Jacob Schnittger turned and saw him, and then rushed to help himself to one of the glasses of ginger ale. A moment later Hermann Sweinskopf followed his example, and then Peter Dinkelspeil. Louie Knobloch suddenly noticed his companions preparing to refresh themselves, and made a frantic dash to join them. That left only Emil Muller, the leader, playing. He looked around to find out what was the matter, and then sprinted toward Grouthead, but there was no ginger ale left on the tray. He stood with ill-concealed envy watching the other four who were clinking their glasses hilariously. Then the quartet began to sing: "'Halli, hallo, halli, hallo; Bei uns geht's immer, Je langer je schlimmer; Halli, hallo, halli, hallo, Bei uns geht's immer noch so!'" "Prosit, leater!" said Louie Knobloch mockingly, as he lifted his glass, with the other three facing around and following suit. Emil Muller was speechless. He kicked his heels together as he watched them drinking and smacking their lips. Dragonfel again signalled to Grouthead who went out, and came back bearing an immense glass of ginger ale upon the tray. [Illustration] Emil Muller swooped down upon it exultingly, and with great difficulty held it aloft. The others of the band gathered around in awe, while Louie Knobloch stood on tiptoe to obtain a better view of the glass. Emil Muller blew the froth into Louie's face, and the latter wiped it off with his fingers, afterwards putting them in his mouth, as though even small favors sometimes count. "Do you know vot dot man Vilhelm Shake-a-sbeare vonct saidt?" he asked. [Illustration: "THE BROWNIES!"] "No," replied Louie Knobloch, wiping the froth from his eyes. "Vot dit he say?" Emil Muller raised the glass to his lips, remarking with great emphasis: "Shake-a-sbeare vonct saidt, 'Dere iss odders!'" But before he could partake of the cooling drink all of a sudden the Red Spirit with the bow and quiver of arrows he had taken surreptitiously from Prince Florimel flew through the window into the room, shattering the glass all to pieces, and lit right at Dragonfel's feet. "Be not deceived, kind master!" he cried, in great excitement. "They are the Brownies!" CHAPTER XVI THE EARTHQUAKE AND VOLCANO [Illustration] The big glass with not so much as a single drop tasted by Emil Muller's lips fell from his hand with a loud crash, and its contents flowed like an amber-colored river along the floor. Almost instantly at the Red Spirit's startling announcement Dragonfel had sprung up from his throne stiff and rigid, and was regarding the embryo musicians with a glare of peculiar malevolence. "The Brownies!" he involuntarily ejaculated. "I thought they played too well for a German band!"