mbing towards them between the
trees Thimble and Ghibba. But not only these. For between them walked
on high in a high, hairy cup, with a band of woven scarlet about his
loins, and a basket of honeycombs over his shoulder, a Mulgar of a
presence and a strangeness, who was without doubt of the Kingdom of
Assasimmon.

[Illustration]

[Illustration: ... A MULGAR OF A PRESENCE AND A STRANGENESS, WHO WAS
WITHOUT DOUBT OF THE KINGDOM OF ASSASIMMON.]

ENVOY

"Long--long is Time, though books be brief:
Adventures strange--ay, past belief--
Await the Reader's drowsy eye;
But, wearied out, he'd lay them by.

"But, if so be he'd some day hear
All that befell these brothers dear
In Tishnar's lovely Valleys--well,
Poor pen, thou must that story tell!

"But farewell, now, you Mulgars three!
Farewell, your faithful company!
Farewell, the heart that loved unbidden--
Nod's dark-eyed, beauteous Water-midden!"

A NOTE ON THE TYPE IN WHICH THIS BOOK IS SET

_This book is composed (on the Linotype), in Scotch. There is a
divergence of opinion regarding the exact origin of this face, some
authorities holding that it was first cut by Alexander Wilson & Son, of
Glasgow, in 1837; others trace it back to a modernized Caslon old style
brought out by Mrs. Henry Caslon in 1796 to meet the demand for modern
faces brought about by the popularity of the Bodoni types. Whatever its
origin, it is certain that the face was widely used in Scotland, where
it was called Modern Roman, and since its introduction into America it
has been known as Scotch. The essential characteristics of the Scotch
face are its sturdy capitals, its full rounded lower case, the graceful
fillet of its serifs and the general effect of crispness._

[Illustration]

SET UP, ELECTROTYPED, PRINTED, AND
BOUND BY THE VAIL-BALLOU PRESS, INC.,
BINGHAMPTON, N.Y. . ILLUSTRATION
PLATES ENGRAVED AND PRINTED BY
ZEESE-WILKINSON COMPANY, INC.,
LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y. .
PAPER MANUFACTURED BY THE
TICONDEROGA PULP AND
PAPER CO., TICONDEROGA,
N.Y., AND FURNISHED
BY W. F. ETHERINGTON
& CO., NEW YORK.

Transcriber's Note:

In the List of Illustrations, closing quotation marks have been
added to "with fingers of frost" and "enchanted orchards of Tishnar".

Spelling and punctuation have been retained as in the original
publicatio