“Then we shall land there,” said the boy
confidently. “I knew the umbrella wouldn’t
make a mistake.”
Presently Cap’n Bill spoke again. “We’re
goin’ down on the blue part o’ the island,”
he said. “I can see trees an’ ponds
an’ houses. Hold tight, Trot! Hold
tight, Butt’n-Bright! I’m afeared
we’re a’goin’ to bump somethin’!”
They were certainly dropping very quickly now, and
the rush of air made their eyes fill with water so
that they could not see much below them. Suddenly,
the basket that was dangling below Cap’n Bill
struck something with a loud thud, and this was followed
by a yell of anger. Cap’n Bill sat flat
upon the ground, landing with such a force that jarred
the sailorman and made his teeth click together, while
down upon him came the seat that Trot and Button-Bright
occupied, so that for a moment they were all tangled
up.
“Get off from me! Get off from my feet,
I say!” cried an excited voice. “What
in the Sky do you mean by sitting on my feet?
Get off! Get off at once!”
Cap’n Bill suspected that these remarks were
addressed to him, but he couldn’t move just
then because the seat was across him, and a boy and
girl were sprawling on the seat. As the Magic
Umbrella was now as motionless as any ordinary umbrella
might be, Button-Bright first released the catch and
closed it up, after which he unhooked the crooked
handle from the rope and rose to his feet. Trot
had managed by this time to stand up, and she pulled
the board off from Cap’n Bill. All this
time the shrill, excited voice was loudly complaining
because the sailor was on his feet, and Trot looked
to see who was making the protest, while Cap’n
Bill rolled over and got on his hands and knees so
he could pull his meat leg and his wooden leg into
an upright position, which wasn’t a very easy
thing to do.
Button-Bright and Trot were staring with all their
might at the queerest person they had ever seen.
They decided it must be a man because he had two long
legs, a body as round as a ball, a neck like an ostrich,
and a comical little head set on the top of it.
But the most curious thing about him was his skin,
which was of a lovely sky-blue tint. His eyes
were also sky-blue, and his hair, which was trained
straight up and ended in a curl at the top of his head,
was likewise blue in color and matched his skin and
his eyes. He wore tight-fitting clothes made
of sky-blue silk, with a broad blue ruffle around
his long neck, and on his breast glittered a magnificent
jewel in the form of a star, set with splendid blue
stones.
If the blue man astonished the travelers, they were
no less surprised by his surroundings, for look where
they might, everything they beheld was of the same
blue color as the sky above. They seemed to have
landed in a large garden, surrounded by a high wall
of blue stone. The trees were all blue, the grass
was blue, the flowers were blue, and even the pebbles
in the paths were blue. There were many handsomely
carved benches and seats of blue wood scattered about
the garden, and near them stood a fountain made of
blue marble, which shot lovely sprays of blue water
into the blue air.
