The Fairy Beavers
The Mifkets uttered cries of rage as they observed the escape of theirintended victims, and rushed forward to follow them. But immediately agreat flood of water began falling just at the place where the childrenand John had entered, and as the Mifkets recoiled from this new dangerour friends heard a soft voice say, with a little laugh:
"They will not dare to follow you now. Come with me, and be careful notto slip."
John looked down, and saw a handsome beaver standing beside him. Hisfur was the color of silver, and upon his head was a tiny golden crownset with jewels so bright and sparkling that the rays lighted thedim place like so many sunbeams. The Beaver King's face was calm anddignified, and his eyes kindly and intelligent. Without further speechhe led the way far under the roaring waterfall; and the space betweenthe dark wall of the dam and the sheet of water was so narrow that theair was filled with a fine spray, which moistened John's gingerbreadin a way that caused him great uneasiness.
But, lighted by the radiance of the King Beaver's crown, they sooncame to a place directly under the center of the fall, and here theirconductor halted and tapped three times upon the surface of the wall.It opened instantly, disclosing a broad passage, and through this theKing led them, the wall closing just behind them as they entered.
The noise of the waterfall now sounded but dimly in their ears,and presently they emerged into a large vaulted room, which was sobeautiful that the little Princess clasped her hands with a long-drawnsigh of delight, Chick laughed, and John removed from his head thecrumpled and soiled silk hat that he had clung to ever since he hadleft the bakery.
He had seen beautiful rooms in the Island of Romance, but nothingthere could compare with the magnificence and grandeur of this hallof the Fairy Beaver's palace. The walls were set thick with brilliantjewels, arranged in a way that formed exquisite pictures, all ofthese borrowing color from the natural tints of the gems. The ceilingwas clustered with tiny glass globes, in each of which was a capturedsunbeam; and these lent a charming radiance to the splendid room. Manycushions were strewn upon the floor, and the floor itself was of gold,richly engraved with scenes depicting the lives and adventures ofbeavers.
While our friends admired the loveliness of the Hall of the Beavers,the silver-furred King spoke again, in his soft voice:
"You are now underneath the deep water formed by our dam, which wasbuilt by the beavers who were our forefathers many years ago, andwhich has endured until now. But in all the years of its existence thelittle Princess and the Incubator Baby are the first human beings tobe admitted to our fairy palace. Your companion, my dears, is merelygingerbread, and lives by means of fairy powers that make him a fitcomrade for fairies the world over."
"It was very good of you to save us from the Mifkets, and we aregrateful," said the girl.
"You're all right!" added Chick, emphatically.
"I am glad to be of service to one so sweet and beautiful," returnedthe King, with a dignified bow toward the Princess, "and to one somerry and frank," he continued, turning to Chick. "And now, if you willkindly follow me, I will show you the rooms of my palace, and introduceyou to my people. You must be content to remain my guests until I canfind means to restore you to the freedom of the upper world in whichyou are accustomed to exist."
He led them through the gorgeous hall and along delightful passagesinto various rooms. Some were large and some were small, but all wereextremely beautiful, and Chick wondered greatly at the extent of thisunder-water palace, the existence of which no one could suspect whostood in the forest above, beside the dam of the beavers.
"Are all beavers' homes like this?" asked the child.
"No, indeed!" answered the King, laughing softly. "They are usuallyhouses composed of mud, mixed with bits of wood and the leaves andbranches of trees. But I am King of the Beaver Fairies, who watch overthe fortunes of all ordinary beavers and take care of them. We areinvisible, even to beavers; and the eyes of mankind can never see usunless, as in your case, we permit them to do so. These rooms seemto you deserted, but I assure you they are filled with many beaverfairies, who are even now watching you with much curiosity."
Both the children started at hearing this, and glanced hastily around;but nothing but the walls of the palace met their gaze, and the Kingsmiled upon them indulgently.
"At our banquet, this evening," said he, "I will permit you to see mypeople. But now please come to the music-room, where you may enjoy thestrains of harmony that provide us with one of our chief amusements."
He led the way to another room, the roof of which was dome-shaped. Fromdifferent points in this dome projected the ends of many silver tubes,and near the floor of the room, directly underneath each of the tubes,was placed a plate of glass or of metal.
The King invited his guests to seat themselves, and then pressed adiamond button that was placed in the wall. This allowed the water fromthe river above them to drip slowly through the silver tubes; and asit fell, drop by drop, on the plates beneath, it made sounds that werevery sweet and harmonious. The metal plates gave out deep and resonantsounds, while the smaller glass plates tinkled melodiously as thedrops of water fell upon them.
Neither Chick nor the Princess recognized the first tune that wasplayed, for it had been composed by one of the Fairy Beavers; butafterward the King played "Home, Sweet Home," for them, and "AnnieLaurie"; and the music so exquisitely sweet and soft that the girldeclared she would never have imagined that sounds so delightful couldbe produced, and Chick pronounced the entertainment "all right."
The gingerbread man was also pleased; for it was the first real musiche had ever heard, and it soothed and comforted him beyond measure.
The Fairy King seemed glad to give his new friends pleasure; and whenthe Princess remarked that she would like to know what the Mifketsthought of their sudden escape, the beaver led them to what he calledthe "Observation Room." In it was a square box, draped with black silkand having a window in one side.
Seating the girl and her companions before this window, the King said:
"You will now observe what the Mifkets are doing."
Instantly a picture appeared in the box, and it seemed that throughthe little window they were gazing upon a section of the forest theyhad recently left. There were the Mifkets, indeed, with Black Oobooand the Arab among them, and all were quarreling and fighting amongthemselves in their usual way, and trying to decide what had become ofthe gingerbread man and the children.
"They are drowned and at the bottom of the river, by this time," BlackOoboo said; and his words came as distinctly to their ears as if theyhad been standing beside him.
"I hope not," answered Ali Dubh; "for I've never yet had a single biteof the gingerbread man, although I bought and paid for him."
IN THE "OBSERVATION ROOM"]
Then the scene changed, and they saw Para Bruin climbing slowly up theside of the steep hill to his den. He seemed none the worse for hisroll down the mountain and his bath in the river, and they noticed thathe laughed and chuckled to himself as if much amused.
"That was a good fight," John Dough heard him murmur, in the bearlanguage; "and I'm mighty glad I was in time to save the Princess,Chick, and the delicatessen man. They're safe enough with the beaversby this time, the white rabbit says!" Then he laughed again; and,reaching the top of the hill, entered his cave and lay down to rest.
Again the scene changed, and the Princess beheld the open sea, uponwhich floated the boat that bore safely her father and mother. Theyseemed to be quite comfortable, and the girl was pleased to see thatthey had put enough provisions and fresh water into the boat to lastthem during a long voyage. The man, although little, was strong, andpulled sturdily at the oars; and the woman steered the boat in theright direction.
Our Princess was very glad to see these sights, and to know Para Bruinwas safe, and that her dear parents had escaped the fierce Mifkets.In company with her friend Chick and the gingerbread man, she wanderedthrough the
palace during all that afternoon, seeing many wonderfulthings that the Fairy Beavers had provided for the comfort andamusement of their community. It was, indeed, a little world by itself,placed under land and water, where no mortal could guess its existence.
In the early evening the King escorted them to a splendid banquethall, where a long, low table was set in the center of the room. Thedishes were all of sparkling cut-glass, and the eatables proved tobe very delicious foods made from vegetables that grew at the bottomof the river, together with fish and lobsters and oysters, and manyrare sweetmeats that could only have been created by the magic of thefairies themselves.
Around the long table were rows of silken cushions; but when thechildren and the gingerbread man entered, the room seemed deserted byall save themselves and the King.
His Majesty the King of the Fairy Beavers sat upon a cushion at thehead of the table and graciously placed the Princess and Chick close tohis right hand and John Dough at his left. Then he blew softly upon asilver whistle, and at once before the eyes of his guests appeared rowsof Fairy Beavers, occupying the cushions beside the low table.
They were all pretty to look upon, having silvery fur as soft as satin,and large dark eyes that regarded the strangers pleasantly and withoutfear. From the neck of each was suspended, by means of silken cords, arichly embroidered cloak, exquisitely woven from a material unknown tothe Princess, and blazoned with an emblem denoting the rank or degreeof the wearer. Also each of the Fairy Beavers wore a jeweled circletupon the brow; but none of these was so magnificent as the diadem oftheir King.
While our friends gazed wonderingly upon the Fairy Beavers, the Kingintroduced them, saying:
"This is a little mortal Princess named Jacquelin, whom I haveprotected because her heart is as fresh and innocent as the daisiesthat grow in the fields. This is Chick, known also as the Cherub, anIncubator Baby without relatives, but who is not lacking in friends.And this is John Dough, a strange creature, having the form of a man,made out of gingerbread. He is not exactly a fairy, but lives throughthe magic of a fairy compound known as the 'Great Elixir,' and istherefore not responsible for being alive and is liable to perishbefore he has grown very old. Each of these guests is, I believe,worthy of our friendship and protection, and I trust that my peoplewill join me in welcoming them to our palace."
Answering the King's speech, all the Beaver Fairies gracefully arosefrom their cushions and bowed thrice--once to the Princess and once toChick and once to John Dough. Then they all reseated themselves anddrank to the health of their guests from dainty tumblers no bigger thanharebells, which contained water as pure as crystal.
Then, while the feast began, a chorus of black beavers entered andchanted a pretty song; and afterward other beavers, so small that thePrincess thought that they were quite young, entered and danced aminuet for the amusement of the entire company.
Chick and the Princess Jacquelin were really hungry, and although thechildren at first feared the food placed before them was not such asthey could enjoy, they tasted some of the dishes and found them sodelicious that both ended by eating heartily, and afterward decidedthey had never enjoyed a meal so much.
Of course John Dough missed the pleasure of eating, but he had a goodtime listening to the music and watching the dancers; so he was quitecontent. Later he amused the company by telling the story of hisadventures since he had come to life in the bake-shop. He spoke in thebeaver language, so that all understood him; and even the Princesscould understand most of his speech, for the portion of gingerbread shehad eaten had conveyed to her some share of the powers of the GreatElixir. The Fairy Beavers were much interested, and loudly applaudedthe recital.
After dinner the girl was escorted by six pretty Beaver Fairies toa cosy little room decorated with pink and white shells, which werepolished smooth as glass. There was no regular bed in the room, but thebeavers heaped many of the soft cushions into a corner, and upon thesethe Princess lay down and slept very peacefully until the next morning.Chick had a room of blue and gold, in the four corners of whichperfumed fountains shot their sprays into the air. The tinkling soundsof these fountains might have soothed any child to sleep, yet Chickcould have slept as soundly in the open forest as within this luxuriousroom.
John Dough also was supplied with a room in the palace; but as he didnot sleep he had no need to lie down, and so amused himself during thenight by looking at the beautiful pictures that decorated the walls andceiling. Most of these depicted the work of beavers engaged in buildingdams and houses; John found them very interesting, and therefore passeda pleasant night.
Soon after daybreak the Beaver King came to John and escorted him tothe Observation Room, where he found Chick and the Princess--who hadalready risen and finished their breakfasts--gazing earnestly throughthe window of the black box. He also approached the box to gaze at theshifting pictures, and discovered that the forest had become as quietas usual, the Arab and Black Ooboo having returned to the villagein the clearing, and only a few of the Mifkets being left to wanderalong the sides of the brook and watch the waterfall at the dam of thebeavers.
"Now," said the Fairy Beaver to the girl, "I can do one more thing toplease you. Make a wish, Princess, and I will grant it."
THE PRINCESS EMBARKS IN THE SUBMARINE]
"Thank you!" she cried, eagerly. "I wish to rejoin my dear father andmother, wherever they may be."
"Very well," returned the King; "come with me."
He led them through many passages, until they reached a sort of tunnelthat brought them to a rocky cave under the river bank, some distancebelow the waterfall. The water of the river covered half the floor ofthe cave, and upon the sandy beach at its edge rested a large glasscylinder, which was pointed at both ends and had a door in the top.Harnessed to one end of the glass tube were twenty-four strong beavers,who sat motionless beside it.
"The boat in which your father and mother are still riding is far outin the ocean," said the King to the Princess; "but in this submarineboat you will be drawn by my swimming beavers so swiftly that thejourney will not seem long to you."
"Are we not to go with the Princess?" asked the gingerbread man.
"There is room for only one more in the boat," replied the King, "sothe Cherub and you must bid farewell to your friend, in order that shemay safely rejoin the parents she so dearly loves."
"I'm sorry," said John, sadly.
"I'm sorry, too," declared the little Princess, "for you have been verygood to me, John Dough. Yet my parents need me more than you do, and itis my duty to rejoin them."
"That is true," said John. "Good bye, little friend, and may your lifebe long and happy."
Chick said nothing, but hugged the little girl in a long and warmembrace and kissed both her pretty cheeks.
The King now opened the door in the top of the cylinder and the girlstepped inside. The space was just big enough to permit her to lie downcomfortably, and the bottom of the cylinder had been thickly coveredwith soft cushions brought from the palace.
When the King had closed and fastened the door, he gave a signal tothe four-and-twenty beavers, and at once they dashed into the water,drawing the glass submarine after them, and began swimming withpowerful strokes down the river. They swam well under the surface ofthe water, and the glass boat followed them without either touching thebottom or rising to the top.
At first the Princess was much bewildered by her strange journey, forit seemed as if the water was pressing upon her from all sides. Butpresently she realized that she was quite safe in the glass tube, andbegan watching curiously the pretty weeds and water-flowers that grewat the bottom of the river, and the queer fishes that swam around her.
The speed of the swimming beavers was surprising. It was not long,indeed, before they reached the mouth of the river and swam boldly outinto the sea. Jacquelin had no idea of the direction they took, but shetrusted to the wisdom of her friend the Fairy Beaver, and was not atall frightened.
And now the sights that she saw were very s
trange indeed; for theseaweeds were of most gorgeous hues, and there were not only big andlittle fishes of every description, but brilliant sea-anemones andjelly-fish floating gracefully on all sides of her.
The journey was long, but not at all tiresome, and the girl had notrealized how far she had been drawn through the waters of the oceanwhen a dark gray object appeared just overhead, and the beavers came toa halt.
Slowly the glass cylinder rose to the surface of the waves, and Jac sawjust beside her the boat containing her parents. The girl's mother alsosaw, to her great surprise and joy, the form of her daughter lying inthe glass case, and at once unfastened the door and assisted the childto crawl out and scramble into the boat.
The first act of the little Princess was to kiss her father andmother delightedly, and then she leaned over the side of the boat andrefastened the door of the cylinder.
"Tell your King that I thank him!" she called to the beavers, tryingto speak their own language; and the intelligent little creatures musthave understood, for the glass cylinder sank swiftly beneath the water,and she saw it no more.
Many days the Princess and her parents rode in the boat, until onemorning they came to another small island and ventured to land upon it.They found it to be a beautiful place, inhabited by no savage beasts ofany sort, and containing a grove of trees that bore figs and bananasand dates and many other delicious fruits.
So they built themselves a cottage on this island, and lived there inpeace and happiness for many years.