Part 11

Queen Aquareine and Princess Clia were a little way off, lying with their pretty faces just out of the water, while their hair floated in soft clouds around them.

"Good-bye, friends!" they called.

"Good-bye!" shouted both Trot and Cap'n Bill, and the little girl blew two kisses from her fingers toward the mermaids.

Then the faces disappeared, leaving little ripples on the surface of the water.

Cap'n Bill picked up the oars and slowly headed the boat toward the mouth of the cave.

"I wonder, Trot, if your ma has missed us," he remarked, uneasily.

"Of course not," replied the girl. "She's been sound asleep, you know."

As the boat crept out into the bright sunlight they were both silent; but each sighed with pleasure at beholding their own everyday world again.

Finally Trot said, softly:

"The land's the best, Cap'n."

"It is, mate; for livin' on," he answered.

"But, I'm glad to have seen the mermaids," she added.

"Well, so 'm I, Trot," he agreed. "But, I wouldn't 'a' believed any mortal could ever 'a' seen 'em an'--an'--"

Trot laughed merrily.

"An' lived to tell the tale!" she cried, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Oh, Cap'n Bill, how little we mortals know!"

"True enough, mate," he replied; "but we're a-learnin' something ev'ry day."

* * * * *

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber Notes: | | | | Note: The equals sign is used to surround underscores to | | surround _italic text_. | | | | Fixed various punctuation. | | | | P. 95. "courses. A lobster spilled some soup on Cap'n Bill's bald | | head" and "and made him yell for a minute, because it was hot and | | he" These two lines were swapped around. | | P. 105. "Yes; and they are the only creatures of the ocean which | | none to-day, for we are going near to the dismal caverns we | | greatly fear," replied Aquareine. "I hope we shall meet where | | they live." These lines were swapped, they should read: | | "Yes; and they are the only creatures of the ocean which we | | greatly fear," replied Aquareine. "I hope we shall meet none | | to-day, for we are going near to the dismal caverns where they | | live." Changed. | | P. 207. Chapter 19 title "King Anco" changed to "King Anko". | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+