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Updated: May 20, 2025
"Have some watercress with the salad," said Cap'n Bill. "I'd thought of that," declared the cook. "Doesn't my bill of fare make your mouths water?" "Hurry up and get it ready," suggested Trot. Tom Atto at once bowed and retired, and when they were done, Cap'n Bill said to the queen, "Do you think, ma'am, we can manage to escape from Zog and his castle?"
You may now retire to your rooms, and when I again invite you to my presence, I shall have found some better ways to entertain you." Without reply to this threat, they turned and followed Sacho from the hall, and the boy led them straight back to their own rooms. "Zog is making a great mistake," said Sacho with a laugh. "He has no time for vengeance, but the great magician does not know that."
"Who are you?" asked Trot, who was very curious and much surprised. "I'm Cap'n Joe," was the reply. "Cap'n Joe Weedles, formerly o' the brig 'Gladsome' an' now a slave o' Zog at the bottom o' the sea." "J J Joe Wee-Weedles!" gasped Cap'n Bill, amazed. "Joe Weedles o' the 'Gladsome'! Why, dash my eyes, mate, you must be my brother!" "Are YOU Bill Weedles?" asked the other.
"You orter be 'shamed to ask sech a question, knowin' you look worse ner the devil himself." "Very true," answered Zog, frowning. He felt that he had received a high compliment, and the frown showed he was pleased with Cap'n Bill. But now Queen Aquareine advanced to a position in front of their captor and said, "Tell me, Zog, why have you trapped us and brought us here?"
A few moments later the creature had melted away to nothing at all, forever disappearing from the ocean where it had caused so much horror and pain. Zog watched this destruction with surprising patience. When it was all over, he nodded his head and smiled, and Trot noticed that whenever Zog smiled, his slaves lost their jolly looks and began to tremble.
"Have you ever been here before?" asked Trot. "No, dear," said the Queen with a sigh. "And do you know where we are?" continued the girl. "I can guess," replied Aquareine. "There is only one place in all the sea where such a passage as that we are in could exist without my knowledge, and that is in the hidden dominions of Zog.
But if that is a true statement, as I have yet to discover, there are various ways to make you miserable and unhappy, and this I propose to do in order to amuse myself at your expense. You have been brought here to undergo the first trial of strength between us." None of the prisoners replied to this speech, so Zog turned to one of his slaves and said, "Rivivi, bring in the Yell-Maker."
"The mermaids have existed thousands of years," said the Queen in a tone of pride. "Do you imagine the despised and conquered Zog has power to destroy them?" "I do not know," was the quiet answer. "It will be interesting to discover which is the more powerful." "I challenge you to begin the test at once, vile magician!" exclaimed Aquareine.
Trot was so sure of the protection of the fairy mermaids that she would not allow herself to become frightened. Aquareine and Clia were as calm as if nothing had happened. "Please excuse this little interruption," said Zog. "I knew very well the marble blocks would not hurt you. But the play is over for a time.
"There ain't much excitement here, fer we don't catch a flock o' mermaids ev'ry day, but the work is easy an' the rations fair. I might o' been worse off, you know, for when my brig was wrecked, I'd 'a' gone to Davy Jones's Locker if Zog hadn't happened to find me an' made me a fish." "You don't look as much like a fish as Cap'n Bill does," observed Trot.
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