Is that a large carrot split lengthwise? It looks like it, but no carrot
split along its length ever brought to light such rainbows as glint
along these. Those shells looking so much like rattles would amuse a lot
of babies if they could play in the mermaid's cave. They would try to
catch the fine colors, and might cry when they changed and changed, and
then appeared to dance away.

Those serpents, some half uncoiled, some out straight, will not bite.
Those flashes are not from dangerous eyes, but are only fine shell
tints.

Here are a lot of squat jars for holding small ornaments. They are
ornaments themselves. Are they not? And what queer combs with three
shining rows of teeth, each tooth a point of color.

Really, I might as well stop. There would be no use in trying to
describe a third of these shapes, and as to coloring, with all I have
said, you can have but a faint idea of the soft, brilliant, ever
changing hues and gleams in the mermaid's cave.




CHAPTER V.


MY GARDENS

Long as I have talked of shells, I must say a word or two more about
shells that are used as stones.