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She crawled up the slant of sand and gathered in her hand a bunch of dried

seaweed, with which she mopped the face of Cap'n Bill and cleared the water

from his eyes and ears. Presently the old man sat up and stared at her

intently. Then he nodded his bald head three times and said in a gurgling

voice:

Mighty good, Trot; mighty good! We didn't reach Davy Jones's locker that

time, did we? Though why we didn't, an' why we're here, is more'n I kin make

out."

Take it easy, Cap'n," she replied. "We're safe enough, I guess, at least for the

time being."

He squeezed the water out of the bottoms of his loose trousers and felt of his

wooden leg and arms and head, and finding he had brought all of his person

with him he gathered courage to examine closely their surroundings.

Where d'ye think we are, Trot?" he presently asked.

Can't say, Cap'n. P'r'aps in one of our caves."

He shook his head. "No," said he, "I don't think that, at all. The distance we

came up didn't seem half as far as the distance we went down; an' you'll

notice there ain't any outside entrance to this cavern whatever. It's a reg'lar

dome over this pool o' water, and unless there's some passage at the back, up

yonder, we're fast pris'ners."

Trot looked thoughtfully over her shoulder.

When we're rested," she said, "we will crawl up there and see if there's a way

to get out."

Cap'n Bill reached in the pocket of his oilskin coat and took out his pipe. It

was still dry, for he kept it in an oilskin pouch with his tobacco. His matches

were in a tight tin box, so in a few moments the old sailor was smoking

contentedly. Trot knew it helped him to think when he was in any difficulty.

Also, the pipe did much to restore the old sailor's composure, after his long

ducking and his terrible fright--a fright that was more on Trot's account than

his own.

The sand was dry where they sat, and soaked up the water that dripped from

their clothing. When Trot had squeezed the wet out of her hair she began to

feel much like her old self again. By and by they got upon their feet and crept

The Scarecrow of Oz