the dragon-slayers by frank banta got any dragons to kill? here's the fastest--and wildest--way! [transcriber's note: this etext was produced from worlds of if science fiction, november 1962. extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] in a gleaming chrome and glass federal building located at the center of venusport, division chief carl wattles wearily arose from his office couch. he had been taking his usual two-hour, after-lunch nap, but today it had brought him little refreshment. earlier he had received an unexpected report that made sleep impossible. "john?" he mumbled. john claxson, the generously padded assistant division chief, stopped drilling out his earwax but did not remove his feet from the blotter of his desk. "yeah, chief?" "i've heard from the kentons again." "i thought something was deviling you, the way you was carrying on in your sleep." he raised thick eyebrows. "is their production down again?" "worse than that, john. kenton has had the gall to request time off to build a new house!" "no! i can't believe it." "i can't either, john. they know it's not in the manual." "certainly it's not, chief. the nerve of those people wanting to do something that's not in the manual!" "people like us wrote the manual, john," the chief added with simple modesty. "that is why it is so good, good, good." "i know," said john, accepting the weight. then he complained bitterly, "wanting to build a new house! they are supposed to do personal stuff at night, or when it's raining." the chief allowed his rage to climb. "they've got nothing to do but go out into the jungle and pick a little old bale of pretzins every day, but do you think they are going to do it? no. they want _me_ to go and do it for them!" "you can't _do_ it, chief!" protested john. "you know i can't, john," agreed wattles as he stretched. "i got all i can manage right here. more." "what you got to do, chief?" john asked curiously, forgetting caution for a moment. "plenty!" retorted the chief. "i guess you have at that," john admitted, getting back aboard. "time was," brooded the chief, "when that kenton was a fair pretzin finder. but all he can think of to do now is to find excuses to goldbrick. wait until he sees the stiff memorandum i'm sending him...." * * * * * bliss kenton had not gone far from their venusian jungle cabin that morning before the vacuum snake hung one on her. the thick, two-foot-long pest lay very still on the ground, and she only got a glimpse of it before it jumped. out it whipped to its full, slim, six-foot length and wrapped around her throat. fangs struck, and in three seconds--with a loud _slurp_--it had withdrawn a quart of her blood. then it unwrapped just as swiftly as it had come, and leaped into the cover of the jungle. the hefty young matron wobbled back to the cabin. "pole!" she called as she hurried in. "i've been slurped!" "again?" her lanky husband asked, looking up from the reports on his desk. "i'm so sorry, pole," she said contritely. "well, sit down and start recovering, bliss," he said in a kindly manner. "you can't pick any pretzins today." "but i wanted to pick pretzins, pole. darn that vacuum snake and his fast draft." "i just hope the neighborhood dragon doesn't come around while you're in that weakened condition, bliss," pole worried as he totaled up the month's production on his reports. he decided, "i had better take time off from pretzin hunting today so i can be handy to help you with your getaway, if need arises." "oh, the dragon never bothers us," bliss said uneasily. "he has gotten close enough to burn up several of our pretzin patches, though. he may get to this cabin some day." "he doesn't mean any harm," defended bliss. "i'm sure he wouldn't want to eat us. they are known to be strictly vegetarians." "no, he won't eat us. he'll cook us, unless we can run away fast enough--but he'll never eat us." they heard a faraway sound. "what is that crisp crackling that sounds like a dank forest burning?" wondered bliss. pole scrambled to the door. "the dragon is coming! he's headed straight for this cabin!" "shall we be going?" asked bliss, grabbing her clothes. a few minutes later, at a distance of a thousand yards, pole and bliss, loaded with all their portable possessions, watched their cabin burst into flames as a roaring, forty-foot lizard, with fifty-foot flames gouting from his mouth, ambled through their clearing. "there, he's gone," said pole as the dragon passed on. "i'd better put out the fire." dipping water from a nearby pond with a bucket, pole had, after fifty-three fast buckets, a blackened ruin of what had formerly been their rude jungle cabin. pole moved a new, nearly finished split-pole settee he had been working on back in the jungle to their front porch. as they seated themselves, he complacently surveyed the slits burned between the charred boards of the walls and roof. "the roof will leak a mite when it rains, but it will let in lots of light," he observed optimistically. "there's nothing like lots of light," bliss agreed. "charcoal is healthful, too." "it absorbs poison like nobody's business!" "however, since it rains every day on venus we will have to have a new cabin." he sighed resignedly. "and you know what that means: lower production, fewer of the magical, antibiotic pretzins. i'd better radio the division chief." * * * * * as the jet plane flashed across their vision, the kentons saw a tiny bundle drop from it. pole ran out into the jungle and was under the parachute when it landed. he came back into the clearing unwrapping a package. "it sure was thoughtful of mr. wattles to answer so fast," said pole, as he opened the little package. "and will you look here in the middle! he even sent us a present!" "it's a beautiful, plain white, rectangular carton of approximately three by seven inches," she said breathlessly. "but we mustn't be selfish," pole reminded hastily. "let's see what mr. wattles has to say in his memorandum here first." they both read the green memorandum. to: napoleon b. kenton, special agent, pretzin division, venus from: chief, pretzin division, venusport, venus subject: personal problems of special agents in a radio message dated january 25, 1982 you related certain personal problems you were experiencing, and you stated that delays might be encountered in your harvesting of pretzins. we regret your difficulties. however, it is believed these misfortunes may be overcome during leisure hours and should be soon resolved without loss of a measurable part of your productive time. pole interrupted his reading to beam at his wife. "he's sorry for us, bliss, and he hopes things will be better for us soon." "isn't he the nicest man?" they read on. in your radio message you refer to difficulties you are having with a snake and a lizard (which you colloquially refer to as a dragon). it is believed that the enclosed package, serial number 93g-18, will cope with the matter, and that no further report will be necessary with respect to snakes and lizards. carl wattles chief, pretzin division eagerly bliss kenton opened the plain white carton bearing the serial number 93g-18. she slid out the two and three-quarter by six and one-half inch fumigation bomb can. bliss read the label. "'lizards and snakes go 'way and stay. only $1.19 f.o.b.u.s.a.' why, it rhymes!" she said, a wondering smile lighting her face. "does it say how long the lizards are that go 'way and stay?" pole asked anxiously, thinking of the neighborhood's forty-foot hellion. "_all_ lizards, it says. and only $1.19." "good! but how about snakes that can jump ten feet and wrap around your throat?" "i read that wrong," she amended. "all lizards _and snakes_. and only $1.19." "i'm glad," said pole, choking up. "the division chief has been thinking of us," said bliss, wiping away a tear. "he knows we field personnel have our problems." "he knew just what we needed," lauded bliss. pole looked up from the canister as he heard a sound. "and here comes the dragon back! our lizard repellent arrived just in the nick of time!" down the rain-forest aisle the roaring mammoth rapidly waddled. its flames--even longer than its body--withered into blackened ruin all that stood before it. this time, instead of snatching up their possessions and fleeing to safety, the kentons stood their ground with their pocket-size fumigation bomb that had been designed for pocket-sized lizards. when the dragon was within throwing distance, pole flipped on the spray jet of the tiny bomb and threw it as straight as he could. then both of them sped away, leaving all their possessions at the mercy of the advancing, ravening flames.... * * * * * "oh, pole! isn't our new home just the dandiest that a venusian pretzin-gathering couple ever had?" "it _is_ dandy," concurred pole. "who'd ever have thought we would have a cabin that was only an inch thick, and yet was absolutely water tight?" "the table makes a dandy smokestack too, when it's propped up. fireproof." "how about the mouth when it's propped open?" challenged pole. "who could beat a front porch like that?" "you can't. you just can't!" "correct." he ruminated, "we'd never have been able to cut the hide. not a tough, inch-thick one like this one." "i'll never get over the way you gutted the dragon. you cut him loose inside, just below the tonsils--" "and after i lassoed them, i gave a run--" "and all his guts came stringing out!" "had him cleaned to the bone within an hour!" said pole proudly. "we would never have had it so good if it hadn't been for mr. wattles' helpfulness," reminded bliss. "that fumigation bomb, besides making a horrible stink--" "--explodes when it enters a dragon's flaming mouth--and blows his methane tanks." transcriber's note: extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed. my father's dragon story by ruth stiles gannett illustrations by ruth chrisman gannett random house . new york copyright 1948 by random house, inc. * * * * * for my father * * * * * contents 1. my father meets the cat 9 2. my father runs away 15 3. my father finds the island 22 4. my father finds the river 31 5. my father meets some tigers 39 6. my father meets a rhinoceros 48 7. my father meets a lion 56 8. my father meets a gorilla 63 9. my father makes a bridge 73 10. my father finds the dragon 79 * * * * * _chapter one_ my father meets the cat one cold rainy day when my father was a little boy, he met an old alley cat on his street. the cat was very drippy and uncomfortable so my father said, "wouldn't you like to come home with me?" this surprised the cat--she had never before met anyone who cared about old alley cats--but she said, "i'd be very much obliged if i could sit by a warm furnace, and perhaps have a saucer of milk." "we have a very nice furnace to sit by," said my father, "and i'm sure my mother has an extra saucer of milk." [illustration] my father and the cat became good friends but my father's mother was very upset about the cat. she hated cats, particularly ugly old alley cats. "elmer elevator," she said to my father, "if you think i'm going to give that cat a saucer of milk, you're very wrong. once you start feeding stray alley cats you might as well expect to feed every stray in town, and i am _not_ going to do it!" this made my father very sad, and he apologized to the cat because his mother had been so rude. he told the cat to stay anyway, and that somehow he would bring her a saucer of milk each day. my father fed the cat for three weeks, but one day his mother found the cat's saucer in the cellar and she was extremely angry. she whipped my father and threw the cat out the door, but later on my father sneaked out and found the cat. together they went for a walk in the park and tried to think of nice things to talk about. my father said, "when i grow up i'm going to have an airplane. wouldn't it be wonderful to fly just anywhere you might think of!" "would you like to fly very, very much?" asked the cat. "i certainly would. i'd do anything if i could fly." [illustration] "well," said the cat, "if you'd really like to fly that much, i think i know of a sort of a way you might get to fly while you're still a little boy." "you mean you know where i could get an airplane?" "well, not exactly an airplane, but something even better. as you can see, i'm an old cat now, but in my younger days i was quite a traveler. my traveling days are over but last spring i took just one more trip and sailed to the island of tangerina, stopping at the port of cranberry. well, it just so happened that i missed the boat, and while waiting for the next i thought i'd look around a bit. i was particularly interested in a place called wild island, which we had passed on our way to tangerina. wild island and tangerina are joined together by a long string of rocks, but people never go to wild island because it's mostly jungle and inhabited by very wild animals. so, i decided to go across the rocks and explore it for myself. it certainly is an interesting place, but i saw something there that made me want to weep." [illustration] [illustration] _chapter two_ my father runs away "wild island is practically cut in two by a very wide and muddy river," continued the cat. "this river begins near one end of the island and flows into the ocean at the other. now the animals there are very lazy, and they used to hate having to go all the way around the beginning of this river to get to the other side of the island. it made visiting inconvenient and mail deliveries slow, particularly during the christmas rush. crocodiles could have carried passengers and mail across the river, but crocodiles are very moody, and not the least bit dependable, and are always looking for something to eat. they don't care if the animals have to walk around the river, so that's just what the animals did for many years." "but what does all this have to do with airplanes?" asked my father, who thought the cat was taking an awfully long time to explain. "be patient, elmer," said the cat, and she went on with the story. "one day about four months before i arrived on wild island a baby dragon fell from a low-flying cloud onto the bank of the river. he was too young to fly very well, and besides, he had bruised one wing quite badly, so he couldn't get back to his cloud. the animals found him soon afterwards and everybody said, 'why, this is just exactly what we've needed all these years!' they tied a big rope around his neck and waited for the wing to get well. this was going to end all their crossing-the-river troubles." [illustration] "i've never seen a dragon," said my father. "did you see him? how big is he?" "oh, yes, indeed i saw the dragon. in fact, we became great friends," said the cat. "i used to hide in the bushes and talk to him when nobody was around. he's not a very big dragon, about the size of a large black bear, although i imagine he's grown quite a bit since i left. he's got a long tail and yellow and blue stripes. his horn and eyes and the bottoms of his feet are bright red, and he has gold-colored wings." "oh, how wonderful!" said my father. "what did the animals do with him when his wing got well?" "they started training him to carry passengers, and even though he is just a baby dragon, they work him all day and all night too sometimes. they make him carry loads that are much too heavy, and if he complains, they twist his wings and beat him. he's always tied to a stake on a rope just long enough to go across the river. his only friends are the crocodiles, who say 'hello' to him once a week if they don't forget. really, he's the most miserable animal i've ever come across. when i left i promised i'd try to help him someday, although i couldn't see how. the rope around his neck is about the biggest, toughest rope you can imagine, with so many knots it would take days to untie them all. "anyway, when you were talking about airplanes, you gave me a good idea. now, i'm quite sure that if you were able to rescue the dragon, which wouldn't be the least bit easy, he'd let you ride him most anywhere, provided you were nice to him, of course. how about trying it?" "oh, i'd love to," said my father, and he was so angry at his mother for being rude to the cat that he didn't feel the least bit sad about running away from home for a while. that very afternoon my father and the cat went down to the docks to see about ships going to the island of tangerina. they found out that a ship would be sailing the next week, so right away they started planning for the rescue of the dragon. the cat was a great help in suggesting things for my father to take with him, and she told him everything she knew about wild island. of course, she was too old to go along. everything had to be kept very secret, so when they found or bought anything to take on the trip they hid it behind a rock in the park. the night before my father sailed he borrowed his father's knapsack and he and the cat packed everything very carefully. he took chewing gum, two dozen pink lollipops, a package of rubber bands, black rubber boots, a compass, a tooth brush and a tube of tooth paste, six magnifying glasses, a very sharp jackknife, a comb and a hairbrush, seven hair ribbons of different colors, an empty grain bag with a label saying "cranberry," some clean clothes, and enough food to last my father while he was on the ship. he couldn't live on mice, so he took twenty-five peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and six apples, because that's all the apples he could find in the pantry. when everything was packed my father and the cat went down to the docks to the ship. a night watchman was on duty, so while the cat made loud queer noises to distract his attention, my father ran over the gang-plank onto the ship. he went down into the hold and hid among some bags of wheat. the ship sailed early the next morning. [illustration] _chapter three_ my father finds the island my father hid in the hold for six days and nights. twice he was nearly caught when the ship stopped to take on more cargo. but at last he heard a sailor say that the next port would be cranberry and that they'd be unloading the wheat there. my father knew that the sailors would send him home if they caught him, so he looked in his knapsack and took out a rubber band and the empty grain bag with the label saying "cranberry." at the last moment my father got inside the bag, knapsack and all, folded the top of the bag inside, and put the rubber band around the top. he didn't look just exactly like the other bags but it was the best he could do. [illustration] soon the sailors came to unload. they lowered a big net into the hold and began moving the bags of wheat. suddenly one sailor yelled, "great scott! this is the queerest bag of wheat i've ever seen! it's all lumpy-like, but the label says it's to go to cranberry." the other sailors looked at the bag too, and my father, who was in the bag, of course, tried even harder to look like a bag of wheat. then another sailor felt the bag and he just happened to get hold of my father's elbow. "i know what this is," he said. "this is a bag of dried corn on the cob," and he dumped my father into the big net along with the bags of wheat. this all happened in the late afternoon, so late that the merchant in cranberry who had ordered the wheat didn't count his bags until the next morning. (he was a very punctual man, and never late for dinner.) the sailors told the captain, and the captain wrote down on a piece of paper, that they had delivered one hundred and sixty bags of wheat and one bag of dried corn on the cob. they left the piece of paper for the merchant and sailed away that evening. my father heard later that the merchant spent the whole next day counting and recounting the bags and feeling each one trying to find the bag of dried corn on the cob. he never found it because as soon as it was dark my father climbed out of the bag, folded it up and put it back in his knapsack. he walked along the shore to a nice sandy place and lay down to sleep. [illustration] my father was very hungry when he woke up the next morning. just as he was looking to see if he had anything left to eat, something hit him on the head. it was a tangerine. he had been sleeping right under a tree full of big, fat tangerines. and then he remembered that this was the island of tangerina. tangerine trees grew wild everywhere. my father picked as many as he had room for, which was thirty-one, and started off to find wild island. he walked and walked and walked along the shore, looking for the rocks that joined the two islands. he walked all day, and once when he met a fisherman and asked him about wild island, the fisherman began to shake and couldn't talk for a long while. it scared him that much, just thinking about it. finally he said, "many people have tried to explore wild island, but not one has come back alive. we think they were eaten by the wild animals." this didn't bother my father. he kept walking and slept on the beach again that night. it was beautifully clear the next day, and way down the shore my father could see a long line of rocks leading out into the ocean, and way, way out at the end he could just see a tiny patch of green. he quickly ate seven tangerines and started down the beach. it was almost dark when he came to the rocks, but there, way out in the ocean, was the patch of green. he sat down and rested a while, remembering that the cat had said, "if you can, go out to the island at night, because then the wild animals won't see you coming along the rocks and you can hide when you get there." so my father picked seven more tangerines, put on his black rubber boots, and waited for dark. it was a very black night and my father could hardly see the rocks ahead of him. sometimes they were quite high and sometimes the waves almost covered them, and they were slippery and hard to walk on. sometimes the rocks were far apart and my father had to get a running start and leap from one to the next. after a while he began to hear a rumbling noise. it grew louder and louder as he got nearer to the island. at last it seemed as if he was right on top of the noise, and he was. he had jumped from a rock onto the back of a small whale who was fast asleep and cuddled up between two rocks. the whale was snoring and making more noise than a steam shovel, so it never heard my father say, "oh, i didn't know that was you!" and it never knew my father had jumped on its back by mistake. [illustration] for seven hours my father climbed and slipped and leapt from rock to rock, but while it was still dark he finally reached the very last rock and stepped off onto wild island. [illustration] _chapter four_ my father finds the river the jungle began just beyond a narrow strip of beach; thick, dark, damp, scary jungle. my father hardly knew where to go, so he crawled under a wahoo bush to think, and ate eight tangerines. the first thing to do, he decided, was to find the river, because the dragon was tied somewhere along its bank. then he thought, "if the river flows into the ocean, i ought to be able to find it quite easily if i just walk along the beach far enough." so my father walked until the sun rose and he was quite far from the ocean rocks. it was dangerous to stay near them because they might be guarded in the daytime. he found a clump of tall grass and sat down. then he took off his rubber boots and ate three more tangerines. he could have eaten twelve but he hadn't seen any tangerines on this island and he could not risk running out of something to eat. my father slept all that day and only woke up late in the afternoon when he heard a funny little voice saying, "queer, queer, what a dear little dock! i mean, dear, dear, what a queer little rock!" my father saw a tiny paw rubbing itself on his knapsack. he lay very still and the mouse, for it _was_ a mouse, hurried away muttering to itself, "i must smell tumduddy. i mean, i must tell somebody." [illustration] my father waited a few minutes and then started down the beach because it was almost dark now, and he was afraid the mouse really would tell somebody. he walked all night and two scary things happened. first, he just had to sneeze, so he did, and somebody close by said, "is that you, monkey?" my father said, "yes." then the voice said, "you must have something on your back, monkey," and my father said "yes," because he did. he had his knapsack on his back. "what do you have on your back, monkey?" asked the voice. my father didn't know what to say because what would a monkey have on its back, and how would it sound telling someone about it if it did have something? just then another voice said, "i bet you're taking your sick grandmother to the doctor's." my father said "yes" and hurried on. quite by accident he found out later that he had been talking to a pair of tortoises. [illustration] the second thing that happened was that he nearly walked right between two wild boars who were talking in low solemn whispers. when he first saw the dark shapes he thought they were boulders. just in time he heard one of them say, "there are three signs of a recent invasion. first, fresh tangerine peels were found under the wahoo bush near the ocean rocks. second, a mouse reported an extraordinary rock some distance from the ocean rocks which upon further investigation simply wasn't there. however, more fresh tangerine peels were found in the same spot, which is the third sign of invasion. since tangerines do not grow on our island, somebody must have brought them across the ocean rocks from the other island, which may, or may not, have something to do with the appearance and/or disappearance of the extraordinary rock reported by the mouse." after a long silence the other boar said, "you know, i think we're taking all this too seriously. those peels probably floated over here all by themselves, and you know how unreliable mice are. besides, if there had been an invasion, _i_ would have seen it!" "perhaps you're right," said the first boar. "shall we retire?" whereupon they both trundled back into the jungle. well, that taught my father a lesson, and after that he saved all his tangerine peels. he walked all night and toward morning came to the river. then his troubles really began. [illustration] [illustration] _chapter five_ my father meets some tigers the river was very wide and muddy, and the jungle was very gloomy and dense. the trees grew close to each other, and what room there was between them was taken up by great high ferns with sticky leaves. my father hated to leave the beach, but he decided to start along the river bank where at least the jungle wasn't quite so thick. he ate three tangerines, making sure to keep all the peels this time, and put on his rubber boots. my father tried to follow the river bank but it was very swampy, and as he went farther the swamp became deeper. when it was almost as deep as his boot tops he got stuck in the oozy, mucky mud. my father tugged and tugged, and nearly pulled his boots right off, but at last he managed to wade to a drier place. here the jungle was so thick that he could hardly see where the river was. he unpacked his compass and figured out the direction he should walk in order to stay near the river. but he didn't know that the river made a very sharp curve away from him just a little way beyond, and so as he walked straight ahead he was getting farther and farther away from the river. it was very hard to walk in the jungle. the sticky leaves of the ferns caught at my father's hair, and he kept tripping over roots and rotten logs. sometimes the trees were clumped so closely together that he couldn't squeeze between them and had to walk a long way around. he began to hear whispery noises, but he couldn't see any animals anywhere. the deeper into the jungle he went the surer he was that something was following him, and then he thought he heard whispery noises on both sides of him as well as behind. he tried to run, but he tripped over more roots, and the noises only came nearer. once or twice he thought he heard something laughing at him. at last he came out into a clearing and ran right into the middle of it so that he could see anything that might try to attack him. was he surprised when he looked and saw fourteen green eyes coming out of the jungle all around the clearing, and when the green eyes turned into seven tigers! the tigers walked around him in a big circle, looking hungrier all the time, and then they sat down and began to talk. "i suppose you thought we didn't know you were trespassing in our jungle!" [illustration] then the next tiger spoke. "i suppose you're going to say you didn't know it was our jungle!" "did you know that not one explorer has ever left this island alive?" said the third tiger. my father thought of the cat and knew this wasn't true. but of course he had too much sense to say so. one doesn't contradict a hungry tiger. the tigers went on talking in turn. "you're our first little boy, you know. i'm curious to know if you're especially tender." [illustration] "maybe you think we have regular meal-times, but we don't. we just eat whenever we're feeling hungry," said the fifth tiger. "and we're very hungry right now. in fact, i can hardly wait," said the sixth. "i _can't_ wait!" said the seventh tiger. [illustration] and then all the tigers said together in a loud roar, "let's begin right now!" and they moved in closer. my father looked at those seven hungry tigers, and then he had an idea. he quickly opened his knapsack and took out the chewing gum. the cat had told him that tigers were especially fond of chewing gum, which was very scarce on the island. so he threw them each a piece but they only growled, "as fond as we are of chewing gum, we're sure we'd like you even better!" and they moved so close that he could feel them breathing on his face. "but this is very special chewing gum," said my father. "if you keep on chewing it long enough it will turn green, and then if you plant it, it will grow more chewing gum, and the sooner you start chewing the sooner you'll have more." the tigers said, "why, you don't say! isn't that fine!" and as each one wanted to be the first to plant the chewing gum, they all unwrapped their pieces and began chewing as hard as they could. every once in a while one tiger would look into another's mouth and say, "nope, it's not done yet," until finally they were all so busy looking into each other's mouths to make sure that no one was getting ahead that they forgot all about my father. _chapter six_ my father meets a rhinoceros my father soon found a trail leading away from the clearing. all sorts of animals might be using it too, but he decided to follow the trail no matter what he met because it might lead to the dragon. he kept a sharp lookout in front and behind and went on. just as he was feeling quite safe, he came around a curve right behind the two wild boars. one of them was saying to the other, "did you know that the tortoises thought they saw monkey carrying his sick grandmother to the doctor's last night? but monkey's grandmother died a week ago, so they must have seen something else. i wonder what it was." "i told you that there was an invasion afoot," said the other boar, "and i intend to find out what it is. i simply can't stand invasions." "nee meither," said a tiny little voice. "i mean, me neither," and my father knew that the mouse was there, too. "well," said the first boar, "you search the trail up this way to the dragon. i'll go back down the other way through the big clearing, and we'll send mouse to watch the ocean rocks in case the invasion should decide to go away before we find it." [illustration] my father hid behind a mahogany tree just in time, and the first boar walked right past him. my father waited for the other boar to get a head start on him, but he didn't wait very long because he knew that when the first boar saw the tigers chewing gum in the clearing, he'd be even more suspicious. soon the trail crossed a little brook and my father, who by this time was very thirsty, stopped to get a drink of water. he still had on his rubber boots, so he waded into a little pool of water and was stooping down when something quite sharp picked him up by the seat of the pants and shook him very hard. "don't you know that's my private weeping pool?" said a deep angry voice. my father couldn't see who was talking because he was hanging in the air right over the pool, but he said, "oh, no, i'm so sorry. i didn't know that everybody had a private weeping pool." [illustration] "everybody doesn't!" said the angry voice, "but i do because i have such a big thing to weep about, and i drown everybody i find using my weeping pool." with that the animal tossed my father up and down over the water. "what--is it--that--you--weep about--so much?" asked my father, trying to get his breath, and he thought over all the things he had in his pack. "oh, i have many things to weep about, but the biggest thing is the color of my tusk." my father squirmed every which way trying to see the tusk, but it was through the seat of his pants where he couldn't possibly see it. "when i was a young rhinoceros, my tusk was pearly white," said the animal (and then my father knew that he was hanging by the seat of his pants from a rhinoceros' tusk!), "but it has turned a nasty yellow-gray in my old age, and i find it very ugly. you see, everything else about me is ugly, but when i had a beautiful tusk i didn't worry so much about the rest. now that my tusk is ugly too, i can't sleep nights just thinking about how completely ugly i am, and i weep all the time. but why should i be telling you these things? i caught you using my pool and now i'm going to drown you." "oh, wait a minute, rhinoceros," said my father. "i have some things that will make your tusk all white and beautiful again. just let me down and i'll give them to you." the rhinoceros said, "you do? i can hardly believe it! why, i'm so excited!" he put my father down and danced around in a circle while my father got out the tube of tooth paste and the toothbrush. "now," said my father, "just move your tusk a little nearer, please, and i'll show you how to begin." my father wet the brush in the pool, squeezed on a dab of tooth paste, and scrubbed very hard in one tiny spot. then he told the rhinoceros to wash it off, and when the pool was calm again, he told the rhinoceros to look in the water and see how white the little spot was. it was hard to see in the dim light of the jungle, but sure enough, the spot shone pearly white, just like new. the rhinoceros was so pleased that he grabbed the toothbrush and began scrubbing violently, forgetting all about my father. just then my father heard hoofsteps and he jumped behind the rhinoceros. it was the boar coming back from the big clearing where the tigers were chewing gum. the boar looked at the rhinoceros, and at the toothbrush, and at the tube of tooth paste, and then he scratched his ear on a tree. "tell me, rhinoceros," he said, "where did you get that fine tube of tooth paste and that toothbrush?" "too busy!" said the rhinoceros, and he went on brushing as hard as he could. the boar sniffed angrily and trotted down the trail toward the dragon, muttering to himself, "very suspicious--tigers too busy chewing gum, rhinoceros too busy brushing his tusk--must get hold of that invasion. don't like it one bit, not one bit! it's upsetting everybody terribly--wonder what it's doing here, anyway." [illustration] [illustration] _chapter seven_ my father meets a lion my father waved goodbye to the rhinoceros, who was much too busy to notice, got a drink farther down the brook, and waded back to the trail. he hadn't gone very far when he heard an angry animal roaring, "ding blast it! i told you not to go blackberrying yesterday. won't you ever learn? what will your mother say!" my father crept along and peered into a small clearing just ahead. a lion was prancing about clawing at his mane, which was all snarled and full of blackberry twigs. the more he clawed the worse it became and the madder he grew and the more he yelled at himself, because it was himself he was yelling at all the time. my father could see that the trail went through the clearing, so he decided to crawl around the edge in the underbrush and not disturb the lion. he crawled and crawled, and the yelling grew louder and louder. just as he was about to reach the trail on the other side the yelling suddenly stopped. my father looked around and saw the lion glaring at him. the lion charged and skidded to a stop a few inches away. [illustration] "who are you?" the lion yelled at my father. "my name is elmer elevator." "where do you think you're going?" "i'm going home," said my father. "that's what you think!" said the lion. "ordinarily i'd save you for afternoon tea, but i happen to be upset enough and hungry enough to eat you right now." and he picked up my father in his front paws to feel how fat he was. my father said, "oh, please, lion, before you eat me, tell me why you are so particularly upset today." "it's my mane," said the lion, as he was figuring how many bites a little boy would make. "you see what a dreadful mess it is, and i don't seem to be able to do anything about it. my mother is coming over on the dragon this afternoon, and if she sees me this way i'm afraid she'll stop my allowance. she can't stand messy manes! but i'm going to eat you now, so it won't make any difference to you." "oh, wait a minute," said my father, "and i'll give you just the things you need to make your mane all tidy and beautiful. i have them here in my pack." "you do?" said the lion. "well, give them to me, and perhaps i'll save you for afternoon tea after all," and he put my father down on the ground. my father opened the pack and took out the comb and the brush and the seven hair ribbons of different colors. "look," he said, "i'll show you what to do on your forelock, where you can watch me. first you brush a while, and then you comb, and then you brush again until all the twigs and snarls are gone. then you divide it up in three and braid it like this and tie a ribbon around the end." as my father was doing this, the lion watched very carefully and began to look much happier. when my father tied on the ribbon he was all smiles. "oh, that's wonderful, really wonderful!" said the lion. "let me have the comb and brush and see if i can do it." so my father gave him the comb and brush and the lion began busily grooming his mane. as a matter of fact, he was so busy that he didn't even know when my father left. [illustration] [illustration] _chapter eight_ my father meets a gorilla my father was very hungry so he sat down under a baby banyan tree on the side of the trail and ate four tangerines. he wanted to eat eight or ten, but he had only thirteen left and it might be a long time before he could get more. he packed away all the peels and was about to get up when he heard the familiar voices of the boars. "i wouldn't have believed it if i hadn't seen them with my own eyes, but wait and see for yourself. all the tigers are sitting around chewing gum to beat the band. old rhinoceros is so busy brushing his tusk that he doesn't even look around to see who's going by, and they're all so busy they won't even talk to me!" [illustration] "horsefeathers!" said the other boar, now very close to my father. "they'll talk to me! i'm going to get to the bottom of this if it's the last thing i do!" the voices passed my father and went around a curve, and he hurried on because he knew how much more upset the boars would be when they saw the lion's mane tied up in hair ribbons. [illustration] before long my father came to a crossroads and he stopped to read the signs. straight ahead an arrow pointed to the beginning of the river; to the left, the ocean rocks; and to the right, to the dragon ferry. my father was reading all these signs when he heard pawsteps and ducked behind the signpost. a beautiful lioness paraded past and turned down toward the clearings. although she could have seen my father if she had bothered to glance at the post, she was much too occupied looking dignified to see anything but the tip of her own nose. it was the lion's mother, of course, and that, thought my father, must mean that the dragon was on this side of the river. he hurried on but it was farther away than he had judged. he finally came to the river bank in the late afternoon and looked all around, but there was no dragon anywhere in sight. he must have gone back to the other side. my father sat down under a palm tree and was trying to have a good idea when something big and black and hairy jumped out of the tree and landed with a loud crash at his feet. "well?" said a huge voice. "well what?" said my father, for which he was very sorry when he looked up and discovered he was talking to an enormous and very fierce gorilla. "well, explain yourself," said the gorilla. "i'll give you till ten to tell me your name, business, your age and what's in that pack," and he began counting to ten as fast as he could. [illustration] my father didn't even have time to say "elmer elevator, explorer" before the gorilla interrupted, "too slow! i'll twist your arms the way i twist that dragon's wings, and then we'll see if you can't hurry up a bit." he grabbed my father's arms, one in each fist, and was just about to twist them when he suddenly let go and began scratching his chest with both hands. "blast those fleas!" he raged. "they won't give you a moment's peace, and the worst of it is that you can't even get a good look at them. rosie! rhoda! rachel! ruthie! ruby! roberta! come here and get rid of this flea on my chest. it's driving me crazy!" six little monkeys tumbled out of the palm tree, dashed to the gorilla, and began combing the hair on his chest. "well," said the gorilla, "it's still there!" "we're looking, we're looking," said the six little monkeys, "but they're awfully hard to see, you know." [illustration] "i know," said the gorilla, "but hurry. i've got work to do," and he winked at my father. "oh, gorilla," said my father, "in my knapsack i have six magnifying glasses. they'd be just the thing for hunting fleas." my father unpacked them and gave one to rosie, one to rhoda, one to rachel, one to ruthie, one to ruby, and one to roberta. [illustration] "why, they're miraculous!" said the six little monkeys. "it's easy to see the fleas now, only there are hundreds of them!" and they went on hunting frantically. a moment later many more monkeys appeared out of a near-by clump of mangroves and began crowding around to get a look at the fleas through the magnifying glasses. they completely surrounded the gorilla, and he could not see my father nor did he remember to twist his arms. [illustration] _chapter nine_ my father makes a bridge my father walked back and forth along the bank trying to think of some way to cross the river. he found a high flagpole with a rope going over to the other side. the rope went through a loop at the top of the pole and then down the pole and around a large crank. a sign on the crank said: to summon dragon, yank the crank report disorderly conduct to gorilla from what the cat had told my father, he knew that the other end of the rope was tied around the dragon's neck, and he felt sorrier than ever for the poor dragon. if he were on this side, the gorilla would twist his wings until it hurt so much that he'd have to fly to the other side. if he were on the other side, the gorilla would crank the rope until the dragon would either choke to death or fly back to this side. what a life for a baby dragon! my father knew that if he called to the dragon to come across the river, the gorilla would surely hear him, so he thought about climbing the pole and going across on the rope. the pole was very high, and even if he could get to the top without being seen he'd have to go all the way across hand over hand. the river was very muddy, and all sorts of unfriendly things might live in it, but my father could think of no other way to get across. he was about to start up the pole when, despite all the noise the monkeys were making, he heard a loud splash behind him. he looked all around in the water but it was dusk now, and he couldn't see anything there. "it's me, crocodile," said a voice to the left. "the water's lovely, and i have such a craving for something sweet. won't you come in for a swim?" [illustration] a pale moon came out from behind the clouds and my father could see where the voice was coming from. the crocodile's head was just peeping out of the water. "oh, no thank you," said my father. "i never swim after sundown, but i do have something sweet to offer you. perhaps you'd like a lollipop, and perhaps you have friends who would like lollipops, too?" "lollipops!" said the crocodile. "why, that is a treat! how about it, boys?" a whole chorus of voices shouted, "hurrah! lollipops!" and my father counted as many as seventeen crocodiles with their heads just peeping out of the water. "that's fine," said my father as he got out the two dozen pink lollipops and the rubber bands. "i'll stick one here in the bank. lollipops last longer if you keep them out of the water, you know. now, one of you can have this one." the crocodile who had first spoken swam up and tasted it. "delicious, mighty delicious!" he said. "now if you don't mind," said my father, "i'll just walk along your back and fasten another lollipop to the tip of your tail with a rubber band. you don't mind, do you?" [illustration] "oh no, not in the least," said the crocodile. "can you get your tail out of the water just a bit?" asked my father. "yes, of course," said the crocodile, and he lifted up his tail. then my father ran along his back and fastened another lollipop with a rubber band. "who's next?" said my father, and a second crocodile swam up and began sucking on that lollipop. "now, you gentlemen can save a lot of time if you just line up across the river," said my father, "and i'll be along to give you each a lollipop." so the crocodiles lined up right across the river with their tails in the air, waiting for my father to fasten on the rest of the lollipops. the tail of the seventeenth crocodile just reached the other bank. _chapter ten_ my father finds the dragon when my father was crossing the back of the fifteenth crocodile with two more lollipops to go, the noise of the monkeys suddenly stopped, and he could hear a much bigger noise getting louder every second. then he could hear seven furious tigers and one raging rhinoceros and two seething lions and one ranting gorilla along with countless screeching monkeys, led by two extremely irate wild boars, all yelling, "it's a trick! it's a trick! there's an invasion and it must be after our dragon. kill it! kill it!" the whole crowd stampeded down to the bank. as my father was fixing the seventeenth lollipop for the last crocodile he heard a wild boar scream, "look, it came this way! it's over there now, see! the crocodiles made a bridge for it," and just as my father leapt onto the other bank one of the wild boars jumped onto the back of the first crocodile. my father didn't have a moment to spare. [illustration] by now the dragon realized that my father was coming to rescue him. he ran out of the bushes and jumped up and down yelling. "here i am! i'm right here! can you see me? hurry, the boar is coming over on the crocodiles, too. they're all coming over! oh, please hurry, hurry!" the noise was simply terrific. my father ran up to the dragon, and took out his very sharp jackknife. "steady, old boy, steady. we'll make it. just stand still," he told the dragon as he began to saw through the big rope. by this time both boars, all seven tigers, the two lions, the rhinoceros, and the gorilla, along with the countless screeching monkeys, were all on their way across the crocodiles and there was still a lot of rope to cut through. "oh, hurry," the dragon kept saying, and my father again told him to stand still. "if i don't think i can make it," said my father, "we'll fly over to the other side of the river and i can finish cutting the rope there." [illustration] suddenly the screaming grew louder and madder and my father thought the animals must have crossed the river. he looked around, and saw something which surprised and delighted him. partly because he had finished his lollipop, and partly because, as i told you before, crocodiles are very moody and not the least bit dependable and are always looking for something to eat, the first crocodile had turned away from the bank and started swimming down the river. the second crocodile hadn't finished yet, so he followed right after the first, still sucking his lollipop. all the rest did the same thing, one right after the other, until they were all swimming away in a line. the two wild boars, the seven tigers, the rhinoceros, the two lions, the gorilla, along with the countless screeching monkeys, were all riding down the middle of the river on the train of crocodiles sucking pink lollipops, and all yelling and screaming and getting their feet wet. [illustration] my father and the dragon laughed themselves weak because it was such a silly sight. as soon as they had recovered, my father finished cutting the rope and the dragon raced around in circles and tried to turn a somersault. he was the most excited baby dragon that ever lived. my father was in a hurry to fly away, and when the dragon finally calmed down a bit my father climbed up onto his back. "all aboard!" said the dragon. "where shall we go?" "we'll spend the night on the beach, and tomorrow we'll start on the long journey home. so, it's off to the shores of tangerina!" shouted my father as the dragon soared above the dark jungle and the muddy river and all the animals bellowing at them and all the crocodiles licking pink lollipops and grinning wide grins. after all, what did the crocodiles care about a way to cross the river, and what a fine feast they were carrying on their backs! as my father and the dragon passed over the ocean rocks they heard a tiny excited voice scream, "bum cack! bum cack! we dreed our nagon! i mean, we need our dragon!" but my father and the dragon knew that nothing in the world would ever make them go back to wild island. the end [illustration] * * * * * beowulf by anonymous translated by gummere beowulf prelude of the founder of the danish house lo, praise of the prowess of people-kings of spear-armed danes, in days long sped, we have heard, and what honor the athelings won! oft scyld the scefing from squadroned foes, from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore, awing the earls. since erst he lay friendless, a foundling, fate repaid him: for he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve, till before him the folk, both far and near, who house by the whale-path, heard his mandate, gave him gifts: a good king he! to him an heir was afterward born, a son in his halls, whom heaven sent to favor the folk, feeling their woe that erst they had lacked an earl for leader so long a while; the lord endowed him, the wielder of wonder, with world's renown. famed was this beowulf: {0a} far flew the boast of him, son of scyld, in the scandian lands. so becomes it a youth to quit him well with his father's friends, by fee and gift, that to aid him, aged, in after days, come warriors willing, should war draw nigh, liegemen loyal: by lauded deeds shall an earl have honor in every clan. forth he fared at the fated moment, sturdy scyld to the shelter of god. then they bore him over to ocean's billow, loving clansmen, as late he charged them, while wielded words the winsome scyld, the leader beloved who long had ruled.... in the roadstead rocked a ring-dight vessel, ice-flecked, outbound, atheling's barge: there laid they down their darling lord on the breast of the boat, the breaker-of-rings, {0b} by the mast the mighty one. many a treasure fetched from far was freighted with him. no ship have i known so nobly dight with weapons of war and weeds of battle, with breastplate and blade: on his bosom lay a heaped hoard that hence should go far o'er the flood with him floating away. no less these loaded the lordly gifts, thanes' huge treasure, than those had done who in former time forth had sent him sole on the seas, a suckling child. high o'er his head they hoist the standard, a gold-wove banner; let billows take him, gave him to ocean. grave were their spirits, mournful their mood. no man is able to say in sooth, no son of the halls, no hero 'neath heaven, -who harbored that freight! i now beowulf bode in the burg of the scyldings, leader beloved, and long he ruled in fame with all folk, since his father had gone away from the world, till awoke an heir, haughty healfdene, who held through life, sage and sturdy, the scyldings glad. then, one after one, there woke to him, to the chieftain of clansmen, children four: heorogar, then hrothgar, then halga brave; and i heard that -was -'s queen, the heathoscylfing's helpmate dear. to hrothgar was given such glory of war, such honor of combat, that all his kin obeyed him gladly till great grew his band of youthful comrades. it came in his mind to bid his henchmen a hall uprear, a master mead-house, mightier far than ever was seen by the sons of earth, and within it, then, to old and young he would all allot that the lord had sent him, save only the land and the lives of his men. wide, i heard, was the work commanded, for many a tribe this mid-earth round, to fashion the folkstead. it fell, as he ordered, in rapid achievement that ready it stood there, of halls the noblest: heorot {1a} he named it whose message had might in many a land. not reckless of promise, the rings he dealt, treasure at banquet: there towered the hall, high, gabled wide, the hot surge waiting of furious flame. {1b} nor far was that day when father and son-in-law stood in feud for warfare and hatred that woke again. {1c} with envy and anger an evil spirit endured the dole in his dark abode, that he heard each day the din of revel high in the hall: there harps rang out, clear song of the singer. he sang who knew {1d} tales of the early time of man, how the almighty made the earth, fairest fields enfolded by water, set, triumphant, sun and moon for a light to lighten the land-dwellers, and braided bright the breast of earth with limbs and leaves, made life for all of mortal beings that breathe and move. so lived the clansmen in cheer and revel a winsome life, till one began to fashion evils, that field of hell. grendel this monster grim was called, march-riever {1e} mighty, in moorland living, in fen and fastness; fief of the giants the hapless wight a while had kept since the creator his exile doomed. on kin of cain was the killing avenged by sovran god for slaughtered abel. ill fared his feud, {1f} and far was he driven, for the slaughter's sake, from sight of men. of cain awoke all that woful breed, etins {1g} and elves and evil-spirits, as well as the giants that warred with god weary while: but their wage was paid them! ii went he forth to find at fall of night that haughty house, and heed wherever the ring-danes, outrevelled, to rest had gone. found within it the atheling band asleep after feasting and fearless of sorrow, of human hardship. unhallowed wight, grim and greedy, he grasped betimes, wrathful, reckless, from resting-places, thirty of the thanes, and thence he rushed fain of his fell spoil, faring homeward, laden with slaughter, his lair to seek. then at the dawning, as day was breaking, the might of grendel to men was known; then after wassail was wail uplifted, loud moan in the morn. the mighty chief, atheling excellent, unblithe sat, labored in woe for the loss of his thanes, when once had been traced the trail of the fiend, spirit accurst: too cruel that sorrow, too long, too loathsome. not late the respite; with night returning, anew began ruthless murder; he recked no whit, firm in his guilt, of the feud and crime. they were easy to find who elsewhere sought in room remote their rest at night, bed in the bowers, {2a} when that bale was shown, was seen in sooth, with surest token, -the hall-thane's {2b} hate. such held themselves far and fast who the fiend outran! thus ruled unrighteous and raged his fill one against all; until empty stood that lordly building, and long it bode so. twelve years' tide the trouble he bore, sovran of scyldings, sorrows in plenty, boundless cares. there came unhidden tidings true to the tribes of men, in sorrowful songs, how ceaselessly grendel harassed hrothgar, what hate he bore him, what murder and massacre, many a year, feud unfading, -refused consent to deal with any of daneland's earls, make pact of peace, or compound for gold: still less did the wise men ween to get great fee for the feud from his fiendish hands. but the evil one ambushed old and young death-shadow dark, and dogged them still, lured, or lurked in the livelong night of misty moorlands: men may say not where the haunts of these hell-runes {2c} be. such heaping of horrors the hater of men, lonely roamer, wrought unceasing, harassings heavy. o'er heorot he lorded, gold-bright hall, in gloomy nights; and ne'er could the prince {2d} approach his throne, -'twas judgment of god, -or have joy in his hall. sore was the sorrow to scyldings'-friend, heart-rending misery. many nobles sat assembled, and searched out counsel how it were best for bold-hearted men against harassing terror to try their hand. whiles they vowed in their heathen fanes altar-offerings, asked with words {2e} that the slayer-of-souls would succor give them for the pain of their people. their practice this, their heathen hope; 'twas hell they thought of in mood of their mind. almighty they knew not, doomsman of deeds and dreadful lord, nor heaven's-helmet heeded they ever, wielder-of-wonder. -woe for that man who in harm and hatred hales his soul to fiery embraces; -nor favor nor change awaits he ever. but well for him that after death-day may draw to his lord, and friendship find in the father's arms! iii thus seethed unceasing the son of healfdene with the woe of these days; not wisest men assuaged his sorrow; too sore the anguish, loathly and long, that lay on his folk, most baneful of burdens and bales of the night. this heard in his home hygelac's thane, great among geats, of grendel's doings. he was the mightiest man of valor in that same day of this our life, stalwart and stately. a stout wave-walker he bade make ready. yon battle-king, said he, far o'er the swan-road he fain would seek, the noble monarch who needed men! the prince's journey by prudent folk was little blamed, though they loved him dear; they whetted the hero, and hailed good omens. and now the bold one from bands of geats comrades chose, the keenest of warriors e'er he could find; with fourteen men the sea-wood {3a} he sought, and, sailor proved, led them on to the land's confines. time had now flown; {3b} afloat was the ship, boat under bluff. on board they climbed, warriors ready; waves were churning sea with sand; the sailors bore on the breast of the bark their bright array, their mail and weapons: the men pushed off, on its willing way, the well-braced craft. then moved o'er the waters by might of the wind that bark like a bird with breast of foam, till in season due, on the second day, the curved prow such course had run that sailors now could see the land, sea-cliffs shining, steep high hills, headlands broad. their haven was found, their journey ended. up then quickly the weders' {3c} clansmen climbed ashore, anchored their sea-wood, with armor clashing and gear of battle: god they thanked or passing in peace o'er the paths of the sea. now saw from the cliff a scylding clansman, a warden that watched the water-side, how they bore o'er the gangway glittering shields, war-gear in readiness; wonder seized him to know what manner of men they were. straight to the strand his steed he rode, hrothgar's henchman; with hand of might he shook his spear, and spake in parley. "who are ye, then, ye armed men, mailed folk, that yon mighty vessel have urged thus over the ocean ways, here o'er the waters? a warden i, sentinel set o'er the sea-march here, lest any foe to the folk of danes with harrying fleet should harm the land. no aliens ever at ease thus bore them, linden-wielders: {3d} yet word-of-leave clearly ye lack from clansmen here, my folk's agreement. -a greater ne'er saw i of warriors in world than is one of you, -yon hero in harness! no henchman he worthied by weapons, if witness his features, his peerless presence! i pray you, though, tell your folk and home, lest hence ye fare suspect to wander your way as spies in danish land. now, dwellers afar, ocean-travellers, take from me simple advice: the sooner the better i hear of the country whence ye came." iv to him the stateliest spake in answer; the warriors' leader his word-hoard unlocked: -"we are by kin of the clan of geats, and hygelac's own hearth-fellows we. to folk afar was my father known, noble atheling, ecgtheow named. full of winters, he fared away aged from earth; he is honored still through width of the world by wise men all. to thy lord and liege in loyal mood we hasten hither, to healfdene's son, people-protector: be pleased to advise us! to that mighty-one come we on mickle errand, to the lord of the danes; nor deem i right that aught be hidden. we hear -thou knowest if sooth it is -the saying of men, that amid the scyldings a scathing monster, dark ill-doer, in dusky nights shows terrific his rage unmatched, hatred and murder. to hrothgar i in greatness of soul would succor bring, so the wise-and-brave {4a} may worst his foes, -if ever the end of ills is fated, of cruel contest, if cure shall follow, and the boiling care-waves cooler grow; else ever afterward anguish-days he shall suffer in sorrow while stands in place high on its hill that house unpeered!" astride his steed, the strand-ward answered, clansman unquailing: "the keen-souled thane must be skilled to sever and sunder duly words and works, if he well intends. i gather, this band is graciously bent to the scyldings' master. march, then, bearing weapons and weeds the way i show you. i will bid my men your boat meanwhile to guard for fear lest foemen come, -your new-tarred ship by shore of ocean faithfully watching till once again it waft o'er the waters those well-loved thanes, -winding-neck'd wood, -to weders' bounds, heroes such as the hest of fate shall succor and save from the shock of war." they bent them to march, -the boat lay still, fettered by cable and fast at anchor, broad-bosomed ship. -then shone the boars {4b} over the cheek-guard; chased with gold, keen and gleaming, guard it kept o'er the man of war, as marched along heroes in haste, till the hall they saw, broad of gable and bright with gold: that was the fairest, 'mid folk of earth, of houses 'neath heaven, where hrothgar lived, and the gleam of it lightened o'er lands afar. the sturdy shieldsman showed that bright burg-of-the-boldest; bade them go straightway thither; his steed then turned, hardy hero, and hailed them thus: -"'tis time that i fare from you. father almighty in grace and mercy guard you well, safe in your seekings. seaward i go, 'gainst hostile warriors hold my watch." v stone-bright the street: {5a} it showed the way to the crowd of clansmen. corselets glistened hand-forged, hard; on their harness bright the steel ring sang, as they strode along in mail of battle, and marched to the hall. there, weary of ocean, the wall along they set their bucklers, their broad shields, down, and bowed them to bench: the breastplates clanged, war-gear of men; their weapons stacked, spears of the seafarers stood together, gray-tipped ash: that iron band was worthily weaponed! -a warrior proud asked of the heroes their home and kin. "whence, now, bear ye burnished shields, harness gray and helmets grim, spears in multitude? messenger, i, hrothgar's herald! heroes so many ne'er met i as strangers of mood so strong. 'tis plain that for prowess, not plunged into exile, for high-hearted valor, hrothgar ye seek!" him the sturdy-in-war bespake with words, proud earl of the weders answer made, hardy 'neath helmet: -"hygelac's, we, fellows at board; i am beowulf named. i am seeking to say to the son of healfdene this mission of mine, to thy master-lord, the doughty prince, if he deign at all grace that we greet him, the good one, now." wulfgar spake, the wendles' chieftain, whose might of mind to many was known, his courage and counsel: "the king of danes, the scyldings' friend, i fain will tell, the breaker-of-rings, as the boon thou askest, the famed prince, of thy faring hither, and, swiftly after, such answer bring as the doughty monarch may deign to give." hied then in haste to where hrothgar sat white-haired and old, his earls about him, till the stout thane stood at the shoulder there of the danish king: good courtier he! wulfgar spake to his winsome lord: -"hither have fared to thee far-come men o'er the paths of ocean, people of geatland; and the stateliest there by his sturdy band is beowulf named. this boon they seek, that they, my master, may with thee have speech at will: nor spurn their prayer to give them hearing, gracious hrothgar! in weeds of the warrior worthy they, methinks, of our liking; their leader most surely, a hero that hither his henchmen has led." vi hrothgar answered, helmet of scyldings: -"i knew him of yore in his youthful days; his aged father was ecgtheow named, to whom, at home, gave hrethel the geat his only daughter. their offspring bold fares hither to seek the steadfast friend. and seamen, too, have said me this, -who carried my gifts to the geatish court, thither for thanks, -he has thirty men's heft of grasp in the gripe of his hand, the bold-in-battle. blessed god out of his mercy this man hath sent to danes of the west, as i ween indeed, against horror of grendel. i hope to give the good youth gold for his gallant thought. be thou in haste, and bid them hither, clan of kinsmen, to come before me; and add this word, -they are welcome guests to folk of the danes." [to the door of the hall wulfgar went] and the word declared: -"to you this message my master sends, east-danes' king, that your kin he knows, hardy heroes, and hails you all welcome hither o'er waves of the sea! ye may wend your way in war-attire, and under helmets hrothgar greet; but let here the battle-shields bide your parley, and wooden war-shafts wait its end." uprose the mighty one, ringed with his men, brave band of thanes: some bode without, battle-gear guarding, as bade the chief. then hied that troop where the herald led them, under heorot's roof: [the hero strode,] hardy 'neath helm, till the hearth he neared. beowulf spake, -his breastplate gleamed, war-net woven by wit of the smith: -"thou hrothgar, hail! hygelac's i, kinsman and follower. fame a plenty have i gained in youth! these grendel-deeds i heard in my home-land heralded clear. seafarers say how stands this hall, of buildings best, for your band of thanes empty and idle, when evening sun in the harbor of heaven is hidden away. so my vassals advised me well, -brave and wise, the best of men, -o sovran hrothgar, to seek thee here, for my nerve and my might they knew full well. themselves had seen me from slaughter come blood-flecked from foes, where five i bound, and that wild brood worsted. i' the waves i slew nicors {6a} by night, in need and peril avenging the weders, {6b} whose woe they sought, -crushing the grim ones. grendel now, monster cruel, be mine to quell in single battle! so, from thee, thou sovran of the shining-danes, scyldings'-bulwark, a boon i seek, -and, friend-of-the-folk, refuse it not, o warriors'-shield, now i've wandered far, -that i alone with my liegemen here, this hardy band, may heorot purge! more i hear, that the monster dire, in his wanton mood, of weapons recks not; hence shall i scorn -so hygelac stay, king of my kindred, kind to me! -brand or buckler to bear in the fight, gold-colored targe: but with gripe alone must i front the fiend and fight for life, foe against foe. then faith be his in the doom of the lord whom death shall take. fain, i ween, if the fight he win, in this hall of gold my geatish band will he fearless eat, -as oft before, -my noblest thanes. nor need'st thou then to hide my head; {6c} for his shall i be, dyed in gore, if death must take me; and my blood-covered body he'll bear as prey, ruthless devour it, the roamer-lonely, with my life-blood redden his lair in the fen: no further for me need'st food prepare! to hygelac send, if hild {6d} should take me, best of war-weeds, warding my breast, armor excellent, heirloom of hrethel and work of wayland. {6e} fares wyrd {6f} as she must." vii hrothgar spake, the scyldings'-helmet: -"for fight defensive, friend my beowulf, to succor and save, thou hast sought us here. thy father's combat {7a} a feud enkindled when heatholaf with hand he slew among the wylfings; his weder kin for horror of fighting feared to hold him. fleeing, he sought our south-dane folk, over surge of ocean the honor-scyldings, when first i was ruling the folk of danes, wielded, youthful, this widespread realm, this hoard-hold of heroes. heorogar was dead, my elder brother, had breathed his last, healfdene's bairn: he was better than i! straightway the feud with fee {7b} i settled, to the wylfings sent, o'er watery ridges, treasures olden: oaths he {7c} swore me. sore is my soul to say to any of the race of man what ruth for me in heorot grendel with hate hath wrought, what sudden harryings. hall-folk fail me, my warriors wane; for wyrd hath swept them into grendel's grasp. but god is able this deadly foe from his deeds to turn! boasted full oft, as my beer they drank, earls o'er the ale-cup, armed men, that they would bide in the beer-hall here, grendel's attack with terror of blades. then was this mead-house at morning tide dyed with gore, when the daylight broke, all the boards of the benches blood-besprinkled, gory the hall: i had heroes the less, doughty dear-ones that death had reft. -but sit to the banquet, unbind thy words, hardy hero, as heart shall prompt thee." gathered together, the geatish men in the banquet-hall on bench assigned, sturdy-spirited, sat them down, hardy-hearted. a henchman attended, carried the carven cup in hand, served the clear mead. oft minstrels sang blithe in heorot. heroes revelled, no dearth of warriors, weder and dane. viii unferth spake, the son of ecglaf, who sat at the feet of the scyldings' lord, unbound the battle-runes. {8a} -beowulf's quest, sturdy seafarer's, sorely galled him; ever he envied that other men should more achieve in middle-earth of fame under heaven than he himself. -"art thou that beowulf, breca's rival, who emulous swam on the open sea, when for pride the pair of you proved the floods, and wantonly dared in waters deep to risk your lives? no living man, or lief or loath, from your labor dire could you dissuade, from swimming the main. ocean-tides with your arms ye covered, with strenuous hands the sea-streets measured, swam o'er the waters. winter's storm rolled the rough waves. in realm of sea a sennight strove ye. in swimming he topped thee, had more of main! him at morning-tide billows bore to the battling reamas, whence he hied to his home so dear beloved of his liegemen, to land of brondings, fastness fair, where his folk he ruled, town and treasure. in triumph o'er thee beanstan's bairn {8b} his boast achieved. so ween i for thee a worse adventure -though in buffet of battle thou brave hast been, in struggle grim, -if grendel's approach thou darst await through the watch of night!" beowulf spake, bairn of ecgtheow: -"what a deal hast uttered, dear my unferth, drunken with beer, of breca now, told of his triumph! truth i claim it, that i had more of might in the sea than any man else, more ocean-endurance. we twain had talked, in time of youth, and made our boast, -we were merely boys, striplings still, -to stake our lives far at sea: and so we performed it. naked swords, as we swam along, we held in hand, with hope to guard us against the whales. not a whit from me could he float afar o'er the flood of waves, haste o'er the billows; nor him i abandoned. together we twain on the tides abode five nights full till the flood divided us, churning waves and chillest weather, darkling night, and the northern wind ruthless rushed on us: rough was the surge. now the wrath of the sea-fish rose apace; yet me 'gainst the monsters my mailed coat, hard and hand-linked, help afforded, -battle-sark braided my breast to ward, garnished with gold. there grasped me firm and haled me to bottom the hated foe, with grimmest gripe. 'twas granted me, though, to pierce the monster with point of sword, with blade of battle: huge beast of the sea was whelmed by the hurly through hand of mine. ix me thus often the evil monsters thronging threatened. with thrust of my sword, the darling, i dealt them due return! nowise had they bliss from their booty then to devour their victim, vengeful creatures, seated to banquet at bottom of sea; but at break of day, by my brand sore hurt, on the edge of ocean up they lay, put to sleep by the sword. and since, by them on the fathomless sea-ways sailor-folk are never molested. -light from east, came bright god's beacon; the billows sank, so that i saw the sea-cliffs high, windy walls. for wyrd oft saveth earl undoomed if he doughty be! and so it came that i killed with my sword nine of the nicors. of night-fought battles ne'er heard i a harder 'neath heaven's dome, nor adrift on the deep a more desolate man! yet i came unharmed from that hostile clutch, though spent with swimming. the sea upbore me, flood of the tide, on finnish land, the welling waters. no wise of thee have i heard men tell such terror of falchions, bitter battle. breca ne'er yet, not one of you pair, in the play of war such daring deed has done at all with bloody brand, -i boast not of it! -though thou wast the bane {9a} of thy brethren dear, thy closest kin, whence curse of hell awaits thee, well as thy wit may serve! for i say in sooth, thou son of ecglaf, never had grendel these grim deeds wrought, monster dire, on thy master dear, in heorot such havoc, if heart of thine were as battle-bold as thy boast is loud! but he has found no feud will happen; from sword-clash dread of your danish clan he vaunts him safe, from the victor-scyldings. he forces pledges, favors none of the land of danes, but lustily murders, fights and feasts, nor feud he dreads from spear-dane men. but speedily now shall i prove him the prowess and pride of the geats, shall bid him battle. blithe to mead go he that listeth, when light of dawn this morrow morning o'er men of earth, ether-robed sun from the south shall beam!" joyous then was the jewel-giver, hoar-haired, war-brave; help awaited the bright-danes' prince, from beowulf hearing, folk's good shepherd, such firm resolve. then was laughter of liegemen loud resounding with winsome words. came wealhtheow forth, queen of hrothgar, heedful of courtesy, gold-decked, greeting the guests in hall; and the high-born lady handed the cup first to the east-danes' heir and warden, bade him be blithe at the beer-carouse, the land's beloved one. lustily took he banquet and beaker, battle-famed king. through the hall then went the helmings' lady, to younger and older everywhere carried the cup, till come the moment when the ring-graced queen, the royal-hearted, to beowulf bore the beaker of mead. she greeted the geats' lord, god she thanked, in wisdom's words, that her will was granted, that at last on a hero her hope could lean for comfort in terrors. the cup he took, hardy-in-war, from wealhtheow's hand, and answer uttered the eager-for-combat. beowulf spake, bairn of ecgtheow: -"this was my thought, when my thanes and i bent to the ocean and entered our boat, that i would work the will of your people fully, or fighting fall in death, in fiend's gripe fast. i am firm to do an earl's brave deed, or end the days of this life of mine in the mead-hall here." well these words to the woman seemed, beowulf's battle-boast. -bright with gold the stately dame by her spouse sat down. again, as erst, began in hall warriors' wassail and words of power, the proud-band's revel, till presently the son of healfdene hastened to seek rest for the night; he knew there waited fight for the fiend in that festal hall, when the sheen of the sun they saw no more, and dusk of night sank darkling nigh, and shadowy shapes came striding on, wan under welkin. the warriors rose. man to man, he made harangue, hrothgar to beowulf, bade him hail, let him wield the wine hall: a word he added: -"never to any man erst i trusted, since i could heave up hand and shield, this noble dane-hall, till now to thee. have now and hold this house unpeered; remember thy glory; thy might declare; watch for the foe! no wish shall fail thee if thou bidest the battle with bold-won life." x then hrothgar went with his hero-train, defence-of-scyldings, forth from hall; fain would the war-lord wealhtheow seek, couch of his queen. the king-of-glory against this grendel a guard had set, so heroes heard, a hall-defender, who warded the monarch and watched for the monster. in truth, the geats' prince gladly trusted his mettle, his might, the mercy of god! cast off then his corselet of iron, helmet from head; to his henchman gave, -choicest of weapons, -the well-chased sword, bidding him guard the gear of battle. spake then his vaunt the valiant man, beowulf geat, ere the bed be sought: -"of force in fight no feebler i count me, in grim war-deeds, than grendel deems him. not with the sword, then, to sleep of death his life will i give, though it lie in my power. no skill is his to strike against me, my shield to hew though he hardy be, bold in battle; we both, this night, shall spurn the sword, if he seek me here, unweaponed, for war. let wisest god, sacred lord, on which side soever doom decree as he deemeth right." reclined then the chieftain, and cheek-pillows held the head of the earl, while all about him seamen hardy on hall-beds sank. none of them thought that thence their steps to the folk and fastness that fostered them, to the land they loved, would lead them back! full well they wist that on warriors many battle-death seized, in the banquet-hall, of danish clan. but comfort and help, war-weal weaving, to weder folk the master gave, that, by might of one, over their enemy all prevailed, by single strength. in sooth 'tis told that highest god o'er human kind hath wielded ever! -thro' wan night striding, came the walker-in-shadow. warriors slept whose hest was to guard the gabled hall, -all save one. 'twas widely known that against god's will the ghostly ravager him {10a} could not hurl to haunts of darkness; wakeful, ready, with warrior's wrath, bold he bided the battle's issue. xi then from the moorland, by misty crags, with god's wrath laden, grendel came. the monster was minded of mankind now sundry to seize in the stately house. under welkin he walked, till the wine-palace there, gold-hall of men, he gladly discerned, flashing with fretwork. not first time, this, that he the home of hrothgar sought, -yet ne'er in his life-day, late or early, such hardy heroes, such hall-thanes, found! to the house the warrior walked apace, parted from peace; {11a} the portal opended, though with forged bolts fast, when his fists had struck it, and baleful he burst in his blatant rage, the house's mouth. all hastily, then, o'er fair-paved floor the fiend trod on, ireful he strode; there streamed from his eyes fearful flashes, like flame to see. he spied in hall the hero-band, kin and clansmen clustered asleep, hardy liegemen. then laughed his heart; for the monster was minded, ere morn should dawn, savage, to sever the soul of each, life from body, since lusty banquet waited his will! but wyrd forbade him to seize any more of men on earth after that evening. eagerly watched hygelac's kinsman his cursed foe, how he would fare in fell attack. not that the monster was minded to pause! straightway he seized a sleeping warrior for the first, and tore him fiercely asunder, the bone-frame bit, drank blood in streams, swallowed him piecemeal: swiftly thus the lifeless corse was clear devoured, e'en feet and hands. then farther he hied; for the hardy hero with hand he grasped, felt for the foe with fiendish claw, for the hero reclining, -who clutched it boldly, prompt to answer, propped on his arm. soon then saw that shepherd-of-evils that never he met in this middle-world, in the ways of earth, another wight with heavier hand-gripe; at heart he feared, sorrowed in soul, -none the sooner escaped! fain would he flee, his fastness seek, the den of devils: no doings now such as oft he had done in days of old! then bethought him the hardy hygelac-thane of his boast at evening: up he bounded, grasped firm his foe, whose fingers cracked. the fiend made off, but the earl close followed. the monster meant -if he might at all -to fling himself free, and far away fly to the fens, -knew his fingers' power in the gripe of the grim one. gruesome march to heorot this monster of harm had made! din filled the room; the danes were bereft, castle-dwellers and clansmen all, earls, of their ale. angry were both those savage hall-guards: the house resounded. wonder it was the wine-hall firm in the strain of their struggle stood, to earth the fair house fell not; too fast it was within and without by its iron bands craftily clamped; though there crashed from sill many a mead-bench -men have told me -gay with gold, where the grim foes wrestled. so well had weened the wisest scyldings that not ever at all might any man that bone-decked, brave house break asunder, crush by craft, -unless clasp of fire in smoke engulfed it. -again uprose din redoubled. danes of the north with fear and frenzy were filled, each one, who from the wall that wailing heard, god's foe sounding his grisly song, cry of the conquered, clamorous pain from captive of hell. too closely held him he who of men in might was strongest in that same day of this our life. xii not in any wise would the earls'-defence {12a} suffer that slaughterous stranger to live, useless deeming his days and years to men on earth. now many an earl of beowulf brandished blade ancestral, fain the life of their lord to shield, their praised prince, if power were theirs; never they knew, -as they neared the foe, hardy-hearted heroes of war, aiming their swords on every side the accursed to kill, -no keenest blade, no farest of falchions fashioned on earth, could harm or hurt that hideous fiend! he was safe, by his spells, from sword of battle, from edge of iron. yet his end and parting on that same day of this our life woful should be, and his wandering soul far off flit to the fiends' domain. soon he found, who in former days, harmful in heart and hated of god, on many a man such murder wrought, that the frame of his body failed him now. for him the keen-souled kinsman of hygelac held in hand; hateful alive was each to other. the outlaw dire took mortal hurt; a mighty wound showed on his shoulder, and sinews cracked, and the bone-frame burst. to beowulf now the glory was given, and grendel thence death-sick his den in the dark moor sought, noisome abode: he knew too well that here was the last of life, an end of his days on earth. -to all the danes by that bloody battle the boon had come. from ravage had rescued the roving stranger hrothgar's hall; the hardy and wise one had purged it anew. his night-work pleased him, his deed and its honor. to eastern danes had the valiant geat his vaunt made good, all their sorrow and ills assuaged, their bale of battle borne so long, and all the dole they erst endured pain a-plenty. -'twas proof of this, when the hardy-in-fight a hand laid down, arm and shoulder, -all, indeed, of grendel's gripe, -'neath the gabled roof. xiii many at morning, as men have told me, warriors gathered the gift-hall round, folk-leaders faring from far and near, o'er wide-stretched ways, the wonder to view, trace of the traitor. not troublous seemed the enemy's end to any man who saw by the gait of the graceless foe how the weary-hearted, away from thence, baffled in battle and banned, his steps death-marked dragged to the devils' mere. bloody the billows were boiling there, turbid the tide of tumbling waves horribly seething, with sword-blood hot, by that doomed one dyed, who in den of the moor laid forlorn his life adown, his heathen soul, and hell received it. home then rode the hoary clansmen from that merry journey, and many a youth, on horses white, the hardy warriors, back from the mere. then beowulf's glory eager they echoed, and all averred that from sea to sea, or south or north, there was no other in earth's domain, under vault of heaven, more valiant found, of warriors none more worthy to rule! (on their lord beloved they laid no slight, gracious hrothgar: a good king he!) from time to time, the tried-in-battle their gray steeds set to gallop amain, and ran a race when the road seemed fair. from time to time, a thane of the king, who had made many vaunts, and was mindful of verses, stored with sagas and songs of old, bound word to word in well-knit rime, welded his lay; this warrior soon of beowulf's quest right cleverly sang, and artfully added an excellent tale, in well-ranged words, of the warlike deeds he had heard in saga of sigemund. strange the story: he said it all, -the waelsing's wanderings wide, his struggles, which never were told to tribes of men, the feuds and the frauds, save to fitela only, when of these doings he deigned to speak, uncle to nephew; as ever the twain stood side by side in stress of war, and multitude of the monster kind they had felled with their swords. of sigemund grew, when he passed from life, no little praise; for the doughty-in-combat a dragon killed that herded the hoard: {13a} under hoary rock the atheling dared the deed alone fearful quest, nor was fitela there. yet so it befell, his falchion pierced that wondrous worm, -on the wall it struck, best blade; the dragon died in its blood. thus had the dread-one by daring achieved over the ring-hoard to rule at will, himself to pleasure; a sea-boat he loaded, and bore on its bosom the beaming gold, son of waels; the worm was consumed. he had of all heroes the highest renown among races of men, this refuge-of-warriors, for deeds of daring that decked his name since the hand and heart of heremod grew slack in battle. he, swiftly banished to mingle with monsters at mercy of foes, to death was betrayed; for torrents of sorrow had lamed him too long; a load of care to earls and athelings all he proved. oft indeed, in earlier days, for the warrior's wayfaring wise men mourned, who had hoped of him help from harm and bale, and had thought their sovran's son would thrive, follow his father, his folk protect, the hoard and the stronghold, heroes' land, home of scyldings. -but here, thanes said, the kinsman of hygelac kinder seemed to all: the other {13b} was urged to crime! and afresh to the race, {13c} the fallow roads by swift steeds measured! the morning sun was climbing higher. clansmen hastened to the high-built hall, those hardy-minded, the wonder to witness. warden of treasure, crowned with glory, the king himself, with stately band from the bride-bower strode; and with him the queen and her crowd of maidens measured the path to the mead-house fair. xiv hrothgar spake, -to the hall he went, stood by the steps, the steep roof saw, garnished with gold, and grendel's hand: -"for the sight i see to the sovran ruler be speedy thanks! a throng of sorrows i have borne from grendel; but god still works wonder on wonder, the warden-of-glory. it was but now that i never more for woes that weighed on me waited help long as i lived, when, laved in blood, stood sword-gore-stained this stateliest house, -widespread woe for wise men all, who had no hope to hinder ever foes infernal and fiendish sprites from havoc in hall. this hero now, by the wielder's might, a work has done that not all of us erst could ever do by wile and wisdom. lo, well can she say whoso of women this warrior bore among sons of men, if still she liveth, that the god of the ages was good to her in the birth of her bairn. now, beowulf, thee, of heroes best, i shall heartily love as mine own, my son; preserve thou ever this kinship new: thou shalt never lack wealth of the world that i wield as mine! full oft for less have i largess showered, my precious hoard, on a punier man, less stout in struggle. thyself hast now fulfilled such deeds, that thy fame shall endure through all the ages. as ever he did, well may the wielder reward thee still!" beowulf spake, bairn of ecgtheow: -"this work of war most willingly we have fought, this fight, and fearlessly dared force of the foe. fain, too, were i hadst thou but seen himself, what time the fiend in his trappings tottered to fall! swiftly, i thought, in strongest gripe on his bed of death to bind him down, that he in the hent of this hand of mine should breathe his last: but he broke away. him i might not -the maker willed not -hinder from flight, and firm enough hold the life-destroyer: too sturdy was he, the ruthless, in running! for rescue, however, he left behind him his hand in pledge, arm and shoulder; nor aught of help could the cursed one thus procure at all. none the longer liveth he, loathsome fiend, sunk in his sins, but sorrow holds him tightly grasped in gripe of anguish, in baleful bonds, where bide he must, evil outlaw, such awful doom as the mighty maker shall mete him out." more silent seemed the son of ecglaf {14a} in boastful speech of his battle-deeds, since athelings all, through the earl's great prowess, beheld that hand, on the high roof gazing, foeman's fingers, -the forepart of each of the sturdy nails to steel was likest, -heathen's "hand-spear," hostile warrior's claw uncanny. 'twas clear, they said, that him no blade of the brave could touch, how keen soever, or cut away that battle-hand bloody from baneful foe. xv there was hurry and hest in heorot now for hands to bedeck it, and dense was the throng of men and women the wine-hall to cleanse, the guest-room to garnish. gold-gay shone the hangings that were wove on the wall, and wonders many to delight each mortal that looks upon them. though braced within by iron bands, that building bright was broken sorely; {15a} rent were its hinges; the roof alone held safe and sound, when, seared with crime, the fiendish foe his flight essayed, of life despairing. -no light thing that, the flight for safety, -essay it who will! forced of fate, he shall find his way to the refuge ready for race of man, for soul-possessors, and sons of earth; and there his body on bed of death shall rest after revel. arrived was the hour when to hall proceeded healfdene's son: the king himself would sit to banquet. ne'er heard i of host in haughtier throng more graciously gathered round giver-of-rings! bowed then to bench those bearers-of-glory, fain of the feasting. featly received many a mead-cup the mighty-in-spirit, kinsmen who sat in the sumptuous hall, hrothgar and hrothulf. heorot now was filled with friends; the folk of scyldings ne'er yet had tried the traitor's deed. to beowulf gave the bairn of healfdene a gold-wove banner, guerdon of triumph, broidered battle-flag, breastplate and helmet; and a splendid sword was seen of many borne to the brave one. beowulf took cup in hall: {15b} for such costly gifts he suffered no shame in that soldier throng. for i heard of few heroes, in heartier mood, with four such gifts, so fashioned with gold, on the ale-bench honoring others thus! o'er the roof of the helmet high, a ridge, wound with wires, kept ward o'er the head, lest the relict-of-files {15c} should fierce invade, sharp in the strife, when that shielded hero should go to grapple against his foes. then the earls'-defence {15d} on the floor {15e} bade lead coursers eight, with carven head-gear, adown the hall: one horse was decked with a saddle all shining and set in jewels; 'twas the battle-seat of the best of kings, when to play of swords the son of healfdene was fain to fare. ne'er failed his valor in the crush of combat when corpses fell. to beowulf over them both then gave the refuge-of-ingwines right and power, o'er war-steeds and weapons: wished him joy of them. manfully thus the mighty prince, hoard-guard for heroes, that hard fight repaid with steeds and treasures contemned by none who is willing to say the sooth aright. xvi and the lord of earls, to each that came with beowulf over the briny ways, an heirloom there at the ale-bench gave, precious gift; and the price {16a} bade pay in gold for him whom grendel erst murdered, -and fain of them more had killed, had not wisest god their wyrd averted, and the man's {16b} brave mood. the maker then ruled human kind, as here and now. therefore is insight always best, and forethought of mind. how much awaits him of lief and of loath, who long time here, through days of warfare this world endures! then song and music mingled sounds in the presence of healfdene's head-of-armies {16c} and harping was heard with the hero-lay as hrothgar's singer the hall-joy woke along the mead-seats, making his song of that sudden raid on the sons of finn. {16d} healfdene's hero, hnaef the scylding, was fated to fall in the frisian slaughter. {16e} hildeburh needed not hold in value her enemies' honor! {16f} innocent both were the loved ones she lost at the linden-play, bairn and brother, they bowed to fate, stricken by spears; 'twas a sorrowful woman! none doubted why the daughter of hoc bewailed her doom when dawning came, and under the sky she saw them lying, kinsmen murdered, where most she had kenned of the sweets of the world! by war were swept, too, finn's own liegemen, and few were left; in the parleying-place {16g} he could ply no longer weapon, nor war could he wage on hengest, and rescue his remnant by right of arms from the prince's thane. a pact he offered: another dwelling the danes should have, hall and high-seat, and half the power should fall to them in frisian land; and at the fee-gifts, folcwald's son day by day the danes should honor, the folk of hengest favor with rings, even as truly, with treasure and jewels, with fretted gold, as his frisian kin he meant to honor in ale-hall there. pact of peace they plighted further on both sides firmly. finn to hengest with oath, upon honor, openly promised that woful remnant, with wise-men's aid, nobly to govern, so none of the guests by word or work should warp the treaty, {16h} or with malice of mind bemoan themselves as forced to follow their fee-giver's slayer, lordless men, as their lot ordained. should frisian, moreover, with foeman's taunt, that murderous hatred to mind recall, then edge of the sword must seal his doom. oaths were given, and ancient gold heaped from hoard. -the hardy scylding, battle-thane best, {16i} on his balefire lay. all on the pyre were plain to see the gory sark, the gilded swine-crest, boar of hard iron, and athelings many slain by the sword: at the slaughter they fell. it was hildeburh's hest, at hnaef's own pyre the bairn of her body on brands to lay, his bones to burn, on the balefire placed, at his uncle's side. in sorrowful dirges bewept them the woman: great wailing ascended. then wound up to welkin the wildest of death-fires, roared o'er the hillock: {16j} heads all were melted, gashes burst, and blood gushed out from bites {16k} of the body. balefire devoured, greediest spirit, those spared not by war out of either folk: their flower was gone. xvii then hastened those heroes their home to see, friendless, to find the frisian land, houses and high burg. hengest still through the death-dyed winter dwelt with finn, holding pact, yet of home he minded, though powerless his ring-decked prow to drive over the waters, now waves rolled fierce lashed by the winds, or winter locked them in icy fetters. then fared another year to men's dwellings, as yet they do, the sunbright skies, that their season ever duly await. far off winter was driven; fair lay earth's breast; and fain was the rover, the guest, to depart, though more gladly he pondered on wreaking his vengeance than roaming the deep, and how to hasten the hot encounter where sons of the frisians were sure to be. so he escaped not the common doom, when hun with "lafing," the light-of-battle, best of blades, his bosom pierced: its edge was famed with the frisian earls. on fierce-heart finn there fell likewise, on himself at home, the horrid sword-death; for guthlaf and oslaf of grim attack had sorrowing told, from sea-ways landed, mourning their woes. {17a} finn's wavering spirit bode not in breast. the burg was reddened with blood of foemen, and finn was slain, king amid clansmen; the queen was taken. to their ship the scylding warriors bore all the chattels the chieftain owned, whatever they found in finn's domain of gems and jewels. the gentle wife o'er paths of the deep to the danes they bore, led to her land. the lay was finished, the gleeman's song. then glad rose the revel; bench-joy brightened. bearers draw from their "wonder-vats" wine. comes wealhtheow forth, under gold-crown goes where the good pair sit, uncle and nephew, true each to the other one, kindred in amity. unferth the spokesman at the scylding lord's feet sat: men had faith in his spirit, his keenness of courage, though kinsmen had found him unsure at the sword-play. the scylding queen spoke: "quaff of this cup, my king and lord, breaker of rings, and blithe be thou, gold-friend of men; to the geats here speak such words of mildness as man should use. be glad with thy geats; of those gifts be mindful, or near or far, which now thou hast. men say to me, as son thou wishest yon hero to hold. thy heorot purged, jewel-hall brightest, enjoy while thou canst, with many a largess; and leave to thy kin folk and realm when forth thou goest to greet thy doom. for gracious i deem my hrothulf, {17b} willing to hold and rule nobly our youths, if thou yield up first, prince of scyldings, thy part in the world. i ween with good he will well requite offspring of ours, when all he minds that for him we did in his helpless days of gift and grace to gain him honor!" then she turned to the seat where her sons wereplaced, hrethric and hrothmund, with heroes' bairns, young men together: the geat, too, sat there, beowulf brave, the brothers between. xviii a cup she gave him, with kindly greeting and winsome words. of wounden gold, she offered, to honor him, arm-jewels twain, corselet and rings, and of collars the noblest that ever i knew the earth around. ne'er heard i so mighty, 'neath heaven's dome, a hoard-gem of heroes, since hama bore to his bright-built burg the brisings' necklace, jewel and gem casket. -jealousy fled he, eormenric's hate: chose help eternal. hygelac geat, grandson of swerting, on the last of his raids this ring bore with him, under his banner the booty defending, the war-spoil warding; but wyrd o'erwhelmed him what time, in his daring, dangers he sought, feud with frisians. fairest of gems he bore with him over the beaker-of-waves, sovran strong: under shield he died. fell the corpse of the king into keeping of franks, gear of the breast, and that gorgeous ring; weaker warriors won the spoil, after gripe of battle, from geatland's lord, and held the death-field. din rose in hall. wealhtheow spake amid warriors, and said: -"this jewel enjoy in thy jocund youth, beowulf lov'd, these battle-weeds wear, a royal treasure, and richly thrive! preserve thy strength, and these striplings here counsel in kindness: requital be mine. hast done such deeds, that for days to come thou art famed among folk both far and near, so wide as washeth the wave of ocean his windy walls. through the ways of life prosper, o prince! i pray for thee rich possessions. to son of mine be helpful in deed and uphold his joys! here every earl to the other is true, mild of mood, to the master loyal! thanes are friendly, the throng obedient, liegemen are revelling: list and obey!" went then to her place. -that was proudest of feasts; flowed wine for the warriors. wyrd they knew not, destiny dire, and the doom to be seen by many an earl when eve should come, and hrothgar homeward hasten away, royal, to rest. the room was guarded by an army of earls, as erst was done. they bared the bench-boards; abroad they spread beds and bolsters. -one beer-carouser in danger of doom lay down in the hall. -at their heads they set their shields of war, bucklers bright; on the bench were there over each atheling, easy to see, the high battle-helmet, the haughty spear, the corselet of rings. 'twas their custom so ever to be for battle prepared, at home, or harrying, which it were, even as oft as evil threatened their sovran king. -they were clansmen good. xix then sank they to sleep. with sorrow one bought his rest of the evening, -as ofttime had happened when grendel guarded that golden hall, evil wrought, till his end drew nigh, slaughter for sins. 'twas seen and told how an avenger survived the fiend, as was learned afar. the livelong time after that grim fight, grendel's mother, monster of women, mourned her woe. she was doomed to dwell in the dreary waters, cold sea-courses, since cain cut down with edge of the sword his only brother, his father's offspring: outlawed he fled, marked with murder, from men's delights warded the wilds. -there woke from him such fate-sent ghosts as grendel, who, war-wolf horrid, at heorot found a warrior watching and waiting the fray, with whom the grisly one grappled amain. but the man remembered his mighty power, the glorious gift that god had sent him, in his maker's mercy put his trust for comfort and help: so he conquered the foe, felled the fiend, who fled abject, reft of joy, to the realms of death, mankind's foe. and his mother now, gloomy and grim, would go that quest of sorrow, the death of her son to avenge. to heorot came she, where helmeted danes slept in the hall. too soon came back old ills of the earls, when in she burst, the mother of grendel. less grim, though, that terror, e'en as terror of woman in war is less, might of maid, than of men in arms when, hammer-forged, the falchion hard, sword gore-stained, through swine of the helm, crested, with keen blade carves amain. then was in hall the hard-edge drawn, the swords on the settles, {19a} and shields a-many firm held in hand: nor helmet minded nor harness of mail, whom that horror seized. haste was hers; she would hie afar and save her life when the liegemen saw her. yet a single atheling up she seized fast and firm, as she fled to the moor. he was for hrothgar of heroes the dearest, of trusty vassals betwixt the seas, whom she killed on his couch, a clansman famous, in battle brave. -nor was beowulf there; another house had been held apart, after giving of gold, for the geat renowned. -uproar filled heorot; the hand all had viewed, blood-flecked, she bore with her; bale was returned, dole in the dwellings: 'twas dire exchange where dane and geat were doomed to give the lives of loved ones. long-tried king, the hoary hero, at heart was sad when he knew his noble no more lived, and dead indeed was his dearest thane. to his bower was beowulf brought in haste, dauntless victor. as daylight broke, along with his earls the atheling lord, with his clansmen, came where the king abode waiting to see if the wielder-of-all would turn this tale of trouble and woe. strode o'er floor the famed-in-strife, with his hand-companions, -the hall resounded, -wishing to greet the wise old king, ingwines' lord; he asked if the night had passed in peace to the prince's mind. xx hrothgar spake, helmet-of-scyldings: -"ask not of pleasure! pain is renewed to danish folk. dead is aeschere, of yrmenlaf the elder brother, my sage adviser and stay in council, shoulder-comrade in stress of fight when warriors clashed and we warded our heads, hewed the helm-boars; hero famed should be every earl as aeschere was! but here in heorot a hand hath slain him of wandering death-sprite. i wot not whither, {20a} proud of the prey, her path she took, fain of her fill. the feud she avenged that yesternight, unyieldingly, grendel in grimmest grasp thou killedst, -seeing how long these liegemen mine he ruined and ravaged. reft of life, in arms he fell. now another comes, keen and cruel, her kin to avenge, faring far in feud of blood: so that many a thane shall think, who e'er sorrows in soul for that sharer of rings, this is hardest of heart-bales. the hand lies low that once was willing each wish to please. land-dwellers here {20b} and liegemen mine, who house by those parts, i have heard relate that such a pair they have sometimes seen, march-stalkers mighty the moorland haunting, wandering spirits: one of them seemed, so far as my folk could fairly judge, of womankind; and one, accursed, in man's guise trod the misery-track of exile, though huger than human bulk. grendel in days long gone they named him, folk of the land; his father they knew not, nor any brood that was born to him of treacherous spirits. untrod is their home; by wolf-cliffs haunt they and windy headlands, fenways fearful, where flows the stream from mountains gliding to gloom of the rocks, underground flood. not far is it hence in measure of miles that the mere expands, and o'er it the frost-bound forest hanging, sturdily rooted, shadows the wave. by night is a wonder weird to see, fire on the waters. so wise lived none of the sons of men, to search those depths! nay, though the heath-rover, harried by dogs, the horn-proud hart, this holt should seek, long distance driven, his dear life first on the brink he yields ere he brave the plunge to hide his head: 'tis no happy place! thence the welter of waters washes up wan to welkin when winds bestir evil storms, and air grows dusk, and the heavens weep. now is help once more with thee alone! the land thou knowst not, place of fear, where thou findest out that sin-flecked being. seek if thou dare! i will reward thee, for waging this fight, with ancient treasure, as erst i did, with winding gold, if thou winnest back." xxi beowulf spake, bairn of ecgtheow: "sorrow not, sage! it beseems us better friends to avenge than fruitlessly mourn them. each of us all must his end abide in the ways of the world; so win who may glory ere death! when his days are told, that is the warrior's worthiest doom. rise, o realm-warder! ride we anon, and mark the trail of the mother of grendel. no harbor shall hide her -heed my promise! -enfolding of field or forested mountain or floor of the flood, let her flee where she will! but thou this day endure in patience, as i ween thou wilt, thy woes each one." leaped up the graybeard: god he thanked, mighty lord, for the man's brave words. for hrothgar soon a horse was saddled wave-maned steed. the sovran wise stately rode on; his shield-armed men followed in force. the footprints led along the woodland, widely seen, a path o'er the plain, where she passed, and trod the murky moor; of men-at-arms she bore the bravest and best one, dead, him who with hrothgar the homestead ruled. on then went the atheling-born o'er stone-cliffs steep and strait defiles, narrow passes and unknown ways, headlands sheer, and the haunts of the nicors. foremost he {21a} fared, a few at his side of the wiser men, the ways to scan, till he found in a flash the forested hill hanging over the hoary rock, a woful wood: the waves below were dyed in blood. the danish men had sorrow of soul, and for scyldings all, for many a hero, 'twas hard to bear, ill for earls, when aeschere's head they found by the flood on the foreland there. waves were welling, the warriors saw, hot with blood; but the horn sang oft battle-song bold. the band sat down, and watched on the water worm-like things, sea-dragons strange that sounded the deep, and nicors that lay on the ledge of the ness -such as oft essay at hour of morn on the road-of-sails their ruthless quest, -and sea-snakes and monsters. these started away, swollen and savage that song to hear, that war-horn's blast. the warden of geats, with bolt from bow, then balked of life, of wave-work, one monster, amid its heart went the keen war-shaft; in water it seemed less doughty in swimming whom death had seized. swift on the billows, with boar-spears well hooked and barbed, it was hard beset, done to death and dragged on the headland, wave-roamer wondrous. warriors viewed the grisly guest. then girt him beowulf in martial mail, nor mourned for his life. his breastplate broad and bright of hues, woven by hand, should the waters try; well could it ward the warrior's body that battle should break on his breast in vain nor harm his heart by the hand of a foe. and the helmet white that his head protected was destined to dare the deeps of the flood, through wave-whirl win: 'twas wound with chains, decked with gold, as in days of yore the weapon-smith worked it wondrously, with swine-forms set it, that swords nowise, brandished in battle, could bite that helm. nor was that the meanest of mighty helps which hrothgar's orator offered at need: "hrunting" they named the hilted sword, of old-time heirlooms easily first; iron was its edge, all etched with poison, with battle-blood hardened, nor blenched it at fight in hero's hand who held it ever, on paths of peril prepared to go to folkstead {21b} of foes. not first time this it was destined to do a daring task. for he bore not in mind, the bairn of ecglaf sturdy and strong, that speech he had made, drunk with wine, now this weapon he lent to a stouter swordsman. himself, though, durst not under welter of waters wager his life as loyal liegeman. so lost he his glory, honor of earls. with the other not so, who girded him now for the grim encounter. xxii beowulf spake, bairn of ecgtheow: -"have mind, thou honored offspring of healfdene gold-friend of men, now i go on this quest, sovran wise, what once was said: if in thy cause it came that i should lose my life, thou wouldst loyal bide to me, though fallen, in father's place! be guardian, thou, to this group of my thanes, my warrior-friends, if war should seize me; and the goodly gifts thou gavest me, hrothgar beloved, to hygelac send! geatland's king may ken by the gold, hrethel's son see, when he stares at the treasure, that i got me a friend for goodness famed, and joyed while i could in my jewel-bestower. and let unferth wield this wondrous sword, earl far-honored, this heirloom precious, hard of edge: with hrunting i seek doom of glory, or death shall take me." after these words the weder-geat lord boldly hastened, biding never answer at all: the ocean floods closed o'er the hero. long while of the day fled ere he felt the floor of the sea. soon found the fiend who the flood-domain sword-hungry held these hundred winters, greedy and grim, that some guest from above, some man, was raiding her monster-realm. she grasped out for him with grisly claws, and the warrior seized; yet scathed she not his body hale; the breastplate hindered, as she strove to shatter the sark of war, the linked harness, with loathsome hand. then bore this brine-wolf, when bottom she touched, the lord of rings to the lair she haunted whiles vainly he strove, though his valor held, weapon to wield against wondrous monsters that sore beset him; sea-beasts many tried with fierce tusks to tear his mail, and swarmed on the stranger. but soon he marked he was now in some hall, he knew not which, where water never could work him harm, nor through the roof could reach him ever fangs of the flood. firelight he saw, beams of a blaze that brightly shone. then the warrior was ware of that wolf-of-the-deep, mere-wife monstrous. for mighty stroke he swung his blade, and the blow withheld not. then sang on her head that seemly blade its war-song wild. but the warrior found the light-of-battle {22a} was loath to bite, to harm the heart: its hard edge failed the noble at need, yet had known of old strife hand to hand, and had helmets cloven, doomed men's fighting-gear. first time, this, for the gleaming blade that its glory fell. firm still stood, nor failed in valor, heedful of high deeds, hygelac's kinsman; flung away fretted sword, featly jewelled, the angry earl; on earth it lay steel-edged and stiff. his strength he trusted, hand-gripe of might. so man shall do whenever in war he weens to earn him lasting fame, nor fears for his life! seized then by shoulder, shrank not from combat, the geatish war-prince grendel's mother. flung then the fierce one, filled with wrath, his deadly foe, that she fell to ground. swift on her part she paid him back with grisly grasp, and grappled with him. spent with struggle, stumbled the warrior, fiercest of fighting-men, fell adown. on the hall-guest she hurled herself, hent her short sword, broad and brown-edged, {22b} the bairn to avenge, the sole-born son. -on his shoulder lay braided breast-mail, barring death, withstanding entrance of edge or blade. life would have ended for ecgtheow's son, under wide earth for that earl of geats, had his armor of war not aided him, battle-net hard, and holy god wielded the victory, wisest maker. the lord of heaven allowed his cause; and easily rose the earl erect. xxiii 'mid the battle-gear saw he a blade triumphant, old-sword of eotens, with edge of proof, warriors' heirloom, weapon unmatched, -save only 'twas more than other men to bandy-of-battle could bear at all -as the giants had wrought it, ready and keen. seized then its chain-hilt the scyldings' chieftain, bold and battle-grim, brandished the sword, reckless of life, and so wrathfully smote that it gripped her neck and grasped her hard, her bone-rings breaking: the blade pierced through that fated-one's flesh: to floor she sank. bloody the blade: he was blithe of his deed. then blazed forth light. 'twas bright within as when from the sky there shines unclouded heaven's candle. the hall he scanned. by the wall then went he; his weapon raised high by its hilts the hygelac-thane, angry and eager. that edge was not useless to the warrior now. he wished with speed grendel to guerdon for grim raids many, for the war he waged on western-danes oftener far than an only time, when of hrothgar's hearth-companions he slew in slumber, in sleep devoured, fifteen men of the folk of danes, and as many others outward bore, his horrible prey. well paid for that the wrathful prince! for now prone he saw grendel stretched there, spent with war, spoiled of life, so scathed had left him heorot's battle. the body sprang far when after death it endured the blow, sword-stroke savage, that severed its head. soon, {23a} then, saw the sage companions who waited with hrothgar, watching the flood, that the tossing waters turbid grew, blood-stained the mere. old men together, hoary-haired, of the hero spake; the warrior would not, they weened, again, proud of conquest, come to seek their mighty master. to many it seemed the wolf-of-the-waves had won his life. the ninth hour came. the noble scyldings left the headland; homeward went the gold-friend of men. {23b} but the guests sat on, stared at the surges, sick in heart, and wished, yet weened not, their winsome lord again to see. now that sword began, from blood of the fight, in battle-droppings, {23c} war-blade, to wane: 'twas a wondrous thing that all of it melted as ice is wont when frosty fetters the father loosens, unwinds the wave-bonds, wielding all seasons and times: the true god he! nor took from that dwelling the duke of the geats save only the head and that hilt withal blazoned with jewels: the blade had melted, burned was the bright sword, her blood was so hot, so poisoned the hell-sprite who perished within there. soon he was swimming who safe saw in combat downfall of demons; up-dove through the flood. the clashing waters were cleansed now, waste of waves, where the wandering fiend her life-days left and this lapsing world. swam then to strand the sailors'-refuge, sturdy-in-spirit, of sea-booty glad, of burden brave he bore with him. went then to greet him, and god they thanked, the thane-band choice of their chieftain blithe, that safe and sound they could see him again. soon from the hardy one helmet and armor deftly they doffed: now drowsed the mere, water 'neath welkin, with war-blood stained. forth they fared by the footpaths thence, merry at heart the highways measured, well-known roads. courageous men carried the head from the cliff by the sea, an arduous task for all the band, the firm in fight, since four were needed on the shaft-of-slaughter {23d} strenuously to bear to the gold-hall grendel's head. so presently to the palace there foemen fearless, fourteen geats, marching came. their master-of-clan mighty amid them the meadow-ways trod. strode then within the sovran thane fearless in fight, of fame renowned, hardy hero, hrothgar to greet. and next by the hair into hall was borne grendel's head, where the henchmen were drinking, an awe to clan and queen alike, a monster of marvel: the men looked on. xxiv beowulf spake, bairn of ecgtheow: -"lo, now, this sea-booty, son of healfdene, lord of scyldings, we've lustily brought thee, sign of glory; thou seest it here. not lightly did i with my life escape! in war under water this work i essayed with endless effort; and even so my strength had been lost had the lord not shielded me. not a whit could i with hrunting do in work of war, though the weapon is good; yet a sword the sovran of men vouchsafed me to spy on the wall there, in splendor hanging, old, gigantic, -how oft he guides the friendless wight! -and i fought with that brand, felling in fight, since fate was with me, the house's wardens. that war-sword then all burned, bright blade, when the blood gushed o'er it, battle-sweat hot; but the hilt i brought back from my foes. so avenged i their fiendish deeds death-fall of danes, as was due and right. and this is my hest, that in heorot now safe thou canst sleep with thy soldier band, and every thane of all thy folk both old and young; no evil fear, scyldings' lord, from that side again, aught ill for thy earls, as erst thou must!" then the golden hilt, for that gray-haired leader, hoary hero, in hand was laid, giant-wrought, old. so owned and enjoyed it after downfall of devils, the danish lord, wonder-smiths' work, since the world was rid of that grim-souled fiend, the foe of god, murder-marked, and his mother as well. now it passed into power of the people's king, best of all that the oceans bound who have scattered their gold o'er scandia's isle. hrothgar spake -the hilt he viewed, heirloom old, where was etched the rise of that far-off fight when the floods o'erwhelmed, raging waves, the race of giants (fearful their fate!), a folk estranged from god eternal: whence guerdon due in that waste of waters the wielder paid them. so on the guard of shining gold in runic staves it was rightly said for whom the serpent-traced sword was wrought, best of blades, in bygone days, and the hilt well wound. -the wise-one spake, son of healfdene; silent were all: -"lo, so may he say who sooth and right follows 'mid folk, of far times mindful, a land-warden old, {24a} that this earl belongs to the better breed! so, borne aloft, thy fame must fly, o friend my beowulf, far and wide o'er folksteads many. firmly thou shalt all maintain, mighty strength with mood of wisdom. love of mine will i assure thee, as, awhile ago, i promised; thou shalt prove a stay in future, in far-off years, to folk of thine, to the heroes a help. was not heremod thus to offspring of ecgwela, honor-scyldings, nor grew for their grace, but for grisly slaughter, for doom of death to the danishmen. he slew, wrath-swollen, his shoulder-comrades, companions at board! so he passed alone, chieftain haughty, from human cheer. though him the maker with might endowed, delights of power, and uplifted high above all men, yet blood-fierce his mind, his breast-hoard, grew, no bracelets gave he to danes as was due; he endured all joyless strain of struggle and stress of woe, long feud with his folk. here find thy lesson! of virtue advise thee! this verse i have said for thee, wise from lapsed winters. wondrous seems how to sons of men almighty god in the strength of his spirit sendeth wisdom, estate, high station: he swayeth all things. whiles he letteth right lustily fare the heart of the hero of high-born race, -in seat ancestral assigns him bliss, his folk's sure fortress in fee to hold, puts in his power great parts of the earth, empire so ample, that end of it this wanter-of-wisdom weeneth none. so he waxes in wealth, nowise can harm him illness or age; no evil cares shadow his spirit; no sword-hate threatens from ever an enemy: all the world wends at his will, no worse he knoweth, till all within him obstinate pride waxes and wakes while the warden slumbers, the spirit's sentry; sleep is too fast which masters his might, and the murderer nears, stealthily shooting the shafts from his bow! xxv "under harness his heart then is hit indeed by sharpest shafts; and no shelter avails from foul behest of the hellish fiend. {25a} him seems too little what long he possessed. greedy and grim, no golden rings he gives for his pride; the promised future forgets he and spurns, with all god has sent him, wonder-wielder, of wealth and fame. yet in the end it ever comes that the frame of the body fragile yields, fated falls; and there follows another who joyously the jewels divides, the royal riches, nor recks of his forebear. ban, then, such baleful thoughts, beowulf dearest, best of men, and the better part choose, profit eternal; and temper thy pride, warrior famous! the flower of thy might lasts now a while: but erelong it shall be that sickness or sword thy strength shall minish, or fang of fire, or flooding billow, or bite of blade, or brandished spear, or odious age; or the eyes' clear beam wax dull and darken: death even thee in haste shall o'erwhelm, thou hero of war! so the ring-danes these half-years a hundred i ruled, wielded 'neath welkin, and warded them bravely from mighty-ones many o'er middle-earth, from spear and sword, till it seemed for me no foe could be found under fold of the sky. lo, sudden the shift! to me seated secure came grief for joy when grendel began to harry my home, the hellish foe; for those ruthless raids, unresting i suffered heart-sorrow heavy. heaven be thanked, lord eternal, for life extended that i on this head all hewn and bloody, after long evil, with eyes may gaze! -go to the bench now! be glad at banquet, warrior worthy! a wealth of treasure at dawn of day, be dealt between us!" glad was the geats' lord, going betimes to seek his seat, as the sage commanded. afresh, as before, for the famed-in-battle, for the band of the hall, was a banquet dight nobly anew. the night-helm darkened dusk o'er the drinkers. the doughty ones rose: for the hoary-headed would hasten to rest, aged scylding; and eager the geat, shield-fighter sturdy, for sleeping yearned. him wander-weary, warrior-guest from far, a hall-thane heralded forth, who by custom courtly cared for all needs of a thane as in those old days warrior-wanderers wont to have. so slumbered the stout-heart. stately the hall rose gabled and gilt where the guest slept on till a raven black the rapture-of-heaven {25b} blithe-heart boded. bright came flying shine after shadow. the swordsmen hastened, athelings all were eager homeward forth to fare; and far from thence the great-hearted guest would guide his keel. bade then the hardy-one hrunting be brought to the son of ecglaf, the sword bade him take, excellent iron, and uttered his thanks for it, quoth that he counted it keen in battle, "war-friend" winsome: with words he slandered not edge of the blade: 'twas a big-hearted man! now eager for parting and armed at point warriors waited, while went to his host that darling of danes. the doughty atheling to high-seat hastened and hrothgar greeted. xxvi beowulf spake, bairn of ecgtheow: -"lo, we seafarers say our will, far-come men, that we fain would seek hygelac now. we here have found hosts to our heart: thou hast harbored us well. if ever on earth i am able to win me more of thy love, o lord of men, aught anew, than i now have done, for work of war i am willing still! if it come to me ever across the seas that neighbor foemen annoy and fright thee, -as they that hate thee erewhile have used, -thousands then of thanes i shall bring, heroes to help thee. of hygelac i know, ward of his folk, that, though few his years, the lord of the geats will give me aid by word and by work, that well i may serve thee, wielding the war-wood to win thy triumph and lending thee might when thou lackest men. if thy hrethric should come to court of geats, a sovran's son, he will surely there find his friends. a far-off land each man should visit who vaunts him brave." him then answering, hrothgar spake: -"these words of thine the wisest god sent to thy soul! no sager counsel from so young in years e'er yet have i heard. thou art strong of main and in mind art wary, art wise in words! i ween indeed if ever it hap that hrethel's heir by spear be seized, by sword-grim battle, by illness or iron, thine elder and lord, people's leader, -and life be thine, -no seemlier man will the sea-geats find at all to choose for their chief and king, for hoard-guard of heroes, if hold thou wilt thy kinsman's kingdom! thy keen mind pleases me the longer the better, beowulf loved! thou hast brought it about that both our peoples, sons of the geat and spear-dane folk, shall have mutual peace, and from murderous strife, such as once they waged, from war refrain. long as i rule this realm so wide, let our hoards be common, let heroes with gold each other greet o'er the gannet's-bath, and the ringed-prow bear o'er rolling waves tokens of love. i trow my landfolk towards friend and foe are firmly joined, and honor they keep in the olden way." to him in the hall, then, healfdene's son gave treasures twelve, and the trust-of-earls bade him fare with the gifts to his folk beloved, hale to his home, and in haste return. then kissed the king of kin renowned, scyldings' chieftain, that choicest thane, and fell on his neck. fast flowed the tears of the hoary-headed. heavy with winters, he had chances twain, but he clung to this, {26a} -that each should look on the other again, and hear him in hall. was this hero so dear to him. his breast's wild billows he banned in vain; safe in his soul a secret longing, locked in his mind, for that loved man burned in his blood. then beowulf strode, glad of his gold-gifts, the grass-plot o'er, warrior blithe. the wave-roamer bode riding at anchor, its owner awaiting. as they hastened onward, hrothgar's gift they lauded at length. -'twas a lord unpeered, every way blameless, till age had broken -it spareth no mortal -his splendid might. xxvii came now to ocean the ever-courageous hardy henchmen, their harness bearing, woven war-sarks. the warden marked, trusty as ever, the earl's return. from the height of the hill no hostile words reached the guests as he rode to greet them; but "welcome!" he called to that weder clan as the sheen-mailed spoilers to ship marched on. then on the strand, with steeds and treasure and armor their roomy and ring-dight ship was heavily laden: high its mast rose over hrothgar's hoarded gems. a sword to the boat-guard beowulf gave, mounted with gold; on the mead-bench since he was better esteemed, that blade possessing, heirloom old. -their ocean-keel boarding, they drove through the deep, and daneland left. a sea-cloth was set, a sail with ropes, firm to the mast; the flood-timbers moaned; {27a} nor did wind over billows that wave-swimmer blow across from her course. the craft sped on, foam-necked it floated forth o'er the waves, keel firm-bound over briny currents, till they got them sight of the geatish cliffs, home-known headlands. high the boat, stirred by winds, on the strand updrove. helpful at haven the harbor-guard stood, who long already for loved companions by the water had waited and watched afar. he bound to the beach the broad-bosomed ship with anchor-bands, lest ocean-billows that trusty timber should tear away. then beowulf bade them bear the treasure, gold and jewels; no journey far was it thence to go to the giver of rings, hygelac hrethling: at home he dwelt by the sea-wall close, himself and clan. haughty that house, a hero the king, high the hall, and hygd {27b} right young, wise and wary, though winters few in those fortress walls she had found a home, haereth's daughter. nor humble her ways, nor grudged she gifts to the geatish men, of precious treasure. not thryth's pride showed she, folk-queen famed, or that fell deceit. was none so daring that durst make bold (save her lord alone) of the liegemen dear that lady full in the face to look, but forged fetters he found his lot, bonds of death! and brief the respite; soon as they seized him, his sword-doom was spoken, and the burnished blade a baleful murder proclaimed and closed. no queenly way for woman to practise, though peerless she, that the weaver-of-peace {27c} from warrior dear by wrath and lying his life should reave! but hemming's kinsman hindered this. -for over their ale men also told that of these folk-horrors fewer she wrought, onslaughts of evil, after she went, gold-decked bride, to the brave young prince, atheling haughty, and offa's hall o'er the fallow flood at her father's bidding safely sought, where since she prospered, royal, throned, rich in goods, fain of the fair life fate had sent her, and leal in love to the lord of warriors. he, of all heroes i heard of ever from sea to sea, of the sons of earth, most excellent seemed. hence offa was praised for his fighting and feeing by far-off men, the spear-bold warrior; wisely he ruled over his empire. eomer woke to him, help of heroes, hemming's kinsman, grandson of garmund, grim in war. xxviii hastened the hardy one, henchmen with him, sandy strand of the sea to tread and widespread ways. the world's great candle, sun shone from south. they strode along with sturdy steps to the spot they knew where the battle-king young, his burg within, slayer of ongentheow, shared the rings, shelter-of-heroes. to hygelac beowulf's coming was quickly told, -that there in the court the clansmen's refuge, the shield-companion sound and alive, hale from the hero-play homeward strode. with haste in the hall, by highest order, room for the rovers was readily made. by his sovran he sat, come safe from battle, kinsman by kinsman. his kindly lord he first had greeted in gracious form, with manly words. the mead dispensing, came through the high hall haereth's daughter, winsome to warriors, wine-cup bore to the hands of the heroes. hygelac then his comrade fairly with question plied in the lofty hall, sore longing to know what manner of sojourn the sea-geats made. "what came of thy quest, my kinsman beowulf, when thy yearnings suddenly swept thee yonder battle to seek o'er the briny sea, combat in heorot? hrothgar couldst thou aid at all, the honored chief, in his wide-known woes? with waves of care my sad heart seethed; i sore mistrusted my loved one's venture: long i begged thee by no means to seek that slaughtering monster, but suffer the south-danes to settle their feud themselves with grendel. now god be thanked that safe and sound i can see thee now!" beowulf spake, the bairn of ecgtheow: -"'tis known and unhidden, hygelac lord, to many men, that meeting of ours, struggle grim between grendel and me, which we fought on the field where full too many sorrows he wrought for the scylding-victors, evils unending. these all i avenged. no boast can be from breed of grendel, any on earth, for that uproar at dawn, from the longest-lived of the loathsome race in fleshly fold! -but first i went hrothgar to greet in the hall of gifts, where healfdene's kinsman high-renowned, soon as my purpose was plain to him, assigned me a seat by his son and heir. the liegemen were lusty; my life-days never such merry men over mead in hall have i heard under heaven! the high-born queen, people's peace-bringer, passed through the hall, cheered the young clansmen, clasps of gold, ere she sought her seat, to sundry gave. oft to the heroes hrothgar's daughter, to earls in turn, the ale-cup tendered, -she whom i heard these hall-companions freawaru name, when fretted gold she proffered the warriors. promised is she, gold-decked maid, to the glad son of froda. sage this seems to the scylding's-friend, kingdom's-keeper: he counts it wise the woman to wed so and ward off feud, store of slaughter. but seldom ever when men are slain, does the murder-spear sink but briefest while, though the bride be fair! {28a} "nor haply will like it the heathobard lord, and as little each of his liegemen all, when a thane of the danes, in that doughty throng, goes with the lady along their hall, and on him the old-time heirlooms glisten hard and ring-decked, heathobard's treasure, weapons that once they wielded fair until they lost at the linden-play {28b} liegeman leal and their lives as well. then, over the ale, on this heirloom gazing, some ash-wielder old who has all in mind that spear-death of men, {28c} -he is stern of mood, heavy at heart, -in the hero young tests the temper and tries the soul and war-hate wakens, with words like these: -canst thou not, comrade, ken that sword which to the fray thy father carried in his final feud, 'neath the fighting-mask, dearest of blades, when the danish slew him and wielded the war-place on withergild's fall, after havoc of heroes, those hardy scyldings? now, the son of a certain slaughtering dane, proud of his treasure, paces this hall, joys in the killing, and carries the jewel {28d} that rightfully ought to be owned by thee!_ thus he urges and eggs him all the time with keenest words, till occasion offers that freawaru's thane, for his father's deed, after bite of brand in his blood must slumber, losing his life; but that liegeman flies living away, for the land he kens. and thus be broken on both their sides oaths of the earls, when ingeld's breast wells with war-hate, and wife-love now after the care-billows cooler grows. "so {28e} i hold not high the heathobards' faith due to the danes, or their during love and pact of peace. -but i pass from that, turning to grendel, o giver-of-treasure, and saying in full how the fight resulted, hand-fray of heroes. when heaven's jewel had fled o'er far fields, that fierce sprite came, night-foe savage, to seek us out where safe and sound we sentried the hall. to hondscio then was that harassing deadly, his fall there was fated. he first was slain, girded warrior. grendel on him turned murderous mouth, on our mighty kinsman, and all of the brave man's body devoured. yet none the earlier, empty-handed, would the bloody-toothed murderer, mindful of bale, outward go from the gold-decked hall: but me he attacked in his terror of might, with greedy hand grasped me. a glove hung by him {28f} wide and wondrous, wound with bands; and in artful wise it all was wrought, by devilish craft, of dragon-skins. me therein, an innocent man, the fiendish foe was fain to thrust with many another. he might not so, when i all angrily upright stood. 'twere long to relate how that land-destroyer i paid in kind for his cruel deeds; yet there, my prince, this people of thine got fame by my fighting. he fled away, and a little space his life preserved; but there staid behind him his stronger hand left in heorot; heartsick thence on the floor of the ocean that outcast fell. me for this struggle the scyldings'-friend paid in plenty with plates of gold, with many a treasure, when morn had come and we all at the banquet-board sat down. then was song and glee. the gray-haired scylding, much tested, told of the times of yore. whiles the hero his harp bestirred, wood-of-delight; now lays he chanted of sooth and sadness, or said aright legends of wonder, the wide-hearted king; or for years of his youth he would yearn at times, for strength of old struggles, now stricken with age, hoary hero: his heart surged full when, wise with winters, he wailed their flight. thus in the hall the whole of that day at ease we feasted, till fell o'er earth another night. anon full ready in greed of vengeance, grendel's mother set forth all doleful. dead was her son through war-hate of weders; now, woman monstrous with fury fell a foeman she slew, avenged her offspring. from aeschere old, loyal councillor, life was gone; nor might they e'en, when morning broke, those danish people, their death-done comrade burn with brands, on balefire lay the man they mourned. under mountain stream she had carried the corpse with cruel hands. for hrothgar that was the heaviest sorrow of all that had laden the lord of his folk. the leader then, by thy life, besought me (sad was his soul) in the sea-waves' coil to play the hero and hazard my being for glory of prowess: my guerdon he pledged. i then in the waters -'tis widely known -that sea-floor-guardian savage found. hand-to-hand there a while we struggled; billows welled blood; in the briny hall her head i hewed with a hardy blade from grendel's mother, -and gained my life, though not without danger. my doom was not yet. then the haven-of-heroes, healfdene's son, gave me in guerdon great gifts of price. xxix "so held this king to the customs old, that i wanted for nought in the wage i gained, the meed of my might; he made me gifts, healfdene's heir, for my own disposal. now to thee, my prince, i proffer them all, gladly give them. thy grace alone can find me favor. few indeed have i of kinsmen, save, hygelac, thee!" then he bade them bear him the boar-head standard, the battle-helm high, and breastplate gray, the splendid sword; then spake in form: -"me this war-gear the wise old prince, hrothgar, gave, and his hest he added, that its story be straightway said to thee. -a while it was held by heorogar king, for long time lord of the land of scyldings; yet not to his son the sovran left it, to daring heoroweard, -dear as he was to him, his harness of battle. -well hold thou it all!" and i heard that soon passed o'er the path of this treasure, all apple-fallow, four good steeds, each like the others, arms and horses he gave to the king. so should kinsmen be, not weave one another the net of wiles, or with deep-hid treachery death contrive for neighbor and comrade. his nephew was ever by hardy hygelac held full dear, and each kept watch o'er the other's weal. i heard, too, the necklace to hygd he presented, wonder-wrought treasure, which wealhtheow gave him sovran's daughter: three steeds he added, slender and saddle-gay. since such gift the gem gleamed bright on the breast of the queen. thus showed his strain the son of ecgtheow as a man remarked for mighty deeds and acts of honor. at ale he slew not comrade or kin; nor cruel his mood, though of sons of earth his strength was greatest, a glorious gift that god had sent the splendid leader. long was he spurned, and worthless by geatish warriors held; him at mead the master-of-clans failed full oft to favor at all. slack and shiftless the strong men deemed him, profitless prince; but payment came, to the warrior honored, for all his woes. -then the bulwark-of-earls {29a} bade bring within, hardy chieftain, hrethel's heirloom garnished with gold: no geat e'er knew in shape of a sword a statelier prize. the brand he laid in beowulf's lap; and of hides assigned him seven thousand, {29b} with house and high-seat. they held in common land alike by their line of birth, inheritance, home: but higher the king because of his rule o'er the realm itself. now further it fell with the flight of years, with harryings horrid, that hygelac perished, {29c} and heardred, too, by hewing of swords under the shield-wall slaughtered lay, when him at the van of his victor-folk sought hardy heroes, heatho-scilfings, in arms o'erwhelming hereric's nephew. then beowulf came as king this broad realm to wield; and he ruled it well fifty winters, {29d} a wise old prince, warding his land, until one began in the dark of night, a dragon, to rage. in the grave on the hill a hoard it guarded, in the stone-barrow steep. a strait path reached it, unknown to mortals. some man, however, came by chance that cave within to the heathen hoard. {29e} in hand he took a golden goblet, nor gave he it back, stole with it away, while the watcher slept, by thievish wiles: for the warden's wrath prince and people must pay betimes! xxx that way he went with no will of his own, in danger of life, to the dragon's hoard, but for pressure of peril, some prince's thane. he fled in fear the fatal scourge, seeking shelter, a sinful man, and entered in. at the awful sight tottered that guest, and terror seized him; yet the wretched fugitive rallied anon from fright and fear ere he fled away, and took the cup from that treasure-hoard. of such besides there was store enough, heirlooms old, the earth below, which some earl forgotten, in ancient years, left the last of his lofty race, heedfully there had hidden away, dearest treasure. for death of yore had hurried all hence; and he alone left to live, the last of the clan, weeping his friends, yet wished to bide warding the treasure, his one delight, though brief his respite. the barrow, new-ready, to strand and sea-waves stood anear, hard by the headland, hidden and closed; there laid within it his lordly heirlooms and heaped hoard of heavy gold that warden of rings. few words he spake: "now hold thou, earth, since heroes may not, what earls have owned! lo, erst from thee brave men brought it! but battle-death seized and cruel killing my clansmen all, robbed them of life and a liegeman's joys. none have i left to lift the sword, or to cleanse the carven cup of price, beaker bright. my brave are gone. and the helmet hard, all haughty with gold, shall part from its plating. polishers sleep who could brighten and burnish the battle-mask; and those weeds of war that were wont to brave over bicker of shields the bite of steel rust with their bearer. the ringed mail fares not far with famous chieftain, at side of hero! no harp's delight, no glee-wood's gladness! no good hawk now flies through the hall! nor horses fleet stamp in the burgstead! battle and death the flower of my race have reft away." mournful of mood, thus he moaned his woe, alone, for them all, and unblithe wept by day and by night, till death's fell wave o'erwhelmed his heart. his hoard-of-bliss that old ill-doer open found, who, blazing at twilight the barrows haunteth, naked foe-dragon flying by night folded in fire: the folk of earth dread him sore. 'tis his doom to seek hoard in the graves, and heathen gold to watch, many-wintered: nor wins he thereby! powerful this plague-of-the-people thus held the house of the hoard in earth three hundred winters; till one aroused wrath in his breast, to the ruler bearing that costly cup, and the king implored for bond of peace. so the barrow was plundered, borne off was booty. his boon was granted that wretched man; and his ruler saw first time what was fashioned in far-off days. when the dragon awoke, new woe was kindled. o'er the stone he snuffed. the stark-heart found footprint of foe who so far had gone in his hidden craft by the creature's head. -so may the undoomed easily flee evils and exile, if only he gain the grace of the wielder! -that warden of gold o'er the ground went seeking, greedy to find the man who wrought him such wrong in sleep. savage and burning, the barrow he circled all without; nor was any there, none in the waste.... yet war he desired, was eager for battle. the barrow he entered, sought the cup, and discovered soon that some one of mortals had searched his treasure, his lordly gold. the guardian waited ill-enduring till evening came; boiling with wrath was the barrow's keeper, and fain with flame the foe to pay for the dear cup's loss. -now day was fled as the worm had wished. by its wall no more was it glad to bide, but burning flew folded in flame: a fearful beginning for sons of the soil; and soon it came, in the doom of their lord, to a dreadful end. xxxi then the baleful fiend its fire belched out, and bright homes burned. the blaze stood high all landsfolk frighting. no living thing would that loathly one leave as aloft it flew. wide was the dragon's warring seen, its fiendish fury far and near, as the grim destroyer those geatish people hated and hounded. to hidden lair, to its hoard it hastened at hint of dawn. folk of the land it had lapped in flame, with bale and brand. in its barrow it trusted, its battling and bulwarks: that boast was vain! to beowulf then the bale was told quickly and truly: the king's own home, of buildings the best, in brand-waves melted, that gift-throne of geats. to the good old man sad in heart, 'twas heaviest sorrow. the sage assumed that his sovran god he had angered, breaking ancient law, and embittered the lord. his breast within with black thoughts welled, as his wont was never. the folk's own fastness that fiery dragon with flame had destroyed, and the stronghold all washed by waves; but the warlike king, prince of the weders, plotted vengeance. warriors'-bulwark, he bade them work all of iron -the earl's commander -a war-shield wondrous: well he knew that forest-wood against fire were worthless, linden could aid not. -atheling brave, he was fated to finish this fleeting life, {31a} his days on earth, and the dragon with him, though long it had watched o'er the wealth of the hoard! -shame he reckoned it, sharer-of-rings, to follow the flyer-afar with a host, a broad-flung band; nor the battle feared he, nor deemed he dreadful the dragon's warring, its vigor and valor: ventures desperate he had passed a-plenty, and perils of war, contest-crash, since, conqueror proud, hrothgar's hall he had wholly purged, and in grapple had killed the kin of grendel, loathsome breed! not least was that of hand-to-hand fights where hygelac fell, when the ruler of geats in rush of battle, lord of his folk, in the frisian land, son of hrethel, by sword-draughts died, by brands down-beaten. thence beowulf fled through strength of himself and his swimming power, though alone, and his arms were laden with thirty coats of mail, when he came to the sea! nor yet might hetwaras {31b} haughtily boast their craft of contest, who carried against him shields to the fight: but few escaped from strife with the hero to seek their homes! then swam over ocean ecgtheow's son lonely and sorrowful, seeking his land, where hygd made him offer of hoard and realm, rings and royal-seat, reckoning naught the strength of her son to save their kingdom from hostile hordes, after hygelac's death. no sooner for this could the stricken ones in any wise move that atheling's mind over young heardred's head as lord and ruler of all the realm to be: yet the hero upheld him with helpful words, aided in honor, till, older grown, he wielded the weder-geats. -wandering exiles sought him o'er seas, the sons of ohtere, who had spurned the sway of the scylfings'-helmet, the bravest and best that broke the rings, in swedish land, of the sea-kings' line, haughty hero. {31c} hence heardred's end. for shelter he gave them, sword-death came, the blade's fell blow, to bairn of hygelac; but the son of ongentheow sought again house and home when heardred fell, leaving beowulf lord of geats and gift-seat's master. -a good king he! xxxii the fall of his lord he was fain to requite in after days; and to eadgils he proved friend to the friendless, and forces sent over the sea to the son of ohtere, weapons and warriors: well repaid he those care-paths cold when the king he slew. {32a} thus safe through struggles the son of ecgtheow had passed a plenty, through perils dire, with daring deeds, till this day was come that doomed him now with the dragon to strive. with comrades eleven the lord of geats swollen in rage went seeking the dragon. he had heard whence all the harm arose and the killing of clansmen; that cup of price on the lap of the lord had been laid by the finder. in the throng was this one thirteenth man, starter of all the strife and ill, care-laden captive; cringing thence forced and reluctant, he led them on till he came in ken of that cavern-hall, the barrow delved near billowy surges, flood of ocean. within 'twas full of wire-gold and jewels; a jealous warden, warrior trusty, the treasures held, lurked in his lair. not light the task of entrance for any of earth-born men! sat on the headland the hero king, spake words of hail to his hearth-companions, gold-friend of geats. all gloomy his soul, wavering, death-bound. wyrd full nigh stood ready to greet the gray-haired man, to seize his soul-hoard, sunder apart life and body. not long would be the warrior's spirit enwound with flesh. beowulf spake, the bairn of ecgtheow: -"through store of struggles i strove in youth, mighty feuds; i mind them all. i was seven years old when the sovran of rings, friend-of-his-folk, from my father took me, had me, and held me, hrethel the king, with food and fee, faithful in kinship. ne'er, while i lived there, he loathlier found me, bairn in the burg, than his birthright sons, herebeald and haethcyn and hygelac mine. for the eldest of these, by unmeet chance, by kinsman's deed, was the death-bed strewn, when haethcyn killed him with horny bow, his own dear liege laid low with an arrow, missed the mark and his mate shot down, one brother the other, with bloody shaft. a feeless fight, {32b} and a fearful sin, horror to hrethel; yet, hard as it was, unavenged must the atheling die! too awful it is for an aged man to bide and bear, that his bairn so young rides on the gallows. a rime he makes, sorrow-song for his son there hanging as rapture of ravens; no rescue now can come from the old, disabled man! still is he minded, as morning breaks, of the heir gone elsewhere; {32c} another he hopes not he will bide to see his burg within as ward for his wealth, now the one has found doom of death that the deed incurred. forlorn he looks on the lodge of his son, wine-hall waste and wind-swept chambers reft of revel. the rider sleepeth, the hero, far-hidden; {32d} no harp resounds, in the courts no wassail, as once was heard. xxxiii "then he goes to his chamber, a grief-song chants alone for his lost. too large all seems, homestead and house. so the helmet-of-weders hid in his heart for herebeald waves of woe. no way could he take to avenge on the slayer slaughter so foul; nor e'en could he harass that hero at all with loathing deed, though he loved him not. and so for the sorrow his soul endured, men's gladness he gave up and god's light chose. lands and cities he left his sons (as the wealthy do) when he went from earth. there was strife and struggle 'twixt swede and geat o'er the width of waters; war arose, hard battle-horror, when hrethel died, and ongentheow's offspring grew strife-keen, bold, nor brooked o'er the seas pact of peace, but pushed their hosts to harass in hatred by hreosnabeorh. men of my folk for that feud had vengeance, for woful war ('tis widely known), though one of them bought it with blood of his heart, a bargain hard: for haethcyn proved fatal that fray, for the first-of-geats. at morn, i heard, was the murderer killed by kinsman for kinsman, {33a} with clash of sword, when ongentheow met eofor there. wide split the war-helm: wan he fell, hoary scylfing; the hand that smote him of feud was mindful, nor flinched from the death-blow. -"for all that he {33b} gave me, my gleaming sword repaid him at war, -such power i wielded, -for lordly treasure: with land he entrusted me, homestead and house. he had no need from swedish realm, or from spear-dane folk, or from men of the gifths, to get him help, -some warrior worse for wage to buy! ever i fought in the front of all, sole to the fore; and so shall i fight while i bide in life and this blade shall last that early and late hath loyal proved since for my doughtiness daeghrefn fell, slain by my hand, the hugas' champion. nor fared he thence to the frisian king with the booty back, and breast-adornments; but, slain in struggle, that standard-bearer fell, atheling brave. not with blade was he slain, but his bones were broken by brawny gripe, his heart-waves stilled. -the sword-edge now, hard blade and my hand, for the hoard shall strive." beowulf spake, and a battle-vow made his last of all: "i have lived through many wars in my youth; now once again, old folk-defender, feud will i seek, do doughty deeds, if the dark destroyer forth from his cavern come to fight me!" then hailed he the helmeted heroes all, for the last time greeting his liegemen dear, comrades of war: "i should carry no weapon, no sword to the serpent, if sure i knew how, with such enemy, else my vows i could gain as i did in grendel's day. but fire in this fight i must fear me now, and poisonous breath; so i bring with me breastplate and board. {33c} from the barrow's keeper no footbreadth flee i. one fight shall end our war by the wall, as wyrd allots, all mankind's master. my mood is bold but forbears to boast o'er this battling-flyer. -now abide by the barrow, ye breastplate-mailed, ye heroes in harness, which of us twain better from battle-rush bear his wounds. wait ye the finish. the fight is not yours, nor meet for any but me alone to measure might with this monster here and play the hero. hardily i shall win that wealth, or war shall seize, cruel killing, your king and lord!" up stood then with shield the sturdy champion, stayed by the strength of his single manhood, and hardy 'neath helmet his harness bore under cleft of the cliffs: no coward's path! soon spied by the wall that warrior chief, survivor of many a victory-field where foemen fought with furious clashings, an arch of stone; and within, a stream that broke from the barrow. the brooklet's wave was hot with fire. the hoard that way he never could hope unharmed to near, or endure those deeps, {33d} for the dragon's flame. then let from his breast, for he burst with rage, the weder-geat prince a word outgo; stormed the stark-heart; stern went ringing and clear his cry 'neath the cliff-rocks gray. the hoard-guard heard a human voice; his rage was enkindled. no respite now for pact of peace! the poison-breath of that foul worm first came forth from the cave, hot reek-of-fight: the rocks resounded. stout by the stone-way his shield he raised, lord of the geats, against the loathed-one; while with courage keen that coiled foe came seeking strife. the sturdy king had drawn his sword, not dull of edge, heirloom old; and each of the two felt fear of his foe, though fierce their mood. stoutly stood with his shield high-raised the warrior king, as the worm now coiled together amain: the mailed-one waited. now, spire by spire, fast sped and glided that blazing serpent. the shield protected, soul and body a shorter while for the hero-king than his heart desired, could his will have wielded the welcome respite but once in his life! but wyrd denied it, and victory's honors. -his arm he lifted lord of the geats, the grim foe smote with atheling's heirloom. its edge was turned brown blade, on the bone, and bit more feebly than its noble master had need of then in his baleful stress. -then the barrow's keeper waxed full wild for that weighty blow, cast deadly flames; wide drove and far those vicious fires. no victor's glory the geats' lord boasted; his brand had failed, naked in battle, as never it should, excellent iron! -'twas no easy path that ecgtheow's honored heir must tread over the plain to the place of the foe; for against his will he must win a home elsewhere far, as must all men, leaving this lapsing life! -not long it was ere those champions grimly closed again. the hoard-guard was heartened; high heaved his breast once more; and by peril was pressed again, enfolded in flames, the folk-commander! nor yet about him his band of comrades, sons of athelings, armed stood with warlike front: to the woods they bent them, their lives to save. but the soul of one with care was cumbered. kinship true can never be marred in a noble mind! xxxiv wiglaf his name was, weohstan's son, linden-thane loved, the lord of scylfings, aelfhere's kinsman. his king he now saw with heat under helmet hard oppressed. he minded the prizes his prince had given him, wealthy seat of the waegmunding line, and folk-rights that his father owned not long he lingered. the linden yellow, his shield, he seized; the old sword he drew: -as heirloom of eanmund earth-dwellers knew it, who was slain by the sword-edge, son of ohtere, friendless exile, erst in fray killed by weohstan, who won for his kin brown-bright helmet, breastplate ringed, old sword of eotens, onela's gift, weeds of war of the warrior-thane, battle-gear brave: though a brother's child had been felled, the feud was unfelt by onela. {34a} for winters this war-gear weohstan kept, breastplate and board, till his bairn had grown earlship to earn as the old sire did: then he gave him, mid geats, the gear of battle, portion huge, when he passed from life, fared aged forth. for the first time now with his leader-lord the liegeman young was bidden to share the shock of battle. neither softened his soul, nor the sire's bequest weakened in war. {34b} so the worm found out when once in fight the foes had met! wiglaf spake, -and his words were sage; sad in spirit, he said to his comrades: -"i remember the time, when mead we took, what promise we made to this prince of ours in the banquet-hall, to our breaker-of-rings, for gear of combat to give him requital, for hard-sword and helmet, if hap should bring stress of this sort! himself who chose us from all his army to aid him now, urged us to glory, and gave these treasures, because he counted us keen with the spear and hardy 'neath helm, though this hero-work our leader hoped unhelped and alone to finish for us, -folk-defender who hath got him glory greater than all men for daring deeds! now the day is come that our noble master has need of the might of warriors stout. let us stride along the hero to help while the heat is about him glowing and grim! for god is my witness i am far more fain the fire should seize along with my lord these limbs of mine! {34c} unsuiting it seems our shields to bear homeward hence, save here we essay to fell the foe and defend the life of the weders' lord. i wot 'twere shame on the law of our land if alone the king out of geatish warriors woe endured and sank in the struggle! my sword and helmet, breastplate and board, for us both shall serve!" through slaughter-reek strode he to succor his chieftain, his battle-helm bore, and brief words spake: -"beowulf dearest, do all bravely, as in youthful days of yore thou vowedst that while life should last thou wouldst let no wise thy glory droop! now, great in deeds, atheling steadfast, with all thy strength shield thy life! i will stand to help thee." at the words the worm came once again, murderous monster mad with rage, with fire-billows flaming, its foes to seek, the hated men. in heat-waves burned that board {34d} to the boss, and the breastplate failed to shelter at all the spear-thane young. yet quickly under his kinsman's shield went eager the earl, since his own was now all burned by the blaze. the bold king again had mind of his glory: with might his glaive was driven into the dragon's head, -blow nerved by hate. but naegling {34e} was shivered, broken in battle was beowulf's sword, old and gray. 'twas granted him not that ever the edge of iron at all could help him at strife: too strong was his hand, so the tale is told, and he tried too far with strength of stroke all swords he wielded, though sturdy their steel: they steaded him nought. then for the third time thought on its feud that folk-destroyer, fire-dread dragon, and rushed on the hero, where room allowed, battle-grim, burning; its bitter teeth closed on his neck, and covered him with waves of blood from his breast that welled. xxxv 'twas now, men say, in his sovran's need that the earl made known his noble strain, craft and keenness and courage enduring. heedless of harm, though his hand was burned, hardy-hearted, he helped his kinsman. a little lower the loathsome beast he smote with sword; his steel drove in bright and burnished; that blaze began to lose and lessen. at last the king wielded his wits again, war-knife drew, a biting blade by his breastplate hanging, and the weders'-helm smote that worm asunder, felled the foe, flung forth its life. so had they killed it, kinsmen both, athelings twain: thus an earl should be in danger's day! -of deeds of valor this conqueror's-hour of the king was last, of his work in the world. the wound began, which that dragon-of-earth had erst inflicted, to swell and smart; and soon he found in his breast was boiling, baleful and deep, pain of poison. the prince walked on, wise in his thought, to the wall of rock; then sat, and stared at the structure of giants, where arch of stone and steadfast column upheld forever that hall in earth. yet here must the hand of the henchman peerless lave with water his winsome lord, the king and conqueror covered with blood, with struggle spent, and unspan his helmet. beowulf spake in spite of his hurt, his mortal wound; full well he knew his portion now was past and gone of earthly bliss, and all had fled of his file of days, and death was near: "i would fain bestow on son of mine this gear of war, were given me now that any heir should after me come of my proper blood. this people i ruled fifty winters. no folk-king was there, none at all, of the neighboring clans who war would wage me with 'warriors'-friends' {35a} and threat me with horrors. at home i bided what fate might come, and i cared for mine own; feuds i sought not, nor falsely swore ever on oath. for all these things, though fatally wounded, fain am i! from the ruler-of-man no wrath shall seize me, when life from my frame must flee away, for killing of kinsmen! now quickly go and gaze on that hoard 'neath the hoary rock, wiglaf loved, now the worm lies low, sleeps, heart-sore, of his spoil bereaved. and fare in haste. i would fain behold the gorgeous heirlooms, golden store, have joy in the jewels and gems, lay down softlier for sight of this splendid hoard my life and the lordship i long have held." xxxvi i have heard that swiftly the son of weohstan at wish and word of his wounded king, -war-sick warrior, -woven mail-coat, battle-sark, bore 'neath the barrow's roof. then the clansman keen, of conquest proud, passing the seat, {36a} saw store of jewels and glistening gold the ground along; by the wall were marvels, and many a vessel in the den of the dragon, the dawn-flier old: unburnished bowls of bygone men reft of richness; rusty helms of the olden age; and arm-rings many wondrously woven. -such wealth of gold, booty from barrow, can burden with pride each human wight: let him hide it who will! -his glance too fell on a gold-wove banner high o'er the hoard, of handiwork noblest, brilliantly broidered; so bright its gleam, all the earth-floor he easily saw and viewed all these vessels. no vestige now was seen of the serpent: the sword had ta'en him. then, i heard, the hill of its hoard was reft, old work of giants, by one alone; he burdened his bosom with beakers and plate at his own good will, and the ensign took, brightest of beacons. -the blade of his lord -its edge was iron -had injured deep one that guarded the golden hoard many a year and its murder-fire spread hot round the barrow in horror-billows at midnight hour, till it met its doom. hasted the herald, the hoard so spurred him his track to retrace; he was troubled by doubt, high-souled hero, if haply he'd find alive, where he left him, the lord of weders, weakening fast by the wall of the cave. so he carried the load. his lord and king he found all bleeding, famous chief at the lapse of life. the liegeman again plashed him with water, till point of word broke through the breast-hoard. beowulf spake, sage and sad, as he stared at the gold. -"for the gold and treasure, to god my thanks, to the wielder-of-wonders, with words i say, for what i behold, to heaven's lord, for the grace that i give such gifts to my folk or ever the day of my death be run! now i've bartered here for booty of treasure the last of my life, so look ye well to the needs of my land! no longer i tarry. a barrow bid ye the battle-fanned raise for my ashes. 'twill shine by the shore of the flood, to folk of mine memorial fair on hrones headland high uplifted, that ocean-wanderers oft may hail beowulf's barrow, as back from far they drive their keels o'er the darkling wave." from his neck he unclasped the collar of gold, valorous king, to his vassal gave it with bright-gold helmet, breastplate, and ring, to the youthful thane: bade him use them in joy. "thou art end and remnant of all our race the waegmunding name. for wyrd hath swept them, all my line, to the land of doom, earls in their glory: i after them go." this word was the last which the wise old man harbored in heart ere hot death-waves of balefire he chose. from his bosom fled his soul to seek the saints' reward. xxxvii it was heavy hap for that hero young on his lord beloved to look and find him lying on earth with life at end, sorrowful sight. but the slayer too, awful earth-dragon, empty of breath, lay felled in fight, nor, fain of its treasure, could the writhing monster rule it more. for edges of iron had ended its days, hard and battle-sharp, hammers' leaving; {37a} and that flier-afar had fallen to ground hushed by its hurt, its hoard all near, no longer lusty aloft to whirl at midnight, making its merriment seen, proud of its prizes: prone it sank by the handiwork of the hero-king. forsooth among folk but few achieve, -though sturdy and strong, as stories tell me, and never so daring in deed of valor, -the perilous breath of a poison-foe to brave, and to rush on the ring-board hall, whenever his watch the warden keeps bold in the barrow. beowulf paid the price of death for that precious hoard; and each of the foes had found the end of this fleeting life. befell erelong that the laggards in war the wood had left, trothbreakers, cowards, ten together, fearing before to flourish a spear in the sore distress of their sovran lord. now in their shame their shields they carried, armor of fight, where the old man lay; and they gazed on wiglaf. wearied he sat at his sovran's shoulder, shieldsman good, to wake him with water. {37b} nowise it availed. though well he wished it, in world no more could he barrier life for that leader-of-battles nor baffle the will of all-wielding god. doom of the lord was law o'er the deeds of every man, as it is to-day. grim was the answer, easy to get, from the youth for those that had yielded to fear! wiglaf spake, the son of weohstan, -mournful he looked on those men unloved: -"who sooth will speak, can say indeed that the ruler who gave you golden rings and the harness of war in which ye stand -for he at ale-bench often-times bestowed on hall-folk helm and breastplate, lord to liegemen, the likeliest gear which near of far he could find to give, -threw away and wasted these weeds of battle, on men who failed when the foemen came! not at all could the king of his comrades-in-arms venture to vaunt, though the victory-wielder, god, gave him grace that he got revenge sole with his sword in stress and need. to rescue his life, 'twas little that i could serve him in struggle; yet shift i made (hopeless it seemed) to help my kinsman. its strength ever waned, when with weapon i struck that fatal foe, and the fire less strongly flowed from its head. -too few the heroes in throe of contest that thronged to our king! now gift of treasure and girding of sword, joy of the house and home-delight shall fail your folk; his freehold-land every clansman within your kin shall lose and leave, when lords high-born hear afar of that flight of yours, a fameless deed. yea, death is better for liegemen all than a life of shame!" xxxviii that battle-toil bade he at burg to announce, at the fort on the cliff, where, full of sorrow, all the morning earls had sat, daring shieldsmen, in doubt of twain: would they wail as dead, or welcome home, their lord beloved? little {38a} kept back of the tidings new, but told them all, the herald that up the headland rode. -"now the willing-giver to weder folk in death-bed lies; the lord of geats on the slaughter-bed sleeps by the serpent's deed! and beside him is stretched that slayer-of-men with knife-wounds sick: {38b} no sword availed on the awesome thing in any wise to work a wound. there wiglaf sitteth, weohstan's bairn, by beowulf's side, the living earl by the other dead, and heavy of heart a head-watch {38c} keeps o'er friend and foe. -now our folk may look for waging of war when once unhidden to frisian and frank the fall of the king is spread afar. -the strife began when hot on the hugas {38d} hygelac fell and fared with his fleet to the frisian land. him there the hetwaras humbled in war, plied with such prowess their power o'erwhelming that the bold-in-battle bowed beneath it and fell in fight. to his friends no wise could that earl give treasure! and ever since the merowings' favor has failed us wholly. nor aught expect i of peace and faith from swedish folk. 'twas spread afar how ongentheow reft at ravenswood haethcyn hrethling of hope and life, when the folk of geats for the first time sought in wanton pride the warlike-scylfings. soon the sage old sire {38e} of ohtere, ancient and awful, gave answering blow; the sea-king {38f} he slew, and his spouse redeemed, his good wife rescued, though robbed of her gold, mother of ohtere and onela. then he followed his foes, who fled before him sore beset and stole their way, bereft of a ruler, to ravenswood. with his host he besieged there what swords had left, the weary and wounded; woes he threatened the whole night through to that hard-pressed throng: some with the morrow his sword should kill, some should go to the gallows-tree for rapture of ravens. but rescue came with dawn of day for those desperate men when they heard the horn of hygelac sound, tones of his trumpet; the trusty king had followed their trail with faithful band. xxxix "the bloody swath of swedes and geats and the storm of their strife, were seen afar, how folk against folk the fight had wakened. the ancient king with his atheling band sought his citadel, sorrowing much: ongentheow earl went up to his burg. he had tested hygelac's hardihood, the proud one's prowess, would prove it no longer, defied no more those fighting-wanderers nor hoped from the seamen to save his hoard, his bairn and his bride: so he bent him again, old, to his earth-walls. yet after him came with slaughter for swedes the standards of hygelac o'er peaceful plains in pride advancing, till hrethelings fought in the fenced town. {39a} then ongentheow with edge of sword, the hoary-bearded, was held at bay, and the folk-king there was forced to suffer eofor's anger. in ire, at the king wulf wonreding with weapon struck; and the chieftain's blood, for that blow, in streams flowed 'neath his hair. no fear felt he, stout old scylfing, but straightway repaid in better bargain that bitter stroke and faced his foe with fell intent. nor swift enough was the son of wonred answer to render the aged chief; too soon on his head the helm was cloven; blood-bedecked he bowed to earth, and fell adown; not doomed was he yet, and well he waxed, though the wound was sore. then the hardy hygelac-thane, {39b} when his brother fell, with broad brand smote, giants' sword crashing through giants'-helm across the shield-wall: sank the king, his folk's old herdsman, fatally hurt. there were many to bind the brother's wounds and lift him, fast as fate allowed his people to wield the place-of-war. but eofor took from ongentheow, earl from other, the iron-breastplate, hard sword hilted, and helmet too, and the hoar-chief's harness to hygelac carried, who took the trappings, and truly promised rich fee 'mid folk, -and fulfilled it so. for that grim strife gave the geatish lord, hrethel's offspring, when home he came, to eofor and wulf a wealth of treasure, each of them had a hundred thousand {39c} in land and linked rings; nor at less price reckoned mid-earth men such mighty deeds! and to eofor he gave his only daughter in pledge of grace, the pride of his home. "such is the feud, the foeman's rage, death-hate of men: so i deem it sure that the swedish folk will seek us home for this fall of their friends, the fighting-scylfings, when once they learn that our warrior leader lifeless lies, who land and hoard ever defended from all his foes, furthered his folk's weal, finished his course a hardy hero. -now haste is best, that we go to gaze on our geatish lord, and bear the bountiful breaker-of-rings to the funeral pyre. no fragments merely shall burn with the warrior. wealth of jewels, gold untold and gained in terror, treasure at last with his life obtained, all of that booty the brands shall take, fire shall eat it. no earl must carry memorial jewel. no maiden fair shall wreathe her neck with noble ring: nay, sad in spirit and shorn of her gold, oft shall she pass o'er paths of exile now our lord all laughter has laid aside, all mirth and revel. many a spear morning-cold shall be clasped amain, lifted aloft; nor shall lilt of harp those warriors wake; but the wan-hued raven, fain o'er the fallen, his feast shall praise and boast to the eagle how bravely he ate when he and the wolf were wasting the slain." so he told his sorrowful tidings, and little {39d} he lied, the loyal man of word or of work. the warriors rose; sad, they climbed to the cliff-of-eagles, went, welling with tears, the wonder to view. found on the sand there, stretched at rest, their lifeless lord, who had lavished rings of old upon them. ending-day had dawned on the doughty-one; death had seized in woful slaughter the weders' king. there saw they, besides, the strangest being, loathsome, lying their leader near, prone on the field. the fiery dragon, fearful fiend, with flame was scorched. reckoned by feet, it was fifty measures in length as it lay. aloft erewhile it had revelled by night, and anon come back, seeking its den; now in death's sure clutch it had come to the end of its earth-hall joys. by it there stood the stoups and jars; dishes lay there, and dear-decked swords eaten with rust, as, on earth's lap resting, a thousand winters they waited there. for all that heritage huge, that gold of bygone men, was bound by a spell, {39e} so the treasure-hall could be touched by none of human kind, -save that heaven's king, god himself, might give whom he would, helper of heroes, the hoard to open, -even such a man as seemed to him meet. xl a perilous path, it proved, he {40a} trod who heinously hid, that hall within, wealth under wall! its watcher had killed one of a few, {40b} and the feud was avenged in woful fashion. wondrous seems it, what manner a man of might and valor oft ends his life, when the earl no longer in mead-hall may live with loving friends. so beowulf, when that barrow's warden he sought, and the struggle; himself knew not in what wise he should wend from the world at last. for {40c} princes potent, who placed the gold, with a curse to doomsday covered it deep, so that marked with sin the man should be, hedged with horrors, in hell-bonds fast, racked with plagues, who should rob their hoard. yet no greed for gold, but the grace of heaven, ever the king had kept in view. {40d} wiglaf spake, the son of weohstan: -"at the mandate of one, oft warriors many sorrow must suffer; and so must we. the people's-shepherd showed not aught of care for our counsel, king beloved! that guardian of gold he should grapple not, urged we, but let him lie where he long had been in his earth-hall waiting the end of the world, the hest of heaven. -this hoard is ours but grievously gotten; too grim the fate which thither carried our king and lord. i was within there, and all i viewed, the chambered treasure, when chance allowed me (and my path was made in no pleasant wise) under the earth-wall. eager, i seized such heap from the hoard as hands could bear and hurriedly carried it hither back to my liege and lord. alive was he still, still wielding his wits. the wise old man spake much in his sorrow, and sent you greetings and bade that ye build, when he breathed no more, on the place of his balefire a barrow high, memorial mighty. of men was he worthiest warrior wide earth o'er the while he had joy of his jewels and burg. let us set out in haste now, the second time to see and search this store of treasure, these wall-hid wonders, -the way i show you, -where, gathered near, ye may gaze your fill at broad-gold and rings. let the bier, soon made, be all in order when out we come, our king and captain to carry thither -man beloved -where long he shall bide safe in the shelter of sovran god." then the bairn of weohstan bade command, hardy chief, to heroes many that owned their homesteads, hither to bring firewood from far -o'er the folk they ruled -for the famed-one's funeral. " fire shall devour and wan flames feed on the fearless warrior who oft stood stout in the iron-shower, when, sped from the string, a storm of arrows shot o'er the shield-wall: the shaft held firm, featly feathered, followed the barb." and now the sage young son of weohstan seven chose of the chieftain's thanes, the best he found that band within, and went with these warriors, one of eight, under hostile roof. in hand one bore a lighted torch and led the way. no lots they cast for keeping the hoard when once the warriors saw it in hall, altogether without a guardian, lying there lost. and little they mourned when they had hastily haled it out, dear-bought treasure! the dragon they cast, the worm, o'er the wall for the wave to take, and surges swallowed that shepherd of gems. then the woven gold on a wain was laden -countless quite! -and the king was borne, hoary hero, to hrones-ness. xli then fashioned for him the folk of geats firm on the earth a funeral-pile, and hung it with helmets and harness of war and breastplates bright, as the boon he asked; and they laid amid it the mighty chieftain, heroes mourning their master dear. then on the hill that hugest of balefires the warriors wakened. wood-smoke rose black over blaze, and blent was the roar of flame with weeping (the wind was still), till the fire had broken the frame of bones, hot at the heart. in heavy mood their misery moaned they, their master's death. wailing her woe, the widow {41a} old, her hair upbound, for beowulf's death sung in her sorrow, and said full oft she dreaded the doleful days to come, deaths enow, and doom of battle, and shame. -the smoke by the sky was devoured. the folk of the weders fashioned there on the headland a barrow broad and high, by ocean-farers far descried: in ten days' time their toil had raised it, the battle-brave's beacon. round brands of the pyre a wall they built, the worthiest ever that wit could prompt in their wisest men. they placed in the barrow that precious booty, the rounds and the rings they had reft erewhile, hardy heroes, from hoard in cave, -trusting the ground with treasure of earls, gold in the earth, where ever it lies useless to men as of yore it was. then about that barrow the battle-keen rode, atheling-born, a band of twelve, lament to make, to mourn their king, chant their dirge, and their chieftain honor. they praised his earlship, his acts of prowess worthily witnessed: and well it is that men their master-friend mightily laud, heartily love, when hence he goes from life in the body forlorn away. thus made their mourning the men of geatland, for their hero's passing his hearth-companions: quoth that of all the kings of earth, of men he was mildest and most beloved, to his kin the kindest, keenest for praise. footnotes: {0a} not, of course, beowulf the great, hero of the epic. {0b} kenning for king or chieftain of a comitatus: he breaks off gold from the spiral rings -often worn on the arm -and so rewards his followers. {1a} that is, "the hart," or "stag," so called from decorations in the gables that resembled the antlers of a deer. this hall has been carefully described in a pamphlet by heyne. the building was rectangular, with opposite doors -mainly west and east -and a hearth in the middle of th single room. a row of pillars down each side, at some distance from the walls, made a space which was raised a little above the main floor, and was furnished with two rows of seats. on one side, usually south, was the high-seat midway between the doors. opposite this, on the other raised space, was another seat of honor. at the banquet soon to be described, hrothgar sat in the south or chief high-seat, and beowulf opposite to him. the scene for a flying (see below, v.499) was thus very effectively set. planks on trestles -the "board" of later english literature -formed the tables just in front of the long rows of seats, and were taken away after banquets, when the retainers were ready to stretch themselves out for sleep on the benches. {1b} fire was the usual end of these halls. see v. 781 below. one thinks of the splendid scene at the end of the nibelungen, of the nialssaga, of saxo's story of amlethus, and many a less famous instance. {1c} it is to be supposed that all hearers of this poem knew how hrothgar's hall was burnt, -perhaps in the unsuccessful attack made on him by his son-in-law ingeld. {1d} a skilled minstrel. the danes are heathens, as one is told presently; but this lay of beginnings is taken from genesis. {1e} a disturber of the border, one who sallies from his haunt in the fen and roams over the country near by. this probably pagan nuisance is now furnished with biblical credentials as a fiend or devil in good standing, so that all christian englishmen might read about him. "grendel" may mean one who grinds and crushes. {1f} cain's. {1g} giants. {2a} the smaller buildings within the main enclosure but separate from the hall. {2b} grendel. {2c} "sorcerers-of-hell." {2d} hrothgar, who is the "scyldings'-friend" of 170. {2e} that is, in formal or prescribed phrase. {3a} ship. {3b} that is, since beowulf selected his ship and led his men to the harbor. {3c} one of the auxiliary names of the geats. {3d} or: not thus openly ever came warriors hither; yet... {4a} hrothgar. {4b} beowulf's helmet has several boar-images on it; he is the "man of war"; and the boar-helmet guards him as typical representative of the marching party as a whole. the boar was sacred to freyr, who was the favorite god of the germanic tribes about the north sea and the baltic. rude representations of warriors show the boar on the helmet quite as large as the helmet itself. {5a} either merely paved, the strata via of the romans, or else thought of as a sort of mosaic, an extravagant touch like the reckless waste of gold on the walls and roofs of a hall. {6a} the nicor, says bugge, is a hippopotamus; a walrus, says ten brink. but that water-goblin who covers the space from old nick of jest to the neckan and nix of poetry and tale, is all one needs, and nicor is a good name for him. {6b} his own people, the geats. {6c} that is, cover it as with a face-cloth. "there will be no need of funeral rites." {6d} personification of battle. {6e} the germanic vulcan. {6f} this mighty power, whom the christian poet can still revere, has here the general force of "destiny." {7a} there is no irrelevance here. hrothgar sees in beowulf's mission a heritage of duty, a return of the good offices which the danish king rendered to beowulf's father in time of dire need. {7b} money, for wergild, or man-price. {7c} ecgtheow, beowulf's sire. {8a} "began the fight." {8b} breca. {9a} murder. {10a} beowulf, -the "one." {11a} that is, he was a "lost soul," doomed to hell. {12a} kenning for beowulf. {13a} "guarded the treasure." {13b} sc. heremod. {13c} the singer has sung his lays, and the epic resumes its story. the time-relations are not altogether good in this long passage which describes the rejoicings of "the day after"; but the present shift from the riders on the road to the folk at the hall is not very violent, and is of a piece with the general style. {14a} unferth, beowulf's sometime opponent in the flyting. {15a} there is no horrible inconsistency here such as the critics strive and cry about. in spite of the ruin that grendel and beowulf had made within the hall, the framework and roof held firm, and swift repairs made the interior habitable. tapestries were hung on the walls, and willing hands prepared the banquet. {15b} from its formal use in other places, this phrase, to take cup in hall, or "on the floor," would seem to mean that beowulf stood up to receive his gifts, drink to the donor, and say thanks. {15c} kenning for sword. {15d} hrothgar. he is also the "refuge of the friends of ing," below. ing belongs to myth. {15e} horses are frequently led or ridden into the hall where folk sit at banquet: so in chaucer's squire's tale, in the ballad of king estmere, and in the romances. {16a} man-price, wergild. {16b} beowulf's. {16c} hrothgar. {16d} there is no need to assume a gap in the ms. as before about sigemund and heremod, so now, though at greater length, about finn and his feud, a lay is chanted or recited; and the epic poet, counting on his readers' familiarity with the story, -a fragment of it still exists, -simply gives the headings. {16e} the exact story to which this episode refers in summary is not to be determined, but the following account of it is reasonable and has good support among scholars. finn, a frisian chieftain, who nevertheless has a "castle" outside the frisian border, marries hildeburh, a danish princess; and her brother, hnaef, with many other danes, pays finn a visit. relations between the two peoples have been strained before. something starts the old feud anew; and the visitors are attacked in their quarters. hnaef is killed; so is a son of hildeburh. many fall on both sides. peace is patched up; a stately funeral is held; and the surviving visitors become in a way vassals or liegemen of finn, going back with him to frisia. so matters rest a while. hengest is now leader of the danes; but he is set upon revenge for his former lord, hnaef. probably he is killed in feud; but his clansmen, guthlaf and oslaf, gather at their home a force of sturdy danes, come back to frisia, storm finn's stronghold, kill him, and carry back their kinswoman hildeburh. {16f} the "enemies" must be the frisians. {16g} battlefield. -hengest is the "prince's thane," companion of hnaef. "folcwald's son" is finn. {16h} that is, finn would govern in all honor the few danish warriors who were left, provided, of course, that none of them tried to renew the quarrel or avenge hnaef their fallen lord. if, again, one of finn's frisians began a quarrel, he should die by the sword. {16i} hnaef. {16j} the high place chosen for the funeral: see description of beowulf's funeral-pile at the end of the poem. {16k} wounds. {17a} that is, these two danes, escaping home, had told the story of the attack on hnaef, the slaying of hengest, and all the danish woes. collecting a force, they return to frisia and kill finn in his home. {17b} nephew to hrothgar, with whom he subsequently quarrels, and elder cousin to the two young sons of hrothgar and wealhtheow, -their natural guardian in the event of the king's death. there is something finely feminine in this speech of wealhtheow's, apart from its somewhat irregular and irrelevant sequence of topics. both she and her lord probably distrust hrothulf; but she bids the king to be of good cheer, and, turning to the suspect, heaps affectionate assurances on his probity. "my own hrothulf" will surely not forget these favors and benefits of the past, but will repay them to the orphaned boy. {19a} they had laid their arms on the benches near where they slept. {20a} he surmises presently where she is. {20b} the connection is not difficult. the words of mourning, of acute grief, are said; and according to germanic sequence of thought, inexorable here, the next and only topic is revenge. but is it possible? hrothgar leads up to his appeal and promise with a skillful and often effective description of the horrors which surround the monster's home and await the attempt of an avenging foe. {21a} hrothgar is probably meant. {21b} meeting place. {22a} kenning for "sword." hrunting is bewitched, laid under a spell of uselessness, along with all other swords. {22b} this brown of swords, evidently meaning burnished, bright, continues to be a favorite adjective in the popular ballads. {23a} after the killing of the monster and grendel's decapitation. {23b} hrothgar. {23c} the blade slowly dissolves in blood-stained drops like icicles. {23d} spear. {24a} that is, "whoever has as wide authority as i have and can remember so far back so many instances of heroism, may well say, as i say, that no better hero ever lived than beowulf." {25a} that is, he is now undefended by conscience from the temptations (shafts) of the devil. {25b} kenning for the sun. -this is a strange role for the raven. he is the warrior's bird of battle, exults in slaughter and carnage; his joy here is a compliment to the sunrise. {26a} that is, he might or might not see beowulf again. old as he was, the latter chance was likely; but he clung to the former, hoping to see his young friend again "and exchange brave words in the hall." {27a} with the speed of the boat. {27b} queen to hygelac. she is praised by contrast with the antitype, thryth, just as beowulf was praised by contrast with heremod. {27c} kenning for "wife." {28a} beowulf gives his uncle the king not mere gossip of his journey, but a statesmanlike forecast of the outcome of certain policies at the danish court. talk of interpolation here is absurd. as both beowulf and hygelac know, -and the folk for whom the beowulf was put together also knew, -froda was king of the heathobards (probably the langobards, once near neighbors of angle and saxon tribes on the continent), and had fallen in fight with the danes. hrothgar will set aside this feud by giving his daughter as "peace-weaver" and wife to the young king ingeld, son of the slain froda. but beowulf, on general principles and from his observation of the particular case, foretells trouble. note: {28b} play of shields, battle. a danish warrior cuts down froda in the fight, and takes his sword and armor, leaving them to a son. this son is selected to accompany his mistress, the young princess freawaru, to her new home when she is ingeld's queen. heedlessly he wears the sword of froda in hall. an old warrior points it out to ingeld, and eggs him on to vengeance. at his instigation the dane is killed; but the murderer, afraid of results, and knowing the land, escapes. so the old feud must break out again. {28c} that is, their disastrous battle and the slaying of their king. {28d} the sword. {28e} beowulf returns to his forecast. things might well go somewhat as follows, he says; sketches a little tragic story; and with this prophecy by illustration returns to the tale of his adventure. {28f} not an actual glove, but a sort of bag. {29a} hygelac. {29b} this is generally assumed to mean hides, though the text simply says "seven thousand." a hide in england meant about 120 acres, though "the size of the acre varied." {29c} on the historical raid into frankish territory between 512 and 520 a.d. the subsequent course of events, as gathered from hints of this epic, is partly told in scandinavian legend. {29d} the chronology of this epic, as scholars have worked it out, would make beowulf well over ninety years of age when he fights the dragon. but the fifty years of his reign need not be taken as historical fact. {29e} the text is here hopelessly illegible, and only the general drift of the meaning can be rescued. for one thing, we have the old myth of a dragon who guards hidden treasure. but with this runs the story of some noble, last of his race, who hides all his wealth within this barrow and there chants his farewell to life's glories. after his death the dragon takes possession of the hoard and watches over it. a condemned or banished man, desperate, hides in the barrow, discovers the treasure, and while the dragon sleeps, makes off with a golden beaker or the like, and carries it for propitiation to his master. the dragon discovers the loss and exacts fearful penalty from the people round about. {31a} literally "loan-days," days loaned to man. {31b} chattuarii, a tribe that dwelt along the rhine, and took part in repelling the raid of (hygelac) chocilaicus. {31c} onla, son of ongentheow, who pursues his two nephews eanmund and eadgils to heardred's court, where they have taken refuge after their unsuccessful rebellion. in the fighting heardred is killed. {32a} that is, beowulf supports eadgils against onela, who is slain by eadgils in revenge for the "care-paths" of exile into which onela forced him. {32b} that is, the king could claim no wergild, or man-price, from one son for the killing of the other. {32c} usual euphemism for death. {32d} sc. in the grave. {33a} eofor for wulf. -the immediate provocation for eofor in killing "the hoary scylfing," ongentheow, is that the latter has just struck wulf down; but the king, haethcyn, is also avenged by the blow. see the detailed description below. {33b} hygelac. {33c} shield. {33d} the hollow passage. {34a} that is, although eanmund was brother's son to onela, the slaying of the former by weohstan is not felt as cause of feud, and is rewarded by gift of the slain man's weapons. {34b} both wiglaf and the sword did their duty. -the following is one of the classic passages for illustrating the comitatus as the most conspicuous germanic institution, and its underlying sense of duty, based partly on the idea of loyalty and partly on the practical basis of benefits received and repaid. {34c} sc. "than to bide safely here," -a common figure of incomplete comparison. {34d} wiglaf's wooden shield. {34e} gering would translate "kinsman of the nail," as both are made of iron. {35a} that is, swords. {36a} where beowulf lay. {37a} what had been left or made by the hammer; well-forged. {37b} trying to revive him. {38a} nothing. {38b} dead. {38c} death-watch, guard of honor, "lyke-wake." {38d} a name for the franks. {38e} ongentheow. {38f} haethcyn. {39a} the line may mean: till hrethelings stormed on the hedged shields, -i.e. the shield-wall or hedge of defensive war -hrethelings, of course, are geats. {39b} eofor, brother to wulf wonreding. {39c} sc. "value in" hides and the weight of the gold. {39d} not at all. {39e} laid on it when it was put in the barrow. this spell, or in our days the "curse," either prevented discovery or brought dire ills on the finder and taker. {40a} probably the fugitive is meant who discovered the hoard. ten brink and gering assume that the dragon is meant. "hid" may well mean here "took while in hiding." {40b} that is "one and a few others." but beowulf seems to be indicated. {40c} ten brink points out the strongly heathen character of this part of the epic. beowulf's end came, so the old tradition ran, from his unwitting interference with spell-bound treasure. {40d} a hard saying, variously interpreted. in any case, it is the somewhat clumsy effort of the christian poet to tone down the heathenism of his material by an edifying observation. {41a} nothing is said of beowulf's wife in the poem, but bugge surmises that beowulf finally accepted hygd's offer of kingdom and hoard, and, as was usual, took her into the bargain. note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrations. see 16259-h.htm or 16259-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/6/2/5/16259/16259-h/16259-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/6/2/5/16259/16259-h.zip) the surprising adventures of the magical monarch of mo and his people by l. frank baum with pictures by frank ver beck 1903 to the comrade of my boyhood days dr. henry clay baum to the reader this book has been written for children. i have no shame in acknowledging that i, who wrote it, am also a child; for since i can remember my eyes have always grown big at tales of the marvelous, and my heart is still accustomed to go pit-a-pat when i read of impossible adventures. it is the nature of children to scorn realities, which crowd into their lives all too quickly with advancing years. childhood is the time for fables, for dreams, for joy. these stories are not true; they could no be true and be so marvelous. no one is expected to believe them; they were meant to excite laughter and to gladden the heart. perhaps some of those big, grown-up people will poke fun of us--at you for reading these nonsense tales of the magical monarch, and at me for writing them. never mind. many of the big folk are still children--even as you and i. we cannot measure a child by a standard of size or age. the big folk who are children will be our comrades; the others we need not consider at all, for they are self-exiled from our domain. l. frank baum. june, 1903. contents the first surprise the beautiful valley of mo the second surprise the strange adventures of the king's head the third surprise the tramp dog and the monarch's lost temper the fourth surprise the peculiar pains of fruit cake island the fifth surprise the monarch celebrates his birthday the sixth surprise king scowleyow and his cast-iron man the seventh surprise timtom and the princess pattycake the eighth surprise the bravery of prince jollikin the ninth surprise the wizard and the princess the tenth surprise the duchess bredenbutta's visit to turvyland the eleventh surprise prince fiddlecumdoo and the giant the twelfth surprise the land of the civilized monkeys the thirteenth surprise the stolen plum-pudding the fourteenth surprise the punishment of the purple dragon _the first surprise_ the beautiful valley of mo i dare say there are several questions you would like to ask at the very beginning of this history. first: who is the monarch of mo? and why is he called the magical monarch? and where _is_ mo, anyhow? and why have you never heard of it before? and can it be reached by a railroad or a trolley-car, or must one walk all the way? these questions i realize should be answered before we (that "we" means you and the book) can settle down for a comfortable reading of all the wonders and astonishing adventures i shall endeavor faithfully to relate. in the first place, the monarch of mo is a very pleasant personage holding the rank of king. he is not very tall, nor is he very short; he is midway between fat and lean; he is delightfully jolly when he is not sad, and seldom sad if he can possibly be jolly. how old he may be i have never dared to inquire; but when we realize that he is destined to live as long as the valley of mo exists we may reasonably suppose the monarch of mo is exactly as old as his native land. and no one in mo has ever reckoned up the years to see how many they have been. so we will just say that the monarch of mo and the valley of mo are each a part of the other, and can not be separated. he is not called the magical monarch because he deals in magic--for he doesn't deal in magic. but he leads such a queer life in such a queer country that his history will surely seem magical to us who inhabit the civilized places of the world and think that anything we can not find a reason for must be due to magic. the life of the monarch of mo seems simple enough to him, you may be sure, for he knows no other existence. and our ways of living, could he know of them, would doubtless astonish him greatly. the land of mo, which is ruled by the king we call the magical monarch, is often spoken of as the "beautiful valley." if they would only put it on the maps of our geographies and paint it pink or light green, and print a big round dot where the king's castle stands, it would be easy enough to point out to you its exact location. but i can not find the valley of mo in any geography i have examined; so i suspect the men who made these instructive books really know nothing about mo, else it would surely be on the maps. of one thing i am certain: that no other country included in the maps is so altogether delightful as the beautiful valley of mo. the sun shines all the time, and its rays are perfumed. the people who live in the valley do not sleep, because there is no night. everything they can possibly need grows on the trees, so they have no use for money at all, and that saves them a deal of worry. there are no poor people in this quaint valley. when a person desires a new hat he waits till one is ripe, and then picks it and wears it without asking anybody's permission. if a lady wishes a new ring, she examines carefully those upon the ring-tree, and when she finds one that fits her finger she picks it and wears it upon her hand. in this way they procure all they desire. there are two rivers in the land of mo, one of which flows milk of a very rich quality. some of the islands in milk river are made of excellent cheese, and the people are welcome to spade up this cheese whenever they wish to eat it. in the little pools near the bank, where the current does not flow swiftly, delicious cream rises to the top of the milk, and instead of water-lilies great strawberry leaves grow upon the surface, and the ripe, red berries lie dipping their noses into the cream, as if inviting you to come and eat them. the sand that forms the river bank is pure white sugar, and all kinds of candies and bonbons grow thick on the low bushes, so that any one may pluck them easily. these are only a few of the remarkable things that exist in the beautiful valley. the people are merry, light-hearted folk, who live in beautiful houses of pure crystal, where they can rest themselves and play their games and go in when it rains. for it rains in mo as it does everywhere else, only it rains lemonade; and the lightning in the sky resembles the most beautiful fireworks; and the thunder is usually a chorus from the opera of tannhauser. no one ever dies in this valley, and the people are always young and beautiful. there is the king and a queen, besides several princes and princesses. but it is not much use being a prince in mo, because the king can not die; therefore a prince is a prince to the end of his days, and his days never end. strange things occur in this strange land, as you may imagine; and while i relate some of these you will learn more of the peculiar features of the beautiful valley. _the second surprise_ the strange adventures of the king's head a good many years ago, the magical monarch of mo became annoyed by the purple dragon, which came down from the mountains and ate up a patch of his best chocolate caramels just as they were getting ripe. so the king went out to the sword-tree and picked a long, sharp sword, and tied it to his belt and went away to the mountains to fight the purple dragon. the people all applauded him, saying one to another: "our king is a good king. he will destroy this naughty purple dragon and we shall be able to eat the caramels ourselves." but the dragon was not alone naughty; it was big, and fierce, and strong, and did not want to be destroyed at all. therefore the king had a terrible fight with the purple dragon and cut it with his sword in several places, so that the raspberry juice which ran in its veins squirted all over the ground. it is always difficult to kill dragons. they are by nature thick-skinned and tough, as doubtless every one has heard. besides, you must not forget that this was a purple dragon, and all scientists who have studied deeply the character of dragons say those of a purple color at the most disagreeable to fight with. so all the king's cutting and slashing had no effect upon the monster other than to make him angry. forgetful of the respect due to a crowned king, the wicked dragon presently opening wide its jaws and bit his majesty's head clean off his body. then he swallowed it. of course the king realized it was useless to continue to fight after that, for he could not see where the dragon was. so he turned and tried to find his way back to his people. but at every other step he would bump into a tree, which made the naughty dragon laugh at him. furthermore, he could not tell in which direction he was going, which is an unpleasant feeling under any circumstances. at last some of the people came to see if the king had succeeded in destroying the dragon, and found their monarch running around in a circle, bumping into trees and rocks, but not getting a step nearer home. so they took his hand and led him back to the palace, where every one was filled with sorrow at the sad sight of the headless king. indeed, his devoted subjects, for the first time in their lives, came as near to weeping as an inhabitant of the valley of mo can. "never mind," said the king, cheerfully; "i can get along very well without a head; and, as a matter of fact, the loss has its advantages. i shall not be obliged to brush my hair, or clean my teeth, or wash my ears. so do not grieve, i beg of you, but be happy and joyful as you were before." which showed the king had a good heart; and, after all, a good heart is better than a head, any say. the people, hearing him speak out of his neck (for he had no mouth), immediately began to laugh, which in a short time led to their being as happy as ever. but the queen was not contented. "my love," she said to him, "i can not kiss you any more, and that will break my heart." thereupon the king sent word throughout the valley that any one who could procure for him a new head should wed one of the princesses. the princesses were all exceedingly pretty girls, and so it was not long before one man made a very nice head out of candy and brought it to the king. it did not look exactly like the old head, but the efface was very sweet, nevertheless; so the king put it on and the queen kissed it at once with much satisfaction. the young man had put a pair of glass eyes in the head, with which the king could see very well after he got used to them. according to the royal promise, the young man was now called into the palace and asked to take his pick of the princesses. there were all so sweet and lady-like that he had some trouble in making a choice; but at last he took the biggest, thinking that he would thus secure the greatest reward, and they were married amid great rejoicing. but, a few days afterward, the king was caught out in a rainstorm, and before he could get home his new head had melted in the great shower of lemonade that fell. only the glass eyes were left, and these he put in his pocket and went sorrowfully to tell the queen of his new misfortune. then another young man who wanted to marry a princess made the king a head out of dough, sticking in it the glass eyes; and the king tried it on and found that it fitted very well. so the young man was given the next biggest princess. but the following day the sun chance to shine extremely hot, and when the king walked out it baked his dough head into bread, at which the monarch felt very light-headed. and when the birds saw the bread they flew down from the trees, perched upon the king's shoulder and quickly ate up his new head. all but the glass eyes. again the good king was forced to go home to the queen without a head, and the lady firmly declared that this time her husband must have a head warranted to last at least as long as the honeymoon of the young man who made it; which was not at all unreasonable under the circumstances. so a request was sent to all loyal subjects throughout the valley asking them to find a head for their king that was neat and substantial. in the meantime the king had a rather hard time of it. when he wished to go any place he was obliged to hold out in front of him, between his thumbs and fingers, the glass eyes, that they might guide his footsteps. this, as you may imagine, made his majesty look rather undignified, and dignity is very important to every royal personage. at last a wood-chopper in the mountains made a head out of wood and sent it to the king. it was neatly carved, besides being solid and durable; moreover, it fitted the monarch's neck to the t. so the king rummaged in his pocket and found the glass eyes, and when these were put in the new head the king announced his satisfaction. there was only one drawback--he couldn't smile, as the wooden face was too stiff; and it was funny to hear his majesty laughing heartily while his face maintained a solemn expression. but the glass eyes twinkled merrily and every one knew that he was the same kind-hearted monarch of old, although he had become, of necessity, rather hard-headed. then the king sent word to the wood-chopper to come to the palace and take his pick of the princesses, and preparations were at once begun for the wedding. but the wood-chopper, on his way to the court, unfortunately passed by the dwelling of the purple dragon and stopped to speak to the monster. now it seems that when the dragon had swallowed the king's head, the unusual meal made the beast ill. it was more accustomed to berries and caramels for dinner than to heads, and the sharp points of the king's crown (which was firmly fastened to the head) pricked the dragon's stomach and made the creature miserable. after a few days of suffering the dragon disgorged the head, and, not knowing what else to do with it, locked it up in a cupboard and put the key in its pocket. when the dragon met the wood-chopper and learned he had made a new head for the king, and as a reward was to wed one of the princesses, the monster became very angry. it resolved to do a wicked thing; which will not surprise you when you remember the beast's purple color. "step into my parlor and rest yourself," said the dragon, politely. wicked people are most polite when they mean mischief. "thank you, i'll stop for a few minutes," replied the wood-chopper; "but i can not stay long, as i am expected at court." when he had entered the parlor the dragon suddenly opened its mouth and snapped off the poor wood-chopper's head. being warned by experience, however, it did not swallow the head, but placed it in the cupboard. then the dragon took from a shelf the king's head and glued it on the wood-chopper's neck. "now," said the beast, with a cruel laugh, "you are the king! go home and claim your wife and your kingdom." the poor wood-chopper was much amazed; for at first he did not really know which he was, the king or the wood-chopper. he looked in the mirror and, seeing the king, made a low bow. then the king's head thought: "who am i bowing to? there is no one greater than the king!" and so at once there began a conflict between the wood-chopper's heart and the king's head. the dragon was mightily pleased at the result of its wicked stratagem, and having pushed the bewildered wood-chopper out of the castle, immediately sent him on his way to the court. when the poor man neared the town the people ran out and said: "why, this is the king come back again. all hail, your majesty!" "all nonsense!" returned the wood-chopper. "i am only a poor man with the king's head on my shoulders. you can easily see it isn't mine, for it's crooked; the dragon didn't glue it on straight." "where, then, is your own head?" they asked. "locked up in the dragon's cupboard," replied the poor fellow, beginning to weep. "here," cried the king's head; "stop this. you mustn't cry out of my eyes! the king never weeps." "i beg pardon, your majesty," said the wood-chopper, meekly, "i'll not do it again." "well, see that you don't," returned the head more cheerfully. the people were greatly amazed at this, and took the wood-chopper to the palace, where all was soon explained. when the queen saw the king's head she immediately kissed it; but the king rebuked her, saying she must kiss only him. "but it is your head," said the poor queen. "probably it is," replied the king; "but it is on another man. you must confine yourself to kissing my wooden head." "i'm sorry," sighed the queen, "for i like to kiss the real head best." "and so you shall," said the king's head; "i don't approve your kissing that wooden head at all." the poor lady looked from one to the other in perplexity. finally a happy thought occurred to her. "why don't you trade heads?" she asked. "just the thing!" cried the king; and, the wood-chopper consenting, the exchange was made, and the monarch of mo found himself in possession of his own head again, whereat he was so greatly pleased that he laughed long and merrily. the wood-chopper, however, did not even smile. he couldn't because of the wooden face. the head he had made for the king he now was compelled to wear himself. "bring hither the princesses," commanded the king. "this good man shall choose his bride at once, for he has restored to me my own head." but when the princesses arrived and saw that the wood-chopper had a wooden head, they each and all refused to marry him, and begged so hard to escape that the king was in a quandary. "i promised him one of my daughters," he argued, "and a king never breaks his word." "but he hadn't a wooden head then," explained one of the girls. the king realized the truth of this. indeed, when he came to look carefully at the wooden head, he did not blame his daughters for not wishing to marry it. should he force one of them to consent, it was not unlikely she would call her husband a blockhead--a term almost certain to cause trouble in any family. after giving the matter deep thought, the king resolved to go to the purple dragon and oblige it to give up the wood-chopper's head. so all the fighting men in the kingdom were got together, and, having picked ripe swords off the sword-trees, they marched in a great body to the dragon's castle. now the purple dragon realized that if it attempted to fight all this army, it would perhaps be cut to pieces; so it retired within its castle and refused to come out. the wood-chopper was a brave man. "i'll go in and fight the dragon alone," he said; and in he went. by this time the dragon was both frightened and angry, and the moment it saw the man it rushed forward and made a snap at his head. the wooden head came off at once, and the dragon's long, sharp teeth got stuck in the wood and would not come out again; so the monster was unable to do anything but flop its tail and groan. the wood-chopper now ran to the cupboard, took out his head and placed it upon his shoulders where it belonged. then he proudly walked out of the castle and was greeted with loud shouts by the army, which carried him back in triumph to the king's palace. and, now that he wore his own head again, one of the prettiest of the young princesses willingly agreed to marry him; so the wedding ceremony was performed amidst great rejoicing. _the third surprise_ the tramp dog and the monarch's lost temper one day the monarch of mo, having nothing better to do, resolved to go hunting blackberries among the bushes that grew at the foot of the mountains. so he put on an old crown that would not get tarnished if it rained, and, having found a tin pail in the pantry, started off without telling any one where he was going. for some distance the path was a nice, smooth taffy, that was very agreeable to walk on; but as he got nearer the mountains the ground became gravelly, the stones being jackson-balls and gum-drops; so that his boots, which were a little green when he picked them, began to hurt his feet. but the king was not easily discouraged, and kept on until he found the blackberry bushes, when he immediately began to fill his pail, the berries being remarkably big and sweet. while thus occupied he heard a sound of footsteps coming down the mountain side, and presently a little dog ran out from the bushes and trotted up to him. now there were no dogs at all in mo, and the king had never seen a creature like this before; therefore he was greatly surprised, and said: "what are you, and where do you come from?" the dog also was surprised at this question, and looked suspiciously at the king's tin pail; for many times wicked boys had tied such a pail to the end of his tail. in fact, that was the reason he had run away from home and found his way, by accident, to the valley of mo. "my name is prince," replied the gravely; "and i have come from a country beyond the mountains and the desert." "indeed! are you in truth a prince?" exclaimed the monarch; "then you will be welcome in my kingdom, where we always treat nobility with proper respect. but why do you have four feet?" "because six would be too many," replied the dog. "but i have only two," said the king. "i am sorry," said the dog, who was something of a wag, "because where i come from it is more fashionable to walk on four feet." "i like to be in the fashion," remarked the king, thoughtfully; "but what am i to do, having only two legs?" "why, i suppose you could walk on your hands and feet," returned the dog with a laugh. "so i will," said the king, being pleased with the idea; "and you shall come to the palace with me and teach me all the fashions of the country from whence you came." the king got down on his hands and knees, and was delighted to find he could get along in this way very nicely. "how am i to carry my pail?" he asked. "in your mouth, of course," replied the dog. this suggestion seeming a happy one, the king took the pail in his mouth and they started back toward the palace. but when his majesty came to the gum-drops and jackson-balls they hurt his hands and knees, so that he groaned aloud. but the dog only laughed. finally they reached a place where it was quite muddy. of course the mud was only jelly, but it hadn't dried up since the last rain. the dog jumped over the place nimbly enough, but when the king tried to do likewise he failed, and came down into the jelly with both hands and knees, and stuck fast. now the monarch had a very good temper, which he carried in his vest pocket; but as he passed over the gum-drop pebbles on his hands and knees this temper dropped out of his pocket, and, having lost it, he became very angry at the dog for getting him into such a scrape. so he began to scold, and when he opened his mouth the pail dropped out and the berries were all spilled. this made the dog laugh more than ever, at which the king pulled himself out of the jelly, jumped to his feet, and began to chase the dog as fast as he could. finally the dog climbed a tall tree where the king could not reach him, and when safe among the branches he looked down and said: "see how foolish a man becomes who tries to be in fashion rather than live as nature intended he should! you can no more be a dog than i can be a king; so hereafter, if you are wise, you will be content to walk on two legs." "there is much truth in what you say," replied the monarch of mo. "come with me to the palace, and you shall be forgiven; indeed, we shall have a fine feast in honor of your arrival." so the dog climbed down from the tree and followed the king to the palace, where all the courtiers were astonished to see so queer an animal, and made a great favorite of him. after dinner the king invited the dog to take a walk around the grounds of the royal mansion, and they started out merrily enough. but the king's boots had begun to hurt him again; for, as they did not fit, being picked green, they had rubbed his toes until he had corns on them. so when they reached the porch in front of the palace the king asked: "my friend, what is good for corns?" "tight boots," replied the dog, laughing; "but they are not very good for your feet." now the king, not yet having found his lost temper, became exceedingly angry at this poor jest; so he rushed at the dog and gave it a tremendous kick. up into the air like a ball flew the dog, while the king, having hurt his toe by the kick, sat down on the door-step and nursed his foot while he watched the dog go farther and farther up, until it seemed like a tiny speck against the blue of the sky. "i must have kicked harder than i thought," said the king, ruefully; "there he goes, out of sight, and i shall never see him again!" he now limped away into the back garden, where he picked a new pair of boots that would not hurt his feet; and while he was gone the dog began to fall down again. of course he fell faster than he went up, and finally landed with a crash exactly on the king's door-step. but so great was the force of the fall and so hard the door-step that the poor dog was flattened out like a pancake, and could not move a bit. when the king came back he said: "hullo! some kind friend has brought me a new door-mat as a present," and he leaned down and stroked the soft hair with much pleasure. then he wiped his feet on the new mat and went into the palace to tell the queen. when her majesty saw the nice, soft door-mat she declared it was too good to be left outside; so she brought it into the parlor and put it on the floor before the fire-place. the good king was sorry he had treated the dog so harshly, and for fear he might do some other dreadful thing he went back to the place where he had lost his temper and searched until he found it again, when he put it carefully away in his pocket where it would stay. then he returned to the palace an entered the parlor; but as he passed the mat, his new boots were so clumsy, he stumbled against the edge and pushed the mat together into a roll. immediately the dog gave a bark, got upon its legs and said: "well, this is better! now i can breathe again, but while i was so flat i could not draw a single breath." the monarch and his queen were much surprised to find that what they had taken for a mat was only the dog, that had fallen so flat on their door-step; but they could not forbear laughing at his queer appearance. for, as the king had kicked the mat on the edge, the dog was more than six feet long, and no bigger around than a lead-pencil; which brought its font legs so far from its rear legs that it could scarcely turn around in the room without getting tangled up. "but it is better than being a door-mat," said the dog; and the king and queen agreed with him in this. then the king went away to tell the people he had found the dog again, and when he left the palace he slammed the front door behind him. the dog had started to follow the king out, so when the front door slammed it hit the poor animal so sharp a blow on the nose that it pushed his body together again; and, lo and behold! there was the dog in his natural shape, just as he was before the king kicked him. after this the dog and the king agreed very well; for the king was careful not to kick, since he had recovered his temper, and the dog took care not to say anything that would provoke the king to anger. and one day the dog saved the kingdom and all the valley of mo from destruction, as i shall tell you another time. _the fourth surprise_ the peculiar pains of fruitcake island prince zingle, who was the eldest of all the princes of the valley of mo, at one time became much irritated because the king, his father, would not allow him to milk the cow with the golden horns. this cow was a great favorite with the king, because she gave as large a quantity of ice-cream at a milking as an ordinary cow does of milk, and in the warm days this was an agreeable luxury. the king liked to keep the cow with the golden horns for his own use and that of the queen; so prince zingle thought he was being abused, having a great fondness for ice-cream himself. to be sure, there was the great fountain of ice-cream soda-water playing constantly in the courtyard, which was free to every one; but the prince longed for what he could not have. therefore, being filled with anger against his father, the king, he wandered away until he chanced to come near to the castle of the purple dragon. when the wicked monster saw the prince, it decided that here was a splendid opportunity to make mischief; so it said, politely: "good morning, king zingle." "i am not a king--i am only a prince," replied zingle. "what! not a king?" exclaimed the dragon, as if surprised; "that is too bad." "i can never be a king while my father lives," continued the prince, "and it is impossible for him to die. so what can i do?" "since you ask my advice, i will tell you," answered the naughty dragon. "down near rootbeer river, where the peanut trees grow, is a very deep hole in the ground. you must get the king to go and look into this hole, and while he is leaning over the edge, push him in. of course, he will not die, for that, as you say, is impossible; but no one will know where to find him. so, your father being out of the way, you will be king in his place." "that is surely good advice," said the prince, "and i will go and do it at once. then the cow with the golden horns will be mine, and i shall become the monarch of mo." the prince turned to go back to the palace, and as soon as he was out of sight, the horrid dragon laughed to think what a fool it had made of the boy. when zingle saw his father he called him aside and said: "your majesty, i have discovered something very funny at the bottom of the hole near the peanut trees. come and see what it is." so the king went with the prince, without suspecting his evil design, and while he leaned over the hole the prince gave him a sudden push. the next moment down fell the monarch of mo--way to the bottom! then prince zingle went back to the palace and began to milk the cow with the golden horns. now when the king found himself at the bottom of the hole he at first did not know what to do; so he sat down and thought about it. presently a happy idea came into his head. he knew if only he was at the other end of the hole, he would be at the top instead of the bottom, and could make his escape. so the king took hold of the hole, and exerting all his strength, turned the hole upside down. being now at the top he stepped upon the ground and walked back to the palace, where he caught prince zingle milking the cow with the golden horns. "oh, ho!" he said, "you wish to be king, do you? well, we'll see about that!" then he took the naughty prince by the ear and led him into the palace, where he locked him up in a room from which he could not escape. the king now sat himself down in an easy chair and began to think on how he could best punish the prince, but after an hour of deep thought he was unable to decide on anything that seemed a sufficient chastisement for so great an offense. at last he resolved to consult the wise donkey. the wise donkey lived in a pretty little house away at the end of the valley, for he didn't like to mix with the gay life at the court. he had not always been wise, but at one time was a very stupid donkey indeed, and he acquired his wisdom in this way. one friday afternoon, just as school was letting out, the stupid donkey strayed into the school-house, and the teachers and scholars were all so anxious to get home that they never noticed the donkey, but locked him up in the school-house and went away without knowing he was there. no one came into the building from friday afternoon until monday morning; so the donkey got very hungry, and certainly would have starved had he not chanced to taste of a geography that was sticking out from one of the desks. the hungry donkey decided it was not so very bad, so he ate it all up. then he ate an arithmetic, an algebra, and two first readers. after that he lay down and went to sleep; but becoming hungry again he awoke and commenced on the school library, which he completely devoured. this library comprised all the solid and substantial wisdom in the valley of mo, and when the janitor opened the school-house door on monday morning, all the books of learning in the whole land had been eaten up by the stupid donkey. you can readily understand that after he had digested all this knowledge he became very wise, and thereafter the king and the people often consulted the wise donkey when their own intelligence was at fault. so now the monarch went to the donkey's house and told him of the prince's wickedness, asking how he could best punish him. the wise donkey thought about the matter for a moment and then replied: "i do not know a worse punishment than a pain in the stomach. among the books i ate in the school-house was a trigonometry, and before i had digested it i suffered very severe pains indeed." "but i can not feed the prince a trigonometry," returned the king. "you ate the last one yourself." "true," answered the donkey; "but there are other things that cause pain in the stomach. you know there is a certain island in rootbeer river that is made of fruit cake of a very rich quality. i advise you to put the prince on this island and allow him nothing to eat except the fruit cake. presently he will have violent pains in his stomach and will be punished as greatly as you could desire." the king was well pleased with this plan, and having thanked the donkey for his wise advice hurried back to the palace. prince zingle was now brought from his room and rowed in a boat to the fruit cake island in rootbeer river, where he was left without any way to escape. he knew how to swim, to be sure, but it was forbidden by law to swim in the rootbeer, as many people came to this river to drink. "you shall stay here," said the king, sternly, "until you are sorry for your wickedness; and you shall have nothing to eat but fruit cake." the prince laughed, because he thought the punishment was no punishment at all. when the king had rowed away in the boat and zingle was left alone, he said to himself: "why, this is delightful! i shall have a jolly time here, and can eat all the cake i want, without any one scolding me for being greedy." he broke off a large piece of the island where the raisins and citron were thickest, and commenced to eat it. but after a time he became tired of eating nothing but fruit cake, and longed for something to go with it. but the island did not contain a single thing except the cake of which it was composed. presently prince zingle began to have a pain inside him. he paid no attention to it at first, thinking it would pass away; but instead it grew more severe, so that he began to cry out; but no one heard him. the pain steadily increased, and the prince wept and rolled on the ground and began to feel exceeding sorry he had been so wicked. finally he seized the telephone, which was connected with the palace, and called up the king. "hullo!" said the king's voice, in reply; "what's wanted?" "i have a terrible pain," said the prince, with a groan, "and i'm very sorry indeed that i pushed your majesty down the hole. if you'll only take me off this dreadful island i'll be the best prince in all the valley from this time forth!" so the king sent the boat and had the prince brought back to the palace, where he forgave his naughty actions. being a kind parent he next fed his suffering son a blossom from a medicine tree, which quickly relieved his pain and led him to appreciate the pleasure of repentance. _the fifth surprise_ the monarch celebrates his birthday there were great festivities in the valley of mo when the king had a birthday. the jolly monarch was born so many years ago that so every one had forgotten the date. one of the wise men said the king was born in february; another declared it was in may, and a third figured the great event happened in october. so the king issued a royal decree that he should have three birthdays every year, in order to be on the safe side; and whenever he happened to think of it he put in an odd birthday or two for luck. the king's birthdays came to be regarded as very joyful events, for on these occasions festivities of unusual magnificence were held, and everybody in the kingdom was invited to participate. on one occasion the king, suddenly recollecting he had not celebrated his birthday for several weeks, announced a royal festival on a most elaborate scale. the cream-puff crop was an unusually large one, and the bushes were hanging full of the delicious ripe puffs, which were highly prized by the people of mo. so all the maidens got out their best dresses and brightest ribbons, and the young men carefully brushed their hair and polished their boots, and soon the streets leading to the palace were thronged with gay merry-makers. when the guests were all assembled a grand feast was served, in which the newly-picked cream puffs were an important item. then the king stood up at the head of the table and ordered his ruby casket to be brought him, and when the people heard this they at once became quiet and attentive, for the ruby casket was one of the most curious things in the valley. it was given the king many years before by the sorceress, maetta, and whenever it was opened something was found in it that no living person had seen before. so the people, and even the king himself, always watched the opening of the ruby casket with much curiosity, for they never knew what would be disclosed. the king placed the casket on a small table before him, and then, after a solemn look at the expectant faces, he said, slowly: "giggle-gaggle-goo!" which was the magic word that opened the box. at once the lid flew back, and the king peered within and exclaimed: "ha!" this made the guests more excited than before, for they did not know what he was saying "ha!" about; and they held their breaths when the king put his thumb and finger into the box and drew out a little wooden man about as big as my finger. he wore a blue jacket and a red cap and held a little brass horn in his hand. the king stood the wooden man upon the table and then reached within the box and brought out another wooden man, dressed just the same as the other, and also holding a horn in his hand. this the king stood beside the first wooden man, and then took out another, and another, until ten little wooden men were standing in a row on the table, holding drums, and cymbals, and horns in their small, stiff hands. "i declare," said the king, when he had stood them all up, "it's a little german band. but what a shame it is they can not play." no sooner had the king uttered the word "play" than every little wooden man put his horn to his mouth, or beat his drum, or clashed his cymbal; and immediately they began to play such delicious music that all the people were delighted, and even the king clapped his hands in applause. just then from out the casket leaped a tiny baby elephant, about as large as a mouse, and began capering about on its toes. it was dressed in short, fluffy skirts, like those worn by a ballet-dancer, and it danced so funnily that all who saw it roared with laughter. when the elephant stopped to rest, two pretty green frogs sprang from the casket and began to play leapfrog before the astonished guests, who had never before seen such a thing as a frog. the little green strangers jumped over each other quick as a flash, and finally one of them jumped down the other's throat. then, as the baby elephant opened his mouth to yawn, the remaining frog jumped down the elephant's throat. the audience was so much amused at this feat that the baby elephant thought he would see what he could do to please them; so he stood on his head and gave a great jump, and disappeared down his own throat, leaving the musicians to play by themselves. then all the young men caught the girls about their waists and began spinning around in a pretty dance of their own, and the fun continued until they were tired out. the king thanked the tiny wooden musicians and put them back in the ruby casket. he did not offer to take up a collection for them, there being no money of any kind in the valley of mo. the casket was then carried back to the royal treasury, where it was guarded with much care when not in use. just then a young man approached the king, asking permission for the people to skate on the crystal lake, and his majesty graciously consented. as it was never cold in the kingdom of mo there was, of course, no ice for skating. but the crystal lake was composed of sugar-syrup, and the sun had candied the surface of the lake, so it had become solid enough to skate on, and was, moreover, as smooth as glass. it was not often the king allowed skating there, for he feared some one might break through the crust; but as it was his birthday he could refuse the people nothing. so presently hundreds of the boys and girls were skating swiftly on the crystal lake and having rare sport; for it was just as good as ice, without being cold or damp. in the center there was one place where the crust was quite thin, and just as the merriment was at its height, crack! went the ice--or candy, rather--and down into the sugar-syrup sank the princess truella, and the prince jollikin, and the king's royal chamberlain, nuphsed. down and down they went until they reached the bottom of the lake; and there they stood, stuck fast in the syrup and unable to move a bit, while all the people gathered on the shore to look at them, the lake being as clear as the clearest water. of course, this calamity put an end to further skating, and the king rushed around asking every one how he could get his daughter and his son and his royal chamberlain out of the mass. but no one could tell him. finally the king consulted the wise donkey; and after he had thought the matter over and consulted his learning, the donkey advised his majesty to fish for them. "fish!" exclaimed the king; "how can we do that?" "take a fish-line and put a sinker on it, to make it sink through the syrup. then bait the end of the line with the thing that each one of them likes best. in that way you can catch hold of them and draw them out of the lake." "well," said the king, "i'll try it, for of course you know what you are talking about." "have you ever eaten a geography?" demanded the wise donkey. "no," said the king. "well, i have," declared the donkey, haughtily; "and what i don't know about lakes and such things isn't in the geography." so the king went back to the crystal lake and got a strong fish-line, which he tied to the end of a long pole. then he put a sinker on the end of the line and was ready for the bait. "what does the princess truella like best?" he asked the queen. "i'm sure i do not know," replied the royal lady; "but you might try her with a kiss." so one of the nicest young men sent a kiss to the princess, and the king tied it to the end of the line and put it in the lake. the sinker carried it down through the sugar-syrup until the kiss was just before the sweet, red lips of the pretty princess. she took the kiss at once, as the queen had guessed, and the king pulled up the line, with the princess at the end of it, until he finally landed her on the shore. then all the people shouted for joy and the queen took the princess truella home to change her clothes, for they were very sticky. "what does the prince jollikin like best?" asked the king. "a laugh!" replied a dozen at once, for every one knew the prince's failing. then one of the girls laughed quite hard, and the king tied it to the end of the line and dropped it into the lake. the prince caught the laugh at once, and was quickly drawn from the syrup and likewise sent home to change his clothes. then the king looked around on the people and asked: "what does the chamberlain nuphsed like best?" but they were all silent, for nuphsed liked so many things it was difficult to say which he liked best. so again the king was obliged to go to the wise donkey, in order to find out how he should bait the line to catch the royal chamberlain. the wise donkey happened to be busy that day over his own affairs and was annoyed at being consulted so frequently without receiving anything in return for his wisdom. but he pretended to consider the matter, as was his wont, and said: "i believe the royal chamberlain is fond of apples. try to catch him with a red apple." at this the king and his people hunted all over the kingdom, and at last found a tree with one solitary red apple growing on a little branch nearly at the top. but unfortunately some one had sawed off the trunk of the tree, close up to the branches, and had carried it away and chopped it up for kindling wood. for this reason there was no way to climb the tree to secure the apple. while the king and the people were considering how they might get into the tree, prince thinkabit came up to them and asked what they wanted. "we want the apple," replied the king, "but some one has cut away the tree trunk, so that we can not climb up." prince thinkabit rubbed the top of his head a minute, to get his brain into good working order. it was a habit he had acquired. then he walked to the bank of the river, which was near, and whistled three times. immediately a school of fishes swam up to him, and one of the biggest cried out: "good afternoon, prince thinkabit; what can we do for you?" "i wish to borrow a flying fish for a few minutes," replied the prince. scarcely had he spoken when a fish flew out of the river and perched upon his shoulder. then he walked up to the tree and said to the fish: "get me the apple." the flying fish at once flew into the tree and bit off the stem of the apple, which fell down and hit the king on the nose, for, unfortunately, he was standing exactly under it. then the prince thanked the flying fish and sent it back to the river, and the king, having first put a plaster over his nose, took the apple and started for the crystal lake, followed by all his people. but when the apple was fastened to the fish-line and let down through the syrup to the royal chamberlain, nuphsed refused to touch it. "he doesn't like it," said the king, with a sigh; and he went again to the wise donkey. "didn't he want the apple?" asked the donkey, as if surprised. but you must know he was not surprised at all, as he had planned to get the apple for himself. "no, indeed," replied the king. "we had an awful job to find the apple, too." "where is it?" inquired the donkey. "here," said the king, taking it out of his pocket. the donkey took the apple, looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, and then ate it up and smacked his lips, for he was especially fond of red apples. "what shall we do now?" asked the king. "i believe the thing nuphsed likes best is a kind word. bait the line with that, and you may catch him." so the king went again to the lake, and having put a kind word on the fish-line quickly succeeded in bringing the royal chamberlain to the shore in safety. you can well imagine poor nuphsed was glad enough to be on dry land after his long immersion in the sugar-syrup. and now that all had been rescued from the crystal lake, the king put a rope around the broken crust and stuck up a sign that said "danger!" so that no one else would fall in. after that the festivities began again, and as there were no further accidents the king's birthday ended very happily. _the sixth surprise_ king scowleyow and his cast-iron man across the mountains at the north of the valley of mo there reigned a wicked king named scowleyow, whose people lived in caves and mines and dug iron and tin out of the rocks and melted them into bars. these bars they then carried away and sold for money. king scowleyow hated the monarch of mo and all his people, because they lived so happily and cared nothing for money; and he would have sent his army into the valley to destroy the merry people who dwelt there had he not been afraid of the sharp swords that grew on their trees, which they knew so well how to use against their foes. so king scowleyow pondered for a long time how to destroy the valley of mo without getting hurt himself; and at last he hit on a plan he believed would succeed. he put all his mechanics to work and built a great man out of cast-iron, with machinery inside of him. when he was wound up the cast-iron man could roar, and roll his eyes, and gnash his teeth and march across the valley, crushing trees and houses to the earth as he went. for the cast-iron man was as tall as a church and as heavy as iron could make him, and each of his feet was as big as a barn. it took a long time to build this man, as you may suppose; but king scowleyow was so determined to ruin the pretty valley of mo that he made his men work night and day, and at last the cast-iron man was ready to be wound up and sent on his journey of destruction. they stood him on the top of the mountain, with his face toward the beautiful valley, and began to wind him up. it took a hundred men a whole week to do this; but at last he was tightly wound, and the wicked king scowleyow stood ready to touch the spring that made him go. "one--two--three!" said the king, and touched the spring with his ringer. the cast-iron man gave so terrible a roar that he even frightened the men who had made him; and then he rolled his eyes till they flashed fire, and gnashed his teeth till the noise sounded like thunder. the next minute he raised one great foot and stepped forward, crushing fifty trees that stood in his path, and then away he went, striding down the mountain, destroying everything that stood in his way, and nearing with every step the beautiful valley of mo. the king and his people were having a game of ball that day, and the dog was acting as umpire. suddenly, just as prince jollikin had made a home run and everybody was applauding him, a terrible roaring noise sounded in their ears, and they heard a great crashing of trees on the mountain side and saw a monstrous man approaching the valley. the people were so frightened they stood perfectly still, being unable to move through surprise and terror; but the dog ran with all his might toward the mountain to see what was the matter. just as the dog reached the foot of the mountain the cast-iron man came tramping along and stepped into the valley, where he ruined in one instant a large bed of lady-fingers and a whole patch of ripe pumpkin pies. indeed, the entire valley would soon have been destroyed had not the cast-iron man stubbed his toe against the dog and fallen flat on his face, where he lay roaring and gnashing his teeth, but unable to do any further harm. presently the king and his people recovered from their fright and gathered around their prostrate foe, marveling at his great size and strength. "had you not tripped him up," said the king to the dog, "this giant would certainly have destroyed my kingdom. who do you suppose was so wicked as to send this monster to crush us?" "it must have been king scowleyow," declared the dog, "for no one else would care to harm you, and the giant came from the direction of the wicked king's country." "yes," replied the monarch, thoughtfully, "it must indeed have been scowleyow; and it was a very unkind act, for we never harmed him in any way. but what shall we do with this great man? if he is left here he will scare all the children with his roarings, and none of the ladies will care to walk near this end of the valley. he is so heavy that not all of us together could lift him, and even if we succeeded we have no place to put him where he would be out of the way." this was indeed true; so all the people sat down in a circle around the cast-iron man and thought upon the matter intently for the space of an hour. then the monarch asked, solemnly, as became the importance of the occasion: "has any one thought of a way to get rid of him?" the people shook their heads gravely and thought deeply for another hour. at the end of that time the dog suddenly laughed, and called out in a voice so loud that it startled them: "i have thought of a way!" "good!" exclaimed the king. "let us hear your plan." "you see," explained the dog, "the cast-iron man is now lying on his face. if we could only roll him over on to his back, and then raise him to his feet again, he would be turned around, and would march straight back to where he came from, and do us no further harm." "that is a capital idea," replied the king. "but how can we roll him over, or make him stand up?" that puzzled them all for a while, but by and by prince thinkabit, who was a very clever young man, announced his readiness to undertake the job. "first, bring me a feather," commanded the prince. the royal chamberlain hunted around and soon found for him a long, fluffy feather. taking this in his hand the prince approached the cast-iron man and tickled him under the left arm with the end of the feather. "ouch!" said the cast-iron man, giving a jump and rolling completely over, so that he lay on his back. "hurrah!" cried the people, clapping their hands with joy at this successful stratagem; "the prince is a very wise prince, indeed!" prince thinkabit took off his hat and bowed politely to them in return for the compliment. then he said: "bring me a pin." so nuphsed brought him a pin with a very sharp point, and the prince took it and walked up to the cast-iron man, and gave him a sharp prod in the back with the point of the pin. "ouch!" again yelled the cast-iron man, giving at the same time such a great jump that he leaped square on his feet. but now, to their joy, they saw he was facing the mountains instead of the valley. as soon as the cast-iron man stood up the machinery began to work again, and he marched with great steps up the mountain side and over into the kingdom of the wicked scowleyow, where he crushed the king and all his people, and laid waste the land wherever he went. and that was their punishment for being envious of the good people of mo. as to the fate of the cast-iron man, he was wound up so tightly that he kept walking straight on until he reached the sea, where he stepped into the water, went down to the bottom, and stuck fast in the mud. and i have no doubt he is there to this day. _the seventh surprise_ timtom and the princess pattycake now of all the monarch's daughters the most beautiful by far was the princess pattycake. the deep blue of her eyes made even the sky envious, and the moss roses blushed when they saw the delicate bloom on her cheeks. the long strands of her silken hair were brighter than sunbeams, while her ears were like two tiny pink shells from the seashore. indeed, there was nothing in all the valley so dainty and pretty as princess pattycake, and many young men would have loved her had they dared. but, alas! the princess had a most terrible temper, and never was pleased with anything; so the young men, and even the old ones, were afraid to come near her. she scolded from morning till night; she stamped her pretty foot with rage when any one spoke to her; and if ever her brothers tried to reason with her she boxed their ears so soundly that they were glad to let her alone. even the good queen could not love pattycake as she did her other children, and the king often sighed when he thought of the ugly disposition of his beautiful daughter. of course no one cared very much for her society, and she sat in her room all day long, refusing to join the others in their sports and games, and becoming more moody and bad-tempered the older she grew. one day a young man came to the court to bring pickled peaches to his majesty, the king. the youth's name was timtom, and he lived so far away and came so seldom to court that never before had he seen the princess pattycake. when he looked into her sweet, blue eyes he loved her at once for her beauty, and being both brave and bold he went directly to the king and asked for pattycake's hand in marriage. his majesty was naturally surprised at so strange a request; so he said to the young man: "what does the princess say? does she love you?" "i do not know," replied timtom, "for i have never spoken with her." "well," said the king, much amazed at the ignorance and temerity of the youth, "go and speak to my daughter about the matter, and then come and tell me what she replies." timtom went at once to the room where princess pattycake was moodily sitting, and said, boldly: "i should like to marry you." "what!" screamed the princess, in a great rage; "marry me! go away this instant, you impudent boy, or i shall throw my shoe at your head!" timtom was both surprised and shocked at this outburst, but he realized that the princess had a remarkably bad temper. still he was not moved from his purpose, for she was so pretty he decided not to abandon the attempt to win her. "do not be angry, for i love you," he pleaded, looking bravely into pattycake's blue eyes. "love me?" echoed the surprised princess; "that is not possible! every one else hates me." "they do not hate you," ventured timtom; "it is your temper they hate." "but my temper and i are one," answered the princess, harshly, as she stamped her foot. "surely that is not so," returned the young man, "for certainly i love you, while your temper i do not like a bit. don't you think you could love me?" "perhaps i might, if you could cure my bad temper; but my temper will not allow me to love any one. in fact, i believe that unless you go away at once i shall be obliged to box your ears!" there seemed to be no help for her, so timtom left the room sadly, and going to the king, told him what she had said. "then that is the end of the matter," declared the king, "for no one can cure pattycake of her bad temper." "i am resolved to try, nevertheless," replied timtom, "and, if i succeed, you must give me the princess in marriage." "i will, and my blessing into the bargain," answered the king, heartily. then timtom left the court, and went back to his father's house, where he thought on the problem for a week and a day. at the end of that time he was no nearer solving it than he was before; but his mother, who had noticed that her boy was in trouble, now came to him to ask the cause of his sad looks. timtom told her all about the princess pattycake, and of his love for her, and the evil temper that would not be cured. his mother gave him her sympathy, and after some thought, said to him: "you must go to the sorceress maetta and ask her assistance. she is a good lady, and a friend to all the king's family. i am quite sure she will aid you, if only you can find your way to the castle in which she lives." "where is this castle?" asked timtom, brightening up. "away to the south, in the midst of a thick wood," answered his mother. "then," said he, sturdily, "if this castle exists, i will surely find it, for to win pattycake is my only hope of happiness." the next day he set out on his journey, filled with the hope of finding maetta's castle and securing her assistance. before he had gone very far a snow-storm began to rage. now, the snow-storms in mo are different from ours, for the snow is popcorn, and on this day it fell so thick and fast that poor timtom had much difficulty in wading through it. he was obliged to stop frequently to rest, and ate a great deal of the popcorn that cumbered his path, for it was nicely buttered and salted. finally, to his joy, it stopped snowing, and then he was able to walk along easily until he came to the river of needles. when he looked on this river he was nearly discouraged, and could not think of a way to get across; for instead of water the river flowed a perfect stream of sharp, glittering needles. sitting down on the bank, he was wondering what he should do when to his astonishment a small but sharp and disagreeable voice said to him: "where are you going, stranger?" timtom looked down between his feet and saw a black spider, which sat on a blade of grass and watched him curiously. "i am on my way to visit the sorceress maetta," replied timtom; "but i can not get across the river of needles." "they are very sharp, and would make a thousand holes through you in an instant," remarked the spider, thoughtfully. "but perhaps i can help you. if you are willing to grant me a favor in return, i will gladly build a bridge, so you may cross the river in safety." "what is the favor?" he asked. "i have lost an eye, and you must ask the sorceress to give me a new one, for i can see but half as well as i could before." "i will gladly do this for you," said timtom. "very well; then i will build you a bridge," promised the spider; "but if you have not the eye with you when you return i shall destroy the bridge, and you will never be able to get home again." the young man agreed to this, for he was anxious to proceed. so the spider threw a web across the river, and then another, and another, until it had made a bridge of spider-web strong enough for timtom to cross over. it bent and swayed when his weight was on the slender bridge, but it did not break, and after he was safe across he thanked the spider and renewed his promise to bring back the eye. then he hurried away on his journey, for he had lost much time at the river. but, to his dismay, the young man shortly came to a deep gulf, that barred his way as completely as had the river of needles. he peered down into it and saw it had no bottom, but opened away off at the other side of the world. here was an obstacle which might well dishearten the boldest traveler, and timtom was so grieved that he sat down on the brink and wept tears of disappointment. "what is troubling you?" asked a soft voice in his ear. turning his head the youth saw a beautiful white bird sitting beside him. "i wish to visit the castle of the sorceress maetta on very important business," he replied, "but i can not get over the gulf." "i could carry you over with ease," said the bird, "and shall gladly do so if, in return, you promise to grant me one favor." "what is the favor?" inquired timtom. "i have forgotten my song, through having a sore throat for a long time," replied the bird. "so, try as i may, i can not sing a single note. if you will agree to bring me a new song from the sorceress i will take you over the gulf, and bring you back when you return. but unless you bring the song i shall not carry you over again." timtom joyfully agreed to this bargain, and then, sitting on the bird's neck, he was borne safely across the deep gulf. after continuing his journey for an hour without further interruption he saw before him the edge of a great wood, and knew that in the midst of this forest of trees was the castle of maetta. he thought then that his difficulties were all over, and tramped bravely on until he reached the wood. what, now, was the youth's horror on discovering on one side of his path a great lion, crouched ready to spring on any one who ventured to enter the wood, while on the other side was a monstrous tiger, likewise prepared to attack any intruder. the fierce beasts were growling terribly, and their eyes glowed like balls of fire. timtom gladly would have turned back had such a thing been possible, for his heart was full of fear. but he remembered that without the bird's song and the spider's eye he could never reach home again. he also thought of the pretty face of princess pattycake, and this gave him courage. resolving to perish, if need be, rather than fail in his adventure, the youth stepped boldly forward, and when he approached the snarling guardians of the forest he gave one bound and dashed into the wood. at the same moment the lion leaped at him from one side and the tiger from the other, and no doubt they would have devoured him had not timtom's foot slipped just then and thrown him flat on the ground. the lion and the tiger therefore met in mid air, and each one thinking it had hold of timtom, tried to tear him to pieces, with the result that in a few moments they had devoured each other instead of him. the youth now strode rapidly through the wood, and was getting along famously when he came to a high wall of jasper that completely blocked his way. it was smooth as glass, and timtom saw no way of climbing over it. while he stood wondering how he might overcome this new obstacle a gray rabbit hopped out from the bushes and asked: "where do you wish to go, stranger?" "to the castle of the sorceress maetta," answered timtom. "well, perhaps i can assist you," said the rabbit. "i need a new tail badly, for my old one is merely a stump, and no use at all in fly-time. if you will be kind enough to get me a new tail from the sorceress maetta--a long, nice, bushy tail--i will dig under the wall, and so make a passage for you to the other side." "i shall be pleased to return the favor by bringing you the tail," declared timtom, eagerly. "very well; then you shall see how fast i can work," returned the rabbit. immediately it began digging away with its little paws, and in a very short time had made a hole large enough for timtom to crawl under the wall. "if you do not bring the tail," said the rabbit, in a warning voice, "i shall fill up the hole again, so that you will be unable to get back." "oh, i shall bring the tail, never fear," answered the youth, and hurried away toward the castle of maetta, which was now visible through the trees. the castle was built of pure, white marble, and was very big and beautiful. it stood in a lovely garden filled with blue roses and pink buttercups, where fountains of gold spouted showers of diamonds, and rubies, and emeralds, and amethysts, all of which sparkled in the sun so gorgeously that it made timtom's eyes ache just to look at them. however, he had not come to admire these things, gorgeous and beautiful though they were, but to win the princess pattycake; so he walked to the entrance of the castle, and seeing no one about, entered the great door-way and passed through. he found himself in a passage-way covered with mother-of-pearl, where many electric lights were hidden in shells of most exquisite tintings. at the other end of the passage was a door studded with costly gems. timtom walked up to this door and knocked on it. immediately it swung open, and the youth found himself in a chamber entirely covered with diamonds. in the center was a large diamond throne, and on this sat maetta, clothed in a pure white gown, with a crown of diamonds on her brow and in her hand a golden scepter tipped with one enormous diamond that glowed like a ball of fire. above the throne was a diamond-covered chandelier, with hundreds of electric lights, and these made the grand chamber of diamonds glitter so brightly that timtom was nearly blinded, and had to shade his eyes with his hand. but after a few moments he grew accustomed to the brightness and advancing to the throne fell on his knees before the sorceress and begged her earnestly to grant him her assistance. maetta was the most beautiful woman in all the world, but she was likewise gracious and kind. so she smiled sweetly on the youth, bidding him, in a voice like a silver bell, to arise from his knees and sit before her. timtom obeyed and looked around for a chair, but could see none in the room. the lady made a motion with her scepter and instantly at his side appeared a splendid diamond chair, in which the young man seated himself, finding it remarkably comfortable. "tell me what you desire," said the sorceress, in her sweet voice. "i love the princess pattycake," replied timtom, without hesitation. "but she has so evil a disposition that she has refused to marry me unless i am able to cure her of her bad temper, which not only makes her miserable but ruins the pleasure of every one about her. so, knowing your power and the kindness of your heart, i have been bold enough to seek your castle, that i might crave your assistance, without which i can not hope to accomplish my purpose." maetta waved her scepter thrice above her head, and a golden pill dropped at timtom's feet. "your request is granted," she said. "if you can induce the princess to swallow this pill her evil temper will disappear, and i know she will love you dearly for having cured her. take great care of it, for if it should be lost i can not give you another. do you wish me to grant any other request before you return to the court?" then timtom remembered the rabbit, and the bird, and the spider, and told maetta how he had promised to bring back a gift for each of them. so the kind sorceress gave him a nice, bushy tail for the rabbit, and a very pretty song for the bird, and a new, bright eye for the spider. these timtom put in a little red box and placed the box carefully in his pocket. but the golden pill he tied into the corner of his handkerchief, for that was more precious than the rest. having thanked the generous lady for her kindness and respectfully kissed the white hand she held out to him, timtom left the chamber of diamonds and was soon proceeding joyfully on his homeward way. in a short time he reached the wall of jasper, but the rabbit was not to be seen. so, while he awaited its coming, he lay down to rest, and being tired by the long journey was soon fast asleep. and while he slept a sly fox stole out from the wood and discovered timtom lying on the ground. "oh, ho!" said the sly fox to himself, "this young man has been to visit the sorceress, and i'll warrant he has some fine gift from her in that little red box i see sticking out from his pocket. i must try to steal that box and see what is in it!" then, while the youth slumbered, unconscious of danger, the sly fox carefully drew the little red box from his pocket, and, taking it in his mouth, ran off into the woods with it. soon after this the rabbit came back, and when it saw timtom lying asleep it awakened him and asked: "where is my new tail?" "oh, i have brought you a fine one," replied timtom, with a smile. "it is in this little red box." but when he searched for the box he discovered it had been stolen. so great was his distress at the loss that the gray rabbit was sorry for him. "i shall never be able to get home again," he moaned, weeping tears of despair, "for all the gifts maetta gave me are now lost forever!" "never mind," said the rabbit, "i shall allow you to go under the wall without giving me the tail, for i know you tried to keep your promise. i suppose i can make this stubby tail do a while longer, since it is the only one i ever possessed. but beware when you come to the bird and the spider, for they will not be so kind to you as i am. the bird has no heart at all, and the spider's heart is hard as a stone. still i advise you to keep up your courage, for if you are brave and fearless you may succeed in getting home, after all. if you can not cross the gulf and the river of needles, you are welcome to come back and live with me." hearing this, timtom dried his eyes and thanked the kind rabbit, after which he crawled under the wall and resumed his journey. he became more cheerful as he trudged along, for the golden pill was still safe in the corner of his handkerchief. when he came to the white bird and began to explain how it was he had lost the song and could not keep his promise, the bird became very angry and refused to listen to his excuses. nor could he induce it to carry him again across the gulf. "i shall keep my word," declared the bird, stiffly; "for i warned you that if you returned without the song i should refuse to assist you further." poor timtom was at his wits' end to know what to do; so he sat down near the brink of the gulf and twirled his thumbs and tried to keep up his courage and think of some plan, while the white bird strutted around in a cold and stately manner. now it seems that just about this time the sly fox reached his den and opened the little red box to see what was in it. the spider's eye, being small, rolled out into the moss and was lost. the fox thought he would put the bushy tail on himself and see if it would not add to his beauty, and while he did this the song escaped from the box and was blown by the wind directly to the spot where timtom was sitting beside the gulf. he happened to hear the song coming, so he took off his hat and caught it, after which he called to the bird that he had found the song again. "then i shall keep my promise," said the bird. "first, however, let me try the song and see if it is suited to my voice." so he tried the song and liked it fairly well. "it sounds something like a comic opera," said the bird, "but, after all, it will serve my purpose very nicely." a minute later timtom rejoiced to find himself on the other side of the gulf, and so much nearer home. but when he came to the river of needles there was more trouble in store for him, for the spider became so angry at the loss of its eye that it tore down the spider-web bridge, and refused to build another. this was indeed discouraging to the traveler, and he sat down beside the river and looked longingly at the farther shore. the spider paid no attention to him, but curled up and went to sleep, and the needles looked at him curiously out of their small eyes as they flowed by in an endless stream. after a time a wren came flying along, and when it noticed the look of despair on timtom's face the little creature perched on his shoulder and asked: "what is your trouble, young man?" timtom related his adventures to the sympathetic wren, and when he came to the loss of the spider's eye and the refusal of the spiteful creature to allow him to cross the bridge, the wren exclaimed, with every appearance of surprise: "a spider's eye, did you say? why, i believe that is what i have here in my claw!" "where?" cried timtom, eagerly. the wren hopped into his lap, and carefully opening one of its tiny claws disclosed the identical spider's eye which maetta had given him. "that is wonderful!" exclaimed timtom, in amazement. "but where did you get it?" "i found it in the wood, hidden in the moss near the den of the sly fox. it is so bright and sparkling i thought i would take it home for my children to play with. but now, as you seem to want it so badly, i shall have much pleasure in restoring it to you." timtom thanked the little wren most gratefully, and called to the spider to come and get its eye. when the spider tried the eye, and found that it fitted perfectly and was even brighter than the old one, it became very polite to the young man, and soon built the bridge again. having passed over the glittering needles in safety timtom pushed forward on his way, being urged to haste by the delays he had suffered. when he reached the place where he had encountered the snow-storm, he found the birds had eaten all the pop-corn, so he was able to proceed without interruption. at last he reached the monarch of mo's palace and demanded an audience with the princess pattycake. but the young lady, being in an especially bad temper that day, positively refused to see him. having overcome so many obstacles, timtom did not intend to be thwarted by a sulky girl, so he walked boldly to the room where the princess sat alone, every one being afraid to go near her. "good day, my dear pattycake," he said pleasantly; "i have come to cure your bad temper." "i do not want to be cured!" cried the princess, angrily. "go away at once, or i shall hurt you!" "i shall not go away until you have promised to marry me," replied timtom, firmly. at this pattycake began to scream with rage, and threw her shoe straight at his head. timtom dodged the shoe and paid no attention to the naughty action, but continued to look at the pretty princess smilingly. seeing this, pattycake rushed forward and seizing him by his hair began to pull with all her strength. at the same time she opened her mouth to scream, and while it was open timtom threw the golden pill down her throat. immediately the princess released his hair and sank at his feet sobbing and trembling, while she covered her pretty face with her hands to hide her blushes and shame. timtom tenderly patted her bowed head, and tried to comfort her, saying: "do not weep, sweetheart; for the bad temper has left you at last, and now every one will love you dearly." "can you forgive me for having been so naughty?" asked pattycake, looking up at him pleadingly from her sweet blue eyes. "i have forgiven you already," answered timtom, promptly; "for it was not you, but the temper, that made you so naughty." the princess pattycake dried her tears and kissed timtom, promising to marry him; and together they went to seek the king and queen. those good people were greatly delighted at the change in their daughter, and consented at once to the betrothal. a week later there was a great feast in the valley of mo, and much rejoicing among the people, for it was the wedding-day of timtom and the princess pattycake. _the eighth surprise_ the bravery of prince jollikin there is no country so delightful but that it suffers some disadvantages, and so it was with the valley of mo. at times the good people were obliged to leave their games and sports to defend themselves against a foe or some threatened disaster. but there was one danger they never suspected, which at last came upon them very suddenly. away at the eastern end of the valley was a rough plain, composed entirely of loaf sugar covered with boulders of rock candy which were piled up in great masses reaching nearly to the foot of the mountains, containing many caves and recesses. the people seldom came here, as there was nothing to tempt them, the rock candy being very hard and difficult to walk on. in one of the great hollows formed by the rock candy lived a monstrous gigaboo, completely shut in by the walls of its cavern. it had been growing and growing for so many years that it had attained an enormous size. for fear you may not know what a gigaboo is i shall describe this one. its body was round, like that of a turtle, and on its back was a thick shell. from the center of the body rose a long neck, much like that of a goose, with a most horrible looking head perched on the top of it. this head was round as a ball, and had four mouths on the sides of it and seven eyes set in a circle and projecting several inches from the head. the gigaboo walked on ten short but thick legs, and in front of its body were two long arms, tipped with claws like those of a lobster. so sharp and strong were these claws that the creature could pinch a tree in two easily. its eyes were remarkably bright and glittering, one being red in color, another green, and the others yellow, blue, black, purple and crimson. it was a dreadful monster to see--only no one had yet seen it, for it had grown up in the confinement of its cave. but one day the gigaboo became so big and strong that in turning around it broke down the walls of the cavern, and finding itself at liberty, the monster walked out into the lovely valley of mo to see how much evil it could do. the first thing the gigaboo came to was a large orchard of preserved apricots, and after eating a great quantity of the preserves it wilfully cut off the trees with its sharp claws and utterly ruined them. why the gigaboo should have done this i can not tell; but scientists say these creatures are by nature destructive, and love to ruin everything they come across. one of the people, being in the neighborhood, came on the monster and witnessed its terrible deeds; whereupon he ran in great terror to tell the king that the gigaboo was on them and ready to destroy the entire valley. although no one had ever before seen a gigaboo, or even heard of one, the news was so serious that in a short time the king and many of his people came to the place where the monster was, all having hastily armed themselves with swords and spears. but when they saw the gigaboo they were afraid, and stood gazing at it in alarm, without knowing what to do or how to attack it. "who among us can hope to conquer this great beast?" asked the king, in dismay. "yet something must be done, or soon we shall not have a tree left standing in all the valley of mo." the people looked at one another in a frightened way, but no one volunteered his services or offered to advise the monarch what to do. at length prince jollikin, who had been watching the monster earnestly, stepped forward and offered to fight the gigaboo alone. "in a matter of this kind," said he, "one man is as good as a dozen. so you will all stand back while i see where the beast can best be attacked." "is your sword sharp?" asked his father, the king, anxiously. "it was the sharpest on the tree," replied the prince. "if i fail to kill the monster, at least it can not kill me, although it may cause me some annoyance. at any rate, our trees must be saved, so i will do the best i can." with this manly speech he walked straight toward the gigaboo, which, when it saw him approaching, raised and lowered its long neck and twirled its head around, so that all the seven eyes might get a glimpse of its enemy. now you must remember, when you read what follows, that no inhabitant of the valley of mo can ever be killed by anything. if one is cut to pieces, the pieces still live; and, although this seems strange, you will find, if you ever go to this queer valley, that it is true. perhaps it was the knowledge of this fact that made prince jollikin so courageous. "if i can but manage to cut off that horrible head with my sword," thought he, "the beast will surely die." so the prince rushed forward and made a powerful stroke at its neck; but the blow fell short, and cut off, instead, one of the gigaboo's ten legs. quick as lightning the monster put out a claw and nipped the prince's arm which held the sword, cutting it from its body. as the sword fell the prince caught it in his other hand and struck again; but the blow fell on the beast's shell, and did no harm. the gigaboo, now very angry, at once nipped off the prince's left arm with one of its claws, and his head with the other. the arm fell on the ground and the head rolled down a little hill behind some bonbon bushes. the prince, having lost both arms, and his head as well, now abandoned the fight and turned to run, knowing it would be folly to resist the monster further. but the gigaboo gave chase, and so swiftly did its nine legs carry it that soon it overtook the prince and nipped off both his legs. then, its seven eyes flashing with anger, the gigaboo turned toward the rest of the people, as if seeking a new enemy; but the brave men of mo, seeing the sad plight of their prince and being afraid of the awful nippers on the beast's claws, decided to run away; which they did, uttering as they went loud cries of terror. but had they looked back they might not have gone so fast nor so far; for when the gigaboo heard their cries it, in turn, became frightened, having been accustomed all its life to silence; so that it rushed back to its cavern of rock candy and hid itself among the boulders. when prince jollikin's head stopped rolling, he opened his eyes and looked about him, but could see no one; for the people and the gigaboo had now gone. so, being unable to move, he decided to lie quiet for a time, and this was not a pleasant thing for an active young man like the prince to do. to be sure, he could wiggle his ears a bit, and wink his eyes; but that was the extent of his powers. after a few minutes, because he had a cheerful disposition and wished to keep himself amused, he began to whistle a popular song; and then, becoming interested in the tune, he whistled it over again with variations. the prince's left leg, lying a short distance away, heard his whistle, and, recognizing the variations, at once ran up to the head. "well," said the prince, "here is a part of me, at any rate. i wonder where the rest of me can be." just then, hearing the sound of his voice, the right leg ran up to the head. "where is my body?" asked the prince. but the legs did not know. "pick up my head and place it on top of my legs," continued the prince; "then, with my eyes and your feet, we can hunt around until we find the rest of me." obeying this command, the legs took the head and started off; and perhaps you can imagine how funny the prince's head looked perched on his legs, with neither body nor arms. after a careful search they found the body lying upon the ground at the foot of a shrimp-salad tree. but nothing more could be done without the arms; so they next searched for those, and, having discovered them, the legs kicked them to where the body lay. the arms now took the head from the legs and put the legs on the body where they belonged. then the right arm stuck the left arm in its place, after which the left arm picked up the right arm and placed it also where it belonged. then all that remained was for the prince to place his head on his shoulders, and there he was--as good as new! he picked up his sword, and was feeling himself all over to see if he was put together right, when he chanced to look up and saw the gigaboo again coming toward him. the beast had recovered from its fright, and, tempted by its former success, again ventured forth. but prince jollikin did not intend to be cut to pieces a second time. he quickly climbed a tree and hid himself among the branches. presently the gigaboo came to the tree and reached its head up to eat a cranberry tart. quick as a flash the prince swung his sword downward, and so true was his stroke that he cut off the monster's head with ease. then the gigaboo rolled over on its back and died, for wild and ferocious beasts may be killed in mo as well as in other parts of the world. having vanquished his enemy, prince jollikin climbed down from the tree and went to tell the people that the gigaboo was dead. when they heard this joyful news they gave their prince three cheers, and loved him better than ever for his bravery. the king was so pleased that he presented his son with a tin badge, set with diamonds, on the back of which was engraved the picture of a gigaboo. although prince jollikin was glad to be the hero of his nation, and enjoyed the triumph of having been able to conquer his ferocious enemy, he did not escape some inconvenience. for, as the result of his adventure, he found himself very stiff in the joints for several days after his fight with the gigaboo. _the ninth surprise_ the wizard and the princess within the depths of the mountains which bordered the valley of mo to the east lived a wicked wizard in a cavern of rubies. it was many, many feet below the surface of the earth and cut off entirely from the rest of the world, save for one passage which led through dangerous caves and tunnels to the top of the highest mountain. so that, in order to get out of his cavern, the wizard was obliged to come to this mountain top, and from there descend to the outside world. the wizard lived all alone; but he did not mind that, for his thoughts were always on his books and studies, and he seldom showed himself on the surface of the earth. but when he did go out every one laughed at him; for this powerful magician was no taller than my knee, and was very old and wrinkled, so that he looked comical indeed beside an ordinary man. the wizard was nearly as sensitive as he was wicked, and was sorry he had not grown as big as other people; so the laughter that always greeted him made him angry. at last he determined to find some magical compound that would make him grow bigger. he shut himself up in his cave and searched diligently amongst his books until, finally, he found a formula recommended by some dead and gone magician as sure to make any one grow a foot each day so long as the dose was taken. most of the ingredients were quite easy to procure, being such as spiders' livers, kerosene oil and the teeth of canary birds, mixed together in a boiling caldron. but the last item of the recipe was so unusual that it made the wizard scratch his head in perplexity. it was the big toe of a young and beautiful princess. the wizard thought on the matter for three days, but nowhere could he think of a young and beautiful princess who would willingly part with her big toe--even that he might grow to be as big as he wished. then, as such a thing was not to be come by honestly, the wicked wizard resolved to steal it. so he went through all the caves and passages until he came to the mountain-top. standing on the point of a rock he placed one hand on his chin and the other on the back of his neck, and then recited the following magical incantation: "i wish to go to steal the big toe of a princess i know, in order to grow quite big. and so _i'll change, to a crow!"_ no sooner had he spoken the words than he changed into a black crow, and flew away into the valley of mo, where he hid himself in a tall tree that grew near the king's palace. that morning, as the princess truella was lying late in bed, with one of her dainty pink feet sticking out from under the covers, in through the window fluttered a black crow, which picked off her big toe and immediately flew away with it. the princess awoke with a scream and was horrified to find her beautiful foot ruined by the loss of her biggest toe. when the king and queen and the princes and princesses, having heard her outcry, came running in to see what was the matter, they were each and all very indignant at the theft. but, search as they might, nowhere could they find the audacious black crow, nor the princess' big toe, and the whole court was in despair. finally timtom, who was now a prince, suggested that truella seek assistance from the kind sorceress maetta, who had helped him out of his own difficulties. the princess thought well of this idea, and determined to undertake a journey to the castle. she whistled for her favorite stork, and soon the great bird came to her side. it was pure white, and of an extraordinary size. when the stork had been saddled the princess kissed her father and mother good by and seated herself on the bird's back, when it instantly rose into the air and flew away toward the castle of maetta. traveling in this pleasant way, high in the air, the princess crossed the river of needles and the deep gulf and the dangerous wood, and at last was set down safe at the castle gates. maetta welcomed the pretty princess very cordially and, on being told of her misfortune, at once agreed to assist her. so the sorceress consulted her oracle, which told her truly anything she wanted to know, and then said to the princess: "your toe is in the possession of the wicked wizard who lives in the ruby cave under the mountains. in order to recover it you must go yourself to seek it; but i warn you that the wizard will put every obstacle in your path to prevent your finding the toe and taking it from him." "oh, dear!" exclaimed truella, "i am afraid i shall never be able to get my toe from such a horrid man." "have courage, and trust in me," returned maetta, "for i believe my powers are stronger than his. i shall now furnish you the weapons you must use to overcome him. here is a magic umbrella, and in this basket which you must carry on your arm, you will find a lump of putty, an iron ball, a mirror, a package of chewing-gum and a magic veil, all of which will be very useful. here, also, is a winged dagger, with which you must protect yourself if the wizard attempts to harm you. with these enchanted weapons and a brave heart i believe you will succeed. so kiss me, my child, and start on your journey." truella thanked the kind sorceress, and mounting the saddle of her stork flew away toward the high mountain in which dwelt the wicked wizard. but the naughty man, by means of his black magic, saw her coming, and sent such a fierce wind to blow against her that it prevented the stork from making any headway through the air. therefore, in spite of his huge wings and remarkable strength, the brave bird was unable to get an inch nearer the mountain. when truella saw this she put up the umbrella and held it in front of the stork; whereupon, being shielded from the wind, he flew easily to the mountain. the princess now dismounted and, looking into the hole at the top of the mountain, discovered a flight of stairs leading downward. taking her basket on her arm, as she had been directed, truella walked boldly down the steps until she came to a door. but then she shrank back in affright, for before the door was coiled a great serpent, not quite a mile long and fully as large around as a stick of wood. the girl knew she must manage in some way to overcome this terrible creature, so when the serpent opened its mouth and raised its head to bite her, she reached within the basket, and finding the lump of putty, threw it quickly into the serpent's mouth. the creature snapped its jaws together so suddenly that its teeth stuck fast in the putty, and this made it so furious that it wriggled around until it had tied itself into a hard knot, and could wriggle no longer. seeing there was no further danger, the princess passed the door and entered a large cave, which was but dimly lighted. while she paused to allow her eyes to become accustomed to the darkness, so she might see her way, a faint rustling sound reached her ears, and a moment later there came toward her a hideous old woman, lean and bent, with wrinkled face and piercing black eyes. she had only one tooth, but that was of enormous size, being nearly as large as the tusk of an elephant; and it curved out of her mouth and down under her chin, where it ended in a very sharp point. her finger-nails were a foot long, and they, also, were very sharp and strong. "what are you doing here?" asked the old woman, in a harsh voice, while she moved her horrible fingers, as if about to scratch out truella's eyes. "i came to see the wizard," said the princess, calmly, "and if you will allow me to pass i shall give you, in return for the favor, some delicious chewing-gum." "chewing-gum!" croaked the old woman, "what is that?" "it is a dainty of which all ladies are very fond," replied truella, taking the packet from her basket. "this is it." the old woman hesitated a moment, and then said: "well, i'll try the chewing-gum and see what it is like; there will be plenty of time to scratch out your eyes afterwards." she placed the gum in her mouth and tried to chew it, but when she shut her jaws together the great tusk went straight through her neck and came out at the back. the old hag gave a scream and put up her hands to pull out the tusk again, but so great was her excitement that in her haste she scratched out both her own eyes, and could no longer see where the princess was standing. so truella ran through the cave and came to, a door, on which she knocked. instantly it flew open, and before her she saw another cave, this time brightly lighted, but filled with knives and daggers, which were flying about in every direction. to enter this cave was impossible, for the princess saw she would immediately be pierced by dozens of the sharp daggers. so she hesitated for a time, not knowing how to proceed; but, chancing to remember her basket, she took from it the iron ball, which she tossed into the center of the cave of daggers. at once the dangerous weapons began to strike against the ball, and as soon as they touched it they were broken and fell to the floor. in a short time every one of the knives and daggers had been spoiled by contact with the iron ball, and truella passed safely through the cave and came to another long stairway leading downward. at the bottom of this she reached the third cave, and came upon a horrible monster. it had the body of a zebra, the legs of a rhinoceros, the neck of a giraffe, the head of a bull dog, and three corrugated tails. this monster at once began to growl and run toward her, showing its terrible teeth and lashing its three tails. the princess snatched the mirror from her basket and, as the creature came near her, she held the glittering surface before its eyes. it gave one look into the mirror and fell lifeless at her feet, being frightened to death by its own reflection in the mirror. truella now walked through several more caves and descended a long flight of stairs, which brought her to another door, on which was a sign that read: "a. wizard, esq., office hours: from 10:45 until a quarter to 11." the princess, knowing that she had now reached the den of the wizard who had stolen her big toe, knocked boldly on the door. "come in!" called a voice. truella obeyed, and found herself in a large cave, the walls of which were lined with rubies. in each of the four corners were big electric lights, and these, shining upon the rubies, filled the cave with a deep red glow. the wizard himself sat at his desk in one of the corners, and when the princess entered he looked up and exclaimed: "what! is it you? really, i did not expect to see you. how did you manage to pass the guards i placed within the caves and passageways to prevent your coming here?" "oh, that was not difficult," answered truella, "for you must know i am protected by a power stronger than your own." the wizard was much annoyed at this reply, for he knew it was true, and that only by cunning could he hope to oppose the pretty princess. still, he was resolved not to give up the big toe unless obliged to, for it was necessary to complete the magic compound. "what do you want?" he asked, after a moment's thought. "i want the toe you stole from me while i was asleep." the wizard knew it was useless to deny the theft, so he replied: "very well; take a chair, and i will see if i can find it." but truella feared the little man was deceiving her; so when he turned his back she took the magic veil from her basket and threw it over her head. immediately it began unfolding until it covered her completely, from head to foot. the wizard walked over to a cupboard, which he opened; and, while pretending to search for the toe, he suddenly turned on a big faucet that was concealed under a shelf. at once the thunder rolled, the lightning flashed, and from the arched ceiling of the cavern drops of fire began to fall, coming thicker and thicker until a perfect shower of burning drops filled the room. these fell hissing upon truella's veil, but could not penetrate it, for they all bounded off and were scattered upon the rocky floor, where they soon burned themselves out. seeing this the wizard gave a sigh of disappointment and turned off the faucet, when the fire-drops ceased to fall. "please excuse this little interruption," he said, as if he had not been the cause of it himself. "i'll find the toe in a few minutes. i must have mislaid it somewhere." but truella suspected he was up to more mischief, and was on her guard. she saw him stealthily press a button, and in the same instant a deep gulf opened in the floor of the cave, half way between the princess and the wizard. truella did not know what this meant, at first, unless it was to prevent her getting across the room to where her toe was; but soon she noticed that the gulf was moving toward her, slowly, but steadily; and, as it extended across the cave from wall to wall, it would in time be sure to reach the spot where she stood, when she would, of course, fall into it. when she saw her danger the princess became frightened, and tried to escape through the door by which she had entered; but to her dismay she found it locked. then she turned to look at the wizard. the little man had perched himself upon a high stool, and was carelessly swinging his feet and laughing with glee at truella's awful peril. he thought that at last he had certainly found a way to destroy her. the poor princess again looked into the gulf, which was gradually getting nearer and nearer; and she shuddered at its vast depths. a cold wind began to sweep up from the abyss, and she heard mocking laughter and savage growls from below, as if evil spirits were eagerly waiting to seize her. just as she was giving way to despair, and the gulf had crept very close to her feet, truella thought of her winged dagger. she drew it from her bosom and, pointing it toward her enemy, said: "save me from the wizard's art- fly until you reach his heart. foil his power and set me free, this is my command to thee!" in a flash the dagger flew from her hand and struck the wizard full on his breast. with a loud cry he fell forward into the gulf, which in the same instant closed up with a crash. then, when the rocks about her had ceased trembling from the shock, the door swung open, leaving the princess at liberty to go where she pleased. she now searched the wizard's cupboard until she found her toe, which had been safely hidden in a little ivory box. truella stopped only long enough to put on her toe, and then she ran through the caves and up the stairways until she reached the top of the mountain again. there she found her stork patiently awaiting her and, having seated herself on its back, she rode safely and triumphantly back to her father's palace. the king and queen were delighted when she recounted to them the success of her adventure, but they shuddered when they learned of the fearful dangers their sweet little daughter had encountered. "it seems to me," said the good queen, "that a big toe is scarcely worth all the trouble you have had in recovering it." "perhaps not," replied the princess, thoughtfully; "but a big toe is very handy to have when you wish to dance; and, after all, i succeeded in destroying the wicked wizard, which surely repays me for the trials i have been forced to undergo." _the tenth surprise_ the duchess bredenbutta's visit to turvyland the duchess bredenbutta was forty-seventh cousin to the monarch of mo and great-grandniece to the queen; so you can readily see she was nearly related to the princess pattycake and had blue blood in her veins. she lived in a pretty house on the banks of rootbeer river, and one of her favorite amusements was to row on the river in her boat, which, although rather small, was light as a cork. one day, as usual, the duchess went for a row on the river, expecting to return home in about an hour; but after floating a long distance down the stream she fell asleep in the boat and did not awake until she felt a sudden shock. then, sitting up and looking about her, she found, to her alarm, that the boat had drifted to the end of the land of mo, and was in the rapids leading to the great hole in the ground where the river disappeared from view. becoming very much frightened, bredenbutta looked for the oars of her boat, that she might row to the bank; but soon she discovered that the oars had fallen overboard and were lost, leaving her without any means of saving herself. the poor duchess now began to cry out; but no one heard her. gradually the boat came nearer and nearer to the great hole, now bumping against the rocks and now spinning around with the current, until at last it paused for an instant on the very brink of the chasm down which the river fell. the girl seized the sides of the boat in a firm grasp, and the next moment it plunged headlong into the hole. after the shock was over bredenbutta wiped the moisture from her eyes and looked to see where she was, and what had become of her. she found that she had landed in a very remarkable country, and for a time could do nothing but gaze in wonder on the strange sights that met her view. the trees were all growing on their top branches, with their roots high in the air; and the houses rested on the tops of their chimneys, the smoke going into the ground, and the doorsteps being at the tops of the buildings. a rabbit was flying around in the air, and a flock of skylarks walked on the ground, as if they belonged there. bredenbutta rubbed her eyes, for at first the girl thought she must be dreaming; but when she looked again everything was in the same unnatural position. to add to her amazement she now saw a queer creature coming toward her. she might have taken him for a young man, only ho was just the reverse of any young man bredenbutta had ever seen. he stood upon his hands, which were clad in boots, and used his feet as we use our hands, seeming to be very handy with his toes. his teeth were in his ears, and he ate with them and heard with his mouth. he also smelled with his eyes and saw out of his nose--which was all very curious. when he walked he ran, and when he ran he stood still. he spoke when he was silent and remained dumb when he had anything to say. in addition to this, he wept real tears when he was pleased, and laughed merrily whenever anything grieved him. it was no wonder the duchess bredenbutta stared in surprise when such an odd creature came up to her backward and looked at her solemnly from his pug nose. "who are you?" asked bredenbutta, as soon as she could find breath to speak. the young man kept quiet and answered: "my name is upsydoun." "i think you are," laughed bredenbutta. "you think i am what?" demanded the young man, the voice coming from his ear. "up-side-down," she replied. at this retort the tears rolled down his cheeks with joy. "why, it is _you_ who are up-side-down," he said; "how in the world did you get up here?" "down here, you mean," corrected the duchess, with dignity. "i mean nothing of the kind," he said, silently, while his nose twinkled with amusement; "this country is up, and not down." "what country is it?" inquired bredenbutta, much perplexed by such an absurd statement. "why, turvyland, to be sure," was the answer. "oh!" sighed bredenbutta; but she was no wiser than before. "now you are here," said upsydoun, "you may come home with me and eat some dinner." "i shall be very glad to," answered the duchess, who was really hungry. "where do you live?" "over there," replied upsydoun, pointing to the south; "so stay where you are and follow me." then he walked away on his hands in exactly the opposite direction from that he had indicated. bredenbutta followed him, and shortly after encountered several other people, of just the same queer appearance as her conductor. they looked out of their noses at her in great surprise, and, without speaking, asked upsydoun who she was. "the duchess bredenbutta," he silently answered, "i found her where the rootbeer river bubbles up. isn't she a queer-looking creature?" "she is, indeed," they all answered, in a still chorus, and then they followed the girl out of curiosity, as boys follow a band or a dancing bear. when they reached the house of upsydoun more than a hundred inhabitants of turvyland were at bredenbutta's heels and upsydoun's thumbs. she was welcomed very kindly, however, and the young man's mother kissed the duchess with her left ear, an act which was considered a special mark of favor in turvyland, "would you like to stand up and rest yourself until dinner-time?" asked the lady when the girl had entered the parlor. "no, thank you," replied bredenbutta, who was very tired. being ignorant of their customs she did not know these people usually stood up when they slept or rested. her answer seemed to satisfy upsydoun's mother, who thought when she said "no" she meant "yes." "you really don't look equal to lying down," she remarked, pleasantly; "so you may stand until i call you to dinner, which will be in a long time." then she excused herself and walked backward out of the window, which bredenbutta noticed they all used instead of doors. "dear me," said the duchess, when she was left alone; "i am sure i shall never be able to understand these strange people. but i mean to sit down, anyway, and if it really is a long time before dinner, i shall probably starve in the meantime." she had not rested more than a few minutes, however, before the lady again put her foot through the window, and waving it invitingly toward her exclaimed: "go away to dinner." "go away!" replied the duchess in dismay; "where shall i go to?" "why, to me, of course," answered upsydoun's mother, dumbly; but she winked her nose thoughtfully, as if she scarcely knew how to converse with her strange visitor. surely bredenbutta ought to know that when they said "go" in turvyland, they meant "come." in spite of her uncertainty, she followed her hostess, and when they entered the dining-room the duchess was shocked to see all the family stand on their heads on the chairs and pick up their knives and forks with their toes. she was more horrified, however, when they began to eat; for, contrary to all custom, these people placed their food in their ears. and they did it so calmly that she did not even remonstrate, remembering it must be their habit to eat in this way. she, herself, sat down in her chair in a proper manner, and began to eat with the fork in her hand; and when the people of turvyland saw this, they all shed tears of merriment. just then the youngest child of the family began laughing, and the mother rushed to it as fast as her hands could carry her, to see what was the matter. but the child had only put its foot into its pocket and could not get it out again. the mother soon managed to get it free, and then the child stopped laughing and began weeping as happily as any of the others. bredenbutta was greatly bewildered at all this, but she ate heartily, nevertheless, and after having begged her in vain to stand on her head, as they did, the family let her alone, being surprised to see how well she could use her hands. after dinner upsydoun's sister played on the piano with her toes, while the others indulged in a dance, whirling around on their thumbs in a manner truly marvelous, and seeming, by their tears, to enjoy themselves very much. as the dance ended a kitten came running into the room on its ears and the tip of its tail, and this looked so funny that bredenbutta began laughing. but seeing she had frightened her kind friends, who wanted to send for a doctor, she refrained from laughing, and asked, gravely, if she could not find a way to return to the valley of mo. "the only possible way of getting down there," replied upsydoun, "is to jump into the rootbeer river; but that would be dangerous, and none of our people have ever tried it" "any danger," said the duchess, "i will gladly brave; for otherwise i shall be obliged to spend my entire life down here, among people whose ways are exactly opposite to my own. if you will kindly take me to the river i shall lose no time in making an effort to return home." they good-naturedly assented to this, and walked backward with her until they came to the place where the river bubbled up. it really did bubble _up_, bredenbutta noticed, although she knew very well she had fallen _down_ the great hole. but, then, everything was topsyturvy in this strange land. the girl found her little boat, which had stranded on the beach, and having placed it where she could push it into the river, she turned to say good by to the queer people of turvyland. "i am glad to see you go," said upsydoun, without speaking, "for i like you. but you are a strange creature, and perhaps know what is best for you. here are some oars for your boat, for i see you have none, and when you get down to your country you may need them." bredenbutta joyfully accepted the oars, and placed them in her boat. then the people of turvyland all kissed her with their left ears and waved their toes in farewell, while the duchess got into the boat and pushed it out into the river. instantly she was in the midst of such a whirling of foam and rushing and roaring of rootbeer that she could neither see nor hear anything. gasping for breath, the girl clung tightly to the sides of the boat, and in a few minutes it was all over, and the boat bobbed up in the valley of mo--just above the great hole. bredenbutta then seized the oars and rowed hard until there was no danger of her falling in again, and soon she had passed the rapids and was rowing safely up the river to her own home. of course the duchess was very glad again to be among the people who acted in a natural manner, instead of the absurd fashion of her friends, the turvylanders. she resolved that whenever she rowed her boat upon the river again, she would be careful to keep away from the great hole, for she realized that another visit to upsydoun and his people would be very trying to her nerves. _the eleventh surprise_ prince fiddlecumdoo and the giant it happened, one morning, that the monarch of mo was not in his usual pleasant humor; and, of course, there was an excellent reason for this. at the back of his garden grew one tree that generally bore an abundant crop of animal-crackers, and although the king and his court, being surfeited with all the dainties of the land, did not care much for these edibles, the younger inhabitants of mo were especially fond of them, and yelled with delight whenever the king divided the crop of his tree among them. a few days before the king had examined the tree and found the animal-crackers not quite ripe. whereupon he had gone away and forgotten all about them. and, in his absence, they had ripened to a delicious light brown; and their forms had rounded out, so that they hung as thickly together as peas in a pod. as they swung from their stems, swaying backward and forward in the light breeze, they waited and waited for some one to come and pick them. but no one came near the tree, and the animals grew cross and restless in consequence. "i wonder when we shall be gathered," remarked a hippopotamus-cracker, with a yawn. "oh, you wonder, do you?" mockingly replied a camel-cracker hanging near, "do you really expect any one to gather _you_, with your thick hide and clumsy legs? why, the children would break their teeth on you at the first bite." "what!" screamed the hippopotamus, in much anger, "do you dare insult _me_, you humpbacked beast of burden?" "now then--now then!" interrupted a wolf-cracker that hung from a stem just above them; "what's the use of fighting, when we are so soon to be eaten?" but the camel-cracker would not be appeased. "thick-headed brute!" he yelled at the hippopotamus, angrily. "hump-backed idiot!" shrieked the other. at this the camel swung himself fiercely on his branch, and bumped against the hippopotamus, knocking him off from the tree. the ground underneath was chocolate, and it was soft and sticky, not having dried since the last rain. so when the hippopotamus fell he sank half way into the ground, and his beautiful brown color was spattered with the muddy chocolate. at this vengeful deed on the part of the camel all the other animals became furious. a full-grown goat-cracker swung himself against the camel and knocked it, in turn, from its stem; and in falling on the ground it broke its hump off. then a lion-cracker knocked the goat down, and an elephant knocked a cat down, and soon the whole tree was in a violent commotion. the animals fought with each other so desperately that before long the entire treeful of animal-crackers had fallen to the ground, where many lay broken and disfigured, and the remainder were sunk deep in the chocolate mud. so when the king, finally remembering his tree, came and looked on the sorry sight, it dampened his usual good spirits, and he heartily wished he had picked the quarrelsome crackers before they began to fight among themselves. while he stood thinking dismally on this, up came prince fiddlecumdoo and asked permission to go on a journey. "where do you wish to go?" asked the king. "i am tired of this beautiful valley," answered fiddlecumdoo, "and as the bicycle tree beside the crystal lake is now hanging full of ripe wheels, i thought i would gather one and ride over into the next valley in search of adventure." you see, this prince was the king's youngest son, and had been rather spoiled by petting, as youngest sons often are. "the next valley, my son, is inhabited by the giant hartilaf," said the king, "and should you meet him he might do you an injury." "oh, i am not afraid of hartilaf," replied fiddlecumdoo, boldly. "if he should not be pleasant to me, i could run away from him on my wheel." "i don't know about that," responded the king. "there may be bicycle trees in the next valley, as well as here; and it is always dangerous and foolish for any one to leave this valley, where there is everything that heart could wish. instead of running away in search of adventures, you would do better to remain at home and help your mother pick collar buttons and neckties for the family." "that is work," said fiddlecumdoo, sulkily, "and i hate work." "yet somebody has to pick the collar buttons," returned the king, "or we should be unable to keep our collars on." "then let jollikin help my mother. i am horribly tired of this stupid place, and shall not be happy until i have traveled around and seen something more of the world." "well, well! go if you wish," answered the king, impatiently. "but take care of yourself, for when you are away from this valley there will be no one to protect you from danger." "i can take care of myself," cried the prince, "so do not worry about me," and he ran away quickly, before his father had time to change his mind and withdraw his consent. he selected the best and ripest bicycle on the tree, and, having mounted it, was soon speeding away along the path to the mountains. when he reached the far eastern part of mo he came on a bush bearing a very good quality of violins, and this at once attracted fiddlecumdoo, who was a most excellent violinist, being able to play correctly a great number of tunes. so he dismounted and selected from the bush a small violin that seemed to have a sweet tone. this he carried with him, under his arm, thinking if he became lonesome he could amuse himself with the music. shortly after resuming his journey he came to the maple plains, a level stretch of country composed entirely of maple sugar. these plains were quite smooth, and very pleasant to ride on; but so swiftly did his bicycle carry him that he soon crossed the plains and came on a river of pure maple syrup, so wide and deep that he could neither leap nor swim it. dismounting from his bicycle the prince began looking for some means of crossing the river. no bridge was visible in either direction, and the bank was bare save for a few low bushes on which grew maple bonbons and maple caramels. but prince fiddlecumdoo did not mean to be turned back by so small a matter as a river, so he scooped a hole in the maple sand, and having filled it with syrup from the river, lighted a match and began boiling it. after it had boiled for a time the maple syrup became stringy, and the prince quickly threw a string of it across the river. it hardened almost immediately, and on this simple bridge the prince rode over the stream. once on the other side he sped up the mountain and over the top into the next valley, where, he stopped and began to look about him. he could see no roads in any direction, but away down at the foot of the valley was a monstrous house, so big you could easily put a small village inside it, including the church. this, fiddlecumdoo thought, must be where the giant lived; and, although he saw no one about the house, he decided to make a call and introduce himself to mr. hartilaf. so he rode slowly down the valley, playing on his violin as he went, that the music might announce his coming. the giant hartilaf was lying on the sofa in his sitting-room, waiting for his wife to prepare the dinner; and he had nearly fallen asleep when the sound of fiddlecumdoo's music fell on his ear. this was so unusual in his valley that the giant arose and went to the front door to see what caused it. the prince had by this time nearly reached the house, and when the giant appeared he was somewhat startled, as he had not expected to see any one quite so big. but he took care not to show any fear, and, taking off his hat, he bowed politely to the giant and said: "this is mr. hartilaf, i suppose?" "that is my name," replied the giant, grinning at the small size of his visitor. "may i ask who you are?" "i am prince fiddlecumdoo, and i live in the next valley, which is called the valley of mo. being determined to see something of the world, i am traveling for pleasure, and have just dropped in on you for a friendly call." "you are very welcome, i am sure," returned the giant. "if you will graciously step into my humble home i shall be glad to entertain you at dinner." prince fiddlecumdoo bowed low and accepted the invitation, but when he endeavored to enter the house he found the steps so big that even the first one was higher than his head, and he could not climb to the top of it. seeing his difficulty the giant carefully picked him up with one finger and his thumb, and put him down on the palm of his other hand. "do not leave my bicycle," said the prince, "for should anything happen to it i could not get home again." so the giant put the bicycle in his vest pocket, and then he entered the house and walked to the kitchen, where his wife was engaged preparing the dinner. "guess what i've found," said the giant to his wife, holding his hand doubled up so she could not see the prince. "i'm sure i don't know," answered the woman. "but, guess!" pleaded the giant. "go away and don't bother me," she replied, bending over the stewpan, "or you won't have any dinner to-day." the giant, however, was in a merry mood, and for a joke he suddenly opened his hand and dropped the prince down his wife's neck. "oh, oh!" she screamed, trying to get at the place where the prince had fallen, which was near the small of her back. "what is it? i'm sure it's some horrible crocodile, or dragon, or something that will bite me!" and the poor woman lay down on the carpet and began to kick her heels against the floor in terror. the giant roared with laughter, but the prince, now being able to crawl out, scrambled from the lady's neck, and, standing beside her head, he made a low bow and said: "do not be afraid, madam; it is only i. but i must say it was a very ungallant trick for your husband to play on you, to say nothing of my feelings in the matter." "so it was," she exclaimed, getting upon her feet again, and staring curiously at fiddlecumdoo. "but tell me who you are and where you came from." the giant, having enjoyed his laugh, now introduced the prince to his wife, and as dinner was ready to serve they sat down at the table together. fiddlecumdoo got along very well at dinner, for the giant thoughtfully placed him on the top of the table, where he could walk around as he pleased. there being no knife nor fork small enough for him to use, the prince took one of the giant's toothpicks, which was as big as a sword, and with this served himself from the various dishes that stood on the table. when the meal was over the giant lighted his pipe, the bowl of which was as big as a barrel, and asked fiddlecumdoo if he would kindly favor them with some music. "certainly," replied the prince. "please come into the kitchen," said the giantess, "for then i can listen to the music while i am washing the dishes." the prince did not like to refuse this request, although at home he was not allowed to enter his mother's kitchen; so the giant carried him in and placed him on a high shelf, where fiddlecumdoo seated himself on a spool of thread and began to play his violin. the big people enjoyed the music very much at first, for the prince was a capital player. but soon came a disagreeable interruption. about a month before the giant had caught several dancing-bears in the mountains, and, having brought them home, had made them into strings of sausages. these were hanging in graceful festoons from the beams of the kitchen ceiling, awaiting the time when they should be eaten. now when the dancing-bear sausages heard the music of fiddlecumdoo's violin, they could not resist dancing; for it is well known that sausages made from real dancing-bears can not remain quiet where there is music. the prince was playing such a lively tune, that presently the strings of sausage broke away from the ceiling and fell clattering to the floor, where they danced about furiously. not being able to see where they were going, they bumped against the giant and his wife, thumping them on their heads and backs, and pounding them so severely that the woman became frightened and hid under the table, while the giant started to run away. seeing their plight, fiddlecumdoo stopped playing, and at once the sausages fell to the floor and lay still. "that was strange," said the giant, as soon as he could catch his breath; "the bears evidently do not forget how to dance even after they are chopped up into sausage meat. i must beg you to abandon your concert for the present, but before you visit us again we shall have eaten the sausages, and then you may play to your heart's content." "had i known they were so lively," remarked the giantess, as she crawled from beneath the table, "we should have eaten them before this." "that reminds me that i intended to have stewed polar bears for supper," continued the giant; "so i think i will walk over into alaska and catch some." "perhaps the prince would prefer elephant pie," suggested the lady, "and in that case you might make a run into south america for elephants." "i have no choice in the matter," said the prince, "never having eaten either. but is it not rather a long journey to alaska or to south america?" "not at all!" protested the giant. "i shall enjoy the walk, and can easily be back by sundown. won't you come with me?" he asked the boy. but fiddlecumdoo did not like the idea of so long a journey, and begged to be excused. the giantess brought her lord a great bag to put the polar bears in, and he prepared to start. "i leave you to amuse my wife during my absence," he said to the prince. "pray make yourself entirely at home, and use my castle as you would your own house, and if i have good luck you shall eat a delicious polar-bear stew for your supper." then he slung the sack across his back and went away, whistling merrily. and so great were his strides that in less than a minute he was out of sight. "this is my busy day," said the giantess to fiddlecumdoo, "and i fear i shall not be able to entertain you in a proper manner, for i must hasten to the laundry to wash the clothes. however, if you care to accompany me, we may converse together while i am doing my work." "i shall take great pleasure in visiting your laundry," he replied, "for never before have i been in such a place. and surely it will be more agreeable to watch you at your work than to spend the day alone in these great rooms." "come along, then," she said, and picking him up she placed him in the pocket of her apron, for she knew he would be unable to walk down the flight of stairs that led to the laundry. he was very comfortable in the pocket, which was just deep enough to allow his head and shoulders to project from the top. therefore he was able to see all that was going on while the lady was at work. he watched her wash and rinse the clothes, and was greatly interested in the operation, as it was all new to him. by and by the giantess brought an immense clothes-wringer from a shelf, and having fastened it to the side of the big wash tub began to wring out the clothes. prince fiddlecumdoo had never seen a clothes-wringer before, and so pleased was he with the novelty of it that he leaned far out of the pocket to watch it work. but, unfortunately, he lost his balance, and before he knew what had happened to him had fallen from the pocket and lay sprawling on one of the giant's shirts, which was just then passing through the wringer. the woman did not notice his fall, and the next instant he was drawn between the two great rollers, and came out on the other side as thin and flat as a sheet of paper. then the giant's wife saw what she had done, and realizing how serious was the prince's condition, the good lady was much grieved over the accident. she picked fiddlecumdoo up and tried to stand him on his feet, but he was so thin that at the least draft he fluttered like a flag, while a puff of wind would blow him completely over. "dear me!" exclaimed the woman, sorrowfully, "whatever can we do with you in that shape?" "i really do not know what will become of me," replied the prince. "i am certainly no good in this condition. i can not even walk across the room without toppling over. can not you manage to push me together again?" the giantess tried to do this, but the prince was so sharp that his edges hurt her hands, and all she could do was to fold him up and carry him into the drawing-room, where she laid him carefully on the center-table. just before sundown the giant returned from alaska, bringing several fat polar-bears in his bag; and scarcely had he set foot within the house before he inquired after his guest, the prince. "you will find him on the drawing-room table," said the giantess. "i accidently ran him through the clothes-wringer this afternoon, and the poor boy is as thin as a pie crust. so i folded him up and put him away until you returned." the giant immediately went to the table and unfolded fiddlecumdoo, asking him how he felt. "very miserable," answered the prince, "for i can not move at all when i am folded up. where is my bicycle?" the giant searched all his pockets, but could not find it. "i must have lost it on my journey to alaska," he said. "then how am i ever to get home again?" asked the prince. "that is a puzzle," the giant responded, thoughtfully. "i do not see how you could ride on a bicycle even if you had one, and you certainly can not walk far in your present condition." "not if the wind blows," acknowledged the prince. "couldn't you go edgewise?" asked the giant after a moment's reflection. "i might try," answered fiddlecumdoo, hopefully. so the giant stood him up, and he tried to walk edgewise. but whenever a breath of wind struck him he fell over at once, and several times he got badly crumpled up, so that the giant had to smooth him out again with his hands. "this certainly will not do at all," declared the giant; "for not only are you getting wrinkled, but you are liable to be blown away; altogether. i have just thought of a plan to get you back into the valley of mo again, and when you are in your own country your friends may get you out of the scrape the best way they can." hartilaf then made the prince into a neat roll and tied a string around the middle, to hold it in place. then he tucked the roll under his arm and carried it to the top of the mountain that stood between the two valleys. placing the prince carefully on the ground he started him rolling, and in a short time he had rolled down the mountain side into the valley of mo. at first the people were much frightened, not knowing what this strange thing could be that had come rolling into their midst. they stood around, curiously looking at the roll, but afraid to touch it, when suddenly fiddlecumdoo began to cry out. and then, so fearful was the sound, they all ran away as fast as their legs could carry them. prince thinkabit, however, being more courageous than the rest, at last ventured to approach and cut the string that fastened the roll. instantly it opened, and to their amazement the people saw what it was. "upon my word, it is brother fiddlecumdoo!" cried prince thinkabit. "the giant must have stepped on him." "no, indeed," said poor fiddlecumdoo, "i've been run through a clothes-wringer, which is much worse than being stepped on." with many expressions of pity the kind people stood the prince up and helped him to the palace, where the king was greatly shocked at his sad plight. fiddlecumdoo was so broad that the only thing he could sit down on was the sofa, and he was so thin that when princess pattycake sneezed he was blown half way across the room. at dinner he could eat nothing that was not sliced as thin as a shaving, and so sad was his predicament that the king determined to ask the wise donkey what could be done to relieve his unfortunate son. after hearing all the particulars of the accident, the donkey said: "blow him up." "i did blow him up, for being so careless," replied the king; "but it didn't make him any thicker." "what i mean," explained the donkey, "is to bore a hole in the top of his head, and blow air into him until he resumes his natural shape. then, if he takes care of himself, he soon will be all right again." so the king returned to the palace and bored a hole in fiddlecumdoo's head, and then pumped him full of air with a bicycle pump. when he had filled out into his natural shape they put a plug in the hole, and stopped it up; and after that fiddlecumdoo could walk around as well as before his accident. his only danger now was that he might get punctured; and, indeed, his friends found him one day lying in the garden, all flattened out again, the prince having pricked his finger on a rose-bush and thereby allowed his air to escape. but they inflated him once again, and afterward he was more careful of himself. fiddlecumdoo had such a horror of being flat that, if his father ever wished to make him behave, he threatened to stick a pin into him, and that always had the desired effect. after several years, the prince, being a hearty eater, filled up with solid flesh, and had no further use for the air-pump; but his experience had made him so nervous that he never again visited the giant hartilaf, for fear of encountering another accident. _the twelfth surprise_ the land of the civilized monkeys i must now tell you of a very strange adventure that befell prince zingle, which, had it not turned out exactly as it did, might have resulted in making him a captive for life in a remarkable country. by consulting smith's history of prince zingle you will notice that from boyhood he had a great passion for flying kites, and unlike other boys, he always undertook to make each kite larger than the last one. therefore his kites grew in size, and became larger and larger, until at length the prince made one twice as tall as himself. when it was finished he was very proud of this great kite, and took it out to a level place to see how well it would fly, being accompanied by many of the people of mo, who took considerable interest in the prince's amusement. there happened to be a strong south wind blowing and, fearing the kite might get away from him, zingle tied the string around his waist. it flew beautifully at first, but pulled so hard the prince could scarcely hold it. at last, when the string was all let out, there came a sudden gust of wind, and in an instant poor zingle was drawn into the air as easily as an ordinary kite draws its tail. up and up he soared, and the kite followed the wind and carried him over many countries until the strength died out of the air, when the kite slowly settled toward the earth and landed the prince in the top of a tall tree. he now untied the string from his waist and fastened it to a branch of the tree, as he did not wish to lose the kite after all his bother in making it. then he began to climb down to the ground, but on reaching the lower branches he was arrested by a most curious sight. standing on the ground, and gazing up at him, were a dozen monkeys, all very neatly dressed and all evidently filled with surprise at the prince's sudden appearance in the tree. "what a very queer animal!" exclaimed an old monkey, who wore a tall silk hat and had white kid gloves on his hands. gold spectacles rested on his nose, and he pointed toward the prince with a gold-headed cane. by his side was a little girl-monkey, dressed in pink skirts and a blue bonnet; and when she saw zingle she clung to the old monkey's hand and seemed frightened. "oh, grandpapa!" she cried; "take me back to mamma; i'm afraid the strange beast will bite me." just then a big monkey, wearing a blue coat with brass buttons and swinging a short club in his hand, strutted up to them and said: "don't be afraid, little one. the beast can't hurt you while i'm around!" and then he tipped his cap over his left ear and shook his club at the prince, as if he did not know what fear meant. two monkeys, who were dressed in red jackets and carried muskets in their hands, now came running up, and, having looked at zingle with much interest, they called for some one to bring them a strong rope. "we will capture the brute and put him in the zoo," said one of the soldier-monkeys. "what kind of animal is it?" asked the other. "i do not know. but some of our college professors can doubtless tell, and even if they can't they will give it some scientific name that will satisfy the people just as well." all this time prince zingle remained clinging to the branches of the tree. he could not understand a word of the monkey language, and therefore had no idea what they were talking about; but he judged from their actions that the monkeys were not friendly. when they brought a long and stout rope, and prepared to throw one end of it over his head, in order to capture him, he became angry and called out to them: "stop--i command you! what is the meaning of this strange conduct? i am prince zingle, eldest son of the monarch of mo, and, since i have been blown into your country through an accident, i certainly deserve kind treatment at your hands." but this speech had no meaning in the ears of the monkeys, who said to each other: "hear him bark! he jabbers away almost as if he could talk!" by this time a large crowd of monkeys had surrounded the tree, some being barefooted boy-monkeys, and some lady-monkeys dressed in silken gowns and gorgeous raiment of the latest mode, and others men-monkeys of all sorts and conditions. there were dandified monkeys and sober-looking business monkeys, as well as several who appeared to be politicians and officials of high degree. "stand back, all of you!" shouted one of the soldiers. "we're going to capture this remarkable beast for the royal menagerie, and unless you stand out of the way he may show fight and bite some one." so they moved back to a safe distance, and the soldier-monkey prepared to throw a rope. "stop!" cried zingle, again; "do you take me for a thief, that you try to bind me? i am a prince of the royal blood, and unless you treat me respectfully i shall have my father, the king, march his army on you and destroy your whole country." "he barks louder," said the soldier. "look out for him; he may be dangerous." the next moment he threw the rope and caught poor zingle around his arms and body, so that he was helpless. then the soldier-monkey pulled hard on the rope, and prince zingle fell out of the tree to the ground. at first the monkeys all pressed backward, as if frightened, but their soldiers cried out: "we've got him; he can't bite now." then one of them approached the prince and punched him with a stick, saying, "stand up!" zingle did not understand the words, but he resented being prodded with the stick, so he sprang up and rushed on the soldier, kicking the stick from his hands, his own arms being bound by the rope. the monkeys screamed and rushed in every direction, but the other soldier came behind the prince and knocked him down with the butt of his gun. then he tied his legs with another rope, and, seeing him thus bound, the crowd of monkeys, which had scattered and fallen over one another in their efforts to escape, came creeping timidly back, and looked on him with fear and trembling. "we've subdued him at last," remarked the soldier who had been kicked. "but he's a very fierce animal, and i shall take him to the zoo and lock him in one of the strongest cages." so they led poor zingle away to where the royal zoological gardens were located, and there they put him into a big cage with iron bars, the door being fastened with two great padlocks. before very long every monkey in the country learned that a strange beast had been captured and brought to the zoo; and soon a large crowd had gathered before zingle's cage to examine him. "isn't he sweet!" said a lady-monkey who held a green parasol over her head and wore a purple veil on her face. "sweet!" grunted a man-monkey standing beside her, "he's the ugliest looking brute i ever saw! scarcely has any hair on him at all, and no tail, and very little chin. i wonder where on earth the creature came from?" "it may be one of those beings from whom our race is descended," said another onlooker. "the professors say we evolved from some primitive creature of this sort." "heaven forbid!" cried a dandy-monkey, whose collar was so high that it kept tipping his hat over his eyes. "if i thought such a creature as that was one of my forefathers, i should commit suicide at once." zingle had been sitting on the floor of his cage and wondering what was to become of him in this strange country of monkeys, and now, to show his authority, one of the keepers took a long stick and began to poke the prince to make him stand up. "stop that!" shouted the angry captive, and catching hold of the stick he jerked it from the keeper's hand and struck him a sharp blow on the head with it. all the lady-monkeys screamed at this, and the men-monkeys exclaimed: "what an ugly disposition the beast has!" the children-monkeys began to throw peanuts between the bars of the cage, and zingle, who had now become very hungry, picked them up and ate them. this act so pleased the little monkeys that they shouted with laughter. at last two solemn-looking monkeys with gray hair, and wearing long black coats and white neckties, came up to the cage, where they were greeted with much respect by the other monkeys. "so this is the strange animal," said one of the new-comers, putting on his spectacles and looking sharply at the captive; "do you recognize the species, professor?" the other aged monkey also regarded the prince critically before he answered: "i can not say i have ever seen a specimen of this genus before. but one of our text-books mentions an obscure animal called homo peculiaris, and i have no doubt this is one of that family. i shall write an article on the creature and claim he is a homo, and without doubt the paper will create quite a stir in the scientific world." "see here," suddenly demanded prince zingle, standing up and shaking the bars of his cage, "are you going to give me anything to eat? or do you expect me to live on peanuts forever?" not knowing what he said, none of the monkeys paid any attention to this question. but one of the professor-monkeys appeared to listen attentively, and remarked to friend: "there seems to be a smoothness and variety of sound in his speech that indicates that he possesses some sort of language. had i time to study this brute, i might learn his method of communicating with his fellows. indeed, there is a possibility that he may turn out to be the missing link." however, the professor not yet having learned his language, prince zingle was obliged to remain hungry. the monkeys threw several cocoanuts into the cage, but the prisoner did not know what kind of fruit these were; so, after several attempts to bite the hard shell, he decided they were not good to eat. day after day now passed away, and, although crowds of monkeys came to examine zingle in his cage, the poor prince grew very pale and thin for lack of proper food, while the continuance of his unhappy imprisonment made him sad and melancholy. "could i but escape and find my way back to my father's valley," he moaned, wearily, "i should be willing to fly small kites forever afterward." often he begged them to let him go, but the monkeys gruffly commanded him to "stop his jabbering," and poked him with long sticks having sharp points; so that the prince's life became one of great misery. at the end of about two weeks a happy relief came to zingle, for then a baby hippopotamus was captured and brought to the royal zoo, and after this the monkeys left the prince's cage and crowded around that of the new arrival. finding himself thus deserted, prince zingle began to seek a means of escape from his confinement. his first attempt was to break the iron bars; but soon he found they were too big and strong. then he shook the door with all his strength; but the big padlocks held firm, and could not be broken. then the prisoner gave way to despair, and threw himself on the floor of the cage, weeping bitterly. suddenly he heard a great shout from the direction of the cage where the baby hippopotamus was confined, and, rising to his feet, the prince walked to the bars and attempted to look out and discover what was causing the excitement. to his astonishment he found he was able to thrust his head between two of the iron bars, having grown so thin through hunger and abuse, that he was much smaller than when the monkeys had first captured him. he realized at once that if his head would pass between the bars, his body could be made to do so, likewise. so he struggled bravely, and at last succeeded in squeezing his body between the bars and leaping safely to the ground. finding himself at liberty, the prince lost no time in running to the tree where he had left his kite. but on the way some of the boy-monkeys discovered him and raised a great cry, which soon brought hundreds of his enemies in pursuit. zingle had a good start, however, and soon reached the tree. quickly he climbed up the trunk and branches until he had gained the limb where the string of his kite was still fastened. untying the cord, he wound it around his waist several times, and then, finding a strong north wind blowing, he skilfully tossed the kite into the air. at once it filled and mounted to the sky, lifting zingle from the tree and carrying him with perfect ease. it was fortunate he got away at that moment, for several of the monkeys had scrambled up the tree after him, and were almost near enough to seize him by the legs when, to their surprise, he shot into the air. indeed, so amazed were they by this remarkable escape of their prisoner that the monkeys remained staring into the air until prince zingle had become a little speck in the sky above them and finally disappeared. that was the last our prince ever saw of the strange country of the monkeys, for the wind carried his kite straight back to the valley of mo. when zingle found himself above his father's palace, he took out his pocket-knife and cut the string of the kite, and immediately fell head foremost into a pond of custard that lay in the back yard, where he dived through a floating island of whipped cream and disappeared from view. nuphsed, who was sitting on the bank of the custard lake, was nearly frightened into fits by this sight; and he ran to tell the king that a new meteor had fallen and ruined one of his floating islands. thereupon the monarch and several of his courtiers rushed out and found prince zingle swimming ashore; and the king was so delighted at seeing his lost son again that he clasped him joyfully in his arms. the next moment he regretted this act, for his best ermine robe was smeared its whole length with custard, and would need considerable cleaning before it would be fit to wear again. the prince and the king soon changed their clothes, and then there was much rejoicing throughout the land. of course the first thing zingle asked for was something to eat, and before long he was sitting at a table heaped with all sorts of good things, plucked fresh from the trees. the people crowded around him, demanding the tale of his adventures, and their surprise was only equaled by their horror when they learned he had been captured by a band of monkeys, and shut up in a cage because he was thought to be a dangerous wild beast. experience is said to be an excellent teacher, although a very cruel one. prince zingle had now seen enough of foreign countries to remain contented with his own beautiful valley, and, although it was many years before he again attempted to fly a kite, it was noticed that, when he at last did indulge in that sport, the kite was of a very small size. _the thirteenth surprise_ the stolen plum-pudding the king's plum-pudding crop had for some time suffered from the devastations of a secret enemy. each day, as he examined the vines, he found more and more of the plum-pudding missing, and finally the monarch called his wise men together and asked them what he should do. the wise men immediately shut their eyes and pondered so long over the problem that they fell fast asleep. while they slept still more of the plum-pudding was stolen. when they awoke the king was justly incensed, and told the wise men that unless they discovered the thief within three days he would give them no cake with their ice-cream. this terrible threat at last aroused them to action, and, after consulting together, they declared that in their opinion it was the fox that had stolen the pudding. hearing this, the king ordered out his soldiers, who soon captured the fox and brought him to the palace, where the king sat in state, surrounded by his wise men. "so ho! master fox," exclaimed the king, "we have caught you at last." "so it seems," returned the fox, calmly. "may i ask your majesty why i am thus torn from my home, from my wife and children, and brought before you like any common criminal?" "you have stolen the plum-pudding," answered the king. "i beg your majesty's pardon for contradicting you, but i have stolen nothing," declared the fox. "i can easily prove my innocence. when was the plum-pudding taken?" "a great deal of it was taken this morning, while the wise men slept," said the king. "then i can not be the thief," replied the fox, "as you will admit when you have heard my story." "ah! have you a story to tell?" inquired the king, who dearly loved to hear stories. "it is a short story, your majesty; but it will prove clearly that i have not taken your pudding." "then tell it," commanded the king. "it is far from my wish to condemn any one who is innocent." the wise men then placed themselves in comfortable positions, and the king crossed his legs and put his hands in his pockets, while the fox sat before them on his haunches and spoke as follows: the fox's story. "it has been unusually damp in my den of late, so that both my family and myself have suffered much. first my wife became ill, and then i was afflicted with a bad cold, and in both cases it settled in our throats. then my four children, who are all of an age, began to complain of sore throats, so that my den became a regular hospital. "we tried all the medicines we knew of, but they did no good at all. my wife finally begged me to go to consult doctor prairiedog, who lives in a hole in the ground away toward the south. so one morning i said good by to my family and ran swiftly to where the doctor lives. "finding no one outside the hole to whom i might apply for admission i walked boldly in, and having followed a long, dark tunnel for some distance, i suddenly came to a door. "'come in!' said a voice; so in i walked, and found myself in a very beautiful room, lighted by forty-eight fireflies, which sat in a row on a rail running all around the apartment. in the center of the room was a table, made of clay and painted in bright colors; and seated at this table, with his spectacles on his nose, was the famous doctor prairiedog, engaged in eating a dish of stewed snails. "'good morning,' said the doctor; 'will you have some breakfast?' "'no, thank you,' i replied, for the snails were not to my liking; 'i wish to procure some medicine for my children, who are suffering from sore throats.' "' how do you know their throats are sore?' inquired the doctor. "'it hurts them to swallow,' i explained. "'then tell them not to swallow,' said the doctor, and went on eating. "'sir!' i exclaimed, 'if they did not swallow, they would starve to death.' "'that is true,' remarked the doctor; 'we must think of something else.' after a moment of silence he cried out: 'ha! i have it! go home and cut off their necks, after which you must turn them inside out and hang them on the bushes in the sun. when the necks are thoroughly cured in the sun, turn them right-side-out again and place them on your children's shoulders. then they will find it does not hurt them to swallow.' "i thanked the great doctor and returned home, where i did as he had told me. for the last three days the necks of not only my children but of my wife and myself, as well, have been hanging on the bushes to be cured; so we could not possibly have eaten your plum-pudding. indeed, it was only an hour ago when i finished putting the neck on the last of my children, and at that moment your soldiers came and arrested me." when the fox ceased speaking the king was silent for a while. then he asked: "were the necks all cured?" "oh, yes," replied the fox; "the sun cured them nicely." "you see," remarked the king, turning to his wise men; "the fox has proved his innocence. you were wrong, as usual, in accusing him. i shall now send him home with six baskets of cherry phosphate, as a reward for his honesty. if you have not discovered the thief by the time i return i shall keep my threat and stop your allowance of cake." then the wise men fell a-trembling, and put their heads together, counseling with one another. when the king returned, they said: "your majesty, it must have been the bullfrog." so the king sent his soldiers, who captured the bullfrog and brought him to the palace. "why have you stolen the plum-pudding?" demanded the king, in a stern voice. "i! steal your plum-pudding!" exclaimed the frog, indignantly. "surely you must be mistaken! i am not at all fond of plum-pudding, and, besides, i have been very busy at home during the past week." "what have you been doing?" asked the king. "i will tell you, for then you will know i am innocent of this theft." so the bullfrog squatted on a footstool, and, after blinking solemnly at the king and his wise men for a moment, spoke as follows: the frog's story. "some time ago my wife and i hatched out twelve little tadpoles. they were the sweetest children parents ever looked on. their heads were all very large and round, and their tails were long and feathery, while their skins were as black and shiny as could be. we were proud of them, my wife and i, and took great pains to train our children properly, that they might become respectable frogs, in time, and be a credit to us. "we lived in a snug little hole under the bank of the river, and in front of our dwelling was a large stone on which we could sit and watch the baby tadpoles grow. although they loved best to lie in the mud at the bottom of the river, we knew that exercise is necessary to the proper development of a tadpole; so we decided to teach our youngsters to swim. we divided them into two lots, my wife training six of the children, while i took charge of the other six. we drilled them to swim in single file, in column of twos and in line of battle; but i must acknowledge they were quite stupid, being so young, and, unless we told them when to stop, they would keep on swimming until they bumped themselves into a bank or a stone. "one day, about a week ago, while teaching our children to swim, we started them all going in single file, one after the other. they swam in a straight line that was very pretty to see, and my wife and i sat on the flat stone and watched them with much pride. unfortunately at that very moment a large fish swam into our neighborhood and lay on the bottom of the river to rest. it was one of those fishes that hold their great mouths wide open, and i was horrified when i saw the advancing line of tadpoles headed directly toward the gaping mouth of the monster fish. i croaked as loudly as i could for them to stop; but either they failed to hear me, or they would not obey. the next moment all the line of swimming tadpoles had entered the fish's mouth and were lost to our view. "mrs. frog threw herself into my arms with a cry or anguish, exclaiming: "'oh, what shall we do? our children are lost to us forever!' "'do not despair,' i answered, although i was myself greatly frightened; 'we must try to prevent the fish from swimming away with our loved ones. if we can keep him here, some way may yet be found to rescue the children.' "up to this time the big fish had remained motionless, but there was an expression of surprise in its round eyes, as if it did not know what to make of the lively inhabitants of its stomach. "mrs. frog thought for a moment, and then said: "'a short distance away is an old fish-line and hook, lying at the bottom of the river, where some boys lost it while fishing one day. if we could only--' "'fetch it at once,' i interrupted. 'with its aid we shall endeavor to capture the fish.' "she hastened away, soon returning with the line, which had a large hook on one end. i tied the other end firmly about the flat stone, and then, advancing cautiously from behind, that the fish might not see me, i stuck the iron hook through its right gill. "the monster gave a sudden flop that sent me head over heels a yard away. then it tried to swim down the stream. but the hook and line held fast, and soon the fish realized it was firmly caught, after which it wisely abandoned the struggle. "mrs. frog and i now sat down to watch the result, and the time of waiting was long and tedious. after several weary days, however, the great fish lay over on its side and expired, and soon after there hopped from its mouth the sweetest little green frog you ever laid eyes on. another and another followed, until twelve of them stood beside us; and then my wife exclaimed: "'they are our children, the tadpoles! they have lost their tails and their legs have grown out, but they are our own little ones, nevertheless!' "indeed, this was true; for tadpoles always become frogs when a few days old. the children told us they had been quite comfortable inside the great fish, but they were now hungry, for young frogs always have wonderful appetites. so mrs. frog and i set to work to feed them, and had just finished this pleasant task when your soldiers came to arrest me. i assure your majesty this is the first time i have been out of the water for a week. and now, if you will permit me to depart, i will hop back home and see how the youngsters are growing." when the bullfrog had ceased speaking the king turned toward the wise men and said, angrily: "it seems you are wrong again, for the frog is innocent. your boasted wisdom appears to me very like folly; but i will give you one more chance. if you fail to discover the culprit next time, i shall punish you far more severely than i at first promised." the king now gave the bullfrog a present of a red silk necktie, and also sent a bottle of perfumery to mrs. frog. the soldiers at once released the prisoner, who joyfully hopped away toward the river. the wise men now rolled their eyes toward the ceiling and twirled their thumbs and thought as hard as they could. at last they told the king they had decided the yellow hen was undoubtedly responsible for the theft of the plum-pudding. so the king sent his soldiers, who searched throughout the valley and at last captured the yellow hen and brought her into the royal presence. "my wise men say you have stolen my plum-pudding," said his majesty. "if this is true, i am going to punish you severely." "but it is not true," answered the yellow hen; "for i have just returned from a long journey." "where have you been?" inquired the king. "i will tell you," she replied; and, after rearranging a few of her feathers that the rough hands of the soldiers had mussed, the yellow hen spoke as follows: the yellow hen's story "all my life i have been accustomed to hatching out thirteen eggs; but the last time there were only twelve eggs in the nest when i got ready to set. being experienced in these matters i knew it would never do to set on twelve eggs, so i asked the red rooster for his advice. "he considered the question carefully, and finally told me he had seen a very nice, large egg lying on the rocks near the sugar mountain. "'if you wish,' said he, 'i will get it for you.' "'i am very sorry to trouble you, yet certainly i need thirteen eggs,' i answered. "the red rooster is an accommodating fowl, so away he flew, and shortly returned with a large white egg under his wing. this egg i put with the other twelve, and then i set faithfully on my nest for three weeks, at the end of which time i hatched out my chickens. "twelve of them were as yellow and fluffy as any mother could wish. but the one that came from the strange egg was black and awkward, and had a large bill and sharp claws. still thinking he was one of my children, despite his deformity, i gave him as much care as any of them, and soon he outgrew the others and became very big and strong. "the red rooster shook his head, and said, bluntly: "'that chick will be a great trouble to you, for it looks to me strangely like one of our enemies, the hawks.' "'what!' i exclaimed, reproachfully, 'do you think one of my darling children could possibly be a hawk? i consider that remark almost an insult, mr. rooster!' "the red rooster said nothing more; but he kept away from my big, black chick, as if really afraid of it. "to my great grief this chick suddenly developed a very bad temper, and one day i was obliged to reprove it for grabbing the food away from its brothers. suddenly it began screaming with anger, and the next moment it sprang on me, digging its sharp claws into my back. "while i struggled to free myself, he flew far up into the air, carrying me with him, and uttering loud cries that filled me with misgivings. for i now realized, when it was too late, that his voice sounded exactly like the cry of a hawk! "away and away he flew, over mountains, and valleys, and rivers, and lakes, until at last, as i looked down, i saw a man pointing a gun at us. a moment later he shot, and the black chick gave a scream of pain, at the same time releasing his hold of me; so that i fell over and over and finally fluttered to the ground. "then i found i had escaped one danger only to encounter another, for as i reached the ground the man seized me and carried me under his arm to his home. entering the house, he said to his wife: "'here is a nice, fat hen for our breakfast.' "'put her in the coop,' replied the woman. 'after supper i will cut off her head and pick the feathers from her body.' "this frightened me greatly, as you may suppose, and when the man placed me in the coop i nearly gave way to despair. but, finding myself alone, i plucked up courage and began looking for a way to escape. to my great joy i soon discovered that one of the slats of the coop was loose, and, having pushed it aside, i was not long in gaining my liberty. "once free, i ran away from the place as fast as possible, but did not know in which direction to go, the country being so strange to me. so i fluttered on, half running and half flying, until i reached the place where an army of soldiers was encamped. if these men saw me i feared they would also wish to eat me for breakfast; so i crept into the mouth of a big cannon, thinking i should escape attention and be safe until morning. soon i fell asleep, and so sound was my slumber that the next thing i heard was the conversation of some soldiers who stood beside the cannon. "'it is nearly sunrise,' said one. 'you must fire the salute. is the cannon loaded?' "'oh, yes,' answered the other. 'what shall i shoot at?' "' fire into the air, for then you will not hurt any one,' said the first soldier. "by this time i was trembling with fear, and had decided to creep out of the cannon and take the chances of being caught, when, suddenly, 'bang!' went the big gun, and i shot into the air with a rush like that of a whirlwind. "the noise nearly deafened me, and my nerves were so shattered that for a time i was helpless. i felt myself go up and up into the air, until soon i was far above the clouds. then i recovered my wits, and when i began to come down again i tried to fly. i knew the valley of mo must be somewhere to the west; so i flew in that direction until i found myself just over the valley, when i allowed myself to flutter to the ground. "it seems my troubles were not yet over; for, before i had fully recovered my breath after this long flight, your soldiers seized me and brought me here. "i am accused of stealing your plum-pudding; but, in truth, your majesty, i have been away from your kingdom for nine days, and am therefore wholly innocent." the yellow hen had scarce finished this story when the king flew into a violent rage at the deceptions of his wise men, and turning to his soldiers he ordered them to arrest the wise men and cast them into prison. having given the unfortunate hen a pair of gold earrings that fitted her ears and matched her complexion, the king sent her home with many apologies for having accused her wrongfully. then his majesty seated himself in an easy chair, and pondered how best to punish the foolish wise men. "i would rather have one really wise man," he said to himself, "than fifty of these, who pretend to be wise and are not." that gave him an idea; so the next morning he ordered the wise men taken to the royal kitchen, where all were run through the meat chopper until they were ground as fine as mincemeat. having thoroughly mixed them, the king stirred in a handful of salt, and then made them into one man, which the cook baked in the oven until it was well done. "now," said the king, "i have one wise man instead of several foolish ones. perhaps he can tell me who stole the plum-pudding." "certainly," replied the wise man. "that is quite easy. it was the purple dragon." "good," cried the monarch; "i have discovered the truth at last!" and so he had, as you will find by reading the next surprise. _the fourteenth surprise_ the punishment of the purple dragon scarcely had the king spoken when some of his soldiers came running with news that they had seen the purple dragon eating plum-pudding in the royal garden. "what did you do about it?" asked the monarch. "we did nothing," they answered; "for, had we interfered with its repast, the dragon would probably have eaten us for dessert." "that is true," remarked the king. "yet something must be done to protect us from this monster. for many years it has annoyed us by eating our choicest crops, and nothing we can do seems of any avail to save us from its ravages." "if we were able to destroy the dragon," said prince thinkabit, "we should be doing our country the greatest possible service." "we have often tried to destroy it," replied the king, "but the beast always manages to get the best of the fight, having wonderful strength and great cunning. however, let us hold a council of war, and see what is suggested." so a council of war was called. the wise man, all the princes and noblemen, the dog and the wise donkey being assembled to talk the matter over. "i advise that you build a high wall around the dragon," said the wise man. "then it will be unable to get out, and will starve to death." "it is strong enough to break down the wall," said the king. "i suggest you dig a great hole in the ground," remarked the donkey. "then the dragon will fall into it and perish." "it is too clever to fall into the hole," said the king. "the best thing to do," declared timtom, "is to cut off its legs; for then it could not walk into our gardens." "the scales on its legs are too hard and thick," said the king. "we have tried that, and failed." "we might take a red-hot iron, and put the dragon's eyes out," ventured prince jollikin. "its eyes are glass," replied the king with a sigh, "and the iron would have no effect on them." "suppose we tie a tin can to its tail," suggested the dog. "the rattling of the can would so frighten the dragon that it would run out of the country." "its tail is so long," answered the king, gloomily, "that the dragon could not hear the can rattle." then they all remained silent for a time, thinking so hard that their heads began to ache; but no one seemed able to think of the right thing to do. finally the king himself made a proposition. "one thing we might attempt with some hope of success," said his majesty. "should it fail, we can not be worse off than we are at present. my idea is for us to go in a great body to the castle of the dragon, and pull out its teeth with a pair of forceps. having no teeth, the monster will be harmless to annoy us in any way; and, since we seem unable to kill it, i believe this is the best way out of our difficulty." the king's plan pleased every one, and met with shouts of approval. the council then adjourned, and all the members went to prepare for the fight with the purple dragon. first the blacksmith made a large pair of forceps, to pull the dragon's teeth with. the handles of the forceps were so long that fifty men could take hold of them at one time. then the people armed themselves with swords and spears and marched in a great body to the castle of the purple dragon. this remarkable beast, which for so long had kept the valley of mo in constant terror, was standing on the front porch of its castle when the army arrived. it looked at the crowd of people in surprise, and said: "are you not weary with your attempts to destroy me? what selfish people you must be! whenever i eat anything that belongs to you, there is a great row, and immediately you come here to fight me. these battles are unpleasant to all of us. the best thing for you to do is to return home and behave yourselves; for i am not in the least afraid of you." neither the king nor his people replied to these taunts. they simply brought forward the big pair of forceps and reached them toward the dragon. this movement astonished the monster, who, never having been to a dentist in his life, had no idea what the strange instrument was for. "surely you can not think to hurt me with that iron thing," it called out, in derision. and then the dragon laughed at the idea of any one attempting to injure it. but when the dragon opened its mouth to laugh, the king opened the jaws of the forceps, quickly closing them again on one of the monster's front teeth. "pull!" cried the king; and fifty men seized the handles of the forceps and began to pull with all their strength. but, pull as they might, the tooth would not come out, and this was the reason: the teeth of dragons are different from ours, for they go through the jaw and are clinched on the other side. therefore, no amount of pulling will draw them out. the king did not know this fact, but thought the tooth must have a long root; so he called again: "pull! my brave men; pull!" and they pulled so hard that the dragon was nearly pulled from the porch of its castle. to avoid this danger the cunning beast wound the end of its tail around a post of the porch, and tied a hard knot in it. "pull!" shouted the king for the third time. then a surprising thing happened. any one who knows anything at all about dragons is aware that these beasts stretch as easily as if made of india-rubber. therefore the strong pulling of the fifty men resulted in the dragon being pulled from its foothold, and, as its tail was fastened to the post, its body began to stretch out. the king and his people, thinking the tooth was being pulled, started down the hill, the forceps still clinging fast to the monster's big front tooth. and the farther they went the more dragon's body stretched out. "keep going!" cried the king; "we mustn't let go now!" and away marched the fifty men, and farther and farther stretched the body of the dragon. still holding fast to the forceps, the king and his army marched into the valley, and away across it, and up the hills on the other side, not even stopping to take breath. when they came to the mountains and the forests, and could go no farther, they looked back; and behold! the dragon had stretched out so far that it was now no bigger around than a fiddle-string! "what shall we do now?" asked the fifty men, who were perspiring with the long pull and the march across the valley. "i'm sure i don't know," replied the panting king. "let us tie this end of the beast around a tree. then we can think what is best to be done." so they tied that end of the dragon to a big tree, and sat down to rest, being filled with wonder that the mighty purple dragon was now no larger around than a piece of twine. "the wicked creature will never bother us again," said the king. "yet it was only by accident we found a way to destroy it. the question now is, what shall we do with this long, thin dragon? if we leave it here it will trip any one who stumbles against it." "i shall use it for fiddle-strings," said prince fiddlecumdoo, "for the crop failed this year, and i have none for my violin. let us cut the dragon up into the proper sizes, and store the strings in the royal warehouse for general use." the king and the people heartily approved this plan. so the prince brought a pair of shears and cut the dragon into equal lengths to use on his violin. thus the wicked monster was made good use of at last, for the strings had an excellent tone. and that was not only the end of the purple dragon, but there were two other ends of him; one tied to a tree in the mountains and the other fastened to a post of the castle. that same day the monarch of mo gave a magnificent feast to all his people to celebrate the destruction of their greatest foe; and ever afterward the gardens of the beautiful valley were free from molestation. the dragon of wantley his tale _by_ owen wister _illustrations by john stewardson_ second edition philadelphia j·b·lippincott company 1895 [illustration: ·copyright·1892· ·by·j·b·lippincott·company· printed·by·j·b·lippincott·company ·philadelphia·usa·] to my ancient playmates in appian way cambridge this likely story is dedicated for reasons best known to themselves preface when betsinda held the rose and the ring decked giglio's finger thackeray! 'twas sport to linger with thy wise, gay-hearted prose. books were merry, goodness knows! when betsinda held the rose. who but foggy drudglings doze while rob gilpin toasts thy witches, while the ghost waylays thy breeches, ingoldsby? such tales as those exorcised our peevish woes when betsinda held the rose. realism, thou specious pose! haply it is good we met thee; but, passed by, we'll scarce regret thee; for we love the light that glows where queen fancy's pageant goes, and betsinda holds the rose. shall we dare it? then let's close doors to-night on things statistic, seek the hearth in circle mystic, till the conjured fire-light shows where youth's bubbling fountain flows, and betsinda holds the rose. preface to the second edition we two--the author and his illustrator--did not know what we had done until the newspapers told us. but the press has explained it in the following poised and consistent criticism: "too many suggestions of profanity." --_congregationalist_, boston, 8 dec. '92. "it ought to be the delight of the nursery." --_national tribune_, washington, 22 dec. '92. "grotesque and horrible." --_zion's herald_, boston, 21 dec. '92. "some excellent moral lessons." --_citizen_, brooklyn, 27 nov. '92. "if it has any lesson to teach, we have been unable to find it." --_independent_, new york, 10 nov. '92. "the story is a familiar one." --_detroit free press_, 28 nov. '92. "refreshingly novel." --_cincinnati commercial gazette_, 17 dec. '92. "it is a burlesque." --_atlantic monthly_, dec. '92. "all those who love lessons drawn from life will enjoy this book." --_christian advocate_, cincinnati, 2 nov. '92. "the style of this production is difficult to define." --_court journal_, london, 26 nov. '92. "one wonders why writer and artist should put so much labor on a production which seems to have so little reason for existence." --_herald and presbyterian_, cincinnati. now the public knows exactly what sort of book this is, and we cannot be held responsible. table of contents chapter i. page how sir godfrey came to lose his temper 19 chapter ii. how his daughter, miss elaine, behaved herself in consequence 35 chapter iii. reveals the dragon in his den 52 chapter iv. tells you more about him than was ever told before to anybody 62 chapter v. in which the hero makes his first appearance and is locked up immediately 77 chapter vi. in which miss elaine loses her heart, and finds something of the greatest importance 91 chapter vii. shows what curious things you may see, if you don't go to bed when you are sent 113 chapter viii. contains a dilemma with two simply egregious horns 136 chapter ix. leaves much room for guessing about chapter ten 168 chapter x. the great white christmas at wantley 187 list of illustrations page ornamented title 3 copyright notice 4 head-piece--preface 7 head-piece--preface to the second edition 9 head-piece--table of contents 11 head-piece--list of illustrations 13 half-title to chapter i 17 head-piece to chapter i 19 popham awaiteth the result with dignity 27 the baron pursueth whelpdale into the buttery 32 tail-piece to chapter i 33 half-title to chapter ii 34 head-piece to chapter ii 35 sir godfrey maketh him ready for the bath 39 sir godfrey getteth into his bath 41 mistletoe consulteth the cooking book 43 elaine maketh an unexpected remark 49 half-title to chapter iii 51 head-piece to chapter iii 52 hubert sweepeth the steps 55 half-title to chapter iv 61 head-piece to chapter iv 62 hubert looketh out of the window 69 tail-piece to chapter iv 75 half-title to chapter v 76 head-piece to chapter v 77 geoffrey replieth with deplorable flippancy to father anselm 84 tail-piece to chapter v 89 half-title to chapter vi 90 head-piece to chapter vi 91 the baron setteth forth his plan for circumventing the dragon 96 geoffrey tuggeth at the bars 101 tail-piece to chapter vi 111 half-title to chapter vii 112 head-piece to chapter vii 113 elaine cometh into the cellar 120 geoffrey goeth to meet the dragon 128 half-title to chapter viii 135 head-piece to chapter viii 136 the dragon thinketh to slake his thirst 142 the dragon perceiveth himself to be entrapped 148 a noise in the cellar 155, 156 half-title to chapter ix 167 head-piece to chapter ix 168 sir francis decideth to go down again 176 brother hubert goeth back to oyster-le-main for the last time 181 tail-piece to chapter ix 185 half-title to chapter x 186 head-piece to chapter x 187 sir thomas de brie hastens to accept the baron's polite invitation 192 the court-yard 198 the dragon maketh his last appearance 203 l'envoi 208 [illustration: qui ne saulte saulte sera] chapter i how _sir godfrey_ came to lose his temper [illustration: the bvtler his boy godfrey disseisin] there was something wrong in the cellar at wantley manor. little whelpdale knew it, for he was buttons, and buttons always knows what is being done with the wine, though he may look as if he did not. and old popham knew it, too. he was butler, and responsible to sir godfrey for all the brandy, and ale, and cider, and mead, and canary, and other strong waters there were in the house. now, sir godfrey disseisin, fourth baron of wantley, and immediate tenant by knight-service to his majesty king john of england, was particular about his dogs, and particular about his horses, and about his only daughter and his boy roland, and had been very particular indeed about his wife, who, i am sorry to say, did not live long. but all this was nothing to the fuss he made about his wine. when the claret was not warm enough, or the moselle wine was not cool enough, you could hear him roaring all over the house; for, though generous in heart and a staunch churchman, he was immoderately choleric. very often, when sir godfrey fell into one of his rages at dinner, old popham, standing behind his chair, trembled so violently that his calves would shake loose, thus obliging him to hasten behind the tall leathern screen at the head of the banquet-hall and readjust them. twice in each year the baron sailed over to france, where he visited the wine-merchants, and tasted samples of all new vintages,--though they frequently gave him unmentionable aches. then, when he was satisfied that he had selected the soundest and richest, he returned to wantley manor, bringing home wooden casks that were as big as hay-stacks, and so full they could not gurgle when you tipped them. upon arriving, he sent for mrs. mistletoe, the family governess and (for economy's sake) housekeeper, who knew how to write,--something the baron's father and mother had never taught him when he was a little boy, because they didn't know how themselves, and despised people who did,--and when mrs. mistletoe had cut neat pieces of card-board for labels and got ready her goose-quill, sir godfrey would say, "write, château lafitte, 1187;" or, "write, chambertin, 1203." (those, you know, were the names and dates of the vintages.) "yes, my lord," mistletoe always piped up; on which sir godfrey would peer over her shoulder at the writing, and mutter, "hum; yes, that's correct," just as if he knew how to read, the old humbug! then mistletoe, who was a silly girl and had lost her husband early, would go "tee-hee, sir godfrey!" as the gallant gentleman gave her a kiss. of course, this was not just what he should have done; but he was a widower, you must remember, and besides that, as the years went on this little ceremony ceased to be kept up. when it was "château lafitte, 1187," kissing mistletoe was one thing; but when it came to "chambertin, 1203," the lady weighed two hundred and twenty-five pounds, and wore a wig. but, wig and all, mistletoe had a high position in wantley manor. the household was conducted on strictly feudal principles. nobody, except the members of the family, received higher consideration than did the old governess. she and the chaplain were on a level, socially, and they sat at the same table with the baron. that drew the line. old popham the butler might tell little whelpdale as often as he pleased that he was just as good as mistletoe; but he had to pour out mistletoe's wine for her, notwithstanding. if she scolded him (which she always did if sir godfrey had been scolding her), do you suppose he dared to answer back? gracious, no! he merely kicked the two head-footmen, meeson and welsby, and spoke severely to the nine house-maids. meeson and welsby then made life a painful thing for the five under-footmen and the grooms, while the nine house-maids boxed the ears of whelpdale the buttons, and whelpdale the buttons punched the scullion's eye. as for the scullion, he was bottom of the list; but he could always relieve his feelings by secretly pulling the tails of sir godfrey's two tame ravens, whose names were croak james and croak elizabeth. i never knew what these birds did at that; but something, you may be sure. so you see that i was right when i said the household was conducted on strictly feudal principles. the cook had a special jurisdiction of her own, and everybody was more or less afraid of her. whenever sir godfrey had come home with new wine, and after the labels had been pasted on the casks, then popham, with whelpdale beside him, had these carefully set down in the cellar, which was a vast dim room, the ceilings supported by heavy arches; the barrels, bins, kegs, hogsheads, tuns, and demijohns of every size and shape standing like forests and piled to the ceiling. and now something was wrong there. "this 'ere's a hawful succumstence, sir," observed whelpdale the buttons to his superior, respectfully. "it is, indeed, a himbroglio," replied popham, who had a wide command of words, and knew it. neither domestic spoke again for some time. they were seated in the buttery. the butler crossed his right leg over his left, and waved the suspended foot up and down,--something he seldom did unless very grievously perturbed. as for poor little whelpdale, he mopped his brow with the napkins that were in a basket waiting for the wash. then the bell rang. "his ludship's study-bell," said popham. "don't keep him waiting." "hadn't you better apprise his ludship of the facks?" asked whelpdale, in a weak voice. popham made no reply. he arose and briefly kicked buttons out of the buttery. then he mounted a chair to listen better. "he has hentered his ludship's apawtment," he remarked, hearing the sound of voices come faintly down the little private staircase that led from sir godfrey's study to the buttery: the baron was in the habit of coming down at night for crackers and cheese before he went to bed. presently one voice grew much louder than the other. it questioned. there came a sort of whining in answer. then came a terrific stamp on the ceiling and a loud "go on, sir!" "now, now, now!" thought popham. do you want to hear at once, without waiting any longer, what little whelpdale is telling sir godfrey? well, you must know that for the past thirteen years, ever since 1190, the neighbourhood had been scourged by a terrible dragon. the monster was covered with scales, and had a long tail and huge unnatural wings, beside fearful jaws that poured out smoke and flame whenever they opened. he always came at dead of night, roaring, bellowing, and sparkling and flaming over the hills, and horrid claps of thunder were very likely to attend his progress. concerning the nature and quality of his roaring, the honest copyholders of wantley could never agree, although every human being had heard him hundreds of times. some said it was like a mad bull, only much louder and worse. old gaffer piers the ploughman swore that if his tomcat weighed a thousand pounds it would make a noise almost as bad as that on summer nights, with the moon at the full and other cats handy. but farmer stiles said, "nay, 'tis like none of your bulls nor cats. but when i have come home too near the next morning, my wife can make me think of this dragon as soon as ever her mouth be open." [illustration: popham awaiteth the result with dignity] this shows you that there were divers opinions. if you were not afraid to look out of the window about midnight, you could see the sky begin to look red in the quarter from which he was approaching, just as it glares when some distant house is on fire. but you must shut the window and hide before he came over the hill; for very few that had looked upon the dragon ever lived to that day twelvemonth. this monster devoured the substance of the tenantry and yeomen. when their fields of grain were golden for the harvest, in a single night he cut them down and left their acres blasted by his deadly fire. he ate the cows, the sheep, the poultry, and at times even sucked eggs. many pious saints had visited the district, but not one had been able by his virtue to expel the dragon; and the farmers and country folk used to repeat a legend that said the dragon was a punishment for the great wickedness of the baron's ancestor, the original sir godfrey disseisin, who, when summoned on the first crusade to palestine, had entirely refused to go and help his cousin godfrey de bouillon wrest the holy sepulchre from the paynim. the baron's ancestor, when a stout young lad, had come over with william the conqueror; and you must know that to have an ancestor who had come over with william the conqueror was in those old days a much rarer thing than it is now, and any one who could boast of it was held in high esteem by his neighbours, who asked him to dinner and left their cards upon him continually. but the first sir godfrey thought one conquest was enough for any man; and in reply to his cousin's invitation to try a second, answered in his blunt norman french, "nul tiel verte dedans ceot oyle," which displeased the church, and ended forever all relations between the families. the dragon did not come at once, for this gentleman's son, the grandfather of our sir godfrey, as soon as he was twenty-one, went off to the holy land himself, fought very valiantly, and was killed, leaving behind him at wantley an inconsolable little wife and an heir six months old. this somewhat appeased the pope; but the present sir godfrey, when asked to accompany king richard lion heart on his campaign against the infidel, did not avail himself of the opportunity to set the family right in the matter of crusades. this hereditary impiety, which the pope did not consider at all mended by the baron's most regular attendance at the parish church on all sundays, feast days, fast days, high days, low days, saints' days, vigils, and octaves, nor by his paying his tithes punctually to father anselm, abbot of oyster-le-main (a wonderful person, of whom i shall have a great deal to tell you presently), this impiety, i say, finished the good standing of the house of wantley. rome frowned, the earth trembled, and the dragon came. and (the legend went on to say) this curse would not be removed until a female lineal descendant of the first sir godfrey, a young lady who had never been married, and had never loved anybody except her father and mother and her sisters and brothers, should go out in the middle of the night on christmas eve, all by herself, and encounter the dragon single handed. now, of course, this is not what little whelpdale is trying to tell the baron up in the study; for everybody in wantley knew all about the legend except one person, and that was miss elaine, sir godfrey's only daughter, eighteen years old at the last court of piepoudre, when her father (after paying all the farmers for all the cows and sheep they told him had been eaten by the dragon since the last court) had made his customary proclamation, to wit: his good-will and protection to all his tenantry; and if any man, woman, child, or other person, caused his daughter, miss elaine, to hear anything about the legend, such tale-bearer should be chained to a tree, and kept fat until the dragon found him and ate him. so everybody obligingly kept the baron's secret. sir godfrey is just this day returned from france with some famous tuns of wine, and presents for elaine and mrs. mistletoe. his humour is (or was, till whelpdale, poor wretch! answered the bell) of the best possible. and now, this moment, he is being told by the luckless buttons that the dragon of wantley has taken to drinking, as well as eating, what does not belong to him; has for the last three nights burst the big gates of the wine-cellar that open on the hillside the manor stands upon; that a hogshead of the baron's best burgundy is going; and that two hogsheads of his choicest malvoisie are gone! one hundred and twenty-eight gallons in three nights' work! but i suppose a fire-breathing dragon must be very thirsty. there was a dead silence in the study overhead, and old popham's calves were shaking loose as he waited. "and so you stood by and let this black, sneaking, prowling, thieving" (here the baron used some shocking expressions which i shall not set down) "dragon swill my wine?" "st--st--stood by, your ludship?" said little whelpdale. "no, sir; no one didn't do any standing by, sir. he roared that terrible, sir, we was all under the bed." "now, by my coat of mail and great right leg!" shouted sir godfrey. the quaking popham heard no more. the door of the private staircase flew open with a loud noise, and down came little whelpdale head over heels into the buttery. after him strode sir godfrey in full mail armour, clashing his steel fists against the banisters. the nose-piece of his helmet was pushed up to allow him to speak plainly,--and most plainly did he speak, i can assure you, all the way down stairs, keeping his right eye glaring upon popham in one corner of the buttery, and at the same time petrifying whelpdale with his left. from father to son, the disseisins had always been famous for the manner in which they could straddle their eyes; and in sir godfrey the family trait was very strongly marked. [illustration: the baron pursueth whelpdale into the buttery] arrived at the bottom, he stopped for a moment to throw a ham through the stained-glass window, and then made straight for popham. but the head butler was an old family servant, and had learned to know his place. with surprising agility he hopped on a table, so that sir godfrey's foot flew past its destined goal and caught a shelf that was loaded with a good deal of his wedding china. the baron was far too dignified a person to take any notice of this mishap, and he simply strode on, out of the buttery, and so through the halls of the manor, where all who caught even the most distant sight of his coming, promptly withdrew into the privacy of their apartments. [illustration] [illustration] chapter ii how his daughter, miss elaine, behaued in consequence [illustration: elaine mistletoe] the baron walked on, his rage mounting as he went, till presently he began talking aloud to himself. "mort d'aieul and cosenage!" he muttered, grinding his teeth over these oaths; "matters have come to a pretty pass, per my and per tout! and this is what my wine-bibbing ancestor has brought on his posterity by his omission to fight for the true faith!" sir godfrey knew the outrageous injustice of this remark as well as you or i do; and so did the portrait of his ancestor, which he happened to be passing under, for the red nose in the tapestry turned a deeper ruby in scornful anger. but, luckily for the nerves of its descendant, the moths had eaten its mouth away so entirely, that the retort it attempted to make sounded only like a faint hiss, which the baron mistook for a little gust of wind behind the arras. "my ruddy burgundy!" he groaned, "going, going! and my rich, fruity malvoisie,--all gone! father anselm didn't appreciate it, either, that night he dined here last september. he said i had put egg-shells in it. egg-shells! pooh! as if any parson could talk about wine. these church folk had better mind their business, and say grace, and eat their dinner, and be thankful. that's what i say. egg-shells, forsooth!" the baron was passing through the chapel, and he mechanically removed his helmet; but he did not catch sight of the glittering eye of father anselm himself, who had stepped quickly into the confessional, and there in the dark watched sir godfrey with a strange, mocking smile. when he had the chapel to himself again, the tall gray figure of the abbot appeared in full view, and craftily moved across the place. if you had been close beside him, and had listened hard, you could have heard a faint clank and jingle beneath his gown as he moved, which would have struck you as not the sort of noise a hair-shirt ought to make. but i am glad you were not there; for i do not like the way the abbot looked at all, especially so near christmas-tide, when almost every one somehow looks kinder as he goes about in the world. father anselm moved out of the chapel, and passed through lonely corridors out of wantley manor, out of the court-yard, and so took his way to oyster-le-main in the gathering dusk. the few people who met him received his blessing, and asked no questions; for they were all serfs of the glebe, and well used to meeting the abbot going and coming near wantley manor. meanwhile, sir godfrey paced along. "to think," he continued, aloud, "to think the country could be rid of this monster, this guzzling serpent, in a few days! plenty would reign again. public peace of mind would be restored. the cattle would increase, the crops would grow, my rents treble, and my wines be drunk no more by a miserable, ignorant--but, no! i'm her father. elaine shall never be permitted to sacrifice herself for one dragon, or twenty dragons, either." "why, what's the matter, papa?" sir godfrey started. there was miss elaine in front of him; and she had put on one of the new french gowns he had brought over with him. "matter? plenty of matter!" he began, unluckily. "at least, nothing is the matter at all, my dear. what a question! am i not back all safe from the sea? nothing is the matter, of course! hasn't your old father been away from you two whole months? and weren't those pretty dresses he has carried back with him for his little girl? and isn't the wine--zounds, no, the wine isn't--at least, certainly it is--to be sure it's what it ought to be--_what_ it ought to be? yes! but, mort d'aieul! not _where_ it ought to be! hum! hum! i think i am going mad!" and sir godfrey, forgetting he held the helmet all this while, dashed his hands to his head with such violence that the steel edge struck hard above the ear, and in one minute had raised a lump there as large as the egg of a fowl. "poor, poor papa," said miss elaine. and she ran and fetched some cold water, and, dipping her dainty lace handkerchief into it, she bathed the baron's head. "thank you, my child," he murmured, presently. "of course, nothing is the matter. they were very slow in putting the new" (here he gave a gulp) "casks of wine into the cellar; that's all. 'twill soon be dinner-time. i must make me ready." and so saying, the baron kissed his daughter and strode away towards his dressing-room. but she heard him shout "mort d'aieul!" more than once before he was out of hearing. then his dressing-room door shut with a bang, and sent echoes all along the entries above and below. [illustration: sir godfrey maketh him ready for the bath] the december night was coming down, and a little twinkling lamp hung at the end of the passage. towards this miss elaine musingly turned her steps, still squeezing her now nearly dry handkerchief. "what did he mean?" she said to herself. "elaine!" shouted sir godfrey, away off round a corner. "yes, papa, i'm coming." "don't come. i'm going to the bath. a--did you hear me say anything particular?" "do you mean when i met you?" answered elaine. "yes--no--that is,--not exactly, papa." "then don't dare to ask me any questions, for i won't have it." and another door slammed. "what did papa mean?" said miss elaine, once more. her bright brown eyes were looking at the floor as she walked slowly on towards the light, and her lips, which had been a little open so that you could have seen what dainty teeth she had, shut quite close. in fact, she was thinking, which was something you could seldom accuse her of. i do not know exactly what her thoughts were, except that the words "dragon" and "sacrifice" kept bumping against each other in them continually; and whenever they bumped, miss elaine frowned a little deeper, till she really looked almost solemn. in this way she came under the hanging lamp and entered the door in front of which it shone. [illustration: sir godfrey getteth in to hys bath] this was the ladies' library, full of the most touching romances about roland, and walter of aquitaine, and sir tristram, and a great number of other excitable young fellows, whose behaviour had invariably got them into dreadful difficulties, but had as invariably made them, in the eyes of every damsel they saw, the most attractive, fascinating, sweet, dear creatures in the world. nobody ever read any of these books except mrs. mistletoe and the family chaplain. these two were, indeed, the only people in the household that knew how to read,--which may account for it in some measure. it was here that miss elaine came in while she was thinking so hard, and found old mistletoe huddled to the fire. she had been secretly reading the first chapters of a new and pungent french romance, called "roger and angelica," that was being published in a paris and a london magazine simultaneously. only thus could the talented french author secure payment for his books in england; for king john, who had recently murdered his little nephew arthur, had now turned his attention to obstructing all arrangements for an international copyright. in many respects, this monarch was no credit to his family. [illustration: mistletoe; consvlteth ye cookynge booke] when the governess heard miss elaine open the door behind her, she thought it was the family chaplain, and, quickly throwing the shocking story on the floor, she opened the household cookery-book,--an enormous volume many feet square, suspended from the ceiling by strong chains, and containing several thousand receipts for english, french, italian, croatian, dalmatian, and acarnanian dishes, beginning with a poem in blank verse written to his confectioner by the emperor charles the fat. german cooking was omitted. "i'm looking up a new plum-pudding for christmas," said mistletoe, nervously, keeping her virtuous eyes on the volume. "ah, indeed!" miss elaine answered, indifferently. she was thinking harder than ever,--was, in fact, inventing a little plan. "oh, so it's you, deary!" cried the governess, much relieved. she had feared the chaplain might pick up the guilty magazine and find its pages cut only at the place where the french story was. and i am grieved to have to tell you that this is just what he did do later in the evening, and sat down in his private room and read about roger and angelica himself. "here's a good one," said mistletoe. "number 39, in the appendix to part fourth. chop two pounds of leeks and----" "but i may not be here to taste it," said elaine. "bless the child!" said mistletoe. "and where else would you be on christmas-day but in your own house?" "perhaps far away. who knows?" "you haven't gone and seen a young man and told him----" "a young man, indeed!" said elaine, with a toss of her head. "there's not a young man in england i would tell anything save to go about his business." miss elaine had never seen any young men except when they came to dine on sir godfrey's invitation; and his manner on those occasions so awed them that they always sat on the edge of their chairs, and said, "no, thank you," when the baron said, "have some more capon?" then the baron would snort, "nonsense! popham, bring me master percival's plate," upon which master percival invariably simpered, and said that really he did believe he _would_ take another slice. after these dinners, miss elaine retired to her own part of the house; and that was all she ever saw of young men, whom she very naturally deemed a class to be despised as silly and wholly lacking in self-assertion. "then where in the name of good saints are you going to be?" mistletoe went on. "why," said elaine, slowly (and here she looked very slyly at the old governess, and then quickly appeared to be considering the lace on her dress), "why, of course, papa would not permit me to sacrifice myself for one dragon or twenty dragons." "what!" screamed mistletoe, all in a flurry (for she was a fool). "what?" "of course, i know papa would say that," said miss elaine, demure as possible. "oh, mercy me!" squeaked mistletoe; "we are undone!" "to be sure, i might agree with papa," said the artful thing, knowing well enough she was on the right track. "oo--oo!" went the governess, burying her nose in the household cookery-book and rocking from side to side. "but then i might not agree with papa, you know. i might think,--might think----" miss elaine stopped at what she might think, for really she hadn't the slightest idea what to say next. "you have no right to think,--no right at all!" burst out mistletoe. "and you sha'n't be allowed to think. i'll tell sir godfrey at once, and he'll forbid you. oh, dear! oh, dear! just before christmas eve, too! the only night in the year! she has no time to change her mind; and she'll be eaten up if she goes, i know she will. what villain told you of this, child? let me know, and he shall be punished at once." "i shall not tell you that," said elaine. "then everybody will be suspected," moaned mistletoe. "everybody. the whole household. and we shall all be thrown to the dragon. oh, dear! was there ever such a state of things?" the governess betook herself to weeping and wringing her hands, and elaine stood watching her and wondering how in the world she could find out more. she knew now just enough to keep her from eating or sleeping until she knew everything. "i don't agree with papa, at all," she said, during a lull in the tears. this was the only remark she could think of. "he'll lock you up, and feed you on bread and water till you do--oo--oo!" sobbed mistletoe; "and by that time we shall all be ea--ea--eaten up!" "but i'll talk to papa, and make him change his mind." "he won't. do you think you're going to make him care more about a lot of sheep and cows than he does about his only daughter? doesn't he pay the people for everything the dragon eats up? who would pay him for you, when you were eaten up?" "how do you know that i should be eaten up?" asked miss elaine. "oh, dear! oh, dear! and how could you stop it? what could a girl do alone against a dragon in the middle of the night?" "but on christmas eve?" suggested the young lady. "there might be something different about that. he might feel better, you know, on christmas eve." "do you suppose a wicked, ravenous dragon with a heathen tail is going to care whether it is christmas eve or not? he'd have you for his christmas dinner, and that's all the notice he would take of the day. and then perhaps he wouldn't leave the country, after all. how can you be sure he would go away, just because that odious, vulgar legend says so? who would rely on a dragon? and so there you would be gone, and he would be here, and everything!" mistletoe's tears flowed afresh; but you see she had said all that miss elaine was so curious to know about, and the fatal secret was out. [illustration: elaine maketh an vnexpected remark] the quarter-bell rang for dinner, and both the women hastened to their rooms to make ready; mistletoe still boo-hooing and snuffling, and declaring that she had always said some wretched, abominable villain would tell her child about that horrid, ridiculous legend, that was a perfect falsehood, as anybody could see, and very likely invented by the dragon himself, because no human being with any feelings at all would think of such a cruel, absurd idea; and if they ever did, they deserved to be eaten themselves; and she would not have it. she said a great deal more that elaine, in the next room, could not hear (though the door was open between), because the governess put her fat old face under the cold water in the basin, and, though she went on talking just the same, it only produced an angry sort of bubbling, which conveyed very little notion of what she meant. so they descended the stairway, miss elaine walking first, very straight and solemn; and that was the way she marched into the banquet-hall, where sir godfrey waited. "papa," said she, "i think i'll meet the dragon on christmas eve!" [illustration] chapter iii reueals the _dragon_ in his den [illustration: brother hubert] around the sullen towers of oyster-le-main the snow was falling steadily. it was slowly banking up in the deep sills of the windows, and hubert the sacristan had given up sweeping the steps. patches of it, that had collected on the top of the great bell as the slanting draughts blew it in through the belfry-window, slid down from time to time among the birds which had nestled for shelter in the beams below. from the heavy main outer-gates, the country spread in a white unbroken sheet to the woods. twice, perhaps, through the morning had wayfarers toiled by along the nearly-obliterated high-road. "good luck to the holy men!" each had said to himself as he looked at the chill and austere walls of the monastery. "good luck! and i hope that within there they be warmer than i am." then i think it very likely that as he walked on, blowing the fingers of the hand that held his staff, he thought of his fireside and his wife, and blessed providence for not making him pious enough to be a monk and a bachelor. this is what was doing in the world outside. now inside the stone walls of oyster-le-main, whose grim solidity spoke of narrow cells and of pious knees continually bent in prayer, not a monk paced the corridors, and not a step could be heard above or below in the staircase that wound up through the round towers. silence was everywhere, save that from a remote quarter of the monastery came a faint sound of music. upon such a time as christmas eve, it might well be that carols in plenty would be sung or studied by the saintly men. but this sounded like no carol. at times the humming murmur of the storm drowned the measure, whatever it was, and again it came along the dark, cold entries, clearer than before. away in a long vaulted room, whose only approach was a passage in the thickness of the walls, safe from the intrusion of the curious, a company is sitting round a cavernous chimney, where roars and crackles a great blazing heap of logs. surely, for a monkish song, their melody is most odd; yet monks they are, for all are clothed in gray, like father anselm, and a rope round the waist of each. but what can possibly be in that huge silver rundlet into which they plunge their goblets so often? the song grows louder than ever. we are the monks of oyster-le-main, hooded and gowned as fools may see; hooded and gowned though we monks be, is that a reason we should abstain from cups of the gamesome burgundie? though our garments make it plain that we are monks of oyster-le-main, that is no reason we should abstain from cups of the gamesome burgundie. "i'm sweating hot," says one. "how for disrobing, brothers? no danger on such a day as this, foul luck to the snow!" which you see was coarse and vulgar language for any one to be heard to use, and particularly so for a godly celibate. but the words were scarce said, when off fly those monks' hoods, and the waist-ropes rattle as they fall on the floor, and the gray gowns drop down and are kicked away. every man jack of them is in black armour, with a long sword buckled to his side. "long cheer to the guild of go-as-you-please!" they shouted, hoarsely, and dashed their drinking-horns on the board. then filled them again. "give us a song, hubert," said one. "the day's a dull one out in the world." [illustration] "wait a while," replied hubert, whose nose was hidden in his cup; "this new wantley tipple is a vastly comfortable brew. what d'ye call the stuff?" "malvoisie, thou oaf?" said another; "and of a delicacy many degrees above thy bumpkin palate. leave profaning it, therefore, and to thy refrain without more ado." "most unctuous sir," replied hubert, "in demanding me this favour, you seem forgetful that the juice of pleasure is sweeter than the milk of human kindness. i'll not sing to give thee an opportunity to outnumber me in thy cups." and he filled and instantly emptied another sound bumper of the malvoisie, lurching slightly as he did so. "health!" he added, preparing to swallow the next. "a murrain on such pagan thirst!" exclaimed he who had been toasted, snatching the cup away. "art thou altogether unslakable? is thy belly a lime-kiln? nay, shalt taste not a single drop more, hubert, till we have a stave. come, tune up, man!" "give me but leave to hold the empty vessel, then," the singer pleaded, falling on one knee in mock supplication. "accorded, thou sot!" laughed the other. "carol away, now!" they fell into silence, each replenishing his drinking-horn. the snow beat soft against the window, and from outside, far above them, sounded the melancholy note of the bell ringing in the hour for meditation. so hubert began: when the sable veil of night over hill and glen is spread, the yeoman bolts his door in fright, and he quakes within his bed. far away on his ear there strikes a sound of dread: something comes! it is here! it is passed with awful tread. there's a flash of unholy flame; there is smoke hangs hot in the air: 'twas the dragon of wantley came: beware of him, beware! but we beside the fire sit close to the steaming bowl; we pile the logs up higher, and loud our voices roll. when the yeoman wakes at dawn to begin his round of toil, his garner's bare, his sheep are gone, and the dragon holds the spoil. all day long through the earth that yeoman makes his moan; all day long there is mirth behind these walls of stone. for we are the lords of ease, the gaolers of carking care, the guild of go-as-you-please! beware of us, beware! so we beside the fire sit down to the steaming bowl; we pile the logs up higher, and loud our voices roll. the roar of twenty lusty throats and the clatter of cups banging on the table rendered the words of the chorus entirely inaudible. "here's malvoisie for thee, hubert," said one of the company, dipping into the rundlet. but his hand struck against the dry bottom. they had finished four gallons since breakfast, and it was scarcely eleven gone on the clock! "oh, i am betrayed!" hubert sang out. then he added, "but there is a plenty where that came from." and with that he reached for his gown, and, fetching out a bunch of great brass keys, proceeded towards a tall door in the wall, and turned the lock. the door swung open, and hubert plunged into the dark recess thus disclosed. an exclamation of chagrin followed, and the empty hide of a huge crocodile, with a pair of trailing wings to it, came bumping out from the closet into the hall, giving out many hollow cracks as it floundered along, fresh from a vigourous kick that the intemperate minstrel had administered in his rage at having put his hand into the open jaws of the monster instead of upon the neck of the demijohn that contained the malvoisie. "beshrew thee, hubert!" said the voice of a new-comer, who stood eyeing the proceedings from a distance, near where he had entered; "treat the carcase of our patron saint with a more befitting reverence, or i'll have thee caged and put upon bread and water. remember, that whosoever kicks that skin in some sort kicks me." "long life to the dragon of wantley!" said hubert, reappearing, very dusty, but clasping a plump demijohn. "hubert, my lad," said the new-comer, "put back that vessel of inebriation; and, because i like thee well for thy youth and thy sweet voice, do not therefore presume too far with me." a somewhat uneasy pause followed upon this; and while hubert edged back into the closet with his demijohn, father anselm frowned slightly as his eyes turned upon the scene of late hilarity. but where is the dragon in his den? you ask. are we not coming to him soon? ah, but we have come to him. you shall hear the truth. never believe that sham story about more of more hall, and how he slew the dragon of wantley. it is a gross fabrication of some unscrupulous and mediocre literary person, who, i make no doubt, was in the pay of more to blow his trumpet so loud that a credulous posterity might hear it. my account of the dragon is the only true one. [illustration] chapter iv tells all about him [illustration] in those days of shifting fortunes, of turbulence and rapine, of knights-errant and minstrels seeking for adventure and love, and of solitary pilgrims and bodies of pious men wandering over europe to proclaim that the duty of all was to arise and quell the pagan defilers of the holy shrine, good men and bad men, undoubted saints and unmistakable sinners, drifted forward and back through every country, came by night and by day to every household, and lived their lives in that unbounded and perilous freedom that put them at one moment upon the top limit of their ambition or their delight, and plunged them into violent and bloody death almost ere the moment was gone. it was a time when "fatten at thy neighbour's expense" was the one commandment observed by many who outwardly maintained a profound respect for the original ten; and any man whose wit taught him how this commandment could be obeyed with the greatest profit and the least danger was in high standing among his fellows. hence it was that francis almoign, knight of the voracious stomach, cumbered with no domestic ties worthy of mention, a tall slim fellow who knew the appropriate hour to slit a throat or to wheedle a maid, came to be grand marshal of the guild of go-as-you-please. this secret band, under its grand marshal, roved over europe and thrived mightily. each member was as stout hearted a villain as you could see. sometimes their doings came to light, and they were forced to hasten across the borders of an outraged territory into new pastures. yet they fared well in the main, for they could fight and drink and sing; and many a fair one smiled upon them, in spite of their perfectly outrageous morals. so, one day, they came into the neighbourhood of oyster-le-main, where much confusion reigned among the good monks. sir godfrey disseisin over at wantley had let richard lion heart depart for the holy wars without him. "like father like son," the people muttered in their discontent. "sure, the church will gravely punish this second offence." to all these whisperings of rumour the grand marshal of the guild paid fast attention; for he was a man who laid his plans deeply, and much in advance of the event. he saw the country was fat and the neighbours foolish. he took note of the handsome tithes that came in to oyster-le-main for the support of the monks. he saw all these things, and set himself to thinking. upon a stormy afternoon, when the light was nearly gone out of the sky, a band of venerable pilgrims stood at the great gates of the monastery. their garments were tattered, their shoes were in sad disrepair. they had walked (they said) all the way from jerusalem. might they find shelter for the night? the tale they told, and the mere sight of their trembling old beards, would have melted hearts far harder than those which beat in the breasts of the monks of oyster-le-main. but above all, these pilgrims brought with them as convincing proofs of their journey a collection of relics and talismans (such as are to be met with only in eastern countries) of great wonder and virtue. with singular generosity, which they explained had been taught them by the arabs, they presented many of these treasures to the delighted inmates of the monastery, who hastened to their respective cells,--this one reverently cherishing a tuft of hair from the tail of one of daniel's lions; another handling with deep fervour a strip of the coat of many colours once worn by the excellent joseph. but the most extraordinary relic among them all was the skin of a huge lizard beast, the like of which none in england had ever seen. this, the pilgrims told their hosts, was no less a thing than a crocodile from the nile, the renowned river of moses. it had been pressed upon them, as they were departing from the city of damascus, by a friend, a blameless chiropodist, whose name was omar khayyam. he it was who eked out a pious groat by tending the feet of all outward and inward bound pilgrims. seated at the entrance of his humble booth, with the foot of some holy man in his lap, he would speak words of kindness and wisdom as he reduced the inflammation. one of his quaintest sayings was, "if the pope has bid thee wear hair next thy bare skin, my son, why, clap a wig over thy shaven scalp." so the monks in proper pity and kindness, when they had shut the great gates as night came down, made their pilgrim guests welcome to bide at oyster-le-main as long as they pleased. the solemn bell for retiring rolled forth in the darkness with a single deep clang, and the sound went far and wide over the neighbouring district. those peasants who were still awake in their scattered cottages, crossed themselves as they thought, "the holy men at oyster-le-main are just now going to their rest." and thus the world outside grew still, and the thick walls of the monastery loomed up against the stars. deep in the midnight, many a choking cry rang fearfully through the stony halls, but came not to the outer air; and the waning moon shone faintly down upon the enclosure of the garden, where worked a band of silent grave-diggers, clad in black armour, and with blood-red hands. the good country folk, who came at early morning with their presents of poultry and milk, little guessed what sheep's clothing the gray cowls and gowns of oyster-le-main had become in a single night, nor what impious lips those were which now muttered blessings over their bent heads. the following night, hideous sounds were heard in the fields, and those who dared to open their shutters to see what the matter was, beheld a huge lizard beast, with fiery breath and accompanied by rattling thunder, raging over the soil, which he hardly seemed to touch! in this manner did the dreaded dragon of wantley make his appearance, and in this manner did sir francis almoign, knight of the voracious stomach, stand in the shoes of that father anselm whom he had put so comfortably out of the way under the flower-beds in the monastery garden,--and never a soul in the world except his companions in orgy to know the difference. he even came to be welcome at sir godfrey's table; for after the dragon's appearance, the baron grew civil to all members of the church. by day this versatile sinner, the grand marshal, would walk in the sight of the world with staid step, clothed in gray, his hood concealing his fierce, unchurchly eyes; by night, inside the crocodile skin, he visited what places he chose, unhindered by the terrified dwellers, and after him came his followers of the guild to steal the plunder and bear it back inside the walls of oyster-le-main. never in all their adventures had these superb miscreants been in better plight; but now the trouble had begun, as you are going to hear. we return to hubert and the company. "hubert and all of you," said father anselm, or rather sir francis, the grand marshal, as we know him to be, "they say that whom the gods desire to destroy, him do they first make drunk with wine." "the application! the application!" they shouted in hoarse and mirthful chorus, for they were certainly near that state favourable to destruction by the gods. one black fellow with a sliding gait ran into the closet and brought a sheet of thin iron, and a strange torch-like tube, which he lighted at the fire and blew into from the other end. a plume of spitting flame immediately shot far into the air. [illustration: hubert looketh out of ye window] "before thy sermon proceeds, old dragon," he said, puffing unsteady but solemn breaths between his words, "wrap up in lightning and thunder that we may be--may be--lieve what you say." then he shook the iron till it gave forth a frightful shattering sound. the grand marshal said not a word. with three long steps he stood towering in front of the man and dealt him a side blow under the ear with his steel fist. he fell instantly, folding together like something boneless, and lay along the floor for a moment quite still, except that some piece in his armour made a light rattling as though there were muscles that quivered beneath it. then he raised himself slowly to a bench where his brothers sat waiting, soberly enough. only young hubert grinned aside to his neighbour, who, perceiving it, kept his eyes fixed as far from that youth as possible. "thy turn next, if art not careful, hubert," said sir francis very quietly, as he seated himself. "wonder of saints!" hubert thought secretly, not moving at all, "how could he have seen that?" "'tis no small piece of good fortune," continued the grand marshal, "that some one among us can put aside his slavish appetites, and keep a clear eye on the watch against misadventure. here is my news. that hotch-pot of lies we set going among the people has fallen foul of us. the daughter of sir godfrey has heard our legend, and last week told her sire that to-night she would follow it out to the letter, and meet the dragon of wantley alone in single combat." "has she never loved any man?" asked one. "she fulfils every condition." "who told her?" "that most consummate of fools, the mistletoe," said the grand marshal. "what did sir godfrey do upon that?" inquired hubert. "he locked up his girl and chained the governess to a rock, where she has remained in deadly terror ever since, but kept fat for me to devour her. me!" and sir francis permitted himself to smile, though not very broadly. "how if sir dragon had found the maid chained instead of the ancient widow?" hubert said, venturing to tread a little nearer to familiarity on the strength of the amusement which played across the grand master's face. "ah, hubert boy," he replied, "i see it is not in the spring only, but in autumn and summer and winter as well, that thy fancy turns to thoughts of love. did the calendar year but contain a fifth season, in that also wouldst thou be making honey-dew faces at somebody." but young hubert only grinned, and closed his flashing eyes a little, in satisfaction at the character which had been given him. "time presses," sir francis said. "by noon we shall receive an important visit. there has been a great sensation at wantley. the country folk are aroused; the farmers have discovered that the secret of our legend has been revealed to miss elaine. not one of the clowns would have dared reveal it himself, but all rejoice in the bottom of their hearts that she knows it, and chooses to risk battle with the dragon. their honest saxon minds perceive the thrift of such an arrangement. therefore there is general anxiety and disturbance to know if sir godfrey will permit the conflict. the loss of his malvoisie tried him sorely,--but he remains a father." "that's kind in him," said hubert. sir francis turned a cold eye on hubert. "as befits a clean-blooded man," he proceeded, "i have risen at the dawn and left you wine-pots in your thick sleep. from the wood's edge over by wantley i've watched the baron come eagerly to an upper window in his white night-shift. and when he looks out on mistletoe and sees she is not devoured, he bursts into a rage that can be plainly seen from a distance. these six mornings i laughed so loud at this spectacle, that i almost feared discovery. next, the baron visits his daughter, only to find her food untasted and herself silent. i fear she is less of a fool than the rest. but now his paternal heart smites him, and he has let her out. also the governess is free." "such a girl as that would not flinch from meeting our dragon," said hubert; "aye, or from seeking him." "she must never meet the dragon," sir francis declared. "what could i do shut up in the crocodile, and she with a sword, of course?" they were gloomily silent. "i could not devour her properly as a dragon should. nor could i carry her away," pursued sir francis. here hubert, who had gone to the window, returned hastily, exclaiming, "they are coming!" "who are coming?" asked several. "the baron, his daughter, the governess, and all wantley at their backs, to ask our pious advice," said the grand marshal. "quick, into your gowns, one and all! be monks outside, though you stay men underneath." for a while the hall was filled with jostling gray figures entangled in the thick folds of the gowns, into which the arms, legs, and heads had been thrust regardless of direction; the armour clashed invisible underneath as the hot and choked members of the guild plunged about like wild animals sewed into sacks, in their struggles to reappear in decent monastic attire. the winged crocodile was kicked into the closet, after it were hurled the thunder machine and the lightning torch, and after them clattered the cups and the silver rundlet. barely had hubert turned the key, when knocking at the far-off gate was heard. "go down quickly, hubert," said the grand marshal, "and lead them all here." presently the procession of laity, gravely escorted by hubert, began to file into the now barren-looking room, while the monks stood with hands folded, and sang loudly what sounded to the uninstructed ears of each listener like a latin hymn. [illustration] [illustration] chapter v in which the hero makes his first appearance & is at once locked up. [illustration: father anselm sir godfrey] with the respect that was due to holy men, sir godfrey removed his helmet, and stood waiting in a decent attitude of attention to the hymn, although he did not understand a single word of it. the long deliberate latin words rolled out very grand to his ear, and, to tell you the truth, it is just as well his scholarship was faulty, for this is the english of those same words: "it is my intention to die in a tavern, with wine in the neighbourhood, close by my thirsty mouth; that angels in chorus may sing, when they reach me,- 'let bacchus be merciful unto this wine-bibber.'" but so devoutly did the monks dwell upon the syllables, so earnestly were the arms of each one folded against his breast, that you would never have suspected any unclerical sentiments were being expressed. the proximity of so many petticoats and kirtles caused considerable restlessness to hubert; but he felt the burning eye of the grand marshal fixed upon him, and sang away with all his might. sir godfrey began to grow impatient. "hem!" he said, moving his foot slightly. this proceeding, however, was without result. the pious chant continued to resound, and the monks paid not the least attention to their visitors, but stood up together in a double line, vociferating latin with as much zest as ever. "mort d'aieul!" growled sir godfrey, shifting his other foot, and not so gingerly this second time. by chance the singing stopped upon the same instant, so that the baron's remark and the noise his foot had made sounded all over the room. this disconcerted him; for he felt his standing with the church to be weak, and he rolled his eyes from one side to the other, watching for any effect his disturbance might have made. but, with the breeding of a true man of the world, the grand marshal merely observed, "benedicite, my son!" "good-morning, father," returned sir godfrey. "and what would you with me?" pursued the so-called father anselm. "speak, my son." "well, the fact is----" the baron began, marching forward; but he encountered the eye of the abbot, where shone a cold surprise at this over-familiar fashion of speech; so he checked himself, and, in as restrained a voice as he could command, told his story. how his daughter had determined to meet the dragon, and so save wantley; how nothing that a parent could say had influenced her intentions in the least; and now he placed the entire matter in the hands of the church. "which would have been more becoming if you had done it at the first," said father anselm, reprovingly. then he turned to miss elaine, who all this while had been looking out of the window with the utmost indifference. "how is this, my daughter?" he said gravely, in his deep voice. "oh, the dear blessed man!" whispered mistletoe, admiringly, to herself. "it is as you hear, father," said miss elaine, keeping her eyes away. "and why do you think that such a peril upon your part would do away with this dragon?" "says not the legend so?" she replied. "and what may the legend be, my daughter?" with some surprise that so well informed a person as father anselm should be ignorant of this prominent topic of the day, sir godfrey here broke in and narrated the legend to him with many vigourous comments. "ah, yes," said the father, smiling gently when the story was done; "i do now remember that some such child's tale was in the mouths of the common folk once; but methought the nonsense was dead long since." "the nonsense, father!" exclaimed elaine. "of a surety, my child. dost suppose that holy church were so unjust as to visit the sins of thy knightly relatives upon the head of any weak woman, who is not in the order of creation designed for personal conflict with men, let alone dragons?" "bravo, dragon!" thought hubert, as he listened to this wily talk of his chief. but the words "weak woman" had touched the pride of miss elaine. "i know nothing of weak women," she said, very stately; "but i do know that i am strong enough to meet this dragon, and, moreover, firmly intend to do so this very night." "peace, my daughter," said the monk; "and listen to the voice of thy mother the church speaking through the humblest of her servants. this legend of thine holds not a single grain of truth. 'tis a conceit of the common herd, set afoot by some ingenious fellow who may have thought he was doing a great thing in devising such fantastic mixture. true it is that the monster is a visitation to punish the impiety of certain members of thy family. true it is that he will not depart till a member of that family perform a certain act. but it is to be a male descendant." now sir godfrey's boy roland was being instructed in knightly arts and conduct away from home. "who told you that?" inquired the baron, as the thought of his precious wine-cellar came into his head. "on last christmas eve i had a vision," replied father anselm. "thy grandfather, the brave youth who by journeying to the holy war averted this curse until thine own conduct caused it to descend upon us, appeared to me in shining armour. 'anselm,' he said, and raised his right arm, 'the dragon is a grievous burden on the people. i can see that from where i am. now, anselm, when the fitting hour shall come, and my great-grandson's years be mature enough to have made a man of him, let him go to the next holy war that is proclaimed, and on the very night of his departure the curse will be removed and our family forgiven. more than this, anselm, if any male descendant from me direct shall at any time attend a crusade when it is declared, the country will be free forever.' so saying, he dissolved out of my sight in a silver gleaming mist." here father anselm paused, and from under his hood watched with a trifle of anxiety the effect of his speech. there was a short silence, and then sir godfrey said, "am i to understand this thing hangs on the event of another crusade?" the abbot bowed. "meanwhile, till that event happen, the dragon can rage unchecked?" the abbot bowed again. "will there be another crusade along pretty soon?" sir godfrey pursued. "these things lie not in human knowledge," replied father anselm. he little dreamed what news the morrow's sun would see. "oh, my sheep!" groaned many a poor farmer. "oh, my burgundy!" groaned sir godfrey. "in that case," exclaimed elaine, her cheeks pink with excitement, "i shall try the virtue of the legend, at any rate." "most impious, my daughter, most impious will such conduct be in the sight of mother church," said father anselm. "hear me, all people!" shouted sir godfrey, foreseeing that before the next crusade came every drop of wine in his cellar would be swallowed by the dragon; "hear me proclaim and solemnly promise: legend true or legend false, my daughter shall not face this risk. but if her heart go with it, her hand shall be given to that man who by night or light brings me this dragon, alive or dead!" [illustration: geoffrey replyeth with deplorable flippancy to father anselm.] "a useless promise, sir godfrey!" said father anselm, shrugging his shoulders. "we dare not discredit the word of thy respected grandsire." "my respected grandsire be----" "_what?_" said the abbot. "became a credit to his family," said the baron, quite mildly; "and i slight no word of his. but he did not contradict this legend in the vision, i think." "no, he did not, papa," miss elaine put in. "he only mentioned another way of getting rid of this horrible dragon. now, papa, whatever you may say about--about my heart and hand," she continued firmly, "i am going to meet the monster alone myself, to-night." "that you shall not," said sir godfrey. "a hundred times no!" said a new voice from the crowd. "i will meet him myself!" all turned and saw a knight pushing his way through the people. "who are you?" inquired the baron. the stranger bowed haughtily; and elaine watched him remove his helmet, and reveal underneath it the countenance of a young man who turned to her, and---why, what's this, elaine? why does everything seem to swim and grow misty as his eye meets yours? and why does he look at you so, and deeply flush to the very rim of his curly hair? and as his glance grows steadier and more intent upon your eyes that keep stealing over at him, can you imagine why his hand trembles on the hilt of his sword? don't you remember what the legend said? "who are you?" the baron repeated, impatiently. "i am geoffrey, son of bertram of poictiers," answered the young man. "and what," asked father anselm, with a certain irony in his voice, "does geoffrey, son of bertram of poictiers, so far away from his papa in this inclement weather?" the knight surveyed the monk for a moment, and then said, "as thou art not my particular father confessor, stick to those matters which concern thee." this reply did not please any man present, for it seemed to savour of disrespect. but elaine lost no chance of watching the youth, who now stood alone in the middle of the hall. sir francis detected this, and smiled with a sly smile. "will some person inquire of this polite young man," he said, "what he wishes with us?" "show me where this dragon of wantley comes," said geoffrey, "for i intend to slay him to-night." "indeed, sir," fluttered elaine, stepping towards him a little, "i hope--that is, i beg you'll do no such dangerous thing as that for my sake." "for your sake?" father anselm broke in. "for your sake? and why so? what should elaine, daughter of sir godfrey disseisin, care for the carcase of geoffrey, son of bertram of poictiers?" but elaine, finding nothing to answer, turned rosy pink instead. "that rules you out!" exclaimed the father, in triumph. "your legend demands a maid who never has cared for any man." "pooh!" said geoffrey, "leave it to me." "seize him!" shouted sir godfrey in a rage. "he had ruled out my daughter." consistency had never been one of the baron's strong points. "seize him!" said father anselm. "he outrages mother church." the vassals closed up behind young geoffrey, who was pinioned in a second. he struggled with them till the veins stood out in his forehead in blue knots; but, after all, one young man of twenty is not much among a band of stout yeomen; and they all fell in a heap on the floor, pulling and tugging at geoffrey, who had blacked several eyes, and done in a general way as much damage as he possibly could under the circumstances. but elaine noticed one singular occurrence. not a monk had moved to seize the young man, except one, who rushed forward, and was stopped, as though struck to stone, by father anselm's saying to him in a terrible undertone, "hubert!" simply that word, spoken quickly; but not before this hubert had brushed against her so that she was aware that there was something very hard and metallic underneath his gray gown. she betrayed no sign of knowledge or surprise on her face, however, but affected to be absorbed wholly in the fortunes of young geoffrey, whom she saw collared and summarily put into a cage-like prison whose front was thick iron bars, and whose depth was in the vast outer wall of the monastery, with a little window at the rear, covered with snow. the spring-lock of the gate shut upon him. "and now," said father anselm, as the monastery bell sounded once more, "if our guests will follow us, the mid-day meal awaits us below. we will deal with this hot-head later," he added, pointing to the prisoner. so they slowly went out, leaving geoffrey alone with his thoughts. [illustration] [illustration: elaine] chapter vi miss elaine loses her heart & finds something of the greatest importance. [illustration] down stairs the grace was said, and the company was soon seated and ready for their mid-day meal. "our fare," said father anselm pleasantly to sir godfrey, who sat on his right, "is plain, but substantial." "oh--ah, very likely," replied the baron, as he received a wooden basin of black-bean broth. "our drink is----" the baron lifted his eye hopefully. "----remarkably pure water," father anselm continued. "clement!" he called to the monk whose turn it was that day to hand the dishes, "clement, a goblet of our well-water for sir godfrey disseisin. one of the large goblets, clement. we are indeed favoured, baron, in having such a pure spring in the midst of our home." "oh--ah!" observed the baron again, and politely nerved himself for a swallow. but his thoughts were far away in his own cellar over at wantley, contemplating the casks whose precious gallons the dragon had consumed. could it be the strength of his imagination, or else why was it that through the chilling, unwelcome liquid he was now drinking he seemed to detect a lurking flavour of the very wine those casks had contained, his favourite malvoisie? father anselm noticed the same taste in his own cup, and did not set it down to imagination, but afterwards sentenced brother clement to bread and water during three days, for carelessness in not washing the monastery table-service more thoroughly. "this simple food keeps you in beautiful health, father," said mistletoe, ogling the swarthy face of the abbot with an affection that he duly noted. "my daughter," he replied, gravely, "bodily infirmity is the reward of the glutton. i am well, thank you." meanwhile, elaine did not eat much. her thoughts were busy, and hurrying over recent events. perhaps you think she lost her heart in the last chapter, and cannot lose it in this one unless it is given back to her. but i do not agree with you; and i am certain that, if you suggested such a notion to her, she would become quite angry, and tell you not to talk such foolish nonsense. people are so absurd about hearts, and all that sort of thing! no: i do not really think she has lost her heart yet; but as she sits at table these are the things she is feeling: 1. not at all hungry. 2. not at all thirsty. 3. what a hateful person that father anselm is! 4. poor, poor young man! 5. not that she thinks of him in _that_ way, of course. the idea! horrid father anselm! 6. any girl at all--no, not girl, _anybody_ at all--who had human justice would feel exactly as she did about the whole matter. 7. he was very good-looking, too. 8. did he have--yes, they were blue. very, very dark blue. 9. and a moustache? well, yes. here she laughed, but no one noticed her idling with her spoon. then her eyes filled with tears, and she pretended to be absorbed with the black-bean broth, though, as a matter of fact, she did not see it in the least. 10. why had he come there at all? 11. it was a perfect shame, treating him so. 12. perhaps they were not blue, after all. but, oh! what a beautiful sparkle was in them! after this, she hated father anselm worse than ever. and the more she hated him, the more some very restless delicious something made her draw long breaths. she positively must go up-stairs and see what he was doing and what he really looked like. this curiosity seized hold of her and set her thinking of some way to slip away unseen. the chance came through all present becoming deeply absorbed in what sir godfrey was saying to father anselm. "such a low, coarse, untaught brute as a dragon," he explained, "cannot possibly distinguish good wine from bad." "of a surety, no!" responded the monk. "you agree with me upon that point?" said the baron. "most certainly. proceed." "well, i'm going to see that he gets nothing but the cider and small beer after this." "but how will you prevent him, if he visit your cellar again?" father anselm inquired. "i shall change all the labels, in the first place," the baron answered. "ha! vastly well conceived," said father anselm. "you will label your burgundy as if it were beer." "and next," continued sir godfrey, "i shall shift the present positions of the hogsheads. that i shall do to-day, after relabelling. in the northern corner of the first wine vault i shall----" just as he reached this point, it was quite wonderful how strict an attention every monk paid to his words. they leaned forward, forgetting their dinner, and listened with all their might. one of them, who had evidently received an education, took notes underneath the table. thus it was that elaine escaped observation when she left the refectory. [illustration: the baron setteth forth his plan for circumuenting the dragon] as she came up-stairs into the hall where geoffrey was caged, she stepped lightly and kept where she could not be seen by him. all was quiet when she entered; but suddenly she heard the iron bars of the cage begin to rattle and shake, and at the same time geoffrey's voice broke out in rage. "i'll twist you loose," he said, "you--(rattle, shake)--you--(kick, bang)----" and here the shocking young man used words so violent and wicked that elaine put her hands tight over her ears. "why, he is just as dreadful as papa, just exactly!" she exclaimed to herself. "whoever would have thought that that angelic face--but i suppose they are all like that sometimes." and she took her hands away again. "yes, i will twist you loose," he was growling hoarsely, while the kicks and wrenches grew fiercer than ever, "or twist myself stark, staring blind--and----" "oh, sir!" she said, running out in front of the cage. he stopped at once, and stood looking at her. his breast-plate and gauntlets were down on the floor, so his muscles might have more easy play in dealing with the bars. elaine noticed that the youth's shirt was of very costly eastern silk. "i was thinking of getting out," he said at length, still standing and looking at her. "i thought i might--that is--you might----" began miss elaine, and stopped. upon which another silence followed. "lady, who sent you here?" he inquired. "oh, they don't know!" she replied, hastily; and then, seeing how bright his face became, and hearing her own words, she looked down, and the crimson went over her cheeks as he watched her. "oh, if i could get out!" he said, desperately. "lady, what is your name, if i might be so bold." "my name, sir, is elaine. perhaps there is a key somewhere," she said. "and i am called geoffrey," he said, in reply. "i think we might find a key," elaine repeated. she turned towards the other side of the room, and there hung a great bunch of brass keys dangling from the lock of a heavy door. ah, hubert! thou art more careless than brother clement, i think, to have left those keys in such a place! quickly did elaine cross to that closed door, and laid her hand upon the bunch. the door came open the next moment, and she gave a shriek to see the skin of a huge lizard-beast fall forward at her feet, and also many cups and flagons, that rolled over the floor, dotting it with little drops of wine. hearing elaine shriek, and not able to see from his prison what had befallen her, geoffrey shouted out in terror to know if she had come to any hurt. "no," she told him; and stood eyeing first the crocodile's hide and then the cups, setting her lips together very firmly. "and they were not even dry," she said after a while. for she began to guess a little of the truth. "not dry? who?" inquired geoffrey. "oh, geoffrey!" she burst out in deep anger, and then stopped, bewildered. but his heart leaped to hear her call his name. "are there no keys?" he asked. "keys? yes!" she cried, and, running with them back to the bars, began trying one after another in trembling haste till the lock clicked pleasantly, and out marched young geoffrey. now what do you suppose this young man did when he found himself free once more, and standing close by the lovely young person to whom he owed his liberty? did he place his heels together, and let his arms hang gracefully, and so bow with respect and a manner at once dignified and urbane, and say, "miss elaine, permit me to thank you for being so kind as to let me out of prison?" that is what he ought to have done, of course, if he had known how to conduct himself like a well-brought-up young man. but i am sorry to have to tell you that geoffrey did nothing of the sort, but, instead of that, behaved in a most outrageous manner. he did not thank her at all. he did not say one single word to her. he simply put one arm round her waist and gave her a kiss! "geoffrey!" she murmured, "don't!" but geoffrey did, with the most astonishing and complacent disobedience. "oh, geoffrey!" she whispered, looking the other way, "how wrong of you! and of me!" she added a little more softly still, escaping from him suddenly, and facing about. "i don't see that," said geoffrey. "i love you, elaine. elaine, darling, i----" "oh, but you mustn't!" answered she, stepping back as he came nearer. [illustration: geoffrey tuggeth at the bars] this was simply frightful! and so sudden. to think of her--elaine!--but she couldn't think at all. happy? why, how wicked! how had she ever---"no, you must not," she repeated, and backed away still farther. "but i will!" said this lover, quite loudly, and sprang so quickly to where she stood that she was in his arms again, and this time without the faintest chance of getting out of them until he should choose to free her. it was no use to struggle now, and she was still, like some wild bird. but she knew that she was really his, and was glad of it. and she looked up at him and said, very softly, "geoffrey, we are wasting time." "oh, no, not at all," said geoffrey. "but we are." "say that you love me." "but haven't i--ah, geoffrey, please don't begin again." "say that you love me." she did. then, taking his hand, she led him to the door she had opened. he stared at the crocodile, at the wine-cups, and then he picked up a sheet of iron and a metal torch. "i suppose it is their museum," he said; "don't you?" "their museum! geoffrey, think a little." "they seem to keep very good wine," he remarked, after smelling at the demijohn. "don't you see? can't you understand?" she said. "no, not a bit. what's that thing, do you suppose?" he added, giving the crocodile a kick. "oh, me, but men are simple, men are simple!" said elaine, in despair. "geoffrey, listen! that wine is my father's wine, from his own cellar. there is none like it in all england." "then i don't see why he gave it to a parcel of monks," replied the young man. elaine clasped her hands in hopelessness, gave him a kiss, and became mistress of the situation. "now, geoffrey," she said, "i will tell you what you and i have really found out." then she quickly recalled all the recent events. how her father's cellar had been broken into; how mistletoe had been chained to a rock for a week and no dragon had come near her. she bade him remember how just now father anselm had opposed every plan for meeting the dragon, and at last she pointed to the crocodile. "ha!" said geoffrey, after thinking for a space. "then you mean----" "of course i do," she interrupted. "the dragon of wantley is now down-stairs with papa eating dinner, and pretending he never drinks anything stronger than water. what do you say to that, sir?" "this is a foul thing!" cried the knight. "here have i been damnably duped. here----" but speech deserted him. he glared at the crocodile with a bursting countenance, then drove his toe against it with such vigour that it sailed like a foot-ball to the farther end of the hall. "papa has been duped, and everybody," said elaine. "papa's french wine----" "they swore to me in flanders i should find a real dragon here," he continued, raging up and down, and giving to the young lady no part of his attention. she began to fear he was not thinking of her. "geoffrey----" she ventured. "they swore it. they had invited me to hunt a dragon with them in flanders,--count faux pas and his walloons. we hunted day and night, and the quest was barren. they then directed me to this island of britain, in which they declared a dragon might be found by any man who so desired. they lied in their throats. i have come leagues for nothing." here he looked viciously at the distant hide of the crocodile. "but i shall slay the monk," he added. "a masquerading caitiff! lying varlets! and all for nothing! the monk shall die, however." "have you come for nothing, geoffrey?" murmured elaine. "three years have i been seeking dragons in all countries, chasing deceit over land and sea. and now once more my dearest hope falls empty and stale. why, what's this?" a choking sound beside him stopped the flow of his complaints. "oh, geoffrey,--oh, miserable me!" the young lady was dissolved in tears. "elaine--dearest--don't." "you said you had come for n--nothing, and it was all st--stale." "ha, i am a fool, indeed! but it was the dragon, dearest. i had made so sure of an honest one in this adventure." "oh, oh!" went miss elaine, with her head against his shoulder. "there, there! you're sweeter than all the dragons in the world, my little girl," said he. and although this does not appear to be a great compliment, it comforted her wonderfully in the end; for he said it in her ear several times without taking his lips away. "yes," he continued, "i was a fool. by your father's own word you're mine. i have caught the dragon. come, my girl! we'll down to the refectory forthwith and denounce him." with this, he seized elaine's hand and hastily made for the stairs. "but hold, geoffrey, hold! oh--i am driven to act not as maidens should," sighed elaine. "he it is who ought to do the thinking. but, dear me! he does not know how. do you not see we should both be lost, were you to try any such wild plan?" "not at all. your father would give you to me." "oh, no, no, geoffrey; indeed, papa would not. his promise was about a dragon. a live or a dead dragon must be brought to him. even if he believed you now, even if that dreadful father anselm could not invent some lie to put us in the wrong, you and i could never--that is--papa would not feel bound by his promise simply because you did that. there must be a dragon somehow." "how can there be a dragon if there is not a dragon?" asked geoffrey. "wait, wait, geoffrey! oh, how can i think of everything all at once?" and elaine pressed her hands to her temples. "darling," said the knight, with his arms once more around her, "let us fly now." "now? they would catch us at once." "catch us! not they! with my sword----" "now, geoffrey, of course you are brave. but do be sensible. you are only one. no! i won't even argue such nonsense. they must never know about what we have been doing up here; and you must go back into that cage at once." "what, and be locked up, and perhaps murdered to-night, and never see your face again?" "but you shall see me again, and soon. that is what i am thinking about." "how can you come in here, elaine?" "you must come to me. i have it! to-night, at half-past eleven, come to the cellar-door at the manor, and i will be there to let you in. then we can talk over everything quietly. i have no time to think now." "the cellar! at the manor! and how, pray, shall i get out of that cage?" "cannot you jump from the little window at the back?" geoffrey ran in to see. "no," he said, returning; "it is many spans from the earth." elaine had hurried into the closet, whence she returned with a dusty coil of rope. "here, geoffrey; quickly! put it about your waist. wind it so. but how clumsy you are!" he stood smiling down at her, and she very deftly wound the cord up and down, over and over his body, until its whole length lay comfortably upon him. "now, your breast-plate, quick!" she helped him put his armour on again; and, as they were engaged at that, singing voices came up the stairs from the distant dining-hall. "the grace," she exclaimed; "they will be here in a moment." geoffrey took a last kiss, and bolted into his cage. she, with the keys, made great haste to push the crocodile and other objects once more into their hiding-place. cups and flagons and all rattled back without regard to order, as they had already been flung not two hours before. the closet-door shut, and elaine hung the keys from the lock as she had found them. "half-past eleven," she said to geoffrey, as she ran by his cage towards the stairs. "one more, darling,--please, one! through the bars!" he besought her, in a voice so tender, that for my part i do not see how she had the heart to refuse him. but she continued her way, and swiftly descending the stairs was found by the company, as they came from the hall, busily engaged in making passes with sir godfrey's sword, which he had left leaning near the door. "a warlike daughter, sir godfrey!" said father anselm. "ah, if i were a man to go on a crusade!" sighed miss elaine. "hast thou, my daughter," said father anselm, "thought better of thy rash intentions concerning this dragon?" "i am travelling towards better thoughts, father," she answered. but sir francis did not wholly believe the young lady; and was not at rest until sir godfrey assured him her good conduct should be no matter of her own choosing. "you see," insinuated the abbot, "so sweet a maid as yours would be a treat for the unholy beast. a meal like that would incline him to remain in a neighbourhood where such dainties were to be found." "i'll have no legends and fool's tricks," exclaimed the baron. "she shall be locked in her room to-night." "not if she can help it," thought miss elaine. her father had imprudently spoken too loud. "'twere a wise precaution," murmured father anselm. "what are all the vintages of this earth by the side of a loving daughter?" "quite so, quite so!" sir godfrey assented. "don't you think," he added, wistfully, "that another crusade may come along soon?" "ah, my son, who can say? tribulation is our meted heritage. were thy thoughts more high, the going of thy liquors would not cause thee such sorrow. learn to enjoy the pure cold water." "good-afternoon," said the baron. when all the guests had departed and the door was shut safe behind them, the father and his holy companions broke into loud mirth. "the malvoisie is drunk up," said they; "to-night we'll pay his lordship's cellars another visit." [illustration] [illustration] chapter vii shows what curious things you may see, if you don't go to bed when you are sent [illustration: geoffrey] to have steered a sudden course among dangerous rocks and rapids and come safe through, puts in the breast of the helmsman a calm content with himself, for which no man will blame him. what in this world is there so lifts one into complacency as the doing of a bold and cool-headed thing? let the helmsman sleep sound when he has got to land! but if his content overtake him still on the water, so that he grows blind to the treacherous currents that eddy where all looks placid to the careless eye, let him beware! sir francis came in front of the cage where sat young geoffrey inside, on the floor. the knight had put his head down between his knees, and seemed doleful enough. "aha!" thought sir francis, giving the motionless figure a dark look, "my hawk is moulting. we need scarcely put a hood on such a tersel." next he looked at the shut door of the closet, and a shaft of alarm shot through him to see the keys hanging for anybody to make use of them that pleased. he thought of elaine, and her leaving the table without his seeing her go. what if she had paid this room a visit? "perhaps that bird with head under wing in there," he mused, looking once more at geoffrey, "is not the simple-witted nestling he looks. my son!" he called. but the youth did not care to talk, and so showed no sign. "my son, peace be with you!" repeated father anselm, coming to the bars and wearing a benevolent mien. geoffrey remained quite still. "if repentance for thy presumption hath visited thee----" went on the father. "hypocrite!" was the word that jumped to the youth's lips; but fortunately he stopped in time, and only moved his legs with some impatience. "i perceive with pain, my son," said father anselm, "that repentance hath not yet visited thee. well, 'twill come. and that's a blessing too," he added, sighing very piously. "he plays a part pretty well," thought geoffrey as he listened. "so will i." then he raised his head. "how long am i to stay in this place?" he inquired, taking a tone of sullen humour, such as he thought would fit a prisoner. "certainly until thy present unbridled state of sin is purged out of thee," replied the father. "under such a dose as thou art," geoffrey remarked, "that will be soon." "this is vain talk, my son," said the abbot. "were i of the children of this world, my righteous indignation----" "pooh!" said geoffrey. "----would light on thee heavily. but we who have renounced the world and its rottenness" (here his voice fell into a manner of chanting) "make a holiday of forgiving injuries, and find a pleasure even in pain." "open this door then," geoffrey answered, "and i'll provide thee with a whole week of joy." "nay," said father anselm, "i had never gathered from thy face that thou wert such a knave." "at least in the matter of countenances i have the advantage of thee," the youth observed. "i perceive," continued the father, "that i must instruct thy spirit in many things,--submission, among others. therefore thou shalt bide with us for a month or two." "that i'll not!" shouted geoffrey, forgetting his rôle of prisoner. "she cannot unlock thee," father anselm said, with much art slipping elaine into the discourse. geoffrey glared at the abbot, who now hoped to lay a trap for him by means of his temper. so he went further in the same direction. "her words are vainer than most women's," he said; "though a lover would trust in them, of course." the knight swelled in his rage, and might have made i know not what unsafe rejoinder; but the cords that elaine had wound about him naturally tightened as he puffed out, and seemed by their pressure to check his speech and bid him be wary. so he changed his note, and said haughtily, "because thy cowl and thy gown shield thee, presume not to speak of one whose cause i took up in thy presence, and who is as high above thee in truth as she is in every other quality and virtue." "this callow talk, my son," said the abbot quietly, "wearies me much. lay thee down and sleep thy sulks off, if thou art able." upon this, he turned away to the closet where hung the brass keys, and opened the door a-crack. he saw the hide of the crocodile leaning against it, and the overturned cups. "just as that boy hubert packed them," he thought to himself in satisfaction; "no one has been prying here. i flatter myself upon a skilful morning's work. i have knocked the legend out of the baron's head. he'll see to it the girl keeps away. and as for yon impudent witling in the cage, we shall transport him beyond the seas, if convenient; if not, a knife in his gullet will make him forget the dragon of wantley. truly, i am master of the situation!" and as his self-esteem grew, the grand marshal rubbed his hands, and went out of the hall, too much pleased with himself to notice certain little drops of wine dotted here and there close by the closet, and not yet quite dry, which, had his eye fallen upon them, might have set him a-thinking. so geoffrey was left in his prison to whatever comfort meditation might bring him; and the monks of oyster-le-main took off their gowns, and made themselves ready for another visit to the wine-cellars of wantley manor. the day before christmas came bleakly to its end over dingle and fen, and the last gray light died away. yet still you could hear the hissing snow beat down through the bramble-thorn and the dry leaves. after evening was altogether set in, hubert brought the knight a supper that was not a meal a hungry man might be over joyful at seeing; yet had hubert (in a sort of fellowship towards one who seemed scarcely longer seasoned in manhood than himself, and whom he had seen blacken eyes in a very valiant manner) secretly prepared much better food than had been directed by his worship the abbot. the prisoner feigned sleep, and started up at the rattle which the plate made as it was set down under his bars. "is it morning?" he asked. "morning, forsooth!" hubert answered. "three more hours, and we reach only midnight." and both young men (for different reasons) wished in their hearts it were later. "thou speakest somewhat curtly for a friar," said geoffrey. "alas, i am but a novice, brother," whined the minstrel, "and fall easily back into my ancient and godless syntax. there is food. pax vobiscum, son of the flesh." then hubert went over to the closet, and very quietly unlocking the door removed the crocodile and the various other implements that were necessary in bringing into being the dread dragon of wantley. he carried them away to a remote quarter of the monastery, where the guild began preparations that should terrify any superstitious witness of their journey to get the baron's wine. geoffrey, solitary and watchful in his chilly cage, knew what work must be going on, and waited his time in patience. [illustration: elaine cometh into the cellar] at supper over at wantley there was but slight inclination to polite banter. only the family chaplain, mindful that this was christmas eve, attempted to make a little small talk with sir godfrey. "christmas," he observed to the baron, "is undoubtedly coming." as the baron did not appear to have any rejoinder to this, the young divine continued, pleasantly. "though indeed," he said, "we might make this assertion upon any day of the three hundred and sixty-five, and (i think) remain accurate." "the celery," growled the baron, looking into his plate. "quite so," cried the chaplain, cheerily. he had failed to catch the remark. "though of course everything does depend on one's point of view, after all." "that celery, whelpdale!" roared sir godfrey. the terrified buttons immediately dropped a large venison pasty into mrs. mistletoe's lap. she, having been somewhat tried of late, began screeching. whelpdale caught up the celery, and blindly rushed towards sir godfrey, while popham, foreseeing trouble, rapidly ascended the sideboard. the baron stepped out of whelpdale's path, and as he passed by administered so much additional speed that little buttons flew under the curtained archway and down many painful steps into the scullery, and was not seen again during that evening. when sir godfrey had reseated himself, it seemed to the rev. hucbald (such was the chaplain's name) that the late interruption might be well smoothed over by conversation. so he again addressed the baron. "to be sure," said he, taking a manner of sleek clerical pleasantry, "though we can so often say 'christmas is coming,' i suppose that if at some suitable hour to-morrow afternoon i said to you, 'christmas is going,' you would grant it to be a not inaccurate remark?" the baron ate his dinner. "i think so," pursued the rev. hucbald. "yes. and by the way, i notice with pleasure that this snow, which falls so continually, makes the event of a green christmas most improbable. indeed,--of course the proverb is familiar to you?--the graveyards should certainly not be fat this season. i like a lean graveyard," smiled the rev. hucbald. "i hate a ---fool!" exclaimed sir godfrey, angrily. after this the family fell into silence. sir godfrey munched his food, brooding gloomily over his plundered wine-cellar; mrs. mistletoe allowed fancy to picture herself wedded to father anselm, if only he had not been a religious person; and elaine's thoughts were hovering over the young man who sat in a cage till time came for him to steal out and come to her. but the young lady was wonderfully wise, nevertheless. "papa," she said, as they left the banquet-hall, "if it is about me you're thinking, do not be anxious any more at all." "well, well; what's the matter now?" said the baron. "papa, dear," began elaine, winsomely pulling at a tassel on his dining-coat, "do you know, i've been thinking." "think some more, then," he replied. "it will come easier when you're less new at it." "now, papa! just when i've come to say--when i want--when you--it's very hard----" and here the artful minx could proceed no further, but turned a pair of shining eyes at him, and then looked the other way, blinking rapidly. "oh, good lord!" muttered sir godfrey, staring hard at the wall. "papa--it's about the dragon--and i've been wrong. very wrong. yes; i know i have. i was foolish." she was silent again. was she going to cry, after all? the baron shot a nervous glance at her from the corner of his eye. then he said, "hum!" he hoped very fervently there were to be no tears. he desired to remain in a rage, and lock his daughter up, and not put anything into her stocking this christmas eve; and here she was, threatening to be sorry for the past, and good for the future, and everything a parent could wish. never mind. you can't expect to get off as easily as all that. she had been very outrageous. now he would be dignified and firm. "of course i should obey father anselm," she continued. "you should obey me," said sir godfrey. "and i do hope another crusade will come soon. don't you think they might have one, papa? how happy i shall be when your wine is safe from that horrid dragon!" "don't speak of that monster!" shouted the baron, forgetting all about firmness and dignity. "don't dare to allude to the reptile in my presence. look here!" he seized up a great jug labelled "château lafitte," and turned it upside down. "why, it's empty!" said elaine. "ha!" snorted the baron; "empty indeed." then he set the jug down wrong side up, and remained glaring at it fixedly, while his chest rose and fell in deep heavings. "don't mind it so much, papa," said elaine, coming up to him. "this very next season will mistletoe and i brew a double quantity of cowslip wine." "brrrrooo!" went sir godfrey, with a shiver. "and i'm sure they'll have another crusade soon; and then my brother roland can go, and the drag-and the curse will be removed. of course, i know that is the only way to get rid of it, if father anselm said so. i was very foolish and wrong. indeed i was," said she, and looked up in his face with eyes where shone such dear, good, sweet, innocent, daughterly affection, that nobody in the wide world could have suspected she was thinking as hard as she could think, "if only he won't lock me up! if only he won't! but, oh, it's dreadful in me to be deceiving him so!" "there, there!" said the baron, and cleared his throat. then he kissed her. where were firmness and dignity now? he let her push him into the chimney-corner, and down into a seat; and then what did this sly, shocking girl do but sit on his knee and tell him nobody ever had such a papa before, and she could never possibly love any one half so much as she loved him, and weren't he and she going to have a merry christmas to-morrow? "how about that pretty young man? hey? what?" said sir godfrey, in high good-humour. "who?" snapped elaine. "i think this girl knows," he answered, adopting a roguish countenance. "oh, i suppose you mean that little fellow this morning. pooh!" "ho! ho!" said her father. "ho! ho! little fellow! he was a pretty large fellow in somebody's eyes, i thought. what are you so red about? ho! ho!" and the baron popped his own eyes at her with vast relish. "really, papa," said miss elaine, rising from his knee, with much coldness, "i hardly understand you, i think. if you find it amusing (and you seem to) to pretend that i----" she said no more, but gave a slight and admirable toss of the head. "and now i am very sleepy," she added. "what hour is it?" sir godfrey took out his grandfather's sun-dial, and held it to the lamp. "bless my soul," he exclaimed; "it's twenty-two o'clock." (that's ten at night nowadays, young people, and much too late for you to be down-stairs, any of you.) "get to your bed at once," continued sir godfrey, "or you'll never be dressed in time for chapel on christmas morning." so elaine went to her room, and took off her clothes, and hung up her stocking at the foot of the bed. did she go to sleep? not she. she laid with eyes and ears wide open. and now alone here in the dark, where she had nothing to do but wait, she found her heart beating in answer to her anxious and expectant thoughts. she heard the wind come blustering from far off across the silent country. then a snore from mistletoe in the next room made her jump. twice a bar of moonlight fell along the floor, wavering and weak, then sank out, and the pat of the snow-flakes began again. after a while came a step through the halls to her door, and stopped. she could scarcely listen, so hard she was breathing. was her father going to turn the key in her door, after all? no such thought was any longer in his mind. she shut her eyes quickly as he entered. his candle shone upon her quiet head, that was nearly buried out of sight; then laughter shook him to see the stocking, and he went softly out. he had put on his bed-room slippers; but, as he intended to make a visit to the cellar before retiring, it seemed a prudent thing to wear his steel breast-plate; and over this he had slipped his quilted red silk dressing-gown, for it was a very cold night. [illustration: geoffrey goeth to meet the dragon] was there a sound away off somewhere out-of-doors? no. he descended heavily through the sleeping house. when the candle burned upright and clear yellow, his gait was steady; but he started many times at corners where its flame bobbed and flattened and shrunk to a blue, sickly rag half torn from the wick. "ouf! mort d'aieul!" he would mutter. "but i must count my wine to-night." and so he came down into the wide cellars, and trod tiptoe among the big round tuns. with a wooden mallet he tapped them, and shook his head to hear the hollow humming that their emptiness gave forth. no oath came from him at all, for the matter was too grievous. the darkness that filled everywhere save just next to the candle, pressed harder and harder upon him. he looked at the door which led from inside here out into the night, and it was comfortable to know how thick were the panels and how stout the bolts and hinges. "i can hold my own against any man, and have jousted fairly in my time," he thought to himself, and touched his sword. "but--um!" the notion of meeting a fiery dragon in combat spoke loudly to the better part of his valour. suddenly a great rat crossed his foot. ice and fire went from his stomach all through him, and he sprang on a wooden stool, and then found he was shaking. soon he got down, with sweaty hands. "am i getting a coward?" he asked aloud. he seized the mallet that had fallen, and struck a good knock against the nearest hogshead. ah--ha! this one, at least, was full. he twisted the wooden stop and drank what came, from the hollow of his hand. it was cowslip wine. ragingly he spluttered and gulped, and then kicked the bins with all his might. while he was stooping to rub his toe, who should march in but miss elaine, dressed and ready for young geoffrey. but she caught sight of her father in time, and stepped back into the passage in a flutter. good heavens! this would never do. geoffrey might be knocking at the cellar-door at any moment. her papa must be got away at once. "papa! papa!" she cried, running in. sir godfrey sprang into the air, throwing mallet and candle against the wine-butts. then he saw it was only his daughter. "wretched girl! you--you--if you don't want to become an orphan, never tamper like that with my nerves again in your life. what are you come here for? how dare you leave your bed at such an hour?" "oh, mercy forgive us!" whimpered a new voice. there was mistletoe at the door of the passage, a candle lifted high above her head and wobbling, so that it shook the grease all over her night-cap. with the other hand she clutched her camisole, while beneath a yellow flannel petticoat her fat feet were rocking in the raw-wool foot-mittens she wore. "oh, dear: oh, sir godfrey! oh, me!" said she. "saint charity! what do you want? holy ragbag, what's the matter? is everybody in my house going stark mad?" here the baron fell over the stool in the dark. "give me my candle!" he roared. "light my candle! what business have either of you to come here?" "please, sir, it's miss elaine i came for. oh, me! i'll catch my death of cold. her door shutting waked me up-stairs. oh, dear! where are we coming to?" "you old mattrass!" said sir godfrey. then he turned to his daughter. but this young lady had had a little time to gather her thoughts in. so she cut short all awkward questionings with excellent promptness. "papa!" she began, breathlessly. "there! i heard it again!" "heard it? what?" cried the baron, his eyes starting. "it waked me up-stairs, and i ran to get you in your room, and you----" "it--it? what's it? what waked you?" broke in sir godfrey, his voice rising to a shriek. "there it is again!" exclaimed elaine, clasping her hands. "he's coming! i hear him. the dragon! oh!" with this, she pretended to rush for the passage, where the squeaks of mistletoe could be heard already growing distant in the house. away bolted sir godfrey after her, shouting to elaine in terror undisguised, "lock your door! lock your door!" as he fled up-stairs. so there stood miss elaine alone, with the coast clear, and no danger from these two courageous guardians. then came a knock from outside, and her heart bounded as she ran through the cellar and undid the door. "you darling!" said geoffrey, jumping in with legs all covered with snow. he left the door open wide, and had taken four or five kisses at the least before she could stop him. "the moon was out for a while," he continued, "and the snow stopped. so i came a long way round-about, that my tracks should not be seen. that's good strategy." but this strange young lady said no word, and looked at him as if she were going to cry. "why, what's the matter, dear?" he asked. "oh, geoffrey! i have been deceiving papa so." "pooh! it's not to be thought of." "but i can't help thinking. i never supposed i could do so. and it comes so terribly easy. and i'm not a bit clever when i'm good. and--oh!" she covered her face and turned away from him. "stuff and nonsense!" geoffrey broke out. "do be reasonable. here is a dragon. isn't there?" "yes." "and everybody wants to get rid of him?" "yes." "and he's robbing your father?" "yes." "so you're acting for your father's good?" "y--yes." "then----" "now, geoffrey, all your talking doesn't hide the badness in the least bit." she was silent again; then suddenly seemed greatly relieved. "i don't care," she declared. "papa locked me up for a whole week, when all i wanted was to help him and everybody get rid of the dragon. and i am too old to be treated so. and now i am just going to pretend there's a dragon when there's not. oh, what's that?" this time it was no sham. faint and far from the direction of oyster-le-main came the roar of the dragon of wantley over fields and farms. [illustration] chapter viii contains a dilemma with two simply egregious horns. [illustration] "run instantly into the house," said geoffrey to elaine, and he dragged out his sword. but she stared at him, and nothing further. "or no. stay here and see me kill him," the boy added, pridefully. "kill him!" said she, in amazement. "do you suppose that papa, with all his experience, couldn't tell it was an imitation dragon? and you talk of strategy! i have thought much about to-night,--and, geoffrey, you must do just the thing that i bid you, and nothing else. promise." "i think we'll hear first what your wisdom is," said he, shaking his head like the sage youth that he was. "promise!" she repeated, "else i go away at once, and leave you. now! one--two--thrrr----" "i promise!" he shouted. "'sh! papa's window is just round the tower. now, sir, you must go over yonder within those trees." "where?" "there where the snow has dipped the branches low down. and leave me alone in the cellar with the dragon." "with the dragon? alone? i did not know you counted me a lunatic," replied geoffrey. then, after a look over the fields where the storm was swirling, he gave attention to the point of his sword. "where's your promise?" said she. "will you break your word so soon?" a big gust of wind flung the snow sharp against their faces. "did you expect----" began the young knight, and then said some words that i suppose gentlemen in those old times were more prone to use before ladies than they are to-day. which shows the optimists are right. then, still distant, but not so distant, came another roar. "geoffrey!" elaine said, laying a hand upon his arm; "indeed, you must hear me now, and make no delay with contrary notions. there is no danger for me. look. he will first be by himself to clear the way of watchers. no one peeps out of windows when the dragon's howling. next, the rest will come and all go into papa's cellar for the wine. but we must get these others away, and that's for you." she paused. "well? well?" he said. "it will go thus: the passage shall hide me, and the door of it be shut. you'll watch over by the trees, and when you see all have come inside here, make some sort of noise at the edge of the wood." "what sort of noise?" "oh,--not as if you suspected. seem to be passing by. play you are a villager going home late. when they hear that, they'll run away for fear of their secret. the dragon will surely stay behind." "why will he stay behind? why will they run away?" "dear geoffrey, don't you see that if these men were to be seen in company with the dragon by one who till now knew them as monks, where would their living be gone to? of course, they will get themselves out of sight, and the dragon will remain as a sort of human scarecrow. then i'll come out from the passage-door." "one would almost think you desired that villain to kill you," said geoffrey. "no, indeed. i'll not consent to that part." "how shall he kill me here?" elaine replied. "do you not see the dragon of wantley would have to carry a maiden away? he would not dare to put me to the sword. when i come, i shall speak three words to him. before there is time for him to think what to do, you will hear me say (for you must have now run up from the wood) 'the legend has come true!' then, when i tell him that, do you walk in ready with your sword to keep him polite. oh, indeed," said the lady, with her eyes sparkling on geoffrey, "we must keep his manners good for him. for i think he's one of those persons who might turn out very rude in a trying situation." all this was far from pleasing to young geoffrey. but elaine showed him how no other way was to be found by which sir francis could be trapped red-handed and distant from help. while the knight was bending his brows down with trying to set his thoughts into some order that should work out a better device, a glare shone over the next hill against the falling flakes. "quick!" said elaine. she withdrew into the cellar on the instant, and the great door closed between them. geoffrey stood looking at it very anxiously, and then walked backwards, keeping close to the walls, and so round the tower and into the court, whence he turned and ploughed as fast as he could through the deep drifts till he was inside the trees. "if they spy my steps," he thought, "it will seem as though some one of the house had gone in there to secure the door." once more the glare flashed against the swiftly-descending curtains of the storm. slowly it approached, sometimes illuminating a tree-trunk for a moment, then suddenly gleaming on the white mounds where rocks lay deeply cloaked. "he is pretty slow," said geoffrey, shifting the leg he was leaning on. [illustration: the dragon thinketh to slake his thirst] a black mass moved into sight, and from it came spoutings of fire that showed dark, jagged wings heavily flapping. it walked a little and stopped; then walked again. geoffrey could see a great snout and head rocking and turning. dismal and unspeakable sounds proceeded from the creature as it made towards the cellar-door. after it had got close and leaned against the panels in a toppling, swaying fashion, came a noise of creaking and fumbling, and then the door rolled aside upon its hinges. next, the blurred white ridge towards oyster-le-main was darkened with moving specks that came steadily near; and man by man of the guild reached the open door crouching, whispered a word or two, and crept inside. they made no sound that could be heard above the hissing of the downward flakes and the wind that moaned always, but louder sometimes. only elaine, with her ear to the cold iron key-hole of the passage-door, could mark the clink of armour, and shivered as she stood in the dark. and now the cellar is full,--but not of gray gowns. the candle flames show little glistening sparks in the black coats of mail, and the sight of themselves cased in steel, and each bearing an empty keg, stirred a laughter among them. then the kegs were set down without noise on the earthy floor among the bins. the dragon was standing on his crooked scaly hind-legs; and to see the grim, changeless jaw and eyes brought a dead feeling around the heart. but the two bungling fore-paws moved upwards, shaking like a machine, and out of a slit in the hide came two white hands that lifted to one side the brown knarled mask of the crocodile. there was the black head of sir francis almoign. "'tis hot in there," he said; and with two fingers he slung the drops of sweat from his forehead. "wet thy whistle before we begin," said hubert, filling a jug for him. sir francis took it in both hands, and then clutched it tightly as a sudden singing was set up out in the night. "come, take a wife, come, take a wife, ere thou learnest age's treasons!" the tune came clear and jolly, cutting through the muffled noises of the tempest. "blood and death!" muttered hubert. each figure had sprung into a stiff position of listening. "quit thy roving; shalt by loving not wax lean in stormy seasons. ho! ho! oh,--ho! not wax lean in----" here the strain snapped off short. then a whining voice said, "oh, i have fallen again! a curse on these roots. lucifer fell only once, and 'twas enough for him. i have looked on the wine when it was red, and my dame jeanie will know it soon, oh, soon! but my sober curse on these roots." "that's nothing," said hubert. "there's a band of christmas singers has strolled into these parts to chant carols. one of them has stopped too long at the tavern." "do i see a light?" said the voice. "help! give me a light, and let me go home. "quit thy roving; shalt by loving----" "shall i open his throat, that he may sing the next verse in heaven?" hubert inquired. "no, fool!" said sir francis. "who knows if his brother sots are not behind him to wake the house? this is too dangerous to-night. away with you, every one. stoop low till ye are well among the fields, and then to oyster-le-main! i'll be dragon for a while, and follow after." quickly catching up his keg, each man left the cellar like a shadow. geoffrey, from the edge of the wood, saw them come out and dissolve away into the night. with the tube of the torch at his lips, sir francis blew a blast of fire out at the door, then covered his head once more with the grinning crocodile. he roared twice, and heard something creak behind him, so turned to see what had made it. there was miss elaine on the passage-steps. her lips moved to speak, but for a short instant fear put a silence upon her that she found no voice to break. he, with a notion she was there for the sake of the legend, waved his great paws and trundled towards where she was standing. "do not forget to roar, sir," said the young lady, managing her voice so there was scarce any tremble to be heard in it. at this the dragon stood still. "you perceive," she said to him, "after all, a dragon, like a mouse, comes to the trap." "not quite yet," cried sir francis, in a terrible voice, and rushed upon her, meaning death. "the legend has come true!" she loudly said. a gleaming shaft of steel whistled across the sight of sir francis. "halt there!" thundered geoffrey, leaping between the two, and posing his sword for a lunge. "my hour has come," sir francis thought. for he was cased in the stiff hide, and could do nothing in defence. "now shalt thou lick the earth with thy lying tongue," said geoffrey. a sneer came through the gaping teeth of the crocodile. "valiant, indeed!" the voice said. "very valiant and knightly, oh son of bertram of poictiers! frenchmen know when to be bold. ha! ha!" "crawl out of that nut, thou maggot," answered geoffrey, "and taste thy doom." here was a chance, the gift of a fool. the two white hands appeared and shifted the mask aside, letting them see a cunning hope on his face. "do not go further, sir," said elaine. "it is for the good of us all that you abide where you are. as i shall explain." "what is this, elaine?" said geoffrey. "your promise!" she answered, lifting a finger at him. there was a dry crack from the crocodile's hide. "villain!" cried geoffrey, seizing the half-extricated body by the throat. "thy false skin is honester than thyself, and warned us. back inside!" the robber's eyes shrivelled to the size of a snake's, as, with no tenderness, the youth grappled with him still entangled, and with hands, feet, and knees drove him into his shell as a hasty traveller tramples his effects into a packing-case. "see," said elaine, "how pleasantly we two have you at our disposal. shall the neighbours be called to have a sight of the dragon?" "what do you want with me?" said sir francis, quietly. for he was a philosopher. "in the first place," answered geoffrey, "know that thou art caught. and if i shall spare thee this night, it may well be they'll set thy carcase swinging on the gallows-tree to-morrow morning,--or, being christmas, the day after." "i can see my case without thy help," sir francis replied. "what next?" at this, elaine came to geoffrey and they whispered together. [illustration: the dragon perceiueth hymself to be entrapped] "thy trade is done for," said the youth, at length. "there'll be no more monks of oyster-le-main, and no more dragon of wantley. but thou and the other curs may live, if ye so choose." "through what do i buy my choice?" "through a further exhibition of thine art. thou must play dragon to-night once again for the last time. this, that i may show thee captive to sir godfrey disseisin." "and in chains, i think," added elaine. "there is one behind the post." it had belonged in the bear-pit during the lives of orlando crumb and furioso bun, two bears trapped expressly for the baron near roncevaux. "after which?" inquired sir francis. "thou shalt go free, and i will claim this lady's hand from her father, who promised her to any man that brought the dragon to him dead or alive." "papa shall be kept at a distance from you," said elaine, "and will never suspect in this dimness, if you roar at him thoroughly." "then," continued geoffrey, "i shall lead thee away as my spoil, and the people shall see the lizard-skin after a little while. but thou must journey far from wantley, and never show face again." "and go from oyster-le-main and the tithings?" exclaimed sir francis. "my house and my sustenance?" "sustain thyself elsewhere," said geoffrey; "i care not how." "no!" said sir francis. "i'll not do this." "then we call sir godfrey. the baron will not love thee very much, seeing how well he loves his burgundy thou hast drank. thou gavest him sermons on cold spring-water. he'll remember that. i think thou'lt be soon hanging. so choose." the knight of the voracious stomach was silent. "this is a pretty scheme thou hast," he presently said. "and not thine own. she has taught thee this wit, i'll be bound. mated to her, thou'lt prosper, i fear." "come, thy choice," said geoffrey, sternly. a sour smile moved the lips of sir francis. "well," he said, "it has been good while it lasted. yes, i consent. our interests lie together. see how necessity is the mother of friendship, also." the mask was drawn over his face, and they wound the chain about the great body. "there must be sounds of fighting," said elaine. "make them when i am gone into the house." "if i had strangled thee in thy prison, which was in my mind," said the voice of the hidden speaker, "this folly we--but there. let it go, and begin." then they fell to making a wonderful disturbance. the dragon's voice was lifted in horrid howlings; and the young knight continually bawled with all his lungs. they chased as children in a game do: forward, back, and across to nowhere, knocking the barrels, clanking and clashing, up between the rows and around corners; and the dry earth was ground under their feet and swept from the floor upward in a fine floating yellow powder that they sucked down into their windpipes, while still they hustled and jangled and banged and coughed and grew dripping wet, so the dust and the water mingled and ran black streams along their bodies from the neck downwards, tickling their backs and stomachs mightily. when the breath was no longer inside them, they stopped to listen. the house was stone still, and no noise came, save always the wind's same cheerless blowing. "how much more of this before they will awaken?" exclaimed geoffrey, in indignation. "'tis a scandal people should sleep so." "they are saying their prayers," said sir francis. "it is a pity thou art such a miscreant," geoffrey said, heartily; "otherwise i could sweat myself into a good-humour with thee." but sir francis replied with coldness, "it is easy for the upper hand to laugh." "we must at it again," said geoffrey; "and this time i will let them hear thou art conquered." the din and hubbub recommenced. and mistletoe could hear it where she quaked inside her closet holding the door with both hands. and the baron could hear it. he was locked in the bath-room, dreadfully sorry he had not gone to the crusade. quite unknowingly in his alarm he had laid hold of a cord that set going the shower-bath; but he gave no heed at all to this trifle. and every man and woman in the house heard the riot, from the scullion up through the cook to popham, who had unstrapped his calves before retiring, so that now his lean shanks knocked together like hockey-sticks. little whelpdale, freezing in his shirt-tail under the bed, was crying piteously upon all saints to forget about his sins and deliver him. only miss elaine standing in her room listened with calm; and she with not much, being on the threshold of a chance that might turn untoward so readily. presently a victorious shouting came from far down through the dark. "he is mine!" the voice bellowed. "i have laid him low. the dragon is taken." at this she hastened to summon sir godfrey. "why, where can he be?" she exclaimed, stopping in astonishment at his room, empty and the door open wide. down in the cellar the voice continued to call on all people to come and see the dragon of wantley. also elaine heard a splashing and dripping that sounded in the bath-room. so she ran to the door and knocked. "you can't come in!" said the baron angrily. "papa! they've caught the dragon. oh why are you taking your bath at such a time?" "taking my grandmother!" sir godfrey retorted in great dudgeon. but he let the rope go, and the shower stopped running. "go to your room," he added. "i told you to lock your door. this dragon----" "but he's caught, papa," cried elaine through the key-hole. "don't you hear me? geoff----somebody has got him." "how now?" said the baron, unlocking the door and peering out. "what's all this?" his dressing-gown was extremely damp, for stray spouts from the shower-bath had squirted over him. fortunately, the breast-plate underneath had kept him dry as far as it went. "hum," he said, after he had listened to the voice in the cellar. "this is something to be cautious over." "if the people of this house do not come soon to bear witness of my conquest," said the voice in tones of thunder, "i'll lead this dragon through every chamber of it myself." "damnum absque injuria!" shrieked sir godfrey, and uttered much more horrible language entirely unfit for general use. "what the jeofailes does the varlet mean by threatening an englishman in his own house? i should like to know who lives here? i should like to know who i am?" the baron flew down the entry in a rage. he ran to his bedside and pulled his sword from under the pillows where he always kept it at night with his sun-dial. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] "we shall see who is master of this house," he said. "i am not going to--does he suppose anybody that pleases can come carting their dragons through my premises? get up! get up! every one!" he shouted, hurrying along the hall with the sword in his right hand and a lantern in his left. his slippers were only half on, so they made a slithering and slapping over the floor; and his speed was such that the quilted red dressing-gown filled with the wind and spread behind him till he looked like a huge new sort of bird or an eccentric balloon. up and down in all quarters of the house went sir godfrey, pounding against every shut door. out they came. mistletoe from her closet, squeaking. whelpdale from under his bed. the baron allowed him time to put on a pair of breeches wrong side out. the cook came, and you could hear her panting all the way down from the attic. out came the nine house-maids with hair in curl-papers. the seven footmen followed. meeson and welsby had forgotten their wigs. the coachman and grooms and stable-boys came in horse-blankets and boots. and last in the procession, old popham, one calf securely strapped on, and the other dangling disgracefully. breathless they huddled behind the baron, who strode to the cellar, where he flung the door open. over in a corner was a hideous monster, and every man fell against his neighbour and shrieked. at which the monster roared most alarmingly, and all fell together again. young geoffrey stood in the middle of the cellar, and said not a word. one end of a chain was in his hand, and he waited mighty stiff for the baron to speak. but when he saw miss elaine come stealing in after the rest so quiet and with her eyes fixed upon him, his own eyes shone wonderfully. at the sight of the dragon, sir godfrey forgot his late excitement, and muttered "bless my soul!" then he stared at the beast for some time. "can--can't he do anything?" he inquired. "no," said geoffrey shortly; "he can't." "not fly up at one, for instance?" "i have broken his wing," replied the youth. "i--i'd like to look at him. never saw one before," said the baron; and he took two steps. then gingerly he moved another step. "take care!" geoffrey cried, with rapid alarm. the monster moved, and from his nostrils (as it seemed) shot a plume of flame. popham clutched the cook, and the nine house-maids sank instantly into the arms of the seven footmen without the slightest regard to how unsatisfactorily nine goes into seven. "good heavens!" said the baron, getting behind a hogshead, "what a brute!" "perhaps it might be useful if i excommunicated him," said the rev. hucbald, who had come in rather late, with his clerical frock-coat buttoned over his pyjamas. "pooh!" said the baron. "as if he'd care for that." "very few men can handle a dragon," said geoffrey, unconcernedly, and stroked his upper lip, where a kindly-disposed person might see there was going to be a moustache some day. "i don't know exactly what you mean to imply by that, young man," said the baron, coming out from behind the hogshead and puffing somewhat pompously. "why, zounds!" he exclaimed, "i left you locked up this afternoon, and securely. how came you here?" geoffrey coughed, for it was an awkward inquiry. "answer me without so much throat-clearing," said the baron. "i'll clear my throat as it pleases me," replied geoffrey hotly. "how i came here is no affair of yours that i can see. but ask father anselm himself, and he will tell you." this was a happy thought, and the youth threw a look at the dragon, who nodded slightly. "i have a question to ask you, sir," geoffrey continued, taking a tone and manner more polite. then he pointed to the dragon with his sword, and was silent. "well?" said sir godfrey, "don't keep me waiting." "i fear your memory's short, sir. by your word proclaimed this morning the man who brought you this dragon should have your daughter to wife if she--if she----" "ha!" said the baron. "to be sure. though it was hasty. hum! had i foreseen the matter would be so immediately settled--she's a great prize for any lad--and you're not hurt either. one should be hurt for such a reward. you seem entirely sound of limb and without a scratch. a great prize." "there's the dragon," replied geoffrey, "and here am i." now sir godfrey was an honourable man. when he once had given his word, you could hold him to it. that is very uncommon to-day, particularly in the matter of contracts. he gathered his dressing-gown about him, and looked every inch a parent. "elaine," he said, "my dear?" "oh, papa!" murmured that young woman in a die-away voice. geoffrey had just time to see the look in her brown eye as she turned her head away. and his senses reeled blissfully, and his brain blew out like a candle, and he ceased to be a man who could utter speech. he stood stock-still with his gaze fixed upon elaine. the nine house-maids looked at the young couple with many sympathetic though respectful sighings, and the seven footmen looked comprehensively at the nine house-maids. sir godfrey smiled, and very kindly. "ah, well," he said, "once i--but tush! you're a brave lad, and i knew your father well. i'll consent, of course. but if you don't mind, i'll give you rather a quick blessing this evening. 'tis growing colder. come here, elaine. come here, sir. there! now, i hate delay in these matters. you shall be married to-morrow. hey? what? you don't object, i suppose? then why did you jump? to-morrow, christmas day, and every church-bell in the county shall ring three times more than usual. once for the holy feast, and may the lord bless it always! and once for my girl's wedding. and once for the death and destruction of the dragon of wantley." "hurrah!" said the united household. "we'll have a nuptials that shall be the talk of our grandchildren's children, and after them. we'll have all the people to see. and we'll build the biggest pile of fagots that can be cut from my timber, and the dragon shall be chained on the top of it, and we'll cremate him like an ancient,--only alive! we'll cremate the monster alive!" elaine jumped. geoffrey jumped. the chain round the dragon loudly clanked. "why--do you not find this a pleasant plan?" asked the baron, surprised. "it seems to me, sir," stuttered geoffrey, beating his brains for every next word, "it seems to me a monstrous pity to destroy this dragon so. he is a rare curiosity." "did you expect me to clap him in a box-stall and feed him?" inquired the baron with scorn. "why, no, sir. but since it is i who have tracked, stalked, and taken him with the help of no other huntsman," said geoffrey, "i make bold to think the laws of sport vest the title to him in me." "no such thing," said sir godfrey. "you have captured him in my cellar. i know a little law, i hope." "the law about wild beasts in poictiers----" geoffrey began. "what care i for your knavish and perverted foreign legalities over the sea?" snorted sir godfrey. "this is england. and our common law says you have trespassed." "my dear sir," said geoffrey, "this wild beast came into your premises after i had marked him." "don't dear sir me!" shouted the baron. "will you hear the law for what i say? i tell you this dragon's my dragon. don't i remember how trespass was brought against ralph de coventry, over in warwickshire? who did no more than you have done. and they held him. and there it was but a little pheasant his hawk had chased into another's warren--and you've chased a dragon, so the offence is greater." "but if--" remonstrated the youth, "if a fox----" "fox me no foxes! here is the case of ralph de coventry," replied sir godfrey, looking learned, and seating himself on a barrel of beer. "ralph pleaded before the judge saying, 'et nous lessamus nostre faucon voler à luy, et il le pursuy en le garrein,'--'tis just your position, only 'twas you that pursued and not your falcon, which does not in the least distinguish the cases." "but," said geoffrey again, "the dragon started not on your premises." "no matter for that; for you have pursued him into my warren, that is, my cellar, my enclosed cellar, where you had no business to be. and the court told ralph no matter 'que le feisant leva hors de le garrein, vostre faucon luy pursuy en le garrein.' so there's good sound english law, and none of your foppish outlandishries in latin," finished the baron, vastly delighted at being able to display the little learning that he had. for you see, very few gentlemen in those benighted days knew how to speak the beautiful language of the law so fluently as that. "and besides," continued sir godfrey suddenly, "there is a contract." "what contract?" asked geoffrey. "a good and valid one. when i said this morning that i would give my daughter to the man who brought me the dragon alive or dead, did i say i would give him the dragon too? so choose which you will take, for both you cannot have." at this elaine turned pale as death, and geoffrey stood dumb. had anybody looked at the dragon, it was easy to see the beast was much agitated. "choose!" said sir godfrey. "'tis getting too cold to stay here. what? you hesitate between my daughter and a miserable reptile? i thought the lads of france were more gallant. come, sir! which shall it be? the lady or the dragon?" "well," said geoffrey, and his blood and heart stood still (and so did elaine's, and so did another person's), "i--i--think i will choose the l--lady." "hurrah!" cheered the household once more. "oh, lord!" said the dragon, but nobody heard him. "indeed!" observed sir godfrey. "and now we'll chain him in my bear-pit till morning, and at noon he shall be burned alive by the blazing fagots. let us get some sleep now." the cloud of slimly-clad domestics departed with slow steps, and many a look of fear cast backward at the captured monster. "this dragon, sir," said geoffrey, wondering at his own voice, "will die of thirst in that pit. bethink you how deep is his habit of drinking." "ha! i have often bethought me," retorted sir godfrey, rolling his eyes over the empty barrels. "but here! i am a man of some heart, i hope." he seized up a bucket and ran to the hogshead containing his daughter's native cowslip wine. "there!" he observed when the bucket was pretty well filled. "put that in to moisten his last hours." then the baron led the way round the manor to the court-yard where the bear-pit was. his daughter kept pace with him not easily, for the excellent gentleman desired to be a decent distance away from the dragon, whom young geoffrey dragged along in the rear. [illustration: hvckbald believes he will take jvst a little sip] chapter ix leaues much room for guessing about ch. x [illustration] as they proceeded towards the bear-pit, having some distance to go, good-humour and benevolence began to rise up in the heart of sir godfrey. "this is a great thing!" he said to miss elaine. "ha! an important and joyful occurrence. the news of it will fly far." "yes," the young lady replied, but without enthusiasm. "the cattle will be safe now." "the cattle, child! my burgundy! think of that!" "yes, papa." "the people will come," continued the baron, "from all sides to-morrow--why, it's to-morrow now!" he cried. "from all sides they will come to my house to see my dragon. and i shall permit them to see him. they shall see him cooked alive, if they wish. it is a very proper curiosity. the brute had a wide reputation." to hear himself spoken of in the past tense, as we speak of the dead, was not pleasant to sir francis, walking behind geoffrey on all fours. "i shall send for father anselm and his monks," the baron went on. hearing this geoffrey started. "what need have we of them, sir?" he inquired. to send for father anselm! it was getting worse and worse. "need of father anselm?" repeated sir godfrey. "of course i shall need him. i want the parson to tell me how he came to change his mind and let you out." "oh, to be sure," said geoffrey, mechanically. his thoughts were reeling helplessly together, with no one thing uppermost. "not that i disapprove it. i have changed my own mind upon occasions. but 'twas sudden, after his bundle of sagacity about crusades and visions of my ancestor and what not over there in the morning. ha! ha! these clericals are no more consistent than another person. i'll never let the father forget this." and the baron chuckled. "besides," he said, "'tis suitable that these monks should be present at the burning. this dragon was a curse, and curses are somewhat of a church matter." "true," said geoffrey, for lack of a better reply. "why, bless my soul!" shouted the baron, suddenly wheeling round to elaine at his side, so that the cowslip wine splashed out of the bucket he carried, "it's my girl's wedding-day too! i had clean forgot. bless my soul!" "y--yes, papa," faltered elaine. "and you, young fellow!" her father called out to geoffrey with lusty heartiness. "you're a lucky rogue, sir." "yes, sir," said geoffrey, but not gayly. he was wondering how it felt to be going mad. amid his whirling thoughts burned the one longing to hide elaine safe in his arms and tell her it would all come right somehow. a silence fell on the group as they walked. even to the baron, who was not a close observer, the present reticence of these two newly-betrothed lovers was apparent. he looked from one to the other, but in the face of neither could he see beaming any of the soft transports which he considered were traditionally appropriate to the hour. "umph!" he exclaimed; "it was never like this in my day." then his thoughts went back some forty years, and his eyes mellowed from within. "we'll cook the dragon first," continued the old gentleman, "and then, sir, you and my girl shall be married. ha! ha! a great day for wantley!" the baron swung his bucket, and another jet of its contents slid out. he was growing more and more delighted with himself and his daughter and her lover and everybody in the world. "and you're a stout rogue, too, sir," he said. "built near as well as an englishman, i think. and that's an excellent thing in a husband." the baron continued to talk, now and then almost falling in the snow, but not permitting such slight mishaps to interrupt his discourse, which was addressed to nobody and had a general nature, touching upon dragons, marriages, crusades, and burgundy. could he have seen geoffrey's more and more woe-begone and distracted expression, he would have concluded his future son-in-law was suffering from some sudden and momentous bodily ill. the young man drew near the dragon. "what shall we do?" he said in a whisper. "can i steal the keys of the pit? can we say the dragon escaped?" the words came in nervous haste, wholly unlike the bold deliberateness with which the youth usually spoke. it was plain he was at the end of his wits. "why, what ails thee?" inquired sir francis in a calm and unmoved voice. "this is a simple matter." his tone was so quiet that geoffrey stared in amazement. "but yonder pit!" he said. "we are ruined!" "not at all," sir francis replied. "truly thou art a deep thinker! first a woman and now thine enemy has to assist thy distress." he put so much hatred and scorn into his tones that geoffrey flamed up. "take care!" he muttered angrily. "that's right!" the prisoner said, laughing dryly. "draw thy sword and split our secret open. it will be a fine wedding-day thou'lt have then. our way out of this is plain enough. did not the baron say that father anselm was to be present at the burning? he shall be present." "yes," said the youth. "but how to get out of the pit? and how can there be a dragon to burn if thou art to be father anselm? and how----" he stopped. "i am full of pity for thy brains," said sir francis. "here's the pit!" said the voice of sir godfrey. "bring him along." "hark!" said sir francis to geoffrey. "thou must go to oyster-le-main with a message. darest thou go alone?" "if i dare?" retorted geoffrey, proudly. "it is well. come to the pit when the baron is safe in the house." now they were at the iron door. here the ground was on a level with the bottom of the pit, but sloped steeply up to the top of its walls elsewhere, so that one could look down inside. the baron unlocked the door and entered with his cowslip wine, which (not being a very potent decoction) began to be covered with threads of ice as soon as it was set down. the night was growing more bitter as its frosty hours wore on; for the storm was departed, and the wind fallen to silence, and the immense sky clean and cold with the shivering glitter of the stars. then geoffrey led the dragon into the pit. this was a rude and desolate hole, and its furniture of that extreme simplicity common to bear-pits in those barbarous times. from the middle of the stone floor rose the trunk of a tree, ragged with lopped boughs and at its top forking into sundry limbs possible to sit among. an iron trough was there near a heap of stale greasy straw, and both were shapeless white lumps beneath the snow. the chiselled and cemented walls rose round in a circle and showed no crevice for the nails of either man or bear to climb by. many times had orlando crumb and furioso bun observed this with sadness, and now sir francis observed it also. he took into his chest a big swallow of air, and drove it out again between his teeth with a weary hissing. "i will return at once," geoffrey whispered as he was leaving. then the door was shut to, and sir francis heard the lock grinding as the key was turned. then he heard the baron speaking to geoffrey. "i shall take this key away," he said; "there's no telling what wandering fool might let the monster out. and now there's but little time before dawn. elaine, child, go to your bed. this excitement has plainly tired you. i cannot have my girl look like that when she's a bride to-day. and you too, sir," he added, surveying geoffrey, "look a trifle out of sorts. well, i am not surprised. a dragon is no joke. come to my study." and he took geoffrey's arm. "oh, no!" said the youth. "i cannot. i--i must change my dress." "pooh, sir! i shall send to the tavern for your kit. come to my study. you are pale. we'll have a little something hot. aha! something hot!" "but i think----" geoffrey began. "tush!" said the baron. "you shall help me with the wedding invitations." [illustration: sir francis decideth to go down agayne] "sir!" said geoffrey haughtily, "i know nothing of writing and such low habits." "why no more do i, of course," replied sir godfrey; "nor would i suspect you or any good gentleman of the practice, though i have made my mark upon an indenture in the presence of witnesses." "a man may do that with propriety," assented the youth. "but i cannot come with you now, sir. 'tis not possible." "but i say that you shall!" cried the baron in high good-humour. "i can mull malvoisie famously, and will presently do so for you. 'tis to help me seal the invitations that i want you. my chaplain shall write them. come." he locked geoffrey's arm in his own, and strode quickly forward. feeling himself dragged away, geoffrey turned his head despairingly back towards the pit. "oh, he's safe enough in there," said sir godfrey. "no need to watch him." sir francis had listened to this conversation with rising dismay. and now he quickly threw off the crocodile hide and climbed up the tree as the bears had often done before him. it came almost to a level with the wall's rim, but the radius was too great a distance for jumping. "i should break my leg," he said, and came down the tree again, as the bears had likewise often descended. the others were now inside the house. elaine with a sinking heart retired to her room, and her father after summoning the rev. hucbald took geoffrey into his study. the chaplain followed with a bunch of goose-quills and a large ink-horn, and seated himself at a table, while the baron mixed some savoury stuff, going down his private staircase into the buttery to get the spice and honey necessary. "here's to the health of all, and luck to-day," said the baron; and geoffrey would have been quite happy if an earthquake had come and altered all plans for the morning. still he went through the form of clinking goblets. but his heart ached, and his eyes grew hot as he sat dismal and lonely away from his girl. "whom shall we ask to the wedding?" queried the rev. hucbald, rubbing his hands and looking at the pitcher in which sir godfrey had mixed the beverage. "ask the whole county," said sir godfrey. "the more the merrier. my boy roland will be here to-morrow. he'll find his sister has got ahead of him. have some," he added, holding the pitcher to the rev. hucbald. "i do believe i will take just a little sip," returned the divine. "thanks! ah--most delicious, baron! a marriage on christmas day," he added, "is--ahem!--highly irregular. but under the unusual, indeed the truly remarkable, circumstances, i make no doubt that the pope----" "drat him!" said sir godfrey; at which the chaplain smiled reproachfully, and shook a long transparent taper finger at his patron in a very playful manner, saying, "baron! now, baron!" "my boy roland's learning to be a knight over at my uncle mortmain's," continued sir godfrey, pouring geoffrey another goblet. "you'll like him." but geoffrey's thoughts were breeding more anxiety in him every moment. "i'll get the sealing-wax," observed the baron, and went to a cabinet. "this room is stifling," cried geoffrey. "i shall burst soon, i think." "it's my mulled malvoisie you're not accustomed to," sir godfrey said, as he rummaged in the cabinet. "open the window and get some fresh air, my lad. now where the deuce is my family seal?" as geoffrey opened the window, a soft piece of snow flew through the air and dropped lightly on his foot. he looked quickly and perceived a man's shadow jutting into the moonlight from an angle in the wall. immediately he plunged out through the casement, which was not very high. "merciful powers!" said the rev. hucbald, letting fall his quill and spoiling the first invitation, "what an impulsive young man! why, he has run clean round the corner." "'tis all my malvoisie," said the baron, hugely delighted, and hurrying to the window. "come back when you're sober!" he shouted after geoffrey with much mirth. then he shut the window. "these french heads never can weather english brews," he remarked to the chaplain. "but i'll train the boy in time. he is a rare good lad. now, to work." out in the snow, geoffrey with his sword drawn came upon hubert. "thou mayest sheathe that knife," said the latter. "and be thy quarry?" retorted geoffrey. "i have come too late for that!" hubert answered. "thou hast been to the bear-pit, then?" "oh, aye!" "there's big quarry there!" observed geoffrey, tauntingly. "quite a royal bird." "so royal the male hawk could not bring it down by himself, i hear," hubert replied. "nay, there's no use in waxing wroth, friend! my death now would clap thee in a tighter puzzle than thou art in already--and i should be able to laugh down at thee from a better world," he added, mimicking the priestly cadence, and looking at geoffrey half fierce and half laughing. he was but an apprentice at robbery and violence, and in the bottom of his heart, where some honesty still was, he liked geoffrey well. "time presses," he continued. "i must go. one thing thou must do. let not that pit be opened till the monks of oyster-le-main come here. we shall come before noon." "i do not understand," said geoffrey. [illustration: brother hvbert goeth back to oyster-le-main for ye last time] "that's unimportant," answered hubert. "only play thy part. 'tis a simple thing to keep a door shut. fail, and the whole of us are undone. farewell." "nay, this is some foul trick," geoffrey declared, and laid his hand on hubert. but the other shook his head sadly. "dost suppose," he said, "that we should have abstained from any trick that's known to the accumulated wisdom of man? our sport is up." "'tis true," geoffrey said, musingly, "we hold all of you in the hollow of one hand." "thou canst make a present of us to the hangman in twenty minutes if thou choosest," said hubert. "though 'twould put me in quite as evil case." "ho! what's the loss of a woman compared with death?" hubert exclaimed. "thou'lt know some day," the young knight said, eying hubert with a certain pity; "that is, if ever thou art lucky to love truly." "and is it so much as that?" murmured hubert wistfully. "'twas good fortune for thee and thy sweetheart i did not return to look for my master while he was being taken to the pit," he continued; "we could have stopped all your mouths till the day of judgment at least." "wouldst thou have slain a girl?" asked geoffrey, stepping back. "not i, indeed! but for my master i would not be so sure. and he says i'll come as far as that in time," added the apprentice with a shade of bitterness. "thou art a singular villain," said geoffrey, "and wonderfully frank spoken." "and so thou'rt to be married?" hubert said gently. "by this next noon, if all goes well!" exclaimed the lover with ardour. "heigho!" sighed hubert, turning to go, "'twill be a merry christmas for somebody." "give me thy hand," cried geoffrey, feeling universally hearty. "no," replied the freebooter; "what meaning would there be in that? i would sever thy jugular vein in a moment if that would mend the broken fortunes of my chief. farewell, however. good luck attend thee." the eyes of both young men met, and without unkindness in them. "but i am satisfied with my calling," hubert asserted, repudiating some thought that he imagined was lurking in geoffrey's look. "quite content! it's very dull to be respectable. look! the dawn will discover us." "but this plan?" cried geoffrey, hastening after him; "i know nothing." "thou needest know nothing. keep the door of the pit shut. farewell." and geoffrey found himself watching the black form of hubert dwindle against the white rises of the ground. he walked towards the tavern in miserable uncertainty, for the brief gust of elation had passed from his heart. then he returned irresolute, and looked into the pit. there was sir francis, dressed in the crocodile. "come in, come in, young fellow! ha! ha! how's thy head?" the baron was at the window, calling out and beckoning with vigour. geoffrey returned to the study. there was no help for it. "we have written fifty-nine already!" said the rev. hucbald. but the youth cast a dull eye upon the growing heap, and sealed them very badly. what pleasure was it to send out invitations to his own wedding that might never be coming off? as for hubert out in the night, he walked slowly through the wide white country. and as he went across the cold fields and saw how the stars were paling out, and cast long looks at the moon setting across the smooth snow, the lad's eyes filled so that the moon twinkled and shot rays askew in his sight. he thought how the good times of oyster-le-main were ended, and he thought of miss elaine so far beyond the reach of such as he, and it seemed to him that he was outside the comfortable world. [illustration] [illustration] chapter x the great white christmas at wantley. [illustration] now are all the people long awake and out of their beds. wantley manor is stirring busily in each quarter of the house and court, and the whole county likewise is agog. by seven o'clock this morning it was noised in every thatched cottage and in every gabled hall that the great dragon had been captured. some said by saint george in person, who appeared riding upon a miraculous white horse and speaking a tongue that nobody could understand, wherefore it was held to be the language common in paradise. some declared saint george had nothing to do with it, and that this was the pious achievement of father anselm. others were sure miss elaine had fulfilled the legend and conquered the monster entirely by herself. one or two, hearing the event had taken place in sir godfrey's wine-cellar, said they thought the baron had done it,--and were immediately set down as persons of unsound mind. but nobody mentioned geoffrey at all, until the baron's invitations, requesting the honour of various people's presence at the marriage of his daughter elaine to that young man, were received; and that was about ten o'clock, the ceremony being named for twelve that day in the family chapel. sir godfrey intended the burning of the dragon to take place not one minute later than half-past eleven. accordingly, besides the invitation to the chapel, all friends and neighbours whose position in the county or whose intimacy with the family entitled them to a recognition less formal and more personal, received a second card which ran as follows: "sir godfrey disseisin at home wednesday morning, december the twenty-fifth, from half after eleven until the following day. dancing; also a dragon will be roasted. r. s. v. p." the disseisin crest with its spirited motto, "saute qui peult," originated by the venerable primer disseisin, followed by his son tortious disseisin, and borne with so much renown in and out of a hundred battles by a thousand subsequent disseisins, ornamented the top left-hand corner. "i think we shall have but few refusals," said the rev. hucbald to sir godfrey. "not many will be prevented by previous engagements, i opine." and the chaplain smiled benignly, rubbing his hands. he had published the banns of matrimony three times in a lump before breakfast. "which is rather unusual," he said; "but under the circumstances we shall easily obtain a dispensation." "in providing such an entertainment for the county as this will be," remarked the baron, "i feel i have performed my duty towards society for some time to come. no one has had a dragon at a private house before me, i believe." "oh, surely not," simpered the sleek hucbald. "not even lady jumping jack." "fiddle!" grunted the baron. "she indeed! fandangoes!" "she's very pious," protested the rev. hucbald, whom the lady sometimes asked to fish lunches in lent. "fandangoes!" repeated the baron. he had once known her exceedingly well, but she pursued variety at all expense, even his. as for refusals, the chaplain was quite right. there were none. nobody had a previous engagement--or kept it, if they had. "good gracious, rupert!" (or cecil, or chandos, as it might be,) each dame in the county had exclaimed to her lord on opening the envelope brought by private hand from wantley, "we're asked to the disseisins to see a dragon,--and his daughter married." "by heaven, muriel, we'll go!" the gentleman invariably replied, under the impression that elaine was to marry the dragon, which would be a show worth seeing. the answers came flying back to wantley every minute or two, most of them written in such haste that you could only guess they were acceptances. and those individuals who lived so far away across the county that the invitations reached them too late to be answered, immediately rang every bell in the house and ordered the carriage in frantic tones. of _course_ nobody kept any engagement. sir guy vol-au-vent (and none but a most abandoned desperado or advanced thinker would be willing to do such a thing on christmas) had accepted an invitation to an ambush at three for the slaying of sir percy de résistance. but the ambush was put off till a more convenient day. sir thomas de brie had been going to spend his christmas at a cock-fight in the count de gorgonzola's barn. but he remarked to his man edward, who brought the trap to the door, that the count de gorgonzola might go ---never mind what he remarked. it was not nice; though oddly enough it was exactly the same remark that the count had made about sir thomas on telling his own man james to drive to wantley and drop the cock-fight. all these gentlemen, as soon as they heard the great news, started for the manor with the utmost speed. [illustration: sir thomas de brie hastens to accept the baron's polite inuitation] nor was it the quality alone who were so unanimous in their feelings. the tenantry (to whom sir godfrey had extended a very hospitable bidding to come and they should find standing-room and good meat and beer in the court-yard) went nearly mad. from every quarter of the horizon they came plunging and ploughing along. the sun blazed down out of a sky whence a universal radiance seemed to beat upon the blinding white. could you have mounted up bird-fashion over the country, you would have seen the manor like the centre of some great wheel, with narrow tracks pointing in to it from the invisible rim of a circle, paths wide and narrow, converging at the gate, trodden across the new snow from anywhere and everywhere; and moving along these like ants, all the inhabitants for miles around. and through the wide splendour of winter no wind blowing, but the sound of chiming bells far and near, clear frozen drops of music in the brittle air. old gaffer piers, the ploughman, stumped along, "pretty well for eighty, thanky," as he somewhat snappishly answered to the neighbours who out-walked him on the road. they would get there first. "wonderful old man," they said as they went on their way, and quickly resumed their speculations upon the dragon's capture. farmer john stiles came driving his ox-team and snuffling, for it was pretty cold, and his handkerchief at home. upon his wagon on every part, like swallows, hung as many of his relations as could get on. his mother, who had been lucy baker, and grandmother cecilia kempe, and a litter of cousin thorpes. but his step-father lewis gay and the children of the half-blood were not asked to ride; farmer stiles had bitterly resented the second marriage. this family knew all the particulars concerning the dragon, for they had them from the cook's second cousin who was courting bridget stiles. they knew how saint george had waked father anselm up and put him on a white horse, and how the abbot had thus been able to catch the dragon by his tail in the air just as he was flying away with miss elaine, and how at that the white horse had turned into a young man who had been bewitched by the dragon, and was going to marry miss elaine immediately. on the front steps, shaking hands with each person who came, was sir godfrey. he had dressed himself excellently for the occasion; something between a heavy father and an old beau, with a beautiful part down the back of his head where the hair was. geoffrey stood beside him. "my son-in-law that's to be," sir godfrey would say. and the gentry welcomed the young man, while the tenants bobbed him respectful salutations. "you're one of us. glad to know you," said sir thomas de brie, surveying the lad with approval. lady jumping jack held his hand for a vanishing moment you could hardly make sure of. "i had made up my mind to hate you for robbing me of my dearest girl," she said, smiling gayly, and fixing him with her odd-looking eyes. "but i see we're to be friends." then she murmured a choice nothing to the baron, who snarled politely. "don't let her play you," said he to geoffrey when the lady had moved on. and he tapped the youth's shoulder familiarly. "oh, i've been through all that sort of thing over in poictiers," geoffrey answered with indifference. "you're a rogue, sir, as i've told you before. ha! uncle mortmain, how d'ye do? yes, this is geoffrey. where's my boy roland? coming, is he? well, he had better look sharp. it's after eleven, and i'll wait for nobody. how d'ye do, john stiles? that bull you sold me 's costing thirty shillings a year in fences. you'll find something ready down by those tables, i think." hark to that roar! the crowd jostled together in the court-yard, for it sounded terribly close. "the dragon's quite safe in the pit, good people," shouted sir godfrey. "a few more minutes and you'll all see him." the old gentleman continued welcoming the new arrivals, chatting heartily, with a joke for this one and a kind inquiry for the other. but wretched geoffrey! so the dragon was to be seen in a few minutes! and where were the monks of oyster-le-main? still, a bold face must be kept. he was thankful that elaine, after the custom of brides, was invisible. the youth's left hand rested upon the hilt of his sword; he was in rich attire, and the curly hair that surrounded his forehead had been carefully groomed. half-way up the stone steps as he stood, his blue eyes watching keenly for the monks, he was a figure that made many a humble nymph turn tender glances upon him. old piers, the ploughman, remained beside a barrel of running ale and drank his health all day. for he was a wonderful old man. hither and thither the domestics scurried swiftly, making preparations. some were cooking rare pasties of grouse and ptarmigan, goslings and dough-birds; some were setting great tables in-doors and out; and some were piling fagots for the dragon's funeral pyre. popham, with magnificent solemnity and a pair of new calves, gave orders to meeson and welsby, and kept little whelpdale panting for breath with errands; while in and out, between everybody's legs, and over or under all obstacles, stalked the two ravens croak james and croak elizabeth, a big white wedding-favour tied round the neck of each. to see these grave birds, none would have suspected how frequently they had been in the mince-pies that morning, though popham had expressly ruled (in somewhat stilted language) that they should "take nothink by their bills." "geoffrey," said the baron, "i think we'll begin. popham, tell them to light that fire there." "the guests are still coming, sir," said geoffrey. "no matter. it is half after eleven." the baron showed his sun-dial, and there was no doubt of it. "here, take the keys," he said, "and bring the monster out for us." "i'll go and put on my armour," suggested the young man. that would take time; perhaps the monks might arrive. "why, the brute's chained. you need no armour. nonsense!" "but think of my clothes in that pit, sir,--on my wedding-day." "pooh! that's the first sign of a frenchman i've seen in you. take the keys, sir." the crackle of the kindling fagots came to geoffrey's ears. he saw the forty men with chains that were to haul the dragon into the fire. "but there's father anselm yet to come," he protested. "surely we wait for him." [illustration] "i'll wait for nobody. he with his crusades and rubbish! haven't i got this dragon, and there's no crusade?--ah, cousin modus, glad you could come over. just in time. the sherry's to your left. yes, it's a very fine day. yes, yes, this is geoffrey my girl's to marry and all that.--what do i care about father anselm?" the old gentleman resumed testily, when his cousin modus had shuffled off. "come, sir." he gave the keys into geoffrey's unwilling hand, and ordered silence proclaimed. "hearken, good friends!" said he, and all talk and going to and fro ceased. the tenantry stood down in the court-yard, a mass of motionless russet and yellow, every face watching the baron. the gentry swarmed noiselessly out upon the steps behind him, their handsome dresses bright against the manor walls. there was a short pause. old gaffer piers made a slight disturbance falling over with his cup of ale, but was quickly set on his feet by his neighbours. the sun blazed down, and the growling of the dragon came from the pit. "yonder noise," pursued sir godfrey, "speaks more to the point than i could. i'll give you no speech." all loudly cheered at this. "don't you think," whispered the rev. hucbald in the baron's ear, "that a little something serious should be said on such an occasion? i should like our brethren to be reminded----" "fudge!" said the baron. "for thirteen years," he continued, raising his voice again, "this dragon has been speaking for himself. you all know and i know how that has been. and now we are going to speak for ourselves. and when he is on top of that fire he'll know how that is. geoffrey, open the pit and get him out." again there was a cheer, but a short one, for the spell of expectancy was on all. the young man descended into the court, and the air seemed to turn to a wavering mist as he looked up at the manor windows seeking to spy elaine's face at one of them. was this to be the end? could he kiss her one last good-by if disaster was in store for them after all? alas! no glimpse of her was to be seen as he moved along, hardly aware of his own steps, and the keys jingling lightly as he moved. through the crowd he passed, and a whispering ran in his wake followed by deeper silence than before. he reached the edge of the people and crossed the open space beyond, passing the leaping blaze of the fagots, and so drew near the iron door of the pit. the key went slowly into the lock. all shrank with dismay at the roar which rent the air. geoffrey paused with his hand gripping the key, and there came a sound of solemn singing over the fields. "the monks!" murmured a few under their breath; and silence fell again, each listening. men's voices it was, and their chanting rose by one sudden step to a high note that was held for a moment, and then sank again, mellow like the harmony of horns in a wood. then over the ridge from oyster-le-main the length of a slow procession began to grow. the gray gowns hung to the earth straight with scarce any waving as the men walked. the heavy hoods reached over each face so there was no telling its features. none in the court-yard spoke at all, as the brooding figures passed in under the gateway and proceeded to the door of the bear-pit, singing always. howlings that seemed born of terror now rose from the imprisoned monster; and many thought, "evidently the evil beast cannot endure the sound of holy words." elaine in her white dress now gazed from an upper window, seeing her lover with his enemies drawing continually closer around him. perhaps it was well for him that his death alone would not have served to lock their secret up again; that the white maiden in the window is ready to speak the word and direct instant vengeance on them and their dragon if any ill befall that young man who stands by the iron door. the song of the monks ended. sir godfrey on the steps was wondering why father anselm did not stand out from the rest of the gray people and explain his wishes. "though he shall not interrupt the sport, whatever he says," thought the baron, and cast on the group of holy men a less hospitable eye than had beamed on his other guests. geoffrey over at the iron door, surrounded by the motionless figures, scanned each hood narrowly and soon met the familiar eyes of hubert. hubert's gown, he noticed, bulged out in a manner ungainly and mysterious. "open the door," whispered that youth. at once geoffrey began to turn the key. and at its grinding all held their breath, and a quivering silence hung over the court. the hasty drops pattered down from the eaves from the snow that was melting on the roof. then some strip of metal inside the lock sprung suddenly, making a sharp song, and ceased. the crowd of monks pressed closer together as the iron door swung open. [illustration: the dragon maketh his last appearance] what did geoffrey see? none but the monks could tell. instantly a single roar more terrible than any burst out, and the huge horrible black head and jaws of the monster reared into the view of sir godfrey and his guests. one instant the fearful vision in the door-way swayed with a stiff strange movement over the knot of monks that surrounded it, then sank out of sight among them. there was a sound of jerking and fierce clanking of chains, mingled with loud chanting of pious sentences. then a plume of spitting flame flared upward with a mighty roar, and the gray figures scattered right and left. there along the ground lay the monster, shrivelled, twisted in dismal coils, and dead. close beside his black body towered father anselm, smoothing the folds of his gray gown. geoffrey was sheathing his sword and looking at hubert, whose dress bulged out no longer, but fitted him as usual. "we have been vouchsafed a miracle," said father anselm quietly, to the gaping spectators. "there'll be no burning," said geoffrey, pointing to the shrunken skin. but though he spoke so coolly, and repelled all besieging disturbance from the fortress of his calm visage and bearing, as a bold and haughty youth should do, yet he could scarcely hold his finger steady as it pointed to the blackened carcase. then all at once his eyes met those of elaine where she watched from her window, and relief and joy rushed through him. he stretched his arms towards her, not caring who saw, and the look she sent him with a smile drove all surrounding things to an immeasurable distance away. "here indeed," father anselm repeated, "is a miracle. lo, the empty shell! the snake hath shed his skin." "this is very disappointing," said sir godfrey, bewildered. "is there no dragon to roast?" "the roasting," replied the abbot, impressively, "is even now begun for all eternity." he stretched out an arm and pointed downward through the earth. "the evil spirit has fled. the church hath taken this matter into her own hands, and claims yon barren hide as a relic." "well,--i don't see why the church can't let good sport alone," retorted sir godfrey. "hope she'll not take to breaking up my cock-fights this way," muttered the count de gorgonzola, sulkily. "the church cares nothing for such profane frivolities," observed father anselm with cold dignity. "at all events, friends," said sir godfrey, cheering up, "the country is rid of the dragon of wantley, and we've got a wedding and a breakfast left." just at this moment a young horseman rode furiously into the court-yard. it was roland, sir godfrey's son. "great news!" he began at once. "another crusade has been declared--and i am going. merry christmas! where's elaine? where's the dragon?" father anselm's quick brain seized this chance. he and his monks should make a more stately exit than he had planned. "see," he said in a clear voice to his monks, "how all is coming true that was revealed to me this night! my son," he continued, turning to young roland, "thy brave resolve reached me ere thou hadst made it. know it has been through thee that the dragon has gone!" upon this there was profound silence. "and now," he added solemnly, "farewell. the monks of oyster-le-main go hence to the holy land also, to battle for the true faith. behold! we have made us ready to meet the toil." his haughty tones ceased, and he made a sign. the gray gowns fell to the snow, and revealed a stalwart, fierce-looking crew in black armour. but the abbot kept his gray gown. "you'll stay for the wedding?" inquired sir godfrey of him. "our duty lies to the sea. farewell, for i shall never see thy face again." he turned. hubert gathered up the hide of the crocodile and threw a friendly glance back at geoffrey. then again raising their song, the black band slowly marched out under the gate and away over the snow until the ridge hid them from sight, and only their singing could be heard in the distant fields. "well," exclaimed sir godfrey, "it's no use to stand staring. now for the wedding! mistletoe, go up and tell miss elaine. hucbald, tell the organist to pipe up his music. and as soon as it's over we'll drink the bride's health and health to the bridegroom. 'tis a lucky thing that between us all the dragon is gone, for there's still enough of my burgundy to last us till midnight. come, friends, come in, for everything waits your pleasure!" [illustration] l'envoi reader, if thou hast found thy way thus far, sure then i've writ beneath a lucky star; and nothing so becomes all journeys' ends as that the travellers should part as friends. transcriber's note: in the printed book, line numbering was determined by the physical length of a line. sometimes the numbered line was one or even two lines above or below the nearest multiple of 10. where a stanza ended on a multiple of 10, the first line of the following stanza was numbered instead. line numbers have been regularized for this e-text. the tale of beowulf sometime king of the folk of the weder geats translated by william morris and a. j. wyatt longmans, green, and co. 39 paternoster row, london new york and bombay mcmiv bibliographical note first printed at the kelmscott press, january 1895 ordinary edition . . . . . . . . . . . august 1898 reprinted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . august 1904 argument hrothgar, king of the danes, lives happily and peacefully, and bethinks him to build a glorious hall called hart. but a little after, one grendel, of the kindred of the evil wights that are come of cain, hears the merry noise of hart and cannot abide it; so he enters thereinto by night, and slays and carries off and devours thirty of hrothgar's thanes. thereby he makes hart waste for twelve years, and the tidings of this mishap are borne wide about lands. then comes to the helping of hrothgar beowulf, the son of ecgtheow, a thane of king hygelac of the geats, with fourteen fellows. they are met on the shore by the land-warder, and by him shown to hart and the stead of hrothgar, who receives them gladly, and to whom beowulf tells his errand, that he will help him against grendel. they feast in the hall, and one unferth, son of ecglaf, taunts beowulf through jealousy that he was outdone by breca in swimming. beowulf tells the true tale thereof. and a little after, at nightfall, hrothgar and his folk leave the hall hart, and it is given in charge to beowulf, who with his geats abides there the coming of grendel. soon comes grendel to the hall, and slays a man of the geats, hight handshoe, and then grapples with beowulf, who will use no weapon against him: grendel feels himself over-mastered and makes for the door, and gets out, but leaves his hand and arm behind him with beowulf: men on the wall hear the great noise of this battle and the wailing of grendel. in the morning the danes rejoice, and follow the bloody slot of grendel, and return to hart racing and telling old tales, as of sigemund and the worm. then come the king and his thanes to look on the token of victory, grendel's hand and arm, which beowulf has let fasten: to the hall-gable. the king praises beowulf and rewards him, and they feast in hart, and the tale of finn and hengest is told. then hrothgar leaves hart, and so does beowulf also with his geats, but the danes keep guard there. in the night comes in grendel's mother, and catches up aeschere, a thane of hrothgar, and carries him off to her lair. in the morning is beowulf fetched to hrothgar, who tells him of this new grief and craves his help. then they follow up the slot and come to a great water-side, and find thereby aeschere's head, and the place is known for the lair of those two: monsters are playing in the deep, and beowulf shoots one of them to death. then beowulf dights him and leaps into the water, and is a day's while reaching the bottom. there he is straightway caught hold of by grendel's mother, who bears him into her hall. when he gets free he falls on her, but the edge of the sword hrunting (lent to him by unferth) fails him, and she casts him to the ground and draws her sax to slay him; but he rises up, and sees an old sword of the giants hanging on the wall; he takes it and smites off her head therewith. he sees grendel lying dead, and his head also he strikes off; but the blade of the sword is molten in his venomous blood. then beowulf strikes upward, taking with him the head of grendel and the hilts of the sword. when he comes to the shore he finds his geats there alone; for the danes fled when they saw the blood floating in the water. they go up to hrothgar's stead, and four men must needs bear the head. they come to hrothgar, and beowulf gives him the hilts and tells him what he has done. much praise is given to beowulf; and they feast together. on the morrow beowulf bids farewell to hrothgar, more gifts are given, and messages are sent to hygelac: beowulf departs with the full love of hrothgar. the geats come to their ship and reward the ship-warder, and put off and sail to their own land. beowulf comes to hygelac's house. hygelac is told of, and his wife hygd, and her good conditions, against whom is set as a warning the evil queen thrytho. beowulf tells all the tale of his doings in full to hygelac, and gives him his gifts, and the precious-gemmed collar to hygd. here is told of beowulf, and how he was contemned in his youth, and is now grown so renowned. time wears; hygelac is slain in battle; heardred, his son, reigns in his stead, he is slain by the swedes, and beowulf is made king. when he is grown old, and has been king for fifty years, come new tidings. a great dragon finds on the sea-shore a mound wherein is stored the treasure of ancient folk departed. the said dragon abides there, and broods the gold for 300 years. now a certain thrall, who had misdone against his lord and was fleeing from his wrath, haps on the said treasure and takes a cup thence, which he brings to his lord to appease his wrath. the worm waketh, and findeth his treasure lessened, but can find no man who hath done the deed. therefore he turns on the folk, and wars on them, and burns beowulf's house. now beowulf will go and meet the worm. he has an iron shield made, and sets forth with eleven men and the thrall the thirteenth. he comes to the ness, and speaks to his men, telling them of his past days, and gives them his last greeting: then he cries out a challenge to the worm, who comes forth, and the battle begins: beowulf's sword will not bite on the worm. wiglaf eggs on the others to come to beowulf's help, and goes himself straightway, and offers himself to beowulf; the worm comes on again, and beowulf breaks his sword nægling on him, and the worm wounds beowulf. wiglaf smites the worm in the belly; beowulf draws his ax, and between them they slay the worm. beowulf now feels his wounds, and knows that he is hurt deadly; he sits down by the wall, and wiglaf bathes his wounds. beowulf speaks, tells how he would give his armour to his son if he had one; thanks god that he has not sworn falsely or done guilefully; and prays wiglaf to bear out the treasure that he may see it before he dies. wiglaf fetches out the treasure, and again bathes beowulf's wounds; beowulf speaks again, rejoices over the sight of the treasure; gives to wiglaf his ring and his armour, and bids the manner of his bale-fire. with that he passes away. now the dastards come thereto and find wiglaf vainly bathing his dead lord. he casteth shame upon them with great wrath. thence he sends a messenger to the barriers of the town, who comes to the host, and tells them of the death of beowulf. he tells withal of the old feud betwixt the geats and the swedes, and how these, when they hear of the death of the king, will be upon them. the warriors go to look on beowulf, and find him and the worm lying dead together. wiglaf chooses out seven of them to go void the treasure-house, after having bidden them gather wood for the bale-fire. they shove the worm over the cliff into the sea, and bear off the treasure in wains. then they bring beowulf's corpse to bale, and they kindle it; a woman called the wife of aforetime, it may be hygd, widow of hygelac, bemoans him: and twelve children of the athelings ride round the bale, and bemoan beowulf and praise him: and thus ends the poem. the story of beowulf i. and first of the kindred of hrothgar. what! we of the spear-danes of yore days, so was it that we learn'd of the fair fame of kings of the folks and the athelings a-faring in framing of valour. oft then scyld the sheaf-son from the hosts of the scathers, from kindreds a many the mead-settles tore; it was then the earl fear'd them, sithence was he first found bare and all-lacking; so solace he bided, wax'd under the welkin in worship to thrive, until it was so that the round-about sitters all over the whale-road must hearken his will 10 and yield him the tribute. a good king was that, by whom then thereafter a son was begotten, a youngling in garth, whom the great god sent thither to foster the folk; and their crime-need he felt the load that lay on them while lordless they lived for a long while and long. he therefore, the life-lord, the wielder of glory, world's worship he gave him: brim beowulf waxed, and wide the weal upsprang of the offspring of scyld in the parts of the scede-lands. such wise shall a youngling with wealth be a-working 20 with goodly fee-gifts toward the friends of his father, that after in eld-days shall ever bide with him, fair fellows well-willing when wendeth the war-tide, their lief lord a-serving. by praise-deeds it shall be that in each and all kindreds a man shall have thriving. then went his ways scyld when the shapen while was, all hardy to wend him to the lord and his warding: out then did they bear him to the side of the sea-flood, the dear fellows of him, as he himself pray'd them while yet his word wielded the friend of the scyldings, 30 the dear lord of the land; a long while had he own'd it. with stem all be-ringed at the hythe stood the ship, all icy and out-fain, the atheling's ferry. there then did they lay him, the lord well beloved, the gold-rings' bestower, within the ship's barm, the mighty by mast. much there was the treasure, from far ways forsooth had the fret-work been led: never heard i of keel that was comelier dighted with weapons of war, and with weed of the battle, with bills and with byrnies. there lay in his barm 40 much wealth of the treasure that with him should be, and he into the flood's might afar to depart. no lesser a whit were the wealth-goods they dight him of the goods of the folk, than did they who aforetime, when was the beginning, first sent him away alone o'er the billows, and he but a youngling. moreover they set him up there a sign golden high up overhead, and let the holm bear him, gave all to the spearman. sad mind they had in them, and mourning their mood was. now never knew men, 50 for sooth how to say it, rede-masters in hall, or heroes 'neath heaven, to whose hands came the lading. ii. concerning hrothgar, and how he built the house called hart. also grendel is told of. in the burgs then was biding beowulf the scylding, dear king of the people, for long was he dwelling far-famed of folks (his father turn'd elsewhere, from his stead the chief wended) till awoke to him after healfdene the high, and long while he held it, ancient and war-eager, o'er the glad scyldings: of his body four bairns are forth to him rimed; into the world woke the leader of war-hosts 60 heorogar; eke hrothgar, and halga the good; heard i that elan queen was she of ongentheow, that scylding of battle, the bed-mate behalsed. then was unto hrothgar the war-speed given, such worship of war that his kin and well-willers well hearken'd his will till the younglings were waxen, a kin-host a many. then into his mind ran that he would be building for him now a hall-house, that men should be making a mead-hall more mighty than the children of ages had ever heard tell of: 70 and there within eke should he be out-dealing to young and to old all things god had given, save the share of the folk and the life-days of men. then heard i that widely the work was a-banning to kindreds a many the middle-garth over to fret o'er that folk-stead. so befell to him timely right soon among men that made was it yarely the most of hall-houses, and hart its name shap'd he, who wielded his word full widely around. his behest he belied not; it was he dealt the rings, 80 the wealth at the high-tide. then up rose the hall-house, high up and horn-gabled. hot surges it bided of fire-flame the loathly, nor long was it thenceforth ere sorely the edge-hate 'twixt son and wife's father after the slaughter-strife there should awaken. then the ghost heavy-strong bore with it hardly e'en for a while of time, bider in darkness, that there on each day of days heard he the mirth-tide loud in the hall-house. there was the harp's voice, and clear song of shaper. said he who could it 90 to tell the first fashion of men from aforetime; quoth how the almighty one made the earth's fashion, the fair field and bright midst the bow of the waters, and with victory beglory'd set sun and moon, bright beams to enlighten the biders on land: and how he adorned all parts of the earth with limbs and with leaves; and life withal shaped for the kindred of each thing that quick on earth wendeth. so liv'd on all happy the host of the kinsmen in game and in glee, until one wight began, 100 a fiend out of hell-pit, the framing of evil, and grendel forsooth the grim guest was hight, the mighty mark-strider, the holder of moorland, the fen and the fastness. the stead of the fifel that wight all unhappy a while of time warded, sithence that the shaper him had for-written. on the kindred of cain the lord living ever awreaked the murder of the slaying of abel. in that feud he rejoic'd not, but afar him he banish'd, the maker, from mankind for the crime he had wrought. 110 but offspring uncouth thence were they awoken eotens and elf-wights, and ogres of ocean, and therewith the giants, who won war against god a long while; but he gave them their wages therefor. iii. how grendel fell upon hart and wasted it. now went he a-spying, when come was the night-tide, the house on high builded, and how there the ring-danes their beer-drinking over had boune them to bed; and therein he found them, the atheling fellows, asleep after feasting. then sorrow they knew not nor the woe of mankind: but the wight of wealth's waning, 120 the grim and the greedy, soon yare was he gotten, all furious and fierce, and he raught up from resting a thirty of thanes, and thence aback got him right fain of his gettings, and homeward to fare, fulfilled of slaughter his stead to go look on. thereafter at dawning, when day was yet early, the war-craft of grendel to men grew unhidden, and after his meal was the weeping uphoven, mickle voice of the morning-tide: there the prince mighty, the atheling exceeding good, unblithe he sat, 130 tholing the heavy woe; thane-sorrow dreed he since the slot of the loathly wight there they had look'd on, the ghost all accursed. o'er grisly the strife was, so loathly and longsome. no longer the frist was but after the wearing of one night; then fram'd he murder-bales more yet, and nowise he mourned the feud and the crime; over fast therein was he. then easy to find was the man who would elsewhere seek out for himself a rest was more roomsome, beds end-long the bowers, when beacon'd to him was, 140 and soothly out told by manifest token, the hate of the hell-thane. he held himself sithence further and faster who from the fiend gat him. in such wise he rul'd it and wrought against right, but one against all, until idle was standing the best of hall-houses; and mickle the while was, twelve winter-tides' wearing; and trouble he tholed, that friend of the scyldings, of woes every one and wide-spreading sorrows: for sithence it fell that unto men's children unbidden 'twas known 150 full sadly in singing, that grendel won war 'gainst hrothgar a while of time, hate-envy waging, and crime-guilts and feud for seasons no few, and strife without stinting. for the sake of no kindness unto any of men of the main-host of dane-folk would he thrust off the life-bale, or by fee-gild allay it, nor was there a wise man that needed to ween the bright boot to have at the hand of the slayer. the monster the fell one afflicted them sorely, that death-shadow darksome the doughty and youthful 160 enfettered, ensnared; night by night was he faring the moorlands the misty. but never know men of spell-workers of hell to and fro where they wander. so crime-guilts a many the foeman of mankind, the fell alone-farer, fram'd oft and full often, cruel hard shames and wrongful, and hart he abode in, the treasure-stain'd hall, in the dark of the night-tide; but never the gift-stool therein might he greet, the treasure before the creator he trow'd not. mickle wrack was it soothly for the friend of the scyldings, 170 yea heart and mood breaking. now sat there a many of the mighty in rune, and won them the rede of what thing for the strong-soul'd were best of all things which yet they might frame 'gainst the fear and the horror. and whiles they behight them at the shrines of the heathen to worship the idols; and pray'd they in words, that he, the ghost-slayer, would frame for them helping 'gainst the folk-threats and evil so far'd they their wont, the hope of the heathen; nor hell they remember'd in mood and in mind. and the maker they knew not, 180 the doomer of deeds: nor of god the lord wist they, nor the helm of the heavens knew aught how to hery, the wielder of glory. woe worth unto that man who through hatred the baneful his soul shall shove into the fire's embrace; nought of fostering weens he, nor of changing one whit. but well is he soothly that after the death-day shall seek to the lord, in the breast of the father all peace ever craving. iv. now comes beowulf ecgtheow's son to the land of the danes, and the wall-warden speaketh with him. so care that was time-long the kinsman of healfdene still seeth'd without ceasing, nor might the wise warrior 190 wend otherwhere woe, for o'er strong was the strife all loathly so longsome late laid on the people, need-wrack and grim nithing, of night-bales the greatest. now that from his home heard the hygelac's thane, good midst of the geat-folk; of grendel's deeds heard he. but he was of mankind of might and main mightiest in the day that we tell of, the day of this life, all noble, strong-waxen. he bade a wave-wearer right good to be gear'd him, and quoth he that the war-king over the swan-road he would be seeking, 200 the folk-lord far-famed, since lack of men had he. forsooth of that faring the carles wiser-fashion'd laid little blame on him, though lief to them was he; the heart-hardy whetted they, heeded the omen. there had the good one, e'en he of the geat-folk, champions out-chosen of them that he keenest might find for his needs; and he then the fifteenth, sought to the sound-wood. a swain thereon show'd him, a sea-crafty man, all the make of the land-marks. wore then a while, on the waves was the floater, 210 the boat under the berg, and yare then the warriors strode up on the stem; the streams were a-winding the sea 'gainst the sands. upbore the swains then up into the bark's barm the bright-fretted weapons, the war-array stately; then out the lads shov'd her, the folk on the welcome way shov'd out the wood-bound. then by the wind driven out o'er the wave-holm far'd the foamy-neck'd floater most like to a fowl, till when was the same tide of the second day's wearing the wound-about-stemm'd one had waded her way, 220 so that then they that sail'd her had sight of the land, bleak shine of the sea-cliffs, bergs steep up above, sea-nesses wide reaching; the sound was won over, the sea-way was ended: then up ashore swiftly the band of the weder-folk up on earth wended; they bound up the sea-wood, their sarks on them rattled, their weed of the battle, and god there they thanked for that easy the wave-ways were waxen unto them. but now from the wall saw the scylding-folks' warder, e'en he whom the holm-cliffs should ever be holding, 230 men bear o'er the gangway the bright shields a-shining, folk-host gear all ready. then mind-longing wore him, and stirr'd up his mood to wot who were the men-folk. so shoreward down far'd he his fair steed a-riding, hrothgar's thane, and full strongly then set he a-quaking the stark wood in his hands, and in council-speech speer'd he: what men be ye then of them that have war-gear, with byrnies bewarded, who the keel high up-builded over the lake-street thus have come leading. hither o'er holm-ways hieing in ring-stem? 240 end-sitter was i, a-holding the sea-ward, that the land of the dane-folk none of the loathly faring with ship-horde ever might scathe it. none yet have been seeking more openly hither of shield-havers than ye, and ye of the leave-word of the framers of war naught at all wotting, or the manners of kinsmen. but no man of earls greater saw i ever on earth than one of you yonder, the warrior in war-gear: no hall-man, so ween i, is that weapon-beworthy'd, but his visage belie him, 250 the sight seen once only. now i must be wotting the spring of your kindred ere further ye cast ye, and let loose your false spies in the dane-land a-faring yet further afield. so now, ye far-dwellers, ye wenders o'er sea-flood, this word do ye hearken of my one-folded thought: and haste is the handiest to do me to wit of whence is your coming. v. here beowulf makes answer to the land-warden, who showeth him the way to the king's abode. he then that was chiefest in thus wise he answer'd, the war-fellows' leader unlock'd he the word-hoard: we be a people of the weder-geats' man-kin 260 and of hygelac be we the hearth-fellows soothly. my father before me of folks was well-famed van-leader and atheling, ecgtheow he hight. many winters abode he, and on the way wended an old man from the garths, and him well remembers every wise man well nigh wide yond o'er the earth. through our lief mood and friendly the lord that is thine, even healfdene's son, are we now come a-seeking, thy warder of folk. learn us well with thy leading, for we have to the mighty an errand full mickle, 270 to the lord of the dane-folk: naught dark shall it be, that ween i full surely. if it be so thou wottest, as soothly for our parts we now have heard say, that one midst of the scyldings, who of scathers i wot not, a deed-hater secret, in the dark of the night-tide setteth forth through the terror the malice untold of, the shame-wrong and slaughter. i therefore to hrothgar through my mind fashion'd roomsome the rede may now learn him, how he, old-wise and good, may get the fiend under, if once more from him awayward may turn 280 the business of bales, and the boot come again, and the weltering of care wax cooler once more; or for ever sithence time of stress he shall thole, the need and the wronging, the while yet there abideth on the high stead aloft the best of all houses. then spake out the warden on steed there a-sitting, the servant all un-fear'd: it shall be of either that the shield-warrior sharp the sundering wotteth, of words and of works, if he think thereof well. i hear it thus said that this host here is friendly 290 to the lord of the scyldings; forth fare ye then, bearing your weed and your weapons, of the way will i wise you; likewise mine own kinsmen i will now be bidding against every foeman your floater before us, your craft but new-tarred, the keel on the sand, with honour to hold, until back shall be bearing over the lake-streams this one, the lief man, the wood of the wounden-neck back unto wedermark. unto such shall be granted amongst the good-doers to win the way out all whole from the war-race. 300 then boun they to faring, the bark biding quiet; hung upon hawser the wide-fathom'd ship fast at her anchor. forth shone the boar-shapes over the check-guards golden adorned, fair-shifting, fire-hard; ward held the farrow. snorted the war-moody, hasten'd the warriors and trod down together until the hall timbered, stately and gold-bestain'd, gat they to look on, that was the all-mightiest unto earth's dwellers of halls 'neath the heavens, wherein bode the mighty; 310 glisten'd the gleam thereof o'er lands a many. unto them then the war-deer the court of the proud one full clearly betaught it, that they therewithal might wend their ways thither. then he of the warriors round wended his steed, and spake a word backward: time now for my faring; but the father all-wielder may he with all helping henceforward so hold you all whole in your wayfaring. will i to sea-side against the wroth folk to hold warding ever. vi. beowulf and the geats come into hart. stone-diverse the street was, straight uplong the path led 320 the warriors together. there shone the war-byrny the hard and the hand-lock'd; the ring-iron sheer sang over their war-gear, when they to the hall first in their gear the all-fearful had gat them to ganging. so then the sea-weary their wide shields set down, their war-rounds the mighty, against the hall's wall. then bow'd they to bench, and rang there the byrnies, the war-weed of warriors, and up-stood the spears, the war-gear of the sea-folk all gather'd together. the ash-holt grey-headed; that host of the iron 330 with weapons was worshipful. there then a proud chief of those lads of the battle speer'd after their line: whence ferry ye then the shields golden-faced, the grey sarks therewith, and the helms all bevisor'd, and a heap of the war-shafts? now am i of hrothgar the man and the messenger: ne'er saw i of aliens so many of men more might-like of mood. i ween that for pride-sake, no wise for wrack-wending but for high might of mind, ye to hrothgar have sought. unto him then the heart-hardy answer'd and spake, 340 the proud earl of the weders the word gave aback, the hardy neath helm: now of hygelac are we the board-fellows; beowulf e'en is my name, and word will i say unto healfdene's son, to the mighty, the folk-lord, what errand is mine, yea unto thy lord, if to us he will grant it that him, who so good is, anon we may greet. spake wulfgar the word, a lord of the wendels, and the mood of his heart of a many was kenned, his war and his wisdom: i therefore the danes' friend 350 will lightly be asking, of the lord of the scyldings, the dealer of rings, since the boon thou art bidding, the mighty folk-lord, concerning thine errand, and swiftly the answer shall do thee to wit which the good one to give thee aback may deem meetest. then turn'd he in haste to where hrothgar was sitting right old and all hoary mid the host of his earl-folk: went the valour-stark; stood he the shoulders before of the dane-lord: well could he the doughty ones' custom. so wulfgar spake forth to his lord the well-friendly: 360 hither are ferry'd now, come from afar off o'er the field of the ocean, a folk of the geats; these men of the battle e'en beowulf name they their elder and chiefest, and to thee are they bidding that they, o dear lord, with thee may be dealing in word against word. now win them no naysay of thy speech again-given, o hrothgar the glad-man: for they in their war-gear, methinketh, be worthy of good deeming of earls; and forsooth naught but doughty is he who hath led o'er the warriors hither. 370 vii. beowulf speaketh with hrothgar, and telleth how he will meet grendel. word then gave out hrothgar the helm of the scyldings: i knew him in sooth when he was but a youngling, and his father, the old man, was ecgtheow hight; unto whom at his home gave hrethel the geat-lord his one only daughter; and now hath his offspring all hardy come hither a lief lord to seek him. for that word they spake then, the sea-faring men, e'en they who the gift-seat for the geat-folk had ferry'd, brought thither for thanks, that of thirty of menfolk the craft of might hath he within his own handgrip, 380 that war-strong of men. now him holy god for kind help hath sent off here even to us, we men of the west danes, as now i have weening, 'gainst the terror of grendel. so i to that good one for his mighty mood-daring shall the dear treasure bid. haste now and be speedy, and bid them in straightway, the kindred-band gather'd together, to see us, and in words say thou eke that they be well comen to the folk of the danes. to the door of the hall then went wulfgar, and words withinward he flitted: 390 he bade me to say you, my lord of fair battle, the elder of east-danes, that he your blood knoweth, and that unto him are ye the sea-surges over, ye lads hardy-hearted, well come to land hither; and now may ye wend you all in war-raiment under the battle-mask hrothgar to see. but here let your battle-boards yet be abiding, with your war-weed and slaughter-shafts, issue of words. then rose up the rich one, much warriors around him, chosen heap of the thanes, but there some abided 400 the war-gear to hold, as the wight one was bidding. swift went they together, as the warrior there led them, under hart's roof: went the stout-hearted, the hardy neath helm, till he stood by the high-seat. then beowulf spake out, on him shone the byrny, his war-net besown by the wiles of the smith: hail to thee, hrothgar! i am of hygelac kinsman and folk-thane; fair deeds have i many begun in my youth-tide, and this matter of grendel on the turf of mine own land undarkly i knew. 410 'tis the seafarers' say that standeth this hall, the best house forsooth, for each one of warriors all idle and useless, after the even-light under the heaven-loft hidden becometh. then lightly they learn'd me, my people, this lore, e'en the best that there be of the wise of the churls, o hrothgar the kingly, that thee should i seek to, whereas of the might of my craft were they cunning; for they saw me when came i from out of my wargear, blood-stain'd from the foe whenas five had i bounden, 420 quell'd the kin of the eotens, and in the wave slain the nicors by night-tide: strait need then i bore, wreak'd the grief of the weders, the woe they had gotten; i ground down the wrathful; and now against grendel i here with the dread one alone shall be dooming, in thing with the giant. i now then with thee, o lord of the bright danes, will fall to my bidding, o berg of scyldings, and bid thee one boon, which, o refuge of warriors, gainsay me not now, since, o free friend of folks, from afar have i come, 430 that i alone, i and my band of the earls, this hard heap of men, may cleanse hart of ill. this eke have i heard say, that he, the fell monster, in his wan-heed recks nothing of weapons of war; forgo i this therefore (if so be that hygelac will still be my man-lord, and he blithe of mood) to bear the sword with me, or bear the broad shield, yellow-round to the battle; but with naught save the hand-grip with the foe shall i grapple, and grope for the life the loathly with loathly. there he shall believe 440 in the doom of the lord whom death then shall take. now ween i that he, if he may wield matters, e'en there in the war-hall the folk of the geats shall eat up unafear'd, as oft he hath done it with the might of the hrethmen: no need for thee therefore my head to be hiding; for me will he have with gore all bestain'd, if the death of men get me; he will bear off my bloody corpse minded to taste it; unmournfully then will the lone-goer eat it, will blood-mark the moor-ways; for the meat of my body 450 naught needest thou henceforth in any wise grieve thee. but send thou to hygelac, if the war have me, the best of all war-shrouds that now my breast wardeth, the goodliest of railings, the good gift of hrethel, the hand-work of weland. weird wends as she willeth. viii. hrothgar answereth beowulf and biddeth him sit to the feast. spake out then hrothgar the helm of the scyldings: thou beowulf, friend mine, for battle that wardeth and for help that is kindly hast sought to us hither. fought down thy father the most of all feuds; to heatholaf was he forsooth for a hand-bane 460 amidst of the wylfings. the folk of the weders him for the war-dread that while might not hold. so thence did he seek to the folk of the south-danes o'er the waves' wallow, to the scyldings be-worshipped. then first was i wielding the weal of the dane-folk, that time was i holding in youth-tide the gem-rich hoard-burg of the heroes. dead then was heorogar, mine elder of brethren; unliving was he, the healfdene's bairn that was better than i. that feud then thereafter with fee did i settle; 470 i sent to the wylfing folk over the waters' back treasures of old time; he swore the oaths to me. sorrow is in my mind that needs must i say it to any of grooms, of grendel what hath he of shaming in hart, and he with his hate-wiles of sudden harms framed; the host of my hall-floor, the war-heap, is waned; weird swept them away into horror of grendel. it is god now that may lightly the scather the doltish from deeds thrust aside. full oft have they boasted with beer well bedrunken, 480 my men of the battle all over the ale-stoup, that they in the beer-hall would yet be abiding the onset of grendel with the terror of edges. but then was this mead-hall in the tide of the morning, this warrior-hall, gore-stain'd when day at last gleamed, all the boards of the benches with blood besteam'd over, the hall laid with sword-gore: of lieges less had i of dear and of doughty, for them death had gotten. now sit thou to feast and unbind thy mood freely, thy war-fame unto men as the mind of thee whetteth. 490 then was for the geat-folk and them all together there in the beer-hall a bench bedight roomsome, there the stout-hearted hied them to sitting proud in their might: a thane minded the service, who in hand upbare an ale-stoup adorned, skinked the sheer mead; whiles sang the shaper clear out in hart-hall; joy was of warriors, men doughty no little of danes and of weders. ix. unferth contendeth in words with beowulf. spake out then unferth that bairn was of ecglaf, and he sat at the feet of the lord of the scyldings, 500 he unbound the battle-rune; was beowulf's faring, of him the proud mere-farer, mickle unliking, whereas he begrudg'd it of any man other that he glories more mighty the middle-garth over should hold under heaven than he himself held: art thou that beowulf who won strife with breca on the wide sea contending in swimming, when ye two for pride's sake search'd out the floods and for a dolt's cry into deep water thrust both your life-days? no man the twain of you, 510 lief or loth were he, might lay wyte to stay you your sorrowful journey, when on the sea row'd ye; then when the ocean-stream ye with your arms deck'd, meted the mere-streets, there your hands brandish'd! o'er the spearman ye glided; the sea with waves welter'd, the surge of the winter. ye twain in the waves' might for a seven nights swink'd. he outdid thee in swimming, and the more was his might; but him in the morn-tide to the heatho-remes' land the holm bore ashore. and thence away sought he to his dear land and lovely, 520 the lief to his people sought the land of the brondings, the fair burg peace-warding, where he the folk owned, the burg and the gold rings. what to theeward he boasted, beanstan's son, for thee soothly he brought it about. now ween i for thee things worser than erewhile, though thou in the war-race wert everywhere doughty, in the grim war, if thou herein grendel darest night-long for a while of time nigh to abide. then beowulf spake out, the ecgtheow's bairn: what! thou no few of things, o unferth my friend, 530 and thou drunken with beer, about breca hast spoken, saidest out of his journey; so the sooth now i tell: to wit, that the more might ever i owned, hard wearing on wave more than any man else. we twain then, we quoth it, while yet we were younglings, and we boasted between us, the twain of us being yet in our youth-days, that we out onto the spearman our lives would adventure; and e'en so we wrought it. we had a sword naked, when on the sound row'd we, hard in hand, as we twain against the whale-fishes 540 had mind to be warding us. no whit from me in the waves of the sea-flood afar might he float the hastier in holm, nor would i from him hie me. then we two together, we were in the sea for a five nights, till us twain the flood drave asunder, the weltering of waves. then the coldest of weathers in the dusking of night and the wind from the northward battle-grim turn'd against us, rough grown were the billows. of the mere-fishes then was the mood all up-stirred; there me 'gainst the loathly the body-sark mine, 550 the hard and the hand-lock'd, was framing me help, my battle-rail braided, it lay on my breast gear'd graithly with gold. but me to the ground tugg'd a foe and fiend-scather; fast he had me in hold that grim one in grip: yet to me was it given. that the wretch there, the monster, with point might i reach, with my bill of the battle, and the war-race off bore the mighty mere-beast through the hand that was mine. x. beowulf makes an end of his tale of the swimming. wealhtheow, hrothgar's queen, greets him; and hrothgar delivers to him the warding of the hall. thus oft and oft over the doers of evil they threatened me hard; thane-service i did them 560 with the dear sword of mine, as forsooth it was meet, that nowise of their fill did they win them the joy the evil fordoers in swallowing me down, sitting round at the feast nigh the ground of the sea. yea rather, a morning-tide, mangled by sword-edge along the waves' leaving up there did they lie lull'd asleep with the sword, so that never sithence about the deep floods for the farers o'er ocean the way have they letted. came the light from the eastward, the bright beacon of god, and grew the seas calm, 570 so that the sea-nesses now might i look on, the windy walls. thuswise weird oft will be saving the earl that is unfey, when his valour availeth. whatever, it happ'd me that i with the sword slew nicors nine. never heard i of fighting a night-tide 'neath the vault of the heavens was harder than that, nor yet on the sea-streams of woefuller wight. whatever, forth won i with life from the foes' clutch all of wayfaring weary. but me the sea upbore, the flood downlong the tide with the weltering of waters, 580 all onto the finnland. no whit of thee ever mid such strife of the battle-gear have i heard say, such terrors of bills. nor never yet breca in the play of the battle, nor both you, nor either, so dearly the deeds have framed forsooth with the bright flashing swords; though of this naught i boast me. but thou of thy brethren the banesman becamest, yea thine head-kin forsooth, for which in hell shalt thou dree weird of damnation, though doughty thy wit be; for unto thee say i forsooth, son of ecglaf, 590 that so many deeds never grendel had done, that monster the loathly, against thine own lord, the shaming in hart-hall, if suchwise thy mind were, and thy soul e'en as battle-fierce, such as thou sayest. but he, he hath fram'd it that the feud he may heed not, the fearful edge-onset that is of thy folk, nor sore need be fearful of the victory-scyldings. the need-pledges taketh he, no man he spareth of the folk of the danes, driveth war as he lusteth, slayeth and feasteth unweening of strife 600 with them of the spear-danes. but i, i shall show it, the geats' wightness and might ere the time weareth old, shall bide him in war-tide. then let him go who may go high-hearted to mead, sithence when the morn-light o'er the children of men of the second day hence, the sun clad in heaven's air, shines from the southward. then merry of heart was the meter of treasures, the hoary-man'd war-renown'd, help now he trow'd in; the lord of the bright-danes on beowulf hearken'd, the folk-shepherd knew him, his fast-ready mind. 610 there was laughter of heroes, and high the din rang and winsome the words were. went wealhtheow forth, the queen she of hrothgar, of courtesies mindful, the gold-array'd greeted the grooms in the hall, the free and frank woman the beaker there wended, and first to the east-dane-folk's fatherland's warder, and bade him be blithe at the drinking of beer, to his people beloved, and lustily took he the feast and the hall-cup, that victory-fam'd king. then round about went she, the dame of the helmings, 620 and to doughty and youngsome, each deal of the folk there, gave cups of the treasure, till now it betid that to beowulf duly the queen the ring-dighted, of mind high uplifted, the mead-beaker bare. then she greeted the geat-lord, and gave god the thank, she, the wisefast in words, that the will had wax'd in her in one man of the earls to have trusting and troth for comfort from crimes. but the cup then he took, the slaughter-fierce warrior, from wealhtheow the queen. and then rim'd he the word, making ready for war, 630 and beowulf spake forth, the ecgtheow's bairn: e'en that in mind had i when up on holm strode i, and in sea-boat sat down with a band of my men, that for once and for all the will of your people would i set me to work, or on slaughter-field cringe fast in grip of the fiend; yea and now shall i frame the valour of earl-folk, or else be abiding the day of mine end, here down in the mead-hall. to the wife those his words well liking they were, the big word of the geat; and the gold-adorn'd wended, 640 the frank and free queen to sit by her lord. and thereafter within the high hall was as erst the proud word outspoken and bliss on the people, was the sound of the victory-folk, till on a sudden the healfdene's son would now be a-seeking his rest of the even: wotted he for the evil within the high hall was the hild-play bedight, sithence that the sun-light no more should they see, when night should be darkening, and down over all the shapes of the shadow-helms should be a-striding 650 wan under the welkin. uprose then all war-folk; then greeted the glad-minded one man the other, hrothgar to beowulf, bidding him hail, and the wine-hall to wield, and withal quoth the word: never to any man erst have i given, since the hand and the shield's round aloft might i heave, this high hall of the dane-folk, save now unto thee. have now and hold the best of all houses, mind thee of fame, show the might of thy valour! wake the wroth one: no lack shall there be to thy willing 660 if that wight work thou win and life therewithal. xi. now is beowulf left in the hall alone with his men. then wended him hrothgar with the band of his warriors, the high-ward of the scyldings from out of the hall, for then would the war-lord go seek unto wealhtheow the queen for a bed-mate. the glory of king-folk against grendel had set, as men have heard say, a hall-ward who held him a service apart in the house of the dane-lord, for eoten-ward held he. forsooth he, the geat-lord, full gladly he trowed in the might of his mood and the grace of the maker. 670 therewith he did off him his byrny of iron and the helm from his head, and his dighted sword gave, the best of all irons, to the thane that abode him, and bade him to hold that harness of battle. bespake then the good one, a big word he gave out, beowulf the geat, ere on the bed strode he: nowise in war i deem me more lowly in the works of the battle than grendel, i ween; so not with the sword shall i lull him to slumber, or take his life thuswise, though to me were it easy; 680 of that good wise he wots not, to get the stroke on me, to hew on my shield, for as stark as he shall be in the works of the foeman. so we twain a night-tide shall forgo the sword, if he dare yet to seek the war without weapons. sithence the wise god, the lord that is holy, on which hand soever the glory may doom as due to him seemeth. bowed down then the war-deer, the cheek-bolster took the face of the earl; and about him a many of sea-warriors bold to their hall-slumber bow'd them; 690 no one of them thought that thence away should he seek ever again to his home the beloved, his folk or his free burg, where erst he was fed; for of men had they learn'd that o'er mickle a many in that wine-hall aforetime the fell death had gotten of the folk of the danes; but the lord to them gave it, to the folk of the weders, the web of war-speeding, help fair and good comfort, e'en so that their foeman through the craft of one man all they overcame, by the self-might of one. so is manifest truth 700 that god the almighty the kindred of men hath wielded wide ever. now by wan night there came, there strode in the shade-goer; slept there the shooters, they who that horn-house should be a-holding, all men but one man: to men was that known, that them indeed might not, since will'd not the maker, the scather unceasing drag off 'neath the shadow; but he ever watching in wrath 'gainst the wroth one mood-swollen abided the battle-mote ever. xii. grendel cometh into hart: of the strife betwixt him and beowulf. came then from the moor-land, all under the mist-bents, 710 grendel a-going there, bearing god's anger. the scather the ill one was minded of mankind to have one in his toils from the high hall aloft. 'neath the welkin he waded, to the place whence the wine-house, the gold-hall of men, most yarely he wist with gold-plates fair coloured; nor was it the first time that he unto hrothgar's high home had betook him. never he in his life-days, either erst or thereafter, of warriors more hardy or hall-thanes had found. came then to the house the wight on his ways, 720 of all joys bereft; and soon sprang the door open, with fire-bands made fast, when with hand he had touch'd it; brake the bale-heedy, he with wrath bollen, the mouth of the house there, and early thereafter on the shiny-fleck'd floor thereof trod forth the fiend; on went he then mood-wroth, and out from his eyes stood likest to fire-flame light full unfair. in the high house beheld he a many of warriors, a host of men sib all sleeping together, of man-warriors a heap; then laugh'd out his mood; 730 in mind deem'd he to sunder, or ever came day, the monster, the fell one, from each of the men there the life from the body; for befell him a boding of fulfilment of feeding: but weird now it was not that he any more of mankind thenceforward should eat, that night over. huge evil beheld then the hygelac's kinsman, and how the foul scather all with his fear-grips would fare there before him; how never the monster was minded to tarry, for speedily gat he, and at the first stour, 740 a warrior a-sleeping, and unaware slit him, bit his bone-coffer, drank blood a-streaming, great gobbets swallow'd in; thenceforth soon had he of the unliving one every whit eaten to hands and feet even: then forth strode he nigher, and took hold with his hand upon him the highhearted. the warrior a-resting; reach'd out to himwards the fiend with his hand, gat fast on him rathely with thought of all evil, and besat him his arm. then swiftly was finding the herdsman of fouldeeds 750 that forsooth he had met not in middle-garth ever, in the parts of the earth, in any man else a hand-grip more mighty; then wax'd he of mood heart-fearful, but none the more outward might he; hence-eager his heart was to the darkness to hie him, and the devil-dray seek: not there was his service e'en such as he found in his life-days before. then to heart laid the good one, the hygelac's kinsman, his speech of the even-tide; uplong he stood and fast with him grappled, till bursted his fingers. 760 the eoten was out-fain, but on strode the earl. the mighty fiend minded was, whereso he might, to wind him about more widely away thence, and flee fenwards; he found then the might of his fingers in the grip of the fierce one; sorry faring was that which he, the harm-scather, had taken to hart. the warrior-hall dinn'd now; unto all danes there waxed, to the castle-abiders, to each of the keen ones, to all earls, as an ale-dearth. now angry were both of the fierce mighty warriors, far rang out the hall-house; 770 then mickle the wonder it was that the wine-hall withstood the two war-deer, nor welter'd to earth the fair earthly dwelling; but all fast was it builded within and without with the banding of iron by crafty thought smithy'd. but there from the sill bow'd fell many a mead-bench, by hearsay of mine, with gold well adorned, where strove they the wrothful. hereof never ween'd they, the wise of the scyldings, that ever with might should any of men the excellent, bone-dight, break into pieces, 780 or unlock with cunning, save the light fire's embracing in smoke should it swallow. so uprose the roar new and enough; now fell on the north-danes ill fear and the terror, on each and on all men, of them who from wall-top hearken'd the weeping, even god's foeman singing the fear-lay, the triumphless song, and the wound-bewailing of the thrall of the hell; for there now fast held him he who of men of main was the mightiest in that day which is told of, the day of this life. 790 xiii. beowulf hath the victory: grendel is hurt deadly and leaveth hand and arm in the hall. naught would the earls' help for anything thenceforth that murder-comer yet quick let loose of, nor his life-days forsooth to any of folk told he for useful. out then drew full many of beowult's earls the heir-loom of old days, for their lord and their master's fair life would hey ward, that mighty of princes, if so might they do it. for this did they know not when they the strife dreed, those hardy-minded men of the battle, and on every half there thought to be hewing, 800 and search out his soul, that the ceaseless scather not any on earth of the choice of all irons, not one of the war-bills, would greet home for ever. for he had forsworn him from victory-weapons, and each one of edges. but his sundering of soul in the days that we tell of, the day of this life, should be weary and woeful, the ghost wending elsewhere to the wielding of fiends to wend him afar. then found he out this, he who mickle erst made out of mirth of his mood unto children of men 810 and had fram'd many crimes, he the foeman of god, that the body of him would not bide to avail him, but the hardy of mood, even hygelac's kinsman, had him fast by the hand: now was each to the other all loathly while living: his body-sore bided the monster: was manifest now on his shoulder the unceasing wound, sprang the sinews asunder, the bone-lockers bursted. to beowulf now was the battle-fame given; should grendel thenceforth flee life-sick awayward and under the fen-bents 820 seek his unmerry stead: now wist he more surely that ended his life was, and gone over for ever, his day-tale told out. but was for all dane-folk after that slaughter-race all their will done. then had he cleans'd for them, he the far-comer, wise and stout-hearted, the high hall of hrothgar, and say'd it from war. so the night-work he joy'd in and his doughty deed done. yea, but he for the east-danes that lord of the geat-folk his boast's end had gotten, withal their woes bygone all had he booted, 830 and the sorrow hate-fashion'd that afore they had dreed, and the hard need and bitter that erst they must bear, the sorrow unlittle. sithence was clear token when the deer of the battle laid down there the hand the arm and the shoulder, and all there together of the grip of that grendel 'neath the great roof upbuilded. xiv. the danes rejoice; they go to look on the slot of grendel, and come back to hart, and on the way make merry with racing and the telling of tales. there was then on the morning, as i have heard tell it, round the gift-hall a many of men of the warriors: were faring folk-leaders from far and from near o'er the wide-away roads the wonder to look on, 840 the track of the loathly: his life-sundering nowise was deem'd for a sorrow to any of men there who gaz'd on the track of the gloryless wight; how he all a-weary of mood thence awayward, brought to naught in the battle, to the mere of the nicors, now fey and forth-fleeing, his life-steps had flitted. there all in the blood was the sea-brim a-welling, the dread swing of the waves was washing all mingled with hot blood; with the gore of the sword was it welling; the death-doom'd had dyed it, sithence he unmerry 850 in his fen-hold had laid down the last of his life, his soul of the heathen, and hell gat hold on him. thence back again far'd they those fellows of old, with many a young one, from their wayfaring merry, full proud from the mere-side on mares there a-riding the warriors on white steeds. there then was of beowulf set forth the might mighty; oft quoth it a many that nor northward nor southward beside the twin sea-floods, over all the huge earth's face now never another, never under the heaven's breadth, was there a better, 860 nor of wielders of war-shields a worthier of kingship; but neither their friendly lord blam'd they one whit, hrothgar the glad, for good of kings was he. there whiles the warriors far-famed let leap their fair fallow horses and fare into flyting where unto them the earth-ways for fair-fashion'd seemed, through their choiceness well kenned; and whiles a king's thane, a warrior vaunt-laden, of lays grown bemindful, e'en he who all many of tales of the old days a multitude minded, found other words also 870 sooth-bounden, and boldly the man thus began e'en beowulf's wayfare well wisely to stir, with good speed to set forth the spells well areded and to shift about words. and well of all told he that he of sigemund erst had heard say, of the deeds of his might; and many things uncouth: of the strife of the wælsing and his wide wayfarings, of those that men's children not well yet they wist, the feud and the crimes, save fitela with him; somewhat of such things yet would he say, 880 the eme to the nephew; e'en as they aye were in all strife soever fellows full needful; and full many had they of the kin of the eotens laid low with the sword. and to sigemund upsprang after his death-day fair doom unlittle sithence that the war-hard the worm there had quelled, the herd of the hoard; he under the hoar stone, the bairn of the atheling, all alone dar'd it, that wight deed of deeds; with him fitela was not. but howe'er, his hap was that the sword so through-waded 890 the worm the all-wondrous, that in the wall stood the iron dear-wrought: and the drake died the murder. there had the warrior so won by wightness, that he of the ring-hoard the use might be having all at his own will. the sea-boat he loaded, and into the ship's barm bore the bright fretwork wæls' son. in the hotness the worm was to-molten. now he of all wanderers was widely the greatest through the peoples of man-kind, the warder of warriors, by mighty deeds; erst then and early he throve. 900 now sithence the warfare of heremod waned, his might and his valour, amidst of the eotens to the wielding of foemen straight was he betrayed, and speedily sent forth: by the surges of sorrow o'er-long was he lam'd, became he to his lieges, to all of the athelings, a life-care thenceforward. withal oft bemoaned in times that were older the ways of that stout heart many a carle of the wisest. who trow'd in him boldly for booting of bales, and had look'd that the king's bairn should ever be thriving, 910 his father's own lordship should take, hold the folk, the hoard and the ward-burg, and realm of the heroes, the own land of the scyldings. to all men was beowulf, the hygelac's kinsman to the kindred of menfolk, more fair unto friends; but on heremod crime fell. so whiles the men flyting the fallow street there with their mares were they meting. there then was the morn-light thrust forth and hasten'd; went many a warrior all hardy of heart to the high hall aloft the rare wonder to see; and the king's self withal 920 from the bride-bower wended, the warder of ring-hoards, all glorious he trod and a mickle troop had he, he for choice ways beknown; and his queen therewithal meted the mead-path with a meyny of maidens. xv. king hrothgar and his thanes look on the arm of grendel. converse betwixt hrothgar and beowulf concerning the battle. out then spake hrothgar; for he to the hall went, by the staple a-standing the steep roof he saw shining fair with the gold, and the hand there of grendel: for this sight that i see to the all-wielder thanks befall now forthwith, for foul evil i bided, all griefs from this grendel; but god, glory's herder, 930 wonder on wonder ever can work. unyore was it then when i for myself might ween never more, wide all through my life-days, of the booting of woes; when all blood-besprinkled the best of all houses stood sword-gory here; wide then had the woe thrust off each of the wise of them that were looking that never life-long that land-work of the folk they might ward from the loathly, from ill wights and devils. but now hath a warrior through the might of the lord a deed made thereunto 940 which we, and all we together, in nowise by wisdom might work. what! well might be saying that maid whosoever this son brought to birth according to man's kind, if yet she be living, that the maker of old time to her was all-gracious in the bearing of bairns. o beowulf, i now thee best of all men as a son unto me will love in my heart, and hold thou henceforward our kinship new-made now; nor to thee shall be lacking as to longings of world-goods whereof i have wielding; 950 full oft i for lesser things guerdon have given, the worship of hoards, to a warrior was weaker, a worser in strife. now thyself for thyself by deeds hast thou fram'd it that liveth thy fair fame for ever and ever. so may the all-wielder with good pay thee ever, as erst he hath done it. then beowulf spake out, the ecgtheow's bairn: that work of much might with mickle of love we framed with fighting, and frowardly ventur'd the might of the uncouth; now i would that rather 960 thou mightest have look'd on the very man there, the foe in his fret-gear all worn unto falling. there him in all haste with hard griping did i on the slaughter-bed deem it to bind him indeed, that he for my hand-grip should have to be lying all busy for life: but his body fled off. him then, i might not (since would not the maker) from his wayfaring sunder, nor naught so well sought i the life-foe; o'er-mickle of might was he yet, the foeman afoot: but his hand has he left us, 970 a life-ward, a-warding the ways of his wending, his arm and his shoulder therewith. yet in nowise that wretch of the grooms any solace hath got him, nor longer will live the loathly deed-doer, beswinked with sins; for the sore hath him now in the grip of need grievous, in strait hold togather'd with bonds that be baleful: there shall he abide, that wight dyed with all evil-deeds, the doom mickle, for what wise to him the bright maker will write it. then a silenter man was the son there of ecglaf 980 in the speech of the boasting of works of the battle, after when every atheling by craft of the earl over the high roof had look'd on the hand there, yea, the fiend's fingers before his own eyen, each one of the nail-steads most like unto steel, hand-spur of the heathen one; yea, the own claw uncouth of the war-wight. but each one there quoth it, that no iron of the best, of the hardy of folk, would touch him at all, which e'er of the monster the battle-hand bloody might bear away thence. 990 xvi. hrothgar giveth gifts to beowulf. then was speedily bidden that hart be withinward by hand of man well adorn'd; was there a many of warriors and wives, who straightway that wine-house the guest-house, bedight them: there gold-shotten shone the webs over the walls, many wonders to look on for men every one who on such things will stare. was that building the bright all broken about all withinward, though fast in the bands of the iron; asunder the hinges rent, only the roof there was saved all sound, when the monster of evil 1000 the guilty of crime-deeds had gat him to flight never hoping for life. nay, lightly now may not that matter be fled from, frame it whoso may frame it. but by strife man shall win of the bearers of souls, of the children of men, compelled by need, the abiders on earth, the place made all ready, the stead where his body laid fast on his death-bed shall sleep after feast. now time and place was it when unto the hall went that healfdene's son, and the king himself therein the feast should be sharing; 1010 never heard i of men-folk in fellowship more about their wealth-giver so well themselves bearing. then bow'd unto bench there the abounders in riches and were fain of their fill. full fairly there took a many of mead-cups the kin of those men, the sturdy of heart in the hall high aloft, hrothgar and hrothulf. hart there withinward of friends was fulfilled; naught there that was guilesome the folk of the scyldings for yet awhile framed. gave then to beowulf healfdene's bairn 1020 a golden war-ensign, the victory's guerdon, a staff-banner fair-dight, a helm and a byrny: the great jewel-sword a many men saw them bear forth to the hero. then beowulf took the cup on the floor, and nowise of that fee-gift before the shaft-shooters the shame need he have. never heard i how friendlier four of the treasures, all gear'd with the gold about, many men erewhile on the ale-bench have given to others of men. round the roof of the helm, the burg of the head, 1030 a wale wound with wires held ward from without-ward, so that the file-leavings might not over fiercely, were they never so shower-hard, scathe the shield-bold, when he 'gainst the angry in anger should get him. therewith bade the earls' burg that eight of the horses with cheek-plates adorned be led down the floor in under the fences; on one thereof stood a saddle all craft-bedeck'd, seemly with treasure. that same was the war-seat of the high king full surely whenas that the sword-play that healfdene's son 1040 would work; never failed in front of the war the wide-kenn'd one's war-might, whereas fell the slain. so to beowulf thereon of either of both the ingwines' high warder gave wielding to have, both the war-steeds and weapons, and bade him well brook them. thuswise and so manly the mighty of princes, hoard-warden of heroes, the battle-race paid with mares and with gems, so as no man shall blame them, e'en he who will say sooth aright as it is. xvii. they feast in hart. the gleeman sings of finn and hengest. then the lord of the earl-folk to every and each one 1050 of them who with beowulf the sea-ways had worn then and there on the mead-bench did handsel them treasure, an heir-loom to wit; for him also he bade it that a were-gild be paid, whom grendel aforetime by wickedness quell'd, as far more of them would he, save from them god all-witting the weird away wended, and that man's mood withal. but the maker all wielded of the kindred of mankind, as yet now he doeth. therefore through-witting will be the best everywhere and the forethought of mind. many things must abide 1060 of lief and of loth, he who here a long while in these days of the strife with the world shall be dealing. there song was and sound all gather'd together of that healfdene's warrior and wielder of battle, the wood of glee greeted, the lay wreaked often, whenas the hall-game the minstrel of hrothgar all down by the mead-bench tale must be making: by finn's sons aforetime, when the fear gat them, the hero of half-danes, hnaef of the scyldings, on the slaughter-field frisian needs must he fall. 1070 forsooth never hildeburh needed to hery the troth of the eotens; she all unsinning was lorne of her lief ones in that play of the linden, her bairns and her brethren, by fate there they fell spear-wounded. that was the all-woeful of women. not unduly without cause the daughter of hoc mourn'd the maker's own shaping, sithence came the morn when she under the heavens that tide came to see, murder-bale of her kinsmen, where most had she erewhile? of world's bliss. the war-tide took all men away 1080 of finn's thanes that were, save only a few; e'en so that he might not on the field of the meeting hold hengest a war-tide, or fight any whit, nor yet snatch away thence by war the woe-leavings from the thane of the king; but terms now they bade him that for them other stead all for all should make room, a hall and high settle, whereof the half-wielding they with the eotens' bairns henceforth might hold, and with fee-gifts moreover the son of folkwalda each day of the days the danes should beworthy; 1090 the war-heap of hengest with rings should he honour even so greatly with treasure of treasures, of gold all beplated, as he the kin frisian down in the beer-hall duly should dight. troth then they struck there each of the two halves, a peace-troth full fast. there finn unto hengest strongly, unstrifeful, with oath-swearing swore, that he the woe-leaving by the doom of the wise ones should hold in ail honour, that never man henceforth with word or with work the troth should be breaking, 1100 nor through craft of the guileful should undo it ever, though their ring-giver's bane they must follow in rank all lordless, e'en so need is it to be: but if any of frisians by over-bold speaking the murderful hatred should call unto mind, then naught but the edge of the sword should avenge it. then done was the oath there, and gold of the golden heav'd up from the hoard. of the bold here-scyldings all yare on the bale was the best battle-warrior; on the death-howe beholden was easily there 1110 the sark stain'd with war-sweat, the all-golden swine, the iron-hard boar; there was many an atheling with wounds all outworn; some on slaughter-field welter'd. but hildeburh therewith on hnæf's bale she bade them the own son of herself to set fast in the flame, his bone-vats to burn up and lay on the bale there: on his shoulder all woeful the woman lamented, sang songs of bewailing, as the warrior strode upward, wound up to the welkin that most of death-fires, before the howe howled; there molten the heads were, 1120 the wound-gates burst open, there blood was out-springing from foe-bites of the body; the flame swallow'd all, the greediest of ghosts, of them that war gat him of either of folks; shaken off was their life-breath. xviii. the ending of the tale of finn. departed the warriors their wicks to visit all forlorn of their friends now, friesland to look on, their homes and their high burg. hengest a while yet through the slaughter-dyed winter bode dwelling with finn and all without strife: he remember'd his homeland, though never he might o'er the mere be a-driving 1130 the high prow be-ringed: with storm the holm welter'd, won war 'gainst the winds; winter locked the waves with bondage of ice, till again came another of years into the garth, as yet it is ever, and the days which the season to watch never cease, the glory-bright weather; then gone was the winter, and fair was the earth's barm. now hastened the exile. the guest from the garths; he on getting of vengeance of harms thought more greatly than of the sea's highway, if he but a wrath-mote might yet be a-wending 1140 where the bairns of the eotens might he still remember. the ways of the world forwent he in nowise then, whenas hunlafing the light of the battle, the best of all bills, did into his breast, whereof mid the eotens were the edges well knowen. withal to the bold-hearted finn befell after sword-bales the deadly at his very own dwelling, when the grim grip of war guthlaf and oslaf after the sea-fare lamented with sorrow and wyted him deal of their woes; nor then might he 1150 in his breast hold his wavering heart. was the hall dight with the lives of slain foemen, and slain eke was finn the king 'midst of his court-men; and there the queen, taken, the shooters of the scyldings ferry'd down to the sea-ships, and the house-wares and chattels the earth-king had had, e'en such as at finn's home there might they find, of collars and cunning gems. they on the sea-path the all-lordly wife to the danes straightly wended, led her home to their people. so sung was the lay, the song of the gleeman; then again arose game, 1160 the bench-voice wax'd brighter, gave forth the birlers wine of the wonder-vats. then came forth wealhtheow under gold ring a-going to where sat the two good ones, the uncle and nephew, yet of kindred unsunder'd, each true to the other. eke unferth the spokesman sat at feet of the scyldings' lord; each of his heart trow'd that of mickle mood was he, though he to his kinsmen were un-upright in edge-play. spake the dame of the scyldings: now take thou this cup, my lord of the kingly, bestower of treasures! be thou in thy joyance, 1170 thou gold-friend of men! and speak to these geat-folk in mild words, as duly behoveth to do; be glad toward the geat-folk, and mindful of gifts; from anigh and from far peace hast thou as now. to me one hath said it, that thou for a son wouldst this warrior be holding. lo! hart now is cleansed, the ring-hall bright-beaming. have joy while thou mayest in many a meed, and unto thy kinsmen leave folk and dominion, when forth thou must fare to look on the maker's own making. i know now 1180 my hrothulf the gladsome, that he this young man will hold in all honour if thou now before him, o friend of the scyldings, shall fare from the world; i ween that good-will yet this man will be yielding to our offspring that after us be, if he mind him of all that which we two, for good-will and for worship, unto him erst a child yet have framed of kindness. then along by the bench did she turn, where her boys were, hrethric and hrothmund, and the bairns of high warriors, the young ones together; and there sat the good one, 1190 beowulf the geat, betwixt the two brethren. xix. more gifts are given to beowulf. the brising collar told of. borne to him then the cup was, and therewith friendly bidding in words was put forth; and gold about wounden all blithely they bade him bear; arm-gearings twain, rail and rings, the most greatest of fashion of neck-rings of them that on earth i have ever heard tell of: not one under heaven wrought better was heard of midst the hoard-gems of heroes, since bore away hama to the bright burg and brave the neck-gear of the brisings, the gem and the gem-chest: from the foeman's guile fled he 1200 of eormenric then, and chose rede everlasting. that ring hygelac had, e'en he of the geat-folk, the grandson of swerting, the last time of all times when he under the war-sign his treasure defended, the slaughter-prey warded. him weird bore away sithence he for pride-sake the war-woe abided, the feud with the frisians; the fretwork he flitted, the gem-stones much worthy, all over the waves' cup. the king the full mighty cring'd under the shield; into grasp of the franks the king's life was gotten 1210 with the gear of the breast and the ring altogether; it was worser war-wolves then reft gear from the slain after the war-shearing; there the geats' war-folk held the house of the dead men. the hall took the voices; spake out then wealhtheow; before the host said she: brook thou this roundel, lief beowulf, henceforth, dear youth, with all hail, and this rail be thou using, these gems of folk-treasures, and thrive thou well ever; thy might then make manifest! be to these lads here kind of lore, and for that will i look to thy guerdon. 1220 thou hast won by thy faring, that far and near henceforth, through wide time to come, men will give thee the worship, as widely as ever the sea winds about the windy land-walls. be the while thou art living an atheling wealthy, and well do i will thee of good of the treasures; be thou to my son in deed ever friendly, and uphold thy joyance! lo! each of the earls here to the other is trusty, and mild of his mood and to man-lord full faithful, kind friends all the thanes are, the folk ever yare. 1230 ye well drunk of folk-grooms, now do ye my biddings. to her settle then far'd she; was the feast of the choicest, the men drank the wine nothing wotting of weird, the grim shaping of old, e'en as forth it had gone to a many of earls; sithence came the even, and hrothgar departed to his chamber on high, the rich to his rest; and aright the house warded earls untold of number, as oft did they erewhile. the bench-boards they bar'd them, and there they spread over with beds and with bolsters. of the beer-skinkers one 1240 who fain was and fey bow'd adown to his floor-rest. at their heads then they rested their rounds of the battle, their board-woods bright-shining. there on the bench was, over the atheling, easy to look on the battle-steep war-helm, the byrny be-ringed, the wood of the onset, all-glorious. their wont was that oft and oft were they all yare for the war-tide, both at home and in hosting, were it one were it either, and for every such tide as their liege lord unto the need were befallen: right good was that folk. 1250 xx. grendel's dam breaks into hart and bears off aeschere. so sank they to slumber; but one paid full sorely for his rest of the even, as to them fell full often sithence that the gold-hall grendel had guarded, and won deed of unright, until that the end came and death after sinning: but clear was it shown now, wide wotted of men, that e'en yet was a wreaker living after the loathly, a long while of time after the battle-care, grendel's own mother; the woman, the monster-wife, minded her woe, she who needs must in horror of waters be wonning, 1260 the streams all a-cold, sithence cain was become for an edge-bane forsooth to his very own brother, the own son of his father. forth bann'd then he fared, all marked by murder, from man's joy to flee, and dwelt in the waste-land. thence woke there a many ghosts shapen of old time, of whom one was grendel, the fierce wolf, the hateful, who found him at hart a man there a-watching, abiding the war-tide; where to him the fell ogre to hand-grips befell; howe'er he him minded of the strength of his might, 1270 the great gift set fast in him given of god, and trowed in grace by the all-wielder given, his fostering, his staying; so the fiend he o'ercame and bow'd down the hell's ghost, that all humble he wended fordone of all mirth death's house to go look on, that fiend of all mankind. but yet was his mother, the greedy, the glum-moody, fain to be going a sorrowful journey her son's death to wreak. so came she to hart whereas now the ring-danes were sleeping adown the hall; soon there befell 1280 change of days to the earl-folk, when in she came thrusting, grendel's mother: and soothly was minish'd the terror by even so much as the craft-work of maidens, the war-terror of wife, is beside the man weapon'd, when the sword all hard bounden, by hammers to-beaten, the sword all sweat-stain'd, through the swine o'er the war-helm with edges full doughty down rightly sheareth. but therewith in the hall was tugg'd out the hard edge, the sword o'er the settles, and wide shields a many heaved fast in the hand: no one the helm heeded, 1290 nor the byrny wide-wrought, when the wild fear fell on them. in haste was she then, and out would she thenceforth for the saving her life, whenas she should be found there. but one of the athelings she speedily handled and caught up full fast, and fenward so fared. but he was unto hrothgar the liefest of heroes of the sort of the fellows; betwixt the two sea-floods a mighty shield-warrior, whom she at rest brake up, a war-wight well famed. there beowulf was not; another house soothly had erewhile been dighted 1300 after gift of that treasure to that great one of geats. uprose cry then in hart, all 'mid gore had she taken the hand, the well-known, and now care wrought anew in the wicks was arisen. naught well was the bargain that on both halves they needs must be buying that tide with the life-days of friends. then the lord king, the wise, the hoary of war-folk, was harmed of mood when his elder of thanes and he now unliving, the dearest of all, he knew to be dead. to the bower full swiftly was beowulf brought now, 1310 the man victory-dower'd; together with day-dawn went he, one of the earls, that champion beworthy'd, himself with his fellows, where the wise was abiding to wot if the all-wielder ever will to him after the tale of woe happy change work. then went down the floor he the war-worthy with the host of his hand, while high dinn'd the hall-wood, till he there the wise one with words had well greeted, the lord of the ingwines, and ask'd had the night been. since sore he was summon'd, a night of sweet easement. 1320 xxi. hrothgar laments the slaying of aeschere, and tells of grendel's mother and her den. spake out then hrothgar the helm of the scyldings: ask no more after bliss; for new-made now is sorrow for the folk of the danes; for aeschere is dead, he who was yrmenlaf's elder of brethren, my wise man of runes, my bearer of redes, mine own shoulder-fellow, when we in the war-tide warded our heads and the host on the host fell, and the boars were a-crashing; e'en such should an earl be, an atheling exceeding good, e'en as was aeschere. now in hart hath befallen for a hand-bane unto him 1330 a slaughter-ghost wandering; naught wot i whither the fell one, the carrion-proud, far'd hath her back-fare, by her fill made all famous. that feud hath she wreaked wherein yesternight gone by grendel thou quelledst through thy hardihood fierce with grips hard enow. for that he over-long the lief people of me made to wane and undid. in the war then he cringed, being forfeit of life. but now came another, an ill-scather mighty, her son to awreak; and further hath she now the feud set on foot, 1340 as may well be deemed of many a thane, who after the wealth-giver weepeth in mind, a hard bale of heart. now the hand lieth low which well-nigh for every joy once did avail you. the dwellers in land here, my people indeed, the wise-of-rede hall-folk, have i heard say e'en this: that they have set eyes on two such-like erewhile, two mickle mark-striders the moorland a-holding, ghosts come from elsewhere, but of them one there was, as full certainly might they then know it to be, 1350 in the likeness of woman; and the other shap'd loathly all after man's image trod the tracks of the exile, save that more was he shapen than any man other; and in days gone away now they named him grendel, the dwellers in fold; they wot not if a father unto him was born ever in the days of erewhile of dark ghosts. they dwell in a dim hidden land, the wolf-bents they bide in, on the nesses the windy, the perilous fen-paths where the stream of the fell-side midst the mists of the nesses wends netherward ever, 1360 the flood under earth. naught far away hence, but a mile-mark forsooth, there standeth the mere, and over it ever hang groves all berimed, the wood fast by the roots over-helmeth the water. but each night may one a dread wonder there see, a fire in the flood. but none liveth so wise of the bairns of mankind, that the bottom may know. although the heath-stepper beswinked by hounds, the hart strong of horns, that holt-wood should seek to driven fleeing from far, he shall sooner leave life, 1370 leave life-breath on the bank, or ever will he therein hide his head. no hallow'd stead is it: thence the blending of water-waves ever upriseth wan up to the welkin, whenso the wind stirreth weather-storms loathly, until the lift darkens and weepeth the heavens. now along the rede wendeth of thee again only. of that earth yet thou know'st not, the fearful of steads, wherein thou mayst find that much-sinning wight; seek then if thou dare, and thee for that feud will i guerdon with fee, 1380 the treasures of old time, as erst did i do, with the gold all-bewounden, if away thence thou get thee. xxii. they follow grendel's dam to her lair. spake out then beowulf the ecgtheow's bairn: o wise of men, mourn not; for to each man 'tis better that his friend he awreak than weep overmuch. lo! each of us soothly abideth the ending of the life of the world. then let him work who work may high deeds ere the death: to the doughty of war-lads when he is unliving shall it best be hereafter. rise up, warder of kingdom! and swiftly now wend we 1390 the grendel kinswoman's late goings to look on; and this i behote thee, that to holm shall she flee not, nor into earth's fathom, nor into the fell-holt, nor the grounds of the ocean, go whereas she will go. for this one of days patience dree thou a while then of each one of thy woes, as i ween it of thee. then leapt up the old man, and lightly gave god thank, that mighty of lords, for the word which the man spake. and for hrothgar straightway then was bitted a horse, a wave-maned steed: and the wise of the princes 1400 went stately his ways; and stepp'd out the man-troop, the linden-board bearers. now lightly the tracks were all through the woodland ways wide to be seen there, her goings o'er ground; she had gotten her forthright over the mirk-moor: bore she of kindred thanes the best that there was, all bare of his soul, of them that with hrothgar heeded the home. overwent then that bairn of the athelings steep bents of the stones, and stridings full narrow, strait paths nothing pass'd over, ways all uncouth, 1410 sheer nesses to wit, many houses of nicors. he one of the few was going before of the wise of the men the meadow to look on, until suddenly there the trees of the mountains over the hoar-stone found he a-leaning, a wood without gladness: the water stood under dreary and troubled. unto all the danes was it, to the friends of the scyldings, most grievous in mood to many of thanes such a thing to be tholing, sore evil to each one of earls, for of aeschere 1420 the head did they find e'en there on the holm-cliff; the flood with gore welled (the folk looking on it), with hot blood. but whiles then the horn fell to singing a song of war eager. there sat down the band; they saw down the water a many of worm-kind, sea-drakes seldom seen a-kenning the sound; likewise on the ness-bents nicors a-lying, who oft on the undern-tide wont are to hold them a course full of sorrow all over the sail-road. now the worms and the wild-deer away did they speed 1430 bitter and wrath-swollen all as they heard it, the war-horn a-wailing: but one the geats' warden with his bow of the shafts from his life-days there sunder'd, from his strife of the waves; so that stood in his life-parts the hard arrow of war; and he in the holm was the slower in swimming as death away swept him. so swiftly in sea-waves with boar-spears forsooth sharp-hook'd and hard-press'd was he thereupon, set on with fierce battle, and on to the ness tugg'd, the wondrous wave-bearer; and men were beholding 1440 the grisly guest, beowulf therewith he gear'd him with weed of the earls: nowise of life reck'd he: needs must his war-byrny, braided by hands, wide, many-colour'd by cunning, the sound seek, e'en that which his bone-coffer knew how to ward, so that the war-grip his heart ne'er a while, the foe-snatch of the wrathful his life ne'er should scathe; therewith the white war-helm warded his head, e'en that which should mingle with ground of the mere, and seek the sound-welter, with treasure beworthy'd, 1450 all girt with the lordly chains, as in days gone by the weapon-smith wrought it most wondrously done, beset with the swine-shapes, so that sithence the brand or the battle-blades never might bite it. nor forsooth was that littlest of all of his mainstays, which to him in his need lent the spokesman of hrothgar, e'en the battle-sword hafted that had to name hrunting, that in fore days was one of the treasures of old, the edges of iron with the poison twigs o'er-stain'd, with battle-sweat harden'd; in the brunt never fail'd he 1460 any one of the warriors whose hand wound about him, who in grisly wayfarings durst ever to wend him to the folk-stead of foemen. not the first of times was it that battle-work doughty it had to be doing. forsooth naught remember'd that son there of ecglaf, the crafty in mighty deeds, what ere he quoth all drunken with wine, when the weapon he lent to a doughtier sword-wolf: himself naught he durst it under war of the waves there his life to adventure and warrior-ship work. so forwent he the glory, 1470 the fair fame of valour. naught far'd so the other syth he to the war-tide had gear'd him to wend. xxiii. beowulf reacheth the mere-bottom in a day's while, and contends with grendel's dam. out then spake beowulf, ecgtheow's bairn: forsooth be thou mindful, o great son of healfdene, o praise of the princes, now way-fain am i, o gold-friend of men, what we twain spake aforetime: if to me for thy need it might so befall that i cease from my life-days, thou shouldest be ever to me, forth away wended, in the stead of a father. do thou then bear in hand these thanes of my kindred, 1480 my hand-fellows, if so be battle shall have me; those same treasures withal, which thou gavest me erst, o hrothgar the lief, unto hygelac send thou; by that gold then shall wot the lord of the geat-folk, shall hrethel's son see, when he stares on the treasure, that i in fair man-deeds a good one have found me, a ring-giver; while i might, joy made i thereof. and let thou then unferth the ancient loom have, the wave-sword adorned, that man kenned widely, the blade of hard edges; for i now with hrunting 1490 will work me the glory, or else shall death get me. so after these words the weder-geats' chieftain with might of heart hasten'd; nor for answer then would he aught tarry; the sea-welter straightway took hold on the warrior of men: wore the while of a daytide or ever the ground-plain might he set eyes on. soon did she find, she who the flood-ring sword-ravening had held for an hundred of seasons, greedy and grim, that there one man of grooms the abode of the alien-wights sought from above; 1500 then toward him she grasp'd and gat hold on the warrior with fell clutch, but no sooner she scathed withinward the hale body; rings from without-ward it warded, that she could in no wise the war-skin clutch through, the fast locked limb-sark, with fingers all loathly. so bare then that sea-wolf when she came unto bottom the king of the rings to the court-hall adown in such wise that he might not, though hard-moody was he, be wielding of weapons. but a many of wonders in sea-swimming swink'd him, and many a sea-deer 1510 with his war-tusks was breaking his sark of the battle; the fell wights him follow'd. 'twas then the earl found it that in foe-hall there was he, i wot not of which, where never the water might scathe him a whit, nor because of the roof-hall might reach to him there the fear-grip of the flood. now fire-light he saw, the bleak beam forsooth all brightly a-shining. then the good one, he saw the wolf of the ground, the mere-wife the mighty, and main onset made he with his battle-bill; never his hand withheld sword-swing 1520 so that there on her head sang the ring-sword forsooth the song of war greedy. but then found the guest that the beam of the battle would bite not therewith, or scathe life at all, but there failed the edge the king in his need. it had ere thol'd a many of meetings of hand; oft it sheared the helm, the host-rail of the fey one; and then was the first time for that treasure dear lov'd that its might lay a-low. but therewithal steadfast, naught sluggish of valour, all mindful of high deeds was hygelac's kinsman. 1530 cast then the wounden blade bound with the gem-stones the warrior all angry, that it lay on the earth there, stiff-wrought and steel-edged. in strength now he trusted, the hard hand-grip of might and main; so shall a man do when he in the war-tide yet looketh to winning the praise that is longsome, nor aught for life careth. then fast by the shoulder, of the feud nothing recking, the lord of the war-geats clutch'd grendel's mother, cast down the battle-hard, bollen with anger, that foe of the life, till she bow'd to the floor; 1540 but swiftly to him gave she back the hand-guerdon with hand-graspings grim, and griped against him; then mood-weary stumbled the strongest of warriors, the foot-kemp, until that adown there he fell. then she sat on the hall-guest and tugg'd out her sax, the broad and brown-edged, to wreak her her son, her offspring her own. but lay yet on his shoulder the breast-net well braided, the berg of his life, that 'gainst point and 'gainst edge the entrance withstood. gone amiss then forsooth had been ecgtheow's son 1550 underneath the wide ground there, the kemp of the geats, save to him his war-byrny had fram'd him a help, the hard host-net; and save that the lord god the holy had wielded the war-gain, the lord the all-wise; save that the skies' ruler had rightwisely doom'd it all easily. sithence he stood up again. xxiv. beowulf slayeth grendel's dam, smiteth off grendel's head, and cometh back with his thanes to hart. midst the war-gear he saw then a bill victory-wealthy, an old sword of eotens full doughty of edges, the worship of warriors. that was choice of all weapons, save that more was it made than any man other 1560 in the battle-play ever might bear it afield, so goodly, all glorious, the work of the giants. then the girdled hilt seiz'd he, the wolf of the scyldings, the rough and the sword-grim, and drew forth the ring-sword, naught weening of life, and wrathful he smote then so that there on her halse the hard edge begripped, and brake through the bone-rings: the bill all through-waded her flesh-sheathing fey; cring'd she down on the floor; the sword was war-sweaty, the man in his work joy'd. the bright beam shone forth, the light stood withinward, 1570 e'en as down from the heavens' clear high aloft shineth the sky's candle. he all along the house scanned; then turn'd by the wall along, heav'd up his weapon hard by the hilts the hygelac's thane there, ireful one-reded; naught worthless the edge was unto the warrior; but rathely now would he to grendel make payment of many war-onsets, of them that he wrought on the folk of the west danes oftener by mickle than one time alone, whenas he the hearthfellows of hrothgar the king 1580 slew in their slumber and fretted them sleeping, men fifteen to wit of the folk of the danes, and e'en such another deal ferry'd off outward, loathly prey. now he paid him his guerdon therefor, the fierce champion; so well, that abed there he saw where grendel war-weary was lying adown forlorn of his life, as him ere had scathed the battle at hart; sprang wide the body, sithence after death he suffer'd the stroke, the hard swing of sword. then he smote the head off him. 1590 now soon were they seeing, those sage of the carles, e'en they who with hrothgar gaz'd down on the holm, that the surge of the billows was blended about, the sea stain'd with blood. therewith the hoar-blended, the old men, of the good one gat talking together that they of the atheling ween'd never eft-soon that he, glad in his war-gain, should wend him a-seeking the mighty king, since unto many it seemed that him the mere-she-wolf had sunder'd and broken. came then nones of the day, and the ness there they gave up, 1600 the scyldings the brisk; and then busk'd him home thence-ward the gold-friend of men. but the guests, there they sat all sick of their mood, and star'd on the mere; they wist not, they ween'd not if him their own friend-lord himself they should see. now that sword began because of the war-sweat into icicles war-made, the war-bill, to wane: that was one of the wonders that it melted away most like unto ice when the bond of the frost the father lets loosen, unwindeth the wave-ropes, e'en he that hath wielding 1610 of times and of seasons, who is the sooth shaper. in those wicks there he took not, the weder-geats' champion, of treasure-wealth more, though he saw there a many, than the off-smitten head and the sword-hilts together with treasure made shifting; for the sword-blade was molten, the sword broider'd was burn'd up, so hot was that blood, so poisonous the alien ghost there that had died. now soon was a-swimming he who erst in the strife bode the war-onset of wrath ones; he div'd up through the water; and now were the wave-welters cleansed full well, 1620 yea the dwellings full wide, where the ghost of elsewhither let go of his life-days and the waning of living. came then unto land the helm of the ship-lads swimming stout-hearted, glad of his sea-spoil, the burden so mighty of that which he bore there. yode then against him and gave thanks to god that fair heap of thanes, and were fain of their lord, for that hale and sound now they might see him with eyen; then was from the bold one the helm and the byrny all speedily loosen'd. the lake now was laid, 1630 the water 'neath welkin with war-gore bestained. forth then they far'd them alongst of the foot-tracks, men fain of heart all, as they meted the earth-way, the street the well known; then those king-bold of men away from the holm-cliff the head there they bore uneasily ever to each one that bore it, the full stout-heart of men: it was four of them needs must on the stake of the slaughter with strong toil there ferry unto the gold-hall the head of that grendel; until forthright in haste came into that hall, 1640 fierce, keen in the hosting, a fourteen of men of the geat-folk a-ganging; and with them their lord, the moody amidst of the throng, trod the mead-plains; came then in a-wending the foreman of thanes, the man keen of his deeds all beworshipp'd of doom, the hero, the battle-deer, hrothgar to greet. then was by the fell borne in onto the floor grendel's head, whereas men were a-drinking in hall, aweful before the earls, yea and the woman. the sight wondrous to see the warriors there look'd on. 1650 xxv. converse of hrothgar with beowulf. spake out then beowulf, ecgtheow's bairn: what! we the sea-spoils here to thee, son of healfdene, high lord of the scyldings, with lust have brought hither for a token of glory, e'en these thou beholdest. now i all unsoftly with life i escaped, in war under the water dar'd i the work full hard to be worked, and well-nigh there was the sundering of strife, save that me god had shielded. so it is that in battle naught might i with hrunting one whit do the work, though the weapon be doughty; 1660 but to me then he granted, the wielder of men, that on wall i beheld there all beauteous hanging an ancient sword, might-endow'd (often he leadeth right the friendless of men); so forth drew i that weapon. in that onset i slew there, as hap then appaid me, the herd of the house; then that bill of the host, the broider'd sword, burn'd up, and that blood sprang forth the hottest of battle-sweats; but the hilts thereof thenceforth from the foemen i ferry'd. i wreaked the foul deeds, the death-quelling of danes, e'en as duly behoved. 1670 now this i behote thee, that here in hart mayst thou sleep sorrowless henceforth with the host of thy men and the thanes every one that are of thy people of doughty and young; that for them need thou dread not, o high lord of scyldings, on that behalf soothly life-bale for the earls as erst thou hast done. then was the hilt golden to the ancient of warriors, the hoary of host-leaders, into hand given, the old work of giants; it turn'd to the owning, after fall of the devils, of the lord of the danes, 1680 that work of the wonder-smith, syth gave up the world the fierce-hearted groom, the foeman of god, the murder-beguilted, and there eke his mother; unto the wielding of world-kings it turned, the best that there be betwixt of the sea-floods of them that in scaney dealt out the scat. now spake out hrothgar, as he look'd on the hilts there, the old heir-loom whereon was writ the beginning of the strife of the old time, whenas the flood slew, the ocean a-gushing, that kin of the giants 1690 as fiercely they fared. that was a folk alien to the lord everlasting; so to them a last guerdon through the welling of waters the wielder did give. so was on the sword-guards all of the sheer gold by dint of the rune-staves rightly bemarked, set down and said for whom first was that sword wrought, and the choice of all irons erst had been done, wreath-hilted and worm-adorn'd. then spake the wise one, healfdene's son, and all were gone silent: lo that may he say, who the right and the soothfast 1700 amid the folk frameth, and far back all remembers, the old country's warden, that as for this earl here born better was he. uprear'd is the fame-blast through wide ways far yonder, o beowulf, friend mine, of thee o'er all peoples. thou hold'st all with patience, thy might with mood-wisdom; i shall make thee my love good, as we twain at first spake it. for a comfort thou shalt be granted long while and long unto thy people, for a help unto heroes. naught such became heremod to ecgwela's offspring, the honourful scyldings; 1710 for their welfare naught wax'd he, but for felling in slaughter, for the quelling of death to the folk of the danes. mood-swollen he brake there his board-fellows soothly, his shoulder-friends, until he sunder'd him lonely, that mighty of princes, from the mirth of all men-folk. though him god the mighty in the joyance of might, in main strength, exalted high over all-men, and framed him forth, yet fast in his heart grew a breast-hoard blood-fierce; none of fair rings he gave to the danes as due doom would. unmerry he dured 1720 so that yet of that strife the trouble he suffer'd. a folk-bale so longsome. by such do thou learn thee, get thee hold of man-valour: this tale for thy teaching old in winters i tell thee. 'tis wonder to say it, how the high god almighty to the kindred of mankind through his mind the wide-fashion'd deals wisdom about, home and earlship; he owneth the wielding of all. at whiles unto love he letteth to turn the mood-thought of a man that is mighty of kindred, and in his land giveth him joyance of earth, 1730 and to have and to hold the high ward-burg of men, and sets so 'neath his wielding the deals of the world, dominion wide reaching, that he himself may not in all his unwisdom of the ending bethink him. he wonneth well-faring, nothing him wasteth sickness nor eld, nor the foe-sorrow to him dark in mind waxeth, nor strife any where, the edge-hate, appeareth; but all the world for him wends as he willeth, and the worse naught he wotteth. xxvi. more converse of hrothgar and beowulf: the geats make them ready for departure. until that within him a deal of o'erthink-ing 1740 waxeth and groweth while sleepeth the warder, the soul's herdsman; that slumber too fast is forsooth, fast bounden by troubles, the banesman all nigh, e'en he that from arrow-bow evilly shooteth. then he in his heart under helm is besmitten with a bitter shaft; not a whit then may he ward him from the wry wonder-biddings of the ghost the all-wicked. too little he deems that which long he hath hold. wrath-greedy he covets; nor e'en for boast-sake gives the rings fair beplated; and the forth-coming doom 1750 forgetteth, forheedeth, for that god gave him erewhile, the wielder of glory, a deal of the worship. at the ending-stave then it after befalleth that the shell of his body sinks fleeting away, and falleth all fey; and another one fetcheth, e'en one that undolefully dealeth the treasure, the earl's gains of aforetime, and fear never heedeth. from the bale-envy ward thee, lief beowulf, therefore, thou best of all men, and choose thee the better, the redes everlasting; to o'erthinkirig turn not, 1760 o mighty of champions! for now thy might breatheth for a short while of time; but eft-soon it shall be that sickness or edges from thy strength thee shall sunder, or the hold of the fire, or the welling of floods, or the grip of the sword-blade, or flight of the spear, or eld the all-evil: or the beaming of eyen shall fail and shall dim: then shall it be forthright that thee, lordly man, the death over-masters. e'en so i the ring-danes for an hundred of seasons did wield under the welkin and lock'd them by war 1770 from many a kindred the middle-garth over with ash-spears and edges, in such wise that not ever under the sky's run of my foemen i reckoned. what! to me in my land came a shifting of that, came grief after game, sithence grendel befell, my foeman of old, mine ingoer soothly. i from that onfall bore ever unceasing mickle mood-care; herefor be thanks to the maker, to the lord everlasting, that in life i abided, yea, that i on that head all sword-gory there, 1780 now the old strife is over, with eyen should stare. go fare thou to settle, the feast-joyance dree thou, o war-worshipp'd! unto us twain yet there will be mickle treasure in common when come is the morning. glad of mood then the geat was, and speedy he gat him to go see the settle, as the sage one commanded. then was after as erst, that they of the might-fame, the floor-sitters, fairly the feasting bedight them all newly. the helm of the night loured over dark over the host-men. uprose all the doughty, 1790 for he, the hoar-blended, would wend to his bed, that old man of the scyldings. the geat without measure, the mighty shield-warrior, now willed him rest. and soon now the hall-thane him of way-faring weary, from far away come, forth show'd him the road, e'en he who for courtesy cared for all things of the needs of the thane, e'en such as on that day the farers o'er ocean would fainly have had. rested then the wide-hearted; high up the house tower'd wide-gaping all gold-dight; within slept the guest; 1800 until the black raven, the blithe-hearted, boded the heavens' joy: then was come thither a-hastening the bright sun o'er the plains, and hastened the scathers, the athelings once more aback to their people all fain to be faring; and far away thence would the comer high-hearted go visit his keel. bade then the hard one hrunting to bear, the ecglaf's son bade to take him his sword, the iron well-lov'd; gave him thanks for the lending, quoth he that the war-friend for worthy he told, 1810 full of craft in the war; nor with word he aught the edge of the sword. hah! the high-hearted warrior. so whenas all way-forward, yare in their war-gear, were the warriors, the dear one then went to the danes, to the high seat went the atheling, whereas was the other; the battle-bold warrior gave greeting to hrothgar. xxvii. beowulf bids hrothgar farewell: the geats fare to ship. out then spake beowulf, ecgtheow's bairn: as now we sea-farers have will to be saying, we from afar come, that now are we fainest of seeking to hygelac. here well erst were we 1820 serv'd as our wills would, and well thine avail was. if i on the earth then, be it e'en but a little, of the love of thy mood may yet more be an-earning, o lord of the men-folk, than heretofore might i, of the works of the battle yare then soon shall i be. if i should be learning, i over the flood's run, that the sitters about thee beset thee with dread, even thee hating as otherwhile did they; then thousands to theeward of thanes shall i bring for the helping of heroes. of hygelac wot i, 1830 the lord of the geat-folk, though he be but a youngling, that shepherd of folk, that me will he further by words and by works, that well may i ward thee, and unto thine helping the spear-holt may bear, a main-staying mighty, whenas men thou art needing. and if therewith hrethric in the courts of the geat-house, the king's bairn, take hosting, then may he a many of friends find him soothly: far countries shall be better sought to by him who for himself is doughty. out then spake hrothgar in answer to himward: 1840 thy word-saying soothly the lord of all wisdom hath sent into thy mind; never heard i more sagely in a life that so young was a man word be laying; strong of might and main art thou and sage of thy mood, wise the words of thy framing. tell i this for a weening, if it so come to pass that the spear yet shall take, or the battle all sword-grim, the son of that hrethel, or sickness or iron thine alderman have, thy shepherd of folk, and thou fast to life hold thee, then no better than thee may the sea-geats be having 1850 to choose for themselves, no one of the kings, hoard-warden of heroes, if then thou wilt hold thy kinsman's own kingdom. me liketh thy mood-heart, the longer the better, o beowulf the lief; in such wise hast thou fared, that unto the folks now, the folk of the geats and the gar-danes withal, in common shall peace be, and strife rest appeased and the hatreds the doleful which erst they have dreed; shall become, whiles i wield it, this wide realm of ours, treasures common to either folk: many a one other 1860 with good things shall greet o'er the bath of the gannet; and the ring'd bark withal over sea shall be bringing the gifts and love-tokens. the twain folks i know toward foeman toward friend fast-fashion'd together, in every way blameless as in the old wise. then the refuge of warriors, he gave him withal, gave healfdene's son of treasures yet twelve; and he bade him with those gifts to go his own people to seek in all soundness, and swiftly come back. then kissed the king, he of noble kin gotten, 1870 the lord of the scyldings, that best of the thanes, by the halse then he took him; from him fell the tears from the blended of hoar hair. of both things was there hoping to the old, the old wise one; yet most of the other, to wit, that they sithence each each might be seeing, the high-heart in council. to him so lief was he that he his breast-welling might nowise forbear, but there in his bosom, bound fast in his heart-bonds, after that dear man a longing dim-hidden burn'd against blood-tie. so beowulf thenceforth, 1880 the gold-proud of warriors, trod the mould grassy, exulting in gold-store. the sea-ganger bided its owning-lord whereas at anchor it rode. then was there in going the gift of king hrothgar oft highly accounted; yea, that was a king in every wise blameless, till eld took from him eftsoon the joyance of might, as it oft scathes a many. xxviii. beowulf comes back to his land. of the tale of thrytho. came a many to flood then all mighty of mood, of the bachelors were they, and ring-nets they bore, the limb-sarks belocked. the land-warden noted 1890 the earls' aback-faring, as erst he beheld them; then nowise with harm from the nose of the cliff the guests there he greeted, but rode unto themward, and quoth that full welcome to the folk of the weders the bright-coated warriors were wending to ship. then was on the sand there the bark the wide-sided with war-weed beladen, the ring-stemm'd as she lay there with mares and with treasure; uptower'd the mast high over hrothgar's wealth of the hoards. he then to the boat-warden handsel'd a gold-bounden 1900 sword, so that sithence was he on mead-bench worthy'd the more for that very same wealth, the heirloom. sithence in the ship he departed to stir the deep water; the dane-land he left. then was by the mast there one of the sea-rails, a sail, with rope made fast; thunder'd the sound-wood. not there the wave-floater did the wind o'er the billows waft off from its ways; the sea-wender fared, floated the foamy-neck'd forth o'er the waves, the bounden-stemm'd over the streams of the sea; 1910 till the cliffs of the geats there they gat them to wit, the nesses well kenned. throng'd up the keel then driven hard by the lift, and stood on the land. then speedy at holm was the hythe-warden yare, e'en he who a long while after the lief men eager at stream's side far off had looked. to the sand thereon bound he the wide-fathom'd ship with anchor-bands fast, lest from them the waves' might the wood that was winsome should drive thence awayward. thereon bade he upbear the athelings' treasures, 1920 the fretwork and wrought gold. not far from them thenceforth to seek to the giver of treasures it was, e'en hygelac, hrethel's son, where at home wonneth himself and his fellows hard by the sea-wall. brave was the builded house, bold king the lord was, high were the walls, hygd very young, wise and well-thriven, though few of winters under the burg-locks had she abided, the daughter of hæreth; naught was she dastard; nowise niggard of gifts to the folk of the geats, 1930 of wealth of the treasures. but wrath thrytho bore, the folk-queen the fierce, wrought the crime-deed full fearful. no one there durst it, the bold one, to dare, of the comrades beloved, save only her lord, that on her by day with eyen he stare, but if to him death-bonds predestin'd he count on, hand-wreathed; thereafter all rathely it was after the hand-grip the sword-blade appointed, that the cunning-wrought sword should show forth the deed, make known the murder-bale. naught is such queenlike 1940 for a woman to handle, though peerless she be, that a weaver of peace the life should waylay, for a shame that was lying, of a lief man of men; but the kinsman of hemming, he hinder'd it surely. yet the drinkers of ale otherwise said they; that folk-bales, which were lesser, she framed forsooth, lesser enmity-malice, since thence erst she was given gold-deck'd to the young one of champions, she the dear of her lineage, since offa's floor over the fallow flood by the lore of her father 1950 she sought in her wayfaring. well was she sithence there on the man-throne mighty with good; her shaping of life well brooked she living; high love she held toward the lord of the heroes; of all kindred of men by the hearsay of me the best of all was he the twain seas beside, of the measureless kindred; thereof offa was for gifts and for war, the spear-keen of men, full widely beworthy'd, with wisdom he held the land of his heritage. thence awoke eomær 1960 for a help unto heroes, the kinsman of hemming, the grandson of garmund, the crafty in war-strife. xxix. beowulf tells hygelac of hrothgar: also of freawaru his daughter. went his ways then the hard one, and he with his hand-shoal, himself over the sand the sea-plain a-treading, the warths wide away; shone the world's candle, the sun slop'd from the southward; so dreed they their journey, and went their ways stoutly unto where the earls' refuge, the banesman of ongentheow all in his burgs there, the young king of war, the good, as they heard it. was dealing the rings. aright unto hygelac 1970 was beowulf's speeding made knowen full swiftly, that there into the house-place that hedge of the warriors, his mate of the linden-board, living was come, hale from the battle-play home to him houseward. then rathe was beroomed, as the rich one was bidding, for the guests a-foot going the floor all withinward. then sat in the face of him he from the fight sav'd, kinsman by kinsman, whenas his man-lord in fair-sounding speech had greeted the faithful with mightyful words. with mead-skinking turned 1980 through the high house adown the daughter of hæreth: the people she loved: the wine-bucket bare she to the hands of the men. but now fell to hygelac his very house-fellow in that hall the high to question full fairly, for wit-lust to-brake him, of what like were the journeys the sea-geats had wended: how befell you the sea-lode, o beowulf lief, when thou on a sudden bethoughtst thee afar over the salt water the strife to be seeking, the battle in hart? or for hrothgar forsooth 1990 the wide-kenned woe some whit didst thou mend, for that mighty of lords? i therefore the mood-care in woe-wellings seethed; trow'd not in the wending of thee the lief man. a long while did i pray thee that thou the death-guest there should greet not a whit; wouldst let those same south-danes their own selves to settle the war-tide with grendel. now to god say i thank that thee, and thee sound, now may i see. out then spake beowulf, ecgtheow's bairn: all undark it is, o hygelac lord, 2000 that meeting the mighty, to a many of men; of what like was the meeting of grendel and me on that field of the deed, where he many a deal for the victory-scyldings of sorrow had framed, and misery for ever; but all that i awreaked, so that needeth not boast any kinsman of grendel any one upon earth of that uproar of dawn-dusk, nay not who lives longest of that kindred the loathly encompass'd of fenland. thither first did i come unto that ring-hall hrothgar to greet; 2010 soon unto me the great healfdene's son, so soon as my heart he was wotting forsooth. right against his own son a settle there showed. all that throng was in joy, nor life-long saw i ever under vault of the heavens amidst any hall-sitters more mirth of the mead. there the mighty queen whiles, peace-sib of the folk, went all over the floor, to the young sons bade heart up; oft she there the ring-wreath gave unto a man ere to settle she wended. at whiles fore the doughty the daughter of hrothgar 2020 to the earls at the end the ale-bucket bore; e'en she whom freawaru the floor-sitters thereat heard i to name; where she the nail'd treasure gave to the warriors. she was behight then youngling and gold-dight to the glad son of froda. this hath seemed fair to the friend of the scyldings, the herd of the realm, and good rede he accounts it, that he with that wife of death-feuds a deal and of strifes should allay. oft unseldom eachwhere after a lord's fall e'en but for a little 2030 bows down the bane-spear, though doughty the bride be. xxx. beowulf forebodes ill from the wedding of freawaru: he tells of grendel and his dam. ill-liking this may be to the lord of the heathobards, and to each of the thanes of that same people. when he with fair bride on the floor of hall wendeth, that the dane's noble bairn his doughty should wait on, as on him glisten there the heirlooms of the aged, hard and with rings bedight, heathobards' treasure, whileas the weapons yet they might wield; till astray did they lead there at the lind-play their own fellows belov'd and their very own lives. 2040 for then saith at the beer, he who seeth the ring, an ancient ash-warrior who mindeth of all the spear-death of men; grim is he of mind; sad of mood he beginneth to tell the young champion. through the thought of his heart his mind there to try, the war-bale to waken, and sayeth this word: mayest thou, friend mine, wot of the war-sword, that which thy father bore in the fight under the war-mask e'en on the last time, that the dear iron, whereas the danes slew him, 2050 wielded the death-field, since withergyld lay, after fall of the heroes, the keen-hearted scyldings? now here of those banesmen the son, whoseso he be, all merry in fretwork forth on floor fareth; of the murder he boasteth, and that jewel he beareth, e'en that which of right thou shouldest arede. thus he mindeth and maketh word every of times, with sore words he telleth, until the time cometh that the thane of the fair bride for the deeds of his father after bite of the bill sleepeth all blood-stain'd, 2060 all forfeit of life; but thenceforth the other escapeth alive; the land well he kenneth; then will be broken on both sides forsooth the oath-swearing of earls, whenas unto ingeld well up the death-hatreds, and the wife-loves of him because of the care-wellings cooler become. therefore the heathobards' faith i account not, their deal of the folk-peace, unguileful to danes, their fast-bounden friendship. henceforth must i speak on again about grendel, that thou get well to know it, 2070 o treasure-out-dealer, how sithence betided the hand-race of heroes: sithence heaven's gem all over the grounds glided, came the wroth guest, the dire night-angry one us to go look on, whereas we all sound were warding the hall. there then for handshoe was battle abiding, life-bale to the fey; he first lay alow, the war-champion girded; unto him became grendel, to the great thane of kindreds, a banesman of mouth, of the man well-beloved the body he swallow'd; 2080 nor the sooner therefor out empty-handed the bloody-tooth'd banesman, of bales all bemindful, out from that gold-hall yet would he get him; but he, mighty of main, made trial of me, and gripp'd ready-handed. his glove hung aloft, wondrous and wide, in wily bands fast, with cunning wiles was it begeared forsooth, with crafts of the devils and fells of the dragons; he me withinwards there, me the unsinning, the doer of big deeds would do me to be 2090 as one of the many; but naught so it might be, sithence in mine anger upright i stood. 'tis over-long telling how i to the folkscather for each one of evils out paid the hand-gild. there i, o my lord king, them thy leal people worthy'd with works: but away he gat loosed out thence for a little while, brooked yet life-joys; but his right hand held ward of his track howsoever, high upon hart-hall, and thence away humble he sad of his mood to the mere-ground fell downward. 2100 me for that slaughter-race the friend of the scyldings with gold that beplated was mickle deal paid, with a many of treasures, sithence came the morning, and we to the feast-tide had sat us adown; song was and glee there; the elder of scyldings, asking of many things, told of things o'erpast; whiles hath the battle-deer there the harp's joy, the wood of mirth greeted; whiles the lay said he soothfast and sorrowful; whiles a spell seldom told told he by right, the king roomy-hearted; 2110 whiles began afterward he by eld bounden, the aged hoar warrior, of his youth to bewail him, its might of the battle; his breast well'd within him, when he, wont in winters, of many now minded. so we there withinward the livelong day's wearing took pleasure amongst us, till came upon men another of nights; then eftsoons again was yare for the harm-wreak the mother of grendel: all sorry she wended, for her son death had taken, the war-hate of the weders: that monster of women 2120 awreaked her bairn, and quelled a warrior in manner all mighty. then was there from aeschere, the wise man of old, life waning away; nor him might they even when come was the morning, that death-weary wight, the folk of the danes burn up with the brand, nor lade on the bale the man well-belov'd, for his body she bare off in her fathom the fiendly all under the fell-stream. that was unto hrothgar of sorrows the heaviest of them which the folk-chieftain long had befallen. 2130 then me did the lord king, and e'en by thy life, mood-heavy beseech me that i in the holm-throng should do after earlship, my life to adventure, and frame me main-greatness, and meed he behight me. then i of the welling flood, which is well kenned, the grim and the grisly ground-herder did find. there to us for a while was the blending of hands; the holm welled with gore, and the head i becarved in that hall of the ground from the mother of grendel with the all-eked edges; unsoftly out thence 2140 my life forth i ferry'd, for not yet was i fey. but the earls' burg to me was giving thereafter much sort of the treasures, e'en healfdene's son. xxxi. beowulf gives hrothgar's gifts to hygelac, and by him is rewarded. of the death of hygelac and of heardred his son, and how beowulf is king of the geats: the worm is first told of. so therewith the folk-king far'd, living full seemly; by those wages forsooth ne'er a whit had i lost, by the meed of my main, but to me treasure gave he, the healfdene's son, to the doom of myself; which to thee, king of bold ones, will i be a-bringing, and gladly will give thee; for of thee is all gotten of favours along, and but little have i 2150 of head-kinsmen forsooth, saving, hygelac, thee. then he bade them bear in the boar-shape, the head-sign, the battle-steep war-helm, the byrny all hoary, the sword stately-good, and spell after he said: this raiment of war hrothgar gave to my hand, the wise of the kings, and therewithal bade me, that i first of all of his favour should flit thee; he quoth that first had it king heorogar of old, the king of the scyldings, a long while of time; but no sooner would he give it unto his son, 2160 heoroward the well-whet, though kind to him were he, this weed of the breast. do thou brook it full well. on these fretworks, so heard i, four horses therewith, all alike, close followed after the track, steeds apple-fallow. fair grace he gave him of horses and treasures. e'en thus shall do kinsman, and nowise a wile-net shall weave for another with craft of the darkness, or do unto death his very hand-fellow. but now unto hygelac the bold in the battle was his nephew full faithful, 2170 and either to other of good deeds was mindful. i heard that the neck-ring to hygd did he give, e'en the wonder-gem well-wrought, that wealh-theow gave him, the king's daughter; gave he three steeds therewithal slender, and saddle-bright; sithence to her was, after the ring-gift, the breast well beworthy'd. thus boldly he bore him, the ecgtheow's bairn, the groom kenned in battle, in good deeds a-doing; after due doom he did, and ne'er slew he the drunken hearth-fellows of him: naught rough was his heart; 2180 but of all men of mankind with the greatest of might the gift fully and fast set, which had god to him given, that war-deer did hold. long was he contemned, while the bairns of the geats naught told him for good, nor him on the mead-bench worthy of mickle the lord of the war-hosts would be a-making. weened they strongly that he were but slack then, an atheling unkeen; then came about change to the fame-happy man for every foul harm. bade then the earls' burg in to be bringing, 2190 the king battle-famed, the leaving of hrethel, all geared with gold; was not 'mid the geats then a treasure-gem better of them of the sword-kind, that which then on beowulf's harm there he laid; and gave to him there seven thousand in gift, a built house and king-stool; to both them together was in that folkship land that was kindly, father-right, home; to the other one rather a wide realm, to him who was there the better. but thereafter it went so in days later worn 2200 through the din of the battle, sithence hygelac lay low and unto heardred swords of the battle under the war-board were for a bane; when fell on him midst of this victory-folk the hard battle-wolves, the scyldings of war, and by war overwhelmed the nephew of hereric; that sithence unto beowulf turned the broad realm all into his hand. well then did he hold it for a fifty of winters; then was he an old king, an old fatherland's warder; until one began 2210 through the dark of the night-tide, a drake, to hold sway. in a howe high aloft watched over an hoard, a stone-burg full steep; thereunder a path sty'd unknown unto men, and therewithin wended who of men do i know not; for his lust there took he, from the hoard of the heathen his hand took away a hall-bowl gem-flecked, nowise back did he give it though the herd of the hoard him sleeping beguil'd he with thief-craft; and this then found out the king, the best of folk-heroes, that wrath-bollen was he. 2220 xxxii. how the worm came to the howe, and how he was robbed of a cup; and how he fell on the folk. not at all with self-wielding the craft of the worm-hoards he sought of his own will, who sore himself harmed; but for threat of oppression a thrall, of i wot not which bairn of mankind, from blows wrathful fled, house-needy forsooth, and hied him therein, a man by guilt troubled. then soon it betided that therein to the guest there stood grisly terror; however the wretched, of every hope waning * * * * * the ill-shapen wight, whenas the fear gat him, the treasure-vat saw; of such there was a many 2230 up in that earth-house of treasures of old, as them in the yore-days, though what man i know not, the huge leavings and loom of a kindred of high ones, well thinking of thoughts there had hidden away. dear treasures. but all them had death borne away in the times of erewhile; and the one at the last of the doughty of that folk that there longest lived, there waxed he friend-sad, yet ween'd he to tarry, that he for a little those treasures the longsome might brook for himself. but a burg now all ready 2240 wonn'd on the plain nigh the waves of the water, new by a ness, by narrow-crafts fasten'd; within there then bare of the treasures of earls that herd of the rings a deal hard to carry, of gold fair beplated, and few words he quoth: hold thou, o earth, now, since heroes may hold not, the owning of earls. what! it erst within thee good men did get to them; now war-death hath gotten, life-bale the fearful, each man and every of my folk; e'en of them who forwent the life: 2250 the hall-joy had they seen. no man to wear sword i own, none to brighten the beaker beplated, the dear drink-vat; the doughty have sought to else-whither. now shall the hard war-helm bedight with the gold be bereft of its plating; its polishers sleep, they that the battle-mask erewhile should burnish: likewise the war-byrny, which abode in the battle o'er break of the war-boards the bite of the irons, crumbles after the warrior; nor may the ring'd byrny after the war-leader fare wide afield 2260 on behalf of the heroes: nor joy of the harp is, no game of the glee-wood; no goodly hawk now through the hall swingeth; no more the swift horse beateth the burg-stead. now hath bale-quelling a many of life-kin forth away sent. suchwise sad-moody moaned in sorrow one after all, unblithely bemoaning by day and by night, till the welling of death touch'd at his heart. the old twilight-scather found the hoard's joyance standing all open, 2270 e'en he that, burning, seeketh to burgs, the evil drake, naked, that flieth a night-tide, with fire encompass'd; of him the earth-dwellers are strongly adrad; wont is he to seek to the hoard in the earth, where he the gold heathen winter-old wardeth; nor a whit him it betters. so then the folk-scather for three hundred winters held in the earth a one of hoard-houses all-eked of craft, until him there anger'd a man in his mood, who bare to his man-lord 2280 a beaker beplated, and bade him peace-warding of his lord: then was lightly the hoard searched over, and the ring-hoard off borne; and the boon it was granted to that wretched-wrought man. there then the lord saw that work of men foregone the first time of times. then awaken'd the worm, and anew the strife was; along the stone stank he, the stout-hearted found the foot-track of the foe; he had stept forth o'er-far with dark craft, over-nigh to the head of the drake. so may the man unfey full easily outlive 2290 the woe and the wrack-journey, he whom the wielder's own grace is holding. now sought the hoard-warden eager over the ground; for the groom he would find who unto him sleeping had wrought out the sore: hot and rough-moody oft he turn'd round the howe all on the outward; but never was any man on the waste; but however in war he rejoiced, in battle-work. whiles he turn'd back to his howe and sought to his treasure-vat; soon he found this, that one of the grooms had proven the gold, 2300 the high treasures; then the hoard-warden abided, but hardly forsooth, until come was the even, and all anger-bollen was then the burg-warden, and full much would the loath one with the fire-flame pay back for his drink-vat the dear. then day was departed e'en at will to the worm, and within wall no longer would he bide, but awayward with burning he fared, all dight with the fire: it was fearful beginning to the folk in the land, and all swiftly it fell 2310 on their giver of treasure full grievously ended. xxxiii. the worm burns beowulf's house, and beowulf gets ready to go against him. beowulf's early deeds in battle with the hetware told of. began then the guest to spew forth of gleeds, the bright dwellings to burn; stood the beam of the burning for a mischief to menfolk; now nothing that quick was the loathly lift-flier would leave there forsooth; the war of the worm was wide to be seen there, the narrowing foe's hatred anigh and afar, how he, the fight-scather, the folk of the geats hated and harm'd; shot he back to the hoard, his dark lordly hall, ere yet was the day's while; the land-dwellers had he in the light low encompass'd 2320 with bale and with brand; in his burg yet he trusted, his war-might and his wall: but his weening bewray'd him. then beowulf was done to wit of the terror full swiftly forsooth, that the house of himself, best of buildings, was molten in wellings of fire, the gift-stool of the geats. to the good one was that a grief unto heart; of mind-sorrows the greatest. weened the wise one, that him, e'en the wielder, the lord everlasting, against the old rights he had bitterly anger'd; the breast boil'd within him 2330 with dark thoughts, that to him were naught duly wonted. now had the fire-drake the own fastness of folk, the water-land outward, that ward of the earth, with gleeds to ground wasted; so therefore the war-king, the lord of the weder-folk, learned him vengeance. then he bade be work'd for him, that fence of the warriors, and that all of iron, the lord of the earls, a war-board all glorious, for wissed he yarely that the holt-wood hereto might help him no whit, the linden 'gainst fire-flame. of fleeting days now 2340 the atheling exceeding good end should abide, the end of the world's life, and the worm with him also, though long he had holden the weal of the hoard. forsooth scorned then the lord of the rings that he that wide-flier with war-band should seek, with a wide host; he fear'd not that war for himself, nor for himself the worm's war accounted one whit, his might and his valour, for that he erst a many strait-daring of battles had bided, and liv'd, clashings huge of the battle, sithence he of hrothgar, 2350 he, the man victory-happy, had cleansed the hall, and in war-tide had gripped the kindred of grendel, the loathly of kindreds; nor was that the least of hand-meetings, wherein erst was hygelac slain, sithence the geats' king in the onrush of battle, the lord-friend of the folks, down away in the frieslands, the offspring of hrethel, died, drunken of sword-drinks, all beaten of bill. thence beowulf came forth by his own craft forsooth, dreed the work of the swimming; he had on his arm, he all alone, thirty 2360 of war-gears, when he to the holm went adown. then nowise the hetware needed to joy them over the foot-war, wherein forth against him they bore the war-linden: few went back again from that wolf of the battle to wend to their homes. o'erswam then the waters' round ecgtheow's son, came all wretched and byrd-alone back to his people, whereas offer'd him hygd then the kingdom and hoard, the rings and the king-stool: trowed naught in the child, that he 'gainst folks outland the fatherland-seats 2370 might can how to hold, now was hygelac dead: yet no sooner therefor might the poor folk prevail to gain from the atheling in any of ways that he unto heardred would be for a lord, or eke that that kingdom henceforward should choose; yet him midst of the folk with friend-lore he held, all kindly with honour till older he waxed and wielded the weder-geats. to him men-waifs thereafter sought from over the sea, the sons they of ohthere, for they erst had withstood the helm of the scylfings, 2380 e'en him that was best of the kings of the sea, of them that in swede-realm dealt out the treasure, the mighty of princes. unto him 'twas a life-mark; to him without food there was fated the life-wound, that hygelac's son, by the swinging of swords; and him back departed ongentheow's bairn, to go seek to his house, sithence heardred lay dead, and let beowulf hold the high seat of the king and wield there the geats. yea, good was that king. xxxiv. beowulf goes against the worm. he tells of herebeald and hæthcyn. of that fall of the folk-king he minded the payment 2390 in days that came after: unto eadgils he was a friend to him wretched; with folk he upheld him over the wide sea, that same son of ohthere, with warriors and weapons. sithence had he wreaking with cold journeys of care: from the king took he life. now each one of hates thus had he outlived, and of perilous slaughters, that ecgtheow's son, all works that be doughty, until that one day when he with the worm should wend him to deal. so twelvesome he set forth all swollen with anger, 2400 the lord of the geats, the drake to go look on. aright had he learnt then whence risen the feud was, the bale-hate against men-folk: to his barm then had come the treasure-vat famous by the hand of the finder; he was in that troop of men the thirteenth who the first of that battle had set upon foot, the thrall, the sad-minded; in shame must he thenceforth wise the way to the plain; and against his will went he thereunto, where the earth-hall the one there he wist, the howe under earth anigh the holm's welling, 2410 the wave-strife: there was it now full all within with gems and with wires; the monster, the warden, the yare war-wolf, he held him therein the hoard golden, the old under the earth: it was no easy cheaping to go and to gain for any of grooms. sat then on the ness there the strife-hardy king while farewell he bade to his fellows of hearth, the gold-friend of the geats; sad was gotten his soul, wavering, death-minded; weird nigh beyond measure, which him old of years gotten now needs must be greeting, 2420 must seek his soul's hoard and asunder must deal his life from his body: no long while now was the life of the atheling in flesh all bewounden. now spake out beowulf, ecgtheow's bairn: many a one in my youth of war-onsets i outliv'd, and the whiles of the battle: all that i remember. seven winters had i when the wielder of treasures, the lord-friend of folk, from my father me took, held me and had me hrethel the king, gave me treasure and feast, and remember'd the friendship. 2430 for life thence i was not to him a whit loather, a berne in his burgs than his bairns were, or each one, herebeald, or hæthcyn, or hygelac mine. for the eldest there was in unseemly wise by the mere deed of kinsman a murder-bed strawen, whenas him did hæthcyn from out of his horn-bow, his lord and his friend, with shaft lay alow: his mark he miss'd shooting, and shot down his kinsman, one brother another with shaft all bebloody'd; that was fight feeless by fearful crime sinned, 2440 soul-weary to heart, yet natheless then had the atheling from life all unwreak'd to be ceasing. so sad-like it is for a carle that is aged to be biding the while that his boy shall be riding yet young on the gallows; then a lay should he utter, a sorrowful song whenas hangeth his son a gain unto ravens, and naught good of avail may he, old and exceeding old, anywise frame. ever will he be minded on every each morning of his son's faring otherwhere; nothing he heedeth 2450 of abiding another withinward his burgs, an heritage-warder, then whenas the one by the very death's need hath found out the ill. sorrow-careful he seeth within his son's bower the waste wine-hall, the resting-place now of the winds, all bereft of the revel; the riders are sleeping, the heroes in grave, and no voice of the harp is, no game in the garths such as erewhile was gotten. xxxv. beowulf tells of past feuds, and bids farewell to his fellows: he falls on the worm, and the battle of them begins. then to sleeping-stead wendeth he, singeth he sorrow, the one for the other; o'er-roomy all seem'd him 2460 the meads and the wick-stead. so the helm of the weders for herebeald's sake the sorrow of heart all welling yet bore, and in nowise might he on the banesman of that life the feud be a-booting; nor ever the sooner that warrior might hate with deeds loathly, though he to him nothing was lief. he then with the sorrow wherewith that sore beset him man's joy-tide gave up, and chose him god's light. to his offspring he left, e'en as wealthy man doeth, his land and his folk-burgs when he from life wended. 2470 then sin was and striving of swedes and of geats, over the wide water war-tide in common, the hard horde-hate to wit sithence hrethel perish'd; and to them ever were the ongentheow's sons doughty and host-whetting, nowise then would friendship hold over the waters; but round about hreosnaburgh the fierce fray of foeman was oftentimes fram'd. kin of friends that mine were, there they awreaked the feud and the evil deed, e'en as was famed; although he, the other, with his own life he bought it, 2480 a cheaping full hard: unto hæthcyn it was, to the lord of the geat-folk, a life-fateful war. learned i that the morrow one brother the other with the bills' edges wreaked the death on the banesman, whereas ongentheow is a-seeking of eofor: glode the war-helm asunder, the aged of scylfings fell, sword-bleak; e'en so remember'd the hand feud enough; nor e'en then did the life-stroke withhold. i to him for the treasure which erewhile he gave me repaid it in warring, as was to me granted, 2490 with my light-gleaming sword. to me gave he land, the hearth and the home-bliss: unto him was no need that unto the gifthas or unto the spear-danes or into the swede-realm he needs must go seeking a worse wolf of war for a worth to be cheaping; for in the host ever would i be before him alone in the fore-front, and so life-long shall i be a-framing of strife, whileas tholeth the sword, which early and late hath bestead me full often, sithence was i by doughtiness unto day-raven 2500 the hand-bane erst waxen, to the champion of hug-folk; he nowise the fretwork to the king of the frisians, the breast-worship to wit, might bring any more, but cringed in battle that herd of the banner, the atheling in might: the edge naught was his bane, but for him did the war-grip the heart-wellings of him break, the house of the bones. now shall the bill's edge, the hand and hard sword, about the hoard battle. so word uttered beowulf, spake out the boast word for the last while as now: many wars dared i 2510 in the days of my youth, and now will i yet, the old warder of folk, seek to the feud, full gloriously frame, if the scather of foul-deed from the hall of the earth me out shall be seeking. greeted he then each one of the grooms, the keen wearers of helms, for the last while of whiles, his own fellows the dear: no sword would i fare with, no weapon against the worm, wist i but how 'gainst the monster of evil in otherwise might i uphold me my boast, as erst did i with grendel; 2520 but there fire of the war-tide full hot do i ween me, and the breath, and the venom; i shall bear on me therefore both the board and the byrny; nor the burg's warden shall i overflee for a foot's-breadth, but unto us twain it shall be at the wall as to us twain weird willeth, the maker of each man. of mood am i eager; so that 'gainst that war-flier from boast i withhold me. abide ye upon burg with your byrnies bewarded, ye men in your battle-gear, which may the better after the slaughter-race save us from wounding 2530 of the twain of us. naught is it yours to take over, nor the measure of any man save alone me, that he on the monster should mete out his might, or work out the earlship: but i with my main might shall gain me the gold, or else gets me the battle, the perilous life-bale, e'en me your own lord. arose then by war-round the warrior renowned hard under helm, and the sword-sark he bare under the stone-cliffs: in the strength then he trowed of one man alone; no dastard's way such is. 2540 then he saw by the wall (e'en he, who so many, the good of man-bounties, of battles had out-liv'd, of crashes of battle whenas hosts were blended) a stone-bow a-standing, and from out thence a stream breaking forth from the burg; was that burn's outwelling all hot with the war-fire; and none nigh to the hoard then might ever unburning any while bide, live out through the deep for the flame of the drake. out then from his breast, for as bollen as was he, let the weder-geats' chief the words be out faring; 2550 the stout-hearted storm'd and the stave of him enter'd battle-bright sounding in under the hoar stone. then uproused was hate, and the hoard-warden wotted the speech of man's word, and no more while there was friendship to fetch. then forth came there first the breath of the evil beast out from the stone, the hot sweat of battle, and dinn'd then the earth. the warrior beneath the burg swung up his war-round against that grisly guest, the lord of the geats; then the heart of the ring-bow'd grew eager therewith 2560 to seek to the strife. his sword ere had he drawn, that good lord of the battle, the leaving of old, the undull of edges: there was unto either of the bale-minded ones the fear of the other. all steadfast of mind stood against his steep shield the lord of the friends, when the worm was a-bowing together all swiftly, in war-gear he bided; then boune was the burning one, bow'd in his going, to the fate of him faring. the shield was well warding the life and the lyke of the mighty lord king 2570 for a lesser of whiles than his will would have had it, if he at that frist on the first of the day was to wield him, as weird for him never will'd it, the high-day of battle. his hand he up braided, the lord of the geats, and the grisly-fleck'd smote he with the leaving of ing, in such wise that the edge fail'd, the brown blade on the bone, and less mightily bit than the king of the nation had need in that stour, with troubles beset. but then the burg-warden after the war-swing all wood of his mood 2580 cast forth the slaughter-flame, sprung thereon widely the battle-gleams: nowise of victory he boasted, the gold-friend of the geats; his war-bill had falter'd, all naked in war, in such wise as it should not, the iron exceeding good. naught was it easy for him there, the mighty-great offspring of ecgtheow, that he now that earth-plain should give up for ever; but against his will needs must he dwell in the wick of the otherwhere country; as ever must each man let go of his loan-days. not long was it thenceforth 2590 ere the fell ones of fight fell together again. the hoard-warden up-hearten'd him, welled his breast with breathing anew. then narrow need bore he, encompass'd with fire, who erst the folk wielded; nowise in a heap his hand-fellows there, the bairns of the athelings, stood all about him in valour of battle; but they to holt bow'd them; their dear life they warded; but in one of them welled his soul with all sorrow. so sib-ship may never turn aside any whit to the one that well thinketh. 2600 xxxvi. wiglaf son of weohstan goes to the help of beowulf: nægling, beowulf's sword, is broken on the worm. wiglaf so hight he, the son of weohstan, lief linden-warrior, and lord of scylfings, the kinsman of aelfhere: and he saw his man-lord under his host-mask tholing the heat; he had mind of the honour that to him gave he erewhile. the wick-stead the wealthy of them, the wægmundings, and the folk-rights each one which his father had owned. then he might not withhold him, his hand gripp'd the round, yellow linden; he tugg'd out withal the old sword, that was known among men for the heirloom of eanmund, 2610 ohthere's son, unto whom in the strife did become, to the exile unfriended, weohstan for the bane with the sword-edge, and unto his kinsmen bare off the helm the brown-brindled, the byrny beringed, and the old eoten-sword that erst onela gave him; were they his kinsman's weed of the war, host-fight-gear all ready. of the feud nothing spake he. though he of his brother the bairn had o'er-thrown. but the host-gear befretted he held many seasons, the bill and the byrny, until his own boy might 2620 do him the earlship as did his ere-father. amidst of the geats then he gave him the war-weed of all kinds unnumber'd, whenas he from life wended old on the forth-way. then was the first time for that champion the young that he the war-race with his high lord the famed e'er he should frame: naught melted his mood, naught the loom of his kinsman weaken'd in war-tide; that found out the worm when they two together had gotten to come. now spake out wiglaf many words rightwise, 2630 and said to his fellows: all sad was his soul: i remember that while when we gat us the mead, and whenas we behight to the high lord of us in the beer-hall, e'en he who gave us these rings, that we for the war-gear one while would pay, if unto him thislike need e'er should befall, for these helms and hard swords. so he chose us from host to this faring of war by his very own will, of glories he minded us, and gave me these gems here, whereas us of gar-warriors he counted for good, 2640 and bold bearers of helms. though our lord e'en for us this work of all might was of mind all alone himself to be framing, the herd of the folk, whereas most of all men he hath mightiness framed. of deeds of all daring, yet now is the day come whereon to our man-lord behoveth the main of good battle-warriors; so thereunto wend we, and help we the host-chief, whiles that the heat be, the gleed-terror grim. now of me wotteth god that to me is much liefer that that, my lyke-body, 2650 with my giver of gold the gleed should engrip. unmeet it methinketh that we shields should bear back unto our own home, unless we may erst the foe fell adown and the life-days defend of the king of the weders. well wot i hereof that his old deserts naught such were, that he only of all doughty of geats the grief should be bearing. sink at strife. unto us shall one sword be, one helm, one byrny and shield, to both of us common. through the slaughter-reek waded he then, bare his war-helm 2660 to the finding his lord, and few words he quoth: o beowulf the dear, now do thee all well, as thou in thy youthful life quothest of yore, that naught wouldst thou let, while still thou wert living, thy glory fade out. now shalt thou of deeds famed, the atheling of single heart, with all thy main deal for the warding thy life, and to stay thee i will. then after these words all wroth came the worm, the dire guest foesome, that second of whiles with fire-wellings flecked, his foes to go look on, 2670 the loath men. with flame was lightly then burnt up the board to the boss, and might not the byrny to the warrior the young frame any help yet. but so the young man under shield of his kinsman went onward with valour, whenas his own was all undone with gleeds; then again the war-king remember'd his glories, and smote with mainmight with his battle-bill, so that it stood in the head need-driven by war-hate. then asunder burst nægling, waxed weak in the war-tide, e'en beowulf's sword, 2680 the old and grey-marked; to him was not given that to him any whit might the edges of irons be helpful in battle; over-strong was the hand which every of swords, by the hearsay of me, with its swing over-wrought, when he bare unto strife a wondrous hard weapon; naught it was to him better. then was the folk-scather for the third of times yet, the fierce fire-drake, all mindful of feud; he rac'd on that strong one, when was room to him given, hot and battle-grim; he all the halse of him gripped 2690 with bitter-keen bones; all bebloody'd he waxed with the gore of his soul. well'd in waves then the war-sweat. xxxvii. they two slay the worm. beowulf is wounded deadly: he biddeth wiglaf bear out the treasure. then heard i that at need of the high king of folk the upright earl made well manifest might, his craft and his keenness as kind was to him; the head there he heeded not (but the hand burned of that man of high mood when he helped his kinsman), whereas he now the hate-guest smote yet a deal nether, that warrior in war-gear, whereby the sword dived, the plated, of fair hue, and thereby fell the flame 2700 to minish thereafter, and once more the king's self wielded his wit, and his slaying-sax drew out, the bitter and battle-sharp, borne on his byrny; asunder the weder's helm smote the worm midmost; they felled the fiend, and force drave the life out, and they twain together had gotten him ending, those athelings sib. e'en such should a man be, a thane good at need. now that to the king was the last victory-while, by the deeds of himself, of his work of the world. sithence fell the wound, 2710 that the earth-drake to him had wrought but erewhile. to swell and to sweal; and this soon he found out, that down in the breast of him bale-evil welled, the venom withinward; then the atheling wended, so that he by the wall, bethinking him wisdom. sat on seat there and saw on the works of the giants, how that the stone-bows fast stood on pillars, the earth-house everlasting upheld withinward. then with his hand him the sword-gory, that great king his thane, the good beyond measure, 2720 his friend-lord with water washed full well, the sated of battle, and unspanned his war-helm. forth then spake beowulf, and over his wound said, his wound piteous deadly; wist he full well, that now of his day-whiles all had he dreed, of the joy of the earth; all was shaken asunder the tale of his days; death without measure nigh: unto my son now should i be giving my gear of the battle, if to me it were granted any ward of the heritage after my days 2730 to my body belonging. this folk have i holden fifty winters; forsooth was never a folk-king of the sitters around, no one of them soothly, who me with the war-friends durst wend him to greet and bear down with the terror. in home have i abided the shapings of whiles, and held mine own well. no wily hates sought i; for myself swore not many of oaths in unright. for all this may i, sick with the life-wounds, soothly have joy. therefore naught need wyte me the wielder of men 2740 with kin murder-bale, when breaketh asunder my life from my lyke. and now lightly go thou to look on the hoard under the hoar stone, wiglaf mine lief, now that lieth the worm and sleepeth sore wounded, beshorn of his treasure; and be hasty that i now the wealth of old time, the gold-having may look on, and yarely behold the bright cunning gems, that the softlier may i after the treasure-weal let go away my life, and the folk-ship that long i have held. 2750 xxxviii. beowulf beholdeth the treasure and passeth away. then heard i that swiftly the son of that weohstan after this word-say his lord the sore wounded, battle-sick, there obeyed, and bare forth his ring-net, his battle-sark woven, in under the burg-roof; saw then victory-glad as by the seat went he, the kindred-thane moody, sun-jewels a many, much glistering gold lying down on the ground, many wonders on wall, and the den of the worm, the old twilight-flier; there were flagons a-standing, the vats of men bygone, of brighteners bereft, 2760 and maim'd of adornment; was many an helm rusty and old, and of arm-rings a many full cunningly twined. all lightly may treasure, the gold in the ground, every one of mankind befool with o'erweening, hide it who will. likewise he saw standing a sign there all-golden high over the hoard, the most of hand-wonders, with limb-craft belocked, whence light a ray gleamed. whereby the den's ground-plain gat he to look on, the fair works scan throughly. not of the worm there 2770 was aught to be seen now, but the edge had undone him. heard i then that in howe of the hoard was bereaving, the old work of the giants, but one man alone, into his barm laded beakers and dishes at his very own doom; and the sign eke he took, the brightest of beacons. but the bill of the old lord (the edge was of iron) erewhile it scathed him who of that treasure hand-bearer was a long while, and fared a-bearing the flame-dread before the hoard hot, and welling of fierceness 2780 in the midnights, until that by murder he died. in haste was the messenger, eager of back-fare, further'd with fretted gems. him longing fordid to wot whether the bold man he quick there shall meet in that mead-stead, e'en he the king of the weders, all sick of his might, whereas he erst itft him. he fetching the treasure then found the king mighty, his own lord, yet there, and him ever all gory at end of his life; and he yet once again fell the water to warp o'er him, till the word's point 2790 brake through the breast-hoard, and beowulf spake out. the aged, in grief as he gaz'd on the gold: now i for these fretworks to the lord of all thanking, to the king of all glory, in words am yet saying, to the lord ever living, for that which i look on; whereas such i might for the people of mine, ere ever my death-day, get me to own. now that for the treasure-hoard here have i sold my life and laid down the same, frame still then ever the folk-need, for here never longer i may be. 2800 so bid ye the war-mighty work me a howe bright after the bale-fire at the sea's nose, which for a remembrance to the people of me aloft shall uplift him at whale-ness for ever, that it the sea-goers sithence may hote beowulf's howe, e'en they that the high-ships over the flood-mists drive from afar. did off from his halse then a ring was all golden, the king the great-hearted, and gave to his thane, to the spear-warrior young his war-helm gold-brindled, 2810 the ring and the byrny, and bade him well brook them: thou art the end-leaving of all of our kindred, the wægmundings; weird now hath swept all away of my kinsmen, and unto the doom of the maker the earls in their might; now after them shall i. that was to the aged lord youngest of words of his breast-thoughts, ere ever he chose him the bale, the hot battle-wellings; from his heart now departed his soul, to seek out the doom of the soothfast. xxxix. wiglaf casteth shame on those fleers. but gone was it then with the unaged man 2820 full hard that there he beheld on the earth the liefest of friends at the ending of life, of bearing most piteous. and likewise lay his bane the earth-drake, the loathly fear, reft of his life, by bale laid undone: the ring-hoards no longer the worm, the crook-bowed, ever might wield; for soothly the edges of the irons him bare off, the hard battle-sharded leavings of hammers, so that the wide-flier stilled with wounding fell onto earth anigh to his hoard-hall, 2830 nor along the lift ever more playing he turned at middle-nights, proud of the owning of treasure, show'd the face of him forth, but to earth there he fell because of the host-leader's work of the hand. this forsooth on the land hath thriven to few, of men might and main bearing, by hearsay of mine, though in each of all deeds full daring he were, that against venom-scather's fell breathing he set on, or the hall of his rings with hand be a-stirring, if so be that he waking the warder had found 2840 abiding in burg. by beowulf was his deal of the king-treasure paid for by death; there either had they fared on to the end of this loaned life. long it was not until those laggards of battle the holt were a-leaving, unwarlike troth-liars, the ten there together, who durst not e'en now with darts to be playing e'en in their man-lord's most mickle need. but shamefully now their shields were they bearing, their weed of the battle, there where lay the aged; 2850 they gazed on wiglaf where weary'd he sat, the foot-champion, hard by his very lord's shoulder, and wak'd him with water: but no whit it sped him; never might he on earth howsoe'er well he will'd it in that leader of spears hold the life any more, nor the will of the wielder change ever a whit; but still should god's doom of deeds rule the rede for each man of men, as yet ever it doth. then from out of the youngling an answer full grim easy got was for him who had lost heart erewhile, 2860 and word gave out wiglaf, weohstan's son the sorrowful-soul'd man: on those unlief he saw: lo that may he say who sooth would be saying, that the man-lord who dealt you the gift of those dear things, the gear of the war-host wherein there ye stand, whereas he on the ale-bench full oft was a-giving unto the hall-sitters war-helm and byrny, the king to his thanes, e'en such as he choicest anywhere, far or near, ever might find: that he utterly wrongsome those weeds of the war 2870 had cast away, then when the war overtook him. surely never the folk-king of his fellows in battle had need to be boastful; howsoever god gave him, the victory-wielder, that he himself wreaked him alone with the edge, when to him need of might was. unto him of life-warding but little might i give there in the war-tide; and yet i began above measure of my might my kinsman to help; ever worse was the worm then when i with sword smote the life-foe, and ever the fire less strongly 2880 welled out from his wit. of warders o'er little throng'd about the king when him the battle befell. now shall taking of treasures and giving of swords and all joy of your country-home fail from your kindred, all hope wane away; of the land-right moreover may each of the men of that kinsman's burg ever roam lacking; sithence that the athelings eft-soons from afar shall have heard of your faring in flight, your gloryless deed. yea, death shall be better for each of the earls than a life ever ill-fam'd. 2890 xl. wiglaf sendeth tiding to the host: the words of the messenger. then he bade them that war-work give out at the barriers up over the sea-cliff, whereas then the earl-host the morning-long day sat sad of their mood, the bearers of war-boards, in weening of both things, either the end-day, or else the back-coming of the lief man. forsooth he little was silent of the new-fallen tidings who over the ness rode, but soothly he said over all there a-sitting: now is the will-giver of the folk of the weders, the lord of the geats, fast laid in the death-bed, 2900 in the slaughter-rest wonneth he by the worm's doings. and beside him yet lieth his very life-winner all sick with the sax-wounds; with sword might he never on the monster, the fell one, in any of manners work wounding at all. there yet sitteth wiglaf, weohstan's own boy, over beowulf king, one earl over the other, over him the unliving; with heart-honours holdeth he head-ward withal over lief, over loath. but to folk is a weening of war-tide as now, so soon as unhidden 2910 to franks and to frisians the fall of the king is become over widely. once was the strife shapen hard 'gainst the hugs, sithence hygelac came faring with float-host to frisian land, whereas him the hetware vanquish'd in war, with might gat the gain, with o'er-mickle main; the warrior bebyrny'd he needs must bow down: he fell in the host, and no fretted war-gear gave that lord to the doughty, but to us was aye sithence the mercy ungranted that was of the merwing. 2920 nor do i from the swede folk of peace or good faith ween ever a whit. for widely 'twas wotted that ongentheow erst had undone the life of hæthcyn the hrethel's son hard by the raven-wood, then when in their pride the scylfings of war erst gat them to seek to the folk of the geats. unto him soon the old one, the father of ohthere, the ancient and fearful gave back the hand-stroke, brake up the sea-wise one, rescued his bride. the aged his spouse erst, bereft of the gold, 2930 mother of onela, yea and of ohthere; and follow'd up thereon his foemen the deadly, until they betook them and sorrowfully therewith unto the raven-holt, reft of their lord. with huge host then beset he the leaving of swords all weary with wounds, and woe he behight them, that lot of the wretched, the livelong night through; quoth he that the morrow's morn with the swords' edges he would do them to death, hang some on the gallows for a game unto fowl. but again befell comfort 2940 to the sorry of mood with the morrow-day early; whereas they of hygelac's war-horn and trumpet the voice wotted, whenas the good king his ways came faring on in the track of his folk's doughty men. xli. more words of the messenger. how he fears the swedes when they wot of beowulf dead. was the track of the war-sweat of swedes and of geats, the men's slaughter-race, right wide to be seen, how those folks amongst them were waking the feud. departed that good one, and went with his fellows, old and exceeding sad, fastness to seek; the earl ongentheow upward returned; 2950 of hygelac's battle-might oft had he heard, the war-craft of the proud one; in withstanding he trow'd not, that he to the sea-folk in fight might debate, or against the sea-farers defend him his hoard, his bairns and his bride. he bow'd him aback thence, the old under the earth-wall. then was the chase bidden to the swede-folk, and hygelac's sign was upreared, and the plain of the peace forth on o'er-pass'd they, after the hrethlings onto the hedge throng'd. there then was ongentheow by the swords' edges, 2960 the blent-hair'd, the hoary one, driven to biding, so that the folk-king fain must he take sole doom of eofor. him in his wrath then wulf the wonreding reach'd with his weapon, so that from the stroke sprang the war-sweat in streams forth from under his hair; yet naught fearsome was he, the aged, the scylfing, but paid aback rathely with chaffer that worse was that war-crash of slaughter, sithence the folk-king turned him thither; and nowise might the brisk one that son was of wonred 2970 unto the old carle give back the hand-slaying, for that he on wulf's head the helm erst had sheared, so that all with the blood stained needs must he bow, and fell on the field; but not yet was he fey, but he warp'd himself up, though the wound had touch'd nigh. but thereon the hard hygelac's thane there, whenas down lay his brother, let the broad blade, the old sword of eotens, that helm giant-fashion'd break over the board-wall, and down the king bowed, the herd of the folk unto fair life was smitten. 2980 there were many about there who bound up his kinsman, upraised him swiftly when room there was made them, that the slaughter-stead there at the stour they might wield, that while when was reaving one warrior the other: from ongentheow took he the iron-wrought byrny, the hard-hilted sword, with his helm all together: the hoary one's harness to hygelac bare he; the fret war-gear then took he, and fairly behight him before the folk due gifts, and even so did it; gild he gave for that war-race, the lord of the geats, 2990 the own son of hrethel, when home was he come, to eofor and wulf gave he over-much treasure, to them either he gave an hundred of thousands, land and lock'd rings. of the gift none needed to wyte him of mid earth, since the glory they gained by battle. then to eofor he gave his one only daughter, an home-worship soothly, for pledge of his good will. that is the feud and the foeship full soothly, the dead-hate of men, e'en as i have a weening, wherefor the swede people against us shall seek, 3000 sithence they have learned that lieth our lord all lifeless; e'en he that erewhile hath held against all the haters the hoard and the realm; who after the heroes' fall held the fierce scylfings, framed the folk-rede, and further thereto did earlship-deeds. now is haste best of all that we now the folk-king should fare to be seeing, and then that we bring him who gave us the rings on his way to the bale: nor shall somewhat alone with the moody be molten; but manifold hoard is, 3010 gold untold of by tale that grimly is cheapened, and now at the last by this one's own life are rings bought, and all these the brand now shall fret, the flame thatch them over: no earl shall bear off one gem in remembrance; nor any fair maiden shall have on her halse a ring-honour thereof, but in grief of mood henceforth, bereaved of gold, shall oft, and not once alone, alien earth tread, now that the host-learn'd hath laid aside laughter, the game and the glee-joy. therefore shall the spear, 3020 full many a morn-cold, of hands be bewounden, uphoven in hand; and no swough of the harp shall waken the warriors; but the wan raven rather fain over the fey many tales shall tell forth, and say to the erne how it sped him at eating, while he with the wolf was a-spoiling the slain. so was the keen-whetted a-saying this while spells of speech loathly; he lied not much of weirds or of words. then uprose all the war-band, and unblithe they wended under the ernes-ness, 3030 all welling of tears, the wonder to look on. found they then on the sand, now lacking of soul, holding his bed, him that gave them the rings in time erewhile gone by. but then was the end-day gone for the good one; since the king of the battle, the lord of the weders, in wonder-death died. but erst there they saw a more seldom-seen sight, the worm on the lea-land over against him down lying there loathly; there was the fire-drake, the grim of the terrors, with gleeds all beswealed. 3040 he was of fifty feet of his measure long of his lying. lift-joyance held he in the whiles of the night, but down again wended to visit his den. now fast was he in death, he had of the earth-dens the last end enjoyed. there by him now stood the beakers and bowls, there lay the dishes and dearly-wrought swords, rusty, through-eaten they, as in earth's bosom a thousand of winters there they had wonned. for that heritage there was, all craftily eked, 3050 gold of the yore men, in wizardry wounden; so that that ring-hall might none reach thereto, not any of mankind but if god his own self, sooth king of victories, gave unto whom he would (he is holder of men) to open that hoard, e'en to whichso of mankind should seem to him meet. xlii. they go to look on the field of deed. then it was to be seen that throve not the way to him that unrightly had hidden within there the fair gear 'neath the wall. the warder erst slew some few of folk, and the feud then became 3060 wrothfully wreaked. a wonder whenas a valour-strong earl may reach on the ending of the fashion of life, when he longer in nowise one man with his kinsmen may dwell in the mead-hall! so to beowulf was it when the burg's ward he sought. for the hate of the weapons: he himself knew not wherethrough forsooth his world's sundering should be. so until doomsday they cursed it deeply, those princes the dread, who erst there had done it, that that man should be of sins never sackless, 3070 a-hoppled in shrines, in hell-bonds fast set, with plague-spots be punish'd, who that plain should plunder. but naught gold-greedy was he, more gladly had he the grace of the owner erst gotten to see. now spake out wiglaf, that son was of weohstan: oft shall many an earl for the will but of one dree the wrack, as to us even now is befallen: nowise might we learn the lief lord of us, the herd of the realm, any of rede, that he should not go greet that warder of gold, 3080 but let him live yet, whereas long he was lying, and wonne in his wicks until the world's ending; but he held to high weird and the hoard hath been seen, grimly gotten: o'er hard forsooth was that giving, that the king of the folk e'en thither enticed. lo! i was therein, and i look'd it all over, the gear of the house, when for me room was gotten, but i lightly in nowise had leave for the passage in under the earth-wall; in haste i gat hold forsooth with my hands of a mickle main burden 3090 of hoard-treasures, and hither then out did i bear them, out unto my king, and then quick was he yet, wise, and wit-holding: a many things spake he, that aged in grief-care, and bade me to greet you, and prayed ye would do e'en after your friend's deeds aloft in the bale-stead a howe builded high, most mickle and mighty, as he amongst men was the worthfullest warrior wide over the world, while he the burg-weal erewhile might brook. then so let us hasten this second of whiles 3100 to see and to seek the throng of things strange, the wonder 'neath wall; i shall wise you the way, so that ye from a-near may look on enough of rings and broad gold; and be the bier swiftly all yare thereunto, whenas out we shall fare. then let us so ferry the lord that was ours, the lief man of men, to where long shall he in the all-wielder's keeping full patiently wait. bade then to bid the bairn of that weohstan, the deer of the battle, to a many of warriors, 3110 the house-owning wights, that the wood of the bale they should ferry from far, e'en the folk-owning men, toward the good one. and now shall the gleed fret away, the wan flame a-waxing, the strong one of warriors, him who oft-times abided the shower of iron when the storm of the shafts driven on by the strings shook over the shield-wall, and the shaft held its service, and eager with feather-gear follow'd the barb. now then the wise one, that son was of weohstan, forth from the throng then call'd of the king's thanes 3120 a seven together, the best to be gotten, and himself went the eighth in under the foe-roof; one man of the battlers in hand there he bare a gleam of the fire, of the first went he inward. it was nowise allotted who that hoard should despoil, sithence without warden some deal that there was the men now beheld in the hall there a-wonning, lying there fleeting; little mourn'd any, that they in all haste outward should ferry the dear treasures. but forthwith the drake did they shove, 3130 the worm, o'er the cliff-wall, and let the wave take him, the flood fathom about the fretted works' herd. there then was wounden gold on the wain laden untold of each kind, and the atheling borne, the hoary of warriors, out on to whale-ness. xliii. of the burial of beowulf. for him then they geared, the folk of the geats, a pile on the earth all unweaklike that was, with war-helms behung, and with boards of the battle, and bright byrnies, e'en after the boon that he bade. laid down then amidmost their king mighty-famous 3140 the warriors lamenting, the lief lord of them. began on the burg of bale-fires the biggest the warriors to waken: the wood-reek went up swart over the smoky glow, sound of the flame bewound with the weeping (the wind-blending stilled), until it at last the bone-house had broken hot at the heart. all unglad of mind with mood-care they mourned their own liege lord's quelling. likewise a sad lay the wife of aforetime for beowulf the king, with her hair all upbounden, 3150 sang sorrow-careful; said oft and over that harm-days for herself in hard wise she dreaded, the slaughter-falls many, much fear of the warrior, the shaming and bondage. heaven swallow'd the reek. wrought there and fashion'd the folk of the weders a howe on the lithe, that high was and broad. unto the wave-farers wide to be seen: then it they betimber'd in time of ten days, the battle-strong's beacon; the brands' very-leavings they bewrought with a wall in the worthiest of ways, 3160 that men of all wisdom might find how to work. into burg then they did the rings and bright sun-gems, and all such adornments as in the hoard there the war-minded men had taken e'en now; the earls' treasures let they the earth to be holding, gold in the grit, wherein yet it liveth, as useless to men-folk as ever it erst was. then round the howe rode the deer of the battle, the bairns of the athelings, twelve were they in all. their care would they mourn, and bemoan them their king, 3170 the word-lay would they utter and over the man speak: they accounted his earlship and mighty deeds done, and doughtily deem'd them; as due as it is that each one his friend-lord with words should belaud, and love in his heart, whenas forth shall he away from the body be fleeting at last. in such wise they grieved, the folk of the geats, for the fall of their lord, e'en they his hearth-fellows; quoth they that he was a world-king forsooth, the mildest of all men, unto men kindest, 3180 to his folk the most gentlest, most yearning of fame. persons and places (_numbers refer to pages_) [transcriber's note: in this and the following section, page numbers in parentheses are accompanied by a line reference in brackets.] beanstan, father of breca (31 [524]). beowulf the dane (not beowulf the geat, the hero of the poem) was the grandfather of hrothgar (2, 4 [18, 53]). beowulf the geat. _see_ the argument. breca (30 [506]), who contended with beowulf in swimming, was a chief of the brondings (31 [521]). brisings' neck-gear (70 [1199]). "this necklace is the brisinga-men, the costly necklace of freyja, which she won from the dwarfs and which was stolen from her by loki, as is told in the edda" (kemble). in our poem, it is said that hama carried off this necklace when he fled from eormenric, king of the ostrogoths. dayraven (143 [2500]), a brave warrior of the hugs, and probably the slayer of hygelac, whom, in that case, beowulf avenged. eadgils, eanmund (136, 137 [2379, 2391]), "sons of ohthere," and nephews of the swedish king onela, by whom they were banished from their native land for rebellion. they took refuge at the court of the geat king heardred, and onela, "ongentheow's bairn," enraged at their finding an asylum with his hereditary foes, invaded geatland, and slew heardred. at a later time beowulf, when king of the geats, balanced the feud by supporting eadgils in an invasion of sweden, in which king onela was slain. eanmund (149 [2610]), while in exile at the court of the geats, was slain by weohstan, father of wiglaf, and stripped of the armour given him by his uncle, the swedish king onela. weohstan "spake not about the feud, although he had slain onela's brother's son," probably because he was not proud of having slain an "exile unfriended" in a private quarrel. ecglaf, father of unferth, hrothgar's spokesman (29 [499]). ecgtheow (22 [373]), father of beowulf the geat, by the only daughter of hrethel, king of the geats. having slain heatholaf, a warrior of the wylfings, ecgtheow sought protection at the court of the danish king hrothgar, who accepted his fealty and settled the feud by a money-payment (27 [463]). hence the heartiness of beowulf's welcome at hrothgar's hands. ecgwela. the scyldings or danes are once called "ecgwela's offspring" (99 [1710]). he may have been the founder of the older dynasty of danish kings which ended with heremod. eofor (142, 167-9 [2485, 2963-2996]), a geat warrior, brother of wulf. he came to the aid of his brother in his single combat with the swedish king ongentheow, and slew the king, being rewarded by hygelac with the hand of his only daughter. eotens (61, 62, 66 [1072, 1088, 1141]) are the people of finn, king of friesland. in other passages, it is merely a name for a race of monsters. finn (61-7 [1068-1156]). the somewhat obscure finn episode in _beowulf_ appears to be part of a finn epic, of which only the merest fragment, called the _fight at finnsburg_, is extant. the following conjectured outline of the whole story is based on this fragment and on the beowulf episode; finn, king of the frisians, had carried off hildeburh, daughter of hoc, probably with her consent. her father, hoc, seems to have pursued the fugitives, and to have been slain in the fight which ensued on his overtaking them. after the lapse of some twenty years hoc's sons, hnæf and hengest, are old enough to undertake the duty of avenging their father's death. they make an inroad into finn's country, and a battle takes place in which many warriors, among them hnæf and a son of finn, are killed. peace is then solemnly concluded, and the slain warriors are burnt. as the year is too far advanced for hengest to return home, he and those of his men who survive remain for the winter in the frisian country with finn. but hengest's thoughts dwell constantly on the death of his brother hnæf, and he would gladly welcome any excuse to break the peace which had been sworn by both parties. his ill-concealed desire for revenge is noticed by the frisians, who anticipate it by themselves attacking hengest and his men whilst they are sleeping in the hall. this is the night attack described in the _fight at finnsburg_. it would seem that after a brave and desperate resistance hengest himself falls in this fight at the hands of the son of hunlaf (66 [1143]), but two of his retainers, guthlaf and oslaf, succeed in cutting their way through their enemies and in escaping to their own land. they return with fresh troops, attack and slay finn, and carry his queen hildeburh back to the daneland. folkwalda (62 [1089]), father of finn. franks (70, 165 [1210, 2911]). hygelac, king of the geats, was defeated and slain early in the sixth century, in his historical invasion of the netherlands, by a combined army of frisians, franks, and hugs. freawaru (116 [2022]), daughter of hrothgar and wealhtheow. beowulf tells hygelac that her father has betrothed her to ingeld, prince of the heathobards, in the hope of settling the feud between the two peoples. but he prophesies that the hope will prove vain: for an old heathobard warrior, seeing a danish chieftain accompany freawaru to their court laden with heathobard spoils, will incite the son of the former owner of the plundered treasure to revenge, until blood is shed, and the feud is renewed. that this was what afterwards befell, we learn from the old english poem _widsith_. _see also_ ll. 83-5. friesland (65 [1126]), the land of the north frisians. frieslands (135 [2356]), frisian land (165 [2914]), the home of the west frisians. frisians. two tribes are to be distinguished: 1. the north frisians (61, 63 [1070, 1093]), the people of finn. 2. the west frisians (143, 165 [2502, 2911]), who combined with the franks and hugs and defeated hygelac, between 512 and 520 a.d. froda (117 [2025]), father of ingeld. _see_ freawaru. guthlaf and oslaf (66 [1148]). _see_ finn. hæreth (112, 114 [1929, 1981]), father of hygd, wife of hygelac. hæthcyn (139, 142, 165 [2433, 2481, 2924]), second son of hrethel, king of the geats, and thus elder brother of hygelac. he accidentally killed his elder brother herebeald with a bow-shot, to the inconsolable grief of hrethel. he succeeded to the throne at his father's death, but fell in battle at ravenwood (165 [2924]) by the hand of the swedish king ongentheow. half-danes (61 [1069]), the tribe to which hnæf belongs. _see_ finn. hama (69 [1198]). _see_ brisings. healfdene (4 [57]), king of the danes, son of beowulf the scylding, and father of hrothgar, "healfdene's son" (16 [268]). heardred (126, 136-7 [2202, 2374-2387]), son of hygelac and hygd. while still under age he succeeds his father as king of the geats, beowulf, who has refused the throne himself, being his counsellor and protector. he is slain by "ongentheow's bairn" (137 [2386]), onela, king of the swedes. heathobards, lombards, the tribe of ingeld, the betrothed of freawaru, hrothgar's daughter (117 [2032]). heatholaf (27 [460]). _see_ ecgtheow. helmings. "the dame of the helmings" (36 [620]) is hrothgar's queen, wealhtheow. hemming. "the kinsman of hemming" is a name for offa (112 [1944]) and for his son eomær (113 [1961]). hengest (62-5 [1083-1127]). _see_ finn. heorogar (5 [61]), elder brother of hrothgar (27 [467]), did not leave his armour to his son heoroward (124 [2158]); but hrothgar gives it to beowulf, and beowulf gives it to hygelac. herebeald (139, 141 [2433, 2462]), eldest son of the geat king hrethel, was accidentally shot dead with an arrow by his brother hæthcyn. heremod (53, 99 [915, 1709]) is twice spoken of as a bad and cruel danish king. in the end he is betrayed into the hands of his foes. hereric may have been brother of hygd, hygelac's queen, for their son heardred is spoken of as "the nephew of hereric" (126 [2206]). here-scyldings (64 [1108]), army-scyldings, a name of the danes. hetware (135, 165 [2362, 2915]), the hattuarii of the _historia francorum_ of gregory of tours and of the _gesta regum francorum_, were the tribe against which hygelac was raiding when he was defeated and slain by an army of frisians, franks, and hugs. hildeburh (61, 64 [1071, 1114]). _see_ finn. hnæf (61, 64 [1069, 1114]). _see_ finn. hoc (62 [1076]). _see_ finn. hrethel, a former king of the geats; son of swerting (70 [1202]), father of hygelac and grandfather of beowulf (22 [374]), to whom he left his coat of mail (26 [454]). he died of grief at the loss of his eldest son herebeald (139-42) [2429-2473], who was accidentally slain by his brother hæthcyn. [transcriber's note: page 70 [l. 1202] text reads "hygelac ... grandson of swerting." hrethel is not named.] hrethlings (167 [2959]), the people of hrethel, the geats. hrethmen (26 [445]), triumph-men, the danes. hrethric (69, 106 [1189, 1836]), elder son of hrothgar and wealhtheow. hrothgar. _see_ the argument. hrothulf (59, 68 [1017, 1181]), probably the son of hrothgar's younger brother halga (5 [61]). he lives at the danish court. wealhtheow hopes that, if he survives hrothgar, he will be good to their children in return for their kindness to him. it would seem that this hope was not to be fulfilled ("yet of kindred unsunder'd," 67 [1164]). hygd, daughter of hæreth, wife of hygelac, the king of the geats, and mother of heardred. she may well be "the wife of aforetime" (177 [3149]). hygelac, third son of hrethel (139 [2433]) and uncle to beowulf, is the reigning king of the geats during the greater part of the action of the poem. when his brother hæthcyn was defeated and slain by ongentheow at ravenwood (165 [2923]), hygelac quickly went in pursuit and put ongentheow to flight; but although, as leader of the attack, he is called "the banesman of ongentheow" (114 [1986]), the actual slayer was eofor (142, 167 [2485, 2963]), whom hygelac rewarded with the hand of his only daughter (169 [2996]). hygelac came by his death between 512 and 520 a.d., in his historical invasion of the netherlands, which is referred to in the poem four times (70, 135, 143, 165 [1207, 2356, 2502, 2911]). ing (147 [2576]). _see_ ingwines. ingeld (119 [2064]). _see_ freawaru. ingwines (60, 77 [1044, 1319]), "friends of ing," the danes. ing, according to the old english _rune-poem_, "was first seen by men amid the east danes"; he has been identified with frea. merwing, the (165 [2920]), the merovingian king of the franks. offa (113 [1949]). _see_ thrytho. ohthere (136-7, 165 [2379-2393, 2927]), son of the swedish king ongentheow, and father of eanmund and eadgils (_q.v._). onela, "ongentheow's bairn" (137 [2386]) and elder brother of ohthere, is king of sweden ("the helm of the scylfings," 136 [2380]) at the time of the rebellion of eanmund and eadgils. he invades the land of the geats, which has harboured the rebels, slays heardred, son of hygelac, and then retreats before beowulf. at a later time beowulf avenges the death of heardred by supporting eadgils, "son of ohthere" (137 [2393]), in an invasion of sweden, in which onela is slain. _see also_ eadgils; and compare the slaying of ali by athils on the ice of lake wener in the icelandic "heimskringla." ongentheow, father of onela and ohthere, was a former king of the swedes. the earlier strife between the swedes and the geats, in which he is the chief figure, is fully related by the messenger (164 [2891]) who brings the tidings of beowulf's death. in retaliation for the marauding invasions of onela and ohthere (142 [2474]), hæthcyn invaded sweden, and took ongentheow's queen prisoner. ongentheow in return invaded the land of her captor, whom he slew, and rescued his wife (165 [2923]); but in his hour of triumph he was attacked in his turn by hygelac near ravenwood, and fell by the hand of eofor (168 [2960]). scaney (97 [1686]), scede-lands (2 [19]), the most southern portion of the scandinavian peninsula, belonging to the danes; used in our poem for the whole danish kingdom. scyld (1 [4]), son of sheaf, was the mythical founder of the royal danish dynasty of scyldings. scyldings, descendants of scyld, properly the name of the reigning danish dynasty, is commonly extended to include the danish people (3 [30]). scylfing: "the scylfing" (167 [2967]), "the aged of scylfings" (142 [2486]), is ongentheow. scylfings (136 [2380]), the name of the reigning swedish dynasty, was extended to the swedish people in the same way as "scyldings" to the danes. beowulf's kinsman wiglaf is called "lord of scylfings" (149 [2601]), and in another passage the name is apparently applied to the geats (170 [3004]); this seems to point to a common ancestry of swedes and geats, or it may be that beowulf's father ecgtheow was a "scylfing." thrytho (112 [1931]), wife of the angle king offa and mother of eomær, is mentioned in contrast to hygd, just as heremod is a foil to beowulf. she is at first the type of a cruel, unwomanly queen. but by her marriage with offa, who seems to be her second husband, she is subdued and changed until her fame even adds glory to his. unferth, son of ecglaf, is the spokesman of hrothgar, at whose feet he sits. he is of a jealous disposition, and is twice spoken of as the murderer of his own brothers (34, 67 [587, 1165]). taunting beowulf with defeat in his swimming-match with breca, he is silenced by the hero's reply, and more effectually still by the issue of the struggle with grendel (57 [980]). afterwards, however, he lends his sword hrunting for beowulf's encounter with grendel's mother (85, 104 [1465, 1808]). wægmundings (149, 160 [2605, 2803]), the family to which both beowulf and wiglaf belong. their fathers, ecgtheow and weohstan, may have been sons of wægmund. wedermark (17 [298]), the land of the weder-geats, _i.e._ the geats. weders, weder-geats (13, 86, 122 [225, 1492, 2120]), geats. weland (26 [455]), the völund of the edda, the famous smith of teutonic legend, was the maker of beowulf's coat of mail. see the figured casket in the british museum; and compare "wayland smith's cave" near the white horse, in berkshire. weohstan was the father of beowulf's kinsman and faithful henchman wiglaf, and the slayer of eanmund (149 [2601]). wonred, father of "wulf the wonreding" (167 [2964]), and of eofor. wulf (167 [2964]). _see_ eofor. wulfgar, "a lord of the wendels" (20 [348]), is an official of hrothgar's court, where he is the first to greet beowulf and his geats, and introduces them to hrothgar. wythergyld (118 [2051]) is a warrior of the heathobards. the meaning of some words not commonly used now (_numbers refer to pages_) [transcriber's note: in this and the previous section, page numbers in parentheses are accompanied by a line reference in brackets.] _a-banning, the work was_ (5) [74], orders for the work were given. _arede_ (119) [2056], possess. _atheling_, prince, noble, noble warrior. _barm_, lap, bosom. _behalsed_ (5 [63]), embraced by the neck. _berne_, man, warrior, hero. _bestead_ (143 [2499]), served. _beswealed_, scorched, burnt. _beswinked_, sweated. _birlers_, cup-bearers. _board_, shield. _bode_, announce. _bollen_, swollen, angry. _boot_ (9 [158]), compensation. _boun_ (18 [301]), made ready. _braided_ (147 [2574]), drew, lifted. _brim_, sea. _brook_, use, enjoy. _burg_, fortified place, stronghold, mount, barrow; protection; protector; family (163 [2886]). _byrny_, coat of mail. _devil-dray_, nest of devils. cf. _squirrel's-dray_, common in berks; used by cowper. _dreary_, bloody. _dree_, do, accomplish, suffer, enjoy, spend (155 [2725]). _ealdor_, chief, lord. _eme_, uncle. _eoten_, giant, monster, enemy. _fathom_, embrace. _feeless_, not to be atoned for with money. _ferry_, bring, carry. _fifel_, monster. _flyting_, contending, scolding. _fold_, the earth. _forheed_, disregard. _forwritten_, proscribed. _frist_, space of time, delay. _gar_, spear. _graithly_, readily, well. _halse_, neck. _hand-shoal_, band of warriors. _hery_, praise. _hild-play_, battle. _holm_, ocean, sea. _holm-throng_, eddy of the sea. _holt_, wood. _hote_, call. _howe_, mound, burial-mound. _hythe_, ferry, haven. _kemp_, champion, fighter. _lithe_, slope. _loom_, heirloom. _low_ (133 [2320]), flame. _lyke_, body. _moody_, brave, proud. _nicors_, sea-monsters. _nithing_ (12 [193]), spite, malice. _o'erthinking_, overweening, arrogance. _rail, railings_, coat, armour. _rimed_, counted, reckoned. _sea-lode_, sea-voyage. _sin_, malice, hatred, hostility. _skinked_, poured out. _slot_, track. _staple_, threshold. _stone-bow_, arch of stone. _sty_, stride, ascend, descend. _sweal_, burn. _through-witting_, understanding. _undern_, from 9 o'clock till 12 o'clock; "at undren and at middai," o.e. miscellany. _warths_, shores, still in use at wick st. lawrence, in somerset. _wick_, dwelling. _wick-stead_, dwelling-place. _wise_, direct, show. _wit-lust_, curiosity. _worth_, shall be. _wreak_, utter. _wyte_, blame, charge with. _yare_, ready. _yode_, went. * * * * * errors and inconsistencies list of names dayraven, ravenwood _both names hyphenated in body text_ freawaru _text reads "ereawaru"_ hrethel ... at the loss of his eldest son herebeald (139-42) _text reads "-41"_ wythergyld _name spelled "withergyld" in body text_ glossary _arede_ (119) [2056], possess. _text reads "(118)"_ the enchanted island of yew whereon prince marvel encountered the high ki of twi and other surprising people by l. frank baum author of "the wizard of oz," "the life and adventures of santa claus," "the magical monarch of mo," etc. contents 1. once on a time 2. the enchanted isle 3. the fairy bower 4. prince marvel 5. the king of thieves 6. the troubles of nerle 7. the gray men 8. the fool-killer 9. the royal dragon of spor 10. prince marvel wins his fight 11. the cunning of king terribus 12. the gift of beauty 13. the hidden kingdom of twi 14. the ki and the ki-ki 15. the high ki of twi 16. the rebellion of the high ki 17. the separation of the high ki 18. the rescue of the high ki 19. the reunion of the high ki 20. kwytoffle, the tyrant 21. the wonderful book of magic 22. the queen of plenta 23. the red rogue of dawna 24. the enchanted mirrors 25. the adventurers separate 26. the end of the year 27. a hundred years afterward 1. "once on a time" i am going to tell a story, one of those tales of astonishing adventures that happened years and years and years ago. perhaps you wonder why it is that so many stories are told of "once on a time", and so few of these days in which we live; but that is easily explained. in the old days, when the world was young, there were no automobiles nor flying-machines to make one wonder; nor were there railway trains, nor telephones, nor mechanical inventions of any sort to keep people keyed up to a high pitch of excitement. men and women lived simply and quietly. they were nature's children, and breathed fresh air into their lungs instead of smoke and coal gas; and tramped through green meadows and deep forests instead of riding in street cars; and went to bed when it grew dark and rose with the sun--which is vastly different from the present custom. having no books to read they told their adventures to one another and to their little ones; and the stories were handed down from generation to generation and reverently believed. those who peopled the world in the old days, having nothing but their hands to depend on, were to a certain extent helpless, and so the fairies were sorry for them and ministered to their wants patiently and frankly, often showing themselves to those they befriended. so people knew fairies in those days, my dear, and loved them, together with all the ryls and knooks and pixies and nymphs and other beings that belong to the hordes of immortals. and a fairy tale was a thing to be wondered at and spoken of in awed whispers; for no one thought of doubting its truth. to-day the fairies are shy; for so many curious inventions of men have come into use that the wonders of fairyland are somewhat tame beside them, and even the boys and girls can not be so easily interested or surprised as in the old days. so the sweet and gentle little immortals perform their tasks unseen and unknown, and live mostly in their own beautiful realms, where they are almost unthought of by our busy, bustling world. yet when we come to story-telling the marvels of our own age shrink into insignificance beside the brave deeds and absorbing experiences of the days when fairies were better known; and so we go back to "once on a time" for the tales that we most love--and that children have ever loved since mankind knew that fairies exist. 2. the enchanted isle once there was an enchanted island in the middle of the sea. it was called the isle of yew. and in it were five important kingdoms ruled by men, and many woodland dells and forest glades and pleasant meadows and grim mountains inhabited by fairies. from the fairies some of the men had learned wonderful secrets, and had become magicians and sorcerers, with powers so great that the entire island was reputed to be one of enchantments. who these men were the common people did not always know; for while some were kings and rulers, others lived quietly hidden away in forests or mountains, and seldom or never showed themselves. indeed, there were not so many of these magicians as people thought, only it was so hard to tell them from common folk that every stranger was regarded with a certain amount of curiosity and fear. the island was round--like a mince pie. and it was divided into four quarters--also like a pie--except that there was a big place in the center where the fifth kingdom, called spor, lay in the midst of the mountains. spor was ruled by king terribus, whom no one but his own subjects had ever seen--and not many of them. for no one was allowed to enter the kingdom of spor, and its king never left his palace. but the people of spor had a bad habit of rushing down from their mountains and stealing the goods of the inhabitants of the other four kingdoms, and carrying them home with them, without offering any apologies whatever for such horrid conduct. sometimes those they robbed tried to fight them; but they were a terrible people, consisting of giants with huge clubs, and dwarfs who threw flaming darts, and the stern gray men of spor, who were most frightful of all. so, as a rule, every one fled before them, and the people were thankful that the fierce warriors of spor seldom came to rob them oftener than once a year. it was on this account that all who could afford the expense built castles to live in, with stone walls so thick that even the giants of spor could not batter them down. and the children were not allowed to stray far from home for fear some roving band of robbers might steal them and make their parents pay large sums for their safe return. yet for all this the people of the enchanted isle of yew were happy and prosperous. no grass was greener, no forests more cool and delightful, no skies more sunny, no sea more blue and rippling than theirs. and the nations of the world envied them, but dared not attempt to conquer an island abounding in enchantments. 3. the fairy bower that part of the enchanted isle which was kissed by the rising sun was called dawna; the kingdom that was tinted rose and purple by the setting sun was known as auriel, and the southland, where fruits and flowers abounded, was the kingdom of plenta. up at the north lay heg, the home of the great barons who feared not even the men of spor; and in the kingdom of heg our story opens. upon a beautiful plain stood the castle of the great baron merd--renowned alike in war and peace, and second in importance only to the king of heg. it was a castle of vast extent, built with thick walls and protected by strong gates. in front of it sloped a pretty stretch of land with the sea glistening far beyond; and back of it, but a short distance away, was the edge of the forest of lurla. one fair summer day the custodian of the castle gates opened a wicket and let down a draw-bridge, when out trooped three pretty girls with baskets dangling on their arms. one of the maids walked in front of her companions, as became the only daughter of the mighty baron merd. she was named seseley, and had yellow hair and red cheeks and big, blue eyes. behind her, merry and laughing, yet with a distinct deference to the high station of their young lady, walked berna and helda--dark brunettes with mischievous eyes and slender, lithe limbs. berna was the daughter of the chief archer, and helda the niece of the captain of the guard, and they were appointed play-fellows and comrades of the fair seseley. up the hill to the forest's edge ran the three, and then without hesitation plunged into the shade of the ancient trees. there was no sunlight now, but the air was cool and fragrant of nuts and mosses, and the children skipped along the paths joyously and without fear. to be sure, the forest of lurla was well known as the home of fairies, but seseley and her comrades feared nothing from such gentle creatures and only longed for an interview with the powerful immortals whom they had been taught to love as the tender guardians of mankind. nymphs there were in lurla, as well, and crooked knooks, it was said; yet for many years past no person could boast the favor of meeting any one of the fairy creatures face to face. so, gathering a few nuts here and a sweet forest flower there, the three maidens walked farther and farther into the forest until they came upon a clearing--formed like a circle--with mosses and ferns for its carpet and great overhanging branches for its roof. "how pretty!" cried seseley, gaily. "let us eat our luncheon in this lovely banquet-hall!" so berna and helda spread a cloth and brought from their baskets some golden platters and a store of food. yet there was little ceremony over the meal, you may be sure, and within a short space all the children had satisfied their appetites and were laughing and chatting as merrily as if they were at home in the great castle. indeed, it is certain they were happier in their forest glade than when facing grim walls of stone, and the three were in such gay spirits that whatever one chanced to say the others promptly joined in laughing over. soon, however, they were startled to hear a silvery peal of laughter answering their own, and turning to see whence the sound proceeded, they found seated near them a creature so beautiful that at once the three pairs of eyes opened to their widest extent, and three hearts beat much faster than before. "well, i must say you do stare!" exclaimed the newcomer, who was clothed in soft floating robes of rose and pearl color, and whose eyes shone upon them like two stars. "forgive our impertinence," answered the little lady seseley, trying to appear dignified and unmoved; "but you must acknowledge that you came among us uninvited, and--and you are certainly rather odd in appearance." again the silvery laughter rang through the glade. "uninvited!" echoed the creature, clapping her hands together delightedly; "uninvited to my own forest home! why, my dear girls, you are the uninvited ones--indeed you are--to thus come romping into our fairy bower." the children did not open their eyes any wider on hearing this speech, for they could not; but their faces expressed their amazement fully, while helda gasped the words: "a fairy bower! we are in a fairy bower!" "most certainly," was the reply. "and as for being odd in appearance, let me ask how you could reasonably expect a fairy to appear as mortal maidens do?" "a fairy!" exclaimed seseley. "are you, then, a real fairy?" "i regret to say i am," returned the other, more soberly, as she patted a moss-bank with a silver-tipped wand. then for a moment there was silence, while the three girls sat very still and stared at their immortal companion with evident curiosity. finally seseley asked: "why do you regret being a fairy? i have always thought them the happiest creatures in the world." "perhaps we ought to be happy," answered the fairy, gravely, "for we have wonderful powers and do much to assist you helpless mortals. and i suppose some of us really are happy. but, for my part, i am so utterly tired of a fairy life that i would do anything to change it." "that is strange," declared berna. "you seem very young to be already discontented with your lot." now at this the fairy burst into laughter again, and presently asked: "how old do you think me?" "about our own age," said berna, after a glance at her and a moment's reflection. "nonsense!" retorted the fairy, sharply. "these trees are hundreds of years old, yet i remember when they were mere twigs. and i remember when mortals first came to live upon this island, yes--and when this island was first created and rose from the sea after a great earthquake. i remember for many, many centuries, my dears. i have grown tired of remembering--and of being a fairy continually, without any change to brighten my life." "to be sure!" said seseley, with sympathy. "i never thought of fairy life in that way before. it must get to be quite tiresome." "and think of the centuries i must yet live!" exclaimed the fairy in a dismal voice. "isn't it an awful thing to look forward to?" "it is, indeed," agreed seseley. "i'd be glad to exchange lives with you," said helda, looking at the fairy with intense admiration. "but you can't do that," answered the little creature quickly. "mortals can't become fairies, you know--although i believe there was once a mortal who was made immortal." "but fairies can become anything they desire!" cried berna. "oh, no, they can't. you are mistaken if you believe that," was the reply. "i could change you into a fly, or a crocodile, or a bobolink, if i wanted to; but fairies can't change themselves into anything else." "how strange!" murmured seseley, much impressed. "but you can," cried the fairy, jumping up and coming toward them. "you are mortals, and, by the laws that govern us, a mortal can change a fairy into anything she pleases." "oh!" said seseley, filled with amazement at the idea. the fairy fell on her knees before the baron's daughter. "please--please, dear seseley," she pleaded, "change me into a mortal!" 4. prince marvel it is easy to imagine the astonishment of the three girls at hearing this strange request. they gazed in a bewildered fashion upon the kneeling fairy, and were at first unable to answer one word. then seseley said--sadly, for she grieved to disappoint the pretty creature: "we are but mortal children, and have no powers of enchantment at all." "ah, that is true, so far as concerns yourselves," replied the fairy, eagerly; "yet mortals may easily transform fairies into anything they wish." "if that is so, why have we never heard of this power before?" asked seseley. "because fairies, as a rule, are content with their lot, and do not wish to appear in any form but their own. and, knowing that evil or mischievous mortals can transform them at will, the fairies take great care to remain invisible, so they can not be interfered with. have you ever," she asked, suddenly, "seen a fairy before?" "never," replied seseley. "nor would you have seen me to-day, had i not known you were kind and pure-hearted, or had i not resolved to ask you to exercise your powers upon me." "i must say," remarked helda, boldly, "that you are foolish to wish to become anything different from what you are." "for you are very beautiful now," added berna, admiringly. "beautiful!" retorted the fairy, with a little frown; "what does beauty amount to, if one is to remain invisible?" "not much, that is true," agreed berna, smoothing her own dark locks. "and as for being foolish," continued the fairy, "i ought to be allowed to act foolishly if i want to. for centuries past i have not had a chance to do a single foolish thing." "poor dear!" said helda, softly. seseley had listened silently to this conversation. now she inquired: "what do you wish to become?" "a mortal!" answered the fairy, promptly. "a girl, like ourselves?" questioned the baron's daughter. "perhaps," said the fairy, as if undecided. "then you would be likely to endure many privations," said seseley, gently. "for you would have neither father nor mother to befriend you, nor any house to live in." "and if you hired your services to some baron, you would be obliged to wash dishes all day, or mend clothing, or herd cattle," said berna. "but i should travel all over the island," said the fairy, brightly, "and that is what i long to do. i do not care to work." "i fear a girl would not be allowed to travel alone," seseley remarked, after some further thought. "at least," she added, "i have never heard of such a thing." "no," said the fairy, rather bitterly, "your men are the ones that roam abroad and have adventures of all kinds. your women are poor, weak creatures, i remember." there was no denying this, so the three girls sat silent until seseley asked: "why do you wish to become a mortal?" "to gain exciting experiences," answered the fairy. "i'm tired of being a humdrum fairy year in and year out. of course, i do not wish to become a mortal for all time, for that would get monotonous, too; but to live a short while as the earth people do would amuse me very much." "if you want variety, you should become a boy," said helda, with a laugh, "the life of a boy is one round of excitement." "then make me a boy!" exclaimed the fairy eagerly. "a boy!" they all cried in consternation. and seseley added: "why--you're a girl fairy, aren't you?" "well--yes; i suppose i am," answered the beautiful creature, smiling; "but as you are going to change me anyway, i may as well become a boy as a girl." "better!" declared helda, clapping her hands; "for then you can do as you please." "but would it be right?" asked seseley, with hesitation. "why not?" retorted the fairy. "i can see nothing wrong in being a boy. make me a tall, slender youth, with waving brown hair and dark eyes. then i shall be as unlike my own self as possible, and the adventure will be all the more interesting. yes; i like the idea of being a boy very much indeed." "but i don't know how to transform you; some one will have to show me the way to do it," protested seseley, who was getting worried over the task set her. "oh, that will be easy enough," returned the little immortal. "have you a wand?" "no." "then i'll loan you mine, for i shall not need it. and you must wave it over my head three times and say: 'by my mortal powers i transform you into a boy for the space of one year'." "one year! isn't that too long?" "it's a very short time to one who has lived thousands of years as a fairy." "that is true," answered the baron's daughter. "now, i'll begin by doing a little transforming myself," said the fairy, getting upon her feet again, "and you can watch and see how i do it." she brushed a bit of moss from her gauzy skirts and continued: "if i'm to become a boy i shall need a horse, you know. a handsome, prancing steed, very fleet of foot." a moment she stood motionless, as if listening. then she uttered a low but shrill whistle. the three girls, filled with eager interest, watched her intently. presently a trampling of footsteps was heard through the brushwood, and a beautiful deer burst from the forest and fearlessly ran to the fairy. without hesitation she waved her wand above the deer's head and exclaimed: "by all my fairy powers i command you to become a war-horse for the period of one year." instantly the deer disappeared, and in its place was a handsome charger, milk-white in color, with flowing mane and tail. upon its back was a saddle sparkling with brilliant gems sewn upon fine dressed leather. the girls uttered cries of astonishment and delight, and the fairy said: "you see, these transformations are not at all difficult. i must now have a sword." she plucked a twig from a near-by tree and cast it upon the ground at her feet. again she waved her wand--and the twig turned to a gleaming sword, richly engraved, that seemed to the silent watchers to tremble slightly in its sheath, as if its heart of steel throbbed with hopes of battles to come. "and now i must have shield and armor," said the fairy, gaily. "this will make a shield,"--and she stripped a sheet of loose bark from a tree-trunk,--"but for armor i must have something better. will you give me your cloak?" this appeal was made to seseley, and the baron's daughter drew her white velvet cloak from her shoulders and handed it to the fairy. a moment later it was transformed into a suit of glittering armor that seemed fashioned of pure silver inlaid with gold, while the sheet of bark at the same time became a handsome shield, with the figures of three girls graven upon it. seseley recognized the features as those of herself and her comrades, and noted also that they appeared sitting at the edge of a forest, the great trees showing plainly in the background. "i shall be your champion, you see," laughed the fairy, gleefully, "and maybe i shall be able to repay you for the loss of your cloak." "i do not mind the cloak," returned the child, who had been greatly interested in these strange transformations. "but it seems impossible that a dainty little girl like you can ride this horse and carry these heavy arms." "i'll not be a girl much longer," said the little creature. "here, take my wand, and transform me into a noble youth!" again the pretty fairy kneeled before seseley, her dainty, rounded limbs of white and rose showing plainly through her gauzy attire. and the baron's daughter was suddenly inspired to be brave, not wishing to disappoint the venturous immortal. so she rose and took the magic wand in her hand, waving it three times above the head of the fairy. "by my powers as a mortal," she said, marveling even then at the strange speech, "i command you to become a brave and gallant youth--handsome, strong, fearless! and such shall you remain for the space of one year." as she ceased speaking the fairy was gone, and a slender youth, dark-eyed and laughing, was holding her hand in his and kissing it gratefully. "i thank you, most lovely maiden," he said, in a pleasant voice, "for giving me a place in the world of mortals. i shall ride at once in search of adventure, but my good sword is ever at your service." with this he gracefully arose and began to buckle on his magnificent armor and to fasten the sword to his belt. seseley drew a long, sighing breath of amazement at her own powers, and turning to berna and helda she asked: "do i see aright? is the little fairy really transformed to this youth?" "it certainly seems so," returned helda, who, being unabashed by the marvels she had beheld, turned to gaze boldly upon the young knight. "do you still remember that a moment ago you were a fairy?" she inquired. "yes, indeed," said he, smiling; "and i am really a fairy now, being but changed in outward form. but no one must know this save yourselves, until the year has expired and i resume my true station. will you promise to guard my secret?" "oh, yes!" they exclaimed, in chorus. for they were delighted, as any children might well be, at having so remarkable a secret to keep and talk over among themselves. "i must ask one more favor," continued the youth: "that you give me a name; for in this island i believe all men bear names of some sort, to distinguish them one from another." "true," said seseley, thoughtfully. "what were you called as a fairy?" "that does not matter in the least," he answered, hastily. "i must have an entirely new name." "suppose we call him the silver knight," suggested berna, as she eyed his glistening armor. "oh, no!--that is no name at all!" declared helda. "we might better call him baron strongarm." "i do not like that, either," said the lady seseley, "for we do not know whether his arm is strong or not. but he has been transformed in a most astonishing and bewildering manner before our very eyes, and i think the name of prince marvel would suit him very well." "excellent!" cried the youth, picking up his richly graven shield. "the name seems fitting in every way. and for a year i shall be known to all this island as prince marvel!" 5. the king of thieves old marshelm, the captain of the guard, was much surprised when he saw the baron's daughter and her playmates approach her father's castle escorted by a knight in glittering armor. to be sure it was a rather small knight, but the horse he led by the bridle was so stately and magnificent in appearance that old marshelm, who was an excellent judge of horses, at once decided the stranger must be a personage of unusual importance. as they came nearer the captain of the guard also observed the beauty of the little knight's armor, and caught the glint of jewels set in the handle of his sword; so he called his men about him and prepared to receive the knight with the honors doubtless due his high rank. but to the captain's disappointment the stranger showed no intention of entering the castle. on the contrary, he kissed the little lady seseley's hand respectfully, waved an adieu to the others, and then mounted his charger and galloped away over the plains. the drawbridge was let down to permit the three children to enter, and the great baron merd came himself to question his daughter. "who was the little knight?" he asked. "his name is prince marvel," answered seseley, demurely. "prince marvel?" exclaimed the baron. "i have never heard of him. does he come from the kingdom of dawna, or that of auriel, or plenta?" "that i do not know," said seseley, with truth. "where did you meet him?" continued the baron. "in the forest, my father, and he kindly escorted us home." "hm!" muttered the baron, thoughtfully. "did he say what adventure brought him to our kingdom of heg?" "no, father. but he mentioned being in search of adventure." "oh, he'll find enough to busy him in this wild island, where every man he meets would rather draw his sword than eat," returned the old warrior, smiling. "how old may this prince marvel be?" "he looks not over fifteen years of age," said seseley, uneasy at so much questioning, for she did not wish to be forced to tell an untruth. "but it is possible he is much older," she added, beginning to get confused. "well, well; i am sorry he did not pay my castle a visit," declared the baron. "he is very small and slight to be traveling this dangerous country alone, and i might have advised him as to his welfare." seseley thought that prince marvel would need no advice from any one as to his conduct; but she wisely refrained from speaking this thought, and the old baron walked away to glance through a slit in the stone wall at the figure of the now distant knight. prince marvel was riding swiftly toward the brow of the hill, and shortly his great war-horse mounted the ascent and disappeared on its farther slope. the youth's heart was merry and light, and he reflected joyously, as he rode along, that a whole year of freedom and fascinating adventure lay before him. the valley in which he now found himself was very beautiful, the soft grass beneath his horse's feet being sprinkled with bright flowers, while clumps of trees stood here and there to break the monotony of the landscape. for an hour the prince rode along, rejoicing in the free motion of his horse and breathing in the perfume-laden air. then he found he had crossed the valley and was approaching a series of hills. these were broken by huge rocks, the ground being cluttered with boulders of rough stone. his horse speedily found a pathway leading through these rocks, but was obliged to proceed at a walk, turning first one way and then another as the path zigzagged up the hill. presently, being engaged in deep thought and little noting the way, prince marvel rode between two high walls of rock standing so close together that horse and rider could scarcely pass between the sides. having traversed this narrow space some distance the wall opened suddenly upon a level plat of ground, where grass and trees grew. it was not a very big place, but was surely the end of the path, as all around it stood bare walls so high and steep that neither horse nor man could climb them. in the side of the rocky wall facing the entrance the traveler noticed a hollow, like the mouth of a cave, across which was placed an iron gate. and above the gateway was painted in red letters on the gray stone the following words: wul-takim king of thieves ----- his treasure house keep out prince marvel laughed on reading this, and after getting down from his saddle he advanced to the iron gate and peered through its heavy bars. "i have no idea who this wul-takim is," he said, "for i know nothing at all of the ways of men outside the forest in which i have always dwelt. but thieves are bad people, i am quite sure, and since wul-takim is the king of thieves he must be by far the worst man on this island." then he saw, through the bars of the gate, that a great cavern lay beyond, in which were stacked treasures of all sorts: rich cloths, golden dishes and ornaments, gemmed coronets and bracelets, cleverly forged armor, shields and battle-axes. also there were casks and bales of merchandise of every sort. the gate appeared to have no lock, so prince marvel opened it and walked in. then he perceived, perched on the very top of a pyramid of casks, the form of a boy, who sat very still and watched him with a look of astonishment upon his face. "what are you doing up there?" asked the prince. "nothing," said the boy. "if i moved the least little bit this pile of casks would topple over, and i should be thrown to the ground." "well," returned the prince, "what of it?" but just then he glanced at the ground and saw why the boy did not care to tumble down. for in the earth were planted many swords, with their sharp blades pointing upward, and to fall upon these meant serious wounds and perhaps death. "oh, ho!" cried marvel; "i begin to understand. you are a prisoner." "yes; as you will also be shortly," answered the boy. "and then you will understand another thing--that you were very reckless ever to enter this cave." "why?" inquired the prince, who really knew little of the world, and was interested in everything he saw and heard. "because it is the stronghold of the robber king, and when you opened that gate you caused a bell to ring far down on the hillside. so the robbers are now warned that an enemy is in their cave, and they will soon arrive to make you a prisoner, even as i am." "ah, i see!" said the prince, with a laugh, "it is a rather clever contrivance; but having been warned in time i should indeed be foolish to be caught in such a trap." with this he half drew his sword, but thinking that robbers were not worthy to be slain with its untarnished steel, he pushed it back into the jeweled scabbard and looked around for another weapon. a stout oaken staff lay upon the ground, and this he caught up and ran with it from the cave, placing himself just beside the narrow opening that led into this rock-encompassed plain. for he quickly saw that this was the only way any one could enter or leave the place, and therefore knew the robbers were coming up the narrow gorge even as he had himself done. soon they were heard stumbling along at a rapid pace, crying to one another to make haste and catch the intruder. the first that came through the opening received so sharp a blow upon the head from prince marvel's oak staff that he fell to the ground and lay still, while the next was treated in a like manner and fell beside his comrade. perhaps the thieves had not expected so sturdy an enemy, for they continued to rush through the opening in the rocks and to fall beneath the steady blows of the prince's staff until every one of them lay senseless before the victor. at first they had piled themselves upon one another very neatly; but the pile got so high at last that the prince was obliged to assist the last thieves to leap to the top of the heap before they completely lost their senses. i have no doubt our prince, feeling himself yet strange in the new form he had acquired, and freshly transported from the forest glades in which he had always lived, was fully as much astonished at his deed of valor as were the robbers themselves; and if he shuddered a little when looking upon the heap of senseless thieves you must forgive him this weakness. for he straightway resolved to steel his heart to such sights and to be every bit as stern and severe as a mortal knight would have been. throwing down his staff he ran to the cave again, and stepping between the sword points he approached the pile of casks and held out his arms to the boy who was perched upon the top. "the thieves are conquered," he cried. "jump down!" "i won't," said the boy. "why not?" inquired the prince. "can't you see i'm very miserable?" asked the boy, in return; "don't you understand that every minute i expect to fall upon those sword points?" "but i will catch you," cried the prince. "i don't want you to catch me," said the boy. "i want to be miserable. it's the first chance i've ever had, and i'm enjoying my misery very much." this speech so astonished prince marvel that for a moment he stood motionless. then he retorted, angrily: "you're a fool!" "if i wasn't so miserable up here, i'd come down and thrash you for that," said the boy, with a sigh. this answer so greatly annoyed prince marvel that he gave the central cask of the pyramid a sudden push, and the next moment the casks were tumbling in every direction, while the boy fell headlong in their midst. but marvel caught him deftly in his arms, and so saved him from the sword points. "there!" he said, standing the boy upon his feet; "now you are released from your misery." "and i should be glad to punish you for your interference," declared the boy, gloomily eying his preserver, "had you not saved my life by catching me. according to the code of honor of knighthood i can not harm one who has saved my life until i have returned the obligation. therefore, for the present i shall pardon your insulting speeches and actions." "but you have also saved my life," answered prince marvel; "for had you not warned me of the robbers' return they would surely have caught me." "true," said the boy, brightening up; "therefore our score is now even. but take care not to affront me again, for hereafter i will show you no mercy!" prince marvel looked at the boy with wonder. he was about his own size, yet strong and well formed, and he would have been handsome except for the expression of discontent upon his face. yet his manner and words were so absurd and unnatural that the prince was more amused than angered by his new acquaintance, and presently laughed in his face. "if all the people in this island are like you," he said, "i shall have lots of fun with them. and you are only a boy, after all." "i'm bigger than you!" declared the other, glaring fiercely at the prince. "how much bigger?" asked marvel, his eyes twinkling. "oh, ever so much!" "then fetch along that coil of rope, and follow me," said prince marvel. "fetch the rope yourself!" retorted the boy, bluntly. "i'm not your servant." then he put his hands in his pockets and coolly walked out of the cave to look at the pile of senseless robbers. prince marvel made no reply, but taking the coil of rope on his shoulder he carried it to where the thieves lay and threw it down beside them. then he cut lengths from the coil with his sword and bound the limbs of each robber securely. within a half-hour he had laid out a row of thieves extending half way across the grassy plain, and on counting their number he found he had captured fifty-nine of them. this task being accomplished and the robbers rendered helpless, prince marvel turned to the boy who stood watching him. "get a suit of armor from the cave, and a strong sword, and then return here," he said, in a stern voice. "why should i do that?" asked the boy, rather impudently. "because i am going to fight you for disobeying my orders; and if you do not protect yourself i shall probably kill you." "that sounds pleasant," said the boy. "but if you should prove my superior in skill i beg you will not kill me at once, but let me die a lingering death." "why?" asked the prince. "because i shall suffer more, and that will be delightful." "i am not anxious to kill you, nor to make you suffer," said marvel, "all that i ask is that you acknowledge me your master." "i won't!" answered the boy. "i acknowledge no master in all the world!" "then you must fight," declared the prince, gravely. "if you win, i will promise to serve you faithfully; and if i conquer you, then you must acknowledge me your master, and obey my commands." "agreed!" cried the boy, with sudden energy, and he rushed into the cave and soon returned clad in armor and bearing a sword and shield. on the shield was pictured a bolt of lightning. "lightning will soon strike those three girls whose champion you seem to be," he said tauntingly. "the three girls defy your lightning!" returned the prince with a smile. "i see you are brave enough." "brave! why should i not be?" answered the boy proudly. "i am the lord nerle, the son of neggar, the chief baron of heg!" the other bowed low. "i am pleased to know your station," he said. "i am called prince marvel, and this is my first adventure." "and likely to be your last," exclaimed the boy, sneeringly. "for i am stronger than you, and i have fought many times with full grown men." "are you ready?" asked prince marvel, for answer. "yes." then the swords clashed and sparks flew from the blades. but it was not for long. suddenly nerle's sword went flying through the air and shattered its blade against a wall of rock. he scowled at prince marvel a moment, who smiled back at him. then the boy rushed into the cave and returned with another sword. scarcely had the weapons crossed again when with a sudden blow prince marvel snapped nerle's blade in two, and followed this up with a sharp slap upon his ear with the flat of his own sword that fairly bewildered the boy, and made him sit down on the grass to think what had happened to him. then prince marvel's merry laugh rang far across the hills, and so delighted was he at the astonished expression upon nerle's face that it was many minutes before he could control his merriment and ask his foeman if he had had enough fight. "i suppose i have," replied the boy, rubbing his ear tenderly. "that blow stings most deliciously. but it is a hard thought that the son of baron neggar should serve prince marvel!" "do not worry about that," said the prince; "for i assure you my rank is so far above your own that it is no degradation for the son of neggar to serve me. but come, we must dispose of these thieves. what is the proper fate for such men?" "they are always hanged," answered nerle, getting upon his feet. "well, there are trees handy," remarked the prince, although his girlish heart insisted on making him shiver in spite of his resolve to be manly and stern. "let us get to work and hang them as soon as possible. and then we can proceed upon our journey." nerle now willingly lent his assistance to his new master, and soon they had placed a rope around the neck of each thief and were ready to dangle them all from the limbs of the trees. but at this juncture the thieves began to regain consciousness, and now wul-takim, the big, red-bearded king of the thieves, sat up and asked: "who is our conqueror?" "prince marvel," answered nerle. "and what army assisted him?" inquired wul-takim, curiously gazing upon the prince. "he conquered you alone and single-handed," said nerle. hearing this, the big king began to weep bitterly, and the tear-drops ran down his face in such a stream that prince marvel ordered nerle to wipe them away with his handkerchief, as the thief's hands were tied behind his back. "to think!" sobbed wul-takim, miserably; "only to think, that after all my terrible deeds and untold wickedness, i have been captured by a mere boy! oh, boo-hoo! boo-hoo! boo-hoo! it is a terrible disgrace!" "you will not have to bear it long," said the prince, soothingly. "i am going to hang you in a few minutes." "thanks! thank you very much!" answered the king, ceasing to weep. "i have always expected to be hanged some day, and i am glad no one but you two boys will witness me when my feet begin kicking about." "i shall not kick," declared another of the thieves, who had also regained his senses. "i shall sing while i am being hanged." "but you can not, my good gunder," protested the king; "for the rope will cut off your breath, and no man can sing without breath." "then i shall whistle," said gunder, composedly. the king cast at him a look of reproach, and turning to prince marvel he said: "it will be a great task to string up so many thieves. you look tired. permit me to assist you to hang the others, and then i will climb into a tree and hang myself from a strong branch, with as little bother as possible." "oh, i won't think of troubling you," exclaimed marvel, with a laugh. "having conquered you alone, i feel it my duty to hang you without assistance--save that of my esquire." "it's no trouble, i assure you; but suit your own convenience," said the thief, carelessly. then he cast his eye toward the cave and asked: "what will you do with all our treasure?" "give it to the poor," said prince marvel, promptly. "what poor?" "oh, the poorest people i can find." "will you permit me to advise you in this matter?" asked the king of thieves, politely. "yes, indeed; for i am a stranger in this land," returned the prince. "well, i know a lot of people who are so poor that they have no possessions whatever, neither food to eat, houses to live in, nor any clothing but that which covers their bodies. they can call no man friend, nor will any lift a hand to help them. indeed, good sir, i verily believe they will soon perish miserably unless you come to their assistance!" "poor creatures!" exclaimed prince marvel, with ready sympathy; "tell me who they are, and i will divide amongst them all your ill-gotten gains." "they are ourselves," replied the king of thieves, with a sigh. marvel looked at him in amazement, and then burst into joyous laughter. "yourselves!" he cried, greatly amused. "indeed, yes!" said wul-takim, sadly. "there are no poorer people in all the world, for we have ropes about our necks and are soon to be hanged. to-morrow we shall not have even our flesh left, for the crows will pick our bones." "that is true," remarked marvel, thoughtfully. "but, if i restore to you the treasure, how will it benefit you, since you are about to die?" "must you really hang us?" asked the thief. "yes; i have decreed it, and you deserve your fate." "why?" "because you have wickedly taken from helpless people their property, and committed many other crimes besides." "but i have reformed! we have all reformed--have we not, brothers?" "we have!" answered the other thieves, who, having regained their senses, were listening to this conversation with much interest. "and, if you will return to us our treasure, we will promise never to steal again, but to remain honest men and enjoy our wealth in peace," promised the king. "honest men could not enjoy treasures they have stolen," said prince marvel. "true; but this treasure is now yours, having been won by you in fair battle. and if you present it to us it will no longer be stolen treasure, but a generous gift from a mighty prince, which we may enjoy with clear consciences." "yet there remains the fact that i have promised to hang you," suggested prince marvel, with a smile, for the king amused him greatly. "not at all! not at all!" cried wul-takim. "you promised to hang fifty-nine thieves, and there is no doubt the fifty-nine thieves deserved to be hung. but, consider! we have all reformed our ways and become honest men; so it would be a sad and unkindly act to hang fifty-nine honest men!" "what think you, nerle?" asked the prince, turning to his esquire. "why, the rogue seems to speak truth," said nerle, scratching his head with a puzzled air, "yet, if he speaks truth, there is little difference between a rogue and an honest man. ask him, my master, what caused them all to reform so suddenly." "because we were about to die, and we thought it a good way to save our lives," replied the robber king. "that's an honest answer, anyway," said nerle. "perhaps, sir, they have really reformed." "and if so, i will not have the death of fifty-nine honest men on my conscience," declared the prince. then he turned to wul-takim and added: "i will release you and give you the treasure, as you request. but you owe me allegiance from this time forth, and if i ever hear of your becoming thieves again, i promise to return and hang every one of you." "never fear!" answered wul-takim, joyfully. "it is hard work to steal, and while we have so much treasure it is wholly unnecessary. moreover, having accepted from you our lives and our fortunes, we shall hereafter be your devoted servants, and whenever you need our services you have but to call upon us, and we will support you loyally and gladly." "i accept your service," answered the prince, graciously. and then he unbound the fifty-nine honest men and took the ropes from their necks. as nightfall was fast approaching the new servants set to work to prepare a great feast in honor of their master. it was laid in the middle of the grassy clearing, that all might sit around and celebrate the joyous occasion. "do you think you can trust these men?" asked nerle, suspiciously. "why not?" replied the prince. "they have been exceedingly wicked, it is true; but they are now intent upon being exceedingly good. let us encourage them in this. if we mistrusted all who have ever done an evil act there would be fewer honest people in the world. and if it were as interesting to do a good act as an evil one there is no doubt every one would choose the good." 6. the troubles of nerle that night prince marvel slept within the cave, surrounded by the fifty-nine reformed thieves, and suffered no harm at their hands. in the morning, accompanied by his esquire, nerle, who was mounted upon a spirited horse brought him by wul-takim, he charged the honest men to remember their promises, bade them good by, and set out in search of further adventure. as they left the clearing by the narrow passage that led between the overhanging rocks, the prince looked back and saw that the sign above the gate of the cave, which had told of the thieves' treasure house, had been changed. it now read as follows: wul-takim king of honest men ----- his pleasure house walk in "that is much better," laughed the prince. "i accomplished some good by my adventure, anyway!" nerle did not reply. he seemed especially quiet and thoughtful as he rode by his master's side, and after they had traveled some distance in silence prince marvel said: "tell me how you came to be in the cave of thieves, and perched upon the casks where i found you." "it is a sad story," returned nerle, with a sigh; "but since you request me to tell it, the tale may serve to relieve the tedium of your journey. "my father is a mighty baron, very wealthy and with a heart so kind that he has ever taken pleasure in thrusting on me whatever gift he could think of. i had not a single desire unsatisfied, for before i could wish for anything it was given me. "my mother was much like my father. she and her women were always making jams, jellies, candies, cakes and the like for me to eat; so i never knew the pleasure of hunger. my clothes were the gayest satins and velvets, richly made and sewn with gold and silver braid; so it was impossible to wish for more in the way of apparel. they let me study my lessons whenever i felt like it and go fishing or hunting as i pleased; so i could not complain that i was unable to do just as i wanted to. all the servants obeyed my slightest wish: if i wanted to sit up late at night no one objected; if i wished to lie in bed till noon they kept the house quiet so as not to disturb me. "this condition of affairs, as you may imagine, grew more and more tedious and exasperating the older i became. try as i might, i could find nothing to complain of. i once saw the son of one of our servants receive a flogging; and my heart grew light. i immediately begged my father to flog me, by way of variety; and he, who could refuse me nothing, at once consented. for this reason there was less satisfaction in the operation than i had expected, although for the time being it was a distinct novelty. "now, no one could expect a high-spirited boy to put up with such a life as mine. with nothing to desire and no chance of doing anything that would annoy my parents, my days were dreary indeed." he paused to wipe the tears from his eyes, and the prince murmured, sympathetically: "poor boy! poor boy!" "ah, you may well say that!" continued nerle. "but one day a stranger came to my father's castle with tales of many troubles he had met with. he had been lost in a forest and nearly starved to death. he had been robbed and beaten and left wounded and sore by the wayside. he had begged from door to door and been refused food or assistance. in short, his story was so delightful that it made me envy him, and i yearned to suffer as he had done. when i could speak with him alone i said: 'pray tell me how i can manage to acquire the misfortunes you have undergone. here i have everything that i desire, and it makes me very unhappy.' "the stranger laughed at me, at first; and i found some pleasure in the humiliation i then felt. but it did not last long, for presently he grew sober and advised me to run away from home and seek adventure. "'once away from your father's castle,' said he, 'troubles will fall upon you thick enough to satisfy even your longings.' "'that is what i am afraid of!' i answered. 'i don't want to be satisfied, even with troubles. what i seek is unsatisfied longings.' "'nevertheless,' said he, 'i advise you to travel. everything will probably go wrong with you, and then you will be happy.' "i acted upon the stranger's advice and ran away from home the next day. after journeying a long time i commenced to feel the pangs of hunger, and was just beginning to enjoy myself when a knight rode by and gave me a supply of food. at this rebuff i could not restrain my tears, but while i wept my horse stumbled and threw me over his head. i hoped at first i had broken my neck, and was just congratulating myself upon the misfortune, when a witch-woman came along and rubbed some ointment upon my bruises, in spite of my protests. to my great grief the pain left me, and i was soon well again. but, as a slight compensation for my disappointment, my horse had run away; so i began my journey anew and on foot. "that afternoon i stepped into a nest of wasps, but the thoughtless creatures flew away without stinging me. then i met a fierce tiger, and my heart grew light and gay. 'surely this will cause me suffering!' i cried, and advanced swiftly upon the brute. but the cowardly tiger turned tail and ran to hide in the bushes, leaving me unhurt! "of course, my many disappointments were some consolation; but not much. that night i slept on the bare ground, and hoped i should catch a severe cold; but no such joy was to be mine. "yet the next afternoon i experienced my first pleasure. the thieves caught me, stripped off all my fine clothes and jewels and beat me well. then they carried me to their cave, dressed me in rags, and perched me on the top of the casks, where the slightest movement on my part would send me tumbling among the sword points. this was really delightful, and i was quite happy until you came and released me. "i thought then that i might gain some pleasure by provoking you to anger; and our fight was the result. that blow on the ear was exquisite, and by forcing me to become your servant you have made me, for the first time in my life, almost contented. for i hope in your company to experience a great many griefs and disappointments." as nerle concluded his story prince marvel turned to him and grasped his hand. "accept my sympathy!" said he. "i know exactly how you feel, for my own life during the past few centuries has not been much different." "the past few centuries!" gasped nerle. "what do you mean?" at this the prince blushed, seeing he had nearly disclosed his secret. but he said, quickly: "does it not seem centuries when one is unhappy?" "it does, indeed!" responded nerle, earnestly. "but please tell me your story." "not now," said prince marvel, with a smile. "it will please you to desire in vain to hear a tale i will not tell. yet i promise that on the day we part company i shall inform you who i am." 7. the gray men the adventurers gave no heed to the path they followed after leaving the cave of the reformed thieves, but their horses accidentally took the direction of the foot-hills that led into the wild interior kingdom of spor. therefore the travelers, when they had finished their conversation and begun to look about them, found themselves in a rugged, mountainous country that was wholly unlike the green plains of heg they had left behind. now, as i have before said, the most curious and fearful of the island people dwelt in this kingdom of spor. they held no friendly communication with their neighbors, and only left their own mountains to plunder and rob; and so sullen and fierce were they on these occasions that every one took good care to keep out of their way until they had gone back home again. there was much gossip about the unknown king of spor, who had never yet been seen by any one except his subjects; and some thought he must be one of the huge giants of spor; and others claimed he was a dwarf, like his tiny but ferocious dart-slingers; and still others imagined him one of the barbarian tribe, or a fellow to the terrible gray men. but, of course, no one knew positively, and all these guesses were very wide of the mark. the only certainty about this king was that his giants, dwarfs, barbarians and gray men meekly acknowledged his rule and obeyed his slightest wish; for though they might be terrible to others, their king was still more terrible to them. into this kingdom of spor prince marvel and nerle had now penetrated and, neither knowing nor caring where they were, continued along the faintly defined paths the horses had found. presently, however, they were startled by a peal of shrill, elfish laughter, and raising their eyes they beheld a horrid-looking old man seated upon a high rock near by. "why do you laugh?" asked prince marvel, stopping his horse. "have you been invited? tell me--have you been invited?" demanded the old man, chuckling to himself as if much amused. "invited where?" inquired the prince. "to spor, stupid! to the kingdom of spor! to the land of king terribus!" shrieked the old man, going into violent peals of laughter. "we go and come as we please," answered prince marvel, calmly. "go--yes! go if you will. but you'll never come back--never! never! never!" the little old man seemed to consider this such a good joke that he bent nearly double with laughing, and so lost his balance and toppled off the rock, disappearing from their view; but they could hear him laugh long after they had passed on and left him far behind them. "a strange creature!" exclaimed the prince thoughtfully. "but perhaps he speaks truth," answered nerle, "if, in fact, we have been rash enough to enter the kingdom of spor. even my father, the bravest baron in heg, has never dared venture within the borders of spor. for all men fear its mysterious king." "in that case," replied prince marvel, "it is time some one investigated this strange kingdom. people have left king terribus and his wild subjects too much to themselves; instead of stirring them up and making them behave themselves." nerle smiled at this speech. "they are the fiercest people on the enchanted island," said he, "and there are thousands upon thousands who obey this unknown king. but if you think we dare defy them i am willing to go on. perhaps our boldness will lead them into torturing me, or starving me to death; and at the very least i ought to find much trouble and privation in the kingdom of spor." "time will determine that," said the prince, cheerfully. they had now ridden into a narrow defile of the mountains, the pathway being lined with great fragments of rock. happening to look over his shoulder prince marvel saw that as they passed these rocks a man stepped from behind each fragment and followed after them, their numbers thus constantly increasing until hundreds were silently treading in the wake of the travelers. these men were very peculiar in appearance, their skins being as gray as the rocks themselves, while their only clothing consisted of gray cloth tunics belted around the waists with bands of gray fox-hide. they bore no weapons except that each was armed with a fork, having three sharp tines six inches in length, which the gray men carried stuck through their fox-hide belts. nerle also looked back and saw the silent throng following them, and the sight sent such a cold shiver creeping up his spine that he smiled with pleasure. there was no way to avoid the gray men, for the path was so narrow that the horsemen could not turn aside; but prince marvel was not disturbed, and seemed not to mind being followed, so long as no one hindered his advance. he rode steadily on, nerle following, and after climbing upward for a long way the path began to descend, presently leading them into a valley of wide extent, in the center of which stood an immense castle with tall domes that glittered as if covered with pure gold. a broad roadway paved with white marble reached from the mountain pass to the entrance of this castle, and on each side of this roadway stood lines of monstrous giants, armed with huge axes thrust into their belts and thick oak clubs, studded with silver spikes, which were carried over their left shoulders. the assembled giants were as silent as the gray men, and stood motionless while prince marvel and nerle rode slowly up the marble roadway. but all their brows were scowling terribly and their eyes were red and glaring--as if they were balls of fire. "i begin to feel very pleasant," said nerle, "for surely we shall not get away from these folks without a vast deal of trouble. they do not seem to oppose our advance, but it is plain they will not allow us any chance of retreat." "we do not wish to retreat," declared the prince. nerle cast another glance behind, and saw that the gray men had halted at the edge of the valley, while the giants were closing up as soon as the horses passed them and now marched in close file in their rear. "it strikes me," he muttered, softly, "that this is like to prove our last adventure." but although prince marvel might have heard the words he made no reply, being evidently engaged in deep thought. as they drew nearer the castle it towered above them like a veritable mountain, so big and high was it; and the walls cast deep shadows far around, as if twilight had fallen. they heard the loud blare of a trumpet sounding far up on the battlements; the portals of the castle suddenly opened wide, and they entered a vast courtyard paved with plates of gold. tiny dwarfs, so crooked that they resembled crabs, rushed forward and seized the bridles of the horses, while the strangers slowly dismounted and looked around them. while the steeds were being led to the stables an old man, clothed in a flowing robe as white in color as his beard, bowed before prince marvel and said in a soft voice: "follow me!" the prince stretched his arms, yawned as if tired with his ride, and then glared upon the old man with an expression of haughty surprise. "i follow no one!" said he, proudly. "i am prince marvel, sirrah, and if the owner of this castle wishes to see me i shall receive him here, as befits my rank and station." the man looked surprised, but only bowed lower than before. "it is the king's command," he answered. "the king?" "yes; you are in the castle of king terribus, the lord and ruler of spor." "that is different," remarked the prince, lightly. "still, i will follow no man. point out the way and i will go to meet his majesty." the old man extended a lean and trembling finger toward an archway. prince marvel strode forward, followed by nerle, and passing under the arch he threw open a door at the far end and boldly entered the throne-room of king terribus. 8. the fool-killer the room was round, with a dome at the top. the bare walls were of gray stone, with square, open windows set full twenty feet from the floor. rough gray stone also composed the floor, and in the center of the room stood one great rock with a seat hollowed in its middle. this was the throne, and round about it stood a swarm of men and women dressed in rich satins, velvets and brocades, brilliantly ornamented with gold and precious stones. the men were of many shapes and sizes--giants and dwarfs being among them. the women all seemed young and beautiful. prince marvel cast but a passing glance at this assemblage, for his eye quickly sought the rude throne on which was seated king terribus. the personal appearance of this monster was doubtless the most hideous known in that age of the world. his head was large and shaped like an egg; it was bright scarlet in color and no hair whatever grew upon it. it had three eyes--one in the center of his face, one on the top of his head and one in the back. thus he was always able to see in every direction at the same time. his nose was shaped like an elephant's trunk, and swayed constantly from side to side. his mouth was very wide and had no lips at all, two rows of sharp and white teeth being always plainly visible beneath the swaying nose. king terribus, although surrounded by so splendid a court, wore a simple robe of gray cloth, with no ornament or other finery, and his strange and fearful appearance was strongly contrasted with the glittering raiment of his courtiers and the beauty of his ladies in waiting. when prince marvel, with nerle marching close behind, entered the great room, terribus looked at him sharply a moment, and then bowed. and when he bowed the eye upon the top of his head also looked sharply at the intruders. then the king spoke, his voice sounding so sweet and agreeable that it almost shocked nerle, who had expected to hear a roar like that from a wild beast. "why are you here?" asked terribus. "partly by chance and partly from curiosity," answered prince marvel. "no one in this island, except your own people, had ever seen the king of spor; so, finding myself in your country, i decided to come here and have a look at you." the faces of the people who stood about the throne wore frightened looks at the unheard of boldness of this speech to their terrible monarch. but the king merely nodded and inquired: "since you have seen me, what do you think of me?" "i am sorry you asked that question," returned the prince; "for i must confess you are a very frightful-looking creature, and not at all agreeable to gaze upon." "ha! you are honest, as well as frank," exclaimed the king. "but that is the reason i do not leave my kingdom, as you will readily understand. and that is the reason i never permit strangers to come here, under penalty of death. so long as no one knows the king of spor is a monster people will not gossip about my looks, and i am very sensitive regarding my personal appearance. you will perhaps understand that if i could have chosen i should have been born beautiful instead of ugly." "i certainly understand that. and permit me to say i wish you were beautiful. i shall probably dream of you for many nights," added the prince. "not for many," said king terribus, quietly. "by coming here you have chosen death, and the dead do not dream." "why should i die?" inquired prince marvel, curiously. "because you have seen me. should i allow you to go away you would tell the world about my ugly face. i do not like to kill you, believe me; but you must pay the penalty of your rashness--you and the man behind you." nerle smiled at this; but whether from pride at being called a man or in pleasurable anticipation of the sufferings to come i leave you to guess. "will you allow me to object to being killed?" asked the prince. "certainly," answered the king, courteously. "i expect you to object. it is natural. but it will do you no good." then terribus turned to an attendant and commanded: "send hither the fool-killer." at this prince marvel laughed outright. "the fool-killer!" he cried; "surely your majesty does me little credit. am i, then, a fool?" "you entered my kingdom uninvited," retorted the king, "and you tell me to my face i am ugly. moreover, you laugh when i condemn you to death. from this i conclude the fool-killer is the proper one to execute you. behold!" marvel turned quickly, to find a tall, stalwart man standing behind him. his features were strong but very grave, and the prince caught a look of compassion in his eye as their gaze met. his skin was fair and without blemish, a robe of silver cloth fell from his shoulders, and in his right hand he bore a gleaming sword. "well met!" cried marvel, heartily, as he bowed to the fool-killer. "i have often heard your name mentioned, but 'tis said in the world that you are a laggard in your duty." "had i my way," answered the fool-killer, "my blade would always drip. it is my master, yonder, who thwarts my duty." and he nodded toward king terribus. "then you should exercise your right on him, and cleave the ugly head from his shoulders," declared the prince. "nay, unless i interfered with the fool-killer," said the king, "i should soon have no subjects left to rule; for at one time or another they all deserve the blade." "why, that may be true enough," replied prince marvel. "but i think, under such circumstances, your fool-killer is a needless servant. so i will rid you of him in a few moments." with that he whipped out his sword and stood calmly confronting the fool-killer, whose grave face never changed in expression as he advanced menacingly upon his intended victim. the blades clashed together, and that of the fool-killer broke short off at the hilt. he took a step backward, stumbled and fell prone upon the rocky floor, while prince marvel sprang forward and pressed the point of his sword against his opponent's breast. "hold!" cried the king, starting to his feet. "would you slay my fool-killer? think of the harm you would do the world!" "but he is laggard and unfaithful to his calling!" answered the prince, sternly. "nevertheless, if he remove but one fool a year he is a benefit to mankind," declared the king. "release him, i pray you!" then the victor withdrew his sword and stood aside, while the fool-killer slowly got upon his feet and bowed humbly before the king. "go!" shouted terribus, his eye flashing angrily. "you have humiliated me before my enemy. as an atonement see that you kill me a fool a day for sixty days." hearing this command, many of the people about the throne began to tremble; but the king paid no attention to their fears, and the fool-killer bowed again before his master and withdrew from the chamber. 9. the royal dragon of spor "now," said terribus, regarding the prince gloomily, "i must dispose of you in another way." for a moment he dropped his scarlet head in thought. then he turned fiercely upon his attendants. "let the wrestler come forward!" he shouted, as loudly as his mild voice would carry. instantly a tall blackamoor advanced from the throng and cast off his flowing robe, showing a strong figure clad only in a silver loincloth. "crack me this fellow's bones!" commanded terribus. "i beg your majesty will not compel me to touch him," said prince marvel, with a slight shudder; "for his skin is greasy, and will soil my hands. here, nerle!" he continued, turning to his esquire, "dispose of this black man, and save me the trouble." nerle laughed pleasantly. the black was a powerfully built man, and compared with nerle and the prince, who had but the stature of boys, he towered like a very giant in size. nevertheless, nerle did not hesitate to spring upon the wrestler, who with a quick movement sent the boy crashing against the stone pavement. nerle was much bruised by the fall, and as he painfully raised himself to his feet a great lump was swelling behind his left ear, where his head had struck the floor, and he was so dizzy that the room seemed swimming around him in a circle. but he gave a happy little laugh, and said to the prince, gratefully: "thank you very much, my master! the fall is hurting me delightfully. i almost feel as if i could cry, and that would be joy indeed!" "well," answered the prince, with a sigh, "i see i must get my hands greased after all"--for the black's body had really been greased to enable him to elude the grasp of his opponents. but marvel made a quick leap and seized the wrestler firmly around the waist. the next moment, to the astonishment of all, the black man flew swiftly into the air, plunged through one of the open windows high up in the wall, and disappeared from view. when the king and his people again turned their wondering eyes upon the prince he was wiping his hands carefully upon a silk handkerchief. at this sight a pretty young girl, who stood near the throne, laughed aloud, and the sound of her laughter made king terribus very angry. "come here!" he commanded, sternly. the girl stepped forward, her face now pale and frightened, while tear-drops trembled upon the lashes that fringed her downcast eyes. "you have dared to laugh at the humiliation of your king," said terribus, his horrid face more crimson than ever, "and as atonement i command that you drink of the poisoned cup." instantly a dwarf came near, bearing a beautiful golden goblet in his crooked hands. "drink!" he said, an evil leer upon his face. the girl well knew this goblet contained a vile poison, one drop of which on her tongue would cause death; so she hesitated, trembling and shrinking from the ordeal. prince marvel looked into her sweet face with pitying eyes, and stepping quickly to her side, took her hand in his. "now drink!" he said, smiling upon her; "the poison will not hurt you." she drank obediently, while the dwarf chuckled with awful glee and the king looked on eagerly, expecting her to fall dead at his feet. but instead the girl stood upright and pressed marvel's hand, looking gratefully into his face. "you are a fairy!" she whispered, so low that no one else heard her voice. "i knew that you would save me." "keep my secret," whispered the prince in return, and still holding her hand he led her back to her former place. king terribus was almost wild with rage and disappointment, and his elephant nose twisted and squirmed horribly. "so you dare to thwart my commands, do you!" he cried, excitedly. "well, we shall soon see which of us is the more powerful. i have decreed your death--and die you shall!" for a moment his eye roved around the chamber uncertainly. then he shouted, suddenly: "ho, there! keepers of the royal menagerie--appear!" three men entered the room and bowed before the king. they were of the gray men of the mountains, who had followed prince marvel and nerle through the rocky passes. "bring hither the royal dragon," cried the king, "and let him consume these strangers before my very eyes!" the men withdrew, and presently was heard a distant shouting, followed by a low rumbling sound, with groans, snorts, roars and a hissing like steam from the spout of a teakettle. the noise and shouting drew nearer, while the people huddled together like frightened sheep; and then suddenly the doors flew open and the royal dragon advanced to the center of the room. this creature was at once the pride and terror of the kingdom of spor. it was more than thirty feet in length and covered everywhere with large green scales set with diamonds, making the dragon, when it moved, a very glittering spectacle. its eyes were as big as pie-plates, and its mouth--when wide opened--fully as large as a bath-tub. its tail was very long and ended in a golden ball, such as you see on the top of flagstaffs. its legs, which were as thick as those of an elephant, had scales which were set with rubies and emeralds. it had two monstrous, big ears and two horns of carved ivory, and its teeth were also carved into various fantastic shapes--such as castles, horses' heads, chinamen and griffins--so that if any of them broke it would make an excellent umbrella handle. the royal dragon of spor came crawling into the throne-room rather clumsily, groaning and moaning with every step and waving its ears like two blankets flying from a clothesline. the king looked on it and frowned. "why are you not breathing fire and brimstone?" he demanded, angrily. "why, i was caught out in a gale the other night," returned the dragon, rubbing the back of its ear with its left front paw, as it paused and looked at the king, "and the wind put out my fire." "then why didn't you light it again?" asked terribus, turning on the keepers. "we--we were out of matches, your majesty!" stammered the trembling gray men. "so--ho!" yelled the king, and was about to order the keepers beheaded; but just then nerle pulled out his match-box, lit one of the matches, and held it in front of the dragon's mouth. instantly the creature's breath caught fire; and it began to breathe flames a yard in length. "that's better," sighed the dragon, contentedly. "i hope your majesty is now satisfied." "no,--i am not satisfied!" declared king terribus. "why do you not lash your tail?" "ah, i can't do that!" replied the dragon. "it's all stiffened up with rheumatism from the dampness of my cave. it hurts too much to lash it." "well, then, gnash your teeth!" commanded the king. "tut--tut!" answered the dragon, mildly; "i can't do that, either; for since you had them so beautifully carved it makes my teeth ache to gnash them." "well, then, what are you good for?" cried the king, in a fury. "don't i look awful? am i not terrible to gaze on?" inquired the dragon, proudly, as it breathed out red and yellow flames and made them curl in circles around its horns. "i guess there's no need for me to suggest terror to any one that happens to see me," it added, winking one of the pie-plate eyes at king terribus. the king looked at the monster critically, and it really seemed to him that it was a frightful thing to behold. so he curbed his anger and said, in his ordinary sweet voice: "i have called you here to destroy these two strangers." "how?" asked the dragon, looking upon prince marvel and nerle with interest. "i am not particular," answered the king. "you may consume them with your fiery breath, or smash them with your tail, or grind them to atoms between your teeth, or tear them to pieces with your claws. only, do hurry up and get it over with!" "hm-m-m!" said the dragon, thoughtfully, as if it didn't relish the job; "this one isn't saint george, is it?" "no, no!" exclaimed the king, irritably; "it's prince marvel. do get to work as soon as possible." "prince marvel--prince marvel," repeated the dragon. "why, there isn't a prince in the whole world named marvel! i'm pretty well posted on the history of royal families, you know. i'm afraid he's saint george in disguise." "isn't your name prince marvel?" inquired the king, turning to the boyish-looking stranger. "it is," answered marvel. "well, it's mighty strange i've never heard of you," persisted the dragon. "but tell me, please, how would you prefer to be killed?" "oh, i'm not going to be killed at all," replied the prince, laughing. "do you hear that, terribus?" asked the dragon, turning to the king; "he says he isn't going to be killed." "but i say he is!" cried terribus. "i have decreed his death." "but do you suppose i'm going to kill a man against his will?" inquired the dragon, in a reproachful voice; "and such a small man, too! do you take me for a common assassin--or a murderer?" "do you intend to obey my orders?" roared the king. "no, i don't; and that's flat!" returned the dragon, sharply. "it's time for me to take my cough medicine; so if you've nothing more to say i'll go back to my cave." "go, go, go!" shrieked the king, stamping his foot in passion. "you've outlived your usefulness! you're a coward! you're a traitor! you're a--a--a--" "i'm a dragon and a gentleman!" answered the monster, proudly, as the king paused for lack of a word; "and i believe i know what's proper for dragons to do and what isn't. i've learned wisdom from my father, who got into trouble with saint george, and if i fought with this person who calls himself prince marvel, i'd deserve to be a victim of your fool-killer. oh, i know my business, king terribus; and if you knew yours, you'd get rid of this pretended prince as soon as possible!" with this speech he winked at prince marvel, turned soberly around and crawled from the room. one of the keepers got too near and the dragon's breath set fire to his robe, the flames being with difficulty extinguished; and the gold ball on the end of the dragon's tail struck a giant upon his shins and made him dance and howl in pain. but, aside from these slight accidents, the monster managed to leave the throne-room without undue confusion, and every one, including the king, seemed glad to be rid of him. 10. prince marvel wins his fight when the door had closed on the royal dragon, king terribus turned again to prince marvel, while his crimson face glowed with embarrassment, and his front eye rolled with baffled rage as he thought how vain had been all his efforts to kill this impudent invader of his domains. but his powers were by no means exhausted. he was a mighty king--the mightiest of all in the enchanted island, he believed--and ways to destroy his enemies were numerous. "send for a hundred of my gray men!" he suddenly cried; and a courtier ran at once to summon them. the gray men would obey his orders without question, he well knew. they were silent, stubborn, quick, and faithful to their king. terribus had but to command and his will would be obeyed. they entered the room so quietly that nerle never knew they were there until he turned and found the hundred gray ones standing close together in the center of the hall. then prince marvel came to nerle's side and whispered something in his ear. "will you obey my orders?" they heard the king ask. and the gray men, with their eyes fixed upon their master, nodded all their hundred heads and put their hands upon the dangerous three-tined forks that were stuck in every one of the hundred belts. prince marvel handed one end of a coiled rope to nerle, and then they both sprang forward and ran around the spot where the hundred gray men stood huddled together. then they were pulled closer together than before--closer, and still closer--for the prince and nerle had surrounded them with the rope and were tying the two ends together in a tight knot. the rope cut into the waists of those on the outside, and they pressed inward against their fellows until there was scarcely space to stick a knife-blade between any two of them. when the prince had tied the rope firmly king terribus, who had been looking on amazed, saw that his hundred gray men were fastened together like a bundle of kindling-wood, and were unable to stir hand or foot. and, while he still gazed open-mouthed at the strange sight, prince marvel tilted the bundle of men up on its edge and rolled it out of the door. it went rolling swiftly through the courtyard and bounded down the castle steps, where the rope broke and the men fell sprawling in all directions on the marble walk. king terribus sighed, for such treatment of his gray men, whom he dearly loved, made him very unhappy. but more than ever was he resolved to kill these impudent strangers, who, in the very heart of his kingdom where thousands bowed to his will, dared openly defy his power. so, after a moment's thought, terribus beckoned to a dwarf who, robed in gay and glittering apparel, stood near his throne. "summon the royal dart slingers!" he said, with a scowl. the little man bowed and hastened away, to return presently with twenty curiously crooked dwarfs, each armed with a sling and a quiver full of slender, sharp-pointed darts. "slay me these strangers!" exclaimed the king, in his gruffest voice. now nerle, when he beheld these terrible dart slingers, of whom he had heard many tales in his boyhood, began to shiver and shake with fright, so that his teeth rattled one upon another. and he reflected: "soon shall i be content, for these darts will doubtless pierce every part of my body." the dwarfs formed a line at one side of the gloomy throne-room, and prince marvel, who had been earnestly regarding them, caught nerle by the arm and led him to the opposite wall. "stand close behind me and you will be safe," he whispered to his esquire. then each dwarf fixed a dart in his sling, and at a word from their chief they all drew back their arms and launched a shower of the sharp missiles at the strangers. swift and true they sped, each dart intended to pierce the body of the youthful knight who stood so calm before them. prince marvel had raised his right arm, and in his hand was a small leather sack, with a wide mouth. as the darts flew near him a strange thing happened: they each and all swerved from their true course and fell rattling into the leathern sack, to the wonder of the royal slingers and the dismay of king terribus himself. "again!" screamed the king, his usually mild voice hoarse with anger. so again the dwarfs cast their darts, and again the leathern sack caught them every one. another flight followed, and yet another, till the magic sack was packed full of the darts and not a dwarf had one remaining in his quiver. amid the awed silence of the beholders of this feat the merry laughter of prince marvel rang loud and clear; for the sight of the puzzled and terrified faces about him was very comical. plucking a dart from the sack he raised his arm and cried: "now it is my turn. you shall have back your darts!" "hold!" shouted the king, in great fear. "do not, i beg you, slay my faithful servants." and with a wave of his hand he dismissed the dwarfs, who were glad to rush from the room and escape. nerle wiped the tears from his eyes, for he was sorely disappointed at having again escaped all pain and discomfort; but prince marvel seated himself quietly upon a stool and looked at the scowling face of king terribus with real amusement. the monarch of spor had never before been so foiled and scorned by any living creature. defeated and humbled before his own people, he bowed his crimson head on his hands and sullenly regarded his foe with his top eye. then it was that the idea came to him that no ordinary mortal could have thwarted him so easily, and he began to fear he was dealing--perhaps unawares--with some great magician or sorcerer. that a fairy should have assumed a mortal form he never once considered, for such a thing was until then unheard of in the enchanted island of yew. but with the knowledge that he had met his master, whoever he might prove to be, and that further attempts upon the stranger's life might lead to his own undoing, king terribus decided to adopt a new line of conduct, hoping to accomplish by stratagem what he could not do by force. to be sure, there remained his regiment of giants, the pride of his kingdom; but terribus dreaded to meet with another defeat; and he was not at all sure, after what had happened, that the giants would succeed in conquering or destroying the strangers. "after all," he thought, "my only object in killing them was to prevent their carrying news of my monstrous appearance to the outside world; so if i can but manage to keep them forever in my kingdom it will answer my purpose equally well." as the result of this thought he presently raised his head and spoke to prince marvel in a quiet and even cheerful voice. "enough of these rude and boisterous games," said he, with a smile that showed his white teeth in a repulsive manner. "they may have seemed to my people an ill welcome to my good friend, prince marvel; yet they were only designed to show the powers of the mighty magician who has become my guest. nay, do not deny it, prince; from the first i guessed your secret, and to prove myself right i called my servants to oppose you, being sure they could not do you an injury. but no more of such fooling,--and pray forgive my merry game at your expense. henceforth we shall be friends, and you are heartily welcome to the best my kingdom affords." with this speech terribus stepped down from his throne and approached prince marvel with outstretched hand. the prince was not at all deceived, but he was pleased to see how cunningly the king excused his attempts to kill him. so he laughed and touched the hand terribus extended, for this fairy prince seemed to have no anger against any mortal who ventured to oppose him. the strangers were now conducted, with every mark of respect, to a beautiful suite of apartments in the castle, wherein were soft beds with velvet spreads, marble baths with perfumed waters, and a variety of silken and brocaded costumes from which they might select a change of raiment. no sooner had they bathed and adorned themselves fittingly than they were summoned to the king's banquet hall, being escorted thither by twelve young maidens bearing torches with lavender-colored flames. the night had fallen upon the mountains outside, but the great banquet hall was brilliant with the glow of a thousand candles, and seated at the head of the long table was king terribus. yet here, as in the throne-room, the ruler of spor was dressed in simplest garments, and his seat was a rough block of stone. all about him were lords and ladies in gorgeous array; the walls were hung with rare embroideries; the table was weighted with gold platters and richly carved goblets filled with sweet nectars. but the king himself, with his horrid, ugly head, was like a great blot on a fair parchment, and even prince marvel could not repress a shudder as he gazed upon him. terribus placed his guest upon his right hand and loaded him with honors. nerle stood behind the prince's chair and served him faithfully, as an esquire should. but the other servants treated nerle with much deference, noting in him an air of breeding that marked him the unusual servant of an unusual master. indeed, most curious were the looks cast on these marvelous men who had calmly walked into the castle of mighty terribus and successfully defied his anger; for in spite of his youthful appearance and smiling face every attendant at the banquet feared prince marvel even more than they feared their own fierce king. 11. the cunning of king terribus the days that followed were pleasant ones for prince marvel and nerle, who were treated as honored guests by both the king and his courtiers. but the prince seemed to be the favorite, for at all games of skill and trials at arms he was invariably the victor, while in the evenings, when the grand ball-room was lighted up and the musicians played sweet music, none was so graceful in the dance as the fairy prince. nerle soon tired of the games and dancing, for he had been accustomed to them at his father's castle; and moreover he was shy in the society of ladies; so before many weeks had passed he began to mope and show a discontented face. one day the prince noticed his esquire's dismal expression of countenance, and asked the cause of it. "why," said nerle, "here i have left my home to seek worries and troubles, and have found but the same humdrum life that existed at my father's castle. here our days are made smooth and pleasant, and there is no excitement or grief, whatever. you have become a carpet-knight, prince marvel, and think more of bright eyes than of daring deeds. so, if you will release me from your service i will seek further adventures." "nay," returned the prince, "we will go together; for i, too, am tired of this life of pleasure." so next morning marvel sought the presence of king terribus and said: "i have come to bid your majesty adieu, for my esquire and i are about to leave your dominions." at first the king laughed, and his long nose began to sway from side to side. then, seeing the prince was in earnest, his majesty frowned and grew disturbed. finally he said: "i must implore you to remain my guests a short time longer. no one has ever before visited me in my mountain home, and i do not wish to lose the pleasure of your society so soon." "nevertheless, we must go," answered the prince, briefly. "are you not contented?" asked terribus. "ask whatever you may desire, and it shall be granted you." "we desire adventures amid new scenes," said marvel, "and these you can not give us except by permission to depart." seeing his guest was obstinate the king ceased further argument and said: "very well; go if you wish. but i shall hope to see you return to us this evening." the prince paid no heed to this peculiar speech, but left the hall and hurried to the courtyard of the castle, where nerle was holding the horses in readiness for their journey. standing around were many rows and files of the gray men, and when they reached the marble roadway they found it lined with motionless forms of the huge giants. but no one interfered with them in any way, although both prince marvel and nerle knew that every eye followed them as they rode forward. curiously enough, they had both forgotten from what direction they had approached the castle; for, whereas they had at that time noticed but one marble roadway leading to the entrance, they now saw that there were several of these, each one connecting with a path through the mountains. "it really doesn't matter which way we go, so long as we get away from the kingdom of spor," said prince marvel; so he selected a path by chance, and soon they were riding through a mountain pass. the pleased, expectant look on nerle's face had gradually turned to one of gloom. "i hoped we should have a fight to get away," he said, sadly; "and in that case i might have suffered considerable injury and pain. but no one has injured us in any way, and perhaps king terribus is really glad to be rid of us." "with good reason, too, if such is the case," laughed marvel; "for, mark you, nerle, the king has discovered we are more powerful than he is, and had he continued to oppose us, we might have destroyed his entire army." on they rode through the rough hill paths, winding this way and that, until they lost all sense of the direction in which they were going. "never mind," said the prince; "so long as we get farther and farther away from the ugly terribus i shall be satisfied." "perhaps we are getting into more serious danger than ever," answered nerle, brightening; "one of the giants told me the other day that near the foot of these mountains is the kingdom of the high ki of twi." "who is the high ki of twi?" asked prince marvel. "no one knows," answered nerle. "and what is the kingdom of twi like?" "no one knows that," answered nerle. "then," returned the prince, with a smile, "if by chance we visit the place we shall know more than any one else." at noon they ate luncheon by the wayside, nerle having filled his pouch by stealth at the breakfast table. there were great fragments of rock lying all about them, and the sun beat down so fiercely that the heat reflected from the rocks was hard to bear. so the travelers did not linger over their meal, but remounted and rode away as soon as possible. when the sun began to get lower in the sky the rocks beside the path threw the riders into shadow, so that their journey became more pleasant. they rode along, paying little attention to the way, but talking and laughing merrily together, until it began to grow dark. "does this path never end?" asked prince marvel, suddenly. "we ought to reach some place where men dwell before long, else we shall be obliged to spend the night among these rocks." "and then perhaps the wolves will attack us," said nerle, cheerfully, "and tear us into pieces with their sharp teeth and claws." but even as he spoke they rode around a turn in the path and saw a sight that made them pause in astonishment. for just before them rose the castle of king terribus, and along both sides of the marble walk leading up to it were ranged the lines of giants, exactly as they had stood in the morning. nerle turned around in his saddle. sure enough, there were the gray men in the rear--stepping from behind every boulder and completely filling the rocky pathway. "well, what shall we do?" asked the esquire; "fight?" "no, indeed!" returned prince marvel, laughing at his friend's eager face. "it appears the path we chose winds around in a circle, and so has brought us back to our starting-point. so we must make the best of a bad blunder and spend another night with our ugly friend king terribus." they rode forward through the rows of giants to the castle, where the ever-courteous servants took their horses and escorted them to their former handsome apartments with every mark of respect. no one seemed in the least surprised at their speedy return, and this fact at first puzzled nerle, and then made him suspicious. after bathing and dusting their clothing they descended to the banquet hall, where king terribus sat upon his gray stone throne and welcomed them with quiet courtesy. the sight of the king's crimson skin and deformed face sent a thrill of repugnance through prince marvel, and under the impulse of a sudden thought he extended his hand toward terribus and whispered a magic word which was unheard by any around him. nerle did not notice the prince's swift gesture nor the whispered word; but he was staring straight at terribus at the time, and he saw with surprise the eye on the top of the king's head move down toward his forehead, and the eye in the center of his forehead slide slightly toward the left, and the elephant-like nose shrink and shorten at the same time. also it seemed to him that the king's skin was not so crimson in color as before, and that a thin growth of hair had covered his head. however, no one else appeared to notice any change--least of all terribus--so nerle seated himself at the table and began to eat. "it was very kind of you to return so soon to my poor castle," said the king to prince marvel, in his sweet voice. "we could not help it," laughed the prince, in reply; "for the road wound right and left until we knew not which way we traveled; and then it finally circled around again to your castle. but to-morrow we shall seek a new path and bid you farewell forever." "still," remarked the king, gravely, "should you again miss your way, i shall be glad to welcome your return." the prince bowed politely by way of reply, and turned to address the little maiden he had once saved from death by poison. and so in feasting, dancing and laughter the evening passed pleasantly enough to the prince, and it was late when he called nerle to attend him to their apartment. 12. the gift of beauty the following morning marvel and nerle once more set out to leave the kingdom of spor and its ugly king. they selected another pathway leading from the castle and traveled all day, coming at nightfall into view of the place whence they had started, with its solemn rows of giants and gray men standing ready to receive them. this repetition of their former experience somewhat annoyed the prince, while nerle's usually despondent face wore a smile. "i see trouble ahead," murmured the esquire, almost cheerfully. "since the king can not conquer us by force he intends to do it by sorcery." marvel did not reply, but greeted the king quietly, while terribus welcomed their return as calmly as if he well knew they could not escape him. that evening the prince made another pass toward the king with his hand and muttered again the magic word. nerle was watching, and saw the upper eye of terribus glide still farther down his forehead and the other eye move again toward the left. the swaying nose shrank to a few inches in length, and the skin that had once been so brilliantly crimson turned to a dull red color. this time the courtiers and ladies in waiting also noticed the change in the king's features, but were afraid to speak of it, as any reference to their monarch's personal appearance was by law punishable by death. terribus saw the startled looks directed upon him, and raised his hand to feel of his nose and eyes; but thinking that if any change in his appearance had taken place, he must be uglier than before, he only frowned and turned away his head. the next day the king's guests made a third attempt to leave his dominions, but met with no better success than before, for a long and tedious ride only brought them back to their starting-place in the evening. this time prince marvel was really angry, and striding into the king's presence he reproached him bitterly, saying: "why do you prevent us from leaving your kingdom? we have not injured you in any way." "you have seen me," returned terribus, calmly, "and i do not intend you shall go back to the world and tell people how ugly i am." the prince looked at him, and could not repress a smile. the two eyes of the king, having been twice removed from their first position, were now both in his forehead, instead of below it, and one was much higher than the other. and the nose, although small when compared to what it had been, still resembled an elephant's trunk. other changes had been made for the better, but terribus was still exceedingly repulsive to look upon. seeing the prince look at him and smile, the king flew into a fury of anger and declared that the strangers should never, while they lived, be permitted to leave his castle again. prince marvel became thoughtful at this, reflecting that the king's enmity all arose from his sensitiveness about his ugly appearance, and this filled the youthful knight with pity rather than resentment. when they had all assembled at the evening banquet the prince, for a third time, made a mystic pass at the king and whispered a magic word. and behold! this time the charm was complete. for the two front eyes of terribus fell into their proper places, his nose became straight and well formed, and his skin took on a natural, healthy color. moreover, he now had a fine head of soft brown hair, with eyebrows and eyelashes to match, and his head was shapely and in proportion to his body. as for the eye that had formerly been in the back of his head, it had disappeared completely. so amazed were the subjects of the transformed king--who was now quite handsome to look upon--that they began to murmur together excitedly, and something in the new sensations he experienced gave to the king's face likewise an expression of surprise. knowing from their pleased looks that he must have improved in appearance, he found courage to raise his hand to his nose, and found it well formed. then he touched his eyes, and realized they were looking straight out from his face, like those of other people. for some moments after making these discoveries the king remained motionless, a smile of joy gradually spreading over his features. then he said, aloud: "what has happened? why do you all look so startled?" "your majesty is no longer ugly," replied marvel, laughingly; "so that when nerle and i leave your kingdom we can proclaim nothing less than praise of your dignified and handsome appearance." "is my face indeed pleasing?" demanded the king, eagerly. "it is!" cried the assembled courtiers and ladies, as with one voice. "bring me a mirror!" said the king. "i shall look at my reflection for the first time in many years." the mirror being brought king terribus regarded himself for a long time with pleased astonishment; and then, his sensitive nature being overcome by the shock of his good fortune, he burst into a flood of tears and rushed from the room. the courtiers and ladies now bestowed many grateful thanks upon prince marvel for his kind deed; for they realized that thereafter their lives would be safer from the king's anger and much pleasanter in every way. "terribus is not bad by nature," said one; "but he brooded upon his ugliness so much that the least thing served to throw him into a violent passion, and our lives were never safe from one day to another." by and by two giants entered the hall and carried away the throne of gray stone where terribus had been accustomed to sit; and other slaves brought a gorgeous throne of gold, studded with precious jewels, which they put in its place. and after a time the king himself returned to the room, his simple gray gown replaced by flowing robes of purple, with rich embroideries, such as he had not worn for many years. "my people," said he, addressing those present with kindness and dignity, "it seems to me fitting that a handsome king should be handsomely attired, and an ugly one clothed simply. for years i have been so terrible in feature that i dared not even look at my own image in a mirror. but now, thanks to the gracious magic of my guest, i have become like other men, and hereafter you will find my rule as kind as it was formerly cruel. to-night, in honor of this joyous occasion, we shall feast and make merry, and it is my royal command that you all do honor and reverence to the illustrious prince marvel!" a loud shout of approval greeted this speech, and the evening was merry indeed. terribus joined freely in the revelry, laughing as gaily as the lightest-hearted damsel present. it was nearly morning before they all retired, and as they sought their beds nerle asked the prince in a voice that sounded like an ill-natured growl: "why did you give the king beauty, after his treatment of us?" marvel looked at the reproachful face of his esquire and smiled. "when you are older," said he, "you will find that often there are many ways to accomplish a single purpose. the king's ugliness was the bar to our leaving his country, for he feared our gossip. so the easiest way for us to compass our escape was to take away his reason for detaining us. thus i conquered the king in my own way, and at the same time gained his gratitude and friendship." "will he allow us to depart in the morning?" inquired nerle. "i think so," said marvel. it was late when they rose from their slumbers; but, having breakfasted, the prince's first act was to seek the king. "we wish to leave your kingdom," said he. "will you let us go?" terribus grasped the hand of his guest and pressed it with fervor, while tears of gratitude stood in his eyes. "i should prefer that you remain with me always, and be my friend," he answered. "but if you choose to leave me i shall not interfere in any way with your wishes." prince marvel looked at him thoughtfully, and then said: "my time on this island is short. in a few months prince marvel will have passed out of the knowledge of men, and his name will be forgotten. before then i hope to visit the kingdoms of dawna and auriel and plenta; so i must not delay, but beg you will permit me to depart at once." "very well," answered terribus. "come with me, and i shall show you the way." he led the prince and nerle to a high wall of rock, and placing his hand upon its rough surface, touched a hidden spring. instantly an immense block of stone began to swing backward, disclosing a passage large enough for a man on horseback to ride through. "this is the one road that leads out of my kingdom," said terribus. "the others all begin and end at the castle. so that unless you know the secret of this passage you could never escape from spor." "but where does this road lead?" asked marvel. "to the kingdom of auriel, which you desire to visit. it is not a straight road, for it winds around the land of twi, so it will carry you a little out of your way." "what is the land of twi?" inquired the prince. "a small country hidden from the view of all travelers," said terribus. "no one has ever yet found a way to enter the land of twi; yet there is a rumor that it is ruled by a mighty personage called the high ki." "and does the rumor state what the high ki of twi is like?" "no, indeed," returned the king, smiling, "so it will do you no good to be curious. and now farewell, and may good luck attend you. yet bear in mind the fact that king terribus of spor owes you a mighty debt of gratitude; and if you ever need my services, you have but to call on me, and i shall gladly come to your assistance." "i thank you," said marvel, "but there is small chance of my needing help. farewell, and may your future life be pleasant and happy!" with this he sprang to the saddle of his prancing charger and, followed by nerle, rode slowly through the stone arch. the courtiers and ladies had flocked from the palace to witness their departure, and the giants and dwarfs and gray men were drawn up in long lines to speed the king's guests. so it was a brilliant sight that marvel and nerle looked back on; but once they were clear of the arch, the great stone rolled back into its place, shutting them out completely from the kingdom of spor, with its turreted castle and transformed king. 13. the hidden kingdom of twi knowing that at last they were free to roam according to their desire, the travelers rode gaily along the paths, taking but scant heed of their way. "our faces are set toward new adventures," remarked the prince. "let us hope they will prove more pleasant than the last." "to be sure!" responded nerle. "let us hope, at any rate, that we shall suffer more privations and encounter more trouble than we did in that mountainous kingdom of spor." then he added: "for one reason, i regret you are my master." "what is that reason?" asked the prince, turning to smile upon his esquire. "you have a way of overcoming all difficulties without any trouble whatsoever, and that deprives me of any chance of coming to harm while in your company." "cheer up, my boy!" cried marvel. "did i not say there are new adventures before us? we may not come through them so easily as we came through the others." "that is true," replied nerle; "it is always best to hope." and then he inquired: "why do you stop here, in the middle of the path?" "because the path has ended rather suddenly," answered marvel. "here is a thick hedge of prickly briers barring our way." nerle looked over his master's shoulder and saw that a great hedge, high and exceedingly thick, cut off all prospect of their advancing. "this is pleasant," said he; "but i might try to force our way through the hedge. the briers would probably prick me severely, and that would be delightful." "try it!" the prince returned, with twinkling eyes. nerle sprang from his horse to obey, but at the first contact with the briers he uttered a howl of pain and held up his hands, which were bleeding in a dozen places from the wounds of the thorns. "ah, that will content you for a time, i trust," said marvel. "now follow me, and we will ride along beside the hedge until we find an opening. for either it will come to an end or there will prove to be a way through it to the other side." so they rode alongside the hedge for hour after hour; yet it did not end, nor could they espy any way to get through the thickly matted briers. by and by night fell, and they tethered their horses to some shrubs, where there were a few scanty blades of grass for them to crop, and then laid themselves down upon the ground, with bare rocks for pillows, where they managed to sleep soundly until morning. they had brought a supply of food in their pouches, and on this they breakfasted, afterward continuing their journey beside the hedge. at noon prince marvel uttered an exclamation of surprise and stopped his horse. "what is it?" asked nerle. "i have found the handkerchief with which you wiped the blood from your hands yesterday morning, and then carelessly dropped," replied the prince. "this proves that we have made a complete circle around this hedge without finding a way to pass through it." "in that case," said nerle, "we had better leave the hedge and go in another direction." "not so," declared marvel. "the hedge incloses some unknown country, and i am curious to find out what it is." "but there is no opening," remonstrated nerle. "then we must make one. wouldn't you like to enjoy a little more pain?" "thank you," answered nerle, "my hands are still smarting very comfortably from the pricks of yesterday." "therefore i must make the attempt myself," said the prince, and drawing his sword he whispered a queer word to it, and straightway began slashing at the hedge. the brambles fell fast before his blade, and when he had cut a big heap of branches from the hedge nerle dragged them to one side, and the prince began again. it was marvelous how thick the hedge proved. only a magic sword could have done this work and remained sharp, and only a fairy arm could have proved strong enough to hew through the tough wood. but the magic sword and fairy arm were at work, and naught could resist them. after a time the last branches were severed and dragged from the path, and then the travelers rode their horses through the gap into the unknown country beyond. they saw at first glance that it was a land of great beauty; but after that one look both prince marvel and nerle paused and rubbed their eyes, to assure themselves that their vision was not blurred. before them were two trees, exactly alike. and underneath the trees two cows were grazing--each a perfect likeness of the other. at their left were two cottages, with every door and window and chimney the exact counterpart of another. before these houses two little boys were playing, evidently twins, for they not only looked alike and dressed alike, but every motion one made was also made by the other at the same time and in precisely the same way. when one laughed the other laughed, and when one stubbed his toe and fell down, the other did likewise, and then they both sat up and cried lustily at the same time. at this two women--it was impossible to tell one from the other--rushed out of the two houses, caught up the two boys, shook and dusted them in precisely the same way, and led them by their ears back into the houses. again the astonished travelers rubbed their eyes, and then prince marvel looked at nerle and said: "i thought at first that i saw everything double, but there seems to be only one of you." "and of you," answered the boy. "but see! there are two hills ahead of us, and two paths lead from the houses over the hills! how strange it all is!" just then two birds flew by, close together and perfect mates; and the cows raised their heads and "mooed" at the same time; and two men--also twins--came over the two hills along the two paths with two dinner-pails in their hands and entered the two houses. they were met at the doors by the two women, who kissed them exactly at the same time and helped them off with their coats with the same motions, and closed the two doors with two slams at the same instant. nerle laughed. "what sort of country have we got into?" he asked. "let us find out," replied the prince, and riding up to one of the houses he knocked on the door with the hilt of his sword. instantly the doors of both houses flew open, and both men appeared in the doorways. both started back in amazement at sight of the strangers, and both women shrieked and both little boys began to cry. both mothers boxed the children's ears, and both men gasped out: "who--who are you?" their voices were exactly alike, and their words were spoken in unison. prince marvel replied, courteously: "we are two strangers who have strayed into your country. but i do not understand why our appearance should so terrify you." "why--you are singular! there is only half of each of you!" exclaimed the two men, together. "not so," said the prince, trying hard not to laugh in their faces. "we may be single, while you appear to be double; but each of us is perfect, nevertheless." "perfect! and only half of you!" cried the men. and again the two women, who were looking over their husbands' shoulders, screamed at sight of the strangers; and again the two boys, who were clinging to their mothers' dresses in the same positions, began to cry. "we did not know such strange people existed!" said the two men, both staring at the strangers and then wiping the beads of perspiration from their two brows with two faded yellow handkerchiefs. "nor did we!" retorted the prince. "i assure you we are as much surprised as you are." nerle laughed again at this, and to hear only one of the strangers speak and the other only laugh seemed to terrify the double people anew. so prince marvel quickly asked: "please tell us what country this is?" "the land of twi," answered both men, together. "oh! the land of twi. and why is the light here so dim?" continued the prince. "dim?" repeated the men, as if surprised; "why, this is twilight, of course." "of course," said nerle. "i hadn't thought of that. we are in the long hidden land of twi, which all men have heard of, but no man has found before." "and who may you be?" questioned the prince, looking from one man to the other, curiously. "we are twis," they answered. "twice?" "twis--inhabitants of twi." "it's the same thing," laughed nerle. "you see everything twice in this land." "are none of your people single?" asked prince marvel. "single," returned the men, as if perplexed. "we don't understand." "are you all double?--or are some of you just one?" said the prince, who found it difficult to put his question plainly. "what does 'one' mean?" asked the men. "there is no such word as 'one' in our language." "they have no need of such a word," declared nerle. "we are only poor laborers," explained the men. "but over the hills lie the cities of twi, where the ki and the ki-ki dwell, and also the high ki." "ah!" said marvel, "i've heard of your high ki. who is he?" the men shook their heads, together and with the same motion. "we have never seen the glorious high ki," they answered. "the sight of their faces is forbidden. none but the ki and the ki-ki has seen the supreme rulers and high ki." "i'm getting mixed," said nerle. "all this about the ki and the ki-ki and the high ki makes me dizzy. let's go on to the city and explore it." "that is a good suggestion," replied the prince. "good by, my friends," he added, addressing the men. they both bowed, and although they still seemed somewhat frightened they answered him civilly and in the same words, and closed their doors at the same time. so prince marvel and nerle rode up the double path to the hills, and the two cows became frightened and ran away with the same swinging step, keeping an exact space apart. and when they were a safe distance they both stopped, looked over their right shoulders, and "mooed" at the same instant. 14. the ki and the ki-ki from the tops of the hills the travelers caught their first glimpse of the wonderful cities of twi. two walls surrounded the cities, and in the walls were two gates just alike. within the inclosures stood many houses, but all were built in pairs, from the poorest huts to the most splendid palaces. every street was double, the pavements running side by side. there were two lamp-posts on every corner, and in the dim twilight that existed these lamp-posts were quite necessary. if there were trees or bushes anywhere, they invariably grew in pairs, and if a branch was broken on one it was sure to be broken on the other, and dead leaves fell from both trees at identically the same moment. much of this marvel and nerle learned after they had entered the cities, but the view from the hills showed plainly enough that the "double" plan existed everywhere and in every way in this strange land. they followed the paths down to the gates of the walls, where two pairs of soldiers rushed out and seized their horses by the bridles. these soldiers all seemed to be twins, or at least mates, and each one of each pair was as like the other as are two peas growing in the same pod. if one had a red nose the other's was red in the same degree, and the soldiers that held the bridles of nerle's horse both had their left eyes bruised and blackened, as from a blow of the same force. these soldiers, as they looked upon nerle and the prince, seemed fully as much astonished and certainly more frightened than their prisoners. they were dressed in bright yellow uniforms with green buttons, and the soldiers who had arrested the prince had both torn their left coat-sleeves and had patches of the same shape upon the seats of their trousers. "how dare you stop us, fellows?" asked the prince, sternly. the soldiers holding his horse both turned and looked inquiringly at the soldiers holding nerle's horse; and these turned to look at a double captain who came out of two doors in the wall and walked up to them. "such things were never before heard of!" said the two captains, their startled eyes fixed upon the prisoners. "we must take them to the ki and the ki-ki." "why so?" asked prince marvel. "because," replied the officers, "they are our rulers, under grace of the high ki, and all unusual happenings must be brought to their notice. it is our law, you know--the law of the kingdom of twi." "very well," said marvel, quietly; "take us where you will; but if any harm is intended us you will be made to regret it." "the ki and the ki-ki will decide," returned the captains gravely, their words sounding at the same instant. and then the two pairs of soldiers led the horses through the double streets, the captains marching ahead with drawn swords, and crowds of twin men and twin women coming from the double doors of the double houses to gaze upon the strange sight of men and horses who were not double. presently they came upon a twin palace with twin turrets rising high into the air; and before the twin doors the prisoners dismounted. marvel was escorted through one door and nerle through another, and then they saw each other going down a double hallway to a room with a double entrance. passing through this they found themselves in a large hall with two domes set side by side in the roof. the domes were formed of stained glass, and the walls of the hall were ornamented by pictures in pairs, each pair showing identically the same scenes. this, was, of course, reasonable enough in such a land, where two people would always look at two pictures at the same time and admire them in the same way with the same thoughts. beneath one of the domes stood a double throne, on which sat the ki of twi--a pair of gray-bearded and bald-headed men who were lean and lank and stoop-shouldered. they had small eyes, black and flashing, long hooked noses, great pointed ears, and they were smoking two pipes from which the smoke curled in exactly the same circles and clouds. beneath the other dome sat the ki-ki of twi, also on double thrones, similar to those of the ki. the ki-ki were two young men, and had golden hair combed over their brows and "banged" straight across; and their eyes were blue and mild in expression, and their cheeks pink and soft. the ki-ki were playing softly upon a pair of musical instruments that resembled mandolins, and they were evidently trying to learn a new piece of music, for when one ki-ki struck a false note the other ki-ki struck the same false note at the same time, and the same expression of annoyance came over the two faces at the same moment. when the prisoners entered, the pairs of captains and soldiers bowed low to the two pairs of rulers, and the ki exclaimed--both in the same voice of surprise: "great kika-koo! what have we here?" "most wonderful prisoners, your highnesses," answered the captains. "we found them at your cities' gates and brought them to you at once. they are, as your highnesses will see, each singular, and but half of what he should be." "'tis so!" cried the double ki, in loud voices, and slapping their right thighs with their right palms at the same time. "most remarkable! most remarkable!" "i don't see anything remarkable about it," returned prince marvel, calmly. "it is you, who are not singular, but double, that seem strange and outlandish." "perhaps--perhaps!" said the two old men, thoughtfully. "it is what we are not accustomed to that seems to us remarkable. eh, ki-ki?" they added, turning to the other rulers. the ki-ki, who had not spoken a word but continued to play softly, simply nodded their blond heads carelessly; so the ki looked again at the prisoners and asked: "how did you get here?" "we cut a hole through the prickly hedge," replied prince marvel. "a hole through the hedge! great kika-koo!" cried the gray-bearded ki; "is there, then, anything or any place on the other side of the hedge?" "why, of course! the world is there," returned the prince, laughing. the old men looked puzzled, and glanced sharply from their little black eyes at their prisoners. "we thought nothing existed outside the hedge of twi," they answered, simply. "but your presence here proves we were wrong. eh! ki-ki?" this last was again directed toward the pair of musicians, who continued to play and only nodded quietly, as before. "now that you are here," said the twin ki, stroking their two gray beards with their two left hands in a nervous way, "it must be evident to you that you do not belong here. therefore you must go back through the hedge again and stay on the other side. eh, ki-ki?" the ki-ki still continued playing, but now spoke the first words the prisoners had heard from them. "they must die," said the ki-ki, in soft and agreeable voices. "die!" echoed the twin ki, "die? great kika-koo! and why so?" "because, if there is a world on the other side of the hedge, they would tell on their return all about the land of twi, and others of their kind would come through the hedge from curiosity and annoy us. we can not be annoyed. we are busy." having delivered this speech both the ki-ki went on playing the new tune, as if the matter was settled. "nonsense!" retorted the old ki, angrily. "you are getting more and more bloodthirsty every day, our sweet and gentle ki-ki! but we are the ki--and we say the prisoners shall not die!" "we say they shall!" answered the youthful ki-ki, nodding their two heads at the same time, with a positive motion. "you may be the ki, but we are the ki-ki, and your superior." "not in this case," declared the old men. "where life and death are concerned we have equal powers with you." "and if we disagree?" asked the players, gently. "great kika-koo! if we disagree the high ki must judge between us!" roared the twin ki, excitedly. "quite so," answered the ki-ki. "the strangers shall die." "they shall not die!" stormed the old men, with fierce gestures toward the others, while both pairs of black eyes flashed angrily. "then we disagree, and they must be taken to the high ki," returned the blond musicians, beginning to play another tune. the two ki rose from their thrones, paced two steps to the right and three steps to the left, and then sat down again. "very well!" they said to the captains, who had listened unmoved to the quarrel of the rulers; "keep these half-men safe prisoners until to-morrow morning, and then the ki-ki and we ourselves will conduct them to the mighty high ki." at this command the twin captains bowed again to both pairs of rulers and led prince marvel and nerle from the room. then they were escorted along the streets to the twin houses of the captains, and here the officers paused and scratched their left ears with uncertain gestures. "there being only half of each of you," they said, "we do not know how to lock each of you in double rooms." "oh, let us both occupy the same room," said prince marvel. "we prefer it." "very well," answered the captains; "we must transgress our usual customs in any event, so you may as well be lodged as you wish." so nerle and the prince were thrust into a large and pleasant room of one of the twin houses, the double doors were locked upon them by twin soldiers, and they were left to their own thoughts. 15. the high ki of twi "tell me, prince, are we awake or asleep?" asked nerle, as soon as they were alone. "there is no question of our being awake," replied the prince, with a laugh. "but what a curious country it is--and what a funny people!" "we can't call them odd or singular," said the esquire, "for everything is even in numbers and double in appearance. it makes me giddy to look at them, and i keep feeling of myself to make sure there is still only one of me." "you are but half a boy!" laughed the prince--"at least so long as you remain in the land of twi." "i'd like to get out of it in double-quick time," answered nerle; "and we should even now be on the other side of the hedge were it not for that wicked pair of ki-ki, who are determined to kill us." "it is strange," said the prince, thoughtfully, "that the fierce-looking old ki should be our friends and the gentle ki-ki our enemies. how little one can tell from appearances what sort of heart beats in a person's body!" before nerle could answer the two doors opened and two pairs of soldiers entered. they drew two small tables before the prince and two before nerle, and then other pairs of twin soldiers came and spread cloths on the tables and set twin platters of meat and bread and fruit on each of the tables. when the meal had been arranged the prisoners saw that there was enough for four people instead of two; and the soldiers realized this also, for they turned puzzled looks first on the tables and then on the prisoners. then they shook all their twin heads gravely and went away, locking the twin doors behind them. "we have one advantage in being singular," said nerle, cheerfully; "and that is we are not likely to starve to death. for we can eat the portions of our missing twins as well as our own." "i should think you would enjoy starving," remarked the prince. "no; i believe i have more exquisite suffering in store for me, since i have met that gentle pair of ki-ki," said nerle. while they were eating the two captains came in and sat down in two chairs. these captains seemed friendly fellows, and after watching the strangers for a while they remarked: "we are glad to see you able to eat so heartily; for to-morrow you will probably die." "that is by no means certain," replied marvel, cutting a piece from one of the twin birds on a platter before him--to the extreme surprise of the captains, who had always before seen both birds carved alike at the same time. "your gray-bearded old ki say we shall not die." "true," answered the captains. "but the ki-ki have declared you shall." "their powers seem to be equal," said nerle, "and we are to be taken before the high ki for judgment." "therein lies your danger," returned the captains, speaking in the same tones and with the same accents on their words. "for it is well known the ki-ki has more influence with the high ki than the ki has." "hold on!" cried nerle; "you are making me dizzy again. i can't keep track of all these kis." "what is the high ki like?" asked prince marvel, who was much interested in the conversation of the captains. but this question the officers seemed unable to answer. they shook their heads slowly and said: "the high ki are not visible to the people of twi. only in cases of the greatest importance are the high ki ever bothered or even approached by the ki and the ki-ki, who are supposed to rule the land according to their own judgment. but if they chance to disagree, then the matter is carried before the high ki, who live in a palace surrounded by high walls, in which there are no gates. only these rulers have ever seen the other side of the walls, or know what the high ki are like." "that is strange," said the prince. "but we, ourselves, it seems, are to see the high ki to-morrow, and whoever they may chance to be, we hope to remain alive after the interview." "that is a vain hope," answered the captains, "for it is well known that the high ki usually decide in favor of the ki-ki, and against the wishes of the old ki." "that is certainly encouraging," said nerle. when the captains had gone and left them to themselves, the esquire confided to his master his expectations in the following speech: "this high ki sounds something terrible and fierce in my ears, and as they are doubtless a pair, they will be twice terrible and fierce. perhaps his royal doublets will torture me most exquisitely before putting me to death, and then i shall feel that i have not lived in vain." they slept in comfortable beds that night, although an empty twin bed stood beside each one they occupied. and in the morning they were served another excellent meal, after which the captains escorted them again to the twin palaces of the ki and the ki-ki. there the two pairs of rulers met them and headed the long procession of soldiers toward the palace of the high ki. first came a band of music, in which many queer sorts of instruments were played in pairs by twin musicians; and it was amusing to nerle to see the twin drummers roll their twin drums exactly at the same time and the twin trumpets peal out twin notes. after the band marched the double ki-ki and the double ki, their four bodies side by side in a straight line. the ki-ki had left their musical instruments in the palace, and now wore yellow gloves with green stitching down the backs and swung gold-headed canes jauntily as they walked. the ki stooped their aged shoulders and shuffled along with their hands in their pockets, and only once did they speak, and that was to roar "great kika-koo!" when the ki-ki jabbed their canes down on the ki's toes. following the ki-ki and the ki came the prince and nerle, escorted by the twin captains, and then there were files of twin soldiers bringing up the rear. crowds of twin people, with many twin children amongst them, turned out to watch the unusual display, and many pairs of twin dogs barked together in unison and snapped at the heels of the marching twin soldiers. by and by they reached the great wall surrounding the high ki's palace, and, sure enough, there was never a gate in the wall by which any might enter. but when the ki and the ki-ki had blown a shrill signal upon two pairs of whistles, they all beheld two flights of silver steps begin to descend from the top of the wall, and these came nearer and nearer the ground until at last they rested at the feet of the ki. then the old men began ascending the steps carefully and slowly, and the captains motioned to the prisoners to follow. so prince marvel followed one of the ki up the steps and nerle the other ki, while the two ki-ki came behind them so they could not escape. so to the top of the wall they climbed, where a pair of twin servants in yellow and green--which seemed to be the royal colors--welcomed them and drew up the pair of silver steps, afterward letting them down on the other side of the wall, side by side. they descended in the same order as they had mounted to the top of the wall, and now prince marvel and nerle found themselves in a most beautiful garden, filled with twin beds of twin flowers, with many pairs of rare shrubs. also, there were several double statuettes on pedestals, and double fountains sending exactly the same sprays of water the same distance into the air. double walks ran in every direction through the garden, and in the center of the inclosure stood a magnificent twin palace, built of blocks of white marble exquisitely carved. the ki and the ki-ki at once led their prisoners toward the palace and entered at its large arched double doors, where several pairs of servants met them. these servants, they found, were all dumb, so that should they escape from the palace walls they could tell no tales of the high ki. the prisoners now proceeded through several pairs of halls, winding this way and that, and at last came to a pair of golden double doors leading into the throne-room of the mighty high ki. here they all paused, and the ki-ki both turned to the prince and nerle and said: "you are the only persons, excepting ourselves and the palace servants, who have ever been permitted to see the high ki of twi. as you are about to die, that does not matter; but should you by any chance be permitted to live, you must never breathe a word of what you are about to see, under penalty of a sure and horrible death." the prisoners made no reply to this speech, and, after the two ki-ki had given them another mild look from their gentle blue eyes, these officials clapped their twin hands together and the doors of gold flew open. a perfect silence greeted them, during which the double ki and the double ki-ki bent their four bodies low and advanced into the throne-room, followed by prince marvel and nerle. in the center of the room stood two thrones of dainty filigree work in solid gold, and over them were canopies of yellow velvet, the folds of which were caught up and draped with bands of green ribbon. and on the thrones were seated two of the sweetest and fairest little maidens that mortal man had ever beheld. their lovely hair was fine as a spider's web; their eyes were kind and smiling, their cheeks soft and dimpled, their mouths shapely as a cupid's bow and tinted like the petals of a rose. upon their heads were set two crowns of fine spun gold, worked into fantastic shapes and set with glittering gems. their robes were soft silks of pale yellow, with strings of sparkling emeralds for ornament. anything so lovely and fascinating as these little maids, who were precisely alike in every particular, neither prince marvel nor nerle had ever dreamed could exist. they stood for a time spellbound and filled with admiration, while the two pairs of rulers bowed again and again before the dainty and lovable persons of their high ki. but it was hard for nerle to keep quiet for long, and presently he exclaimed, in a voice loud enough to be heard by all present: "by the great kika-koo of our friends the ki, these darling high ki of twi are sweet enough to be kissed!" 16. the rebellion of the high ki the bold speech of nerle's made the two damsels laugh at the same time, and their sweet laughter sounded like rippling strains of harmonious music. but the two ki-ki frowned angrily, and the two ki looked at the boy in surprise, as if wondering at his temerity. "who are these strangers?" asked the pretty high ki, speaking together as all the twins of twi did; "and why are they not mates, but only half of each other?" "these questions, your supreme highnesses," said the blond-haired pair of ki-ki, "we are unable to answer." "perhaps, then, the strangers can answer themselves," said the little maids, smiling first upon the ki-ki and then upon the prisoners. prince marvel bowed. "i am from the great outside world," said he, "and my name is prince marvel. until now i have never seen people that live in pairs, and speak in unison, and act in the same way and think the same thoughts. my world is much bigger than your world, and in it every person is proud to think and act for himself. you say i am only a 'half,' but that is not so. i am perfect, without a counterpart; my friend nerle is perfect without a counterpart, and it is yourselves who are halved. for in the land of twi no person is complete or perfect without its other half, and it seems to take two of you to make one man--or one maid." the sweet faces of the twin high ki grew thoughtful at this speech, and they said: "indeed, it may be you are right. but it is our custom in twi to do everything double and to live double." then, turning to the ki, they asked: "why have you brought these strangers here?" "to ask your supreme highnesses to permit them to return again to the world from whence they came," answered the ki, both of them regarding their supreme rulers earnestly. but here the ki-ki spoke up quickly in their mild voices, saying: "that is not our idea, your highnesses. we, the ki-ki of twi, think it best the strangers should be put to death. and we pray your supreme highnesses to favor our wish." the two little maids looked from the ki to the ki-ki, and frowned and pouted their rosy lips in evident perplexity. but nerle whispered to prince marvel: "it's all up with us! i know very well why her royal doublets always favors the ki-ki. it's because they are young and handsome, while the ki are old and ugly. both of her will condemn us to death--you see if she don't!" this seemed somewhat mixed, but nerle was in earnest, and prince marvel, who had not forgotten his fairy lore, began to weave a silent spell over the head of the nearest twin high ki. but just as it was completed, and before he had time to work the spell on the other twin, the ki-ki grew impatient, and exclaimed: "we beg your highnesses not to keep us waiting. let us have your decision at once!" and the twin maidens raised their fair heads and replied. but the reply was of such a nature that both the old ki and both the young ki-ki staggered backward in amazement. for one of the twin high ki said: "they shall die!" and the other twin high ki said at the same instant: "they shall not die!" had twin thunderbolts fallen through the twin roofs of the twin palaces and struck the twin ki and the twin ki-ki upon their twin heads it would have created no more stupendous a sensation than did this remark. never before had any two halves of a twin of the land of twi thought differently or spoken differently. indeed, it startled the two maidens themselves as much as it did their hearers, for each one turned her head toward the other and, for the first time in her life, looked into the other's face! this act was fully as strange as their speech, and a sudden horrible thought came into the startled heads of the twin ki and the twin ki-ki: the high ki of twi was no longer one, but two. and these two were thinking and acting each independent of the other! it is no wonder the shock rendered them speechless for a time, and they stood swaying their four bodies, with their eight eyes bulging out like those of fishes and their four mouths wide open, as if the two pairs had become one quartet. the faces of the two maids flushed as they gazed upon each other. "how dare you contradict me?" asked one. "how dare you contradict me?" demanded the other, and not only were these questions asked separately, but the accent on the words was different. and their twin minds seemed to get farther apart every moment. "i'm the high ki of twi!" said one. "you're not! i'm the high ki!" retorted the other. "the strangers shall die!" snapped one. "they shall live!" cried the other. "my will is supreme." "it's not! my will is supreme," returned the other twin. the bald heads of the ancient ki were bobbing in amazement, first to one maid and then toward the other. the blond hairs of the two ki-ki were standing almost on end, and their eyes stared straight before them as if stupefied with astonishment. nerle was bellowing with rude laughter and holding his sides to keep from getting a stitch in them, while prince marvel stood quietly attentive and smiling with genuine amusement. for he alone understood what had happened to separate the twin high ki. the girls did not seem to know how to act under their altered conditions. after a time one of them said: "we will leave our dispute to be settled by the ki and the ki-ki." "very well," agreed the other. "then i say your half is right," declared the ki-ki, both their right forefingers pointing to the maiden who had condemned the strangers to death. "and i decide that your half is right," exclaimed the ki, both their trembling forefingers pointing to the maiden who had said the strangers should live. "well?" said one girl. "well?" said the other. "the powers of the ki and the ki-ki are equal," said the first. "we are no nearer a settlement of our dispute than we were before." "my dear young ladies," said prince marvel, politely, "i beg you will take time to think the matter over, and see if you can not come to an agreement. we are in no hurry." "very well," decided the twins, speaking both together this time. "we command you all to remain in the palace until we have settled our own strange dispute. the servants will care for you, and when we are ready to announce our decision we shall again send for you." every one bowed at this command and retired from the room; but nerle looked over his shoulder as he went through the doorway, and saw that the two high ki had turned in their seats and were facing each other, and that both their faces wore angry and determined expressions. 17. the separation of the high ki for nearly a week prince marvel and nerle remained confined to the palace and gardens of the high ki. together with the twin ki, who seemed to be friendly to them, they occupied one of the twin palaces, while the ki-ki secluded themselves in the other. the pretty high ki maidens they did not see at all, nor did they know what part of the palaces they occupied, not being permitted to wander away from the rooms allotted to them, except to walk in the garden. there was no way for them to escape, had they felt inclined to, for the silver steps had disappeared. from the garden walks they sometimes caught sight of the solemn heads of the handsome ki-ki looking at them through the twin windows of the other palace, and although the expression of their faces was always mild and gentle, nerle and marvel well knew the ki-ki were only waiting in the hope of having them killed. "are you nervous about the decision of the pretty high ki?" asked nerle one day. "no, indeed," said the prince, laughing; "for i do not expect them to kill me, in any event." "if i felt as sure of my safety," returned the boy, "it would destroy all my pleasure. these are really happy days for me. every moment i expect to see the executioner arrive with his ax." "the executioner is double," said the two old ki, breaking into the conversation. "you should say you expect to see the executioners arrive with their axes." "then how will they cut off my head with two axes? for i suppose they will both chop at the same time, and i have but one neck." "wait and see," answered the two ki, sighing deeply and rubbing their red noses thoughtfully. "oh, i'll wait," answered the boy; "but as for seeing them cut off my head, i refuse; for i intend to shut my eyes." so they sat in their rooms or walked in the gardens, yawning and waiting, until one day, just as the two clocks on the wall were striking twenty-four o'clock, the door opened and to their surprise one of the high ki twins walked in upon them. she was as sweet and fair to look upon as when she occupied one of the beautiful thrones, but at first no one could tell which of the high ki she was--their friend or their enemy. even the ki were puzzled and anxious, until the girl said: "my other half and i have completely separated, for we have agreed to disagree for all time. and she has gone to ask the ki-ki to assist her, for war is declared between us. and hereafter her color is to be the green and mine the yellow, and we intend to fight until one of us conquers and overthrows the other." this announcement was interesting to marvel and nerle, but greatly shocked the aged ki, who asked: "what is to become of our kingdom? half of a high ki can not rule it. it is against the law." "i will make my own laws when i have won the fight," returned the girl, with a lovely smile; "so do not let that bother you. and now tell me, will you help me to fight my battles?" "willingly!" exclaimed nerle and prince marvel, almost as if they had been twins of twi. and the ki rubbed their bald heads a moment, and then sneezed together and wiped their eyes on faded yellow handkerchiefs, and finally declared they would "stick to her supreme highness through thick and thin!" "then go over the wall to the cities, at once, and get together all the soldiers to fight for me and my cause," commanded the girl. the twin ki at once left the room, and the high ki sat down and began to ask questions of prince marvel and nerle about the big outside world from whence they came. nerle was rather shy and bashful before the dainty little maiden, whose yellow robe contrasted delightfully with her pink cheeks and blue eyes and brown flowing locks; but prince marvel did not mind girls at all, so he talked with her freely, and she in return allowed him to examine the pretty gold crown she wore upon her brow. by and by the ki came back with both faces sad and gloomy. "your highness," they announced, "we have bad news for you. the other high ki, who is wearing a green gown, has been more prompt in action than yourself. she and the ki-ki have secured the silver steps and will allow no others to use them; and already they have sent for the soldiers of the royal armies to come and aid them. so we are unable to leave the garden, and presently the army will be here to destroy us." then the girl showed her good courage; for she laughed and said: "then we must remain here and fight to the last; and if i am unable to save you, who are my friends, it will be because i can not save myself." this speech pleased prince marvel greatly. he kissed the little maid's hand respectfully and said: "fear nothing, your highness. my friend and i are not so helpless as you think. we consider it our privilege to protect and save you, instead of your saving us; and we are really able to do this in spite of the other high ki and her entire army." so they remained quietly in the palace the rest of that day, and no one molested them in the least. in the evening the girl played and sang for them, and the ancient pair of ki danced a double-shuffle for their amusement that nearly convulsed them with laughter. for one danced exactly like the other, and the old men's legs were still very nimble, although their wrinkled faces remained anxiously grave throughout their antics. nerle also sang a song about the king of thieves whom prince marvel had conquered, and another about the red rogue of dawna, so that altogether the evening passed pleasantly enough, and they managed to forget all their uneasy doubts of the morrow. when at last they separated for the night, prince marvel alone did not seek his bed; there was still some business he wished to transact. so he shut himself up in his room and summoned before him, by means of his fairy knowledge, the prince of the knooks, the king of the ryls and the governor of the goblins. these were all three his especial friends, and he soon told them the story of the quarrel and separation of the twin high ki, and claimed their assistance. then he told them how they might aid him, and afterward dismissed them. having thus accomplished his task, the fairy prince went to bed and slept peacefully the remainder of the night. the next morning the blond ki-ki and all the army of twi, which had been won to their cause, came climbing up the silver steps and over the wall to the palace of the green high ki; but what was their amazement to find the twin palaces separated by a wall so high that no ladders nor steps they possessed could reach to the top! it had been built in a single night, and only prince marvel and his fairy friends knew how the work had been done so quickly. the yellow high ki, coming downstairs to breakfast with her friends, found herself securely shut in from her enemies, and the bald-headed old ki were so pleased to escape that they danced another jig from pure joy. over the wall could be heard the shouts and threats of the army of twi, who were seeking a way to get at the fugitives; but for the present our friends knew themselves to be perfectly safe, and they could afford to laugh at the fury of the entire population of twi. 18. the rescue of the high ki after several days of siege prince marvel began to feel less confident of the safety of his little party. the frantic ki-ki had built double battering-rams and were trying to batter down the high wall; and they had built several pairs of long ladders with which to climb over the wall; and their soldiers were digging two tunnels in the ground in order to crawl under the wall. not at once could they succeed, for the wall was strong and it would take long to batter it down; and nerle stood on top of the wall and kicked over the ladders as fast as the soldiers of twi set them up; and the gray-bearded ki stood in the garden holding two big flat boards with which to whack the heads of any who might come through the tunnels. but prince marvel realized that the perseverance of his foes might win in the end, unless he took measures to defeat them effectually. so he summoned swift messengers from among the sound elves, who are accustomed to travel quickly, and they carried messages from him to wul-takim, the king of the reformed thieves, and to king terribus of spor, who had both promised him their assistance in case he needed it. the prince did not tell his friends of this action, but after the messengers had been dispatched he felt easier in his mind. the little high ki remained as sweet and brave and lovable as ever, striving constantly to cheer and encourage her little band of defenders. but none of them was very much worried, and nerle confided to the maiden in yellow the fact that he expected to suffer quite agreeably when the ki-ki at last got him in their clutches. finally a day came when two big holes were battered through the wall, and then the twin soldiers of twi poured through the holes and began to pound on the doors of the palace itself, in which prince marvel and nerle, the ki and the yellow high ki had locked themselves as securely as possible. the prince now decided it was high time for his friends to come to their rescue; but they did not appear, and before long the doors of the palace gave way and the soldiers rushed upon them in a vast throng. nerle wanted to fight, and to slay as many of the twi people as possible; but the prince would not let him. "these poor soldiers are but doing what they consider their duty," he said, "and it would be cruel to cut them down with our swords. have patience, i pray you. our triumph will come in good time." the ki-ki, who came into the palace accompanied by the green high ki, ordered the twin soldiers to bind all the prisoners with cords. so one pair of soldiers bound the ki and another pair nerle and the prince, using exactly the same motions in the operation. but when it came to binding the yellow high ki the scene was very funny. for twin soldiers tried to do the binding, and there was only one to bind; so that one soldier went through the same motions as his twin on empty air, and when his other half had firmly bound the girl, his own rope fell harmless to the ground. but it seemed impossible for one of the twins to do anything different from the other, so that was the only way the act could be accomplished. then the green-robed high ki walked up to the one in yellow and laughed in her face, saying: "you now see which of us is the most powerful, and therefore the most worthy to rule. had you remained faithful to our handsome ki-ki, as i did, you would not now be defeated and disgraced." "there is no disgrace in losing one battle," returned the other girl, proudly. "you are mistaken if you think you have conquered me, and you are wrong to insult one who is, for the time being, your captive." the maiden in green looked for an instant confused and ashamed; then she tossed her pretty head and walked away. they led all the prisoners out into the garden and then through the broken wall, and up and down the silver steps, into the great square of the cities of twi. and here all the population crowded around them, for this was the first time any of them had seen their high ki, or even known that they were girls; and the news of their quarrel and separation had aroused a great deal of excitement. "let the executioners come forward!" cried the ki-ki, gleefully, and in answer to the command the twin executioners stepped up to the prisoners. they were big men, these executioners, each having a squint in one eye and a scar on the left cheek. they polished their axes a moment on their coat-sleeves, and then said to prince marvel and nerle, who were to be the first victims: "don't dodge, please, or our axes may not strike the right place. and do not be afraid, for the blows will only hurt you an instant. in the land of twi it is usually considered a pleasure to be executed by us, we are so exceedingly skillful." "i can well believe that," replied nerle, although his teeth were chattering. but at this instant a loud shout was heard, and the twin people of twi all turned their heads to find themselves surrounded by throngs of fierce enemies. prince marvel smiled, for he saw among the new-comers the giants and dwarfs and the stern gray men of king terribus, with their monarch calmly directing their movements; and on the other side of the circle were the jolly faces and bushy whiskers of the fifty-nine reformed thieves, with burly wul-takim at their head. 19. the reunion of the high ki the twins of twi were too startled and amazed to offer to fight with the odd people surrounding them. even the executioners allowed their axes to fall harmlessly to the ground, and the double people, soldiers and citizens alike, turned to stare at the strangers in wonder. "we're here, prince!" yelled wul-takim, his bristly beard showing over the heads of those who stood between. "thank you," answered prince marvel. "and the men of spor are here!" added king terribus, who was mounted on a fine milk-white charger, richly caparisoned. "i thank the men of spor," returned prince marvel, graciously. "shall we cut your foes into small pieces, or would you prefer to hang them?" questioned the king of the reformed thieves, loudly enough to set most of his hearers shivering. but now the little maid in yellow stepped up to prince marvel and, regarding the youthful knight with considerable awe, said sweetly: "i beg you will pardon my people and spare them. they are usually good and loyal subjects, and if they fought against me--their lawful high ki--it was only because they were misled by my separation from my other half." "that is true," replied the prince; "and as you are still the lawful high ki of twi, i will leave you to deal with your own people as you see fit. for those who have conquered your people are but your own allies, and are still under your orders, as i am myself." hearing this, the green high ki walked up to her twin high ki and said, boldly: "i am your prisoner. it is now your turn. do with me as you will." "i forgive you," replied her sister, in kindly tones. then the little maid who had met with defeat gave a sob and turned away weeping, for she had expected anything but forgiveness. and now the ki-ki came forward and, bowing their handsome blond heads before the high ki, demanded: "are we forgiven also?" "yes," said the girl, "but you are no longer fit to be rulers of my people. therefore, you are henceforth deprived of your honorable offices of ki-ki, which i shall now bestow upon these good captains here," and she indicated the good-natured officers who had first captured the prince and nerle. the people of twi eagerly applauded this act, for the captains were more popular with them than the former ki-ki; but the blond ones both flushed with humiliation and anger, and said: "the captains fought against you, even as we did." "yet the captains only obeyed your orders," returned the high ki. "so i hold them blameless." "and what is to become of us now?" asked the former ki-ki. "you will belong to the common people, and earn your living playing tunes for them to dance by," answered the high ki. and at this retort every one laughed, so that the handsome youths turned away with twin scowls upon their faces and departed amidst the jeers of the crowd. "better hang 'em to a tree, little one," shouted wul-takim, in his big voice; "they won't enjoy life much, anyhow." but the maid shook her pretty head and turned to the prince. "will you stay here and help me to rule my kingdom?" she asked. "i can not do that," replied prince marvel, "for i am but a wandering adventurer and must soon continue my travels. but i believe you will be able to rule your people without my help." "it is not so easy a task," she answered, sighing. "for i am singular and my people are all double." "well, let us hold a meeting in your palace," said the prince, "and then we can decide what is best to be done." so they dismissed the people, who cheered their high ki enthusiastically, returning quietly to their daily tasks and the gossip that was sure to follow such important events as they had witnessed. the army of king terribus and the fifty-nine reformed thieves went to the twin palaces of the ki and the ki-ki and made merry with feasting and songs to celebrate their conquest. and the high ki, followed by the prince, nerle, king terribus and wul-takim, as well as by the ki and the newly-appointed ki-ki, mounted the silver steps and passed over the wall to the royal palaces. the green high ki followed them, still weeping disconsolately. when they had all reached the throne-room, the high ki seated herself on one of the beautiful thrones and said: "by some strange chance, which i am unable to explain, my twin and i have become separated; so that instead of thinking and acting alike, we are now individuals--as are all the strange men who have passed through the hole in the hedge. and, being individuals, we can no longer agree, nor can one of us lawfully rule over the kingdom of twi, where all the subjects are twins, thinking and acting in unison." said prince marvel: "your highness, i alone can explain why you became separated from your twin. by means of a fairy enchantment, which i learned years ago, i worked upon you a spell, which compelled your brain to work independent of your sister's brain. it seems to me that it is better each person should think her own thoughts and live her own life, rather than be yoked to another person and obliged to think and act as a twin, or one-half of a complete whole. and since you are now the one high ki, and the acknowledged ruler of this country, i will agree to work the same fairy spell on all your people, so that no longer will there be twin minds in all this land of twi." "but all the cows and dogs and horses and other animals are double, as well as the people," suggested the old ki, blinking their little eyes in amazement at the thought of being forever separated from each other. "i can also work the spell upon all the twin animals," said the prince, after a moment's hesitation. "and all our houses are built double, with twin doors and windows and chimneys, to accommodate our twin people," continued the high ki. "and the trees and flowers--and even the blades of grass--are all double. and our roads are double, and--and everything else is double. i alone, the ruler of this land, am singular!" prince marvel became thoughtful now, for he did not know how to separate trees and flowers, and it would be a tedious task to separate the twin houses. "why not leave the country as it is?" asked king terribus of spor. "the high ki is welcome to come to my castle to live, and then she need no longer bother about the land of twi, which seems to me a poor place, after all." "and your sister may come with me to my cave, and be the queen of the reformed thieves, which is a much more important office than being high ki of twi," added big wul-takim, who had placed the maiden in green upon a cushion at his feet, and was striving to comfort her by gently stroking her silken hair with his rough hand. "but i love my country, and do not wish to leave it," answered the yellow high ki. "and i love my twin sister, and regret that our minds have become separated," she continued, sadly. "i have it!" exclaimed nerle. "let the prince reunite you, making you regular twins of twi again, and then you can continue to rule the country as the double high ki, and everything will be as it was before." the yellow high ki clapped her pink hands with delight and looked eagerly at the prince. "will you?" she asked. "will you please reunite us? and then all our troubles will be ended!" this really seemed to marvel the best thing to be done. so he led the maid in green to the other throne, where she had once sat, and after replacing the golden crown upon her brow he whispered a fairy spell of much mystical power. then the prince stepped back and regarded the maidens earnestly, and after a moment both the high ki smiled upon him in unison and said--speaking the same words in the same voices and with the same accents: "thank you very much!" 20. kwytoffle, the tyrant having restored the high ki to their former condition, to the great joy of the ancient ki, prince marvel led his friends back to the palaces where his men were waiting. they were just in time to prevent serious trouble, for the fifty-eight reformed thieves had been boasting of their prowess to the huge giants and tiny dwarfs of king terribus, and this had resulted in a quarrel as to which were the best fighters. had not their masters arrived at the right moment there would certainly have been a fierce battle and much bloodshed,--and all over something of no importance. terribus and wul-takim soon restored order, and then they accompanied the ki and the ki-ki to the public square, where the people were informed that their supreme highnesses, the high ki, had been reunited and would thereafter rule them with twin minds as well as twin bodies. there was great rejoicing at this news, for every twin in twi was glad to have his troubles ended so easily and satisfactorily. that night the ryls and knooks and other invisible friends of prince marvel came and removed the dividing wall between the twin palaces of the high ki, repairing speedily all the damage that had been done. and when our friends called upon the high ki the next morning they found the two maids again dressed exactly alike in yellow robes, with strings of sparkling emeralds for ornament. and not even prince marvel could now tell one of the high ki from the other. as for the maids themselves, it seemed difficult to imagine they had ever existed apart for a single moment. they were very pleasant and agreeable to their new friends, and when they heard that prince marvel was about to leave them to seek new adventures they said: "please take us with you! it seems to us that we ought to know something of the big outside world from whence you came. if we see other kingdoms and people we shall be better able to rule our own wisely." "that seems reasonable," answered marvel, "and i shall be very glad to have you accompany me. but who will rule the land of twi in your absence?" "the ki-ki shall be the rulers," answered the high ki, "and we will take the ki with us." "then i will delay my departure until to-morrow morning," said the prince, "in order that your highnesses may have time to prepare for the journey." and then he went back to the palaces of the other rulers, where the ki expressed themselves greatly pleased at the idea of traveling, and the new ki-ki were proud to learn they should rule for some time the land of twi. wul-takim also begged to join the party, and so also did king terribus, who had never before been outside of his own kingdom of spor; so prince marvel willingly consented. the fifty-eight reformed thieves, led by gunder, returned to their cave, where they were living comfortably on the treasure prince marvel had given them; and the gray men and giants and dwarfs of spor departed for their own country. in the morning prince marvel led his own gay cavalcade through the hole in the hedge, and they rode merrily away in search of adventure. by his side were the high ki, mounted upon twin chestnut ponies that had remarkably slender limbs and graceful, arched necks. the ponies moved with exactly the same steps, and shook their manes and swished their tails at exactly the same time. behind the prince and the high ki were king terribus, riding his great white charger, and wul-takim on a stout horse of jet-black color. the two ancient ki and nerle, being of lesser rank than the others, brought up the rear. "when we return to our land of twi," said the high ki, "we shall close up for all time the hole you made in the hedge; for, if we are different from the rest of the world, it is better that we remain in seclusion." "i think it is right you should do that," replied prince marvel. "yet i do not regret that i cut a hole in your hedge." "it was the hedge that delayed us in coming more promptly to your assistance," said terribus; "for we had hard work to find the hole you had made, and so lost much valuable time." "all is well that ends well!" laughed the prince. "you certainly came in good time to rescue us from our difficulties." they turned into a path that led to auriel, which nerle had heard spoken of as "the kingdom of the setting sun." soon the landscape grew very pleasant to look upon, the meadows being broad and green, with groups of handsome trees standing about. the twilight of the land of twi was now replaced by bright sunshine, and in the air was the freshness of the near-by sea. at evening they came to a large farmhouse, where the owner welcomed them hospitably and gave them the best his house afforded. in answer to their questions about the kingdom of auriel, he shook his head sadly and replied: "it is a rich and beautiful country, but has fallen under great misfortunes. for when the good king died, about two years ago, the kingdom was seized by a fierce and cruel sorcerer, named kwytoffle, who rules the people with great severity, and makes them bring him all their money and valuable possessions. so every one is now very poor and unhappy, and that is a great pity in a country so fair and fertile." "but why do not the people rebel?" asked nerle. "they dare not rebel," answered the farmer, "because they fear the sorcery of kwytoffle. if they do not obey him he threatens to change them into grasshoppers and june-bugs." "has he ever changed any one into a grasshopper or a june-bug?" asked prince marvel. "no; but the people are too frightened to oppose him, and so he does not get the opportunity. and he has an army of fierce soldiers, who are accustomed to beat the people terribly if they do not carry every bit of their wealth to the sorcerer. so there is no choice but to obey him." "we certainly ought to hang this wicked creature!" exclaimed wul-takim. "i wish i had brought my fool-killer with me," sighed king terribus; "for i could have kept him quite busy in this kingdom." "can not something be done to rescue these poor people from their sad fate?" asked the lovely high ki, anxiously. "we will make a call upon this kwytoffle to-morrow," answered prince marvel, "and see what the fellow is like." "alas! alas!" wailed the good farmer, "you will all become grasshoppers and june-bugs--every one of you!" but none of the party seemed to fear that, and having passed the night comfortably with the farmer they left his house and journeyed on into the kingdom of auriel. before noon they came upon the edge of a forest, where a poor man was chopping logs into firewood. seeing prince marvel's party approach, this man ran toward them waving his hands and shouting excitedly: "take the other path! take the other path!" "and why should we take the other path?" inquired the prince, reining in his steed. "because this one leads to the castle of the great sorcerer, kwytoffle," answered the man. "but there is where we wish to go," said marvel. "what! you wish to go there?" cried the man. "then you will be robbed and enslaved!" "not as long as we are able to fight," laughed the big wul-takim. "if you resist the sorcerer, you will be turned into grasshoppers and june-bugs," declared the man, staring at them in wonder. "how do you know that?" asked marvel. "kwytoffle says so. he promises to enchant every one who dares defy his power." "has any one ever yet dared defy him?" asked nerle. "certainly not!" said the man. "no one wishes to become a june-bug or a grasshopper. no one dares defy him.". "i am anxious to see this sorcerer," exclaimed king terribus. "he ought to prove an interesting person, for he is able to accomplish his purposes by threats alone." "then let us ride on," said marvel. "dear us! dear us!" remonstrated the bald-headed ki; "are we to become grasshoppers, then?" "we shall see," returned the prince, briefly. "with your long legs," added the pretty pair of high ki, laughingly, "you ought to be able to jump farther than any other grasshopper in the kingdom." "great kika-koo!" cried the ki, nervously, "what a fate! what a terrible fate! and your highnesses, i suppose, will become june-bugs, and flutter your wings with noises like buzz-saws!" 21. the wonderful book of magic whatever their fears might be, none of prince marvel's party hesitated to follow him along the path through the forest in search of the sorcerer, and by and by they came upon a large clearing. in the middle of this open space was a big building in such bad repair that its walls were tumbling down in several places, and all around it the ground was uncared for and littered with rubbish. a man was walking up and down in front of this building, with his head bowed low; but when he heard the sound of approaching horses' hoofs he looked up and stared for a moment in amazement. then, with a shout of rage, he rushed toward them and caught prince marvel's horse by the bridle. "how dare you!" he cried; "how dare you enter my forest?" marvel jerked his bridle from the man's grasp and said in return: "who are you?" "me! who am i? why, i am the great and powerful kwytoffle! so beware! beware my sorcery!" they all looked at the man curiously. he was short and very fat, and had a face like a puff-ball, with little red eyes and scarcely any nose at all. he wore a black gown with scarlet grasshoppers and june-bugs embroidered upon the cloth; and his hat was high and peaked, with an imitation grasshopper of extraordinary size perched upon its point. in his right hand he carried a small black wand, and around his neck hung a silver whistle on a silver cord. seeing that the strangers were gazing on him so earnestly, kwytoffle thought they were frightened; so he said again, in a big voice: "beware my vengeance!" "beware yourself!" retorted the prince. "for if you do not treat us more respectfully, i shall have you flogged." "what! flog me!" shouted kwytoffle, furiously. "for this i will turn every one of you into grasshoppers--unless you at once give me all the wealth you possess!" "poor man!" exclaimed nerle; "i can see you are longing for that flogging. will you have it now?" and he raised his riding-whip above his head. kwytoffle stumbled backward a few paces and blew shrilly upon his silver whistle. instantly a number of soldiers came running from the building, others following quickly after them until fully a hundred rough-looking warriors, armed with swords and axes, had formed in battle array, facing the little party of prince marvel. "arrest these strangers!" commanded kwytoffle, in a voice like a roar. "capture them and bind them securely, and then i will change them all into grasshoppers!" "all right," answered the captain of the soldiers; and then he turned to his men and shouted: "forward--double-quick--march!" they came on with drawn swords; at first running, and then gradually dropping into a walk, as they beheld nerle, wul-takim, king terribus and marvel standing quietly waiting to receive them, weapons in hand and ready for battle. a few paces off the soldiers hesitated and stopped altogether, and kwytoffle yelled at the captain: "why don't you go on? why don't you capture them? why don't you fight them?" "why, they have drawn their swords!" responded the captain, reproachfully. "who cares?" roared the sorcerer. "we care," said the captain, giving a shudder, as he looked upon the strangers. "their swords are sharp, and some of us would get hurt." "you're cowards!" shrieked the enraged kwytoffle. "i'll turn you all into june-bugs!" at this threat the soldiers dropped their swords and axes, and all fell upon their knees, trembling visibly and imploring their cruel master not to change them into june-bugs. "bah!" cried nerle, scornfully; "why don't you fight? if we kill you, then you will escape being june-bugs." "the fact is," said the captain, woefully, "we simply can't fight. for our swords are only tin, and our axes are made of wood, with silver-paper pasted over them." "but why is that?" asked wul-takim, while all the party showed their surprise. "why, until now we have never had any need to fight," said the captain, "for every one has quickly surrendered to us or run away the moment we came near. but you people do not appear to be properly frightened, and now, alas! since you have drawn upon us the great sorcerer's anger, we shall all be transformed into june-bugs." "yes!" roared kwytoffle, hopping up and down with anger, "you shall all be june-bugs, and these strangers i will transform into grasshoppers!" "very well," said prince marvel, quietly; "you can do it now." "i will! i will!" cried the sorcerer. "then why don't you begin?" inquired the prince. "why don't i begin? why, i haven't got the enchantments with me, that's why. do you suppose we great magicians carry around enchantments in our pockets?" returned the other, in a milder tone. "where do you keep your enchantments?" asked the prince. "they're in my dwelling," snapped kwytoffle, taking off his hat and fanning his fat face with the brim. "then go and get them," said marvel. "nonsense! if i went to get the enchantments you would all run away!" retorted the sorcerer. "not so!" protested nerle, who was beginning to be amused. "my greatest longing in life is to become a grasshopper." "oh, yes! please let us be grasshoppers!" exclaimed the high ki maids in the same breath. "we want to hop! we want to hop! please--please let us hop!" implored the bald-headed ki, winking their left eyes at wul-takim. "by all means let us become grasshoppers," said king terribus, smiling; and wul-takim added: "i'm sure your soldiers would enjoy being june-bugs, for then they wouldn't have to work. isn't that so, boys?" the bewildered soldiers looked at one another in perplexity, and the still more bewildered sorcerer gazed on the speakers with staring eyes and wide-open mouth. "i insist," said prince marvel, "upon your turning us into grasshoppers and your soldiers into june-bugs, as you promised. if you do not, then i will flog you--as i promised." "very well," returned the sorcerer, with a desperate look upon his face; "i'll go and find the enchantment." "and we'll go with you," remarked the prince, pleasantly. so the entire party accompanied kwytoffle into the house, where they entered a large room that was in a state of much disorder. "let me see," said the sorcerer, rubbing his ears, as if trying to think; "i wonder if i put them in this cupboard. you see," he explained, "no one has ever before dared me to transform him into a june-bug or grasshopper, so i have almost forgotten where i keep my book of enchantments. no, it's not in the cupboard," he continued, looking there; "but it surely must be in this chest." it was not in the chest, either, and so the sorcerer continued to look in all sorts of queer places for his book of enchantments, without finding it. whenever he paused in his search prince marvel would say, sternly: "go on! find the book! hunt it up. we are all anxious to become grasshoppers." and then kwytoffle would set to work again, although big drops of perspiration were now streaming down his face. finally he pulled an old book from underneath the pillow of his bed, and crying, "here it is!" carried it to the window. he turned a few leaves of the book and then said: "how unfortunate! the compound i require to change you into grasshoppers must be mixed on the first day of september; and as this is now the eighth day of september i must wait nearly a year before i can work the enchantment." "how about the june-bugs?" asked nerle. "oh! ah! the june-bug mixture can only be made at the dark o' the moon," said the sorcerer, pretending to read, "and that is three weeks from now." "let me read it," said prince marvel, suddenly snatching the book from kwytoffle's hands. then he turned to the title-page and read: "'lives of famous thieves and impostors.' why, this is not a book of enchantments." "that is what i suspected," said terribus. "no one but a sorcerer can read the enchantments in this book," declared kwytoffle; but he hung his head with a sheepish look, for he knew his deception had been well understood. "is your own history written in this volume?" inquired marvel. "no," answered the sorcerer. "then it ought to be," said the prince, "for you are no sorcerer at all, but merely a thief and an impostor!" 22. the queen of plenta the soldiers of kwytoffle wanted to hang their old master at once, for he had won their enmity by abusing them in many ways; but prince marvel would not let them do this. however, they tied the false sorcerer to a post, and the captain gave him a good whipping--one lash for each letter in the words "grasshopper" and "june-bug." kwytoffle howled loudly for mercy, but no one was at all sorry for him. wul-takim tied a rope around the impostor's neck, and when the party left the castle they journeyed all through the kingdom of auriel, and at every town or city they came to the reformed thief would cry out to the populace: "here is the terrible sorcerer kwytoffle, who threatened to change you into grasshoppers and june-bugs. but you may see that he is a very common man, with no powers of sorcery whatever!" and then the people would laugh and pelt mud at their former tyrant, and thank prince marvel for haying exposed the false and wicked creature. and they called the son of their old king back to his lawful throne, where he ruled wisely and well; and the hoarded wealth of kwytoffle was divided among the people again, and soon the country became prosperous once more. this adventure was very amusing to the pretty high ki of twi. it afforded them laughter for many days, and none of the party ever saw a grasshopper or a june-bug afterward without thinking of the terrible sorcerer kwytoffle. they left that disgraced person grooming horses for his board in the stables of the new king, and proceeded upon their journey. without further event they reached the splendid southern kingdom of plenta, which was the most delightfully situated of any dominion in the enchanted island of yew. it was ruled by a good and generous queen, who welcomed the strangers to her palace and gave a series of gay entertainments in their honor. king terribus was especially an object of interest, for every one had heard his name and feared him and his fierce people. but when they beheld his pleasant countenance and listened to his gentle voice they began to regard him with much love and respect; and really terribus was worthy of their friendship since he had changed from a deformed monster into an ordinary man, and had forbidden his people ever again to rob and plunder their weaker neighbors. but the most popular personages visiting at the court of the queen of plenta were the lovely high ki of twi. although beautiful girls abounded in this kingdom, none could compare with the royal twins, and their peculiar condition only served to render them the more interesting. two youths would approach the high ki at the same time and invite them to dance, and in united voices they would accept the invitation and go whirling around the room with exactly the same steps, laughing at the same instant and enjoying the dance equally. but if one youth asked his partner a question, both the twins would make answer, and that was sure to confuse and embarrass the youth. still, the maids managed very well to adapt themselves to the ways of people who were singular, although they sometimes became a little homesick for twi, where they were like all the other people. the bald-headed ki kept watchful eyes on their youthful rulers, and served them very cheerfully. but with all their travels and experiences, the old men could never be convinced it was better to be singular than double. prince marvel was the real hero of the party, and nerle received much attention on account of his master's popularity. he did not seem as unhappy as usual, and when the prince inquired the reason, his esquire answered that he believed the excitement of their adventures was fast curing him of his longing for something he could not have. as for the pleasure of suffering, he had had some experience of that, too, and it was not nearly so delightful as he had expected. wul-takim was not a society man, so he stayed around the royal stables and made friends with the grooms, and traded his big black horse for two bay ones and a gold neck-chain, and was fairly content with his lot. and so the party enjoyed several happy weeks at the court of the good queen of plenta, until one day the terrible news arrived that carried them once more into exciting adventures. 23. the red rogue of dawna one morning, while they were all standing in the courtyard waiting for their horses, as they were about to go for a ride, a courier came galloping swiftly up to the palace and cried: "does any one know where prince marvel can be found?" "i am prince marvel," replied the young knight, stepping out from among the others. "then have i reached my journey's end!" said the courier, whose horse was nearly exhausted from long and hard riding. "the lady seseley is in great danger, and sends for you to come and rescue her. the great baron merd, her father, has been killed and his castle destroyed, and all his people are either captives or have been slain outright." "and who has done this evil thing?" asked prince marvel, looking very stern and grave. "the red rogue of dawna," answered the messenger. "he quarreled with the baron merd and sent his savage hordes to tear down his castle and slay him. i myself barely escaped with my life, and the lady seseley had but time to say, before she was carried off, that if i could find prince marvel he would surely rescue her." "and so i will!" declared the prince, "if she be still alive." "who is this lady seseley?" asked nerle, who had come to his master's side. "she is my first friend, to whom i owe my very existence. it is her image, together with those of her two friends, which is graven on my shield," answered prince marvel, thoughtfully. "and what will you do?" inquired the esquire. "i must go to her at once." when they heard of his mission all the party insisted on accompanying him. even the dainty high ki could not be deterred by any thoughts of dangers they might encounter; and after some discussion prince marvel allowed them to join him. so wul-takim sharpened his big broadsword, and nerle carefully prepared his master's horse, so that before an hour had passed they were galloping toward the province of the red rogue of dawna. prince marvel knew little concerning this personage, but nerle had much to tell of him. the red rogue had once been page to a wise scholar and magician, who lived in a fine old castle in dawna and ruled over a large territory. the boy was very small and weak--smaller even than the average dwarf--and his master did not think it worth while to watch him. but one evening, while the magician was standing upon the top of the highest tower of his castle, the boy gave him a push from behind, and he met death on the sharp rocks below. then the boy took his master's book of magic and found a recipe to make one grow. he made the mixture and swallowed it, and straightway began to grow big and tall. this greatly delighted him, until he found he was getting much bigger than the average man and rapidly becoming a giant. so he sought for a way to arrest the action of the magical draft; but before he could find it he had grown to enormous proportions, and was bigger than the biggest giant. there was nothing in the book of magic to make one grow smaller, so he was obliged to remain as he was--the largest man in the enchanted island. all this had happened in a single night. the morning after his master's murder the page announced himself lord of the castle; and, seeing his enormous size, none dared deny his right to rule. on account of his bushy hair, which was fiery red in color, and the bushy red beard that covered his face when he became older, people came to call him the red one. and after his evil deeds and quarrelsome temper had made him infamous throughout the island, people began to call him the red rogue of dawna. he had gathered around him a number of savage barbarians, as wicked and quarrelsome as himself, and so none dared to interfere with him, or even to meet him, if it were possible to avoid it. this same red rogue it was who had drawn the good baron merd into a quarrel and afterward slain the old knight and his followers, destroyed his castle, and carried his little daughter seseley and her girl friends, berna and helda, into captivity, shutting them up in his own gloomy castle. the red rogue thought he had done a very clever thing, and had no fear of the consequences until one of his men came running up to the castle to announce that prince marvel and his companions were approaching to rescue the lady seseley. "how many of them are there?" demanded the red rogue. "there are eight, altogether," answered the man, "but two of them are girls." "and they expect to force me to give up my captives?" asked the red one, laughing with a noise like the roar of a waterfall. "why, i shall make prisoners of every one of them!" the man looked at his master fearfully, and replied: "this prince marvel is very famous, and all people speak of his bravery and power. it was he who conquered king terribus of spor, and that mighty ruler is now his friend, and is one of the eight who approach." the red rogue stopped laughing, for the fame of spor's terrible king had long ago reached him. and he reflected that any one who could conquer the army of giants and dwarfs and gray men that served terribus must surely be one to be regarded seriously. moreover--and this was a secret--the red rogue had never been able to gain the strength to correspond with his gigantic size, but had ever remained as weak as when he was a puny boy. so he was accustomed to rely on his cunning and on the terror his very presence usually excited to triumph over his enemies. and he began to be afraid of this prince. "you say two of the party are girls?" he asked. "yes," said the man, "but also among them are king terribus himself, and the renowned wul-takim, formerly king of thieves, who was conquered by the prince, although accounted a hard fighter, and is now his devoted servant. and there are two old men who are just alike and have a very fierce look about them. they are said to come from the hidden kingdom of twi." by this time the red rogue was thoroughly frightened, but he did not yet despair of defeating his enemies. he knew better than to attempt to oppose prince marvel by force, but he still hoped to conquer him by trickery and deceit. among the wonderful things that the red rogue's former master, the wise scholar and magician, had made were two large enchanted mirrors, which were set on each side of the great hallway of the castle. heavy curtains were drawn over the surfaces of these mirrors, because they both possessed a dreadful magical power. for whenever any one looked into one of them his reflection was instantly caught and imprisoned in the mirror, and his body at the same time became invisible to all earthly eyes, only the mirror retaining his form. while considering a way to prevent the prince from freeing the lady seseley, the red rogue happened to think of these mirrors, which had never yet been used. so he went stealthily into the great hall and drew aside the covering from one of the mirrors. he did not dare look into the mirror himself, but hurried away to another room, and then sent a page up a back stairway to summon the lady seseley and her two maids into his presence. the girls at once obeyed, for they greatly feared the red rogue; and of course they descended the front stairway and walked through the great hall. at once the large mirror that had been exposed to view caught the eye of seseley, and she paused to regard her reflection in the glass. her two companions did likewise, and instantly all three girls became invisible, while the mirror held their reflections fast in its magic surface. the red rogue was watching them through a crack in the door, and seeing the girls disappear he gave a joyful laugh and exclaimed: "now let prince marvel find them if he can!" the three girls began to wander aimlessly through the castle; for not only were they invisible to others, but also to themselves and to one another, and they knew not what to do nor which way to turn. 24. the enchanted mirrors presently prince marvel and his party arrived and paused before the doors of the castle, where the red rogue stood bowing to them with mock politeness and with an evil grin showing on his red face. "i come to demand the release of the lady seseley and her companions!" prince marvel announced, in a bold voice. "and i also intend to call you to account for the murder of baron merd." "you must be at the wrong castle," answered the red one, "for i have murdered no baron, nor have i any lady seseley as prisoner." "are you not the red rogue of dawna?" demanded the prince. "men call me by that name," acknowledged the other. "then you are deceiving me," said the prince. "no, indeed!" answered the red rogue, mockingly. "i wouldn't deceive any one for the world. but, if you don't believe me, you are welcome to search my castle." "that i shall do," returned the prince, sternly, "whether i have your permission or not," and he began to dismount. but nerle restrained him, saying: "master, i beg you will allow me to search the castle. for this red rogue is playing some trick upon us, i am sure, and if anything happened to you there would be no one to protect the little high ki and our other friends." "but suppose something should happen to you?" inquired the prince, anxiously. "in that case," said nerle, "you can avenge me." the advice was so reasonable, under the circumstances, that the prince decided to act upon it. "very well," said he, "go and search the castle, and i will remain with our friends. but if anything happens to you, i shall call the red rogue to account." so nerle entered the castle, passing by the huge form of its owner, who only nodded to the boy and grinned with delight. the esquire found himself in the great hall and began to look around him, but without seeing any one. then he advanced a few steps and, to his surprise, discovered a large mirror, in which were reflected the faces and forms of three girls, as well as his own. "why, here they are!" he attempted to say; but he could not hear his own voice. he glanced down at himself but could see nothing at all--for his body had become invisible. his reflection was still in the glass, and he knew that his body existed the same as before; but although he yet saw plainly the hall and all that it contained, he could see neither himself nor any other person of flesh. after waiting a considerable time for his esquire to reappear prince marvel became impatient. "what have you done with nerle?" he asked of the red rogue. "nothing," was the reply. "i have been here, plainly within your sight, every moment." "let me go and find him!" exclaimed king terribus, and rushed into the castle before the prince could reply. but terribus also encountered the enchanted mirror, and the prince waited in vain for his return. then wul-takim volunteered to go in search of the others, and drew his big, sharp sword before entering the hall. but an hour passed by and he did not return. the red rogue was overjoyed at the success of his stratagem, and could scarce refrain from laughing outright at the prince's anxiety. marvel was really perplexed. he knew some treachery was afoot, but could not imagine what it was. and when the pretty high ki declared their intention of entering the castle, he used every endeavor to dissuade them. but the twin girls would not be denied, so great was their curiosity. so the prince said: "well, we will all go together, so that the ki and i may be able to protect you." the red rogue gladly granted them admittance, and they passed him and entered the great hall. the place appeared to them to be completely empty, so they walked along and came opposite the mirror. here all stopped at once, and the twin high ki uttered exclamations of surprise, and the twin ki shouted, "great kika-koo!" for there in the glass were the reflections of the three girls and nerle and king terribus and wul-takim. and there were also the reflections of the twin high ki and the twin ki. only prince marvel's reflection was missing, and this was because of his fairy origin. for the glass could reflect and hold only the forms of mortals. but the prince saw the reflections of all the others, and then made the discovery that the forms of the ki and the high ki had become invisible. no one except himself appeared to be standing in the great hall of the red rogue's castle! yet grouped within the glass were the likenesses of all his friends, as well as those of lady seseley and her companions; and all were staring back at him earnestly, as if imploring him to save them. the mystery was now explained, and prince marvel rushed from the hall to find the treacherous red rogue. but that clever trickster had hidden himself in an upper room, and for the present was safely concealed. for a time prince marvel could not think what to do. such magic was all unknown to him, and how to free the imprisoned forms of his friends was a real problem. he walked around the castle, but no one was in sight, the rogue having given orders to all his people to keep away. only the tethered horses did he see, and these raised their heads and whinnied as if in sympathy with his perplexity. then he went back into the hall and searched all the rooms of the castle without finding a single person. on his return he stopped in front of the mirror and sorrowfully regarded the faces of his friends, who again seemed to plead for relief. and while he looked a sudden fit of anger came over him at being outwitted by this red rogue of dawna. scarcely knowing what he did, he seized his sword by the blade and struck the mirror a powerful blow with the heavy hilt. it shattered into a thousand fragments, which fell clattering upon the stone floor in every direction. and at once the charm was broken; each of his friends now became visible. they appeared running toward him from all parts of the castle, where they had been wandering in their invisible forms. they called out joyful greetings to one another, and then all of them surrounded the prince and thanked him earnestly for releasing them. the little lady seseley and her friends, berna and helda, were a bit shy in the presence of so many strangers; but they alone knew the prince's secret, and that he was a fairy transformed for a year; so they regarded him as an old and intimate acquaintance, and after being introduced by him to the others of his party they became more at ease. the sweet little high ki maids at once attracted seseley, and she loved them almost at first sight. but it was nerle who became the little lady's staunchest friend; for there was something rather mystical and unnatural to him about the high ki, who seemed almost like fairies, while in seseley he recognized a hearty, substantial girl of his own rank in life. while they stood talking and congratulating one another outside of the castle, the red rogue of dawna appeared among them. he had heard the noise of the smashing of his great mirror, and had come running downstairs from his hiding-place to find his cunning had all been for naught and his captives were free. a furious anger then took possession of the rogue, and forgetting his personal weakness he caught up a huge battle-ax and rushed out to hurl himself upon prince marvel, intending to do him serious injury. but the prince was not taken unawares. he saw the red rogue coming and met him with drawn sword, striking quickly at the arm that wielded the big ax. the stroke was as sure as it was quick, and piercing the arm of the giant caused him to drop the ax with a howl of pain. then prince marvel seized the red rogue by the ear--which he was just tall enough to reach--and dragged him up the steps and into the castle, the big fellow crying for mercy at every step and trembling like a leaf through cowardice. but down the hall marvel marched him, seeking some room where the rogue might be safely locked in. the great curtain that covered the second enchanted mirror now caught prince marvel's eye, and, still holding his prisoner by the ear, he reached out his left hand and pulled aside the drapery. the red rogue looked to see what his captor was doing, and beheld his own reflection in the magic mirror. instantly he gave a wild cry and disappeared, his body becoming absolutely invisible, while his coarse red countenance stared back from the mirror. and then prince marvel gave a sigh of relief and dropped the curtain over the surface of the mirror. for he realized that the red rogue of dawna had at last met with just punishment and was safely imprisoned for all time. 25. the adventurers separate when prince marvel and his friends had ridden away from the castle the savage followers of the red one came creeping up to listen for their master's voice. but silence reigned in every part of the castle, and after stealing fearfully through the rooms without seeing any one the fellows became filled with terror and fled from the place, never to return. and afterward the neighbors whispered that the castle was haunted by the spirit of the terrible red rogue, and travelers dared not stop in the neighborhood, but passed by quickly and with averted faces. the prince and his party rode gaily along toward the kingdom of heg, for nerle had invited them all to visit his father's castle. they were very happy over their escape, and only the little lady seseley became sad at times, when she thought of her father's sad fate. the baron neggar, who was nerle's father, was not only a wealthy nobleman, but exceedingly kind and courteous; so that every member of prince marvel's party was welcomed to the big castle in a very hospitable manner. nerle was eagerly embraced by both his father and mother, who were overjoyed to see him return safe and sound after his wanderings and adventures. "and have you been cured of your longing for something that you can not have?" asked the baron, anxiously. "not quite," said nerle, laughing; "but i am more reconciled to my lot. for i find wherever i go people are longing for just the things they can not get, and probably would not want if they had them. so, as it seems to be the fate of most mortals to live unsatisfied, i shall try hereafter to be more contented." these words delighted the good baron, and he gave a rich and magnificent feast in honor of his son's return. the high ki of twi, after passing several pleasant days at nerle's home, now decided that they had seen enough of the world and would be glad to return to their own kingdom, where all was peaceful and uneventful, and rule it to the end of their days. so the baron furnished them an escort of twenty men-at-arms, and these conducted the high ki and the aged ki safely back to the hole in the hedge. and after they had entered the land of twi, the first act of the high ki was to order the hedge repaired and the hole blocked up; and i have never heard that any one, from that time forth, ever succeeded in gaining admittance to the hidden kingdom. so its subsequent history is unknown. king terribus also bade the prince an affectionate farewell and rode back to his own kingdom; and burly wul-takim accompanied him as far as the cave, where the fifty-eight reformed thieves awaited him. nerle's mother gladly adopted the lady seseley and her two companions, and thereafter they made their home at the baron's castle. and years afterward, when they had grown to be women, seseley was married to nerle and became the lady of the castle herself. prince marvel enjoyed the feasting and dancing at the castle very much, but after the party began to break up, and the high ki and the ki had left him, as well as king terribus and honest wul-takim, the young knight grew thoughtful and sometimes uneasy, and his happy laugh was less frequently heard. nerle often regarded his young master with a feeling of awe, for there occasionally came a look into marvel's eyes that reminded him more of the immortals than of any human being. but the prince treated him with rare kindness and always pressed nerle's hand affectionately when he bade him good night, for he had grown fond of his esquire. also they had long conversations together, during which nerle gleaned a great deal of knowledge and received some advice that was of much use to him in his later life. one day prince marvel sought out lady seseley and said: "will you ride with me to the forest of lurla?" "willingly," she answered; and calling berna and helda to attend them, they mounted their horses and rode swiftly away, for it was a long distance to lurla. by noon the party entered the forest, and although the path they traversed was unknown to the girls, who had usually entered the forest from its other side, near to where the baron merd's castle had stood, the prince seemed to have no difficulty in finding his way. he guided them carefully along the paths, his handsome war-charger stepping with much grace and dignity, until at length they came to a clearing. here the prince paused abruptly, and seseley looked around her and at once recognized the place. "why," she exclaimed, in surprise, "it is the fairy bower!" and then she turned to prince marvel and asked in a soft voice: "is the year ended, prince?" his smile was a bit sad as he answered, slowly: "the year will be ended in five minutes!" 26. the end of the year the girls sat upon the green moss and waited. prince marvel stood silent beside his horse. the silver armor was as bright as the day he donned it, nor was there a dent in his untarnished shield. the sword that had done such good service he held lightly in his hand, and the horse now and then neighed softly and turned to look at him with affectionate eyes. seseley began to tremble with excitement, and berna and helda stared at the prince with big round eyes. but, after all, they saw nothing so remarkable as they expected. for presently--and it all happened in a flash--prince marvel was gone from their midst, and a handsome, slender-limbed deer darted from the bower and was quickly lost in the thick forest. on the ground lay a sheet of bark and a twig from a tree, and beside them was lady seseley's white velvet cloak. then the three girls each drew a long breath and looked into one another's eyes, and, while thus engaged, a peal of silvery laughter sounded in their ears and made them spring quickly to their feet. before them stood a tiny and very beautiful fairy, clothed in floating gossamer robes of rose and pearl color, and with eyes sparkling like twin stars. "prince marvel!" exclaimed the three, together. "no, indeed!" cried the fairy, with a pretty little pout. "i am no one but myself; and, really, i believe i shall now be content to exist for a few hundred years in my natural form. i have quite enjoyed my year as a mortal; but after all there are, i find, some advantages in being a fairy. good by, my dears!" and with another ripple of laughter the pretty creature vanished, and the girls were left alone. 27. a hundred years afterward about a hundred years after prince marvel enjoyed his strange adventures in the enchanted island of yew an odd thing happened. a hidden mirror in a crumbling old castle of dawna broke loose from its fastenings and fell crashing on the stone pavement of the deserted hall. and from amid the ruins rose the gigantic form of a man. his hair and beard were a fiery red, and he gazed at the desolation around him in absolute amazement. it was the red rogue of dawna, set free from his imprisonment. he wandered out and found strange scenes confronting him, for during the hundred years a great change had taken place in the enchanted island. great cities had been built and great kingdoms established. civilization had won the people, and they no longer robbed or fought or indulged in magical arts, but were busily employed and leading respectable lives. when the red rogue tried to tell folks who he was, they but laughed at him, thinking the fellow crazy. he tried to get together a band of thieves, as wul-takim had done in the old days, but none would join him. and so, forced to be honest against his will, the rogue was driven to earn a living by digging in the garden of a wealthy noble, of whom he had never before heard. but often he would pause in his labors and lean on his spade, while thoughts of the old days of wild adventure passed through his mind in rapid succession; and then the big man would shake his red head with a puzzled air and mutter: "i wonder who that prince marvel could have been! and i wonder what ever became of him!" [illustration: the book of dragons] the book of dragons e. nesbit with illustrations by h. r. millar decorations by h. granville fell dover publications, inc. mineola, new york contents page i. the book of beasts 1 ii. uncle james, or the purple stranger 19 iii. the deliverers of their country 39 iv. the ice dragon, or do as you are told 57 v. the island of the nine whirlpools 79 vi. the dragon tamers 99 vii. the fiery dragon, or the heart of stone and the heart of gold 119 viii. kind little edmund, or the caves and the cockatrice 139 list of illustrations the book of dragons _frontispiece_ the book of beasts page 1 "the dragon flew away across the garden." page 9 "the manticora took refuge in the general post office." page 14 uncle james, or the purple stranger page 19 "by-and-by he began to wander." page 30 "the dragon ran after her." page 36 the deliverers of their country page 39 "the largest elephant in the zoo was carried off." page 44 "he rose into the air, rattling like a third-class carriage." page 51 the ice dragon, or do as you are told page 57 "sure enough, it was a dragon." page 69 "the dwarfs seized the children." page 73 the island of the nine whirlpools page 79 "the lone tower on the island of the nine whirlpools." page 89 "little children play around him and over him." page 97 the dragon tamers page 99 "the dragon's purring pleased the baby." page 107 "he brought something in his mouth--it was a bag of gold." page 117 the fiery dragon, or the heart of stone and the heart of gold page 119 "the junior secretary cried out, 'look at the bottle!'" page 130 "they saw a cloud of steam." page 136 kind little edmund, or the caves and the cockatrice page 139 "creeping across the plain." page 148 "that smells good, eh?" page 153 _to rosamund, chief among those for whom these tales are told, the book of dragons is dedicated in the confident hope that she, one of these days, will dedicate a book of her very own making to the one who now bids eight dreadful dragons crouch in all humbleness at those little brown feet._ the book of dragons [illustration: the book of beasts] i. the book of beasts he happened to be building a palace when the news came, and he left all the bricks kicking about the floor for nurse to clear up--but then the news was rather remarkable news. you see, there was a knock at the front door and voices talking downstairs, and lionel thought it was the man come to see about the gas, which had not been allowed to be lighted since the day when lionel made a swing by tying his skipping rope to the gas bracket. and then, quite suddenly, nurse came in and said, "master lionel, dear, they've come to fetch you to go and be king." then she made haste to change his smock and to wash his face and hands and brush his hair, and all the time she was doing it lionel kept wriggling and fidgeting and saying, "oh, don't, nurse," and, "i'm sure my ears are quite clean," or, "never mind my hair, it's all right," and, "that'll do." "you're going on as if you was going to be an eel instead of a king," said nurse. the minute nurse let go for a moment lionel bolted off without waiting for his clean handkerchief, and in the drawing room there were two very grave-looking gentlemen in red robes with fur, and gold coronets with velvet sticking up out of the middle like the cream in the very expensive jam tarts. they bowed low to lionel, and the gravest one said: "sire, your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, the king of this country, is dead, and now you have got to come and be king." "yes, please, sir," said lionel, "when does it begin?" "you will be crowned this afternoon," said the grave gentleman who was not quite so grave-looking as the other. "would you like me to bring nurse, or what time would you like me to be fetched, and hadn't i better put on my velvet suit with the lace collar?" said lionel, who had often been out to tea. "your nurse will be removed to the palace later. no, never mind about changing your suit; the royal robes will cover all that up." the grave gentlemen led the way to a coach with eight white horses, which was drawn up in front of the house where lionel lived. it was no. 7, on the left-hand side of the street as you go up. lionel ran upstairs at the last minute, and he kissed nurse and said: "thank you for washing me. i wish i'd let you do the other ear. no--there's no time now. give me the hanky. good-bye, nurse." "good-bye, ducky," said nurse. "be a good little king now, and say 'please' and 'thank you,' and remember to pass the cake to the little girls, and don't have more than two helps of anything." so off went lionel to be made a king. he had never expected to be a king any more than you have, so it was all quite new to him--so new that he had never even thought of it. and as the coach went through the town he had to bite his tongue to be quite sure it was real, because if his tongue was real it showed he wasn't dreaming. half an hour before he had been building with bricks in the nursery; and now--the streets were all fluttering with flags; every window was crowded with people waving handkerchiefs and scattering flowers; there were scarlet soldiers everywhere along the pavements, and all the bells of all the churches were ringing like mad, and like a great song to the music of their ringing he heard thousands of people shouting, "long live lionel! long live our little king!" he was a little sorry at first that he had not put on his best clothes, but he soon forgot to think about that. if he had been a girl he would very likely have bothered about it the whole time. as they went along, the grave gentlemen, who were the chancellor and the prime minister, explained the things which lionel did not understand. "i thought we were a republic," said lionel. "i'm sure there hasn't been a king for some time." "sire, your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather's death happened when my grandfather was a little boy," said the prime minister, "and since then your loyal people have been saving up to buy you a crown--so much a week, you know, according to people's means--sixpence a week from those who have first-rate pocket money, down to a halfpenny a week from those who haven't so much. you know it's the rule that the crown must be paid for by the people." "but hadn't my great-great-however-much-it-is-grandfather a crown?" "yes, but he sent it to be tinned over, for fear of vanity, and he had had all the jewels taken out, and sold them to buy books. he was a strange man; a very good king he was, but he had his faults--he was fond of books. almost with his last breath he sent the crown to be tinned--and he never lived to pay the tinsmith's bill." here the prime minister wiped away a tear, and just then the carriage stopped and lionel was taken out of the carriage to be crowned. being crowned is much more tiring work than you would suppose, and by the time it was over, and lionel had worn the royal robes for an hour or two and had had his hand kissed by everybody whose business it was to do it, he was quite worn out, and was very glad to get into the palace nursery. nurse was there, and tea was ready: seedy cake and plummy cake, and jam and hot buttered toast, and the prettiest china with red and gold and blue flowers on it, and real tea, and as many cups of it as you liked. after tea lionel said: "i think i should like a book. will you get me one, nurse?" "bless the child," said nurse. "you don't suppose you've lost the use of your legs with just being a king? run along, do, and get your books yourself." so lionel went down into the library. the prime minister and the chancellor were there, and when lionel came in they bowed very low, and were beginning to ask lionel most politely what on earth he was coming bothering for now--when lionel cried out: "oh, what a worldful of books! are they yours?" "they are yours, your majesty," answered the chancellor. "they were the property of the late king, your great-great--" "yes, i know," lionel interrupted. "well, i shall read them all. i love to read. i am so glad i learned to read." "if i might venture to advise your majesty," said the prime minister, "i should not read these books. your great--" "yes?" said lionel, quickly. "he was a very good king--oh, yes, really a very superior king in his way, but he was a little--well, strange." "mad?" asked lionel, cheerfully. "no, no"--both the gentlemen were sincerely shocked. "not mad; but if i may express it so, he was--er--too clever by half. and i should not like a little king of mine to have anything to do with his books." lionel looked puzzled. "the fact is," the chancellor went on, twisting his red beard in an agitated way, "your great--" "go on," said lionel. "--was called a wizard." "but he wasn't?" "of course not--a most worthy king was your great--" "i see." "but i wouldn't touch his books." "just this one," cried lionel, laying his hands on the cover of a great brown book that lay on the study table. it had gold patterns on the brown leather, and gold clasps with turquoises and rubies in the twists of them, and gold corners, so that the leather should not wear out too quickly. "i must look at this one," lionel said, for on the back in big letters he read: _the book of beasts_. the chancellor said, "don't be a silly little king." but lionel had got the gold clasps undone, and he opened the first page, and there was a beautiful butterfly all red, and brown, and yellow, and blue, so beautifully painted that it looked as if it were alive. "there," said lionel, "isn't that lovely? why--" but as he spoke the beautiful butterfly fluttered its many-colored wings on the yellow old page of the book, and flew up and out of the window. "well!" said the prime minister, as soon as he could speak for the lump of wonder that had got into his throat and tried to choke him, "that's magic, that is." but before he had spoken, the king had turned the next page, and there was a shining bird complete and beautiful in every blue feather of him. under him was written, "blue bird of paradise," and while the king gazed enchanted at the charming picture the blue bird fluttered his wings on the yellow page and spread them and flew out of the book. then the prime minister snatched the book away from the king and shut it up on the blank page where the bird had been, and put it on a very high shelf. and the chancellor gave the king a good shaking, and said: "you're a naughty, disobedient little king!" and was very angry indeed. "i don't see that i've done any harm," said lionel. he hated being shaken, as all boys do; he would much rather have been slapped. "no harm?" said the chancellor. "ah--but what do you know about it? that's the question. how do you know what might have been on the next page--a snake or a worm, or a centipede or a revolutionist, or something like that." "well, i'm sorry if i've vexed you," said lionel. "come, let's kiss and be friends." so he kissed the prime minister, and they settled down for a nice quiet game of noughts and crosses while the chancellor went to add up his accounts. but when lionel was in bed he could not sleep for thinking of the book, and when the full moon was shining with all her might and light he got up and crept down to the library and climbed up and got _the book of beasts_. he took it outside to the terrace, where the moonlight was as bright as day, and he opened the book, and saw the empty pages with "butterfly" and "blue bird of paradise" underneath, and then he turned the next page. there was some sort of red thing sitting under a palm tree, and under it was written "dragon." the dragon did not move, and the king shut up the book rather quickly and went back to bed. but the next day he wanted another look, so he took the book out into the garden, and when he undid the clasps with the rubies and turquoises, the book opened all by itself at the picture with "dragon" underneath, and the sun shone full on the page. and then, quite suddenly, a great red dragon came out of the book and spread vast scarlet wings and flew away across the garden to the far hills, and lionel was left with the empty page before him, for the page was quite empty except for the green palm tree and the yellow desert, and the little streaks of red where the paintbrush had gone outside the pencil outline of the red dragon. and then lionel felt that he had indeed done it. he had not been king twenty-four hours, and already he had let loose a red dragon to worry his faithful subjects' lives out. and they had been saving up so long to buy him a crown, and everything! lionel began to cry. [illustration: "the dragon flew away across the garden." _see page 8._] the chancellor and the prime minister and the nurse all came running to see what was the matter. and when they saw the book they understood, and the chancellor said: "you naughty little king! put him to bed, nurse, and let him think over what he's done." "perhaps, my lord," said the prime minister, "we'd better first find out just exactly what he has done." then lionel, in floods of tears, said: "it's a red dragon, and it's gone flying away to the hills, and i am so sorry, and, oh, do forgive me!" but the prime minister and the chancellor had other things to think of than forgiving lionel. they hurried off to consult the police and see what could be done. everyone did what they could. they sat on committees and stood on guard, and lay in wait for the dragon, but he stayed up in the hills, and there was nothing more to be done. the faithful nurse, meanwhile, did not neglect her duty. perhaps she did more than anyone else, for she slapped the king and put him to bed without his tea, and when it got dark she would not give him a candle to read by. "you are a naughty little king," she said, "and nobody will love you." next day the dragon was still quiet, though the more poetic of lionel's subjects could see the redness of the dragon shining through the green trees quite plainly. so lionel put on his crown and sat on his throne and said he wanted to make some laws. and i need hardly say that though the prime minister and the chancellor and the nurse might have the very poorest opinion of lionel's private judgement, and might even slap him and send him to bed, the minute he got on his throne and set his crown on his head, he became infallible--which means that everything he said was right, and that he couldn't possibly make a mistake. so when he said: "there is to be a law forbidding people to open books in schools or elsewhere"--he had the support of at least half of his subjects, and the other half--the grown-up half--pretended to think he was quite right. then he made a law that everyone should always have enough to eat. and this pleased everyone except the ones who had always had too much. and when several other nice new laws were made and written down he went home and made mud-houses and was very happy. and he said to his nurse: "people will love me now i've made such a lot of pretty new laws for them." but nurse said: "don't count your chickens, my dear. you haven't seen the last of that dragon yet." now, the next day was saturday. and in the afternoon the dragon suddenly swooped down upon the common in all his hideous redness, and carried off the soccer players, umpires, goal-posts, ball, and all. then the people were very angry indeed, and they said: "we might as well be a republic. after saving up all these years to get his crown, and everything!" and wise people shook their heads and foretold a decline in the national love of sport. and, indeed, soccer was not at all popular for some time afterward. lionel did his best to be a good king during the week, and the people were beginning to forgive him for letting the dragon out of the book. "after all," they said, "soccer is a dangerous game, and perhaps it is wise to discourage it." popular opinion held that the soccer players, being tough and hard, had disagreed with the dragon so much that he had gone away to some place where they only play cats' cradle and games that do not make you hard and tough. all the same, parliament met on the saturday afternoon, a convenient time, for most of the members would be free to attend, to consider the dragon. but unfortunately the dragon, who had only been asleep, woke up because it was saturday, and he considered the parliament, and afterwards there were not any members left, so they tried to make a new parliament, but being a member of parliament had somehow grown as unpopular as soccer playing, and no one would consent to be elected, so they had to do without a parliament. when the next saturday came around everyone was a little nervous, but the red dragon was pretty quiet that day and only ate an orphanage. lionel was very, very unhappy. he felt that it was his disobedience that had brought this trouble on the parliament and the orphanage and the soccer players, and he felt that it was his duty to try and do something. the question was, what? the blue bird that had come out of the book used to sing very nicely in the palace rose garden, and the butterfly was very tame, and would perch on his shoulder when he walked among the tall lilies: so lionel saw that all the creatures in _the book of beasts_ could not be wicked, like the dragon, and he thought: "suppose i could get another beast out who would fight the dragon?" so he took _the book of beasts_ out into the rose garden and opened the page next to the one where the dragon had been just a tiny bit to see what the name was. he could only see "cora," but he felt the middle of the page swelling up thick with the creature that was trying to come out, and it was only by putting the book down and sitting on it suddenly, very hard, that he managed to get it shut. then he fastened the clasps with the rubies and turquoises in them and sent for the chancellor, who had been ill since saturday, and so had not been eaten with the rest of the parliament, and he said: "what animal ends in 'cora'?" the chancellor answered: "the manticora, of course." "what is he like?" asked the king. "he is the sworn foe of dragons," said the chancellor. "he drinks their blood. he is yellow, with the body of a lion and the face of a man. i wish we had a few manticoras here now. but the last died hundreds of years ago--worse luck!" then the king ran and opened the book at the page that had "cora" on it, and there was the picture--manticora, all yellow, with a lion's body and a man's face, just as the chancellor had said. and under the picture was written, "manticora." in a few minutes the manticora came sleepily out of the book, rubbing its eyes with its hands and mewing piteously. it seemed very stupid, and when lionel gave it a push and said, "go along and fight the dragon, do," it put its tail between its legs and fairly ran away. it went and hid behind the town hall, and at night when the people were asleep it went around and ate all the pussy-cats in the town. and then it mewed more than ever. and on the saturday morning, when people were a little timid about going out, because the dragon had no regular hour for calling, the manticora went up and down the streets and drank all the milk that was left in the cans at the doors for people's teas, and it ate the cans as well. and just when it had finished the very last little halfpenny worth, which was short measure, because the milkman's nerves were quite upset, the red dragon came down the street looking for the manticora. it edged off when it saw him coming, for it was not at all the dragon-fighting kind; and, seeing no other door open, the poor, hunted creature took refuge in the general post office, and there the dragon found it, trying to conceal itself among the ten o'clock mail. the dragon fell on the manticora at once, and the mail was no defense. the mewings were heard all over the town. all the kitties and the milk the manticora had had seemed to have strengthened its mew wonderfully. then there was a sad silence, and presently the people whose windows looked that way saw the dragon come walking down the steps of the general post office spitting fire and smoke, together with tufts of manticora fur, and the fragments of the registered letters. things were growing very serious. however popular the king might become during the week, the dragon was sure to do something on saturday to upset the people's loyalty. [illustration "the manticora took refuge in the general post office." _see page 13._] the dragon was a perfect nuisance for the whole of saturday, except during the hour of noon, and then he had to rest under a tree or he would have caught fire from the heat of the sun. you see, he was very hot to begin with. at last came a saturday when the dragon actually walked into the royal nursery and carried off the king's own pet rocking horse. then the king cried for six days, and on the seventh he was so tired that he had to stop. he heard the blue bird singing among the roses and saw the butterfly fluttering among the lilies, and he said: "nurse, wipe my face, please. i am not going to cry any more." nurse washed his face, and told him not to be a silly little king. "crying," said she, "never did anyone any good yet." "i don't know," said the little king, "i seem to see better, and to hear better now that i've cried for a week. now, nurse, dear, i know i'm right, so kiss me in case i never come back. i _must_ try to see if i can't save the people." "well, if you must, you must," said nurse, "but don't tear your clothes or get your feet wet." so off he went. the blue bird sang more sweetly than ever, and the butterfly shone more brightly, as lionel once more carried _the book of beasts_ out into the rose garden, and opened it--very quickly, so that he might not be afraid and change his mind. the book fell open wide, almost in the middle, and there was written at the bottom of the page, "hippogriff," and before lionel had time to see what the picture was, there was a fluttering of great wings and a stamping of hoofs, and a sweet, soft, friendly neighing; and there came out of the book a beautiful white horse with a long, long, white mane and a long, long, white tail, and he had great wings like swan's wings, and the softest, kindest eyes in the world, and he stood there among the roses. the hippogriff rubbed its silky-soft, milky white nose against the little king's shoulder, and the little king thought: "but for the wings you are very like my poor, dear lost rocking horse." and the blue bird's song was very loud and sweet. then suddenly the king saw coming through the sky the great straggling, sprawling, wicked shape of the red dragon. and he knew at once what he must do. he caught up _the book of beasts_ and jumped on the back of the gentle, beautiful hippogriff, and leaning down he whispered in the sharp, white ear: "fly, dear hippogriff, fly your very fastest to the pebbly waste." and when the dragon saw them start, he turned and flew after them, with his great wings flapping like clouds at sunset, and the hippogriff's wide wings were snowy as clouds at moonrise. when the people in the town saw the dragon fly off after the hippogriff and the king they all came out of their houses to look, and when they saw the two disappear they made up their minds to the worst, and began to think what they would wear for court mourning. but the dragon could not catch the hippogriff. the red wings were bigger than the white ones, but they were not so strong, and so the white-winged horse flew away and away and away, with the dragon pursuing, till he reached the very middle of the pebbly waste. now, the pebbly waste is just like the parts of the seaside where there is no sand--all round, loose, shifting stones, and there is no grass there and no tree within a hundred miles of it. lionel jumped off the white horse's back in the very middle of the pebbly waste, and he hurriedly unclasped _the book of beasts_ and laid it open on the pebbles. then he clattered among the pebbles in his haste to get back on to his white horse, and had just jumped on when up came the dragon. he was flying very feebly, and looking around everywhere for a tree, for it was just on the stroke of twelve, the sun was shining like a gold guinea in the blue sky, and there was not a tree for a hundred miles. the white-winged horse flew around and around the dragon as he writhed on the dry pebbles. he was getting very hot: indeed, parts of him even had begun to smoke. he knew that he must certainly catch fire in another minute unless he could get under a tree. he made a snatch with his red claws at the king and hippogriff, but he was too feeble to reach them, and besides, he did not dare to overexert himself for fear he should get any hotter. it was then that he saw _the book of beasts_ lying on the pebbles, open at the page with "dragon" written at the bottom. he looked and he hesitated, and he looked again, and then, with one last squirm of rage, the dragon wriggled himself back into the picture and sat down under the palm tree, and the page was a little singed as he went in. as soon as lionel saw that the dragon had really been obliged to go and sit under his own palm tree because it was the only tree there, he jumped off his horse and shut the book with a bang. "oh, hurrah!" he cried. "now we really have done it." and he clasped the book very tightly with the turquoise and ruby clasps. "oh, my precious hippogriff," he cried. "you are the bravest, dearest, most beautiful--" "hush," whispered the hippogriff modestly. "don't you see that we are not alone?" and indeed there was quite a crowd round them on the pebbly waste: the prime minister and the parliament and the soccer players and the orphanage and the manticora and the rocking horse, and indeed everyone who had been eaten by the dragon. you see, it was impossible for the dragon to take them into the book with him--it was a tight fit even for one dragon--so, of course, he had to leave them outside. * * * * * they all got home somehow, and all lived happy ever after. when the king asked the manticora where he would like to live he begged to be allowed to go back into the book. "i do not care for public life," he said. of course he knew his way onto his own page, so there was no danger of his opening the book at the wrong page and letting out a dragon or anything. so he got back into his picture and has never come out since: that is why you will never see a manticora as long as you live, except in a picture-book. and of course he left the kitties outside, because there was no room for them in the book--and the milk cans too. then the rocking horse begged to be allowed to go and live on the hippogriff's page of the book. "i should like," he said, "to live somewhere where dragons can't get at me." so the beautiful, white-winged hippogriff showed him the way in, and there he stayed till the king had him taken out for his great-great-great-great-grandchildren to play with. as for the hippogriff, he accepted the position of the king's own rocking horse--a situation left vacant by the retirement of the wooden one. and the blue bird and the butterfly sing and flutter among the lilies and roses of the palace garden to this very day. [illustration: uncle james or the purple stranger] ii. uncle james, or the purple stranger the princess and the gardener's boy were playing in the backyard. "what will you do when you grow up, princess?" asked the gardener's boy. "i should like to marry you, tom," said the princess. "would you mind?" "no," said the gardener's boy. "i shouldn't mind much. i'll marry you if you like--if i have time." for the gardener's boy meant, as soon as he was grown up, to be a general and a poet and a prime minister and an admiral and a civil engineer. meanwhile, he was top of all his classes at school, and tip-top of the geography class. as for the princess mary ann, she was a very good little girl, and everyone loved her. she was always kind and polite, even to her uncle james and to other people whom she did not like very much; and though she was not very clever, for a princess, she always tried to do her lessons. even if you know perfectly well that you can't do your lessons, you may as well try, and sometimes you find that by some fortunate accident they really _are_ done. then the princess had a truly good heart: she was always kind to her pets. she never slapped her hippopotamus when it broke her dolls in its playful gambols, and she never forgot to feed her rhinoceroses in their little hutch in the backyard. her elephant was devoted to her, and sometimes mary ann made her nurse quite cross by smuggling the dear little thing up to bed with her and letting it go to sleep with its long trunk laid lovingly across her throat, and its pretty head cuddled under the royal right ear. when the princess had been good all through the week--for, like all real, live, nice children, she was sometimes naughty, but never bad--nurse would allow her to ask her little friends to come on wednesday morning early and spend the day, because wednesday is the end of the week in that country. then, in the afternoon, when all the little dukes and duchesses and marquises and countesses had finished their rice pudding and had had their hands and faces washed after it, nurse would say: "now, my dears, what would you like to do this afternoon?" just as if she didn't know. and the answer would be always the same: "oh, do let's go to the zoological gardens and ride on the big guinea pig and feed the rabbits and hear the dormouse asleep." so their pinafores were taken off and they all went to the zoological gardens, where twenty of them could ride at a time on the guinea pig, and where even the little ones could feed the great rabbits if some grown-up person were kind enough to lift them up for the purpose. there always was some such person, because in rotundia everybody was kind--except one. now that you have read as far as this you know, of course, that the kingdom of rotundia was a very remarkable place; and if you are a thoughtful child--as of course you are--you will not need me to tell you what was the most remarkable thing about it. but in case you are not a thoughtful child--and it is just possible of course that you are not--i will tell you at once what that most remarkable thing was. _all the animals were the wrong sizes!_ and this was how it happened. in old, old, olden times, when all our world was just loose earth and air and fire and water mixed up anyhow like a pudding, and spinning around like mad trying to get the different things to settle into their proper places, a round piece of earth got loose and went spinning away by itself across the water, which was just beginning to try to get spread out smooth into a real sea. and as the great round piece of earth flew away, going around and around as hard as it could, it met a long piece of hard rock that had got loose from another part of the puddingy mixture, and the rock was so hard, and was going so fast, that it ran its point through the round piece of earth and stuck out on the other side of it, so that the two together were like a very-very-much-too-big spinning top. i am afraid all this is very dull, but you know geography is never quite lively, and after all, i must give you a little information even in a fairy tale--like the powder in jam. well, when the pointed rock smashed into the round bit of earth the shock was so great that it set them spinning together through the air--which was just getting into its proper place, like all the rest of the things--only, as luck would have it, they forgot which way around they had been going, and began to spin around the wrong way. presently center of gravity--a great giant who was managing the whole business--woke up in the middle of the earth and began to grumble. "hurry up," he said. "come down and lie still, can't you?" so the rock with the round piece of earth fell into the sea, and the point of the rock went into a hole that just fitted it in the stony sea bottom, and there it spun around the wrong way seven times and then lay still. and that round piece of land became, after millions of years, the kingdom of rotundia. this is the end of the geography lesson. and now for just a little natural history, so that we may not feel that we are quite wasting our time. of course, the consequence of the island having spun around the wrong way was that when the animals began to grow on the island they all grew the wrong sizes. the guinea pig, as you know, was as big as our elephants, and the elephant--dear little pet--was the size of the silly, tiny, black-and-tan dogs that ladies carry sometimes in their muffs. the rabbits were about the size of our rhinoceroses, and all about the wild parts of the island they had made their burrows as big as railway tunnels. the dormouse, of course, was the biggest of all the creatures. i can't tell you how big he was. even if you think of elephants it will not help you at all. luckily there was only one of him, and he was always asleep. otherwise i don't think the rotundians could have borne with him. as it was, they made him a house, and it saved the expense of a brass band, because no band could possibly have been heard when the dormouse was talking in his sleep. the men and women and children in this wonderful island were quite the right size, because their ancestors had come over with the conqueror long after the island had settled down and the animals grown on it. now the natural history lesson is over, and if you have been attending, you know more about rotundia than anyone there did, except three people: the lord chief schoolmaster, the princess's uncle--who was a magician, and knew everything without learning it--and tom, the gardener's son. tom had learned more at school than anyone else, because he wished to take a prize. the prize offered by the lord chief schoolmaster was a _history of rotundia_, beautifully bound, with the royal arms on the back. but after that day when the princess said she meant to marry tom, the gardener's boy thought it over, and he decided that the best prize in the world would be the princess, and this was the prize tom meant to take; and when you are a gardener's son and have decided to marry a princess, you will find that the more you learn at school the better. the princess always played with tom on the days when the little dukes and marquises did not come to tea--and when he told her he was almost sure of the first prize, she clapped her hands and said: "dear tom, dear good, clever tom, you deserve all the prizes. and i will give you my pet elephant--and you can keep him till we're married." the pet elephant was called fido, and the gardener's son took him away in his coat pocket. he was the dearest little elephant you ever saw--about six inches long. but he was very, very wise--he could not have been wiser if he had been a mile high. he lay down comfortably in tom's pocket, and when tom put in his hand, fido curled his little trunk around tom's fingers with an affectionate confidence that made the boy's heart warm to his new little pet. what with the elephant, and the princess's affection, and the knowledge that the very next day he would receive the _history of rotundia_, beautifully bound, with the royal arms on the cover, tom could hardly sleep a wink. and, besides, the dog did bark so terribly. there was only one dog in rotundia--the kingdom could not afford to keep more than one: he was a mexican lapdog of the kind that in most parts of the world only measures seven inches from the end of his dear nose to the tip of his darling tail--but in rotundia he was bigger than i can possibly expect you to believe. and when he barked, his bark was so large that it filled up all the night and left no room for sleep or dreams or polite conversation, or anything else at all. he never barked at things that went on in the island--he was too large-minded for that; but when ships went blundering by in the dark, tumbling over the rocks at the end of the island, he would bark once or twice, just to let the ships know that they couldn't come playing about there just as they liked. but on this particular night he barked and barked and barked--and the princess said, "oh dear, oh dear, i wish he wouldn't, i am so sleepy." and tom said to himself, "i wonder whatever is the matter. as soon as it's light i'll go and see." so when it began to be pretty pink-and-yellow daylight, tom got up and went out. and all the time the mexican lapdog barked so that the houses shook, and the tiles on the roof of the palace rattled like milk cans in a cart whose horse is frisky. "i'll go to the pillar," thought tom, as he went through the town. the pillar, of course, was the top of the piece of rock that had stuck itself through rotundia millions of years before, and made it spin around the wrong way. it was quite in the middle of the island, and stuck up ever so far, and when you were at the top you could see a great deal farther than when you were not. as tom went out from the town and across the downs, he thought what a pretty sight it was to see the rabbits in the bright, dewy morning, frisking with their young ones by the mouths of their burrows. he did not go very near the rabbits, of course, because when a rabbit of that size is at play it does not always look where it is going, and it might easily have crushed tom with its foot, and then it would have been very sorry afterward. and tom was a kind boy, and would not have liked to make even a rabbit unhappy. earwigs in our country often get out of the way when they think you are going to walk on them. they too have kind hearts, and they would not like you to be sorry afterward. so tom went on, looking at the rabbits and watching the morning grow more and more red and golden. and the mexican lapdog barked all the time, till the church bells tinkled, and the chimney of the apple factory rocked again. but when tom got to the pillar, he saw that he would not need to climb to the top to find out what the dog was barking at. for there, by the pillar, lay a very large purple dragon. his wings were like old purple umbrellas that have been very much rained on, and his head was large and bald, like the top of a purple toadstool, and his tail, which was purple too, was very, very, very long and thin and tight, like the lash of a carriage whip. it was licking one of its purple umbrella-y wings, and every now and then it moaned and leaned its head back against the rocky pillar as though it felt faint. tom saw at once what had happened. a flight of purple dragons must have crossed the island in the night, and this poor one must have knocked its wing and broken it against the pillar. everyone is kind to everyone in rotundia, and tom was not afraid of the dragon, although he had never spoken to one before. he had often watched them flying across the sea, but he had never expected to get to know one personally. so now he said: "i am afraid you don't feel quite well." the dragon shook his large purple head. he could not speak, but like all other animals, he could understand well enough when he liked. "can i get you anything?" asked tom, politely. the dragon opened his purple eyes with an inquiring smile. "a bun or two, now," said tom, coaxingly. "there's a beautiful bun tree quite close." the dragon opened a great purple mouth and licked his purple lips, so tom ran and shook the bun tree, and soon came back with an armful of fresh currant buns, and as he came he picked a few of the bath kind, which grow on the low bushes near the pillar. because, of course, another consequence of the island's having spun the wrong way is that all the things we have to make--buns and cakes and shortbread--grow on trees and bushes, but in rotundia they have to make their cauliflowers and cabbages and carrots and apples and onions, just as our cooks make puddings and turnovers. tom gave all the buns to the dragon, saying: "here, try to eat a little. you'll soon feel better then." the dragon ate up the buns, nodded rather ungraciously, and began to lick his wing again. so tom left him and went back to the town with the news, and everyone was so excited at a real live dragon's being on the island--a thing that had never happened before--that they all went out to look at it, instead of going to the prize-giving, and the lord chief schoolmaster went with the rest. now, he had tom's prize, the _history of rotundia_, in his pocket--the one bound in calf, with the royal arms on the cover--and it happened to drop out, and the dragon ate it, so tom never got the prize after all. but the dragon, when he had gotten it, did not like it. "perhaps it's all for the best," said tom. "i might not have liked that prize either, if i had gotten it." it happened to be a wednesday, so when the princess's friends were asked what they would like to do, all the little dukes and marquises and earls said, "let's go and see the dragon." but the little duchesses and marchionesses and countesses said they were afraid. then princess mary ann spoke up royally, and said, "don't be silly, because it's only in fairy stories and histories of england and things like that, that people are unkind and want to hurt each other. in rotundia everyone is kind, and no one has anything to be afraid of, unless they're naughty; and then we know it's for our own good. let's all go and see the dragon. we might take him some acid drops." so they went. and all the titled children took it in turns to feed the dragon with acid drops, and he seemed pleased and flattered, and wagged as much of his purple tail as he could get at conveniently; for it was a very, very long tail indeed. but when it came to the princess's turn to give an acid drop to the dragon, he smiled a very wide smile, and wagged his tail to the very last long inch of it, as much as to say, "oh, you nice, kind, pretty little princess." but deep down in his wicked purple heart he was saying, "oh, you nice, fat, pretty little princess, i should like to eat you instead of these silly acid drops." but of course nobody heard him except the princess's uncle, and he was a magician, and accustomed to listening at doors. it was part of his trade. now, you will remember that i told you there was one wicked person in rotundia, and i cannot conceal from you any longer that this complete bad was the princess's uncle james. magicians are always bad, as you know from your fairy books, and some uncles are bad, as you see by the _babes in the wood_, or the _norfolk tragedy_, and one james at least was bad, as you have learned from your english history. and when anyone is a magician, and is also an uncle, and is named james as well, you need not expect anything nice from him. he is a threefold complete bad--and he will come to no good. uncle james had long wanted to get rid of the princess and have the kingdom to himself. he did not like many things--a nice kingdom was almost the only thing he cared for--but he had never seen his way quite clearly, because everyone is so kind in rotundia that wicked spells will not work there, but run off those blameless islanders like water off a duck's back. now, however, uncle james thought there might be a chance for him--because he knew that now there were two wicked people on the island who could stand by each other--himself and the dragon. he said nothing, but he exchanged a meaningful glance with the dragon, and everyone went home to tea. and no one had seen the meaningful glance except tom. tom went home, and told his elephant all about it. the intelligent little creature listened carefully, and then climbed from tom's knee to the table, on which stood an ornamental calendar that the princess had given tom for a christmas present. with its tiny trunk the elephant pointed out a date--the fifteenth of august, the princess's birthday, and looked anxiously at its master. "what is it, fido--good little elephant--then?" said tom, and the sagacious animal repeated its former gesture. then tom understood. "oh, something is to happen on her birthday? all right. i'll be on the lookout." and he was. [illustration: "by-and-by he began to wander." _see page 29._] at first the people of rotundia were quite pleased with the dragon, who lived by the pillar and fed himself from the bun trees, but by-and-by he began to wander. he would creep into the burrows made by the great rabbits; and excursionists, sporting on the downs, would see his long, tight, whiplike tail wriggling down a burrow and out of sight, and before they had time to say, "there he goes," his ugly purple head would come poking out from another rabbit-hole--perhaps just behind them--or laugh softly to itself just in their ears. and the dragon's laugh was not a merry one. this sort of hide-and-seek amused people at first, but by-and-by it began to get on their nerves: and if you don't know what that means, ask mother to tell you next time you are playing blind man's buff when she has a headache. then the dragon got into the habit of cracking his tail, as people crack whips, and this also got on people's nerves. then, too, little things began to be missed. and you know how unpleasant that is, even in a private school, and in a public kingdom it is, of course, much worse. the things that were missed were nothing much at first--a few little elephants, a hippopotamus or two, and some giraffes, and things like that. it was nothing much, as i say, but it made people feel uncomfortable. then one day a favorite rabbit of the princess's, called frederick, mysteriously disappeared, and then came a terrible morning when the mexican lapdog was missing. he had barked ever since the dragon came to the island, and people had grown quite used to the noise. so when his barking suddenly ceased it woke everybody up--and they all went out to see what was the matter. and the lapdog was gone! a boy was sent to wake the army, so that it might look for him. but the army was gone too! and now the people began to be frightened. then uncle james came out onto the terrace of the palace, and he made the people a speech. he said: "friends--fellow citizens--i cannot disguise from myself or from you that this purple dragon is a poor penniless exile, a helpless alien in our midst, and, besides, he is a--is no end of a dragon." the people thought of the dragon's tail and said, "hear, hear." uncle james went on: "something has happened to a gentle and defenseless member of our community. we don't know what has happened." everyone thought of the rabbit named frederick, and groaned. "the defenses of our country have been swallowed up," said uncle james. everyone thought of the poor army. "there is only one thing to be done." uncle james was warming to his subject. "could we ever forgive ourselves if by neglecting a simple precaution we lost more rabbits--or even, perhaps, our navy, our police, and our fire brigade? for i warn you that the purple dragon will respect nothing, however sacred." everyone thought of themselves--and they said, "what is the simple precaution?" then uncle james said: "tomorrow is the dragon's birthday. he is accustomed to have a present on his birthday. if he gets a nice present he will be in a hurry to take it away and show it to his friends, and he will fly off and never come back." the crowd cheered wildly--and the princess from her balcony clapped her hands. "the present the dragon expects," said uncle james, cheerfully, "is rather an expensive one. but, when we give, it should not be in a grudging spirit, especially to visitors. what the dragon wants is a princess. we have only one princess, it is true; but far be it from us to display a miserly temper at such a moment. and the gift is worthless that costs the giver nothing. your readiness to give up your princess will only show how generous you are." the crowd began to cry, for they loved their princess, though they quite saw that their first duty was to be generous and give the poor dragon what it wanted. the princess began to cry, for she did not want to be anybody's birthday present--especially a purple dragon's. and tom began to cry because he was so angry. he went straight home and told his little elephant; and the elephant cheered him up so much that presently the two grew quite absorbed in a top that the elephant was spinning with his little trunk. early in the morning tom went to the palace. he looked out across the downs--there were hardly any rabbits playing there now--and then he gathered white roses and threw them at the princess's window till she woke up and looked out. "come up and kiss me," she said. so tom climbed up the white rosebush and kissed the princess through the window, and said: "many happy returns of the day." then mary ann began to cry, and said: "oh, tom--how can you? when you know quite well--" "oh, don't," said tom. "why, mary ann, my precious, my princess--what do you think i should be doing while the dragon was getting his birthday present? don't cry, my own little mary ann! fido and i have arranged everything. you've only got to do as you are told." "is that all?" said the princess. "oh--that's easy--i've often done that!" then tom told her what she was to do. and she kissed him again and again. "oh, you dear, good, clever tom," she said. "how glad i am that i gave you fido. you two have saved me. you dears!" the next morning uncle james put on his best coat and hat and the vest with the gold snakes on it--he was a magician, and he had a bright taste in vests--and he called with a cab to take the princess out. "come, little birthday present," he said tenderly. "the dragon will be so pleased. and i'm glad to see you're not crying. you know, my child, we cannot begin too young to learn to think of the happiness of others rather than our own. i should not like my dear little niece to be selfish, or to wish to deny a trivial pleasure to a poor, sick dragon, far from his home and friends." the princess said she would try not to be selfish. presently the cab drew up near the pillar, and there was the dragon, his ugly purple head shining in the sun, and his ugly purple mouth half open. uncle james said: "good morning, sir. we have brought you a small present for your birthday. we do not like to let such an anniversary go by without some suitable testimonial, especially to one who is a stranger in our midst. our means are small, but our hearts are large. we have but one princess, but we give her freely--do we not, my child?" the princess said she supposed so, and the dragon came a little nearer. suddenly a voice cried: "run!" and there was tom, and he had brought the zoological guinea pig and a pair of belgian hares with him. "just to see fair," said tom. uncle james was furious. "what do you mean, sir," he cried, "by intruding on a state function with your common rabbits and things? go away, naughty little boy, and play with them somewhere else." but while he was speaking the rabbits had come up one on each side of him, their great sides towering ever so high, and now they pressed him between them so that he was buried in their thick fur and almost choked. the princess, meantime, had run to the other side of the pillar and was peeping around it to see what was going on. a crowd had followed the cab out of the town; now they reached the scene of the "state function"--and they all cried out: "fair play--play fair! we can't go back on our word like this. give a thing and take a thing? why, it's never done. let the poor exiled stranger dragon have his birthday present." and they tried to get at tom--but the guinea pig stood in the way. "yes," tom cried. "fair play is a jewel. and your helpless exile shall have the princess--if he can catch her. now then, mary ann." mary ann looked around the big pillar and called to the dragon: "bo! you can't catch me," and began to run as fast as ever she could, and the dragon ran after her. when the princess had run a half mile she stopped, dodged around a tree, and ran back to the pillar and around it, and the dragon after her. you see, he was so long he could not turn as quickly as she could. around and around the pillar ran the princess. the first time she ran around a long way from the pillar, and then nearer and nearer--with the dragon after her all the time; and he was so busy trying to catch her that he never noticed that tom had tied the very end of his long, tight, whipcordy tail to the rock, so that the more the dragon ran around, the more times he twisted his tail around the pillar. it was exactly like winding a top--only the peg was the pillar, and the dragon's tail was the string. and the magician was safe between the belgian hares, and couldn't see anything but darkness, or do anything but choke. when the dragon was wound onto the pillar as much as he possibly could be, and as tight--like cotton on a reel--the princess stopped running, and though she had very little breath left, she managed to say, "yah--who's won now?" this annoyed the dragon so much that he put out all his strength--spread his great purple wings, and tried to fly at her. of course this pulled his tail, and pulled it very hard, so hard that as he pulled the tail _had_ to come, and the pillar _had_ to come around with the tail, and the island _had_ to come around with the pillar, and in another minute the tail was loose, and the island was spinning around exactly like a top. it spun so fast that everyone fell flat on their faces and held on tight to themselves, because they felt something was going to happen. all but the magician, who was choking between the belgian hares, and felt nothing but fur and fury. and something did happen. the dragon had sent the kingdom of rotundia spinning the way it ought to have gone at the beginning of the world, and as it spun around, all the animals began to change sizes. the guinea pigs got small, and the elephants got big, and the men and women and children would have changed sizes too, if they had not had the sense to hold on to themselves, very tight indeed, with both hands; which, of course, the animals could not be expected to know how to do. and the best of it was that when the small beasts got big and the big beasts got small the dragon got small too, and fell at the princess's feet--a little, crawling, purple newt with wings. [illustration: "the dragon ran after her." _see page 34._] "funny little thing," said the princess, when she saw it. "i will take it for a birthday present." but while all the people were still on their faces, holding on tight to themselves, uncle james, the magician, never thought of holding tight--he only thought of how to punish belgian hares and the sons of gardeners; so when the big beasts grew small, he grew small with the other beasts, and the little purple dragon, when he fell at the princess's feet, saw there a very small magician named uncle james. and the dragon took him because it wanted a birthday present. so now all the animals were new sizes--and at first it seemed very strange to everyone to have great lumbering elephants and a tiny little dormouse, but they have gotten used to it now, and think no more of it than we do. all this happened several years ago, and the other day i saw in the _rotundia times_ an account of the wedding of the princess with lord thomas gardener, k.c.d., and i knew she could not have married anyone but tom, so i suppose they made him a lord on purpose for the wedding--and _k.c.d._, of course, means clever conqueror of the dragon. if you think that is wrong it is only because you don't know how they spell in rotundia. the paper said that among the beautiful presents of the bridegroom to the bride was an enormous elephant, on which the bridal pair made their wedding tour. this must have been fido. you remember tom promised to give him back to the princess when they were married. the _rotundia times_ called the married couple "the happy pair." it was clever of the paper to think of calling them that--it is such a pretty and novel expression, and i think it is truer than many of the things you see in papers. because, you see, the princess and the gardener's son were so fond of each other they could not help being happy--and besides, they had an elephant of their very own to ride on. if that is not enough to make people happy, i should like to know what is. though, of course, i know there are some people who could not be happy unless they had a whale to sail on, and perhaps not even then. but they are greedy, grasping people, the kind who would take four helps of pudding, as likely as not, which neither tom nor mary ann ever did. [illustration: the deliverers of their country] iii. the deliverers of their country it all began with effie's getting something in her eye. it hurt very much indeed, and it felt something like a red-hot spark--only it seemed to have legs as well, and wings like a fly. effie rubbed and cried--not real crying, but the kind your eye does all by itself without your being miserable inside your mind--and then she went to her father to have the thing in her eye taken out. effie's father was a doctor, so of course he knew how to take things out of eyes--he did it very cleverly with a soft paintbrush dipped in castor oil. when he had gotten the thing out, he said: "this is very curious." effie had often got things in her eye before, and her father had always seemed to think it was natural--rather tiresome and naughty perhaps, but still natural. he had never before thought it curious. effie stood holding her handkerchief to her eye, and said: "i don't believe it's out." people always say this when they have had something in their eyes. "oh, yes--it's out," said the doctor. "here it is, on the brush. this is very interesting." effie had never heard her father say that about anything that she had any share in. she said: "what?" the doctor carried the brush very carefully across the room, and held the point of it under his microscope--then he twisted the brass screws of the microscope, and looked through the top with one eye. "dear me," he said. "dear, dear me! four well-developed limbs; a long caudal appendage; five toes, unequal in lengths, almost like one of the _lacertidae_, yet there are traces of wings." the creature under his eye wriggled a little in the castor oil, and he went on: "yes; a batlike wing. a new specimen, undoubtedly. effie, run round to the professor and ask him to be kind enough to step in for a few minutes." "you might give me sixpence, daddy," said effie, "because i did bring you the new specimen. i took great care of it inside my eye, and my eye _does_ hurt." the doctor was so pleased with the new specimen that he gave effie a shilling, and presently the professor stepped round. he stayed to lunch, and he and the doctor quarreled very happily all the afternoon about the name and the family of the thing that had come out of effie's eye. but at teatime another thing happened. effie's brother harry fished something out of his tea, which he thought at first was an earwig. he was just getting ready to drop it on the floor, and end its life in the usual way, when it shook itself in the spoon--spread two wet wings, and flopped onto the tablecloth. there it sat, stroking itself with its feet and stretching its wings, and harry said: "why, it's a tiny newt!" the professor leaned forward before the doctor could say a word. "i'll give you half a crown for it, harry, my lad," he said, speaking very fast; and then he picked it up carefully on his handkerchief. "it is a new specimen," he said, "and finer than yours, doctor." it was a tiny lizard, about half an inch long--with scales and wings. so now the doctor and the professor each had a specimen, and they were both very pleased. but before long these specimens began to seem less valuable. for the next morning, when the knife-boy was cleaning the doctor's boots, he suddenly dropped the brushes and the boot and the blacking, and screamed out that he was burnt. and from inside the boot came crawling a lizard as big as a kitten, with large, shiny wings. "why," said effie, "i know what it is. it is a dragon like the one st. george killed." and effie was right. that afternoon towser was bitten in the garden by a dragon about the size of a rabbit, which he had tried to chase, and the next morning all the papers were full of the wonderful "winged lizards" that were appearing all over the country. the papers would not call them dragons, because, of course, no one believes in dragons nowadays--and at any rate the papers were not going to be so silly as to believe in fairy stories. at first there were only a few, but in a week or two the country was simply running alive with dragons of all sizes, and in the air you could sometimes see them as thick as a swarm of bees. they all looked alike except as to size. they were green with scales, and they had four legs and a long tail and great wings like bats' wings, only the wings were a pale, half-transparent yellow, like the gear-boxes on bicycles. they breathed fire and smoke, as all proper dragons must, but still the newspapers went on pretending they were lizards, until the editor of the _standard_ was picked up and carried away by a very large one, and then the other newspaper people had not anyone left to tell them what they ought not to believe. so when the largest elephant in the zoo was carried off by a dragon, the papers gave up pretending--and put alarming plague of dragons at the top of the paper. [illustration: "the largest elephant in the zoo was carried off." _see page 43._] you have no idea how alarming it was, and at the same time how aggravating. the large-size dragons were terrible certainly, but when once you had found out that the dragons always went to bed early because they were afraid of the chill night air, you had only to stay indoors all day, and you were pretty safe from the big ones. but the smaller sizes were a perfect nuisance. the ones as big as earwigs got in the soap, and they got in the butter. the ones as big as dogs got in the bath, and the fire and smoke inside them made them steam like anything when the cold water tap was turned on, so that careless people were often scalded quite severely. the ones that were as large as pigeons would get into workbaskets or corner drawers and bite you when you were in a hurry to get a needle or a handkerchief. the ones as big as sheep were easier to avoid, because you could see them coming; but when they flew in at the windows and curled up under your eiderdown, and you did not find them till you went to bed, it was always a shock. the ones this size did not eat people, only lettuce, but they always scorched the sheets and pillowcases dreadfully. of course, the county council and the police did everything that could be done: it was no use offering the hand of the princess to anyone who killed a dragon. this way was all very well in olden times--when there was only one dragon and one princess; but now there were far more dragons than princesses--although the royal family was a large one. and besides, it would have been a mere waste of princesses to offer rewards for killing dragons, because everybody killed as many dragons as they could quite out of their own heads and without rewards at all, just to get the nasty things out of the way. the county council undertook to cremate all dragons delivered at their offices between the hours of ten and two, and whole wagonloads and cartloads and truckloads of dead dragons could be seen any day of the week standing in a long line in the street where the county council had their offices. boys brought barrowloads of dead dragons, and children on their way home from morning school would call in to leave the handful or two of little dragons they had brought in their satchels, or carried in their knotted pocket handkerchiefs. and yet there seemed to be as many dragons as ever. then the police stuck up great wood and canvas towers covered with patent glue. when the dragons flew against these towers, they stuck fast, as flies and wasps do on the sticky papers in the kitchen; and when the towers were covered all over with dragons, the police inspector used to set fire to the towers, and burnt them and dragons and all. and yet there seemed to be more dragons than ever. the shops were full of patent dragon poison and anti-dragon soap, and dragonproof curtains for the windows; and indeed, everything that could be done was done. and yet there seemed to be more dragons than ever. it was not very easy to know what would poison a dragon, because, you see, they ate such different things. the largest kind ate elephants as long as there were any, and then went on with horses and cows. another size ate nothing but lilies of the valley, and a third size ate only prime ministers if they were to be had, and, if not, would feed freely on servants in livery. another size lived on bricks, and three of them ate two thirds of the south lambeth infirmary in one afternoon. but the size effie was most afraid of was about as big as your dining room, and that size ate little girls and boys. at first effie and her brother were quite pleased with the change in their lives. it was so amusing to sit up all night instead of going to sleep, and to play in the garden lighted by electric lamps. and it sounded so funny to hear mother say, when they were going to bed: "good night, my darlings, sleep sound all day, and don't get up too soon. you must not get up before it's quite dark. you wouldn't like the nasty dragons to catch you." but after a time they got very tired of it all: they wanted to see the flowers and trees growing in the fields, and to see the pretty sunshine out of doors, and not just through glass windows and patent dragonproof curtains. and they wanted to play on the grass, which they were not allowed to do in the electric lamp-lighted garden because of the night-dew. and they wanted so much to get out, just for once, in the beautiful, bright, dangerous daylight, that they began to try and think of some reason why they ought to go out. only they did not like to disobey their mother. but one morning their mother was busy preparing some new dragon poison to lay down in the cellars, and their father was bandaging the hand of the boot boy, which had been scratched by one of the dragons who liked to eat prime ministers when they were to be had, so nobody remembered to say to the children: "don't get up till it is quite dark!" "go now," said harry. "it would not be disobedient to go. and i know exactly what we ought to do, but i don't know how we ought to do it." "what ought we to do?" said effie. "we ought to wake st. george, of course," said harry. "he was the only person in his town who knew how to manage dragons; the people in the fairy tales don't count. but st. george is a real person, and he is only asleep, and he is waiting to be waked up. only nobody believes in st. george now. i heard father say so." "we do," said effie. "of course we do. and don't you see, ef, that's the very reason why we could wake him? you can't wake people if you don't believe in them, can you?" effie said no, but where could they find st. george? "we must go and look," said harry boldly. "you shall wear a dragonproof frock, made of stuff like the curtains. and i will smear myself all over with the best dragon poison, and--" effie clasped her hands and skipped with joy and cried: "oh, harry! i know where we can find st. george! in st. george's church, of course." "um," said harry, wishing he had thought of it for himself, "you have a little sense sometimes, for a girl." so the next afternoon, quite early, long before the beams of sunset announced the coming night, when everybody would be up and working, the two children got out of bed. effie wrapped herself in a shawl of dragonproof muslin--there was no time to make the frock--and harry made a horrid mess of himself with the patent dragon poison. it was warranted harmless to infants and invalids, so he felt quite safe. then they joined hands and set out to walk to st. george's church. as you know, there are many st. george's churches, but fortunately they took the turning that leads to the right one, and went along in the bright sunlight, feeling very brave and adventurous. there was no one about in the streets except dragons, and the place was simply swarming with them. fortunately none of the dragons were just the right size for eating little boys and girls, or perhaps this story might have had to end here. there were dragons on the pavement, and dragons on the roadway, dragons basking on the front doorsteps of public buildings, and dragons preening their wings on the roofs in the hot afternoon sun. the town was quite green with them. even when the children had gotten out of the town and were walking in the lanes, they noticed that the fields on each side were greener than usual with the scaly legs and tails; and some of the smaller sizes had made themselves asbestos nests in the flowering hawthorn hedges. effie held her brother's hand very tight, and once when a fat dragon flopped against her ear she screamed out, and a whole flight of green dragons rose from the field at the sound, and sprawled away across the sky. the children could hear the rattle of their wings as they flew. "oh, i want to go home," said effie. "don't be silly," said harry. "surely you haven't forgotten about the seven champions and all the princes. people who are going to be their country's deliverers never scream and say they want to go home." "and are we," asked effie--"deliverers, i mean?" "you'll see," said her brother, and on they went. when they came to st. george's church they found the door open, and they walked right in--but st. george was not there, so they walked around the churchyard outside, and presently they found the great stone tomb of st. george, with the figure of him carved in marble outside, in his armor and helmet, and with his hands folded on his breast. "how ever can we wake him?" they said. then harry spoke to st. george--but he would not answer; and he called, but st. george did not seem to hear; and then he actually tried to waken the great dragon-slayer by shaking his marble shoulders. but st. george took no notice. then effie began to cry, and she put her arms around st. george's neck as well as she could for the marble, which was very much in the way at the back, and she kissed the marble face, and she said: "oh, dear, good, kind st. george, please wake up and help us." and at that st. george opened his eyes sleepily, and stretched himself and said: "what's the matter, little girl?" so the children told him all about it; he turned over in his marble and leaned on one elbow to listen. but when he heard that there were so many dragons he shook his head. "it's no good," he said, "they would be one too many for poor old george. you should have waked me before. i was always for a fair fight--one man one dragon, was my motto." just then a flight of dragons passed overhead, and st. george half drew his sword. but he shook his head again and pushed the sword back as the flight of dragons grew small in the distance. "i can't do anything," he said. "things have changed since my time. st. andrew told me about it. they woke him up over the engineers' strike, and he came to talk to me. he says everything is done by machinery now; there must be some way of settling these dragons. by the way, what sort of weather have you been having lately?" this seemed so careless and unkind that harry would not answer, but effie said patiently, "it has been very fine. father says it is the hottest weather there has ever been in this country." "ah, i guessed as much," said the champion, thoughtfully. "well, the only thing would be ... dragons can't stand wet and cold, that's the only thing. if you could find the taps." st. george was beginning to settle down again on his stone slab. "good night, very sorry i can't help you," he said, yawning behind his marble hand. "oh, but you can," cried effie. "tell us--what taps?" "oh, like in the bathroom," said st. george, still more sleepily. "and there's a looking glass, too; shows you all the world and what's going on. st. denis told me about it; said it was a very pretty thing. i'm sorry i can't--good night." and he fell back into his marble and was fast asleep again in a moment. "we shall never find the taps," said harry. "i say, wouldn't it be awful if st. george woke up when there was a dragon near, the size that eats champions?" effie pulled off her dragonproof veil. "we didn't meet any the size of the dining room as we came along," she said. "i daresay we shall be quite safe." so she covered st. george with the veil, and harry rubbed off as much as he could of the dragon poison onto st. george's armor, so as to make everything quite safe for him. "we might hide in the church till it is dark," he said, "and then--" but at that moment a dark shadow fell on them, and they saw that it was a dragon exactly the size of the dining room at home. so then they knew that all was lost. the dragon swooped down and caught the two children in his claws; he caught effie by her green silk sash, and harry by the little point at the back of his eton jacket--and then, spreading his great yellow wings, he rose into the air, rattling like a third-class carriage when the brake is hard on. "oh, harry," said effie, "i wonder when he will eat us!" the dragon was flying across woods and fields with great flaps of his wings that carried him a quarter of a mile at each flap. [illustration: "he rose into the air, rattling like a third-class carriage." _see page 50._] harry and effie could see the country below, hedges and rivers and churches and farmhouses flowing away from under them, much faster than you see them running away from the sides of the fastest express train. and still the dragon flew on. the children saw other dragons in the air as they went, but the dragon who was as big as the dining room never stopped to speak to any of them, but just flew on quite steadily. "he knows where he wants to go," said harry. "oh, if he would only drop us before he gets there!" but the dragon held on tight, and he flew and flew and flew until at last, when the children were quite giddy, he settled down, with a rattling of all his scales, on the top of a mountain. and he lay there on his great green scaly side, panting, and very much out of breath, because he had come such a long way. but his claws were fast in effie's sash and the little point at the back of harry's eton jacket. then effie took out the knife harry had given her on her birthday. it had cost only sixpence to begin with, and she had had it a month, and it never could sharpen anything but slate-pencils; but somehow she managed to make that knife cut her sash in front, and crept out of it, leaving the dragon with only a green silk bow in one of his claws. that knife would never have cut harry's jacket-tail off, though, and when effie had tried for some time she saw that this was so and gave it up. but with her help harry managed to wriggle quietly out of his sleeves, so that the dragon had only an eton jacket in his other claw. then the children crept on tiptoe to a crack in the rocks and got in. it was much too narrow for the dragon to get in also, so they stayed in there and waited to make faces at the dragon when he felt rested enough to sit up and begin to think about eating them. he was very angry, indeed, when they made faces at him, and blew out fire and smoke at them, but they ran farther into the cave so that he could not reach them, and when he was tired of blowing he went away. but they were afraid to come out of the cave, so they went farther in, and presently the cave opened out and grew bigger, and the floor was soft sand, and when they had come to the very end of the cave there was a door, and on it was written: universal taproom. private. no one allowed inside. so they opened the door at once just to peep in, and then they remembered what st. george had said. "we can't be worse off than we are," said harry, "with a dragon waiting for us outside. let's go in." they went boldly into the taproom, and shut the door behind them. and now they were in a sort of room cut out of the solid rock, and all along one side of the room were taps, and all the taps were labeled with china labels like you see in baths. and as they could both read words of two syllables or even three sometimes, they understood at once that they had gotten to the place where the weather is turned on from. there were six big taps labeled "sunshine," "wind," "rain," "snow," "hail," "ice," and a lot of little ones, labeled "fair to moderate," "showery," "south breeze," "nice growing weather for the crops," "skating," "good open weather," "south wind," "east wind," and so on. and the big tap labeled "sunshine" was turned full on. they could not see any sunshine--the cave was lighted by a skylight of blue glass--so they supposed the sunlight was pouring out by some other way, as it does with the tap that washes out the underneath parts of patent sinks in kitchens. then they saw that one side of the room was just a big looking glass, and when you looked in it you could see everything that was going on in the world--and all at once, too, which is not like most looking glasses. they saw the carts delivering the dead dragons at the county council offices, and they saw st. george asleep under the dragonproof veil. and they saw their mother at home crying because her children had gone out in the dreadful, dangerous daylight, and she was afraid a dragon had eaten them. and they saw the whole of england, like a great puzzle map--green in the field parts and brown in the towns, and black in the places where they make coal and crockery and cutlery and chemicals. all over it, on the black parts, and on the brown, and on the green, there was a network of green dragons. and they could see that it was still broad daylight, and no dragons had gone to bed yet. effie said, "dragons do not like cold." and she tried to turn off the sunshine, but the tap was out of order, and that was why there had been so much hot weather, and why the dragons had been able to be hatched. so they left the sunshine tap alone, and they turned on the snow and left the tap full on while they went to look in the glass. there they saw the dragons running all sorts of ways like ants if you are cruel enough to pour water into an ant-heap, which, of course, you never are. and the snow fell more and more. then effie turned the rain tap quite full on, and presently the dragons began to wriggle less, and by-and-by some of them lay quite still, so the children knew the water had put out the fires inside them, and they were dead. so then they turned on the hail--only half on, for fear of breaking people's windows--and after a while there were no more dragons to be seen moving. then the children knew that they were indeed the deliverers of their country. "they will put up a monument to us," said harry, "as high as nelson's! all the dragons are dead." "i hope the one that was waiting outside for us is dead!" said effie. "and about the monument, harry, i'm not so sure. what can they do with such a lot of dead dragons? it would take years and years to bury them, and they could never be burnt now they are so soaking wet. i wish the rain would wash them off into the sea." but this did not happen, and the children began to feel that they had not been so frightfully clever after all. "i wonder what this old thing's for," said harry. he had found a rusty old tap, which seemed as though it had not been used for ages. its china label was quite coated over with dirt and cobwebs. when effie had cleaned it with a bit of her skirt--for curiously enough both the children had come out without pocket handkerchiefs--she found that the label said "waste." "let's turn it on," she said. "it might carry off the dragons." the tap was very stiff from not having been used for such a long time, but together they managed to turn it on, and then ran to the mirror to see what happened. already a great, round black hole had opened in the very middle of the map of england, and the sides of the map were tilting themselves up, so that the rain ran down toward the hole. "oh, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!" cried effie, and she hurried back to the taps and turned on everything that seemed wet. "showery," "good open weather," "nice growing weather for the crops," and even "south" and "south-west," because she had heard her father say that those winds brought rain. and now the floods of rain were pouring down on the country, and great sheets of water flowed toward the center of the map, and cataracts of water poured into the great round hole in the middle of the map, and the dragons were being washed away and disappearing down the waste pipe in great green masses and scattered green shoals--single dragons and dragons by the dozen; of all sizes, from the ones that carry off elephants down to the ones that get in your tea. presently there was not a dragon left. so then they turned off the tap named "waste," and they half-turned off the one labeled "sunshine"--it was broken, so that they could not turn it off altogether--and they turned on "fair to moderate" and "showery" and both taps stuck, so that they could not be turned off, which accounts for our climate. * * * * * how did they get home again? by the snowdon railway of course. and was the nation grateful? well--the nation was very wet. and by the time the nation had gotten dry again it was interested in the new invention for toasting muffins by electricity, and all the dragons were almost forgotten. dragons do not seem so important when they are dead and gone, and, you know, there never was a reward offered. and what did father and mother say when effie and harry got home? my dear, that is the sort of silly question you children always will ask. however, just for this once i don't mind telling you. mother said: "oh, my darlings, my darlings, you're safe--you're safe! you naughty children--how could you be so disobedient? go to bed at once!" and their father the doctor said: "i wish i had known what you were going to do! i should have liked to preserve a specimen. i threw away the one i got out of effie's eye. i intended to get a more perfect specimen. i did not anticipate this immediate extinction of the species." the professor said nothing, but he rubbed his hands. he had kept his specimen--the one the size of an earwig that he gave harry half a crown for--and he has it to this day. you must get him to show it to you! [illustration: the ice dragon] iv. the ice dragon, or do as you are told this is the tale of the wonders that befell on the evening of the eleventh of december, when they did what they were told not to do. you may think that you know all the unpleasant things that could possibly happen to you if you are disobedient, but there are some things which even you do not know, and they did not know them either. their names were george and jane. there were no fireworks that year on guy fawkes' day, because the heir to the throne was not well. he was cutting his first tooth, and that is a very anxious time for any person--even for a royal one. he was really very poorly, so that fireworks would have been in the worst possible taste, even at land's end or in the isle of man, whilst in forest hill, which was the home of jane and george, anything of the kind was quite out of the question. even the crystal palace, empty-headed as it is, felt that this was no time for catherine-wheels. but when the prince had cut his tooth, rejoicings were not only admissible but correct, and the eleventh of december was proclaimed firework day. all the people were most anxious to show their loyalty, and to enjoy themselves at the same time. so there were fireworks and torchlight processions, and set pieces at the crystal palace, with "blessings on our prince" and "long live our royal darling" in different-colored fires; and the most private of boarding schools had a half holiday; and even the children of plumbers and authors had tuppence each given them to spend as they liked. george and jane had sixpence each--and they spent the whole amount on a golden rain, which would not light for ever so long, and when it did light went out almost at once, so they had to look at the fireworks in the gardens next door, and at the ones at the crystal palace, which were very glorious indeed. all their relations had colds in their heads, so jane and george were allowed to go out into the garden alone to let off their firework. jane had put on her fur cape and her thick gloves, and her hood with the silver fox fur on it that was made out of mother's old muff; and george had his overcoat with the three capes, and his comforter, and father's sealskin traveling cap with the pieces that come down over your ears. it was dark in the garden, but the fireworks all about made it seem very gay, and though the children were cold they were quite sure that they were enjoying themselves. they got up on the fence at the end of the garden to see better; and then they saw, very far away, where the edge of the dark world is, a shining line of straight, beautiful lights arranged in a row, as if they were the spears carried by a fairy army. "oh, how pretty," said jane. "i wonder what they are. it looks as if the fairies were planting little shining baby poplar trees and watering them with liquid light." "liquid fiddlestick!" said george. he had been to school, so he knew that these were only the aurora borealis, or northern lights. and he said so. "but what is the rory bory what's-its-name?" asked jane. "who lights it, and what's it there for?" george had to own that he had not learned that. "but i know," said he, "that it has something to do with the great bear, and the dipper, and the plough, and charles's wain." "and what are they?" asked jane. "oh, they're the surnames of some of the star families. there goes a jolly rocket," answered george, and jane felt as if she almost understood about the star families. the fairy spears of light twinkled and gleamed: they were much prettier than the big, blaring, blazing bonfire that was smoking and flaming and spluttering in the next-door-but-one garden--prettier even than the colored fires at the crystal palace. "i wish we could see them nearer," jane said. "i wonder if the star families are nice families--the kind that mother would like us to go to tea with, if we were little stars?" "they aren't that sort of families at all, silly," said her brother, kindly trying to explain. "i only said 'families' because a kid like you wouldn't have understood if i'd said constel ... and, besides, i've forgotten the end of the word. anyway, the stars are all up in the sky, so you can't go to tea with them." "no," said jane. "i said if we were little stars." "but we aren't," said george. "no," said jane, with a sigh. "i know that. i'm not so stupid as you think, george. but the tory bories are somewhere at the edge. couldn't we go and see them?" "considering you're eight, you haven't much sense." george kicked his boots against the fencing to warm his toes. "it's half the world away." "it looks very near," said jane, hunching up her shoulders to keep her neck warm. "they're close to the north pole," said george. "look here--i don't care a straw about the aurora borealis, but i shouldn't mind discovering the north pole: it's awfully difficult and dangerous, and then you come home and write a book about it with a lot of pictures, and everybody says how brave you are." jane got off the fence. "oh, george, _let's_," she said. "we shall never have such a chance again--all alone by ourselves--and quite late, too." "i'd go right enough if it wasn't for you," george answered gloomily, "but you know they always say i lead you into mischief--and if we went to the north pole we should get our boots wet, as likely as not, and you remember what they said about not going on the grass." "they said the _lawn_," said jane. "we're not going on the _lawn_. oh, george, do, do let's. it doesn't look so _very_ far--we could be back before they had time to get dreadfully angry." "all right," said george, "but mind, i don't want to go." so off they went. they got over the fence, which was very cold and white and shiny because it was beginning to freeze, and on the other side of the fence was somebody else's garden, so they got out of that as quickly as they could, and beyond that was a field where there was another big bonfire, with people standing around it who looked quite dark-skinned. "it's like indians," said george, and wanted to stop and look, but jane pulled him on, and they passed by the bonfire and got through a gap in the hedge into another field--a dark one; and far away, beyond quite a number of other dark fields, the northern lights shone and sparkled and twinkled. now, during the winter the arctic regions come much farther south than they are marked on the map. very few people know this, though you would think they could tell it by the ice in the jugs of a morning. and just when george and jane were starting for the north pole, the arctic regions had come down very nearly as far as forest hill, so that, as the children walked on, it grew colder and colder, and presently they saw that the fields were covered with snow, and there were great icicles hanging from all the hedges and gates. and the northern lights still seemed some way off. they were crossing a very rough, snowy field when jane first noticed the animals. there were white rabbits and white hares and all sorts and sizes of white birds, and some larger creatures in the shadows of the hedges that jane was sure were wolves and bears. "polar bears and arctic wolves, of course i mean," she said, for she did not want george to think her stupid again. there was a great hedge at the end of this field, all covered with snow and icicles; but the children found a place where there was a hole, and as no bears or wolves seemed to be just in that part of the hedge, they crept through and scrambled out of the frozen ditch on the other side. and then they stood still and held their breath with wonder. for in front of them, running straight and smooth right away to the northern lights, lay a great wide road of pure dark ice, and on each side were tall trees all sparkling with white frost, and from the boughs of the trees hung strings of stars threaded on fine moonbeams, and shining so brightly that it was like a beautiful fairy daylight. jane said so; but george said it was like the electric lights at the earl's court exhibition. the rows of trees went as straight as ruled lines away--away and away--and at the other end of them shone the aurora borealis. there was a signpost of silvery snow, and on it in letters of pure ice the children read: this way to the north pole. then george said: "way or no way, i know a slide when i see one--so here goes." and he took a run on the frozen snow, and jane took a run when she saw him do it, and the next moment they were sliding away, each with feet half a yard apart, along the great slide that leads to the north pole. this great slide is made for the convenience of the polar bears, who, during the winter months, get their food from the army and navy stores--and it is the most perfect slide in the world. if you have never come across it, it is because you have never let off fireworks on the eleventh of december, and have never been thoroughly naughty and disobedient. but do not be these things in the hope of finding the great slide--because you might find something quite different, and then you will be sorry. the great slide is like common slides in that when once you have started you have to go on to the end--unless you fall down--and then it hurts just as much as the smaller kind on ponds. the great slide runs downhill all the way, so that you keep on going faster and faster and faster. george and jane went so fast that they had not time to notice the scenery. they only saw the long lines of frosted trees and the starry lamps, and on each side, rushing back as they slid on, a very broad, white world and a very large, black night; and overhead as well as in the trees the stars were bright like silver lamps, and far ahead shone and trembled and sparkled the line of fairy spears. jane said that, and george said: "i can see the northern lights quite plain." it is very pleasant to slide and slide and slide on clear, dark ice--especially if you feel you are really going somewhere, and more especially if that somewhere is the north pole. the children's feet made no noise on the ice, and they went on and on in a beautiful white silence. but suddenly the silence was shattered and a cry rang out over the snow. "hey! you there! stop!" "tumble for your life!" cried george, and he fell down at once, because it is the only way to stop. jane fell on top of him--and then they crawled on hands and knees to the snow at the edge of the slide--and there was a sportsman, dressed in a peaked cap and a frozen moustache, like the one you see in the pictures about ice-peter, and he had a gun in his hand. "you don't happen to have any bullets about you?" said he. "no," george said, truthfully. "i had five of father's revolver cartridges, but they were taken away the day nurse turned out my pockets to see if i had taken the knob of the bathroom door by mistake." "quite so," said the sportsman, "these accidents will occur. you don't carry firearms, then, i presume?" "i haven't any fire_arms_," said george, "but i have a fire_work_. it's only a squib one of the boys gave me, if that's any good." and he began to feel among the string and peppermints, and buttons and tops and nibs and chalk and foreign postage stamps in his knickerbocker pockets. "one could but try," the sportsman replied, and he held out his hand. but jane pulled at her brother's jacket-tail and whispered, "ask him what he wants it for." so then the sportsman had to confess that he wanted the firework to kill the white grouse with; and, when they came to look, there was the white grouse himself, sitting in the snow, looking quite pale and careworn, and waiting anxiously for the matter to be decided one way or the other. george put all the things back in his pockets, and said, "no, i shan't. the reason for shooting him stopped yesterday--i heard father say so--so it wouldn't be fair, anyhow. i'm very sorry; but i can't--so there!" the sportsman said nothing, only he shook his fist at jane, and then he got on the slide and tried to go toward the crystal palace--which was not easy, because that way is uphill. so they left him trying, and went on. before they started, the white grouse thanked them in a few pleasant, well-chosen words, and then they took a sideways slanting run and started off again on the great slide, and so away toward the north pole and the twinkling, beautiful lights. the great slide went on and on, and the lights did not seem to come much nearer, and the white silence wrapped around them as they slid along the wide, icy path. then once again the silence was broken to bits by someone calling: "hey! you there! stop!" "tumble for your life!" cried george, and tumbled as before, stopping in the only possible way, and jane stopped on top of him, and they crawled to the edge and came suddenly on a butterfly collector, who was looking for specimens with a pair of blue glasses and a blue net and a blue book with colored plates. "excuse me," said the collector, "but have you such a thing as a needle about you--a very long needle?" "i have a needle _book_," replied jane, politely, "but there aren't any needles in it now. george took them all to do the things with pieces of cork--in the 'boy's own scientific experimenter' and 'the young mechanic.' he did not do the things, but he did for the needles." "curiously enough," said the collector, "i too wish to use the needle in connection with cork." "i have a hatpin in my hood," said jane. "i fastened the fur with it when it caught in the nail on the greenhouse door. it is very long and sharp--would that do?" "one could but try," said the collector, and jane began to feel for the pin. but george pinched her arm and whispered, "ask what he wants it for." then the collector had to own that he wanted the pin to stick through the great arctic moth, "a magnificent specimen," he added, "which i am most anxious to preserve." and there, sure enough, in the collector's butterfly net sat the great arctic moth, listening attentively to the conversation. "oh, i couldn't!" cried jane. and while george was explaining to the collector that they would really rather not, jane opened the blue folds of the butterfly net, and asked the moth quietly if it would please step outside for a moment. and it did. when the collector saw that the moth was free, he seemed less angry than grieved. "well, well," said he, "here's a whole arctic expedition thrown away! i shall have to go home and fit out another. and that means a lot of writing to the papers and things. you seem to be a singularly thoughtless little girl." so they went on, leaving him too, trying to go uphill towards the crystal palace. when the great white arctic moth had returned thanks in a suitable speech, george and jane took a sideways slanting run and started sliding again, between the star-lamps along the great slide toward the north pole. they went faster and faster, and the lights ahead grew brighter and brighter--so that they could not keep their eyes open, but had to blink and wink as they went--and then suddenly the great slide ended in an immense heap of snow, and george and jane shot right into it because they could not stop themselves, and the snow was soft, so that they went in up to their very ears. when they had picked themselves out and thumped each other on the back to get rid of the snow, they shaded their eyes and looked, and there, right in front of them, was the wonder of wonders--the north pole--towering high and white and glistening, like an ice-lighthouse, and it was quite, quite close, so that you had to put your head as far back as it would go, and farther, before you could see the high top of it. it was made entirely of ice. you will hear grown-up people talk a great deal of nonsense about the north pole, and when you are grown up, it is even possible that you may talk nonsense about it yourself (the most unlikely things do happen) but deep down in your heart you must always remember that the north pole is made of clear ice, and could not possibly, if you come to think of it, be made of anything else. all around the pole, making a bright ring about it, were hundreds of little fires, and the flames of them did not flicker and twist, but went up blue and green and rosy and straight like the stalks of dream lilies. jane said so, but george said they were as straight as ramrods. and these flames were the aurora borealis, which the children had seen as far away as forest hill. the ground was quite flat, and covered with smooth, hard snow, which shone and sparkled like the top of a birthday cake that has been iced at home. the ones done at the shops do not shine and sparkle, because they mix flour with the icing sugar. "it is like a dream," said jane. and george said, "it _is_ the north pole. just think of the fuss people always make about getting here--and it was no trouble at all, really." "i daresay lots of people have gotten here," said jane, dismally. "it's not the getting _here_--i see that--it's the getting back again. perhaps no one will ever know that _we_ have been here, and the robins will cover us with leaves and--" "nonsense," said george. "there aren't any robins, and there aren't any leaves. it's just the north pole, that's all, and i've found it; and now i shall try to climb up and plant the british flag on the top--my handkerchief will do; and if it really _is_ the north pole, my pocket compass uncle james gave me will spin around and around, and then i shall know. come on." so jane came on; and when they got close to the clear, tall, beautiful flames they saw that there was a great, queer-shaped lump of ice all around the bottom of the pole--clear, smooth, shining ice, that was deep, beautiful prussian blue, like icebergs, in the thick parts, and all sorts of wonderful, glimmery, shimmery, changing colors in the thin parts, like the cut-glass chandelier in grandmamma's house in london. "it is a very curious shape," said jane. "it's almost like"--she moved back a step to get a better view of it--"it's almost like a dragon." "it's much more like the lampposts on the thames embankment," said george, who had noticed a curly thing like a tail that went twisting up the north pole. "oh, george," cried jane, "it _is_ a dragon; i can see its wings. whatever shall we do?" and, sure enough, it _was_ a dragon--a great, shining, winged, scaly, clawy, big-mouthed dragon--made of pure ice. it must have gone to sleep curled around the hole where the warm steam used to come up from the middle of the earth, and then when the earth got colder, and the column of steam froze and was turned into the north pole, the dragon must have got frozen in his sleep--frozen too hard to move--and there he stayed. and though he was very terrible he was very beautiful too. jane said so, but george said, "oh, don't bother; i'm thinking how to get onto the pole and try the compass without waking the brute." [illustration: "sure enough, it was a dragon." _see page 68._] the dragon certainly was beautiful, with his deep, clear prussian blueness, and his rainbow-colored glitter. and rising from within the cold coil of the frozen dragon the north pole shot up like a pillar made of one great diamond, and every now and then it cracked a little, from sheer cold. the sound of the cracking was the only thing that broke the great white silence in the midst of which the dragon lay like an enormous jewel, and the straight flames went up all around him like the stalks of tall lilies. and as the children stood there looking at the most wonderful sight their eyes had ever seen, there was a soft padding of feet and a hurry-scurry behind them, and from the outside darkness beyond the flame-stalks came a crowd of little brown creatures running, jumping, scrambling, tumbling head over heels and on all fours, and some even walking on their heads. they joined hands as they came near the fires and danced around in a ring. "it's bears," said jane. "i know it is. oh, how i wish we hadn't come; and my boots are so wet." the dancing-ring broke up suddenly, and the next moment hundreds of furry arms clutched at george and jane, and they found themselves in the middle of a great, soft, heaving crowd of little fat people in brown fur dresses, and the white silence was quite gone. "bears, indeed," cried a shrill voice. "you'll wish we were bears before you've done with us." this sounded so dreadful that jane began to cry. up to now the children had only seen the most beautiful and wondrous things, but now they began to be sorry they had done what they were told not to, and the difference between "lawn" and "grass" did not seem so great as it had at forest hill. directly jane began to cry, all the brown people started back. no one cries in the arctic regions for fear of being struck by the frost. so that these people had never seen anyone cry before. "don't cry for real," whispered george, "or you'll get chilblains in your eyes. but pretend to howl--it frightens them." so jane went on pretending to howl, and the real crying stopped: it always does when you begin to pretend. you try it. then, speaking very loud so as to be heard over the howls of jane, george said: "yah--who's afraid? we are george and jane--who are you?" "we are the sealskin dwarfs," said the brown people, twisting their furry bodies in and out of the crowd like the changing glass in kaleidoscopes. "we are very precious and expensive, for we are made, throughout, of the very best sealskin." "and what are those fires for?" bellowed george--for jane was crying louder and louder. "those," shouted the dwarfs, coming a step nearer, "are the fires we make to thaw the dragon. he is frozen now--so he sleeps curled up around the pole--but when we have thawed him with our fires he will wake up and go and eat everybody in the world except us." "whatever--do--you--want--him--to--do--that--for?" yelled george. "oh--just for spite," bawled the dwarfs carelessly--as if they were saying, "just for fun." jane stopped crying to say: "you are heartless." "no, we aren't," they said. "our hearts are made of the finest sealskin, just like little fat sealskin purses--" and they all came a step nearer. they were very fat and round. their bodies were like sealskin jackets on a very stout person; their heads were like sealskin muffs; their legs were like sealskin boas; and their hands and feet were like sealskin tobacco pouches. and their faces were like seals' faces, inasmuch as they, too, were covered with sealskin. "thank you so much for telling us," said george. "good evening. (keep on howling, jane!)" but the dwarfs came a step nearer, muttering and whispering. then the muttering stopped--and there was a silence so deep that jane was afraid to howl in it. but it was a brown silence, and she had liked the white silence better. then the chief dwarf came quite close and said: "what's that on your head?" and george felt it was all up--for he knew it was his father's sealskin cap. the dwarf did not wait for an answer. "it's made of one of us," he screamed, "or else one of the seals, our poor relations. boy, now your fate is sealed!" looking at the wicked seal-faces all around them, george and jane felt that their fate was sealed indeed. the dwarfs seized the children in their furry arms. george kicked, but it is no use kicking sealskin, and jane howled, but the dwarfs were getting used to that. they climbed up the dragon's side and dumped the children down on his icy spine, with their backs against the north pole. you have no idea how cold it was--the kind of cold that makes you feel small and prickly inside your clothes, and makes you wish you had twenty times as many clothes to feel small and prickly inside of. the sealskin dwarfs tied george and jane to the north pole, and, as they had no ropes, they bound them with snow-wreaths, which are very strong when they are made in the proper way, and they heaped up the fires very close and said: "now the dragon will get warm, and when he gets warm he will wake, and when he wakes he will be hungry, and when he is hungry he will begin to eat, and the first thing he will eat will be you." the little, sharp, many-colored flames sprang up like the stalks of dream lilies, but no heat came to the children, and they grew colder and colder. "we shan't be very nice when the dragon does eat us, that's one comfort," said george. "we shall be turned into ice long before that." suddenly there was a flapping of wings, and the white grouse perched on the dragon's head and said: "can i be of any assistance?" [illustration: "the dwarfs seized the children." _see page 72._] now, by this time the children were so cold, so cold, so very, very cold, that they had forgotten everything but that, and they could say nothing else. so the white grouse said: "one moment. i am only too grateful for this opportunity of showing my sense of your manly conduct about the firework!" and the next moment there was a soft whispering rustle of wings overhead, and then, fluttering slowly, softly down, came hundreds and thousands of little white fluffy feathers. they fell on george and jane like snowflakes, and, like flakes of fallen snow lying one above another, they grew into a thicker and thicker covering, so that presently the children were buried under a heap of white feathers, and only their faces peeped out. "oh, you dear, good, kind white grouse," said jane, "but you'll be cold yourself, won't you, now you have given us all your pretty dear feathers?" the white grouse laughed, and his laugh was echoed by thousands of kind, soft bird voices. "did you think all those feathers came out of one breast? there are hundreds and hundreds of us here, and every one of us can spare a little tuft of soft breast feathers to help to keep two kind little hearts warm!" thus spoke the grouse, who certainly had very pretty manners. so now the children snuggled under the feathers and were warm, and when the sealskin dwarfs tried to take the feathers away, the grouse and his friends flew in their faces with flappings and screams, and drove the dwarfs back. they are a cowardly folk. the dragon had not moved yet--but then he might at any moment get warm enough to move, and though george and jane were now warm they were not comfortable nor easy in their minds. they tried to explain to the grouse; but though he is polite, he is not clever, and he only said: "you've got a warm nest, and we'll see that no one takes it from you. what more can you possibly want?" just then came a new, strange, jerky fluttering of wings far softer than the grouse's, and george and jane cried out together: "oh, _do_ mind your wings in the fires!" for they saw at once that it was the great white arctic moth. "what's the matter?" he asked, settling on the dragon's tail. so they told him. "sealskin, are they?" said the moth. "just you wait a minute!" he flew off very crookedly, dodging the flames, and presently he came back, and there were so many moths with him that it was as if a live sheet of white wingedness were suddenly drawn between the children and the stars. and then the doom of the bad sealskin dwarfs fell suddenly on them. for the great sheet of winged whiteness broke up and fell as snow falls, and it fell upon the sealskin dwarfs; and every snowflake of it was a live, fluttering, hungry moth that buried its greedy nose deep in the sealskin fur. grown-up people will tell you that it is not moths but moths' children who eat fur--but this is only when they are trying to deceive you. when they are not thinking about you they say, "i fear the moths have got at my ermine tippet," or, "your poor aunt emma had a lovely sable cloak, but it was eaten by moths." and now there were more moths than have ever been together in this world before, all settling on the sealskin dwarfs. the dwarfs did not see their danger till it was too late. then they called for camphor and bitter apple and oil of lavender and yellow soap and borax; and some of the dwarfs even started to get these things, but long before any of them could get to the chemist's, all was over. the moths ate and ate and ate till the sealskin dwarfs, being sealskin throughout, even to the empty hearts of them, were eaten down to the very life--and they fell one by one on the snow and so came to their end. and all around the north pole the snow was brown with their flat bare pelts. "oh, thank you--thank you, darling arctic moth," cried jane. "you are good--i do hope you haven't eaten enough to disagree with you afterward!" millions of moth voices answered, with laughter as soft as moth wings, "we should be a poor set of fellows if we couldn't over eat ourselves once in a while--to oblige a friend." and off they all fluttered, and the white grouse flew off, and the sealskin dwarfs were all dead, and the fires went out, and george and jane were left alone in the dark with the dragon! "oh, dear," said jane, "this is the worst of all!" "we've no friends left to help us," said george. he never thought that the dragon himself might help them--but then that was an idea that would never have occurred to any boy. it grew colder and colder and colder, and even under the grouse feathers the children shivered. then, when it was so cold that it could not manage to be any colder without breaking the thermometer, it stopped. and then the dragon uncurled himself from around the north pole, and stretched his long, icy length over the snow, and said: "this is something like! how faint those fires did make me feel!" the fact was, the sealskin dwarfs had gone the wrong way to work: the dragon had been frozen so long that now he was nothing but solid ice all through, and the fires only made him feel as if he were going to die. but when the fires were out he felt quite well, and very hungry. he looked around for something to eat. but he never noticed george and jane, because they were frozen to his back. he moved slowly off, and the snow-wreaths that bound the children to the pole gave way with a snap, and there was the dragon, crawling south--with jane and george on his great, scaly, icy shining back. of course the dragon had to go south if he went anywhere, because when you get to the north pole there is no other way to go. the dragon rattled and tinkled as he went, exactly like the cut-glass chandelier when you touch it, as you are strictly forbidden to do. of course there are a million ways of going south from the north pole--so you will own that it was lucky for george and jane when the dragon took the right way and suddenly got his heavy feet on the great slide. off he went, full speed, between the starry lamps, toward forest hill and the crystal palace. "he's going to take us home," said jane. "oh, he is a good dragon. i _am_ glad!" george was rather glad too, though neither of the children felt at all sure of their welcome, especially as their feet were wet, and they were bringing a strange dragon home with them. they went very fast, because dragons can go uphill as easily as down. you would not understand why if i told you--because you are only in long division at present; yet if you want me to tell you, so that you can show off to other children, i will. it is because dragons can get their tails into the fourth dimension and hold on there, and when you can do that everything else is easy. the dragon went very fast, only stopping to eat the collector and the sportsman, who were still struggling to go up the slide--vainly, because they had no tails, and had never even heard of the fourth dimension. when the dragon got to the end of the slide he crawled very slowly across the dark field beyond the field where there was a bonfire, next to the next-door garden at forest hill. * * * * * he went slower and slower, and in the bonfire field he stopped altogether, and because the arctic regions had not got down so far as that, and because the bonfire was very hot, the dragon began to melt and melt and melt--and before the children knew what he was doing they found themselves sitting in a large pool of water, and their boots were as wet as wet, and there was not a bit of dragon left! so they went indoors. of course some grown-up or other noticed at once that the boots of george and jane were wet and muddy, and that they had both been sitting down in a very damp place, so they were sent to bed immediately. it was long past their time, anyhow. now, if you are of an inquiring mind--not at all a nice thing in a little child who reads fairy tales--you will want to know how it is that since the sealskin dwarfs have all been killed, and the fires all been let out, the aurora borealis shines, on cold nights, as brightly as ever. my dear, i do not know! i am not too proud to own that there are some things i know nothing about--and this is one of them. but i do know that whoever has lighted those fires again, it is certainly not the sealskin dwarfs. they were all eaten by moths--and motheaten things are of no use, even to light fires! [illustration: the island of the nine whirlpools] v. the island of the nine whirlpools the dark arch that led to the witch's cave was hung with a black-and-yellow fringe of live snakes. as the queen went in, keeping carefully in the middle of the arch, all the snakes lifted their wicked, flat heads and stared at her with their wicked, yellow eyes. you know it is not good manners to stare, even at royalty, except of course for cats. and the snakes had been so badly brought up that they even put their tongues out at the poor lady. nasty, thin, sharp tongues they were too. now, the queen's husband was, of course, the king. and besides being a king he was an enchanter, and considered to be quite at the top of his profession, so he was very wise, and he knew that when kings and queens want children, the queen always goes to see a witch. so he gave the queen the witch's address, and the queen called on her, though she was very frightened and did not like it at all. the witch was sitting by a fire of sticks, stirring something bubbly in a shiny copper cauldron. "what do you want, my dear?" she said to the queen. "oh, if you please," said the queen, "i want a baby--a very nice one. we don't want any expense spared. my husband said--" "oh, yes," said the witch. "i know all about him. and so you want a child? do you know it will bring you sorrow?" "it will bring me joy first," said the queen. "great sorrow," said the witch. "greater joy," said the queen. then the witch said, "well, have your own way. i suppose it's as much as your place is worth to go back without it?" "the king would be very much annoyed," said the poor queen. "well, well," said the witch. "what will you give me for the child?" "anything you ask for, and all i have," said the queen. "then give me your gold crown." the queen took it off quickly. "and your necklace of blue sapphires." the queen unfastened it. "and your pearl bracelets." the queen unclasped them. "and your ruby clasps." and the queen undid the clasps. "now the lilies from your breast." the queen gathered together the lilies. "and the diamonds of your little bright shoe buckles." the queen pulled off her shoes. then the witch stirred the stuff that was in the cauldron, and, one by one, she threw in the gold crown and the sapphire necklace and the pearl bracelets and the ruby clasps and the diamonds of the little bright shoe buckles, and last of all she threw in the lilies. the stuff in the cauldron boiled up in foaming flashes of yellow and blue and red and white and silver, and sent out a sweet scent, and presently the witch poured it out into a pot and set it to cool in the doorway among the snakes. then she said to the queen: "your child will have hair as golden as your crown, eyes as blue as your sapphires. the red of your rubies will lie on its lips, and its skin will be clear and pale as your pearls. its soul will be white and sweet as your lilies, and your diamonds will be no clearer than its wits." "oh, thank you, thank you," said the queen, "and when will it come?" "you will find it when you get home." "and won't you have something for yourself?" asked the queen. "any little thing you fancy--would you like a country, or a sack of jewels?" "nothing, thank you," said the witch. "i could make more diamonds in a day than i should wear in a year." "well, but do let me do some little thing for you," the queen went on. "aren't you tired of being a witch? wouldn't you like to be a duchess or a princess, or something like that?" "there is one thing i should rather like," said the witch, "but it's hard to get in my trade." "oh, tell me what," said the queen. "i should like some one to love me," said the witch. then the queen threw her arms around the witch's neck and kissed her half a hundred times. "why," she said, "i love you better than my life! you've given me the baby--and the baby shall love you too." "perhaps it will," said the witch, "and when the sorrow comes, send for me. each of your fifty kisses will be a spell to bring me to you. now, drink up your medicine, there's a dear, and run along home." so the queen drank the stuff in the pot, which was quite cool by this time, and she went out under the fringe of snakes, and they all behaved like good sunday-school children. some of them even tried to drop a curtsy to her as she went by, though that is not easy when you are hanging wrong way up by your tail. but the snakes knew the queen was friends with their mistress; so, of course, they had to do their best to be civil. when the queen got home, sure enough there was the baby lying in the cradle with the royal arms blazoned on it, crying as naturally as possible. it had pink ribbons to tie up its sleeves, so the queen saw at once it was a girl. when the king knew this he tore his black hair with fury. "oh, you silly, silly queen!" he said. "why didn't i marry a clever lady? did you think i went to all the trouble and expense of sending you to a witch to get a girl? you knew well enough it was a boy i wanted--a boy, an heir, a prince--to learn all my magic and my enchantments, and to rule the kingdom after me. i'll bet a crown--my crown," he said, "you never even thought to tell the witch what kind you wanted! did you now?" and the queen hung her head and had to confess that she had only asked for a child. "very well, madam," said the king, "very well--have your own way. and make the most of your daughter, while she is a child." the queen did. all the years of her life had never held half so much happiness as now lived in each of the moments when she held her little baby in her arms. and the years went on, and the king grew more and more clever at magic, and more and more disagreeable at home, and the princess grew more beautiful and more dear every day she lived. the queen and the princess were feeding the goldfish in the courtyard fountains with crumbs of the princess's eighteenth birthday cake, when the king came into the courtyard, looking as black as thunder, with his black raven hopping after him. he shook his fist at his family, as indeed he generally did whenever he met them, for he was not a king with pretty home manners. the raven sat down on the edge of the marble basin and tried to peck the goldfish. it was all he could do to show that he was in the same temper as his master. "a girl indeed!" said the king angrily. "i wonder you can dare to look me in the face, when you remember how your silliness has spoiled everything." "you oughtn't to speak to my mother like that," said the princess. she was eighteen, and it came to her suddenly and all in a moment that she was a grown-up, so she spoke out. the king could not utter a word for several minutes. he was too angry. but the queen said, "my dear child, don't interfere," quite crossly, for she was frightened. and to her husband she said, "my dear, why do you go on worrying about it? our daughter is not a boy, it is true--but she may marry a clever man who could rule your kingdom after you, and learn as much magic as ever you cared to teach him." then the king found his tongue. "if she does marry," he said, slowly, "her husband will have to be a very clever man--oh, yes, very clever indeed! and he will have to know a very great deal more magic than i shall ever care to teach him." the queen knew at once by the king's tone that he was going to be disagreeable. "ah," she said, "don't punish the child because she loves her mother." "i'm not going to punish her for that," said he. "i'm only going to teach her to respect her father." and without another word he went off to his laboratory and worked all night, boiling different-colored things in crucibles, and copying charms in curious twisted letters from old brown books with mold stains on their yellowy pages. the next day his plan was all arranged. he took the poor princess to the lone tower, which stands on an island in the sea, a thousand miles from everywhere. he gave her a dowry, and settled a handsome income on her. he engaged a competent dragon to look after her, and also a respectable griffin whose birth and upbringing he knew all about. and he said: "here you shall stay, my dear, respectful daughter, till the clever man comes to marry you. he'll have to be clever enough to sail a ship through the nine whirlpools that spin around the island, and to kill the dragon and the griffin. till he comes you'll never get any older or any wiser. no doubt he will soon come. you can employ yourself in embroidering your wedding gown. i wish you joy, my dutiful child." and his carriage, drawn by live thunderbolts (thunder travels very fast), rose in the air and disappeared, and the poor princess was left, with the dragon and the griffin, on the island of the nine whirlpools. the queen, left at home, cried for a day and a night, and then she remembered the witch and called to her. and the witch came, and the queen told her all. "for the sake of the twice twenty-five kisses you gave me," said the witch, "i will help you. but it is the last thing i can do, and it is not much. your daughter is under a spell, and i can take you to her. but, if i do, you will have to be turned to stone, and to stay so till the spell is taken off the child." "i would be a stone for a thousand years," said the poor queen, "if at the end of them i could see my dear again." so the witch took the queen in a carriage drawn by live sunbeams (which travel more quickly than anything else in the world, and much quicker than thunder), and so away and away to the lone tower on the island of the nine whirlpools. and there was the princess sitting on the floor in the best room of the lone tower, crying as if her heart would break, and the dragon and the griffin were sitting primly on each side of her. "oh, mother, mother, mother," she cried, and hung around the queen's neck as if she would never let go. "now," said the witch, when they had all cried as much as was good for them, "i can do one or two other little things for you. time shall not make the princess sad. all days will be like one day till her deliverer comes. and you and i, dear queen, will sit in stone at the gate of the tower. in doing this for you i lose all my witch's powers, and when i say the spell that changes you to stone, i shall change with you, and if ever we come out of the stone, i shall be a witch no more, but only a happy old woman." then the three kissed one another again and again, and the witch said the spell, and on each side of the door there was now a stone lady. one of them had a stone crown on its head and a stone scepter in its hand; but the other held a stone tablet with words on it, which the griffin and the dragon could not read, though they had both had a very good education. and now all days seemed like one day to the princess, and the next day always seemed the day when her mother would come out of the stone and kiss her again. and the years went slowly by. the wicked king died, and some one else took his kingdom, and many things were changed in the world; but the island did not change, nor the nine whirlpools, nor the griffin, nor the dragon, nor the two stone ladies. and all the time, from the very first, the day of the princess's deliverance was coming, creeping nearer, and nearer, and nearer. but no one saw it coming except the princess, and she only in dreams. and the years went by in tens and in hundreds, and still the nine whirlpools spun around, roaring in triumph the story of many a good ship that had gone down in their swirl, bearing with it some prince who had tried to win the princess and her dowry. and the great sea knew all the other stories of the princes who had come from very far, and had seen the whirlpools, and had shaken their wise young heads and said: "'bout ship!" and gone discreetly home to their nice, safe, comfortable kingdoms. but no one told the story of the deliverer who was to come. and the years went by. now, after more scores of years than you would like to add up on your slate, a certain sailor-boy sailed on the high seas with his uncle, who was a skilled skipper. and the boy could reef a sail and coil a rope and keep the ship's nose steady before the wind. and he was as good a boy as you would find in a month of sundays, and worthy to be a prince. now there is something which is wiser than all the world--and it knows when people are worthy to be princes. and this something came from the farther side of the seventh world, and whispered in the boy's ear. and the boy heard, though he did not know he heard, and he looked out over the black sea with the white foam-horses galloping over it, and far away he saw a light. and he said to the skipper, his uncle: "what light is that?" then the skipper said: "all good things defend you, nigel, from sailing near that light. it is not mentioned in all charts; but it is marked in the old chart i steer by, which was my father's father's before me, and his father's father's before him. it is the light that shines from the lone tower that stands above the nine whirlpools. and when my father's father was young he heard from the very old man, his great-great-grandfather, that in that tower an enchanted princess, fairer than the day, waits to be delivered. but there is no deliverance, so never steer that way; and think no more of the princess, for that is only an idle tale. but the whirlpools are quite real." so, of course, from that day nigel thought of nothing else. and as he sailed hither and thither upon the high seas he saw from time to time the light that shone out to sea across the wild swirl of the nine whirlpools. and one night, when the ship was at anchor and the skipper asleep in his bunk, nigel launched the ship's boat and steered alone over the dark sea towards the light. he dared not go very near till daylight should show him what, indeed, were the whirlpools he had to dread. but when the dawn came he saw the lone tower standing dark against the pink and primrose of the east, and about its base the sullen swirl of black water, and he heard the wonderful roar of it. so he hung off and on, all that day and for six days besides. and when he had watched seven days he knew something. for you are certain to know something if you give for seven days your whole thought to it, even though it be only the first declension, or the nine-times table, or the dates of the norman kings. what he knew was this: that for five minutes out of the 1,440 minutes that make up a day the whirlpools slipped into silence, while the tide went down and left the yellow sand bare. and every day this happened, but every day it was five minutes earlier than it had been the day before. he made sure of this by the ship's chronometer, which he had thoughtfully brought with him. [illustration: "the lone tower on the island of the nine whirlpools." _see page 88._] so on the eighth day, at five minutes before noon, nigel got ready. and when the whirlpools suddenly stopped whirling and the tide sank, like water in a basin that has a hole in it, he stuck to his oars and put his back into his stroke, and presently beached the boat on the yellow sand. then he dragged it into a cave, and sat down to wait. by five minutes and one second past noon, the whirlpools were black and busy again, and nigel peeped out of his cave. and on the rocky ledge overhanging the sea he saw a princess as beautiful as the day, with golden hair and a green gown--and he went out to meet her. "i've come to save you," he said. "how darling and beautiful you are!" "you are very good, and very clever, and very dear," said the princess, smiling and giving him both her hands. he shut a little kiss in each hand before he let them go. "so now, when the tide is low again, i will take you away in my boat," he said. "but what about the dragon and the griffin?" asked the princess. "dear me," said nigel. "i didn't know about them. i suppose i can kill them?" "don't be a silly boy," said the princess, pretending to be very grown up, for, though she had been on the island time only knows how many years, she was just eighteen, and she still liked pretending. "you haven't a sword, or a shield, or anything!" "well, don't the beasts ever go to sleep?" "why, yes," said the princess, "but only once in twenty-four hours, and then the dragon is turned to stone. but the griffin has dreams. the griffin sleeps at teatime every day, but the dragon sleeps every day for five minutes, and every day it is three minutes later than it was the day before." "what time does he sleep today?" asked nigel. "at eleven," said the princess. "ah," said nigel, "can you do sums?" "no," said the princess sadly. "i was never good at them." "then i must," said nigel. "i can, but it's slow work, and it makes me very unhappy. it'll take me days and days." "don't begin yet," said the princess. "you'll have plenty of time to be unhappy when i'm not with you. tell me all about yourself." so he did. and then she told him all about herself. "i know i've been here a long time," she said, "but i don't know what time is. and i am very busy sewing silk flowers on a golden gown for my wedding day. and the griffin does the housework--his wings are so convenient and feathery for sweeping and dusting. and the dragon does the cooking--he's hot inside, so, of course, it's no trouble to him; and though i don't know what time is i'm sure it's time for my wedding day, because my golden gown only wants one more white daisy on the sleeve, and a lily on the bosom of it, and then it will be ready." just then they heard a dry, rustling clatter on the rocks above them and a snorting sound. "it's the dragon," said the princess hurriedly. "good-bye. be a good boy, and get your sum done." and she ran away and left him to his arithmetic. now, the sum was this: "if the whirlpools stop and the tide goes down once in every twenty-four hours, and they do it five minutes earlier every twenty-four hours, and if the dragon sleeps every day, and he does it three minutes later every day, in how many days and at what time in the day will the tide go down three minutes before the dragon falls asleep?" it is quite a simple sum, as you see: you could do it in a minute because you have been to a good school and have taken pains with your lessons; but it was quite otherwise with poor nigel. he sat down to work out his sum with a piece of chalk on a smooth stone. he tried it by practice and the unitary method, by multiplication, and by rule-of-three-and-three-quarters. he tried it by decimals and by compound interest. he tried it by square root and by cube root. he tried it by addition, simple and otherwise, and he tried it by mixed examples in vulgar fractions. but it was all of no use. then he tried to do the sum by algebra, by simple and by quadratic equations, by trigonometry, by logarithms, and by conic sections. but it would not do. he got an answer every time, it is true, but it was always a different one, and he could not feel sure which answer was right. and just as he was feeling how much more important than anything else it is to be able to do your sums, the princess came back. and now it was getting dark. "why, you've been seven hours over that sum," she said, "and you haven't done it yet. look here, this is what is written on the tablet of the statue by the lower gate. it has figures in it. perhaps it is the answer to the sum." she held out to him a big white magnolia leaf. and she had scratched on it with the pin of her pearl brooch, and it had turned brown where she had scratched it, as magnolia leaves will do. nigel read: after nine days t ii. 24. d ii. 27 ans. p.s.--and the griffin is artificial. r. he clapped his hands softly. "dear princess," he said, "i know that's the right answer. it says r too, you see. but i'll just prove it." so he hastily worked the sum backward in decimals and equations and conic sections, and all the rules he could think of. and it came right every time. "so now we must wait," said he. and they waited. and every day the princess came to see nigel and brought him food cooked by the dragon, and he lived in his cave, and talked to her when she was there, and thought about her when she was not, and they were both as happy as the longest day in summer. then at last came the day. nigel and the princess laid their plans. "you're sure he won't hurt you, my only treasure?" said nigel. "quite," said the princess. "i only wish i were half as sure that he wouldn't hurt you." "my princess," he said tenderly, "two great powers are on our side: the power of love and the power of arithmetic. those two are stronger than anything else in the world." so when the tide began to go down, nigel and the princess ran out on to the sands, and there, in full sight of the terrace where the dragon kept watch, nigel took his princess in his arms and kissed her. the griffin was busy sweeping the stairs of the lone tower, but the dragon saw, and he gave a cry of rage--and it was like twenty engines all letting off steam at the top of their voices inside cannon street station. and the two lovers stood looking up at the dragon. he was dreadful to look at. his head was white with age--and his beard had grown so long that he caught his claws in it as he walked. his wings were white with the salt that had settled on them from the spray of the sea. his tail was long and thick and jointed and white, and had little legs to it, any number of them--far too many--so that it looked like a very large fat silkworm; and his claws were as long as lessons and as sharp as bayonets. "good-bye, love!" cried nigel, and ran out across the yellow sand toward the sea. he had one end of a cord tied to his arm. the dragon was clambering down the face of the cliff, and next moment he was crawling and writhing and sprawling and wriggling across the beach after nigel, making great holes in the sand with his heavy feet--and the very end of his tail, where there were no legs, made, as it dragged, a mark in the sand such as you make when you launch a boat; and he breathed fire till the wet sand hissed again, and the water of the little rock pools got quite frightened, and all went off in steam. still nigel held on and the dragon after him. the princess could see nothing for the steam, and she stood crying bitterly, but still holding on tight with her right hand to the other end of the cord that nigel had told her to hold; while with her left she held the ship's chronometer, and looked at it through her tears as he had bidden her look, so as to know when to pull the rope. on went nigel over the sand, and on went the dragon after him. and the tide was low, and sleepy little waves lapped the sand's edge. now at the lip of the water, nigel paused and looked back, and the dragon made a bound, beginning a scream of rage that was like all the engines of all the railways in england. but it never uttered the second half of that scream, for now it knew suddenly that it was sleepy--it turned to hurry back to dry land, because sleeping near whirlpools is so unsafe. but before it reached the shore sleep caught it and turned it to stone. nigel, seeing this, ran shoreward for his life--and the tide began to flow in, and the time of the whirlpools' sleep was nearly over, and he stumbled and he waded and he swam, and the princess pulled for dear life at the cord in her hand, and pulled him up on to the dry shelf of rock just as the great sea dashed in and made itself once more into the girdle of nine whirlpools all around the island. but the dragon was asleep under the whirlpools, and when he woke up from being asleep he found he was drowned, so there was an end of him. "now, there's only the griffin," said nigel. and the princess said: "yes--only--" and she kissed nigel and went back to sew the last leaf of the last lily on the bosom of her wedding gown. she thought and thought of what was written on the stone about the griffin being artificial--and next day she said to nigel: "you know a griffin is half a lion and half an eagle, and the other two halves when they've joined make the leo-griff. but i've never seen him. yet i have an idea." so they talked it over and arranged everything. when the griffin fell asleep that afternoon at teatime, nigel went softly behind him and trod on his tail, and at the same time the princess cried: "look out! there's a lion behind you." and the griffin, waking suddenly from his dreams, twisted his large neck around to look for the lion, saw a lion's flank, and fastened its eagle beak in it. for the griffin had been artificially made by the king-enchanter, and the two halves had never really got used to each other. so now the eagle half of the griffin, who was still rather sleepy, believed that it was fighting a lion, and the lion part, being half asleep, thought it was fighting an eagle, and the whole griffin in its deep drowsiness hadn't the sense to pull itself together and remember what it was made of. so the griffin rolled over and over, one end of it fighting with the other, till the eagle end pecked the lion end to death, and the lion end tore the eagle end with its claws till it died. and so the griffin that was made of a lion and an eagle perished, exactly as if it had been made of kilkenny cats. "poor griffin," said the princess, "it was very good at the housework. i always liked it better than the dragon: it wasn't so hot-tempered." at that moment there was a soft, silky rush behind the princess, and there was her mother, the queen, who had slipped out of the stone statue at the moment the griffin was dead, and now came hurrying to take her dear daughter in her arms. the witch was clambering slowly off her pedestal. she was a little stiff from standing still so long. when they had all explained everything over and over to each other as many times as was good for them, the witch said: "well, but what about the whirlpools?" and nigel said he didn't know. then the witch said: "i'm not a witch anymore. i'm only a happy old woman, but i know some things still. those whirlpools were made by the enchanter-king's dropping nine drops of his blood into the sea. and his blood was so wicked that the sea has been trying ever since to get rid of it, and that made the whirlpools. now you've only got to go out at low tide." so nigel understood and went out at low tide, and found in the sandy hollow left by the first whirlpool a great red ruby. that was the first drop of the wicked king's blood. the next day nigel found another, and next day another, and so on till the ninth day, and then the sea was as smooth as glass. the nine rubies were used afterwards in agriculture. you had only to throw them out into a field if you wanted it plowed. then the whole surface of the land turned itself over in its anxiety to get rid of something so wicked, and in the morning the field was found to be plowed as thoroughly as any young man at oxford. so the wicked king did some good after all. when the sea was smooth, ships came from far and wide, bringing people to hear the wonderful story. and a beautiful palace was built, and the princess was married to nigel in her gold dress, and they all lived happily as long as was good for them. the dragon still lies, a stone dragon on the sand, and at low tide the little children play around him and over him. but the pieces that were left of the griffin were buried under the herb-bed in the palace garden, because it had been so good at housework, and it wasn't its fault that it had been made so badly and put to such poor work as guarding a lady from her lover. i have no doubt that you will wish to know what the princess lived on during the long years when the dragon did the cooking. my dear, she lived on her income--and that is a thing that a great many people would like to be able to do. [illustration: "little children play around him and over him." _see page 96._] [illustration: vi the dragon tamers] vi. the dragon tamers there was once an old, old castle--it was so old that its walls and towers and turrets and gateways and arches had crumbled to ruins, and of all its old splendor there were only two little rooms left; and it was here that john the blacksmith had set up his forge. he was too poor to live in a proper house, and no one asked any rent for the rooms in the ruin, because all the lords of the castle were dead and gone this many a year. so there john blew his bellows and hammered his iron and did all the work which came his way. this was not much, because most of the trade went to the mayor of the town, who was also a blacksmith in quite a large way of business, and had his huge forge facing the square of the town, and had twelve apprentices, all hammering like a nest of woodpeckers, and twelve journeymen to order the apprentices about, and a patent forge and a self-acting hammer and electric bellows, and all things handsome about him. so of course the townspeople, whenever they wanted a horse shod or a shaft mended, went to the mayor. john the blacksmith struggled on as best he could, with a few odd jobs from travelers and strangers who did not know what a superior forge the mayor's was. the two rooms were warm and weather-tight, but not very large; so the blacksmith got into the way of keeping his old iron, his odds and ends, his fagots, and his twopence worth of coal in the great dungeon down under the castle. it was a very fine dungeon indeed, with a handsome vaulted roof and big iron rings whose staples were built into the wall, very strong and convenient for tying captives to, and at one end was a broken flight of wide steps leading down no one knew where. even the lords of the castle in the good old times had never known where those steps led to, but every now and then they would kick a prisoner down the steps in their lighthearted, hopeful way, and sure enough, the prisoners never came back. the blacksmith had never dared to go beyond the seventh step, and no more have i--so i know no more than he did what was at the bottom of those stairs. john the blacksmith had a wife and a little baby. when his wife was not doing the housework she used to nurse the baby and cry, remembering the happy days when she lived with her father, who kept seventeen cows and lived quite in the country, and when john used to come courting her in the summer evenings, as smart as smart, with a posy in his buttonhole. and now john's hair was getting gray, and there was hardly ever enough to eat. as for the baby, it cried a good deal at odd times; but at night, when its mother had settled down to sleep, it would always begin to cry, quite as a matter of course, so that she hardly got any rest at all. this made her very tired. the baby could make up for its bad nights during the day if it liked, but the poor mother couldn't. so whenever she had nothing to do she used to sit and cry, because she was tired out with work and worry. one evening the blacksmith was busy with his forge. he was making a goat-shoe for the goat of a very rich lady, who wished to see how the goat liked being shod, and also whether the shoe would come to fivepence or sevenpence before she ordered the whole set. this was the only order john had had that week. and as he worked his wife sat and nursed the baby, who, for a wonder, was not crying. presently, over the noise of the bellows and over the clank of the iron, there came another sound. the blacksmith and his wife looked at each other. "i heard nothing," said he. "neither did i," said she. but the noise grew louder--and the two were so anxious not to hear it that he hammered away at the goat-shoe harder than he had ever hammered in his life, and she began to sing to the baby--a thing she had not had the heart to do for weeks. but through the blowing and hammering and singing the noise came louder and louder, and the more they tried not to hear it, the more they had to. it was like the noise of some great creature purring, purring, purring--and the reason they did not want to believe they really heard it was that it came from the great dungeon down below, where the old iron was, and the firewood and the twopence worth of coal, and the broken steps that went down into the dark and ended no one knew where. "it can't be anything in the dungeon," said the blacksmith, wiping his face. "why, i shall have to go down there after more coals in a minute." "there isn't anything there, of course. how could there be?" said his wife. and they tried so hard to believe that there could be nothing there that presently they very nearly did believe it. then the blacksmith took his shovel in one hand and his riveting hammer in the other, and hung the old stable lantern on his little finger, and went down to get the coals. "i am not taking the hammer because i think there is something there," said he, "but it is handy for breaking the large lumps of coal." "i quite understand," said his wife, who had brought the coal home in her apron that very afternoon, and knew that it was all coal dust. so he went down the winding stairs to the dungeon and stood at the bottom of the steps, holding the lantern above his head just to see that the dungeon really was empty, as usual. half of it was empty as usual, except for the old iron and odds and ends, and the firewood and the coals. but the other side was not empty. it was quite full, and what it was full of was dragon. "it must have come up those nasty broken steps from goodness knows where," said the blacksmith to himself, trembling all over, as he tried to creep back up the winding stairs. but the dragon was too quick for him--it put out a great claw and caught him by the leg, and as it moved it rattled like a great bunch of keys, or like the sheet iron they make thunder out of in pantomimes. "no you don't," said the dragon in a spluttering voice, like a damp squib. "deary, deary me," said poor john, trembling more than ever in the claw of the dragon. "here's a nice end for a respectable blacksmith!" the dragon seemed very much struck by this remark. "do you mind saying that again?" said he, quite politely. so john said again, very distinctly: "_here_--_is_--_a_--_nice_--_end_--_for_--_a_--_respectable_--_blacksmith._" "i didn't know," said the dragon. "fancy now! you're the very man i wanted." "so i understood you to say before," said john, his teeth chattering. "oh, i don't mean what you mean," said the dragon, "but i should like you to do a job for me. one of my wings has got some of the rivets out of it just above the joint. could you put that to rights?" "i might, sir," said john, politely, for you must always be polite to a possible customer, even if he be a dragon. "a master craftsman--you are a master, of course?--can see in a minute what's wrong," the dragon went on. "just come around here and feel my plates, will you?" john timidly went around when the dragon took his claw away; and sure enough, the dragon's wing was hanging loose, and several of the plates near the joint certainly wanted riveting. the dragon seemed to be made almost entirely of iron armor--a sort of tawny, red-rust color it was; from damp, no doubt--and under it he seemed to be covered with something furry. all the blacksmith welled up in john's heart, and he felt more at ease. "you could certainly do with a rivet or two, sir," said he. "in fact, you want a good many." "well, get to work, then," said the dragon. "you mend my wing, and then i'll go out and eat up all the town, and if you make a really smart job of it i'll eat you last. there!" "i don't want to be eaten last, sir," said john. "well then, i'll eat you first," said the dragon. "i don't want that, sir, either," said john. "go on with you, you silly man," said the dragon, "you don't know your own silly mind. come, set to work." "i don't like the job, sir," said john, "and that's the truth. i know how easily accidents happen. it's all fair and smooth, and 'please rivet me, and i'll eat you last'--and then you get to work and you give a gentleman a bit of a nip or a dig under his rivets--and then it's fire and smoke, and no apologies will meet the case." "upon my word of honor as a dragon," said the other. "i know you wouldn't do it on purpose, sir," said john, "but any gentleman will give a jump and a sniff if he's nipped, and one of your sniffs would be enough for me. now, if you'd just let me fasten you up?" "it would be so undignified," objected the dragon. "we always fasten a horse up," said john, "and he's the 'noble animal.'" "it's all very well," said the dragon, "but how do i know you'd untie me again when you'd riveted me? give me something in pledge. what do you value most?" "my hammer," said john. "a blacksmith is nothing without a hammer." "but you'd want that for riveting me. you must think of something else, and at once, or i'll eat you first." at this moment the baby in the room above began to scream. its mother had been so quiet that it thought she had settled down for the night, and that it was time to begin. "whatever's that?" said the dragon, starting so that every plate on his body rattled. "it's only the baby," said john. "what's that?" asked the dragon. "something you value?" "well, yes, sir, rather," said the blacksmith. "then bring it here," said the dragon, "and i'll take care of it till you've done riveting me, and you shall tie me up." "all right, sir," said john, "but i ought to warn you. babies are poison to dragons, so i don't deceive you. it's all right to touch--but don't you go putting it into your mouth. i shouldn't like to see any harm come to a nice-looking gentleman like you." the dragon purred at this compliment and said: "all right, i'll be careful. now go and fetch the thing, whatever it is." so john ran up the steps as quickly as he could, for he knew that if the dragon got impatient before it was fastened, it could heave up the roof of the dungeon with one heave of its back, and kill them all in the ruins. his wife was asleep, in spite of the baby's cries; and john picked up the baby and took it down and put it between the dragon's front paws. "you just purr to it, sir," he said, "and it'll be as good as gold." so the dragon purred, and his purring pleased the baby so much that it stopped crying. then john rummaged among the heap of old iron and found there some heavy chains and a great collar that had been made in the days when men sang over their work and put their hearts into it, so that the things they made were strong enough to bear the weight of a thousand years, let alone a dragon. john fastened the dragon up with the collar and the chains, and when he had padlocked them all on safely he set to work to find out how many rivets would be needed. "six, eight, ten--twenty, forty," said he. "i haven't half enough rivets in the shop. if you'll excuse me, sir, i'll step around to another forge and get a few dozen. i won't be a minute." [illustration: "the dragon's purring pleased the baby." _see page 106._] and off he went, leaving the baby between the dragon's fore-paws, laughing and crowing with pleasure at the very large purr of it. john ran as hard as he could into the town, and found the mayor and corporation. "there's a dragon in my dungeon," he said; "i've chained him up. now come and help to get my baby away." and he told them all about it. but they all happened to have engagements for that evening; so they praised john's cleverness, and said they were quite content to leave the matter in his hands. "but what about my baby?" said john. "oh, well," said the mayor, "if anything should happen, you will always be able to remember that your baby perished in a good cause." so john went home again, and told his wife some of the tale. "you've given the baby to the dragon!" she cried. "oh, you unnatural parent!" "hush," said john, and he told her some more. "now," he said, "i'm going down. after i've been down you can go, and if you keep your head the boy will be all right." so down went the blacksmith, and there was the dragon purring away with all his might to keep the baby quiet. "hurry up, can't you?" he said. "i can't keep up this noise all night." "i'm very sorry, sir," said the blacksmith, "but all the shops are shut. the job must wait till the morning. and don't forget you've promised to take care of that baby. you'll find it a little wearing, i'm afraid. good night, sir." the dragon had purred till he was quite out of breath--so now he stopped, and as soon as everything was quiet the baby thought everyone must have settled for the night, and that it was time to begin to scream. so it began. "oh, dear," said the dragon, "this is awful." he patted the baby with his claw, but it screamed more than ever. "and i am so tired too," said the dragon. "i did so hope i should have a good night." the baby went on screaming. "there'll be no peace for me after this," said the dragon. "it's enough to ruin one's nerves. hush, then--did 'ums, then." and he tried to quiet the baby as if it had been a young dragon. but when he began to sing "hush-a-by, dragon," the baby screamed more and more and more. "i can't keep it quiet," said the dragon; and then suddenly he saw a woman sitting on the steps. "here, i say," said he, "do you know anything about babies?" "i do, a little," said the mother. "then i wish you'd take this one, and let me get some sleep," said the dragon, yawning. "you can bring it back in the morning before the blacksmith comes." so the mother picked up the baby and took it upstairs and told her husband, and they went to bed happy, for they had caught the dragon and saved the baby. and next day john went down and explained carefully to the dragon exactly how matters stood, and he got an iron gate with a grating to it and set it up at the foot of the steps, and the dragon mewed furiously for days and days, but when he found it was no good he was quiet. so now john went to the mayor, and said: "i've got the dragon and i've saved the town." "noble preserver," cried the mayor, "we will get up a subscription for you, and crown you in public with a laurel wreath." so the mayor put his name down for five pounds, and the corporation each gave three, and other people gave their guineas and half guineas and half crowns and crowns, and while the subscription was being made the mayor ordered three poems at his own expense from the town poet to celebrate the occasion. the poems were very much more admired, especially by the mayor and corporation. the first poem dealt with the noble conduct of the mayor in arranging to have the dragon tied up. the second described the splendid assistance rendered by the corporation. and the third expressed the pride and joy of the poet in being permitted to sing such deeds, beside which the actions of st. george must appear quite commonplace to all with a feeling heart or a well-balanced brain. when the subscription was finished there was a thousand pounds, and a committee was formed to settle what should be done with it. a third of it went to pay for a banquet to the mayor and corporation; another third was spent in buying a gold collar with a dragon on it for the mayor and gold medals with dragons on them for the corporation; and what was left went in committee expenses. so there was nothing for the blacksmith except the laurel wreath and the knowledge that it really was he who had saved the town. but after this things went a little better with the blacksmith. to begin with, the baby did not cry so much as it had before. then the rich lady who owned the goat was so touched by john's noble action that she ordered a complete set of shoes at 2 shillings, 4 pence, and even made it up to 2 shillings, 6 pence, in grateful recognition of his public-spirited conduct. then tourists used to come in breaks from quite a long way off, and pay twopence each to go down the steps and peep through the iron grating at the rusty dragon in the dungeon--and it was threepence extra for each party if the blacksmith let off colored fire to see it by, which, as the fire was extremely short, was twopence-halfpenny clear profit every time. and the blacksmith's wife used to provide teas at ninepence a head, and altogether things grew brighter week by week. the baby--named john, after his father, and called johnnie for short--began presently to grow up. he was great friends with tina, the daughter of the whitesmith, who lived nearly opposite. she was a dear little girl with yellow pigtails and blue eyes, and she was tired of hearing the story of how johnnie, when he was a baby, had been minded by a real dragon. the two children used to go together to peep through the iron grating at the dragon, and sometimes they would hear him mew piteously. and they would light a halfpenny's worth of colored fire to look at him by. and they grew older and wiser. at last one day the mayor and corporation, hunting the hare in their gold gowns, came screaming back to the town gates with the news that a lame, humpy giant, as big as a tin church, was coming over the marshes toward the town. "we're lost," said the mayor. "i'd give a thousand pounds to anyone who could keep that giant out of the town. i know what he eats--by his teeth." no one seemed to know what to do. but johnnie and tina were listening, and they looked at each other, and ran off as fast as their boots would carry them. they ran through the forge, and down the dungeon steps, and knocked at the iron door. "who's there?" said the dragon. "it's only us," said the children. and the dragon was so dull from having been alone for ten years that he said: "come in, dears." "you won't hurt us, or breathe fire at us or anything?" asked tina. and the dragon said, "not for worlds." so they went in and talked to him, and told him what the weather was like outside, and what there was in the papers, and at last johnnie said: "there's a lame giant in the town. he wants you." "does he?" said the dragon, showing his teeth. "if only i were out of this!" "if we let you loose you might manage to run away before he could catch you." "yes, i might," answered the dragon, "but then again i mightn't." "why--you'd never fight him?" said tina. "no," said the dragon; "i'm all for peace, i am. you let me out, and you'll see." so the children loosed the dragon from the chains and the collar, and he broke down one end of the dungeon and went out--only pausing at the forge door to get the blacksmith to rivet his wing. he met the lame giant at the gate of the town, and the giant banged on the dragon with his club as if he were banging an iron foundry, and the dragon behaved like a smelting works--all fire and smoke. it was a fearful sight, and people watched it from a distance, falling off their legs with the shock of every bang, but always getting up to look again. at last the dragon won, and the giant sneaked away across the marshes, and the dragon, who was very tired, went home to sleep, announcing his intention of eating the town in the morning. he went back into his old dungeon because he was a stranger in the town, and he did not know of any other respectable lodging. then tina and johnnie went to the mayor and corporation and said, "the giant is settled. please give us the thousand pounds reward." but the mayor said: "no, no, my boy. it is not you who have settled the giant, it is the dragon. i suppose you have chained him up again? when he comes to claim the reward he shall have it." "he isn't chained up yet," said johnnie. "shall i send him to claim the reward?" but the mayor said he need not trouble; and now he offered a thousand pounds to anyone who would get the dragon chained up again. "i don't trust you," said johnnie. "look how you treated my father when he chained up the dragon." but the people who were listening at the door interrupted, and said that if johnnie could fasten up the dragon again they would turn out the mayor and let johnnie be mayor in his place. for they had been dissatisfied with the mayor for some time, and thought they would like a change. so johnnie said, "done," and off he went, hand in hand with tina, and they called on all their little friends and said: "will you help us to save the town?" and all the children said: "yes, of course we will. what fun!" "well, then," said tina, "you must all bring your basins of bread and milk to the forge tomorrow at breakfast time." "and if ever i am mayor," said johnnie, "i will give a banquet, and you shall be invited. and we'll have nothing but sweet things from beginning to end." all the children promised, and next morning tina and johnnie rolled their big washing tub down the winding stair. "what's that noise?" asked the dragon. "it's only a big giant breathing," said tina, "he's gone by now." then, when all the town children brought their bread and milk, tina emptied it into the wash tub, and when the tub was full tina knocked at the iron door with the grating in it and said: "may we come in?" "oh, yes," said the dragon, "it's very dull here." so they went in, and with the help of nine other children they lifted the washing tub in and set it down by the dragon. then all the other children went away, and tina and johnnie sat down and cried. "what's this?" asked the dragon. "and what's the matter?" "this is bread and milk," said johnnie; "it's our breakfast--all of it." "well," said the dragon, "i don't see what you want with breakfast. i'm going to eat everyone in the town as soon as i've rested a little." "dear mr. dragon," said tina, "i wish you wouldn't eat us. how would you like to be eaten yourself?" "not at all," the dragon confessed, "but nobody will eat me." "i don't know," said johnnie, "there's a giant--" "i know. i fought with him, and licked him." "yes, but there's another come now--the one you fought was only this one's little boy. this one is half as big again." "he's seven times as big," said tina. "no, nine times," said johnnie. "he's bigger than the steeple." "oh, dear," said the dragon. "i never expected this." "and the mayor has told him where you are," tina went on, "and he is coming to eat you as soon as he has sharpened his big knife. the mayor told him you were a wild dragon--but he didn't mind. he said he only ate wild dragons--with bread sauce." "that's tiresome," said the dragon. "and i suppose this sloppy stuff in the tub is the bread sauce?" the children said it was. "of course," they added, "bread sauce is only served with wild dragons. tame ones are served with apple sauce and onion stuffing. what a pity you're not a tame one: he'd never look at you then," they said. "good-bye, poor dragon, we shall never see you again, and now you'll know what it's like to be eaten." and they began to cry again. "well, but look here," said the dragon, "couldn't you pretend i was a tame dragon? tell the giant that i'm just a poor little timid tame dragon that you kept for a pet." "he'd never believe it," said johnnie. "if you were our tame dragon we should keep you tied up, you know. we shouldn't like to risk losing such a dear, pretty pet." then the dragon begged them to fasten him up at once, and they did so: with the collar and chains that were made years ago--in the days when men sang over their work and made it strong enough to bear any strain. and then they went away and told the people what they had done, and johnnie was made mayor, and had a glorious feast exactly as he had said he would--with nothing in it but sweet things. it began with turkish delight and halfpenny buns, and went on with oranges, toffee, coconut ice, peppermints, jam puffs, raspberry-noyeau, ice creams, and meringues, and ended with bull's-eyes and gingerbread and acid drops. this was all very well for johnnie and tina; but if you are kind children with feeling hearts you will perhaps feel sorry for the poor deceived, deluded dragon--chained up in the dull dungeon, with nothing to do but to think over the shocking untruths that johnnie had told him. when he thought how he had been tricked, the poor captive dragon began to weep--and the large tears fell down over his rusty plates. and presently he began to feel faint, as people sometimes do when they have been crying, especially if they have not had anything to eat for ten years or so. and then the poor creature dried his eyes and looked about him, and there he saw the tub of bread and milk. so he thought, "if giants like this damp, white stuff, perhaps i should like it too," and he tasted a little, and liked it so much that he ate it all up. and the next time the tourists came, and johnnie let off the colored fire, the dragon said shyly: "excuse my troubling you, but could you bring me a little more bread and milk?" so johnnie arranged that people should go around with carts every day to collect the children's bread and milk for the dragon. the children were fed at the town's expense--on whatever they liked; and they ate nothing but cake and buns and sweet things, and they said the poor dragon was very welcome to their bread and milk. now, when johnnie had been mayor ten years or so he married tina, and on their wedding morning they went to see the dragon. he had grown quite tame, and his rusty plates had fallen off in places, and underneath he was soft and furry to stroke. so now they stroked him. and he said, "i don't know how i could ever have liked eating anything but bread and milk. i _am_ a tame dragon now, aren't i?" and when they said that yes, he was, the dragon said: "i am so tame, won't you undo me?" and some people would have been afraid to trust him, but johnnie and tina were so happy on their wedding day that they could not believe any harm of anyone in the world. so they loosened the chains, and the dragon said: "excuse me a moment, there are one or two little things i should like to fetch," and he moved off to those mysterious steps and went down them, out of sight into the darkness. and as he moved, more and more of his rusty plates fell off. in a few minutes they heard him clanking up the steps. he brought something in his mouth--it was a bag of gold. "it's no good to me," he said. "perhaps you might find it useful." so they thanked him very kindly. "more where that came from," said he, and fetched more and more and more, till they told him to stop. so now they were rich, and so were their fathers and mothers. indeed, everyone was rich, and there were no more poor people in the town. and they all got rich without working, which is very wrong; but the dragon had never been to school, as you have, so he knew no better. and as the dragon came out of the dungeon, following johnnie and tina into the bright gold and blue of their wedding day, he blinked his eyes as a cat does in the sunshine, and he shook himself, and the last of his plates dropped off, and his wings with them, and he was just like a very, very extra-sized cat. and from that day he grew furrier and furrier, and he was the beginning of all cats. nothing of the dragon remained except the claws, which all cats have still, as you can easily ascertain. and i hope you see now how important it is to feed your cat with bread and milk. if you were to let it have nothing to eat but mice and birds it might grow larger and fiercer, and scalier and tailier, and get wings and turn into the beginning of dragons. and then there would be all the bother over again. [illustration: "he brought something in his mouth--it was a bag of gold." _see page 116._] [illustration: vii the fiery dragon] vii. the fiery dragon, or the heart of stone and the heart of gold the little white princess always woke in her little white bed when the starlings began to chatter in the pearl gray morning. as soon as the woods were awake, she used to run up the twisting turret-stairs with her little bare feet, and stand on the top of the tower in her white bed-gown, and kiss her hands to the sun and to the woods and to the sleeping town, and say: "good morning, pretty world!" then she would run down the cold stone steps and dress herself in her short skirt and her cap and apron, and begin the day's work. she swept the rooms and made the breakfast, she washed the dishes and she scoured the pans, and all this she did because she was a real princess. for of all who should have served her, only one remained faithful--her old nurse, who had lived with her in the tower all the princess's life. and, now the nurse was old and feeble, the princess would not let her work any more, but did all the housework herself, while nurse sat still and did the sewing, because this was a real princess with skin like milk and hair like flax and a heart like gold. her name was sabrinetta, and her grandmother was sabra, who married st. george after he had killed the dragon, and by real rights all the country belonged to her: the woods that stretched away to the mountains, the downs that sloped down to the sea, the pretty fields of corn and maize and rye, the olive orchards and the vineyards, and the little town itself--with its towers and its turrets, its steep roofs and strange windows--that nestled in the hollow between the sea, where the whirlpool was, and the mountains, white with snow and rosy with sunrise. but when her father and mother had died, leaving her cousin to take care of the kingdom till she grew up, he, being a very evil prince, took everything away from her, and all the people followed him, and now nothing was left her of all her possessions except the great dragon proof tower that her grandfather, st. george, had built, and of all who should have been her servants only the good nurse. this was why sabrinetta was the first person in all the land to get a glimpse of the wonder. early, early, early, while all the townspeople were fast asleep, she ran up the turret-steps and looked out over the field, and at the other side of the field there was a green, ferny ditch and a rose-thorny hedge, and then came the wood. and as sabrinetta stood on her tower she saw a shaking and a twisting of the rose-thorny hedge, and then something very bright and shining wriggled out through it into the ferny ditch and back again. it only came out for a minute, but she saw it quite plainly, and she said to herself: "dear me, what a curious, shiny, bright-looking creature! if it were bigger, and if i didn't know that there have been no fabulous monsters for quite a long time now, i should almost think it was a dragon." the thing, whatever it was, did look rather like a dragon--but then it was too small; and it looked rather like a lizard--only then it was too big. it was about as long as a hearthrug. "i wish it had not been in such a hurry to get back into the wood," said sabrinetta. "of course, it's quite safe for me, in my dragonproof tower; but if it is a dragon, it's quite big enough to eat people, and today's the first of may, and the children go out to get flowers in the wood." when sabrinetta had done the housework (she did not leave so much as a speck of dust anywhere, even in the corneriest corner of the winding stair) she put on her milk white, silky gown with the moon-daisies worked on it, and went up to the top of her tower again. across the fields troops of children were going out to gather the may, and the sound of their laughter and singing came up to the top of the tower. "i do hope it wasn't a dragon," said sabrinetta. the children went by twos and by threes and by tens and by twenties, and the red and blue and yellow and white of their frocks were scattered on the green of the field. "it's like a green silk mantle worked with flowers," said the princess, smiling. then by twos and by threes, by tens and by twenties, the children vanished into the wood, till the mantle of the field was left plain green once more. "all the embroidery is unpicked," said the princess, sighing. the sun shone, and the sky was blue, and the fields were quite green, and all the flowers were very bright indeed, because it was may day. then quite suddenly a cloud passed over the sun, and the silence was broken by shrieks from far off; and, like a many-colored torrent, all the children burst from the wood and rushed, a red and blue and yellow and white wave, across the field, screaming as they ran. their voices came up to the princess on her tower, and she heard the words threaded on their screams like beads on sharp needles: "the dragon, the dragon, the dragon! open the gates! the dragon is coming! the fiery dragon!" and they swept across the field and into the gate of the town, and the princess heard the gate bang, and the children were out of sight--but on the other side of the field the rose-thorns crackled and smashed in the hedge, and something very large and glaring and horrible trampled the ferns in the ditch for one moment before it hid itself again in the covert of the wood. the princess went down and told her nurse, and the nurse at once locked the great door of the tower and put the key in her pocket. "let them take care of themselves," she said, when the princess begged to be allowed to go out and help to take care of the children. "my business is to take care of you, my precious, and i'm going to do it. old as i am, i can turn a key still." so sabrinetta went up again to the top of her tower, and cried whenever she thought of the children and the fiery dragon. for she knew, of course, that the gates of the town were not dragonproof, and that the dragon could just walk in whenever he liked. the children ran straight to the palace, where the prince was cracking his hunting whip down at the kennels, and told him what had happened. "good sport," said the prince, and he ordered out his pack of hippopotamuses at once. it was his custom to hunt big game with hippopotamuses, and people would not have minded that so much--but he would swagger about in the streets of the town with his pack yelping and gamboling at his heels, and when he did that, the green-grocer, who had his stall in the marketplace, always regretted it; and the crockery merchant, who spread his wares on the pavement, was ruined for life every time the prince chose to show off his pack. the prince rode out of the town with his hippopotamuses trotting and frisking behind him, and people got inside their houses as quickly as they could when they heard the voices of his pack and the blowing of his horn. the pack squeezed through the town gates and off across country to hunt the dragon. few of you who had not seen a pack of hippopotamuses in full cry will be able to imagine at all what the hunt was like. to begin with, hippopotamuses do not bay like hounds: they grunt like pigs, and their grunt is very big and fierce. then, of course, no one expects hippopotamuses to jump. they just crash through the hedges and lumber through the standing corn, doing serious injury to the crops, and annoying the farmers very much. all the hippopotamuses had collars with their name and address on, but when the farmers called at the palace to complain of the injury to their standing crops, the prince always said it served them right for leaving their crops standing about in people's way, and he never paid anything at all. so now, when he and his pack went out, several people in the town whispered, "i wish the dragon would eat him"--which was very wrong of them, no doubt, but then he was such a very nasty prince. they hunted by field, and they hunted by wold; they drew the woods blank, and the scent didn't lie on the downs at all. the dragon was shy, and would not show himself. but just as the prince was beginning to think there was no dragon at all, but only a cock and bull, his favourite old hippopotamus gave tongue. the prince blew his horn and shouted: "tally ho! hark forward! tantivy!" and the whole pack charged downhill toward the hollow by the wood. for there, plain to be seen, was the dragon, as big as a barge, glowing like a furnace, and spitting fire and showing his shining teeth. "the hunt is up!" cried the prince. and indeed it was. for the dragon--instead of behaving as a quarry should, and running away--ran straight at the pack, and the prince, on his elephant, had the mortification of seeing his prize pack swallowed up one by one in the twinkling of an eye, by the dragon they had come out to hunt. the dragon swallowed all the hippopotamuses just as a dog swallows bits of meat. it was a shocking sight. of the whole of the pack that had come out sporting so merrily to the music of the horn, now not even a puppy-hippopotamus was left, and the dragon was looking anxiously around to see if he had forgotten anything. the prince slipped off his elephant on the other side and ran into the thickest part of the wood. he hoped the dragon could not break through the bushes there, since they were very strong and close. he went crawling on hands and knees in a most un-prince-like way, and at last, finding a hollow tree, he crept into it. the wood was very still--no crashing of branches and no smell of burning came to alarm the prince. he drained the silver hunting bottle slung from his shoulder, and stretched his legs in the hollow tree. he never shed a single tear for his poor tame hippopotamuses who had eaten from his hand and followed him faithfully in all the pleasures of the chase for so many years. for he was a false prince, with a skin like leather and hair like hearth brushes and a heart like a stone. he never shed a tear, but he just went to sleep. when he awoke it was dark. he crept out of the tree and rubbed his eyes. the wood was black about him, but there was a red glow in a dell close by. it was a fire of sticks, and beside it sat a ragged youth with long, yellow hair; all around lay sleeping forms which breathed heavily. "who are you?" said the prince. "i'm elfin, the pig keeper," said the ragged youth. "and who are you?" "i'm tiresome, the prince," said the other. "and what are you doing out of your palace at this time of night?" asked the pig keeper, severely. "i've been hunting," said the prince. the pig keeper laughed. "oh, it was you i saw, then? a good hunt, wasn't it? my pigs and i were looking on." all the sleeping forms grunted and snored, and the prince saw that they were pigs: he knew it by their manners. "if you had known as much as i do," elfin went on, "you might have saved your pack." "what do you mean?" said tiresome. "why, the dragon," said elfin. "you went out at the wrong time of day. the dragon should be hunted at night." "no, thank you," said the prince, with a shudder. "a daylight hunt is quite good enough for me, you silly pig keeper." "oh, well," said elfin, "do as you like about it--the dragon will come and hunt you tomorrow, as likely as not. i don't care if he does, you silly prince." "you're very rude," said tiresome. "oh, no, only truthful," said elfin. "well, tell me the truth, then. what is it that, if i had known as much as you do about, i shouldn't have lost my hippopotamuses?" "you don't speak very good english," said elfin. "but come, what will you give me if i tell you?" "if you tell me what?" said the tiresome prince. "what you want to know." "i don't want to know anything," said prince tiresome. "then you're more of a silly even than i thought," said elfin. "don't you want to know how to settle the dragon before he settles you?" "it might be as well," the prince admitted. "well, i haven't much patience at any time," said elfin, "and now i can assure you that there's very little left. what will you give me if i tell you?" "half my kingdom," said the prince, "and my cousin's hand in marriage." "done," said the pig keeper. "here goes! the dragon grows small at night! he sleeps under the root of this tree. i use him to light my fire with." and, sure enough, there under the tree was the dragon on a nest of scorched moss, and he was about as long as your finger. "how can i kill him?" asked the prince. "i don't know that you can kill him," said elfin, "but you can take him away if you've brought anything to put him in. that bottle of yours would do." so between them they managed, with bits of stick and by singeing their fingers a little, to poke and shove the dragon till they made it creep into the silver hunting bottle, and then the prince screwed on the top tight. "now we've got him," said elfin. "let's take him home and put solomon's seal on the mouth of the bottle, and then he'll be safe enough. come along--we'll divide up the kingdom tomorrow, and then i shall have some money to buy fine clothes to go courting in." but when the wicked prince made promises he did not make them to keep. "go on with you! what do you mean?" he said. "i found the dragon and i've imprisoned him. i never said a word about courtings or kingdoms. if you say i did, i shall cut your head off at once." and he drew his sword. "all right," said elfin, shrugging his shoulders. "i'm better off than you are, anyhow." "what do you mean?" spluttered the prince. "why, you've only got a kingdom (and a dragon), but i've got clean hands (and five and seventy fine black pigs)." so elfin sat down again by his fire, and the prince went home and told his parliament how clever and brave he had been, and though he woke them up on purpose to tell them, they were not angry, but said: "you are indeed brave and clever." for they knew what happened to people with whom the prince was not pleased. then the prime minister solemnly put solomon's seal on the mouth of the bottle, and the bottle was put in the treasury, which was the strongest building in the town, and was made of solid copper, with walls as thick as waterloo bridge. the bottle was set down among the sacks of gold, and the junior secretary to the junior clerk of the last lord of the treasury was appointed to sit up all night with it and see if anything happened. the junior secretary had never seen a dragon, and, what was more, he did not believe the prince had ever seen a dragon either. the prince had never been a really truthful boy, and it would have been just like him to bring home a bottle with nothing in it and then to pretend that there was a dragon inside. so the junior secretary did not at all mind being left. they gave him the key, and when everyone in the town had gone back to bed he let in some of the junior secretaries from other government departments, and they had a jolly game of hide-and-seek among the sacks of gold, and played marbles with the diamonds and rubies and pearls in the big ivory chests. they enjoyed themselves very much, but by-and-by the copper treasury began to get warmer and warmer, and suddenly the junior secretary cried out, "look at the bottle!" the bottle sealed with solomon's seal had swollen to three times its proper size and seemed to be nearly red hot, and the air got warmer and warmer and the bottle bigger and bigger, till all the junior secretaries agreed that the place was too hot to hold them, and out they went, tumbling over each other in their haste, and just as the last got out and locked the door the bottle burst, and out came the dragon, very fiery, and swelling more and more every minute, and he began to eat the sacks of gold and crunch up the pearls and diamonds and rubies as if they were sugar. by breakfasttime he had devoured the whole of the prince's treasures, and when the prince came along the street at about eleven, he met the dragon coming out of the broken door of the treasury, with molten gold still dripping from his jaws. then the prince turned and ran for his life, and as he ran toward the dragonproof tower the little white princess saw him coming, and she ran down and unlocked the door and let him in, and slammed the dragonproof door in the fiery face of the dragon, who sat down and whined outside, because he wanted the prince very much indeed. the princess took prince tiresome into the best room, and laid the cloth, and gave him cream and eggs and white grapes and honey and bread, with many other things, yellow and white and good to eat, and she served him just as kindly as she would have done if he had been anyone else instead of the bad prince who had taken away her kingdom and kept it for himself--because she was a true princess and had a heart of gold. when he had eaten and drunk, he begged the princess to show him how to lock and unlock the door. the nurse was asleep, so there was no one to tell the princess not to, and she did. [illustration: "the junior secretary cried out, 'look at the bottle!'" _see page 129._] "you turn the key like this," she said, "and the door keeps shut. but turn it nine times around the wrong way, and the door flies open." and so it did. and the moment it opened, the prince pushed the white princess out of her tower, just as he had pushed her out of her kingdom, and shut the door. for he wanted to have the tower all for himself. and there she was, in the street, and on the other side of the way the dragon was sitting whining, but he did not try to eat her, because--though the old nurse did not know it--dragons cannot eat white princesses with hearts of gold. the princess could not walk through the streets of the town in her milky-silky gown with the daisies on it, and with no hat and no gloves, so she turned the other way, and ran out across the meadows, toward the wood. she had never been out of her tower before, and the soft grass under her feet felt like grass of paradise. she ran right into the thickest part of the wood, because she did not know what her heart was made of, and she was afraid of the dragon, and there in a dell she came on elfin and his five and seventy fine pigs. he was playing his flute, and around him the pigs were dancing cheerfully on their hind legs. "oh, dear," said the princess, "do take care of me. i am so frightened." "i will," said elfin, putting his arms around her. "now you are quite safe. what were you frightened of?" "the dragon," she said. "so it's gotten out of the silver bottle," said elfin. "i hope it's eaten the prince." "no," said sabrinetta. "but why?" he told her of the mean trick that the prince had played on him. "and he promised me half his kingdom and the hand of his cousin the princess," said elfin. "oh, dear, what a shame!" said sabrinetta, trying to get out of his arms. "how dare he?" "what's the matter?" he asked, holding her tighter. "it _was_ a shame, or at least _i_ thought so. but now he may keep his kingdom, half and whole, if i may keep what i have." "what's that?" asked the princess. "why, you--my pretty, my dear," said elfin, "and as for the princess, his cousin--forgive me, dearest heart, but when i asked for her i hadn't seen the real princess, the _only_ princess, _my_ princess." "do you mean me?" said sabrinetta. "who else?" he asked. "yes, but five minutes ago you hadn't seen me!" "five minutes ago i was a pig keeper--now i've held you in my arms i'm a prince, though i should have to keep pigs to the end of my days." "but you haven't asked _me_," said the princess. "you asked me to take care of you," said elfin, "and i will--all my life long." so that was settled, and they began to talk of really important things, such as the dragon and the prince, and all the time elfin did not know that this was the princess, but he knew that she had a heart of gold, and he told her so, many times. "the mistake," said elfin, "was in not having a dragonproof bottle. i see that now." "oh, is that all?" said the princess. "i can easily get you one of those--because everything in my tower is dragonproof. we ought to do something to settle the dragon and save the little children." so she started off to get the bottle, but she would not let elfin come with her. "if what you say is true," she said, "if you are sure that i have a heart of gold, the dragon won't hurt me, and somebody must stay with the pigs." elfin was quite sure, so he let her go. she found the door of her tower open. the dragon had waited patiently for the prince, and the moment he opened the door and came out--though he was only out for an instant to post a letter to his prime minister saying where he was and asking them to send the fire brigade to deal with the fiery dragon--the dragon ate him. then the dragon went back to the wood, because it was getting near his time to grow small for the night. so sabrinetta went in and kissed her nurse and made her a cup of tea and explained what was going to happen, and that she had a heart of gold, so the dragon couldn't eat her; and the nurse saw that of course the princess was quite safe, and kissed her and let her go. she took the dragonproof bottle, made of burnished brass, and ran back to the wood, and to the dell, where elfin was sitting among his sleek black pigs, waiting for her. "i thought you were never coming back," he said. "you have been away a year, at least." the princess sat down beside him among the pigs, and they held each other's hands till it was dark, and then the dragon came crawling over the moss, scorching it as he came, and getting smaller as he crawled, and curled up under the root of the tree. "now then," said elfin, "you hold the bottle." then he poked and prodded the dragon with bits of stick till it crawled into the dragonproof bottle. but there was no stopper. "never mind," said elfin. "i'll put my finger in for a stopper." "no, let me," said the princess. but of course elfin would not let her. he stuffed his finger into the top of the bottle, and the princess cried out: "the sea--the sea--run for the cliffs!" and off they went, with the five and seventy pigs trotting steadily after them in a long black procession. the bottle got hotter and hotter in elfin's hands, because the dragon inside was puffing fire and smoke with all his might--hotter and hotter and hotter--but elfin held on till they came to the cliff edge, and there was the dark blue sea, and the whirlpool going around and around. elfin lifted the bottle high above his head and hurled it out between the stars and the sea, and it fell in the middle of the whirlpool. "we've saved the country," said the princess. "you've saved the little children. give me your hands." "i can't," said elfin. "i shall never be able to take your dear hands again. my hands are burnt off." and so they were: there were only black cinders where his hands ought to have been. the princess kissed them, and cried over them, and tore pieces of her silky-milky gown to tie them up with, and the two went back to the tower and told the nurse all about everything. and the pigs sat outside and waited. "he is the bravest man in the world," said sabrinetta. "he has saved the country and the little children; but, oh, his hands--his poor, dear, darling hands!" here the door of the room opened, and the oldest of the five and seventy pigs came in. it went up to elfin and rubbed itself against him with little loving grunts. "see the dear creature," said the nurse, wiping away a tear. "it knows, it knows!" sabrinetta stroked the pig, because elfin had no hands for stroking or for anything else. "the only cure for a dragon burn," said the old nurse, "is pig's fat, and well that faithful creature knows it----" "i wouldn't for a kingdom," cried elfin, stroking the pig as best he could with his elbow. "is there no other cure?" asked the princess. here another pig put its black nose in at the door, and then another and another, till the room was full of pigs, a surging mass of rounded blackness, pushing and struggling to get at elfin, and grunting softly in the language of true affection. "there is one other," said the nurse. "the dear, affectionate beasts--they all want to die for you." "what is the other cure?" said sabrinetta anxiously. "if a man is burnt by a dragon," said the nurse, "and a certain number of people are willing to die for him, it is enough if each should kiss the burn and wish it well in the depths of his loving heart." "the number! the number!" cried sabrinetta. "seventy-seven," said the nurse. "we have only seventy-five pigs," said the princess, "and with me that's seventy-six!" "it must be seventy-seven--and i really can't die for him, so nothing can be done," said the nurse, sadly. "he must have cork hands." "i knew about the seventy-seven loving people," said elfin. "but i never thought my dear pigs loved me so much as all this, and my dear too--and, of course, that only makes it more impossible. there's one other charm that cures dragon burns, though; but i'd rather be burnt black all over than marry anyone but you, my dear, my pretty." "why, who must you marry to cure your dragon burns?" asked sabrinetta. "a princess. that's how st. george cured his burns." "there now! think of that!" said the nurse. "and i never heard tell of that cure, old as i am." but sabrinetta threw her arms round elfin's neck, and held him as though she would never let him go. "then it's all right, my dear, brave, precious elfin," she cried, "for i am a princess, and you shall be my prince. come along, nurse--don't wait to put on your bonnet. we'll go and be married this very moment." so they went, and the pigs came after, moving in stately blackness, two by two. and, the minute he was married to the princess, elfin's hands got quite well. and the people, who were weary of prince tiresome and his hippopotamuses, hailed sabrinetta and her husband as rightful sovereigns of the land. [illustration: "they saw a cloud of steam." _see page 135._] next morning the prince and princess went out to see if the dragon had been washed ashore. they could see nothing of him; but when they looked out toward the whirlpool they saw a cloud of steam; and the fishermen reported that the water for miles around was hot enough to shave with! and as the water is hot there to this day, we may feel pretty sure that the fierceness of that dragon was such that all the waters of all the sea were not enough to cool him. the whirlpool is too strong for him to be able to get out of it, so there he spins around and around forever and ever, doing some useful work at last, and warming the water for poor fisher-folk to shave with. * * * * * the prince and princess rule the land well and wisely. the nurse lives with them, and does nothing but fine sewing, and only that when she wants to very much. the prince keeps no hippopotamuses, and is consequently very popular. the five and seventy devoted pigs live in white marble sties with brass knockers and pig on the doorplate, and are washed twice a day with turkish sponges and soap scented with violets, and no one objects to their following the prince when he walks abroad, for they behave beautifully, and always keep to the footpath, and obey the notices about not walking on the grass. the princess feeds them every day with her own hands, and her first edict on coming to the throne was that the word _pork_ should never be uttered on pain of death, and should, besides, be scratched out of all the dictionaries. [illustration: viii kind little edmund] viii. kind little edmund, or the caves and the cockatrice edmund was a boy. the people who did not like him said that he was the most tiresome boy that ever lived, but his grandmother and his other friends said that he had an inquiring mind. and his granny often added that he was the best of boys. but she was very kind and very old. edmund loved to find out about things. perhaps you will think that in that case he was constant in his attendance at school, since there, if anywhere, we may learn whatever there is to be learned. but edmund did not want to learn things: he wanted to find things out, which is quite different. his inquiring mind led him to take clocks to pieces to see what made them go, to take locks off doors to see what made them stick. it was edmund who cut open the india rubber ball to see what made it bounce, and he never did see, any more than you did when you tried the same experiment. edmund lived with his grandmother. she loved him very much, in spite of his inquiring mind, and hardly scolded him at all when he frizzled up her tortoiseshell comb in his anxiety to find out whether it was made of real tortoiseshell or of something that would burn. edmund went to school, of course, now and then, and sometimes he could not prevent himself from learning something, but he never did it on purpose. "it is such waste of time," said he. "they only know what everybody knows. i want to find out new things that nobody has thought of but me." "i don't think you're likely to find out anything that none of the wise men in the whole world have thought of all these thousands of years," said granny. but edmund did not agree with her. he played truant whenever he could, for he was a kindhearted boy, and could not bear to think of a master's time and labor being thrown away on a boy like himself--who did not wish to learn, only to find out--when there were so many worthy lads thirsting for instruction in geography and history and reading and ciphering, and mr. smiles's "self-help." other boys played truant too, of course--and these went nutting or blackberrying or wild plum gathering, but edmund never went on the side of the town where the green woods and hedges grew. he always went up the mountain where the great rocks were, and the tall, dark pine trees, and where other people were afraid to go because of the strange noises that came out of the caves. edmund was not afraid of these noises--though they were very strange and terrible. he wanted to find out what made them. one day he did. he had invented, all by himself, a very ingenious and new kind of lantern, made with a turnip and a tumbler, and when he took the candle out of granny's bedroom candlestick to put in it, it gave quite a splendid light. he had to go to school next day, and he was caned for being absent without leave--although he very straightforwardly explained that he had been too busy making the lantern to have time to come to school. but the day after he got up very early and took the lunch granny had ready for him to take to school--two boiled eggs and an apple turnover--and he took his lantern and went off as straight as a dart to the mountains to explore the caves. the caves were very dark, but his lantern lighted them up beautifully; and they were most interesting caves, with stalactites and stalagmites and fossils, and all the things you read about in the instructive books for the young. but edmund did not care for any of these things just then. he wanted to find out what made the noises that people were afraid of, and there was nothing in the caves to tell him. presently he sat down in the biggest cave and listened very carefully, and it seemed to him that he could distinguish three different sorts of noises. there was a heavy rumbling sound, like a very large old gentleman asleep after dinner; and there was a smaller sort of rumble going on at the same time; and there was a sort of crowing, clucking sound, such as a chicken might make if it happened to be as big as a haystack. "it seems to me," said edmund to himself, "that the clucking is nearer than the others." so he started up again and explored the caves once more. he found out nothing, but about halfway up the wall of the cave, he saw a hole. and, being a boy, he climbed up to it and crept in; and it was the entrance to a rocky passage. and now the clucking sounded more plainly than before, and he could hardly hear the rumbling at all. "i _am_ going to find out something at last," said edmund, and on he went. the passage wound and twisted, and twisted and turned, and turned and wound, but edmund kept on. "my lantern's burning better and better," said he presently, but the next minute he saw that all the light did not come from his lantern. it was a pale yellow light, and it shone down the passage far ahead of him through what looked like the chink of a door. "i expect it's the fire in the middle of the earth," said edmund, who had not been able to help learning about that at school. but quite suddenly the fire ahead gave a pale flicker and went down; and the clucking ceased. the next moment edmund turned a corner and found himself in front of a rocky door. the door was ajar. he went in, and there was a round cave, like the dome of st. paul's. in the middle of the cave was a hole like a very big hand-washing basin, and in the middle of the basin edmund saw a large pale person sitting. this person had a man's face and a griffin's body, and big feathery wings, and a snake's tail, and a cock's comb and neck feathers. "whatever are you?" said edmund. "i'm a poor starving cockatrice," answered the pale person in a very faint voice, "and i shall die--oh, i know i shall! my fire's gone out! i can't think how it happened; i must have been asleep. i have to stir it seven times round with my tail once in a hundred years to keep it alight, and my watch must have been wrong. and now i shall die." i think i have said before what a kindhearted boy edmund was. "cheer up," said he. "i'll light your fire for you." and off he went, and in a few minutes he came back with a great armful of sticks from the pine trees outside, and with these and a lesson book or two that he had forgotten to lose before, and which, quite by an oversight, were safe in his pocket, he lit a fire all around the cockatrice. the wood blazed up, and presently something in the basin caught fire, and edmund saw that it was a sort of liquid that burned like the brandy in a snapdragon. and now the cockatrice stirred it with his tail and flapped his wings in it so that some of it splashed out on edmund's hand and burnt it rather badly. but the cockatrice grew red and strong and happy, and its comb grew scarlet, and its feathers glossy, and it lifted itself up and crowed "cock-a-trice-a-doodle-doo!" very loudly and clearly. edmund's kindly nature was charmed to see the cockatrice so much improved in health, and he said: "don't mention it; delighted, i'm sure," when the cockatrice began to thank him. "but what can i do for you?" said the creature. "tell me stories," said edmund. "what about?" said the cockatrice. "about true things that they don't know at school," said edmund. so the cockatrice began, and he told him about mines and treasures and geological formations, and about gnomes and fairies and dragons, and about glaciers and the stone age and the beginning of the world, and about the unicorn and the phoenix, and about magic, black and white. and edmund ate his eggs and his turnover, and listened. and when he got hungry again he said good-bye and went home. but he came again the next day for more stories, and the next day, and the next, for a long time. he told the boys at school about the cockatrice and his wonderful true tales, and the boys liked the stories; but when he told the master he was caned for untruthfulness. "but it's true," said edmund. "just you look where the fire burnt my hand." "i see you've been playing with fire--into mischief as usual," said the master, and he caned edmund harder than ever. the master was ignorant and unbelieving: but i am told that some schoolmasters are not like that. now, one day edmund made a new lantern out of something chemical that he sneaked from the school laboratory. and with it he went exploring again to see if he could find the things that made the other sorts of noises. and in quite another part of the mountain he found a dark passage, all lined with brass, so that it was like the inside of a huge telescope, and at the very end of it he found a bright green door. there was a brass plate on the door that said mrs. d. knock and ring, and a white label that said call me at three. edmund had a watch: it had been given to him on his birthday two days before, and he had not yet had time to take it to pieces and see what made it go, so it was still going. he looked at it now. it said a quarter to three. did i tell you before what a kindhearted boy edmund was? he sat down on the brass doorstep and waited till three o'clock. then he knocked and rang, and there was a rattling and puffing inside. the great door flew open, and edmund had only just time to hide behind it when out came an immense yellow dragon, who wriggled off down the brass cave like a long, rattling worm--or perhaps more like a monstrous centipede. edmund crept slowly out and saw the dragon stretching herself on the rocks in the sun, and he crept past the great creature and tore down the hill into the town and burst into school, crying out: "there's a great dragon coming! somebody ought to do something, or we shall all be destroyed." he was caned for untruthfulness without any delay. his master was never one for postponing a duty. "but it's true," said edmund. "you just see if it isn't." he pointed out of the window, and everyone could see a vast yellow cloud rising up into the air above the mountain. "it's only a thunder shower," said the master, and caned edmund more than ever. this master was not like some masters i know: he was very obstinate, and would not believe his own eyes if they told him anything different from what he had been saying before his eyes spoke. so while the master was writing _lying is very wrong, and liars must be caned. it is all for their own good_ on the black-board for edmund to copy out seven hundred times, edmund sneaked out of school and ran for his life across the town to warn his granny, but she was not at home. so then he made off through the back door of the town, and raced up the hill to tell the cockatrice and ask for his help. it never occurred to him that the cockatrice might not believe him. you see, he had heard so many wonderful tales from him and had believed them all--and when you believe all a person's stories they ought to believe yours. this is only fair. at the mouth of the cockatrice's cave edmund stopped, very much out of breath, to look back at the town. as he ran he had felt his little legs tremble and shake, while the shadows of the great yellow cloud fell upon him. now he stood once more between warm earth and blue sky, and looked down on the green plain dotted with fruit trees and red-roofed farms and plots of gold corn. in the middle of that plain the gray town lay, with its strong walls with the holes pierced for the archers, and its square towers with holes for dropping melted lead on the heads of strangers; its bridges and its steeples; the quiet river edged with willow and alder; and the pleasant green garden place in the middle of the town, where people sat on holidays to smoke their pipes and listen to the band. edmund saw it all; and he saw, too, creeping across the plain, marking her way by a black line as everything withered at her touch, the great yellow dragon--and he saw that she was many times bigger than the whole town. "oh, my poor, dear granny," said edmund, for he had a feeling heart, as i ought to have told you before. the yellow dragon crept nearer and nearer, licking her greedy lips with her long red tongue, and edmund knew that in the school his master was still teaching earnestly and still not believing edmund's tale the least little bit. "he'll jolly well have to believe it soon, anyhow," said edmund to himself, and though he was a very tender-hearted boy--i think it only fair to tell you that he was this--i am afraid he was not as sorry as he ought to have been to think of the way in which his master was going to learn how to believe what edmund said. then the dragon opened her jaws wider and wider and wider. edmund shut his eyes, for though his master was in the town, the amiable edmund shrank from beholding the awful sight. when he opened his eyes again there was no town--only a bare place where it had stood, and the dragon licking her lips and curling herself up to go to sleep, just as kitty does when she has quite finished with a mouse. edmund gasped once or twice, and then ran into the cave to tell the cockatrice. "well," said the cockatrice thoughtfully, when the tale had been told. "what then?" "i don't think you quite understand," said edmund gently. "the dragon has swallowed up the town." "does it matter?" said the cockatrice. [illustration: "creeping across the plain." _see page 147._] "but i live there," said edmund blankly. "never mind," said the cockatrice, turning over in the pool of fire to warm its other side, which was chilly, because edmund had, as usual, forgotten to close the cave door. "you can live here with me." "i'm afraid i haven't made my meaning clear," said edmund patiently. "you see, my granny is in the town, and i can't bear to lose my granny like this." "i don't know what a granny may be," said the cockatrice, who seemed to be growing weary of the subject, "but if it's a possession to which you attach any importance----" "of course it is," said edmund, losing patience at last. "oh--do help me. what can i do?" "if i were you," said his friend, stretching itself out in the pool of flame so that the waves covered him up to his chin, "i should find the drakling and bring it here." "but why?" said edmund. he had gotten into the habit of asking why at school, and the master had always found it trying. as for the cockatrice, he was not going to stand that sort of thing for a moment. "oh, don't talk to me!" he said, splashing angrily in the flames. "i give you advice; take it or leave it--i shan't bother about you anymore. if you bring the drakling here to me, i'll tell you what to do next. if not, not." and the cockatrice drew the fire up close around his shoulders, tucked himself up in it, and went to sleep. now this was exactly the right way to manage edmund, only no one had ever thought of trying to do it before. he stood for a moment looking at the cockatrice; the cockatrice looked at edmund out of the corner of his eye and began to snore very loudly, and edmund understood, once and for all, that the cockatrice wasn't going to put up with any nonsense. he respected the cockatrice very much from that moment, and set off at once to do exactly as he was told--for perhaps the first time in his life. though he had played truant so often, he knew one or two things that perhaps you don't know, though you have always been so good and gone to school regularly. for instance, he knew that a drakling is a dragon's baby, and he felt sure that what he had to do was to find the third of the three noises that people used to hear coming from the mountains. of course, the clucking had been the cockatrice, and the big noise like a large gentleman asleep after dinner had been the big dragon. so the smaller rumbling must have been the drakling. he plunged boldly into the caves and searched and wandered and wandered and searched, and at last he came to a third door in the mountain, and on it was written the baby is asleep. just before the door stood fifty pairs of copper shoes, and no one could have looked at them for a moment without seeing what sort of feet they were made for, for each shoe had five holes in it for the drakling's five claws. and there were fifty pairs because the drakling took after his mother, and had a hundred feet--no more and no less. he was the kind called _draco centipedis_ in the learned books. edmund was a good deal frightened, but he remembered the grim expression of the cockatrice's eye, and the fixed determination of his snore still rang in his ears, in spite of the snoring of the drakling, which was, in itself, considerable. he screwed up his courage, flung the door open, and called out: "hello, you drakling. get out of bed this minute." the drakling stopped snoring and said sleepily: "it ain't time yet." "your mother says you are to, anyhow; and look sharp about it, what's more," said edmund, gaining courage from the fact that the drakling had not yet eaten him. the drakling sighed, and edmund could hear it getting out of bed. the next moment it began to come out of its room and to put on its shoes. it was not nearly so big as its mother; only about the size of a baptist chapel. "hurry up," said edmund, as it fumbled clumsily with the seventeenth shoe. "mother said i was never to go out without my shoes," said the drakling; so edmund had to help it to put them on. it took some time, and was not a comfortable occupation. at last the drakling said it was ready, and edmund, who had forgotten to be frightened, said, "come on then," and they went back to the cockatrice. the cave was rather narrow for the drakling, but it made itself thin, as you may see a fat worm do when it wants to get through a narrow crack in a piece of hard earth. "here it is," said edmund, and the cockatrice woke up at once and asked the drakling very politely to sit down and wait. "your mother will be here presently," said the cockatrice, stirring up its fire. the drakling sat down and waited, but it watched the fire with hungry eyes. "i beg your pardon," it said at last, "but i am always accustomed to having a little basin of fire as soon as i get up, and i feel rather faint. might i?" it reached out a claw toward the cockatrice's basin. "certainly not," said the cockatrice sharply. "where were you brought up? did they never teach you that 'we must not ask for all we see'? eh?" "i beg your pardon," said the drakling humbly, "but i am really _very_ hungry." the cockatrice beckoned edmund to the side of the basin and whispered in his ear so long and so earnestly that one side of the dear boy's hair was quite burnt off. and he never once interrupted the cockatrice to ask why. but when the whispering was over, edmund--whose heart, as i may have mentioned, was very tender--said to the drakling: "if you are really hungry, poor thing, i can show you where there is plenty of fire." and off he went through the caves, and the drakling followed. when edmund came to the proper place he stopped. there was a round iron thing in the floor, like the ones the men shoot the coals down into your cellar, only much larger. edmund heaved it up by a hook that stuck out at one side, and a rush of hot air came up that nearly choked him. but the drakling came close and looked down with one eye and sniffed, and said: "that smells good, eh?" "yes," said edmund, "well, that's the fire in the middle of the earth. there's plenty of it, all done to a turn. you'd better go down and begin your breakfast, hadn't you?" so the drakling wriggled through the hole, and began to crawl faster and faster down the slanting shaft that leads to the fire in the middle of the earth. and edmund, doing exactly as he had been told, for a wonder, caught the end of the drakling's tail and ran the iron hook through it so that the drakling was held fast. and it could not turn around and wriggle up again to look after its poor tail, because, as everyone knows, the way to the fires below is very easy to go down, but quite impossible to come back on. there is something about it in latin, beginning: "_facilis descensus_." so there was the drakling, fast by the silly tail of it, and there was edmund very busy and important and very pleased with himself, hurrying back to the cockatrice. "now," said he. "well, now," said the cockatrice. "go to the mouth of the cave and laugh at the dragon so that she hears you." edmund very nearly said "why?" but he stopped in time, and instead, said: "she won't hear me--" "oh, very well," said the cockatrice. "no doubt you know best," and he began to tuck himself up again in the fire, so edmund did as he was bid. and when he began to laugh his laughter echoed in the mouth of the cave till it sounded like the laughter of a whole castleful of giants. and the dragon, lying asleep in the sun, woke up and said very crossly: "what are you laughing at?" [illustration: "that smells good, eh?" _see page 152._] "at you," said edmund, and went on laughing. the dragon bore it as long as she could, but, like everyone else, she couldn't stand being made fun of, so presently she dragged herself up the mountain very slowly, because she had just had a rather heavy meal, and stood outside and said, "what are you laughing at?" in a voice that made edmund feel as if he should never laugh again. then the good cockatrice called out: "at you! you've eaten your own drakling--swallowed it with the town. your own little drakling! he, he, he! ha, ha, ha!" and edmund found the courage to cry "ha, ha!" which sounded like tremendous laughter in the echo of the cave. "dear me," said the dragon. "i _thought_ the town stuck in my throat rather. i must take it out, and look through it more carefully." and with that she coughed--and choked--and there was the town, on the hillside. edmund had run back to the cockatrice, and it had told him what to do. so before the dragon had time to look through the town again for her drakling, the voice of the drakling itself was heard howling miserably from inside the mountain, because edmund was pinching its tail as hard as he could in the round iron door, like the one where the men pour the coals out of the sacks into the cellar. and the dragon heard the voice and said: "why, whatever's the matter with baby? he's not here!" and made herself thin, and crept into the mountain to find her drakling. the cockatrice kept on laughing as loud as it could, and edmund kept on pinching, and presently the great dragon--very long and narrow she had made herself--found her head where the round hole was with the iron lid. her tail was a mile or two off--outside the mountain. when edmund heard her coming he gave one last nip to the drakling's tail, and then heaved up the lid and stood behind it, so that the dragon could not see him. then he loosed the drakling's tail from the hook, and the dragon peeped down the hole just in time to see her drakling's tail disappear down the smooth, slanting shaft with one last squeak of pain. whatever may have been the poor dragon's other faults, she was an excellent mother. she plunged headfirst into the hole, and slid down the shaft after her baby. edmund watched her head go--and then the rest of her. she was so long, now she had stretched herself thin, that it took all night. it was like watching a goods train go by in germany. when the last joint of her tail had gone edmund slammed down the iron door. he was a kindhearted boy, as you have guessed, and he was glad to think that dragon and drakling would now have plenty to eat of their favorite food, forever and ever. he thanked the cockatrice for his kindness, and got home just in time to have breakfast and get to school by nine. of course, he could not have done this if the town had been in its old place by the river in the middle of the plain, but it had taken root on the hillside just where the dragon left it. "well," said the master, "where were you yesterday?" edmund explained, and the master at once caned him for not speaking the truth. "but it _is_ true," said edmund. "why, the whole town was swallowed by the dragon. you know it was--" "nonsense," said the master. "there was a thunderstorm and an earthquake, that's all." and he caned edmund more than ever. "but," said edmund, who always would argue, even in the least favorable circumstances, "how do you account for the town being on the hillside now, instead of by the river as it used to be?" "it was _always_ on the hillside," said the master. and all the class said the same, for they had more sense than to argue with a person who carried a cane. "but look at the maps," said edmund, who wasn't going to be beaten in argument, whatever he might be in the flesh. the master pointed to the map on the wall. there was the town, on the hillside! and nobody but edmund could see that of course the shock of being swallowed by the dragon had upset all the maps and put them wrong. and then the master caned edmund again, explaining that this time it was not for untruthfulness, but for his vexatious argumentative habits. this will show you what a prejudiced and ignorant man edmund's master was--how different from the revered head of the nice school where your good parents are kind enough to send you. the next day edmund thought he would prove his tale by showing people the cockatrice, and he actually persuaded some people to go into the cave with him; but the cockatrice had bolted himself in and would not open the door--so edmund got nothing by that except a scolding for taking people on a wild-goose chase. "a wild goose," said they, "is nothing like a cockatrice." and poor edmund could not say a word, though he knew how wrong they were. the only person who believed him was his granny. but then she was very old and very kind, and had always said he was the best of boys. only one good thing came of all this long story. edmund has never been quite the same boy since. he does not argue quite so much, and he agreed to be apprenticed to a locksmith, so that he might one day be able to pick the lock of the cockatrice's front door--and learn some more of the things that other people don't know. but he is quite an old man now, and he hasn't gotten that door open yet! * * * * * transcriber's notes: obvious punctuation errors repaired. page 23, "around" changed to "round" (round piece of land) page 152, "chocked" changed to "choked" (nearly choked him) page 154, "he" changed to "she" (that she coughed) dorothy and the wizard in oz a faithful record of their amazing adventures in an underground world; and how with the aid of their friends zeb hugson, eureka the kitten, and jim the cab-horse, they finally reached the wonderful land of oz by l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" --to my readers- 1. the earthquake 2. the glass city 3. the arrival of the wizard 4. the vegetable kingdom 5. dorothy picks the princess 6. the mangaboos prove dangerous 7. into the black pit and out again 8. the valley of voices 9. they fight the invisible bears 10. the braided man of pyramid mountain 11. they meet the wooden gargoyles 12. a wonderful escape 13. the den of the dragonettes 14. ozma uses the magic belt 15. old friends are reunited 16. jim, the cab-horse 17. the nine tiny piglets 18. the trial of eureka, the kitten 19. the wizard performs another trick 20. zeb returns to the ranch to my readers it's no use; no use at all. the children won't let me stop telling tales of the land of oz. i know lots of other stories, and i hope to tell them, some time or another; but just now my loving tyrants won't allow me. they cry: "oz--oz! more about oz, mr. baum!" and what can i do but obey their commands? this is our book--mine and the children's. for they have flooded me with thousands of suggestions in regard to it, and i have honestly tried to adopt as many of these suggestions as could be fitted into one story. after the wonderful success of "ozma of oz" it is evident that dorothy has become a firm fixture in these oz stories. the little ones all love dorothy, and as one of my small friends aptly states: "it isn't a real oz story without her." so here she is again, as sweet and gentle and innocent as ever, i hope, and the heroine of another strange adventure. there were many requests from my little correspondents for "more about the wizard." it seems the jolly old fellow made hosts of friends in the first oz book, in spite of the fact that he frankly acknowledged himself "a humbug." the children had heard how he mounted into the sky in a balloon and they were all waiting for him to come down again. so what could i do but tell "what happened to the wizard afterward"? you will find him in these pages, just the same humbug wizard as before. there was one thing the children demanded which i found it impossible to do in this present book: they bade me introduce toto, dorothy's little black dog, who has many friends among my readers. but you will see, when you begin to read the story, that toto was in kansas while dorothy was in california, and so she had to start on her adventure without him. in this book dorothy had to take her kitten with her instead of her dog; but in the next oz book, if i am permitted to write one, i intend to tell a good deal about toto's further history. princess ozma, whom i love as much as my readers do, is again introduced in this story, and so are several of our old friends of oz. you will also become acquainted with jim the cab-horse, the nine tiny piglets, and eureka, the kitten. i am sorry the kitten was not as well behaved as she ought to have been; but perhaps she wasn't brought up properly. dorothy found her, you see, and who her parents were nobody knows. i believe, my dears, that i am the proudest story-teller that ever lived. many a time tears of pride and joy have stood in my eyes while i read the tender, loving, appealing letters that came to me in almost every mail from my little readers. to have pleased you, to have interested you, to have won your friendship, and perhaps your love, through my stories, is to my mind as great an achievement as to become president of the united states. indeed, i would much rather be your story-teller, under these conditions, than to be the president. so you have helped me to fulfill my life's ambition, and i am more grateful to you, my dears, than i can express in words. i try to answer every letter of my young correspondents; yet sometimes there are so many letters that a little time must pass before you get your answer. but be patient, friends, for the answer will surely come, and by writing to me you more than repay me for the pleasant task of preparing these books. besides, i am proud to acknowledge that the books are partly yours, for your suggestions often guide me in telling the stories, and i am sure they would not be half so good without your clever and thoughtful assistance. l. frank baum coronado, 1908. 1. the earthquake the train from 'frisco was very late. it should have arrived at hugson's siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled up to the open shed that served for the station-house. as it came to a stop the conductor called out in a loud voice: "hugson's siding!" at once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked under her arm. the conductor helped her off the car and then the engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and moved slowly away up the track. the reason he was so late was because all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers. so he moved the cars slowly and with caution. the little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared around a curve; then she turned to see where she was. the shed at hugson's siding was bare save for an old wooden bench, and did not look very inviting. as she peered through the soft gray light not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away. she walked toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless, with its head hanging down almost to the ground. it was a big horse, tall and bony, with long legs and large knees and feet. she could count his ribs easily where they showed through the skin of his body, and his head was long and seemed altogether too big for him, as if it did not fit. his tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits of wire. the buggy seemed almost new, for it had a shiny top and side curtains. getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep. she set down the bird-cage and poked the boy with her parasol. presently he woke up, rose to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes briskly. "hello!" he said, seeing her, "are you dorothy gale?" "yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking gray eyes. "have you come to take me to hugson's ranch?" "of course," he answered. "train in?" "i couldn't be here if it wasn't," she said. he laughed at that, and his laugh was merry and frank. jumping out of the buggy he put dorothy's suit-case under the seat and her bird-cage on the floor in front. "canary-birds?" he asked. "oh no; it's just eureka, my kitten. i thought that was the best way to carry her." the boy nodded. "eureka's a funny name for a cat," he remarked. "i named my kitten that because i found it," she explained. "uncle henry says 'eureka' means 'i have found it.'" "all right; hop in." she climbed into the buggy and he followed her. then the boy picked up the reins, shook them, and said "gid-dap!" the horse did not stir. dorothy thought he just wiggled one of his drooping ears, but that was all. "gid-dap!" called the boy, again. the horse stood still. "perhaps," said dorothy, "if you untied him, he would go." the boy laughed cheerfully and jumped out. "guess i'm half asleep yet," he said, untying the horse. "but jim knows his business all right--don't you, jim?" patting the long nose of the animal. then he got into the buggy again and took the reins, and the horse at once backed away from the tree, turned slowly around, and began to trot down the sandy road which was just visible in the dim light. "thought that train would never come," observed the boy. "i've waited at that station for five hours." "we had a lot of earthquakes," said dorothy. "didn't you feel the ground shake?" "yes; but we're used to such things in california," he replied. "they don't scare us much." "the conductor said it was the worst quake he ever knew." "did he? then it must have happened while i was asleep," he said thoughtfully. "how is uncle henry?" she enquired, after a pause during which the horse continued to trot with long, regular strides. "he's pretty well. he and uncle hugson have been having a fine visit." "is mr. hugson your uncle?" she asked. "yes. uncle bill hugson married your uncle henry's wife's sister; so we must be second cousins," said the boy, in an amused tone. "i work for uncle bill on his ranch, and he pays me six dollars a month and my board." "isn't that a great deal?" she asked, doubtfully. "why, it's a great deal for uncle hugson, but not for me. i'm a splendid worker. i work as well as i sleep," he added, with a laugh. "what is your name?" said dorothy, thinking she liked the boy's manner and the cheery tone of his voice. "not a very pretty one," he answered, as if a little ashamed. "my whole name is zebediah; but folks just call me 'zeb.' you've been to australia, haven't you?" "yes; with uncle henry," she answered. "we got to san francisco a week ago, and uncle henry went right on to hugson's ranch for a visit while i stayed a few days in the city with some friends we had met." "how long will you be with us?" he asked. "only a day. tomorrow uncle henry and i must start back for kansas. we've been away for a long time, you know, and so we're anxious to get home again." the boy flicked the big, boney horse with his whip and looked thoughtful. then he started to say something to his little companion, but before he could speak the buggy began to sway dangerously from side to side and the earth seemed to rise up before them. next minute there was a roar and a sharp crash, and at her side dorothy saw the ground open in a wide crack and then come together again. "goodness!" she cried, grasping the iron rail of the seat. "what was that?" "that was an awful big quake," replied zeb, with a white face. "it almost got us that time, dorothy." the horse had stopped short, and stood firm as a rock. zeb shook the reins and urged him to go, but jim was stubborn. then the boy cracked his whip and touched the animal's flanks with it, and after a low moan of protest jim stepped slowly along the road. neither the boy nor the girl spoke again for some minutes. there was a breath of danger in the very air, and every few moments the earth would shake violently. jim's ears were standing erect upon his head and every muscle of his big body was tense as he trotted toward home. he was not going very fast, but on his flanks specks of foam began to appear and at times he would tremble like a leaf. the sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds as it swept over the valley. suddenly there was a rending, tearing sound, and the earth split into another great crack just beneath the spot where the horse was standing. with a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit, drawing the buggy and its occupants after him. dorothy grabbed fast hold of the buggy top and the boy did the same. the sudden rush into space confused them so that they could not think. blackness engulfed them on every side, and in breathless silence they waited for the fall to end and crush them against jagged rocks or for the earth to close in on them again and bury them forever in its dreadful depths. the horrible sensation of falling, the darkness and the terrifying noises, proved more than dorothy could endure and for a few moments the little girl lost consciousness. zeb, being a boy, did not faint, but he was badly frightened, and clung to the buggy seat with a tight grip, expecting every moment would be his last. 2. the glass city when dorothy recovered her senses they were still falling, but not so fast. the top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to bear. the worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this great crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was about to overtake them at any moment. crash after crash echoed far above their heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and stones and chunks of clay rattled around them on every side. these they could not see, but they could feel them pelting the buggy top, and jim screamed almost like a human being when a stone overtook him and struck his boney body. they did not really hurt the poor horse, because everything was falling together; only the stones and rubbish fell faster than the horse and buggy, which were held back by the pressure of the air, so that the terrified animal was actually more frightened than he was injured. how long this state of things continued dorothy could not even guess, she was so greatly bewildered. but bye and bye, as she stared ahead into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the form of the horse jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space. also, turning her head, she found that she could see the boy beside her, who had until now remained as still and silent as she herself. dorothy sighed and commenced to breathe easier. she began to realize that death was not in store for her, after all, but that she had merely started upon another adventure, which promised to be just as queer and unusual as were those she had before encountered. with this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over the side of the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from. far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air. the central and largest one was white, and reminded her of the sun. around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one blue and one orange. this splendid group of colored suns sent rays darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with dorothy and zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly illuminated. dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of jim's big ears turn to violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail should be yellow and his body striped with blue and orange like the stripes of a zebra. then she looked at zeb, whose face was blue and whose hair was pink, and gave a little laugh that sounded a bit nervous. "isn't it funny?" she said. the boy was startled and his eyes were big. dorothy had a green streak through the center of her face where the blue and yellow lights came together, and her appearance seemed to add to his fright. "i--i don't s-s-see any-thing funny--'bout it!" he stammered. just then the buggy tipped slowly over upon its side, the body of the horse tipping also. but they continued to fall, all together, and the boy and girl had no difficulty in remaining upon the seat, just as they were before. then they turned bottom side up, and continued to roll slowly over until they were right side up again. during this time jim struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of voice: "well, that's better!" dorothy and zeb looked at one another in wonder. "can your horse talk?" she asked. "never knew him to, before," replied the boy. "those were the first words i ever said," called out the horse, who had overheard them, "and i can't explain why i happened to speak then. this is a nice scrape you've got me into, isn't it?" "as for that, we are in the same scrape ourselves," answered dorothy, cheerfully. "but never mind; something will happen pretty soon." "of course," growled the horse, "and then we shall be sorry it happened." zeb gave a shiver. all this was so terrible and unreal that he could not understand it at all, and so had good reason to be afraid. swiftly they drew near to the flaming colored suns, and passed close beside them. the light was then so bright that it dazzled their eyes, and they covered their faces with their hands to escape being blinded. there was no heat in the colored suns, however, and after they had passed below them the top of the buggy shut out many of the piercing rays so that the boy and girl could open their eyes again. "we've got to come to the bottom some time," remarked zeb, with a deep sigh. "we can't keep falling forever, you know." "of course not," said dorothy. "we are somewhere in the middle of the earth, and the chances are we'll reach the other side of it before long. but it's a big hollow, isn't it?" "awful big!" answered the boy. "we're coming to something now," announced the horse. at this they both put their heads over the side of the buggy and looked down. yes; there was land below them; and not so very far away, either. but they were floating very, very slowly--so slowly that it could no longer be called a fall--and the children had ample time to take heart and look about them. they saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very like those upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly colored by the variegated lights from the six suns. here and there were groups of houses that seemed made of clear glass, because they sparkled so brightly. "i'm sure we are in no danger," said dorothy, in a sober voice. "we are falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land, and this country that we are coming to seems quite pretty." "we'll never get home again, though!" declared zeb, with a groan. "oh, i'm not so sure of that," replied the girl. "but don't let us worry over such things, zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you know, and i've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble." the boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and soon both were fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread out below them. they seemed to be falling right into the middle of a big city which had many tall buildings with glass domes and sharp-pointed spires. these spires were like great spear-points, and if they tumbled upon one of them they were likely to suffer serious injury. jim the horse had seen these spires, also, and his ears stood straight up with fear, while dorothy and zeb held their breaths in suspense. but no; they floated gently down upon a broad, flat roof, and came to a stop at last. when jim felt something firm under his feet the poor beast's legs trembled so much that he could hardly stand; but zeb at once leaped out of the buggy to the roof, and he was so awkward and hasty that he kicked over dorothy's bird-cage, which rolled out upon the roof so that the bottom came off. at once a pink kitten crept out of the upset cage, sat down upon the glass roof, and yawned and blinked its round eyes. "oh," said dorothy. "there's eureka." "first time i ever saw a pink cat," said zeb. "eureka isn't pink; she's white. it's this queer light that gives her that color." "where's my milk?" asked the kitten, looking up into dorothy's face. "i'm 'most starved to death." "oh, eureka! can you talk?" "talk! am i talking? good gracious, i believe i am. isn't it funny?" asked the kitten. "it's all wrong," said zeb, gravely. "animals ought not to talk. but even old jim has been saying things since we had our accident." "i can't see that it's wrong," remarked jim, in his gruff tones. "at least, it isn't as wrong as some other things. what's going to become of us now?" "i don't know," answered the boy, looking around him curiously. the houses of the city were all made of glass, so clear and transparent that one could look through the walls as easily as through a window. dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of queer forms huddled into the corners of these rooms. the roof beside them had a great hole smashed through it, and pieces of glass were lying scattered in every direction. a nearby steeple had been broken off short and the fragments lay heaped beside it. other buildings were cracked in places or had corners chipped off from them; but they must have been very beautiful before these accidents had happened to mar their perfection. the rainbow tints from the colored suns fell upon the glass city softly and gave to the buildings many delicate, shifting hues which were very pretty to see. but not a sound had broken the stillness since the strangers had arrived, except that of their own voices. they began to wonder if there were no people to inhabit this magnificent city of the inner world. suddenly a man appeared through a hole in the roof next to the one they were on and stepped into plain view. he was not a very large man, but was well formed and had a beautiful face--calm and serene as the face of a fine portrait. his clothing fitted his form snugly and was gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays. the man had taken a step or two across the glass roof before he noticed the presence of the strangers; but then he stopped abruptly. there was no expression of either fear or surprise upon his tranquil face, yet he must have been both astonished and afraid; for after his eyes had rested upon the ungainly form of the horse for a moment he walked rapidly to the furthest edge of the roof, his head turned back over his shoulder to gaze at the strange animal. "look out!" cried dorothy, who noticed that the beautiful man did not look where he was going; "be careful, or you'll fall off!" but he paid no attention to her warning. he reached the edge of the tall roof, stepped one foot out into the air, and walked into space as calmly as if he were on firm ground. the girl, greatly astonished, ran to lean over the edge of the roof, and saw the man walking rapidly through the air toward the ground. soon he reached the street and disappeared through a glass doorway into one of the glass buildings. "how strange!" she exclaimed, drawing a long breath. "yes; but it's lots of fun, if it is strange," remarked the small voice of the kitten, and dorothy turned to find her pet walking in the air a foot or so away from the edge of the roof. "come back, eureka!" she called, in distress, "you'll certainly be killed." "i have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked around in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but i can't lose even one of them by falling in this country, because i really couldn't manage to fall if i wanted to." "does the air bear up your weight?" asked the girl. "of course; can't you see?" and again the kitten wandered into the air and back to the edge of the roof. "it's wonderful!" said dorothy. "suppose we let eureka go down to the street and get some one to help us," suggested zeb, who had been even more amazed than dorothy at these strange happenings. "perhaps we can walk on the air ourselves," replied the girl. zeb drew back with a shiver. "i wouldn't dare try," he said. "maybe jim will go," continued dorothy, looking at the horse. "and maybe he won't!" answered jim. "i've tumbled through the air long enough to make me contented on this roof." "but we didn't tumble to the roof," said the girl; "by the time we reached here we were floating very slowly, and i'm almost sure we could float down to the street without getting hurt. eureka walks on the air all right." "eureka weights only about half a pound," replied the horse, in a scornful tone, "while i weigh about half a ton." "you don't weigh as much as you ought to, jim," remarked the girl, shaking her head as she looked at the animal. "you're dreadfully skinny." "oh, well; i'm old," said the horse, hanging his head despondently, "and i've had lots of trouble in my day, little one. for a good many years i drew a public cab in chicago, and that's enough to make anyone skinny." "he eats enough to get fat, i'm sure," said the boy, gravely. "do i? can you remember any breakfast that i've had today?" growled jim, as if he resented zeb's speech. "none of us has had breakfast," said the boy; "and in a time of danger like this it's foolish to talk about eating." "nothing is more dangerous than being without food," declared the horse, with a sniff at the rebuke of his young master; "and just at present no one can tell whether there are any oats in this queer country or not. if there are, they are liable to be glass oats!" "oh, no!" exclaimed dorothy. "i can see plenty of nice gardens and fields down below us, at the edge of this city. but i wish we could find a way to get to the ground." "why don't you walk down?" asked eureka. "i'm as hungry as the horse is, and i want my milk." "will you try it, zeb?" asked the girl, turning to her companion. zeb hesitated. he was still pale and frightened, for this dreadful adventure had upset him and made him nervous and worried. but he did not wish the little girl to think him a coward, so he advanced slowly to the edge of the roof. dorothy stretched out a hand to him and zeb put one foot out and let it rest in the air a little over the edge of the roof. it seemed firm enough to walk upon, so he took courage and put out the other foot. dorothy kept hold of his hand and followed him, and soon they were both walking through the air, with the kitten frisking beside them. "come on, jim!" called the boy. "it's all right." jim had crept to the edge of the roof to look over, and being a sensible horse and quite experienced, he made up his mind that he could go where the others did. so, with a snort and a neigh and a whisk of his short tail he trotted off the roof into the air and at once began floating downward to the street. his great weight made him fall faster than the children walked, and he passed them on the way down; but when he came to the glass pavement he alighted upon it so softly that he was not even jarred. "well, well!" said dorothy, drawing a long breath, "what a strange country this is." people began to come out of the glass doors to look at the new arrivals, and pretty soon quite a crowd had assembled. there were men and women, but no children at all, and the folks were all beautifully formed and attractively dressed and had wonderfully handsome faces. there was not an ugly person in all the throng, yet dorothy was not especially pleased by the appearance of these people because their features had no more expression than the faces of dolls. they did not smile nor did they frown, or show either fear or surprise or curiosity or friendliness. they simply started at the strangers, paying most attention to jim and eureka, for they had never before seen either a horse or a cat and the children bore an outward resemblance to themselves. pretty soon a man joined the group who wore a glistening star in the dark hair just over his forehead. he seemed to be a person of authority, for the others pressed back to give him room. after turning his composed eyes first upon the animals and then upon the children he said to zeb, who was a little taller than dorothy: "tell me, intruder, was it you who caused the rain of stones?" for a moment the boy did not know what he meant by this question. then, remembering the stones that had fallen with them and passed them long before they had reached this place, he answered: "no, sir; we didn't cause anything. it was the earthquake." the man with the star stood for a time quietly thinking over this speech. then he asked: "what is an earthquake?" "i don't know," said zeb, who was still confused. but dorothy, seeing his perplexity, answered: "it's a shaking of the earth. in this quake a big crack opened and we fell through--horse and buggy, and all--and the stones got loose and came down with us." the man with the star regarded her with his calm, expressionless eyes. "the rain of stones has done much damage to our city," he said; "and we shall hold you responsible for it unless you can prove your innocence." "how can we do that?" asked the girl. "that i am not prepared to say. it is your affair, not mine. you must go to the house of the sorcerer, who will soon discover the truth." "where is the house of the sorcerer?" the girl enquired. "i will lead you to it. come!" he turned and walked down the street, and after a moment's hesitation dorothy caught eureka in her arms and climbed into the buggy. the boy took his seat beside her and said: "gid-dap jim." as the horse ambled along, drawing the buggy, the people of the glass city made way for them and formed a procession in their rear. slowly they moved down one street and up another, turning first this way and then that, until they came to an open square in the center of which was a big glass palace having a central dome and four tall spires on each corner. 3. the arrival of the wizard the doorway of the glass palace was quite big enough for the horse and buggy to enter, so zeb drove straight through it and the children found themselves in a lofty hall that was very beautiful. the people at once followed and formed a circle around the sides of the spacious room, leaving the horse and buggy and the man with the star to occupy the center of the hall. "come to us, oh, gwig!" called the man, in a loud voice. instantly a cloud of smoke appeared and rolled over the floor; then it slowly spread and ascended into the dome, disclosing a strange personage seated upon a glass throne just before jim's nose. he was formed just as were the other inhabitants of this land and his clothing only differed from theirs in being bright yellow. but he had no hair at all, and all over his bald head and face and upon the backs of his hands grew sharp thorns like those found on the branches of rose-bushes. there was even a thorn upon the tip of his nose and he looked so funny that dorothy laughed when she saw him. the sorcerer, hearing the laugh, looked toward the little girl with cold, cruel eyes, and his glance made her grow sober in an instant. "why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded land of the mangaboos?" he asked, sternly. "'cause we couldn't help it," said dorothy. "why did you wickedly and viciously send the rain of stones to crack and break our houses?" he continued. "we didn't," declared the girl. "prove it!" cried the sorcerer. "we don't have to prove it," answered dorothy, indignantly. "if you had any sense at all you'd known it was the earthquake." "we only know that yesterday came a rain of stones upon us, which did much damage and injured some of our people. today came another rain of stones, and soon after it you appeared among us." "by the way," said the man with the star, looking steadily at the sorcerer, "you told us yesterday that there would not be a second rain of stones. yet one has just occurred that was even worse than the first. what is your sorcery good for if it cannot tell us the truth?" "my sorcery does tell the truth!" declared the thorn-covered man. "i said there would be but one rain of stones. this second one was a rain of people-and-horse-and-buggy. and some stones came with them." "will there be any more rains?" asked the man with the star. "no, my prince." "neither stones nor people?" "no, my prince." "are you sure?" "quite sure, my prince. my sorcery tells me so." just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the prince after making a low bow. "more wonders in the air, my lord," said he. immediately the prince and all of his people flocked out of the hall into the street, that they might see what was about to happen. dorothy and zeb jumped out of the buggy and ran after them, but the sorcerer remained calmly in his throne. far up in the air was an object that looked like a balloon. it was not so high as the glowing star of the six colored suns, but was descending slowly through the air--so slowly that at first it scarcely seemed to move. the throng stood still and waited. it was all they could do, for to go away and leave that strange sight was impossible; nor could they hurry its fall in any way. the earth children were not noticed, being so near the average size of the mangaboos, and the horse had remained in the house of the sorcerer, with eureka curled up asleep on the seat of the buggy. gradually the balloon grew bigger, which was proof that it was settling down upon the land of the mangaboos. dorothy was surprised to find how patient the people were, for her own little heart was beating rapidly with excitement. a balloon meant to her some other arrival from the surface of the earth, and she hoped it would be some one able to assist her and zeb out of their difficulties. in an hour the balloon had come near enough for her to see a basket suspended below it; in two hours she could see a head looking over the side of the basket; in three hours the big balloon settled slowly into the great square in which they stood and came to rest on the glass pavement. then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and bowed very gracefully to the crowd of mangaboos around him. he was quite an old little man and his head was long and entirely bald. "why," cried dorothy, in amazement, "it's oz!" the little man looked toward her and seemed as much surprised as she was. but he smiled and bowed as he answered: "yes, my dear; i am oz, the great and terrible. eh? and you are little dorothy, from kansas. i remember you very well." "who did you say it was?" whispered zeb to the girl. "it's the wonderful wizard of oz. haven't you heard of him?" just then the man with the star came and stood before the wizard. "sir," said he, "why are you here, in the land of the mangaboos?" "didn't know what land it was, my son," returned the other, with a pleasant smile; "and, to be honest, i didn't mean to visit you when i started out. i live on top of the earth, your honor, which is far better than living inside it; but yesterday i went up in a balloon, and when i came down i fell into a big crack in the earth, caused by an earthquake. i had let so much gas out of my balloon that i could not rise again, and in a few minutes the earth closed over my head. so i continued to descend until i reached this place, and if you will show me a way to get out of it, i'll go with pleasure. sorry to have troubled you; but it couldn't be helped." the prince had listened with attention. said he: "this child, who is from the crust of the earth, like yourself, called you a wizard. is not a wizard something like a sorcerer?" "it's better," replied oz, promptly. "one wizard is worth three sorcerers." "ah, you shall prove that," said the prince. "we mangaboos have, at the present time, one of the most wonderful sorcerers that ever was picked from a bush; but he sometimes makes mistakes. do you ever make mistakes?" "never!" declared the wizard, boldly. "oh, oz!" said dorothy; "you made a lot of mistakes when you were in the marvelous land of oz." "nonsense!" said the little man, turning red--although just then a ray of violet sunlight was on his round face. "come with me," said the prince to him. "i wish to meet our sorcerer." the wizard did not like this invitation, but he could not refuse to accept it. so he followed the prince into the great domed hall, and dorothy and zeb came after them, while the throng of people trooped in also. there sat the thorny sorcerer in his chair of state, and when the wizard saw him he began to laugh, uttering comical little chuckles. "what an absurd creature!" he exclaimed. "he may look absurd," said the prince, in his quiet voice; "but he is an excellent sorcerer. the only fault i find with him is that he is so often wrong." "i am never wrong," answered the sorcerer. "only a short time ago you told me there would be no more rain of stones or of people," said the prince. "well, what then?" "here is another person descended from the air to prove you were wrong." "one person cannot be called 'people,'" said the sorcerer. "if two should come out of the sky you might with justice say i was wrong; but unless more than this one appears i will hold that i was right." "very clever," said the wizard, nodding his head as if pleased. "i am delighted to find humbugs inside the earth, just the same as on top of it. were you ever with a circus, brother?" "no," said the sorcerer. "you ought to join one," declared the little man seriously. "i belong to bailum & barney's great consolidated shows--three rings in one tent and a menagerie on the side. it's a fine aggregation, i assure you." "what do you do?" asked the sorcerer. "i go up in a balloon, usually, to draw the crowds to the circus. but i've just had the bad luck to come out of the sky, skip the solid earth, and land lower down than i intended. but never mind. it isn't everybody who gets a chance to see your land of the gabazoos." "mangaboos," said the sorcerer, correcting him. "if you are a wizard you ought to be able to call people by their right names." "oh, i'm a wizard; you may be sure of that. just as good a wizard as you are a sorcerer." "that remains to be seen," said the other. "if you are able to prove that you are better," said the prince to the little man, "i will make you the chief wizard of this domain. otherwise--" "what will happen otherwise?" asked the wizard. "i will stop you from living and forbid you to be planted," returned the prince. "that does not sound especially pleasant," said the little man, looking at the one with the star uneasily. "but never mind. i'll beat old prickly, all right." "my name is gwig," said the sorcerer, turning his heartless, cruel eyes upon his rival. "let me see you equal the sorcery i am about to perform." he waved a thorny hand and at once the tinkling of bells was heard, playing sweet music. yet, look where she would, dorothy could discover no bells at all in the great glass hall. the mangaboo people listened, but showed no great interest. it was one of the things gwig usually did to prove he was a sorcerer. now was the wizard's turn, so he smiled upon the assemblage and asked: "will somebody kindly loan me a hat?" no one did, because the mangaboos did not wear hats, and zeb had lost his, somehow, in his flight through the air. "ahem!" said the wizard, "will somebody please loan me a handkerchief?" but they had no handkerchiefs, either. "very good," remarked the wizard. "i'll use my own hat, if you please. now, good people, observe me carefully. you see, there is nothing up my sleeve and nothing concealed about my person. also, my hat is quite empty." he took off his hat and held it upside down, shaking it briskly. "let me see it," said the sorcerer. he took the hat and examined it carefully, returning it afterward to the wizard. "now," said the little man, "i will create something out of nothing." he placed the hat upon the glass floor, made a pass with his hand, and then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal in a tiny, shrill voice. the people watched it intently, for they had never seen a pig before, big or little. the wizard reached out, caught the wee creature in his hand, and holding its head between one thumb and finger and its tail between the other thumb and finger he pulled it apart, each of the two parts becoming a whole and separate piglet in an instant. he placed one upon the floor, so that it could run around, and pulled apart the other, making three piglets in all; and then one of these was pulled apart, making four piglets. the wizard continued this surprising performance until nine tiny piglets were running about at his feet, all squealing and grunting in a very comical way. "now," said the wizard of oz, "having created something from nothing, i will make something nothing again." with this he caught up two of the piglets and pushed them together, so that the two were one. then he caught up another piglet and pushed it into the first, where it disappeared. and so, one by one, the nine tiny piglets were pushed together until but a single one of the creatures remained. this the wizard placed underneath his hat and made a mystic sign above it. when he removed his hat the last piglet had disappeared entirely. the little man gave a bow to the silent throng that had watched him, and then the prince said, in his cold, calm voice: "you are indeed a wonderful wizard, and your powers are greater than those of my sorcerer." "he will not be a wonderful wizard long," remarked gwig. "why not?" enquired the wizard. "because i am going to stop your breath," was the reply. "i perceive that you are curiously constructed, and that if you cannot breathe you cannot keep alive." the little man looked troubled. "how long will it take you to stop my breath?" he asked. "about five minutes. i'm going to begin now. watch me carefully." he began making queer signs and passes toward the wizard; but the little man did not watch him long. instead, he drew a leathern case from his pocket and took from it several sharp knives, which he joined together, one after another, until they made a long sword. by the time he had attached a handle to this sword he was having much trouble to breathe, as the charm of the sorcerer was beginning to take effect. so the wizard lost no more time, but leaping forward he raised the sharp sword, whirled it once or twice around his head, and then gave a mighty stroke that cut the body of the sorcerer exactly in two. dorothy screamed and expected to see a terrible sight; but as the two halves of the sorcerer fell apart on the floor she saw that he had no bones or blood inside of him at all, and that the place where he was cut looked much like a sliced turnip or potato. "why, he's vegetable!" cried the wizard, astonished. "of course," said the prince. "we are all vegetable, in this country. are you not vegetable, also?" "no," answered the wizard. "people on top of the earth are all meat. will your sorcerer die?" "certainly, sir. he is really dead now, and will wither very quickly. so we must plant him at once, that other sorcerers may grow upon his bush," continued the prince. "what do you mean by that?" asked the little wizard, greatly puzzled. "if you will accompany me to our public gardens," replied the prince, "i will explain to you much better than i can here the mysteries of our vegetable kingdom." 4. the vegetable kingdom after the wizard had wiped the dampness from his sword and taken it apart and put the pieces into their leathern case again, the man with the star ordered some of his people to carry the two halves of the sorcerer to the public gardens. jim pricked up his ears when he heard they were going to the gardens, and wanted to join the party, thinking he might find something proper to eat; so zeb put down the top of the buggy and invited the wizard to ride with them. the seat was amply wide enough for the little man and the two children, and when jim started to leave the hall the kitten jumped upon his back and sat there quite contentedly. so the procession moved through the streets, the bearers of the sorcerer first, the prince next, then jim drawing the buggy with the strangers inside of it, and last the crowd of vegetable people who had no hearts and could neither smile nor frown. the glass city had several fine streets, for a good many people lived there; but when the procession had passed through these it came upon a broad plain covered with gardens and watered by many pretty brooks that flowed through it. there were paths through these gardens, and over some of the brooks were ornamental glass bridges. dorothy and zeb now got out of the buggy and walked beside the prince, so that they might see and examine the flowers and plants better. "who built these lovely bridges?" asked the little girl. "no one built them," answered the man with the star. "they grow." "that's queer," said she. "did the glass houses in your city grow, too?" "of course," he replied. "but it took a good many years for them to grow as large and fine as they are now. that is why we are so angry when a rain of stones comes to break our towers and crack our roofs." "can't you mend them?" she enquired. "no; but they will grow together again, in time, and we must wait until they do." they first passed through many beautiful gardens of flowers, which grew nearest the city; but dorothy could hardly tell what kind of flowers they were, because the colors were constantly changing under the shifting lights of the six suns. a flower would be pink one second, white the next, then blue or yellow; and it was the same way when they came to the plants, which had broad leaves and grew close to the ground. when they passed over a field of grass jim immediately stretched down his head and began to nibble. "a nice country this is," he grumbled, "where a respectable horse has to eat pink grass!" "it's violet," said the wizard, who was in the buggy. "now it's blue," complained the horse. "as a matter of fact, i'm eating rainbow grass." "how does it taste?" asked the wizard. "not bad at all," said jim. "if they give me plenty of it i'll not complain about its color." by this time the party had reached a freshly plowed field, and the prince said to dorothy: "this is our planting-ground." several mangaboos came forward with glass spades and dug a hole in the ground. then they put the two halves of the sorcerer into it and covered him up. after that other people brought water from a brook and sprinkled the earth. "he will sprout very soon," said the prince, "and grow into a large bush, from which we shall in time be able to pick several very good sorcerers." "do all your people grow on bushes?" asked the boy. "certainly," was the reply. "do not all people grow upon bushes where you came from, on the outside of the earth?" "not that i ever hear of." "how strange! but if you will come with me to one of our folk gardens i will show you the way we grow in the land of the mangaboos." it appeared that these odd people, while they were able to walk through the air with ease, usually moved upon the ground in the ordinary way. there were no stairs in their houses, because they did not need them, but on a level surface they generally walked just as we do. the little party of strangers now followed the prince across a few more of the glass bridges and along several paths until they came to a garden enclosed by a high hedge. jim had refused to leave the field of grass, where he was engaged in busily eating; so the wizard got out of the buggy and joined zeb and dorothy, and the kitten followed demurely at their heels. inside the hedge they came upon row after row of large and handsome plants with broad leaves gracefully curving until their points nearly reached the ground. in the center of each plant grew a daintily dressed mangaboo, for the clothing of all these creatures grew upon them and was attached to their bodies. the growing mangaboos were of all sizes, from the blossom that had just turned into a wee baby to the full-grown and almost ripe man or woman. on some of the bushes might be seen a bud, a blossom, a baby, a half-grown person and a ripe one; but even those ready to pluck were motionless and silent, as if devoid of life. this sight explained to dorothy why she had seen no children among the mangaboos, a thing she had until now been unable to account for. "our people do not acquire their real life until they leave their bushes," said the prince. "you will notice they are all attached to the plants by the soles of their feet, and when they are quite ripe they are easily separated from the stems and at once attain the powers of motion and speech. so while they grow they cannot be said to really live, and they must be picked before they can become good citizens." "how long do you live, after you are picked?" asked dorothy. "that depends upon the care we take of ourselves," he replied. "if we keep cool and moist, and meet with no accidents, we often live for five years. i've been picked over six years, but our family is known to be especially long lived." "do you eat?" asked the boy. "eat! no, indeed. we are quite solid inside our bodies, and have no need to eat, any more than does a potato." "but the potatoes sometimes sprout," said zeb. "and sometimes we do," answered the prince; "but that is considered a great misfortune, for then we must be planted at once." "where did you grow?" asked the wizard. "i will show you," was the reply. "step this way, please." he led them within another but smaller circle of hedge, where grew one large and beautiful bush. "this," said he, "is the royal bush of the mangaboos. all of our princes and rulers have grown upon this one bush from time immemorial." they stood before it in silent admiration. on the central stalk stood poised the figure of a girl so exquisitely formed and colored and so lovely in the expression of her delicate features that dorothy thought she had never seen so sweet and adorable a creature in all her life. the maiden's gown was soft as satin and fell about her in ample folds, while dainty lace-like traceries trimmed the bodice and sleeves. her flesh was fine and smooth as polished ivory, and her poise expressed both dignity and grace. "who is this?" asked the wizard, curiously. the prince had been staring hard at the girl on the bush. now he answered, with a touch of uneasiness in his cold tones: "she is the ruler destined to be my successor, for she is a royal princess. when she becomes fully ripe i must abandon the sovereignty of the mangaboos to her." "isn't she ripe now?" asked dorothy. he hesitated. "not quite," said he, finally. "it will be several days before she needs to be picked, or at least that is my judgment. i am in no hurry to resign my office and be planted, you may be sure." "probably not," declared the wizard, nodding. "this is one of the most unpleasant things about our vegetable lives," continued the prince, with a sigh, "that while we are in our full prime we must give way to another, and be covered up in the ground to sprout and grow and give birth to other people." "i'm sure the princess is ready to be picked," asserted dorothy, gazing hard at the beautiful girl on the bush. "she's as perfect as she can be." "never mind," answered the prince, hastily, "she will be all right for a few days longer, and it is best for me to rule until i can dispose of you strangers, who have come to our land uninvited and must be attended to at once." "what are you going to do with us?" asked zeb. "that is a matter i have not quite decided upon," was the reply. "i think i shall keep this wizard until a new sorcerer is ready to pick, for he seems quite skillful and may be of use to us. but the rest of you must be destroyed in some way, and you cannot be planted, because i do not wish horses and cats and meat people growing all over our country." "you needn't worry," said dorothy. "we wouldn't grow under ground, i'm sure." "but why destroy my friends?" asked the little wizard. "why not let them live?" "they do not belong here," returned the prince. "they have no right to be inside the earth at all." "we didn't ask to come down here; we fell," said dorothy. "that is no excuse," declared the prince, coldly. the children looked at each other in perplexity, and the wizard sighed. eureka rubbed her paw on her face and said in her soft, purring voice: "he won't need to destroy me, for if i don't get something to eat pretty soon i shall starve to death, and so save him the trouble." "if he planted you, he might grow some cat-tails," suggested the wizard. "oh, eureka! perhaps we can find you some milk-weeds to eat," said the boy. "phoo!" snarled the kitten; "i wouldn't touch the nasty things!" "you don't need milk, eureka," remarked dorothy; "you are big enough now to eat any kind of food." "if i can get it," added eureka. "i'm hungry myself," said zeb. "but i noticed some strawberries growing in one of the gardens, and some melons in another place. these people don't eat such things, so perhaps on our way back they will let us get them." "never mind your hunger," interrupted the prince. "i shall order you destroyed in a few minutes, so you will have no need to ruin our pretty melon vines and berry bushes. follow me, please, to meet your doom." 5. dorothy picks the princess the words of the cold and moist vegetable prince were not very comforting, and as he spoke them he turned away and left the enclosure. the children, feeling sad and despondent, were about to follow him when the wizard touched dorothy softly on her shoulder. "wait!" he whispered. "what for?" asked the girl. "suppose we pick the royal princess," said the wizard. "i'm quite sure she's ripe, and as soon as she comes to life she will be the ruler, and may treat us better than that heartless prince intends to." "all right!" exclaimed dorothy, eagerly. "let's pick her while we have the chance, before the man with the star comes back." so together they leaned over the great bush and each of them seized one hand of the lovely princess. "pull!" cried dorothy, and as they did so the royal lady leaned toward them and the stems snapped and separated from her feet. she was not at all heavy, so the wizard and dorothy managed to lift her gently to the ground. the beautiful creature passed her hands over her eyes an instant, tucked in a stray lock of hair that had become disarranged, and after a look around the garden made those present a gracious bow and said, in a sweet but even toned voice: "i thank you very much." "we salute your royal highness!" cried the wizard, kneeling and kissing her hand. just then the voice of the prince was heard calling upon them to hasten, and a moment later he returned to the enclosure, followed by a number of his people. instantly the princess turned and faced him, and when he saw that she was picked the prince stood still and began to tremble. "sir," said the royal lady, with much dignity, "you have wronged me greatly, and would have wronged me still more had not these strangers come to my rescue. i have been ready for picking all the past week, but because you were selfish and desired to continue your unlawful rule, you left me to stand silent upon my bush." "i did not know that you were ripe," answered the prince, in a low voice. "give me the star of royalty!" she commanded. slowly he took the shining star from his own brow and placed it upon that of the princess. then all the people bowed low to her, and the prince turned and walked away alone. what became of him afterward our friends never knew. the people of mangaboo now formed themselves into a procession and marched toward the glass city to escort their new ruler to her palace and to perform those ceremonies proper to the occasion. but while the people in the procession walked upon the ground the princess walked in the air just above their heads, to show that she was a superior being and more exalted than her subjects. no one now seemed to pay any attention to the strangers, so dorothy and zeb and the wizard let the train pass on and then wandered by themselves into the vegetable gardens. they did not bother to cross the bridges over the brooks, but when they came to a stream they stepped high and walked in the air to the other side. this was a very interesting experience to them, and dorothy said: "i wonder why it is that we can walk so easily in the air." "perhaps," answered the wizard, "it is because we are close to the center of the earth, where the attraction of gravitation is very slight. but i've noticed that many queer things happen in fairy countries." "is this a fairy country?" asked the boy. "of course it is," returned dorothy promptly. "only a fairy country could have veg'table people; and only in a fairy country could eureka and jim talk as we do." "that's true," said zeb, thoughtfully. in the vegetable gardens they found the strawberries and melons, and several other unknown but delicious fruits, of which they ate heartily. but the kitten bothered them constantly by demanding milk or meat, and called the wizard names because he could not bring her a dish of milk by means of his magical arts. as they sat upon the grass watching jim, who was still busily eating, eureka said: "i don't believe you are a wizard at all!" "no," answered the little man, "you are quite right. in the strict sense of the word i am not a wizard, but only a humbug." "the wizard of oz has always been a humbug," agreed dorothy. "i've known him for a long time." "if that is so," said the boy, "how could he do that wonderful trick with the nine tiny piglets?" "don't know," said dorothy, "but it must have been humbug." "very true," declared the wizard, nodding at her. "it was necessary to deceive that ugly sorcerer and the prince, as well as their stupid people; but i don't mind telling you, who are my friends, that the thing was only a trick." "but i saw the little pigs with my own eyes!" exclaimed zeb. "so did i," purred the kitten. "to be sure," answered the wizard. "you saw them because they were there. they are in my inside pocket now. but the pulling of them apart and pushing them together again was only a sleight-of-hand trick." "let's see the pigs," said eureka, eagerly. the little man felt carefully in his pocket and pulled out the tiny piglets, setting them upon the grass one by one, where they ran around and nibbled the tender blades. "they're hungry, too," he said. "oh, what cunning things!" cried dorothy, catching up one and petting it. "be careful!" said the piglet, with a squeal, "you're squeezing me!" "dear me!" murmured the wizard, looking at his pets in astonishment. "they can actually talk!" "may i eat one of them?" asked the kitten, in a pleading voice. "i'm awfully hungry." "why, eureka," said dorothy, reproachfully, "what a cruel question! it would be dreadful to eat these dear little things." "i should say so!" grunted another of the piglets, looking uneasily at the kitten; "cats are cruel things." "i'm not cruel," replied the kitten, yawning. "i'm just hungry." "you cannot eat my piglets, even if you are starving," declared the little man, in a stern voice. "they are the only things i have to prove i'm a wizard." "how did they happen to be so little?" asked dorothy. "i never saw such small pigs before." "they are from the island of teenty-weent," said the wizard, "where everything is small because it's a small island. a sailor brought them to los angeles and i gave him nine tickets to the circus for them." "but what am i going to eat?" wailed the kitten, sitting in front of dorothy and looking pleadingly into her face. "there are no cows here to give milk; or any mice, or even grasshoppers. and if i can't eat the piglets you may as well plant me at once and raise catsup." "i have an idea," said the wizard, "that there are fishes in these brooks. do you like fish?" "fish!" cried the kitten. "do i like fish? why, they're better than piglets--or even milk!" "then i'll try to catch you some," said he. "but won't they be veg'table, like everything else here?" asked the kitten. "i think not. fishes are not animals, and they are as cold and moist as the vegetables themselves. there is no reason, that i can see, why they may not exist in the waters of this strange country." then the wizard bent a pin for a hook and took a long piece of string from his pocket for a fish-line. the only bait he could find was a bright red blossom from a flower; but he knew fishes are easy to fool if anything bright attracts their attention, so he decided to try the blossom. having thrown the end of his line in the water of a nearby brook he soon felt a sharp tug that told him a fish had bitten and was caught on the bent pin; so the little man drew in the string and, sure enough, the fish came with it and was landed safely on the shore, where it began to flop around in great excitement. the fish was fat and round, and its scales glistened like beautifully cut jewels set close together; but there was no time to examine it closely, for eureka made a jump and caught it between her claws, and in a few moments it had entirely disappeared. "oh, eureka!" cried dorothy, "did you eat the bones?" "if it had any bones, i ate them," replied the kitten, composedly, as it washed its face after the meal. "but i don't think that fish had any bones, because i didn't feel them scratch my throat." "you were very greedy," said the girl. "i was very hungry," replied the kitten. the little pigs had stood huddled in a group, watching this scene with frightened eyes. "cats are dreadful creatures!" said one of them. "i'm glad we are not fishes!" said another. "don't worry," dorothy murmured, soothingly, "i'll not let the kitten hurt you." then she happened to remember that in a corner of her suit-case were one or two crackers that were left over from her luncheon on the train, and she went to the buggy and brought them. eureka stuck up her nose at such food, but the tiny piglets squealed delightedly at the sight of the crackers and ate them up in a jiffy. "now let us go back to the city," suggested the wizard. "that is, if jim has had enough of the pink grass." the cab-horse, who was browsing near, lifted his head with a sigh. "i've tried to eat a lot while i had the chance," said he, "for it's likely to be a long while between meals in this strange country. but i'm ready to go, now, at any time you wish." so, after the wizard had put the piglets back into his inside pocket, where they cuddled up and went to sleep, the three climbed into the buggy and jim started back to the town. "where shall we stay?" asked the girl. "i think i shall take possession of the house of the sorcerer," replied the wizard; "for the prince said in the presence of his people that he would keep me until they picked another sorcerer, and the new princess won't know but that we belong there." they agreed to this plan, and when they reached the great square jim drew the buggy into the big door of the domed hall. "it doesn't look very homelike," said dorothy, gazing around at the bare room. "but it's a place to stay, anyhow." "what are those holes up there?" enquired the boy, pointing to some openings that appeared near the top of the dome. "they look like doorways," said dorothy; "only there are no stairs to get to them." "you forget that stairs are unnecessary," observed the wizard. "let us walk up, and see where the doors lead to." with this he began walking in the air toward the high openings, and dorothy and zeb followed him. it was the same sort of climb one experiences when walking up a hill, and they were nearly out of breath when they came to the row of openings, which they perceived to be doorways leading into halls in the upper part of the house. following these halls they discovered many small rooms opening from them, and some were furnished with glass benches, tables and chairs. but there were no beds at all. "i wonder if these people never sleep," said the girl. "why, there seems to be no night at all in this country," zeb replied. "those colored suns are exactly in the same place they were when we came, and if there is no sunset there can be no night." "very true," agreed the wizard. "but it is a long time since i have had any sleep, and i'm tired. so i think i shall lie down upon one of these hard glass benches and take a nap." "i will, too," said dorothy, and chose a little room at the end of the hall. zeb walked down again to unharness jim, who, when he found himself free, rolled over a few times and then settled down to sleep, with eureka nestling comfortably beside his big, boney body. then the boy returned to one of the upper rooms, and in spite of the hardness of the glass bench was soon deep in slumberland. 6. the mangaboos prove dangerous when the wizard awoke the six colored suns were shining down upon the land of the mangaboos just as they had done ever since his arrival. the little man, having had a good sleep, felt rested and refreshed, and looking through the glass partition of the room he saw zeb sitting up on his bench and yawning. so the wizard went in to him. "zeb," said he, "my balloon is of no further use in this strange country, so i may as well leave it on the square where it fell. but in the basket-car are some things i would like to keep with me. i wish you would go and fetch my satchel, two lanterns, and a can of kerosene oil that is under the seat. there is nothing else that i care about." so the boy went willingly upon the errand, and by the time he had returned dorothy was awake. then the three held a counsel to decide what they should do next, but could think of no way to better their condition. "i don't like these veg'table people," said the little girl. "they're cold and flabby, like cabbages, in spite of their prettiness." "i agree with you. it is because there is no warm blood in them," remarked the wizard. "and they have no hearts; so they can't love anyone--not even themselves," declared the boy. "the princess is lovely to look at," continued dorothy, thoughtfully; "but i don't care much for her, after all. if there was any other place to go, i'd like to go there." "but is there any other place?" asked the wizard. "i don't know," she answered. just then they heard the big voice of jim the cab-horse calling to them, and going to the doorway leading to the dome they found the princess and a throng of her people had entered the house of the sorcerer. so they went down to greet the beautiful vegetable lady, who said to them: "i have been talking with my advisors about you meat people, and we have decided that you do not belong in the land of the mangaboos and must not remain here." "how can we go away?" asked dorothy. "oh, you cannot go away, of course; so you must be destroyed," was the answer. "in what way?" enquired the wizard. "we shall throw you three people into the garden of the twining vines," said the princess, "and they will soon crush you and devour your bodies to make themselves grow bigger. the animals you have with you we will drive to the mountains and put into the black pit. then our country will be rid of all its unwelcome visitors." "but you are in need of a sorcerer," said the wizard, "and not one of those growing is yet ripe enough to pick. i am greater than any thorn-covered sorcerer that every grew in your garden. why destroy me?" "it is true we need a sorcerer," acknowledged the princess, "but i am informed that one of our own will be ready to pick in a few days, to take the place of gwig, whom you cut in two before it was time for him to be planted. let us see your arts, and the sorceries you are able to perform. then i will decide whether to destroy you with the others or not." at this the wizard made a bow to the people and repeated his trick of producing the nine tiny piglets and making them disappear again. he did it very cleverly, indeed, and the princess looked at the strange piglets as if she were as truly astonished as any vegetable person could be. but afterward she said: "i have heard of this wonderful magic. but it accomplishes nothing of value. what else can you do?" the wizard tried to think. then he jointed together the blades of his sword and balanced it very skillfully upon the end of his nose. but even that did not satisfy the princess. just then his eye fell upon the lanterns and the can of kerosene oil which zeb had brought from the car of his balloon, and he got a clever idea from those commonplace things. "your highness," said he, "i will now proceed to prove my magic by creating two suns that you have never seen before; also i will exhibit a destroyer much more dreadful that your clinging vines." so he placed dorothy upon one side of him and the boy upon the other and set a lantern upon each of their heads. "don't laugh," he whispered to them, "or you will spoil the effect of my magic." then, with much dignity and a look of vast importance upon his wrinkled face, the wizard got out his match-box and lighted the two lanterns. the glare they made was very small when compared with the radiance of the six great colored suns; but still they gleamed steadily and clearly. the mangaboos were much impressed because they had never before seen any light that did not come directly from their suns. next the wizard poured a pool of oil from the can upon the glass floor, where it covered quite a broad surface. when he lighted the oil a hundred tongues of flame shot up, and the effect was really imposing. "now, princess," exclaimed the wizard, "those of your advisors who wished to throw us into the garden of clinging vines must step within this circle of light. if they advised you well, and were in the right, they will not be injured in any way. but if any advised you wrongly, the light will wither him." the advisors of the princess did not like this test; but she commanded them to step into the flame and one by one they did so, and were scorched so badly that the air was soon filled with an odor like that of baked potatoes. some of the mangaboos fell down and had to be dragged from the fire, and all were so withered that it would be necessary to plant them at once. "sir," said the princess to the wizard, "you are greater than any sorcerer we have ever known. as it is evident that my people have advised me wrongly, i will not cast you three people into the dreadful garden of the clinging vines; but your animals must be driven into the black pit in the mountain, for my subjects cannot bear to have them around." the wizard was so pleased to have saved the two children and himself that he said nothing against this decree; but when the princess had gone both jim and eureka protested they did not want to go to the black pit, and dorothy promised she would do all that she could to save them from such a fate. for two or three days after this--if we call days the periods between sleep, there being no night to divide the hours into days--our friends were not disturbed in any way. they were even permitted to occupy the house of the sorcerer in peace, as if it had been their own, and to wander in the gardens in search of food. once they came near to the enclosed garden of the clinging vines, and walking high into the air looked down upon it with much interest. they saw a mass of tough green vines all matted together and writhing and twisting around like a nest of great snakes. everything the vines touched they crushed, and our adventurers were indeed thankful to have escaped being cast among them. whenever the wizard went to sleep he would take the nine tiny piglets from his pocket and let them run around on the floor of his room to amuse themselves and get some exercise; and one time they found his glass door ajar and wandered into the hall and then into the bottom part of the great dome, walking through the air as easily as eureka could. they knew the kitten, by this time, so they scampered over to where she lay beside jim and commenced to frisk and play with her. the cab-horse, who never slept long at a time, sat upon his haunches and watched the tiny piglets and the kitten with much approval. "don't be rough!" he would call out, if eureka knocked over one of the round, fat piglets with her paw; but the pigs never minded, and enjoyed the sport very greatly. suddenly they looked up to find the room filled with the silent, solemn-eyed mangaboos. each of the vegetable folks bore a branch covered with sharp thorns, which was thrust defiantly toward the horse, the kitten and the piglets. "here--stop this foolishness!" jim roared, angrily; but after being pricked once or twice he got upon his four legs and kept out of the way of the thorns. the mangaboos surrounded them in solid ranks, but left an opening to the doorway of the hall; so the animals slowly retreated until they were driven from the room and out upon the street. here were more of the vegetable people with thorns, and silently they urged the now frightened creatures down the street. jim had to be careful not to step upon the tiny piglets, who scampered under his feet grunting and squealing, while eureka, snarling and biting at the thorns pushed toward her, also tried to protect the pretty little things from injury. slowly but steadily the heartless mangaboos drove them on, until they had passed through the city and the gardens and come to the broad plains leading to the mountain. "what does all this mean, anyhow?" asked the horse, jumping to escape a thorn. "why, they are driving us toward the black pit, into which they threatened to cast us," replied the kitten. "if i were as big as you are, jim, i'd fight these miserable turnip-roots!" "what would you do?" enquired jim. "i'd kick out with those long legs and iron-shod hoofs." "all right," said the horse; "i'll do it." an instant later he suddenly backed toward the crowd of mangaboos and kicked out his hind legs as hard as he could. a dozen of them smashed together and tumbled to the ground, and seeing his success jim kicked again and again, charging into the vegetable crowd, knocking them in all directions and sending the others scattering to escape his iron heels. eureka helped him by flying into the faces of the enemy and scratching and biting furiously, and the kitten ruined so many vegetable complexions that the mangaboos feared her as much as they did the horse. but the foes were too many to be repulsed for long. they tired jim and eureka out, and although the field of battle was thickly covered with mashed and disabled mangaboos, our animal friends had to give up at last and allow themselves to be driven to the mountain. 7. into the black pit and out again when they came to the mountain it proved to be a rugged, towering chunk of deep green glass, and looked dismal and forbidding in the extreme. half way up the steep was a yawning cave, black as night beyond the point where the rainbow rays of the colored suns reached into it. the mangaboos drove the horse and the kitten and the piglets into this dark hole and then, having pushed the buggy in after them--for it seemed some of them had dragged it all the way from the domed hall--they began to pile big glass rocks within the entrance, so that the prisoners could not get out again. "this is dreadful!" groaned jim. "it will be about the end of our adventures, i guess." "if the wizard was here," said one of the piglets, sobbing bitterly, "he would not see us suffer so." "we ought to have called him and dorothy when we were first attacked," added eureka. "but never mind; be brave, my friends, and i will go and tell our masters where you are, and get them to come to your rescue." the mouth of the hole was nearly filled up now, but the kitten gave a leap through the remaining opening and at once scampered up into the air. the mangaboos saw her escape, and several of them caught up their thorns and gave chase, mounting through the air after her. eureka, however, was lighter than the mangaboos, and while they could mount only about a hundred feet above the earth the kitten found she could go nearly two hundred feet. so she ran along over their heads until she had left them far behind and below and had come to the city and the house of the sorcerer. there she entered in at dorothy's window in the dome and aroused her from her sleep. as soon as the little girl knew what had happened she awakened the wizard and zeb, and at once preparations were made to go to the rescue of jim and the piglets. the wizard carried his satchel, which was quite heavy, and zeb carried the two lanterns and the oil can. dorothy's wicker suit-case was still under the seat of the buggy, and by good fortune the boy had also placed the harness in the buggy when he had taken it off from jim to let the horse lie down and rest. so there was nothing for the girl to carry but the kitten, which she held close to her bosom and tried to comfort, for its little heart was still beating rapidly. some of the mangaboos discovered them as soon as they left the house of the sorcerer; but when they started toward the mountain the vegetable people allowed them to proceed without interference, yet followed in a crowd behind them so that they could not go back again. before long they neared the black pit, where a busy swarm of mangaboos, headed by their princess, was engaged in piling up glass rocks before the entrance. "stop, i command you!" cried the wizard, in an angry tone, and at once began pulling down the rocks to liberate jim and the piglets. instead of opposing him in this they stood back in silence until he had made a good-sized hole in the barrier, when by order of the princess they all sprang forward and thrust out their sharp thorns. dorothy hopped inside the opening to escape being pricked, and zeb and the wizard, after enduring a few stabs from the thorns, were glad to follow her. at once the mangaboos began piling up the rocks of glass again, and as the little man realized that they were all about to be entombed in the mountain he said to the children: "my dears, what shall we do? jump out and fight?" "what's the use?" replied dorothy. "i'd as soon die here as live much longer among these cruel and heartless people." "that's the way i feel about it," remarked zeb, rubbing his wounds. "i've had enough of the mangaboos." "all right," said the wizard; "i'm with you, whatever you decide. but we can't live long in this cavern, that's certain." noticing that the light was growing dim he picked up his nine piglets, patted each one lovingly on its fat little head, and placed them carefully in his inside pocket. zeb struck a match and lighted one of the lanterns. the rays of the colored suns were now shut out from them forever, for the last chinks had been filled up in the wall that separated their prison from the land of the mangaboos. "how big is this hole?" asked dorothy. "i'll explore it and see," replied the boy. so he carried the lantern back for quite a distance, while dorothy and the wizard followed at his side. the cavern did not come to an end, as they had expected it would, but slanted upward through the great glass mountain, running in a direction that promised to lead them to the side opposite the mangaboo country. "it isn't a bad road," observed the wizard, "and if we followed it it might lead us to some place that is more comfortable than this black pocket we are now in. i suppose the vegetable folk were always afraid to enter this cavern because it is dark; but we have our lanterns to light the way, so i propose that we start out and discover where this tunnel in the mountain leads to." the others agreed readily to this sensible suggestion, and at once the boy began to harness jim to the buggy. when all was in readiness the three took their seats in the buggy and jim started cautiously along the way, zeb driving while the wizard and dorothy each held a lighted lantern so the horse could see where to go. sometimes the tunnel was so narrow that the wheels of the buggy grazed the sides; then it would broaden out as wide as a street; but the floor was usually smooth, and for a long time they travelled on without any accident. jim stopped sometimes to rest, for the climb was rather steep and tiresome. "we must be nearly as high as the six colored suns, by this time," said dorothy. "i didn't know this mountain was so tall." "we are certainly a good distance away from the land of the mangaboos," added zeb; "for we have slanted away from it ever since we started." but they kept steadily moving, and just as jim was about tired out with his long journey the way suddenly grew lighter, and zeb put out the lanterns to save the oil. to their joy they found it was a white light that now greeted them, for all were weary of the colored rainbow lights which, after a time, had made their eyes ache with their constantly shifting rays. the sides of the tunnel showed before them like the inside of a long spy-glass, and the floor became more level. jim hastened his lagging steps at this assurance of a quick relief from the dark passage, and in a few moments more they had emerged from the mountain and found themselves face to face with a new and charming country. 8. the valley of voices by journeying through the glass mountain they had reached a delightful valley that was shaped like the hollow of a great cup, with another rugged mountain showing on the other side of it, and soft and pretty green hills at the ends. it was all laid out into lovely lawns and gardens, with pebble paths leading through them and groves of beautiful and stately trees dotting the landscape here and there. there were orchards, too, bearing luscious fruits that are all unknown in our world. alluring brooks of crystal water flowed sparkling between their flower-strewn banks, while scattered over the valley were dozens of the quaintest and most picturesque cottages our travelers had ever beheld. none of them were in clusters, such as villages or towns, but each had ample grounds of its own, with orchards and gardens surrounding it. as the new arrivals gazed upon this exquisite scene they were enraptured by its beauties and the fragrance that permeated the soft air, which they breathed so gratefully after the confined atmosphere of the tunnel. several minutes were consumed in silent admiration before they noticed two very singular and unusual facts about this valley. one was that it was lighted from some unseen source; for no sun or moon was in the arched blue sky, although every object was flooded with a clear and perfect light. the second and even more singular fact was the absence of any inhabitant of this splendid place. from their elevated position they could overlook the entire valley, but not a single moving object could they see. all appeared mysteriously deserted. the mountain on this side was not glass, but made of a stone similar to granite. with some difficulty and danger jim drew the buggy over the loose rocks until he reached the green lawns below, where the paths and orchards and gardens began. the nearest cottage was still some distance away. "isn't it fine?" cried dorothy, in a joyous voice, as she sprang out of the buggy and let eureka run frolicking over the velvety grass. "yes, indeed!" answered zeb. "we were lucky to get away from those dreadful vegetable people." "it wouldn't be so bad," remarked the wizard, gazing around him, "if we were obliged to live here always. we couldn't find a prettier place, i'm sure." he took the piglets from his pocket and let them run on the grass, and jim tasted a mouthful of the green blades and declared he was very contented in his new surroundings. "we can't walk in the air here, though," called eureka, who had tried it and failed; but the others were satisfied to walk on the ground, and the wizard said they must be nearer the surface of the earth then they had been in the mangaboo country, for everything was more homelike and natural. "but where are the people?" asked dorothy. the little man shook his bald head. "can't imagine, my dear," he replied. they heard the sudden twittering of a bird, but could not find the creature anywhere. slowly they walked along the path toward the nearest cottage, the piglets racing and gambolling beside them and jim pausing at every step for another mouthful of grass. presently they came to a low plant which had broad, spreading leaves, in the center of which grew a single fruit about as large as a peach. the fruit was so daintily colored and so fragrant, and looked so appetizing and delicious that dorothy stopped and exclaimed: "what is it, do you s'pose?" the piglets had smelled the fruit quickly, and before the girl could reach out her hand to pluck it every one of the nine tiny ones had rushed in and commenced to devour it with great eagerness. "it's good, anyway," said zeb, "or those little rascals wouldn't have gobbled it up so greedily." "where are they?" asked dorothy, in astonishment. they all looked around, but the piglets had disappeared. "dear me!" cried the wizard; "they must have run away. but i didn't see them go; did you?" "no!" replied the boy and the girl, together. "here,--piggy, piggy, piggy!" called their master, anxiously. several squeals and grunts were instantly heard at his feet, but the wizard could not discover a single piglet. "where are you?" he asked. "why, right beside you," spoke a tiny voice. "can't you see us?" "no," answered the little man, in a puzzled tone. "we can see you," said another of the piglets. the wizard stooped down and put out his hand, and at once felt the small fat body of one of his pets. he picked it up, but could not see what he held. "it is very strange," said he, soberly. "the piglets have become invisible, in some curious way." "i'll bet it's because they ate that peach!" cried the kitten. "it wasn't a peach, eureka," said dorothy. "i only hope it wasn't poison." "it was fine, dorothy," called one of the piglets. "we'll eat all we can find of them," said another. "but we mus'n't eat them," the wizard warned the children, "or we too may become invisible, and lose each other. if we come across another of the strange fruit we must avoid it." calling the piglets to him he picked them all up, one by one, and put them away in his pocket; for although he could not see them he could feel them, and when he had buttoned his coat he knew they were safe for the present. the travellers now resumed their walk toward the cottage, which they presently reached. it was a pretty place, with vines growing thickly over the broad front porch. the door stood open and a table was set in the front room, with four chairs drawn up to it. on the table were plates, knives and forks, and dishes of bread, meat and fruits. the meat was smoking hot and the knives and forks were performing strange antics and jumping here and there in quite a puzzling way. but not a single person appeared to be in the room. "how funny!" exclaimed dorothy, who with zeb and the wizard now stood in the doorway. a peal of merry laughter answered her, and the knives and forks fell to the plates with a clatter. one of the chairs pushed back from the table, and this was so astonishing and mysterious that dorothy was almost tempted to run away in fright. "here are strangers, mama!" cried the shrill and childish voice of some unseen person. "so i see, my dear," answered another voice, soft and womanly. "what do you want?" demanded a third voice, in a stern, gruff accent. "well, well!" said the wizard; "are there really people in this room?" "of course," replied the man's voice. "and--pardon me for the foolish question--but, are you all invisible?" "surely," the woman answered, repeating her low, rippling laughter. "are you surprised that you are unable to see the people of voe?" "why, yes," stammered the wizard. "all the people i have ever met before were very plain to see." "where do you come from, then?" asked the woman, in a curious tone. "we belong upon the face of the earth," explained the wizard, "but recently, during an earthquake, we fell down a crack and landed in the country of the mangaboos." "dreadful creatures!" exclaimed the woman's voice. "i've heard of them." "they walled us up in a mountain," continued the wizard; "but we found there was a tunnel through to this side, so we came here. it is a beautiful place. what do you call it?" "it is the valley of voe." "thank you. we have seen no people since we arrived, so we came to this house to enquire our way." "are you hungry?" asked the woman's voice. "i could eat something," said dorothy. "so could i," added zeb. "but we do not wish to intrude, i assure you," the wizard hastened to say. "that's all right," returned the man's voice, more pleasantly than before. "you are welcome to what we have." as he spoke the voice came so near to zeb that he jumped back in alarm. two childish voices laughed merrily at this action, and dorothy was sure they were in no danger among such light-hearted folks, even if those folks couldn't be seen. "what curious animal is that which is eating the grass on my lawn?" enquired the man's voice. "that's jim," said the girl. "he's a horse." "what is he good for?" was the next question. "he draws the buggy you see fastened to him, and we ride in the buggy instead of walking," she explained. "can he fight?" asked the man's voice. "no! he can kick pretty hard with his heels, and bite a little; but jim can't 'zactly fight," she replied. "then the bears will get him," said one of the children's voices. "bears!" exclaimed dorothy. "are these bears here?" "that is the one evil of our country," answered the invisible man. "many large and fierce bears roam in the valley of voe, and when they can catch any of us they eat us up; but as they cannot see us, we seldom get caught." "are the bears invis'ble, too?" asked the girl. "yes; for they eat of the dama-fruit, as we all do, and that keeps them from being seen by any eye, whether human or animal." "does the dama-fruit grow on a low bush, and look something like a peach?" asked the wizard. "yes," was the reply. "if it makes you invis'ble, why do you eat it?" dorothy enquired. "for two reasons, my dear," the woman's voice answered. "the dama-fruit is the most delicious thing that grows, and when it makes us invisible the bears cannot find us to eat us up. but now, good wanderers, your luncheon is on the table, so please sit down and eat as much as you like." 9. they fight the invisible bears the strangers took their seats at the table willingly enough, for they were all hungry and the platters were now heaped with good things to eat. in front of each place was a plate bearing one of the delicious dama-fruit, and the perfume that rose from these was so enticing and sweet that they were sorely tempted to eat of them and become invisible. but dorothy satisfied her hunger with other things, and her companions did likewise, resisting the temptation. "why do you not eat the damas?" asked the woman's voice. "we don't want to get invis'ble," answered the girl. "but if you remain visible the bears will see you and devour you," said a girlish young voice, that belonged to one of the children. "we who live here much prefer to be invisible; for we can still hug and kiss one another, and are quite safe from the bears." "and we do not have to be so particular about our dress," remarked the man. "and mama can't tell whether my face is dirty or not!" added the other childish voice, gleefully. "but i make you wash it, every time i think of it," said the mother; "for it stands to reason your face is dirty, ianu, whether i can see it or not." dorothy laughed and stretched out her hands. "come here, please--ianu and your sister--and let me feel of you," she requested. they came to her willingly, and dorothy passed her hands over their faces and forms and decided one was a girl of about her own age and the other a boy somewhat smaller. the girl's hair was soft and fluffy and her skin as smooth as satin. when dorothy gently touched her nose and ears and lips they seemed to be well and delicately formed. "if i could see you i am sure you would be beautiful," she declared. the girl laughed, and her mother said: "we are not vain in the valley of voe, because we can not display our beauty, and good actions and pleasant ways are what make us lovely to our companions. yet we can see and appreciate the beauties of nature, the dainty flowers and trees, the green fields and the clear blue of the sky." "how about the birds and beasts and fishes?" asked zeb. "the birds we cannot see, because they love to eat of the damas as much as we do; yet we hear their sweet songs and enjoy them. neither can we see the cruel bears, for they also eat the fruit. but the fishes that swim in our brooks we can see, and often we catch them to eat." "it occurs to me you have a great deal to make you happy, even while invisible," remarked the wizard. "nevertheless, we prefer to remain visible while we are in your valley." just then eureka came in, for she had been until now wandering outside with jim; and when the kitten saw the table set with food she cried out: "now you must feed me, dorothy, for i'm half starved." the children were inclined to be frightened by the sight of the small animal, which reminded them of the bears; but dorothy reassured them by explaining that eureka was a pet and could do no harm even if she wished to. then, as the others had by this time moved away from the table, the kitten sprang upon the chair and put her paws upon the cloth to see what there was to eat. to her surprise an unseen hand clutched her and held her suspended in the air. eureka was frantic with terror, and tried to scratch and bite, so the next moment she was dropped to the floor. "did you see that, dorothy?" she gasped. "yes, dear," her mistress replied; "there are people living in this house, although we cannot see them. and you must have better manners, eureka, or something worse will happen to you." she placed a plate of food upon the floor and the kitten ate greedily. "give me that nice-smelling fruit i saw on the table," she begged, when she had cleaned the plate. "those are damas," said dorothy, "and you must never even taste them, eureka, or you'll get invis'ble, and then we can't see you at all." the kitten gazed wistfully at the forbidden fruit. "does it hurt to be invis'ble?" she asked. "i don't know," dorothy answered; "but it would hurt me dre'fully to lose you." "very well, i won't touch it," decided the kitten; "but you must keep it away from me, for the smell is very tempting." "can you tell us, sir or ma'am," said the wizard, addressing the air because he did not quite know where the unseen people stood, "if there is any way we can get out of your beautiful valley, and on top of the earth again." "oh, one can leave the valley easily enough," answered the man's voice; "but to do so you must enter a far less pleasant country. as for reaching the top of the earth, i have never heard that it is possible to do that, and if you succeeded in getting there you would probably fall off." "oh, no," said dorothy, "we've been there, and we know." "the valley of voe is certainly a charming place," resumed the wizard; "but we cannot be contented in any other land than our own, for long. even if we should come to unpleasant places on our way it is necessary, in order to reach the earth's surface, to keep moving on toward it." "in that case," said the man, "it will be best for you to cross our valley and mount the spiral staircase inside the pyramid mountain. the top of that mountain is lost in the clouds, and when you reach it you will be in the awful land of naught, where the gargoyles live." "what are gargoyles?" asked zeb. "i do not know, young sir. our greatest champion, overman-anu, once climbed the spiral stairway and fought nine days with the gargoyles before he could escape them and come back; but he could never be induced to describe the dreadful creatures, and soon afterward a bear caught him and ate him up." the wanders were rather discouraged by this gloomy report, but dorothy said with a sigh: "if the only way to get home is to meet the gurgles, then we've got to meet 'em. they can't be worse than the wicked witch or the nome king." "but you must remember you had the scarecrow and the tin woodman to help you conquer those enemies," suggested the wizard. "just now, my dear, there is not a single warrior in your company." "oh, i guess zeb could fight if he had to. couldn't you, zeb?" asked the little girl. "perhaps; if i had to," answered zeb, doubtfully. "and you have the jointed sword that you chopped the veg'table sorcerer in two with," the girl said to the little man. "true," he replied; "and in my satchel are other useful things to fight with." "what the gargoyles most dread is a noise," said the man's voice. "our champion told me that when he shouted his battle-cry the creatures shuddered and drew back, hesitating to continue the combat. but they were in great numbers, and the champion could not shout much because he had to save his breath for fighting." "very good," said the wizard; "we can all yell better than we can fight, so we ought to defeat the gargoyles." "but tell me," said dorothy, "how did such a brave champion happen to let the bears eat him? and if he was invis'ble, and the bears invis'ble, who knows that they really ate him up?" "the champion had killed eleven bears in his time," returned the unseen man; "and we know this is true because when any creature is dead the invisible charm of the dama-fruit ceases to be active, and the slain one can be plainly seen by all eyes. when the champion killed a bear everyone could see it; and when the bears killed the champion we all saw several pieces of him scattered about, which of course disappeared again when the bears devoured them." they now bade farewell to the kind but unseen people of the cottage, and after the man had called their attention to a high, pyramid-shaped mountain on the opposite side of the valley, and told them how to travel in order to reach it, they again started upon their journey. they followed the course of a broad stream and passed several more pretty cottages; but of course they saw no one, nor did any one speak to them. fruits and flowers grew plentifully all about, and there were many of the delicious damas that the people of voe were so fond of. about noon they stopped to allow jim to rest in the shade of a pretty orchard, and while they plucked and ate some of the cherries and plums that grew there a soft voice suddenly said to them: "there are bears near by. be careful." the wizard got out his sword at once, and zeb grabbed the horse-whip. dorothy climbed into the buggy, although jim had been unharnessed from it and was grazing some distance away. the owner of the unseen voice laughed lightly and said: "you cannot escape the bears that way." "how can we 'scape?" asked dorothy, nervously, for an unseen danger is always the hardest to face. "you must take to the river," was the reply. "the bears will not venture upon the water." "but we would be drowned!" exclaimed the girl. "oh, there is no need of that," said the voice, which from its gentle tones seemed to belong to a young girl. "you are strangers in the valley of voe, and do not seem to know our ways; so i will try to save you." the next moment a broad-leaved plant was jerked from the ground where it grew and held suspended in the air before the wizard. "sir," said the voice, "you must rub these leaves upon the soles of all your feet, and then you will be able to walk upon the water without sinking below the surface. it is a secret the bears do not know, and we people of voe usually walk upon the water when we travel, and so escape our enemies." "thank you!" cried the wizard, joyfully, and at once rubbed a leaf upon the soles of dorothy's shoes and then upon his own. the girl took a leaf and rubbed it upon the kitten's paws, and the rest of the plant was handed to zeb, who, after applying it to his own feet, carefully rubbed it upon all four of jim's hoofs and then upon the tires of the buggy-wheels. he had nearly finished this last task when a low growling was suddenly heard and the horse began to jump around and kick viciously with his heels. "quick! to the water or you are lost!" cried their unseen friend, and without hesitation the wizard drew the buggy down the bank and out upon the broad river, for dorothy was still seated in it with eureka in her arms. they did not sink at all, owing to the virtues of the strange plant they had used, and when the buggy was in the middle of the stream the wizard returned to the bank to assist zeb and jim. the horse was plunging madly about, and two or three deep gashes appeared upon its flanks, from which the blood flowed freely. "run for the river!" shouted the wizard, and jim quickly freed himself from his unseen tormenters by a few vicious kicks and then obeyed. as soon as he trotted out upon the surface of the river he found himself safe from pursuit, and zeb was already running across the water toward dorothy. as the little wizard turned to follow them he felt a hot breath against his cheek and heard a low, fierce growl. at once he began stabbing at the air with his sword, and he knew that he had struck some substance because when he drew back the blade it was dripping with blood. the third time that he thrust out the weapon there was a loud roar and a fall, and suddenly at his feet appeared the form of a great red bear, which was nearly as big as the horse and much stronger and fiercer. the beast was quite dead from the sword thrusts, and after a glance at its terrible claws and sharp teeth the little man turned in a panic and rushed out upon the water, for other menacing growls told him more bears were near. on the river, however, the adventurers seemed to be perfectly safe. dorothy and the buggy had floated slowly down stream with the current of the water, and the others made haste to join her. the wizard opened his satchel and got out some sticking-plaster with which he mended the cuts jim had received from the claws of the bears. "i think we'd better stick to the river, after this," said dorothy. "if our unknown friend hadn't warned us, and told us what to do, we would all be dead by this time." "that is true," agreed the wizard, "and as the river seems to be flowing in the direction of the pyramid mountain it will be the easiest way for us to travel." zeb hitched jim to the buggy again, and the horse trotted along and drew them rapidly over the smooth water. the kitten was at first dreadfully afraid of getting wet, but dorothy let her down and soon eureka was frisking along beside the buggy without being scared a bit. once a little fish swam too near the surface, and the kitten grabbed it in her mouth and ate it up as quick as a wink; but dorothy cautioned her to be careful what she ate in this valley of enchantments, and no more fishes were careless enough to swim within reach. after a journey of several hours they came to a point where the river curved, and they found they must cross a mile or so of the valley before they came to the pyramid mountain. there were few houses in this part, and few orchards or flowers; so our friends feared they might encounter more of the savage bears, which they had learned to dread with all their hearts. "you'll have to make a dash, jim," said the wizard, "and run as fast as you can go." "all right," answered the horse; "i'll do my best. but you must remember i'm old, and my dashing days are past and gone." all three got into the buggy and zeb picked up the reins, though jim needed no guidance of any sort. the horse was still smarting from the sharp claws of the invisible bears, and as soon as he was on land and headed toward the mountain the thought that more of those fearsome creatures might be near acted as a spur and sent him galloping along in a way that made dorothy catch her breath. then zeb, in a spirit of mischief, uttered a growl like that of the bears, and jim pricked up his ears and fairly flew. his boney legs moved so fast they could scarcely be seen, and the wizard clung fast to the seat and yelled "whoa!" at the top of his voice. "i--i'm 'fraid he's--he's running away!" gasped dorothy. "i know he is," said zeb; "but no bear can catch him if he keeps up that gait--and the harness or the buggy don't break." jim did not make a mile a minute; but almost before they were aware of it he drew up at the foot of the mountain, so suddenly that the wizard and zeb both sailed over the dashboard and landed in the soft grass--where they rolled over several times before they stopped. dorothy nearly went with them, but she was holding fast to the iron rail of the seat, and that saved her. she squeezed the kitten, though, until it screeched; and then the old cab-horse made several curious sounds that led the little girl to suspect he was laughing at them all. 10. the braided man of pyramid mountain the mountain before them was shaped like a cone and was so tall that its point was lost in the clouds. directly facing the place where jim had stopped was an arched opening leading to a broad stairway. the stairs were cut in the rock inside the mountain, and they were broad and not very steep, because they circled around like a cork-screw, and at the arched opening where the flight began the circle was quite big. at the foot of the stairs was a sign reading: warning. these steps lead to the land of the gargoyles. danger! keep out. "i wonder how jim is ever going to draw the buggy up so many stairs," said dorothy, gravely. "no trouble at all," declared the horse, with a contemptuous neigh. "still, i don't care to drag any passengers. you'll all have to walk." "suppose the stairs get steeper?" suggested zeb, doubtfully. "then you'll have to boost the buggy-wheels, that's all," answered jim. "we'll try it, anyway," said the wizard. "it's the only way to get out of the valley of voe." so they began to ascend the stairs, dorothy and the wizard first, jim next, drawing the buggy, and then zeb to watch that nothing happened to the harness. the light was dim, and soon they mounted into total darkness, so that the wizard was obliged to get out his lanterns to light the way. but this enabled them to proceed steadily until they came to a landing where there was a rift in the side of the mountain that let in both light and air. looking through this opening they could see the valley of voe lying far below them, the cottages seeming like toy houses from that distance. after resting a few moments they resumed their climb, and still the stairs were broad and low enough for jim to draw the buggy easily after him. the old horse panted a little, and had to stop often to get his breath. at such times they were all glad to wait for him, for continually climbing up stairs is sure to make one's legs ache. they wound about, always going upward, for some time. the lights from the lanterns dimly showed the way, but it was a gloomy journey, and they were pleased when a broad streak of light ahead assured them they were coming to a second landing. here one side of the mountain had a great hole in it, like the mouth of a cavern, and the stairs stopped at the near edge of the floor and commenced ascending again at the opposite edge. the opening in the mountain was on the side opposite to the valley of voe, and our travellers looked out upon a strange scene. below them was a vast space, at the bottom of which was a black sea with rolling billows, through which little tongues of flame constantly shot up. just above them, and almost on a level with their platform, were banks of rolling clouds which constantly shifted position and changed color. the blues and greys were very beautiful, and dorothy noticed that on the cloud banks sat or reclined fleecy, shadowy forms of beautiful beings who must have been the cloud fairies. mortals who stand upon the earth and look up at the sky cannot often distinguish these forms, but our friends were now so near to the clouds that they observed the dainty fairies very clearly. "are they real?" asked zeb, in an awed voice. "of course," replied dorothy, softly. "they are the cloud fairies." "they seem like open-work," remarked the boy, gazing intently. "if i should squeeze one, there wouldn't be anything left of it." in the open space between the clouds and the black, bubbling sea far beneath, could be seen an occasional strange bird winging its way swiftly through the air. these birds were of enormous size, and reminded zeb of the rocs he had read about in the arabian nights. they had fierce eyes and sharp talons and beaks, and the children hoped none of them would venture into the cavern. "well, i declare!" suddenly exclaimed the little wizard. "what in the world is this?" they turned around and found a man standing on the floor in the center of the cave, who bowed very politely when he saw he had attracted their attention. he was a very old man, bent nearly double; but the queerest thing about him was his white hair and beard. these were so long that they reached to his feet, and both the hair and the beard were carefully plaited into many braids, and the end of each braid fastened with a bow of colored ribbon. "where did you come from?" asked dorothy, wonderingly. "no place at all," answered the man with the braids; "that is, not recently. once i lived on top the earth, but for many years i have had my factory in this spot--half way up pyramid mountain." "are we only half way up?" enquired the boy, in a discouraged tone. "i believe so, my lad," replied the braided man. "but as i have never been in either direction, down or up, since i arrived, i cannot be positive whether it is exactly half way or not." "have you a factory in this place?" asked the wizard, who had been examining the strange personage carefully. "to be sure," said the other. "i am a great inventor, you must know, and i manufacture my products in this lonely spot." "what are your products?" enquired the wizard. "well, i make assorted flutters for flags and bunting, and a superior grade of rustles for ladies' silk gowns." "i thought so," said the wizard, with a sigh. "may we examine some of these articles?" "yes, indeed; come into my shop, please," and the braided man turned and led the way into a smaller cave, where he evidently lived. here, on a broad shelf, were several card-board boxes of various sizes, each tied with cotton cord. "this," said the man, taking up a box and handling it gently, "contains twelve dozen rustles--enough to last any lady a year. will you buy it, my dear?" he asked, addressing dorothy. "my gown isn't silk," she said, smiling. "never mind. when you open the box the rustles will escape, whether you are wearing a silk dress or not," said the man, seriously. then he picked up another box. "in this," he continued, "are many assorted flutters. they are invaluable to make flags flutter on a still day, when there is no wind. you, sir," turning to the wizard, "ought to have this assortment. once you have tried my goods i am sure you will never be without them." "i have no money with me," said the wizard, evasively. "i do not want money," returned the braided man, "for i could not spend it in this deserted place if i had it. but i would like very much a blue hair-ribbon. you will notice my braids are tied with yellow, pink, brown, red, green, white and black; but i have no blue ribbons." "i'll get you one!" cried dorothy, who was sorry for the poor man; so she ran back to the buggy and took from her suit-case a pretty blue ribbon. it did her good to see how the braided man's eyes sparkled when he received this treasure. "you have made me very, very happy, my dear!" he exclaimed; and then he insisted on the wizard taking the box of flutters and the little girl accepting the box of rustles. "you may need them, some time," he said, "and there is really no use in my manufacturing these things unless somebody uses them." "why did you leave the surface of the earth?" enquired the wizard. "i could not help it. it is a sad story, but if you will try to restrain your tears i will tell you about it. on earth i was a manufacturer of imported holes for american swiss cheese, and i will acknowledge that i supplied a superior article, which was in great demand. also i made pores for porous plasters and high-grade holes for doughnuts and buttons. finally i invented a new adjustable post-hole, which i thought would make my fortune. i manufactured a large quantity of these post-holes, and having no room in which to store them i set them all end to end and put the top one in the ground. that made an extraordinary long hole, as you may imagine, and reached far down into the earth; and, as i leaned over it to try to see to the bottom, i lost my balance and tumbled in. unfortunately, the hole led directly into the vast space you see outside this mountain; but i managed to catch a point of rock that projected from this cavern, and so saved myself from tumbling headlong into the black waves beneath, where the tongues of flame that dart out would certainly have consumed me. here, then, i made my home; and although it is a lonely place i amuse myself making rustles and flutters, and so get along very nicely." when the braided man had completed this strange tale dorothy nearly laughed, because it was all so absurd; but the wizard tapped his forehead significantly, to indicate that he thought the poor man was crazy. so they politely bade him good day, and went back to the outer cavern to resume their journey. 11. they meet the wooden gargoyles another breathless climb brought our adventurers to a third landing where there was a rift in the mountain. on peering out all they could see was rolling banks of clouds, so thick that they obscured all else. but the travellers were obliged to rest, and while they were sitting on the rocky floor the wizard felt in his pocket and brought out the nine tiny piglets. to his delight they were now plainly visible, which proved that they had passed beyond the influence of the magical valley of voe. "why, we can see each other again!" cried one, joyfully. "yes," sighed eureka; "and i also can see you again, and the sight makes me dreadfully hungry. please, mr. wizard, may i eat just one of the fat little piglets? you'd never miss one of them, i'm sure!" "what a horrid, savage beast!" exclaimed a piglet; "and after we've been such good friends, too, and played with one another!" "when i'm not hungry, i love to play with you all," said the kitten, demurely; "but when my stomach is empty it seems that nothing would fill it so nicely as a fat piglet." "and we trusted you so!" said another of the nine, reproachfully. "and thought you were respectable!" said another. "it seems we were mistaken," declared a third, looking at the kitten timorously, "no one with such murderous desires should belong to our party, i'm sure." "you see, eureka," remarked dorothy, reprovingly, "you are making yourself disliked. there are certain things proper for a kitten to eat; but i never heard of a kitten eating a pig, under any cir'stances." "did you ever see such little pigs before?" asked the kitten. "they are no bigger than mice, and i'm sure mice are proper for me to eat." "it isn't the bigness, dear; its the variety," replied the girl. "these are mr. wizard's pets, just as you are my pet, and it wouldn't be any more proper for you to eat them than it would be for jim to eat you." "and that's just what i shall do if you don't let those little balls of pork alone," said jim, glaring at the kitten with his round, big eyes. "if you injure any one of them i'll chew you up instantly." the kitten looked at the horse thoughtfully, as if trying to decide whether he meant it or not. "in that case," she said, "i'll leave them alone. you haven't many teeth left, jim, but the few you have are sharp enough to make me shudder. so the piglets will be perfectly safe, hereafter, as far as i am concerned." "that is right, eureka," remarked the wizard, earnestly. "let us all be a happy family and love one another." eureka yawned and stretched herself. "i've always loved the piglets," she said; "but they don't love me." "no one can love a person he's afraid of," asserted dorothy. "if you behave, and don't scare the little pigs, i'm sure they'll grow very fond of you." the wizard now put the nine tiny ones back into his pocket and the journey was resumed. "we must be pretty near the top, now," said the boy, as they climbed wearily up the dark, winding stairway. "the country of the gurgles can't be far from the top of the earth," remarked dorothy. "it isn't very nice down here. i'd like to get home again, i'm sure." no one replied to this, because they found they needed all their breath for the climb. the stairs had become narrower and zeb and the wizard often had to help jim pull the buggy from one step to another, or keep it from jamming against the rocky walls. at last, however, a dim light appeared ahead of them, which grew clearer and stronger as they advanced. "thank goodness we're nearly there!" panted the little wizard. jim, who was in advance, saw the last stair before him and stuck his head above the rocky sides of the stairway. then he halted, ducked down and began to back up, so that he nearly fell with the buggy onto the others. "let's go down again!" he said, in his hoarse voice. "nonsense!" snapped the tired wizard. "what's the matter with you, old man?" "everything," grumbled the horse. "i've taken a look at this place, and it's no fit country for real creatures to go to. everything's dead, up there--no flesh or blood or growing thing anywhere." "never mind; we can't turn back," said dorothy; "and we don't intend to stay there, anyhow." "it's dangerous," growled jim, in a stubborn tone. "see here, my good steed," broke in the wizard, "little dorothy and i have been in many queer countries in our travels, and always escaped without harm. we've even been to the marvelous land of oz--haven't we, dorothy?--so we don't much care what the country of the gargoyles is like. go ahead, jim, and whatever happens we'll make the best of it." "all right," answered the horse; "this is your excursion, and not mine; so if you get into trouble don't blame me." with this speech he bent forward and dragged the buggy up the remaining steps. the others followed and soon they were all standing upon a broad platform and gazing at the most curious and startling sight their eyes had ever beheld. "the country of the gargoyles is all wooden!" exclaimed zeb; and so it was. the ground was sawdust and the pebbles scattered around were hard knots from trees, worn smooth in course of time. there were odd wooden houses, with carved wooden flowers in the front yards. the tree-trunks were of coarse wood, but the leaves of the trees were shavings. the patches of grass were splinters of wood, and where neither grass nor sawdust showed was a solid wooden flooring. wooden birds fluttered among the trees and wooden cows were browsing upon the wooden grass; but the most amazing things of all were the wooden people--the creatures known as gargoyles. these were very numerous, for the place was thickly inhabited, and a large group of the queer people clustered near, gazing sharply upon the strangers who had emerged from the long spiral stairway. the gargoyles were very small of stature, being less than three feet in height. their bodies were round, their legs short and thick and their arms extraordinarily long and stout. their heads were too big for their bodies and their faces were decidedly ugly to look upon. some had long, curved noses and chins, small eyes and wide, grinning mouths. others had flat noses, protruding eyes, and ears that were shaped like those of an elephant. there were many types, indeed, scarcely two being alike; but all were equally disagreeable in appearance. the tops of their heads had no hair, but were carved into a variety of fantastic shapes, some having a row of points or balls around the top, others designs resembling flowers or vegetables, and still others having squares that looked like waffles cut criss-cross on their heads. they all wore short wooden wings which were fastened to their wooden bodies by means of wooden hinges with wooden screws, and with these wings they flew swiftly and noiselessly here and there, their legs being of little use to them. this noiseless motion was one of the most peculiar things about the gargoyles. they made no sounds at all, either in flying or trying to speak, and they conversed mainly by means of quick signals made with their wooden fingers or lips. neither was there any sound to be heard anywhere throughout the wooden country. the birds did not sing, nor did the cows moo; yet there was more than ordinary activity everywhere. the group of these queer creatures which was discovered clustered near the stairs at first remained staring and motionless, glaring with evil eyes at the intruders who had so suddenly appeared in their land. in turn the wizard and the children, the horse and the kitten, examined the gargoyles with the same silent attention. "there's going to be trouble, i'm sure," remarked the horse. "unhitch those tugs, zeb, and set me free from the buggy, so i can fight comfortably." "jim's right," sighed the wizard. "there's going to be trouble, and my sword isn't stout enough to cut up those wooden bodies--so i shall have to get out my revolvers." he got his satchel from the buggy and, opening it, took out two deadly looking revolvers that made the children shrink back in alarm just to look at. "what harm can the gurgles do?" asked dorothy. "they have no weapons to hurt us with." "each of their arms is a wooden club," answered the little man, "and i'm sure the creatures mean mischief, by the looks of their eyes. even these revolvers can merely succeed in damaging a few of their wooden bodies, and after that we will be at their mercy." "but why fight at all, in that case?" asked the girl. "so i may die with a clear conscience," returned the wizard, gravely. "it's every man's duty to do the best he knows how; and i'm going to do it." "wish i had an axe," said zeb, who by now had unhitched the horse. "if we had known we were coming we might have brought along several other useful things," responded the wizard. "but we dropped into this adventure rather unexpectedly." the gargoyles had backed away a distance when they heard the sound of talking, for although our friends had spoken in low tones their words seemed loud in the silence surrounding them. but as soon as the conversation ceased, the grinning, ugly creatures arose in a flock and flew swiftly toward the strangers, their long arms stretched out before them like the bowsprits of a fleet of sail-boats. the horse had especially attracted their notice, because it was the biggest and strangest creature they had ever seen; so it became the center of their first attack. but jim was ready for them, and when he saw them coming he turned his heels toward them and began kicking out as hard as he could. crack! crash! bang! went his iron-shod hoofs against the wooden bodies of the gargoyles, and they were battered right and left with such force that they scattered like straws in the wind. but the noise and clatter seemed as dreadful to them as jim's heels, for all who were able swiftly turned and flew away to a great distance. the others picked themselves up from the ground one by one and quickly rejoined their fellows, so for a moment the horse thought he had won the fight with ease. but the wizard was not so confident. "those wooden things are impossible to hurt," he said, "and all the damage jim has done to them is to knock a few splinters from their noses and ears. that cannot make them look any uglier, i'm sure, and it is my opinion they will soon renew the attack." "what made them fly away?" asked dorothy. "the noise, of course. don't you remember how the champion escaped them by shouting his battle-cry?" "suppose we escape down the stairs, too," suggested the boy. "we have time, just now, and i'd rather face the invis'ble bears than those wooden imps." "no," returned dorothy, stoutly, "it won't do to go back, for then we would never get home. let's fight it out." "that is what i advise," said the wizard. "they haven't defeated us yet, and jim is worth a whole army." but the gargoyles were clever enough not to attack the horse the next time. they advanced in a great swarm, having been joined by many more of their kind, and they flew straight over jim's head to where the others were standing. the wizard raised one of his revolvers and fired into the throng of his enemies, and the shot resounded like a clap of thunder in that silent place. some of the wooden beings fell flat upon the ground, where they quivered and trembled in every limb; but most of them managed to wheel and escape again to a distance. zeb ran and picked up one of the gargoyles that lay nearest to him. the top of its head was carved into a crown and the wizard's bullet had struck it exactly in the left eye, which was a hard wooden knot. half of the bullet stuck in the wood and half stuck out, so it had been the jar and the sudden noise that had knocked the creature down, more than the fact that it was really hurt. before this crowned gargoyle had recovered himself zeb had wound a strap several times around its body, confining its wings and arms so that it could not move. then, having tied the wooden creature securely, the boy buckled the strap and tossed his prisoner into the buggy. by that time the others had all retired. 12. a wonderful escape for a while the enemy hesitated to renew the attack. then a few of them advanced until another shot from the wizard's revolver made them retreat. "that's fine," said zeb. "we've got 'em on the run now, sure enough." "but only for a time," replied the wizard, shaking his head gloomily. "these revolvers are good for six shots each, but when those are gone we shall be helpless." the gargoyles seemed to realize this, for they sent a few of their band time after time to attack the strangers and draw the fire from the little man's revolvers. in this way none of them was shocked by the dreadful report more than once, for the main band kept far away and each time a new company was sent into the battle. when the wizard had fired all of his twelve bullets he had caused no damage to the enemy except to stun a few by the noise, and so be as no nearer to victory than in the beginning of the fray. "what shall we do now?" asked dorothy, anxiously. "let's yell--all together," said zeb. "and fight at the same time," added the wizard. "we will get near jim, so that he can help us, and each one must take some weapon and do the best he can. i'll use my sword, although it isn't much account in this affair. dorothy must take her parasol and open it suddenly when the wooden folks attack her. i haven't anything for you, zeb." "i'll use the king," said the boy, and pulled his prisoner out of the buggy. the bound gargoyle's arms extended far out beyond its head, so by grasping its wrists zeb found the king made a very good club. the boy was strong for one of his years, having always worked upon a farm; so he was likely to prove more dangerous to the enemy than the wizard. when the next company of gargoyles advanced, our adventurers began yelling as if they had gone mad. even the kitten gave a dreadfully shrill scream and at the same time jim the cab-horse neighed loudly. this daunted the enemy for a time, but the defenders were soon out of breath. perceiving this, as well as the fact that there were no more of the awful "bangs" to come from the revolvers, the gargoyles advanced in a swarm as thick as bees, so that the air was filled with them. dorothy squatted upon the ground and put up her parasol, which nearly covered her and proved a great protection. the wizard's sword-blade snapped into a dozen pieces at the first blow he struck against the wooden people. zeb pounded away with the gargoyle he was using as a club until he had knocked down dozens of foes; but at the last they clustered so thickly about him that he no longer had room in which to swing his arms. the horse performed some wonderful kicking and even eureka assisted when she leaped bodily upon the gargoyles and scratched and bit at them like a wild-cat. but all this bravery amounted to nothing at all. the wooden things wound their long arms around zeb and the wizard and held them fast. dorothy was captured in the same way, and numbers of the gargoyles clung to jim's legs, so weighting him down that the poor beast was helpless. eureka made a desperate dash to escape and scampered along the ground like a streak; but a grinning gargoyle flew after her and grabbed her before she had gone very far. all of them expected nothing less than instant death; but to their surprise the wooden creatures flew into the air with them and bore them far away, over miles and miles of wooden country, until they came to a wooden city. the houses of this city had many corners, being square and six-sided and eight-sided. they were tower-like in shape and the best of them seemed old and weather-worn; yet all were strong and substantial. to one of these houses which had neither doors nor windows, but only one broad opening far up underneath the roof, the prisoners were brought by their captors. the gargoyles roughly pushed them into the opening, where there was a platform, and then flew away and left them. as they had no wings the strangers could not fly away, and if they jumped down from such a height they would surely be killed. the creatures had sense enough to reason that way, and the only mistake they made was in supposing the earth people were unable to overcome such ordinary difficulties. jim was brought with the others, although it took a good many gargoyles to carry the big beast through the air and land him on the high platform, and the buggy was thrust in after him because it belonged to the party and the wooden folks had no idea what it was used for or whether it was alive or not. when eureka's captor had thrown the kitten after the others the last gargoyle silently disappeared, leaving our friends to breathe freely once more. "what an awful fight!" said dorothy, catching her breath in little gasps. "oh, i don't know," purred eureka, smoothing her ruffled fur with her paw; "we didn't manage to hurt anybody, and nobody managed to hurt us." "thank goodness we are together again, even if we are prisoners," sighed the little girl. "i wonder why they didn't kill us on the spot," remarked zeb, who had lost his king in the struggle. "they are probably keeping us for some ceremony," the wizard answered, reflectively; "but there is no doubt they intend to kill us as dead as possible in a short time." "as dead as poss'ble would be pretty dead, wouldn't it?" asked dorothy. "yes, my dear. but we have no need to worry about that just now. let us examine our prison and see what it is like." the space underneath the roof, where they stood, permitted them to see on all sides of the tall building, and they looked with much curiosity at the city spread out beneath them. everything visible was made of wood, and the scene seemed stiff and extremely unnatural. from their platform a stair descended into the house, and the children and the wizard explored it after lighting a lantern to show them the way. several stories of empty rooms rewarded their search, but nothing more; so after a time they came back to the platform again. had there been any doors or windows in the lower rooms, or had not the boards of the house been so thick and stout, escape could have been easy; but to remain down below was like being in a cellar or the hold of a ship, and they did not like the darkness or the damp smell. in this country, as in all others they had visited underneath the earth's surface, there was no night, a constant and strong light coming from some unknown source. looking out, they could see into some of the houses near them, where there were open windows in abundance, and were able to mark the forms of the wooden gargoyles moving about in their dwellings. "this seems to be their time of rest," observed the wizard. "all people need rest, even if they are made of wood, and as there is no night here they select a certain time of the day in which to sleep or doze." "i feel sleepy myself," remarked zeb, yawning. "why, where's eureka?" cried dorothy, suddenly. they all looked around, but the kitten was no place to be seen. "she's gone out for a walk," said jim, gruffly. "where? on the roof?" asked the girl. "no; she just dug her claws into the wood and climbed down the sides of this house to the ground." "she couldn't climb down, jim," said dorothy. "to climb means to go up." "who said so?" demanded the horse. "my school-teacher said so; and she knows a lot, jim." "to 'climb down' is sometimes used as a figure of speech," remarked the wizard. "well, this was a figure of a cat," said jim, "and she went down, anyhow, whether she climbed or crept." "dear me! how careless eureka is," exclaimed the girl, much distressed. "the gurgles will get her, sure!" "ha, ha!" chuckled the old cab-horse; "they're not 'gurgles,' little maid; they're gargoyles." "never mind; they'll get eureka, whatever they're called." "no they won't," said the voice of the kitten, and eureka herself crawled over the edge of the platform and sat down quietly upon the floor. "wherever have you been, eureka?" asked dorothy, sternly. "watching the wooden folks. they're too funny for anything, dorothy. just now they are all going to bed, and--what do you think?--they unhook the hinges of their wings and put them in a corner until they wake up again." "what, the hinges?" "no; the wings." "that," said zeb, "explains why this house is used by them for a prison. if any of the gargoyles act badly, and have to be put in jail, they are brought here and their wings unhooked and taken away from them until they promise to be good." the wizard had listened intently to what eureka had said. "i wish we had some of those loose wings," he said. "could we fly with them?" asked dorothy. "i think so. if the gargoyles can unhook the wings then the power to fly lies in the wings themselves, and not in the wooden bodies of the people who wear them. so, if we had the wings, we could probably fly as well as they do--as least while we are in their country and under the spell of its magic." "but how would it help us to be able to fly?" questioned the girl. "come here," said the little man, and took her to one of the corners of the building. "do you see that big rock standing on the hillside yonder?" he continued, pointing with his finger. "yes; it's a good way off, but i can see it," she replied. "well, inside that rock, which reaches up into the clouds, is an archway very much like the one we entered when we climbed the spiral stairway from the valley of voe. i'll get my spy-glass, and then you can see it more plainly." he fetched a small but powerful telescope, which had been in his satchel, and by its aid the little girl clearly saw the opening. "where does it lead to?" she asked. "that i cannot tell," said the wizard; "but we cannot now be far below the earth's surface, and that entrance may lead to another stairway that will bring us on top of our world again, where we belong. so, if we had the wings, and could escape the gargoyles, we might fly to that rock and be saved." "i'll get you the wings," said zeb, who had thoughtfully listened to all this. "that is, if the kitten will show me where they are." "but how can you get down?" enquired the girl, wonderingly. for answer zeb began to unfasten jim's harness, strap by strap, and to buckle one piece to another until he had made a long leather strip that would reach to the ground. "i can climb down that, all right," he said. "no you can't," remarked jim, with a twinkle in his round eyes. "you may go down, but you can only climb up." "well, i'll climb up when i get back, then," said the boy, with a laugh. "now, eureka, you'll have to show me the way to those wings." "you must be very quiet," warned the kitten; "for if you make the least noise the gargoyles will wake up. they can hear a pin drop." "i'm not going to drop a pin," said zeb. he had fastened one end of the strap to a wheel of the buggy, and now he let the line dangle over the side of the house. "be careful," cautioned dorothy, earnestly. "i will," said the boy, and let himself slide over the edge. the girl and the wizard leaned over and watched zeb work his way carefully downward, hand over hand, until he stood upon the ground below. eureka clung with her claws to the wooden side of the house and let herself down easily. then together they crept away to enter the low doorway of a neighboring dwelling. the watchers waited in breathless suspense until the boy again appeared, his arms now full of the wooden wings. when he came to where the strap was hanging he tied the wings all in a bunch to the end of the line, and the wizard drew them up. then the line was let down again for zeb to climb up by. eureka quickly followed him, and soon they were all standing together upon the platform, with eight of the much prized wooden wings beside them. the boy was no longer sleepy, but full of energy and excitement. he put the harness together again and hitched jim to the buggy. then, with the wizard's help, he tried to fasten some of the wings to the old cab-horse. this was no easy task, because half of each one of the hinges of the wings was missing, it being still fastened to the body of the gargoyle who had used it. however, the wizard went once more to his satchel--which seemed to contain a surprising variety of odds and ends--and brought out a spool of strong wire, by means of which they managed to fasten four of the wings to jim's harness, two near his head and two near his tail. they were a bit wiggley, but secure enough if only the harness held together. the other four wings were then fastened to the buggy, two on each side, for the buggy must bear the weight of the children and the wizard as it flew through the air. these preparations had not consumed a great deal of time, but the sleeping gargoyles were beginning to wake up and move around, and soon some of them would be hunting for their missing wings. so the prisoners resolved to leave their prison at once. they mounted into the buggy, dorothy holding eureka safe in her lap. the girl sat in the middle of the seat, with zeb and the wizard on each side of her. when all was ready the boy shook the reins and said: "fly away, jim!" "which wings must i flop first?" asked the cab-horse, undecidedly. "flop them all together," suggested the wizard. "some of them are crooked," objected the horse. "never mind; we will steer with the wings on the buggy," said zeb. "just you light out and make for that rock, jim; and don't waste any time about it, either." so the horse gave a groan, flopped its four wings all together, and flew away from the platform. dorothy was a little anxious about the success of their trip, for the way jim arched his long neck and spread out his bony legs as he fluttered and floundered through the air was enough to make anybody nervous. he groaned, too, as if frightened, and the wings creaked dreadfully because the wizard had forgotten to oil them; but they kept fairly good time with the wings of the buggy, so that they made excellent progress from the start. the only thing that anyone could complain of with justice was the fact that they wobbled first up and then down, as if the road were rocky instead of being as smooth as the air could make it. the main point, however, was that they flew, and flew swiftly, if a bit unevenly, toward the rock for which they had headed. some of the gargoyles saw them, presently, and lost no time in collecting a band to pursue the escaping prisoners; so that when dorothy happened to look back she saw them coming in a great cloud that almost darkened the sky. 13. the den of the dragonettes our friends had a good start and were able to maintain it, for with their eight wings they could go just as fast as could the gargoyles. all the way to the great rock the wooden people followed them, and when jim finally alighted at the mouth of the cavern the pursuers were still some distance away. "but, i'm afraid they'll catch us yet," said dorothy, greatly excited. "no; we must stop them," declared the wizard. "quick zeb, help me pull off these wooden wings!" they tore off the wings, for which they had no further use, and the wizard piled them in a heap just outside the entrance to the cavern. then he poured over them all the kerosene oil that was left in his oil-can, and lighting a match set fire to the pile. the flames leaped up at once and the bonfire began to smoke and roar and crackle just as the great army of wooden gargoyles arrived. the creatures drew back at once, being filled with fear and horror; for such as dreadful thing as a fire they had never before known in all the history of their wooden land. inside the archway were several doors, leading to different rooms built into the mountain, and zeb and the wizard lifted these wooden doors from their hinges and tossed them all on the flames. "that will prove a barrier for some time to come," said the little man, smiling pleasantly all over his wrinkled face at the success of their stratagem. "perhaps the flames will set fire to all that miserable wooden country, and if it does the loss will be very small and the gargoyles never will be missed. but come, my children; let us explore the mountain and discover which way we must go in order to escape from this cavern, which is getting to be almost as hot as a bake-oven." to their disappointment there was within this mountain no regular flight of steps by means of which they could mount to the earth's surface. a sort of inclined tunnel led upward for a way, and they found the floor of it both rough and steep. then a sudden turn brought them to a narrow gallery where the buggy could not pass. this delayed and bothered them for a while, because they did not wish to leave the buggy behind them. it carried their baggage and was useful to ride in wherever there were good roads, and since it had accompanied them so far in their travels they felt it their duty to preserve it. so zeb and the wizard set to work and took off the wheels and the top, and then they put the buggy edgewise, so it would take up the smallest space. in this position they managed, with the aid of the patient cab-horse, to drag the vehicle through the narrow part of the passage. it was not a great distance, fortunately, and when the path grew broader they put the buggy together again and proceeded more comfortably. but the road was nothing more than a series of rifts or cracks in the mountain, and it went zig-zag in every direction, slanting first up and then down until they were puzzled as to whether they were any nearer to the top of the earth than when they had started, hours before. "anyhow," said dorothy, "we've 'scaped those awful gurgles, and that's one comfort!" "probably the gargoyles are still busy trying to put out the fire," returned the wizard. "but even if they succeeded in doing that it would be very difficult for them to fly amongst these rocks; so i am sure we need fear them no longer." once in a while they would come to a deep crack in the floor, which made the way quite dangerous; but there was still enough oil in the lanterns to give them light, and the cracks were not so wide but that they were able to jump over them. sometimes they had to climb over heaps of loose rock, where jim could scarcely drag the buggy. at such times dorothy, zeb and the wizard all pushed behind, and lifted the wheels over the roughest places; so they managed, by dint of hard work, to keep going. but the little party was both weary and discouraged when at last, on turning a sharp corner, the wanderers found themselves in a vast cave arching high over their heads and having a smooth, level floor. the cave was circular in shape, and all around its edge, near to the ground, appeared groups of dull yellow lights, two of them being always side by side. these were motionless at first, but soon began to flicker more brightly and to sway slowly from side to side and then up and down. "what sort of place is this?" asked the boy, trying to see more clearly through the gloom. "i cannot imagine, i'm sure," answered the wizard, also peering about. "woogh!" snarled eureka, arching her back until her hair stood straight on end; "it's den of alligators, or crocodiles, or some other dreadful creatures! don't you see their terrible eyes?" "eureka sees better in the dark than we can," whispered dorothy. "tell us, dear, what do the creatures look like?" she asked, addressing her pet. "i simply can't describe 'em," answered the kitten, shuddering. "their eyes are like pie-plates and their mouths like coal-scuttles. but their bodies don't seem very big." "where are they?" enquired the girl. "they are in little pockets all around the edge of this cavern. oh, dorothy--you can't imagine what horrid things they are! they're uglier than the gargoyles." "tut-tut! be careful how you criticise your neighbors," spoke a rasping voice near by. "as a matter of fact you are rather ugly-looking creatures yourselves, and i'm sure mother has often told us we were the loveliest and prettiest things in all the world." hearing these words our friends turned in the direction of the sound, and the wizard held his lanterns so that their light would flood one of the little pockets in the rock. "why, it's a dragon!" he exclaimed. "no," answered the owner of the big yellow eyes which were blinking at them so steadily; "you are wrong about that. we hope to grow to be dragons some day, but just now we're only dragonettes." "what's that?" asked dorothy, gazing fearfully at the great scaley head, the yawning mouth and the big eyes. "young dragons, of course; but we are not allowed to call ourselves real dragons until we get our full growth," was the reply. "the big dragons are very proud, and don't think children amount to much; but mother says that some day we will all be very powerful and important." "where is your mother?" asked the wizard, anxiously looking around. "she has gone up to the top of the earth to hunt for our dinner. if she has good luck she will bring us an elephant, or a brace of rhinoceri, or perhaps a few dozen people to stay our hunger." "oh; are you hungry?" enquired dorothy, drawing back. "very," said the dragonette, snapping its jaws. "and--and--do you eat people?" "to be sure, when we can get them. but they've been very scarce for a few years and we usually have to be content with elephants or buffaloes," answered the creature, in a regretful tone. "how old are you?" enquired zeb, who stared at the yellow eyes as if fascinated. "quite young, i grieve to say; and all of my brothers and sisters that you see here are practically my own age. if i remember rightly, we were sixty-six years old the day before yesterday." "but that isn't young!" cried dorothy, in amazement. "no?" drawled the dragonette; "it seems to me very babyish." "how old is your mother?" asked the girl. "mother's about two thousand years old; but she carelessly lost track of her age a few centuries ago and skipped several hundreds. she's a little fussy, you know, and afraid of growing old, being a widow and still in her prime." "i should think she would be," agreed dorothy. then, after a moment's thought, she asked: "are we friends or enemies? i mean, will you be good to us, or do you intend to eat us?" "as for that, we dragonettes would love to eat you, my child; but unfortunately mother has tied all our tails around the rocks at the back of our individual caves, so that we can not crawl out to get you. if you choose to come nearer we will make a mouthful of you in a wink; but unless you do you will remain quite safe." there was a regretful accent in the creature's voice, and at the words all the other dragonettes sighed dismally. dorothy felt relieved. presently she asked: "why did your mother tie your tails?" "oh, she is sometimes gone for several weeks on her hunting trips, and if we were not tied we would crawl all over the mountain and fight with each other and get into a lot of mischief. mother usually knows what she is about, but she made a mistake this time; for you are sure to escape us unless you come too near, and you probably won't do that." "no, indeed!" said the little girl. "we don't wish to be eaten by such awful beasts." "permit me to say," returned the dragonette, "that you are rather impolite to call us names, knowing that we cannot resent your insults. we consider ourselves very beautiful in appearance, for mother has told us so, and she knows. and we are of an excellent family and have a pedigree that i challenge any humans to equal, as it extends back about twenty thousand years, to the time of the famous green dragon of atlantis, who lived in a time when humans had not yet been created. can you match that pedigree, little girl?" "well," said dorothy, "i was born on a farm in kansas, and i guess that's being just as 'spectable and haughty as living in a cave with your tail tied to a rock. if it isn't i'll have to stand it, that's all." "tastes differ," murmured the dragonette, slowly drooping its scaley eyelids over its yellow eyes, until they looked like half-moons. being reassured by the fact that the creatures could not crawl out of their rock-pockets, the children and the wizard now took time to examine them more closely. the heads of the dragonettes were as big as barrels and covered with hard, greenish scales that glittered brightly under the light of the lanterns. their front legs, which grew just back of their heads, were also strong and big; but their bodies were smaller around than their heads, and dwindled away in a long line until their tails were slim as a shoe-string. dorothy thought, if it had taken them sixty-six years to grow to this size, that it would be fully a hundred years more before they could hope to call themselves dragons, and that seemed like a good while to wait to grow up. "it occurs to me," said the wizard, "that we ought to get out of this place before the mother dragon comes back." "don't hurry," called one of the dragonettes; "mother will be glad to meet you, i'm sure." "you may be right," replied the wizard, "but we're a little particular about associating with strangers. will you kindly tell us which way your mother went to get on top the earth?" "that is not a fair question to ask us," declared another dragonette. "for, if we told you truly, you might escape us altogether; and if we told you an untruth we would be naughty and deserve to be punished." "then," decided dorothy, "we must find our way out the best we can." they circled all around the cavern, keeping a good distance away from the blinking yellow eyes of the dragonettes, and presently discovered that there were two paths leading from the wall opposite to the place where they had entered. they selected one of these at a venture and hurried along it as fast as they could go, for they had no idea when the mother dragon would be back and were very anxious not to make her acquaintance. 14. ozma uses the magic belt for a considerable distance the way led straight upward in a gentle incline, and the wanderers made such good progress that they grew hopeful and eager, thinking they might see sunshine at any minute. but at length they came unexpectedly upon a huge rock that shut off the passage and blocked them from proceeding a single step farther. this rock was separate from the rest of the mountain and was in motion, turning slowly around and around as if upon a pivot. when first they came to it there was a solid wall before them; but presently it revolved until there was exposed a wide, smooth path across it to the other side. this appeared so unexpectedly that they were unprepared to take advantage of it at first, and allowed the rocky wall to swing around again before they had decided to pass over. but they knew now that there was a means of escape and so waited patiently until the path appeared for the second time. the children and the wizard rushed across the moving rock and sprang into the passage beyond, landing safely though a little out of breath. jim the cab-horse came last, and the rocky wall almost caught him; for just as he leaped to the floor of the further passage the wall swung across it and a loose stone that the buggy wheels knocked against fell into the narrow crack where the rock turned, and became wedged there. they heard a crunching, grinding sound, a loud snap, and the turn-table came to a stop with its broadest surface shutting off the path from which they had come. "never mind," said zeb, "we don't want to get back, anyhow." "i'm not so sure of that," returned dorothy. "the mother dragon may come down and catch us here." "it is possible," agreed the wizard, "if this proves to be the path she usually takes. but i have been examining this tunnel, and i do not see any signs of so large a beast having passed through it." "then we're all right," said the girl, "for if the dragon went the other way she can't poss'bly get to us now." "of course not, my dear. but there is another thing to consider. the mother dragon probably knows the road to the earth's surface, and if she went the other way then we have come the wrong way," said the wizard, thoughtfully. "dear me!" cried dorothy. "that would be unlucky, wouldn't it?" "very. unless this passage also leads to the top of the earth," said zeb. "for my part, if we manage to get out of here i'll be glad it isn't the way the dragon goes." "so will i," returned dorothy. "it's enough to have your pedigree flung in your face by those saucy dragonettes. no one knows what the mother might do." they now moved on again, creeping slowly up another steep incline. the lanterns were beginning to grow dim, and the wizard poured the remaining oil from one into the other, so that the one light would last longer. but their journey was almost over, for in a short time they reached a small cave from which there was no further outlet. they did not realize their ill fortune at first, for their hearts were gladdened by the sight of a ray of sunshine coming through a small crack in the roof of the cave, far overhead. that meant that their world--the real world--was not very far away, and that the succession of perilous adventures they had encountered had at last brought them near the earth's surface, which meant home to them. but when the adventurers looked more carefully around them they discovered that there were in a strong prison from which there was no hope of escape. "but we're almost on earth again," cried dorothy, "for there is the sun--the most beau'ful sun that shines!" and she pointed eagerly at the crack in the distant roof. "almost on earth isn't being there," said the kitten, in a discontented tone. "it wouldn't be possible for even me to get up to that crack--or through it if i got there." "it appears that the path ends here," announced the wizard, gloomily. "and there is no way to go back," added zeb, with a low whistle of perplexity. "i was sure it would come to this, in the end," remarked the old cab-horse. "folks don't fall into the middle of the earth and then get back again to tell of their adventures--not in real life. and the whole thing has been unnatural because that cat and i are both able to talk your language, and to understand the words you say." "and so can the nine tiny piglets," added eureka. "don't forget them, for i may have to eat them, after all." "i've heard animals talk before," said dorothy, "and no harm came of it." "were you ever before shut up in a cave, far under the earth, with no way of getting out?" enquired the horse, seriously. "no," answered dorothy. "but don't you lose heart, jim, for i'm sure this isn't the end of our story, by any means." the reference to the piglets reminded the wizard that his pets had not enjoyed much exercise lately, and must be tired of their prison in his pocket. so he sat down upon the floor of the cave, brought the piglets out one by one, and allowed them to run around as much as they pleased. "my dears," he said to them, "i'm afraid i've got you into a lot of trouble, and that you will never again be able to leave this gloomy cave." "what's wrong?" asked a piglet. "we've been in the dark quite a while, and you may as well explain what has happened." the wizard told them of the misfortune that had overtaken the wanderers. "well," said another piglet, "you are a wizard, are you not?" "i am," replied the little man. "then you can do a few wizzes and get us out of this hole," declared the tiny one, with much confidence. "i could if i happened to be a real wizard," returned the master sadly. "but i'm not, my piggy-wees; i'm a humbug wizard." "nonsense!" cried several of the piglets, together. "you can ask dorothy," said the little man, in an injured tone. "it's true enough," returned the girl, earnestly. "our friend oz is merely a humbug wizard, for he once proved it to me. he can do several very wonderful things--if he knows how. but he can't wiz a single thing if he hasn't the tools and machinery to work with." "thank you, my dear, for doing me justice," responded the wizard, gratefully. "to be accused of being a real wizard, when i'm not, is a slander i will not tamely submit to. but i am one of the greatest humbug wizards that ever lived, and you will realize this when we have all starved together and our bones are scattered over the floor of this lonely cave." "i don't believe we'll realize anything, when it comes to that," remarked dorothy, who had been deep in thought. "but i'm not going to scatter my bones just yet, because i need them, and you prob'ly need yours, too." "we are helpless to escape," sighed the wizard. "we may be helpless," answered dorothy, smiling at him, "but there are others who can do more than we can. cheer up, friends. i'm sure ozma will help us." "ozma!" exclaimed the wizard. "who is ozma?" "the girl that rules the marvelous land of oz," was the reply. "she's a friend of mine, for i met her in the land of ev, not long ago, and went to oz with her." "for the second time?" asked the wizard, with great interest. "yes. the first time i went to oz i found you there, ruling the emerald city. after you went up in a balloon, and escaped us, i got back to kansas by means of a pair of magical silver shoes." "i remember those shoes," said the little man, nodding. "they once belonged to the wicked witch. have you them here with you?" "no; i lost them somewhere in the air," explained the child. "but the second time i went to the land of oz i owned the nome king's magic belt, which is much more powerful than were the silver shoes." "where is that magic belt?" enquired the wizard, who had listened with great interest. "ozma has it; for its powers won't work in a common, ordinary country like the united states. anyone in a fairy country like the land of oz can do anything with it; so i left it with my friend the princess ozma, who used it to wish me in australia with uncle henry." "and were you?" asked zeb, astonished at what he heard. "of course; in just a jiffy. and ozma has an enchanted picture hanging in her room that shows her the exact scene where any of her friends may be, at any time she chooses. all she has to do is to say: 'i wonder what so-and-so is doing,' and at once the picture shows where her friend is and what the friend is doing. that's real magic, mr. wizard; isn't it? well, every day at four o'clock ozma has promised to look at me in that picture, and if i am in need of help i am to make her a certain sign and she will put on the nome king's magic belt and wish me to be with her in oz." "do you mean that princess ozma will see this cave in her enchanted picture, and see all of us here, and what we are doing?" demanded zeb. "of course; when it is four o'clock," she replied, with a laugh at his startled expression. "and when you make a sign she will bring you to her in the land of oz?" continued the boy. "that's it, exactly; by means of the magic belt." "then," said the wizard, "you will be saved, little dorothy; and i am very glad of it. the rest of us will die much more cheerfully when we know you have escaped our sad fate." "i won't die cheerfully!" protested the kitten. "there's nothing cheerful about dying that i could ever see, although they say a cat has nine lives, and so must die nine times." "have you ever died yet?" enquired the boy. "no, and i'm not anxious to begin," said eureka. "don't worry, dear," dorothy exclaimed, "i'll hold you in my arms, and take you with me." "take us, too!" cried the nine tiny piglets, all in one breath. "perhaps i can," answered dorothy. "i'll try." "couldn't you manage to hold me in your arms?" asked the cab-horse. dorothy laughed. "i'll do better than that," she promised, "for i can easily save you all, once i am myself in the land of oz." "how?" they asked. "by using the magic belt. all i need do is to wish you with me, and there you'll be--safe in the royal palace!" "good!" cried zeb. "i built that palace, and the emerald city, too," remarked the wizard, in a thoughtful tone, "and i'd like to see them again, for i was very happy among the munchkins and winkies and quadlings and gillikins." "who are they?" asked the boy. "the four nations that inhabit the land of oz," was the reply. "i wonder if they would treat me nicely if i went there again." "of course they would!" declared dorothy. "they are still proud of their former wizard, and often speak of you kindly." "do you happen to know whatever became of the tin woodman and the scarecrow?" he enquired. "they live in oz yet," said the girl, "and are very important people." "and the cowardly lion?" "oh, he lives there too, with his friend the hungry tiger; and billina is there, because she liked the place better than kansas, and wouldn't go with me to australia." "i'm afraid i don't know the hungry tiger and billina," said the wizard, shaking his head. "is billina a girl?" "no; she's a yellow hen, and a great friend of mine. you're sure to like billina, when you know her," asserted dorothy. "your friends sound like a menagerie," remarked zeb, uneasily. "couldn't you wish me in some safer place than oz." "don't worry," replied the girl. "you'll just love the folks in oz, when you get acquainted. what time is it, mr. wizard?" the little man looked at his watch--a big silver one that he carried in his vest pocket. "half-past three," he said. "then we must wait for half an hour," she continued; "but it won't take long, after that, to carry us all to the emerald city." they sat silently thinking for a time. then jim suddenly asked: "are there any horses in oz?" "only one," replied dorothy, "and he's a sawhorse." "a what?" "a sawhorse. princess ozma once brought him to life with a witch-powder, when she was a boy." "was ozma once a boy?" asked zeb, wonderingly. "yes; a wicked witch enchanted her, so she could not rule her kingdom. but she's a girl now, and the sweetest, loveliest girl in all the world." "a sawhorse is a thing they saw boards on," remarked jim, with a sniff. "it is when it's not alive," acknowledged the girl. "but this sawhorse can trot as fast as you can, jim; and he's very wise, too." "pah! i'll race the miserable wooden donkey any day in the week!" cried the cab-horse. dorothy did not reply to that. she felt that jim would know more about the saw-horse later on. the time dragged wearily enough to the eager watchers, but finally the wizard announced that four o'clock had arrived, and dorothy caught up the kitten and began to make the signal that had been agreed upon to the far-away invisible ozma. "nothing seems to happen," said zeb, doubtfully. "oh, we must give ozma time to put on the magic belt," replied the girl. she had scarcely spoken the words then she suddenly disappeared from the cave, and with her went the kitten. there had been no sound of any kind and no warning. one moment dorothy sat beside them with the kitten in her lap, and a moment later the horse, the piglets, the wizard and the boy were all that remained in the underground prison. "i believe we will soon follow her," announced the wizard, in a tone of great relief; "for i know something about the magic of the fairyland that is called the land of oz. let us be ready, for we may be sent for any minute." he put the piglets safely away in his pocket again and then he and zeb got into the buggy and sat expectantly upon the seat. "will it hurt?" asked the boy, in a voice that trembled a little. "not at all," replied the wizard. "it will all happen as quick as a wink." and that was the way it did happen. the cab-horse gave a nervous start and zeb began to rub his eyes to make sure he was not asleep. for they were in the streets of a beautiful emerald-green city, bathed in a grateful green light that was especially pleasing to their eyes, and surrounded by merry faced people in gorgeous green-and-gold costumes of many extraordinary designs. before them were the jewel-studded gates of a magnificent palace, and now the gates opened slowly as if inviting them to enter the courtyard, where splendid flowers were blooming and pretty fountains shot their silvery sprays into the air. zeb shook the reins to rouse the cab-horse from his stupor of amazement, for the people were beginning to gather around and stare at the strangers. "gid-dap!" cried the boy, and at the word jim slowly trotted into the courtyard and drew the buggy along the jewelled driveway to the great entrance of the royal palace. 15. old friends are reunited many servants dressed in handsome uniforms stood ready to welcome the new arrivals, and when the wizard got out of the buggy a pretty girl in a green gown cried out in surprise: "why, it's oz, the wonderful wizard, come back again!" the little man looked at her closely and then took both the maiden's hands in his and shook them cordially. "on my word," he exclaimed, "it's little jellia jamb--as pert and pretty as ever!" "why not, mr. wizard?" asked jellia, bowing low. "but i'm afraid you cannot rule the emerald city, as you used to, because we now have a beautiful princess whom everyone loves dearly." "and the people will not willingly part with her," added a tall soldier in a captain-general's uniform. the wizard turned to look at him. "did you not wear green whiskers at one time?" he asked. "yes," said the soldier; "but i shaved them off long ago, and since then i have risen from a private to be the chief general of the royal armies." "that's nice," said the little man. "but i assure you, my good people, that i do not wish to rule the emerald city," he added, earnestly. "in that case you are very welcome!" cried all the servants, and it pleased the wizard to note the respect with which the royal retainers bowed before him. his fame had not been forgotten in the land of oz, by any means. "where is dorothy?" enquired zeb, anxiously, as he left the buggy and stood beside his friend the little wizard. "she is with the princess ozma, in the private rooms of the palace," replied jellia jamb. "but she has ordered me to make you welcome and to show you to your apartments." the boy looked around him with wondering eyes. such magnificence and wealth as was displayed in this palace was more than he had ever dreamed of, and he could scarcely believe that all the gorgeous glitter was real and not tinsel. "what's to become of me?" asked the horse, uneasily. he had seen considerable of life in the cities in his younger days, and knew that this regal palace was no place for him. it perplexed even jellia jamb, for a time, to know what to do with the animal. the green maiden was much astonished at the sight of so unusual a creature, for horses were unknown in this land; but those who lived in the emerald city were apt to be astonished by queer sights, so after inspecting the cab-horse and noting the mild look in his big eyes the girl decided not to be afraid of him. "there are no stables here," said the wizard, "unless some have been built since i went away." "we have never needed them before," answered jellia; "for the sawhorse lives in a room of the palace, being much smaller and more natural in appearance than this great beast you have brought with you." "do you mean that i'm a freak?" asked jim, angrily. "oh, no," she hastened to say, "there may be many more like you in the place you came from, but in oz any horse but a sawhorse is unusual." this mollified jim a little, and after some thought the green maiden decided to give the cab-horse a room in the palace, such a big building having many rooms that were seldom in use. so zeb unharnessed jim, and several of the servants then led the horse around to the rear, where they selected a nice large apartment that he could have all to himself. then jellia said to the wizard: "your own room--which was back of the great throne room--has been vacant ever since you left us. would you like it again?" "yes, indeed!" returned the little man. "it will seem like being at home again, for i lived in that room for many, many years." he knew the way to it, and a servant followed him, carrying his satchel. zeb was also escorted to a room--so grand and beautiful that he almost feared to sit in the chairs or lie upon the bed, lest he might dim their splendor. in the closets he discovered many fancy costumes of rich velvets and brocades, and one of the attendants told him to dress himself in any of the clothes that pleased him and to be prepared to dine with the princess and dorothy in an hour's time. opening from the chamber was a fine bathroom having a marble tub with perfumed water; so the boy, still dazed by the novelty of his surroundings, indulged in a good bath and then selected a maroon velvet costume with silver buttons to replace his own soiled and much worn clothing. there were silk stockings and soft leather slippers with diamond buckles to accompany his new costume, and when he was fully dressed zeb looked much more dignified and imposing than ever before in his life. he was all ready when an attendant came to escort him to the presence of the princess; he followed bashfully and was ushered into a room more dainty and attractive than it was splendid. here he found dorothy seated beside a young girl so marvelously beautiful that the boy stopped suddenly with a gasp of admiration. but dorothy sprang up and ran to seize her friend's hand drawing him impulsively toward the lovely princess, who smiled most graciously upon her guest. then the wizard entered, and his presence relieved the boy's embarrassment. the little man was clothed in black velvet, with many sparkling emerald ornaments decorating his breast; but his bald head and wrinkled features made him appear more amusing than impressive. ozma had been quite curious to meet the famous man who had built the emerald city and united the munchkins, gillikins, quadlings and winkies into one people; so when they were all four seated at the dinner table the princess said: "please tell me, mr. wizard, whether you called yourself oz after this great country, or whether you believe my country is called oz after you. it is a matter that i have long wished to enquire about, because you are of a strange race and my own name is ozma. no, one, i am sure, is better able to explain this mystery than you." "that is true," answered the little wizard; "therefore it will give me pleasure to explain my connection with your country. in the first place, i must tell you that i was born in omaha, and my father, who was a politician, named me oscar zoroaster phadrig isaac norman henkle emmannuel ambroise diggs, diggs being the last name because he could think of no more to go before it. taken altogether, it was a dreadfully long name to weigh down a poor innocent child, and one of the hardest lessons i ever learned was to remember my own name. when i grew up i just called myself o. z., because the other initials were p-i-n-h-e-a-d; and that spelled 'pinhead,' which was a reflection on my intelligence." "surely no one could blame you for cutting your name short," said ozma, sympathetically. "but didn't you cut it almost too short?" "perhaps so," replied the wizard. "when a young man i ran away from home and joined a circus. i used to call myself a wizard, and do tricks of ventriloquism." "what does that mean?" asked the princess. "throwing my voice into any object i pleased, to make it appear that the object was speaking instead of me. also i began to make balloon ascensions. on my balloon and on all the other articles i used in the circus i painted the two initials: 'o. z.', to show that those things belonged to me. "one day my balloon ran away with me and brought me across the deserts to this beautiful country. when the people saw me come from the sky they naturally thought me some superior creature, and bowed down before me. i told them i was a wizard, and showed them some easy tricks that amazed them; and when they saw the initials painted on the balloon they called me oz." "now i begin to understand," said the princess, smiling. "at that time," continued the wizard, busily eating his soup while talking, "there were four separate countries in this land, each one of the four being ruled by a witch. but the people thought my power was greater than that of the witches; and perhaps the witches thought so too, for they never dared oppose me. i ordered the emerald city to be built just where the four countries cornered together, and when it was completed i announced myself the ruler of the land of oz, which included all the four countries of the munchkins, the gillikins, the winkies and the quadlings. over this land i ruled in peace for many years, until i grew old and longed to see my native city once again. so when dorothy was first blown to this place by a cyclone i arranged to go away with her in a balloon; but the balloon escaped too soon and carried me back alone. after many adventures i reached omaha, only to find that all my old friends were dead or had moved away. so, having nothing else to do, i joined a circus again, and made my balloon ascensions until the earthquake caught me." "that is quite a history," said ozma; "but there is a little more history about the land of oz that you do not seem to understand--perhaps for the reason that no one ever told it you. many years before you came here this land was united under one ruler, as it is now, and the ruler's name was always 'oz,' which means in our language 'great and good'; or, if the ruler happened to be a woman, her name was always 'ozma.' but once upon a time four witches leagued together to depose the king and rule the four parts of the kingdom themselves; so when the ruler, my grandfather, was hunting one day, one wicked witch named mombi stole him and carried him away, keeping him a close prisoner. then the witches divided up the kingdom, and ruled the four parts of it until you came here. that was why the people were so glad to see you, and why they thought from your initials that you were their rightful ruler." "but, at that time," said the wizard, thoughtfully, "there were two good witches and two wicked witches ruling in the land." "yes," replied ozma, "because a good witch had conquered mombi in the north and glinda the good had conquered the evil witch in the south. but mombi was still my grandfather's jailor, and afterward my father's jailor. when i was born she transformed me into a boy, hoping that no one would ever recognize me and know that i was the rightful princess of the land of oz. but i escaped from her and am now the ruler of my people." "i am very glad of that," said the wizard, "and hope you will consider me one of your most faithful and devoted subjects." "we owe a great deal to the wonderful wizard," continued the princess, "for it was you who built this splendid emerald city." "your people built it," he answered. "i only bossed the job, as we say in omaha." "but you ruled it wisely and well for many years," said she, "and made the people proud of your magical art. so, as you are now too old to wander abroad and work in a circus, i offer you a home here as long as you live. you shall be the official wizard of my kingdom, and be treated with every respect and consideration." "i accept your kind offer with gratitude, gracious princess," the little man said, in a soft voice, and they could all see that tear-drops were standing in his keen old eyes. it meant a good deal to him to secure a home like this. "he's only a humbug wizard, though," said dorothy, smiling at him. "and that is the safest kind of a wizard to have," replied ozma, promptly. "oz can do some good tricks, humbug or no humbug," announced zeb, who was now feeling more at ease. "he shall amuse us with his tricks tomorrow," said the princess. "i have sent messengers to summon all of dorothy's old friends to meet her and give her welcome, and they ought to arrive very soon, now." indeed, the dinner was no sooner finished than in rushed the scarecrow, to hug dorothy in his padded arms and tell her how glad he was to see her again. the wizard was also most heartily welcomed by the straw man, who was an important personage in the land of oz. "how are your brains?" enquired the little humbug, as he grasped the soft, stuffed hands of his old friend. "working finely," answered the scarecrow. "i'm very certain, oz, that you gave me the best brains in the world, for i can think with them day and night, when all other brains are fast asleep." "how long did you rule the emerald city, after i left here?" was the next question. "quite awhile, until i was conquered by a girl named general jinjur. but ozma soon conquered her, with the help of glinda the good, and after that i went to live with nick chopper, the tin woodman." just then a loud cackling was heard outside; and, when a servant threw open the door with a low bow, a yellow hen strutted in. dorothy sprang forward and caught the fluffy fowl in her arms, uttering at the same time a glad cry. "oh, billina!" she said; "how fat and sleek you've grown." "why shouldn't i?" asked the hen, in a sharp, clear voice. "i live on the fat of the land--don't i, ozma?" "you have everything you wish for," said the princess. around billina's neck was a string of beautiful pearls, and on her legs were bracelets of emeralds. she nestled herself comfortably in dorothy's lap until the kitten gave a snarl of jealous anger and leaped up with a sharp claw fiercely bared to strike billina a blow. but the little girl gave the angry kitten such a severe cuff that it jumped down again without daring to scratch. "how horrid of you, eureka!" cried dorothy. "is that the way to treat my friends?" "you have queer friends, seems to me," replied the kitten, in a surly tone. "seems to me the same way," said billina, scornfully, "if that beastly cat is one of them." "look here!" said dorothy, sternly. "i won't have any quarrelling in the land of oz, i can tell you! everybody lives in peace here, and loves everybody else; and unless you two, billina and eureka, make up and be friends, i'll take my magic belt and wish you both home again, immejitly. so, there!" they were both much frightened at the threat, and promised meekly to be good. but it was never noticed that they became very warm friends, for all of that. and now the tin woodman arrived, his body most beautifully nickle-plated, so that it shone splendidly in the brilliant light of the room. the tin woodman loved dorothy most tenderly, and welcomed with joy the return of the little old wizard. "sir," said he to the latter, "i never can thank you enough for the excellent heart you once gave me. it has made me many friends, i assure you, and it beats as kindly and lovingly today as it every did." "i'm glad to hear that," said the wizard. "i was afraid it would get moldy in that tin body of yours." "not at all," returned nick chopper. "it keeps finely, being preserved in my air-tight chest." zeb was a little shy when first introduced to these queer people; but they were so friendly and sincere that he soon grew to admire them very much, even finding some good qualities in the yellow hen. but he became nervous again when the next visitor was announced. "this," said princess ozma, "is my friend mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t. e., who assisted me one time when i was in great distress, and is now the dean of the royal college of athletic science." "ah," said the wizard; "i'm pleased to meet so distinguished a personage." "h. m.," said the woggle-bug, pompously, "means highly magnified; and t. e. means thoroughly educated. i am, in reality, a very big bug, and doubtless the most intelligent being in all this broad domain." "how well you disguise it," said the wizard. "but i don't doubt your word in the least." "nobody doubts it, sir," replied the woggle-bug, and drawing a book from its pocket the strange insect turned its back on the company and sat down in a corner to read. nobody minded this rudeness, which might have seemed more impolite in one less thoroughly educated; so they straightway forgot him and joined in a merry conversation that kept them well amused until bed-time arrived. 16. jim, the cab-horse jim the cab-horse found himself in possession of a large room with a green marble floor and carved marble wainscoting, which was so stately in its appearance that it would have awed anyone else. jim accepted it as a mere detail, and at his command the attendants gave his coat a good rubbing, combed his mane and tail, and washed his hoofs and fetlocks. then they told him dinner would be served directly and he replied that they could not serve it too quickly to suit his convenience. first they brought him a steaming bowl of soup, which the horse eyed in dismay. "take that stuff away!" he commanded. "do you take me for a salamander?" they obeyed at once, and next served a fine large turbot on a silver platter, with drawn gravy poured over it. "fish!" cried jim, with a sniff. "do you take me for a tom-cat? away with it!" the servants were a little discouraged, but soon they brought in a great tray containing two dozen nicely roasted quail on toast. "well, well!" said the horse, now thoroughly provoked. "do you take me for a weasel? how stupid and ignorant you are, in the land of oz, and what dreadful things you feed upon! is there nothing that is decent to eat in this palace?" the trembling servants sent for the royal steward, who came in haste and said: "what would your highness like for dinner?" "highness!" repeated jim, who was unused to such titles. "you are at least six feet high, and that is higher than any other animal in this country," said the steward. "well, my highness would like some oats," declared the horse. "oats? we have no whole oats," the steward replied, with much deference. "but there is any quantity of oatmeal, which we often cook for breakfast. oatmeal is a breakfast dish," added the steward, humbly. "i'll make it a dinner dish," said jim. "fetch it on, but don't cook it, as you value your life." you see, the respect shown the worn-out old cab-horse made him a little arrogant, and he forgot he was a guest, never having been treated otherwise than as a servant since the day he was born, until his arrival in the land of oz. but the royal attendants did not heed the animal's ill temper. they soon mixed a tub of oatmeal with a little water, and jim ate it with much relish. then the servants heaped a lot of rugs upon the floor and the old horse slept on the softest bed he had ever known in his life. in the morning, as soon as it was daylight, he resolved to take a walk and try to find some grass for breakfast; so he ambled calmly through the handsome arch of the doorway, turned the corner of the palace, wherein all seemed asleep, and came face to face with the sawhorse. jim stopped abruptly, being startled and amazed. the sawhorse stopped at the same time and stared at the other with its queer protruding eyes, which were mere knots in the log that formed its body. the legs of the sawhorse were four sticks driving into holes bored in the log; its tail was a small branch that had been left by accident and its mouth a place chopped in one end of the body which projected a little and served as a head. the ends of the wooden legs were shod with plates of solid gold, and the saddle of the princess ozma, which was of red leather set with sparkling diamonds, was strapped to the clumsy body. jim's eyes stuck out as much as those of the sawhorse, and he stared at the creature with his ears erect and his long head drawn back until it rested against his arched neck. in this comical position the two horses circled slowly around each other for a while, each being unable to realize what the singular thing might be which it now beheld for the first time. then jim exclaimed: "for goodness sake, what sort of a being are you?" "i'm a sawhorse," replied the other. "oh; i believe i've heard of you," said the cab-horse; "but you are unlike anything that i expected to see." "i do not doubt it," the sawhorse observed, with a tone of pride. "i am considered quite unusual." "you are, indeed. but a rickety wooden thing like you has no right to be alive." "i couldn't help it," returned the other, rather crestfallen. "ozma sprinkled me with a magic powder, and i just had to live. i know i'm not much account; but i'm the only horse in all the land of oz, so they treat me with great respect." "you, a horse!" "oh, not a real one, of course. there are no real horses here at all. but i'm a splendid imitation of one." jim gave an indignant neigh. "look at me!" he cried. "behold a real horse!" the wooden animal gave a start, and then examined the other intently. "is it possible that you are a real horse?" he murmured. "not only possible, but true," replied jim, who was gratified by the impression he had created. "it is proved by my fine points. for example, look at the long hairs on my tail, with which i can whisk away the flies." "the flies never trouble me," said the saw-horse. "and notice my great strong teeth, with which i nibble the grass." "it is not necessary for me to eat," observed the sawhorse. "also examine my broad chest, which enables me to draw deep, full breaths," said jim, proudly. "i have no need to breathe," returned the other. "no; you miss many pleasures," remarked the cab-horse, pityingly. "you do not know the relief of brushing away a fly that has bitten you, nor the delight of eating delicious food, nor the satisfaction of drawing a long breath of fresh, pure air. you may be an imitation of a horse, but you're a mighty poor one." "oh, i cannot hope ever to be like you," sighed the sawhorse. "but i am glad to meet a last a real horse. you are certainly the most beautiful creature i ever beheld." this praise won jim completely. to be called beautiful was a novelty in his experience. said he: "your chief fault, my friend, is in being made of wood, and that i suppose you cannot help. real horses, like myself, are made of flesh and blood and bones." "i can see the bones all right," replied the sawhorse, "and they are admirable and distinct. also i can see the flesh. but the blood, i suppose is tucked away inside." "exactly," said jim. "what good is it?" asked the sawhorse. jim did not know, but he would not tell the sawhorse that. "if anything cuts me," he replied, "the blood runs out to show where i am cut. you, poor thing! cannot even bleed when you are hurt." "but i am never hurt," said the sawhorse. "once in a while i get broken up some, but i am easily repaired and put in good order again. and i never feel a break or a splinter in the least." jim was almost tempted to envy the wooden horse for being unable to feel pain; but the creature was so absurdly unnatural that he decided he would not change places with it under any circumstances. "how did you happen to be shod with gold?" he asked. "princess ozma did that," was the reply; "and it saves my legs from wearing out. we've had a good many adventures together, ozma and i, and she likes me." the cab-horse was about to reply when suddenly he gave a start and a neigh of terror and stood trembling like a leaf. for around the corner had come two enormous savage beasts, treading so lightly that they were upon him before he was aware of their presence. jim was in the act of plunging down the path to escape when the sawhorse cried out: "stop, my brother! stop, real horse! these are friends, and will do you no harm." jim hesitated, eyeing the beasts fearfully. one was an enormous lion with clear, intelligent eyes, a tawney mane bushy and well kept, and a body like yellow plush. the other was a great tiger with purple stripes around his lithe body, powerful limbs, and eyes that showed through the half closed lids like coals of fire. the huge forms of these monarchs of the forest and jungle were enough to strike terror to the stoutest heart, and it is no wonder jim was afraid to face them. but the sawhorse introduced the stranger in a calm tone, saying: "this, noble horse, is my friend the cowardly lion, who is the valiant king of the forest, but at the same time a faithful vassal of princess ozma. and this is the hungry tiger, the terror of the jungle, who longs to devour fat babies but is prevented by his conscience from doing so. these royal beasts are both warm friends of little dorothy and have come to the emerald city this morning to welcome her to our fairyland." hearing these words jim resolved to conquer his alarm. he bowed his head with as much dignity as he could muster toward the savage looking beasts, who in return nodded in a friendly way. "is not the real horse a beautiful animal?" asked the sawhorse admiringly. "that is doubtless a matter of taste," returned the lion. "in the forest he would be thought ungainly, because his face is stretched out and his neck is uselessly long. his joints, i notice, are swollen and overgrown, and he lacks flesh and is old in years." "and dreadfully tough," added the hungry tiger, in a sad voice. "my conscience would never permit me to eat so tough a morsel as the real horse." "i'm glad of that," said jim; "for i, also, have a conscience, and it tells me not to crush in your skull with a blow of my powerful hoof." if he thought to frighten the striped beast by such language he was mistaken. the tiger seemed to smile, and winked one eye slowly. "you have a good conscience, friend horse," it said, "and if you attend to its teachings it will do much to protect you from harm. some day i will let you try to crush in my skull, and afterward you will know more about tigers than you do now." "any friend of dorothy," remarked the cowardly lion, "must be our friend, as well. so let us cease this talk of skull crushing and converse upon more pleasant subjects. have you breakfasted, sir horse?" "not yet," replied jim. "but here is plenty of excellent clover, so if you will excuse me i will eat now." "he's a vegetarian," remarked the tiger, as the horse began to munch the clover. "if i could eat grass i would not need a conscience, for nothing could then tempt me to devour babies and lambs." just then dorothy, who had risen early and heard the voices of the animals, ran out to greet her old friends. she hugged both the lion and the tiger with eager delight, but seemed to love the king of beasts a little better than she did his hungry friend, having known him longer. by this time they had indulged in a good talk and dorothy had told them all about the awful earthquake and her recent adventures, the breakfast bell rang from the palace and the little girl went inside to join her human comrades. as she entered the great hall a voice called out, in a rather harsh tone: "what! are you here again?" "yes, i am," she answered, looking all around to see where the voice came from. "what brought you back?" was the next question, and dorothy's eye rested on an antlered head hanging on the wall just over the fireplace, and caught its lips in the act of moving. "good gracious!" she exclaimed. "i thought you were stuffed." "so i am," replied the head. "but once on a time i was part of the gump, which ozma sprinkled with the powder of life. i was then for a time the head of the finest flying machine that was ever known to exist, and we did many wonderful things. afterward the gump was taken apart and i was put back on this wall; but i can still talk when i feel in the mood, which is not often." "it's very strange," said the girl. "what were you when you were first alive?" "that i have forgotten," replied the gump's head, "and i do not think it is of much importance. but here comes ozma; so i'd better hush up, for the princess doesn't like me to chatter since she changed her name from tip to ozma." just then the girlish ruler of oz opened the door and greeted dorothy with a good-morning kiss. the little princess seemed fresh and rosy and in good spirits. "breakfast is served, dear," she said, "and i am hungry. so don't let us keep it waiting a single minute." 17. the nine tiny piglets after breakfast ozma announced that she had ordered a holiday to be observed throughout the emerald city, in honor of her visitors. the people had learned that their old wizard had returned to them and all were anxious to see him again, for he had always been a rare favorite. so first there was to be a grand procession through the streets, after which the little old man was requested to perform some of his wizardries in the great throne room of the palace. in the afternoon there were to be games and races. the procession was very imposing. first came the imperial cornet band of oz, dressed in emerald velvet uniforms with slashes of pea-green satin and buttons of immense cut emeralds. they played the national air called "the oz spangled banner," and behind them were the standard bearers with the royal flag. this flag was divided into four quarters, one being colored sky-blue, another pink, a third lavender and a fourth white. in the center was a large emerald-green star, and all over the four quarters were sewn spangles that glittered beautifully in the sunshine. the colors represented the four countries of oz, and the green star the emerald city. just behind the royal standard-bearers came the princess ozma in her royal chariot, which was of gold encrusted with emeralds and diamonds set in exquisite designs. the chariot was drawn on this occasion by the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, who were decorated with immense pink and blue bows. in the chariot rode ozma and dorothy, the former in splendid raiment and wearing her royal coronet, while the little kansas girl wore around her waist the magic belt she had once captured from the nome king. following the chariot came the scarecrow mounted on the sawhorse, and the people cheered him almost as loudly as they did their lovely ruler. behind him stalked with regular, jerky steps, the famous machine-man called tik-tok, who had been wound up by dorothy for the occasion. tik-tok moved by clockwork, and was made all of burnished copper. he really belonged to the kansas girl, who had much respect for his thoughts after they had been properly wound and set going; but as the copper man would be useless in any place but a fairy country dorothy had left him in charge of ozma, who saw that he was suitably cared for. there followed another band after this, which was called the royal court band, because the members all lived in the palace. they wore white uniforms with real diamond buttons and played "what is oz without ozma" very sweetly. then came professor woggle-bug, with a group of students from the royal college of scientific athletics. the boys wore long hair and striped sweaters and yelled their college yell every other step they took, to the great satisfaction of the populace, which was glad to have this evidence that their lungs were in good condition. the brilliantly polished tin woodman marched next, at the head of the royal army of oz which consisted of twenty-eight officers, from generals down to captains. there were no privates in the army because all were so courageous and skillful that they had been promoted one by one until there were no privates left. jim and the buggy followed, the old cab-horse being driven by zeb while the wizard stood up on the seat and bowed his bald head right and left in answer to the cheers of the people, who crowded thick about him. taken altogether the procession was a grand success, and when it had returned to the palace the citizens crowded into the great throne room to see the wizard perform his tricks. the first thing the little humbug did was to produce a tiny white piglet from underneath his hat and pretend to pull it apart, making two. this act he repeated until all of the nine tiny piglets were visible, and they were so glad to get out of his pocket that they ran around in a very lively manner. the pretty little creatures would have been a novelty anywhere, so the people were as amazed and delighted at their appearance as even the wizard could have desired. when he had made them all disappear again ozma declared she was sorry they were gone, for she wanted one of them to pet and play with. so the wizard pretended to take one of the piglets out of the hair of the princess (while really he slyly took it from his inside pocket) and ozma smiled joyously as the creature nestled in her arms, and she promised to have an emerald collar made for its fat neck and to keep the little squealer always at hand to amuse her. afterward it was noticed that the wizard always performed his famous trick with eight piglets, but it seemed to please the people just as well as if there had been nine of them. in his little room back of the throne room the wizard had found a lot of things he had left behind him when he went away in the balloon, for no one had occupied the apartment in his absence. there was enough material there to enable him to prepare several new tricks which he had learned from some of the jugglers in the circus, and he had passed part of the night in getting them ready. so he followed the trick of the nine tiny piglets with several other wonderful feats that greatly delighted his audience and the people did not seem to care a bit whether the little man was a humbug wizard or not, so long as he succeeded in amusing them. they applauded all his tricks and at the end of the performance begged him earnestly not to go away again and leave them. "in that case," said the little man, gravely, "i will cancel all of my engagements before the crowned heads of europe and america and devote myself to the people of oz, for i love you all so well that i can deny you nothing." after the people had been dismissed with this promise our friends joined princess ozma at an elaborate luncheon in the palace, where even the tiger and the lion were sumptuously fed and jim the cab-horse ate his oatmeal out of a golden bowl with seven rows of rubies, sapphires and diamonds set around the rim of it. in the afternoon they all went to a great field outside the city gates where the games were to be held. there was a beautiful canopy for ozma and her guests to sit under and watch the people run races and jump and wrestle. you may be sure the folks of oz did their best with such a distinguished company watching them, and finally zeb offered to wrestle with a little munchkin who seemed to be the champion. in appearance he was twice as old as zeb, for he had long pointed whiskers and wore a peaked hat with little bells all around the brim of it, which tinkled gaily as he moved. but although the munchkin was hardly tall enough to come to zeb's shoulder he was so strong and clever that he laid the boy three times on his back with apparent ease. zeb was greatly astonished at his defeat, and when the pretty princess joined her people in laughing at him he proposed a boxing-match with the munchkin, to which the little ozite readily agreed. but the first time that zeb managed to give him a sharp box on the ears the munchkin sat down upon the ground and cried until the tears ran down his whiskers, because he had been hurt. this made zeb laugh, in turn, and the boy felt comforted to find that ozma laughed as merrily at her weeping subject as she had at him. just then the scarecrow proposed a race between the sawhorse and the cab-horse; and although all the others were delighted at the suggestion the sawhorse drew back, saying: "such a race would not be fair." "of course not," added jim, with a touch of scorn; "those little wooden legs of yours are not half as long as my own." "it isn't that," said the sawhorse, modestly; "but i never tire, and you do." "bah!" cried jim, looking with great disdain at the other; "do you imagine for an instant that such a shabby imitation of a horse as you are can run as fast as i?" "i don't know, i'm sure," replied the sawhorse. "that is what we are trying to find out," remarked the scarecrow. "the object of a race is to see who can win it--or at least that is what my excellent brains think." "once, when i was young," said jim, "i was a race horse, and defeated all who dared run against me. i was born in kentucky, you know, where all the best and most aristocratic horses come from." "but you're old, now, jim," suggested zeb. "old! why, i feel like a colt today," replied jim. "i only wish there was a real horse here for me to race with. i'd show the people a fine sight, i can tell you." "then why not race with the sawhorse?" enquired the scarecrow. "he's afraid," said jim. "oh, no," answered the sawhorse. "i merely said it wasn't fair. but if my friend the real horse is willing to undertake the race i am quite ready." so they unharnessed jim and took the saddle off the sawhorse, and the two queerly matched animals were stood side by side for the start. "when i say 'go!'" zeb called to them, "you must dig out and race until you reach those three trees you see over yonder. then circle 'round them and come back again. the first one that passes the place where the princess sits shall be named the winner. are you ready?" "i suppose i ought to give the wooden dummy a good start of me," growled jim. "never mind that," said the sawhorse. "i'll do the best i can." "go!" cried zeb; and at the word the two horses leaped forward and the race was begun. jim's big hoofs pounded away at a great rate, and although he did not look very graceful he ran in a way to do credit to his kentucky breeding. but the sawhorse was swifter than the wind. its wooden legs moved so fast that their twinkling could scarcely be seen, and although so much smaller than the cab-horse it covered the ground much faster. before they had reached the trees the sawhorse was far ahead, and the wooden animal returned to the starting place as was being lustily cheered by the ozites before jim came panting up to the canopy where the princess and her friends were seated. i am sorry to record the fact that jim was not only ashamed of his defeat but for a moment lost control of his temper. as he looked at the comical face of the sawhorse he imagined that the creature was laughing at him; so in a fit of unreasonable anger he turned around and made a vicious kick that sent his rival tumbling head over heels upon the ground, and broke off one of its legs and its left ear. an instant later the tiger crouched and launched its huge body through the air swift and resistless as a ball from a cannon. the beast struck jim full on his shoulder and sent the astonished cab-horse rolling over and over, amid shouts of delight from the spectators, who had been horrified by the ungracious act he had been guilty of. when jim came to himself and sat upon his haunches he found the cowardly lion crouched on one side of him and the hungry tiger on the other, and their eyes were glowing like balls of fire. "i beg your pardon, i'm sure," said jim, meekly. "i was wrong to kick the sawhorse, and i am sorry i became angry at him. he has won the race, and won it fairly; but what can a horse of flesh do against a tireless beast of wood?" hearing this apology the tiger and the lion stopped lashing their tails and retreated with dignified steps to the side of the princess. "no one must injure one of our friends in our presence," growled the lion; and zeb ran to jim and whispered that unless he controlled his temper in the future he would probably be torn to pieces. then the tin woodman cut a straight and strong limb from a tree with his gleaming axe and made a new leg and a new ear for the sawhorse; and when they had been securely fastened in place princess ozma took the coronet from her own head and placed it upon that of the winner of the race. said she: "my friend, i reward you for your swiftness by proclaiming you prince of horses, whether of wood or of flesh; and hereafter all other horses--in the land of oz, at least--must be considered imitations, and you the real champion of your race." there was more applause at this, and then ozma had the jewelled saddle replaced upon the sawhorse and herself rode the victor back to the city at the head of the grand procession. "i ought to be a fairy," grumbled jim, as he slowly drew the buggy home; "for to be just an ordinary horse in a fairy country is to be of no account whatever. it's no place for us, zeb." "it's lucky we got here, though," said the boy; and jim thought of the dark cave, and agreed with him. 18. the trial of eureka the kitten several days of festivity and merry-making followed, for such old friends did not often meet and there was much to be told and talked over between them, and many amusements to be enjoyed in this delightful country. ozma was happy to have dorothy beside her, for girls of her own age with whom it was proper for the princess to associate were very few, and often the youthful ruler of oz was lonely for lack of companionship. it was the third morning after dorothy's arrival, and she was sitting with ozma and their friends in a reception room, talking over old times, when the princess said to her maid: "please go to my boudoir, jellia, and get the white piglet i left on the dressing-table. i want to play with it." jellia at once departed on the errand, and she was gone so long that they had almost forgotten her mission when the green robed maiden returned with a troubled face. "the piglet is not there, your highness," said she. "not there!" exclaimed ozma. "are you sure?" "i have hunted in every part of the room," the maid replied. "was not the door closed?" asked the princess. "yes, your highness; i am sure it was; for when i opened it dorothy's white kitten crept out and ran up the stairs." hearing this, dorothy and the wizard exchanged startled glances, for they remembered how often eureka had longed to eat a piglet. the little girl jumped up at once. "come, ozma," she said, anxiously; "let us go ourselves to search for the piglet." so the two went to the dressing-room of the princess and searched carefully in every corner and among the vases and baskets and ornaments that stood about the pretty boudoir. but not a trace could they find of the tiny creature they sought. dorothy was nearly weeping, by this time, while ozma was angry and indignant. when they returned to the others the princess said: "there is little doubt that my pretty piglet has been eaten by that horrid kitten, and if that is true the offender must be punished." "i don't b'lieve eureka would do such a dreadful thing!" cried dorothy, much distressed. "go and get my kitten, please, jellia, and we'll hear what she has to say about it." the green maiden hastened away, but presently returned and said: "the kitten will not come. she threatened to scratch my eyes out if i touched her." "where is she?" asked dorothy. "under the bed in your own room," was the reply. so dorothy ran to her room and found the kitten under the bed. "come here, eureka!" she said. "i won't," answered the kitten, in a surly voice. "oh, eureka! why are you so bad?" the kitten did not reply. "if you don't come to me, right away," continued dorothy, getting provoked, "i'll take my magic belt and wish you in the country of the gurgles." "why do you want me?" asked eureka, disturbed by this threat. "you must go to princess ozma. she wants to talk to you." "all right," returned the kitten, creeping out. "i'm not afraid of ozma--or anyone else." dorothy carried her in her arms back to where the others sat in grieved and thoughtful silence. "tell me, eureka," said the princess, gently: "did you eat my pretty piglet?" "i won't answer such a foolish question," asserted eureka, with a snarl. "oh, yes you will, dear," dorothy declared. "the piglet is gone, and you ran out of the room when jellia opened the door. so, if you are innocent, eureka, you must tell the princess how you came to be in her room, and what has become of the piglet." "who accuses me?" asked the kitten, defiantly. "no one," answered ozma. "your actions alone accuse you. the fact is that i left my little pet in my dressing-room lying asleep upon the table; and you must have stolen in without my knowing it. when next the door was opened you ran out and hid yourself--and the piglet was gone." "that's none of my business," growled the kitten. "don't be impudent, eureka," admonished dorothy. "it is you who are impudent," said eureka, "for accusing me of such a crime when you can't prove it except by guessing." ozma was now greatly incensed by the kitten's conduct. she summoned her captain-general, and when the long, lean officer appeared she said: "carry this cat away to prison, and keep her in safe confinement until she is tried by law for the crime of murder." so the captain-general took eureka from the arms of the now weeping dorothy and in spite of the kitten's snarls and scratches carried it away to prison. "what shall we do now?" asked the scarecrow, with a sigh, for such a crime had cast a gloom over all the company. "i will summon the court to meet in the throne room at three o'clock," replied ozma. "i myself will be the judge, and the kitten shall have a fair trial." "what will happen if she is guilty?" asked dorothy. "she must die," answered the princess. "nine times?" enquired the scarecrow. "as many times as is necessary," was the reply. "i will ask the tin woodman to defend the prisoner, because he has such a kind heart i am sure he will do his best to save her. and the woggle-bug shall be the public accuser, because he is so learned that no one can deceive him." "who will be the jury?" asked the tin woodman. "there ought to be several animals on the jury," said ozma, "because animals understand each other better than we people understand them. so the jury shall consist of the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger, jim the cab-horse, the yellow hen, the scarecrow, the wizard, tik-tok the machine man, the sawhorse and zeb of hugson's ranch. that makes the nine which the law requires, and all my people shall be admitted to hear the testimony." they now separated to prepare for the sad ceremony; for whenever an appeal is made to law sorrow is almost certain to follow--even in a fairyland like oz. but is must be stated that the people of that land were generally so well-behaved that there was not a single lawyer amongst them, and it had been years since any ruler had sat in judgment upon an offender of the law. the crime of murder being the most dreadful crime of all, tremendous excitement prevailed in the emerald city when the news of eureka's arrest and trial became known. the wizard, when he returned to his own room, was exceedingly thoughtful. he had no doubt eureka had eaten his piglet, but he realized that a kitten cannot be depended upon at all times to act properly, since its nature is to destroy small animals and even birds for food, and the tame cat that we keep in our houses today is descended from the wild cat of the jungle--a very ferocious creature, indeed. the wizard knew that if dorothy's pet was found guilty and condemned to death the little girl would be made very unhappy; so, although he grieved over the piglet's sad fate as much as any of them, he resolved to save eureka's life. sending for the tin woodman the wizard took him into a corner and whispered: "my friend, it is your duty to defend the white kitten and try to save her, but i fear you will fail because eureka has long wished to eat a piglet, to my certain knowledge, and my opinion is that she has been unable to resist the temptation. yet her disgrace and death would not bring back the piglet, but only serve to make dorothy unhappy. so i intend to prove the kitten's innocence by a trick." he drew from his inside pocket one of the eight tiny piglets that were remaining and continued: "this creature you must hide in some safe place, and if the jury decides that eureka is guilty you may then produce this piglet and claim it is the one that was lost. all the piglets are exactly alike, so no one can dispute your word. this deception will save eureka's life, and then we may all be happy again." "i do not like to deceive my friends," replied the tin woodman; "still, my kind heart urges me to save eureka's life, and i can usually trust my heart to do the right thing. so i will do as you say, friend wizard." after some thought he placed the little pig inside his funnel-shaped hat, and then put the hat upon his head and went back to his room to think over his speech to the jury. 19. the wizard performs another trick at three o'clock the throne room was crowded with citizens, men, women and children being eager to witness the great trial. princess ozma, dressed in her most splendid robes of state, sat in the magnificent emerald throne, with her jewelled sceptre in her hand and her sparkling coronet upon her fair brow. behind her throne stood the twenty-eight officers of her army and many officials of the royal household. at her right sat the queerly assorted jury--animals, animated dummies and people--all gravely prepared to listen to what was said. the kitten had been placed in a large cage just before the throne, where she sat upon her haunches and gazed through the bars at the crowds around her, with seeming unconcern. and now, at a signal from ozma, the woggle-bug arose and addressed the jury. his tone was pompous and he strutted up and down in an absurd attempt to appear dignified. "your royal highness and fellow citizens," he began; "the small cat you see a prisoner before you is accused of the crime of first murdering and then eating our esteemed ruler's fat piglet--or else first eating and then murdering it. in either case a grave crime has been committed which deserves a grave punishment." "do you mean my kitten must be put in a grave?" asked dorothy. "don't interrupt, little girl," said the woggle-bug. "when i get my thoughts arranged in good order i do not like to have anything upset them or throw them into confusion." "if your thoughts were any good they wouldn't become confused," remarked the scarecrow, earnestly. "my thoughts are always--" "is this a trial of thoughts, or of kittens?" demanded the woggle-bug. "it's a trial of one kitten," replied the scarecrow; "but your manner is a trial to us all." "let the public accuser continue," called ozma from her throne, "and i pray you do not interrupt him." "the criminal who now sits before the court licking her paws," resumed the woggle-bug, "has long desired to unlawfully eat the fat piglet, which was no bigger than a mouse. and finally she made a wicked plan to satisfy her depraved appetite for pork. i can see her, in my mind's eye--" "what's that?" asked the scarecrow. "i say i can see her in my mind's eye--" "the mind has no eye," declared the scarecrow. "it's blind." "your highness," cried the woggle-bug, appealing to ozma, "have i a mind's eye, or haven't i?" "if you have, it is invisible," said the princess. "very true," returned the woggle-bug, bowing. "i say i see the criminal, in my mind's eye, creeping stealthily into the room of our ozma and secreting herself, when no one was looking, until the princess had gone away and the door was closed. then the murderer was alone with her helpless victim, the fat piglet, and i see her pounce upon the innocent creature and eat it up--" "are you still seeing with your mind's eye?" enquired the scarecrow. "of course; how else could i see it? and we know the thing is true, because since the time of that interview there is no piglet to be found anywhere." "i suppose, if the cat had been gone, instead of the piglet, your mind's eye would see the piglet eating the cat," suggested the scarecrow. "very likely," acknowledged the woggle-bug. "and now, fellow citizens and creatures of the jury, i assert that so awful a crime deserves death, and in the case of the ferocious criminal before you--who is now washing her face--the death penalty should be inflicted nine times." there was great applause when the speaker sat down. then the princess spoke in a stern voice: "prisoner, what have you to say for yourself? are you guilty, or not guilty?" "why, that's for you to find out," replied eureka. "if you can prove i'm guilty, i'll be willing to die nine times, but a mind's eye is no proof, because the woggle-bug has no mind to see with." "never mind, dear," said dorothy. then the tin woodman arose and said: "respected jury and dearly beloved ozma, i pray you not to judge this feline prisoner unfeelingly. i do not think the innocent kitten can be guilty, and surely it is unkind to accuse a luncheon of being a murder. eureka is the sweet pet of a lovely little girl whom we all admire, and gentleness and innocence are her chief virtues. look at the kitten's intelligent eyes;" (here eureka closed her eyes sleepily) "gaze at her smiling countenance!" (here eureka snarled and showed her teeth) "mark the tender pose of her soft, padded little hands!" (here eureka bared her sharp claws and scratched at the bars of the cage.) "would such a gentle animal be guilty of eating a fellow creature? no; a thousand times, no!" "oh, cut it short," said eureka; "you've talked long enough." "i'm trying to defend you," remonstrated the tin woodman. "then say something sensible," retorted the kitten. "tell them it would be foolish for me to eat the piglet, because i had sense enough to know it would raise a row if i did. but don't try to make out i'm too innocent to eat a fat piglet if i could do it and not be found out. i imagine it would taste mighty good." "perhaps it would, to those who eat," remarked the tin woodman. "i myself, not being built to eat, have no personal experience in such matters. but i remember that our great poet once said: 'to eat is sweet when hunger's seat demands a treat of savory meat.'" "take this into consideration, friends of the jury, and you will readily decide that the kitten is wrongfully accused and should be set at liberty." when the tin woodman sat down no one applauded him, for his arguments had not been very convincing and few believed that he had proved eureka's innocence. as for the jury, the members whispered to each other for a few minutes and then they appointed the hungry tiger their spokesman. the huge beast slowly arose and said: "kittens have no consciences, so they eat whatever pleases them. the jury believes the white kitten known as eureka is guilty of having eaten the piglet owned by princess ozma, and recommends that she be put to death in punishment of the crime." the judgment of the jury was received with great applause, although dorothy was sobbing miserably at the fate of her pet. the princess was just about to order eureka's head chopped off with the tin woodman's axe when that brilliant personage once more arose and addressed her. "your highness," said he, "see how easy it is for a jury to be mistaken. the kitten could not have eaten your piglet--for here it is!" he took off his funnel hat and from beneath it produced a tiny white piglet, which he held aloft that all might see it clearly. ozma was delighted and exclaimed, eagerly: "give me my pet, nick chopper!" and all the people cheered and clapped their hands, rejoicing that the prisoner had escaped death and been proved to be innocent. as the princess held the white piglet in her arms and stroked its soft hair she said: "let eureka out of the cage, for she is no longer a prisoner, but our good friend. where did you find my missing pet, nick chopper?" "in a room of the palace," he answered. "justice," remarked the scarecrow, with a sigh, "is a dangerous thing to meddle with. if you hadn't happened to find the piglet, eureka would surely have been executed." "but justice prevailed at the last," said ozma, "for here is my pet, and eureka is once more free." "i refuse to be free," cried the kitten, in a sharp voice, "unless the wizard can do his trick with eight piglets. if he can produce but seven, then this is not the piglet that was lost, but another one." "hush, eureka!" warned the wizard. "don't be foolish," advised the tin woodman, "or you may be sorry for it." "the piglet that belonged to the princess wore an emerald collar," said eureka, loudly enough for all to hear. "so it did!" exclaimed ozma. "this cannot be the one the wizard gave me." "of course not; he had nine of them, altogether," declared eureka; "and i must say it was very stingy of him not to let me eat just a few. but now that this foolish trial is ended, i will tell you what really became of your pet piglet." at this everyone in the throne room suddenly became quiet, and the kitten continued, in a calm, mocking tone of voice: "i will confess that i intended to eat the little pig for my breakfast; so i crept into the room where it was kept while the princess was dressing and hid myself under a chair. when ozma went away she closed the door and left her pet on the table. at once i jumped up and told the piglet not to make a fuss, for he would be inside of me in half a second; but no one can teach one of these creatures to be reasonable. instead of keeping still, so i could eat him comfortably, he trembled so with fear that he fell off the table into a big vase that was standing on the floor. the vase had a very small neck, and spread out at the top like a bowl. at first the piglet stuck in the neck of the vase and i thought i should get him, after all, but he wriggled himself through and fell down into the deep bottom part--and i suppose he's there yet." all were astonished at this confession, and ozma at once sent an officer to her room to fetch the vase. when he returned the princess looked down the narrow neck of the big ornament and discovered her lost piglet, just as eureka had said she would. there was no way to get the creature out without breaking the vase, so the tin woodman smashed it with his axe and set the little prisoner free. then the crowd cheered lustily and dorothy hugged the kitten in her arms and told her how delighted she was to know that she was innocent. "but why didn't you tell us at first?" she asked. "it would have spoiled the fun," replied the kitten, yawning. ozma gave the wizard back the piglet he had so kindly allowed nick chopper to substitute for the lost one, and then she carried her own into the apartments of the palace where she lived. and now, the trial being over, the good citizens of the emerald city scattered to their homes, well content with the day's amusement. 20. zeb returns to the ranch eureka was much surprised to find herself in disgrace; but she was, in spite of the fact that she had not eaten the piglet. for the folks of oz knew the kitten had tried to commit the crime, and that only an accident had prevented her from doing so; therefore even the hungry tiger preferred not to associate with her. eureka was forbidden to wander around the palace and was made to stay in confinement in dorothy's room; so she began to beg her mistress to send her to some other place where she could enjoy herself better. dorothy was herself anxious to get home, so she promised eureka they would not stay in the land of oz much longer. the next evening after the trial the little girl begged ozma to allow her to look in the enchanted picture, and the princess readily consented. she took the child to her room and said: "make your wish, dear, and the picture will show the scene you desire to behold." then dorothy found, with the aid of the enchanted picture, that uncle henry had returned to the farm in kansas, and she also saw that both he and aunt em were dressed in mourning, because they thought their little niece had been killed by the earthquake. "really," said the girl, anxiously, "i must get back as soon as poss'ble to my own folks." zeb also wanted to see his home, and although he did not find anyone morning for him, the sight of hugson's ranch in the picture made him long to get back there. "this is a fine country, and i like all the people that live in it," he told dorothy. "but the fact is, jim and i don't seem to fit into a fairyland, and the old horse has been begging me to go home again ever since he lost the race. so, if you can find a way to fix it, we'll be much obliged to you." "ozma can do it, easily," replied dorothy. "tomorrow morning i'll go to kansas and you can go to californy." that last evening was so delightful that the boy will never forget it as long as he lives. they were all together (except eureka) in the pretty rooms of the princess, and the wizard did some new tricks, and the scarecrow told stories, and the tin woodman sang a love song in a sonorous, metallic voice, and everybody laughed and had a good time. then dorothy wound up tik-tok and he danced a jig to amuse the company, after which the yellow hen related some of her adventures with the nome king in the land of ev. the princess served delicious refreshments to those who were in the habit of eating, and when dorothy's bed time arrived the company separated after exchanging many friendly sentiments. next morning they all assembled for the final parting, and many of the officials and courtiers came to look upon the impressive ceremonies. dorothy held eureka in her arms and bade her friends a fond good-bye. "you must come again, some time," said the little wizard; and she promised she would if she found it possible to do so. "but uncle henry and aunt em need me to help them," she added, "so i can't ever be very long away from the farm in kansas." ozma wore the magic belt; and, when she had kissed dorothy farewell and had made her wish, the little girl and her kitten disappeared in a twinkling. "where is she?" asked zeb, rather bewildered by the suddenness of it. "greeting her uncle and aunt in kansas, by this time," returned ozma, with a smile. then zeb brought out jim, all harnessed to the buggy, and took his seat. "i'm much obliged for all your kindness," said the boy, "and very grateful to you for saving my life and sending me home again after all the good times i've had. i think this is the loveliest country in the world; but not being fairies jim and i feel we ought to be where we belong--and that's at the ranch. good-bye, everybody!" he gave a start and rubbed his eyes. jim was trotting along the well-known road, shaking his ears and whisking his tail with a contented motion. just ahead of them were the gates of hugson's ranch, and uncle hugson now came out and stood with uplifted arms and wide open mouth, staring in amazement. "goodness gracious! it's zeb--and jim, too!" he exclaimed. "where in the world have you been, my lad?" "why, in the world, uncle," answered zeb, with a laugh. [illustration: dorothy and the wizard] [illustration: picking the princess.] dorothy and the wizard in oz by l. frank baum author of the wizard of oz, the land of oz, ozma of oz, etc. illustrated by john r. neill books of wonder william morrow & co., inc. new york [illustration] copyright 1908 by l. frank baum all rights reserved * * * * * [illustration] dedicated to harriet a. b. neal. * * * * * to my readers it's no use; no use at all. the children won't let me stop telling tales of the land of oz. i know lots of other stories, and i hope to tell them, some time or another; but just now my loving tyrants won't allow me. they cry: "oz--oz! more about oz, mr. baum!" and what can i do but obey their commands? this is our book--mine and the children's. for they have flooded me with thousands of suggestions in regard to it, and i have honestly tried to adopt as many of these suggestions as could be fitted into one story. after the wonderful success of "ozma of oz" it is evident that dorothy has become a firm fixture in these oz stories. the little ones all love dorothy, and as one of my small friends aptly states: "it isn't a real oz story without her." so here she is again, as sweet and gentle and innocent as ever, i hope, and the heroine of another strange adventure. there were many requests from my little correspondents for "more about the wizard." it seems the jolly old fellow made hosts of friends in the first oz book, in spite of the fact that he frankly acknowledged himself "a humbug." the children had heard how he mounted into the sky in a balloon and they were all waiting for him to come down again. so what could i do but tell "what happened to the wizard afterward"? you will find him in these pages, just the same humbug wizard as before. there was one thing the children demanded which i found it impossible to do in this present book: they bade me introduce toto, dorothy's little black dog, who has many friends among my readers. but you will see, when you begin to read the story, that toto was in kansas while dorothy was in california, and so she had to start on her adventure without him. in this book dorothy had to take her kitten with her instead of her dog; but in the next oz book, if i am permitted to write one, i intend to tell a good deal about toto's further history. princess ozma, whom i love as much as my readers do, is again introduced in this story, and so are several of our old friends of oz. you will also become acquainted with jim the cab-horse, the nine tiny piglets, and eureka, the kitten. i am sorry the kitten was not as well behaved as she ought to have been; but perhaps she wasn't brought up properly. dorothy found her, you see, and who her parents were nobody knows. i believe, my dears, that i am the proudest story-teller that ever lived. many a time tears of pride and joy have stood in my eyes while i read the tender, loving, appealing letters that come to me in almost every mail from my little readers. to have pleased you, to have interested you, to have won your friendship, and perhaps your love, through my stories, is to my mind as great an achievement as to become president of the united states. indeed, i would much rather be your story-teller, under these conditions, than to be the president. so you have helped me to fulfill my life's ambition, and i am more grateful to you, my dears, than i can express in words. i try to answer every letter of my young correspondents; yet sometimes there are so many letters that a little time must pass before you get your answer. but be patient, friends, for the answer will surely come, and by writing to me you more than repay me for the pleasant task of preparing these books. besides, i am proud to acknowledge that the books are partly yours, for your suggestions often guide me in telling the stories, and i am sure they would not be half so good without your clever and thoughtful assistance. l. frank baum coronado, 1908. list of chapters chapter page 1 the earthquake 13 2 the glass city 23 3 the arrival of the wizard 41 4 the vegetable kingdom 55 5 dorothy picks the princess 64 6 the mangaboos prove dangerous 77 7 into the black pit and out again 88 8 the valley of voices 95 9 they fight the invisible bears 106 10 the braided man of pyramid mt 120 11 they meet the wooden gargoyles 131 12 a wonderful escape 142 13 the den of the dragonettes 160 14 ozma uses the magic belt 172 15 old friends are reunited 187 16 jim, the cab-horse 203 17 the nine tiny piglets 217 18 the trial of eureka, the kitten 231 19 the wizard performs another trick 240 20 zeb returns to the ranch 251 [illustration] chapter 1. the earthquake the train from 'frisco was very late. it should have arrived at hugson's siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled up to the open shed that served for the station-house. as it came to a stop the conductor called out in a loud voice: "hugson's siding!" at once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked under her arm. the conductor helped her off the car and then the engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and moved slowly away up the track. the reason he was so late was because all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers. so he moved the cars slowly and with caution. the little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared around a curve; then she turned to see where she was. the shed at hugson's siding was bare save for an old wooden bench, and did not look very inviting. as she peered through the soft gray light not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away. she walked toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless, with its head hanging down almost to the ground. it was a big horse, tall and bony, with long legs and large knees and feet. she could count his ribs easily where they showed through the skin of his body, and his head was long and seemed altogether too big for him, as if it did not fit. his tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits of wire. the buggy seemed almost new, for it had a shiny top and side curtains. getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep. she set down the bird-cage and poked the boy with her parasol. presently he woke up, rose to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes briskly. "hello!" he said, seeing her, "are you dorothy gale?" "yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking gray eyes. "have you come to take me to hugson's ranch?" "of course," he answered. "train in?" "i couldn't be here if it wasn't," she said. he laughed at that, and his laugh was merry and frank. jumping out of the buggy he put dorothy's suit-case under the seat and her bird-cage on the floor in front. "canary-birds?" he asked. "oh, no; it's just eureka, my kitten. i thought that was the best way to carry her." the boy nodded. "eureka's a funny name for a cat," he remarked. "i named my kitten that because i found it," she explained. "uncle henry says 'eureka' means 'i have found it.'" "all right; hop in." she climbed into the buggy and he followed her. then the boy picked up the reins, shook them, and said "gid-dap!" the horse did not stir. dorothy thought he just wiggled one of his drooping ears, but that was all. "gid-dap!" called the boy, again. the horse stood still. "perhaps," said dorothy, "if you untied him, he would go." the boy laughed cheerfully and jumped out. "guess i'm half asleep yet," he said, untying the horse. "but jim knows his business all right--don't you, jim?" patting the long nose of the animal. then he got into the buggy again and took the reins, and the horse at once backed away from the tree, turned slowly around, and began to trot down the sandy road which was just visible in the dim light. "thought that train would never come," observed the boy. "i've waited at that station for five hours." "we had a lot of earthquakes," said dorothy. "didn't you feel the ground shake?" "yes; but we're used to such things in california," he replied. "they don't scare us much." [illustration: dorothy poked the boy with her parasol.] "the conductor said it was the worst quake he ever knew." "did he? then it must have happened while i was asleep," he said, thoughtfully. "how is uncle henry?" she enquired, after a pause during which the horse continued to trot with long, regular strides. "he's pretty well. he and uncle hugson have been having a fine visit." "is mr. hugson your uncle?" she asked. "yes. uncle bill hugson married your uncle henry's wife's sister; so we must be second cousins," said the boy, in an amused tone. "i work for uncle bill on his ranch, and he pays me six dollars a month and my board." "isn't that a great deal?" she asked, doubtfully. "why, it's a great deal for uncle hugson, but not for me. i'm a splendid worker. i work as well as i sleep," he added, with a laugh. "what is your name?" asked dorothy, thinking she liked the boy's manner and the cheery tone of his voice. "not a very pretty one," he answered, as if a little ashamed. "my whole name is zebediah; but folks just call me 'zeb.' you've been to australia, haven't you?" "yes; with uncle henry," she answered. "we got to san francisco a week ago, and uncle henry went right on to hugson's ranch for a visit while i stayed a few days in the city with some friends we had met." "how long will you be with us?" he asked. "only a day. tomorrow uncle henry and i must start back for kansas. we've been away for a long time, you know, and so we're anxious to get home again." the boy flicked the big, boney horse with his whip and looked thoughtful. then he started to say something to his little companion, but before he could speak the buggy began to sway dangerously from side to side and the earth seemed to rise up before them. next minute there was a roar and a sharp crash, and at her side dorothy saw the ground open in a wide crack and then come together again. "goodness!" she cried, grasping the iron rail of the seat. "what was that?" "that was an awful big quake," replied zeb, with a white face. "it almost got us that time, dorothy." the horse had stopped short, and stood firm as a rock. zeb shook the reins and urged him to go, but jim was stubborn. then the boy cracked his whip and touched the animal's flanks with it, and after a low moan of protest jim stepped slowly along the road. neither the boy nor the girl spoke again for some minutes. there was a breath of danger in the very air, and every few moments the earth would shake violently. jim's ears were standing erect upon his head and every muscle of his big body was tense as he trotted toward home. he was not going very fast, but on his flanks specks of foam began to appear and at times he would tremble like a leaf. the sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds as it swept over the valley. suddenly there was a rending, tearing sound, and the earth split into another great crack just beneath the spot where the horse was standing. with a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit, drawing the buggy and its occupants after him. dorothy grabbed fast hold of the buggy top and the boy did the same. the sudden rush into space confused them so that they could not think. blackness engulfed them on every side, and in breathless silence they waited for the fall to end and crush them against jagged rocks or for the earth to close in on them again and bury them forever in its dreadful depths. the horrible sensation of falling, the darkness and the terrifying noises, proved more than dorothy could endure and for a few moments the little girl lost consciousness. zeb, being a boy, did not faint, but he was badly frightened, and clung to the buggy seat with a tight grip, expecting every moment would be his last. [illustration] [illustration] chapter 2. the glass city when dorothy recovered her senses they were still falling, but not so fast. the top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to bear. the worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this great crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was about to overtake them at any moment. crash after crash echoed far above their heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and stones and chunks of clay rattled around them on every side. these they could not see, but they could feel them pelting the buggy top, and jim screamed almost like a human being when a stone overtook him and struck his boney body. they did not really hurt the poor horse, because everything was falling together; only the stones and rubbish fell faster than the horse and buggy, which were held back by the pressure of the air, so that the terrified animal was actually more frightened than he was injured. how long this state of things continued dorothy could not even guess, she was so greatly bewildered. but bye and bye, as she stared ahead into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the form of the horse jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space. also, turning her head, she found that she could see the boy beside her, who had until now remained as still and silent as she herself. dorothy sighed and commenced to breathe easier. she began to realize that death was not in store for her, after all, but that she had merely started upon another adventure, which promised to be just as queer and unusual as were those she had before encountered. with this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over the side of the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from. far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air. the central and largest one was white, and reminded her of the sun. around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one blue and one orange. this splendid group of colored suns sent rays darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with dorothy and zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly illuminated. dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of jim's big ears turn to violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail should be yellow and his body striped with blue and orange like the stripes of a zebra. then she looked at zeb, whose face was blue and whose hair was pink, and gave a little laugh that sounded a bit nervous. "isn't it funny?" she said. the boy was startled and his eyes were big. dorothy had a green streak through the center of her face where the blue and yellow lights came together, and her appearance seemed to add to his fright. "i--i don't s-s-see any-thing funny--'bout it!" he stammered. [illustration: horse, buggy and all fell slowly.] just then the buggy tipped slowly over upon its side, the body of the horse tipping also. but they continued to fall, all together, and the boy and girl had no difficulty in remaining upon the seat, just as they were before. then they turned bottom side up, and continued to roll slowly over until they were right side up again. during this time jim struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of voice: "well, that's better!" dorothy and zeb looked at one another in wonder. "can your horse talk?" she asked. "never knew him to, before," replied the boy. "those were the first words i ever said," called out the horse, who had overheard them, "and i can't explain why i happened to speak then. this is a nice scrape you've got me into, isn't it?" "as for that, we are in the same scrape ourselves," answered dorothy, cheerfully. "but never mind; something will happen pretty soon." "of course," growled the horse; "and then we shall be sorry it happened." zeb gave a shiver. all this was so terrible and unreal that he could not understand it at all, and so had good reason to be afraid. swiftly they drew near to the flaming colored suns, and passed close beside them. the light was then so bright that it dazzled their eyes, and they covered their faces with their hands to escape being blinded. there was no heat in the colored suns, however, and after they had passed below them the top of the buggy shut out many of the piercing rays so that the boy and girl could open their eyes again. "we've got to come to the bottom some time," remarked zeb, with a deep sigh. "we can't keep falling forever, you know." "of course not," said dorothy. "we are somewhere in the middle of the earth, and the chances are we'll reach the other side of it before long. but it's a big hollow, isn't it?" "awful big!" answered the boy. "we're coming to something now," announced the horse. at this they both put their heads over the side of the buggy and looked down. yes; there was land below them; and not so very far away, either. but they were floating very, very slowly--so slowly that it could no longer be called a fall--and the children had ample time to take heart and look about them. they saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very like those upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly colored by the variegated lights from the six suns. here and there were groups of houses that seemed made of clear glass, because they sparkled so brightly. "i'm sure we are in no danger," said dorothy, in a sober voice. "we are falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land, and this country that we are coming to seems quite pretty." "we'll never get home again, though!" declared zeb, with a groan. "oh, i'm not so sure of that," replied the girl. "but don't let us worry over such things, zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you know, and i've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble." the boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and soon both were fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread out below them. they seemed to be falling right into the middle of a big city which had many tall buildings with glass domes and sharp-pointed spires. these spires were like great spear-points, and if they tumbled upon one of them they were likely to suffer serious injury. jim the horse had seen these spires, also, and his ears stood straight up with fear, while dorothy and zeb held their breaths in suspense. but no; they floated gently down upon a broad, flat roof, and came to a stop at last. when jim felt something firm under his feet the poor beast's legs trembled so much that he could hardly stand; but zeb at once leaped out of the buggy to the roof, and he was so awkward and hasty that he kicked over dorothy's birdcage, which rolled out upon the roof so that the bottom came off. at once a pink kitten crept out of the upset cage, sat down upon the glass roof, and yawned and blinked its round eyes. "oh," said dorothy. "there's eureka." "first time i ever saw a pink cat," said zeb. "eureka isn't pink; she's white. it's this queer light that gives her that color." "where's my milk?" asked the kitten, looking up into dorothy's face. "i'm 'most starved to death." "oh, eureka! can you talk?" "talk! am i talking? good gracious, i believe i am. isn't it funny?" asked the kitten. "it's all wrong," said zeb, gravely. "animals ought not to talk. but even old jim has been saying things since we had our accident." "i can't see that it's wrong," remarked jim, in his gruff tones. "at least, it isn't as wrong as some other things. what's going to become of us now?" "i don't know," answered the boy, looking around him curiously. the houses of the city were all made of glass, so clear and transparent that one could look through the walls as easily as though a window. dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of queer forms huddled into the corners of these rooms. the roof beside them had a great hole smashed through it, and pieces of glass were lying scattered in every direction. a near by steeple had been broken off short and the fragments lay heaped beside it. other buildings were cracked in places or had corners chipped off from them; but they must have been very beautiful before these accidents had happened to mar their perfection. the rainbow tints from the colored suns fell upon the glass city softly and gave to the buildings many delicate, shifting hues which were very pretty to see. but not a sound had broken the stillness since the strangers had arrived, except that of their own voices. they began to wonder if there were no people to inhabit this magnificent city of the inner world. suddenly a man appeared through a hole in the roof next to the one they were on and stepped into plain view. he was not a very large man, but was well formed and had a beautiful face--calm and serene as the face of a fine portrait. his clothing fitted his form snugly and was gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays. the man had taken a step or two across the glass roof before he noticed the presence of the strangers; but then he stopped abruptly. there was no expression of either fear or surprise upon his tranquil face, yet he must have been both astonished and afraid; for after his eyes had rested upon the ungainly form of the horse for a moment he walked rapidly to the furthest edge of the roof, his head turned back over his shoulder to gaze at the strange animal. "look out!" cried dorothy, who noticed that the beautiful man did not look where he was going; "be careful, or you'll fall off!" but he paid no attention to her warning. he reached the edge of the tall roof, stepped one foot out into the air, and walked into space as calmly as if he were on firm ground. the girl, greatly astonished, ran to lean over the edge of the roof, and saw the man walking rapidly through the air toward the ground. soon he reached the street and disappeared through a glass doorway into one of the glass buildings. "how strange!" she exclaimed, drawing a long breath. "yes; but it's lots of fun, if it _is_ strange," remarked the small voice of the kitten, and dorothy turned to find her pet walking in the air a foot or so away from the edge of the roof. "come back, eureka!" she called, in distress, "you'll certainly be killed." "i have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked around in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but i can't lose even one of them by falling in this country, because i really couldn't manage to fall if i wanted to." "does the air bear up your weight?" asked the girl. "of course; can't you see?" and again the kitten wandered into the air and back to the edge of the roof. "it's wonderful!" said dorothy. "suppose we let eureka go down to the street and get some one to help us," suggested zeb, who had been even more amazed than dorothy at these strange happenings. "perhaps we can walk on the air ourselves," replied the girl. zeb drew back with a shiver. "i wouldn't dare try," he said. "may be jim will go," continued dorothy, looking at the horse. "and may be he won't!" answered jim. "i've tumbled through the air long enough to make me contented on this roof." "but we didn't tumble to the roof," said the girl; "by the time we reached here we were floating very slowly, and i'm almost sure we could float down to the street without getting hurt. eureka walks on the air all right." "eureka weighs only about half a pound," replied the horse, in a scornful tone, "while i weigh about half a ton." "you don't weigh as much as you ought to, jim," remarked the girl, shaking her head as she looked at the animal. "you're dreadfully skinny." "oh, well; i'm old," said the horse, hanging his head despondently, "and i've had lots of trouble in my day, little one. for a good many years i drew a public cab in chicago, and that's enough to make anyone skinny." "he eats enough to get fat, i'm sure," said the boy, gravely. "do i? can you remember any breakfast that i've had today?" growled jim, as if he resented zeb's speech. "none of us has had breakfast," said the boy; "and in a time of danger like this it's foolish to talk about eating." "nothing is more dangerous than being without food," declared the horse, with a sniff at the rebuke of his young master; "and just at present no one can tell whether there are any oats in this queer country or not. if there are, they are liable to be glass oats!" [illustration: "come on, jim! it's all right."] "oh, no!" exclaimed dorothy. "i can see plenty of nice gardens and fields down below us, at the edge of this city. but i wish we could find a way to get to the ground." "why don't you walk down?" asked eureka. "i'm as hungry as the horse is, and i want my milk." "will you try it, zeb" asked the girl, turning to her companion. zeb hesitated. he was still pale and frightened, for this dreadful adventure had upset him and made him nervous and worried. but he did not wish the little girl to think him a coward, so he advanced slowly to the edge of the roof. dorothy stretched out a hand to him and zeb put one foot out and let it rest in the air a little over the edge of the roof. it seemed firm enough to walk upon, so he took courage and put out the other foot. dorothy kept hold of his hand and followed him, and soon they were both walking through the air, with the kitten frisking beside them. "come on, jim!" called the boy. "it's all right." jim had crept to the edge of the roof to look over, and being a sensible horse and quite experienced, he made up his mind that he could go where the others did. so, with a snort and a neigh and a whisk of his short tail he trotted off the roof into the air and at once began floating downward to the street. his great weight made him fall faster than the children walked, and he passed them on the way down; but when he came to the glass pavement he alighted upon it so softly that he was not even jarred. "well, well!" said dorothy, drawing a long breath, "what a strange country this is." people began to come out of the glass doors to look at the new arrivals, and pretty soon quite a crowd had assembled. there were men and women, but no children at all, and the folks were all beautifully formed and attractively dressed and had wonderfully handsome faces. there was not an ugly person in all the throng, yet dorothy was not especially pleased by the appearance of these people because their features had no more expression than the faces of dolls. they did not smile nor did they frown, or show either fear or surprise or curiosity or friendliness. they simply stared at the strangers, paying most attention to jim and eureka, for they had never before seen either a horse or a cat and the children bore an outward resemblance to themselves. pretty soon a man joined the group who wore a glistening star in the dark hair just over his forehead. he seemed to be a person of authority, for the others pressed back to give him room. after turning his composed eyes first upon the animals and then upon the children he said to zeb, who was a little taller than dorothy: "tell me, intruder, was it you who caused the rain of stones?" for a moment the boy did not know what he meant by this question. then, remembering the stones that had fallen with them and passed them long before they had reached this place, he answered: "no, sir; we didn't cause anything. it was the earthquake." the man with the star stood for a time quietly thinking over this speech. then he asked: "what is an earthquake?" "i don't know," said zeb, who was still confused. but dorothy, seeing his perplexity, answered: "it's a shaking of the earth. in this quake a big crack opened and we fell through--horse and buggy, and all--and the stones got loose and came down with us." the man with the star regarded her with his calm, expressionless eyes. "the rain of stones has done much damage to our city," he said; "and we shall hold you responsible for it unless you can prove your innocence." "how can we do that?" asked the girl. "that i am not prepared to say. it is your affair, not mine. you must go to the house of the sorcerer, who will soon discover the truth." "where is the house of the sorcerer?" the girl enquired. "i will lead you to it. come!" he turned and walked down the street, and after a moment's hesitation dorothy caught eureka in her arms and climbed into the buggy. the boy took his seat beside her and said: "gid-dap, jim." as the horse ambled along, drawing the buggy, the people of the glass city made way for them and formed a procession in their rear. slowly they moved down one street and up another, turning first this way and then that, until they came to an open square in the center of which was a big glass palace having a central dome and four tall spires on each corner. [illustration] chapter 3. the arrival of the wizard the doorway of the glass palace was quite big enough for the horse and buggy to enter, so zeb drove straight through it and the children found themselves in a lofty hall that was very beautiful. the people at once followed and formed a circle around the sides of the spacious room, leaving the horse and buggy and the man with the star to occupy the center of the hall. "come to us, oh, gwig!" called the man, in a loud voice. instantly a cloud of smoke appeared and rolled over the floor; then it slowly spread and ascended into the dome, disclosing a strange personage seated upon a glass throne just before jim's nose. he was formed just as were the other inhabitants of this land and his clothing only differed from theirs in being bright yellow. but he had no hair at all, and all over his bald head and face and upon the backs of his hands grew sharp thorns like those found on the branches of rose-bushes. there was even a thorn upon the tip of his nose and he looked so funny that dorothy laughed when she saw him. the sorcerer, hearing the laugh, looked toward the little girl with cold, cruel eyes, and his glance made her grow sober in an instant. "why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded land of the mangaboos?" he asked, sternly. "'cause we couldn't help it," said dorothy. "why did you wickedly and viciously send the rain of stones to crack and break our houses?" he continued. "we didn't," declared the girl. "prove it!" cried the sorcerer. "we don't have to prove it," answered dorothy, indignantly. "if you had any sense at all you'd known it was the earthquake." "we only know that yesterday came a rain of stones upon us, which did much damage and injured some of our people. today came another rain of stones, and soon after it you appeared among us." "by the way," said the man with the star, looking steadily at the sorcerer, "you told us yesterday that there would not be a second rain of stones. yet one has just occurred that was even worse than the first. what is your sorcery good for if it cannot tell us the truth?" "my sorcery does tell the truth!" declared the thorn-covered man. "i said there would be but one rain of stones. this second one was a rain of people-and-horse-and-buggy. and some stones came with them." "will there be any more rains?" asked the man with the star. "no, my prince." "neither stones nor people?" "no, my prince." "are you sure?" "quite sure, my prince. my sorcery tells me so." just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the prince after making a low bow. "more wonders in the air, my lord," said he. immediately the prince and all of his people flocked out of the hall into the street, that they might see what was about to happen. dorothy and zeb jumped out of the buggy and ran after them, but the sorcerer remained calmly in his throne. far up in the air was an object that looked like a balloon. it was not so high as the glowing star of the six colored suns, but was descending slowly through the air--so slowly that at first it scarcely seemed to move. the throng stood still and waited. it was all they could do, for to go away and leave that strange sight was impossible; nor could they hurry its fall in any way. the earth children were not noticed, being so near the average size of the mangaboos, and the horse had remained in the house of the sorcerer, with eureka curled up asleep on the seat of the buggy. gradually the balloon grew bigger, which was proof that it was settling down upon the land of the mangaboos. dorothy was surprised to find how patient the people were, for her own little heart was beating rapidly with excitement. a balloon meant to her some other arrival from the surface of the earth, and she hoped it would be some one able to assist her and zeb out of their difficulties. in an hour the balloon had come near enough for her to see a basket suspended below it; in two hours she could see a head looking over the side of the basket; in three hours the big balloon settled slowly into the great square in which they stood and came to rest on the glass pavement. then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and bowed very gracefully to the crowd of mangaboos around him. he was quite an old little man, and his head was long and entirely bald. "why," cried dorothy, in amazement, "it's oz!" the little man looked toward her and seemed as much surprised as she was. but he smiled and bowed as he answered: "yes, my dear; i am oz, the great and terrible. eh? and you are little dorothy, from kansas. i remember you very well." "who did you say it was?" whispered zeb to the girl. "it's the wonderful wizard of oz. haven't you heard of him?" just then the man with the star came and stood before the wizard. "sir," said he, "why are you here, in the land of the mangaboos?" "didn't know what land it was, my son," returned the other, with a pleasant smile; "and, to be honest, i didn't mean to visit you when i started out. i live on top of the earth, your honor, which is far better than living inside it; but yesterday i went up in a balloon, and when i came down i fell into a big crack in the earth, caused by an earthquake. i had let so much gas out of my balloon that i could not rise again, and in a few minutes the earth closed over my head. so i continued to descend until i reached this place, and if you will show me a way to get out of it, i'll go with pleasure. sorry to have troubled you; but it couldn't be helped." the prince had listened with attention. said he: "this child, who is from the crust of the earth, like yourself, called you a wizard. is not a wizard something like a sorcerer?" "it's better," replied oz, promptly. "one wizard is worth three sorcerers." "ah, you shall prove that," said the prince. "we mangaboos have, at the present time, one of the most wonderful sorcerers that ever was picked from a bush; but he sometimes makes mistakes. do you ever make mistakes?" "never!" declared the wizard, boldly. "oh, oz!" said dorothy; "you made a lot of mistakes when you were in the marvelous land of oz." "nonsense!" said the little man, turning red--although just then a ray of violet sunlight was on his round face. "come with me," said the prince to him. "i wish you to meet our sorcerer." the wizard did not like this invitation, but he could not refuse to accept it. so he followed the prince into the great domed hall, and dorothy and zeb came after them, while the throng of people trooped in also. there sat the thorny sorcerer in his chair of state, and when the wizard saw him he began to laugh, uttering comical little chuckles. "what an absurd creature!" he exclaimed. "he may look absurd," said the prince, in his quiet voice; "but he is an excellent sorcerer. the only fault i find with him is that he is so often wrong." "i am never wrong," answered the sorcerer. "only a short time ago you told me there would be no more rain of stones or of people," said the prince. "well, what then?" "here is another person descended from the air to prove you were wrong." "one person cannot be called 'people,'" said the sorcerer. "if two should come out of the sky you might with justice say i was wrong; but unless more than this one appears i will hold that i was right." "very clever," said the wizard, nodding his head as if pleased. "i am delighted to find humbugs inside the earth, just the same as on top of it. were you ever with a circus, brother?" "no," said the sorcerer. "you ought to join one," declared the little man seriously. "i belong to bailum & barney's great consolidated shows--three rings in one tent and a menagerie on the side. it's a fine aggregation, i assure you." "what do you do?" asked the sorcerer. "i go up in a balloon, usually, to draw the crowds to the circus. but i've just had the bad luck to come out of the sky, skip the solid earth, and land lower down than i intended. but never mind. it isn't everybody who gets a chance to see your land of the gabazoos." "mangaboos," said the sorcerer, correcting him. "if you are a wizard you ought to be able to call people by their right names." "oh, i'm a wizard; you may be sure of that. just as good a wizard as you are a sorcerer." "that remains to be seen," said the other. "if you are able to prove that you are better," said the prince to the little man, "i will make you the chief wizard of this domain. otherwise--" "what will happen otherwise?" asked the wizard. "i will stop you from living, and forbid you to be planted," returned the prince. "that does not sound especially pleasant," said the little man, looking at the one with the star uneasily. "but never mind. i'll beat old prickly, all right." "my name is gwig," said the sorcerer, turning his heartless, cruel eyes upon his rival. "let me see you equal the sorcery i am about to perform." he waved a thorny hand and at once the tinkling of bells was heard, playing sweet music. yet, look where she would, dorothy could discover no bells at all in the great glass hall. the mangaboo people listened, but showed no great interest. it was one of the things gwig usually did to prove he was a sorcerer. now was the wizard's turn, so he smiled upon the assemblage and asked: "will somebody kindly loan me a hat?" no one did, because the mangaboos did not wear hats, and zeb had lost his, somehow, in his flight through the air. "ahem!" said the wizard, "will somebody please loan me a handkerchief?" but they had no handkerchiefs, either. "very good," remarked the wizard. "i'll use my own hat, if you please. now, good people, observe me carefully. you see, there is nothing up my sleeve and nothing concealed about my person. also, my hat is quite empty." he took off his hat and held it upside down, shaking it briskly. "let me see it," said the sorcerer. he took the hat and examined it carefully, returning it afterward to the wizard. "now," said the little man, "i will create something out of nothing." he placed the hat upon the glass floor, made a pass with his hand, and then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal in a tiny, shrill voice. the people watched it intently, for they had never seen a pig before, big or little. the wizard reached out, caught the wee creature in his hand, and holding its head between one thumb and finger and its tail between the other thumb and finger he pulled it apart, each of the two parts becoming a whole and separate piglet in an instant. he placed one upon the floor, so that it could run around, and pulled apart the other, making three piglets in all; and then one of these was pulled apart, making four piglets. the wizard continued this surprising performance until nine tiny piglets were running about at his feet, all squealing and grunting in a very comical way. "now," said the wizard of oz, "having created something from nothing, i will make something nothing again." with this he caught up two of the piglets and pushed them together, so that the two were one. then he caught up another piglet and pushed it into the first, where it disappeared. and so, one by one, the nine tiny piglets were pushed together until but a single one of the creatures remained. this the wizard placed underneath his hat and made a mystic sign above it. when he removed his hat the last piglet had disappeared entirely. the little man gave a bow to the silent throng that had watched him, and then the prince said, in his cold, calm voice: "you are indeed a wonderful wizard, and your powers are greater than those of my sorcerer." "he will not be a wonderful wizard long," remarked gwig. "why not?" enquired the wizard. "because i am going to stop your breath," was the reply. "i perceive that you are curiously constructed, and that if you cannot breathe you cannot keep alive." the little man looked troubled. "how long will it take you to stop my breath?" he asked. "about five minutes. i'm going to begin now. watch me carefully." he began making queer signs and passes toward the wizard; but the little man did not watch him long. instead, he drew a leathern case from his pocket and took from it several sharp knives, which he joined together, one after another, until they made a long sword. by the time he had attached a handle to this sword he was having much trouble to breathe, as the charm of the sorcerer was beginning to take effect. so the wizard lost no more time, but leaping forward he raised the sharp sword, whirled it once or twice around his head, and then gave a mighty stroke that cut the body of the sorcerer exactly in two. dorothy screamed and expected to see a terrible sight; but as the two halves of the sorcerer fell apart on the floor she saw that he had no bones or blood inside of him at all, and that the place where he was cut looked much like a sliced turnip or potato. "why, he's vegetable!" cried the wizard, astonished. "of course," said the prince. "we are all vegetable, in this country. are you not vegetable, also?" "no," answered the wizard. "people on top of the earth are all meat. will your sorcerer die?" "certainly, sir. he is really dead now, and will wither very quickly. so we must plant him at once, that other sorcerers may grow upon his bush," continued the prince. "what do you mean by that?" asked the little wizard, greatly puzzled. "if you will accompany me to our public gardens," replied the prince, "i will explain to you much better than i can here the mysteries of our vegetable kingdom." [illustration: the wizard cut the sorcerer exactly in two.] chapter 4. the vegetable kingdom after the wizard had wiped the dampness from his sword and taken it apart and put the pieces into their leathern case again, the man with the star ordered some of his people to carry the two halves of the sorcerer to the public gardens. jim pricked up his ears when he heard they were going to the gardens, and wanted to join the party, thinking he might find something proper to eat; so zeb put down the top of the buggy and invited the wizard to ride with them. the seat was amply wide enough for the little man and the two children, and when jim started to leave the hall the kitten jumped upon his back and sat there quite contentedly. so the procession moved through the streets, the bearers of the sorcerer first, the prince next, then jim drawing the buggy with the strangers inside of it, and last the crowd of vegetable people who had no hearts and could neither smile nor frown. the glass city had several fine streets, for a good many people lived there; but when the procession had passed through these it came upon a broad plain covered with gardens and watered by many pretty brooks that flowed through it. there were paths through these gardens, and over some of the brooks were ornamental glass bridges. dorothy and zeb now got out of the buggy and walked beside the prince, so that they might see and examine the flowers and plants better. "who built these lovely bridges?" asked the little girl. "no one built them," answered the man with the star. "they grow." "that's queer," said she. "did the glass houses in your city grow, too?" "of course," he replied. "but it took a good many years for them to grow as large and fine as they are now. that is why we are so angry when a rain of stones comes to break our towers and crack our roofs." "can't you mend them?" she enquired. "no; but they will grow together again, in time, and we must wait until they do." they first passed through many beautiful gardens of flowers, which grew nearest the city; but dorothy could hardly tell what kind of flowers they were, because the colors were constantly changing under the shifting lights of the six suns. a flower would be pink one second, white the next, then blue or yellow; and it was the same way when they came to the plants, which had broad leaves and grew close to the ground. when they passed over a field of grass jim immediately stretched down his head and began to nibble. "a nice country this is," he grumbled, "where a respectable horse has to eat pink grass!" "it's violet," said the wizard, who was in the buggy. "now it's blue," complained the horse. "as a matter of fact, i'm eating rainbow grass." "how does it taste?" asked the wizard. "not bad at all," said jim. "if they give me plenty of it i'll not complain about its color." by this time the party had reached a freshly plowed field, and the prince said to dorothy: "this is our planting-ground." several mangaboos came forward with glass spades and dug a hole in the ground. then they put the two halves of the sorcerer into it and covered him up. after that other people brought water from a brook and sprinkled the earth. "he will sprout very soon," said the prince, "and grow into a large bush, from which we shall in time be able to pick several very good sorcerers." "do all your people grow on bushes?" asked the boy. "certainly," was the reply. "do not all people grow upon bushes where you came from, on the outside of the earth." "not that i ever heard of." "how strange! but if you will come with me to one of our folk gardens i will show you the way we grow in the land of the mangaboos." it appeared that these odd people, while they were able to walk through the air with ease, usually moved upon the ground in the ordinary way. there were no stairs in their houses, because they did not need them, but on a level surface they generally walked just as we do. the little party of strangers now followed the prince across a few more of the glass bridges and along several paths until they came to a garden enclosed by a high hedge. jim had refused to leave the field of grass, where he was engaged in busily eating; so the wizard got out of the buggy and joined zeb and dorothy, and the kitten followed demurely at their heels. inside the hedge they came upon row after row of large and handsome plants with broad leaves gracefully curving until their points nearly reached the ground. in the center of each plant grew a daintily dressed mangaboo, for the clothing of all these creatures grew upon them and was attached to their bodies. the growing mangaboos were of all sizes, from the blossom that had just turned into a wee baby to the full-grown and almost ripe man or woman. on some of the bushes might be seen a bud, a blossom, a baby, a half-grown person and a ripe one; but even those ready to pluck were motionless and silent, as if devoid of life. this sight explained to dorothy why she had seen no children among the mangaboos, a thing she had until now been unable to account for. "our people do not acquire their real life until they leave their bushes," said the prince. "you will notice they are all attached to the plants by the soles of their feet, and when they are quite ripe they are easily separated from the stems and at once attain the powers of motion and speech. so while they grow they cannot be said to really live, and they must be picked before they can become good citizens." "how long do you live, after you are picked?" asked dorothy. "that depends upon the care we take of ourselves," he replied. "if we keep cool and moist, and meet with no accidents, we often live for five years. i've been picked over six years, but our family is known to be especially long lived." "do you eat?" asked the boy. "eat! no, indeed. we are quite solid inside our bodies, and have no need to eat, any more than does a potato." "but the potatoes sometimes sprout," said zeb. "and sometimes we do," answered the prince; "but that is considered a great misfortune, for then we must be planted at once." "where did you grow?" asked the wizard. "i will show you," was the reply. "step this way, please." he led them within another but smaller circle of hedge, where grew one large and beautiful bush. "this," said he, "is the royal bush of the mangaboos. all of our princes and rulers have grown upon this one bush from time immemorial." they stood before it in silent admiration. on the central stalk stood poised the figure of a girl so exquisitely formed and colored and so lovely in the expression of her delicate features that dorothy thought she had never seen so sweet and adorable a creature in all her life. the maiden's gown was soft as satin and fell about her in ample folds, while dainty lace-like traceries trimmed the bodice and sleeves. her flesh was fine and smooth as polished ivory, and her poise expressed both dignity and grace. "who is this?" asked the wizard, curiously. the prince had been staring hard at the girl on the bush. now he answered, with a touch of uneasiness in his cold tones: "she is the ruler destined to be my successor, for she is a royal princess. when she becomes fully ripe i must abandon the sovereignty of the mangaboos to her." "isn't she ripe now?" asked dorothy. he hesitated. "not quite," said he, finally. "it will be several days before she needs to be picked, or at least that is my judgment. i am in no hurry to resign my office and be planted, you may be sure." "probably not," declared the wizard, nodding. "this is one of the most unpleasant things about our vegetable lives," continued the prince, with a sigh, "that while we are in our full prime we must give way to another, and be covered up in the ground to sprout and grow and give birth to other people." "i'm sure the princess is ready to be picked," asserted dorothy, gazing hard at the beautiful girl on the bush. "she's as perfect as she can be." "never mind," answered the prince, hastily, "she will be all right for a few days longer, and it is best for me to rule until i can dispose of you strangers, who have come to our land uninvited and must be attended to at once." "what are you going to do with us?" asked zeb. "that is a matter i have not quite decided upon," was the reply. "i think i shall keep this wizard until a new sorcerer is ready to pick, for he seems quite skillful and may be of use to us. but the rest of you must be destroyed in some way, and you cannot be planted, because i do not wish horses and cats and meat people growing all over our country." "you needn't worry," said dorothy. "we wouldn't grow under ground, i'm sure." "but why destroy my friends?" asked the little wizard. "why not let them live?" "they do not belong here," returned the prince. "they have no right to be inside the earth at all." "we didn't ask to come down here; we fell," said dorothy. "that is no excuse," declared the prince, coldly. the children looked at each other in perplexity, and the wizard sighed. eureka rubbed her paw on her face and said in her soft, purring voice: "he won't need to destroy _me_, for if i don't get something to eat pretty soon i shall starve to death, and so save him the trouble." "if he planted you, he might grow some cat-tails," suggested the wizard. "oh, eureka! perhaps we can find you some milk-weeds to eat," said the boy. "phoo!" snarled the kitten; "i wouldn't touch the nasty things!" "you don't need milk, eureka," remarked dorothy; "you are big enough now to eat any kind of food." "if i can get it," added eureka. "i'm hungry myself," said zeb. "but i noticed some strawberries growing in one of the gardens, and some melons in another place. these people don't eat such things, so perhaps on our way back they will let us get them." "never mind your hunger," interrupted the prince. "i shall order you destroyed in a few minutes, so you will have no need to ruin our pretty melon vines and berry bushes. follow me, please, to meet your doom." chapter 5. dorothy picks the princess the words of the cold and moist vegetable prince were not very comforting, and as he spoke them he turned away and left the enclosure. the children, feeling sad and despondent, were about to follow him when the wizard touched dorothy softly on her shoulder. "wait!" he whispered. "what for?" asked the girl. "suppose we pick the royal princess," said the wizard. "i'm quite sure she's ripe, and as soon as she comes to life she will be the ruler, and may treat us better than that heartless prince intends to." "all right!" exclaimed dorothy, eagerly. "let's pick her while we have the chance, before the man with the star comes back." so together they leaned over the great bush and each of them seized one hand of the lovely princess. "pull!" cried dorothy, and as they did so the royal lady leaned toward them and the stems snapped and separated from her feet. she was not at all heavy, so the wizard and dorothy managed to lift her gently to the ground. the beautiful creature passed her hands over her eyes an instant, tucked in a stray lock of hair that had become disarranged, and after a look around the garden made those present a gracious bow and said, in a sweet but even toned voice: "i thank you very much." "we salute your royal highness!" cried the wizard, kneeling and kissing her hand. just then the voice of the prince was heard calling upon them to hasten, and a moment later he returned to the enclosure, followed by a number of his people. instantly the princess turned and faced him, and when he saw that she was picked the prince stood still and began to tremble. "sir," said the royal lady, with much dignity, "you have wronged me greatly, and would have wronged me still more had not these strangers come to my rescue. i have been ready for picking all the past week, but because you were selfish and desired to continue your unlawful rule, you left me to stand silent upon my bush." "i did not know that you were ripe," answered the prince, in a low voice. "give me the star of royalty!" she commanded. slowly he took the shining star from his own brow and placed it upon that of the princess. then all the people bowed low to her, and the prince turned and walked away alone. what became of him afterward our friends never knew. the people of mangaboo now formed themselves into a procession and marched toward the glass city to escort their new ruler to her palace and to perform those ceremonies proper to the occasion. but while the people in the procession walked upon the ground the princess walked in the air just above their heads, to show that she was a superior being and more exalted than her subjects. no one now seemed to pay any attention to the strangers, so dorothy and zeb and the wizard let the train pass on and then wandered by themselves into the vegetable gardens. they did not bother to cross the bridges over the brooks, but when they came to a stream they stepped high and walked in the air to the other side. this was a very interesting experience to them, and dorothy said: "i wonder why it is that we can walk so easily in the air." "perhaps," answered the wizard, "it is because we are close to the center of the earth, where the attraction of gravitation is very slight. but i've noticed that many queer things happen in fairy countries." "is this a fairy country?" asked the boy. "of course it is," returned dorothy, promptly. "only a fairy country could have veg'table people; and only in a fairy country could eureka and jim talk as we do." "that's true," said zeb, thoughtfully. in the vegetable gardens they found the strawberries and melons, and several other unknown but delicious fruits, of which they ate heartily. but the kitten bothered them constantly by demanding milk or meat, and called the wizard names because he could not bring her a dish of milk by means of his magical arts. as they sat upon the grass watching jim, who was still busily eating, eureka said: "i don't believe you are a wizard at all!" "no," answered the little man, "you are quite right. in the strict sense of the word i am not a wizard, but only a humbug." "the wizard of oz has always been a humbug," agreed dorothy. "i've known him for a long time." "if that is so," said the boy, "how could he do that wonderful trick with the nine tiny piglets?" "don't know," said dorothy, "but it must have been humbug." "very true," declared the wizard, nodding at her. "it was necessary to deceive that ugly sorcerer and the prince, as well as their stupid people; but i don't mind telling you, who are my friends, that the thing was only a trick." "but i saw the little pigs with my own eyes!" exclaimed zeb. "so did i," purred the kitten. "to be sure," answered the wizard. "you saw them because they were there. they are in my inside pocket now. but the pulling of them apart and pushing them together again was only a sleight-of-hand trick." "let's see the pigs," said eureka, eagerly. the little man felt carefully in his pocket and pulled out the tiny piglets, setting them upon the grass one by one, where they ran around and nibbled the tender blades. "they're hungry, too," he said. "oh, what cunning things!" cried dorothy, catching up one and petting it. "be careful!" said the piglet, with a squeal, "you're squeezing me!" "dear me!" murmured the wizard, looking at his pets in astonishment. "they can actually talk!" "may i eat one of them?" asked the kitten, in a pleading voice. "i'm awfully hungry." "why, eureka," said dorothy, reproachfully, "what a cruel question! it would be dreadful to eat these dear little things." "i should say so!" grunted another of the piglets, looking uneasily at the kitten; "cats are cruel things." "i'm not cruel," replied the kitten, yawning. "i'm just hungry." "you cannot eat my piglets, even if you are starving," declared the little man, in a stern voice. "they are the only things i have to prove i'm a wizard." "how did they happen to be so little?" asked dorothy. "i never saw such small pigs before." "they are from the island of teenty-weent," said the wizard, "where everything is small because it's a small island. a sailor brought them to los angeles and i gave him nine tickets to the circus for them." "but what am i going to eat?" wailed the kitten, sitting in front of dorothy and looking pleadingly into her face. "there are no cows here to give milk; or any mice, or even grasshoppers. and if i can't eat the piglets you may as well plant me at once and raise catsup." "i have an idea," said the wizard, "that there are fishes in these brooks. do you like fish?" "fish!" cried the kitten. "do i like fish? why, they're better than piglets--or even milk!" "then i'll try to catch you some," said he. "but won't they be veg'table, like everything else here?" asked the kitten. "i think not. fishes are not animals, and they are as cold and moist as the vegetables themselves. there is no reason, that i can see, why they may not exist in the waters of this strange country." then the wizard bent a pin for a hook and took a long piece of string from his pocket for a fish-line. the only bait he could find was a bright red blossom from a flower; but he knew fishes are easy to fool if anything bright attracts their attention, so he decided to try the blossom. having thrown the end of his line in the water of a nearby brook he soon felt a sharp tug that told him a fish had bitten and was caught on the bent pin; so the little man drew in the string and, sure enough, the fish came with it and was landed safely on the shore, where it began to flop around in great excitement. [illustration: in the garden of the mangaboos.] the fish was fat and round, and its scales glistened like beautifully cut jewels set close together; but there was no time to examine it closely, for eureka made a jump and caught it between her claws, and in a few moments it had entirely disappeared. "oh, eureka!" cried dorothy, "did you eat the bones?" "if it had any bones, i ate them," replied the kitten, composedly, as it washed its face after the meal. "but i don't think that fish had any bones, because i didn't feel them scratch my throat." "you were very greedy," said the girl. "i was very hungry," replied the kitten. the little pigs had stood huddled in a group, watching this scene with frightened eyes. "cats are dreadful creatures!" said one of them. "i'm glad we are not fishes!" said another. "don't worry," dorothy murmured, soothingly, "i'll not let the kitten hurt you." then she happened to remember that in a corner of her suit-case were one or two crackers that were left over from her luncheon on the train, and she went to the buggy and brought them. eureka stuck up her nose at such food, but the tiny piglets squealed delightedly at the sight of the crackers and ate them up in a jiffy. "now let us go back to the city," suggested the wizard. "that is, if jim has had enough of the pink grass." the cab-horse, who was browsing near, lifted his head with a sigh. "i've tried to eat a lot while i had the chance," said he, "for it's likely to be a long while between meals in this strange country. but i'm ready to go, now, at any time you wish." so, after the wizard had put the piglets back into his inside pocket, where they cuddled up and went to sleep, the three climbed into the buggy and jim started back to the town. "where shall we stay?" asked the girl. "i think i shall take possession of the house of the sorcerer," replied the wizard; "for the prince said in the presence of his people that he would keep me until they picked another sorcerer, and the new princess won't know but that we belong there." they agreed to this plan, and when they reached the great square jim drew the buggy into the big door of the domed hall. "it doesn't look very homelike," said dorothy, gazing around at the bare room. "but it's a place to stay, anyhow." "what are those holes up there?" enquired the boy, pointing to some openings that appeared near the top of the dome. "they look like doorways," said dorothy; "only there are no stairs to get to them." "you forget that stairs are unnecessary," observed the wizard. "let us walk up, and see where the doors lead to." with this he began walking in the air toward the high openings, and dorothy and zeb followed him. it was the same sort of climb one experiences when walking up a hill, and they were nearly out of breath when they came to the row of openings, which they perceived to be doorways leading into halls in the upper part of the house. following these halls they discovered many small rooms opening from them, and some were furnished with glass benches, tables and chairs. but there were no beds at all. "i wonder if these people never sleep," said the girl. "why, there seems to be no night at all in this country," zeb replied. "those colored suns are exactly in the same place they were when we came, and if there is no sunset there can be no night." "very true," agreed the wizard. "but it is a long time since i have had any sleep, and i'm tired. so i think i shall lie down upon one of these hard glass benches and take a nap." "i will, too," said dorothy, and chose a little room at the end of the hall. zeb walked down again to unharness jim, who, when he found himself free, rolled over a few times and then settled down to sleep, with eureka nestling comfortably beside his big, boney body. then the boy returned to one of the upper rooms, and in spite of the hardness of the glass bench was soon deep in slumberland. [illustration] chapter 6. the mangaboos prove dangerous when the wizard awoke the six colored suns were shining down upon the land of the mangaboos just as they had done ever since his arrival. the little man, having had a good sleep, felt rested and refreshed, and looking through the glass partition of the room he saw zeb sitting up on his bench and yawning. so the wizard went in to him. "zeb," said he, "my balloon is of no further use in this strange country, so i may as well leave it on the square where it fell. but in the basket-car are some things i would like to keep with me. i wish you would go and fetch my satchel, two lanterns, and a can of kerosene oil that is under the seat. there is nothing else that i care about." so the boy went willingly upon the errand, and by the time he had returned dorothy was awake. then the three held a counsel to decide what they should do next, but could think of no way to better their condition. "i don't like these veg'table people," said the little girl. "they're cold and flabby, like cabbages, in spite of their prettiness." "i agree with you. it is because there is no warm blood in them," remarked the wizard. "and they have no hearts; so they can't love anyone--not even themselves," declared the boy. "the princess is lovely to look at," continued dorothy, thoughtfully; "but i don't care much for her, after all. if there was any other place to go, i'd like to go there." "but _is_ there any other place?" asked the wizard. "i don't know," she answered. just then they heard the big voice of jim the cab-horse calling to them, and going to the doorway leading to the dome they found the princess and a throng of her people had entered the house of the sorcerer. so they went down to greet the beautiful vegetable lady, who said to them: "i have been talking with my advisors about you meat people, and we have decided that you do not belong in the land of the mangaboos and must not remain here." "how can we go away?" asked dorothy. "oh, you cannot go away, of course; so you must be destroyed," was the answer. "in what way?" enquired the wizard. "we shall throw you three people into the garden of the twining vines," said the princess, "and they will soon crush you and devour your bodies to make themselves grow bigger. the animals you have with you we will drive to the mountains and put into the black pit. then our country will be rid of all its unwelcome visitors." "but you are in need of a sorcerer," said the wizard, "and not one of those growing is yet ripe enough to pick. i am greater than any thorn-covered sorcerer that ever grew in your garden. why destroy me?" "it is true we need a sorcerer," acknowledged the princess, "but i am informed that one of our own will be ready to pick in a few days, to take the place of gwig, whom you cut in two before it was time for him to be planted. let us see your arts, and the sorceries you are able to perform. then i will decide whether to destroy you with the others or not." at this the wizard made a bow to the people and repeated his trick of producing the nine tiny piglets and making them disappear again. he did it very cleverly, indeed, and the princess looked at the strange piglets as if she were as truly astonished as any vegetable person could be. but afterward she said: "i have heard of this wonderful magic. but it accomplishes nothing of value. what else can you do?" the wizard tried to think. then he jointed together the blades of his sword and balanced it very skillfully upon the end of his nose. but even that did not satisfy the princess. just then his eye fell upon the lanterns and the can of kerosene oil which zeb had brought from the car of his balloon, and he got a clever idea from those commonplace things. "your highness," said he, "i will now proceed to prove my magic by creating two suns that you have never seen before; also i will exhibit a destroyer much more dreadful than your clinging vines." so he placed dorothy upon one side of him and the boy upon the other and set a lantern upon each of their heads. "don't laugh," he whispered to them, "or you will spoil the effect of my magic." [illustration: "now, princess," exclaimed the wizard.] then, with much dignity and a look of vast importance upon his wrinkled face, the wizard got out his match-box and lighted the two lanterns. the glare they made was very small when compared with the radiance of the six great colored suns; but still they gleamed steadily and clearly. the mangaboos were much impressed because they had never before seen any light that did not come directly from their suns. next the wizard poured a pool of oil from the can upon the glass floor, where it covered quite a broad surface. when he lighted the oil a hundred tongues of flame shot up, and the effect was really imposing. "now, princess," exclaimed the wizard, "those of your advisors who wished to throw us into the garden of clinging vines must step within this circle of light. if they advised you well, and were in the right, they will not be injured in any way. but if any advised you wrongly, the light will wither him." the advisors of the princess did not like this test; but she commanded them to step into the flame and one by one they did so, and were scorched so badly that the air was soon filled with an odor like that of baked potatoes. some of the mangaboos fell down and had to be dragged from the fire, and all were so withered that it would be necessary to plant them at once. "sir," said the princess to the wizard, "you are greater than any sorcerer we have ever known. as it is evident that my people have advised me wrongly, i will not cast you three people into the dreadful garden of the clinging vines; but your animals must be driven into the black pit in the mountain, for my subjects cannot bear to have them around." the wizard was so pleased to have saved the two children and himself that he said nothing against this decree; but when the princess had gone both jim and eureka protested they did not want to go to the black pit, and dorothy promised she would do all that she could to save them from such a fate. for two or three days after this--if we call days the periods between sleep, there being no night to divide the hours into days--our friends were not disturbed in any way. they were even permitted to occupy the house of the sorcerer in peace, as if it had been their own, and to wander in the gardens in search of food. once they came near to the enclosed garden of the clinging vines, and walking high into the air looked down upon it with much interest. they saw a mass of tough green vines all matted together and writhing and twisting around like a nest of great snakes. everything the vines touched they crushed, and our adventurers were indeed thankful to have escaped being cast among them. whenever the wizard went to sleep he would take the nine tiny piglets from his pocket and let them run around on the floor of his room to amuse themselves and get some exercise; and one time they found his glass door ajar and wandered into the hall and then into the bottom part of the great dome, walking through the air as easily as eureka could. they knew the kitten, by this time, so they scampered over to where she lay beside jim and commenced to frisk and play with her. the cab-horse, who never slept long at a time, sat upon his haunches and watched the tiny piglets and the kitten with much approval. "don't be rough!" he would call out, if eureka knocked over one of the round, fat piglets with her paw; but the pigs never minded, and enjoyed the sport very greatly. suddenly they looked up to find the room filled with the silent, solemn-eyed mangaboos. each of the vegetable folks bore a branch covered with sharp thorns, which was thrust defiantly toward the horse, the kitten and the piglets. "here--stop this foolishness!" jim roared, angrily; but after being pricked once or twice he got upon his four legs and kept out of the way of the thorns. the mangaboos surrounded them in solid ranks, but left an opening to the doorway of the hall; so the animals slowly retreated until they were driven from the room and out upon the street. here were more of the vegetable people with thorns, and silently they urged the now frightened creatures down the street. jim had to be careful not to step upon the tiny piglets, who scampered under his feet grunting and squealing, while eureka, snarling and biting at the thorns pushed toward her, also tried to protect the pretty little things from injury. slowly but steadily the heartless mangaboos drove them on, until they had passed through the city and the gardens and come to the broad plains leading to the mountain. "what does all this mean, anyhow?" asked the horse, jumping to escape a thorn. "why, they are driving us toward the black pit, into which they threatened to cast us," replied the kitten. "if i were as big as you are, jim, i'd fight these miserable turnip-roots!" "what would you do?" enquired jim. "i'd kick out with those long legs and iron-shod hoofs." "all right," said the horse; "i'll do it." an instant later he suddenly backed toward the crowd of mangaboos and kicked out his hind legs as hard as he could. a dozen of them smashed together and tumbled to the ground, and seeing his success jim kicked again and again, charging into the vegetable crowd, knocking them in all directions and sending the others scattering to escape his iron heels. eureka helped him by flying into the faces of the enemy and scratching and biting furiously, and the kitten ruined so many vegetable complexions that the mangaboos feared her as much as they did the horse. but the foes were too many to be repulsed for long. they tired jim and eureka out, and although the field of battle was thickly covered with mashed and disabled mangaboos, our animal friends had to give up at last and allow themselves to be driven to the mountain. [illustration] chapter 7. into the black pit and out again when they came to the mountain it proved to be a rugged, towering chunk of deep green glass, and looked dismal and forbidding in the extreme. half way up the steep was a yawning cave, black as night beyond the point where the rainbow rays of the colored suns reached into it. the mangaboos drove the horse and the kitten and the piglets into this dark hole and then, having pushed the buggy in after them--for it seemed some of them had dragged it all the way from the domed hall--they began to pile big glass rocks within the entrance, so that the prisoners could not get out again. "this is dreadful!" groaned jim. "it will be about the end of our adventures, i guess." "if the wizard was here," said one of the piglets, sobbing bitterly, "he would not see us suffer so." "we ought to have called him and dorothy when we were first attacked," added eureka. "but never mind; be brave, my friends, and i will go and tell our masters where you are, and get them to come to your rescue." the mouth of the hole was nearly filled up now, but the kitten gave a leap through the remaining opening and at once scampered up into the air. the mangaboos saw her escape, and several of them caught up their thorns and gave chase, mounting through the air after her. eureka, however, was lighter than the mangaboos, and while they could mount only about a hundred feet above the earth the kitten found she could go nearly two hundred feet. so she ran along over their heads until she had left them far behind and below and had come to the city and the house of the sorcerer. there she entered in at dorothy's window in the dome and aroused her from her sleep. as soon as the little girl knew what had happened she awakened the wizard and zeb, and at once preparations were made to go to the rescue of jim and the piglets. the wizard carried his satchel, which was quite heavy, and zeb carried the two lanterns and the oil can. dorothy's wicker suit-case was still under the seat of the buggy, and by good fortune the boy had also placed the harness in the buggy when he had taken it off from jim to let the horse lie down and rest. so there was nothing for the girl to carry but the kitten, which she held close to her bosom and tried to comfort, for its little heart was still beating rapidly. some of the mangaboos discovered them as soon as they left the house of the sorcerer; but when they started toward the mountain the vegetable people allowed them to proceed without interference, yet followed in a crowd behind them so that they could not go back again. before long they neared the black pit, where a busy swarm of mangaboos, headed by their princess, was engaged in piling up glass rocks before the entrance. "stop, i command you!" cried the wizard, in an angry tone, and at once began pulling down the rocks to liberate jim and the piglets. instead of opposing him in this they stood back in silence until he had made a good-sized hole in the barrier, when by order of the princess they all sprang forward and thrust out their sharp thorns. [illustration: through the black pit.] dorothy hopped inside the opening to escape being pricked, and zeb and the wizard, after enduring a few stabs from the thorns, were glad to follow her. at once the mangaboos began piling up the rocks of glass again, and as the little man realized that they were all about to be entombed in the mountain he said to the children: "my dears, what shall we do? jump out and fight?" "what's the use?" replied dorothy. "i'd as soon die here as live much longer among those cruel and heartless people." "that's the way i feel about it," remarked zeb, rubbing his wounds. "i've had enough of the mangaboos." "all right," said the wizard; "i'm with you, whatever you decide. but we can't live long in this cavern, that's certain." noticing that the light was growing dim he picked up his nine piglets, patted each one lovingly on its fat little head, and placed them carefully in his inside pocket. zeb struck a match and lighted one of the lanterns. the rays of the colored suns were now shut out from them forever, for the last chinks had been filled up in the wall that separated their prison from the land of the mangaboos. "how big is this hole?" asked dorothy. "i'll explore it and see," replied the boy. so he carried the lantern back for quite a distance, while dorothy and the wizard followed at his side. the cavern did not come to an end, as they had expected it would, but slanted upward through the great glass mountain, running in a direction that promised to lead them to the side opposite the mangaboo country. "it isn't a bad road," observed the wizard, "and if we followed it it might lead us to some place that is more comfortable than this black pocket we are now in. i suppose the vegetable folk were always afraid to enter this cavern because it is dark; but we have our lanterns to light the way, so i propose that we start out and discover where this tunnel in the mountain leads to." the others agreed readily to this sensible suggestion, and at once the boy began to harness jim to the buggy. when all was in readiness the three took their seats in the buggy and jim started cautiously along the way, zeb driving while the wizard and dorothy each held a lighted lantern so the horse could see where to go. sometimes the tunnel was so narrow that the wheels of the buggy grazed the sides; then it would broaden out as wide as a street; but the floor was usually smooth, and for a long time they travelled on without any accident. jim stopped sometimes to rest, for the climb was rather steep and tiresome. "we must be nearly as high as the six colored suns, by this time," said dorothy. "i didn't know this mountain was so tall." "we are certainly a good distance away from the land of the mangaboos," added zeb; "for we have slanted away from it ever since we started." but they kept steadily moving, and just as jim was about tired out with his long journey the way suddenly grew lighter, and zeb put out the lanterns to save the oil. to their joy they found it was a white light that now greeted them, for all were weary of the colored rainbow lights which, after a time, had made their eyes ache with their constantly shifting rays. the sides of the tunnel showed before them like the inside of a long spy-glass, and the floor became more level. jim hastened his lagging steps at this assurance of a quick relief from the dark passage, and in a few moments more they had emerged from the mountain and found themselves face to face with a new and charming country. [illustration] chapter 8. the valley of voices by journeying through the glass mountain they had reached a delightful valley that was shaped like the hollow of a great cup, with another rugged mountain showing on the other side of it, and soft and pretty green hills at the ends. it was all laid out into lovely lawns and gardens, with pebble paths leading through them and groves of beautiful and stately trees dotting the landscape here and there. there were orchards, too, bearing luscious fruits that are all unknown in our world. alluring brooks of crystal water flowed sparkling between their flower-strewn banks, while scattered over the valley were dozens of the quaintest and most picturesque cottages our travelers had ever beheld. none of them were in clusters, such as villages or towns, but each had ample grounds of its own, with orchards and gardens surrounding it. as the new arrivals gazed upon this exquisite scene they were enraptured by its beauties and the fragrance that permeated the soft air, which they breathed so gratefully after the confined atmosphere of the tunnel. several minutes were consumed in silent admiration before they noticed two very singular and unusual facts about this valley. one was that it was lighted from some unseen source; for no sun or moon was in the arched blue sky, although every object was flooded with a clear and perfect light. the second and even more singular fact was the absence of any inhabitant of this splendid place. from their elevated position they could overlook the entire valley, but not a single moving object could they see. all appeared mysteriously deserted. the mountain on this side was not glass, but made of a stone similar to granite. with some difficulty and danger jim drew the buggy over the loose rocks until he reached the green lawns below, where the paths and orchards and gardens began. the nearest cottage was still some distance away. "isn't it fine?" cried dorothy, in a joyous voice, as she sprang out of the buggy and let eureka run frolicking over the velvety grass. "yes, indeed!" answered zeb. "we were lucky to get away from those dreadful vegetable people." "it wouldn't be so bad," remarked the wizard, gazing around him, "if we were obliged to live here always. we couldn't find a prettier place, i'm sure." he took the piglets from his pocket and let them run on the grass, and jim tasted a mouthful of the green blades and declared he was very contented in his new surroundings. "we can't walk in the air here, though," called eureka, who had tried it and failed; but the others were satisfied to walk on the ground, and the wizard said they must be nearer the surface of the earth than they had been in the mangaboo country, for everything was more homelike and natural. "but where are the people?" asked dorothy. the little man shook his bald head. "can't imagine, my dear," he replied. they heard the sudden twittering of a bird, but could not find the creature anywhere. slowly they walked along the path toward the nearest cottage, the piglets racing and gambolling beside them and jim pausing at every step for another mouthful of grass. presently they came to a low plant which had broad, spreading leaves, in the center of which grew a single fruit about as large as a peach. the fruit was so daintily colored and so fragrant, and looked so appetizing and delicious that dorothy stopped and exclaimed: "what is it, do you s'pose?" the piglets had smelled the fruit quickly, and before the girl could reach out her hand to pluck it every one of the nine tiny ones had rushed in and commenced to devour it with great eagerness. "it's good, anyway," said zeb, "or those little rascals wouldn't have gobbled it up so greedily." "where are they?" asked dorothy, in astonishment. they all looked around, but the piglets had disappeared. "dear me!" cried the wizard; "they must have run away. but i didn't see them go; did you?" "no!" replied the boy and the girl, together. "here,--piggy, piggy, piggy!" called their master, anxiously. several squeals and grunts were instantly heard at his feet, but the wizard could not discover a single piglet. "where are you?" he asked. "why, right beside you," spoke a tiny voice. "can't you see us?" [illustration: "are there really people in this room?"] "no," answered the little man, in a puzzled tone. "we can see you," said another of the piglets. the wizard stooped down and put out his hand, and at once felt the small fat body of one of his pets. he picked it up, but could not see what he held. "it is very strange," said he, soberly. "the piglets have become invisible, in some curious way." "i'll bet it's because they ate that peach!" cried the kitten. "it wasn't a peach, eureka," said dorothy. "i only hope it wasn't poison." "it was fine, dorothy," called one of the piglets. "we'll eat all we can find of them," said another. "but _we_ mus'n't eat them," the wizard warned the children, "or we too may become invisible, and lose each other. if we come across another of the strange fruit we must avoid it." calling the piglets to him he picked them all up, one by one, and put them away in his pocket; for although he could not see them he could feel them, and when he had buttoned his coat he knew they were safe for the present. the travellers now resumed their walk toward the cottage, which they presently reached. it was a pretty place, with vines growing thickly over the broad front porch. the door stood open and a table was set in the front room, with four chairs drawn up to it. on the table were plates, knives and forks, and dishes of bread, meat and fruits. the meat was smoking hot and the knives and forks were performing strange antics and jumping here and there in quite a puzzling way. but not a single person appeared to be in the room. "how funny!" exclaimed dorothy, who with zeb and the wizard now stood in the doorway. a peal of merry laughter answered her, and the knives and forks fell to the plates with a clatter. one of the chairs pushed back from the table, and this was so astonishing and mysterious that dorothy was almost tempted to run away in fright. "here are strangers, mama!" cried the shrill and childish voice of some unseen person. "so i see, my dear," answered another voice, soft and womanly. "what do you want?" demanded a third voice, in a stern, gruff accent. "well, well!" said the wizard; "are there really people in this room?" "of course," replied the man's voice. "and--pardon me for the foolish question--but, are you all invisible?" "surely," the woman answered, repeating her low, rippling laughter. "are you surprised that you are unable to see the people of voe?" "why, yes," stammered the wizard. "all the people i have ever met before were very plain to see." "where do you come from, then?" asked the woman, in a curious tone. "we belong upon the face of the earth," explained the wizard, "but recently, during an earthquake, we fell down a crack and landed in the country of the mangaboos." "dreadful creatures!" exclaimed the woman's voice. "i've heard of them." "they walled us up in a mountain," continued the wizard; "but we found there was a tunnel through to this side, so we came here. it is a beautiful place. what do you call it?" "it is the valley of voe." "thank you. we have seen no people since we arrived, so we came to this house to enquire our way." "are you hungry?" asked the woman's voice. "i could eat something," said dorothy. "so could i," added zeb. "but we do not wish to intrude, i assure you," the wizard hastened to say. "that's all right," returned the man's voice, more pleasantly than before. "you are welcome to what we have." as he spoke the voice came so near to zeb that he jumped back in alarm. two childish voices laughed merrily at this action, and dorothy was sure they were in no danger among such light-hearted folks, even if those folks couldn't be seen. "what curious animal is that which is eating the grass on my lawn?" enquired the man's voice. "that's jim," said the girl. "he's a horse." "what is he good for?" was the next question. "he draws the buggy you see fastened to him, and we ride in the buggy instead of walking," she explained. "can he fight?" asked the man's voice. "no! he can kick pretty hard with his heels, and bite a little; but jim can't 'zactly fight," she replied. "then the bears will get him," said one of the children's voices. "bears!" exclaimed dorothy. "are these bears here?" "that is the one evil of our country," answered the invisible man. "many large and fierce bears roam in the valley of voe, and when they can catch any of us they eat us up; but as they cannot see us, we seldom get caught." "are the bears invis'ble, too?" asked the girl. "yes; for they eat of the dama-fruit, as we all do, and that keeps them from being seen by any eye, whether human or animal." "does the dama-fruit grow on a low bush, and look something like a peach?" asked the wizard. "yes," was the reply. "if it makes you invis'ble, why do you eat it?" dorothy enquired. "for two reasons, my dear," the woman's voice answered. "the dama-fruit is the most delicious thing that grows, and when it makes us invisible the bears cannot find us to eat us up. but now, good wanderers, your luncheon is on the table, so please sit down and eat as much as you like." [illustration] chapter 9. they fight the invisible bears the strangers took their seats at the table willingly enough, for they were all hungry and the platters were now heaped with good things to eat. in front of each place was a plate bearing one of the delicious dama-fruit, and the perfume that rose from these was so enticing and sweet that they were sorely tempted to eat of them and become invisible. but dorothy satisfied her hunger with other things, and her companions did likewise, resisting the temptation. "why do you not eat the damas?" asked the woman's voice. "we don't want to get invis'ble," answered the girl. "but if you remain visible the bears will see you and devour you," said a girlish young voice, that belonged to one of the children. "we who live here much prefer to be invisible; for we can still hug and kiss one another, and are quite safe from the bears." "and we do not have to be so particular about our dress," remarked the man. "and mama can't tell whether my face is dirty or not!" added the other childish voice, gleefully. "but i make you wash it, every time i think of it," said the mother; "for it stands to reason your face is dirty, ianu, whether i can see it or not." dorothy laughed and stretched out her hands. "come here, please--ianu and your sister--and let me feel of you," she requested. they came to her willingly, and dorothy passed her hands over their faces and forms and decided one was a girl of about her own age and the other a boy somewhat smaller. the girl's hair was soft and fluffy and her skin as smooth as satin. when dorothy gently touched her nose and ears and lips they seemed to be well and delicately formed. "if i could see you i am sure you would be beautiful," she declared. the girl laughed, and her mother said: "we are not vain in the valley of voe, because we can not display our beauty, and good actions and pleasant ways are what make us lovely to our companions. yet we can see and appreciate the beauties of nature, the dainty flowers and trees, the green fields and the clear blue of the sky." "how about the birds and beasts and fishes?" asked zeb. "the birds we cannot see, because they love to eat of the damas as much as we do; yet we hear their sweet songs and enjoy them. neither can we see the cruel bears, for they also eat the fruit. but the fishes that swim in our brooks we can see, and often we catch them to eat." "it occurs to me you have a great deal to make you happy, even while invisible," remarked the wizard. "nevertheless, we prefer to remain visible while we are in your valley." just then eureka came in, for she had been until now wandering outside with jim; and when the kitten saw the table set with food she cried out: "now you must feed me, dorothy, for i'm half starved." the children were inclined to be frightened by the sight of the small animal, which reminded them of the bears; but dorothy reassured them by explaining that eureka was a pet and could do no harm even if she wished to. then, as the others had by this time moved away from the table, the kitten sprang upon the chair and put her paws upon the cloth to see what there was to eat. to her surprise an unseen hand clutched her and held her suspended in the air. eureka was frantic with terror, and tried to scratch and bite, so the next moment she was dropped to the floor. "did you see that, dorothy?" she gasped. "yes, dear," her mistress replied; "there are people living in this house, although we cannot see them. and you must have better manners, eureka, or something worse will happen to you." she placed a plate of food upon the floor and the kitten ate greedily. "give me that nice-smelling fruit i saw on the table," she begged, when she had cleaned the plate. "those are damas," said dorothy, "and you must never even taste them, eureka, or you'll get invis'ble, and then we can't see you at all." the kitten gazed wistfully at the forbidden fruit. "does it hurt to be invis'ble?" she asked. "i don't know," dorothy answered; "but it would hurt me dre'fully to lose you." "very well, i won't touch it," decided the kitten; "but you must keep it away from me, for the smell is very tempting." "can you tell us, sir or ma'am," said the wizard, addressing the air because he did not quite know where the unseen people stood, "if there is any way we can get out of your beautiful valley, and on top of the earth again." "oh, one can leave the valley easily enough," answered the man's voice; "but to do so you must enter a far less pleasant country. as for reaching the top of the earth, i have never heard that it is possible to do that, and if you succeeded in getting there you would probably fall off." "oh, no," said dorothy, "we've been there, and we know." "the valley of voe is certainly a charming place," resumed the wizard; "but we cannot be contented in any other land than our own, for long. even if we should come to unpleasant places on our way it is necessary, in order to reach the earth's surface, to keep moving on toward it." "in that case," said the man, "it will be best for you to cross our valley and mount the spiral staircase inside the pyramid mountain. the top of that mountain is lost in the clouds, and when you reach it you will be in the awful land of naught, where the gargoyles live." "what are gargoyles?" asked zeb. "i do not know, young sir. our greatest champion, overman-anu, once climbed the spiral stairway and fought nine days with the gargoyles before he could escape them and come back; but he could never be induced to describe the dreadful creatures, and soon afterward a bear caught him and ate him up." the wanderers were rather discouraged by this gloomy report, but dorothy said with a sigh: "if the only way to get home is to meet the gurgles, then we've got to meet 'em. they can't be worse than the wicked witch or the nome king." "but you must remember you had the scarecrow and the tin woodman to help you conquer those enemies," suggested the wizard. "just now, my dear, there is not a single warrior in your company." "oh, i guess zeb could fight if he had to. couldn't you, zeb?" asked the little girl. "perhaps; if i had to," answered zeb, doubtfully. "and you have the jointed sword that you chopped the veg'table sorcerer in two with," the girl said to the little man. "true," he replied; "and in my satchel are other useful things to fight with." "what the gargoyles most dread is a noise," said the man's voice. "our champion told me that when he shouted his battle-cry the creatures shuddered and drew back, hesitating to continue the combat. but they were in great numbers, and the champion could not shout much because he had to save his breath for fighting." "very good," said the wizard; "we can all yell better than we can fight, so we ought to defeat the gargoyles." "but tell me," said dorothy, "how did such a brave champion happen to let the bears eat him? and if he was invis'ble, and the bears invis'ble, who knows that they really ate him up?" "the champion had killed eleven bears in his time," returned the unseen man; "and we know this is true because when any creature is dead the invisible charm of the dama-fruit ceases to be active, and the slain one can be plainly seen by all eyes. when the champion killed a bear everyone could see it; and when the bears killed the champion we all saw several pieces of him scattered about, which of course disappeared again when the bears devoured them." they now bade farewell to the kind but unseen people of the cottage, and after the man had called their attention to a high, pyramid-shaped mountain on the opposite side of the valley, and told them how to travel in order to reach it, they again started upon their journey. they followed the course of a broad stream and passed several more pretty cottages; but of course they saw no one, nor did any one speak to them. fruits and flowers grew plentifully all about, and there were many of the delicious damas that the people of voe were so fond of. about noon they stopped to allow jim to rest in the shade of a pretty orchard, and while they plucked and ate some of the cherries and plums that grew there a soft voice suddenly said to them: "there are bears near by. be careful." the wizard got out his sword at once, and zeb grabbed the horse-whip. dorothy climbed into the buggy, although jim had been unharnessed from it and was grazing some distance away. the owner of the unseen voice laughed lightly and said: "you cannot escape the bears that way." "how _can_ we 'scape?" asked dorothy, nervously, for an unseen danger is always the hardest to face. "you must take to the river," was the reply. "the bears will not venture upon the water." "but we would be drowned!" exclaimed the girl. "oh, there is no need of that," said the voice, which from its gentle tones seemed to belong to a young girl. "you are strangers in the valley of voe, and do not seem to know our ways; so i will try to save you." the next moment a broad-leaved plant was jerked from the ground where it grew and held suspended in the air before the wizard. [illustration: escaping the invisible bears.] "sir," said the voice, "you must rub these leaves upon the soles of all your feet, and then you will be able to walk upon the water without sinking below the surface. it is a secret the bears do not know, and we people of voe usually walk upon the water when we travel, and so escape our enemies." "thank you!" cried the wizard, joyfully, and at once rubbed a leaf upon the soles of dorothy's shoes and then upon his own. the girl took a leaf and rubbed it upon the kitten's paws, and the rest of the plant was handed to zeb, who, after applying it to his own feet, carefully rubbed it upon all four of jim's hoofs and then upon the tires of the buggy-wheels. he had nearly finished this last task when a low growling was suddenly heard and the horse began to jump around and kick viciously with his heels. "quick! to the water, or you are lost!" cried their unseen friend, and without hesitation the wizard drew the buggy down the bank and out upon the broad river, for dorothy was still seated in it with eureka in her arms. they did not sink at all, owing to the virtues of the strange plant they had used, and when the buggy was in the middle of the stream the wizard returned to the bank to assist zeb and jim. the horse was plunging madly about, and two or three deep gashes appeared upon its flanks, from which the blood flowed freely. "run for the river!" shouted the wizard, and jim quickly freed himself from his unseen tormenters by a few vicious kicks and then obeyed. as soon as he trotted out upon the surface of the river he found himself safe from pursuit, and zeb was already running across the water toward dorothy. as the little wizard turned to follow them he felt a hot breath against his cheek and heard a low, fierce growl. at once he began stabbing at the air with his sword, and he knew that he had struck some substance because when he drew back the blade it was dripping with blood. the third time that he thrust out the weapon there was a loud roar and a fall, and suddenly at his feet appeared the form of a great red bear, which was nearly as big as the horse and much stronger and fiercer. the beast was quite dead from the sword thrusts, and after a glance at its terrible claws and sharp teeth the little man turned in a panic and rushed out upon the water, for other menacing growls told him more bears were near. on the river, however, the adventurers seemed to be perfectly safe. dorothy and the buggy had floated slowly down stream with the current of the water, and the others made haste to join her. the wizard opened his satchel and got out some sticking-plaster with which he mended the cuts jim had received from the claws of the bears. "i think we'd better stick to the river, after this," said dorothy. "if our unknown friend hadn't warned us, and told us what to do, we would all be dead by this time." "that is true," agreed the wizard, "and as the river seems to be flowing in the direction of the pyramid mountain it will be the easiest way for us to travel." zeb hitched jim to the buggy again, and the horse trotted along and drew them rapidly over the smooth water. the kitten was at first dreadfully afraid of getting wet, but dorothy let her down and soon eureka was frisking along beside the buggy without being scared a bit. once a little fish swam too near the surface, and the kitten grabbed it in her mouth and ate it up as quick as a wink; but dorothy cautioned her to be careful what she ate in this valley of enchantments, and no more fishes were careless enough to swim within reach. after a journey of several hours they came to a point where the river curved, and they found they must cross a mile or so of the valley before they came to the pyramid mountain. there were few houses in this part, and few orchards or flowers; so our friends feared they might encounter more of the savage bears, which they had learned to dread with all their hearts. "you'll have to make a dash, jim," said the wizard, "and run as fast as you can go." "all right," answered the horse; "i'll do my best. but you must remember i'm old, and my dashing days are past and gone." all three got into the buggy and zeb picked up the reins, though jim needed no guidance of any sort. the horse was still smarting from the sharp claws of the invisible bears, and as soon as he was on land and headed toward the mountain the thought that more of those fearsome creatures might be near acted as a spur and sent him galloping along in a way that made dorothy catch her breath. then zeb, in a spirit of mischief, uttered a growl like that of the bears, and jim pricked up his ears and fairly flew. his boney legs moved so fast they could scarcely be seen, and the wizard clung fast to the seat and yelled "whoa!" at the top of his voice. "i--i'm 'fraid he's--he's running away!" gasped dorothy. "i _know_ he is," said zeb; "but no bear can catch him if he keeps up that gait--and the harness or the buggy don't break." jim did not make a mile a minute; but almost before they were aware of it he drew up at the foot of the mountain, so suddenly that the wizard and zeb both sailed over the dashboard and landed in the soft grass--where they rolled over several times before they stopped. dorothy nearly went with them, but she was holding fast to the iron rail of the seat, and that saved her. she squeezed the kitten, though, until it screeched; and then the old cab-horse made several curious sounds that led the little girl to suspect he was laughing at them all. [illustration] chapter 10. the braided man of pyramid mountain the mountain before them was shaped like a cone and was so tall that its point was lost in the clouds. directly facing the place where jim had stopped was an arched opening leading to a broad stairway. the stairs were cut in the rock inside the mountain, and they were broad and not very steep, because they circled around like a cork-screw, and at the arched opening where the flight began the circle was quite big. at the foot of the stairs was a sign reading: warning. these steps lead to the land of the gargoyles. danger! keep out. "i wonder how jim is ever going to draw the buggy up so many stairs," said dorothy, gravely. "no trouble at all," declared the horse, with a contemptuous neigh. "still, i don't care to drag any passengers. you'll all have to walk." "suppose the stairs get steeper?" suggested zeb, doubtfully. "then you'll have to boost the buggy-wheels, that's all," answered jim. "we'll try it, anyway," said the wizard. "it's the only way to get out of the valley of voe." so they began to ascend the stairs, dorothy and the wizard first, jim next, drawing the buggy, and then zeb to watch that nothing happened to the harness. the light was dim, and soon they mounted into total darkness, so that the wizard was obliged to get out his lanterns to light the way. but this enabled them to proceed steadily until they came to a landing where there was a rift in the side of the mountain that let in both light and air. looking through this opening they could see the valley of voe lying far below them, the cottages seeming like toy houses from that distance. after resting a few moments they resumed their climb, and still the stairs were broad and low enough for jim to draw the buggy easily after him. the old horse panted a little, and had to stop often to get his breath. at such times they were all glad to wait for him, for continually climbing up stairs is sure to make one's legs ache. they wound about, always going upward, for some time. the lights from the lanterns dimly showed the way, but it was a gloomy journey, and they were pleased when a broad streak of light ahead assured them they were coming to a second landing. here one side of the mountain had a great hole in it, like the mouth of a cavern, and the stairs stopped at the near edge of the floor and commenced ascending again at the opposite edge. the opening in the mountain was on the side opposite to the valley of voe, and our travellers looked out upon a strange scene. below them was a vast space, at the bottom of which was a black sea with rolling billows, through which little tongues of flame constantly shot up. just above them, and almost on a level with their platform, were banks of rolling clouds which constantly shifted position and changed color. the blues and greys were very beautiful, and dorothy noticed that on the cloud banks sat or reclined fleecy, shadowy forms of beautiful beings who must have been the cloud fairies. mortals who stand upon the earth and look up at the sky cannot often distinguish these forms, but our friends were now so near to the clouds that they observed the dainty fairies very clearly. "are they real?" asked zeb, in an awed voice. "of course," replied dorothy, softly. "they are the cloud fairies." "they seem like open-work," remarked the boy, gazing intently. "if i should squeeze one, there wouldn't be anything left of it." in the open space between the clouds and the black, bubbling sea far beneath, could be seen an occasional strange bird winging its way swiftly through the air. these birds were of enormous size, and reminded zeb of the rocs he had read about in the arabian nights. they had fierce eyes and sharp talons and beaks, and the children hoped none of them would venture into the cavern. "well, i declare!" suddenly exclaimed the little wizard. "what in the world is this?" they turned around and found a man standing on the floor in the center of the cave, who bowed very politely when he saw he had attracted their attention. he was a very old man, bent nearly double; but the queerest thing about him was his white hair and beard. these were so long that they reached to his feet, and both the hair and the beard were carefully plaited into many braids, and the end of each braid fastened with a bow of colored ribbon. "where did you come from?" asked dorothy, wonderingly. "no place at all," answered the man with the braids; "that is, not recently. once i lived on top the earth, but for many years i have had my factory in this spot--half way up pyramid mountain." "are we only half way up?" enquired the boy, in a discouraged tone. "i believe so, my lad," replied the braided man. "but as i have never been in either direction, down or up, since i arrived, i cannot be positive whether it is exactly half way or not." "have you a factory in this place?" asked the wizard, who had been examining the strange personage carefully. "to be sure," said the other. "i am a great inventor, you must know, and i manufacture my products in this lonely spot." "what are your products?" enquired the wizard. "well, i make assorted flutters for flags and bunting, and a superior grade of rustles for ladies' silk gowns." "i thought so," said the wizard, with a sigh. "may we examine some of these articles?" [illustration: the cloud fairies.] [illustration: the braided man.] "yes, indeed; come into my shop, please," and the braided man turned and led the way into a smaller cave, where he evidently lived. here, on a broad shelf, were several card-board boxes of various sizes, each tied with cotton cord. "this," said the man, taking up a box and handling it gently, "contains twelve dozen rustles--enough to last any lady a year. will you buy it, my dear?" he asked, addressing dorothy. "my gown isn't silk," she said, smiling. "never mind. when you open the box the rustles will escape, whether you are wearing a silk dress or not," said the man, seriously. then he picked up another box. "in this," he continued, "are many assorted flutters. they are invaluable to make flags flutter on a still day, when there is no wind. you, sir," turning to the wizard, "ought to have this assortment. once you have tried my goods i am sure you will never be without them." "i have no money with me," said the wizard, evasively. "i do not want money," returned the braided man, "for i could not spend it in this deserted place if i had it. but i would like very much a blue hair-ribbon. you will notice my braids are tied with yellow, pink, brown, red, green, white and black; but i have no blue ribbons." "i'll get you one!" cried dorothy, who was sorry for the poor man; so she ran back to the buggy and took from her suit-case a pretty blue ribbon. it did her good to see how the braided man's eyes sparkled when he received this treasure. "you have made me very, very happy, my dear!" he exclaimed; and then he insisted on the wizard taking the box of flutters and the little girl accepting the box of rustles. "you may need them, some time," he said, "and there is really no use in my manufacturing these things unless somebody uses them." "why did you leave the surface of the earth?" enquired the wizard. "i could not help it. it is a sad story, but if you will try to restrain your tears i will tell you about it. on earth i was a manufacturer of imported holes for american swiss cheese, and i will acknowledge that i supplied a superior article, which was in great demand. also i made pores for porous plasters and high-grade holes for doughnuts and buttons. finally i invented a new adjustable post-hole, which i thought would make my fortune. i manufactured a large quantity of these post-holes, and having no room in which to store them i set them all end to end and put the top one in the ground. that made an extraordinary long hole, as you may imagine, and reached far down into the earth; and, as i leaned over it to try to see to the bottom, i lost my balance and tumbled in. unfortunately, the hole led directly into the vast space you see outside this mountain; but i managed to catch a point of rock that projected from this cavern, and so saved myself from tumbling headlong into the black waves beneath, where the tongues of flame that dart out would certainly have consumed me. here, then, i made my home; and although it is a lonely place i amuse myself making rustles and flutters, and so get along very nicely." when the braided man had completed this strange tale dorothy nearly laughed, because it was all so absurd; but the wizard tapped his forehead significantly, to indicate that he thought the poor man was crazy. so they politely bade him good day, and went back to the outer cavern to resume their journey. [illustration] chapter 11. they meet the wooden gargoyles another breathless climb brought our adventurers to a third landing where there was a rift in the mountain. on peering out all they could see was rolling banks of clouds, so thick that they obscured all else. but the travellers were obliged to rest, and while they were sitting on the rocky floor the wizard felt in his pocket and brought out the nine tiny piglets. to his delight they were now plainly visible, which proved that they had passed beyond the influence of the magical valley of voe. "why, we can see each other again!" cried one, joyfully. "yes," sighed eureka; "and i also can see you again, and the sight makes me dreadfully hungry. please, mr. wizard, may i eat just one of the fat little piglets? you'd never miss _one_ of them, i'm sure!" "what a horrid, savage beast!" exclaimed a piglet; "and after we've been such good friends, too, and played with one another!" "when i'm not hungry, i love to play with you all," said the kitten, demurely; "but when my stomach is empty it seems that nothing would fill it so nicely as a fat piglet." "and we trusted you so!" said another of the nine, reproachfully. "and thought you were respectable!" said another. "it seems we were mistaken," declared a third, looking at the kitten timorously, "no one with such murderous desires should belong to our party, i'm sure." "you see, eureka," remarked dorothy, reprovingly, "you are making yourself disliked. there are certain things proper for a kitten to eat; but i never heard of a kitten eating a pig, under _any_ cir'stances." "did you ever see such little pigs before?" asked the kitten. "they are no bigger than mice, and i'm sure mice are proper for me to eat." "it isn't the bigness, dear; its the variety," replied the girl. "these are mr. wizard's pets, just as you are my pet, and it wouldn't be any more proper for you to eat them than it would be for jim to eat you." "and that's just what i shall do if you don't let those little balls of pork alone," said jim, glaring at the kitten with his round, big eyes. "if you injure any one of them i'll chew you up instantly." the kitten looked at the horse thoughtfully, as if trying to decide whether he meant it or not. "in that case," she said, "i'll leave them alone. you haven't many teeth left, jim, but the few you have are sharp enough to make me shudder. so the piglets will be perfectly safe, hereafter, as far as i am concerned." "that is right, eureka," remarked the wizard, earnestly. "let us all be a happy family and love one another." eureka yawned and stretched herself. "i've always loved the piglets," she said; "but they don't love me." "no one can love a person he's afraid of," asserted dorothy. "if you behave, and don't scare the little pigs, i'm sure they'll grow very fond of you." the wizard now put the nine tiny ones back into his pocket and the journey was resumed. "we must be pretty near the top, now," said the boy, as they climbed wearily up the dark, winding stairway. "the country of the gurgles can't be far from the top of the earth," remarked dorothy. "it isn't very nice down here. i'd like to get home again, i'm sure." no one replied to this, because they found they needed all their breath for the climb. the stairs had become narrower and zeb and the wizard often had to help jim pull the buggy from one step to another, or keep it from jamming against the rocky walls. at last, however, a dim light appeared ahead of them, which grew clearer and stronger as they advanced. "thank goodness we're nearly there!" panted the little wizard. jim, who was in advance, saw the last stair before him and stuck his head above the rocky sides of the stairway. then he halted, ducked down and began to back up, so that he nearly fell with the buggy onto the others. "let's go down again!" he said, in his hoarse voice. "nonsense!" snapped the tired wizard. "what's the matter with you, old man?" "everything," grumbled the horse. "i've taken a look at this place, and it's no fit country for real creatures to go to. everything's dead, up there--no flesh or blood or growing thing anywhere." "never mind; we can't turn back," said dorothy; "and we don't intend to stay there, anyhow." "it's dangerous," growled jim, in a stubborn tone. "see here, my good steed," broke in the wizard, "little dorothy and i have been in many queer countries in our travels, and always escaped without harm. we've even been to the marvelous land of oz--haven't we, dorothy?--so we don't much care what the country of the gargoyles is like. go ahead, jim, and whatever happens we'll make the best of it." "all right," answered the horse; "this is your excursion, and not mine; so if you get into trouble don't blame me." with this speech he bent forward and dragged the buggy up the remaining steps. the others followed and soon they were all standing upon a broad platform and gazing at the most curious and startling sight their eyes had ever beheld. "the country of the gargoyles is all wooden!" exclaimed zeb; and so it was. the ground was sawdust and the pebbles scattered around were hard knots from trees, worn smooth in course of time. there were odd wooden houses, with carved wooden flowers in the front yards. the tree-trunks were of coarse wood, but the leaves of the trees were shavings. the patches of grass were splinters of wood, and where neither grass nor sawdust showed was a solid wooden flooring. wooden birds fluttered among the trees and wooden cows were browsing upon the wooden grass; but the most amazing things of all were the wooden people--the creatures known as gargoyles. these were very numerous, for the palace was thickly inhabited, and a large group of the queer people clustered near, gazing sharply upon the strangers who had emerged from the long spiral stairway. the gargoyles were very small of stature, being less than three feet in height. their bodies were round, their legs short and thick and their arms extraordinarily long and stout. their heads were too big for their bodies and their faces were decidedly ugly to look upon. some had long, curved noses and chins, small eyes and wide, grinning mouths. others had flat noses, protruding eyes, and ears that were shaped like those of an elephant. there were many types, indeed, scarcely two being alike; but all were equally disagreeable in appearance. the tops of their heads had no hair, but were carved into a variety of fantastic shapes, some having a row of points or balls around the top, other designs resembling flowers or vegetables, and still others having squares that looked like waffles cut criss-cross on their heads. they all wore short wooden wings which were fastened to their wooden bodies by means of wooden hinges with wooden screws, and with these wings they flew swiftly and noiselessly here and there, their legs being of little use to them. this noiseless motion was one of the most peculiar things about the gargoyles. they made no sounds at all, either in flying or trying to speak, and they conversed mainly by means of quick signals made with their wooden fingers or lips. neither was there any sound to be heard anywhere throughout the wooden country. the birds did not sing, nor did the cows moo; yet there was more than ordinary activity everywhere. the group of these queer creatures which was discovered clustered near the stairs at first remained staring and motionless, glaring with evil eyes at the intruders who had so suddenly appeared in their land. in turn the wizard and the children, the horse and the kitten, examined the gargoyles with the same silent attention. "there's going to be trouble, i'm sure," remarked the horse. "unhitch those tugs, zeb, and set me free from the buggy, so i can fight comfortably." "jim's right," sighed the wizard. "there's going to be trouble, and my sword isn't stout enough to cut up those wooden bodies--so i shall have to get out my revolvers." he got his satchel from the buggy and, opening it, took out two deadly looking revolvers that made the children shrink back in alarm just to look at. "what harm can the gurgles do?" asked dorothy. "they have no weapons to hurt us with." "each of their arms is a wooden club," answered the little man, "and i'm sure the creatures mean mischief, by the looks of their eyes. even these revolvers can merely succeed in damaging a few of their wooden bodies, and after that we will be at their mercy." "but why fight at all, in that case?" asked the girl. "so i may die with a clear conscience," returned the wizard, gravely. "it's every man's duty to do the best he knows how; and i'm going to do it." "wish i had an axe," said zeb, who by now had unhitched the horse. "if we had known we were coming we might have brought along several other useful things," responded the wizard. "but we dropped into this adventure rather unexpectedly." the gargoyles had backed away a distance when they heard the sound of talking, for although our friends had spoken in low tones their words seemed loud in the silence surrounding them. but as soon as the conversation ceased the grinning, ugly creatures arose in a flock and flew swiftly toward the strangers, their long arms stretched out before them like the bowsprits of a fleet of sail-boats. the horse had especially attracted their notice, because it was the biggest and strangest creature they had ever seen; so it became the center of their first attack. but jim was ready for them, and when he saw them coming he turned his heels toward them and began kicking out as hard as he could. crack! crash! bang! went his iron-shod hoofs against the wooden bodies of the gargoyles, and they were battered right and left with such force that they scattered like straws in the wind. but the noise and clatter seemed as dreadful to them as jim's heels, for all who were able swiftly turned and flew away to a great distance. the others picked themselves up from the ground one by one and quickly rejoined their fellows, so for a moment the horse thought he had won the fight with ease. but the wizard was not so confident. "those wooden things are impossible to hurt," he said, "and all the damage jim has done to them is to knock a few splinters from their noses and ears. that cannot make them look any uglier, i'm sure, and it is my opinion they will soon renew the attack." "what made them fly away?" asked dorothy. "the noise, of course. don't you remember how the champion escaped them by shouting his battle-cry?" "suppose we escape down the stairs, too," suggested the boy. "we have time, just now, and i'd rather face the invis'ble bears than those wooden imps." "no," returned dorothy, stoutly, "it won't do to go back, for then we would never get home. let's fight it out." "that is what i advise," said the wizard. "they haven't defeated us yet, and jim is worth a whole army." but the gargoyles were clever enough not to attack the horse the next time. they advanced in a great swarm, having been joined by many more of their kind, and they flew straight over jim's head to where the others were standing. the wizard raised one of his revolvers and fired into the throng of his enemies, and the shot resounded like a clap of thunder in that silent place. some of the wooden beings fell flat upon the ground, where they quivered and trembled in every limb; but most of them managed to wheel and escape again to a distance. zeb ran and picked up one of the gargoyles that lay nearest to him. the top of its head was carved into a crown and the wizard's bullet had struck it exactly in the left eye, which was a hard wooden knot. half of the bullet stuck in the wood and half stuck out, so it had been the jar and the sudden noise that had knocked the creature down, more than the fact that it was really hurt. before this crowned gargoyle had recovered himself zeb had wound a strap several times around its body, confining its wings and arms so that it could not move. then, having tied the wooden creature securely, the boy buckled the strap and tossed his prisoner into the buggy. by that time the others had all retired. [illustration] chapter 12. a wonderful escape for a while the enemy hesitated to renew the attack. then a few of them advanced until another shot from the wizard's revolver made them retreat. "that's fine," said zeb. "we've got 'em on the run now, sure enough." "but only for a time," replied the wizard, shaking his head gloomily. "these revolvers are good for six shots each, but when those are gone we shall be helpless." the gargoyles seemed to realize this, for they sent a few of their band time after time to attack the strangers and draw the fire from the little man's revolvers. in this way none of them was shocked by the dreadful report more than once, for the main band kept far away and each time a new company was sent into the battle. when the wizard had fired all of his twelve bullets he had caused no damage to the enemy except to stun a few by the noise, and so he was no nearer to victory than in the beginning of the fray. [illustration: the wizard fired into the throng.] "what shall we do now?" asked dorothy, anxiously. "let's yell--all together," said zeb. "and fight at the same time," added the wizard. "we will get near jim, so that he can help us, and each one must take some weapon and do the best he can. i'll use my sword, although it isn't much account in this affair. dorothy must take her parasol and open it suddenly when the wooden folks attack her. i haven't anything for you, zeb." "i'll use the king," said the boy, and pulled his prisoner out of the buggy. the bound gargoyle's arms extended far out beyond its head, so by grasping its wrists zeb found the king made a very good club. the boy was strong for one of his years, having always worked upon a farm; so he was likely to prove more dangerous to the enemy than the wizard. when the next company of gargoyles advanced, our adventurers began yelling as if they had gone mad. even the kitten gave a dreadfully shrill scream and at the same time jim the cab-horse neighed loudly. this daunted the enemy for a time, but the defenders were soon out of breath. perceiving this, as well as the fact that there were no more of the awful "bangs" to come from the revolvers, the gargoyles advanced in a swarm as thick as bees, so that the air was filled with them. dorothy squatted upon the ground and put up her parasol, which nearly covered her and proved a great protection. the wizard's sword-blade snapped into a dozen pieces at the first blow he struck against the wooden people. zeb pounded away with the gargoyle he was using as a club until he had knocked down dozens of foes; but at the last they clustered so thickly about him that he no longer had room in which to swing his arms. the horse performed some wonderful kicking and even eureka assisted when she leaped bodily upon the gargoyles and scratched and bit at them like a wild-cat. but all this bravery amounted to nothing at all. the wooden things wound their long arms around zeb and the wizard and held them fast. dorothy was captured in the same way, and numbers of the gargoyles clung to jim's legs, so weighting him down that the poor beast was helpless. eureka made a desperate dash to escape and scampered along the ground like a streak; but a grinning gargoyle flew after her and grabbed her before she had gone very far. all of them expected nothing less than instant death; but to their surprise the wooden creatures flew into the air with them and bore them far away, over miles and miles of wooden country, until they came to a wooden city. the houses of this city had many corners, being square and six-sided and eight-sided. they were tower-like in shape and the best of them seemed old and weather-worn; yet all were strong and substantial. to one of these houses which had neither doors nor windows, but only one broad opening far up underneath the roof, the prisoners were brought by their captors. the gargoyles roughly pushed them into the opening, where there was a platform, and then flew away and left them. as they had no wings the strangers could not fly away, and if they jumped down from such a height they would surely be killed. the creatures had sense enough to reason that way, and the only mistake they made was in supposing the earth people were unable to overcome such ordinary difficulties. jim was brought with the others, although it took a good many gargoyles to carry the big beast through the air and land him on the high platform, and the buggy was thrust in after him because it belonged to the party and the wooden folks had no idea what it was used for or whether it was alive or not. when eureka's captor had thrown the kitten after the others the last gargoyle silently disappeared, leaving our friends to breathe freely once more. "what an awful fight!" said dorothy, catching her breath in little gasps. "oh, i don't know," purred eureka, smoothing her ruffled fur with her paw; "we didn't manage to hurt anybody, and nobody managed to hurt us." "thank goodness we are together again, even if we are prisoners," sighed the little girl. "i wonder why they didn't kill us on the spot," remarked zeb, who had lost his king in the struggle. "they are probably keeping us for some ceremony," the wizard answered, reflectively; "but there is no doubt they intend to kill us as dead as possible in a short time." "as dead as poss'ble would be pretty dead, wouldn't it?" asked dorothy. "yes, my dear. but we have no need to worry about that just now. let us examine our prison and see what it is like." the space underneath the roof, where they stood, permitted them to see on all sides of the tall building, and they looked with much curiosity at the city spread out beneath them. everything visible was made of wood, and the scene seemed stiff and extremely unnatural. from their platform a stair descended into the house, and the children and the wizard explored it after lighting a lantern to show them the way. several stories of empty rooms rewarded their search, but nothing more; so after a time they came back to the platform again. had there been any doors or windows in the lower rooms, or had not the boards of the house been so thick and stout, escape would have been easy; but to remain down below was like being in a cellar or the hold of a ship, and they did not like the darkness or the damp smell. in this country, as in all others they had visited underneath the earth's surface, there was no night, a constant and strong light coming from some unknown source. looking out, they could see into some of the houses near them, where there were open windows in abundance, and were able to mark the forms of the wooden gargoyles moving about in their dwellings. "this seems to be their time of rest," observed the wizard. "all people need rest, even if they are made of wood, and as there is no night here they select a certain time of the day in which to sleep or doze." "i feel sleepy myself," remarked zeb, yawning. "why, where's eureka?" cried dorothy, suddenly. they all looked around, but the kitten was no place to be seen. "she's gone out for a walk," said jim, gruffly. "where? on the roof?" asked the girl. "no; she just dug her claws into the wood and climbed down the sides of this house to the ground." "she couldn't climb _down_, jim," said dorothy. "to climb means to go up." "who said so?" demanded the horse. "my school-teacher said so; and she knows a lot, jim." "to 'climb down' is sometimes used as a figure of speech," remarked the wizard. "well, this was a figure of a cat," said jim, "and she _went_ down, anyhow, whether she climbed or crept." "dear me! how careless eureka is," exclaimed the girl, much distressed. "the gurgles will get her, sure!" "ha, ha!" chuckled the old cab-horse; "they're not 'gurgles,' little maid; they're gargoyles." "never mind; they'll get eureka, whatever they're called." "no they won't," said the voice of the kitten, and eureka herself crawled over the edge of the platform and sat down quietly upon the floor. "wherever have you been, eureka?" asked dorothy, sternly. "watching the wooden folks. they're too funny for anything, dorothy. just now they are all going to bed, and--what do you think?--they unhook the hinges of their wings and put them in a corner until they wake up again." "what, the hinges?" "no; the wings." "that," said zeb, "explains why this house is used by them for a prison. if any of the gargoyles act badly, and have to be put in jail, they are brought here and their wings unhooked and taken away from them until they promise to be good." the wizard had listened intently to what eureka had said. "i wish we had some of those loose wings," he said. "could we fly with them?" asked dorothy. "i think so. if the gargoyles can unhook the wings then the power to fly lies in the wings themselves, and not in the wooden bodies of the people who wear them. so, if we had the wings, we could probably fly as well as they do--at least while we are in their country and under the spell of its magic." "but how would it help us to be able to fly?" questioned the girl. "come here," said the little man, and took her to one of the corners of the building. "do you see that big rock standing on the hillside yonder?" he continued, pointing with his finger. "yes; it's a good way off, but i can see it," she replied. "well, inside that rock, which reaches up into the clouds, is an archway very much like the one we entered when we climbed the spiral stairway from the valley of voe. i'll get my spy-glass, and then you can see it more plainly." he fetched a small but powerful telescope, which had been in his satchel, and by its aid the little girl clearly saw the opening. "where does it lead to?" she asked. "that i cannot tell," said the wizard; "but we cannot now be far below the earth's surface, and that entrance may lead to another stairway that will bring us on top of our world again, where we belong. so, if we had the wings, and could escape the gargoyles, we might fly to that rock and be saved." "i'll get you the wings," said zeb, who had thoughtfully listened to all this. "that is, if the kitten will show me where they are." "but how can you get down?" enquired the girl, wonderingly. for answer zeb began to unfasten jim's harness, strap by strap, and to buckle one piece to another until he had made a long leather strip that would reach to the ground. [illustration: the fight with the gargoyles.] "i can climb down that, all right," he said. "no you can't," remarked jim, with a twinkle in his round eyes. "you may _go_ down, but you can only _climb_ up." "well, i'll climb up when i get back, then," said the boy, with a laugh. "now, eureka, you'll have to show me the way to those wings." "you must be very quiet," warned the kitten; "for if you make the least noise the gargoyles will wake up. they can hear a pin drop." "i'm not going to drop a pin," said zeb. he had fastened one end of the strap to a wheel of the buggy, and now he let the line dangle over the side of the house. "be careful," cautioned dorothy, earnestly. "i will," said the boy, and let himself slide over the edge. the girl and the wizard leaned over and watched zeb work his way carefully downward, hand over hand, until he stood upon the ground below. eureka clung with her claws to the wooden side of the house and let herself down easily. then together they crept away to enter the low doorway of a neighboring dwelling. the watchers waited in breathless suspense until the boy again appeared, his arms now full of the wooden wings. when he came to where the strap was hanging he tied the wings all in a bunch to the end of the line, and the wizard drew them up. then the line was let down again for zeb to climb up by. eureka quickly followed him, and soon they were all standing together upon the platform, with eight of the much prized wooden wings beside them. the boy was no longer sleepy, but full of energy and excitement. he put the harness together again and hitched jim to the buggy. then, with the wizard's help, he tried to fasten some of the wings to the old cab-horse. this was no easy task, because half of each one of the hinges of the wings was missing, it being still fastened to the body of the gargoyle who had used it. however, the wizard went once more to his satchel--which seemed to contain a surprising variety of odds and ends--and brought out a spool of strong wire, by means of which they managed to fasten four of the wings to jim's harness, two near his head and two near his tail. they were a bit wiggley, but secure enough if only the harness held together. the other four wings were then fastened to the buggy, two on each side, for the buggy must bear the weight of the children and the wizard as it flew through the air. [illustration: jim fluttered and floundered through the air.] these preparations had not consumed a great deal of time, but the sleeping gargoyles were beginning to wake up and move around, and soon some of them would be hunting for their missing wings. so the prisoners resolved to leave their prison at once. they mounted into the buggy, dorothy holding eureka safe in her lap. the girl sat in the middle of the seat, with zeb and the wizard on each side of her. when all was ready the boy shook the reins and said: "fly away, jim!" "which wings must i flop first?" asked the cab-horse, undecidedly. "flop them all together," suggested the wizard. "some of them are crooked," objected the horse. "never mind; we will steer with the wings on the buggy," said zeb. "just you light out and make for that rock, jim; and don't waste any time about it, either." so the horse gave a groan, flopped its four wings all together, and flew away from the platform. dorothy was a little anxious about the success of their trip, for the way jim arched his long neck and spread out his bony legs as he fluttered and floundered through the air was enough to make anybody nervous. he groaned, too, as if frightened, and the wings creaked dreadfully because the wizard had forgotten to oil them; but they kept fairly good time with the wings of the buggy, so that they made excellent progress from the start. the only thing that anyone could complain of with justice was the fact that they wobbled first up and then down, as if the road were rocky instead of being as smooth as the air could make it. the main point, however, was that they flew, and flew swiftly, if a bit unevenly, toward the rock for which they had headed. some of the gargoyles saw them, presently, and lost no time in collecting a band to pursue the escaping prisoners; so that when dorothy happened to look back she saw them coming in a great cloud that almost darkened the sky. [illustration] chapter 13. the den of the dragonettes our friends had a good start and were able to maintain it, for with their eight wings they could go just as fast as could the gargoyles. all the way to the great rock the wooden people followed them, and when jim finally alighted at the mouth of the cavern the pursuers were still some distance away. "but, i'm afraid they'll catch us yet," said dorothy, greatly excited. "no; we must stop them," declared the wizard. "quick zeb, help me pull off these wooden wings!" they tore off the wings, for which they had no further use, and the wizard piled them in a heap just outside the entrance to the cavern. then he poured over them all the kerosene oil that was left in his oil-can, and lighting a match set fire to the pile. the flames leaped up at once and the bonfire began to smoke and roar and crackle just as the great army of wooden gargoyles arrived. the creatures drew back at once, being filled with fear and horror; for such a dreadful thing as a fire they had never before known in all the history of their wooden land. inside the archway were several doors, leading to different rooms built into the mountain, and zeb and the wizard lifted these wooden doors from their hinges and tossed them all on the flames. "that will prove a barrier for some time to come," said the little man, smiling pleasantly all over his wrinkled face at the success of their stratagem. "perhaps the flames will set fire to all that miserable wooden country, and if it does the loss will be very small and the gargoyles never will be missed. but come, my children; let us explore the mountain and discover which way we must go in order to escape from this cavern, which is getting to be almost as hot as a bake-oven." to their disappointment there was within this mountain no regular flight of steps by means of which they could mount to the earth's surface. a sort of inclined tunnel led upward for a way, and they found the floor of it both rough and steep. then a sudden turn brought them to a narrow gallery where the buggy could not pass. this delayed and bothered them for a while, because they did not wish to leave the buggy behind them. it carried their baggage and was useful to ride in wherever there were good roads, and since it had accompanied them so far in their travels they felt it their duty to preserve it. so zeb and the wizard set to work and took off the wheels and the top, and then they put the buggy edgewise, so it would take up the smallest space. in this position they managed, with the aid of the patient cab-horse, to drag the vehicle through the narrow part of the passage. it was not a great distance, fortunately, and when the path grew broader they put the buggy together again and proceeded more comfortably. but the road was nothing more than a series of rifts or cracks in the mountain, and it went zig-zag in every direction, slanting first up and then down until they were puzzled as to whether they were any nearer to the top of the earth than when they had started, hours before. "anyhow," said dorothy, "we've 'scaped those awful gurgles, and that's _one_ comfort!" [illustration: "why it's a dragon!"] "probably the gargoyles are still busy trying to put out the fire," returned the wizard. "but even if they succeeded in doing that it would be very difficult for them to fly amongst these rocks; so i am sure we need fear them no longer." once in a while they would come to a deep crack in the floor, which made the way quite dangerous; but there was still enough oil in the lanterns to give them light, and the cracks were not so wide but that they were able to jump over them. sometimes they had to climb over heaps of loose rock, where jim could scarcely drag the buggy. at such times dorothy, zeb and the wizard all pushed behind, and lifted the wheels over the roughest places; so they managed, by dint of hard work, to keep going. but the little party was both weary and discouraged when at last, on turning a sharp corner, the wanderers found themselves in a vast cave arching high over their heads and having a smooth, level floor. the cave was circular in shape, and all around its edge, near to the ground, appeared groups of dull yellow lights, two of them being always side by side. these were motionless at first, but soon began to flicker more brightly and to sway slowly from side to side and then up and down. "what sort of a place is this?" asked the boy, trying to see more clearly through the gloom. "i cannot imagine, i'm sure," answered the wizard, also peering about. "woogh!" snarled eureka, arching her back until her hair stood straight on end; "it's a den of alligators, or crocodiles, or some other dreadful creatures! don't you see their terrible eyes?" "eureka sees better in the dark than we can," whispered dorothy. "tell us, dear, what do the creatures look like?" she asked, addressing her pet. "i simply can't describe 'em," answered the kitten, shuddering. "their eyes are like pie-plates and their mouths like coal-scuttles. but their bodies don't seem very big." "where are they?" enquired the girl. "they are in little pockets all around the edge of this cavern. oh, dorothy--you can't imagine what horrid things they are! they're uglier than the gargoyles." "tut-tut! be careful how you criticise your neighbors," spoke a rasping voice near by. "as a matter of fact you are rather ugly-looking creatures yourselves, and i'm sure mother has often told us we were the loveliest and prettiest things in all the world." hearing these words our friends turned in the direction of the sound, and the wizard held his lanterns so that their light would flood one of the little pockets in the rock. "why, it's a dragon!" he exclaimed. "no," answered the owner of the big yellow eyes which were blinking at them so steadily; "you are wrong about that. we hope to grow to be dragons some day, but just now we're only dragonettes." "what's that?" asked dorothy, gazing fearfully at the great scaley head, the yawning mouth and the big eyes. "young dragons, of course; but we are not allowed to call ourselves real dragons until we get our full growth," was the reply. "the big dragons are very proud, and don't think children amount to much; but mother says that some day we will all be very powerful and important." "where is your mother?" asked the wizard, anxiously looking around. "she has gone up to the top of the earth to hunt for our dinner. if she has good luck she will bring us an elephant, or a brace of rhinoceri, or perhaps a few dozen people to stay our hunger." "oh; are you hungry?" enquired dorothy, drawing back. "very," said the dragonette, snapping its jaws. "and--and--do you eat people?" "to be sure, when we can get them. but they've been very scarce for a few years and we usually have to be content with elephants or buffaloes," answered the creature, in a regretful tone. "how old are you?" enquired zeb, who stared at the yellow eyes as if fascinated. "quite young, i grieve to say; and all of my brothers and sisters that you see here are practically my own age. if i remember rightly, we were sixty-six years old the day before yesterday." "but that isn't young!" cried dorothy, in amazement. "no?" drawled the dragonette; "it seems to me very babyish." "how old is your mother?" asked the girl. "mother's about two thousand years old; but she carelessly lost track of her age a few centuries ago and skipped several hundreds. she's a little fussy, you know, and afraid of growing old, being a widow and still in her prime." "i should think she would be," agreed dorothy. then, after a moment's thought, she asked: "are we friends or enemies? i mean, will you be good to us, or do you intend to eat us?" "as for that, we dragonettes would love to eat you, my child; but unfortunately mother has tied all our tails around the rocks at the back of our individual caves, so that we can not crawl out to get you. if you choose to come nearer we will make a mouthful of you in a wink; but unless you do you will remain quite safe." there was a regretful accent in the creature's voice, and at the words all the other dragonettes sighed dismally. dorothy felt relieved. presently she asked: "why did your mother tie your tails?" "oh, she is sometimes gone for several weeks on her hunting trips, and if we were not tied we would crawl all over the mountain and fight with each other and get into a lot of mischief. mother usually knows what she is about, but she made a mistake this time; for you are sure to escape us unless you come too near, and you probably won't do that." "no, indeed!" said the little girl. "we don't wish to be eaten by such awful beasts." "permit me to say," returned the dragonette, "that you are rather impolite to call us names, knowing that we cannot resent your insults. we consider ourselves very beautiful in appearance, for mother has told us so, and she knows. and we are of an excellent family and have a pedigree that i challenge any humans to equal, as it extends back about twenty thousand years, to the time of the famous green dragon of atlantis, who lived in a time when humans had not yet been created. can you match that pedigree, little girl?" "well," said dorothy, "i was born on a farm in kansas, and i guess that's being just as 'spectable and haughty as living in a cave with your tail tied to a rock. if it isn't i'll have to stand it, that's all." "tastes differ," murmured the dragonette, slowly drooping its scaley eyelids over its yellow eyes, until they looked like half-moons. being reassured by the fact that the creatures could not crawl out of their rock-pockets, the children and the wizard now took time to examine them more closely. the heads of the dragonettes were as big as barrels and covered with hard, greenish scales that glittered brightly under the light of the lanterns. their front legs, which grew just back of their heads, were also strong and big; but their bodies were smaller around than their heads, and dwindled away in a long line until their tails were slim as a shoe-string. dorothy thought, if it had taken them sixty-six years to grow to this size, that it would be fully a hundred years more before they could hope to call themselves dragons, and that seemed like a good while to wait to grow up. "it occurs to me," said the wizard, "that we ought to get out of this place before the mother dragon comes back." "don't hurry," called one of the dragonettes; "mother will be glad to meet you, i'm sure." "you may be right," replied the wizard, "but we're a little particular about associating with strangers. will you kindly tell us which way your mother went to get on top the earth?" "that is not a fair question to ask us," declared another dragonette. "for, if we told you truly, you might escape us altogether; and if we told you an untruth we would be naughty and deserve to be punished." "then," decided dorothy, "we must find our way out the best we can." they circled all around the cavern, keeping a good distance away from the blinking yellow eyes of the dragonettes, and presently discovered that there were two paths leading from the wall opposite to the place where they had entered. they selected one of these at a venture and hurried along it as fast as they could go, for they had no idea when the mother dragon would be back and were very anxious not to make her acquaintance. [illustration] chapter 14. ozma uses the magic belt for a considerable distance the way led straight upward in a gentle incline, and the wanderers made such good progress that they grew hopeful and eager, thinking they might see sunshine at any minute. but at length they came unexpectedly upon a huge rock that shut off the passage and blocked them from proceeding a single step farther. this rock was separate from the rest of the mountain and was in motion, turning slowly around and around as if upon a pivot. when first they came to it there was a solid wall before them; but presently it revolved until there was exposed a wide, smooth path across it to the other side. this appeared so unexpectedly that they were unprepared to take advantage of it at first, and allowed the rocky wall to swing around again before they had decided to pass over. but they knew now that there was a means of escape and so waited patiently until the path appeared for the second time. the children and the wizard rushed across the moving rock and sprang into the passage beyond, landing safely though a little out of breath. jim the cab-horse came last, and the rocky wall almost caught him; for just as he leaped to the floor of the further passage the wall swung across it and a loose stone that the buggy wheels knocked against fell into the narrow crack where the rock turned, and became wedged there. they heard a crunching, grinding sound, a loud snap, and the turn-table came to a stop with its broadest surface shutting off the path from which they had come. "never mind," said zeb, "we don't want to get back, anyhow." "i'm not so sure of that," returned dorothy. "the mother dragon may come down and catch us here." "it is possible," agreed the wizard, "if this proves to be the path she usually takes. but i have been examining this tunnel, and i do not see any signs of so large a beast having passed through it." "then we're all right," said the girl, "for if the dragon went the other way she can't poss'bly get to us now." "of course not, my dear. but there is another thing to consider. the mother dragon probably knows the road to the earth's surface, and if she went the other way then we have come the wrong way," said the wizard, thoughtfully. "dear me!" cried dorothy. "that would be unlucky, wouldn't it?" "very. unless this passage also leads to the top of the earth," said zeb. "for my part, if we manage to get out of here i'll be glad it isn't the way the dragon goes." "so will i," returned dorothy. "it's enough to have your pedigree flung in your face by those saucy dragonettes. no one knows what the mother might do." they now moved on again, creeping slowly up another steep incline. the lanterns were beginning to grow dim, and the wizard poured the remaining oil from one into the other, so that the one light would last longer. but their journey was almost over, for in a short time they reached a small cave from which there was no further outlet. they did not realize their ill fortune at first, for their hearts were gladdened by the sight of a ray of sunshine coming through a small crack in the roof of the cave, far overhead. that meant that their world--the real world--was not very far away, and that the succession of perilous adventures they had encountered had at last brought them near the earth's surface, which meant home to them. but when the adventurers looked more carefully around them they discovered that they were in a strong prison from which there was no hope of escape. "but we're _almost_ on earth again," cried dorothy, "for there is the sun--the most _beau'ful_ sun that shines!" and she pointed eagerly at the crack in the distant roof. "almost on earth isn't being there," said the kitten, in a discontented tone. "it wouldn't be possible for even me to get up to that crack--or through it if i got there." "it appears that the path ends here," announced the wizard, gloomily. "and there is no way to go back," added zeb, with a low whistle of perplexity. "i was sure it would come to this, in the end," remarked the old cab-horse. "folks don't fall into the middle of the earth and then get back again to tell of their adventures--not in real life. and the whole thing has been unnatural because that cat and i are both able to talk your language, and to understand the words you say." "and so can the nine tiny piglets," added eureka. "don't forget them, for i may have to eat them, after all." "i've heard animals talk before," said dorothy, "and no harm came of it." "were you ever before shut up in a cave, far under the earth, with no way of getting out?" enquired the horse, seriously. "no," answered dorothy. "but don't you lose heart, jim, for i'm sure this isn't the end of our story, by any means." the reference to the piglets reminded the wizard that his pets had not enjoyed much exercise lately, and must be tired of their prison in his pocket. so he sat down upon the floor of the cave, brought the piglets out one by one, and allowed them to run around as much as they pleased. "my dears," he said to them, "i'm afraid i've got you into a lot of trouble, and that you will never again be able to leave this gloomy cave." "what's wrong?" asked a piglet. "we've been in the dark quite a while, and you may as well explain what has happened." the wizard told them of the misfortune that had overtaken the wanderers. "well," said another piglet, "you are a wizard, are you not?" "i am," replied the little man. "then you can do a few wizzes and get us out of this hole," declared the tiny one, with much confidence. "i could if i happened to be a real wizard," returned the master sadly. "but i'm not, my piggy-wees; i'm a humbug wizard." "nonsense!" cried several of the piglets, together. "you can ask dorothy," said the little man, in an injured tone. "it's true enough," returned the girl, earnestly. "our friend oz is merely a humbug wizard, for he once proved it to me. he can do several very wonderful things--if he knows how. but he can't wiz a single thing if he hasn't the tools and machinery to work with." "thank you, my dear, for doing me justice," responded the wizard, gratefully. "to be accused of being a real wizard, when i'm not, is a slander i will not tamely submit to. but i am one of the greatest humbug wizards that ever lived, and you will realize this when we have all starved together and our bones are scattered over the floor of this lonely cave." "i don't believe we'll realize anything, when it comes to that," remarked dorothy, who had been deep in thought. "but i'm not going to scatter my bones just yet, because i need them, and you prob'ly need yours, too." "we are helpless to escape," sighed the wizard. "_we_ may be helpless," answered dorothy, smiling at him, "but there are others who can do more than we can. cheer up, friends. i'm sure ozma will help us." "ozma!" exclaimed the wizard. "who is ozma?" "the girl that rules the marvelous land of oz," was the reply. "she's a friend of mine, for i met her in the land of ev, not long ago, and went to oz with her." "for the second time?" asked the wizard, with great interest. "yes. the first time i went to oz i found you there, ruling the emerald city. after you went up in a balloon, and escaped us, i got back to kansas by means of a pair of magical silver shoes." "i remember those shoes," said the little man, nodding. "they once belonged to the wicked witch. have you them here with you?" "no; i lost them somewhere in the air," explained the child. "but the second time i went to the land of oz i owned the nome king's magic belt, which is much more powerful than were the silver shoes." "where is that magic belt?" enquired the wizard, who had listened with great interest. "ozma has it; for its powers won't work in a common, ordinary country like the united states. anyone in a fairy country like the land of oz can do anything with it; so i left it with my friend the princess ozma, who used it to wish me in australia with uncle henry." "and were you?" asked zeb, astonished at what he heard. "of course; in just a jiffy. and ozma has an enchanted picture hanging in her room that shows her the exact scene where any of her friends may be, at any time she chooses. all she has to do is to say: 'i wonder what so-and-so is doing,' and at once the picture shows where her friend is and what the friend is doing. that's _real_ magic, mr. wizard; isn't it? well, every day at four o'clock ozma has promised to look at me in that picture, and if i am in need of help i am to make her a certain sign and she will put on the nome king's magic belt and wish me to be with her in oz." "do you mean that princess ozma will see this cave in her enchanted picture, and see all of us here, and what we are doing?" demanded zeb. "of course; when it is four o'clock," she replied, with a laugh at his startled expression. "and when you make a sign she will bring you to her in the land of oz?" continued the boy. "that's it, exactly; by means of the magic belt." "then," said the wizard, "you will be saved, little dorothy; and i am very glad of it. the rest of us will die much more cheerfully when we know you have escaped our sad fate." "_i_ won't die cheerfully!" protested the kitten. "there's nothing cheerful about dying that i could ever see, although they say a cat has nine lives, and so must die nine times." "have you ever died yet?" enquired the boy. "no, and i'm not anxious to begin," said eureka. "don't worry, dear," dorothy exclaimed, "i'll hold you in my arms, and take you with me." "take us, too!" cried the nine tiny piglets, all in one breath. "perhaps i can," answered dorothy. "i'll try." "couldn't you manage to hold me in your arms?" asked the cab-horse. dorothy laughed. "i'll do better than that," she promised, "for i can easily save you all, once i am myself in the land of oz." "how?" they asked. "by using the magic belt. all i need do is to wish you with me, and there you'll be--safe in the royal palace!" "good!" cried zeb. "i built that palace, and the emerald city, too," remarked the wizard, in a thoughtful tone, "and i'd like to see them again, for i was very happy among the munchkins and winkies and quadlings and gillikins." "who are they?" asked the boy. "the four nations that inhabit the land of oz," was the reply. "i wonder if they would treat me nicely if i went there again." "of course they would!" declared dorothy. "they are still proud of their former wizard, and often speak of you kindly." "do you happen to know whatever became of the tin woodman and the scarecrow?" he enquired. "they live in oz yet," said the girl, "and are very important people." "and the cowardly lion?" "oh, he lives there too, with his friend the hungry tiger; and billina is there, because she liked the place better than kansas, and wouldn't go with me to australia." "i'm afraid i don't know the hungry tiger and billina," said the wizard, shaking his head. "is billina a girl?" "no; she's a yellow hen, and a great friend of mine. you're sure to like billina, when you know her," asserted dorothy. "your friends sound like a menagerie," remarked zeb, uneasily. "couldn't you wish me in some safer place than oz." "don't worry," replied the girl. "you'll just love the folks in oz, when you get acquainted. what time is it, mr. wizard?" the little man looked at his watch--a big silver one that he carried in his vest pocket. "half-past three," he said. "then we must wait for half an hour," she continued; "but it won't take long, after that, to carry us all to the emerald city." they sat silently thinking for a time. then jim suddenly asked: "are there any horses in oz?" "only one," replied dorothy, "and he's a sawhorse." "a what?" "a sawhorse. princess ozma once brought him to life with a witch-powder, when she was a boy." "was ozma once a boy?" asked zeb, wonderingly. "yes; a wicked witch enchanted her, so she could not rule her kingdom. but she's a girl now, and the sweetest, loveliest girl in all the world." "a sawhorse is a thing they saw boards on," remarked jim, with a sniff. "it is when it's not alive," acknowledged the girl. "but this sawhorse can trot as fast as you can, jim; and he's very wise, too." "pah! i'll race the miserable wooden donkey any day in the week!" cried the cab-horse. dorothy did not reply to that. she felt that jim would know more about the saw-horse later on. the time dragged wearily enough to the eager watchers, but finally the wizard announced that four o'clock had arrived, and dorothy caught up the kitten and began to make the signal that had been agreed upon to the far-away, invisible ozma. "nothing seems to happen," said zeb, doubtfully. "oh, we must give ozma time to put on the magic belt," replied the girl. she had scarcely spoken the words when she suddenly disappeared from the cave, and with her went the kitten. there had been no sound of any kind and no warning. one moment dorothy sat beside them with the kitten in her lap, and a moment later the horse, the piglets, the wizard and the boy were all that remained in the underground prison. [illustration: dorothy made the signal.] "i believe we will soon follow her," announced the wizard, in a tone of great relief; "for i know something about the magic of the fairyland that is called the land of oz. let us be ready, for we may be sent for any minute." he put the piglets safely away in his pocket again and then he and zeb got into the buggy and sat expectantly upon the seat. "will it hurt?" asked the boy, in a voice that trembled a little. "not at all," replied the wizard. "it will all happen as quick as a wink." and that was the way it did happen. the cab-horse gave a nervous start and zeb began to rub his eyes to make sure he was not asleep. for they were in the streets of a beautiful emerald-green city, bathed in a grateful green light that was especially pleasing to their eyes, and surrounded by merry faced people in gorgeous green-and-gold costumes of many extraordinary designs. before them were the jewel-studded gates of a magnificent palace, and now the gates opened slowly as if inviting them to enter the courtyard, where splendid flowers were blooming and pretty fountains shot their silvery sprays into the air. zeb shook the reins to rouse the cab-horse from his stupor of amazement, for the people were beginning to gather around and stare at the strangers. "gid-dap!" cried the boy, and at the word jim slowly trotted into the courtyard and drew the buggy along the jewelled driveway to the great entrance of the royal palace. [illustration] chapter 15. old friends are reunited many servants dressed in handsome uniforms stood ready to welcome the new arrivals, and when the wizard got out of the buggy a pretty girl in a green gown cried out in surprise: "why, it's oz, the wonderful wizard, come back again!" the little man looked at her closely and then took both the maiden's hands in his and shook them cordially. "on my word," he exclaimed, "it's little jellia jamb--as pert and pretty as ever!" "why not, mr. wizard?" asked jellia, bowing low. "but i'm afraid you cannot rule the emerald city, as you used to, because we now have a beautiful princess whom everyone loves dearly." "and the people will not willingly part with her," added a tall soldier in a captain-general's uniform. the wizard turned to look at him. "did you not wear green whiskers at one time?" he asked. "yes," said the soldier; "but i shaved them off long ago, and since then i have risen from a private to be the chief general of the royal armies." "that's nice," said the little man. "but i assure you, my good people, that i do not wish to rule the emerald city," he added, earnestly. "in that case you are very welcome!" cried all the servants, and it pleased the wizard to note the respect with which the royal retainers bowed before him. his fame had not been forgotten in the land of oz, by any means. "where is dorothy?" enquired zeb, anxiously, as he left the buggy and stood beside his friend the little wizard. "she is with the princess ozma, in the private rooms of the palace," replied jellia jamb. "but she has ordered me to make you welcome and to show you to your apartments." the boy looked around him with wondering eyes. such magnificence and wealth as was displayed in this palace was more than he had ever dreamed of, and he could scarcely believe that all the gorgeous glitter was real and not tinsel. "what's to become of me?" asked the horse, uneasily. he had seen considerable of life in the cities in his younger days, and knew that this regal palace was no place for him. it perplexed even jellia jamb, for a time, to know what to do with the animal. the green maiden was much astonished at the sight of so unusual a creature, for horses were unknown in this land; but those who lived in the emerald city were apt to be astonished by queer sights, so after inspecting the cab-horse and noting the mild look in his big eyes the girl decided not to be afraid of him. "there are no stables here," said the wizard, "unless some have been built since i went away." "we have never needed them before," answered jellia; "for the sawhorse lives in a room of the palace, being much smaller and more natural in appearance than this great beast you have brought with you." "do you mean that i'm a freak?" asked jim, angrily. "oh, no," she hastened to say, "there may be many more like you in the place you came from, but in oz any horse but a sawhorse is unusual." this mollified jim a little, and after some thought the green maiden decided to give the cab-horse a room in the palace, such a big building having many rooms that were seldom in use. so zeb unharnessed jim, and several of the servants then led the horse around to the rear, where they selected a nice large apartment that he could have all to himself. then jellia said to the wizard: "your own room--which was back of the great throne room--has been vacant ever since you left us. would you like it again?" "yes, indeed!" returned the little man. "it will seem like being at home again, for i lived in that room for many, many years." he knew the way to it, and a servant followed him, carrying his satchel. zeb was also escorted to a room--so grand and beautiful that he almost feared to sit in the chairs or lie upon the bed, lest he might dim their splendor. in the closets he discovered many fancy costumes of rich velvets and brocades, and one of the attendants told him to dress himself in any of the clothes that pleased him and to be prepared to dine with the princess and dorothy in an hour's time. opening from the chamber was a fine bath-room having a marble tub with perfumed water; so the boy, still dazed by the novelty of his surroundings, indulged in a good bath and then selected a maroon velvet costume with silver buttons to replace his own soiled and much worn clothing. there were silk stockings and soft leather slippers with diamond buckles to accompany his new costume, and when he was fully dressed zeb looked much more dignified and imposing than ever before in his life. he was all ready when an attendant came to escort him to the presence of the princess; he followed bashfully and was ushered into a room more dainty and attractive than it was splendid. here he found dorothy seated beside a young girl so marvelously beautiful that the boy stopped suddenly with a gasp of admiration. but dorothy sprang up and ran to seize her friend's hand, drawing him impulsively toward the lovely princess, who smiled most graciously upon her guest. then the wizard entered, and his presence relieved the boy's embarrassment. the little man was clothed in black velvet, with many sparkling emerald ornaments decorating his breast; but his bald head and wrinkled features made him appear more amusing than impressive. ozma had been quite curious to meet the famous man who had built the emerald city and united the munchkins, gillikins, quadlings and winkies into one people; so when they were all four seated at the dinner table the princess said: "please tell me, mr. wizard, whether you called yourself oz after this great country, or whether you believe my country is called oz after you. it is a matter that i have long wished to enquire about, because you are of a strange race and my own name is ozma. no one, i am sure, is better able to explain this mystery than you." "that is true," answered the little wizard; "therefore it will give me pleasure to explain my connection with your country. in the first place, i must tell you that i was born in omaha, and my father, who was a politician, named me oscar zoroaster phadrig isaac norman henkle emmannuel ambroise diggs, diggs being the last name because he could think of no more to go before it. taken altogether, it was a dreadfully long name to weigh down a poor innocent child, and one of the hardest lessons i ever learned was to remember my own name. when i grew up i just called myself o. z., because the other initials were p-i-n-h-e-a-d; and that spelled 'pinhead,' which was a reflection on my intelligence." "surely no one could blame you for cutting your name short," said ozma, sympathetically. "but didn't you cut it almost too short?" "perhaps so," replied the wizard. "when a young man i ran away from home and joined a circus. i used to call myself a wizard, and do tricks of ventriloquism." "what does that mean?" asked the princess. "throwing my voice into any object i pleased, to make it appear that the object was speaking instead of me. also i began to make balloon ascensions. on my balloon and on all the other articles i used in the circus i painted the two initials: 'o. z.', to show that those things belonged to me. "one day my balloon ran away with me and brought me across the deserts to this beautiful country. when the people saw me come from the sky they naturally thought me some superior creature, and bowed down before me. i told them i was a wizard, and showed them some easy tricks that amazed them; and when they saw the initials painted on the balloon they called me oz." "now i begin to understand," said the princess, smiling. "at that time," continued the wizard, busily eating his soup while talking, "there were four separate countries in this land, each one of the four being ruled by a witch. but the people thought my power was greater than that of the witches; and perhaps the witches thought so too, for they never dared oppose me. i ordered the emerald city to be built just where the four countries cornered together, and when it was completed i announced myself the ruler of the land of oz, which included all the four countries of the munchkins, the gillikins, the winkies and the quadlings. over this land i ruled in peace for many years, until i grew old and longed to see my native city once again. so when dorothy was first blown to this place by a cyclone i arranged to go away with her in a balloon; but the balloon escaped too soon and carried me back alone. after many adventures i reached omaha, only to find that all my old friends were dead or had moved away. so, having nothing else to do, i joined a circus again, and made my balloon ascensions until the earthquake caught me." "that is quite a history," said ozma; "but there is a little more history about the land of oz that you do not seem to understand--perhaps for the reason that no one ever told it you. many years before you came here this land was united under one ruler, as it is now, and the ruler's name was always 'oz', which means in our language 'great and good'; or, if the ruler happened to be a woman, her name was always 'ozma.' but once upon a time four witches leagued together to depose the king and rule the four parts of the kingdom themselves; so when the ruler, my grandfather, was hunting one day, one wicked witch named mombi stole him and carried him away, keeping him a close prisoner. then the witches divided up the kingdom, and ruled the four parts of it until you came here. that was why the people were so glad to see you, and why they thought from your initials that you were their rightful ruler." "but, at that time," said the wizard, thoughtfully, "there were two good witches and two wicked witches ruling in the land." "yes," replied ozma, "because a good witch had conquered mombi in the north and glinda the good had conquered the evil witch in the south. but mombi was still my grandfather's jailor, and afterward my father's jailor. when i was born she transformed me into a boy, hoping that no one would ever recognize me and know that i was the rightful princess of the land of oz. but i escaped from her and am now the ruler of my people." "i am very glad of that," said the wizard, "and hope you will consider me one of your most faithful and devoted subjects." "we owe a great deal to the wonderful wizard," continued the princess, "for it was you who built this splendid emerald city." "your people built it," he answered. "i only bossed the job, as we say in omaha." "but you ruled it wisely and well for many years," said she, "and made the people proud of your magical art. so, as you are now too old to wander abroad and work in a circus, i offer you a home here as long as you live. you shall be the official wizard of my kingdom, and be treated with every respect and consideration." "i accept your kind offer with gratitude, gracious princess," the little man said, in a soft voice, and they could all see that tear-drops were standing in his keen old eyes. it meant a good deal to him to secure a home like this. "he's only a humbug wizard, though," said dorothy, smiling at him. "and that is the safest kind of a wizard to have," replied ozma, promptly. "oz can do some good tricks, humbug or no humbug," announced zeb, who was now feeling more at ease. "he shall amuse us with his tricks tomorrow," said the princess. "i have sent messengers to summon all of dorothy's old friends to meet her and give her welcome, and they ought to arrive very soon, now." indeed, the dinner was no sooner finished than in rushed the scarecrow, to hug dorothy in his padded arms and tell her how glad he was to see her again. the wizard was also most heartily welcomed by the straw man, who was an important personage in the land of oz. "how are your brains?" enquired the little humbug, as he grasped the soft, stuffed hands of his old friend. "working finely," answered the scarecrow. "i'm very certain, oz, that you gave me the best brains in the world, for i can think with them day and night, when all other brains are fast asleep." [illustration: dorothy and ozma.] "how long did you rule the emerald city, after i left here?" was the next question. "quite awhile, until i was conquered by a girl named general jinjur. but ozma soon conquered her, with the help of glinda the good, and after that i went to live with nick chopper, the tin woodman." just then a loud cackling was heard outside; and, when a servant threw open the door with a low bow, a yellow hen strutted in. dorothy sprang forward and caught the fluffy fowl in her arms, uttering at the same time a glad cry. "oh, billina!" she said; "how fat and sleek you've grown." "why shouldn't i?" asked the hen, in a sharp, clear voice. "i live on the fat of the land--don't i, ozma?" "you have everything you wish for," said the princess. around billina's neck was a string of beautiful pearls, and on her legs were bracelets of emeralds. she nestled herself comfortably in dorothy's lap until the kitten gave a snarl of jealous anger and leaped up with a sharp claw fiercely bared to strike billina a blow. but the little girl gave the angry kitten such a severe cuff that it jumped down again without daring to scratch. "how horrid of you, eureka!" cried dorothy. "is that the way to treat my friends?" "you have queer friends, seems to me," replied the kitten, in a surly tone. "seems to me the same way," said billina, scornfully, "if that beastly cat is one of them." "look here!" said dorothy, sternly. "i won't have any quarrelling in the land of oz, i can tell you! everybody lives in peace here, and loves everybody else; and unless you two, billina and eureka, make up and be friends, i'll take my magic belt and wish you both home again, _immejitly_. so, there!" they were both much frightened at the threat, and promised meekly to be good. but it was never noticed that they became very warm friends, for all of that. and now the tin woodman arrived, his body most beautifully nickle-plated, so that it shone splendidly in the brilliant light of the room. the tin woodman loved dorothy most tenderly, and welcomed with joy the return of the little old wizard. "sir," said he to the latter, "i never can thank you enough for the excellent heart you once gave me. it has made me many friends, i assure you, and it beats as kindly and lovingly today as it ever did." "i'm glad to hear that," said the wizard. "i was afraid it would get moldy in that tin body of yours." "not at all," returned nick chopper. "it keeps finely, being preserved in my air-tight chest." zeb was a little shy when first introduced to these queer people; but they were so friendly and sincere that he soon grew to admire them very much, even finding some good qualities in the yellow hen. but he became nervous again when the next visitor was announced. "this," said princess ozma, "is my friend mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t. e., who assisted me one time when i was in great distress, and is now the dean of the royal college of athletic science." "ah," said the wizard; "i'm pleased to meet so distinguished a personage." "h. m.," said the woggle-bug, pompously, "means highly magnified; and t. e. means thoroughly educated. i am, in reality, a very big bug, and doubtless the most intelligent being in all this broad domain." "how well you disguise it," said the wizard. "but i don't doubt your word in the least." "nobody doubts it, sir," replied the woggle-bug, and drawing a book from its pocket the strange insect turned its back on the company and sat down in a corner to read. nobody minded this rudeness, which might have seemed more impolite in one less thoroughly educated; so they straightway forgot him and joined in a merry conversation that kept them well amused until bed-time arrived. [illustration] chapter 16. jim, the cab-horse jim the cab-horse found himself in possession of a large room with a green marble floor and carved marble wainscoting, which was so stately in its appearance that it would have awed anyone else. jim accepted it as a mere detail, and at his command the attendants gave his coat a good rubbing, combed his mane and tail, and washed his hoofs and fetlocks. then they told him dinner would be served directly and he replied that they could not serve it too quickly to suit his convenience. first they brought him a steaming bowl of soup, which the horse eyed in dismay. "take that stuff away!" he commanded. "do you take me for a salamander?" they obeyed at once, and next served a fine large turbot on a silver platter, with drawn gravey poured over it. "fish!" cried jim, with a sniff. "do you take me for a tom-cat? away with it!" the servants were a little discouraged, but soon they brought in a great tray containing two dozen nicely roasted quail on toast. "well, well!" said the horse, now thoroughly provoked. "do you take me for a weasel? how stupid and ignorant you are, in the land of oz, and what dreadful things you feed upon! is there nothing that is decent to eat in this palace?" the trembling servants sent for the royal steward, who came in haste and said: "what would your highness like for dinner?" "highness!" repeated jim, who was unused to such titles. "you are at least six feet high, and that is higher than any other animal in this country," said the steward. "well, my highness would like some oats," declared the horse. "oats? we have no whole oats," the steward replied, with much defference. "but there is any quantity of oatmeal, which we often cook for breakfast. oatmeal is a breakfast dish," added the steward, humbly. "i'll make it a dinner dish," said jim. "fetch it on, but don't cook it, as you value your life." you see, the respect shown the worn-out old cab-horse made him a little arrogant, and he forgot he was a guest, never having been treated otherwise than as a servant since the day he was born, until his arrival in the land of oz. but the royal attendants did not heed the animal's ill temper. they soon mixed a tub of oatmeal with a little water, and jim ate it with much relish. then the servants heaped a lot of rugs upon the floor and the old horse slept on the softest bed he had ever known in his life. in the morning, as soon as it was daylight, he resolved to take a walk and try to find some grass for breakfast; so he ambled calmly through the handsome arch of the doorway, turned the corner of the palace, wherein all seemed asleep, and came face to face with the sawhorse. jim stopped abruptly, being startled and amazed. the sawhorse stopped at the same time and stared at the other with its queer protruding eyes, which were mere knots in the log that formed its body. the legs of the sawhorse were four sticks driven into holes bored in the log; its tail was a small branch that had been left by accident and its mouth a place chopped in one end of the body which projected a little and served as a head. the ends of the wooden legs were shod with plates of solid gold, and the saddle of the princess ozma, which was of red leather set with sparkling diamonds, was strapped to the clumsy body. [illustration: "for goodness sake, what sort of a being are you?"] jim's eyes stuck out as much as those of the sawhorse, and he stared at the creature with his ears erect and his long head drawn back until it rested against his arched neck. in this comical position the two horses circled slowly around each other for a while, each being unable to realize what the singular thing might be which it now beheld for the first time. then jim exclaimed: "for goodness sake, what sort of a being are you?" "i'm a sawhorse," replied the other. "oh; i believe i've heard of you," said the cab-horse; "but you are unlike anything that i expected to see." "i do not doubt it," the sawhorse observed, with a tone of pride. "i am considered quite unusual." "you are, indeed. but a rickety wooden thing like you has no right to be alive." "i couldn't help it," returned the other, rather crestfallen. "ozma sprinkled me with a magic powder, and i just had to live. i know i'm not much account; but i'm the only horse in all the land of oz, so they treat me with great respect." "you, a horse!" "oh, not a real one, of course. there are no real horses here at all. but i'm a splendid imitation of one." jim gave an indignant neigh. "look at me!" he cried. "behold a real horse!" the wooden animal gave a start, and then examined the other intently. "is it possible that you are a real horse?" he murmured. "not only possible, but true," replied jim, who was gratified by the impression he had created. "it is proved by my fine points. for example, look at the long hairs on my tail, with which i can whisk away the flies." "the flies never trouble me," said the saw-horse. "and notice my great strong teeth, with which i nibble the grass." "it is not necessary for me to eat," observed the saw-horse. "also examine my broad chest, which enables me to draw deep, full breaths," said jim, proudly. "i have no need to breathe," returned the other. "no; you miss many pleasures," remarked the cab-horse, pityingly. "you do not know the relief of brushing away a fly that has bitten you, nor the delight of eating delicious food, nor the satisfaction of drawing a long breath of fresh, pure air. you may be an imitation of a horse, but you're a mighty poor one." "oh, i cannot hope ever to be like you," sighed the sawhorse. "but i am glad to meet at last a real horse. you are certainly the most beautiful creature i ever beheld." this praise won jim completely. to be called beautiful was a novelty in his experience. said he: "your chief fault, my friend, is in being made of wood, and that i suppose you cannot help. real horses, like myself, are made of flesh and blood and bones." "i can see the bones all right," replied the sawhorse, "and they are admirable and distinct. also i can see the flesh. but the blood, i suppose, is tucked away inside." "exactly," said jim. "what good is it?" asked the sawhorse. jim did not know, but he would not tell the sawhorse that. "if anything cuts me," he replied, "the blood runs out to show where i am cut. you, poor thing! cannot even bleed when you are hurt." "but i am never hurt," said the sawhorse. "once in a while i get broken up some, but i am easily repaired and put in good order again. and i never feel a break or a splinter in the least." jim was almost tempted to envy the wooden horse for being unable to feel pain; but the creature was so absurdly unnatural that he decided he would not change places with it under any circumstances. "how did you happen to be shod with gold?" he asked. "princess ozma did that," was the reply; "and it saves my legs from wearing out. we've had a good many adventures together, ozma and i, and she likes me." the cab-horse was about to reply when suddenly he gave a start and a neigh of terror and stood trembling like a leaf. for around the corner had come two enormous savage beasts, treading so lightly that they were upon him before he was aware of their presence. jim was in the act of plunging down the path to escape when the sawhorse cried out: "stop, my brother! stop, real horse! these are friends, and will do you no harm." jim hesitated, eyeing the beasts fearfully. one was an enormous lion with clear, intelligent eyes, a tawney mane bushy and well kept, and a body like yellow plush. the other was a great tiger with purple stripes around his lithe body, powerful limbs, and eyes that showed through the half closed lids like coals of fire. the huge forms of these monarchs of the forest and jungle were enough to strike terror to the stoutest heart, and it is no wonder jim was afraid to face them. but the sawhorse introduced the stranger in a calm tone, saying, "this, noble horse, is my friend the cowardly lion, who is the valiant king of the forest, but at the same time a faithful vassal of princess ozma. and this is the hungry tiger, the terror of the jungle, who longs to devour fat babies but is prevented by his conscience from doing so. these royal beasts are both warm friends of little dorothy and have come to the emerald city this morning to welcome her to our fairyland." hearing these words jim resolved to conquer his alarm. he bowed his head with as much dignity as he could muster toward the savage looking beasts, who in return nodded in a friendly way. "is not the real horse a beautiful animal?" asked the sawhorse admiringly. "that is doubtless a matter of taste," returned the lion. "in the forest he would be thought ungainly, because his face is stretched out and his neck is uselessly long. his joints, i notice, are swollen and overgrown, and he lacks flesh and is old in years." "and dreadfully tough," added the hungry tiger, in a sad voice. "my conscience would never permit me to eat so tough a morsel as the real horse." "i'm glad of that," said jim; "for i, also, have a conscience, and it tells me not to crush in your skull with a blow of my powerful hoof." if he thought to frighten the striped beast by such language he was mistaken. the tiger seemed to smile, and winked one eye slowly. "you have a good conscience, friend horse," it said, "and if you attend to its teachings it will do much to protect you from harm. some day i will let you try to crush in my skull, and afterward you will know more about tigers than you do now." "any friend of dorothy," remarked the cowardly lion, "must be our friend, as well. so let us cease this talk of skull crushing and converse upon more pleasant subjects. have you breakfasted, sir horse?" "not yet," replied jim. "but here is plenty of excellent clover, so if you will excuse me i will eat now." "he's a vegetarian," remarked the tiger, as the horse began to munch the clover. "if i could eat grass i would not need a conscience, for nothing could then tempt me to devour babies and lambs." just then dorothy, who had risen early and heard the voices of the animals, ran out to greet her old friends. she hugged both the lion and the tiger with eager delight, but seemed to love the king of beasts a little better than she did his hungry friend, having known him longer. by the time they had indulged in a good talk and dorothy had told them all about the awful earthquake and her recent adventures, the breakfast bell rang from the palace and the little girl went inside to join her human comrades. as she entered the great hall a voice called out, in a rather harsh tone: "what! are _you_ here again?" "yes, i am," she answered, looking all around to see where the voice came from. "what brought you back?" was the next question, and dorothy's eye rested on an antlered head hanging on the wall just over the fireplace, and caught its lips in the act of moving. "good gracious!" she exclaimed. "i thought you were stuffed." "so i am," replied the head. "but once on a time i was part of the gump, which ozma sprinkled with the powder of life. i was then for a time the head of the finest flying machine that was ever known to exist, and we did many wonderful things. afterward the gump was taken apart and i was put back on this wall; but i can still talk when i feel in the mood, which is not often." "it's very strange," said the girl. "what were you when you were first alive?" "that i have forgotten," replied the gump's head, "and i do not think it is of much importance. but here comes ozma; so i'd better hush up, for the princess doesn't like me to chatter since she changed her name from tip to ozma." just then the girlish ruler of oz opened the door and greeted dorothy with a good-morning kiss. the little princess seemed fresh and rosy and in good spirits. "breakfast is served, dear," she said, "and i am hungry. so don't let us keep it waiting a single minute." [illustration] [illustration: jim stood trembling like a leaf.] chapter 17. the nine tiny piglets after breakfast ozma announced that she had ordered a holiday to be observed throughout the emerald city, in honor of her visitors. the people had learned that their old wizard had returned to them and all were anxious to see him again, for he had always been a rare favorite. so first there was to be a grand procession through the streets, after which the little old man was requested to perform some of his wizardries in the great throne room of the palace. in the afternoon there were to be games and races. the procession was very imposing. first came the imperial cornet band of oz, dressed in emerald velvet uniforms with slashes of pea-green satin and buttons of immense cut emeralds. they played the national air called "the oz spangled banner," and behind them were the standard bearers with the royal flag. this flag was divided into four quarters, one being colored sky-blue, another pink, a third lavender and a fourth white. in the center was a large emerald-green star, and all over the four quarters were sewn spangles that glittered beautifully in the sunshine. the colors represented the four countries of oz, and the green star the emerald city. just behind the royal standard-bearers came the princess ozma in her royal chariot, which was of gold encrusted with emeralds and diamonds set in exquisite designs. the chariot was drawn on this occasion by the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, who were decorated with immense pink and blue bows. in the chariot rode ozma and dorothy, the former in splendid raiment and wearing her royal coronet, while the little kansas girl wore around her waist the magic belt she had once captured from the nome king. following the chariot came the scarecrow mounted on the sawhorse, and the people cheered him almost as loudly as they did their lovely ruler. behind him stalked with regular, jerky steps, the famous machine-man called tik-tok, who had been wound up by dorothy for the occasion. tik-tok moved by clockwork, and was made all of burnished copper. he really belonged to the kansas girl, who had much respect for his thoughts after they had been properly wound and set going; but as the copper man would be useless in any place but a fairy country dorothy had left him in charge of ozma, who saw that he was suitably cared for. there followed another band after this, which was called the royal court band, because the members all lived in the palace. they wore white uniforms with real diamond buttons and played "what is oz without ozma" very sweetly. then came professor woggle-bug, with a group of students from the royal college of scientific athletics. the boys wore long hair and striped sweaters and yelled their college yell every other step they took, to the great satisfaction of the populace, which was glad to have this evidence that their lungs were in good condition. the brilliantly polished tin woodman marched next, at the head of the royal army of oz which consisted of twenty-eight officers, from generals down to captains. there were no privates in the army because all were so courageous and skillful that they had been promoted one by one until there were no privates left. jim and the buggy followed, the old cab-horse being driven by zeb while the wizard stood up on the seat and bowed his bald head right and left in answer to the cheers of the people, who crowded thick about him. taken altogether the procession was a grand success, and when it had returned to the palace the citizens crowded into the great throne room to see the wizard perform his tricks. the first thing the little humbug did was to produce a tiny white piglet from underneath his hat and pretend to pull it apart, making two. this act he repeated until all of the nine tiny piglets were visible, and they were so glad to get out of his pocket that they ran around in a very lively manner. the pretty little creatures would have been a novelty anywhere, so the people were as amazed and delighted at their appearance as even the wizard could have desired. when he had made them all disappear again ozma declared she was sorry they were gone, for she wanted one of them to pet and play with. so the wizard pretended to take one of the piglets out of the hair of the princess (while really he slyly took it from his inside pocket) and ozma smiled joyously as the creature nestled in her arms, and she promised to have an emerald collar made for its fat neck and to keep the little squealer always at hand to amuse her. afterward it was noticed that the wizard always performed his famous trick with eight piglets, but it seemed to please the people just as well as if there had been nine of them. in his little room back of the throne room the wizard had found a lot of things he had left behind him when he went away in the balloon, for no one had occupied the apartment in his absence. there was enough material there to enable him to prepare several new tricks which he had learned from some of the jugglers in the circus, and he had passed part of the night in getting them ready. so he followed the trick of the nine tiny piglets with several other wonderful feats that greatly delighted his audience and the people did not seem to care a bit whether the little man was a humbug wizard or not, so long as he succeeded in amusing them. they applauded all his tricks and at the end of the performance begged him earnestly not to go away again and leave them. "in that case," said the little man, gravely, "i will cancel all of my engagements before the crowned heads of europe and america and devote myself to the people of oz, for i love you all so well that i can deny you nothing." after the people had been dismissed with this promise our friends joined princess ozma at an elaborate luncheon in the palace, where even the tiger and the lion were sumptuously fed and jim the cab-horse ate his oatmeal out of a golden bowl with seven rows of rubies, sapphires and diamonds set around the rim of it. in the afternoon they all went to a great field outside the city gates where the games were to be held. there was a beautiful canopy for ozma and her guests to sit under and watch the people run races and jump and wrestle. you may be sure the folks of oz did their best with such a distinguished company watching them, and finally zeb offered to wrestle with a little munchkin who seemed to be the champion. in appearance he was twice as old as zeb, for he had long pointed whiskers and wore a peaked hat with little bells all around the brim of it, which tinkled gaily as he moved. but although the munchkin was hardly tall enough to come to zeb's shoulder he was so strong and clever that he laid the boy three times on his back with apparent ease. zeb was greatly astonished at his defeat, and when the pretty princess joined her people in laughing at him he proposed a boxing-match with the munchkin, to which the little ozite readily agreed. but the first time that zeb managed to give him a sharp box on the ears the munchkin sat down upon the ground and cried until the tears ran down his whiskers, because he had been hurt. this made zeb laugh, in turn, and the boy felt comforted to find that ozma laughed as merrily at her weeping subject as she had at him. just then the scarecrow proposed a race between the sawhorse and the cab-horse; and although all the others were delighted at the suggestion the sawhorse drew back, saying: "such a race would not be fair." "of course not," added jim, with a touch of scorn; "those little wooden legs of yours are not half as long as my own." "it isn't that," said the sawhorse, modestly; "but i never tire, and you do." "bah!" cried jim, looking with great disdain at the other; "do you imagine for an instant that such a shabby imitation of a horse as you are can run as fast as i?" "i don't know, i'm sure," replied the sawhorse. "that is what we are trying to find out," remarked the scarecrow. "the object of a race is to see who can win it--or at least that is what my excellent brains think." "once, when i was young," said jim, "i was a race horse, and defeated all who dared run against me. i was born in kentucky, you know, where all the best and most aristocratic horses come from." "but you're old, now, jim," suggested zeb. "old! why, i feel like a colt today," replied jim. "i only wish there was a real horse here for me to race with. i'd show the people a fine sight, i can tell you." "then why not race with the sawhorse?" enquired the scarecrow. "he's afraid," said jim. "oh, no," answered the sawhorse. "i merely said it wasn't fair. but if my friend the real horse is willing to undertake the race i am quite ready." so they unharnessed jim and took the saddle off the sawhorse, and the two queerly matched animals were stood side by side for the start. "when i say 'go!'" zeb called to them, "you must dig out and race until you reach those three trees you see over yonder. then circle 'round them and come back again. the first one that passes the place where the princess sits shall be named the winner. are you ready?" "i suppose i ought to give the wooden dummy a good start of me," growled jim. "never mind that," said the sawhorse. "i'll do the best i can." "go!" cried zeb; and at the word the two horses leaped forward and the race was begun. [illustration: the wizard took a piglet from ozma's hair.] jim's big hoofs pounded away at a great rate, and although he did not look very graceful he ran in a way to do credit to his kentucky breeding. but the sawhorse was swifter than the wind. its wooden legs moved so fast that their twinkling could scarcely be seen, and although so much smaller than the cab-horse it covered the ground much faster. before they had reached the trees the sawhorse was far ahead, and the wooden animal returned to the starting place and was being lustily cheered by the ozites before jim came panting up to the canopy where the princess and her friends were seated. [illustration: the hungry tiger teaches jim a lesson.] i am sorry to record the fact that jim was not only ashamed of his defeat but for a moment lost control of his temper. as he looked at the comical face of the sawhorse he imagined that the creature was laughing at him; so in a fit of unreasonable anger he turned around and made a vicious kick that sent his rival tumbling head over heels upon the ground, and broke off one of its legs and its left ear. an instant later the tiger crouched and launched its huge body through the air swift and resistless as a ball from a cannon. the beast struck jim full on his shoulder and sent the astonished cab-horse rolling over and over, amid shouts of delight from the spectators, who had been horrified by the ungracious act he had been guilty of. when jim came to himself and sat upon his haunches he found the cowardly lion crouched on one side of him and the hungry tiger on the other, and their eyes were glowing like balls of fire. "i beg your pardon, i'm sure," said jim, meekly. "i was wrong to kick the sawhorse, and i am sorry i became angry at him. he has won the race, and won it fairly; but what can a horse of flesh do against a tireless beast of wood?" hearing this apology the tiger and the lion stopped lashing their tails and retreated with dignified steps to the side of the princess. "no one must injure one of our friends in our presence," growled the lion; and zeb ran to jim and whispered that unless he controlled his temper in the future he would probably be torn to pieces. then the tin woodman cut a straight and strong limb from a tree with his gleaming axe and made a new leg and a new ear for the sawhorse; and when they had been securely fastened in place princess ozma took the coronet from her own head and placed it upon that of the winner of the race. said she: "my friend, i reward you for your swiftness by proclaiming you prince of horses, whether of wood or of flesh; and hereafter all other horses--in the land of oz, at least--must be considered imitations, and you the real champion of your race." there was more applause at this, and then ozma had the jewelled saddle replaced upon the sawhorse and herself rode the victor back to the city at the head of the grand procession. "i ought to be a fairy," grumbled jim, as he slowly drew the buggy home; "for to be just an ordinary horse in a fairy country is to be of no account whatever. it's no place for us, zeb." "it's lucky we got here, though," said the boy; and jim thought of the dark cave, and agreed with him. [illustration] chapter 18. the trial of eureka the kitten several days of festivity and merry-making followed, for such old friends did not often meet and there was much to be told and talked over between them, and many amusements to be enjoyed in this delightful country. ozma was happy to have dorothy beside her, for girls of her own age with whom it was proper for the princess to associate were very few, and often the youthful ruler of oz was lonely for lack of companionship. it was the third morning after dorothy's arrival, and she was sitting with ozma and their friends in a reception room, talking over old times, when the princess said to her maid: "please go to my boudoir, jellia, and get the white piglet i left on the dressing-table. i want to play with it." jellia at once departed on the errand, and she was gone so long that they had almost forgotten her mission when the green robed maiden returned with a troubled face. "the piglet is not there, your highness," said she. "not there!" exclaimed ozma. "are you sure?" "i have hunted in every part of the room," the maid replied. "was not the door closed?" asked the princess. "yes, your highness; i am sure it was; for when i opened it dorothy's white kitten crept out and ran up the stairs." hearing this, dorothy and the wizard exchanged startled glances, for they remembered how often eureka had longed to eat a piglet. the little girl jumped up at once. "come, ozma," she said, anxiously; "let us go ourselves to search for the piglet." so the two went to the dressing-room of the princess and searched carefully in every corner and among the vases and baskets and ornaments that stood about the pretty boudoir. but not a trace could they find of the tiny creature they sought. dorothy was nearly weeping, by this time, while ozma was angry and indignant. when they returned to the others the princess said: "there is little doubt that my pretty piglet has been eaten by that horrid kitten, and if that is true the offender must be punished." "i don't b'lieve eureka would do such a dreadful thing!" cried dorothy, much distressed. "go and get my kitten, please, jellia, and we'll hear what she has to say about it." the green maiden hastened away, but presently returned and said: "the kitten will not come. she threatened to scratch my eyes out if i touched her." "where is she?" asked dorothy. "under the bed in your own room," was the reply. so dorothy ran to her room and found the kitten under the bed. "come here, eureka!" she said. "i won't," answered the kitten, in a surly voice. "oh, eureka! why are you so bad?" the kitten did not reply. "if you don't come to me, right away," continued dorothy, getting provoked, "i'll take my magic belt and wish you in the country of the gurgles." "why do you want me?" asked eureka, disturbed by this threat. "you must go to princess ozma. she wants to talk to you." "all right," returned the kitten, creeping out. "i'm not afraid of ozma--or anyone else." dorothy carried her in her arms back to where the others sat in grieved and thoughtful silence. "tell me, eureka," said the princess, gently: "did you eat my pretty piglet?" "i won't answer such a foolish question," asserted eureka, with a snarl. "oh, yes you will, dear," dorothy declared. "the piglet is gone, and you ran out of the room when jellia opened the door. so, if you are innocent, eureka, you must tell the princess how you came to be in her room, and what has become of the piglet." "who accuses me?" asked the kitten, defiantly. "no one," answered ozma. "your actions alone accuse you. the fact is that i left my little pet in my dressing-room lying asleep upon the table; and you must hove stolen in without my knowing it. when next the door was opened you ran out and hid yourself--and the piglet was gone." "that's none of my business," growled the kitten. "don't be impudent, eureka," admonished dorothy. "it is you who are impudent," said eureka, "for accusing me of such a crime when you can't prove it except by guessing." ozma was now greatly incensed by the kitten's conduct. she summoned her captain-general, and when the long, lean officer appeared she said: "carry this cat away to prison, and keep her in safe confinement until she is tried by law for the crime of murder." so the captain-general took eureka from the arms of the now weeping dorothy and in spite of the kitten's snarls and scratches carried it away to prison. "what shall we do now?" asked the scarecrow, with a sigh, for such a crime had cast a gloom over all the company. "i will summon the court to meet in the throne room at three o'clock," replied ozma. "i myself will be the judge, and the kitten shall have a fair trial." "what will happen if she is guilty?" asked dorothy. "she must die," answered the princess. "nine times?" enquired the scarecrow. "as many times as is necessary," was the reply. "i will ask the tin woodman to defend the prisoner, because he has such a kind heart i am sure he will do his best to save her. and the woggle-bug shall be the public accuser, because he is so learned that no one can deceive him." "who will be the jury?" asked the tin woodman. [illustration: portrait of the wizard of oz.] "there ought to be several animals on the jury," said ozma, "because animals understand each other better than we people understand them. so the jury shall consist of the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger, jim the cab-horse, the yellow hen, the scarecrow, the wizard, tik-tok the machine man, the sawhorse and zeb of hugson's ranch. that makes the nine which the law requires, and all my people shall be admitted to hear the testimony." they now separated to prepare for the sad ceremony; for whenever an appeal is made to law sorrow is almost certain to follow--even in a fairyland like oz. but it must be stated that the people of that land were generally so well-behaved that there was not a single lawyer amongst them, and it had been years since any ruler had sat in judgment upon an offender of the law. the crime of murder being the most dreadful crime of all, tremendous excitement prevailed in the emerald city when the news of eureka's arrest and trial became known. the wizard, when he returned to his own room, was exceedingly thoughtful. he had no doubt eureka had eaten his piglet, but he realized that a kitten cannot be depended upon at all times to act properly, since its nature is to destroy small animals and even birds for food, and the tame cat that we keep in our houses today is descended from the wild cat of the jungle--a very ferocious creature, indeed. the wizard knew that if dorothy's pet was found guilty and condemned to death the little girl would be made very unhappy; so, although he grieved over the piglet's sad fate as much as any of them, he resolved to save eureka's life. sending for the tin woodman the wizard took him into a corner and whispered: "my friend, it is your duty to defend the white kitten and try to save her, but i fear you will fail because eureka has long wished to eat a piglet, to my certain knowledge, and my opinion is that she has been unable to resist the temptation. yet her disgrace and death would not bring back the piglet, but only serve to make dorothy unhappy. so i intend to prove the kitten's innocence by a trick." he drew from his inside pocket one of the eight tiny piglets that were remaining and continued: "this creature you must hide in some safe place, and if the jury decides that eureka is guilty you may then produce this piglet and claim it is the one that was lost. all the piglets are exactly alike, so no one can dispute your word. this deception will save eureka's life, and then we may all be happy again." "i do not like to deceive my friends," replied the tin woodman; "still, my kind heart urges me to save eureka's life, and i can usually trust my heart to do the right thing. so i will do as you say, friend wizard." after some thought he placed the little pig inside his funnel-shaped hat, and then put the hat upon his head and went back to his room to think over his speech to the jury. chapter 19. the wizard performs another trick at three o'clock the throne room was crowded with citizens, men, women and children being eager to witness the great trial. princess ozma, dressed in her most splendid robes of state, sat in the magnificent emerald throne, with her jewelled sceptre in her hand and her sparkling coronet upon her fair brow. behind her throne stood the twenty-eight officers of her army and many officials of the royal household. at her right sat the queerly assorted jury--animals, animated dummies and people--all gravely prepared to listen to what was said. the kitten had been placed in a large cage just before the throne, where she sat upon her haunches and gazed through the bars at the crowds around her, with seeming unconcern. and now, at a signal from ozma, the woggle-bug arose and addressed the jury. his tone was pompous and he strutted up and down in an absurd attempt to appear dignified. "your royal highness and fellow citizens," he began; "the small cat you see a prisoner before you is accused of the crime of first murdering and then eating our esteemed ruler's fat piglet--or else first eating and then murdering it. in either case a grave crime has been committed which deserves a grave punishment." "do you mean my kitten must be put in a grave?" asked dorothy. "don't interrupt, little girl," said the woggle-bug. "when i get my thoughts arranged in good order i do not like to have anything upset them or throw them into confusion." "if your thoughts were any good they wouldn't become confused," remarked the scarecrow, earnestly. "my thoughts are always----" "is this a trial of thoughts, or of kittens?" demanded the woggle-bug. "it's a trial of one kitten," replied the scarecrow; "but your manner is a trial to us all." "let the public accuser continue," called ozma from her throne, "and i pray you do not interrupt him." "the criminal who now sits before the court licking her paws," resumed the woggle-bug, "has long desired to unlawfully eat the fat piglet, which was no bigger than a mouse. and finally she made a wicked plan to satisfy her depraved appetite for pork. i can see her, in my mind's eye----" "what's that?" asked the scarecrow. "i say i can see her in my mind's eye----" "the mind has no eye," declared the scarecrow. "it's blind." "your highness," cried the woggle-bug, appealing to ozma, "have i a mind's eye, or haven't i?" "if you have, it is invisible," said the princess. "very true," returned the woggle-bug, bowing. "i say i see the criminal, in my mind's eye, creeping stealthily into the room of our ozma and secreting herself, when no one was looking, until the princess had gone away and the door was closed. then the murderer was alone with her helpless victim, the fat piglet, and i see her pounce upon the innocent creature and eat it up----" "are you still seeing with your mind's eye?" enquired the scarecrow. "of course; how else could i see it? and we know the thing is true, because since the time of that interview there is no piglet to be found anywhere." [illustration: eureka in court.] "i suppose, if the cat had been gone, instead of the piglet, your mind's eye would see the piglet eating the cat," suggested the scarecrow. "very likely," acknowledged the woggle-bug. "and now, fellow citizens and creatures of the jury, i assert that so awful a crime deserves death, and in the case of the ferocious criminal before you--who is now washing her face--the death penalty should be inflicted nine times." there was great applause when the speaker sat down. then the princess spoke in a stern voice: "prisoner, what have you to say for yourself? are you guilty, or not guilty?" "why, that's for you to find out," replied eureka. "if you can prove i'm guilty, i'll be willing to die nine times, but a mind's eye is no proof, because the woggle-bug has no mind to see with." "never mind, dear," said dorothy. then the tin woodman arose and said: "respected jury and dearly beloved ozma, i pray you not to judge this feline prisoner unfeelingly. i do not think the innocent kitten can be guilty, and surely it is unkind to accuse a luncheon of being a murder. eureka is the sweet pet of a lovely little girl whom we all admire, and gentleness and innocence are her chief virtues. look at the kitten's intelligent eyes;" (here eureka closed her eyes sleepily) "gaze at her smiling countenance!" (here eureka snarled and showed her teeth) "mark the tender pose of her soft, padded little hands!" (here eureka bared her sharp claws and scratched at the bars of the cage.) "would such a gentle animal be guilty of eating a fellow creature? no; a thousand times, no!" "oh, cut it short," said eureka; "you've talked long enough." "i'm trying to defend you," remonstrated the tin woodman. "then say something sensible," retorted the kitten. "tell them it would be foolish for me to eat the piglet, because i had sense enough to know it would raise a row if i did. but don't try to make out i'm too innocent to eat a fat piglet if i could do it and not be found out. i imagine it would taste mighty good." "perhaps it would, to those who eat," remarked the tin woodman. "i myself, not being built to eat, have no personal experience in such matters. but i remember that our great poet once said: "'to eat is sweet when hunger's seat demands a treat of savory meat.' "take this into consideration, friends of the jury, and you will readily decide that the kitten is wrongfully accused and should be set at liberty." when the tin woodman sat down no one applauded him, for his arguments had not been very convincing and few believed that he had proved eureka's innocence. as for the jury, the members whispered to each other for a few minutes and then they appointed the hungry tiger their spokesman. the huge beast slowly arose and said: "kittens have no consciences, so they eat whatever pleases them. the jury believes the white kitten known as eureka is guilty of having eaten the piglet owned by princess ozma, and recommends that she be put to death in punishment of the crime." the judgment of the jury was received with great applause, although dorothy was sobbing miserably at the fate of her pet. the princess was just about to order eureka's head chopped off with the tin woodman's axe when that brilliant personage once more arose and addressed her. "your highness," said he, "see how easy it is for a jury to be mistaken. the kitten could not have eaten your piglet--for here it is!" he took off his funnel hat and from beneath it produced a tiny white piglet, which he held aloft that all might see it clearly. ozma was delighted and exclaimed, eagerly: "give me my pet, nick chopper!" and all the people cheered and clapped their hands, rejoicing that the prisoner had escaped death and been proved to be innocent. as the princess held the white piglet in her arms and stroked its soft hair she said: "let eureka out of the cage, for she is no longer a prisoner, but our good friend. where did you find my missing pet, nick chopper?" "in a room of the palace," he answered. "justice," remarked the scarecrow, with a sigh, "is a dangerous thing to meddle with. if you hadn't happened to find the piglet, eureka would surely have been executed." "but justice prevailed at the last," said ozma, "for here is my pet, and eureka is once more free." "i refuse to be free," cried the kitten, in a sharp voice, "unless the wizard can do his trick with eight piglets. if he can produce but seven, then this it not the piglet that was lost, but another one." "hush, eureka!" warned the wizard. "don't be foolish," advised the tin woodman, "or you may be sorry for it." "the piglet that belonged to the princess wore an emerald collar," said eureka, loudly enough for all to hear. "so it did!" exclaimed ozma. "this cannot be the one the wizard gave me." "of course not; he had nine of them, altogether," declared eureka; "and i must say it was very stingy of him not to let me eat just a few. but now that this foolish trial is ended, i will tell you what really became of your pet piglet." at this everyone in the throne room suddenly became quiet, and the kitten continued, in a calm, mocking tone of voice: "i will confess that i intended to eat the little pig for my breakfast; so i crept into the room where it was kept while the princess was dressing and hid myself under a chair. when ozma went away she closed the door and left her pet on the table. at once i jumped up and told the piglet not to make a fuss, for he would be inside of me in half a second; but no one can teach one of these creatures to be reasonable. instead of keeping still, so i could eat him comfortably, he trembled so with fear that he fell off the table into a big vase that was standing on the floor. the vase had a very small neck, and spread out at the top like a bowl. at first the piglet stuck in the neck of the vase and i thought i should get him, after all, but he wriggled himself through and fell down into the deep bottom part--and i suppose he's there yet." all were astonished at this confession, and ozma at once sent an officer to her room to fetch the vase. when he returned the princess looked down the narrow neck of the big ornament and discovered her lost piglet, just as eureka had said she would. there was no way to get the creature out without breaking the vase, so the tin woodman smashed it with his axe and set the little prisoner free. then the crowd cheered lustily and dorothy hugged the kitten in her arms and told her how delighted she was to know that she was innocent. "but why didn't you tell us at first?" she asked. "it would have spoiled the fun," replied the kitten, yawning. ozma gave the wizard back the piglet he had so kindly allowed nick chopper to substitute for the lost one, and then she carried her own into the apartments of the palace where she lived. and now, the trial being over, the good citizens of the emerald city scattered to their homes, well content with the day's amusement. chapter 20. zeb returns to the ranch eureka was much surprised to find herself in disgrace; but she was, in spite of the fact that she had not eaten the piglet. for the folks of oz knew the kitten had tried to commit the crime, and that only an accident had prevented her from doing so; therefore even the hungry tiger preferred not to associate with her. eureka was forbidden to wander around the palace and was made to stay in confinement in dorothy's room; so she began to beg her mistress to send her to some other place where she could enjoy herself better. dorothy was herself anxious to get home, so she promised eureka they would not stay in the land of oz much longer. the next evening after the trial the little girl begged ozma to allow her to look in the enchanted picture, and the princess readily consented. she took the child to her room and said: "make your wish, dear, and the picture will show the scene you desire to behold." then dorothy found, with the aid of the enchanted picture, that uncle henry had returned to the farm in kansas, and she also saw that both he and aunt em were dressed in mourning, because they thought their little niece had been killed by the earthquake. "really," said the girl, anxiously, "i must get back as soon as poss'ble to my own folks." zeb also wanted to see his home, and although he did not find anyone mourning for him, the sight of hugson's ranch in the picture made him long to get back there. "this is a fine country, and i like all the people that live in it," he told dorothy. "but the fact is, jim and i don't seem to fit into a fairyland, and the old horse has been begging me to go home again ever since he lost the race. so, if you can find a way to fix it, we'll be much obliged to you." "ozma can do it, easily," replied dorothy. "tomorrow morning i'll go to kansas and you can go to californy." [illustration: "i'm much obliged for all your kindness."] that last evening was so delightful that the boy will never forget it as long as he lives. they were all together (except eureka) in the pretty rooms of the princess, and the wizard did some new tricks, and the scarecrow told stories, and the tin woodman sang a love song in a sonorous, metallic voice, and everybody laughed and had a good time. then dorothy wound up tik-tok and he danced a jig to amuse the company, after which the yellow hen related some of her adventures with the nome king in the land of ev. the princess served delicious refreshments to those who were in the habit of eating, and when dorothy's bed time arrived the company separated after exchanging many friendly sentiments. next morning they all assembled for the final parting, and many of the officials and courtiers came to look upon the impressive ceremonies. dorothy held eureka in her arms and bade her friends a fond good-bye. "you must come again, some time," said the little wizard; and she promised she would if she found it possible to do so. "but uncle henry and aunt em need me to help them," she added, "so i can't ever be very long away from the farm in kansas." ozma wore the magic belt; and, when she had kissed dorothy farewell and had made her wish, the little girl and her kitten disappeared in a twinkling. "where is she?" asked zeb, rather bewildered by the suddenness of it. "greeting her uncle and aunt in kansas, by this time," returned ozma, with a smile. then zeb brought out jim, all harnessed to the buggy, and took his seat. "i'm much obliged for all your kindness," said the boy, "and very grateful to you for saving my life and sending me home again after all the good times i've had. i think this is the loveliest country in the world; but not being fairies jim and i feel we ought to be where we belong--and that's at the ranch. good-bye, everybody!" he gave a start and rubbed his eyes. jim was trotting along the well-known road, shaking his ears and whisking his tail with a contented motion. just ahead of them were the gates of hugson's ranch, and uncle hugson now came out and stood with uplifted arms and wide open mouth, staring in amazement. "goodness gracious! it's zeb--and jim, too!" he exclaimed. "where in the world have you been, my lad?" "why, in the world, uncle," answered zeb, with a laugh. the end [illustration] beowulf an anglo-saxon epic poem _translated from the heyne-socin text_ by jno: lesslie hall, ph. d. (j.h.u.) professor of english and history in the college of william and mary d.c. heath & co., publishers boston new york chicago entered according to act of congress, in the year 1892, by jno: lesslie hall, in the office of the librarian of congress, at washington. to my wife [v] contents. page preface vii bibliography of translations xi glossary of proper names xiii list of words and phrases not in general use xviii the life and death of scyld (i.) 1 scyld's successors } (ii.) 3 hrothgar's great mead-hall grendel, the murderer (iii.) 5 beowulf goes to hrothgar's assistance (iv.) 8 the geats reach heorot (v.) 10 beowulf introduces himself at the palace (vi.) 12 hrothgar and beowulf (vii.) 14 hrothgar and beowulf (continued) (viii.) 17 unferth taunts beowulf (ix.) 19 beowulf silences unferth } (x.) 21 glee is high all sleep save one (xi.) 24 grendel and beowulf (xii.) 26 grendel is vanquished (xiii.) 28 rejoicing of the danes (xiv.) 30 hrothgar's gratitude (xv.) 33 hrothgar lavishes gifts upon his deliverer (xvi.) 35 banquet (continued) } (xvii.) 37 the scop's song of finn and hnæf the finn episode (continued) } (xviii.) 39 the banquet continues beowulf receives further honor (xix.) 41 the mother of grendel (xx.) 44 hrothgar's account of the monsters (xxi.) 46 beowulf seeks grendel's mother (xxii.) 48 beowulf's fight with grendel's mother (xxiii.) 51 beowulf is double-conqueror (xxiv.) 53 [vi] beowulf brings his trophies } (xxv.) 57 hrothgar's gratitude hrothgar moralizes } (xxvi.) 60 rest after labor sorrow at parting (xxvii.) 62 the homeward journey } (xxviii.) 64 the two queens beowulf and higelac (xxix.) 67 beowulf narrates his adventures to higelac (xxx.) 69 gift-giving is mutual (xxxi.) 73 the hoard and the dragon (xxxii.) 75 brave though aged } (xxxiii.) 78 reminiscences beowulf seeks the dragon } (xxxiv.) 81 beowulf's reminiscences reminiscences (continued) } (xxxv.) 83 beowulf's last battle wiglaf the trusty } (xxxvi.) 88 beowulf is deserted by friends and by sword the fatal struggle } (xxxvii.) 91 beowulf's last moments wiglaf plunders the dragon's den } (xxxviii.) 93 beowulf's death the dead foes } (xxxix.) 95 wiglaf's bitter taunts the messenger of death (xl.) 97 the messenger's retrospect (xli.) 99 wiglaf's sad story } (xlii.) 103 the hoard carried off the burning of beowulf (xliii.) 106 addenda 109 [vii] preface. the present work is a modest effort to reproduce approximately, in modern measures, the venerable epic, beowulf. _approximately_, i repeat; for a very close reproduction of anglo-saxon verse would, to a large extent, be prose to a modern ear. the heyne-socin text and glossary have been closely followed. occasionally a deviation has been made, but always for what seemed good and sufficient reason. the translator does not aim to be an editor. once in a while, however, he has added a conjecture of his own to the emendations quoted from the criticisms of other students of the poem. this work is addressed to two classes of readers. from both of these alike the translator begs sympathy and co-operation. the anglo-saxon scholar he hopes to please by adhering faithfully to the original. the student of english literature he aims to interest by giving him, in modern garb, the most ancient epic of our race. this is a bold and venturesome undertaking; and yet there must be some students of the teutonic past willing to follow even a daring guide, if they may read in modern phrases of the sorrows of hrothgar, of the prowess of beowulf, and of the feelings that stirred the hearts of our forefathers in their primeval homes. in order to please the larger class of readers, a regular cadence has been used, a measure which, while retaining the essential characteristics of the original, permits the reader to see ahead of him in reading. perhaps every anglo-saxon scholar has his own theory as to how beowulf should be translated. some have given us prose versions of what we believe to be a great poem. is it any reflection on our honored kemble and arnold to say that their translations fail to show a layman that beowulf is justly called our first _epic_? of those translators who have used verse, several have written from what would seem a mistaken point of view. is it proper, for instance, that the grave and solemn speeches of beowulf and hrothgar be put in ballad measures, tripping lightly and airily along? or, again, is it fitting that the rough martial music of anglo-saxon verse be interpreted to us in the smooth measures of modern blank verse? do we hear what has been beautifully called "the clanging tread of a warrior in mail"? [viii] of all english translations of beowulf, that of professor garnett alone gives any adequate idea of the chief characteristics of this great teutonic epic. the measure used in the present translation is believed to be as near a reproduction of the original as modern english affords. the cadences closely resemble those used by browning in some of his most striking poems. the four stresses of the anglo-saxon verse are retained, and as much thesis and anacrusis is allowed as is consistent with a regular cadence. alliteration has been used to a large extent; but it was thought that modern ears would hardly tolerate it on every line. end-rhyme has been used occasionally; internal rhyme, sporadically. both have some warrant in anglo-saxon poetry. (for end-rhyme, see 1_53, 1_54; for internal rhyme, 2_21, 6_40.) what gummere[1] calls the "rime-giver" has been studiously kept; _viz._, the first accented syllable in the second half-verse always carries the alliteration; and the last accented syllable alliterates only sporadically. alternate alliteration is occasionally used as in the original. (see 7_61, 8_5.) no two accented syllables have been brought together, except occasionally after a cæsural pause. (see 2_19 and 12_1.) or, scientifically speaking, sievers's c type has been avoided as not consonant with the plan of translation. several of his types, however, constantly occur; _e.g._ a and a variant (/ x | / x) (/ x x | / x); b and a variant (x / | x / ) (x x / | x / ); a variant of d (/ x | / x x); e (/ x x | / ). anacrusis gives further variety to the types used in the translation. the parallelisms of the original have been faithfully preserved. (_e.g._, 1_16 and 1_17: "lord" and "wielder of glory"; 1_30, 1_31, 1_32; 2_12 and 2_13; 2_27 and 2_28; 3_5 and 3_6.) occasionally, some loss has been sustained; but, on the other hand, a gain has here and there been made. the effort has been made to give a decided flavor of archaism to the translation. all words not in keeping with the spirit of the poem have been avoided. again, though many archaic words have been used, there are none, it is believed, which are not found in standard modern poetry. [ix] with these preliminary remarks, it will not be amiss to give an outline of the story of the poem. _the story._ _hrothgar, king of the danes, or scyldings, builds a great mead-hall, or palace, in which he hopes to feast his liegemen and to give them presents. the joy of king and retainers is, however, of short duration. grendel, the monster, is seized with hateful jealousy. he cannot brook the sounds of joyance that reach him down in his fen-dwelling near the hall. oft and anon he goes to the joyous building, bent on direful mischief. thane after thane is ruthlessly carried off and devoured, while no one is found strong enough and bold enough to cope with the monster. for twelve years he persecutes hrothgar and his vassals._ _over sea, a day's voyage off, beowulf, of the geats, nephew of higelac, king of the geats, hears of grendel's doings and of hrothgar's misery. he resolves to crush the fell monster and relieve the aged king. with fourteen chosen companions, he sets sail for dane-land. reaching that country, he soon persuades hrothgar of his ability to help him. the hours that elapse before night are spent in beer-drinking and conversation. when hrothgar's bedtime comes he leaves the hall in charge of beowulf, telling him that never before has he given to another the absolute wardship of his palace. all retire to rest, beowulf, as it were, sleeping upon his arms._ _grendel comes, the great march-stepper, bearing god's anger. he seizes and kills one of the sleeping warriors. then he advances towards beowulf. a fierce and desperate hand-to-hand struggle ensues. no arms are used, both combatants trusting to strength and hand-grip. beowulf tears grendel's shoulder from its socket, and the monster retreats to his den, howling and yelling with agony and fury. the wound is fatal._ _the next morning, at early dawn, warriors in numbers flock to the hall heorot, to hear the news. joy is boundless. glee runs high. hrothgar and his retainers are lavish of gratitude and of gifts._ _grendel's mother, however, comes the next night to avenge his death. she is furious and raging. while beowulf is sleeping in a room somewhat apart [x] from the quarters of the other warriors, she seizes one of hrothgar's favorite counsellors, and carries him off and devours him. beowulf is called. determined to leave heorot entirely purified, he arms himself, and goes down to look for the female monster. after traveling through the waters many hours, he meets her near the sea-bottom. she drags him to her den. there he sees grendel lying dead. after a desperate and almost fatal struggle with the woman, he slays her, and swims upward in triumph, taking with him grendel's head._ _joy is renewed at heorot. congratulations crowd upon the victor. hrothgar literally pours treasures into the lap of beowulf; and it is agreed among the vassals of the king that beowulf will be their next liegelord._ _beowulf leaves dane-land. hrothgar weeps and laments at his departure._ _when the hero arrives in his own land, higelac treats him as a distinguished guest. he is the hero of the hour._ _beowulf subsequently becomes king of his own people, the geats. after he has been ruling for fifty years, his own neighborhood is wofully harried by a fire-spewing dragon. beowulf determines to kill him. in the ensuing struggle both beowulf and the dragon are slain. the grief of the geats is inexpressible. they determine, however, to leave nothing undone to honor the memory of their lord. a great funeral-pyre is built, and his body is burnt. then a memorial-barrow is made, visible from a great distance, that sailors afar may be constantly reminded of the prowess of the national hero of geatland._ _the poem closes with a glowing tribute to his bravery, his gentleness, his goodness of heart, and his generosity._ * * * * * it is the devout desire of this translator to hasten the day when the story of beowulf shall be as familiar to english-speaking peoples as that of the iliad. beowulf is our first great epic. it is an epitomized history of the life of the teutonic races. it brings vividly before us our forefathers of pre-alfredian eras, in their love of war, of sea, and of adventure. my special thanks are due to professors francis a. march and james a. harrison, for advice, sympathy, and assistance. j.l. hall. [xi] abbreviations used in the notes. b. = bugge. c. = cosijn. gr. = grein. grdvtg. = grundtvig. h. = heyne. h. and s. = harrison and sharp. h.-so. = heyne-socin. k.= kemble. kl. = kluge. m.= müllenhoff. r. = rieger. s. = sievers. sw. = sweet. t.b. = ten brink. th. = thorpe. w. = wülcker. * * * * * bibliography of translations. ~arnold, thomas.~--beowulf. a heroic poem of the eighth century. london, 1876. with english translation. prose. ~botkine, l.~--beowulf. epopée anglo-saxonne. havre, 1877. first french translation. passages occasionally omitted. ~conybeare, j.j.~--illustrations of anglo-saxon poetry. london, 1826. full latin translation, and some passages translated into english blank-verse. ~ettmuller, l.~--beowulf, stabreimend übersetzt. zürich, 1840. ~garnett, j.m.~--beowulf: an anglo-saxon poem, and the fight at finnsburg. boston, 1882. an accurate line-for-line translation, using alliteration occasionally, and sometimes assuming a metrical cadence. ~grein, c.w.m.~--dichtungen der angelsachsen, stabreimend übersetzt. 2 bde. göttingen, 1857-59. ~grion, giusto.~--beovulf, poema epico anglo-sassone del vii. secolo, tradotto e illustrato. lucca, 1883. first italian translation. ~grundtvig, n.f.s.~--bjowulfs drape. copenhagen, 1820. ~heyne, m.~--a translation in iambic measures. paderborn, 1863. ~kemble, j.m.~--the anglo-saxon poems of beowulf, the traveller's song, and the battle of finnsburg. london, 1833. the second edition contains a prose translation of beowulf. ~leo, h.~--ueber beowulf. halle, 1839. translations of extracts. [xii] ~lumsden, h.w.~--beowulf, translated into modern rhymes. london, 1881. ballad measures. passages occasionally omitted. ~sandras, g.s.~--de carminibus cædmoni adjudicatis. paris, 1859. an extract from beowulf, with latin translation. ~schaldmose, f.~--beowulf og scopes widsith, to angelsaxiske digte. copenhagen, 1847. ~simrock, k.~--beowulf. uebersetzt und erläutert. stuttgart und augsburg, 1859. alliterative measures. ~thorkelin, g.j.~--de danorum rebus gestis secul. iii. et iv. poema danicum dialecto anglosaxonica. havniæ, 1815. latin translation. ~thorpe, b.~--the anglo-saxon poems of beowulf, the scôp or gleeman's tale, and the fight at finnsburg. oxford, 1855. english translation in short lines, generally containing two stresses. ~wackerbarth, a.d.~--beowulf, translated into english verse. london, 1849. ~wickberg, r.~--beowulf, en fornengelsk hjeltedikt, öfersatt. westervik. first swedish translation. ~von wolzogen, h.~--beowulf, in alliterative measures. leipzig. ~zinsser, g.~--der kampf beowulfs mit grendel. jahresbericht of the realschule at forbach, 1881. [xiii] glossary of proper names. * * * * * [the figures refer to the divisions of the poem in which the respective names occur. the large figures refer to fitts, the small, to lines in the fitts.] * * * * * ~ælfhere~.--a kinsman of wiglaf.--36_3. ~æschere~.--confidential friend of king hrothgar. elder brother of yrmenlaf. killed by grendel.--21_3; 30_89. ~beanstan~.--father of breca.--9_26. ~beowulf~.--son of scyld, the founder of the dynasty of scyldings. father of healfdene, and grandfather of hrothgar.--1_18; 2_1. ~beowulf~.--the hero of the poem. sprung from the stock of geats, son of ecgtheow. brought up by his maternal grandfather hrethel, and figuring in manhood as a devoted liegeman of his uncle higelac. a hero from his youth. has the strength of thirty men. engages in a swimming-match with breca. goes to the help of hrothgar against the monster grendel. vanquishes grendel and his mother. afterwards becomes king of the geats. late in life attempts to kill a fire-spewing dragon, and is slain. is buried with great honors. his memorial mound.--6_26; 7_2; 7_9; 9_3; 9_8; 12_28; 12_43; 23_1, etc. ~breca~.--beowulf's opponent in the famous swimming-match.--9_8; 9_19; 9_21; 9_22. ~brondings~.--a people ruled by breca.--9_23. ~brosinga mene~.--a famous collar once owned by the brosings.--19_7. ~cain~.--progenitor of grendel and other monsters.--2_56; 20_11. ~dæghrefn~.--a warrior of the hugs, killed by beowulf.--35_40. ~danes~.--subjects of scyld and his descendants, and hence often called scyldings. other names for them are victory-scyldings, honor-scyldings, armor-danes, bright-danes, east-danes, west-danes, north-danes, south-danes, ingwins, hrethmen.--1_1; 2_1; 3_2; 5_14; 7_1, etc. ~ecglaf~.--father of unferth, who taunts beowulf.--9_1. ~ecgtheow~.--father of beowulf, the hero of the poem. a widely-known wægmunding warrior. marries hrethel's daughter. after slaying heatholaf, a wylfing, he flees his country.--7_3; 5_6; 8_4. ~ecgwela~.--a king of the danes before scyld.--25_60. [xiv] ~elan~.--sister of hrothgar, and probably wife of ongentheow, king of the swedes.--2_10. ~eagle cape~.--a promontory in geat-land, under which took place beowulf's last encounter.--41_87. ~eadgils~.--son of ohthere and brother of eanmund.--34_2. ~eanmund~.--son of ohthere and brother of eadgils. the reference to these brothers is vague, and variously understood. heyne supposes as follows: raising a revolt against their father, they are obliged to leave sweden. they go to the land of the geats; with what intention, is not known, but probably to conquer and plunder. the geatish king, heardred, is slain by one of the brothers, probably eanmund.--36_10; 31_54 to 31_60; 33_66 to 34_6. ~eofor~.--a geatish hero who slays ongentheow in war, and is rewarded by hygelac with the hand of his only daughter.--41_18; 41_48. ~eormenric~.--a gothic king, from whom hama took away the famous brosinga mene.--19_9. ~eomær~.--son of offa and thrytho, king and queen of the angles.--28_69. ~finn~.--king of the north-frisians and the jutes. marries hildeburg. at his court takes place the horrible slaughter in which the danish general, hnæf, fell. later on, finn himself is slain by danish warriors.--17_18; 17_30; 17_44; 18_4; 18_23. ~fin-land~.--the country to which beowulf was driven by the currents in his swimming-match.--10_22. ~fitela~.--son and nephew of king sigemund, whose praises are sung in xiv.--14_42; 14_53. ~folcwalda~.--father of finn.--17_38. ~franks~.--introduced occasionally in referring to the death of higelac.--19_19; 40_21; 40_24. ~frisians~.--a part of them are ruled by finn. some of them were engaged in the struggle in which higelac was slain.--17_20; 17_42; 17_52; 40_21. ~freaware~.--daughter of king hrothgar. married to ingeld, a heathobard prince.--29_60; 30_32. ~froda~.--king of the heathobards, and father of ingeld.--29_62. ~garmund~.--father of offa.--28_71. ~geats, geatmen~.--the race to which the hero of the poem belongs. also called weder-geats, or weders, war-geats, sea-geats. they are ruled by hrethel, hæthcyn, higelac, and beowulf.--4_7; 7_4; 10_45; 11_8; 27_14; 28_8. ~gepids~.--named in connection with the danes and swedes.--35_34. ~grendel~.--a monster of the race of cain. dwells in the fens and moors. is furiously envious when he hears sounds of joy in hrothgar's palace. causes the king untold agony for years. is finally conquered by beowulf, and dies of his wound. his hand and arm are hung up in hrothgar's hall heorot. his head is cut off by beowulf when he goes down to fight with grendel's mother.--2_50; 3_1; 3_13; 8_19; 11_17; 12_2; 13_27; 15_3. ~guthlaf~.--a dane of hnæf's party.--18_24. ~half-danes~.--branch of the danes to which hnæf belonged.--17_19. [xv] ~halga~.--surnamed the good. younger brother of hrothgar.--2_9. ~hama~.--takes the brosinga mene from eormenric.--19_7. ~hæreth~.--father of higelac's queen, hygd.--28_39; 29_18. ~hæthcyn~.--son of hrethel and brother of higelac. kills his brother herebeald accidentally. is slain at ravenswood, fighting against ongentheow.--34_43; 35_23; 40_32. ~helmings~.--the race to which queen wealhtheow belonged.--10_63. ~heming~.--a kinsman of garmund, perhaps nephew.--28_54; 28_70. ~hengest~.--a danish leader. takes command on the fall of hnæf.--17_33; 17_41. ~herebeald~.--eldest son of hrethel, the geatish king, and brother of higelac. killed by his younger brother hæthcyn.--34_43; 34_47. ~heremod~.--a danish king of a dynasty before the scylding line. was a source of great sorrow to his people.--14_64; 25_59. ~hereric~.--referred to as uncle of heardred, but otherwise unknown.--31_60. ~hetwars~.--another name for the franks.--33_51. ~healfdene~.--grandson of scyld and father of hrothgar. ruled the danes long and well.--2_5; 4_1; 8_14. ~heardred~.--son of higelac and hygd, king and queen of the geats. succeeds his father, with beowulf as regent. is slain by the sons of ohthere.--31_56; 33_63; 33_75. ~heathobards~.--race of lombards, of which froda is king. after froda falls in battle with the danes, ingeld, his son, marries hrothgar's daughter, freaware, in order to heal the feud.--30_1; 30_6. ~heatholaf~.--a wylfing warrior slain by beowulf's father.--8_5. ~heathoremes~.--the people on whose shores breca is cast by the waves during his contest with beowulf.--9_21. ~heorogar~.--elder brother of hrothgar, and surnamed 'weoroda ræswa,' prince of the troopers.--2_9; 8_12. ~hereward~.--son of the above.--31_17. ~heort~, ~heorot~.--the great mead-hall which king hrothgar builds. it is invaded by grendel for twelve years. finally cleansed by beowulf, the geat. it is called heort on account of the hart-antlers which decorate it.--2_25; 3_32; 3_52. ~hildeburg~.--wife of finn, daughter of hoce, and related to hnæf,--probably his sister.--17_21; 18_34. ~hnæf~.--leader of a branch of the danes called half-danes. killed in the struggle at finn's castle.--17_19; 17_61. ~hondscio~.--one of beowulf's companions. killed by grendel just before beowulf grappled with that monster.--30_43. ~hoce~.--father of hildeburg and probably of hnæf.--17_26. ~hrethel~.--king of the geats, father of higelac, and grandfather of beowulf.--7_4; 34_39. ~hrethla~.--once used for hrethel.--7_82. ~hrethmen~.--another name for the danes.--7_73. ~hrethric~.--son of hrothgar.--18_65; 27_19. [xvi] ~hreosna-beorh~.--a promontory in geat-land, near which ohthere's sons made plundering raids.--35_18. ~hrothgar~.--the danish king who built the hall heort, but was long unable to enjoy it on account of grendel's persecutions. marries wealhtheow, a helming lady. has two sons and a daughter. is a typical teutonic king, lavish of gifts. a devoted liegelord, as his lamentations over slain liegemen prove. also very appreciative of kindness, as is shown by his loving gratitude to beowulf.--2_9; 2_12; 4_1; 8_10; 15_1; etc., etc. ~hrothmund~.--son of hrothgar.--18_65. ~hrothulf~.--probably a son of halga, younger brother of hrothgar. certainly on terms of close intimacy in hrothgar's palace.--16_26; 18_57. ~hrunting~.--unferth's sword, lent to beowulf.--22_71; 25_9. ~hugs~.--a race in alliance with the franks and frisians at the time of higelac's fall.--35_41. ~hun~.--a frisian warrior, probably general of the hetwars. gives hengest a beautiful sword.--18_19. ~hunferth~.--sometimes used for unferth. ~hygelac~, ~higelac~.--king of the geats, uncle and liegelord of beowulf, the hero of the poem.--his second wife is the lovely hygd, daughter of hæreth. the son of their union is heardred. is slain in a war with the hugs, franks, and frisians combined. beowulf is regent, and afterwards king of the geats.--4_6; 5_4; 28_34; 29_9; 29_21; 31_56. ~hygd~.--wife of higelac, and daughter of hæreth. there are some indications that she married beowulf after she became a widow.--28_37. ~ingeld~.--son of the heathobard king, froda. marries hrothgar's daughter, freaware, in order to reconcile the two peoples.--29_62; 30_32. ~ingwins~.--another name for the danes.--16_52; 20_69. ~jutes~.--name sometimes applied to finn's people.--17_22; 17_38; 18_17. ~lafing~.--name of a famous sword presented to hengest by hun.--18_19. ~merewing~.--a frankish king, probably engaged in the war in which higelac was slain.--40_29. ~nægling~.--beowulf's sword.--36_76. ~offa~.--king of the angles, and son of garmund. marries the terrible thrytho who is so strongly contrasted with hygd.--28_59; 28_66. ~ohthere~.--son of ongentheow, king of the swedes. he is father of eanmund and eadgils.--40_35; 40_39. ~onela~.--brother of ohthere.--36_15; 40_39. ~ongentheow~.--king of sweden, of the scylfing dynasty. married, perhaps, elan, daughter of healfdene.--35_26; 41_16. ~oslaf~.--a dane of hnæf's party.--18_24. ~ravenswood~.--the forest near which hæthcyn was slain.--40_31; 40_41. ~scefing~.--applied (1_4) to scyld, and meaning 'son of scef.' [xvii] ~scyld~.--founder of the dynasty to which hrothgar, his father, and grandfather belonged. he dies, and his body is put on a vessel, and set adrift. he goes from daneland just as he had come to it--in a bark.--1_4; 1_19; 1_27. ~scyldings~.--the descendants of scyld. they are also called honor-scyldings, victory-scyldings, war-scyldings, etc. (see 'danes,' above.)--2_1; 7_1; 8_1. ~scylfings~.--a swedish royal line to which wiglaf belonged.--36_2. ~sigemund~.--son of wæls, and uncle and father of fitela. his struggle with a dragon is related in connection with beowulf's deeds of prowess.--14_38; 14_47. ~swerting~.--grandfather of higelac, and father of hrethel.--19_11. ~swedes~.--people of sweden, ruled by the scylfings.--35_13. ~thrytho~.--wife of offa, king of the angles. known for her fierce and unwomanly disposition. she is introduced as a contrast to the gentle hygd, queen of higelac.--28_42; 28_56. ~unferth~.--son of ecglaf, and seemingly a confidential courtier of hrothgar. taunts beowulf for having taken part in the swimming-match. lends beowulf his sword when he goes to look for grendel's mother. in the ms. sometimes written _hunferth_. 9_1; 18_41. ~wæls~.--father of sigemund.--14_60. ~wægmunding~.--a name occasionally applied to wiglaf and beowulf, and perhaps derived from a common ancestor, wægmund.--36_6; 38_61. ~weders~.--another name for geats or wedergeats. ~wayland~.--a fabulous smith mentioned in this poem and in other old teutonic literature.--7_83. ~wendels~.--the people of wulfgar, hrothgar's messenger and retainer. (perhaps = vandals.)--6_30. ~wealhtheow~.--wife of hrothgar. her queenly courtesy is well shown in the poem.--10_55. ~weohstan~, or ~wihstan~.--a wægmunding, and father of wiglaf.--36_1. ~whale's ness~.--a prominent promontory, on which beowulf's mound was built.--38_52; 42_76. ~wiglaf~.--son of wihstan, and related to beowulf. he remains faithful to beowulf in the fatal struggle with the fire-drake. would rather die than leave his lord in his dire emergency.--36_1; 36_3; 36_28. ~wonred~.--father of wulf and eofor.--41_20; 41_26. ~wulf~.--son of wonred. engaged in the battle between higelac's and ongentheow's forces, and had a hand-to-hand fight with ongentheow himself. ongentheow disables him, and is thereupon slain by eofor.--41_19; 41_29. ~wulfgar~.--lord of the wendels, and retainer of hrothgar.--6_18; 6_30. ~wylfings~.--a people to whom belonged heatholaf, who was slain by ecgtheow.--8_6; 8_16. ~yrmenlaf~.--younger brother of æschere, the hero whose death grieved hrothgar so deeply.--21_4. [xviii] list of words and phrases not in general use. atheling.--prince, nobleman. bairn.--son, child. barrow.--mound, rounded hill, funeral-mound. battle-sark.--armor. beaker.--cup, drinking-vessel. begear.--prepare. bight.--bay, sea. bill.--sword. boss.--ornamental projection. bracteate.--a round ornament on a necklace. brand.--sword. burn.--stream. burnie.--armor. carle.--man, hero. earl.--nobleman, any brave man. eke.--also. emprise.--enterprise, undertaking. erst.--formerly. erst-worthy.--worthy for a long time past. fain.--glad. ferry.--bear, carry. fey.--fated, doomed. float.--vessel, ship. foin.--to lunge (shaks.). glory of kings.--god. grewsome.--cruel, fierce. heft.--handle, hilt; used by synecdoche for 'sword.' helm.--helmet, protector. henchman.--retainer, vassal. hight.--am (was) named. holm.--ocean, curved surface of the sea. himseemed.--(it) seemed to him. lief.--dear, valued. mere.--sea; in compounds, 'mere-ways,' 'mere-currents,' etc. mickle.--much. nathless.--nevertheless. naze.--edge (nose). ness.--edge. nicker.--sea-beast. quit, quite.--requite. rathe.--quickly. reave.--bereave, deprive. sail-road.--sea. settle.--seat, bench. skinker.--one who pours. soothly.--truly. swinge.--stroke, blow. targe, target.--shield. throughly.--thoroughly. told.--counted. uncanny.--ill-featured, grizzly. unnethe.--difficult. war-speed.--success in war. web.--tapestry (that which is 'woven'). weeded.--clad (cf. widow's weeds). ween.--suppose, imagine. weird.--fate, providence. whilom.--at times, formerly, often. wielder.--ruler. often used of god; also in compounds, as 'wielder of glory,' 'wielder of worship.' wight.--creature. wold.--plane, extended surface. wot.--knows. younker.--youth. [1] beowulf. i. the life and death of scyld. {the famous race of spear-danes.} lo! the spear-danes' glory through splendid achievements the folk-kings' former fame we have heard of, how princes displayed then their prowess-in-battle. {scyld, their mighty king, in honor of whom they are often called scyldings. he is the great-grandfather of hrothgar, so prominent in the poem.} oft scyld the scefing from scathers in numbers 5 from many a people their mead-benches tore. since first he found him friendless and wretched, the earl had had terror: comfort he got for it, waxed 'neath the welkin, world-honor gained, till all his neighbors o'er sea were compelled to 10 bow to his bidding and bring him their tribute: an excellent atheling! after was borne him {a son is born to him, who receives the name of beowulf--a name afterwards made so famous by the hero of the poem.} a son and heir, young in his dwelling, whom god-father sent to solace the people. he had marked the misery malice had caused them, 15 [1]that reaved of their rulers they wretched had erstwhile[2] long been afflicted. the lord, in requital, wielder of glory, with world-honor blessed him. famed was beowulf, far spread the glory of scyld's great son in the lands of the danemen. [2] {the ideal teutonic king lavishes gifts on his vassals.} 20 so the carle that is young, by kindnesses rendered the friends of his father, with fees in abundance must be able to earn that when age approacheth eager companions aid him requitingly, when war assaults him serve him as liegemen: 25 by praise-worthy actions must honor be got 'mong all of the races. at the hour that was fated {scyld dies at the hour appointed by fate.} scyld then departed to the all-father's keeping warlike to wend him; away then they bare him to the flood of the current, his fond-loving comrades, 30 as himself he had bidden, while the friend of the scyldings word-sway wielded, and the well-lovèd land-prince long did rule them.[3] the ring-stemmèd vessel, bark of the atheling, lay there at anchor, icy in glimmer and eager for sailing; {by his own request, his body is laid on a vessel and wafted seaward.} 35 the belovèd leader laid they down there, giver of rings, on the breast of the vessel, the famed by the mainmast. a many of jewels, of fretted embossings, from far-lands brought over, was placed near at hand then; and heard i not ever 40 that a folk ever furnished a float more superbly with weapons of warfare, weeds for the battle, bills and burnies; on his bosom sparkled many a jewel that with him must travel on the flush of the flood afar on the current. 45 and favors no fewer they furnished him soothly, excellent folk-gems, than others had given him {he leaves daneland on the breast of a bark.} who when first he was born outward did send him lone on the main, the merest of infants: and a gold-fashioned standard they stretched under heaven [3] 50 high o'er his head, let the holm-currents bear him, seaward consigned him: sad was their spirit, their mood very mournful. men are not able {no one knows whither the boat drifted.} soothly to tell us, they in halls who reside,[4] heroes under heaven, to what haven he hied. [1] for the 'þæt' of verse 15, sievers suggests 'þá' (= which). if this be accepted, the sentence 'he had ... afflicted' will read: _he_ (_i.e._ god) _had perceived the malice-caused sorrow which they, lordless, had formerly long endured_. [2] for 'aldor-léase' (15) gr. suggested 'aldor-ceare': _he perceived their distress, that they formerly had suffered life-sorrow a long while_. [3] a very difficult passage. 'áhte' (31) has no object. h. supplies 'geweald' from the context; and our translation is based upon this assumption, though it is far from satisfactory. kl. suggests 'lændagas' for 'lange': _and the beloved land-prince enjoyed (had) his transitory days (i.e. lived)_. b. suggests a dislocation; but this is a dangerous doctrine, pushed rather far by that eminent scholar. [4] the reading of the h.-so. text has been quite closely followed; but some eminent scholars read 'séle-rædenne' for 'sele-rædende.' if that be adopted, the passage will read: _men cannot tell us, indeed, the order of fate, etc._ 'sele-rædende' has two things to support it: (1) v. 1347; (2) it affords a parallel to 'men' in v. 50. ii. scyld's successors.--hrothgar's great mead-hall. {beowulf succeeds his father scyld} in the boroughs then beowulf, bairn of the scyldings, belovèd land-prince, for long-lasting season was famed mid the folk (his father departed, the prince from his dwelling), till afterward sprang 5 great-minded healfdene; the danes in his lifetime he graciously governed, grim-mooded, agèd. {healfdene's birth.} four bairns of his body born in succession woke in the world, war-troopers' leader heorogar, hrothgar, and halga the good; 10 heard i that elan was ongentheow's consort, {he has three sons--one of them, hrothgar--and a daughter named elan. hrothgar becomes a mighty king.} the well-beloved bedmate of the war-scylfing leader. then glory in battle to hrothgar was given, waxing of war-fame, that willingly kinsmen obeyed his bidding, till the boys grew to manhood, 15 a numerous band. it burned in his spirit to urge his folk to found a great building, a mead-hall grander than men of the era {he is eager to build a great hall in which he may feast his retainers} ever had heard of, and in it to share with young and old all of the blessings 20 the lord had allowed him, save life and retainers. then the work i find afar was assigned [4] to many races in middle-earth's regions, to adorn the great folk-hall. in due time it happened early 'mong men, that 'twas finished entirely, 25 the greatest of hall-buildings; heorot he named it {the hall is completed, and is called heort, or heorot.} who wide-reaching word-sway wielded 'mong earlmen. his promise he brake not, rings he lavished, treasure at banquet. towered the hall up high and horn-crested, huge between antlers: 30 it battle-waves bided, the blasting fire-demon; ere long then from hottest hatred must sword-wrath arise for a woman's husband and father. then the mighty war-spirit[1] endured for a season, {the monster grendel is madly envious of the danemen's joy.} bore it bitterly, he who bided in darkness, 35 that light-hearted laughter loud in the building greeted him daily; there was dulcet harp-music, clear song of the singer. he said that was able {[the course of the story is interrupted by a short reference to some old account of the creation.]} to tell from of old earthmen's beginnings, that father almighty earth had created, 40 the winsome wold that the water encircleth, set exultingly the sun's and the moon's beams to lavish their lustre on land-folk and races, and earth he embellished in all her regions with limbs and leaves; life he bestowed too 45 on all the kindreds that live under heaven. {the glee of the warriors is overcast by a horrible dread.} so blessed with abundance, brimming with joyance, the warriors abided, till a certain one gan to dog them with deeds of direfullest malice, a foe in the hall-building: this horrible stranger[2] 50 was grendel entitled, the march-stepper famous who[3] dwelt in the moor-fens, the marsh and the fastness; the wan-mooded being abode for a season [5] in the land of the giants, when the lord and creator had banned him and branded. for that bitter murder, 55 the killing of abel, all-ruling father {cain is referred to as a progenitor of grendel, and of monsters in general.} the kindred of cain crushed with his vengeance; in the feud he rejoiced not, but far away drove him from kindred and kind, that crime to atone for, meter of justice. thence ill-favored creatures, 60 elves and giants, monsters of ocean, came into being, and the giants that longtime grappled with god; he gave them requital. [1] r. and t. b. prefer 'ellor-gæst' to 'ellen-gæst' (86): _then the stranger from afar endured, etc._ [2] some authorities would translate '_demon_' instead of '_stranger_.' [3] some authorities arrange differently, and render: _who dwelt in the moor-fens, the marsh and the fastness, the land of the giant-race._ iii. grendel the murderer. {grendel attacks the sleeping heroes} when the sun was sunken, he set out to visit the lofty hall-building, how the ring-danes had used it for beds and benches when the banquet was over. then he found there reposing many a noble 5 asleep after supper; sorrow the heroes,[1] misery knew not. the monster of evil greedy and cruel tarried but little, {he drags off thirty of them, and devours them} fell and frantic, and forced from their slumbers thirty of thanemen; thence he departed 10 leaping and laughing, his lair to return to, with surfeit of slaughter sallying homeward. in the dusk of the dawning, as the day was just breaking, was grendel's prowess revealed to the warriors: {a cry of agony goes up, when grendel's horrible deed is fully realized.} then, his meal-taking finished, a moan was uplifted, 15 morning-cry mighty. the man-ruler famous, the long-worthy atheling, sat very woful, suffered great sorrow, sighed for his liegemen, [6] when they had seen the track of the hateful pursuer, the spirit accursèd: too crushing that sorrow, {the monster returns the next night.} 20 too loathsome and lasting. not longer he tarried, but one night after continued his slaughter shameless and shocking, shrinking but little from malice and murder; they mastered him fully. he was easy to find then who otherwhere looked for 25 a pleasanter place of repose in the lodges, a bed in the bowers. then was brought to his notice told him truly by token apparent the hall-thane's hatred: he held himself after further and faster who the foeman did baffle. 30 [2]so ruled he and strongly strove against justice lone against all men, till empty uptowered {king hrothgar's agony and suspense last twelve years.} the choicest of houses. long was the season: twelve-winters' time torture suffered the friend of the scyldings, every affliction, 35 endless agony; hence it after[3] became certainly known to the children of men sadly in measures, that long against hrothgar grendel struggled:--his grudges he cherished, murderous malice, many a winter, 40 strife unremitting, and peacefully wished he [4]life-woe to lift from no liegeman at all of the men of the dane-folk, for money to settle, no counsellor needed count for a moment [7] on handsome amends at the hands of the murderer; {grendel is unremitting in his persecutions.} 45 the monster of evil fiercely did harass, the ill-planning death-shade, both elder and younger, trapping and tricking them. he trod every night then the mist-covered moor-fens; men do not know where witches and wizards wander and ramble. 50 so the foe of mankind many of evils grievous injuries, often accomplished, horrible hermit; heort he frequented, gem-bedecked palace, when night-shades had fallen {god is against the monster.} (since god did oppose him, not the throne could he touch,[5] 55 the light-flashing jewel, love of him knew not). 'twas a fearful affliction to the friend of the scyldings {the king and his council deliberate in vain.} soul-crushing sorrow. not seldom in private sat the king in his council; conference held they what the braves should determine 'gainst terrors unlooked for. {they invoke the aid of their gods.} 60 at the shrines of their idols often they promised gifts and offerings, earnestly prayed they the devil from hell would help them to lighten their people's oppression. such practice they used then, hope of the heathen; hell they remembered 65 in innermost spirit, god they knew not, {the true god they do not know.} judge of their actions, all-wielding ruler, no praise could they give the guardian of heaven, the wielder of glory. woe will be his who through furious hatred his spirit shall drive to 70 the clutch of the fire, no comfort shall look for, wax no wiser; well for the man who, living his life-days, his lord may face and find defence in his father's embrace! [1] the translation is based on 'weras,' adopted by h.-so.--k. and th. read 'wera' and, arranging differently, render 119(2)-120: _they knew not sorrow, the wretchedness of man, aught of misfortune_.--for 'unhælo' (120) r. suggests 'unfælo': _the uncanny creature, greedy and cruel, etc_. [2] s. rearranges and translates: _so he ruled and struggled unjustly, one against all, till the noblest of buildings stood useless (it was a long while) twelve years' time: the friend of the scyldings suffered distress, every woe, great sorrows, etc_. [3] for 'syððan,' b. suggests 'sárcwidum': _hence in mournful words it became well known, etc_. various other words beginning with 's' have been conjectured. [4] the h.-so. glossary is very inconsistent in referring to this passage.--'sibbe' (154), which h.-so. regards as an instr., b. takes as accus., obj. of 'wolde.' putting a comma after deniga, he renders: _he did not desire peace with any of the danes, nor did he wish to remove their life-woe, nor to settle for money_. [5] of this difficult passage the following interpretations among others are given: (1) though grendel has frequented heorot as a demon, he could not become ruler of the danes, on account of his hostility to god. (2) hrothgar was much grieved that grendel had not appeared before his throne to receive presents. (3) he was not permitted to devastate the hall, on account of the creator; _i.e._ god wished to make his visit fatal to him.--ne ... wisse (169) w. renders: _nor had he any desire to do so_; 'his' being obj. gen. = danach. [8] iv. beowulf goes to hrothgar's assistance. {hrothgar sees no way of escape from the persecutions of grendel.} so healfdene's kinsman constantly mused on his long-lasting sorrow; the battle-thane clever was not anywise able evils to 'scape from: too crushing the sorrow that came to the people, 5 loathsome and lasting the life-grinding torture, {beowulf, the geat, hero of the poem, hears of hrothgar's sorrow, and resolves to go to his assistance.} greatest of night-woes. so higelac's liegeman, good amid geatmen, of grendel's achievements heard in his home:[1] of heroes then living he was stoutest and strongest, sturdy and noble. 10 he bade them prepare him a bark that was trusty; he said he the war-king would seek o'er the ocean, the folk-leader noble, since he needed retainers. for the perilous project prudent companions chided him little, though loving him dearly; 15 they egged the brave atheling, augured him glory. {with fourteen carefully chosen companions, he sets out for dane-land.} the excellent knight from the folk of the geatmen had liegemen selected, likest to prove them trustworthy warriors; with fourteen companions the vessel he looked for; a liegeman then showed them, 20 a sea-crafty man, the bounds of the country. fast the days fleeted; the float was a-water, the craft by the cliff. clomb to the prow then well-equipped warriors: the wave-currents twisted the sea on the sand; soldiers then carried 25 on the breast of the vessel bright-shining jewels, handsome war-armor; heroes outshoved then, warmen the wood-ship, on its wished-for adventure. [9] {the vessel sails like a bird} the foamy-necked floater fanned by the breeze, likest a bird, glided the waters, {in twenty four hours they reach the shores of hrothgar's dominions} 30 till twenty and four hours thereafter the twist-stemmed vessel had traveled such distance that the sailing-men saw the sloping embankments, the sea cliffs gleaming, precipitous mountains, nesses enormous: they were nearing the limits 35 at the end of the ocean.[2] up thence quickly the men of the weders clomb to the mainland, fastened their vessel (battle weeds rattled, war burnies clattered), the wielder they thanked that the ways o'er the waters had waxen so gentle. {they are hailed by the danish coast guard} 40 then well from the cliff edge the guard of the scyldings who the sea-cliffs should see to, saw o'er the gangway brave ones bearing beauteous targets, armor all ready, anxiously thought he, musing and wondering what men were approaching. 45 high on his horse then hrothgar's retainer turned him to coastward, mightily brandished his lance in his hands, questioned with boldness. {his challenge} "who are ye men here, mail-covered warriors clad in your corslets, come thus a-driving 50 a high riding ship o'er the shoals of the waters, [3]and hither 'neath helmets have hied o'er the ocean? [10] i have been strand-guard, standing as warden, lest enemies ever anywise ravage danish dominions with army of war-ships. 55 more boldly never have warriors ventured hither to come; of kinsmen's approval, word-leave of warriors, i ween that ye surely {he is struck by beowulf's appearance.} nothing have known. never a greater one of earls o'er the earth have _i_ had a sight of 60 than is one of your number, a hero in armor; no low-ranking fellow[4] adorned with his weapons, but launching them little, unless looks are deceiving, and striking appearance. ere ye pass on your journey as treacherous spies to the land of the scyldings 65 and farther fare, i fully must know now what race ye belong to. ye far-away dwellers, sea-faring sailors, my simple opinion hear ye and hearken: haste is most fitting plainly to tell me what place ye are come from." [1] 'from hám' (194) is much disputed. one rendering is: _beowulf, being away from home, heard of hrothgar's troubles, etc_. another, that adopted by s. and endorsed in the h.-so. notes, is: _b. heard from his neighborhood (neighbors),_ i.e. _in his home, etc_. a third is: _b., being at home, heard this as occurring away from home_. the h.-so. glossary and notes conflict. [2] 'eoletes' (224) is marked with a (?) by h.-so.; our rendering simply follows his conjecture.--other conjectures as to 'eolet' are: (1) _voyage_, (2) _toil_, _labor_, (3) _hasty journey_. [3] the lacuna of the ms at this point has been supplied by various conjectures. the reading adopted by h.-so. has been rendered in the above translation. w., like h.-so., makes 'ic' the beginning of a new sentence, but, for 'helmas bæron,' he reads 'hringed stefnan.' this has the advantage of giving a parallel to 'brontne ceol' instead of a kenning for 'go.'--b puts the (?) after 'holmas', and begins a new sentence at the middle of the line. translate: _what warriors are ye, clad in armor, who have thus come bringing the foaming vessel over the water way, hither over the seas? for some time on the wall i have been coast guard, etc_. s. endorses most of what b. says, but leaves out 'on the wall' in the last sentence. if w.'s 'hringed stefnan' be accepted, change line 51 above to, _a ring-stemmed vessel hither o'ersea_. [4] 'seld-guma' (249) is variously rendered: (1) _housecarle_; (2) _home-stayer_; (3) _common man_. dr. h. wood suggests _a man-at-arms in another's house_. v. the geats reach heorot. {beowulf courteously replies.} the chief of the strangers rendered him answer, war-troopers' leader, and word-treasure opened: {we are geats.} "we are sprung from the lineage of the people of geatland, and higelac's hearth-friends. to heroes unnumbered {my father ecgtheow was well-known in his day.} 5 my father was known, a noble head-warrior ecgtheow titled; many a winter he lived with the people, ere he passed on his journey, old from his dwelling; each of the counsellors widely mid world-folk well remembers him. {our intentions towards king hrothgar are of the kindest.} 10 we, kindly of spirit, the lord of thy people, the son of king healfdene, have come here to visit, [11] folk-troop's defender: be free in thy counsels! to the noble one bear we a weighty commission, the helm of the danemen; we shall hide, i ween, {is it true that a monster is slaying danish heroes?} 15 naught of our message. thou know'st if it happen, as we soothly heard say, that some savage despoiler, some hidden pursuer, on nights that are murky by deeds very direful 'mid the danemen exhibits hatred unheard of, horrid destruction 20 and the falling of dead. from feelings least selfish {i can help your king to free himself from this horrible creature.} i am able to render counsel to hrothgar, how he, wise and worthy, may worst the destroyer, if the anguish of sorrow should ever be lessened,[1] comfort come to him, and care-waves grow cooler, 25 or ever hereafter he agony suffer and troublous distress, while towereth upward the handsomest of houses high on the summit." {the coast-guard reminds beowulf that it is easier to say than to do.} bestriding his stallion, the strand-watchman answered, the doughty retainer: "the difference surely 30 'twixt words and works, the warlike shield-bearer who judgeth wisely well shall determine. this band, i hear, beareth no malice {i am satisfied of your good intentions, and shall lead you to the palace.} to the prince of the scyldings. pass ye then onward with weapons and armor. i shall lead you in person; 35 to my war-trusty vassals command i shall issue to keep from all injury your excellent vessel, {your boat shall be well cared for during your stay here.} your fresh-tarred craft, 'gainst every opposer close by the sea-shore, till the curved-neckèd bark shall waft back again the well-beloved hero 40 o'er the way of the water to weder dominions. {he again compliments beowulf.} to warrior so great 'twill be granted sure in the storm of strife to stand secure." onward they fared then (the vessel lay quiet, the broad-bosomed bark was bound by its cable, [12] 45 firmly at anchor); the boar-signs glistened[2] bright on the visors vivid with gilding, blaze-hardened, brilliant; the boar acted warden. the heroes hastened, hurried the liegemen, {the land is perhaps rolling.} descended together, till they saw the great palace, 50 the well-fashioned wassail-hall wondrous and gleaming: {heorot flashes on their view.} 'mid world-folk and kindreds that was widest reputed of halls under heaven which the hero abode in; its lustre enlightened lands without number. then the battle-brave hero showed them the glittering 55 court of the bold ones, that they easily thither might fare on their journey; the aforementioned warrior turning his courser, quoth as he left them: {the coast-guard, having discharged his duty, bids them god-speed.} "'tis time i were faring; father almighty grant you his grace, and give you to journey 60 safe on your mission! to the sea i will get me 'gainst hostile warriors as warden to stand." [1] 'edwendan' (280) b. takes to be the subs. 'edwenden' (cf. 1775); and 'bisigu' he takes as gen. sing., limiting 'edwenden': _if reparation for sorrows is ever to come_. this is supported by t.b. [2] combining the emendations of b. and t.b., we may read: _the boar-images glistened ... brilliant, protected the life of the war-mooded man_. they read 'ferh-wearde' (305) and 'gúðmódgum men' (306). vi. beowulf introduces himself at the palace. the highway glistened with many-hued pebble, a by-path led the liegemen together. [1]firm and hand-locked the war-burnie glistened, the ring-sword radiant rang 'mid the armor 5 as the party was approaching the palace together {they set their arms and armor against the wall.} in warlike equipments. 'gainst the wall of the building their wide-fashioned war-shields they weary did set then, [13] battle-shields sturdy; benchward they turned then; their battle-sarks rattled, the gear of the heroes; 10 the lances stood up then, all in a cluster, the arms of the seamen, ashen-shafts mounted with edges of iron: the armor-clad troopers {a danish hero asks them whence and why they are come.} were decked with weapons. then a proud-mooded hero asked of the champions questions of lineage: 15 "from what borders bear ye your battle-shields plated, gilded and gleaming, your gray-colored burnies, helmets with visors and heap of war-lances?- to hrothgar the king i am servant and liegeman. 'mong folk from far-lands found i have never {he expresses no little admiration for the strangers.} 20 men so many of mien more courageous. i ween that from valor, nowise as outlaws, but from greatness of soul ye sought for king hrothgar." {beowulf replies.} then the strength-famous earlman answer rendered, the proud-mooded wederchief replied to his question, {we are higelac's table-companions, and bear an important commission to your prince.} 25 hardy 'neath helmet: "higelac's mates are we; beowulf hight i. to the bairn of healfdene, the famous folk-leader, i freely will tell to thy prince my commission, if pleasantly hearing he'll grant we may greet him so gracious to all men." 30 wulfgar replied then (he was prince of the wendels, his boldness of spirit was known unto many, his prowess and prudence): "the prince of the scyldings, {wulfgar, the thane, says that he will go and ask hrothgar whether he will see the strangers.} the friend-lord of danemen, i will ask of thy journey, the giver of rings, as thou urgest me do it, 35 the folk-chief famous, and inform thee early what answer the good one mindeth to render me." he turned then hurriedly where hrothgar was sitting, [2]old and hoary, his earlmen attending him; the strength-famous went till he stood at the shoulder 40 of the lord of the danemen, of courteous thanemen the custom he minded. wulfgar addressed then his friendly liegelord: "folk of the geatmen [14] {he thereupon urges his liegelord to receive the visitors courteously.} o'er the way of the waters are wafted hither, faring from far-lands: the foremost in rank 45 the battle-champions beowulf title. they make this petition: with thee, o my chieftain, to be granted a conference; o gracious king hrothgar, friendly answer refuse not to give them! {hrothgar, too, is struck with beowulf's appearance.} in war-trappings weeded worthy they seem 50 of earls to be honored; sure the atheling is doughty who headed the heroes hitherward coming." [1] instead of the punctuation given by h.-so, s. proposed to insert a comma after 'scír' (322), and to take 'hring-íren' as meaning 'ring-mail' and as parallel with 'gúð-byrne.' the passage would then read: _the firm and hand-locked war-burnie shone, bright ring-mail, rang 'mid the armor, etc_. [2] gr. and others translate 'unhár' by 'bald'; _old and bald_. vii. hrothgar and beowulf. {hrothgar remembers beowulf as a youth, and also remembers his father.} hrothgar answered, helm of the scyldings: "i remember this man as the merest of striplings. his father long dead now was ecgtheow titled, him hrethel the geatman granted at home his 5 one only daughter; his battle-brave son is come but now, sought a trustworthy friend. seafaring sailors asserted it then, {beowulf is reported to have the strength of thirty men.} who valuable gift-gems of the geatmen[1] carried as peace-offering thither, that he thirty men's grapple 10 has in his hand, the hero-in-battle. {god hath sent him to our rescue.} the holy creator usward sent him, to west-dane warriors, i ween, for to render 'gainst grendel's grimness gracious assistance: i shall give to the good one gift-gems for courage. 15 hasten to bid them hither to speed them,[2] to see assembled this circle of kinsmen; tell them expressly they're welcome in sooth to the men of the danes." to the door of the building [15] {wulfgar invites the strangers in.} wulfgar went then, this word-message shouted: 20 "my victorious liegelord bade me to tell you, the east-danes' atheling, that your origin knows he, and o'er wave-billows wafted ye welcome are hither, valiant of spirit. ye straightway may enter clad in corslets, cased in your helmets, 25 to see king hrothgar. here let your battle-boards, wood-spears and war-shafts, await your conferring." the mighty one rose then, with many a liegeman, an excellent thane-group; some there did await them, and as bid of the brave one the battle-gear guarded. 30 together they hied them, while the hero did guide them, 'neath heorot's roof; the high-minded went then sturdy 'neath helmet till he stood in the building. beowulf spake (his burnie did glisten, his armor seamed over by the art of the craftsman): {beowulf salutes hrothgar, and then proceeds to boast of his youthful achievements.} 35 "hail thou, hrothgar! i am higelac's kinsman and vassal forsooth; many a wonder i dared as a stripling. the doings of grendel, in far-off fatherland i fully did know of: sea-farers tell us, this hall-building standeth, 40 excellent edifice, empty and useless to all the earlmen after evenlight's glimmer 'neath heaven's bright hues hath hidden its glory. this my earls then urged me, the most excellent of them, carles very clever, to come and assist thee, 45 folk-leader hrothgar; fully they knew of {his fight with the nickers.} the strength of my body. themselves they beheld me when i came from the contest, when covered with gore foes i escaped from, where five[3] i had bound, [16] the giant-race wasted, in the waters destroying 50 the nickers by night, bore numberless sorrows, the weders avenged (woes had they suffered) enemies ravaged; alone now with grendel {he intends to fight grendel unaided.} i shall manage the matter, with the monster of evil, the giant, decide it. thee i would therefore 55 beg of thy bounty, bright-danish chieftain, lord of the scyldings, this single petition: not to refuse me, defender of warriors, friend-lord of folks, so far have i sought thee, that _i_ may unaided, my earlmen assisting me, 60 this brave-mooded war-band, purify heorot. i have heard on inquiry, the horrible creature {since the monster uses no weapons,} from veriest rashness recks not for weapons; i this do scorn then, so be higelac gracious, my liegelord belovèd, lenient of spirit, 65 to bear a blade or a broad-fashioned target, a shield to the onset; only with hand-grip {i, too, shall disdain to use any.} the foe i must grapple, fight for my life then, foeman with foeman; he fain must rely on the doom of the lord whom death layeth hold of. {should he crush me, he will eat my companions as he has eaten thy thanes.} 70 i ween he will wish, if he win in the struggle, to eat in the war-hall earls of the geat-folk, boldly to swallow[4] them, as of yore he did often the best of the hrethmen! thou needest not trouble a head-watch to give me;[5] he will have me dripping [17] {in case of my defeat, thou wilt not have the trouble of burying me.} 75 and dreary with gore, if death overtake me,[6] will bear me off bleeding, biting and mouthing me, the hermit will eat me, heedless of pity, marking the moor-fens; no more wilt thou need then {should i fall, send my armor to my lord, king higelac.} find me my food.[7] if i fall in the battle, 80 send to higelac the armor that serveth to shield my bosom, the best of equipments, richest of ring-mails; 'tis the relic of hrethla, {weird is supreme} the work of wayland. goes weird as she must go!" [1] some render 'gif-sceattas' by 'tribute.'--'géata' b. and th. emended to 'géatum.' if this be accepted, change '_of_ the geatmen' to '_to_ the geatmen.' [2] if t.b.'s emendation of vv. 386, 387 be accepted, the two lines, 'hasten ... kinsmen' will read: _hasten thou, bid the throng of kinsmen go into the hall together_. [3] for 420 (_b_) and 421 (_a_), b. suggests: þær ic (on) fífelgeban ýðde eotena cyn = _where i in the ocean destroyed the eoten-race_.--t.b. accepts b.'s "brilliant" 'fífelgeban,' omits 'on,' emends 'cyn' to 'hám,' arranging: þær ic fífelgeban ýðde, eotena hám = _where i desolated the ocean, the home of the eotens_.--this would be better but for changing 'cyn' to 'hám.'--i suggest: þær ic fífelgeband (cf. nhd. bande) ýðde, eotena cyn = _where i conquered the monster band, the race of the eotens_. this makes no change except to read '_fífel_' for '_fífe_.' [4] 'unforhte' (444) is much disputed.--h.-so. wavers between adj. and adv. gr. and b. take it as an adv. modifying _etan: will eat the geats fearlessly_.--kl. considers this reading absurd, and proposes 'anforhte' = timid.--understanding 'unforhte' as an adj. has this advantage, viz. that it gives a parallel to 'geátena leóde': but to take it as an adv. is more natural. furthermore, to call the geats 'brave' might, at this point, seem like an implied thrust at the danes, so long helpless; while to call his own men 'timid' would be befouling his own nest. [5] for 'head-watch,' cf. h.-so. notes and cf. v. 2910.--th. translates: _thou wilt not need my head to hide_ (i.e., thou wilt have no occasion to bury me, as grendel will devour me whole).--simrock imagines a kind of dead-watch.--dr. h. wood suggests: _thou wilt not have to bury so much as my head_ (for grendel will be a thorough undertaker),--grim humor. [6] s. proposes a colon after 'nimeð' (l. 447). this would make no essential change in the translation. [7] owing to the vagueness of 'feorme' (451), this passage is variously translated. in our translation, h.-so.'s glossary has been quite closely followed. this agrees substantially with b.'s translation (p. and b. xii. 87). r. translates: _thou needst not take care longer as to the consumption of my dead body._ 'líc' is also a crux here, as it may mean living body or dead body. viii. hrothgar and beowulf.--_continued_. {hrothgar responds.} hrothgar discoursed, helm of the scyldings: "to defend our folk and to furnish assistance,[1] thou soughtest us hither, good friend beowulf. {reminiscences of beowulf's father, ecgtheow.} the fiercest of feuds thy father engaged in, 5 heatholaf killed he in hand-to-hand conflict 'mid wilfingish warriors; then the wederish people for fear of a feud were forced to disown him. thence flying he fled to the folk of the south-danes, [18] the race of the scyldings, o'er the roll of the waters; 10 i had lately begun then to govern the danemen, the hoard-seat of heroes held in my youth, rich in its jewels: dead was heregar, my kinsman and elder had earth-joys forsaken, healfdene his bairn. he was better than i am! 15 that feud thereafter for a fee i compounded; o'er the weltering waters to the wilfings i sent ornaments old; oaths did he swear me. {hrothgar recounts to beowulf the horrors of grendel's persecutions.} it pains me in spirit to any to tell it, what grief in heorot grendel hath caused me, 20 what horror unlooked-for, by hatred unceasing. waned is my war-band, wasted my hall-troop; weird hath offcast them to the clutches of grendel. god can easily hinder the scather from deeds so direful. oft drunken with beer {my thanes have made many boasts, but have not executed them.} 25 o'er the ale-vessel promised warriors in armor they would willingly wait on the wassailing-benches a grapple with grendel, with grimmest of edges. then this mead-hall at morning with murder was reeking, the building was bloody at breaking of daylight, 30 the bench-deals all flooded, dripping and bloodied, the folk-hall was gory: i had fewer retainers, dear-beloved warriors, whom death had laid hold of. {sit down to the feast, and give us comfort.} sit at the feast now, thy intents unto heroes,[2] thy victor-fame show, as thy spirit doth urge thee!" {a bench is made ready for beowulf and his party.} 35 for the men of the geats then together assembled, in the beer-hall blithesome a bench was made ready; there warlike in spirit they went to be seated, proud and exultant. a liegeman did service, [19] who a beaker embellished bore with decorum, {the gleeman sings} 40 and gleaming-drink poured. the gleeman sang whilom {the heroes all rejoice together.} hearty in heorot; there was heroes' rejoicing, a numerous war-band of weders and danemen. [1] b. and s. reject the reading given in h.-so., and suggested by grtvg. b. suggests for 457-458: wáere-ryhtum þú, wine mín béowulf, and for ár-stafum úsic sóhtest. this means: _from the obligations of clientage, my friend beowulf, and for assistance thou hast sought us_.--this gives coherence to hrothgar's opening remarks in viii., and also introduces a new motive for beowulf's coming to hrothgar's aid. [2] _sit now at the feast, and disclose thy purposes to the victorious heroes, as thy spirit urges_.--kl. reaches the above translation by erasing the comma after 'meoto' and reading 'sige-hrèðsecgum.'--there are other and bolder emendations and suggestions. of these the boldest is to regard 'meoto' as a verb (imperative), and read 'on sæl': _think upon gayety, etc_.--all the renderings are unsatisfactory, the one given in our translation involving a zeugma. ix. unferth taunts beowulf. {unferth, a thane of hrothgar, is jealous of beowulf, and undertakes to twit him.} unferth spoke up, ecglaf his son, who sat at the feet of the lord of the scyldings, opened the jousting (the journey[1] of beowulf, sea-farer doughty, gave sorrow to unferth 5 and greatest chagrin, too, for granted he never that any man else on earth should attain to, gain under heaven, more glory than he): {did you take part in a swimming-match with breca?} "art thou that beowulf with breca did struggle, on the wide sea-currents at swimming contended, 10 where to humor your pride the ocean ye tried, {'twas mere folly that actuated you both to risk your lives on the ocean.} from vainest vaunting adventured your bodies in care of the waters? and no one was able nor lief nor loth one, in the least to dissuade you your difficult voyage; then ye ventured a-swimming, 15 where your arms outstretching the streams ye did cover, the mere-ways measured, mixing and stirring them, glided the ocean; angry the waves were, with the weltering of winter. in the water's possession, ye toiled for a seven-night; he at swimming outdid thee, 20 in strength excelled thee. then early at morning on the heathoremes' shore the holm-currents tossed him, sought he thenceward the home of his fathers, beloved of his liegemen, the land of the brondings, the peace-castle pleasant, where a people he wielded, [20] 25 had borough and jewels. the pledge that he made thee {breca outdid you entirely.} the son of beanstan hath soothly accomplished. then i ween thou wilt find thee less fortunate issue, {much more will grendel outdo you, if you vie with him in prowess.} though ever triumphant in onset of battle, a grim grappling, if grendel thou darest 30 for the space of a night near-by to wait for!" {beowulf retaliates.} beowulf answered, offspring of ecgtheow: "my good friend unferth, sure freely and wildly, {o friend unferth, you are fuddled with beer, and cannot talk coherently.} thou fuddled with beer of breca hast spoken, hast told of his journey! a fact i allege it, 35 that greater strength in the waters i had then, ills in the ocean, than any man else had. we made agreement as the merest of striplings promised each other (both of us then were {we simply kept an engagement made in early life.} younkers in years) that we yet would adventure 40 out on the ocean; it all we accomplished. while swimming the sea-floods, sword-blade unscabbarded boldly we brandished, our bodies expected to shield from the sharks. he sure was unable {he _could_ not excel me, and i _would_ not excel him.} to swim on the waters further than i could, 45 more swift on the waves, nor _would_ i from him go. then we two companions stayed in the ocean {after five days the currents separated us.} five nights together, till the currents did part us, the weltering waters, weathers the bleakest, and nethermost night, and the north-wind whistled 50 fierce in our faces; fell were the billows. the mere fishes' mood was mightily ruffled: and there against foemen my firm-knotted corslet, hand-jointed, hardy, help did afford me; my battle-sark braided, brilliantly gilded, {a horrible sea-beast attacked me, but i slew him.} 55 lay on my bosom. to the bottom then dragged me, a hateful fiend-scather, seized me and held me, grim in his grapple: 'twas granted me, nathless, to pierce the monster with the point of my weapon, my obedient blade; battle offcarried 60 the mighty mere-creature by means of my hand-blow. [1] it has been plausibly suggested that 'síð' (in 501 and in 353) means 'arrival.' if so, translate the bracket: _(the arrival of beowulf, the brave seafarer, was a source of great chagrin to unferth, etc.)_. [21] x. beowulf silences unferth.--glee is high. "so ill-meaning enemies often did cause me sorrow the sorest. i served them, in quittance, {my dear sword always served me faithfully.} with my dear-lovèd sword, as in sooth it was fitting; they missed the pleasure of feasting abundantly, 5 ill-doers evil, of eating my body, of surrounding the banquet deep in the ocean; but wounded with edges early at morning they were stretched a-high on the strand of the ocean, {i put a stop to the outrages of the sea-monsters.} put to sleep with the sword, that sea-going travelers 10 no longer thereafter were hindered from sailing the foam-dashing currents. came a light from the east, god's beautiful beacon; the billows subsided, that well i could see the nesses projecting, {fortune helps the brave earl.} the blustering crags. weird often saveth 15 the undoomed hero if doughty his valor! but me did it fortune[1] to fell with my weapon nine of the nickers. of night-struggle harder 'neath dome of the heaven heard i but rarely, nor of wight more woful in the waves of the ocean; 20 yet i 'scaped with my life the grip of the monsters, {after that escape i drifted to finland.} weary from travel. then the waters bare me to the land of the finns, the flood with the current, {i have never heard of your doing any such bold deeds.} the weltering waves. not a word hath been told me of deeds so daring done by thee, unferth, 25 and of sword-terror none; never hath breca at the play of the battle, nor either of you two, feat so fearless performèd with weapons glinting and gleaming . . . . . . . . . . . . [22] . . . . . . . . . . . . i utter no boasting; {you are a slayer of brothers, and will suffer damnation, wise as you may be.} 30 though with cold-blooded cruelty thou killedst thy brothers, thy nearest of kin; thou needs must in hell get direful damnation, though doughty thy wisdom. i tell thee in earnest, offspring of ecglaf, never had grendel such numberless horrors, 35 the direful demon, done to thy liegelord, harrying in heorot, if thy heart were as sturdy, {had your acts been as brave as your words, grendel had not ravaged your land so long.} thy mood as ferocious as thou dost describe them. he hath found out fully that the fierce-burning hatred, the edge-battle eager, of all of your kindred, 40 of the victory-scyldings, need little dismay him: oaths he exacteth, not any he spares {the monster is not afraid of the danes,} of the folk of the danemen, but fighteth with pleasure, killeth and feasteth, no contest expecteth {but he will soon learn to dread the geats.} from spear-danish people. but the prowess and valor 45 of the earls of the geatmen early shall venture to give him a grapple. he shall go who is able bravely to banquet, when the bright-light of morning {on the second day, any warrior may go unmolested to the mead-banquet.} which the second day bringeth, the sun in its ether-robes, o'er children of men shines from the southward!" 50 then the gray-haired, war-famed giver of treasure {hrothgar's spirits are revived.} was blithesome and joyous, the bright-danish ruler expected assistance; the people's protector {the old king trusts beowulf. the heroes are joyful.} heard from beowulf his bold resolution. there was laughter of heroes; loud was the clatter, 55 the words were winsome. wealhtheow advanced then, {queen wealhtheow plays the hostess.} consort of hrothgar, of courtesy mindful, gold-decked saluted the men in the building, and the freeborn woman the beaker presented {she offers the cup to her husband first.} to the lord of the kingdom, first of the east-danes, 60 bade him be blithesome when beer was a-flowing, lief to his liegemen; he lustily tasted of banquet and beaker, battle-famed ruler. the helmingish lady then graciously circled 'mid all the liegemen lesser and greater: [23] {she gives presents to the heroes.} 65 treasure-cups tendered, till time was afforded that the decorous-mooded, diademed folk-queen {then she offers the cup to beowulf, thanking god that aid has come.} might bear to beowulf the bumper o'errunning; she greeted the geat-prince, god she did thank, most wise in her words, that her wish was accomplished, 70 that in any of earlmen she ever should look for solace in sorrow. he accepted the beaker, battle-bold warrior, at wealhtheow's giving, {beowulf states to the queen the object of his visit.} then equipped for combat quoth he in measures, beowulf spake, offspring of ecgtheow: 75 "i purposed in spirit when i mounted the ocean, {i determined to do or die.} when i boarded my boat with a band of my liegemen, i would work to the fullest the will of your people or in foe's-clutches fastened fall in the battle. deeds i shall do of daring and prowess, 80 or the last of my life-days live in this mead-hall." these words to the lady were welcome and pleasing, the boast of the geatman; with gold trappings broidered went the freeborn folk-queen her fond-lord to sit by. {glee is high.} then again as of yore was heard in the building 85 courtly discussion, conquerors' shouting, heroes were happy, till healfdene's son would go to his slumber to seek for refreshing; for the horrid hell-monster in the hall-building knew he a fight was determined,[2] since the light of the sun they 90 no longer could see, and lowering darkness o'er all had descended, and dark under heaven shadowy shapes came shying around them. {hrothgar retires, leaving beowulf in charge of the hall.} the liegemen all rose then. one saluted the other, hrothgar beowulf, in rhythmical measures, 95 wishing him well, and, the wassail-hall giving to his care and keeping, quoth he departing: [24] "not to any one else have i ever entrusted, but thee and thee only, the hall of the danemen, since high i could heave my hand and my buckler. 100 take thou in charge now the noblest of houses; be mindful of honor, exhibiting prowess, watch 'gainst the foeman! thou shalt want no enjoyments, survive thou safely adventure so glorious!" [1] the repetition of 'hwæðere' (574 and 578) is regarded by some scholars as a defect. b. suggests 'swá þær' for the first: _so there it befell me, etc._ another suggestion is to change the second 'hwæðere' into 'swá þær': _so there i escaped with my life, etc._ [2] kl. suggests a period after 'determined.' this would give the passage as follows: _since they no longer could see the light of the sun, and lowering darkness was down over all, dire under the heavens shadowy beings came going around them_. xi. all sleep save one. {hrothgar retires.} then hrothgar departed, his earl-throng attending him, folk-lord of scyldings, forth from the building; the war-chieftain wished then wealhtheow to look for, the queen for a bedmate. to keep away grendel {god has provided a watch for the hall.} 5 the glory of kings had given a hall-watch, as men heard recounted: for the king of the danemen he did special service, gave the giant a watcher: and the prince of the geatmen implicitly trusted {beowulf is self-confident} his warlike strength and the wielder's protection. {he prepares for rest.} 10 his armor of iron off him he did then, his helmet from his head, to his henchman committed his chased-handled chain-sword, choicest of weapons, and bade him bide with his battle-equipments. the good one then uttered words of defiance, 15 beowulf geatman, ere his bed he upmounted: {beowulf boasts of his ability to cope with grendel.} "i hold me no meaner in matters of prowess, in warlike achievements, than grendel does himself; hence i seek not with sword-edge to sooth him to slumber, of life to bereave him, though well i am able. {we will fight with nature's weapons only.} 20 no battle-skill[1] has he, that blows he should strike me, to shatter my shield, though sure he is mighty [25] in strife and destruction; but struggling by night we shall do without edges, dare he to look for weaponless warfare, and wise-mooded father 25 the glory apportion, god ever-holy, {god may decide who shall conquer} on which hand soever to him seemeth proper." then the brave-mooded hero bent to his slumber, the pillow received the cheek of the noble; {the geatish warriors lie down.} and many a martial mere-thane attending 30 sank to his slumber. seemed it unlikely {they thought it very unlikely that they should ever see their homes again.} that ever thereafter any should hope to be happy at home, hero-friends visit or the lordly troop-castle where he lived from his childhood; they had heard how slaughter had snatched from the wine-hall, 35 had recently ravished, of the race of the scyldings {but god raised up a deliverer.} too many by far. but the lord to them granted the weaving of war-speed, to wederish heroes aid and comfort, that every opponent by one man's war-might they worsted and vanquished, {god rules the world.} 40 by the might of himself; the truth is established that god almighty hath governed for ages kindreds and nations. a night very lurid {grendel comes to heorot.} the trav'ler-at-twilight came tramping and striding. the warriors were sleeping who should watch the horned-building, {only one warrior is awake.} 45 one only excepted. 'mid earthmen 'twas 'stablished, th' implacable foeman was powerless to hurl them to the land of shadows, if the lord were unwilling; but serving as warder, in terror to foemen, he angrily bided the issue of battle.[2] [1] gr. understood 'gódra' as meaning 'advantages in battle.' this rendering h.-so. rejects. the latter takes the passage as meaning that grendel, though mighty and formidable, has no skill in the art of war. [2] b. in his masterly articles on beowulf (p. and b. xii.) rejects the division usually made at this point, 'þá.' (711), usually rendered 'then,' he translates 'when,' and connects its clause with the foregoing sentence. these changes he makes to reduce the number of 'cóm's' as principal verbs. (cf. 703, 711, 721.) with all deference to this acute scholar, i must say that it seems to me that the poet is exhausting his resources to bring out clearly the supreme event on which the whole subsequent action turns. first, he (grendel) came _in the wan night_; second, he came _from the moor_; third, he came _to the hall_. time, place from which, place to which, are all given. [26] xii. grendel and beowulf. {grendel comes from the fens.} 'neath the cloudy cliffs came from the moor then grendel going, god's anger bare he. the monster intended some one of earthmen in the hall-building grand to entrap and make way with: {he goes towards the joyous building.} 5 he went under welkin where well he knew of the wine-joyous building, brilliant with plating, gold-hall of earthmen. not the earliest occasion {this was not his first visit there.} he the home and manor of hrothgar had sought: ne'er found he in life-days later nor earlier 10 hardier hero, hall-thanes[1] more sturdy! then came to the building the warrior marching, {his horrid fingers tear the door open.} bereft of his joyance. the door quickly opened on fire-hinges fastened, when his fingers had touched it; the fell one had flung then--his fury so bitter- 15 open the entrance. early thereafter the foeman trod the shining hall-pavement, {he strides furiously into the hall.} strode he angrily; from the eyes of him glimmered a lustre unlovely likest to fire. he beheld in the hall the heroes in numbers, 20 a circle of kinsmen sleeping together, {he exults over his supposed prey.} a throng of thanemen: then his thoughts were exultant, he minded to sunder from each of the thanemen the life from his body, horrible demon, ere morning came, since fate had allowed him {fate has decreed that he shall devour no more heroes. beowulf suffers from suspense.} 25 the prospect of plenty. providence willed not to permit him any more of men under heaven to eat in the night-time. higelac's kinsman great sorrow endured how the dire-mooded creature [27] in unlooked-for assaults were likely to bear him. 30 no thought had the monster of deferring the matter, {grendel immediately seizes a sleeping warrior, and devours him.} but on earliest occasion he quickly laid hold of a soldier asleep, suddenly tore him, bit his bone-prison, the blood drank in currents, swallowed in mouthfuls: he soon had the dead man's 35 feet and hands, too, eaten entirely. nearer he strode then, the stout-hearted warrior {beowulf and grendel grapple.} snatched as he slumbered, seizing with hand-grip, forward the foeman foined with his hand; caught he quickly the cunning deviser, 40 on his elbow he rested. this early discovered the master of malice, that in middle-earth's regions, 'neath the whole of the heavens, no hand-grapple greater {the monster is amazed at beowulf's strength.} in any man else had he ever encountered: fearful in spirit, faint-mooded waxed he, 45 not off could betake him; death he was pondering, {he is anxious to flee.} would fly to his covert, seek the devils' assembly: his calling no more was the same he had followed long in his lifetime. the liege-kinsman worthy {beowulf recalls his boast of the evening, and determines to fulfil it.} of higelac minded his speech of the evening, 50 stood he up straight and stoutly did seize him. his fingers crackled; the giant was outward, the earl stepped farther. the famous one minded to flee away farther, if he found an occasion, and off and away, avoiding delay, 55 to fly to the fen-moors; he fully was ware of the strength of his grapple in the grip of the foeman. {'twas a luckless day for grendel.} 'twas an ill-taken journey that the injury-bringing, harrying harmer to heorot wandered: {the hall groans.} the palace re-echoed; to all of the danemen, 60 dwellers in castles, to each of the bold ones, earlmen, was terror. angry they both were, archwarders raging.[2] rattled the building; [28] 'twas a marvellous wonder that the wine-hall withstood then the bold-in-battle, bent not to earthward, 65 excellent earth-hall; but within and without it was fastened so firmly in fetters of iron, by the art of the armorer. off from the sill there bent mead-benches many, as men have informed me, adorned with gold-work, where the grim ones did struggle. 70 the scylding wise men weened ne'er before that by might and main-strength a man under heaven might break it in pieces, bone-decked, resplendent, crush it by cunning, unless clutch of the fire in smoke should consume it. the sound mounted upward {grendel's cries terrify the danes.} 75 novel enough; on the north danes fastened a terror of anguish, on all of the men there who heard from the wall the weeping and plaining, the song of defeat from the foeman of heaven, heard him hymns of horror howl, and his sorrow 80 hell-bound bewailing. he held him too firmly who was strongest of main-strength of men of that era. [1] b. and t.b. emend so as to make lines 9 and 10 read: _never in his life, earlier or later, had he, the hell-thane, found a braver hero_.--they argue that beowulf's companions had done nothing to merit such encomiums as the usual readings allow them. [2] for 'réðe rén-weardas' (771), t.b. suggests 'réðe, rénhearde.' translate: _they were both angry, raging and mighty_. xiii. grendel is vanquished. {beowulf has no idea of letting grendel live.} for no cause whatever would the earlmen's defender leave in life-joys the loathsome newcomer, he deemed his existence utterly useless to men under heaven. many a noble 5 of beowulf brandished his battle-sword old, would guard the life of his lord and protector, the far-famous chieftain, if able to do so; while waging the warfare, this wist they but little, brave battle-thanes, while his body intending {no weapon would harm grendel; he bore a charmed life.} 10 to slit into slivers, and seeking his spirit: that the relentless foeman nor finest of weapons of all on the earth, nor any of war-bills [29] was willing to injure; but weapons of victory swords and suchlike he had sworn to dispense with. 15 his death at that time must prove to be wretched, and the far-away spirit widely should journey into enemies' power. this plainly he saw then who with mirth[1] of mood malice no little had wrought in the past on the race of the earthmen 20 (to god he was hostile), that his body would fail him, but higelac's hardy henchman and kinsman held him by the hand; hateful to other {grendel is sorely wounded.} was each one if living. a body-wound suffered the direful demon, damage incurable {his body bursts.} 25 was seen on his shoulder, his sinews were shivered, his body did burst. to beowulf was given glory in battle; grendel from thenceward must flee and hide him in the fen-cliffs and marshes, sick unto death, his dwelling must look for 30 unwinsome and woful; he wist the more fully {the monster flees away to hide in the moors.} the end of his earthly existence was nearing, his life-days' limits. at last for the danemen, when the slaughter was over, their wish was accomplished. the comer-from-far-land had cleansed then of evil, 35 wise and valiant, the war-hall of hrothgar, saved it from violence. he joyed in the night-work, in repute for prowess; the prince of the geatmen for the east-danish people his boast had accomplished, bettered their burdensome bale-sorrows fully, 40 the craft-begot evil they erstwhile had suffered and were forced to endure from crushing oppression, their manifold misery. 'twas a manifest token, {beowulf suspends grendel's hand and arm in heorot.} when the hero-in-battle the hand suspended, the arm and the shoulder (there was all of the claw 45 of grendel together) 'neath great-stretching hall-roof. [1] it has been proposed to translate 'myrðe' by _with sorrow_; but there seems no authority for such a rendering. to the present translator, the phrase 'módes myrðe' seems a mere padding for _gladly_; i.e., _he who gladly harassed mankind_. [30] xiv. rejoicing of the danes. {at early dawn, warriors from far and near come together to hear of the night's adventures.} in the mist of the morning many a warrior stood round the gift-hall, as the story is told me: folk-princes fared then from far and from near through long-stretching journeys to look at the wonder, 5 the footprints of the foeman. few of the warriors {few warriors lamented grendel's destruction.} who gazed on the foot-tracks of the inglorious creature his parting from life pained very deeply, how, weary in spirit, off from those regions in combats conquered he carried his traces, 10 fated and flying, to the flood of the nickers. {grendel's blood dyes the waters.} there in bloody billows bubbled the currents, the angry eddy was everywhere mingled and seething with gore, welling with sword-blood;[1] he death-doomed had hid him, when reaved of his joyance 15 he laid down his life in the lair he had fled to, his heathenish spirit, where hell did receive him. thence the friends from of old backward turned them, and many a younker from merry adventure, striding their stallions, stout from the seaward, 20 heroes on horses. there were heard very often {beowulf is the hero of the hour.} beowulf's praises; many often asserted that neither south nor north, in the circuit of waters, {he is regarded as a probable successor to hrothgar.} o'er outstretching earth-plain, none other was better 'mid bearers of war-shields, more worthy to govern, 25 'neath the arch of the ether. not any, however, 'gainst the friend-lord muttered, mocking-words uttered {but no word is uttered to derogate from the old king} of hrothgar the gracious (a good king he). oft the famed ones permitted their fallow-skinned horses [31] to run in rivalry, racing and chasing, 30 where the fieldways appeared to them fair and inviting, known for their excellence; oft a thane of the folk-lord,[2] {the gleeman sings the deeds of heroes.} [3]a man of celebrity, mindful of rhythms, who ancient traditions treasured in memory, new word-groups found properly bound: 35 the bard after 'gan then beowulf's venture {he sings in alliterative measures of beowulf's prowess.} wisely to tell of, and words that were clever to utter skilfully, earnestly speaking, everything told he that he heard as to sigmund's {also of sigemund, who has slain a great fire-dragon.} mighty achievements, many things hidden, 40 the strife of the wælsing, the wide-going ventures the children of men knew of but little, the feud and the fury, but fitela with him, when suchlike matters he minded to speak of, uncle to nephew, as in every contention 45 each to other was ever devoted: a numerous host of the race of the scathers they had slain with the sword-edge. to sigmund accrued then no little of glory, when his life-days were over, since he sturdy in struggle had destroyed the great dragon, 50 the hoard-treasure's keeper; 'neath the hoar-grayish stone he, the son of the atheling, unaided adventured the perilous project; not present was fitela, yet the fortune befell him of forcing his weapon through the marvellous dragon, that it stood in the wall, 55 well-honored weapon; the worm was slaughtered. the great one had gained then by his glorious achievement to reap from the ring-hoard richest enjoyment, [32] as best it did please him: his vessel he loaded, shining ornaments on the ship's bosom carried, 60 kinsman of wæls: the drake in heat melted. {sigemund was widely famed.} he was farthest famed of fugitive pilgrims, mid wide-scattered world-folk, for works of great prowess, war-troopers' shelter: hence waxed he in honor.[4] {heremod, an unfortunate danish king, is introduced by way of contrast.} afterward heremod's hero-strength failed him, 65 his vigor and valor. 'mid venomous haters to the hands of foemen he was foully delivered, offdriven early. agony-billows {unlike sigemund and beowulf, heremod was a burden to his people.} oppressed him too long, to his people he became then, to all the athelings, an ever-great burden; 70 and the daring one's journey in days of yore many wise men were wont to deplore, such as hoped he would bring them help in their sorrow, that the son of their ruler should rise into power, holding the headship held by his fathers, 75 should govern the people, the gold-hoard and borough, the kingdom of heroes, the realm of the scyldings. {beowulf is an honor to his race.} he to all men became then far more beloved, higelac's kinsman, to kindreds and races, to his friends much dearer; him malice assaulted.-{the story is resumed.} 80 oft running and racing on roadsters they measured the dun-colored highways. then the light of the morning was hurried and hastened. went henchmen in numbers to the beautiful building, bold ones in spirit, to look at the wonder; the liegelord himself then 85 from his wife-bower wending, warden of treasures, glorious trod with troopers unnumbered, famed for his virtues, and with him the queen-wife measured the mead-ways, with maidens attending. [1] s. emends, suggesting 'déop' for 'déog,' and removing semicolon after 'wéol.' the two half-lines 'welling ... hid him' would then read: _the bloody deep welled with sword-gore_. b. accepts 'déop' for 'déog,' but reads 'déað-fæges': _the deep boiled with the sword-gore of the death-doomed one_. [2] another and quite different rendering of this passage is as follows: _oft a liegeman of the king, a fame-covered man mindful of songs, who very many ancient traditions remembered (he found other word-groups accurately bound together) began afterward to tell of beowulf's adventure, skilfully to narrate it, etc_. [3] might 'guma gilp-hladen' mean 'a man laden with boasts of the deeds of others'? [4] t.b. accepts b.'s 'hé þæs áron þáh' as given by h.-so., but puts a comma after 'þáh,' and takes 'siððan' as introducing a dependent clause: _he throve in honor since heremod's strength ... had decreased_. [33] xv. hrothgar's gratitude. hrothgar discoursed (to the hall-building went he, he stood by the pillar,[1] saw the steep-rising hall-roof gleaming with gold-gems, and grendel his hand there): {hrothgar gives thanks for the overthrow of the monster.} "for the sight we behold now, thanks to the wielder 5 early be offered! much evil i bided, snaring from grendel:[2] god can e'er 'complish wonder on wonder, wielder of glory! {i had given up all hope, when this brave liegeman came to our aid.} but lately i reckoned ne'er under heaven comfort to gain me for any of sorrows, 10 while the handsomest of houses horrid with bloodstain gory uptowered; grief had offfrightened[3] each of the wise ones who weened not that ever the folk-troop's defences 'gainst foes they should strengthen, 'gainst sprites and monsters. through the might of the wielder 15 a doughty retainer hath a deed now accomplished which erstwhile we all with our excellent wisdom {if his mother yet liveth, well may she thank god for this son.} failed to perform. may affirm very truly what woman soever in all of the nations gave birth to the child, if yet she surviveth, 20 that the long-ruling lord was lavish to herward in the birth of the bairn. now, beowulf dear, {hereafter, beowulf, thou shalt be my son.} most excellent hero, i'll love thee in spirit as bairn of my body; bear well henceforward the relationship new. no lack shall befall thee 25 of earth-joys any i ever can give thee. full often for lesser service i've given [34] hero less hardy hoard-treasure precious, {thou hast won immortal distinction.} to a weaker in war-strife. by works of distinction thou hast gained for thyself now that thy glory shall flourish 30 forever and ever. the all-ruler quite thee with good from his hand as he hitherto did thee!" {beowulf replies: i was most happy to render thee this service.} beowulf answered, ecgtheow's offspring: "that labor of glory most gladly achieved we, the combat accomplished, unquailing we ventured 35 the enemy's grapple; i would grant it much rather thou wert able to look at the creature in person, faint unto falling, the foe in his trappings! on murder-bed quickly i minded to bind him, with firm-holding fetters, that forced by my grapple 40 low he should lie in life-and-death struggle 'less his body escape; i was wholly unable, {i could not keep the monster from escaping, as god did not will that i should.} since god did not will it, to keep him from going, not held him that firmly, hated opposer; too swift was the foeman. yet safety regarding 45 he suffered his hand behind him to linger, his arm and shoulder, to act as watcher; {he left his hand and arm behind.} no shadow of solace the woe-begone creature found him there nathless: the hated destroyer liveth no longer, lashed for his evils, 50 but sorrow hath seized him, in snare-meshes hath him close in its clutches, keepeth him writhing in baleful bonds: there banished for evil the man shall wait for the mighty tribunal, {god will give him his deserts.} how the god of glory shall give him his earnings." 55 then the soldier kept silent, son of old ecglaf, {unferth has nothing more to say, for beowulf's actions speak louder than words.} from boasting and bragging of battle-achievements, since the princes beheld there the hand that depended 'neath the lofty hall-timbers by the might of the nobleman, each one before him, the enemy's fingers; 60 each finger-nail strong steel most resembled, the heathen one's hand-spur, the hero-in-battle's claw most uncanny; quoth they agreeing, [35] {no sword will harm the monster.} that not any excellent edges of brave ones was willing to touch him, the terrible creature's 65 battle-hand bloody to bear away from him. [1] b. and t.b. read 'staþole,' and translate _stood on the floor_. [2] for 'snaring from grendel,' 'sorrows at grendel's hands' has been suggested. this gives a parallel to 'láðes.' 'grynna' may well be gen. pl. of 'gyrn,' by a scribal slip. [3] the h.-so punctuation has been followed; but b. has been followed in understanding 'gehwylcne' as object of 'wíd-scofen (hæfde).' gr. construes 'wéa' as nom abs. xvi. hrothgar lavishes gifts upon his deliverer. {heorot is adorned with hands.} then straight was ordered that heorot inside[1] with hands be embellished: a host of them gathered, of men and women, who the wassailing-building the guest-hall begeared. gold-flashing sparkled 5 webs on the walls then, of wonders a many to each of the heroes that look on such objects. {the hall is defaced, however.} the beautiful building was broken to pieces which all within with irons was fastened, its hinges torn off: only the roof was 10 whole and uninjured when the horrible creature outlawed for evil off had betaken him, hopeless of living. 'tis hard to avoid it {[a vague passage of five verses.]} (whoever will do it!); but he doubtless must come to[2] the place awaiting, as wyrd hath appointed, 15 soul-bearers, earth-dwellers, earls under heaven, where bound on its bed his body shall slumber {hrothgar goes to the banquet.} when feasting is finished. full was the time then that the son of healfdene went to the building; [36] the excellent atheling would eat of the banquet. 20 ne'er heard i that people with hero-band larger bare them better tow'rds their bracelet-bestower. the laden-with-glory stooped to the bench then (their kinsmen-companions in plenty were joyful, many a cupful quaffing complaisantly), 25 doughty of spirit in the high-tow'ring palace, {hrothgar's nephew, hrothulf, is present.} hrothgar and hrothulf. heorot then inside was filled with friendly ones; falsehood and treachery the folk-scyldings now nowise did practise. {hrothgar lavishes gifts upon beowulf.} then the offspring of healfdene offered to beowulf 30 a golden standard, as reward for the victory, a banner embossed, burnie and helmet; many men saw then a song-famous weapon borne 'fore the hero. beowulf drank of the cup in the building; that treasure-bestowing 35 he needed not blush for in battle-men's presence. {four handsomer gifts were never presented.} ne'er heard i that many men on the ale-bench in friendlier fashion to their fellows presented four bright jewels with gold-work embellished. 'round the roof of the helmet a head-guarder outside 40 braided with wires, with bosses was furnished, that swords-for-the-battle fight-hardened might fail boldly to harm him, when the hero proceeded {hrothgar commands that eight finely caparisoned steeds be brought to beowulf.} forth against foemen. the defender of earls then commanded that eight steeds with bridles 45 gold-plated, gleaming, be guided to hallward, inside the building; on one of them stood then an art-broidered saddle embellished with jewels; 'twas the sovereign's seat, when the son of king healfdene was pleased to take part in the play of the edges; 50 the famous one's valor ne'er failed at the front when slain ones were bowing. and to beowulf granted the prince of the ingwins, power over both, o'er war-steeds and weapons; bade him well to enjoy them. in so manly a manner the mighty-famed chieftain, [37] 55 hoard-ward of heroes, with horses and jewels war-storms requited, that none e'er condemneth who willeth to tell truth with full justice. [1] kl. suggests 'hroden' for 'háten,' and renders: _then quickly was heorot adorned within, with hands bedecked_.--b. suggests 'gefrætwon' instead of 'gefrætwod,' and renders: _then was it commanded to adorn heorot within quickly with hands_.--the former has the advantage of affording a parallel to 'gefrætwod': both have the disadvantage of altering the text. [2] the passage 1005-1009 seems to be hopeless. one difficult point is to find a subject for 'gesacan.' some say 'he'; others supply 'each,' _i.e., every soul-bearer ... must gain the inevitable place_. the genitives in this case are partitive.--if 'he' be subj., the genitives are dependent on 'gearwe' (= prepared).--the 'he' itself is disputed, some referring it to grendel; but b. takes it as involved in the parenthesis. xvii. banquet (_continued_).--the scop's song of finn and hnæf. {each of beowulf's companions receives a costly gift.} and the atheling of earlmen to each of the heroes who the ways of the waters went with beowulf, a costly gift-token gave on the mead-bench, offered an heirloom, and ordered that that man {the warrior killed by grendel is to be paid for in gold.} 5 with gold should be paid for, whom grendel had erstwhile wickedly slaughtered, as he more of them had done had far-seeing god and the mood of the hero the fate not averted: the father then governed all of the earth-dwellers, as he ever is doing; 10 hence insight for all men is everywhere fittest, forethought of spirit! much he shall suffer of lief and of loathsome who long in this present useth the world in this woful existence. there was music and merriment mingling together {hrothgar's scop recalls events in the reign of his lord's father.} 15 touching healfdene's leader; the joy-wood was fingered, measures recited, when the singer of hrothgar on mead-bench should mention the merry hall-joyance of the kinsmen of finn, when onset surprised them: {hnæf, the danish general, is treacherously attacked while staying at finn's castle.} "the half-danish hero, hnæf of the scyldings, 20 on the field of the frisians was fated to perish. sure hildeburg needed not mention approving the faith of the jutemen: though blameless entirely, {queen hildeburg is not only wife of finn, but a kinswoman of the murdered hnæf.} when shields were shivered she was shorn of her darlings, of bairns and brothers: they bent to their fate 25 with war-spear wounded; woe was that woman. not causeless lamented the daughter of hoce the decree of the wielder when morning-light came and she was able 'neath heaven to behold the destruction [38] of brothers and bairns, where the brightest of earth-joys {finn's force is almost exterminated.} 30 she had hitherto had: all the henchmen of finn war had offtaken, save a handful remaining, that he nowise was able to offer resistance[1] {hengest succeeds hnæf as danish general.} to the onset of hengest in the parley of battle, nor the wretched remnant to rescue in war from 35 the earl of the atheling; but they offered conditions, {compact between the frisians and the danes.} another great building to fully make ready, a hall and a high-seat, that half they might rule with the sons of the jutemen, and that folcwalda's son would day after day the danemen honor 40 when gifts were giving, and grant of his ring-store to hengest's earl-troop ever so freely, of his gold-plated jewels, as he encouraged the frisians {equality of gifts agreed on.} on the bench of the beer-hall. on both sides they swore then a fast-binding compact; finn unto hengest 45 with no thought of revoking vowed then most solemnly the woe-begone remnant well to take charge of, his witan advising; the agreement should no one by words or works weaken and shatter, by artifice ever injure its value, 50 though reaved of their ruler their ring-giver's slayer they followed as vassals, fate so requiring: {no one shall refer to old grudges.} then if one of the frisians the quarrel should speak of in tones that were taunting, terrible edges should cut in requital. accomplished the oath was, 55 and treasure of gold from the hoard was uplifted. {danish warriors are burned on a funeral-pyre.} the best of the scylding braves was then fully prepared for the pile; at the pyre was seen clearly the blood-gory burnie, the boar with his gilding, the iron-hard swine, athelings many 60 fatally wounded; no few had been slaughtered. hildeburg bade then, at the burning of hnæf, [39] {queen hildeburg has her son burnt along with hnæf.} the bairn of her bosom to bear to the fire, that his body be burned and borne to the pyre. the woe-stricken woman wept on his shoulder,[2] 65 in measures lamented; upmounted the hero.[3] the greatest of dead-fires curled to the welkin, on the hill's-front crackled; heads were a-melting, wound-doors bursting, while the blood was a-coursing from body-bite fierce. the fire devoured them, 70 greediest of spirits, whom war had offcarried from both of the peoples; their bravest were fallen. [1] for 1084, r. suggests 'wiht hengeste wið gefeohtan.'--k. suggests 'wið hengeste wiht gefeohtan.' neither emendation would make any essential change in the translation. [2] the separation of adjective and noun by a phrase (cf. v. 1118) being very unusual, some scholars have put 'earme on eaxle' with the foregoing lines, inserting a semicolon after 'eaxle.' in this case 'on eaxe' (_i.e._, on the ashes, cinders) is sometimes read, and this affords a parallel to 'on bæl.' let us hope that a satisfactory rendering shall yet be reached without resorting to any tampering with the text, such as lichtenheld proposed: 'earme ides on eaxle gnornode.' [3] for 'gúð-rinc,' 'gúð-réc,' _battle-smoke_, has been suggested. xviii. the finn episode (_continued_).--the banquet continues. {the survivors go to friesland, the home of finn.} "then the warriors departed to go to their dwellings, reaved of their friends, friesland to visit, their homes and high-city. hengest continued {hengest remains there all winter, unable to get away.} biding with finn the blood-tainted winter, 5 wholly unsundered;[1] of fatherland thought he though unable to drive the ring-stemmèd vessel [40] o'er the ways of the waters; the wave-deeps were tossing, fought with the wind; winter in ice-bonds closed up the currents, till there came to the dwelling 10 a year in its course, as yet it revolveth, if season propitious one alway regardeth, world-cheering weathers. then winter was gone, earth's bosom was lovely; the exile would get him, {he devises schemes of vengeance.} the guest from the palace; on grewsomest vengeance 15 he brooded more eager than on oversea journeys, whe'r onset-of-anger he were able to 'complish, the bairns of the jutemen therein to remember. nowise refused he the duties of liegeman when hun of the frisians the battle-sword láfing, 20 fairest of falchions, friendly did give him: its edges were famous in folk-talk of jutland. and savage sword-fury seized in its clutches bold-mooded finn where he bode in his palace, {guthlaf and oslaf revenge hnæf's slaughter.} when the grewsome grapple guthlaf and oslaf 25 had mournfully mentioned, the mere-journey over, for sorrows half-blamed him; the flickering spirit could not bide in his bosom. then the building was covered[2] {finn is slain.} with corpses of foemen, and finn too was slaughtered, the king with his comrades, and the queen made a prisoner. {the jewels of finn, and his queen are carried away by the danes.} 30 the troops of the scyldings bore to their vessels all that the land-king had in his palace, such trinkets and treasures they took as, on searching, at finn's they could find. they ferried to daneland the excellent woman on oversea journey, {the lay is concluded, and the main story is resumed.} 35 led her to their land-folk." the lay was concluded, the gleeman's recital. shouts again rose then, bench-glee resounded, bearers then offered {skinkers carry round the beaker.} wine from wonder-vats. wealhtheo advanced then going 'neath gold-crown, where the good ones were seated [41] {queen wealhtheow greets hrothgar, as he sits beside hrothulf, his nephew.} 40 uncle and nephew; their peace was yet mutual, true each to the other. and unferth the spokesman sat at the feet of the lord of the scyldings: each trusted his spirit that his mood was courageous, though at fight he had failed in faith to his kinsmen. 45 said the queen of the scyldings: "my lord and protector, treasure-bestower, take thou this beaker; joyance attend thee, gold-friend of heroes, {be generous to the geats.} and greet thou the geatmen with gracious responses! so ought one to do. be kind to the geatmen, 50 in gifts not niggardly; anear and afar now peace thou enjoyest. report hath informed me thou'lt have for a bairn the battle-brave hero. now is heorot cleansèd, ring-palace gleaming; {have as much joy as possible in thy hall, once more purified.} give while thou mayest many rewards, 55 and bequeath to thy kinsmen kingdom and people, on wending thy way to the wielder's splendor. i know good hrothulf, that the noble young troopers {i know that hrothulf will prove faithful if he survive thee.} he'll care for and honor, lord of the scyldings, if earth-joys thou endest earlier than he doth; 60 i reckon that recompense he'll render with kindness our offspring and issue, if that all he remember, what favors of yore, when he yet was an infant, we awarded to him for his worship and pleasure." then she turned by the bench where her sons were carousing, 65 hrethric and hrothmund, and the heroes' offspring, {beowulf is sitting by the two royal sons.} the war-youth together; there the good one was sitting 'twixt the brothers twain, beowulf geatman. [1] for 1130 (1) r. and gr. suggest 'elne unflitme' as 1098 (1) reads. the latter verse is undisputed; and, for the former, 'elne' would be as possible as 'ealles,' and 'unflitme' is well supported. accepting 'elne unflitme' for both, i would suggest '_very peaceably_' for both places: (1) _finn to hengest very peaceably vowed with oaths_, etc. (2) _hengest then still the slaughter-stained winter remained there with finn very peaceably_. the two passages become thus correlatives, the second a sequel of the first. 'elne,' in the sense of very (swíðe), needs no argument; and 'unflitme' (from 'flítan') can, it seems to me, be more plausibly rendered 'peaceful,' 'peaceable,' than 'contestable,' or 'conquerable.' [2] some scholars have proposed 'roden'; the line would then read: _then the building was reddened, etc._, instead of 'covered.' the 'h' may have been carried over from the three alliterating 'h's.' xix. beowulf receives further honor. {more gifts are offered beowulf.} a beaker was borne him, and bidding to quaff it graciously given, and gold that was twisted pleasantly proffered, a pair of arm-jewels, [42] rings and corslet, of collars the greatest 5 i've heard of 'neath heaven. of heroes not any more splendid from jewels have i heard 'neath the welkin, {a famous necklace is referred to, in comparison with the gems presented to beowulf.} since hama off bore the brosingmen's necklace, the bracteates and jewels, from the bright-shining city,[1] eormenric's cunning craftiness fled from, 10 chose gain everlasting. geatish higelac, grandson of swerting, last had this jewel when tramping 'neath banner the treasure he guarded, the field-spoil defended; fate offcarried him when for deeds of daring he endured tribulation, 15 hate from the frisians; the ornaments bare he o'er the cup of the currents, costly gem-treasures, mighty folk-leader, he fell 'neath his target; the[2] corpse of the king then came into charge of the race of the frankmen, the mail-shirt and collar: 20 warmen less noble plundered the fallen, when the fight was finished; the folk of the geatmen the field of the dead held in possession. the choicest of mead-halls with cheering resounded. wealhtheo discoursed, the war-troop addressed she: {queen wealhtheow magnifies beowulf's achievements.} 25 "this collar enjoy thou, beowulf worthy, young man, in safety, and use thou this armor, gems of the people, and prosper thou fully, show thyself sturdy and be to these liegemen mild with instruction! i'll mind thy requital. 30 thou hast brought it to pass that far and near forever and ever earthmen shall honor thee, even so widely as ocean surroundeth the blustering bluffs. be, while thou livest, [43] a wealth-blessèd atheling. i wish thee most truly {may gifts never fail thee.} 35 jewels and treasure. be kind to my son, thou living in joyance! here each of the nobles is true unto other, gentle in spirit, loyal to leader. the liegemen are peaceful, the war-troops ready: well-drunken heroes,[3] 40 do as i bid ye." then she went to the settle. there was choicest of banquets, wine drank the heroes: {they little know of the sorrow in store for them.} weird they knew not, destiny cruel, as to many an earlman early it happened, when evening had come and hrothgar had parted 45 off to his manor, the mighty to slumber. warriors unnumbered warded the building as erst they did often: the ale-settle bared they, 'twas covered all over with beds and pillows. {a doomed thane is there with them.} doomed unto death, down to his slumber 50 bowed then a beer-thane. their battle-shields placed they, bright-shining targets, up by their heads then; o'er the atheling on ale-bench 'twas easy to see there battle-high helmet, burnie of ring-mail, {they were always ready for battle.} and mighty war-spear. 'twas the wont of that people 55 to constantly keep them equipped for the battle,[4] at home or marching--in either condition- at seasons just such as necessity ordered as best for their ruler; that people was worthy. [1] c. suggests a semicolon after 'city,' with 'he' as supplied subject of 'fled' and 'chose.' [2] for 'feorh' s. suggests 'feoh': 'corpse' in the translation would then be changed to '_possessions_,' '_belongings_.' this is a better reading than one joining, in such intimate syntactical relations, things so unlike as 'corpse' and 'jewels.' [3] s. suggests '_wine-joyous heroes_,' '_warriors elated with wine_.' [4] i believe this translation brings out the meaning of the poet, without departing seriously from the h.-so. text. 'oft' frequently means 'constantly,' 'continually,' not always 'often.'--why 'an (on) wíg gearwe' should be written 'ánwíg-gearwe' (= ready for single combat), i cannot see. 'gearwe' occurs quite frequently with 'on'; cf. b. 1110 (_ready for the pyre_), el. 222 (_ready for the glad journey_). moreover, what has the idea of single combat to do with b. 1247 ff.? the poet is giving an inventory of the arms and armor which they lay aside on retiring, and he closes his narration by saying that they were _always prepared for battle both at home and on the march_. [44] xx. the mother of grendel. they sank then to slumber. with sorrow one paid for his evening repose, as often betid them while grendel was holding[1] the gold-bedecked palace, ill-deeds performing, till his end overtook him, 5 death for his sins. 'twas seen very clearly, {grendel's mother is known to be thirsting for revenge.} known unto earth-folk, that still an avenger outlived the loathed one, long since the sorrow caused by the struggle; the mother of grendel, devil-shaped woman, her woe ever minded, 10 who was held to inhabit the horrible waters, {[grendel's progenitor, cain, is again referred to.]} the cold-flowing currents, after cain had become a slayer-with-edges to his one only brother, the son of his sire; he set out then banished, marked as a murderer, man-joys avoiding, 15 lived in the desert. thence demons unnumbered {the poet again magnifies beowulf's valor.} fate-sent awoke; one of them grendel, sword-cursèd, hateful, who at heorot met with a man that was watching, waiting the struggle, where a horrid one held him with hand-grapple sturdy; 20 nathless he minded the might of his body, the glorious gift god had allowed him, and folk-ruling father's favor relied on, his help and his comfort: so he conquered the foeman, the hell-spirit humbled: he unhappy departed then, 25 reaved of his joyance, journeying to death-haunts, foeman of man. his mother moreover {grendel's mother comes to avenge her son.} eager and gloomy was anxious to go on her mournful mission, mindful of vengeance for the death of her son. she came then to heorot [45] 30 where the armor-dane earlmen all through the building were lying in slumber. soon there became then return[2] to the nobles, when the mother of grendel entered the folk-hall; the fear was less grievous by even so much as the vigor of maidens, 35 war-strength of women, by warrior is reckoned, when well-carved weapon, worked with the hammer, blade very bloody, brave with its edges, strikes down the boar-sign that stands on the helmet. then the hard-edgèd weapon was heaved in the building,[3] 40 the brand o'er the benches, broad-lindens many hand-fast were lifted; for helmet he recked not, for armor-net broad, whom terror laid hold of. she went then hastily, outward would get her her life for to save, when some one did spy her; {she seizes a favorite liegemen of hrothgar's.} 45 soon she had grappled one of the athelings fast and firmly, when fenward she hied her; that one to hrothgar was liefest of heroes in rank of retainer where waters encircle, a mighty shield-warrior, whom she murdered at slumber, 50 a broadly-famed battle-knight. beowulf was absent, {beowulf was asleep in another part of the palace.} but another apartment was erstwhile devoted to the glory-decked geatman when gold was distributed. there was hubbub in heorot. the hand that was famous she grasped in its gore;[4] grief was renewed then [46] 55 in homes and houses: 'twas no happy arrangement in both of the quarters to barter and purchase with lives of their friends. then the well-agèd ruler, the gray-headed war-thane, was woful in spirit, when his long-trusted liegeman lifeless he knew of, {beowulf is sent for.} 60 his dearest one gone. quick from a room was beowulf brought, brave and triumphant. as day was dawning in the dusk of the morning, {he comes at hrothgar's summons.} went then that earlman, champion noble, came with comrades, where the clever one bided 65 whether god all gracious would grant him a respite after the woe he had suffered. the war-worthy hero with a troop of retainers trod then the pavement (the hall-building groaned), till he greeted the wise one, {beowulf inquires how hrothgar had enjoyed his night's rest.} the earl of the ingwins;[5] asked if the night had 70 fully refreshed him, as fain he would have it. [1] several eminent authorities either read or emend the ms. so as to make this verse read, _while grendel was wasting the gold-bedecked palace_. so 20_15 below: _ravaged the desert_. [2] for 'sóna' (1281), t.b. suggests 'sára,' limiting 'edhwyrft.' read then: _return of sorrows to the nobles, etc_. this emendation supplies the syntactical gap after 'edhwyrft.' [3] some authorities follow grein's lexicon in treating 'heard ecg' as an adj. limiting 'sweord': h.-so. renders it as a subst. (so v. 1491.) the sense of the translation would be the same. [4] b. suggests 'under hróf genam' (v. 1303). this emendation, as well as an emendation with (?) to v. 739, he offers, because 'under' baffles him in both passages. all we need is to take 'under' in its secondary meaning of 'in,' which, though not given by grein, occurs in the literature. cf. chron. 876 (march's a.-s. gram. § 355) and oro. amaz. i. 10, where 'under' = _in the midst of_. cf. modern eng. 'in such circumstances,' which interchanges in good usage with 'under such circumstances.' [5] for 'néod-laðu' (1321) c. suggests 'néad-láðum,' and translates: _asked whether the night had been pleasant to him after crushing-hostility_. xxi. hrothgar's account of the monsters. {hrothgar laments the death of æschere, his shoulder-companion.} hrothgar rejoined, helm of the scyldings: "ask not of joyance! grief is renewed to the folk of the danemen. dead is æschere, yrmenlaf's brother, older than he, 5 my true-hearted counsellor, trusty adviser, shoulder-companion, when fighting in battle our heads we protected, when troopers were clashing, {he was my ideal hero.} and heroes were dashing; such an earl should be ever, an erst-worthy atheling, as æschere proved him. 10 the flickering death-spirit became in heorot his hand-to-hand murderer; i can not tell whither the cruel one turned in the carcass exulting, [47] {this horrible creature came to avenge grendel's death.} by cramming discovered.[1] the quarrel she wreaked then, that last night igone grendel thou killedst 15 in grewsomest manner, with grim-holding clutches, since too long he had lessened my liege-troop and wasted my folk-men so foully. he fell in the battle with forfeit of life, and another has followed, a mighty crime-worker, her kinsman avenging, 20 and henceforth hath 'stablished her hatred unyielding,[2] as it well may appear to many a liegeman, who mourneth in spirit the treasure-bestower, her heavy heart-sorrow; the hand is now lifeless which[3] availed you in every wish that you cherished. {i have heard my vassals speak of these two uncanny monsters who lived in the moors.} 25 land-people heard i, liegemen, this saying, dwellers in halls, they had seen very often a pair of such mighty march-striding creatures, far-dwelling spirits, holding the moorlands: one of them wore, as well they might notice, 30 the image of woman, the other one wretched in guise of a man wandered in exile, except he was huger than any of earthmen; earth-dwelling people entitled him grendel in days of yore: they know not their father, 35 whe'r ill-going spirits any were borne him {the inhabit the most desolate and horrible places.} ever before. they guard the wolf-coverts, lands inaccessible, wind-beaten nesses, fearfullest fen-deeps, where a flood from the mountains 'neath mists of the nesses netherward rattles, 40 the stream under earth: not far is it henceward measured by mile-lengths that the mere-water standeth, which forests hang over, with frost-whiting covered,[4] [48] a firm-rooted forest, the floods overshadow. there ever at night one an ill-meaning portent 45 a fire-flood may see; 'mong children of men none liveth so wise that wot of the bottom; though harassed by hounds the heath-stepper seek for, {even the hounded deer will not seek refuge in these uncanny regions.} fly to the forest, firm-antlered he-deer, spurred from afar, his spirit he yieldeth, 50 his life on the shore, ere in he will venture to cover his head. uncanny the place is: thence upward ascendeth the surging of waters, wan to the welkin, when the wind is stirring the weathers unpleasing, till the air groweth gloomy, {to thee only can i look for assistance.} 55 and the heavens lower. now is help to be gotten from thee and thee only! the abode thou know'st not, the dangerous place where thou'rt able to meet with the sin-laden hero: seek if thou darest! for the feud i will fully fee thee with money, 60 with old-time treasure, as erstwhile i did thee, with well-twisted jewels, if away thou shalt get thee." [1] for 'gefrægnod' (1334), k. and t.b. suggest 'gefægnod,' rendering '_rejoicing in her fill_.' this gives a parallel to 'æse wlanc' (1333). [2] the line 'and ... yielding,' b. renders: _and she has performed a deed of blood-vengeance whose effect is far-reaching_. [3] 'sé þe' (1345) is an instance of masc. rel. with fem. antecedent. so v. 1888, where 'sé þe' refers to 'yldo.' [4] for 'hrímge' in the h.-so. edition, gr. and others read 'hrínde' (=hrínende), and translate: _which rustling forests overhang_. xxii. beowulf seeks grendel's mother. beowulf answered, ecgtheow's son: {beowulf exhorts the old king to arouse himself for action.} "grieve not, o wise one! for each it is better, his friend to avenge than with vehemence wail him; each of us must the end-day abide of 5 his earthly existence; who is able accomplish glory ere death! to battle-thane noble lifeless lying, 'tis at last most fitting. arise, o king, quick let us hasten to look at the footprint of the kinsman of grendel! 10 i promise thee this now: to his place he'll escape not, to embrace of the earth, nor to mountainous forest, nor to depths of the ocean, wherever he wanders. [49] practice thou now patient endurance of each of thy sorrows, as i hope for thee soothly!" {hrothgar rouses himself. his horse is brought.} 15 then up sprang the old one, the all-wielder thanked he, ruler almighty, that the man had outspoken. then for hrothgar a war-horse was decked with a bridle, curly-maned courser. the clever folk-leader {they start on the track of the female monster.} stately proceeded: stepped then an earl-troop 20 of linden-wood bearers. her footprints were seen then widely in wood-paths, her way o'er the bottoms, where she faraway fared o'er fen-country murky, bore away breathless the best of retainers who pondered with hrothgar the welfare of country. 25 the son of the athelings then went o'er the stony, declivitous cliffs, the close-covered passes, narrow passages, paths unfrequented, nesses abrupt, nicker-haunts many; one of a few of wise-mooded heroes, 30 he onward advanced to view the surroundings, till he found unawares woods of the mountain o'er hoar-stones hanging, holt-wood unjoyful; the water stood under, welling and gory. 'twas irksome in spirit to all of the danemen, 35 friends of the scyldings, to many a liegeman {the sight of æschere's head causes them great sorrow.} sad to be suffered, a sorrow unlittle to each of the earlmen, when to æschere's head they came on the cliff. the current was seething with blood and with gore (the troopers gazed on it). 40 the horn anon sang the battle-song ready. the troop were all seated; they saw 'long the water then {the water is filled with serpents and sea-dragons.} many a serpent, mere-dragons wondrous trying the waters, nickers a-lying on the cliffs of the nesses, which at noonday full often 45 go on the sea-deeps their sorrowful journey, wild-beasts and wormkind; away then they hastened {one of them is killed by beowulf.} hot-mooded, hateful, they heard the great clamor, the war-trumpet winding. one did the geat-prince [50] sunder from earth-joys, with arrow from bowstring, 50 from his sea-struggle tore him, that the trusty war-missile {the dead beast is a poor swimmer} pierced to his vitals; he proved in the currents less doughty at swimming whom death had offcarried. soon in the waters the wonderful swimmer was straitened most sorely with sword-pointed boar-spears, 55 pressed in the battle and pulled to the cliff-edge; the liegemen then looked on the loath-fashioned stranger. {beowulf prepares for a struggle with the monster.} beowulf donned then his battle-equipments, cared little for life; inlaid and most ample, the hand-woven corslet which could cover his body, 60 must the wave-deeps explore, that war might be powerless to harm the great hero, and the hating one's grasp might not peril his safety; his head was protected by the light-flashing helmet that should mix with the bottoms, trying the eddies, treasure-emblazoned, 65 encircled with jewels, as in seasons long past the weapon-smith worked it, wondrously made it, with swine-bodies fashioned it, that thenceforward no longer brand might bite it, and battle-sword hurt it. and that was not least of helpers in prowess {he has unferth's sword in his hand.} 70 that hrothgar's spokesman had lent him when straitened; and the hilted hand-sword was hrunting entitled, old and most excellent 'mong all of the treasures; its blade was of iron, blotted with poison, hardened with gore; it failed not in battle 75 any hero under heaven in hand who it brandished, who ventured to take the terrible journeys, the battle-field sought; not the earliest occasion that deeds of daring 'twas destined to 'complish. {unferth has little use for swords.} ecglaf's kinsman minded not soothly, 80 exulting in strength, what erst he had spoken drunken with wine, when the weapon he lent to a sword-hero bolder; himself did not venture 'neath the strife of the currents his life to endanger, [51] to fame-deeds perform; there he forfeited glory, 85 repute for his strength. not so with the other when he clad in his corslet had equipped him for battle. xxiii. beowulf's fight with grendel's mother. {beowulf makes a parting speech to hrothgar.} beowulf spake, ecgtheow's son: "recall now, oh, famous kinsman of healfdene, prince very prudent, now to part i am ready, gold-friend of earlmen, what erst we agreed on, {if i fail, act as a kind liegelord to my thanes,} 5 should i lay down my life in lending thee assistance, when my earth-joys were over, thou wouldst evermore serve me in stead of a father; my faithful thanemen, my trusty retainers, protect thou and care for, fall i in battle: and, hrothgar belovèd, {and send higelac the jewels thou hast given me} 10 send unto higelac the high-valued jewels thou to me hast allotted. the lord of the geatmen may perceive from the gold, the hrethling may see it {i should like my king to know how generous a lord i found thee to be.} when he looks on the jewels, that a gem-giver found i good over-measure, enjoyed him while able. 15 and the ancient heirloom unferth permit thou, the famed one to have, the heavy-sword splendid[1] the hard-edgèd weapon; with hrunting to aid me, i shall gain me glory, or grim-death shall take me." {beowulf is eager for the fray.} the atheling of geatmen uttered these words and 20 heroic did hasten, not any rejoinder was willing to wait for; the wave-current swallowed {he is a whole day reaching the bottom of the sea.} the doughty-in-battle. then a day's-length elapsed ere he was able to see the sea at its bottom. early she found then who fifty of winters 25 the course of the currents kept in her fury, grisly and greedy, that the grim one's dominion [52] {grendel's mother knows that some one has reached her domains.} some one of men from above was exploring. forth did she grab them, grappled the warrior with horrible clutches; yet no sooner she injured 30 his body unscathèd: the burnie out-guarded, that she proved but powerless to pierce through the armor, the limb-mail locked, with loath-grabbing fingers. the sea-wolf bare then, when bottomward came she, {she grabs him, and bears him to her den.} the ring-prince homeward, that he after was powerless 35 (he had daring to do it) to deal with his weapons, but many a mere-beast tormented him swimming, {sea-monsters bite and strike him.} flood-beasts no few with fierce-biting tusks did break through his burnie, the brave one pursued they. the earl then discovered he was down in some cavern 40 where no water whatever anywise harmed him, and the clutch of the current could come not anear him, since the roofed-hall prevented; brightness a-gleaming fire-light he saw, flashing resplendent. the good one saw then the sea-bottom's monster, {beowulf attacks the mother of grendel.} 45 the mighty mere-woman; he made a great onset with weapon-of-battle, his hand not desisted from striking, that war-blade struck on her head then a battle-song greedy. the stranger perceived then {the sword will not bite.} the sword would not bite, her life would not injure, 50 but the falchion failed the folk-prince when straitened: erst had it often onsets encountered, oft cloven the helmet, the fated one's armor: 'twas the first time that ever the excellent jewel had failed of its fame. firm-mooded after, 55 not heedless of valor, but mindful of glory, was higelac's kinsman; the hero-chief angry cast then his carved-sword covered with jewels that it lay on the earth, hard and steel-pointed; {the hero throws down all weapons, and again trusts to his hand-grip.} he hoped in his strength, his hand-grapple sturdy. 60 so any must act whenever he thinketh to gain him in battle glory unending, and is reckless of living. the lord of the war-geats [53] (he shrank not from battle) seized by the shoulder[2] the mother of grendel; then mighty in struggle 65 swung he his enemy, since his anger was kindled, that she fell to the floor. with furious grapple {beowulf falls.} she gave him requital[3] early thereafter, and stretched out to grab him; the strongest of warriors faint-mooded stumbled, till he fell in his traces, {the monster sits on him with drawn sword.} 70 foot-going champion. then she sat on the hall-guest and wielded her war-knife wide-bladed, flashing, for her son would take vengeance, her one only bairn. {his armor saves his life.} his breast-armor woven bode on his shoulder; it guarded his life, the entrance defended 75 'gainst sword-point and edges. ecgtheow's son there had fatally journeyed, champion of geatmen, in the arms of the ocean, had the armor not given, close-woven corslet, comfort and succor, {god arranged for his escape.} and had god most holy not awarded the victory, 80 all-knowing lord; easily did heaven's ruler most righteous arrange it with justice;[4] uprose he erect ready for battle. [1] kl. emends 'wæl-sweord.' the half-line would then read, '_the battle-sword splendid_.'--for 'heard-ecg' in next half-verse, see note to 20_39 above. [2] sw., r., and t.b. suggest 'feaxe' for 'eaxle' (1538) and render: _seized by the hair_. [3] if 'hand-léan' be accepted (as the ms. has it), the line will read: _she hand-reward gave him early thereafter_. [4] sw. and s. change h.-so.'s semicolon (v. 1557) to a comma, and translate: _the ruler of heaven arranged it in justice easily, after he arose again_. xxiv. beowulf is double-conqueror. {beowulf grasps a giant-sword,} then he saw mid the war-gems a weapon of victory, an ancient giant-sword, of edges a-doughty, glory of warriors: of weapons 'twas choicest, only 'twas larger than any man else was [54] 5 able to bear to the battle-encounter, the good and splendid work of the giants. he grasped then the sword-hilt, knight of the scyldings, bold and battle-grim, brandished his ring-sword, hopeless of living, hotly he smote her, 10 that the fiend-woman's neck firmly it grappled, {and fells the female monster.} broke through her bone-joints, the bill fully pierced her fate-cursèd body, she fell to the ground then: the hand-sword was bloody, the hero exulted. the brand was brilliant, brightly it glimmered, 15 just as from heaven gemlike shineth the torch of the firmament. he glanced 'long the building, and turned by the wall then, higelac's vassal raging and wrathful raised his battle-sword strong by the handle. the edge was not useless 20 to the hero-in-battle, but he speedily wished to give grendel requital for the many assaults he had worked on the west-danes not once, but often, when he slew in slumber the subjects of hrothgar, swallowed down fifteen sleeping retainers 25 of the folk of the danemen, and fully as many carried away, a horrible prey. he gave him requital, grim-raging champion, {beowulf sees the body of grendel, and cuts off his head.} when he saw on his rest-place weary of conflict grendel lying, of life-joys bereavèd, 30 as the battle at heorot erstwhile had scathed him; his body far bounded, a blow when he suffered, death having seized him, sword-smiting heavy, and he cut off his head then. early this noticed the clever carles who as comrades of hrothgar {the waters are gory.} 35 gazed on the sea-deeps, that the surging wave-currents were mightily mingled, the mere-flood was gory: of the good one the gray-haired together held converse, {beowulf is given up for dead.} the hoary of head, that they hoped not to see again the atheling ever, that exulting in victory 40 he'd return there to visit the distinguished folk-ruler: [55] then many concluded the mere-wolf had killed him.[1] the ninth hour came then. from the ness-edge departed the bold-mooded scyldings; the gold-friend of heroes homeward betook him. the strangers sat down then 45 soul-sick, sorrowful, the sea-waves regarding: they wished and yet weened not their well-loved friend-lord {the giant-sword melts.} to see any more. the sword-blade began then, the blood having touched it, contracting and shriveling with battle-icicles; 'twas a wonderful marvel 50 that it melted entirely, likest to ice when the father unbindeth the bond of the frost and unwindeth the wave-bands, he who wieldeth dominion of times and of tides: a truth-firm creator. nor took he of jewels more in the dwelling, 55 lord of the weders, though they lay all around him, than the head and the handle handsome with jewels; [56] the brand early melted, burnt was the weapon:[2] so hot was the blood, the strange-spirit poisonous {the hero swims back to the realms of day.} that in it did perish. he early swam off then 60 who had bided in combat the carnage of haters, went up through the ocean; the eddies were cleansèd, the spacious expanses, when the spirit from farland his life put aside and this short-lived existence. the seamen's defender came swimming to land then 65 doughty of spirit, rejoiced in his sea-gift, the bulky burden which he bore in his keeping. the excellent vassals advanced then to meet him, to god they were grateful, were glad in their chieftain, that to see him safe and sound was granted them. 70 from the high-minded hero, then, helmet and burnie were speedily loosened: the ocean was putrid, the water 'neath welkin weltered with gore. forth did they fare, then, their footsteps retracing, merry and mirthful, measured the earth-way, 75 the highway familiar: men very daring[3] bare then the head from the sea-cliff, burdening each of the earlmen, excellent-valiant. {it takes four men to carry grendel's head on a spear.} four of them had to carry with labor the head of grendel to the high towering gold-hall 80 upstuck on the spear, till fourteen most-valiant and battle-brave geatmen came there going straight to the palace: the prince of the people measured the mead-ways, their mood-brave companion. the atheling of earlmen entered the building, 85 deed-valiant man, adorned with distinction, doughty shield-warrior, to address king hrothgar: [57] then hung by the hair, the head of grendel was borne to the building, where beer-thanes were drinking, loth before earlmen and eke 'fore the lady: 90 the warriors beheld then a wonderful sight. [1] 'þæs monige gewearð' (1599) and 'hafað þæs geworden' (2027).--in a paper published some years ago in one of the johns hopkins university circulars, i tried to throw upon these two long-doubtful passages some light derived from a study of like passages in alfred's prose.--the impersonal verb 'geweorðan,' with an accus. of the person, and a þæt-clause is used several times with the meaning 'agree.' see orosius (sweet's ed.) 178_7; 204_34; 208_28; 210_15; 280_20. in the two beowulf passages, the þæt-clause is anticipated by 'þæs,' which is clearly a gen. of the thing agreed on. the first passage (v. 1599 (b)-1600) i translate literally: _then many agreed upon this (namely), that the sea-wolf had killed him_. the second passage (v. 2025 (b)-2027): _she is promised ...; to this the friend of the scyldings has agreed, etc_. by emending 'is' instead of 'wæs' (2025), the tenses will be brought into perfect harmony. in v. 1997 ff. this same idiom occurs, and was noticed in b.'s great article on beowulf, which appeared about the time i published my reading of 1599 and 2027. translate 1997 then: _wouldst let the south-danes themselves decide about their struggle with grendel_. here 'súð-dene' is accus. of person, and 'gúðe' is gen. of thing agreed on. with such collateral support as that afforded by b. (p. and b. xii. 97), i have no hesitation in departing from h.-so., my usual guide. the idiom above treated runs through a.-s., old saxon, and other teutonic languages, and should be noticed in the lexicons. [2] 'bróden-mæl' is regarded by most scholars as meaning a damaskeened sword. translate: _the damaskeened sword burned up_. cf. 25_16 and note. [3] 'cyning-balde' (1635) is the much-disputed reading of k. and th. to render this, "_nobly bold_," "_excellently bold_," have been suggested. b. would read 'cyning-holde' (cf. 290), and render: _men well-disposed towards the king carried the head, etc._ 'cynebealde,' says t.b., endorsing gr. xxv. beowulf brings his trophies.--hrothgar's gratitude. {beowulf relates his last exploit.} beowulf spake, offspring of ecgtheow: "lo! we blithely have brought thee, bairn of healfdene, prince of the scyldings, these presents from ocean which thine eye looketh on, for an emblem of glory. 5 i came off alive from this, narrowly 'scaping: in war 'neath the water the work with great pains i performed, and the fight had been finished quite nearly, had god not defended me. i failed in the battle aught to accomplish, aided by hrunting, 10 though that weapon was worthy, but the wielder of earth-folk {god was fighting with me.} gave me willingly to see on the wall a heavy old hand-sword hanging in splendor (he guided most often the lorn and the friendless), that i swung as a weapon. the wards of the house then 15 i killed in the conflict (when occasion was given me). then the battle-sword burned, the brand that was lifted,[1] as the blood-current sprang, hottest of war-sweats; seizing the hilt, from my foes i offbore it; i avenged as i ought to their acts of malignity, 20 the murder of danemen. i then make thee this promise, {heorot is freed from monsters.} thou'lt be able in heorot careless to slumber with thy throng of heroes and the thanes of thy people every and each, of greater and lesser, and thou needest not fear for them from the selfsame direction 25 as thou formerly fearedst, oh, folk-lord of scyldings, [58] end-day for earlmen." to the age-hoary man then, {the famous sword is presented to hrothgar.} the gray-haired chieftain, the gold-fashioned sword-hilt, old-work of giants, was thereupon given; since the fall of the fiends, it fell to the keeping 30 of the wielder of danemen, the wonder-smith's labor, and the bad-mooded being abandoned this world then, opponent of god, victim of murder, and also his mother; it went to the keeping of the best of the world-kings, where waters encircle, 35 who the scot divided in scylding dominion. {hrothgar looks closely at the old sword.} hrothgar discoursed, the hilt he regarded, the ancient heirloom where an old-time contention's beginning was graven: the gurgling currents, the flood slew thereafter the race of the giants, 40 they had proved themselves daring: that people was loth to {it had belonged to a race hateful to god.} the lord everlasting, through lash of the billows the father gave them final requital. so in letters of rune on the clasp of the handle gleaming and golden, 'twas graven exactly, 45 set forth and said, whom that sword had been made for, finest of irons, who first it was wrought for, wreathed at its handle and gleaming with serpents. the wise one then said (silent they all were) {hrothgar praises beowulf.} son of old healfdene: "he may say unrefuted 50 who performs 'mid the folk-men fairness and truth (the hoary old ruler remembers the past), that better by birth is this bairn of the nobles! thy fame is extended through far-away countries, good friend beowulf, o'er all of the races, 55 thou holdest all firmly, hero-like strength with prudence of spirit. i'll prove myself grateful as before we agreed on; thou granted for long shalt become a great comfort to kinsmen and comrades, {heremod's career is again contrasted with beowulf's.} a help unto heroes. heremod became not 60 such to the scyldings, successors of ecgwela; he grew not to please them, but grievous destruction, [59] and diresome death-woes to danemen attracted; he slew in anger his table-companions, trustworthy counsellors, till he turned off lonely 65 from world-joys away, wide-famous ruler: though high-ruling heaven in hero-strength raised him, in might exalted him, o'er men of all nations made him supreme, yet a murderous spirit grew in his bosom: he gave then no ring-gems {a wretched failure of a king, to give no jewels to his retainers.} 70 to the danes after custom; endured he unjoyful standing the straits from strife that was raging, longsome folk-sorrow. learn then from this, lay hold of virtue! though laden with winters, i have sung thee these measures. 'tis a marvel to tell it, {hrothgar moralizes.} 75 how all-ruling god from greatness of spirit giveth wisdom to children of men, manor and earlship: all things he ruleth. he often permitteth the mood-thought of man of the illustrious lineage to lean to possessions, 80 allows him earthly delights at his manor, a high-burg of heroes to hold in his keeping, maketh portions of earth-folk hear him, and a wide-reaching kingdom so that, wisdom failing him, he himself is unable to reckon its boundaries; 85 he liveth in luxury, little debars him, nor sickness nor age, no treachery-sorrow becloudeth his spirit, conflict nowhere, no sword-hate, appeareth, but all of the world doth wend as he wisheth; the worse he knoweth not, 90 till arrant arrogance inward pervading, waxeth and springeth, when the warder is sleeping, the guard of the soul: with sorrows encompassed, too sound is his slumber, the slayer is near him, who with bow and arrow aimeth in malice. [60] [1] or rather, perhaps, '_the inlaid, or damaskeened weapon_.' cf. 24_57 and note. xxvi. hrothgar moralizes.--rest after labor. {a wounded spirit.} "then bruised in his bosom he with bitter-toothed missile is hurt 'neath his helmet: from harmful pollution he is powerless to shield him by the wonderful mandates of the loath-cursèd spirit; what too long he hath holden 5 him seemeth too small, savage he hoardeth, nor boastfully giveth gold-plated rings,[1] the fate of the future flouts and forgetteth since god had erst given him greatness no little, wielder of glory. his end-day anear, 10 it afterward happens that the bodily-dwelling fleetingly fadeth, falls into ruins; another lays hold who doleth the ornaments, the nobleman's jewels, nothing lamenting, heedeth no terror. oh, beowulf dear, 15 best of the heroes, from bale-strife defend thee, and choose thee the better, counsels eternal; {be not over proud: life is fleeting, and its strength soon wasteth away.} beware of arrogance, world-famous champion! but a little-while lasts thy life-vigor's fulness; 'twill after hap early, that illness or sword-edge 20 shall part thee from strength, or the grasp of the fire, or the wave of the current, or clutch of the edges, or flight of the war-spear, or age with its horrors, or thine eyes' bright flashing shall fade into darkness: 'twill happen full early, excellent hero, {hrothgar gives an account of his reign.} 25 that death shall subdue thee. so the danes a half-century i held under heaven, helped them in struggles 'gainst many a race in middle-earth's regions, with ash-wood and edges, that enemies none on earth molested me. lo! offsetting change, now, [61] {sorrow after joy.} 30 came to my manor, grief after joyance, when grendel became my constant visitor, inveterate hater: i from that malice continually travailed with trouble no little. thanks be to god that i gained in my lifetime, 35 to the lord everlasting, to look on the gory head with mine eyes, after long-lasting sorrow! go to the bench now, battle-adornèd joy in the feasting: of jewels in common we'll meet with many when morning appeareth." 40 the geatman was gladsome, ganged he immediately to go to the bench, as the clever one bade him. then again as before were the famous-for-prowess, hall-inhabiters, handsomely banqueted, feasted anew. the night-veil fell then 45 dark o'er the warriors. the courtiers rose then; the gray-haired was anxious to go to his slumbers, the hoary old scylding. hankered the geatman, {beowulf is fagged, and seeks rest.} the champion doughty, greatly, to rest him: an earlman early outward did lead him, 50 fagged from his faring, from far-country springing, who for etiquette's sake all of a liegeman's needs regarded, such as seamen at that time were bounden to feel. the big-hearted rested; the building uptowered, spacious and gilded, 55 the guest within slumbered, till the sable-clad raven blithely foreboded the beacon of heaven. then the bright-shining sun o'er the bottoms came going;[2] the warriors hastened, the heads of the peoples were ready to go again to their peoples, {the geats prepare to leave dane-land.} 60 the high-mooded farer would faraway thenceward look for his vessel. the valiant one bade then,[3] [62] {unferth asks beowulf to accept his sword as a gift. beowulf thanks him.} offspring of ecglaf, off to bear hrunting, to take his weapon, his well-beloved iron; he him thanked for the gift, saying good he accounted 65 the war-friend and mighty, nor chid he with words then the blade of the brand: 'twas a brave-mooded hero. when the warriors were ready, arrayed in their trappings, the atheling dear to the danemen advanced then on to the dais, where the other was sitting, 70 grim-mooded hero, greeted king hrothgar. [1] k. says '_proudly giveth_.'--gr. says, '_and gives no gold-plated rings, in order to incite the recipient to boastfulness_.'--b. suggests 'gyld' for 'gylp,' and renders: _and gives no beaten rings for reward_. [2] if s.'s emendation be accepted, v. 57 will read: _then came the light, going bright after darkness: the warriors, etc_. [3] as the passage stands in h.-so., unferth presents beowulf with the sword hrunting, and b. thanks him for the gift. if, however, the suggestions of grdtvg. and m. be accepted, the passage will read: _then the brave one (_i.e._ beowulf) commanded that hrunting be borne to the son of ecglaf (unferth), bade him take his sword, his dear weapon; he (b.) thanked him (u.) for the loan, etc_. xxvii. sorrow at parting. {beowulf's farewell.} beowulf spake, ecgtheow's offspring: "we men of the water wish to declare now fared from far-lands, we're firmly determined to seek king higelac. here have we fitly 5 been welcomed and feasted, as heart would desire it; good was the greeting. if greater affection i am anywise able ever on earth to gain at thy hands, ruler of heroes, than yet i have done, i shall quickly be ready {i shall be ever ready to aid thee.} 10 for combat and conflict. o'er the course of the waters learn i that neighbors alarm thee with terror, as haters did whilom, i hither will bring thee for help unto heroes henchmen by thousands. {my liegelord will encourage me in aiding thee.} i know as to higelac, the lord of the geatmen, 15 though young in years, he yet will permit me, by words and by works, ward of the people, fully to furnish thee forces and bear thee my lance to relieve thee, if liegemen shall fail thee, and help of my hand-strength; if hrethric be treating, [63] 20 bairn of the king, at the court of the geatmen, he thereat may find him friends in abundance: faraway countries he were better to seek for who trusts in himself." hrothgar discoursed then, making rejoinder: "these words thou hast uttered 25 all-knowing god hath given thy spirit! {o beowulf, thou art wise beyond thy years.} ne'er heard i an earlman thus early in life more clever in speaking: thou'rt cautious of spirit, mighty of muscle, in mouth-answers prudent. i count on the hope that, happen it ever 30 that missile shall rob thee of hrethel's descendant, edge-horrid battle, and illness or weapon deprive thee of prince, of people's protector, {should higelac die, the geats could find no better successor than thou wouldst make.} and life thou yet holdest, the sea-geats will never find a more fitting folk-lord to choose them, 35 gem-ward of heroes, than _thou_ mightest prove thee, if the kingdom of kinsmen thou carest to govern. thy mood-spirit likes me the longer the better, beowulf dear: thou hast brought it to pass that to both these peoples peace shall be common, {thou hast healed the ancient breach between our races.} 40 to geat-folk and danemen, the strife be suspended, the secret assailings they suffered in yore-days; and also that jewels be shared while i govern the wide-stretching kingdom, and that many shall visit others o'er the ocean with excellent gift-gems: 45 the ring-adorned bark shall bring o'er the currents presents and love-gifts. this people i know tow'rd foeman and friend firmly established,[1] after ancient etiquette everywise blameless." then the warden of earlmen gave him still farther, {parting gifts} 50 kinsman of healfdene, a dozen of jewels, bade him safely seek with the presents his well-beloved people, early returning. [64] {hrothgar kisses beowulf, and weeps.} then the noble-born king kissed the distinguished, dear-lovèd liegeman, the dane-prince saluted him, 55 and claspèd his neck; tears from him fell, from the gray-headed man: he two things expected, agèd and reverend, but rather the second, [2]that bold in council they'd meet thereafter. the man was so dear that he failed to suppress the 60 emotions that moved him, but in mood-fetters fastened {the old king is deeply grieved to part with his benefactor.} the long-famous hero longeth in secret deep in his spirit for the dear-beloved man though not a blood-kinsman. beowulf thenceward, gold-splendid warrior, walked o'er the meadows 65 exulting in treasure: the sea-going vessel riding at anchor awaited its owner. as they pressed on their way then, the present of hrothgar {giving liberally is the true proof of kingship.} was frequently referred to: a folk-king indeed that everyway blameless, till age did debar him 70 the joys of his might, which hath many oft injured. [1] for 'geworhte,' the crux of this passage, b. proposes 'geþóhte,' rendering: _i know this people with firm thought every way blameless towards foe and friends_. [2] s. and b. emend so as to negative the verb 'meet.' "why should hrothgar weep if he expects to meet beowulf again?" both these scholars ask. but the weeping is mentioned before the 'expectations': the tears may have been due to many emotions, especially gratitude, struggling for expression. xxviii. the homeward journey.--the two queens. then the band of very valiant retainers came to the current; they were clad all in armor, {the coast-guard again.} in link-woven burnies. the land-warder noticed the return of the earlmen, as he erstwhile had seen them; 5 nowise with insult he greeted the strangers from the naze of the cliff, but rode on to meet them; said the bright-armored visitors[1] vesselward traveled [65] welcome to weders. the wide-bosomed craft then lay on the sand, laden with armor, 10 with horses and jewels, the ring-stemmèd sailer: the mast uptowered o'er the treasure of hrothgar. {beowulf gives the guard a handsome sword.} to the boat-ward a gold-bound brand he presented, that he was afterwards honored on the ale-bench more highly as the heirloom's owner. [2]set he out on his vessel, 15 to drive on the deep, dane-country left he. along by the mast then a sea-garment fluttered, a rope-fastened sail. the sea-boat resounded, the wind o'er the waters the wave-floater nowise kept from its journey; the sea-goer traveled, 20 the foamy-necked floated forth o'er the currents, the well-fashioned vessel o'er the ways of the ocean, {the geats see their own land again.} till they came within sight of the cliffs of the geatmen, the well-known headlands. the wave-goer hastened driven by breezes, stood on the shore. {the port-warden is anxiously looking for them.} 25 prompt at the ocean, the port-ward was ready, who long in the past outlooked in the distance,[3] at water's-edge waiting well-lovèd heroes; he bound to the bank then the broad-bosomed vessel fast in its fetters, lest the force of the waters 30 should be able to injure the ocean-wood winsome. bade he up then take the treasure of princes, plate-gold and fretwork; not far was it thence to go off in search of the giver of jewels: [66] hrethel's son higelac at home there remaineth,[4] 35 himself with his comrades close to the sea-coast. the building was splendid, the king heroic, great in his hall, hygd very young was, {hygd, the noble queen of higelac, lavish of gifts.} fine-mooded, clever, though few were the winters that the daughter of hæreth had dwelt in the borough; 40 but she nowise was cringing nor niggard of presents, of ornaments rare, to the race of the geatmen. {offa's consort, thrytho, is contrasted with hygd.} thrytho nursed anger, excellent[5] folk-queen, hot-burning hatred: no hero whatever 'mong household companions, her husband excepted {she is a terror to all save her husband.} 45 dared to adventure to look at the woman with eyes in the daytime;[6] but he knew that death-chains hand-wreathed were wrought him: early thereafter, when the hand-strife was over, edges were ready, that fierce-raging sword-point had to force a decision, 50 murder-bale show. such no womanly custom for a lady to practise, though lovely her person, that a weaver-of-peace, on pretence of anger a belovèd liegeman of life should deprive. soothly this hindered heming's kinsman; 55 other ale-drinking earlmen asserted that fearful folk-sorrows fewer she wrought them, treacherous doings, since first she was given adorned with gold to the war-hero youthful, for her origin honored, when offa's great palace 60 o'er the fallow flood by her father's instructions she sought on her journey, where she afterwards fully, famed for her virtue, her fate on the king's-seat [67] enjoyed in her lifetime, love did she hold with the ruler of heroes, the best, it is told me, 65 of all of the earthmen that oceans encompass, of earl-kindreds endless; hence offa was famous far and widely, by gifts and by battles, spear-valiant hero; the home of his fathers he governed with wisdom, whence eomær did issue 70 for help unto heroes, heming's kinsman, grandson of garmund, great in encounters. [1] for 'scawan' (1896), 'scaðan' has been proposed. accepting this, we may render: _he said the bright-armored warriors were going to their vessel, welcome, etc_. (cf. 1804.) [2] r. suggests, 'gewát him on naca,' and renders: _the vessel set out, to drive on the sea, the dane-country left_. 'on' bears the alliteration; cf. 'on hafu' (2524). this has some advantages over the h.-so. reading; viz. (1) it adds nothing to the text; (2) it makes 'naca' the subject, and thus brings the passage into keeping with the context, where the poet has exhausted his vocabulary in detailing the actions of the vessel.--b.'s emendation (cf. p. and b. xii. 97) is violent. [3] b. translates: _who for a long time, ready at the coast, had looked out into the distance eagerly for the dear men_. this changes the syntax of 'léofra manna.' [4] for 'wunað' (v. 1924) several eminent critics suggest 'wunade' (=remained). this makes the passage much clearer. [5] why should such a woman be described as an 'excellent' queen? c. suggests 'frécnu' = dangerous, bold. [6] for 'an dæges' various readings have been offered. if 'and-éges' be accepted, the sentence will read: _no hero ... dared look upon her, eye to eye_. if 'án-dæges' be adopted, translate: _dared look upon her the whole day_. xxix. beowulf and higelac. then the brave one departed, his band along with him, {beowulf and his party seek higelac.} seeking the sea-shore, the sea-marches treading, the wide-stretching shores. the world-candle glimmered, the sun from the southward; they proceeded then onward, 5 early arriving where they heard that the troop-lord, ongentheow's slayer, excellent, youthful folk-prince and warrior was distributing jewels, close in his castle. the coming of beowulf was announced in a message quickly to higelac, 10 that the folk-troop's defender forth to the palace the linden-companion alive was advancing, secure from the combat courtward a-going. the building was early inward made ready for the foot-going guests as the good one had ordered. {beowulf sits by his liegelord.} 15 he sat by the man then who had lived through the struggle, kinsman by kinsman, when the king of the people had in lordly language saluted the dear one, {queen hygd receives the heroes.} in words that were formal. the daughter of hæreth coursed through the building, carrying mead-cups:[1] [68] 20 she loved the retainers, tendered the beakers to the high-minded geatmen. higelac 'gan then {higelac is greatly interested in beowulf's adventures.} pleasantly plying his companion with questions in the high-towering palace. a curious interest tormented his spirit, what meaning to see in 25 the sea-geats' adventures: "beowulf worthy, {give an account of thy adventures, beowulf dear.} how throve your journeying, when thou thoughtest suddenly far o'er the salt-streams to seek an encounter, a battle at heorot? hast bettered for hrothgar, the famous folk-leader, his far-published sorrows 30 any at all? in agony-billows {my suspense has been great.} i mused upon torture, distrusted the journey of the belovèd liegeman; i long time did pray thee by no means to seek out the murderous spirit, to suffer the south-danes themselves to decide on[2] 35 grappling with grendel. to god i am thankful to be suffered to see thee safe from thy journey." {beowulf narrates his adventures.} beowulf answered, bairn of old ecgtheow: "'tis hidden by no means, higelac chieftain, from many of men, the meeting so famous, 40 what mournful moments of me and of grendel were passed in the place where he pressing affliction on the victory-scyldings scathefully brought, anguish forever; that all i avengèd, so that any under heaven of the kinsmen of grendel {grendel's kindred have no cause to boast.} 45 needeth not boast of that cry-in-the-morning, who longest liveth of the loth-going kindred,[3] encompassed by moorland. i came in my journey to the royal ring-hall, hrothgar to greet there: {hrothgar received me very cordially.} soon did the famous scion of healfdene, 50 when he understood fully the spirit that led me, assign me a seat with the son of his bosom. [69] the troop was in joyance; mead-glee greater 'neath arch of the ether not ever beheld i {the queen also showed up no little honor.} 'mid hall-building holders. the highly-famed queen, 55 peace-tie of peoples, oft passed through the building, cheered the young troopers; she oft tendered a hero a beautiful ring-band, ere she went to her sitting. {hrothgar's lovely daughter.} oft the daughter of hrothgar in view of the courtiers to the earls at the end the ale-vessel carried, 60 whom freaware i heard then hall-sitters title, when nail-adorned jewels she gave to the heroes: {she is betrothed to ingeld, in order to unite the danes and heathobards.} gold-bedecked, youthful, to the glad son of froda her faith has been plighted; the friend of the scyldings, the guard of the kingdom, hath given his sanction,[4] 65 and counts it a vantage, for a part of the quarrels, a portion of hatred, to pay with the woman. [5]somewhere not rarely, when the ruler has fallen, the life-taking lance relaxeth its fury for a brief breathing-spell, though the bride be charming! [1] 'meodu-scencum' (1981) some would render '_with mead-pourers_.' translate then: _the daughter of hæreth went through the building accompanied by mead-pourers_. [2] see my note to 1599, supra, and b. in p. and b. xii. 97. [3] for 'fenne,' supplied by grdtvg., b. suggests 'fácne' (cf. jul. 350). accepting this, translate: _who longest lives of the hated race, steeped in treachery_. [4] see note to v. 1599 above. [5] this is perhaps the least understood sentence in the poem, almost every word being open to dispute. (1) the 'nó' of our text is an emendation, and is rejected by many scholars. (2) 'seldan' is by some taken as an adv. (= _seldom_), and by others as a noun (= _page_, _companion_). (3) 'léod-hryre,' some render '_fall of the people_'; others, '_fall of the prince_.' (4) 'búgeð,' most scholars regard as the intrans. verb meaning '_bend_,' '_rest_'; but one great scholar has translated it '_shall kill_.' (5) 'hwær,' very recently, has been attacked, 'wære' being suggested. (6) as a corollary to the above, the same critic proposes to drop 'oft' out of the text.--t.b. suggests: oft seldan wære after léodhryre: lýtle hwíle bongár búgeð, þéah séo brýd duge = _often has a treaty been (thus) struck, after a prince had fallen: (but only) a short time is the spear (then) wont to rest, however excellent the bride may be_. xxx. beowulf narrates his adventures to higelac. "it well may discomfit the prince of the heathobards and each of the thanemen of earls that attend him, [70] when he goes to the building escorting the woman, that a noble-born daneman the knights should be feasting: 5 there gleam on his person the leavings of elders hard and ring-bright, heathobards' treasure, while they wielded their arms, till they misled to the battle their own dear lives and belovèd companions. he saith at the banquet who the collar beholdeth, 10 an ancient ash-warrior who earlmen's destruction clearly recalleth (cruel his spirit), sadly beginneth sounding the youthful thane-champion's spirit through the thoughts of his bosom, war-grief to waken, and this word-answer speaketh: {ingeld is stirred up to break the truce.} 15 'art thou able, my friend, to know when thou seest it the brand which thy father bare to the conflict in his latest adventure, 'neath visor of helmet, the dearly-loved iron, where danemen did slay him, and brave-mooded scyldings, on the fall of the heroes, 20 (when vengeance was sleeping) the slaughter-place wielded? e'en now some man of the murderer's progeny exulting in ornaments enters the building, boasts of his blood-shedding, offbeareth the jewel which thou shouldst wholly hold in possession!' 25 so he urgeth and mindeth on every occasion with woe-bringing words, till waxeth the season when the woman's thane for the works of his father, the bill having bitten, blood-gory sleepeth, fated to perish; the other one thenceward 30 'scapeth alive, the land knoweth thoroughly.[1] then the oaths of the earlmen on each side are broken, when rancors unresting are raging in ingeld and his wife-love waxeth less warm after sorrow. so the heathobards' favor not faithful i reckon, 35 their part in the treaty not true to the danemen, their friendship not fast. i further shall tell thee [71] {having made these preliminary statements, i will now tell thee of grendel, the monster.} more about grendel, that thou fully mayst hear, ornament-giver, what afterward came from the hand-rush of heroes. when heaven's bright jewel 40 o'er earthfields had glided, the stranger came raging, the horrible night-fiend, us for to visit, where wholly unharmed the hall we were guarding. {hondscio fell first} to hondscio happened a hopeless contention, death to the doomed one, dead he fell foremost, 45 girded war-champion; to him grendel became then, to the vassal distinguished, a tooth-weaponed murderer, the well-beloved henchman's body all swallowed. not the earlier off empty of hand did the bloody-toothed murderer, mindful of evils, 50 wish to escape from the gold-giver's palace, but sturdy of strength he strove to outdo me, hand-ready grappled. a glove was suspended spacious and wondrous, in art-fetters fastened, which was fashioned entirely by touch of the craftman 55 from the dragon's skin by the devil's devices: he down in its depths would do me unsadly one among many, deed-doer raging, though sinless he saw me; not so could it happen when i in my anger upright did stand. 60 'tis too long to recount how requital i furnished for every evil to the earlmen's destroyer; {i reflected honor upon my people.} 'twas there, my prince, that i proudly distinguished thy land with my labors. he left and retreated, he lived his life a little while longer: 65 yet his right-hand guarded his footstep in heorot, and sad-mooded thence to the sea-bottom fell he, mournful in mind. for the might-rush of battle {king hrothgar lavished gifts upon me.} the friend of the scyldings, with gold that was plated, with ornaments many, much requited me, 70 when daylight had dawned, and down to the banquet we had sat us together. there was chanting and joyance: the age-stricken scylding asked many questions [72] and of old-times related; oft light-ringing harp-strings, joy-telling wood, were touched by the brave one; 75 now he uttered measures, mourning and truthful, then the large-hearted land-king a legend of wonder truthfully told us. now troubled with years {the old king is sad over the loss of his youthful vigor.} the age-hoary warrior afterward began to mourn for the might that marked him in youth-days; 80 his breast within boiled, when burdened with winters much he remembered. from morning till night then we joyed us therein as etiquette suffered, till the second night season came unto earth-folk. then early thereafter, the mother of grendel {grendel's mother.} 85 was ready for vengeance, wretched she journeyed; her son had death ravished, the wrath of the geatmen. the horrible woman avengèd her offspring, and with mighty mainstrength murdered a hero. {æschere falls a prey to her vengeance.} there the spirit of æschere, agèd adviser, 90 was ready to vanish; nor when morn had lightened were they anywise suffered to consume him with fire, folk of the danemen, the death-weakened hero, nor the belovèd liegeman to lay on the pyre; {she suffered not his body to be burned, but ate it.} she the corpse had offcarried in the clutch of the foeman[2] 95 'neath mountain-brook's flood. to hrothgar 'twas saddest of pains that ever had preyed on the chieftain; by the life of thee the land-prince then me[3] besought very sadly, in sea-currents' eddies to display my prowess, to peril my safety, 100 might-deeds accomplish; much did he promise. {i sought the creature in her den,} i found then the famous flood-current's cruel, horrible depth-warder. a while unto us two [73] hand was in common; the currents were seething with gore that was clotted, and grendel's fierce mother's {and hewed her head off.} 105 head i offhacked in the hall at the bottom with huge-reaching sword-edge, hardly i wrested my life from her clutches; not doomed was i then, {jewels were freely bestowed upon me.} but the warden of earlmen afterward gave me jewels in quantity, kinsman of healfdene. [1] for 'lifigende' (2063), a mere conjecture, 'wígende' has been suggested. the line would then read: _escapeth by fighting, knows the land thoroughly_. [2] for 'fæðmum,' gr.'s conjecture, b. proposes 'færunga.' these three half-verses would then read: _she bore off the corpse of her foe suddenly under the mountain-torrent_. [3] the phrase 'þíne lýfe' (2132) was long rendered '_with thy (presupposed) permission_.' the verse would read: _the land-prince then sadly besought me, with thy (presupposed) permission, etc_. xxxi. gift-giving is mutual. "so the belovèd land-prince lived in decorum; i had missed no rewards, no meeds of my prowess, but he gave me jewels, regarding my wishes, healfdene his bairn; i'll bring them to thee, then, {all my gifts i lay at thy feet.} 5 atheling of earlmen, offer them gladly. and still unto thee is all my affection:[1] but few of my folk-kin find i surviving but thee, dear higelac!" bade he in then to carry[2] the boar-image, banner, battle-high helmet, 10 iron-gray armor, the excellent weapon, {this armor i have belonged of yore to heregar.} in song-measures said: "this suit-for-the-battle hrothgar presented me, bade me expressly, wise-mooded atheling, thereafter to tell thee[3] the whole of its history, said king heregar owned it, 15 dane-prince for long: yet he wished not to give then [74] the mail to his son, though dearly he loved him, hereward the hardy. hold all in joyance!" i heard that there followed hard on the jewels two braces of stallions of striking resemblance, 20 dappled and yellow; he granted him usance of horses and treasures. so a kinsman should bear him, no web of treachery weave for another, nor by cunning craftiness cause the destruction {higelac loves his nephew beowulf.} of trusty companion. most precious to higelac, 25 the bold one in battle, was the bairn of his sister, and each unto other mindful of favors. {beowulf gives hygd the necklace that wealhtheow had given him.} i am told that to hygd he proffered the necklace, wonder-gem rare that wealhtheow gave him, the troop-leader's daughter, a trio of horses 30 slender and saddle-bright; soon did the jewel embellish her bosom, when the beer-feast was over. so ecgtheow's bairn brave did prove him, {beowulf is famous.} war-famous man, by deeds that were valiant, he lived in honor, belovèd companions 35 slew not carousing; his mood was not cruel, but by hand-strength hugest of heroes then living the brave one retained the bountiful gift that the lord had allowed him. long was he wretched, so that sons of the geatmen accounted him worthless, 40 and the lord of the liegemen loth was to do him mickle of honor, when mead-cups were passing; they fully believed him idle and sluggish, {he is requited for the slights suffered in earlier days.} an indolent atheling: to the honor-blest man there came requital for the cuts he had suffered. 45 the folk-troop's defender bade fetch to the building the heirloom of hrethel, embellished with gold, {higelac overwhelms the conqueror with gifts.} so the brave one enjoined it; there was jewel no richer in the form of a weapon 'mong geats of that era; in beowulf's keeping he placed it and gave him 50 seven of thousands, manor and lordship. common to both was land 'mong the people, [75] estate and inherited rights and possessions, to the second one specially spacious dominions, to the one who was better. it afterward happened 55 in days that followed, befell the battle-thanes, {after heardred's death, beowulf becomes king.} after higelac's death, and when heardred was murdered with weapons of warfare 'neath well-covered targets, when valiant battlemen in victor-band sought him, war-scylfing heroes harassed the nephew 60 of hereric in battle. to beowulf's keeping turned there in time extensive dominions: {he rules the geats fifty years.} he fittingly ruled them a fifty of winters (he a man-ruler wise was, manor-ward old) till a certain one 'gan, on gloom-darkening nights, a {the fire-drake.} 65 dragon, to govern, who guarded a treasure, a high-rising stone-cliff, on heath that was grayish: a path 'neath it lay, unknown unto mortals. some one of earthmen entered the mountain, the heathenish hoard laid hold of with ardor; 70 *       *       *       *       *       *       * *       *       *       *       *       *       * *       *       *       *       *       *       * *       *       *       *       *       *       * *       *       *       *       *       *       * [1] this verse b. renders, '_now serve i again thee alone as my gracious king_.' [2] for 'eafor' (2153), kl. suggests 'ealdor.' translate then: _bade the prince then to bear in the banner, battle-high helmet, etc_. on the other hand, w. takes 'eaforhéafodsegn' as a compound, meaning 'helmet': _he bade them bear in the helmet, battle-high helm, gray armor, etc_. [3] the h.-so. rendering (ærest = _history, origin_; 'eft' for 'est'), though liable to objection, is perhaps the best offered. 'that i should very early tell thee of his favor, kindness' sounds well; but 'his' is badly placed to limit 'ést.'--perhaps, 'eft' with verbs of saying may have the force of lat. prefix 're,' and the h.-so. reading mean, 'that i should its origin rehearse to thee.' xxxii. the hoard and the dragon. *       *       *       *       *       *       * he sought of himself who sorely did harm him, but, for need very pressing, the servant of one of the sons of the heroes hate-blows evaded, 5 seeking for shelter and the sin-driven warrior took refuge within there. he early looked in it, *       *       *       *       *       *       * *       *       *       *       *       *       * [76] *  *  *  *  *  * when the onset surprised him, {the hoard.} 10 he a gem-vessel saw there: many of suchlike ancient ornaments in the earth-cave were lying, as in days of yore some one of men of illustrious lineage, as a legacy monstrous, there had secreted them, careful and thoughtful, 15 dear-valued jewels. death had offsnatched them, in the days of the past, and the one man moreover of the flower of the folk who fared there the longest, was fain to defer it, friend-mourning warder, a little longer to be left in enjoyment 20 of long-lasting treasure.[1] a barrow all-ready stood on the plain the stream-currents nigh to, new by the ness-edge, unnethe of approaching: the keeper of rings carried within a [2]ponderous deal of the treasure of nobles, 25 of gold that was beaten, briefly he spake then:[3] {the ring-giver bewails the loss of retainers.} "hold thou, o earth, now heroes no more may, the earnings of earlmen. lo! erst in thy bosom worthy men won them; war-death hath ravished, perilous life-bale, all my warriors, 30 liegemen belovèd, who this life have forsaken, who hall-pleasures saw. no sword-bearer have i, and no one to burnish the gold-plated vessel, the high-valued beaker: my heroes are vanished. the hardy helmet behung with gilding 35 shall be reaved of its riches: the ring-cleansers slumber who were charged to have ready visors-for-battle, and the burnie that bided in battle-encounter [77] o'er breaking of war-shields the bite of the edges moulds with the hero. the ring-twisted armor, 40 its lord being lifeless, no longer may journey hanging by heroes; harp-joy is vanished, the rapture of glee-wood, no excellent falcon swoops through the building, no swift-footed charger grindeth the gravel. a grievous destruction 45 no few of the world-folk widely hath scattered!" so, woful of spirit one after all lamented mournfully, moaning in sadness by day and by night, till death with its billows {the fire-dragon} dashed on his spirit. then the ancient dusk-scather 50 found the great treasure standing all open, he who flaming and fiery flies to the barrows, naked war-dragon, nightly escapeth encompassed with fire; men under heaven widely beheld him. 'tis said that he looks for[4] 55 the hoard in the earth, where old he is guarding the heathenish treasure; he'll be nowise the better. {the dragon meets his match.} so three-hundred winters the waster of peoples held upon earth that excellent hoard-hall, till the forementioned earlman angered him bitterly: 60 the beat-plated beaker he bare to his chieftain and fullest remission for all his remissness begged of his liegelord. then the hoard[5] was discovered, the treasure was taken, his petition was granted {the hero plunders the dragon's den} the lorn-mooded liegeman. his lord regarded 65 the old-work of earth-folk--'twas the earliest occasion. when the dragon awoke, the strife was renewed there; he snuffed 'long the stone then, stout-hearted found he [78] the footprint of foeman; too far had he gone with cunning craftiness close to the head of 70 the fire-spewing dragon. so undoomed he may 'scape from anguish and exile with ease who possesseth the favor of heaven. the hoard-warden eagerly searched o'er the ground then, would meet with the person that caused him sorrow while in slumber reclining: 75 gleaming and wild he oft went round the cavern, all of it outward; not any of earthmen was seen in that desert.[6] yet he joyed in the battle, rejoiced in the conflict: oft he turned to the barrow, sought for the gem-cup;[7] this he soon perceived then {the dragon perceives that some one has disturbed his treasure.} 80 that some man or other had discovered the gold, the famous folk-treasure. not fain did the hoard-ward wait until evening; then the ward of the barrow was angry in spirit, the loathèd one wished to pay for the dear-valued drink-cup with fire. 85 then the day was done as the dragon would have it, he no longer would wait on the wall, but departed {the dragon is infuriated.} fire-impelled, flaming. fearful the start was to earls in the land, as it early thereafter to their giver-of-gold was grievously ended. [1] for 'long-gestréona,' b. suggests 'láengestréona,' and renders, _of fleeting treasures_. s. accepts h.'s 'long-gestréona,' but renders, _the treasure long in accumulating_. [2] for 'hard-fyrdne' (2246), b. first suggested 'hard-fyndne,' rendering: _a heap of treasures ... so great that its equal would be hard to find_. the same scholar suggests later 'hord-wynne dæl' = _a deal of treasure-joy_. [3] some read 'fec-word' (2247), and render: _banning words uttered_. [4] an earlier reading of h.'s gave the following meaning to this passage: _he is said to inhabit a mound under the earth, where he, etc._ the translation in the text is more authentic. [5] the repetition of 'hord' in this passage has led some scholars to suggest new readings to avoid the second 'hord.' this, however, is not under the main stress, and, it seems to me, might easily be accepted. [6] the reading of h.-so. is well defended in the notes to that volume. b. emends and renders: _nor was there any man in that desert who rejoiced in conflict, in battle-work._ that is, the hoard-ward could not find any one who had disturbed his slumbers, for no warrior was there, t.b.'s emendation would give substantially the same translation. [7] 'sinc-fæt' (2301): this word both here and in v. 2232, t.b. renders 'treasure.' xxxiii. brave though aged.--reminiscences. {the dragon spits fire.} the stranger began then to vomit forth fire, to burn the great manor; the blaze then glimmered for anguish to earlmen, not anything living [79] was the hateful air-goer willing to leave there. 5 the war of the worm widely was noticed, the feud of the foeman afar and anear, how the enemy injured the earls of the geatmen, harried with hatred: back he hied to the treasure, to the well-hidden cavern ere the coming of daylight. 10 he had circled with fire the folk of those regions, with brand and burning; in the barrow he trusted, in the wall and his war-might: the weening deceived him. {beowulf hears of the havoc wrought by the dragon.} then straight was the horror to beowulf published, early forsooth, that his own native homestead,[1] 15 the best of buildings, was burning and melting, gift-seat of geatmen. 'twas a grief to the spirit of the good-mooded hero, the greatest of sorrows: {he fears that heaven is punishing him for some crime.} the wise one weened then that wielding his kingdom 'gainst the ancient commandments, he had bitterly angered 20 the lord everlasting: with lorn meditations his bosom welled inward, as was nowise his custom. the fire-spewing dragon fully had wasted the fastness of warriors, the water-land outward, the manor with fire. the folk-ruling hero, 25 prince of the weders, was planning to wreak him. the warmen's defender bade them to make him, earlmen's atheling, an excellent war-shield {he orders an iron shield to be made from him, wood is useless.} wholly of iron: fully he knew then that wood from the forest was helpless to aid him, 30 shield against fire. the long-worthy ruler must live the last of his limited earth-days, of life in the world and the worm along with him, though he long had been holding hoard-wealth in plenty. {he determines to fight alone.} then the ring-prince disdained to seek with a war-band, 35 with army extensive, the air-going ranger; he felt no fear of the foeman's assaults and he counted for little the might of the dragon, [80] his power and prowess: for previously dared he {beowulf's early triumphs referred to} a heap of hostility, hazarded dangers, 40 war-thane, when hrothgar's palace he cleansèd, conquering combatant, clutched in the battle the kinsmen of grendel, of kindred detested.[2] {higelac's death recalled.} 'twas of hand-fights not least where higelac was slaughtered, when the king of the geatmen with clashings of battle, 45 friend-lord of folks in frisian dominions, offspring of hrethrel perished through sword-drink, with battle-swords beaten; thence beowulf came then on self-help relying, swam through the waters; he bare on his arm, lone-going, thirty 50 outfits of armor, when the ocean he mounted. the hetwars by no means had need to be boastful of their fighting afoot, who forward to meet him carried their war-shields: not many returned from the brave-mooded battle-knight back to their homesteads. 55 ecgtheow's bairn o'er the bight-courses swam then, lone-goer lorn to his land-folk returning, where hygd to him tendered treasure and kingdom, {heardred's lack of capacity to rule.} rings and dominion: her son she not trusted, to be able to keep the kingdom devised him 60 'gainst alien races, on the death of king higelac. {beowulf's tact and delicacy recalled.} yet the sad ones succeeded not in persuading the atheling in any way ever, to act as a suzerain to heardred, or promise to govern the kingdom; yet with friendly counsel in the folk he sustained him, 65 gracious, with honor, till he grew to be older, {reference is here made to a visit which beowulf receives from eanmund and eadgils, why they come is not known.} wielded the weders. wide-fleeing outlaws, ohthere's sons, sought him o'er the waters: they had stirred a revolt 'gainst the helm of the scylfings, the best of the sea-kings, who in swedish dominions 70 distributed treasure, distinguished folk-leader. [81] 'twas the end of his earth-days; injury fatal[3] by swing of the sword he received as a greeting, offspring of higelac; ongentheow's bairn later departed to visit his homestead, 75 when heardred was dead; let beowulf rule them, govern the geatmen: good was that folk-king. [1] 'hám' (2326), the suggestion of b. is accepted by t.b. and other scholars. [2] for 'láðan cynnes' (2355), t.b. suggests 'láðan cynne,' apposition to 'mægum.' from syntactical and other considerations, this is a most excellent emendation. [3] gr. read 'on feorme' (2386), rendering: _he there at the banquet a fatal wound received by blows of the sword._ xxxiv. beowulf seeks the dragon.--beowulf's reminiscences. he planned requital for the folk-leader's ruin in days thereafter, to eadgils the wretched becoming an enemy. ohthere's son then went with a war-troop o'er the wide-stretching currents 5 with warriors and weapons: with woe-journeys cold he after avenged him, the king's life he took. {beowulf has been preserved through many perils.} so he came off uninjured from all of his battles, perilous fights, offspring of ecgtheow, from his deeds of daring, till that day most momentous 10 when he fate-driven fared to fight with the dragon. {with eleven comrades, he seeks the dragon.} with eleven companions the prince of the geatmen went lowering with fury to look at the fire-drake: inquiring he'd found how the feud had arisen, hate to his heroes; the highly-famed gem-vessel 15 was brought to his keeping through the hand of th' informer. {a guide leads the way, but} that in the throng was thirteenth of heroes, that caused the beginning of conflict so bitter, captive and wretched, must sad-mooded thenceward {very reluctantly.} point out the place: he passed then unwillingly 20 to the spot where he knew of the notable cavern, the cave under earth, not far from the ocean, the anger of eddies, which inward was full of jewels and wires: a warden uncanny, [82] warrior weaponed, wardered the treasure, 25 old under earth; no easy possession for any of earth-folk access to get to. then the battle-brave atheling sat on the naze-edge, while the gold-friend of geatmen gracious saluted his fireside-companions: woe was his spirit, 30 death-boding, wav'ring; weird very near him, who must seize the old hero, his soul-treasure look for, dragging aloof his life from his body: not flesh-hidden long was the folk-leader's spirit. beowulf spake, ecgtheow's son: {beowulf's retrospect.} 35 "i survived in my youth-days many a conflict, hours of onset: that all i remember. i was seven-winters old when the jewel-prince took me, high-lord of heroes, at the hands of my father, hrethel the hero-king had me in keeping, {hrethel took me when i was seven.} 40 gave me treasure and feasting, our kinship remembered; not ever was i _any_ less dear to him {he treated me as a son.} knight in the boroughs, than the bairns of his household, herebald and hæthcyn and higelac mine. to the eldest unjustly by acts of a kinsman 45 was murder-bed strewn, since him hæthcyn from horn-bow {one of the brothers accidentally kills another.} his sheltering chieftain shot with an arrow, erred in his aim and injured his kinsman, one brother the other, with blood-sprinkled spear: {no fee could compound for such a calamity.} 'twas a feeless fight, finished in malice, 50 sad to his spirit; the folk-prince however had to part from existence with vengeance untaken. {[a parallel case is supposed.]} so to hoar-headed hero 'tis heavily crushing[1] [83] to live to see his son as he rideth young on the gallows: then measures he chanteth, 55 a song of sorrow, when his son is hanging for the raven's delight, and aged and hoary he is unable to offer any assistance. every morning his offspring's departure is constant recalled: he cares not to wait for 60 the birth of an heir in his borough-enclosures, since that one through death-pain the deeds hath experienced. he heart-grieved beholds in the house of his son the wine-building wasted, the wind-lodging places reaved of their roaring; the riders are sleeping, 65 the knights in the grave; there's no sound of the harp-wood, joy in the yards, as of yore were familiar. [1] 'gomelum ceorle' (2445).--h. takes these words as referring to hrethel; but the translator here departs from his editor by understanding the poet to refer to a hypothetical old man, introduced as an illustration of a father's sorrow. hrethrel had certainly never seen a son of his ride on the gallows to feed the crows. the passage beginning 'swá bið géomorlic' seems to be an effort to reach a full simile, 'as ... so.' 'as it is mournful for an old man, etc. ... so the defence of the weders (2463) bore heart-sorrow, etc.' the verses 2451 to 2463-1/2 would be parenthetical, the poet's feelings being so strong as to interrupt the simile. the punctuation of the fourth edition would be better--a comma after 'galgan' (2447). the translation may be indicated as follows: _(just) as it is sad for an old man to see his son ride young on the gallows when he himself is uttering mournful measures, a sorrowful song, while his son hangs for a comfort to the raven, and he, old and infirm, cannot render him any kelp--(he is constantly reminded, etc., 2451-2463)--so the defence of the weders, etc._ xxxv. reminiscences (_continued_).--beowulf's last battle. "he seeks then his chamber, singeth a woe-song one for the other; all too extensive seemed homesteads and plains. so the helm of the weders {hrethel grieves for herebald.} mindful of herebald heart-sorrow carried, 5 stirred with emotion, nowise was able to wreak his ruin on the ruthless destroyer: he was unable to follow the warrior with hatred, with deeds that were direful, though dear he not held him. [84] then pressed by the pang this pain occasioned him, 10 he gave up glee, god-light elected; he left to his sons, as the man that is rich does, his land and fortress, when from life he departed. {strife between swedes and geats.} then was crime and hostility 'twixt swedes and geatmen, o'er wide-stretching water warring was mutual, 15 burdensome hatred, when hrethel had perished, and ongentheow's offspring were active and valiant, wished not to hold to peace oversea, but round hreosna-beorh often accomplished cruelest massacre. this my kinsman avengèd, 20 the feud and fury, as 'tis found on inquiry, though one of them paid it with forfeit of life-joys, {hæthcyn's fall at ravenswood.} with price that was hard: the struggle became then fatal to hæthcyn, lord of the geatmen. then i heard that at morning one brother the other 25 with edges of irons egged on to murder, where ongentheow maketh onset on eofor: the helmet crashed, the hoary-haired scylfing sword-smitten fell, his hand then remembered feud-hate sufficient, refused not the death-blow. {i requited him for the jewels he gave me.} 30 the gems that he gave me, with jewel-bright sword i 'quited in contest, as occasion was offered: land he allowed me, life-joy at homestead, manor to live on. little he needed from gepids or danes or in sweden to look for 35 trooper less true, with treasure to buy him; 'mong foot-soldiers ever in front i would hie me, alone in the vanguard, and evermore gladly warfare shall wage, while this weapon endureth that late and early often did serve me {beowulf refers to his having slain dæghrefn.} 40 when i proved before heroes the slayer of dæghrefn, knight of the hugmen: he by no means was suffered to the king of the frisians to carry the jewels, the breast-decoration; but the banner-possessor bowed in the battle, brave-mooded atheling. [85] 45 no weapon was slayer, but war-grapple broke then the surge of his spirit, his body destroying. now shall weapon's edge make war for the treasure, and hand and firm-sword." beowulf spake then, boast-words uttered--the latest occasion: {he boasts of his youthful prowess, and declares himself still fearless.} 50 "i braved in my youth-days battles unnumbered; still am i willing the struggle to look for, fame-deeds perform, folk-warden prudent, if the hateful despoiler forth from his cavern seeketh me out!" each of the heroes, 55 helm-bearers sturdy, he thereupon greeted {his last salutations.} belovèd co-liegemen--his last salutation: "no brand would i bear, no blade for the dragon, wist i a way my word-boast to 'complish[1] else with the monster, as with grendel i did it; 60 but fire in the battle hot i expect there, furious flame-burning: so i fixed on my body target and war-mail. the ward of the barrow[2] i'll not flee from a foot-length, the foeman uncanny. at the wall 'twill befall us as fate decreeth, {let fate decide between us.} 65 each one's creator. i am eager in spirit, with the wingèd war-hero to away with all boasting. bide on the barrow with burnies protected, {wait ye here till the battle is over.} earls in armor, which of _us_ two may better bear his disaster, when the battle is over. 70 'tis no matter of yours, and man cannot do it, but me and me only, to measure his strength with the monster of malice, might-deeds to 'complish. i with prowess shall gain the gold, or the battle, [86] direful death-woe will drag off your ruler!" 75 the mighty champion rose by his shield then, brave under helmet, in battle-mail went he 'neath steep-rising stone-cliffs, the strength he relied on of one man alone: no work for a coward. then he saw by the wall who a great many battles 80 had lived through, most worthy, when foot-troops collided, {the place of strife is described.} stone-arches standing, stout-hearted champion, saw a brook from the barrow bubbling out thenceward: the flood of the fountain was fuming with war-flame: not nigh to the hoard, for season the briefest 85 could he brave, without burning, the abyss that was yawning, the drake was so fiery. the prince of the weders caused then that words came from his bosom, so fierce was his fury; the firm-hearted shouted: his battle-clear voice came in resounding 90 'neath the gray-colored stone. stirred was his hatred, {beowulf calls out under the stone arches.} the hoard-ward distinguished the speech of a man; time was no longer to look out for friendship. the breath of the monster issued forth first, vapory war-sweat, out of the stone-cave: {the terrible encounter.} 95 the earth re-echoed. the earl 'neath the barrow lifted his shield, lord of the geatmen, tow'rd the terrible stranger: the ring-twisted creature's heart was then ready to seek for a struggle. {beowulf brandishes his sword,} the excellent battle-king first brandished his weapon, 100 the ancient heirloom, of edges unblunted,[3] to the death-planners twain was terror from other. {and stands against his shield.} the lord of the troopers intrepidly stood then 'gainst his high-rising shield, when the dragon coiled him {the dragon coils himself.} quickly together: in corslet he bided. [87] 105 he went then in blazes, bended and striding, hasting him forward. his life and body the targe well protected, for time-period shorter than wish demanded for the well-renowned leader, where he then for the first day was forced to be victor, 110 famous in battle, as fate had not willed it. the lord of the geatmen uplifted his hand then, smiting the fire-drake with sword that was precious, that bright on the bone the blade-edge did weaken, bit more feebly than his folk-leader needed, 115 burdened with bale-griefs. then the barrow-protector, {the dragon rages} when the sword-blow had fallen, was fierce in his spirit, flinging his fires, flamings of battle gleamed then afar: the gold-friend of weders {beowulf's sword fails him.} boasted no conquests, his battle-sword failed him 120 naked in conflict, as by no means it ought to, long-trusty weapon. 'twas no slight undertaking that ecgtheow's famous offspring would leave the drake-cavern's bottom; he must live in some region other than this, by the will of the dragon, 125 as each one of earthmen existence must forfeit. 'twas early thereafter the excellent warriors {the combat is renewed.} met with each other. anew and afresh the hoard-ward took heart (gasps heaved then his bosom): {the great hero is reduced to extremities.} sorrow he suffered encircled with fire 130 who the people erst governed. his companions by no means were banded about him, bairns of the princes, {his comrades flee!} with valorous spirit, but they sped to the forest, seeking for safety. the soul-deeps of one were {blood is thicker than water.} ruffled by care: kin-love can never 135 aught in him waver who well doth consider. [88] [1] the clause 2520(2)-2522(1), rendered by 'wist i ... monster,' gr., followed by s., translates substantially as follows: _if i knew how else i might combat the boastful defiance of the monster_.--the translation turns upon 'wiðgrípan,' a word not understood. [2] b. emends and translates: _i will not flee the space of a foot from the guard of the barrow, but there shall be to us a fight at the wall, as fate decrees, each one's creator._ [3] the translation of this passage is based on 'unsláw' (2565), accepted by h.-so., in lieu of the long-standing 'ungléaw.' the former is taken as an adj. limiting 'sweord'; the latter as an adj. c. 'gúð-cyning': _the good war-king, rash with edges, brandished his sword, his old relic._ the latter gives a more rhetorical anglo-saxon (poetical) sentence. xxxvi. wiglaf the trusty.--beowulf is deserted by friends and by sword. {wiglaf remains true--the ideal teutonic liegeman.} the son of weohstan was wiglaf entitled, shield-warrior precious, prince of the scylfings, ælfhere's kinsman: he saw his dear liegelord enduring the heat 'neath helmet and visor. 5 then he minded the holding that erst he had given him, {wiglaf recalls beowulf's generosity.} the wægmunding warriors' wealth-blessèd homestead, each of the folk-rights his father had wielded; he was hot for the battle, his hand seized the target, the yellow-bark shield, he unsheathed his old weapon, 10 which was known among earthmen as the relic of eanmund, ohthere's offspring, whom, exiled and friendless, weohstan did slay with sword-edge in battle, and carried his kinsman the clear-shining helmet, the ring-made burnie, the old giant-weapon 15 that onela gave him, his boon-fellow's armor, ready war-trappings: he the feud did not mention, though he'd fatally smitten the son of his brother. many a half-year held he the treasures, the bill and the burnie, till his bairn became able, 20 like his father before him, fame-deeds to 'complish; then he gave him 'mong geatmen a goodly array of weeds for his warfare; he went from life then old on his journey. 'twas the earliest time then {this is wiglaf's first battle as liegeman of beowulf.} that the youthful champion might charge in the battle 25 aiding his liegelord; his spirit was dauntless. nor did kinsman's bequest quail at the battle: this the dragon discovered on their coming together. wiglaf uttered many a right-saying, said to his fellows, sad was his spirit: {wiglaf appeals to the pride of the cowards.} 30 "i remember the time when, tasting the mead-cup, we promised in the hall the lord of us all [89] who gave us these ring-treasures, that this battle-equipment, swords and helmets, we'd certainly quite him, should need of such aid ever befall him: {how we have forfeited our liegelord's confidence!} 35 in the war-band he chose us for this journey spontaneously, stirred us to glory and gave me these jewels, since he held and esteemed us trust-worthy spearmen, hardy helm-bearers, though this hero-achievement our lord intended alone to accomplish, 40 ward of his people, for most of achievements, doings audacious, he did among earth-folk. {our lord is in sore need of us.} the day is now come when the ruler of earthmen needeth the vigor of valiant heroes: let us wend us towards him, the war-prince to succor, 45 while the heat yet rageth, horrible fire-fight. {i would rather die than go home with out my suzerain.} god wot in me, 'tis mickle the liefer the blaze should embrace my body and eat it with my treasure-bestower. meseemeth not proper to bear our battle-shields back to our country, 50 'less first we are able to fell and destroy the long-hating foeman, to defend the life of {surely he does not deserve to die alone.} the prince of the weders. well do i know 'tisn't earned by his exploits, he only of geatmen sorrow should suffer, sink in the battle: 55 brand and helmet to us both shall be common, [1]shield-cover, burnie." through the bale-smoke he stalked then, went under helmet to the help of his chieftain, {wiglaf reminds beowulf of his youthful boasts.} briefly discoursing: "beowulf dear, perform thou all fully, as thou formerly saidst, 60 in thy youthful years, that while yet thou livedst [90] thou wouldst let thine honor not ever be lessened. thy life thou shalt save, mighty in actions, atheling undaunted, with all of thy vigor; {the monster advances on them.} i'll give thee assistance." the dragon came raging, 65 wild-mooded stranger, when these words had been uttered ('twas the second occasion), seeking his enemies, men that were hated, with hot-gleaming fire-waves; with blaze-billows burned the board to its edges: the fight-armor failed then to furnish assistance 70 to the youthful spear-hero: but the young-agèd stripling quickly advanced 'neath his kinsman's war-target, since his own had been ground in the grip of the fire. {beowulf strikes at the dragon.} then the warrior-king was careful of glory, he soundly smote with sword-for-the-battle, 75 that it stood in the head by hatred driven; nægling was shivered, the old and iron-made {his sword fails him.} brand of beowulf in battle deceived him. 'twas denied him that edges of irons were able to help in the battle; the hand was too mighty 80 [2]which every weapon, as i heard on inquiry, outstruck in its stroke, when to struggle he carried the wonderful war-sword: it waxed him no better. {the dragon advances on beowulf again.} then the people-despoiler--third of his onsets- fierce-raging fire-drake, of feud-hate was mindful, 85 charged on the strong one, when chance was afforded, heated and war-grim, seized on his neck with teeth that were bitter; he bloody did wax with soul-gore seething; sword-blood in waves boiled. [1] the passage '_brand ... burnie_,' is much disputed. in the first place, some eminent critics assume a gap of at least two half-verses.--'úrum' (2660), being a peculiar form, has been much discussed. 'byrdu-scrúd' is also a crux. b. suggests 'býwdu-scrúd' = _splendid vestments_. nor is 'bám' accepted by all, 'béon' being suggested. whatever the individual words, the passage must mean, "_i intend to share with him my equipments of defence_." [2] b. would render: _which, as i heard, excelled in stroke every sword that he carried to the strife, even the strongest (sword)._ for 'þonne' he reads 'þone,' rel. pr. [91] xxxvii. the fatal struggle.--beowulf's last moments. {wiglaf defends beowulf.} then i heard that at need of the king of the people the upstanding earlman exhibited prowess, vigor and courage, as suited his nature; [1]he his head did not guard, but the high-minded liegeman's 5 hand was consumed, when he succored his kinsman, so he struck the strife-bringing strange-comer lower, earl-thane in armor, that _in_ went the weapon gleaming and plated, that 'gan then the fire[2] {beowulf draws his knife,} later to lessen. the liegelord himself then 10 retained his consciousness, brandished his war-knife, battle-sharp, bitter, that he bare on his armor: {and cuts the dragon.} the weder-lord cut the worm in the middle. they had felled the enemy (life drove out then[3] puissant prowess), the pair had destroyed him, 15 land-chiefs related: so a liegeman should prove him, a thaneman when needed. to the prince 'twas the last of his era of conquest by his own great achievements, [92] {beowulf's wound swells and burns.} the latest of world-deeds. the wound then began which the earth-dwelling dragon erstwhile had wrought him 20 to burn and to swell. he soon then discovered that bitterest bale-woe in his bosom was raging, poison within. the atheling advanced then, {he sits down exhausted.} that along by the wall, he prudent of spirit might sit on a settle; he saw the giant-work, 25 how arches of stone strengthened with pillars the earth-hall eternal inward supported. then the long-worthy liegeman laved with his hand the {wiglaf bathes his lord's head.} far-famous chieftain, gory from sword-edge, refreshing the face of his friend-lord and ruler, 30 sated with battle, unbinding his helmet. beowulf answered, of his injury spake he, his wound that was fatal (he was fully aware he had lived his allotted life-days enjoying the pleasures of earth; then past was entirely 35 his measure of days, death very near): {beowulf regrets that he has no son.} "my son i would give now my battle-equipments, had any of heirs been after me granted, along of my body. this people i governed fifty of winters: no king 'mong my neighbors 40 dared to encounter me with comrades-in-battle, try me with terror. the time to me ordered i bided at home, mine own kept fitly, sought me no snares, swore me not many {i can rejoice in a well-spent life.} oaths in injustice. joy over all this 45 i'm able to have, though ill with my death-wounds; hence the ruler of earthmen need not charge me with the killing of kinsmen, when cometh my life out forth from my body. fare thou with haste now {bring me the hoard, wiglaf, that my dying eyes may be refreshed by a sight of it.} to behold the hoard 'neath the hoar-grayish stone, 50 well-lovèd wiglaf, now the worm is a-lying, sore-wounded sleepeth, disseized of his treasure. go thou in haste that treasures of old i, gold-wealth may gaze on, together see lying [93] the ether-bright jewels, be easier able, 55 having the heap of hoard-gems, to yield my life and the land-folk whom long i have governed." [1] b. renders: _he_ (_w_.) did not regard his (_the dragon's_) _head_ (since beowulf had struck it without effect), _but struck the dragon a little lower down.--_one crux is to find out _whose head_ is meant; another is to bring out the antithesis between 'head' and 'hand.' [2] 'þæt þæt fýr' (2702), s. emends to 'þá þæt fýr' = _when the fire began to grow less intense afterward_. this emendation relieves the passage of a plethora of conjunctive _þæt_'s. [3] for 'gefyldan' (2707), s. proposes 'gefylde.' the passage would read: _he felled the foe (life drove out strength), and they then both had destroyed him, chieftains related_. this gives beowulf the credit of having felled the dragon; then they combine to annihilate him.--for 'ellen' (2707), kl. suggests 'e(a)llne.'--the reading '_life drove out strength_' is very unsatisfactory and very peculiar. i would suggest as follows: adopt s.'s emendation, remove h.'s parenthesis, read 'ferh-ellen wræc,' and translate: _he felled the foe, drove out his life-strength_ (that is, made him _hors de combat_), _and then they both, etc_. xxxviii. wiglaf plunders the dragon's den.--beowulf's death. {wiglaf fulfils his lord's behest.} then heard i that wihstan's son very quickly, these words being uttered, heeded his liegelord wounded and war-sick, went in his armor, his well-woven ring-mail, 'neath the roof of the barrow. 5 then the trusty retainer treasure-gems many {the dragon's den.} victorious saw, when the seat he came near to, gold-treasure sparkling spread on the bottom, wonder on the wall, and the worm-creature's cavern, the ancient dawn-flier's, vessels a-standing, 10 cups of the ancients of cleansers bereavèd, robbed of their ornaments: there were helmets in numbers, old and rust-eaten, arm-bracelets many, artfully woven. wealth can easily, gold on the sea-bottom, turn into vanity[1] 15 each one of earthmen, arm him who pleaseth! and he saw there lying an all-golden banner high o'er the hoard, of hand-wonders greatest, linkèd with lacets: a light from it sparkled, that the floor of the cavern he was able to look on, {the dragon is not there.} 20 to examine the jewels. sight of the dragon [94] not any was offered, but edge offcarried him. {wiglaf bears the hoard away.} then i heard that the hero the hoard-treasure plundered, the giant-work ancient reaved in the cavern, bare on his bosom the beakers and platters, 25 as himself would fain have it, and took off the standard, the brightest of beacons;[2] the bill had erst injured (its edge was of iron), the old-ruler's weapon, him who long had watched as ward of the jewels, who fire-terror carried hot for the treasure, 30 rolling in battle, in middlemost darkness, till murdered he perished. the messenger hastened, not loth to return, hurried by jewels: curiosity urged him if, excellent-mooded, alive he should find the lord of the weders 35 mortally wounded, at the place where he left him. 'mid the jewels he found then the famous old chieftain, his liegelord belovèd, at his life's-end gory: he thereupon 'gan to lave him with water, till the point of his word piercèd his breast-hoard. 40 beowulf spake (the gold-gems he noticed), {beowulf is rejoiced to see the jewels.} the old one in sorrow: "for the jewels i look on thanks do i utter for all to the ruler, wielder of worship, with words of devotion, the lord everlasting, that he let me such treasures 45 gain for my people ere death overtook me. since i've bartered the agèd life to me granted for treasure of jewels, attend ye henceforward {he desires to be held in memory by his people.} the wants of the war-thanes; i can wait here no longer. the battle-famed bid ye to build them a grave-hill, 50 bright when i'm burned, at the brim-current's limit; as a memory-mark to the men i have governed, [95] aloft it shall tower on whale's-ness uprising, that earls of the ocean hereafter may call it beowulf's barrow, those who barks ever-dashing 55 from a distance shall drive o'er the darkness of waters." {the hero's last gift} the bold-mooded troop-lord took from his neck then the ring that was golden, gave to his liegeman, the youthful war-hero, his gold-flashing helmet, his collar and war-mail, bade him well to enjoy them: {and last words.} 60 "thou art latest left of the line of our kindred, of wægmunding people: weird hath offcarried all of my kinsmen to the creator's glory, earls in their vigor: i shall after them fare." 'twas the aged liegelord's last-spoken word in 65 his musings of spirit, ere he mounted the fire, the battle-waves burning: from his bosom departed his soul to seek the sainted ones' glory. [1] the word 'oferhígian' (2767) being vague and little understood, two quite distinct translations of this passage have arisen. one takes 'oferhígian' as meaning 'to exceed,' and, inserting 'hord' after 'gehwone,' renders: _the treasure may easily, the gold in the ground, exceed in value every hoard of man, hide it who will._ the other takes 'oferhígian' as meaning 'to render arrogant,' and, giving the sentence a moralizing tone, renders substantially as in the body of this work. (cf. 28_13 et seq.) [2] the passage beginning here is very much disputed. 'the bill of the old lord' is by some regarded as beowulf's sword; by others, as that of the ancient possessor of the hoard. 'ær gescód' (2778), translated in this work as verb and adverb, is by some regarded as a compound participial adj. = _sheathed in brass_. xxxix. the dead foes.--wiglaf's bitter taunts. {wiglaf is sorely grieved to see his lord look so un-warlike.} it had wofully chanced then the youthful retainer to behold on earth the most ardent-belovèd at his life-days' limit, lying there helpless. the slayer too lay there, of life all bereavèd, 5 horrible earth-drake, harassed with sorrow: {the dragon has plundered his last hoard.} the round-twisted monster was permitted no longer to govern the ring-hoards, but edges of war-swords mightily seized him, battle-sharp, sturdy leavings of hammers, that still from his wounds 10 the flier-from-farland fell to the earth hard by his hoard-house, hopped he at midnight not e'er through the air, nor exulting in jewels suffered them to see him: but he sank then to earthward through the hero-chief's handwork. i heard sure it throve then [96] {few warriors dared to face the monster.} 15 but few in the land of liegemen of valor, though of every achievement bold he had proved him, to run 'gainst the breath of the venomous scather, or the hall of the treasure to trouble with hand-blows, if he watching had found the ward of the hoard-hall 20 on the barrow abiding. beowulf's part of the treasure of jewels was paid for with death; each of the twain had attained to the end of life so unlasting. not long was the time till {the cowardly thanes come out of the thicket.} the tardy-at-battle returned from the thicket, 25 the timid truce-breakers ten all together, who durst not before play with the lances in the prince of the people's pressing emergency; {they are ashamed of their desertion.} but blushing with shame, with shields they betook them, with arms and armor where the old one was lying: 30 they gazed upon wiglaf. he was sitting exhausted, foot-going fighter, not far from the shoulders of the lord of the people, would rouse him with water; no whit did it help him; though he hoped for it keenly, he was able on earth not at all in the leader 35 life to retain, and nowise to alter the will of the wielder; the world-ruler's power[1] would govern the actions of each one of heroes, {wiglaf is ready to excoriate them.} as yet he is doing. from the young one forthwith then could grim-worded greeting be got for him quickly 40 whose courage had failed him. wiglaf discoursed then, weohstan his son, sad-mooded hero, {he begins to taunt them.} looked on the hated: "he who soothness will utter can say that the liegelord who gave you the jewels, the ornament-armor wherein ye are standing, 45 when on ale-bench often he offered to hall-men helmet and burnie, the prince to his liegemen, as best upon earth he was able to find him,-[97] {surely our lord wasted his armor on poltroons.} that he wildly wasted his war-gear undoubtedly when battle o'ertook him.[2] the troop-king no need had 50 to glory in comrades; yet god permitted him, {he, however, got along without you} victory-wielder, with weapon unaided himself to avenge, when vigor was needed. i life-protection but little was able to give him in battle, and i 'gan, notwithstanding, {with some aid, i could have saved our liegelord} 55 helping my kinsman (my strength overtaxing): he waxed the weaker when with weapon i smote on my mortal opponent, the fire less strongly flamed from his bosom. too few of protectors came round the king at the critical moment. {gift-giving is over with your people: the ring-lord is dead.} 60 now must ornament-taking and weapon-bestowing, home-joyance all, cease for your kindred, food for the people; each of your warriors must needs be bereavèd of rights that he holdeth in landed possessions, when faraway nobles 65 shall learn of your leaving your lord so basely, {what is life without honor?} the dastardly deed. death is more pleasant to every earlman than infamous life is!" [1] for 'dædum rædan' (2859) b. suggests 'déað árædan,' and renders: _the might (or judgment) of god would determine death for every man, as he still does._ [2] some critics, h. himself in earlier editions, put the clause, 'when ... him' (a.-s. 'þá ... beget') with the following sentence; that is, they make it dependent upon 'þorfte' (2875) instead of upon 'forwurpe' (2873). xl. the messenger of death. {wiglaf sends the news of beowulf's death to liegemen near by.} then he charged that the battle be announced at the hedge up o'er the cliff-edge, where the earl-troopers bided the whole of the morning, mood-wretched sat them, bearers of battle-shields, both things expecting, 5 the end of his lifetime and the coming again of the liegelord belovèd. little reserved he of news that was known, who the ness-cliff did travel, but he truly discoursed to all that could hear him: [98] {the messenger speaks.} "now the free-giving friend-lord of the folk of the weders, 10 the folk-prince of geatmen, is fast in his death-bed, by the deeds of the dragon in death-bed abideth; along with him lieth his life-taking foeman slain with knife-wounds: he was wholly unable to injure at all the ill-planning monster {wiglaf sits by our dead lord.} 15 with bite of his sword-edge. wiglaf is sitting, offspring of wihstan, up over beowulf, earl o'er another whose end-day hath reached him, head-watch holdeth o'er heroes unliving,[1] {our lord's death will lead to attacks from our old foes.} for friend and for foeman. the folk now expecteth 20 a season of strife when the death of the folk-king to frankmen and frisians in far-lands is published. the war-hatred waxed warm 'gainst the hugmen, {higelac's death recalled.} when higelac came with an army of vessels faring to friesland, where the frankmen in battle 25 humbled him and bravely with overmight 'complished that the mail-clad warrior must sink in the battle, fell 'mid his folk-troop: no fret-gems presented the atheling to earlmen; aye was denied us merewing's mercy. the men of the swedelands 30 for truce or for truth trust i but little; but widely 'twas known that near ravenswood ongentheow {hæthcyn's fall referred to.} sundered hæthcyn the hrethling from life-joys, when for pride overweening the war-scylfings first did seek the geatmen with savage intentions. 35 early did ohthere's age-laden father, old and terrible, give blow in requital, killing the sea-king, the queen-mother rescued, the old one his consort deprived of her gold, onela's mother and ohthere's also, [99] 40 and then followed the feud-nursing foemen till hardly, reaved of their ruler, they ravenswood entered. then with vast-numbered forces he assaulted the remnant, weary with wounds, woe often promised the livelong night to the sad-hearted war-troop: 45 said he at morning would kill them with edges of weapons, some on the gallows for glee to the fowls. aid came after to the anxious-in-spirit at dawn of the day, after higelac's bugle and trumpet-sound heard they, when the good one proceeded 50 and faring followed the flower of the troopers. [1] 'hige-méðum' (2910) is glossed by h. as dat. plu. (= for the dead). s. proposes 'hige-méðe,' nom. sing. limiting wigláf; i.e. _w., mood-weary, holds head-watch o'er friend and foe_.--b. suggests taking the word as dat. inst. plu. of an abstract noun in -'u.' the translation would be substantially the same as s.'s. xli. the messenger's retrospect. {the messenger continues, and refers to the feuds of swedes and geats.} "the blood-stainèd trace of swedes and geatmen, the death-rush of warmen, widely was noticed, how the folks with each other feud did awaken. the worthy one went then[1] with well-beloved comrades, 5 old and dejected to go to the fastness, ongentheo earl upward then turned him; of higelac's battle he'd heard on inquiry, the exultant one's prowess, despaired of resistance, with earls of the ocean to be able to struggle, 10 'gainst sea-going sailors to save the hoard-treasure, his wife and his children; he fled after thenceward old 'neath the earth-wall. then was offered pursuance to the braves of the swedemen, the banner[2] to higelac. [100] they fared then forth o'er the field-of-protection, 15 when the hrethling heroes hedgeward had thronged them. then with edges of irons was ongentheow driven, the gray-haired to tarry, that the troop-ruler had to suffer the power solely of eofor: {wulf wounds ongentheow.} wulf then wildly with weapon assaulted him, 20 wonred his son, that for swinge of the edges the blood from his body burst out in currents, forth 'neath his hair. he feared not however, gray-headed scylfing, but speedily quited {ongentheow gives a stout blow in return.} the wasting wound-stroke with worse exchange, 25 when the king of the thane-troop thither did turn him: the wise-mooded son of wonred was powerless to give a return-blow to the age-hoary man, but his head-shielding helmet first hewed he to pieces, that flecked with gore perforce he did totter, 30 fell to the earth; not fey was he yet then, but up did he spring though an edge-wound had reached him. {eofor smites ongentheow fiercely.} then higelac's vassal, valiant and dauntless, when his brother lay dead, made his broad-bladed weapon, giant-sword ancient, defence of the giants, 35 bound o'er the shield-wall; the folk-prince succumbed then, {ongentheow is slain.} shepherd of people, was pierced to the vitals. there were many attendants who bound up his kinsman, carried him quickly when occasion was granted that the place of the slain they were suffered to manage. 40 this pending, one hero plundered the other, his armor of iron from ongentheow ravished, his hard-sword hilted and helmet together; {eofor takes the old king's war-gear to higelac.} the old one's equipments he carried to higelac. he the jewels received, and rewards 'mid the troopers 45 graciously promised, and so did accomplish: the king of the weders requited the war-rush, hrethel's descendant, when home he repaired him, {higelac rewards the brothers.} to eofor and wulf with wide-lavished treasures, to each of them granted a hundred of thousands [101] 50 in land and rings wrought out of wire: {his gifts were beyond cavil.} none upon mid-earth needed to twit him[3] with the gifts he gave them, when glory they conquered; {to eofor he also gives his only daughter in marriage.} and to eofor then gave he his one only daughter, the honor of home, as an earnest of favor. 55 that's the feud and hatred--as ween i 'twill happen- the anger of earthmen, that earls of the swedemen will visit on us, when they hear that our leader lifeless is lying, he who longtime protected his hoard and kingdom 'gainst hating assailers, 60 who on the fall of the heroes defended of yore the deed-mighty scyldings,[4] did for the troopers what best did avail them, and further moreover {it is time for us to pay the last marks of respect to our lord.} hero-deeds 'complished. now is haste most fitting, that the lord of liegemen we look upon yonder, 65 and _that_ one carry on journey to death-pyre who ring-presents gave us. not aught of it all shall melt with the brave one--there's a mass of bright jewels, gold beyond measure, grewsomely purchased and ending it all ornament-rings too 70 bought with his life; these fire shall devour, flame shall cover, no earlman shall wear a jewel-memento, nor beautiful virgin have on her neck rings to adorn her, but wretched in spirit bereavèd of gold-gems 75 she shall oft with others be exiled and banished, since the leader of liegemen hath laughter forsaken, [102] mirth and merriment. hence many a war-spear cold from the morning shall be clutched in the fingers, heaved in the hand, no harp-music's sound shall 80 waken the warriors, but the wan-coated raven fain over fey ones freely shall gabble, shall say to the eagle how he sped in the eating, when, the wolf his companion, he plundered the slain." so the high-minded hero was rehearsing these stories 85 loathsome to hear; he lied as to few of {the warriors go sadly to look at beowulf's lifeless body.} weirds and of words. all the war-troop arose then, 'neath the eagle's cape sadly betook them, weeping and woful, the wonder to look at. they saw on the sand then soulless a-lying, 90 his slaughter-bed holding, him who rings had given them in days that were done; then the death-bringing moment was come to the good one, that the king very warlike, wielder of weders, with wonder-death perished. first they beheld there a creature more wondrous, {they also see the dragon.} 95 the worm on the field, in front of them lying, the foeman before them: the fire-spewing dragon, ghostly and grisly guest in his terrors, was scorched in the fire; as he lay there he measured fifty of feet; came forth in the night-time[5] 100 to rejoice in the air, thereafter departing to visit his den; he in death was then fastened, he would joy in no other earth-hollowed caverns. there stood round about him beakers and vessels, dishes were lying and dear-valued weapons, 105 with iron-rust eaten, as in earth's mighty bosom a thousand of winters there they had rested: {the hoard was under a magic spell.} that mighty bequest then with magic was guarded, gold of the ancients, that earlman not any the ring-hall could touch, save ruling-god only, [103] 110 sooth-king of vict'ries gave whom he wished to {god alone could give access to it.} [6](he is earth-folk's protector) to open the treasure, e'en to such among mortals as seemed to him proper. [1] for 'góda,' which seems a surprising epithet for a geat to apply to the "terrible" ongentheow, b. suggests 'gomela.' the passage would then stand: '_the old one went then,' etc._ [2] for 'segn higeláce,' k., th., and b. propose 'segn higeláces,' meaning: _higelac's banner followed the swedes (in pursuit)._--s. suggests 'sæcc higeláces,' and renders: _higelac's pursuit._--the h.-so. reading, as translated in our text, means that the banner of the enemy was captured and brought to higelac as a trophy. [3] the rendering given in this translation represents the king as being generous beyond the possibility of reproach; but some authorities construe 'him' (2996) as plu., and understand the passage to mean that no one reproached the two brothers with having received more reward than they were entitled to. [4] the name 'scyldingas' here (3006) has caused much discussion, and given rise to several theories, the most important of which are as follows: (1) after the downfall of hrothgar's family, beowulf was king of the danes, or scyldings. (2) for 'scyldingas' read 'scylfingas'--that is, after killing eadgils, the scylfing prince, beowulf conquered his land, and held it in subjection. (3) m. considers 3006 a thoughtless repetition of 2053. (cf. h.-so.) [5] b. takes 'nihtes' and 'hwílum' (3045) as separate adverbial cases, and renders: _joy in the air had he of yore by night, etc_. he thinks that the idea of vanished time ought to be expressed. [6] the parenthesis is by some emended so as to read: (1) (_he_ (i.e. _god_) _is the hope of men_); (2) (_he is the hope of heroes_). gr.'s reading has no parenthesis, but says: ... _could touch, unless god himself, true king of victories, gave to whom he would to open the treasure, the secret place of enchanters, etc_. the last is rejected on many grounds. xlii. wiglaf's sad story.--the hoard carried off. then 'twas seen that the journey prospered him little who wrongly within had the ornaments hidden[1] down 'neath the wall. the warden erst slaughtered some few of the folk-troop: the feud then thereafter 5 was hotly avengèd. 'tis a wonder where,[2] when the strength-famous trooper has attained to the end of life-days allotted, then no longer the man may remain with his kinsmen where mead-cups are flowing. so to beowulf happened when the ward of the barrow, 10 assaults, he sought for: himself had no knowledge how his leaving this life was likely to happen. so to doomsday, famous folk-leaders down did call it with curses--who 'complished it there-[104] that that man should be ever of ill-deeds convicted, 15 confined in foul-places, fastened in hell-bonds, punished with plagues, who this place should e'er ravage.[3] he cared not for gold: rather the wielder's favor preferred he first to get sight of.[4] {wiglaf addresses his comrades.} wiglaf discoursed then, wihstan his son: 20 "oft many an earlman on one man's account must sorrow endure, as to us it hath happened. the liegelord belovèd we could little prevail on, kingdom's keeper, counsel to follow, not to go to the guardian of the gold-hoard, but let him 25 lie where he long was, live in his dwelling till the end of the world. met we a destiny hard to endure: the hoard has been looked at, been gained very grimly; too grievous the fate that[5] the prince of the people pricked to come thither. 30 _i_ was therein and all of it looked at, the building's equipments, since access was given me, not kindly at all entrance permitted {he tells them of beowulf's last moments.} within under earth-wall. hastily seized i and held in my hands a huge-weighing burden 35 of hoard-treasures costly, hither out bare them to my liegelord belovèd: life was yet in him, and consciousness also; the old one discoursed then much and mournfully, commanded to greet you, {beowulf's dying request.} bade that remembering the deeds of your friend-lord 40 ye build on the fire-hill of corpses a lofty burial-barrow, broad and far-famous, as 'mid world-dwelling warriors he was widely most honored while he reveled in riches. let us rouse us and hasten [105] again to see and seek for the treasure, 45 the wonder 'neath wall. the way i will show you, that close ye may look at ring-gems sufficient and gold in abundance. let the bier with promptness fully be fashioned, when forth we shall come, and lift we our lord, then, where long he shall tarry, 50 well-beloved warrior, 'neath the wielder's protection." {wiglaf charges them to build a funeral-pyre.} then the son of wihstan bade orders be given, mood-valiant man, to many of heroes, holders of homesteads, that they hither from far, [6]leaders of liegemen, should look for the good one 55 with wood for his pyre: "the flame shall now swallow (the wan fire shall wax[7]) the warriors' leader who the rain of the iron often abided, when, sturdily hurled, the storm of the arrows leapt o'er linden-wall, the lance rendered service, 60 furnished with feathers followed the arrow." now the wise-mooded son of wihstan did summon the best of the braves from the band of the ruler {he takes seven thanes, and enters the den.} seven together; 'neath the enemy's roof he went with the seven; one of the heroes 65 who fared at the front, a fire-blazing torch-light bare in his hand. no lot then decided who that hoard should havoc, when hero-earls saw it lying in the cavern uncared-for entirely, rusting to ruin: they rued then but little 70 that they hastily hence hauled out the treasure, {they push the dragon over the wall.} the dear-valued jewels; the dragon eke pushed they, the worm o'er the wall, let the wave-currents take him, [106] the waters enwind the ward of the treasures. {the hoard is laid on a wain.} there wounden gold on a wain was uploaded, 75 a mass unmeasured, the men-leader off then, the hero hoary, to whale's-ness was carried. [1] for 'gehýdde,' b. suggests 'gehýðde': the passage would stand as above except the change of 'hidden' (v. 2) to 'plundered.' the reference, however, would be to the thief, not to the dragon. [2] the passage 'wundur ... búan' (3063-3066), m. took to be a question asking whether it was strange that a man should die when his appointed time had come.--b. sees a corruption, and makes emendations introducing the idea that a brave man should not die from sickness or from old age, but should find death in the performance of some deed of daring.--s. sees an indirect question introduced by 'hwár' and dependent upon 'wundur': _a secret is it when the hero is to die, etc_.--why may the two clauses not be parallel, and the whole passage an old english cry of '_how wonderful is death!'?_--s.'s is the best yet offered, if 'wundor' means 'mystery.' [3] for 'strude' in h.-so., s. suggests 'stride.' this would require 'ravage' (v. 16) to be changed to 'tread.' [4] 'he cared ... sight of' (17, 18), s. emends so as to read as follows: _he (beowulf) had not before seen the favor of the avaricious possessor._ [5] b. renders: _that which drew the king thither_ (i.e. _the treasure_) _was granted us, but in such a way that it overcomes us._ [6] 'folc-ágende' (3114) b. takes as dat. sing. with 'gódum,' and refers it to beowulf; that is, _should bring fire-wood to the place where the good folk-ruler lay_. [7] c. proposes to take 'weaxan' = l. 'vescor,' and translate _devour_. this gives a parallel to 'fretan' above. the parenthesis would be discarded and the passage read: _now shall the fire consume, the wan-flame devour, the prince of warriors, etc_. xliii. the burning of beowulf. {beowulf's pyre.} the folk of the geatmen got him then ready a pile on the earth strong for the burning, behung with helmets, hero-knights' targets, and bright-shining burnies, as he begged they should have them; 5 then wailing war-heroes their world-famous chieftain, their liegelord beloved, laid in the middle. {the funeral-flame.} soldiers began then to make on the barrow the largest of dead-fires: dark o'er the vapor the smoke-cloud ascended, the sad-roaring fire, 10 mingled with weeping (the wind-roar subsided) till the building of bone it had broken to pieces, hot in the heart. heavy in spirit they mood-sad lamented the men-leader's ruin; and mournful measures the much-grieving widow 15 *       *       *       *       *       *       * *       *       *       *       *       *       * *       *       *       *       *       *       * *       *       *       *       *       *       * *       *       *       *       *       *       * 20 *       *       *       *       *       *       * {the weders carry out their lord's last request.} the men of the weders made accordingly a hill on the height, high and extensive, of sea-going sailors to be seen from a distance, and the brave one's beacon built where the fire was, 25 in ten-days' space, with a wall surrounded it, as wisest of world-folk could most worthily plan it. they placed in the barrow rings and jewels, [107] {rings and gems are laid in the barrow.} all such ornaments as erst in the treasure war-mooded men had won in possession: 30 the earnings of earlmen to earth they entrusted, the gold to the dust, where yet it remaineth as useless to mortals as in foregoing eras. 'round the dead-mound rode then the doughty-in-battle, bairns of all twelve of the chiefs of the people, {they mourn for their lord, and sing his praises.} 35 more would they mourn, lament for their ruler, speak in measure, mention him with pleasure, weighed his worth, and his warlike achievements mightily commended, as 'tis meet one praise his liegelord in words and love him in spirit, 40 when forth from his body he fares to destruction. so lamented mourning the men of the geats, fond-loving vassals, the fall of their lord, {an ideal king.} said he was kindest of kings under heaven, gentlest of men, most winning of manner, 45 friendliest to folk-troops and fondest of honor. [109] addenda. several discrepancies and other oversights have been noticed in the h.-so. glossary. of these a good part were avoided by harrison and sharp, the american editors of beowulf, in their last edition, 1888. the rest will, i hope, be noticed in their fourth edition. as, however, this book may fall into the hands of some who have no copy of the american edition, it seems best to notice all the principal oversights of the german editors. ~from hám~ (194).--notes and glossary conflict; the latter not having been altered to suit the conclusions accepted in the former. ~þær gelýfan sceal dryhtnes dóme~ (440).--under 'dóm' h. says 'the might of the lord'; while under 'gelýfan' he says 'the judgment of the lord.' ~eal bencþelu~ (486).--under 'benc-þelu' h. says _nom. plu._; while under 'eal' he says _nom. sing._ ~heatho-ræmas~ (519).--under 'ætberan' h. translates 'to the heathoremes'; while under 'heatho-ræmas' he says 'heathoræmas reaches breca in the swimming-match with beowulf.' harrison and sharp (3d edition, 1888) avoid the discrepancy. ~fáh féond-scaða~ (554).--under 'féond-scaða' h. says 'a gleaming sea-monster'; under 'fáh' he says 'hostile.' ~onfeng hraðe inwit-þancum~ (749).--under 'onfón' h. says 'he _received_ the maliciously-disposed one'; under 'inwit-þanc' he says 'he _grasped_,' etc. ~níð-wundor séon~ (1366).--under 'níð-wundor' h. calls this word itself _nom. sing._; under 'séon' he translates it as accus. sing., understanding 'man' as subject of 'séon.' h. and s. (3d edition) make the correction. ~forgeaf hilde-bille~ (1521).--h., under the second word, calls it instr. dat.; while under 'forgifan' he makes it the dat. of indir. obj. h. and s. (3d edition) make the change. ~brád~ and ~brún-ecg~ (1547).--under 'brád' h. says 'das breite hüftmesser mit bronzener klinge'; under 'brún-ecg' he says 'ihr breites hüftmesser mit blitzender klinge.' [110] ~yðelíce~ (1557).--under this word h. makes it modify 'ástód.' if this be right, the punctuation of the fifth edition is wrong. see h. and s., appendix. ~sélran gesóhte~ (1840).--under 'sél' and 'gesécan' h. calls these two words accus. plu.; but this is clearly an error, as both are nom. plu., pred. nom. h. and s. correct under 'sél.' ~wið sylfne~ (1978).--under 'wið' and 'gesittan' h. says 'wið = near, by'; under 'self' he says 'opposite.' ~þéow~ (2225) is omitted from the glossary. ~for duguðum~ (2502).--under 'duguð' h. translates this phrase, 'in tüchtigkeit'; under 'for,' by 'vor der edlen kriegerschaar.' ~þær~ (2574).--under 'wealdan' h. translates _þær_ by 'wo'; under 'mótan,' by 'da.' h. and s. suggest 'if' in both passages. ~wunde~ (2726).--under 'wund' h. says 'dative,' and under 'wæl-bléate' he says 'accus.' it is without doubt accus., parallel with 'benne.' ~strengum gebæded~ (3118).--under 'strengo' h. says 'strengum' = mit macht; under 'gebæded' he translates 'von den sehnen.' h. and s. correct this discrepancy by rejecting the second reading. ~bronda be láfe~ (3162).--a recent emendation. the fourth edition had 'bronda betost.' in the fifth edition the editor neglects to change the glossary to suit the new emendation. see 'bewyrcan.' tik-tok of oz by l. frank baum to louis f. gottschalk, whose sweet and dainty melodies breathe the true spirit of fairyland, this book is affectionately dedicated to my readers the very marked success of my last year's fairy book, "the patchwork girl of oz," convinces me that my readers like the oz stories "best of all," as one little girl wrote me. so here, my dears, is a new oz story in which is introduced ann soforth, the queen of oogaboo, whom tik-tok assisted in conquering our old acquaintance, the nome king. it also tells of betsy bobbin and how, after many adventures, she finally reached the marvelous land of oz. there is a play called "the tik-tok man of oz," but it is not like this story of "tik-tok of oz," although some of the adventures recorded in this book, as well as those in several other oz books, are included in the play. those who have seen the play and those who have read the other oz books will find in this story a lot of strange characters and adventures that they have never heard of before. in the letters i receive from children there has been an urgent appeal for me to write a story that will take trot and cap'n bill to the land of oz, where they will meet dorothy and ozma. also they think button-bright ought to get acquainted with ojo the lucky. as you know, i am obliged to talk these matters over with dorothy by means of the "wireless," for that is the only way i can communicate with the land of oz. when i asked her about this idea, she replied: "why, haven't you heard?" i said "no." "well," came the message over the wireless, "i'll tell you all about it, by and by, and then you can make a book of that story for the children to read." so, if dorothy keeps her word and i am permitted to write another oz book, you will probably discover how all these characters came together in the famous emerald city. meantime, i want to tell all my little friends--whose numbers are increasing by many thousands every year--that i am very grateful for the favor they have shown my books and for the delightful little letters i am constantly receiving. i am almost sure that i have as many friends among the children of america as any story writer alive; and this, of course, makes me very proud and happy. l. frank baum. "ozcot" at hollywood in california, 1914. list of chapters 1 ann's army 2 out of oogaboo 3 magic mystifies the marchers 4 betsy braves the bellows 5 the roses repulse the refugees 6 shaggy seeks his stray brother 7 polychrome's pitiful plight 8 tik-tok tackles a tough task 9 ruggedo's rage is rash and reckless 10 a terrible tumble through a tube 11 the famous fellowship of fairies 12 the lovely lady of light 13 the jinjin's just judgment 14 the long-eared hearer learns by listening 15 the dragon defies danger 16 the naughty nome 17 a tragic transformation 18 a clever conquest 19 king kaliko 20 quox quietly quits 21 a bashful brother 22 kindly kisses 23 ruggedo reforms 24 dorothy is delighted 25 the land of love tik-tok of oz chapter one ann's army "i won't!" cried ann; "i won't sweep the floor. it is beneath my dignity." "some one must sweep it," replied ann's younger sister, salye; "else we shall soon be wading in dust. and you are the eldest, and the head of the family." "i'm queen of oogaboo," said ann, proudly. "but," she added with a sigh, "my kingdom is the smallest and the poorest in all the land of oz." this was quite true. away up in the mountains, in a far corner of the beautiful fairyland of oz, lies a small valley which is named oogaboo, and in this valley lived a few people who were usually happy and contented and never cared to wander over the mountain pass into the more settled parts of the land. they knew that all of oz, including their own territory, was ruled by a beautiful princess named ozma, who lived in the splendid emerald city; yet the simple folk of oogaboo never visited ozma. they had a royal family of their own--not especially to rule over them, but just as a matter of pride. ozma permitted the various parts of her country to have their kings and queens and emperors and the like, but all were ruled over by the lovely girl queen of the emerald city. the king of oogaboo used to be a man named jol jemkiph soforth, who for many years did all the drudgery of deciding disputes and telling his people when to plant cabbages and pickle onions. but the king's wife had a sharp tongue and small respect for the king, her husband; therefore one night king jol crept over the pass into the land of oz and disappeared from oogaboo for good and all. the queen waited a few years for him to return and then started in search of him, leaving her eldest daughter, ann soforth, to act as queen. now, ann had not forgotten when her birthday came, for that meant a party and feasting and dancing, but she had quite forgotten how many years the birthdays marked. in a land where people live always, this is not considered a cause for regret, so we may justly say that queen ann of oogaboo was old enough to make jelly--and let it go at that. but she didn't make jelly, or do any more of the housework than she could help. she was an ambitious woman and constantly resented the fact that her kingdom was so tiny and her people so stupid and unenterprising. often she wondered what had become of her father and mother, out beyond the pass, in the wonderful land of oz, and the fact that they did not return to oogaboo led ann to suspect that they had found a better place to live. so, when salye refused to sweep the floor of the living room in the palace, and ann would not sweep it, either, she said to her sister: "i'm going away. this absurd kingdom of oogaboo tires me." "go, if you want to," answered salye; "but you are very foolish to leave this place." "why?" asked ann. "because in the land of oz, which is ozma's country, you will be a nobody, while here you are a queen." "oh, yes! queen over eighteen men, twenty-seven women and forty-four children!" returned ann bitterly. "well, there are certainly more people than that in the great land of oz," laughed salye. "why don't you raise an army and conquer them, and be queen of all oz?" she asked, trying to taunt ann and so to anger her. then she made a face at her sister and went into the back yard to swing in the hammock. her jeering words, however, had given queen ann an idea. she reflected that oz was reported to be a peaceful country and ozma a mere girl who ruled with gentleness to all and was obeyed because her people loved her. even in oogaboo the story was told that ozma's sole army consisted of twenty-seven fine officers, who wore beautiful uniforms but carried no weapons, because there was no one to fight. once there had been a private soldier, besides the officers, but ozma had made him a captain-general and taken away his gun for fear it might accidentally hurt some one. the more ann thought about the matter the more she was convinced it would be easy to conquer the land of oz and set herself up as ruler in ozma's place, if she but had an army to do it with. afterward she could go out into the world and conquer other lands, and then perhaps she could find a way to the moon, and conquer that. she had a warlike spirit that preferred trouble to idleness. it all depended on an army, ann decided. she carefully counted in her mind all the men of her kingdom. yes; there were exactly eighteen of them, all told. that would not make a very big army, but by surprising ozma's unarmed officers her men might easily subdue them. "gentle people are always afraid of those that bluster," ann told herself. "i don't wish to shed any blood, for that would shock my nerves and i might faint; but if we threaten and flash our weapons i am sure the people of oz will fall upon their knees before me and surrender." this argument, which she repeated to herself more than once, finally determined the queen of oogaboo to undertake the audacious venture. "whatever happens," she reflected, "can make me no more unhappy than my staying shut up in this miserable valley and sweeping floors and quarreling with sister salye; so i will venture all, and win what i may." that very day she started out to organize her army. the first man she came to was jo apple, so called because he had an apple orchard. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and i want you to join my army." "don't ask me to do such a fool thing, for i must politely refuse your majesty," said jo apple. "i have no intention of asking you. i shall command you, as queen of oogaboo, to join," said ann. "in that case, i suppose i must obey," the man remarked, in a sad voice. "but i pray you to consider that i am a very important citizen, and for that reason am entitled to an office of high rank." "you shall be a general," promised ann. "with gold epaulets and a sword?" he asked. "of course," said the queen. then she went to the next man, whose name was jo bunn, as he owned an orchard where graham-buns and wheat-buns, in great variety, both hot and cold, grew on the trees. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and i command you to join my army." "impossible!" he exclaimed. "the bun crop has to be picked." "let your wife and children do the picking," said ann. "but i'm a man of great importance, your majesty," he protested. "for that reason you shall be one of my generals, and wear a cocked hat with gold braid, and curl your mustaches and clank a long sword," she promised. so he consented, although sorely against his will, and the queen walked on to the next cottage. here lived jo cone, so called because the trees in his orchard bore crops of excellent ice-cream cones. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and you must join my army." "excuse me, please," said jo cone. "i am a bad fighter. my good wife conquered me years ago, for she can fight better than i. take her, your majesty, instead of me, and i'll bless you for the favor." "this must be an army of men--fierce, ferocious warriors," declared ann, looking sternly upon the mild little man. "and you will leave my wife here in oogaboo?" he asked. "yes; and make you a general." "i'll go," said jo cone, and ann went on to the cottage of jo clock, who had an orchard of clock-trees. this man at first insisted that he would not join the army, but queen ann's promise to make him a general finally won his consent. "how many generals are there in your army?" he asked. "four, so far," replied ann. "and how big will the army be?" was his next question. "i intend to make every one of the eighteen men in oogaboo join it," she said. "then four generals are enough," announced jo clock. "i advise you to make the rest of them colonels." ann tried to follow his advice. the next four men she visited--who were jo plum, jo egg, jo banjo and jo cheese, named after the trees in their orchards--she made colonels of her army; but the fifth one, jo nails, said colonels and generals were getting to be altogether too common in the army of oogaboo and he preferred to be a major. so jo nails, jo cake, jo ham and jo stockings were all four made majors, while the next four--jo sandwich, jo padlocks, jo sundae and jo buttons--were appointed captains of the army. but now queen ann was in a quandary. there remained but two other men in all oogaboo, and if she made these two lieutenants, while there were four captains, four majors, four colonels and four generals, there was likely to be jealousy in her army, and perhaps mutiny and desertions. one of these men, however, was jo candy, and he would not go at all. no promises could tempt him, nor could threats move him. he said he must remain at home to harvest his crop of jackson-balls, lemon-drops, bonbons and chocolate-creams. also he had large fields of crackerjack and buttered pop corn to be mowed and threshed, and he was determined not to disappoint the children of oogaboo by going away to conquer the world and so let the candy crop spoil. finding jo candy so obstinate, queen ann let him have his own way and continued her journey to the house of the eighteenth and last man in oogaboo, who was a young fellow named jo files. this files had twelve trees which bore steel files of various sorts; but also he had nine book-trees, on which grew a choice selection of story-books. in case you have never seen books growing upon trees, i will explain that those in jo files' orchard were enclosed in broad green husks which, when fully ripe, turned to a deep red color. then the books were picked and husked and were ready to read. if they were picked too soon, the stories were found to be confused and uninteresting and the spelling bad. however, if allowed to ripen perfectly, the stories were fine reading and the spelling and grammar excellent. files freely gave his books to all who wanted them, but the people of oogaboo cared little for books and so he had to read most of them himself, before they spoiled. for, as you probably know, as soon as the books were read the words disappeared and the leaves withered and faded--which is the worst fault of all books which grow upon trees. when queen ann spoke to this young man files, who was both intelligent and ambitious, he said he thought it would be great fun to conquer the world. but he called her attention to the fact that he was far superior to the other men of her army. therefore, he would not be one of her generals or colonels or majors or captains, but claimed the honor of being sole private. ann did not like this idea at all. "i hate to have a private soldier in my army," she said; "they're so common. i am told that princess ozma once had a private soldier, but she made him her captain-general, which is good evidence that the private was unnecessary." "ozma's army doesn't fight," returned files; "but your army must fight like fury in order to conquer the world. i have read in my books that it is always the private soldiers who do the fighting, for no officer is ever brave enough to face the foe. also, it stands to reason that your officers must have some one to command and to issue their orders to; therefore i'll be the one. i long to slash and slay the enemy and become a hero. then, when we return to oogaboo, i'll take all the marbles away from the children and melt them up and make a marble statue of myself for all to look upon and admire." ann was much pleased with private files. he seemed indeed to be such a warrior as she needed in her enterprise, and her hopes of success took a sudden bound when files told her he knew where a gun-tree grew and would go there at once and pick the ripest and biggest musket the tree bore. chapter two out of oogaboo three days later the grand army of oogaboo assembled in the square in front of the royal palace. the sixteen officers were attired in gorgeous uniforms and carried sharp, glittering swords. the private had picked his gun and, although it was not a very big weapon, files tried to look fierce and succeeded so well that all his commanding officers were secretly afraid of him. the women were there, protesting that queen ann soforth had no right to take their husbands and fathers from them; but ann commanded them to keep silent, and that was the hardest order to obey they had ever received. the queen appeared before her army dressed in an imposing uniform of green, covered with gold braid. she wore a green soldier-cap with a purple plume in it and looked so royal and dignified that everyone in oogaboo except the army was glad she was going. the army was sorry she was not going alone. "form ranks!" she cried in her shrill voice. salye leaned out of the palace window and laughed. "i believe your army can run better than it can fight," she observed. "of course," replied general bunn, proudly. "we're not looking for trouble, you know, but for plunder. the more plunder and the less fighting we get, the better we shall like our work." "for my part," said files, "i prefer war and carnage to anything. the only way to become a hero is to conquer, and the story-books all say that the easiest way to conquer is to fight." "that's the idea, my brave man!" agreed ann. "to fight is to conquer and to conquer is to secure plunder and to secure plunder is to become a hero. with such noble determination to back me, the world is mine! good-bye, salye. when we return we shall be rich and famous. come, generals; let us march." at this the generals straightened up and threw out their chests. then they swung their glittering swords in rapid circles and cried to the colonels: "for-ward march!" then the colonels shouted to the majors: "for-ward march!" and the majors yelled to the captains: "for-ward march!" and the captains screamed to the private: "for-ward march!" so files shouldered his gun and began to march, and all the officers followed after him. queen ann came last of all, rejoicing in her noble army and wondering why she had not decided long ago to conquer the world. in this order the procession marched out of oogaboo and took the narrow mountain pass which led into the lovely fairyland of oz. chapter three magic mystifies the marchers princess ozma was all unaware that the army of oogaboo, led by their ambitious queen, was determined to conquer her kingdom. the beautiful girl ruler of oz was busy with the welfare of her subjects and had no time to think of ann soforth and her disloyal plans. but there was one who constantly guarded the peace and happiness of the land of oz and this was the official sorceress of the kingdom, glinda the good. in her magnificent castle, which stands far north of the emerald city where ozma holds her court, glinda owns a wonderful magic record book, in which is printed every event that takes place anywhere, just as soon as it happens. the smallest things and the biggest things are all recorded in this book. if a child stamps its foot in anger, glinda reads about it; if a city burns down, glinda finds the fact noted in her book. the sorceress always reads her record book every day, and so it was she knew that ann soforth, queen of oogaboo, had foolishly assembled an army of sixteen officers and one private soldier, with which she intended to invade and conquer the land of oz. there was no danger but that ozma, supported by the magic arts of glinda the good and the powerful wizard of oz--both her firm friends--could easily defeat a far more imposing army than ann's; but it would be a shame to have the peace of oz interrupted by any sort of quarreling or fighting. so glinda did not even mention the matter to ozma, or to anyone else. she merely went into a great chamber of her castle, known as the magic room, where she performed a magical ceremony which caused the mountain pass that led from oogaboo to make several turns and twists. the result was that when ann and her army came to the end of the pass they were not in the land of oz at all, but in an adjoining territory that was quite distinct from ozma's domain and separated from oz by an invisible barrier. as the oogaboo people emerged into this country, the pass they had traversed disappeared behind them and it was not likely they would ever find their way back into the valley of oogaboo. they were greatly puzzled, indeed, by their surroundings and did not know which way to go. none of them had ever visited oz, so it took them some time to discover they were not in oz at all, but in an unknown country. "never mind," said ann, trying to conceal her disappointment; "we have started out to conquer the world, and here is part of it. in time, as we pursue our victorious journey, we will doubtless come to oz; but, until we get there, we may as well conquer whatever land we find ourselves in." "have we conquered this place, your majesty?" anxiously inquired major cake. "most certainly," said ann. "we have met no people, as yet, but when we do, we will inform them that they are our slaves." "and afterward we will plunder them of all their possessions," added general apple. "they may not possess anything," objected private files; "but i hope they will fight us, just the same. a peaceful conquest wouldn't be any fun at all." "don't worry," said the queen. "_we_ can fight, whether our foes do or not; and perhaps we would find it more comfortable to have the enemy surrender promptly." it was a barren country and not very pleasant to travel in. moreover, there was little for them to eat, and as the officers became hungry they became fretful. many would have deserted had they been able to find their way home, but as the oogaboo people were now hopelessly lost in a strange country they considered it more safe to keep together than to separate. queen ann's temper, never very agreeable, became sharp and irritable as she and her army tramped over the rocky roads without encountering either people or plunder. she scolded her officers until they became surly, and a few of them were disloyal enough to ask her to hold her tongue. others began to reproach her for leading them into difficulties and in the space of three unhappy days every man was mourning for his orchard in the pretty valley of oogaboo. files, however, proved a different sort. the more difficulties he encountered the more cheerful he became, and the sighs of the officers were answered by the merry whistle of the private. his pleasant disposition did much to encourage queen ann and before long she consulted the private soldier more often than she did his superiors. it was on the third day of their pilgrimage that they encountered their first adventure. toward evening the sky was suddenly darkened and major nails exclaimed: "a fog is coming toward us." "i do not think it is a fog," replied files, looking with interest at the approaching cloud. "it seems to me more like the breath of a rak." "what is a rak?" asked ann, looking about fearfully. "a terrible beast with a horrible appetite," answered the soldier, growing a little paler than usual. "i have never seen a rak, to be sure, but i have read of them in the story-books that grew in my orchard, and if this is indeed one of those fearful monsters, we are not likely to conquer the world." hearing this, the officers became quite worried and gathered closer about their soldier. "what is the thing like?" asked one. "the only picture of a rak that i ever saw in a book was rather blurred," said files, "because the book was not quite ripe when it was picked. but the creature can fly in the air and run like a deer and swim like a fish. inside its body is a glowing furnace of fire, and the rak breathes in air and breathes out smoke, which darkens the sky for miles around, wherever it goes. it is bigger than a hundred men and feeds on any living thing." the officers now began to groan and to tremble, but files tried to cheer them, saying: "it may not be a rak, after all, that we see approaching us, and you must not forget that we people of oogaboo, which is part of the fairyland of oz, cannot be killed." "nevertheless," said captain buttons, "if the rak catches us, and chews us up into small pieces, and swallows us--what will happen then?" "then each small piece will still be alive," declared files. "i cannot see how that would help us," wailed colonel banjo. "a hamburger steak is a hamburger steak, whether it is alive or not!" "i tell you, this may not be a rak," persisted files. "we will know, when the cloud gets nearer, whether it is the breath of a rak or not. if it has no smell at all, it is probably a fog; but if it has an odor of salt and pepper, it is a rak and we must prepare for a desperate fight." they all eyed the dark cloud fearfully. before long it reached the frightened group and began to envelop them. every nose sniffed the cloud--and every one detected in it the odor of salt and pepper. "the rak!" shouted private files, and with a howl of despair the sixteen officers fell to the ground, writhing and moaning in anguish. queen ann sat down upon a rock and faced the cloud more bravely, although her heart was beating fast. as for files, he calmly loaded his gun and stood ready to fight the foe, as a soldier should. they were now in absolute darkness, for the cloud which covered the sky and the setting sun was black as ink. then through the gloom appeared two round, glowing balls of red, and files at once decided these must be the monster's eyes. he raised his gun, took aim and fired. there were several bullets in the gun, all gathered from an excellent bullet-tree in oogaboo, and they were big and hard. they flew toward the monster and struck it, and with a wild, weird cry the rak came fluttering down and its huge body fell plump upon the forms of the sixteen officers, who thereupon screamed louder than before. "badness me!" moaned the rak. "see what you've done with that dangerous gun of yours!" "i can't see," replied files, "for the cloud formed by your breath darkens my sight!" "don't tell me it was an accident," continued the rak, reproachfully, as it still flapped its wings in a helpless manner. "don't claim you didn't know the gun was loaded, i beg of you!" "i don't intend to," replied files. "did the bullets hurt you very badly?" "one has broken my jaw, so that i can't open my mouth. you will notice that my voice sounds rather harsh and husky, because i have to talk with my teeth set close together. another bullet broke my left wing, so that i can't fly; and still another broke my right leg, so that i can't walk. it was the most careless shot i ever heard of!" "can't you manage to lift your body off from my commanding officers?" inquired files. "from their cries i'm afraid your great weight is crushing them." "i hope it is," growled the rak. "i want to crush them, if possible, for i have a bad disposition. if only i could open my mouth, i'd eat all of you, although my appetite is poorly this warm weather." with this the rak began to roll its immense body sidewise, so as to crush the officers more easily; but in doing this it rolled completely off from them and the entire sixteen scrambled to their feet and made off as fast as they could run. private files could not see them go but he knew from the sound of their voices that they had escaped, so he ceased to worry about them. "pardon me if i now bid you good-bye," he said to the rak. "the parting is caused by our desire to continue our journey. if you die, do not blame me, for i was obliged to shoot you as a matter of self-protection." "i shall not die," answered the monster, "for i bear a charmed life. but i beg you not to leave me!" "why not?" asked files. "because my broken jaw will heal in about an hour, and then i shall be able to eat you. my wing will heal in a day and my leg will heal in a week, when i shall be as well as ever. having shot me, and so caused me all this annoyance, it is only fair and just that you remain here and allow me to eat you as soon as i can open my jaws." "i beg to differ with you," returned the soldier firmly. "i have made an engagement with queen ann of oogaboo to help her conquer the world, and i cannot break my word for the sake of being eaten by a rak." "oh; that's different," said the monster. "if you've an engagement, don't let me detain you." so files felt around in the dark and grasped the hand of the trembling queen, whom he led away from the flapping, sighing rak. they stumbled over the stones for a way but presently began to see dimly the path ahead of them, as they got farther and farther away from the dreadful spot where the wounded monster lay. by and by they reached a little hill and could see the last rays of the sun flooding a pretty valley beyond, for now they had passed beyond the cloudy breath of the rak. here were huddled the sixteen officers, still frightened and panting from their run. they had halted only because it was impossible for them to run any farther. queen ann gave them a severe scolding for their cowardice, at the same time praising files for his courage. "we are wiser than he, however," muttered general clock, "for by running away we are now able to assist your majesty in conquering the world; whereas, had files been eaten by the rak, he would have deserted your army." after a brief rest they descended into the valley, and as soon as they were out of sight of the rak the spirits of the entire party rose quickly. just at dusk they came to a brook, on the banks of which queen ann commanded them to make camp for the night. each officer carried in his pocket a tiny white tent. this, when placed upon the ground, quickly grew in size until it was large enough to permit the owner to enter it and sleep within its canvas walls. files was obliged to carry a knapsack, in which was not only his own tent but an elaborate pavilion for queen ann, besides a bed and chair and a magic table. this table, when set upon the ground in ann's pavilion, became of large size, and in a drawer of the table was contained the queen's supply of extra clothing, her manicure and toilet articles and other necessary things. the royal bed was the only one in the camp, the officers and private sleeping in hammocks attached to their tent poles. there was also in the knapsack a flag bearing the royal emblem of oogaboo, and this flag files flew upon its staff every night, to show that the country they were in had been conquered by the queen of oogaboo. so far, no one but themselves had seen the flag, but ann was pleased to see it flutter in the breeze and considered herself already a famous conqueror. chapter four betsy braves the billows the waves dashed and the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled and the ship struck a rock. betsy bobbin was running across the deck and the shock sent her flying through the air until she fell with a splash into the dark blue water. the same shock caught hank, a thin little, sad-faced mule, and tumbled him also into the sea, far from the ship's side. when betsy came up, gasping for breath because the wet plunge had surprised her, she reached out in the dark and grabbed a bunch of hair. at first she thought it was the end of a rope, but presently she heard a dismal "hee-haw!" and knew she was holding fast to the end of hank's tail. suddenly the sea was lighted up by a vivid glare. the ship, now in the far distance, caught fire, blew up and sank beneath the waves. betsy shuddered at the sight, but just then her eye caught a mass of wreckage floating near her and she let go the mule's tail and seized the rude raft, pulling herself up so that she rode upon it in safety. hank also saw the raft and swam to it, but he was so clumsy he never would have been able to climb upon it had not betsy helped him to get aboard. they had to crowd close together, for their support was only a hatch-cover torn from the ship's deck; but it floated them fairly well and both the girl and the mule knew it would keep them from drowning. the storm was not over, by any means, when the ship went down. blinding bolts of lightning shot from cloud to cloud and the clamor of deep thunderclaps echoed far over the sea. the waves tossed the little raft here and there as a child tosses a rubber ball and betsy had a solemn feeling that for hundreds of watery miles in every direction there was no living thing besides herself and the small donkey. perhaps hank had the same thought, for he gently rubbed his nose against the frightened girl and said "hee-haw!" in his softest voice, as if to comfort her. "you'll protect me, hank dear, won't you?" she cried helplessly, and the mule said "hee-haw!" again, in tones that meant a promise. on board the ship, during the days that preceded the wreck, when the sea was calm, betsy and hank had become good friends; so, while the girl might have preferred a more powerful protector in this dreadful emergency, she felt that the mule would do all in a mule's power to guard her safety. all night they floated, and when the storm had worn itself out and passed away with a few distant growls, and the waves had grown smaller and easier to ride, betsy stretched herself out on the wet raft and fell asleep. hank did not sleep a wink. perhaps he felt it his duty to guard betsy. anyhow, he crouched on the raft beside the tired sleeping girl and watched patiently until the first light of dawn swept over the sea. the light wakened betsy bobbin. she sat up, rubbed her eyes and stared across the water. "oh, hank; there's land ahead!" she exclaimed. "hee-haw!" answered hank in his plaintive voice. the raft was floating swiftly toward a very beautiful country and as they drew near betsy could see banks of lovely flowers showing brightly between leafy trees. but no people were to be seen at all. chapter five the roses repulse the refugees gently the raft grated on the sandy beach. then betsy easily waded ashore, the mule following closely behind her. the sun was now shining and the air was warm and laden with the fragrance of roses. "i'd like some breakfast, hank," remarked the girl, feeling more cheerful now that she was on dry land; "but we can't eat the flowers, although they do smell mighty good." "hee-haw!" replied hank and trotted up a little pathway to the top of the bank. betsy followed and from the eminence looked around her. a little way off stood a splendid big greenhouse, its thousands of crystal panes glittering in the sunlight. "there ought to be people somewhere 'round," observed betsy thoughtfully; "gardeners, or somebody. let's go and see, hank. i'm getting hungrier ev'ry minute." so they walked toward the great greenhouse and came to its entrance without meeting with anyone at all. a door stood ajar, so hank went in first, thinking if there was any danger he could back out and warn his companion. but betsy was close at his heels and the moment she entered was lost in amazement at the wonderful sight she saw. the greenhouse was filled with magnificent rosebushes, all growing in big pots. on the central stem of each bush bloomed a splendid rose, gorgeously colored and deliciously fragrant, and in the center of each rose was the face of a lovely girl. as betsy and hank entered, the heads of the roses were drooping and their eyelids were closed in slumber; but the mule was so amazed that he uttered a loud "hee-haw!" and at the sound of his harsh voice the rose leaves fluttered, the roses raised their heads and a hundred startled eyes were instantly fixed upon the intruders. "i--i beg your pardon!" stammered betsy, blushing and confused. "o-o-o-h!" cried the roses, in a sort of sighing chorus; and one of them added: "what a horrid noise!" "why, that was only hank," said betsy, and as if to prove the truth of her words the mule uttered another loud "hee-haw!" at this all the roses turned on their stems as far as they were able and trembled as if some one were shaking their bushes. a dainty moss rose gasped: "dear me! how dreadfully dreadful!" "it isn't dreadful at all," said betsy, somewhat indignant. "when you get used to hank's voice it will put you to sleep." the roses now looked at the mule less fearfully and one of them asked: "is that savage beast named hank?" "yes; hank's my comrade, faithful and true," answered the girl, twining her arms around the little mule's neck and hugging him tight. "aren't you, hank?" hank could only say in reply: "hee-haw!" and at his bray the roses shivered again. "please go away!" begged one. "can't you see you're frightening us out of a week's growth?" "go away!" echoed betsy. "why, we've no place to go. we've just been wrecked." "wrecked?" asked the roses in a surprised chorus. "yes; we were on a big ship and the storm came and wrecked it," explained the girl. "but hank and i caught hold of a raft and floated ashore to this place, and--we're tired and hungry. what country _is_ this, please?" "this is the rose kingdom," replied the moss rose, haughtily, "and it is devoted to the culture of the rarest and fairest roses grown." "i believe it," said betsy, admiring the pretty blossoms. "but only roses are allowed here," continued a delicate tea rose, bending her brows in a frown; "therefore you must go away before the royal gardener finds you and casts you back into the sea." "oh! is there a royal gardener, then?" inquired betsy. "to be sure." "and is he a rose, also?" "of course not; he's a man--a wonderful man," was the reply. "well, i'm not afraid of a man," declared the girl, much relieved, and even as she spoke the royal gardener popped into the greenhouse--a spading fork in one hand and a watering pot in the other. he was a funny little man, dressed in a rose-colored costume, with ribbons at his knees and elbows, and a bunch of ribbons in his hair. his eyes were small and twinkling, his nose sharp and his face puckered and deeply lined. "o-ho!" he exclaimed, astonished to find strangers in his greenhouse, and when hank gave a loud bray the gardener threw the watering pot over the mule's head and danced around with his fork, in such agitation that presently he fell over the handle of the implement and sprawled at full length upon the ground. betsy laughed and pulled the watering pot off from hank's head. the little mule was angry at the treatment he had received and backed toward the gardener threateningly. "look out for his heels!" called betsy warningly and the gardener scrambled to his feet and hastily hid behind the roses. "you are breaking the law!" he shouted, sticking out his head to glare at the girl and the mule. "what law?" asked betsy. "the law of the rose kingdom. no strangers are allowed in these domains." "not when they're shipwrecked?" she inquired. "the law doesn't except shipwrecks," replied the royal gardener, and he was about to say more when suddenly there was a crash of glass and a man came tumbling through the roof of the greenhouse and fell plump to the ground. chapter six shaggy seeks his stray brother this sudden arrival was a queer looking man, dressed all in garments so shaggy that betsy at first thought he must be some animal. but the stranger ended his fall in a sitting position and then the girl saw it was really a man. he held an apple in his hand, which he had evidently been eating when he fell, and so little was he jarred or flustered by the accident that he continued to munch this apple as he calmly looked around him. "good gracious!" exclaimed betsy, approaching him. "who _are_ you, and where did you come from?" "me? oh, i'm shaggy man," said he, taking another bite of the apple. "just dropped in for a short call. excuse my seeming haste." "why, i s'pose you couldn't help the haste," said betsy. "no. i climbed an apple tree, outside; branch gave way and--here i am." as he spoke the shaggy man finished his apple, gave the core to hank--who ate it greedily--and then stood up to bow politely to betsy and the roses. the royal gardener had been frightened nearly into fits by the crash of glass and the fall of the shaggy stranger into the bower of roses, but now he peeped out from behind a bush and cried in his squeaky voice: "you're breaking the law! you're breaking the law!" shaggy stared at him solemnly. "is the glass the law in this country?" he asked. "breaking the glass is breaking the law," squeaked the gardener, angrily. "also, to intrude in any part of the rose kingdom is breaking the law." "how do you know?" asked shaggy. "why, it's printed in a book," said the gardener, coming forward and taking a small book from his pocket. "page thirteen. here it is: 'if any stranger enters the rose kingdom he shall at once be condemned by the ruler and put to death.' so you see, strangers," he continued triumphantly, "it's death for you all and your time has come!" but just here hank interposed. he had been stealthily backing toward the royal gardener, whom he disliked, and now the mule's heels shot out and struck the little man in the middle. he doubled up like the letter "u" and flew out of the door so swiftly--never touching the ground--that he was gone before betsy had time to wink. but the mule's attack frightened the girl. "come," she whispered, approaching the shaggy man and taking his hand; "let's go somewhere else. they'll surely kill us if we stay here!" "don't worry, my dear," replied shaggy, patting the child's head. "i'm not afraid of anything, so long as i have the love magnet." "the love magnet! why, what is that?" asked betsy. "it's a charming little enchantment that wins the heart of everyone who looks upon it," was the reply. "the love magnet used to hang over the gateway to the emerald city, in the land of oz; but when i started on this journey our beloved ruler, ozma of oz, allowed me to take it with me." "oh!" cried betsy, staring hard at him; "are you really from the wonderful land of oz?" "yes. ever been there, my dear?" "no; but i've heard about it. and do you know princess ozma?" "very well indeed." "and--and princess dorothy?" "dorothy's an old chum of mine," declared shaggy. "dear me!" exclaimed betsy. "and why did you ever leave such a beautiful land as oz?" "on an errand," said shaggy, looking sad and solemn. "i'm trying to find my dear little brother." "oh! is he lost?" questioned betsy, feeling very sorry for the poor man. "been lost these ten years," replied shaggy, taking out a handkerchief and wiping a tear from his eye. "i didn't know it until lately, when i saw it recorded in the magic record book of the sorceress glinda, in the land of oz. so now i'm trying to find him." "where was he lost?" asked the girl sympathetically. "back in colorado, where i used to live before i went to oz. brother was a miner, and dug gold out of a mine. one day he went into his mine and never came out. they searched for him, but he was not there. disappeared entirely," shaggy ended miserably. "for goodness sake! what do you s'pose became of him?" she asked. "there is only one explanation," replied shaggy, taking another apple from his pocket and eating it to relieve his misery. "the nome king probably got him." "the nome king! who is he?" "why, he's sometimes called the metal monarch, and his name is ruggedo. lives in some underground cavern. claims to own all the metals hidden in the earth. don't ask me why." "why?" "'cause i don't know. but this ruggedo gets wild with anger if anyone digs gold out of the earth, and my private opinion is that he captured brother and carried him off to his underground kingdom. no--don't ask me why. i see you're dying to ask me why. but i don't know." "but--dear me!--in that case you will never find your lost brother!" exclaimed the girl. "maybe not; but it's my duty to try," answered shaggy. "i've wandered so far without finding him, but that only proves he is not where i've been looking. what i seek now is the hidden passage to the underground cavern of the terrible metal monarch." "well," said betsy doubtfully, "it strikes me that if you ever manage to get there the metal monarch will make you, too, his prisoner." "nonsense!" answered shaggy, carelessly. "you mustn't forget the love magnet." "what about it?" she asked. "when the fierce metal monarch sees the love magnet, he will love me dearly and do anything i ask." "it must be wonderful," said betsy, with awe. "it is," the man assured her. "shall i show it to you?" "oh, do!" she cried; so shaggy searched in his shaggy pocket and drew out a small silver magnet, shaped like a horseshoe. the moment betsy saw it she began to like the shaggy man better than before. hank also saw the magnet and crept up to shaggy to rub his head lovingly against the man's knee. but they were interrupted by the royal gardener, who stuck his head into the greenhouse and shouted angrily: "you are all condemned to death! your only chance to escape is to leave here instantly." this startled little betsy, but the shaggy man merely waved the magnet toward the gardener, who, seeing it, rushed forward and threw himself at shaggy's feet, murmuring in honeyed words: "oh, you lovely, lovely man! how fond i am of you! every shag and bobtail that decorates you is dear to me--all i have is yours! but for goodness' sake get out of here before you die the death." "i'm not going to die," declared shaggy man. "you must. it's the law," exclaimed the gardener, beginning to weep real tears. "it breaks my heart to tell you this bad news, but the law says that all strangers must be condemned by the ruler to die the death." "no ruler has condemned us yet," said betsy. "of course not," added shaggy. "we haven't even seen the ruler of the rose kingdom." "well, to tell the truth," said the gardener, in a perplexed tone of voice, "we haven't any real ruler, just now. you see, all our rulers grow on bushes in the royal gardens, and the last one we had got mildewed and withered before his time. so we had to plant him, and at this time there is no one growing on the royal bushes who is ripe enough to pick." "how do you know?" asked betsy. "why, i'm the royal gardener. plenty of royalties are growing, i admit; but just now they are all green. until one ripens, i am supposed to rule the rose kingdom myself, and see that its laws are obeyed. therefore, much as i love you, shaggy, i must put you to death." "wait a minute," pleaded betsy. "i'd like to see those royal gardens before i die." "so would i," added shaggy man. "take us there, gardener." "oh, i can't do that," objected the gardener. but shaggy again showed him the love magnet and after one glance at it the gardener could no longer resist. he led shaggy, betsy and hank to the end of the great greenhouse and carefully unlocked a small door. passing through this they came into the splendid royal garden of the rose kingdom. it was all surrounded by a tall hedge and within the enclosure grew several enormous rosebushes having thick green leaves of the texture of velvet. upon these bushes grew the members of the royal family of the rose kingdom--men, women and children in all stages of maturity. they all seemed to have a light green hue, as if unripe or not fully developed, their flesh and clothing being alike green. they stood perfectly lifeless upon their branches, which swayed softly in the breeze, and their wide open eyes stared straight ahead, unseeing and unintelligent. while examining these curious growing people, betsy passed behind a big central bush and at once uttered an exclamation of surprise and pleasure. for there, blooming in perfect color and shape, stood a royal princess, whose beauty was amazing. "why, she's ripe!" cried betsy, pushing aside some of the broad leaves to observe her more clearly. "well, perhaps so," admitted the gardener, who had come to the girl's side; "but she's a girl, and so we can't use her for a ruler." "no, indeed!" came a chorus of soft voices, and looking around betsy discovered that all the roses had followed them from the greenhouse and were now grouped before the entrance. "you see," explained the gardener, "the subjects of rose kingdom don't want a girl ruler. they want a king." "a king! we want a king!" repeated the chorus of roses. "isn't she royal?" inquired shaggy, admiring the lovely princess. "of course, for she grows on a royal bush. this princess is named ozga, as she is a distant cousin of ozma of oz; and, were she but a man, we would joyfully hail her as our ruler." the gardener then turned away to talk with his roses and betsy whispered to her companion: "let's pick her, shaggy." "all right," said he. "if she's royal, she has the right to rule this kingdom, and if we pick her she will surely protect us and prevent our being hurt, or driven away." so betsy and shaggy each took an arm of the beautiful rose princess and a little twist of her feet set her free of the branch upon which she grew. very gracefully she stepped down from the bush to the ground, where she bowed low to betsy and shaggy and said in a delightfully sweet voice: "i thank you." but at the sound of these words the gardener and the roses turned and discovered that the princess had been picked, and was now alive. over every face flashed an expression of resentment and anger, and one of the roses cried aloud. "audacious mortals! what have you done?" "picked a princess for you, that's all," replied betsy, cheerfully. "but we won't have her! we want a king!" exclaimed a jacque rose, and another added with a voice of scorn: "no girl shall rule over us!" the newly-picked princess looked from one to another of her rebellious subjects in astonishment. a grieved look came over her exquisite features. "have i no welcome here, pretty subjects?" she asked gently. "have i not come from my royal bush to be your ruler?" "you were picked by mortals, without our consent," replied the moss rose, coldly; "so we refuse to allow you to rule us." "turn her out, gardener, with the others!" cried the tea rose. "just a second, please!" called shaggy, taking the love magnet from his pocket. "i guess this will win their love, princess. here--take it in your hand and let the roses see it." princess ozga took the magnet and held it poised before the eyes of her subjects; but the roses regarded it with calm disdain. "why, what's the matter?" demanded shaggy in surprise. "the magnet never failed to work before!" "i know," said betsy, nodding her head wisely. "these roses have no hearts." "that's it," agreed the gardener. "they're pretty, and sweet, and alive; but still they are roses. their stems have thorns, but no hearts." the princess sighed and handed the magnet to the shaggy man. "what shall i do?" she asked sorrowfully. "turn her out, gardener, with the others!" commanded the roses. "we will have no ruler until a man-rose--a king--is ripe enough to pick." "very well," said the gardener meekly. "you must excuse me, my dear shaggy, for opposing your wishes, but you and the others, including ozga, must get out of rose kingdom immediately, if not before." "don't you love me, gardy?" asked shaggy, carelessly displaying the magnet. "i do. i dote on thee!" answered the gardener earnestly; "but no true man will neglect his duty for the sake of love. my duty is to drive you out, so--out you go!" with this he seized a garden fork and began jabbing it at the strangers, in order to force them to leave. hank the mule was not afraid of the fork and when he got his heels near to the gardener the man fell back to avoid a kick. but now the roses crowded around the outcasts and it was soon discovered that beneath their draperies of green leaves were many sharp thorns which were more dangerous than hank's heels. neither betsy nor ozga nor shaggy nor the mule cared to brave those thorns and when they pressed away from them they found themselves slowly driven through the garden door into the greenhouse. from there they were forced out at the entrance and so through the territory of the flower-strewn rose kingdom, which was not of very great extent. the rose princess was sobbing bitterly; betsy was indignant and angry; hank uttered defiant "hee-haws" and the shaggy man whistled softly to himself. the boundary of the rose kingdom was a deep gulf, but there was a drawbridge in one place and this the royal gardener let down until the outcasts had passed over it. then he drew it up again and returned with his roses to the greenhouse, leaving the four queerly assorted comrades to wander into the bleak and unknown country that lay beyond. "i don't mind, much," remarked shaggy, as he led the way over the stony, barren ground. "i've got to search for my long-lost little brother, anyhow, so it won't matter where i go." "hank and i will help you find your brother," said betsy in her most cheerful voice. "i'm so far away from home now that i don't s'pose i'll ever find my way back; and, to tell the truth, it's more fun traveling around and having adventures than sticking at home. don't you think so, hank?" "hee-haw!" said hank, and the shaggy man thanked them both. "for my part," said princess ozga of roseland, with a gentle sigh, "i must remain forever exiled from my kingdom. so i, too, will be glad to help the shaggy man find his lost brother." "that's very kind of you, ma'am," said shaggy. "but unless i can find the underground cavern of ruggedo, the metal monarch, i shall never find poor brother." (this king was formerly named "roquat," but after he drank of the "waters of oblivion" he forgot his own name and had to take another.) "doesn't anyone know where it is?" inquired betsy. "_some_ one must know, of course," was shaggy's reply. "but we are not the ones. the only way to succeed is for us to keep going until we find a person who can direct us to ruggedo's cavern." "we may find it ourselves, without any help," suggested betsy. "who knows?" "no one knows that, except the person who's writing this story," said shaggy. "but we won't find anything--not even supper--unless we travel on. here's a path. let's take it and see where it leads to." chapter seven polychrome's pitiful plight the rain king got too much water in his basin and spilled some over the brim. that made it rain in a certain part of the country--a real hard shower, for a time--and sent the rainbow scampering to the place to show the gorgeous colors of his glorious bow as soon as the mist of rain had passed and the sky was clear. the coming of the rainbow is always a joyous event to earth folk, yet few have ever seen it close by. usually the rainbow is so far distant that you can observe its splendid hues but dimly, and that is why we seldom catch sight of the dancing daughters of the rainbow. in the barren country where the rain had just fallen there appeared to be no human beings at all; but the rainbow appeared, just the same, and dancing gayly upon its arch were the rainbow's daughters, led by the fairylike polychrome, who is so dainty and beautiful that no girl has ever quite equalled her in loveliness. polychrome was in a merry mood and danced down the arch of the bow to the ground, daring her sisters to follow her. laughing and gleeful, they also touched the ground with their twinkling feet; but all the daughters of the rainbow knew that this was a dangerous pastime, so they quickly climbed upon their bow again. all but polychrome. though the sweetest and merriest of them all, she was likewise the most reckless. moreover, it was an unusual sensation to pat the cold, damp earth with her rosy toes. before she realized it the bow had lifted and disappeared in the billowy blue sky, and here was polychrome standing helpless upon a rock, her gauzy draperies floating about her like brilliant cobwebs and not a soul--fairy or mortal--to help her regain her lost bow! "dear me!" she exclaimed, a frown passing across her pretty face, "i'm caught again. this is the second time my carelessness has left me on earth while my sisters returned to our sky palaces. the first time i enjoyed some pleasant adventures, but this is a lonely, forsaken country and i shall be very unhappy until my rainbow comes again and i can climb aboard. let me think what is best to be done." she crouched low upon the flat rock, drew her draperies about her and bowed her head. it was in this position that betsy bobbin spied polychrome as she came along the stony path, followed by hank, the princess and shaggy. at once the girl ran up to the radiant daughter of the rainbow and exclaimed: "oh, what a lovely, lovely creature!" polychrome raised her golden head. there were tears in her blue eyes. "i'm the most miserable girl in the whole world!" she sobbed. the others gathered around her. "tell us your troubles, pretty one," urged the princess. "i--i've lost my bow!" wailed polychrome. "take me, my dear," said shaggy man in a sympathetic tone, thinking she meant "beau" instead of "bow." "i don't want you!" cried polychrome, stamping her foot imperiously; "i want my _rain_bow." "oh; that's different," said shaggy. "but try to forget it. when i was young i used to cry for the rainbow myself, but i couldn't have it. looks as if _you_ couldn't have it, either; so please don't cry." polychrome looked at him reproachfully. "i don't like you," she said. "no?" replied shaggy, drawing the love magnet from his pocket; "not a little bit?--just a wee speck of a like?" "yes, yes!" said polychrome, clasping her hands in ecstasy as she gazed at the enchanted talisman; "i love you, shaggy man!" "of course you do," said he calmly; "but i don't take any credit for it. it's the love magnet's powerful charm. but you seem quite alone and friendless, little rainbow. don't you want to join our party until you find your father and sisters again?" "where are you going?" she asked. "we don't just know that," said betsy, taking her hand; "but we're trying to find shaggy's long-lost brother, who has been captured by the terrible metal monarch. won't you come with us, and help us?" polychrome looked from one to another of the queer party of travelers and a bewitching smile suddenly lighted her face. "a donkey, a mortal maid, a rose princess and a shaggy man!" she exclaimed. "surely you need help, if you intend to face ruggedo." "do you know him, then?" inquired betsy. "no, indeed. ruggedo's caverns are beneath the earth's surface, where no rainbow can ever penetrate. but i've heard of the metal monarch. he is also called the nome king, you know, and he has made trouble for a good many people--mortals and fairies--in his time," said polychrome. "do you fear him, then?" asked the princess, anxiously. "no one can harm a daughter of the rainbow," said polychrome proudly. "i'm a sky fairy." "then," said betsy, quickly, "you will be able to tell us the way to ruggedo's cavern." "no," returned polychrome, shaking her head, "that is one thing i cannot do. but i will gladly go with you and help you search for the place." this promise delighted all the wanderers and after the shaggy man had found the path again they began moving along it in a more happy mood. the rainbow's daughter danced lightly over the rocky trail, no longer sad, but with her beautiful features wreathed in smiles. shaggy came next, walking steadily and now and then supporting the rose princess, who followed him. betsy and hank brought up the rear, and if she tired with walking the girl got upon hank's back and let the stout little donkey carry her for awhile. at nightfall they came to some trees that grew beside a tiny brook and here they made camp and rested until morning. then away they tramped, finding berries and fruits here and there which satisfied the hunger of betsy, shaggy and hank, so that they were well content with their lot. it surprised betsy to see the rose princess partake of their food, for she considered her a fairy; but when she mentioned this to polychrome, the rainbow's daughter explained that when ozga was driven out of her rose kingdom she ceased to be a fairy and would never again be more than a mere mortal. polychrome, however, was a fairy wherever she happened to be, and if she sipped a few dewdrops by moonlight for refreshment no one ever saw her do it. as they continued their wandering journey, direction meant very little to them, for they were hopelessly lost in this strange country. shaggy said it would be best to go toward the mountains, as the natural entrance to ruggedo's underground cavern was likely to be hidden in some rocky, deserted place; but mountains seemed all around them except in the one direction that they had come from, which led to the rose kingdom and the sea. therefore it mattered little which way they traveled. by and by they espied a faint trail that looked like a path and after following this for some time they reached a crossroads. here were many paths, leading in various directions, and there was a signpost so old that there were now no words upon the sign. at one side was an old well, with a chain windlass for drawing water, yet there was no house or other building anywhere in sight. while the party halted, puzzled which way to proceed, the mule approached the well and tried to look into it. "he's thirsty," said betsy. "it's a dry well," remarked shaggy. "probably there has been no water in it for many years. but, come; let us decide which way to travel." no one seemed able to decide that. they sat down in a group and tried to consider which road might be the best to take. hank, however, could not keep away from the well and finally he reared up on his hind legs, got his head over the edge and uttered a loud "hee-haw!" betsy watched her animal friend curiously. "i wonder if he sees anything down there?" she said. at this, shaggy rose and went over to the well to investigate, and betsy went with him. the princess and polychrome, who had become fast friends, linked arms and sauntered down one of the roads, to find an easy path. "really," said shaggy, "there does seem to be something at the bottom of this old well." "can't we pull it up, and see what it is?" asked the girl. there was no bucket at the end of the windlass chain, but there was a big hook that at one time was used to hold a bucket. shaggy let down this hook, dragged it around on the bottom and then pulled it up. an old hoopskirt came with it, and betsy laughed and threw it away. the thing frightened hank, who had never seen a hoopskirt before, and he kept a good distance away from it. several other objects the shaggy man captured with the hook and drew up, but none of these was important. "this well seems to have been the dump for all the old rubbish in the country," he said, letting down the hook once more. "i guess i've captured everything now. no--the hook has caught again. help me, betsy! whatever this thing is, it's heavy." she ran up and helped him turn the windlass and after much effort a confused mass of copper came in sight. "good gracious!" exclaimed shaggy. "here is a surprise, indeed!" "what is it?" inquired betsy, clinging to the windlass and panting for breath. for answer the shaggy man grasped the bundle of copper and dumped it upon the ground, free of the well. then he turned it over with his foot, spread it out, and to betsy's astonishment the thing proved to be a copper man. "just as i thought," said shaggy, looking hard at the object. "but unless there are two copper men in the world this is the most astonishing thing i ever came across." at this moment the rainbow's daughter and the rose princess approached them, and polychrome said: "what have you found, shaggy one?" "either an old friend, or a stranger," he replied. "oh, here's a sign on his back!" cried betsy, who had knelt down to examine the man. "dear me; how funny! listen to this." then she read the following words, engraved upon the copper plates of the man's body: smith & tinker's patent double-action, extra-responsive, thought-creating, perfect-talking mechanical man fitted with our special clockwork attachment. thinks, speaks, acts, and does everything but live. "isn't he wonderful!" exclaimed the princess. "yes; but here's more," said betsy, reading from another engraved plate: directions for using: for thinking:--wind the clockwork man under his left arm, (marked no. 1). for speaking:--wind the clockwork man under his right arm, (marked no. 2). for walking and action:--wind clockwork man in the middle of his back, (marked no. 3). n. b.--this mechanism is guaranteed to work perfectly for a thousand years. "if he's guaranteed for a thousand years," said polychrome, "he ought to work yet." "of course," replied shaggy. "let's wind him up." in order to do this they were obliged to set the copper man upon his feet, in an upright position, and this was no easy task. he was inclined to topple over, and had to be propped again and again. the girls assisted shaggy, and at last tik-tok seemed to be balanced and stood alone upon his broad feet. "yes," said shaggy, looking at the copper man carefully, "this must be, indeed, my old friend tik-tok, whom i left ticking merrily in the land of oz. but how he came to this lonely place, and got into that old well, is surely a mystery." "if we wind him, perhaps he will tell us," suggested betsy. "here's the key, hanging to a hook on his back. what part of him shall i wind up first?" "his thoughts, of course," said polychrome, "for it requires thought to speak or move intelligently." so betsy wound him under his left arm, and at once little flashes of light began to show in the top of his head, which was proof that he had begun to think. "now, then," said shaggy, "wind up his phonograph." "what's that?" she asked. "why, his talking-machine. his thoughts may be interesting, but they don't tell us anything." so betsy wound the copper man under his right arm, and then from the interior of his copper body came in jerky tones the words: "ma-ny thanks!" "hurrah!" cried shaggy, joyfully, and he slapped tik-tok upon the back in such a hearty manner that the copper man lost his balance and tumbled to the ground in a heap. but the clockwork that enabled him to speak had been wound up and he kept saying: "pick-me-up! pick-me-up! pick-me-up!" until they had again raised him and balanced him upon his feet, when he added politely: "ma-ny thanks!" "he won't be self-supporting until we wind up his action," remarked shaggy; so betsy wound it, as tight as she could--for the key turned rather hard--and then tik-tok lifted his feet, marched around in a circle and ended by stopping before the group and making them all a low bow. "how in the world did you happen to be in that well, when i left you safe in oz?" inquired shaggy. "it is a long sto-ry," replied tik-tok, "but i'll tell it in a few words. af-ter you had gone in search of your broth-er, oz-ma saw you wan-der-ing in strange lands when-ev-er she looked in her mag-ic pic-ture, and she also saw your broth-er in the nome king's cavern; so she sent me to tell you where to find your broth-er and told me to help you if i could. the sor-cer-ess, glin-da the good, trans-port-ed me to this place in the wink of an eye; but here i met the nome king him-self--old rug-ge-do, who is called in these parts the met-al mon-arch. rug-ge-do knew what i had come for, and he was so an-gry that he threw me down the well. af-ter my works ran down i was help-less un-til you came a-long and pulled me out a-gain. ma-ny thanks." "this is, indeed, good news," said shaggy. "i suspected that my brother was the prisoner of ruggedo; but now i know it. tell us, tik-tok, how shall we get to the nome king's underground cavern?" "the best way is to walk," said tik-tok. "we might crawl, or jump, or roll o-ver and o-ver until we get there; but the best way is to walk." "i know; but which road shall we take?" "my ma-chin-er-y is-n't made to tell that," replied tik-tok. "there is more than one entrance to the underground cavern," said polychrome; "but old ruggedo has cleverly concealed every opening, so that earth dwellers can not intrude in his domain. if we find our way underground at all, it will be by chance." "then," said betsy, "let us select any road, haphazard, and see where it leads us." "that seems sensible," declared the princess. "it may require a lot of time for us to find ruggedo, but we have more time than anything else." "if you keep me wound up," said tik-tok, "i will last a thou-sand years." "then the only question to decide is which way to go," added shaggy, looking first at one road and then at another. but while they stood hesitating, a peculiar sound reached their ears--a sound like the tramping of many feet. "what's coming?" cried betsy; and then she ran to the left-hand road and glanced along the path. "why, it's an army!" she exclaimed. "what shall we do, hide or run?" "stand still," commanded shaggy. "i'm not afraid of an army. if they prove to be friendly, they can help us; if they are enemies, i'll show them the love magnet." chapter eight tik-tok tackles a tough task while shaggy and his companions stood huddled in a group at one side, the army of oogaboo was approaching along the pathway, the tramp of their feet being now and then accompanied by a dismal groan as one of the officers stepped on a sharp stone or knocked his funnybone against his neighbor's sword-handle. then out from among the trees marched private files, bearing the banner of oogaboo, which fluttered from a long pole. this pole he stuck in the ground just in front of the well and then he cried in a loud voice: "i hereby conquer this territory in the name of queen ann soforth of oogaboo, and all the inhabitants of the land i proclaim her slaves!" some of the officers now stuck their heads out of the bushes and asked: "is the coast clear, private files?" "there is no coast here," was the reply, "but all's well." "i hope there's water in it," said general cone, mustering courage to advance to the well; but just then he caught a glimpse of tik-tok and shaggy and at once fell upon his knees, trembling and frightened and cried out: "mercy, kind enemies! mercy! spare us, and we will be your slaves forever!" the other officers, who had now advanced into the clearing, likewise fell upon their knees and begged for mercy. files turned around and, seeing the strangers for the first time, examined them with much curiosity. then, discovering that three of the party were girls, he lifted his cap and made a polite bow. "what's all this?" demanded a harsh voice, as queen ann reached the place and beheld her kneeling army. "permit us to introduce ourselves," replied shaggy, stepping forward. "this is tik-tok, the clockwork man--who works better than some meat people. and here is princess ozga of roseland, just now unfortunately exiled from her kingdom of roses. i next present polychrome, a sky fairy, who lost her bow by an accident and can't find her way home. the small girl here is betsy bobbin, from some unknown earthly paradise called oklahoma, and with her you see mr. hank, a mule with a long tail and a short temper." "puh!" said ann, scornfully; "a pretty lot of vagabonds you are, indeed; all lost or strayed, i suppose, and not worth a queen's plundering. i'm sorry i've conquered you." "but you haven't conquered us yet," called betsy indignantly. "no," agreed files, "that is a fact. but if my officers will kindly command me to conquer you, i will do so at once, after which we can stop arguing and converse more at our ease." the officers had by this time risen from their knees and brushed the dust from their trousers. to them the enemy did not look very fierce, so the generals and colonels and majors and captains gained courage to face them and began strutting in their most haughty manner. "you must understand," said ann, "that i am the queen of oogaboo, and this is my invincible army. we are busy conquering the world, and since you seem to be a part of the world, and are obstructing our journey, it is necessary for us to conquer you--unworthy though you may be of such high honor." "that's all right," replied shaggy. "conquer us as often as you like. we don't mind." "but we won't be anybody's slaves," added betsy, positively. "we'll see about that," retorted the queen, angrily. "advance, private files, and bind the enemy hand and foot!" but private files looked at pretty betsy and fascinating polychrome and the beautiful rose princess and shook his head. "it would be impolite, and i won't do it," he asserted. "you must!" cried ann. "it is your duty to obey orders." "i haven't received any orders from my officers," objected the private. but the generals now shouted: "forward, and bind the prisoners!" and the colonels and majors and captains repeated the command, yelling it as loud as they could. all this noise annoyed hank, who had been eyeing the army of oogaboo with strong disfavor. the mule now dashed forward and began backing upon the officers and kicking fierce and dangerous heels at them. the attack was so sudden that the officers scattered like dust in a whirlwind, dropping their swords as they ran and trying to seek refuge behind the trees and bushes. betsy laughed joyously at the comical rout of the "noble army," and polychrome danced with glee. but ann was furious at this ignoble defeat of her gallant forces by one small mule. "private files, i command you to do your duty!" she cried again, and then she herself ducked to escape the mule's heels--for hank made no distinction in favor of a lady who was an open enemy. betsy grabbed her champion by the forelock, however, and so held him fast, and when the officers saw that the mule was restrained from further attacks they crept fearfully back and picked up their discarded swords. "private files, seize and bind these prisoners!" screamed the queen. "no," said files, throwing down his gun and removing the knapsack which was strapped to his back, "i resign my position as the army of oogaboo. i enlisted to fight the enemy and become a hero, but if you want some one to bind harmless girls you will have to hire another private." then he walked over to the others and shook hands with shaggy and tik-tok. "treason!" shrieked ann, and all the officers echoed her cry. "nonsense," said files. "i've the right to resign if i want to." "indeed you haven't!" retorted the queen. "if you resign it will break up my army, and then i cannot conquer the world." she now turned to the officers and said: "i must ask you to do me a favor. i know it is undignified in officers to fight, but unless you immediately capture private files and force him to obey my orders there will be no plunder for any of us. also it is likely you will all suffer the pangs of hunger, and when we meet a powerful foe you are liable to be captured and made slaves." the prospect of this awful fate so frightened the officers that they drew their swords and rushed upon files, who stood beside shaggy, in a truly ferocious manner. the next instant, however, they halted and again fell upon their knees; for there, before them, was the glistening love magnet, held in the hand of the smiling shaggy man, and the sight of this magic talisman at once won the heart of every oogabooite. even ann saw the love magnet, and forgetting all enmity and anger threw herself upon shaggy and embraced him lovingly. quite disconcerted by this unexpected effect of the magnet, shaggy disengaged himself from the queen's encircling arms and quickly hid the talisman in his pocket. the adventurers from oogaboo were now his firm friends, and there was no more talk about conquering and binding any of his party. "if you insist on conquering anyone," said shaggy, "you may march with me to the underground kingdom of ruggedo. to conquer the world, as you have set out to do, you must conquer everyone under its surface as well as those upon its surface, and no one in all the world needs conquering so much as ruggedo." "who is he?" asked ann. "the metal monarch, king of the nomes." "is he rich?" inquired major stockings in an anxious voice. "of course," answered shaggy. "he owns all the metal that lies underground--gold, silver, copper, brass and tin. he has an idea he also owns all the metals above ground, for he says all metal was once a part of his kingdom. so, by conquering the metal monarch, you will win all the riches in the world." "ah!" exclaimed general apple, heaving a deep sigh, "that would be plunder worth our while. let's conquer him, your majesty." the queen looked reproachfully at files, who was sitting next to the lovely princess and whispering in her ear. "alas," said ann, "i have no longer an army. i have plenty of brave officers, indeed, but no private soldier for them to command. therefore i cannot conquer ruggedo and win all his wealth." "why don't you make one of your officers the private?" asked shaggy; but at once every officer began to protest and the queen of oogaboo shook her head as she replied: "that is impossible. a private soldier must be a terrible fighter, and my officers are unable to fight. they are exceptionally brave in commanding others to fight, but could not themselves meet the enemy and conquer." "very true, your majesty," said colonel plum, eagerly. "there are many kinds of bravery and one cannot be expected to possess them all. i myself am brave as a lion in all ways until it comes to fighting, but then my nature revolts. fighting is unkind and liable to be injurious to others; so, being a gentleman, i never fight." "nor i!" shouted each of the other officers. "you see," said ann, "how helpless i am. had not private files proved himself a traitor and a deserter, i would gladly have conquered this ruggedo; but an army without a private soldier is like a bee without a stinger." "i am not a traitor, your majesty," protested files. "i resigned in a proper manner, not liking the job. but there are plenty of people to take my place. why not make shaggy man the private soldier?" "he might be killed," said ann, looking tenderly at shaggy, "for he is mortal, and able to die. if anything happened to him, it would break my heart." "it would hurt me worse than that," declared shaggy. "you must admit, your majesty, that i am commander of this expedition, for it is my brother we are seeking, rather than plunder. but i and my companions would like the assistance of your army, and if you help us to conquer ruggedo and to rescue my brother from captivity we will allow you to keep all the gold and jewels and other plunder you may find." this prospect was so tempting that the officers began whispering together and presently colonel cheese said: "your majesty, by combining our brains we have just evolved a most brilliant idea. we will make the clockwork man the private soldier!" "who? me?" asked tik-tok. "not for a sin-gle sec-ond! i can-not fight, and you must not for-get that it was rug-ge-do who threw me in the well." "at that time you had no gun," said polychrome. "but if you join the army of oogaboo you will carry the gun that mr. files used." "a sol-dier must be a-ble to run as well as to fight," protested tik-tok, "and if my works run down, as they of-ten do, i could nei-ther run nor fight." "i'll keep you wound up, tik-tok," promised betsy. "why, it isn't a bad idea," said shaggy. "tik-tok will make an ideal soldier, for nothing can injure him except a sledge hammer. and, since a private soldier seems to be necessary to this army, tik-tok is the only one of our party fitted to undertake the job." "what must i do?" asked tik-tok. "obey orders," replied ann. "when the officers command you to do anything, you must do it; that is all." "and that's enough, too," said files. "do i get a salary?" inquired tik-tok. "you get your share of the plunder," answered the queen. "yes," remarked files, "one-half of the plunder goes to queen ann, the other half is divided among the officers, and the private gets the rest." "that will be sat-is-fac-tor-y," said tik-tok, picking up the gun and examining it wonderingly, for he had never before seen such a weapon. then ann strapped the knapsack to tik-tok's copper back and said: "now we are ready to march to ruggedo's kingdom and conquer it. officers, give the command to march." "fall--in!" yelled the generals, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" cried the colonels, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" shouted the majors, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" bawled the captains, drawing their swords. tik-tok looked at them and then around him in surprise. "fall in what? the well?" he asked. "no," said queen ann, "you must fall in marching order." "can-not i march without fall-ing in-to it?" asked the clockwork man. "shoulder your gun and stand ready to march," advised files; so tik-tok held the gun straight and stood still. "what next?" he asked. the queen turned to shaggy. "which road leads to the metal monarch's cavern?" "we don't know, your majesty," was the reply. "but this is absurd!" said ann with a frown. "if we can't get to ruggedo, it is certain that we can't conquer him." "you are right," admitted shaggy; "but i did not say we could not get to him. we have only to discover the way, and that was the matter we were considering when you and your magnificent army arrived here." "well, then, get busy and discover it," snapped the queen. that was no easy task. they all stood looking from one road to another in perplexity. the paths radiated from the little clearing like the rays of the midday sun, and each path seemed like all the others. files and the rose princess, who had by this time become good friends, advanced a little way along one of the roads and found that it was bordered by pretty wild flowers. "why don't you ask the flowers to tell you the way?" he said to his companion. "the flowers?" returned the princess, surprised at the question. "of course," said files. "the field-flowers must be second-cousins to a rose princess, and i believe if you ask them they will tell you." she looked more closely at the flowers. there were hundreds of white daisies, golden buttercups, bluebells and daffodils growing by the roadside, and each flower-head was firmly set upon its slender but stout stem. there were even a few wild roses scattered here and there and perhaps it was the sight of these that gave the princess courage to ask the important question. she dropped to her knees, facing the flowers, and extended both her arms pleadingly toward them. "tell me, pretty cousins," she said in her sweet, gentle voice, "which way will lead us to the kingdom of ruggedo, the nome king?" at once all the stems bent gracefully to the right and the flower heads nodded once--twice--thrice in that direction. "that's it!" cried files joyfully. "now we know the way." ozga rose to her feet and looked wonderingly at the field-flowers, which had now resumed their upright position. "was it the wind, do you think?" she asked in a low whisper. "no, indeed," replied files. "there is not a breath of wind stirring. but these lovely blossoms are indeed your cousins and answered your question at once, as i knew they would." chapter nine ruggedo's rage is rash and reckless the way taken by the adventurers led up hill and down dale and wound here and there in a fashion that seemed aimless. but always it drew nearer to a range of low mountains and files said more than once that he was certain the entrance to ruggedo's cavern would be found among these rugged hills. in this he was quite correct. far underneath the nearest mountain was a gorgeous chamber hollowed from the solid rock, the walls and roof of which glittered with thousands of magnificent jewels. here, on a throne of virgin gold, sat the famous nome king, dressed in splendid robes and wearing a superb crown cut from a single blood-red ruby. ruggedo, the monarch of all the metals and precious stones of the underground world, was a round little man with a flowing white beard, a red face, bright eyes and a scowl that covered all his forehead. one would think, to look at him, that he ought to be jolly; one might think, considering his enormous wealth, that he ought to be happy; but this was not the case. the metal monarch was surly and cross because mortals had dug so much treasure out of the earth and kept it above ground, where all the power of ruggedo and his nomes was unable to recover it. he hated not only the mortals but also the fairies who live upon the earth or above it, and instead of being content with the riches he still possessed he was unhappy because he did not own all the gold and jewels in the world. ruggedo had been nodding, half asleep, in his chair when suddenly he sat upright, uttered a roar of rage and began pounding upon a huge gong that stood beside him. the sound filled the vast cavern and penetrated to many caverns beyond, where countless thousands of nomes were working at their unending tasks, hammering out gold and silver and other metals, or melting ores in great furnaces, or polishing glittering gems. the nomes trembled at the sound of the king's gong and whispered fearfully to one another that something unpleasant was sure to happen; but none dared pause in his task. the heavy curtains of cloth-of-gold were pushed aside and kaliko, the king's high chamberlain, entered the royal presence. "what's up, your majesty?" he asked, with a wide yawn, for he had just wakened. "up?" roared ruggedo, stamping his foot viciously. "those foolish mortals are up, that's what! and they want to come down." "down here?" inquired kaliko. "yes!" "how do you know?" continued the chamberlain, yawning again. "i feel it in my bones," said ruggedo. "i can always feel it when those hateful earth-crawlers draw near to my kingdom. i am positive, kaliko, that mortals are this very minute on their way here to annoy me--and i hate mortals more than i do catnip tea!" "well, what's to be done?" demanded the nome. "look through your spyglass, and see where the invaders are," commanded the king. so kaliko went to a tube in the wall of rock and put his eye to it. the tube ran from the cavern up to the side of the mountain and turned several curves and corners, but as it was a magic spyglass kaliko was able to see through it just as easily as if it had been straight. "ho--hum," said he. "i see 'em, your majesty." "what do they look like?" inquired the monarch. "that's a hard question to answer, for a queerer assortment of creatures i never yet beheld," replied the nome. "however, such a collection of curiosities may prove dangerous. there's a copper man, worked by machinery--" "bah! that's only tik-tok," said ruggedo. "i'm not afraid of him. why, only the other day i met the fellow and threw him down a well." "then some one must have pulled him out again," said kaliko. "and there's a little girl--" "dorothy?" asked ruggedo, jumping up in fear. "no; some other girl. in fact, there are several girls, of various sizes; but dorothy is not with them, nor is ozma." "that's good!" exclaimed the king, sighing in relief. kaliko still had his eye to the spyglass. "i see," said he, "an army of men from oogaboo. they are all officers and carry swords. and there is a shaggy man--who seems very harmless--and a little donkey with big ears." "pooh!" cried ruggedo, snapping his fingers in scorn. "i've no fear of such a mob as that. a dozen of my nomes can destroy them all in a jiffy." "i'm not so sure of that," said kaliko. "the people of oogaboo are hard to destroy, and i believe the rose princess is a fairy. as for polychrome, you know very well that the rainbow's daughter cannot be injured by a nome." "polychrome! is she among them?" asked the king. "yes; i have just recognized her." "then these people are coming here on no peaceful errand," declared ruggedo, scowling fiercely. "in fact, no one ever comes here on a peaceful errand. i hate everybody, and everybody hates me!" "very true," said kaliko. "i must in some way prevent these people from reaching my dominions. where are they now?" "just now they are crossing the rubber country, your majesty." "good! are your magnetic rubber wires in working order?" "i think so," replied kaliko. "is it your royal will that we have some fun with these invaders?" "it is," answered ruggedo. "i want to teach them a lesson they will never forget." now, shaggy had no idea that he was in a rubber country, nor had any of his companions. they noticed that everything around them was of a dull gray color and that the path upon which they walked was soft and springy, yet they had no suspicion that the rocks and trees were rubber and even the path they trod was made of rubber. presently they came to a brook where sparkling water dashed through a deep channel and rushed away between high rocks far down the mountain-side. across the brook were stepping-stones, so placed that travelers might easily leap from one to another and in that manner cross the water to the farther bank. tik-tok was marching ahead, followed by his officers and queen ann. after them came betsy bobbin and hank, polychrome and shaggy, and last of all the rose princess with files. the clockwork man saw the stream and the stepping-stones and, without making a pause, placed his foot upon the first stone. the result was astonishing. first he sank down in the soft rubber, which then rebounded and sent tik-tok soaring high in the air, where he turned a succession of flip-flops and alighted upon a rubber rock far in the rear of the party. general apple did not see tik-tok bound, so quickly had he disappeared; therefore he also stepped upon the stone (which you will guess was connected with kaliko's magnetic rubber wire) and instantly shot upward like an arrow. general cone came next and met with a like fate, but the others now noticed that something was wrong and with one accord they halted the column and looked back along the path. there was tik-tok, still bounding from one rubber rock to another, each time rising a less distance from the ground. and there was general apple, bounding away in another direction, his three-cornered hat jammed over his eyes and his long sword thumping him upon the arms and head as it swung this way and that. and there, also, appeared general cone, who had struck a rubber rock headforemost and was so crumpled up that his round body looked more like a bouncing-ball than the form of a man. betsy laughed merrily at the strange sight and polychrome echoed her laughter. but ozga was grave and wondering, while queen ann became angry at seeing the chief officers of the army of oogaboo bounding around in so undignified a manner. she shouted to them to stop, but they were unable to obey, even though they would have been glad to do so. finally, however, they all ceased bounding and managed to get upon their feet and rejoin the army. "why did you do that?" demanded ann, who seemed greatly provoked. "don't ask them why," said shaggy earnestly. "i knew you would ask them why, but you ought not to do it. the reason is plain. those stones are rubber; therefore they are not stones. those rocks around us are rubber, and therefore they are not rocks. even this path is not a path; it's rubber. unless we are very careful, your majesty, we are all likely to get the bounce, just as your poor officers and tik-tok did." "then let's be careful," remarked files, who was full of wisdom; but polychrome wanted to test the quality of the rubber, so she began dancing. every step sent her higher and higher into the air, so that she resembled a big butterfly fluttering lightly. presently she made a great bound and bounded way across the stream, landing lightly and steadily on the other side. "there is no rubber over here," she called to them. "suppose you all try to bound over the stream, without touching the stepping-stones." ann and her officers were reluctant to undertake such a risky adventure, but betsy at once grasped the value of the suggestion and began jumping up and down until she found herself bounding almost as high as polychrome had done. then she suddenly leaned forward and the next bound took her easily across the brook, where she alighted by the side of the rainbow's daughter. "come on, hank!" called the girl, and the donkey tried to obey. he managed to bound pretty high but when he tried to bound across the stream he misjudged the distance and fell with a splash into the middle of the water. "hee-haw!" he wailed, struggling toward the far bank. betsy rushed forward to help him out, but when the mule stood safely beside her she was amazed to find he was not wet at all. "it's dry water," said polychrome, dipping her hand into the stream and showing how the water fell from it and left it perfectly dry. "in that case," returned betsy, "they can all walk through the water." she called to ozga and shaggy to wade across, assuring them the water was shallow and would not wet them. at once they followed her advice, avoiding the rubber stepping stones, and made the crossing with ease. this encouraged the entire party to wade through the dry water, and in a few minutes all had assembled on the bank and renewed their journey along the path that led to the nome king's dominions. when kaliko again looked through his magic spyglass he exclaimed: "bad luck, your majesty! all the invaders have passed the rubber country and now are fast approaching the entrance to your caverns." ruggedo raved and stormed at the news and his anger was so great that several times, as he strode up and down his jeweled cavern, he paused to kick kaliko upon his shins, which were so sensitive that the poor nome howled with pain. finally the king said: "there's no help for it; we must drop these audacious invaders down the hollow tube." kaliko gave a jump, at this, and looked at his master wonderingly. "if you do that, your majesty," he said, "you will make tititi-hoochoo very angry." "never mind that," retorted ruggedo. "tititi-hoochoo lives on the other side of the world, so what do i care for his anger?" kaliko shuddered and uttered a little groan. "remember his terrible powers," he pleaded, "and remember that he warned you, the last time you slid people through the hollow tube, that if you did it again he would take vengeance upon you." the metal monarch walked up and down in silence, thinking deeply. "of two dangers," said he, "it is wise to choose the least. what do you suppose these invaders want?" "let the long-eared hearer listen to them," suggested kaliko. "call him here at once!" commanded ruggedo eagerly. so in a few minutes there entered the cavern a nome with enormous ears, who bowed low before the king. "strangers are approaching," said ruggedo, "and i wish to know their errand. listen carefully to their talk and tell me why they are coming here, and what for." the nome bowed again and spread out his great ears, swaying them gently up and down and back and forth. for half an hour he stood silent, in an attitude of listening, while both the king and kaliko grew impatient at the delay. at last the long-eared hearer spoke: "shaggy man is coming here to rescue his brother from captivity," said he. "ha, the ugly one!" exclaimed ruggedo. "well, shaggy man may have his ugly brother, for all i care. he's too lazy to work and is always getting in my way. where is the ugly one now, kaliko?" "the last time your majesty stumbled over the prisoner you commanded me to send him to the metal forest, which i did. i suppose he is still there." "very good. the invaders will have a hard time finding the metal forest," said the king, with a grin of malicious delight, "for half the time i can't find it myself. yet i created the forest and made every tree, out of gold and silver, so as to keep the precious metals in a safe place and out of the reach of mortals. but tell me, hearer, do the strangers want anything else?" "yes, indeed they do!" returned the nome. "the army of oogaboo is determined to capture all the rich metals and rare jewels in your kingdom, and the officers and their queen have arranged to divide the spoils and carry them away." when he heard this ruggedo uttered a bellow of rage and began dancing up and down, rolling his eyes, clicking his teeth together and swinging his arms furiously. then, in an ecstasy of anger he seized the long ears of the hearer and pulled and twisted them cruelly; but kaliko grabbed up the king's sceptre and rapped him over the knuckles with it, so that ruggedo let go the ears and began to chase his royal chamberlain around the throne. the hearer took advantage of this opportunity to slip away from the cavern and escape, and after the king had tired himself out chasing kaliko he threw himself into his throne and panted for breath, while he glared wickedly at his defiant subject. "you'd better save your strength to fight the enemy," suggested kaliko. "there will be a terrible battle when the army of oogaboo gets here." "the army won't get here," said the king, still coughing and panting. "i'll drop 'em down the hollow tube--every man jack and every girl jill of 'em!" "and defy tititi-hoochoo?" asked kaliko. "yes. go at once to my chief magician and order him to turn the path toward the hollow tube, and to make the tip of the tube invisible, so they'll all fall into it." kaliko went away shaking his head, for he thought ruggedo was making a great mistake. he found the magician and had the path twisted so that it led directly to the opening of the hollow tube, and this opening he made invisible. having obeyed the orders of his master, the royal chamberlain went to his private room and began to write letters of recommendation of himself, stating that he was an honest man, a good servant and a small eater. "pretty soon," he said to himself, "i shall have to look for another job, for it is certain that ruggedo has ruined himself by this reckless defiance of the mighty tititi-hoochoo. and in seeking a job nothing is so effective as a letter of recommendation." chapter ten a terrible tumble through a tube i suppose that polychrome, and perhaps queen ann and her army, might have been able to dispel the enchantment of ruggedo's chief magician had they known that danger lay in their pathway; for the rainbow's daughter was a fairy and as oogaboo is a part of the land of oz its inhabitants cannot easily be deceived by such common magic as the nome king could command. but no one suspected any especial danger until after they had entered ruggedo's cavern, and so they were journeying along in quite a contented manner when tik-tok, who marched ahead, suddenly disappeared. the officers thought he must have turned a corner, so they kept on their way and all of them likewise disappeared--one after another. queen ann was rather surprised at this, and in hastening forward to learn the reason she also vanished from sight. betsy bobbin had tired her feet by walking, so she was now riding upon the back of the stout little mule, facing backward and talking to shaggy and polychrome, who were just behind. suddenly hank pitched forward and began falling and betsy would have tumbled over his head had she not grabbed the mule's shaggy neck with both arms and held on for dear life. all around was darkness, and they were not falling directly downward but seemed to be sliding along a steep incline. hank's hoofs were resting upon some smooth substance over which he slid with the swiftness of the wind. once betsy's heels flew up and struck a similar substance overhead. they were, indeed, descending the "hollow tube" that led to the other side of the world. "stop, hank--stop!" cried the girl; but hank only uttered a plaintive "hee-haw!" for it was impossible for him to obey. after several minutes had passed and no harm had befallen them, betsy gained courage. she could see nothing at all, nor could she hear anything except the rush of air past her ears as they plunged downward along the tube. whether she and hank were alone, or the others were with them, she could not tell. but had some one been able to take a flash-light photograph of the tube at that time a most curious picture would have resulted. there was tik-tok, flat upon his back and sliding headforemost down the incline. and there were the officers of the army of oogaboo, all tangled up in a confused crowd, flapping their arms and trying to shield their faces from the clanking swords, which swung back and forth during the swift journey and pommeled everyone within their reach. now followed queen ann, who had struck the tube in a sitting position and went flying along with a dash and abandon that thoroughly bewildered the poor lady, who had no idea what had happened to her. then, a little distance away, but unseen by the others in the inky darkness, slid betsy and hank, while behind them were shaggy and polychrome and finally files and the princess. when first they tumbled into the tube all were too dazed to think clearly, but the trip was a long one, because the cavity led straight through the earth to a place just opposite the nome king's dominions, and long before the adventurers got to the end they had begun to recover their wits. "this is awful, hank!" cried betsy in a loud voice, and queen ann heard her and called out: "are you safe, betsy?" "mercy, no!" answered the little girl. "how could anyone be safe when she's going about sixty miles a minute?" then, after a pause, she added: "but where do you s'pose we're going to, your maj'sty?" "don't ask her that, please don't!" said shaggy, who was not too far away to overhear them. "and please don't ask me why, either." "why?" said betsy. "no one can tell where we are going until we get there," replied shaggy, and then he yelled "ouch!" for polychrome had overtaken him and was now sitting on his head. the rainbow's daughter laughed merrily, and so infectious was this joyous laugh that betsy echoed it and hank said "hee haw!" in a mild and sympathetic tone of voice. "i'd like to know where and when we'll arrive, just the same," exclaimed the little girl. "be patient and you'll find out, my dear," said polychrome. "but isn't this an odd experience? here am i, whose home is in the skies, making a journey through the center of the earth--where i never expected to be!" "how do you know we're in the center of the earth?" asked betsy, her voice trembling a little through nervousness. "why, we can t be anywhere else," replied polychrome. "i have often heard of this passage, which was once built by a magician who was a great traveler. he thought it would save him the bother of going around the earth's surface, but he tumbled through the tube so fast that he shot out at the other end and hit a star in the sky, which at once exploded." "the star exploded?" asked betsy wonderingly. "yes; the magician hit it so hard." "and what became of the magician?" inquired the girl. "no one knows that," answered polychrome. "but i don't think it matters much." "it matters a good deal, if we also hit the stars when we come out," said queen ann, with a moan. "don't worry," advised polychrome. "i believe the magician was going the other way, and probably he went much faster than we are going." "it's fast enough to suit me," remarked shaggy, gently removing polychrome's heel from his left eye. "couldn't you manage to fall all by yourself, my dear?" "i'll try," laughed the rainbow's daughter. all this time they were swiftly falling through the tube, and it was not so easy for them to talk as you may imagine when you read their words. but although they were so helpless and altogether in the dark as to their fate, the fact that they were able to converse at all cheered them, considerably. files and ozga were also conversing as they clung tightly to one another, and the young fellow bravely strove to reassure the princess, although he was terribly frightened, both on her account and on his own. an hour, under such trying circumstances, is a very long time, and for more than an hour they continued their fearful journey. then, just as they began to fear the tube would never end, tik-tok popped out into broad daylight and, after making a graceful circle in the air, fell with a splash into a great marble fountain. out came the officers, in quick succession, tumbling heels over head and striking the ground in many undignified attitudes. "for the love of sassafras!" exclaimed a peculiar person who was hoeing pink violets in a garden. "what can all this mean?" for answer, queen ann sailed up from the tube, took a ride through the air as high as the treetops, and alighted squarely on top of the peculiar person's head, smashing a jeweled crown over his eyes and tumbling him to the ground. the mule was heavier and had betsy clinging to his back, so he did not go so high up. fortunately for his little rider he struck the ground upon his four feet. betsy was jarred a trifle but not hurt and when she looked around her she saw the queen and the peculiar person struggling together upon the ground, where the man was trying to choke ann and she had both hands in his bushy hair and was pulling with all her might. some of the officers, when they got upon their feet, hastened to separate the combatants and sought to restrain the peculiar person so that he could not attack their queen again. by this time, shaggy, polychrome, ozga and files had all arrived and were curiously examining the strange country in which they found themselves and which they knew to be exactly on the opposite side of the world from the place where they had fallen into the tube. it was a lovely place, indeed, and seemed to be the garden of some great prince, for through the vistas of trees and shrubbery could be seen the towers of an immense castle. but as yet the only inhabitant to greet them was the peculiar person just mentioned, who had shaken off the grasp of the officers without effort and was now trying to pull the battered crown from off his eyes. shaggy, who was always polite, helped him to do this and when the man was free and could see again he looked at his visitors with evident amazement. "well, well, well!" he exclaimed. "where did you come from and how did you get here?" betsy tried to answer him, for queen ann was surly and silent. "i can't say, exac'ly where we came from, 'cause i don't know the name of the place," said the girl, "but the way we got here was through the hollow tube." "don't call it a 'hollow' tube, please," exclaimed the peculiar person in an irritated tone of voice. "if it's a tube, it's sure to be hollow." "why?" asked betsy. "because all tubes are made that way. but this tube is private property and everyone is forbidden to fall into it." "we didn't do it on purpose," explained betsy, and polychrome added: "i am quite sure that ruggedo, the nome king, pushed us down that tube." "ha! ruggedo! did you say ruggedo?" cried the man, becoming much excited. "that is what she said," replied shaggy, "and i believe she is right. we were on our way to conquer the nome king when suddenly we fell into the tube." "then you are enemies of ruggedo?" inquired the peculiar person. "not exac'ly enemies," said betsy, a little puzzled by the question, "'cause we don't know him at all; but we started out to conquer him, which isn't as friendly as it might be." "true," agreed the man. he looked thoughtfully from one to another of them for a while and then he turned his head over his shoulder and said: "never mind the fire and pincers, my good brothers. it will be best to take these strangers to the private citizen." "very well, tubekins," responded a voice, deep and powerful, that seemed to come out of the air, for the speaker was invisible. all our friends gave a jump, at this. even polychrome was so startled that her gauze draperies fluttered like a banner in a breeze. shaggy shook his head and sighed; queen ann looked very unhappy; the officers clung to each other, trembling violently. but soon they gained courage to look more closely at the peculiar person. as he was a type of all the inhabitants of this extraordinary land whom they afterward met, i will try to tell you what he looked like. his face was beautiful, but lacked expression. his eyes were large and blue in color and his teeth finely formed and white as snow. his hair was black and bushy and seemed inclined to curl at the ends. so far no one could find any fault with his appearance. he wore a robe of scarlet, which did not cover his arms and extended no lower than his bare knees. on the bosom of the robe was embroidered a terrible dragon's head, as horrible to look at as the man was beautiful. his arms and legs were left bare and the skin of one arm was bright yellow and the skin of the other arm a vivid green. he had one blue leg and one pink one, while both his feet--which showed through the open sandals he wore--were jet black. betsy could not decide whether these gorgeous colors were dyes or the natural tints of the skin, but while she was thinking it over the man who had been called "tubekins" said: "follow me to the residence--all of you!" but just then a voice exclaimed: "here's another of them, tubekins, lying in the water of the fountain." "gracious!" cried betsy; "it must be tik-tok, and he'll drown." "water is a bad thing for his clockworks, anyhow," agreed shaggy, as with one accord they all started for the fountain. but before they could reach it, invisible hands raised tik-tok from the marble basin and set him upon his feet beside it, water dripping from every joint of his copper body. "ma--ny tha--tha--tha--thanks!" he said; and then his copper jaws clicked together and he could say no more. he next made an attempt to walk but after several awkward trials found he could not move his joints. peals of jeering laughter from persons unseen greeted tik-tok's failure, and the new arrivals in this strange land found it very uncomfortable to realize that there were many creatures around them who were invisible, yet could be heard plainly. "shall i wind him up?" asked betsy, feeling very sorry for tik-tok. "i think his machinery is wound; but he needs oiling," replied shaggy. at once an oil-can appeared before him, held on a level with his eyes by some unseen hand. shaggy took the can and tried to oil tik-tok's joints. as if to assist him, a strong current of warm air was directed against the copper man which quickly dried him. soon he was able to say "ma-ny thanks!" quite smoothly and his joints worked fairly well. "come!" commanded tubekins, and turning his back upon them he walked up the path toward the castle. "shall we go?" asked queen ann, uncertainly; but just then she received a shove that almost pitched her forward on her head; so she decided to go. the officers who hesitated received several energetic kicks, but could not see who delivered them; therefore they also decided--very wisely--to go. the others followed willingly enough, for unless they ventured upon another terrible journey through the tube they must make the best of the unknown country they were in, and the best seemed to be to obey orders. chapter eleven the famous fellowship of fairies after a short walk through very beautiful gardens they came to the castle and followed tubekins through the entrance and into a great domed chamber, where he commanded them to be seated. from the crown which he wore, betsy had thought this man must be the king of the country they were in, yet after he had seated all the strangers upon benches that were ranged in a semicircle before a high throne, tubekins bowed humbly before the vacant throne and in a flash became invisible and disappeared. the hall was an immense place, but there seemed to be no one in it beside themselves. presently, however, they heard a low cough near them, and here and there was the faint rustling of a robe and a slight patter as of footsteps. then suddenly there rang out the clear tone of a bell and at the sound all was changed. gazing around the hall in bewilderment they saw that it was filled with hundreds of men and women, all with beautiful faces and staring blue eyes and all wearing scarlet robes and jeweled crowns upon their heads. in fact, these people seemed exact duplicates of tubekins and it was difficult to find any mark by which to tell them apart. "my! what a lot of kings and queens!" whispered betsy to polychrome, who sat beside her and appeared much interested in the scene but not a bit worried. "it is certainly a strange sight," was polychrome's reply; "but i cannot see how there can be more than one king, or queen, in any one country, for were these all rulers, no one could tell who was master." one of the kings who stood near and overheard this remark turned to her and said: "one who is master of himself is always a king, if only to himself. in this favored land all kings and queens are equal, and it is our privilege to bow before one supreme ruler--the private citizen." "who's he?" inquired betsy. as if to answer her, the clear tones of the bell again rang out and instantly there appeared seated in the throne the man who was lord and master of all these royal ones. this fact was evident when with one accord they fell upon their knees and touched their foreheads to the floor. the private citizen was not unlike the others, except that his eyes were black instead of blue and in the centers of the black irises glowed red sparks that seemed like coals of fire. but his features were very beautiful and dignified and his manner composed and stately. instead of the prevalent scarlet robe, he wore one of white, and the same dragon's head that decorated the others was embroidered upon its bosom. "what charge lies against these people, tubekins?" he asked in quiet, even tones. "they came through the forbidden tube, o mighty citizen," was the reply. "you see, it was this way," said betsy. "we were marching to the nome king, to conquer him and set shaggy's brother free, when on a sudden--" "who are you?" demanded the private citizen sternly. "me? oh, i'm betsy bobbin, and--" "who is the leader of this party?" asked the citizen. "sir, i am queen ann of oogaboo, and--" "then keep quiet," said the citizen. "who is the leader?" no one answered for a moment. then general bunn stood up. "sit down!" commanded the citizen. "i can see that sixteen of you are merely officers, and of no account." "but we have an army," said general clock, blusteringly, for he didn't like to be told he was of no account. "where is your army?" asked the citizen. "it's me," said tik-tok, his voice sounding a little rusty. "i'm the on-ly pri-vate sol-dier in the par-ty." hearing this, the citizen rose and bowed respectfully to the clockwork man. "pardon me for not realizing your importance before," said he. "will you oblige me by taking a seat beside me on my throne?" tik-tok rose and walked over to the throne, all the kings and queens making way for him. then with clanking steps he mounted the platform and sat on the broad seat beside the citizen. ann was greatly provoked at this mark of favor shown to the humble clockwork man, but shaggy seemed much pleased that his old friend's importance had been recognized by the ruler of this remarkable country. the citizen now began to question tik-tok, who told in his mechanical voice about shaggy's quest of his lost brother, and how ozma of oz had sent the clockwork man to assist him, and how they had fallen in with queen ann and her people from oogaboo. also he told how betsy and hank and polychrome and the rose princess had happened to join their party. "and you intended to conquer ruggedo, the metal monarch and king of the nomes?" asked the citizen. "yes. that seemed the on-ly thing for us to do," was tik-tok's reply. "but he was too clev-er for us. when we got close to his cav-ern he made our path lead to the tube, and made the op-en-ing in-vis-i-ble, so that we all fell in-to it be-fore we knew it was there. it was an eas-y way to get rid of us and now rug-gedo is safe and we are far a-way in a strange land." the citizen was silent a moment and seemed to be thinking. then he said: "most noble private soldier, i must inform you that by the laws of our country anyone who comes through the forbidden tube must be tortured for nine days and ten nights and then thrown back into the tube. but it is wise to disregard laws when they conflict with justice, and it seems that you and your followers did not disobey our laws willingly, being forced into the tube by ruggedo. therefore the nome king is alone to blame, and he alone must be punished." "that suits me," said tik-tok. "but rug-ge-do is on the o-ther side of the world where he is a-way out of your reach." the citizen drew himself up proudly. "do you imagine anything in the world or upon it can be out of the reach of the great jinjin?" he asked. "oh! are you, then, the great jinjin?" inquired tik-tok. "i am." "then your name is ti-ti-ti-hoo-choo?" "it is." queen ann gave a scream and began to tremble. shaggy was so disturbed that he took out a handkerchief and wiped the perspiration from his brow. polychrome looked sober and uneasy for the first time, while files put his arms around the rose princess as if to protect her. as for the officers, the name of the great jinjin set them moaning and weeping at a great rate and every one fell upon his knees before the throne, begging for mercy. betsy was worried at seeing her companions so disturbed, but did not know what it was all about. only tik-tok was unmoved at the discovery. "then," said he, "if you are ti-ti-ti-hoo-choo, and think rug-ge-do is to blame, i am sure that some-thing queer will hap-pen to the king of the nomes." "i wonder what 'twill be," said betsy. the private citizen--otherwise known as tititi-hoochoo, the great jinjin--looked at the little girl steadily. "i will presently decide what is to happen to ruggedo," said he in a hard, stern voice. then, turning to the throng of kings and queens, he continued: "tik-tok has spoken truly, for his machinery will not allow him to lie, nor will it allow his thoughts to think falsely. therefore these people are not our enemies and must be treated with consideration and justice. take them to your palaces and entertain them as guests until to-morrow, when i command that they be brought again to my residence. by then i shall have formed my plans." no sooner had tititi-hoochoo spoken than he disappeared from sight. immediately after, most of the kings and queens likewise disappeared. but several of them remained visible and approached the strangers with great respect. one of the lovely queens said to betsy: "i trust you will honor me by being my guest. i am erma, queen of light." "may hank come with me?" asked the girl. "the king of animals will care for your mule," was the reply. "but do not fear for him, for he will be treated royally. all of your party will be reunited on the morrow." "i--i'd like to have _some_ one with me," said betsy, pleadingly. queen erma looked around and smiled upon polychrome. "will the rainbow's daughter be an agreeable companion?" she asked. "oh, yes!" exclaimed the girl. so polychrome and betsy became guests of the queen of light, while other beautiful kings and queens took charge of the others of the party. the two girls followed erma out of the hall and through the gardens of the residence to a village of pretty dwellings. none of these was so large or imposing as the castle of the private citizen, but all were handsome enough to be called palaces--as, in fact, they really were. chapter twelve the lovely lady of light the palace of the queen of light stood on a little eminence and was a mass of crystal windows, surmounted by a vast crystal dome. when they entered the portals erma was greeted by six lovely maidens, evidently of high degree, who at once aroused betsy's admiration. each bore a wand in her hand, tipped with an emblem of light, and their costumes were also emblematic of the lights they represented. erma introduced them to her guests and each made a graceful and courteous acknowledgment. first was sunlight, radiantly beautiful and very fair; the second was moonlight, a soft, dreamy damsel with nut-brown hair; next came starlight, equally lovely but inclined to be retiring and shy. these three were dressed in shimmering robes of silvery white. the fourth was daylight, a brilliant damsel with laughing eyes and frank manners, who wore a variety of colors. then came firelight, clothed in a fleecy flame-colored robe that wavered around her shapely form in a very attractive manner. the sixth maiden, electra, was the most beautiful of all, and betsy thought from the first that both sunlight and daylight regarded electra with envy and were a little jealous of her. but all were cordial in their greetings to the strangers and seemed to regard the queen of light with much affection, for they fluttered around her in a flashing, radiant group as she led the way to her regal drawing-room. this apartment was richly and cosily furnished, the upholstery being of many tints, and both betsy and polychrome enjoyed resting themselves upon the downy divans after their strenuous adventures of the day. the queen sat down to chat with her guests, who noticed that daylight was the only maiden now seated beside erma. the others had retired to another part of the room, where they sat modestly with entwined arms and did not intrude themselves at all. the queen told the strangers all about this beautiful land, which is one of the chief residences of fairies who minister to the needs of mankind. so many important fairies lived there that, to avoid rivalry, they had elected as their ruler the only important personage in the country who had no duties to mankind to perform and was, in effect, a private citizen. this ruler, or jinjin, as was his title, bore the name of tititi-hoochoo, and the most singular thing about him was that he had no heart. but instead of this he possessed a high degree of reason and justice and while he showed no mercy in his judgments he never punished unjustly or without reason. to wrong-doers tititi-hoochoo was as terrible as he was heartless, but those who were innocent of evil had nothing to fear from him. all the kings and queens of this fairyland paid reverence to jinjin, for as they expected to be obeyed by others they were willing to obey the one in authority over them. the inhabitants of the land of oz had heard many tales of this fearfully just jinjin, whose punishments were always equal to the faults committed. polychrome also knew of him, although this was the first time she had ever seen him face to face. but to betsy the story was all new, and she was greatly interested in tititi-hoochoo, whom she no longer feared. time sped swiftly during their talk and suddenly betsy noticed that moonlight was sitting beside the queen of light, instead of daylight. "but tell me, please," she pleaded, "why do you all wear a dragon's head embroidered on your gowns?" erma's pleasant face became grave as she answered: "the dragon, as you must know, was the first living creature ever made; therefore the dragon is the oldest and wisest of living things. by good fortune the original dragon, who still lives, is a resident of this land and supplies us with wisdom whenever we are in need of it. he is old as the world and remembers everything that has happened since the world was created." "did he ever have any children?" inquired the girl. "yes, many of them. some wandered into other lands, where men, not understanding them, made war upon them; but many still reside in this country. none, however, is as wise as the original dragon, for whom we have great respect. as he was the first resident here, we wear the emblem of the dragon's head to show that we are the favored people who alone have the right to inhabit this fairyland, which in beauty almost equals the fairyland of oz, and in power quite surpasses it." "i understand about the dragon, now," said polychrome, nodding her lovely head. betsy did not quite understand, but she was at present interested in observing the changing lights. as daylight had given way to moonlight, so now starlight sat at the right hand of erma the queen, and with her coming a spirit of peace and content seemed to fill the room. polychrome, being herself a fairy, had many questions to ask about the various kings and queens who lived in this far-away, secluded place, and before erma had finished answering them a rosy glow filled the room and firelight took her place beside the queen. betsy liked firelight, but to gaze upon her warm and glowing features made the little girl sleepy, and presently she began to nod. thereupon erma rose and took betsy's hand gently in her own. "come," said she; "the feast time has arrived and the feast is spread." "that's nice," exclaimed the small mortal. "now that i think of it, i'm awful hungry. but p'raps i can't eat your fairy food." the queen smiled and led her to a doorway. as she pushed aside a heavy drapery a flood of silvery light greeted them, and betsy saw before her a splendid banquet hall, with a table spread with snowy linen and crystal and silver. at one side was a broad, throne-like seat for erma and beside her now sat the brilliant maid electra. polychrome was placed on the queen's right hand and betsy upon her left. the other five messengers of light now waited upon them, and each person was supplied with just the food she liked best. polychrome found her dish of dewdrops, all fresh and sparkling, while betsy was so lavishly served that she decided she had never in her life eaten a dinner half so good. "i s'pose," she said to the queen, "that miss electra is the youngest of all these girls." "why do you suppose that?" inquired erma, with a smile. "'cause electric'ty is the newest light we know of. didn't mr. edison discover it?" "perhaps he was the first mortal to discover it," replied the queen. "but electricity was a part of the world from its creation, and therefore my electra is as old as daylight or moonlight, and equally beneficent to mortals and fairies alike." betsy was thoughtful for a time. then she remarked, as she looked at the six messengers of light: "we couldn't very well do without any of 'em; could we?" erma laughed softly. "_i_ couldn't, i'm sure," she replied, "and i think mortals would miss any one of my maidens, as well. daylight cannot take the place of sunlight, which gives us strength and energy. moonlight is of value when daylight, worn out with her long watch, retires to rest. if the moon in its course is hidden behind the earth's rim, and my sweet moonlight cannot cheer us, starlight takes her place, for the skies always lend her power. without firelight we should miss much of our warmth and comfort, as well as much cheer when the walls of houses encompass us. but always, when other lights forsake us, our glorious electra is ready to flood us with bright rays. as queen of light, i love all my maidens, for i know them to be faithful and true." "i love 'em, too!" declared betsy. "but sometimes, when i'm _real_ sleepy, i can get along without any light at all." "are you sleepy now?" inquired erma, for the feast had ended. "a little," admitted the girl. so electra showed her to a pretty chamber where there was a soft, white bed, and waited patiently until betsy had undressed and put on a shimmery silken nightrobe that lay beside her pillow. then the light-maid bade her good night and opened the door. when she closed it after her betsy was in darkness. in six winks the little girl was fast asleep. chapter thirteen the jinjin's just judgment all the adventurers were reunited next morning when they were brought from various palaces to the residence of tititi-hoochoo and ushered into the great hall of state. as before, no one was visible except our friends and their escorts until the first bell sounded. then in a flash the room was seen to be filled with the beautiful kings and queens of the land. the second bell marked the appearance in the throne of the mighty jinjin, whose handsome countenance was as composed and expressionless as ever. all bowed low to the ruler. their voices softly murmured: "we greet the private citizen, mightiest of rulers, whose word is law and whose law is just." tititi-hoochoo bowed in acknowledgment. then, looking around the brilliant assemblage, and at the little group of adventurers before him, he said: "an unusual thing has happened. inhabitants of other lands than ours, who are different from ourselves in many ways, have been thrust upon us through the forbidden tube, which one of our people foolishly made years ago and was properly punished for his folly. but these strangers had no desire to come here and were wickedly thrust into the tube by a cruel king on the other side of the world, named ruggedo. this king is an immortal, but he is not good. his magic powers hurt mankind more than they benefit them. because he had unjustly kept the shaggy man's brother a prisoner, this little band of honest people, consisting of both mortals and immortals, determined to conquer ruggedo and to punish him. fearing they might succeed in this, the nome king misled them so that they fell into the tube. "now, this same ruggedo has been warned by me, many times, that if ever he used this forbidden tube in any way he would be severely punished. i find, by referring to the fairy records, that this king's servant, a nome named kaliko, begged his master not to do such a wrong act as to drop these people into the tube and send them tumbling into our country. but ruggedo defied me and my orders. "therefore these strangers are innocent of any wrong. it is only ruggedo who deserves punishment, and i will punish him." he paused a moment and then continued in the same cold, merciless voice: "these strangers must return through the tube to their own side of the world; but i will make their fall more easy and pleasant than it was before. also i shall send with them an instrument of vengeance, who in my name will drive ruggedo from his underground caverns, take away his magic powers and make him a homeless wanderer on the face of the earth--a place he detests." there was a little murmur of horror from the kings and queens at the severity of this punishment, but no one uttered a protest, for all realized that the sentence was just. "in selecting my instrument of vengeance," went on tititi-hoochoo, "i have realized that this will be an unpleasant mission. therefore no one of us who is blameless should be forced to undertake it. in this wonderful land it is seldom one is guilty of wrong, even in the slightest degree, and on examining the records i found no king or queen had erred. nor had any among their followers or servants done any wrong. but finally i came to the dragon family, which we highly respect, and then it was that i discovered the error of quox. "quox, as you well know, is a young dragon who has not yet acquired the wisdom of his race. because of this lack, he has been disrespectful toward his most ancient ancestor, the original dragon, telling him once to mind his own business and again saying that the ancient one had grown foolish with age. we are aware that dragons are not the same as fairies and cannot be altogether guided by our laws, yet such disrespect as quox has shown should not be unnoticed by us. therefore i have selected quox as my royal instrument of vengeance and he shall go through the tube with these people and inflict upon ruggedo the punishment i have decreed." all had listened quietly to this speech and now the kings and queens bowed gravely to signify their approval of the jinjin's judgment. tititi-hoochoo turned to tubekins. "i command you," said he, "to escort these strangers to the tube and see that they all enter it." the king of the tube, who had first discovered our friends and brought them to the private citizen, stepped forward and bowed. as he did so, the jinjin and all the kings and queens suddenly disappeared and only tubekins remained visible. "all right," said betsy, with a sigh; "i don't mind going back so _very_ much, 'cause the jinjin promised to make it easy for us." indeed, queen ann and her officers were the only ones who looked solemn and seemed to fear the return journey. one thing that bothered ann was her failure to conquer this land of tititi-hoochoo. as they followed their guide through the gardens to the mouth of the tube she said to shaggy: "how can i conquer the world, if i go away and leave this rich country unconquered?" "you can't," he replied. "don't ask me why, please, for if you don't know i can't inform you." "why not?" said ann; but shaggy paid no attention to the question. this end of the tube had a silver rim and around it was a gold railing to which was attached a sign that read. "if you are out, stay there. if you are in, don't come out." on a little silver plate just inside the tube was engraved the words: "burrowed and built by hiergargo the magician, in the year of the world 1 9 6 2 5 4 7 8 for his own exclusive uses." "he was some builder, i must say," remarked betsy, when she had read the inscription; "but if he had known about that star i guess he'd have spent his time playing solitaire." "well, what are we waiting for?" inquired shaggy, who was impatient to start. "quox," replied tubekins. "but i think i hear him coming." "is the young dragon invisible?" asked ann, who had never seen a live dragon and was a little fearful of meeting one. "no, indeed," replied the king of the tube. "you'll see him in a minute; but before you part company i'm sure you'll wish he _was_ invisible." "is he dangerous, then?" questioned files. "not at all. but quox tires me dreadfully," said tubekins, "and i prefer his room to his company." at that instant a scraping sound was heard, drawing nearer and nearer until from between two big bushes appeared a huge dragon, who approached the party, nodded his head and said: "good morning." had quox been at all bashful i am sure he would have felt uncomfortable at the astonished stare of every eye in the group--except tubekins, of course, who was not astonished because he had seen quox so often. betsy had thought a "young" dragon must be a small dragon, yet here was one so enormous that the girl decided he must be full grown, if not overgrown. his body was a lovely sky-blue in color and it was thickly set with glittering silver scales, each one as big as a serving-tray. around his neck was a pink ribbon with a bow just under his left ear, and below the ribbon appeared a chain of pearls to which was attached a golden locket about as large around as the end of a bass drum. this locket was set with many large and beautiful jewels. the head and face of quox were not especially ugly, when you consider that he was a dragon; but his eyes were so large that it took him a long time to wink and his teeth seemed very sharp and terrible when they showed, which they did whenever the beast smiled. also his nostrils were quite large and wide, and those who stood near him were liable to smell brimstone--especially when he breathed out fire, as it is the nature of dragons to do. to the end of his long tail was attached a big electric light. perhaps the most singular thing about the dragon's appearance at this time was the fact that he had a row of seats attached to his back, one seat for each member of the party. these seats were double, with curved backs, so that two could sit in them, and there were twelve of these double seats, all strapped firmly around the dragon's thick body and placed one behind the other, in a row that extended from his shoulders nearly to his tail. "aha!" exclaimed tubekins; "i see that tititi-hoochoo has transformed quox into a carryall." "i'm glad of that," said betsy. "i hope, mr. dragon, you won't mind our riding on your back." "not a bit," replied quox. "i'm in disgrace just now, you know, and the only way to redeem my good name is to obey the orders of the jinjin. if he makes me a beast of burden, it is only a part of my punishment, and i must bear it like a dragon. i don't blame you people at all, and i hope you'll enjoy the ride. hop on, please. all aboard for the other side of the world!" silently they took their places. hank sat in the front seat with betsy, so that he could rest his front hoofs upon the dragon's head. behind them were shaggy and polychrome, then files and the princess, and queen ann and tik-tok. the officers rode in the rear seats. when all had mounted to their places the dragon looked very like one of those sightseeing wagons so common in big cities--only he had legs instead of wheels. "all ready?" asked quox, and when they said they were he crawled to the mouth of the tube and put his head in. "good-bye, and good luck to you!" called tubekins; but no one thought to reply, because just then the dragon slid his great body into the tube and the journey to the other side of the world had begun. at first they went so fast that they could scarcely catch their breaths, but presently quox slowed up and said with a sort of cackling laugh: "my scales! but that is some tumble. i think i shall take it easy and fall slower, or i'm likely to get dizzy. is it very far to the other side of the world?" "haven't you ever been through this tube before?" inquired shaggy. "never. nor has anyone else in our country; at least, not since i was born." "how long ago was that?" asked betsy. "that i was born? oh, not very long ago. i'm only a mere child. if i had not been sent on this journey, i would have celebrated my three thousand and fifty-sixth birthday next thursday. mother was going to make me a birthday cake with three thousand and fifty-six candles on it; but now, of course, there will be no celebration, for i fear i shall not get home in time for it." "three thousand and fifty-six years!" cried betsy. "why, i had no idea anything could live that long!" "my respected ancestor, whom i would call a stupid old humbug if i had not reformed, is so old that i am a mere baby compared with him," said quox. "he dates from the beginning of the world, and insists on telling us stories of things that happened fifty thousand years ago, which are of no interest at all to youngsters like me. in fact, grandpa isn't up to date. he lives altogether in the past, so i can't see any good reason for his being alive to-day.... are you people able to see your way, or shall i turn on more light?" "oh, we can see very nicely, thank you; only there's nothing to see but ourselves," answered betsy. this was true. the dragon's big eyes were like headlights on an automobile and illuminated the tube far ahead of them. also he curled his tail upward so that the electric light on the end of it enabled them to see one another quite clearly. but the tube itself was only dark metal, smooth as glass but exactly the same from one of its ends to the other. therefore there was no scenery of interest to beguile the journey. they were now falling so gently that the trip was proving entirely comfortable, as the jinjin had promised it would be; but this meant a longer journey and the only way they could make time pass was to engage in conversation. the dragon seemed a willing and persistent talker and he was of so much interest to them that they encouraged him to chatter. his voice was a little gruff but not unpleasant when one became used to it. "my only fear," said he presently, "is that this constant sliding over the surface of the tube will dull my claws. you see, this hole isn't straight down, but on a steep slant, and so instead of tumbling freely through the air i must skate along the tube. fortunately, there is a file in my tool-kit, and if my claws get dull they can be sharpened again." "why do you want sharp claws?" asked betsy. "they are my natural weapons, and you must not forget that i have been sent to conquer ruggedo." "oh, you needn't mind about that," remarked queen ann, in her most haughty manner; "for when we get to ruggedo i and my invincible army can conquer him without your assistance." "very good," returned the dragon, cheerfully. "that will save me a lot of bother--if you succeed. but i think i shall file my claws, just the same." he gave a long sigh, as he said this, and a sheet of flame, several feet in length, shot from his mouth. betsy shuddered and hank said "hee-haw!" while some of the officers screamed in terror. but the dragon did not notice that he had done anything unusual. "is there fire inside of you?" asked shaggy. "of course," answered quox. "what sort of a dragon would i be if my fire went out?" "what keeps it going?" betsy inquired. "i've no idea. i only know it's there," said quox. "the fire keeps me alive and enables me to move; also to think and speak." "ah! you are ver-y much like my-self," said tik-tok. "the on-ly dif-fer-ence is that i move by clock-work, while you move by fire." "i don't see a particle of likeness between us, i must confess," retorted quox, gruffly. "you are not a live thing; you're a dummy." "but i can do things, you must ad-mit," said tik-tok. "yes, when you are wound up," sneered the dragon. "but if you run down, you are helpless." "what would happen to you, quox, if you ran out of gasoline?" inquired shaggy, who did not like this attack upon his friend. "i don't use gasoline." "well, suppose you ran out of fire." "what's the use of supposing that?" asked quox. "my great-great-great-grandfather has lived since the world began, and he has never once run out of fire to keep him going. but i will confide to you that as he gets older he shows more smoke and less fire. as for tik-tok, he's well enough in his way, but he's merely copper. and the metal monarch knows copper through and through. i wouldn't be surprised if ruggedo melted tik-tok in one of his furnaces and made copper pennies of him." "in that case, i would still keep going," remarked tik-tok, calmly. "pennies do," said betsy regretfully. "this is all nonsense," said the queen, with irritation. "tik-tok is my great army--all but the officers--and i believe he will be able to conquer ruggedo with ease. what do you think, polychrome?" "you might let him try," answered the rainbow's daughter, with her sweet ringing laugh, that sounded like the tinkling of tiny bells. "and if tik-tok fails, you have still the big fire-breathing dragon to fall back on." "ah!" said the dragon, another sheet of flame gushing from his mouth and nostrils; "it's a wise little girl, this polychrome. anyone would know she is a fairy." chapter fourteen the long-eared hearer learns by listening during this time ruggedo, the metal monarch and king of the nomes, was trying to amuse himself in his splendid jeweled cavern. it was hard work for ruggedo to find amusement to-day, for all the nomes were behaving well and there was no one to scold or to punish. the king had thrown his sceptre at kaliko six times, without hitting him once. not that kaliko had done anything wrong. on the contrary, he had obeyed the king in every way but one: he would not stand still, when commanded to do so, and let the heavy sceptre strike him. we can hardly blame kaliko for this, and even the cruel ruggedo forgave him; for he knew very well that if he mashed his royal chamberlain he could never find another so intelligent and obedient. kaliko could make the nomes work when their king could not, for the nomes hated ruggedo and there were so many thousands of the quaint little underground people that they could easily have rebelled and defied the king had they dared to do so. sometimes, when ruggedo abused them worse than usual, they grew sullen and threw down their hammers and picks. then, however hard the king scolded or whipped them, they would not work until kaliko came and begged them to. for kaliko was one of themselves and was as much abused by the king as any nome in the vast series of caverns. but to-day all the little people were working industriously at their tasks and ruggedo, having nothing to do, was greatly bored. he sent for the long-eared hearer and asked him to listen carefully and report what was going on in the big world. "it seems," said the hearer, after listening for awhile, "that the women in america have clubs." "are there spikes in them?" asked ruggedo, yawning. "i cannot hear any spikes, your majesty," was the reply. "then their clubs are not as good as my sceptre. what else do you hear?' "there's a war. "bah! there's always a war. what else?" for a time the hearer was silent, bending forward and spreading out his big ears to catch the slightest sound. then suddenly he said: "here is an interesting thing, your majesty. these people are arguing as to who shall conquer the metal monarch, seize his treasure and drive him from his dominions." "what people?" demanded ruggedo, sitting up straight in his throne. "the ones you threw down the hollow tube." "where are they now?" "in the same tube, and coming back this way," said the hearer. ruggedo got out of his throne and began to pace up and down the cavern. "i wonder what can be done to stop them," he mused. "well," said the hearer, "if you could turn the tube upside down, they would be falling the other way, your majesty." ruggedo glared at him wickedly, for it was impossible to turn the tube upside down and he believed the hearer was slyly poking fun at him. presently he asked: "how far away are those people now?" "about nine thousand three hundred and six miles, seventeen furlongs, eight feet and four inches--as nearly as i can judge from the sound of their voices," replied the hearer. "aha! then it will be some time before they arrive," said ruggedo, "and when they get here i shall be ready to receive them." he rushed to his gong and pounded upon it so fiercely that kaliko came bounding into the cavern with one shoe off and one shoe on, for he was just dressing himself after a swim in the hot bubbling lake of the underground kingdom. "kaliko, those invaders whom we threw down the tube are coming back again!" he exclaimed. "i thought they would," said the royal chamberlain, pulling on the other shoe. "tititi-hoochoo would not allow them to remain in his kingdom, of course, and so i've been expecting them back for some time. that was a very foolish action of yours, rug." "what, to throw them down the tube?" "yes. tititi-hoochoo has forbidden us to throw even rubbish into the tube." "pooh! what do i care for the jinjin?" asked ruggedo scornfully. "he never leaves his own kingdom, which is on the other side of the world." "true; but he might send some one through the tube to punish you," suggested kaliko. "i'd like to see him do it! who could conquer my thousands of nomes?" "why, they've been conquered before, if i remember aright," answered kaliko with a grin. "once i saw you running from a little girl named dorothy, and her friends, as if you were really afraid." "well, i _was_ afraid, that time," admitted the nome king, with a deep sigh, "for dorothy had a yellow hen that laid eggs!" the king shuddered as he said "eggs," and kaliko also shuddered, and so did the long-eared hearer; for eggs are the only things that the nomes greatly dread. the reason for this is that eggs belong on the earth's surface, where birds and fowl of all sorts live, and there is something about a hen's egg, especially, that fills a nome with horror. if by chance the inside of an egg touches one of these underground people, he withers up and blows away and that is the end of him--unless he manages quickly to speak a magical word which only a few of the nomes know. therefore ruggedo and his followers had very good cause to shudder at the mere mention of eggs. "but dorothy," said the king, "is not with this band of invaders; nor is the yellow hen. as for tititi-hoochoo, he has no means of knowing that we are afraid of eggs." "you mustn't be too sure of that," kaliko warned him. "tititi-hoochoo knows a great many things, being a fairy, and his powers are far superior to any we can boast." ruggedo shrugged impatiently and turned to the hearer. "listen," said he, "and tell me if you hear any eggs coming through the tube." the long-eared one listened and then shook his head. but kaliko laughed at the king. "no one can hear an egg, your majesty," said he. "the only way to discover the truth is to look through the magic spyglass." "that's it!" cried the king. "why didn't i think of it before? look at once, kaliko!" so kaliko went to the spyglass and by uttering a mumbled charm he caused the other end of it to twist around, so that it pointed down the opening of the tube. then he put his eye to the glass and was able to gaze along all the turns and windings of the magic spyglass and then deep into the tube, to where our friends were at that time falling. "dear me!" he exclaimed. "here comes a dragon." "a big one?" asked ruggedo. "a monster. he has an electric light on the end of his tail, so i can see him very plainly. and the other people are all riding upon his back." "how about the eggs?" inquired the king. kaliko looked again. "i can see no eggs at all," said he; "but i imagine that the dragon is as dangerous as eggs. probably tititi-hoochoo has sent him here to punish you for dropping those strangers into the forbidden tube. i warned you not to do it, your majesty." this news made the nome king anxious. for a few minutes he paced up and down, stroking his long beard and thinking with all his might. after this he turned to kaliko and said: "all the harm a dragon can do is to scratch with his claws and bite with his teeth." "that is not all, but it's quite enough," returned kaliko earnestly. "on the other hand, no one can hurt a dragon, because he's the toughest creature alive. one flop of his huge tail could smash a hundred nomes to pancakes, and with teeth and claws he could tear even you or me into small bits, so that it would be almost impossible to put us together again. once, a few hundred years ago, while wandering through some deserted caverns, i came upon a small piece of a nome lying on the rocky floor. i asked the piece of nome what had happened to it. fortunately the mouth was a part of this piece--the mouth and the left eye--so it was able to tell me that a fierce dragon was the cause. it had attacked the poor nome and scattered him in every direction, and as there was no friend near to collect his pieces and put him together, they had been separated for a great many years. so you see, your majesty, it is not in good taste to sneer at a dragon." the king had listened attentively to kaliko. said he: "it will only be necessary to chain this dragon which tititi-hoochoo has sent here, in order to prevent his reaching us with his claws and teeth." "he also breathes flames," kaliko reminded him. "my nomes are not afraid of fire, nor am i," said ruggedo. "well, how about the army of oogaboo?" "sixteen cowardly officers and tik-tok! why, i could defeat them single-handed; but i won't try to. i'll summon my army of nomes to drive the invaders out of my territory, and if we catch any of them i intend to stick needles into them until they hop with pain." "i hope you won't hurt any of the girls," said kaliko. "i'll hurt 'em all!" roared the angry metal monarch. "and that braying mule i'll make into hoof-soup, and feed it to my nomes, that it may add to their strength." "why not be good to the strangers and release your prisoner, the shaggy man's brother?" suggested kaliko. "never!" "it may save you a lot of annoyance. and you don't want the ugly one." "i don't want him; that's true. but i won't allow anybody to order me around. i'm king of the nomes and i'm the metal monarch, and i shall do as i please and what i please and when i please!" with this speech ruggedo threw his sceptre at kaliko's head, aiming it so well that the royal chamberlain had to fall flat upon the floor in order to escape it. but the hearer did not see the sceptre coming and it swept past his head so closely that it broke off the tip of one of his long ears. he gave a dreadful yell that quite startled ruggedo, and the king was sorry for the accident because those long ears of the hearer were really valuable to him. so the nome king forgot to be angry with kaliko and ordered his chamberlain to summon general guph and the army of nomes and have them properly armed. they were then to march to the mouth of the tube, where they could seize the travelers as soon as they appeared. chapter fifteen the dragon defies danger although the journey through the tube was longer, this time, than before, it was so much more comfortable that none of our friends minded it at all. they talked together most of the time and as they found the dragon good-natured and fond of the sound of his own voice they soon became well acquainted with him and accepted him as a companion. "you see," said shaggy, in his frank way, "quox is on our side, and therefore the dragon is a good fellow. if he happened to be an enemy, instead of a friend, i am sure i should dislike him very much, for his breath smells of brimstone, he is very conceited and he is so strong and fierce that he would prove a dangerous foe." "yes, indeed," returned quox, who had listened to this speech with pleasure; "i suppose i am about as terrible as any living thing. i am glad you find me conceited, for that proves i know my good qualities. as for my breath smelling of brimstone, i really can't help it, and i once met a man whose breath smelled of onions, which i consider far worse." "i don't," said betsy; "i love onions. "and i love brimstone," declared the dragon, "so don't let us quarrel over one another's peculiarities." saying this, he breathed a long breath and shot a flame fifty feet from his mouth. the brimstone made betsy cough, but she remembered about the onions and said nothing. they had no idea how far they had gone through the center of the earth, nor when to expect the trip to end. at one time the little girl remarked: "i wonder when we'll reach the bottom of this hole. and isn't it funny, shaggy man, that what is the bottom to us now, was the top when we fell the other way?" "what puzzles me," said files, "is that we are able to fall both ways." "that," announced tik-tok, "is be-cause the world is round." "exactly," responded shaggy. "the machinery in your head is in fine working order, tik-tok. you know, betsy, that there is such a thing as the attraction of gravitation, which draws everything toward the center of the earth. that is why we fall out of bed, and why everything clings to the surface of the earth." "then why doesn't everything go on down to the center of the earth?" inquired the little girl. "i was afraid you were going to ask me that," replied shaggy in a sad tone. "the reason, my dear, is that the earth is so solid that other solid things can't get through it. but when there's a hole, as there is in this case, we drop right down to the center of the world." "why don't we stop there?" asked betsy. "because we go so fast that we acquire speed enough to carry us right up to the other end." "i don't understand that, and it makes my head ache to try to figure it out," she said after some thought. "one thing draws us to the center and another thing pushes us away from it. but--" "don't ask me why, please," interrupted the shaggy man. "if you can't understand it, let it go at that." "do _you_ understand it?" she inquired. "all the magic isn't in fairyland," he said gravely. "there's lots of magic in all nature, and you may see it as well in the united states, where you and i once lived, as you can here." "i never did," she replied. "because you were so used to it all that you didn't realize it was magic. is anything more wonderful than to see a flower grow and blossom, or to get light out of the electricity in the air? the cows that manufacture milk for us must have machinery fully as remarkable as that in tik-tok's copper body, and perhaps you've noticed that--" and then, before shaggy could finish his speech, the strong light of day suddenly broke upon them, grew brighter, and completely enveloped them. the dragon's claws no longer scraped against the metal tube, for he shot into the open air a hundred feet or more and sailed so far away from the slanting hole that when he landed it was on the peak of a mountain and just over the entrance to the many underground caverns of the nome king. some of the officers tumbled off their seats when quox struck the ground, but most of the dragon's passengers only felt a slight jar. all were glad to be on solid earth again and they at once dismounted and began to look about them. queerly enough, as soon as they had left the dragon, the seats that were strapped to the monster's back disappeared, and this probably happened because there was no further use for them and because quox looked far more dignified in just his silver scales. of course he still wore the forty yards of ribbon around his neck, as well as the great locket, but these only made him look "dressed up," as betsy remarked. now the army of nomes had gathered thickly around the mouth of the tube, in order to be ready to capture the band of invaders as soon as they popped out. there were, indeed, hundreds of nomes assembled, and they were led by guph, their most famous general. but they did not expect the dragon to fly so high, and he shot out of the tube so suddenly that it took them by surprise. when the nomes had rubbed the astonishment out of their eyes and regained their wits, they discovered the dragon quietly seated on the mountainside far above their heads, while the other strangers were standing in a group and calmly looking down upon them. general guph was very angry at the escape, which was no one's fault but his own. "come down here and be captured!" he shouted, waving his sword at them. "come up here and capture us--if you dare!" replied queen ann, who was winding up the clockwork of her private soldier, so he could fight more briskly. guph's first answer was a roar of rage at the defiance; then he turned and issued a command to his nomes. these were all armed with sharp spears and with one accord they raised these spears and threw them straight at their foes, so that they rushed through the air in a perfect cloud of flying weapons. some damage might have been done had not the dragon quickly crawled before the others, his body being so big that it shielded every one of them, including hank. the spears rattled against the silver scales of quox and then fell harmlessly to the ground. they were magic spears, of course, and all straightway bounded back into the hands of those who had thrown them, but even guph could see that it was useless to repeat the attack. it was now queen ann's turn to attack, so the generals yelled "for--ward march!" and the colonels and majors and captains repeated the command and the valiant army of oogaboo, which seemed to be composed mainly of tik-tok, marched forward in single column toward the nomes, while betsy and polychrome cheered and hank gave a loud "hee-haw!" and shaggy shouted "hooray!" and queen ann screamed: "at 'em, tik-tok--at 'em!" the nomes did not await the clockwork man's attack but in a twinkling disappeared into the underground caverns. they made a great mistake in being so hasty, for tik-tok had not taken a dozen steps before he stubbed his copper toe on a rock and fell flat to the ground, where he cried: "pick me up! pick me up! pick me up!" until shaggy and files ran forward and raised him to his feet again. the dragon chuckled softly to himself as he scratched his left ear with his hind claw, but no one was paying much attention to quox just then. it was evident to ann and her officers that there could be no fighting unless the enemy was present, and in order to find the enemy they must boldly enter the underground kingdom of the nomes. so bold a step demanded a council of war. "don't you think i'd better drop in on ruggedo and obey the orders of the jinjin?" asked quox. "by no means!" returned queen ann. "we have already put the army of nomes to flight and all that yet remains is to force our way into those caverns, and conquer the nome king and all his people." "that seems to me something of a job," said the dragon, closing his eyes sleepily. "but go ahead, if you like, and i'll wait here for you. don't be in any hurry on my account. to one who lives thousands of years the delay of a few days means nothing at all, and i shall probably sleep until the time comes for me to act." ann was provoked at this speech. "you may as well go back to tititi-hoochoo now," she said, "for the nome king is as good as conquered already." but quox shook his head. "no," said he; "i'll wait." chapter sixteen the naughty nome shaggy man had said nothing during the conversation between queen ann and quox, for the simple reason that he did not consider the matter worth an argument. safe within his pocket reposed the love magnet, which had never failed to win every heart. the nomes, he knew, were not like the heartless roses and therefore could be won to his side as soon as he exhibited the magic talisman. shaggy's chief anxiety had been to reach ruggedo's kingdom and now that the entrance lay before him he was confident he would be able to rescue his lost brother. let ann and the dragon quarrel as to who should conquer the nomes, if they liked; shaggy would let them try, and if they failed he had the means of conquest in his own pocket. but ann was positive she could not fail, for she thought her army could do anything. so she called the officers together and told them how to act, and she also instructed tik-tok what to do and what to say. "please do not shoot your gun except as a last resort," she added, "for i do not wish to be cruel or to shed any blood--unless it is absolutely necessary." "all right," replied tik-tok; "but i do not think rug-ge-do would bleed if i filled him full of holes and put him in a ci-der press." then the officers fell in line, the four generals abreast and then the four colonels and the four majors and the four captains. they drew their glittering swords and commanded tik-tok to march, which he did. twice he fell down, being tripped by the rough rocks, but when he struck the smooth path he got along better. into the gloomy mouth of the cavern entrance he stepped without hesitation, and after him proudly pranced the officers and queen ann. the others held back a little, waiting to see what would happen. of course the nome king knew they were coming and was prepared to receive them. just within the rocky passage that led to the jeweled throne-room was a deep pit, which was usually covered. ruggedo had ordered the cover removed and it now stood open, scarcely visible in the gloom. the pit was so large around that it nearly filled the passage and there was barely room for one to walk around it by pressing close to the rock walls. this tik-tok did, for his copper eyes saw the pit clearly and he avoided it; but the officers marched straight into the hole and tumbled in a heap on the bottom. an instant later queen ann also walked into the pit, for she had her chin in the air and was careless where she placed her feet. then one of the nomes pulled a lever which replaced the cover on the pit and made the officers of oogaboo and their queen fast prisoners. as for tik-tok, he kept straight on to the cavern where ruggedo sat in his throne and there he faced the nome king and said: "i here-by con-quer you in the name of queen ann so-forth of oo-ga-boo, whose ar-my i am, and i de-clare that you are her pris-on-er!" ruggedo laughed at him. "where is this famous queen?" he asked. "she'll be here in a min-ute," said tik-tok. "per-haps she stopped to tie her shoe-string." "now, see here, tik-tok," began the nome king, in a stern voice, "i've had enough of this nonsense. your queen and her officers are all prisoners, having fallen into my power, so perhaps you'll tell me what you mean to do." "my or-ders were to con-quer you," replied tik-tok, "and my ma-chin-er-y has done the best it knows how to car-ry out those or-ders." ruggedo pounded on his gong and kaliko appeared, followed closely by general guph. "take this copper man into the shops and set him to work hammering gold," commanded the king. "being run by machinery he ought to be a steady worker. he ought never to have been made, but since he exists i shall hereafter put him to good use." "if you try to cap-ture me," said tik-tok, "i shall fight." "don't do that!" exclaimed general guph, earnestly, "for it will be useless to resist and you might hurt some one." but tik-tok raised his gun and took aim and not knowing what damage the gun might do the nomes were afraid to face it. while he was thus defying the nome king and his high officials, betsy bobbin rode calmly into the royal cavern, seated upon the back of hank the mule. the little girl had grown tired of waiting for "something to happen" and so had come to see if ruggedo had been conquered. "nails and nuggets!" roared the king; "how dare you bring that beast here and enter my presence unannounced?" "there wasn't anybody to announce me," replied betsy. "i guess your folks were all busy. are you conquered yet?" "no!" shouted the king, almost beside himself with rage. "then please give me something to eat, for i'm awful hungry," said the girl. "you see, this conquering business is a good deal like waiting for a circus parade; it takes a long time to get around and don't amount to much anyhow." the nomes were so much astonished at this speech that for a time they could only glare at her silently, not finding words to reply. the king finally recovered the use of his tongue and said: "earth-crawler! this insolence to my majesty shall be your death-warrant. you are an ordinary mortal, and to stop a mortal from living is so easy a thing to do that i will not keep you waiting half so long as you did for my conquest." "i'd rather you wouldn't stop me from living," remarked betsy, getting off hank's back and standing beside him. "and it would be a pretty cheap king who killed a visitor while she was hungry. if you'll give me something to eat, i'll talk this killing business over with you afterward; only, i warn you now that i don't approve of it, and never will." her coolness and lack of fear impressed the nome king, although he bore an intense hatred toward all mortals. "what do you wish to eat?" he asked gruffly. "oh, a ham-sandwich would do, or perhaps a couple of hard-boiled eggs--" "eggs!" shrieked the three nomes who were present, shuddering till their teeth chattered. "what's the matter?" asked betsy wonderingly. "are eggs as high here as they are at home?" "guph," said the king in an agitated voice, turning to his general, "let us destroy this rash mortal at once! seize her and take her to the slimy cave and lock her in." guph glanced at tik-tok, whose gun was still pointed, but just then kaliko stole softly behind the copper man and kicked his knee-joints so that they suddenly bent forward and tumbled tik-tok to the floor, his gun falling from his grasp. then guph, seeing tik-tok helpless, made a grab at betsy. at the same time hank's heels shot out and caught the general just where his belt was buckled. he rose into the air swift as a cannon-ball, struck the nome king fairly and flattened his majesty against the wall of rock on the opposite side of the cavern. together they fell to the floor in a dazed and crumpled condition, seeing which kaliko whispered to betsy: "come with me--quick!--and i will save you." she looked into kaliko's face inquiringly and thought he seemed honest and good-natured, so she decided to follow him. he led her and the mule through several passages and into a small cavern very nicely and comfortably furnished. "this is my own room," said he, "but you are quite welcome to use it. wait here a minute and i'll get you something to eat." when kaliko returned he brought a tray containing some broiled mushrooms, a loaf of mineral bread and some petroleum-butter. the butter betsy could not eat, but the bread was good and the mushrooms delicious. "here's the door key," said kaliko, "and you'd better lock yourself in." "won't you let polychrome and the rose princess come here, too?" she asked. "i'll see. where are they?" "i don't know. i left them outside," said betsy. "well, if you hear three raps on the door, open it," said kaliko; "but don't let anyone in unless they give the three raps." "all right," promised betsy, and when kaliko left the cosy cavern she closed and locked the door. in the meantime ann and her officers, finding themselves prisoners in the pit, had shouted and screamed until they were tired out, but no one had come to their assistance. it was very dark and damp in the pit and they could not climb out because the walls were higher than their heads and the cover was on. the queen was first angry and then annoyed and then discouraged; but the officers were only afraid. every one of the poor fellows heartily wished he was back in oogaboo caring for his orchard, and some were so unhappy that they began to reproach ann for causing them all this trouble and danger. finally the queen sat down on the bottom of the pit and leaned her back against the wall. by good luck her sharp elbow touched a secret spring in the wall and a big flat rock swung inward. ann fell over backward, but the next instant she jumped up and cried to the others: "a passage! a passage! follow me, my brave men, and we may yet escape." then she began to crawl through the passage, which was as dark and dank as the pit, and the officers followed her in single file. they crawled, and they crawled, and they kept on crawling, for the passage was not big enough to allow them to stand upright. it turned this way and twisted that, sometimes like a corkscrew and sometimes zigzag, but seldom ran for long in a straight line. "it will never end--never!" moaned the officers, who were rubbing all the skin off their knees on the rough rocks. "it _must_ end," retorted ann courageously, "or it never would have been made. we don't know where it will lead us to, but any place is better than that loathsome pit." so she crawled on, and the officers crawled on, and while they were crawling through this awful underground passage polychrome and shaggy and files and the rose princess, who were standing outside the entrance to ruggedo's domains, were wondering what had become of them. chapter seventeen a tragic transformation "don't let us worry," said shaggy to his companions, "for it may take the queen some time to conquer the metal monarch, as tik-tok has to do everything in his slow, mechanical way." "do you suppose they are likely to fail?" asked the rose princess. "i do, indeed," replied shaggy. "this nome king is really a powerful fellow and has a legion of nomes to assist him, whereas our bold queen commands a clockwork man and a band of faint-hearted officers." "she ought to have let quox do the conquering," said polychrome, dancing lightly upon a point of rock and fluttering her beautiful draperies. "but perhaps the dragon was wise to let her go first, for when she fails to conquer ruggedo she may become more modest in her ambitions." "where is the dragon now?" inquired ozga. "up there on the rocks," replied files. "look, my dear; you may see him from here. he said he would take a little nap while we were mixing up with ruggedo, and he added that after we had gotten into trouble he would wake up and conquer the nome king in a jiffy, as his master the jinjin has ordered him to do." "quox means well," said shaggy, "but i do not think we shall need his services; for just as soon as i am satisfied that queen ann and her army have failed to conquer ruggedo, i shall enter the caverns and show the king my love magnet. that he cannot resist; therefore the conquest will be made with ease." this speech of shaggy man's was overheard by the long-eared hearer, who was at that moment standing by ruggedo's side. for when the king and guph had recovered from hank's kick and had picked themselves up, their first act was to turn tik-tok on his back and put a heavy diamond on top of him, so that he could not get up again. then they carefully put his gun in a corner of the cavern and the king sent guph to fetch the long-eared hearer. the hearer was still angry at ruggedo for breaking his ear, but he acknowledged the nome king to be his master and was ready to obey his commands. therefore he repeated shaggy's speech to the king, who at once realized that his kingdom was in grave danger. for ruggedo knew of the love magnet and its powers and was horrified at the thought that shaggy might show him the magic talisman and turn all the hatred in his heart into love. ruggedo was proud of his hatred and abhorred love of any sort. "really," said he, "i'd rather be conquered and lose my wealth and my kingdom than gaze at that awful love magnet. what can i do to prevent the shaggy man from taking it out of his pocket?" kaliko returned to the cavern in time to overhear this question, and being a loyal nome and eager to serve his king, he answered by saying: "if we can manage to bind the shaggy man's arms, tight to his body, he could not get the love magnet out of his pocket." "true!" cried the king in delight at this easy solution of the problem. "get at once a dozen nomes, with ropes, and place them in the passage where they can seize and bind shaggy as soon as he enters." this kaliko did, and meanwhile the watchers outside the entrance were growing more and more uneasy about their friends. "i don't worry so much about the oogaboo people," said polychrome, who had grown sober with waiting, and perhaps a little nervous, "for they could not be killed, even though ruggedo might cause them much suffering and perhaps destroy them utterly. but we should not have allowed betsy and hank to go alone into the caverns. the little girl is mortal and possesses no magic powers whatever, so if ruggedo captures her she will be wholly at his mercy." "that is indeed true," replied shaggy. "i wouldn't like to have anything happen to dear little betsy, so i believe i'll go in right away and put an end to all this worry." "we may as well go with you," asserted files, "for by means of the love magnet, you can soon bring the nome king to reason." so it was decided to wait no longer. shaggy walked through the entrance first, and after him came the others. they had no thought of danger to themselves, and shaggy, who was going along with his hands thrust into his pockets, was much surprised when a rope shot out from the darkness and twined around his body, pinning down his arms so securely that he could not even withdraw his hands from the pockets. then appeared several grinning nomes, who speedily tied knots in the ropes and then led the prisoner along the passage to the cavern. no attention was paid to the others, but files and the princess followed on after shaggy, determined not to desert their friend and hoping that an opportunity might arise to rescue him. as for polychrome, as soon as she saw that trouble had overtaken shaggy she turned and ran lightly back through the passage and out of the entrance. then she easily leaped from rock to rock until she paused beside the great dragon, who lay fast asleep. "wake up, quox!" she cried. "it is time for you to act." but quox did not wake up. he lay as one in a trance, absolutely motionless, with his enormous eyes tight closed. the eyelids had big silver scales on them, like all the rest of his body. polychrome might have thought quox was dead had she not known that dragons do not die easily or had she not observed his huge body swelling as he breathed. she picked up a piece of rock and pounded against his eyelids with it, saying: "wake up, quox--wake up!" but he would not waken. "dear me, how unfortunate!" sighed the lovely rainbow's daughter. "i wonder what is the best and surest way to waken a dragon. all our friends may be captured and destroyed while this great beast lies asleep." she walked around quox two or three times, trying to discover some tender place on his body where a thump or a punch might be felt; but he lay extended along the rocks with his chin flat upon the ground and his legs drawn underneath his body, and all that one could see was his thick sky-blue skin--thicker than that of a rhinoceros--and his silver scales. then, despairing at last of wakening the beast, and worried over the fate of her friends, polychrome again ran down to the entrance and hurried along the passage into the nome king's cavern. here she found ruggedo lolling in his throne and smoking a long pipe. beside him stood general guph and kaliko, and ranged before the king were the rose princess, files and the shaggy man. tik-tok still lay upon the floor, weighted down by the big diamond. ruggedo was now in a more contented frame of mind. one by one he had met the invaders and easily captured them. the dreaded love magnet was indeed in shaggy's pocket, only a few feet away from the king, but shaggy was powerless to show it and unless ruggedo's eyes beheld the talisman it could not affect him. as for betsy bobbin and her mule, he believed kaliko had placed them in the slimy cave, while ann and her officers he thought safely imprisoned in the pit. ruggedo had no fear of files or ozga, but to be on the safe side he had ordered golden handcuffs placed upon their wrists. these did not cause them any great annoyance but prevented them from making an attack, had they been inclined to do so. the nome king, thinking himself wholly master of the situation, was laughing and jeering at his prisoners when polychrome, exquisitely beautiful and dancing like a ray of light, entered the cavern. "oho!" cried the king; "a rainbow under ground, eh?" and then he stared hard at polychrome, and still harder, and then he sat up and pulled the wrinkles out of his robe and arranged his whiskers. "on my word," said he, "you are a very captivating creature; moreover, i perceive you are a fairy." "i am polychrome, the rainbow's daughter," she said proudly. "well," replied ruggedo, "i like you. the others i hate. i hate everybody--but you! wouldn't you like to live always in this beautiful cavern, polychrome? see! the jewels that stud the walls have every tint and color of your rainbow--and they are not so elusive. i'll have fresh dewdrops gathered for your feasting every day and you shall be queen of all my nomes and pull kaliko's nose whenever you like." "no, thank you," laughed polychrome. "my home is in the sky, and i'm only on a visit to this solid, sordid earth. but tell me, ruggedo, why my friends have been wound with cords and bound with chains?" "they threatened me," answered ruggedo. "the fools did not know how powerful i am." "then, since they are now helpless, why not release them and send them back to the earth's surface?" "because i hate 'em and mean to make 'em suffer for their invasion. but i'll make a bargain with you, sweet polly. remain here and live with me and i'll set all these people free. you shall be my daughter or my wife or my aunt or grandmother--whichever you like--only stay here to brighten my gloomy kingdom and make me happy!" polychrome looked at him wonderingly. then she turned to shaggy and asked: "are you sure he hasn't seen the love magnet?" "i'm positive," answered shaggy. "but you seem to be something of a love magnet yourself, polychrome." she laughed again and said to ruggedo: "not even to rescue my friends would i live in your kingdom. nor could i endure for long the society of such a wicked monster as you." "you forget," retorted the king, scowling darkly, "that you also are in my power." "not so, ruggedo. the rainbow's daughter is beyond the reach of your spite or malice." "seize her!" suddenly shouted the king, and general guph sprang forward to obey. polychrome stood quite still, yet when guph attempted to clutch her his hands met in air, and now the rainbow's daughter was in another part of the room, as smiling and composed as before. several times guph endeavored to capture her and ruggedo even came down from his throne to assist his general; but never could they lay hands upon the lovely sky fairy, who flitted here and there with the swiftness of light and constantly defied them with her merry laughter as she evaded their efforts. so after a time they abandoned the chase and ruggedo returned to his throne and wiped the perspiration from his face with a finely-woven handkerchief of cloth-of-gold. "well," said polychrome, "what do you intend to do now?" "i'm going to have some fun, to repay me for all my bother," replied the nome king. then he said to kaliko: "summon the executioners." kaliko at once withdrew and presently returned with a score of nomes, all of whom were nearly as evil looking as their hated master. they bore great golden pincers, and prods of silver, and clamps and chains and various wicked-looking instruments, all made of precious metals and set with diamonds and rubies. "now, pang," said ruggedo, addressing the leader of the executioners, "fetch the army of oogaboo and their queen from the pit and torture them here in my presence--as well as in the presence of their friends. it will be great sport." "i hear your majesty, and i obey your majesty," answered pang, and went with his nomes into the passage. in a few minutes he returned and bowed to ruggedo. "they're all gone," said he. "gone!" exclaimed the nome king. "gone where?" "they left no address, your majesty; but they are not in the pit." "picks and puddles!" roared the king; "who took the cover off?" "no one," said pang. "the cover was there, but the prisoners were not under it." "in that case," snarled the king, trying to control his disappointment, "go to the slimy cave and fetch hither the girl and the donkey. and while we are torturing them kaliko must take a hundred nomes and search for the escaped prisoners--the queen of oogaboo and her officers. if he does not find them, i will torture kaliko." kaliko went away looking sad and disturbed, for he knew the king was cruel and unjust enough to carry out this threat. pang and the executioners also went away, in another direction, but when they came back betsy bobbin was not with them, nor was hank. "there is no one in the slimy cave, your majesty," reported pang. "jumping jellycakes!" screamed the king. "another escape? are you sure you found the right cave?" "there is but one slimy cave, and there is no one in it," returned pang positively. ruggedo was beginning to be alarmed as well as angry. however, these disappointments but made him the more vindictive and he cast an evil look at the other prisoners and said: "never mind the girl and the donkey. here are four, at least, who cannot escape my vengeance. let me see; i believe i'll change my mind about tik-tok. have the gold crucible heated to a white, seething heat, and then we'll dump the copper man into it and melt him up." "but, your majesty," protested kaliko, who had returned to the room after sending a hundred nomes to search for the oogaboo people, "you must remember that tik-tok is a very curious and interesting machine. it would be a shame to deprive the world of such a clever contrivance." "say another word, and you'll go into the furnace with him!" roared the king. "i'm getting tired of you, kaliko, and the first thing you know i'll turn you into a potato and make saratoga-chips of you! the next to consider," he added more mildly, "is the shaggy man. as he owns the love magnet, i think i'll transform him into a dove, and then we can practice shooting at him with tik-tok's gun. now, this is a very interesting ceremony and i beg you all to watch me closely and see that i've nothing up my sleeve." he came out of his throne to stand before the shaggy man, and then he waved his hands, palms downward, in seven semicircles over his victim's head, saying in a low but clear tone of voice the magic wugwa: "adi, edi, idi, odi, udi, oo-i-oo! idu, ido, idi, ide, ida, woo!" the effect of this well-known sorcery was instantaneous. instead of the shaggy man, a pretty dove lay fluttering upon the floor, its wings confined by tiny cords wound around them. ruggedo gave an order to pang, who cut the cords with a pair of scissors. being freed, the dove quickly flew upward and alighted on the shoulder of the rose princess, who stroked it tenderly. "very good! very good!" cried ruggedo, rubbing his hands gleefully together. "one enemy is out of my way, and now for the others." (perhaps my readers should be warned not to attempt the above transformation; for, although the exact magical formula has been described, it is unlawful in all civilized countries for anyone to transform a person into a dove by muttering the words ruggedo used. there were no laws to prevent the nome king from performing this transformation, but if it should be attempted in any other country, and the magic worked, the magician would be severely punished.) when polychrome saw shaggy man transformed into a dove and realized that ruggedo was about to do something as dreadful to the princess and files, and that tik-tok would soon be melted in a crucible, she turned and ran from the cavern, through the passage and back to the place where quox lay asleep. chapter eighteen a clever conquest the great dragon still had his eyes closed and was even snoring in a manner that resembled distant thunder; but polychrome was now desperate, because any further delay meant the destruction of her friends. she seized the pearl necklace, to which was attached the great locket, and jerked it with all her strength. the result was encouraging. quox stopped snoring and his eyelids flickered. so polychrome jerked again--and again--till slowly the great lids raised and the dragon looked at her steadily. said he, in a sleepy tone: "what's the matter, little rainbow?" "come quick!" exclaimed polychrome. "ruggedo has captured all our friends and is about to destroy them." "well, well," said quox, "i suspected that would happen. step a little out of my path, my dear, and i'll make a rush for the nome king's cavern." she fell back a few steps and quox raised himself on his stout legs, whisked his long tail and in an instant had slid down the rocks and made a dive through the entrance. along the passage he swept, nearly filling it with his immense body, and now he poked his head into the jeweled cavern of ruggedo. but the king had long since made arrangements to capture the dragon, whenever he might appear. no sooner did quox stick his head into the room than a thick chain fell from above and encircled his neck. then the ends of the chain were drawn tight--for in an adjoining cavern a thousand nomes were pulling on them--and so the dragon could advance no further toward the king. he could not use his teeth or his claws and as his body was still in the passage he had not even room to strike his foes with his terrible tail. ruggedo was delighted with the success of his stratagem. he had just transformed the rose princess into a fiddle and was about to transform files into a fiddle bow, when the dragon appeared to interrupt him. so he called out: "welcome, my dear quox, to my royal entertainment. since you are here, you shall witness some very neat magic, and after i have finished with files and tik-tok i mean to transform you into a tiny lizard--one of the chameleon sort--and you shall live in my cavern and amuse me." "pardon me for contradicting your majesty," returned quox in a quiet voice, "but i don't believe you'll perform any more magic." "eh? why not?" asked the king in surprise. "there's a reason," said quox. "do you see this ribbon around my neck?" "yes; and i'm astonished that a dignified dragon should wear such a silly thing." "do you see it plainly?" persisted the dragon, with a little chuckle of amusement. "i do," declared ruggedo. "then you no longer possess any magical powers, and are as helpless as a clam," asserted quox. "my great master, tititi-hoochoo, the jinjin, enchanted this ribbon in such a way that whenever your majesty looked upon it all knowledge of magic would desert you instantly, nor will any magical formula you can remember ever perform your bidding." "pooh! i don't believe a word of it!" cried ruggedo, half frightened, nevertheless. then he turned toward files and tried to transform him into a fiddle bow. but he could not remember the right words or the right pass of the hands and after several trials he finally gave up the attempt. by this time the nome king was so alarmed that he was secretly shaking in his shoes. "i told you not to anger tititi-hoochoo," grumbled kaliko, "and now you see the result of your disobedience." ruggedo promptly threw his sceptre at his royal chamberlain, who dodged it with his usual cleverness, and then he said with an attempt to swagger: "never mind; i don't need magic to enable me to destroy these invaders; fire and the sword will do the business and i am still king of the nomes and lord and master of my underground kingdom!" "again i beg to differ with your majesty," said quox. "the great jinjin commands you to depart instantly from this kingdom and seek the earth's surface, where you will wander for all time to come, without a home or country, without a friend or follower, and without any more riches than you can carry with you in your pockets. the great jinjin is so generous that he will allow you to fill your pockets with jewels or gold, but you must take nothing more." ruggedo now stared at the dragon in amazement. "does tititi-hoochoo condemn me to such a fate?" he asked in a hoarse voice. "he does," said quox. "and just for throwing a few strangers down the forbidden tube?" "just for that," repeated quox in a stern, gruff voice. "well, i won't do it. and your crazy old jinjin can't make me do it, either!" declared ruggedo. "i intend to remain here, king of the nomes, until the end of the world, and i defy your tititi-hoochoo and all his fairies--as well as his clumsy messenger, whom i have been obliged to chain up!" the dragon smiled again, but it was not the sort of smile that made ruggedo feel very happy. instead, there was something so cold and merciless in the dragon's expression that the condemned nome king trembled and was sick at heart. there was little comfort for ruggedo in the fact that the dragon was now chained, although he had boasted of it. he glared at the immense head of quox as if fascinated and there was fear in the old king's eyes as he watched his enemy's movements. for the dragon was now moving; not abruptly, but as if he had something to do and was about to do it. very deliberately he raised one claw, touched the catch of the great jeweled locket that was suspended around his neck, and at once it opened wide. nothing much happened at first; half a dozen hen's eggs rolled out upon the floor and then the locket closed with a sharp click. but the effect upon the nomes of this simple thing was astounding. general guph, kaliko, pang and his band of executioners were all standing close to the door that led to the vast series of underground caverns which constituted the dominions of the nomes, and as soon as they saw the eggs they raised a chorus of frantic screams and rushed through the door, slamming it in ruggedo's face and placing a heavy bronze bar across it. ruggedo, dancing with terror and uttering loud cries, now leaped upon the seat of his throne to escape the eggs, which had rolled steadily toward him. perhaps these eggs, sent by the wise and crafty tititi-hoochoo, were in some way enchanted, for they all rolled directly after ruggedo and when they reached the throne where he had taken refuge they began rolling up the legs to the seat. this was too much for the king to bear. his horror of eggs was real and absolute and he made a leap from the throne to the center of the room and then ran to a far corner. the eggs followed, rolling slowly but steadily in his direction. ruggedo threw his sceptre at them, and then his ruby crown, and then he drew off his heavy golden sandals and hurled these at the advancing eggs. but the eggs dodged every missile and continued to draw nearer. the king stood trembling, his eyes staring in terror, until they were but half a yard distant; then with an agile leap he jumped clear over them and made a rush for the passage that led to the outer entrance. of course the dragon was in his way, being chained in the passage with his head in the cavern, but when he saw the king making toward him he crouched as low as he could and dropped his chin to the floor, leaving a small space between his body and the roof of the passage. ruggedo did not hesitate an instant. impelled by fear, he leaped to the dragon's nose and then scrambled to his back, where he succeeded in squeezing himself through the opening. after the head was passed there was more room and he slid along the dragon's scales to his tail and then ran as fast as his legs would carry him to the entrance. not pausing here, so great was his fright, the king dashed on down the mountain path, but before he had gone very far he stumbled and fell. when he picked himself up he observed that no one was following him, and while he recovered his breath he happened to think of the decree of the jinjin--that he should be driven from his kingdom and made a wanderer on the face of the earth. well, here he was, driven from his cavern in truth; driven by those dreadful eggs; but he would go back and defy them; he would not submit to losing his precious kingdom and his tyrannical powers, all because tititi-hoochoo had said he must. so, although still afraid, ruggedo nerved himself to creep back along the path to the entrance, and when he arrived there he saw the six eggs lying in a row just before the arched opening. at first he paused a safe distance away to consider the case, for the eggs were now motionless. while he was wondering what could be done, he remembered there was a magical charm which would destroy eggs and render them harmless to nomes. there were nine passes to be made and six verses of incantation to be recited; but ruggedo knew them all. now that he had ample time to be exact, he carefully went through the entire ceremony. but nothing happened. the eggs did not disappear, as he had expected; so he repeated the charm a second time. when that also failed, he remembered, with a moan of despair, that his magic power had been taken away from him and in the future he could do no more than any common mortal. and there were the eggs, forever barring him from the kingdom which he had ruled so long with absolute sway! he threw rocks at them, but could not hit a single egg. he raved and scolded and tore his hair and beard, and danced in helpless passion, but that did nothing to avert the just judgment of the jinjin, which ruggedo's own evil deeds had brought upon him. from this time on he was an outcast--a wanderer upon the face of the earth--and he had even forgotten to fill his pockets with gold and jewels before he fled from his former kingdom! chapter nineteen king kaliko after the king had made good his escape files said to the dragon, in a sad voice: "alas! why did you not come before? because you were sleeping instead of conquering, the lovely rose princess has become a fiddle without a bow, while poor shaggy sits there a cooing dove!" "don't worry," replied quox. "tititi-hoochoo knows his business, and i have my orders from the great jinjin himself. bring the fiddle here and touch it lightly to my pink ribbon." files obeyed and at the moment of contact with the ribbon the nome king's charm was broken and the rose princess herself stood before them as sweet and smiling as ever. the dove, perched on the back of the throne, had seen and heard all this, so without being told what to do it flew straight to the dragon and alighted on the ribbon. next instant shaggy was himself again and quox said to him grumblingly: "please get off my left toe, shaggy man, and be more particular where you step." "i beg your pardon!" replied shaggy, very glad to resume his natural form. then he ran to lift the heavy diamond off tik-tok's chest and to assist the clockwork man to his feet. "ma-ny thanks!" said tik-tok. "where is the wicked king who want-ed to melt me in a cru-ci-ble?" "he has gone, and gone for good," answered polychrome, who had managed to squeeze into the room beside the dragon and had witnessed the occurrences with much interest. "but i wonder where betsy bobbin and hank can be, and if any harm has befallen them." "we must search the cavern until we find them," declared shaggy; but when he went to the door leading to the other caverns he found it shut and barred. "i've a pretty strong push in my forehead," said quox, "and i believe i can break down that door, even though it's made of solid gold." "but you are a prisoner, and the chains that hold you are fastened in some other room, so that we cannot release you," files said anxiously. "oh, never mind that," returned the dragon. "i have remained a prisoner only because i wished to be one," and with this he stepped forward and burst the stout chains as easily as if they had been threads. but when he tried to push in the heavy metal door, even his mighty strength failed, and after several attempts he gave it up and squatted himself in a corner to think of a better way. "i'll o-pen the door," asserted tik-tok, and going to the king's big gong he pounded upon it until the noise was almost deafening. kaliko, in the next cavern, was wondering what had happened to ruggedo and if he had escaped the eggs and outwitted the dragon. but when he heard the sound of the gong, which had so often called him into the king's presence, he decided that ruggedo had been victorious; so he took away the bar, threw open the door and entered the royal cavern. great was his astonishment to find the king gone and the enchantments removed from the princess and shaggy. but the eggs were also gone and so kaliko advanced to the dragon, whom he knew to be tititi-hoochoo's messenger, and bowed humbly before the beast. "what is your will?" he inquired. "where is betsy?" demanded the dragon. "safe in my own private room," said kaliko. "go and get her!" commanded quox. so kaliko went to betsy's room and gave three raps upon the door. the little girl had been asleep, but she heard the raps and opened the door. "you may come out now," said kaliko. "the king has fled in disgrace and your friends are asking for you." so betsy and hank returned with the royal chamberlain to the throne cavern, where she was received with great joy by her friends. they told her what had happened to ruggedo and she told them how kind kaliko had been to her. quox did not have much to say until the conversation was ended, but then he turned to kaliko and asked: "do you suppose you could rule your nomes better than ruggedo has done?" "me?" stammered the chamberlain, greatly surprised by the question. "well, i couldn't be a worse king, i'm sure." "would the nomes obey you?" inquired the dragon. "of course," said kaliko. "they like me better than ever they did ruggedo." "then hereafter you shall be the metal monarch, king of the nomes, and tititi-hoochoo expects you to rule your kingdom wisely and well," said quox. "hooray!" cried betsy; "i'm glad of that. king kaliko, i salute your majesty and wish you joy in your gloomy old kingdom!" "we all wish him joy," said polychrome; and then the others made haste to congratulate the new king. "will you release my dear brother?" asked shaggy. "the ugly one? very willingly," replied kaliko. "i begged ruggedo long ago to send him away, but he would not do so. i also offered to help your brother to escape, but he would not go." "he's so conscientious!" said shaggy, highly pleased. "all of our family have noble natures. but is my dear brother well?" he added anxiously. "he eats and sleeps very steadily," replied the new king. "i hope he doesn't work too hard," said shaggy. "he doesn't work at all. in fact, there is nothing he can do in these dominions as well as our nomes, whose numbers are so great that it worries us to keep them all busy. so your brother has only to amuse himself." "why, it's more like visiting, than being a prisoner," asserted betsy. "not exactly," returned kaliko. "a prisoner cannot go where or when he pleases, and is not his own master." "where is my brother now?" inquired shaggy. "in the metal forest." "where is that?" "the metal forest is in the great domed cavern, the largest in all our dominions," replied kaliko. "it is almost like being out of doors, it is so big, and ruggedo made the wonderful forest to amuse himself, as well as to tire out his hard-working nomes. all the trees are gold and silver and the ground is strewn with precious stones, so it is a sort of treasury." "let us go there at once and rescue my dear brother," pleaded shaggy earnestly. kaliko hesitated. "i don't believe i can find the way," said he. "ruggedo made three secret passages to the metal forest, but he changes the location of these passages every week, so that no one can get to the metal forest without his permission. however, if we look sharp, we may be able to discover one of these secret ways." "that reminds me to ask what has become of queen ann and the officers of oogaboo," said files. "i'm sure i can't say," replied kaliko. "do you suppose ruggedo destroyed them?" "oh, no; i'm quite sure he didn't. they fell into the big pit in the passage, and we put the cover on to keep them there; but when the executioners went to look for them they had all disappeared from the pit and we could find no trace of them." "that's funny," remarked betsy thoughtfully. "i don't believe ann knew any magic, or she'd have worked it before. but to disappear like that _seems_ like magic; now, doesn't it?" they agreed that it did, but no one could explain the mystery. "however," said shaggy, "they are gone, that is certain, so we cannot help them or be helped by them. and the important thing just now is to rescue my dear brother from captivity." "why do they call him the ugly one?" asked betsy. "i do not know," confessed shaggy. "i cannot remember his looks very well, it is so long since i have seen him; but all of our family are noted for their handsome faces." betsy laughed and shaggy seemed rather hurt; but polychrome relieved his embarrassment by saying softly: "one can be ugly in looks, but lovely in disposition." "our first task," said shaggy, a little comforted by this remark, "is to find one of those secret passages to the metal forest." "true," agreed kaliko. "so i think i will assemble the chief nomes of my kingdom in this throne room and tell them that i am their new king. then i can ask them to assist us in searching for the secret passages. "that's a good idea," said the dragon, who seemed to be getting sleepy again. kaliko went to the big gong and pounded on it just as ruggedo used to do; but no one answered the summons. "of course not," said he, jumping up from the throne, where he had seated himself. "that is my call, and i am still the royal chamberlain, and will be until i appoint another in my place." so he ran out of the room and found guph and told him to answer the summons of the king's gong. having returned to the royal cavern, kaliko first pounded the gong and then sat in the throne, wearing ruggedo's discarded ruby crown and holding in his hand the sceptre which ruggedo had so often thrown at his head. when guph entered he was amazed. "better get out of that throne before old ruggedo comes back," he said warningly. "he isn't coming back, and i am now the king of the nomes, in his stead," announced kaliko. "all of which is quite true," asserted the dragon, and all of those who stood around the throne bowed respectfully to the new king. seeing this, guph also bowed, for he was glad to be rid of such a hard master as ruggedo. then kaliko, in quite a kingly way, informed guph that he was appointed the royal chamberlain, and promised not to throw the sceptre at his head unless he deserved it. all this being pleasantly arranged, the new chamberlain went away to tell the news to all the nomes of the underground kingdom, every one of whom would be delighted with the change in kings. chapter twenty quox quietly quits when the chief nomes assembled before their new king they joyfully saluted him and promised to obey his commands. but, when kaliko questioned them, none knew the way to the metal forest, although all had assisted in its making. so the king instructed them to search carefully for one of the passages and to bring him the news as soon as they had found it. meantime quox had managed to back out of the rocky corridor and so regain the open air and his old station on the mountain-side, and there he lay upon the rocks, sound asleep, until the next day. the others of the party were all given as good rooms as the caverns of the nomes afforded, for king kaliko felt that he was indebted to them for his promotion and was anxious to be as hospitable as he could. much wonderment had been caused by the absolute disappearance of the sixteen officers of oogaboo and their queen. not a nome had seen them, nor were they discovered during the search for the passages leading to the metal forest. perhaps no one was unhappy over their loss, but all were curious to know what had become of them. on the next day, when our friends went to visit the dragon, quox said to them: "i must now bid you good-bye, for my mission here is finished and i must depart for the other side of the world, where i belong." "will you go through the tube again?" asked betsy. "to be sure. but it will be a lonely trip this time, with no one to talk to, and i cannot invite any of you to go with me. therefore, as soon as i slide into the hole i shall go to sleep, and when i pop out at the other end i will wake up at home." they thanked the dragon for befriending them and wished him a pleasant journey. also they sent their thanks to the great jinjin, whose just condemnation of ruggedo had served their interests so well. then quox yawned and stretched himself and ambled over to the tube, into which he slid headforemost and disappeared. they really felt as if they had lost a friend, for the dragon had been both kind and sociable during their brief acquaintance with him; but they knew it was his duty to return to his own country. so they went back to the caverns to renew the search for the hidden passages that led to the forest, but for three days all efforts to find them proved in vain. it was polychrome's custom to go every day to the mountain and watch for her father, the rainbow, for she was growing tired with wandering upon the earth and longed to rejoin her sisters in their sky palaces. and on the third day, while she sat motionless upon a point of rock, whom should she see slyly creeping up the mountain but ruggedo! the former king looked very forlorn. his clothes were soiled and torn and he had no sandals upon his feet or hat upon his head. having left his crown and sceptre behind when he fled, the old nome no longer seemed kingly, but more like a beggerman. several times had ruggedo crept up to the mouth of the caverns, only to find the six eggs still on guard. he knew quite well that he must accept his fate and become a homeless wanderer, but his chief regret now was that he had neglected to fill his pockets with gold and jewels. he was aware that a wanderer with wealth at his command would fare much better than one who was a pauper, so he still loitered around the caverns wherein he knew so much treasure was stored, hoping for a chance to fill his pockets. that was how he came to recollect the metal forest. "aha!" said he to himself, "i alone know the way to that forest, and once there i can fill my pockets with the finest jewels in all the world." he glanced at his pockets and was grieved to find them so small. perhaps they might be enlarged, so that they would hold more. he knew of a poor woman who lived in a cottage at the foot of the mountain, so he went to her and begged her to sew pockets all over his robe, paying her with the gift of a diamond ring which he had worn upon his finger. the woman was delighted to possess so valuable a ring and she sewed as many pockets on ruggedo's robe as she possibly could. then he returned up the mountain and, after gazing cautiously around to make sure he was not observed, he touched a spring in a rock and it swung slowly backward, disclosing a broad passageway. this he entered, swinging the rock in place behind him. however, ruggedo had failed to look as carefully as he might have done, for polychrome was seated only a little distance off and her clear eyes marked exactly the manner in which ruggedo had released the hidden spring. so she rose and hurried into the cavern, where she told kaliko and her friends of her discovery. "i've no doubt that that is a way to the metal forest," exclaimed shaggy. "come, let us follow ruggedo at once and rescue my poor brother!" they agreed to this and king kaliko called together a band of nomes to assist them by carrying torches to light their way. "the metal forest has a brilliant light of its own," said he, "but the passage across the valley is likely to be dark." polychrome easily found the rock and touched the spring, so in less than an hour after ruggedo had entered they were all in the passage and following swiftly after the former king. "he means to rob the forest, i'm sure," said kaliko; "but he will find he is no longer of any account in this kingdom and i will have my nomes throw him out." "then please throw him as hard as you can," said betsy, "for he deserves it. i don't mind an honest, out-an'-out enemy, who fights square; but changing girls into fiddles and ordering 'em put into slimy caves is mean and tricky, and ruggedo doesn't deserve any sympathy. but you'll have to let him take as much treasure as he can get in his pockets, kaliko." "yes, the jinjin said so; but we won't miss it much. there is more treasure in the metal forest than a million nomes could carry in their pockets." it was not difficult to walk through this passage, especially when the torches lighted the way, so they made good progress. but it proved to be a long distance and betsy had tired herself with walking and was seated upon the back of the mule when the passage made a sharp turn and a wonderful and glorious light burst upon them. the next moment they were all standing upon the edge of the marvelous metal forest. it lay under another mountain and occupied a great domed cavern, the roof of which was higher than a church steeple. in this space the industrious nomes had built, during many years of labor, the most beautiful forest in the world. the trees--trunks, branches and leaves--were all of solid gold, while the bushes and underbrush were formed of filigree silver, virgin pure. the trees towered as high as natural live oaks do and were of exquisite workmanship. on the ground were thickly strewn precious gems of every hue and size, while here and there among the trees were paths pebbled with cut diamonds of the clearest water. taken all together, more treasure was gathered in this metal forest than is contained in all the rest of the world--if we except the land of oz, where perhaps its value is equalled in the famous emerald city. our friends were so amazed at the sight that for a while they stood gazing in silent wonder. then shaggy exclaimed. "my brother! my dear lost brother! is he indeed a prisoner in this place?" "yes," replied kaliko. "the ugly one has been here for two or three years, to my positive knowledge." "but what could he find to eat?" inquired betsy. "it's an awfully swell place to live in, but one can't breakfast on rubies and di'monds, or even gold." "one doesn't need to, my dear," kaliko assured her. "the metal forest does not fill all of this great cavern, by any means. beyond these gold and silver trees are other trees of the real sort, which bear foods very nice to eat. let us walk in that direction, for i am quite sure we will find shaggy's brother in that part of the cavern, rather than in this." so they began to tramp over the diamond-pebbled paths, and at every step they were more and more bewildered by the wondrous beauty of the golden trees with their glittering foliage. suddenly they heard a scream. jewels scattered in every direction as some one hidden among the bushes scampered away before them. then a loud voice cried: "halt!" and there was the sound of a struggle. chapter twenty-one a bashful brother with fast beating hearts they all rushed forward and, beyond a group of stately metal trees, came full upon a most astonishing scene. there was ruggedo in the hands of the officers of oogaboo, a dozen of whom were clinging to the old nome and holding him fast in spite of his efforts to escape. there also was queen ann, looking grimly upon the scene of strife; but when she observed her former companions approaching she turned away in a shamefaced manner. for ann and her officers were indeed a sight to behold. her majesty's clothing, once so rich and gorgeous, was now worn and torn into shreds by her long crawl through the tunnel, which, by the way, had led her directly into the metal forest. it was, indeed, one of the three secret passages, and by far the most difficult of the three. ann had not only torn her pretty skirt and jacket, but her crown had become bent and battered and even her shoes were so cut and slashed that they were ready to fall from her feet. the officers had fared somewhat worse than their leader, for holes were worn in the knees of their trousers, while sharp points of rock in the roof and sides of the tunnel had made rags of every inch of their once brilliant uniforms. a more tattered and woeful army never came out of a battle, than these harmless victims of the rocky passage. but it had seemed their only means of escape from the cruel nome king; so they had crawled on, regardless of their sufferings. when they reached the metal forest their eyes beheld more plunder than they had ever dreamed of; yet they were prisoners in this huge dome and could not escape with the riches heaped about them. perhaps a more unhappy and homesick lot of "conquerors" never existed than this band from oogaboo. after several days of wandering in their marvelous prison they were frightened by the discovery that ruggedo had come among them. rendered desperate by their sad condition, the officers exhibited courage for the first time since they left home and, ignorant of the fact that ruggedo was no longer king of the nomes, they threw themselves upon him and had just succeeded in capturing him when their fellow adventurers reached the spot. "goodness gracious!" cried betsy. "what has happened to you all?" ann came forward to greet them, sorrowful and indignant. "we were obliged to escape from the pit through a small tunnel, which was lined with sharp and jagged rocks," said she, "and not only was our clothing torn to rags but our flesh is so bruised and sore that we are stiff and lame in every joint. to add to our troubles we find we are still prisoners; but now that we have succeeded in capturing the wicked metal monarch we shall force him to grant us our liberty." "ruggedo is no longer metal monarch, or king of the nomes," files informed her. "he has been deposed and cast out of his kingdom by quox; but here is the new king, whose name is kaliko, and i am pleased to assure your majesty that he is our friend." "glad to meet your majesty, i'm sure," said kaliko, bowing as courteously as if the queen still wore splendid raiment. the officers, having heard this explanation, now set ruggedo free; but, as he had no place to go, he stood by and faced his former servant, who was now king in his place, in a humble and pleading manner. "what are you doing here?" asked kaliko sternly. "why, i was promised as much treasure as i could carry in my pockets," replied ruggedo; "so i came here to get it, not wishing to disturb your majesty." "you were commanded to leave the country of the nomes forever!" declared kaliko. "i know; and i'll go as soon as i have filled my pockets," said ruggedo, meekly. "then fill them, and be gone," returned the new king. ruggedo obeyed. stooping down, he began gathering up jewels by the handful and stuffing them into his many pockets. they were heavy things, these diamonds and rubies and emeralds and amethysts and the like, so before long ruggedo was staggering with the weight he bore, while the pockets were not yet filled. when he could no longer stoop over without falling, betsy and polychrome and the rose princess came to his assistance, picking up the finest gems and tucking them into his pockets. at last these were all filled and ruggedo presented a comical sight, for surely no man ever before had so many pockets, or any at all filled with such a choice collection of precious stones. he neglected to thank the young ladies for their kindness, but gave them a surly nod of farewell and staggered down the path by the way he had come. they let him depart in silence, for with all he had taken, the masses of jewels upon the ground seemed scarcely to have been disturbed, so numerous were they. also they hoped they had seen the last of the degraded king. "i'm awful glad he's gone," said betsy, sighing deeply. "if he doesn't get reckless and spend his wealth foolishly, he's got enough to start a bank when he gets to oklahoma." "but my brother--my dear brother! where is he?" inquired shaggy anxiously. "have you seen him, queen ann?" "what does your brother look like?" asked the queen. shaggy hesitated to reply, but betsy said: "he's called the ugly one. perhaps you'll know him by that." "the only person we have seen in this cavern," said ann, "has run away from us whenever we approached him. he hides over yonder, among the trees that are not gold, and we have never been able to catch sight of his face. so i cannot tell whether he is ugly or not." "that must be my dear brother!" exclaimed shaggy. "yes, it must be," assented kaliko. "no one else inhabits this splendid dome, so there can be no mistake." "but why does he hide among those green trees, instead of enjoying all these glittery golden ones?" asked betsy. "because he finds food among the natural trees," replied kaliko, "and i remember that he has built a little house there, to sleep in. as for these glittery golden trees, i will admit they are very pretty at first sight. one cannot fail to admire them, as well as the rich jewels scattered beneath them; but if one has to look at them always, they become pretty tame." "i believe that is true," declared shaggy. "my dear brother is very wise to prefer real trees to the imitation ones. but come; let us go there and find him." shaggy started for the green grove at once, and the others followed him, being curious to witness the final rescue of his long-sought, long-lost brother. not far from the edge of the grove they came upon a small hut, cleverly made of twigs and golden branches woven together. as they approached the place they caught a glimpse of a form that darted into the hut and slammed the door tight shut after him. shaggy man ran to the door and cried aloud: "brother! brother!" "who calls," demanded a sad, hollow voice from within. "it is shaggy--your own loving brother--who has been searching for you a long time and has now come to rescue you." "too late!" replied the gloomy voice. "no one can rescue me now." "oh, but you are mistaken about that," said shaggy. "there is a new king of the nomes, named kaliko, in ruggedo's place, and he has promised you shall go free." "free! i dare not go free!" said the ugly one, in a voice of despair. "why not, brother?" asked shaggy, anxiously. "do you know what they have done to me?" came the answer through the closed door. "no. tell me, brother, what have they done?" "when ruggedo first captured me i was very handsome. don't you remember, shaggy?" "not very well, brother; you were so young when i left home. but i remember that mother thought you were beautiful." "she was right! i am sure she was right," wailed the prisoner. "but ruggedo wanted to injure me--to make me ugly in the eyes of all the world--so he performed a wicked enchantment. i went to bed beautiful--or you might say handsome--to be very modest i will merely claim that i was good-looking--and i wakened the next morning the homeliest man in all the world! i am so repulsive that when i look in a mirror i frighten myself." "poor brother!" said shaggy softly, and all the others were silent from sympathy. "i was so ashamed of my looks," continued the voice of shaggy's brother, "that i tried to hide; but the cruel king ruggedo forced me to appear before all the legion of nomes, to whom he said: 'behold the ugly one!' but when the nomes saw my face they all fell to laughing and jeering, which prevented them from working at their tasks. seeing this, ruggedo became angry and pushed me into a tunnel, closing the rock entrance so that i could not get out. i followed the length of the tunnel until i reached this huge dome, where the marvelous metal forest stands, and here i have remained ever since." "poor brother!" repeated shaggy. "but i beg you now to come forth and face us, who are your friends. none here will laugh or jeer, however unhandsome you may be." "no, indeed," they all added pleadingly. but the ugly one refused the invitation. "i cannot," said he; "indeed, i cannot face strangers, ugly as i am." shaggy man turned to the group surrounding him. "what shall i do?" he asked in sorrowful tones. "i cannot leave my dear brother here, and he refuses to come out of that house and face us." "i'll tell you," replied betsy. "let him put on a mask." "the very idea i was seeking!" exclaimed shaggy joyfully; and then he called out: "brother, put a mask over your face, and then none of us can see what your features are like." "i have no mask," answered the ugly one. "look here," said betsy; "he can use my handkerchief." shaggy looked at the little square of cloth and shook his head. "it isn't big enough," he objected; "i'm sure it isn't big enough to hide a man's face. but he can use mine." saying this he took from his pocket his own handkerchief and went to the door of the hut. "here, my brother," he called, "take this handkerchief and make a mask of it. i will also pass you my knife, so that you may cut holes for the eyes, and then you must tie it over your face." the door slowly opened, just far enough for the ugly one to thrust out his hand and take the handkerchief and the knife. then it closed again. "don't forget a hole for your nose," cried betsy. "you must breathe, you know." for a time there was silence. queen ann and her army sat down upon the ground to rest. betsy sat on hank's back. polychrome danced lightly up and down the jeweled paths while files and the princess wandered through the groves arm in arm. tik-tok, who never tired, stood motionless. by and by a noise sounded from within the hut. "are you ready?" asked shaggy. "yes, brother," came the reply and the door was thrown open to allow the ugly one to step forth. betsy might have laughed aloud had she not remembered how sensitive to ridicule shaggy's brother was, for the handkerchief with which he had masked his features was a red one covered with big white polka dots. in this two holes had been cut--in front of the eyes--while two smaller ones before the nostrils allowed the man to breathe freely. the cloth was then tightly drawn over the ugly one's face and knotted at the back of his neck. he was dressed in clothes that had once been good, but now were sadly worn and frayed. his silk stockings had holes in them, and his shoes were stub-toed and needed blackening. "but what can you expect," whispered betsy, "when the poor man has been a prisoner for so many years?" shaggy had darted forward, and embraced his newly found brother with both his arms. the brother also embraced shaggy, who then led him forward and introduced him to all the assembled company. "this is the new nome king," he said when he came to kaliko. "he is our friend, and has granted you your freedom." "that is a kindly deed," replied ugly in a sad voice, "but i dread to go back to the world in this direful condition. unless i remain forever masked, my dreadful face would curdle all the milk and stop all the clocks." "can't the enchantment be broken in some way?" inquired betsy. shaggy looked anxiously at kaliko, who shook his head. "i am sure i can't break the enchantment," he said. "ruggedo was fond of magic, and learned a good many enchantments that we nomes know nothing of." "perhaps ruggedo himself might break his own enchantment," suggested ann; "but unfortunately we have allowed the old king to escape." "never mind, my dear brother," said shaggy consolingly; "i am very happy to have found you again, although i may never see your face. so let us make the most of this joyful reunion." the ugly one was affected to tears by this tender speech, and the tears began to wet the red handkerchief; so shaggy gently wiped them away with his coat sleeve. chapter twenty-two kindly kisses "won't you be dreadful sorry to leave this lovely place?" betsy asked the ugly one. "no, indeed," said he. "jewels and gold are cold and heartless things, and i am sure i would presently have died of loneliness had i not found this natural forest at the edge of the artificial one. anyhow, without these real trees i should soon have starved to death." betsy looked around at the quaint trees. "i don't just understand that," she admitted. "what could you find to eat here?" "the best food in the world," ugly answered. "do you see that grove at your left?" he added, pointing it out; "well, such trees as those do not grow in your country, or in any other place but this cavern. i have named them 'hotel trees,' because they bear a certain kind of table d'hote fruit called 'three-course nuts.'" "that's funny!" said betsy. "what are the 'three-course nuts' like?" "something like cocoanuts, to look at," explained the ugly one. "all you have to do is to pick one of them and then sit down and eat your dinner. you first unscrew the top part and find a cupfull of good soup. after you've eaten that, you unscrew the middle part and find a hollow filled with meat and potatoes, vegetables and a fine salad. eat that, and unscrew the next section, and you come to the dessert in the bottom of the nut. that is, pie and cake, cheese and crackers, and nuts and raisins. the three-course nuts are not all exactly alike in flavor or in contents, but they are all good and in each one may be found a complete three-course dinner." "but how about breakfasts?" inquired betsy. "why, there are breakfast trees for that, which grow over there at the right. they bear nuts, like the others, only the nuts contain coffee or chocolate, instead of soup; oatmeal instead of meat-and-potatoes, and fruits instead of dessert. sad as has been my life in this wonderful prison, i must admit that no one could live more luxuriously in the best hotel in the world than i have lived here; but i will be glad to get into the open air again and see the good old sun and the silvery moon and the soft green grass and the flowers that are kissed by the morning dew. ah, how much more lovely are those blessed things than the glitter of gems or the cold gleam of gold!" "of course," said betsy. "i once knew a little boy who wanted to catch the measles, because all the little boys in his neighborhood but him had had 'em, and he was really unhappy 'cause he couldn't catch 'em, try as he would. so i'm pretty certain that the things we want, and can't have, are not good for us. isn't that true, shaggy?" "not always, my dear," he gravely replied. "if we didn't want anything, we would never get anything, good or bad. i think our longings are natural, and if we act as nature prompts us we can't go far wrong." "for my part," said queen ann, "i think the world would be a dreary place without the gold and jewels." "all things are good in their way," said shaggy; "but we may have too much of any good thing. and i have noticed that the value of anything depends upon how scarce it is, and how difficult it is to obtain." "pardon me for interrupting you," said king kaliko, coming to their side, "but now that we have rescued shaggy's brother i would like to return to my royal cavern. being the king of the nomes, it is my duty to look after my restless subjects and see that they behave themselves." so they all turned and began walking through the metal forest to the other side of the great domed cave, where they had first entered it. shaggy and his brother walked side by side and both seemed rejoiced that they were together after their long separation. betsy didn't dare look at the polka dot handkerchief, for fear she would laugh aloud; so she walked behind the two brothers and led hank by holding fast to his left ear. when at last they reached the place where the passage led to the outer world, queen ann said, in a hesitating way that was unusual with her: "i have not conquered this nome country, nor do i expect to do so; but i would like to gather a few of these pretty jewels before i leave this place." "help yourself, ma'am," said king kaliko, and at once the officers of the army took advantage of his royal permission and began filling their pockets, while ann tied a lot of diamonds in a big handkerchief. this accomplished, they all entered the passage, the nomes going first to light the way with their torches. they had not proceeded far when betsy exclaimed: "why, there are jewels here, too!" all eyes were turned upon the ground and they found a regular trail of jewels strewn along the rock floor. "this is queer!" said kaliko, much surprised. "i must send some of my nomes to gather up these gems and replace them in the metal forest, where they belong. i wonder how they came to be here?" all the way along the passage they found this trail of jewels, but when they neared the end the mystery was explained. for there, squatted upon the floor with his back to the rock wall, sat old ruggedo, puffing and blowing as if he was all tired out. then they realized it was he who had scattered the jewels, from his many pockets, which one by one had burst with the weight of their contents as he had stumbled along the passage. "but i don't mind," said ruggedo, with a deep sigh. "i now realize that i could not have carried such a weighty load very far, even had i managed to escape from this passage with it. the woman who sewed the pockets on my robe used poor thread, for which i shall thank her." "have you any jewels left?" inquired betsy. he glanced into some of the remaining pockets. "a few," said he, "but they will be sufficient to supply my wants, and i no longer have any desire to be rich. if some of you will kindly help me to rise, i'll get out of here and leave you, for i know you all despise me and prefer my room to my company." shaggy and kaliko raised the old king to his feet, when he was confronted by shaggy's brother, whom he now noticed for the first time. the queer and unexpected appearance of the ugly one so startled ruggedo that he gave a wild cry and began to tremble, as if he had seen a ghost. "wh--wh--who is this?" he faltered. "i am that helpless prisoner whom your cruel magic transformed from a handsome man into an ugly one!" answered shaggy's brother, in a voice of stern reproach. "really, ruggedo," said betsy, "you ought to be ashamed of that mean trick." "i am, my dear," admitted ruggedo, who was now as meek and humble as formerly he had been cruel and vindictive. "then," returned the girl, "you'd better do some more magic and give the poor man his own face again." "i wish i could," answered the old king; "but you must remember that tititi-hoochoo has deprived me of all my magic powers. however, i never took the trouble to learn just how to break the charm i cast over shaggy's brother, for i intended he should always remain ugly." "every charm," remarked pretty polychrome, "has its antidote; and, if you knew this charm of ugliness, ruggedo, you must have known how to dispel it." he shook his head. "if i did, i--i've forgotten," he stammered regretfully. "try to think!" pleaded shaggy, anxiously. "_please_ try to think!" ruggedo ruffled his hair with both hands, sighed, slapped his chest, rubbed his ear, and stared stupidly around the group. "i've a faint recollection that there _was_ one thing that would break the charm," said he; "but misfortune has so addled my brain that i can't remember what it was." "see here, ruggedo," said betsy, sharply, "we've treated you pretty well, so far, but we won't stand for any nonsense, and if you know what's good for yourself you'll think of that charm!" "why?" he demanded, turning to look wonderingly at the little girl. "because it means so much to shaggy's brother. he's dreadfully ashamed of himself, the way he is now, and you're to blame for it. fact is, ruggedo, you've done so much wickedness in your life that it won't hurt you to do a kind act now." ruggedo blinked at her, and sighed again, and then tried very hard to think. "i seem to remember, dimly," said he, "that a certain kind of a kiss will break the charm of ugliness." "what kind of a kiss?" "what kind? why, it was--it was--it was either the kiss of a mortal maid; or--or--the kiss of a mortal maid who had once been a fairy; or--or the kiss of one who is still a fairy. i can't remember which. but of course no maid, mortal or fairy, would ever consent to kiss a person so ugly--so dreadfully, fearfully, terribly ugly--as shaggy's brother." "i'm not so sure of that," said betsy, with admirable courage; "i'm a mortal maid, and if it is _my_ kiss that will break this awful charm, i--i'll do it!" "oh, you really couldn't," protested ugly. "i would be obliged to remove my mask, and when you saw my face, nothing could induce you to kiss me, generous as you are." "well, as for that," said the little girl, "i needn't see your face at all. here's my plan: you stay in this dark passage, and we'll send away the nomes with their torches. then you'll take off the handkerchief, and i--i'll kiss you." "this is awfully kind of you, betsy!" said shaggy, gratefully. "well, it surely won't kill me," she replied; "and, if it makes you and your brother happy, i'm willing to take some chances." so kaliko ordered the torch-bearers to leave the passage, which they did by going through the rock opening. queen ann and her army also went out; but the others were so interested in betsy's experiment that they remained grouped at the mouth of the passageway. when the big rock swung into place, closing tight the opening, they were left in total darkness. "now, then," called betsy in a cheerful voice, "have you got that handkerchief off your face, ugly?" "yes," he replied. "well, where are you, then?" she asked, reaching out her arms. "here," said he. "you'll have to stoop down, you know." he found her hands and clasping them in his own stooped until his face was near to that of the little girl. the others heard a clear, smacking kiss, and then betsy exclaimed: "there! i've done it, and it didn't hurt a bit!" "tell me, dear brother; is the charm broken?" asked shaggy. "i do not know," was the reply. "it may be, or it may not be. i cannot tell." "has anyone a match?" inquired betsy. "i have several," said shaggy. "then let ruggedo strike one of them and look at your brother's face, while we all turn our backs. ruggedo made your brother ugly, so i guess he can stand the horror of looking at him, if the charm isn't broken." agreeing to this, ruggedo took the match and lighted it. he gave one look and then blew out the match. "ugly as ever!" he said with a shudder. "so it wasn't the kiss of a mortal maid, after all." "let me try," proposed the rose princess, in her sweet voice. "i am a mortal maid who was once a fairy. perhaps my kiss will break the charm." files did not wholly approve of this, but he was too generous to interfere. so the rose princess felt her way through the darkness to shaggy's brother and kissed him. ruggedo struck another match, while they all turned away. "no," announced the former king; "that didn't break the charm, either. it must be the kiss of a fairy that is required--or else my memory has failed me altogether." "polly," said betsy, pleadingly, "won't _you_ try?" "of course i will!" answered polychrome, with a merry laugh. "i've never kissed a mortal man in all the thousands of years i have existed, but i'll do it to please our faithful shaggy man, whose unselfish affection for his ugly brother deserves to be rewarded." even as polychrome was speaking she tripped lightly to the side of the ugly one and quickly touched his cheek with her lips. "oh, thank you--thank you!" he fervently cried. "i've changed, this time, i know. i can feel it! i'm different. shaggy--dear shaggy--i am myself again!" files, who was near the opening, touched the spring that released the big rock and it suddenly swung backward and let in a flood of daylight. everyone stood motionless, staring hard at shaggy's brother, who, no longer masked by the polka-dot handkerchief, met their gaze with a glad smile. "well," said shaggy man, breaking the silence at last and drawing a long, deep breath of satisfaction, "you are no longer the ugly one, my dear brother; but, to be entirely frank with you, the face that belongs to you is no more handsome than it ought to be." "i think he's rather good looking," remarked betsy, gazing at the man critically. "in comparison with what he was," said king kaliko, "he is really beautiful. you, who never beheld his ugliness, may not understand that; but it was my misfortune to look at the ugly one many times, and i say again that, in comparison with what he was, the man is now beautiful." "all right," returned betsy, briskly, "we'll take your word for it, kaliko. and now let us get out of this tunnel and into the world again." chapter twenty-three ruggedo reforms it did not take them long to regain the royal cavern of the nome king, where kaliko ordered served to them the nicest refreshments the place afforded. ruggedo had come trailing along after the rest of the party and while no one paid any attention to the old king they did not offer any objection to his presence or command him to leave them. he looked fearfully to see if the eggs were still guarding the entrance, but they had now disappeared; so he crept into the cavern after the others and humbly squatted down in a corner of the room. there betsy discovered him. all of the little girl's companions were now so happy at the success of shaggy's quest for his brother, and the laughter and merriment seemed so general, that betsy's heart softened toward the friendless old man who had once been their bitter enemy, and she carried to him some of the food and drink. ruggedo's eyes filled with tears at this unexpected kindness. he took the child's hand in his own and pressed it gratefully. "look here, kaliko," said betsy, addressing the new king, "what's the use of being hard on ruggedo? all his magic power is gone, so he can't do any more harm, and i'm sure he's sorry he acted so badly to everybody." "are you?" asked kaliko, looking down at his former master. "i am," said ruggedo. "the girl speaks truly. i'm sorry and i'm harmless. i don't want to wander through the wide world, on top of the ground, for i'm a nome. no nome can ever be happy any place but underground." "that being the case," said kaliko, "i will let you stay here as long as you behave yourself; but, if you try to act badly again, i shall drive you out, as tititi-hoochoo has commanded, and you'll have to wander." "never fear. i'll behave," promised ruggedo. "it is hard work being a king, and harder still to be a good king. but now that i am a common nome i am sure i can lead a blameless life." they were all pleased to hear this and to know that ruggedo had really reformed. "i hope he'll keep his word," whispered betsy to shaggy; "but if he gets bad again we will be far away from the nome kingdom and kaliko will have to 'tend to the old nome himself." polychrome had been a little restless during the last hour or two. the lovely daughter of the rainbow knew that she had now done all in her power to assist her earth friends, and so she began to long for her sky home. "i think," she said, after listening intently, "that it is beginning to rain. the rain king is my uncle, you know, and perhaps he has read my thoughts and is going to help me. anyway i must take a look at the sky and make sure." so she jumped up and ran through the passage to the outer entrance, and they all followed after her and grouped themselves on a ledge of the mountain-side. sure enough, dark clouds had filled the sky and a slow, drizzling rain had set in. "it can't last for long," said shaggy, looking upward, "and when it stops we shall lose the sweet little fairy we have learned to love. alas," he continued, after a moment, "the clouds are already breaking in the west, and--see!--isn't that the rainbow coming?" betsy didn't look at the sky; she looked at polychrome, whose happy, smiling face surely foretold the coming of her father to take her to the cloud palaces. a moment later a gleam of sunshine flooded the mountain and a gorgeous rainbow appeared. with a cry of gladness polychrome sprang upon a point of rock and held out her arms. straightway the rainbow descended until its end was at her very feet, when with a graceful leap she sprang upon it and was at once clasped in the arms of her radiant sisters, the daughters of the rainbow. but polychrome released herself to lean over the edge of the glowing arch and nod, and smile and throw a dozen kisses to her late comrades. "good-bye!" she called, and they all shouted "good-bye!" in return and waved their hands to their pretty friend. slowly the magnificent bow lifted and melted into the sky, until the eyes of the earnest watchers saw only fleecy clouds flitting across the blue. "i'm dreadful sorry to see polychrome go," said betsy, who felt like crying; "but i s'pose she'll be a good deal happier with her sisters in the sky palaces." "to be sure," returned shaggy, nodding gravely. "it's her home, you know, and those poor wanderers who, like ourselves, have no home, can realize what that means to her." "once," said betsy, "i, too, had a home. now, i've only--only--dear old hank!" she twined her arms around her shaggy friend who was not human, and he said: "hee-haw!" in a tone that showed he understood her mood. and the shaggy friend who was human stroked the child's head tenderly and said: "you're wrong about that, betsy, dear. i will never desert you." "nor i!" exclaimed shaggy's brother, in earnest tones. the little girl looked up at them gratefully, and her eyes smiled through their tears. "all right," she said. "it's raining again, so let's go back into the cavern." rather soberly, for all loved polychrome and would miss her, they reentered the dominions of the nome king. chapter twenty-four dorothy is delighted "well," said queen ann, when all were again seated in kaliko's royal cavern, "i wonder what we shall do next. if i could find my way back to oogaboo i'd take my army home at once, for i'm sick and tired of these dreadful hardships." "don't you want to conquer the world?" asked betsy. "no; i've changed my mind about that," admitted the queen. "the world is too big for one person to conquer and i was happier with my own people in oogaboo. i wish--oh, how earnestly i wish--that i was back there this minute!" "so do i!" yelled every officer in a fervent tone. now, it is time for the reader to know that in the far-away land of oz the lovely ruler, ozma, had been following the adventures of her shaggy man, and tik-tok, and all the others they had met. day by day ozma, with the wonderful wizard of oz seated beside her, had gazed upon a magic picture in a radium frame, which occupied one side of the ruler's cosy boudoir in the palace of the emerald city. the singular thing about this magic picture was that it showed whatever scene ozma wished to see, with the figures all in motion, just as it was taking place. so ozma and the wizard had watched every action of the adventurers from the time shaggy had met shipwrecked betsy and hank in the rose kingdom, at which time the rose princess, a distant cousin of ozma, had been exiled by her heartless subjects. when ann and her people so earnestly wished to return to oogaboo, ozma was sorry for them and remembered that oogaboo was a corner of the land of oz. she turned to her attendant and asked: "can not your magic take these unhappy people to their old home, wizard?" "it can, your highness," replied the little wizard. "i think the poor queen has suffered enough in her misguided effort to conquer the world," said ozma, smiling at the absurdity of the undertaking, "so no doubt she will hereafter be contented in her own little kingdom. please send her there, wizard, and with her the officers and files." "how about the rose princess?" asked the wizard. "send her to oogaboo with files," answered ozma. "they have become such good friends that i am sure it would make them unhappy to separate them." "very well," said the wizard, and without any fuss or mystery whatever he performed a magical rite that was simple and effective. therefore those seated in the nome king's cavern were both startled and amazed when all the people of oogaboo suddenly disappeared from the room, and with them the rose princess. at first they could not understand it at all; but presently shaggy suspected the truth, and believing that ozma was now taking an interest in the party he drew from his pocket a tiny instrument which he placed against his ear. ozma, observing this action in her magic picture, at once caught up a similar instrument from a table beside her and held it to her own ear. the two instruments recorded the same delicate vibrations of sound and formed a wireless telephone, an invention of the wizard. those separated by any distance were thus enabled to converse together with perfect ease and without any wire connection. "do you hear me, shaggy man?" asked ozma. "yes, your highness," he replied. "i have sent the people of oogaboo back to their own little valley," announced the ruler of oz; "so do not worry over their disappearance." "that was very kind of you," said shaggy. "but your highness must permit me to report that my own mission here is now ended. i have found my lost brother, and he is now beside me, freed from the enchantment of ugliness which ruggedo cast upon him. tik-tok has served me and my comrades faithfully, as you requested him to do, and i hope you will now transport the clockwork man back to your fairyland of oz." "i will do that," replied ozma. "but how about yourself, shaggy?" "i have been very happy in oz," he said, "but my duty to others forces me to exile myself from that delightful land. i must take care of my new-found brother, for one thing, and i have a new comrade in a dear little girl named betsy bobbin, who has no home to go to, and no other friends but me and a small donkey named hank. i have promised betsy never to desert her as long as she needs a friend, and so i must give up the delights of the land of oz forever." he said this with a sigh of regret, and ozma made no reply but laid the tiny instrument on her table, thus cutting off all further communication with the shaggy man. but the lovely ruler of oz still watched her magic picture, with a thoughtful expression upon her face, and the little wizard of oz watched ozma and smiled softly to himself. in the cavern of the nome king shaggy replaced the wireless telephone in his pocket and turning to betsy said in as cheerful a voice as he could muster: "well, little comrade, what shall we do next?" "i don't know, i'm sure," she answered with a puzzled face. "i'm kind of sorry our adventures are over, for i enjoyed them, and now that queen ann and her people are gone, and polychrome is gone, and--dear me!--where's tik-tok, shaggy?" "he also has disappeared," said shaggy, looking around the cavern and nodding wisely. "by this time he is in ozma's palace in the land of oz, which is his home." "isn't it your home, too?" asked betsy. "it used to be, my dear; but now my home is wherever you and my brother are. we are wanderers, you know, but if we stick together i am sure we shall have a good time." "then," said the girl, "let us get out of this stuffy, underground cavern and go in search of new adventures. i'm sure it has stopped raining." "i'm ready," said shaggy, and then they bade good-bye to king kaliko, and thanked him for his assistance, and went out to the mouth of the passage. the sky was now clear and a brilliant blue in color; the sun shone brightly and even this rugged, rocky country seemed delightful after their confinement underground. there were but four of them now--betsy and hank, and shaggy and his brother--and the little party made their way down the mountain and followed a faint path that led toward the southwest. during this time ozma had been holding a conference with the wizard, and later with tik-tok, whom the magic of the wizard had quickly transported to ozma's palace. tik-tok had only words of praise for betsy bobbin, "who," he said, "is al-most as nice as dor-o-thy her-self." "let us send for dorothy," said ozma, and summoning her favorite maid, who was named jellia jamb, she asked her to request princess dorothy to attend her at once. so a few moments later dorothy entered ozma's room and greeted her and the wizard and tik-tok with the same gentle smile and simple manner that had won for the little girl the love of everyone she met. "did you want to see me, ozma?" she asked. "yes, dear. i am puzzled how to act, and i want your advice." "i don't b'lieve it's worth much," replied dorothy, "but i'll do the best i can. what is it all about, ozma?" "you all know," said the girl ruler, addressing her three friends, "what a serious thing it is to admit any mortals into this fairyland of oz. it is true i have invited several mortals to make their home here, and all of them have proved true and loyal subjects. indeed, no one of you three was a native of oz. dorothy and the wizard came here from the united states, and tik-tok came from the land of ev. but of course he is not a mortal. shaggy is another american, and he is the cause of all my worry, for our dear shaggy will not return here and desert the new friends he has found in his recent adventures, because he believes they need his services." "shaggy man was always kind-hearted," remarked dorothy. "but who are these new friends he has found?" "one is his brother, who for many years has been a prisoner of the nome king, our old enemy ruggedo. this brother seems a kindly, honest fellow, but he has done nothing to entitle him to a home in the land of oz." "who else?" asked dorothy. "i have told you about betsy bobbin, the little girl who was shipwrecked--in much the same way you once were--and has since been following the shaggy man in his search for his lost brother. you remember her, do you not?" "oh, yes!" exclaimed dorothy. "i've often watched her and hank in the magic picture, you know. she's a dear little girl, and old hank is a darling! where are they now?" "look and see," replied ozma with a smile at her friend's enthusiasm. dorothy turned to the picture, which showed betsy and hank, with shaggy and his brother, trudging along the rocky paths of a barren country. "seems to me," she said, musingly, "that they're a good way from any place to sleep, or any nice things to eat." "you are right," said tik-tok. "i have been in that coun-try, and it is a wil-der-ness." "it is the country of the nomes," explained the wizard, "who are so mischievous that no one cares to live near them. i'm afraid shaggy and his friends will endure many hardships before they get out of that rocky place, unless--" he turned to ozma and smiled. "unless i ask you to transport them all here?" she asked. "yes, your highness." "could your magic do that?" inquired dorothy. "i think so," said the wizard. "well," said dorothy, "as far as betsy and hank are concerned, i'd like to have them here in oz. it would be such fun to have a girl playmate of my own age, you see. and hank is such a dear little mule!" ozma laughed at the wistful expression in the girl's eyes, and then she drew dorothy to her and kissed her. "am i not your friend and playmate?" she asked. dorothy flushed. "you know how dearly i love you, ozma!" she cried. "but you're so busy ruling all this land of oz that we can't always be together." "i know, dear. my first duty is to my subjects, and i think it would be a delight to us all to have betsy with us. there's a pretty suite of rooms just opposite your own where she can live, and i'll build a golden stall for hank in the stable where the sawhorse lives. then we'll introduce the mule to the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, and i'm sure they will soon become firm friends. but i cannot very well admit betsy and hank into oz unless i also admit shaggy's brother." "and, unless you admit shaggy's brother, you will keep out poor shaggy, whom we are all very fond of," said the wizard. "well, why not ad-mit him?" demanded tik-tok. "the land of oz is not a refuge for all mortals in distress," explained ozma. "i do not wish to be unkind to shaggy man, but his brother has no claim on me." "the land of oz isn't crowded," suggested dorothy. "then you advise me to admit shaggy's brother?" inquired ozma. "well, we can't afford to lose our shaggy man, can we?" "no, indeed!" returned ozma. "what do you say, wizard?" "i'm getting my magic ready to transport them all." "and you, tik-tok?" "shag-gy's broth-er is a good fel-low, and we can't spare shag-gy." "so, then; the question is settled," decided ozma. "perform your magic, wizard!" he did so, placing a silver plate upon a small standard and pouring upon the plate a small quantity of pink powder which was contained in a crystal vial. then he muttered a rather difficult incantation which the sorceress glinda the good had taught him, and it all ended in a puff of perfumed smoke from the silver plate. this smoke was so pungent that it made both ozma and dorothy rub their eyes for a moment. "you must pardon these disagreeable fumes," said the wizard. "i assure you the smoke is a very necessary part of my wizardry." "look!" cried dorothy, pointing to the magic picture; "they're gone! all of them are gone." indeed, the picture now showed the same rocky landscape as before, but the three people and the mule had disappeared from it. "they are gone," said the wizard, polishing the silver plate and wrapping it in a fine cloth, "because they are here." at that moment jellia jamb entered the room. "your highness," she said to ozma, "the shaggy man and another man are in the waiting room and ask to pay their respects to you. shaggy is crying like a baby, but he says they are tears of joy." "send them here at once, jellia!" commanded ozma. "also," continued the maid, "a girl and a small-sized mule have mysteriously arrived, but they don't seem to know where they are or how they came here. shall i send them here, too?" "oh, no!" exclaimed dorothy, eagerly jumping up from her chair; "i'll go to meet betsy myself, for she'll feel awful strange in this big palace." and she ran down the stairs two at a time to greet her new friend, betsy bobbin. chapter twenty-five the land of love "well, is 'hee-haw' all you are able to say?" inquired the sawhorse, as he examined hank with his knot eyes and slowly wagged the branch that served him for a tail. they were in a beautiful stable in the rear of ozma's palace, where the wooden sawhorse--very much alive--lived in a gold-paneled stall, and where there were rooms for the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, which were filled with soft cushions for them to lie upon and golden troughs for them to eat from. beside the stall of the sawhorse had been placed another for hank, the mule. this was not quite so beautiful as the other, for the sawhorse was ozma's favorite steed; but hank had a supply of cushions for a bed (which the sawhorse did not need because he never slept) and all this luxury was so strange to the little mule that he could only stand still and regard his surroundings and his queer companions with wonder and amazement. the cowardly lion, looking very dignified, was stretched out upon the marble floor of the stable, eyeing hank with a calm and critical gaze, while near by crouched the huge hungry tiger, who seemed equally interested in the new animal that had just arrived. the sawhorse, standing stiffly before hank, repeated his question: "is 'hee-haw' all you are able to say?" hank moved his ears in an embarrassed manner. "i have never said anything else, until now," he replied; and then he began to tremble with fright to hear himself talk. "i can well understand that," remarked the lion, wagging his great head with a swaying motion. "strange things happen in this land of oz, as they do everywhere else. i believe you came here from the cold, civilized, outside world, did you not?" "i did," replied hank. "one minute i was outside of oz--and the next minute i was inside! that was enough to give me a nervous shock, as you may guess; but to find myself able to talk, as betsy does, is a marvel that staggers me." "that is because you are in the land of oz," said the sawhorse. "all animals talk, in this favored country, and you must admit it is more sociable than to bray your dreadful 'hee-haw,' which nobody can understand." "mules understand it very well," declared hank. "oh, indeed! then there must be other mules in your outside world," said the tiger, yawning sleepily. "there are a great many in america," said hank. "are you the only tiger in oz?" "no," acknowledged the tiger, "i have many relatives living in the jungle country; but i am the only tiger living in the emerald city." "there are other lions, too," said the sawhorse; "but i am the only horse, of any description, in this favored land." "that is why this land is favored," said the tiger. "you must understand, friend hank, that the sawhorse puts on airs because he is shod with plates of gold, and because our beloved ruler, ozma of oz, likes to ride upon his back." "betsy rides upon _my_ back," declared hank proudly. "who is betsy?" "the dearest, sweetest girl in all the world!" the sawhorse gave an angry snort and stamped his golden feet. the tiger crouched and growled. slowly the great lion rose to his feet, his mane bristling. "friend hank," said he, "either you are mistaken in judgment or you are willfully trying to deceive us. the dearest, sweetest girl in the world is our dorothy, and i will fight anyone--animal or human--who dares to deny it!" "so will i!" snarled the tiger, showing two rows of enormous white teeth. "you are all wrong!" asserted the sawhorse in a voice of scorn. "no girl living can compare with my mistress, ozma of oz!" hank slowly turned around until his heels were toward the others. then he said stubbornly: "i am not mistaken in my statement, nor will i admit there can be a sweeter girl alive than betsy bobbin. if you want to fight, come on--i'm ready for you!" while they hesitated, eyeing hank's heels doubtfully, a merry peal of laughter startled the animals and turning their heads they beheld three lovely girls standing just within the richly carved entrance to the stable. in the center was ozma, her arms encircling the waists of dorothy and betsy, who stood on either side of her. ozma was nearly half a head taller than the two other girls, who were almost of one size. unobserved, they had listened to the talk of the animals, which was a very strange experience indeed to little betsy bobbin. "you foolish beasts!" exclaimed the ruler of oz, in a gentle but chiding tone of voice. "why should you fight to defend us, who are all three loving friends and in no sense rivals? answer me!" she continued, as they bowed their heads sheepishly. "i have the right to express my opinion, your highness," pleaded the lion. "and so have the others," replied ozma. "i am glad you and the hungry tiger love dorothy best, for she was your first friend and companion. also i am pleased that my sawhorse loves me best, for together we have endured both joy and sorrow. hank has proved his faith and loyalty by defending his own little mistress; and so you are all right in one way, but wrong in another. our land of oz is a land of love, and here friendship outranks every other quality. unless you can all be friends, you cannot retain our love." they accepted this rebuke very meekly. "all right," said the sawhorse, quite cheerfully; "shake hoofs, friend mule." hank touched his hoof to that of the wooden horse. "let us be friends and rub noses," said the tiger. so hank modestly rubbed noses with the big beast. the lion merely nodded and said, as he crouched before the mule: "any friend of a friend of our beloved ruler is a friend of the cowardly lion. that seems to cover your case. if ever you need help or advice, friend hank, call on me." "why, this is as it should be," said ozma, highly pleased to see them so fully reconciled. then she turned to her companions: "come, my dears, let us resume our walk." as they turned away betsy said wonderingly: "do all the animals in oz talk as we do?" "almost all," answered dorothy. "there's a yellow hen here, and she can talk, and so can her chickens; and there's a pink kitten upstairs in my room who talks very nicely; but i've a little fuzzy black dog, named toto, who has been with me in oz a long time, and he's never said a single word but 'bow-wow!'" "do you know why?" asked ozma. "why, he's a kansas dog; so i s'pose he's different from these fairy animals," replied dorothy. "hank isn't a fairy animal, any more than toto," said ozma, "yet as soon as he came under the spell of our fairyland he found he could talk. it was the same way with billina, the yellow hen whom you brought here at one time. the same spell has affected toto, i assure you; but he's a wise little dog and while he knows everything that is said to him he prefers not to talk." "goodness me!" exclaimed dorothy. "i never s'pected toto was fooling me all this time." then she drew a small silver whistle from her pocket and blew a shrill note upon it. a moment later there was a sound of scurrying footsteps, and a shaggy black dog came running up the path. dorothy knelt down before him and shaking her finger just above his nose she said: "toto, haven't i always been good to you?" toto looked up at her with his bright black eyes and wagged his tail. "bow-wow!" he said, and betsy knew at once that meant yes, as well as dorothy and ozma knew it, for there was no mistaking the tone of toto's voice. "that's a dog answer," said dorothy. "how would you like it, toto, if i said nothing to you but 'bow-wow'?" toto's tail was wagging furiously now, but otherwise he was silent. "really, dorothy," said betsy, "he can talk with his bark and his tail just as well as we can. don't you understand such dog language?" "of course i do," replied dorothy. "but toto's got to be more sociable. see here, sir!" she continued, addressing the dog, "i've just learned, for the first time, that you can say words--if you want to. don't you want to, toto?" "woof!" said toto, and that meant "no." "not just one word, toto, to prove you're as any other animal in oz?" "woof!" "just one word, toto--and then you may run away." he looked at her steadily a moment. "all right. here i go!" he said, and darted away as swift as an arrow. dorothy clapped her hands in delight, while betsy and ozma both laughed heartily at her pleasure and the success of her experiment. arm in arm they sauntered away through the beautiful gardens of the palace, where magnificent flowers bloomed in abundance and fountains shot their silvery sprays far into the air. and by and by, as they turned a corner, they came upon shaggy man and his brother, who were seated together upon a golden bench. the two arose to bow respectfully as the ruler of oz approached them. "how are you enjoying our land of oz?" ozma asked the stranger. "i am very happy here, your highness," replied shaggy's brother. "also i am very grateful to you for permitting me to live in this delightful place." "you must thank shaggy for that," said ozma. "being his brother, i have made you welcome here." "when you know brother better," said shaggy earnestly, "you will be glad he has become one of your loyal subjects. i am just getting acquainted with him myself and i find much in his character to admire." leaving the brothers, ozma and the girls continued their walk. presently betsy exclaimed: "shaggy's brother can't ever be as happy in oz as _i_ am. do you know, dorothy, i didn't believe any girl could ever have such a good time--_anywhere_--as i'm having now?" "i know," answered dorothy. "i've felt that way myself, lots of times." "i wish," continued betsy, dreamily, "that every little girl in the world could live in the land of oz; and every little boy, too!" ozma laughed at this. "it is quite fortunate for us, betsy, that your wish cannot be granted," said she, "for all that army of girls and boys would crowd us so that we would have to move away." "yes," agreed betsy, after a little thought, "i guess that's true." the end the wonderful oz books by l. frank baum the wizard of oz the land of oz ozma of oz dorothy and the wizard in oz the road to oz the emerald city of oz the patchwork girl of oz tik-tok of oz the scarecrow of oz rinkitink in oz the lost princess of oz the tin woodman of oz the magic of oz glinda of oz available by internet archive (https://archive.org) note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrations. see 52176-h.htm or 52176-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52176/52176-h/52176-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52176/52176-h.zip) images of the original pages are available through internet archive. see https://archive.org/details/tiktokofoz00baum transcriber's note: text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). [illustration] tik-tok of oz [illustration] tik-tok of oz by l. frank baum author of the road to oz, dorothy and the wizard in oz, the emerald city of oz, the land of oz, ozma of oz, the patchwork girl of oz [illustration] illustrated by john r. neill the reilly & lee co. chicago [illustration: copyright 1914 by l frank baum all rights reserved] [illustration: to louis f. gottschalk, whose sweet and dainty melodies breathe the true spirit of fairyland, this book is affectionately dedicated] [illustration] to my readers [illustration] the very marked success of my last year's fairy book, "the patchwork girl of oz," convinces me that my readers like the oz stories "best of all," as one little girl wrote me. so here, my dears, is a new oz story in which is introduced ann soforth, the queen of oogaboo, whom tik-tok assisted in conquering our old acquaintance, the nome king. it also tells of betsy bobbin and how, after many adventures, she finally reached the marvelous land of oz. there is a play called "the tik-tok man of oz," but it is not like this story of "tik-tok of oz," although some of the adventures recorded in this book, as well as those in several other oz books, are included in the play. those who have seen the play and those who have read the other oz books will find in this story a lot of strange characters and adventures that they have never heard of before. in the letters i receive from children there has been an urgent appeal for me to write a story that will take trot and cap'n bill to the land of oz, where they will meet dorothy and ozma. also they think button-bright ought to get acquainted with ojo the lucky. as you know, i am obliged to talk these matters over with dorothy by means of the "wireless," for that is the only way i can communicate with the land of oz. when i asked her about this idea, she replied: "why, haven't you heard?" i said "no." "well," came the message over the wireless, "i'll tell you all about it, by and by, and then you can make a book of that story for the children to read." so, if dorothy keeps her word and i am permitted to write another oz book, you will probably discover how all these characters came together in the famous emerald city. meantime, i want to tell all my little friends--whose numbers are increasing by many thousands every year--that i am very grateful for the favor they have shown my books and for the delightful little letters i am constantly receiving. i am almost sure that i have as many friends among the children of america as any story writer alive; and this, of course, makes me very proud and happy. l. frank baum. "ozcot" at hollywood in california, 1914. [illustration] list of chapters chapter page 1--ann's army 13 2--out of oogaboo 24 3--magic mystifies the marchers 28 4--betsy braves the billows 39 5--the roses repulse the refugees 42 6--shaggy seeks his stray brother 48 7--polychrome's pitiful plight 65 8--tik-tok tackles a tough task 78 9--ruggedo's rage is rash and reckless 92 10--a terrible tumble through a tube 107 11--the famous fellowship of fairies 120 12--the lovely lady of light 129 13--the jinjin's just judgment 136 14--the long-eared hearer learns by listening 149 15--the dragon defies danger 159 16--the naughty nome 168 17--a tragic transformation 177 18--a clever conquest 193 19--king kaliko 202 20--quox quietly quits 213 21--a bashful brother 221 22--kindly kisses 233 23--ruggedo reforms 245 24--dorothy is delighted 251 25--the land of love 263 [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] chapter 1 ann's army "i won't!" cried ann; "i won't sweep the floor. it is beneath my dignity." "some one must sweep it," replied ann's younger sister, salye; "else we shall soon be wading in dust. and you are the eldest, and the head of the family." "i'm queen of oogaboo," said ann, proudly. "but," she added with a sigh, "my kingdom is the smallest and the poorest in all the land of oz." this was quite true. away up in the mountains, in a far corner of the beautiful fairyland of oz, lies a small valley which is named oogaboo, and in this valley lived a few people who were usually happy and contented and never cared to wander over the mountain pass into the more settled parts of the land. they knew that all of oz, including their own territory, was ruled by a beautiful princess named ozma, who lived in the splendid emerald city; yet the simple folk of oogaboo never visited ozma. they had a royal family of their own--not especially to rule over them, but just as a matter of pride. ozma permitted the various parts of her country to have their kings and queens and emperors and the like, but all were ruled over by the lovely girl queen of the emerald city. the king of oogaboo used to be a man named jol jemkiph soforth, who for many years did all the drudgery of deciding disputes and telling his people when to plant cabbages and pickle onions. but the king's wife had a sharp tongue and small respect for the king, her husband; therefore one night king jol crept over the pass into the land of oz and disappeared from oogaboo for good and all. the queen waited a few years for him to return and then started in search of him, leaving her eldest daughter, ann soforth, to act as queen. now, ann had not forgotten when her birthday came, for that meant a party and feasting and dancing, but she had quite forgotten how many years the birthdays marked. in a land where people live always, this is not considered a cause for regret, so we may justly say that queen ann of oogaboo was old enough to make jelly--and let it go at that. but she didn't make jelly, or do any more of the housework than she could help. she was an ambitious woman and constantly resented the fact that her kingdom was so tiny and her people so stupid and unenterprising. often she wondered what had become of her father and mother, out beyond the pass, in the wonderful land of oz, and the fact that they did not return to oogaboo led ann to suspect that they had found a better place to live. so, when salye refused to sweep the floor of the living room in the palace, and ann would not sweep it, either, she said to her sister: "i'm going away. this absurd kingdom of oogaboo tires me." "go, if you want to," answered salye; "but you are very foolish to leave this place." "why?" asked ann. "because in the land of oz, which is ozma's country, you will be a nobody, while here you are a queen." "oh, yes! queen over eighteen men, twenty-seven women and forty-four children!" returned ann bitterly. "well, there are certainly more people than that in the great land of oz," laughed salye. "why don't you raise an army and conquer them, and be queen of all oz?" she asked, trying to taunt ann and so to anger her. then she made a face at her sister and went into the back yard to swing in the hammock. her jeering words, however, had given queen ann an idea. she reflected that oz was reported to be a peaceful country and ozma a mere girl who ruled with gentleness to all and was obeyed because her people loved her. even in oogaboo the story was told that ozma's sole army consisted of twenty-seven fine officers, who wore beautiful uniforms but carried no weapons, because there was no one to fight. once there had been a private soldier, besides the officers, but ozma had made him a captain-general and taken away his gun for fear it might accidentally hurt some one. the more ann thought about the matter the more she was convinced it would be easy to conquer the land of oz and set herself up as ruler in ozma's place, if she but had an army to do it with. afterward she could go out into the world and conquer other lands, and then perhaps she could find a way to the moon, and conquer that. she had a warlike spirit that preferred trouble to idleness. it all depended on an army, ann decided. she carefully counted in her mind all the men of her kingdom. yes; there were exactly eighteen of them, all told. that would not make a very big army, but by surprising ozma's unarmed officers her men might easily subdue them. "gentle people are always afraid of those that bluster," ann told herself. "i don't wish to shed any blood, for that would shock my nerves and i might faint; but if we threaten and flash our weapons i am sure the people of oz will fall upon their knees before me and surrender." this argument, which she repeated to herself more than once, finally determined the queen of oogaboo to undertake the audacious venture. "whatever happens," she reflected, "can make me no more unhappy than my staying shut up in this miserable valley and sweeping floors and quarreling with sister salye; so i will venture all, and win what i may." that very day she started out to organize her army. the first man she came to was jo apple, so called because he had an apple orchard. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and i want you to join my army." "don't ask me to do such a fool thing, for i must politely refuse your majesty," said jo apple. "i have no intention of asking you. i shall command you, as queen of oogaboo, to join," said ann. "in that case, i suppose i must obey," the man remarked, in a sad voice. "but i pray you to consider that i am a very important citizen, and for that reason am entitled to an office of high rank." "you shall be a general," promised ann. "with gold epaulets and a sword?" he asked. "of course," said the queen. then she went to the next man, whose name was jo bunn, as he owned an orchard where graham-buns and wheat-buns, in great variety, both hot and cold, grew on the trees. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and i command you to join my army." "impossible!" he exclaimed. "the bun crop has to be picked." "let your wife and children do the picking," said ann. "but i'm a man of great importance, your majesty," he protested. "for that reason you shall be one of my generals, and wear a cocked hat with gold braid, and curl your mustaches and clank a long sword," she promised. so he consented, although sorely against his will, and the queen walked on to the next cottage. here lived jo cone, so called because the trees in his orchard bore crops of excellent ice-cream cones. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and you must join my army." "excuse me, please," said jo cone. "i am a bad fighter. my good wife conquered me years ago, for she can fight better than i. take her, your majesty, instead of me, and i'll bless you for the favor." "this must be an army of men--fierce, ferocious warriors," declared ann, looking sternly upon the mild little man. "and you will leave my wife here in oogaboo?" he asked. "yes; and make you a general." "i'll go," said jo cone, and ann went on to the cottage of jo clock, who had an orchard of clock-trees. this man at first insisted that he would not join the army, but queen ann's promise to make him a general finally won his consent. "how many generals are there in your army?" he asked. "four, so far," replied ann. "and how big will the army be?" was his next question. "i intend to make every one of the eighteen men in oogaboo join it," she said. "then four generals are enough," announced jo clock. "i advise you to make the rest of them colonels." ann tried to follow his advice. the next four men she visited--who were jo plum, jo egg, jo banjo and jo cheese, named after the trees in their orchards--she made colonels of her army; but the fifth one, jo nails, said colonels and generals were getting to be altogether too common in the army of oogaboo and he preferred to be a major. so jo nails, jo cake, jo ham and jo stockings were all four made majors, while the next four--jo sandwich, jo padlocks, jo sundae and jo buttons--were appointed captains of the army. but now queen ann was in a quandary. there remained but two other men in all oogaboo, and if she made these two lieutenants, while there were four captains, four majors, four colonels and four generals, there was likely to be jealousy in her army, and perhaps mutiny and desertions. one of these men, however, was jo candy, and he would not go at all. no promises could tempt him, nor could threats move him. he said he must remain at home to harvest his crop of jackson-balls, lemon-drops, bonbons and chocolate-creams. also he had large fields of crackerjack and buttered pop corn to be mowed and threshed, and he was determined not to disappoint the children of oogaboo by going away to conquer the world and so let the candy crop spoil. finding jo candy so obstinate, queen ann let him have his own way and continued her journey to the house of the eighteenth and last man in oogaboo, who was a young fellow named jo files. this files had twelve trees which bore steel files of various sorts; but also he had nine book-trees, on which grew a choice selection of story-books. in case you have never seen books growing upon trees, i will explain that those in jo files' orchard were enclosed in broad green husks which, when fully ripe, turned to a deep red color. then the books were picked and husked and were ready to read. if they were picked too soon, the stories were found to be confused and uninteresting and the spelling bad. however, if allowed to ripen perfectly, the stories were fine reading and the spelling and grammar excellent. [illustration] files freely gave his books to all who wanted them, but the people of oogaboo cared little for books and so he had to read most of them himself, before they spoiled. for, as you probably know, as soon as the books were read the words disappeared and the leaves withered and faded--which is the worst fault of all books which grow upon trees. when queen ann spoke to this young man files, who was both intelligent and ambitious, he said he thought it would be great fun to conquer the world. but he called her attention to the fact that he was far superior to the other men of her army. therefore, he would not be one of her generals or colonels or majors or captains, but claimed the honor of being sole private. ann did not like this idea at all. "i hate to have a private soldier in my army," she said; "they're so common. i am told that princess ozma once had a private soldier, but she made him her captain-general, which is good evidence that the private was unnecessary." "ozma's army doesn't fight," returned files; "but your army must fight like fury in order to conquer the world. i have read in my books that it is always the private soldiers who do the fighting, for no officer is ever brave enough to face the foe. also, it stands to reason that your officers must have some one to command and to issue their orders to; therefore i'll be the one. i long to slash and slay the enemy and become a hero. then, when we return to oogaboo, i'll take all the marbles away from the children and melt them up and make a marble statue of myself for all to look upon and admire." ann was much pleased with private files. he seemed indeed to be such a warrior as she needed in her enterprise, and her hopes of success took a sudden bound when files told her he knew where a gun-tree grew and would go there at once and pick the ripest and biggest musket the tree bore. [illustration] [illustration] chapter 2 out of oogaboo three days later the grand army of oogaboo assembled in the square in front of the royal palace. the sixteen officers were attired in gorgeous uniforms and carried sharp, glittering swords. the private had picked his gun and, although it was not a very big weapon, files tried to look fierce and succeeded so well that all his commanding officers were secretly afraid of him. the women were there, protesting that queen ann soforth had no right to take their husbands and fathers from them; but ann commanded them to keep silent, and that was the hardest order to obey they had ever received. [illustration: for--ward march!] the queen appeared before her army dressed in an imposing uniform of green, covered with gold braid. she wore a green soldier-cap with a purple plume in it and looked so royal and dignified that everyone in oogaboo except the army was glad she was going. the army was sorry she was not going alone. "form ranks!" she cried in her shrill voice. salye leaned out of the palace window and laughed. "i believe your army can run better than it can fight," she observed. "of course," replied general bunn, proudly. "we're not looking for trouble, you know, but for plunder. the more plunder and the less fighting we get, the better we shall like our work." "for my part," said files, "i prefer war and carnage to anything. the only way to become a hero is to conquer, and the story-books all say that the easiest way to conquer is to fight." "that's the idea, my brave man!" agreed ann. "to fight is to conquer and to conquer is to secure plunder and to secure plunder is to become a hero. with such noble determination to back me, the world is mine! good-bye, salye. when we return we shall be rich and famous. come, generals; let us march." at this the generals straightened up and threw out their chests. then they swung their glittering swords in rapid circles and cried to the colonels: "for--ward march!" then the colonels shouted to the majors: "for--ward march!" and the majors yelled to the captains: "for--ward march!" and the captains screamed to the private: "for--ward march!" so files shouldered his gun and began to march, and all the officers followed after him. queen ann came last of all, rejoicing in her noble army and wondering why she had not decided long ago to conquer the world. in this order the procession marched out of oogaboo and took the narrow mountain pass which led into the lovely fairyland of oz. [illustration] [illustration] chapter 3 magic mystifies the marchers princess ozma was all unaware that the army of oogaboo, led by their ambitious queen, was determined to conquer her kingdom. the beautiful girl ruler of oz was busy with the welfare of her subjects and had no time to think of ann soforth and her disloyal plans. but there was one who constantly guarded the peace and happiness of the land of oz and this was the official sorceress of the kingdom, glinda the good. in her magnificent castle, which stands far north of the emerald city where ozma holds her court, glinda owns a wonderful magic record book, in which is printed every event that takes place anywhere, just as soon as it happens. the smallest things and the biggest things are all recorded in this book. if a child stamps its foot in anger, glinda reads about it; if a city burns down, glinda finds the fact noted in her book. the sorceress always reads her record book every day, and so it was she knew that ann soforth, queen of oogaboo, had foolishly assembled an army of sixteen officers and one private soldier, with which she intended to invade and conquer the land of oz. there was no danger but that ozma, supported by the magic arts of glinda the good and the powerful wizard of oz--both her firm friends--could easily defeat a far more imposing army than ann's; but it would be a shame to have the peace of oz interrupted by any sort of quarreling or fighting. so glinda did not even mention the matter to ozma, or to anyone else. she merely went into a great chamber of her castle, known as the magic room, where she performed a magical ceremony which caused the mountain pass that led from oogaboo to make several turns and twists. the result was that when ann and her army came to the end of the pass they were not in the land of oz at all, but in an adjoining territory that was quite distinct from ozma's domain and separated from oz by an invisible barrier. as the oogaboo people emerged into this country, the pass they had traversed disappeared behind them and it was not likely they would ever find their way back into the valley of oogaboo. they were greatly puzzled, indeed, by their surroundings and did not know which way to go. none of them had ever visited oz, so it took them some time to discover they were not in oz at all, but in an unknown country. "never mind," said ann, trying to conceal her disappointment; "we have started out to conquer the world, and here is part of it. in time, as we pursue our victorious journey, we will doubtless come to oz; but, until we get there, we may as well conquer whatever land we find ourselves in." "have we conquered this place, your majesty?" anxiously inquired major cake. "most certainly," said ann. "we have met no people, as yet, but when we do, we will inform them that they are our slaves." "and afterward we will plunder them of all their possessions," added general apple. "they may not possess anything," objected private files; "but i hope they will fight us, just the same. a peaceful conquest wouldn't be any fun at all." "don't worry," said the queen. "_we_ can fight, whether our foes do or not; and perhaps we would find it more comfortable to have the enemy surrender promptly." it was a barren country and not very pleasant to travel in. moreover, there was little for them to eat, and as the officers became hungry they became fretful. many would have deserted had they been able to find their way home, but as the oogaboo people were now hopelessly lost in a strange country they considered it more safe to keep together than to separate. queen ann's temper, never very agreeable, became sharp and irritable as she and her army tramped over the rocky roads without encountering either people or plunder. she scolded her officers until they became surly, and a few of them were disloyal enough to ask her to hold her tongue. others began to reproach her for leading them into difficulties and in the space of three unhappy days every man was mourning for his orchard in the pretty valley of oogaboo. files, however, proved a different sort. the more difficulties he encountered the more cheerful he became, and the sighs of the officers were answered by the merry whistle of the private. his pleasant disposition did much to encourage queen ann and before long she consulted the private soldier more often than she did his superiors. it was on the third day of their pilgrimage that they encountered their first adventure. toward evening the sky was suddenly darkened and major nails exclaimed: "a fog is coming toward us." "i do not think it is a fog," replied files, looking with interest at the approaching cloud. "it seems to me more like the breath of a rak." "what is a rak?" asked ann, looking about fearfully. "a terrible beast with a horrible appetite," answered the soldier, growing a little paler than usual. "i have never seen a rak, to be sure, but i have read of them in the story-books that grew in my orchard, and if this is indeed one of those fearful monsters, we are not likely to conquer the world." hearing this, the officers became quite worried and gathered closer about their soldier. "what is the thing like?" asked one. "the only picture of a rak that i ever saw in a book was rather blurred," said files, "because the book was not quite ripe when it was picked. but the creature can fly in the air and run like a deer and swim like a fish. inside its body is a glowing furnace of fire, and the rak breathes in air and breathes out smoke, which darkens the sky for miles around, wherever it goes. it is bigger than a hundred men and feeds on any living thing." the officers now began to groan and to tremble, but files tried to cheer them, saying: "it may not be a rak, after all, that we see approaching us, and you must not forget that we people of oogaboo, which is part of the fairyland of oz, cannot be killed." "nevertheless," said captain buttons, "if the rak catches us, and chews us up into small pieces, and swallows us--what will happen then?" "then each small piece will still be alive," declared files. "i cannot see how that would help us," wailed colonel banjo. "a hamburger steak is a hamburger steak, whether it is alive or not!" "i tell you, this may not be a rak," persisted files. "we will know, when the cloud gets nearer, whether it is the breath of a rak or not. if it has no smell at all, it is probably a fog; but if it has an odor of salt and pepper, it is a rak and we must prepare for a desperate fight." they all eyed the dark cloud fearfully. before long it reached the frightened group and began to envelop them. every nose sniffed the cloud--and every one detected in it the odor of salt and pepper. "the rak!" shouted private files, and with a howl of despair the sixteen officers fell to the ground, writhing and moaning in anguish. queen ann sat down upon a rock and faced the cloud more bravely, although her heart was beating fast. as for files, he calmly loaded his gun and stood ready to fight the foe, as a soldier should. they were now in absolute darkness, for the cloud which covered the sky and the setting sun was black as ink. then through the gloom appeared two round, glowing balls of red, and files at once decided these must be the monster's eyes. he raised his gun, took aim and fired. there were several bullets in the gun, all gathered from an excellent bullet-tree in oogaboo, and they were big and hard. they flew toward the monster and struck it, and with a wild, weird cry the rak came fluttering down and its huge body fell plump upon the forms of the sixteen officers, who thereupon screamed louder than before. "badness me!" moaned the rak. "see what you've done with that dangerous gun of yours!" "i can't see," replied files, "for the cloud formed by your breath darkens my sight!" "don't tell me it was an accident," continued the rak, reproachfully, as it still flapped its wings in a helpless manner. "don't claim you didn't know the gun was loaded, i beg of you!" "i don't intend to," replied files. "did the bullets hurt you very badly?" "one has broken my jaw, so that i can't open my mouth. you will notice that my voice sounds rather harsh and husky, because i have to talk with my teeth set close together. another bullet broke my left wing, so that i can't fly; and still another broke my right leg, so that i can't walk. it was the most careless shot i ever heard of!" "can't you manage to lift your body off from my commanding officers?" inquired files. "from their cries i'm afraid your great weight is crushing them." [illustration] "i hope it is," growled the rak. "i want to crush them, if possible, for i have a bad disposition. if only i could open my mouth, i'd eat all of you, although my appetite is poorly this warm weather." with this the rak began to roll its immense body sidewise, so as to crush the officers more easily; but in doing this it rolled completely off from them and the entire sixteen scrambled to their feet and made off as fast as they could run. private files could not see them go but he knew from the sound of their voices that they had escaped, so he ceased to worry about them. "pardon me if i now bid you good-bye," he said to the rak. "the parting is caused by our desire to continue our journey. if you die, do not blame me, for i was obliged to shoot you as a matter of self-protection." "i shall not die," answered the monster, "for i bear a charmed life. but i beg you not to leave me!" "why not?" asked files. "because my broken jaw will heal in about an hour, and then i shall be able to eat you. my wing will heal in a day and my leg will heal in a week, when i shall be as well as ever. having shot me, and so caused me all this annoyance, it is only fair and just that you remain here and allow me to eat you as soon as i can open my jaws." "i beg to differ with you," returned the soldier firmly. "i have made an engagement with queen ann of oogaboo to help her conquer the world, and i cannot break my word for the sake of being eaten by a rak." "oh; that's different," said the monster. "if you've an engagement, don't let me detain you." so files felt around in the dark and grasped the hand of the trembling queen, whom he led away from the flapping, sighing rak. they stumbled over the stones for a way but presently began to see dimly the path ahead of them, as they got farther and farther away from the dreadful spot where the wounded monster lay. by and by they reached a little hill and could see the last rays of the sun flooding a pretty valley beyond, for now they had passed beyond the cloudy breath of the rak. here were huddled the sixteen officers, still frightened and panting from their run. they had halted only because it was impossible for them to run any farther. queen ann gave them a severe scolding for their cowardice, at the same time praising files for his courage. "we are wiser than he, however," muttered general clock, "for by running away we are now able to assist your majesty in conquering the world; whereas, had files been eaten by the rak, he would have deserted your army." after a brief rest they descended into the valley, and as soon as they were out of sight of the rak the spirits of the entire party rose quickly. just at dusk they came to a brook, on the banks of which queen ann commanded them to make camp for the night. each officer carried in his pocket a tiny white tent. this, when placed upon the ground, quickly grew in size until it was large enough to permit the owner to enter it and sleep within its canvas walls. files was obliged to carry a knapsack, in which was not only his own tent but an elaborate pavilion for queen ann, besides a bed and chair and a magic table. this table, when set upon the ground in ann's pavilion, became of large size, and in a drawer of the table was contained the queen's supply of extra clothing, her manicure and toilet articles and other necessary things. the royal bed was the only one in the camp, the officers and private sleeping in hammocks attached to their tent poles. there was also in the knapsack a flag bearing the royal emblem of oogaboo, and this flag files flew upon its staff every night, to show that the country they were in had been conquered by the queen of oogaboo. so far, no one but themselves had seen the flag, but ann was pleased to see it flutter in the breeze and considered herself already a famous conqueror. [illustration] chapter 4 betsy braves the billows the waves dashed and the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled and the ship struck a rock. betsy bobbin was running across the deck and the shock sent her flying through the air until she fell with a splash into the dark blue water. the same shock caught hank, a thin little, sad-faced mule, and tumbled him also into the sea, far from the ship's side. when betsy came up, gasping for breath because the wet plunge had surprised her, she reached out in the dark and grabbed a bunch of hair. at first she thought it was the end of a rope, but presently she heard a dismal "hee-haw!" and knew she was holding fast to the end of hank's tail. suddenly the sea was lighted up by a vivid glare. the ship, now in the far distance, caught fire, blew up and sank beneath the waves. betsy shuddered at the sight, but just then her eye caught a mass of wreckage floating near her and she let go the mule's tail and seized the rude raft, pulling herself up so that she rode upon it in safety. hank also saw the raft and swam to it, but he was so clumsy he never would have been able to climb upon it had not betsy helped him to get aboard. they had to crowd close together, for their support was only a hatch-cover torn from the ship's deck; but it floated them fairly well and both the girl and the mule knew it would keep them from drowning. the storm was not over, by any means, when the ship went down. blinding bolts of lightning shot from cloud to cloud and the clamor of deep thunderclaps echoed far over the sea. the waves tossed the little raft here and there as a child tosses a rubber ball and betsy had a solemn feeling that for hundreds of watery miles in every direction there was no living thing besides herself and the small donkey. perhaps hank had the same thought, for he gently rubbed his nose against the frightened girl and said "hee-haw!" in his softest voice, as if to comfort her. "you'll protect me, hank dear, won't you?" she cried helplessly, and the mule said "hee-haw!" again, in tones that meant a promise. on board the ship, during the days that preceded the wreck, when the sea was calm, betsy and hank had become good friends; so, while the girl might have preferred a more powerful protector in this dreadful emergency, she felt that the mule would do all in a mule's power to guard her safety. all night they floated, and when the storm had worn itself out and passed away with a few distant growls, and the waves had grown smaller and easier to ride, betsy stretched herself out on the wet raft and fell asleep. hank did not sleep a wink. perhaps he felt it his duty to guard betsy. anyhow, he crouched on the raft beside the tired sleeping girl and watched patiently until the first light of dawn swept over the sea. the light wakened betsy bobbin. she sat up, rubbed her eyes and stared across the water. "oh, hank; there's land ahead!" she exclaimed. "hee-haw!" answered hank in his plaintive voice. the raft was floating swiftly toward a very beautiful country and as they drew near betsy could see banks of lovely flowers showing brightly between leafy trees. but no people were to be seen at all. [illustration] chapter 5 the roses repulse the refugees gently the raft grated on the sandy beach. then betsy easily waded ashore, the mule following closely behind her. the sun was now shining and the air was warm and laden with the fragrance of roses. "i'd like some breakfast, hank," remarked the girl, feeling more cheerful now that she was on dry land; "but we can't eat the flowers, although they do smell mighty good." "hee-haw!" replied hank and trotted up a little pathway to the top of the bank. betsy followed and from the eminence looked around her. a little way off stood a splendid big greenhouse, its thousands of crystal panes glittering in the sunlight. "there ought to be people somewhere 'round," observed betsy thoughtfully; "gardeners, or somebody. let's go and see, hank. i'm getting hungrier ev'ry minute." so they walked toward the great greenhouse and came to its entrance without meeting with anyone at all. a door stood ajar, so hank went in first, thinking if there was any danger he could back out and warn his companion. but betsy was close at his heels and the moment she entered was lost in amazement at the wonderful sight she saw. the greenhouse was filled with magnificent rosebushes, all growing in big pots. on the central stem of each bush bloomed a splendid rose, gorgeously colored and deliciously fragrant, and in the center of each rose was the face of a lovely girl. as betsy and hank entered, the heads of the roses were drooping and their eyelids were closed in slumber; but the mule was so amazed that he uttered a loud "hee-haw!" and at the sound of his harsh voice the rose leaves fluttered, the roses raised their heads and a hundred startled eyes were instantly fixed upon the intruders. "i--i beg your pardon!" stammered betsy, blushing and confused. "o-o-o-h!" cried the roses, in a sort of sighing chorus; and one of them added: "what a horrid noise!" "why, that was only hank," said betsy, and as if to prove the truth of her words the mule uttered another loud "hee-haw!" at this all the roses turned on their stems as far as they were able and trembled as if some one were shaking their bushes. a dainty moss rose gasped: "dear me! how dreadfully dreadful!" "it isn't dreadful at all," said betsy, somewhat indignant. "when you get used to hank's voice it will put you to sleep." the roses now looked at the mule less fearfully and one of them asked: "is that savage beast named hank?" "yes; hank's my comrade, faithful and true," answered the girl, twining her arms around the little mule's neck and hugging him tight. "aren't you, hank?" hank could only say in reply: "hee-haw!" and at his bray the roses shivered again. "please go away!" begged one. "can't you see you're frightening us out of a week's growth?" "go away!" echoed betsy. "why, we've no place to go. we've just been wrecked." "wrecked?" asked the roses in a surprised chorus. "yes; we were on a big ship and the storm came and wrecked it," explained the girl. "but hank and i caught hold of a raft and floated ashore to this place, and--we're tired and hungry. what country _is_ this, please?" [illustration] "this is the rose kingdom," replied the moss rose, haughtily, "and it is devoted to the culture of the rarest and fairest roses grown." "i believe it," said betsy, admiring the pretty blossoms. "but only roses are allowed here," continued a delicate tea rose, bending her brows in a frown; "therefore you must go away before the royal gardener finds you and casts you back into the sea." "oh! is there a royal gardener, then?" inquired betsy. "to be sure." "and is he a rose, also?" "of course not; he's a man--a wonderful man," was the reply. "well, i'm not afraid of a man," declared the girl, much relieved, and even as she spoke the royal gardener popped into the greenhouse--a spading fork in one hand and a watering pot in the other. he was a funny little man, dressed in a rose-colored costume, with ribbons at his knees and elbows, and a bunch of ribbons in his hair. his eyes were small and twinkling, his nose sharp and his face puckered and deeply lined. "o-ho!" he exclaimed, astonished to find strangers in his greenhouse, and when hank gave a loud bray the gardener threw the watering pot over the mule's head and danced around with his fork, in such agitation that presently he fell over the handle of the implement and sprawled at full length upon the ground. betsy laughed and pulled the watering pot off from hank's head. the little mule was angry at the treatment he had received and backed toward the gardener threateningly. "look out for his heels!" called betsy warningly and the gardener scrambled to his feet and hastily hid behind the roses. "you are breaking the law!" he shouted, sticking out his head to glare at the girl and the mule. "what law?" asked betsy. "the law of the rose kingdom. no strangers are allowed in these domains." "not when they're shipwrecked?" she inquired. "the law doesn't except shipwrecks," replied the royal gardener, and he was about to say more when suddenly there was a crash of glass and a man came tumbling through the roof of the greenhouse and fell plump to the ground. [illustration] chapter 6 shaggy seeks his stray brother this sudden arrival was a queer looking man, dressed all in garments so shaggy that betsy at first thought he must be some animal. but the stranger ended his fall in a sitting position and then the girl saw it was really a man. he held an apple in his hand, which he had evidently been eating when he fell, and so little was he jarred or flustered by the accident that he continued to munch this apple as he calmly looked around him. "good gracious!" exclaimed betsy, approaching him. "who _are_ you, and where did you come from?" "me? oh, i'm shaggy man," said he, taking another bite of the apple. "just dropped in for a short call. excuse my seeming haste." "why, i s'pose you couldn't help the haste," said betsy. "no. i climbed an apple tree, outside; branch gave way and--here i am." as he spoke the shaggy man finished his apple, gave the core to hank--who ate it greedily--and then stood up to bow politely to betsy and the roses. the royal gardener had been frightened nearly into fits by the crash of glass and the fall of the shaggy stranger into the bower of roses, but now he peeped out from behind a bush and cried in his squeaky voice: "you're breaking the law! you're breaking the law!" shaggy stared at him solemnly. "is the glass the law in this country?" he asked. "breaking the glass is breaking the law," squeaked the gardener, angrily. "also, to intrude in any part of the rose kingdom is breaking the law." "how do you know?" asked shaggy. "why, it's printed in a book," said the gardener, coming forward and taking a small book from his pocket. "page thirteen. here it is: 'if any stranger enters the rose kingdom he shall at once be condemned by the ruler and put to death.' so you see, strangers," he continued triumphantly, "it's death for you all and your time has come!" but just here hank interposed. he had been stealthily backing toward the royal gardener, whom he disliked, and now the mule's heels shot out and struck the little man in the middle. he doubled up like the letter "u" and flew out of the door so swiftly--never touching the ground--that he was gone before betsy had time to wink. but the mule's attack frightened the girl. "come," she whispered, approaching the shaggy man and taking his hand; "let's go somewhere else. they'll surely kill us if we stay here!" "don't worry, my dear," replied shaggy, patting the child's head. "i'm not afraid of anything, so long as i have the love magnet." "the love magnet! why, what is that?" asked betsy. "it's a charming little enchantment that wins the heart of everyone who looks upon it," was the reply. "the love magnet used to hang over the gateway to the emerald city, in the land of oz; but when i started on this journey our beloved ruler, ozma of oz, allowed me to take it with me." "oh!" cried betsy, staring hard at him; "are you really from the wonderful land of oz?" "yes. ever been there, my dear?" "no; but i've heard about it. and do you know princess ozma?" "very well indeed." "and--and princess dorothy?" "dorothy's an old chum of mine," declared shaggy. "dear me!" exclaimed betsy. "and why did you ever leave such a beautiful land as oz?" "on an errand," said shaggy, looking sad and solemn. "i'm trying to find my dear little brother." "oh! is he lost?" questioned betsy, feeling very sorry for the poor man. "been lost these ten years," replied shaggy, taking out a handkerchief and wiping a tear from his eye. "i didn't know it until lately, when i saw it recorded in the magic record book of the sorceress glinda, in the land of oz. so now i'm trying to find him." "where was he lost?" asked the girl sympathetically. "back in colorado, where i used to live before i went to oz. brother was a miner, and dug gold out of a mine. one day he went into his mine and never came out. they searched for him, but he was not there. disappeared entirely," shaggy ended miserably. "for goodness sake! what do you s'pose became of him?" she asked. "there is only one explanation," replied shaggy, taking another apple from his pocket and eating it to relieve his misery. "the nome king probably got him." "the nome king! who is he?" "why, he's sometimes called the metal monarch, and his name is ruggedo. lives in some underground cavern. claims to own all the metals hidden in the earth. don't ask me why." "why?" "'cause i don't know. but this ruggedo gets wild with anger if anyone digs gold out of the earth, and my private opinion is that he captured brother and carried him off to his underground kingdom. no--don't ask me why. i see you're dying to ask me why. but i don't know." "but--dear me!--in that case you will never find your lost brother!" exclaimed the girl. "maybe not; but it's my duty to try," answered shaggy. "i've wandered so far without finding him, but that only proves he is not where i've been looking. what i seek now is the hidden passage to the underground cavern of the terrible metal monarch." "well," said betsy doubtfully, "it strikes me that if you ever manage to get there the metal monarch will make you, too, his prisoner." "nonsense!" answered shaggy, carelessly. "you mustn't forget the love magnet." "what about it?" she asked. "when the fierce metal monarch sees the love magnet, he will love me dearly and do anything i ask." "it must be wonderful," said betsy, with awe. "it is," the man assured her. "shall i show it to you?" "oh, do!" she cried; so shaggy searched in his shaggy pocket and drew out a small silver magnet, shaped like a horseshoe. the moment betsy saw it she began to like the shaggy man better than before. hank also saw the magnet and crept up to shaggy to rub his head lovingly against the man's knee. but they were interrupted by the royal gardener, who stuck his head into the greenhouse and shouted angrily: "you are all condemned to death! your only chance to escape is to leave here instantly." this startled little betsy, but the shaggy man merely waved the magnet toward the gardener, who, seeing it, rushed forward and threw himself at shaggy's feet, murmuring in honeyed words: "oh, you lovely, lovely man! how fond i am of you! every shag and bobtail that decorates you is dear to me--all i have is yours! but for goodness' sake get out of here before you die the death." "i'm not going to die," declared shaggy man. "you must. it's the law," exclaimed the gardener, beginning to weep real tears. "it breaks my heart to tell you this bad news, but the law says that all strangers must be condemned by the ruler to die the death." "no ruler has condemned us yet," said betsy. "of course not," added shaggy. "we haven't even seen the ruler of the rose kingdom." "well, to tell the truth," said the gardener, in a perplexed tone of voice, "we haven't any real ruler, just now. you see, all our rulers grow on bushes in the royal gardens, and the last one we had got mildewed and withered before his time. so we had to plant him, and at this time there is no one growing on the royal bushes who is ripe enough to pick." "how do you know?" asked betsy. "why, i'm the royal gardener. plenty of royalties are growing, i admit; but just now they are all green. until one ripens, i am supposed to rule the rose kingdom myself, and see that its laws are obeyed. therefore, much as i love you, shaggy, i must put you to death." "wait a minute," pleaded betsy. "i'd like to see those royal gardens before i die." "so would i," added shaggy man. "take us there, gardener." "oh, i can't do that," objected the gardener. but shaggy again showed him the love magnet and after one glance at it the gardener could no longer resist. he led shaggy, betsy and hank to the end of the great greenhouse and carefully unlocked a small door. passing through this they came into the splendid royal garden of the rose kingdom. it was all surrounded by a tall hedge and within the enclosure grew several enormous rosebushes having thick green leaves of the texture of velvet. upon these bushes grew the members of the royal family of the rose kingdom--men, women and children in all stages of maturity. they all seemed to have a light green hue, as if unripe or not fully developed, their flesh and clothing being alike green. they stood perfectly lifeless upon their branches, which swayed softly in the breeze, and their wide-open eyes stared straight ahead, unseeing and unintelligent. while examining these curious growing people, betsy passed behind a big central bush and at once uttered an exclamation of surprise and pleasure. for there, blooming in perfect color and shape, stood a royal princess, whose beauty was amazing. "why, she's ripe!" cried betsy, pushing aside some of the broad leaves to observe her more clearly. "well, perhaps so," admitted the gardener, who had come to the girl's side; "but she's a girl, and so we can't use her for a ruler." "no, indeed!" came a chorus of soft voices, and looking around betsy discovered that all the roses had followed them from the greenhouse and were now grouped before the entrance. "you see," explained the gardener, "the subjects of rose kingdom don't want a girl ruler. they want a king." [illustration] [illustration] "a king! we want a king!" repeated the chorus of roses. "isn't she royal?" inquired shaggy, admiring the lovely princess. "of course, for she grows on a royal bush. this princess is named ozga, as she is a distant cousin of ozma of oz; and, were she but a man, we would joyfully hail her as our ruler." the gardener then turned away to talk with his roses and betsy whispered to her companion: "let's pick her, shaggy." "all right," said he. "if she's royal, she has the right to rule this kingdom, and if we pick her she will surely protect us and prevent our being hurt, or driven away." so betsy and shaggy each took an arm of the beautiful rose princess and a little twist of her feet set her free of the branch upon which she grew. very gracefully she stepped down from the bush to the ground, where she bowed low to betsy and shaggy and said in a delightfully sweet voice: "i thank you." but at the sound of these words the gardener and the roses turned and discovered that the princess had been picked, and was now alive. over every face flashed an expression of resentment and anger, and one of the roses cried aloud: "audacious mortals! what have you done?" [illustration] "picked a princess for you, that's all," replied betsy, cheerfully. "but we won't have her! we want a king!" exclaimed a jacque rose, and another added with a voice of scorn: "no girl shall rule over us!" the newly-picked princess looked from one to another of her rebellious subjects in astonishment. a grieved look came over her exquisite features. "have i no welcome here, pretty subjects?" she asked gently. "have i not come from my royal bush to be your ruler?" "you were picked by mortals, without our consent," replied the moss rose, coldly; "so we refuse to allow you to rule us." "turn her out, gardener, with the others!" cried the tea rose. "just a second, please!" called shaggy, taking the love magnet from his pocket. "i guess this will win their love, princess. here--take it in your hand and let the roses see it." princess ozga took the magnet and held it poised before the eyes of her subjects; but the roses regarded it with calm disdain. "why, what's the matter?" demanded shaggy in surprise. "the magnet never failed to work before!" "i know," said betsy, nodding her head wisely. "these roses have no hearts." "that's it," agreed the gardener. "they're pretty, and sweet, and alive; but still they are roses. their stems have thorns, but no hearts." the princess sighed and handed the magnet to the shaggy man. "what shall i do?" she asked sorrowfully. "turn her out, gardener, with the others!" commanded the roses. "we will have no ruler until a man-rose--a king--is ripe enough to pick." "very well," said the gardener meekly. "you must excuse me, my dear shaggy, for opposing your wishes, but you and the others, including ozga, must get out of rose kingdom immediately, if not before." "don't you love me, gardy?" asked shaggy, carelessly displaying the magnet. "i do. i dote on thee!" answered the gardener earnestly; "but no true man will neglect his duty for the sake of love. my duty is to drive you out, so--out you go!" with this he seized a garden fork and began jabbing it at the strangers, in order to force them to leave. hank the mule was not afraid of the fork and when he got his heels near to the gardener the man fell back to avoid a kick. but now the roses crowded around the outcasts and it was soon discovered that beneath their draperies of green leaves were many sharp thorns which were more dangerous than hank's heels. neither betsy nor ozga nor shaggy nor the mule cared to brave those thorns and when they pressed away from them they found themselves slowly driven through the garden door into the greenhouse. from there they were forced out at the entrance and so through the territory of the flower-strewn rose kingdom, which was not of very great extent. the rose princess was sobbing bitterly; betsy was indignant and angry; hank uttered defiant "hee-haws" and the shaggy man whistled softly to himself. the boundary of the rose kingdom was a deep gulf, but there was a drawbridge in one place and this the royal gardener let down until the outcasts had passed over it. then he drew it up again and returned with his roses to the greenhouse, leaving the four queerly assorted comrades to wander into the bleak and unknown country that lay beyond. "i don't mind, much," remarked shaggy, as he led the way over the stony, barren ground. "i've got to search for my long-lost little brother, anyhow, so it won't matter where i go." "hank and i will help you find your brother," said betsy in her most cheerful voice. "i'm so far away from home now that i don't s'pose i'll ever find my way back; and, to tell the truth, it's more fun traveling around and having adventures than sticking at home. don't you think so, hank?" [illustration] "hee-haw!" said hank, and the shaggy man thanked them both. "for my part," said princess ozga of roseland, with a gentle sigh, "i must remain forever exiled from my kingdom. so i, too, will be glad to help the shaggy man find his lost brother." "that's very kind of you, ma'am," said shaggy. "but unless i can find the underground cavern of ruggedo,[a] the metal monarch, i shall never find poor brother." [footnote a: this king was formerly named "roquat," but after he drank of the "waters of oblivion" he forgot his own name and had to take another.] "doesn't anyone know where it is?" inquired betsy. "_some_ one must know, of course," was shaggy's reply. "but we are not the ones. the only way to succeed is for us to keep going until we find a person who can direct us to ruggedo's cavern." "we may find it ourselves, without any help," suggested betsy. "who knows?" "no one knows that, except the person who's writing this story," said shaggy. "but we won't find anything--not even supper--unless we travel on. here's a path. let's take it and see where it leads to." [illustration] chapter 7 polychrome's pitiful plight the rain king got too much water in his basin and spilled some over the brim. that made it rain in a certain part of the country--a real hard shower, for a time--and sent the rainbow scampering to the place to show the gorgeous colors of his glorious bow as soon as the mist of rain had passed and the sky was clear. the coming of the rainbow is always a joyous event to earth folk, yet few have ever seen it close by. usually the rainbow is so far distant that you can observe its splendid hues but dimly, and that is why we seldom catch sight of the dancing daughters of the rainbow. in the barren country where the rain had just fallen there appeared to be no human beings at all; but the rainbow appeared, just the same, and dancing gayly upon its arch were the rainbow's daughters, led by the fairylike polychrome, who is so dainty and beautiful that no girl has ever quite equalled her in loveliness. polychrome was in a merry mood and danced down the arch of the bow to the ground, daring her sisters to follow her. laughing and gleeful, they also touched the ground with their twinkling feet; but all the daughters of the rainbow knew that this was a dangerous pastime, so they quickly climbed upon their bow again. all but polychrome. though the sweetest and merriest of them all, she was likewise the most reckless. moreover, it was an unusual sensation to pat the cold, damp earth with her rosy toes. before she realized it the bow had lifted and disappeared in the billowy blue sky, and here was polychrome standing helpless upon a rock, her gauzy draperies floating about her like brilliant cobwebs and not a soul--fairy or mortal--to help her regain her lost bow! "dear me!" she exclaimed, a frown passing across her pretty face, "i'm caught again. this is the second time my carelessness has left me on earth while my sisters returned to our sky palaces. the first time i enjoyed some pleasant adventures, but this is a lonely, forsaken country and i shall be very unhappy until my rainbow comes again and i can climb aboard. let me think what is best to be done." she crouched low upon the flat rock, drew her draperies about her and bowed her head. it was in this position that betsy bobbin spied polychrome as she came along the stony path, followed by hank, the princess and shaggy. at once the girl ran up to the radiant daughter of the rainbow and exclaimed: "oh, what a lovely, lovely creature!" polychrome raised her golden head. there were tears in her blue eyes. "i'm the most miserable girl in the whole world!" she sobbed. the others gathered around her. "tell us your troubles, pretty one," urged the princess. "i--i've lost my bow!" wailed polychrome. "take me, my dear," said shaggy man in a sympathetic tone, thinking she meant "beau" instead of "bow." "i don't want you!" cried polychrome, stamping her foot imperiously; "i want my _rain_bow." "oh; that's different," said shaggy. "but try to forget it. when i was young i used to cry for the rainbow myself, but i couldn't have it. looks as if _you_ couldn't have it, either; so please don't cry." polychrome looked at him reproachfully. "i don't like you," she said. "no?" replied shaggy, drawing the love magnet from his pocket; "not a little bit?--just a wee speck of a like?" "yes, yes!" said polychrome, clasping her hands in ecstasy as she gazed at the enchanted talisman; "i love you, shaggy man!" "of course you do," said he calmly; "but i don't take any credit for it. it's the love magnet's powerful charm. but you seem quite alone and friendless, little rainbow. don't you want to join our party until you find your father and sisters again?" "where are you going?" she asked. "we don't just know that," said betsy, taking her hand; "but we're trying to find shaggy's long-lost brother, who has been captured by the terrible metal monarch. won't you come with us, and help us?" polychrome looked from one to another of the queer party of travelers and a bewitching smile suddenly lighted her face. "a donkey, a mortal maid, a rose princess and a shaggy man!" she exclaimed. "surely you need help, if you intend to face ruggedo." "do you know him, then?" inquired betsy. "no, indeed. ruggedo's caverns are beneath the earth's surface, where no rainbow can ever penetrate. but i've heard of the metal monarch. he is also called the nome king, you know, and he has made trouble for a good many people--mortals and fairies--in his time," said polychrome. "do you fear him, then?" asked the princess, anxiously. "no one can harm a daughter of the rainbow," said polychrome proudly. "i'm a sky fairy." "then," said betsy, quickly, "you will be able to tell us the way to ruggedo's cavern." "no," returned polychrome, shaking her head, "that is one thing i cannot do. but i will gladly go with you and help you search for the place." this promise delighted all the wanderers and after the shaggy man had found the path again they began moving along it in a more happy mood. the rainbow's daughter danced lightly over the rocky trail, no longer sad, but with her beautiful features wreathed in smiles. shaggy came next, walking steadily and now and then supporting the rose princess, who followed him. betsy and hank brought up the rear, and if she tired with walking the girl got upon hank's back and let the stout little donkey carry her for awhile. at nightfall they came to some trees that grew beside a tiny brook and here they made camp and rested until morning. then away they tramped, finding berries and fruits here and there which satisfied the hunger of betsy, shaggy and hank, so that they were well content with their lot. it surprised betsy to see the rose princess partake of their food, for she considered her a fairy; but when she mentioned this to polychrome, the rainbow's daughter explained that when ozga was driven out of her rose kingdom she ceased to be a fairy and would never again be more than a mere mortal. polychrome, however, was a fairy wherever she happened to be, and if she sipped a few dewdrops by moonlight for refreshment no one ever saw her do it. as they continued their wandering journey, direction meant very little to them, for they were hopelessly lost in this strange country. shaggy said it would be best to go toward the mountains, as the natural entrance to ruggedo's underground cavern was likely to be hidden in some rocky, deserted place; but mountains seemed all around them except in the one direction that they had come from, which led to the rose kingdom and the sea. therefore it mattered little which way they traveled. by and by they espied a faint trail that looked like a path and after following this for some time they reached a cross-roads. here were many paths, leading in various directions, and there was a signpost so old that there were now no words upon the sign. at one side was an old well, with a chain windlass for drawing water, yet there was no house or other building anywhere in sight. while the party halted, puzzled which way to proceed, the mule approached the well and tried to look into it. "he's thirsty," said betsy. "it's a dry well," remarked shaggy. "probably there has been no water in it for many years. but, come; let us decide which way to travel." no one seemed able to decide that. they sat down in a group and tried to consider which road might be the best to take. hank, however, could not keep away from the well and finally he reared up on his hind legs, got his head over the edge and uttered a loud "hee-haw!" betsy watched her animal friend curiously. "i wonder if he sees anything down there?" she said. at this, shaggy rose and went over to the well to investigate, and betsy went with him. the princess and polychrome, who had become fast friends, linked arms and sauntered down one of the roads, to find an easy path. "really," said shaggy, "there does seem to be something at the bottom of this old well." "can't we pull it up, and see what it is?" asked the girl. there was no bucket at the end of the windlass chain, but there was a big hook that at one time was used to hold a bucket. shaggy let down this hook, dragged it around on the bottom and then pulled it up. an old hoopskirt came with it, and betsy laughed and threw it away. the thing frightened hank, who had never seen a hoopskirt before, and he kept a good distance away from it. several other objects the shaggy man captured with the hook and drew up, but none of these was important. "this well seems to have been the dump for all the old rubbish in the country," he said, letting down the hook once more. "i guess i've captured everything now. no--the hook has caught again. help me, betsy! whatever this thing is, it's heavy." she ran up and helped him turn the windlass and after much effort a confused mass of copper came in sight. "good gracious!" exclaimed shaggy. "here is a surprise, indeed!" "what is it?" inquired betsy, clinging to the windlass and panting for breath. for answer the shaggy man grasped the bundle of copper and dumped it upon the ground, free of the well. then he turned it over with his foot, spread it out, and to betsy's astonishment the thing proved to be a copper man. "just as i thought," said shaggy, looking hard at the object. "but unless there are two copper men in the world this is the most astonishing thing i ever came across." at this moment the rainbow's daughter and the rose princess approached them, and polychrome said: "what have you found, shaggy one?" "either an old friend, or a stranger," he replied. "oh, here's a sign on his back!" cried betsy, who had knelt down to examine the man. "dear me; how funny! listen to this." then she read the following words, engraved upon the copper plates of the man's body: smith & tinker's patent double-action, extra-responsive, thought-creating, perfect-talking _mechanical man_ fitted with our special clockwork attachment. thinks, speaks, acts, and does everything but live. "isn't he wonderful!" exclaimed the princess. "yes; but here's more," said betsy, reading from another engraved plate: directions for using: for thinking:--wind the clockwork man under his left arm, (marked no. 1). for speaking:--wind the clockwork man under his right arm, (marked no. 2). for walking and action:--wind clockwork man in the middle of his back, (marked no. 3). n. b.--this mechanism is guaranteed to work perfectly for a thousand years. "if he's guaranteed for a thousand years," said polychrome, "he ought to work yet." "of course," replied shaggy. "let's wind him up." in order to do this they were obliged to set the copper man upon his feet, in an upright position, and this was no easy task. he was inclined to topple over, and had to be propped again and again. the girls assisted shaggy, and at last tik-tok seemed to be balanced and stood alone upon his broad feet. "yes," said shaggy, looking at the copper man carefully, "this must be, indeed, my old friend tik-tok, whom i left ticking merrily in the land of oz. but how he came to this lonely place, and got into that old well, is surely a mystery." "if we wind him, perhaps he will tell us," suggested betsy. "here's the key, hanging to a hook on his back. what part of him shall i wind up first?" "his thoughts, of course," said polychrome, "for it requires thought to speak or move intelligently." so betsy wound him under his left arm, and at once little flashes of light began to show in the top of his head, which was proof that he had begun to think. "now, then," said shaggy, "wind up his phonograph." "what's that?" she asked. "why, his talking-machine. his thoughts may be interesting, but they don't tell us anything." so betsy wound the copper man under his right arm, and then from the interior of his copper body came in jerky tones the words: "ma-ny thanks!" "hurrah!" cried shaggy, joyfully, and he slapped tik-tok upon the back in such a hearty manner that the copper man lost his balance and tumbled to the ground in a heap. but the clockwork that enabled him to speak had been wound up and he kept saying: "pick-me-up! pick-me-up! pick-me-up!" until they had again raised him and balanced him upon his feet, when he added politely: "ma-ny thanks!" "he won't be self-supporting until we wind up his action," remarked shaggy; so betsy wound it, as tight as she could--for the key turned rather hard--and then tik-tok lifted his feet, marched around in a circle and ended by stopping before the group and making them all a low bow. "how in the world did you happen to be in that well, when i left you safe in oz?" inquired shaggy. "it is a long sto-ry," replied tik-tok, "but i'll tell it in a few words. af-ter you had gone in search of your broth-er, oz-ma saw you wan-der-ing in strange lands when-ev-er she looked in her mag-ic pic-ture, and she also saw your broth-er in the nome king's cav-ern; so she sent me to tell you where to find your broth-er and told me to help you if i could. the sor-cer-ess, glin-da the good, trans-port-ed me to this place in the wink of an eye; but here i met the nome king himself--old rug-ge-do, who is called in these parts the met-al mon-arch. rug-ge-do knew what i had come for, and he was so an-gry that he threw me down the well. af-ter my works ran down i was help-less un-til you came a-long and pulled me out a-gain. ma-ny thanks." "this is, indeed, good news," said shaggy. "i suspected that my brother was the prisoner of ruggedo; but now i know it. tell us, tik-tok, how shall we get to the nome king's underground cavern?" "the best way is to walk," said tik-tok. "we might crawl, or jump, or roll o-ver and o-ver un-til we get there; but the best way is to walk." "i know; but which road shall we take?" "my ma-chin-er-y is-n't made to tell that," replied tik-tok. "there is more than one entrance to the underground cavern," said polychrome; "but old ruggedo has cleverly concealed every opening, so that earth dwellers can not intrude in his domain. if we find our way underground at all, it will be by chance." "then," said betsy, "let us select any road, haphazard, and see where it leads us." "that seems sensible," declared the princess. "it may require a lot of time for us to find ruggedo, but we have more time than anything else." "if you keep me wound up," said tik-tok, "i will last a thou-sand years." "then the only question to decide is which way to go," added shaggy, looking first at one road and then at another. but while they stood hesitating, a peculiar sound reached their ears--a sound like the tramping of many feet. "what's coming?" cried betsy; and then she ran to the left-hand road and glanced along the path. "why, it's an army!" she exclaimed. "what shall we do, hide or run?" "stand still," commanded shaggy. "i'm not afraid of an army. if they prove to be friendly, they can help us; if they are enemies, i'll show them the love magnet." [illustration] [illustration] chapter 8 tik-tok tackles a tough task while shaggy and his companions stood huddled in a group at one side, the army of oogaboo was approaching along the pathway, the tramp of their feet being now and then accompanied by a dismal groan as one of the officers stepped on a sharp stone or knocked his funnybone against his neighbor's sword-handle. then out from among the trees marched private files, bearing the banner of oogaboo, which fluttered from a long pole. this pole he stuck in the ground just in front of the well and then he cried in a loud voice: "i hereby conquer this territory in the name of queen ann soforth of oogaboo, and all the inhabitants of the land i proclaim her slaves!" some of the officers now stuck their heads out of the bushes and asked: "is the coast clear, private files?" "there is no coast here," was the reply, "but all's well." "i hope there's water in it," said general cone, mustering courage to advance to the well; but just then he caught a glimpse of tik-tok and shaggy and at once fell upon his knees, trembling and frightened, and cried out: "mercy, kind enemies! mercy! spare us, and we will be your slaves forever!" the other officers, who had now advanced into the clearing, likewise fell upon their knees and begged for mercy. files turned around and, seeing the strangers for the first time, examined them with much curiosity. then, discovering that three of the party were girls, he lifted his cap and made a polite bow. "what's all this?" demanded a harsh voice, as queen ann reached the place and beheld her kneeling army. "permit us to introduce ourselves," replied shaggy, stepping forward. "this is tik-tok, the clockwork man--who works better than some meat people. and here is princess ozga of roseland, just now unfortunately exiled from her kingdom of roses. i next present polychrome, a sky fairy, who lost her bow by an accident and can't find her way home. the small girl here is betsy bobbin, from some unknown earthly paradise called oklahoma, and with her you see mr. hank, a mule with a long tail and a short temper." "puh!" said ann, scornfully; "a pretty lot of vagabonds you are, indeed; all lost or strayed, i suppose, and not worth a queen's plundering. i'm sorry i've conquered you." "but you haven't conquered us yet," called betsy indignantly. "no," agreed files, "that is a fact. but if my officers will kindly command me to conquer you, i will do so at once, after which we can stop arguing and converse more at our ease." the officers had by this time risen from their knees and brushed the dust from their trousers. to them the enemy did not look very fierce, so the generals and colonels and majors and captains gained courage to face them and began strutting in their most haughty manner. "you must understand," said ann, "that i am the queen of oogaboo, and this is my invincible army. we are busy conquering the world, and since you seem to be a part of the world, and are obstructing our journey, it is necessary for us to conquer you--unworthy though you may be of such high honor." "that's all right," replied shaggy. "conquer us as often as you like. we don't mind." "but we won't be anybody's slaves," added betsy, positively. [illustration] "we'll see about that," retorted the queen, angrily. "advance, private files, and bind the enemy hand and foot!" but private files looked at pretty betsy and fascinating polychrome and the beautiful rose princess and shook his head. "it would be impolite, and i won't do it," he asserted. "you must!" cried ann. "it is your duty to obey orders." "i haven't received any orders from my officers," objected the private. but the generals now shouted: "forward, and bind the prisoners!" and the colonels and majors and captains repeated the command, yelling it as loud as they could. all this noise annoyed hank, who had been eyeing the army of oogaboo with strong disfavor. the mule now dashed forward and began backing upon the officers and kicking fierce and dangerous heels at them. the attack was so sudden that the officers scattered like dust in a whirlwind, dropping their swords as they ran and trying to seek refuge behind the trees and bushes. betsy laughed joyously at the comical rout of the "noble army," and polychrome danced with glee. but ann was furious at this ignoble defeat of her gallant forces by one small mule. "private files, i command you to do your duty!" she cried again, and then she herself ducked to escape the mule's heels--for hank made no distinction in favor of a lady who was an open enemy. betsy grabbed her champion by the forelock, however, and so held him fast, and when the officers saw that the mule was restrained from further attacks they crept fearfully back and picked up their discarded swords. "private files, seize and bind these prisoners!" screamed the queen. "no," said files, throwing down his gun and removing the knapsack which was strapped to his back, "i resign my position as the army of oogaboo. i enlisted to fight the enemy and become a hero, but if you want some one to bind harmless girls you will have to hire another private." then he walked over to the others and shook hands with shaggy and tik-tok. "treason!" shrieked ann, and all the officers echoed her cry. "nonsense," said files. "i've the right to resign if i want to." "indeed you haven't!" retorted the queen. "if you resign it will break up my army, and then i cannot conquer the world." she now turned to the officers and said: "i must ask you to do me a favor. i know it is undignified in officers to fight, but unless you immediately capture private files and force him to obey my orders there will be no plunder for any of us. also it is likely you will all suffer the pangs of hunger, and when we meet a powerful foe you are liable to be captured and made slaves." the prospect of this awful fate so frightened the officers that they drew their swords and rushed upon files, who stood beside shaggy, in a truly ferocious manner. the next instant, however, they halted and again fell upon their knees; for there, before them, was the glistening love magnet, held in the hand of the smiling shaggy man, and the sight of this magic talisman at once won the heart of every oogabooite. even ann saw the love magnet, and forgetting all enmity and anger threw herself upon shaggy and embraced him lovingly. quite disconcerted by this unexpected effect of the magnet, shaggy disengaged himself from the queen's encircling arms and quickly hid the talisman in his pocket. the adventurers from oogaboo were now his firm friends, and there was no more talk about conquering and binding any of his party. "if you insist on conquering anyone," said shaggy, "you may march with me to the underground kingdom of ruggedo. to conquer the world, as you have set out to do, you must conquer everyone under its surface as well as those upon its surface, and no one in all the world needs conquering so much as ruggedo." "who is he?" asked ann. [illustration] "the metal monarch, king of the nomes." "is he rich?" inquired major stockings in an anxious voice. "of course," answered shaggy. "he owns all the metal that lies underground--gold, silver, copper, brass and tin. he has an idea he also owns all the metals above ground, for he says all metal was once a part of his kingdom. so, by conquering the metal monarch, you will win all the riches in the world." "ah!" exclaimed general apple, heaving a deep sigh, "that would be plunder worth our while. let's conquer him, your majesty." the queen looked reproachfully at files, who was sitting next to the lovely princess and whispering in her ear. "alas," said ann, "i have no longer an army. i have plenty of brave officers, indeed, but no private soldier for them to command. therefore i cannot conquer ruggedo and win all his wealth." "why don't you make one of your officers the private?" asked shaggy; but at once every officer began to protest and the queen of oogaboo shook her head as she replied: "that is impossible. a private soldier must be a terrible fighter, and my officers are unable to fight. they are exceptionally brave in commanding others to fight, but could not themselves meet the enemy and conquer." "very true, your majesty," said colonel plum, eagerly. "there are many kinds of bravery and one cannot be expected to possess them all. i myself am brave as a lion in all ways until it comes to fighting, but then my nature revolts. fighting is unkind and liable to be injurious to others; so, being a gentleman, i never fight." "nor i!" shouted each of the other officers. "you see," said ann, "how helpless i am. had not private files proved himself a traitor and a deserter, i would gladly have conquered this ruggedo; but an army without a private soldier is like a bee without a stinger." "i am not a traitor, your majesty," protested files. "i resigned in a proper manner, not liking the job. but there are plenty of people to take my place. why not make shaggy man the private soldier?" "he might be killed," said ann, looking tenderly at shaggy, "for he is mortal, and able to die. if anything happened to him, it would break my heart." "it would hurt me worse than that," declared shaggy. "you must admit, your majesty, that i am commander of this expedition, for it is my brother we are seeking, rather than plunder. but i and my companions would like the assistance of your army, and if you help us to conquer ruggedo and to rescue my brother from captivity we will allow you to keep all the gold and jewels and other plunder you may find." this prospect was so tempting that the officers began whispering together and presently colonel cheese said: "your majesty, by combining our brains we have just evolved a most brilliant idea. we will make the clockwork man the private soldier!" "who? me?" asked tik-tok. "not for a sin-gle sec-ond! i can-not fight, and you must not for-get that it was rug-ge-do who threw me in the well." "at that time you had no gun," said polychrome. "but if you join the army of oogaboo you will carry the gun that mr. files used." "a sol-dier must be a-ble to run as well as to fight," protested tik-tok, "and if my works run down, as they of-ten do, i could nei-ther run nor fight." "i'll keep you wound up, tik-tok," promised betsy. "why, it isn't a bad idea," said shaggy. "tik-tok will make an ideal soldier, for nothing can injure him except a sledge hammer. and, since a private soldier seems to be necessary to this army, tik-tok is the only one of our party fitted to undertake the job." "what must i do?" asked tik-tok. "obey orders," replied ann. "when the officers command you to do anything, you must do it; that is all." "and that's enough, too," said files. "do i get a salary?" inquired tik-tok. "you get your share of the plunder," answered the queen. "yes," remarked files, "one-half of the plunder goes to queen ann, the other half is divided among the officers, and the private gets the rest." "that will be sat-is-fac-tor-y," said tik-tok, picking up the gun and examining it wonderingly, for he had never before seen such a weapon. then ann strapped the knapsack to tik-tok's copper back and said: "now we are ready to march to ruggedo's kingdom and conquer it. officers, give the command to march." "fall--in!" yelled the generals, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" cried the colonels, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" shouted the majors, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" bawled the captains, drawing their swords. tik-tok looked at them and then around him in surprise. "fall in what? the well?" he asked. "no," said queen ann, "you must fall in marching order." "can-not i march with-out fall-ing in-to it?" asked the clockwork man. "shoulder your gun and stand ready to march," advised files; so tik-tok held the gun straight and stood still. "what next?" he asked. the queen turned to shaggy. "which road leads to the metal monarch's cavern?" "we don't know, your majesty," was the reply. "but this is absurd!" said ann with a frown. "if we can't get to ruggedo, it is certain that we can't conquer him." "you are right," admitted shaggy; "but i did not say we could not get to him. we have only to discover the way, and that was the matter we were considering when you and your magnificent army arrived here." "well, then, get busy and discover it," snapped the queen. that was no easy task. they all stood looking from one road to another in perplexity. the paths radiated from the little clearing like the rays of the midday sun, and each path seemed like all the others. files and the rose princess, who had by this time become good friends, advanced a little way along one of the roads and found that it was bordered by pretty wild flowers. "why don't you ask the flowers to tell you the way?" he said to his companion. "the flowers?" returned the princess, surprised at the question. "of course," said files. "the field-flowers must be second-cousins to a rose princess, and i believe if you ask them they will tell you." she looked more closely at the flowers. there were hundreds of white daisies, golden buttercups, bluebells and daffodils growing by the roadside, and each flower-head was firmly set upon its slender but stout stem. there were even a few wild roses scattered here and there and perhaps it was the sight of these that gave the princess courage to ask the important question. she dropped to her knees, facing the flowers, and extended both her arms pleadingly toward them. "tell me, pretty cousins," she said in her sweet, gentle voice, "which way will lead us to the kingdom of ruggedo, the nome king?" at once all the stems bent gracefully to the right and the flower heads nodded once--twice--thrice in that direction. "that's it!" cried files joyfully. "now we know the way." ozga rose to her feet and looked wonderingly at the field-flowers, which had now resumed their upright position. "was it the wind, do you think?" she asked in a low whisper. "no, indeed," replied files. "there is not a breath of wind stirring. but these lovely blossoms are indeed your cousins and answered your question at once, as i knew they would." [illustration] chapter 9 ruggedo's rage is rash and reckless the way taken by the adventurers led up hill and down dale and wound here and there in a fashion that seemed aimless. but always it drew nearer to a range of low mountains and files said more than once that he was certain the entrance to ruggedo's cavern would be found among these rugged hills. in this he was quite correct. far underneath the nearest mountain was a gorgeous chamber hollowed from the solid rock, the walls and roof of which glittered with thousands of magnificent jewels. here, on a throne of virgin gold, sat the famous nome king, dressed in splendid robes and wearing a superb crown cut from a single blood-red ruby. ruggedo, the monarch of all the metals and precious stones of the underground world, was a round little man with a flowing white beard, a red face, bright eyes and a scowl that covered all his forehead. one would think, to look at him, that he ought to be jolly; one might think, considering his enormous wealth, that he ought to be happy; but this was not the case. the metal monarch was surly and cross because mortals had dug so much treasure out of the earth and kept it above ground, where all the power of ruggedo and his nomes was unable to recover it. he hated not only the mortals but also the fairies who live upon the earth or above it, and instead of being content with the riches he still possessed he was unhappy because he did not own all the gold and jewels in the world. ruggedo had been nodding, half asleep, in his chair when suddenly he sat upright uttered a roar of rage and began pounding upon a huge gong that stood beside him. the sound filled the vast cavern and penetrated to many caverns beyond, where countless thousands of nomes were working at their unending tasks, hammering out gold and silver and other metals, or melting ores in great furnaces, or polishing glittering gems. the nomes trembled at the sound of the king's gong and whispered fearfully to one another that something unpleasant was sure to happen; but none dared pause in his task. the heavy curtains of cloth-of-gold were pushed aside and kaliko, the king's high chamberlain, entered the royal presence. "what's up, your majesty?" he asked, with a wide yawn, for he had just wakened. "up?" roared ruggedo, stamping his foot viciously. "those foolish mortals are up, that's what! and they want to come down." "down here?" inquired kaliko. "yes!" "how do you know?" continued the chamberlain, yawning again. "i feel it in my bones," said ruggedo. "i can always feel it when those hateful earth-crawlers draw near to my kingdom. i am positive, kaliko, that mortals are this very minute on their way here to annoy me--and i hate mortals more than i do catnip tea!" "well, what's to be done?" demanded the nome. "look through your spyglass, and see where the invaders are," commanded the king. so kaliko went to a tube in the wall of rock and put his eye to it. the tube ran from the cavern up to the side of the mountain and turned several curves and corners, but as it was a magic spyglass kaliko was able to see through it just as easily as if it had been straight. "ho--hum," said he. "i see 'em, your majesty." "what do they look like?" inquired the monarch. "that's a hard question to answer, for a queerer assortment of creatures i never yet beheld," replied the nome. "however, such a collection of curiosities may prove dangerous. there's a copper man, worked by machinery--" "bah! that's only tik-tok," said ruggedo. "i'm not afraid of him. why, only the other day i met the fellow and threw him down a well." "then some one must have pulled him out again," said kaliko. "and there's a little girl--" "dorothy?" asked ruggedo, jumping up in fear. "no; some other girl. in fact, there are several girls, of various sizes; but dorothy is not with them, nor is ozma." "that's good!" exclaimed the king, sighing in relief. kaliko still had his eye to the spyglass. "i see," said he, "an army of men from oogaboo. they are all officers and carry swords. and there is a shaggy man--who seems very harmless--and a little donkey with big ears." "pooh!" cried ruggedo, snapping his fingers in scorn. "i've no fear of such a mob as that. a dozen of my nomes can destroy them all in a jiffy." "i'm not so sure of that," said kaliko. "the people of oogaboo are hard to destroy, and i believe the rose princess is a fairy. as for polychrome, you know very well that the rainbow's daughter cannot be injured by a nome." "polychrome! is she among them?" asked the king. "yes; i have just recognized her." "then these people are coming here on no peaceful errand," declared ruggedo, scowling fiercely. "in fact, no one ever comes here on a peaceful errand. i hate everybody, and everybody hates me!" "very true," said kaliko. "i must in some way prevent these people from reaching my dominions. where are they now?" "just now they are crossing the rubber country, your majesty." "good! are your magnetic rubber wires in working order?" "i think so," replied kaliko. "is it your royal will that we have some fun with these invaders?" "it is," answered ruggedo. "i want to teach them a lesson they will never forget." now, shaggy had no idea that he was in a rubber country, nor had any of his companions. they noticed that everything around them was of a dull gray color and that the path upon which they walked was soft and springy, yet they had no suspicion that the rocks and trees were rubber and even the path they trod was made of rubber. presently they came to a brook where sparkling water dashed through a deep channel and rushed away between high rocks far down the mountain-side. across the brook were stepping-stones, so placed that travelers might easily leap from one to another and in that manner cross the water to the farther bank. tik-tok was marching ahead, followed by his officers and queen ann. after them came betsy bobbin and hank, polychrome and shaggy, and last of all the rose princess with files. the clockwork man saw the stream and the stepping-stones and, without making a pause, placed his foot upon the first stone. the result was astonishing. first he sank down in the soft rubber, which then rebounded and sent tik-tok soaring high in the air, where he turned a succession of flip-flops and alighted upon a rubber rock far in the rear of the party. general apple did not see tik-tok bound, so quickly had he disappeared; therefore he also stepped upon the stone (which you will guess was connected with kaliko's magnetic rubber wire) and instantly shot upward like an arrow. general cone came next and met with a like fate, but the others now noticed that something was wrong and with one accord they halted the column and looked back along the path. there was tik-tok, still bounding from one rubber rock to another, each time rising a less distance from the ground. and there was general apple, bounding away in another direction, his three-cornered hat jammed over his eyes and his long sword thumping him upon the arms and head as it swung this way and that. and there, also, appeared general cone, who had struck a rubber rock headforemost and was so crumpled up that his round body looked more like a bouncing-ball than the form of a man. betsy laughed merrily at the strange sight and polychrome echoed her laughter. but ozga was grave and wondering, while queen ann became angry at seeing the chief officers of the army of oogaboo bounding around in so undignified a manner. she shouted to them to stop, but they were unable to obey, even though they would have been glad to do so. finally, however, they all ceased bounding and managed to get upon their feet and rejoin the army. "why did you do that?" demanded ann, who seemed greatly provoked. "don't ask them why," said shaggy earnestly. "i knew you would ask them why, but you ought not to do it. the reason is plain. those stones are rubber; therefore they are not stones. those rocks around us are rubber, and therefore they are not rocks. even this path is not a path; it's rubber. unless we are very careful, your majesty, we are all likely to get the bounce, just as your poor officers and tik-tok did." [illustration] "then let's be careful," remarked files, who was full of wisdom; but polychrome wanted to test the quality of the rubber, so she began dancing. every step sent her higher and higher into the air, so that she resembled a big butterfly fluttering lightly. presently she made a great bound and bounded way across the stream, landing lightly and steadily on the other side. "there is no rubber over here," she called to them. "suppose you all try to bound over the stream, without touching the stepping-stones." ann and her officers were reluctant to undertake such a risky adventure, but betsy at once grasped the value of the suggestion and began jumping up and down until she found herself bounding almost as high as polychrome had done. then she suddenly leaned forward and the next bound took her easily across the brook, where she alighted by the side of the rainbow's daughter. "come on, hank!" called the girl, and the donkey tried to obey. he managed to bound pretty high but when he tried to bound across the stream he misjudged the distance and fell with a splash into the middle of the water. "hee-haw!" he wailed, struggling toward the far bank. betsy rushed forward to help him out, but when the mule stood safely beside her she was amazed to find he was not wet at all. "it's dry water," said polychrome, dipping her hand into the stream and showing how the water fell from it and left it perfectly dry. "in that case," returned betsy, "they can all walk through the water." she called to ozga and shaggy to wade across, assuring them the water was shallow and would not wet them. at once they followed her advice, avoiding the rubber stepping-stones, and made the crossing with ease. this encouraged the entire party to wade through the dry water, and in a few minutes all had assembled on the bank and renewed their journey along the path that led to the nome king's dominions. when kaliko again looked through his magic spyglass he exclaimed: "bad luck, your majesty! all the invaders have passed the rubber country and now are fast approaching the entrance to your caverns." ruggedo raved and stormed at the news and his anger was so great that several times, as he strode up and down his jeweled cavern, he paused to kick kaliko upon his shins, which were so sensitive that the poor nome howled with pain. finally the king said: "there's no help for it; we must drop these audacious invaders down the hollow tube." kaliko gave a jump, at this, and looked at his master wonderingly. "if you do that, your majesty," he said, "you will make tititi-hoochoo very angry." "never mind that," retorted ruggedo. "tititi-hoochoo lives on the other side of the world, so what do i care for his anger?" kaliko shuddered and uttered a little groan. "remember his terrible powers," he pleaded, "and remember that he warned you, the last time you slid people through the hollow tube, that if you did it again he would take vengeance upon you." the metal monarch walked up and down in silence, thinking deeply. "of two dangers," said he, "it is wise to choose the least. what do you suppose these invaders want?" "let the long-eared hearer listen to them," suggested kaliko. "call him here at once!" commanded ruggedo eagerly. so in a few minutes there entered the cavern a nome with enormous ears, who bowed low before the king. "strangers are approaching," said ruggedo, "and i wish to know their errand. listen carefully to their talk and tell me why they are coming here, and what for." the nome bowed again and spread out his great ears, swaying them gently up and down and back and forth. for half an hour he stood silent, in an attitude of listening, while both the king and kaliko grew impatient at the delay. at last the long-eared hearer spoke: [illustration] "shaggy man is coming here to rescue his brother from captivity," said he. "ha, the ugly one!" exclaimed ruggedo. "well, shaggy man may have his ugly brother, for all i care. he's too lazy to work and is always getting in my way. where is the ugly one now, kaliko?" "the last time your majesty stumbled over the prisoner you commanded me to send him to the metal forest, which i did. i suppose he is still there." "very good. the invaders will have a hard time finding the metal forest," said the king, with a grin of malicious delight, "for half the time i can't find it myself. yet i created the forest and made every tree, out of gold and silver, so as to keep the precious metals in a safe place and out of the reach of mortals. but tell me, hearer, do the strangers want anything else?" "yes, indeed they do!" returned the nome. "the army of oogaboo is determined to capture all the rich metals and rare jewels in your kingdom, and the officers and their queen have arranged to divide the spoils and carry them away." when he heard this ruggedo uttered a bellow of rage and began dancing up and down, rolling his eyes, clicking his teeth together and swinging his arms furiously. then, in an ecstasy of anger he seized the long ears of the hearer and pulled and twisted them cruelly; but kaliko grabbed up the king's sceptre and rapped him over the knuckles with it, so that ruggedo let go the ears and began to chase his royal chamberlain around the throne. the hearer took advantage of this opportunity to slip away from the cavern and escape, and after the king had tired himself out chasing kaliko he threw himself into his throne and panted for breath, while he glared wickedly at his defiant subject. "you'd better save your strength to fight the enemy," suggested kaliko. "there will be a terrible battle when the army of oogaboo gets here." "the army won't get here," said the king, still coughing and panting. "i'll drop 'em down the hollow tube--every man jack and every girl jill of 'em!" "and defy tititi-hoochoo?" asked kaliko. "yes. go at once to my chief magician and order him to turn the path toward the hollow tube, and to make the top of the tube invisible, so they'll all fall into it." kaliko went away shaking his head, for he thought ruggedo was making a great mistake. he found the magician and had the path twisted so that it led directly to the opening of the hollow tube, and this opening he made invisible. having obeyed the orders of his master, the royal chamberlain went to his private room and began to write letters of recommendation of himself, stating that he was an honest man, a good servant and a small eater. "pretty soon," he said to himself, "i shall have to look for another job, for it is certain that ruggedo has ruined himself by this reckless defiance of the mighty tititi-hoochoo. and in seeking a job nothing is so effective as a letter of recommendation." [illustration] [illustration] chapter 10 a terrible tumble through a tube i suppose that polychrome, and perhaps queen ann and her army, might have been able to dispel the enchantment of ruggedo's chief magician had they known that danger lay in their pathway; for the rainbow's daughter was a fairy and as oogaboo is a part of the land of oz its inhabitants cannot easily be deceived by such common magic as the nome king could command. but no one suspected any especial danger until after they had entered ruggedo's cavern, and so they were journeying along in quite a contented manner when tik-tok, who marched ahead, suddenly disappeared. the officers thought he must have turned a corner, so they kept on their way and all of them likewise disappeared--one after another. queen ann was rather surprised at this, and in hastening forward to learn the reason she also vanished from sight. betsy bobbin had tired her feet by walking, so she was now riding upon the back of the stout little mule, facing backward and talking to shaggy and polychrome, who were just behind. suddenly hank pitched forward and began falling and betsy would have tumbled over his head had she not grabbed the mule's shaggy neck with both arms and held on for dear life. all around was darkness, and they were not falling directly downward but seemed to be sliding along a steep incline. hank's hoofs were resting upon some smooth substance over which he slid with the swiftness of the wind. once betsy's heels flew up and struck a similar substance overhead. they were, indeed, descending the "hollow tube" that led to the other side of the world. "stop, hank--stop!" cried the girl; but hank only uttered a plaintive "hee-haw!" for it was impossible for him to obey. after several minutes had passed and no harm had befallen them, betsy gained courage. she could see nothing at all, nor could she hear anything except the rush of air past her ears as they plunged downward along the tube. whether she and hank were alone, or the others were with them, she could not tell. but had some one been able to take a flash-light photograph of the tube at that time a most curious picture would have resulted. there was tik-tok, flat upon his back and sliding headforemost down the incline. and there were the officers of the army of oogaboo, all tangled up in a confused crowd, flapping their arms and trying to shield their faces from the clanking swords, which swung back and forth during the swift journey and pommeled everyone within their reach. now followed queen ann, who had struck the tube in a sitting position and went flying along with a dash and abandon that thoroughly bewildered the poor lady, who had no idea what had happened to her. then, a little distance away, but unseen by the others in the inky darkness, slid betsy and hank, while behind them were shaggy and polychrome and finally files and the princess. when first they tumbled into the tube all were too dazed to think clearly, but the trip was a long one, because the cavity led straight through the earth to a place just opposite the nome king's dominions, and long before the adventurers got to the end they had begun to recover their wits. "this is awful, hank!" cried betsy in a loud voice, and queen ann heard her and called out: "are you safe, betsy?" "mercy, no!" answered the little girl. "how could anyone be safe when she's going about sixty miles a minute?" then, after a pause, she added: "but where do you s'pose we're going to, your maj'sty?" "don't ask her that, please don't!" said shaggy, who was not too far away to overhear them. "and please don't ask me why, either." "why?" said betsy. "no one can tell where we are going until we get there," replied shaggy, and then he yelled "ouch!" for polychrome had overtaken him and was now sitting on his head. the rainbow's daughter laughed merrily, and so infectious was this joyous laugh that betsy echoed it and hank said "hee-haw!" in a mild and sympathetic tone of voice. "i'd like to know where and when we'll arrive, just the same," exclaimed the little girl. "be patient and you'll find out, my dear," said polychrome. "but isn't this an odd experience? here am i, whose home is in the skies, making a journey through the center of the earth--where i never expected to be!" "how do you know we're in the center of the earth?" asked betsy, her voice trembling a little through nervousness. "why, we can't be anywhere else," replied polychrome. "i have often heard of this passage, which was once built by a magician who was a great traveler. he thought it would save him the bother of going around the earth's surface, but he tumbled through the tube so fast that he shot out at the other end and hit a star in the sky, which at once exploded." "the star exploded?" asked betsy wonderingly. "yes; the magician hit it so hard." "and what became of the magician?" inquired the girl. "no one knows that," answered polychrome. "but i don't think it matters much." "it matters a good deal, if we also hit the stars when we come out," said queen ann, with a moan. "don't worry," advised polychrome. "i believe the magician was going the other way, and probably he went much faster than we are going." "it's fast enough to suit me," remarked shaggy, gently removing polychrome's heel from his left eye. "couldn't you manage to fall all by yourself, my dear?" "i'll try," laughed the rainbow's daughter. all this time they were swiftly falling through the tube, and it was not so easy for them to talk as you may imagine when you read their words. but although they were so helpless and altogether in the dark as to their fate, the fact that they were able to converse at all cheered them considerably. files and ozga were also conversing as they clung tightly to one another, and the young fellow bravely strove to reassure the princess, although he was terribly frightened, both on her account and on his own. an hour, under such trying circumstances, is a very long time, and for more than an hour they continued their fearful journey. then, just as they began to fear the tube would never end, tik-tok popped out into broad daylight and, after making a graceful circle in the air, fell with a splash into a great marble fountain. out came the officers, in quick succession, tumbling heels over head and striking the ground in many undignified attitudes. "for the love of sassafras!" exclaimed a peculiar person who was hoeing pink violets in a garden. "what can all this mean?" for answer, queen ann sailed up from the tube, took a ride through the air as high as the treetops, and alighted squarely on top of the peculiar person's head, smashing a jeweled crown over his eyes and tumbling him to the ground. the mule was heavier and had betsy clinging to his back, so he did not go so high up. fortunately for his little rider he struck the ground upon his four feet. betsy was jarred a trifle but not hurt and when she looked around her she saw the queen and the peculiar person struggling together upon the ground, where the man was trying to choke ann and she had both hands in his bushy hair and was pulling with all her might. some of the officers, when they got upon their feet, hastened to separate the combatants and sought to restrain the peculiar person so that he could not attack their queen again. [illustration] by this time, shaggy, polychrome, ozga and files had all arrived and were curiously examining the strange country in which they found themselves and which they knew to be exactly on the opposite side of the world from the place where they had fallen into the tube. it was a lovely place, indeed, and seemed to be the garden of some great prince, for through the vistas of trees and shrubbery could be seen the towers of an immense castle. but as yet the only inhabitant to greet them was the peculiar person just mentioned, who had shaken off the grasp of the officers without effort and was now trying to pull the battered crown from off his eyes. shaggy, who was always polite, helped him to do this and when the man was free and could see again he looked at his visitors with evident amazement. "well, well, well!" he exclaimed. "where did you come from and how did you get here?" betsy tried to answer him, for queen ann was surly and silent. "i can't say, exac'ly where we came from, 'cause i don't know the name of the place," said the girl, "but the way we got here was through the hollow tube." "don't call it a 'hollow' tube, please," exclaimed the peculiar person in an irritated tone of voice. "if it's a tube, it's sure to be hollow." "why?" asked betsy. "because all tubes are made that way. but this tube is private property and everyone is forbidden to fall into it." "we didn't do it on purpose," explained betsy, and polychrome added: "i am quite sure that ruggedo, the nome king, pushed us down that tube." "ha! ruggedo! did you say ruggedo?" cried the man, becoming much excited. "that is what she said," replied shaggy, "and i believe she is right. we were on our way to conquer the nome king when suddenly we fell into the tube." "then you are enemies of ruggedo?" inquired the peculiar person. "not exac'ly enemies," said betsy, a little puzzled by the question, "'cause we don't know him at all; but we started out to conquer him, which isn't as friendly as it might be." "true," agreed the man. he looked thoughtfully from one to another of them for a while and then he turned his head over his shoulder and said: "never mind the fire and pincers, my good brothers. it will be best to take these strangers to the private citizen." "very well, tubekins," responded a voice, deep and powerful, that seemed to come out of the air, for the speaker was invisible. all our friends gave a jump, at this. even polychrome was so startled that her gauze draperies fluttered like a banner in a breeze. shaggy shook his head and sighed; queen ann looked very unhappy; the officers clung to each other, trembling violently. but soon they gained courage to look more closely at the peculiar person. as he was a type of all the inhabitants of this extraordinary land whom they afterward met, i will try to tell you what he looked like. his face was beautiful, but lacked expression. his eyes were large and blue in color and his teeth finely formed and white as snow. his hair was black and bushy and seemed inclined to curl at the ends. so far no one could find any fault with his appearance. he wore a robe of scarlet, which did not cover his arms and extended no lower than his bare knees. on the bosom of the robe was embroidered a terrible dragon's head, as horrible to look at as the man was beautiful. his arms and legs were left bare and the skin of one arm was bright yellow and the skin of the other arm a vivid green. he had one blue leg and one pink one, while both his feet--which showed through the open sandals he wore--were jet black. betsy could not decide whether these gorgeous colors were dyes or the natural tints of the skin, but while she was thinking it over the man who had been called "tubekins" said: "follow me to the residence--all of you!" but just then a voice exclaimed: "here's another of them, tubekins, lying in the water of the fountain." [illustration] "gracious!" cried betsy; "it must be tik-tok, and he'll drown." "water is a bad thing for his clockworks, anyhow," agreed shaggy, as with one accord they all started for the fountain. but before they could reach it, invisible hands raised tik-tok from the marble basin and set him upon his feet beside it, water dripping from every joint of his copper body. "ma--ny tha--tha--tha--thanks!" he said; and then his copper jaws clicked together and he could say no more. he next made an attempt to walk but after several awkward trials found he could not move his joints. peals of jeering laughter from persons unseen greeted tik-tok's failure, and the new arrivals in this strange land found it very uncomfortable to realize that there were many creatures around them who were invisible, yet could be heard plainly. "shall i wind him up?" asked betsy, feeling very sorry for tik-tok. "i think his machinery is wound; but he needs oiling," replied shaggy. at once an oil-can appeared before him, held on a level with his eyes by some unseen hand. shaggy took the can and tried to oil tik-tok's joints. as if to assist him, a strong current of warm air was directed against the copper man, which quickly dried him. soon he was able to say "ma-ny thanks!" quite smoothly and his joints worked fairly well. "come!" commanded tubekins, and turning his back upon them he walked up the path toward the castle. "shall we go?" asked queen ann, uncertainly; but just then she received a shove that almost pitched her forward on her head; so she decided to go. the officers who hesitated received several energetic kicks, but could not see who delivered them; therefore they also decided--very wisely--to go. the others followed willingly enough, for unless they ventured upon another terrible journey through the tube they must make the best of the unknown country they were in, and the best seemed to be to obey orders. [illustration] [illustration] chapter 11 the famous fellowship of fairies after a short walk through very beautiful gardens they came to the castle and followed tubekins through the entrance and into a great domed chamber, where he commanded them to be seated. from the crown which he wore, betsy had thought this man must be the king of the country they were in, yet after he had seated all the strangers upon benches that were ranged in a semicircle before a high throne, tubekins bowed humbly before the vacant throne and in a flash became invisible and disappeared. the hall was an immense place, but there seemed to be no one in it beside themselves. presently, however, they heard a low cough near them, and here and there was the faint rustling of a robe and a slight patter as of footsteps. then suddenly there rang out the clear tone of a bell and at the sound all was changed. gazing around the hall in bewilderment they saw that it was filled with hundreds of men and women, all with beautiful faces and staring blue eyes and all wearing scarlet robes and jeweled crowns upon their heads. in fact, these people seemed exact duplicates of tubekins and it was difficult to find any mark by which to tell them apart. "my! what a lot of kings and queens!" whispered betsy to polychrome, who sat beside her and appeared much interested in the scene but not a bit worried. "it is certainly a strange sight," was polychrome's reply; "but i cannot see how there can be more than one king, or queen, in any one country, for were these all rulers, no one could tell who was master." one of the kings who stood near and overheard this remark turned to her and said: "one who is master of himself is always a king, if only to himself. in this favored land all kings and queens are equal, and it is our privilege to bow before one supreme ruler--the private citizen." "who's he?" inquired betsy. as if to answer her, the clear tones of the bell again rang out and instantly there appeared seated in the throne the man who was lord and master of all these royal ones. this fact was evident when with one accord they fell upon their knees and touched their foreheads to the floor. the private citizen was not unlike the others, except that his eyes were black instead of blue and in the centers of the black irises glowed red sparks that seemed like coals of fire. but his features were very beautiful and dignified and his manner composed and stately. instead of the prevalent scarlet robe, he wore one of white, and the same dragon's head that decorated the others was embroidered upon its bosom. "what charge lies against these people, tubekins?" he asked in quiet, even tones. "they came through the forbidden tube, o mighty citizen," was the reply. "you see, it was this way," said betsy. "we were marching to the nome king, to conquer him and set shaggy's brother free, when on a sudden--" "who are you?" demanded the private citizen sternly. "me? oh, i'm betsy bobbin, and--" "who is the leader of this party?" asked the citizen. "sir, i am queen ann of oogaboo, and--" "then keep quiet," said the citizen. "who is the leader?" no one answered for a moment. then general bunn stood up. "sit down!" commanded the citizen. "i can see that sixteen of you are merely officers, and of no account." "but we have an army," said general clock, blusteringly, for he didn't like to be told he was of no account. "where is your army?" asked the citizen. "it's me," said tik-tok, his voice sounding a little rusty. "i'm the on-ly pri-vate sol-dier in the par-ty." hearing this, the citizen rose and bowed respectfully to the clockwork man. "pardon me for not realizing your importance before," said he. "will you oblige me by taking a seat beside me on my throne?" tik-tok rose and walked over to the throne, all the kings and queens making way for him. then with clanking steps he mounted the platform and sat on the broad seat beside the citizen. ann was greatly provoked at this mark of favor shown to the humble clockwork man, but shaggy seemed much pleased that his old friend's importance had been recognized by the ruler of this remarkable country. the citizen now began to question tik-tok, who told in his mechanical voice about shaggy's quest of his lost brother, and how ozma of oz had sent the clockwork man to assist him, and how they had fallen in with queen ann and her people from oogaboo. also he told how betsy and hank and polychrome and the rose princess had happened to join their party. "and you intended to conquer ruggedo, the metal monarch and king of the nomes?" asked the citizen. "yes. that seemed the on-ly thing for us to do," was tik-tok's reply. "but he was too clev-er for us. when we got close to his cav-ern he made our path lead to the tube, and made the op-en-ing in-vis-i-ble, so that we all fell in-to it be-fore we knew it was there. it was an eas-y way to get rid of us and now rug-ge-do is safe and we are far a-way in a strange land." the citizen was silent a moment and seemed to be thinking. then he said: "most noble private soldier, i must inform you that by the laws of our country anyone who comes through the forbidden tube must be tortured for nine days and ten nights and then thrown back into the tube. but it is wise to disregard laws when they conflict with justice, and it seems that you and your followers did not disobey our laws willingly, being forced into the tube by ruggedo. therefore the nome king is alone to blame, and he alone must be punished." "that suits me," said tik-tok. "but rug-ge-do is on the o-ther side of the world where he is a-way out of your reach." the citizen drew himself up proudly. "do you imagine anything in the world or upon it can be out of the reach of the great jinjin?" he asked. "oh! are you, then, the great jinjin?" inquired tik-tok. "i am." "then your name is ti-ti-ti-hoo-choo?" "it is." queen ann gave a scream and began to tremble. shaggy was so disturbed that he took out a handkerchief and wiped the perspiration from his brow. polychrome looked sober and uneasy for the first time, while files put his arms around the rose princess as if to protect her. as for the officers, the name of the great jinjin set them moaning and weeping at a great rate and every one fell upon his knees before the throne, begging for mercy. betsy was worried at seeing her companions so disturbed, but did not know what it was all about. only tik-tok was unmoved at the discovery. "then," said he, "if you are ti-ti-ti-hoo-choo, and think rug-ge-do is to blame, i am sure that some-thing queer will hap-pen to the king of the nomes." "i wonder what 'twill be," said betsy. the private citizen--otherwise known as tititi-hoochoo, the great jinjin--looked at the little girl steadily. "i will presently decide what is to happen to ruggedo," said he in a hard, stern voice. then, turning to the throng of kings and queens, he continued: "tik-tok has spoken truly, for his machinery will not allow him to lie, nor will it allow his thoughts to think falsely. therefore these people are not our enemies and must be treated with consideration and justice. take them to your palaces and entertain them as guests until to-morrow, when i command that they be brought again to my residence. by then i shall have formed my plans." no sooner had tititi-hoochoo spoken than he disappeared from sight. immediately after, most of the kings and queens likewise disappeared. but several of them remained visible and approached the strangers with great respect. one of the lovely queens said to betsy: "i trust you will honor me by being my guest. i am erma, queen of light." "may hank come with me?" asked the girl. "the king of animals will care for your mule," was the reply. "but do not fear for him, for he will be treated royally. all of your party will be reunited on the morrow." "i--i'd like to have _some_ one with me," said betsy, pleadingly. queen erma looked around and smiled upon polychrome. "will the rainbow's daughter be an agreeable companion?" she asked. "oh, yes!" exclaimed the girl. so polychrome and betsy became guests of the queen of light, while other beautiful kings and queens took charge of the others of the party. [illustration] the two girls followed erma out of the hall and through the gardens of the residence to a village of pretty dwellings. none of these was so large or imposing as the castle of the private citizen, but all were handsome enough to be called palaces--as, in fact, they really were. [illustration: betsy] [illustration] chapter 12 the lovely lady of light the palace of the queen of light stood on a little eminence and was a mass of crystal windows, surmounted by a vast crystal dome. when they entered the portals erma was greeted by six lovely maidens, evidently of high degree, who at once aroused betsy's admiration. each bore a wand in her hand, tipped with an emblem of light, and their costumes were also emblematic of the lights they represented. erma introduced them to her guests and each made a graceful and courteous acknowledgment. first was sunlight, radiantly beautiful and very fair; the second was moonlight, a soft, dreamy damsel with nut-brown hair; next came starlight, equally lovely but inclined to be retiring and shy. these three were dressed in shimmering robes of silvery white. the fourth was daylight, a brilliant damsel with laughing eyes and frank manners, who wore a variety of colors. then came firelight, clothed in a fleecy flame-colored robe that wavered around her shapely form in a very attractive manner. the sixth maiden, electra, was the most beautiful of all, and betsy thought from the first that both sunlight and daylight regarded electra with envy and were a little jealous of her. but all were cordial in their greetings to the strangers and seemed to regard the queen of light with much affection, for they fluttered around her in a flashing, radiant group as she led the way to her regal drawing-room. this apartment was richly and cosily furnished, the upholstery being of many tints, and both betsy and polychrome enjoyed resting themselves upon the downy divans after their strenuous adventures of the day. the queen sat down to chat with her guests, who noticed that daylight was the only maiden now seated beside erma. the others had retired to another part of the room, where they sat modestly with entwined arms and did not intrude themselves at all. the queen told the strangers all about this beautiful land, which is one of the chief residences of fairies who minister to the needs of mankind. so many important fairies lived there that, to avoid rivalry, they had elected as their ruler the only important personage in the country who had no duties to mankind to perform and was, in effect, a private citizen. this ruler, or jinjin, as was his title, bore the name of tititi-hoochoo, and the most singular thing about him was that he had no heart. but instead of this he possessed a high degree of reason and justice and while he showed no mercy in his judgments he never punished unjustly or without reason. to wrong-doers tititi-hoochoo was as terrible as he was heartless, but those who were innocent of evil had nothing to fear from him. all the kings and queens of this fairyland paid reverence to jinjin, for as they expected to be obeyed by others they were willing to obey the one in authority over them. the inhabitants of the land of oz had heard many tales of this fearfully just jinjin, whose punishments were always equal to the faults committed. polychrome also knew of him, although this was the first time she had ever seen him face to face. but to betsy the story was all new, and she was greatly interested in tititi-hoochoo, whom she no longer feared. time sped swiftly during their talk and suddenly betsy noticed that moonlight was sitting beside the queen of light, instead of daylight. "but tell me, please," she pleaded, "why do you all wear a dragon's head embroidered on your gowns?" erma's pleasant face became grave as she answered: "the dragon, as you must know, was the first living creature ever made; therefore the dragon is the oldest and wisest of living things. by good fortune the original dragon, who still lives, is a resident of this land and supplies us with wisdom whenever we are in need of it. he is old as the world and remembers everything that has happened since the world was created." "did he ever have any children?" inquired the girl. "yes, many of them. some wandered into other lands, where men, not understanding them, made war upon them; but many still reside in this country. none, however, is as wise as the original dragon, for whom we have great respect. as he was the first resident here, we wear the emblem of the dragon's head to show that we are the favored people who alone have the right to inhabit this fairyland, which in beauty almost equal the fairyland of oz, and in power quite surpasses it." "i understand about the dragon, now," said polychrome, nodding her lovely head. betsy did not quite understand, but she was at present interested in observing the changing lights. as daylight had given way to moonlight, so now starlight sat at the right hand of erma the queen, and with her coming a spirit of peace and content seemed to fill the room. polychrome, being herself a fairy, had many questions to ask about the various kings and queens who lived in this far-away, secluded place, and before erma had finished answering them a rosy glow filled the room and firelight took her place beside the queen. betsy liked firelight, but to gaze upon her warm and glowing features made the little girl sleepy, and presently she began to nod. thereupon erma rose and took betsy's hand gently in her own. "come," said she; "the feast time has arrived and the feast is spread." "that's nice," exclaimed the small mortal. "now that i think of it, i'm awful hungry. but p'raps i can't eat your fairy food." the queen smiled and led her to a doorway. as she pushed aside a heavy drapery a flood of silvery light greeted them, and betsy saw before her a splendid banquet hall, with a table spread with snowy linen and crystal and silver. at one side was a broad, throne-like seat for erma and beside her now sat the brilliant maid electra. polychrome was placed on the queen's right hand and betsy upon her left. the other five messengers of light now waited upon them, and each person was supplied with just the food she liked best. polychrome found her dish of dewdrops, all fresh and sparkling, while betsy was so lavishly served that she decided she had never in her life eaten a dinner half so good. "i s'pose," she said to the queen, "that miss electra is the youngest of all these girls." "why do you suppose that?" inquired erma, with a smile. "'cause electric'ty is the newest light we know of. didn't mr. edison discover it?" "perhaps he was the first mortal to discover it," replied the queen. "but electricity was a part of the world from its creation, and therefore my electra is as old as daylight or moonlight, and equally beneficent to mortals and fairies alike." betsy was thoughtful for a time. then she remarked, as she looked at the six messengers of light: "we couldn't very well do without any of 'em; could we?" erma laughed softly. "_i_ couldn't, i'm sure," she replied, "and i think mortals would miss any one of my maidens, as well. daylight cannot take the place of sunlight, which gives us strength and energy. moonlight is of value when daylight, worn out with her long watch, retires to rest. if the moon in its course is hidden behind the earth's rim, and my sweet moonlight cannot cheer us, starlight takes her place, for the skies always lend her power. without firelight we should miss much of our warmth and comfort, as well as much cheer when the walls of houses encompass us. but always, when other lights forsake us, our glorious electra is ready to flood us with bright rays. as queen of light, i love all my maidens, for i know them to be faithful and true." "i love 'em, too!" declared betsy. "but sometimes, when i'm _real_ sleepy, i can get along without any light at all." "are you sleepy now?" inquired erma, for the feast had ended. "a little," admitted the girl. so electra showed her to a pretty chamber where there was a soft, white bed, and waited patiently until betsy had undressed and put on a shimmery silken nightrobe that lay beside her pillow. then the light-maid bade her good night and opened the door. when she closed it after her betsy was in darkness. in six winks the little girl was fast asleep. [illustration] [illustration] chapter 13 the jinjin's just judgment all the adventurers were reunited next morning when they were brought from various palaces to the residence of tititi-hoochoo and ushered into the great hall of state. as before, no one was visible except our friends and their escorts until the first bell sounded. then in a flash the room was seen to be filled with the beautiful kings and queens of the land. the second bell marked the appearance in the throne of the mighty jinjin, whose handsome countenance was as composed and expressionless as ever. all bowed low to the ruler. their voices softly murmured: "we greet the private citizen, mightiest of rulers, whose word is law and whose law is just." tititi-hoochoo bowed in acknowledgment. then, looking around the brilliant assemblage, and at the little group of adventurers before him, he said: "an unusual thing has happened. inhabitants of other lands than ours, who are different from ourselves in many ways, have been thrust upon us through the forbidden tube, which one of our people foolishly made years ago and was properly punished for his folly. but these strangers had no desire to come here and were wickedly thrust into the tube by a cruel king on the other side of the world, named ruggedo. this king is an immortal, but he is not good. his magic powers hurt mankind more than they benefit them. because he had unjustly kept the shaggy man's brother a prisoner, this little band of honest people, consisting of both mortals and immortals, determined to conquer ruggedo and to punish him. fearing they might succeed in this, the nome king misled them so that they fell into the tube. "now, this same ruggedo has been warned by me, many times, that if ever he used this forbidden tube in any way he would be severely punished. i find, by referring to the fairy records, that this king's servant, a nome named kaliko, begged his master not to do such a wrong act as to drop these people into the tube and send them tumbling into our country. but ruggedo defied me and my orders. "therefore these strangers are innocent of any wrong. it is only ruggedo who deserves punishment, and i will punish him." he paused a moment and then continued in the same cold, merciless voice: "these strangers must return through the tube to their own side of the world; but i will make their fall more easy and pleasant than it was before. also i shall send with them an instrument of vengeance, who in my name will drive ruggedo from his underground caverns, take away his magic powers and make him a homeless wanderer on the face of the earth--a place he detests." there was a little murmur of horror from the kings and queens at the severity of this punishment, but no one uttered a protest, for all realized that the sentence was just. "in selecting my instrument of vengeance," went on tititi-hoochoo, "i have realized that this will be an unpleasant mission. therefore no one of us who is blameless should be forced to undertake it. in this wonderful land it is seldom one is guilty of wrong, even in the slightest degree, and on examining the records i found no king or queen had erred. nor had any among their followers or servants done any wrong. but finally i came to the dragon family, which we highly respect, and then it was that i discovered the error of quox. "quox, as you well know, is a young dragon who has not yet acquired the wisdom of his race. because of this lack, he has been disrespectful toward his most ancient ancestor, the original dragon, telling him once to mind his own business and again saying that the ancient one had grown foolish with age. we are aware that dragons are not the same as fairies and cannot be altogether guided by our laws, yet such disrespect as quox has shown should not be unnoticed by us. therefore i have selected quox as my royal instrument of vengeance and he shall go through the tube with these people and inflict upon ruggedo the punishment i have decreed." all had listened quietly to this speech and now the kings and queens bowed gravely to signify their approval of the jinjin's judgment. tititi-hoochoo turned to tubekins. "i command you," said he, "to escort these strangers to the tube and see that they all enter it." the king of the tube, who had first discovered our friends and brought them to the private citizen, stepped forward and bowed. as he did so, the jinjin and all the kings and queens suddenly disappeared and only tubekins remained visible. "all right," said betsy, with a sigh; "i don't mind going back so _very_ much, 'cause the jinjin promised to make it easy for us." indeed, queen ann and her officers were the only ones who looked solemn and seemed to fear the return journey. one thing that bothered ann was her failure to conquer this land of tititi-hoochoo. as they followed their guide through the gardens to the mouth of the tube she said to shaggy: "how can i conquer the world, if i go away and leave this rich country unconquered?" "you can't," he replied. "don't ask me why, please, for if you don't know i can't inform you." "why not?" said ann; but shaggy paid no attention to the question. this end of the tube had a silver rim and around it was a gold railing to which was attached a sign that read: "if you are out, stay there. if you are in, don't come out." on a little silver plate just inside the tube was engraved the words: "_burrowed and built by hiergargo the magician, in the year of the world_ 19625478 _for his own exclusive uses_." "he was some builder, i must say," remarked betsy, when she had read the inscription; "but if he had known about that star i guess he'd have spent his time playing solitaire." "well, what are we waiting for?" inquired shaggy, who was impatient to start. "quox," replied tubekins. "but i think i hear him coming." "is the young dragon invisible?" asked ann, who had never seen a live dragon and was a little fearful of meeting one. "no, indeed," replied the king of the tube. "you'll see him in a minute; but before you part company i'm sure you'll wish he _was_ invisible." "is he dangerous, then?" questioned files. "not at all. but quox tires me dreadfully," said tubekins, "and i prefer his room to his company." at that instant a scraping sound was heard, drawing nearer and nearer until from between two big bushes appeared a huge dragon, who approached the party, nodded his head and said: "good morning." had quox been at all bashful i am sure he would have felt uncomfortable at the astonished stare of every eye in the group-except tubekins, of course, who was not astonished because he had seen quox so often. betsy had thought a "young" dragon must be a small dragon, yet here was one so enormous that the girl decided he must be full grown, if not overgrown. his body was a lovely sky-blue in color and it was thickly set with glittering silver scales, each one as big as a serving-tray. around his neck was a pink ribbon with a bow just under his left ear, and below the ribbon appeared a chain of pearls to which was attached a golden locket about as large around as the end of a bass drum. this locket was set with many large and beautiful jewels. the head and face of quox were not especially ugly, when you consider that he was a dragon; but his eyes were so large that it took him a long time to wink and his teeth seemed very sharp and terrible when they showed, which they did whenever the beast smiled. also his nostrils were quite large and wide, and those who stood near him were liable to smell brimstone--especially when he breathed out fire, as it is the nature of dragons to do. to the end of his long tail was attached a big electric light. perhaps the most singular thing about the dragon's appearance at this time was the fact that he had a row of seats attached to his back, one seat for each member of the party. these seats were double, with curved backs, so that two could sit in them, and there were twelve of these double seats, all strapped firmly around the dragon's thick body and placed one behind the other, in a row that extended from his shoulders nearly to his tail. "aha!" exclaimed tubekins; "i see that tititi-hoochoo has transformed quox into a carryall." "i'm glad of that," said betsy. "i hope, mr. dragon, you won't mind our riding on your back." "not a bit," replied quox. "i'm in disgrace just now, you know, and the only way to redeem my good name is to obey the orders of the jinjin. if he makes me a beast of burden, it is only a part of my punishment, and i must bear it like a dragon. i don't blame you people at all, and i hope you'll enjoy the ride. hop on, please. all aboard for the other side of the world!" silently they took their places. hank sat in the front seat with betsy, so that he could rest his front hoofs upon the dragon's head. behind them were shaggy and polychrome, then files and the princess, and queen ann and tik-tok. the officers rode in the rear seats. when all had mounted to their places the dragon looked very like one of those sight-seeing wagons so common in big cities--only he had legs instead of wheels. "all ready?" asked quox, and when they said they were he crawled to the mouth of the tube and put his head in. "good-bye, and good luck to you!" called tubekins; but no one thought to reply, because just then the dragon slid his great body into the tube and the journey to the other side of the world had begun. at first they went so fast that they could scarcely catch their breaths, but presently quox slowed up and said with a sort of cackling laugh: "my scales! but that is some tumble. i think i shall take it easy and fall slower, or i'm likely to get dizzy. is it very far to the other side of the world?" "haven't you ever been through this tube before?" inquired shaggy. "never. nor has anyone else in our country; at least, not since i was born." "how long ago was that?" asked betsy. "that i was born? oh, not very long ago. i'm only a mere child. if i had not been sent on this journey, i would have celebrated my three thousand and fifty-sixth birthday next thursday. mother was going to make me a birthday cake with three thousand and fifty-six candles on it; but now, of course, there will be no celebration, for i fear i shall not get home in time for it." "three thousand and fifty-six years!" cried betsy. "why, i had no idea anything could live that long!" "my respected ancestor, whom i would call a stupid old humbug if i had not reformed, is so old that i am a mere baby compared with him," said quox. "he dates from the beginning of the world, and insists on telling us stories of things that happened fifty thousand years ago, which are of no interest at all to youngsters like me. in fact, grandpa isn't up to date. he lives altogether in the past, so i can't see any good reason for his being alive to-day.... are you people able to see your way, or shall i turn on more light?' "oh, we can see very nicely, thank you; only there's nothing to see but ourselves," answered betsy. this was true. the dragon's big eyes were like headlights on an automobile and illuminated the tube far ahead of them. also he curled his tail upward so that the electric light on the end of it enabled them to see one another quite clearly. but the tube itself was only dark metal, smooth as glass but exactly the same from one of its ends to the other. therefore there was no scenery of interest to beguile the journey. they were now falling so gently that the trip was proving entirely comfortable, as the jinjin had promised it would be; but this meant a longer journey and the only way they could make time pass was to engage in conversation. the dragon seemed a willing and persistent talker and he was of so much interest to them that they encouraged him to chatter. his voice was a little gruff but not unpleasant when one became used to it. "my only fear," said he presently, "is that this constant sliding over the surface of the tube will dull my claws. you see, this hole isn't straight down, but on a steep slant, and so instead of tumbling freely through the air i must skate along the tube. fortunately, there is a file in my tool-kit, and if my claws get dull they can be sharpened again." "why do you want sharp claws?" asked betsy. "they are my natural weapons, and you must not forget that i have been sent to conquer ruggedo." "oh, you needn't mind about that," remarked queen ann, in her most haughty manner; "for when we get to ruggedo i and my invincible army can conquer him without your assistance." "very good," returned the dragon, cheerfully. "that will save me a lot of bother--if you succeed. but i think i shall file my claws, just the same." he gave a long sigh, as he said this, and a sheet of flame, several feet in length, shot from his mouth. betsy shuddered and hank said "hee-haw!" while some of the officers screamed in terror. but the dragon did not notice that he had done anything unusual. "is there fire inside of you?" asked shaggy. "of course," answered quox. "what sort of a dragon would i be if my fire went out?" "what keeps it going?" betsy inquired. "i've no idea. i only know it's there," said quox. "the fire keeps me alive and enables me to move; also to think and speak." "ah! you are ver-y much like my-self," said tik-tok. "the on-ly dif-fer-ence is that i move by clock-work, while you move by fire." "i don't see a particle of likeness between us, i must confess," retorted quox, gruffly. "you are not a live thing; you're a dummy." "but i can do things, you must ad-mit," said tik-tok. "yes, when you are wound up," sneered the dragon. "but if you run down, you are helpless." "what would happen to you, quox, if you ran out of gasoline?" inquired shaggy, who did not like this attack upon his friend. "i don't use gasoline." "well, suppose you ran out of fire." "what's the use of supposing that?" asked quox. "my great-great-great-grandfather has lived since the world began, and he has never once run out of fire to keep him going. but i will confide to you that as he gets older he shows more smoke and less fire. as for tik-tok, he's well enough in his way, but he's merely copper. and the metal monarch knows copper through and through. i wouldn't be surprised if ruggedo melted tik-tok in one of his furnaces and made copper pennies of him." "in that case, i would still keep going," remarked tik-tok, calmly. "pennies do," said betsy regretfully. "this is all nonsense," said the queen, with irritation. "tik-tok is my great army--all but the officers--and i believe he will be able to conquer ruggedo with ease. what do you think, polychrome?" "you might let him try," answered the rainbow's daughter, with her sweet ringing laugh, that sounded like the tinkling of tiny bells. "and if tik-tok fails, you have still the big fire-breathing dragon to fall back on." "ah!" said the dragon, another sheet of flame gushing from his mouth and nostrils; "it's a wise little girl, this polychrome. anyone would know she is a fairy." [illustration] [illustration] chapter 14 the long-eared hearer learns by listening during this time ruggedo, the metal monarch and king of the nomes, was trying to amuse himself in his splendid jeweled cavern. it was hard work for ruggedo to find amusement to-day, for all the nomes were behaving well and there was no one to scold or to punish. the king had thrown his sceptre at kaliko six times, without hitting him once. not that kaliko had done anything wrong. on the contrary, he had obeyed the king in every way but one: he would not stand still, when commanded to do so, and let the heavy sceptre strike him. we can hardly blame kaliko for this, and even the cruel ruggedo forgave him; for he knew very well that if he mashed his royal chamberlain he could never find another so intelligent and obedient. kaliko could make the nomes work when their king could not, for the nomes hated ruggedo and there were so many thousands of the quaint little underground people that they could easily have rebelled and defied the king had they dared to do so. sometimes, when ruggedo abused them worse than usual, they grew sullen and threw down their hammers and picks. then, however hard the king scolded or whipped them, they would not work until kaliko came and begged them to. for kaliko was one of themselves and was as much abused by the king as any nome in the vast series of caverns. but to-day all the little people were working industriously at their tasks and ruggedo, having nothing to do, was greatly bored. he sent for the long-eared hearer and asked him to listen carefully and report what was going on in the big world. "it seems," said the hearer, after listening for awhile, "that the women in america have clubs." "are there spikes in them?" asked ruggedo, yawning. "i cannot hear any spikes, your majesty," was the reply. "then their clubs are not as good as my sceptre. what else do you hear?" "there's a war." "bah! there's always a war. what else?" for a time the hearer was silent, bending forward and spreading out his big ears to catch the slightest sound. then suddenly he said: "here is an interesting thing, your majesty. these people are arguing as to who shall conquer the metal monarch, seize his treasure and drive him from his dominions." "what people?" demanded ruggedo, sitting up straight in his throne. "the ones you threw down the hollow tube." "where are they now?" "in the same tube, and coming back this way," said the hearer. ruggedo got out of his throne and began to pace up and down the cavern. "i wonder what can be done to stop them," he mused. "well," said the hearer, "if you could turn the tube upside down, they would be falling the other way, your majesty." ruggedo glared at him wickedly, for it was impossible to turn the tube upside down and he believed the hearer was slyly poking fun at him. presently he asked: "how far away are those people now?" "about nine thousand three hundred and six miles, seventeen furlongs, eight feet and four inches--as nearly as i can judge from the sound of their voices," replied the hearer. "aha! then it will be some time before they arrive," said ruggedo, "and when they get here i shall be ready to receive them." he rushed to his gong and pounded upon it so fiercely that kaliko came bounding into the cavern with one shoe off and one shoe on, for he was just dressing himself after a swim in the hot bubbling lake of the underground kingdom. "kaliko, those invaders whom we threw down the tube are coming back again!" he exclaimed. "i thought they would," said the royal chamberlain, pulling on the other shoe. "tititi-hoochoo would not allow them to remain in his kingdom, of course, and so i've been expecting them back for some time. that was a very foolish action of yours, rug." "what, to throw them down the tube?" "yes. tititi-hoochoo has forbidden us to throw even rubbish into the tube." "pooh! what do i care for the jinjin?" asked ruggedo scornfully. "he never leaves his own kingdom, which is on the other side of the world." "true; but he might send some one through the tube to punish you," suggested kaliko. "i'd like to see him do it! who could conquer my thousands of nomes?" "why, they've been conquered before, if i remember aright," answered kaliko with a grin. "once i saw you running from a little girl named dorothy, and her friends, as if you were really afraid." "well, i _was_ afraid, that time," admitted the nome king, with a deep sigh, "for dorothy had a yellow hen that laid eggs!" the king shuddered as he said "eggs," and kaliko also shuddered, and so did the long-eared hearer; for eggs are the only things that the nomes greatly dread. the reason for this is that eggs belong on the earth's surface, where birds and fowl of all sorts live, and there is something about a hen's egg, especially, that fills a nome with horror. if by chance the inside of an egg touches one of these underground people, he withers up and blows away and that is the end of him--unless he manages quickly to speak a magical word which only a few of the nomes know. therefore ruggedo and his followers had very good cause to shudder at the mere mention of eggs. "but dorothy," said the king, "is not with this band of invaders; nor is the yellow hen. as for tititi-hoochoo, he has no means of knowing that we are afraid of eggs." "you mustn't be too sure of that," kaliko warned him. "tititi-hoochoo knows a great many things, being a fairy, and his powers are far superior to any we can boast." ruggedo shrugged impatiently and turned to the hearer. "listen," said he, "and tell me if you hear any eggs coming through the tube." the long-eared one listened and then shook his head. but kaliko laughed at the king. "no one can hear an egg, your majesty," said he. "the only way to discover the truth is to look through the magic spyglass." "that's it!" cried the king. "why didn't i think of it before? look at once, kaliko!" so kaliko went to the spyglass and by uttering a mumbled charm he caused the other end of it to twist around, so that it pointed down the opening of the tube. then he put his eye to the glass and was able to gaze along all the turns and windings of the magic spyglass and then deep into the tube, to where our friends were at that time falling. "dear me!" he exclaimed. "here comes a dragon." "a big one?" asked ruggedo. "a monster. he has an electric light on the end of his tail, so i can see him very plainly. and the other people are all riding upon his back." "how about the eggs?" inquired the king. kaliko looked again. [illustration] "i can see no eggs at all," said he; "but i imagine that the dragon is as dangerous as eggs. probably tititi-hoochoo has sent him here to punish you for dropping those strangers into the forbidden tube. i warned you not to do it, your majesty." this news made the nome king anxious. for a few minutes he paced up and down, stroking his long beard and thinking with all his might. after this he turned to kaliko and said: "all the harm a dragon can do is to scratch with his claws and bite with his teeth." "that is not all, but it's quite enough," returned kaliko earnestly. "on the other hand, no one can hurt a dragon, because he's the toughest creature alive. one flop of his huge tail could smash a hundred nomes to pancakes, and with teeth and claws he could tear even you or me into small bits, so that it would be almost impossible to put us together again. once, a few hundred years ago, while wandering through some deserted caverns, i came upon a small piece of a nome lying on the rocky floor. i asked the piece of nome what had happened to it. fortunately the mouth was a part of this piece--the mouth and the left eye--so it was able to tell me that a fierce dragon was the cause. it had attacked the poor nome and scattered him in every direction, and as there was no friend near to collect his pieces and put him together, they had been separated for a great many years. so you see, your majesty, it is not in good taste to sneer at a dragon." the king had listened attentively to kaliko. said he: "it will only be necessary to chain this dragon which tititi-hoochoo has sent here, in order to prevent his reaching us with his claws and teeth." "he also breathes flames," kaliko reminded him. "my nomes are not afraid of fire, nor am i," said ruggedo. "well, how about the army of oogaboo?" "sixteen cowardly officers and tik-tok! why, i could defeat them single-handed; but i won't try to. i'll summon my army of nomes to drive the invaders out of my territory, and if we catch any of them i intend to stick needles into them until they hop with pain." "i hope you won't hurt any of the girls," said kaliko. "i'll hurt 'em all!" roared the angry metal monarch. "and that braying mule i'll make into hoof-soup, and feed it to my nomes, that it may add to their strength." "why not be good to the strangers and release your prisoner, the shaggy man's brother?" suggested kaliko. "never!" "it may save you a lot of annoyance. and you don't want the ugly one." "i don't want him; that's true. but i won't allow anybody to order me around. i'm king of the nomes and i'm the metal monarch, and i shall do as i please and what i please and when i please!" with this speech ruggedo threw his sceptre at kaliko's head, aiming it so well that the royal chamberlain had to fall flat upon the floor in order to escape it. but the hearer did not see the sceptre coming and it swept past his head so closely that it broke off the tip of one of his long ears. he gave a dreadful yell that quite startled ruggedo, and the king was sorry for the accident because those long ears of the hearer were really valuable to him. so the nome king forgot to be angry with kaliko and ordered his chamberlain to summon general guph and the army of nomes and have them properly armed. they were then to march to the mouth of the tube, where they could seize the travelers as soon as they appeared. [illustration] [illustration] chapter 15 the dragon defies danger although the journey through the tube was longer, this time, than before, it was so much more comfortable that none of our friends minded it at all. they talked together most of the time and as they found the dragon good-natured and fond of the sound of his own voice they soon became well acquainted with him and accepted him as a companion. "you see," said shaggy, in his frank way, "quox is on our side, and therefore the dragon is a good fellow. if he happened to be an enemy, instead of a friend, i am sure i should dislike him very much, for his breath smells of brimstone, he is very conceited and he is so strong and fierce that he would prove a dangerous foe." "yes, indeed," returned quox, who had listened to this speech with pleasure; "i suppose i am about as terrible as any living thing. i am glad you find me conceited, for that proves i know my good qualities. as for my breath smelling of brimstone, i really can't help it, and i once met a man whose breath smelled of onions, which i consider far worse." "i don't," said betsy; "i love onions." "and i love brimstone," declared the dragon, "so don't let us quarrel over one another's peculiarities." saying this, he breathed a long breath and shot a flame fifty feet from his mouth. the brimstone made betsy cough, but she remembered about the onions and said nothing. they had no idea how far they had gone through the center of the earth, nor when to expect the trip to end. at one time the little girl remarked: "i wonder when we'll reach the bottom of this hole. and isn't it funny, shaggy man, that what is the bottom to us now, was the top when we fell the other way?" "what puzzles me," said files, "is that we are able to fall both ways." "that," announced tik-tok, "is be-cause the world is round." "exactly," responded shaggy. "the machinery in your head is in fine working order, tik-tok. you know, betsy, that there is such a thing as the attraction of gravitation, which draws everything toward the center of the earth. that is why we fall out of bed, and why everything clings to the surface of the earth." "then why doesn't everything go on down to the center of the earth?" inquired the little girl. "i was afraid you were going to ask me that," replied shaggy in a sad tone. "the reason, my dear, is that the earth is so solid that other solid things can't get through it. but when there's a hole, as there is in this case, we drop right down to the center of the world." "why don't we stop there?" asked betsy. "because we go so fast that we acquire speed enough to carry us right up to the other end." "i don't understand that, and it makes my head ache to try to figure it out," she said after some thought. "one thing draws us to the center and another thing pushes us away from it. but--" "don't ask me why, please," interrupted the shaggy man. "if you can't understand it, let it go at that." "do _you_ understand it?" she inquired. "all the magic isn't in fairyland," he said gravely. "there's lots of magic in all nature, and you may see it as well in the united states, where you and i once lived, as you can here." "i never did," she replied. "because you were so used to it all that you didn't realize it was magic. is anything more wonderful than to see a flower grow and blossom, or to get light out of the electricity in the air? the cows that manufacture milk for us must have machinery fully as remarkable as that in tik-tok's copper body, and perhaps you've noticed that--" and then, before shaggy could finish his speech, the strong light of day suddenly broke upon them, grew brighter, and completely enveloped them. the dragon's claws no longer scraped against the metal tube, for he shot into the open air a hundred feet or more and sailed so far away from the slanting hole that when he landed it was on the peak of a mountain and just over the entrance to the many underground caverns of the nome king. some of the officers tumbled off their seats when quox struck the ground, but most of the dragon's passengers only felt a slight jar. all were glad to be on solid earth again and they at once dismounted and began to look about them. queerly enough, as soon as they had left the dragon, the seats that were strapped to the monster's back disappeared, and this probably happened because there was no further use for them and because quox looked far more dignified in just his silver scales. of course he still wore the forty yards of ribbon around his neck, as well as the great locket, but these only made him look "dressed up," as betsy remarked. [illustration] now the army of nomes had gathered thickly around the mouth of the tube, in order to be ready to capture the band of invaders as soon as they popped out. there were, indeed, hundreds of nomes assembled, and they were led by guph, their most famous general. but they did not expect the dragon to fly so high, and he shot out of the tube so suddenly that it took them by surprise. when the nomes had rubbed the astonishment out of their eyes and regained their wits, they discovered the dragon quietly seated on the mountain-side far above their heads, while the other strangers were standing in a group and calmly looking down upon them. general guph was very angry at the escape, which was no one's fault but his own. "come down here and be captured!" he shouted, waving his sword at them. "come up here and capture us--if you dare!" replied queen ann, who was winding up the clockwork of her private soldier, so he could fight more briskly. guph's first answer was a roar of rage at the defiance; then he turned and issued a command to his nomes. these were all armed with sharp spears and with one accord they raised these spears and threw them straight at their foes, so that they rushed through the air in a perfect cloud of flying weapons. some damage might have been done had not the dragon quickly crawled before the others, his body being so big that it shielded every one of them, including hank. the spears rattled against the silver scales of quox and then fell harmlessly to the ground. they were magic spears, of course, and all straightway bounded back into the hands of those who had thrown them, but even guph could see that it was useless to repeat the attack. it was now queen ann's turn to attack, so the generals yelled "for--ward march!" and the colonels and majors and captains repeated the command and the valiant army of oogaboo, which seemed to be composed mainly of tik-tok, marched forward in single column toward the nomes, while betsy and polychrome cheered and hank gave a loud "hee-haw!" and shaggy shouted "hooray!" and queen ann screamed: "at 'em, tik-tok--at 'em!" the nomes did not await the clockwork man's attack but in a twinkling disappeared into the underground caverns. they made a great mistake in being so hasty, for tik-tok had not taken a dozen steps before he stubbed his copper toe on a rock and fell flat to the ground, where he cried: "pick me up! pick me up! pick me up!" until shaggy and files ran forward and raised him to his feet again. the dragon chuckled softly to himself as he scratched his left ear with his hind claw, but no one was paying much attention to quox just then. it was evident to ann and her officers that there could be no fighting unless the enemy was present, and in order to find the enemy they must boldly enter the underground kingdom of the nomes. so bold a step demanded a council of war. "don't you think i'd better drop in on ruggedo and obey the orders of the jinjin?" asked quox. "by no means!" returned queen ann. "we have already put the army of nomes to flight and all that yet remains is to force our way into those caverns and conquer the nome king and all his people." "that seems to me something of a job," said the dragon, closing his eyes sleepily. "but go ahead, if you like, and i'll wait here for you. don't be in any hurry on my account. to one who lives thousands of years the delay of a few days means nothing at all, and i shall probably sleep until the time comes for me to act." ann was provoked at this speech. "you may as well go back to tititi-hoochoo now," she said, "for the nome king is as good as conquered already." but quox shook his head. "no," said he; "i'll wait." [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] chapter 16 the naughty nome shaggy man had said nothing during the conversation between queen ann and quox, for the simple reason that he did not consider the matter worth an argument. safe within his pocket reposed the love magnet, which had never failed to win every heart. the nomes, he knew, were not like the heartless roses and therefore could be won to his side as soon as he exhibited the magic talisman. shaggy's chief anxiety had been to reach ruggedo's kingdom and now that the entrance lay before him he was confident he would be able to rescue his lost brother. let ann and the dragon quarrel as to who should conquer the nomes, if they liked; shaggy would let them try, and if they failed he had the means of conquest in his own pocket. but ann was positive she could not fail, for she thought her army could do anything. so she called the officers together and told them how to act, and she also instructed tik-tok what to do and what to say. "please do not shoot your gun except as a last resort," she added, "for i do not wish to be cruel or to shed any blood--unless it is absolutely necessary." "all right," replied tik-tok; "but i do not think rug-ge-do would bleed if i filled him full of holes and put him in a ci-der press." then the officers fell in line, the four generals abreast and then the four colonels and the four majors and the four captains. they drew their glittering swords and commanded tik-tok to march, which he did. twice he fell down, being tripped by the rough rocks, but when he struck the smooth path he got along better. into the gloomy mouth of the cavern entrance he stepped without hesitation, and after him proudly pranced the officers and queen ann. the others held back a little, waiting to see what would happen. of course the nome king knew they were coming and was prepared to receive them. just within the rocky passage that led to the jeweled throne-room was a deep pit, which was usually covered. ruggedo had ordered the cover removed and it now stood open, scarcely visible in the gloom. the pit was so large around that it nearly filled the passage and there was barely room for one to walk around it by pressing close to the rock walls. this tik-tok did, for his copper eyes saw the pit clearly and he avoided it; but the officers marched straight into the hole and tumbled in a heap on the bottom. an instant later queen ann also walked into the pit, for she had her chin in the air and was careless where she placed her feet. then one of the nomes pulled a lever which replaced the cover on the pit and made the officers of oogaboo and their queen fast prisoners. as for tik-tok, he kept straight on to the cavern where ruggedo sat in his throne and there he faced the nome king and said: "i here-by con-quer you in the name of queen ann so-forth of oo-ga-boo, whose ar-my i am, and i de-clare that you are her pris-on-er!" ruggedo laughed at him. "where is this famous queen?" he asked. "she'll be here in a min-ute," said tik-tok. "per-haps she stopped to tie her shoe-string." "now, see here, tik-tok," began the nome king, in a stern voice, "i've had enough of this nonsense. your queen and her officers are all prisoners, having fallen into my power, so perhaps you'll tell me what you mean to do." [illustration] "my or-ders were to con-quer you," replied tik-tok, "and my ma-chin-er-y has done the best it knows how to car-ry out those or-ders." ruggedo pounded on his gong and kaliko appeared, followed closely by general guph. "take this copper man into the shops and set him to work hammering gold," commanded the king. "being run by machinery he ought to be a steady worker. he ought never to have been made, but since he exists i shall hereafter put him to good use." "if you try to cap-ture me," said tik-tok, "i shall fight." "don't do that!" exclaimed general guph, earnestly, "for it will be useless to resist and you might hurt some one." but tik-tok raised his gun and took aim and not knowing what damage the gun might do the nomes were afraid to face it. while he was thus defying the nome king and his high officials, betsy bobbin rode calmly into the royal cavern, seated upon the back of hank the mule. the little girl had grown tired of waiting for "something to happen" and so had come to see if ruggedo had been conquered. "nails and nuggets!" roared the king; "how dare you bring that beast here and enter my presence unannounced?" "there wasn't anybody to announce me," replied betsy. "i guess your folks were all busy. are you conquered yet?" "no!" shouted the king, almost beside himself with rage. "then please give me something to eat, for i'm awful hungry," said the girl. "you see, this conquering business is a good deal like waiting for a circus parade; it takes a long time to get around and don't amount to much anyhow." the nomes were so much astonished at this speech that for a time they could only glare at her silently, not finding words to reply. the king finally recovered the use of his tongue and said: "earth-crawler! this insolence to my majesty shall be your death-warrant. you are an ordinary mortal, and to stop a mortal from living is so easy a thing to do that i will not keep you waiting half so long as you did for my conquest." "i'd rather you wouldn't stop me from living," remarked betsy, getting off hank's back and standing beside him. "and it would be a pretty cheap king who killed a visitor while she was hungry. if you'll give me something to eat, i'll talk this killing business over with you afterward; only, i warn you now that i don't approve of it, and never will." her coolness and lack of fear impressed the nome king, although he bore an intense hatred toward all mortals. "what do you wish to eat?" he asked gruffly. "oh, a ham-sandwich would do, or perhaps a couple of hard-boiled eggs--" "eggs!" shrieked the three nomes who were present, shuddering till their teeth chattered. "what's the matter?" asked betsy wonderingly. "are eggs as high here as they are at home?" "guph," said the king in an agitated voice, turning to his general, "let us destroy this rash mortal at once! seize her and take her to the slimy cave and lock her in." guph glanced at tik-tok, whose gun was still pointed, but just then kaliko stole softly behind the copper man and kicked his knee-joints so that they suddenly bent forward and tumbled tik-tok to the floor, his gun falling from his grasp. then guph, seeing tik-tok helpless, made a grab at betsy. at the same time hank's heels shot out and caught the general just where his belt was buckled. he rose into the air swift as a cannon-ball, struck the nome king fairly and flattened his majesty against the wall of rock on the opposite side of the cavern. together they fell to the floor in a dazed and crumpled condition, seeing which kaliko whispered to betsy: "come with me--quick!--and i will save you." she looked into kaliko's face inquiringly and thought he seemed honest and good-natured, so she decided to follow him. he led her and the mule through several passages and into a small cavern very nicely and comfortably furnished. "this is my own room," said he, "but you are quite welcome to use it. wait here a minute and i'll get you something to eat." when kaliko returned he brought a tray containing some broiled mushrooms, a loaf of mineral bread and some petroleum-butter. the butter betsy could not eat, but the bread was good and the mushrooms delicious. "here's the door key," said kaliko, "and you'd better lock yourself in." "won't you let polychrome and the rose princess come here, too?" she asked. "i'll see. where are they?" "i don't know. i left them outside," said betsy. "well, if you hear three raps on the door, open it," said kaliko; "but don't let anyone in unless they give the three raps." "all right," promised betsy, and when kaliko left the cosy cavern she closed and locked the door. in the meantime ann and her officers, finding themselves prisoners in the pit, had shouted and screamed until they were tired out, but no one had come to their assistance. it was very dark and damp in the pit and they could not climb out because the walls were higher than their heads and the cover was on. the queen was first angry and then annoyed and then discouraged; but the officers were only afraid. every one of the poor fellows heartily wished he was back in oogaboo caring for his orchard, and some were so unhappy that they began to reproach ann for causing them all this trouble and danger. finally the queen sat down on the bottom of the pit and leaned her back against the wall. by good luck her sharp elbow touched a secret spring in the wall and a big flat rock swung inward. ann fell over backward, but the next instant she jumped up and cried to the others: "a passage! a passage! follow me, my brave men, and we may yet escape." then she began to crawl through the passage, which was as dark and dank as the pit, and the officers followed her in single file. they crawled, and they crawled, and they kept on crawling, for the passage was not big enough to allow them to stand upright. it turned this way and twisted that, sometimes like a corkscrew and sometimes zigzag, but seldom ran for long in a straight line. "it will never end--never!" moaned the officers, who were rubbing all the skin off their knees on the rough rocks. "it _must_ end," retorted ann courageously, "or it never would have been made. we don't know where it will lead us to, but any place is better than that loathsome pit." so she crawled on, and the officers crawled on, and while they were crawling through this awful underground passage polychrome and shaggy and files and the rose princess, who were standing outside the entrance to ruggedo's domains, were wondering what had become of them. [illustration] chapter 17 a tragic transformation "don't let us worry," said shaggy to his companions, "for it may take the queen some time to conquer the metal monarch, as tik-tok has to do everything in his slow, mechanical way." "do you suppose they are likely to fail?" asked the rose princess. "i do, indeed," replied shaggy. "this nome king is really a powerful fellow and has a legion of nomes to assist him, whereas our bold queen commands a clockwork man and a band of faint-hearted officers." "she ought to have let quox do the conquering," said polychrome, dancing lightly upon a point of rock and fluttering her beautiful draperies. "but perhaps the dragon was wise to let her go first, for when she fails to conquer ruggedo she may become more modest in her ambitions." "where is the dragon now?" inquired ozga. "up there on the rocks," replied files. "look, my dear; you may see him from here. he said he would take a little nap while we were mixing up with ruggedo, and he added that after we had gotten into trouble he would wake up and conquer the nome king in a jiffy, as his master the jinjin has ordered him to do." "quox means well," said shaggy, "but i do not think we shall need his services; for just as soon as i am satisfied that queen ann and her army have failed to conquer ruggedo, i shall enter the caverns and show the king my love magnet. that he cannot resist; therefore the conquest will be made with ease." this speech of shaggy man's was overheard by the long-eared hearer, who was at that moment standing by ruggedo's side. for when the king and guph had recovered from hank's kick and had picked themselves up, their first act was to turn tik-tok on his back and put a heavy diamond on top of him, so that he could not get up again. then they carefully put his gun in a corner of the cavern and the king sent guph to fetch the long-eared hearer. [illustration] the hearer was still angry at ruggedo for breaking his ear, but he acknowledged the nome king to be his master and was ready to obey his commands. therefore he repeated shaggy's speech to the king, who at once realized that his kingdom was in grave danger. for ruggedo knew of the love magnet and its powers and was horrified at the thought that shaggy might show him the magic talisman and turn all the hatred in his heart into love. ruggedo was proud of his hatred and abhorred love of any sort. "really," said he, "i'd rather be conquered and lose my wealth and my kingdom than gaze at that awful love magnet. what can i do to prevent the shaggy man from taking it out of his pocket?" kaliko returned to the cavern in time to overhear this question, and being a loyal nome and eager to serve his king, he answered by saying: "if we can manage to bind the shaggy man's arms, tight to his body, he could not get the love magnet out of his pocket. "true!" cried the king in delight at this easy solution of the problem. "get at once a dozen nomes, with ropes, and place them in the passage where they can seize and bind shaggy as soon as he enters." this kaliko did, and meanwhile the watchers outside the entrance were growing more and more uneasy about their friends. "i don't worry so much about the oogaboo people," said polychrome, who had grown sober with waiting, and perhaps a little nervous, "for they could not be killed, even though ruggedo might cause them much suffering and perhaps destroy them utterly. but we should not have allowed betsy and hank to go alone into the caverns. the little girl is mortal and possesses no magic powers whatever, so if ruggedo captures her she will be wholly at his mercy." "that is indeed true," replied shaggy. "i wouldn't like to have anything happen to dear little betsy, so i believe i'll go in right away and put an end to all this worry." "we may as well go with you," asserted files, "for by means of the love magnet you can soon bring the nome king to reason." so it was decided to wait no longer. shaggy walked through the entrance first, and after him came the others. they had no thought of danger to themselves, and shaggy, who was going along with his hands thrust into his pockets, was much surprised when a rope shot out from the darkness and twined around his body, pinning down his arms so securely that he could not even withdraw his hands from the pockets. then appeared several grinning nomes, who speedily tied knots in the ropes and then led the prisoner along the passage to the cavern. no attention was paid to the others, but files and the princess followed on after shaggy, determined not to desert their friend and hoping that an opportunity might arise to rescue him. as for polychrome, as soon as she saw that trouble had overtaken shaggy she turned and ran lightly back through the passage and out of the entrance. then she easily leaped from rock to rock until she paused beside the great dragon, who lay fast asleep. "wake up, quox!" she cried. "it is time for you to act." but quox did not wake up. he lay as one in a trance, absolutely motionless, with his enormous eyes tight closed. the eyelids had big silver scales on them, like all the rest of his body. polychrome might have thought quox was dead had she not known that dragons do not die easily or had she not observed his huge body swelling as he breathed. she picked up a piece of rock and pounded against his eyelids with it, saying: "wake up, quox--wake up!" but he would not waken. "dear me, how unfortunate!" sighed the lovely rainbow's daughter. "i wonder what is the best and surest way to waken a dragon. all our friends may be captured and destroyed while this great beast lies asleep." [illustration] she walked around quox two or three times, trying to discover some tender place on his body where a thump or a punch might be felt; but he lay extended along the rocks with his chin flat upon the ground and his legs drawn underneath his body, and all that one could see was his thick sky-blue skin--thicker than that of a rhinoceros--and his silver scales. then, despairing at last of wakening the beast, and worried over the fate of her friends, polychrome again ran down to the entrance and hurried along the passage into the nome king's cavern. here she found ruggedo lolling in his throne and smoking a long pipe. beside him stood general guph and kaliko, and ranged before the king were the rose princess, files and the shaggy man. tik-tok still lay upon the floor weighted down by the big diamond. ruggedo was now in a more contented frame of mind. one by one he had met the invaders and easily captured them. the dreaded love magnet was indeed in shaggy's pocket, only a few feet away from the king, but shaggy was powerless to show it and unless ruggedo's eyes beheld the talisman it could not affect him. as for betsy bobbin and her mule, he believed kaliko had placed them in the slimy cave, while ann and her officers he thought safely imprisoned in the pit. ruggedo had no fear of files or ozga, but to be on the safe side he had ordered golden handcuffs placed upon their wrists. these did not cause them any great annoyance but prevented them from making an attack, had they been inclined to do so. the nome king, thinking himself wholly master of the situation, was laughing and jeering at his prisoners when polychrome, exquisitely beautiful and dancing like a ray of light, entered the cavern. "oho!" cried the king; "a rainbow under ground, eh?" and then he stared hard at polychrome, and still harder, and then he sat up and pulled the wrinkles out of his robe and arranged his whiskers. "on my word," said he, "you are a very captivating creature; moreover, i perceive you are a fairy." "i am polychrome, the rainbow's daughter," she said proudly. "well," replied ruggedo, "i like you. the others i hate. i hate everybody--but you! wouldn't you like to live always in this beautiful cavern, polychrome? see! the jewels that stud the walls have every tint and color of your rainbow--and they are not so elusive. i'll have fresh dewdrops gathered for your feasting every day and you shall be queen of all my nomes and pull kaliko's nose whenever you like." "no, thank you," laughed polychrome. "my home is in the sky, and i'm only on a visit to this solid, sordid earth. but tell me, ruggedo, why my friends have been wound with cords and bound with chains?" "they threatened me," answered ruggedo. "the fools did not know how powerful i am." "then, since they are now helpless, why not release them and send them back to the earth's surface?" "because i hate 'em and mean to make 'em suffer for their invasion. but i'll make a bargain with you, sweet polly. remain here and live with me and i'll set all these people free. you shall be my daughter or my wife or my aunt or grandmother--whichever you like--only stay here to brighten my gloomy kingdom and make me happy!" polychrome looked at him wonderingly. then she turned to shaggy and asked: "are you sure he hasn't seen the love magnet?" "i'm positive," answered shaggy. "but you seem to be something of a love magnet yourself, polychrome." she laughed again and said to ruggedo: "not even to rescue my friends would i live in your kingdom. nor could i endure for long the society of such a wicked monster as you." "you forget," retorted the king, scowling darkly, "that you also are in my power." "not so, ruggedo. the rainbow's daughter is beyond the reach of your spite or malice." "seize her!" suddenly shouted the king, and general guph sprang forward to obey. polychrome stood quite still, yet when guph attempted to clutch her his hands met in air, and now the rainbow's daughter was in another part of the room, as smiling and composed as before. [illustration] several times guph endeavored to capture her and ruggedo even came down from his throne to assist his general; but never could they lay hands upon the lovely sky fairy, who flitted here and there with the swiftness of light and constantly defied them with her merry laughter as she evaded their efforts. so after a time they abandoned the chase and ruggedo returned to his throne and wiped the perspiration from his face with a finely-woven handkerchief of cloth-of-gold. "well," said polychrome, "what do you intend to do now?" "i'm going to have some fun, to repay me for all my bother," replied the nome king. then he said to kaliko: "summon the executioners." kaliko at once withdrew and presently returned with a score of nomes, all of whom were nearly as evil looking as their hated master. they bore great golden pincers, and prods of silver, and clamps and chains and various wicked-looking instruments, all made of precious metals and set with diamonds and rubies. "now, pang," said ruggedo, addressing the leader of the executioners, "fetch the army of oogaboo and their queen from the pit and torture them here in my presence--as well as in the presence of their friends. it will be great sport." "i hear your majesty, and i obey your majesty," answered pang, and went with his nomes into the passage. in a few minutes he returned and bowed to ruggedo. "they're all gone," said he. "gone!" exclaimed the nome king. "gone where?" "they left no address, your majesty; but they are not in the pit." "picks and puddles!" roared the king; "who took the cover off?" "no one," said pang. "the cover was there, but the prisoners were not under it." "in that case," snarled the king, trying to control his disappointment, "go to the slimy cave and fetch hither the girl and the donkey. and while we are torturing them kaliko must take a hundred nomes and search for the escaped prisoners--the queen of oogaboo and her officers. if he does not find them, i will torture kaliko." kaliko went away looking sad and disturbed, for he knew the king was cruel and unjust enough to carry out this threat. pang and the executioners also went away, in another direction, but when they came back betsy bobbin was not with them, nor was hank. "there is no one in the slimy cave, your majesty," reported pang. "jumping jellycakes!" screamed the king. "another escape? are you sure you found the right cave?" "there is but one slimy cave, and there is no one in it," returned pang positively. ruggedo was beginning to be alarmed as well as angry. however, these disappointments but made him the more vindictive and he cast an evil look at the other prisoners and said: "never mind the girl and the donkey. here are four, at least, who cannot escape my vengeance. let me see; i believe i'll change my mind about tik-tok. have the gold crucible heated to a white, seething heat, and then we'll dump the copper man into it and melt him up." "but, your majesty," protested kaliko, who had returned to the room after sending a hundred nomes to search for the oogaboo people, "you must remember that tik-tok is a very curious and interesting machine. it would be a shame to deprive the world of such a clever contrivance." "say another word, and you'll go into the furnace with him!" roared the king. "i'm getting tired of you, kaliko, and the first thing you know i'll turn you into a potato and make saratoga-chips of you! the next to consider," he added more mildly, "is the shaggy man. as he owns the love magnet, i think i'll transform him into a dove, and then we can practice shooting at him with tik-tok's gun. now, this is a very interesting ceremony and i beg you all to watch me closely and see that i've nothing up my sleeve." he came out of his throne to stand before the shaggy man, and then he waved his hands, palms downward, in seven semicircles over his victim's head, saying in a low but clear tone of voice the magic wugwa: "adi, edi, idi, odi, udi, oo-i-oo! idu, ido, idi, ide, ida, woo!" the effect of this well-known sorcery was instantaneous. instead of the shaggy man, a pretty dove lay fluttering upon the floor, its wings confined by tiny cords wound around them. ruggedo gave an order to pang, who cut the cords with a pair of scissors. being freed, the dove quickly flew upward and alighted on the shoulder of the rose princess, who stroked it tenderly. "very good! very good!" cried ruggedo, rubbing his hands gleefully together. "one enemy is out of my way, and now for the others." (perhaps my readers should be warned not to attempt the above transformation; for, although the exact magical formula has been described, it is unlawful in all civilized countries for anyone to transform a person into a dove by muttering the words ruggedo used. there were no laws to prevent the nome king from performing this transformation, but if it should be attempted in any other country, and the magic worked, the magician would be severely punished.) when polychrome saw shaggy man transformed into a dove and realized that ruggedo was about to do something as dreadful to the princess and files, and that tik-tok would soon be melted in a crucible, she turned and ran from the cavern, through the passage and back to the place where quox lay asleep. [illustration] [illustration] chapter 18 a clever conquest the great dragon still had his eyes closed and was even snoring in a manner that resembled distant thunder; but polychrome was now desperate, because any further delay meant the destruction of her friends. she seized the pearl necklace, to which was attached the great locket, and jerked it with all her strength. the result was encouraging. quox stopped snoring and his eyelids flickered. so polychrome jerked again--and again--till slowly the great lids raised and the dragon looked at her steadily. said he, in a sleepy tone: "what's the matter, little rainbow?" "come quick!" exclaimed polychrome. "ruggedo has captured all our friends and is about to destroy them." "well, well," said quox, "i suspected that would happen. step a little out of my path, my dear, and i'll make a rush for the nome king's cavern." she fell back a few steps and quox raised himself on his stout legs, whisked his long tail and in an instant had slid down the rocks and made a dive through the entrance. along the passage he swept, nearly filling it with his immense body, and now he poked his head into the jeweled cavern of ruggedo. but the king had long since made arrangements to capture the dragon, whenever he might appear. no sooner did quox stick his head into the room than a thick chain fell from above and encircled his neck. then the ends of the chain were drawn tight--for in an adjoining cavern a thousand nomes were pulling on them--and so the dragon could advance no further toward the king. he could not use his teeth or his claws and as his body was still in the passage he had not even room to strike his foes with his terrible tail. ruggedo was delighted with the success of his strategem. he had just transformed the rose princess into a fiddle and was about to transform files into a fiddle bow, when the dragon appeared to interrupt him. so he called out: "welcome, my dear quox, to my royal entertainment. since you are here, you shall witness some very neat magic, and after i have finished with files and tik-tok i mean to transform you into a tiny lizard--one of the chameleon sort--and you shall live in my cavern and amuse me." "pardon me for contradicting your majesty," returned quox in a quiet voice, "but i don't believe you'll perform any more magic." "eh? why not?" asked the king in surprise. "there's a reason," said quox. "do you see this ribbon around my neck?" "yes; and i'm astonished that a dignified dragon should wear such a silly thing." "do you see it plainly?" persisted the dragon, with a little chuckle of amusement. "i do," declared ruggedo. "then you no longer possess any magical powers, and are as helpless as a clam," asserted quox. "my great master, tititi-hoochoo, the jinjin, enchanted this ribbon in such a way that whenever your majesty looked upon it all knowledge of magic would desert you instantly, nor will any magical formula you can remember ever perform your bidding." "pooh! i don't believe a word of it!" cried ruggedo, half frightened, nevertheless. then he turned toward files and tried to transform him into a fiddle bow. but he could not remember the right words or the right pass of the hands and after several trials he finally gave up the attempt. by this time the nome king was so alarmed that he was secretly shaking in his shoes. "i told you not to anger tititi-hoochoo," grumbled kaliko, "and now you see the result of your disobedience." ruggedo promptly threw his sceptre at his royal chamberlain, who dodged it with his usual cleverness, and then he said with an attempt to swagger: "never mind; i don't need magic to enable me to destroy these invaders; fire and the sword will do the business and i am still king of the nomes and lord and master of my underground kingdom!" "again i beg to differ with your majesty," said quox. "the great jinjin commands you to depart instantly from this kingdom and seek the earth's surface, where you will wander for all time to come, without a home or country, without a friend or follower, and without any more riches than you can carry with you in your pockets. the great jinjin is so generous that he will allow you to fill your pockets with jewels or gold, but you must take nothing more." ruggedo now stared at the dragon in amazement. "does tititi-hoochoo condemn me to such a fate?" he asked in a hoarse voice. "he does," said quox. "and just for throwing a few strangers down the forbidden tube?" "just for that," repeated quox in a stern, gruff voice. "well, i won't do it. and your crazy old jinjin can't make me do it, either!" declared ruggedo. "i intend to remain here, king of the nomes, until the end of the world, and i defy your tititi-hoochoo and all his fairies--as well as his clumsy messenger, whom i have been obliged to chain up!" the dragon smiled again, but it was not the sort of smile that made ruggedo feel very happy. instead, there was something so cold and merciless in the dragon's expression that the condemned nome king trembled and was sick at heart. there was little comfort for ruggedo in the fact that the dragon was now chained, although he had boasted of it. he glared at the immense head of quox as if fascinated and there was fear in the old king's eyes as he watched his enemy's movements. for the dragon was now moving; not abruptly, but as if he had something to do and was about to do it. very deliberately he raised one claw, touched the catch of the great jeweled locket that was suspended around his neck, and at once it opened wide. nothing much happened at first; half a dozen hen's eggs rolled out upon the floor and then the locket closed with a sharp click. but the effect upon the nomes of this simple thing was astounding. general guph, kaliko, pang and his band of executioners were all standing close to the door that led to the vast series of underground caverns which constituted the dominions of the nomes, and as soon as they saw the eggs they raised a chorus of frantic screams and rushed through the door, slamming it in ruggedo's face and placing a heavy bronze bar across it. ruggedo, dancing with terror and uttering loud cries, now leaped upon the seat of his throne to escape the eggs, which had rolled steadily toward him. perhaps these eggs, sent by the wise and crafty tititi-hoochoo, were in some way enchanted, for they all rolled directly after ruggedo and when they reached the throne where he had taken refuge they began rolling up the legs to the seat. this was too much for the king to bear. his horror of eggs was real and absolute and he made a leap from the throne to the center of the room and then ran to a far corner. the eggs followed, rolling slowly but steadily in his direction. ruggedo threw his sceptre at them, and then his ruby crown, and then he drew off his heavy golden sandals and hurled these at the advancing eggs. but the eggs dodged every missile and continued to draw nearer. the king stood trembling, his eyes staring in terror, until they were but half a yard distant; then with an agile leap he jumped clear over them and made a rush for the passage that led to the outer entrance. of course the dragon was in his way, being chained in the passage with his head in the cavern, but when he saw the king making toward him he crouched as low as he could and dropped his chin to the floor, leaving a small space between his body and the roof of the passage. ruggedo did not hesitate an instant. impelled by fear, he leaped to the dragon's nose and then scrambled to his back, where he succeeded in squeezing himself through the opening. after the head was passed there was more room and he slid along the dragon's scales to his tail and then ran as fast as his legs would carry him to the entrance. not pausing here, so great was his fright, the king dashed on down the mountain path, but before he had gone very far he stumbled and fell. when he picked himself up he observed that no one was following him, and while he recovered his breath he happened to think of the decree of the jinjin--that he should be driven from his kingdom and made a wanderer on the face of the earth. well, here he was, driven from his cavern in truth; driven by those dreadful eggs; but he would go back and defy them; he would not submit to losing his precious kingdom and his tyrannical powers, all because tititi-hoochoo had said he must. so, although still afraid, ruggedo nerved himself to creep back along the path to the entrance, and when he arrived there he saw the six eggs lying in a row just before the arched opening. at first he paused a safe distance away to consider the case, for the eggs were now motionless. while he was wondering what could be done, he remembered there was a magical charm which would destroy eggs and render them harmless to nomes. there were nine passes to be made and six verses of incantation to be recited; but ruggedo knew them all. now that he had ample time to be exact, he carefully went through the entire ceremony. but nothing happened. the eggs did not disappear, as he had expected; so he repeated the charm a second time. when that also failed, he remembered, with a moan of despair, that his magic power had been taken away from him and in the future he could do no more than any common mortal. and there were the eggs, forever barring him from the kingdom which he had ruled so long with absolute sway! he threw rocks at them, but could not hit a single egg. he raved and scolded and tore his hair and beard, and danced in helpless passion, but that did nothing to avert the just judgment of the jinjin, which ruggedo's own evil deeds had brought upon him. from this time on he was an outcast--a wanderer upon the face of the earth--and he had even forgotten to fill his pockets with gold and jewels before he fled from his former kingdom! [illustration] [illustration] chapter 19 king kaliko after the king had made good his escape files said to the dragon, in a said voice: "alas! why did you not come before? because you were sleeping instead of conquering, the lovely rose princess has become a fiddle without a bow, while poor shaggy sits there a cooing dove!" "don't worry," replied quox. "tititi-hoochoo knows his business, and i had my orders from the great jinjin himself. bring the fiddle here and touch it lightly to my pink ribbon." files obeyed and at the moment of contact with the ribbon the nome king's charm was broken and the rose princess herself stood before them as sweet and smiling as ever. the dove, perched on the back of the throne, had seen and heard all this, so without being told what to do it flew straight to the dragon and alighted on the ribbon. next instant shaggy was himself again and quox said to him grumblingly: "please get off my left toe, shaggy man, and be more particular where you step." "i beg your pardon!" replied shaggy, very glad to resume his natural form. then he ran to lift the heavy diamond off tik-tok's chest and to assist the clockwork man to his feet. "ma-ny thanks!" said tik-tok. "where is the wick-ed king who want-ed to melt me in a cru-ci-ble?" "he has gone, and gone for good," answered polychrome, who had managed to squeeze into the room beside the dragon and had witnessed the occurrences with much interest. "but i wonder where betsy bobbin and hank can be, and if any harm has befallen them." "we must search the cavern until we find them," declared shaggy; but when he went to the door leading to the other caverns he found it shut and barred. "i've a pretty strong push in my forehead," said quox, "and i believe i can break down that door, even though it's made of solid gold." "but you are a prisoner, and the chains that hold you are fastened in some other room, so that we cannot release you," files said anxiously. "oh, never mind that," returned the dragon. "i have remained a prisoner only because i wished to be one," and with this he stepped forward and burst the stout chains as easily as if they had been threads. but when he tried to push in the heavy metal door, even his mighty strength failed, and after several attempts he gave it up and squatted himself in a corner to think of a better way. "i'll o-pen the door," asserted tik-tok, and going to the king's big gong he pounded upon it until the noise was almost deafening. kaliko, in the next cavern, was wondering what had happened to ruggedo and if he had escaped the eggs and outwitted the dragon. but when he heard the sound of the gong, which had so often called him into the king's presence, he decided that ruggedo had been victorious; so he took away the bar, threw open the door and entered the royal cavern. great was his astonishment to find the king gone and the enchantments removed from the princess and shaggy. but the eggs were also gone and so kaliko advanced to the dragon, whom he knew to be tititi-hoochoo's messenger, and bowed humbly before the beast. "what is your will?" he inquired. [illustration] "where is betsy?" demanded the dragon. "safe in my own private room," said kaliko. "go and get her!" commanded quox. so kaliko went to betsy's room and gave three raps upon the door. the little girl had been asleep, but she heard the raps and opened the door. "you may come out now," said kaliko. "the king has fled in disgrace and your friends are asking for you." so betsy and hank returned with the royal chamberlain to the throne cavern, where she was received with great joy by her friends. they told her what had happened to ruggedo and she told them how kind kaliko had been to her. quox did not have much to say until the conversation was ended, but then he turned to kaliko and asked: "do you suppose you could rule your nomes better than ruggedo has done?" "me?" stammered the chamberlain, greatly surprised by the question. "well, i couldn't be a worse king, i'm sure." "would the nomes obey you?" inquired the dragon. "of course," said kaliko. "they like me better than ever they did ruggedo." "then hereafter you shall be the metal monarch, king of the nomes, and tititi-hoochoo expects you to rule your kingdom wisely and well," said quox. "hooray!" cried betsy; "i'm glad of that. king kaliko, i salute your majesty and wish you joy in your gloomy old kingdom!" "we all wish him joy," said polychrome; and then the others made haste to congratulate the new king. "will you release my dear brother?" asked shaggy. "the ugly one? very willingly," replied kaliko. "i begged ruggedo long ago to send him away, but he would not do so. i also offered to help your brother to escape, but he would not go." "he's so conscientious!" said shaggy, highly pleased. "all of our family have noble natures. but is my dear brother well?" he added anxiously. "he eats and sleeps very steadily," replied the new king. "i hope he doesn't work too hard," said shaggy. "he doesn't work at all. in fact, there is nothing he can do in these dominions as well as our nomes, whose numbers are so great that it worries us to keep them all busy. so your brother has only to amuse himself." "why, it's more like visiting, than being a prisoner," asserted betsy. "not exactly," returned kaliko. "a prisoner cannot go where or when he pleases, and is not his own master." "where is my brother now?" inquired shaggy. "in the metal forest." "where is that?" "the metal forest is in the great domed cavern, the largest in all our dominions," replied kaliko. "it is almost like being out of doors, it is so big, and ruggedo made the wonderful forest to amuse himself, as well as to tire out his hard-working nomes. all the trees are gold and silver and the ground is strewn with precious stones, so it is a sort of treasury." "let us go there at once and rescue my dear brother," pleaded shaggy earnestly. kaliko hesitated. "i don't believe i can find the way," said he. "ruggedo made three secret passages to the metal forest, but he changes the location of these passages every week, so that no one can get to the metal forest without his permission. however, if we look sharp, we may be able to discover one of these secret ways." "that reminds me to ask what has become of queen ann and the officers of oogaboo," said files. "i'm sure i can't say," replied kaliko. "do you suppose ruggedo destroyed them?" "oh, no; i'm quite sure he didn't. they fell into the big pit in the passage, and we put the cover on to keep them there; but when the executioners went to look for them they had all disappeared from the pit and we could find no trace of them." "that's funny," remarked betsy thoughtfully. "i don't believe ann knew any magic, or she'd have worked it before. but to disappear like that _seems_ like magic; now, doesn't it?" they agreed that it did, but no one could explain the mystery. "however," said shaggy, "they are gone, that is certain, so we cannot help them or be helped by them. and the important thing just now is to rescue my dear brother from captivity." "why do they call him the ugly one?" asked betsy. "i do not know," confessed shaggy. "i cannot remember his looks very well, it is so long since i have seen him; but all of our family are noted for their handsome faces." betsy laughed and shaggy seemed rather hurt; but polychrome relieved his embarrassment by saying softly: "one can be ugly in looks, but lovely in disposition." "our first task," said shaggy, a little comforted by this remark, "is to find one of those secret passages to the metal forest." "true," agreed kaliko. "so i think i will assemble the chief nomes of my kingdom in this throne room and tell them that i am their new king. then i can ask them to assist us in searching for the secret passages." "that's a good idea," said the dragon, who seemed to be getting sleepy again. kaliko went to the big gong and pounded on it just as ruggedo used to do; but no one answered the summons. "of course not," said he, jumping up from the throne, where he had seated himself. "that is my call, and i am still the royal chamberlain, and will be until i appoint another in my place." so he ran out of the room and found guph and told him to answer the summons of the king's gong. having returned to the royal cavern, kaliko first pounded the gong and then sat in the throne, wearing ruggedo's discarded ruby crown and holding in his hand the sceptre which ruggedo had so often thrown at his head. when guph entered he was amazed. "better get out of that throne before old ruggedo comes back," he said warningly. "he isn't coming back, and i am now the king of the nomes, in his stead," announced kaliko. "all of which is quite true," asserted the dragon, and all of those who stood around the throne bowed respectfully to the new king. seeing this, guph also bowed, for he was glad to be rid of such a hard master as ruggedo. then kaliko, in quite a kingly way, informed guph that he was appointed the royal chamberlain, and promised not to throw the sceptre at his head unless he deserved it. [illustration] all this being pleasantly arranged, the new chamberlain went away to tell the news to all the nomes of the underground kingdom, every one of whom would be delighted with the change in kings. [illustration] [illustration] chapter 20 quox quietly quits when the chief nomes assembled before their new king they joyfully saluted him and promised to obey his commands. but, when kaliko questioned them, none knew the way to the metal forest, although all had assisted in its making. so the king instructed them to search carefully for one of the passages and to bring him the news as soon as they had found it. meantime quox had managed to back out of the rocky corridor and so regain the open air and his old station on the mountain-side, and there he lay upon the rocks, sound asleep, until the next day. the others of the party were all given as good rooms as the caverns of the nomes afforded, for king kaliko felt that he was indebted to them for his promotion and was anxious to be as hospitable as he could. much wonderment had been caused by the absolute disappearance of the sixteen officers of oogaboo and their queen. not a nome had seen them, nor were they discovered during the search for the passages leading to the metal forest. perhaps no one was unhappy over their loss, but all were curious to know what had become of them. on the next day, when our friends went to visit the dragon, quox said to them: "i must now bid you good-bye, for my mission here is finished and i must depart for the other side of the world, where i belong." "will you go through the tube again?" asked betsy. "to be sure. but it will be a lonely trip this time, with no one to talk to, and i cannot invite any of you to go with me. therefore, as soon as i slide into the hole i shall go to sleep, and when i pop out at the other end i will wake up at home." they thanked the dragon for befriending them and wished him a pleasant journey. also they sent their thanks to the great jinjin, whose just condemnation of ruggedo had served their interests so well. then quox yawned and stretched himself and ambled over to the tube, into which he slid headforemost and disappeared. they really felt as if they had lost a friend, for the dragon had been both kind and sociable during their brief acquaintance with him; but they knew it was his duty to return to his own country. so they went back to the caverns to renew the search for the hidden passages that led to the forest, but for three days all efforts to find them proved in vain. it was polychrome's custom to go every day to the mountain and watch for her father, the rainbow, for she was growing tired with wandering upon the earth and longed to rejoin her sisters in their sky palaces. and on the third day, while she sat motionless upon a point of rock, whom should she see slyly creeping up the mountain but ruggedo! the former king looked very forlorn. his clothes were soiled and torn and he had no sandals upon his feet or hat upon his head. having left his crown and sceptre behind when he fled, the old nome no longer seemed kingly, but more like a beggarman. several times had ruggedo crept up to the mouth of the caverns, only to find the six eggs still on guard. he knew quite well that he must accept his fate and become a homeless wanderer, but his chief regret now was that he had neglected to fill his pockets with gold and jewels. he was aware that a wanderer with wealth at his command would fare much better than one who was a pauper, so he still loitered around the caverns wherein he knew so much treasure was stored, hoping for a chance to fill his pockets. that was how he came to recollect the metal forest. "aha!" said he to himself, "i alone know the way to that forest, and once there i can fill my pockets with the finest jewels in all the world." he glanced at his pockets and was grieved to find them so small. perhaps they might be enlarged, so that they would hold more. he knew of a poor woman who lived in a cottage at the foot of the mountain, so he went to her and begged her to sew pockets all over his robe, paying her with the gift of a diamond ring which he had worn upon his finger. the woman was delighted to possess so valuable a ring and she sewed as many pockets on ruggedo's robe as she possibly could. then he returned up the mountain and, after gazing cautiously around to make sure he was not observed, he touched a spring in a rock and it swung slowly backward, disclosing a broad passageway. this he entered, swinging the rock in place behind him. however, ruggedo had failed to look as carefully as he might have done, for polychrome was seated only a little distance off and her clear eyes marked exactly the manner in which ruggedo had released the hidden spring. so she rose and hurried into the cavern, where she told kaliko and her friends of her discovery. "i've no doubt that that is a way to the metal forest," exclaimed shaggy. "come, let us follow ruggedo at once and rescue my poor brother!" they agreed to this and king kaliko called together a band of nomes to assist them by carrying torches to light their way. "the metal forest has a brilliant light of its own," said he, "but the passage across the valley is likely to be dark." polychrome easily found the rock and touched the spring, so in less than an hour after ruggedo had entered they were all in the passage and following swiftly after the former king. "he means to rob the forest, i'm sure," said kaliko; "but he will find he is no longer of any account in this kingdom and i will have my nomes throw him out." "then please throw him as hard as you can," said betsy, "for he deserves it. i don't mind an honest, out-an'-out enemy, who fights square; but changing girls into fiddles and ordering 'em put into slimy caves is mean and tricky, and ruggedo doesn't deserve any sympathy. but you'll have to let him take as much treasure as he can get in his pockets, kaliko." "yes, the jinjin said so; but we won't miss it much. there is more treasure in the metal forest than a million nomes could carry in their pockets." it was not difficult to walk through this passage, especially when the torches lighted the way, so they made good progress. but it proved to be a long distance and betsy had tired herself with walking and was seated upon the back of the mule when the passage made a sharp turn and a wonderful and glorious light burst upon them. the next moment they were all standing upon the edge of the marvelous metal forest. it lay under another mountain and occupied a great domed cavern, the roof of which was higher than a church steeple. in this space the industrious nomes had built, during many years of labor, the most beautiful forest in the world. the trees--trunks, branches and leaves--were all of solid gold, while the bushes and underbrush were formed of filigree silver, virgin pure. the trees towered as high as natural live oaks do and were of exquisite workmanship. on the ground were thickly strewn precious gems of every hue and size, while here and there among the trees were paths pebbled with cut diamonds of the clearest water. taken all together, more treasure was gathered in this metal forest than is contained in all the rest of the world--if we except the land of oz, where perhaps its value is equalled in the famous emerald city. our friends were so amazed at the sight that for a while they stood gazing in silent wonder. then shaggy exclaimed: "my brother! my dear lost brother! is he indeed a prisoner in this place?" [illustration] "yes," replied kaliko. "the ugly one has been here for two or three years, to my positive knowledge." "but what could he find to eat?" inquired betsy. "it's an awfully swell place to live in, but one can't breakfast on rubies and di'monds, or even gold." "one doesn't need to, my dear," kaliko assured her. "the metal forest does not fill all of this great cavern, by any means. beyond these gold and silver trees are other trees of the real sort, which bear foods very nice to eat. let us walk in that direction, for i am quite sure we will find shaggy's brother in that part of the cavern, rather than in this." so they began to tramp over the diamond-pebbled paths, and at every step they were more and more bewildered by the wondrous beauty of the golden trees with their glittering foliage. suddenly they heard a scream. jewels scattered in every direction as some one hidden among the bushes scampered away before them. then a loud voice cried: "halt!" and there was the sound of a struggle. [illustration] chapter 21 a bashful brother with fast beating hearts they all rushed forward and, beyond a group of stately metal trees, came full upon a most astonishing scene. there was ruggedo in the hands of the officers of oogaboo, a dozen of whom were clinging to the old nome and holding him fast in spite of his efforts to escape. there also was queen ann, looking grimly upon the scene of strife; but when she observed her former companions approaching she turned away in a shamefaced manner. for ann and her officers were indeed a sight to behold. her majesty's clothing, once so rich and gorgeous, was now worn and torn into shreds by her long crawl through the tunnel, which, by the way, had led her directly into the metal forest. it was, indeed, one of the three secret passages, and by far the most difficult of the three. ann had not only torn her pretty skirt and jacket, but her crown had become bent and battered and even her shoes were so cut and slashed that they were ready to fall from her feet. the officers had fared somewhat worse than their leader, for holes were worn in the knees of their trousers, while sharp points of rock in the roof and sides of the tunnel had made rags of every inch of their once brilliant uniforms. a more tattered and woeful army never came out of a battle, than these harmless victims of the rocky passage. but it had seemed their only means of escape from the cruel nome king; so they had crawled on, regardless of their sufferings. when they reached the metal forest their eyes beheld more plunder than they had ever dreamed of; yet they were prisoners in this huge dome and could not escape with the riches heaped about them. perhaps a more unhappy and homesick lot of "conquerors" never existed than this band from oogaboo. after several days of wandering in their marvelous prison they were frightened by the discovery that ruggedo had come among them. rendered desperate by their sad condition, the officers exhibited courage for the first time since they left home and, ignorant of the fact that ruggedo was no longer king of the nomes, they threw themselves upon him and had just succeeded in capturing him when their fellow adventurers reached the spot. "goodness gracious!" cried betsy. "what has happened to you all?" ann came forward to greet them, sorrowful and indignant. "we were obliged to escape from the pit through a small tunnel, which was lined with sharp and jagged rocks," said she, "and not only was our clothing torn to rags but our flesh is so bruised and sore that we are stiff and lame in every joint. to add to our troubles we find we are still prisoners; but now that we have succeeded in capturing the wicked metal monarch we shall force him to grant us our liberty." "ruggedo is no longer metal monarch, or king of the nomes," files informed her. "he has been deposed and cast out of his kingdom by quox; but here is the new king, whose name is kaliko, and i am pleased to assure your majesty that he is our friend." "glad to meet your majesty, i'm sure," said kaliko, bowing as courteously as if the queen still wore splendid raiment. the officers, having heard this explanation, now set ruggedo free; but, as he had no place to go, he stood by and faced his former servant, who was now king in his place, in a humble and pleading manner. "what are you doing here?" asked kaliko sternly. "why, i was promised as much treasure as i could carry in my pockets," replied ruggedo; "so i came here to get it, not wishing to disturb your majesty." "you were commanded to leave the country of the nomes forever!" declared kaliko. "i know; and i'll go as soon as i have filled my pockets," said ruggedo, meekly. "then fill them, and be gone," returned the new king. ruggedo obeyed. stooping down, he began gathering up jewels by the handful and stuffing them into his many pockets. they were heavy things, these diamonds and rubies and emeralds and amethysts and the like, so before long ruggedo was staggering with the weight he bore, while the pockets were not yet filled. when he could no longer stoop over without falling, betsy and polychrome and the rose princess came to his assistance, picking up the finest gems and tucking them into his pockets. at last these were all filled and ruggedo presented a comical sight, for surely no man ever before had so many pockets, or any at all filled with such a choice collection of precious stones. he neglected to thank the young ladies for their kindness, but gave them a surly nod of farewell and staggered down the path by the way he had come. they let him depart in silence, for with all he had taken, the masses of jewels upon the ground seemed scarcely to have been disturbed, so numerous were they. also they hoped they had seen the last of the degraded king. [illustration] "i'm awful glad he's gone," said betsy, sighing deeply. "if he doesn't get reckless and spend his wealth foolishly, he's got enough to start a bank when he gets to oklahoma." "but my brother--my dear brother! where is he?" inquired shaggy anxiously. "have you seen him, queen ann?" "what does your brother look like?" asked the queen. shaggy hesitated to reply, but betsy said: "he's called the ugly one. perhaps you'll know him by that." "the only person we have seen in this cavern," said ann, "has run away from us whenever we approached him. he hides over yonder, among the trees that are not gold, and we have never been able to catch sight of his face. so i cannot tell whether he is ugly or not." "that must be my dear brother!" exclaimed shaggy. "yes, it must be," assented kaliko. "no one else inhabits this splendid dome, so there can be no mistake." "but why does he hide among those green trees, instead of enjoying all these glittery golden ones?" asked betsy. "because he finds food among the natural trees," replied kaliko, "and i remember that he has built a little house there, to sleep in. as for these glittery golden trees, i will admit they are very pretty at first sight. one cannot fail to admire them, as well as the rich jewels scattered beneath them; but if one has to look at them always, they become pretty tame." "i believe that is true," declared shaggy. "my dear brother is very wise to prefer real trees to the imitation ones. but come; let us go there and find him." shaggy started for the green grove at once, and the others followed him, being curious to witness the final rescue of his long-sought, long-lost brother. not far from the edge of the grove they came upon a small hut, cleverly made of twigs and golden branches woven together. as they approached the place they caught a glimpse of a form that darted into the hut and slammed the door tight shut after him. shaggy man ran to the door and cried aloud: "brother! brother!" "who calls," demanded a sad, hollow voice from within. "it is shaggy--your own loving brother--who has been searching for you a long time and has now come to rescue you." "too late!" replied the gloomy voice. "no one can rescue me now." "oh, but you are mistaken about that," said shaggy. "there is a new king of the nomes, named kaliko, in ruggedo's place, and he has promised you shall go free." "free! i dare not go free!" said the ugly one, in a voice of despair. "why not, brother?" asked shaggy, anxiously. "do you know what they have done to me?" came the answer through the closed door. "no. tell me, brother, what have they done?" "when ruggedo first captured me i was very handsome. don't you remember, shaggy?" "not very well, brother; you were so young when i left home. but i remember that mother thought you were beautiful." "she was right! i am sure she was right," wailed the prisoner. "but ruggedo wanted to injure me--to make me ugly in the eyes of all the world--so he performed a wicked enchantment. i went to bed beautiful--or you might say handsome--to be very modest i will merely claim that i was good-looking--and i wakened the next morning the homeliest man in all the world! i am so repulsive that when i look in a mirror i frighten myself." "poor brother!" said shaggy softly, and all the others were silent from sympathy. "i was so ashamed of my looks," continued the voice of shaggy's brother, "that i tried to hide; but the cruel king ruggedo forced me to appear before all the legion of nomes, to whom he said: 'behold the ugly one!' but when the nomes saw my face they all fell to laughing and jeering, which prevented them from working at their tasks. seeing this, ruggedo became angry and pushed me into a tunnel, closing the rock entrance so that i could not get out. i followed the length of the tunnel until i reached this huge dome, where the marvelous metal forest stands, and here i have remained ever since." "poor brother!" repeated shaggy. "but i beg you now to come forth and face us, who are your friends. none here will laugh or jeer, however unhandsome you may be." "no, indeed," they all added pleadingly. but the ugly one refused the invitation. "i cannot," said he; "indeed, i cannot face strangers, ugly as i am." shaggy man turned to the group surrounding him. "what shall i do?" he asked in sorrowful tones. "i cannot leave my dear brother here, and he refuses to come out of that house and face us." "i'll tell you," replied betsy. "let him put on a mask." "the very idea i was seeking!" exclaimed shaggy joyfully; and then he called out: "brother, put a mask over your face, and then none of us can see what your features are like." "i have no mask," answered the ugly one. "look here," said betsy; "he can use my handkerchief." shaggy looked at the little square of cloth and shook his head. "it isn't big enough," he objected; "i'm sure it isn't big enough to hide a man's face. but he can use mine." saying this he took from his pocket his own handkerchief and went to the door of the hut. "here, my brother," he called, "take this handkerchief and make a mask of it. i will also pass you my knife, so that you may cut holes for the eyes, and then you must tie it over your face." the door slowly opened, just far enough for the ugly one to thrust out his hand and take the handkerchief and the knife. then it closed again. "don't forget a hole for your nose," cried betsy. "you must breathe, you know." for a time there was silence. queen ann and her army sat down upon the ground to rest. betsy sat on hank's back. polychrome danced lightly up and down the jeweled paths while files and the princess wandered through the groves arm in arm. tik-tok, who never tired, stood motionless. by and by a noise sounded from within the hut. "are you ready?" asked shaggy. "yes, brother," came the reply, and the door was thrown open to allow the ugly one to step forth. betsy might have laughed aloud had she not remembered how sensitive to ridicule shaggy's brother was, for the handkerchief with which he had masked his features was a red one covered with big white polka dots. in this two holes had been cut--in front of the eyes--while two smaller ones before the nostrils allowed the man to breathe freely. the cloth was then tightly drawn over the ugly one's face and knotted at the back of his neck. he was dressed in clothes that had once been good, but now were sadly worn and frayed. his silk stockings had holes in them, and his shoes were stub-toed and needed blackening. "but what can you expect," whispered betsy, "when the poor man has been a prisoner for so many years?" shaggy had darted forward, and embraced his newly found brother with both his arms. the brother also embraced shaggy, who then led him forward and introduced him to all the assembled company. "this is the new nome king," he said when he came to kaliko. "he is our friend, and has granted you your freedom." "that is a kindly deed," replied ugly in a sad voice, "but i dread to go back to the world in this direful condition. unless i remain forever masked, my dreadful face would curdle all the milk and stop all the clocks." "can't the enchantment be broken in some way?" inquired betsy. shaggy looked anxiously at kaliko, who shook his head. "i am sure _i_ can't break the enchantment," he said. "ruggedo was fond of magic, and learned a good many enchantments that we nomes know nothing of." "perhaps ruggedo himself might break his own enchantment," suggested ann; "but unfortunately we have allowed the old king to escape." "never mind, my dear brother," said shaggy consolingly; "i am very happy to have found you again, although i may never see your face. so let us make the most of this joyful reunion." the ugly one was affected to tears by this tender speech, and the tears began to wet the red handkerchief; so shaggy gently wiped them away with his coat sleeve. [illustration] [illustration] chapter 22 kindly kisses "won't you be dreadful sorry to leave this lovely place?" betsy asked the ugly one. "no, indeed," said he. "jewels and gold are cold and heartless things, and i am sure i would presently have died of loneliness had i not found this natural forest at the edge of the artificial one. anyhow, without these real trees i should soon have starved to death." betsy looked around at the quaint trees. "i don't just understand that," she admitted. "what could you find to eat here?" "the best food in the world," ugly answered. "do you see that grove at your left?" he added, pointing it out; "well, such trees as those do not grow in your country, or in any other place but this cavern. i have named them 'hotel trees,' because they bear a certain kind of table d'hote fruit called 'three-course nuts.'" "that's funny!" said betsy. "what are the 'three-course nuts' like?" "something like cocoanuts, to look at," explained the ugly one. "all you have to do is to pick one of them and then sit down and eat your dinner. you first unscrew the top part and find a cupfull of good soup. after you've eaten that, you unscrew the middle part and find a hollow filled with meat and potatoes, vegetables and a fine salad. eat that, and unscrew the next section, and you come to the dessert in the bottom of the nut. that is pie and cake, cheese and crackers, and nuts and raisins. the three-course nuts are not all exactly alike in flavor or in contents, but they are all good and in each one may be found a complete three-course dinner." "but how about breakfasts?" inquired betsy. "why, there are breakfast trees for that, which grow over there at the right. they bear nuts, like the others, only the nuts contain coffee or chocolate, instead of soup; oatmeal instead of meat-and-potatoes, and fruits instead of dessert. sad as has been my life in this wonderful prison, i must admit that no one could live more luxuriously in the best hotel in the world than i have lived here; but i will be glad to get into the open air again and see the good old sun and the silvery moon and the soft green grass and the flowers that are kissed by the morning dew. ah, how much more lovely are those blessed things than the glitter of gems or the cold gleam of gold!" "of course," said betsy. "i once knew a little boy who wanted to catch the measles, because all the little boys in his neighborhood but him had had 'em, and he was really unhappy 'cause he couldn't catch 'em, try as he would. so i'm pretty certain that the things we want, and can't have, are not good for us. isn't that true, shaggy?" "not always, my dear," he gravely replied. "if we didn't want anything, we would never get anything, good or bad. i think our longings are natural, and if we act as nature prompts us we can't go far wrong." "for my part," said queen ann, "i think the world would be a dreary place without the gold and jewels." "all things are good in their way," said shaggy; "but we may have too much of any good thing. and i have noticed that the value of anything depends upon how scarce it is, and how difficult it is to obtain." "pardon me for interrupting you," said king kaliko, coming to their side, "but now that we have rescued shaggy's brother i would like to return to my royal cavern. being the king of the nomes, it is my duty to look after my restless subjects and see that they behave themselves." so they all turned and began walking through the metal forest to the other side of the great domed cave, where they had first entered it. shaggy and his brother walked side by side and both seemed rejoiced that they were together after their long separation. betsy didn't dare look at the polka-dot handkerchief, for fear she would laugh aloud; so she walked behind the two brothers and led hank by holding fast to his left ear. when at last they reached the place where the passage led to the outer world, queen ann said, in a hesitating way that was unusual with her: "i have not conquered this nome country, nor do i expect to do so; but i would like to gather a few of these pretty jewels before i leave this place." "help yourself, ma'am," said king kaliko, and at once the officers of the army took advantage of his royal permission and began filling their pockets, while ann tied a lot of diamonds in a big handkerchief. this accomplished, they all entered the passage, the nomes going first to light the way with their torches. they had not proceeded far when betsy exclaimed: "why, there are jewels here, too!" all eyes were turned upon the ground and they found a regular trail of jewels strewn along the rock floor. "this is queer!" said kaliko, much surprised. "i must send some of my nomes to gather up these gems and replace them in the metal forest, where they belong. i wonder how they came to be here?" all the way along the passage they found this trail of jewels, but when they neared the end the mystery was explained. for there, squatted upon the floor with his back to the rock wall, sat old ruggedo, puffing and blowing as if he was all tired out. then they realized it was he who had scattered the jewels, from his many pockets, which one by one had burst with the weight of their contents as he had stumbled along the passage. "but i don't mind," said ruggedo, with a deep sigh. "i now realize that i could not have carried such a weighty load very far, even had i managed to escape from this passage with it. the woman who sewed the pockets on my robe used poor thread, for which i shall thank her." "have you any jewels left?" inquired betsy. he glanced into some of the remaining pockets. "a few," said he, "but they will be sufficient to supply my wants, and i no longer have any desire to be rich. if some of you will kindly help me to rise, i'll get out of here and leave you, for i know you all despise me and prefer my room to my company." shaggy and kaliko raised the old king to his feet, when he was confronted by shaggy's brother, whom he now noticed for the first time. the queer and unexpected appearance of the ugly one so startled ruggedo that he gave a wild cry and began to tremble, as if he had seen a ghost. "wh--wh--who is this?" he faltered. "i am that helpless prisoner whom your cruel magic transformed from a handsome man into an ugly one!" answered shaggy's brother, in a voice of stern reproach. "really, ruggedo," said betsy, "you ought to be ashamed of that mean trick." "i am, my dear," admitted ruggedo, who was now as meek and humble as formerly he had been cruel and vindictive. "then," returned the girl, "you'd better do some more magic and give the poor man his own face again." "i wish i could," answered the old king; "but you must remember that tititi-hoochoo has deprived me of all my magic powers. however, i never took the trouble to learn just how to break the charm i cast over shaggy's brother, for i intended he should always remain ugly." "every charm," remarked pretty polychrome, "has its antidote; and, if you knew this charm of ugliness, ruggedo, you must have known how to dispel it." he shook his head. [illustration] "if i did, i--i've forgotten," he stammered regretfully. "try to think!" pleaded shaggy, anxiously. "_please_ try to think!" ruggedo ruffled his hair with both hands, sighed, slapped his chest, rubbed his ear, and stared stupidly around the group. "i've a faint recollection that there _was_ one thing that would break the charm," said he; "but misfortune has so addled my brain that i can't remember what it was." "see here, ruggedo," said betsy, sharply, "we've treated you pretty well, so far, but we won't stand for any nonsense, and if you know what's good for yourself you'll think of that charm!" "why?" he demanded, turning to look wonderingly at the little girl. "because it means so much to shaggy's brother. he's dreadfully ashamed of himself, the way he is now, and you're to blame for it. fact is, ruggedo, you've done so much wickedness in your life that it won't hurt you to do a kind act now." ruggedo blinked at her, and sighed again, and then tried very hard to think. "i seem to remember, dimly," said he, "that a certain kind of a kiss will break the charm of ugliness." "what kind of a kiss?" "what kind? why, it was--it was--it was either the kiss of a mortal maid; or--or--the kiss of a mortal maid who had once been a fairy; or--or the kiss of one who is still a fairy. i can't remember which. but of course no maid, mortal or fairy, would ever consent to kiss a person so ugly--so dreadfully, fearfully, terribly ugly--as shaggy's brother." "i'm not so sure of that," said betsy, with admirable courage; "i'm a mortal maid, and if it is _my_ kiss that will break this awful charm, i--i'll do it!" "oh, you really couldn't," protested ugly. "i would be obliged to remove my mask, and when you saw my face, nothing could induce you to kiss me, generous as you are." "well, as for that," said the little girl, "i needn't see your face at all. here's my plan: you stay in this dark passage, and we'll send away the nomes with their torches. then you'll take off the handkerchief, and i--i'll kiss you." "this is awfully kind of you, betsy!" said shaggy, gratefully. "well, it surely won't kill me," she replied; "and, if it makes you and your brother happy, i'm willing to take some chances." so kaliko ordered the torch-bearers to leave the passage, which they did by going through the rock opening. queen ann and her army also went out; but the others were so interested in betsy's experiment that they remained grouped at the mouth of the passageway. when the big rock swung into place, closing tight the opening, they were left in total darkness. "now, then," called betsy in a cheerful voice, "have you got that handkerchief off your face, ugly?" "yes," he replied. "well, where are you, then?" she asked, reaching out her arms. "here," said he. "you'll have to stoop down, you know." he found her hands and clasping them in his own stooped until his face was near to that of the little girl. the others heard a clear, smacking kiss, and then betsy exclaimed: "there! i've done it, and it didn't hurt a bit!" "tell me, dear brother; is the charm broken?" asked shaggy. "i do not know," was the reply. "it may be, or it may not be. i cannot tell." "has anyone a match?" inquired betsy. "i have several," said shaggy. "then let ruggedo strike one of them and look at your brother's face, while we all turn our backs. ruggedo made your brother ugly, so i guess he can stand the horror of looking at him, if the charm isn't broken." agreeing to this, ruggedo took the match and lighted it. he gave one look and then blew out the match. "ugly as ever!" he said with a shudder. "so it wasn't the kiss of a mortal maid, after all." "let me try," proposed the rose princess, in her sweet voice. "i am a mortal maid who was once a fairy. perhaps my kiss will break the charm." files did not wholly approve of this, but he was too generous to interfere. so the rose princess felt her way through the darkness to shaggy's brother and kissed him. ruggedo struck another match, while they all turned away. "no," announced the former king; "that didn't break the charm, either. it must be the kiss of a fairy that is required--or else my memory has failed me altogether." "polly," said betsy, pleadingly, "won't _you_ try?" "of course i will!" answered polychrome, with a merry laugh. "i've never kissed a mortal man in all the thousands of years i have existed, but i'll do it to please our faithful shaggy man, whose unselfish affection for his ugly brother deserves to be rewarded." even as polychrome was speaking she tripped lightly to the side of the ugly one and quickly touched his cheek with her lips. "oh, thank you--thank you!" he fervently cried. "i've changed, this time, i know. i can feel it! i'm different. shaggy--dear shaggy--i am myself again!" files, who was near the opening, touched the spring that released the big rock and it suddenly swung backward and let in a flood of daylight. everyone stood motionless, staring hard at shaggy's brother, who, no longer masked by the polka-dot handkerchief, met their gaze with a glad smile. "well," said shaggy man, breaking the silence at last and drawing a long, deep breath of satisfaction, "you are no longer the ugly one, my dear brother; but, to be entirely frank with you, the face that belongs to you is no more handsome than it ought to be." "i think he's rather good looking," remarked betsy, gazing at the man critically. "in comparison with what he was," said king kaliko, "he is really beautiful. you, who never beheld his ugliness, may not understand that; but it was my misfortune to look at the ugly one many times, and i say again that, in comparison with what he was, the man is now beautiful." "all right," returned betsy, briskly, "we'll take your word for it, kaliko. and now let us get out of this tunnel and into the world again." [illustration] chapter 23 ruggedo reforms it did not take them long to regain the royal cavern of the nome king, where kaliko ordered served to them the nicest refreshments the place afforded. ruggedo had come trailing along after the rest of the party and while no one paid any attention to the old king they did not offer any objection to his presence or command him to leave them. he looked fearfully to see if the eggs were still guarding the entrance, but they had now disappeared; so he crept into the cavern after the others and humbly squatted down in a corner of the room. there betsy discovered him. all of the little girl's companions were now so happy at the success of shaggy's quest for his brother, and the laughter and merriment seemed so general, that betsy's heart softened toward the friendless old man who had once been their bitter enemy, and she carried to him some of the food and drink. ruggedo's eyes filled with tears at this unexpected kindness. he took the child's hand in his own and pressed it gratefully. "look here, kaliko," said betsy, addressing the new king, "what's the use of being hard on ruggedo? all his magic power is gone, so he can't do any more harm, and i'm sure he's sorry he acted so badly to everybody." "are you?" asked kaliko, looking down at his former master. "i am," said ruggedo. "the girl speaks truly. i'm sorry and i'm harmless. i don't want to wander through the wide world, on top of the ground, for i'm a nome. no nome can ever be happy any place but underground." "that being the case," said kaliko, "i will let you stay here as long as you behave yourself; but, if you try to act badly again, i shall drive you out, as tititi-hoochoo has commanded, and you'll have to wander." "never fear. i'll behave," promised ruggedo. "it is hard work being a king, and harder still to be a good king. but now that i am a common nome i am sure i can lead a blameless life." they were all pleased to hear this and to know that ruggedo had really reformed. "i hope he'll keep his word," whispered betsy to shaggy; "but if he gets bad again we will be far away from the nome kingdom and kaliko will have to 'tend to the old nome himself." polychrome had been a little restless during the last hour or two. the lovely daughter of the rainbow knew that she had now done all in her power to assist her earth friends, and so she began to long for her sky home. "i think," she said, after listening intently, "that it is beginning to rain. the rain king is my uncle, you know, and perhaps he has read my thoughts and is going to help me. anyway, i must take a look at the sky and make sure." so she jumped up and ran through the passage to the outer entrance, and they all followed after her and grouped themselves on a ledge of the mountain-side. sure enough, dark clouds had filled the sky and a slow, drizzling rain had set in. "it can't last for long," said shaggy, looking upward, "and when it stops we shall lose the sweet little fairy we have learned to love. alas," he continued, after a moment, "the clouds are already breaking in the west, and--see!--isn't that the rainbow coming?" betsy didn't look at the sky; she looked at polychrome, whose happy, smiling face surely foretold the coming of her father to take her to the cloud palaces. a moment later a gleam of sunshine flooded the mountain and a gorgeous rainbow appeared. with a cry of gladness polychrome sprang upon a point of rock and held out her arms. straightway the rainbow descended until its end was at her very feet, when with a graceful leap she sprang upon it and was at once clasped in the arms of her radiant sisters, the daughters of the rainbow. but polychrome released herself to lean over the edge of the glowing arch and nod, and smile and throw a dozen kisses to her late comrades. "good-bye!" she called, and they all shouted "good-bye!" in return and waved their hands to their pretty friend. slowly the magnificent bow lifted and melted into the sky, until the eyes of the earnest watchers saw only fleecy clouds flitting across the blue. "i'm dreadful sorry to see polychrome go," said betsy, who felt like crying; "but i s'pose she'll be a good deal happier with her sisters in the sky palaces." "to be sure," returned shaggy, nodding gravely. "it's her home, you know, and those poor wanderers who, like ourselves, have no home, can realize what that means to her." "once," said betsy, "i, too, had a home. now, i've only--only--dear old hank!" [illustration] she twined her arms around her shaggy friend who was not human, and he said: "hee-haw!" in a tone that showed he understood her mood. and the shaggy friend who was human stroked the child's head tenderly and said: "you're wrong about that, betsy dear. i will never desert you." "nor i!" exclaimed shaggy's brother, in earnest tones. the little girl looked up at them gratefully, and her eyes smiled through their tears. "all right," she said. "it's raining again, so let's go back into the cavern." rather soberly, for all loved polychrome and would miss her, they reã«ntered the dominions of the nome king. [illustration] [illustration] chapter 24 dorothy is delighted "well," said queen ann, when all were again seated in kaliko's royal cavern, "i wonder what we shall do next. if i could find my way back to oogaboo i'd take my army home at once, for i'm sick and tired of these dreadful hardships." "don't you want to conquer the world?" asked betsy. "no; i've changed my mind about that," admitted the queen. "the world is too big for one person to conquer and i was happier with my own people in oogaboo. i wish--oh, how earnestly i wish--that i was back there this minute!" "so do i!" yelled every officer in a fervent tone. now, it is time for the reader to know that in the far-away land of oz the lovely ruler, ozma, had been following the adventures of her shaggy man, and tik-tok, and all the others they had met. day by day ozma, with the wonderful wizard of oz seated beside her, had gazed upon a magic picture in a radium frame, which occupied one side of the ruler's cosy boudoir in the palace of the emerald city. the singular thing about this magic picture was that it showed whatever scene ozma wished to see, with the figures all in motion, just as it was taking place. so ozma and the wizard had watched every action of the adventurers from the time shaggy had met shipwrecked betsy and hank in the rose kingdom, at which time the rose princess, a distant cousin of ozma, had been exiled by her heartless subjects. when ann and her people so earnestly wished to return to oogaboo, ozma was sorry for them and remembered that oogaboo was a corner of the land of oz. she turned to her attendant and asked: "can not your magic take these unhappy people to their old home, wizard?" "it can, your highness," replied the little wizard. "i think the poor queen has suffered enough in her misguided effort to conquer the world," said ozma, smiling at the absurdity of the undertaking, "so no doubt she will hereafter be contented in her own little kingdom. please send her there, wizard, and with her the officers and files." "how about the rose princess?" asked the wizard. "send her to oogaboo with files," answered ozma. "they have become such good friends that i am sure it would make them unhappy to separate them." "very well," said the wizard, and without any fuss or mystery whatever he performed a magical rite that was simple and effective. therefore those seated in the nome king's cavern were both startled and amazed when all the people of oogaboo suddenly disappeared from the room, and with them the rose princess. at first they could not understand it at all; but presently shaggy suspected the truth, and believing that ozma was now taking an interest in the party he drew from his pocket a tiny instrument which he placed against his ear. ozma, observing this action in her magic picture, at once caught up a similar instrument from a table beside her and held it to her own ear. the two instruments recorded the same delicate vibrations of sound and formed a wireless telephone, an invention of the wizard. those separated by any distance were thus enabled to converse together with perfect ease and without any wire connection. "do you hear me, shaggy man?" asked ozma. "yes, your highness," he replied. "i have sent the people of oogaboo back to their own little valley," announced the ruler of oz; "so do not worry over their disappearance." "that was very kind of you," said shaggy. "but your highness must permit me to report that my own mission here is now ended. i have found my lost brother, and he is now beside me, freed from the enchantment of ugliness which ruggedo cast upon him. tik-tok has served me and my comrades faithfully, as you requested him to do, and i hope you will now transport the clockwork man back to your fairyland of oz." "i will do that," replied ozma. "but how about yourself, shaggy?" "i have been very happy in oz," he said, "but my duty to others forces me to exile myself from that delightful land. i must take care of my new-found brother, for one thing, and i have a new comrade in a dear little girl named betsy bobbin, who has no home to go to, and no other friends but me and a small donkey named hank. i have promised betsy never to desert her as long as she needs a friend, and so i must give up the delights of the land of oz forever." he said this with a sigh of regret, and ozma made no reply but laid the tiny instrument on her table, thus cutting off all further communication with the shaggy man. but the lovely ruler of oz still watched her magic picture, with a thoughtful expression upon her face, and the little wizard of oz watched ozma and smiled softly to himself. in the cavern of the nome king shaggy replaced the wireless telephone in his pocket and turning to betsy said in as cheerful a voice as he could muster: "well, little comrade, what shall we do next?" "i don't know, i'm sure," she answered with a puzzled face. "i'm kind of sorry our adventures are over, for i enjoyed them, and now that queen ann and her people are gone, and polychrome is gone, and--dear me!--where's tik-tok, shaggy?" "he also has disappeared," said shaggy, looking around the cavern and nodding wisely. "by this time he is in ozma's palace in the land of oz, which is his home." "isn't it your home, too?" asked betsy. "it used to be, my dear; but now my home is wherever you and my brother are. we are wanderers, you know, but if we stick together i am sure we shall have a good time." "then," said the girl, "let us get out of this stuffy, underground cavern and go in search of new adventures. i'm sure it has stopped raining." "i'm ready," said shaggy, and then they bade good-bye to king kaliko, and thanked him for his assistance, and went out to the mouth of the passage. the sky was now clear and a brilliant blue in color; the sun shone brightly and even this rugged, rocky country seemed delightful after their confinement underground. there were but four of them now--betsy and hank, and shaggy and his brother--and the little party made their way down the mountain and followed a faint path that led toward the southwest. during this time ozma had been holding a conference with the wizard, and later with tik-tok, whom the magic of the wizard had quickly transported to ozma's palace. tik-tok had only words of praise for betsy bobbin, "who," he said, "is al-most as nice as dor-o-thy her-self." "let us send for dorothy," said ozma, and summoning her favorite maid, who was named jellia jamb, she asked her to request princess dorothy to attend her at once. so a few moments later dorothy entered ozma's room and greeted her and the wizard and tik-tok with the same gentle smile and simple manner that had won for the little girl the love of everyone she met. "did you want to see me, ozma?" she asked. "yes, dear. i am puzzled how to act, and i want your advice." "i don't b'lieve it's worth much," replied dorothy, "but i'll do the best i can. what is it all about, ozma?" "you all know," said the girl ruler, addressing her three friends, "what a serious thing it is to admit any mortals into this fairyland of oz. it is true i have invited several mortals to make their home here, and all of them have proved true and loyal subjects. indeed, no one of you three was a native of oz. dorothy and the wizard came here from the united states, and tik-tok came from the land of ev. but of course he is not a mortal. shaggy is another american, and he is the cause of all my worry, for our dear shaggy will not return here and desert the new friends he has found in his recent adventures, because he believes they need his services." "shaggy man was always kind-hearted," remarked dorothy. "but who are these new friends he has found?" "one is his brother, who for many years has been a prisoner of the nome king, our old enemy ruggedo. this brother seems a kindly, honest fellow, but he has done nothing to entitle him to a home in the land of oz." "who else?" asked dorothy. "i have told you about betsy bobbin, the little girl who was shipwrecked--in much the same way you once were--and has since been following the shaggy man in his search for his lost brother. you remember her, do you not?" "oh, yes!" exclaimed dorothy. "i've often watched her and hank in the magic picture, you know. she's a dear little girl, and old hank is a darling! where are they now?" "look and see," replied ozma with a smile at her friend's enthusiasm. dorothy turned to the picture, which showed betsy and hank, with shaggy and his brother, trudging along the rocky paths of a barren country. "seems to me," she said, musingly, "that they're a good way from any place to sleep, or any nice things to eat." "you are right," said tik-tok. "i have been in that coun-try, and it is a wil-der-ness." "it is the country of the nomes," explained the wizard, "who are so mischievous that no one cares to live near them. i'm afraid shaggy and his friends will endure many hardships before they get out of that rocky place, unless--" he turned to ozma and smiled. "unless i ask you to transport them all here?" she asked. "yes, your highness." "could your magic do that?" inquired dorothy. "i think so," said the wizard. "well," said dorothy, "as far as betsy and hank are concerned, i'd like to have them here in oz. it would be such fun to have a girl playmate of my own age, you see. and hank is such a dear little mule!" ozma laughed at the wistful expression in the girl's eyes, and then she drew dorothy to her and kissed her. "am i not your friend and playmate?" she asked. dorothy flushed. "you know how dearly i love you, ozma!" she cried. "but you're so busy ruling all this land of oz that we can't always be together." "i know, dear. my first duty is to my subjects, and i think it would be a delight to us all to have betsy with us. there's a pretty suite of rooms just opposite your own where she can live, and i'll build a golden stall for hank in the stable where the sawhorse lives. then we'll introduce the mule to the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, and i'm sure they will soon become firm friends. but i cannot very well admit betsy and hank into oz unless i also admit shaggy's brother." "and, unless you admit shaggy's brother, you will keep out poor shaggy, whom we are all very fond of," said the wizard. "well, why not ad-mit him?" demanded tik-tok. "the land of oz is not a refuge for all mortals in distress," explained ozma. "i do not wish to be unkind to shaggy man, but his brother has no claim on me." "the land of oz isn't crowded," suggested dorothy. "then you advise me to admit shaggy's brother?" inquired ozma. "well, we can't afford to lose our shaggy man, can we?" "no, indeed!" returned ozma. "what do you say, wizard?" "i'm getting my magic ready to transport them all." "and you, tik-tok?" "shag-gy's broth-er is a good fel-low, and we can't spare shag-gy." "so, then, the question is settled," decided ozma. "perform your magic, wizard!" he did so, placing a silver plate upon a small standard and pouring upon the plate a small quantity of pink powder which was contained in a crystal vial. then he muttered a rather difficult incantation which the sorceress glinda the good had taught him, and it all ended in a puff of perfumed smoke from the silver plate. this smoke was so pungent that it made both ozma and dorothy rub their eyes for a moment. "you must pardon these disagreeable fumes," said the wizard. "i assure you the smoke is a very necessary part of my wizardry." "look!" cried dorothy, pointing to the magic picture; "they're gone! all of them are gone." indeed, the picture now showed the same rocky landscape as before, but the three people and the mule had disappeared from it. "they are gone," said the wizard, polishing the silver plate and wrapping it in a fine cloth, "because they are here." at that moment jellia jamb entered the room. "your highness," she said to ozma, "the shaggy man and another man are in the waiting room and ask to pay their respects to you. shaggy is crying like a baby, but he says they are tears of joy." [illustration] "send them here at once, jellia!" commanded ozma. "also," continued the maid, "a girl and a small-sized mule have mysteriously arrived, but they don't seem to know where they are or how they came here. shall i send them here, too?" "oh, no!" exclaimed dorothy, eagerly jumping up from her chair; "i'll go to meet betsy myself, for she'll feel awful strange in this big palace." and she ran down the stairs two at a time to greet her new friend, betsy bobbin. [illustration] [illustration] chapter 25 the land of love "well, is 'hee-haw' all you are able to say?" inquired the sawhorse, as he examined hank with his knot eyes and slowly wagged the branch that served him for a tail. they were in a beautiful stable in the rear of ozma's palace, where the wooden sawhorse--very much alive--lived in a gold-paneled stall, and where there were rooms for the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, which were filled with soft cushions for them to lie upon and golden troughs for them to eat from. beside the stall of the sawhorse had been placed another for hank, the mule. this was not quite so beautiful as the other, for the sawhorse was ozma's favorite steed; but hank had a supply of cushions for a bed (which the sawhorse did not need because he never slept) and all this luxury was so strange to the little mule that he could only stand still and regard his surroundings and his queer companions with wonder and amazement. the cowardly lion, looking very dignified, was stretched out upon the marble floor of the stable, eyeing hank with a calm and critical gaze, while near by crouched the huge hungry tiger, who seemed equally interested in the new animal that had just arrived. the sawhorse, standing stiffly before hank, repeated his question: "is 'hee-haw' all you are able to say?" hank moved his ears in an embarrassed manner. "i have never said anything else, until now," he replied; and then he began to tremble with fright to hear himself talk. "i can well understand that," remarked the lion, wagging his great head with a swaying motion. "strange things happen in this land of oz, as they do everywhere else. i believe you came here from the cold, civilized, outside world, did you not?" "i did," replied hank. "one minute i was outside of oz--and the next minute i was inside! that was enough to give me a nervous shock, as you may guess; but to find myself able to talk, as betsy does, is a marvel that staggers me." "that is because you are in the land of oz," said the sawhorse. "all animals talk, in this favored country, and you must admit it is more sociable than to bray your dreadful 'hee-haw,' which nobody can understand." "mules understand it very well," declared hank. "oh, indeed! then there must be other mules in your outside world," said the tiger, yawning sleepily. "there are a great many in america," said hank. "are you the only tiger in oz?" "no," acknowledged the tiger, "i have many relatives living in the jungle country; but i am the only tiger living in the emerald city." "there are other lions, too," said the sawhorse; "but i am the only horse, of any description, in this favored land." "that is why this land is favored," said the tiger. "you must understand, friend hank, that the sawhorse puts on airs because he is shod with plates of gold, and because our beloved ruler, ozma of oz, likes to ride upon his back." "betsy rides upon _my_ back," declared hank proudly. "who is betsy?" "the dearest, sweetest girl in all the world!" the sawhorse gave an angry snort and stamped his golden feet. the tiger crouched and growled. slowly the great lion rose to his feet, his mane bristling. "friend hank," said he, "either you are mistaken in judgment or you are willfully trying to deceive us. the dearest, sweetest girl in the world is our dorothy, and i will fight anyone--animal or human--who dares to deny it!" "so will i!" snarled the tiger, showing two rows of enormous white teeth. "you are all wrong!" asserted the sawhorse in a voice of scorn. "no girl living can compare with my mistress, ozma of oz!" hank slowly turned around until his heels were toward the others. then he said stubbornly: "i am not mistaken in my statement, nor will i admit there can be a sweeter girl alive than betsy bobbin. if you want to fight, come on--i'm ready for you!" while they hesitated, eyeing hank's heels doubtfully, a merry peal of laughter startled the animals and turning their heads they beheld three lovely girls standing just within the richly carved entrance to the stable. in the center was ozma, her arms encircling the waists of dorothy and betsy, who stood on either side of her. ozma was nearly half a head taller than the two other girls, who were almost of one size. unobserved, they had listened to the talk of the animals, which was a very strange experience indeed to little betsy bobbin. "you foolish beasts!" exclaimed the ruler of oz, in a gentle but chiding tone of voice. "why should you fight to defend us, who are all three loving friends and in no sense rivals? answer me!" she continued, as they bowed their heads sheepishly. "i have the right to express my opinion, your highness," pleaded the lion. "and so have the others," replied ozma. "i am glad you and the hungry tiger love dorothy best, for she was your first friend and companion. also i am pleased that my sawhorse loves me best, for together we have endured both joy and sorrow. hank has proved his faith and loyalty by defending his own little mistress; and so you are all right in one way, but wrong in another. our land of oz is a land of love, and here friendship outranks every other quality. unless you can all be friends, you cannot retain our love." they accepted this rebuke very meekly. "all right," said the sawhorse, quite cheerfully; "shake hoofs, friend mule." hank touched his hoof to that of the wooden horse. "let us be friends and rub noses," said the tiger. so hank modestly rubbed noses with the big beast. the lion merely nodded and said, as he crouched before the mule: "any friend of a friend of our beloved ruler is a friend of the cowardly lion. that seems to cover your case. if ever you need help or advice, friend hank, call on me." "why, this is as it should be," said ozma, highly pleased to see them so fully reconciled. then she turned to her companions: "come, my dears, let us resume our walk." as they turned away betsy said wonderingly: "do all the animals in oz talk as we do?" "almost all," answered dorothy. "there's a yellow hen here, and she can talk, and so can her chickens; and there's a pink kitten upstairs in my room who talks very nicely; but i've a little fuzzy black dog, named toto, who has been with me in oz a long time, and he's never said a single word but 'bow-wow!'" "do you know why?" asked ozma. "why, he's a kansas dog; so i s'pose he's different from these fairy animals," replied dorothy. "hank isn't a fairy animal, any more than toto," said ozma, "yet as soon as he came under the spell of our fairyland he found he could talk. it was the same way with billina, the yellow hen whom you brought here at one time. the same spell has affected toto, i assure you; but he's a wise little dog and while he knows everything that is said to him he prefers not to talk." "goodness me!" exclaimed dorothy. "i never s'pected toto was fooling me all this time." then she drew a small silver whistle from her pocket and blew a shrill note upon it. a moment later there was a sound of scurrying footsteps, and a shaggy black dog came running up the path. [illustration] dorothy knelt down before him and shaking her finger just above his nose she said: "toto, haven't i always been good to you?" toto looked up at her with his bright black eyes and wagged his tail. "bow-wow!" he said, and betsy knew at once that meant yes, as well as dorothy and ozma knew it, for there was no mistaking the tone of toto's voice. "that's a dog answer," said dorothy. "how would you like it, toto, if i said nothing to you but 'bow-wow'?" toto's tail was wagging furiously now, but otherwise he was silent. "really, dorothy," said betsy, "he can talk with his bark and his tail just as well as we can. don't you understand such dog language?" "of course i do," replied dorothy. "but toto's got to be more sociable. see here, sir!" she continued, addressing the dog, "i've just learned, for the first time, that you can say words--if you want to. don't you want to, toto?" "woof!" said toto, and that meant "no." "not just one word, toto, to prove you're as good as any other animal in oz?" "woof!" "just one word, toto--and then you may run away." he looked at her steadily a moment. "all right. here i go!" he said, and darted away as swift as an arrow. dorothy clapped her hands in delight, while betsy and ozma both laughed heartily at her pleasure and the success of her experiment. arm in arm they sauntered away through the beautiful gardens of the palace, where magnificent flowers bloomed in abundance and fountains shot their silvery sprays far into the air. and by and by, as they turned a corner, they came upon shaggy man and his brother, who were seated together upon a golden bench. the two arose to bow respectfully as the ruler of oz approached them. "how are you enjoying our land of oz?" ozma asked the stranger. "i am very happy here, your highness," replied shaggy's brother. "also i am very grateful to you for permitting me to live in this delightful place." "you must thank shaggy for that," said ozma. "being his brother, i have made you welcome here." "when you know brother better," said shaggy earnestly, "you will be glad he has become one of your loyal subjects. i am just getting acquainted with him myself, and i find much in his character to admire." leaving the brothers, ozma and the girls continued their walk. presently betsy exclaimed: "shaggy's brother can't ever be as happy in oz as _i_ am. do you know, dorothy, i didn't believe any girl could ever have such a good time--_anywhere_--as i'm having now?" "i know," answered dorothy. "i've felt that way myself, lots of times." "i wish," continued betsy, dreamily, "that every little girl in the world could live in the land of oz; and every little boy, too!" ozma laughed at this. "it is quite fortunate for us, betsy, that your wish cannot be granted," said she, "for all that army of girls and boys would crowd us so that we would have to move away." "yes," agreed betsy, after a little thought, "i guess that's true." [illustration] * * * * * transcriber's note: all illustrations were placed so as to not split paragraphs. three presumed typographical errors were corrected: p. 176, rooks to rocks ("on the rough =rocks=."); p. 203, any to my ("... get off =my= left toe ..."); and p. 233, comma to question mark ("what could you find to eat here=?="). all usage of "every one" and "everyone" were both retained. 