yesight was very keen.

"What!" exclaimed the Dodo, trembling. "Red! Are you sure?" he
inquired, anxiously.

"Certain," said Marjorie.

"Yes," said Dick, "I can see it now; it's quite red--a bright scarlet,
in fact."

[Illustration: "The Eteraedarium took his turn."]

"The Little Panjandrum's State Balloon!" gasped the Dodo, in a terrible
fright. "Oh, my dear friends, hide me somewhere! If he finds me I'm done
for! I've--got--his gloves on--oh! How could I have been so foolish as
to have taken them--it's all my pride--and now I shall have to suffer
for it--oh!--oh!" And the Dodo, quite overcome with fear and anxiety,
fell upon his knees and sobbed violently.

Meanwhile the state balloon belonging to His Importance the Little
Panjandrum rapidly drew near.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE DUFF AND DEM EXECUTIONER.

"Can you see who's in it?" asked the Dodo, anxiously, when the balloon
had drawn a little nearer.

"Two gentlemen," declared Marjorie, whose eyesight was very keen. "And
one is carrying such a funny stick, with a big hand at the top of it."

"And the other one has just put on a hideous black mask, and has a
curious kind of pole with a sort of scythe at the end," chimed in Dick.

"What!" screamed the Dodo, "a black mask! Then it's the Lord High
Executioner, and the other is the Court Glover. Oh dear! oh dear! what
will become of me? I wish I'd never seen the wretched old gloves."

The balloon by this time was almost directly overhead and was descending
rapidly. Presently two ropes were thrown out, and a muffled voice cried,
"Catch hold of these, please."

Dick politely ran forward and hung on to one rope, while Marjorie and
Fidge took the other.

[Illustration: "The Court Glover arrives."]

The occupants of the balloon then lowered some wooden steps, and gravely
descended, the Lord High Executioner leading the way.

The balloon, lightened of its occupants, bounded upwards again, and the
children (who had the greatest difficulty in hanging on to the ropes)
called to the Archaeopteryx and the others to come to their aid. To their
great surprise, however, they discovered that these creatures, taking
the Dodo with them, quietly slipped away.

The Court Glover and the Executioner helped the children to fasten the
balloon to one of the large palm trees, and then the Court Glover,
folding his arms, turned to them abruptly and inquired, "Where is he?"

"Who do you mean, Sir?" asked Dick.

"The Dodo,"