“Onward, and onward, fly fast o’er the foaming wave,Onward, still onward, with never a fear;Meet the foe boldly, heed not though the wild winds rave;Over the Sea-fire points on the bright spear.“Onward, still onward! Torquillon in all his mightWhirling comes, swirling, hot rage in his heart!Vainly they fight, who ’gainst Right and the Stars fight,—Cold shall he be ere his rage will depart.“Onward, then, onward—press forward to meet him;Torquillon comes raging!—and coldly we’ll greet him!
“Onward, and onward, fly fast o’er the foaming wave,Onward, still onward, with never a fear;Meet the foe boldly, heed not though the wild winds rave;Over the Sea-fire points on the bright spear.“Onward, still onward! Torquillon in all his mightWhirling comes, swirling, hot rage in his heart!Vainly they fight, who ’gainst Right and the Stars fight,—Cold shall he be ere his rage will depart.“Onward, then, onward—press forward to meet him;Torquillon comes raging!—and coldly we’ll greet him!
“Onward, and onward, fly fast o’er the foaming wave,Onward, still onward, with never a fear;Meet the foe boldly, heed not though the wild winds rave;Over the Sea-fire points on the bright spear.
“Onward, and onward, fly fast o’er the foaming wave,
Onward, still onward, with never a fear;
Meet the foe boldly, heed not though the wild winds rave;
Over the Sea-fire points on the bright spear.
“Onward, still onward! Torquillon in all his mightWhirling comes, swirling, hot rage in his heart!Vainly they fight, who ’gainst Right and the Stars fight,—Cold shall he be ere his rage will depart.
“Onward, still onward! Torquillon in all his might
Whirling comes, swirling, hot rage in his heart!
Vainly they fight, who ’gainst Right and the Stars fight,—
Cold shall he be ere his rage will depart.
“Onward, then, onward—press forward to meet him;Torquillon comes raging!—and coldly we’ll greet him!
“Onward, then, onward—press forward to meet him;
Torquillon comes raging!—and coldly we’ll greet him!
“The straining ropes of the rigging hummed and sang with them as if the ships were mighty harps; and they held their way steadily down the channel in spite of the frantic winds, to meet Torquillon; and what they were to do with him, they hadn’t an idea, but they were sure Castor and Pollux would show them when the time came.
“That was a tremendous spill Torquillon had, just as he thought he had the two ships that had defied him, where he could crush them the next minute. So he was furiously angry when he gathered himself together at thefoot of the rock; but at least he had taught them he was not to be trifled with! He took himself off, far down the channel; and there he sulked and made himself perfectly miserable because he couldn’t decide whether he would rather have the ships come back, so that he could crush them, or have them so frightened they never would try it again, nor let any one else.
“He had fallen into a sulky sleep when the watching winds cried, ‘WhiiiissssssshhhhhhooooouuuueeeEEE—!’ and he wakened and raised his head as the winds from beyond him rushed by to meet the two ships.
“He gave a scream of mingled rage and joy that called the winds to him, and, springing up, caught the floating banner that hung, always ready, over his head, and came whirling down the channel, black and furious and terrible to see! And the two ships came on steadily, never swerving.
“The Sea-fire ran up and down, in and out of the folds of his trailing robes in streaks of pale light, and curled on the edges of the waves that foamed about his feet. So they came nearer and nearer—and then they were so close he towered above them, higher than the tops of the masts—and the next instant it would have been too late—when Castor darted like a dragonfly to the fore-royal yard ofthe Reindeer, and pointed to the left with his spear, and at the same moment Pollux mounted to the fore-royal yard of the Jane Ellen, and pointed to the right with his spear, and the two ships turned to the right and the left, and Torquillon went straight on to pass between them before he could stop or turn himself.
“And as they swept by, the Twins raised their arms; and each held in his hand a curious-shaped flask, filled with a liquid, clear as crystal.
“They flung it out, over Torquillon! and as it came from the mouth of the flask, it spread and pushed and billowed, on and on, pulsing and crowding in clouds of vapor; and the air grew cold—cold—so chill it seemed no living thing could stand against it.
“The winds cried: ‘Ughhhhhoooouuuuughhhhhh-h—’ and fled back to their caves. But they carried some of the cold with them, and the monkeys and cockatoos shivered and sneezed in the trees as the frost-needles pricked them. And some of them had bad colds the next morning.
“And as the ships swept by, almost within reach, and the vapor poured over him, Torquillon shrieked with rage and loosed his hands from his banner, to catch them. It floated off; and Taffy, looking back from the Jane Ellen,and every one on the two ships saw their enemy stand, his hands still lifted above his head, and the drapery of his robes hanging stiff about him—shining and glittering in the calm moonlight like diamonds and emeralds and sapphires—no longer a terrible Waterspout, but a glorious Iceberg, frozen to his hot, angry heart!
“And all the air was full of finest diamond frost-needles—drifting—floating—slowly settling about him and over the two ships—until every spar and rope was coated with hoar-frost, and the sails and decks shone like silver; but the Star Twins were gone.
“Then all the clouds drifted away, and the dark blue sky of the tropic night arched over Torquillon’s Lair, with the throbbing stars looking down; and the most beautiful thing they saw was that wonderful Iceberg—all his rage gone—calm and shining in the tranquil sea.”
The Princess’s voice ceased. There was no sound, only a long-drawn breath through the room, as if great music had just come softly to a close.
She began again in a different voice—talking: “But the Captain knew it never would do to leave him there; for he would melt in the hot sun and be as bad as ever; though he was frozen harder than any ice he ever hadseen. So they didn’t wait even for morning, but fastened ropes around him and set off to tow him North. They didn’t mind if it took a month—it was such a good thing to do. They carried him far up toward the North Pole, and left him frozen fast in the ice. And he will never get away!
“Now ships pass freely through the wide channel that was Torquillon’s Lair; and since he has gone the clouds have left too, and the Rock Man has forgotten to frown, and if the Lion roars, it is a roar of welcome. The little winds caper and frisk around the ships until the channel seems the pleasantest spot in the ocean, and they are sorry to leave it.”
The Kitten had her foot already off the edge of the couch, but she stopped, because the Princess leaned forward, with her finger up, to say one more word, and mischief began to dance in her eyes. “And,”—said the Princess, “if any one asks Taffy if he ever saw a Waterspout, his eyes shine and his white teeth, and he says, ‘Sure!’”
Then she opened her arms and the Kitten ran into them.
“I’ll ask him,” she said. “Will he tell me? Will he come soon?” She asked it so quickly, it was all one question, and her arm around the Princess’s neck pulled herhead forward where the glow from the burned-down fire was on her face. It grew suddenly like a rose.
“I shouldn’t be one bit surprised if he did,” she answered.
“But, Dearie-Dearest,” said Phyllisy, perched on the arm of the chair and playing with the Princess’s fingers, “I wish you’d just explain this: You said it was so long ago—Taffy and all—nobody can remember when. I thought it was—not exactly ‘Ancient,’ you know, but ‘Once upon a time’?”
“That is perfectly true,” said the Princess, soberly. “But you know—”
“Yes?” prompted Miss Phyllisy.
“You know, Taffy had a young heart? It seems to me, he must have been always.”
That kept everybody silent for a moment, thinking about it. Then Pat’s voice came from among the pillows in the dusky corner of the couch: “Well—I hope to goodness he’ll like us!”
“I don’t see how he could help it,” said the Princess.