! In spite of this thought, she was not very much
afraid. Although two fairy mermaids were her companions, she relied,
strange to say, more upon her tried and true friend, Cap'n Bill,
than upon her newer acquaintances to see her safely out of her
present trouble.

Cap'n Bill himself did not feel very confident.

"I don't care two cents what becomes o' me," he told Princess Clia
in a low voice, "but I'm drea'ful worried over our Trot. She's too
sweet an' young to be made an end of in this 'ere fashion."

Clia smiled at this speech. "I'm sure you will find the little
girl's end a good way off," she replied. "Trust to our powerful
queen, and be sure she will find some means for us all to escape
uninjured."

The light grew brighter as they advanced, until finally they
perceived a magnificent archway just ahead of them. Aquareine
hesitated a moment whether to go on or turn back, but there was no
escaping the sea devils behind them, and she decided the best way
out of their difficulties was to bravely face the unknown Zog and
rely upon her fairy powers to prevent his doing any mischief to
herself or her friends. So she led the way, and together they
approached the archway and passed through it.

They now found themselves in a vast cavern, so great in extent that
the dome overhead looked like the sky when seen from earth. In the
center of this immense sea cavern rose the towers of a splendid
castle, all built of coral inlaid with silver and having windows of
clear glass.

Surrounding the castle were beds of beautiful sea flowers, many
being in full bloom, and these were laid out with great care in
artistic designs. Goldfish and silverfish darted here and there
among the foliage, and the whole scene was so pretty and peaceful
that Trot began to doubt there was any danger lurking in such a
lovely place.

As they approached to look around them, a brilliantly colored
gregfish approached and gazed at them curiously with his big,
saucer-like eyes. "So Zog has got you at last!" he said in a pitying
tone. "How foolish you were to swim into that part of the sea where
he is powerful."

"The sea devils made us," explained Clia.

"Well, I'm sorry for you, I'm sure," remarked the Greg, and with a
flash of his tail, he disappeared among the sea foliage.

"Let us go to the castle," said the Queen in a determined voice. "We
may as well boldly defy our fate as to wait until Zog seeks us out."

So they swam to the entrance of th