tribes, which were called the Sunrise Tribe and the Sunset Tribe. The
Sunrise Tribe lived in the eastern half of the Pink Country and the
Sunset Tribe in the west half, and there was great rivalry between
them, and sometimes war.

It was all a question of social importance. The Sunrise Tribe claimed
that every day the sun greeted them first of all, which proved they
were the most important; but on the other hand, the Sunset Tribe
claimed that the sun always deserted the other tribe and came to them,
which was evidence that they were the most attractive people. On Sky
Island--at least on the Pink side--the sun arose in wonderful splendor,
but also it set in a blaze of glory, and so there were arguments on
both sides, and for want of something better to argue about, the
Pinkies took this queer subject as a cause of dispute.

Both Tribes acknowledged Tourmaline their Queen and obeyed the laws of
the country, and just at this time there was peace in the land, and all
the inhabitants of the east and west were friendly. But they had been
known, Coralie said, to fight one another fiercely with their sharp
sticks, at which times a good many were sure to get hurt.

"Why do they call this an Island?" asked Button-Bright. "There isn't
any water around it, is there?"

"No, but there is sky all around it," answered Coralie. "And if one
should step off the edge, he would go tumbling into the great sky and
never be heard of again."

"Is there a fence around the edge?" asked Trot.

"Only a few places are fenced," was the reply. "Usually there are rows
of thick bushes set close to the edge to prevent people from falling
off. Once there was a King of the Pinkies who was cruel and overbearing
and imagined he was superior to the people he ruled, so one day his
subjects carried him to the edge of the island and threw him over the
bushes."

"Goodness me!" said Trot. "He might have hit someone on the Earth."

"Guess he skipped it, though," added Cap'n Bill, "for I never heard of
a Pinky till I came here."

"And I have never heard of the Earth," retorted Coralie. "Of course,
there must be such a place, because you came from there, but the Earth
is never visible in our sky."

"No," said Button-Bright, "'cause it's UNDER your island. But it's
there, all right, and it's a pretty good place to live. I wish I could
get back to it."

"So do I, Button-Bright!" exclaimed Trot.

"Let's fly!" cried the parrot, turning his head so that one