e, yet he felt obliged to
follow it, as he dared not go back; so he tramped on steadily, though
the sun was high, and the box was heavy, and the Court within buzzed
like a hive of angry bees at being forced to go so long without food.

IX

Near noon the Prince was joined by a jelly-fish, who seemed to be of a
cheerful and lively disposition, and who insisted upon attaching himself
to Vance and going along with him. The boy thought that he already had
quite as many people as he was able to look after, and he told the
creature so plainly.

"Besides," he finished quite crossly, for he was really out of patience,
"to say the truth, you flump so that you make me nervous."

"Boys shouldn't have nerves," said the jelly-fish, coolly. "Of course,
if I have no legs I can't walk, and if I can't walk I must flump. That's
plain, even to you, I suppose."

Prince Vance was too vexed to reply; so the pair kept on in silence,
save for the tired footsteps of the boy and the loud flumping of the
jelly-fish on the damp sand of the shore. Near sundown they reached a
broad field where ripe grain of some sort seemed to be growing, and
through it, shaded by trees, ran a brook, clear as crystal. Into this
field the weary Prince gladly turned, and first of all opened his box,
half fearing lest he should find the poor little Court quite dead from
cruel hunger. They were not indeed really lifeless, but they were lying
about limp and white, and looked as if there was very little strength
left in them. The Prince hastily filled them several acorn cups from
the clear, cold brook, and then, seizing one of the long heads, of which
the grain hung full, he broke it open as quickly as possible.

[Illustration]

"Raw wheat," he said, "is certainly not good, but at least it will keep
them from starva--"

He stopped in amazement, and no wonder; for instead of the grain he
expected to find, the pod was full of chocolate creams, large, and all
of the most delicious flavors, as the Prince found by trying one. He
opened another pod in astonishment; lemon drops fell from it. A third
was full of burnt almonds, while a fourth contained sugared dates. In
short, the whole wonderful field was full of sweetmeats: cocoanut cakes
and macaroons; cream figs, marsh mallows, and gum drops; almond paste,
candied nuts, sugared seeds, and crystallized fruits; in truth, you
could not even dream of any sort of luscious confectionery which was not
growing fresh a