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 corrider 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. Its 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 that 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, tumbling the treasures here and
there in the quest, but at last he became positive that the Magic
Umbrella had been removed from the room.
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, crying:
"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 from 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-gray 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."
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THROUGH THE FOG BANK