ahead," whispered the boy in soft tones. "There is no
real barrier before you. Your eyes are merely deceived by magic."

"Ah, I understand," said Aquareine, nodding her pretty head. And
then she took Mayre's hand and swam boldly forward, while Cap'n Bill
followed holding the hand of Clia. And behold! the marble wall
melted away before them, and they found themselves in a chamber more
splendid than even the fairy mermaids had ever seen before.

CHAPTER 13

PRISONERS OF THE SEA MONSTER

The room in the enchanted castle which Zog called the "den" and in
which the wicked sea monster passed most of his time was a perfectly
shaped dome of solid gold. The upper part of this dome was thickly
set with precious jewels--diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds,
which sparkled beautifully through the crystal water. The lower
walls were as thickly studded with pearls, all being of perfect
shape and color. Many of the pearls were larger than any which may
be found upon earth, for the sea people knew where to find the very
best and hide them away where men cannot discover them.

The golden floor was engraved with designs of rare beauty, depicting
not only sea life, but many adventures upon land. In the room were
several large, golden cabinets, the doors of which were closed and
locked, and in addition to the cabinets there were tables, chairs
and sofas, the latter upholstered with softest sealskins. Handsome
rugs of exquisitely woven seaweeds were scattered about, the colors
of which were artistically blended together. In one corner a
fountain of air bubbled up through the water. The entire room was
lighted as brilliantly as if exposed to the direct rays of the sun,
yet where this light came from our friends could not imagine. No
lamp or other similar device was visible anywhere.

The strangers at first scarcely glanced at all these beautiful
things, for in an easy chair sat Zog himself, more wonderful than
any other living creature, and as they gazed upon him, their eyes
seemed fascinated as if held by a spell. Zog's face was the face of
a man, except that the tops of his ears were pointed like horns and
he had small horns instead of eyebrows and a horn on the end of his
chin. In spite of these deformities, the expression of the face was
not unpleasant or repulsive. His hair was carefully parted and
brushed, and his mouth and nose were not only perfect in shape but
quite handsome.

Only the eyes betrayed Zog and mad