eads very far back, so that their necks felt quite
stiff for quite a long time afterwards, the children could see that all
those people seemed quite young, and seemed to have very odd and
delightful clothes--just a garment from shoulder to knee made, as it
seemed, of dark fur.

[Illustration: Slowly they came to the great gate of the castle.]

'What lots of them there are,' said Philip; 'where did they come from?'

'Out of a book,' said the parrot; 'but the authorities were very prompt
that time. Only a line and a half got out.

'Happy troops
Of gentle islanders.

Those are the islanders.'

'Then why,' asked Philip naturally, 'aren't they on an island?'

'There's only one island, and no one is allowed on that except two
people who never go there. But the islanders are happy even if they
don't live on an island--always happy, except for the great fear.'

Here the travellers began to cross one of the bridges across the moat,
the bridge, in fact, which led to the biggest arch of all. It was a very
rough arch, like the entrance to a cave.

And from out its dark mouth came a little crowd of people.

'They're savages,' said Lucy, shrinking till she seemed only an extra
hump on the camel's back.

They were indeed of a dark complexion, sunburnt in fact, but their faces
were handsome and kindly. They waved friendly hands and smiled in the
most agreeable and welcoming way.

The tallest islander stepped out from the crowd. He was about as big as
Philip.

'They're not savages,' said Philip; 'don't be a donkey. They're just
children.'

'Hush!' said the parrot; 'the Lord High Islander is now about to begin
the state address of welcome!'

He was. And this was the address.

'How jolly of you to come. Do get down off that camel and come indoors
and have some grub. Jim, you might take that camel round to the stable
and rub him down a bit. You'd like to keep the dogs with you, of course.
And what about the parrot?'

'Thanks awfully,' Philip responded, and slid off the camel, followed by
Lucy; 'the parrot will make his own mind up--he always does.'

They all trooped into the hall of the castle which was more like a cave
than a hall and very dark, for the windows were little and high up. As
Lucy's eyes got used to the light she perceived that the clothes of the
islanders were not of skins but of seaweed.

'I asked you in,' said the Lord High Islander, a jolly-looking boy of
about Philip's age, '