_Chap. 22._
TROT LIVES TO TELL THE TALE]
Aquareine was thoughtful for a time. Then she drew from her finger aring--a plain gold band, set with a pearl of great value--and gave itto the little girl.
"If at any period of your life the mermaids can be of service to you,my dear," she said, "you have but to come to the edge of the ocean andcall 'Aquareine.' If you are wearing this ring at the time I shallinstantly hear you and come to your assistance."
"Thank you!" cried the child, slipping the ring over her own chubbyfinger, which it fitted perfectly. "I shall never forget that I havegood and loyal friends in the ocean, you may be sure."
Away and away they swam, swiftly and in a straight line, keeping in themiddle water where they were not liable to meet many sea people. Theypassed a few schools of fishes, where the teachers were explaining tothe young ones how to swim properly, and to conduct themselves in adignified manner; but Trot did not care to stop and watch the exercises.
Although the queen had lost her fairy wand in Zog's domed chamber, shehad still enough magic power to carry them all across the ocean inwonderfully quick time, and before Trot and Cap'n Bill were aware ofthe distance they had come the mermaids paused, while Princess Cliasaid:
"Now we must go a little deeper; for here is the Giant's Cave, and theentrance to it is near the bottom of the sea."
"What, already!" cried the girl, joyfully; and then through the darkerwater they swam, passing through the rocky entrance, and began toascend slowly into the azure-blue water of the cave.
"You've been awfully good to us, and I don't know jus' how to thankyou," said Trot, earnestly.
"We have enjoyed your visit to us," said beautiful Queen Aquareine,smiling upon her little friend, "and you may easily repay any pleasurewe have given you by speaking well of the mermaids when you hearignorant earth people condemning us."
"I'll do that, of course," exclaimed the child.
"How 'bout changin' us back to our reg'lar shapes?" inquired Cap'nBill, anxiously.
"That will be very easy," replied Princess Clia, with her merry laugh."See! here we are at the surface of the water."
They pushed their heads above the blue water and looked around thecave. It was silent and deserted. Floating gently near the spot wherethey had left it was their own little boat.
Cap'n Bill swam to it, took hold of the side, and then turned aninquiring face toward the mermaids.
"Climb in," said the Queen.
So he pulled himself up and awkwardly tumbled forward into the boat. Ashe did so he heard his wooden leg clatter against the seat, and turnedaround to look at it wonderingly.
"It's me, all right!" he muttered. "One meat one, an' one hick'ry one.That's the same as belongs to me!"
"Will you lift Mayre aboard?" asked Princess Clia.
The old sailor aroused himself, and as Trot lifted up her arms heseized them and drew her safely into the boat. She was dressed just asusual, and her chubby legs wore shoes and stockings. Strangely enough,neither of them were at all wet, or even damp in any part of theirclothing.
"I wonder where our legs have been while we've been gone?" mused Cap'nBill, gazing at his little friend in great delight.
"And I wonder what's become of our pretty pink and green scaled tails!"returned the girl, laughing with glee, for it seemed good to be herselfagain.
Queen Aquareine and Princess Clia were a little way off, lying withtheir pretty faces just out of the water, while their hair floated insoft clouds around them.
"Good-bye, friends!" they called.
"Good-bye!" shouted both Trot and Cap'n Bill, and the little girl blewtwo kisses from her fingers toward the mermaids.
Then the faces disappeared, leaving little ripples on the surface ofthe water.
Cap'n Bill picked up the oars and slowly headed the boat toward themouth of the cave.
"I wonder, Trot, if your ma has missed us," he remarked, uneasily.
"Of course not," replied the girl. "She's been sound asleep, you know."
As the boat crept out into the bright sunlight they were both silent;but each sighed with pleasure at beholding their own everyday worldagain.
Finally Trot said, softly:
"The land's the best, Cap'n."
"It is, mate; for livin' on," he answered.
"But, I'm glad to have seen the mermaids," she added.
"Well, so 'm I, Trot," he agreed. "But, I wouldn't 'a' believed anymortal could ever 'a' seen 'em an'--an'--"
Trot laughed merrily.
"An' lived to tell the tale!" she cried, her eyes dancing withmischief. "Oh, Cap'n Bill, how little we mortals know!"
"True enough, mate," he replied; "but we're a-learnin' something ev'ryday."
THE END]
* * * * *
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber Notes: | | | | Note: The equals sign is used to surround underscores to | | surround _italic text_. | | | | Fixed various punctuation. | | | | P. 95. "courses. A lobster spilled some soup on Cap'n Bill's bald | | head" and "and made him yell for a minute, because it was hot and | | he" These two lines were swapped around. | | P. 105. "Yes; and they are the only creatures of the ocean which | | none to-day, for we are going near to the dismal caverns we | | greatly fear," replied Aquareine. "I hope we shall meet where | | they live." These lines were swapped, they should read: | | "Yes; and they are the only creatures of the ocean which we | | greatly fear," replied Aquareine. "I hope we shall meet none | | to-day, for we are going near to the dismal caverns where they | | live." Changed. | | P. 207. Chapter 19 title "King Anco" changed to "King Anko". | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
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