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 throw 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 his 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 to-morrow 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 to swing 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 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!"
"We but 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.
[Illustration]
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 then you can lower it to the other side 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 to 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 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 good-bye 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."
Then 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.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
TROT'S INVISIBLE ADVENTURE