THE WAR OF THE PINKS AND BLUES
CHAPTER 19.
Much to the surprise of the Earth people the Pinkies made no objectionwhatever to undertaking the adventure. Their lives were so monotonousand uninteresting that they welcomed anything in the way of excitement.This march through the unknown Fog Bank to fight the unknown Blueskinsaroused them to enthusiasm, and although the result of the expeditioncould not be foretold and some of them were almost certain to get hurt,they did not hesitate to undertake the war.
It appeared that Coralie was Captain of the Sunset Tribe and a man namedTintint the Captain of the Sunrise Tribe. Tintint had a very pink skinand eyes so faded in their pink color that he squinted badly in order tosee anything around him. He was a fat and pompous little fellow andloved to strut up and down his line of warriors twirling his longpointed stick so that all might admire him.
By Rosalie's advice the Army of Conquest consisted of one hundredSunsets and one hundred Sunrises. Many more were eager to go, but theWitch thought that would be enough. The warriors consisted of both menand women, equally divided, and there was no need to provide uniformsfor them because their regular pink clothing was a distinctive uniformin itself. Each one bore a long pointed stick as the main weapon and hadtwo short pointed sticks stuck in his belt.
While the army was getting ready, Rosalie the Witch went to the centraledge of the Fog Bank and fearlessly entered it. There she called for theKing of the Giant Frogs, who came at her bidding, and the two held anearnest and long talk together.
Meantime Cap'n Bill had the army assembled in the Court of the Statues,where Queen Mayre appeared and told the Pinkies that the sailorman wasto be Commander in Chief of the Expedition and all must obey hiscommands. Then Cap'n Bill addressed the army and told what the Fog Bankwas like. He advised them all to wear their raincoats over their prettypink clothes, so they would not get wet, and he assured them that allthe creatures to be met with in the Fog were perfectly harmless.
"When we come to the Blue Country, though," he added, "you're liable tobe pretty busy. The Blueskins are tall an' lanky, an' ugly an' fierce,an' if they happen to capture you, you'll all be patched--which is adeep disgrace an' a uncomfertable mix-up."
"Will they throw us over the edge?" asked Captain Tintint, nervously.
"I don't think it," replied Cap'n Bill. "While I was there I never heardthe edge mentioned. They're cruel enough to do that--'specially theBoolooroo--but I guess they've never thought o' throwin' folks over theedge. They fight with long cords that have weights on the ends, whichcoil 'round you an' make you helpless in a jiffy; so whenever they throwthem cords you mus' ward 'em off with your long sticks. Don't let 'emwind around your bodies, or you're done for."
He told them other things about the Blueskins, so they would not befrightened when they faced the enemy and found them so different inappearance from themselves, and also he assured them that the Pinkieswere so much the braver and better armed that he had no doubt they wouldeasily conquer.
On the third day, just at sunrise, the army moved forward to the FogBank, headed by Cap'n Bill, clad in an embroidered pink coat with wide,flowing pink trousers, and accompanied by Trot and Button-Bright andRosalie the Witch--all bundled up in their pink raincoats. The parrotwas there, too, as the bird refused to be left behind.
They had not advanced far into the deep fog when they were halted by aqueer barrier consisting of a long line of gigantic frogs, crouching soclose together that no Pinkie could squeeze between them. As the headsof the frogs were turned the other way, toward the Blue Country, thearmy could not at first imagine what the barrier was; but Rosalie saidto them:
"Our friends the frogs have agreed to help us through the Fog Bank.Climb upon their backs--as many on each frog as are able to hold on--andthen we shall make the journey more quickly."
Obeying this injunction, the Pinkies began climbing upon the frogs, andby crowding close together all were able to find places. On the back ofthe King Frog rode Trot and her parrot, besides Rosalie, Button-Bright,Cap'n Bill and the captains of the two companies of the army.
When all were seated, clinging to one another so they would not slideoff, Cap'n Bill gave the word of command and away leaped the frogs, alltogether. They bounded a long distance at this jump--some farther thanothers--and as soon as they landed they jumped again, without givingtheir passengers a chance to get their breaths. It was a bewildering andexciting ride, but a dozen of the huge jumps accomplished the journeyand at the edge of Fog Bank each frog stopped so suddenly that thePinkies went flying over their heads to tumble into the blue fields ofthe Blue Country, where they rolled in a confused mass until they couldrecover and scramble to their feet. No one was hurt, however, and theKing Frog had been wise enough to treat his passengers more gently byslowing down at the edge and allowing his riders to slip to the groundvery comfortably.
Cap'n Bill at once formed his army into line of battle and had them allremove the cumbersome raincoats, which they piled in a heap at the edgeof the Fog Bank. It was a splendid array of warriors and from where theystood they could discover several Blueskins rushing in a panic towardthe Blue City, as fast as their long blue legs could carry them.
"Well, they know we're here, anyhow," said Cap'n Bill, "and instead ofwaitin' to see what'll they do I guess we'll jus' march on the City an'ask 'em to please surrender."
So he raised the long sharp stick with which he had armed himself andshouted:
"For-rerd--march!"
"For-ward--march!" repeated Coralie to the Sunset Tribe.
"For-ward--march!" roared Tintint to the Sunrise people.
"March--April--June--October!" screamed the parrot.
Then the drums beat and the band played and away marched the Pinkies tocapture the Blue City.
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