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Absolute silence reigned in the silver passage. No fish were there; not even a sea

flower grew to relieve the stern grandeur of this vast corridor. Trot began to be

impressed with the fact that she was a good way from her home and mother, and

she wondered if she would ever get back again to the white cottage on the cliff.

Here she was, at the bottom of the great ocean, swimming through a big tunnel

that had an enchanted castle at the end, and a group of horrible sea devils at the

other! In spite of this thought, she was not very much afraid. Although two fairy

mermaids were her companions, she relied, strange to say, more upon her tried

and true friend, Cap'n Bill, than upon her newer acquaintances to see her safely

out of her present trouble.

Cap'n Bill himself did not feel very confident.

I don't care two cents what becomes o' me," he told Princess Clia in a low voice,

but I'm drea'ful worried over our Trot. She's too sweet an' young to be made an

end of in this 'ere fashion."

Clia smiled at this speech. "I'm sure you will find the little girl's end a good way

off," she replied. "Trust to our powerful queen, and be sure she will find some

means for us all to escape uninjured."

The light grew brighter as they advanced, until finally they perceived a

magnificent archway just ahead of them. Aquareine hesitated a moment whether

to go on or turn back, but there was no escaping the sea devils behind them, and

she decided the best way out of their difficulties was to bravely face the unknown

Zog and rely upon her fairy powers to prevent his doing any mischief to herself or

her friends. So she led the way, and together they approached the archway and

passed through it.

They now found themselves in a vast cavern, so great in extent that the dome

overhead looked like the sky when seen from earth. In the center of this immense

sea cavern rose the towers of a splendid castle, all built of coral inlaid with silver

and having windows of clear glass.

Surrounding the castle were beds of beautiful sea flowers, many being in full

bloom, and these were laid out with great care in artistic designs. Goldfish and

silverfish darted here and there among the foliage, and the whole scene was so

pretty and peaceful that Trot began to doubt there was any danger lurking in

such a lovely place.

As they approached to look around them, a brilliantly colored gregfish

approached and gazed at them curiously with his big, saucer-like eyes. "So Zog

has got you at last!" he said in a pitying tone. "How foolish you were to swim into

that part of the sea where he is powerful."

The Sea Fairies