to stop you from living, and he may succeed. Don't be unhappy; but
be careful. Zog is angry because you escaped his Yell-Maker, and the
falling stones, and the hot water. While he is angry he is wasting
time; but that will not help you. Take care not to waste any time
yourselves."
[Illustration]
"Do you know what Zog intends to do to us next?" asked Princess Clia.
"No," said Sacho; "but it is reasonable to guess that, being evil, he
intends evil. He never intends to do good, I assure you."
Then the boy went away.
"I am no longer afraid," declared the Mermaid Queen, when they were
alone. "When I have bestowed certain fairy powers upon this golden
sword, it will fight its way against any who dare oppose us, and even
Zog himself will not care to face so powerful a weapon. I am now able
to promise you that we shall make our escape."
"Good!" cried Trot, joyfully. "Shall we start now?"
"Not yet, my dear. It will take me a little while to charm this golden
blade so that it will obey my commands, and do my work. There is no
need of undue haste, so I propose we all sleep for a time and obtain
what rest we can. We must be fresh and ready for our great adventure."
As their former nap had been interrupted, they readily agreed to
Aquareine's proposal and at once went to their couches and composed
themselves to slumber. When they were asleep the fairy mermaid charmed
her golden sword, and then she also lay down to rest herself.
[Illustration: _Chap. 18._
A DASH FOR LIBERTY]
Trot dreamed that she was at home in her own bed; but the night seemed
chilly and she wanted to draw the coverlet up to her chin. She was
not wide awake, but realized that she was cold and was unable to move
her arms to cover herself up. She tried, but could not stir. Then she
roused herself a little more, and tried again. Yes; it was cold--very
cold! Really, she _must_ do something to get warm, she thought. She
opened her eyes, and stared at a great wall of ice in front of her.
She was awake now, and frightened, too. But, she could not move because
the ice was all around her. She was frozen inside of it, and the air
space around her was not big enough to allow her to turn over.
At once, the little girl realized what had happened. Their wicked enemy
Zog had, by his magic art, frozen all the water in their room while
they slept, and now they were all imprisoned and helpless. Trot and
Cap'n Bill were sure to freeze to death in a short time, for only a
tiny air space remained between their bodies and the ice, and this air
was like that of a winter day when the thermometer is below zero.
Across the room Trot could see the mermaid queen lying on her couch,
for the solid ice was clear as crystal. Aquareine was imprisoned just
as Trot was, and although she held her fairy wand in one hand and the
golden sword in the other, she seemed unable to move either of them,
and the girl remembered that the queen always waved her magic wand to
accomplish anything. Princess Clia's couch was behind that of Trot,
so the child could not see her; and Cap'n Bill was in his own room,
probably frozen fast in the ice, as the others were.
The terrible Zog had surely been very clever in this last attempt to
destroy them. Trot thought it all over, and decided that, inasmuch as
the queen was unable to wave her fairy wand, she could do nothing to
release herself or her friends.
[Illustration: QUEEN AQUAREINE AND THE MAGIC SWORD]
But in this the girl was mistaken. The fairy mermaid was even now at
work, trying to save them, and in a few minutes Trot was astonished and
delighted to see the queen rise from her couch. She could not go far
from it, at first, but the ice was melting rapidly all around her;
so that gradually Aquareine approached the place where the child lay.
Trot could hear the mermaid's voice sounding through the ice, as if
from afar off; but it grew more distinct until she could make out that
the queen was saying: "Courage, friends! Do not despair, for soon you
will be free."
Before very long the ice between Trot and the queen had melted away
entirely, and with a cry of joy the little girl flopped her pink tail
and swam to the side of her deliverer.
"Are you very cold?" asked Aquareine.
"N--not v--v--very!" replied Trot; but, her teeth chattered and she was
still shivering.
"The water will be warm in a few minutes," said the Queen. "But now I
must melt the rest of the ice and liberate Clia."
This she did in an astonishingly brief time, and the pretty princess,
being herself a fairy, had not been at all affected by the cold
surrounding her.
They now swam to the door of Cap'n Bill's room and found the Peony
Chamber a solid block of ice. The queen worked her magic power as hard
as she could, and the ice thawed and melted quickly before her fairy
wand. Yet when they reached the old sailor he was almost frozen stiff,
and Trot and Clia had to rub his hands and nose, and ears very briskly
to warm him up, and bring him back to life.
Cap'n Bill was pretty tough, and he came around in time and opened his
eyes and sneezed, and asked if the blizzard was over. So the queen
waved her wand over his head a few times to restore him to his natural
condition of warmth, and soon the old sailor became quite comfortable
and was able to understand all about the strange adventure from which
he had so marvelously escaped.
"I've made up my mind to one thing, Trot," he said confidentially; "if
ever I get out o' this mess I'm in, I won't be an Arctic explorer,
whatever else happens. Shivers an' shakes ain't to my likin', an' this
ice business ain't what it's sometimes cracked up to be. To be friz
once is enough fer anybody, an' if I was a gal like you I wouldn't even
wear frizzes on my hair."
"You haven't any hair, Cap'n Bill," answered Trot; "so you needn't
worry."
The queen and Clia had been talking together very earnestly. They now
approached their earth friends, and Aquareine said:
"We have decided not to remain in this castle any longer. Zog's cruel
designs upon our lives and happiness are becoming too dangerous for us
to endure. The golden sword now bears a fairy charm, and by its aid I
will cut a way through our enemies. Are you ready and willing to follow
me?"
"Of course we are!" cried Trot.
"It don't seem 'zactly right to ask a lady to do the fightin',"
remarked Cap'n Bill; "but magic ain't my strong p'int, and it seems to
be yours, ma'am. So swim ahead, and we'll wiggle the same way you do,
an' try to wiggle out of our troubles."
[Illustration]
"If I chance to fail," said the Queen, "try not to blame me. I will do
all in my power to provide for our escape, and I am willing to risk
everything, because I well know that to remain here will mean to perish
in the end."
"That's all right," said Trot, with fine courage. "Let's have it over
with."
"Then we will leave here at once," said Aquareine.
She approached the window of the room, and with one blow of her golden
sword shattered the thick pane of glass. The opening thus made was
large enough for them to swim through, if they were careful not to
scrape against the broken points of glass. The queen went first,
followed by Trot and Cap'n Bill, with Clia last of all.
And now they were in the vast dome in which the castle and gardens of
Zog had been built. Around them was a clear stretch of water, and far
above--full half a mile distant--was the opening in the roof guarded by
the prince of the sea devils.
The mermaid queen had determined to attack this monster. If she
succeeded in destroying it with her golden sword the little band of
fugitives might then swim through the opening into the clear waters
of the ocean. Although this prince of the sea devils was said to be
big and wise and mighty, there was but one of him to fight; whereas,
if they attempted to escape through any of the passages, they must
encounter scores of such enemies.
"Swim straight for the opening in the dome!" cried Aquareine, and in
answer to the command the four whisked their glittering tails, waved
their fins, and shot away through the water at full speed; their course
slanting upward toward the top of the dome.
[Illustration: _Chap. 19._
KING ANKO TO THE RESCUE]
The great magician Zog never slept. He was always watchful and alert.
Some strange power warned him that his prisoners were about to escape.
Scarcely had the four left the castle by the broken window when the
monster stepped from a doorway below and saw them. Instantly he blew
upon a golden whistle, and at the summons a band of wolf-fish appeared
and dashed after the prisoners. These creatures swam so swiftly that
soon they were between the fugitives and the dome, and then they turned
and with wicked eyes and sharp fangs began a fierce attack upon the
mermaids and the earth dwellers.
Trot was a little frightened at the evil looks of the sea wolves,
whose heads were enormous, and whose jaws contained rows of curved and
pointed teeth. But, Aquareine advanced upon them with her golden sword
and every touch of the charmed weapon instantly killed an enemy; so,
that one by one the wolf-fish rolled over upon their backs and sank
helplessly downward through the water, leaving the prisoners free to
continue their way toward the opening in the dome.
Zog witnessed the destruction of his wolves and uttered a loud laugh
that was terrible to hear. Then the dread monster determined to arrest
the fugitives himself, and in order to do this he was forced to
discover himself in all the horror of his awful form--a form he was
so ashamed of and loathed so greatly that he always strove to keep
it concealed, even from his own eyes. But it was important that his
prisoners should not escape.
Hastily casting off the folds of the robe that enveloped him Zog
allowed his body to uncoil and shoot upward through the water, in swift
pursuit of his victims. His cloven hoofs, upon which he usually walked,
being now useless, were drawn up under him, while coil after coil of
his eel-like body wriggled away like a serpent. At his shoulders two
broad feathery wings expanded, and these enabled the monster to cleave
his way through the water with terrific force.
Zog was part man, part beast, part fish, part fowl, and part reptile.
His undulating body was broad and thin, and like the body of an eel. It
was as repulsive as one could well imagine, and no wonder Zog hated
it and kept it covered with his robe.
[Illustration]
Now, with his horned head and its glowing eyes thrust forward, wings
flapping from his shoulders and his eely body--ending in a fish's
tail--wriggling far behind him, this strange and evil creature was
a thing of terror, even to the sea dwellers, who were accustomed to
remarkable sights.
The mermaids, the sailor and the child, one after another looking back
as they swam onward toward liberty and safety, saw the monster coming
and shuddered with uncontrollable fear. They were drawing nearer to
the dome by this time, yet it was still some distance away. The four
redoubled their speed, darting through the water with the swiftness
of sky-rockets. But fast as they swam, Zog swam faster, and the good
queen's heart began to throb as she realized she would be forced to
fight her loathesome foe.
Presently Zog's long body was circling round them like a whirlwind,
lashing the water into foam and gradually drawing nearer and nearer to
his victims. His eyes were no longer glowing coals--they were balls of
flame--and as he circled around them, he laughed aloud that horrible
laugh which was far more terrifying than any cry of rage could be.
The queen struck out with her golden sword, but Zog wrapped a coil of
his thin body around it and, wresting it from her hand, crushed the
weapon into a shapeless mass. Then, Aquareine waved her fairy wand;
but, in a flash the monster sent it flying away through the water.
Cap'n Bill now decided that they were lost. He drew Trot closer to his
side and placed one arm around her.
"I can't save you, dear little mate," he said, sadly, "but we've lived
a long time together, an' now we'll die together. I knew, Trot, when
first we sawr them mermaids, as we'd--we'd--"
"Never live to tell the tale," said the child. "But never mind, Cap'n
Bill; we've done the best we could, and we've had a fine time."
"Forgive me! oh, forgive me!" cried Aquareine, despairingly. "I tried
to save you, my poor friends, but--"
"What's that?" exclaimed the Princess, pointing upward.
They all looked past Zog's whirling body, which was slowly enveloping
them in its folds, toward the round opening in the dome. A dark object
had appeared there, sliding downward like a huge rope and descending
toward them with lightning rapidly. They gave a great gasp as they
recognized the countenance of King Anko, the sea serpent, its gray hair
and whiskers bristling like those of an angry cat and the usually mild
blue eyes glowing with a ferocity even more terrifying than the orbs of
Zog.
The magician gave a shrill scream at sight of his dreaded enemy, and
abandoning his intended victims Zog made a quick dash to escape. But
nothing in the sea could equal the strength and quickness of King Anko
when he was roused. In a flash the sea serpent had caught Zog fast in
his coils, and his mighty body swept round the monster and imprisoned
him tightly.
The four, so suddenly rescued, swam away to a safer distance from the
struggle, and then they turned to watch the encounter between the two
great opposing powers of the ocean's depths. Yet there was no desperate
fight to observe, for the combatants were unequal. The end came before
they were aware of it. Zog had been taken by surprise and his great
fear of Anko destroyed all of his magic power. When the sea serpent
slowly released those awful coils, a mass of jelly-like pulp floated
downward through the water, with no remnant of life remaining in it--no
form to show it had once been Zog, the Magician.
Then Anko shook his body, that the water might cleanse it, and advanced
his head toward the group of four whom he had so opportunely rescued.
"It is all over, friends," said he in his gentle tones, while a mild
expression once more reigned on his comical features; "you may go home
at any time you please, for the way through the dome will be open as
soon as I get my own body through it."
Indeed, so amazing was the length of the great sea serpent, that only
a part of him had descended through the hole into the dome. Without
waiting for the thanks of those he had rescued he swiftly retreated to
the ocean above, and with grateful hearts they followed him, glad to
leave the cavern where they had endured so much anxiety and danger.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: _Chap. 20._
THE HOME OF THE OCEAN MONARCH]
Trot sobbed quietly, with her head on Cap'n Bill's shoulder. She had
been a brave little girl during the trying times they had experienced,
and never once had she given way to tears, however desperate their
fate had seemed to be. But now that the one enemy in all the sea to be
dreaded was utterly destroyed, and all dangers were past, the reaction
was so great that she could not help having "just one good cry," as she
naively expressed it.
Cap'n Bill was a big sailorman, hardened by age and many adventures;
but even he felt a "lump in his throat" that he could not swallow, try
as hard as he might. Cap'n Bill was glad. He was mostly glad on Trot's
account, for he loved his sweet, childish companion very dearly, and
did not want any harm to befall her.
They were now in the wide, open sea, with liberty to go wherever they
wished, and if Cap'n Bill could have "had his say" he would have gone
straight home and carried Trot to her mother. But the mermaids must be
considered. Aquareine and Clia had been true and faithful friends to
their earth guests while dangers were threatening, and it would not be
very gracious to leave them at once. Moreover, King Anko was now with
them, his big head keeping pace with the mermaids as they swam, and
this mighty preserver had a distinct claim upon both Trot and Cap'n
Bill. The sailor felt that it would not be polite to ask to go home so
soon.
"If you people had come to visit me, as I invited you to do," said the
Sea Serpent, "all this bother and trouble would have been saved. I had
my palace all put in order to receive the earth dwellers, and sat in my
den waiting patiently to receive you. Yet you never came at all."
"That reminds me," said Trot, drying her eyes; "you never told us about
that third pain you once had."
"Finally," continued Anko, "I sent to inquire as to what had become of
you, and Merla said you had been gone from the palace a long time, and
she was getting anxious about you. Then I made inquiries. Every one in
the sea loves to serve me--except those sea devils and their cousins
the octopi--and it wasn't long before I heard you had been captured by
Zog."
"Was the third pain as bad as the other two?" asked Trot.
"Naturally, this news disturbed me and made me unhappy," said Anko;
"for I well knew, my Aquareine, that the magician's evil powers were
greater than your own fairy accomplishments. But I had never been able
to find Zog's enchanted castle, and so I was at a loss to know how to
save you from your dreadful fate. After I had wasted a good deal of
time thinking it over, I decided that if the sea devils were slaves of
Zog, the prince of the sea devils must know where the enchanted castle
was located.
"I knew this prince, and where to find him, for he always lay on a
hollow rock, on the bottom of the sea, and never moved from that
position. His people brought food to him and took his commands. So I
had no trouble in finding this evil prince, and I went to him and asked
the way to Zog's castle. Of course he would not tell me. He was even
cross and disrespectful--just as I had expected him to be; so I allowed
myself to become angry and killed him, thinking he was much better dead
than alive. But after the sea devil was destroyed, what was my surprise
to find that all these years he had been lying over a round hole in the
rock, and covering it with his scarlet body!
[Illustration]
"A light shone through this hole, so I thrust my head in and found a
great domed cave underneath, with a splendid silver castle built at
the bottom. You, my friends, were at that moment swimming toward me as
fast as you could come, and the monster, Zog, my enemy for centuries
past, was close behind you.
"Well, the rest of the story you know. I would be angry with all of
you for so carelessly getting captured, had the incident not led to
the destruction of the one evil genius in all my ocean. I shall rest
easier and be much happier, now that Zog is dead. He has defied me for
hundreds of years."
"But, about that third pain," said Trot. "If you don't tell us now, I'm
afraid that I'll forget to ask you."
"If you should happen to forget, just remind me of it," said Anko, "and
I'll be sure to tell you."
While Trot was thinking this over the swimmers drew near to a great
circular palace made all of solid alabaster, polished as smooth as
ivory. Its roof was a vast dome, for domes seemed to be fashionable in
the ocean houses. There were no doors or windows, but instead of these
several round holes appeared in different parts of the dome, some being
high up and some low down, and some in between. Out of one of these
holes, which it just fitted, stretched the long, brown body of the sea
serpent. Trot, being astonished at this sight, asked:
"Didn't you take all of you when you went to the cavern, Anko?"
"Nearly all, my dear," was the reply, accompanied by a cheerful smile,
for Anko was proud of his great length; "but not quite all. Some of
me remained, as usual, to keep house while my head was away. But, I've
been coiling up ever since we started back, and you will soon be able
to see every inch of me, all together."
Even as he spoke his head slid into the round hole and, at a signal
from Aquareine, they all paused outside and waited.
Presently, there came to them four beautiful winged fishes with faces
like doll babies. Their long hair and eyelashes were of a purple color,
and their cheeks had rosy spots that looked as if they had been painted
upon them.
"His Majesty bids you welcome," said one of the doll fishes, in a sweet
voice. "Be kind enough to enter the royal palace and our ocean monarch
will graciously receive you."
"Seems to me," said Trot to the queen, "these things are putting on
airs. Perhaps they don't know we're friends of Anko."
"The king insists on certain formalities when anyone visits him," was
Aquareine's reply. "It is right that his dignity should be maintained."
They followed their winged conductors to one of the upper openings, and
as they entered it, Aquareine said in a clear voice: "May the glory and
power of the ocean king continue forever!"
Then she touched the palm of her hand to her forehead in token of
allegiance, and Clia did the same; so Cap'n Bill and Trot followed
suit. The brief ceremony being ended the child looked curiously around
to see what the palace of the mighty Anko was like.
An extensive hall, lined with alabaster, was before them. In the
floor were five of the round holes. Upon the walls were engraved many
interesting scenes of ocean life, all chiseled very artistically by
the tusks of walruses, who, Trot was afterward informed, are greatly
skilled in such work. A few handsome rugs of woven sea grasses were
spread upon the floor; but otherwise the vast hall was bare of
furniture.
The doll-faced fishes escorted them to an upper room where a table was
set, and here the travelers were invited to refresh themselves. As all
four were exceedingly hungry they welcomed the repast, which was served
by an army of lobsters in royal purple aprons and caps.
The meal being finished they again descended to the hall, which seemed
to occupy all the middle of the building. And now their conductors said:
"His Majesty is ready to receive you in his den."
They swam downward through one of the round holes in the floor and
found themselves in a brilliantly lighted chamber, which appeared
bigger than all the rest of the palace put together. In the center was
the quaint head of King Anko, and around it was spread a great coverlet
of purple and gold woven together. This concealed all of his body and
stretched from wall to wall of the circular room.
"Welcome, friends!" said Anko, pleasantly. "How do you like my home?"
"It's very grand," replied Trot.
"Just the place for a sea serpent, seems to me," said Cap'n Bill.
"I'm glad you admire it," said the King. "Perhaps I ought to tell you
that from this day you four belong to me."
"How's that?" asked the girl, surprised.
"It is a law of the ocean," declared Anko, "that whoever saves
any living creature from violent death owns that creature forever
afterward--while life lasts. You will realize how just this law is when
you remember that had I not saved you from Zog, you would now be dead.
The law was suggested by Captain Kid Glove, when he once visited me."
"Do you mean Captain Kidd?" asked Trot, "because, if you do--"
"Give him his full name," said Anko. "Captain Kid Glove was--"
"There's no glove to it," protested Trot. "I ought to know, 'cause I've
read about him."
"Didn't it say anything about a glove?" asked Anko.
"Nothing at all. It jus' called him Cap'n Kidd," replied Trot.
"She's right, ol' man," added Cap'n Bill.
"Books," said the Sea Serpent, "are good enough, as far as they go; but
it seems to me your earth books don't go far enough. Captain Kid Glove
was a gentleman pirate--a kid-glove pirate. To leave off the glove and
call him just Kidd is very disrespectful."
"Oh! you told me to remind you of that third pain," said the little
girl.
"Which proves my friendship for you," returned the Sea Serpent,
blinking his blue eyes thoughtfully. "No one likes to be reminded of a
pain, and that third pain was--was--"
"What was it?" asked Trot.
"It was a stomach ache," replied the King, with a sigh.
"What made it?" she inquired.
"Just my carelessness," said Anko. "I'd been away to foreign parts,
seeing how the earth people were getting along. I found the Germans
dancing the german, and the Dutch making dutch cheese, and the Belgians
combing their belgian hares, and the Turks eating turkey, and the
Sardinians sardonically pickling sardines. Then I called on the Prince
of Whales, and--"
"You mean the Prince of Wales," corrected Trot.