Page:The land of enchantment (1907, Cassell).djvu/21

 Thus beguiling the way, the two friends entered the land of Common-Sense and in due time reached the capital. It was perched on the spur of some high hills, and the zigzag path which led to it had been hewn out of the solid rock. This path was overlooked by the king's castle, which stood on the very verge of a precipice, and could only be reached by a narrow bridge.

His Majesty, however, had to content himself with some very modest private apartments in the town, for his castle was haunted. None knew what evil deeds had been done there, but, at the witching hour of night, awful and blood-curdling were the groans and shrieks which rent the air. Crimson cats burning with internal fires, with flaming eyes and rolling tongues, appeared at times upon the battlements. Sometimes a black omnibus, full of skeletons, drawn by griffins, and driven by a in yellow tights, with a cocked hat and a lavender tie, was seen to enter beneath the gloomy portcullis.

Now the king had been for a long time engaged to a beautiful and amiable princess, but they were too poor to marry. The cellars of the castle were known to be full of common-sense, but it could not be got at, and the king had promised a third of his realm to whosoever should disenchant the building and deliver the treasure into his hands. How many had made the attempt and failed the chasm in front gave ghastly proof, for it was full of the bodies of victims.

And yet there existed a charm for disenchanting the castle written in rhyme and handed down from father to son; but unfortunately there was lacking the common-sense to interpret it.

Now the maker of shadows and the maker of ghosts had plenty of common-sense, and having a copy of the charm they carefully considered it. It ran thus: