Part 11 (1/2)
”How came I here?” said she, ”with these strange looking birds about me.
That is certainly a very odd looking bird, and very tame;” and she went up to the Phoenix to stroke it.
”Make your manners! make your manners! Stand on one foot! Put your head out! so!” screamed all the Tufters at once, as they stretched out their necks toward her and the Phoenix. But Isal could not tell that they said anything. ”How these geese do cackle,” said she, as she stroked the Phoenix, who did not dislike it, though he thought her rather forward, and bade Rosedrop bring her some berries. Rosedrop brought them to Isal, who thought she was the prettiest of all, and not at all like a goose.
”What shall we do with her now we have her here?” asked the rash Tufter; but he was sorry he asked, for the Phoenix gave him a terrible peck.
”I know my own affairs,” said the old bird angrily, but really he knew very little about this affair and was sadly perplexed and quite at his wit's end. He said nothing of that though, but looked more than usually wise, and finally, when all were on tip-toe, or rather tip-claw, to hear what the wise bird would say, he spoke, and told the oldest to go to the palace of the King and bring back word of what was going on there.
”Ah!” said the second in age, ”the Phoenix is a wonderful bird! what deep plans he has!”
Meanwhile Isal stayed by the Phoenix and the three Tufters, who kept very good watch over her. She looked about in vain for her father's house or for the great blue river; she could not understand how she came to be where she was and in such strange company; for, though the birds all told her everything about it a great many times over, she could not understand them, for she had never learned the Phoenician and the Tufter tongues. After roaming about all day and eating berries, shouting for her father and sometimes crying, she lay down upon the Old Brown Coat. The coat she knew; somehow or other she was pretty sure that it must have had something to do with her strange journey. She had heard her father tell about the wonderful cus.h.i.+on that Houssain rode upon; perhaps she had flown here upon the coat; she would lie down upon it and wish herself home again, and ”who knows,” said she, ”but I shall wake up on my cot in the morning?”
After Isal had dropped asleep the Tufter who had been sent to the palace returned quite out of breath; he had such good news to tell; he hurried through his manners before the punctilious Phoenix, and then proceeded to relate how he had called on his friend, the Peac.o.c.k, who lived in the palace garden. ”I had a very good time, indeed,” said he; ”we had green peas to eat, and the Peac.o.c.k showed me all his new feathers. I asked him about the theft of the coat and what the prince was going to do; but he did not know much about it; he said that for his part he thought people made a very ridiculous fuss about a seedy old coat. But just then we were joined by the Rabbit. The Peac.o.c.k rather despised him; he whispered to me--so loud that I am sure the Rabbit must have heard--'Did you ever see such an absurd tail?' But I am sure the Rabbit is very beautiful and much more intelligent. The Peac.o.c.k has such a disagreeable voice, and he is always trying to sing. I asked the Rabbit if he knew anything about the coat. He said he did; his friend the Mouse had told him the latest news that very morning; and the Mouse was very good authority, for he lived generally in the library and had gone through a great many books; he was very learned; he had overheard the Prince talking with the prime-minister, and he gathered that the Prince had sent out a proclamation, promising to give a very large sum to any one who would bring back the Old Brown Coat, and if it chanced to be a maiden he would marry her and make her queen; though of course that was quite absurd, the Rabbit said; but then the Rabbit jumps at conclusions. The Peac.o.c.k tried to turn the conversation once or twice; he thought it was insufferably dull and finally went off in a dudgeon, and I saw him as I flew away, looking very grand, strutting along the garden walk. I bade the Rabbit good-by and left my regards for the Mouse though I am afraid it was rather improper--the Mouse is so learned. And here I am.”
When the Tufter finished they all talked very eagerly about what was best to be done, while the Phoenix sat apart and deliberated by himself; of course the four children could know nothing about it.
Finally he called them to him and said--”Children, you may get yourselves ready to go with me to the Palace.” This was, indeed, great news; the Phoenix had not, visited the palace for a hundred years.
This was indeed a great event!
”May I go too?” asked Rosedrop.
”Yes,” said the Phoenix, ”you shall all go. You are to carry Isal with you on the coat. We shall go slowly. I am too old to travel very fast.”
For a week they travelled. Every morning when Isal awoke she was surprised to find herself in a new place; always with the Old Brown Coat and the strange birds; they only travelled in the night time when Isal was asleep; in the day time they rested on account of the Phoenix. At last one morning, an hour before sunrise, they came to the Palace and alighted in the garden just below the Prince's window. They laid Isal on the Old Brown Coat upon the gra.s.s, and then the Phoenix bade the Tufters fly away a few miles into the woods and wait his coming.
Rosedrop, however, he bade stay a while, when she tapped with her beak upon the window of the Prince's chamber, and then flew away to join her brothers.
The Prince heard the tapping upon the window, and said--”It is the messenger-bird,” and rose to see if it had brought him a billet. He opened the window but no bird flew in, and he leaned upon the sill and looked up to the beautiful sky; the morning-star was just disappearing; he watched it till it was gone, and then cast his eyes on the green gra.s.s below. What should he see there but a lovely girl lying asleep on the gra.s.s, and a very magnificent bird standing beside her. He hastened down and stooped over the beautiful maiden. ”How lovely!” said he; ”she is more beautiful than the daughters of Calla. She is the morning-star which I just saw disappear in the heavens.” He bent his face to hers and kissed her. With the kiss Isal awoke, and when she saw leaning over her so grand a looking person, she was more wonderstruck than ever before.
”Surely he kissed me!” she murmured. Here the Phoenix broke in with a remark.
”O Prince,” said he, ”I am the Phoenix. For nearly five hundred years I have lived and guarded the Old Brown Coat. It was stolen, and I have brought it back to you with the maiden you are to marry. But you have taken no sort of notice of the coat. My great-great-great grandfather made that coat. It is more valuable than a hundred lovely girls.”
When the Prince heard the Phoenix speak, he turned and saw the grand bird which he had overlooked. But he could not understand a word he said, though the Phoenix spoke very loud and as he thought very distinctly. ”This is a very strange bird, indeed!” said the Prince. ”Did the bird fly with you from the heavens, Morning-Star!”
Isal said, half to herself, ”It is very strange. I cannot understand it at all. How did I come here! It is like a dream. And where are the other birds with tufts on their heads?” She got up as she said this; the Prince lifting her by the hand. Then the Prince saw the Old Brown Coat.
”Ah! you have brought me my precious coat again!” said he, and he took it up joyfully. At this the Phoenix grew very much excited.
”He will tear it!” said he. ”Where are the Sixteen Coat-Tails? This is alarming!”
But the Prince, without heeding him, took Isal by the hand and led her into the Palace, carrying, too, the Old Brown Coat. Then he made Isal tell him all that she knew about it. The royal household gathered about, mad with joy that the Old Brown Coat had been found again. The Sixteen Coat-Tails came in very solemnly and took possession of it. Each of the Sixteen in turn looked over it carefully, but could not find the least rent or tear. ”How wonderful!” said they, ”but we are very glad to get it again; we are so distinguished now.” The bells of the city were rung and crowds of people came to rejoice over the recovery of the coat.
Meanwhile the Phoenix walked about the garden.
”This is as it should be,” said he, ”as far as the Old Brown Coat is concerned, but I don't receive the honour due to me. I am the Phoenix; the only one of course in the world. I am five hundred years old, nearly. When I was here a hundred years ago I was made very much of. But the world is growing very degenerate.” The gardener of the palace came by just then.
”What have we here?” said he. ”Can it be that this is the Phoenix? I have heard my father describe the one that was here a century ago, and it certainly was very much like this fine bird.” He went into the Palace and desired an audience with the Prince. ”Does your majesty know,” said he, ”that the Phoenix is here?”
At this all the people set up a shout. ”The Phoenix! It is the royal bird of Percan! Long live the Phoenix!”