladder, Cap'n?" she asked. + +"Like enough," said he. "I've done it many a time on shipboard." + +"But you hadn't a wooden leg then," she reminded him. + +"The wooden leg won't bother much," he assured her. + +So Trot tied a small sofa cushion around the end of his wooden leg +so it wouldn't make any noise pounding upon the floor, and then she +quietly led the sailor through the room of the sleeping Boolooroo +and through several other rooms until they came to the passage. Here +a soldier was on guard, but he had fallen asleep for a moment in +order to rest himself. They passed the Blueskin without disturbing +him and soon reached the chamber opposite the suite of the Six +Snubnosed Princesses, whom they could hear still quarreling loudly +among themselves. + +Trot locked the door from the inside so no one could disturb them, +and then led the sailor to the window. The garden was just below. + +"But good gracious me! It's a drop o' ten feet, Trot," he exclaimed. + +"And you've only one foot to drop, Cap'n," she said, laughing. +"Couldn't you let yourself down with one of the sheets from the +bed?" + +"I'll try," he rejoined. "But can YOU do that circus act, Trot?" + +"Oh, I'm goin' to stay here an' find the Magic Umbrella," she +replied. "Bein' invis'ble, Cap'n, I'm safe enough. What I want to do +is to see you safe back with the Pinkies, an' then I'll manage to +hold my own all right, never fear." + +So they brought a blue sheet and tied one end to a post of the blue +bed and let the other end dangle out the blue window. "Goodbye, +mate," said Cap'n Bill, preparing to descend. "Don't get reckless." + +"I won't, Cap'n. Don't worry." + +Then he grasped the sheet with both hands and easily let himself +down to the wall. Trot had told him where to find the rope ladder +she had left and how to fasten it to the broken flagstaff so he +could climb down into the field outside the City. As soon as he was +safe on the wall, Cap'n Bill began to hobble along the broad top +toward the connecting wall that surrounded the entire City--just as +Ghip-Ghisizzle had done--and Trot anxiously watched him from the +window. + +But the Blue City was now beginning to waken to life. One of the +soldiers came from a house, sleepily yawning and stretching himself, +and presently his eyes lit upon the huge form of Cap'n Bill +hastening along the top of the wall. The soldier gave a yell that +aroused a score of his comrades and brought them tumbling into the +street. When they saw how the Boolooroo's precious prisoner was +escaping, they instantly became alert and wide-awake, and every one +started in pursuit along the foot of the wall. + +Of course, the long-legged Blueskins could run faster than poor +Cap'n Bill. Some of them soon got ahead of the old sailorman and +came to the rope ladder which Trot had left dangling from the stone +bench, where it hung down inside the City. The Blue soldiers +promptly mounted this ladder and so gained the wall, heading off the +fugitive. When Cap'n Bill came up, panting and all out of breath, +the Blueskins seized him and held him fast. + +Cap'n Bill was terribly disappointed at being recaptured, and so was +Trot, who had eagerly followed his every movement from her window in +the palace. The little girl would have cried with vexation, and I +think she did weep a few tears before she recovered her courage; but +Cap'n Bill was a philosopher, in his way, and had learned to accept +ill fortune cheerfully. Knowing he was helpless, he made no protest +when they again bound him and carried him down the ladder like a +bale of goods. + +Others were also disappointed by his capture. Button-Bright had +heard the parrot squawking, "Oh, there's Cap'n Bill! There's Cap'n +Bill! I see him still, up on that hill! It's Cap'n Bill!" So the boy +ran out of his tent to find the sailor scurrying along the top of +the wall as fast as he could go. At once Button-Bright aroused +Coralie, who got her Pinkies together and quickly marched them +toward the wall to assist in the escape of her Commander in Chief. +But they were too late. Before they could reach the wall, the +Blueskins had captured Trot's old friend and lugged him down in to +the City, so Coralie and Button-Bright were forced to return to +their camp discomfited. There Ghip-Ghisizzle and Rosalie were +awaiting them, and they all went into the Witch's tent and held a +council of war. + +"Tell me," said Ghip-Ghisizzle, "did you not take the Royal Record +Book from the Treasure Chamber of the Boolooroo?" + +"I did," replied the boy. "I remember that you wanted it, and so I +have kept it with me ever since that night. Here it is." And he +presented the little blue book to the Majordomo, the only friend the +adventurers had found among all the Blueskins. + +Ghip-Ghisizzle took the book eagerly and at once began turning over +its leaves. "Ah!" he exclaimed presently. "It is just as I +suspected. The wicked Boolooroo had already reigned over the Blue +Country three hundred years last Thursday, so that now he has no +right to rule at all. I myself have been the rightful Ruler of the +Blues since Thursday, and yet this cruel and deceitful man has not +only deprived me of my right to succeed him, but he has tried to +have me patched so that I could never become the Boolooroo." + +"Does the book tell how old he is?" asked Button-Bright. + +"Yes. He is not five hundred years old, and has yet another hundred +years to live. He planned to rule the Blue Country until the last, +but I now know the deception he has practiced and have the Royal +Record Book to prove it. With this I shall be able to force him to +resign that I may take his place, for all the people will support me +and abide by the Law. The tyrant will perhaps fight me and my cause +desperately, but I am sure to win in the end." + +"If we can help you," said Button-Bright, "the whole Pink Army will +fight for you. Only, if you win, you must promise to give me back my +Magic Umbrella and let us fly away to our own homes again." + +"I will do that most willingly," agreed Ghip-Ghisizzle. "And now let +us consult together how best to take the Blue City and capture the +Boolooroo. As I know my own country much better than you or the +Pinkies do, I think I can find a way to accomplish our purpose." + + + + + + +THE AMAZING CONQUEST OF THE BLUES + +CHAPTER 24 + + + + + +The shouting and excitement in the City following upon the recapture +of Cap'n Bill aroused the sleeping Boolooroo. He found the cord +still tied to his big toe and at first imagined his prisoner safe in +the dressing room. While he put on his clothes, the king +occasionally gave the cord a sudden pull, hoping to hurt Cap'n +Bill's big toe and make him yell; but as no response came to this +mean action, the Boolooroo finally looked into the room only to find +he had been pulling on a leg of the couch and that his prisoner had +escaped. + +Then he flew into a mighty rage, and running out into the hall he +aimed a blow at the unfaithful guard, knocking the fellow off his +feet. Then he rushed downstairs into the courtyard, shouting loudly +for his soldiers and threatening to patch everybody in his dominions +if the sailorman was not recaptured. + +While the Boolooroo stormed and raged, a band of soldiers and +citizens came marching in, surrounding Cap'n Bill, who was again +firmly bound. + +"So-ho!" roared the monarch. "You thought you could defy me, Earth +Clod, did you? But you were mistaken. No one can resist the Mighty +Boolooroo of the Blues, so it is folly for you to rebel against my +commands. Hold him fast, my men, and as soon as I've had my coffee +and oatmeal I'll take him to the Room of the Great Knife and patch +him." + +"I wouldn't mind a cup o' coffee myself," said Cap'n Bill. "I've had +consid'ble exercise this mornin', and I'm all ready for breakfas'." + +"Very well," replied the Boolooroo, "you shall eat with me, for then +I can keep an eye on you. My guards are not to be trusted, and I +don't mean to let you out of my sight again until you are patched." + +So Cap'n Bill and the Boolooroo had breakfast together, six +Blueskins standing in a row back of the sailorman to grab him if he +attempted to escape. But Cap'n Bill made no such attempt, knowing it +would be useless. + +Trot was in the room, too, standing in a corner and listening to all +that was said while she racked her little brain for an idea that +would enable her to save Cap'n Bill from being patched. No one could +see her, so no one--not even Cap'n Bill--knew she was there. + +After breakfast was over, a procession was formed, headed by the +Boolooroo, and they marched the prisoner through the palace until +they came to the Room of the Great Knife. Invisible Trot followed +soberly after them, still wondering what she could do to save her +friend. + +As soon as they entered the Room of the great Knife, the Boolooroo +gave a yell of disappointment. + +"What's become of Tiggle?" he shouted. "Where's Tiggle? Who has +released Tiggle? Go at once, you dummies, and find him, or it will +go hard with you!" + +The frightened soldiers hurried away to find Tiggle, and Trot was +well pleased because she knew Tiggle was by this time safely hidden. + +The Boolooroo stamped up and down the room, muttering threats and +declaring Cap'n Bill should be punished whether Tiggle was found or +not, and while they waited, Trot took time to make an inspection of +the place, which she now saw for the first time in broad daylight. + +The Room of the Great Knife was high and big, and around it ran rows +of benches for the spectators to sit upon. In one place at the head +of the room was a raised platform for the royal family, with elegant +throne-chairs for the King and Queen and six smaller but richly +upholstered chairs for the Snubnosed Princesses. The poor Queen, by +the way, was seldom seen, as she passed all her time playing +solitaire with a deck that was one card short, hoping that before +she had lived her entire six hundred years she would win the game. +Therefore, her Majesty paid no attention to anyone and no one paid +any attention to her. + +In the center of the room stood the terrible knife that gave the +place its name, a name dreaded by every inhabitant of the Blue City. +The knife was built into a huge framework like a derrick, that +reached to the ceiling, and it was so arranged that when the +Boolooroo pulled a cord the great blade would drop down in its frame +and neatly cut in two the person who stood under it. And in order +that the slicing would be accurate, there was another frame to which +the prisoner was tied so that he couldn't wiggle either way. This +frame was on rollers so that it could be placed directly underneath +the knife. + +While Trot was observing this dreadful machine, the door opened and +in walked the Six Snubnosed Princesses, all in a row and with their +chins up as if they disdained everyone but themselves. They were +magnificently dressed, and their blue hair was carefully arranged in +huge towers upon their heads, with blue plumes stuck into the tops. +These plumes waved gracefully in the air with every mincing step the +Princesses took. Rich jewels of blue stones glittered upon their +persons, and the royal ladies were fully as gorgeous as they were +haughty and overbearing. They marched to their chairs and seated +themselves to enjoy the cruel scene their father was about to enact, +and Cap'n Bill bowed to them politely and said: + +"Mornin', girls. Hope ye feel as well as ye look." + +"Papa," exclaimed Turquoise angrily, "can you not prevent this vile +Earth Being from addressing us? It is an insult to be spoken to by +one about to be patched." + +"Control yourselves, my dears," replied the Boolooroo. "The worst +punishment I know how to inflict on anyone this prisoner is about to +suffer. You'll see a very pretty patching, my royal daughters." + +"When?" inquired Cobalt. + +"When? As soon as the soldiers return with Tiggle," said he. + +But just then in came the soldiers to say that Tiggle could not be +found anywhere in the City; he had disappeared as mysteriously as +had Ghip-Ghisizzle. Immediately, the Boolooroo flew into another +towering rage. + +"Villains!" he shouted. "Go out and arrest the first living thing +you meet, and whoever it proves to be will be instantly patched to +Cap'n Bill." + +The Captain of the Guards hesitated to obey this order. "Suppose +it's a friend?" he suggested. + +"Friend!" roared the Boolooroo. "I haven't a friend in the country. +Tell me, sir, do you know of anyone who is my friend?" + +The Captain shook his head. "I can't think of anyone just now, your +Spry and Flighty High and Mighty Majesty," he answered. + +"Of course not," said the Boolooroo. "Everyone hates me, and I don't +object to that because I hate everybody. But I'm the Ruler here, and +I'll do as I please. Go and capture the first living creature you +see and bring him here to be patched to Cap'n Bill." + +So the Captain took a file of soldiers and went away very sorrowful, +for he did not know who would be the victim, and if the Boolooroo +had no friends, the Captain had plenty and did not wish to see them +patched. + +Meanwhile, Trot, being invisible to all, was roaming around the +room, and behind a bench she found a small end of rope, which she +picked up. Then she seated herself in an out-of-the-way place and +quietly waited. + +Suddenly there was a noise in the corridor and evidence of scuffling +and struggling. Then the door flew open and in came the soldiers +dragging a great blue billygoat, which was desperately striving to +get free. + +"Villains!" howled the Boolooroo. "What does this mean?" + +"Why, you said to fetch the first living creature we met, and that +was this billygoat," replied the Captain, panting hard as he held +fast to one of the goat's horns. + +The Boolooroo stared a moment, and then he fell back to his throne, +laughing boisterously. The idea of patching Cap'n Bill to a goat was +vastly amusing to him, and the more he thought of it the more he +roared with laughter. Some of the soldiers laughed, too, being +tickled with the absurd notion, and the Six Snubnosed Princesses all +sat up straight and permitted themselves to smile contemptuously. +This would indeed be a severe punishment, therefore the Princesses +were pleased at the thought of Cap'n Bill's becoming half a +billygoat, and the billygoat's being half Cap'n Bill. + +"They look something alike, you know," suggested the Captain of the +Guards, looking from one to the other doubtfully, "and they're +nearly the same size if you stand the goat on his hind legs. They've +both got the same style of whiskers, and they're both of 'em +obstinate and dangerous, so they ought to make a good patch." + +"Splendid! Fine! Glorious!" cried the Boolooroo, wiping the tears of +merriment from his eyes. "We will proceed with the Ceremony of +Patching at once." + +Cap'n Bill regarded the billygoat with distinct disfavor, and the +billygoat glared evilly upon Cap'n Bill. Trot was horrified, and +wrung her little hands in sore perplexity, for this was a most +horrible fate that awaited her dear friend. + +"First, bind the Earth Man in the frame," commanded the Boolooroo. +"We'll slice him in two before we do the same to the billygoat." + +So they seized Cap'n Bill and tied him into the frame so that he +couldn't move a jot in any direction. Then they rolled the frame +underneath the Great Knife and handed the Boolooroo the cord that +released the blade. But while this was going on, Trot had crept up +and fastened one end of her rope to the frame in which Cap'n Bill +was confined. Then she stood back and watched the Boolooroo, and +just as he pulled the cord, she pulled on her rope and dragged the +frame on its rollers away, so that the Great Knife fell with a crash +and sliced nothing but the air. + +"Huh!" exclaimed the Boolooroo. "That's queer. Roll him up again, +soldiers." + +The soldiers again rolled the frame in position, having first pulled +the Great Knife once more to the top of the derrick. The immense +blade was so heavy that it took the strength of seven Blueskins to +raise it. When all was in readiness, the King pulled the cord a +second time, and Trot at the same instant pulled upon her rope. The +same thing happened as before. Cap'n Bill rolled away in his frame, +and the knife fell harmlessly. + +Now, indeed, the Boolooroo was as angry as he was amazed. He jumped +down from the platform and commanded the soldiers to raise the Great +Knife into position. When this was accomplished, the Boolooroo +leaned over to try to discover why the frame rolled away--seemingly +of its own accord--and he was the more puzzled because it had never +done such a thing before. + +As he stood, bent nearly double, his back was toward the billygoat, +which in their interest and excitement the soldiers were holding in +a careless manner. Before any could stop him, he butted his Majesty +so furiously that the King soared far into the air and tumbled in a +heap among the benches, where he lay moaning and groaning. + +The goat's warlike spirit was roused by this successful attack. +Finding himself free, he turned and assaulted the soldiers, butting +them so fiercely that they tumbled down in bunches, and as soon as +they could rise again ran frantically from the room and along the +corridors as if a fiend was after them. By this time the goat was so +animated by the spirit of conquest that he rushed at the Six +Snubnosed Princesses, who had all climbed upon their chairs and were +screaming in a panic of fear. Six times the goat butted, and each +time he tipped over a chair and sent a haughty Princess groveling +upon the floor, where the ladies got mixed up in their long, blue +trains and flounces and laces and struggled wildly until they +recovered their footing. Then they sped in great haste for the door, +and the goat gave a final butt that sent the row of royal ladies all +diving into the corridor in another tangle, whereupon they shrieked +in a manner that terrified everyone within sound of their voices. + +As the Room of the Great Knife was now cleared of all but Cap'n +Bill, who was tied in his frame, and of Trot and the moaning +Boolooroo, who lay hidden behind the benches, the goat gave a +victorious bleat and stood in the doorway to face any enemy that +might appear. Trot had been as surprised as anyone at this sudden +change of conditions, but she was quick to take advantage of the +opportunities it afforded. First she ran with her rope to the goat, +and as the animal could not see her, she easily succeeded in tying +the rope around its horns and fastening the loose end to a pillar of +the doorway. Next she hurried to Cap'n Bill and began to unbind him, +and as she touched the sailor she became visible. He nodded +cheerfully, then, and said, "I had a notion it was you, mate, as +saved me from the knife. But it were a pretty close call, an' I hope +it won't happen again. I couldn't shiver much, bein' bound so tight, +but when I'm loose I mean to have jus' one good shiver to relieve my +feelin's." + +"Shiver all you want to, Cap'n," she said as she removed the last +bonds. "But first you've got to help me save us both." + +"As how?" he asked, stepping from the frame. + +"Come and get the Boolooroo," she said, going toward the benches. +The sailor followed and pulled out the Boolooroo, who, when he saw +the terrible goat was captured and tied fast, quickly recovered his +courage. "Hi, there!" he cried. "Where are my soldiers? What do you +mean, prisoner, by daring to lay hands upon me? Let me go this +minute or I'll--I'll have you patched TWICE!" + +"Don't mind him, Cap'n," said Trot, "but fetch him along to the +frame." The Boolooroo looked around to see where the voice came +from, and Cap'n Bill grinned joyfully and caught up the king in both +his strong arms, dragging the struggling Monarch of the Blues to the +frame. + +"Stop it! How dare you?" roared the frightened Boolooroo. "I'll have +revenge! I'll--I'll--" + +"You'll take it easy, 'cause you can't help yourself," said Cap'n +Bill. "What next, Queen Trot?" + +"Hold him steady in the frame, and I'll tie him up," she replied. So +Cap'n Bill held the Boolooroo, and the girl tied him fast in +position as Cap'n Bill had been tied, so that his Majesty couldn't +wiggle at all. Then they rolled the frame in position underneath the +Great Knife and Trot held in her hand the cord which would release +it. + +"All right, Cap'n," she said in a satisfied tone. "I guess we can +run this Blue Country ourselves after this." The Boolooroo was +terrified to find himself in danger of being sliced by the same +knife he had so often wickedly employed to slice others. Like Cap'n +Bill, he had no room to shiver, but he groaned very dismally and was +so full of fear that his blue hair nearly stood on end. + + + + + + +THE RULER OF SKY ISLAND + +CHAPTER 25 + + + + + +The girl now took off Rosalie's ring and put it carefully away in +her pocket. "It won't matter who sees me now," she remarked, "an' I +want 'em to know that you an' me, Cap'n, are running this kingdom. +I'm Queen o' the Pinkies an' Booloorooess o' the Blues, an'--" + +"What's that?" asked the sailor. "You're--you're WHAT, Trot?" + +"Booloorooess. Isn't that right, Cap'n?" + +"I dunno, mate. It sounds bigger ner you are, an' I don't like the +word, anyhow. S'pose you jus' call yourself the Boss? That fills the +bill an' don't need pernouncin'." + +"All right," she said. "Queen o' the Pinkies an' Boss o' the Blues. +Seems funny, don't it, Cap'n Bill?" + +Just then they heard a sound of footsteps in the corridor. The +soldiers had recovered their courage, and fearful of the anger of +their dreaded Boolooroo, whom the Princesses declared would punish +them severely, had ventured to return to the room. They came rather +haltingly, though, and the Captain of the Guards first put his head +cautiously through the doorway to see if the coast was clear. The +goat discovered him and tried to make a rush, but the rope held the +animal back, and when the Captain saw this, he came forward more +boldly. + +"Halt!" cried Trot. The Captain halted, his soldiers peering +curiously over his shoulders and the Six Snubnosed Princesses +looking on from behind, where they considered themselves safe. "If +anyone dares enter this room without my permission," said Trot, +"I'll pull this cord and slice your master that once was the +Boolooroo." + +"Don't come in! Don't come in!" yelled the Boolooroo in a terrified +voice. + +Then they saw that the sailor was free and the Boolooroo bound in +his place. The soldiers were secretly glad to observe this, but the +Princesses were highly indignant. "Release his Majesty at once!" +cried Indigo from the corridor. "You shall be severely punished for +this rebellion." + +"Don't worry," replied Trot. "His Majesty isn't his Majesty any +longer. He's jus' a common Blueskin. Cap'n Bill and I perpose +runnin' this Island ourselves, after this. You've all got to obey +ME, for I'm the Booloorooess--no, I mean the Boss--o' the Blues, and +I've a notion to run things my own way." + +"You can't," said Turquoise scornfully. "The Law says--" + +"Bother the Law!" exclaimed Trot. "I'll make the Laws myself from +now on, and I'll unmake every Law you ever had before I conquered +you." + +"Oh, have you conquered us, then?" asked the Captain of the Guards +in a surprised tone. + +"Of course," said Trot. "Can't you see?" + +"It looks like it," admitted the Captain. + +"Cap'n Bill is goin' to be my General o' the Army an' the Royal +Manager o' the Blue Country," continued Trot, "so you'll mind what +he says." + +"Nonsense!" shouted Indigo. "March in and capture them, Captain! +Never mind if they do slice the Boolooroo. I'm his daughter, and +I'LL rule the kingdom." + +"You won't!" screamed Cobalt. "I'll rule it!" + +"I'll rule it myself!" cried Cerulia. + +"No, no!" yelled Turquoise. "I'll be the Ruler." + +"That shall be MY privilege!" shouted Sapphire. Cobalt began to say, +"I'm the--" + +"Be quiet!" said Trot sternly. "Would you have your own father +sliced so that you could rule in his place?" + +"Yes, yes, of course!" rejoined the six Princesses without a +second's hesitation. + +"Well, well! What d' ye think o' that, Mr. Boolooroo?" asked Cap'n +Bill. + +"They're undutiful daughters. Don't pay any attention to them," +replied the frightened Boolooroo. + +"We're not goin' to," said Trot. "Now, you Blue Cap'n, who are you +and your soldiers going to obey, me or the snubnosed ones?" + +"You!" declared the Captain of the Guards positively, for he hated +the Princesses, as did all the Blueskins. + +"Then escort those girls to their rooms, lock 'em in, an' put a +guard before the door." + +At once the soldiers seized the Princesses and notwithstanding their +snarls and struggles marched them to their rooms and locked them in. +While they were gone on this errand, the Boolooroo begged to be +released, whining and wailing for fear the knife would fall upon +him. But Trot did not think it safe to unbind him just then. When +the soldiers returned, she told their leader to put a strong guard +before the palace and to admit no one unless either she or Cap'n +Bill gave the order to do so. The soldiers obeyed readily, and when +Trot and Cap'n Bill were left alone, they turned the goat loose in +the Room of the Great Knife and then locked the animal in with the +Boolooroo. + +"The billygoat is the very best guard we could have, for ever'body's +'fraid o' him," remarked Cap'n Bill as he put the key of the room in +his pocket. "So now, Queen Trot, what's next on the program?" + +"Next," said Trot, "we're goin' to hunt for that umbrel, Cap'n. I +don't mean to stay in this dismal Blue Country long, even if I am +the Queen. Let's find the umbrel and go home as soon as we can." + +"That suits me," the sailor joyfully exclaimed, and then the two +began a careful search through the palace. They went into every room +and looked behind the furniture and underneath the beds and in every +crack and corner, but no place could they spy the Magic Umbrella. +Cap'n Bill even ventured to enter the rooms of the Six Snubnosed +Princesses, who were by this time so thoroughly alarmed that they +had become meek and mild as could be. But the umbrella wasn't there, +either. + +Finally, they returned to the great throne room of the palace, where +they seated themselves on the throne and tried to think what could +possibly have become of the precious umbrella. While they were +sitting and talking together, the Captain of the Guards entered and +bowed respectfully. "Beg pardon, your Small-Sized Majesty," said he +to Trot, "but it is my duty to report that the Pinkies are preparing +to attack the City." + +"Oh! I'd forgotten the Pinkies!" exclaimed the girl. "Tell me, +Captain, have you such a thing as a Brass Band in this City?" + +"We have two fine bands, but they are not brass," replied the +Captain. "Their instruments are made of blue metal." + +"Well, order 'em out," commanded Trot. "And say, get all the +soldiers together and tell all the people there's going to be a high +time in the Blue City tonight. We'll have music and dancing and +eating and--" + +"An' neckties to drink, Trot. Don't forget the royal neckties," +urged Cap'n Bill. + +"We'll have all the fun there is going," continued the girl, "for we +are to entertain the Army of the Pinkies." + +"The Pinkies!" exclaimed the Captain of the Guards. "Why, they're +our enemies, your Short Highness." + +"Not any more," replied Trot. "I'm Queen of the Pinkies, an' I'm +also Queen of the Blues, so I won't have my people quarreling. Tell +the Blue people we are to throw open the gates and welcome the +Pinkies to the City, where everybody will join in a grand +celebration. And jus' as soon as you've spread the news an' got the +bands tuned up and the soldiers ready to march, you let us know, and +we'll head the procession." + +"Your Microscopic Majesty shall be obeyed," said the Captain, and +went away to carry out these commands. + + + + + + +TROT CELEBRATES THE VICTORY + +CHAPTER 26 + + + + + +The Blue people were by this time dazed with wonder at all the +events that had transpired that eventful day, but they still had wit +enough to be glad the war was over, for in war someone is likely to +get hurt, and it is foolish to take such chances when one can remain +quietly at home. The Blues did not especially admire the Pinkies, +but it was easier to entertain them than to fight them, and above +all, the Blueskins were greatly rejoiced that their wicked Boolooroo +had been conquered and could no longer abuse them. So they were +quite willing to obey the orders of their girl Queen and in a short +time the blasts of trumpets and roll of drums and clashing of +cymbals told Trot and Cap'n Bill that the Blue Bands had assembled +before the palace. + +So they went down and found that a great crowd of people had +gathered, and these cheered Trot with much enthusiasm--which was +very different from the scowls and surly looks with which they had +formerly greeted their strange visitors from the Earth. + +The soldiers wore their best blue uniforms and were formed before +the palace in marching order, so Trot and Cap'n Bill headed the +procession, and then came the soldiers--all keeping step--and then +the bands, playing very loud noises on their instruments, and +finally the crowd of Blue citizens waving flags and banners and +shouting joyfully. In this order they proceeded to the main gate, +which Trot ordered the guards to throw wide open. Then they all +marched out a little way into the fields and found that the Army of +Pinkies had already formed and was advancing steadily toward them. + +At the head of the Pinkies were Ghip-Ghisizzle and Button-Bright, +who had the parrot on his shoulder, and they were supported by +Captain Coralie and Captain Tintint and Rosalie the Witch. They had +decided to capture the Blue City at all hazards, that they might +rescue Trot and Cap'n Bill and conquer the Boolooroo, so when from a +distance they saw the Blueskins march from the gate with banners +flying and bands playing, they supposed a most terrible fight was +about to take place. + +However, as the two forces came nearer together, Button-Bright spied +Trot and Cap'n Bill standing before the enemy, and the sight +astonished him considerably. + +"Welcome, friends!" shouted Cap'n Bill in a loud voice; and +"Welcome!" cried Trot; and "Welcome!" roared the Blue soldiers and +the people of the Blue City. + +"Hooray!" yelled the parrot, + +"Welcome to our happy home +From which no longer will we roam!" + +And then he flapped his wings and barked like a dog with pure +delight, and added as fast as his bird's tongue could speak, + +"One army's pink and one is blue, +But neither one is in a stew +Because the naughty Boolooroo +Is out of sight, so what we'll do +Is try to be a jolly crew +And dance and sing our too-ral-loo +And to our friends be ever true +And to our foes--" + +"Stop it!" said Button-Bright, "I can't hear myself think." + +The Pinkies were amazed at the strange reception of the Blues and +hesitated to advance, but Trot now ran up in front of them and made +a little speech. "Pinkies," said she, "your Queen has conquered the +Boolooroo and is now the Queen of the Blues. All of Sky Island +except the Fog Bank is now my kingdom, so I welcome my faithful +Pinkies to my Blue City, where you are to be royally entertained and +have a good time. The war is over an' ever'body must be sociable an' +happy or I'll know the reason why!" + +Now, indeed, the Pinkies raised a great shout of joy, and the Blues +responded with another joyful shout, and Rosalie kissed the little +girl and said she had performed wonders, and everybody shook hands +with Cap'n Bill and congratulated him upon his escape, and the +parrot flew to Trot's shoulder and screeched, + +"The Pinkies are pink, the Blues are blue, +But Trot's the Queen, so too-ral-loo!" + +When the Blueskins saw Ghip-Ghisizzle, they raised another great +shout, for he was the favorite of the soldiers and very popular with +all the people. But Ghip-Ghisizzle did not heed the shouting. He was +looking downcast and sad, and it was easy to see he was disappointed +because he had not conquered the Boolooroo himself. But the people +called upon him for a speech, so he faced the Blueskins and said, "I +escaped from the City because the Boolooroo tried to patch me as you +all know, and the Six Snubnosed Princesses tried to marry me, which +would have been a far greater misfortune. But I have recovered the +Book of Royal Records, which has long been hidden in the Treasure +Chamber, and by reading it I find that the Boolooroo is not your +lawful Boolooroo at all, having reigned more than his three hundred +years. Since last Thursday, I, Ghip-Ghisizzle, have been the lawful +Boolooroo of the Blue Country, but now that you are conquered by +Queen Trot, I suppose I am conquered, too, and you have no Boolooroo +at all." + +"Hooray!" cried the parrot. + +"Here's a pretty howdy-do-- +You haven't any Boolooroo!" + +Trot had listened carefully to the Majordomo's speech. When he +finished, she said cheerfully, "Don't worry, Sizzle dear, it'll all +come right pretty soon. Now then, let's enter the City an' enjoy the +grand feast that's being cooked. I'm nearly starved, myself, for +this conquerin' kingdoms is hard work." + +So the Pinkies and the Blues marched side by side into the City, and +there was great rejoicing and music and dancing and feasting and +games and merrymaking that lasted for three full days. Trot carried +Rosalie and Captain Coralie and Ghip-Ghisizzle to the palace, and of +course Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were with her. They had the +Royal chef serve dinner at once, and they ate in great state, seated +in the Royal Banquet Hall, where they were waited on by a hundred +servants. The parrot perched upon the back of Queen Trot's chair, +and the girl fed it herself, being glad to have the jolly bird with +her again. + +After they had eaten all they could and the servants had been sent +away, Trot related her adventures, telling how with the assistance +of the billygoat she had turned the tables on the wicked Boolooroo. +Then she gave Rosalie back her magic ring, thanking the kind Witch +for all she had done for them. "And now," said she, "I want to say +to Ghip-'Sizzle that jus' as soon as we can find Button-Bright's +umbrel we're going to fly home again. I'll always be Queen of Sky +Island, but the Pink and Blue Countries must each have a Ruler. I +think I'll make 'Sizzle the Boolooroo of the Blues, but I want you +to promise me, Ghip, that you'll destroy the Great Knife and its +frame and clean up the room and turn it into a skating rink an' +never patch anyone as long as you rule the Blueskins." + +Ghip-Ghisizzle was overjoyed at the prospect of being Boolooroo of +the Blues, but he looked solemn at the promise Trot exacted. "I'm +not cruel," he said, "and I don't approve of patching in general, so +I'll willingly destroy the Great Knife. But before I do that, I want +the privilege of patching the Snubnosed Princesses to each +other--mixing the six as much as possible--and then I want to patch +the former Boolooroo to the billygoat, which is the same punishment +he was going to inflict upon Cap'n Bill." + +"No," said Trot positively. "There's been enough patching in this +country, and I won't have any more of it. The old Boolooroo and the +six stuck-up Princesses will be punished enough by being put out of +the palace. The people don't like 'em a bit, so they'll be outcasts +and wanderers, and that will make 'em sorry they were so wicked an' +cruel when they were powerful. Am I right, Cap'n Bill?" + +"You are, mate," replied the sailor. + +"Please, Queen Trot," begged Ghip-Ghisizzle, "let me patch just the +Boolooroo. It will be such a satisfaction." + +"I have said no, an' I mean it," answered the girl. "You let the +poor old Boolooroo alone. There's nothing that hurts so much as a +come-down in life, an' I 'spect the old rascal's goin' to be pretty +miser'ble by'm'by." + +"What does he say to his reversal of fortune?" asked Rosalie. + +"Why, I don't b'lieve he knows about it," said Trot. "Guess I'd +better send for him an' tell him what's happened." + +So the Captain of the Guards was given the key and told to fetch the +Boolooroo from the Room of the Great Knife. The guards had a +terrible struggle with the goat, which was loose in the room and +still wanted to fight, but finally they subdued the animal, and then +they took the Boolooroo out of the frame he was tied in and brought +both him and the goat before Queen Trot, who awaited them in the +throne room of the palace. When the courtiers and the people +assembled saw the goat, they gave a great cheer, for the beast had +helped to dethrone their wicked Ruler. + +"What's goin' to happen to this tough ol' warrior, Trot?" asked +Cap'n Bill. "It's my idee as he's braver than the whole Blue Army +put together." + +"You're right, Cap'n," she returned. "I'll have 'Sizzle make a fine +yard for the goat, where he'll have plenty of blue grass to eat. An' +I'll have a pretty fence put around it an' make all the people honor +an' respec' him jus' as long as he lives." + +"I'll gladly do that," promised the new Boolooroo, "and I'll feed +the honorable goat all the shavings and leather and tin cans he can +eat, besides the grass. He'll be the happiest goat in Sky Island, I +assure you." + +As they led the now-famous animal from the room, the Boolooroo +shuddered and said, "How dare you people give orders in my palace? +I'm the Boolooroo!" + +"'Scuse me," said Trot. "I neglected to tell you that you're not the +Boolooroo any more. We've got the Royal Record Book, an' it proves +you've already ruled this country longer than you had any right to. +'Sides all that, I'm the Queen o' Sky Island--which means Queen o' +the Pinkies an' Queen o' the Blues, both of 'em. So things are run +as I say, an' I've made Ghip-Ghisizzle Boolooroo in your place. +He'll look after this end of the Island hereafter, an' unless I'm +much mistaken, he'll do it a heap better than you did." + +The former Boolooroo groaned. "What's going to become of me, then?" +he asked. "Am I to be patched, or what?" + +"You won't be hurt," answered the girl, "but you'll have to find +some other place to stay besides this palace, an' perhaps you'll +enjoy workin' for a livin' by way of variety." + +"Can't I take any of the treasure with me?" he pleaded. + +"Not even a bird cage," said she. "Ever'thing in the palace now +belongs to Ghip-Ghisizzle." + +"Except the Six Snubnosed Princesses," exclaimed the new Boolooroo +earnestly. "Won't you please get rid of them, too, your Majesty? +Can't they be discharged?" + +"Of course," said Trot. "They must go with their dear father an' +mother. Isn't there some house in the City they can all live in, +Ghip?" + +"Why, I own a little cabin at the end of the town," said +Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and I'll let them use that, as I won't need it any +longer. It isn't a very pretty cabin, and the furniture is cheap and +common, but I'm sure it is good enough for this wicked man and his +family." + +"I'll not be wicked any more," sighed the old Boolooroo. "I'll +reform. It's always best to reform when it is no longer safe to +remain wicked. As a private citizen, I shall be a model of +deportment, because it would be dangerous to be otherwise." + +Trot now sent for the Princesses, who had been weeping and wailing +and fighting among themselves ever since they learned that their +father had been conquered. When first they entered the throne room, +they tried to be as haughty and scornful as ever, but the Blues who +were assembled there all laughed at them and jeered them, for there +was not a single person in all the Blue Country who loved the +Princesses the least little bit. + +Trot told the girls that they must go with their father to live in +Ghip-Ghisizzle's little old cabin, and when they heard this dreadful +decree, the six snubnosed ones began to scream and have hysterics, +and between them they managed to make so much noise that no one +could hear anything else. So Ghip-Ghisizzle ordered the Captain to +take a file of soldiers and escort the raving beauties to their new +home. + +This was done, the once-royal family departing from the palace with +shamed and downcast looks. Then the Room of the Great Knife was +cleared of its awful furniture. The frames were split into small +pieces of bluewood and the benches chopped into kindling and the +immense sharp knife broken into bits. All the rubbish was piled into +the square before the palace and a bonfire made of it, while the +Blue people clustered around and danced and sang with joy as the +blue flames devoured the dreadful instrument that had once caused +them so much unhappiness. + +That evening Trot gave a grand ball in her palace, to which the most +important of the Pinkies and the Blueskins were invited. The +combined bands of both the countries played the music, and a fine +supper was served. The Pinkies would not dance with the Blues, +however, nor would the Blues dance with the Pinkies. The two nations +were so different in all ways that they were unable to agree at all, +and several times during the evening quarrels arose and there was +fighting between them, which Trot promptly checked. + +"I think it would be best for us to go back to our own country as +soon as possible," suggested Rosalie the Witch, "for if we stay here +very long, the Blueskins may rise against us and cause the Pinkies +much trouble." + +"Jus' as soon as we find that umbrel," promised Trot, "we'll dive +into the Fog Bank an' make tracks for the Land of Sunrise an' +Sunset." + + + + + + +THE FATE OF THE MAGIC UMBRELLA + +CHAPTER 27 + + + + + +Next morning the search for the Magic Umbrella began in earnest. +With many to hunt for it and the liberty of the whole palace to aid +them, every inch of the great building was carefully examined. But +no trace of the umbrella could be found. Cap'n Bill and +Button-Bright went down to the cabin of the former Boolooroo and +tried to find out what he had done with the umbrella, but the old +Boolooroo said, + +"I had it brought from the Treasure Chamber and tried to make it +work, but there was no magic about the thing. So I threw it away. I +haven't any idea what became of it." + +The six former Princesses were sitting upon a rude bench, looking +quite bedraggled and untidy. Said Indigo: + +"If you will make Ghip-Ghisizzle marry me, I'll find your old +umbrella." + +"Where is it?" asked Button-Bright eagerly. + +"Make Ghip-Ghisizzle marry me, and I'll tell you," repeated Indigo. +"But I won't say another word about it until after I am married." + +So they went back to the palace and proposed to the new Boolooroo to +marry Indigo so they could get their Magic Umbrella. But +Ghip-Ghisizzle positively refused. + +"I'd like to help you," said he, "but nothing will ever induce me to +marry one of those snubnoses." + +"They're very pretty--for Blueskins," said Trot. + +"But when you marry a girl, you marry the inside as well as the +outside," declared Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and inside these Princesses +there are wicked hearts and evil thoughts. I'd rather be patched +than marry the best of them." + +"Which IS the best?" asked Button-Bright. + +"I don't know, I'm sure," was the reply. "Judging from their actions +in the past, there is no best." + +Rosalie the Witch now went to the cabin and put Indigo into a deep +sleep by means of a powerful charm. Then, while the Princess slept, +the Witch made her tell all she knew, which wasn't a great deal, to +be sure; but it was soon discovered that Indigo had been deceiving +them and knew nothing at all about the umbrella. She had hoped to +marry Ghip-Ghisizzle and become Queen, after which she could afford +to laugh at their reproaches. So the Witch woke her up and went back +to the palace to tell Trot of her failure. + +The girl and Button-bright and Cap'n Bill were all rather +discouraged by this time, for they had searched high and low and had +not found a trace of the all-important umbrella. That night none of +them slept much, for they all lay awake wondering how they could +ever return to the Earth and to their homes. + +In the morning of the third day after Trot's conquest of the Blues, +the little girl conceived another idea. She called all the servants +of the palace to her and questioned them closely. But not one could +remember having seen anything that looked like an umbrella. + +"Are all the servants of the old Boolooroo here?" inquired Cap'n +Bill, who was sorry to see Trot looking so sad and downcast. + +"All but one," was the reply. "Tiggle used to be a servant, but he +escaped and ran away." + +"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Trot. "Tiggle is in hiding somewhere. Perhaps +he doesn't know there's been a revolution and a new Boolooroo rules +the country. If he did, there's no need for him to hide any longer, +for he is now in no danger." + +She now dispatched messengers all through the City and the +surrounding country, who cried aloud for Tiggle, saying that the new +Boolooroo wanted him. Tiggle, hiding in the cellar of a deserted +house in a back street, at last heard these cries and joyfully came +forth to confront the messengers. Having heard of the old +Boolooroo's downfall and disgrace, the old man consented to go to +the palace again, and as soon as Trot saw him she asked about the +umbrella. + +Tiggle thought hard for a minute and then said he remembered +sweeping the King's rooms and finding a queer thing--that might have +been an umbrella--lying beneath a cabinet. It had ropes and two +wooden seats and a wicker basket all attached to the handle. + +"That's it!" cried Button-Bright excitedly, and "That's it! That's +it!" cried both Trot and Cap'n Bill. + +"But what did you do with it?" asked Ghip-Ghisizzle. + +"I dragged it out and threw it on the rubbish heap in an alley back +of the palace," said Tiggle. At once they all rushed out to the +alley and began digging in the rubbish heap. By and by Cap'n Bill +uncovered the lunch basket, and pulling on this he soon drew up the +two seats, and finally the Magic Umbrella. + +"Hurrah!" shouted Button-Bright, grabbing the umbrella and hugging +it tight in his arms. + +"Hooray!" shrieked the parrot. + +"Cap'n Bill's a lucky fellah, +'Cause he found the old umbrella!" + +Trot's face was wreathed in smiles. "This is jus' the best luck that +could have happened to us," she exclaimed, "'cause now we can go +home whenever we please." + +"Let's go now--this minute--before we lose the umbrella again," said +Button-Bright. + +But Trot shook her head. "Not yet," she replied. "We've got to +straighten out things in Sky Island first of all. A Queen has some +duties, you know, and as long as I'm Queen here, I've got to live up +to the part." + +"What has to be did, mate?" inquired Cap'n Bill. + +"Well, we've fixed the Blue Country pretty well by makin' 'Sizzle +the Boolooroo of it; but the Pinkies mus' be looked after, too, +'cause they've stood by us an' helped us to win. We must take 'em +home again safe an' sound and get a new Queen to rule over 'em. When +that's done, we can go home any time we want to." + +"Quite right, Trot," said the sailor approvingly. "When do we +march?" + +"Right away," she replied. "I've had enough of the Blue Country, +haven't you?" + +"We have, mate." + +"We've had plenty of it," observed Button-Bright. + +"And the Pinkies are anxious to get home," added Rosalie, who was +present. + +So Cap'n Bill unhooked the seats from the handle of the umbrella and +wound the ropes around the two boards and made a package of them, +which he carried under his arm. Trot took the empty lunch basket, +and Button-Bright held fast to the precious umbrella. Then they +returned to the palace to bid goodbye to Ghip-Ghisizzle and the +Blues. + +The new Boolooroo seemed rather sorry to lose his friends, but the +people were secretly glad to get rid of the strangers, especially of +the Pinkies. They maintained a sullen silence while Coralie and +Captain Tintint formed their ranks in marching order, and they did +not even cheer when Trot said to them in a final speech: + +"I'm the Queen of Sky Island, you know, and the new Boolooroo has to +carry out my orders and treat you all nicely while I'm away. I don't +know when I'll come back, but you'd better watch out an' not make +any trouble, or I'll find a way to make you sorry for it. So now, +goodbye!" + +"And good riddance!" screamed the Six Snubnosed Girls who had once +been Princesses and who were now in the crowd that watched the +departure. + +But Trot paid no attention to them. She made a signal to the Pinkie +Band, which struck up a fine Pink March, and then the Army stepped +out with the left foot first, and away went the conquerors down the +streets of the Blue City, out of the blue-barred gateway and across +the country toward the Fog Bank. + + + + + + +THE ELEPHANT'S HEAD COMES TO LIFE + +CHAPTER 28 + + + + + +When they reached the edge of the Fog Bank, the Pinkies all halted +to put on their raincoats, and Button-Bright put up his umbrella and +held it over himself and Trot. Then, when everybody was ready, they +entered the Fog and Rosalie the Witch made a signal to call the Frog +King and his subjects to aid them as they had done before. + +Pretty soon the great frogs appeared, a long line of them facing +Trot and her Pink Army and sitting upon their haunches close +together. + +"Turn around so we can get upon your backs," said Rosalie. + +"Not yet," answered the Frog King in a gruff, deep voice. "You must +first take that insulting umbrella out of my dominions." + +"Why, what is there about my umbrella that seems insulting?" asked +Button-Bright in surprise. + +"It is an intimation that you don't like our glorious climate and +object to our delightful fog and are trying to ward off its soulful, +clinging kisses," replied the Frog King in an agitated voice. "There +has never been an umbrella in my kingdom before, and I'll not allow +one in it now. Take it away at once!" + +"But we can't," explained Trot. "We've got to take the umbrella with +us to the Pink Country. We'll put it down if you like, an' cross the +bank in this drizzle--which may be clingin' an' soulful, but is too +wet to be comfort'ble. But the umbrella's got to go with us." + +"It can't go another inch," cried the obstinate frog with an angry +croak, "nor shall any of your people advance another step while that +insulting umbrella is with you." + +Trot turned to Rosalie. "What shall we do?" she asked. + +"I really do not know," replied the Witch, greatly perplexed. + +"Can't you MAKE the frogs let us through?" inquired the boy. + +"No, I have no power over the frogs," Rosalie answered. "They +carried us before as a favor, but if the king now insists that we +cannot pass with the umbrella, we must go back to the Blue Country +or leave your umbrella behind us." + +"We won't do that!" said Button-Bright indignantly. "Can't we fight +the frogs?" + +"Fight!" cried Trot. "Why, see how big they are. They could eat up +our whole army if they wanted to." + +But just then, while they stood dismayed at this unfortunate +position, a queer thing happened. The umbrella in Button-Bright's +hand began to tremble and shake. He looked down at the handle and +saw that the red eyes of the carved elephant's head were rolling +fiercely and sending out red sparks of anger in all directions. The +trunk swayed from side to side, and the entire head began to swell +and grow larger. + +In his fright, the boy sprang backward a step and dropped the +umbrella to the ground, and as he did so, it took the form of a +complete elephant, growing rapidly to a monstrous size. Then, +flapping its ears and wagging its tail--which was merely the covered +frame of the umbrella--the huge elephant lifted its trunk and +charged the line of astonished frogs. + +In a twinkling the frogs all turned and made the longest leaps their +powerful legs enabled them to. The King jumped first of all, and in +a panic of fear the others followed his example. They were out of +sight in an instant, and then the elephant turned its head and +looked at Button-Bright and at once trotted into the depths of the +fog. + +"He wants us to follow," said the boy, gasping in amazement at this +wonderful transformation. So immediately they began marching through +the fog behind the elephant, and as the great beast advanced the +frogs scrambled out of his way and hid themselves in the moist banks +until he had passed them by. + +Cap'n Bill had to mind his wooden leg carefully, and the old sailor +was so excited that he mumbled queer sentences about "Araby Ann +Knights" and "ding-donged magic" and the "fool foolishness of +fussin' with witches an' sich," until Trot wondered whether her old +friend had gone crazy or was only badly scared. + +It was a long journey, and all the Pinkies were dripping water from +their raincoats, and their fat little legs were tired and aching +when the pink glow showing through the fog at last announced that +they were nearing the Pink Country. + +At the very edge of the Fog Bank the elephant halted, winked at +Button-Bright, lowered its head and began to shrink in size and +dwindle away. By the time the boy came up to it, closely followed by +Trot and Cap'n Bill, the thing was only the well-known Magic +Umbrella, with the carved elephant's head for a handle, and it lay +motionless upon the ground. Button-Bright picked it up, and as he +examined it he thought the tiny eyes still twinkled a little, as if +with triumph and pride. + +Trot drew a long breath. + +"That was SOME magic, I guess!" she exclaimed. "Don't you think so, +Rosalie?" + +"It was the most wonderful thing I ever saw," admitted the Witch. +"The fairies who control Button-Bright's umbrella must be very +powerful indeed!" + + + + + + +TROT REGULATES THE PINKIES + +CHAPTER 29 + + + + + +The Pinkies were rejoiced to find themselves again in their beloved +land of sunrises and sunsets. They sang and shouted with glee, and +the Band uncovered its pink instruments and played the National Pink +Anthem, while the parrot flew from Trot's shoulder to Cap'n Bill's +shoulder and back again, screaming ecstatically, + +"Hooray! We're through the wetful fogs +Where the elephant scared the fretful frogs!" + +There was a magnificent sunset in the sky just then, and it cheered +the Pinkies and gave them renewed strength. Away they hastened +across the pink fields to the Pink City, where all the Pink people +who had been left behind ran out to welcome them home again. + +Trot and Button-Bright, with Cap'n Bill and Rosalie the Witch, went +to the humble palace, where they had a simple supper of coarse food +and slept upon hard beds. In the houses of the City, however, there +was much feasting and merrymaking, and it seemed to Trot that the +laws of the country which forbade the Queen from enjoying all the +good things the people did were decidedly wrong and needed changing. + +The next morning Rosalie said to the little girl, "Will you make +Tourmaline the Queen again when you go away?" + +"I'll send for her and see about it," replied Trot. + +But when Tourmaline arrived at the palace, dressed all in lovely, +fluffy robes and with a dainty pink plume in her pink hair, she +begged most earnestly not to be made the Queen again. + +"I'm having a good time just now after years of worry and +uncomfortable living in this uncomfortable old hut of a palace," +said the poor girl, "so it would be cruel for you to make me the +servant of the people again and condemn me to want and misery." + +"That seems reason'ble," replied Trot thoughtfully. + +"Rosalie's skin is just as light a pink as my own," continued +Tourmaline. "Why don't you make her the Queen?" + +"I hadn't thought of that," said Trot. Then she turned to Rosalie +and asked, "How would you like to rule the Pinkies?" + +"I wouldn't like it," replied the Witch with a smile. "The Queen is +the poorest and most miserable creature in all the kingdom, and I'm +sure I don't deserve such a fate. I've always tried to be a good +witch and to do my duty." + +Trot thought this over quite seriously for a time. Then one of her +quaint ideas came to her--so quaint that it was entirely sensible. +"I'm the Queen of the Pinkies just now, am I not?" she asked. + +"Of course," answered Rosalie. "None can dispute that." + +"Then I've the right to make new laws, haven't I?" + +"I believe so." + +"In that case," said the girl, "I'm goin' to make a law that the +Queen shall have the same food an' the same dresses an' the same +good times that her people have; and she shall live in a house jus' +as good as the houses of any of her people, an' have as much money +to spend as anybody. But no more. The Queen can have her share of +ever'thing 'cordin' to the new law, but if she tries to get more +than her share, I'll have the law say she shall be taken to the edge +an' pushed off. What do you think of THAT law, Rosalie?" + +"It's a good law and a just one," replied the Witch approvingly. + +So Trot sent for the Royal Scribbler, who was a very fat Pinky with +large, pink eyes and curly pink hair, and had him carefully write +the new law into the Great Book of Laws. The Royal Scribbler wrote +it very nicely in pink ink, with a big capital letter at the +beginning and a fine flourish at the end. After Trot had signed her +name to it as Queen, she called all of the important people of the +land to assemble in the Court of the Statues and ordered the Royal +Declaimer to read to them the new law. The Pinkies seemed to think +it was a just law and much better than the old one, and Rosalie +said: + +"Now no one can object to becoming Queen, since the Ruler of the +Pinkies will no longer be obliged to endure suffering and +hardships." + +"All right," said Trot. "In that case, I'll make you the Queen, +Rosalie, for you've got more sense than Tourmaline has and your +powers as a witch will help you protect the people." + +At once she made the announcement, telling the assembled Pinkies +that by virtue of her high office as Queen of Sky Island she would +leave Rosalie the Witch to rule over the Pink Country while she +returned to the Earth with her friends. As Rosalie was greatly loved +and respected, the people joyfully accepted her as their Queen, and +Trot ordered them to tear down the old hut and build a new palace +for Rosalie--one which would be just as good as any other house in +the City, but no better. She further ordered a pink statue of +Tourmaline to be set up in the Court, and also a pink statue of +herself, so that the record of all the rulers of the Pinkies should +be complete. + +The people agreed to do all this as soon as possible, and some of +the leaders whispered together and then asked Coralie to be their +spokesman in replying to Queen Trot's speech. + +Coralie stood on a chair and made a bow, after which she thanked +Trot in the name of the Pinkies for leading them safely into the +Blue Country and out again, and for giving them so good a Queen as +Rosalie. The Pinkies would be sorry to have their new friends, the +Earth people, leave them, but asked the Queen of Sky Island to carry +with her the royal band of pink gold which she now wore upon her +brow, together with the glistening pink jewel set in its center. It +would remind her, Coralie declared, of the Beautiful Land of Sunset +and Sunrise and of the fact that the Pinkies would always be glad to +welcome her back. + +Trot knew she would never return to Sky Island, but she did not tell +them that. She merely thanked Coralie and the Pinkies and said they +might all come to the Court after dinner and see her and her +comrades fly away through the sky. + + + + + + +THE JOURNEY HOME + +CHAPTER 30 + + + + + +After the Pinkies had been dismissed, their new Queen Rosalie, by +means of a clever charm, conjured up a dinner table set with very +nice things to eat. They all enjoyed a hearty meal and afterward sat +and talked over their adventures. + +"Will you take the parrot home with you, Trot?" asked Cap'n Bill. + +"Guess not, Cap'n," she answered. "Mother wouldn't like to have him +hangin' 'round an' screechin' bad po'try ev'ry minute. I'll give him +to Rosalie, for I'm sure she'll take good care of him." + +Rosalie accepted the gift with pleasure, but the parrot looked sober +for a while and then said, + +"This looks to me like a giveaway; +But here I am, and here I'll stay. +The country's pink, but we'll all be blue +When Trot goes home as she says she'll do." + +They now packed the lunchbasket with the remains of the feast, for +they knew a long journey was before them and feared they might be +hungry before they landed again. Cap'n Bill straightened out the +ropes and adjusted the seats, while Button-Bright examined the +umbrella to see if it had been injured in any way when the elephant +tramped through the Fog Bank. + +The boy looked into the small red eyes of the carved elephant's-head +handle with some misgivings, but as seen in the strong sunshine the +eyes were merely red stones, while the handle plainly showed the +marks of the tool that had carved it. + +When all was ready, they went into the Court of the Statues, where +all the Pinkies were assembled--together with their Pink Band--and +Cap'n Bill hooked the swinging seats onto the handle of the Magic +Umbrella. + +Trot kissed Rosalie and Coralie and Tourmaline goodbye and said to +them: + +"If you ever happen to come to Earth, you must be sure to visit me, +and I'll try to give you a good time. But p'raps you'll stay here +all your lives." + +"I think we shall," replied Rosalie, laughing, "for in all Sky +Island there will be no Magic Umbrella for us to fly with." + +"And when you see Polychrome," added Trot, "jus' give her my love." + +Then she and Button-Bright seated themselves in the double seat, +which was flat upon the pink ground, and Cap'n Bill sat before them +on his own seat, to which the lunch basket had been fastened by +means of a stout cord. + +"Hold fast!" said the sailor man, and they all held fast to the +ropes while the boy, glancing up toward the open umbrella he held, +said solemnly and distinctly: + +"Take us to Trot's house on the Earth." The umbrella obeyed, at once +mounting into the air. It moved slowly at first, but gradually +increased its speed. First it lifted the seat of the boy and the +girl, then Cap'n Bill's seat, and finally the lunch basket. + +"Fly high!--Mind your eye! +Don't cry!--Bye-bye!" + +shouted the parrot from the Pink Witch's shoulder. + +Trot leaned over and waved her hand. The Pink Band played as loud as +it could--in order that the travelers might hear it as long as +possible--and Rosalie and Coralie and Tourmaline threw kisses to +their vanishing friends as long as they remained in sight. + +* * * * * * * * * + +"Seems good to be on the way home again," remarked Trot as the +umbrella bumped into a big, black cloud. + +"It reely does, mate," answered the sailorman joyously. + +Fast through the cloud the umbrella swept, and then suddenly it +sailed into a clear, blue sky, across which a great and gorgeous +Rainbow spread its radiant arch. Upon the bow danced the dainty +Daughters of the Rainbow, and the umbrella passed near enough to it +for the passengers to observe Polychrome merrily leading her +sisters, her fleecy robes waving prettily in the gentle breeze. + +"Goodbye, Polly!" cried Button-Bright, and Trot and Cap'n Bill both +called out, "Goodbye!" + +Polychrome heard and nodded to them smilingly, never halting in her +graceful dance. Then the umbrella dropped far below the arch, which +presently faded from view. + +It was an exciting ride. Scenes presented themselves entirely +different from those they had seen on their former voyage, for the +sky changes continually, and the clouds of a moment ago are not the +clouds of an hour ago. Once they passed between two small stars as +brilliant as diamonds, and once an enormous bird whose wings spread +so wide that they shadowed the sun soared directly over them and +lost itself in the vague distance of the limitless sky. + +They rode quite comfortably, however, and were full of eager +interest in what they saw. The rush of air past them made them +hungry, so Cap'n Bill drew up the lunchbasket and held it so that +Button-Bright and Trot could help themselves to the pink food, which +tasted very good. And finally a dark rim appeared below them, which +the sailor declared must be the Earth. He proved to be correct, and +when they came nearer, they found themselves flying over the waves +of the ocean. Pretty soon a small island appeared, and Trot +exclaimed, + +"That's the Sky Island we thought we were goin' to--only we didn't." + +"Yes, an' there's the mainland, mate!" cried Cap'n Bill excitedly, +pointing toward a distant coast. + +On swept the Magic Umbrella. Then its speed gradually slackened; the +houses and trees on the coast could be seen, and presently--almost +before they realized it--they were set down gently upon the high +bluff near the giant acacia. A little way off stood the white +cottage where Trot lived. + +It was growing dusk as Cap'n Bill unhooked the seats and +Button-Bright folded up the umbrella and tucked it under his arm. +Trot seized the lunchbasket and ran to the house, where she found +her mother busy in the kitchen. + +"Well, I'm back again," said the little girl. "Is supper ready, +mama?" + +Button-Bright stayed all night with them, but next morning, bright +and early, he hooked one of the seats to his Magic Umbrella, said +goodbye to Trot and Cap'n Bill, and flew into the air to begin his +journey to Philadelphia. Just before he started, Trot said: + +"Let me know if you get home safe, Button-Bright, an' come an' see +me again as quick as you can." + +"I'll try to come again," said the boy. "We've had a good time, +haven't we, Trot?" + +"The bes' time I EVER had!" she replied enthusiastically. Then she +asked, "Didn't you like it, too, Cap'n Bill?" + +"Parts o' it, mate," the sailor answered as he thoughtfully made +marks in the sand with the end of his wooden leg, "but seems to me +the bes' part of all was gett'n' home again." + +After several days Trot received a postal card from Button-Bright. +It was awkwardly scrawled, for the boy was not much of a writer, but +Trot managed to make out the words. It read as follows: + +"Got home safe, Trot, and the folks were so worried they forgot to +scold me. Father has taken the Magic Umbrella and locked it up in +the big, strong chest in the attic. He put the key in his own +pocket, so I don't know as I'll ever be able to see you again. But +I'll never forget the Queen of Sky Island, and I send my love to you +and Cap'n Bill. + +"Your friend, + +"Button-Bright." + +THE END + + +End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of Sky Island +by L. Frank Baum + diff --git a/old/skysl10.zip b/old/skysl10.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8c10572 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/skysl10.zip |