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CHAPTER 3 - THE DEPTHS OF THE DEEP BLUE SEA

Cap'n Bill stood up in the boat as if undecided what to do. Never a sailor man

was more bewildered than this old fellow by the strangeness of the adventure he

had encountered. At first he could hardly believe it was all true and that he was

not dreaming; but there was Trot in the water, laughing with the mermaids and

floating comfortably about, and he couldn't leave his dear little companion to

make the trip to the depths of the ocean alone.

"Take my hand, please, Cap'n Bill," said Princess Clia, reaching her dainty arm

toward him; and suddenly the old man took courage and clasped the soft fingers

in his own. He had to lean over the boat to do this, and then there came a queer

lightness to his legs and he had a great longing to be in the water. So he gave a

flop and flopped in beside Trot, where he found himself comfortable enough, but

somewhat frightened.

"Law sakes!" he gasped. "Here's me in the water with my rheumatics! I'll be that

stiff termorrer I can't wiggle."

"You're wigglin' all right now," observed Trot. "That's a fine tail you've got, Cap'n,

an' its green scales is jus' beautiful."

Are they green, eh?" he asked, twisting around to try to see them.

Green as em'ralds, Cap'n. How do they feel?"

Feel, Trot, feel? Why, this tail beats that ol' wooden leg all holler! I kin do stunts

now that I couldn't o' done in a thousand years with ol' peg."

And don't be afraid of the rheumatism," advised the Princess. "No mermaid ever

catches cold or suffers pain in the water."

"Is Cap'n Bill a mermaid now?" asked Trot.

Why, he's a merMAN, I suppose," laughed the pretty princess. "But when he gets

home, he will be just Cap'n Bill again."

Wooden leg an' all?" inquired the child.

To be sure, my dear."

The sailor was now trying his newly discovered power of swimming, and became

astonished at the feats he could accomplish. He could dart this way and that with

wonderful speed, and turn and dive, and caper about in the water far better than

he had ever been able to do on land--even before he got the wooden leg. And a

The Sea Fairies