all very nervous. They saw the moon rise for the
first time in their lives, and its cold, silvery radiance made them
shudder and prevented them from going to sleep. Trot tried to interest
them by telling them that on the Earth the people had both the sun and
the moon and loved them both; but nevertheless it is certain that had
not the terrible Fog Bank stood between them and the Pink Land, most of
the invading army would have promptly deserted and gone back home.

Trot couldn't sleep, either, she was so worried over Cap'n Bill. She
went back to the tent where Rosalie and Button-Bright were sitting in
the moonlight and asked the Witch if there was no way in which she
could secretly get into the City of the Blues and search for her
friend. Rosalie thought it over for some time and then replied:

"We can make a rope ladder that will enable you to climb to the top of
the wall and descend into the City. But if anyone should see you, you
would be captured."

"I'll risk that," said the child, excited at the prospect of gaining
the side of Cap'n Bill in this adventurous way. "Please make the rope
ladder at once, Rosalie!"

So the Witch took some ropes and knotted together a ladder long enough
to reach the top of the wall. When it was finished, the three--Rosalie,
Trot and Button-Bright--stole out into the moonlight and crept
unobserved into the shadow of the wall. The Blueskins were not keeping
a very close watch, as they were confident the Pinkies could not get
into the City.

The hardest part of Rosalie's task was to toss up one end of the rope
ladder until it would catch on some projection on top of the wall.
There were few such projections, but after creeping along the wall for
a distance, they saw the end of a broken flagstaff near the top edge.
The Witch tossed up the ladder, trying to catch it upon this point, and
on the seventh attempt she succeeded.

"Good!" cried Trot. "Now I can climb up."

"Don't you want me to go with you?" asked Button-Bright a little
wistfully.

"No," said the girl. "You must stay to lead the army. And if you can
think of a way, you must try to rescue us. Perhaps I'll be able to save
Cap'n Bill by myself; but if I don't, it's all up to you,
Button-Bright."

"I'll do my best," he promised.

"And here, keep my polly till I come back," added Trot, giving him the
bird. "I can't take it with me, for it would be a bother, an' if it
tried to spout po'try, I'd be discovered in a jiffy."