The mountain on which they had alighted was not abarren waste, but had on its sides patches of greengrass, some bushes, a few slender trees and here andthere masses of tumbled rocks. The sides of the slopeseemed rather steep, but with care one could climb up ordown them with ease and safety. The view from where theynow stood showed pleasant valleys and fertile hills lyingbelow the heights. Trot thought she saw some houses ofqueer shapes scattered about the lower landscape, andthere were moving dots that might be people or animals,yet were too far away for her to see them clearly.

Not far from the place where they stood was the top ofthe mountain, which seemed to be flat, so the Orkproposed to his companions that he would fly up and seewhat was there.

"That's a good idea," said Trot, "'cause it's gettingtoward evening and we'll have to find a place to sleep."

The Ork had not been gone more than a few minutes whenthey saw him appear on the edge of the top which wasnearest them.

"Come on up!" he called.

So Trot and Cap'n Bill began to ascend the steepslope and it did not take them long to reach the placewhere the Ork awaited them.

Their first view of the mountain top pleased them verymuch. It was a level space of wider extent than they hadguessed and upon it grew grass of a brilliant greencolor. In the very center stood a house built of stoneand very neatly constructed. No one was in sight, butsmoke was coming from the chimney, so with one accord allthree began walking toward the house.

"I wonder," said Trot, "in what country we are, and ifit's very far from my home in California." "Can't say asto that, partner," answered Cap'n Bill, "but I'm mightycertain we've come a long way since we struck thatwhirlpool."

"Yes," she agreed, with a sigh, "it must be miles andmiles!"

"Distance means nothing," said the Ork. "I have flownpretty much all over the world, trying to find my home,and it is astonishing how many little countries thereare, hidden away in the cracks and corners of this bigglobe of Earth. If one travels, he may find some newcountry at every turn, and a good many of them have neveryet been put upon the maps."

"P'raps this is one of them," suggested Trot.

They reached the house after a brisk walk and Cap'nBill knocked upon the door. It was at once opened by arugged looking man who had "bumps all over him," as Trotafterward declared. There were bumps on his head, bumpson his body and bumps on his arms and legs and hands.Even his fingers had bumps on the ends of them. For dresshe wore an old gray suit of fantastic design, whichfitted him very badly because of the bumps it covered butcould not conceal.

But the Bumpy Man's eyes were kind and twinklingin expression and as soon as he saw his visitors hebowed low and said in a rather bumpy voice:

"Happy day! Come in and shut the door, for it growscool when the sun goes down. Winter is now upon us."

"Why, it isn't cold a bit, outside," said Trot, "so itcan't be winter yet."

"You will change your mind about that in a littlewhile," declared the Bumpy Man. "My bumps always tell methe state of the weather, and they feel just now as if asnowstorm was coming this way. But make yourselves athome, strangers. Supper is nearly ready and there is foodenough for all."

Inside the house there was but one large room, simplybut comfortably furnished. It had benches, a table and afireplace, all made of stone. On the hearth a pot wasbubbling and steaming, and Trot thought it had a rathernice smell. The visitors seated themselves upon thebenches -- except the Ork. which squatted by the fireplace-- and the Bumpy Man began stirring the kettle briskly.

"May I ask what country this is, sir?" inquired Cap'nBill.

"Goodness me -- fruit-cake and apple-sauce! --don't youknow where you are?" asked the Bumpy Man, as he stoppedstirring and looked at the speaker in surprise.

"No," admitted Cap'n Bill. "We've just arrived."

"Lost your way?" questioned the Bumpy Man.

"Not exactly," said Cap'n Bill. "We didn't have any wayto lose."

"Ah!" said the Bumpy Man, nodding his bumpy head."This," he announced, in a solemn, impressive voice, "isthe famous Land of Mo."

"Oh!" exclaimed the sailor and the girl, both in onebreath. But, never having heard of the Land of Mo, theywere no wiser than before.

"I thought that would startle you," remarked the BumpyMan, well pleased, as he resumed his stirring. The Orkwatched him a while in silence and then asked:

"Who may you be?"

"Me?" answered the Bumpy Man. "Haven't you heard of me?Gingerbread and lemon-juice! I'm known, far and wide, asthe Mountain Ear."

They all received this information in silence at first,for they were trying to think what he could mean. FinallyTrot mustered up courage to ask:

"What is a Mountain Ear, please?"

For answer the man turned around and faced them, wavingthe spoon with which he had been stirring the kettle, ashe recited the following verses in a singsong tone ofvoice:

"Here's a mountain, hard of hearing,

That's sad-hearted and needs cheering,So my duty is to listen to all sounds that Nature makes,

So the hill won't get uneasy --

Get to coughing, or get sneezy --For this monster bump, when frightened, is quite liable toquakes.

"You can hear a bell that's ringing;

I can feel some people's singing;But a mountain isn't sensible of what goes on, and so

When I hear a blizzard blowing

Or it's raining hard, or snowing,I tell it to the mountain and the mountain seems to know.

"Thus I benefit all people

While I'm living on this steeple,For I keep the mountain steady so my neighbors all may thrive.

With my list'ning and my shouting

I prevent this mount from spouting,And that makes me so important that I'm glad that I'm alive."

When he had finished these lines of verse the Bumpy Manturned again to resume his stirring. The Ork laughedsoftly and Cap'n Bill whistled to himself and Trot madeup her mind that the Mountain Ear must be a little crazy.But the Bumpy Man seemed satisfied that he had explainedhis position fully and presently he placed four stoneplates upon the table and then lifted the kettle from thefire and poured some of its contents on each of theplates. Cap'n Bill and Trot at once approached the table,for they were hungry, but when she examined her plate thelittle girl exclaimed:

"Why, it's molasses candy!"

"To be sure," returned the Bumpy Man, with a pleasantsmile. "Eat it quick, while it's hot, for it cools veryquickly this winter weather."

With this he seized a stone spoon and began putting thehot molasses candy into his mouth, while the otherswatched him in astonishment.

"Doesn't it burn you?" asked the girl.

"No indeed," said he. "Why don't you eat? Aren't youhungry?"

"Yes," she replied, "I am hungry. But we usually eatour candy when it is cold and hard. We always pullmolasses candy before we eat it."

"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed the Mountain Ear. "What a funnyidea! Where in the world did you come from?"

"California," she said.

"California! Pooh! there isn't any such place. I'veheard of every place in the Land of Mo, but I neverbefore heard of California."

"It isn't in the Land of Mo," she explained.

"Then it isn't worth talking about," declared theBumpy Man, helping himself again from the steamingkettle, for he had been eating all the time he talked.

"For my part," sighed Cap'n Bill, "I'd like a decentsquare meal, once more, just by way of variety. In thelast place there was nothing but fruit to eat, and hereit's worse, for there's nothing but candy."

"Molasses candy isn't so bad," said Trot. "Mine'snearly cool enough to pull, already. Wait a bit, Cap'n,and you can eat it."

A little later she was able to gather the candy fromthe stone plate and begin to work it back and forth withher hands. The Mountain Ear was greatly amazed at thisand watched her closely. It was really good candy andpulled beautifully, so that Trot was soon ready to cut itinto chunks for eating.

Cap'n Bill condescended to eat one or two pieces andthe Ork ate several, but the Bumpy Man refused to try it.Trot finished the plate of candy herself and then askedfor a drink of water.

"Water?" said the Mountain Ear wonderingly. "What isthat?"

"Something to drink. Don't you have water in Mo?"

"None that ever I heard of," said he. "But I can giveyou some fresh lemonade. I caught it in a jar the lasttime it rained, which was only day before yesterday."

"Oh, does it rain lemonade here?" she inquired.

"Always; and it is very refreshing and healthful."

With this he brought from a cupboard a stone jar and adipper, and the girl found it very nice lemonade, indeed.Cap'n Bill liked it, too; but the Ork would not touch it.

"If there is no water in this country, I cannot stayhere for long," the creature declared. "Water meanslife to man and beast and bird."

"There must be water in lemonade," said Trot.

"Yes," answered the Ork, "I suppose so; but there areother things in it, too, and they spoil the good water."

The day's adventures had made our wanderers tired, sothe Bumpy Man brought them some blankets in which theyrolled themselves and then lay down before the fire,which their host kept alive with fuel all through thenight. Trot wakened several times and found the MountainEar always alert and listening intently for the slightestsound. But the little girl could hear no sound at allexcept the snores of Cap'n Bill.