The Greatest Adventure Books for Children. Люси Мод Монтгомери

and knives and pistols.

      "Whoop! whoo—o—o!" they screeched, yelling like Indians; and their leader, who was uglier looking than any of his followers, cried out:

      "Avast, there, my hearties! Here's a chance for either a fine ransom or a pot of boiling oil!"

      "Then it's the oil," said Para Bruin, despondently; "for we have no ransom."

      "You may as well start the bonfire," remarked Chick.

      But John Dough stepped up to the pirate chief and asked:

      "How much ransom do you require?"

      "Well," answered the chief, "you're not worth much, yourself, and the child's too small to count; but a fine rubber bear like that is worth ten pieces-of-eight or a sparkling jewel."

      "I will give you a sparkling jewel for him, as a ransom," said John, "provided you will then permit us to depart in peace."

      "All right," agreed the pirate; "hand over the sparkler and you may go."

      So John borrowed a dagger from the chief and picked out of his body one of the three diamonds which the inventor had given him in the Isle of Phreex. It glittered most beautifully in the sunlight, and the eyes of the pirate also glittered with greed. For he had noticed two other scars on John's gingerbread body, similar to the one the diamond had been picked out of. Taking the diamond in his dirty hand he said:

      "Well, where are the other jewels?"

      "You agreed to accept this one as our ransom," answered the gingerbread man.

      "You misunderstood me. I said three," declared the pirate; and turning to his men he shouted: "Didn't I say three, boys?"

      "You did! You said three sparklers!" cried the retired pirates and bandits, in a loud chorus. So John, with a sigh of regret, picked the other two diamonds out of his body and gave them to the chief.

      "Now," said the pirate, "I will allow you to go. But where you can go to is a mystery to me, for you are on an island."

      "Stop!" cried another man, as they turned to depart. "You've got to settle with me, now. I'm the bandit chief, and I also demand a ransom."

      "I have given the pirate chief all the diamonds I had," said John.

      "Then you shall surely boil in oil!" shouted the bandit, scowling fearfully. "Seize them, my men, and away with them to the fiery furnace."

      But just then came a flutter of wings, and the four flamingoes flew down and sailed along just over the heads of the prisoners. Instantly the bear clutched the end of a cord and was drawn upward by one of the birds. John Dough grasped the foot of another flamingo with his right hand, and was also raised high above the heads of the astonished pirates and bandits, while Chick coolly sat within the loop of string dangling from the two remaining birds and sailed into the sky with admirable grace.

      Meantime the robbers shook their fists and yelled at the escaped prisoners in a frenzy of helpless rage.

      "Wait a minute!" Para Bruin called to the flamingo which was carrying him; for he observed that just beneath him was the form of the dreadful person who had called himself Sport. The bird obeyed, remaining poised in the air; and at once the bear curled himself into a ball, let go the cord, and fell downward toward the ground.

      The ball of rubber, rapidly descending, struck the surprised Sport and smashed him flat upon the ground. Then up into the air bounded the bear again, and caught once more the cord that was attached to the flamingo's foot.

      "Well done!" called the Cherub, while the pirates and bandits were rushing to assist the helpless Sport.

      "That was a noble deed, my good Para!" said the gingerbread man.

      "Oh, I'm a bouncer, all right!" answered the bear, proudly. "But now let us get away from this awful place as soon as possible."

      So the flamingoes flew swiftly across the sea with them, and John Dough found that he sailed more easily while clutching the bird's foot than when the cord had been fastened around his body. Chick also rode with perfect comfort, but Para Bruin was obliged to wrap the cord several times around his fat paw, to prevent it from slipping out of his grasp.

Hiland and Loland

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      After a long and steady flight the birds reached another island, larger than the first, and much more beautiful. The adventurers looked down upon green valleys and vine-covered hills, patches of stately forest and fields of waving grain. But aside from the scattered farm-houses, they saw no cities or villages until they were over the exact center of the island, where a most curious sight met their view.

      The island was divided into two halves by a high and strong wall of stone, that ran from ocean to ocean, passing exactly through the center of the land. In the middle of the island the dividing wall was broken by a great castle, which looked upon both sides of the wall, and had many imposing towers and turrets and spires stretching high into the air. Clustered near to the castle and upon the east side of the wall were many tall and narrow buildings, some of them rising to a height of three or four stories. The windows in these buildings were tall and narrow, and the doors were tall and narrow, and the chimneys were tall and narrow. It was quite a city in size, but the houses all looked as if they were set upon stilts, while the streets were also narrow.

      THE CASTLE OF HILAND AND LOLAND

      On the west side of the wall, adjoining the castle, was also a city, but of a quite different sort. For the houses were low, none being of more than one story, and the windows and doors in them were so broad and low that they were wider than they were high. As for the streets, they were remarkably broad. The cities upon both sides of the wall were pretty and well built, and there were many beautiful parks and pleasure grounds scattered about.

      Our friends had not much time to observe these things closely, for at John's request the flamingoes alighted upon the top of the great wall, near to an entrance of the castle.

      "We must leave you now," said one of the birds, "for we are obliged to hurry home again. But I am sure you will be quite safe in this beautiful country."

      "Good-by," said John, "and thank you very much for bringing us here."

      Chick and the bear also thanked the kind flamingoes, and then the birds flew into the air and soon disappeared.

      "What a lovely place to bounce!" said Para Bruin, leaning over the edge of the wall nearest to the tall houses and gazing downward into the street.

      "It's a good way down," said Chick. "You'd better be careful."

      "Nonsense!" replied the bear, scornfully. "The higher the wall the finer the bounce."

      With that he made a ball of himself and rolled off the wall. John and Chick leaned over and saw the rubber bear strike the pavement far below and then bound upward again. When he was on a level with the top of the walls he reached out his paws, caught the edge of the stones, and drew himself up beside them.

      "Great,—wasn't it?" he asked, proudly.

      "Yes; but I advise you to be careful," said the gingerbread