IN THE KING'S PRESENCE.
"Do you understand fish-language?" whispered the little thin fish,
hurriedly, as he was conducting them into the Presence Chamber.
"I'm afraid not," replied Dick.
"Then you must remain silent, for in the King's presence nothing but the
fish-language is allowed to be spoken. I will interpret for you
afterwards."
Pushing aside some curtains of brightly-colored seaweed he led them into
the Presence Chamber.
The King received them very graciously, and held out one fin as they
approached.
"I expect we ought to kneel on one knee, and kiss it, like they do at
presentations," whispered Marjorie.
But Dick wasn't going to do anything of that sort, and just touched it
lightly with one hand, while the others followed suit. The thin fish
then motioned them to sit down on a kind of divan, upon which large
sponges took the place of cushions, and which the children found to be
most comfortable; and the audience began.
The most extraordinary part about it was that not the slightest sound
could be heard. The little thin fish opened and shut his mouth in
little, short, jerky gasps, to which the King replied by slowly opening
and shutting his, rolling his eyes about meanwhile, just as you may have
seen fishes do in an aquarium.
Then the little fish solemnly handed His Majesty the Sage's letter,
which the King put on his gold-rimmed glasses to read.
Having done so, he turned to the children and smiled, at least that's
what they afterwards found out he was doing; but, really and truly, he
made such a curious grimace that poor little Fidge was frightened, and
wanted to run away.
His Majesty then opened and shut his mouth very slowly three or four
times, to which all the other fishes replied by swimming backwards
three strokes, and then forward three strokes. Then the audience was at
an end.
[Illustration: "Some fishes were playing football."]
The little thin fish came and whispered to the children, "It is usual
for mortals, when leaving the presence of the King, to turn three
somersaults backwards. Do you think you can do that?"
"I'm afraid not," replied Dick, anxiously. "At least, I might be able to
manage, but I don't know about Marjorie and Fidge."
"Oh, never mind, then; I'll ask His Majesty to be good enough to excuse
you," said the fish, and, making a low bow to the King, he explained the
situation in a few short gasps.
His Majesty thereupon left the audience chamber, having first graciously
inclined his head towards the children.
As he swam away, two little fishes attached themselves to the tip of His
Majesty's tail, while another held the crown down on his royal head, to
prevent it from slipping off, the rest of the audience swimming behind
at a respectful distance, forming a sort of procession.
"Well," began the thin fish, after the others had all gone, "I
congratulate you. His Majesty had been good enough to place the Royal
Dolphins at your disposal, and if the Dodo you are searching for is
anywhere on, or in, the sea you ought to have no difficulty in finding
him, for the Dolphins swim very quickly indeed, and can take you
anywhere you like in a jiffy. Please follow me to the royal stables, and
we will harness them."
The children passed out after their kind little friend, and followed
him into the gardens of the Palace, which they had to cross in order to
reach the stables.
Marjorie was enraptured at the sight of the beautifully-arranged
gardens, in which brightly-colored anemones took the place of flowers.
On a lawn of the finest short green seaweed, a number of globe-shaped
fishes, with striped bodies, were playing football, and the children
stopped a few minutes to watch the game.
They were very much surprised to find that the football itself was a
fish--a little round chap, just the shape of a football--who, on the
players giving him a smart kick with their tail, shot up through the
water and over the goal in no time.
"Doesn't he object?" said Dick, after they had watched this performance
for some time; "I know I should."
"Oh, dear, no!" exclaimed their guide, "he enjoys it quite as much as
the others do. You see, it's such a delightful sensation to be shot
through the water without the effort of swimming; but, come along, we
must be off if you are going to start to-day."
"There's one little piece of advice I should like to give you in your
search for the Dodo," he continued, kindly, as they swam along. "If you
don't succeed in catching him one way, try another. Remember the bear
with a cold."
[Illustration: "And now he's quite well, thanks."]
"What do you mean?" asked the children.
"Don't you know the story of the bear with a cold?" was the reply.
"No; do tell us!" they cried.
[Illustration: "Come on, Marjorie, let's have a race."]
"Why, you see," said the fish, "there was once an old bear, who had a
dreadful cold, and his friends all advised him to try different things
to cure it. One said one thing, and one another, and although he tried
them all, one after the other, he didn't get any better; but still he
persevered, and kept trying all the remedies they suggested, and at last
he _was_ cured, and what do you think did it?"
"What?" inquired the children.
"Why, some one suggested putting his feet into hot mustard and water and
drinking gruel--and he tried it several times with no effect; and at
last he fortunately thought of reversing the process, so he put his feet
into some thick gruel, and drank a lot of mustard and water, and now
he's quite well, thanks. So don't you get discouraged if you don't find
the Dodo at once; but, as I said before, if one way doesn't succeed, try
another."
"Thanks!" said the children, "we'll remember."
Just then they found themselves before a kind of shed, built of coral,
which the fish entered, returning shortly afterwards leading three
curious-looking fishes by a simple sort of bridle.
"Here they are!" he announced; "you will find them quite docile. Just
mount them and see how you like their pace."
The children needed no second invitation, and were soon astride their
strange steeds.
With a whisk of their tails they were soon off, dashing through the
water at such a rate that the little thin fish had the greatest
difficulty in keeping up with them, even for a short distance.
"Oh! this is jolly!" cried Dick.
"Come on, Marjorie, let's have a race."
The Dolphins answered to the slightest pull at the reins, and the
children hadn't the least fear; so, getting into a line, they waited for
their friend the thin fish to come up and give them the signal to
start.