themselves into semblances of turreted castles and wonderful
palaces. The shapes shifted here and there continually, and the
voyagers began to be bewildered by the phantoms.

"Seems to me we're goin' down," called Trot.

"Down where?" asked Cap'n Bill.

"Who knows?" said Button-Bright. "But we're dropping, all right."

It was a gradual descent. The Magic Umbrella maintained a uniform
speed, swift and unfaltering, but its path through the heavens was now
in the shape of an arch, as a flying arrow falls. The queer shapes of
the clouds continued for some time, and once or twice Trot was a little
frightened when a monstrous airy dragon passed beside them or a huge
giant stood upon a peak of cloud and stared savagely at the intruders
into his domain. But none of these fanciful, vapory creatures seemed
inclined to molest them or to interfere with their flight, and after a
while the umbrella dipped below this queer cloudland and entered a
clear space where the sky was of an exquisite blue color.

"Oh, look!" called Cap'n Bill. "There's land below us." The boy and
girl leaned over and tried to see this land, but Cap'n Bill was also
leaning over, and his big body hid all that was just underneath them.

"Is it an island?" asked Trot solemnly.

"Seems so," the old sailor replied. "The blue is around all one side of
it an' a pink sunshine around the other side. There's a big cloud just
over the middle, but I guess it's surely an island, Trot, an' bein' as
it's in the sky, it's likely to be Sky Island."

"Then we shall land there," said the boy confidently. "I knew the
umbrella wouldn't make a mistake."

Presently Cap'n Bill spoke again. "We're goin' down on the blue part o'
the island," he said. "I can see trees an' ponds an' houses. Hold
tight, Trot! Hold tight, Butt'n-Bright! I'm afeared we're a'goin' to
bump somethin'!"

They were certainly dropping very quickly now, and the rush of air made
their eyes fill with water so that they could not see much below them.
Suddenly, the basket that was dangling below Cap'n Bill struck
something with a loud thud, and this was followed by a yell of anger.
Cap'n Bill sat flat upon the ground, landing with such a force that
jarred the sailorman and made his teeth click together, while down upon
him came the seat that Trot and Button-Bright occupied, so that for a
moment they were all tangled up.

"Get off from me! Get off from my feet, I say!" cried an excited voice.
"What in the S