CHAPTER X
"Well," said Leo, "you are not going to stop, I hope."
"Oh no," said Paz, cheerfully, "I can spin yarns with any sailor. Whatwill you have now?"
"Something funny."
"I wish I could oblige you, but fun is not my strong point. I went fromGreenland to the South Seas one day in search of a laugh, but I failedto find it; indeed I came near doing worse, for in getting into the hoopof a native's nose-ring for a swing--just by way of a new sensation--Iforgot to make myself invisible, and he caught me, thought I was aspider, and would have crushed me, had not a baby put out its littlehands in glee to play with me. I can assure you I was for a time averseto trying new sensations."
"How did you get out of your scrape?"
"I travelled down that baby's back in a hurry, and hid in an ant-hill;he poked about with his little black fingers for a quarter of an hour,but he did not find me. Ah, those were the days of my youth!"
"Do you ever have anything to do with witches?"
"Mark my words, ghosts and witches live only in the imagination of sillyhuman beings. We useful people scorn them. Now imps might be said tobelong to the same family were it not for the proofs we have of theirexistence. They are everlastingly getting children into trouble bysuggesting things to them they never would have thought of--"
"Such as what?"
"Do you suppose I am going to tell you? No, indeed; they can do it fastenough for themselves. Persons who take too much wine are their mostconstant companions; they pounce upon them and twitch and tease andtorment them until the poor wine-bibber trembles from head to foot. Theywon't let him sleep or eat or think, and fairly drive him crazy. Oh,imps are really to be dreaded! But I must now begin my second story."
PAZ'S SECOND STORY
"There was to be a grand birthday festival among the Fays, who inhabitthe tropics. The wind fairies had brought us news of it as well asurgent invitations for our royal family to be present; but so deeplyengrossed was our King at that moment in supplying the oil wells ofPennsylvania with petroleum that he could not absent himself. The Queennever goes from home without her liege lord.
"The princes and princesses were all too young, and could not be allowedto leave their lessons; so the regrets were inscribed on lotus leaves,and sent by special messenger--a bird of the Cypselina family. He was agreat sooty-black fellow, with a tinge of green in his feathers,strong, well able to fly, as his family generally do from America toAsia. But the gift could not be intrusted to him. I was chosen as bearerof that.
"Much discussion had taken place as to what this gift should be. It wasdesirable that nothing ordinary should be offered, for the Fays are, asa rule, fastidious. Gems they possess in abundance. Flowers are socommon that their beds are made of them. Their books are 'the runningbrooks,' and their art treasures hang on every bough. The Queen hadwoven a veil of lace with her own fingers; it was filmy and exquisite,but my heart sank within me when she declared that nothing less than awreath of snow-flakes must accompany it. To obtain this wreath and carryit to the Fays as a birthday gift was to be my duty.
"How should I accomplish it? I dared not suggest the difficulties, forat once I should have been displaced, and another elf chosen for theperformance of this arduous task. Besides, if it could be accomplishedby any one, I must be that person, having always been unwilling ever toallow difficulties to deter me from any duty. Pride of the right sortis a great help. I went to the frost-workers and told them what Iwanted. They said they could imitate any flower; but the Queen hadexpressly said that the wreath must be of snow-flakes. Now the fantasticimpulse of a snow-storm is well known, but it is not so generally knownthat there is a scientific accuracy even in the formation ofsnow-flakes."
Here Paz stopped, shook his head, smiled, and said, "I do believe I amas bad as Knops."
"Please go on," said Leo.
"Well, you must forgive me, for I shall have to tell you that thefrost-workers said there were no less than a thousand different formsamong the crystals of which snow-flakes are made.
"Now how could I tell what pattern to choose? It was impossible; so Itold them I should have nothing to do with the pattern. 'Make thewreath,' said I, 'box it, and I will carry it, or die in the attempt.'
"They did so. The crystals were more beautiful than diamond stars. Theyput it in a solid square of ice, which was packed in charcoal and straw,and then cased in cocoa matting. To this I attached cords, and slung itabout my neck. The veil, in a satin case half an inch square, was in mywallet.
"I started in the track of the marten that carried the despatches, butchanged my course many times, striving to keep in cold currents.Finding, however, that as I neared the Equator this was impossible, Itook to the sea, and went down to its highway. Of course I had ongarments impervious to water--that is to say, water-proof--and my walletwas as dry as a bone; but not being in the habit of travelling underocean, my eyes were a little affected by the salt, and I becameconscious that I was being followed.
"Fishes, you know, are not down on the hard rocky bed of the sea, and Ihad passed the homes of mermen, so I was puzzled to know who could be myenemy. I would not so much as betray my fears by looking behind, and Ihad enough to do in looking forward, for at every other step there werefissures which had to be leaped, deep abysses to be avoided, chasms tobe crossed, and sands which might ingulf me.
"Still, as I struggled on, I could hear the sound of other feetfollowing mine, now nearing me, now farther away, as my speed asserteditself. It made me shiver to think what might be my fate, and I canhonestly say that the thought of failing to fulfill my errand bore asheavily upon me as the sense of personal dangers; for it is a greatthing to be trusted, to be looked upon as honest and true, and deemedcapable of transacting affairs even of small moment.
"But this was not a trifling matter. The neglect to deliver this giftcould bring about serious trouble. The Fays were our friends, andfriendship is never to be slighted. It is not kind to allow selfishmatters to stand in the way when we are bidden to a joyous celebration,and had not our King felt that the claims of man were more urgent thanthose of the Fays he would have attended this feast in person. As hecould not, the gift was to represent him. I trust I have made it clearto you."
"Quite so," said Leo. "But I am crazy to know who was following you."
"So was I at that time, and I resolved to get into the first empty shellI could find where I might hide. There was soon an opportunity. A heapof cast-off shells presented itself, and I popped into an enormous crabcover, where I waited for my unknown companion to overtake me.
"As the steps came near I peeped carefully out, and what should I seebut an ugly South American river-wolf, about three and a half feet long,with a short, close fur of a bright ruddy yellow. I could not imaginewhat had brought him after me, but the ways of the wicked are oftendifficult to explain. There he was, and if once he could get me withinreach I was lost. On he came, snuffing and barking like a dog, making myvery hair stand on end. I waited for him to pass, but I think hisinstinct must have told him I had paused, for he began to turn over theshells with his ugly nose, as if searching for something. My singleweapon was a small dirk, as we kill only in self-defence.
"Bracing myself against the wall of my slight shelter, I stood inexpectation of an assault, and I had not long to wait. With an angry cryhe rushed upon me. His size seemed to me enormous, but my little knifewas a trusty blade, and with a great effort I drew it across hisdreadful throat.
"I will not dwell on these particulars. I had overcome my enemy. Iresumed my journey, and soon came to a region of the most beautifulwater-plants growing in greatest profusion. I knew by these that I wasnot far from the home of the Fays.
"I neglected to tell you that before starting out the chief frost-workerhad given me a small vial of clear liquid, which, in case of any dangerfrom heat, I was to use for the preservation of the snow-wreath. In mytussle with the wolf this vial must have become partly uncorked, for Ibecame aware of a strong odor diffusing it
self about me, and anoverpowering sleepiness getting the better of me. I had drawn the bottleout, recorked it, and put it away again; but this was no sooner donethan I fell in a sleepy swoon on the roadside.
"I have no idea how long I slept: there is neither day nor night downthere, only a dim sort of twilight, which at times becomes illuminatedby the phosphorescent rays of fishes, or the fitful gleam of oceanglow-worms. I was startled from my swoon by a rattling, dragging noise,and came very near being scooped up by an uncouth-looking iron thingwhich was attached to a cable. It flashed upon me, stupid as I was, thatthis must be a deep-sea dredge; and as I was not at all inclined to behauled up on shipboard, in a lot of mud and shells as a rare specimen ofthe sea, I got as quickly out of the way as possible.
"But it was now time for me to get on _terra firma,_ as Knops would say,or dry land, as I prefer to put it. Among the beautiful vermilion leavesor tentacles of the curious half animals and half flowers I observed avine not unlike the honeysuckle, only of tougher fibre. On this Iclambered up to take a look about me, and discovered that I was muchnearer shore than I supposed. Hardly had I done this when, to my horror,I saw the arms of an octopus stretching towards me, its horid beakprojecting from between its ugly eyes. More alarmed than at any previousdanger, I strove to retain my self-command, but the fearful creature wasalready touching me. Remembering, with wits sharpened by distress, theeffect of the drug in my little bottle, I drew out the cork, and makinga sudden lunge, dashed the ether in its face--if you can so call anypart of its disgusting head.
"Instantly it lost all power over its members, curled up in a writhing,wriggling mass, and I with a bound reached the sandy shore."