Sky Island
Page 13
THROUGH THE FOG BANK
CHAPTER 12.
It was rather moist in the Fog Bank.
"Seems like a reg'lar drizzle," said Trot. "I'll be soaked through in aminute." She had been given a costume of blue silk, in exchange for herown dress, and the silk was so thin that the moisture easily wetted it.
"Never mind," said Cap'n Bill. "When it's a case of life 'n' death,clo's don't count for much. I'm sort o' drippy myself."
Cried the parrot, fluttering his feathers to try to keep them fromsticking together:
"Floods and gushes fill our path-- This is not my day for a bath! Shut it off, or fear my wrath."
"We can't," laughed Trot. "We'll jus' have to stick it out till we getto the other side."
"Had we better go to the other side?" asked Button-Bright, anxiously.
"Why not?" returned Cap'n Bill. "The other side's the only safe side forus."
"We don't know that, sir," said the boy. "Ghip-Ghisizzle said it was aterrible country."
"I don't believe it," retorted the sailor, stoutly. "Sizzle's never beenthere, an' he knows nothing about it. 'The Sunset Country' sounds sorto' good to me."
"But how'll we ever manage to get there?" inquired Trot. "Aren't wealready lost in this fog?"
"Not yet," said Cap'n Bill. "I've kep' my face turned straight ahead,ever since we climbed inter this bank o' wetness. If we don't gettwisted any, we'll go straight through to the other side."
It was no darker in the Fog Bank than it had been in the Blue Country.They could see dimly the mass of fog, which seemed to cling to them, andwhen they looked down they discovered that they were walking upon whitepebbles that were slightly tinged with the blue color of the sky.Gradually this blue became fainter, until, as they progressed,everything became a dull gray.
"I wonder how far it is to the other side," remarked Trot, wearily.
"We can't say till we get there, mate," answered the sailor in acheerful voice. Cap'n Bill had a way of growing more and more cheerfulwhen danger threatened.
"Never mind," said the girl; "I'm as wet as a dish rag now, and I'llnever get any wetter."
"Wet, wet, wet! It's awful wet, you bet!"
moaned the parrot on her shoulder.
"I'm a fish-pond, I'm a well; I'm a clam without a shell!"
"Can't you dry up?" asked Cap'n Bill.
"Not this evening, thank you, sir;To talk and grumble I prefer,"
replied the parrot, dolefully.
They walked along more slowly now, still keeping hold of hands; foralthough they were anxious to get through the Fog Bank they were tiredwith the long run across the country and with their day's adventures.They had had no sleep and it was a long time past midnight.
"Look out!" cried the parrot, sharply; and they all halted to find amonstrous frog obstructing their path. Cap'n Bill thought it was as bigas a whale, and as it squatted on the gray pebbles its eyes were on alevel with those of the old sailor.
"Ker-chug, ker-choo!" grunted the frog; "what in the Sky is _this_crowd?"
"W--we're--strangers," stammered Trot; "an' we're tryin' to 'scape fromthe Blueskins an' get into the Pink Country."
"I don't blame you," said the frog, in a friendly tone. "I hate thoseBlueskins. The Pinkies, however, are very decent neighbors."
"Oh, I'm glad to hear that!" cried Button-Bright. "Can you tell us,Mister--Mistress--good Mr. Frog--eh--eh--your Royal Highness--if we'reon the right road to the Pink Country?"
The frog seemed to laugh, for he gurgled in his throat in a very funnyway.
"I'm no Royal Highness," he said. "I'm just a common frog; and a littlewee tiny frog, too. But I hope to grow, in time. This Fog Bank is theParadise of Frogs and our King is about ten times as big as I am."
"Then he's a big un, an' no mistake," admitted Cap'n Bill. "I'm glad youlike your country, but it's a mite too damp for us, an' we'd be glad toget out of it."
"Follow me," said the frog. "I'll lead you to the border. It's onlyabout six jumps."
He turned around, made a mighty leap and disappeared in the gray mist.
Our friends looked at one another in bewilderment.
"Don't see how we can foller that lead," remarked Cap'n Bill; "but wemay as well start in the same direction."
"Brooks and creeks, How it leaks!"
muttered the parrot;
"How can we jog To a frog in a fog?"
The big frog seemed to understand their difficulty, for he kept makingnoises in his throat to guide them to where he had leaped. When at lastthey came up to him he made a second jump--out of sight, as before--andwhen they attempted to follow they found a huge lizard lying across thepath. Cap'n Bill thought it must be a giant alligator, at first, it wasso big; but he looked at them sleepily and did not seem at alldangerous.
"O, Liz--you puffy Liz-- Get out of our way and mind your biz,"
cried the parrot.
"Creep-a-mousie, crawl-a-mousie, please move on! We can't move a step till you are gone."
"Don't disturb me," said the lizard; "I'm dreaming about parsnips. Didyou ever taste a parsnip?"
"We're in a hurry, if it's the same to you, sir," said Cap'n Bill,politely.
"Then climb over me--or go around--I don't care which," murmured thelizard. "When they're little, they're juicy; when they're big, there'smore of 'em; but either way there's nothing so delicious as a parsnip.There are none here in the Fog Bank, so the best I can do is dream ofthem. Oh, parsnips--par-snips--p-a-r-snips!" He closed his eyes sleepilyand resumed his dreams.
Walking around the lizard they resumed their journey and soon came tothe frog, being guided by its grunts and croaks. Then off it went again,its tremendous leap carrying it far into the fog. Suddenly Cap'n Billtripped and would have fallen flat had not Trot and Button-Bright heldhim up. Then he saw that he had stumbled over the claw of a giganticland-crab, which lay sprawled out upon the pebbly bottom.
"Oh; beg parding, I'm sure!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill backing away.
"Don't mention it," replied the crab, in a tired tone. "You did notdisturb me, so there is no harm done."
"We didn't know you were here," explained Trot.
"Probably not," said the crab. "It's no place for me, anyhow, for Ibelong in the Constellations, you know, with Taurus and Gemini and theother fellows. But I had the misfortune to tumble out of the Zodiac sometime ago. My name is Cancer--but I'm not a disease. Those who examinethe heavens in these days, alas! can find no Cancer there."
"Yes, we can, sir, Mister Cancer!"
said the parrot, with a chuckle.
"Once," remarked Cap'n Bill, "I sawr a picter of you in an almanac."
"Ah; the almanacs always did us full justice," the crab replied, "butI'm told they're not fashionable now."
"If you don't mind, we'd like to pass on," said Button-Bright.
"No; I don't mind; but be careful not to step on my legs. They'rerheumatic, it's so moist here."
They climbed over some of the huge legs and walked around others. Soonthey had left the creature far behind.
"Aren't you rather slow?" asked the frog, when once more they came up tohim.
"It isn't that," said Trot. "You are rather swift, I guess."
The frog chuckled and leaped again. They noticed that the fog had caughta soft rose tint, and was lighter and less dense than before, for whichreason the sailor remarked that they must be getting near to the PinkCountry.
On this jump they saw nothing but a monstrous turtle, which lay asleepwith its head and legs drawn into its shell. It was not in their way, sothey hurried on and rejoined the frog, which said to them:
"I'm sorry, but I'm due at the King's Court in a few minutes and I can'twait for your short, weak legs to make the journey to the Pink Country.But if you will climb upon my back I think I can carry you to the borderin one more leap."
"I'm tired," said Trot, "an' this awful fog's beginnin' to choke me.Let's ride on the frog, Cap'n."
"Right you are, mate," he replied, and although he shook a bit withfear, the old man at once began to climb to the frog's back. Trot seatedherself on one side of him and Button-Bright on the other, and thesailor put his arms around them both to hold them tight together.
"Are you ready?" asked the frog.
"Ding-dong!" cried the parrot;
"All aboard! let 'er go! Jump the best jump that you know."
"Don't--don't! Jump sort o' easy, please," begged Cap'n Bill.
But the frog was unable to obey his request. Its powerful hind legsstraightened like steel springs and shot the big body, with itspassengers, through the fog like an arrow launched from a bow. Theygasped for breath and tried to hang on, and then suddenly the froglanded just at the edge of the Fog Bank, stopping so abruptly that histhree riders left his back and shot far ahead of him.
They felt the fog melt away and found themselves bathed in glorious raysof sunshine; but they had no time to consider this change because theywere still shooting through the air, and presently--before they couldthink of anything at all--all three were rolling heels over head on thesoft grass of a meadow.