The head and face of Quox were not especially
ugly, when you consider that he was a dragon; but
his eyes were so large that it took him a long
time to wink and his teeth seemed very sharp and
terrible when they showed, which they did whenever
the beast smiled. Also his nostrils were quite
large and wide, and those who stood near him were
liable to smell brimstone--especially when he
breathed out fire, as it is the nature of dragons
to do. To the end of his long tail was attached a
big electric light.
Perhaps the most singular thing about the
dragon's appearance at this time was the fact that
he had a row of seats attached to his back, one
seat for each member of the party. These seats
were double, with curved backs, so that two
could sit in them, and there were twelve of these
double seats, all strapped firmly around the
dragon's thick body and placed one behind the
other, in a row that extended from his shoulders
nearly to his tail.
"Aha!" exclaimed Tubekins; "I see that Tititi-
Hoochoo has transformed Quox into a carryall."
"I'm glad of that," said Betsy. "I hope, Mr.
Dragon, you won't mind our riding on your back."
"Not a bit," replied Quox. "I'm in disgrace just
now, you know, and the only way to redeem my good
name is to obey the orders of the Jinjin. If he
makes me a beast of burden, it is only a part of
my punishment, and I must bear it like a dragon. I
don't blame you people at all, and I hope you'll
enjoy the ride. Hop on, please.
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