hough, remaining in a room where six
girls were feeling all around for her, so she went away and left them
to their vain search while she renewed her hunt for Cap'n Bill.

The sailorman did not seem to be in any of the rooms she entered, so
she decided to visit the Boolooroo's own apartments. In the room where
Rosalie's vision had shown them the Magic Umbrella lying under a
cabinet, Trot attempted to find it, for she considered that next to
rescuing Cap'n Bill this was the most important task to accomplish; but
the umbrella had been taken away and was no longer beneath the cabinet.
This was a severe disappointment to the child, but she reflected that
the umbrella was surely someplace in the Blue city, so there was no
need to despair.

Finally, she entered the King's own sleeping chamber and found the
Boolooroo in bed and asleep, with a funny nightcap tied over his
egg-shaped head. As Trot looked at him, she was surprised to see that
he had one foot out of bed and that to his big toe was tied a cord that
led out of the bedchamber into a small dressing room beyond. Trot
slowly followed this cord and in the dressing room came upon Cap'n
Bill, who was lying asleep upon a lounge and snoring with great vigor.
His arms were tied to his body, and his body was tied fast to the
lounge. The wooden leg stuck out into the room at an angle, and the
shoe on his one foot had been removed so that the end of the cord could
be fastened to the sailor's big toe.

This arrangement had been a clever thought of the Boolooroo. Fearing
his important prisoner might escape before he was patched as
Ghip-Ghisizzle had done, the cruel King of the Blues had kept Cap'n
Bill in his private apartments and had tied his own big toe to the
prisoner's big toe, so that if the sailor made any attempt to get away,
he would pull on the cord, and that would arouse the Boolooroo.

Trot saw through this cunning scheme at once, so the first thing she
did was to untie the cord from Cap'n Bill's big toe and retie it to the
leg of the lounge. Then she unfastened her friend's hands and leaned
over to give his leathery face a smacking kiss. Cap'n Bill sat up and
rubbed his eyes. He looked around the room and rubbed his eyes again,
seeing no one who could have kissed him. Then he discovered that his
bonds had been removed, and he rubbed his eyes once more to make sure
he was not dreaming. The little girl laughed softly.

"Trot!" exclaimed the sailor, recognizing her