Adventure and adventurers -- Juvenile fiction; Fantasy fiction; Oz (Imaginary place) -- Juvenile fiction
"With this harp and my beautiful voice, I will soon be a rich man,"
he assured them earnestly, and with many goodbyes and good wishes the
four travellers left them to make their fortunes. Long after they had
descended the steps and entered the subway itself, they could hear the
plaintive wails of the sad singer and the thrum of the harp he had
picked from the Indus Tree.
It was dim and mysterious in the underground passageway, and after
looking in vain for a car or train to carry them Up Town, Betsy began
following the arrows painted on the white washed walls.
"There ought to be a car somewhere," panted the little girl, after they
had made at least fifty turns.
"Try mine," invited Carter, and with a tired smile Betsy dropped into
the wheel-barrow. Reddy was riding the Hungry Tiger, and after they had
proceeded for more than an hour, the arrows stopped altogether.
"Well, this isn't like our subways at all," exclaimed Betsy in disgust.
"When you take a subway at home, you get somewhere."
"Isn't this somewhere?" asked Carter, stooping a little so he could
enter a rough stone cavern at the end of the tunnel. Whistling
cheerfully, he trundled Betsy through the low doorway. The Hungry Tiger
followed, sniffing the air suspiciously, and it must be confessed that
the little rock chamber did not look very inviting. The walls were of
jagged gray stone, the floor damp and slippery and the whole place
dismal and chilly as a vault. A feeble light flickered down from an
opening in the ceiling and after a discouraged look round, Betsy shook
her head.
"We'll have to go back Down Town," she sighed sadly. "I'll have to be a
cash girl after all!"
"No you won't!" called Reddy. He had jumped off the tiger and gone to
examine the back of the cavern. "Here's a door!" Hurrying over, the
others saw that the little Prince was right.
"'Cave Inn,'" roared the Hungry Tiger, reading the door plate over
the little boy's shoulder. "'Knock three times.' Why, that's fine! If
it's an Inn, they'll surely have something to eat. We can't get out so
we might as well go in," he finished with a playful wink at Carter.
Stepping back a few paces, the Hungry Tiger ran at the door and bumped
his head three times against the brass plate. At the third bump, the
door of Cave Inn flew open, the floor of the cave itself, tilted
forward and the four adventurers fell through. Stones and dirt rattled
down after them and the Hungry Tiger's growls mingled with the screams
of Betsy and Evered, as they went tumbling down into the darkness.
CHAPTER 10
The Magic Spectacles
Kaliko, King of all the gnomes, and metal monarch besides, sat gloomily
on the jewelled rock throne in his underground cavern.
"Nothing ever happens here," complained Kaliko, frowning at his Royal
Chamberlain.
"Let's have a war," proposed Guph, looking up from the ruby scepter he
was polishing. "We haven't had a war since Ruggedo left."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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