THE QUEEN’S GOLDEN SWORD

CHAPTER 17

“Goodness me!” exclaimed Trot, raising herself by a flirt of her pink-scaled tail and a wave of her fins, “isn’t it dreadful hot here?”

The mermaids had risen at the same time, and Cap’n Bill came swimming in from the Peony Room in time to hear the little girl’s speech.

“Hot!” echoed the sailor.  “Why, I feel like the inside of a steam engine!”

The perspiration was rolling down his round, red face, and he took out his handkerchief and carefully wiped it away, waving his fish tail gently at the same time.

“What we need most in this room,” said he, “is a fan.”

“What’s the trouble, do you s’pose?” inquired Trot.

“It is another trick of the monster Zog,” answered the Queen calmly.  “He has made the water in our rooms boiling hot, and if it could touch us, we would be well cooked by this time.  Even as it is, we are all made uncomfortable by breathing the heated air.”

“What shall we do, ma’am?” the sailor man asked with a groan.  “I expected to get into hot water afore we’ve done with this foolishness, but I don’t like the feel o’ bein’ parboiled, jes’ the same.”

The queen was waving her fairy wand and paid no attention to Cap’n Bill’s moans.  Already the water felt cooler, and they began to breathe more easily.  In a few moments more, the heat had passed from the surrounding water altogether, and all danger from this source was over.

“This is better,” said Trot gratefully.

“Do you care to sleep again?” asked the Queen.

“No, I’m wide awake now,” answered the child.

“I’m afraid if I goes to sleep ag’in, I’ll wake up a pot roast,” said Cap’n Bill.

“Let us consider ways to escape,” suggested Clia.  “It seems useless for us to remain here quietly until Zog discovers a way to destroy us.”

“But we must not blunder,” added Aquareine cautiously.  “To fail in our attempt would be to acknowledge Zog’s superior power, so we must think well upon our plan before we begin to carry it out.  What do you advise, sir?” she asked, turning to Cap’n Bill.

“My opinion, ma’am, is that the only way for us to escape is to get out o’ here,” was the sailor’s vague answer.  “How to do it is your business, seein’ as I ain’t no fairy myself, either in looks or in eddication.”

The queen smiled and said to Trot, “What is your opinion, my dear?”

“I think we might swim out the same way we came in,” answered the child.  “If we could get Sacho to lead us back through the maze, we would follow that long tunnel to the open ocean, and—­”

“And there would be the sea devils waitin’ for us,” added Cap’n Bill with a shake of his bald head.  “They’d drive us back inter the tunnel like they did the first time, Trot.  It won’t do, mate, it won’t do.”