Sky Island
Page 26
THE RULER OF SKY ISLAND
CHAPTER 25.
The girl now took off Rosalie's ring and put it carefully away in herpocket.
"It won't matter who sees me now," she remarked, "an' I want 'em to knowthat you an' me, Cap'n, are running this kingdom. I'm Queen o' thePinkies an' Booloorooess o' the Blues, an ----"
"What's that?" asked the sailor. "You're--you're _what_, Trot?"
"Booloorooess. Isn't that right, Cap'n?"
"I dunno, mate. It sounds bigger ner you are, an' I don't like the word,anyhow. S'pose you jus' call yourself the Boss? That fills the bill an'don't need pernouncin'."
"All right," she said; "Queen o' the Pinkies an' Boss o' the Blues.Seems funny, don't it, Cap'n Bill?"
Just then they heard a sound of footsteps in the corridor. The soldiershad partly recovered their courage and, fearful of the anger of theirdreaded Boolooroo, whom the Princesses declared would punish themseverely, had ventured to return to the room. They came ratherhaltingly, though, and the Captain of the Guards first put his headcautiously through the doorway to see if the coast was clear. The goatdiscovered him and tried to make a rush, but the rope held the animalback and when the Captain saw this he came forward more boldly.
"Halt!" cried Trot.
The Captain halted, his soldiers peering curiously over his shouldersand the Six Snubnosed Princesses looking on from behind, where theyconsidered themselves safe.
"If anyone dares enter this room without my permission," said Trot,"I'll pull this cord and slice your master that once was the Boolooroo."
"Don't come in! Don't come in!" yelled the Boolooroo in a terrifiedvoice.
Then they saw that the sailor was free and the Boolooroo bound in hisplace. The soldiers were secretly glad to observe this, but thePrincesses were highly indignant.
"Release his Majesty at once!" cried Indigo from the corridor. "Youshall be severely punished for this rebellion."
"Don't worry," replied Trot. "His Majesty isn't his Majesty any longer;he's jus' a common Blueskin. Cap'n Bill and I perpose runnin' thisIsland ourselves, after this. You've all got to obey _me_, for I'm theBooloorooess--no, I mean the Boss--o' the Blues, and I've a notion torun things my own way."
"You can't," said Turquoise, scornfully; "the Law says----"
"Bother the Law!" exclaimed Trot. "I'll make the Laws myself, from nowon, and I'll unmake every Law you ever had before I conquered you."
"Oh. Have you conquered us, then?" asked the Captain of the Guards, in asurprised tone.
"Of course," said Trot. "Can't you see?"
"It looks like it," admitted the Captain.
"Cap'n Bill is goin' to be my General o' the Army an' the Royal Managero' the Blue Country," continued Trot; "so you'll mind what he says."
"Nonsense!" shouted Indigo. "March in and capture them, Captain! Nevermind if they do slice the Boolooroo. I'm his daughter, and _I'll_ rulethe kingdom."
"You won't!" screamed Cobalt. "I'll rule it!"
"I'll rule it myself!" cried Cerulia.
"No, no!" yelled Turquoise; "I'll be the Ruler."
"That shall be _my_ privilege!" shouted Sapphire. Cobalt began to say:
"I'm the ----"
"Be quiet!" said Trot, sternly. "Would you have your own father sliced,so that you could rule in his place?"
"Yes, yes; of course!" rejoined the six Princesses, without a second'shesitation.
"Well, well! What d' ye think o' that, Mr. Boolooroo?" asked Cap'n Bill.
"They're undutiful daughters; don't pay any attention to them," repliedthe frightened Boolooroo.
"We're not goin' to," said Trot. "Now, you Blue Cap'n, who are you andyour soldiers going to obey--me or the snubnosed ones?"
"You!" declared the Captain of the Guards, positively, for he hated thePrincesses, as did all the Blueskins.
"Then escort those girls to their rooms, lock 'em in, an' put a guardbefore the door."
At once the soldiers seized the Princesses and, notwithstanding theirsnarls and struggles, marched them to their rooms and locked them in.While they were gone on this errand the Boolooroo begged to be released,whining and wailing for fear the knife would fall upon him. But Trot didnot think it safe to unbind him just then. When the soldiers returnedshe told their leader to put a strong guard before the palace and toadmit no one unless either she or Cap'n Bill gave the order to do so.
The soldiers obeyed readily, and when Trot and Cap'n Bill were leftalone they turned the goat loose in the Room of the Great Knife and thenlocked the animal in with the Boolooroo.
"The billygoat is the very best guard we could have, for ever'body's'fraid o' him," remarked Cap'n Bill, as he put the key of the room inhis pocket. "So now, Queen Trot, what's next on the program?"
"Next," said Trot, "we're goin' to hunt for that umbrel, Cap'n. I don'tmean to stay in this dismal Blue Country long, even if I am the Queen.Let's find the umbrel and get home as soon as we can."
"That suits me," the sailor joyfully exclaimed, and then the two began acareful search through the palace.
They went into every room and looked behind the furniture and underneaththe beds and in every crack and corner, but no place could they spy theMagic Umbrella. Cap'n Bill even ventured to enter the rooms of the SixSnubnosed Princesses, who were by this time so thoroughly alarmed thatthey had become meek and mild as could be. But the umbrella wasn'tthere, either.
Finally they returned to the great throne room of the palace, where theyseated themselves on the throne and tried to think what could possiblyhave become of the precious umbrella. While they were sitting andtalking together the Captain of the Guards entered and bowedrespectfully.
"Beg pardon, your Small-Sized Majesty," said he to Trot, "but it is myduty to report that the Pinkies are preparing to attack the City."
"Oh; I'd forgotten the Pinkies!" exclaimed the girl. "Tell me, Captain,have you such a thing as a Brass Band in this City?"
"We have two fine bands, but they are not brass," replied the Captain."Their instruments are made of blue metal."
"Well, order 'em out," commanded Trot. "And, say; get all the soldierstogether and tell all the people there's going to be a high time in theBlue City to-night. We'll have music and dancing and eating and ----"
"An' neckties to drink, Trot; don't forget the royal neckties," urgedCap'n Bill.
"We'll have all the fun there is going," continued the girl, "for we areto entertain the Army of the Pinkies."
"The Pinkies!" exclaimed the Captain of the Guards; "why, they're ourenemies, your Short Highness."
"Not any more," replied Trot. "I'm Queen of the Pinkies, an' I'm alsoQueen of the Blues, so I won't have my people quarreling. Tell the Bluepeople we are to throw open the gates and welcome the Pinkies to theCity, where everybody will join in a grand celebration. And jus' as soonas you've spread the news an' got the bands tuned up and the soldiersready to march, you let us know and we'll head the procession."
"Your Microscopic Majesty shall be obeyed," said the Captain, and wentaway to carry out these commands.