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Frank Baum - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Captain Salt in Oz - -Author: Ruth Plumly Thompson - L. Frank Baum - -Illustrator: John R. Neil - Dick Martin - -Release Date: November 28, 2017 [EBook #56073] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAPTAIN SALT IN OZ *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="235" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="264" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="500" height="258" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/tp.jpg" width="244" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>CAPTAIN SALT -IN OZ</h1> - -<p><i>By</i><br /> -RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON<br /> -Founded on and continuing the Famous Oz Stories</p> - -<p><i>By</i><br /> -L. FRANK BAUM<br /> -"Royal Historian of Oz"</p> - -<p><i>Illustrated by</i><br /> -JOHN R. NEILL</p> - -<p>The Reilly & Lee Co.<br /> -CHICAGO</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Copyright, 1936<br /> -by<br /> -THE REILLY & LEE CO.<br /> -All rights reserved</p> - -<p>Printed in the U.S.A.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Dear Boys and Girls:</p> - - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Another year—</div> - <div class="verse">Another book,</div> - <div class="verse">And this time a voyage</div> - <div class="verse">That Sam Salt took</div> - <div class="verse">In that good old Ship,</div> - <div class="verse">The <i>Crescent Moon</i>—</div> - <div class="verse">Steering by compass,</div> - <div class="verse">By star and moon,</div> - <div class="verse">To discover new countries</div> - <div class="verse">For OZ. Hear! Hear!</div> - <div class="verse">He's discovered a whole</div> - <div class="verse">New Hemisphere!</div> - <div class="verse">Three cheers for Sam,</div> - <div class="verse">And his jolly crew,</div> - <div class="verse">And three for OZ</div> - <div class="verse">And three for YOU,</div> - <div class="verse">And three for me,</div> - <div class="verse">Though I don't need cheer</div> - <div class="verse">'Cause the letters you write</div> - <div class="verse">Keep me gay ALL year!</div> -</div></div> - -<p>So keep writing to me about Oz and everything, will -you? And remember to put your full name and complete -address on the letter. Righto!</p> - -<p>And Best till I hear from you!</p> - -<p> RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus3.jpg" width="237" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p class="ph4"><span class="smcap">This book is dedicated<br /> -With my best bow and TOP wishes<br /> -to my Publisher.</span></p> - -<p class="ph4">—<i>Ruth Plumly Thompson</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus4.jpg" width="485" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>LIST OF CHAPTERS</h2> - -<table> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_1">CHAPTER 1</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Sail Ho!</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_2">CHAPTER 2</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Anchors Aweigh</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_3">CHAPTER 3</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Fire Baby</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_4">CHAPTER 4</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Samuel's First Specimen</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_5">CHAPTER 5</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Patrippany Island</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_6">CHAPTER 6</a></td><td><span class="smcap">A Little Wild Man</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_7">CHAPTER 7</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Strange Specimens for Samuel Salt</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_8">CHAPTER 8</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Maxims for Monarchs</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_9">CHAPTER 9</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Sea Legs for Tandy</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_10">CHAPTER 10</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The City of Bridges</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_11">CHAPTER 11</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Prince of the Peaks</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_12">CHAPTER 12</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Fog</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_13">CHAPTER 13</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Sea Forest</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_14">CHAPTER 14</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Sea Unicorn!</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_15">CHAPTER 15</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Collector Is Collected</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_16">CHAPTER 16</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Storm!</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_17">CHAPTER 17</a></td><td><span class="smcap">The Old Man of the Jungle!</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_18">CHAPTER 18</a></td><td><span class="smcap">A New Country</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_19">CHAPTER 19</a></td><td><span class="smcap">Boglodore's Revenge</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_20">CHAPTER 20</a></td><td><span class="smcap">King Tandy</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_21">CHAPTER 21</a></td><td><span class="smcap">A Voyage Resumed</span></td></tr> - -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_1" id="CHAPTER_1"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus5.jpg" width="473" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 1<br /> -<small>Sail Ho!</small></h2> - - -<p>Eight miles east of Pingaree lies the eight-sided island of King -Ato the Eighth. While not so large as Pingaree, the Octagon Isle is -nevertheless one of the tidiest and most pleasing of the sea realms -that dot the great green rolling expanses of the Nonestic Ocean. And -Ato himself is as pleasing as his island, enormously fat and jolly with -a kind word for everyone.</p> - -<p>In his eight-sided castle, he has every modern convenience and comfort -and some of which even an up-to-date country like our own cannot boast. -For instance, take Roger, his Royal Read Bird. Roger, besides knowing -eight languages, can read aloud for hours at a time without growing -hoarse or weary. So Ato never has to strain his eyes poring over his -eight hundred huge volumes of adventure and history, nor his arms -holding a newspaper or court document, nor his jaw pronouncing the -names of kings and countries in Ev and Oz and other curious places on -the mainland west of his own island. And Roger is as handsome as he -is handy, his head and bill rather like a duck's, his body shaped and -colored like a parrot, but much larger, while his tail opens out into -an enormous fan. This is extremely fortunate, for the Octagon Isle -is semi-tropical in climate, and on warm sultry days, Roger not only -reads to his Majesty, but fans him as well. All in all, Ato's life is -decidedly luxurious and lazy.</p> - -<p>Sixentwo, Chief Chancellor of the realm, and Four'nfour, its treasurer, -attend to all the business of governing, so that Ato and Roger have -little to do but enjoy themselves. The Octagon Islanders, one hundred -and eighty in number, are a sober and industrious lot, rarely giving -any trouble.</p> - -<p>Once, it is true, they sailed off and deserted the King entirely, but -Ato, with Peter, a Philadelphia boy, and Samuel Salt, a pirate, who -landed on the Island at just the right moment, immediately set out -after them, using the pirate's stout ship the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, for the -purpose.</p> - -<p>By a strange coincidence, Samuel Salt's men had also mutinied and -sailed away, so that there were two sets of deserters to seek out -and discover. After a dangerous and lively voyage, the <i>Crescent -Moon</i> reached the rocky shores of Menankypoo on the Mainland. Here -they learned that the Octagon Islanders and Samuel Salt's men had -been enslaved by Ruggedo, the former Gnome King, and marched off to -conquer the Emerald City of Oz. How Peter and the Pirate, Ato and a -poetical Pig outwitted the Gnome King is a long and other story. You -have probably read it yourself. But ever since their hair-raising -experiences with Ruggedo, and their rescue by Ato, the Octagon -Islanders have been perfectly satisfied with their own ruler and -country. In fact, they were so docile and devoted, so fearfully anxious -to please, Ato often wished they would revolt or sass him a little just -to relieve the monotony and make life more interesting.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus6.jpg" width="464" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>To tell the truth, after serving as cook, mate and able-bodied seaman -on the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, Ato found it quite boring to settle down to -a humdrum life of a monarch ashore. Roger, too, missed the gay and -carefree life he had led as a pirate and could not even pretend an -interest in the books of adventure he still dutifully read to his -Master. He and Ato now spent most of their time on the edge of the -Island—the King in a comfortable hammock swung between two palm -trees, Roger on a tall golden perch set close beside him. Whenever the -Read Bird paused to yawn or turn a page, Ato would pull himself up to -a sitting position, raise the telescope he always had with him and -gaze long and wistfully out to sea. Many ships passed Ato's Island, -but never a one in the least resembling the splendid three-masted fast -sailing ship belonging to the Pirate.</p> - -<p>"You'll give yourself a fine squint there," warned Roger one morning, -as Ato for about the hundredth time raised his spy glass. "And what is -the use of it, pray?" inquired Roger grumpily, ruffling the pages of -the Book of Barons. "Samuel Salt has probably forgotten all about us -and gone off by himself on a voyage of discovery."</p> - -<p>"No! No! Sammy wouldn't do that," said the King, shaking his head -positively. "He promised to stop by for us on the very first voyage he -made as Royal Discoverer of Oz."</p> - -<p>"Ho, one of those seafaring promises!" muttered Roger. "A pirate's -promise. Humph! His new honors have gone to his head. Quite a jump from -pirating to exploring. I'll wager a wing he's gone back to buccaneering -and forgotten us altogether!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus7.jpg" width="476" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Now, Roger, how can you say that?" Heaving up his huge bulk with -great difficulty, Ato looked reproachfully at his Royal Read Bird. -"Sammy never cared for pirating in the first place," wheezed the King -earnestly, "and he was so soft-hearted about planking the captives and -burning the ships, his band sailed off and left him. They only made him -Captain because he was clever at navigating, and you know perfectly -well he spent more time looking for flora and fauna than for ships and -treasure."</p> - -<p>"Ah, then I suppose some wild Flora or Fauna has him in its clutches," -observed Roger sarcastically, "and a likely thing that is, seeing the -poor Captain weighs but two hundred and twenty pounds and stands six -feet in his socks."</p> - -<p>"What a tremendous fellow he was," sighed Ato, sinking dreamily back in -his hammock and half closing his eyes. "I'll never forget how high and -handsome he looked when Queen Ozma asked him to give up buccaneering, -and serve her instead as Royal Discoverer and Explorer for Oz! And -a fitting reward it was, too, for capturing Ruggedo and saving the -Kingdom. Aha, my lad, THAT was a day! And we had our share of glory, -too! Remember how they cheered us in the Emerald City of Oz?"</p> - -<p>"Aye, I remember THAT day and a good many other days since," sniffed -the Read Bird disagreeably. "Six months from that day Samuel Salt was -to sail into our Harbor. Well, King—it's been six times six months, -and nary a sail nor a sign of him have we seen."</p> - -<p>"That long?" said Ato, blinking unhappily.</p> - -<p>"That long and longer. Three years, eleven months, twenty-six days and -twelve hours, to be exact!"</p> - -<p>"Dear, dear and dear! Then something's happened to him," murmured -Ato. "He's either been shipwrecked, captured or enchanted! I'll never -believe Sammy would forget us or break his promise. Never!"</p> - -<p>"Well, whatever you believe, the results are the same." Flapping open -his book, Roger prepared to go on with his reading. "And depend upon -it," he insisted stubbornly, "we'll never see Samuel Salt again, so -you may as well put up your telescope and put your mind on something -else for a change. Maybe it's your cooking that's keeping him away," -finished the Read Bird, who felt cross and fractious and contrary as a -goat.</p> - -<p>"My cooking?" roared Ato, roused to honest anger at last. "I've a -notion to have you plucked and roasted for that. My cooking, indeed! -Show me the fellow who can beat up an omelette, a cake, a batch of -biscuits, faster than I; who can brown a fowl, broil a steak or toss -out a pan of fried potatoes to compare with mine. I—I, why, I'm -surprised at you, Roger!"</p> - -<p>Roger, ruffling his feathers uncomfortably, was rather surprised at -himself, for the King was speaking the exact truth; a more skillful man -with a skillet it would be impossible to find in any kingdom. Ever -since his voyage on the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, cooking had been Ato's chief -pleasure and pastime. The castle chef, though he heartily disapproved -of a King in the kitchen, could do nothing to discourage him, so -finally stood by in grudging envy and admiration as Ato turned out his -delectable puddings, pies, roasts and sauces.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus8.jpg" width="451" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Muttering with hurt pride and indignation, his Majesty continued to -frown at the Read Bird, and realizing he had gone too far, Roger -started to read as fast as he could from the Book of Barons. As he read -on, he could see the King growing calmer and finally, pausing to turn a -page, he let his gaze rove idly over the harbor.</p> - -<p>"Anchors and animal crackers! What was that?" Stretching up his neck, -Roger took another look, then, flinging the Book of Barons high into -the air, he spread his wings and started out to sea.</p> - -<p>Soothed by the droning voice of the Read Bird, Ato had closed his -eyes and the first warning he had of Roger's departure was a terrific -thump as the Book of Barons landed on his stomach. Leaping out of the -hammock as if he had been shot, the outraged Monarch looked furiously -around for his Read Bird. This really was too much. Not satisfied with -insulting him, Roger must now be bombarding him with books, cocoanuts -and what not.</p> - -<p>Shading his eyes with his hand, Ato glared up and down the beach and -finally out over the rippling blue ocean. At what he saw there, the -King forgot his anger as completely as Roger had forgotten his manners. -For, swinging jauntily into the Octagon Harbor was the <i>Crescent Moon</i> -herself! No mistaking the high-prowed, deep-waisted, powerful craft of -the Pirate. But a new and gayer pennant fluttered from the mizzenmast -today. Instead of the skull and bones, Samuel was flying the green and -white banner of Oz, as befitted the Royal Discoverer and Explorer of -the most famous Fairyland in History.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus9.jpg" width="479" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"He's here! He's come!" shouted Ato, running wildly up and down. -"Samuel! SAM-U-EL!" In his delight and excitement the King forgot the -Royal dock and began wading out into the bay. Peering around his -wheel, Sammy saw him coming and broke into a loud cheerful greeting.</p> - -<p>"Hi, King! Ho, King! How are you, you son of a Lubber! Wait till I -ease her in and I'll be ashore quicker than quick." Roger had already -reached the <i>Crescent Moon</i> and, perched on the Captain's shoulder, was -chattering away at such a rate Samuel could hardly keep his mind on his -steering. But he was an old hand at such matters, and before Ato had -half recovered from the shock of seeing him, the shining three-masted -vessel was made fast, and its Master striding exuberantly up the wet -planks of the royal dock.</p> - -<p>"Ahoy! Ahoy!" he boomed boisterously. "What a day for a voyage! Is it -really my old cook and shipmate?"</p> - -<p>"None other!" puffed Ato, seizing both of the former pirate's hands. -"But what have you done to yourself, Sam-u-el? Where's your sash and -scimiter? And what's that on your head, may I ask? You don't look -natural or seaman-like at all."</p> - -<p>"Oh, don't mind these," grinned the Pirate, touching his three-cornered -hat and satin coat apologetically. "These are my shore togs for -impressing the natives. Can't look like pirates when we go ashore this -voyage, Mates. We're explorers and fine gentlemen now, and when we set -the flag of Oz on lofty mountains and rocky isles, when we bring savage -tribes and strange races under the beneficent rule of Ozma of Oz, we -must look like Conquerors. Eh, my lads?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus10.jpg" width="500" height="345" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Yes—I sup-pose—so!" puffed the King, skipping clumsily to keep up -with the long strides of Captain Salt. "But I'm sorry this is going to -be a dressy affair, Sammy. How'm I to cook in a cocked hat and lace -collar and swab down the deck in velvet pants?"</p> - -<p>"Ho, ho! You'll not have to," exploded the Pirate, giving the tail -feathers of the Read Bird a sly tweak. "On shipboard we'll dress as we -please, for the sea is MY country and free as the wind and sun."</p> - -<p>"Well, well, I'm glad to hear you say that. Have you still got my old -pirate suit and blunderbuss aboard?" inquired the King anxiously.</p> - -<p>"Certain for sure, and a couple of new ones, and WAIT till you see your -galley all fitted out with copper pots, and provisions enough below -to carry us anywhere and back. Wait till you cast your eyes on 'em, -Lubber!"</p> - -<p>"Don't you call ME a Lubber!" chuckled Ato, giving Samuel a hearty poke -in the ribs. "I'm as able-bodied a seaman as you, Sammy, and you know -it."</p> - -<p>"SIR Samuel, if you please!" roared the former Pirate, striking himself -a great blow on the chest with his clenched fist. "Sir Samuel Salt, -Explorer and Discoverer Extraordinary to the Crown of Oz."</p> - -<p>"So—oooh! You've been knighted?" breathed Roger, peering round into -the Captain's face,</p> - -<div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Ho pass the salt and ring the bell</div> - <div class="verse">And bend the knee to Sir Sam-u-el!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>"Sir Samuel Salt! Well, I'll be peppered!" gasped Ato, sinking down on -the lower step of the palace which they had reached by this time. -"Sir Samuel!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus11.jpg" width="267" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Yes, SIR!" boasted the Pirate, rubbing his hands together, "but come -on, step lively, boys; how long'll it take you to pack up and heave -your dunnage aboard? Mustn't keep a Knight of Oz waiting, you know!"</p> - -<p>"Keep <i>you</i> waiting?" Suddenly and determinedly, Ato rose to his feet -and shook his finger under Sammy's nose. "Keep YOU waiting? Why, we've -been ready and waiting for this voyage three years, eleven months, -twenty-six days and twelve hours. Where've you been, you great lazy son -of a sea-robber?"</p> - -<p>"Four years?" choked the Pirate, falling back in real consternation and -dismay. "Never! It's never been four years, Mates. Why, I've scarcely -had time to sort out the shells and specimens we picked up on the last -voyage, and to fit out the <i>Crescent Moon</i> for the next."</p> - -<p>"Where have you been?" repeated Ato, wagging his finger sternly.</p> - -<p>"Why, home on Elbow Island, of course. Where else should I have been?" -muttered Samuel, looking distinctly worried and crestfallen.</p> - -<p>"Then have you no clocks or calendars in your cave?" demanded the King -accusingly. "And what would the <i>Crescent Moon</i> be needing? I thought -she was about perfect as she was."</p> - -<p>"Ah, but wait till you see her now!" exclaimed Samuel, cheering up -immediately at mention of his ship. "The <i>Crescent Moon</i>, besides a -new coat of paint, has self-hoisting sails and a mechanical steering -control in case we wish to take it easy occasionally. The Red Jinn -paid me a visit and presented us with these and several other magical -contrivances and improvements. I'm minded to make this voyage with no -crew but ourselves. It's cozier so, don't you think?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, but am I still on bird watch and lookout duty?" demanded Roger -jealously.</p> - -<p>"Aye, aye!" Samuel Salt assured him heartily.</p> - -<p>"I suppose the Red Jinn has supplied you with a mechanical cook in my -place as well as a mechanical steering wheel," murmured Ato, tugging -uneasily at the cord round his waist.</p> - -<p>"In your place!" thundered the Pirate. "Why, shiver my timbers, Mate! -Only over my prone and prostrate body shall another man enter my galley -to shuffle my rations, sugar my duff or salt my prog!"</p> - -<p>"Hooray, then let's get going!" squealed Roger, bouncing up and down -on Sammy's shoulder. "I was only saying this very morning that you'd -never forget your old friends and shipmates or go on a voyage without -us!"</p> - -<p>"Huh! So THAT'S what you were saying!" grunted Ato, looking fixedly at -the Read Bird. "Well, well, let it go. Come along then!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, and hurry," screamed Roger, spreading his wings to fly on -ahead.</p> - -<p>"Sixentwo! Sevenanone! Where are you?" panted the King, plunging up the -steps after Roger two at a time. "Where is everybody? Pack a bag, a -chest, a couple of trunks. I'm going on a voyage of discovery!"</p> - -<p>"And don't forget the cook book!" bawled Samuel Salt, bounding -exuberantly after the King.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_2" id="CHAPTER_2"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus12.jpg" width="465" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 2<br /> - -<small>Anchors Aweigh!</small></h2> - - -<p>With the help of eighteen serving men, eight courtiers, Sixentwo, -Sevenanone, and Samuel Salt, who was not above carrying a sea chest -or hamper, Ato began stowing his belongings on the <i>Crescent Moon</i>. -There was little court apparel or finery in the King's boxes. Most -of it consisted of bottles of flavoring extract, spiced sauces, cook -books, minced meats, fruits in jars for pies, numerous frying pans, egg -beaters, and rolling pins.</p> - -<p>"Are we gypsies, pan handlers, peddlers or what?" panted Samuel Salt as -he dumped the last load breathlessly on the main deck. "Goosewing my -topsails, Mate, many's the fish we cleaned with a jackknife, and potato -we pared with a dagger on the last voyage. Mean to say an explorer -needs to use all these weapons on his pork and beans?"</p> - -<p>Checking off a list as his stuff was placed in the galley, Ato nodded -determinedly, then winking good-humoredly at the perspiring Captain, -ducked into the cabin to don his old sea clothes. Samuel was not long -following suit and soon, in short red pants, open shirts and carelessly -tied head kerchiefs, the two went below to inspect the stores Samuel -had laid in for the voyage. Roger, having nothing to bring aboard but -a few books and a bottle of feather oil, was already perched in the -crosstrees of the fore topgallant mast looking longingly toward the -east and waiting impatiently for the ship to get under way. But the -booming voice of the Pirate soon drew him to the lower deck and from -there he swooped down an open hatchway to the hold.</p> - -<p>This huge space, usually reserved by the pirates for captives and -treasure, had been neatly divided into two sections. In one were -the tinned, dried and salted meats, the groceries, vegetables and -extra supplies of rope, tar and sail. In the other section there were -numerous shelves, many iron cages, aquariums and sea chests.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus13.jpg" width="462" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"For any strange animals or wild natives we may encounter and wish to -bring home with us," explained Samuel Salt as Roger looked curiously at -the cages. "In those chests are the flags of Oz we shall plant here, -there and everywhere as we sail onward!"</p> - -<p>"And to think a new and mighty Empire may grow from this flag -planting," mused Ato, opening one of the sea chests and thoughtfully -fingering one of Ozma's green and white silken banners. "But surely you -don't expect to plant all these, Samuel?"</p> - -<p>"Why not?" demanded the Royal Discoverer of Oz with a wave of the -scimiter he had resumed with his old pirate pants. "The sea is broad -and wide and no one's to tell us when we may start or sail home again. -But look, Ato, my lad—these will interest you." Turning from the -chests, Samuel pointed to a stack of long poles lashed to the side of -the ship with leather thongs. "Stilts!" grinned the Pirate as Roger -and Ato stared at them in complete mystification. "Fine for keeping -the shins dry when we wade ashore and don't feel like lowering the -jolly boat. All my own idea." Samuel cleared his throat with pardonable -pride. "Of course, it takes a bit of practice, but we'll try 'em on the -first island we come to. Eh, boys?"</p> - -<p>"Well, thank my lucky stars for wings!" breathed Roger after a long -disapproving look at Samuel's stilts. "Two steps and you'll smash -yourself to a jellyfish, Ato. Stick to the boats, men. That's MY -advice!"</p> - -<p>"Too bad he has no confidence in us!" roared Samuel, giving Ato a -resounding slap on the back. "Just wait, my saucy bird, and we'll show -you how stilting is done. And now, gaze upon this corner I've set aside -for my specimens; for rare marine growths, for seaweed, for curious -mollusks and other crustacean denizens of the darkest deep."</p> - -<p>Samuel coughed apologetically as he always did when he mentioned -his collecting mania, and Roger and Ato, exchanging an amused grin, -swung about to examine the long shelves with iron boxes clamped down -to prevent them from shifting with the motion of the vessel, huge -aquariums fitted into brass holders, and large trays bedded with dried -moss and sand for Samuel's collection of shells.</p> - -<p>"You might even bring home a mermaid in this," murmured Ato, touching -the side of an enormous aquarium.</p> - -<p>"No women!" snapped Samuel Salt, growing red in the face, for he did -not like to be teased about his specimen collecting. "I'll—I'll have -no women or mermaids switching their tails around my ship and turning -things topsy turvy."</p> - -<p>"Right," agreed Ato, giving his belt a vigorous tug. "Then how about -shoving off, Sammy? Everything's shipshape, there's a good wind and -the best way to begin a voyage is to start."</p> - -<p>"I'm for it!" roared the Captain, swinging hand over hand up the wooden -ladder. "All hands on deck! Up with your Master's flag, Roger. Cast off -the mooring lines, Ato, while I make sail and we'll be out of here in a -pig's jiffy."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus14.jpg" width="406" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Aye! Aye!" croaked Roger, seizing the cord that would send Ato's -octagon banner flying to the masthead, directly under the flag of Oz. -"Goodbye, all you lubbers ashore! Goodbye Sevenanone. Mind you keep -the King's Crown polished and don't forget to feed the silver fish."</p> - -<p>"GOODBYE!" called the one hundred and eighty Octagon Islanders drawn up -on the beach and dock to see his Majesty sail away. "A fine voyage to -your Highness!"</p> - -<p>"And neglect not to return!" shouted Sixentwo, using his hands as a -megaphone. "You know there is a Crown Council eight days and eight -months from yesterday."</p> - -<p>"Crown Council be jigged!" sniffed Ato, leaning far over the rail to -wave to his cheering subjects. "I'm a cook, an explorer—and a bold bad -seafaring man out to collect islands and jungles and jillycome-wiggles -for Samuel's shell box. Crown Council, indeed! Don't care if I never -see a castle again."</p> - -<p>"Me neither!" squalled Roger, flying up to his post in the foremast. -"Seven bells and all's well! Buoy off the beam and no land in sight."</p> - -<p>"Unless you look behind you," laughed Samuel, grabbing the wheel -with a practiced hand and squinting cheerfully up at the sun. "East -by southeast it'll be this voyage, Mates. There's ice in the North -Nonestic and I've a craving for tropical isles and the hidden rivers -of some deep and mysterious jungle!"</p> - -<p>"Remember Snow Island?" smiled Ato, coming over to stand beside the -wheel.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus15.jpg" width="449" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Shiver my shins! DO I? No more of that, me lads! But Ho! Isn't this -like old times?" Stretching up his arms exultingly, Samuel Salt let his -hands fall heavily on the wheel, and the great ship lifting with the -wind plunged her nose eagerly into the southeast swell.</p> - -<p>"M—mmm! Like old times, except for the boy," agreed Ato slowly.</p> - -<p>"Aye, and we'll surely miss Peter on this trip," sighed the Captain, -shaking his head regretfully. "Wonder where the little lubber is now? -That's the trouble with these real countries and peoples, there's no -getting at them when you need them most. Well, maybe we'll pick up -another hand somewhere to serve as cabin boy and keep us lively on the -voyage. But take a look at my sail controls, Ato. We can hoist, trim -and furl by just touching different buttons, nowadays; set this wheel -for any course and just let her ride."</p> - -<p>"Splendid!" grunted Ato, rising reluctantly from a coil of rope. "But -since there are no buttons on my stove, I'd best be thinking about -dinner."</p> - -<p>"Tar and tarpaulin, why didn't I have the Red Jinn fix you some?" -exclaimed the Pirate regretfully. "I'm sorry as a goat, Mate."</p> - -<p>"Ho—I'm not," laughed Ato, waddling happily off toward his galley. -"That would have spoiled everything. What'll it be, Captain—a fried -sole, a broiled steak, or a roaring huge hot peppery meat pasty?"</p> - -<p>"All of 'em!" yelled the Royal Explorer of Oz, exhaling his breath -in a mighty blast of anticipation. It seemed to Roger, high in the -foremast, that the ship gave an extra little skip at its Captain's -mighty roar, then settling easily into her usual graceful pace she ran -smoothly before the wind.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_3" id="CHAPTER_3"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus16.jpg" width="465" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 3<br /> - -<small>The Fire Baby</small></h2> - - -<p>Morning found the <i>Crescent Moon</i> forging ahead with a stiff breeze, a -choppy sea and the last known island far behind her.</p> - -<p>"Ahoy, and this is the life, Mates!" bellowed Samuel Salt, bracing his -legs against the pitch and roll of the vessel, and waving largely to -the ship's cook who sat on an overturned bucket mending his second best -sea shirt. "Anything can happen now!" Lovingly Samuel let his gaze rove -over the sparkling Nonestic, and Ato, squinting painfully as he pushed -his long needle in and out, nodded portentously.</p> - -<p>"By the way, Sammy, what are your plans for this flag planting and -discovery business?" inquired the portly cook somewhat later. Having -finished his mending, he had dragged a canvas chair and a pot of -potatoes aft by the wheel. "Do you look for resistance and rebellion -when we start taking possession of this land and that land for the -crown of Oz?"</p> - -<p>"No, no, nothing like that," mused Samuel, removing his pipe and -blowing a cloud of smoke into the rigging. "Everything's to be polite -and peaceable this voyage. No guns, knives or scimiters. Queen Ozma -particularly does not want any country taken by force or against its -will."</p> - -<p>"And suppose they object to being taken at all?" said Ato, beginning to -pare a fat potato. "What then?"</p> - -<p>"Well, then—er then—" Samuel rubbed his chin reflectively, "we'll try -persuasion, my lad. We'll explain all the advantages of coming under -the flag and protection of a powerful country like Oz. That ought to -get them, don't you think?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, if they don't get us first," observed Ato, popping a potato -dubiously into the pot. "Suppose while we stand there waving flags and -persuading, some of these wild fellows have at us with spears, clubs -and poison arrows?"</p> - -<p>"Well, that would be extremely unfortunate," admitted Samuel, glancing -soberly at the compass, "and in that case——"</p> - -<p>"I hope you will remember you were once a pirate and act accordingly," -Ato blew out his cheeks sternly as he spoke. "The one trouble with you, -Sammy, is that you take too long to get mad. So I shall go ashore armed -as usual with my kitchen knife and blunderbuss. I don't intend to be -sliced into sandwiches while you're talking through your three-cornered -hat, and waving flags at a lot of ignorant savages. And I'll have Roger -carry the books ashore too."</p> - -<p>"Ho, ho!" roared the Captain of the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, giving his knee -a great slap. "Just like old times, Ato. Rough, bluff and relentless, -Mates, remember?"</p> - -<p>"Aye, and I should say I do. And I remember Roger had to drop a good -many books on your head before you got mad enough to fight. What -makes you so calm and peaceable, Sammy? A big born fighting man like -yourself."</p> - -<p>"Sea life, I reckon," answered the former Pirate, extending his brawny -arms in a huge yawn. "The sea's so much bigger than a man, Mate—it -rather makes him realize how small and unimportant he really is. But -don't fret, Cook dear, no one shall tread on your toes, this voyage. -But avast there—it grows warmer and the air smells a bit thunderish. -Had you noticed?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus17.jpg" width="472" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"'Hoy, 'hoy! Deck ahoy!" bawled a shrill voice from above. "Island -astern." Both Samuel and Ato stared up in amazement, for Roger was -supposed to be resting in the cabin. But the Read Bird, after -snatching an hour's nap, had slipped out an open port and, unnoticed, -taken his position in the foremast. The Read Bird did not trust Ato, -who was supposed to be on watch. Besides, he wanted to be the first to -report a new island to the Captain.</p> - -<p>"Looks like a mountain," mumbled Ato, setting down his potatoes and -waddling over to the rail. "Heave to, Skipper, here's our first -discovery."</p> - -<p>"Now how in sixes did that get by me?" muttered Samuel Salt, hurrying -to shorten sail for the zigzag course, back and in, he would have to -take to reach the island at all.</p> - -<p>It showed plainly enough now, a rugged gray and purple mass of rock, -with apparently no vegetation or dwellings of any kind. As the -<i>Crescent Moon</i> drew nearer, the sea became smooth and oily, and the -air sulphurous and hot.</p> - -<p>"Think likely this is an island we might well pass by," murmured Ato, -peering critically through his telescope. "Positively deserted so far -as I can see—but there might be valuable minerals in those rocks."</p> - -<p>"Don't doubt it!" Samuel Salt curved himself all the way round the -wheel in his interest. Mechanical devices were well enough for the open -sea, but Samuel preferred to handle his own ship on occasions like -this. As there was no harbor or safe place to put in, he decided to -anchor off shore and land in the jolly boat. The anchor had just gone -clanking and rattling over the side when a horrid hiss and boom from -the center of the island made all hands look up in alarm.</p> - -<p>"K-kkk cannons!" quavered Ato, dropping his bread knife with a clatter. -"Stand by to man the guns!"</p> - -<p>But Samuel Salt, instead of heeding the cook's warning, began to sniff -the air. "Volcano, Mates," announced the Captain calmly. "And in that -case we may be a bit close for comfort. Still, I've always wanted -to observe a volcano in action. I've a theory there may be living -creatures in the center."</p> - -<p>"Living creatures in the center!" raged Ato, tearing off his white -apron and dashing it on the deck. "How long will we be living if that -fire pot starts boiling? We mayn't be killed, being of magic birth, but -we can be jolly well singed, fried, boiled and melted. And after that -who'd care to be alive? Quick, Roger, heave in on that chain! Anchors -aweigh!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus18.jpg" width="270" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>While Samuel stood in rapt contemplation of the volcano, and Ato began -frantically winding up the anchor, a long tongue of flame leaped out -of the crater and a great jet of bubbling lava shot clear over the -<i>Crescent Moon</i>. This occurrence soon brought Samuel out of his revery, -and snapping into action and forgetting all about his mechanical -devices, he began working like a mad man to get the ship in motion, -tugging at the sheets, throwing his whole weight against the halyards, -till the ship with quivering sail sped away like a frightened bird, the -hot winds from the volcano whistling and rattling through her rigging.</p> - -<p>"Where's Roger?" yelled Ato, staggering across the deck with two -buckets of water. "Oh, woe! Is he a Read Bird or a just plain Goose? -Look yonder, Sammy, he's flown ashore." Outlined against the sky in -a sudden flare from the volcano they could see Roger poised over the -center of the smoking island. In his claw was a large rippling banner -of Oz and as they looked he lifted the banner high above his head and -flung it straight into the center of the boiling crater.</p> - -<p>"We hereby take complete and absolute possession of this island and -declare all its inhabitants lawful subjects of her Majesty, Queen Ozma -of Oz!" screamed Roger hysterically.</p> - -<p>"Well, hurray, and three cheers for a real Explorer!" shouted Samuel -Salt. "He's done it all by himself, the only man among us who -remembered his duty under fire. There's a bird for you, Mates. Not even -a volcano can turn him from his duty. All we thought of was safety. -Poh!" Rubbing the back of his hand across his eyes, which were full of -smoke, Samuel looked glumly across at his cook.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus19.jpg" width="465" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Now, now, don't be too hard on yourself," puffed the King, setting -down the fire buckets. "A Captain must think of his ship, even if he -is an Explorer. Besides, having wings gives Roger an advantage of us. -Still and all, it was a brave and timely act." Ato's further remarks -were drowned out in a second tremendous explosion. Sky and sea turned -red, whole flaming boulders shot above the ship's spars, while great -sullen waves of lava boiled over the crater's edge and rolled smoking -and hissing into the sea.</p> - -<p>"Missed us again," panted Samuel Salt, hanging desperately to his wheel -as the <i>Crescent Moon</i> plunged and pitched in the angry seas. "Wonder -what started that?"</p> - -<p>"The Oz flag, probably," gasped Ato, feeling around in the dense smoke -for his fire buckets. "Hope Roger got off safely. Where is that fool -bird? Ho, Sammy! Hi, Sammy! Quick, they've hit us amidships."</p> - -<p>Hastily setting his mechanical steering gear, the former Pirate rushed -forward to where a glowing lump of lava was burning its way slowly but -surely through the deck.</p> - -<p>"Fire! Fire!" shrilled Roger, who had dropped down on the rail -unnoticed in the smoke and confusion. "Water, Ato! Water, you old Slow -Poke!"</p> - -<p>"Avast!" puffed Samuel Salt, staring down in astonishment at the -glowing lump at his feet. "It's alive, Mates, and lively as a grig. -It's a FIRE baby, that's what! HAH! Didn't I just say there was life on -a volcano? Well, this proves it and I'm taking this young one along for -proof."</p> - -<p>"Now stop talking like a book and act like a seaman," choked Ato, in -his agitation tripping over a rope but still managing to keep his hold -on the water buckets. "Fire baby or not, can't you see it's burning a -hole in the deck, you seventh son of a sea-going Jackass? Here, put it -out! Dash this water over it before it burns up the whole ship!"</p> - -<p>"Avast! Avast and belay!" roared Samuel Salt in a terrible voice as Ato -raised his bucket. "I'm still Captain here. Do you wish to destroy a -rare specimen of volcanic life? Fetch a shovel from the hold, Roger. A -shovel, I said, and don't stand there dithering."</p> - -<p>"Aye aye, sir!" sputtered the Read Bird, half falling and half flying -down the companionway. Now a bird is a quick and handy fellow about a -ship and in half the time it would have taken a seaman, Roger was back -with a long handled shovel. Snatching the shovel, which he had often -used on former treasure hunts, Samuel scooped up the bawling fire baby -and started on a run for the galley.</p> - -<p>"It's turning black, it's turning black," wailed the disconsolate -collector, crooning to the ugly infant as he ran along as if he were -its own mother. "Aye, aye—it's going out!"</p> - -<p>"And a good thing, too," panted Ato, who was close behind him. "What in -tarry barrels are you fixing to do with it, Sammy?"</p> - -<p>Roger, sensible bird that he was, stayed long enough to douse the two -buckets of water on the smoking deck, then he, too, made a bee line for -the galley. He was just in time to see Samuel lift the lid of the range -and slide the baby down on top of the hot coals. No sooner had the -squat infant touched the glowing fire than it stopped yelling at once -and began to purr and sing like a teakettle set on to boil.</p> - -<p>"Well, I'll be swizzled!" gulped Ato, and snatching a wet dish towel -from the rack, he wound it round and round his aching head. "Whatever -made you think of that?"</p> - -<p>"It's my scientific mind," the Pirate told them blandly. "The proper -place for any infant that size is bed and I naturally figured that -a fire baby belonged in a fire bed, and a bed of hot coals was the -nearest to it, so here it is!" Winking solemnly at Roger, who was -regarding the little Lavaland Islander with fear and loathing, Samuel -picked up the poker and gave the baby an affectionate poke. "It'll do -fine here," he predicted happily, "and prove beyond a quibble that -volcanos are inhabited."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus20.jpg" width="462" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"It'll do nothing of the sort!" exploded Ato, bringing his fat fist -down with a resounding thump on the drain board. "You may be the -Captain of the ship, Sammy, but I'm the boss of this galley, and that -fire baby will have to go. GO! Do you understand? How'm I to cook with -the ugly little monster lolling all over the fire bed and like as not -falling into the soup when my back is turned?"</p> - -<p>"Hark!" interrupted Roger. "More trouble! Something's up, Master Salt, -and it's not an eruption either." And Samuel had to agree with him as -groans, moans, shrieks and hisses came whistling after the flying ship.</p> - -<p>"Ah, that'll be the rest of them!" exulted the Royal Discoverer, -pounding out on deck. "Hah! It's the Lavaland Islanders themselves. -Ho—this WILL be interesting!"</p> - -<p>"Well, just invite them over and we'll all burn up happily together," -suggested Ato bitterly.</p> - -<p>Hanging over the taffrail, Samuel paid no attention to the King's -sarcastic suggestion. Indeed, he was much too interested, for just -showing above the flaming circle of the volcano's crater was a row -of immense and thunderous looking natives. They were of transparent -rock-like structure and burned and glowed from the molten lava that -coursed through their veins. With upraised arms and furious faces they -were yelling over and over some strange and indistinguishable threats -and phrases. One, shaking the blackened stick of the Oz flag, danced -and screamed louder than all the rest put together.</p> - -<p>"They do not wish to become subjects of Oz, I take it," sighed Samuel, -undecided whether to sail back and argue the matter, or sail away and -save his ship from possible destruction.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus21.jpg" width="459" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"That's not it! That's not it!" cried Roger, flapping his wings -triumphantly. "I know what's the matter. They want that baby back. -You're probably making off with the Crown Prince of the Volcano. See -that woman yelling louder than the others and holding out both arms? -Well, look—she has a crown on her head and is likely the Queen. She -wants her baby back."</p> - -<p>"And she should have it, too," stated Ato, blinking his eyes at the -frightful racket the Lavaland Islanders were making. "You can't steal -people's children like this, Sammy, unless you're going back to -buccaneering. It's just plain piracy."</p> - -<p>"She threw it at us, didn't she?" muttered the Captain, who was -unwilling to part with so valuable a specimen.</p> - -<p>"It probably blew out of its cradle when the volcano erupted. Give it -back to her, Sammy," begged Ato, who was determined to get rid of the -terrible infant at any cost. "After all, she's its mother."</p> - -<p>"But do you expect me to sail back there and endanger all of our -lives?" Samuel jerked his head angrily. "And how else can it be done?"</p> - -<p>"Er—er—let Roger carry it back in that old wire basket we use for -clams," proposed the cook eagerly.</p> - -<p>"Not on your life," protested Roger in a sulky voice. "The basket would -grow red hot and burn my bill. Besides, I'm no stork. Tell you what we -could do, though, and we'd better be quick before they start throwing -things."</p> - -<p>"What?" inquired the Captain, gazing uneasily at the infuriated -Islanders.</p> - -<p>"Why, simply shoot it back," Roger said calmly. "Stuff it in the port -cannon and blaze away. You never miss your mark, Master Salt, and if -you can't shoot that baby back into its mother's arms, I'll walk on my -wings and be done with it."</p> - -<p>"Why, Roger, how clever! The very thing!" rejoiced Ato. "I'll go fetch -it with the fire tongs and you'll have to hurry, Sammy, or we'll be out -of range."</p> - -<p>"But it might injure the young one," objected the Captain of the -<i>Crescent Moon</i>, shifting his feet uncomfortably.</p> - -<p>"Nonsense, it'll be just like a ride in a baby carriage for that little -rascal. Prime your gun, Sammy, while I get the child."</p> - -<p>By this time the clamor from the Island had become so alarming that -even Samuel realized something would have to be decided. So, somewhat -mollified by Roger's compliment on his aim, he made ready to fire the -port cannon. The baby, hissing lustily, was brought without accident -from the galley. Ato held it gingerly before him, using the fire -tongs, Roger following along to hold a lighted candle under the little -fellow to keep him from going out before he was shot.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus22.jpg" width="463" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>The baby fitted nicely into the cannon's mouth and stopped crying -instantly. At the last moment Samuel almost lost his courage, but urged -on to action by both Ato and Roger, he carefully made his calculations -and then shutting both eyes pulled the cord that set off the gun. The -terrible explosion shocked the Lavalanders into silence, and almost -afraid to look, Samuel opened his eyes.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus23.jpg" width="466" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Yo, ho, ho! Three cheers for the Skipper!" squealed Ato, snatching -the towel from his head and waving it like a banner. "The neatest shot -you ever made, Mate, and a lucky shot, too." The baby and the cannon -ball which would have shattered a less durable lady had struck the Lava -Queen amidships. Dropping the cannon ball carelessly into the crater, -the giantess clasped her child in her arms, smiling and screaming her -thanks across the tumbling waters.</p> - -<p>"Well, was I right, or was I right?" chuckled Roger, teetering backward -and forward on the rail and preening his feathers self-consciously. -"And I've another idea just as good in case you should be interested."</p> - -<p>"Oh, keep it till tomorrow," grumbled Samuel Salt, who felt terribly -depressed at the loss of his rare specimen.</p> - -<p>"But tomorrow will be too late," persisted Roger, settling on the -Captain's shoulder. "Now, while these savages are in a good humor, let -me fly over and drop another Oz flag on the Island. Maybe this time -they'll let it stand and once it flies over the crater the Island is -Ozma's."</p> - -<p>"By the tooth of a harpooned whale, you're right! I'm forgetting my -duty to Oz," breathed Samuel, straightening up purposefully. "But our -kind of flag won't stand the climate yonder."</p> - -<p>The Read Bird, however, had thought even of that. Taking a sheet of -iron from the hold, the resourceful fellow stopped in the galley long -enough to burn in the word OZ with the red hot poker. Then, thrusting -the poker itself through two slits in his iron banner, he flew jauntily -back to the Island.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus24.jpg" width="301" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Ahoy, and there's a standard bearer for you!" Rubbing his hands -together, Samuel strode to the rail. "Bless my buttons, the boy -deserves a medal for this, and shall have one, too."</p> - -<p>This time the Lavaland Islanders watched Roger's approach with quiet -interest and as he hovered uncertainly over their heads held up their -hands for the iron flag. But Roger, made daring by their friendliness, -swooped down suddenly to the crater's edge, and jamming his banner -between two smoking boulders soared aloft.</p> - -<p>"Lavaland Islanders!" screamed the Read Bird hoarsely. "You are now -under the protection and rule of Queen Ozma of Oz. Lavaland Islanders, -you are hereby adjured to keep the peace and the law and LAV one -another!"</p> - -<p>His voice cracked from fright and excitement, but finishing -triumphantly, he spread his wings and skimmed back to the <i>Crescent -Moon</i>.</p> - -<p>"Hung wung wah HEEE!" yelled the Islanders all together, nodding their -heads and waving their arms cheerfully. "Hung wung wah HEEE!"</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_4" id="CHAPTER_4"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus25.jpg" width="471" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 4<br /> - -<small>Samuel's First Specimen</small></h2> - - -<p>"What do you make of that?" puffed Samuel Salt as Roger dropped -breathlessly down on his shoulder. "Well, 'Hung wung wah HEEE!' it is. -Let's give them a cheer for luck." Lifting his great voice, the Royal -Discoverer for Oz, helped out by his two shipmates, sent the weird call -booming back across the water.</p> - -<p>An answering call came from the Island, and then, with a hiss and thud, -a small glowing object fell on the deck. Fortunately the fire tongs -were still handy and picking up the offending object before it could do -any damage, Ato marched sternly off to the galley. Stopping long enough -for another wave to the Island, which was growing smaller and smaller -as the <i>Crescent Moon</i> sped away, Samuel hastened after his cook, -jotting down hurried notes in his journal as to latitude and longitude -as he ran along.</p> - -<p>"There's something written on this piece of lava," announced Ato, who -had dropped the smoking souvenir from Lavaland on the stove. Peering -over his shoulder, Samuel could see queer raised symbols and signs on -the sulphurous surface of the rock.</p> - -<p>"There's something crawling on it, too," volunteered Roger, who was -perched on the towel rack above the stove, and had a better view, "a -golden frog or a lizard."</p> - -<p>"Merciful mustard! What next?" groaned Ato.</p> - -<p>"Why, this—this—" Samuel's voice quivered with excitement and -disbelief, "this, Mates, is as fine a specimen of a Preoztoric Monster -as a scientist could hope for; a real live salamander, a fire lizard, -straight from the burning depths of yonder crater. Stars! Tar and -Tarrybarrels! This is even better than the baby and will prove my point -just as well."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus26.jpg" width="253" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Does it have to live on my stove?" asked Ato ominously, as the -Salamander slid merrily backward and forward over the red hot plates of -the range. "Home on the range!" snickered Roger, winking at the Pirate.</p> - -<p>"Just till I can fix up a hot box for it," apologized Samuel, "but -don't fret, old Toff, it doesn't bite and if it falls on the floor, all -you have to do is scoop it up and put it back before it goes out."</p> - -<p>"Not only cook, mate and swab, but now I'm nursemaid to a fire lizard." -Ato shuddered, and reaching for his tall cook's cap, jammed it down -hard on his shiny bald head.</p> - -<p>"You can keep it in an iron pot while you cook," suggested Roger -practically, "and after all, King dear, it's the only Salamander in -captivity. Here, Sally, here Sal—this way, my little crater critter." -Tilting the pot on the back of the stove, Roger was delighted to find -the Salamander quite willing to answer to her new name. As she slid -adventurously into the small cooking vessel, the Read Bird quickly -righted the pot and clapped on the cover. "There," he exclaimed with a -satisfied nod at his Master, "how's that?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I suppose I'll have to put up with it," sighed Ato resignedly. -"But in some ways pirating was easier than discovering, Sammy. At -least, we never kept the captives on the stove. And NOW—" Ato waved -his arms determinedly. "Clear out, both of you. It's three bells and -time to stir up the food. And just take that pesky rock along with you. -I've meat to broil!"</p> - -<p>"When this cools, maybe I'll be able to figure out the language," -exulted Samuel, removing the offending piece of lava with a cake -turner. "All in all, a most interesting and profitable day, eh, Roger? -An island, a visit from a fire baby, and a real live Preoztoric -monster."</p> - -<p>"Not bad," agreed the Read Bird, transferring himself to the Captain's -shoulder. Depositing the piece of lava on an iron hatchway to cool, -Samuel strode happily along the deck, stopping to light the red lamps -on the port and the green lights on the starboard. Roger himself had -just hung a white light in the rigging when a lusty call from the -galley sent him flying off to help Ato serve the dinner.</p> - -<p>"What could be cozier than a life at sea?" he reflected, winging -jauntily into the main cabin with a dish of roast potatoes. Ato puffed -cheerfully behind, bearing a huge tray. On the tray a steaming tureen -of soup, a pot of coffee, seven dishes of vegetables and two of smoking -meats sent up tantalizing whiffs and fragrances. Later when the Read -Bird brought in the pudding, he and Sammy soberly agreed it was the -tastiest feast Ato had served on the voyage.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus27.jpg" width="483" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>The main cabin of the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, with its red leather couches -under the ports, its easy chairs and tables clamped to the floor to -keep them from shifting, with its ship's clock and ship's lanterns, -was a cheery place to be when the day's work was ended. There was a -huge fireplace for foggy evenings and every visible space on the wall -was covered with pictures of pirate ships, ancient sailing vessels and -rough maps and charts of strange and curious islands. While Samuel -and Ato sat at their ease to finish off the pudding, Roger took his -upon the wing, darting in and out between bites to assure himself that -all was well on deck. There was a tiny crescent moon sliding down the -sky, and the slap of waves against the side of the ship and the wind -creaking in the cordage made as pleasant a tune as the heart of a -seaman could wish for.</p> - -<p>"Now what could be better than this?" said Samuel Salt exhaling a cloud -of smoke from his pipe and stretching his legs luxuriously under the -long table. "A tidy ship, a good wind and the whole wide sea to sail -on."</p> - -<p>"Suits me!" grinned Ato scraping up the last of the hard sauce and -settling back with a grunt of sheer content. "Did you mark up our -volcano on the chart Sammy, and what are we calling it Mates? An island -must have a name you know."</p> - -<p>"I know." Samuel blew another cloud of smoke upward and cleared his -throat. "If it's agreeable to all hands and Roger, I'd like to call it -Salamander Island after Sally."</p> - -<p>"Why not? There's a Sally in our galley and a real nice gal is Sally," -warbled Roger, settling on the back of Samuel's chair and wagging his -head in time to the music.</p> - -<p>"Sing like a bird, don't ye?" muttered Samuel striding over to the map -of Oz and surrounding countries and oceans that covered the west wall.</p> - -<p>"I AM a bird," screamed Roger fluttering up to his shoulder. "'Bout -here she would lie, Master Salt, sixty leagues from Octagon Island."</p> - -<p>As Roger talked on, making numerous suggestions, the Captain of the -<i>Crescent Moon</i> drew with red chalk a small but effective picture -of Salamander Island showing the volcano in action and the Lavaland -Islanders grouped around the crater's top.</p> - -<p>"Taken this day without a shot or the loss of a single man," printed -Samuel in neat letters under his sketch.</p> - -<p>"Don't forget, you shot the baby," twittered Roger raising a claw -argumentatively.</p> - -<p>"Oh, we can't put in small details like that," sniffed the Captain -stepping back to admire his drawing.</p> - -<p>"Seems odd for us to be discovering and taking possession of islands -for a country we know so little about," mused Ato, looking thoughtfully -at the map on the west wall. "Why, we've only been to Oz once -ourselves."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus28.jpg" width="470" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Yes, but everybody knows about Oz," Samuel said putting the red chalk -back in the table drawer. "Our business is with wild new countries -that have never been seen or heard of. Besides, anyone can see that Oz -is overpopulated and needs new territories and sea ports. And since -Ozma is so clever at governing, and her subjects all so happy and -prosperous, the more people who come under her rule the better!"</p> - -<p>"Aye! Aye!" agreed Roger, peering with deep interest at the map. Small -wonder the Read Bird was interested, for Oz is one of the most exciting -and enchanting countries ever discovered. There are four large Kingdoms -in Ozma's realm, the Northern Land of the Gillikens, the Eastern Empire -of the Winkies, the Southern Country of the Quadlings and the Western -domain of the Munchkins. Each forms a triangle in the oblong of Oz. The -Emerald City which is the capital, is in the exact center where all -these triangles meet. Each of these Kingdoms has its own ruler, but -all four are under the sovereign rule and control of Ozma, the small -but powerful fairy who lives in the Emerald City. On all sides, Oz is -surrounded by a deadly desert and beyond the desert lie the independent -Kingdoms of No-Land, Low Land, Ix, Play, Ev, the Dominions of the -Gnome King, and many other strange and important Principalities. These -countries form a narrow rim around the desert, and beyond this rim lies -the Nonestic Ocean itself, stretching in all directions and to no one -knows what far and undiscovered shores. Each of the four Kingdoms in -Oz shown on Samuel's map was so dotted with smaller Kingdoms, cities, -towns, villages and the holdings of ancient Knights and Barons, there -was scarcely room for another castle. With young Princes growing up on -every hand, Roger could well sympathize with the need of Ozma for more -territory.</p> - -<p>"Won't the Ozians have too long a way to come before they reach these -new islands and countries we discover?" inquired the Read Bird, after -staring at the map for some moments in silence.</p> - -<p>"Not a bit of it!" Samuel dismissed Roger's objection with a snap of -his fingers. "I hear the Wizard of Oz is working on a new fleet of -airships, that will make crossing the desert and Nonestic a real lark -and enable new settlers to reach these outlying islands in a day or -less. So all we have to do is to proceed with our discovering. Ozma -will attend to the rest. This volcanic island may not be as useful as -some of the others, but one can never tell. How about picking up a few -islands for you, Ato, as we ride along?" The former pirate dropped his -arm affectionately round the shoulders of his Royal Cook.</p> - -<p>"No, thanks," grunted Ato, rolling cheerfully to his feet. "One's -enough. What would I want with any more islands? Why I'd never get off -on a voyage. But pick yourself a couple, Sammy, why don't you?"</p> - -<p>"Who, ME?" Samuel Salt shook his head emphatically. "A ship's all I -can handle and I wouldn't trade you two buckets of sea water for all -the islands in the Nonestic. One ship and one crew's enough for me, -and since you're my crew, you'd better turn in—we've had a hard day -and another one coming. I'll take first watch, Cooky, here, shall have -middle, and you Roger can be the early bird on morning watch."</p> - -<p>"Ho hum! I'm right sleepy at that," admitted Ato, starting to heap up -plates. "Give me a lift with the dishes, Roger, will you?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, throw 'em overboard," directed Samuel Salt recklessly. "There's -plenty more in the hold and I'm agin all extry labor."</p> - -<p>"Hurray!" screamed Roger seizing the coffee pot and winging merrily -through an open port.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus29.jpg" width="448" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Avast! Avast there! Not my coffee pot!" pleaded Ato, making after the -Read Bird with surprising speed considering his tonnage. "Stop you -great Gossoon! How many times must I tell you I'm boss of the galley?" -Catching Roger by the leg just as he reached the rail, Ato snatched -back his precious coffee pot and hugged it protectively to his bosom. -"Why I've just got this contraption broken in proper," he panted -indignantly. "A coffee pot's like a pipe, it's got to be sweetened and -seasoned. Heave over the plates and cups if you like," he went on, -relenting a bit as he noted the keen disappointment on Roger's face, -"but save the soup tureen. I'll wager there's not another that size on -the ship and the Captain must have his soup. What a splendid pot of -soup THIS would make," murmured Ato looking dreamily down at the sea, -"a bit salty, perhaps, but full of snapper and porgy and tender young -sea shoots. Why that foam's as near to whipping cream as anything I've -ever gazed on."</p> - -<p>Tearing himself reluctantly from the appetizing sight, the Royal Cook -padded off to put the galley in order for the night, while Roger with -loud squalls of glee dropped the plates and saucers one by one over -the side. In this way the dishes were soon done, the cabin tidy and -shipshape, and by eight bells the King and the Read Bird were sleeping -soundly and Samuel Salt had the ship to himself.</p> - -<p>First, he made a complete round of all decks, glanced at the barometer -and compass, and furled the fore and mizzen topsails. Then he took the -cooled piece of lava down to the hold. The strange signs and symbols -had hardened, and labeling it carefully with the date and name of -Salamander Island, Samuel placed it on his shelves for further study. -Then returning to the main deck he set a portable ship's lantern on -a coil of rope and settled down to fix a hot box for the Salamander. -Selecting from the material he had brought from the hold an iron box -with a glass lid, he covered the bottom with sand and pebbles. Knowing -salamanders require hot water as well as hot air, he placed a tiny -flat pan of water in the corner of the box to serve as a swimming -pool. A burning glass in the day time and an alcohol lamp under the -box at night would supply the necessary heat, and setting the whole -contrivance on an iron tray in the cabin, Samuel went joyfully off to -fetch the fire lizard.</p> - -<p>The Salamander was still in the pot on the back of the stove, and -giving her an experimental poke with his finger, Samuel was astonished -to find her quite cool to the touch. This was surprising considering -she could only live in the most intense heat. But without stopping to -figure it out, the Captain picked her up between thumb and forefinger, -carried her to the cabin and popped her into the iron box. He had -already lighted the lamp under the box so that everything was red -hot and cozy for her. The small captive seemed to appreciate her new -quarters, wriggling over the hot pebbles and sand, then splashing gaily -in her swimming pool.</p> - -<p>"Quite a girl!" sighed the pirate, resting his elbows on the table and -gazing happily down at the first prize of the voyage. "You're going -to be great company for me, Sally." As if she really understood, the -lizard gave a squeak and tapped loudly on the glass lid with her -tail. The pipe almost dropped from Samuel's mouth at Sally's strange -behavior, and lifting the lid he peered inquisitively down at her. -Before he had a chance to clap it shut, the Salamander hurled herself -upward, landing smartly on the bridge of the Pirate's nose, from where -she slid cleverly into the pipe itself.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus30.jpg" width="461" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Well I'll be scuppered!" gasped the Royal Explorer looking slightly -cross-eyed down the bridge of his nose as Sally coiled up comfortably -in the bowl of the pipe. "The little rascal wants to keep me company, -and so she shall, bless my boots, so she shall! Why this is plumb -cute and cozy and something to write in my journal." Puffing away -delightedly Samuel stepped out of the cabin and all during his watch, -the little Salamander rested contentedly in his pipe. Sometimes she -peered up inquisitively over the edge, but mostly she lay quietly on -the smoking tobacco, looking with calm interest at the sky and the -rippling sails over her head. Not only did she keep his pipe from going -out, but never had it drawn so well. So, filled with a vast wonder -and content, Samuel strode up and down the deck. Not till midnight -when he roused Ato could he bear to put Sally back in her box and only -then, after he had promised her another ride in the morning. But when -morning came, Samuel had no time to keep his promise, for while Ato was -cooking breakfast and the Captain himself catching forty winks in the -cabin, the raucous voice of the Read Bird came whistling down from the -foremast.</p> - -<p>"Land Ho! Land! More Land. Island tuluward, Captain!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_5" id="CHAPTER_5"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus31.jpg" width="468" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 5<br /> - -<small>Patrippany Island</small></h2> - - -<p>"All hands on deck! Come on! Come <i>on</i>!" yelled Samuel Salt running -past Ato's galley dragging on his clothes as he ran. "There's an island -tuluward, you lubber."</p> - -<p>"Well, 'tain't a flying island is it?" Ato stuck a very red face out -the door. "I guess it'll stay there till I turn the bacon, won't it? No -cause to burn the biscuits just 'cause an island's sighted is there?" -But in spite of his pretended indifference, the ship's cook shoved -all his pans on the back of the stove and hurried out on deck. "Rich -and jungly, this one," he observed, resting his arms comfortably on -the rail, "and from what I can see a good place to grow bananas and -whiskers. Look, Sammy, even the trees have beards."</p> - -<p>"Moss," muttered Samuel Salt striding over to the wheel. "Fly ashore -Roger and see whether there's a good place to put in."</p> - -<p>Twittering with importance and curiosity, the Read Bird flung himself -into the air. In ten minutes he was back to report a wide river cutting -through the center of the island from end to end. The foliage was so -dense, Roger had not been able to discover any signs of habitation, but -after viewing the mouth of the river through his glasses, the Captain -decided to take a chance, and sail through.</p> - -<p>"Now, Sammy, let's not do anything hasty," begged the ship's cook -lifting his floury hands in warning, "nor try to conquer a country on -an empty stomach. This may be an important island, so after we eat, let -us put on our proper clothes and plant the Oz flags with dignity and -decorum."</p> - -<p>"Spoken like a King and a seaman," approved Samuel Salt, "and if my eye -does not deceive me, I'll have the ship in the river as soon as you -have the coffee in the pot. Then we'll ride in with the tide, put on -our discovering togs and proceed with the business of the day."</p> - -<p>So while Ato returned to his galley and the Read Bird to his post in -the foremast, Samuel swung the <i>Crescent Moon</i> in toward the island. -Each felt a slight twinge of uneasiness as the ship left the open sea -and began to slip rapidly up the broad new and unnavigated jungle -stream. Vine covered trees pressed close to the banks, and birds and -monkeys in the branches kept up an incessant screech and chattering. A -flock of greedy pelicans flopped comically after the ship and as they -penetrated deeper and deeper into the jungle it almost seemed as if -they were entering some dim green land of goblins.</p> - -<p>"A fine target we make for anyone who cares to shoot at us," moaned -Ato, as he waddled backward and forward between the cabin and galley -with cups and covered dishes. "Ugh!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, I wouldn't be surprised to feel an arrow in my back any minute -now," assented Samuel Salt brightly, "though I must say I'd much prefer -a fried mackerel in my stomach."</p> - -<p>"Come on then," shuddered Ato, in no wise cheered by Samuel's remarks, -"breakfast's ready and we may as well eat before we die."</p> - -<p>"Now never say die!" roared the Royal Explorer of Oz, touching the -buttons to furl sail and yelling to Roger to let go the anchor. -"Never say die—say dee—dee-scovery is our aim and purpose, Mates. -Dee-scovery with a <i>hi de di dide di dough</i>!" sang Samuel vociferously -to keep up his own spirits. Finally with the ship motionless amidstream -the three shipmates sat down to breakfast. Their nerves were tense and -their ears cocked for signs of approaching natives, but except for the -noise of the birds and monkeys and the occasional splash of some river -creature, there was no sound to indicate the ship had been sighted by -the islanders.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus32.jpg" width="249" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Nobody's home," concluded Samuel, finishing off his third cup of -coffee at one toss and hurrying off to his cabin. Roger, having only -Oz flags and no shore togs to bother him, generously offered to clear -away the dishes and amused himself by throwing scraps and the rest of -the biscuits to the pelicans. He had just tossed over the last biscuit -when Ato appeared in a grand satin coat and breeches, long cape and -three-cornered hat. The elegance of his apparel was somewhat marred by -the bread board he had belted round his middle and the bread knife -and blunderbuss he had stuck through his sash.</p> - -<p>"Ha, hah!" roared Samuel Salt, giving the bread board a resounding -whack. "Something to stay your stomach, EH?" Samuel himself was as -stylishly attired as the King, his three-cornered hat at a dashing -angle. Under his arm he had two pairs of tremendously long stilts. "No -need for us to get all grubby lowering the boat. We'll wade ashore this -time," explained Samuel as Ato's eyes grew round and questioning. "Easy -as walking on crutches; just watch me, Mate."</p> - -<p>Now Samuel, it must be confessed, had been practicing stilting on Elbow -Island, so naturally it came easy to him. First he put his stilts over -the side, then vaulting the rail, he seized the tops and settled his -feet in the cross pieces at one jump and started walking calmly up and -down gleefully calling for Ato to follow. It all looked so simple, Ato -handed the basket of lunch he had packed to Roger, and seizing his -stilts began anxiously feeling around for the river bottom. Satisfied -that it was solid, he climbed boldly up on the rail.</p> - -<p>"That's it! That's it!" applauded Samuel. "Now grab the tops, Mate, and -start coming."</p> - -<p>"Chee tree—tee—hee—!" screeched the monkeys derisively as Ato clung -precariously to the rail with one hand and maneuvered his stilts with -the other. By some miracle of balance the fat King actually managed -to mount and hold on to his perilous walking sticks. Then with a long -quivering breath he heaved one forward. He was about to take another -step when a desperate scream from Roger almost caused him to topple -over backwards.</p> - -<p>"'Gators!" croaked the Read Bird, beating his wings together violently. -"Watch out for those 'gators."</p> - -<p>"Why bother him with gaiters at a time like this? They look perfectly -all right to me." Samuel Salt frowned up at Roger.</p> - -<p>"Not <i>his</i> gaiters, river 'gators, alligators, CROCODILES!" wailed -Roger, beginning to fly in agonized circles. "Crocodiles and WORSE."</p> - -<p>Samuel, eyeing what he had supposed to be a pile of rotten logs on the -river bank, saw dozens of the slimy saurians slide into the water and -come savagely toward them.</p> - -<p>"Back to the ship! Back to the ship!" babbled the Read Bird, clutching -Ato's collar with a frantic claw. But the King was too frightened to -move. The sight of the bleary-eyed river monsters made him tremble so -violently his stilts twittered and swayed like trees in a hurricane. He -could not for the life of him take a step in either direction. With a -loud cry Samuel started to help him, but a crocodile reached Ato first. -Its jaws closed with a vicious snap on the King's left stilt and with a -heart-rending shriek Ato plunged into the slimy river.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus33.jpg" width="500" height="347" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"There, there! Now you've done it!" sobbed Roger. "Fed the kindest soul -who ever served a ship's company to a parcel of crocodiles!" Dropping -the Oz flags and lunch basket, he made an unsuccessful grab for his -Master's arm. But even if he had caught it, Ato's great weight would -have pulled them both under, and now only a circle of bubbles showed -where the luckless explorer had disappeared. Firing his blunderbuss -to frighten off the rest of the crocodiles, Samuel, striking left and -right with his stilts, propelled himself forward, while Roger pecked -futilely at the monster that had felled his Master. But just as Samuel, -after boldly driving off the dragon-like creature, prepared to dive in -and save Ato or perish with him, a dripping head appeared above the -water.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus34.jpg" width="500" height="294" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Thank you. Thank you very much!" murmured a mild voice. "I haven't -had as nice a present as this since I was an itty bitty baby. Now what -can I do for YOU?" Neither Samuel nor Roger could speak a word, for -where the King had gone down, a tremendous hippopotamus was coming -up, the lunch basket hanging carelessly out of a corner of its mouth. -For a wild moment Samuel thought his enormous friend and shipmate had -been transformed by some witchcraft into this ponderous beast. He even -imagined he caught an expression of Ato's in the monster's moist eye. -But this gloomy idea was soon dispelled, for, as the creature rose -higher out of the water, they could see a desperate and bedraggled -figure sprawled across its slippery back.</p> - -<p>"Ahoy, Mate!" choked Samuel, his heart thumping like a trip hammer. "Is -it really you? Are you safe, then?"</p> - -<p>"Safe!" quavered the half-drowned and mud-covered King of the Octagon -Isle. "SAFE?" He peered dizzily at the churning crocodiles just a -boat's length away, and his voice cracked and broke. "I never felt -safer in my life. What am I riding, a whale or an elephant?"</p> - -<p>"A river horse," explained the hippopotamus, looking kindly over her -shoulder. Then, as the crocodiles began to hiss and roar and come -rolling toward them, she gave a ferocious bellow and snort. "Away with -you! Be off, you river scum!" she squealed viciously. "These travelers -are MINE. Shoot your fire stick, Master Long Legs. That will fix them." -For a moment the crocodiles held their post, then, as Samuel fired his -gun repeatedly, they began to slide sullenly across the river to the -opposite bank. "Hold fast, Master Short Legs, and I'll soon have you -ashore," wheezed the hippopotamus, speaking out of the corner of her -mouth so as not to drop the picnic basket.</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, but what then?" shuddered Ato, trying to get a finger hold -on the monster's slippery neck.</p> - -<p>"Why, then, we'll both tell our stories, and after that I'll eat," -snorted the river horse, paddling joyously toward the bank.</p> - -<p>"You'll EAT!" groaned Ato, ready to roll back into the river. "Oh, my -father and mother and maiden aunts!"</p> - -<p>"Did you hear that?" Dropping to Samuel's shoulder, Roger whispered -fiercely. "Quick now, a shot behind the ear, before it gets any -further. Are you going to do nothing while this ravenous monster -carries off my poor Master?"</p> - -<p>"Sh-hh!" warned Samuel, holding up his finger. "These creatures do -not eat meat or men. They're herbivorous, my lad, and this one seems -uncommonly kind and friendly. But what puzzles me—" the Royal Explorer -looked intently into the face of the Read Bird. "What puzzles me is to -find this one talking our language. To my knowledge, only animals in -Oz, a few in Ev and you on the Octagon Isle have the gift of speech. -And I tell you, Mate, this is a valuable discovery, and a simply -splendid specimen of a pachydermatous talking aquatic." Whether the -last few words in this sentence or a stone in the river bottom tripped -up the Captain, Roger never knew, but without any warning Samuel turned -a sudden back somersault into the river, going under as completely as -Ato had done.</p> - -<p>"Ugh—gr—ugh!" he gurgled, coming up full of mud and disgust. "How did -that happen?"</p> - -<p>"Stilts!" sniffed Roger, whose wings had saved him from going down with -Samuel. "A splendid way to get ashore, Master Salt, so neat and tidy. -And a fine Discoverer you look now."</p> - -<p>Sighing deeply, Samuel watched his stilts floating out of reach, then -shaking his head violently to get the water out of his eyes, he swam -thoughtfully after the hippopotamus. As he dragged himself up on the -bank, a monkey swinging by its tail from the lower branches of a tree -snatched his three-cornered hat and scittered all the way to the tree -top, at which all the other monkeys let out shrill hoots of mocking -merriment.</p> - -<p>"Ah! The welcome committee!" sniffled Ato, rolling off the -hippopotamus. "Well, Sammy, wherever it is, here we are and a nice -mess you've made of the landing. Clothes ruined, weapons gone," (Ato -felt his middle dejectedly for his bread knife and blunderbuss), then -hitching up the bread board at his waist looked long and accusingly at -the Leader of the Expedition.</p> - -<p>"Now you mustn't mind a little mud," said the hippopotamus, setting -down the picnic basket and gazing from one to the other with frank -interest and curiosity. "Mud is beautiful and SO healthy."</p> - -<p>"Not for me," frowned Samuel Salt, endeavoring to remove the thick -green slime from his hair and ears with his damp silk handkerchief. -"But I suppose we'll dry off in time and—"</p> - -<p>"Proceed with the business of the day," finished Ato sarcastically, -as he squeezed the water out of his silk pantaloons and coat tails. -"But I hope you don't mind my saying that a seaman should stick to -his boats, Samuel. If I had not fallen in with this kind and obliging -hippopotamus, I'd have been a crocodile's lunch by this time."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I'd have got you out somehow," muttered Samuel, smoothing back his -hair sulkily. "And those stilts really saved your life. Suppose that -animal had bitten your leg instead of your stilt? By the way, what's -the name of this island, Mate?" Anxious to change the subject, Samuel -turned to Ato's tremendous rescueress.</p> - -<p>"Mate?" repeated the hippopotamus, wiggling her ears inquiringly, "What -may that mean?"</p> - -<p>"It is what a seaman calls his crew and his friends," explained Samuel, -grinning in spite of himself.</p> - -<p>"Seaman? Mate?" mused the hippopotamus in a rapt voice. "How cozy, how -beautiful!" Overcome with emotion, the mighty monster leaned forward -and lapped up the picnic basket, Oz flags, lunch and everything. -"I shall remember this as long as I live," she assured them with a -gulp as one of the flags went sideways down her throat. "Nikobo, -Little Daughter of the Biggenlittle River People, bids you welcome to -Patrippany Island."</p> - -<p>"Little daughter!" exclaimed Ato in a smothered voice. "Ha, ha! -Patrippany Island. Ho, ho! This is interesting. I knew there was a trip -in it somewhere, a wet trip for us, eh, Samuel?"</p> - -<p>"But what I don't understand," said the Royal Explorer of Oz, briskly -massaging his beard with his handkerchief, "is how you happen to speak -our language. Do all the creatures on this Island talk? I don't mean -that monkey chatter above."</p> - -<p>"No, none of the other creatures here speak the language of man," -answered Nikobo solemnly. "I never knew I could speak it myself till -five moons ago last Herb Day."</p> - -<p>"Herb Day? Dear, dear and dear! How confusing it all grows," sighed -Ato, emptying the water out of his hat which had somehow survived his -river ducking. "Do you suppose she means Thursday? Roger! ROGER! Keep -away from those monkeys. Do you wish to lose all your tail feathers?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, it's all very simple," Nikobo rolled her eyes from side to side. -"One day I eat herbs and that is Herb Day. One day I eat twigs and that -is Twig Day, and one day I eat grass and that is Grass Day, and—"</p> - -<p>"And one day you eat lunch baskets and Oz flags, and I suppose that -makes it Flag Day," chuckled Roger, coming down from a little -excursion in the tree tops. "She's swallowed the Oz flags, Skipper, and -if that doesn't make her a citizen of Oz, I'll eat my feathers."</p> - -<p>"Go ahead, if it will keep you any quieter," said Samuel Salt, who did -not want this interesting conversation interrupted by Roger's nonsense. -"So you only began to speak our language five moons ago last Herb Day? -What made you do that?"</p> - -<p>"A boy," confided Nikobo with a ponderous wag of her head.</p> - -<p>"Ah, now we're getting somewhere." Feeling in his pocket, Samuel pulled -out a small note book and pencil, still damp but usable. "Was it a -native boy?" he asked eagerly.</p> - -<p>"No, no, certainly NOT." The hippopotamus panted a little at the very -idea of such a thing. "The Leopard Men speak a strange roaring language -I have never been able to make head or tail of. Besides, to speak to -them would not be safe nor desirable. The Leopard Men have long tusks -and spears and—"</p> - -<p>"Leopard Men!" yelled Ato, flinging both arms round the trunk of a -tree. "Oh! Oh! and OH! I wish we were safely back at pirating, Sammy. -Here we are marooned on this miserable monkey island, inhabited by -Leopard Men, surrounded by crocodiles and no way of getting back to the -ship."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus35.jpg" width="419" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"You forget me," murmured the hippopotamus. Lumbering over to Ato, she -gave him a gentle nudge with her moist pink snout. "Nikobo, Little -Daughter of the Biggenlittle River People, will carry you anywhere you -wish to go."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_6" id="CHAPTER_6"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus36.jpg" width="468" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 6<br /> - -<small>A Little Wild Man</small></h2> - - -<p>"Not yet, not yet," protested Samuel Salt as Ato made a clumsy attempt -to mount the hippopotamus. "Why, we've only just come, Mate. We can't -go without seeing these Leopard Men and this strange boy who speaks our -language."</p> - -<p>"Oh, CAN'T we?" Drawing in his breath, Ato made a flying leap at -Nikobo, and this time managing an ear hold, pulled himself determinedly -up on her moist, slippery back. "Goodbye, Samuel," said the King with -a firm wave of his hand. "If you bring any Leopard Men back to the -<i>Crescent Moon</i>, you can discover yourself another cook. No Leopard -Men. Mind, now!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, you needn't worry about that." The hippopotamus closed one eye and -smiled knowingly to herself. Thoroughly annoyed by the desertion of Ato -and the superior grin of the river horse, Samuel snatched a long rapier -from his belt and glowered belligerently around him.</p> - -<p>"Shiver my timbers! You think I'm not strong enough nor smart enough to -fight these savages? HUWHERE are these Leopard Men?" roared the former -Pirate in such a reverberating voice the monkeys fled silently to the -tree tops, and even Roger put his head under his wing.</p> - -<p>"Gone, all gone!" explained Nikobo as she started calmly down toward -the river bank.</p> - -<p>"You mean there are no Leopard Men on this Island now?" Looking with -horror and aversion at the crocodile-infested river, Ato began tugging -at Nikobo's ear. "Not so fast, my good creature! Wait a moment, my -buxom lass! Perhaps I'll stay with Sammy after all."</p> - -<p>"Well, just as you say." With scarcely a pause in her stride, the -hippopotamus turned round and waddled amiably back to the strip of sand -where Samuel Salt stood staring sternly into the jungle beyond.</p> - -<p>"This is a great disappointment to me, Mates," sighed the Captain of -the <i>Crescent Moon</i> mournfully wringing out the lace ruffles of his -cuffs. "To have taken a Leopard Man back to the Court of Oz would have -been an achievement worth the whole voyage."</p> - -<p>"Now there's where we're different," murmured Ato, settling into a more -comfortable position on the back of the river horse. "I myself would -rather be disappointed than speared by a savage, and I don't care how -many Leopard Men I miss seeing. Rather be spared than speared, ha, ha! -Tee, HEE, HEE!" Ato chuckled from sheer relief.</p> - -<p>"Shall I fly back to the ship for some more Oz flags?" Roger flapped -his wings inquiringly. "If the Leopard Men are really gone, then -Patrippany Island is ours without a spear thrown."</p> - -<p>"That's so," mused Samuel Salt, thrusting his rapier back into its -sheath and beginning to show a little interest in the island itself. -"Fly ahead, my Hearty."</p> - -<p>"And bring back some ship's biscuit," called Ato. "All this diving and -mud turtling has left me weak as a fish. And while we're waiting for -Roger, perhaps Nikobo will tell us a little about these Islanders. Were -they little or big, black or brown?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus37.jpg" width="449" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Yellow," answered the hippopotamus gravely. "Big and yellow with brown -spots all over their hides. They had brown hair, mane and eyes, and -rough snarling voices. They used neither huts nor shelter, but roamed -like the animals through the jungle, hunting, fishing and fighting. -They had hollowed out logs for use in the water and last Twig Day -every Leopard man, woman and child climbed into the long boats and -paddled out to sea. Shortly afterward—" Nikobo's eyes grew round and -shiny at the mere memory, "shortly afterward a great hurricane arose -and my family and I, watching from the mouth of the Biggenlittle River, -saw the boats and men swept under the waves. Some of the logs floated -back to the islands, but the Leopard Men and women we never saw again."</p> - -<p>"Not even ONE?" exclaimed Samuel peevishly.</p> - -<p>"Not even one," Nikobo assured him solemnly. "And to tell the truth," -the hippopotamus flashed a sudden and expansive sigh, "it is much -better and safer without them. The one problem is the boy, and I've -been feeding him myself."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, the boy who speaks our language," mused Samuel, still lost in -bitter reflections of the Leopard Men he should never see face to face.</p> - -<p>"What've you been feeding him?" asked Ato, suspiciously. "How would a -hippopotamus know what to feed a boy?"</p> - -<p>"I do the best I can," said Nikobo in a hurt voice. "Every day I -collect fresh roots, herbs and grasses for him."</p> - -<p>"Roots, herbs—grasses! Merciful Mustard! A boy's being fed on roots, -herbs and grasses, Sammy. Did you ever hear of anything more ridiculous -in your life?"</p> - -<p>"No worse than spinach," mumbled Samuel Salt. "But SAY, look here—" -The Royal Explorer of Oz raised his arm imperiously. "What is a small -boy doing on this island? How'd he get here in the first place, and -where is he now?"</p> - -<p>"Follow me," directed Nikobo in a dignified voice. "Follow me and you -shall know all." As Roger appeared at that moment with the Oz flags and -biscuits, the little procession immediately got under way, Ato calmly -riding behind.</p> - -<p>On her many visits to the strange boy, Nikobo had worn a path through -the tangled growth of vines and bush. Tenuous trees dropped their -branches over this path and stretched out their gnarled roots to trip -the unwary traveler. Several times Roger let out hoarse squeals as a -huge snake coiled along the limb of a tree, thrust out its ugly head. -Gaudy flowers from the vines that closely entwined every tree, filled -the air with a damp sleepy fragrance, and Samuel Salt, darting his eyes -left and right, held his blunderbuss ready for any savage beast that -might spring upon them. But the jungle creatures, thinking the Leopard -Men had returned, slunk further and further into the green shadows and -without any mishaps or encounters, Nikobo brought the explorers to a -small clearing in the whispering tangle of green.</p> - -<p>Here they were suddenly confronted by a stoutly built cage, its bars -constructed of saplings set scarcely an inch apart. On a heap of grass -in a corner of the cage crouched the lonely figure of a little boy -clothed in a single leopard skin.</p> - -<p>"Well, goosewing my topsails!" panted Samuel Salt, deceived at first by -the leopard skin. "A little wild man, a Leopard boy, as I'm a salt sea -sailor!"</p> - -<p>"It's nothing of the kind," Nikobo contradicted him sharply. "Can't you -see he is white and has teeth as straight as your own instead of tusks? -He's not like the Leopard Men at all."</p> - -<p>"But who put him in this cage? What's he done, and what's he doing -here?" Slipping off Nikobo's back, Ato pressed his face close to the -bars of the strange prison.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus38.jpg" width="261" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"I am waiting for my people to come and rescue me," stated the boy, -rising with great dignity from his bed of grass. Folding his arms, he -looked haughtily out at the explorers. "Who are these men, Nikobo?" -he inquired sternly. "Why have you brought them here?"</p> - -<p>"Because they seemed friendly and speak your language," puffed the -hippopotamus, beaming lovingly at her small charge. "Because I thought -they might break these bars and set you free. They have a hollow log -seventy times as large as the hollowed logs of the Leopard Men. In -this they could easily carry you over the waters and back to your own -people. I've tried to break this miserable hutch dozens of times," -explained Nikobo, turning to Samuel Salt. "But the saplings are sunk so -deep, I've been afraid I'd crush Tandy as well as the cage if I pushed -too hard."</p> - -<p>"Quite likely," said Samuel Salt, rapping the bars with his knuckles. -"We'll have to fetch an ax from the ship. But who shut you up here, -little Lubber, and how long have you been prisoner on this island?"</p> - -<p>"Five months and a half," answered the boy after consulting one of the -bars in the corner of his cage. "I've made a nick in this bar with my -teeth for every day I have been here."</p> - -<p>"Well, that's all over now, you poor child, you!" Ato's voice shook -with indignation as he looked in at the little boy whose every rib -showed plainly under the skin. In fact, a heap of grass and dried roots -in the cage made the kind-hearted monarch shudder with distaste and -sympathy. "You shall come with us and eat like a King," he promised, -nodding his head cheerfully, "and learn to be an able-bodied seaman -to boot." Instead of looking grateful or pleased, the boy whom the -hippopotamus had called "Tandy" merely stood looking between the bars -of his cage.</p> - -<p>"Why should I go with you?" he said finally and wearily. "You look wild -and dangerous to me, and far worse than the Leopard Men. Here, at least -I have Kobo to take care of me, and who knows what further perils and -hardships I should suffer at sea?"</p> - -<p>"Ho! HO! And how do you like that, my lads?" Roger rocked backward and -forward on Samuel Salt's shoulder. "The young one speaks truly. If you -could but see yourselves, my Hearties." Now both Ato and Samuel had -forgotten their plunge in the river, but with their hair and clothing -still covered with mud and slime they looked the veriest rogues -and rascals. And while Ato regarded himself with embarrassment and -discomfiture, Samuel took a quick step forward.</p> - -<p>"SO!" roared the great seaman angrily. "So, you don't trust us, eh? -Well, stay here if you wish and grow up like a monkey. You look like a -little wild man already."</p> - -<p>"STOP!" Nikobo quivered all over with resentment. "You must not call -Tandy a wild man."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus39.jpg" width="464" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Don't mind." The boy drew the leopard skin around him with quiet -dignity. "I can bear it. I have borne far worse. I can bear anything. I -am a KING and the son of a King's son! Tell them to go away, Kobo."</p> - -<p>"Now, Now, NOW! This is nothing but nonsense." Ato clapped his hands -sharply. "However we look, my young squab, you are in good and royal -company. My mate here, Captain Salt, is Captain of the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, -Royal Explorer of Oz, and a Knight, besides. I, though at present -a ship's cook, am King of the Octagon Isle, and Roger, here, is as -Royal a Read Bird as ever wagged a bill and wing. If you say you are -a King, we will have to believe you, though 'tis hardly credible." -Ato stared with round eyes at the matted hair and dirty body of the -little prisoner. "If you say you are a King we must believe you, but in -return you must believe <i>us</i>, and stop all this hoity toity talk and -clishmaclatter."</p> - -<p>"He speaks the plain truth." Nikobo pressed her huge snout close to the -bars. "Even I can detect the signs of royalty in this fat and goodly -person whom I just this morning helped out of the river. You must go -with them, Tandy, and they will carry you back to your own Kingdom."</p> - -<p>"But I tell you, I'd rather stay here with YOU," wailed the little boy, -relaxing a moment from his kingly and overbearing attitude.</p> - -<p>"Roger, fetch the AX." Samuel Salt spoke so loud and sternly Nikobo -lapsed into a shocked silence and Tandy hastily drew back into a far -corner of his cage.</p> - -<p>"Never argue with a sea-going man," whispered Ato, winking solemnly as -Roger flew off to obey Samuel's order. Having settled the matter in his -own mind, Samuel turned his back on Tandy and began to examine with -deep interest the fungus growth on one of the gnarled old trees. "So -you really are a King?" Leaning against the huge body of Nikobo, Ato -folded his hands comfortably on his stomach and regarded the boy in the -leopard skin earnestly. "Now what country do you hail from and what do -they call you at home?"</p> - -<p>"I am Tazander Tazah of Ozamaland," announced the boy proudly, "the -land of the creeping bird and flying reptile. Ozamaland on the long -continent of Tarara is my home."</p> - -<p>"OZAMALAND!" shouted Samuel Salt, swinging round like a teetotum. "So -there really IS such a place. I have always said so, Ato, but no one -would believe me. Lies to the east of here, doesn't it, sonny, and is -twice as large as any known land bordering on the Nonestic?" Somewhat -impressed to find that Samuel Salt knew something of his homeland, the -little boy nodded. "And do you suppose we could snare one of those -creeping birds and flying reptiles if we managed to reach Ozamaland?" -Grasping the bars of the cage, Samuel peered anxiously into the young -King's face.</p> - -<p>"Do you suppose you ever could reach Ozamaland?" sighed Tazander, -returning Samuel's eager look with gloomy aloofness. "Do you know that -a ship has never touched our shores?"</p> - -<p>"Then the <i>Crescent Moon</i> shall be the first!" cried Samuel Salt, -snapping his fingers joyfully. "Why, this will be tremendous and the -most momentous discovery in a thousand years! But how do you happen -to be so far from Ozamaland yourself?" asked Samuel Salt immediately -afterward. "Did you come by air or sea?"</p> - -<p>"That I cannot tell." Tazander seated himself soberly on a log before -he continued. "One night I was sleeping soundly in my tower in the -White City, next thing I remember I was here in this jungle. The -Leopard Men, wild and savage as they were, fed me when they remembered -on raw fish and chunks of hard, bitter bread they made from the roots -of the Brima Tree. But I could not understand their talk, nor they -mine, and till Kobo found me a month after my imprisonment I had no one -to talk to at all. But she has come every day to keep me company and -try to set me free, and since the Leopard Men were drowned she has fed -me, too. See, through this little door." Tazander opened a small door -in the bars and stuck both hands through.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus40.jpg" width="500" height="347" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"But how did you learn the language?" asked Ato, turning round to gaze -up into Nikobo's huge face.</p> - -<p>"I don't know," said Nikobo with an excited gulp. "I just started to -say 'Hello!' and instead of saying it in hippopotamy, there I was -talking a strange language which I could understand as well as my -own. And in this language Tandy answered me, much to my delight and -pleasure."</p> - -<p>"Strange, very strange." Ato shook his head in a puzzled manner. -"Well, all I say is, it was lucky for this small fellow that you -happened along, and once we have him aboard he'll soon forget all these -hardships and unpleasant experiences."</p> - -<p>"I'll never forget Kobo," said the young King, backing stiffly away -from the outstretched arms of Ato.</p> - -<p>"And Kobo'll never forget YOU," sniffed the hippopotamus. "The talk -of the river people seems dull and stupid since I've talked to Tandy. -None of the herd really need me and I don't know what I'm going to -do—whoo—Hoo HOO WHOOO!" Rocking from side to side, Nikobo began -to sob as if her heart would break, so violently in fact, Samuel -Salt covered both ears and Ato, alarmed at the enormous grief of the -gigantic beast, tried to put his arms around her.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus41.jpg" width="445" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Here, here!" begged the ship's cook, thumping her hard upon the back. -Opening the bag of biscuits Roger had brought from the ship, Ato handed -two to Tandy and began shoving the rest as fast as he could down the -vast throat of the grief-stricken hippopotamus. After each biscuit, -Nikobo choked and sobbed to herself, but on the whole, they seemed -to comfort her, and when the Read Bird finally returned with the ax -she watched almost cheerfully as Samuel Salt, with well-aimed blows, -demolished Tandy's jungle cage. As the last side crashed down and -without giving Tandy time to argue any further, Samuel Salt seized -the boy firmly in both arms and set him down on the back of the -hippopotamus. Then, giving Ato a hand up behind him, the Captain of -the <i>Crescent Moon</i> sternly led the way to the edge of the island. -Roger, waving an Oz flag, flew ahead screaming defiantly to the monkeys -and parrots that infested the island, "WAY, WAY! Way for the Royal -Discoverer of Oz! Way for the King of the Octagon Isle! Way for Nikobo, -Little Daughter of the Biggenlittle River People. Way for Tazander -Tazah, King and son of a King's son! WAY—ay—ayyyy!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_7" id="CHAPTER_7"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus42.jpg" width="487" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 7<br /> - -<small>Strange Specimens for Samuel Salt</small></h2> - - -<p>With no one to challenge their going but the birds and monkeys, the -little band made its way back to the sandy beach. Tandy, perhaps -because he had been so long pent up in the silent jungle and because he -was by nature a naturally sober and solemn little boy, said nothing. -Not even the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, riding so proudly at her anchor, seemed -to arouse any interest or enthusiasm in this strange young Ozamalander.</p> - -<p>"Well, here we are!" exclaimed Ato, heartily thankful to be in sight -of the ship again. "And I hope you'll not mind ferrying us out to the -boat, Nikobo; those crocodiles still look hungry and I've no notion of -being crocked for the rest of my life."</p> - -<p>"Any time you say," grunted the hippopotamus, squeaking a listless -greeting to a company of her own relatives who were rolling lazily -about in the muddy river water.</p> - -<p>"Avast and belay and what's the hurry?" Leaning his ax against a tree, -Samuel moistened a finger and held it up. "The wind's against us, -Mate, so we'll have to wait for the tide. Not only that, but Roger and -I must survey the island and dig up some more interesting specimens -to take back to the ship." After a long and rather quizzical look at -Tandy, Samuel turned and swung along the beach, the Read Bird flapping -joyously behind him.</p> - -<p>"Run up and down a bit," advised Ato, sliding down from Nikobo's back. -"Your legs must need stretching. Wonder if there's anything to eat -around here or hereabouts? Aha, those look like oranges, a wild orange -grove, as I'm a cook and a seaman. Come along, young one, and help me -gather a few."</p> - -<p>"A King and son of a King's son does not come and go at another's -bidding," announced Tandy, stiffly, alighting from the hippopotamus.</p> - -<p>"Merciful mothers! What's this?" gasped Ato, blinking his eyes rapidly. -"As complete a case of ingrowing Royalitis as I've ever had the -misfortune to encounter. Well, since it's every King for himself, then -I'll be leaving you, sonny and son of a King's sonny. Watch out for -him, Kobo, he's probably real important to himself."</p> - -<p>"You should not speak like that," reproved the hippopotamus as Ato -disappeared into the orange grove, "after all, the big and fat one is -himself a King."</p> - -<p>"Pooh, King of some potty little island," sniffed Tandy, leaning -wearily against a palm. "Break me a cocoanut, Kobo, I'm thirsty." -With a discouraged sigh Nikobo trod on one of the cocoanuts, cracking -it from end to end and then, because she was a generous and kindly -creature, she cracked several more for Ato when he should return. -Sitting back on her haunches, she anxiously watched while Tandy downed -the cocoanut milk, then, stretching out in the sand, fell unconcernedly -asleep. Thus Ato found them when he emerged from the orange grove an -hour later. His elegant explorer's cape was knotted to form a sack -and bursting full of the small sweet fruit of the wild orange trees.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus43.jpg" width="249" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"These will make us a fine mess of marmalade when I get back to the -ship," panted the perspiring monarch, settling down with his back -cozily to Nikobo's. "How's young Saucebox?"</p> - -<p>"All right." The hippopotamus nodded in Tandy's direction. "He is so -small and tired," she murmured worriedly, "and you must know he has -been exposed in an open cage in the jungle for five long months with -only a miserable hippopotamus for company."</p> - -<p>"Miserable hippopotamus," snorted Ato indignantly. "You're a very -superior animal, my girl. I'd consider it an honor to converse with -you any day. Did you crack these cocoanuts for me?" As Nikobo, trying -bashfully to conceal her pleasure at Ato's praise, admitted she had, -the King took several long, satisfying draughts from the shells. -"Now, don't you worry about that young sprout," he advised kindly as -Nikobo continued to gaze mournfully at the sleeping boy. "We'll make -allowances for his High and Mighty Littleness and set him down in his -own country. That is, if we ever manage to find it, though I must say -he'll not be much use nor company for us. Ahoy! Here comes Sammy. -Wonder what he's found?" As a matter of fact, the Royal Explorer of Oz -looked more like a walking window box than a seaman. Long vines hung -from his neck and trailed from his pockets. His arms were crammed with -spiked and prickly plants and on his head he balanced a package of sea -shells tied up in his shore-going coat.</p> - -<p>"What you going to do, start a conservatory?" roared Ato as Roger -helped the Captain set his treasures on the ground.</p> - -<p>"Rare and unusual, all of 'em," said Samuel, dropping down beside Ato -and looking with complete satisfaction at his curious collection.</p> - -<p>"Mind those yellow creepers," warned Nikobo, wiggling her vast snout -warningly. "Those purple flowered plants in the middle are treacherous, -too. They are tumbleweeds, Master Long Legs, and 'tis from them -Patrippany Island gets its name. When the Leopard Men fought, they -would fling these weeds at one another, and I've seen them falling -about for hours, neither side being able to advance a step or even -stand up."</p> - -<p>"Tumbleweeds!" breathed Samuel ecstatically. "You don't SAY! Why, these -might come in real handy if we ever get in a tight place. I'll give a -few to the Wizard of Oz and to the Red Jinn when we get back from this -voyage. And what about the yellow creepers, Mate? Are they fighting -plants, too?"</p> - -<p>"The creepers, if uprooted and thrown at an animal or man, will creep -rapidly after him, catching him no matter how fast he runs and tying -him up so tight he will not be able to move until the vine withers," -explained Nikobo solemnly. "I happen to know from an experience I had -with one of these vines in my early youth."</p> - -<p>"Creeping vines," shivered Ato, moving as far away from Samuel's -collection as possible. "Just keep them away from me, Sammy. What right -have such things on a ship?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, they'll be harmless enough when they're potted," answered Samuel -easily. "And a splendid weapon they'll make for some up and coming -country."</p> - -<p>"Better keep them for ourselves," advised Roger, fluttering down to -Samuel's shoulder. "Exploring's a dangerous business, if you ask me, -Master Salt."</p> - -<p>"Well, you'll have to admit that it's been pretty safe and successful -so far," said Samuel, clasping his hands behind his head and gazing -contentedly up at the waving fronds of the palm trees.</p> - -<p>"SAFE!" The ship's cook began to shake and quiver all over. "Ho, ho! -Safe? Especially sailing round that volcano and going swimming with the -crocodiles! Safe! You'll be the death of me yet, Sam-u-el. Have you -planted your Oz flags and told the wild creatures in the jungle about -their new sovereign?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus44.jpg" width="439" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Roger nodded his head importantly. "We've raised Oz flags on the -tallest trees on the East, South, West and North sides of the Island. -I flew across and got a bird's eye view while the Captain walked clear -'round. We've discovered it's bean shaped, King dear, the exact shape -of a kidney bean, and a fine fertile place for settlers and prospectors -from Oz."</p> - -<p>"Yes, all they have to do is cut down a million trees, drain the swamps -and train the wild beasts in the jungle to be as polite and considerate -as Nikobo here."</p> - -<p>"Well, what of it? That's their problem." Samuel stretched himself, -luxuriously snapping each finger to see that it was still working. -"And now, since our part is done, what do you say to waking this son -of a King's son and getting aboard the ship? The tide'll run out in a -couple of hours and carry us along." Tazander had been awake for some -time listening to the conversation with closed eyes. Now sitting up, he -calmly spoke his mind.</p> - -<p>"I'm not going with you," he stated grandly. "I'm going to stay here -with Kobo till my own people come for me."</p> - -<p>"Hah! Mutiny!" Leaping to his feet, Samuel glared down at the puny -youngster with real anger and exasperation. "If you think I'm going to -leave you on this island to be devoured by wild animals when Nikobo's -back is turned, you don't know your pirates. CLIMB up on that animal. -Lively, now!" Samuel looked so fierce and threatening, Ato felt rather -sorry for the stubborn little King, but he was wasting his sympathy.</p> - -<p>"I'm not going," said Tandy, settling more determinedly down into the -sand. "And no one can make me."</p> - -<p>"Don't say that! Don't say that!" Blubbering with grief at the thought -of losing her small charge and shivering with anxiety lest he arouse to -further anger this tall sea captain, Nikobo lumbered to her feet and -began to whisper eagerly in Tandy's ear. During this short conference -Samuel gathered up his specimens and Ato his oranges, and when both had -finished the hippopotamus edged nervously forward.</p> - -<p>"I've decided to go with you," she announced in a slightly shaken -voice. "If I go, Tandy'll go, so I'll just GO!"</p> - -<p>"WHAT?" roared Samuel Salt, dropping his shells and clapping his hand -to his forehead. "Well, that practically solves everything!" Looking -wildly from the hippopotamus to the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, Samuel had a -dreadful vision of Nikobo rolling dangerously from side to side of his -cherished vessel.</p> - -<p>"What'll you eat?" demanded Roger, who was ever more practical than -polite. "How'll we ever feed this enormous lady, Cook dear? Besides, -she'll sink the ship."</p> - -<p>"I'll be very quiet and stay wherever you put me," murmured Nikobo in a -meek voice. "I'll go on a diet and eat whatever is left."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus45.jpg" width="500" height="344" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Well, why couldn't she go?" proposed Ato, who already had formed a -great liking for Tandy's devoted guardian. "Why couldn't she? Nice kind -motherly creature that she is!"</p> - -<p>"But a hippopotamus needs fresh water and tons of food and—" Then -suddenly Samuel brought his hands together with a resounding smack.</p> - -<p>"Have you thought of something?" asked Ato hopefully, shifting his -oranges from one shoulder to the other.</p> - -<p>"Yes," stated the former Pirate solemnly, "I have." Samuel was secretly -delighted to have found a way to carry this superb herbivorous specimen -back to Oz. "I'll build her a raft and tow her along after the ship. -We'll stop at all the islands we come to for fresh water and grass, and -meanwhile she'll have to do with salt baths and such food as we have in -the hold."</p> - -<p>"Oh, KOBO! Did you hear that?" Springing up with the first signs of -life or feeling he had yet shown, Tandy flung himself on his huge -champion and friend. "So you're really going. Then I'll go too."</p> - -<p>"Can't be all bad, if he's as fond of her as all that," whispered Ato -in Samuel's ear.</p> - -<p>"Not bad, just a pest," wheezed Samuel, reaching for his ax. "Needs a -taste of the rope, if you ask me." Then, while Nikobo went for a last -swim in the Biggenlittle River and bade goodbye to her numerous and -wondering relatives, Samuel felled trees, split wood, and with nails -Roger fetched from the ship fashioned a splendid strong raft for their -new pet. Round the edge he built a sturdy railing to keep Nikobo from -sliding off in a rough sea. Ato and Roger, taking thought for the -evening meal, heaped one end of the raft with grass and twigs and all -the jungle roots they could gather. Without moving or offering to help, -Tandy sat watching, and just as the sun sank down behind the palms, a -strange procession started out for the <i>Crescent Moon</i>. Ahead with the -keg of nails soared Roger. Then came the hippopotamus moving like a -small dreadnought through the water. On her back sat Ato, the haughty -young King of Ozamaland, and Samuel Salt. Samuel rode last, holding in -his hand the long cable he had attached to the raft and with which he -meant to fasten it to the <i>Crescent Moon</i>.</p> - -<p>Following his orders, Nikobo swam close to the side of the ship so -Tandy and Ato could climb the rope ladder, then she paddled round to -the stern where Samuel drew his cable through an iron ring in the -ship's hull and made the raft fast. There was a runway at the back of -the raft and the rails on that side let down so that Nikobo had no -trouble clambering aboard. By pulling a rope with her teeth, she could -raise or lower the back of her pen and take a swim whenever she felt -the need of one. After giving her a bit of advice about voyaging, and -seeing her comfortably settled, Samuel climbed the cable and nimbly -pulled himself aboard his ship. Roger had already stowed their precious -specimens in the hold and rubbing his hands with brisk satisfaction, -the Captain of the <i>Crescent Moon</i> weighed anchor and dropped with -the tide down the Biggenlittle River to the sea. Then touching the -automatic controls, he set his sails to catch the evening breeze, -adjusted his steering gear for a course east by sou'east and strode -happily into his cabin. The Salamander chirped cheerfully as he passed -her hot box and after tapping a cheerful greeting on the lid, the weary -explorer stripped off his ruined and muddy shore-going outfit, took a -shower and climbed thankfully back into his old sea clothes.</p> - -<p>"Where's the pest?" he called out as Roger flew past the open port.</p> - -<p>"Well, since he was so small and important," sniffed the Read Bird, -waving a claw, "I gave him a large cabin to himself. I didn't think you -and Ato would want him in here."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus46.jpg" width="267" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Shiver my timbers, NO." Samuel looked ruefully across at the small -berth the Philadelphia boy occupied on their last voyage. "He'll never -be the seaman Peter was, nor the company either. He'd better keep out -of my way, HAH! or I'll give him a taste of my belt." Snatching up his -spyglass and looking as stern as a kind-hearted pirate well can, Samuel -hurried out on deck.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus47.jpg" width="450" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Meanwhile, in the cabin next to the Captain's, Tandy stood regarding -himself mournfully in the small glass over his sea chest. He too had -taken a shower and at Roger's suggestion had donned one of Peter's old -pirate suits.</p> - -<p>"I am a King and the son of a King's son," muttered Tandy, staring -sadly at the sallow reflection in the mirror. To tell the truth, the -suit was not in the least becoming to the skinny and sullen young -monarch.</p> - -<p>"I am a King and son of a King's son and can bear anything," he -repeated dismally.</p> - -<p>"Then bear a hand with the dinner," yelled Roger, who had been peeking -at him through the port hole. "All who eat must work, and under the -hatches with lubbers!"</p> - -<p>Pretending not to hear, Tandy sat resignedly on the side of his bunk, -though he really was curious to look around the ship and see what -Kobo was doing. From the galley came the cheerful rattle of pots and -pans and the huge voice of Ato singing as he prepared the dinner. -Gulls flew in excited circles all round the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, calling -out their hoarse challenge and farewell, and Samuel Salt, leaning -on the taffrail, gazed dreamily back at Patrippany Island. The Oz -flags fluttering from the tall palms gave it quite a gay and festive -appearance and in spite of not seeing the Leopard Men, Samuel felt he -had done a good day's discovering.</p> - -<p>"Ahoy, below! How you coming?" called Samuel, leaning down to look at -Nikobo. The hippopotamus wagged her huge head.</p> - -<p>"Fine! Just fine, Mate," she wheezed pleasantly.</p> - -<p>"Hah! Good for you!" Samuel's face broke into a broad grin as Kobo -remembered to call him "Mate." "We'll make an able-bodied seawoman of -you yet, my lass!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus48.jpg" width="465" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_8" id="CHAPTER_8"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus49.jpg" width="471" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 8<br /> - -<small>Maxims for Monarchs</small></h2> - - -<p>When Ato, banging boisterously on an iron frying pan with a wooden -spoon, summoned all hands to dinner, Samuel and Roger responded with a -rush. But Tandy remained sitting gloomily on his bunk.</p> - -<p>"Now what's the matter?" demanded Samuel Salt as Roger, sent to call -the young voyager, came flying back to the table.</p> - -<p>"He says I may serve his dinner in the cabin," snickered Roger, -popping a biscuit into his mouth and swallowing it whole.</p> - -<p>"Well, don't you do it!" roared the Captain, bringing his fist down -with an angry thump. "No use to start such nonsense!"</p> - -<p>"But he's so thin and feeble. The poor child's just full of raw roots -and jungle grass," murmured Ato, beginning to heap a platter with -meat and vegetables. "Wait till he folds himself round some of these -seafarin' rations. He'll be a different person."</p> - -<p>"And he'd better be!" rumbled the Captain of the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, -pulling in his chair. "And if you and Roger want to spoil the little -pest, go ahead, but he'd better keep out of MY way. HAH!"</p> - -<p>"I could drop the dinner on his head," suggested Roger helpfully as Ato -handed him an appetizing tray for Tandy. "How would that be?"</p> - -<p>"Utterly reprehensible, and conduct unbecoming in a Royal Read Bird and -able-bodied seaman," chuckled the ship's cook, shaking his finger at -Roger. "Why don't you try to help the little beggar and set him a good -example?"</p> - -<p>Now Roger, in spite of his sharp tongue, was really a sociable and -kind-hearted bird and the sight of Tandy sitting so forlornly on his -bunk made him regret his teasing speeches. After all, the little -fellow was far from home and had had a hard time in the jungle.</p> - -<p>"Here!" he puffed, setting down the tray and lighting the lantern. -"This'll put feathers on your chest, young one, and mind you eat every -scrap."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus50.jpg" width="449" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Thank you," answered Tandy, so drearily that Roger with a shudder -of distaste fled back to the cheerful company of Samuel and Ato. -But later, when Samuel had gone below to pot the precious plants -from Patrippany Island and the ship's cook was leaning over the rail -conversing cozily with the hippopotamus, Roger flew back to Tandy's -cabin resolved to help him if he could. With calm satisfaction he noted -that Tandy had eaten everything on the tray. Lying on his back, the -young King of Ozamaland was staring solemnly up at the beams over his -bunk.</p> - -<p>"Ahoy! And what goes on here?" cried Roger, setting down on the old sea -chest. "How about a turn on deck, my lad, and a bit of chatter with the -crew?"</p> - -<p>"It is not seemly for a King and son of a King's son to talk with his -inferiors," observed Tandy coldly.</p> - -<p>"In-feer-iors!" screamed Roger, forgetting all his good intentions -and mad enough to nip the youngster's nose right off. "Are you by any -chance referring to me?"</p> - -<p>"Ozamaland is a great and powerful country and I am its King," stated -Tandy, turning his back on the Read Bird. At this Roger let out another -screech, and then suddenly remembering the purpose of his visit, took a -long breath to steady himself. When he spoke again his voice was both -calm and reasonable.</p> - -<p>"Ozamaland may be a great and powerful country and you may also be its -King, but remember you are no longer in Ozamaland," explained Roger -firmly. "You are on this ship by the express wish and kindness of the -Captain and in the company of Kings and BETTER. WAIT!" Shaking a claw -at Tandy's back, Roger flew off to fetch one of Ato's books from the -shelf above the stove. Tandy was in the same position when he returned, -but paying him no further attention, Roger pulled the lamp nearer and -opened his volume.</p> - -<p>"When a King is in the company of Kings," began the Read Bird -impressively, "he is no longer a special or royal being, but merely -a man among men, and as such must maintain his honor and standing by -sheer worth and ability alone."</p> - -<p>"Who says that? What are you reading?" Tandy sat up with sudden -interest, for his whole life had been spent in study and reflection and -the voice of the Read Bird was not unlike the voice of Woodjabegoodja, -his royal instructor at home.</p> - -<p>"I am reading <i>Maxims for Monarchs</i>," answered Roger calmly, "a book of -great authority and antiquity that has been used by the Rulers of Oz -and Ev and the Nonestic Islands these many thousand years. No great and -important country would think of being without a copy of this book," he -continued severely.</p> - -<p>"Strange, then, that I should not have heard of it," mused Tandy, -looking not quite so sure of himself. "We have no <i>Maxims for Monarchs</i> -in Ozamaland."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus51.jpg" width="436" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Pooh, Ozamaland!" Roger dismissed the whole country with a shrug of -his wing. "A country as young and unimportant as that would probably -know nothing about such matters."</p> - -<p>"You mean my country is not so old nor important as Oz and this -two-penny island of your fat Master?" shouted Tandy angrily.</p> - -<p>"Of course not. Why, it's not even been discovered, and whoever has -been there?" demanded Roger disdainfully. "Take you, as its King, -acting in this small up-country fashion—what CAN a fellow think? -Here—" Shoving the book toward the disagreeable young monarch, the -Read Bird urged him to look for himself. With a puzzled frown Tandy -reread the passage Roger had just quoted.</p> - -<p>"Well, even though your Master is a King, you're not a King and neither -is Samuel Salt," said Tandy, looking at Roger with some of his former -arrogance.</p> - -<p>"Oh, isn't he? Well, just lay to this, young fellow," Roger shook his -claw under Tandy's upturned nose. "Samuel Salt is Captain of this ship, -a Knight and the Royal Discoverer of Oz, which makes him seventy times -as important as you, King Pins. He not only is boss of the <i>Crescent -Moon</i>, but he rules the sea, discovering countries for other Kings to -govern, and if it were not for Samuel Salt and people like him, there -wouldn't be any Kingdoms nor people like you to run them. See? As for -me, I'm a Royal Read Bird and wouldn't be a King for a minute. I can -live my own life and go and come as I please."</p> - -<p>"Then while I'm on this ship I'm not a King at all," said Tandy -wonderingly. "Then what am I? What am I supposed to do?" The little -boy looked puzzled and positively frightened.</p> - -<p>"Why, you're supposed to act like a person, that is, if possible," -sniffed Roger, reaching over for his book and looking at Tandy sideways -down his bill. "What are you besides a King? What can you do that is -useful or interesting?"</p> - -<p>"Do, DO?" Tandy's voice rose shrilly. "Why—er—why, I can draw -pictures and ride an elephant."</p> - -<p>"Good!" Roger put up his claw to hide the grin that, in spite of his -best efforts, began to spread round his bill. "Well, there isn't much -call for drawing or elephant riding on a ship, but you can draw water -to swab the decks and I'll teach you to ride the yards and follow the -crosstrees to the main topgallant mast in the blowingest blow that ever -blowed. And depend upon it, young one, you'll have more fun as a person -than you ever had as a King. There's no place for having fun like a -ship!"</p> - -<p>"Fun!" said Tandy flatly and inquiringly. "What's that?"</p> - -<p>"Tar and tobaccy jack! What are you tellin' me?" Roger almost toppled -off the sea chest. "Do you mean to sit there like a dumb image and tell -me you've never had any fun? Never felt so bursting full of ginger and -happiness you could sing or do a sailor's horn pipe?"</p> - -<p>"It is not seemly—" began the boy in a staid voice. "It is—"</p> - -<p>"Seemly! Great goosefeathers, are you alive or aren't you?" gasped -Roger. "What in paint did you do in that cussed country of yours before -you got carried off and penned up like a pig in the jungle?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus52.jpg" width="419" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Considering Roger's question, Tandy clasped and unclasped his hands -nervously. "Well, you must know," he began in a very grown-up voice, -"the King of Ozamaland is not allowed to mingle with the common people. -In all things he is alone and set apart. So it was with my father and -mother before they disappeared. So it is with me. Furthermore, it being -prophesied that I would be carried off by an aunt in the middle years -of my youth, it was deemed expedient and necessary to keep me locked -away from danger in the White Tower of the Wise Men."</p> - -<p>"Hurumph!" grunted the Read Bird, who had not heard so many long words -since the voyage began. "And what did you do in this precious tower?"</p> - -<p>"I studied," sighed Tandy, reclining wearily back on his pillows, "for -there are many things a King must learn. But one hour of every evening -I was permitted to walk about the garden on top of the tower and look -down upon my Kingdom. On very great occasions I was allowed to come out -and ride the white elephant in the grand processions of state."</p> - -<p>"Humph!" grunted Roger again, looking at Tandy with round dismayed -eyes. "And with whom did you play?" he asked after a little silence.</p> - -<p>"Play?" Again Tandy's voice was politely inquiring.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus53.jpg" width="269" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"The word was <i>play</i>," insisted the Read Bird doggedly. "With whom -did you run about, play tag, checkers, pirates or go fishing?"</p> - -<p>Tandy looked confused and Roger shook his head sorrowfully. "Never -heard of such things!" he exclaimed indignantly. "Well, all I can say -is, whoever carried you off and shut you up in that jungle cage did you -a real service. If you had not been there we never would have found -you and I'm here to tell you that from now on things are going to be -different. You're discovered now and aboard the grandest ship afloat. -You can forget all about being a King and start right in being a person -and an able-bodied seaman. I for my part mean to see you have some fun -or break a wing in the attempt."</p> - -<p>"But would a King—"</p> - -<p>"King! Never let me hear that terrible word again," shuddered Roger, -sticking his head under his wing and then popping it comically out -again. "From now on, you're plain Tandy and can do as you plain please -so long as it does no harm to yourself or the ship. Understand? And -tomorrow we'll start having fun, so be ready." Roger's promise sounded -almost like a threat, but there was such a merry twinkle in his eye, -Tandy began to feel interested. "You might even begin tonight," sniffed -Roger, taking up the tray. "Just begin by thinking of something you -want to do. Think about it hard and then DO it." Winking cheerfully -over the empty plates, the Read Bird spread his wings and sailed -through the port.</p> - -<p>For several minutes Tandy lay where he was, turning Roger's last -injunction over and over in his stiff, precise little mind. What DID he -really want to do? At first he could think of nothing. Then suddenly -he knew. Why, of course—he wanted to talk to Kobo and he just plain -WOULD. There was a frosted cake left from his supper, and slipping it -into his blouse, Tandy stepped quietly out on deck. The ship, with only -a slight roll, was moving briskly through the water, white foam falling -in lacy spray from her sides, the moon-white sails spread like giant -wings above his head. There was no one in sight, and almost holding his -breath, Tandy tiptoed aft and leaned adventurously over the taffrail.</p> - -<p>"Kobo—Yo KOBO!" he called huskily.</p> - -<p>"Hello! I thought you'd be out soon." Swinging round and turning her -vast smile upward, the hippopotamus gazed fondly at her young charge. -"Are you comfortable? Did you have a good dinner?" she asked anxiously.</p> - -<p>"Yes, and look what I saved for you!" As he spoke, Tandy glanced -over his shoulder as if he were almost afraid to have anyone see him -enjoying himself. "Open your mouth, Kobo!" he whispered eagerly. -Without hesitation or question the hippopotamus stretched her jaws wide -and Tandy with the first real thrill of his life flung the frosted cake -into that immense pink cavern. As Kobo neatly caught and snapped her -lips on the tempting morsel Tandy let out a faint cheer and began to -think there might be something in Roger's suggestions after all. "I'll -throw you lots of things tomorrow," he promised gaily. "Good night, -Kobo. Good night, Kobo dear."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus54.jpg" width="462" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Humming a tuneless little song, the young King hurried almost -cheerfully back to his cabin. Pausing in the doorway of his tidy -quarters, he looked about complacently. What did he want to do next? -There was no one to tell him to go to bed, so he just plain wouldn't. -He'd sit up as late as he plain pleased. Rummaging through Peter's sea -chest, which Ato had placed near his bunk, Tandy found a large tablet -of stiff paper, a box of paints and some crayons. Settling himself -cross-legged on his bunk, he began drawing, not pictures of the castles -and courtiers of Ozamaland, but pictures of the queer jungle beasts and -Leopard Men he had seen on Patrippany Island.</p> - -<p>When Roger, on first watch, called out eight bells, he saw Tandy's -light still burning, and flying down to investigate, found his new -pupil fast asleep in the middle of his masterpieces. The whole bunk -was covered with bright drawings and pictures and even to Roger's -inexperienced eye they seemed excellently done. So, carefully the Read -Bird stowed them in the sea chest, then, without bothering to waken or -undress the little King, he covered him with a light blanket and went -quietly from the cabin.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_9" id="CHAPTER_9"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus55.jpg" width="468" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 9<br /> - -<small>Sea Legs for Tandy</small></h2> - - -<p>"If what Roger tells us is so, little Sauce Box yonder has had a -pretty dull life," said Ato as he and the Captain sat finishing their -breakfast next morning. "Lucky for him we happened along and anyway, -the hippopotamus will be good company, eh, Samuel? She seems downright -sensible and jolly. Reminds me of Pigasus and I suppose she does belong -to the pig family when you come to think of it."</p> - -<p>"Well, she's a pretty big pig if she does," laughed Samuel Salt, -swallowing his coffee with gusty relish. "Pretty big any way you take -her. Personally, I like the animal, but the King and son of a King's -son! PAH! Reminds me of Peter, he's so different, and the sooner we -reach Ozamaland and set him ashore, the better. Meals in his own cabin. -Hoh!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, give him time," drawled Ato, helping himself a second time to -fried potatoes. "If there's any good in the lad, a sea voyage will -bring it out, and what chance has he had shut up in a tower for ten -years and in a cage for five months? Though how an aunt managed to -have him carried so far and why she left him with those savages in the -jungle I can't get through my head at all."</p> - -<p>"Maybe it was a gi-ant," whistled Roger, swooping down on Ato's plump -shoulder and flapping his wings cheerfully. "How far do you figure it -is to Ozamaland, Master Salt?"</p> - -<p>"Well, that I couldn't just say," answered Samuel in a milder voice. -Pushing back his chair, he stepped over to the map on the west wall. -"Maybe a thousand leagues or so from Patrippany Island, maybe more, -in a line east by sou'east from Ev. If that is so, we're bound to -bump into it sometime, as I've set my course east by sou'east, and -anyway it's all in the year's sailing." Samuel bent over with pride -to examine the newest island discovery he had marked on the chart the -evening before. "And when we do come to it," he announced firmly, -"we'll trade this useless young one for some of those flying snakes and -creeping birds, eh, Mates?"</p> - -<p>"If we bring any more animals aboard we might as well set up an ark and -be done with it," warned Ato, shaking his fork at the Captain. "By the -way, how's Sally this morning?'</p> - -<p>"Tiptopsails!" grinned Samuel. "She eats nothing but hot air and water -and is no more trouble than a hair in a flea's whisker. I can carry her -round in my pipe when I want company. Now there's a lass for you!"</p> - -<p>"Well, I'll just see to Nikobo, for she's the girl for me," retorted -Ato, rolling briskly out of his seat. "I saved all the potato peelings -from last night, and that, with a dozen cans of peas, corn, carrots and -beets, should stay her appetite till lunch time."</p> - -<p>"Forty cans at one swallow," groaned Roger, clapping a claw to his head -in mock dismay. "She'll eat us out of ship and home at this rate. Can't -you think of something else, King dear? A nice wind pudding or a tub of -sea soup sprinkled with faggots."</p> - -<p>"Oh, go along with you," roared Ato, and picking up his precious coffee -pot, he waddled cheerfully off to his storeroom.</p> - -<p>The day was bright and breezy and the <i>Crescent Moon</i> going free, -breasted the waves like a white-winged sea witch. It was SUCH a -morning that even Tandy, peering inquiringly from his cabin, felt an -uncontrollable impulse to slide down the deck. So he did, coming up -smartly by Roger, who was perched on the rail.</p> - -<p>"That's it! That's it! Now you're catching on," approved the Read Bird, -hopping cheerfully from one foot to the other. "Now match your step to -the sea's roll, sonny, get into her rhythm. You've got to breathe with -the ship to carry your rations on a voyage. Watch the Captain, there, -and do as he does," finished Roger as Samuel Salt left his cabin and -came striding aft.</p> - -<p>"Rather watch you!" exclaimed Tandy, who sensed the Captain's dislike. -Uneasily he moved a little nearer the Read Bird.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus56.jpg" width="266" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"All right, come on then!" shouted Roger, heading recklessly for the -foremast. "Ever climb a tree?" Tandy shook his head, looking with -deep misgiving into the maze of sail and rigging above. But Roger -was already aloft and beckoning for him to follow. "Not that way, -Brainless!" scolded Roger anxiously as Tandy, gritting his teeth, made -a desperate leap upward. "See those rope ladders by the rail? Put your -feet in the ratlins, boy, and come along hand over hand. It's easy as -flying once you get the swing of it. There, that's better! Come on! -Come on! Don't stop! Don't look down." So up—up and up the narrow rope -ladders toiled Tandy, till Roger, growing impatient, seized his collar -and helped him straddle the crosstree of the fore t'gallant mast. -"Ahoy! And isn't this better than riding an elephant?" beamed Roger, -winking a knowing eye. "Ahoy, this is fun and NO fooling." Seeing Tandy -was too dizzy and breathless to talk for a moment, Roger cheerfully set -himself to teach the young Ozamander a bit about ships and sailing. -Soon Tandy was so interested he forgot the leap and plunge of the ship, -the rattle and creak of the cordage and his own precarious perch in the -foremast.</p> - -<p>"The <i>Crescent Moon</i>," began Roger with an impressive jerk of his head, -"is a square rigged three-masted sailing vessel. Normally 'twould take -from sixty to eighty men in a crew to set and make sail and bring -her about in a blow. But Samuel Salt has magic sail controls, so we -three manage quite easily, and now that YOU are here and the handy -hippopotamus below 'twill be easier still. The mast we're riding is the -foremast. The mast second from the bow, as we call the front of the -ship, is the mainmast, and the mast at the back or, as we salt water -birds say, the stern of the boat, is the mizzenmast. And now for the -sails." Roger took a deep breath. "Those below, beginning from the -bottom up, are the course, the topsail, the topgallant sail, the royal -and the sky sail. And don't forget!" Roger wagged his claw sternly. -"Before each sail you must put the name of the mast to which it is -attached. As, for instance, this ahead of us is the fore-topgallant -sail. SEE? And everything to the left of the ship's center we say is on -the port side and anything to the right is on the starboard."</p> - -<p>"Then tell me why is the water on the port side bluer than the water on -the starboard?" asked Tandy, who had been listening very solemnly as he -tried to fix all of these strange sea terms in his head.</p> - -<p>"Bravo!" cried Roger. "Right the first time, Mate. And the water is -bluer on the port side of the vessel because it is saltier. The bluer -the saltier," declared Roger, who, besides his first voyage with the -<i>Crescent Moon</i>, had read all the sea books in Ato's library and was -simply crammed with deep sea facts and information. "And what is more," -he continued, pursing his bill mysteriously, "we're sailing in a magic -circle never knowing what may pop up over the edge. A ship? An island? -A hurricane? Or even a fabulous monster! That's what makes sea voyaging -so glorious, and sailing so much fun!"</p> - -<p>Tandy, staring at the empty circle of blue falling away from the ship -on all sides, nodded dreamily. The White City—Patrippany Island—all -his former life and existence seemed unreal and far away and he hoped -in his heart of hearts the <i>Crescent Moon</i> would not reach his native -shores for many a long gay day. As Roger said, being a person <i>was</i> fun.</p> - -<p>"M—mm!" Roger sniffed suddenly. "Wonder what Ato's cooking? Smells -like taffy. I'll bet a ship's biscuit we're going to have a candy pull."</p> - -<p>"A candy pull!" exclaimed Tandy, taking a furious sniff himself. -"What is that?" As Roger started in to explain about candy pulls, a -large green column shot up on the skyline, a column so surprising and -shocking in appearance Tandy felt positively stunned.</p> - -<p>"Oh, look! LOOK!" he screamed, grabbing Roger's wing. "There's -something now. Oh, Roger, what fun! What terrible fun!"</p> - -<p>"Fun?" Roger spun round like a weather cock in a gale. "Fun?" he -repeated, stretching out his neck as far as it would go and a few -inches besides. "Oh, my best bill and feathers. That's not fun—that's -a SEA-Serpent. Help! Help! Deck ahoy! 'Hoy! 'Hoy! Below! King! Captain! -Ato! SAMMY! SAMU-EL!" As if calling them not only by their titles -but by their names would increase the number of the ship's officers -and crew, Roger tugged wildly at Tandy's arm. "Below! Below! All -hands below," shrilled the Read Bird. "Cover all ports and batten the -hatches!"</p> - -<p>Urged on by Roger, Tandy, still more interested than frightened, -descended rapidly to the main deck. At Roger's cries, Ato had run out -with a pan of bubbling molasses in one hand and his trusty bread knife -in the other. Right behind him stood Samuel Salt, his eye pressed to -his largest spyglass.</p> - -<p>"Well, tar and tarry barrels!" exclaimed the Captain exultantly. "Why, -this is a sea serpent second to none, the finest example of a marine -ophidian I've ever met in all my voyages!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus57.jpg" width="267" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, fiddlesticks!" blustered Ato, shaking him angrily by the arm. "Are -you a Captain or a Collector? Quick, now, make up your mind before your -ship is crunched down like a cracker and we're all swallowed up with -the crumbs. Quick, Sammy! For the love of salt mackerel, DO something!" -Squeezing himself between the cook and the Captain, Tandy saw that -there were now three immense shiny curves showing above the water, and -with scarcely a splash the tremendous monster was moving toward the -ship. Then suddenly it was upon them, and its huge horrid unbelievable -head came curling far over the bow of the <i>Crescent Moon</i>.</p> - -<p>"Avast and belay! Avast and belay, you villain!" yelled Samuel Salt, -dropping his spyglass and grasping his blunderbuss while Roger beat his -wings together like castanets and screamed like a fire siren.</p> - -<p>Tandy, rather frightened himself, and not knowing what else to do, fell -flat on his stomach and pulling a pad from his blouse, began making -a quick and frantic sketch of the dreadful sea beast. Its body was -leagues long and yards through, the head was large as a whole elephant -with a long curling silver tongue and darting green fangs. But it was -the teeth that made even the stout heart of Ato hammer against his -ribs. Each tooth of this singular sea serpent was a live white goblin -brandishing a long spear. Leaning far out of the yawning mouth, they -screamed, hissed and yelled at the defenseless company below. The next -forward thrust of the monster brought its head curling right down among -them. This so startled Tandy he could neither move nor scream. Samuel -fired his blunderbuss so fast and furiously it sounded like a dozen -guns, but it was Ato who really saved the day and his shipmates.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus58.jpg" width="479" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>With calm and deadly precision, the ship's cook flung the pan of -still bubbling molasses straight into the cavernous mouth. Screaming -with surprise, pain and fury, the monster clamped its jaws together, -and finding them stuck fast on the taffy, fell writhing back into -the sea, dashing and slashing its head under water to ease the burn -and setting the <i>Crescent Moon</i> to dancing like a cocklebur. But the -taffy, hardened by contact with the cold water, stuck faster than ever, -and unable to bite and scarcely able to breathe, the discomfited sea -monster backed away from the ship and went slithering and thrashing -away toward the skyline.</p> - -<p>"Well, there goes our candy pull!" sighed Roger, falling in a limp heap -to Ato's shoulder. "Nice work! Nice work, King dear. There's a certain -touch about your fighting that is well nigh irresistible."</p> - -<p>"Mains'ls and tops'ls! You certainly pulled a trick THAT time!" puffed -Samuel Salt, picking up his spyglass to have a last look at his lovely -specimen. "You saved us and the ship, that time, Mate. My bullets -rattled off its hide like hailstones off a roof."</p> - -<p>"Pooh! Just happened to have the taffy handy," answered Ato, looking -rather regretfully into the empty pot. "Here, child, run back and tell -Kobo everything's all right." The ship's cook pulled Tandy quickly to -his feet. "Just listen to her squealing. The poor lass is probably -frightened out of her skin." As Tandy started aft on a run, Ato picked -up the sketch he had made of the monster. "Ahoy and what's this?" he -panted. "What did I tell you, Sammy? Look, the boy's drawn as lively a -picture of that varmint as you'd ever hope to paste in a scrap book. -Here it is—tail, teeth and everything!"</p> - -<p>"Mean to say he drew that while we were all standing here ready to -perish and go down with the ship? Hah! That's what I call bravery in -action!" exclaimed Samuel. "And goosewing my topsails! If the young -lubber can draw like this he'll be a monstrous help to us, Mates. Why, -I'll make him cabin boy and Royal Artist of the Expedition with extra -rations and pay."</p> - -<p>"Hurray! And I'll tell him," puffed Roger, spreading his wings -gleefully. "Hi, King! Hi, Tandy! Ho, Tandy! You've been promoted from -King to cabin boy and Royal Drawer of Animals and Islands and extry -rations and pay!"</p> - -<p>Nikobo was as pleased as Tandy at her little charge's rise to favor, -and after they had both listened in rapt silence to Roger's news, -Tandy told her how Ato had routed the sea serpent. Meanwhile, Roger -had carried all the sketches Tandy had made of the Leopard Men and -Patrippany Island to the main cabin. Samuel's delight and enthusiasm -at having such spirited and authentic records of the lost tribe and -strange animals on Patrippany Island knew no bounds. He beamed on Tandy -so kindly and approvingly next time they met, the little boy felt warm -and jolly all the way down to his heels. Roger had already explained -his new duties to him and when Ato sounded the gong for dinner Tandy -was the first to answer. But when he started to pass the vegetables and -wait on the table, the Captain gruffly pushed him into a chair.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus59.jpg" width="374" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"All equals here," roared Samuel, slapping him affectionately on the -shoulder. "You've earned your place and your salt, sonny, and we'll all -help ourselves and each other." Tilting back his chair and keeping -time with his teacup, Samuel began to sing lustily:</p> - -<div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Blow high—blow low—</div> -<div class="verse"> 'Tis a salt sea life for me—</div> - <div class="verse">With a good ship's crew I'll sail the blue</div> -<div class="verse"> With a good ship going free—eeeh—eeeh!</div> - <div class="verse">With a good ship going free!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>Almost before he knew it, Tandy was singing, too.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_10" id="CHAPTER_10"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus60.jpg" width="461" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 10<br /> - -<small>The City of Bridges</small></h2> - - -<p>The days that followed always seemed to Tandy the happiest he had -known. He wondered now how he had ever endured his long, tedious, -pent-up life in Ozamaland. There was so much to see and do on a ship, -the hours were not half long enough. Being a full-fledged member of -the crew, he took his turn on watch, his trick at the wheel, and had -besides other duties on deck. After a bit of practice he could scramble -aloft like a monkey and liked nothing so much as perching in the -rigging looking far out to sea. The Read Bird had fastened a special -rope to the mizzenmast so that Tandy could swing out and drop down on -Nikobo's raft, and much of his free time was spent with the faithful -hippopotamus.</p> - -<p>Sea life agreed enormously with Nikobo, especially since Ato had solved -the largest item of her diet. Noting the tangled mass of seaweed often -floating by on the surface of the sea, the clever cook let down the -ship's nets daily. The seaweed, crisp, tender and green, was dragged -on deck where Roger and Tandy went carefully through it, removing all -crabs, small fish and sea shells which seriously disagreed with the -hippopotamus. A huge hamper full was lowered to her every evening and -with this plentiful supply of green food, with the bread and delicious -vegetable scraps Ato saved from the table, Nikobo fared better than she -had on the Island. The largest tub on the boat served as a drinking -cup and this Tandy kept full by playing down the hose from the deck, -giving her a daily shower of fresh water at the same time. So, lacking -nothing in interest or comfort, Nikobo enjoyed herself hugely and to -the fullest extent.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus61.jpg" width="418" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>On calm mornings, with the <i>Crescent Moon</i> hove to, all hands would go -swimming. Nikobo loved to swim and to roll over and over like a mighty -porpoise, even though the salt water made her eyes sting. Since Tandy -had given Samuel the drawings of the Leopard Men, the ship's Captain -could not do enough for his young cabin boy, and among other things had -made a rope harness for Nikobo so Tandy could hang on when he perched -upon her slippery back. At first he had been satisfied to ride Nikobo, -but after several days he was splashing recklessly with the others and -Samuel had taught him all the swimming strokes he knew and had Tandy -diving over and under the hippopotamus in a way to make Roger scream -with envy and approval.</p> - -<p>Swimming was the only part of a sea voyage the Read Bird could not -really enjoy, but he was always on hand to give advice, roosting on -Nikobo's head so long as she stayed above water and taking hurriedly to -his wings when she mischievously tried to dunk him. The hippopotamus -made a really splendid raft when they tired of swimming, and Ato, who -did not care for water sports so much as Samuel or Tandy, fished for -hours from her back, his feet hooked through the ropes of her harness -to keep him from falling into the sea. The only thing Tandy regretted -was Nikobo's great size and that she could not come aboard ship and -join them in the cabin. On cool evenings he and Ato and the Captain -(Roger preferring to take first watch) would sit cozily round the fire -listening to the stories Samuel told them of the days when he had been -a pirate and roamed up and down the Nonestic, capturing the ships and -treasure of all the powerful island monarchs. Tandy never tired of -these thrilling sea battles nor of watching Samuel Salt's pet fire -lizard.</p> - -<p>Sally was now so tame she would allow any one of them to pick her up. -They had to be careful not to hold her against their clothing, however, -for though Sally did not burn the fingers, she set fire to whatever she -touched. Indeed, whenever they wanted a fire in the grate, they had -only to place the Salamander on the kindlings beneath the logs and a -cheery flame would blaze up instantly. It was in the fireplace Sally -took most of her exercise, racing and scittering over the glowing logs -or rolling happily in the red hot embers. But most of her time she -spent curled up in Samuel Salt's pipe, and it was always a surprise to -Tandy to see her comical head pop up over the edge of the bowl or hear -her chirping and purring to herself from her cozy bed of tobacco leaves.</p> - -<p>Some evenings, when Ato was trying out new recipes in the galley, -Tandy and Samuel would descend to the hold to look over the plants -from Patrippany Island, try to figure out the script on the piece of -lava, and sort and arrange Samuel's shell collection. Every day after -the nets were drawn up there were new specimens to classify and label. -The drawing Tandy had made of the Sea Lion and all the pictures of the -Leopard Men and beasts on Patrippany Island, Samuel had framed and hung -above his shelves so that the hold was looking more and more like a -scientific laboratory every day.</p> - -<p>"Do you suppose we'll ever find anything large enough to put in those -big cages and aquariums?" asked Tandy one night as he pasted a pink -label on a fluted conch shell.</p> - -<p>"Sure's eight bells!" murmured Samuel Salt comfortably. "No telling -what'll turn up on a voyage like this. Personally I've set my heart on -a roc's egg, but setting the heart on a roc's egg won't hatch one out, -Ho, Ho! No, No! But, on the other hand, one never can tell and we've -had a week of such fine and pleasant days, I look for something to -happen any moment now, so you'd better put up your paste pot and turn -in, my lad, so we'll all be ready for the morning."</p> - -<p>"Well, what would you do with a roc's egg?" inquired Tandy, reluctantly -clapping the top on his bottle of glue. "Aren't they terribly big and -terribly scarce, Captain Salt?"</p> - -<p>"Terribly!" admitted Samuel Salt, placing his tray of lamp shells back -on their stand. "But a newly laid roc's egg is as rare as a mermaid's -foot, and no larger than one small tar barrel. Now if we could just -get a newly laid roc's egg aboard and find some way to preserve it, -why, well and good, if we didn't find a way and it hatched before we -landed, it could easily fly off with us and the ship, for THAT'S how -big a bird a roc is. But I'll take a chance if I ever find a roc's egg -and there's an island somewhere in these waters where rocs are known to -nest. Rock Island it's called, and a roc's nest would be something to -see, eh, Kinglet?"</p> - -<p>"Please don't call me that," begged Tandy earnestly. "Roger says I -don't have to be a King on this ship and I like not being a King."</p> - -<p>"Ha! Ha! And I like you that way myself," roared Samuel, tossing Tandy -suddenly to his shoulder. "Why, since you've stopped this King and son -of a Kinging, you're a seaman after my own heart, and so long as the -<i>Crescent Moon's</i> afloat you've a berth on her! Up with you! Up with -you! Tomorrow's another day." Swinging gaily to the main deck, Samuel -tumbled Tandy into his bunk and went striding aft to take in his main -and mizzen topsails.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus62.jpg" width="453" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Next morning, while he and Ato were cutting up potatoes for Nikobo, -Tandy was not surprised to hear a loud hail from above. Something had -happened just as Samuel had predicted. Running out with a paring knife -still in his hand, he saw a strange glittering mountainous island abaft -the beam. It was still a goodish sea mile away, but with the glasses -Ato generously pressed upon him Tandy made out the most curious bit -of geography the eyes of a voyager had yet gazed on. There was not a -piece of level ground on the island anywhere. Its high, glittering, -needle-like peaks rose straight out of the sea with apparently no way -of ascending or descending. Of clear crystal, reflecting every color -of the rainbow, the beautiful island was almost too dazzling to look -at as it lay shimmering and sparkling in the bright sunshine. As they -sailed nearer, Tandy saw that a perfect maze of high and airy bridges -ran like a gigantic spider web between the peaks. On these bridges all -the island's life and activities seemed to take place. Quaint fluted -cottages were built in the center, and along the perilous catwalks on -either side raced the Mountaineers themselves, brandishing glittering -poles and spears and halberds.</p> - -<p>"Pikes on the peak! Pikes on the peak! Port your helm, Sammy," roared -Ato. "Not too close! Not too near, Sam-u-el. How'd you like to be -pinned to the mast with a spear or flattened on the deck with a -boulder?"</p> - -<p>"Ah, now, they're just excited!" answered Samuel Salt, squinting -curiously up at the Bridgemen, but Nikobo, with her short legs resting -on the top rail of her raft, squealed out a dolorous warning.</p> - -<p>"Fighters! Fighters! These Pikers look savager than the Leopard Men. -Best back away, Master Captain, while there's still time."</p> - -<p>"Oh, look! LOOK! There's a ship on the mountain," cried Tandy, jerking -Samuel's sleeve, "right there where that torrent comes down between the -bridges, a three-master, larger than the <i>Crescent Moon</i>."</p> - -<p>"Then it's a battle!" boomed Samuel, bringing his helm hard around. -"Stand by to man the guns. 'Hoy, all hands, 'hoy!" While his shipmates -sprang to attention, Samuel darted from mast to mast, touching the -buttons on his sail controls.</p> - -<p>"AYE DE AYE OH LAY!" The shrill unexpected cry came from the highest -bridge on the island, and was immediately taken up and repeated by all -the Pikemen on the lower bridges. It resulted in such a mad medley of -yodels that Ato clapped both hands to his ears and Nikobo plunged her -head in her drinking tub.</p> - -<p>"Not only fighters, but singers!" grunted Ato, swinging the port -gun into an upright position. "Beef, beans and barley bread! What a -rumpus!" Tandy, who with Roger had charge of the other gun, could not -help but admire the calm way Samuel Salt ignored the dreadful outcry -from the bridges. Whether the pikes of the islanders could be flung -down upon them was still a question, but as Tandy looked anxiously -aloft, he saw the great white-sailed ship of the Mountain Men sweeping -toward the torrent. It paused for a breathless instant on the top and -then came rushing down upon them. They were right in the path of the -descending vessel which would strike them with such force both ships -would surely be demolished.</p> - -<p>"I am a King's son and the son of a King's son," shuddered Tandy, -gritting his teeth and waiting desperately for the order to fire. "I -can bear anything."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus63.jpg" width="453" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Not this! Not this!" chattered Roger, sliding wildly up and down the -shiny cannon. "It will shiver your timbers—it will shiver all of our -timbers. What in salt ails the Captain? Why doesn't he give the order -to fire and pepper these rascals before they reach us? Oh, oh! Oh—hh!" -But the only orders that came from the Captain were for Nikobo.</p> - -<p>"Overboard, Lassie! Dive off! Quick, now, and swim for your life," -bawled Samuel Salt, waving both arms frantically at the hippopotamus. -As Nikobo with a frightened squeal let down the back rail of her pen -and slid into the sea, Tandy felt a quiver and jerk through the whole -length of the <i>Crescent Moon</i>. Glancing aloft, he saw a strange change -in the sails. Where before they had been sturdy single stretches of -canvas, they were now great swelling balloon sails, each a perfect -air-filled sphere. As the ship from the mountain with an angry swish -catapulted down from the torrent into the sea, the <i>Crescent Moon</i> rose -buoyantly into the air, allowing the enemy craft to shoot harmlessly -beneath her bow.</p> - -<p>"What in Monday!" gasped Ato, flinging both arms round the cannon. -"What in Monday are you up to now? How'd we do this? Stop! Stop! I'm -no flier. No higher! No higher! Do you intend to impale us on yonder -Peaks?" Samuel Salt, hanging desperately to the wheel, made no reply -and as the ship, dipping and swaying, soared higher and higher the -deafening yodels of the Bridgemen ceased abruptly.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus64.jpg" width="265" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Wha—wha—where are you heading?" demanded Roger, spreading his wings -in order to keep his balance on the sloping deck. "You never told us -you had balloon sails, Master Salt."</p> - -<p>"Ahoy, but we never needed them before!" panted Samuel. "Look sharp -below, Roger. Tell me whether I'm over that lake or basin. Look sharp, -mind you, or we'll come to grief yet."</p> - -<p>"Aye, aye!" quavered the Read Bird, dropping obediently over the side. -"It all looks sharp to me."</p> - -<p>"Mean to say you're coming down in the middle of these pikes, peaks -and bridges?" moaned Ato, holding his head with both hands. "Avast and -belay, Mate, I signed up for a sea voyage and not a balloon ride. The -altitude's got you, Sammy, that's what. You've air holes in your head. -How do you expect the four of us to conquer this whole pesky peaky -island? How could we even take half of them?"</p> - -<p>"By surprise," announced Samuel Salt grimly. "We'll take them by -surprise. Look, they're too surprised to even yodel. Fetch up the Oz -flags, Tandy, and all hands aft for further orders."</p> - -<p>"Aft and daft!" choked Ato, hanging on to the rail as he made his -way toward the wheel. When Tandy came hurrying up from the hold, his -arms full of Oz flags, the <i>Crescent Moon</i> hung directly over the -glittering Island. Roger fluttered anxiously just below calling up -hoarse information as to the size, possible depth and shape of the -sparkling blue lake between the peaks.</p> - -<p>Listening carefully to Roger's directions, Samuel deflated his balloon -sails so skillfully the <i>Crescent Moon</i> came down lightly as a swan in -the exact center of the Lake. Above and around the ship on all sides -hung the glittering spans of a beautiful Bridge City, and in stunned -silence and dismay the Bridgemen looked down on the flying ship and its -curious crew.</p> - -<p>"Ahoy and hail, Men of the Mountain!" challenged Samuel in a ringing -voice. "You are now part and parcel of the great Kingdom of Oz, free as -before to govern yourselves, but from this day and henceforth on, an -island possession and colony under the protection and puissant rule of -her Majesty Queen Ozma of Oz!"</p> - -<p>"OZ! Ozay Oz Oh Lay?" The cry came from the tallest and most splendid -of the Islanders, who was standing with folded arms on the lacy span -connecting the two highest peaks on the Mountain.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_11" id="CHAPTER_11"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus65.jpg" width="479" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 11<br /> - -<small>The Prince of the Peaks</small></h2> - - -<p>The cry, though loud, was no longer defiant, and Tandy with a little -gasp of relief saw the Mountaineers on all the bridges bring their -pikes to rest beside them and gaze aloft for further orders.</p> - -<p>"I am Alberif, Prince of the Peaks," stated the Man on the Highest -Bridge, looking coolly down at Samuel Salt. "But YOU—you who come in -this flying ship to conquer the Island of Peakenspire, who are YOU?"</p> - -<p>"Ato, the Eighth, King of the Octagon Isles, Sir Samuel Salt, Captain -of the <i>Crescent Moon</i> and Royal Explorer of Oz, Tazander Tazah, King -of Ozamaland, and myself a Royal Read Bird," shouted Roger before any -of the others had time to speak for themselves.</p> - -<p>The Prince of the Peaks, tall and splendid in his shining coat and -breeches of silver cloth, his broad-brimmed hat with its quill and -rosette of wild flowers, looked so much more impressive than anyone -aboard the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, Tandy half expected him to laugh at Roger's -boastful announcements. But instead, Alberif, leaning far out over his -royal bridge, looked down at them long and seriously.</p> - -<p>"Two Kings, a Royal Discoverer, a Flying Ship and a Read Bird! Hi de -Aye de Oh!" whistled the handsome monarch, shaking his head ruefully. -"No wonder we were captured. What then are your terms, Kings, Captain, -Bird and Conquerors?"</p> - -<p>"Not conquerors, COMRADES," called up Samuel Salt in his hearty voice. -"Only by your own wish, agreement and consent shall ye come under the -rule of Oz. If your Highness could but descend from yon Royal Bridge to -this ship, everything can be arranged both peaceably and pleasantly."</p> - -<p>"'Ware, Alberif! 'Ware, Alberif!" yodeled the Pikemen on the lower -bridges. "Once aboard that ship eeee-ip! We may never see you again -eeeeee-yen!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, nonsense!" blustered Samuel Salt impatiently. "I give you my word -as a Pirate and a seaman no harm shall come to you on the <i>Crescent -Moon</i>."</p> - -<p>The Prince stood lost in thought for a moment, then tapping his -long alpenstock sharply he issued a high yodeled command. From the -bridgehead an immense basket swooped down. The Prince seated himself -gravely in the basket and with three men manipulating the ropes made a -swift and dizzy descent to the deck of the <i>Crescent Moon</i>.</p> - -<p>While Samuel and Roger welcomed the tall and lordly Ruler of the -Mountain Isle, Ato hurried off to the galley to prepare some suitable -refreshments for his entertainment. Tandy, after Samuel had introduced -him, began making careful sketches of the handsome Prince, of the -lovely city of bridges and of the Pikemen, who still looked with -suspicion and distrust upon the ship that had taken the place of their -own.</p> - -<p>"How about that basket?" whispered Roger, who had come out to help Ato -in the galley. "How'd you like to be hoisted and lowered like a sail? -And for salt's sake, King dear, dust the flour off your nose and put -on your crown, or this fellow will think you're King of the Cookies and -Doughnuts."</p> - -<p>"Ha, ha! When he's tasted my plum cake he'll not think it, he'll know -it!" puffed Ato, bustling happily from cupboard to cupboard. "Bring out -the best tumblers and silver plates, fetch up a dozen bottles of my -famous Sea-pop from the hold and we'll have this island in our pocket -before you can say Oz Robinson!"</p> - -<p>When Ato with one tray and Roger with another came out, they found -the Captain and the Prince of the Peaks striding up and down the deck -in the friendliest conversation imaginable. Matched in height and -handsomeness, the two were discussing with lively interest everything -from ships and governments to the strange limestone that formed the -crystalline rocks of Alberif's island. Later, seated around the table -with Tandy and Roger passing plum cake and Sea-pop, the Prince grew -friendlier and more confidential still.</p> - -<p>"We've never been conquered before," admitted his Majesty with a -puzzled smile, "but really I find it both interesting and enjoyable."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus66.jpg" width="246" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Just a matter of chance and luck," said Samuel Salt with a modest -wave of his hand. "Had I not had balloon sails on the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, -your ship would have cut us clean in two before we had time to put -about."</p> - -<p>"That is what I always planned would happen to an enemy craft," sighed -Alberif. "Naturally our own ship, the <i>Mountain Lass</i>, would have been -destroyed too, but we could easily have built another. That is what -we'll have to do anyway, as we'll never be able to haul her up the -torrent."</p> - -<p>"Don't you do it," begged Samuel Salt, looking earnestly at the -Mountain Monarch. "I'll send you a set of balloon sails as soon as I -reach Elbow Island. The Red Jinn presented me with two sets and I'll be -delighted to send you one. Once they're set, you can fly up as easily -as we did and be ready for all and sundry, even US if we come again."</p> - -<p>"Come and welcome!" beamed Alberif, looking in some surprise at Sally, -who had just lifted her head above the rim of Samuel's pipe bowl. "But -tell me, what am I to do now that I am conquered? Surely something is -required of us?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Samuel spoke earnestly and admiringly. "This -island and your men are in fine shape and a great credit to you, so -just go on as you are, but from this time forth you'll be in contact -with the famous and most modern Fairyland in History, and if you are -ever beset by enemies, you can call upon Oz for assistance or help. In -time, fruit, foodstuffs, books and merchandise will arrive from Oz, and -in return you may send back some of the sparkling crystals composing -these mountains. You might even invite a band of settlers from Oz to -come and live as your loyal subjects here."</p> - -<p>"Gladly! Gladly!" agreed the Prince, his eyes sparkling at the -prospect. "We have many uninhabited peaks and spires and could -easily accommodate a thousand new bridge builders. Come with me, all -of you, to Skytop Tower and we'll run up the flag of Oz and sign a -pledge of allegiance to her Majesty Queen Ozma. AYE DE AYE OH LAY!" -Running out on deck, Alberif joyously beckoned to the men who operated -the traveling basket, inviting them all to enter. Ato, who had no -intention of trusting his two hundred and fifty pounds to this strange -conveyance, shook the Prince regretfully by the hand.</p> - -<p>"I'll just watch it all from here," said the ship's cook firmly. "I've -pie to cook, potatoes to peel and dinner to stir up for all hands and a -hippopotamus, so, if you'll kindly excuse me—"</p> - -<p>The Prince looked a little disappointed, but cheered up as Samuel, -Roger and Tandy followed him into the basket.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus67.jpg" width="460" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Haul away!" yelled Samuel Salt, winking at Ato, and to the shrill -tune of a ringing round of yodels their curious elevator rose from the -deck, spun merrily up to the Twin Peaks and highest bridge of Alberif's -Mountain. Used as he was to the tall masts and lofty rigging of the -<i>Crescent Moon</i>, Tandy felt sick and giddy as the basket swooped and -swung upward. But it came down safely at last and at sight of the -shining spans of the lacy city spread out below, and the glittering -castle rising from the royal bridge, Tandy forgot all his uneasiness. -With a little whistle of surprise and interest he followed Samuel and -Alberif into the royal dwelling, while Roger flew off on a little -exploring expedition of his own. Roger knew all about castles and was -much more interested in the many windowed, fluted cottages of the -yodelers.</p> - -<p>Ato, watching from the deck of the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, presently saw the -flag of Oz fluttering from the top turret of the Castle Tower and with -a little sigh of relief and pride he gathered up the empty pop bottles -and padded off to his galley. Soon Oz flags floated from the posts on -all the bridgeheads, adding much to the gaiety and beauty of Alberif's -city.</p> - -<p>From the Royal Bridge Tandy and Samuel had a splendid view, and of -his many experiences Tandy always remembered best the afternoon spent -on Peakenspire. Alberif was a merry as well as an interesting host, -explaining everything from the strange traveling baskets to the age-old -customs and treasures of the Islanders. In the baskets the Islanders -could travel from bridge to bridge and down to the sea itself when -they wished to go fishing. There was little soil between the rocks, -but such soil as there was, was so amazingly fertile, each family -could raise all the fruit and vegetables required in one small window -box. After long experimentation and culture, Alberif's ancestors had -perfected two curious vines. On one vegetables grew in rapid rotation, -potatoes following peas, corn following potatoes, carrots following -corn, beets following carrots, cabbages, lima beans and spinach after -the beets. The vine never withered or died and by cutting off the top -every day the Islanders were assured of a continuous supply of fresh -vegetables. The fruit vine was of the same variety, furnishing every -known berry, fruit and melon. Each family was given two of these vines -and thus had very little worry about food supplies. Birds, something of -a cross between wild ducks and chickens, made their nests in the craggy -peaks, and with their eggs and a plentiful supply of fish and other sea -food the Islanders fared splendidly.</p> - -<p>The Bridgemen were tall, blue eyed, handsome and happy. Men and women -alike wore short trousers and blouses of silver cloth and carried -pikes that served both as weapons and alpenstocks. The bridges, while -delicate as fine lace in construction, were supple and strong as -steel. The material mined from the mountains themselves was like silver -and crystal combined, a new strong and glittering metal, samples of -which Samuel happily thrust into his pocket.</p> - -<p>"Sounds like magic," said Tandy, who had been listening closely to -Alberif's description of life on Peakenspire.</p> - -<p>"It <i>is</i> magic of a kind," answered the Prince with a pleased little -nod. "And the air here is so light and sparkling we never tire, grow -old or have illness of any kind, so that my people are always light -hearted and happy, spending most of their time in dancing and singing."</p> - -<p>"I see," murmured Samuel Salt, "er—and hear," he added quickly as the -wild, joyous cries of Alberif's yodelers made every window in the -palace rattle. "I'll certainly make a note of all this and report -Peakenspire Island to Queen Ozma as the most interesting discovery of -the voyage."</p> - -<p>"I am highly honored!" Alberif bowed stiffly. "Highly honored! HI -dee Aye de OH—hhhhh!" Jumping into the air, the Prince of the Peaks -kicked his heels together from sheer exuberance. "Wait," he told -them cheerfully, "and I'll get you some fruit and vegetable vines to -take back with you." Tandy and Samuel could not help grinning as -Alberif rushed off. To tell the truth, there was something so light -and exhilarating about the mountain air they found it difficult to -walk calmly themselves. As the Prince returned Samuel felt a loud and -uncontrollable yodel rising in his own throat, and seizing Tandy's -arm, he bade Alberif a hasty and hearty adieu. Bidding him keep a -sharp lookout for the airships from Oz, and loaded down with crystals -and vines, the two explorers climbed into the basket and were swung -swiftly down to the deck of the <i>Crescent Moon</i>. Roger, flying under -his own power and yodeling like a native, arrived soon after.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus68.jpg" width="428" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>With Oz flags flying from all bridges and the Mountaineers calling out -rousing and melodious farewells, Samuel inflated his balloon sails and -the ship soared gracefully aloft, circled the island three times and -then dropped lightly down upon the surface of the sea. The <i>Mountain -Lass</i> in charge of Alberif's husky crew lay just off shore and there -she would have to stay till Samuel sent a set of balloon sails to lift -her back to the Lake among the peaks.</p> - -<p>Nikobo, who'd been swimming anxiously round and round, gave a bellow of -relief as she spied the <i>Crescent Moon</i>.</p> - -<p>"I thought you'd been captured and destroyed!" wheezed the -hippopotamus, scrambling hastily aboard her raft. "Next time you fly -off, take me aboard or give me a balloon sail too. I'm so full of -salt water I'm perfectly pickled and somebody'll have to scrape the -barnacles off my hide."</p> - -<p>"But we've brought you a present," called Tandy, leaning far over the -taffrail, "a vegetable vine that will keep you supplied with fresh -vegetables as long as we're at sea. SEE! DEEEE Aye DEE OH!"</p> - -<p>"Avast and balaydeeaye!" barked Samuel Salt grimly. "Let's get away -from here. This is no way for able-bodied seamen to talk." Rushing from -wheel to mast, he quickly set his sail. "Ahoy! Ahoy Dee Oy Dee OH!" -he yodelled, then, very red in the face, he blew three shrill blasts -on his fog horn, swung his ship about and the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, with a -spanking breeze on her quarter, went skimming away toward the southern -skyline.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_12" id="CHAPTER_12"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus69.jpg" width="475" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 12<br /> - -<small>Fog</small></h2> - - -<p>The evening had blown up raw and cold, and after carrying an old -tarpaulin down to cover Nikobo, Tandy had come shivering back to the -main cabin. Samuel Salt had close reefed his topsails and double reefed -his courses, adjusted his mechanical steering gear, and now sat beside -the fire examining a heap of the glittering crystals from Alberif's -island.</p> - -<p>"Just sketch Peakenspire Island on the chart, there where I've made the -cross," he directed, looking up with an absent smile as the little boy -came over to warm himself at the cheerful blaze. "You're such a hand -with a brush, even in so small a place you can give a good idea of the -City of Bridges."</p> - -<p>"And a good idea they are," murmured Ato, who was busy mending his -fishing nets on the other side of the fireplace. "In every port we -learn something new, eh, Mate? All mountains, no matter how high and -peaked, could be lived on if they were properly bridged."</p> - -<p>"True, quite true," agreed Samuel, squinting contentedly through his -magnifying glass, while Tandy began sketching in the latest discovery -on the sea chart. "I've written it all up in my journal and put down -Peakenspire Island as able to accommodate a thousand settlers from Oz -and as an especially good place for poets."</p> - -<p>"Provided they are deaf," put in Ato, looking comically over his specs, -"AYE DEE AYE DEE OH! While you fellows were aloft I got to yodeling so -fast and furious I blew all the sauce pans off their hooks."</p> - -<p>"Yes, that <i>is</i> one disadvantage," admitted Samuel, glancing -approvingly at Tandy's picture of Alberif's Island, "but never mind, -we don't have to live there, and think of the splendid specimens we've -brought away, Mates!" Samuel ran his fingers lovingly through the heap -of crystals and strands of metal Alberif had given him. "And those -fruit and vegetable vines will provision us for the whole voyage."</p> - -<p>"They're a great comfort to <i>me</i>, I assure you," muttered Ato, holding -up his net to the light to see whether there were any more holes. "Now -I know Kobo will never starve. I put a vegetable vine in a box on her -raft and that leaves two for us, two for Ozma, and maybe Tandy would -like to take the other two home with him?"</p> - -<p>"Home?" Tandy swung round in positive dismay. "Oh—we're not near -Ozamaland yet, are we, Captain?" His voice sounded so dismal Samuel -Salt threw down his magnifying glass with a roar of merriment.</p> - -<p>"Shiver my timbers, lad, one would think you did not wish to reach -Ozamaland at all," he blustered teasingly. "What's the matter with that -country of yours? You wouldn't keep an honest explorer from adding a -creeping bird and a flying reptile to his collection, now would ye?"</p> - -<p>"No! No! Of course not," answered Tandy quickly. "But perhaps it is -farther away than you think, Master Salt, and perhaps the Greys have -conquered the Whites and then I won't be King any more."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus70.jpg" width="266" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"What's this? What's this?" Ato lifted his nose like an old hound that -has just scented a fox, for he loved a good story even better than he -loved a good meal. "Who are the Greys and Whites, my lad? You never -told us anything about this."</p> - -<p>"There's really not much to tell," sighed Tandy, seating himself on a -small stool before the fire. "In the first place, I suppose you know -that the great continent of Tarara is divided into two large long -countries? Ozamaland is on the East Coast and Amaland on the West -Coast."</p> - -<p>"Now I'll just make a note of that," said Samuel Salt, leaning over to -pull his journal toward him.</p> - -<p>"My country," went on Tandy slowly, "is made up largely of desert and -jungle, best known for its white elephants and camels and the famous -White City of Om, first King and ruler of the Kingdom. The Zamas are -fierce and still wild tribesmen living in tents on the desert and in -huts in the jungle. Only the thousand Nobles and their families who -live in the White City have been taught to read and write and live -under roofs. That is why the Kings of Ozamaland are so well guarded and -never allowed out of the capital."</p> - -<p>"Then I'd rather be a tribesman," sniffed Ato, letting his nets drop in -a heap around his feet.</p> - -<p>"But there's no choice," said Tandy thoughtfully. "The nine -Ozamandarins who make the laws have decreed that the King shall remain -in the White City."</p> - -<p>"Well, what about these Whites and Greys?" asked Samuel Salt, pulling -out his pipe and leaning down close to the fire so Sally could light it -for him.</p> - -<p>"My people, because they dress in white robes and turbans, are known -as the Whites, and the Amas, the rough plainsmen who rove the long -ranges of Amaland, are the Greys. The Amas care for nothing but their -swift grey horses and often charge over the border to make war on my -countrymen. Then the Whites, mounted on their white elephants and -camels, have all they can do to hold their own."</p> - -<p>"Aha, that's what I'd call a REAL battle!" exclaimed Ato, his -eyes snapping with enthusiasm and interest. Then, noting Samuel's -disapproving frown, he pursed up his lips, shook his head and added -quickly, "All very wild and disorderly, Tandy, my lad. Seems as if the -Whites and Greys should manage their affairs more peaceably."</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Tandy solemnly, "and I've often thought when I was grown, -I'd ride over on my white elephant to visit the Greys and see why they -are so unfriendly."</p> - -<p>"A good idea, and if I were you, I wouldn't wait till I was grown. I'd -do it as soon as I got back," advised Samuel Salt, taking a long pull -at his pipe.</p> - -<p>"And very probably get himself cut up and captured," shuddered Ato, -shaking his head.</p> - -<p>"Well, he's been both shut up and captured anyway, hasn't he?" said -Samuel mildly. "Now which one of your aunts do you think had you -carried off, Matey, and how many aunts do you have anyway?"</p> - -<p>"Three," Tandy answered, counting them off solemnly on his fingers. -"And they were all pretty and pleasant enough; but after the prophecy -of the Old Man of the Jungle that I would be carried off by an aunt, -they were all locked up in the castle dungeon and I was locked up in -the Tower." And, resting his elbows on his knees, Tandy gazed soberly -into the fire as if he might discover there the reason for his cruel -abduction and imprisonment in the jungle.</p> - -<p>"If I'd only been awake when I was carried away," he exclaimed -impatiently.</p> - -<p>"They probably gave you a sleeping potion," decided Ato, nodding his -head portentously, "but it's such a longish distance, unless this aunt -had wings or a flying eagle I'll never understand how she shipped you -so far and so fast."</p> - -<p>"Well, whoever it was did <i>us</i> a real service!" boomed Samuel Salt, -twinkling his blue eyes affectionately at Tandy. "Even Peter was no -better aboard a ship—eh, Mate?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus71.jpg" width="453" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"A real artist and a seaman," agreed Ato, rolling cheerfully to his -feet, "and when we reach Ozamaland I'll talk to these aunts like -an Octagon uncle, and the Ozamandarins had better hold on to their -turbans, too."</p> - -<p>"But they wear square hats!" roared Tandy, laughing so hard he almost -fell off the stool, for he just could not picture the fat King of the -Octagon Isle berating the haughty judges of Ozamaland.</p> - -<p>"What's the joke?" demanded Roger, flying in through the open port -and making a straight line for the fire. "Brrr-rah! Wet weather, -boys! Wet weather! Oh, what a coldth and dampth and gloomth. Why, I'm -moister than an oyster and clammier than a clam. How about a cup of hot -chocolate for the Watch, Cook dear? Better see to your sail, Master -Salt. Fog's thicker than bean soup out there."</p> - -<p>"We'll <i>all</i> have some chocolate," said Ato as Samuel hurried out to -see how dense the fog really was. Later, sitting by the stove sipping -Ato's delicious hot chocolate, Tandy could not help comparing this cozy -life aboard the <i>Crescent Moon</i> with his dull and lonely existence in -the Royal City of his Fathers.</p> - -<p>"I wish the Greys <i>would</i> capture the Whites," he thought vindictively, -as he followed Roger across the slippery deck. "Then I'd never have to -leave this ship." The kind-hearted Read Bird was carrying a pail of hot -chocolate down to Nikobo on the raft. She could not get her great snout -into the bucket, but she opened her enormous mouth and with one toss -Roger poured the whole pail down her throat.</p> - -<p>"That'll keep her warm till morning," chuckled Roger, flying back to -join Tandy, "and now you'd better turn in, little fellow, for you're on -morning watch and eight bells will be sounding before you know it!" All -through his dreams about the Whites and Greys Tandy heard the raucous -voice of the fog horn, and when he rolled sleepily out of his bunk to -relieve Ato, the ship seemed to be hardly moving at all.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus72.jpg" width="464" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Ahoy, Captain! Isn't a fog dangerous?" Tandy's voice seemed more -hopeful than worried, and Samuel Salt, peering down at the little boy -buttoned to his chin in Peter's old sou'easter, grinned approvingly.</p> - -<p>"Just about as dangerous as a man-eating tiger," he answered -cheerfully. "We're liable to ram a ship, run on the rocks, or scrape -our bottom on a hidden reef or sand bar. These waters, as you know, -being all unnavigated. But I've brought Sally along to keep my nose -warm and throw a bit more light on the subject and we'll have to take -our chance—eh, Matey? Just step aft and see if you can make out -anything astern, will you, Tandy?"</p> - -<p>Four o'clock, or rather eight bells, was always pretty dark and one had -to depend more or less on the ship's lanterns, but this morning was -the darkest Tandy had ever experienced. Clinging to the rail, he moved -cautiously to the stern and gazed intently down into the gloom. Nothing -an inch beyond his nose was visible and as for the raft and Nikobo, -they might just as well not have been there.</p> - -<p>"Kobo, Kobo, are you all right?" There was no answer to Tandy's call, -but presently a huge and resounding snore rolled upward and, greatly -comforted, Tandy hurried back to the Captain. Samuel Salt was busy -lighting extra lanterns and as he straightened up, a hollow boom, -followed by a splintering crash, sent them both sprawling to the deck. -Leaping to his feet and unmindful of the glass from the shattered -lanterns, Samuel seized an unbroken one and ran furiously to the rail.</p> - -<p>"Ship ahoy! Heave to! you blasted son of a cuttle-fish lubber! You've -rammed us amidships, you blasted Billygoat. Where are your lights? Why -didn't ye sound the horn?" His lantern, held far over the rail, made -no impression at all on the choking fog. Jumping up and running after -Samuel, Tandy strained his eyes for a glimpse of the ship that had hit -them, for unmistakably to his ears came the scrape and rasp of wood on -wood. Yes, surely it was a ship. But no answer to Samuel's hail came -out of the fog, only the swish and murmur of the sea and the rattle -of wind in the rigging. But all this creaking could not come from the -<i>Crescent Moon</i> alone. There <i>was</i> a ship beyond them in the fog, -but where, as Samuel had demanded, were her lights and crew? Wildly -Tandy, hardly knowing what to think or do, continued to blink into the -maddening darkness. Ato and Roger, wakened by the horrible jolt, now -came hurrying out, each waving a lantern.</p> - -<p>"Let go the anchor, Mates," ordered Samuel in a stern voice, "we're to -grips with an enemy ship, so stand by for trouble. Further shortening -his sail, Samuel waited tensely for the first move from their invisible -foe.</p> - -<p>"Might be pirates," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth to -Tandy, who stood close beside him grasping the scimiter that had once -been Peter's. "Jump the first man aboard."</p> - -<p>"How about a long shot in their general direction?" wheezed Ato, who -found the silence and suspense well nigh unbearable.</p> - -<p>"No, it is not for <i>us</i> to start a fight," stated Samuel grimly. "But -hah! Just let <i>them</i> start one! Fetch me my stilts, Roger, and be quick -about it, too!"</p> - -<p>"Stilts?" choked the Read Bird, dropping the blunderbuss with which he -had armed, or rather winged, himself. "You'll never be trying those -things again—they nearly shivered our timbers last time. Why take -another chance?"</p> - -<p>"My stilts!" repeated Samuel savagely, and Roger, who knew his duty -as a sailor, flew without further argument to the hold. When Roger -returned with a stilt in each claw, the Captain grasped one and moving -silently as a cat over to the port rail, he thrust the long pole -experimentally out into the fog. There was an instant thud, and Samuel -himself got a severe jolt as the stilt struck against some firm and -immovable object beyond. Convinced that it was an enemy ship, Samuel -returned to the others and, drawn up in an anxious row, the four -shipmates waited for the fog to lift or the first enemy seaman to leap -aboard.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus73.jpg" width="471" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"I'll wager it's a derelict, or an abandoned vessel with no crew," -breathed Ato, seating himself on a fire bucket to somewhat ease the -long wait. The first hour Tandy stood fairly well, but the second -seemed interminable. The flickering lanterns, the tense quiet, the -choking fog and gentle roll of the ship all made him desperately -drowsy, and, much to his later disgust, he must have finally fallen -asleep. The next thing he remembered was the shrill squall of the Read -Bird and the pleasant feel of the sun on his eyelids.</p> - -<p>"The ship! The pirates! The fog!" thought Tandy, springing up wildly, -but neither ship nor pirates met his astonished gaze. Abaft the beam -lay a great whispering deep sea forest, its trees higher than the masts -of the ship, springing directly out of the water and stretching their -leafy branches to the sky. It was into one of these giant greenwoods -the <i>Crescent Moon</i> had crashed in the fog. Samuel was staring at the -sea forest with the rapt look of a scientist who has just made an -unbelievable discovery, and Ato, with his elbows resting on the rail, -was gazing dreamily in the same direction.</p> - -<p>"'Hoy! Ahoy! Why, I never knew there were forests in the sea," -exclaimed Tandy, running over to insinuate himself between the cook and -the Captain.</p> - -<p>"There aren't! It's just plain impossible!" breathed Ato, moving over -to make room for Tandy. "But, impossible or not, there she lies. And -isn't it pretty?" he mused, resting more than half of his great weight -on the rail.</p> - -<p>"I suppose Sammy'll want to dig up a sea tree and bring it along," he -leaned over to whisper mischievously in Tandy's ear. "And anyway, it's -better than pirates."</p> - -<p>"Look, look, there's fish in those trees," screamed Roger, bouncing -up and down on Ato's plump shoulder. "How about some flying fish for -breakfast, Cook dear?"</p> - -<p>"Breakfast? Breakfast? Can it really be time for breakfast? Ho, hum! I -thought I was still asleep and dreaming," grunted Ato, giving himself a -little shake. "Well, forests or no forests, a man must eat, I suppose!" -And still gazing delightedly over his shoulder, the ship's cook trod -reluctantly toward the galley, while Tandy hurried into the cabin for -his paints.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_13" id="CHAPTER_13"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus74.jpg" width="475" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 13<br /> - -<small>The Sea Forest</small></h2> - - -<p>Tandy had to call Samuel twice before he would come to breakfast and -when he finally did sit down, he was so busy preparing to explore the -sea forest he ate scarcely a bite.</p> - -<p>"We'll take the jolly boat," he decided, making long notes in his -journal between his sips of coffee, "the small nets and knives and -baskets for cuttings and any specimens we may pick up and—"</p> - -<p>"Why the jolly boat when we have a jolly sea-going hippopotamus?" -inquired Roger, elevating one eyebrow. "A jolly hippopotamus, I might -add, who runs under her own power and saves us the trouble of rowing!" -Roger was much annoyed because he had failed to catch a flying fish -before breakfast and instead of eating his hard-boiled eggs, kept -winging over to the open port to glare at his finny rivals. Tandy, like -the Captain, was too excited to eat, and even Ato downed his omelette -and fresh strawberries from the Peakenspire fruit vine with rare speed -and indifference.</p> - -<p>"It's a lucky thing you're so enormous, Kobo," puffed the ship's cabin -boy, dropping down on the raft a few minutes later. "Ato's got his crab -nets and fishing lines, Samuel's bringing an aquarium, a couple of -baskets and a box. And I have this pail, my paints and a cage in case -Roger does manage to catch one of those flying fish." Kobo was staring -fixedly at her vegetable vine as Tandy dropped down beside her, and now -snapping off a whole bushel of beans, she turned round and, munching -contentedly, surveyed the excited boy at her side.</p> - -<p>"Whatever you have can be hung to my harness," she assured him, -speaking a bit thickly through the beans. "But turn the point of that -scimiter up instead of down; you wouldn't want to carve old Kobo, now -would you? It will seem funny swimming through a forest, won't it, -little King? The further we go on this voyage the queerer everything -grows."</p> - -<p>"But I like it queer," stated Tandy, climbing with a satisfied little -sigh on Nikobo's broad back.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus75.jpg" width="464" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"I, too, find it most interesting and jolly," agreed the hippopotamus, -fastening her eyes dreamily on the vegetable vine to see what was -coming up next. "I thought I might be on short rations when I came on -this voyage, Tandy, but I declare to goodness I've never had such a -rich and varied diet in my life. You, too, look fine and strong and -much happier than when we met in the jungle. But to get back to the -fare—why, today I've had a basket of biscuits, a bushel of beans—"</p> - -<p>"And that makes it Bean and Biscuit Day, I suppose," giggled Tandy, -remembering Kobo's strange way of dividing up her week. "But look! -Listen! Here they come!"</p> - -<p>"Ahoy below, Hip Hip OPOTOMUS, AHOY!" roared Samuel Salt jovially from -above. "All ready to cast off, my lass?"</p> - -<p>"Aye, aye, sir!" grinned Kobo as Samuel and Ato came panting down the -rope ladders to the raft. "Move over, Tandy, and make room for the Cook -and the Captain!" It took nearly ten minutes to get all the gear and -crew aboard and Nikobo looked like some curious deep sea monster when -she finally shoved off. Two large baskets were slung from ropes across -her back. The pail and bird cage slapped up and down on one hip, the -aquarium on the other, and through her collar various fishing rods, -nets and poles were stuck like quills on a porcupine.</p> - -<p>"Now whatever you do, don't submerge," warned Samuel, holding his tin -box for especially fragile specimens high above his chest to keep it -dry. "Just slow and steady, m'lass, so we'll have time to observe and -admire and make notes of any strange growths and creatures as we ride -along."</p> - -<p>"Creatures!" exclaimed Tandy, twisting round. He was perched on -Nikobo's head, his paints held carefully in his lap. "Would there be -any wild animals in a sea forest, Master Salt?"</p> - -<p>"Sea Lions, likely," predicted Samuel, peering round eagerly as Nikobo -paddled between two slippery barked sea trees into the murmuring forest -itself. Except for the fact that the floor of this curious sea wood was -the blue and restless sea, it might almost have been a forest ashore. -The trees, tall, straight and stately, towered up toward the sky. -Staring down into the clear green water, Tandy saw their trunks going -down, down, down as far as he could see.</p> - -<p>"Rooted in the very ocean bed," marveled Samuel Salt, touching one -lovingly as they passed. "What splendid masts these would make, Mates! -Avast and belay, Nikobo, I believe I'll just take a cutting or two."</p> - -<p>"Ha, ha!" roared Ato, peering over Samuel's shoulder. "So now we're -going to grow our own masts."</p> - -<p>Samuel himself, leaning far out over Nikobo's back, severed three young -shoots from the sea tree and popped them happily into the aquarium. -Vines that were really of coral ringed the gigantic trunks like -bracelets, and the leaves of the trees were long ribbons of green and -silver that whipped and fluttered like banners in the morning breeze.</p> - -<p>"What's that?" puzzled Ato as the hippopotamus made her way leisurely -between the trees. "Looks like mushrooms, Sammy! Wait, I'll just pick -me a few and see." Hooking his heels in Nikobo's harness, Ato began -vigorously cutting from the trunk of one of the trees the colored -fungus growths which sprouted in great profusion just above the -water line. Nikobo bravely offered to sample some, and after waiting -anxiously to see whether they would have any ill effects the ship's -cook decided they were harmless and joyfully filled one of the baskets. -The only specimens that really interested Ato were of the edible -variety. While he was thus employed, Tandy, an experienced climber -by now, scurried up to the top of one of the sea trees, breaking off -several branches so Samuel could press the curious leaves in his -album. High above his head Tandy could see Roger chasing angrily after -a flying fish, muttering with anger at his unsuccessful efforts to -overtake the nimble little sea bird. In our own southern waters there -are large flying fish that leap out of the water of the gulf stream, -but the flying fish in this Nonestic Sea Forest were small, and where -most fish have gills wore strong transparent wings. Their claws, -somewhat like a crab's, made it possible for them to perch jauntily in -the branches of the sea trees, and these strange little fellows could -swim and dive as well as fly. Pulling out his pad, Tandy made a lively -sketch of one in the tree opposite, for it did look as if Roger would -never succeed in catching one.</p> - -<p>All morning Nikobo paddled calmly through the dreamy sea forest; Samuel -making notes, Tandy sketches, and Ato catching in his long-handled -nets plump little fish and crabs, and filling another basket with the -small delicious clams that clung like barnacles to the slippery bark -of the sea trees. In the shadowy center of the forest where the trees -pressed closer together and great flat rocks stuck their heads out of -the water, the explorers came upon several fierce sea lions. They were -not smooth and shiny like the seals of our own oceans, but yellow and -tawny with long yellow tusks, tufted tails and scaly manes. Their front -legs ended in sharp claws, their back legs were shorter and their feet -were webbed for swimming. Only the fact that Nikobo was larger and more -frightening to the sea lions than they were to her saved the party from -a savage attack by these malicious-looking monsters. As it was, they -retired sullenly into the deeper shadows, snarling and roaring defiance -as they backed away, but not before Tandy had made an effective sketch -of the whole group.</p> - -<p>"'Tis a lucky thing for us that you're along!" grunted Ato, drawing -his feet up out of the water and looking with grim disfavor after the -snarling sea lions. "Likely as not, if you had not made that picture, -Samuel would have tried to drag one along by its tail, regardless of -our feelings or safety."</p> - -<p>"A wild maned sea lion would be a valuable addition to any collection," -sighed Samuel Salt, shaking his head regretfully. "But then—" he -grinned in his sudden pleasant way, "not much of a mascot at that."</p> - -<p>The only other happening of note was Roger's capture of a monkey fish. -Unable to overtake a flying fish, the Read Bird had pounced on this -small combination of a land and water beast as it sat quietly sunning -itself on the limb of a tree. Screaming and chattering, he bore it -proudly down to the Captain, and Samuel was so pleased with the curious -little creature that when Nikobo suggested going back he made no -serious objection. And as the hippopotamus, rather weary from her -long swim, headed thankfully back for the ship Tandy and Samuel made -ambitious plans for the monkey fish's care and comfort.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus76.jpg" width="489" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Thrusting it into Tandy's bird cage, Samuel regarded it with increasing -enthusiasm and interest. "I'll rig up a wooden tree in one of the -aquariums, set the aquarium in one of the large cages so it'll have -both air and water, and call it 'Roger' after its discoverer," beamed -the former Pirate with a wink at Tandy.</p> - -<p>"Don't you dare call that monkey fish after me," screeched the Read -Bird, flying round to have another look at his strange prize. "Why, -it's uglier than a blue monkey, looks like a regular goblin, if you ask -me." And to tell the truth, the monkey fish <i>was</i> even uglier than a -goblin, shaped like a monkey but scaled all over, and with unpleasant -goggly eyes and three short spikes sticking out of its forehead.</p> - -<p>"It does look like a goblin," agreed Tandy with an amused sniff. "But -let's call it Mo-fi, which is short for fish and monkey."</p> - -<p>"Tip tops'ls!" approved Samuel Salt, taking out his note book. "Wonder -what it eats?"</p> - -<p>"Great grandmothers, what would it eat?" moaned Ato, looking blankly at -Samuel. "Another mouth to feed and listen to! Dear, Dear and DEAR!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, give it a box of animal crackers," put in Roger carelessly.</p> - -<p>"No, I brought along some gold fish food for just such an emergency as -this," declared Samuel, making a little flourish with his pencil as he -wrote busily in his journal. "Gold fish food will be splendid for a -monkey fish."</p> - -<p>"Well, don't forget the bananas—for remember it's a monkey, too," -chirped Roger, settling on the Captain's shoulder to read what he had -written. So, laughing and joking and in the highest good humor the -exploring party returned to the <i>Crescent Moon</i>.</p> - -<p>What with planting the slips from the sea tree, settling Mo-fi in his -aquarium cage, pressing the leaves from the marine forest, and making -copies and further notes about the sea lions in his journal, Samuel did -not get his ship under way till late afternoon.</p> - -<p>Ramming into the sea tree, beyond scraping off some paint, had done -little damage, so singing boisterously, Samuel finally heaved up his -anchor. And soon, with Ato stirring up a huge clam chowder, Tandy -painting the sea forest on the chart and Roger scouring the hold for -Mo-fi's fish food, the <i>Crescent Moon</i> again dipped adventurously into -the southeast swell.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_14" id="CHAPTER_14"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus77.jpg" width="459" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 14<br /> - -<small>The Sea Unicorn!</small></h2> - - -<p>"Ahoy! and how goes it with the able-bodied seaman?" called Roger, -swooping down from the foremast. Tandy, polishing the brass trim on the -binnacle, looked up with a welcoming grin.</p> - -<p>"Tip topsails!" he answered, pausing a minute to stare off toward the -skyline to see whether any islands or sea serpents were visible.</p> - -<p>"And look at that muscle, now," marveled Roger, touching Tandy's arm -admiringly with his claw. "You're twice the lad you were, Mate, and -I'll wager my last feather you can lay any lubber by the heels. If -anyone gets fresh-water ashore, remember you're a salt sea-going sailor -and you just take a poke at him. That's my advice without any charge or -obligation. But then again, a chap that's a King, the Royal Artist of -an exploring expedition, with a sea forest named after him, might not -need to take any advice at all," added Roger with a long and knowing -wink.</p> - -<p>"But I like you to tell me things," said Tandy, looking earnestly up -at the Read Bird. "You make everything seem so interesting and jolly." -With a secret smile, for Tandy was thinking how much he would enjoy -taking a poke at Didjabo, the Chief Ozamandarin, the little boy went -on with his polishing. If Didjabo said anything further about shutting -him up in the Tower, he just plain would take a poke at him. But saying -nothing of all this to Roger, he called up cheerfully, "How's Mo-fi? -Has he stopped scolding and begun to eat?"</p> - -<p>Roger, who was running races with himself up and down the taffrail, -stopped short and held up his claw. "Everything I give him," he told -Tandy solemnly. "And I declare to badness he's getting to know me, -Mate. He only pulled out three feathers instead of a fistful when I -gave him breakfast just now. Before long he'll be so tame he'll be -riding around on your shoulder."</p> - -<p>"Not MY shoulder," laughed Tandy, waving his bottle of polish at the -Read Bird. "Goodness, I believe you're growing fond of that monkey -fish, Roger."</p> - -<p>"Well, why not?" retorted the Read Bird, puffing up his chest. "Ato has -me, the Captain has Sally, you have Kobo, so why shouldn't I have a -little pet if I want one?"</p> - -<p>The monkey fish seemed such a strange prickly sort of pet, Tandy could -hardly keep his face straight, but seeing Roger was quite in earnest, -he tactfully changed the subject. "Do you suppose we'll make any new -discoveries today?" he asked, screwing the cap on the bottle of polish. -"Any as important as the sea forest, I mean?"</p> - -<p>"Why not call it by its proper name?" teased Roger, scratching his head -with his left claw. "And I think it most unlikely we'll strike anything -as curious and important as Tazander Forest. Two discoveries like that -just couldn't happen two days running. Still, I'll just fly up to the -main truck and have a look around."</p> - -<p>"Main truck?" Tandy wrinkled up his brows. "I thought I knew all the -parts of this ship by now. You never told me about the main truck, -Roger."</p> - -<p>"Just the top of the main mast, Brainless." Giving Tandy an -affectionate little shove, Roger soared into the rigging and Tandy went -joyfully off to have another look at the forest Samuel had insisted -on naming after him. He had taken great pains with the painting and -printing when he sketched it on the map, and now with a sigh of -complete satisfaction he stood regarding the sea chart. Then, suddenly -remembering he had promised to water Samuel Salt's plants, he jog -trotted contentedly down to the hold.</p> - -<p>The tumbleweeds in their small red pots grew so rapidly Samuel had -to cut them back every day. These Tandy watered very sparingly, -snapping his fingers at Mo-fi, who was gravely chinning himself on a -branch of his artificial tree. The slips of the sea trees in their -covered aquarium required no attention at all. Ato had planted all the -vegetable and fruit vines from Peakenspire on the rail outside the -galley, so that left only the creeping vines from Patrippany Island to -care for. He had just picked up one of the small potted creepers when -a sharp rap tap under his toes made Tandy leap straight up in the air. -Someone was knocking on the bottom of the boat.</p> - -<p>"Ato! Captain! ROGER!" shrilled the little boy, scurrying up from the -hold faster than he had ever done before.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus78.jpg" width="457" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Su—su—SOMEBODY'S knocking on the bottom of the boat." Before he -could explain, or tell them anything further, a perfectly terrific -knock from below made the <i>Crescent Moon</i> shiver from end to end. -Samuel and Ato, leaning over the port rail, turned round so suddenly -they bumped their heads smartly together. Next with a scrape, screech -and splintering of timber, a giant white horn came tearing up through -the decks.</p> - -<p>"Whale! Whale!" croaked Roger, falling off the main truck and coasting -crazily down to the deck. "Wha—what ever'n ever's that?" he quavered, -pointing a trembling claw at the rigid white column between the main -and mizzenmasts. Samuel did not even try to explain, for at that -instant the ship began to rise, to fall, to lash and plunge both up -and down and east and west. Hooking his arms through the rail, Tandy -blinked, gasped and shudderingly waited for the <i>Crescent Moon</i> to fly -asunder.</p> - -<p>"Narwhal, Mates!" panted Samuel Salt, throwing himself bodily upon the -wheel. "Horn like a—uni—corn—branch of the Odontocetes and—"</p> - -<p>"Oh—you—don't say—it—is!" chattered Ato, who was lying on his -stomach bouncing up and down like a ball at each frightful lunge of the -monstrous fish. "Well, it's spiked us—is that a horn or a ship's mast? -Oh woe, oh! What'n salt'll we do now?"</p> - -<p>Samuel had not the heart to answer, for he had all he could do to -hang on to the wheel as the ship, like a wounded animal, reared and -plunged, thrashing the sea to a fury of foam and spray. Nikobo, -diving precipitously off her raft, began to squeal in high and low -hippopotamy, making brave but ineffective lunges at the lashing giant -beneath the ship.</p> - -<p>"Su—suppose it su—submerges?" wailed Ato, who had managed at last to -seize a rope from the end of which he banged and slammed continuously -up and down against the deck. "Oh, my stars! Oh, my spars! Oh, my -beams and—" Tandy never heard Ato's last anguished cry, for at that -moment a savage shake of the Narwhal's head sent him flying into the -sea. Coming up coughing and choking, Tandy instinctively began to swim -and for the first time became aware of the creeping vine he still had -clutched tightly in one hand. And in that instant and in that whirl of -danger, disaster and destruction, the little boy suddenly grew calm -and purposeful. This vine—well, why would this powerful vine from -Patrippany Island not work as well under water as on land? The chances -were that it would. Swimming boldly back to the ship, Tandy took a -quick dive, hurling the vine pot and all in the general direction of -the Narwhal. No sooner had the vine touched the water than it began -to open, creep and grow and, spraying out a hundred strong tentacles, -it seized and bound the plunging monster in a secure and inescapable -cradle of leafy wood.</p> - -<p>Gasping and sputtering, but with his heart pounding with joy to think -he had really saved Samuel's beautiful ship, Tandy rose to the surface. -Nikobo, letting off shrill blasts of anger and fright, came paddling -anxiously toward him. But giving the hippopotamus a reassuring wave, -Tandy seized the end of a rope ladder and pulled himself up to the deck.</p> - -<p>Samuel, though battered and bruised, still clung to the wheel, and Ato, -almost pounded to a jelly, had rolled into the scuppers where Roger -was fanning him vigorously with a butter paddle. The Read Bird, having -wings, could have left the ship at any time, but had clung bravely to -his post, preferring to go down with the ship and his shipmates. Now -all three of them stared in dazed silence at Tandy as he climbed back -over the rail, for in the terrible confusion and excitement no one had -seen him go overboard.</p> - -<p>"Tandy! Tandy! Where've you been?" With outstretched arms Samuel Salt -rushed groggily forward. "Shiver my liver! Why's everything so quiet? -Could it be that you single-handed have destroyed that ship-shaking -menace?"</p> - -<p>"I don't think he's destroyed, Master Salt," answered Tandy, limping -happily to meet the Captain, "but he's caught fast as a lobster in a -lobster pot and can't move at all."</p> - -<p>"Caught?" rasped Samuel, running across the deck to peer over the rail.</p> - -<p>"By the creeping vine," explained Tandy, and in short, breathless -sentences he told them all that had happened after he was flung into -the sea.</p> - -<p>"Well, bagpipe my mizzenmain sails!" gasped Samuel Salt, staring at -Tandy with round eyes. "This is the strangest and happiest day of my -life. You've saved the ship and the whole expedition, my boy, and all -we have to do now is cut loose from this cavorting unicorn of the sea -and sail off with the largest ivory horn in captivity. An ivory mast, -blast my buckles! Wait till the Ozites see us sailing up the Winkie -River with four masts instead of three! Ahoy, below! Ahoy, Kobo! Can -you dive with me beneath this ship?"</p> - -<p>"Dive and stay under as long as you can," vowed the hippopotamus, -shaking the water out of her eyes and looking cheerily up at the -Captain. "You see, I was right about those creeping vines, now wasn't -I?" Nikobo, having done a little investigating on her own account, was -well nigh ready to burst with pride at Tandy's quick action and the way -in which the vines had overcome their gigantic foe.</p> - -<p>"RIGHT!" boomed Samuel Salt, hurrying off for his oxygen helmet and -powerful diamond toothed saw. Ato was too bruised and exhausted to -rise, but Tandy and Roger, perching on the ship's rail, watched Samuel -in his queer diver's helmet climb down the rope ladder and clamber -up on the hippopotamus. Next minute Nikobo had disappeared under the -surface and presently from the slight shiver and shake of the boat -they knew that Samuel was determinedly at work cutting them loose. -Fortunately there was room between the ship's bottom and the whale's -head for Nikobo to swim about, and so splintering sharp was Samuel's -saw that in less than five minutes he had cut off the great column of -ivory level with the ship's bottom, carefully calking the edges with -material he had brought down. In its tight and live wood crate the -Narwhal could not stir an inch, and, while the cutting of its horn was -not painful, it blubbered and spouted so terrifically that Samuel and -Nikobo heaved tremendous sighs of relief when the dangerous operation -was accomplished.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus79.jpg" width="467" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Backing off a few paces, Nikobo began butting the crated sea beast with -her head till she had driven it out from beneath the boat. Roger and -Tandy, with little shrieks of wonder and excitement, saw the crated -fish like some queer and monstrous mummy rise to the surface and go -floating sullenly away toward the east. Now that they had a full view -of the Narwhal they saw that it was three times the length of the -<i>Crescent Moon</i>.</p> - -<p>"A great wonder Sammy didn't tie it to the ship and tow it along," -sighed Ato, who had at last got to his feet and draped himself weakly -over the rail. "Some fishin'—eh, Mates?"</p> - -<p>"But look at the beautiful mast we have!" cried Tandy, waving to Nikobo -and the Captain as they came cheerfully alongside.</p> - -<p>"Huh! you're as bad as Sammy," grunted Ato, rubbing his bruises -sorrowfully. "And of course a mast was just what we were needing! Whale -of a mast! Mast of a whale! HUH!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_15" id="CHAPTER_15"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus80.jpg" width="468" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 15<br /> - -<small>The Collector Is Collected</small></h2> - - -<p>"What are you going to call this one?" inquired Tandy next morning as -he and Samuel squinted thoughtfully up at the gleaming ivory column -between the main and mizzenmasts.</p> - -<p>"Might call it the whalemast," said Samuel, rubbing his chin -reflectively. "And it's a lucky thing for us the point was sharp enough -to cut through the decks without damaging the ship. At any rate, it's -given us the biggest fish story a voyager ever had to relate. Tossed -on the horn of a Narwhal! And the best part of the whole story is that -we have the proof right along with us. Hah! Right here!" Samuel in his -glee and exuberance gave the whalemast a hearty slap.</p> - -<p>"Kobo says that vine won't unwind for a couple of days, but anyway -it'll be a fine rest for the whale floating around without having to -swim. And I expect it can grow another horn?"</p> - -<p>"I expect so," agreed Samuel, winking down at Sally, who was standing -on her head in the bowl of his pipe. "If this little Lady would just -talk, she could give us a heap of valuable information about life in -Lavaland, Mate."</p> - -<p>"Roger's taught Mo-fi to say 'Ship ahoy!'" observed Tandy, strolling -over to the rail to watch the white foam sweep past the ship's side. -"And your sea tree sprays have grown an inch since yesterday, Captain."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus81.jpg" width="265" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"They have?" Samuel blew three rings from his pipe, then walked aft -to glance at the compass. "Well, my boy, if the rest of the voyage -is as good as the beginning, we'll sail home loaded to the gun'ls." -The mention of home always made Tandy wince, for the <i>Crescent Moon</i> -was the first real home he had known. To think that he would be put -ashore in Ozamaland while Samuel's ship would continue its adventurous -voyage of discovery without him, was a fact almost too terrible to -consider.</p> - -<p>"Maybe we'll never come to Ozamaland at all," mused Tandy as he climbed -into the rigging to join Roger. "Maybe the Captain's reckoning is wrong -and Ozamaland is to the north instead of the south." Vastly comforted -by this idea, Tandy swung nimbly to the crosstree on the fore t'gallant -mast. Roger was staring intently through Ato's telescope and as Tandy -squirmed along to a position beside him, the Read Bird let out a shrill -squall, all his head feathers standing straight on end.</p> - -<p>"What do you see? What is it?" cried the little King, shading his eyes -with his hands and staring in all directions. "I can't see a thing."</p> - -<p>"Take the glasses," urged Roger, handing them over with a frightened -gulp. "Take the glasses and then tell me it isn't so." Tandy, scarcely -knowing what to expect, screwed his eye close to the telescope, then -he, too, gave a shriek of consternation.</p> - -<p>"Why—it's a big HOLE, a HOLE in the sea!" he stuttered, lowering the -glasses and staring at the Read Bird in blank dismay.</p> - -<p>"Exactly!" croaked the Read Bird, "and whoever heard of such a thing? A -hole in the ground, certainly, but a hole in the sea, why that's just -plain past believing. Ahoy, DECK AHOY!" Wagging his head, Roger lifted -his voice in a long warning wail. "Heave to, Master Salt! Heave to! -Danger on the bow!"</p> - -<p>Somewhat surprised, but without stopping to question Roger, in whom -he had the utmost confidence, Samuel hove his vessel to. And not a -moment too soon, for barely a ship's length away yawned an immense -and unexplainable hole in the sea. Round its edges the waves frothed, -tossed and bubbled, making no impression on that quiet curious vacuum -of air. Crowding into the bow, the ship's company stared down in -complete wonder and mystification.</p> - -<p>"Now, goosewing my topsails, this'll bear looking into!" puffed Samuel, -breaking the silence at last.</p> - -<p>"Now, now, NOW!" Ato snatched wildly at Samuel's coat tails as he -raced aft bellowing loudly for Kobo to come alongside. "You'll not go -a step off this boat. We can sail round this air hole and no damage -done, but as for looking into it! Help, HELP! Avast and belay and I'll -knock eight bells out of anyone who leaves this ship!" Seizing an iron -belaying pin, Ato made a desperate rush after Samuel Salt, and failing -to catch him before he slid down the cable to Kobo's raft, he grabbed -Tandy firmly and angrily by the seat of the pants. "Not a step!" panted -the ship's cook savagely. "Not a step! Roger! Roger! Come back here -this instant." But Roger, with a screech of defiance, had already flown -after Samuel. Tandy, pinned against the rail by Ato's two hundred -and fifty pounds, was forced to watch Nikobo, with Roger and Samuel -on her back, moving cautiously toward the edge of the air hole. Over -his shoulder Samuel had a huge coil of rope the end of which he had -attached to the capstan of the boat before he dropped over the side.</p> - -<p>"Oh! Oh! and OH!" wheezed the ship's cook, "If Sammy goes down that -cavern we're as good as lost. No one to navigate, to up sail or down -sail or lay to in a storm. My, My and MYland!"</p> - -<p>"Well, there he goes!" cried Tandy as Samuel flung the rope down into -the sea hole. "Don't worry, Ato, he's always come back before, hasn't -he? Let me go! Let me go, I tell you!" With a sudden jerk Tandy tore -out of Ato's grasp, climbed up on the rail and dove into the sea. -Swimming rapidly toward the hippopotamus, he climbed on her back and -with Roger fluttering in excited circles overhead Nikobo swam as -close to the edge of the sea hole as she dared, watching in terrified -fascination as Samuel calmly lowered himself into the clouded blue -depths. With mingled feelings of interest and alarm, Tandy saw the -Royal Explorer of Oz go down lower and lower and finally disappear -altogether into the deep blue air below. Now not a glimpse of Samuel -was visible and not a sound came up to reassure them that he was still -there.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus82.jpg" width="455" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"I'll just fly down and see what's up," quavered Roger, and in spite -of the loud shouts and threats of Ato on the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, the Read -Bird spread his wings and coasted slowly and bravely into the immense -air shaft. Nikobo, now as alarmed as the ship's cook, began swimming -frantically round the edge of the misty chasm, letting out piercing -blasts that sounded like nothing so much as a ferry boat whistle. -Tandy himself felt uneasy and frightened and Ato, unable to bear the -suspense any longer, climbed over the side and came swimming out to -join them. After an endless fifteen minutes, during which dreadful fear -and premonition gripped the watchers, the head of the Read Bird popped -mournfully into view.</p> - -<p>"Is he all right? Where's Sammy? What in soup's he doing? What'd you -find out?" gasped Ato, reaching out to clutch Roger by the wing. Roger, -limp and bedraggled, with all the stiffness out of his feathers, said -nothing for a whole minute. Then, beating his wings together, he -began to scream out hoarsely, "The Captain's caught! The Collector's -collected. They have Master Salt forty fathom below. They've got him -shut up, I mean down at the bottom of the sea like a gold fish in a -bowl, only he's in a big bowl of air. They're poking little fish and -crabs through a trap door in the air shaft and I cannot break or even -make a dent in the transparent slide they've shot across the air hole -to shut him off from us. And oh, my bill and feathers! Every time they -open the trap door to shove things in to him, water rushes into the -vacuum. He's standing in water to his knees now and unless we can break -a hole in that lid the Captain's done for—done for, do you hear?"</p> - -<p>"They?" asked Tandy while Nikobo's eyes almost popped out of her head, -"Who do you mean?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh, don't ASK me!" choked the poor Read Bird. "They're not fish -and they're not men. They're about the size of Tandy, here, sort of -stiff and jellied and perfectly transparent. On a shell hanging outside -of one of their caves it said 'Seeweegia.'"</p> - -<p>"Seeweegia!" moaned Ato, clutching his head in both hands. "Let me see! -Let me see! What's to be done, boys? Now quick! What's to be done?"</p> - -<p>"Have Roger fetch the saw we used on the whale's horn," gurgled Nikobo.</p> - -<p>"And I'll climb down and saw a hole in that slide," cried Tandy eagerly.</p> - -<p>"No, <i>I'll</i> climb down," said Ato firmly. "I've known Sammy the longest -and if he's going to come to a watery end I might as well end with -him."</p> - -<p>Leaving the two arguing, Roger flashed back to the ship, returning -in almost no time with the scintillating and powerful saw. Tandy had -meanwhile convinced Ato that he could climb down the rope faster, being -so much lighter, and now, with tears in their eyes, Nikobo and the -ship's cook saw Tandy and Roger disappear into the air shaft.</p> - -<p>Tandy let himself down carefully hand over hand, Roger keeping abreast -of him with the saw. To slide rapidly to the bottom would have been -quicker, but the resulting blisters would make it difficult to use the -saw. Forty fathoms, nearly two hundred and forty feet, is a long way -to go hand over hand on a rope, and before he reached the glass-like -slide, Tandy's palms stung and his shoulders ached and burned from the -strain. But at last he was down, and dropping to his hands and knees -with Roger mourning and muttering beside him, Tandy peered fearfully -through the glassy substance.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus83.jpg" width="470" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>For a moment everything was a green and misty blur, but gradually the -figure of Samuel Salt standing sturdily in the middle of the air bowl -became visible. Although waist high in sea water, and surrounded by -loathsome sea creatures and crabs the Seeweegians had tossed in for him -to eat, Samuel was making slow and interested entries in his journal. -Pressed against the sides of his strange aquarium, Tandy could see the -round, square and triangular faces of the jellyfish men and women. -Brilliantly colored vines and seaweed waved and tossed in the current, -the floor of the ocean was covered with bright shells, polished stones -and all manner of sparkling deep sea jewels. Had Tandy not been so -worried about Samuel Salt he would have liked nothing better than -sketching this strange and beautiful under sea Kingdom with the -Seeweegians flopping and swimming busily in and out of their grottos -and caves, or disporting themselves in the sea weed forests. But as -it was, his only thought was of quickly freeing the Captain of the -<i>Crescent Moon</i> from his curious prison.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus84.jpg" width="265" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Look, they've put up a sign," hissed Roger, handing over the saw. -Looking in the direction indicated by Roger, Tandy saw an immense shell -on which long wisps of sea weed had been arranged to form the words:</p> - -<div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse"><span class="smcap">Come see the curious high air manster.</span></div> - <div class="verse"><span class="smcap">Admission, 1 pearl, 5 corals and a clam!</span></div> -</div></div> - -<p>The sight of this sign swinging from a small sea tree close to Samuel's -air bowl sent a wave of rage up Tandy's back. Rubbing his palms briskly -together, the little boy seized the saw and struck it with all his -might against the unyielding surface of the slide. The noise attracted -Samuel's attention, and looking up he began waving his arms, yelling -out wild orders and commands. Not being able to hear any of them and -being quite sure Samuel was telling them to leave the air shaft before -the Seeweegians shot another slide above their heads and caught them, -too, Tandy proceeded grimly with his task. Roger helped, scraping away -with both claws and bill. For five desperate minutes they worked -without success, then a tiny crack split the slide from edge to edge. -Wedging the saw into the narrow opening, Tandy began sawing away like -a little wild man, for a fresh batch of snails and crabs tossed in to -Samuel had let in another rush of sea water. Immersed to his chin, -Samuel started to swim round and round, dodging the end of the saw as -it flashed up and down above his head.</p> - -<p>"Oh!" gasped Tandy, stopping a moment to blow on his fingers. "I'll -never be able to make this opening large enough. Look, look, Roger, -they're opening that trap door again. Oh, Oh! I can't bear it!"</p> - -<p>"Help! Help!" yelled the Read Bird, looking despairingly up the empty -air shaft. "Help, for the love of sea salt and sailor men!" His cry, -increased by the curious nature of the compressed air in the air shaft, -increased a hundredfold and fell with a hideous roar upon the anguished -ears of Ato and Nikobo. Almost instinctively and without thought of -her own safety, or Ato's, or the dire consequences, the hippopotamus -jumped bodily into the sea hole. Roger, still glaring upward, had a -quick flash of an immense falling object. Realizing at once what had -happened, the Read Bird had just time to snatch Tandy and drag him to -the opposite side of the slide before Nikobo landed—broke through -the thick glass, plunged into Samuel's aquarium and shot out through -the side into a group of horrified Seeweegians. Now do not suppose for -an instant that Tandy, Roger or Samuel himself saw all this happen. -Indeed, after Nikobo struck the slide, none of them remembered a thing, -for the ocean, rushing in through the puncture the hippopotamus had -made in the vacuum, rose like a tidal wave, carrying them tumultuously -along.</p> - -<p>Nikobo came up at a little distance from the others, with Ato, -completely wrapped and entangled in seaweed, clinging tenaciously to -her harness and looking like some queer marine specimen himself. Too -shocked and stunned to swim, the five shipmates bobbed up and down -like corks on the surface of the sea. Then Roger, spreading his wet -and bedraggled wings and coughing violently from all the salt water he -had swallowed, started dizzily back to the <i>Crescent Moon</i>. Nikobo had -several long gashes in her tough hide, but still managed to grin at -Tandy.</p> - -<p>"I—I must have lost the saw," panted the little boy, pulling himself -wearily up on her back.</p> - -<p>"Never mind the saw. I still have my journal, and look what I caught!" -puffed Samuel Salt, dragging himself up on the other side of the -hippopotamus. "Ship ahoy, Mates, a live and perfect specimen of a -jellyfish boy." Holding up his prize, Samuel smiled blandly, all his -danger and discomfort apparently forgotten.</p> - -<p>"Oh, my eyes, ears and whiskers!" quavered Ato, peering out of his -net of seaweed. "Is it for this we've been scraping our noses on the -sea bottom?" Nodding cheerfully, Samuel plunged the squirming and -transparent little water boy under the surface, holding him there, as -Nikobo swam slowly and painfully back to the ship.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_16" id="CHAPTER_16"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus85.jpg" width="474" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 16<br /> - -<small>The Storm!</small></h2> - - -<p>Tandy was so exhausted from his dreadful experiences at the bottom of -the sea hole he spent the rest of the morning flat on his stomach on -deck making lively sketches from memory of the City of Seeweegia. Of -the sea hole itself not a sign nor vestige remained. The sea, tumbling -through the breach made by Nikobo, had closed it up forever and ever. -Ato had Roger fetch bandages and witch hazel down to the raft and it -took him two hours to bind up the cuts and hurts of the faithful -hippopotamus. Then climbing wearily up the rope ladder to the deck, he -spent another hour rubbing himself with oil and liniment, muttering -darkly about reckless collectors who got themselves and their shipmates -collected.</p> - -<p>"What would WE have done if you'd never got out of that air bowl?" -scolded Ato, waving the bottle of liniment at the Captain, who was -cheerfully changing into dry clothes. "<i>You</i> know <i>I</i> know nothing -about navigation nor one sail from t'other."</p> - -<p>"Ah—but what you know about sauces!" retorted Samuel, rolling his -eyes rapturously. "Of course, I'll grant a ship cannot sail on its -stomach, but if the worst had come to the worst, you could have left -a note for the sails on the binnacle. 'If it comes up a blow, tie -yourselves up.' Ha, ha! Tie yourselves UP!" Jamming his feet into his -boots, Samuel blew a kiss to his still muttering shipmate and tramped -down to the hold to settle his jellyfish boy in one of the large -aquariums. The water boy, about half the size of Tandy, was a jolly -enough looking specimen, but kept opening and shutting his mouth like -a fish and staring anxiously from his captor to Mo-fi in the cage -opposite. Whistling happily and unmindful of the cuts and bruises he -had suffered, Samuel filled the bottom of the aquarium with pebbles -and shells, put in several seaweed plants he'd fished up in the nets, -and soon had the little stranger as happy and cozy as a clam. Giving -him and Mo-fi a wafer of fish food, the Royal Explorer of Oz went above -to have a look at the weather, for he did not like the way the ship was -pitching.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus86.jpg" width="435" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>In spite of the desperately fatiguing morning they had had, it seemed -the voyagers were in for some further excitement. The sky had grown -dark and threatening. Dark clouds in ever-increasing numbers scudded -along from the east; the sea, rough and angry, was full of racing -little whitecaps. Nikobo's raft plunged and rocketed up and down like -a bucking bronco, flinging the hippopotamus from side to side and -bringing her with squealing protests up against the rail first on one -side and then on the other. Fearing for her safety, Samuel with Tandy's -help rigged a temporary derrick to the mizzenmast, hove his vessel -to, and bidding Nikobo swim round to the side, cleverly hoisted her -to the main deck by a hook caught through her harness. Nikobo took it -all quite calmly, coming down with a thankful little grunt, glad to be -with her shipmates in the gale that was lashing the sea into a rolling, -tossing fury of mounting gray water and foam.</p> - -<p>The wind had risen now almost to hurricane proportions, and taking in -all sail and with only a tarpaulin lashed in the main rigging, Samuel -prepared with bared poles to ride out the storm. Ato, always ready and -helpful in a crisis, trudged up and down the heaving decks with pails -of hot soup and coffee, and after a hasty lunch, all hands fell to -closing ports, battening hatches and removing from the decks all loose -gear and equipment. As it was impossible to shove Nikobo through the -door of the main cabin, Samuel lashed her tightly to the mizzenmast and -with an old sail round her shoulders the hippopotamus anxiously watched -the mountainous waves breaking over the bow and running down into -the scuppers. It was all so wild and new, so dangerous and exciting, -Tandy begged Samuel to let him stay on deck. Much against his better -judgment, Samuel finally gave his consent, tying Tandy fast to Nikobo -and the mizzenmast. If anything happened to the ship, reflected Samuel, -fighting his way back to the wheel, the hippopotamus could keep Tandy -afloat and take care of him besides.</p> - -<p>Ato and Roger, not being needed on deck and not caring for storms, shut -themselves up in the main cabin for a game of checkers. But checkers -and board soon flew through the air, and the two had all they could do -to hang on to their chairs as the <i>Crescent Moon</i> pitched headlong into -the cavernous hollows and struggled up the mountainous ridges of the -great running seas.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_17" id="CHAPTER_17"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus87.jpg" width="488" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 17<br /> - -<small>The Old Man of the Jungle!</small></h2> - - -<p>In the splendid white marble Palace in the splendid White City of -Ozamaland the nine Ozamandarins sat in solemn conference.</p> - -<p>"This time we have succeeded," stated Didjabo, chief of the nine Judges -of the realm, "this time we have succeeded and our plans may now be -accomplished. Last time, we merely destroyed the King and Queen, -neglecting to do away with the Royal Off-spring, Tazander Tazah, and -for that reason we failed utterly. So long as this boy survived, the -natives insisted on considering him their rightful King and Ruler. But, -hah! that prophecy we invented about an aunt carrying him off was a -clever and useful idea—eh, my fellow Zamians? Now as the child, with a -little help on our part it must be confessed, has really been carried -off and destroyed, we can blame these same silly females, and they and -all the royal family can be tossed into the sea to pay for this heinous -crime. Ha, ha! Quite an idea, a famous idea!" murmured Didjabo, and the -eight Ozamandarins nodded their narrow heads in complete and satisfied -agreement. "Leaving the throne clear for us—the Nine Faithful Servants -of the People!" Again the Ozamandarins nodded, but Didjabo, slanting -his cruel little eyes up and down the long table, was already making -plans to destroy the lot of them and have the whole great country for -himself.</p> - -<p>"But how can we be sure the boy is destroyed and out of the way?" -questioned Lotho, the second Ozamandarin in point of rank and power.</p> - -<p>"Because," Didjabo curled up his lips in a hard little smile, "the Old -Man of the Jungle has brought us proof. Boglodore! BOGLODORE! It is our -wish that you appear before us."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus88.jpg" width="263" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>At Didjabo's call there was a slight rustle and stir behind the -curtains in the doorway, and an immense wrinkled old native clad only -in a turban and loin cloth stepped noiselessly into the Chamber of -Justice. Without waiting for further orders, Boglodore began in a high, -dismal, droning voice:</p> - -<p>"Following the commands of the highest among you, I, Boglodore the -Magician, did carry off on my famous, never known or seen flying -umbrellaphant the heir and small King of this country, coming down -after two days, on Patrippany Island. Not wishing to destroy the boy -with my own hands, I left him to the wild beasts and savage Leopard Men -known to inhabit this island. That, as you know, was five months and -two weeks ago. Having just returned from a second flight to the Island -where I found no trace or sign of the boy, I can safely assure you -that he is no more, that he has undoubtedly been killed by the savages -or the wild beasts of the jungle." There was not a trace of pity or -remorse on the cruel flat faces of his listeners as Boglodore finished -this shameful recital.</p> - -<p>"In that case there is nothing left to do but punish the royal aunts -and family, issue a proclamation of our accession to power, and divide -up the Kingdom," mused Lotho, drumming thoughtfully on the table with -his long skinny fingers.</p> - -<p>"But do not forget my reward," wheezed Boglodore firmly. "For this -cruel and infamous deed I was promised one tenth of Ozamaland and I -am here to claim as my share the entire jungle reach of this country. -Extending his arms, the old man of the jungle advanced threateningly -toward the long table.</p> - -<p>"Ha, ha! Just listen to him now," sneered Didjabo, gathering up his -papers and looking insolently across at the angry native. "Have a care -what you say, fellow. Too much of this and you'll go over the cliff -with the royal relatives. Now, then, clear out! Your work is done! If -you ever set foot in this city again, you shall be trampled beneath the -feet of the royal elephants!"</p> - -<p>"Ah—hhh!" Boglodore recoiled as if he had been confronted by a -poisonous reptile. "So that's to be the way of it? Aha! Very good! I -will go. But do not think this is the end! It is but the beginning!" -Snapping his fingers under the long noses of the Ozamandarins, the old -man, not bothering with the door, leapt out the window and vanished -into the garden.</p> - -<p>"Do you think that was quite wise?" questioned Teebo, third in rank of -the Ozamandarins. "This fellow and his flying elephant are dangerous -and may do us a world of harm."</p> - -<p>"Do not forget, anything he says will involve himself, and he'll have a -hard time proving to the people that it was on my orders the young King -was carried off."</p> - -<p>"Oh, hush!" warned Lotho, glancing nervously over his shoulder. "Not -another word!" Shrugging his shoulders and rising to indicate that the -meeting was over, Didjabo started pompously for the door. "I will go -now to prepare a Royal Proclamation explaining that as the young King -has not after exhaustive search been found or located, the authority -and governing power of the state shall pass to us, the Nine Faithful -Ozamandarins of the Realm! We can then meet again and here in this star -and barred Chamber of Justice divide the Kingdom among us."</p> - -<p>"Very well, but see that you remember it is to be divided!" Staring -fixedly at Didjabo, Lotho strode away, colliding violently at the door -with a small breathless page who was entering on a veritable gallop.</p> - -<p>"Your Honors! Your Ozamandarin Majesties!" shrilled the boy, wildly -waving his trumpet instead of blowing upon it. "A ship—there is a ship -with four masts beneath the chalk cliffs, a strange ship with full -sail is riding into our harbor."</p> - -<p>"There, there, don't shout!" snapped Didjabo, seizing the boy roughly -by the shoulders. "Go back at once and discover what flag this ship -flies from her masthead. Quickly now. RUN!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus89.jpg" width="448" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"What could it mean? Where could it be from? Such a thing has never -happened before!" muttered the others, hastening over to the long -windows.</p> - -<p>"Confoundation!" raged Didjabo as the page with frightened stutters -turned and ran out of the Hall of Justice. "This ruins everything. -Who are these meddling foreigners? And why do they have to arrive -now of all times? NOW! Lotho! Teebo! Call out the camel corps and -the white elephant guard. Have them drawn up in war formation on the -chalk cliffs. You others!" impatiently Didjabo waved his arms at the -six remaining Ozamandarins, "See to the defense of the palace! If -these meddlers set foot upon our territory they are to be trampled -upon, trampled upon—do you understand?" Nodding with fierce and cruel -determination, the eight tall Keepers of the White City set about -carrying out Didjabo's orders. Didjabo, hurrying up to the highest -tower in the castle, looked through his telescope to see what manner -of ship had come sailing out of the west to spoil or postpone his -well-laid plans.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_18" id="CHAPTER_18"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus90.jpg" width="487" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 18<br /> - -<small>A New Country</small></h2> - - -<p>Driven by the pitiless wind, pounded by the merciless sea, the -<i>Crescent Moon</i> rode before the gale, coming, toward morning, into -quiet waters at last. The sky, now pale grey instead of black, showed -a small single star in the east, and with a huge sigh of weariness and -relief Samuel let go the anchor and bade his crew turn in all standing. -This they were only too glad to do, sleeping heavily and thankfully in -their clothes, Nikobo still wrapped in her sail snoring like a whole -band of music beneath the mizzenmast.</p> - -<p>Tandy, to whom the storm had been a thrilling adventure, was the first -to waken. Still stiff and bruised from the pounding he had taken as -the <i>Crescent Moon</i> tossed and pitched in the terrible seas, he sprang -eagerly out of his bunk, curious to know where the storm had carried -them.</p> - -<p>The morning mists, lifting like a shimmering veil or the curtain of -a stage on some new and strange scene, showed a long white line of -chalk cliffs to the east, and beyond the cliffs the dim outline of a -great and splendid city. With joy and lively expectations Tandy had -run out on deck, but now, after a long look over the port rail, he -crept silently and soberly back to his cabin, closing the door softly -behind him. Later, as the sun rose higher, and his shipmates awoke, -the excited screams of Nikobo and Roger and the eager voices of Samuel -and Ato told him that they too had seen the bright land beyond the -cliffs. Already Samuel was clewing up his sail and above the rattle in -the rigging Tandy could hear the rasp of the anchor cable as it came -winding over the side. But he only bent lower over the fat book in his -lap, and when the Read Bird, loudly calling his name, came hurtling -through the port-hole, he did not even look up.</p> - -<p>"Land! Land and MORELAND!" croaked Roger, dancing up and down on the -foot of the bunk. "None of your pesky islands this time, but a whole -long new continent. What in salt's the matter, youngster, this is no -time to be a-reading! Come on, come on, the Captain's looking for you!" -As Roger peered sharply down at the book in Tandy's lap two tears -splashed on the open page. Quickly brushing two more off his nose, the -ship's cabin boy unwillingly met the puzzled gaze of the Read Bird.</p> - -<p>"Roger," demanded Tandy in a smothered and unsteady voice, "which is -most important, being a King or being a person?" Roger, his head on one -side, considered this for a moment and then spoke quickly.</p> - -<p>"Well, you can't be a good King without being a good person, so I -should say, being a good person is most important."</p> - -<p>"But it says here," with a furious sniff Tandy put his finger on the -middle paragraph of the page, "'In no circumstances and for no reason -may a King forsake his country nor desert his countrymen.'"</p> - -<p>"What's that? What's this? Humph! <i>Maxims for Monarchs.</i> Well, what in -topsails do we care for that musty volume?" Giving the book a vicious -shove, Roger, forgetting how much he had formerly praised Ato's fat -volume, fluttered down on Tandy's shoulder. "So THAT'S it!" he burst -out explosively. "This pernicious country yonder is Ozamaland. Well, we -can't spare you and that's final. They didn't know how to treat a good -King when they had one, now let 'em practice on somebody else. Say the -word, m'lad, and we'll put about and sail away as fast as a good ship -can take us! CAPTAIN! Master Salt! Deck ahoy! All hands 'HOY!" Without -waiting for Tandy's answer, Roger skimmed through the port and winged -over to the Captain.</p> - -<p>"Wait! Wait!" sputtered Tandy, hurrying aft where the officers and -crew of the <i>Crescent Moon</i> were now engaged in earnest conversation. -"Don't you remember you wanted some of those creeping birds and flying -reptiles, Captain? Well, this is the place!" puffed the little boy, -waving his arm toward the cliffs. "This is Ozamaland and I've got to go -ashore. It's really all right," he continued earnestly as Samuel began -unhappily rubbing his chin, "it's been a grand voyage and I've learned -a lot, but a King has to stick to his post, hasn't he?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus91.jpg" width="260" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Not all the time," snapped Ato, giving his belt an indignant jerk. -"You stuck to your post and they stuck you in a tower and then in a pig -pen in the jungle. So what do you owe them? Nothing, say I, absolutely -nothing!"</p> - -<p>But Samuel Salt, regretful as he was to lose this handy young artist -and cabin boy, felt that Tandy must decide the matter for himself. "If -you're as good a King as you are a seaman, I'm not the one to hold you -back," he sighed sorrowfully. "But just let these lubbers start any -more nonsense and I'll give them a taste of the rope. HAH! And we'll -not be leaving you till everything's shipshape, and you can lay to -that!"</p> - -<p>"I'm not leaving you at all," snorted Nikobo, lumbering hugely over to -Tandy and almost flattening him against the port rail. "I'll miss this -ship worse'n the river, and Ato's cooking and the Captain's stories and -Roger's jokes, but wherever Tandy goes I go, and that's flat!"</p> - -<p>"Just plain noddling nonsense, putting him ashore," fumed Ato angrily. -"He's not old enough to manage these wild tribesmen and scheming -aristocrats. Besides, we need him on this expedition, and you know it." -Samuel, sighing deeply, smiled at Tandy and Tandy, sighing just as -deeply, smiled back.</p> - -<p>"Never you mind," promised the former Pirate with a wink that somehow -lacked conviction, "there'll be other voyages!" And seizing the wheel, -he began tacking in toward Tandy's homeland. But he had lost all -pleasure and interest in charting for the first time on any map the -long continent of Tarara and adding strange animals and plants to his -ever-growing collection. Losing Tandy spoiled the whole expedition for -him, and by taking longer and wider tacks he delayed their landing to -the latest possible moment.</p> - -<p>But at last there they were in the very shadow of the chalk cliffs -and with no further excuse for not going ashore. Nikobo had agreed to -carry them and had abruptly heaved herself overboard, sending up a -fountain of spray as high as the ship itself when she struck the water, -thus astonishing no end the watchers on the bank. Tandy, after running -down to the hold to say goodbye to Mo-fi and have a last look at the -jellyfish boy, regretfully joined the others at the port rail. Having -brought nothing aboard the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, he insisted on leaving in -the same way, soberly waving aside all the gifts and presents Ato and -Samuel sought to press upon him. Clad only in the leopard skin he had -worn on Patrippany Island, he swung nimbly down the rope ladder. The -Captain and the cook, in honor of Tandy's homecoming, had donned their -finest shore-going togs, and Samuel, with a scimiter in his teeth, -and Ato, armed as usual with his bread knife and a package he refused -to explain, followed him more slowly down the ladder. Then they all -climbed aboard the hippopotamus.</p> - -<p>Roger, flying ahead with some Oz flags just for luck, could not help -comparing the brown, hard-muscled young seaman with the skinny, fretful -boy they had taken on at Patrippany Island. Trying to comfort himself -with Tandy's improved health and spirits, he looked curiously at the -great company assembled on the cliffs. All of the Nobles and their -families in flowing white robes were present and many of the immense -turbanned tribesmen who happened to be in the capital had gathered to -see for themselves the first ship that had ever touched the shore of -Ozamaland. Beyond the Nobles and natives Roger could see row on row of -white guards mounted on enormous white elephants and snow-white camels.</p> - -<p>"Trouble, trouble, nothing but trouble!" mourned the Read Bird drearily -to himself. Tandy, familiar with the whole coast, guided Nikobo to -the only possible spot for landing and, grunting and mumbling, the -hippopotamus hauled herself up on the rocks, glancing sharply and -suspiciously at the little boy's subjects. A narrow path wound and -curved up through the cliffs and, puffing and panting, Nikobo finally -made her way to the top, where she stood uncertainly facing the milling -multitude.</p> - -<p>"Hail and greetings!" called Samuel Salt, raising his arm to attract -their attention, for the crowd looked both dangerous and unfriendly. -"We are here to return to you safe and sound your lost King, Tazander -Tazah, rescued by us from the wild jungle of Patrippany Island."</p> - -<p>"King? King?" shrilled a dozen shrill and unbelieving voices. "Where? -Where?" and everyone craned his neck to get a better view of Nikobo and -her three curious riders. "Is it really our lost and stolen Kinglet?"</p> - -<p>"Yes!" cried Tandy, springing erect. "I am Tazander Tazah, King's son -and son of a King's son. You are my lawful subjects and Ozamaland is my -Kingdom!" A little shiver of excitement ran through the crowd at these -words.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus92.jpg" width="265" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"He does in truth resemble our young ruler," murmured one Noble to -another, "though much stronger and more bold." Drawing a long sword, he -waved it imperiously above his head. "Summon the Ozamandarins," he -called loudly. "They will decide whether this be our King or some small -Impostor, and DEATH to all strangers and enemies who come in ships to -lay waste our realm."</p> - -<p>"Oh, hold your tongue!" advised Ato, settling himself more comfortably -between Nikobo's shoulders. "Who are you to challenge the Royal -Explorer of Oz, the King of the Octagon Isle—"</p> - -<p>"And his Royal Read Bird," piped Roger, flying savagely round and round -the head of the speaker.</p> - -<p>"Yes, who are you to challenge the rightful ruler of Ozamaland?" cried -Tandy, folding his arms and gazing calmly out over the curious throng.</p> - -<p>"Hi, is this the young slip they kept locked in the tower? Hoo, -Hoo!" yelled an old tribesman, brandishing his long lance. "He's the -salt of the sea and the sand of the desert. Shame on you, Zamen, -not to recognize and welcome your young King. <i>I'm</i> for you, young -one, down to my last breath!" In spite of these brave words, the -nobles, natives and guards made no move or motion to let Nikobo pass -through. Then suddenly there was a break in the crowd and the nine -square-hatted Ozamandarins stepped rigidly forward. And nine taller, -thinner, meaner-visaged rogues, decided Samuel, lovingly fingering -his scimiter, it had never been his misfortune to encounter. Didjabo, -recognizing Tandy at once in spite of his new and seaman-like bearing, -was the first to speak.</p> - -<p>"The blessing of the stars, moon and sun upon you!" cried the wily -chief, bowing rapidly ten times in succession, "And upon these -strangers who have brought you safely back to these shores! Welcome, -most welcome, small King and ruler of the Ozamanders!" Speaking calmly -but with black fury in his heart to have his plans so unexpectedly -thwarted, Didjabo advanced rapidly toward Nikobo. "And now that you -are here and really safe, we must see that you are locked securely in -the White Tower of the Wise Man away from all future hurt and harm!" -Reaching the side of the hippopotamus, he put up his hand to help Tandy -dismount.</p> - -<p>"But I'm not going back to the Tower!" said Tandy, looking the Chief -Ozamandarin straight in the eye. "Ever! I'm riding on to the castle, so -kindly order some refreshments for my friends and shipmates."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus93.jpg" width="256" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Hi, Yi, Yi!" approved the old tribesman, pounding the cliff with his -lance. "Here's a King for us. What good did your Tower do before, old -Square-Hat? He was carried off in spite of it, wasn't he? Well, trot -along now and do as he says; he's the King, and I'm here to see he -gets his rights!" Shocked by the determination in Tandy's voice and the -evident delight of the crowd at his defiance, Didjabo put up his hand -for silence.</p> - -<p>"It is the law of the land that the nine Ozamandarins shall guard -the life and preserve the health of the country's sovereign," stated -Didjabo in his cold and impressive voice. "Until this boy becomes of -age he must be cared for and protected from his enemies. Forward, -guards! On to the Tower! You OTHERS!" Didjabo nodded disagreeably at -Samuel Salt, Ato, Roger and Nikobo, "You others may return to your -ship, where a suitable reward will be sent out to you. We are deeply -indebted to you for finding our King, but the law of Ozamaland says -that all foreigners landing on our shores shall instantly and without -delay be flung over the cliffs. In your case we graciously permit you -to leave. Come, Tazander!"</p> - -<p>While Samuel Salt could not help admiring the way the old Ozamandarin -was trying to keep the upper hand, he had no intention of leaving till -he had assured himself that Tandy was in safe and proper hands. "But -surely you will wish to hear the story of how we found this boy and -explain how he happened to be on that jungle island!" observed Samuel -mildly. "Step back, my good fellow, Nikobo has large feet and she just -might happen to tread on you."</p> - -<p>"Yes," wheezed Nikobo sullenly, "I just might happen to do that very -thing." Slipping round to the other side of the hippopotamus, Didjabo, -paying no attention to either remark, tried to pull Tandy to the -ground. But the little boy, remembering Roger's advice about lubbers -gave him a fast and sudden poke in the nose that sent his hat flying -off and the Ozamandarin himself rolling head over heels.</p> - -<p>"Hurray, Hurray! Avast and belay! And down with old Square-Hats -forever!" shrilled the Read Bird, while Ato and Samuel exchanged -a proud and pleased glance. While the other Ozamandarins stood -uncertainly, the crowd, long weary of the rigid rule of the nine -judges, began to laugh and cheer.</p> - -<p>"The King is King! Long live the King!" shouted the old tribesman -vociferously.</p> - -<p>But Didjabo pulling himself furiously to his feet, flung up his arm. -"Guards! Guards!" he screeched venomously, "Do your work! Save this -poor, misguided child from these unspeakable foreigners or we are all -lost. Can you not see they are savages, sorcerers and enemies? Seize -the King and over the cliff with these hippopotamic invaders!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_19" id="CHAPTER_19"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus94.jpg" width="471" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 19<br /> - -<small>Boglodore's Revenge</small></h2> - - -<p>The word "hippopotamic" seemed to rouse the undecided guards to action, -and Samuel, as the crowd moved uneasily aside to let the elephant and -camel mounted guardsmen through, heartily wished himself back on the -ship. Nikobo, squealing with rage and defiance, began moving cautiously -back toward the path down the cliffs, but Ato, who had been merely -biding his time, tore open his package and began tossing right and left -the tumbleweeds and creeping vines which fortunately it had contained.</p> - -<p>The first creeper caught Didjabo, bound him up and laid him by the -heels before he could issue another order. Taking careful aim, -Ato threw a creeping vine at each of the other Ozamandarins. The -tumbleweeds, whirling beneath the feet of the elephants and camels, -caused them to fall to their knees, tossing their riders over their -heads, and between the yells of the guards, the squeals of the camels, -and trumpeting of the elephants, confusion was terrific. The natives -and Nobles and all who could still move or run set off at top speed for -the city without once looking behind them. Muttering angrily under his -breath, Ato continued to hurl vines and tumbleweeds till none was left. -Unable to advance an inch, the white guard and their mounts rolled and -groveled together in the deep sand.</p> - -<p>"Now we can go on to the palace!" cried Tandy, a bit breathless by the -suddenness of it all. "Oh, Ato, how did you ever happen to bring those -plants along?"</p> - -<p>"I suspected some of these subjects of yours were villains," answered -Ato grimly, "and the only way to meet villains is with villainy. -Forward march, my Lass! On to the King's castle!"</p> - -<p>Picking her way around the fallen men and beasts, Nikobo, snorting at -each step to show her superiority and contempt, set out for the Royal -Palace. Of all the people who had run out on the cliffs, besides the -securely bound Ozamandarins and the guard, only the old tribesman who -had first cheered Tandy remained.</p> - -<p>"Oh, please do come with us," invited Tandy earnestly as the old man -stepped smilingly out of Nikobo's way. "You could tell me all about the -tent dwellers and help me so much if you would."</p> - -<p>"I am Chunum, the Sheik, head of a thousand tribes and speaking for -them, I can say they all will proudly and gladly serve your brave -young Majesty. Too long have the city dwellers ruled this great -liberty-loving land."</p> - -<p>"Then over the side and under the hatches with 'em," cried Roger, -beside himself with joy and exuberance at the neat way Ato had handled -Tandy's subjects. "This boy's an able-bodied seaman and explorer and -will stand no nonsense!"</p> - -<p>"My sea is the desert," said Chunum, striding jauntily along beside -Nikobo, "and my ship is a camel, but I'll wager we'll understand each -other well enough for all that."</p> - -<p>To Tandy, conversing eagerly with Chunum, the splendor of the White -City of Om was an old story, but to the others it seemed, with its -flashing marble walks, great waving palms and towering dwellings and -castle, one of the loveliest capitals they had yet visited.</p> - -<p>Word of the happenings on the cliff had traveled fast. Longing to -welcome the young King, but fearing the strange magicians who had come -with him, the Nobles had barred themselves in their fine houses and the -natives had fled to the hills beyond the city gates. The many-domed -marble palace was absolutely deserted when Nikobo pushed her way -through the wide doors. Not a footman, page or courtier was in sight. -Seeing no attention or service was to be had for some time, Ato hurried -away to the kitchens and was soon happily at work preparing a splendid -feast to celebrate Tandy's homecoming.</p> - -<p>Tandy himself felt quiet and sad, examining with scant interest and -enthusiasm the splendid rooms which he had never yet been allowed to -live in. To tell the truth, he would have traded the whole castle for -his small cabin aboard Samuel's ship. Samuel himself, never really -happy or comfortable ashore, wandered about aimlessly, opening books on -the long tables, peering out windows, and finally settling with a sigh -of resignation in a huge chair beside the throne.</p> - -<p>Nikobo had found a long pool and fountain in the same room and, lying -at full length in this luxuriant marble bath, tranquilly waited for -events to shape themselves.</p> - -<p>"Why not sit on your throne?" asked Roger as Tandy seated himself on a -small stool beside Samuel Salt.</p> - -<p>"Oh, it's much too big for me," sighed Tandy, thinking how very big and -lonely the palace would seem when all his shipmates had gone.</p> - -<p>"Aho, and methinks you are right! Ahoy, the beginning of a beautiful -idea doth at this moment start to seep through the head feathers, of -which, <i>more</i> anon!" Chunum, who had never before heard a bird talk, -stared at Roger in amazed interest and surprise, but giving him no more -satisfaction than a mischievous wink, the Read Bird flew off to help -Ato with the dinner. And now Samuel proceeded to tell the old tribesman -how he had found Tandy in the jungle imprisoned in the wooden cage. As -he finished, Chunum shook his head in stern displeasure.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus95.jpg" width="264" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"It has long been my conviction and belief," he stated solemnly, "that -the Ozamandarins are at the bottom of this. Every year they usurp more -and more power, and keeping the young King shut up in the Tower was -but an excuse to give them their own will and way. Nor can I believe -that the royal parents of this boy accidentally fell into the sea as -they were reported to have done, or that the young aunts mentioned in -the prophecy had anything at all to do with Tandy's abduction. Tell me, -how long will the vines hold those villains prisoner, for only that -long is Tazander safe. We must think and act quickly," said Chunum, -tapping his staff thoughtfully on the floor.</p> - -<p>"The vines will not unwind for two days and before THEN—HAH!" Samuel -expelled his breath in a mighty blast and sprang purposefully to his -feet. "Before then we shall put those fellows in a very safe place -for Tandy and for them too, shiver my timbers!" Taking Chunum by the -shoulder, Samuel started toward the door, and seeing the two intended -to leave the castle, Nikobo climbed out of the fountain and offered -to carry them. Tandy nodded absently as the two left the castle, his -thoughts still far away on the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, and considering the -work they had to do, Samuel and Chunum were well pleased to leave him -behind.</p> - -<p>With surprising speed the hippopotamus made the return trip to the -cliffs. The effects of the tumbleweed had evidently worn off and the -guards and their mounts had fled with the rest of the inhabitants -of White City to the hills. But the nine Ozamandarins still lay in -their curious cradles in the deep coarse sand. As Samuel and Chunum, -in absolute agreement as to what should be done, rolled off Nikobo's -back, a furious bellow and screech brought them up short. Nikobo, -startled out of her usual calm, fell back on her haunches and after one -horrified look upward buried her head in the sand.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus96.jpg" width="457" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"It can't be!" cried Samuel, clutching Chunum's sleeve. "It can't be, -but it is!"</p> - -<p>"An elephant, a flying elephant!" panted Chunum, dragging Samuel from -under the immense shadow. "Flatten yourself in the sand, seaman, -and we may yet be spared." As Samuel, more amazed than scared at so -strange and curious a specimen, and even vaguely hopeful of capturing -the unwieldy creature, made no move, Chunum dragged him down by main -force. The elephant meanwhile lighted like some gigantic butterfly on -the edge of the cliff. Fairly bleating with fright and terror, the -nine Ozamandarins watched him swooping toward them with a sinister and -soundless speed. Just behind his ear perched Boglodore, the Old Man of -the Jungle, looking cruel and ugly as the genie of all evil.</p> - -<p>"Revenge! Revenge!" shrilled the turbaned native, clenching his fists. -"Now shall Boglodore have his reward!" Addressing himself to Chunum and -Samuel Salt, the Old Man of the Jungle began screaming out the story -of his wrongs. "For these scheming rascals I carried away on Umbo, -my great and useful umbrellaphant, the young King of this country. -For this I was to receive one-tenth of the Kingdom, the Ozamandarins -themselves to divide the rest of the country among them. But Hah! -What happened?" Dancing up and down on the elephant's head, Boglodore -again clenched his fists, his face distorted with rage and fury. "What -happened? Why, these miserable cheats refused to pay me, intending to -keep the whole country for themselves. But hearken well, you and YOU!" -Jerking his thumb contemptuously toward his rigid and helpless enemies, -the Old Man continued his story.</p> - -<p>"All along I have suspected these thieving Zamans; all along I intended -to fool them and return the little King to his castle, keeping only -the jungle for my own. That is why I built the boy his cage in the -jungle and set Nikobo, the great hippopotamus, to watch over him, -giving her the power of speech and the desire to seek out and protect -this unfortunate child of an unfortunate country. I am a magician and -could well bring about these things. You, whoever you are, who found -and brought him back to Ozamaland did no more than I myself intended to -do and intend to do now. After restoring Tandy to his throne, I meant -to deal with his enemies, and now as they are so neatly bound up and -ready, I shall reward them well for their pains and treachery."</p> - -<p>"Stop! Stop! Avast there and belay!" shouted Samuel Salt as the -umbrellaphant, obeying an order from the terrible Old Man, picked up -Didjabo in his trunk and flew swiftly toward the cliff's edge. But -Chunum, again dragging Samuel down, whispered fiercely in his ear.</p> - -<p>"It is justice, seaman, and only what we ourselves planned to do. The -vines will keep these rogues afloat for two days, then haply they will -sink—not to die, as death comes not to the people of my country, but -to lie for long forgotten ages at the bottom of the sea, harmless and -sodden, and unable to do any more harm to the country they have so -dishonorably served and betrayed!"</p> - -<p>Shuddering and in a tense silence, Samuel and the Sheik watched the -umbrellaphant toss the wretched Ozamandarins one after the other into -the sea. The immense zooming monster fascinated the Captain of the -<i>Crescent Moon</i>. Not wings, but a balloon-like structure of its own -tough skin billowing over its back like a howdah, enabled Umbo to -navigate in the air. Samuel was anxious for further talk with the Old -Man of the Jungle, but as the last Ozamandarin fell over the cliff the -umbrellaphant, with a trumpet of defiance, headed rapidly for the open -sea.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus97.jpg" width="261" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Look! Look! It's getting away!" cried Samuel, rushing to the cliff's -edge and almost tumbling over. "Do you realize that there goes the only -umbrellaphant in captivity?"</p> - -<p>"Well, well, and what if it is?" muttered Chunum, again pulling Samuel -back to safety. "I expect Boglodore does not find this country healthy -after the pretty story he has just told us, and come, COME, Master -Seaman, what would you do with a flying elephant aboard your ship?"</p> - -<p>"I'd tie it to the mast and carry it back to Oz," explained Samuel, -staring gloomily after the disappearing prize. "Why, it would be the -most rare and amazing specimen ever brought back from anywhere, and -now—now—I've lost it—" Samuel's arms dropped heavily to his sides -and turning away from the cliff, he began walking slowly back toward -Nikobo, who had at last ventured to lift her head from the sand. -Surprised enough was the hippopotamus to learn that she had been given -her power of speech by the ugly little magician on the umbrellaphant, -and frightened lest she forget Tandy's language, she began talking -rapidly to herself.</p> - -<p>"But you forget what all this means!" panted Chunum, catching up with -the Explorer and shaking him energetically by the shoulder. "Why, this -clears up the whole mystery. Not an AUNT but an ELEPHant carried -Tazander to Patrippany Island. We must return quickly to the castle -and release his innocent relatives. I myself will call back Tandy's -frightened subjects and tell them of the great good fortune that has -befallen, that we are rid of nine rogues and have a brave young King -to rule Ozamaland. Come, come, do not stand here dreaming about lost -elephants; there is much to be accomplished and done."</p> - -<p>"Goosewing my topsails, you're right!" breathed Samuel Salt, coming -completely out of his reverie. "Round up the citizens, comrade, and -I'll carry the good news to the castle."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_20" id="CHAPTER_20"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus98.jpg" width="474" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 20<br /> - -<small>King Tandy</small></h2> - - -<p>When Samuel reached the castle, he found Ato and Roger had set a small -cozy table in the Throne Room, and Tandy was anxiously looking out of -one of the gold-framed windows for his return. The whiffs from the -covered dishes were so appetizing the Royal Explorer of Oz was almost -inclined to let his news wait till afterward. But thinking better -of it, he blurted out the whole story of what had happened to the -Ozamandarins.</p> - -<p>"Then they're all gone and done for," sniffed Ato, seating himself at -the head of the table. "Well, a couple of hundred years at the bottom -of the sea should soak all the sin and wickedness out of 'em! And you -say it was an umbrellaphant that carried Tandy off? My! and MY! Dear, -dear and DEAR! Just pour me a cup of coffee, Roger. I'm feeling weaker -than soup!"</p> - -<p>"Well, how do you suppose <i>I</i> feel," grumbled Samuel Salt, throwing his -hat up on a bronze figure, "to lose an elegant specimen like that? Why, -I'll wager we'll never see another creature like it!"</p> - -<p>"There! There! Always talking about the elephant that got away instead -of appreciating your good fortune!" scolded Ato, throwing a corn muffin -down to Nikobo and lifting the gold cover off the roast fowl.</p> - -<p>"Yes, and you'd better listen to OUR news, Master Salt!" Roger said, -pouring a cup of coffee for all hands.</p> - -<p>"News? NEWS? Has anything happened here?" Samuel looked more anxious -than interested.</p> - -<p>"Oh, YES!" cried Tandy, running round to his side of the table and -pressing eagerly against Samuel's knee. "Roger has a wonderful plan and -I as King of Ozamaland have agreed to it, and oh, Samuel, SAMUEL!" -Forgetting he usually called the tremendous seaman "Captain," Tandy -flung both arms round his neck and almost squeezed the breath out of -him. "I'm going straight back on the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, and I'm not -coming ashore for years and years. I'm going with you to Ev, Oz, Elbow -Island and everywhere!"</p> - -<p>"What?" spluttered Samuel Salt, disentangling himself with great -difficulty and holding Tandy off at arm's length. "Are you joking? Are -you crazy? Have you abdicated or what? Why, this is too good to be -true!"</p> - -<p>"But it <i>is</i> true!" insisted Roger, strutting up and down the table and -illy concealing his pride and satisfaction.</p> - -<p>"Oh, tell him, tell him," begged Tandy, too happy to speak for himself.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Roger, spreading his wings self-consciously, for the -plan was his and he felt prouder of it every minute, "we are placing -Ozamaland under the general rule and protection of Oz and leaving as -Ruler in Tandy's place that long-legged son of the desert, Chunum. Now -there's a fellow who can handle these scary Nobles and natives and wild -elephant and camel riders. A King must complete his education before he -starts ruling, you know." Roger paused to scratch his head and wink -gaily at Samuel Salt. "And if this King chooses to finish his education -on our ship, that is his own affair."</p> - -<p>"Oh, quite! Quite!" Samuel began to rock backward and forward and -roar with merriment. "Roger, you rascal, you've done as good a job of -reasoning as a whole flock of Wise Men! Fall to, Mates, now we can -enjoy our victuals and I give you a toast to King Tandy, Cabin Boy, -Explorer and Artist Extraordinary to this Expedition!"</p> - -<p>"Tandy! Tandy!" echoed Ato and Roger, lifting their coffee cups.</p> - -<p>"Tandy! Tandy!" mumbled Nikobo, who was lunching largely and -luxuriantly on the flowers in a low window box. "When do we sail?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_21" id="CHAPTER_21"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus99.jpg" width="472" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 21<br /> - -<small>A Voyage Resumed</small></h2> - - -<p>Anxious as Tandy was to return to the <i>Crescent Moon</i> and continue the -voyage, it was a whole week before they finally shoved off. Chunum, -true to his word, had rounded up the frightened citizens of the -capital and explained to them the wicked plots of the Ozamandarins and -their punishment by Boglodore, the Old Man of the Jungle. Then Tandy, -addressing them from the castle balcony, called upon them to consider -Chunum as their King until he himself should have completed his -education in foreign parts and aboard the <i>Crescent Moon</i>, during which -time he promised to keep them always in mind and have their welfare -always at heart. Next, Tandy explained how Ozamaland was now a province -and under the general rule and protection of Ozma of Oz, how settlers -from that famous fairyland would soon arrive to help them build new -cities and towns, tame the wild jungles of the interior and repel the -dangerous invasions of the Greys.</p> - -<p>Here Chunum rose to declare he himself would be responsible for peace -along the border between Amaland and Ozamaland, that the Greys had long -desired to be friends with the Whites, but trouble had been stirred up -by the Ozamandarins so they might have the credit of protecting the -country. Then Tandy spoke again of all the advantages that would be -enjoyed from their association with the Kingdom of Oz. It was a long -and splendid speech, Roger and Tandy having spent the whole morning -in its preparation, and delighted and surprised by the energy and -ambition of their young Ruler, Tandy's subjects cheered him long and -vociferously, greeting each new plan and proposal with loud acclaim and -enthusiasm. The royal aunts and relatives, already released from the -castle dungeons and restored to their royal dwellings, could not speak -highly enough of their young relative's bravery and cleverness and -the bravery and cleverness of all of his new friends. They quite wore -Nikobo out with their questions and petting and the hippopotamus sighed -hugely for the time when they would all be at sea.</p> - -<p>"Was I right or was I wrong?" questioned Roger on the third afternoon -as Tandy, resplendent in his court suit of white velvet, reviewed -the vast parade of Loyal Nobles and Natives, and the long lines of -elephants and camels went sweeping by the palace. "They love you just -as much for going away as they would if you stayed. And Chunum is a Man -in a Million."</p> - -<p>"Right!" Tandy nodded, waving happily to the crowds that in a high -holiday mood thronged the walks and parks of the beautiful White City.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus100.jpg" width="469" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Chunum had taken Samuel Salt and Ato on an expedition into the jungle -so that the Royal Explorer of Oz could procure a creeping bird and -flying reptile for his collection. Nikobo, old jungaleer that she was, -had gone along to see that no harm came to them. To Tandy a snake with -feathers and a bird with scales and fangs was no novelty, but Samuel, -returning with a pair of each, considered them the most peculiar and -precious of his queer specimens. He carried their cages everywhere he -went and spent long rapt hours watching the snakes fly and the birds -creep about their new cages. Ato had discovered a new and rare fruit -and had brought along several slips to plant in the rail boxes he had -outside the galley. Nikobo had swum to her heart's content in a green -and muddy jungle stream and all three were now quite ready and anxious -to continue the voyage. Aboard the <i>Crescent Moon</i> one of the Guards -had been established to feed the monkey fish and water boy and tend -to the plants in the hold and serve as watchman. And early one bright -morning, just a week after they had landed, the members of the Royal -Exploration Party of Oz set forth from the palace.</p> - -<p>Oz flags fluttered and snapped in the fresh morning breeze, mingling -with the white banners of Ozamaland, and the streets and avenues were -lined with Tandy's cheering and now quite cheerful subjects. Riding -Nikobo, accompanied by Chunum on a white elephant and the entire camel -corps and elephant guard, the party made their way down to the water's -edge, feeling exactly, as Ato whispered in a laughing undertone to -Roger, like a whole circus and a zoo. Besides Roger, Tandy, Samuel Salt -and Ato, Nikobo carried two large cages and two small cages. In the -small cages were the flying reptiles and creeping birds. In the large -cages a baby white camel and a baby white elephant.</p> - -<p>"You'll sink, my Lass," worried Samuel Salt, as Nikobo, having safely -made her way down the rocky cliff road, waded confidently out into the -sea.</p> - -<p>"Not me," murmured the hippopotamus comfortably. "You may get wet, but -I'll get you safely out to the ship. Trust me."</p> - -<p>"Goodbye! Goodbye, all!" cried Tandy, standing up on her back to wave -to the crowds collected on the cliffs. Now that he was leaving, he felt -a strange fondness for them. "Goodbye, Chunum! I'll be back, never -fear!"</p> - -<p>"Goodbye, Little Fellow! Goodbye, Little King! A fair and far-away -voyage to you," called the tall old desert chief, standing up in his -stirrups to wave his long lance. "To the sun—the moon—the stars I -commend you! Go in happiness and return in health and live long to rule -over Ozamaland."</p> - -<p>"You take care of the country and we'll take care of the King," shouted -Samuel. "Goodbye! Goodbye! Be watching, all of you, for the ships from -Oz!"</p> - -<p>"Goodbye! Goodbye!" called the Nobles, the natives, the guards; even -the elephants and camels raised their shrill voices in farewell as -Nikobo swam strongly away from the shore and toward the <i>Crescent Moon</i>.</p> - -<p>The guard left in charge of the ship thankfully turned the vessel -over to its rightful owners and, shaking Tandy feelingly by the hand, -climbed down the ladder and dropped nervously on the back of the -hippopotamus, who was to carry him to shore.</p> - -<p>"Here, Brainless, lend a hand with the freight," yelled Roger as Tandy -stood gazing rather thoughtfully toward the cliffs. "The King's ashore! -Long live his cabin boy! I'll carry these pesky reptilia if you take -the camel." Roger winked at Tandy as Samuel Salt, bent double under -the baby elephant's cage, started carefully down to the hold. The baby -camel and its cage were so small Tandy could manage them quite easily, -and with a little laugh he hurried after Samuel and Roger. By the time -they had finished Nikobo had returned from her shore trip and climbed -thankfully back on her raft.</p> - -<p>"All hands stand by to heave up the anchor," bellowed Samuel, stepping -cheerfully over to his sail controls. "Anchors aweigh! and away we go, -boys, and the hippopotamus take the hindmost!"</p> - -<p>"Ho, ho! Well, she's built for it," roared Ato, bending his weight to -the cable as sail after sail rattled up the masts and bellied out from -the yards. "Where to now, Sam-u-el? Oz?"</p> - -<p>"OZ, I should say not! We've a lot of geography to discover before we -go back to Oz. We'll need a roc's egg before we go there, eh, Tandy? A -roc's egg and sixty more islands for Ozma's Christmas stocking."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus101.jpg" width="266" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh! Will we really spend Christmas in Oz?" cried Tandy, skipping up -and down the deck, and forgetting all about his subjects waving from -the cliffs.</p> - -<p>"Why not?" demanded Samuel Salt, letting his hands fall happily upon -the wheel. "Oz is as merry a place as any to spend Christmas, eh, -Roger?"</p> - -<p>"Merry as eight bells!" cried Roger, flying joyfully into the rigging. -"Ahoy! Ahoy! Nothing but sea t'seaward!"</p> - -<p>And when the <i>Crescent Moon</i> flies over Ev and drops down the Winkie -River on Christmas morning with its chart full of islands and curious -continents and its hold full of strange beasts, plants and treasure, I -for one should like to be there, shouldn't you?</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus102.jpg" width="325" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<p class="ph4"><i>A Word about the Oz Books</i></p> - - -<p>Since 1900, when L. Frank Baum introduced to the children of America, -THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ and all the other exciting characters who -inhabit the land of Oz, these delightful fairy tales have stimulated -the imagination of millions of young readers.</p> - -<p>These are stories which are genuine fantasy—creative, funny, tender, -exciting and surprising. Filled with the rarest and most absurd -creatures, each of the 39 volumes which now comprise the series, has -been eagerly sought out by generation after generation until today they -are known to all except the very young or those who were never young at -all.</p> - -<p>When, in a recent survey, <i>The New York Times</i> polled a group of -teen agers on the books they liked best when they were young, the Oz -books topped the list.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="ph4">Captain Salt In Oz</p> - - -<p>A voyage on the famous Nonestic Ocean! What could be more thrilling -than that? We—many of us—have taken trips on the prosaic Atlantic -or even Pacific, but have we found a SEA FOREST with flying fish and -swimming birds? Have we been pursued by a real SEA SERPENT, or had -our ship transfixed by the immense ivory tusk of a NARWHAL? Have we -come upon the glittering island of PEAKENSPIRE, or made friends with a -charming talking hippopotamus?</p> - -<p>Yet all these things and more befall Captain Salt, one time Pirate and -now Royal Explorer of Oz, and his merry crew. They come back with their -hold bursting with unique and fascinating specimens, with their chart -crowded with new islands, claimed for Ozma, and drawn so realistically -by the delightful little boy Tandy, Cabin Boy and Artist of the -Expedition.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<p class="ph4">The Oz Books</p> - -<table> -<tr><td></td><td>Wizard of Oz</td></tr> -<tr><td></td><td>Visitors from Oz</td></tr> -<tr><td>1. </td><td>The Land of Oz</td></tr> -<tr><td>2. </td><td>Ozma of Oz</td></tr> -<tr><td>3. </td><td>Dorothy and the Wizard</td></tr> -<tr><td>4. </td><td>The Road to Oz</td></tr> -<tr><td>5. </td><td>The Emerald City of Oz</td></tr> -<tr><td>6. </td><td>The Patchwork Girl of Oz</td></tr> -<tr><td>7. </td><td>Tik-Tok of Oz</td></tr> -<tr><td>8. </td><td>The Scarecrow of Oz</td></tr> -<tr><td>9. </td><td>Rinkitink in Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>10. </td><td>The Lost Princess of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>11. </td><td>The Tin Woodman of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>12. </td><td>The Magic of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>13. </td><td>Glinda of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>14. </td><td>The Royal Book of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>15. </td><td>Kabumpo in Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>16. </td><td>The Cowardly Lion of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>17. </td><td>Grandpa in Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>18. </td><td>The Lost King of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>19. </td><td>The Hungry Tiger of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>20. </td><td>The Gnome King of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>21. </td><td>The Giant Horse of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>22. </td><td>Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>23. </td><td>The Yellow Knight of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>24. </td><td>Pirates in Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>25. </td><td>The Purple Prince of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>26. </td><td>Ojo in Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>27. </td><td>Speedy in Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>28. </td><td>The Wishing Horse of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>29. </td><td>Captain Salt in Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>30. </td><td>Handy Mandy in Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>31. </td><td>The Silver Princess in Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>32. </td><td>Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>33. </td><td>Wonder City of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>34. </td><td>Scalawagons of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>35. </td><td>Lucky Bucky in Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>36. </td><td>Magical Mimics in Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>37. </td><td>The Shaggy Man of Oz</td></tr> - <tr><td>38. </td><td>The Hidden Valley of Oz</td></tr> -</table> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Captain Salt in Oz, by -Ruth Plumly Thompson and L. 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a/old/56073-h/images/illus99.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/56073-h/images/tp.jpg b/old/56073-h/images/tp.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 092cf49..0000000 --- a/old/56073-h/images/tp.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/56073.txt b/old/56073.txt deleted file mode 100644 index fc1d892..0000000 --- a/old/56073.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5602 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Captain Salt in Oz, by -Ruth Plumly Thompson and L. Frank Baum - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Captain Salt in Oz - -Author: Ruth Plumly Thompson - L. Frank Baum - -Illustrator: John R. Neil - Dick Martin - -Release Date: November 28, 2017 [EBook #56073] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAPTAIN SALT IN OZ *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - CAPTAIN SALT - IN OZ - - _By_ - - RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON - Founded on and continuing the Famous Oz Stories - - _By_ - L. FRANK BAUM - "Royal Historian of Oz" - - _Illustrated by_ - JOHN R. NEILL - - The Reilly & Lee Co. - CHICAGO - - Copyright, 1936 - by - THE REILLY & LEE CO. - All rights reserved - - Printed in the U.S.A. - - * * * * * - -Dear Boys and Girls: - - Another year-- - Another book, - And this time a voyage - That Sam Salt took - In that good old Ship, - The _Crescent Moon_-- - Steering by compass, - By star and moon, - To discover new countries - For OZ. Hear! Hear! - He's discovered a whole - New Hemisphere! - Three cheers for Sam, - And his jolly crew, - And three for OZ - And three for YOU, - And three for me, - Though I don't need cheer - 'Cause the letters you write - Keep me gay ALL year! - -So keep writing to me about Oz and everything, will you? And remember -to put your full name and complete address on the letter. Righto! - -And Best till I hear from you! - -RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON. - - * * * * * - - THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED - WITH MY BEST BOW AND TOP WISHES - TO MY PUBLISHER. - - --_Ruth Plumly Thompson_ - - * * * * * - - - - - LIST OF CHAPTERS - - 1 SAIL HO! - - 2 ANCHORS AWEIGH - - 3 THE FIRE BABY - - 4 SAMUEL'S FIRST SPECIMEN - - 5 PATRIPPANY ISLAND - - 6 A LITTLE WILD MAN - - 7 STRANGE SPECIMENS FOR SAMUEL SALT - - 8 MAXIMS FOR MONARCHS - - 9 SEA LEGS FOR TANDY - - 10 THE CITY OF BRIDGES - - 11 THE PRINCE OF THE PEAKS - - 12 FOG - - 13 THE SEA FOREST - - 14 THE SEA UNICORN! - - 15 THE COLLECTOR IS COLLECTED - - 16 THE STORM! - - 17 THE OLD MAN OF THE JUNGLE! - - 18 A NEW COUNTRY - - 19 BOGLODORE'S REVENGE - - 20 KING TANDY - - 21 A VOYAGE RESUMED - - - - -CHAPTER 1 - -Sail Ho! - - -Eight miles east of Pingaree lies the eight-sided island of King -Ato the Eighth. While not so large as Pingaree, the Octagon Isle is -nevertheless one of the tidiest and most pleasing of the sea realms -that dot the great green rolling expanses of the Nonestic Ocean. And -Ato himself is as pleasing as his island, enormously fat and jolly with -a kind word for everyone. - -In his eight-sided castle, he has every modern convenience and comfort -and some of which even an up-to-date country like our own cannot boast. -For instance, take Roger, his Royal Read Bird. Roger, besides knowing -eight languages, can read aloud for hours at a time without growing -hoarse or weary. So Ato never has to strain his eyes poring over his -eight hundred huge volumes of adventure and history, nor his arms -holding a newspaper or court document, nor his jaw pronouncing the -names of kings and countries in Ev and Oz and other curious places on -the mainland west of his own island. And Roger is as handsome as he -is handy, his head and bill rather like a duck's, his body shaped and -colored like a parrot, but much larger, while his tail opens out into -an enormous fan. This is extremely fortunate, for the Octagon Isle -is semi-tropical in climate, and on warm sultry days, Roger not only -reads to his Majesty, but fans him as well. All in all, Ato's life is -decidedly luxurious and lazy. - -Sixentwo, Chief Chancellor of the realm, and Four'nfour, its treasurer, -attend to all the business of governing, so that Ato and Roger have -little to do but enjoy themselves. The Octagon Islanders, one hundred -and eighty in number, are a sober and industrious lot, rarely giving -any trouble. - -Once, it is true, they sailed off and deserted the King entirely, but -Ato, with Peter, a Philadelphia boy, and Samuel Salt, a pirate, who -landed on the Island at just the right moment, immediately set out -after them, using the pirate's stout ship the _Crescent Moon_, for the -purpose. - -By a strange coincidence, Samuel Salt's men had also mutinied and -sailed away, so that there were two sets of deserters to seek out -and discover. After a dangerous and lively voyage, the _Crescent -Moon_ reached the rocky shores of Menankypoo on the Mainland. Here -they learned that the Octagon Islanders and Samuel Salt's men had -been enslaved by Ruggedo, the former Gnome King, and marched off to -conquer the Emerald City of Oz. How Peter and the Pirate, Ato and a -poetical Pig outwitted the Gnome King is a long and other story. You -have probably read it yourself. But ever since their hair-raising -experiences with Ruggedo, and their rescue by Ato, the Octagon -Islanders have been perfectly satisfied with their own ruler and -country. In fact, they were so docile and devoted, so fearfully anxious -to please, Ato often wished they would revolt or sass him a little just -to relieve the monotony and make life more interesting. - -To tell the truth, after serving as cook, mate and able-bodied seaman -on the _Crescent Moon_, Ato found it quite boring to settle down to -a humdrum life of a monarch ashore. Roger, too, missed the gay and -carefree life he had led as a pirate and could not even pretend an -interest in the books of adventure he still dutifully read to his -Master. He and Ato now spent most of their time on the edge of the -Island--the King in a comfortable hammock swung between two palm -trees, Roger on a tall golden perch set close beside him. Whenever the -Read Bird paused to yawn or turn a page, Ato would pull himself up to -a sitting position, raise the telescope he always had with him and -gaze long and wistfully out to sea. Many ships passed Ato's Island, -but never a one in the least resembling the splendid three-masted fast -sailing ship belonging to the Pirate. - -"You'll give yourself a fine squint there," warned Roger one morning, -as Ato for about the hundredth time raised his spy glass. "And what is -the use of it, pray?" inquired Roger grumpily, ruffling the pages of -the Book of Barons. "Samuel Salt has probably forgotten all about us -and gone off by himself on a voyage of discovery." - -"No! No! Sammy wouldn't do that," said the King, shaking his head -positively. "He promised to stop by for us on the very first voyage he -made as Royal Discoverer of Oz." - -"Ho, one of those seafaring promises!" muttered Roger. "A pirate's -promise. Humph! His new honors have gone to his head. Quite a jump from -pirating to exploring. I'll wager a wing he's gone back to buccaneering -and forgotten us altogether!" - -"Now, Roger, how can you say that?" Heaving up his huge bulk with -great difficulty, Ato looked reproachfully at his Royal Read Bird. -"Sammy never cared for pirating in the first place," wheezed the King -earnestly, "and he was so soft-hearted about planking the captives and -burning the ships, his band sailed off and left him. They only made him -Captain because he was clever at navigating, and you know perfectly -well he spent more time looking for flora and fauna than for ships and -treasure." - -"Ah, then I suppose some wild Flora or Fauna has him in its clutches," -observed Roger sarcastically, "and a likely thing that is, seeing the -poor Captain weighs but two hundred and twenty pounds and stands six -feet in his socks." - -"What a tremendous fellow he was," sighed Ato, sinking dreamily back in -his hammock and half closing his eyes. "I'll never forget how high and -handsome he looked when Queen Ozma asked him to give up buccaneering, -and serve her instead as Royal Discoverer and Explorer for Oz! And -a fitting reward it was, too, for capturing Ruggedo and saving the -Kingdom. Aha, my lad, THAT was a day! And we had our share of glory, -too! Remember how they cheered us in the Emerald City of Oz?" - -"Aye, I remember THAT day and a good many other days since," sniffed -the Read Bird disagreeably. "Six months from that day Samuel Salt was -to sail into our Harbor. Well, King--it's been six times six months, -and nary a sail nor a sign of him have we seen." - -"That long?" said Ato, blinking unhappily. - -"That long and longer. Three years, eleven months, twenty-six days and -twelve hours, to be exact!" - -"Dear, dear and dear! Then something's happened to him," murmured -Ato. "He's either been shipwrecked, captured or enchanted! I'll never -believe Sammy would forget us or break his promise. Never!" - -"Well, whatever you believe, the results are the same." Flapping open -his book, Roger prepared to go on with his reading. "And depend upon -it," he insisted stubbornly, "we'll never see Samuel Salt again, so -you may as well put up your telescope and put your mind on something -else for a change. Maybe it's your cooking that's keeping him away," -finished the Read Bird, who felt cross and fractious and contrary as a -goat. - -"My cooking?" roared Ato, roused to honest anger at last. "I've a -notion to have you plucked and roasted for that. My cooking, indeed! -Show me the fellow who can beat up an omelette, a cake, a batch of -biscuits, faster than I; who can brown a fowl, broil a steak or toss -out a pan of fried potatoes to compare with mine. I--I, why, I'm -surprised at you, Roger!" - -Roger, ruffling his feathers uncomfortably, was rather surprised at -himself, for the King was speaking the exact truth; a more skillful man -with a skillet it would be impossible to find in any kingdom. Ever -since his voyage on the _Crescent Moon_, cooking had been Ato's chief -pleasure and pastime. The castle chef, though he heartily disapproved -of a King in the kitchen, could do nothing to discourage him, so -finally stood by in grudging envy and admiration as Ato turned out his -delectable puddings, pies, roasts and sauces. - -Muttering with hurt pride and indignation, his Majesty continued to -frown at the Read Bird, and realizing he had gone too far, Roger -started to read as fast as he could from the Book of Barons. As he read -on, he could see the King growing calmer and finally, pausing to turn a -page, he let his gaze rove idly over the harbor. - -"Anchors and animal crackers! What was that?" Stretching up his neck, -Roger took another look, then, flinging the Book of Barons high into -the air, he spread his wings and started out to sea. - -Soothed by the droning voice of the Read Bird, Ato had closed his -eyes and the first warning he had of Roger's departure was a terrific -thump as the Book of Barons landed on his stomach. Leaping out of the -hammock as if he had been shot, the outraged Monarch looked furiously -around for his Read Bird. This really was too much. Not satisfied with -insulting him, Roger must now be bombarding him with books, cocoanuts -and what not. - -Shading his eyes with his hand, Ato glared up and down the beach and -finally out over the rippling blue ocean. At what he saw there, the -King forgot his anger as completely as Roger had forgotten his manners. -For, swinging jauntily into the Octagon Harbor was the _Crescent Moon_ -herself! No mistaking the high-prowed, deep-waisted, powerful craft of -the Pirate. But a new and gayer pennant fluttered from the mizzenmast -today. Instead of the skull and bones, Samuel was flying the green and -white banner of Oz, as befitted the Royal Discoverer and Explorer of -the most famous Fairyland in History. - -"He's here! He's come!" shouted Ato, running wildly up and down. -"Samuel! SAM-U-EL!" In his delight and excitement the King forgot the -Royal dock and began wading out into the bay. Peering around his -wheel, Sammy saw him coming and broke into a loud cheerful greeting. - -"Hi, King! Ho, King! How are you, you son of a Lubber! Wait till I -ease her in and I'll be ashore quicker than quick." Roger had already -reached the _Crescent Moon_ and, perched on the Captain's shoulder, was -chattering away at such a rate Samuel could hardly keep his mind on his -steering. But he was an old hand at such matters, and before Ato had -half recovered from the shock of seeing him, the shining three-masted -vessel was made fast, and its Master striding exuberantly up the wet -planks of the royal dock. - -"Ahoy! Ahoy!" he boomed boisterously. "What a day for a voyage! Is it -really my old cook and shipmate?" - -"None other!" puffed Ato, seizing both of the former pirate's hands. -"But what have you done to yourself, Sam-u-el? Where's your sash and -scimiter? And what's that on your head, may I ask? You don't look -natural or seaman-like at all." - -"Oh, don't mind these," grinned the Pirate, touching his three-cornered -hat and satin coat apologetically. "These are my shore togs for -impressing the natives. Can't look like pirates when we go ashore this -voyage, Mates. We're explorers and fine gentlemen now, and when we set -the flag of Oz on lofty mountains and rocky isles, when we bring savage -tribes and strange races under the beneficent rule of Ozma of Oz, we -must look like Conquerors. Eh, my lads?" - -"Yes--I sup-pose--so!" puffed the King, skipping clumsily to keep up -with the long strides of Captain Salt. "But I'm sorry this is going to -be a dressy affair, Sammy. How'm I to cook in a cocked hat and lace -collar and swab down the deck in velvet pants?" - -"Ho, ho! You'll not have to," exploded the Pirate, giving the tail -feathers of the Read Bird a sly tweak. "On shipboard we'll dress as we -please, for the sea is MY country and free as the wind and sun." - -"Well, well, I'm glad to hear you say that. Have you still got my old -pirate suit and blunderbuss aboard?" inquired the King anxiously. - -"Certain for sure, and a couple of new ones, and WAIT till you see your -galley all fitted out with copper pots, and provisions enough below -to carry us anywhere and back. Wait till you cast your eyes on 'em, -Lubber!" - -"Don't you call ME a Lubber!" chuckled Ato, giving Samuel a hearty poke -in the ribs. "I'm as able-bodied a seaman as you, Sammy, and you know -it." - -"SIR Samuel, if you please!" roared the former Pirate, striking himself -a great blow on the chest with his clenched fist. "Sir Samuel Salt, -Explorer and Discoverer Extraordinary to the Crown of Oz." - -"So--oooh! You've been knighted?" breathed Roger, peering round into -the Captain's face, - - "Ho pass the salt and ring the bell - And bend the knee to Sir Sam-u-el!" - -"Sir Samuel Salt! Well, I'll be peppered!" gasped Ato, sinking down on -the lower step of the palace which they had reached by this time. -"Sir Samuel!" - -"Yes, SIR!" boasted the Pirate, rubbing his hands together, "but come -on, step lively, boys; how long'll it take you to pack up and heave -your dunnage aboard? Mustn't keep a Knight of Oz waiting, you know!" - -"Keep _you_ waiting?" Suddenly and determinedly, Ato rose to his feet -and shook his finger under Sammy's nose. "Keep YOU waiting? Why, we've -been ready and waiting for this voyage three years, eleven months, -twenty-six days and twelve hours. Where've you been, you great lazy son -of a sea-robber?" - -"Four years?" choked the Pirate, falling back in real consternation and -dismay. "Never! It's never been four years, Mates. Why, I've scarcely -had time to sort out the shells and specimens we picked up on the last -voyage, and to fit out the _Crescent Moon_ for the next." - -"Where have you been?" repeated Ato, wagging his finger sternly. - -"Why, home on Elbow Island, of course. Where else should I have been?" -muttered Samuel, looking distinctly worried and crestfallen. - -"Then have you no clocks or calendars in your cave?" demanded the King -accusingly. "And what would the _Crescent Moon_ be needing? I thought -she was about perfect as she was." - -"Ah, but wait till you see her now!" exclaimed Samuel, cheering up -immediately at mention of his ship. "The _Crescent Moon_, besides a -new coat of paint, has self-hoisting sails and a mechanical steering -control in case we wish to take it easy occasionally. The Red Jinn -paid me a visit and presented us with these and several other magical -contrivances and improvements. I'm minded to make this voyage with no -crew but ourselves. It's cozier so, don't you think?" - -"Yes, but am I still on bird watch and lookout duty?" demanded Roger -jealously. - -"Aye, aye!" Samuel Salt assured him heartily. - -"I suppose the Red Jinn has supplied you with a mechanical cook in my -place as well as a mechanical steering wheel," murmured Ato, tugging -uneasily at the cord round his waist. - -"In your place!" thundered the Pirate. "Why, shiver my timbers, Mate! -Only over my prone and prostrate body shall another man enter my galley -to shuffle my rations, sugar my duff or salt my prog!" - -"Hooray, then let's get going!" squealed Roger, bouncing up and down -on Sammy's shoulder. "I was only saying this very morning that you'd -never forget your old friends and shipmates or go on a voyage without -us!" - -"Huh! So THAT'S what you were saying!" grunted Ato, looking fixedly at -the Read Bird. "Well, well, let it go. Come along then!" - -"Yes, yes, and hurry," screamed Roger, spreading his wings to fly on -ahead. - -"Sixentwo! Sevenanone! Where are you?" panted the King, plunging up the -steps after Roger two at a time. "Where is everybody? Pack a bag, a -chest, a couple of trunks. I'm going on a voyage of discovery!" - -"And don't forget the cook book!" bawled Samuel Salt, bounding -exuberantly after the King. - - - - -CHAPTER 2 - -Anchors Aweigh! - - -With the help of eighteen serving men, eight courtiers, Sixentwo, -Sevenanone, and Samuel Salt, who was not above carrying a sea chest -or hamper, Ato began stowing his belongings on the _Crescent Moon_. -There was little court apparel or finery in the King's boxes. Most -of it consisted of bottles of flavoring extract, spiced sauces, cook -books, minced meats, fruits in jars for pies, numerous frying pans, egg -beaters, and rolling pins. - -"Are we gypsies, pan handlers, peddlers or what?" panted Samuel Salt as -he dumped the last load breathlessly on the main deck. "Goosewing my -topsails, Mate, many's the fish we cleaned with a jackknife, and potato -we pared with a dagger on the last voyage. Mean to say an explorer -needs to use all these weapons on his pork and beans?" - -Checking off a list as his stuff was placed in the galley, Ato nodded -determinedly, then winking good-humoredly at the perspiring Captain, -ducked into the cabin to don his old sea clothes. Samuel was not long -following suit and soon, in short red pants, open shirts and carelessly -tied head kerchiefs, the two went below to inspect the stores Samuel -had laid in for the voyage. Roger, having nothing to bring aboard but -a few books and a bottle of feather oil, was already perched in the -crosstrees of the fore topgallant mast looking longingly toward the -east and waiting impatiently for the ship to get under way. But the -booming voice of the Pirate soon drew him to the lower deck and from -there he swooped down an open hatchway to the hold. - -This huge space, usually reserved by the pirates for captives and -treasure, had been neatly divided into two sections. In one were -the tinned, dried and salted meats, the groceries, vegetables and -extra supplies of rope, tar and sail. In the other section there were -numerous shelves, many iron cages, aquariums and sea chests. - -"For any strange animals or wild natives we may encounter and wish to -bring home with us," explained Samuel Salt as Roger looked curiously at -the cages. "In those chests are the flags of Oz we shall plant here, -there and everywhere as we sail onward!" - -"And to think a new and mighty Empire may grow from this flag -planting," mused Ato, opening one of the sea chests and thoughtfully -fingering one of Ozma's green and white silken banners. "But surely you -don't expect to plant all these, Samuel?" - -"Why not?" demanded the Royal Discoverer of Oz with a wave of the -scimiter he had resumed with his old pirate pants. "The sea is broad -and wide and no one's to tell us when we may start or sail home again. -But look, Ato, my lad--these will interest you." Turning from the -chests, Samuel pointed to a stack of long poles lashed to the side of -the ship with leather thongs. "Stilts!" grinned the Pirate as Roger -and Ato stared at them in complete mystification. "Fine for keeping -the shins dry when we wade ashore and don't feel like lowering the -jolly boat. All my own idea." Samuel cleared his throat with pardonable -pride. "Of course, it takes a bit of practice, but we'll try 'em on the -first island we come to. Eh, boys?" - -"Well, thank my lucky stars for wings!" breathed Roger after a long -disapproving look at Samuel's stilts. "Two steps and you'll smash -yourself to a jellyfish, Ato. Stick to the boats, men. That's MY -advice!" - -"Too bad he has no confidence in us!" roared Samuel, giving Ato a -resounding slap on the back. "Just wait, my saucy bird, and we'll show -you how stilting is done. And now, gaze upon this corner I've set aside -for my specimens; for rare marine growths, for seaweed, for curious -mollusks and other crustacean denizens of the darkest deep." - -Samuel coughed apologetically as he always did when he mentioned -his collecting mania, and Roger and Ato, exchanging an amused grin, -swung about to examine the long shelves with iron boxes clamped down -to prevent them from shifting with the motion of the vessel, huge -aquariums fitted into brass holders, and large trays bedded with dried -moss and sand for Samuel's collection of shells. - -"You might even bring home a mermaid in this," murmured Ato, touching -the side of an enormous aquarium. - -"No women!" snapped Samuel Salt, growing red in the face, for he did -not like to be teased about his specimen collecting. "I'll--I'll have -no women or mermaids switching their tails around my ship and turning -things topsy turvy." - -"Right," agreed Ato, giving his belt a vigorous tug. "Then how about -shoving off, Sammy? Everything's shipshape, there's a good wind and -the best way to begin a voyage is to start." - -"I'm for it!" roared the Captain, swinging hand over hand up the wooden -ladder. "All hands on deck! Up with your Master's flag, Roger. Cast off -the mooring lines, Ato, while I make sail and we'll be out of here in a -pig's jiffy." - -"Aye! Aye!" croaked Roger, seizing the cord that would send Ato's -octagon banner flying to the masthead, directly under the flag of Oz. -"Goodbye, all you lubbers ashore! Goodbye Sevenanone. Mind you keep -the King's Crown polished and don't forget to feed the silver fish." - -"GOODBYE!" called the one hundred and eighty Octagon Islanders drawn up -on the beach and dock to see his Majesty sail away. "A fine voyage to -your Highness!" - -"And neglect not to return!" shouted Sixentwo, using his hands as a -megaphone. "You know there is a Crown Council eight days and eight -months from yesterday." - -"Crown Council be jigged!" sniffed Ato, leaning far over the rail to -wave to his cheering subjects. "I'm a cook, an explorer--and a bold bad -seafaring man out to collect islands and jungles and jillycome-wiggles -for Samuel's shell box. Crown Council, indeed! Don't care if I never -see a castle again." - -"Me neither!" squalled Roger, flying up to his post in the foremast. -"Seven bells and all's well! Buoy off the beam and no land in sight." - -"Unless you look behind you," laughed Samuel, grabbing the wheel -with a practiced hand and squinting cheerfully up at the sun. "East -by southeast it'll be this voyage, Mates. There's ice in the North -Nonestic and I've a craving for tropical isles and the hidden rivers -of some deep and mysterious jungle!" - -"Remember Snow Island?" smiled Ato, coming over to stand beside the -wheel. - -"Shiver my shins! DO I? No more of that, me lads! But Ho! Isn't this -like old times?" Stretching up his arms exultingly, Samuel Salt let his -hands fall heavily on the wheel, and the great ship lifting with the -wind plunged her nose eagerly into the southeast swell. - -"M--mmm! Like old times, except for the boy," agreed Ato slowly. - -"Aye, and we'll surely miss Peter on this trip," sighed the Captain, -shaking his head regretfully. "Wonder where the little lubber is now? -That's the trouble with these real countries and peoples, there's no -getting at them when you need them most. Well, maybe we'll pick up -another hand somewhere to serve as cabin boy and keep us lively on the -voyage. But take a look at my sail controls, Ato. We can hoist, trim -and furl by just touching different buttons, nowadays; set this wheel -for any course and just let her ride." - -"Splendid!" grunted Ato, rising reluctantly from a coil of rope. "But -since there are no buttons on my stove, I'd best be thinking about -dinner." - -"Tar and tarpaulin, why didn't I have the Red Jinn fix you some?" -exclaimed the Pirate regretfully. "I'm sorry as a goat, Mate." - -"Ho--I'm not," laughed Ato, waddling happily off toward his galley. -"That would have spoiled everything. What'll it be, Captain--a fried -sole, a broiled steak, or a roaring huge hot peppery meat pasty?" - -"All of 'em!" yelled the Royal Explorer of Oz, exhaling his breath -in a mighty blast of anticipation. It seemed to Roger, high in the -foremast, that the ship gave an extra little skip at its Captain's -mighty roar, then settling easily into her usual graceful pace she ran -smoothly before the wind. - - - - -CHAPTER 3 - -The Fire Baby - - -Morning found the _Crescent Moon_ forging ahead with a stiff breeze, a -choppy sea and the last known island far behind her. - -"Ahoy, and this is the life, Mates!" bellowed Samuel Salt, bracing his -legs against the pitch and roll of the vessel, and waving largely to -the ship's cook who sat on an overturned bucket mending his second best -sea shirt. "Anything can happen now!" Lovingly Samuel let his gaze rove -over the sparkling Nonestic, and Ato, squinting painfully as he pushed -his long needle in and out, nodded portentously. - -"By the way, Sammy, what are your plans for this flag planting and -discovery business?" inquired the portly cook somewhat later. Having -finished his mending, he had dragged a canvas chair and a pot of -potatoes aft by the wheel. "Do you look for resistance and rebellion -when we start taking possession of this land and that land for the -crown of Oz?" - -"No, no, nothing like that," mused Samuel, removing his pipe and -blowing a cloud of smoke into the rigging. "Everything's to be polite -and peaceable this voyage. No guns, knives or scimiters. Queen Ozma -particularly does not want any country taken by force or against its -will." - -"And suppose they object to being taken at all?" said Ato, beginning to -pare a fat potato. "What then?" - -"Well, then--er then--" Samuel rubbed his chin reflectively, "we'll try -persuasion, my lad. We'll explain all the advantages of coming under -the flag and protection of a powerful country like Oz. That ought to -get them, don't you think?" - -"Yes, if they don't get us first," observed Ato, popping a potato -dubiously into the pot. "Suppose while we stand there waving flags and -persuading, some of these wild fellows have at us with spears, clubs -and poison arrows?" - -"Well, that would be extremely unfortunate," admitted Samuel, glancing -soberly at the compass, "and in that case----" - -"I hope you will remember you were once a pirate and act accordingly," -Ato blew out his cheeks sternly as he spoke. "The one trouble with you, -Sammy, is that you take too long to get mad. So I shall go ashore armed -as usual with my kitchen knife and blunderbuss. I don't intend to be -sliced into sandwiches while you're talking through your three-cornered -hat, and waving flags at a lot of ignorant savages. And I'll have Roger -carry the books ashore too." - -"Ho, ho!" roared the Captain of the _Crescent Moon_, giving his knee -a great slap. "Just like old times, Ato. Rough, bluff and relentless, -Mates, remember?" - -"Aye, and I should say I do. And I remember Roger had to drop a good -many books on your head before you got mad enough to fight. What -makes you so calm and peaceable, Sammy? A big born fighting man like -yourself." - -"Sea life, I reckon," answered the former Pirate, extending his brawny -arms in a huge yawn. "The sea's so much bigger than a man, Mate--it -rather makes him realize how small and unimportant he really is. But -don't fret, Cook dear, no one shall tread on your toes, this voyage. -But avast there--it grows warmer and the air smells a bit thunderish. -Had you noticed?" - -"'Hoy, 'hoy! Deck ahoy!" bawled a shrill voice from above. "Island -astern." Both Samuel and Ato stared up in amazement, for Roger was -supposed to be resting in the cabin. But the Read Bird, after -snatching an hour's nap, had slipped out an open port and, unnoticed, -taken his position in the foremast. The Read Bird did not trust Ato, -who was supposed to be on watch. Besides, he wanted to be the first to -report a new island to the Captain. - -"Looks like a mountain," mumbled Ato, setting down his potatoes and -waddling over to the rail. "Heave to, Skipper, here's our first -discovery." - -"Now how in sixes did that get by me?" muttered Samuel Salt, hurrying -to shorten sail for the zigzag course, back and in, he would have to -take to reach the island at all. - -It showed plainly enough now, a rugged gray and purple mass of rock, -with apparently no vegetation or dwellings of any kind. As the -_Crescent Moon_ drew nearer, the sea became smooth and oily, and the -air sulphurous and hot. - -"Think likely this is an island we might well pass by," murmured Ato, -peering critically through his telescope. "Positively deserted so far -as I can see--but there might be valuable minerals in those rocks." - -"Don't doubt it!" Samuel Salt curved himself all the way round the -wheel in his interest. Mechanical devices were well enough for the open -sea, but Samuel preferred to handle his own ship on occasions like -this. As there was no harbor or safe place to put in, he decided to -anchor off shore and land in the jolly boat. The anchor had just gone -clanking and rattling over the side when a horrid hiss and boom from -the center of the island made all hands look up in alarm. - -"K-kkk cannons!" quavered Ato, dropping his bread knife with a clatter. -"Stand by to man the guns!" - -But Samuel Salt, instead of heeding the cook's warning, began to sniff -the air. "Volcano, Mates," announced the Captain calmly. "And in that -case we may be a bit close for comfort. Still, I've always wanted -to observe a volcano in action. I've a theory there may be living -creatures in the center." - -"Living creatures in the center!" raged Ato, tearing off his white -apron and dashing it on the deck. "How long will we be living if that -fire pot starts boiling? We mayn't be killed, being of magic birth, but -we can be jolly well singed, fried, boiled and melted. And after that -who'd care to be alive? Quick, Roger, heave in on that chain! Anchors -aweigh!" - -While Samuel stood in rapt contemplation of the volcano, and Ato began -frantically winding up the anchor, a long tongue of flame leaped out -of the crater and a great jet of bubbling lava shot clear over the -_Crescent Moon_. This occurrence soon brought Samuel out of his revery, -and snapping into action and forgetting all about his mechanical -devices, he began working like a mad man to get the ship in motion, -tugging at the sheets, throwing his whole weight against the halyards, -till the ship with quivering sail sped away like a frightened bird, the -hot winds from the volcano whistling and rattling through her rigging. - -"Where's Roger?" yelled Ato, staggering across the deck with two -buckets of water. "Oh, woe! Is he a Read Bird or a just plain Goose? -Look yonder, Sammy, he's flown ashore." Outlined against the sky in -a sudden flare from the volcano they could see Roger poised over the -center of the smoking island. In his claw was a large rippling banner -of Oz and as they looked he lifted the banner high above his head and -flung it straight into the center of the boiling crater. - -"We hereby take complete and absolute possession of this island and -declare all its inhabitants lawful subjects of her Majesty, Queen Ozma -of Oz!" screamed Roger hysterically. - -"Well, hurray, and three cheers for a real Explorer!" shouted Samuel -Salt. "He's done it all by himself, the only man among us who -remembered his duty under fire. There's a bird for you, Mates. Not even -a volcano can turn him from his duty. All we thought of was safety. -Poh!" Rubbing the back of his hand across his eyes, which were full of -smoke, Samuel looked glumly across at his cook. - -"Now, now, don't be too hard on yourself," puffed the King, setting -down the fire buckets. "A Captain must think of his ship, even if he -is an Explorer. Besides, having wings gives Roger an advantage of us. -Still and all, it was a brave and timely act." Ato's further remarks -were drowned out in a second tremendous explosion. Sky and sea turned -red, whole flaming boulders shot above the ship's spars, while great -sullen waves of lava boiled over the crater's edge and rolled smoking -and hissing into the sea. - -"Missed us again," panted Samuel Salt, hanging desperately to his wheel -as the _Crescent Moon_ plunged and pitched in the angry seas. "Wonder -what started that?" - -"The Oz flag, probably," gasped Ato, feeling around in the dense smoke -for his fire buckets. "Hope Roger got off safely. Where is that fool -bird? Ho, Sammy! Hi, Sammy! Quick, they've hit us amidships." - -Hastily setting his mechanical steering gear, the former Pirate rushed -forward to where a glowing lump of lava was burning its way slowly but -surely through the deck. - -"Fire! Fire!" shrilled Roger, who had dropped down on the rail -unnoticed in the smoke and confusion. "Water, Ato! Water, you old Slow -Poke!" - -"Avast!" puffed Samuel Salt, staring down in astonishment at the -glowing lump at his feet. "It's alive, Mates, and lively as a grig. -It's a FIRE baby, that's what! HAH! Didn't I just say there was life on -a volcano? Well, this proves it and I'm taking this young one along for -proof." - -"Now stop talking like a book and act like a seaman," choked Ato, in -his agitation tripping over a rope but still managing to keep his hold -on the water buckets. "Fire baby or not, can't you see it's burning a -hole in the deck, you seventh son of a sea-going Jackass? Here, put it -out! Dash this water over it before it burns up the whole ship!" - -"Avast! Avast and belay!" roared Samuel Salt in a terrible voice as Ato -raised his bucket. "I'm still Captain here. Do you wish to destroy a -rare specimen of volcanic life? Fetch a shovel from the hold, Roger. A -shovel, I said, and don't stand there dithering." - -"Aye aye, sir!" sputtered the Read Bird, half falling and half flying -down the companionway. Now a bird is a quick and handy fellow about a -ship and in half the time it would have taken a seaman, Roger was back -with a long handled shovel. Snatching the shovel, which he had often -used on former treasure hunts, Samuel scooped up the bawling fire baby -and started on a run for the galley. - -"It's turning black, it's turning black," wailed the disconsolate -collector, crooning to the ugly infant as he ran along as if he were -its own mother. "Aye, aye--it's going out!" - -"And a good thing, too," panted Ato, who was close behind him. "What in -tarry barrels are you fixing to do with it, Sammy?" - -Roger, sensible bird that he was, stayed long enough to douse the two -buckets of water on the smoking deck, then he, too, made a bee line for -the galley. He was just in time to see Samuel lift the lid of the range -and slide the baby down on top of the hot coals. No sooner had the -squat infant touched the glowing fire than it stopped yelling at once -and began to purr and sing like a teakettle set on to boil. - -"Well, I'll be swizzled!" gulped Ato, and snatching a wet dish towel -from the rack, he wound it round and round his aching head. "Whatever -made you think of that?" - -"It's my scientific mind," the Pirate told them blandly. "The proper -place for any infant that size is bed and I naturally figured that -a fire baby belonged in a fire bed, and a bed of hot coals was the -nearest to it, so here it is!" Winking solemnly at Roger, who was -regarding the little Lavaland Islander with fear and loathing, Samuel -picked up the poker and gave the baby an affectionate poke. "It'll do -fine here," he predicted happily, "and prove beyond a quibble that -volcanos are inhabited." - -"It'll do nothing of the sort!" exploded Ato, bringing his fat fist -down with a resounding thump on the drain board. "You may be the -Captain of the ship, Sammy, but I'm the boss of this galley, and that -fire baby will have to go. GO! Do you understand? How'm I to cook with -the ugly little monster lolling all over the fire bed and like as not -falling into the soup when my back is turned?" - -"Hark!" interrupted Roger. "More trouble! Something's up, Master Salt, -and it's not an eruption either." And Samuel had to agree with him as -groans, moans, shrieks and hisses came whistling after the flying ship. - -"Ah, that'll be the rest of them!" exulted the Royal Discoverer, -pounding out on deck. "Hah! It's the Lavaland Islanders themselves. -Ho--this WILL be interesting!" - -"Well, just invite them over and we'll all burn up happily together," -suggested Ato bitterly. - -Hanging over the taffrail, Samuel paid no attention to the King's -sarcastic suggestion. Indeed, he was much too interested, for just -showing above the flaming circle of the volcano's crater was a row -of immense and thunderous looking natives. They were of transparent -rock-like structure and burned and glowed from the molten lava that -coursed through their veins. With upraised arms and furious faces they -were yelling over and over some strange and indistinguishable threats -and phrases. One, shaking the blackened stick of the Oz flag, danced -and screamed louder than all the rest put together. - -"They do not wish to become subjects of Oz, I take it," sighed Samuel, -undecided whether to sail back and argue the matter, or sail away and -save his ship from possible destruction. - -"That's not it! That's not it!" cried Roger, flapping his wings -triumphantly. "I know what's the matter. They want that baby back. -You're probably making off with the Crown Prince of the Volcano. See -that woman yelling louder than the others and holding out both arms? -Well, look--she has a crown on her head and is likely the Queen. She -wants her baby back." - -"And she should have it, too," stated Ato, blinking his eyes at the -frightful racket the Lavaland Islanders were making. "You can't steal -people's children like this, Sammy, unless you're going back to -buccaneering. It's just plain piracy." - -"She threw it at us, didn't she?" muttered the Captain, who was -unwilling to part with so valuable a specimen. - -"It probably blew out of its cradle when the volcano erupted. Give it -back to her, Sammy," begged Ato, who was determined to get rid of the -terrible infant at any cost. "After all, she's its mother." - -"But do you expect me to sail back there and endanger all of our -lives?" Samuel jerked his head angrily. "And how else can it be done?" - -"Er--er--let Roger carry it back in that old wire basket we use for -clams," proposed the cook eagerly. - -"Not on your life," protested Roger in a sulky voice. "The basket would -grow red hot and burn my bill. Besides, I'm no stork. Tell you what we -could do, though, and we'd better be quick before they start throwing -things." - -"What?" inquired the Captain, gazing uneasily at the infuriated -Islanders. - -"Why, simply shoot it back," Roger said calmly. "Stuff it in the port -cannon and blaze away. You never miss your mark, Master Salt, and if -you can't shoot that baby back into its mother's arms, I'll walk on my -wings and be done with it." - -"Why, Roger, how clever! The very thing!" rejoiced Ato. "I'll go fetch -it with the fire tongs and you'll have to hurry, Sammy, or we'll be out -of range." - -"But it might injure the young one," objected the Captain of the -_Crescent Moon_, shifting his feet uncomfortably. - -"Nonsense, it'll be just like a ride in a baby carriage for that little -rascal. Prime your gun, Sammy, while I get the child." - -By this time the clamor from the Island had become so alarming that -even Samuel realized something would have to be decided. So, somewhat -mollified by Roger's compliment on his aim, he made ready to fire the -port cannon. The baby, hissing lustily, was brought without accident -from the galley. Ato held it gingerly before him, using the fire -tongs, Roger following along to hold a lighted candle under the little -fellow to keep him from going out before he was shot. - -The baby fitted nicely into the cannon's mouth and stopped crying -instantly. At the last moment Samuel almost lost his courage, but urged -on to action by both Ato and Roger, he carefully made his calculations -and then shutting both eyes pulled the cord that set off the gun. The -terrible explosion shocked the Lavalanders into silence, and almost -afraid to look, Samuel opened his eyes. - -"Yo, ho, ho! Three cheers for the Skipper!" squealed Ato, snatching -the towel from his head and waving it like a banner. "The neatest shot -you ever made, Mate, and a lucky shot, too." The baby and the cannon -ball which would have shattered a less durable lady had struck the Lava -Queen amidships. Dropping the cannon ball carelessly into the crater, -the giantess clasped her child in her arms, smiling and screaming her -thanks across the tumbling waters. - -"Well, was I right, or was I right?" chuckled Roger, teetering backward -and forward on the rail and preening his feathers self-consciously. -"And I've another idea just as good in case you should be interested." - -"Oh, keep it till tomorrow," grumbled Samuel Salt, who felt terribly -depressed at the loss of his rare specimen. - -"But tomorrow will be too late," persisted Roger, settling on the -Captain's shoulder. "Now, while these savages are in a good humor, let -me fly over and drop another Oz flag on the Island. Maybe this time -they'll let it stand and once it flies over the crater the Island is -Ozma's." - -"By the tooth of a harpooned whale, you're right! I'm forgetting my -duty to Oz," breathed Samuel, straightening up purposefully. "But our -kind of flag won't stand the climate yonder." - -The Read Bird, however, had thought even of that. Taking a sheet of -iron from the hold, the resourceful fellow stopped in the galley long -enough to burn in the word OZ with the red hot poker. Then, thrusting -the poker itself through two slits in his iron banner, he flew jauntily -back to the Island. - -"Ahoy, and there's a standard bearer for you!" Rubbing his hands -together, Samuel strode to the rail. "Bless my buttons, the boy -deserves a medal for this, and shall have one, too." - -This time the Lavaland Islanders watched Roger's approach with quiet -interest and as he hovered uncertainly over their heads held up their -hands for the iron flag. But Roger, made daring by their friendliness, -swooped down suddenly to the crater's edge, and jamming his banner -between two smoking boulders soared aloft. - -"Lavaland Islanders!" screamed the Read Bird hoarsely. "You are now -under the protection and rule of Queen Ozma of Oz. Lavaland Islanders, -you are hereby adjured to keep the peace and the law and LAV one -another!" - -His voice cracked from fright and excitement, but finishing -triumphantly, he spread his wings and skimmed back to the _Crescent -Moon_. - -"Hung wung wah HEEE!" yelled the Islanders all together, nodding their -heads and waving their arms cheerfully. "Hung wung wah HEEE!" - - - - -CHAPTER 4 - -Samuel's First Specimen - - -"What do you make of that?" puffed Samuel Salt as Roger dropped -breathlessly down on his shoulder. "Well, 'Hung wung wah HEEE!' it is. -Let's give them a cheer for luck." Lifting his great voice, the Royal -Discoverer for Oz, helped out by his two shipmates, sent the weird call -booming back across the water. - -An answering call came from the Island, and then, with a hiss and thud, -a small glowing object fell on the deck. Fortunately the fire tongs -were still handy and picking up the offending object before it could do -any damage, Ato marched sternly off to the galley. Stopping long enough -for another wave to the Island, which was growing smaller and smaller -as the _Crescent Moon_ sped away, Samuel hastened after his cook, -jotting down hurried notes in his journal as to latitude and longitude -as he ran along. - -"There's something written on this piece of lava," announced Ato, who -had dropped the smoking souvenir from Lavaland on the stove. Peering -over his shoulder, Samuel could see queer raised symbols and signs on -the sulphurous surface of the rock. - -"There's something crawling on it, too," volunteered Roger, who was -perched on the towel rack above the stove, and had a better view, "a -golden frog or a lizard." - -"Merciful mustard! What next?" groaned Ato. - -"Why, this--this--" Samuel's voice quivered with excitement and -disbelief, "this, Mates, is as fine a specimen of a Preoztoric Monster -as a scientist could hope for; a real live salamander, a fire lizard, -straight from the burning depths of yonder crater. Stars! Tar and -Tarrybarrels! This is even better than the baby and will prove my point -just as well." - -"Does it have to live on my stove?" asked Ato ominously, as the -Salamander slid merrily backward and forward over the red hot plates of -the range. "Home on the range!" snickered Roger, winking at the Pirate. - -"Just till I can fix up a hot box for it," apologized Samuel, "but -don't fret, old Toff, it doesn't bite and if it falls on the floor, all -you have to do is scoop it up and put it back before it goes out." - -"Not only cook, mate and swab, but now I'm nursemaid to a fire lizard." -Ato shuddered, and reaching for his tall cook's cap, jammed it down -hard on his shiny bald head. - -"You can keep it in an iron pot while you cook," suggested Roger -practically, "and after all, King dear, it's the only Salamander in -captivity. Here, Sally, here Sal--this way, my little crater critter." -Tilting the pot on the back of the stove, Roger was delighted to find -the Salamander quite willing to answer to her new name. As she slid -adventurously into the small cooking vessel, the Read Bird quickly -righted the pot and clapped on the cover. "There," he exclaimed with a -satisfied nod at his Master, "how's that?" - -"Well, I suppose I'll have to put up with it," sighed Ato resignedly. -"But in some ways pirating was easier than discovering, Sammy. At -least, we never kept the captives on the stove. And NOW--" Ato waved -his arms determinedly. "Clear out, both of you. It's three bells and -time to stir up the food. And just take that pesky rock along with you. -I've meat to broil!" - -"When this cools, maybe I'll be able to figure out the language," -exulted Samuel, removing the offending piece of lava with a cake -turner. "All in all, a most interesting and profitable day, eh, Roger? -An island, a visit from a fire baby, and a real live Preoztoric -monster." - -"Not bad," agreed the Read Bird, transferring himself to the Captain's -shoulder. Depositing the piece of lava on an iron hatchway to cool, -Samuel strode happily along the deck, stopping to light the red lamps -on the port and the green lights on the starboard. Roger himself had -just hung a white light in the rigging when a lusty call from the -galley sent him flying off to help Ato serve the dinner. - -"What could be cozier than a life at sea?" he reflected, winging -jauntily into the main cabin with a dish of roast potatoes. Ato puffed -cheerfully behind, bearing a huge tray. On the tray a steaming tureen -of soup, a pot of coffee, seven dishes of vegetables and two of smoking -meats sent up tantalizing whiffs and fragrances. Later when the Read -Bird brought in the pudding, he and Sammy soberly agreed it was the -tastiest feast Ato had served on the voyage. - -The main cabin of the _Crescent Moon_, with its red leather couches -under the ports, its easy chairs and tables clamped to the floor to -keep them from shifting, with its ship's clock and ship's lanterns, -was a cheery place to be when the day's work was ended. There was a -huge fireplace for foggy evenings and every visible space on the wall -was covered with pictures of pirate ships, ancient sailing vessels and -rough maps and charts of strange and curious islands. While Samuel -and Ato sat at their ease to finish off the pudding, Roger took his -upon the wing, darting in and out between bites to assure himself that -all was well on deck. There was a tiny crescent moon sliding down the -sky, and the slap of waves against the side of the ship and the wind -creaking in the cordage made as pleasant a tune as the heart of a -seaman could wish for. - -"Now what could be better than this?" said Samuel Salt exhaling a cloud -of smoke from his pipe and stretching his legs luxuriously under the -long table. "A tidy ship, a good wind and the whole wide sea to sail -on." - -"Suits me!" grinned Ato scraping up the last of the hard sauce and -settling back with a grunt of sheer content. "Did you mark up our -volcano on the chart Sammy, and what are we calling it Mates? An island -must have a name you know." - -"I know." Samuel blew another cloud of smoke upward and cleared his -throat. "If it's agreeable to all hands and Roger, I'd like to call it -Salamander Island after Sally." - -"Why not? There's a Sally in our galley and a real nice gal is Sally," -warbled Roger, settling on the back of Samuel's chair and wagging his -head in time to the music. - -"Sing like a bird, don't ye?" muttered Samuel striding over to the map -of Oz and surrounding countries and oceans that covered the west wall. - -"I AM a bird," screamed Roger fluttering up to his shoulder. "'Bout -here she would lie, Master Salt, sixty leagues from Octagon Island." - -As Roger talked on, making numerous suggestions, the Captain of the -_Crescent Moon_ drew with red chalk a small but effective picture -of Salamander Island showing the volcano in action and the Lavaland -Islanders grouped around the crater's top. - -"Taken this day without a shot or the loss of a single man," printed -Samuel in neat letters under his sketch. - -"Don't forget, you shot the baby," twittered Roger raising a claw -argumentatively. - -"Oh, we can't put in small details like that," sniffed the Captain -stepping back to admire his drawing. - -"Seems odd for us to be discovering and taking possession of islands -for a country we know so little about," mused Ato, looking thoughtfully -at the map on the west wall. "Why, we've only been to Oz once -ourselves." - -"Yes, but everybody knows about Oz," Samuel said putting the red chalk -back in the table drawer. "Our business is with wild new countries -that have never been seen or heard of. Besides, anyone can see that Oz -is overpopulated and needs new territories and sea ports. And since -Ozma is so clever at governing, and her subjects all so happy and -prosperous, the more people who come under her rule the better!" - -"Aye! Aye!" agreed Roger, peering with deep interest at the map. Small -wonder the Read Bird was interested, for Oz is one of the most exciting -and enchanting countries ever discovered. There are four large Kingdoms -in Ozma's realm, the Northern Land of the Gillikens, the Eastern Empire -of the Winkies, the Southern Country of the Quadlings and the Western -domain of the Munchkins. Each forms a triangle in the oblong of Oz. The -Emerald City which is the capital, is in the exact center where all -these triangles meet. Each of these Kingdoms has its own ruler, but -all four are under the sovereign rule and control of Ozma, the small -but powerful fairy who lives in the Emerald City. On all sides, Oz is -surrounded by a deadly desert and beyond the desert lie the independent -Kingdoms of No-Land, Low Land, Ix, Play, Ev, the Dominions of the -Gnome King, and many other strange and important Principalities. These -countries form a narrow rim around the desert, and beyond this rim lies -the Nonestic Ocean itself, stretching in all directions and to no one -knows what far and undiscovered shores. Each of the four Kingdoms in -Oz shown on Samuel's map was so dotted with smaller Kingdoms, cities, -towns, villages and the holdings of ancient Knights and Barons, there -was scarcely room for another castle. With young Princes growing up on -every hand, Roger could well sympathize with the need of Ozma for more -territory. - -"Won't the Ozians have too long a way to come before they reach these -new islands and countries we discover?" inquired the Read Bird, after -staring at the map for some moments in silence. - -"Not a bit of it!" Samuel dismissed Roger's objection with a snap of -his fingers. "I hear the Wizard of Oz is working on a new fleet of -airships, that will make crossing the desert and Nonestic a real lark -and enable new settlers to reach these outlying islands in a day or -less. So all we have to do is to proceed with our discovering. Ozma -will attend to the rest. This volcanic island may not be as useful as -some of the others, but one can never tell. How about picking up a few -islands for you, Ato, as we ride along?" The former pirate dropped his -arm affectionately round the shoulders of his Royal Cook. - -"No, thanks," grunted Ato, rolling cheerfully to his feet. "One's -enough. What would I want with any more islands? Why I'd never get off -on a voyage. But pick yourself a couple, Sammy, why don't you?" - -"Who, ME?" Samuel Salt shook his head emphatically. "A ship's all I -can handle and I wouldn't trade you two buckets of sea water for all -the islands in the Nonestic. One ship and one crew's enough for me, -and since you're my crew, you'd better turn in--we've had a hard day -and another one coming. I'll take first watch, Cooky, here, shall have -middle, and you Roger can be the early bird on morning watch." - -"Ho hum! I'm right sleepy at that," admitted Ato, starting to heap up -plates. "Give me a lift with the dishes, Roger, will you?" - -"Oh, throw 'em overboard," directed Samuel Salt recklessly. "There's -plenty more in the hold and I'm agin all extry labor." - -"Hurray!" screamed Roger seizing the coffee pot and winging merrily -through an open port. - -"Avast! Avast there! Not my coffee pot!" pleaded Ato, making after the -Read Bird with surprising speed considering his tonnage. "Stop you -great Gossoon! How many times must I tell you I'm boss of the galley?" -Catching Roger by the leg just as he reached the rail, Ato snatched -back his precious coffee pot and hugged it protectively to his bosom. -"Why I've just got this contraption broken in proper," he panted -indignantly. "A coffee pot's like a pipe, it's got to be sweetened and -seasoned. Heave over the plates and cups if you like," he went on, -relenting a bit as he noted the keen disappointment on Roger's face, -"but save the soup tureen. I'll wager there's not another that size on -the ship and the Captain must have his soup. What a splendid pot of -soup THIS would make," murmured Ato looking dreamily down at the sea, -"a bit salty, perhaps, but full of snapper and porgy and tender young -sea shoots. Why that foam's as near to whipping cream as anything I've -ever gazed on." - -Tearing himself reluctantly from the appetizing sight, the Royal Cook -padded off to put the galley in order for the night, while Roger with -loud squalls of glee dropped the plates and saucers one by one over -the side. In this way the dishes were soon done, the cabin tidy and -shipshape, and by eight bells the King and the Read Bird were sleeping -soundly and Samuel Salt had the ship to himself. - -First, he made a complete round of all decks, glanced at the barometer -and compass, and furled the fore and mizzen topsails. Then he took the -cooled piece of lava down to the hold. The strange signs and symbols -had hardened, and labeling it carefully with the date and name of -Salamander Island, Samuel placed it on his shelves for further study. -Then returning to the main deck he set a portable ship's lantern on -a coil of rope and settled down to fix a hot box for the Salamander. -Selecting from the material he had brought from the hold an iron box -with a glass lid, he covered the bottom with sand and pebbles. Knowing -salamanders require hot water as well as hot air, he placed a tiny -flat pan of water in the corner of the box to serve as a swimming -pool. A burning glass in the day time and an alcohol lamp under the -box at night would supply the necessary heat, and setting the whole -contrivance on an iron tray in the cabin, Samuel went joyfully off to -fetch the fire lizard. - -The Salamander was still in the pot on the back of the stove, and -giving her an experimental poke with his finger, Samuel was astonished -to find her quite cool to the touch. This was surprising considering -she could only live in the most intense heat. But without stopping to -figure it out, the Captain picked her up between thumb and forefinger, -carried her to the cabin and popped her into the iron box. He had -already lighted the lamp under the box so that everything was red -hot and cozy for her. The small captive seemed to appreciate her new -quarters, wriggling over the hot pebbles and sand, then splashing gaily -in her swimming pool. - -"Quite a girl!" sighed the pirate, resting his elbows on the table and -gazing happily down at the first prize of the voyage. "You're going -to be great company for me, Sally." As if she really understood, the -lizard gave a squeak and tapped loudly on the glass lid with her -tail. The pipe almost dropped from Samuel's mouth at Sally's strange -behavior, and lifting the lid he peered inquisitively down at her. -Before he had a chance to clap it shut, the Salamander hurled herself -upward, landing smartly on the bridge of the Pirate's nose, from where -she slid cleverly into the pipe itself. - -"Well I'll be scuppered!" gasped the Royal Explorer looking slightly -cross-eyed down the bridge of his nose as Sally coiled up comfortably -in the bowl of the pipe. "The little rascal wants to keep me company, -and so she shall, bless my boots, so she shall! Why this is plumb -cute and cozy and something to write in my journal." Puffing away -delightedly Samuel stepped out of the cabin and all during his watch, -the little Salamander rested contentedly in his pipe. Sometimes she -peered up inquisitively over the edge, but mostly she lay quietly on -the smoking tobacco, looking with calm interest at the sky and the -rippling sails over her head. Not only did she keep his pipe from going -out, but never had it drawn so well. So, filled with a vast wonder -and content, Samuel strode up and down the deck. Not till midnight -when he roused Ato could he bear to put Sally back in her box and only -then, after he had promised her another ride in the morning. But when -morning came, Samuel had no time to keep his promise, for while Ato was -cooking breakfast and the Captain himself catching forty winks in the -cabin, the raucous voice of the Read Bird came whistling down from the -foremast. - -"Land Ho! Land! More Land. Island tuluward, Captain!" - - - - -CHAPTER 5 - -Patrippany Island - - -"All hands on deck! Come on! Come _on_!" yelled Samuel Salt running -past Ato's galley dragging on his clothes as he ran. "There's an island -tuluward, you lubber." - -"Well, 'tain't a flying island is it?" Ato stuck a very red face out -the door. "I guess it'll stay there till I turn the bacon, won't it? No -cause to burn the biscuits just 'cause an island's sighted is there?" -But in spite of his pretended indifference, the ship's cook shoved -all his pans on the back of the stove and hurried out on deck. "Rich -and jungly, this one," he observed, resting his arms comfortably on -the rail, "and from what I can see a good place to grow bananas and -whiskers. Look, Sammy, even the trees have beards." - -"Moss," muttered Samuel Salt striding over to the wheel. "Fly ashore -Roger and see whether there's a good place to put in." - -Twittering with importance and curiosity, the Read Bird flung himself -into the air. In ten minutes he was back to report a wide river cutting -through the center of the island from end to end. The foliage was so -dense, Roger had not been able to discover any signs of habitation, but -after viewing the mouth of the river through his glasses, the Captain -decided to take a chance, and sail through. - -"Now, Sammy, let's not do anything hasty," begged the ship's cook -lifting his floury hands in warning, "nor try to conquer a country on -an empty stomach. This may be an important island, so after we eat, let -us put on our proper clothes and plant the Oz flags with dignity and -decorum." - -"Spoken like a King and a seaman," approved Samuel Salt, "and if my eye -does not deceive me, I'll have the ship in the river as soon as you -have the coffee in the pot. Then we'll ride in with the tide, put on -our discovering togs and proceed with the business of the day." - -So while Ato returned to his galley and the Read Bird to his post in -the foremast, Samuel swung the _Crescent Moon_ in toward the island. -Each felt a slight twinge of uneasiness as the ship left the open sea -and began to slip rapidly up the broad new and unnavigated jungle -stream. Vine covered trees pressed close to the banks, and birds and -monkeys in the branches kept up an incessant screech and chattering. A -flock of greedy pelicans flopped comically after the ship and as they -penetrated deeper and deeper into the jungle it almost seemed as if -they were entering some dim green land of goblins. - -"A fine target we make for anyone who cares to shoot at us," moaned -Ato, as he waddled backward and forward between the cabin and galley -with cups and covered dishes. "Ugh!" - -"Yes, I wouldn't be surprised to feel an arrow in my back any minute -now," assented Samuel Salt brightly, "though I must say I'd much prefer -a fried mackerel in my stomach." - -"Come on then," shuddered Ato, in no wise cheered by Samuel's remarks, -"breakfast's ready and we may as well eat before we die." - -"Now never say die!" roared the Royal Explorer of Oz, touching the -buttons to furl sail and yelling to Roger to let go the anchor. -"Never say die--say dee--dee-scovery is our aim and purpose, Mates. -Dee-scovery with a _hi de di dide di dough_!" sang Samuel vociferously -to keep up his own spirits. Finally with the ship motionless amidstream -the three shipmates sat down to breakfast. Their nerves were tense and -their ears cocked for signs of approaching natives, but except for the -noise of the birds and monkeys and the occasional splash of some river -creature, there was no sound to indicate the ship had been sighted by -the islanders. - -"Nobody's home," concluded Samuel, finishing off his third cup of -coffee at one toss and hurrying off to his cabin. Roger, having only -Oz flags and no shore togs to bother him, generously offered to clear -away the dishes and amused himself by throwing scraps and the rest of -the biscuits to the pelicans. He had just tossed over the last biscuit -when Ato appeared in a grand satin coat and breeches, long cape and -three-cornered hat. The elegance of his apparel was somewhat marred by -the bread board he had belted round his middle and the bread knife -and blunderbuss he had stuck through his sash. - -"Ha, hah!" roared Samuel Salt, giving the bread board a resounding -whack. "Something to stay your stomach, EH?" Samuel himself was as -stylishly attired as the King, his three-cornered hat at a dashing -angle. Under his arm he had two pairs of tremendously long stilts. "No -need for us to get all grubby lowering the boat. We'll wade ashore this -time," explained Samuel as Ato's eyes grew round and questioning. "Easy -as walking on crutches; just watch me, Mate." - -Now Samuel, it must be confessed, had been practicing stilting on Elbow -Island, so naturally it came easy to him. First he put his stilts over -the side, then vaulting the rail, he seized the tops and settled his -feet in the cross pieces at one jump and started walking calmly up and -down gleefully calling for Ato to follow. It all looked so simple, Ato -handed the basket of lunch he had packed to Roger, and seizing his -stilts began anxiously feeling around for the river bottom. Satisfied -that it was solid, he climbed boldly up on the rail. - -"That's it! That's it!" applauded Samuel. "Now grab the tops, Mate, and -start coming." - -"Chee tree--tee--hee--!" screeched the monkeys derisively as Ato clung -precariously to the rail with one hand and maneuvered his stilts with -the other. By some miracle of balance the fat King actually managed -to mount and hold on to his perilous walking sticks. Then with a long -quivering breath he heaved one forward. He was about to take another -step when a desperate scream from Roger almost caused him to topple -over backwards. - -"'Gators!" croaked the Read Bird, beating his wings together violently. -"Watch out for those 'gators." - -"Why bother him with gaiters at a time like this? They look perfectly -all right to me." Samuel Salt frowned up at Roger. - -"Not _his_ gaiters, river 'gators, alligators, CROCODILES!" wailed -Roger, beginning to fly in agonized circles. "Crocodiles and WORSE." - -Samuel, eyeing what he had supposed to be a pile of rotten logs on the -river bank, saw dozens of the slimy saurians slide into the water and -come savagely toward them. - -"Back to the ship! Back to the ship!" babbled the Read Bird, clutching -Ato's collar with a frantic claw. But the King was too frightened to -move. The sight of the bleary-eyed river monsters made him tremble so -violently his stilts twittered and swayed like trees in a hurricane. He -could not for the life of him take a step in either direction. With a -loud cry Samuel started to help him, but a crocodile reached Ato first. -Its jaws closed with a vicious snap on the King's left stilt and with a -heart-rending shriek Ato plunged into the slimy river. - -"There, there! Now you've done it!" sobbed Roger. "Fed the kindest soul -who ever served a ship's company to a parcel of crocodiles!" Dropping -the Oz flags and lunch basket, he made an unsuccessful grab for his -Master's arm. But even if he had caught it, Ato's great weight would -have pulled them both under, and now only a circle of bubbles showed -where the luckless explorer had disappeared. Firing his blunderbuss -to frighten off the rest of the crocodiles, Samuel, striking left and -right with his stilts, propelled himself forward, while Roger pecked -futilely at the monster that had felled his Master. But just as Samuel, -after boldly driving off the dragon-like creature, prepared to dive in -and save Ato or perish with him, a dripping head appeared above the -water. - -"Thank you. Thank you very much!" murmured a mild voice. "I haven't -had as nice a present as this since I was an itty bitty baby. Now what -can I do for YOU?" Neither Samuel nor Roger could speak a word, for -where the King had gone down, a tremendous hippopotamus was coming -up, the lunch basket hanging carelessly out of a corner of its mouth. -For a wild moment Samuel thought his enormous friend and shipmate had -been transformed by some witchcraft into this ponderous beast. He even -imagined he caught an expression of Ato's in the monster's moist eye. -But this gloomy idea was soon dispelled, for, as the creature rose -higher out of the water, they could see a desperate and bedraggled -figure sprawled across its slippery back. - -"Ahoy, Mate!" choked Samuel, his heart thumping like a trip hammer. "Is -it really you? Are you safe, then?" - -"Safe!" quavered the half-drowned and mud-covered King of the Octagon -Isle. "SAFE?" He peered dizzily at the churning crocodiles just a -boat's length away, and his voice cracked and broke. "I never felt -safer in my life. What am I riding, a whale or an elephant?" - -"A river horse," explained the hippopotamus, looking kindly over her -shoulder. Then, as the crocodiles began to hiss and roar and come -rolling toward them, she gave a ferocious bellow and snort. "Away with -you! Be off, you river scum!" she squealed viciously. "These travelers -are MINE. Shoot your fire stick, Master Long Legs. That will fix them." -For a moment the crocodiles held their post, then, as Samuel fired his -gun repeatedly, they began to slide sullenly across the river to the -opposite bank. "Hold fast, Master Short Legs, and I'll soon have you -ashore," wheezed the hippopotamus, speaking out of the corner of her -mouth so as not to drop the picnic basket. - -"Yes, yes, but what then?" shuddered Ato, trying to get a finger hold -on the monster's slippery neck. - -"Why, then, we'll both tell our stories, and after that I'll eat," -snorted the river horse, paddling joyously toward the bank. - -"You'll EAT!" groaned Ato, ready to roll back into the river. "Oh, my -father and mother and maiden aunts!" - -"Did you hear that?" Dropping to Samuel's shoulder, Roger whispered -fiercely. "Quick now, a shot behind the ear, before it gets any -further. Are you going to do nothing while this ravenous monster -carries off my poor Master?" - -"Sh-hh!" warned Samuel, holding up his finger. "These creatures do -not eat meat or men. They're herbivorous, my lad, and this one seems -uncommonly kind and friendly. But what puzzles me--" the Royal Explorer -looked intently into the face of the Read Bird. "What puzzles me is to -find this one talking our language. To my knowledge, only animals in -Oz, a few in Ev and you on the Octagon Isle have the gift of speech. -And I tell you, Mate, this is a valuable discovery, and a simply -splendid specimen of a pachydermatous talking aquatic." Whether the -last few words in this sentence or a stone in the river bottom tripped -up the Captain, Roger never knew, but without any warning Samuel turned -a sudden back somersault into the river, going under as completely as -Ato had done. - -"Ugh--gr--ugh!" he gurgled, coming up full of mud and disgust. "How did -that happen?" - -"Stilts!" sniffed Roger, whose wings had saved him from going down with -Samuel. "A splendid way to get ashore, Master Salt, so neat and tidy. -And a fine Discoverer you look now." - -Sighing deeply, Samuel watched his stilts floating out of reach, then -shaking his head violently to get the water out of his eyes, he swam -thoughtfully after the hippopotamus. As he dragged himself up on the -bank, a monkey swinging by its tail from the lower branches of a tree -snatched his three-cornered hat and scittered all the way to the tree -top, at which all the other monkeys let out shrill hoots of mocking -merriment. - -"Ah! The welcome committee!" sniffled Ato, rolling off the -hippopotamus. "Well, Sammy, wherever it is, here we are and a nice -mess you've made of the landing. Clothes ruined, weapons gone," (Ato -felt his middle dejectedly for his bread knife and blunderbuss), then -hitching up the bread board at his waist looked long and accusingly at -the Leader of the Expedition. - -"Now you mustn't mind a little mud," said the hippopotamus, setting -down the picnic basket and gazing from one to the other with frank -interest and curiosity. "Mud is beautiful and SO healthy." - -"Not for me," frowned Samuel Salt, endeavoring to remove the thick -green slime from his hair and ears with his damp silk handkerchief. -"But I suppose we'll dry off in time and--" - -"Proceed with the business of the day," finished Ato sarcastically, -as he squeezed the water out of his silk pantaloons and coat tails. -"But I hope you don't mind my saying that a seaman should stick to -his boats, Samuel. If I had not fallen in with this kind and obliging -hippopotamus, I'd have been a crocodile's lunch by this time." - -"Oh, I'd have got you out somehow," muttered Samuel, smoothing back his -hair sulkily. "And those stilts really saved your life. Suppose that -animal had bitten your leg instead of your stilt? By the way, what's -the name of this island, Mate?" Anxious to change the subject, Samuel -turned to Ato's tremendous rescueress. - -"Mate?" repeated the hippopotamus, wiggling her ears inquiringly, "What -may that mean?" - -"It is what a seaman calls his crew and his friends," explained Samuel, -grinning in spite of himself. - -"Seaman? Mate?" mused the hippopotamus in a rapt voice. "How cozy, how -beautiful!" Overcome with emotion, the mighty monster leaned forward -and lapped up the picnic basket, Oz flags, lunch and everything. -"I shall remember this as long as I live," she assured them with a -gulp as one of the flags went sideways down her throat. "Nikobo, -Little Daughter of the Biggenlittle River People, bids you welcome to -Patrippany Island." - -"Little daughter!" exclaimed Ato in a smothered voice. "Ha, ha! -Patrippany Island. Ho, ho! This is interesting. I knew there was a trip -in it somewhere, a wet trip for us, eh, Samuel?" - -"But what I don't understand," said the Royal Explorer of Oz, briskly -massaging his beard with his handkerchief, "is how you happen to speak -our language. Do all the creatures on this Island talk? I don't mean -that monkey chatter above." - -"No, none of the other creatures here speak the language of man," -answered Nikobo solemnly. "I never knew I could speak it myself till -five moons ago last Herb Day." - -"Herb Day? Dear, dear and dear! How confusing it all grows," sighed -Ato, emptying the water out of his hat which had somehow survived his -river ducking. "Do you suppose she means Thursday? Roger! ROGER! Keep -away from those monkeys. Do you wish to lose all your tail feathers?" - -"Oh, it's all very simple," Nikobo rolled her eyes from side to side. -"One day I eat herbs and that is Herb Day. One day I eat twigs and that -is Twig Day, and one day I eat grass and that is Grass Day, and--" - -"And one day you eat lunch baskets and Oz flags, and I suppose that -makes it Flag Day," chuckled Roger, coming down from a little -excursion in the tree tops. "She's swallowed the Oz flags, Skipper, and -if that doesn't make her a citizen of Oz, I'll eat my feathers." - -"Go ahead, if it will keep you any quieter," said Samuel Salt, who did -not want this interesting conversation interrupted by Roger's nonsense. -"So you only began to speak our language five moons ago last Herb Day? -What made you do that?" - -"A boy," confided Nikobo with a ponderous wag of her head. - -"Ah, now we're getting somewhere." Feeling in his pocket, Samuel pulled -out a small note book and pencil, still damp but usable. "Was it a -native boy?" he asked eagerly. - -"No, no, certainly NOT." The hippopotamus panted a little at the very -idea of such a thing. "The Leopard Men speak a strange roaring language -I have never been able to make head or tail of. Besides, to speak to -them would not be safe nor desirable. The Leopard Men have long tusks -and spears and--" - -"Leopard Men!" yelled Ato, flinging both arms round the trunk of a -tree. "Oh! Oh! and OH! I wish we were safely back at pirating, Sammy. -Here we are marooned on this miserable monkey island, inhabited by -Leopard Men, surrounded by crocodiles and no way of getting back to the -ship." - -"You forget me," murmured the hippopotamus. Lumbering over to Ato, she -gave him a gentle nudge with her moist pink snout. "Nikobo, Little -Daughter of the Biggenlittle River People, will carry you anywhere you -wish to go." - - - - -CHAPTER 6 - -A Little Wild Man - - -"Not yet, not yet," protested Samuel Salt as Ato made a clumsy attempt -to mount the hippopotamus. "Why, we've only just come, Mate. We can't -go without seeing these Leopard Men and this strange boy who speaks our -language." - -"Oh, CAN'T we?" Drawing in his breath, Ato made a flying leap at -Nikobo, and this time managing an ear hold, pulled himself determinedly -up on her moist, slippery back. "Goodbye, Samuel," said the King with -a firm wave of his hand. "If you bring any Leopard Men back to the -_Crescent Moon_, you can discover yourself another cook. No Leopard -Men. Mind, now!" - -"Oh, you needn't worry about that." The hippopotamus closed one eye and -smiled knowingly to herself. Thoroughly annoyed by the desertion of Ato -and the superior grin of the river horse, Samuel snatched a long rapier -from his belt and glowered belligerently around him. - -"Shiver my timbers! You think I'm not strong enough nor smart enough to -fight these savages? HUWHERE are these Leopard Men?" roared the former -Pirate in such a reverberating voice the monkeys fled silently to the -tree tops, and even Roger put his head under his wing. - -"Gone, all gone!" explained Nikobo as she started calmly down toward -the river bank. - -"You mean there are no Leopard Men on this Island now?" Looking with -horror and aversion at the crocodile-infested river, Ato began tugging -at Nikobo's ear. "Not so fast, my good creature! Wait a moment, my -buxom lass! Perhaps I'll stay with Sammy after all." - -"Well, just as you say." With scarcely a pause in her stride, the -hippopotamus turned round and waddled amiably back to the strip of sand -where Samuel Salt stood staring sternly into the jungle beyond. - -"This is a great disappointment to me, Mates," sighed the Captain of -the _Crescent Moon_ mournfully wringing out the lace ruffles of his -cuffs. "To have taken a Leopard Man back to the Court of Oz would have -been an achievement worth the whole voyage." - -"Now there's where we're different," murmured Ato, settling into a more -comfortable position on the back of the river horse. "I myself would -rather be disappointed than speared by a savage, and I don't care how -many Leopard Men I miss seeing. Rather be spared than speared, ha, ha! -Tee, HEE, HEE!" Ato chuckled from sheer relief. - -"Shall I fly back to the ship for some more Oz flags?" Roger flapped -his wings inquiringly. "If the Leopard Men are really gone, then -Patrippany Island is ours without a spear thrown." - -"That's so," mused Samuel Salt, thrusting his rapier back into its -sheath and beginning to show a little interest in the island itself. -"Fly ahead, my Hearty." - -"And bring back some ship's biscuit," called Ato. "All this diving and -mud turtling has left me weak as a fish. And while we're waiting for -Roger, perhaps Nikobo will tell us a little about these Islanders. Were -they little or big, black or brown?" - -"Yellow," answered the hippopotamus gravely. "Big and yellow with brown -spots all over their hides. They had brown hair, mane and eyes, and -rough snarling voices. They used neither huts nor shelter, but roamed -like the animals through the jungle, hunting, fishing and fighting. -They had hollowed out logs for use in the water and last Twig Day -every Leopard man, woman and child climbed into the long boats and -paddled out to sea. Shortly afterward--" Nikobo's eyes grew round and -shiny at the mere memory, "shortly afterward a great hurricane arose -and my family and I, watching from the mouth of the Biggenlittle River, -saw the boats and men swept under the waves. Some of the logs floated -back to the islands, but the Leopard Men and women we never saw again." - -"Not even ONE?" exclaimed Samuel peevishly. - -"Not even one," Nikobo assured him solemnly. "And to tell the truth," -the hippopotamus flashed a sudden and expansive sigh, "it is much -better and safer without them. The one problem is the boy, and I've -been feeding him myself." - -"Oh, yes, the boy who speaks our language," mused Samuel, still lost in -bitter reflections of the Leopard Men he should never see face to face. - -"What've you been feeding him?" asked Ato, suspiciously. "How would a -hippopotamus know what to feed a boy?" - -"I do the best I can," said Nikobo in a hurt voice. "Every day I -collect fresh roots, herbs and grasses for him." - -"Roots, herbs--grasses! Merciful Mustard! A boy's being fed on roots, -herbs and grasses, Sammy. Did you ever hear of anything more ridiculous -in your life?" - -"No worse than spinach," mumbled Samuel Salt. "But SAY, look here--" -The Royal Explorer of Oz raised his arm imperiously. "What is a small -boy doing on this island? How'd he get here in the first place, and -where is he now?" - -"Follow me," directed Nikobo in a dignified voice. "Follow me and you -shall know all." As Roger appeared at that moment with the Oz flags and -biscuits, the little procession immediately got under way, Ato calmly -riding behind. - -On her many visits to the strange boy, Nikobo had worn a path through -the tangled growth of vines and bush. Tenuous trees dropped their -branches over this path and stretched out their gnarled roots to trip -the unwary traveler. Several times Roger let out hoarse squeals as a -huge snake coiled along the limb of a tree, thrust out its ugly head. -Gaudy flowers from the vines that closely entwined every tree, filled -the air with a damp sleepy fragrance, and Samuel Salt, darting his eyes -left and right, held his blunderbuss ready for any savage beast that -might spring upon them. But the jungle creatures, thinking the Leopard -Men had returned, slunk further and further into the green shadows and -without any mishaps or encounters, Nikobo brought the explorers to a -small clearing in the whispering tangle of green. - -Here they were suddenly confronted by a stoutly built cage, its bars -constructed of saplings set scarcely an inch apart. On a heap of grass -in a corner of the cage crouched the lonely figure of a little boy -clothed in a single leopard skin. - -"Well, goosewing my topsails!" panted Samuel Salt, deceived at first by -the leopard skin. "A little wild man, a Leopard boy, as I'm a salt sea -sailor!" - -"It's nothing of the kind," Nikobo contradicted him sharply. "Can't you -see he is white and has teeth as straight as your own instead of tusks? -He's not like the Leopard Men at all." - -"But who put him in this cage? What's he done, and what's he doing -here?" Slipping off Nikobo's back, Ato pressed his face close to the -bars of the strange prison. - -"I am waiting for my people to come and rescue me," stated the boy, -rising with great dignity from his bed of grass. Folding his arms, he -looked haughtily out at the explorers. "Who are these men, Nikobo?" -he inquired sternly. "Why have you brought them here?" - -"Because they seemed friendly and speak your language," puffed the -hippopotamus, beaming lovingly at her small charge. "Because I thought -they might break these bars and set you free. They have a hollow log -seventy times as large as the hollowed logs of the Leopard Men. In -this they could easily carry you over the waters and back to your own -people. I've tried to break this miserable hutch dozens of times," -explained Nikobo, turning to Samuel Salt. "But the saplings are sunk so -deep, I've been afraid I'd crush Tandy as well as the cage if I pushed -too hard." - -"Quite likely," said Samuel Salt, rapping the bars with his knuckles. -"We'll have to fetch an ax from the ship. But who shut you up here, -little Lubber, and how long have you been prisoner on this island?" - -"Five months and a half," answered the boy after consulting one of the -bars in the corner of his cage. "I've made a nick in this bar with my -teeth for every day I have been here." - -"Well, that's all over now, you poor child, you!" Ato's voice shook -with indignation as he looked in at the little boy whose every rib -showed plainly under the skin. In fact, a heap of grass and dried roots -in the cage made the kind-hearted monarch shudder with distaste and -sympathy. "You shall come with us and eat like a King," he promised, -nodding his head cheerfully, "and learn to be an able-bodied seaman -to boot." Instead of looking grateful or pleased, the boy whom the -hippopotamus had called "Tandy" merely stood looking between the bars -of his cage. - -"Why should I go with you?" he said finally and wearily. "You look wild -and dangerous to me, and far worse than the Leopard Men. Here, at least -I have Kobo to take care of me, and who knows what further perils and -hardships I should suffer at sea?" - -"Ho! HO! And how do you like that, my lads?" Roger rocked backward and -forward on Samuel Salt's shoulder. "The young one speaks truly. If you -could but see yourselves, my Hearties." Now both Ato and Samuel had -forgotten their plunge in the river, but with their hair and clothing -still covered with mud and slime they looked the veriest rogues -and rascals. And while Ato regarded himself with embarrassment and -discomfiture, Samuel took a quick step forward. - -"SO!" roared the great seaman angrily. "So, you don't trust us, eh? -Well, stay here if you wish and grow up like a monkey. You look like a -little wild man already." - -"STOP!" Nikobo quivered all over with resentment. "You must not call -Tandy a wild man." - -"Don't mind." The boy drew the leopard skin around him with quiet -dignity. "I can bear it. I have borne far worse. I can bear anything. I -am a KING and the son of a King's son! Tell them to go away, Kobo." - -"Now, Now, NOW! This is nothing but nonsense." Ato clapped his hands -sharply. "However we look, my young squab, you are in good and royal -company. My mate here, Captain Salt, is Captain of the _Crescent Moon_, -Royal Explorer of Oz, and a Knight, besides. I, though at present -a ship's cook, am King of the Octagon Isle, and Roger, here, is as -Royal a Read Bird as ever wagged a bill and wing. If you say you are -a King, we will have to believe you, though 'tis hardly credible." -Ato stared with round eyes at the matted hair and dirty body of the -little prisoner. "If you say you are a King we must believe you, but in -return you must believe _us_, and stop all this hoity toity talk and -clishmaclatter." - -"He speaks the plain truth." Nikobo pressed her huge snout close to the -bars. "Even I can detect the signs of royalty in this fat and goodly -person whom I just this morning helped out of the river. You must go -with them, Tandy, and they will carry you back to your own Kingdom." - -"But I tell you, I'd rather stay here with YOU," wailed the little boy, -relaxing a moment from his kingly and overbearing attitude. - -"Roger, fetch the AX." Samuel Salt spoke so loud and sternly Nikobo -lapsed into a shocked silence and Tandy hastily drew back into a far -corner of his cage. - -"Never argue with a sea-going man," whispered Ato, winking solemnly as -Roger flew off to obey Samuel's order. Having settled the matter in his -own mind, Samuel turned his back on Tandy and began to examine with -deep interest the fungus growth on one of the gnarled old trees. "So -you really are a King?" Leaning against the huge body of Nikobo, Ato -folded his hands comfortably on his stomach and regarded the boy in the -leopard skin earnestly. "Now what country do you hail from and what do -they call you at home?" - -"I am Tazander Tazah of Ozamaland," announced the boy proudly, "the -land of the creeping bird and flying reptile. Ozamaland on the long -continent of Tarara is my home." - -"OZAMALAND!" shouted Samuel Salt, swinging round like a teetotum. "So -there really IS such a place. I have always said so, Ato, but no one -would believe me. Lies to the east of here, doesn't it, sonny, and is -twice as large as any known land bordering on the Nonestic?" Somewhat -impressed to find that Samuel Salt knew something of his homeland, the -little boy nodded. "And do you suppose we could snare one of those -creeping birds and flying reptiles if we managed to reach Ozamaland?" -Grasping the bars of the cage, Samuel peered anxiously into the young -King's face. - -"Do you suppose you ever could reach Ozamaland?" sighed Tazander, -returning Samuel's eager look with gloomy aloofness. "Do you know that -a ship has never touched our shores?" - -"Then the _Crescent Moon_ shall be the first!" cried Samuel Salt, -snapping his fingers joyfully. "Why, this will be tremendous and the -most momentous discovery in a thousand years! But how do you happen -to be so far from Ozamaland yourself?" asked Samuel Salt immediately -afterward. "Did you come by air or sea?" - -"That I cannot tell." Tazander seated himself soberly on a log before -he continued. "One night I was sleeping soundly in my tower in the -White City, next thing I remember I was here in this jungle. The -Leopard Men, wild and savage as they were, fed me when they remembered -on raw fish and chunks of hard, bitter bread they made from the roots -of the Brima Tree. But I could not understand their talk, nor they -mine, and till Kobo found me a month after my imprisonment I had no one -to talk to at all. But she has come every day to keep me company and -try to set me free, and since the Leopard Men were drowned she has fed -me, too. See, through this little door." Tazander opened a small door -in the bars and stuck both hands through. - -"But how did you learn the language?" asked Ato, turning round to gaze -up into Nikobo's huge face. - -"I don't know," said Nikobo with an excited gulp. "I just started to -say 'Hello!' and instead of saying it in hippopotamy, there I was -talking a strange language which I could understand as well as my -own. And in this language Tandy answered me, much to my delight and -pleasure." - -"Strange, very strange." Ato shook his head in a puzzled manner. -"Well, all I say is, it was lucky for this small fellow that you -happened along, and once we have him aboard he'll soon forget all these -hardships and unpleasant experiences." - -"I'll never forget Kobo," said the young King, backing stiffly away -from the outstretched arms of Ato. - -"And Kobo'll never forget YOU," sniffed the hippopotamus. "The talk -of the river people seems dull and stupid since I've talked to Tandy. -None of the herd really need me and I don't know what I'm going to -do--whoo--Hoo HOO WHOOO!" Rocking from side to side, Nikobo began -to sob as if her heart would break, so violently in fact, Samuel -Salt covered both ears and Ato, alarmed at the enormous grief of the -gigantic beast, tried to put his arms around her. - -"Here, here!" begged the ship's cook, thumping her hard upon the back. -Opening the bag of biscuits Roger had brought from the ship, Ato handed -two to Tandy and began shoving the rest as fast as he could down the -vast throat of the grief-stricken hippopotamus. After each biscuit, -Nikobo choked and sobbed to herself, but on the whole, they seemed -to comfort her, and when the Read Bird finally returned with the ax -she watched almost cheerfully as Samuel Salt, with well-aimed blows, -demolished Tandy's jungle cage. As the last side crashed down and -without giving Tandy time to argue any further, Samuel Salt seized -the boy firmly in both arms and set him down on the back of the -hippopotamus. Then, giving Ato a hand up behind him, the Captain of -the _Crescent Moon_ sternly led the way to the edge of the island. -Roger, waving an Oz flag, flew ahead screaming defiantly to the monkeys -and parrots that infested the island, "WAY, WAY! Way for the Royal -Discoverer of Oz! Way for the King of the Octagon Isle! Way for Nikobo, -Little Daughter of the Biggenlittle River People. Way for Tazander -Tazah, King and son of a King's son! WAY--ay--ayyyy!" - - - - -CHAPTER 7 - -Strange Specimens for Samuel Salt - - -With no one to challenge their going but the birds and monkeys, the -little band made its way back to the sandy beach. Tandy, perhaps -because he had been so long pent up in the silent jungle and because he -was by nature a naturally sober and solemn little boy, said nothing. -Not even the _Crescent Moon_, riding so proudly at her anchor, seemed -to arouse any interest or enthusiasm in this strange young Ozamalander. - -"Well, here we are!" exclaimed Ato, heartily thankful to be in sight -of the ship again. "And I hope you'll not mind ferrying us out to the -boat, Nikobo; those crocodiles still look hungry and I've no notion of -being crocked for the rest of my life." - -"Any time you say," grunted the hippopotamus, squeaking a listless -greeting to a company of her own relatives who were rolling lazily -about in the muddy river water. - -"Avast and belay and what's the hurry?" Leaning his ax against a tree, -Samuel moistened a finger and held it up. "The wind's against us, -Mate, so we'll have to wait for the tide. Not only that, but Roger and -I must survey the island and dig up some more interesting specimens -to take back to the ship." After a long and rather quizzical look at -Tandy, Samuel turned and swung along the beach, the Read Bird flapping -joyously behind him. - -"Run up and down a bit," advised Ato, sliding down from Nikobo's back. -"Your legs must need stretching. Wonder if there's anything to eat -around here or hereabouts? Aha, those look like oranges, a wild orange -grove, as I'm a cook and a seaman. Come along, young one, and help me -gather a few." - -"A King and son of a King's son does not come and go at another's -bidding," announced Tandy, stiffly, alighting from the hippopotamus. - -"Merciful mothers! What's this?" gasped Ato, blinking his eyes rapidly. -"As complete a case of ingrowing Royalitis as I've ever had the -misfortune to encounter. Well, since it's every King for himself, then -I'll be leaving you, sonny and son of a King's sonny. Watch out for -him, Kobo, he's probably real important to himself." - -"You should not speak like that," reproved the hippopotamus as Ato -disappeared into the orange grove, "after all, the big and fat one is -himself a King." - -"Pooh, King of some potty little island," sniffed Tandy, leaning -wearily against a palm. "Break me a cocoanut, Kobo, I'm thirsty." -With a discouraged sigh Nikobo trod on one of the cocoanuts, cracking -it from end to end and then, because she was a generous and kindly -creature, she cracked several more for Ato when he should return. -Sitting back on her haunches, she anxiously watched while Tandy downed -the cocoanut milk, then, stretching out in the sand, fell unconcernedly -asleep. Thus Ato found them when he emerged from the orange grove an -hour later. His elegant explorer's cape was knotted to form a sack -and bursting full of the small sweet fruit of the wild orange trees. - -"These will make us a fine mess of marmalade when I get back to the -ship," panted the perspiring monarch, settling down with his back -cozily to Nikobo's. "How's young Saucebox?" - -"All right." The hippopotamus nodded in Tandy's direction. "He is so -small and tired," she murmured worriedly, "and you must know he has -been exposed in an open cage in the jungle for five long months with -only a miserable hippopotamus for company." - -"Miserable hippopotamus," snorted Ato indignantly. "You're a very -superior animal, my girl. I'd consider it an honor to converse with -you any day. Did you crack these cocoanuts for me?" As Nikobo, trying -bashfully to conceal her pleasure at Ato's praise, admitted she had, -the King took several long, satisfying draughts from the shells. -"Now, don't you worry about that young sprout," he advised kindly as -Nikobo continued to gaze mournfully at the sleeping boy. "We'll make -allowances for his High and Mighty Littleness and set him down in his -own country. That is, if we ever manage to find it, though I must say -he'll not be much use nor company for us. Ahoy! Here comes Sammy. -Wonder what he's found?" As a matter of fact, the Royal Explorer of Oz -looked more like a walking window box than a seaman. Long vines hung -from his neck and trailed from his pockets. His arms were crammed with -spiked and prickly plants and on his head he balanced a package of sea -shells tied up in his shore-going coat. - -"What you going to do, start a conservatory?" roared Ato as Roger -helped the Captain set his treasures on the ground. - -"Rare and unusual, all of 'em," said Samuel, dropping down beside Ato -and looking with complete satisfaction at his curious collection. - -"Mind those yellow creepers," warned Nikobo, wiggling her vast snout -warningly. "Those purple flowered plants in the middle are treacherous, -too. They are tumbleweeds, Master Long Legs, and 'tis from them -Patrippany Island gets its name. When the Leopard Men fought, they -would fling these weeds at one another, and I've seen them falling -about for hours, neither side being able to advance a step or even -stand up." - -"Tumbleweeds!" breathed Samuel ecstatically. "You don't SAY! Why, these -might come in real handy if we ever get in a tight place. I'll give a -few to the Wizard of Oz and to the Red Jinn when we get back from this -voyage. And what about the yellow creepers, Mate? Are they fighting -plants, too?" - -"The creepers, if uprooted and thrown at an animal or man, will creep -rapidly after him, catching him no matter how fast he runs and tying -him up so tight he will not be able to move until the vine withers," -explained Nikobo solemnly. "I happen to know from an experience I had -with one of these vines in my early youth." - -"Creeping vines," shivered Ato, moving as far away from Samuel's -collection as possible. "Just keep them away from me, Sammy. What right -have such things on a ship?" - -"Oh, they'll be harmless enough when they're potted," answered Samuel -easily. "And a splendid weapon they'll make for some up and coming -country." - -"Better keep them for ourselves," advised Roger, fluttering down to -Samuel's shoulder. "Exploring's a dangerous business, if you ask me, -Master Salt." - -"Well, you'll have to admit that it's been pretty safe and successful -so far," said Samuel, clasping his hands behind his head and gazing -contentedly up at the waving fronds of the palm trees. - -"SAFE!" The ship's cook began to shake and quiver all over. "Ho, ho! -Safe? Especially sailing round that volcano and going swimming with the -crocodiles! Safe! You'll be the death of me yet, Sam-u-el. Have you -planted your Oz flags and told the wild creatures in the jungle about -their new sovereign?" - -Roger nodded his head importantly. "We've raised Oz flags on the -tallest trees on the East, South, West and North sides of the Island. -I flew across and got a bird's eye view while the Captain walked clear -'round. We've discovered it's bean shaped, King dear, the exact shape -of a kidney bean, and a fine fertile place for settlers and prospectors -from Oz." - -"Yes, all they have to do is cut down a million trees, drain the swamps -and train the wild beasts in the jungle to be as polite and considerate -as Nikobo here." - -"Well, what of it? That's their problem." Samuel stretched himself, -luxuriously snapping each finger to see that it was still working. -"And now, since our part is done, what do you say to waking this son -of a King's son and getting aboard the ship? The tide'll run out in a -couple of hours and carry us along." Tazander had been awake for some -time listening to the conversation with closed eyes. Now sitting up, he -calmly spoke his mind. - -"I'm not going with you," he stated grandly. "I'm going to stay here -with Kobo till my own people come for me." - -"Hah! Mutiny!" Leaping to his feet, Samuel glared down at the puny -youngster with real anger and exasperation. "If you think I'm going to -leave you on this island to be devoured by wild animals when Nikobo's -back is turned, you don't know your pirates. CLIMB up on that animal. -Lively, now!" Samuel looked so fierce and threatening, Ato felt rather -sorry for the stubborn little King, but he was wasting his sympathy. - -"I'm not going," said Tandy, settling more determinedly down into the -sand. "And no one can make me." - -"Don't say that! Don't say that!" Blubbering with grief at the thought -of losing her small charge and shivering with anxiety lest he arouse to -further anger this tall sea captain, Nikobo lumbered to her feet and -began to whisper eagerly in Tandy's ear. During this short conference -Samuel gathered up his specimens and Ato his oranges, and when both had -finished the hippopotamus edged nervously forward. - -"I've decided to go with you," she announced in a slightly shaken -voice. "If I go, Tandy'll go, so I'll just GO!" - -"WHAT?" roared Samuel Salt, dropping his shells and clapping his hand -to his forehead. "Well, that practically solves everything!" Looking -wildly from the hippopotamus to the _Crescent Moon_, Samuel had a -dreadful vision of Nikobo rolling dangerously from side to side of his -cherished vessel. - -"What'll you eat?" demanded Roger, who was ever more practical than -polite. "How'll we ever feed this enormous lady, Cook dear? Besides, -she'll sink the ship." - -"I'll be very quiet and stay wherever you put me," murmured Nikobo in a -meek voice. "I'll go on a diet and eat whatever is left." - -"Well, why couldn't she go?" proposed Ato, who already had formed a -great liking for Tandy's devoted guardian. "Why couldn't she? Nice kind -motherly creature that she is!" - -"But a hippopotamus needs fresh water and tons of food and--" Then -suddenly Samuel brought his hands together with a resounding smack. - -"Have you thought of something?" asked Ato hopefully, shifting his -oranges from one shoulder to the other. - -"Yes," stated the former Pirate solemnly, "I have." Samuel was secretly -delighted to have found a way to carry this superb herbivorous specimen -back to Oz. "I'll build her a raft and tow her along after the ship. -We'll stop at all the islands we come to for fresh water and grass, and -meanwhile she'll have to do with salt baths and such food as we have in -the hold." - -"Oh, KOBO! Did you hear that?" Springing up with the first signs of -life or feeling he had yet shown, Tandy flung himself on his huge -champion and friend. "So you're really going. Then I'll go too." - -"Can't be all bad, if he's as fond of her as all that," whispered Ato -in Samuel's ear. - -"Not bad, just a pest," wheezed Samuel, reaching for his ax. "Needs a -taste of the rope, if you ask me." Then, while Nikobo went for a last -swim in the Biggenlittle River and bade goodbye to her numerous and -wondering relatives, Samuel felled trees, split wood, and with nails -Roger fetched from the ship fashioned a splendid strong raft for their -new pet. Round the edge he built a sturdy railing to keep Nikobo from -sliding off in a rough sea. Ato and Roger, taking thought for the -evening meal, heaped one end of the raft with grass and twigs and all -the jungle roots they could gather. Without moving or offering to help, -Tandy sat watching, and just as the sun sank down behind the palms, a -strange procession started out for the _Crescent Moon_. Ahead with the -keg of nails soared Roger. Then came the hippopotamus moving like a -small dreadnought through the water. On her back sat Ato, the haughty -young King of Ozamaland, and Samuel Salt. Samuel rode last, holding in -his hand the long cable he had attached to the raft and with which he -meant to fasten it to the _Crescent Moon_. - -Following his orders, Nikobo swam close to the side of the ship so -Tandy and Ato could climb the rope ladder, then she paddled round to -the stern where Samuel drew his cable through an iron ring in the -ship's hull and made the raft fast. There was a runway at the back of -the raft and the rails on that side let down so that Nikobo had no -trouble clambering aboard. By pulling a rope with her teeth, she could -raise or lower the back of her pen and take a swim whenever she felt -the need of one. After giving her a bit of advice about voyaging, and -seeing her comfortably settled, Samuel climbed the cable and nimbly -pulled himself aboard his ship. Roger had already stowed their precious -specimens in the hold and rubbing his hands with brisk satisfaction, -the Captain of the _Crescent Moon_ weighed anchor and dropped with -the tide down the Biggenlittle River to the sea. Then touching the -automatic controls, he set his sails to catch the evening breeze, -adjusted his steering gear for a course east by sou'east and strode -happily into his cabin. The Salamander chirped cheerfully as he passed -her hot box and after tapping a cheerful greeting on the lid, the weary -explorer stripped off his ruined and muddy shore-going outfit, took a -shower and climbed thankfully back into his old sea clothes. - -"Where's the pest?" he called out as Roger flew past the open port. - -"Well, since he was so small and important," sniffed the Read Bird, -waving a claw, "I gave him a large cabin to himself. I didn't think you -and Ato would want him in here." - -"Shiver my timbers, NO." Samuel looked ruefully across at the small -berth the Philadelphia boy occupied on their last voyage. "He'll never -be the seaman Peter was, nor the company either. He'd better keep out -of my way, HAH! or I'll give him a taste of my belt." Snatching up his -spyglass and looking as stern as a kind-hearted pirate well can, Samuel -hurried out on deck. - -Meanwhile, in the cabin next to the Captain's, Tandy stood regarding -himself mournfully in the small glass over his sea chest. He too had -taken a shower and at Roger's suggestion had donned one of Peter's old -pirate suits. - -"I am a King and the son of a King's son," muttered Tandy, staring -sadly at the sallow reflection in the mirror. To tell the truth, the -suit was not in the least becoming to the skinny and sullen young -monarch. - -"I am a King and son of a King's son and can bear anything," he -repeated dismally. - -"Then bear a hand with the dinner," yelled Roger, who had been peeking -at him through the port hole. "All who eat must work, and under the -hatches with lubbers!" - -Pretending not to hear, Tandy sat resignedly on the side of his bunk, -though he really was curious to look around the ship and see what -Kobo was doing. From the galley came the cheerful rattle of pots and -pans and the huge voice of Ato singing as he prepared the dinner. -Gulls flew in excited circles all round the _Crescent Moon_, calling -out their hoarse challenge and farewell, and Samuel Salt, leaning -on the taffrail, gazed dreamily back at Patrippany Island. The Oz -flags fluttering from the tall palms gave it quite a gay and festive -appearance and in spite of not seeing the Leopard Men, Samuel felt he -had done a good day's discovering. - -"Ahoy, below! How you coming?" called Samuel, leaning down to look at -Nikobo. The hippopotamus wagged her huge head. - -"Fine! Just fine, Mate," she wheezed pleasantly. - -"Hah! Good for you!" Samuel's face broke into a broad grin as Kobo -remembered to call him "Mate." "We'll make an able-bodied seawoman of -you yet, my lass!" - - - - -CHAPTER 8 - -Maxims for Monarchs - - -When Ato, banging boisterously on an iron frying pan with a wooden -spoon, summoned all hands to dinner, Samuel and Roger responded with a -rush. But Tandy remained sitting gloomily on his bunk. - -"Now what's the matter?" demanded Samuel Salt as Roger, sent to call -the young voyager, came flying back to the table. - -"He says I may serve his dinner in the cabin," snickered Roger, -popping a biscuit into his mouth and swallowing it whole. - -"Well, don't you do it!" roared the Captain, bringing his fist down -with an angry thump. "No use to start such nonsense!" - -"But he's so thin and feeble. The poor child's just full of raw roots -and jungle grass," murmured Ato, beginning to heap a platter with -meat and vegetables. "Wait till he folds himself round some of these -seafarin' rations. He'll be a different person." - -"And he'd better be!" rumbled the Captain of the _Crescent Moon_, -pulling in his chair. "And if you and Roger want to spoil the little -pest, go ahead, but he'd better keep out of MY way. HAH!" - -"I could drop the dinner on his head," suggested Roger helpfully as Ato -handed him an appetizing tray for Tandy. "How would that be?" - -"Utterly reprehensible, and conduct unbecoming in a Royal Read Bird and -able-bodied seaman," chuckled the ship's cook, shaking his finger at -Roger. "Why don't you try to help the little beggar and set him a good -example?" - -Now Roger, in spite of his sharp tongue, was really a sociable and -kind-hearted bird and the sight of Tandy sitting so forlornly on his -bunk made him regret his teasing speeches. After all, the little -fellow was far from home and had had a hard time in the jungle. - -"Here!" he puffed, setting down the tray and lighting the lantern. -"This'll put feathers on your chest, young one, and mind you eat every -scrap." - -"Thank you," answered Tandy, so drearily that Roger with a shudder -of distaste fled back to the cheerful company of Samuel and Ato. -But later, when Samuel had gone below to pot the precious plants -from Patrippany Island and the ship's cook was leaning over the rail -conversing cozily with the hippopotamus, Roger flew back to Tandy's -cabin resolved to help him if he could. With calm satisfaction he noted -that Tandy had eaten everything on the tray. Lying on his back, the -young King of Ozamaland was staring solemnly up at the beams over his -bunk. - -"Ahoy! And what goes on here?" cried Roger, setting down on the old sea -chest. "How about a turn on deck, my lad, and a bit of chatter with the -crew?" - -"It is not seemly for a King and son of a King's son to talk with his -inferiors," observed Tandy coldly. - -"In-feer-iors!" screamed Roger, forgetting all his good intentions -and mad enough to nip the youngster's nose right off. "Are you by any -chance referring to me?" - -"Ozamaland is a great and powerful country and I am its King," stated -Tandy, turning his back on the Read Bird. At this Roger let out another -screech, and then suddenly remembering the purpose of his visit, took a -long breath to steady himself. When he spoke again his voice was both -calm and reasonable. - -"Ozamaland may be a great and powerful country and you may also be its -King, but remember you are no longer in Ozamaland," explained Roger -firmly. "You are on this ship by the express wish and kindness of the -Captain and in the company of Kings and BETTER. WAIT!" Shaking a claw -at Tandy's back, Roger flew off to fetch one of Ato's books from the -shelf above the stove. Tandy was in the same position when he returned, -but paying him no further attention, Roger pulled the lamp nearer and -opened his volume. - -"When a King is in the company of Kings," began the Read Bird -impressively, "he is no longer a special or royal being, but merely -a man among men, and as such must maintain his honor and standing by -sheer worth and ability alone." - -"Who says that? What are you reading?" Tandy sat up with sudden -interest, for his whole life had been spent in study and reflection and -the voice of the Read Bird was not unlike the voice of Woodjabegoodja, -his royal instructor at home. - -"I am reading _Maxims for Monarchs_," answered Roger calmly, "a book of -great authority and antiquity that has been used by the Rulers of Oz -and Ev and the Nonestic Islands these many thousand years. No great and -important country would think of being without a copy of this book," he -continued severely. - -"Strange, then, that I should not have heard of it," mused Tandy, -looking not quite so sure of himself. "We have no _Maxims for Monarchs_ -in Ozamaland." - -"Pooh, Ozamaland!" Roger dismissed the whole country with a shrug of -his wing. "A country as young and unimportant as that would probably -know nothing about such matters." - -"You mean my country is not so old nor important as Oz and this -two-penny island of your fat Master?" shouted Tandy angrily. - -"Of course not. Why, it's not even been discovered, and whoever has -been there?" demanded Roger disdainfully. "Take you, as its King, -acting in this small up-country fashion--what CAN a fellow think? -Here--" Shoving the book toward the disagreeable young monarch, the -Read Bird urged him to look for himself. With a puzzled frown Tandy -reread the passage Roger had just quoted. - -"Well, even though your Master is a King, you're not a King and neither -is Samuel Salt," said Tandy, looking at Roger with some of his former -arrogance. - -"Oh, isn't he? Well, just lay to this, young fellow," Roger shook his -claw under Tandy's upturned nose. "Samuel Salt is Captain of this ship, -a Knight and the Royal Discoverer of Oz, which makes him seventy times -as important as you, King Pins. He not only is boss of the _Crescent -Moon_, but he rules the sea, discovering countries for other Kings to -govern, and if it were not for Samuel Salt and people like him, there -wouldn't be any Kingdoms nor people like you to run them. See? As for -me, I'm a Royal Read Bird and wouldn't be a King for a minute. I can -live my own life and go and come as I please." - -"Then while I'm on this ship I'm not a King at all," said Tandy -wonderingly. "Then what am I? What am I supposed to do?" The little -boy looked puzzled and positively frightened. - -"Why, you're supposed to act like a person, that is, if possible," -sniffed Roger, reaching over for his book and looking at Tandy sideways -down his bill. "What are you besides a King? What can you do that is -useful or interesting?" - -"Do, DO?" Tandy's voice rose shrilly. "Why--er--why, I can draw -pictures and ride an elephant." - -"Good!" Roger put up his claw to hide the grin that, in spite of his -best efforts, began to spread round his bill. "Well, there isn't much -call for drawing or elephant riding on a ship, but you can draw water -to swab the decks and I'll teach you to ride the yards and follow the -crosstrees to the main topgallant mast in the blowingest blow that ever -blowed. And depend upon it, young one, you'll have more fun as a person -than you ever had as a King. There's no place for having fun like a -ship!" - -"Fun!" said Tandy flatly and inquiringly. "What's that?" - -"Tar and tobaccy jack! What are you tellin' me?" Roger almost toppled -off the sea chest. "Do you mean to sit there like a dumb image and tell -me you've never had any fun? Never felt so bursting full of ginger and -happiness you could sing or do a sailor's horn pipe?" - -"It is not seemly--" began the boy in a staid voice. "It is--" - -"Seemly! Great goosefeathers, are you alive or aren't you?" gasped -Roger. "What in paint did you do in that cussed country of yours before -you got carried off and penned up like a pig in the jungle?" - -Considering Roger's question, Tandy clasped and unclasped his hands -nervously. "Well, you must know," he began in a very grown-up voice, -"the King of Ozamaland is not allowed to mingle with the common people. -In all things he is alone and set apart. So it was with my father and -mother before they disappeared. So it is with me. Furthermore, it being -prophesied that I would be carried off by an aunt in the middle years -of my youth, it was deemed expedient and necessary to keep me locked -away from danger in the White Tower of the Wise Men." - -"Hurumph!" grunted the Read Bird, who had not heard so many long words -since the voyage began. "And what did you do in this precious tower?" - -"I studied," sighed Tandy, reclining wearily back on his pillows, "for -there are many things a King must learn. But one hour of every evening -I was permitted to walk about the garden on top of the tower and look -down upon my Kingdom. On very great occasions I was allowed to come out -and ride the white elephant in the grand processions of state." - -"Humph!" grunted Roger again, looking at Tandy with round dismayed -eyes. "And with whom did you play?" he asked after a little silence. - -"Play?" Again Tandy's voice was politely inquiring. - -"The word was _play_," insisted the Read Bird doggedly. "With whom -did you run about, play tag, checkers, pirates or go fishing?" - -Tandy looked confused and Roger shook his head sorrowfully. "Never -heard of such things!" he exclaimed indignantly. "Well, all I can say -is, whoever carried you off and shut you up in that jungle cage did you -a real service. If you had not been there we never would have found -you and I'm here to tell you that from now on things are going to be -different. You're discovered now and aboard the grandest ship afloat. -You can forget all about being a King and start right in being a person -and an able-bodied seaman. I for my part mean to see you have some fun -or break a wing in the attempt." - -"But would a King--" - -"King! Never let me hear that terrible word again," shuddered Roger, -sticking his head under his wing and then popping it comically out -again. "From now on, you're plain Tandy and can do as you plain please -so long as it does no harm to yourself or the ship. Understand? And -tomorrow we'll start having fun, so be ready." Roger's promise sounded -almost like a threat, but there was such a merry twinkle in his eye, -Tandy began to feel interested. "You might even begin tonight," sniffed -Roger, taking up the tray. "Just begin by thinking of something you -want to do. Think about it hard and then DO it." Winking cheerfully -over the empty plates, the Read Bird spread his wings and sailed -through the port. - -For several minutes Tandy lay where he was, turning Roger's last -injunction over and over in his stiff, precise little mind. What DID he -really want to do? At first he could think of nothing. Then suddenly -he knew. Why, of course--he wanted to talk to Kobo and he just plain -WOULD. There was a frosted cake left from his supper, and slipping it -into his blouse, Tandy stepped quietly out on deck. The ship, with only -a slight roll, was moving briskly through the water, white foam falling -in lacy spray from her sides, the moon-white sails spread like giant -wings above his head. There was no one in sight, and almost holding his -breath, Tandy tiptoed aft and leaned adventurously over the taffrail. - -"Kobo--Yo KOBO!" he called huskily. - -"Hello! I thought you'd be out soon." Swinging round and turning her -vast smile upward, the hippopotamus gazed fondly at her young charge. -"Are you comfortable? Did you have a good dinner?" she asked anxiously. - -"Yes, and look what I saved for you!" As he spoke, Tandy glanced -over his shoulder as if he were almost afraid to have anyone see him -enjoying himself. "Open your mouth, Kobo!" he whispered eagerly. -Without hesitation or question the hippopotamus stretched her jaws wide -and Tandy with the first real thrill of his life flung the frosted cake -into that immense pink cavern. As Kobo neatly caught and snapped her -lips on the tempting morsel Tandy let out a faint cheer and began to -think there might be something in Roger's suggestions after all. "I'll -throw you lots of things tomorrow," he promised gaily. "Good night, -Kobo. Good night, Kobo dear." - -Humming a tuneless little song, the young King hurried almost -cheerfully back to his cabin. Pausing in the doorway of his tidy -quarters, he looked about complacently. What did he want to do next? -There was no one to tell him to go to bed, so he just plain wouldn't. -He'd sit up as late as he plain pleased. Rummaging through Peter's sea -chest, which Ato had placed near his bunk, Tandy found a large tablet -of stiff paper, a box of paints and some crayons. Settling himself -cross-legged on his bunk, he began drawing, not pictures of the castles -and courtiers of Ozamaland, but pictures of the queer jungle beasts and -Leopard Men he had seen on Patrippany Island. - -When Roger, on first watch, called out eight bells, he saw Tandy's -light still burning, and flying down to investigate, found his new -pupil fast asleep in the middle of his masterpieces. The whole bunk -was covered with bright drawings and pictures and even to Roger's -inexperienced eye they seemed excellently done. So, carefully the Read -Bird stowed them in the sea chest, then, without bothering to waken or -undress the little King, he covered him with a light blanket and went -quietly from the cabin. - - - - -CHAPTER 9 - -Sea Legs for Tandy - - -"If what Roger tells us is so, little Sauce Box yonder has had a -pretty dull life," said Ato as he and the Captain sat finishing their -breakfast next morning. "Lucky for him we happened along and anyway, -the hippopotamus will be good company, eh, Samuel? She seems downright -sensible and jolly. Reminds me of Pigasus and I suppose she does belong -to the pig family when you come to think of it." - -"Well, she's a pretty big pig if she does," laughed Samuel Salt, -swallowing his coffee with gusty relish. "Pretty big any way you take -her. Personally, I like the animal, but the King and son of a King's -son! PAH! Reminds me of Peter, he's so different, and the sooner we -reach Ozamaland and set him ashore, the better. Meals in his own cabin. -Hoh!" - -"Oh, give him time," drawled Ato, helping himself a second time to -fried potatoes. "If there's any good in the lad, a sea voyage will -bring it out, and what chance has he had shut up in a tower for ten -years and in a cage for five months? Though how an aunt managed to -have him carried so far and why she left him with those savages in the -jungle I can't get through my head at all." - -"Maybe it was a gi-ant," whistled Roger, swooping down on Ato's plump -shoulder and flapping his wings cheerfully. "How far do you figure it -is to Ozamaland, Master Salt?" - -"Well, that I couldn't just say," answered Samuel in a milder voice. -Pushing back his chair, he stepped over to the map on the west wall. -"Maybe a thousand leagues or so from Patrippany Island, maybe more, -in a line east by sou'east from Ev. If that is so, we're bound to -bump into it sometime, as I've set my course east by sou'east, and -anyway it's all in the year's sailing." Samuel bent over with pride -to examine the newest island discovery he had marked on the chart the -evening before. "And when we do come to it," he announced firmly, -"we'll trade this useless young one for some of those flying snakes and -creeping birds, eh, Mates?" - -"If we bring any more animals aboard we might as well set up an ark and -be done with it," warned Ato, shaking his fork at the Captain. "By the -way, how's Sally this morning?' - -"Tiptopsails!" grinned Samuel. "She eats nothing but hot air and water -and is no more trouble than a hair in a flea's whisker. I can carry her -round in my pipe when I want company. Now there's a lass for you!" - -"Well, I'll just see to Nikobo, for she's the girl for me," retorted -Ato, rolling briskly out of his seat. "I saved all the potato peelings -from last night, and that, with a dozen cans of peas, corn, carrots and -beets, should stay her appetite till lunch time." - -"Forty cans at one swallow," groaned Roger, clapping a claw to his head -in mock dismay. "She'll eat us out of ship and home at this rate. Can't -you think of something else, King dear? A nice wind pudding or a tub of -sea soup sprinkled with faggots." - -"Oh, go along with you," roared Ato, and picking up his precious coffee -pot, he waddled cheerfully off to his storeroom. - -The day was bright and breezy and the _Crescent Moon_ going free, -breasted the waves like a white-winged sea witch. It was SUCH a -morning that even Tandy, peering inquiringly from his cabin, felt an -uncontrollable impulse to slide down the deck. So he did, coming up -smartly by Roger, who was perched on the rail. - -"That's it! That's it! Now you're catching on," approved the Read Bird, -hopping cheerfully from one foot to the other. "Now match your step to -the sea's roll, sonny, get into her rhythm. You've got to breathe with -the ship to carry your rations on a voyage. Watch the Captain, there, -and do as he does," finished Roger as Samuel Salt left his cabin and -came striding aft. - -"Rather watch you!" exclaimed Tandy, who sensed the Captain's dislike. -Uneasily he moved a little nearer the Read Bird. - -"All right, come on then!" shouted Roger, heading recklessly for the -foremast. "Ever climb a tree?" Tandy shook his head, looking with -deep misgiving into the maze of sail and rigging above. But Roger -was already aloft and beckoning for him to follow. "Not that way, -Brainless!" scolded Roger anxiously as Tandy, gritting his teeth, made -a desperate leap upward. "See those rope ladders by the rail? Put your -feet in the ratlins, boy, and come along hand over hand. It's easy as -flying once you get the swing of it. There, that's better! Come on! -Come on! Don't stop! Don't look down." So up--up and up the narrow rope -ladders toiled Tandy, till Roger, growing impatient, seized his collar -and helped him straddle the crosstree of the fore t'gallant mast. -"Ahoy! And isn't this better than riding an elephant?" beamed Roger, -winking a knowing eye. "Ahoy, this is fun and NO fooling." Seeing Tandy -was too dizzy and breathless to talk for a moment, Roger cheerfully set -himself to teach the young Ozamander a bit about ships and sailing. -Soon Tandy was so interested he forgot the leap and plunge of the ship, -the rattle and creak of the cordage and his own precarious perch in the -foremast. - -"The _Crescent Moon_," began Roger with an impressive jerk of his head, -"is a square rigged three-masted sailing vessel. Normally 'twould take -from sixty to eighty men in a crew to set and make sail and bring -her about in a blow. But Samuel Salt has magic sail controls, so we -three manage quite easily, and now that YOU are here and the handy -hippopotamus below 'twill be easier still. The mast we're riding is the -foremast. The mast second from the bow, as we call the front of the -ship, is the mainmast, and the mast at the back or, as we salt water -birds say, the stern of the boat, is the mizzenmast. And now for the -sails." Roger took a deep breath. "Those below, beginning from the -bottom up, are the course, the topsail, the topgallant sail, the royal -and the sky sail. And don't forget!" Roger wagged his claw sternly. -"Before each sail you must put the name of the mast to which it is -attached. As, for instance, this ahead of us is the fore-topgallant -sail. SEE? And everything to the left of the ship's center we say is on -the port side and anything to the right is on the starboard." - -"Then tell me why is the water on the port side bluer than the water on -the starboard?" asked Tandy, who had been listening very solemnly as he -tried to fix all of these strange sea terms in his head. - -"Bravo!" cried Roger. "Right the first time, Mate. And the water is -bluer on the port side of the vessel because it is saltier. The bluer -the saltier," declared Roger, who, besides his first voyage with the -_Crescent Moon_, had read all the sea books in Ato's library and was -simply crammed with deep sea facts and information. "And what is more," -he continued, pursing his bill mysteriously, "we're sailing in a magic -circle never knowing what may pop up over the edge. A ship? An island? -A hurricane? Or even a fabulous monster! That's what makes sea voyaging -so glorious, and sailing so much fun!" - -Tandy, staring at the empty circle of blue falling away from the ship -on all sides, nodded dreamily. The White City--Patrippany Island--all -his former life and existence seemed unreal and far away and he hoped -in his heart of hearts the _Crescent Moon_ would not reach his native -shores for many a long gay day. As Roger said, being a person _was_ fun. - -"M--mm!" Roger sniffed suddenly. "Wonder what Ato's cooking? Smells -like taffy. I'll bet a ship's biscuit we're going to have a candy pull." - -"A candy pull!" exclaimed Tandy, taking a furious sniff himself. -"What is that?" As Roger started in to explain about candy pulls, a -large green column shot up on the skyline, a column so surprising and -shocking in appearance Tandy felt positively stunned. - -"Oh, look! LOOK!" he screamed, grabbing Roger's wing. "There's -something now. Oh, Roger, what fun! What terrible fun!" - -"Fun?" Roger spun round like a weather cock in a gale. "Fun?" he -repeated, stretching out his neck as far as it would go and a few -inches besides. "Oh, my best bill and feathers. That's not fun--that's -a SEA-Serpent. Help! Help! Deck ahoy! 'Hoy! 'Hoy! Below! King! Captain! -Ato! SAMMY! SAMU-EL!" As if calling them not only by their titles -but by their names would increase the number of the ship's officers -and crew, Roger tugged wildly at Tandy's arm. "Below! Below! All -hands below," shrilled the Read Bird. "Cover all ports and batten the -hatches!" - -Urged on by Roger, Tandy, still more interested than frightened, -descended rapidly to the main deck. At Roger's cries, Ato had run out -with a pan of bubbling molasses in one hand and his trusty bread knife -in the other. Right behind him stood Samuel Salt, his eye pressed to -his largest spyglass. - -"Well, tar and tarry barrels!" exclaimed the Captain exultantly. "Why, -this is a sea serpent second to none, the finest example of a marine -ophidian I've ever met in all my voyages!" - -"Oh, fiddlesticks!" blustered Ato, shaking him angrily by the arm. "Are -you a Captain or a Collector? Quick, now, make up your mind before your -ship is crunched down like a cracker and we're all swallowed up with -the crumbs. Quick, Sammy! For the love of salt mackerel, DO something!" -Squeezing himself between the cook and the Captain, Tandy saw that -there were now three immense shiny curves showing above the water, and -with scarcely a splash the tremendous monster was moving toward the -ship. Then suddenly it was upon them, and its huge horrid unbelievable -head came curling far over the bow of the _Crescent Moon_. - -"Avast and belay! Avast and belay, you villain!" yelled Samuel Salt, -dropping his spyglass and grasping his blunderbuss while Roger beat his -wings together like castanets and screamed like a fire siren. - -Tandy, rather frightened himself, and not knowing what else to do, fell -flat on his stomach and pulling a pad from his blouse, began making -a quick and frantic sketch of the dreadful sea beast. Its body was -leagues long and yards through, the head was large as a whole elephant -with a long curling silver tongue and darting green fangs. But it was -the teeth that made even the stout heart of Ato hammer against his -ribs. Each tooth of this singular sea serpent was a live white goblin -brandishing a long spear. Leaning far out of the yawning mouth, they -screamed, hissed and yelled at the defenseless company below. The next -forward thrust of the monster brought its head curling right down among -them. This so startled Tandy he could neither move nor scream. Samuel -fired his blunderbuss so fast and furiously it sounded like a dozen -guns, but it was Ato who really saved the day and his shipmates. - -With calm and deadly precision, the ship's cook flung the pan of -still bubbling molasses straight into the cavernous mouth. Screaming -with surprise, pain and fury, the monster clamped its jaws together, -and finding them stuck fast on the taffy, fell writhing back into -the sea, dashing and slashing its head under water to ease the burn -and setting the _Crescent Moon_ to dancing like a cocklebur. But the -taffy, hardened by contact with the cold water, stuck faster than ever, -and unable to bite and scarcely able to breathe, the discomfited sea -monster backed away from the ship and went slithering and thrashing -away toward the skyline. - -"Well, there goes our candy pull!" sighed Roger, falling in a limp heap -to Ato's shoulder. "Nice work! Nice work, King dear. There's a certain -touch about your fighting that is well nigh irresistible." - -"Mains'ls and tops'ls! You certainly pulled a trick THAT time!" puffed -Samuel Salt, picking up his spyglass to have a last look at his lovely -specimen. "You saved us and the ship, that time, Mate. My bullets -rattled off its hide like hailstones off a roof." - -"Pooh! Just happened to have the taffy handy," answered Ato, looking -rather regretfully into the empty pot. "Here, child, run back and tell -Kobo everything's all right." The ship's cook pulled Tandy quickly to -his feet. "Just listen to her squealing. The poor lass is probably -frightened out of her skin." As Tandy started aft on a run, Ato picked -up the sketch he had made of the monster. "Ahoy and what's this?" he -panted. "What did I tell you, Sammy? Look, the boy's drawn as lively a -picture of that varmint as you'd ever hope to paste in a scrap book. -Here it is--tail, teeth and everything!" - -"Mean to say he drew that while we were all standing here ready to -perish and go down with the ship? Hah! That's what I call bravery in -action!" exclaimed Samuel. "And goosewing my topsails! If the young -lubber can draw like this he'll be a monstrous help to us, Mates. Why, -I'll make him cabin boy and Royal Artist of the Expedition with extra -rations and pay." - -"Hurray! And I'll tell him," puffed Roger, spreading his wings -gleefully. "Hi, King! Hi, Tandy! Ho, Tandy! You've been promoted from -King to cabin boy and Royal Drawer of Animals and Islands and extry -rations and pay!" - -Nikobo was as pleased as Tandy at her little charge's rise to favor, -and after they had both listened in rapt silence to Roger's news, -Tandy told her how Ato had routed the sea serpent. Meanwhile, Roger -had carried all the sketches Tandy had made of the Leopard Men and -Patrippany Island to the main cabin. Samuel's delight and enthusiasm -at having such spirited and authentic records of the lost tribe and -strange animals on Patrippany Island knew no bounds. He beamed on Tandy -so kindly and approvingly next time they met, the little boy felt warm -and jolly all the way down to his heels. Roger had already explained -his new duties to him and when Ato sounded the gong for dinner Tandy -was the first to answer. But when he started to pass the vegetables and -wait on the table, the Captain gruffly pushed him into a chair. - -"All equals here," roared Samuel, slapping him affectionately on the -shoulder. "You've earned your place and your salt, sonny, and we'll all -help ourselves and each other." Tilting back his chair and keeping -time with his teacup, Samuel began to sing lustily: - - "Blow high--blow low-- - 'Tis a salt sea life for me-- - With a good ship's crew I'll sail the blue - With a good ship going free--eeeh--eeeh! - With a good ship going free!" - -Almost before he knew it, Tandy was singing, too. - - - - -CHAPTER 10 - -The City of Bridges - - -The days that followed always seemed to Tandy the happiest he had -known. He wondered now how he had ever endured his long, tedious, -pent-up life in Ozamaland. There was so much to see and do on a ship, -the hours were not half long enough. Being a full-fledged member of -the crew, he took his turn on watch, his trick at the wheel, and had -besides other duties on deck. After a bit of practice he could scramble -aloft like a monkey and liked nothing so much as perching in the -rigging looking far out to sea. The Read Bird had fastened a special -rope to the mizzenmast so that Tandy could swing out and drop down on -Nikobo's raft, and much of his free time was spent with the faithful -hippopotamus. - -Sea life agreed enormously with Nikobo, especially since Ato had solved -the largest item of her diet. Noting the tangled mass of seaweed often -floating by on the surface of the sea, the clever cook let down the -ship's nets daily. The seaweed, crisp, tender and green, was dragged -on deck where Roger and Tandy went carefully through it, removing all -crabs, small fish and sea shells which seriously disagreed with the -hippopotamus. A huge hamper full was lowered to her every evening and -with this plentiful supply of green food, with the bread and delicious -vegetable scraps Ato saved from the table, Nikobo fared better than she -had on the Island. The largest tub on the boat served as a drinking -cup and this Tandy kept full by playing down the hose from the deck, -giving her a daily shower of fresh water at the same time. So, lacking -nothing in interest or comfort, Nikobo enjoyed herself hugely and to -the fullest extent. - -On calm mornings, with the _Crescent Moon_ hove to, all hands would go -swimming. Nikobo loved to swim and to roll over and over like a mighty -porpoise, even though the salt water made her eyes sting. Since Tandy -had given Samuel the drawings of the Leopard Men, the ship's Captain -could not do enough for his young cabin boy, and among other things had -made a rope harness for Nikobo so Tandy could hang on when he perched -upon her slippery back. At first he had been satisfied to ride Nikobo, -but after several days he was splashing recklessly with the others and -Samuel had taught him all the swimming strokes he knew and had Tandy -diving over and under the hippopotamus in a way to make Roger scream -with envy and approval. - -Swimming was the only part of a sea voyage the Read Bird could not -really enjoy, but he was always on hand to give advice, roosting on -Nikobo's head so long as she stayed above water and taking hurriedly to -his wings when she mischievously tried to dunk him. The hippopotamus -made a really splendid raft when they tired of swimming, and Ato, who -did not care for water sports so much as Samuel or Tandy, fished for -hours from her back, his feet hooked through the ropes of her harness -to keep him from falling into the sea. The only thing Tandy regretted -was Nikobo's great size and that she could not come aboard ship and -join them in the cabin. On cool evenings he and Ato and the Captain -(Roger preferring to take first watch) would sit cozily round the fire -listening to the stories Samuel told them of the days when he had been -a pirate and roamed up and down the Nonestic, capturing the ships and -treasure of all the powerful island monarchs. Tandy never tired of -these thrilling sea battles nor of watching Samuel Salt's pet fire -lizard. - -Sally was now so tame she would allow any one of them to pick her up. -They had to be careful not to hold her against their clothing, however, -for though Sally did not burn the fingers, she set fire to whatever she -touched. Indeed, whenever they wanted a fire in the grate, they had -only to place the Salamander on the kindlings beneath the logs and a -cheery flame would blaze up instantly. It was in the fireplace Sally -took most of her exercise, racing and scittering over the glowing logs -or rolling happily in the red hot embers. But most of her time she -spent curled up in Samuel Salt's pipe, and it was always a surprise to -Tandy to see her comical head pop up over the edge of the bowl or hear -her chirping and purring to herself from her cozy bed of tobacco leaves. - -Some evenings, when Ato was trying out new recipes in the galley, -Tandy and Samuel would descend to the hold to look over the plants -from Patrippany Island, try to figure out the script on the piece of -lava, and sort and arrange Samuel's shell collection. Every day after -the nets were drawn up there were new specimens to classify and label. -The drawing Tandy had made of the Sea Lion and all the pictures of the -Leopard Men and beasts on Patrippany Island, Samuel had framed and hung -above his shelves so that the hold was looking more and more like a -scientific laboratory every day. - -"Do you suppose we'll ever find anything large enough to put in those -big cages and aquariums?" asked Tandy one night as he pasted a pink -label on a fluted conch shell. - -"Sure's eight bells!" murmured Samuel Salt comfortably. "No telling -what'll turn up on a voyage like this. Personally I've set my heart on -a roc's egg, but setting the heart on a roc's egg won't hatch one out, -Ho, Ho! No, No! But, on the other hand, one never can tell and we've -had a week of such fine and pleasant days, I look for something to -happen any moment now, so you'd better put up your paste pot and turn -in, my lad, so we'll all be ready for the morning." - -"Well, what would you do with a roc's egg?" inquired Tandy, reluctantly -clapping the top on his bottle of glue. "Aren't they terribly big and -terribly scarce, Captain Salt?" - -"Terribly!" admitted Samuel Salt, placing his tray of lamp shells back -on their stand. "But a newly laid roc's egg is as rare as a mermaid's -foot, and no larger than one small tar barrel. Now if we could just -get a newly laid roc's egg aboard and find some way to preserve it, -why, well and good, if we didn't find a way and it hatched before we -landed, it could easily fly off with us and the ship, for THAT'S how -big a bird a roc is. But I'll take a chance if I ever find a roc's egg -and there's an island somewhere in these waters where rocs are known to -nest. Rock Island it's called, and a roc's nest would be something to -see, eh, Kinglet?" - -"Please don't call me that," begged Tandy earnestly. "Roger says I -don't have to be a King on this ship and I like not being a King." - -"Ha! Ha! And I like you that way myself," roared Samuel, tossing Tandy -suddenly to his shoulder. "Why, since you've stopped this King and son -of a Kinging, you're a seaman after my own heart, and so long as the -_Crescent Moon's_ afloat you've a berth on her! Up with you! Up with -you! Tomorrow's another day." Swinging gaily to the main deck, Samuel -tumbled Tandy into his bunk and went striding aft to take in his main -and mizzen topsails. - -Next morning, while he and Ato were cutting up potatoes for Nikobo, -Tandy was not surprised to hear a loud hail from above. Something had -happened just as Samuel had predicted. Running out with a paring knife -still in his hand, he saw a strange glittering mountainous island abaft -the beam. It was still a goodish sea mile away, but with the glasses -Ato generously pressed upon him Tandy made out the most curious bit -of geography the eyes of a voyager had yet gazed on. There was not a -piece of level ground on the island anywhere. Its high, glittering, -needle-like peaks rose straight out of the sea with apparently no way -of ascending or descending. Of clear crystal, reflecting every color -of the rainbow, the beautiful island was almost too dazzling to look -at as it lay shimmering and sparkling in the bright sunshine. As they -sailed nearer, Tandy saw that a perfect maze of high and airy bridges -ran like a gigantic spider web between the peaks. On these bridges all -the island's life and activities seemed to take place. Quaint fluted -cottages were built in the center, and along the perilous catwalks on -either side raced the Mountaineers themselves, brandishing glittering -poles and spears and halberds. - -"Pikes on the peak! Pikes on the peak! Port your helm, Sammy," roared -Ato. "Not too close! Not too near, Sam-u-el. How'd you like to be -pinned to the mast with a spear or flattened on the deck with a -boulder?" - -"Ah, now, they're just excited!" answered Samuel Salt, squinting -curiously up at the Bridgemen, but Nikobo, with her short legs resting -on the top rail of her raft, squealed out a dolorous warning. - -"Fighters! Fighters! These Pikers look savager than the Leopard Men. -Best back away, Master Captain, while there's still time." - -"Oh, look! LOOK! There's a ship on the mountain," cried Tandy, jerking -Samuel's sleeve, "right there where that torrent comes down between the -bridges, a three-master, larger than the _Crescent Moon_." - -"Then it's a battle!" boomed Samuel, bringing his helm hard around. -"Stand by to man the guns. 'Hoy, all hands, 'hoy!" While his shipmates -sprang to attention, Samuel darted from mast to mast, touching the -buttons on his sail controls. - -"AYE DE AYE OH LAY!" The shrill unexpected cry came from the highest -bridge on the island, and was immediately taken up and repeated by all -the Pikemen on the lower bridges. It resulted in such a mad medley of -yodels that Ato clapped both hands to his ears and Nikobo plunged her -head in her drinking tub. - -"Not only fighters, but singers!" grunted Ato, swinging the port -gun into an upright position. "Beef, beans and barley bread! What a -rumpus!" Tandy, who with Roger had charge of the other gun, could not -help but admire the calm way Samuel Salt ignored the dreadful outcry -from the bridges. Whether the pikes of the islanders could be flung -down upon them was still a question, but as Tandy looked anxiously -aloft, he saw the great white-sailed ship of the Mountain Men sweeping -toward the torrent. It paused for a breathless instant on the top and -then came rushing down upon them. They were right in the path of the -descending vessel which would strike them with such force both ships -would surely be demolished. - -"I am a King's son and the son of a King's son," shuddered Tandy, -gritting his teeth and waiting desperately for the order to fire. "I -can bear anything." - -"Not this! Not this!" chattered Roger, sliding wildly up and down the -shiny cannon. "It will shiver your timbers--it will shiver all of our -timbers. What in salt ails the Captain? Why doesn't he give the order -to fire and pepper these rascals before they reach us? Oh, oh! Oh--hh!" -But the only orders that came from the Captain were for Nikobo. - -"Overboard, Lassie! Dive off! Quick, now, and swim for your life," -bawled Samuel Salt, waving both arms frantically at the hippopotamus. -As Nikobo with a frightened squeal let down the back rail of her pen -and slid into the sea, Tandy felt a quiver and jerk through the whole -length of the _Crescent Moon_. Glancing aloft, he saw a strange change -in the sails. Where before they had been sturdy single stretches of -canvas, they were now great swelling balloon sails, each a perfect -air-filled sphere. As the ship from the mountain with an angry swish -catapulted down from the torrent into the sea, the _Crescent Moon_ rose -buoyantly into the air, allowing the enemy craft to shoot harmlessly -beneath her bow. - -"What in Monday!" gasped Ato, flinging both arms round the cannon. -"What in Monday are you up to now? How'd we do this? Stop! Stop! I'm -no flier. No higher! No higher! Do you intend to impale us on yonder -Peaks?" Samuel Salt, hanging desperately to the wheel, made no reply -and as the ship, dipping and swaying, soared higher and higher the -deafening yodels of the Bridgemen ceased abruptly. - -"Wha--wha--where are you heading?" demanded Roger, spreading his wings -in order to keep his balance on the sloping deck. "You never told us -you had balloon sails, Master Salt." - -"Ahoy, but we never needed them before!" panted Samuel. "Look sharp -below, Roger. Tell me whether I'm over that lake or basin. Look sharp, -mind you, or we'll come to grief yet." - -"Aye, aye!" quavered the Read Bird, dropping obediently over the side. -"It all looks sharp to me." - -"Mean to say you're coming down in the middle of these pikes, peaks -and bridges?" moaned Ato, holding his head with both hands. "Avast and -belay, Mate, I signed up for a sea voyage and not a balloon ride. The -altitude's got you, Sammy, that's what. You've air holes in your head. -How do you expect the four of us to conquer this whole pesky peaky -island? How could we even take half of them?" - -"By surprise," announced Samuel Salt grimly. "We'll take them by -surprise. Look, they're too surprised to even yodel. Fetch up the Oz -flags, Tandy, and all hands aft for further orders." - -"Aft and daft!" choked Ato, hanging on to the rail as he made his -way toward the wheel. When Tandy came hurrying up from the hold, his -arms full of Oz flags, the _Crescent Moon_ hung directly over the -glittering Island. Roger fluttered anxiously just below calling up -hoarse information as to the size, possible depth and shape of the -sparkling blue lake between the peaks. - -Listening carefully to Roger's directions, Samuel deflated his balloon -sails so skillfully the _Crescent Moon_ came down lightly as a swan in -the exact center of the Lake. Above and around the ship on all sides -hung the glittering spans of a beautiful Bridge City, and in stunned -silence and dismay the Bridgemen looked down on the flying ship and its -curious crew. - -"Ahoy and hail, Men of the Mountain!" challenged Samuel in a ringing -voice. "You are now part and parcel of the great Kingdom of Oz, free as -before to govern yourselves, but from this day and henceforth on, an -island possession and colony under the protection and puissant rule of -her Majesty Queen Ozma of Oz!" - -"OZ! Ozay Oz Oh Lay?" The cry came from the tallest and most splendid -of the Islanders, who was standing with folded arms on the lacy span -connecting the two highest peaks on the Mountain. - - - - -CHAPTER 11 - -The Prince of the Peaks - - -The cry, though loud, was no longer defiant, and Tandy with a little -gasp of relief saw the Mountaineers on all the bridges bring their -pikes to rest beside them and gaze aloft for further orders. - -"I am Alberif, Prince of the Peaks," stated the Man on the Highest -Bridge, looking coolly down at Samuel Salt. "But YOU--you who come in -this flying ship to conquer the Island of Peakenspire, who are YOU?" - -"Ato, the Eighth, King of the Octagon Isles, Sir Samuel Salt, Captain -of the _Crescent Moon_ and Royal Explorer of Oz, Tazander Tazah, King -of Ozamaland, and myself a Royal Read Bird," shouted Roger before any -of the others had time to speak for themselves. - -The Prince of the Peaks, tall and splendid in his shining coat and -breeches of silver cloth, his broad-brimmed hat with its quill and -rosette of wild flowers, looked so much more impressive than anyone -aboard the _Crescent Moon_, Tandy half expected him to laugh at Roger's -boastful announcements. But instead, Alberif, leaning far out over his -royal bridge, looked down at them long and seriously. - -"Two Kings, a Royal Discoverer, a Flying Ship and a Read Bird! Hi de -Aye de Oh!" whistled the handsome monarch, shaking his head ruefully. -"No wonder we were captured. What then are your terms, Kings, Captain, -Bird and Conquerors?" - -"Not conquerors, COMRADES," called up Samuel Salt in his hearty voice. -"Only by your own wish, agreement and consent shall ye come under the -rule of Oz. If your Highness could but descend from yon Royal Bridge to -this ship, everything can be arranged both peaceably and pleasantly." - -"'Ware, Alberif! 'Ware, Alberif!" yodeled the Pikemen on the lower -bridges. "Once aboard that ship eeee-ip! We may never see you again -eeeeee-yen!" - -"Oh, nonsense!" blustered Samuel Salt impatiently. "I give you my word -as a Pirate and a seaman no harm shall come to you on the _Crescent -Moon_." - -The Prince stood lost in thought for a moment, then tapping his -long alpenstock sharply he issued a high yodeled command. From the -bridgehead an immense basket swooped down. The Prince seated himself -gravely in the basket and with three men manipulating the ropes made a -swift and dizzy descent to the deck of the _Crescent Moon_. - -While Samuel and Roger welcomed the tall and lordly Ruler of the -Mountain Isle, Ato hurried off to the galley to prepare some suitable -refreshments for his entertainment. Tandy, after Samuel had introduced -him, began making careful sketches of the handsome Prince, of the -lovely city of bridges and of the Pikemen, who still looked with -suspicion and distrust upon the ship that had taken the place of their -own. - -"How about that basket?" whispered Roger, who had come out to help Ato -in the galley. "How'd you like to be hoisted and lowered like a sail? -And for salt's sake, King dear, dust the flour off your nose and put -on your crown, or this fellow will think you're King of the Cookies and -Doughnuts." - -"Ha, ha! When he's tasted my plum cake he'll not think it, he'll know -it!" puffed Ato, bustling happily from cupboard to cupboard. "Bring out -the best tumblers and silver plates, fetch up a dozen bottles of my -famous Sea-pop from the hold and we'll have this island in our pocket -before you can say Oz Robinson!" - -When Ato with one tray and Roger with another came out, they found -the Captain and the Prince of the Peaks striding up and down the deck -in the friendliest conversation imaginable. Matched in height and -handsomeness, the two were discussing with lively interest everything -from ships and governments to the strange limestone that formed the -crystalline rocks of Alberif's island. Later, seated around the table -with Tandy and Roger passing plum cake and Sea-pop, the Prince grew -friendlier and more confidential still. - -"We've never been conquered before," admitted his Majesty with a -puzzled smile, "but really I find it both interesting and enjoyable." - -"Just a matter of chance and luck," said Samuel Salt with a modest -wave of his hand. "Had I not had balloon sails on the _Crescent Moon_, -your ship would have cut us clean in two before we had time to put -about." - -"That is what I always planned would happen to an enemy craft," sighed -Alberif. "Naturally our own ship, the _Mountain Lass_, would have been -destroyed too, but we could easily have built another. That is what -we'll have to do anyway, as we'll never be able to haul her up the -torrent." - -"Don't you do it," begged Samuel Salt, looking earnestly at the -Mountain Monarch. "I'll send you a set of balloon sails as soon as I -reach Elbow Island. The Red Jinn presented me with two sets and I'll be -delighted to send you one. Once they're set, you can fly up as easily -as we did and be ready for all and sundry, even US if we come again." - -"Come and welcome!" beamed Alberif, looking in some surprise at Sally, -who had just lifted her head above the rim of Samuel's pipe bowl. "But -tell me, what am I to do now that I am conquered? Surely something is -required of us?" - -"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Samuel spoke earnestly and admiringly. "This -island and your men are in fine shape and a great credit to you, so -just go on as you are, but from this time forth you'll be in contact -with the famous and most modern Fairyland in History, and if you are -ever beset by enemies, you can call upon Oz for assistance or help. In -time, fruit, foodstuffs, books and merchandise will arrive from Oz, and -in return you may send back some of the sparkling crystals composing -these mountains. You might even invite a band of settlers from Oz to -come and live as your loyal subjects here." - -"Gladly! Gladly!" agreed the Prince, his eyes sparkling at the -prospect. "We have many uninhabited peaks and spires and could -easily accommodate a thousand new bridge builders. Come with me, all -of you, to Skytop Tower and we'll run up the flag of Oz and sign a -pledge of allegiance to her Majesty Queen Ozma. AYE DE AYE OH LAY!" -Running out on deck, Alberif joyously beckoned to the men who operated -the traveling basket, inviting them all to enter. Ato, who had no -intention of trusting his two hundred and fifty pounds to this strange -conveyance, shook the Prince regretfully by the hand. - -"I'll just watch it all from here," said the ship's cook firmly. "I've -pie to cook, potatoes to peel and dinner to stir up for all hands and a -hippopotamus, so, if you'll kindly excuse me--" - -The Prince looked a little disappointed, but cheered up as Samuel, -Roger and Tandy followed him into the basket. - -"Haul away!" yelled Samuel Salt, winking at Ato, and to the shrill -tune of a ringing round of yodels their curious elevator rose from the -deck, spun merrily up to the Twin Peaks and highest bridge of Alberif's -Mountain. Used as he was to the tall masts and lofty rigging of the -_Crescent Moon_, Tandy felt sick and giddy as the basket swooped and -swung upward. But it came down safely at last and at sight of the -shining spans of the lacy city spread out below, and the glittering -castle rising from the royal bridge, Tandy forgot all his uneasiness. -With a little whistle of surprise and interest he followed Samuel and -Alberif into the royal dwelling, while Roger flew off on a little -exploring expedition of his own. Roger knew all about castles and was -much more interested in the many windowed, fluted cottages of the -yodelers. - -Ato, watching from the deck of the _Crescent Moon_, presently saw the -flag of Oz fluttering from the top turret of the Castle Tower and with -a little sigh of relief and pride he gathered up the empty pop bottles -and padded off to his galley. Soon Oz flags floated from the posts on -all the bridgeheads, adding much to the gaiety and beauty of Alberif's -city. - -From the Royal Bridge Tandy and Samuel had a splendid view, and of -his many experiences Tandy always remembered best the afternoon spent -on Peakenspire. Alberif was a merry as well as an interesting host, -explaining everything from the strange traveling baskets to the age-old -customs and treasures of the Islanders. In the baskets the Islanders -could travel from bridge to bridge and down to the sea itself when -they wished to go fishing. There was little soil between the rocks, -but such soil as there was, was so amazingly fertile, each family -could raise all the fruit and vegetables required in one small window -box. After long experimentation and culture, Alberif's ancestors had -perfected two curious vines. On one vegetables grew in rapid rotation, -potatoes following peas, corn following potatoes, carrots following -corn, beets following carrots, cabbages, lima beans and spinach after -the beets. The vine never withered or died and by cutting off the top -every day the Islanders were assured of a continuous supply of fresh -vegetables. The fruit vine was of the same variety, furnishing every -known berry, fruit and melon. Each family was given two of these vines -and thus had very little worry about food supplies. Birds, something of -a cross between wild ducks and chickens, made their nests in the craggy -peaks, and with their eggs and a plentiful supply of fish and other sea -food the Islanders fared splendidly. - -The Bridgemen were tall, blue eyed, handsome and happy. Men and women -alike wore short trousers and blouses of silver cloth and carried -pikes that served both as weapons and alpenstocks. The bridges, while -delicate as fine lace in construction, were supple and strong as -steel. The material mined from the mountains themselves was like silver -and crystal combined, a new strong and glittering metal, samples of -which Samuel happily thrust into his pocket. - -"Sounds like magic," said Tandy, who had been listening closely to -Alberif's description of life on Peakenspire. - -"It _is_ magic of a kind," answered the Prince with a pleased little -nod. "And the air here is so light and sparkling we never tire, grow -old or have illness of any kind, so that my people are always light -hearted and happy, spending most of their time in dancing and singing." - -"I see," murmured Samuel Salt, "er--and hear," he added quickly as the -wild, joyous cries of Alberif's yodelers made every window in the -palace rattle. "I'll certainly make a note of all this and report -Peakenspire Island to Queen Ozma as the most interesting discovery of -the voyage." - -"I am highly honored!" Alberif bowed stiffly. "Highly honored! HI -dee Aye de OH--hhhhh!" Jumping into the air, the Prince of the Peaks -kicked his heels together from sheer exuberance. "Wait," he told -them cheerfully, "and I'll get you some fruit and vegetable vines to -take back with you." Tandy and Samuel could not help grinning as -Alberif rushed off. To tell the truth, there was something so light -and exhilarating about the mountain air they found it difficult to -walk calmly themselves. As the Prince returned Samuel felt a loud and -uncontrollable yodel rising in his own throat, and seizing Tandy's -arm, he bade Alberif a hasty and hearty adieu. Bidding him keep a -sharp lookout for the airships from Oz, and loaded down with crystals -and vines, the two explorers climbed into the basket and were swung -swiftly down to the deck of the _Crescent Moon_. Roger, flying under -his own power and yodeling like a native, arrived soon after. - -With Oz flags flying from all bridges and the Mountaineers calling out -rousing and melodious farewells, Samuel inflated his balloon sails and -the ship soared gracefully aloft, circled the island three times and -then dropped lightly down upon the surface of the sea. The _Mountain -Lass_ in charge of Alberif's husky crew lay just off shore and there -she would have to stay till Samuel sent a set of balloon sails to lift -her back to the Lake among the peaks. - -Nikobo, who'd been swimming anxiously round and round, gave a bellow of -relief as she spied the _Crescent Moon_. - -"I thought you'd been captured and destroyed!" wheezed the -hippopotamus, scrambling hastily aboard her raft. "Next time you fly -off, take me aboard or give me a balloon sail too. I'm so full of -salt water I'm perfectly pickled and somebody'll have to scrape the -barnacles off my hide." - -"But we've brought you a present," called Tandy, leaning far over the -taffrail, "a vegetable vine that will keep you supplied with fresh -vegetables as long as we're at sea. SEE! DEEEE Aye DEE OH!" - -"Avast and balaydeeaye!" barked Samuel Salt grimly. "Let's get away -from here. This is no way for able-bodied seamen to talk." Rushing from -wheel to mast, he quickly set his sail. "Ahoy! Ahoy Dee Oy Dee OH!" -he yodelled, then, very red in the face, he blew three shrill blasts -on his fog horn, swung his ship about and the _Crescent Moon_, with a -spanking breeze on her quarter, went skimming away toward the southern -skyline. - - - - -CHAPTER 12 - -Fog - - -The evening had blown up raw and cold, and after carrying an old -tarpaulin down to cover Nikobo, Tandy had come shivering back to the -main cabin. Samuel Salt had close reefed his topsails and double reefed -his courses, adjusted his mechanical steering gear, and now sat beside -the fire examining a heap of the glittering crystals from Alberif's -island. - -"Just sketch Peakenspire Island on the chart, there where I've made the -cross," he directed, looking up with an absent smile as the little boy -came over to warm himself at the cheerful blaze. "You're such a hand -with a brush, even in so small a place you can give a good idea of the -City of Bridges." - -"And a good idea they are," murmured Ato, who was busy mending his -fishing nets on the other side of the fireplace. "In every port we -learn something new, eh, Mate? All mountains, no matter how high and -peaked, could be lived on if they were properly bridged." - -"True, quite true," agreed Samuel, squinting contentedly through his -magnifying glass, while Tandy began sketching in the latest discovery -on the sea chart. "I've written it all up in my journal and put down -Peakenspire Island as able to accommodate a thousand settlers from Oz -and as an especially good place for poets." - -"Provided they are deaf," put in Ato, looking comically over his specs, -"AYE DEE AYE DEE OH! While you fellows were aloft I got to yodeling so -fast and furious I blew all the sauce pans off their hooks." - -"Yes, that _is_ one disadvantage," admitted Samuel, glancing -approvingly at Tandy's picture of Alberif's Island, "but never mind, -we don't have to live there, and think of the splendid specimens we've -brought away, Mates!" Samuel ran his fingers lovingly through the heap -of crystals and strands of metal Alberif had given him. "And those -fruit and vegetable vines will provision us for the whole voyage." - -"They're a great comfort to _me_, I assure you," muttered Ato, holding -up his net to the light to see whether there were any more holes. "Now -I know Kobo will never starve. I put a vegetable vine in a box on her -raft and that leaves two for us, two for Ozma, and maybe Tandy would -like to take the other two home with him?" - -"Home?" Tandy swung round in positive dismay. "Oh--we're not near -Ozamaland yet, are we, Captain?" His voice sounded so dismal Samuel -Salt threw down his magnifying glass with a roar of merriment. - -"Shiver my timbers, lad, one would think you did not wish to reach -Ozamaland at all," he blustered teasingly. "What's the matter with that -country of yours? You wouldn't keep an honest explorer from adding a -creeping bird and a flying reptile to his collection, now would ye?" - -"No! No! Of course not," answered Tandy quickly. "But perhaps it is -farther away than you think, Master Salt, and perhaps the Greys have -conquered the Whites and then I won't be King any more." - -"What's this? What's this?" Ato lifted his nose like an old hound that -has just scented a fox, for he loved a good story even better than he -loved a good meal. "Who are the Greys and Whites, my lad? You never -told us anything about this." - -"There's really not much to tell," sighed Tandy, seating himself on a -small stool before the fire. "In the first place, I suppose you know -that the great continent of Tarara is divided into two large long -countries? Ozamaland is on the East Coast and Amaland on the West -Coast." - -"Now I'll just make a note of that," said Samuel Salt, leaning over to -pull his journal toward him. - -"My country," went on Tandy slowly, "is made up largely of desert and -jungle, best known for its white elephants and camels and the famous -White City of Om, first King and ruler of the Kingdom. The Zamas are -fierce and still wild tribesmen living in tents on the desert and in -huts in the jungle. Only the thousand Nobles and their families who -live in the White City have been taught to read and write and live -under roofs. That is why the Kings of Ozamaland are so well guarded and -never allowed out of the capital." - -"Then I'd rather be a tribesman," sniffed Ato, letting his nets drop in -a heap around his feet. - -"But there's no choice," said Tandy thoughtfully. "The nine -Ozamandarins who make the laws have decreed that the King shall remain -in the White City." - -"Well, what about these Whites and Greys?" asked Samuel Salt, pulling -out his pipe and leaning down close to the fire so Sally could light it -for him. - -"My people, because they dress in white robes and turbans, are known -as the Whites, and the Amas, the rough plainsmen who rove the long -ranges of Amaland, are the Greys. The Amas care for nothing but their -swift grey horses and often charge over the border to make war on my -countrymen. Then the Whites, mounted on their white elephants and -camels, have all they can do to hold their own." - -"Aha, that's what I'd call a REAL battle!" exclaimed Ato, his -eyes snapping with enthusiasm and interest. Then, noting Samuel's -disapproving frown, he pursed up his lips, shook his head and added -quickly, "All very wild and disorderly, Tandy, my lad. Seems as if the -Whites and Greys should manage their affairs more peaceably." - -"Yes," said Tandy solemnly, "and I've often thought when I was grown, -I'd ride over on my white elephant to visit the Greys and see why they -are so unfriendly." - -"A good idea, and if I were you, I wouldn't wait till I was grown. I'd -do it as soon as I got back," advised Samuel Salt, taking a long pull -at his pipe. - -"And very probably get himself cut up and captured," shuddered Ato, -shaking his head. - -"Well, he's been both shut up and captured anyway, hasn't he?" said -Samuel mildly. "Now which one of your aunts do you think had you -carried off, Matey, and how many aunts do you have anyway?" - -"Three," Tandy answered, counting them off solemnly on his fingers. -"And they were all pretty and pleasant enough; but after the prophecy -of the Old Man of the Jungle that I would be carried off by an aunt, -they were all locked up in the castle dungeon and I was locked up in -the Tower." And, resting his elbows on his knees, Tandy gazed soberly -into the fire as if he might discover there the reason for his cruel -abduction and imprisonment in the jungle. - -"If I'd only been awake when I was carried away," he exclaimed -impatiently. - -"They probably gave you a sleeping potion," decided Ato, nodding his -head portentously, "but it's such a longish distance, unless this aunt -had wings or a flying eagle I'll never understand how she shipped you -so far and so fast." - -"Well, whoever it was did _us_ a real service!" boomed Samuel Salt, -twinkling his blue eyes affectionately at Tandy. "Even Peter was no -better aboard a ship--eh, Mate?" - -"A real artist and a seaman," agreed Ato, rolling cheerfully to his -feet, "and when we reach Ozamaland I'll talk to these aunts like -an Octagon uncle, and the Ozamandarins had better hold on to their -turbans, too." - -"But they wear square hats!" roared Tandy, laughing so hard he almost -fell off the stool, for he just could not picture the fat King of the -Octagon Isle berating the haughty judges of Ozamaland. - -"What's the joke?" demanded Roger, flying in through the open port -and making a straight line for the fire. "Brrr-rah! Wet weather, -boys! Wet weather! Oh, what a coldth and dampth and gloomth. Why, I'm -moister than an oyster and clammier than a clam. How about a cup of hot -chocolate for the Watch, Cook dear? Better see to your sail, Master -Salt. Fog's thicker than bean soup out there." - -"We'll _all_ have some chocolate," said Ato as Samuel hurried out to -see how dense the fog really was. Later, sitting by the stove sipping -Ato's delicious hot chocolate, Tandy could not help comparing this cozy -life aboard the _Crescent Moon_ with his dull and lonely existence in -the Royal City of his Fathers. - -"I wish the Greys _would_ capture the Whites," he thought vindictively, -as he followed Roger across the slippery deck. "Then I'd never have to -leave this ship." The kind-hearted Read Bird was carrying a pail of hot -chocolate down to Nikobo on the raft. She could not get her great snout -into the bucket, but she opened her enormous mouth and with one toss -Roger poured the whole pail down her throat. - -"That'll keep her warm till morning," chuckled Roger, flying back to -join Tandy, "and now you'd better turn in, little fellow, for you're on -morning watch and eight bells will be sounding before you know it!" All -through his dreams about the Whites and Greys Tandy heard the raucous -voice of the fog horn, and when he rolled sleepily out of his bunk to -relieve Ato, the ship seemed to be hardly moving at all. - -"Ahoy, Captain! Isn't a fog dangerous?" Tandy's voice seemed more -hopeful than worried, and Samuel Salt, peering down at the little boy -buttoned to his chin in Peter's old sou'easter, grinned approvingly. - -"Just about as dangerous as a man-eating tiger," he answered -cheerfully. "We're liable to ram a ship, run on the rocks, or scrape -our bottom on a hidden reef or sand bar. These waters, as you know, -being all unnavigated. But I've brought Sally along to keep my nose -warm and throw a bit more light on the subject and we'll have to take -our chance--eh, Matey? Just step aft and see if you can make out -anything astern, will you, Tandy?" - -Four o'clock, or rather eight bells, was always pretty dark and one had -to depend more or less on the ship's lanterns, but this morning was -the darkest Tandy had ever experienced. Clinging to the rail, he moved -cautiously to the stern and gazed intently down into the gloom. Nothing -an inch beyond his nose was visible and as for the raft and Nikobo, -they might just as well not have been there. - -"Kobo, Kobo, are you all right?" There was no answer to Tandy's call, -but presently a huge and resounding snore rolled upward and, greatly -comforted, Tandy hurried back to the Captain. Samuel Salt was busy -lighting extra lanterns and as he straightened up, a hollow boom, -followed by a splintering crash, sent them both sprawling to the deck. -Leaping to his feet and unmindful of the glass from the shattered -lanterns, Samuel seized an unbroken one and ran furiously to the rail. - -"Ship ahoy! Heave to! you blasted son of a cuttle-fish lubber! You've -rammed us amidships, you blasted Billygoat. Where are your lights? Why -didn't ye sound the horn?" His lantern, held far over the rail, made -no impression at all on the choking fog. Jumping up and running after -Samuel, Tandy strained his eyes for a glimpse of the ship that had hit -them, for unmistakably to his ears came the scrape and rasp of wood on -wood. Yes, surely it was a ship. But no answer to Samuel's hail came -out of the fog, only the swish and murmur of the sea and the rattle -of wind in the rigging. But all this creaking could not come from the -_Crescent Moon_ alone. There _was_ a ship beyond them in the fog, -but where, as Samuel had demanded, were her lights and crew? Wildly -Tandy, hardly knowing what to think or do, continued to blink into the -maddening darkness. Ato and Roger, wakened by the horrible jolt, now -came hurrying out, each waving a lantern. - -"Let go the anchor, Mates," ordered Samuel in a stern voice, "we're to -grips with an enemy ship, so stand by for trouble. Further shortening -his sail, Samuel waited tensely for the first move from their invisible -foe. - -"Might be pirates," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth to -Tandy, who stood close beside him grasping the scimiter that had once -been Peter's. "Jump the first man aboard." - -"How about a long shot in their general direction?" wheezed Ato, who -found the silence and suspense well nigh unbearable. - -"No, it is not for _us_ to start a fight," stated Samuel grimly. "But -hah! Just let _them_ start one! Fetch me my stilts, Roger, and be quick -about it, too!" - -"Stilts?" choked the Read Bird, dropping the blunderbuss with which he -had armed, or rather winged, himself. "You'll never be trying those -things again--they nearly shivered our timbers last time. Why take -another chance?" - -"My stilts!" repeated Samuel savagely, and Roger, who knew his duty -as a sailor, flew without further argument to the hold. When Roger -returned with a stilt in each claw, the Captain grasped one and moving -silently as a cat over to the port rail, he thrust the long pole -experimentally out into the fog. There was an instant thud, and Samuel -himself got a severe jolt as the stilt struck against some firm and -immovable object beyond. Convinced that it was an enemy ship, Samuel -returned to the others and, drawn up in an anxious row, the four -shipmates waited for the fog to lift or the first enemy seaman to leap -aboard. - -"I'll wager it's a derelict, or an abandoned vessel with no crew," -breathed Ato, seating himself on a fire bucket to somewhat ease the -long wait. The first hour Tandy stood fairly well, but the second -seemed interminable. The flickering lanterns, the tense quiet, the -choking fog and gentle roll of the ship all made him desperately -drowsy, and, much to his later disgust, he must have finally fallen -asleep. The next thing he remembered was the shrill squall of the Read -Bird and the pleasant feel of the sun on his eyelids. - -"The ship! The pirates! The fog!" thought Tandy, springing up wildly, -but neither ship nor pirates met his astonished gaze. Abaft the beam -lay a great whispering deep sea forest, its trees higher than the masts -of the ship, springing directly out of the water and stretching their -leafy branches to the sky. It was into one of these giant greenwoods -the _Crescent Moon_ had crashed in the fog. Samuel was staring at the -sea forest with the rapt look of a scientist who has just made an -unbelievable discovery, and Ato, with his elbows resting on the rail, -was gazing dreamily in the same direction. - -"'Hoy! Ahoy! Why, I never knew there were forests in the sea," -exclaimed Tandy, running over to insinuate himself between the cook and -the Captain. - -"There aren't! It's just plain impossible!" breathed Ato, moving over -to make room for Tandy. "But, impossible or not, there she lies. And -isn't it pretty?" he mused, resting more than half of his great weight -on the rail. - -"I suppose Sammy'll want to dig up a sea tree and bring it along," he -leaned over to whisper mischievously in Tandy's ear. "And anyway, it's -better than pirates." - -"Look, look, there's fish in those trees," screamed Roger, bouncing -up and down on Ato's plump shoulder. "How about some flying fish for -breakfast, Cook dear?" - -"Breakfast? Breakfast? Can it really be time for breakfast? Ho, hum! I -thought I was still asleep and dreaming," grunted Ato, giving himself a -little shake. "Well, forests or no forests, a man must eat, I suppose!" -And still gazing delightedly over his shoulder, the ship's cook trod -reluctantly toward the galley, while Tandy hurried into the cabin for -his paints. - - - - -CHAPTER 13 - -The Sea Forest - - -Tandy had to call Samuel twice before he would come to breakfast and -when he finally did sit down, he was so busy preparing to explore the -sea forest he ate scarcely a bite. - -"We'll take the jolly boat," he decided, making long notes in his -journal between his sips of coffee, "the small nets and knives and -baskets for cuttings and any specimens we may pick up and--" - -"Why the jolly boat when we have a jolly sea-going hippopotamus?" -inquired Roger, elevating one eyebrow. "A jolly hippopotamus, I might -add, who runs under her own power and saves us the trouble of rowing!" -Roger was much annoyed because he had failed to catch a flying fish -before breakfast and instead of eating his hard-boiled eggs, kept -winging over to the open port to glare at his finny rivals. Tandy, like -the Captain, was too excited to eat, and even Ato downed his omelette -and fresh strawberries from the Peakenspire fruit vine with rare speed -and indifference. - -"It's a lucky thing you're so enormous, Kobo," puffed the ship's cabin -boy, dropping down on the raft a few minutes later. "Ato's got his crab -nets and fishing lines, Samuel's bringing an aquarium, a couple of -baskets and a box. And I have this pail, my paints and a cage in case -Roger does manage to catch one of those flying fish." Kobo was staring -fixedly at her vegetable vine as Tandy dropped down beside her, and now -snapping off a whole bushel of beans, she turned round and, munching -contentedly, surveyed the excited boy at her side. - -"Whatever you have can be hung to my harness," she assured him, -speaking a bit thickly through the beans. "But turn the point of that -scimiter up instead of down; you wouldn't want to carve old Kobo, now -would you? It will seem funny swimming through a forest, won't it, -little King? The further we go on this voyage the queerer everything -grows." - -"But I like it queer," stated Tandy, climbing with a satisfied little -sigh on Nikobo's broad back. - -"I, too, find it most interesting and jolly," agreed the hippopotamus, -fastening her eyes dreamily on the vegetable vine to see what was -coming up next. "I thought I might be on short rations when I came on -this voyage, Tandy, but I declare to goodness I've never had such a -rich and varied diet in my life. You, too, look fine and strong and -much happier than when we met in the jungle. But to get back to the -fare--why, today I've had a basket of biscuits, a bushel of beans--" - -"And that makes it Bean and Biscuit Day, I suppose," giggled Tandy, -remembering Kobo's strange way of dividing up her week. "But look! -Listen! Here they come!" - -"Ahoy below, Hip Hip OPOTOMUS, AHOY!" roared Samuel Salt jovially from -above. "All ready to cast off, my lass?" - -"Aye, aye, sir!" grinned Kobo as Samuel and Ato came panting down the -rope ladders to the raft. "Move over, Tandy, and make room for the Cook -and the Captain!" It took nearly ten minutes to get all the gear and -crew aboard and Nikobo looked like some curious deep sea monster when -she finally shoved off. Two large baskets were slung from ropes across -her back. The pail and bird cage slapped up and down on one hip, the -aquarium on the other, and through her collar various fishing rods, -nets and poles were stuck like quills on a porcupine. - -"Now whatever you do, don't submerge," warned Samuel, holding his tin -box for especially fragile specimens high above his chest to keep it -dry. "Just slow and steady, m'lass, so we'll have time to observe and -admire and make notes of any strange growths and creatures as we ride -along." - -"Creatures!" exclaimed Tandy, twisting round. He was perched on -Nikobo's head, his paints held carefully in his lap. "Would there be -any wild animals in a sea forest, Master Salt?" - -"Sea Lions, likely," predicted Samuel, peering round eagerly as Nikobo -paddled between two slippery barked sea trees into the murmuring forest -itself. Except for the fact that the floor of this curious sea wood was -the blue and restless sea, it might almost have been a forest ashore. -The trees, tall, straight and stately, towered up toward the sky. -Staring down into the clear green water, Tandy saw their trunks going -down, down, down as far as he could see. - -"Rooted in the very ocean bed," marveled Samuel Salt, touching one -lovingly as they passed. "What splendid masts these would make, Mates! -Avast and belay, Nikobo, I believe I'll just take a cutting or two." - -"Ha, ha!" roared Ato, peering over Samuel's shoulder. "So now we're -going to grow our own masts." - -Samuel himself, leaning far out over Nikobo's back, severed three young -shoots from the sea tree and popped them happily into the aquarium. -Vines that were really of coral ringed the gigantic trunks like -bracelets, and the leaves of the trees were long ribbons of green and -silver that whipped and fluttered like banners in the morning breeze. - -"What's that?" puzzled Ato as the hippopotamus made her way leisurely -between the trees. "Looks like mushrooms, Sammy! Wait, I'll just pick -me a few and see." Hooking his heels in Nikobo's harness, Ato began -vigorously cutting from the trunk of one of the trees the colored -fungus growths which sprouted in great profusion just above the -water line. Nikobo bravely offered to sample some, and after waiting -anxiously to see whether they would have any ill effects the ship's -cook decided they were harmless and joyfully filled one of the baskets. -The only specimens that really interested Ato were of the edible -variety. While he was thus employed, Tandy, an experienced climber -by now, scurried up to the top of one of the sea trees, breaking off -several branches so Samuel could press the curious leaves in his -album. High above his head Tandy could see Roger chasing angrily after -a flying fish, muttering with anger at his unsuccessful efforts to -overtake the nimble little sea bird. In our own southern waters there -are large flying fish that leap out of the water of the gulf stream, -but the flying fish in this Nonestic Sea Forest were small, and where -most fish have gills wore strong transparent wings. Their claws, -somewhat like a crab's, made it possible for them to perch jauntily in -the branches of the sea trees, and these strange little fellows could -swim and dive as well as fly. Pulling out his pad, Tandy made a lively -sketch of one in the tree opposite, for it did look as if Roger would -never succeed in catching one. - -All morning Nikobo paddled calmly through the dreamy sea forest; Samuel -making notes, Tandy sketches, and Ato catching in his long-handled -nets plump little fish and crabs, and filling another basket with the -small delicious clams that clung like barnacles to the slippery bark -of the sea trees. In the shadowy center of the forest where the trees -pressed closer together and great flat rocks stuck their heads out of -the water, the explorers came upon several fierce sea lions. They were -not smooth and shiny like the seals of our own oceans, but yellow and -tawny with long yellow tusks, tufted tails and scaly manes. Their front -legs ended in sharp claws, their back legs were shorter and their feet -were webbed for swimming. Only the fact that Nikobo was larger and more -frightening to the sea lions than they were to her saved the party from -a savage attack by these malicious-looking monsters. As it was, they -retired sullenly into the deeper shadows, snarling and roaring defiance -as they backed away, but not before Tandy had made an effective sketch -of the whole group. - -"'Tis a lucky thing for us that you're along!" grunted Ato, drawing -his feet up out of the water and looking with grim disfavor after the -snarling sea lions. "Likely as not, if you had not made that picture, -Samuel would have tried to drag one along by its tail, regardless of -our feelings or safety." - -"A wild maned sea lion would be a valuable addition to any collection," -sighed Samuel Salt, shaking his head regretfully. "But then--" he -grinned in his sudden pleasant way, "not much of a mascot at that." - -The only other happening of note was Roger's capture of a monkey fish. -Unable to overtake a flying fish, the Read Bird had pounced on this -small combination of a land and water beast as it sat quietly sunning -itself on the limb of a tree. Screaming and chattering, he bore it -proudly down to the Captain, and Samuel was so pleased with the curious -little creature that when Nikobo suggested going back he made no -serious objection. And as the hippopotamus, rather weary from her -long swim, headed thankfully back for the ship Tandy and Samuel made -ambitious plans for the monkey fish's care and comfort. - -Thrusting it into Tandy's bird cage, Samuel regarded it with increasing -enthusiasm and interest. "I'll rig up a wooden tree in one of the -aquariums, set the aquarium in one of the large cages so it'll have -both air and water, and call it 'Roger' after its discoverer," beamed -the former Pirate with a wink at Tandy. - -"Don't you dare call that monkey fish after me," screeched the Read -Bird, flying round to have another look at his strange prize. "Why, -it's uglier than a blue monkey, looks like a regular goblin, if you ask -me." And to tell the truth, the monkey fish _was_ even uglier than a -goblin, shaped like a monkey but scaled all over, and with unpleasant -goggly eyes and three short spikes sticking out of its forehead. - -"It does look like a goblin," agreed Tandy with an amused sniff. "But -let's call it Mo-fi, which is short for fish and monkey." - -"Tip tops'ls!" approved Samuel Salt, taking out his note book. "Wonder -what it eats?" - -"Great grandmothers, what would it eat?" moaned Ato, looking blankly at -Samuel. "Another mouth to feed and listen to! Dear, Dear and DEAR!" - -"Oh, give it a box of animal crackers," put in Roger carelessly. - -"No, I brought along some gold fish food for just such an emergency as -this," declared Samuel, making a little flourish with his pencil as he -wrote busily in his journal. "Gold fish food will be splendid for a -monkey fish." - -"Well, don't forget the bananas--for remember it's a monkey, too," -chirped Roger, settling on the Captain's shoulder to read what he had -written. So, laughing and joking and in the highest good humor the -exploring party returned to the _Crescent Moon_. - -What with planting the slips from the sea tree, settling Mo-fi in his -aquarium cage, pressing the leaves from the marine forest, and making -copies and further notes about the sea lions in his journal, Samuel did -not get his ship under way till late afternoon. - -Ramming into the sea tree, beyond scraping off some paint, had done -little damage, so singing boisterously, Samuel finally heaved up his -anchor. And soon, with Ato stirring up a huge clam chowder, Tandy -painting the sea forest on the chart and Roger scouring the hold for -Mo-fi's fish food, the _Crescent Moon_ again dipped adventurously into -the southeast swell. - - - - -CHAPTER 14 - -The Sea Unicorn! - - -"Ahoy! and how goes it with the able-bodied seaman?" called Roger, -swooping down from the foremast. Tandy, polishing the brass trim on the -binnacle, looked up with a welcoming grin. - -"Tip topsails!" he answered, pausing a minute to stare off toward the -skyline to see whether any islands or sea serpents were visible. - -"And look at that muscle, now," marveled Roger, touching Tandy's arm -admiringly with his claw. "You're twice the lad you were, Mate, and -I'll wager my last feather you can lay any lubber by the heels. If -anyone gets fresh-water ashore, remember you're a salt sea-going sailor -and you just take a poke at him. That's my advice without any charge or -obligation. But then again, a chap that's a King, the Royal Artist of -an exploring expedition, with a sea forest named after him, might not -need to take any advice at all," added Roger with a long and knowing -wink. - -"But I like you to tell me things," said Tandy, looking earnestly up -at the Read Bird. "You make everything seem so interesting and jolly." -With a secret smile, for Tandy was thinking how much he would enjoy -taking a poke at Didjabo, the Chief Ozamandarin, the little boy went -on with his polishing. If Didjabo said anything further about shutting -him up in the Tower, he just plain would take a poke at him. But saying -nothing of all this to Roger, he called up cheerfully, "How's Mo-fi? -Has he stopped scolding and begun to eat?" - -Roger, who was running races with himself up and down the taffrail, -stopped short and held up his claw. "Everything I give him," he told -Tandy solemnly. "And I declare to badness he's getting to know me, -Mate. He only pulled out three feathers instead of a fistful when I -gave him breakfast just now. Before long he'll be so tame he'll be -riding around on your shoulder." - -"Not MY shoulder," laughed Tandy, waving his bottle of polish at the -Read Bird. "Goodness, I believe you're growing fond of that monkey -fish, Roger." - -"Well, why not?" retorted the Read Bird, puffing up his chest. "Ato has -me, the Captain has Sally, you have Kobo, so why shouldn't I have a -little pet if I want one?" - -The monkey fish seemed such a strange prickly sort of pet, Tandy could -hardly keep his face straight, but seeing Roger was quite in earnest, -he tactfully changed the subject. "Do you suppose we'll make any new -discoveries today?" he asked, screwing the cap on the bottle of polish. -"Any as important as the sea forest, I mean?" - -"Why not call it by its proper name?" teased Roger, scratching his head -with his left claw. "And I think it most unlikely we'll strike anything -as curious and important as Tazander Forest. Two discoveries like that -just couldn't happen two days running. Still, I'll just fly up to the -main truck and have a look around." - -"Main truck?" Tandy wrinkled up his brows. "I thought I knew all the -parts of this ship by now. You never told me about the main truck, -Roger." - -"Just the top of the main mast, Brainless." Giving Tandy an -affectionate little shove, Roger soared into the rigging and Tandy went -joyfully off to have another look at the forest Samuel had insisted -on naming after him. He had taken great pains with the painting and -printing when he sketched it on the map, and now with a sigh of -complete satisfaction he stood regarding the sea chart. Then, suddenly -remembering he had promised to water Samuel Salt's plants, he jog -trotted contentedly down to the hold. - -The tumbleweeds in their small red pots grew so rapidly Samuel had -to cut them back every day. These Tandy watered very sparingly, -snapping his fingers at Mo-fi, who was gravely chinning himself on a -branch of his artificial tree. The slips of the sea trees in their -covered aquarium required no attention at all. Ato had planted all the -vegetable and fruit vines from Peakenspire on the rail outside the -galley, so that left only the creeping vines from Patrippany Island to -care for. He had just picked up one of the small potted creepers when -a sharp rap tap under his toes made Tandy leap straight up in the air. -Someone was knocking on the bottom of the boat. - -"Ato! Captain! ROGER!" shrilled the little boy, scurrying up from the -hold faster than he had ever done before. - -"Su--su--SOMEBODY'S knocking on the bottom of the boat." Before he -could explain, or tell them anything further, a perfectly terrific -knock from below made the _Crescent Moon_ shiver from end to end. -Samuel and Ato, leaning over the port rail, turned round so suddenly -they bumped their heads smartly together. Next with a scrape, screech -and splintering of timber, a giant white horn came tearing up through -the decks. - -"Whale! Whale!" croaked Roger, falling off the main truck and coasting -crazily down to the deck. "Wha--what ever'n ever's that?" he quavered, -pointing a trembling claw at the rigid white column between the main -and mizzenmasts. Samuel did not even try to explain, for at that -instant the ship began to rise, to fall, to lash and plunge both up -and down and east and west. Hooking his arms through the rail, Tandy -blinked, gasped and shudderingly waited for the _Crescent Moon_ to fly -asunder. - -"Narwhal, Mates!" panted Samuel Salt, throwing himself bodily upon the -wheel. "Horn like a--uni--corn--branch of the Odontocetes and--" - -"Oh--you--don't say--it--is!" chattered Ato, who was lying on his -stomach bouncing up and down like a ball at each frightful lunge of the -monstrous fish. "Well, it's spiked us--is that a horn or a ship's mast? -Oh woe, oh! What'n salt'll we do now?" - -Samuel had not the heart to answer, for he had all he could do to -hang on to the wheel as the ship, like a wounded animal, reared and -plunged, thrashing the sea to a fury of foam and spray. Nikobo, -diving precipitously off her raft, began to squeal in high and low -hippopotamy, making brave but ineffective lunges at the lashing giant -beneath the ship. - -"Su--suppose it su--submerges?" wailed Ato, who had managed at last to -seize a rope from the end of which he banged and slammed continuously -up and down against the deck. "Oh, my stars! Oh, my spars! Oh, my -beams and--" Tandy never heard Ato's last anguished cry, for at that -moment a savage shake of the Narwhal's head sent him flying into the -sea. Coming up coughing and choking, Tandy instinctively began to swim -and for the first time became aware of the creeping vine he still had -clutched tightly in one hand. And in that instant and in that whirl of -danger, disaster and destruction, the little boy suddenly grew calm -and purposeful. This vine--well, why would this powerful vine from -Patrippany Island not work as well under water as on land? The chances -were that it would. Swimming boldly back to the ship, Tandy took a -quick dive, hurling the vine pot and all in the general direction of -the Narwhal. No sooner had the vine touched the water than it began -to open, creep and grow and, spraying out a hundred strong tentacles, -it seized and bound the plunging monster in a secure and inescapable -cradle of leafy wood. - -Gasping and sputtering, but with his heart pounding with joy to think -he had really saved Samuel's beautiful ship, Tandy rose to the surface. -Nikobo, letting off shrill blasts of anger and fright, came paddling -anxiously toward him. But giving the hippopotamus a reassuring wave, -Tandy seized the end of a rope ladder and pulled himself up to the deck. - -Samuel, though battered and bruised, still clung to the wheel, and Ato, -almost pounded to a jelly, had rolled into the scuppers where Roger -was fanning him vigorously with a butter paddle. The Read Bird, having -wings, could have left the ship at any time, but had clung bravely to -his post, preferring to go down with the ship and his shipmates. Now -all three of them stared in dazed silence at Tandy as he climbed back -over the rail, for in the terrible confusion and excitement no one had -seen him go overboard. - -"Tandy! Tandy! Where've you been?" With outstretched arms Samuel Salt -rushed groggily forward. "Shiver my liver! Why's everything so quiet? -Could it be that you single-handed have destroyed that ship-shaking -menace?" - -"I don't think he's destroyed, Master Salt," answered Tandy, limping -happily to meet the Captain, "but he's caught fast as a lobster in a -lobster pot and can't move at all." - -"Caught?" rasped Samuel, running across the deck to peer over the rail. - -"By the creeping vine," explained Tandy, and in short, breathless -sentences he told them all that had happened after he was flung into -the sea. - -"Well, bagpipe my mizzenmain sails!" gasped Samuel Salt, staring at -Tandy with round eyes. "This is the strangest and happiest day of my -life. You've saved the ship and the whole expedition, my boy, and all -we have to do now is cut loose from this cavorting unicorn of the sea -and sail off with the largest ivory horn in captivity. An ivory mast, -blast my buckles! Wait till the Ozites see us sailing up the Winkie -River with four masts instead of three! Ahoy, below! Ahoy, Kobo! Can -you dive with me beneath this ship?" - -"Dive and stay under as long as you can," vowed the hippopotamus, -shaking the water out of her eyes and looking cheerily up at the -Captain. "You see, I was right about those creeping vines, now wasn't -I?" Nikobo, having done a little investigating on her own account, was -well nigh ready to burst with pride at Tandy's quick action and the way -in which the vines had overcome their gigantic foe. - -"RIGHT!" boomed Samuel Salt, hurrying off for his oxygen helmet and -powerful diamond toothed saw. Ato was too bruised and exhausted to -rise, but Tandy and Roger, perching on the ship's rail, watched Samuel -in his queer diver's helmet climb down the rope ladder and clamber -up on the hippopotamus. Next minute Nikobo had disappeared under the -surface and presently from the slight shiver and shake of the boat -they knew that Samuel was determinedly at work cutting them loose. -Fortunately there was room between the ship's bottom and the whale's -head for Nikobo to swim about, and so splintering sharp was Samuel's -saw that in less than five minutes he had cut off the great column of -ivory level with the ship's bottom, carefully calking the edges with -material he had brought down. In its tight and live wood crate the -Narwhal could not stir an inch, and, while the cutting of its horn was -not painful, it blubbered and spouted so terrifically that Samuel and -Nikobo heaved tremendous sighs of relief when the dangerous operation -was accomplished. - -Backing off a few paces, Nikobo began butting the crated sea beast with -her head till she had driven it out from beneath the boat. Roger and -Tandy, with little shrieks of wonder and excitement, saw the crated -fish like some queer and monstrous mummy rise to the surface and go -floating sullenly away toward the east. Now that they had a full view -of the Narwhal they saw that it was three times the length of the -_Crescent Moon_. - -"A great wonder Sammy didn't tie it to the ship and tow it along," -sighed Ato, who had at last got to his feet and draped himself weakly -over the rail. "Some fishin'--eh, Mates?" - -"But look at the beautiful mast we have!" cried Tandy, waving to Nikobo -and the Captain as they came cheerfully alongside. - -"Huh! you're as bad as Sammy," grunted Ato, rubbing his bruises -sorrowfully. "And of course a mast was just what we were needing! Whale -of a mast! Mast of a whale! HUH!" - - - - -CHAPTER 15 - -The Collector Is Collected - - -"What are you going to call this one?" inquired Tandy next morning as -he and Samuel squinted thoughtfully up at the gleaming ivory column -between the main and mizzenmasts. - -"Might call it the whalemast," said Samuel, rubbing his chin -reflectively. "And it's a lucky thing for us the point was sharp enough -to cut through the decks without damaging the ship. At any rate, it's -given us the biggest fish story a voyager ever had to relate. Tossed -on the horn of a Narwhal! And the best part of the whole story is that -we have the proof right along with us. Hah! Right here!" Samuel in his -glee and exuberance gave the whalemast a hearty slap. - -"Kobo says that vine won't unwind for a couple of days, but anyway -it'll be a fine rest for the whale floating around without having to -swim. And I expect it can grow another horn?" - -"I expect so," agreed Samuel, winking down at Sally, who was standing -on her head in the bowl of his pipe. "If this little Lady would just -talk, she could give us a heap of valuable information about life in -Lavaland, Mate." - -"Roger's taught Mo-fi to say 'Ship ahoy!'" observed Tandy, strolling -over to the rail to watch the white foam sweep past the ship's side. -"And your sea tree sprays have grown an inch since yesterday, Captain." - -"They have?" Samuel blew three rings from his pipe, then walked aft -to glance at the compass. "Well, my boy, if the rest of the voyage -is as good as the beginning, we'll sail home loaded to the gun'ls." -The mention of home always made Tandy wince, for the _Crescent Moon_ -was the first real home he had known. To think that he would be put -ashore in Ozamaland while Samuel's ship would continue its adventurous -voyage of discovery without him, was a fact almost too terrible to -consider. - -"Maybe we'll never come to Ozamaland at all," mused Tandy as he climbed -into the rigging to join Roger. "Maybe the Captain's reckoning is wrong -and Ozamaland is to the north instead of the south." Vastly comforted -by this idea, Tandy swung nimbly to the crosstree on the fore t'gallant -mast. Roger was staring intently through Ato's telescope and as Tandy -squirmed along to a position beside him, the Read Bird let out a shrill -squall, all his head feathers standing straight on end. - -"What do you see? What is it?" cried the little King, shading his eyes -with his hands and staring in all directions. "I can't see a thing." - -"Take the glasses," urged Roger, handing them over with a frightened -gulp. "Take the glasses and then tell me it isn't so." Tandy, scarcely -knowing what to expect, screwed his eye close to the telescope, then -he, too, gave a shriek of consternation. - -"Why--it's a big HOLE, a HOLE in the sea!" he stuttered, lowering the -glasses and staring at the Read Bird in blank dismay. - -"Exactly!" croaked the Read Bird, "and whoever heard of such a thing? A -hole in the ground, certainly, but a hole in the sea, why that's just -plain past believing. Ahoy, DECK AHOY!" Wagging his head, Roger lifted -his voice in a long warning wail. "Heave to, Master Salt! Heave to! -Danger on the bow!" - -Somewhat surprised, but without stopping to question Roger, in whom -he had the utmost confidence, Samuel hove his vessel to. And not a -moment too soon, for barely a ship's length away yawned an immense -and unexplainable hole in the sea. Round its edges the waves frothed, -tossed and bubbled, making no impression on that quiet curious vacuum -of air. Crowding into the bow, the ship's company stared down in -complete wonder and mystification. - -"Now, goosewing my topsails, this'll bear looking into!" puffed Samuel, -breaking the silence at last. - -"Now, now, NOW!" Ato snatched wildly at Samuel's coat tails as he -raced aft bellowing loudly for Kobo to come alongside. "You'll not go -a step off this boat. We can sail round this air hole and no damage -done, but as for looking into it! Help, HELP! Avast and belay and I'll -knock eight bells out of anyone who leaves this ship!" Seizing an iron -belaying pin, Ato made a desperate rush after Samuel Salt, and failing -to catch him before he slid down the cable to Kobo's raft, he grabbed -Tandy firmly and angrily by the seat of the pants. "Not a step!" panted -the ship's cook savagely. "Not a step! Roger! Roger! Come back here -this instant." But Roger, with a screech of defiance, had already flown -after Samuel. Tandy, pinned against the rail by Ato's two hundred -and fifty pounds, was forced to watch Nikobo, with Roger and Samuel -on her back, moving cautiously toward the edge of the air hole. Over -his shoulder Samuel had a huge coil of rope the end of which he had -attached to the capstan of the boat before he dropped over the side. - -"Oh! Oh! and OH!" wheezed the ship's cook, "If Sammy goes down that -cavern we're as good as lost. No one to navigate, to up sail or down -sail or lay to in a storm. My, My and MYland!" - -"Well, there he goes!" cried Tandy as Samuel flung the rope down into -the sea hole. "Don't worry, Ato, he's always come back before, hasn't -he? Let me go! Let me go, I tell you!" With a sudden jerk Tandy tore -out of Ato's grasp, climbed up on the rail and dove into the sea. -Swimming rapidly toward the hippopotamus, he climbed on her back and -with Roger fluttering in excited circles overhead Nikobo swam as -close to the edge of the sea hole as she dared, watching in terrified -fascination as Samuel calmly lowered himself into the clouded blue -depths. With mingled feelings of interest and alarm, Tandy saw the -Royal Explorer of Oz go down lower and lower and finally disappear -altogether into the deep blue air below. Now not a glimpse of Samuel -was visible and not a sound came up to reassure them that he was still -there. - -"I'll just fly down and see what's up," quavered Roger, and in spite -of the loud shouts and threats of Ato on the _Crescent Moon_, the Read -Bird spread his wings and coasted slowly and bravely into the immense -air shaft. Nikobo, now as alarmed as the ship's cook, began swimming -frantically round the edge of the misty chasm, letting out piercing -blasts that sounded like nothing so much as a ferry boat whistle. -Tandy himself felt uneasy and frightened and Ato, unable to bear the -suspense any longer, climbed over the side and came swimming out to -join them. After an endless fifteen minutes, during which dreadful fear -and premonition gripped the watchers, the head of the Read Bird popped -mournfully into view. - -"Is he all right? Where's Sammy? What in soup's he doing? What'd you -find out?" gasped Ato, reaching out to clutch Roger by the wing. Roger, -limp and bedraggled, with all the stiffness out of his feathers, said -nothing for a whole minute. Then, beating his wings together, he -began to scream out hoarsely, "The Captain's caught! The Collector's -collected. They have Master Salt forty fathom below. They've got him -shut up, I mean down at the bottom of the sea like a gold fish in a -bowl, only he's in a big bowl of air. They're poking little fish and -crabs through a trap door in the air shaft and I cannot break or even -make a dent in the transparent slide they've shot across the air hole -to shut him off from us. And oh, my bill and feathers! Every time they -open the trap door to shove things in to him, water rushes into the -vacuum. He's standing in water to his knees now and unless we can break -a hole in that lid the Captain's done for--done for, do you hear?" - -"They?" asked Tandy while Nikobo's eyes almost popped out of her head, -"Who do you mean?" - -"Oh, oh, don't ASK me!" choked the poor Read Bird. "They're not fish -and they're not men. They're about the size of Tandy, here, sort of -stiff and jellied and perfectly transparent. On a shell hanging outside -of one of their caves it said 'Seeweegia.'" - -"Seeweegia!" moaned Ato, clutching his head in both hands. "Let me see! -Let me see! What's to be done, boys? Now quick! What's to be done?" - -"Have Roger fetch the saw we used on the whale's horn," gurgled Nikobo. - -"And I'll climb down and saw a hole in that slide," cried Tandy eagerly. - -"No, _I'll_ climb down," said Ato firmly. "I've known Sammy the longest -and if he's going to come to a watery end I might as well end with -him." - -Leaving the two arguing, Roger flashed back to the ship, returning -in almost no time with the scintillating and powerful saw. Tandy had -meanwhile convinced Ato that he could climb down the rope faster, being -so much lighter, and now, with tears in their eyes, Nikobo and the -ship's cook saw Tandy and Roger disappear into the air shaft. - -Tandy let himself down carefully hand over hand, Roger keeping abreast -of him with the saw. To slide rapidly to the bottom would have been -quicker, but the resulting blisters would make it difficult to use the -saw. Forty fathoms, nearly two hundred and forty feet, is a long way -to go hand over hand on a rope, and before he reached the glass-like -slide, Tandy's palms stung and his shoulders ached and burned from the -strain. But at last he was down, and dropping to his hands and knees -with Roger mourning and muttering beside him, Tandy peered fearfully -through the glassy substance. - -For a moment everything was a green and misty blur, but gradually the -figure of Samuel Salt standing sturdily in the middle of the air bowl -became visible. Although waist high in sea water, and surrounded by -loathsome sea creatures and crabs the Seeweegians had tossed in for him -to eat, Samuel was making slow and interested entries in his journal. -Pressed against the sides of his strange aquarium, Tandy could see the -round, square and triangular faces of the jellyfish men and women. -Brilliantly colored vines and seaweed waved and tossed in the current, -the floor of the ocean was covered with bright shells, polished stones -and all manner of sparkling deep sea jewels. Had Tandy not been so -worried about Samuel Salt he would have liked nothing better than -sketching this strange and beautiful under sea Kingdom with the -Seeweegians flopping and swimming busily in and out of their grottos -and caves, or disporting themselves in the sea weed forests. But as -it was, his only thought was of quickly freeing the Captain of the -_Crescent Moon_ from his curious prison. - -"Look, they've put up a sign," hissed Roger, handing over the saw. -Looking in the direction indicated by Roger, Tandy saw an immense shell -on which long wisps of sea weed had been arranged to form the words: - - COME SEE THE CURIOUS HIGH AIR MANSTER. - ADMISSION, 1 PEARL, 5 CORALS AND A CLAM! - -The sight of this sign swinging from a small sea tree close to Samuel's -air bowl sent a wave of rage up Tandy's back. Rubbing his palms briskly -together, the little boy seized the saw and struck it with all his -might against the unyielding surface of the slide. The noise attracted -Samuel's attention, and looking up he began waving his arms, yelling -out wild orders and commands. Not being able to hear any of them and -being quite sure Samuel was telling them to leave the air shaft before -the Seeweegians shot another slide above their heads and caught them, -too, Tandy proceeded grimly with his task. Roger helped, scraping away -with both claws and bill. For five desperate minutes they worked -without success, then a tiny crack split the slide from edge to edge. -Wedging the saw into the narrow opening, Tandy began sawing away like -a little wild man, for a fresh batch of snails and crabs tossed in to -Samuel had let in another rush of sea water. Immersed to his chin, -Samuel started to swim round and round, dodging the end of the saw as -it flashed up and down above his head. - -"Oh!" gasped Tandy, stopping a moment to blow on his fingers. "I'll -never be able to make this opening large enough. Look, look, Roger, -they're opening that trap door again. Oh, Oh! I can't bear it!" - -"Help! Help!" yelled the Read Bird, looking despairingly up the empty -air shaft. "Help, for the love of sea salt and sailor men!" His cry, -increased by the curious nature of the compressed air in the air shaft, -increased a hundredfold and fell with a hideous roar upon the anguished -ears of Ato and Nikobo. Almost instinctively and without thought of -her own safety, or Ato's, or the dire consequences, the hippopotamus -jumped bodily into the sea hole. Roger, still glaring upward, had a -quick flash of an immense falling object. Realizing at once what had -happened, the Read Bird had just time to snatch Tandy and drag him to -the opposite side of the slide before Nikobo landed--broke through -the thick glass, plunged into Samuel's aquarium and shot out through -the side into a group of horrified Seeweegians. Now do not suppose for -an instant that Tandy, Roger or Samuel himself saw all this happen. -Indeed, after Nikobo struck the slide, none of them remembered a thing, -for the ocean, rushing in through the puncture the hippopotamus had -made in the vacuum, rose like a tidal wave, carrying them tumultuously -along. - -Nikobo came up at a little distance from the others, with Ato, -completely wrapped and entangled in seaweed, clinging tenaciously to -her harness and looking like some queer marine specimen himself. Too -shocked and stunned to swim, the five shipmates bobbed up and down -like corks on the surface of the sea. Then Roger, spreading his wet -and bedraggled wings and coughing violently from all the salt water he -had swallowed, started dizzily back to the _Crescent Moon_. Nikobo had -several long gashes in her tough hide, but still managed to grin at -Tandy. - -"I--I must have lost the saw," panted the little boy, pulling himself -wearily up on her back. - -"Never mind the saw. I still have my journal, and look what I caught!" -puffed Samuel Salt, dragging himself up on the other side of the -hippopotamus. "Ship ahoy, Mates, a live and perfect specimen of a -jellyfish boy." Holding up his prize, Samuel smiled blandly, all his -danger and discomfort apparently forgotten. - -"Oh, my eyes, ears and whiskers!" quavered Ato, peering out of his -net of seaweed. "Is it for this we've been scraping our noses on the -sea bottom?" Nodding cheerfully, Samuel plunged the squirming and -transparent little water boy under the surface, holding him there, as -Nikobo swam slowly and painfully back to the ship. - - - - -CHAPTER 16 - -The Storm! - - -Tandy was so exhausted from his dreadful experiences at the bottom of -the sea hole he spent the rest of the morning flat on his stomach on -deck making lively sketches from memory of the City of Seeweegia. Of -the sea hole itself not a sign nor vestige remained. The sea, tumbling -through the breach made by Nikobo, had closed it up forever and ever. -Ato had Roger fetch bandages and witch hazel down to the raft and it -took him two hours to bind up the cuts and hurts of the faithful -hippopotamus. Then climbing wearily up the rope ladder to the deck, he -spent another hour rubbing himself with oil and liniment, muttering -darkly about reckless collectors who got themselves and their shipmates -collected. - -"What would WE have done if you'd never got out of that air bowl?" -scolded Ato, waving the bottle of liniment at the Captain, who was -cheerfully changing into dry clothes. "_You_ know _I_ know nothing -about navigation nor one sail from t'other." - -"Ah--but what you know about sauces!" retorted Samuel, rolling his -eyes rapturously. "Of course, I'll grant a ship cannot sail on its -stomach, but if the worst had come to the worst, you could have left -a note for the sails on the binnacle. 'If it comes up a blow, tie -yourselves up.' Ha, ha! Tie yourselves UP!" Jamming his feet into his -boots, Samuel blew a kiss to his still muttering shipmate and tramped -down to the hold to settle his jellyfish boy in one of the large -aquariums. The water boy, about half the size of Tandy, was a jolly -enough looking specimen, but kept opening and shutting his mouth like -a fish and staring anxiously from his captor to Mo-fi in the cage -opposite. Whistling happily and unmindful of the cuts and bruises he -had suffered, Samuel filled the bottom of the aquarium with pebbles -and shells, put in several seaweed plants he'd fished up in the nets, -and soon had the little stranger as happy and cozy as a clam. Giving -him and Mo-fi a wafer of fish food, the Royal Explorer of Oz went above -to have a look at the weather, for he did not like the way the ship was -pitching. - -In spite of the desperately fatiguing morning they had had, it seemed -the voyagers were in for some further excitement. The sky had grown -dark and threatening. Dark clouds in ever-increasing numbers scudded -along from the east; the sea, rough and angry, was full of racing -little whitecaps. Nikobo's raft plunged and rocketed up and down like -a bucking bronco, flinging the hippopotamus from side to side and -bringing her with squealing protests up against the rail first on one -side and then on the other. Fearing for her safety, Samuel with Tandy's -help rigged a temporary derrick to the mizzenmast, hove his vessel -to, and bidding Nikobo swim round to the side, cleverly hoisted her -to the main deck by a hook caught through her harness. Nikobo took it -all quite calmly, coming down with a thankful little grunt, glad to be -with her shipmates in the gale that was lashing the sea into a rolling, -tossing fury of mounting gray water and foam. - -The wind had risen now almost to hurricane proportions, and taking in -all sail and with only a tarpaulin lashed in the main rigging, Samuel -prepared with bared poles to ride out the storm. Ato, always ready and -helpful in a crisis, trudged up and down the heaving decks with pails -of hot soup and coffee, and after a hasty lunch, all hands fell to -closing ports, battening hatches and removing from the decks all loose -gear and equipment. As it was impossible to shove Nikobo through the -door of the main cabin, Samuel lashed her tightly to the mizzenmast and -with an old sail round her shoulders the hippopotamus anxiously watched -the mountainous waves breaking over the bow and running down into -the scuppers. It was all so wild and new, so dangerous and exciting, -Tandy begged Samuel to let him stay on deck. Much against his better -judgment, Samuel finally gave his consent, tying Tandy fast to Nikobo -and the mizzenmast. If anything happened to the ship, reflected Samuel, -fighting his way back to the wheel, the hippopotamus could keep Tandy -afloat and take care of him besides. - -Ato and Roger, not being needed on deck and not caring for storms, shut -themselves up in the main cabin for a game of checkers. But checkers -and board soon flew through the air, and the two had all they could do -to hang on to their chairs as the _Crescent Moon_ pitched headlong into -the cavernous hollows and struggled up the mountainous ridges of the -great running seas. - - - - -CHAPTER 17 - -The Old Man of the Jungle! - - -In the splendid white marble Palace in the splendid White City of -Ozamaland the nine Ozamandarins sat in solemn conference. - -"This time we have succeeded," stated Didjabo, chief of the nine Judges -of the realm, "this time we have succeeded and our plans may now be -accomplished. Last time, we merely destroyed the King and Queen, -neglecting to do away with the Royal Off-spring, Tazander Tazah, and -for that reason we failed utterly. So long as this boy survived, the -natives insisted on considering him their rightful King and Ruler. But, -hah! that prophecy we invented about an aunt carrying him off was a -clever and useful idea--eh, my fellow Zamians? Now as the child, with a -little help on our part it must be confessed, has really been carried -off and destroyed, we can blame these same silly females, and they and -all the royal family can be tossed into the sea to pay for this heinous -crime. Ha, ha! Quite an idea, a famous idea!" murmured Didjabo, and the -eight Ozamandarins nodded their narrow heads in complete and satisfied -agreement. "Leaving the throne clear for us--the Nine Faithful Servants -of the People!" Again the Ozamandarins nodded, but Didjabo, slanting -his cruel little eyes up and down the long table, was already making -plans to destroy the lot of them and have the whole great country for -himself. - -"But how can we be sure the boy is destroyed and out of the way?" -questioned Lotho, the second Ozamandarin in point of rank and power. - -"Because," Didjabo curled up his lips in a hard little smile, "the Old -Man of the Jungle has brought us proof. Boglodore! BOGLODORE! It is our -wish that you appear before us." - -At Didjabo's call there was a slight rustle and stir behind the -curtains in the doorway, and an immense wrinkled old native clad only -in a turban and loin cloth stepped noiselessly into the Chamber of -Justice. Without waiting for further orders, Boglodore began in a high, -dismal, droning voice: - -"Following the commands of the highest among you, I, Boglodore the -Magician, did carry off on my famous, never known or seen flying -umbrellaphant the heir and small King of this country, coming down -after two days, on Patrippany Island. Not wishing to destroy the boy -with my own hands, I left him to the wild beasts and savage Leopard Men -known to inhabit this island. That, as you know, was five months and -two weeks ago. Having just returned from a second flight to the Island -where I found no trace or sign of the boy, I can safely assure you -that he is no more, that he has undoubtedly been killed by the savages -or the wild beasts of the jungle." There was not a trace of pity or -remorse on the cruel flat faces of his listeners as Boglodore finished -this shameful recital. - -"In that case there is nothing left to do but punish the royal aunts -and family, issue a proclamation of our accession to power, and divide -up the Kingdom," mused Lotho, drumming thoughtfully on the table with -his long skinny fingers. - -"But do not forget my reward," wheezed Boglodore firmly. "For this -cruel and infamous deed I was promised one tenth of Ozamaland and I -am here to claim as my share the entire jungle reach of this country. -Extending his arms, the old man of the jungle advanced threateningly -toward the long table. - -"Ha, ha! Just listen to him now," sneered Didjabo, gathering up his -papers and looking insolently across at the angry native. "Have a care -what you say, fellow. Too much of this and you'll go over the cliff -with the royal relatives. Now, then, clear out! Your work is done! If -you ever set foot in this city again, you shall be trampled beneath the -feet of the royal elephants!" - -"Ah--hhh!" Boglodore recoiled as if he had been confronted by a -poisonous reptile. "So that's to be the way of it? Aha! Very good! I -will go. But do not think this is the end! It is but the beginning!" -Snapping his fingers under the long noses of the Ozamandarins, the old -man, not bothering with the door, leapt out the window and vanished -into the garden. - -"Do you think that was quite wise?" questioned Teebo, third in rank of -the Ozamandarins. "This fellow and his flying elephant are dangerous -and may do us a world of harm." - -"Do not forget, anything he says will involve himself, and he'll have a -hard time proving to the people that it was on my orders the young King -was carried off." - -"Oh, hush!" warned Lotho, glancing nervously over his shoulder. "Not -another word!" Shrugging his shoulders and rising to indicate that the -meeting was over, Didjabo started pompously for the door. "I will go -now to prepare a Royal Proclamation explaining that as the young King -has not after exhaustive search been found or located, the authority -and governing power of the state shall pass to us, the Nine Faithful -Ozamandarins of the Realm! We can then meet again and here in this star -and barred Chamber of Justice divide the Kingdom among us." - -"Very well, but see that you remember it is to be divided!" Staring -fixedly at Didjabo, Lotho strode away, colliding violently at the door -with a small breathless page who was entering on a veritable gallop. - -"Your Honors! Your Ozamandarin Majesties!" shrilled the boy, wildly -waving his trumpet instead of blowing upon it. "A ship--there is a ship -with four masts beneath the chalk cliffs, a strange ship with full -sail is riding into our harbor." - -"There, there, don't shout!" snapped Didjabo, seizing the boy roughly -by the shoulders. "Go back at once and discover what flag this ship -flies from her masthead. Quickly now. RUN!" - -"What could it mean? Where could it be from? Such a thing has never -happened before!" muttered the others, hastening over to the long -windows. - -"Confoundation!" raged Didjabo as the page with frightened stutters -turned and ran out of the Hall of Justice. "This ruins everything. -Who are these meddling foreigners? And why do they have to arrive -now of all times? NOW! Lotho! Teebo! Call out the camel corps and -the white elephant guard. Have them drawn up in war formation on the -chalk cliffs. You others!" impatiently Didjabo waved his arms at the -six remaining Ozamandarins, "See to the defense of the palace! If -these meddlers set foot upon our territory they are to be trampled -upon, trampled upon--do you understand?" Nodding with fierce and cruel -determination, the eight tall Keepers of the White City set about -carrying out Didjabo's orders. Didjabo, hurrying up to the highest -tower in the castle, looked through his telescope to see what manner -of ship had come sailing out of the west to spoil or postpone his -well-laid plans. - - - - -CHAPTER 18 - -A New Country - - -Driven by the pitiless wind, pounded by the merciless sea, the -_Crescent Moon_ rode before the gale, coming, toward morning, into -quiet waters at last. The sky, now pale grey instead of black, showed -a small single star in the east, and with a huge sigh of weariness and -relief Samuel let go the anchor and bade his crew turn in all standing. -This they were only too glad to do, sleeping heavily and thankfully in -their clothes, Nikobo still wrapped in her sail snoring like a whole -band of music beneath the mizzenmast. - -Tandy, to whom the storm had been a thrilling adventure, was the first -to waken. Still stiff and bruised from the pounding he had taken as -the _Crescent Moon_ tossed and pitched in the terrible seas, he sprang -eagerly out of his bunk, curious to know where the storm had carried -them. - -The morning mists, lifting like a shimmering veil or the curtain of -a stage on some new and strange scene, showed a long white line of -chalk cliffs to the east, and beyond the cliffs the dim outline of a -great and splendid city. With joy and lively expectations Tandy had -run out on deck, but now, after a long look over the port rail, he -crept silently and soberly back to his cabin, closing the door softly -behind him. Later, as the sun rose higher, and his shipmates awoke, -the excited screams of Nikobo and Roger and the eager voices of Samuel -and Ato told him that they too had seen the bright land beyond the -cliffs. Already Samuel was clewing up his sail and above the rattle in -the rigging Tandy could hear the rasp of the anchor cable as it came -winding over the side. But he only bent lower over the fat book in his -lap, and when the Read Bird, loudly calling his name, came hurtling -through the port-hole, he did not even look up. - -"Land! Land and MORELAND!" croaked Roger, dancing up and down on the -foot of the bunk. "None of your pesky islands this time, but a whole -long new continent. What in salt's the matter, youngster, this is no -time to be a-reading! Come on, come on, the Captain's looking for you!" -As Roger peered sharply down at the book in Tandy's lap two tears -splashed on the open page. Quickly brushing two more off his nose, the -ship's cabin boy unwillingly met the puzzled gaze of the Read Bird. - -"Roger," demanded Tandy in a smothered and unsteady voice, "which is -most important, being a King or being a person?" Roger, his head on one -side, considered this for a moment and then spoke quickly. - -"Well, you can't be a good King without being a good person, so I -should say, being a good person is most important." - -"But it says here," with a furious sniff Tandy put his finger on the -middle paragraph of the page, "'In no circumstances and for no reason -may a King forsake his country nor desert his countrymen.'" - -"What's that? What's this? Humph! _Maxims for Monarchs._ Well, what in -topsails do we care for that musty volume?" Giving the book a vicious -shove, Roger, forgetting how much he had formerly praised Ato's fat -volume, fluttered down on Tandy's shoulder. "So THAT'S it!" he burst -out explosively. "This pernicious country yonder is Ozamaland. Well, we -can't spare you and that's final. They didn't know how to treat a good -King when they had one, now let 'em practice on somebody else. Say the -word, m'lad, and we'll put about and sail away as fast as a good ship -can take us! CAPTAIN! Master Salt! Deck ahoy! All hands 'HOY!" Without -waiting for Tandy's answer, Roger skimmed through the port and winged -over to the Captain. - -"Wait! Wait!" sputtered Tandy, hurrying aft where the officers and -crew of the _Crescent Moon_ were now engaged in earnest conversation. -"Don't you remember you wanted some of those creeping birds and flying -reptiles, Captain? Well, this is the place!" puffed the little boy, -waving his arm toward the cliffs. "This is Ozamaland and I've got to go -ashore. It's really all right," he continued earnestly as Samuel began -unhappily rubbing his chin, "it's been a grand voyage and I've learned -a lot, but a King has to stick to his post, hasn't he?" - -"Not all the time," snapped Ato, giving his belt an indignant jerk. -"You stuck to your post and they stuck you in a tower and then in a pig -pen in the jungle. So what do you owe them? Nothing, say I, absolutely -nothing!" - -But Samuel Salt, regretful as he was to lose this handy young artist -and cabin boy, felt that Tandy must decide the matter for himself. "If -you're as good a King as you are a seaman, I'm not the one to hold you -back," he sighed sorrowfully. "But just let these lubbers start any -more nonsense and I'll give them a taste of the rope. HAH! And we'll -not be leaving you till everything's shipshape, and you can lay to -that!" - -"I'm not leaving you at all," snorted Nikobo, lumbering hugely over to -Tandy and almost flattening him against the port rail. "I'll miss this -ship worse'n the river, and Ato's cooking and the Captain's stories and -Roger's jokes, but wherever Tandy goes I go, and that's flat!" - -"Just plain noddling nonsense, putting him ashore," fumed Ato angrily. -"He's not old enough to manage these wild tribesmen and scheming -aristocrats. Besides, we need him on this expedition, and you know it." -Samuel, sighing deeply, smiled at Tandy and Tandy, sighing just as -deeply, smiled back. - -"Never you mind," promised the former Pirate with a wink that somehow -lacked conviction, "there'll be other voyages!" And seizing the wheel, -he began tacking in toward Tandy's homeland. But he had lost all -pleasure and interest in charting for the first time on any map the -long continent of Tarara and adding strange animals and plants to his -ever-growing collection. Losing Tandy spoiled the whole expedition for -him, and by taking longer and wider tacks he delayed their landing to -the latest possible moment. - -But at last there they were in the very shadow of the chalk cliffs -and with no further excuse for not going ashore. Nikobo had agreed to -carry them and had abruptly heaved herself overboard, sending up a -fountain of spray as high as the ship itself when she struck the water, -thus astonishing no end the watchers on the bank. Tandy, after running -down to the hold to say goodbye to Mo-fi and have a last look at the -jellyfish boy, regretfully joined the others at the port rail. Having -brought nothing aboard the _Crescent Moon_, he insisted on leaving in -the same way, soberly waving aside all the gifts and presents Ato and -Samuel sought to press upon him. Clad only in the leopard skin he had -worn on Patrippany Island, he swung nimbly down the rope ladder. The -Captain and the cook, in honor of Tandy's homecoming, had donned their -finest shore-going togs, and Samuel, with a scimiter in his teeth, -and Ato, armed as usual with his bread knife and a package he refused -to explain, followed him more slowly down the ladder. Then they all -climbed aboard the hippopotamus. - -Roger, flying ahead with some Oz flags just for luck, could not help -comparing the brown, hard-muscled young seaman with the skinny, fretful -boy they had taken on at Patrippany Island. Trying to comfort himself -with Tandy's improved health and spirits, he looked curiously at the -great company assembled on the cliffs. All of the Nobles and their -families in flowing white robes were present and many of the immense -turbanned tribesmen who happened to be in the capital had gathered to -see for themselves the first ship that had ever touched the shore of -Ozamaland. Beyond the Nobles and natives Roger could see row on row of -white guards mounted on enormous white elephants and snow-white camels. - -"Trouble, trouble, nothing but trouble!" mourned the Read Bird drearily -to himself. Tandy, familiar with the whole coast, guided Nikobo to -the only possible spot for landing and, grunting and mumbling, the -hippopotamus hauled herself up on the rocks, glancing sharply and -suspiciously at the little boy's subjects. A narrow path wound and -curved up through the cliffs and, puffing and panting, Nikobo finally -made her way to the top, where she stood uncertainly facing the milling -multitude. - -"Hail and greetings!" called Samuel Salt, raising his arm to attract -their attention, for the crowd looked both dangerous and unfriendly. -"We are here to return to you safe and sound your lost King, Tazander -Tazah, rescued by us from the wild jungle of Patrippany Island." - -"King? King?" shrilled a dozen shrill and unbelieving voices. "Where? -Where?" and everyone craned his neck to get a better view of Nikobo and -her three curious riders. "Is it really our lost and stolen Kinglet?" - -"Yes!" cried Tandy, springing erect. "I am Tazander Tazah, King's son -and son of a King's son. You are my lawful subjects and Ozamaland is my -Kingdom!" A little shiver of excitement ran through the crowd at these -words. - -"He does in truth resemble our young ruler," murmured one Noble to -another, "though much stronger and more bold." Drawing a long sword, he -waved it imperiously above his head. "Summon the Ozamandarins," he -called loudly. "They will decide whether this be our King or some small -Impostor, and DEATH to all strangers and enemies who come in ships to -lay waste our realm." - -"Oh, hold your tongue!" advised Ato, settling himself more comfortably -between Nikobo's shoulders. "Who are you to challenge the Royal -Explorer of Oz, the King of the Octagon Isle--" - -"And his Royal Read Bird," piped Roger, flying savagely round and round -the head of the speaker. - -"Yes, who are you to challenge the rightful ruler of Ozamaland?" cried -Tandy, folding his arms and gazing calmly out over the curious throng. - -"Hi, is this the young slip they kept locked in the tower? Hoo, -Hoo!" yelled an old tribesman, brandishing his long lance. "He's the -salt of the sea and the sand of the desert. Shame on you, Zamen, -not to recognize and welcome your young King. _I'm_ for you, young -one, down to my last breath!" In spite of these brave words, the -nobles, natives and guards made no move or motion to let Nikobo pass -through. Then suddenly there was a break in the crowd and the nine -square-hatted Ozamandarins stepped rigidly forward. And nine taller, -thinner, meaner-visaged rogues, decided Samuel, lovingly fingering -his scimiter, it had never been his misfortune to encounter. Didjabo, -recognizing Tandy at once in spite of his new and seaman-like bearing, -was the first to speak. - -"The blessing of the stars, moon and sun upon you!" cried the wily -chief, bowing rapidly ten times in succession, "And upon these -strangers who have brought you safely back to these shores! Welcome, -most welcome, small King and ruler of the Ozamanders!" Speaking calmly -but with black fury in his heart to have his plans so unexpectedly -thwarted, Didjabo advanced rapidly toward Nikobo. "And now that you -are here and really safe, we must see that you are locked securely in -the White Tower of the Wise Man away from all future hurt and harm!" -Reaching the side of the hippopotamus, he put up his hand to help Tandy -dismount. - -"But I'm not going back to the Tower!" said Tandy, looking the Chief -Ozamandarin straight in the eye. "Ever! I'm riding on to the castle, so -kindly order some refreshments for my friends and shipmates." - -"Hi, Yi, Yi!" approved the old tribesman, pounding the cliff with his -lance. "Here's a King for us. What good did your Tower do before, old -Square-Hat? He was carried off in spite of it, wasn't he? Well, trot -along now and do as he says; he's the King, and I'm here to see he -gets his rights!" Shocked by the determination in Tandy's voice and the -evident delight of the crowd at his defiance, Didjabo put up his hand -for silence. - -"It is the law of the land that the nine Ozamandarins shall guard -the life and preserve the health of the country's sovereign," stated -Didjabo in his cold and impressive voice. "Until this boy becomes of -age he must be cared for and protected from his enemies. Forward, -guards! On to the Tower! You OTHERS!" Didjabo nodded disagreeably at -Samuel Salt, Ato, Roger and Nikobo, "You others may return to your -ship, where a suitable reward will be sent out to you. We are deeply -indebted to you for finding our King, but the law of Ozamaland says -that all foreigners landing on our shores shall instantly and without -delay be flung over the cliffs. In your case we graciously permit you -to leave. Come, Tazander!" - -While Samuel Salt could not help admiring the way the old Ozamandarin -was trying to keep the upper hand, he had no intention of leaving till -he had assured himself that Tandy was in safe and proper hands. "But -surely you will wish to hear the story of how we found this boy and -explain how he happened to be on that jungle island!" observed Samuel -mildly. "Step back, my good fellow, Nikobo has large feet and she just -might happen to tread on you." - -"Yes," wheezed Nikobo sullenly, "I just might happen to do that very -thing." Slipping round to the other side of the hippopotamus, Didjabo, -paying no attention to either remark, tried to pull Tandy to the -ground. But the little boy, remembering Roger's advice about lubbers -gave him a fast and sudden poke in the nose that sent his hat flying -off and the Ozamandarin himself rolling head over heels. - -"Hurray, Hurray! Avast and belay! And down with old Square-Hats -forever!" shrilled the Read Bird, while Ato and Samuel exchanged -a proud and pleased glance. While the other Ozamandarins stood -uncertainly, the crowd, long weary of the rigid rule of the nine -judges, began to laugh and cheer. - -"The King is King! Long live the King!" shouted the old tribesman -vociferously. - -But Didjabo pulling himself furiously to his feet, flung up his arm. -"Guards! Guards!" he screeched venomously, "Do your work! Save this -poor, misguided child from these unspeakable foreigners or we are all -lost. Can you not see they are savages, sorcerers and enemies? Seize -the King and over the cliff with these hippopotamic invaders!" - - - - -CHAPTER 19 - -Boglodore's Revenge - - -The word "hippopotamic" seemed to rouse the undecided guards to action, -and Samuel, as the crowd moved uneasily aside to let the elephant and -camel mounted guardsmen through, heartily wished himself back on the -ship. Nikobo, squealing with rage and defiance, began moving cautiously -back toward the path down the cliffs, but Ato, who had been merely -biding his time, tore open his package and began tossing right and left -the tumbleweeds and creeping vines which fortunately it had contained. - -The first creeper caught Didjabo, bound him up and laid him by the -heels before he could issue another order. Taking careful aim, -Ato threw a creeping vine at each of the other Ozamandarins. The -tumbleweeds, whirling beneath the feet of the elephants and camels, -caused them to fall to their knees, tossing their riders over their -heads, and between the yells of the guards, the squeals of the camels, -and trumpeting of the elephants, confusion was terrific. The natives -and Nobles and all who could still move or run set off at top speed for -the city without once looking behind them. Muttering angrily under his -breath, Ato continued to hurl vines and tumbleweeds till none was left. -Unable to advance an inch, the white guard and their mounts rolled and -groveled together in the deep sand. - -"Now we can go on to the palace!" cried Tandy, a bit breathless by the -suddenness of it all. "Oh, Ato, how did you ever happen to bring those -plants along?" - -"I suspected some of these subjects of yours were villains," answered -Ato grimly, "and the only way to meet villains is with villainy. -Forward march, my Lass! On to the King's castle!" - -Picking her way around the fallen men and beasts, Nikobo, snorting at -each step to show her superiority and contempt, set out for the Royal -Palace. Of all the people who had run out on the cliffs, besides the -securely bound Ozamandarins and the guard, only the old tribesman who -had first cheered Tandy remained. - -"Oh, please do come with us," invited Tandy earnestly as the old man -stepped smilingly out of Nikobo's way. "You could tell me all about the -tent dwellers and help me so much if you would." - -"I am Chunum, the Sheik, head of a thousand tribes and speaking for -them, I can say they all will proudly and gladly serve your brave -young Majesty. Too long have the city dwellers ruled this great -liberty-loving land." - -"Then over the side and under the hatches with 'em," cried Roger, -beside himself with joy and exuberance at the neat way Ato had handled -Tandy's subjects. "This boy's an able-bodied seaman and explorer and -will stand no nonsense!" - -"My sea is the desert," said Chunum, striding jauntily along beside -Nikobo, "and my ship is a camel, but I'll wager we'll understand each -other well enough for all that." - -To Tandy, conversing eagerly with Chunum, the splendor of the White -City of Om was an old story, but to the others it seemed, with its -flashing marble walks, great waving palms and towering dwellings and -castle, one of the loveliest capitals they had yet visited. - -Word of the happenings on the cliff had traveled fast. Longing to -welcome the young King, but fearing the strange magicians who had come -with him, the Nobles had barred themselves in their fine houses and the -natives had fled to the hills beyond the city gates. The many-domed -marble palace was absolutely deserted when Nikobo pushed her way -through the wide doors. Not a footman, page or courtier was in sight. -Seeing no attention or service was to be had for some time, Ato hurried -away to the kitchens and was soon happily at work preparing a splendid -feast to celebrate Tandy's homecoming. - -Tandy himself felt quiet and sad, examining with scant interest and -enthusiasm the splendid rooms which he had never yet been allowed to -live in. To tell the truth, he would have traded the whole castle for -his small cabin aboard Samuel's ship. Samuel himself, never really -happy or comfortable ashore, wandered about aimlessly, opening books on -the long tables, peering out windows, and finally settling with a sigh -of resignation in a huge chair beside the throne. - -Nikobo had found a long pool and fountain in the same room and, lying -at full length in this luxuriant marble bath, tranquilly waited for -events to shape themselves. - -"Why not sit on your throne?" asked Roger as Tandy seated himself on a -small stool beside Samuel Salt. - -"Oh, it's much too big for me," sighed Tandy, thinking how very big and -lonely the palace would seem when all his shipmates had gone. - -"Aho, and methinks you are right! Ahoy, the beginning of a beautiful -idea doth at this moment start to seep through the head feathers, of -which, _more_ anon!" Chunum, who had never before heard a bird talk, -stared at Roger in amazed interest and surprise, but giving him no more -satisfaction than a mischievous wink, the Read Bird flew off to help -Ato with the dinner. And now Samuel proceeded to tell the old tribesman -how he had found Tandy in the jungle imprisoned in the wooden cage. As -he finished, Chunum shook his head in stern displeasure. - -"It has long been my conviction and belief," he stated solemnly, "that -the Ozamandarins are at the bottom of this. Every year they usurp more -and more power, and keeping the young King shut up in the Tower was -but an excuse to give them their own will and way. Nor can I believe -that the royal parents of this boy accidentally fell into the sea as -they were reported to have done, or that the young aunts mentioned in -the prophecy had anything at all to do with Tandy's abduction. Tell me, -how long will the vines hold those villains prisoner, for only that -long is Tazander safe. We must think and act quickly," said Chunum, -tapping his staff thoughtfully on the floor. - -"The vines will not unwind for two days and before THEN--HAH!" Samuel -expelled his breath in a mighty blast and sprang purposefully to his -feet. "Before then we shall put those fellows in a very safe place -for Tandy and for them too, shiver my timbers!" Taking Chunum by the -shoulder, Samuel started toward the door, and seeing the two intended -to leave the castle, Nikobo climbed out of the fountain and offered -to carry them. Tandy nodded absently as the two left the castle, his -thoughts still far away on the _Crescent Moon_, and considering the -work they had to do, Samuel and Chunum were well pleased to leave him -behind. - -With surprising speed the hippopotamus made the return trip to the -cliffs. The effects of the tumbleweed had evidently worn off and the -guards and their mounts had fled with the rest of the inhabitants -of White City to the hills. But the nine Ozamandarins still lay in -their curious cradles in the deep coarse sand. As Samuel and Chunum, -in absolute agreement as to what should be done, rolled off Nikobo's -back, a furious bellow and screech brought them up short. Nikobo, -startled out of her usual calm, fell back on her haunches and after one -horrified look upward buried her head in the sand. - -"It can't be!" cried Samuel, clutching Chunum's sleeve. "It can't be, -but it is!" - -"An elephant, a flying elephant!" panted Chunum, dragging Samuel from -under the immense shadow. "Flatten yourself in the sand, seaman, -and we may yet be spared." As Samuel, more amazed than scared at so -strange and curious a specimen, and even vaguely hopeful of capturing -the unwieldy creature, made no move, Chunum dragged him down by main -force. The elephant meanwhile lighted like some gigantic butterfly on -the edge of the cliff. Fairly bleating with fright and terror, the -nine Ozamandarins watched him swooping toward them with a sinister and -soundless speed. Just behind his ear perched Boglodore, the Old Man of -the Jungle, looking cruel and ugly as the genie of all evil. - -"Revenge! Revenge!" shrilled the turbaned native, clenching his fists. -"Now shall Boglodore have his reward!" Addressing himself to Chunum and -Samuel Salt, the Old Man of the Jungle began screaming out the story -of his wrongs. "For these scheming rascals I carried away on Umbo, -my great and useful umbrellaphant, the young King of this country. -For this I was to receive one-tenth of the Kingdom, the Ozamandarins -themselves to divide the rest of the country among them. But Hah! -What happened?" Dancing up and down on the elephant's head, Boglodore -again clenched his fists, his face distorted with rage and fury. "What -happened? Why, these miserable cheats refused to pay me, intending to -keep the whole country for themselves. But hearken well, you and YOU!" -Jerking his thumb contemptuously toward his rigid and helpless enemies, -the Old Man continued his story. - -"All along I have suspected these thieving Zamans; all along I intended -to fool them and return the little King to his castle, keeping only -the jungle for my own. That is why I built the boy his cage in the -jungle and set Nikobo, the great hippopotamus, to watch over him, -giving her the power of speech and the desire to seek out and protect -this unfortunate child of an unfortunate country. I am a magician and -could well bring about these things. You, whoever you are, who found -and brought him back to Ozamaland did no more than I myself intended to -do and intend to do now. After restoring Tandy to his throne, I meant -to deal with his enemies, and now as they are so neatly bound up and -ready, I shall reward them well for their pains and treachery." - -"Stop! Stop! Avast there and belay!" shouted Samuel Salt as the -umbrellaphant, obeying an order from the terrible Old Man, picked up -Didjabo in his trunk and flew swiftly toward the cliff's edge. But -Chunum, again dragging Samuel down, whispered fiercely in his ear. - -"It is justice, seaman, and only what we ourselves planned to do. The -vines will keep these rogues afloat for two days, then haply they will -sink--not to die, as death comes not to the people of my country, but -to lie for long forgotten ages at the bottom of the sea, harmless and -sodden, and unable to do any more harm to the country they have so -dishonorably served and betrayed!" - -Shuddering and in a tense silence, Samuel and the Sheik watched the -umbrellaphant toss the wretched Ozamandarins one after the other into -the sea. The immense zooming monster fascinated the Captain of the -_Crescent Moon_. Not wings, but a balloon-like structure of its own -tough skin billowing over its back like a howdah, enabled Umbo to -navigate in the air. Samuel was anxious for further talk with the Old -Man of the Jungle, but as the last Ozamandarin fell over the cliff the -umbrellaphant, with a trumpet of defiance, headed rapidly for the open -sea. - -"Look! Look! It's getting away!" cried Samuel, rushing to the cliff's -edge and almost tumbling over. "Do you realize that there goes the only -umbrellaphant in captivity?" - -"Well, well, and what if it is?" muttered Chunum, again pulling Samuel -back to safety. "I expect Boglodore does not find this country healthy -after the pretty story he has just told us, and come, COME, Master -Seaman, what would you do with a flying elephant aboard your ship?" - -"I'd tie it to the mast and carry it back to Oz," explained Samuel, -staring gloomily after the disappearing prize. "Why, it would be the -most rare and amazing specimen ever brought back from anywhere, and -now--now--I've lost it--" Samuel's arms dropped heavily to his sides -and turning away from the cliff, he began walking slowly back toward -Nikobo, who had at last ventured to lift her head from the sand. -Surprised enough was the hippopotamus to learn that she had been given -her power of speech by the ugly little magician on the umbrellaphant, -and frightened lest she forget Tandy's language, she began talking -rapidly to herself. - -"But you forget what all this means!" panted Chunum, catching up with -the Explorer and shaking him energetically by the shoulder. "Why, this -clears up the whole mystery. Not an AUNT but an ELEPHant carried -Tazander to Patrippany Island. We must return quickly to the castle -and release his innocent relatives. I myself will call back Tandy's -frightened subjects and tell them of the great good fortune that has -befallen, that we are rid of nine rogues and have a brave young King -to rule Ozamaland. Come, come, do not stand here dreaming about lost -elephants; there is much to be accomplished and done." - -"Goosewing my topsails, you're right!" breathed Samuel Salt, coming -completely out of his reverie. "Round up the citizens, comrade, and -I'll carry the good news to the castle." - - - - -CHAPTER 20 - -King Tandy - - -When Samuel reached the castle, he found Ato and Roger had set a small -cozy table in the Throne Room, and Tandy was anxiously looking out of -one of the gold-framed windows for his return. The whiffs from the -covered dishes were so appetizing the Royal Explorer of Oz was almost -inclined to let his news wait till afterward. But thinking better -of it, he blurted out the whole story of what had happened to the -Ozamandarins. - -"Then they're all gone and done for," sniffed Ato, seating himself at -the head of the table. "Well, a couple of hundred years at the bottom -of the sea should soak all the sin and wickedness out of 'em! And you -say it was an umbrellaphant that carried Tandy off? My! and MY! Dear, -dear and DEAR! Just pour me a cup of coffee, Roger. I'm feeling weaker -than soup!" - -"Well, how do you suppose _I_ feel," grumbled Samuel Salt, throwing his -hat up on a bronze figure, "to lose an elegant specimen like that? Why, -I'll wager we'll never see another creature like it!" - -"There! There! Always talking about the elephant that got away instead -of appreciating your good fortune!" scolded Ato, throwing a corn muffin -down to Nikobo and lifting the gold cover off the roast fowl. - -"Yes, and you'd better listen to OUR news, Master Salt!" Roger said, -pouring a cup of coffee for all hands. - -"News? NEWS? Has anything happened here?" Samuel looked more anxious -than interested. - -"Oh, YES!" cried Tandy, running round to his side of the table and -pressing eagerly against Samuel's knee. "Roger has a wonderful plan and -I as King of Ozamaland have agreed to it, and oh, Samuel, SAMUEL!" -Forgetting he usually called the tremendous seaman "Captain," Tandy -flung both arms round his neck and almost squeezed the breath out of -him. "I'm going straight back on the _Crescent Moon_, and I'm not -coming ashore for years and years. I'm going with you to Ev, Oz, Elbow -Island and everywhere!" - -"What?" spluttered Samuel Salt, disentangling himself with great -difficulty and holding Tandy off at arm's length. "Are you joking? Are -you crazy? Have you abdicated or what? Why, this is too good to be -true!" - -"But it _is_ true!" insisted Roger, strutting up and down the table and -illy concealing his pride and satisfaction. - -"Oh, tell him, tell him," begged Tandy, too happy to speak for himself. - -"Well," said Roger, spreading his wings self-consciously, for the -plan was his and he felt prouder of it every minute, "we are placing -Ozamaland under the general rule and protection of Oz and leaving as -Ruler in Tandy's place that long-legged son of the desert, Chunum. Now -there's a fellow who can handle these scary Nobles and natives and wild -elephant and camel riders. A King must complete his education before he -starts ruling, you know." Roger paused to scratch his head and wink -gaily at Samuel Salt. "And if this King chooses to finish his education -on our ship, that is his own affair." - -"Oh, quite! Quite!" Samuel began to rock backward and forward and -roar with merriment. "Roger, you rascal, you've done as good a job of -reasoning as a whole flock of Wise Men! Fall to, Mates, now we can -enjoy our victuals and I give you a toast to King Tandy, Cabin Boy, -Explorer and Artist Extraordinary to this Expedition!" - -"Tandy! Tandy!" echoed Ato and Roger, lifting their coffee cups. - -"Tandy! Tandy!" mumbled Nikobo, who was lunching largely and -luxuriantly on the flowers in a low window box. "When do we sail?" - - - - -CHAPTER 21 - -A Voyage Resumed - - -Anxious as Tandy was to return to the _Crescent Moon_ and continue the -voyage, it was a whole week before they finally shoved off. Chunum, -true to his word, had rounded up the frightened citizens of the -capital and explained to them the wicked plots of the Ozamandarins and -their punishment by Boglodore, the Old Man of the Jungle. Then Tandy, -addressing them from the castle balcony, called upon them to consider -Chunum as their King until he himself should have completed his -education in foreign parts and aboard the _Crescent Moon_, during which -time he promised to keep them always in mind and have their welfare -always at heart. Next, Tandy explained how Ozamaland was now a province -and under the general rule and protection of Ozma of Oz, how settlers -from that famous fairyland would soon arrive to help them build new -cities and towns, tame the wild jungles of the interior and repel the -dangerous invasions of the Greys. - -Here Chunum rose to declare he himself would be responsible for peace -along the border between Amaland and Ozamaland, that the Greys had long -desired to be friends with the Whites, but trouble had been stirred up -by the Ozamandarins so they might have the credit of protecting the -country. Then Tandy spoke again of all the advantages that would be -enjoyed from their association with the Kingdom of Oz. It was a long -and splendid speech, Roger and Tandy having spent the whole morning -in its preparation, and delighted and surprised by the energy and -ambition of their young Ruler, Tandy's subjects cheered him long and -vociferously, greeting each new plan and proposal with loud acclaim and -enthusiasm. The royal aunts and relatives, already released from the -castle dungeons and restored to their royal dwellings, could not speak -highly enough of their young relative's bravery and cleverness and -the bravery and cleverness of all of his new friends. They quite wore -Nikobo out with their questions and petting and the hippopotamus sighed -hugely for the time when they would all be at sea. - -"Was I right or was I wrong?" questioned Roger on the third afternoon -as Tandy, resplendent in his court suit of white velvet, reviewed -the vast parade of Loyal Nobles and Natives, and the long lines of -elephants and camels went sweeping by the palace. "They love you just -as much for going away as they would if you stayed. And Chunum is a Man -in a Million." - -"Right!" Tandy nodded, waving happily to the crowds that in a high -holiday mood thronged the walks and parks of the beautiful White City. - -Chunum had taken Samuel Salt and Ato on an expedition into the jungle -so that the Royal Explorer of Oz could procure a creeping bird and -flying reptile for his collection. Nikobo, old jungaleer that she was, -had gone along to see that no harm came to them. To Tandy a snake with -feathers and a bird with scales and fangs was no novelty, but Samuel, -returning with a pair of each, considered them the most peculiar and -precious of his queer specimens. He carried their cages everywhere he -went and spent long rapt hours watching the snakes fly and the birds -creep about their new cages. Ato had discovered a new and rare fruit -and had brought along several slips to plant in the rail boxes he had -outside the galley. Nikobo had swum to her heart's content in a green -and muddy jungle stream and all three were now quite ready and anxious -to continue the voyage. Aboard the _Crescent Moon_ one of the Guards -had been established to feed the monkey fish and water boy and tend -to the plants in the hold and serve as watchman. And early one bright -morning, just a week after they had landed, the members of the Royal -Exploration Party of Oz set forth from the palace. - -Oz flags fluttered and snapped in the fresh morning breeze, mingling -with the white banners of Ozamaland, and the streets and avenues were -lined with Tandy's cheering and now quite cheerful subjects. Riding -Nikobo, accompanied by Chunum on a white elephant and the entire camel -corps and elephant guard, the party made their way down to the water's -edge, feeling exactly, as Ato whispered in a laughing undertone to -Roger, like a whole circus and a zoo. Besides Roger, Tandy, Samuel Salt -and Ato, Nikobo carried two large cages and two small cages. In the -small cages were the flying reptiles and creeping birds. In the large -cages a baby white camel and a baby white elephant. - -"You'll sink, my Lass," worried Samuel Salt, as Nikobo, having safely -made her way down the rocky cliff road, waded confidently out into the -sea. - -"Not me," murmured the hippopotamus comfortably. "You may get wet, but -I'll get you safely out to the ship. Trust me." - -"Goodbye! Goodbye, all!" cried Tandy, standing up on her back to wave -to the crowds collected on the cliffs. Now that he was leaving, he felt -a strange fondness for them. "Goodbye, Chunum! I'll be back, never -fear!" - -"Goodbye, Little Fellow! Goodbye, Little King! A fair and far-away -voyage to you," called the tall old desert chief, standing up in his -stirrups to wave his long lance. "To the sun--the moon--the stars I -commend you! Go in happiness and return in health and live long to rule -over Ozamaland." - -"You take care of the country and we'll take care of the King," shouted -Samuel. "Goodbye! Goodbye! Be watching, all of you, for the ships from -Oz!" - -"Goodbye! Goodbye!" called the Nobles, the natives, the guards; even -the elephants and camels raised their shrill voices in farewell as -Nikobo swam strongly away from the shore and toward the _Crescent Moon_. - -The guard left in charge of the ship thankfully turned the vessel -over to its rightful owners and, shaking Tandy feelingly by the hand, -climbed down the ladder and dropped nervously on the back of the -hippopotamus, who was to carry him to shore. - -"Here, Brainless, lend a hand with the freight," yelled Roger as Tandy -stood gazing rather thoughtfully toward the cliffs. "The King's ashore! -Long live his cabin boy! I'll carry these pesky reptilia if you take -the camel." Roger winked at Tandy as Samuel Salt, bent double under -the baby elephant's cage, started carefully down to the hold. The baby -camel and its cage were so small Tandy could manage them quite easily, -and with a little laugh he hurried after Samuel and Roger. By the time -they had finished Nikobo had returned from her shore trip and climbed -thankfully back on her raft. - -"All hands stand by to heave up the anchor," bellowed Samuel, stepping -cheerfully over to his sail controls. "Anchors aweigh! and away we go, -boys, and the hippopotamus take the hindmost!" - -"Ho, ho! Well, she's built for it," roared Ato, bending his weight to -the cable as sail after sail rattled up the masts and bellied out from -the yards. "Where to now, Sam-u-el? Oz?" - -"OZ, I should say not! We've a lot of geography to discover before we -go back to Oz. We'll need a roc's egg before we go there, eh, Tandy? A -roc's egg and sixty more islands for Ozma's Christmas stocking." - -"Oh! Will we really spend Christmas in Oz?" cried Tandy, skipping up -and down the deck, and forgetting all about his subjects waving from -the cliffs. - -"Why not?" demanded Samuel Salt, letting his hands fall happily upon -the wheel. "Oz is as merry a place as any to spend Christmas, eh, -Roger?" - -"Merry as eight bells!" cried Roger, flying joyfully into the rigging. -"Ahoy! Ahoy! Nothing but sea t'seaward!" - -And when the _Crescent Moon_ flies over Ev and drops down the Winkie -River on Christmas morning with its chart full of islands and curious -continents and its hold full of strange beasts, plants and treasure, I -for one should like to be there, shouldn't you? - - THE END - - * * * * * - - - _A Word about the Oz Books_ - - -Since 1900, when L. Frank Baum introduced to the children of America, -THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ and all the other exciting characters who -inhabit the land of Oz, these delightful fairy tales have stimulated -the imagination of millions of young readers. - -These are stories which are genuine fantasy--creative, funny, tender, -exciting and surprising. Filled with the rarest and most absurd -creatures, each of the 39 volumes which now comprise the series, has -been eagerly sought out by generation after generation until today they -are known to all except the very young or those who were never young at -all. - -When, in a recent survey, _The New York Times_ polled a group of -teen agers on the books they liked best when they were young, the Oz -books topped the list. - - * * * * * - - Captain Salt In Oz - - -A voyage on the famous Nonestic Ocean! What could be more thrilling -than that? We--many of us--have taken trips on the prosaic Atlantic -or even Pacific, but have we found a SEA FOREST with flying fish and -swimming birds? Have we been pursued by a real SEA SERPENT, or had -our ship transfixed by the immense ivory tusk of a NARWHAL? Have we -come upon the glittering island of PEAKENSPIRE, or made friends with a -charming talking hippopotamus? - -Yet all these things and more befall Captain Salt, one time Pirate and -now Royal Explorer of Oz, and his merry crew. They come back with their -hold bursting with unique and fascinating specimens, with their chart -crowded with new islands, claimed for Ozma, and drawn so realistically -by the delightful little boy Tandy, Cabin Boy and Artist of the -Expedition. - - * * * * * - - - The Oz Books - - Wizard of Oz - Visitors from Oz - 1. The Land of Oz - 2. Ozma of Oz - 3. Dorothy and the Wizard - 4. The Road to Oz - 5. The Emerald City of Oz - 6. The Patchwork Girl of Oz - 7. Tik-Tok of Oz - 8. The Scarecrow of Oz - 9. Rinkitink in Oz - 10. The Lost Princess of Oz - 11. The Tin Woodman of Oz - 12. The Magic of Oz - 13. Glinda of Oz - 14. The Royal Book of Oz - 15. Kabumpo in Oz - 16. The Cowardly Lion of Oz - 17. Grandpa in Oz - 18. The Lost King of Oz - 19. The Hungry Tiger of Oz - 20. The Gnome King of Oz - 21. The Giant Horse of Oz - 22. Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz - 23. The Yellow Knight of Oz - 24. Pirates in Oz - 25. The Purple Prince of Oz - 26. Ojo in Oz - 27. Speedy in Oz - 28. The Wishing Horse of Oz - 29. Captain Salt in Oz - 30. Handy Mandy in Oz - 31. The Silver Princess in Oz - 32. Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz - 33. Wonder City of Oz - 34. Scalawagons of Oz - 35. Lucky Bucky in Oz - 36. Magical Mimics in Oz - 37. The Shaggy Man of Oz - 38. The Hidden Valley of Oz - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Captain Salt in Oz, by -Ruth Plumly Thompson and L. 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