The Dragons of Blueland (4 page)

"It's Boris!" cried his mother. "Oh, Boris, Boris! We thought we'd never see you again. Come on into the cave. We're in terrible danger."

"I know," said Boris the dragon. "But I can't squeeze through the tunnel. Oh, I do wish I could.

But listen, whatever you do, don't go near the main entrance to the cave. Many men are waiting there with an enormous net. I don't know yet what they plan to do with it, but I'll try to find out tonight if nothing happens before then. I think they're afraid to come in and get you. They don't know how harmless we really are. Anyway, keep calm and count on me. I have a friend

who may be able to help, and if you don't hear from me soon, it'll be because I've gone off to get him. Now I'll have to back out again. I must stay near the tunnel entrance so I can get out easily when I have a chance. Goodbye!"

And Boris backed out for what seemed like hours and hours until he came out among the roots of the snapdragon bushes. He peered through the leaves across the lake and counted sixteen men standing in a row outside the cave. A breeze sprang up across the lake and carried their voices over the water to him.

"They'll come out when they get hungry enough," said one man.

"But how do you know they won't be fiercer when they're hungry and have been trapped for some time? Me, I'd rather go in after them right now."

"Go in after them?" said a third man. "Why, we don't even know anything about that cave. Suppose it does have more entrances? The dragons may have escaped already. And what about pitfalls and rockslides in there? We ought to know more about this. No, the thing to do is to leave ten men here on guard, and send the other six to search for other entrances and to have a look at the rock formation around here."

"Good idea!" said the man who had come down the mountain to the campfire.

The wind changed and the dragon could only hear confused sounds of talking, but the men seemed to be deciding who would stay and who would go.

"They'll find me for sure if I stay here, and I don't want to trap myself too," thought the dragon. "Daylight or no, I'd better fly and get Elmer. He'll know what to do, if we can get back in time."

Quickly he fitted the snapdragon roots over the tunnel hole, arranging them carefully so they wouldn't look newly dug-up. Then, keeping close to the ground, he crept through the green meadows and up, up, up to the gap between the mountain peaks. He took one last look at the beautiful blue lake surrounded by the green, green meadows, felt quite sure he hadn't been seen, and then plunged down the rocky slope on the other side. Up in the air he flew, shielded from the eyes of the men by the circle of mountains.

Chapter Five

BACK TO NEVERGREEN CITY

High, high over the desert flew the dragon, the hot wind stifling him, the hot sun parching his throat. He strained his eyes to see each object on the sands to make sure it wasn't a man.

At last he was over Spiky Mountain Range. Panting for air and water, he circled down fast and plunged through the trees to a mountain brook. He had seen no one on the desert.

"I'll rest here until dusk," he thought, sticking his head right under the cool, gurgling water. Then he lay down in the brook on his stomach, carefully keeping his gold-colored wings out of the water. As he dried off on a sunny rock he listened for noises ofmen and dreamed of how he and Elmer would rescue his family. Once he heard children's voices, but a woman called them together and they went off in the other direction.

"School picnic," he thought as he shook out his wings for the long, hard trip ahead. He wanted to reach Nevergreen City by morning without stopping.

Up through the trees and over Seaweed City flew the dragon. He saw lights popping on suddenly along streets, in houses, but he didn't hear a little boy scream, "Mommy, come look at the dragon in the sky!"

It didn't matter. The little boy's mother only said, "Chester, I told you to stay in bed!" So Chester was the only one to see the dragon, and nobody believed him until later when the "dragon affair" had become famous.

"As I remember, Elmer said he lived right across the street from a park," thought the dragon as he hurried on. "Yes, it was Evergreen Park, but what if I can't find him?"

The wind beat back his tears as he raced over Seaweed Bay, over Mr. Wagonwheel's farm and the zigzagging brook. He thought he could see the road as the moon slipped in and out among the clouds.

He flew to the coast of Popsicornia and followed it southward. Suddenly he felt flooded in light. What had happened? The moon? No. He looked down and saw a beam of light leaping up from a ship off the coast. He violently zigzagged up and down, to one side and then to the other, trying to get rid of the light.

Men were shouting on the ship. Into the beam, out again, flooded in light, out of the beam again he flew. He knew that the ship's searchlight had found him accidentally, but as it tried to follow his flight he thought wildly, "How well can they see me? What do they think I am?"

And then, as suddenly as the light had found him, it lost him. He sped on in the comforting darkness, his heart pounding hard with fright.

As dawn began to break into the sky he saw Never- green City harbor, the lighthouse, and in the center of the city, a large green shape.

"Evergreen Park," he thought with relief, and he quietly glided down among the trees. No one had been on the streets to see him.

Chapter Six

ELMER TO THE RESCUE

Dawn brought Saturday to Nevergreen City and as Elmer slept snugly in his comfortable bed he was suddenly awakened by a damp cold kiss on his cheek. "Wake up, wake up!" insisted a voice. He opened his eyes and muttered, "It's Saturday. No school today."

"Elmer, wake up!" said the old alley cat, the same old alley cat that had told him all about the dragonand how to rescue him. "Elmer, we've got work to do. I just saw the dragon fly into the park. He must be in trouble. Well have to hurry to find him a hiding place before the city wakes up."

"The dragon! Why, he only just brought me home!" Elmer jumped out of bed and into his clothes, and tiptoed down the stairs with the cat following behind.

Silently they crept out the front door, down the porch steps and into Evergreen Park."You look this way. I'll go down the other way," said the cat.

"Where could a dragon hide?" wondered Elmer, looking at the rows of trees along the walks, the scattered rocks, the pool, and then at the place where

the city was going to build an amusement center. A big steam shovel sat idly on the spot marked out for foundations. Elmer liked steam shovels and was just thinking of exploring this one when the shovel jiggled a bit.