There were no horses nor cows in this land, but there were plenty of blue goats, from which the people got their milk. Children tended the goats — wee Blueskin boys and girls whose appearance was so comical that Button-Bright laughed whenever he saw one of them.
Although the natives had never seen before this any human beings made as Button-Bright and Cap’n Bill were, they took a strong dislike to the strangers and several times threatened to attack them. Perhaps if Ghip-Ghisizzle, who was their favorite, had not been present, they would have mobbed our friends with vicious ill-will and might have seriously injured them. But Ghip-Ghisizzle’s friendly protection made them hold aloof.
By and by they passed through a City gate and their guide showed them the outer walls, which protected the City from the country beyond. There were several of these gates, and from their recesses stone steps led to the top of the wall. They mounted a flight of these steps and from their elevation plainly saw the low mountain where the Arch of Phinis was located, and beyond that the thick, blue-gray Fog Bank, which constantly rolled like billows of the ocean and really seemed, from a distance, quite forbidding.
“But it wouldn’t take long to get there,” decided Button-Bright, “and if you were close up it might not be worse than any other fog. Is the Pink Country on the other side of it?”
“So we are told in the Book of Records,” replied Ghip-Ghisizzle. “None of us now living know anything about it, but the Book of Records calls it the ‘Sunset Country,’ and says that at evening the pink shades are drowned by terrible colors of orange and crimson and golden-yellow and red. Wouldn’t it be horrible to be obliged to look upon such a sight? It must give the poor people who live there dreadful headaches.”
“I’d like to see that Book of Records,” mused Cap’n Bill, who didn’t think the discription of the Sunset Country at all dreadful.
“I’d like to see it myself,” returned Ghip-Ghisizzle, with a sigh; “but no one can lay hands on it because the Boolooroo keeps it safely locked up in his Treasure Chamber.”
“Where’s the key to the Treasure Chamber?” asked Button-Bright.
“The Boolooroo keeps it in his pocket, night and day,” was the reply. “He is afraid to let anyone see the Book, because it would prove he has already reigned three hundred years next Thursday, and then he would have to resign the throne to me and leave the Palace and live in a common house.”
“My Magic Umbrella is in that Treasure Chamber,” said Button-Bright, “and I’m going to try to get it.”
“Are you?” inquired Ghip-Ghisizzle, eagerly. “Well, if you manage to enter the Treasure Chamber, be sure to bring me the Book of Records. If you can do that I will be the best and most grateful friend you ever had!”
“I’ll see,” said the boy. “It ought not to be hard work to break into the Treasure Chamber. Is it guarded?”
“Yes; the outside guard is Jimfred Jinksjones, the double patch of the Fredjim whom you have met, and the inside guard is a ravenous creature known as the Blue Wolf, which has teeth a foot long and as sharp as needles.”
“Oh,” said Button-Bright. “But never mind the Blue Wolf; I must manage to get my umbrella, somehow or other.”
They now walked back to the palace, still objects of much curiosity to the natives, who sneered at them and mocked them but dared not interfere with their progress. At the palace they found that dinner was about to be served in the big dining hall of the servants and dependents and household officers of the royal Boolooroo. Ghip-Ghisizzle was the Majordomo and Master of Ceremonies, so he took his seat at the end of the long table and placed Cap’n Bill on one side of him and Button-Bright on the other, to the great annoyance of the other Blueskins present, who favored the strangers with nothing pleasanter than envious scowls.
The Boolooroo and his Queen and daughters — the Six Snubnosed Princesses — dined in formal state in the Banquet Hall, where they were waited upon by favorite soldiers of the Royal Bodyguard. Here in the servants’ hall there was one vacant seat next to Button-Bright which was reserved for Trot; but the little girl had not yet appeared and the sailorman and the boy were beginning to be uneasy about her.
The Tribulation of Trot
THE apartments occupied by the Six Snubnosed Princesses were so magnificent that when Trot first entered them, led by her haughty captors, she thought they must be the most beautiful rooms in all the world. There was a long and broad reception room, with forty-seven windows in it, and opening out of it were six lovely bedchambers, each furnished in the greatest luxury. Adjoining each sleeping room was a marble bath, and each Princess had a separate boudoir and a dressing room. The furnishings were of the utmost splendor, blue-gold and blue gems being profusely used in the decorations, while the divans and chairs were of richly carved bluewood upholstered in blue satins and silks. The draperies were superbly embroidered and the rugs upon the marble floors were woven with beautiful scenes in every conceivable shade of blue.
When they first reached the reception room Princess Azure cast herself upon a divan while her five sisters sat or reclined in easy chairs, with their heads thrown back and their blue chins scornfully elevated. Trot, who was much annoyed at the treatment she had received, did not hesitate to seat herself, also, in a big easy chair.
“Slave!” cried Princess Cerulia, “fetch me a mirror.”
“Slave!” cried Princess Turquoise, “a lock of my hair is loosened; bind it up.”
“Slave!” cried Princess Cobalt, “unfasten my shoes; they’re too tight.”
“Slave!” cried Princess Sapphire, “bring hither my box of blue chocolates.”
“Slave!” cried Princess Azure, “stand by my side and fan me.”
“Slave!” cried Princess Indigo, “get out of that chair. How dare you sit in our presence!”
“If you’re saying all those things to me,” replied Trot, “you may as well save your breath. I’m no slave.” And she cuddled down closer in the chair.
“You are a slave!” shouted the six, all together.
“I’m not!”
“Our father, the Revered and Resplendent Royal Ruler of the Blues, has made you our slave,” asserted Indigo, with a yawn.
“But he can’t,” objected the little girl. “I’m some Royal an’ Rapturous an’ Ridic’lous myself, an’ I won’t allow any cheap Boolooroo to order me ‘round.”
“Are you of royal birth?” asked Azure, seeming surprised.
“Royal! Why, I’m an American, Snubnoses, and if there’s anything royaler than an American I’d like to know what it is.”
The Princesses seemed uncertain what reply to make to this speech and began whispering together. Finally Indigo said to Trot:
“We do not think it matters what you were in your own country, for having left there you have forfeited your rank. By recklessly intruding into our domain you have become a slave, and being a slave you must obey us or suffer the consequences.”
“What cons’quences?” asked the girl.
“Dare to disobey us and you will quickly find out,” snapped Indigo, swaying her head from side to side on its long, swan-like neck, like the pendulum of a clock.
“I don’t want any trouble,” said Trot, gravely. “We came to Sky Island by mistake, and wanted to go right away again; but your father wouldn’t let us. It isn’t our fault we’re still here, an’ I’m free to say you’re a very dis’gree’ble an’ horrid lot of people, with no manners to speak of, or you’d treat us nicely.”
“No impertinence!” cried Indigo, savagely.
“Why, it’s the truth,” replied Trot.
Indigo made a rush and caught Trot by both shoulders. The Princess was twice the little girl’s size and she shook her victim so violently that Trot’s teeth rattled together. Then Princess Cobalt came up and slapped one side of the slave’s face and Princess Turquoise ran forward and slapped the other side. Cerulia gave Trot a push one way and Sapphire pushed her the other way, so the little girl was quite out of breath and very angry
when finally her punishment ceased. She had not been much hurt, though, and she was wise enough to understand that these Princesses were all cruel and vindictive, so that her safest plan was to pretend to obey them.
“Now, then,” commanded Princess Indigo, “go and feed my little blue dog that crows like a rooster.”
“And feed my pretty blue cat that sings like a bird,” said Princess Azure.
“And feed my soft blue lamb that chatters like a monkey,” said Princess Cobalt.
“And feed my poetic blue parrot that barks like a dog,” said Princess Sapphire.
“And feed my fuzzy blue rabbit that roars like a lion,” said Princess Turquoise.
“And feed my lovely blue peacock that mews like a cat,” said Princess Cerulia.
“Anything else?” asked Trot, drawing a long breath.
“Not until you have properly fed our pets,” replied Azure, with a scowl.
“What do they eat, then?”
“Meat!”
“Milk!”
“Clover!”
“Seeds!”
“Bread!”
“Carrots!”
“All right,” said Trot; “where do you keep the menagerie?”
“Our pets are in our boudoirs,” said Indigo, harshly. “What a little fool you are!”
“Perhaps,” said Trot, pausing as she was about to leave the room, “when I grow up I’ll be as big a fool as any of you.”
Then she ran away to escape another shaking, and in the first boudoir she found the little blue dog curled up on a blue cushion in a corner. Trot patted his head gently and this surprised the dog, who was accustomed to cuffs and kicks. So he licked Trot’s hand and wagged his funny little tail and then straightened up and crowed like a rooster. The girl was delighted with the queer doggie and she found some meat in a cupboard and fed him out of her hand, patting the tiny creature and stroking his soft blue hair. The doggie had never in his life known anyone so kind and gentle, so when Trot went into the next boudoir the animal followed close at her heels, wagging his tail every minute.
The blue cat was asleep on a window seat, but it woke up when Trot tenderly took it in her lap and fed it milk from a blue-gold dish. It was a pretty cat and instantly knew the little girl was a friend — vastly different from its own bad-tempered mistress — so it sang beautifully, as a bird sings, and both the cat and the dog followed Trot into the third boudoir.
Here was a tiny baby lamb with fleece as blue as a larkspur and as soft as silk.
“Oh, you darling!” cried Trot, hugging the little lamb tight in her arms. At once the lamb began chattering, just as a monkey chatters, only in the most friendly and grateful way, and Trot fed it a handful of fresh blue clover and smoothed and petted it until the lamb was eager to follow her wherever she might go.
When she came to the fourth boudoir a handsome blue parrot sat on a blue perch and began barking as if it were nearly starved. Then it cried out:
“Rub-a-dub, dub, —
Gimme some grub!”
Trot laughed and gave it some seeds, and while the parrot ate them she stroked gently his soft feathers. The bird seemed much astonished at the unusual caress, and turned upon the girl first one little eye and then the other, as if trying to discover why she was so kind. He had never experienced kind treatment in all his life. So it was no wonder that when the little girl entered the fifth boudoir she was followed by the parrot, the lamb, the cat and the dog, who all stood beside her and watched her feed the peacock, which she found strutting around and mewing like a cat for his dinner. Said the parrot:
“I spy a peacock’s eye
On every feather — I wonder why?”
The peacock soon came to love Trot as much as the other bird and all the beasts did, and it spread its tail and strutted after her into the next boudoir — the sixth one. As she entered this room Trot gave a start of fear, for a terrible roar, like the roar of a lion, greeted her. But there was no lion there; a fuzzy blue rabbit was making all the noise.
“For goodness sake, keep quiet,” said Trot. “Here’s a nice blue carrot for you. The color seems all wrong, but it may taste jus’ as good as if it was red.”
Evidently it did taste good, for the rabbit ate it greedily. When it was not roaring the creature was so soft and fluffy that Trot played with it and fondled it a long time after it had finished eating, and the rabbit played with the cat and the dog and the lamb and did not seem a bit afraid of the parrot or the peacock. But, all of a sudden, in pounced Princess Indigo, with a yell of anger.
“So, this is how you waste your time, is it?” exclaimed the Princess, and grabbing Trot’s arm she jerked the girl to her feet and began pushing her from the room. All the pets began to follow her, and seeing this, Indigo yelled at them to keep back. As they paid no attention to this command the princess seized a basin of water and dashed the fluid over the beasts and birds, after which she renewed her attempt to push Trot from the room. The pets rebelled at such treatment, and believing they ought to protect Trot, whom they knew to be their friend, they proceeded to defend her. The little blue dog dashed at Indigo and bit her right ankle, while the blue cat scratched her left leg with its claws and the parrot flew upon her shoulder and pecked her ear. The lamb ran up and butted Indigo so that she stumbled forward on her face, when the peacock proceeded to pound her head with his wings. Indigo, screaming with fright, sprang to her feet again, but the rabbit ran between her legs and tripped her up, all the time roaring loudly like a lion, and the dog crowed triumphantly, as a rooster crows, while the cat warbled noisily and the lamb chattered and the parrot barked and the peacock screeched: “me-ow!”
Altogether, Indigo was, as Trot said, “scared stiff,” and she howled for help until her sisters ran in and rescued her, pulling her through the bedchamber into the reception room.
When she was alone Trot sat down on the floor and laughed until the tears came to her eyes, and she hugged all the pets and kissed them every one and thanked them for protecting her.
“That’s all right;
We like a fight,”
declared the parrot, in reply.
The Princesses were horrified to find Indigo so scratched and bitten, and they were likewise amazed at the rebellion of their six pets, which they had never petted, indeed, but kept in their boudoirs so they could abuse them whenever they felt especially wicked or ill-natured. None of the snubnosed ones dared enter the room where the girl was, but they called through a crack in the door for Trot to come out instantly. Trot, pretending not to hear, paid no attention to these commands.
Finding themselves helpless and balked of their revenge, the Six Snubnosed Princesses finally recovered from their excitement and settled down to a pleasant sisterly quarrel, as was their customary amusement. Indigo wanted to have Trot patched, and Cerulia wanted her beaten with knotted cords, and Cobalt wanted her locked up in a dark room, and Sapphire wanted her fed on sand, and Turquoise wanted her bound to a windmill, and so between these various desires they quarrelled and argued until dinner time arrived.
Trot was occupying Indigo’s room, so that Princess was obliged to dress with Azure, not daring to enter her own chamber, and the two sisters quarrelled so enthusiastically that they almost came to blows before they were ready for dinner.
Before the Six Snubnosed Princesses went to the Royal Banquet Hall, Cobalt stuck her head through a crack of the door and said to Trot:
“If you want any dinner, you’ll find it in the servants’ hall. I advise you to eat, for after our dinner we will decide upon a fitting punishment for you, and then I’m sure you won’t have much appetite.”
“Thank you,” replied the girl; “I’m right hungry, jus’ now.”
She waited until the snubnosed sextette had pranced haughtily away and then she came out, followed by all the pets, and found her way to the servants’ quarters.
The King’s Treasure Chamber
ALL the Blueskins assembled in the servants’ hall were amazed to see
the pets of the Princesses trailing after the strange little girl, but Trot took her place next to Button-Bright at the table, and the parrot perched upon her shoulder, while the peacock stood upon one side of her chair, and the lamb upon the other, and the cat and dog lay at her feet, and the blue rabbit climbed into her lap and cuddled down there. Some of the Blueskins insisted that the animals and birds must be put out of the room, but Ghip-Ghisizzle said they could remain, as they were the favored pets of the lovely Snubnosed Princesses.
Cap’n Bill was delighted to see his dear little friend again, and so was Button-Bright, and now that they were reunited — for a time, at least — they paid little heed to the sour looks and taunting remarks of the ugly Blueskins and ate heartily of the dinner, which was really very good.
The meal was no sooner over than Ghip-Ghisizzle was summoned to the chamber of his Majesty the Boolooroo, but before he went away he took Trot and Cap’n Bill and Button-Bright into a small room and advised them to stay there until he returned, so that the servants and soldiers would not molest them.
“My people seem to dislike strangers,” said the Majordomo, thoughtfully, “and that surprises me because you are the first strangers they have ever seen. I think they imagine you will become favorites of the Boolooroo and of the Princesses, and that is why they are jealous and hate you.”
“They needn’t worry ‘bout that,” replied Trot; “the Snubnoses hate me worse than the people do.”
“I can’t imagine a bootblue becoming a royal favorite,” grumbled Button-Bright.
“Or a necktie mixer,” added Cap’n Bill.
“You don’t mix neckties; you’re a nectar mixer,” said Ghip-Ghisizzle, correcting the sailor. “I’ll not be gone long, for I’m no favorite of the Boolooroo, either, so please stay quietly in this room until my return.”
The Majordomo found the Boolooroo in a bad temper. He had finished his dinner, where his six daughters had bitterly denounced Trot all through the meal and implored their father to invent some new and terrible punishment for her. Also his wife, the Queen, had made him angry by begging for gold to buy ribbons with. Then, when he had retired to his own private room, he decided to send for the umbrella he had stolen from Button-Bright, and test its magic powers. But the umbrella, in his hands, proved just as common as any other umbrella might. He opened it and closed it, and turned it this way and that, commanding it to do all sorts of things; but of course the Magic Umbrella would obey no one but a member of the family that rightfully owned it. At last the Boolooroo threw it down and stamped upon it and then kicked it into a corner, where it rolled underneath a cabinet. Then he sent for Ghip-Ghisizzle.
Complete Works of L. Frank Baum Page 315
