CHAPTER 14

CAP'N JOE AND CAP'N BILL

The rooms Zog had given his prisoners were as handsome as all other
parts of this strange enchanted castle. Gold was used plentifully in
the decorations, and in the Rose Chamber occupied by the mermaids
and Trot golden roses formed a border around the entire room. The
sea maidens had evidently been expected, for the magician had
provided couches for them to recline upon similar to the ones used
in the mermaid palaces. The frames were of mother of pearl and the
cushions of soft, white sponges. In the room were toilet tables,
mirrors, ornaments and many articles used by earth people, which
they afterward learned had been plundered by Zog from sunken ships
and brought to his castle by his allies, the sea devils.

While the mermaids were examining and admiring their room, Cap'n
Bill went to the Peony Room to see what it was like and found his
quarters were very cozy and interesting. There were pictures on the
wall, portraits of grave-looking porpoises, bashful seals, and smug
and smiling walruses. Some of the wall panels were formed of mirrors
and reflected clearly the interior of the room. Around the ceiling
was a frieze of imitation peonies in silver, and the furniture was
peony-shaped, the broad leaves being bent to form seats and couches.
Beside a pretty dressing table hung a bell cord with a tassel at the
end. Cap'n Bill did not know it was a bell cord, so he pulled it to
see what would happen and was puzzled to find that nothing seemed to
happen at all, the bell being too far away for him to hear it. Then
he began looking at the treasures contained in this royal apartment,
and was much pleased with a golden statue of a mermaid that
resembled Princess Clia in feature. A silver flower vase upon a
stand contained a bouquet of gorgeous peonies, "as nat'ral as life,"
said Cap'n Bill, although he saw plainly that they must be made of
metal.

Trot came in just then to see how her dear friend was located. She
entered from the doorway that connected the two rooms and said,
"Isn't it pretty, Cap'n? And who'd ever think that awful creature
Zog owned such a splendid castle and kept his prisoners in such
lovely rooms?"

"I once heard tell," said the sailor, "of a foreign people that
sacrificed humans to please their pagan gods, an' before they killed
'em outright they stuffed the victims full of good things to eat an'
dressed 'em in pretty clothes an' treated 'em like princes. That