CHAPTER XV
Smaly and Redy effect the rescue of the three young girls: Djorak joins them and they all partake of a delightful picnic: Smaly blows the Soy powder over the country of the Wigs: Then the six friends go home 170
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
IN COLOUR
_Facing page_
FRITILLA AND THE RED FLYING-FISH _Frontispiece_
THE CITY CURIOUS 16
THEY WERE KNOWN AS THE "WIGS" BECAUSE OF THEIR LARGE PERUKES 24
THESE CREATURES DID NOT RESEMBLE ANYTHING THAT REDY AND SMALY HAD SEEN UP TO THEN 32
LAPTITZA AND PAPYLICK 64
SOME OF THE DANCES WERE VERY COMPLICATED 96
KISIKA IN HER SEDAN-CHAIR 128
THE PICNIC WHICH FOLLOWED WAS AN UNFORGETTABLE REPAST 160
IN BLACK AND WHITE
PAGE REDY 2
SMALY 3
IN THIS LAND ALL THE BIRDS WORE HATS AND SPURS 4
REDY'S HANDS WERE CRYING WITH FRIGHT 6
BUT HE FOUND HE, TOO, HAD A BEAK 7
THEY SANG AND DANCED 8
NEITHER THE LATCH NOR THE HINGE BORE ANY TRACE OF HAVING BEEN BITTEN 10
LOOKING FOR THE KEY 11
KANGAROO-CONFECTIONER 13
TO CARRY THE LAST CURL AS THOUGH IT WERE THE END OF A TRAIN 16
THEY MADE ONE WANT TO DANCE 17
WITH THE SPOON WHICH EVERY WIG CARRIES HUNG FROM HIS BELT 19
THESE HORSES, HOWEVER, WERE MADE OF SUGAR 20
THE SPONGES 21
TO RETURN TO A MERE SHAPELESS THING ONCE AGAIN 23
A TRAVELLER TOLD US 24
NEVERTHELESS SMALY AND REDY STARTED TO HELP HIM 26
THE GRUB WAS REALLY THE DOORKEEPER 27
"WE WISH TO HAVE THREE GIRLS" 28
THE CROW LIFTED HIM UP 29
THE CROW 30
THE MOTHER OF THE CROW 31
"SHE SEES ONLY ONE SIDE OF MEN, BIRDS, AND THINGS" 32
THE SHORT-LEGGED MAN 35
PAPYLICK 36
OPENING THE NUTS AND DISPLAYING THE TWO LITTLE PEOPLE 39
LEADING BY THE HAND THE CHOCOLATE GRUB 40
THE BIRDS WITH THEIR LEGS ENCASED IN CUTLET FRILLS 41
THE EGGS RUNNING ALONG 42
THEY WERE GENTLE AND PRETTY PIGS 43
A MOST SPLENDID FEAST 44
THE DESPOILER 45
WHICH IS IN THIS COUNTRY A GREAT SIGN OF MIRTH 46
HE FLED HASTILY 47
MISTIGRIS 48
THE YOUNG STORK 49
EVERY ONE UTTERED CRIES OF INDIGNATION 50
"YOU CAN ROLL THE CORD" 51
THE CHIEF CONTRACTOR REPLIED 53
CHILDREN WERE BUILT OF MUCH FEWER SLICES OF CAKE THAN THE GROWN-UPS 54
THESE CREATURES WILL EAT THE TOP OFF THE WALLS 55
ANGER 56
IT SEEMED TO THEM THAT MEN GREW UPWARDS AND NOT TOWARDS THE GROUND 57
SOME VERY ELEGANT MICE 58
ONE HALF EXPRESSED SEVERE AUTHORITY, THE OTHER WAS ALL GENTLENESS 60
HE DECIDED THAT THEY MUST HAVE A SIMILAR REVIEW EVERY WEEK 62
THEY HAD ALL PUT ON THICK GLOVES 63
WIGS, WHO WERE PUTTING THE SOLDIERS BACK IN THEIR BOXES 64
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF PASENIPUS 65
TO CONDUCT HER BACK TO HER HOUSE, WHICH WAS IN A COSY NOOK IN A GREAT TREE OF CORAL 67
THE CONFECTIONER 69
"NEVERTHELESS IT'S SO NARROW THAT ONLY ONE PERSON CAN GO THROUGH AT A TIME" 70
THE SONG WENT ON 71
RUNNING HARD WITH THEIR LITTLE SHORT LEGS 73
SOY MILL 74
SOY RESERVOIR 75
CARRYING AWAY EVERY OBJECT THAT THEY COULD LIFT 77
THE PRISONER 79
THE PRISONER NEVER CEASED TO BREAK THE SUGAR-CANES 80
THE PET FLYING-FISH, WHICH EVERY WIG FAMILY POSSESSES AND CHERISHES 83
THE AMOUNT OF CAKE AND PUDDING EATEN ANNUALLY IN THE COUNTRY 84
THE ELDER OF THE FISHES 85
THE HEN 86
THIS CARE WHICH THE CONFECTIONER TOOK OF FRITILLA WAS BY NO MEANS UNNECESSARY 88
THE SMALLER FLYING-FISH 89
DROPPED THEM THROUGH A HOLE IN HIS BEAK 90
WAS SITTING WITH ONE ANKLE ACROSS THE KNEE OF HIS OTHER LEG 91
THE DESPOILER, WHO WAS ALWAYS AFRAID THAT SOME ONE WOULD FIND OUT THAT HE WAS ONLY MADE OF CARDBOARD, NEVER SLEPT IN PUBLIC 93
"INSTEAD OF CUTTING HIS TOE-NAILS AS WE DO WITH THE HELP OF A LONG-HANDLED PAIR OF SCISSORS AND A TELESCOPE" 96
THE KING 97
THE KING'S DAUGHTER 98
THE HEALER 103
BORN WITH THE IDEA OF ONE DAY BEING A VERY BIG MAN 104
BETWEEN THEM WAS FASTENED A COMFORTABLE ARM-CHAIR 106
THERE WERE NEWSBOYS SELLING ACCOUNTS OF THE LATEST DISASTER TO THE WIGS 108
THE HEALER HAD FINISHED HIS MENDING 109
MATHEMATICIAN 111
MIGRAINE 112
WRAPPED THEIR HANDKERCHIEFS ROUND THEIR HEADS 112
"I, TOO, HOPE SO," SAID HIS WIFE, WHO HAD JUST COME IN 113
NEARLY ALL HAD ONE LEG WHICH WAS MUCH LONGER THAN THE OTHER, OR A VERY LONG ARM 115
HIS ELONGATED TAIL WAS TIED TO THE QUEUE OF HIS WIG 116
"BUT ONLY LOOK AT OUR ARMS AND LEGS" 117
EVEN MORE THAN THEY FEARED THE FLIES 118
REWARDS 119
THE DWARF HAD PULLED ON A PAIR OF BOOTS 120
THE ACCORDION-PLAYERS BEGAN 123
TENNIS 124
THE BALL HUNG UP THUS 125
TEA-COSY 128
"WE'RE WAITING FOR THE SUN TO GO DOWN" 129
SERVANTS OUT SHOPPING FOLLOWED IT WITH THEIR LADEN BASKETS ON THEIR ARMS 131
HE THRUST HIS FACE INTO ROSES COVERED WITH DEW 132
THE EXECUTIONER BANDAGED HIS EYES 133
NEXT HE TOOK SOME OLD CARDBOARD BOXES 135
OPENED THEM AND SHUT THEM AGAIN 136
HIS YOUNG SON WAS THERE 137
THE BRINDLED RABBIT 138
HIS LITTLE PAW SHOVED A FOLDED SLIP OF PAPER THROUGH THE OPENING 139
THEN THEY SANG A COMIC DUET 140
THEN THEY QUESTIONED A BLACK TOAD 141
AND FISH IN THE LITTLE RIVER IN THE AFTERNOON 142
THE THIN LONG ARM OF THE HISTORIAN 143
EXTRACTING FISH-BONES FROM THE BACK OF THE DESPOILER 147
THEY BORE A LARGE COPPER CAULDRON 148
THE ADMIRAL WAS A TRITON 149
THE WHITE DOLPHIN WITH PINK EYES 150
AN EXTREMELY CURIOUS FISH 151
"A BAND OF OUR RATS WILL EACH MORNING COPIOUSLY WATER OUR FLEET" 153
WIGS WERE BUSY WRITING THEIR NAMES 154
A RED FLAG 155
"I HAVE DESTROYED A HUNDRED TIMES PASSING OVER IT IN MY PRISON" 157
"I WAS CAUGHT STEPPING RIGHT OVER THEIR SILLY OLD DRY CANAL WITH ONE STRIDE" 158
THE MANUFACTURER OF CARDBOARD BOXES 159
A SENTINEL WHO LOOKED LIKE A DRAGON-FLY 163
THE GARDENS WERE ARRANGED AFTER THE SAME PRINCIPLE AS THE WINDOWS IN THE HOUSE OF THE HISTORIAN 164
A LITTLE RED FEATHER, WHICH SHE HAD PICKED UP IN THE MARKET-PLACE 166
NEXT THE DESPOILER APPROACHED 167
THE WIFE OF THE CHIEF CONTRACTOR PRESENTED KISIKA WITH A BEAUTIFUL FAN MADE OF PAPER LACE 169
DIRECTLY THEY SAW THE FLYING-FISH ENTER 171
THEIR TWO LITTLE HEADS APPEARED SIDE BY SIDE 172
SMALY STANDING ON THE POINT OF HIS TOES 173
SO DURING THREE DAYS THE YOUNG GIRLS WERE BUSY MAKING THE STAIRS 175
THE RED FLYING-FISH CARRIED A LARGE HAT AND MANTLE IN ITS CLAWS 176
CARRYING AS MANY OF THE PRESENTS AS THEY COULD 177
WIGS THEMSELVES WOULD HAVE MELTED AWAY DIRECTLY THEY PASSED THE FRONTIER 178
THEY HUNG OUT OF THE WINDOWS 179
THE CITY CURIOUS