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Dear Boys and Girls:

So keep writing to me about Oz and everything, willyou? And remember to put your full name and completeaddress 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

CHAPTER 1
Sail Ho!

Eight miles east of Pingaree lies the eight-sided island of KingAto the Eighth. While not so large as Pingaree, the Octagon Isle isnevertheless one of the tidiest and most pleasing of the sea realmsthat dot the great green rolling expanses of the Nonestic Ocean. AndAto himself is as pleasing as his island, enormously fat and jolly witha kind word for everyone.

In his eight-sided castle, he has every modern convenience and comfortand some of which even an up-to-date country like our own cannot boast.For instance, take Roger, his Royal Read Bird. Roger, besides knowingeight languages, can read aloud for hours at a time without growinghoarse or weary. So Ato never has to strain his eyes poring over hiseight hundred huge volumes of adventure and history, nor his armsholding a newspaper or court document, nor his jaw pronouncing thenames of kings and countries in Ev and Oz and other curious places onthe mainland west of his own island. And Roger is as handsome as heis handy, his head and bill rather like a duck's, his body shaped andcolored like a parrot, but much larger, while his tail opens out intoan enormous fan. This is extremely fortunate, for the Octagon Isleis semi-tropical in climate, and on warm sultry days, Roger not onlyreads to his Majesty, but fans him as well. All in all, Ato's life isdecidedly 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 havelittle to do but enjoy themselves. The Octagon Islanders, one hundredand eighty in number, are a sober and industrious lot, rarely givingany trouble.

Once, it is true, they sailed off and deserted the King entirely, butAto, with Peter, a Philadelphia boy, and Samuel Salt, a pirate, wholanded on the Island at just the right moment, immediately set outafter them, using the pirate's stout ship theCrescent Moon, for thepurpose.

By a strange coincidence, Samuel Salt's men had also mutinied andsailed away, so that there were two sets of deserters to seek outand discover. After a dangerous and lively voyage, theCrescentMoon reached the rocky shores of Menankypoo on the Mainland. Herethey learned that the Octagon Islanders and Samuel Salt's men hadbeen enslaved by Ruggedo, the former Gnome King, and marched off toconquer the Emerald City of Oz. How Peter and the Pirate, Ato and apoetical Pig outwitted the Gnome King is a long and other story. Youhave probably read it yourself. But ever since their hair-raisingexperiences with Ruggedo, and their rescue by Ato, the OctagonIslanders have been perfectly satisfied with their own ruler andcountry. In fact, they were so docile and devoted, so fearfully anxiousto please, Ato often wished they would revolt or sass him a little justto relieve the monotony and make life more interesting.

To tell the truth, after serving as cook, mate and able-bodied seamanon theCrescent Moon, Ato found it quite boring to settle down toa humdrum life of a monarch ashore. Roger, too, missed the gay andcarefree life he had led as a pirate and could not even pretend aninterest in the books of adventure he still dutifully read to hisMaster. He and Ato now spent most of their time on the edge of theIsland—the King in a comfortable hammock swung between two palmtrees, Roger on a tall golden perch set close beside him. Whenever theRead Bird paused to yawn or turn a page, Ato would pull himself up toa sitting position, raise the telescope he always had with him andgaze long and wistfully out to sea. Many ships passed Ato's Island,but never a one in the least resembling the splendid three-masted fastsailing 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 isthe use of it, pray?" inquired Roger grumpily, ruffling the pages ofthe Book of Barons. "Samuel Salt has probably forgotten all about usand gone off by himself on a voyage of discovery."

"No! No! Sammy wouldn't do that," said the King, shaking his headpositively. "He promised to stop by for us on the very first voyage hemade as Royal Discoverer of Oz."

"Ho, one of those seafaring promises!" muttered Roger. "A pirate'spromise. Humph! His new honors have gone to his head. Quite a jump frompirating to exploring. I'll wager a wing he's gone back to buccaneeringand forgotten us altogether!"

"Now, Roger, how can you say that?" Heaving up his huge bulk withgreat difficulty, Ato looked reproachfully at his Royal Read Bird."Sammy never cared for pirating in the first place," wheezed the Kingearnestly, "and he was so soft-hearted about planking the captives andburning the ships, his band sailed off and left him. They only made himCaptain because he was clever at navigating, and you know perfectlywell he spent more time looking for flora and fauna than for ships andtreasure."

"Ah, then I suppose some wild Flora or Fauna has him in its clutches,"observed Roger sarcastically, "and a likely thing that is, seeing thepoor Captain weighs but two hundred and twenty pounds and stands sixfeet in his socks."

"What a tremendous fellow he was," sighed Ato, sinking dreamily back inhis hammock and half closing his eyes. "I'll never forget how high andhandsome he looked when Queen Ozma asked him to give up buccaneering,and serve her instead as Royal Discoverer and Explorer for Oz! Anda fitting reward it was, too, for capturing Ruggedo and saving theKingdom. 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," sniffedthe Read Bird disagreeably. "Six months from that day Samuel Salt wasto 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 andtwelve hours, to be exact!"

"Dear, dear and dear! Then something's happened to him," murmuredAto. "He's either been shipwrecked, captured or enchanted! I'll neverbelieve Sammy would forget us or break his promise. Never!"

"Well, whatever you believe, the results are the same." Flapping openhis book, Roger prepared to go on with his reading. "And depend uponit," he insisted stubbornly, "we'll never see Samuel Salt again, soyou may as well put up your telescope and put your mind on somethingelse 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 agoat.

"My cooking?" roared Ato, roused to honest anger at last. "I've anotion 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 ofbiscuits, faster than I; who can brown a fowl, broil a steak or tossout a pan of fried potatoes to compare with mine. I—I, why, I'msurprised at you, Roger!"

Roger, ruffling his feathers uncomfortably, was rather surprised athimself, for the King was speaking the exact truth; a more skillful manwith a skillet it would be impossible to find in any kingdom. Eversince his voyage on theCrescent Moon, cooking had been Ato's chiefpleasure and pastime. The castle chef, though he heartily disapprovedof a King in the kitchen, could do nothing to discourage him, sofinally stood by in grudging envy and admiration as Ato turned out hisdelectable puddings, pies, roasts and sauces.

Muttering with hurt pride and indignation, his Majesty continued tofrown at the Read Bird, and realizing he had gone too far, Rogerstarted to read as fast as he could from the Book of Barons. As he readon, he could see the King growing calmer and finally, pausing to turn apage, 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 intothe air, he spread his wings and started out to sea.

Soothed by the droning voice of the Read Bird, Ato had closed hiseyes and the first warning he had of Roger's departure was a terrificthump as the Book of Barons landed on his stomach. Leaping out of thehammock as if he had been shot, the outraged Monarch looked furiouslyaround for his Read Bird. This really was too much. Not satisfied withinsulting him, Roger must now be bombarding him with books, cocoanutsand what not.

Shading his eyes with his hand, Ato glared up and down the beach andfinally out over the rippling blue ocean. At what he saw there, theKing forgot his anger as completely as Roger had forgotten his manners.For, swinging jauntily into the Octagon Harbor was theCrescent Moonherself! No mistaking the high-prowed, deep-waisted, powerful craft ofthe Pirate. But a new and gayer pennant fluttered from the mizzenmasttoday. Instead of the skull and bones, Samuel was flying the green andwhite banner of Oz, as befitted the Royal Discoverer and Explorer ofthe 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 theRoyal dock and began wading out into the bay. Peering around hiswheel, 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 Iease her in and I'll be ashore quicker than quick." Roger had alreadyreached theCrescent Moon and, perched on the Captain's shoulder, waschattering away at such a rate Samuel could hardly keep his mind on hissteering. But he was an old hand at such matters, and before Ato hadhalf recovered from the shock of seeing him, the shining three-mastedvessel was made fast, and its Master striding exuberantly up the wetplanks of the royal dock.

"Ahoy! Ahoy!" he boomed boisterously. "What a day for a voyage! Is itreally 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 andscimiter? And what's that on your head, may I ask? You don't looknatural or seaman-like at all."

"Oh, don't mind these," grinned the Pirate, touching his three-corneredhat and satin coat apologetically. "These are my shore togs forimpressing the natives. Can't look like pirates when we go ashore thisvoyage, Mates. We're explorers and fine gentlemen now, and when we setthe flag of Oz on lofty mountains and rocky isles, when we bring savagetribes and strange races under the beneficent rule of Ozma of Oz, wemust look like Conquerors. Eh, my lads?"

"Yes—I sup-pose—so!" puffed the King, skipping clumsily to keep upwith the long strides of Captain Salt. "But I'm sorry this is going tobe a dressy affair, Sammy. How'm I to cook in a cocked hat and lacecollar and swab down the deck in velvet pants?"

"Ho, ho! You'll not have to," exploded the Pirate, giving the tailfeathers of the Read Bird a sly tweak. "On shipboard we'll dress as weplease, 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 oldpirate suit and blunderbuss aboard?" inquired the King anxiously.

"Certain for sure, and a couple of new ones, and WAIT till you see yourgalley all fitted out with copper pots, and provisions enough belowto 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 pokein the ribs. "I'm as able-bodied a seaman as you, Sammy, and you knowit."

"SIR Samuel, if you please!" roared the former Pirate, striking himselfa 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 intothe Captain's face,

"Sir Samuel Salt! Well, I'll be peppered!" gasped Ato, sinking down onthe lower step of the palace which they had reached by this time."Sir Samuel!"

"Yes, SIR!" boasted the Pirate, rubbing his hands together, "but comeon, step lively, boys; how long'll it take you to pack up and heaveyour dunnage aboard? Mustn't keep a Knight of Oz waiting, you know!"

"Keepyou waiting?" Suddenly and determinedly, Ato rose to his feetand shook his finger under Sammy's nose. "Keep YOU waiting? Why, we'vebeen ready and waiting for this voyage three years, eleven months,twenty-six days and twelve hours. Where've you been, you great lazy sonof a sea-robber?"

"Four years?" choked the Pirate, falling back in real consternation anddismay. "Never! It's never been four years, Mates. Why, I've scarcelyhad time to sort out the shells and specimens we picked up on the lastvoyage, and to fit out theCrescent 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 Kingaccusingly. "And what would theCrescent Moon be needing? I thoughtshe was about perfect as she was."

"Ah, but wait till you see her now!" exclaimed Samuel, cheering upimmediately at mention of his ship. "TheCrescent Moon, besides anew coat of paint, has self-hoisting sails and a mechanical steeringcontrol in case we wish to take it easy occasionally. The Red Jinnpaid me a visit and presented us with these and several other magicalcontrivances and improvements. I'm minded to make this voyage with nocrew but ourselves. It's cozier so, don't you think?"

"Yes, but am I still on bird watch and lookout duty?" demanded Rogerjealously.

"Aye, aye!" Samuel Salt assured him heartily.

"I suppose the Red Jinn has supplied you with a mechanical cook in myplace as well as a mechanical steering wheel," murmured Ato, tugginguneasily 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 galleyto shuffle my rations, sugar my duff or salt my prog!"

"Hooray, then let's get going!" squealed Roger, bouncing up and downon Sammy's shoulder. "I was only saying this very morning that you'dnever forget your old friends and shipmates or go on a voyage withoutus!"

"Huh! So THAT'S what you were saying!" grunted Ato, looking fixedly atthe Read Bird. "Well, well, let it go. Come along then!"

"Yes, yes, and hurry," screamed Roger, spreading his wings to fly onahead.

"Sixentwo! Sevenanone! Where are you?" panted the King, plunging up thesteps after Roger two at a time. "Where is everybody? Pack a bag, achest, a couple of trunks. I'm going on a voyage of discovery!"

"And don't forget the cook book!" bawled Samuel Salt, boundingexuberantly 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 chestor hamper, Ato began stowing his belongings on theCrescent Moon.There was little court apparel or finery in the King's boxes. Mostof it consisted of bottles of flavoring extract, spiced sauces, cookbooks, minced meats, fruits in jars for pies, numerous frying pans, eggbeaters, and rolling pins.

"Are we gypsies, pan handlers, peddlers or what?" panted Samuel Salt ashe dumped the last load breathlessly on the main deck. "Goosewing mytopsails, Mate, many's the fish we cleaned with a jackknife, and potatowe pared with a dagger on the last voyage. Mean to say an explorerneeds to use all these weapons on his pork and beans?"

Checking off a list as his stuff was placed in the galley, Ato noddeddeterminedly, then winking good-humoredly at the perspiring Captain,ducked into the cabin to don his old sea clothes. Samuel was not longfollowing suit and soon, in short red pants, open shirts and carelesslytied head kerchiefs, the two went below to inspect the stores Samuelhad laid in for the voyage. Roger, having nothing to bring aboard buta few books and a bottle of feather oil, was already perched in thecrosstrees of the fore topgallant mast looking longingly toward theeast and waiting impatiently for the ship to get under way. But thebooming voice of the Pirate soon drew him to the lower deck and fromthere he swooped down an open hatchway to the hold.

This huge space, usually reserved by the pirates for captives andtreasure, had been neatly divided into two sections. In one werethe tinned, dried and salted meats, the groceries, vegetables andextra supplies of rope, tar and sail. In the other section there werenumerous shelves, many iron cages, aquariums and sea chests.

"For any strange animals or wild natives we may encounter and wish tobring home with us," explained Samuel Salt as Roger looked curiously atthe 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 flagplanting," mused Ato, opening one of the sea chests and thoughtfullyfingering one of Ozma's green and white silken banners. "But surely youdon't expect to plant all these, Samuel?"

"Why not?" demanded the Royal Discoverer of Oz with a wave of thescimiter he had resumed with his old pirate pants. "The sea is broadand 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 thechests, Samuel pointed to a stack of long poles lashed to the side ofthe ship with leather thongs. "Stilts!" grinned the Pirate as Rogerand Ato stared at them in complete mystification. "Fine for keepingthe shins dry when we wade ashore and don't feel like lowering thejolly boat. All my own idea." Samuel cleared his throat with pardonablepride. "Of course, it takes a bit of practice, but we'll try 'em on thefirst island we come to. Eh, boys?"

"Well, thank my lucky stars for wings!" breathed Roger after a longdisapproving look at Samuel's stilts. "Two steps and you'll smashyourself to a jellyfish, Ato. Stick to the boats, men. That's MYadvice!"

"Too bad he has no confidence in us!" roared Samuel, giving Ato aresounding slap on the back. "Just wait, my saucy bird, and we'll showyou how stilting is done. And now, gaze upon this corner I've set asidefor my specimens; for rare marine growths, for seaweed, for curiousmollusks and other crustacean denizens of the darkest deep."

Samuel coughed apologetically as he always did when he mentionedhis collecting mania, and Roger and Ato, exchanging an amused grin,swung about to examine the long shelves with iron boxes clamped downto prevent them from shifting with the motion of the vessel, hugeaquariums fitted into brass holders, and large trays bedded with driedmoss and sand for Samuel's collection of shells.

"You might even bring home a mermaid in this," murmured Ato, touchingthe side of an enormous aquarium.

"No women!" snapped Samuel Salt, growing red in the face, for he didnot like to be teased about his specimen collecting. "I'll—I'll haveno women or mermaids switching their tails around my ship and turningthings topsy turvy."

"Right," agreed Ato, giving his belt a vigorous tug. "Then how aboutshoving off, Sammy? Everything's shipshape, there's a good wind andthe best way to begin a voyage is to start."

"I'm for it!" roared the Captain, swinging hand over hand up the woodenladder. "All hands on deck! Up with your Master's flag, Roger. Cast offthe mooring lines, Ato, while I make sail and we'll be out of here in apig's jiffy."

"Aye! Aye!" croaked Roger, seizing the cord that would send Ato'soctagon banner flying to the masthead, directly under the flag of Oz."Goodbye, all you lubbers ashore! Goodbye Sevenanone. Mind you keepthe King's Crown polished and don't forget to feed the silver fish."

"GOODBYE!" called the one hundred and eighty Octagon Islanders drawn upon the beach and dock to see his Majesty sail away. "A fine voyage toyour Highness!"

"And neglect not to return!" shouted Sixentwo, using his hands as amegaphone. "You know there is a Crown Council eight days and eightmonths from yesterday."

"Crown Council be jigged!" sniffed Ato, leaning far over the rail towave to his cheering subjects. "I'm a cook, an explorer—and a bold badseafaring man out to collect islands and jungles and jillycome-wigglesfor Samuel's shell box. Crown Council, indeed! Don't care if I neversee 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 wheelwith a practiced hand and squinting cheerfully up at the sun. "Eastby southeast it'll be this voyage, Mates. There's ice in the NorthNonestic and I've a craving for tropical isles and the hidden riversof some deep and mysterious jungle!"

"Remember Snow Island?" smiled Ato, coming over to stand beside thewheel.

"Shiver my shins! DO I? No more of that, me lads! But Ho! Isn't thislike old times?" Stretching up his arms exultingly, Samuel Salt let hishands fall heavily on the wheel, and the great ship lifting with thewind 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 nogetting at them when you need them most. Well, maybe we'll pick upanother hand somewhere to serve as cabin boy and keep us lively on thevoyage. But take a look at my sail controls, Ato. We can hoist, trimand furl by just touching different buttons, nowadays; set this wheelfor any course and just let her ride."

"Splendid!" grunted Ato, rising reluctantly from a coil of rope. "Butsince there are no buttons on my stove, I'd best be thinking aboutdinner."

"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 friedsole, a broiled steak, or a roaring huge hot peppery meat pasty?"

"All of 'em!" yelled the Royal Explorer of Oz, exhaling his breathin a mighty blast of anticipation. It seemed to Roger, high in theforemast, that the ship gave an extra little skip at its Captain'smighty roar, then settling easily into her usual graceful pace she ransmoothly before the wind.

CHAPTER 3
The Fire Baby

Morning found theCrescent Moon forging ahead with a stiff breeze, achoppy sea and the last known island far behind her.

"Ahoy, and this is the life, Mates!" bellowed Samuel Salt, bracing hislegs against the pitch and roll of the vessel, and waving largely tothe ship's cook who sat on an overturned bucket mending his second bestsea shirt. "Anything can happen now!" Lovingly Samuel let his gaze roveover the sparkling Nonestic, and Ato, squinting painfully as he pushedhis long needle in and out, nodded portentously.

"By the way, Sammy, what are your plans for this flag planting anddiscovery business?" inquired the portly cook somewhat later. Havingfinished his mending, he had dragged a canvas chair and a pot ofpotatoes aft by the wheel. "Do you look for resistance and rebellionwhen we start taking possession of this land and that land for thecrown of Oz?"

"No, no, nothing like that," mused Samuel, removing his pipe andblowing a cloud of smoke into the rigging. "Everything's to be politeand peaceable this voyage. No guns, knives or scimiters. Queen Ozmaparticularly does not want any country taken by force or against itswill."

"And suppose they object to being taken at all?" said Ato, beginning topare a fat potato. "What then?"

"Well, then—er then—" Samuel rubbed his chin reflectively, "we'll trypersuasion, my lad. We'll explain all the advantages of coming underthe flag and protection of a powerful country like Oz. That ought toget them, don't you think?"

"Yes, if they don't get us first," observed Ato, popping a potatodubiously into the pot. "Suppose while we stand there waving flags andpersuading, some of these wild fellows have at us with spears, clubsand poison arrows?"

"Well, that would be extremely unfortunate," admitted Samuel, glancingsoberly 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 armedas usual with my kitchen knife and blunderbuss. I don't intend to besliced into sandwiches while you're talking through your three-corneredhat, and waving flags at a lot of ignorant savages. And I'll have Rogercarry the books ashore too."

"Ho, ho!" roared the Captain of theCrescent Moon, giving his kneea 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 goodmany books on your head before you got mad enough to fight. Whatmakes you so calm and peaceable, Sammy? A big born fighting man likeyourself."

"Sea life, I reckon," answered the former Pirate, extending his brawnyarms in a huge yawn. "The sea's so much bigger than a man, Mate—itrather makes him realize how small and unimportant he really is. Butdon'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. "Islandastern." Both Samuel and Ato stared up in amazement, for Roger wassupposed to be resting in the cabin. But the Read Bird, aftersnatching 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 toreport a new island to the Captain.

"Looks like a mountain," mumbled Ato, setting down his potatoes andwaddling over to the rail. "Heave to, Skipper, here's our firstdiscovery."

"Now how in sixes did that get by me?" muttered Samuel Salt, hurryingto shorten sail for the zigzag course, back and in, he would have totake 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 theCrescent Moon drew nearer, the sea became smooth and oily, and theair sulphurous and hot.

"Think likely this is an island we might well pass by," murmured Ato,peering critically through his telescope. "Positively deserted so faras I can see—but there might be valuable minerals in those rocks."

"Don't doubt it!" Samuel Salt curved himself all the way round thewheel in his interest. Mechanical devices were well enough for the opensea, but Samuel preferred to handle his own ship on occasions likethis. As there was no harbor or safe place to put in, he decided toanchor off shore and land in the jolly boat. The anchor had just goneclanking and rattling over the side when a horrid hiss and boom fromthe 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 sniffthe air. "Volcano, Mates," announced the Captain calmly. "And in thatcase we may be a bit close for comfort. Still, I've always wantedto observe a volcano in action. I've a theory there may be livingcreatures in the center."

"Living creatures in the center!" raged Ato, tearing off his whiteapron and dashing it on the deck. "How long will we be living if thatfire pot starts boiling? We mayn't be killed, being of magic birth, butwe can be jolly well singed, fried, boiled and melted. And after thatwho'd care to be alive? Quick, Roger, heave in on that chain! Anchorsaweigh!"

While Samuel stood in rapt contemplation of the volcano, and Ato beganfrantically winding up the anchor, a long tongue of flame leaped outof the crater and a great jet of bubbling lava shot clear over theCrescent Moon. This occurrence soon brought Samuel out of his revery,and snapping into action and forgetting all about his mechanicaldevices, 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, thehot winds from the volcano whistling and rattling through her rigging.

"Where's Roger?" yelled Ato, staggering across the deck with twobuckets 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 ina sudden flare from the volcano they could see Roger poised over thecenter of the smoking island. In his claw was a large rippling bannerof Oz and as they looked he lifted the banner high above his head andflung it straight into the center of the boiling crater.

"We hereby take complete and absolute possession of this island anddeclare all its inhabitants lawful subjects of her Majesty, Queen Ozmaof Oz!" screamed Roger hysterically.

"Well, hurray, and three cheers for a real Explorer!" shouted SamuelSalt. "He's done it all by himself, the only man among us whoremembered his duty under fire. There's a bird for you, Mates. Not evena 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 ofsmoke, Samuel looked glumly across at his cook.

"Now, now, don't be too hard on yourself," puffed the King, settingdown the fire buckets. "A Captain must think of his ship, even if heis an Explorer. Besides, having wings gives Roger an advantage of us.Still and all, it was a brave and timely act." Ato's further remarkswere drowned out in a second tremendous explosion. Sky and sea turnedred, whole flaming boulders shot above the ship's spars, while greatsullen waves of lava boiled over the crater's edge and rolled smokingand hissing into the sea.

"Missed us again," panted Samuel Salt, hanging desperately to his wheelas theCrescent Moon plunged and pitched in the angry seas. "Wonderwhat started that?"

"The Oz flag, probably," gasped Ato, feeling around in the dense smokefor his fire buckets. "Hope Roger got off safely. Where is that foolbird? Ho, Sammy! Hi, Sammy! Quick, they've hit us amidships."

Hastily setting his mechanical steering gear, the former Pirate rushedforward to where a glowing lump of lava was burning its way slowly butsurely through the deck.

"Fire! Fire!" shrilled Roger, who had dropped down on the railunnoticed in the smoke and confusion. "Water, Ato! Water, you old SlowPoke!"

"Avast!" puffed Samuel Salt, staring down in astonishment at theglowing 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 ona volcano? Well, this proves it and I'm taking this young one along forproof."

"Now stop talking like a book and act like a seaman," choked Ato, inhis agitation tripping over a rope but still managing to keep his holdon the water buckets. "Fire baby or not, can't you see it's burning ahole in the deck, you seventh son of a sea-going Jackass? Here, put itout! Dash this water over it before it burns up the whole ship!"

"Avast! Avast and belay!" roared Samuel Salt in a terrible voice as Atoraised his bucket. "I'm still Captain here. Do you wish to destroy arare specimen of volcanic life? Fetch a shovel from the hold, Roger. Ashovel, I said, and don't stand there dithering."

"Aye aye, sir!" sputtered the Read Bird, half falling and half flyingdown the companionway. Now a bird is a quick and handy fellow about aship and in half the time it would have taken a seaman, Roger was backwith a long handled shovel. Snatching the shovel, which he had oftenused on former treasure hunts, Samuel scooped up the bawling fire babyand started on a run for the galley.

"It's turning black, it's turning black," wailed the disconsolatecollector, crooning to the ugly infant as he ran along as if he wereits own mother. "Aye, aye—it's going out!"

"And a good thing, too," panted Ato, who was close behind him. "What intarry barrels are you fixing to do with it, Sammy?"

Roger, sensible bird that he was, stayed long enough to douse the twobuckets of water on the smoking deck, then he, too, made a bee line forthe galley. He was just in time to see Samuel lift the lid of the rangeand slide the baby down on top of the hot coals. No sooner had thesquat infant touched the glowing fire than it stopped yelling at onceand began to purr and sing like a teakettle set on to boil.

"Well, I'll be swizzled!" gulped Ato, and snatching a wet dish towelfrom the rack, he wound it round and round his aching head. "Whatevermade you think of that?"

"It's my scientific mind," the Pirate told them blandly. "The properplace for any infant that size is bed and I naturally figured thata fire baby belonged in a fire bed, and a bed of hot coals was thenearest to it, so here it is!" Winking solemnly at Roger, who wasregarding the little Lavaland Islander with fear and loathing, Samuelpicked up the poker and gave the baby an affectionate poke. "It'll dofine here," he predicted happily, "and prove beyond a quibble thatvolcanos are inhabited."

"It'll do nothing of the sort!" exploded Ato, bringing his fat fistdown with a resounding thump on the drain board. "You may be theCaptain of the ship, Sammy, but I'm the boss of this galley, and thatfire baby will have to go. GO! Do you understand? How'm I to cook withthe ugly little monster lolling all over the fire bed and like as notfalling 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 asgroans, 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'ssarcastic suggestion. Indeed, he was much too interested, for justshowing above the flaming circle of the volcano's crater was a rowof immense and thunderous looking natives. They were of transparentrock-like structure and burned and glowed from the molten lava thatcoursed through their veins. With upraised arms and furious faces theywere yelling over and over some strange and indistinguishable threatsand phrases. One, shaking the blackened stick of the Oz flag, dancedand 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 andsave his ship from possible destruction.

"That's not it! That's not it!" cried Roger, flapping his wingstriumphantly. "I know what's the matter. They want that baby back.You're probably making off with the Crown Prince of the Volcano. Seethat 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. Shewants her baby back."

"And she should have it, too," stated Ato, blinking his eyes at thefrightful racket the Lavaland Islanders were making. "You can't stealpeople's children like this, Sammy, unless you're going back tobuccaneering. It's just plain piracy."

"She threw it at us, didn't she?" muttered the Captain, who wasunwilling to part with so valuable a specimen.

"It probably blew out of its cradle when the volcano erupted. Give itback to her, Sammy," begged Ato, who was determined to get rid of theterrible infant at any cost. "After all, she's its mother."

"But do you expect me to sail back there and endanger all of ourlives?" 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 forclams," proposed the cook eagerly.

"Not on your life," protested Roger in a sulky voice. "The basket wouldgrow red hot and burn my bill. Besides, I'm no stork. Tell you what wecould do, though, and we'd better be quick before they start throwingthings."

"What?" inquired the Captain, gazing uneasily at the infuriatedIslanders.

"Why, simply shoot it back," Roger said calmly. "Stuff it in the portcannon and blaze away. You never miss your mark, Master Salt, and ifyou can't shoot that baby back into its mother's arms, I'll walk on mywings and be done with it."

"Why, Roger, how clever! The very thing!" rejoiced Ato. "I'll go fetchit with the fire tongs and you'll have to hurry, Sammy, or we'll be outof range."

"But it might injure the young one," objected the Captain of theCrescent Moon, shifting his feet uncomfortably.

"Nonsense, it'll be just like a ride in a baby carriage for that littlerascal. Prime your gun, Sammy, while I get the child."

By this time the clamor from the Island had become so alarming thateven Samuel realized something would have to be decided. So, somewhatmollified by Roger's compliment on his aim, he made ready to fire theport cannon. The baby, hissing lustily, was brought without accidentfrom the galley. Ato held it gingerly before him, using the firetongs, Roger following along to hold a lighted candle under the littlefellow to keep him from going out before he was shot.

The baby fitted nicely into the cannon's mouth and stopped cryinginstantly. At the last moment Samuel almost lost his courage, but urgedon to action by both Ato and Roger, he carefully made his calculationsand then shutting both eyes pulled the cord that set off the gun. Theterrible explosion shocked the Lavalanders into silence, and almostafraid to look, Samuel opened his eyes.

"Yo, ho, ho! Three cheers for the Skipper!" squealed Ato, snatchingthe towel from his head and waving it like a banner. "The neatest shotyou ever made, Mate, and a lucky shot, too." The baby and the cannonball which would have shattered a less durable lady had struck the LavaQueen amidships. Dropping the cannon ball carelessly into the crater,the giantess clasped her child in her arms, smiling and screaming herthanks across the tumbling waters.

"Well, was I right, or was I right?" chuckled Roger, teetering backwardand 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 terriblydepressed at the loss of his rare specimen.

"But tomorrow will be too late," persisted Roger, settling on theCaptain's shoulder. "Now, while these savages are in a good humor, letme fly over and drop another Oz flag on the Island. Maybe this timethey'll let it stand and once it flies over the crater the Island isOzma's."

"By the tooth of a harpooned whale, you're right! I'm forgetting myduty to Oz," breathed Samuel, straightening up purposefully. "But ourkind of flag won't stand the climate yonder."

The Read Bird, however, had thought even of that. Taking a sheet ofiron from the hold, the resourceful fellow stopped in the galley longenough to burn in the word OZ with the red hot poker. Then, thrustingthe poker itself through two slits in his iron banner, he flew jauntilyback to the Island.

"Ahoy, and there's a standard bearer for you!" Rubbing his handstogether, Samuel strode to the rail. "Bless my buttons, the boydeserves a medal for this, and shall have one, too."

This time the Lavaland Islanders watched Roger's approach with quietinterest and as he hovered uncertainly over their heads held up theirhands for the iron flag. But Roger, made daring by their friendliness,swooped down suddenly to the crater's edge, and jamming his bannerbetween two smoking boulders soared aloft.

"Lavaland Islanders!" screamed the Read Bird hoarsely. "You are nowunder the protection and rule of Queen Ozma of Oz. Lavaland Islanders,you are hereby adjured to keep the peace and the law and LAV oneanother!"

His voice cracked from fright and excitement, but finishingtriumphantly, he spread his wings and skimmed back to theCrescentMoon.

"Hung wung wah HEEE!" yelled the Islanders all together, nodding theirheads 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 droppedbreathlessly down on his shoulder. "Well, 'Hung wung wah HEEE!' it is.Let's give them a cheer for luck." Lifting his great voice, the RoyalDiscoverer for Oz, helped out by his two shipmates, sent the weird callbooming 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 tongswere still handy and picking up the offending object before it could doany damage, Ato marched sternly off to the galley. Stopping long enoughfor another wave to the Island, which was growing smaller and smalleras theCrescent Moon sped away, Samuel hastened after his cook,jotting down hurried notes in his journal as to latitude and longitudeas he ran along.

"There's something written on this piece of lava," announced Ato, whohad dropped the smoking souvenir from Lavaland on the stove. Peeringover his shoulder, Samuel could see queer raised symbols and signs onthe sulphurous surface of the rock.

"There's something crawling on it, too," volunteered Roger, who wasperched on the towel rack above the stove, and had a better view, "agolden frog or a lizard."

"Merciful mustard! What next?" groaned Ato.

"Why, this—this—" Samuel's voice quivered with excitement anddisbelief, "this, Mates, is as fine a specimen of a Preoztoric Monsteras a scientist could hope for; a real live salamander, a fire lizard,straight from the burning depths of yonder crater. Stars! Tar andTarrybarrels! This is even better than the baby and will prove my pointjust as well."

"Does it have to live on my stove?" asked Ato ominously, as theSalamander slid merrily backward and forward over the red hot plates ofthe range. "Home on the range!" snickered Roger, winking at the Pirate.

"Just till I can fix up a hot box for it," apologized Samuel, "butdon't fret, old Toff, it doesn't bite and if it falls on the floor, allyou 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 downhard on his shiny bald head.

"You can keep it in an iron pot while you cook," suggested Rogerpractically, "and after all, King dear, it's the only Salamander incaptivity. Here, Sally, here Sal—this way, my little crater critter."Tilting the pot on the back of the stove, Roger was delighted to findthe Salamander quite willing to answer to her new name. As she slidadventurously into the small cooking vessel, the Read Bird quicklyrighted the pot and clapped on the cover. "There," he exclaimed with asatisfied 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. Atleast, we never kept the captives on the stove. And NOW—" Ato wavedhis arms determinedly. "Clear out, both of you. It's three bells andtime 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 caketurner. "All in all, a most interesting and profitable day, eh, Roger?An island, a visit from a fire baby, and a real live Preoztoricmonster."

"Not bad," agreed the Read Bird, transferring himself to the Captain'sshoulder. Depositing the piece of lava on an iron hatchway to cool,Samuel strode happily along the deck, stopping to light the red lampson the port and the green lights on the starboard. Roger himself hadjust hung a white light in the rigging when a lusty call from thegalley sent him flying off to help Ato serve the dinner.

"What could be cozier than a life at sea?" he reflected, wingingjauntily into the main cabin with a dish of roast potatoes. Ato puffedcheerfully behind, bearing a huge tray. On the tray a steaming tureenof soup, a pot of coffee, seven dishes of vegetables and two of smokingmeats sent up tantalizing whiffs and fragrances. Later when the ReadBird brought in the pudding, he and Sammy soberly agreed it was thetastiest feast Ato had served on the voyage.

The main cabin of theCrescent Moon, with its red leather couchesunder the ports, its easy chairs and tables clamped to the floor tokeep 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 ahuge fireplace for foggy evenings and every visible space on the wallwas covered with pictures of pirate ships, ancient sailing vessels andrough maps and charts of strange and curious islands. While Samueland Ato sat at their ease to finish off the pudding, Roger took hisupon the wing, darting in and out between bites to assure himself thatall was well on deck. There was a tiny crescent moon sliding down thesky, and the slap of waves against the side of the ship and the windcreaking in the cordage made as pleasant a tune as the heart of aseaman could wish for.

"Now what could be better than this?" said Samuel Salt exhaling a cloudof smoke from his pipe and stretching his legs luxuriously under thelong table. "A tidy ship, a good wind and the whole wide sea to sailon."

"Suits me!" grinned Ato scraping up the last of the hard sauce andsettling back with a grunt of sheer content. "Did you mark up ourvolcano on the chart Sammy, and what are we calling it Mates? An islandmust have a name you know."

"I know." Samuel blew another cloud of smoke upward and cleared histhroat. "If it's agreeable to all hands and Roger, I'd like to call itSalamander 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 hishead in time to the music.

"Sing like a bird, don't ye?" muttered Samuel striding over to the mapof Oz and surrounding countries and oceans that covered the west wall.

"I AM a bird," screamed Roger fluttering up to his shoulder. "'Bouthere she would lie, Master Salt, sixty leagues from Octagon Island."

As Roger talked on, making numerous suggestions, the Captain of theCrescent Moon drew with red chalk a small but effective pictureof Salamander Island showing the volcano in action and the LavalandIslanders grouped around the crater's top.

"Taken this day without a shot or the loss of a single man," printedSamuel in neat letters under his sketch.

"Don't forget, you shot the baby," twittered Roger raising a clawargumentatively.

"Oh, we can't put in small details like that," sniffed the Captainstepping back to admire his drawing.

"Seems odd for us to be discovering and taking possession of islandsfor a country we know so little about," mused Ato, looking thoughtfullyat the map on the west wall. "Why, we've only been to Oz onceourselves."

"Yes, but everybody knows about Oz," Samuel said putting the red chalkback in the table drawer. "Our business is with wild new countriesthat have never been seen or heard of. Besides, anyone can see that Ozis overpopulated and needs new territories and sea ports. And sinceOzma is so clever at governing, and her subjects all so happy andprosperous, the more people who come under her rule the better!"

"Aye! Aye!" agreed Roger, peering with deep interest at the map. Smallwonder the Read Bird was interested, for Oz is one of the most excitingand enchanting countries ever discovered. There are four large Kingdomsin Ozma's realm, the Northern Land of the Gillikens, the Eastern Empireof the Winkies, the Southern Country of the Quadlings and the Westerndomain of the Munchkins. Each forms a triangle in the oblong of Oz. TheEmerald City which is the capital, is in the exact center where allthese triangles meet. Each of these Kingdoms has its own ruler, butall four are under the sovereign rule and control of Ozma, the smallbut powerful fairy who lives in the Emerald City. On all sides, Oz issurrounded by a deadly desert and beyond the desert lie the independentKingdoms of No-Land, Low Land, Ix, Play, Ev, the Dominions of theGnome King, and many other strange and important Principalities. Thesecountries form a narrow rim around the desert, and beyond this rim liesthe Nonestic Ocean itself, stretching in all directions and to no oneknows what far and undiscovered shores. Each of the four Kingdoms inOz shown on Samuel's map was so dotted with smaller Kingdoms, cities,towns, villages and the holdings of ancient Knights and Barons, therewas scarcely room for another castle. With young Princes growing up onevery hand, Roger could well sympathize with the need of Ozma for moreterritory.

"Won't the Ozians have too long a way to come before they reach thesenew islands and countries we discover?" inquired the Read Bird, afterstaring at the map for some moments in silence.

"Not a bit of it!" Samuel dismissed Roger's objection with a snap ofhis fingers. "I hear the Wizard of Oz is working on a new fleet ofairships, that will make crossing the desert and Nonestic a real larkand enable new settlers to reach these outlying islands in a day orless. So all we have to do is to proceed with our discovering. Ozmawill attend to the rest. This volcanic island may not be as useful assome of the others, but one can never tell. How about picking up a fewislands for you, Ato, as we ride along?" The former pirate dropped hisarm affectionately round the shoulders of his Royal Cook.

"No, thanks," grunted Ato, rolling cheerfully to his feet. "One'senough. What would I want with any more islands? Why I'd never get offon a voyage. But pick yourself a couple, Sammy, why don't you?"

"Who, ME?" Samuel Salt shook his head emphatically. "A ship's all Ican handle and I wouldn't trade you two buckets of sea water for allthe 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 dayand another one coming. I'll take first watch, Cooky, here, shall havemiddle, and you Roger can be the early bird on morning watch."

"Ho hum! I'm right sleepy at that," admitted Ato, starting to heap upplates. "Give me a lift with the dishes, Roger, will you?"

"Oh, throw 'em overboard," directed Samuel Salt recklessly. "There'splenty more in the hold and I'm agin all extry labor."

"Hurray!" screamed Roger seizing the coffee pot and winging merrilythrough an open port.

"Avast! Avast there! Not my coffee pot!" pleaded Ato, making after theRead Bird with surprising speed considering his tonnage. "Stop yougreat 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 snatchedback his precious coffee pot and hugged it protectively to his bosom."Why I've just got this contraption broken in proper," he pantedindignantly. "A coffee pot's like a pipe, it's got to be sweetened andseasoned. 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 onthe ship and the Captain must have his soup. What a splendid pot ofsoup THIS would make," murmured Ato looking dreamily down at the sea,"a bit salty, perhaps, but full of snapper and porgy and tender youngsea shoots. Why that foam's as near to whipping cream as anything I'veever gazed on."

Tearing himself reluctantly from the appetizing sight, the Royal Cookpadded off to put the galley in order for the night, while Roger withloud squalls of glee dropped the plates and saucers one by one overthe side. In this way the dishes were soon done, the cabin tidy andshipshape, and by eight bells the King and the Read Bird were sleepingsoundly and Samuel Salt had the ship to himself.

First, he made a complete round of all decks, glanced at the barometerand compass, and furled the fore and mizzen topsails. Then he took thecooled piece of lava down to the hold. The strange signs and symbolshad hardened, and labeling it carefully with the date and name ofSalamander Island, Samuel placed it on his shelves for further study.Then returning to the main deck he set a portable ship's lantern ona 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 boxwith a glass lid, he covered the bottom with sand and pebbles. Knowingsalamanders require hot water as well as hot air, he placed a tinyflat pan of water in the corner of the box to serve as a swimmingpool. A burning glass in the day time and an alcohol lamp under thebox at night would supply the necessary heat, and setting the wholecontrivance on an iron tray in the cabin, Samuel went joyfully off tofetch the fire lizard.

The Salamander was still in the pot on the back of the stove, andgiving her an experimental poke with his finger, Samuel was astonishedto find her quite cool to the touch. This was surprising consideringshe could only live in the most intense heat. But without stopping tofigure it out, the Captain picked her up between thumb and forefinger,carried her to the cabin and popped her into the iron box. He hadalready lighted the lamp under the box so that everything was redhot and cozy for her. The small captive seemed to appreciate her newquarters, wriggling over the hot pebbles and sand, then splashing gailyin her swimming pool.

"Quite a girl!" sighed the pirate, resting his elbows on the table andgazing happily down at the first prize of the voyage. "You're goingto be great company for me, Sally." As if she really understood, thelizard gave a squeak and tapped loudly on the glass lid with hertail. The pipe almost dropped from Samuel's mouth at Sally's strangebehavior, and lifting the lid he peered inquisitively down at her.Before he had a chance to clap it shut, the Salamander hurled herselfupward, landing smartly on the bridge of the Pirate's nose, from whereshe slid cleverly into the pipe itself.

"Well I'll be scuppered!" gasped the Royal Explorer looking slightlycross-eyed down the bridge of his nose as Sally coiled up comfortablyin 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 plumbcute and cozy and something to write in my journal." Puffing awaydelightedly Samuel stepped out of the cabin and all during his watch,the little Salamander rested contentedly in his pipe. Sometimes shepeered up inquisitively over the edge, but mostly she lay quietly onthe smoking tobacco, looking with calm interest at the sky and therippling sails over her head. Not only did she keep his pipe from goingout, but never had it drawn so well. So, filled with a vast wonderand content, Samuel strode up and down the deck. Not till midnightwhen he roused Ato could he bear to put Sally back in her box and onlythen, after he had promised her another ride in the morning. But whenmorning came, Samuel had no time to keep his promise, for while Ato wascooking breakfast and the Captain himself catching forty winks in thecabin, the raucous voice of the Read Bird came whistling down from theforemast.

"Land Ho! Land! More Land. Island tuluward, Captain!"

CHAPTER 5
Patrippany Island

"All hands on deck! Come on! Comeon!" yelled Samuel Salt runningpast Ato's galley dragging on his clothes as he ran. "There's an islandtuluward, you lubber."

"Well, 'tain't a flying island is it?" Ato stuck a very red face outthe door. "I guess it'll stay there till I turn the bacon, won't it? Nocause to burn the biscuits just 'cause an island's sighted is there?"But in spite of his pretended indifference, the ship's cook shovedall his pans on the back of the stove and hurried out on deck. "Richand jungly, this one," he observed, resting his arms comfortably onthe rail, "and from what I can see a good place to grow bananas andwhiskers. Look, Sammy, even the trees have beards."

"Moss," muttered Samuel Salt striding over to the wheel. "Fly ashoreRoger and see whether there's a good place to put in."

Twittering with importance and curiosity, the Read Bird flung himselfinto the air. In ten minutes he was back to report a wide river cuttingthrough the center of the island from end to end. The foliage was sodense, Roger had not been able to discover any signs of habitation, butafter viewing the mouth of the river through his glasses, the Captaindecided to take a chance, and sail through.

"Now, Sammy, let's not do anything hasty," begged the ship's cooklifting his floury hands in warning, "nor try to conquer a country onan empty stomach. This may be an important island, so after we eat, letus put on our proper clothes and plant the Oz flags with dignity anddecorum."

"Spoken like a King and a seaman," approved Samuel Salt, "and if my eyedoes not deceive me, I'll have the ship in the river as soon as youhave the coffee in the pot. Then we'll ride in with the tide, put onour discovering togs and proceed with the business of the day."

So while Ato returned to his galley and the Read Bird to his post inthe foremast, Samuel swung theCrescent Moon in toward the island.Each felt a slight twinge of uneasiness as the ship left the open seaand began to slip rapidly up the broad new and unnavigated junglestream. Vine covered trees pressed close to the banks, and birds andmonkeys in the branches kept up an incessant screech and chattering. Aflock of greedy pelicans flopped comically after the ship and as theypenetrated deeper and deeper into the jungle it almost seemed as ifthey were entering some dim green land of goblins.

"A fine target we make for anyone who cares to shoot at us," moanedAto, as he waddled backward and forward between the cabin and galleywith cups and covered dishes. "Ugh!"

"Yes, I wouldn't be surprised to feel an arrow in my back any minutenow," assented Samuel Salt brightly, "though I must say I'd much prefera 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 thebuttons 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 ahi de di dide di dough!" sang Samuel vociferouslyto keep up his own spirits. Finally with the ship motionless amidstreamthe three shipmates sat down to breakfast. Their nerves were tense andtheir ears cocked for signs of approaching natives, but except for thenoise of the birds and monkeys and the occasional splash of some rivercreature, there was no sound to indicate the ship had been sighted bythe islanders.

"Nobody's home," concluded Samuel, finishing off his third cup ofcoffee at one toss and hurrying off to his cabin. Roger, having onlyOz flags and no shore togs to bother him, generously offered to clearaway the dishes and amused himself by throwing scraps and the rest ofthe biscuits to the pelicans. He had just tossed over the last biscuitwhen Ato appeared in a grand satin coat and breeches, long cape andthree-cornered hat. The elegance of his apparel was somewhat marred bythe bread board he had belted round his middle and the bread knifeand blunderbuss he had stuck through his sash.

"Ha, hah!" roared Samuel Salt, giving the bread board a resoundingwhack. "Something to stay your stomach, EH?" Samuel himself was asstylishly attired as the King, his three-cornered hat at a dashingangle. Under his arm he had two pairs of tremendously long stilts. "Noneed for us to get all grubby lowering the boat. We'll wade ashore thistime," explained Samuel as Ato's eyes grew round and questioning. "Easyas walking on crutches; just watch me, Mate."

Now Samuel, it must be confessed, had been practicing stilting on ElbowIsland, so naturally it came easy to him. First he put his stilts overthe side, then vaulting the rail, he seized the tops and settled hisfeet in the cross pieces at one jump and started walking calmly up anddown gleefully calling for Ato to follow. It all looked so simple, Atohanded the basket of lunch he had packed to Roger, and seizing hisstilts began anxiously feeling around for the river bottom. Satisfiedthat it was solid, he climbed boldly up on the rail.

"That's it! That's it!" applauded Samuel. "Now grab the tops, Mate, andstart coming."

"Chee tree—tee—hee—!" screeched the monkeys derisively as Ato clungprecariously to the rail with one hand and maneuvered his stilts withthe other. By some miracle of balance the fat King actually managedto mount and hold on to his perilous walking sticks. Then with a longquivering breath he heaved one forward. He was about to take anotherstep when a desperate scream from Roger almost caused him to toppleover 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 perfectlyall right to me." Samuel Salt frowned up at Roger.

"Nothis gaiters, river 'gators, alligators, CROCODILES!" wailedRoger, beginning to fly in agonized circles. "Crocodiles and WORSE."

Samuel, eyeing what he had supposed to be a pile of rotten logs on theriver bank, saw dozens of the slimy saurians slide into the water andcome savagely toward them.

"Back to the ship! Back to the ship!" babbled the Read Bird, clutchingAto's collar with a frantic claw. But the King was too frightened tomove. The sight of the bleary-eyed river monsters made him tremble soviolently his stilts twittered and swayed like trees in a hurricane. Hecould not for the life of him take a step in either direction. With aloud 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 aheart-rending shriek Ato plunged into the slimy river.

"There, there! Now you've done it!" sobbed Roger. "Fed the kindest soulwho ever served a ship's company to a parcel of crocodiles!" Droppingthe Oz flags and lunch basket, he made an unsuccessful grab for hisMaster's arm. But even if he had caught it, Ato's great weight wouldhave pulled them both under, and now only a circle of bubbles showedwhere the luckless explorer had disappeared. Firing his blunderbussto frighten off the rest of the crocodiles, Samuel, striking left andright with his stilts, propelled himself forward, while Roger peckedfutilely at the monster that had felled his Master. But just as Samuel,after boldly driving off the dragon-like creature, prepared to dive inand save Ato or perish with him, a dripping head appeared above thewater.

"Thank you. Thank you very much!" murmured a mild voice. "I haven'thad as nice a present as this since I was an itty bitty baby. Now whatcan I do for YOU?" Neither Samuel nor Roger could speak a word, forwhere the King had gone down, a tremendous hippopotamus was comingup, the lunch basket hanging carelessly out of a corner of its mouth.For a wild moment Samuel thought his enormous friend and shipmate hadbeen transformed by some witchcraft into this ponderous beast. He evenimagined he caught an expression of Ato's in the monster's moist eye.But this gloomy idea was soon dispelled, for, as the creature rosehigher out of the water, they could see a desperate and bedraggledfigure sprawled across its slippery back.

"Ahoy, Mate!" choked Samuel, his heart thumping like a trip hammer. "Isit really you? Are you safe, then?"

"Safe!" quavered the half-drowned and mud-covered King of the OctagonIsle. "SAFE?" He peered dizzily at the churning crocodiles just aboat's length away, and his voice cracked and broke. "I never feltsafer in my life. What am I riding, a whale or an elephant?"

"A river horse," explained the hippopotamus, looking kindly over hershoulder. Then, as the crocodiles began to hiss and roar and comerolling toward them, she gave a ferocious bellow and snort. "Away withyou! Be off, you river scum!" she squealed viciously. "These travelersare MINE. Shoot your fire stick, Master Long Legs. That will fix them."For a moment the crocodiles held their post, then, as Samuel fired hisgun repeatedly, they began to slide sullenly across the river to theopposite bank. "Hold fast, Master Short Legs, and I'll soon have youashore," wheezed the hippopotamus, speaking out of the corner of hermouth so as not to drop the picnic basket.

"Yes, yes, but what then?" shuddered Ato, trying to get a finger holdon 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, myfather and mother and maiden aunts!"

"Did you hear that?" Dropping to Samuel's shoulder, Roger whisperedfiercely. "Quick now, a shot behind the ear, before it gets anyfurther. Are you going to do nothing while this ravenous monstercarries off my poor Master?"

"Sh-hh!" warned Samuel, holding up his finger. "These creatures donot eat meat or men. They're herbivorous, my lad, and this one seemsuncommonly kind and friendly. But what puzzles me—" the Royal Explorerlooked intently into the face of the Read Bird. "What puzzles me is tofind this one talking our language. To my knowledge, only animals inOz, 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 simplysplendid specimen of a pachydermatous talking aquatic." Whether thelast few words in this sentence or a stone in the river bottom trippedup the Captain, Roger never knew, but without any warning Samuel turneda sudden back somersault into the river, going under as completely asAto had done.

"Ugh—gr—ugh!" he gurgled, coming up full of mud and disgust. "How didthat happen?"

"Stilts!" sniffed Roger, whose wings had saved him from going down withSamuel. "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, thenshaking his head violently to get the water out of his eyes, he swamthoughtfully after the hippopotamus. As he dragged himself up on thebank, a monkey swinging by its tail from the lower branches of a treesnatched his three-cornered hat and scittered all the way to the treetop, at which all the other monkeys let out shrill hoots of mockingmerriment.

"Ah! The welcome committee!" sniffled Ato, rolling off thehippopotamus. "Well, Sammy, wherever it is, here we are and a nicemess you've made of the landing. Clothes ruined, weapons gone," (Atofelt his middle dejectedly for his bread knife and blunderbuss), thenhitching up the bread board at his waist looked long and accusingly atthe Leader of the Expedition.

"Now you mustn't mind a little mud," said the hippopotamus, settingdown the picnic basket and gazing from one to the other with frankinterest and curiosity. "Mud is beautiful and SO healthy."

"Not for me," frowned Samuel Salt, endeavoring to remove the thickgreen 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 tohis boats, Samuel. If I had not fallen in with this kind and obliginghippopotamus, I'd have been a crocodile's lunch by this time."

"Oh, I'd have got you out somehow," muttered Samuel, smoothing back hishair sulkily. "And those stilts really saved your life. Suppose thatanimal had bitten your leg instead of your stilt? By the way, what'sthe name of this island, Mate?" Anxious to change the subject, Samuelturned to Ato's tremendous rescueress.

"Mate?" repeated the hippopotamus, wiggling her ears inquiringly, "Whatmay 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, howbeautiful!" Overcome with emotion, the mighty monster leaned forwardand lapped up the picnic basket, Oz flags, lunch and everything."I shall remember this as long as I live," she assured them with agulp as one of the flags went sideways down her throat. "Nikobo,Little Daughter of the Biggenlittle River People, bids you welcome toPatrippany Island."

"Little daughter!" exclaimed Ato in a smothered voice. "Ha, ha!Patrippany Island. Ho, ho! This is interesting. I knew there was a tripin it somewhere, a wet trip for us, eh, Samuel?"

"But what I don't understand," said the Royal Explorer of Oz, brisklymassaging his beard with his handkerchief, "is how you happen to speakour language. Do all the creatures on this Island talk? I don't meanthat 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 tillfive moons ago last Herb Day."

"Herb Day? Dear, dear and dear! How confusing it all grows," sighedAto, emptying the water out of his hat which had somehow survived hisriver ducking. "Do you suppose she means Thursday? Roger! ROGER! Keepaway 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 thatis 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 thatmakes it Flag Day," chuckled Roger, coming down from a littleexcursion in the tree tops. "She's swallowed the Oz flags, Skipper, andif 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 didnot 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 pulledout a small note book and pencil, still damp but usable. "Was it anative boy?" he asked eagerly.

"No, no, certainly NOT." The hippopotamus panted a little at the veryidea of such a thing. "The Leopard Men speak a strange roaring languageI have never been able to make head or tail of. Besides, to speak tothem would not be safe nor desirable. The Leopard Men have long tusksand spears and—"

"Leopard Men!" yelled Ato, flinging both arms round the trunk of atree. "Oh! Oh! and OH! I wish we were safely back at pirating, Sammy.Here we are marooned on this miserable monkey island, inhabited byLeopard Men, surrounded by crocodiles and no way of getting back to theship."

"You forget me," murmured the hippopotamus. Lumbering over to Ato, shegave him a gentle nudge with her moist pink snout. "Nikobo, LittleDaughter of the Biggenlittle River People, will carry you anywhere youwish to go."

CHAPTER 6
A Little Wild Man

"Not yet, not yet," protested Samuel Salt as Ato made a clumsy attemptto mount the hippopotamus. "Why, we've only just come, Mate. We can'tgo without seeing these Leopard Men and this strange boy who speaks ourlanguage."

"Oh, CAN'T we?" Drawing in his breath, Ato made a flying leap atNikobo, and this time managing an ear hold, pulled himself determinedlyup on her moist, slippery back. "Goodbye, Samuel," said the King witha firm wave of his hand. "If you bring any Leopard Men back to theCrescent Moon, you can discover yourself another cook. No LeopardMen. Mind, now!"

"Oh, you needn't worry about that." The hippopotamus closed one eye andsmiled knowingly to herself. Thoroughly annoyed by the desertion of Atoand the superior grin of the river horse, Samuel snatched a long rapierfrom his belt and glowered belligerently around him.

"Shiver my timbers! You think I'm not strong enough nor smart enough tofight these savages? HUWHERE are these Leopard Men?" roared the formerPirate in such a reverberating voice the monkeys fled silently to thetree tops, and even Roger put his head under his wing.

"Gone, all gone!" explained Nikobo as she started calmly down towardthe river bank.

"You mean there are no Leopard Men on this Island now?" Looking withhorror and aversion at the crocodile-infested river, Ato began tuggingat Nikobo's ear. "Not so fast, my good creature! Wait a moment, mybuxom lass! Perhaps I'll stay with Sammy after all."

"Well, just as you say." With scarcely a pause in her stride, thehippopotamus turned round and waddled amiably back to the strip of sandwhere Samuel Salt stood staring sternly into the jungle beyond.

"This is a great disappointment to me, Mates," sighed the Captain oftheCrescent Moon mournfully wringing out the lace ruffles of hiscuffs. "To have taken a Leopard Man back to the Court of Oz would havebeen an achievement worth the whole voyage."

"Now there's where we're different," murmured Ato, settling into a morecomfortable position on the back of the river horse. "I myself wouldrather be disappointed than speared by a savage, and I don't care howmany 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 flappedhis wings inquiringly. "If the Leopard Men are really gone, thenPatrippany Island is ours without a spear thrown."

"That's so," mused Samuel Salt, thrusting his rapier back into itssheath 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 andmud turtling has left me weak as a fish. And while we're waiting forRoger, perhaps Nikobo will tell us a little about these Islanders. Werethey little or big, black or brown?"

"Yellow," answered the hippopotamus gravely. "Big and yellow with brownspots all over their hides. They had brown hair, mane and eyes, andrough snarling voices. They used neither huts nor shelter, but roamedlike the animals through the jungle, hunting, fishing and fighting.They had hollowed out logs for use in the water and last Twig Dayevery Leopard man, woman and child climbed into the long boats andpaddled out to sea. Shortly afterward—" Nikobo's eyes grew round andshiny at the mere memory, "shortly afterward a great hurricane aroseand 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 floatedback 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 muchbetter and safer without them. The one problem is the boy, and I'vebeen feeding him myself."

"Oh, yes, the boy who speaks our language," mused Samuel, still lost inbitter reflections of the Leopard Men he should never see face to face.

"What've you been feeding him?" asked Ato, suspiciously. "How would ahippopotamus know what to feed a boy?"

"I do the best I can," said Nikobo in a hurt voice. "Every day Icollect 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 ridiculousin 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 smallboy doing on this island? How'd he get here in the first place, andwhere is he now?"

"Follow me," directed Nikobo in a dignified voice. "Follow me and youshall know all." As Roger appeared at that moment with the Oz flags andbiscuits, the little procession immediately got under way, Ato calmlyriding behind.

On her many visits to the strange boy, Nikobo had worn a path throughthe tangled growth of vines and bush. Tenuous trees dropped theirbranches over this path and stretched out their gnarled roots to tripthe unwary traveler. Several times Roger let out hoarse squeals as ahuge snake coiled along the limb of a tree, thrust out its ugly head.Gaudy flowers from the vines that closely entwined every tree, filledthe air with a damp sleepy fragrance, and Samuel Salt, darting his eyesleft and right, held his blunderbuss ready for any savage beast thatmight spring upon them. But the jungle creatures, thinking the LeopardMen had returned, slunk further and further into the green shadows andwithout any mishaps or encounters, Nikobo brought the explorers to asmall clearing in the whispering tangle of green.

Here they were suddenly confronted by a stoutly built cage, its barsconstructed of saplings set scarcely an inch apart. On a heap of grassin a corner of the cage crouched the lonely figure of a little boyclothed in a single leopard skin.

"Well, goosewing my topsails!" panted Samuel Salt, deceived at first bythe leopard skin. "A little wild man, a Leopard boy, as I'm a salt seasailor!"

"It's nothing of the kind," Nikobo contradicted him sharply. "Can't yousee 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 doinghere?" Slipping off Nikobo's back, Ato pressed his face close to thebars 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, helooked 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 thehippopotamus, beaming lovingly at her small charge. "Because I thoughtthey might break these bars and set you free. They have a hollow logseventy times as large as the hollowed logs of the Leopard Men. Inthis they could easily carry you over the waters and back to your ownpeople. I've tried to break this miserable hutch dozens of times,"explained Nikobo, turning to Samuel Salt. "But the saplings are sunk sodeep, I've been afraid I'd crush Tandy as well as the cage if I pushedtoo 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 thebars in the corner of his cage. "I've made a nick in this bar with myteeth for every day I have been here."

"Well, that's all over now, you poor child, you!" Ato's voice shookwith indignation as he looked in at the little boy whose every ribshowed plainly under the skin. In fact, a heap of grass and dried rootsin the cage made the kind-hearted monarch shudder with distaste andsympathy. "You shall come with us and eat like a King," he promised,nodding his head cheerfully, "and learn to be an able-bodied seamanto boot." Instead of looking grateful or pleased, the boy whom thehippopotamus had called "Tandy" merely stood looking between the barsof his cage.

"Why should I go with you?" he said finally and wearily. "You look wildand dangerous to me, and far worse than the Leopard Men. Here, at leastI have Kobo to take care of me, and who knows what further perils andhardships I should suffer at sea?"

"Ho! HO! And how do you like that, my lads?" Roger rocked backward andforward on Samuel Salt's shoulder. "The young one speaks truly. If youcould but see yourselves, my Hearties." Now both Ato and Samuel hadforgotten their plunge in the river, but with their hair and clothingstill covered with mud and slime they looked the veriest roguesand rascals. And while Ato regarded himself with embarrassment anddiscomfiture, 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 alittle wild man already."

"STOP!" Nikobo quivered all over with resentment. "You must not callTandy a wild man."

"Don't mind." The boy drew the leopard skin around him with quietdignity. "I can bear it. I have borne far worse. I can bear anything. Iam 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 handssharply. "However we look, my young squab, you are in good and royalcompany. My mate here, Captain Salt, is Captain of theCrescent Moon,Royal Explorer of Oz, and a Knight, besides. I, though at presenta ship's cook, am King of the Octagon Isle, and Roger, here, is asRoyal a Read Bird as ever wagged a bill and wing. If you say you area King, we will have to believe you, though 'tis hardly credible."Ato stared with round eyes at the matted hair and dirty body of thelittle prisoner. "If you say you are a King we must believe you, but inreturn you must believeus, and stop all this hoity toity talk andclishmaclatter."

"He speaks the plain truth." Nikobo pressed her huge snout close to thebars. "Even I can detect the signs of royalty in this fat and goodlyperson whom I just this morning helped out of the river. You must gowith 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 Nikobolapsed into a shocked silence and Tandy hastily drew back into a farcorner of his cage.

"Never argue with a sea-going man," whispered Ato, winking solemnly asRoger flew off to obey Samuel's order. Having settled the matter in hisown mind, Samuel turned his back on Tandy and began to examine withdeep interest the fungus growth on one of the gnarled old trees. "Soyou really are a King?" Leaning against the huge body of Nikobo, Atofolded his hands comfortably on his stomach and regarded the boy in theleopard skin earnestly. "Now what country do you hail from and what dothey call you at home?"

"I am Tazander Tazah of Ozamaland," announced the boy proudly, "theland of the creeping bird and flying reptile. Ozamaland on the longcontinent of Tarara is my home."

"OZAMALAND!" shouted Samuel Salt, swinging round like a teetotum. "Sothere really IS such a place. I have always said so, Ato, but no onewould believe me. Lies to the east of here, doesn't it, sonny, and istwice as large as any known land bordering on the Nonestic?" Somewhatimpressed to find that Samuel Salt knew something of his homeland, thelittle boy nodded. "And do you suppose we could snare one of thosecreeping birds and flying reptiles if we managed to reach Ozamaland?"Grasping the bars of the cage, Samuel peered anxiously into the youngKing's face.

"Do you suppose you ever could reach Ozamaland?" sighed Tazander,returning Samuel's eager look with gloomy aloofness. "Do you know thata ship has never touched our shores?"

"Then theCrescent Moon shall be the first!" cried Samuel Salt,snapping his fingers joyfully. "Why, this will be tremendous and themost momentous discovery in a thousand years! But how do you happento be so far from Ozamaland yourself?" asked Samuel Salt immediatelyafterward. "Did you come by air or sea?"

"That I cannot tell." Tazander seated himself soberly on a log beforehe continued. "One night I was sleeping soundly in my tower in theWhite City, next thing I remember I was here in this jungle. TheLeopard Men, wild and savage as they were, fed me when they rememberedon raw fish and chunks of hard, bitter bread they made from the rootsof the Brima Tree. But I could not understand their talk, nor theymine, and till Kobo found me a month after my imprisonment I had no oneto talk to at all. But she has come every day to keep me company andtry to set me free, and since the Leopard Men were drowned she has fedme, too. See, through this little door." Tazander opened a small doorin the bars and stuck both hands through.

"But how did you learn the language?" asked Ato, turning round to gazeup into Nikobo's huge face.

"I don't know," said Nikobo with an excited gulp. "I just started tosay 'Hello!' and instead of saying it in hippopotamy, there I wastalking a strange language which I could understand as well as myown. And in this language Tandy answered me, much to my delight andpleasure."

"Strange, very strange." Ato shook his head in a puzzled manner."Well, all I say is, it was lucky for this small fellow that youhappened along, and once we have him aboard he'll soon forget all thesehardships and unpleasant experiences."

"I'll never forget Kobo," said the young King, backing stiffly awayfrom the outstretched arms of Ato.

"And Kobo'll never forget YOU," sniffed the hippopotamus. "The talkof 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 todo—whoo—Hoo HOO WHOOO!" Rocking from side to side, Nikobo beganto sob as if her heart would break, so violently in fact, SamuelSalt covered both ears and Ato, alarmed at the enormous grief of thegigantic 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 handedtwo to Tandy and began shoving the rest as fast as he could down thevast throat of the grief-stricken hippopotamus. After each biscuit,Nikobo choked and sobbed to herself, but on the whole, they seemedto comfort her, and when the Read Bird finally returned with the axshe watched almost cheerfully as Samuel Salt, with well-aimed blows,demolished Tandy's jungle cage. As the last side crashed down andwithout giving Tandy time to argue any further, Samuel Salt seizedthe boy firmly in both arms and set him down on the back of thehippopotamus. Then, giving Ato a hand up behind him, the Captain oftheCrescent Moon sternly led the way to the edge of the island.Roger, waving an Oz flag, flew ahead screaming defiantly to the monkeysand parrots that infested the island, "WAY, WAY! Way for the RoyalDiscoverer of Oz! Way for the King of the Octagon Isle! Way for Nikobo,Little Daughter of the Biggenlittle River People. Way for TazanderTazah, 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, thelittle band made its way back to the sandy beach. Tandy, perhapsbecause he had been so long pent up in the silent jungle and because hewas by nature a naturally sober and solemn little boy, said nothing.Not even theCrescent Moon, riding so proudly at her anchor, seemedto arouse any interest or enthusiasm in this strange young Ozamalander.

"Well, here we are!" exclaimed Ato, heartily thankful to be in sightof the ship again. "And I hope you'll not mind ferrying us out to theboat, Nikobo; those crocodiles still look hungry and I've no notion ofbeing crocked for the rest of my life."

"Any time you say," grunted the hippopotamus, squeaking a listlessgreeting to a company of her own relatives who were rolling lazilyabout 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 andI must survey the island and dig up some more interesting specimensto take back to the ship." After a long and rather quizzical look atTandy, Samuel turned and swung along the beach, the Read Bird flappingjoyously 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 eataround here or hereabouts? Aha, those look like oranges, a wild orangegrove, as I'm a cook and a seaman. Come along, young one, and help megather a few."

"A King and son of a King's son does not come and go at another'sbidding," 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 themisfortune to encounter. Well, since it's every King for himself, thenI'll be leaving you, sonny and son of a King's sonny. Watch out forhim, Kobo, he's probably real important to himself."

"You should not speak like that," reproved the hippopotamus as Atodisappeared into the orange grove, "after all, the big and fat one ishimself a King."

"Pooh, King of some potty little island," sniffed Tandy, leaningwearily against a palm. "Break me a cocoanut, Kobo, I'm thirsty."With a discouraged sigh Nikobo trod on one of the cocoanuts, crackingit from end to end and then, because she was a generous and kindlycreature, she cracked several more for Ato when he should return.Sitting back on her haunches, she anxiously watched while Tandy downedthe cocoanut milk, then, stretching out in the sand, fell unconcernedlyasleep. Thus Ato found them when he emerged from the orange grove anhour later. His elegant explorer's cape was knotted to form a sackand 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 theship," panted the perspiring monarch, settling down with his backcozily to Nikobo's. "How's young Saucebox?"

"All right." The hippopotamus nodded in Tandy's direction. "He is sosmall and tired," she murmured worriedly, "and you must know he hasbeen exposed in an open cage in the jungle for five long months withonly a miserable hippopotamus for company."

"Miserable hippopotamus," snorted Ato indignantly. "You're a verysuperior animal, my girl. I'd consider it an honor to converse withyou any day. Did you crack these cocoanuts for me?" As Nikobo, tryingbashfully 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 asNikobo continued to gaze mournfully at the sleeping boy. "We'll makeallowances for his High and Mighty Littleness and set him down in hisown country. That is, if we ever manage to find it, though I must sayhe'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 Ozlooked more like a walking window box than a seaman. Long vines hungfrom his neck and trailed from his pockets. His arms were crammed withspiked and prickly plants and on his head he balanced a package of seashells tied up in his shore-going coat.

"What you going to do, start a conservatory?" roared Ato as Rogerhelped the Captain set his treasures on the ground.

"Rare and unusual, all of 'em," said Samuel, dropping down beside Atoand looking with complete satisfaction at his curious collection.

"Mind those yellow creepers," warned Nikobo, wiggling her vast snoutwarningly. "Those purple flowered plants in the middle are treacherous,too. They are tumbleweeds, Master Long Legs, and 'tis from themPatrippany Island gets its name. When the Leopard Men fought, theywould fling these weeds at one another, and I've seen them fallingabout for hours, neither side being able to advance a step or evenstand up."

"Tumbleweeds!" breathed Samuel ecstatically. "You don't SAY! Why, thesemight come in real handy if we ever get in a tight place. I'll give afew to the Wizard of Oz and to the Red Jinn when we get back from thisvoyage. And what about the yellow creepers, Mate? Are they fightingplants, too?"

"The creepers, if uprooted and thrown at an animal or man, will creeprapidly after him, catching him no matter how fast he runs and tyinghim 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 hadwith one of these vines in my early youth."

"Creeping vines," shivered Ato, moving as far away from Samuel'scollection as possible. "Just keep them away from me, Sammy. What righthave such things on a ship?"

"Oh, they'll be harmless enough when they're potted," answered Samueleasily. "And a splendid weapon they'll make for some up and comingcountry."

"Better keep them for ourselves," advised Roger, fluttering down toSamuel'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 successfulso far," said Samuel, clasping his hands behind his head and gazingcontentedly 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 thecrocodiles! Safe! You'll be the death of me yet, Sam-u-el. Have youplanted your Oz flags and told the wild creatures in the jungle abouttheir new sovereign?"

Roger nodded his head importantly. "We've raised Oz flags on thetallest 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 shapeof a kidney bean, and a fine fertile place for settlers and prospectorsfrom Oz."

"Yes, all they have to do is cut down a million trees, drain the swampsand train the wild beasts in the jungle to be as polite and considerateas 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 sonof a King's son and getting aboard the ship? The tide'll run out in acouple of hours and carry us along." Tazander had been awake for sometime listening to the conversation with closed eyes. Now sitting up, hecalmly spoke his mind.

"I'm not going with you," he stated grandly. "I'm going to stay herewith Kobo till my own people come for me."

"Hah! Mutiny!" Leaping to his feet, Samuel glared down at the punyyoungster with real anger and exasperation. "If you think I'm going toleave you on this island to be devoured by wild animals when Nikobo'sback is turned, you don't know your pirates. CLIMB up on that animal.Lively, now!" Samuel looked so fierce and threatening, Ato felt rathersorry for the stubborn little King, but he was wasting his sympathy.

"I'm not going," said Tandy, settling more determinedly down into thesand. "And no one can make me."

"Don't say that! Don't say that!" Blubbering with grief at the thoughtof losing her small charge and shivering with anxiety lest he arouse tofurther anger this tall sea captain, Nikobo lumbered to her feet andbegan to whisper eagerly in Tandy's ear. During this short conferenceSamuel gathered up his specimens and Ato his oranges, and when both hadfinished the hippopotamus edged nervously forward.

"I've decided to go with you," she announced in a slightly shakenvoice. "If I go, Tandy'll go, so I'll just GO!"

"WHAT?" roared Samuel Salt, dropping his shells and clapping his handto his forehead. "Well, that practically solves everything!" Lookingwildly from the hippopotamus to theCrescent Moon, Samuel had adreadful vision of Nikobo rolling dangerously from side to side of hischerished vessel.

"What'll you eat?" demanded Roger, who was ever more practical thanpolite. "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 ameek voice. "I'll go on a diet and eat whatever is left."

"Well, why couldn't she go?" proposed Ato, who already had formed agreat liking for Tandy's devoted guardian. "Why couldn't she? Nice kindmotherly creature that she is!"

"But a hippopotamus needs fresh water and tons of food and—" Thensuddenly Samuel brought his hands together with a resounding smack.

"Have you thought of something?" asked Ato hopefully, shifting hisoranges from one shoulder to the other.

"Yes," stated the former Pirate solemnly, "I have." Samuel was secretlydelighted to have found a way to carry this superb herbivorous specimenback 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, andmeanwhile she'll have to do with salt baths and such food as we have inthe hold."

"Oh, KOBO! Did you hear that?" Springing up with the first signs oflife or feeling he had yet shown, Tandy flung himself on his hugechampion 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 Atoin Samuel's ear.

"Not bad, just a pest," wheezed Samuel, reaching for his ax. "Needs ataste of the rope, if you ask me." Then, while Nikobo went for a lastswim in the Biggenlittle River and bade goodbye to her numerous andwondering relatives, Samuel felled trees, split wood, and with nailsRoger fetched from the ship fashioned a splendid strong raft for theirnew pet. Round the edge he built a sturdy railing to keep Nikobo fromsliding off in a rough sea. Ato and Roger, taking thought for theevening meal, heaped one end of the raft with grass and twigs and allthe jungle roots they could gather. Without moving or offering to help,Tandy sat watching, and just as the sun sank down behind the palms, astrange procession started out for theCrescent Moon. Ahead with thekeg of nails soared Roger. Then came the hippopotamus moving like asmall dreadnought through the water. On her back sat Ato, the haughtyyoung King of Ozamaland, and Samuel Salt. Samuel rode last, holding inhis hand the long cable he had attached to the raft and with which hemeant to fasten it to theCrescent Moon.

Following his orders, Nikobo swam close to the side of the ship soTandy and Ato could climb the rope ladder, then she paddled round tothe stern where Samuel drew his cable through an iron ring in theship's hull and made the raft fast. There was a runway at the back ofthe raft and the rails on that side let down so that Nikobo had notrouble clambering aboard. By pulling a rope with her teeth, she couldraise or lower the back of her pen and take a swim whenever she feltthe need of one. After giving her a bit of advice about voyaging, andseeing her comfortably settled, Samuel climbed the cable and nimblypulled himself aboard his ship. Roger had already stowed their preciousspecimens in the hold and rubbing his hands with brisk satisfaction,the Captain of theCrescent Moon weighed anchor and dropped withthe tide down the Biggenlittle River to the sea. Then touching theautomatic controls, he set his sails to catch the evening breeze,adjusted his steering gear for a course east by sou'east and strodehappily into his cabin. The Salamander chirped cheerfully as he passedher hot box and after tapping a cheerful greeting on the lid, the wearyexplorer stripped off his ruined and muddy shore-going outfit, took ashower 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 youand Ato would want him in here."

"Shiver my timbers, NO." Samuel looked ruefully across at the smallberth the Philadelphia boy occupied on their last voyage. "He'll neverbe the seaman Peter was, nor the company either. He'd better keep outof my way, HAH! or I'll give him a taste of my belt." Snatching up hisspyglass and looking as stern as a kind-hearted pirate well can, Samuelhurried out on deck.

Meanwhile, in the cabin next to the Captain's, Tandy stood regardinghimself mournfully in the small glass over his sea chest. He too hadtaken a shower and at Roger's suggestion had donned one of Peter's oldpirate suits.

"I am a King and the son of a King's son," muttered Tandy, staringsadly at the sallow reflection in the mirror. To tell the truth, thesuit was not in the least becoming to the skinny and sullen youngmonarch.

"I am a King and son of a King's son and can bear anything," herepeated dismally.

"Then bear a hand with the dinner," yelled Roger, who had been peekingat him through the port hole. "All who eat must work, and under thehatches 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 whatKobo was doing. From the galley came the cheerful rattle of pots andpans and the huge voice of Ato singing as he prepared the dinner.Gulls flew in excited circles all round theCrescent Moon, callingout their hoarse challenge and farewell, and Samuel Salt, leaningon the taffrail, gazed dreamily back at Patrippany Island. The Ozflags fluttering from the tall palms gave it quite a gay and festiveappearance and in spite of not seeing the Leopard Men, Samuel felt hehad done a good day's discovering.

"Ahoy, below! How you coming?" called Samuel, leaning down to look atNikobo. 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 Koboremembered to call him "Mate." "We'll make an able-bodied seawoman ofyou yet, my lass!"

CHAPTER 8
Maxims for Monarchs

When Ato, banging boisterously on an iron frying pan with a woodenspoon, summoned all hands to dinner, Samuel and Roger responded with arush. But Tandy remained sitting gloomily on his bunk.

"Now what's the matter?" demanded Samuel Salt as Roger, sent to callthe 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 downwith an angry thump. "No use to start such nonsense!"

"But he's so thin and feeble. The poor child's just full of raw rootsand jungle grass," murmured Ato, beginning to heap a platter withmeat and vegetables. "Wait till he folds himself round some of theseseafarin' rations. He'll be a different person."

"And he'd better be!" rumbled the Captain of theCrescent Moon,pulling in his chair. "And if you and Roger want to spoil the littlepest, go ahead, but he'd better keep out of MY way. HAH!"

"I could drop the dinner on his head," suggested Roger helpfully as Atohanded him an appetizing tray for Tandy. "How would that be?"

"Utterly reprehensible, and conduct unbecoming in a Royal Read Bird andable-bodied seaman," chuckled the ship's cook, shaking his finger atRoger. "Why don't you try to help the little beggar and set him a goodexample?"

Now Roger, in spite of his sharp tongue, was really a sociable andkind-hearted bird and the sight of Tandy sitting so forlornly on hisbunk made him regret his teasing speeches. After all, the littlefellow 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 everyscrap."

"Thank you," answered Tandy, so drearily that Roger with a shudderof distaste fled back to the cheerful company of Samuel and Ato.But later, when Samuel had gone below to pot the precious plantsfrom Patrippany Island and the ship's cook was leaning over the railconversing cozily with the hippopotamus, Roger flew back to Tandy'scabin resolved to help him if he could. With calm satisfaction he notedthat Tandy had eaten everything on the tray. Lying on his back, theyoung King of Ozamaland was staring solemnly up at the beams over hisbunk.

"Ahoy! And what goes on here?" cried Roger, setting down on the old seachest. "How about a turn on deck, my lad, and a bit of chatter with thecrew?"

"It is not seemly for a King and son of a King's son to talk with hisinferiors," observed Tandy coldly.

"In-feer-iors!" screamed Roger, forgetting all his good intentionsand mad enough to nip the youngster's nose right off. "Are you by anychance referring to me?"

"Ozamaland is a great and powerful country and I am its King," statedTandy, turning his back on the Read Bird. At this Roger let out anotherscreech, and then suddenly remembering the purpose of his visit, took along breath to steady himself. When he spoke again his voice was bothcalm and reasonable.

"Ozamaland may be a great and powerful country and you may also be itsKing, but remember you are no longer in Ozamaland," explained Rogerfirmly. "You are on this ship by the express wish and kindness of theCaptain and in the company of Kings and BETTER. WAIT!" Shaking a clawat Tandy's back, Roger flew off to fetch one of Ato's books from theshelf above the stove. Tandy was in the same position when he returned,but paying him no further attention, Roger pulled the lamp nearer andopened his volume.

"When a King is in the company of Kings," began the Read Birdimpressively, "he is no longer a special or royal being, but merelya man among men, and as such must maintain his honor and standing bysheer worth and ability alone."

"Who says that? What are you reading?" Tandy sat up with suddeninterest, for his whole life had been spent in study and reflection andthe voice of the Read Bird was not unlike the voice of Woodjabegoodja,his royal instructor at home.

"I am readingMaxims for Monarchs," answered Roger calmly, "a book ofgreat authority and antiquity that has been used by the Rulers of Ozand Ev and the Nonestic Islands these many thousand years. No great andimportant country would think of being without a copy of this book," hecontinued severely.

"Strange, then, that I should not have heard of it," mused Tandy,looking not quite so sure of himself. "We have noMaxims for Monarchsin Ozamaland."

"Pooh, Ozamaland!" Roger dismissed the whole country with a shrug ofhis wing. "A country as young and unimportant as that would probablyknow nothing about such matters."

"You mean my country is not so old nor important as Oz and thistwo-penny island of your fat Master?" shouted Tandy angrily.

"Of course not. Why, it's not even been discovered, and whoever hasbeen 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, theRead Bird urged him to look for himself. With a puzzled frown Tandyreread the passage Roger had just quoted.

"Well, even though your Master is a King, you're not a King and neitheris Samuel Salt," said Tandy, looking at Roger with some of his formerarrogance.

"Oh, isn't he? Well, just lay to this, young fellow," Roger shook hisclaw under Tandy's upturned nose. "Samuel Salt is Captain of this ship,a Knight and the Royal Discoverer of Oz, which makes him seventy timesas important as you, King Pins. He not only is boss of theCrescentMoon, but he rules the sea, discovering countries for other Kings togovern, and if it were not for Samuel Salt and people like him, therewouldn't be any Kingdoms nor people like you to run them. See? As forme, I'm a Royal Read Bird and wouldn't be a King for a minute. I canlive 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 Tandywonderingly. "Then what am I? What am I supposed to do?" The littleboy 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 sidewaysdown his bill. "What are you besides a King? What can you do that isuseful or interesting?"

"Do, DO?" Tandy's voice rose shrilly. "Why—er—why, I can drawpictures and ride an elephant."

"Good!" Roger put up his claw to hide the grin that, in spite of hisbest efforts, began to spread round his bill. "Well, there isn't muchcall for drawing or elephant riding on a ship, but you can draw waterto swab the decks and I'll teach you to ride the yards and follow thecrosstrees to the main topgallant mast in the blowingest blow that everblowed. And depend upon it, young one, you'll have more fun as a personthan you ever had as a King. There's no place for having fun like aship!"

"Fun!" said Tandy flatly and inquiringly. "What's that?"

"Tar and tobaccy jack! What are you tellin' me?" Roger almost toppledoff the sea chest. "Do you mean to sit there like a dumb image and tellme you've never had any fun? Never felt so bursting full of ginger andhappiness 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?" gaspedRoger. "What in paint did you do in that cussed country of yours beforeyou got carried off and penned up like a pig in the jungle?"

Considering Roger's question, Tandy clasped and unclasped his handsnervously. "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 andmother before they disappeared. So it is with me. Furthermore, it beingprophesied that I would be carried off by an aunt in the middle yearsof my youth, it was deemed expedient and necessary to keep me lockedaway from danger in the White Tower of the Wise Men."

"Hurumph!" grunted the Read Bird, who had not heard so many long wordssince the voyage began. "And what did you do in this precious tower?"

"I studied," sighed Tandy, reclining wearily back on his pillows, "forthere are many things a King must learn. But one hour of every eveningI was permitted to walk about the garden on top of the tower and lookdown upon my Kingdom. On very great occasions I was allowed to come outand ride the white elephant in the grand processions of state."

"Humph!" grunted Roger again, looking at Tandy with round dismayedeyes. "And with whom did you play?" he asked after a little silence.

"Play?" Again Tandy's voice was politely inquiring.

"The word wasplay," insisted the Read Bird doggedly. "With whomdid you run about, play tag, checkers, pirates or go fishing?"

Tandy looked confused and Roger shook his head sorrowfully. "Neverheard of such things!" he exclaimed indignantly. "Well, all I can sayis, whoever carried you off and shut you up in that jungle cage did youa real service. If you had not been there we never would have foundyou and I'm here to tell you that from now on things are going to bedifferent. You're discovered now and aboard the grandest ship afloat.You can forget all about being a King and start right in being a personand an able-bodied seaman. I for my part mean to see you have some funor 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 outagain. "From now on, you're plain Tandy and can do as you plain pleaseso long as it does no harm to yourself or the ship. Understand? Andtomorrow we'll start having fun, so be ready." Roger's promise soundedalmost like a threat, but there was such a merry twinkle in his eye,Tandy began to feel interested. "You might even begin tonight," sniffedRoger, taking up the tray. "Just begin by thinking of something youwant to do. Think about it hard and then DO it." Winking cheerfullyover the empty plates, the Read Bird spread his wings and sailedthrough the port.

For several minutes Tandy lay where he was, turning Roger's lastinjunction over and over in his stiff, precise little mind. What DID hereally want to do? At first he could think of nothing. Then suddenlyhe knew. Why, of course—he wanted to talk to Kobo and he just plainWOULD. There was a frosted cake left from his supper, and slipping itinto his blouse, Tandy stepped quietly out on deck. The ship, with onlya slight roll, was moving briskly through the water, white foam fallingin lacy spray from her sides, the moon-white sails spread like giantwings above his head. There was no one in sight, and almost holding hisbreath, 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 hervast 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 glancedover his shoulder as if he were almost afraid to have anyone see himenjoying himself. "Open your mouth, Kobo!" he whispered eagerly.Without hesitation or question the hippopotamus stretched her jaws wideand Tandy with the first real thrill of his life flung the frosted cakeinto that immense pink cavern. As Kobo neatly caught and snapped herlips on the tempting morsel Tandy let out a faint cheer and began tothink there might be something in Roger's suggestions after all. "I'llthrow you lots of things tomorrow," he promised gaily. "Good night,Kobo. Good night, Kobo dear."

Humming a tuneless little song, the young King hurried almostcheerfully back to his cabin. Pausing in the doorway of his tidyquarters, 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 seachest, which Ato had placed near his bunk, Tandy found a large tabletof stiff paper, a box of paints and some crayons. Settling himselfcross-legged on his bunk, he began drawing, not pictures of the castlesand courtiers of Ozamaland, but pictures of the queer jungle beasts andLeopard Men he had seen on Patrippany Island.

When Roger, on first watch, called out eight bells, he saw Tandy'slight still burning, and flying down to investigate, found his newpupil fast asleep in the middle of his masterpieces. The whole bunkwas covered with bright drawings and pictures and even to Roger'sinexperienced eye they seemed excellently done. So, carefully the ReadBird stowed them in the sea chest, then, without bothering to waken orundress the little King, he covered him with a light blanket and wentquietly from the cabin.

CHAPTER 9
Sea Legs for Tandy

"If what Roger tells us is so, little Sauce Box yonder has had apretty dull life," said Ato as he and the Captain sat finishing theirbreakfast next morning. "Lucky for him we happened along and anyway,the hippopotamus will be good company, eh, Samuel? She seems downrightsensible and jolly. Reminds me of Pigasus and I suppose she does belongto 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 takeher. Personally, I like the animal, but the King and son of a King'sson! PAH! Reminds me of Peter, he's so different, and the sooner wereach Ozamaland and set him ashore, the better. Meals in his own cabin.Hoh!"

"Oh, give him time," drawled Ato, helping himself a second time tofried potatoes. "If there's any good in the lad, a sea voyage willbring it out, and what chance has he had shut up in a tower for tenyears and in a cage for five months? Though how an aunt managed tohave him carried so far and why she left him with those savages in thejungle I can't get through my head at all."

"Maybe it was a gi-ant," whistled Roger, swooping down on Ato's plumpshoulder and flapping his wings cheerfully. "How far do you figure itis 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 tobump into it sometime, as I've set my course east by sou'east, andanyway it's all in the year's sailing." Samuel bent over with prideto examine the newest island discovery he had marked on the chart theevening before. "And when we do come to it," he announced firmly,"we'll trade this useless young one for some of those flying snakes andcreeping birds, eh, Mates?"

"If we bring any more animals aboard we might as well set up an ark andbe done with it," warned Ato, shaking his fork at the Captain. "By theway, how's Sally this morning?'

"Tiptopsails!" grinned Samuel. "She eats nothing but hot air and waterand is no more trouble than a hair in a flea's whisker. I can carry herround 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," retortedAto, rolling briskly out of his seat. "I saved all the potato peelingsfrom last night, and that, with a dozen cans of peas, corn, carrots andbeets, should stay her appetite till lunch time."

"Forty cans at one swallow," groaned Roger, clapping a claw to his headin mock dismay. "She'll eat us out of ship and home at this rate. Can'tyou think of something else, King dear? A nice wind pudding or a tub ofsea soup sprinkled with faggots."

"Oh, go along with you," roared Ato, and picking up his precious coffeepot, he waddled cheerfully off to his storeroom.

The day was bright and breezy and theCrescent Moon going free,breasted the waves like a white-winged sea witch. It was SUCH amorning that even Tandy, peering inquiringly from his cabin, felt anuncontrollable impulse to slide down the deck. So he did, coming upsmartly 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 tothe sea's roll, sonny, get into her rhythm. You've got to breathe withthe 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 andcame 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 theforemast. "Ever climb a tree?" Tandy shook his head, looking withdeep misgiving into the maze of sail and rigging above. But Rogerwas already aloft and beckoning for him to follow. "Not that way,Brainless!" scolded Roger anxiously as Tandy, gritting his teeth, madea desperate leap upward. "See those rope ladders by the rail? Put yourfeet in the ratlins, boy, and come along hand over hand. It's easy asflying 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 ropeladders toiled Tandy, till Roger, growing impatient, seized his collarand 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 Tandywas too dizzy and breathless to talk for a moment, Roger cheerfully sethimself 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 theforemast.

"TheCrescent Moon," began Roger with an impressive jerk of his head,"is a square rigged three-masted sailing vessel. Normally 'twould takefrom sixty to eighty men in a crew to set and make sail and bringher about in a blow. But Samuel Salt has magic sail controls, so wethree manage quite easily, and now that YOU are here and the handyhippopotamus below 'twill be easier still. The mast we're riding is theforemast. The mast second from the bow, as we call the front of theship, is the mainmast, and the mast at the back or, as we salt waterbirds say, the stern of the boat, is the mizzenmast. And now for thesails." Roger took a deep breath. "Those below, beginning from thebottom up, are the course, the topsail, the topgallant sail, the royaland 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 isattached. As, for instance, this ahead of us is the fore-topgallantsail. SEE? And everything to the left of the ship's center we say is onthe 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 onthe starboard?" asked Tandy, who had been listening very solemnly as hetried to fix all of these strange sea terms in his head.

"Bravo!" cried Roger. "Right the first time, Mate. And the water isbluer on the port side of the vessel because it is saltier. The bluerthe saltier," declared Roger, who, besides his first voyage with theCrescent Moon, had read all the sea books in Ato's library and wassimply crammed with deep sea facts and information. "And what is more,"he continued, pursing his bill mysteriously, "we're sailing in a magiccircle 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 voyagingso glorious, and sailing so much fun!"

Tandy, staring at the empty circle of blue falling away from the shipon all sides, nodded dreamily. The White City—Patrippany Island—allhis former life and existence seemed unreal and far away and he hopedin his heart of hearts theCrescent Moon would not reach his nativeshores for many a long gay day. As Roger said, being a personwas fun.

"M—mm!" Roger sniffed suddenly. "Wonder what Ato's cooking? Smellslike 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, alarge green column shot up on the skyline, a column so surprising andshocking in appearance Tandy felt positively stunned.

"Oh, look! LOOK!" he screamed, grabbing Roger's wing. "There'ssomething now. Oh, Roger, what fun! What terrible fun!"

"Fun?" Roger spun round like a weather cock in a gale. "Fun?" herepeated, stretching out his neck as far as it would go and a fewinches besides. "Oh, my best bill and feathers. That's not fun—that'sa SEA-Serpent. Help! Help! Deck ahoy! 'Hoy! 'Hoy! Below! King! Captain!Ato! SAMMY! SAMU-EL!" As if calling them not only by their titlesbut by their names would increase the number of the ship's officersand crew, Roger tugged wildly at Tandy's arm. "Below! Below! Allhands below," shrilled the Read Bird. "Cover all ports and batten thehatches!"

Urged on by Roger, Tandy, still more interested than frightened,descended rapidly to the main deck. At Roger's cries, Ato had run outwith a pan of bubbling molasses in one hand and his trusty bread knifein the other. Right behind him stood Samuel Salt, his eye pressed tohis 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 marineophidian I've ever met in all my voyages!"

"Oh, fiddlesticks!" blustered Ato, shaking him angrily by the arm. "Areyou a Captain or a Collector? Quick, now, make up your mind before yourship is crunched down like a cracker and we're all swallowed up withthe crumbs. Quick, Sammy! For the love of salt mackerel, DO something!"Squeezing himself between the cook and the Captain, Tandy saw thatthere were now three immense shiny curves showing above the water, andwith scarcely a splash the tremendous monster was moving toward theship. Then suddenly it was upon them, and its huge horrid unbelievablehead came curling far over the bow of theCrescent Moon.

"Avast and belay! Avast and belay, you villain!" yelled Samuel Salt,dropping his spyglass and grasping his blunderbuss while Roger beat hiswings together like castanets and screamed like a fire siren.

Tandy, rather frightened himself, and not knowing what else to do, fellflat on his stomach and pulling a pad from his blouse, began makinga quick and frantic sketch of the dreadful sea beast. Its body wasleagues long and yards through, the head was large as a whole elephantwith a long curling silver tongue and darting green fangs. But it wasthe teeth that made even the stout heart of Ato hammer against hisribs. Each tooth of this singular sea serpent was a live white goblinbrandishing a long spear. Leaning far out of the yawning mouth, theyscreamed, hissed and yelled at the defenseless company below. The nextforward thrust of the monster brought its head curling right down amongthem. This so startled Tandy he could neither move nor scream. Samuelfired his blunderbuss so fast and furiously it sounded like a dozenguns, but it was Ato who really saved the day and his shipmates.

With calm and deadly precision, the ship's cook flung the pan ofstill bubbling molasses straight into the cavernous mouth. Screamingwith surprise, pain and fury, the monster clamped its jaws together,and finding them stuck fast on the taffy, fell writhing back intothe sea, dashing and slashing its head under water to ease the burnand setting theCrescent Moon to dancing like a cocklebur. But thetaffy, hardened by contact with the cold water, stuck faster than ever,and unable to bite and scarcely able to breathe, the discomfited seamonster backed away from the ship and went slithering and thrashingaway toward the skyline.

"Well, there goes our candy pull!" sighed Roger, falling in a limp heapto Ato's shoulder. "Nice work! Nice work, King dear. There's a certaintouch about your fighting that is well nigh irresistible."

"Mains'ls and tops'ls! You certainly pulled a trick THAT time!" puffedSamuel Salt, picking up his spyglass to have a last look at his lovelyspecimen. "You saved us and the ship, that time, Mate. My bulletsrattled off its hide like hailstones off a roof."

"Pooh! Just happened to have the taffy handy," answered Ato, lookingrather regretfully into the empty pot. "Here, child, run back and tellKobo everything's all right." The ship's cook pulled Tandy quickly tohis feet. "Just listen to her squealing. The poor lass is probablyfrightened out of her skin." As Tandy started aft on a run, Ato pickedup the sketch he had made of the monster. "Ahoy and what's this?" hepanted. "What did I tell you, Sammy? Look, the boy's drawn as lively apicture 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 toperish and go down with the ship? Hah! That's what I call bravery inaction!" exclaimed Samuel. "And goosewing my topsails! If the younglubber 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 extrarations and pay."

"Hurray! And I'll tell him," puffed Roger, spreading his wingsgleefully. "Hi, King! Hi, Tandy! Ho, Tandy! You've been promoted fromKing to cabin boy and Royal Drawer of Animals and Islands and extryrations 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, Rogerhad carried all the sketches Tandy had made of the Leopard Men andPatrippany Island to the main cabin. Samuel's delight and enthusiasmat having such spirited and authentic records of the lost tribe andstrange animals on Patrippany Island knew no bounds. He beamed on Tandyso kindly and approvingly next time they met, the little boy felt warmand jolly all the way down to his heels. Roger had already explainedhis new duties to him and when Ato sounded the gong for dinner Tandywas the first to answer. But when he started to pass the vegetables andwait on the table, the Captain gruffly pushed him into a chair.

"All equals here," roared Samuel, slapping him affectionately on theshoulder. "You've earned your place and your salt, sonny, and we'll allhelp ourselves and each other." Tilting back his chair and keepingtime with his teacup, Samuel began to sing lustily:

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 hadknown. 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 ofthe crew, he took his turn on watch, his trick at the wheel, and hadbesides other duties on deck. After a bit of practice he could scramblealoft like a monkey and liked nothing so much as perching in therigging looking far out to sea. The Read Bird had fastened a specialrope to the mizzenmast so that Tandy could swing out and drop down onNikobo's raft, and much of his free time was spent with the faithfulhippopotamus.

Sea life agreed enormously with Nikobo, especially since Ato had solvedthe largest item of her diet. Noting the tangled mass of seaweed oftenfloating by on the surface of the sea, the clever cook let down theship's nets daily. The seaweed, crisp, tender and green, was draggedon deck where Roger and Tandy went carefully through it, removing allcrabs, small fish and sea shells which seriously disagreed with thehippopotamus. A huge hamper full was lowered to her every evening andwith this plentiful supply of green food, with the bread and deliciousvegetable scraps Ato saved from the table, Nikobo fared better than shehad on the Island. The largest tub on the boat served as a drinkingcup 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, lackingnothing in interest or comfort, Nikobo enjoyed herself hugely and tothe fullest extent.

On calm mornings, with theCrescent Moon hove to, all hands would goswimming. Nikobo loved to swim and to roll over and over like a mightyporpoise, even though the salt water made her eyes sting. Since Tandyhad given Samuel the drawings of the Leopard Men, the ship's Captaincould not do enough for his young cabin boy, and among other things hadmade a rope harness for Nikobo so Tandy could hang on when he perchedupon her slippery back. At first he had been satisfied to ride Nikobo,but after several days he was splashing recklessly with the others andSamuel had taught him all the swimming strokes he knew and had Tandydiving over and under the hippopotamus in a way to make Roger screamwith envy and approval.

Swimming was the only part of a sea voyage the Read Bird could notreally enjoy, but he was always on hand to give advice, roosting onNikobo's head so long as she stayed above water and taking hurriedly tohis wings when she mischievously tried to dunk him. The hippopotamusmade a really splendid raft when they tired of swimming, and Ato, whodid not care for water sports so much as Samuel or Tandy, fished forhours from her back, his feet hooked through the ropes of her harnessto keep him from falling into the sea. The only thing Tandy regrettedwas Nikobo's great size and that she could not come aboard ship andjoin them in the cabin. On cool evenings he and Ato and the Captain(Roger preferring to take first watch) would sit cozily round the firelistening to the stories Samuel told them of the days when he had beena pirate and roamed up and down the Nonestic, capturing the ships andtreasure of all the powerful island monarchs. Tandy never tired ofthese thrilling sea battles nor of watching Samuel Salt's pet firelizard.

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 shetouched. Indeed, whenever they wanted a fire in the grate, they hadonly to place the Salamander on the kindlings beneath the logs and acheery flame would blaze up instantly. It was in the fireplace Sallytook most of her exercise, racing and scittering over the glowing logsor rolling happily in the red hot embers. But most of her time shespent curled up in Samuel Salt's pipe, and it was always a surprise toTandy to see her comical head pop up over the edge of the bowl or hearher 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 plantsfrom Patrippany Island, try to figure out the script on the piece oflava, and sort and arrange Samuel's shell collection. Every day afterthe 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 theLeopard Men and beasts on Patrippany Island, Samuel had framed and hungabove his shelves so that the hold was looking more and more like ascientific laboratory every day.

"Do you suppose we'll ever find anything large enough to put in thosebig cages and aquariums?" asked Tandy one night as he pasted a pinklabel on a fluted conch shell.

"Sure's eight bells!" murmured Samuel Salt comfortably. "No tellingwhat'll turn up on a voyage like this. Personally I've set my heart ona 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'vehad a week of such fine and pleasant days, I look for something tohappen any moment now, so you'd better put up your paste pot and turnin, my lad, so we'll all be ready for the morning."

"Well, what would you do with a roc's egg?" inquired Tandy, reluctantlyclapping the top on his bottle of glue. "Aren't they terribly big andterribly scarce, Captain Salt?"

"Terribly!" admitted Samuel Salt, placing his tray of lamp shells backon their stand. "But a newly laid roc's egg is as rare as a mermaid'sfoot, and no larger than one small tar barrel. Now if we could justget 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 welanded, it could easily fly off with us and the ship, for THAT'S howbig a bird a roc is. But I'll take a chance if I ever find a roc's eggand there's an island somewhere in these waters where rocs are known tonest. Rock Island it's called, and a roc's nest would be something tosee, eh, Kinglet?"

"Please don't call me that," begged Tandy earnestly. "Roger says Idon'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 Tandysuddenly to his shoulder. "Why, since you've stopped this King and sonof a Kinging, you're a seaman after my own heart, and so long as theCrescent Moon's afloat you've a berth on her! Up with you! Up withyou! Tomorrow's another day." Swinging gaily to the main deck, Samueltumbled Tandy into his bunk and went striding aft to take in his mainand 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 hadhappened just as Samuel had predicted. Running out with a paring knifestill in his hand, he saw a strange glittering mountainous island abaftthe beam. It was still a goodish sea mile away, but with the glassesAto generously pressed upon him Tandy made out the most curious bitof geography the eyes of a voyager had yet gazed on. There was not apiece of level ground on the island anywhere. Its high, glittering,needle-like peaks rose straight out of the sea with apparently no wayof ascending or descending. Of clear crystal, reflecting every colorof the rainbow, the beautiful island was almost too dazzling to lookat as it lay shimmering and sparkling in the bright sunshine. As theysailed nearer, Tandy saw that a perfect maze of high and airy bridgesran like a gigantic spider web between the peaks. On these bridges allthe island's life and activities seemed to take place. Quaint flutedcottages were built in the center, and along the perilous catwalks oneither side raced the Mountaineers themselves, brandishing glitteringpoles and spears and halberds.

"Pikes on the peak! Pikes on the peak! Port your helm, Sammy," roaredAto. "Not too close! Not too near, Sam-u-el. How'd you like to bepinned to the mast with a spear or flattened on the deck with aboulder?"

"Ah, now, they're just excited!" answered Samuel Salt, squintingcuriously up at the Bridgemen, but Nikobo, with her short legs restingon 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, jerkingSamuel's sleeve, "right there where that torrent comes down between thebridges, a three-master, larger than theCrescent 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 shipmatessprang to attention, Samuel darted from mast to mast, touching thebuttons on his sail controls.

"AYE DE AYE OH LAY!" The shrill unexpected cry came from the highestbridge on the island, and was immediately taken up and repeated by allthe Pikemen on the lower bridges. It resulted in such a mad medley ofyodels that Ato clapped both hands to his ears and Nikobo plunged herhead in her drinking tub.

"Not only fighters, but singers!" grunted Ato, swinging the portgun into an upright position. "Beef, beans and barley bread! What arumpus!" Tandy, who with Roger had charge of the other gun, could nothelp but admire the calm way Samuel Salt ignored the dreadful outcryfrom the bridges. Whether the pikes of the islanders could be flungdown upon them was still a question, but as Tandy looked anxiouslyaloft, he saw the great white-sailed ship of the Mountain Men sweepingtoward the torrent. It paused for a breathless instant on the top andthen came rushing down upon them. They were right in the path of thedescending vessel which would strike them with such force both shipswould 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. "Ican bear anything."

"Not this! Not this!" chattered Roger, sliding wildly up and down theshiny cannon. "It will shiver your timbers—it will shiver all of ourtimbers. What in salt ails the Captain? Why doesn't he give the orderto 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 penand slid into the sea, Tandy felt a quiver and jerk through the wholelength of theCrescent Moon. Glancing aloft, he saw a strange changein the sails. Where before they had been sturdy single stretches ofcanvas, they were now great swelling balloon sails, each a perfectair-filled sphere. As the ship from the mountain with an angry swishcatapulted down from the torrent into the sea, theCrescent Moon rosebuoyantly into the air, allowing the enemy craft to shoot harmlesslybeneath 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'mno flier. No higher! No higher! Do you intend to impale us on yonderPeaks?" Samuel Salt, hanging desperately to the wheel, made no replyand as the ship, dipping and swaying, soared higher and higher thedeafening yodels of the Bridgemen ceased abruptly.

"Wha—wha—where are you heading?" demanded Roger, spreading his wingsin order to keep his balance on the sloping deck. "You never told usyou had balloon sails, Master Salt."

"Ahoy, but we never needed them before!" panted Samuel. "Look sharpbelow, 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, peaksand bridges?" moaned Ato, holding his head with both hands. "Avast andbelay, Mate, I signed up for a sea voyage and not a balloon ride. Thealtitude'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 peakyisland? How could we even take half of them?"

"By surprise," announced Samuel Salt grimly. "We'll take them bysurprise. Look, they're too surprised to even yodel. Fetch up the Ozflags, Tandy, and all hands aft for further orders."

"Aft and daft!" choked Ato, hanging on to the rail as he made hisway toward the wheel. When Tandy came hurrying up from the hold, hisarms full of Oz flags, theCrescent Moon hung directly over theglittering Island. Roger fluttered anxiously just below calling uphoarse information as to the size, possible depth and shape of thesparkling blue lake between the peaks.

Listening carefully to Roger's directions, Samuel deflated his balloonsails so skillfully theCrescent Moon came down lightly as a swan inthe exact center of the Lake. Above and around the ship on all sideshung the glittering spans of a beautiful Bridge City, and in stunnedsilence and dismay the Bridgemen looked down on the flying ship and itscurious crew.

"Ahoy and hail, Men of the Mountain!" challenged Samuel in a ringingvoice. "You are now part and parcel of the great Kingdom of Oz, free asbefore to govern yourselves, but from this day and henceforth on, anisland possession and colony under the protection and puissant rule ofher Majesty Queen Ozma of Oz!"

"OZ! Ozay Oz Oh Lay?" The cry came from the tallest and most splendidof the Islanders, who was standing with folded arms on the lacy spanconnecting 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 littlegasp of relief saw the Mountaineers on all the bridges bring theirpikes to rest beside them and gaze aloft for further orders.

"I am Alberif, Prince of the Peaks," stated the Man on the HighestBridge, looking coolly down at Samuel Salt. "But YOU—you who come inthis flying ship to conquer the Island of Peakenspire, who are YOU?"

"Ato, the Eighth, King of the Octagon Isles, Sir Samuel Salt, Captainof theCrescent Moon and Royal Explorer of Oz, Tazander Tazah, Kingof Ozamaland, and myself a Royal Read Bird," shouted Roger before anyof the others had time to speak for themselves.

The Prince of the Peaks, tall and splendid in his shining coat andbreeches of silver cloth, his broad-brimmed hat with its quill androsette of wild flowers, looked so much more impressive than anyoneaboard theCrescent Moon, Tandy half expected him to laugh at Roger'sboastful announcements. But instead, Alberif, leaning far out over hisroyal bridge, looked down at them long and seriously.

"Two Kings, a Royal Discoverer, a Flying Ship and a Read Bird! Hi deAye 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 therule of Oz. If your Highness could but descend from yon Royal Bridge tothis ship, everything can be arranged both peaceably and pleasantly."

"'Ware, Alberif! 'Ware, Alberif!" yodeled the Pikemen on the lowerbridges. "Once aboard that ship eeee-ip! We may never see you againeeeeee-yen!"

"Oh, nonsense!" blustered Samuel Salt impatiently. "I give you my wordas a Pirate and a seaman no harm shall come to you on theCrescentMoon."

The Prince stood lost in thought for a moment, then tapping hislong alpenstock sharply he issued a high yodeled command. From thebridgehead an immense basket swooped down. The Prince seated himselfgravely in the basket and with three men manipulating the ropes made aswift and dizzy descent to the deck of theCrescent Moon.

While Samuel and Roger welcomed the tall and lordly Ruler of theMountain Isle, Ato hurried off to the galley to prepare some suitablerefreshments for his entertainment. Tandy, after Samuel had introducedhim, began making careful sketches of the handsome Prince, of thelovely city of bridges and of the Pikemen, who still looked withsuspicion and distrust upon the ship that had taken the place of theirown.

"How about that basket?" whispered Roger, who had come out to help Atoin 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 puton your crown, or this fellow will think you're King of the Cookies andDoughnuts."

"Ha, ha! When he's tasted my plum cake he'll not think it, he'll knowit!" puffed Ato, bustling happily from cupboard to cupboard. "Bring outthe best tumblers and silver plates, fetch up a dozen bottles of myfamous Sea-pop from the hold and we'll have this island in our pocketbefore you can say Oz Robinson!"

When Ato with one tray and Roger with another came out, they foundthe Captain and the Prince of the Peaks striding up and down the deckin the friendliest conversation imaginable. Matched in height andhandsomeness, the two were discussing with lively interest everythingfrom ships and governments to the strange limestone that formed thecrystalline rocks of Alberif's island. Later, seated around the tablewith Tandy and Roger passing plum cake and Sea-pop, the Prince grewfriendlier and more confidential still.

"We've never been conquered before," admitted his Majesty with apuzzled smile, "but really I find it both interesting and enjoyable."

"Just a matter of chance and luck," said Samuel Salt with a modestwave of his hand. "Had I not had balloon sails on theCrescent Moon,your ship would have cut us clean in two before we had time to putabout."

"That is what I always planned would happen to an enemy craft," sighedAlberif. "Naturally our own ship, theMountain Lass, would have beendestroyed too, but we could easily have built another. That is whatwe'll have to do anyway, as we'll never be able to haul her up thetorrent."

"Don't you do it," begged Samuel Salt, looking earnestly at theMountain Monarch. "I'll send you a set of balloon sails as soon as Ireach Elbow Island. The Red Jinn presented me with two sets and I'll bedelighted to send you one. Once they're set, you can fly up as easilyas 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. "Buttell me, what am I to do now that I am conquered? Surely something isrequired of us?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Samuel spoke earnestly and admiringly. "Thisisland and your men are in fine shape and a great credit to you, sojust go on as you are, but from this time forth you'll be in contactwith the famous and most modern Fairyland in History, and if you areever beset by enemies, you can call upon Oz for assistance or help. Intime, fruit, foodstuffs, books and merchandise will arrive from Oz, andin return you may send back some of the sparkling crystals composingthese mountains. You might even invite a band of settlers from Oz tocome and live as your loyal subjects here."

"Gladly! Gladly!" agreed the Prince, his eyes sparkling at theprospect. "We have many uninhabited peaks and spires and couldeasily accommodate a thousand new bridge builders. Come with me, allof you, to Skytop Tower and we'll run up the flag of Oz and sign apledge of allegiance to her Majesty Queen Ozma. AYE DE AYE OH LAY!"Running out on deck, Alberif joyously beckoned to the men who operatedthe traveling basket, inviting them all to enter. Ato, who had nointention of trusting his two hundred and fifty pounds to this strangeconveyance, shook the Prince regretfully by the hand.

"I'll just watch it all from here," said the ship's cook firmly. "I'vepie to cook, potatoes to peel and dinner to stir up for all hands and ahippopotamus, 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 shrilltune of a ringing round of yodels their curious elevator rose from thedeck, spun merrily up to the Twin Peaks and highest bridge of Alberif'sMountain. Used as he was to the tall masts and lofty rigging of theCrescent Moon, Tandy felt sick and giddy as the basket swooped andswung upward. But it came down safely at last and at sight of theshining spans of the lacy city spread out below, and the glitteringcastle rising from the royal bridge, Tandy forgot all his uneasiness.With a little whistle of surprise and interest he followed Samuel andAlberif into the royal dwelling, while Roger flew off on a littleexploring expedition of his own. Roger knew all about castles and wasmuch more interested in the many windowed, fluted cottages of theyodelers.

Ato, watching from the deck of theCrescent Moon, presently saw theflag of Oz fluttering from the top turret of the Castle Tower and witha little sigh of relief and pride he gathered up the empty pop bottlesand padded off to his galley. Soon Oz flags floated from the posts onall the bridgeheads, adding much to the gaiety and beauty of Alberif'scity.

From the Royal Bridge Tandy and Samuel had a splendid view, and ofhis many experiences Tandy always remembered best the afternoon spenton Peakenspire. Alberif was a merry as well as an interesting host,explaining everything from the strange traveling baskets to the age-oldcustoms and treasures of the Islanders. In the baskets the Islanderscould travel from bridge to bridge and down to the sea itself whenthey wished to go fishing. There was little soil between the rocks,but such soil as there was, was so amazingly fertile, each familycould raise all the fruit and vegetables required in one small windowbox. After long experimentation and culture, Alberif's ancestors hadperfected two curious vines. On one vegetables grew in rapid rotation,potatoes following peas, corn following potatoes, carrots followingcorn, beets following carrots, cabbages, lima beans and spinach afterthe beets. The vine never withered or died and by cutting off the topevery day the Islanders were assured of a continuous supply of freshvegetables. The fruit vine was of the same variety, furnishing everyknown berry, fruit and melon. Each family was given two of these vinesand thus had very little worry about food supplies. Birds, something ofa cross between wild ducks and chickens, made their nests in the craggypeaks, and with their eggs and a plentiful supply of fish and other seafood the Islanders fared splendidly.

The Bridgemen were tall, blue eyed, handsome and happy. Men and womenalike wore short trousers and blouses of silver cloth and carriedpikes that served both as weapons and alpenstocks. The bridges, whiledelicate as fine lace in construction, were supple and strong assteel. The material mined from the mountains themselves was like silverand crystal combined, a new strong and glittering metal, samples ofwhich Samuel happily thrust into his pocket.

"Sounds like magic," said Tandy, who had been listening closely toAlberif's description of life on Peakenspire.

"Itis magic of a kind," answered the Prince with a pleased littlenod. "And the air here is so light and sparkling we never tire, growold or have illness of any kind, so that my people are always lighthearted and happy, spending most of their time in dancing and singing."

"I see," murmured Samuel Salt, "er—and hear," he added quickly as thewild, joyous cries of Alberif's yodelers made every window in thepalace rattle. "I'll certainly make a note of all this and reportPeakenspire Island to Queen Ozma as the most interesting discovery ofthe voyage."

"I am highly honored!" Alberif bowed stiffly. "Highly honored! HIdee Aye de OH—hhhhh!" Jumping into the air, the Prince of the Peakskicked his heels together from sheer exuberance. "Wait," he toldthem cheerfully, "and I'll get you some fruit and vegetable vines totake back with you." Tandy and Samuel could not help grinning asAlberif rushed off. To tell the truth, there was something so lightand exhilarating about the mountain air they found it difficult towalk calmly themselves. As the Prince returned Samuel felt a loud anduncontrollable yodel rising in his own throat, and seizing Tandy'sarm, he bade Alberif a hasty and hearty adieu. Bidding him keep asharp lookout for the airships from Oz, and loaded down with crystalsand vines, the two explorers climbed into the basket and were swungswiftly down to the deck of theCrescent Moon. Roger, flying underhis own power and yodeling like a native, arrived soon after.

With Oz flags flying from all bridges and the Mountaineers calling outrousing and melodious farewells, Samuel inflated his balloon sails andthe ship soared gracefully aloft, circled the island three times andthen dropped lightly down upon the surface of the sea. TheMountainLass in charge of Alberif's husky crew lay just off shore and thereshe would have to stay till Samuel sent a set of balloon sails to lifther back to the Lake among the peaks.

Nikobo, who'd been swimming anxiously round and round, gave a bellow ofrelief as she spied theCrescent Moon.

"I thought you'd been captured and destroyed!" wheezed thehippopotamus, scrambling hastily aboard her raft. "Next time you flyoff, take me aboard or give me a balloon sail too. I'm so full ofsalt water I'm perfectly pickled and somebody'll have to scrape thebarnacles off my hide."

"But we've brought you a present," called Tandy, leaning far over thetaffrail, "a vegetable vine that will keep you supplied with freshvegetables as long as we're at sea. SEE! DEEEE Aye DEE OH!"

"Avast and balaydeeaye!" barked Samuel Salt grimly. "Let's get awayfrom here. This is no way for able-bodied seamen to talk." Rushing fromwheel 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 blastson his fog horn, swung his ship about and theCrescent Moon, with aspanking breeze on her quarter, went skimming away toward the southernskyline.

CHAPTER 12
Fog

The evening had blown up raw and cold, and after carrying an oldtarpaulin down to cover Nikobo, Tandy had come shivering back to themain cabin. Samuel Salt had close reefed his topsails and double reefedhis courses, adjusted his mechanical steering gear, and now sat besidethe fire examining a heap of the glittering crystals from Alberif'sisland.

"Just sketch Peakenspire Island on the chart, there where I've made thecross," he directed, looking up with an absent smile as the little boycame over to warm himself at the cheerful blaze. "You're such a handwith a brush, even in so small a place you can give a good idea of theCity of Bridges."

"And a good idea they are," murmured Ato, who was busy mending hisfishing nets on the other side of the fireplace. "In every port welearn something new, eh, Mate? All mountains, no matter how high andpeaked, could be lived on if they were properly bridged."

"True, quite true," agreed Samuel, squinting contentedly through hismagnifying glass, while Tandy began sketching in the latest discoveryon the sea chart. "I've written it all up in my journal and put downPeakenspire Island as able to accommodate a thousand settlers from Ozand 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 sofast and furious I blew all the sauce pans off their hooks."

"Yes, thatis one disadvantage," admitted Samuel, glancingapprovingly 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'vebrought away, Mates!" Samuel ran his fingers lovingly through the heapof crystals and strands of metal Alberif had given him. "And thosefruit and vegetable vines will provision us for the whole voyage."

"They're a great comfort tome, I assure you," muttered Ato, holdingup his net to the light to see whether there were any more holes. "NowI know Kobo will never starve. I put a vegetable vine in a box on herraft and that leaves two for us, two for Ozma, and maybe Tandy wouldlike to take the other two home with him?"

"Home?" Tandy swung round in positive dismay. "Oh—we're not nearOzamaland yet, are we, Captain?" His voice sounded so dismal SamuelSalt threw down his magnifying glass with a roar of merriment.

"Shiver my timbers, lad, one would think you did not wish to reachOzamaland at all," he blustered teasingly. "What's the matter with thatcountry of yours? You wouldn't keep an honest explorer from adding acreeping bird and a flying reptile to his collection, now would ye?"

"No! No! Of course not," answered Tandy quickly. "But perhaps it isfarther away than you think, Master Salt, and perhaps the Greys haveconquered 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 thathas just scented a fox, for he loved a good story even better than heloved a good meal. "Who are the Greys and Whites, my lad? You nevertold us anything about this."

"There's really not much to tell," sighed Tandy, seating himself on asmall stool before the fire. "In the first place, I suppose you knowthat the great continent of Tarara is divided into two large longcountries? Ozamaland is on the East Coast and Amaland on the WestCoast."

"Now I'll just make a note of that," said Samuel Salt, leaning over topull his journal toward him.

"My country," went on Tandy slowly, "is made up largely of desert andjungle, best known for its white elephants and camels and the famousWhite City of Om, first King and ruler of the Kingdom. The Zamas arefierce and still wild tribesmen living in tents on the desert and inhuts in the jungle. Only the thousand Nobles and their families wholive in the White City have been taught to read and write and liveunder roofs. That is why the Kings of Ozamaland are so well guarded andnever allowed out of the capital."

"Then I'd rather be a tribesman," sniffed Ato, letting his nets drop ina heap around his feet.

"But there's no choice," said Tandy thoughtfully. "The nineOzamandarins who make the laws have decreed that the King shall remainin the White City."

"Well, what about these Whites and Greys?" asked Samuel Salt, pullingout his pipe and leaning down close to the fire so Sally could light itfor him.

"My people, because they dress in white robes and turbans, are knownas the Whites, and the Amas, the rough plainsmen who rove the longranges of Amaland, are the Greys. The Amas care for nothing but theirswift grey horses and often charge over the border to make war on mycountrymen. Then the Whites, mounted on their white elephants andcamels, have all they can do to hold their own."

"Aha, that's what I'd call a REAL battle!" exclaimed Ato, hiseyes snapping with enthusiasm and interest. Then, noting Samuel'sdisapproving frown, he pursed up his lips, shook his head and addedquickly, "All very wild and disorderly, Tandy, my lad. Seems as if theWhites 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 theyare so unfriendly."

"A good idea, and if I were you, I wouldn't wait till I was grown. I'ddo it as soon as I got back," advised Samuel Salt, taking a long pullat 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?" saidSamuel mildly. "Now which one of your aunts do you think had youcarried 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 prophecyof 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 inthe Tower." And, resting his elbows on his knees, Tandy gazed soberlyinto the fire as if he might discover there the reason for his cruelabduction and imprisonment in the jungle.

"If I'd only been awake when I was carried away," he exclaimedimpatiently.

"They probably gave you a sleeping potion," decided Ato, nodding hishead portentously, "but it's such a longish distance, unless this aunthad wings or a flying eagle I'll never understand how she shipped youso far and so fast."

"Well, whoever it was didus a real service!" boomed Samuel Salt,twinkling his blue eyes affectionately at Tandy. "Even Peter was nobetter aboard a ship—eh, Mate?"

"A real artist and a seaman," agreed Ato, rolling cheerfully to hisfeet, "and when we reach Ozamaland I'll talk to these aunts likean Octagon uncle, and the Ozamandarins had better hold on to theirturbans, too."

"But they wear square hats!" roared Tandy, laughing so hard he almostfell off the stool, for he just could not picture the fat King of theOctagon Isle berating the haughty judges of Ozamaland.

"What's the joke?" demanded Roger, flying in through the open portand making a straight line for the fire. "Brrr-rah! Wet weather,boys! Wet weather! Oh, what a coldth and dampth and gloomth. Why, I'mmoister than an oyster and clammier than a clam. How about a cup of hotchocolate for the Watch, Cook dear? Better see to your sail, MasterSalt. Fog's thicker than bean soup out there."

"We'llall have some chocolate," said Ato as Samuel hurried out tosee how dense the fog really was. Later, sitting by the stove sippingAto's delicious hot chocolate, Tandy could not help comparing this cozylife aboard theCrescent Moon with his dull and lonely existence inthe Royal City of his Fathers.

"I wish the Greyswould capture the Whites," he thought vindictively,as he followed Roger across the slippery deck. "Then I'd never have toleave this ship." The kind-hearted Read Bird was carrying a pail of hotchocolate down to Nikobo on the raft. She could not get her great snoutinto the bucket, but she opened her enormous mouth and with one tossRoger poured the whole pail down her throat.

"That'll keep her warm till morning," chuckled Roger, flying back tojoin Tandy, "and now you'd better turn in, little fellow, for you're onmorning watch and eight bells will be sounding before you know it!" Allthrough his dreams about the Whites and Greys Tandy heard the raucousvoice of the fog horn, and when he rolled sleepily out of his bunk torelieve Ato, the ship seemed to be hardly moving at all.

"Ahoy, Captain! Isn't a fog dangerous?" Tandy's voice seemed morehopeful than worried, and Samuel Salt, peering down at the little boybuttoned to his chin in Peter's old sou'easter, grinned approvingly.

"Just about as dangerous as a man-eating tiger," he answeredcheerfully. "We're liable to ram a ship, run on the rocks, or scrapeour 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 nosewarm and throw a bit more light on the subject and we'll have to takeour chance—eh, Matey? Just step aft and see if you can make outanything astern, will you, Tandy?"

Four o'clock, or rather eight bells, was always pretty dark and one hadto depend more or less on the ship's lanterns, but this morning wasthe darkest Tandy had ever experienced. Clinging to the rail, he movedcautiously to the stern and gazed intently down into the gloom. Nothingan 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, greatlycomforted, Tandy hurried back to the Captain. Samuel Salt was busylighting 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 shatteredlanterns, Samuel seized an unbroken one and ran furiously to the rail.

"Ship ahoy! Heave to! you blasted son of a cuttle-fish lubber! You'verammed us amidships, you blasted Billygoat. Where are your lights? Whydidn't ye sound the horn?" His lantern, held far over the rail, madeno impression at all on the choking fog. Jumping up and running afterSamuel, Tandy strained his eyes for a glimpse of the ship that had hitthem, for unmistakably to his ears came the scrape and rasp of wood onwood. Yes, surely it was a ship. But no answer to Samuel's hail cameout of the fog, only the swish and murmur of the sea and the rattleof wind in the rigging. But all this creaking could not come from theCrescent Moon alone. Therewas a ship beyond them in the fog,but where, as Samuel had demanded, were her lights and crew? WildlyTandy, hardly knowing what to think or do, continued to blink into themaddening darkness. Ato and Roger, wakened by the horrible jolt, nowcame hurrying out, each waving a lantern.

"Let go the anchor, Mates," ordered Samuel in a stern voice, "we're togrips with an enemy ship, so stand by for trouble. Further shorteninghis sail, Samuel waited tensely for the first move from their invisiblefoe.

"Might be pirates," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth toTandy, who stood close beside him grasping the scimiter that had oncebeen Peter's. "Jump the first man aboard."

"How about a long shot in their general direction?" wheezed Ato, whofound the silence and suspense well nigh unbearable.

"No, it is not forus to start a fight," stated Samuel grimly. "Buthah! Just letthem start one! Fetch me my stilts, Roger, and be quickabout it, too!"

"Stilts?" choked the Read Bird, dropping the blunderbuss with which hehad armed, or rather winged, himself. "You'll never be trying thosethings again—they nearly shivered our timbers last time. Why takeanother chance?"

"My stilts!" repeated Samuel savagely, and Roger, who knew his dutyas a sailor, flew without further argument to the hold. When Rogerreturned with a stilt in each claw, the Captain grasped one and movingsilently as a cat over to the port rail, he thrust the long poleexperimentally out into the fog. There was an instant thud, and Samuelhimself got a severe jolt as the stilt struck against some firm andimmovable object beyond. Convinced that it was an enemy ship, Samuelreturned to the others and, drawn up in an anxious row, the fourshipmates waited for the fog to lift or the first enemy seaman to leapaboard.

"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 thelong wait. The first hour Tandy stood fairly well, but the secondseemed interminable. The flickering lanterns, the tense quiet, thechoking fog and gentle roll of the ship all made him desperatelydrowsy, and, much to his later disgust, he must have finally fallenasleep. The next thing he remembered was the shrill squall of the ReadBird 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 beamlay a great whispering deep sea forest, its trees higher than the mastsof the ship, springing directly out of the water and stretching theirleafy branches to the sky. It was into one of these giant greenwoodstheCrescent Moon had crashed in the fog. Samuel was staring at thesea forest with the rapt look of a scientist who has just made anunbelievable 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 andthe Captain.

"There aren't! It's just plain impossible!" breathed Ato, moving overto make room for Tandy. "But, impossible or not, there she lies. Andisn't it pretty?" he mused, resting more than half of his great weighton the rail.

"I suppose Sammy'll want to dig up a sea tree and bring it along," heleaned over to whisper mischievously in Tandy's ear. "And anyway, it'sbetter than pirates."

"Look, look, there's fish in those trees," screamed Roger, bouncingup and down on Ato's plump shoulder. "How about some flying fish forbreakfast, Cook dear?"

"Breakfast? Breakfast? Can it really be time for breakfast? Ho, hum! Ithought I was still asleep and dreaming," grunted Ato, giving himself alittle shake. "Well, forests or no forests, a man must eat, I suppose!"And still gazing delightedly over his shoulder, the ship's cook trodreluctantly toward the galley, while Tandy hurried into the cabin forhis paints.

CHAPTER 13
The Sea Forest

Tandy had to call Samuel twice before he would come to breakfast andwhen he finally did sit down, he was so busy preparing to explore thesea forest he ate scarcely a bite.

"We'll take the jolly boat," he decided, making long notes in hisjournal between his sips of coffee, "the small nets and knives andbaskets 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 mightadd, 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 fishbefore breakfast and instead of eating his hard-boiled eggs, keptwinging over to the open port to glare at his finny rivals. Tandy, likethe Captain, was too excited to eat, and even Ato downed his omeletteand fresh strawberries from the Peakenspire fruit vine with rare speedand indifference.

"It's a lucky thing you're so enormous, Kobo," puffed the ship's cabinboy, dropping down on the raft a few minutes later. "Ato's got his crabnets and fishing lines, Samuel's bringing an aquarium, a couple ofbaskets and a box. And I have this pail, my paints and a cage in caseRoger does manage to catch one of those flying fish." Kobo was staringfixedly at her vegetable vine as Tandy dropped down beside her, and nowsnapping off a whole bushel of beans, she turned round and, munchingcontentedly, 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 thatscimiter up instead of down; you wouldn't want to carve old Kobo, nowwould you? It will seem funny swimming through a forest, won't it,little King? The further we go on this voyage the queerer everythinggrows."

"But I like it queer," stated Tandy, climbing with a satisfied littlesigh 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 wascoming up next. "I thought I might be on short rations when I came onthis voyage, Tandy, but I declare to goodness I've never had such arich and varied diet in my life. You, too, look fine and strong andmuch happier than when we met in the jungle. But to get back to thefare—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 fromabove. "All ready to cast off, my lass?"

"Aye, aye, sir!" grinned Kobo as Samuel and Ato came panting down therope ladders to the raft. "Move over, Tandy, and make room for the Cookand the Captain!" It took nearly ten minutes to get all the gear andcrew aboard and Nikobo looked like some curious deep sea monster whenshe finally shoved off. Two large baskets were slung from ropes acrossher back. The pail and bird cage slapped up and down on one hip, theaquarium 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 tinbox for especially fragile specimens high above his chest to keep itdry. "Just slow and steady, m'lass, so we'll have time to observe andadmire and make notes of any strange growths and creatures as we ridealong."

"Creatures!" exclaimed Tandy, twisting round. He was perched onNikobo's head, his paints held carefully in his lap. "Would there beany wild animals in a sea forest, Master Salt?"

"Sea Lions, likely," predicted Samuel, peering round eagerly as Nikobopaddled between two slippery barked sea trees into the murmuring forestitself. Except for the fact that the floor of this curious sea wood wasthe 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 goingdown, down, down as far as he could see.

"Rooted in the very ocean bed," marveled Samuel Salt, touching onelovingly 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'regoing to grow our own masts."

Samuel himself, leaning far out over Nikobo's back, severed three youngshoots from the sea tree and popped them happily into the aquarium.Vines that were really of coral ringed the gigantic trunks likebracelets, and the leaves of the trees were long ribbons of green andsilver that whipped and fluttered like banners in the morning breeze.

"What's that?" puzzled Ato as the hippopotamus made her way leisurelybetween the trees. "Looks like mushrooms, Sammy! Wait, I'll just pickme a few and see." Hooking his heels in Nikobo's harness, Ato beganvigorously cutting from the trunk of one of the trees the coloredfungus growths which sprouted in great profusion just above thewater line. Nikobo bravely offered to sample some, and after waitinganxiously to see whether they would have any ill effects the ship'scook decided they were harmless and joyfully filled one of the baskets.The only specimens that really interested Ato were of the ediblevariety. While he was thus employed, Tandy, an experienced climberby now, scurried up to the top of one of the sea trees, breaking offseveral branches so Samuel could press the curious leaves in hisalbum. High above his head Tandy could see Roger chasing angrily aftera flying fish, muttering with anger at his unsuccessful efforts toovertake the nimble little sea bird. In our own southern waters thereare 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 wheremost fish have gills wore strong transparent wings. Their claws,somewhat like a crab's, made it possible for them to perch jauntily inthe branches of the sea trees, and these strange little fellows couldswim and dive as well as fly. Pulling out his pad, Tandy made a livelysketch of one in the tree opposite, for it did look as if Roger wouldnever succeed in catching one.

All morning Nikobo paddled calmly through the dreamy sea forest; Samuelmaking notes, Tandy sketches, and Ato catching in his long-handlednets plump little fish and crabs, and filling another basket with thesmall delicious clams that clung like barnacles to the slippery barkof the sea trees. In the shadowy center of the forest where the treespressed closer together and great flat rocks stuck their heads out ofthe water, the explorers came upon several fierce sea lions. They werenot smooth and shiny like the seals of our own oceans, but yellow andtawny with long yellow tusks, tufted tails and scaly manes. Their frontlegs ended in sharp claws, their back legs were shorter and their feetwere webbed for swimming. Only the fact that Nikobo was larger and morefrightening to the sea lions than they were to her saved the party froma savage attack by these malicious-looking monsters. As it was, theyretired sullenly into the deeper shadows, snarling and roaring defianceas they backed away, but not before Tandy had made an effective sketchof the whole group.

"'Tis a lucky thing for us that you're along!" grunted Ato, drawinghis feet up out of the water and looking with grim disfavor after thesnarling sea lions. "Likely as not, if you had not made that picture,Samuel would have tried to drag one along by its tail, regardless ofour 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—" hegrinned 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 thissmall combination of a land and water beast as it sat quietly sunningitself on the limb of a tree. Screaming and chattering, he bore itproudly down to the Captain, and Samuel was so pleased with the curiouslittle creature that when Nikobo suggested going back he made noserious objection. And as the hippopotamus, rather weary from herlong swim, headed thankfully back for the ship Tandy and Samuel madeambitious plans for the monkey fish's care and comfort.

Thrusting it into Tandy's bird cage, Samuel regarded it with increasingenthusiasm and interest. "I'll rig up a wooden tree in one of theaquariums, set the aquarium in one of the large cages so it'll haveboth air and water, and call it 'Roger' after its discoverer," beamedthe former Pirate with a wink at Tandy.

"Don't you dare call that monkey fish after me," screeched the ReadBird, 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 askme." And to tell the truth, the monkey fishwas even uglier than agoblin, shaped like a monkey but scaled all over, and with unpleasantgoggly eyes and three short spikes sticking out of its forehead.

"It does look like a goblin," agreed Tandy with an amused sniff. "Butlet's call it Mo-fi, which is short for fish and monkey."

"Tip tops'ls!" approved Samuel Salt, taking out his note book. "Wonderwhat it eats?"

"Great grandmothers, what would it eat?" moaned Ato, looking blankly atSamuel. "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 asthis," declared Samuel, making a little flourish with his pencil as hewrote busily in his journal. "Gold fish food will be splendid for amonkey 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 hadwritten. So, laughing and joking and in the highest good humor theexploring party returned to theCrescent Moon.

What with planting the slips from the sea tree, settling Mo-fi in hisaquarium cage, pressing the leaves from the marine forest, and makingcopies and further notes about the sea lions in his journal, Samuel didnot get his ship under way till late afternoon.

Ramming into the sea tree, beyond scraping off some paint, had donelittle damage, so singing boisterously, Samuel finally heaved up hisanchor. And soon, with Ato stirring up a huge clam chowder, Tandypainting the sea forest on the chart and Roger scouring the hold forMo-fi's fish food, theCrescent Moon again dipped adventurously intothe 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 thebinnacle, looked up with a welcoming grin.

"Tip topsails!" he answered, pausing a minute to stare off toward theskyline to see whether any islands or sea serpents were visible.

"And look at that muscle, now," marveled Roger, touching Tandy's armadmiringly with his claw. "You're twice the lad you were, Mate, andI'll wager my last feather you can lay any lubber by the heels. Ifanyone gets fresh-water ashore, remember you're a salt sea-going sailorand you just take a poke at him. That's my advice without any charge orobligation. But then again, a chap that's a King, the Royal Artist ofan exploring expedition, with a sea forest named after him, might notneed to take any advice at all," added Roger with a long and knowingwink.

"But I like you to tell me things," said Tandy, looking earnestly upat the Read Bird. "You make everything seem so interesting and jolly."With a secret smile, for Tandy was thinking how much he would enjoytaking a poke at Didjabo, the Chief Ozamandarin, the little boy wenton with his polishing. If Didjabo said anything further about shuttinghim up in the Tower, he just plain would take a poke at him. But sayingnothing 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 toldTandy solemnly. "And I declare to badness he's getting to know me,Mate. He only pulled out three feathers instead of a fistful when Igave him breakfast just now. Before long he'll be so tame he'll beriding around on your shoulder."

"Not MY shoulder," laughed Tandy, waving his bottle of polish at theRead Bird. "Goodness, I believe you're growing fond of that monkeyfish, Roger."

"Well, why not?" retorted the Read Bird, puffing up his chest. "Ato hasme, the Captain has Sally, you have Kobo, so why shouldn't I have alittle pet if I want one?"

The monkey fish seemed such a strange prickly sort of pet, Tandy couldhardly keep his face straight, but seeing Roger was quite in earnest,he tactfully changed the subject. "Do you suppose we'll make any newdiscoveries 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 headwith his left claw. "And I think it most unlikely we'll strike anythingas curious and important as Tazander Forest. Two discoveries like thatjust couldn't happen two days running. Still, I'll just fly up to themain truck and have a look around."

"Main truck?" Tandy wrinkled up his brows. "I thought I knew all theparts of this ship by now. You never told me about the main truck,Roger."

"Just the top of the main mast, Brainless." Giving Tandy anaffectionate little shove, Roger soared into the rigging and Tandy wentjoyfully off to have another look at the forest Samuel had insistedon naming after him. He had taken great pains with the painting andprinting when he sketched it on the map, and now with a sigh ofcomplete satisfaction he stood regarding the sea chart. Then, suddenlyremembering he had promised to water Samuel Salt's plants, he jogtrotted contentedly down to the hold.

The tumbleweeds in their small red pots grew so rapidly Samuel hadto cut them back every day. These Tandy watered very sparingly,snapping his fingers at Mo-fi, who was gravely chinning himself on abranch of his artificial tree. The slips of the sea trees in theircovered aquarium required no attention at all. Ato had planted all thevegetable and fruit vines from Peakenspire on the rail outside thegalley, so that left only the creeping vines from Patrippany Island tocare for. He had just picked up one of the small potted creepers whena 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 thehold faster than he had ever done before.

"Su—su—SOMEBODY'S knocking on the bottom of the boat." Before hecould explain, or tell them anything further, a perfectly terrificknock from below made theCrescent Moon shiver from end to end.Samuel and Ato, leaning over the port rail, turned round so suddenlythey bumped their heads smartly together. Next with a scrape, screechand splintering of timber, a giant white horn came tearing up throughthe decks.

"Whale! Whale!" croaked Roger, falling off the main truck and coastingcrazily down to the deck. "Wha—what ever'n ever's that?" he quavered,pointing a trembling claw at the rigid white column between the mainand mizzenmasts. Samuel did not even try to explain, for at thatinstant the ship began to rise, to fall, to lash and plunge both upand down and east and west. Hooking his arms through the rail, Tandyblinked, gasped and shudderingly waited for theCrescent Moon to flyasunder.

"Narwhal, Mates!" panted Samuel Salt, throwing himself bodily upon thewheel. "Horn like a—uni—corn—branch of the Odontocetes and—"

"Oh—you—don't say—it—is!" chattered Ato, who was lying on hisstomach bouncing up and down like a ball at each frightful lunge of themonstrous 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 tohang on to the wheel as the ship, like a wounded animal, reared andplunged, thrashing the sea to a fury of foam and spray. Nikobo,diving precipitously off her raft, began to squeal in high and lowhippopotamy, making brave but ineffective lunges at the lashing giantbeneath the ship.

"Su—suppose it su—submerges?" wailed Ato, who had managed at last toseize a rope from the end of which he banged and slammed continuouslyup and down against the deck. "Oh, my stars! Oh, my spars! Oh, mybeams and—" Tandy never heard Ato's last anguished cry, for at thatmoment a savage shake of the Narwhal's head sent him flying into thesea. Coming up coughing and choking, Tandy instinctively began to swimand for the first time became aware of the creeping vine he still hadclutched tightly in one hand. And in that instant and in that whirl ofdanger, disaster and destruction, the little boy suddenly grew calmand purposeful. This vine—well, why would this powerful vine fromPatrippany Island not work as well under water as on land? The chanceswere that it would. Swimming boldly back to the ship, Tandy took aquick dive, hurling the vine pot and all in the general direction ofthe Narwhal. No sooner had the vine touched the water than it beganto open, creep and grow and, spraying out a hundred strong tentacles,it seized and bound the plunging monster in a secure and inescapablecradle of leafy wood.

Gasping and sputtering, but with his heart pounding with joy to thinkhe had really saved Samuel's beautiful ship, Tandy rose to the surface.Nikobo, letting off shrill blasts of anger and fright, came paddlinganxiously 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 Rogerwas fanning him vigorously with a butter paddle. The Read Bird, havingwings, could have left the ship at any time, but had clung bravely tohis post, preferring to go down with the ship and his shipmates. Nowall three of them stared in dazed silence at Tandy as he climbed backover the rail, for in the terrible confusion and excitement no one hadseen him go overboard.

"Tandy! Tandy! Where've you been?" With outstretched arms Samuel Saltrushed groggily forward. "Shiver my liver! Why's everything so quiet?Could it be that you single-handed have destroyed that ship-shakingmenace?"

"I don't think he's destroyed, Master Salt," answered Tandy, limpinghappily to meet the Captain, "but he's caught fast as a lobster in alobster 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, breathlesssentences he told them all that had happened after he was flung intothe sea.

"Well, bagpipe my mizzenmain sails!" gasped Samuel Salt, staring atTandy with round eyes. "This is the strangest and happiest day of mylife. You've saved the ship and the whole expedition, my boy, and allwe have to do now is cut loose from this cavorting unicorn of the seaand sail off with the largest ivory horn in captivity. An ivory mast,blast my buckles! Wait till the Ozites see us sailing up the WinkieRiver with four masts instead of three! Ahoy, below! Ahoy, Kobo! Canyou 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 theCaptain. "You see, I was right about those creeping vines, now wasn'tI?" Nikobo, having done a little investigating on her own account, waswell nigh ready to burst with pride at Tandy's quick action and the wayin which the vines had overcome their gigantic foe.

"RIGHT!" boomed Samuel Salt, hurrying off for his oxygen helmet andpowerful diamond toothed saw. Ato was too bruised and exhausted torise, but Tandy and Roger, perching on the ship's rail, watched Samuelin his queer diver's helmet climb down the rope ladder and clamberup on the hippopotamus. Next minute Nikobo had disappeared under thesurface and presently from the slight shiver and shake of the boatthey knew that Samuel was determinedly at work cutting them loose.Fortunately there was room between the ship's bottom and the whale'shead for Nikobo to swim about, and so splintering sharp was Samuel'ssaw that in less than five minutes he had cut off the great column ofivory level with the ship's bottom, carefully calking the edges withmaterial he had brought down. In its tight and live wood crate theNarwhal could not stir an inch, and, while the cutting of its horn wasnot painful, it blubbered and spouted so terrifically that Samuel andNikobo heaved tremendous sighs of relief when the dangerous operationwas accomplished.

Backing off a few paces, Nikobo began butting the crated sea beast withher head till she had driven it out from beneath the boat. Roger andTandy, with little shrieks of wonder and excitement, saw the cratedfish like some queer and monstrous mummy rise to the surface and gofloating sullenly away toward the east. Now that they had a full viewof the Narwhal they saw that it was three times the length of theCrescent 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 weaklyover the rail. "Some fishin'—eh, Mates?"

"But look at the beautiful mast we have!" cried Tandy, waving to Nikoboand the Captain as they came cheerfully alongside.

"Huh! you're as bad as Sammy," grunted Ato, rubbing his bruisessorrowfully. "And of course a mast was just what we were needing! Whaleof 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 ashe and Samuel squinted thoughtfully up at the gleaming ivory columnbetween the main and mizzenmasts.

"Might call it the whalemast," said Samuel, rubbing his chinreflectively. "And it's a lucky thing for us the point was sharp enoughto cut through the decks without damaging the ship. At any rate, it'sgiven us the biggest fish story a voyager ever had to relate. Tossedon the horn of a Narwhal! And the best part of the whole story is thatwe have the proof right along with us. Hah! Right here!" Samuel in hisglee and exuberance gave the whalemast a hearty slap.

"Kobo says that vine won't unwind for a couple of days, but anywayit'll be a fine rest for the whale floating around without having toswim. And I expect it can grow another horn?"

"I expect so," agreed Samuel, winking down at Sally, who was standingon her head in the bowl of his pipe. "If this little Lady would justtalk, she could give us a heap of valuable information about life inLavaland, Mate."

"Roger's taught Mo-fi to say 'Ship ahoy!'" observed Tandy, strollingover 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 aftto glance at the compass. "Well, my boy, if the rest of the voyageis as good as the beginning, we'll sail home loaded to the gun'ls."The mention of home always made Tandy wince, for theCrescent Moonwas the first real home he had known. To think that he would be putashore in Ozamaland while Samuel's ship would continue its adventurousvoyage of discovery without him, was a fact almost too terrible toconsider.

"Maybe we'll never come to Ozamaland at all," mused Tandy as he climbedinto the rigging to join Roger. "Maybe the Captain's reckoning is wrongand Ozamaland is to the north instead of the south." Vastly comfortedby this idea, Tandy swung nimbly to the crosstree on the fore t'gallantmast. Roger was staring intently through Ato's telescope and as Tandysquirmed along to a position beside him, the Read Bird let out a shrillsquall, all his head feathers standing straight on end.

"What do you see? What is it?" cried the little King, shading his eyeswith his hands and staring in all directions. "I can't see a thing."

"Take the glasses," urged Roger, handing them over with a frightenedgulp. "Take the glasses and then tell me it isn't so." Tandy, scarcelyknowing what to expect, screwed his eye close to the telescope, thenhe, too, gave a shriek of consternation.

"Why—it's a big HOLE, a HOLE in the sea!" he stuttered, lowering theglasses and staring at the Read Bird in blank dismay.

"Exactly!" croaked the Read Bird, "and whoever heard of such a thing? Ahole in the ground, certainly, but a hole in the sea, why that's justplain past believing. Ahoy, DECK AHOY!" Wagging his head, Roger liftedhis 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 whomhe had the utmost confidence, Samuel hove his vessel to. And not amoment too soon, for barely a ship's length away yawned an immenseand unexplainable hole in the sea. Round its edges the waves frothed,tossed and bubbled, making no impression on that quiet curious vacuumof air. Crowding into the bow, the ship's company stared down incomplete 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 heraced aft bellowing loudly for Kobo to come alongside. "You'll not goa step off this boat. We can sail round this air hole and no damagedone, but as for looking into it! Help, HELP! Avast and belay and I'llknock eight bells out of anyone who leaves this ship!" Seizing an ironbelaying pin, Ato made a desperate rush after Samuel Salt, and failingto catch him before he slid down the cable to Kobo's raft, he grabbedTandy firmly and angrily by the seat of the pants. "Not a step!" pantedthe ship's cook savagely. "Not a step! Roger! Roger! Come back herethis instant." But Roger, with a screech of defiance, had already flownafter Samuel. Tandy, pinned against the rail by Ato's two hundredand fifty pounds, was forced to watch Nikobo, with Roger and Samuelon her back, moving cautiously toward the edge of the air hole. Overhis shoulder Samuel had a huge coil of rope the end of which he hadattached 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 thatcavern we're as good as lost. No one to navigate, to up sail or downsail or lay to in a storm. My, My and MYland!"

"Well, there he goes!" cried Tandy as Samuel flung the rope down intothe sea hole. "Don't worry, Ato, he's always come back before, hasn'the? Let me go! Let me go, I tell you!" With a sudden jerk Tandy toreout of Ato's grasp, climbed up on the rail and dove into the sea.Swimming rapidly toward the hippopotamus, he climbed on her back andwith Roger fluttering in excited circles overhead Nikobo swam asclose to the edge of the sea hole as she dared, watching in terrifiedfascination as Samuel calmly lowered himself into the clouded bluedepths. With mingled feelings of interest and alarm, Tandy saw theRoyal Explorer of Oz go down lower and lower and finally disappearaltogether into the deep blue air below. Now not a glimpse of Samuelwas visible and not a sound came up to reassure them that he was stillthere.

"I'll just fly down and see what's up," quavered Roger, and in spiteof the loud shouts and threats of Ato on theCrescent Moon, the ReadBird spread his wings and coasted slowly and bravely into the immenseair shaft. Nikobo, now as alarmed as the ship's cook, began swimmingfrantically round the edge of the misty chasm, letting out piercingblasts that sounded like nothing so much as a ferry boat whistle.Tandy himself felt uneasy and frightened and Ato, unable to bear thesuspense any longer, climbed over the side and came swimming out tojoin them. After an endless fifteen minutes, during which dreadful fearand premonition gripped the watchers, the head of the Read Bird poppedmournfully into view.

"Is he all right? Where's Sammy? What in soup's he doing? What'd youfind out?" gasped Ato, reaching out to clutch Roger by the wing. Roger,limp and bedraggled, with all the stiffness out of his feathers, saidnothing for a whole minute. Then, beating his wings together, hebegan to scream out hoarsely, "The Captain's caught! The Collector'scollected. They have Master Salt forty fathom below. They've got himshut up, I mean down at the bottom of the sea like a gold fish in abowl, only he's in a big bowl of air. They're poking little fish andcrabs through a trap door in the air shaft and I cannot break or evenmake a dent in the transparent slide they've shot across the air holeto shut him off from us. And oh, my bill and feathers! Every time theyopen the trap door to shove things in to him, water rushes into thevacuum. He's standing in water to his knees now and unless we can breaka 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 fishand they're not men. They're about the size of Tandy, here, sort ofstiff and jellied and perfectly transparent. On a shell hanging outsideof 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 longestand if he's going to come to a watery end I might as well end withhim."

Leaving the two arguing, Roger flashed back to the ship, returningin almost no time with the scintillating and powerful saw. Tandy hadmeanwhile convinced Ato that he could climb down the rope faster, beingso much lighter, and now, with tears in their eyes, Nikobo and theship's cook saw Tandy and Roger disappear into the air shaft.

Tandy let himself down carefully hand over hand, Roger keeping abreastof him with the saw. To slide rapidly to the bottom would have beenquicker, but the resulting blisters would make it difficult to use thesaw. Forty fathoms, nearly two hundred and forty feet, is a long wayto go hand over hand on a rope, and before he reached the glass-likeslide, Tandy's palms stung and his shoulders ached and burned from thestrain. But at last he was down, and dropping to his hands and kneeswith Roger mourning and muttering beside him, Tandy peered fearfullythrough the glassy substance.

For a moment everything was a green and misty blur, but gradually thefigure of Samuel Salt standing sturdily in the middle of the air bowlbecame visible. Although waist high in sea water, and surrounded byloathsome sea creatures and crabs the Seeweegians had tossed in for himto eat, Samuel was making slow and interested entries in his journal.Pressed against the sides of his strange aquarium, Tandy could see theround, 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 stonesand all manner of sparkling deep sea jewels. Had Tandy not been soworried about Samuel Salt he would have liked nothing better thansketching this strange and beautiful under sea Kingdom with theSeeweegians flopping and swimming busily in and out of their grottosand caves, or disporting themselves in the sea weed forests. But asit was, his only thought was of quickly freeing the Captain of theCrescent 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 shellon which long wisps of sea weed had been arranged to form the words:

The sight of this sign swinging from a small sea tree close to Samuel'sair bowl sent a wave of rage up Tandy's back. Rubbing his palms brisklytogether, the little boy seized the saw and struck it with all hismight against the unyielding surface of the slide. The noise attractedSamuel's attention, and looking up he began waving his arms, yellingout wild orders and commands. Not being able to hear any of them andbeing quite sure Samuel was telling them to leave the air shaft beforethe Seeweegians shot another slide above their heads and caught them,too, Tandy proceeded grimly with his task. Roger helped, scraping awaywith both claws and bill. For five desperate minutes they workedwithout success, then a tiny crack split the slide from edge to edge.Wedging the saw into the narrow opening, Tandy began sawing away likea little wild man, for a fresh batch of snails and crabs tossed in toSamuel 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 asit flashed up and down above his head.

"Oh!" gasped Tandy, stopping a moment to blow on his fingers. "I'llnever 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 emptyair 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 anguishedears of Ato and Nikobo. Almost instinctively and without thought ofher own safety, or Ato's, or the dire consequences, the hippopotamusjumped bodily into the sea hole. Roger, still glaring upward, had aquick flash of an immense falling object. Realizing at once what hadhappened, the Read Bird had just time to snatch Tandy and drag him tothe opposite side of the slide before Nikobo landed—broke throughthe thick glass, plunged into Samuel's aquarium and shot out throughthe side into a group of horrified Seeweegians. Now do not suppose foran 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 hadmade in the vacuum, rose like a tidal wave, carrying them tumultuouslyalong.

Nikobo came up at a little distance from the others, with Ato,completely wrapped and entangled in seaweed, clinging tenaciously toher harness and looking like some queer marine specimen himself. Tooshocked and stunned to swim, the five shipmates bobbed up and downlike corks on the surface of the sea. Then Roger, spreading his wetand bedraggled wings and coughing violently from all the salt water hehad swallowed, started dizzily back to theCrescent Moon. Nikobo hadseveral long gashes in her tough hide, but still managed to grin atTandy.

"I—I must have lost the saw," panted the little boy, pulling himselfwearily 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 thehippopotamus. "Ship ahoy, Mates, a live and perfect specimen of ajellyfish boy." Holding up his prize, Samuel smiled blandly, all hisdanger and discomfort apparently forgotten.

"Oh, my eyes, ears and whiskers!" quavered Ato, peering out of hisnet of seaweed. "Is it for this we've been scraping our noses on thesea bottom?" Nodding cheerfully, Samuel plunged the squirming andtransparent little water boy under the surface, holding him there, asNikobo swam slowly and painfully back to the ship.

CHAPTER 16
The Storm!

Tandy was so exhausted from his dreadful experiences at the bottom ofthe sea hole he spent the rest of the morning flat on his stomach ondeck making lively sketches from memory of the City of Seeweegia. Ofthe sea hole itself not a sign nor vestige remained. The sea, tumblingthrough 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 ittook him two hours to bind up the cuts and hurts of the faithfulhippopotamus. Then climbing wearily up the rope ladder to the deck, hespent another hour rubbing himself with oil and liniment, mutteringdarkly about reckless collectors who got themselves and their shipmatescollected.

"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 wascheerfully changing into dry clothes. "You knowI know nothingabout navigation nor one sail from t'other."

"Ah—but what you know about sauces!" retorted Samuel, rolling hiseyes rapturously. "Of course, I'll grant a ship cannot sail on itsstomach, but if the worst had come to the worst, you could have lefta note for the sails on the binnacle. 'If it comes up a blow, tieyourselves up.' Ha, ha! Tie yourselves UP!" Jamming his feet into hisboots, Samuel blew a kiss to his still muttering shipmate and trampeddown to the hold to settle his jellyfish boy in one of the largeaquariums. The water boy, about half the size of Tandy, was a jollyenough looking specimen, but kept opening and shutting his mouth likea fish and staring anxiously from his captor to Mo-fi in the cageopposite. Whistling happily and unmindful of the cuts and bruises hehad suffered, Samuel filled the bottom of the aquarium with pebblesand 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. Givinghim and Mo-fi a wafer of fish food, the Royal Explorer of Oz went aboveto have a look at the weather, for he did not like the way the ship waspitching.

In spite of the desperately fatiguing morning they had had, it seemedthe voyagers were in for some further excitement. The sky had growndark and threatening. Dark clouds in ever-increasing numbers scuddedalong from the east; the sea, rough and angry, was full of racinglittle whitecaps. Nikobo's raft plunged and rocketed up and down likea bucking bronco, flinging the hippopotamus from side to side andbringing her with squealing protests up against the rail first on oneside and then on the other. Fearing for her safety, Samuel with Tandy'shelp rigged a temporary derrick to the mizzenmast, hove his vesselto, and bidding Nikobo swim round to the side, cleverly hoisted herto the main deck by a hook caught through her harness. Nikobo took itall quite calmly, coming down with a thankful little grunt, glad to bewith 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 inall sail and with only a tarpaulin lashed in the main rigging, Samuelprepared with bared poles to ride out the storm. Ato, always ready andhelpful in a crisis, trudged up and down the heaving decks with pailsof hot soup and coffee, and after a hasty lunch, all hands fell toclosing ports, battening hatches and removing from the decks all loosegear and equipment. As it was impossible to shove Nikobo through thedoor of the main cabin, Samuel lashed her tightly to the mizzenmast andwith an old sail round her shoulders the hippopotamus anxiously watchedthe mountainous waves breaking over the bow and running down intothe scuppers. It was all so wild and new, so dangerous and exciting,Tandy begged Samuel to let him stay on deck. Much against his betterjudgment, Samuel finally gave his consent, tying Tandy fast to Nikoboand the mizzenmast. If anything happened to the ship, reflected Samuel,fighting his way back to the wheel, the hippopotamus could keep Tandyafloat and take care of him besides.

Ato and Roger, not being needed on deck and not caring for storms, shutthemselves up in the main cabin for a game of checkers. But checkersand board soon flew through the air, and the two had all they could doto hang on to their chairs as theCrescent Moon pitched headlong intothe cavernous hollows and struggled up the mountainous ridges of thegreat running seas.

CHAPTER 17
The Old Man of the Jungle!

In the splendid white marble Palace in the splendid White City ofOzamaland the nine Ozamandarins sat in solemn conference.

"This time we have succeeded," stated Didjabo, chief of the nine Judgesof the realm, "this time we have succeeded and our plans may now beaccomplished. Last time, we merely destroyed the King and Queen,neglecting to do away with the Royal Off-spring, Tazander Tazah, andfor that reason we failed utterly. So long as this boy survived, thenatives insisted on considering him their rightful King and Ruler. But,hah! that prophecy we invented about an aunt carrying him off was aclever and useful idea—eh, my fellow Zamians? Now as the child, with alittle help on our part it must be confessed, has really been carriedoff and destroyed, we can blame these same silly females, and they andall the royal family can be tossed into the sea to pay for this heinouscrime. Ha, ha! Quite an idea, a famous idea!" murmured Didjabo, and theeight Ozamandarins nodded their narrow heads in complete and satisfiedagreement. "Leaving the throne clear for us—the Nine Faithful Servantsof the People!" Again the Ozamandarins nodded, but Didjabo, slantinghis cruel little eyes up and down the long table, was already makingplans to destroy the lot of them and have the whole great country forhimself.

"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 OldMan of the Jungle has brought us proof. Boglodore! BOGLODORE! It is ourwish that you appear before us."

At Didjabo's call there was a slight rustle and stir behind thecurtains in the doorway, and an immense wrinkled old native clad onlyin a turban and loin cloth stepped noiselessly into the Chamber ofJustice. Without waiting for further orders, Boglodore began in a high,dismal, droning voice:

"Following the commands of the highest among you, I, Boglodore theMagician, did carry off on my famous, never known or seen flyingumbrellaphant the heir and small King of this country, coming downafter two days, on Patrippany Island. Not wishing to destroy the boywith my own hands, I left him to the wild beasts and savage Leopard Menknown to inhabit this island. That, as you know, was five months andtwo weeks ago. Having just returned from a second flight to the Islandwhere I found no trace or sign of the boy, I can safely assure youthat he is no more, that he has undoubtedly been killed by the savagesor the wild beasts of the jungle." There was not a trace of pity orremorse on the cruel flat faces of his listeners as Boglodore finishedthis shameful recital.

"In that case there is nothing left to do but punish the royal auntsand family, issue a proclamation of our accession to power, and divideup the Kingdom," mused Lotho, drumming thoughtfully on the table withhis long skinny fingers.

"But do not forget my reward," wheezed Boglodore firmly. "For thiscruel and infamous deed I was promised one tenth of Ozamaland and Iam here to claim as my share the entire jungle reach of this country.Extending his arms, the old man of the jungle advanced threateninglytoward the long table.

"Ha, ha! Just listen to him now," sneered Didjabo, gathering up hispapers and looking insolently across at the angry native. "Have a carewhat you say, fellow. Too much of this and you'll go over the cliffwith the royal relatives. Now, then, clear out! Your work is done! Ifyou ever set foot in this city again, you shall be trampled beneath thefeet of the royal elephants!"

"Ah—hhh!" Boglodore recoiled as if he had been confronted by apoisonous reptile. "So that's to be the way of it? Aha! Very good! Iwill 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 oldman, not bothering with the door, leapt out the window and vanishedinto the garden.

"Do you think that was quite wise?" questioned Teebo, third in rank ofthe Ozamandarins. "This fellow and his flying elephant are dangerousand may do us a world of harm."

"Do not forget, anything he says will involve himself, and he'll have ahard time proving to the people that it was on my orders the young Kingwas carried off."

"Oh, hush!" warned Lotho, glancing nervously over his shoulder. "Notanother word!" Shrugging his shoulders and rising to indicate that themeeting was over, Didjabo started pompously for the door. "I will gonow to prepare a Royal Proclamation explaining that as the young Kinghas not after exhaustive search been found or located, the authorityand governing power of the state shall pass to us, the Nine FaithfulOzamandarins of the Realm! We can then meet again and here in this starand barred Chamber of Justice divide the Kingdom among us."

"Very well, but see that you remember it is to be divided!" Staringfixedly at Didjabo, Lotho strode away, colliding violently at the doorwith a small breathless page who was entering on a veritable gallop.

"Your Honors! Your Ozamandarin Majesties!" shrilled the boy, wildlywaving his trumpet instead of blowing upon it. "A ship—there is a shipwith four masts beneath the chalk cliffs, a strange ship with fullsail is riding into our harbor."

"There, there, don't shout!" snapped Didjabo, seizing the boy roughlyby the shoulders. "Go back at once and discover what flag this shipflies from her masthead. Quickly now. RUN!"

"What could it mean? Where could it be from? Such a thing has neverhappened before!" muttered the others, hastening over to the longwindows.

"Confoundation!" raged Didjabo as the page with frightened stuttersturned and ran out of the Hall of Justice. "This ruins everything.Who are these meddling foreigners? And why do they have to arrivenow of all times? NOW! Lotho! Teebo! Call out the camel corps andthe white elephant guard. Have them drawn up in war formation on thechalk cliffs. You others!" impatiently Didjabo waved his arms at thesix remaining Ozamandarins, "See to the defense of the palace! Ifthese meddlers set foot upon our territory they are to be trampledupon, trampled upon—do you understand?" Nodding with fierce and crueldetermination, the eight tall Keepers of the White City set aboutcarrying out Didjabo's orders. Didjabo, hurrying up to the highesttower in the castle, looked through his telescope to see what mannerof ship had come sailing out of the west to spoil or postpone hiswell-laid plans.

CHAPTER 18
A New Country

Driven by the pitiless wind, pounded by the merciless sea, theCrescent Moon rode before the gale, coming, toward morning, intoquiet waters at last. The sky, now pale grey instead of black, showeda small single star in the east, and with a huge sigh of weariness andrelief 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 intheir clothes, Nikobo still wrapped in her sail snoring like a wholeband of music beneath the mizzenmast.

Tandy, to whom the storm had been a thrilling adventure, was the firstto waken. Still stiff and bruised from the pounding he had taken astheCrescent Moon tossed and pitched in the terrible seas, he sprangeagerly out of his bunk, curious to know where the storm had carriedthem.

The morning mists, lifting like a shimmering veil or the curtain ofa stage on some new and strange scene, showed a long white line ofchalk cliffs to the east, and beyond the cliffs the dim outline of agreat and splendid city. With joy and lively expectations Tandy hadrun out on deck, but now, after a long look over the port rail, hecrept silently and soberly back to his cabin, closing the door softlybehind him. Later, as the sun rose higher, and his shipmates awoke,the excited screams of Nikobo and Roger and the eager voices of Samueland Ato told him that they too had seen the bright land beyond thecliffs. Already Samuel was clewing up his sail and above the rattle inthe rigging Tandy could hear the rasp of the anchor cable as it camewinding over the side. But he only bent lower over the fat book in hislap, and when the Read Bird, loudly calling his name, came hurtlingthrough the port-hole, he did not even look up.

"Land! Land and MORELAND!" croaked Roger, dancing up and down on thefoot of the bunk. "None of your pesky islands this time, but a wholelong new continent. What in salt's the matter, youngster, this is notime 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 tearssplashed on the open page. Quickly brushing two more off his nose, theship's cabin boy unwillingly met the puzzled gaze of the Read Bird.

"Roger," demanded Tandy in a smothered and unsteady voice, "which ismost important, being a King or being a person?" Roger, his head on oneside, considered this for a moment and then spoke quickly.

"Well, you can't be a good King without being a good person, so Ishould say, being a good person is most important."

"But it says here," with a furious sniff Tandy put his finger on themiddle paragraph of the page, "'In no circumstances and for no reasonmay a King forsake his country nor desert his countrymen.'"

"What's that? What's this? Humph!Maxims for Monarchs. Well, what intopsails do we care for that musty volume?" Giving the book a viciousshove, Roger, forgetting how much he had formerly praised Ato's fatvolume, fluttered down on Tandy's shoulder. "So THAT'S it!" he burstout explosively. "This pernicious country yonder is Ozamaland. Well, wecan't spare you and that's final. They didn't know how to treat a goodKing when they had one, now let 'em practice on somebody else. Say theword, m'lad, and we'll put about and sail away as fast as a good shipcan take us! CAPTAIN! Master Salt! Deck ahoy! All hands 'HOY!" Withoutwaiting for Tandy's answer, Roger skimmed through the port and wingedover to the Captain.

"Wait! Wait!" sputtered Tandy, hurrying aft where the officers andcrew of theCrescent Moon were now engaged in earnest conversation."Don't you remember you wanted some of those creeping birds and flyingreptiles, Captain? Well, this is the place!" puffed the little boy,waving his arm toward the cliffs. "This is Ozamaland and I've got to goashore. It's really all right," he continued earnestly as Samuel beganunhappily rubbing his chin, "it's been a grand voyage and I've learneda 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 pigpen in the jungle. So what do you owe them? Nothing, say I, absolutelynothing!"

But Samuel Salt, regretful as he was to lose this handy young artistand cabin boy, felt that Tandy must decide the matter for himself. "Ifyou're as good a King as you are a seaman, I'm not the one to hold youback," he sighed sorrowfully. "But just let these lubbers start anymore nonsense and I'll give them a taste of the rope. HAH! And we'llnot be leaving you till everything's shipshape, and you can lay tothat!"

"I'm not leaving you at all," snorted Nikobo, lumbering hugely over toTandy and almost flattening him against the port rail. "I'll miss thisship worse'n the river, and Ato's cooking and the Captain's stories andRoger'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 schemingaristocrats. Besides, we need him on this expedition, and you know it."Samuel, sighing deeply, smiled at Tandy and Tandy, sighing just asdeeply, smiled back.

"Never you mind," promised the former Pirate with a wink that somehowlacked conviction, "there'll be other voyages!" And seizing the wheel,he began tacking in toward Tandy's homeland. But he had lost allpleasure and interest in charting for the first time on any map thelong continent of Tarara and adding strange animals and plants to hisever-growing collection. Losing Tandy spoiled the whole expedition forhim, and by taking longer and wider tacks he delayed their landing tothe latest possible moment.

But at last there they were in the very shadow of the chalk cliffsand with no further excuse for not going ashore. Nikobo had agreed tocarry them and had abruptly heaved herself overboard, sending up afountain of spray as high as the ship itself when she struck the water,thus astonishing no end the watchers on the bank. Tandy, after runningdown to the hold to say goodbye to Mo-fi and have a last look at thejellyfish boy, regretfully joined the others at the port rail. Havingbrought nothing aboard theCrescent Moon, he insisted on leaving inthe same way, soberly waving aside all the gifts and presents Ato andSamuel sought to press upon him. Clad only in the leopard skin he hadworn on Patrippany Island, he swung nimbly down the rope ladder. TheCaptain and the cook, in honor of Tandy's homecoming, had donned theirfinest shore-going togs, and Samuel, with a scimiter in his teeth,and Ato, armed as usual with his bread knife and a package he refusedto explain, followed him more slowly down the ladder. Then they allclimbed aboard the hippopotamus.

Roger, flying ahead with some Oz flags just for luck, could not helpcomparing the brown, hard-muscled young seaman with the skinny, fretfulboy they had taken on at Patrippany Island. Trying to comfort himselfwith Tandy's improved health and spirits, he looked curiously at thegreat company assembled on the cliffs. All of the Nobles and theirfamilies in flowing white robes were present and many of the immenseturbanned tribesmen who happened to be in the capital had gathered tosee for themselves the first ship that had ever touched the shore ofOzamaland. Beyond the Nobles and natives Roger could see row on row ofwhite guards mounted on enormous white elephants and snow-white camels.

"Trouble, trouble, nothing but trouble!" mourned the Read Bird drearilyto himself. Tandy, familiar with the whole coast, guided Nikobo tothe only possible spot for landing and, grunting and mumbling, thehippopotamus hauled herself up on the rocks, glancing sharply andsuspiciously at the little boy's subjects. A narrow path wound andcurved up through the cliffs and, puffing and panting, Nikobo finallymade her way to the top, where she stood uncertainly facing the millingmultitude.

"Hail and greetings!" called Samuel Salt, raising his arm to attracttheir attention, for the crowd looked both dangerous and unfriendly."We are here to return to you safe and sound your lost King, TazanderTazah, 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 andher three curious riders. "Is it really our lost and stolen Kinglet?"

"Yes!" cried Tandy, springing erect. "I am Tazander Tazah, King's sonand son of a King's son. You are my lawful subjects and Ozamaland is myKingdom!" A little shiver of excitement ran through the crowd at thesewords.

"He does in truth resemble our young ruler," murmured one Noble toanother, "though much stronger and more bold." Drawing a long sword, hewaved it imperiously above his head. "Summon the Ozamandarins," hecalled loudly. "They will decide whether this be our King or some smallImpostor, and DEATH to all strangers and enemies who come in ships tolay waste our realm."

"Oh, hold your tongue!" advised Ato, settling himself more comfortablybetween Nikobo's shoulders. "Who are you to challenge the RoyalExplorer of Oz, the King of the Octagon Isle—"

"And his Royal Read Bird," piped Roger, flying savagely round and roundthe head of the speaker.

"Yes, who are you to challenge the rightful ruler of Ozamaland?" criedTandy, 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 thesalt 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, youngone, down to my last breath!" In spite of these brave words, thenobles, natives and guards made no move or motion to let Nikobo passthrough. Then suddenly there was a break in the crowd and the ninesquare-hatted Ozamandarins stepped rigidly forward. And nine taller,thinner, meaner-visaged rogues, decided Samuel, lovingly fingeringhis 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 wilychief, bowing rapidly ten times in succession, "And upon thesestrangers who have brought you safely back to these shores! Welcome,most welcome, small King and ruler of the Ozamanders!" Speaking calmlybut with black fury in his heart to have his plans so unexpectedlythwarted, Didjabo advanced rapidly toward Nikobo. "And now that youare here and really safe, we must see that you are locked securely inthe 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 Tandydismount.

"But I'm not going back to the Tower!" said Tandy, looking the ChiefOzamandarin straight in the eye. "Ever! I'm riding on to the castle, sokindly order some refreshments for my friends and shipmates."

"Hi, Yi, Yi!" approved the old tribesman, pounding the cliff with hislance. "Here's a King for us. What good did your Tower do before, oldSquare-Hat? He was carried off in spite of it, wasn't he? Well, trotalong now and do as he says; he's the King, and I'm here to see hegets his rights!" Shocked by the determination in Tandy's voice and theevident delight of the crowd at his defiance, Didjabo put up his handfor silence.

"It is the law of the land that the nine Ozamandarins shall guardthe life and preserve the health of the country's sovereign," statedDidjabo in his cold and impressive voice. "Until this boy becomes ofage he must be cared for and protected from his enemies. Forward,guards! On to the Tower! You OTHERS!" Didjabo nodded disagreeably atSamuel Salt, Ato, Roger and Nikobo, "You others may return to yourship, where a suitable reward will be sent out to you. We are deeplyindebted to you for finding our King, but the law of Ozamaland saysthat all foreigners landing on our shores shall instantly and withoutdelay be flung over the cliffs. In your case we graciously permit youto leave. Come, Tazander!"

While Samuel Salt could not help admiring the way the old Ozamandarinwas trying to keep the upper hand, he had no intention of leaving tillhe had assured himself that Tandy was in safe and proper hands. "Butsurely you will wish to hear the story of how we found this boy andexplain how he happened to be on that jungle island!" observed Samuelmildly. "Step back, my good fellow, Nikobo has large feet and she justmight happen to tread on you."

"Yes," wheezed Nikobo sullenly, "I just might happen to do that verything." Slipping round to the other side of the hippopotamus, Didjabo,paying no attention to either remark, tried to pull Tandy to theground. But the little boy, remembering Roger's advice about lubbersgave him a fast and sudden poke in the nose that sent his hat flyingoff and the Ozamandarin himself rolling head over heels.

"Hurray, Hurray! Avast and belay! And down with old Square-Hatsforever!" shrilled the Read Bird, while Ato and Samuel exchangeda proud and pleased glance. While the other Ozamandarins stooduncertainly, the crowd, long weary of the rigid rule of the ninejudges, began to laugh and cheer.

"The King is King! Long live the King!" shouted the old tribesmanvociferously.

But Didjabo pulling himself furiously to his feet, flung up his arm."Guards! Guards!" he screeched venomously, "Do your work! Save thispoor, misguided child from these unspeakable foreigners or we are alllost. Can you not see they are savages, sorcerers and enemies? Seizethe 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 andcamel mounted guardsmen through, heartily wished himself back on theship. Nikobo, squealing with rage and defiance, began moving cautiouslyback toward the path down the cliffs, but Ato, who had been merelybiding his time, tore open his package and began tossing right and leftthe tumbleweeds and creeping vines which fortunately it had contained.

The first creeper caught Didjabo, bound him up and laid him by theheels before he could issue another order. Taking careful aim,Ato threw a creeping vine at each of the other Ozamandarins. Thetumbleweeds, whirling beneath the feet of the elephants and camels,caused them to fall to their knees, tossing their riders over theirheads, and between the yells of the guards, the squeals of the camels,and trumpeting of the elephants, confusion was terrific. The nativesand Nobles and all who could still move or run set off at top speed forthe city without once looking behind them. Muttering angrily under hisbreath, Ato continued to hurl vines and tumbleweeds till none was left.Unable to advance an inch, the white guard and their mounts rolled andgroveled together in the deep sand.

"Now we can go on to the palace!" cried Tandy, a bit breathless by thesuddenness of it all. "Oh, Ato, how did you ever happen to bring thoseplants along?"

"I suspected some of these subjects of yours were villains," answeredAto 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 ateach step to show her superiority and contempt, set out for the RoyalPalace. Of all the people who had run out on the cliffs, besides thesecurely bound Ozamandarins and the guard, only the old tribesman whohad first cheered Tandy remained.

"Oh, please do come with us," invited Tandy earnestly as the old manstepped smilingly out of Nikobo's way. "You could tell me all about thetent dwellers and help me so much if you would."

"I am Chunum, the Sheik, head of a thousand tribes and speaking forthem, I can say they all will proudly and gladly serve your braveyoung Majesty. Too long have the city dwellers ruled this greatliberty-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 handledTandy's subjects. "This boy's an able-bodied seaman and explorer andwill stand no nonsense!"

"My sea is the desert," said Chunum, striding jauntily along besideNikobo, "and my ship is a camel, but I'll wager we'll understand eachother well enough for all that."

To Tandy, conversing eagerly with Chunum, the splendor of the WhiteCity of Om was an old story, but to the others it seemed, with itsflashing marble walks, great waving palms and towering dwellings andcastle, one of the loveliest capitals they had yet visited.

Word of the happenings on the cliff had traveled fast. Longing towelcome the young King, but fearing the strange magicians who had comewith him, the Nobles had barred themselves in their fine houses and thenatives had fled to the hills beyond the city gates. The many-domedmarble palace was absolutely deserted when Nikobo pushed her waythrough 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 hurriedaway to the kitchens and was soon happily at work preparing a splendidfeast to celebrate Tandy's homecoming.

Tandy himself felt quiet and sad, examining with scant interest andenthusiasm the splendid rooms which he had never yet been allowed tolive in. To tell the truth, he would have traded the whole castle forhis small cabin aboard Samuel's ship. Samuel himself, never reallyhappy or comfortable ashore, wandered about aimlessly, opening books onthe long tables, peering out windows, and finally settling with a sighof resignation in a huge chair beside the throne.

Nikobo had found a long pool and fountain in the same room and, lyingat full length in this luxuriant marble bath, tranquilly waited forevents to shape themselves.

"Why not sit on your throne?" asked Roger as Tandy seated himself on asmall stool beside Samuel Salt.

"Oh, it's much too big for me," sighed Tandy, thinking how very big andlonely the palace would seem when all his shipmates had gone.

"Aho, and methinks you are right! Ahoy, the beginning of a beautifulidea doth at this moment start to seep through the head feathers, ofwhich,more anon!" Chunum, who had never before heard a bird talk,stared at Roger in amazed interest and surprise, but giving him no moresatisfaction than a mischievous wink, the Read Bird flew off to helpAto with the dinner. And now Samuel proceeded to tell the old tribesmanhow he had found Tandy in the jungle imprisoned in the wooden cage. Ashe finished, Chunum shook his head in stern displeasure.

"It has long been my conviction and belief," he stated solemnly, "thatthe Ozamandarins are at the bottom of this. Every year they usurp moreand more power, and keeping the young King shut up in the Tower wasbut an excuse to give them their own will and way. Nor can I believethat the royal parents of this boy accidentally fell into the sea asthey were reported to have done, or that the young aunts mentioned inthe prophecy had anything at all to do with Tandy's abduction. Tell me,how long will the vines hold those villains prisoner, for only thatlong 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!" Samuelexpelled his breath in a mighty blast and sprang purposefully to hisfeet. "Before then we shall put those fellows in a very safe placefor Tandy and for them too, shiver my timbers!" Taking Chunum by theshoulder, Samuel started toward the door, and seeing the two intendedto leave the castle, Nikobo climbed out of the fountain and offeredto carry them. Tandy nodded absently as the two left the castle, histhoughts still far away on theCrescent Moon, and considering thework they had to do, Samuel and Chunum were well pleased to leave himbehind.

With surprising speed the hippopotamus made the return trip to thecliffs. The effects of the tumbleweed had evidently worn off and theguards and their mounts had fled with the rest of the inhabitantsof White City to the hills. But the nine Ozamandarins still lay intheir curious cradles in the deep coarse sand. As Samuel and Chunum,in absolute agreement as to what should be done, rolled off Nikobo'sback, a furious bellow and screech brought them up short. Nikobo,startled out of her usual calm, fell back on her haunches and after onehorrified 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 fromunder the immense shadow. "Flatten yourself in the sand, seaman,and we may yet be spared." As Samuel, more amazed than scared at sostrange and curious a specimen, and even vaguely hopeful of capturingthe unwieldy creature, made no move, Chunum dragged him down by mainforce. The elephant meanwhile lighted like some gigantic butterfly onthe edge of the cliff. Fairly bleating with fright and terror, thenine Ozamandarins watched him swooping toward them with a sinister andsoundless speed. Just behind his ear perched Boglodore, the Old Man ofthe 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 andSamuel Salt, the Old Man of the Jungle began screaming out the storyof 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 Ozamandarinsthemselves to divide the rest of the country among them. But Hah!What happened?" Dancing up and down on the elephant's head, Boglodoreagain clenched his fists, his face distorted with rage and fury. "Whathappened? Why, these miserable cheats refused to pay me, intending tokeep 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 intendedto fool them and return the little King to his castle, keeping onlythe jungle for my own. That is why I built the boy his cage in thejungle and set Nikobo, the great hippopotamus, to watch over him,giving her the power of speech and the desire to seek out and protectthis unfortunate child of an unfortunate country. I am a magician andcould well bring about these things. You, whoever you are, who foundand brought him back to Ozamaland did no more than I myself intended todo and intend to do now. After restoring Tandy to his throne, I meantto deal with his enemies, and now as they are so neatly bound up andready, I shall reward them well for their pains and treachery."

"Stop! Stop! Avast there and belay!" shouted Samuel Salt as theumbrellaphant, obeying an order from the terrible Old Man, picked upDidjabo in his trunk and flew swiftly toward the cliff's edge. ButChunum, again dragging Samuel down, whispered fiercely in his ear.

"It is justice, seaman, and only what we ourselves planned to do. Thevines will keep these rogues afloat for two days, then haply they willsink—not to die, as death comes not to the people of my country, butto lie for long forgotten ages at the bottom of the sea, harmless andsodden, and unable to do any more harm to the country they have sodishonorably served and betrayed!"

Shuddering and in a tense silence, Samuel and the Sheik watched theumbrellaphant toss the wretched Ozamandarins one after the other intothe sea. The immense zooming monster fascinated the Captain of theCrescent Moon. Not wings, but a balloon-like structure of its owntough skin billowing over its back like a howdah, enabled Umbo tonavigate in the air. Samuel was anxious for further talk with the OldMan of the Jungle, but as the last Ozamandarin fell over the cliff theumbrellaphant, with a trumpet of defiance, headed rapidly for the opensea.

"Look! Look! It's getting away!" cried Samuel, rushing to the cliff'sedge and almost tumbling over. "Do you realize that there goes the onlyumbrellaphant in captivity?"

"Well, well, and what if it is?" muttered Chunum, again pulling Samuelback to safety. "I expect Boglodore does not find this country healthyafter the pretty story he has just told us, and come, COME, MasterSeaman, 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 themost rare and amazing specimen ever brought back from anywhere, andnow—now—I've lost it—" Samuel's arms dropped heavily to his sidesand turning away from the cliff, he began walking slowly back towardNikobo, who had at last ventured to lift her head from the sand.Surprised enough was the hippopotamus to learn that she had been givenher power of speech by the ugly little magician on the umbrellaphant,and frightened lest she forget Tandy's language, she began talkingrapidly to herself.

"But you forget what all this means!" panted Chunum, catching up withthe Explorer and shaking him energetically by the shoulder. "Why, thisclears up the whole mystery. Not an AUNT but an ELEPHant carriedTazander to Patrippany Island. We must return quickly to the castleand release his innocent relatives. I myself will call back Tandy'sfrightened subjects and tell them of the great good fortune that hasbefallen, that we are rid of nine rogues and have a brave young Kingto rule Ozamaland. Come, come, do not stand here dreaming about lostelephants; there is much to be accomplished and done."

"Goosewing my topsails, you're right!" breathed Samuel Salt, comingcompletely out of his reverie. "Round up the citizens, comrade, andI'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 smallcozy table in the Throne Room, and Tandy was anxiously looking out ofone of the gold-framed windows for his return. The whiffs from thecovered dishes were so appetizing the Royal Explorer of Oz was almostinclined to let his news wait till afterward. But thinking betterof it, he blurted out the whole story of what had happened to theOzamandarins.

"Then they're all gone and done for," sniffed Ato, seating himself atthe head of the table. "Well, a couple of hundred years at the bottomof the sea should soak all the sin and wickedness out of 'em! And yousay 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 weakerthan soup!"

"Well, how do you supposeI feel," grumbled Samuel Salt, throwing hishat 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 insteadof appreciating your good fortune!" scolded Ato, throwing a corn muffindown 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 anxiousthan interested.

"Oh, YES!" cried Tandy, running round to his side of the table andpressing eagerly against Samuel's knee. "Roger has a wonderful plan andI as King of Ozamaland have agreed to it, and oh, Samuel, SAMUEL!"Forgetting he usually called the tremendous seaman "Captain," Tandyflung both arms round his neck and almost squeezed the breath out ofhim. "I'm going straight back on theCrescent Moon, and I'm notcoming ashore for years and years. I'm going with you to Ev, Oz, ElbowIsland and everywhere!"

"What?" spluttered Samuel Salt, disentangling himself with greatdifficulty and holding Tandy off at arm's length. "Are you joking? Areyou crazy? Have you abdicated or what? Why, this is too good to betrue!"

"But itis true!" insisted Roger, strutting up and down the table andilly 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 theplan was his and he felt prouder of it every minute, "we are placingOzamaland under the general rule and protection of Oz and leaving asRuler in Tandy's place that long-legged son of the desert, Chunum. Nowthere's a fellow who can handle these scary Nobles and natives and wildelephant and camel riders. A King must complete his education before hestarts ruling, you know." Roger paused to scratch his head and winkgaily at Samuel Salt. "And if this King chooses to finish his educationon our ship, that is his own affair."

"Oh, quite! Quite!" Samuel began to rock backward and forward androar with merriment. "Roger, you rascal, you've done as good a job ofreasoning as a whole flock of Wise Men! Fall to, Mates, now we canenjoy 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 andluxuriantly on the flowers in a low window box. "When do we sail?"

CHAPTER 21
A Voyage Resumed

Anxious as Tandy was to return to theCrescent Moon and continue thevoyage, it was a whole week before they finally shoved off. Chunum,true to his word, had rounded up the frightened citizens of thecapital and explained to them the wicked plots of the Ozamandarins andtheir punishment by Boglodore, the Old Man of the Jungle. Then Tandy,addressing them from the castle balcony, called upon them to considerChunum as their King until he himself should have completed hiseducation in foreign parts and aboard theCrescent Moon, during whichtime he promised to keep them always in mind and have their welfarealways at heart. Next, Tandy explained how Ozamaland was now a provinceand under the general rule and protection of Ozma of Oz, how settlersfrom that famous fairyland would soon arrive to help them build newcities and towns, tame the wild jungles of the interior and repel thedangerous invasions of the Greys.

Here Chunum rose to declare he himself would be responsible for peacealong the border between Amaland and Ozamaland, that the Greys had longdesired to be friends with the Whites, but trouble had been stirred upby the Ozamandarins so they might have the credit of protecting thecountry. Then Tandy spoke again of all the advantages that would beenjoyed from their association with the Kingdom of Oz. It was a longand splendid speech, Roger and Tandy having spent the whole morningin its preparation, and delighted and surprised by the energy andambition of their young Ruler, Tandy's subjects cheered him long andvociferously, greeting each new plan and proposal with loud acclaim andenthusiasm. The royal aunts and relatives, already released from thecastle dungeons and restored to their royal dwellings, could not speakhighly enough of their young relative's bravery and cleverness andthe bravery and cleverness of all of his new friends. They quite woreNikobo out with their questions and petting and the hippopotamus sighedhugely for the time when they would all be at sea.

"Was I right or was I wrong?" questioned Roger on the third afternoonas Tandy, resplendent in his court suit of white velvet, reviewedthe vast parade of Loyal Nobles and Natives, and the long lines ofelephants and camels went sweeping by the palace. "They love you justas much for going away as they would if you stayed. And Chunum is a Manin a Million."

"Right!" Tandy nodded, waving happily to the crowds that in a highholiday mood thronged the walks and parks of the beautiful White City.

Chunum had taken Samuel Salt and Ato on an expedition into the jungleso that the Royal Explorer of Oz could procure a creeping bird andflying 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 withfeathers and a bird with scales and fangs was no novelty, but Samuel,returning with a pair of each, considered them the most peculiar andprecious of his queer specimens. He carried their cages everywhere hewent and spent long rapt hours watching the snakes fly and the birdscreep about their new cages. Ato had discovered a new and rare fruitand had brought along several slips to plant in the rail boxes he hadoutside the galley. Nikobo had swum to her heart's content in a greenand muddy jungle stream and all three were now quite ready and anxiousto continue the voyage. Aboard theCrescent Moon one of the Guardshad been established to feed the monkey fish and water boy and tendto the plants in the hold and serve as watchman. And early one brightmorning, just a week after they had landed, the members of the RoyalExploration Party of Oz set forth from the palace.

Oz flags fluttered and snapped in the fresh morning breeze, minglingwith the white banners of Ozamaland, and the streets and avenues werelined with Tandy's cheering and now quite cheerful subjects. RidingNikobo, accompanied by Chunum on a white elephant and the entire camelcorps and elephant guard, the party made their way down to the water'sedge, feeling exactly, as Ato whispered in a laughing undertone toRoger, like a whole circus and a zoo. Besides Roger, Tandy, Samuel Saltand Ato, Nikobo carried two large cages and two small cages. In thesmall cages were the flying reptiles and creeping birds. In the largecages a baby white camel and a baby white elephant.

"You'll sink, my Lass," worried Samuel Salt, as Nikobo, having safelymade her way down the rocky cliff road, waded confidently out into thesea.

"Not me," murmured the hippopotamus comfortably. "You may get wet, butI'll get you safely out to the ship. Trust me."

"Goodbye! Goodbye, all!" cried Tandy, standing up on her back to waveto the crowds collected on the cliffs. Now that he was leaving, he felta strange fondness for them. "Goodbye, Chunum! I'll be back, neverfear!"

"Goodbye, Little Fellow! Goodbye, Little King! A fair and far-awayvoyage to you," called the tall old desert chief, standing up in hisstirrups to wave his long lance. "To the sun—the moon—the stars Icommend you! Go in happiness and return in health and live long to ruleover Ozamaland."

"You take care of the country and we'll take care of the King," shoutedSamuel. "Goodbye! Goodbye! Be watching, all of you, for the ships fromOz!"

"Goodbye! Goodbye!" called the Nobles, the natives, the guards; eventhe elephants and camels raised their shrill voices in farewell asNikobo swam strongly away from the shore and toward theCrescent Moon.

The guard left in charge of the ship thankfully turned the vesselover to its rightful owners and, shaking Tandy feelingly by the hand,climbed down the ladder and dropped nervously on the back of thehippopotamus, who was to carry him to shore.

"Here, Brainless, lend a hand with the freight," yelled Roger as Tandystood gazing rather thoughtfully toward the cliffs. "The King's ashore!Long live his cabin boy! I'll carry these pesky reptilia if you takethe camel." Roger winked at Tandy as Samuel Salt, bent double underthe baby elephant's cage, started carefully down to the hold. The babycamel 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 timethey had finished Nikobo had returned from her shore trip and climbedthankfully back on her raft.

"All hands stand by to heave up the anchor," bellowed Samuel, steppingcheerfully 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 tothe cable as sail after sail rattled up the masts and bellied out fromthe yards. "Where to now, Sam-u-el? Oz?"

"OZ, I should say not! We've a lot of geography to discover before wego back to Oz. We'll need a roc's egg before we go there, eh, Tandy? Aroc's egg and sixty more islands for Ozma's Christmas stocking."

"Oh! Will we really spend Christmas in Oz?" cried Tandy, skipping upand down the deck, and forgetting all about his subjects waving fromthe cliffs.

"Why not?" demanded Samuel Salt, letting his hands fall happily uponthe 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 theCrescent Moon flies over Ev and drops down the WinkieRiver on Christmas morning with its chart full of islands and curiouscontinents and its hold full of strange beasts, plants and treasure, Ifor one should like to be there, shouldn't you?

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 whoinhabit the land of Oz, these delightful fairy tales have stimulatedthe 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 absurdcreatures, each of the 39 volumes which now comprise the series, hasbeen eagerly sought out by generation after generation until today theyare known to all except the very young or those who were never young atall.

When, in a recent survey,The New York Times polled a group ofteen agers on the books they liked best when they were young, the Ozbooks topped the list.

Captain Salt In Oz

A voyage on the famous Nonestic Ocean! What could be more thrillingthan that? We—many of us—have taken trips on the prosaic Atlanticor even Pacific, but have we found a SEA FOREST with flying fish andswimming birds? Have we been pursued by a real SEA SERPENT, or hadour ship transfixed by the immense ivory tusk of a NARWHAL? Have wecome upon the glittering island of PEAKENSPIRE, or made friends with acharming talking hippopotamus?

Yet all these things and more befall Captain Salt, one time Pirate andnow Royal Explorer of Oz, and his merry crew. They come back with theirhold bursting with unique and fascinating specimens, with their chartcrowded with new islands, claimed for Ozma, and drawn so realisticallyby the delightful little boy Tandy, Cabin Boy and Artist of theExpedition.

The Oz Books