CHAPTER XI
THE BROWNIES BUILD A RAFT
When King Stanislaus announced to the Brownies that they were to go atonce to the rescue of Queen Titania he was confronted by a very seriousproblem. There was no craft of any kind whatever with which to embarkupon so hazardous a voyage.
"This comes of unpreparedness," growled the Sailor. "I've been tryingto impress on His Majesty for years that we needed some battle-ships,cruisers, and submarines. Dash my top-lights if we've got even so muchas an old mud-scow!"
Far off faintly outlined in the gathering dusk was a galleon with allsails spread which the favoring gales were bearing to Dragonfel'senchanted country.
King Stanislaus realized the utter futility of trying to overtake itwith another sailing-vessel even if they had been the possessors of one.Dragonfel and his confederates had too much the start of them.
The only recourse left was to follow as quickly as they could bywhatever means were at hand, and, after they reached their destination,to try to wrest the unfortunate Titania and her companions from thecruel clutches of their abductors.
King Stanislaus had pledged his word to Florimel that before morningthey would be in hot pursuit.
A raft to the monarch's shrewd, quick-thinking mind seemed to be theeasiest kind of a craft to construct in the short space of time to do itin order to redeem the royal promise. The wind was right, so that itwould waft them straight to Dragonfel's country, just as it was nowtaking the galleon which soon disappeared beyond the horizon.
In crisp, curt tones which showed that he, if anyone, was able to copewith this most distressing situation His Majesty gave orders for theimmediate building of the raft.
Then came a hurrying and scurrying of Brownies. Each of the littlefellows was eager to do his share of the gigantic task, and no oneshirked.
Hither and yon, and all about, they flew, a band of willing workers,and no one got in another's way, so no time was lost. Wisely enough theking assigned to each what he was best adapted to do, and there was nogrumbling or cavilling at orders, but a strict obedience in all things.And, wherever such a spirit is manifested, it is surprising what resultscan be achieved.
The axes rang out sharp and clear in forests, and big trees toppled downto be stripped in a trice of their leafy branches. Sweating, puffing,grunting Brownies pulled and tugged and strained at the logs into whichthey were cut, and pushed and shoved, or rolled them when they could,toward the sea-shore.
Here, with their little jackets off, were many other Brownies hard atwork, while the sound of big wooden mallets and iron sledges was heardunceasingly on all sides as in the busiest shipyard, while the logswere being nailed and spiked together.
Yet the raft was not composed entirely of logs, but of whatever elsebesides that came in handy.
Nimble, fleet-footed foragers at their monarch's instigation roamed thecountry over for anything that was in the nature of wood. Some of thesebrought back a gate on which was the sign: NO ADMITTANCE.
Others came with shutters on which was tacked the placard: ROOMS TO LET.And one group triumphantly lugged a dog-house which they thought wouldserve as a pilot-house, and to this on an iron chain was attached a dog,which perforce was dragged along after it upon its back. So great wastheir excitement that they forgot all about the dog.
Other members of the band were busy too in different ways. The Sailorcame running with a long pole on his shoulder, and strung one afteranother on the pole were a number of round life-preservers that lookedlike huge doughnuts.
Then off he sped again but only to return a few minutes later with amariner's compass.
The Dude stood by, offering advice, and all ready with cane in one andopera-hat box the other.
Straining with the terrific weight the Twins together brought a ship'slead, and in stopping to put it down for needed rest one dropped it onthe foot of his unfortunate brother, who held the injured foot up withhis hand, and danced on the well one in great pain. But when his brothermotioned for him to take up the lead with him again, he did so, and theylabored on their way.
Down on the beach quite a number had found a big anchor half-buried inthe sand. They had dug it out and were slowly bearing it with the utmostdifficulty toward the raft.
Time and again they stopped for a brief breathing spell, standingmeanwhile the anchor on its bow, until at last it suddenly fell overand pinioned a luckless sprite beneath its weight. He was extricatedby his fellows, and, while they continued puffing with their burden helimped with effort after them, rubbing his bruised shank.
The commissary department was active too, and Brownies came with amplesupplies of provisions for the voyage. They brought sacks of hard-tackand ship-biscuit, and when they laid them down and sat on them audaciousrats ran helter-skelter out and scampered wildly off in all directions.Nothing was left undone, and when in the judgment of the Sailor it wasabout four bells the raft had taken marvelous shape and was ready tolaunch.
With the combined strength of all the band it was rolled down thesloping sand upon round logs until it slid gracefully into the water.Lanterns lit it at the corners, and in the centre on a long stickfloated the Brownie flag.
Then all the Brownies clambered on board, and King Stanislaus gave theorder to cast off the hawsers. The fairies, weeping yet hopeful of thesuccess of the expedition, watched them from the shore.
But before some Brownies under the instructions of the Sailor could obeythe mandate of the king Mignonette and Jassamine in wild disorder, andwith their hair flying, came running toward them.
"The dove!" cried Mignonette. "You've forgotten Euphrosyne's dove!"
Jassamine at the same time held up a cage in which the dove was perchedon a stick.
"Euphrosyne told Queen Titania she was to send it to her if ever shewas in danger from Dragonfel," Mignonette made haste to explain.
"I don't know whether we've got room to take it," said King Stanislausgrudgingly. "Besides I think we're able to manage this little businessaffair ourselves."
"Remember, sire," reminded the Policeman, "that Noah once sent out adove."
"Yes, I know," said His Majesty, "but he's hundreds of years behind thetimes."
Still he did not interpose any objections when the Dude reached forthand grasped the cage, which he set upon the raft.
Then off they floated without further interruption, the Sailor andothers poling them out through shallow waters till they could no longertouch bottom. There were no cheers to mark the departure, for the heartsof all were set with a stern purpose.
As they got farther and farther away the fairies still gazed at them,until someone said:
"Don't watch them out of sight. It's unlucky."
The tide was ebb, and the wind continued steady and true, so that theymade good progress. Some took their little jackets off to catch eachpuff of air. The shore-line finally disappeared from sight, and then thelights twinkling in the windows of Queen Titania's palace.
At last they were so many miles from land that the Twins took frequentsoundings with their lead, and the Sailor, who consulted his compassvery often, growled to the watch:
"Keep a sharp look-out, you lubber!"
And their plans all would have gone well, and they would have reachedDragonfel's enchanted country as they intended, if something entirelyunexpected had not happened.
About six bells, as the Sailor reckoned, a sudden storm came up.
It was a terrible storm, the worst in the memory of the oldestinhabitant. The Sailor who was most weather-wise of all could notunderstand it. But Dragonfel could have done so had he wished, for thestorm had been manufactured at his request by Vulcan, and it was just asgood a sample of what could be done in a hurry as the Brownies' raft.
Suddenly the sky grew black, and the stars were blotted out. Then almostinstantly came a mighty rush and roar of wind, and the seas ranmountain-high.
"Avast, you lubbers!" roared the Sailor. "Take a reef in your shirts andjackets!"
Lightning lit up almost inc
essantly gloomy, frowning caverns in theclouds, and the peals of thunder were deafening. The rain poured down onthem in sheets, but still the wind howled and raged with unabating fury,and they tossed up and down like a cockleshell.
In all the turmoil of alarm the frightened Chinaman lost his balance,and fell overboard, and a huge sea-serpent, with eyes of fire gleaminglike electric lights above distended greedy, waiting jaws, rose up fromout of the water, with its abnormally long body looking like a series ofhoops.
The Uncle Sam Brownie threw out a life-preserver, but the Sailor withrare presence of mind grasped a boat-hook, and, skillfully hooking theend of the despairing Chinaman's blouse, yanked him back on the raftbefore the monster could swallow him.
No craft however staunch could withstand such a gale, which grew andgrew in violence.
The raft shivered and shook under its terrific strain, and there camepistol-like cracks at intervals as the wood splintered or broke apart,while nails and spikes flew up from the groaning, loosening timbers.
Slowly but surely the raft upon which the Brownies had exercised suchingenuity and skill was disintegrating, and the great danger of the bandincreased with each passing moment. And in the flashes of lightning thatillumined the rumbling skies a huge bird with flapping wings suddenlyswooped down, and, seizing the frightened Dude by his breeches-seat,bore him, dangling face downward, with his cherished cane still clutchedin his hand, up, up, still up, till he was out of sight.
The others, all aghast, looked up at him until he disappeared, andwondered if they would ever see him again. And, while they wondered,with their own misfortune forgotten in this greater calamity that hadcome to their beloved companion, there was heard a crack louder than anythat had gone before, and the raft went all at once to pieces.
Struggling in the water, or clinging to broken spars, logs, and piecesof timber, the Brownies suddenly found themselves gasping and choking asrelentless waves rolled over them, at times submerging them.
This was the end, then, of their unfortunate adventure. There wasnothing to cause even the slightest ray of hope. It looked as though allthe Brownies would be lost.
The Brownies and Prince Florimel; Or, Brownieland, Fairyland, and Demonland Page 12