All aboard for the
other side of the world!"
Silently they took their places. Hank sat in the
front seat with Betsy, so that he could rest his
front hoofs upon the dragon's head. Behind them
were Shaggy and Polychrome, then Files and the
Princess, and Queen Ann and Tik-Tok. The officers
rode in the rear seats. When all had mounted to
their places the dragon looked very like one of
those sightseeing wagons so common in big cities--
only he had legs instead of wheels.
"All ready?" asked Quox, and when they said they
were he crawled to the mouth of the Tube and put
his head in.
"Good-bye, and good luck to you!" called
Tubekins; but no one thought to reply, because
just then the dragon slid his great body into the
Tube and the journey to the other side of the
world had begun.
At first they went so fast that they could
scarcely catch their breaths, but presently Quox
slowed up and said with a sort of cackling laugh:
"My scales! but that is some tumble. I think I
shall take it easy and fall slower, or I'm likely to
get dizzy. Is it very far to the other side of the
world?"
"Haven't you ever been through this Tube
before?" inquired Shaggy.
"Never. Nor has anyone else in our country;
at least, not since I was born."
"How long ago was that?" asked Betsy.
"That I was born? Oh, not very long ago.
I'm only a mere child. If I had not been sent on
this journey, I would have celebrated my three
thousand and fifty-sixth birthday next Thursday.
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