[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
."Did you put your umbrellas down?" asked High Boy, noddingPage 50ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlamiably to the Medicine Man."Why should we put them down?" questioned Herby, puckering uphis forehead, "It was raining!""Of course it was raining.Wasn't I there too, but you mustknow that in our country, the storms come up and the thing to do is to putyour umbrella down and jump in it.Like this," explained High Boy, swinginghis umbrella tail expertly under his telescope legs and standing calmly in thecenter of it."Then when the rain comes, you don't get wet or blown away.Always put your umbrella down when a storm comes up," he finished, jumping outof his umbrella and swinging it back into place.Philador was too surprised to make any remark, but Herby,delighted to see the King's famous steed, put his foot into the stirrup andpulled up into the saddle."Do you know the way to the Emerald City?" he askedbreathlessly."Two mountains and a couple of countries to the South,"answered High Boy carelessly."Up with you Princeling, four legs are betterthan two, especially when they are my kind." To this Philador could agree mostheartily, and swinging himself up in front of Herby, he took the reins hangingloosely round High Boy's neck and begged him to start."I always did want to see the capital," confessed High Boytrotting smartly along the stony mountain path."I hear that there is a sawhorse at the Emerald City, and I want to see whether he is as handsome and asuseful as I am.""He couldn't possibly be as nice," sighed Philador, puttingboth arms round High Boy's neck."You're even better than my sea horse.""Hey! Hey! Well, what do you think of that?" With a snort ofsurprise and pleasure, the King's horse set off for the second mountain atsuch a pace that the wind whistled by like a hurricane."Hold on, boys," he neighed boisterously."I'm your friend forlife!"Page 51ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"A~very~fast friend!" stuttered Herby, clutching Philador bythe belt and wincing each time he struck the saddle.And so up the mountainpounded High Boy, his front legs short, his back legs long and his umbrellatail switching behind him.CHAPTER 11The King of Cave CityTHE same morning that Philador was having his amazingexperiences in the Good Witch's hut and on Joe King's Mountain, Trot and herfriends were having some curious adventures in Cave City."Where are we going?" asked Trot, following the old mer-mancautiously and once almost treading on his tail."To the King," answered the mer-man sadly."Do you call this acity?" sniffed the Scarecrow, looking scornfully down the dim damp corridorsopening to the right and left and the muddy stream of water flowing throughthe center."No, I don't call it a city," wheezed their guide resting fora few moments on his crutches, "but you had better not let the cave men hearyou criticizing their town.It will go hard enough with you as it is." Sighingto himself the old fellow went tapping along on his crutches."Wait till Sillysees you," he mumbled mournfully."Who's Silly?" inquired Benny, picking up a boulder andhurling it into the center of the stream."The King," replied the mer-man without turning 'round."Humph!" chuckled the Scarecrow, winking at Trot, "I've knownmany Kings who acted silly and who looked silly, but I have never met one whocalled himself that.Do you mean to say you call him Silly right to his face?""To his side face," answered the mer-man solemnly."He onlyhas half a face," he added, stopping again."That's all anyone has here.That's all you'll have presently," he predicted gloomily.Page 52ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Half a face!" gasped Trot, putting one hand to her cheek andlooking around uneasily."Why what do you mean?""Are you a cave man?" demanded the Scarecrow, running aroundand planting himself in front of the old mer-man."If you're not, get us outof here.My face may be funny, but I'm attached to it and it's attached to meand nobody can have half of Trot's face either!""Nor mine!" panted Benny, bringing his stone heels togetherwith a resounding click."Show us the way out of here or I'll tread on yourtail.""There is no way out," quavered their guide, sitting down on asapphire rock and waving his tall about sadly."I have been here for years,ever since Mombi stole the Queen of the Ozure Isles and sent Quiberon toplague the Islanders."Mombi! Why Mombi was put out two years ago," exclaimed Trot,dropping down on another rock."Do you mean to say she stole this Queen beforethen? And were those the Ozure Isles we flew over this morning?""Were they jeweled islands?" inquired the mer-man eagerly,"and did you see a City of Sapphires?" Trot shook her head quickly and the oldmer-man, covering his face with both hands began to rock to and fro withgrief."If I could but see the Sapphire City once more, if I could just seethe jeweled rocks and the blue waters of Orizon," he mumbled miserably."Then you're a prisoner, too?" asked Trot, leaning forwardsympathetically."Who are you?" demanded the Scarecrow again."And how is ityou still have both sides of your face?""Because the blue ray could not destroy a waterman," said theold man proudly, and sitting up he told them a strange story."My name is Orpah," he announced sadly, "and I was keeper ofthe King's sea horses.Every morning I would drive them from the jeweledcaverns to graze upon the green plants at the bottom of the lake, bringingPage 53ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthem back when the King and his subjects wished to ride [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]