G. E. Farrow

“ To their great delight the children at once found themselves their usual height, and the onions, which had looked before like huge trees, now only reached a little above their heads, while the Sage and the other gnomes looked the tiniest little creatures again.
“This is better,” said Dick, shaking himself as though he had come out of the water.
“Yes, isn’t it good to be ourselves once more,” said Marjorie.
While Fidge jumped about delightedly, breaking down several of the onion plants, and almost treading on the Sage’s hut. ”

“ Wherever have you been to all this time?”
“Why,” explained the fish, “I thought I heard you saying something about a race, and suddenly I remembered what a splendid opportunity your visit down here would afford us of witnessing a real human race—you are human, aren’t you?” he asked, anxiously.
“Yes, I suppose so,” replied Dick.
“That’s right,” said the fish. “Come on, the King is most anxious for the race to begin at once, and I promised to bring you back with me immediately.”
“But what is a human race?” inquired Marjorie, as they mounted their Dolphins. ”

“ What do you want?”
“Nothing, thank you, poor old man,” began Marjorie; “we were only——”
The old man burst into a peal of hoarse laughter.
“Poor old man!” he exclaimed. “Do you know that I am the richest man in the world. Look!” he exclaimed, opening his bag before the children’s astonished eyes. “Gold! jewels! riches! wealth! they are all mine—ha—ha—ha—ha!” and he laughed discordantly, and hugged the bag closely to himself again.
“Oh, come away!” cried Marjorie, catching at Dick’s arm. “I’m so frightened.” ”

“ But the Court Glover was inexorable, and murmured solemnly, “In one hour’s time—here,” he walked off towards the balloon, followed by the Executioner, who was giggling idiotically, and had to stuff a handkerchief into his mouth to prevent himself from laughing outright.
“Inhuman wretch—there!” said Marjorie, bursting into tears, while the Dodo’s friends assisted him up from the ground, where he was lying in a half-fainting condition.
“Bear up, old man,” said the Archæopteryx, sympathetically, fanning him with his tail. ”

“ Why can’t you let a poor beast sleep in peace?”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake let the lazy old thing go to sleep if it wants to,” said Dick, impatiently, while tender-hearted Marjorie went up to the creature and stroked and comforted it as best she could.
Her pity was wasted, however, for almost before the last words were out of its mouth the sloth-bear was snoring peacefully with a contented smirk on its face.
“Come on,” said Dick, “let’s try and find the way ourselves. Oh! I know,” he exclaimed; “of course, why we’ve forgotten all about the power we have of floating in the air ”

“ I am the Executioner Extraordinary, you know.”
“Well, how on earth do you execute people, then, if you don’t kill them?” demanded Dick.
“Oh, by a new method, which I have invented myself,” declared the Executioner. “I call it execution by proxy. I just make an effigy.”
“What’s that?” inquired Marjorie.
“Don’t interrupt,” said Dick. “Guy Fawkes is an effigy, you know—an old stuffed thing, with a mask on. Go on, please.”
“Well, then,” continued the Executioner, “having made an effigy, as near like my subject as possible, I just chop its head off, and there is an end of the matter.” ”

“ Dick took the reins, and Marjorie made herself comfortable beside him, while Fidge dangled his legs over the back of the “chariot,” the Dodo solemnly squatting down at his side, with his gloves carefully displayed, and his necktie properly adjusted.
“Now then,” said Dick, shaking the reins, “we are ready to start. Go on, please.”
There was no answer, and it transpired that the creature was asleep again.
“Good gracious!” said the Dodo, impatiently, “we shall never get anywhere at this rate. I say, do wake up,” he cried, going up to the sloth-bear and giving him a good shake. ”

“ To their great astonishment, they found a clumsy-looking cart, somewhat resembling the pictures which they had seen of the old Roman chariots, to the shafts of which a sleepy-looking sloth-bear was attached.
“Ha! ha! what a funny horse,” laughed Fidge. “It is a horse, isn’t it, Dick?” ”

“ The poor bird called out the names one by one, and the Ambassador carefully entered them in his pocket-book, and then stalked majestically away in the direction of the lake, while the Little Panjandrum settled himself on a gaudily-colored rug, which the black attendant carefully spread on the ground at his feet, and with a self-satisfied smile on his little round face gravely twiddled his thumbs and took no notice of anybody. ”

“ The King, on a shell throne, surrounded by his courtiers, was at one end, and several important-looking fishes were fussing about at the other, making a straight line with some little lumps of white chalk.
There was a cheer when the children arrived on their Dolphins, and a rush was made to assist them to alight.
“But what are we to do?” they inquired, rather dismayed at these elaborate preparations.
“Show us a human race,” was the reply.
“Well, a human race is just like any other kind of race, I suppose,” said Dick, “the one who reaches the goal first wins. ”

“ Dick hastily scrambled down to ascertain what was the matter, and found that the Dodo had tumbled out of bed.
“Bless my gloves and beak!” ejaculated the bird, as he picked himself up; “it’s enough to frighten one out of their lives, isn’t it?” ”

“ For the third time the unlucky bird spun the Umbrella round, and this time it stopped at “Fine.”
“How much, your Importance?” asked the Ambassador of the Little Panjandrum.
“Cablofechee!” was the reply.
“Your gloves are forfeited,” declared the Ambassador.
The Dodo gave a despairing glance at the children, and began to remove his one glove.
“What’s he being tried for?” asked Dick, in a whisper.
“Contempt of Panjandrumosity,” said the Ambassador. “It’s a dreadful offence. All trials are conducted by means of the State Umbrella; it saves all the bother of judges and juries, you know. ”

“ By listening outside the curtains of his berth they discovered, without a doubt, that it proceeded from there.
“What a frightful row,” cried Dick, indignantly. “We can’t go to sleep with all that noise going on. Let’s wake him up.”
“Oh, no!” cried the Dodo, “not for worlds. He is sure to be very sensitive on the point, and would doubtless resent it very much.”
“He ought to be made to sleep in another part of the train, or in a carriage by himself,” grumbled Dick, scrambling back to his berth just in time to meet Fidge, who was trying to get down at the risk of breaking his neck.
“Oh! Dick!” ”

“ If we are going to race, though, we shall have to be handicapped.”
“What’s that?” cried the fishes.
“Why, you see,” explained Dick, “it wouldn’t be fair for us all to start from the same line, for Fidge, of course, cannot run as quickly as Marjorie or me; and Marjorie, too, being only a girl, will have to have a start allowed her, and this is called handicapping.”74
“Very well, manage it your own way,” was the reply. “When are you going to start?”
“Oh, as soon as you like,” said Dick. “Where’s the winning-post?” ”

“ It had an oddly-shaped beak, webbed feet, and a funny great tuft of feathers for a tail.
“Why, the thing has gloves on!” cried Captain Dick.7
“And a blue bow around its neck,” chimed in Fidge, his eyes dancing with excitement.
“Ship ahoy!” shouted the bird, as it came close up to the table.
“Good gracious! Why it can talk,” said Marjorie.
“Talk! Of course I can,” answered the bird. “Why not, pray?”
“Well, birds don’t generally talk, except parrots,” added Marjorie, as an afterthought. ”

“ The boys are real boys who were actually on the muster rolls, either at Fort Trumbull on the New London side, or of Fort Griswold on the Groton side of the Thames. The youthful reader who follows Halsey Sanford and Levi Dart and Tom Malleson, and their equally brave comrades, through their thrilling adventures will be learning something more than historical facts; they will be imbibing lessons of fidelity, of bravery, of heroism, and of manliness, which must prove serviceable in the arena of life. ”

“ I suppose it is an animal, by-the-bye,” he added, turning to the children.
“Well,” laughed Marjorie, “we are not quite sure. The Dodo says it’s a kind of lizard-like bird, or bird-like lizard.”
“It’s got feathers,” chimed in Fidge.
“Ough! The miserable creature doesn’t even know what it is itself, I expect,” said the Court Glover, in tones of disgust.
“The others,” said Dick reflectively, “are evidently animals—the Palæotherium and the Eterædarium, you know.” ”

“ The children just expressed the wish, and, as the Little Panjandrum’s Ambassador had promised them, they found that they had the power of rising at will.
“Jolly, isn’t it?” said Dick, as they floated116 upwards, leaving the Dodo gazing after them enviously.
“Like being in a b”loon,” chuckled Fidge, clutching at the leaves of a tree as he passed through them. Fidge never would pronounce balloon properly.
“Oh! look!” cried Marjorie, as they passed above the trees, “there’s the sea over there, and some houses, and people on the beach. I can see them quite distinctly. ”

“ What on earth does it matter how many feathers you have?” said Dick.
“Not to a boy, I suppose,” remarked the Dodo, somewhat insolently; “but no respectable bird would care to be seen about with less than160 five; though, undoubtedly, too many are vulgar”—this with a scornful glance at the Archæopteryx’s tail, which was decorated with quite a number of curious flat feathers. ”

“ Let’s see, where did he say he was going to?”50
“The Equator,” said Dick; “but I’m sure we can’t go all that way after him, and get back in a week.”
“You could if you went by sea,” said the Sage.
“What do you mean?” asked Dick.
“Why, I could give you an introduction to the King of the Fishes, you know, and he might lend you his dolphins; they travel at a rare pace, and would get you there in no time.”
“Oh, yes,” cried Marjorie, “of course we can go under the sea, don’t you know, the paper says so. Wouldn’t it be jolly, even if we didn’t find the Dodo?” ”

“ Oh! Well, I never—whatever will they say next?” cried the Eterædarium, throwing up his hands and turning his eyes up to the ceiling.
“I must say it doesn’t seem a very probable story,” said the Doctor, looking out of the window; “and as I don’t see any of the basins lying about I am afraid I cannot believe your statement.”199
“But that was some time ago,” argued Dick, “and as we are traveling very rapidly they must be some miles down the line by this time.”
The arrival at the Crystal Palace.
“Rubbish!” exclaimed the Dodo, “you are only making matters worse by your lame excuses. ”

“ There is no lack of exciting incidents which the youthful reader craves, but it is healthful excitement brimming with facts which every boy should be familiar with, and while the reader is following the adventures of Ben Jaffrays and Ned Allen he is acquiring a fund of historical lore which will remain in his memory long after that which he has memorized from textbooks has been forgotten. ”

“ We get into our ship, and just go on and on till we come to somewhere or another, and then we land, you know. It’s much the best way, and saves such a lot of bother.”
“I am afraid we should be a long while reaching England that way,” remarked Dick, dubiously.
“Oh, I don’t know,” said the Skipper, “we might drop across it the first time, you know. You see, it’s not much use knowing in which127 direction it lies, because, once you get out to sea, there are no roads and things, so one way is as good as another.”
“But don’t you use a compass?” asked Marjorie. ”

“ Exquisite shells were strewn about, and brightly-colored anemones clung to the rocks on every side, while all kinds of oddly-shaped fishes swam about, peering at the children curiously as they passed.
Presently they came in sight of a kind of Palace, formed of quaintly-shaped pieces of coral, which, the fish explained, was where the King lived.
“Just stay here a moment, please,” said he; and the children waited outside while he went into the Palace.57
"'Bring them forward,' said the king of the fishes." ”

“ I am very old, and very lonely, and there is no one here to admire my treasures but myself. The fishes will have nothing to do with me—they do not care for gold; it is valueless to them—and I may not go on land, so I am here alone with my riches, and every day I gather more and more. ”

“ Dick, Marjorie and Fidge LINK TO TITLE PAGE IMAGE
To my Dear Little Friends.
Here is another book! I hope it will be as fortunate in pleasing you, as the others seem to have been, if I may judge from the many kind and gratifying letters which have reached me from boys and girls, of all ages and sizes, and from all parts of the world.
And in connection with these letters, which I always try (though the pleasurable task grows heavier year by year) to answer myself, I have had the misfortune to lose a large packet of unanswered ones ”

“ There were many famous sea rovers, but none more celebrated than Capt. Kidd. Paul Jones Garry inherits a document which locates a considerable treasure buried by two of Kidd’s crew. The hero of this book is an ambitious, persevering lad, of salt-water New England ancestry, and his efforts to reach the island and secure the money form one of the most absorbing tales for our youth that has come from the press.
For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the publisher, A. L. BURT, 52-58 Duane Street, New York. ”