Then Button-Bright crept softly out of the room again,
and in one of the outer rooms he sat down near a big
cabinet and put on his shoes. Poor Button-Bright
did not know that lying disregarded beneath that very
cabinet at his side was the precious umbrella he was
seeking, or that he was undertaking a desperate adventure
all for nothing. He passed the long-necked guard
again, finding the man half asleep, and then made
his way to the Treasure Chamber. Facing Jimfred,
he said to the patched man in a serious tone, “His
Majesty commands you to go at once to the corridor
leading to the apartments of the Six Snubnosed Princesses
and to guard the entrance until morning. You
are to permit no one to enter or leave the apartments.”
“But—good gracious!” exclaimed
the surprised Jimfred. “Who will guard
the Treasure Chamber?”
“I am to take your place,” said Button-Bright.
“Oh, very well,” replied Jimfred.
“This is a queer freak for our Boolooroo to
indulge in, but he is always doing something absurd.
You’re not much of a guard, seems to me, but
if anyone tries to rob the Treasure Chamber you must
ring this big gong, which will alarm the whole palace
and bring the soldiers to your assistance. Do
you understand?”
“Yes,” said Button-Bright.
Then Fredjim stalked away to the other side of the
palace to guard the Princesses, and Button-Bright
was left alone with the key to the Treasure Chamber
in his hand. But he had not forgotten that the
ferocious Blue Wolf was guarding the interior of the
Chamber, so he searched in some of the rooms until
he found a sofa-pillow, which he put under his arm
and then returned to the corridor.
He placed the key in the lock, and the bolt turned
with a sharp click. Button-Bright did not hesitate.
He was afraid, to be sure, and his heart was beating
fast with the excitement of the moment, but he knew
he must regain the Magic Umbrella if he would save
his comrades and himself from destruction, for without
it they could never return to the Earth. So he
summoned up his best courage, opened the door, stepped
quickly inside, and closed the door after him.
A low, fierce growl greeted him. The Treasure
Chamber was pretty dark, although the moonlight came
in through some of the windows, but the boy had brought
with him the low brass lamp that lighted the corridor,
and this he set upon a table beside the door before
he took time to look around him.
The Treasure Chamber was heaped and crowded with all
the riches the Boolooroo had accumulated during his
reign of two or three hundred years. Piles of
gold and jewels were on all sides, and precious ornaments
and splendid cloths, rare pieces of carved furniture,
vases, bric-a-brac and the like, were strewn about
the room in astonishing profusion.
