[Illustration]
Books by L. Frank Baum
[Illustration]
Illustrated by John R. Neill
Each book handsomely bound in artistic pictorial cover. $1.25 per volume
THE EMERALD CITY OF OZ
Mr. Baum is the most inventive writer of fairy tales in all the world
to-day. The "Oz" stories teem with favorites new and old, for children
miss any old character and immediately demand reinstatement, so, after
long experience, Mr. Baum brought along the old and created new ones
for each succeeding book, until now "THE EMERALD CITY OF OZ" assembles
more characters than possibly any other children's book contains.
16 full-page pictures in four colors and green bronze, 100
black-and-white illustrations. Stunning Jacket in four colors and
aluminum and green bronze.
THE ROAD TO OZ
Tells how to reach the Magic City of Oz over a road leading through
lands of many colors, peopled with odd characters, and surcharged with
adventure suitable for the minds and imaginations of young children.
The manufacture represents an entirely new idea--the paper used is of
various colors to indicate the several countries traversed by the road
leading to Oz and the Emerald City.
Unique and gorgeous Jacket in colors and gold.
THE LAND OF OZ
An account of the adventures of the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Jack
Pumpkinhead, the Animated Saw-Horse, the Highly Magnified Woggle-Bug,
the Gump and many other delightful characters.
Nearly 150 black-and-white illustrations and sixteen full-page
pictures in colors.
OZMA OF OZ
The story tells "more about Dorothy," as well as those famous
characters, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion, and
something of several new creations equally delightful, including Tiktok
the machine man, the Yellow Hen, the Nome King and the Hungry Tiger.
Forty-one full-page colored pictures; twenty-two half pages in
color and fifty black-and-white text pictures.
DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD IN OZ
In this book Dorothy, with Zeb, a little boy friend, and Jim, the Cab
Horse, are swallowed up in an earthquake and reach a strange vegetable
land, whence they escape to the land of Oz, and meet all their old
friends. Among the new characters are Eureka, Dorothy's Pink Kitten,
and the Nine Tiny Piglets.
Gorgeously illustrated with sixteen full color pages and numerous
black-and-white pictures.
JOHN DOUGH AND THE CHERUB
A whimsical tale portraying the exciting adventures of the Gingerbread
Man and his comrade, Chick the Cherub, in the "Palace of Romance," the
"Land of the Mifkets," "Highland and Lowland," and other places.
[Illustration]
Forty full-page colored pictures; twenty colored pictorial chapter
headings; 100 black-and-white text pictures.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Sea Fairies]
[Illustration:
To
Judith
_of_ Randolph,
Massachusetts.
]
[Illustration]
THE SEA FAIRIES
BY
L. FRANK BAUM
AUTHOR OF THE EMERALD CITY OF OZ, DOROTHY AND THE
WIZARD IN OZ, OZMA OF OZ, THE ROAD TO OZ,
THE LAND OF OZ, ETC.
[Illustration]
ILLUSTRATED BY
JOHN R. NEILL
CHICAGO
THE REILLY & BRITTON CO.
PUBLISHERS
COPYRIGHT
1911
BY
L. FRANK BAUM.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
The oceans are big and broad. I believe two-thirds of the earth's
surface is covered with water. What people inhabit this water has
always been a subject of curiosity to the inhabitants of the land.
Strange creatures come from the seas at times, and perhaps in the ocean
depths are many, more strange than mortal eye has ever gazed upon.
This story is fanciful. In it the sea people talk and act much as we
do, and the mermaids especially are not unlike the fairies with whom
we have learned to be familiar. Yet they are real sea people, for all
that, and with the exception of Zog the Magician they are all supposed
to exist in the ocean's depths.
I am told that some very learned people deny that mermaids or
sea-serpents have ever inhabited the oceans, but it would be very
difficult for them to prove such an assertion unless they had lived
under the water as Trot and Cap'n Bill did in this story.
I hope my readers who have so long followed Dorothy's adventures in the
Land of Oz will be interested in Trot's equally strange experiences.
The ocean has always appealed to me as a veritable wonderland, and this
story has been suggested to me many times by my young correspondents in
their letters. Indeed, a good many children have implored me to "write
something about the mermaids," and I have willingly granted the request.
L. FRANK BAUM.
_Hollywood, 1911._
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
LIST OF CHAPTERS
CHAPTER
1--TROT AND CAP'N BILL 11
2--THE MERMAIDS 20
3--THE DEPTHS OF THE DEEP BLUE SEA 33
4--THE PALACE OF QUEEN AQUAREINE 44
5--THE SEA SERPENT 56
6--EXPLORING THE OCEAN 63
7--THE ARISTOCRATIC CODFISH 76
8--A BANQUET UNDER WATER 92
9--THE BASHFUL OCTOPUS 100
10--AN UNDISCOVERED ISLAND 110
11--ZOG THE TERRIBLE, AND HIS SEA DEVILS 120
12--THE ENCHANTED CASTLE 128
13--PRISONERS OF THE SEA MONSTER 140
14--CAP'N JOE AND CAP'N BILL 153
15--THE MAGIC OF THE MERMAIDS 163
16--THE TOP OF THE GREAT DOME 179
17--THE QUEEN'S GOLDEN SWORD 187
18--A DASH FOR LIBERTY 201
19--KING ANKO TO THE RESCUE 207
20--THE HOME OF THE OCEAN MONARCH 214
21--KING JOE 228
22--TROT LIVES TO TELL THE TALE 235
[Illustration]
[Illustration: TROT AND CAP'N BILL
_Chap. 1._]
"Nobody," said Cap'n Bill, solemnly, "ever sawr a mermaid an' lived to
tell the tale."
"Why not?" asked Trot, looking earnestly up into the old sailor's face.
They were seated on a bench built around a giant acacia tree that grew
just at the edge of the bluff. Below them rolled the blue waves of the
great Pacific. A little way behind them was the house, a neat frame
cottage painted white and surrounded by huge eucalyptus and pepper
trees. Still farther behind that--a quarter of a mile distant but built
upon a bend of the coast--was the village, overlooking a pretty bay.
Cap'n Bill and Trot came often to this tree, to sit and watch the ocean
below them. The sailor man had one "meat leg" and one "hickory leg,"
and he often said the wooden one was the best of the two. Once Cap'n
Bill had commanded and owned the "Anemone," a trading schooner that
plied along the coast; and in those days Charlie Griffiths, who was
Trot's father, had been the Captain's mate. But ever since Cap'n Bill's
accident, when he lost his leg, Charlie Griffiths had been the captain
of the little schooner while his old master lived peacefully ashore
with the Griffiths family.
This was about the time Trot was born, and the old sailor became very
fond of the baby girl. Her real name was Mayre, but when she grew
big enough to walk she took so many busy little steps every day that
both her mother and Cap'n Bill nicknamed her "Trot," and so she was
thereafter mostly called.
It was the old sailor who taught the child to love the sea--to love it
almost as much as he and her father did--and these two, who represented
the "beginning and the end of life" became firm friends and constant
companions.
"Why hasn't anybody seen a mermaid and lived?" asked Trot, again.
"'Cause mermaids is fairies, an' ain't meant to be seen by us mortal
folk," replied Cap'n Bill.
"But if anyone happens to see 'em, what then, Cap'n?"
"Then," he answered, slowly wagging his head, "the mermaids give 'em a
smile an' a wink, an' they dives into the water an' gets drownded."
[Illustration: TROT]
"S'pose they know how to swim, Cap'n Bill?"
"That don't make any diff'rence, Trot. The mermaids live deep down, an'
the poor mortals never come up again."
The little girl was thoughtful for a moment.
"But why do folks dive in the water when the mermaids smile an' wink?"
she asked.
"Mermaids," he said, gravely, "is the most beautifulest creatures in
the world--or the water, either. You know what they're like, Trot;
they's got a lovely lady's form down to the waist, an' then the other
half of 'em's a fish, with green an' purple an' pink scales all adown
it."
"Have they got arms, Cap'n Bill?"
"'Course, Trot; arms like any other lady. An' pretty faces that smile
an' look mighty sweet an' fetchin'. Their hair is long an' soft an'
silky, an' floats all around 'em in the water. When they comes up atop
the waves they wring the water out 'n their hair and sing songs that
go right to your heart. If anybody is unlucky enough to be 'round jes'
then, the beauty o' them mermaids an' their sweet songs charm 'em like
magic; so's they plunge into the waves to get to the mermaids. But the
mermaids haven't any hearts, Trot, no more 'n a fish has; so they laughs
when the poor people drown, an' don't care a fig. That's why I says,
an' I says it true, that nobody never sawr a mermaid an' lived to tell
the tale."
"Nobody?" asked Trot.
"Nobody a tall."
"Then how do you know, Cap'n Bill?" asked the little girl, looking up
into his face with big round eyes.
Cap'n Bill coughed. Then he tried to sneeze, to gain time. Then he
took out his red cotton handkerchief and wiped his bald head with it,
rubbing hard so as to make him think clearer.
"Look, Trot; ain't that a brig out there?" he inquired, pointing to a
sail far out in the sea.
"How does anybody know about mermaids, if those who have seen them
never lived to tell about them?" she asked again.
"Know what about 'em, Trot?"
"About their green and pink scales, and pretty songs, and wet hair."
"They don't know, I guess. But mermaids jes' natcherly has to be like
that, or they wouldn't be mermaids."
She thought this over.
"Somebody _must_ have lived, Cap'n Bill," she declared, positively.
"Other fairies have been seen by mortals; why not mermaids?"
"P'raps they have, Trot; p'raps they have," he answered, musingly.
"I'm tellin' you as it was told to me; but I never stopped to inquire
into the matter so clost, before. Seems like folks wouldn't know so
much about mermaids if they hadn't seen 'em; an' yet accordin' to all
accounts the victim is bound to get drownded."
"P'raps," suggested Trot, softly, "someone found a fotygraph of one of
'em."
"That might 'a' been, Trot; that might 'a' been," answered Cap'n Bill.
A nice man was Cap'n Bill, and Trot knew he always liked to explain
everything so she could fully understand it. The aged sailor was not a
very tall man, and some people might have called him chubby, or even
fat. He wore a blue sailor shirt, with white anchors worked on the
corners of the broad square collar, and his blue trousers were very
wide at the bottom. He always wore one trouser leg over his wooden
limb and sometimes it would flutter in the wind like a flag, because
it was so wide and the wooden leg so slender. His rough kersey coat
was a pea-jacket and came down to his waist line. In the big pockets
of his jacket he kept a wonderful jackknife, and his pipe and tobacco,
and many bits of string, and matches and keys and lots of other things.
Whenever Cap'n Bill thrust a chubby hand into one of his pockets Trot
watched him with breathless interest, for she never knew what he was
going to pull out.
The old sailor's face was brown as a berry. He had a fringe of hair
around the back of his head and a fringe of whisker around the edge
of his face, running from ear to ear and underneath his chin. His eyes
were light blue and kind in expression. His nose was big and broad and
his few teeth were not strong enough to crack nuts with.
[Illustration]
Trot liked Cap'n Bill and had a great deal of confidence in his wisdom,
and a great admiration for his ability to make tops and whistles and
toys with that marvelous jackknife of his. In the village were many
boys and girls of her own age, but she never had as much fun playing
with them as she had wandering by the sea accompanied by the old sailor
and listening to his fascinating stories.
She knew all about the Flying Dutchman, and Davy Jones' Locker, and
Captain Kidd, and how to harpoon a whale or dodge an iceberg, or lasso
a seal. Cap'n Bill had been everywhere in the world, almost, on his
many voyages. He had been wrecked on desert islands like Robinson
Crusoe and been attacked by cannibals, and had a host of other exciting
adventures. So he was a delightful comrade for the little girl, and
whatever Cap'n Bill knew Trot was sure to know in time.
"How do the mermaids live?" she asked. "Are they in caves, or just in
the water like fishes, or how?"
"Can't say, Trot," he replied. "I've asked divers about that, but none
of 'em ever run acrost a mermaid's nest yet, as I've heard of."
"If they're fairies," she said, "their homes must be very pretty."
"Mebbe so, Trot; but damp. They're sure to be damp, you know."
"I'd like to see a mermaid, Cap'n Bill," said the child, earnestly.
"What, an' git drownded?" he exclaimed.
"No; and live to tell the tale. If they're beautiful, and laughing, and
sweet, there can't be much harm in them, I'm sure."
"Mermaids is mermaids," remarked Cap'n Bill, in his most solemn voice.
"It wouldn't do us any good to mix up with 'em, Trot."
"May--re! May--re!" called a voice from the house.
"Yes, Mamma!"
"You an' Cap'n Bill come in to supper."
[Illustration]
[Illustration: _Chap 2._
THE MERMAIDS]
The next morning, as soon as Trot had helped wipe the breakfast dishes
and put them away in the cupboard, the little girl and Cap'n Bill
started out toward the bluff.
The air was soft and warm, and the sun turned the edges of the waves
into sparkling diamonds. Across the bay the last of the fisherboats was
speeding away out to sea, for well the fishermen knew this was an ideal
day to catch rockbass, barracuda and yellowtail.
The old man and the young girl stood on the bluff and watched all this
with interest. Here was their world.
"It isn't a bit rough this morning. Let's have a boat ride, Cap'n
Bill," said the child.
"Suits me to a T," declared the sailor.
So they found the winding path that led down the face of the cliff to
the narrow beach below, and cautiously began the descent. Trot never
minded the steep path or the loose rocks at all; but Cap'n Bill's
wooden leg was not so useful on a down grade as on a level, and he had
to be careful not to slip and take a tumble.
But by and by they reached the sands and walked to a spot just beneath
the big acacia tree that grew on the bluff. Halfway to the top of the
cliff hung suspended a little shed like structure that sheltered Trot's
rowboat, for it was necessary to pull the boat out of reach of the
waves which beat in fury against the rocks at high tide. About as high
up as Cap'n Bill could reach was an iron ring, securely fastened to
the cliff, and to this ring was tied a rope. The old sailor unfastened
the knot and began paying out the rope, and the rowboat came out of
its shed and glided slowly downward to the beach. It hung on a pair of
davits, and was lowered just as a boat is lowered from a ship's side.
When it reached the sands the sailor unhooked the ropes and pushed
the boat to the water's edge. It was a pretty little craft, light and
strong, and Cap'n Bill knew how to sail it or row it, as Trot might
desire.
To-day they decided to row, so the girl climbed into the bow and her
companion stuck his wooden leg into the water's edge, "so he wouldn't
get his foot wet," and pushed off the little boat as he climbed aboard.
Then he seized the oars and began gently paddling.
"Whither away, Commodore Trot?" he asked gaily.
"I don't care, Cap'n. It's just fun enough to be on the water," she
answered, trailing one hand overboard.
So he rowed around by the North Promontory, where the great caves were,
and much as they were enjoying the ride they soon began to feel the
heat of the sun.
"That's Dead Man's Cave, 'cause a skellington was found there,"
observed the child, as they passed a dark yawning mouth in the cliff.
"And that's Bumble Cave, 'cause the bumblebees make nests in the top
of it. And here's Smuggler's Cave, 'cause the smugglers used to hide
things in it."
She knew all the caves well, and so did Cap'n Bill. Many of them opened
just at the water's edge and it was possible to row their boat far into
their dusky depths.
"And here's Echo Cave," she continued, dreamily, as they slowly moved
along the coast; "and Giant's Cave, and--oh, Cap'n Bill! do you s'pose
there were ever any giants in that cave?"
"'Pears like there must 'a' been, Trot, or they wouldn't 'a' named it
that name," he replied, pausing to wipe his bald head with the red
handkerchief, while the oars dragged in the water.
"We've never been into that cave, Cap'n," she remarked, looking at the
small hole in the cliff--an archway through which the water flowed.
"Let's go in now."
"What for, Trot?"
"To see if there's a giant there."
"H-m. Aren't you 'fraid?"
"No; are you? I just don't b'lieve it's big enough for a giant to get
into."
"Your father was in there once," remarked Cap'n Bill, "an' he says it's
the biggest cave on the coast, but low down. It's full o' water, an'
the water's deep down to the very bottom o' the ocean; but the rock
roof's liable to bump your head at high tide."
"It's low tide now," returned Trot. "And how could any giant live in
there if the roof is so low down?"
"Why, he couldn't, mate. I reckon they must have called it Giant's Cave
'cause it's so big, an' not 'cause any giant man lived there."
"Let's go in," said the girl, again; "I'd like to 'splore it."
"All right," replied the sailor. "It'll be cooler in there than out
here in the sun. We won't go very far, for when the tide turns we
mightn't get out again."
He picked up the oars and rowed slowly toward the cave. The black
archway that marked its entrance seemed hardly big enough to admit the
boat, at first; but as they drew nearer the opening became bigger. The
sea was very calm here, for the headland shielded it from the breeze.
"Look out fer your head, Trot!" cautioned Cap'n Bill, as the boat
glided slowly into the rocky arch.
But it was the sailor who had to duck, instead of the little girl. Only
for a moment, though. Just beyond the opening the cave was higher, and
as the boat floated into the dim interior they found themselves on
quite an extensive branch of the sea.
For a time neither of them spoke and only the soft lapping of the water
against the sides of the boat was heard. A beautiful sight met the eyes
of the two adventurers and held them dumb with wonder and delight.
It was not dark in this vast cave, yet the light seemed to come from
underneath the water, which all around them glowed with an exquisite
sapphire color. Where the little waves crept up to the sides of the
rocks they shone like brilliant jewels, and every drop of spray seemed
a gem fit to deck a queen.
Trot leaned her chin on her hands and her elbows on her lap and gazed
at this charming sight with real enjoyment. Cap'n Bill drew in the
oars and let the boat drift where it would, while he also sat silently
admiring the scene.
Slowly the little craft crept farther and farther into the dim interior
of the vast cavern, while its two passengers feasted their eyes on the
beauties constantly revealed. Both the old seaman and the little girl
loved the ocean in all its various moods. To them it was a constant
companion and a genial comrade. If it stormed and raved they laughed
with glee; if it rolled great breakers against the shore they clapped
their hands joyfully; if it lay slumbering at their feet they petted
and caressed it; but always they loved it.
[Illustration]
Here was the ocean yet. It had crept under the dome of overhanging rock
to reveal itself crowned with sapphires and dressed in azure gown,
revealing in this guise new and unsuspected charms.
"Good morning, Mayre," said a sweet voice.
Trot gave a start and looked around her in wonder. Just beside her
in the water were little eddies--circles within circles--such as are
caused when anything sinks below the surface.
"Did--did you hear that, Cap'n Bill?" she whispered, solemnly.
Cap'n Bill did not answer. He was staring, with eyes that fairly bulged
out, at a place behind Trot's back, and he shook a little, as if
trembling from cold.
Trot turned half around--and then she stared, too.
Rising from the blue water was a fair face around which floated a mass
of long, blonde hair. It was a sweet, girlish face, with eyes of the
same deep blue as the water and red lips whose dainty smile disclosed
two rows of pearly teeth. The cheeks were plump and rosy, the brows
gracefully penciled, while the chin was rounded and had a pretty dimple
in it.
"The--the--most beauti-ful-est--in all the world!" murmured Cap'n Bill,
in a voice of horror; "an' no one has ever lived to--to tell the tale!"
There was a peal of merry laughter, at this; laughter that rippled
and echoed throughout the cavern. Just at Trot's side appeared a new
face--even fairer than the other--with a wealth of brown hair wreathing
the lovely features. And the eyes smiled kindly into those of the child.
"Are you--a--a--mermaid?" asked Trot, curiously. She was not a bit
afraid. They seemed both gentle and friendly.
"Yes, dear," was the soft answer.
"We are all mermaids!" chimed a laughing chorus, and here and there,
all about the boat, appeared pretty faces lying just upon the surface
of the water.
"Are you part fishes?" asked Trot, greatly pleased by this wonderful
sight.
"No, we are all mermaid," replied the one with the brown hair. "The
fishes are partly like us, because they live in the sea and must move
about. And you are partly like us, Mayre dear, but have awkward stiff
legs so you may walk on the land. But the mermaids lived before fishes
and before mankind, so both have borrowed something from us."
"Then you must be fairies, if you've lived always," remarked Trot,
nodding wisely.
"We are, dear; we are the water fairies," answered the one with the
blonde hair, coming nearer and rising till her slender white throat
showed plainly.
"We--we're--goners, Trot!" sighed Cap'n Bill, with a white, woebegone
face.
"I guess not, Cap'n," she answered calmly. "These pretty mermaids
aren't going to hurt us, I'm sure."
"No, indeed," said the first one who had spoken. "If we were wicked
enough to wish to harm you our magic could reach you as easily upon
the land as in this cave. But we love little girls dearly, and wish
only to please them and make their lives more happy."
"I believe that!" cried Trot, earnestly.
Cap'n Bill groaned.
"Guess why we have appeared to you," said another mermaid, coming to
the side of the boat.
"Why?" asked the child.
"We heard you say yesterday you would like to see a mermaid, and so we
decided to grant your wish."
"That was real nice of you," said Trot, gratefully.
"Also we heard all the foolish things Cap'n Bill said about us,"
remarked the brown haired one, smilingly; "and we wanted to prove to
him they were wrong."
"I on'y said what I've heard," protested Cap'n Bill. "Never havin' seen
a mermaid afore, I couldn't be ackerate; an' I never expected to see
one an' live to tell the tale."
Again the cave rang with merry laughter, and as it died away Trot said:
"May I see your scales, please? And are they green and purple and pink,
like Cap'n Bill said?"
They seemed undecided what to say to this, and swam a little way off,
where the beautiful heads formed a group that was delightful to see.
Perhaps they talked together, for the brown haired mermaid soon came
back to the side of the boat and asked:
[Illustration: "We--We're--Goners"]
"Would you like to visit our kingdom, and see all the wonders that
exist below the sea?"
"I'd like to," replied Trot, promptly; "but I couldn't. I'd get
drowned."
"That you would, mate!" cried Cap'n Bill.
"Oh, no," said the mermaid. "We would make you both like one of
ourselves, and then you could live within the water as easily as we do."
"I don't know as I'd like it," said the child; "at least, for always."
"You need not stay with us a moment longer than you please," returned
the mermaid, smiling as if amused at the remark. "Whenever you are
ready to return home we promise to bring you to this place again and
restore to you the same forms you are now wearing."
"Would I have a fish's tail?" asked Trot, earnestly.
"You would have a mermaid's tail," was the reply.
"What color would my scales be--pink, or purple?"
"You may choose the color yourself."
"Look a' here, Trot!" said Cap'n Bill, in excitement, "you ain't
thinkin' o' doin' such a fool thing, are you?"
"'Course I am," declared the little girl. "We don't get such
inv'tations every day, Cap'n; and if I don't go now I may never find
out how the mermaids live."
"I don't care how they live, myself," said Cap'n Bill. "I jes' want 'em
to let _me_ live."
"There's no danger," insisted Trot.
"I do' know 'bout that. That's what all the other folks said when they
dove after the mermaids an' got drownded."
"Who?" asked the girl.
"I don't know who; but I've heard tell--"
"You've heard that no one ever saw a mermaid and lived," said Trot.
"To tell the tale," he added, nodding. "An' if we dives down, like they
says, we won't live ourselves."
All the mermaids laughed at this, and the brown haired one said:
"Well, if you are afraid, don't come. You may row your boat out of this
cave and never see us again, if you like. We merely thought it would
please little Mayre, and were willing to show her the sights of our
beautiful home."
"I'd like to see 'em, all right," said Trot, her eyes glistening with
pleasure.
"So would I," admitted Cap'n Bill; "if we would live to tell the tale."
"Don't you believe us?" asked the mermaid, fixing her lovely eyes on
those of the old sailor and smiling prettily. "Are you afraid to trust
us to bring you safely back?"
"N--n--n-o," said Cap'n Bill; "'tain't that. I've got to look after
Trot."
"Then you'll have to come with me," said Trot, decidedly, "for I'm
going to 'cept this inv'tation. If you don't care to come, Cap'n Bill,
you go home and tell mother I'm visitin' the mermaids."
"She'd scold me inter shivers!" moaned Cap'n Bill, with a shudder. "I
guess I'd ruther take my chances down below."
"All right; I'm ready, Miss Mermaid," said Trot. "What shall I do? Jump
in, clothes an' all?"
"Give me your hand, dear," answered the mermaid, lifting a lovely white
arm from the water. Trot took the slender hand and found it warm and
soft, and not a bit "fishy."
"My name is Clia," continued the mermaid, "and I am a princess in our
deep-sea kingdom."
Just then Trot gave a flop and flopped right out of the boat into the
water. Cap'n Bill caught a gleam of pink scales as his little friend
went overboard, and the next moment there was Trot's face in the water,
among those of the mermaids. She was laughing with glee as she looked
up into Cap'n Bill's face and called:
"Come on in, Cap'n! It didn't hurt a bit!"
[Illustration: _Chap. 3._
_The_ DEPTHS _of the_ DEEP BLUE SEA]
Cap'n Bill stood up in the boat as if undecided what to do. Never a
sailorman was more bewildered than this old fellow by the strangeness
of the adventure he had encountered. At first he could hardly believe
it was all true, and that he was not dreaming; but there was Trot in
the water, laughing with the mermaids and floating comfortably about,
and he couldn't leave his dear little companion to make the trip to the
depths of the ocean alone.
"Take my hand, please, Cap'n Bill," said Princess Clia, reaching her
dainty arm toward him; and suddenly the old man took courage and
clasped the soft fingers in his own. He had to lean over the boat to
do this, and then there came a queer lightness to his legs and he had
a great longing to be in the water. So he gave a flop and flopped in
beside Trot, where he found himself comfortable enough, but somewhat
frightened.
"Law sakes!" he gasped. "Here's me in the water with my rheumatics!
I'll be that stiff termorrer I can't wiggle."
"You're wigglin' all right now," observed Trot. "That's a fine tail
you've got, Cap'n, an' its green scales is jus' beautiful."
"Are they green, eh?" he asked, twisting around to try to see them.
"Green as em'ralds, Cap'n. How do they feel?"
"Feel, Trot--feel? Why, this tail beats that ol' wooden leg all holler!
I kin do stunts now that I couldn't 'a' done in a thousand years with
ol' peg."
"And don't be afraid of the rheumatism," advised the Princess. "No
mermaid ever catches cold or suffers pain in the water."
"Is Cap'n Bill a mermaid now?" asked Trot.
"Why, he's a mer_man_, I suppose," laughed the pretty princess. "But
when he gets home he will be just Cap'n Bill again."
"Wooden leg an' all?" inquired the child.
"To be sure, my dear."
[Illustration]
The sailor was now trying his newly-discovered powers of swimming, and
became astonished at the feats he could accomplish. He could dart this
way and that with wonderful speed, and turn and dive, and caper about
in the water far better than he had ever been able to do on land--even
before he got the wooden leg. And a curious thing about this present
experience was that the water did not cling to him and wet him, as it
had always done before. He still wore his flannel shirt and pea-jacket,
and his sailor cap; but although he was in the water, and had been
underneath the surface, the cloth still seemed dry and warm. As he
dived down and came up again the drops flashed from his head and the
fringe of beard, but he never needed to wipe his face or eyes at all.
Trot, too, was having queer experiences and enjoying them. When she
ducked under water she saw plainly everything around her, as easily and
distinctly as she had ever seen anything above water. And by looking
over her shoulder she could watch the motion of her new tail, all
covered with pretty iridescent pink scales, which gleamed like jewels.
She wore her dress, the same as before, and the water failed to affect
it in the least.
She now noticed that the mermaids were clothed, too, and their
exquisite gowns were the loveliest things the little girl had ever
beheld. They seemed made of a material that was like sheeny silk, cut
low in the neck and with wide flowing sleeves that seldom covered
the shapely white arms of her new friends. The gowns had trains that
floated far behind the mermaids as they swam, but were so fleecy and
transparent that the sparkle of their scales might be seen reaching
back of their waists, where the human form ended and the fish part
began. The sea fairies wore strings of splendid pearls twined around
their throats, while more pearls were sewn upon their gowns for
trimmings. They did not dress their beautiful hair at all, but let it
float around them in clouds.
The little girl had scarcely time to observe all this when the princess
said:
"Now, my dear, if you are ready we will begin our journey, for it is a
long way to our palaces."
"All right," answered Trot, and took the hand extended to her with a
trustful smile.
"Will you allow me to guide you, Cap'n Bill?" asked the blonde mermaid,
extending her hand to the old sailor.
"O' course, ma'am," he said, taking her fingers rather bashfully.
"My name is Merla," she continued, "and I am cousin to Princess Clia.
We must all keep together, you know, and I will hold your hand to
prevent your missing the way."
While she spoke they began to descend through the water, and it
grew quite dark for a time because the cave shut out the light. But
presently Trot, who was eagerly looking around her, began to notice the
water lighten and saw they were coming into brighter parts of the sea.
"We have left the cave now," said Clia, "and may swim straight home."
"I s'pose there are no winding roads in the ocean," remarked the child,
swimming swiftly beside her new friend.
"Oh, yes, indeed. At the bottom the way is far from being straight or
level," replied Clia. "But we are in mid-water now, where nothing will
hinder our journey, unless--"
She seemed to hesitate; so Trot asked: "Unless what?"
"Unless we meet with disagreeable creatures," said the Princess. "The
mid-water is not as safe as the very bottom, and that is the reason we
are holding your hands."
"What good would that do?" asked Trot.
"You must remember that we are fairies," said Princess Clia. "For that
reason nothing in the ocean can injure us; but you two are mortals, and
therefore not entirely safe at all times unless we protect you."
Trot was thoughtful for a few moments and looked around her a little
anxiously. Now and then a dark form would shoot across their pathway,
or pass them at some distance; but none was near enough for the girl to
see plainly what it might be.
Suddenly they swam right into a big school of fishes, all yellowtails
and of very large size. There must have been hundreds of them lying
lazily in the water, and when they saw the mermaids they merely wiggled
to one side and opened a path for the sea fairies to pass through.
"Will they hurt us?" asked Trot.
[Illustration]
"No, indeed," laughed the Princess. "Fishes are stupid creatures
mostly, and this family is quite harmless."
"How about sharks?" asked Cap'n Bill, who was swimming gracefully
beside them, his hand clutched in that of pretty Merla.
"Sharks may indeed be dangerous to you," replied Clia; "so I advise
you to keep them at a safe distance. They never dare attempt to bite a
mermaid, and it may be they will think you belong to our band; but it
is well to avoid them, if possible."
"Don't get careless, Cap'n," added Trot.
"I surely won't, mate," he replied. "You see, I didn't use to be 'fraid
o' sharks, 'cause if they came near I'd stick my wooden leg at 'em. But
now, if they happens to fancy these green scales, it's all up with ol'
Bill."
"Never fear," said Merla; "I'll take care of you on our journey, and in
our palaces you will find no sharks at all."
"Can't they get in?" he asked, anxiously.
"No. The palaces of the mermaids are inhabited only by themselves."
"Is there anything else to be afraid of in the sea?" asked the little
girl, after they had swum quite a while in silence.
"One or two things, my dear," answered Princess Clia. "Of course, we
mermaids have great powers, being fairies; yet among the sea people is
one nearly as powerful as we are, and that is the devilfish."
"I know," said Trot; "I've seen 'em."
"You have seen the smaller ones, I suppose, which sometimes rise to
the surface or go near shore, and are often caught by fishermen,"
said Clia; "but they are only second cousins of the terrible deep-sea
devilfish to which I refer."
"Those ones are bad enough, though," declared Cap'n Bill. "If you know
any worse ones I don't want a interduction to 'em."
"The monster devilfish inhabit caves in the rugged, mountainous regions
of the ocean," resumed the Princess, "and they are evil spirits who
delight in injuring all who meet them. None lives near our palaces, so
there is little danger of your meeting any while you are our guests."
"I hope we won't," said Trot.
"None for me," added Cap'n Bill. "Devils of any sort ought to be give a
wide berth, an' devilfishes is worser ner sea serpents."
"Oh, do you know the sea serpents?" asked Merla, as if surprised.
"Not much I don't," answered the sailor; "but I've heard tell of folks
as has seen 'em."
"Did they ever live to tell the tale?" asked Trot.
"Sometimes," he replied. "They're jes' _or_-ful creatures, mate."
"How easy it is to be mistaken," said Princess Clia, softly. "We know
the sea serpents very well, and we like them."
"You do!" exclaimed Trot.
"Yes, dear. There are only three of them in all the world, and not only
are they harmless, but quite bashful and shy. They are kind-hearted,
too, and although not beautiful in appearance, they do many kind deeds
and are generally beloved."
"Where do they live?" asked the child.
"The oldest one, who is king of this ocean, lives quite near us," said
Clia. "His name is Anko."
"How old is he?" inquired Cap'n Bill, curiously.
"No one knows. He was here before the ocean came, and he stayed
here because he learned to like the water better than the land as a
habitation. Perhaps King Anko is ten thousand years old--perhaps twenty
thousand. We often lose track of the centuries down here in the sea."
"That's pretty old, isn't it," said Trot. "Older than Cap'n Bill, I
guess."
"Summat," chuckled the sailorman; "summat older, mate; but not much.
P'raps the sea serpent ain't got gray whiskers."
"Oh yes, he has," responded Merla, with a laugh. "And so have his
two brothers--Unko and Inko. They each have an ocean of their own,
you know; and once every hundred years they come here to visit their
brother Anko. So we've seen all three many times."
"Why, how old are mermaids, then?" asked Trot, looking around at the
beautiful creatures wonderingly.
"We are like all ladies of uncertain age," rejoined the Princess, with
a smile. "We don't care to tell."
"Older than Cap'n Bill?"
"Yes, dear," said Clia.
"But we haven't any gray whiskers," added Merla, merrily, "and our
hearts are ever young."
Trot was thoughtful. It made her feel solemn to be in the company of
such old people. The band of mermaids seemed, to all appearances,
young and fresh and not a bit as if they'd been soaked in water for
hundreds of years. The girl began to take more notice of the sea
maidens following after her. More than a dozen were in the group; all
very lovely in appearance and clothed in the same gauzy robes as Merla
and the princess. These attendants did not join in the conversation,
but darted here and there in sportive play, and often Trot heard the
tinkling chorus of their laughter. Whatever doubts might have arisen in
the child's mind, through the ignorant tales of her sailor friend, she
now found the mermaids to be light-hearted, joyous and gay, and from
the first she had not been in the least afraid of her new companions.
"How much farther do we have to go?" asked Cap'n Bill, presently.
"Are you getting tired?" Merla inquired.
"No," said he; "but I'm sorter anxious to see what your palaces look
like. Inside the water ain't as interestin' as the top of it. It's fine
swimmin', I'll agree; an' I like it; but there ain't nuthin' special to
see, that I can make out."
"That is true, sir," replied the Princess. "We have purposely led you
through the mid-water, hoping you would see nothing to alarm you until
you get more accustomed to our ocean life. Moreover, we are able to
travel more swiftly here. How far do you think we have already come,
Cap'n?"
"Oh, 'bout two mile," he answered.
"Well, we are now hundreds of miles from the cave where we started,"
she told him.
"You don't mean it!" he exclaimed, in wonder.
"Then there's magic in it," announced Trot, soberly.
"True, my dear. To avoid tiring you, and to save time, we have used
a little of our fairy power," said Clia. "The result is that we are
nearing our home. Let us go downward a bit, now, for you must know that
the mermaid palaces are at the very bottom of the ocean--and in its
deepest part."
[Illustration: The PALACE OF QUEEN AQUARINE
Chap. 4]
Trot was surprised to find it was not at all dark or gloomy as they
descended farther into the deep sea. Things were not quite so clear
to her eyes as they had been in the bright sunshine above the ocean's
surface, but every object was distinct, nevertheless, as if she saw it
through a pane of green tinted glass. The water was very clear, except
for this green shading, and the little girl had never before felt so
light and buoyant as she did now. It was no effort at all to dart
through the water, which seemed to support her on all sides.
"I don't believe I weigh anything at all," she told Cap'n Bill.
"No more do I, Trot," said he. "But that's nat'ral, seein' as we're
under water so far. What bothers me most is how we manage to breathe,
havin' no gills, like fishes have."
"Are you sure we haven't any gills?" she asked, lifting her free hand
to feel her throat.
"Sure. Ner the mermaids haven't any, either," declared Cap'n Bill.
"Then," said Trot, "we're breathing by magic."
The mermaids laughed at this shrewd remark, and the Princess said:
"You have guessed correctly, my dear. Go a little slower, now, for the
palaces are in sight."
"Where?" asked Trot, eagerly.
"Just before you."
"In that grove of trees?" inquired the girl. And, really, it seemed to
her they were approaching a beautiful grove.
The bottom of the sea was covered with white sand, in which grew many
varieties of sea shrubs with branches like those of trees. Not all of
them were green, however, for the branches and leaves were of a variety
of gorgeous colors. Some were purple, shading down to light lavender;
and there were reds all the way from a delicate rose-pink to vivid
shades of scarlet. Orange, yellow and blue shades were there, too,
mingling with the sea-greens in a most charming manner. Altogether,
Trot found the brilliant coloring somewhat bewildering.
These sea shrubs, which in size were quite as big and tall as the trees
on earth, were set so close together that their branches entwined; but
there were several avenues leading into the groves, and at the entrance
to each avenue the girl noticed several large fishes, with long spikes
growing upon their noses.
"These are swordfishes," remarked the Princess, as she led the band
past one of these avenues.
"Are they dang'rous?" asked Trot.
"Not to us," was the reply. "The swordfishes are among our most valued
and faithful servants, guarding the entrances to the gardens which
surround our palaces. If any creatures try to enter uninvited these
guards fight them and drive them away. Their swords are sharp and
strong, and they are fierce fighters, I assure you."
"I've known 'em to attack ships, an' stick their swords right through
the wood," said Cap'n Bill.
"Those belonged to the wandering tribes of swordfishes," explained
the Princess. "These, who are our servants, are too sensible and
intelligent to attack ships."
The band now headed into a broad passage through the "gardens," as
the mermaids called these gorgeous groves, and the great swordfishes
guarding the entrance made way for them to pass, afterward resuming
their posts with round and watchful eyes. As they slowly swam along
the avenue Trot noticed that some of the bushes seemed to have fruits
growing upon them; but what these fruits might be, neither she nor
Cap'n Bill could guess.
[Illustration]
The way wound here and there for some distance, till finally they
came to a more open space, all carpeted with sea flowers of exquisite
colorings. Although Trot did not know it, these flowers resembled the
rare orchids of earth in their fanciful shapes and marvelous hues.
The child did not examine them very closely, for across the carpet of
flowers loomed the magnificent and extensive palaces of the mermaids.
These palaces were built of coral; white, pink and yellow being used,
and the colors arranged in graceful designs. The front of the main
palace, which now faced them, had circular ends connecting the straight
wall, not unlike the architecture we are all familiar with; yet there
seemed to be no windows to the building, although a series of archways
served as doors.
Arriving at one of the central archways the band of sea maidens
separated, Princess Clia and Merla leading Trot and Cap'n Bill into
the palace, while the other mermaids swam swiftly away to their own
quarters.
"Welcome!" said Clia, in her sweet voice. "Here you are surrounded only
by friends and are in perfect safety. Please accept our hospitality as
freely as you desire, for we consider you honored guests. I hope you
will like our home," she added, a little shyly.
"We are sure to, dear Princess," Trot hastened to say.
Then Clia escorted them through the archway and into a lofty hall.
It was not a mere grotto, but had smoothly built walls of pink coral
inlaid with white. Trot at first thought there was no roof, for looking
upward she could see the water all above them. But the princess,
reading her thought, said with a smile:
"Yes, there is a roof, or we would be unable to keep all the sea people
out of our palace. But the roof is made of glass, to admit the light."
"Glass!" cried the astonished child. "Then it must be an awful big pane
of glass."
"It is," agreed Clia. "Our roofs are considered quite wonderful, and we
owe them to the fairy powers of our queen. Of course, you understand
there is no natural way to make glass under water."
"No, indeed," said Cap'n Bill. And then he asked: "Does your queen live
here?"
"Yes. She is waiting now, in her throne room, to welcome you. Shall we
go in?"
"I'd just as soon," replied Trot, rather timidly; but she boldly
followed the princess, who glided through another arch into a small
room, where several mermaids were reclining upon couches of coral. They
were beautifully dressed and wore many sparkling jewels.
"Her Majesty is awaiting the strangers, Princess Clia," announced one
of these. "You are asked to enter at once."
"Come, then," said Clia, and once more taking Trot's hand she led the
girl through still another arch, while Merla followed just behind them,
escorting Cap'n Bill.
They now entered an apartment so gorgeous that the child fairly gasped
with astonishment. The queen's throne room was indeed the grandest and
most beautiful chamber in all the ocean palaces. Its coral walls were
thickly inlaid with mother-of-pearl, exquisitely shaded and made into
borders and floral decorations. In the corners were cabinets, upon the
shelves of which many curious shells were arranged, all beautifully
polished. The floor glittered with gems arranged in patterns of
flowers, like a brilliant carpet.
Near the center of the room was a raised platform of mother-of-pearl
upon which stood a couch thickly studded with diamonds, rubies,
emeralds and pearls. Here reclined Queen Aquareine, a being so lovely
that Trot gazed upon her spellbound and Cap'n Bill took off his sailor
cap and held it in his hands.
All about the room were grouped other mother-of-pearl couches, not
raised like that of the queen, and upon each of these reclined a pretty
mermaid. They could not sit down as we do, Trot readily understood,
because of their tails; but they rested very gracefully upon the
couches, with their trailing gauzy robes arranged in fleecy folds.
When Clia and Merla escorted the strangers down the length of the great
room toward the royal throne they met with pleasant looks and smiles on
every side, for the sea maidens were too polite to indulge in curious
stares. They paused just before the throne, and the queen raised her
head upon one elbow to observe them.
"Welcome, Mayre," she said; "and welcome, Cap'n Bill. I trust you are
pleased with your glimpse of the life beneath the surface of the sea."
"_I_ am," answered Trot, looking admiringly at the beautiful face of
the queen.
"It's all mighty cur'ous an' strange like," said the sailor, slowly.
"I'd no idee you mermaids were like this, at all!"
"Allow me to explain that it was to correct your wrong ideas about us
that led me to invite you to visit us," replied the Queen. "We usually
pay little heed to the earth people, for we are content in our own
dominions; but, of course, we know all that goes on upon your earth.
So, when Princess Clia chanced to overhear your absurd statements
concerning us, we were greatly amused and decided to let you see, with
your own eyes, just what we are like."
"I'm glad you did," answered Cap'n Bill, dropping his eyes in some
confusion as he remembered his former description of the mermaids.
"Now that you are here," continued the Queen, in a cordial, friendly
tone, "you may as well remain with us a few days and see the wonderful
sights of our ocean."
"I'm much obliged to you, ma'am," said Trot; "and I'd like to stay,
ever so much; but mother worries jus' dreadful if we don't get home in
time."
"I'll arrange all that," said Aquareine, with a smile.
"How?" asked the girl.
"I will make your mother forget the passage of time, so she will not
realize how long you are away. Then she cannot worry."
"Can you do that?" inquired Trot.
"Very easily. I will send your mother into a deep sleep that will last
until you are ready to return home. Just at present she is seated in
her chair by the front window, engaged in knitting." The queen paused
to raise an arm and wave it slowly to and fro. Then she added: "Now
your good mother is asleep, little Mayre, and instead of worries I
promise her pleasant dreams."
"Won't somebody rob the house while she's asleep?" asked the child
anxiously.
"No, dear. My charm will protect the house from any intrusion."
[Illustration]
"That's fine!" exclaimed Trot in delight.
"It's jes' won-erful!" said Cap'n Bill. "I wish I knew it was so.
Trot's mother has a awful sharp tongue when she's worrited."
"You may see for yourselves," declared the Queen, and waved her hand
again.