greatly perplexed.

"Can't you MAKE the frogs let us through?" inquired the boy.

"No, I have no power over the frogs," Rosalie answered. "They carried
us before as a favor, but if the king now insists that we cannot pass
with the umbrella, we must go back to the Blue Country or leave your
umbrella behind us."

"We won't do that!" said Button-Bright indignantly. "Can't we fight the
frogs?"

"Fight!" cried Trot. "Why, see how big they are. They could eat up our
whole army if they wanted to."

But just then, while they stood dismayed at this unfortunate position,
a queer thing happened. The umbrella in Button-Bright's hand began to
tremble and shake. He looked down at the handle and saw that the red
eyes of the carved elephant's head were rolling fiercely and sending
out red sparks of anger in all directions. The trunk swayed from side
to side, and the entire head began to swell and grow larger.

In his fright, the boy sprang backward a step and dropped the umbrella
to the ground, and as he did so, it took the form of a complete
elephant, growing rapidly to a monstrous size. Then, flapping its ears
and wagging its tail--which was merely the covered frame of the
umbrella--the huge elephant lifted its trunk and charged the line of
astonished frogs.

In a twinkling the frogs all turned and made the longest leaps their
powerful legs enabled them to. The King jumped first of all, and in a
panic of fear the others followed his example. They were out of sight
in an instant, and then the elephant turned its head and looked at
Button-Bright and at once trotted into the depths of the fog.

"He wants us to follow," said the boy, gasping in amazement at this
wonderful transformation. So immediately they began marching through
the fog behind the elephant, and as the great beast advanced the frogs
scrambled out of his way and hid themselves in the moist banks until he
had passed them by.

Cap'n Bill had to mind his wooden leg carefully, and the old sailor was
so excited that he mumbled queer sentences about "Araby Ann Knights"
and "ding-donged magic" and the "fool foolishness of fussin' with
witches an' sich," until Trot wondered whether her old friend had gone
crazy or was only badly scared.

It was a long journey, and all the Pinkies were dripping water from
their raincoats, and their fat little legs were tired and aching when
the pink glow showing through the fog at last announced that they were
nearing the Pink Countr