"Would you like to land on the island?" asked the old sailor who seemed in no wise surprised that an island should suddenly come up out of the sea.
"Yes," gasped little Mary Louise, "it may be a wonderful place. I certainly saw strange things beneath the water.""To be sure you did," replied the old sailor, taking it as a matter of course that a little girl should make a trip to Wonder Land under the Sea, and return safe and sound.
But then, you know, Mary Louise may have still retained some of the charm of the little mermaid's magic comb.
Well, anyway, the old sailor steered his boat over to the green island, where Mary Louise jumped out and after saying good-by to her sailor friend, set off to look for new adventures.
After a while, she came to a great wood, where the trees were as big around as smoke stacks on an ocean liner.
All of a sudden, she heard the sound of a woodman's ax, and the crackling of the branches as they fell to the ground.
"It must be some giant cutting down a tree," she thought, and she started off in the direction of the sound, and by and by, she saw a giant beaver.He was a most wonderful sort of an animal, for he could swing an ax as well as a man.Near at hand flowed a great river, where a white water horse snorted as he dashed the spray high in the air with his forefeet. "Are you one of Neptune's horses?" asked little Mary Louise."I once read a story of a little boy named Hero who rode with King Neptune in hiswonderful chariot."
"No, little girl," answered the beautiful sea horse kindly. "But I can show you some wonderful things. Jump on my back and I will take you to a strange place."Then away went the great Water Horse over the water and through the spray and Mary Louise wasn't the least bit afraid although she had nowater wings and might have slipped of into the water.
"Where are we going?" she asked, after a while, for by this time they were far away from the shore and going up a dark river.
"I'm going to show you the beautiful Green Waterfall Cave," answered the big Sea Horse, shaking his mane until it seemed almost as if it were raining.
Well, pretty soon he stopped, telling Mary Louise to bend over his back, before he swam into a big opening in a gray rock.
"Now lift up your head," he said, and when Mary Louise looked around she saw they were in a beautiful cave. All about them were strange people, Mermaids and Water Nymphs, Water Sprites and Mermen, fishes and dolphins, and even a whale, although he wasn't very large. If he had been, he wouldn't have been there, for the entrance to the cave was just wide enough for him to squeeze through.
Well, no sooner did they see the big Sea Horse, than they all said at once,"Hail to our King!" and crowded around looking curiously at Mary Louise, and one little mermaid pinched her toe.
"This is Mary Louise," explained the great white Sea Horse. "I have brought her to our cave to see the wonders of our Water Country."At once the whale blew a stream of water into the air, the dolphins turned somersaults and the little mermaid who had just pinched Mary Louise's toe, stood up on a big pearly shell and sang:
"In this river that leads to the sea, We all live happy as happy can be, The crocodile comes and opens his jaws, And the giant crab stretches out his claws, And the sword fish chases the sharp toothed shark, But here we are safe when the day grows dark, And the pale white moon looks down from the sky, And the little star winks her golden eye."And when she had finished, she swam up close to the big Sea Horse and picking up Mary Louise placed her in a great shell that sailed over the water just like a boat to the end of the cave where a little path ran along close to the water's edge till it came to a door.
"Tap gently three times," said the little mermaid.
And then, all of a sudden, it opened and there stood a great SeaSerpent.
"What do you want?" he asked with a dreadful hiss and his breath was like steam and his long red tongue like a thin flame.
"O wise Serpent," said the mermaid, "do not frighten little Mary Louise. She is traveling through our country and means no harm.""Then she may come into my kingdom," replied the great Serpent, and he glided swiftly away.
"Do not fear him," said the little mermaid. "I cannot go with you, but you will be perfectly safe," and she closed the door and swam away, leaving little Mary Louise all alone.
It was a strange country in which Mary Louise found herself as she followed the great Serpent who was now some distance ahead. Great trees and moss-covered rocks were on every side, and only by keeping to the narrow path was it possible to find a way through them.
By and by the Serpent stopped at a gate in a high stone wall, which swung open slowly as he tapped upon it.
"Now, let me tell you something," he said, leading Mary Louise to a seat beneath a beautiful tree in a large garden close by a stately castle.
