"Well," said he, "let's go home. We've seen enough of this Blue Country
and its Blue Boolooroo, I guess, an' it's a long journey back again."

"All right," agreed Trot, jumping up.

Button-Bright stood on the bench and held up the Magic Umbrella, so he
could open it, and the sailor had just attached the ropes when a thin
blue line shot out from behind them and in a twinkling wound itself
around the umbrella. At the same instant another blue cord wound itself
around the boy's body, and others caught Trot and Cap'n Bill in their
coils, so that all had their arms pinned fast to their sides and found
themselves absolutely helpless.

THE SIX SNUBNOSED PRINCESSES

CHAPTER 6

The Boolooroo was laughing and dancing around in front of them as if
well pleased. For a moment the prisoners could not imagine what had
happened to them, but presently half a dozen Blueskins, resembling in
shape and costume their ruler but less magnificently dressed, stepped
in front of them and bowed low to the Boolooroo.

"Your orders, most Mighty, Flighty, Tight and Righty Monarch, have been
obeyed," said the leader.

"Very well, Captain. Take that umbrella and carry it to my Royal
Treasury. See that it is safely locked up. Here's the key, and if you
don't return it to me within five minutes, I'll have you patched."

The Captain took the key and the Magic Umbrella and hastened away to
the palace. Button-Bright had already hooked the ropes to the
elephant-trunk handle, so that when the Captain carried away the
umbrella, he dragged after him first the double seat, then Cap'n Bill's
seat, which was fastened to it, and finally the lunch-basket, which was
attached to the lower seat. At every few steps some of these would trip
up the Captain and cause him to take a tumble, but as he had only five
minutes' time in which to perform his errand, he would scramble to his
feet again and dash along the path until a board or the basket tripped
him up again.

They all watched him with interest until he had disappeared within the
palace, when the King turned to his men and said:

"Release the prisoners. They are now quite safe, and cannot escape me."

So the men unwound the long cords that were twined around the bodies of
our three friends, and set them free. These men seemed to be soldiers,
although they bore no arms except the cords. Each cord had a weight at
the end, and when the weight was skillfully thrown by a soldier, it
wound the cord ar