Part 4 (1/2)
A captain marched in front of the company of fox-soldiers, his uniform embroidered with gold braid to make it handsomer than the others.
Almost before our friends realized it the soldiers had surrounded them on all sides, and the captain was calling out in a harsh voice:
”Surrender! You are our prisoners.”
”What's a pris'ner?” asked b.u.t.ton-Bright.
”A prisoner is a captive,” replied the fox-captain, strutting up and down with much dignity.
”What's a captive?” asked b.u.t.ton-Bright.
”You're one,” said the captain.
That made the s.h.a.ggy man laugh
”Good afternoon, captain,” he said, bowing politely to all the foxes and very low to their commander. ”I trust you are in good health, and that your families are all well?”
The fox-captain looked at the s.h.a.ggy man, and his sharp features grew pleasant and smiling.
”We're pretty well, thank you, s.h.a.ggy Man,” said he; and Dorothy knew that the Love Magnet was working and that all the foxes now loved the s.h.a.ggy man because of it. But Toto didn't know this, for he began barking angrily and tried to bite the captain's hairy leg where it showed between his red boots and his yellow pantaloons.
”Stop, Toto!” cried the little girl, seizing the dog in her arms.
”These are our friends.”
”Why, so we are!” remarked the captain in tones of astonishment. ”I thought at first we were enemies, but it seems you are friends instead.
You must come with me to see King Dox.”
”Who's he?” asked b.u.t.ton-Bright, with earnest eyes.
”King Dox of Foxville; the great and wise sovereign who rules over our community.”
”What's sov'rin, and what's c'u'nity?” inquired b.u.t.ton-Bright.
”Don't ask so many questions, little boy.”
”Why?”
”Ah, why indeed?” exclaimed the captain, looking at b.u.t.ton-Bright admiringly. ”If you don't ask questions you will learn nothing. True enough. I was wrong. You're a very clever little boy, come to think of it--very clever indeed. But now, friends, please come with me, for it is my duty to escort you at once to the royal palace.”
The soldiers marched back through the arch again, and with them marched the s.h.a.ggy man, Dorothy, Toto, and b.u.t.ton-Bright. Once through the opening they found a fine, big city spread out before them, all the houses of carved marble in beautiful colors. The decorations were mostly birds and other fowl, such as peac.o.c.ks, pheasants, turkeys, prairie-chickens, ducks, and geese. Over each doorway was carved a head representing the fox who lived in that house, this effect being quite pretty and unusual.
As our friends marched along, some of the foxes came out on the porches and balconies to get a view of the strangers. These foxes were all handsomely dressed, the girl-foxes and women-foxes wearing gowns of feathers woven together effectively and colored in bright hues which Dorothy thought were quite artistic and decidedly attractive.
b.u.t.ton-Bright stared until his eyes were big and round, and he would have stumbled and fallen more than once had not the s.h.a.ggy man grasped his hand tightly. They were all interested, and Toto was so excited he wanted to bark every minute and to chase and fight every fox he caught sight of; but Dorothy held his little wiggling body fast in her arms and commanded him to be good and behave himself. So he finally quieted down, like a wise doggy, deciding there were too many foxes in Foxville to fight at one time.
By-and-by they came to a big square, and in the center of the square stood the royal palace. Dorothy knew it at once because it had over its great door the carved head of a fox just like the one she had seen on the arch, and this fox was the only one who wore a golden crown.
There were many fox-soldiers guarding the door, but they bowed to the captain and admitted him without question. The captain led them through many rooms, where richly dressed foxes were sitting on beautiful chairs or sipping tea, which was being pa.s.sed around by fox-servants in white ap.r.o.ns. They came to a big doorway covered with heavy curtains of cloth of gold.