THE AMAZING CONQUEST OF THE BLUES
CHAPTER 24.
The shouting and excitement in the City following upon the recapture ofCap'n Bill aroused the sleeping Boolooroo. He found the cord still tiedto his big toe and at first imagined his prisoner was safe in thedressing room. While he put on his clothes the king occasionally gavethe cord a sudden pull, hoping to hurt Cap'n Bill's big toe and make himyell; but as no response came to this mean action the Boolooroo finallylooked into the room, only to find he had been pulling on a leg of thecouch and that his prisoner had escaped.
Then he flew into a mighty rage and running out into the hall he aimed ablow at the unfaithful guard, knocking the fellow off his feet. Then herushed down stairs into the courtyard, shouting loudly for his soldiersand threatening to patch everybody in his dominions if the sailorman wasnot recaptured.
While the Boolooroo stormed and raged a band of soldiers and citizenscame marching in, surrounding Cap'n Bill, who was again firmly bound.
"So-ho!" roared the monarch, "you thought you could defy me, Earth Clod,did you? But you were mistaken. No one can resist the Mighty Booloorooof the Blues, so it is folly for you to rebel against my commands. Holdhim fast, my men, and as soon as I've had my coffee and oatmeal I'lltake him to the Room of the Great Knife and patch him."
"I wouldn't mind a cup o' coffee myself," said Cap'n Bill. "I've hadconsid'ble exercise this mornin' and I'm all ready for breakfas'."
"Very well," replied the Boolooroo, "you shall eat with me, for then Ican keep an eye on you. My guards are not to be trusted, and I don'tmean to let you out of my sight again until you are patched."
So Cap'n Bill and the Boolooroo had breakfast together, six Blueskinsstanding in a row back of the sailorman to grab him if he attempted toescape. But Cap'n Bill made no such attempt, knowing it would beuseless.
Trot was in the room, too, standing in a corner and listening to allthat was said while she racked her little brain for an idea that wouldenable her to save Cap'n Bill from being patched. No one could see her,so no one--not even Cap'n Bill--knew she was there.
After breakfast was over a procession was formed, headed by theBoolooroo, and they marched the prisoner through the palace until theycame to the Room of the Great Knife. Invisible Trot followed soberlyafter them, still wondering what she could do to save her friend.
As soon as they entered the Room of the Great Knife the Boolooroo gave ayell of disappointment.
"What's become of Tiggle?" he shouted. "Where's Tiggle? Who has releasedTiggle? Go at once, you dummies, and find him--or it will go hard withyou!"
The frightened soldiers hurried away to find Tiggle, and Trot was wellpleased because she knew Tiggle was by this time safely hidden.
The Boolooroo stamped up and down the room, muttering threats anddeclaring Cap'n Bill should be patched whether Tiggle was found or not,and while they waited Trot took time to make an inspection of the place,which she now saw for the first time in broad daylight.
The Room of the Great Knife was high and big, and around it ran rows ofbenches for the spectators to sit upon. In one place--at the head of theroom--was a raised platform for the royal family, with elegantthrone-chairs for the King and Queen and six smaller but richlyupholstered chairs for the Snubnosed Princesses. The poor Queen, by theway, was seldom seen, as she passed all her time playing solitaire witha deck that was one card short, hoping that before she had lived herentire six hundred years she would win the game. Therefore her Majestypaid no attention to anyone and no one paid any attention to her.
In the center of the room stood the terrible knife that gave the placeits name--a name dreaded by every inhabitant of the Blue City. The knifewas built into a huge framework, like a derrick, that reached to theceiling, and it was so arranged that when the Boolooroo pulled a cordthe great blade would drop down in its frame and neatly cut in two theperson who stood under it. And, in order that the slicing would beaccurate, there was another frame, to which the prisoner was tied sothat he couldn't wiggle either way. This frame was on rollers, so thatit could be placed directly underneath the knife.
While Trot was observing this dreadful machine the door opened and inwalked the Six Snubnosed Princesses, all in a row and with their chinsup, as if they disdained everyone but themselves. They weremagnificently dressed and their blue hair was carefully arranged in hugetowers upon their heads, with blue plumes stuck into the tops. Theseplumes waved gracefully in the air with every mincing step thePrincesses took. Rich jewels of blue stones glittered upon their personsand the royal ladies were fully as gorgeous as they were haughty andoverbearing. They marched to their chairs and seated themselves to enjoythe cruel scene their father was about to enact, and Cap'n Bill bowed tothem politely and said:
"Mornin', girls; hope ye feel as well as ye look."
"Papa," exclaimed Turquoise, angrily, "can you not prevent this vileEarth Being from addressing us? It is an insult to be spoken to by oneabout to be patched."
"Control yourselves, my dears," replied the Boolooroo; "the worstpunishment I know how to inflict on anyone, this prisoner is about tosuffer. You'll see a very pretty patching, my royal daughters."
"When?" inquired Cobalt.
"When? As soon as the soldiers return with Tiggle," said he.
But just then in came the soldiers to say that Tiggle could not be foundanywhere in the City; he had disappeared as mysteriously as hadGhip-Ghisizzle. Immediately the Boolooroo flew into another toweringrage.
"Villains!" he shouted, "go out and arrest the first living thing youmeet, and whoever it proves to be will be instantly patched to Cap'nBill."
The Captain of the Guards hesitated to obey this order.
"Suppose it's a friend?" he suggested.
"Friend!" roared the Boolooroo; "I haven't a friend in the country. Tellme, sir, do you know of anyone who is my friend?"
The Captain shook his head.
"I can't think of anyone just now, your Spry and Flighty High and MightyMajesty," he answered.
"Of course not," said the Boolooroo. "Everyone hates me, and I don'tobject to that because I hate everybody. But I'm the Ruler here, andI'll do as I please. Go and capture the first living creature you see,and bring him here to be patched to Cap'n Bill."
So the Captain took a file of soldiers and went away very sorrowful, forhe did not know who would be the victim, and if the Boolooroo had nofriends, the Captain had plenty, and did not wish to see them patched.
Meantime Trot, being invisible to all, was roaming around the room andbehind a bench she found a small coil of rope, which she picked up. Thenshe seated herself in an out-of-the-way place and quietly waited.
Suddenly there was a noise in the corridor and evidence of scuffling andstruggling. Then the door flew open and in came the soldiers dragging agreat blue billygoat, which was desperately striving to get free.
"Villains!" howled the Boolooroo; "what does this mean?"
"Why, you said to fetch the first living creature we met, and that wasthis billygoat," replied the Captain, panting hard as he held fast toone of the goat's horns.
The Boolooroo stared a moment and then he fell back in his throne,laughing boisterously. The idea of patching Cap'n Bill to a goat wasvastly amusing to him, and the more he thought of it the more he roaredwith laughter. Some of the soldiers laughed, too, being tickled with theabsurd notion, and the Six Snubnosed Princesses all sat up straight andpermitted themselves to smile contemptuously. This would indeed be asevere punishment; therefore the Princesses were pleased at the thoughtof Cap'n Bill's becoming half a billygoat, and the billygoat's beinghalf Cap'n Bill.
"They look something alike, you know," suggested the Captain of theGuards, looking from one to the other doubtfully; "and they're nearlythe same size if you stand the goat on his hind legs. They've both gotthe same style of whiskers and they're both of 'em obstinate anddangerous; so they ought to make a good patch."
"Splendid! Fine! Glorious!" cried the Boolooroo, wiping the tears ofmerriment fr
om his eyes. "We will proceed with the Ceremony of Patchingat once."
Cap'n Bill regarded the billygoat with distinct disfavor, and thebillygoat glared evilly upon Cap'n Bill. Trot was horrified, and wrungher little hands in sore perplexity, for this was a most horrible fatethat awaited her dear old friend.
"First, bind the Earth Man in the frame," commanded the Boolooroo."We'll slice him in two before we do the same to the billygoat."
So they seized Cap'n Bill and tied him into the frame so that hecouldn't move a jot in any direction. Then they rolled the frameunderneath the Great Knife and handed the Boolooroo the cord thatreleased the blade.
But while this was going on Trot had crept up and fastened one end ofher rope to the frame in which Cap'n Bill was confined. Then she stoodback and watched the Boolooroo, and just as he pulled the cord shepulled on her rope and dragged the frame on its rollers away, so thatthe Great Knife fell with a crash and sliced nothing but the air.
"Huh!" exclaimed the Boolooroo; "that's queer. Roll him up again,soldiers."
The soldiers again rolled the frame in position, having first pulled theGreat Knife once more to the top of the derrick. The immense blade wasso heavy that it took the strength of seven Blueskins to raise it.
When all was in readiness the King pulled the cord a second time andTrot at the same instant pulled upon her rope. The same thing happenedas before. Cap'n Bill rolled away in his frame and the knife fellharmlessly.
Now, indeed, the Boolooroo was as angry as he was amazed. He jumped downfrom the platform and commanded the soldiers to raise the Great Knifeinto position. When this had been accomplished the Boolooroo leaned overto try to discover why the frame rolled away--seemingly of its ownaccord--and he was the more puzzled because it had never done such athing before.
As he stood, bent nearly double, his back was toward the billygoat,which, in their interest and excitement, the soldiers were holding in acareless manner. At once the goat gave a leap, escaped from the soldiersand with bowed head rushed upon the Boolooroo. Before any could stop himhe butted his Majesty so furiously that the King soared far into the airand tumbled in a heap among the benches, where he lay moaning andgroaning.
The goat's warlike spirit was roused by this successful attack. Findinghimself free, he turned and assaulted the soldiers, butting them sofiercely that they tumbled down in bunches and as soon as they couldrise again ran frantically from the room and along the corridors as if afiend was after them. By this time the goat was so animated by thespirit of conquest that he rushed at the Six Snubnosed Princesses, whohad all climbed upon their chairs and were screaming in a panic of fear.Six times the goat butted and each time he tipped over a chair and senta haughty Princess groveling upon the floor, where the ladies got mixedup in their long blue trains and flounces and laces, and struggledwildly until they recovered their footing. Then they sped in great hastefor the door, and the goat gave a final butt that sent the row of royalladies all diving into the corridor in another tangle, whereupon theyshrieked in a manner that terrified everyone within sound of theirvoices.
As the Room of the Great Knife was now cleared of all but Cap'nBill--who was tied in his frame--and of Trot and the moaning Boolooroo,who lay hidden behind the benches, the goat gave a victorious bleat andstood in the doorway to face any enemy that might appear.
Trot had been as surprised as anyone at this sudden change ofconditions, but she was quick to take advantage of the opportunities itafforded. First she ran with her rope to the goat and, as the animalcould not see her, she easily succeeded in tying the rope around itshorns and fastening the loose end to a pillar of the doorway. Next shehurried to Cap'n Bill and began to unbind him, and as she touched thesailor she became visible. He nodded cheerfully, then, and said:
"I had a notion it was you, mate, as saved me from the knife. But itwere a pretty close call an' I hope it won't happen again. I couldn'tshiver much, bein' bound so tight, but when I'm loose I mean to havejus' one good shiver to relieve my feelin's."
"Shiver all you want to, Cap'n," she said, as she removed the lastbonds; "but first you've got to help me save us both."
"As how?" he asked, stepping from the frame.
"Come and get the Boolooroo," she said, going toward the benches.
The sailor followed and pulled out the Boolooroo, who, when he saw theterrible goat was captured and tied fast, quickly recovered his courage.
"Hi, there!" he cried; "where are my soldiers? What do you mean,prisoner, by daring to lay hands upon me? Let me go this minute orI'll--I'll have you patched _twice_!"
"Don't mind him, Cap'n," said Trot, "but fetch him along to the frame."
The Boolooroo looked around to see where the voice came from and Cap'nBill grinned joyfully and caught up the king in both his strong arms,dragging the struggling Monarch of the Blues to the frame.
"Stop it! How dare you?" roared the frightened Boolooroo. "I'll haverevenge!--I'll--I'll--"
"You'll take it easy, 'cause you can't help yourself," said Cap'n Bill."What next, Queen Trot?"
"Hold him steady in the frame and I'll tie him up," she replied. SoCap'n Bill held the Boolooroo, and the girl tied him fast in position,as Cap'n Bill had been tied, so that his Majesty couldn't wiggle at all.
Then they rolled the frame in position underneath the Great Knife andTrot held in her hand the cord which would release it.
"All right, Cap'n," she said in a satisfied tone, "I guess we can runthis Blue Country ourselves, after this."
The Boolooroo was terrified to find himself in danger of being sliced bythe same knife he had so often wickedly employed to slice others. LikeCap'n Bill, he had no room to shiver, but he groaned very dismally andwas so full of fear that his blue hair nearly stood on end.
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