Adventures of Prince Lazybones, and Other Stories Page 7

  CHAPTER VII

  Knops now led Leo through so many places full of machines andcontrivances which the water-power kept active that he was glad whenthey went up a long inclined plane, and came out into a wide gallerylined with mother-of-pearl, and paved with exquisite sea-shells.

  Here was a luxurious couch of beautiful feathers, the plumage of birdshe had never beheld, and he was not sorry to see Paz bringing outanother dozen of tarts for his refreshment. As he ate them, he asked ofKnops, who was peeling a lime, "Have you no women and children amongyour elves?"

  "Oh yes," said Knops, smiling; "but they are not to be found near ourworkshops."

  "Where, then, do they live?"

  Knops put on an air of mystery as he replied: "I am not permitted toreveal everything concerning us, dear Leo. Our private life is of nopublic interest; but I may tell you that our children are bred entirelyin the open air. Many an empty bird's nest is used as an elf cradle, forso highly do we esteem pure air, sunshine, and exposure as a means ofmaking our children hardy, that we even accustom them to danger, and letthem, like the birds, face the fury of the weather."

  "And do they all work as you do?"

  "They do, not at the same employments, nor is all our labor done byhand, as you might suppose. The songs which you hear are not all sung bybirds or insects, the crying child has often a pretty tale whispered inhis ear to soothe his grief or passion, and your garden roses arewitness to many a worm in the bud choked by the hand of an elf. But wehave many tribes, and the habits of each are different. I do not concealthat much trouble is made by some of them. But look at the Indians ofNorth America and the Afghans of Asia."

  Leo was yawning again fearfully, when a little "turn, turn, turn," cameto his ears, and as Knops ceased speaking a band of elves, habited astroubadours in blue and silver, with long white plumes in their velvetcaps, climbed over the balustrade and began to play on zithers.

  The music was a gentle tinkle, not unlike a rippling brook, and appearedto be in honor of Master Knops, who listened with pleased attention, anddismissed them politely.

  Then came a message for Knops. A council was awaiting his presence; so,leaving Leo to Paz, with promise of a speedy return, he departed.

  "How do you get about so fast?" asked Leo. Paz took from his pocket atiny pipe, curiously carved from a nut; then he opened a small ivorybox, showing Leo a wad of something which looked like raw cottonsprinkled with black seeds.

  "One whiff of this, as it burns in my pipe, and I can wish myself whereI please."

  "Let me have a try," said Leo, taking up the pipe.

  Paz smiled. "It would have no more effect upon you than so muchtobacco--not as much, probably, for tobacco makes you deathly sick, doesit not?"

  "Yes," said Leo, listlessly, disappointed that he could not go to theends of the earth by magic.

  Paz noticed the disappointment, and said, by way of diversion, "Where doyou like best to be?"

  "At home I like the kitchen," said Leo, with a little shrug.

  "Good! Come, then, to one of ours: we can be back by the time MasterKnops returns." So saying, he started off, and Leo followed.

  Paz trotted down a winding staircase that made Leo feel as if he were acorkscrew, and in a little while ushered him into a place where jets ofgas gave a garden-like effect, sprouting as they did from solid rock inthe form of tulips and tiger-lilies, but over each was a wire netting,and from the netting were suspended shining little copper kettles andpans of all sorts and shapes.

  Busily bending over these was a regiment of cooks, but instead of papercaps on their heads, each wore a white bonnet of ludicrous form, whichthey could tip over so as to shield their faces from the heat. It gavethem a top-heavy appearance which was extremely funny.

  In the centre of the kitchen was a long table, before which were seateda number of elves testing each compound to see if it were properlyprepared, and examining the cooked dishes as they were brought in thatall should be served rightly.

  "I had an idea," said Leo, "that elves and fairies lived on rose leavesand honey, and that you never had to have things cooked."

  "The truth is," answered Paz, "we do both; it all depends on what areour employments, whether we are living in the wild wood or down inthese caverns. I would ask nothing better than to dine off honeysuckleand a bird's egg, or fill my pockets with gooseberries; but I must adaptmyself to circumstances, and while toiling here have to share the moresolid food provided for us." As he said this he handed Leo a pudding ofabout three inches in the round, iced on the top.

  Leo swallowed it down with such zest that Paz asked him to dispense withceremony, and help himself to anything he saw. The tasting-table wasfull of puffs and tarts, and in a twinkling Leo had eaten two or threedozen of them. They were really so light and frothy that they werehardly equal to an ounce of lollypops such as an ordinary child coulddevour, but Paz cautioned him, telling him that the sweet was soconcentrated he might have a headache.

  While he was doing this, Leo watched with interest the bringing in ofsome squirrels and rabbits, skinned and ready to be roasted. It took sixelves to bear the weight of an ordinary meat dish on which these were;then they trussed and skewered them, and put them in small ovens.

  "How do you kill your game?" asked Leo.

  "We trap everything, and then have a mode of killing the creatureswhich is entirely painless."

  By this time Knops would have returned, so Paz hurried Leo off, not,however, without first filling his pockets with goodies. Up theyclambered, until it seemed as if they might reach the stars by going alittle farther, and now Leo was really so tired that when he sank downon the feathery couch in the sea-shell corridor he was asleep before hecould explain to Knops the cause of his absence.

  He must have slept a very long while--a time quite equal to an ordinarynight, if not longer--for when he awoke he was thoroughly rested andrefreshed, and ready for any exertion he might be called upon to make;but he found himself entirely alone.

  At first this did not affect him, for he supposed his elfin friends hadtaken the opportunity to rest themselves, but after minutes lengthenedinto hours he began to be uneasy. What should he do if they never cameback? How would he ever find his way out of these caverns? The thoughtwas frightful, and to relieve his fears he began to call. His callsbecame shouts, yells, and yet no answer came; nothing but echoesresponded.