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Rinkitink In Oz
By
L. Frank Baum
(AKA Edith Van Dyne)
Wherein is record=
ed
the Perilous Quest of
Prince Inga of
Pingaree and King
Rinkitink in the Magical
=
Isles that lie beyond
=
the Borderland
=
of Oz
=
By L. Frank Baum
"Royal Historian of Oz"
Introducing
this Story
Here is a story w=
ith
a boy hero, and a boy of whom you have never before heard. There are girls =
in
the story, too, including our old friend Dorothy, and some of the characters
wander a good way from the Land of Oz before they all assemble in the Emera=
ld
City to take part in Ozma's banquet. Indeed, I think you will find this sto=
ry quite different from the other his=
tories
of Oz, but I hope you will not like it the less on that account.
If I am permitted=
to
write another Oz book it will tell of some thrilling adventures encountered=
by
Dorothy, Betsy Bobbin, Trot and the Patchwork Girl right in the Land of Oz,=
and
how they discovered some amazing creatures that never could have existed
outside a fairy-land. I have an idea that about the time you are reading th=
is
story of Rinkitink I shall be writing that story of Adventures in Oz.
Don't fail to wri=
te
me often and give me your advice and suggestions, which I always appreciate=
. I
get a good many letters from my readers, but every one is a joy to me and I
answer them as soon as I can find time to do so.
"OZCOT"=
at HOLLYWOOD in CALIFORNIA, 19=
16.
L. FRANK BAUM
Contents:
Chapter
One - The Prince of Pingaree:
Chapter
Two - The Coming of King Rinkitink.
Chapter
Three - The Warriors from the North.
Chapter
Four - The Deserted Island
Chapter
Five - The Three Pearls
Chapter
Seven - The Twin Islands
Chapter
Eight - Rinkitink Makes a Great Mistake.
Chapter
Nine - A Present for Zella
Chapter
Ten - The Cunning of Queen Cor
Chapter
Eleven - Zella Goes to Coregos
Chapter
Twelve - The Excitement of Bilbil the Goat.
Chapter
Thirteen - Zella Saves the Prince.
Chapter
Fifteen - The Flight of the Rulers.
Chapter
Sixteen - Nikobob Refuses a Crown.
Chapter
Seventeen - The Nome King
Chapter
Eighteen - Inga Parts with his Pink Pearl
Chapter
Nineteen - Rinkitink Chuckles
Chapter
Twenty - Dorothy to the Rescue
Chapter
Twenty-One - The Wizard Finds an Enchantment.
Chapter
Twenty Two - Ozma's Banquet
Chapter
Twenty Three - The Pearl Kingdom..
Chapter
Twenty-Four - The Captive King
If you have a map=
of
the Land of Oz handy, you will find that the great Nonestic Ocean washes the
shores of the Kingdom of Rinkitink, between which and the Land of Oz lies a
strip of the country of the Nome King and a Sandy Desert. The Kingdom of
Rinkitink isn't very big and lies close to the ocean, all the houses and the
King's palace being built near the shore. The people live much upon the wat=
er,
boating and fishing, and the wealth of Rinkitink is gained from trading alo=
ng
the coast and with the islands nearest it.
Four days' journe=
y by
boat to the north of Rinkitink is the Island of Pingaree, and as our story =
begins
here I must tell you something about this island. At the north end of Pinga=
ree,
where it is widest, the land is a mile from shore to shore, but at the south
end it is scarcely half a mile broad; thus, although Pingaree is four miles
long, from north to south, it cannot be called a very big island. It is
exceedingly pretty, however, and to the gulls who approach it from the sea =
it
must resemble a huge green wedge lying upon the waters, for its grass and t=
rees
give it the color of an emerald.
The grass came to=
the
edge of the sloping shores; the beautiful trees occupied all the central
portion of Pingaree, forming a continuous grove where the branches met high
overhead and there was just space beneath them for the cosy houses of the
inhabitants. These houses were scattered everywhere throughout the island, =
so
that there was no town or city, unless the whole island might be called a c=
ity.
The canopy of leaves, high overhead, formed a shelter from sun and rain, and
the dwellers in the grove could all look past the straight tree-trunks and =
across
the grassy slopes to the purple waters of the Nonestic Ocean.
At the big end of=
the
island, at the north, stood the royal palace of King Kitticut, the lord and
ruler of Pingaree. It was a beautiful palace, built entirely of snow-white
marble and capped by domes of burnished gold, for the King was exceedingly
wealthy. All along the coast of Pingaree were found the largest and finest
pearls in the whole world.
These pearls grew
within the shells of big oysters, and the people raked the oysters from the=
ir
watery beds, sought out the milky pearls and carried them dutifully to their
King. Therefore, once every year His Majesty was able to send six of his bo=
ats,
with sixty rowers and many sacks of the valuable pearls, to the Kingdom of
Rinkitink, where there was a city called Gilgad, in which King Rinkitink's
palace stood on a rocky headland and served, with its high towers, as a
lighthouse to guide sailors to the harbor. In Gilgad the pearls from Pingar=
ee
were purchased by the King's treasurer, and the boats went back to the isla=
nd
laden with stores of rich merchandise and such supplies of food as the peop=
le
and the royal family of Pingaree needed.
The Pingaree peop=
le
never visited any other land but that of Rinkitink, and so there were few o=
ther
lands that knew there was such an island. To the southwest was an island ca=
lled
the Isle of Phreex, where the inhabitants had no use for pearls. And far no=
rth
of Pingaree--six days' journey by boat, it was said--were twin islands named
Regos and Coregos, inhabited by a fierce and warlike people.
Many years before
this story really begins, ten big boatloads of those fierce warriors of Reg=
os
and Coregos visited Pingaree, landing suddenly upon the north end of the
island. There they began to plunder and conquer, as was their custom, but t=
he
people of Pingaree, although neither so big nor so strong as their foes, we=
re
able to defeat them and drive them all back to the sea, where a great storm
overtook the raiders from Regos and Coregos and destroyed them and their bo=
ats,
not a single warrior returning to his own country.
This defeat of the
enemy seemed the more wonderful because the pearl-fishers of Pingaree were =
mild
and peaceful in disposition and seldom quarreled even among themselves. The=
ir
only weapons were their oyster rakes; yet the fact remains that they drove
their fierce enemies from Regos and Coregos from their shores.
King Kitticut was
only a boy when this remarkable battle was fought, and now his hair was gra=
y;
but he remembered the day well and, during the years that followed, his one
constant fear was of another invasion of his enemies. He feared they might =
send
a more numerous army to his island, both for conquest and revenge, in which
case there could be little hope of successfully opposing them.
This anxiety on t=
he
part of King Kitticut led him to keep a sharp lookout for strange boats, on=
e of
his men patrolling the beach constantly, but he was too wise to allow any f=
ear
to make him or his subjects unhappy. He was a good King and lived very
contentedly in his fine palace, with his fair Queen Garee and their one chi=
ld,
Prince Inga.
The wealth of
Pingaree increased year by year; and the happiness of the people increased,
too. Perhaps there was no place, outside the Land of Oz, where contentment =
and
peace were more manifest than on this pretty island, hidden in the besom of=
the
Nonestic Ocean. Had these conditions remained undisturbed, there would have
been no need to speak of Pingaree in this story.
Prince Inga, the =
heir
to all the riches and the kingship of Pingaree, grew up surrounded by every
luxury; but he was a manly little fellow, although somewhat too grave and
thoughtful, and he could never bear to be idle a single minute. He knew whe=
re
the finest oysters lay hidden along the coast and was as successful in find=
ing
pearls as any of the men of the island, although he was so slight and small=
. He
had a little boat of his own and a rake for dragging up the oysters and he =
was
very proud indeed when he could carry a big white pearl to his father.
There was no scho=
ol
upon the island, as the people of Pingaree were far removed from the state =
of
civilization that gives our modern children such advantages as schools and
learned professors, but the King owned several manuscript books, the pages
being made of sheepskin. Being a man of intelligence, he was able to teach =
his
son something of reading, writing and arithmetic.
When studying his
lessons Prince Inga used to go into the grove near his father's palace and
climb into the branches of a tall tree, where he had built a platform with a
comfortable seat to rest upon, all hidden by the canopy of leaves. There, w=
ith
no one to disturb him, he would pore over the sheepskin on which were writt=
en
the queer characters of the Pingarese language.
King Kitticut was
very proud of his little son, as well he might be, and he soon felt a high
respect for Inga's judgment and thought that he was worthy to be taken into=
the
confidence of his father in many matters of state. He taught the boy the ne=
eds
of the people and how to rule them justly, for some day he knew that Inga w=
ould
be King in his place. One day he called his son to his side and said to him=
:
"Our island =
now
seems peaceful enough, Inga, and we are happy and prosperous, but I cannot
forget those terrible people of Regos and Coregos. My constant fear is that
they will send a fleet of boats to search for those of their race whom we
defeated many years ago, and whom the sea afterwards destroyed. If the warr=
iors
come in great numbers we may be unable to oppose them, for my people are li=
ttle
trained to fighting at best; they surely would cause us much injury and suf=
fering."
"Are we, the=
n,
less powerful than in my grandfather's day?" asked Prince Inga.
The King shook his
head thoughtfully.
"It is not
that," said he. "That you may fully understand that marvelous bat=
tle,
I must confide to, you a great secret. I have in my possession three Magic
Talismans, which I have ever guarded with utmost care, keeping the knowledg=
e of
their existence from anyone else. But, lest I should die, and the secret be
lost, I have decided to tell you what these talismans are and where they are
hidden. Come with me, my son."
He led the way
through the rooms of the palace until they came to the great banquet hall.
There, stopping in the center of the room, he stooped down and touched a hi=
dden
spring in the tiled floor. At once one of the tiles sank downward and the K=
ing
reached within the cavity and drew out a silken bag.
This bag he proce=
eded
to open, showing Inga that it contained three great pearls, each one as big
around as a marble. One had a blue tint and one was of a delicate rose colo=
r,
but the third was pure white.
"These three
pearls," said the King, speaking in a solemn, impressive voice, "=
are
the most wonderful the world has ever known. They were gifts to one of my
ancestors from the Mermaid Queen, a powerful fairy whom he once had the good
fortune to rescue from her enemies. In gratitude for this favor she present=
ed
him with these pearls. Each of the three possesses an astonishing power, and
whoever is their owner may count himself a fortunate man. This one having t=
he
blue tint will give to the person who carries it a strength so great that no
power can resist him. The one with the pink glow will protect its owner from
all dangers that may threaten him, no matter from what source they may come.
The third pearl--this one of pure white--can speak, and its words are always
wise and helpful."
"What is thi=
s,
my father!" exclaimed the Prince, amazed; "do you tell me that a
pearl can speak? It sounds impossible."
"Your doubt =
is
due to your ignorance of fairy powers," returned the King, gravely.
"Listen, my son, and you will know that I speak the truth."
He held the white
pearl to Inga's ear and the Prince heard a small voice say distinctly:
"Your father is right. Never question the truth of what you fail to
understand, for the world is filled with wonders."
"I crave your
pardon, dear father," said the Prince, "for clearly I heard the p=
earl
speak, and its words were full of wisdom."
"The powers =
of
the other pearls are even greater," resumed the King. "Were I poo=
r in
all else, these gems would make me richer than any other monarch the world
holds."
"I believe
that," replied Inga, looking at the beautiful pearls with much awe.
"But tell me, my father, why do you fear the warriors of Regos and Cor=
egos
when these marvelous powers are yours?"
"The powers =
are
mine only while I have the pearls upon my person," answered King Kitti=
cut,
"and I dare not carry them constantly for fear they might be lost.
Therefore, I keep them safely hidden in this recess. My only danger lies in=
the
chance that my watchmen might fail to discover the approach of our enemies =
and
allow the warrior invaders to seize me before I could secure the pearls. I
should, in that case, be quite powerless to resist. My father owned the mag=
ic
pearls at the time of the Great Fight, of which you have so often heard, and
the pink pearl protected him from harm, while the blue pearl enabled him and
his people to drive away the enemy. Often have I suspected that the destroy=
ing
storm was caused by the fairy mermaids, but that is a matter of which I hav=
e no
proof."
"I have often
wondered how we managed to win that battle," remarked Inga thoughtfull=
y.
"But the pearls will assist us in case the warriors come again, will t=
hey
not?"
"They are as
powerful as ever," declared the King. "Really, my son, I have lit=
tle
to fear from any foe. But lest I die and the secret be lost to the next Kin=
g, I
have now given it into your keeping. Remember that these pearls are the
rightful heritage of all Kings of Pingaree. If at any time I should be taken
from you, Inga, guard this treasure well and do not forget where it is
hidden."
"I shall not
forget," said Inga.
Then the King ret=
urned
the pearls to their hiding place and the boy went to his own room to ponder
upon the wonderful secret his father had that day confided to his care.
A few days after
this, on a bright and sunny morning when the breeze blew soft and sweet from
the ocean and the trees waved their leaf-laden branches, the Royal Watchman,
whose duty it was to patrol the shore, came running to the King with news t=
hat
a strange boat was approaching the island.
At first the King=
was
sore afraid and made a step toward the hidden pearls, but the next moment he
reflected that one boat, even if filled with enemies, would be powerless to
injure him, so he curbed his fear and went down to the beach to discover who
the strangers might be. Many of the men of Pingaree assembled there also, a=
nd
Prince Inga followed his father. Arriving at the water's edge, they all sto=
od
gazing eagerly at the oncoming boat.
It was quite a big
boat, they observed, and covered with a canopy of purple silk, embroidered =
with
gold. It was rowed by twenty men, ten on each side. As it came nearer, Inga
could see that in the stern, seated upon a high, cushioned chair of state, =
was
a little man who was so very fat that he was nearly as broad as he was high
This man was dressed in a loose silken robe of purple that fell in folds to=
his
feet, while upon his head was a cap of white velvet curiously worked with
golden threads and having a circle of diamonds sewn around the band. At the=
opposite
end of the boat stood an oddly shaped cage, and several large boxes of
sandalwood were piled near the center of the craft.
As the boat
approached the shore the fat little man got upon his feet and bowed several
times in the direction of those who had assembled to greet him, and as he b=
owed
he flourished his white cap in an energetic manner. His face was round as an
apple and nearly as rosy. When he stopped bowing he smiled in such a sweet =
and
happy way that Inga thought he must be a very jolly fellow.
The prow of the b=
oat
grounded on the beach, stopping its speed so suddenly that the little man w=
as
caught unawares and nearly toppled headlong into the sea. But he managed to
catch hold of the chair with one hand and the hair of one of his rowers with
the other, and so steadied himself. Then, again waving his jeweled cap arou=
nd
his head, he cried in a merry voice:
"Well, here =
I am
at last!"
"So I
perceive," responded King Kitticut, bowing with much dignity.
The fat man glanc=
ed
at all the sober faces before him and burst into a rollicking laugh. Perhap=
s I
should say it was half laughter and half a chuckle of merriment, for the so=
unds
he emitted were quaint and droll and tempted every hearer to laugh with him=
.
"Heh, heh--h=
o,
ho, ho!" he roared. "Didn't expect me, I see. Keek-eek-eek-eek! T=
his
is funny--it's really funny. Didn't know I was coming, did you? Hoo, hoo, h=
oo,
hoo! This is certainly amusing. But I'm here, just the same."
"Hush up!&qu=
ot;
said a deep, growling voice. "You're making yourself ridiculous."=
Everyone looked to
see where this voice came from; but none could guess who had uttered the wo=
rds
of rebuke. The rowers of the boat were all solemn and silent and certainly =
no
one on the shore had spoken. But the little man did not seem astonished in =
the
least, or even annoyed.
King Kitticut now
addressed the stranger, saying courteously:
"You are wel=
come
to the Kingdom of Pingaree. Perhaps you will deign to come ashore and at yo=
ur
convenience inform us whom we have the honor of receiving as a guest."=
"Thanks; I
will," returned the little fat man, waddling from his place in the boat
and stepping, with some difficulty, upon the sandy beach. "I am King
Rinkitink, of the City of Gilgad in the Kingdom of Rinkitink, and I have co=
me
to Pingaree to see for myself the monarch who sends to my city so many
beautiful pearls. I have long wished to visit this island; and so, as I said
before, here I am!"
"I am please=
d to
welcome you," said King Kitticut. "But why has Your Majesty so few
attendants? Is it not dangerous for the King of a great country to make dis=
tant
journeys in one frail boat, and with but twenty men?"
"Oh, I suppo=
se
so," answered King Rinkitink, with a laugh. "But what else could I
do? My subjects would not allow me to go anywhere at all, if they knew it. =
So I
just ran away."
"Ran away!&q=
uot;
exclaimed King Kitticut in surprise.
"Funny, isn't
it? Heh, heh, heh--woo, hoo!" laughed Rinkitink, and this is as near a=
s I
can spell with letters the jolly sounds of his laughter. "Fancy a King
running away from his own ple--hoo, hoo--keek, eek, eek, eek! But I had to,
don't you see!"
"Why?"
asked the other King.
"They're afr=
aid
I'll get into mischief. They don't trust me. Keek-eek-eek--Oh, dear me! Don=
't
trust their own King. Funny, isn't it?"
"No harm can
come to you on this island," said Kitticut, pretending not to notice t=
he
odd ways of his guest. "And, whenever it pleases you to return to your=
own
country, I will send with you a fitting escort of my own people. In the
meantime, pray accompany me to my palace, where everything shall be done to
make you comfortable and happy."
"Much
obliged," answered Rinkitink, tipping his white cap over his left ear =
and
heartily shaking the hand of his brother monarch. "I'm sure you can ma=
ke
me comfortable if you've plenty to eat. And as for being happy--ha, ha, ha,
ha!--why, that's my trouble. I'm too happy. But stop! I've brought you some
presents in those boxes. Please order your men to carry them up to the
palace."
"Certainly,&=
quot;
answered King Kitticut, well pleased, and at once he gave his men the proper
orders.
"And, by the
way," continued the fat little King, "let them also take my goat =
from
his cage."
"A goat!&quo=
t;
exclaimed the King of Pingaree.
"Exactly; my
goat Bilbil. I always ride him wherever I go, for I'm not at all fond of
walking, being a trifle stout--eh, Kitticut?--a trifle stout! Hoo, hoo,
hoo-keek, eek!"
The Pingaree peop=
le
started to lift the big cage out of the boat, but just then a gruff voice
cried: "Be careful, you villains!" and as the words seemed to come
from the goat's mouth the men were so astonished that they dropped the cage
upon the sand with a sudden jar.
"There! I to=
ld
you so!" cried the voice angrily. "You've rubbed the skin off my =
left
knee. Why on earth didn't you handle me gently?"
"There, ther=
e,
Bilbil," said King Rinkitink soothingly; "don't scold, my boy.
Remember that these are strangers, and we their guests." Then he turne=
d to
Kitticut and remarked: "You have no talking goats on your island, I
suppose."
"We have no
goats at all," replied the King; "nor have we any animals, of any
sort, who are able to talk."
"I wish my
animal couldn't talk, either," said Rinkitink, winking comically at In=
ga
and then looking toward the cage. "He is very cross at times, and indu=
lges
in language that is not respectful. I thought, at first, it would be fine to
have a talking goat, with whom I could converse as I rode about my city on =
his
back; but--keek-eek-eek-eek!--the rascal treats me as if I were a chimney s=
weep
instead of a King. Heh, heh, heh, keek, eek! A chimney sweep-hoo, hoo,
hoo!--and me a King! Funny, isn't it?" This last was addressed to Prin=
ce
Inga, whom he chucked familiarly under the chin, to the boy's great
embarrassment.
"Why do you =
not
ride a horse?" asked King Kitticut.
"I can't cli=
mb
upon his back, being rather stout; that's why. Kee, kee, keek, eek!--rather
stout--hoo, hoo, hoo!" He paused to wipe the tears of merriment from h=
is
eyes and then added: "But I can get on and off Bilbil's back with
ease."
He now opened the
cage and the goat deliberately walked out and looked about him in a sulky
manner. One of the rowers brought from the boat a saddle made of red velvet=
and
beautifully embroidered with silver thistles, which he fastened upon the go=
at's
back. The fat King put his leg over the saddle and seated himself comfortab=
ly,
saying:
"Lead on, my
noble host, and we will follow."
"What! Up th=
at
steep hill?" cried the goat. "Get off my back at once, Rinkitink,=
or
I won't budge a step.
"But-conside=
r,
Bilbil," remonstrated the King. "How am I to get up that hill unl=
ess
I ride?"
"Walk!"
growled Bilbil.
"But I'm too
fat. Really, Bilbil, I'm surprised at you. Haven't I brought you all this
distance so you may see something of the world and enjoy life? And now you =
are
so ungrateful as to refuse to carry me! Turn about is fair play, my boy. The
boat carried you to this shore, because you can't swim, and now you must ca=
rry
me up the hill, because I can't climb. Eh, Bilbil, isn't that reasonable?&q=
uot;
"Well, well,
well," said the goat, surlily, "keep quiet and I'll carry you. But
you make me very tired, Rinkitink, with your ceaseless chatter."
After making this
protest Bilbil began walking up the hill, carrying the fat King upon his ba=
ck
with no difficulty whatever.
Prince Inga and h=
is
father and all the men of Pingaree were much astonished to overhear this
dispute between King Rinkitink and his goat; but they were too polite to ma=
ke
critical remarks in the presence of their guests. King Kitticut walked besi=
de
the goat and the Prince followed after, the men coming last with the boxes =
of
sandalwood.
When they neared =
the
palace, the Queen and her maidens came out to meet them and the royal guest=
was
escorted in state to the splendid throne room of the palace. Here the boxes
were opened and King Rinkitink displayed all the beautiful silks and laces =
and
jewelry with which they were filled. Every one of the courtiers and ladies
received a handsome present, and the King and Queen had many rich gifts and
Inga not a few. Thus the time passed pleasantly until the Chamberlain annou=
nced
that dinner was served.
Bilbil the goat
declared that he preferred eating of the sweet, rich grass that grew abunda=
ntly
in the palace grounds, and Rinkitink said that the beast could never bear b=
eing
shut up in a stable; so they removed the saddle from his back and allowed h=
im
to wander wherever he pleased.
During the dinner
Inga divided his attention between admiring the pretty gifts he had received
and listening to the jolly sayings of the fat King, who laughed when he was=
not
eating and ate when he was not laughing and seemed to enjoy himself immense=
ly.
"For four da=
ys I
have lived in that narrow boat," said he, "with no other amusement
than to watch the rowers and quarrel with Bilbil; so I am very glad to be on
land again with such friendly and agreeable people."
"You do us g=
reat
honor," said King Kitticut, with a polite bow.
"Not at all-=
-not
at all, my brother. This Pingaree must be a wonderful island, for its pearls
are the admiration of all the world; nor will I deny the fact that my kingd=
om would
be a poor one without the riches and glory it derives from the trade in your
pearls. So I have wished for many years to come here to see you, but my peo=
ple
said: 'No! Stay at home and behave yourself, or we'll know the reason
why.'"
"Will they n=
ot miss
Your Majesty from your palace at Gilgad?" inquired Kitticut.
"I think
not," answered Rinkitink. "You see, one of my clever subjects has
written a parchment entitled 'How to be Good,' and I believed it would bene=
fit
me to study it, as I consider the accomplishment of being good one of the f=
ine
arts. I had just scolded severely my Lord High Chancellor for coming to
breakfast without combing his eyebrows, and was so sad and regretful at hav=
ing
hurt the poor man's feelings that I decided to shut myself up in my own room
and study the scroll until I knew how to be good--hee, heek, keek, eek,
eek!--to be good! Clever idea, that, wasn't it? Mighty clever! And I issued=
a
decree that no one should enter my room, under pain of my royal displeasure,
until I was ready to come out. They're awfully afraid of my royal displeasu=
re, although
not a bit afraid of me. Then I put the parchment in my pocket and escaped
through the back door to my boat--and here I am. Oo, hoo-hoo, keek-eek! Ima=
gine
the fuss there would be in Gilgad if my subjects knew where I am this very
minute!"
"I would lik=
e to
see that parchment," said the solemn-eyed Prince Inga, "for if it
indeed teaches one to be good it must be worth its weight in pearls." =
"Oh, it's a =
fine
essay," said Rinkitink, "and beautifully written with a goosequil=
l.
Listen to this: You'll enjoy it--tee, hee, hee!--enjoy it."
He took from his
pocket a scroll of parchment tied with a black ribbon, and having carefully
unrolled it, he proceeded to read as follows:
"'A Good Man=
is
One who is Never Bad.' How's that, eh? Fine thought, what? 'Therefore, in o=
rder
to be Good, you must avoid those Things which are Evil.' Oh, hoo-hoo-hoo!--=
how
clever! When I get back I shall make the man who wrote that a royal hippolo=
rum,
for, beyond question, he is the wisest man in my kingdom--as he has often t=
old
me himself." With this, Rinkitink lay back in his chair and chuckled h=
is
queer chuckle until he coughed, and coughed until he choked and choked unti=
l he
sneezed. And he wrinkled his face in such a jolly, droll way that few could
keep from laughing with him, and even the good Queen was forced to titter
behind her fan.
When Rinkitink had
recovered from his fit of laughter and had wiped his eyes upon a fine lace
handkerchief, Prince Inga said to him:
"The parchme=
nt
speaks truly."
"Yes, it is =
true
beyond doubt," answered Rinkitink, "and if I could persuade Bilbi=
l to
read it he would be a much better goat than he is now. Here is another
selection: 'To avoid saying Unpleasant Things, always Speak Agreeably.' That
would hit Bilbil, to a dot. And here is one that applies to you, my Prince:
'Good Children are seldom punished, for the reason that they deserve no
punishment.' Now, I think that is neatly put, and shows the author to be a =
deep
thinker. But the advice that has impressed me the most is in the following
paragraph: 'You may not find it as Pleasant to be Good as it is to be Bad, =
but
Other People will find it more Pleasant.' Haw-hoo-ho! keek-eek! 'Other peop=
le
will find it more pleasant!'--hee, hee, heek, keek!--'more pleasant.' Dear =
me--dear
me! Therein lies a noble incentive to be good, and whenever I get time I'm
surely going to try it."
Then he wiped his
eyes again with the lace handkerchief and, suddenly remembering his dinner,
seized his knife and fork and began eating.
King Rinkitink wa=
s so
much pleased with the Island of Pingaree that he continued his stay day aft=
er
day and week after week, eating good dinners, talking with King Kitticut and
sleeping. Once in a while he would read from his scroll. "For," s=
aid
he, "whenever I return home, my subjects will be anxious to know if I =
have
learned 'How to be Good,' and I must not disappoint them."
The twenty rowers
lived on the small end of the island, with the pearl fishers, and seemed no=
t to
care whether they ever returned to the Kingdom of Rinkitink or not. Bilbil =
the
goat wandered over the grassy slopes, or among the trees, and passed his da=
ys
exactly as he pleased. His master seldom cared to ride him. Bilbil was a ra=
re
curiosity to the islanders, but since there was little pleasure in talking =
with
the goat they kept away from him. This pleased the creature, who seemed wel=
l satisfied
to be left to his own devices.
Once Prince Inga,
wishing to be courteous, walked up to the goat and said: "Good morning,
Bilbil."
"It isn't a =
good
morning," answered Bilbil grumpily. "It is cloudy and damp, and l=
ooks
like rain."
"I hope you =
are
contented in our kingdom," continued the boy, politely ignoring the ot=
her's
harsh words.
"I'm not,&qu=
ot;
said Bilbil. "I'm never contented; so it doesn't matter to me whether =
I'm
in your kingdom or in some other kingdom. Go away--will you?"
"Certainly,&=
quot;
answered the Prince, and after this rebuff he did not again try to make fri=
ends
with Bilbil.
Now that the King,
his father, was so much occupied with his royal guest, Inga was often left =
to
amuse himself, for a boy could not be allowed to take part in the conversat=
ion
of two great monarchs. He devoted himself to his studies, therefore, and day
after day he climbed into the branches of his favorite tree and sat for hou=
rs
in his "tree-top rest," reading his father's precious manuscripts=
and
thinking upon what he read.
You must not think
that Inga was a molly-coddle or a prig, because he was so solemn and studio=
us.
Being a King's son and heir to a throne, he could not play with the other b=
oys
of Pingaree, and he lived so much in the society of the King and Queen, and=
was
so surrounded by the pomp and dignity of a court, that he missed all the jo=
lly
times that boys usually have. I have no doubt that had he been able to live=
as
other boys do, he would have been much like other boys; as it was, he was s=
ubdued
by his surroundings, and more grave and thoughtful than one of his years sh=
ould
be.
Inga was in his t=
ree
one morning when, without warning, a great fog enveloped the Island of
Pingaree. The boy could scarcely see the tree next to that in which he sat,=
but
the leaves above him prevented the dampness from wetting him, so he curled =
himself
up in his seat and fell fast asleep.
All that forenoon=
the
fog continued. King Kitticut, who sat in his palace talking with his merry
visitor, ordered the candles lighted, that they might be able to see one
another. The good Queen, Inga's mother, found it was too dark to work at her
embroidery, so she called her maidens together and told them wonderful stor=
ies
of bygone days, in order to pass away the dreary hours.
But soon after no=
on
the weather changed. The dense fog rolled away like a heavy cloud and sudde=
nly
the sun shot his bright rays over the island.
"Very
good!" exclaimed King Kitticut. "We shall have a pleasant afterno=
on,
I am sure," and he blew out the candles.
Then he stood a
moment motionless, as if turned to stone, for a terrible cry from without t=
he
palace reached his ears--a cry so full of fear and horror that the King's h=
eart
almost stopped beating. Immediately there was a scurrying of feet as every =
one
in the palace, filled with dismay, rushed outside to see what had happened.
Even fat little Rinkitink sprang from his chair and followed his host and t=
he others
through the arched vestibule.
After many years =
the
worst fears of King Kitticut were realized.
Landing upon the
beach, which was but a few steps from the palace itself, were hundreds of
boats, every one filled with a throng of fierce warriors. They sprang upon =
the
land with wild shouts of defiance and rushed to the King's palace, waving a=
loft
their swords and spears and battleaxes.
King Kitticut, so
completely surprised that he was bewildered, gazed at the approaching host =
with
terror and grief.
"They are the
men of Regos and Coregos!" he groaned. "We are, indeed, lost!&quo=
t;
Then he bethought
himself, for the first time, of his wonderful pearls. Turning quickly, he r=
an
back into the palace and hastened to the hall where the treasures were hidd=
en.
But the leader of the warriors had seen the King enter the palace and bound=
ed
after him, thinking he meant to escape. Just as the King had stooped to pre=
ss
the secret spring in the tiles, the warrior seized him from the rear and th=
rew
him backward upon the floor, at the same time shouting to his men to fetch
ropes and bind the prisoner. This they did very quickly and King Kitticut s=
oon found
himself helplessly bound and in the power of his enemies. In this sad condi=
tion
he was lifted by the warriors and carried outside, when the good King looked
upon a sorry sight.
The Queen and her
maidens, the officers and servants of the royal household and all who had
inhabited this end of the Island of Pingaree had been seized by the invaders
and bound with ropes. At once they began carrying their victims to the boat=
s,
tossing them in as unceremoniously as if they had been bales of merchandise=
.
The King looked
around for his son Inga, but failed to find the boy among the prisoners. Nor
was the fat King, Rinkitink, to be seen anywhere about.
The warriors were
swarming over the palace like bees in a hive, seeking anyone who might be in
hiding, and after the search had been prolonged for some time the leader as=
ked
impatiently: "Do you find anyone else?"
"No," h=
is
men told him. "We have captured them all."
"Then,"
commanded the leader, "remove everything of value from the palace and =
tear
down its walls and towers, so that not one stone remains upon another!"=
;
While the warriors
were busy with this task we will return to the boy Prince, who, when the fog
lifted and the sun came out, wakened from his sleep and began to climb down
from his perch in the tree. But the terrifying cries of the people, mingled=
with
the shouts of the rude warriors, caused him to pause and listen eagerly.
Then he climbed
rapidly up the tree, far above his platform, to the topmost swaying branche=
s.
This tree, which Inga called his own, was somewhat taller than the other tr=
ees
that surrounded it, and when he had reached the top he pressed aside the le=
aves
and saw a great fleet of boats upon the shore--strange boats, with banners =
that
he had never seen before. Turning to look upon his father's palace, he foun=
d it
surrounded by a horde of enemies. Then Inga knew the truth: that tile island
had been invaded by the barbaric warriors from the north. He grew so faint =
from
the terror of it all that he might have fallen had he not wound his arms ar=
ound
a limb and clung fast until the dizzy feeling passed away. Then with his sa=
sh
he bound himself to the limb and again ventured to look out through the lea=
ves.
The warriors were=
now
engaged in carrying King Kitticut and Queen Garee and all their other capti=
ves
down to the boats, where they were thrown in and chained one to another. It=
was
a dreadful sight for the Prince to witness, but he sat very still, concealed
from the sight of anyone below by the bower of leafy branches around him. I=
nga
knew very well that he could do nothing to help his beloved parents, and th=
at
if he came down he would only be forced to share their cruel fate.
Now a procession =
of
the Northmen passed between the boats and the palace, bearing the rich
furniture, splendid draperies and rare ornaments of which the royal palace =
had
been robbed, together with such food and other plunder as they could lay th=
eir
hands upon. After this, the men of Regos and Coregos threw ropes around the
marble domes and towers and hundreds of warriors tugged at these ropes until
the domes and towers toppled and fell in ruins upon the ground. Then the wa=
lls themselves
were torn down, till little remained of the beautiful palace but a vast hea=
p of
white marble blocks tumbled and scattered upon the ground.
Prince Inga wept
bitter tears of grief as he watched the ruin of his home; yet he was powerl=
ess
to avert the destruction. When the palace had been demolished, some of the
warriors entered their boats and rowed along the coast of the island, while=
the
others marched in a great body down the length of the island itself. They w=
ere
so numerous that they formed a line stretching from shore to shore and they
destroyed every house they came to and took every inhabitant prisoner.
The pearl fishers=
who
lived at the lower end of the island tried to escape in their boats, but th=
ey
were soon overtaken and made prisoners, like the others. Nor was there any
attempt to resist the foe, for the sharp spears and pikes and swords of the
invaders terrified the hearts of the defenseless people of Pingaree, whose =
sole
weapons were their oyster rakes.
When night fell t=
he
whole of the Island of Pingaree had been conquered by the men of the North,=
and
all its people were slaves of the conquerors. Next morning the men of Regos=
and
Coregos, being capable of no further mischief, departed from the scene of t=
heir
triumph, carrying their prisoners with them and taking also every boat to be
found upon the island. Many of the boats they had filled with rich plunder,
with pearls and silks and velvets, with silver and gold ornaments and all t=
he
treasure that had made Pingaree famed as one of the richest kingdoms in the
world. And the hundreds of slaves they had captured would be set to work in=
the
mines of Regos and the grain fields of Coregos.
So complete was t=
he
victory of the Northmen that it is no wonder the warriors sang songs of tri=
umph
as they hastened back to their homes. Great rewards were awaiting them when
they showed the haughty King of Regos and the terrible Queen of Coregos the
results of their ocean raid and conquest.
All through that
terrible night Prince Inga remained hidden in his tree. In the morning he
watched the great fleet of boats depart for their own country, carrying his
parents and his countrymen with them, as well as everything of value the Is=
land
of Pingaree had contained.
Sad, indeed, were=
the
boy's thoughts when the last of the boats had become a mere speck in the
distance, but Inga did not dare leave his perch of safety until all of the
craft of the invaders had disappeared beyond the horizon. Then he came down,
very slowly and carefully, for he was weak from hunger and the long and wea=
ry
watch, as he had been in the tree for twenty-four hours without food.
The sun shone upon
the beautiful green isle as brilliantly as if no ruthless invader had passed
and laid it in ruins. The birds still chirped among the trees and the
butterflies darted from flower to flower as happily as when the land was fi=
lled
with a prosperous and contented people.
Inga feared that =
only
he was left of all his nation. Perhaps he might be obliged to pass his life
there alone. He would not starve, for the sea would give him oysters and fi=
sh,
and the trees fruit; yet the life that confronted him was far from enticing=
.
The boy's first a=
ct
was to walk over to where the palace had stood and search the ruins until he
found some scraps of food that had been overlooked by the enemy. He sat upo=
n a
block of marble and ate of this, and tears filled his eyes as he gazed upon=
the
desolation around him. But Inga tried to bear up bravely, and having satisf=
ied
his hunger he walked over to the well, intending to draw a bucket of drinki=
ng
water.
Fortunately, this
well had been overlooked by the invaders and the bucket was still fastened =
to
the chain that wound around a stout wooden windlass. Inga took hold of the
crank and began letting the bucket down into the well, when suddenly he was
startled by a muffled voice crying out:
"Be careful,=
up
there!"
The sound and the
words seemed to indicate that the voice came from the bottom of the well, so
Inga looked down. Nothing could be seen, on account of the darkness.
"Who are
you?" he shouted.
"It's
I--Rinkitink," came the answer, and the depths of the well echoed:
"Tink-i-tink-i-tink!" in a ghostly manner.
"Are you in =
the
well?" asked the boy, greatly surprised.
"Yes, and ne=
arly
drowned. I fell in while running from those terrible warriors, and I've been
standing in this damp hole ever since, with my head just above the water. I=
t's
lucky the well was no deeper, for had my head been under water, instead of
above it--hoo, hoo, hoo, keek, eek!--under instead of over, you know--why, =
then
I wouldn't be talking to you now! Ha, hoo, hee!" And the well dismally
echoed: "Ha, hoo, hee!" which you must imagine was a laugh half m=
erry
and half sad.
"I'm awfully
sorry," cried the boy, in answer. "I wonder you have the heart to
laugh at all. But how am I to get you out?"
"I've been
considering that all night," said Rinkitink, "and I believe the b=
est
plan will be for you to let down the bucket to me, and I'll hold fast to it
while you wind up the chain and so draw me to the top."
"I will try =
to
do that," replied Inga, and he let the bucket down very carefully unti=
l he
heard the King call out:
"I've got it!
Now pull me up--slowly, my boy, slowly--so I won't rub against the rough
sides."
Inga began windin=
g up
the chain, but King Rinkitink was so fat that he was very heavy and by the =
time
the boy had managed to pull him halfway up the well his strength was gone. =
He
clung to the crank as long as possible, but suddenly it slipped from his gr=
asp
and the next minute he heard Rinkitink fall "plump!" into the wat=
er
again.
"That's too
bad!" called Inga, in real distress; "but you were so heavy I
couldn't help it."
"Dear me!&qu=
ot;
gasped the King, from the darkness below, as he spluttered and coughed to g=
et
the water out of his mouth. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to =
let
go?"
"I hadn't
time," said Inga, sorrowfully.
"Well, I'm n=
ot
suffering from thirst," declared the King, "for there's enough wa=
ter
inside me to float all the boats of Regos and Coregos or at least it feels =
that
way. But never mind! So long as I'm not actually drowned, what does it
matter?"
"What shall =
we
do next?" asked the boy anxiously.
"Call someon=
e to
help you," was the reply.
"There is no=
one
on the island but myself," said the boy; "--excepting you," =
he
added, as an afterthought.
"I'm not on
it--more's the pity!--but in it," responded Rinkitink. "Are the
warriors all gone?"
"Yes," =
said
Inga, "and they have taken my father and mother, and all our people, t=
o be
their slaves," he added, trying in vain to repress a sob.
"So--so!&quo=
t;
said Rinkitink softly; and then he paused a moment, as if in thought. Final=
ly
he said: "There are worse things than slavery, but I never imagined a =
well
could be one of them. Tell me, Inga, could you let down some food to me? I'm
nearly starved, and if you could manage to send me down some food I'd be we=
ll
fed--hoo, hoo, heek, keek, eek!--well fed. Do you see the joke, Inga?"=
"Do not ask =
me
to enjoy a joke just now, Your Majesty," begged Inga in a sad voice;
"but if you will be patient I will try to find something for you to
eat."
He ran back to the
ruins of the palace and began searching for bits of food with which to sati=
sfy
the hunger of the King, when to his surprise he observed the goat, Bilbil,
wandering among the marble blocks.
"What!"
cried Inga. "Didn't the warriors get you, either?"
"If they
had," calmly replied Bilbil, "I shouldn't be here."
"But how did=
you
escape?" asked the boy.
"Easily enou=
gh.
I kept my mouth shut and stayed away from the rascals," said the goat.
"I knew that the soldiers would not care for a skinny old beast like m=
e,
for to the eye of a stranger I seem good for nothing. Had they known I could
talk, and that my head contained more wisdom than a hundred of their own
noddles, I might not have escaped so easily."
"Perhaps you=
are
right," said the boy.
"I suppose t=
hey
got the old man?" carelessly remarked Bilbil.
"What old
man?"
"Rinkitink.&=
quot;
"Oh, no! His
Majesty is at the bottom of the well," said Inga, "and I don't kn=
ow
how to get him out again."
"Then let him
stay there," suggested the goat.
"That would =
be
cruel. I am sure, Bilbil, that you are fond of the good King, your master, =
and
do not mean what you say. Together, let us find some way to save poor King
Rinkitink. He is a very jolly companion, and has a heart exceedingly kind a=
nd
gentle."
"Oh, well; t=
he
old boy isn't so bad, taken altogether," admitted Bilbil, speaking in a
more friendly tone. "But his bad jokes and fat laughter tire me
dreadfully, at times."
Prince Inga now r=
an
back to the well, the goat following more leisurely.
"Here's
Bilbil!" shouted the boy to the King. "The enemy didn't get him, =
it
seems."
"That's lucky
for the enemy," said Rinkitink. "But it's lucky for me, too, for
perhaps the beast can assist me out of this hole. If you can let a rope down
the well, I am sure that you and Bilbil, pulling together, will be able to =
drag
me to the earth's surface."
"Be patient =
and
we will make the attempt," replied Inga encouragingly, and he ran to
search the ruins for a rope. Presently he found one that had been used by t=
he
warriors in toppling over the towers, which in their haste they had neglect=
ed
to remove, and with some difficulty he untied the knots and carried the rop=
e to
the mouth of the well.
Bilbil had lain d=
own
to sleep and the refrain of a merry song came in muffled tones from the wel=
l,
proving that Rinkitink was making a patient endeavor to amuse himself.
"I've found a
rope!" Inga called down to him; and then the boy proceeded to make a l=
oop
in one end of the rope, for the King to put his arms through, and the other=
end
he placed over the drum of the windlass. He now aroused Bilbil and fastened=
the
rope firmly around the goat's shoulders.
"Are you
ready?" asked the boy, leaning over the well.
"I am,"
replied the King.
"And I am
not," growled the goat, "for I have not yet had my nap out. Old R=
inki
will be safe enough in the well until I've slept an hour or two longer.&quo=
t;
"But it is d=
amp
in the well," protested the boy, "and King Rinkitink may catch the
rheumatism, so that he will have to ride upon your back wherever he goes.&q=
uot;
Hearing this, Bil=
bil
jumped up at once.
"Let's get h=
im
out," he said earnestly.
"Hold
fast!" shouted Inga to the King. Then he seized the rope and helped Bi=
lbil
to pull. They soon found the task more difficult than they had supposed. On=
ce
or twice the King's weight threatened to drag both the boy and the goat into
the well, to keep Rinkitink company. But they pulled sturdily, being aware =
of
this danger, and at last the King popped out of the hole and fell sprawling
full length upon the ground.
For a time he lay
panting and breathing hard to get his breath back, while Inga and Bilbil we=
re
likewise worn out from their long strain at the rope; so the three rested
quietly upon the grass and looked at one another in silence.
Finally Bilbil sa=
id
to the King: "I'm surprised at you. Why were you so foolish as to fall
down that well? Don't you know it's a dangerous thing to do? You might have
broken your neck in the fall, or been drowned in the water."
"Bilbil,&quo=
t;
replied the King solemnly, "you're a goat. Do you imagine I fell down =
the
well on purpose?"
"I imagine
nothing," retorted Bilbil. "I only know you were there."
"There?
Heh-heh-heek-keek-eek! To be sure I was there," laughed Rinkitink.
"There in a dark hole, where there was no light; there in a watery wel=
l,
where the wetness soaked me through and through--keek-eek-eek-eek!--through=
and
through!"
"How did it =
happen?"
inquired Inga.
"I was runni=
ng
away from the enemy," explained the King, "and I was carelessly
looking over my shoulder at the same time, to see if they were chasing me. =
So I
did not see the well, but stepped into it and found myself tumbling down to=
the
bottom. I struck the water very neatly and began struggling to keep myself =
from
drowning, but presently I found that when I stood upon my feet on the botto=
m of
the well, that my chin was just above the water. So I stood still and yelled
for help; but no one heard me."
"If the warr=
iors
had heard you," said Bilbil, "they would have pulled you out and
carried you away to be a slave. Then you would have been obliged to work fo=
r a
living, and that would be a new experience."
"Work!"
exclaimed Rinkitink. "Me work? Hoo, hoo, heek-keek-eek! How absurd! I'=
m so
stout--not to say chubby--not to say fat--that I can hardly walk, and I
couldn't earn my salt at hard work. So I'm glad the enemy did not find me,
Bilbil. How many others escaped?"
"That I do n=
ot
know," replied the boy, "for I have not yet had time to visit the
other parts of the island. When you have rested and satisfied your royal
hunger, it might be well for us to look around and see what the thieving
warriors of Regos and Coregos have left us."
"An excellent
idea," declared Rinkitink. "I am somewhat feeble from my long
confinement in the well, but I can ride upon Bilbil's back and we may as we=
ll
start at once."
Hearing this, Bil=
bil
cast a surly glance at his master but said nothing, since it was really the
goat's business to carry King Rinkitink wherever he desired to go.
They first search=
ed
the ruins of the palace, and where the kitchen had once been they found a s=
mall
quantity of food that had been half hidden by a block of marble. This they =
carefully
placed in a sack to preserve it for future use, the little fat King having
first eaten as much as he cared for. This consumed some time, for Rinkitink=
had
been exceedingly hungry and liked to eat in a leisurely manner. When he had
finished the meal he straddled Bilbil's back and set out to explore the isl=
and,
Prince Inga walking by his side.
They found on eve=
ry
hand ruin and desolation. The houses of the people had been pilfered of all
valuables and then torn down or burned. Not a boat had been left upon the
shore, nor was there a single person, man or woman or child, remaining upon=
the
island, save themselves. The only inhabitants of Pingaree now consisted of a
fat little King, a boy and a goat.
Even Rinkitink, m=
erry
hearted as he was, found it hard to laugh in the face of this mighty disast=
er.
Even the goat, contrary to its usual habit, refrained from saying anything
disagreeable. As for the poor boy whose home was now a wilderness, the tears
came often to his eyes as he marked the ruin of his dearly loved island.
When, at nightfal=
l,
they reached the lower end of Pingaree and found it swept as bare as the re=
st,
Inga's grief was almost more than he could bear. Everything had been swept =
from
him--parents, home and country--in so brief a time that his bewilderment was
equal to his sorrow.
Since no house
remained standing, in which they might sleep, the three wanderers crept ben=
eath
the overhanging branches of a cassa tree and curled themselves up as
comfortably as possible. So tired and exhausted were they by the day's
anxieties and griefs that their troubles soon faded into the mists of
dreamland. Beast and King and boy slumbered peacefully together until waken=
ed
by the singing of the birds which greeted the dawn of a new day.
When King Rinkiti=
nk
and Prince Inga had bathed themselves in the sea and eaten a simple breakfa=
st,
they began wondering what they could do to improve their condition.
"The poor pe=
ople
of Gilgad," said Rinkitink cheerfully, "are little likely ever ag=
ain
to behold their King in the flesh, for my boat and my rowers are gone with
everything else. Let us face the fact that we are imprisoned for life upon =
this
island, and that our lives will be short unless we can secure more to eat t=
han
is in this small sack."
"I'll not
starve, for I can eat grass," remarked the goat in a pleasant tone--or=
a
tone as pleasant as Bilbil could assume.
"True, quite
true," said the King. Then he seemed thoughtful for a moment and turni=
ng
to Inga he asked: "Do you think, Prince, that if the worst comes, we c=
ould
eat Bilbil?"
The goat gave a g=
roan
and cast a reproachful look at his master as he said:
"Monster! Wo=
uld
you, indeed, eat your old friend and servant?"
"Not if I can
help it, Bilbil," answered the King pleasantly. "You would make a
remarkably tough morsel, and my teeth are not as good as they once were.&qu=
ot;
While this talk w=
as
in progress Inga suddenly remembered the three pearls which his father had
hidden under the tiled floor of the banquet hall. Without doubt King Kittic=
ut
had been so suddenly surprised by the invaders that he had found no opportu=
nity
to get the pearls, for otherwise the fierce warriors would have been defeat=
ed
and driven out of Pingaree. So they must still be in their hiding place, and
Inga believed they would prove of great assistance to him and his comrades =
in
this hour of need. But the palace was a mass of ruins; perhaps he would be
unable now to find the place where the pearls were hidden.
He said nothing of
this to Rinkitink, remembering that his father had charged him to preserve =
the
secret of the pearls and of their magic powers. Nevertheless, the thought of
securing the wonderful treasures of his ancestors gave the boy new hope.
He stood up and s=
aid
to the King:
"Let us retu=
rn
to the other end of Pingaree. It is more pleasant than here in spite of the
desolation of my father's palace. And there, if anywhere, we shall discover=
a
way out of our difficulties."
This suggestion m=
et
with Rinkitink's approval and the little party at once started upon the ret=
urn
journey. As there was no occasion to delay upon the way, they reached the b=
ig
end of the island about the middle of the day and at once began searching t=
he
ruins of the palace.
They found, to th=
eir
satisfaction, that one room at the bottom of a tower was still habitable,
although the roof was broken in and the place was somewhat littered with
stones. The King was, as he said, too fat to do any hard work, so he sat do=
wn
on a block of marble and watched Inga clear the room of its rubbish. This d=
one,
the boy hunted through the ruins until he discovered a stool and an armchair
that had not been broken beyond use. Some bedding and a mattress were also =
found,
so that by nightfall the little room had been made quite comfortable.
The following
morning, while Rinkitink was still sound asleep and Bilbil was busily cropp=
ing
the dewy grass that edged the shore, Prince Inga began to search the tumbled
heaps of marble for the place where the royal banquet hall had been. After
climbing over the ruins for a time he reached a flat place which he recogni=
zed,
by means of the tiled flooring and the broken furniture scattered about, to=
be
the great hall he was seeking. But in the center of the floor, directly over
the spot where the pearls were hidden, lay several large and heavy blocks o=
f marble,
which had been torn from the dismantled walls.
This unfortunate
discovery for a time discouraged the boy, who realized how helpless he was =
to
remove such vast obstacles; but it was so important to secure the pearls th=
at
he dared not give way to despair until every human effort had been made, so=
he
sat him down to think over the matter with great care.
Meantime Rinkitink
had risen from his bed and walked out upon the lawn, where he found Bilbil
reclining at ease upon the greensward.
"Where is
Inga?" asked Rinkitink, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles because the=
ir
vision was blurred with too much sleep.
"Don't ask
me," said the goat, chewing with much satisfaction a cud of sweet gras=
ses.
"Bilbil,&quo=
t;
said the King, squatting down beside the goat and resting his fat chin upon=
his
hands and his elbows on his knees, "allow me to confide to you the fact
that I am bored, and need amusement. My good friend Kitticut has been kidna=
pped
by the barbarians and taken from me, so there is no one to converse with me
intelligently. I am the King and you are the goat. Suppose you tell me a st=
ory.
"Suppose I
don't," said Bilbil, with a scowl, for a goat's face is very expressiv=
e.
"If you refu=
se,
I shall be more unhappy than ever, and I know your disposition is too sweet=
to
permit that. Tell me a story, Bilbil."
The goat looked at
him with an expression of scorn. Said he:
"One would t=
hink
you are but four years old, Rinkitink! But there--I will do as you command.
Listen carefully, and the story may do you some good--although I doubt if y=
ou
understand the moral."
"I am sure t=
he
story will do me good," declared the King, whose eyes were twinkling. =
"Once on a
time," began the goat.
"When was th=
at,
Bilbil?" asked the King gently.
"Don't
interrupt; it is impolite. Once on a time there was a King with a hollow in=
side
his head, where most people have their brains, and--"
"Is this a t=
rue
story, Bilbil?"
"And the King
with a hollow head could chatter words, which had no sense, and laugh in a
brainless manner at senseless things. That part of the story is true enough,
Rinkitink."
"Then proceed
with the tale, sweet Bilbil. Yet it is hard to believe that any King could =
be
brainless--unless, indeed, he proved it by owning a talking goat."
Bilbil glared at =
him
a full minute in silence. Then he resumed his story:
"This
empty-headed man was a King by accident, having been born to that high stat=
ion.
Also the King was empty-headed by the same chance, being born without
brains."
"Poor
fellow!" quoth the King. "Did he own a talking goat?"
"He did,&quo=
t;
answered Bilbil.
"Then he was wrong to have been born at all. Cheek-eek-eek-eek, oo, hoo!" chuckled Rinkitink, his fat body shaking with merriment. "But it's hard to prev= ent oneself from being born; there's no chance for protest, eh, Bilbil?" <= o:p>
"Who is tell=
ing
this story, I'd like to know," demanded the goat, with anger.
"Ask someone
with brains, my boy; I'm sure I can't tell," replied the King, bursting
into one of his merry fits of laughter.
Bilbil rose to his
hoofs and walked away in a dignified manner, leaving Rinkitink chuckling an=
ew
at the sour expression of the animal's face.
"Oh, Bilbil,
you'll be the death of me, some day--I'm sure you will!" gasped the Ki=
ng,
taking out his lace handkerchief to wipe his eyes; for, as he often did, he=
had
laughed till the tears came.
Bilbil was deeply
vexed and would not even turn his head to look at his master. To escape from
Rinkitink he wandered among the ruins of the palace, where he came upon Pri=
nce
Inga.
"Good mornin=
g,
Bilbil," said the boy. "I was just going to find you, that I might
consult you upon an important matter. If you will kindly turn back with me =
I am
sure your good judgment will be of great assistance."
The angry goat was
quite mollified by the respectful tone in which he was addressed, but he
immediately asked:
"Are you also
going to consult that empty-headed King over yonder?"
"I am sorry =
to
hear you speak of your kind master in such a way," said the boy gravel=
y.
"All men are deserving of respect, being the highest of living creatur=
es,
and Kings deserve respect more than others, for they are set to rule over m=
any
people."
"Nevertheles=
s,"
said Bilbil with conviction, "Rinkitink's head is certainly empty of
brains."
"That I am
unwilling to believe," insisted Inga. "But anyway his heart is ki=
nd
and gentle and that is better than being wise. He is merry in spite of
misfortunes that would cause others to weep and he never speaks harsh words
that wound the feelings of his friends."
"Still,"=
; growled
Bilbil, "he is--"
"Let us forg=
et
everything but his good nature, which puts new heart into us when we are
sad," advised the boy.
"But he
is--"
"Come with m=
e,
please," interrupted Inga, "for the matter of which I wish to spe=
ak
is very important."
Bilbil followed h=
im,
although the boy still heard the goat muttering that the King had no brains.
Rinkitink, seeing them turn into the ruins, also followed, and upon joining
them asked for his breakfast.
Inga opened the s=
ack
of food and while he and the King ate of it the boy said:
"If I could =
find
a way to remove some of the blocks of marble which have fallen in the banqu=
et
hall, I think I could find means for us to escape from this barren
island."
"Then,"
mumbled Rinkitink, with his mouth full, "let us move the blocks of
marble."
"But how?&qu=
ot;
inquired Prince Inga. "They are very heavy."
"Ah, how,
indeed?" returned the Ki=
ng,
smacking his lips contentedly. "That is a serious question. But--I have
it! Let us see what my famous parchment says about it." He wiped his
fingers upon a napkin and then, taking the scroll from a pocket inside his
embroidered blouse, he unrolled it and read the following words: 'Never ste=
p on
another man's toes.'
The goat gave a s=
nort
of contempt; Inga was silent; the King looked from one to the other
inquiringly.
"That's the
idea, exactly!" declared Rinkitink.
"To be
sure," said Bilbil scornfully, "it tells us exactly how to move t=
he
blocks of marble."
"Oh, does
it?" responded the King, and then for a moment he rubbed the top of his
bald head in a perplexed manner. The next moment he burst into a peal of jo=
yous
laughter. The goat looked at Inga and sighed.
"What did I =
tell
you?" asked the creature. "Was I right, or was I wrong?"
"This
scroll," said Rinkitink, "is indeed a masterpiece. Its advice is =
of
tremendous value. 'Never step on another man's toes.' Let us think this ove=
r.
The inference is that we should step upon our own toes, which were given us=
for
that purpose. Therefore, if I stepped upon another man's toes, I would be t=
he
other man. Hoo, hoo, hoo!--the other man--hee, hee, heek-keek-eek! Funny, i=
sn't
it?"
"Didn't I
say--" began Bilbil.
"No matter w=
hat
you said, my boy," roared the King. "No fool could have figured t=
hat
out as nicely as I did."
"We have sti=
ll
to decide how to remove the blocks of marble," suggested Inga anxiousl=
y.
"Fasten a rope to them, and
pull," said Bilbil. "Don't pay any more attention to Rinkitink, f=
or
he is no wiser than the man who wrote that brainless scroll. Just get the r=
ope,
and we'll fasten Rinkitink to one end of it for a weight and I'll help you
pull."
"Thank you,
Bilbil," replied the boy. "I'll get the rope at once."
Bilbil found it
difficult to climb over the ruins to the floor of the banquet hall, but the=
re
are few places a goat cannot get to when it makes the attempt, so Bilbil
succeeded at last, and even fat little Rinkitink finally joined them, though
much out of breath.
Inga fastened one=
end
of the rope around a block of marble and then made a loop at the other end =
to
go over Bilbil's head. When all was ready the boy seized the rope and helped
the goat to pull; yet, strain as they might, the huge block would not stir =
from
its place. Seeing this, King Rinkitink came forward and lent his assistance,
the weight of his body forcing the heavy marble to slide several feet from
where it had lain.
But it was hard w=
ork
and all were obliged to take a long rest before undertaking the removal of =
the
next block.
"Admit,
Bilbil," said the King, "that I am of some use in the world."=
;
"Your weight=
was
of considerable help," acknowledged the goat, "but if your head w=
ere
as well filled as your stomach the task would be still easier."
When Inga went to
fasten the rope a second time he was rejoiced to discover that by moving one
more block of marble he could uncover the tile with the secret spring. So t=
he
three pulled with renewed energy and to their joy the block moved and rolled
upon its side, leaving Inga free to remove the treasure when he pleased.
But the boy had no
intention of allowing Bilbil and the King to share the secret of the royal
treasures of Pingaree; so, although both the goat and its master demanded to
know why the marble blocks had been moved, and how it would benefit them, I=
nga
begged them to wait until the next morning, when he hoped to be able to sat=
isfy
them that their hard work had not been in vain.
Having little
confidence in this promise of a mere boy, the goat grumbled and the King
laughed; but Inga paid no heed to their ridicule and set himself to work
rigging up a fishing rod, with line and hook. During the afternoon he waded=
out
to some rocks near the shore and fished patiently until he had captured eno=
ugh
yellow perch for their supper and breakfast.
"Ah," s=
aid
Rinkitink, looking at the fine catch when Inga returned to the shore;
"these will taste delicious when they are cooked; but do you know how =
to
cook them?"
"No," w=
as
the reply. "I have often caught fish, but never cooked them. Perhaps Y=
our
Majesty understands cooking."
"Cooking and
majesty are two different things," laughed the little King. "I co=
uld
not cook a fish to save me from starvation."
"For my
part," said Bilbil, "I never eat fish, but I can tell you how to =
cook
them, for I have often watched the palace cooks at their work." And so,
with the goat's assistance, the boy and the King managed to prepare the fish
and cook them, after which they were eaten with good appetite.
That night, after
Rinkitink and Bilbil were both fast asleep, Inga stole quietly through the
moonlight to the desolate banquet hall. There, kneeling down, he touched the
secret spring as his father had instructed him to do and to his joy the tile
sank downward and disclosed the opening. You may imagine how the boy's heart
throbbed with excitement as he slowly thrust his hand into the cavity and f=
elt around
to see if the precious pearls were still there. In a moment his fingers tou=
ched
the silken bag and, without pausing to close the recess, he pressed the
treasure against his breast and ran out into the moonlight to examine it. W=
hen
he reached a bright place he started to open the bag, but he observed Bilbil
lying asleep upon the grass near by. So, trembling with the fear of discove=
ry,
he ran to another place, and when he paused he heard Rinkitink snoring lust=
ily.
Again he fled and made his way to the seashore, where he squatted under a b=
ank
and began to untie the cords that fastened the mouth of the bag. But now an=
other
fear assailed him.
"If the pear=
ls
should slip from my hand," he thought, "and roll into the water, =
they
might be lost to me forever. I must find some safer place."
Here and there he
wandered, still clasping the silken bag in both hands, and finally he went =
to
the grove and climbed into the tall tree where he had made his platform and
seat. But here it was pitch dark, so he found he must wait patiently until
morning before he dared touch the pearls. During those hours of waiting he =
had
time for reflection and reproached himself for being so frightened by the
possession of his father's treasures.
"These pearls
have belonged to our family for generations," he mused, "yet no o=
ne
has ever lost them. If I use ordinary care I am sure I need have no fears f=
or
their safety."
When the dawn came
and he could see plainly, Inga opened the bag and took out the Blue Pearl.
There was no possibility of his being observed by others, so he took time to
examine it wonderingly, saying to himself: "This will give me
strength."
Taking off his ri=
ght
shoe he placed the Blue Pearl within it, far up in the pointed toe. Then he
tore a piece from his handkerchief and stuffed it into the shoe to hold the
pearl in place. Inga's shoes were long and pointed, as were all the shoes w=
orn
in Pingaree, and the points curled upward, so that there was quite a vacant
space beyond the place where the boy's toes reached when the shoe was upon =
his
foot.
After he had put =
on
the Shoe and laced it up he opened the bag and took out the Pink Pearl.
"This will protect me from danger," said Inga, and removing the s=
hoe
from his left foot he carefully placed the pearl in the hollow toe. This, a=
lso,
he secured in place by means of a strip torn from his handkerchief.
Having put on the
second shoe and laced it up, the boy drew from the silken bag the third
pearl--that which was pure white--and holding it to his ear he asked.
"Will you ad=
vise
me what to do, in this my hour of misfortune?"
Clearly the small
voice of the pearl made answer:
"I advise yo=
u to
go to the Islands of Regos and Coregos, where you may liberate your parents
from slavery."
"How could I=
do
that?" exclaimed Prince Inga, amazed at receiving such advice.
"To-night,&q=
uot;
spoke the voice of the pearl, "there will be a storm, and in the morni=
ng a
boat will strand upon the shore. Take this boat and row to Regos and
Coregos."
"How can I, a
weak boy, pull the boat so far?" he inquired, doubting the possibility=
.
"The Blue Pe=
arl
will give you strength," was the reply.
"But I may be
shipwrecked and drowned, before ever I reach Regos and Coregos," prote=
sted
the boy.
"The Pink Pe=
arl
will protect you from harm," murmured the voice, soft and low but very
distinct.
"Then I shall
act as you advise me," declared Inga, speaking firmly because this pro=
mise
gave him courage, and as he removed the pearl from his ear it whispered:
"The wise and
fearless are sure to win success."
Restoring the Whi=
te
Pearl to the depths of the silken bag, Inga fastened it securely around his
neck and buttoned his waist above it to hide the treasure from all prying e=
yes.
Then he slowly climbed down from the tree and returned to the room where Ki=
ng Rinkitink
still slept.
The goat was brow=
sing
upon the grass but looked cross and surly. When the boy said good morning a=
s he
passed, Bilbil made no response whatever. As Inga entered the room the King
awoke and asked:
"What is that
mysterious secret of yours? I've been dreaming about it, and I haven't got =
my
breath yet from tugging at those heavy blocks. Tell me the secret."
"A secret to=
ld
is no longer a secret," replied Inga, with a laugh. "Besides, thi=
s is
a family secret, which it is proper I should keep to myself. But I may tell=
you
one thing, at least: We are going to leave this island to-morrow morning.&q=
uot;
The King seemed
puzzled' by this statement.
"I'm not muc=
h of
a swimmer," said he, "and, though I'm fat enough to float upon the
surface of the water, I'd only bob around and get nowhere at all."
"We shall not
swim, but ride comfortably in a boat," promised Inga.
"There isn't=
a
boat on this island!" declared Rinkitink, looking upon the boy with
wonder.
"True,"
said Inga. "But one will come to us in the morning." He spoke pos=
itively,
for he had perfect faith in the promise of the White Pearl; but Rinkitink,
knowing nothing of the three marvelous jewels, began to fear that the little
Prince had lost his mind through grief and misfortune.
For this reason t=
he
King did not question the boy further but tried to cheer him by telling him
witty stories. He laughed at all the stories himself, in his merry, rollick=
ing
way, and Inga joined freely in the laughter because his heart had been
lightened by the prospect of rescuing his dear parents. Not since the fierce
warriors had descended upon Pingaree had the boy been so hopeful and happy.=
With Rinkitink ri=
ding
upon Bilbil's back, the three made a tour of the island and found in the
central part some bushes and trees bearing ripe fruit. They gathered this
freely, for--aside from the fish which Inga caught--it was the only food th=
ey
now had, and the less they had, the bigger Rinkitink's appetite seemed to g=
row.
"I am never =
more
happy," said he with a sigh, "than when I am eating."
Toward evening the
sky became overcast and soon a great storm began to rage. Prince Inga and K=
ing
Rinkitink took refuge within the shelter of the room they had fitted up and
there Bilbil joined them. The goat and the King were somewhat disturbed by =
the
violence of the storm, but Inga did not mind it, being pleased at this evid=
ence
that the White Pearl might be relied upon.
All night the wind
shrieked around the island; thunder rolled, lightning flashed and rain came
down in torrents. But with morning the storm abated and when the sun arose =
no
sign of the tempest remained save a few fallen trees.
Prince Inga was up
with the sun and, accompanied by Bilbil, began walking along the shore in
search of the boat which the White Pearl had promised him. Never for an ins=
tant
did he doubt that he would find it and before he had walked any great dista=
nce
a dark object at the water's edge caught his eye.
"It is the b=
oat,
Bilbil!" he cried joyfully, and running down to it he found it was,
indeed, a large and roomy boat. Although stranded upon the beach, it was in
perfect order and had suffered in no way from the storm.
Inga stood for so=
me
moments gazing upon the handsome craft and wondering where it could have co=
me from.
Certainly it was unlike any boat he had ever seen. On the outside it was
painted a lustrous black, without any other color to relieve it; but all the
inside of the boat was lined with pure silver, polished so highly that the
surface resembled a mirror and glinted brilliantly in the rays of the sun. =
The seats
had white velvet cushions upon them and the cushions were splendidly
embroidered with threads of gold. At one end, beneath the broad seat, was a
small barrel with silver hoops, which the boy found was filled with fresh,
sweet water. A great chest of sandalwood, bound and ornamented with silver,
stood in the other end of the boat. Inga raised the lid and discovered the
chest filled with sea-biscuits, cakes, tinned meats and ripe, juicy melons;
enough good and wholesome food to last the party a long time.
Lying upon the bo=
ttom
of the boat were two shining oars, and overhead, but rolled back now, was a
canopy of silver cloth to ward off the heat of the sun.
It is no wonder t=
he
boy was delighted with the appearance of this beautiful boat; but on reflec=
tion
he feared it was too large for him to row any great distance. Unless, indee=
d,
the Blue Pearl gave him unusual strength.
While he was considering this matter, King Rinkitink came waddling up to him and said: <= o:p>
"Well, well,
well, my Prince, your words have come true! Here is the boat, for a certain=
ty,
yet how it came here--and how you knew it would come to us--are puzzles that
mystify me. I do not question our good fortune, however, and my heart is bu=
bbling
with joy, for in this boat I will return at once to my City of Gilgad, from
which I have remained absent altogether too long a time."
"I do not wi=
sh
to go to Gilgad," said Inga.
"That is too
bad, my friend, for you would be very welcome. But you may remain upon this
island, if you wish," continued Rinkitink, "and when I get home I
will send some of my people to rescue you."
"It is my bo=
at,
Your Majesty," said Inga quietly.
"May be, may
be," was the careless answer, "but I am King of a great country,
while you are a boy Prince without any kingdom to speak of. Therefore, bein=
g of
greater importance than you, it is just and right that I take, your boat and
return to my own country in it."
"I am sorry =
to
differ from Your Majesty's views," said Inga, "but instead of goi=
ng
to Gilgad I consider it of greater importance that we go to the islands of
Regos and Coregos."
"Hey?
What!" cried the astounded King. "To Regos and Coregos! To become=
slaves
of the barbarians, like the King, your father? No, no, my boy! Your Uncle R=
inki
may have an empty noddle, as Bilbil claims, but he is far too wise to put h=
is
head in the lion's mouth. It's no fun to be a slave."
"The people =
of
Regos and Coregos will not enslave us," declared Inga. "On the
contrary, it is my intention to set free my dear parents, as well as all my
people, and to bring them back again to Pingaree."
"Cheek-eek-e=
ek-eek-eek!
How funny!" chuckled Rinkitink, winking at the goat, which scowled in
return. "Your audacity takes my breath away, Inga, but the adventure h=
as
its charm, I must, confess. Were I not so fat, I'd agree to your plan at on=
ce,
and could probably conquer that horde of fierce warriors without any assist=
ance
at all--any at all--eh, Bilbil? But I grieve to say that I am fat, and not =
in
good fighting trim. As for your determination to do what I admit I can't do,
Inga, I fear you forget that you are only a boy, and rather small at
that."
"No, I do not
forget that," was Inga's reply.
"Then please
consider that you and I and Bilbil are not strong enough, as an army, to
conquer a powerful nation of skilled warriors. We could attempt it, of cour=
se,
but you are too young to die, while I am too old. Come with me to my City of
Gilgad, where you will be greatly honored. I'll have my professors teach you
how to be good. Eh? What do you say?"
Inga was a little
embarrassed how to reply to these arguments, which he knew King Rinkitink
considered were wise; so, after a period of thought, he said:
"I will make=
a
bargain with Your Majesty, for I do not wish to fail in respect to so worth=
y a
man and so great a King as yourself. This boat is mine, as I have said, and=
in
my father's absence you have become my guest; therefore I claim that I am
entitled to some consideration, as well as you."
"No doubt of
it," agreed Rinkitink. "What is the bargain you propose, Inga?&qu=
ot;
"Let us both=
get
into the boat, and you shall first try to row us to Gilgad. If you succeed,=
I
will accompany you right willingly; but should you fail, I will then row the
boat to Regos, and you must come with me without further protest."
"A fair and =
just
bargain!" cried the King, highly pleased. "Yet, although I am a m=
an
of mighty deeds, I do not relish the prospect of rowing so big a boat all t=
he
way to Gilgad. But I will do my best and abide by the result."
The matter being =
thus
peaceably settled, they prepared to embark. A further supply of fruits was
placed in the boat and Inga also raked up a quantity of the delicious oyste=
rs
that abounded on the coast of Pingaree but which he had before been unable =
to
reach for lack of a boat. This was done at the suggestion of the ever-hungry
Rinkitink, and when the oysters had been stowed in their shells behind the
water barrel and a plentiful supply of grass brought aboard for Bilbil, the=
y decided
they were ready to start on their voyage.
It proved no easy
task to get Bilbil into the boat, for he was a remarkably clumsy goat and o=
nce,
when Rinkitink gave him a push, he tumbled into the water and nearly drowned
before they could get him out again. But there was no thought of leaving the
quaint animal behind. His power of speech made him seem almost human in the
eyes of the boy, and the fat King was so accustomed to his surly companion =
that
nothing could have induced him to part with him. Finally Bilbil fell sprawl=
ing into
the bottom of the boat, and Inga helped him to get to the front end, where
there was enough space for him to lie down.
Rinkitink now took
his seat in the silver-lined craft and the boy came last, pushing off the b=
oat
as he sprang aboard, so that it floated freely upon the water.
"Well, here =
we
go for Gilgad!" exclaimed the King, picking up the oars and placing th=
em
in the row-locks. Then he began to row as hard as he could, singing at the =
same
time an odd sort of a song that ran like this:
"The way to Gilgad isn't bad =
For a stout old King and a br=
ave
young lad, For a cross =
old
goat with a dripping coat, And a silver boat in which to
float. So our hearts are
merry, light and glad A=
s we
speed away to fair Gilgad!"
"Don't, Rinkitink; please don'=
t! It
makes me seasick," growled Bilbil.
Rinkitink stopped
rowing, for by this time he was all out of breath and his round face was
covered with big drops of perspiration. And when he looked over his shoulde=
r he
found to his dismay that the boat had scarcely moved a foot from its former
position.
Inga said nothing=
and
appeared not to notice the King's failure. So now Rinkitink, with a serious
look on his fat, red face, took off his purple robe and rolled up the sleev=
es
of his tunic and tried again.
However, he succe=
eded
no better than before and when he heard Bilbil give a gruff laugh and saw a
smile upon the boy Prince's face, Rinkitink suddenly dropped the oars and b=
egan
shouting with laughter at his own defeat. As he wiped his brow with a yellow
silk handkerchief he sang in a merry voice:
"A sailor bold am I, I hold, =
But boldness will not row a b=
oat. So I confess I'm in distress =
And just as useless as the
goat."
"Please leave me out of your
verses," said Bilbil with a snort of anger.
"When I make=
a
fool of myself, Bilbil, I'm a goat," replied Rinkitink.
"Not so,&quo=
t;
insisted Bilbil. "Nothing could make you a member of my superior
race."
"Superior? W=
hy,
Bilbil, a goat is but a beast, while I am a King!"
"I claim that
superiority lies in intelligence," said the goat.
Rinkitink paid no
attention to this remark, but turning to Inga he said:
"We may as w=
ell
get back to the shore, for the boat is too heavy to row to Gilgad or anywhe=
re
else. Indeed, it will be hard for us to reach land again."
"Let me take=
the
oars," suggested Inga. "You must not forget our bargain."
"No,
indeed," answered Rinkitink. "If you can row us to Regos, or to a=
ny
other place, I will go with you without protest."
So the King took
Inga's place at the stern of the boat and the boy grasped the oars and
commenced to row. And now, to the great wonder of Rinkitink--and even to In=
ga's
surprise--the oars became light as feathers as soon as the Prince took hold=
of
them. In an instant the boat began to glide rapidly through the water and,
seeing this, the boy turned its prow toward the north. He did not know exac=
tly
where Regos and Coregos were located, but he did know that the islands lay =
to
the north of Pingaree, so he decided to trust to luck and the guidance of t=
he
pearls to carry him to them.
Gradually the Isl=
and
of Pingaree became smaller to their view as the boat sped onward, until at =
the
end of an hour they had lost sight of it altogether and were wholly surroun=
ded
by the purple waters of the Nonestic Ocean.
Prince Inga did n=
ot
tire from the labor of rowing; indeed, it seemed to him no labor at all. On=
ce
he stopped long enough to place the poles of the canopy in the holes that h=
ad
been made for them, in the edges of the boat, and to spread the canopy of
silver over the poles, for Rinkitink had complained of the sun's heat. But =
the
canopy shut out the hot rays and rendered the interior of the boat cool and
pleasant.
"This is a
glorious ride!" cried Rinkitink, as he lay back in the shade. "I =
find
it a decided relief to be away from that dismal island of Pingaree.
"It may be a
relief for a short time," said Bilbil, "but you are going to the =
land
of your enemies, who will probably stick your fat body full of spears and
arrows."
"Oh, I hope
not!" exclaimed Inga, distressed at the thought.
"Never
mind," said the King calmly, "a man can die but once, you know, a=
nd
when the enemy kills me I shall beg him to kill Bilbil, also, that we may
remain together in death as in life."
"They may be
cannibals, in which case they will roast and eat us," suggested Bilbil,
who wished to terrify his master.
"Who
knows?" answered Rinkitink, with a shudder. "But cheer up, Bilbil=
; they
may not kill us after all, or even capture us; so let us not borrow trouble=
. Do
not look so cross, my sprightly quadruped, and I will sing to amuse you.&qu=
ot;
"Your song w=
ould
make me more cross than ever," grumbled the goat.
"Quite
impossible, dear Bilbil. You couldn't be more surly if you tried. So here i=
s a
famous song for you."
While the boy row=
ed
steadily on and the boat rushed fast over the water, the jolly King, who ne=
ver
could be sad or serious for many minutes at a time, lay back on his embroid=
ered
cushions and sang as follows:
"A merry maiden went to sea--=
Sing too-ral-oo-ral-i-do!
"How do you like that, Bilbil?=
"
"I don't like
it," complained the goat. "It reminds me of the alligator that tr=
ied
to whistle."
"Did he succ=
eed,
Bilbil?" asked the King.
"He whistled=
as
well as you sing."
"Ha, ha, ha,=
ha,
heek, keek, eek!" chuckled the King. "He must have whistled most
exquisitely, eh, my friend?"
"I am not yo=
ur
friend," returned the goat, wagging his ears in a surly manner.
"I am yours,
however," was the King's cheery reply; "and to prove it I'll sing=
you
another verse."
"Don't, I be=
g of
you!"
But the King sang=
as
follows:
"The wind blew off the maiden=
's
shoe-- Sing
too-ral-oo-ral-i-do! An=
d the
shoe flew high to the sky so blue And the maiden knew 'twas a n=
ew
shoe, too; But she coul=
dn't
pursue the shoe, 'tis true-- Sing
too-ral-oo-ral-i-do!
"Isn't that sweet, my pretty
goat?"
"Sweet, do y=
ou
ask?" retorted Bilbil. "I consider it as sweet as candy made from
mustard and vinegar."
"But not as
sweet as your disposition, I admit. Ah, Bilbil, your temper would put honey
itself to shame."
"Do not quar=
rel,
I beg of you," pleaded Inga. "Are we not sad enough already?"=
;
"But this is=
a
jolly quarrel," said the King, "and it is the way Bilbil and I of=
ten
amuse ourselves. Listen, now, to the last verse of all:
"The maid who shied her shoe =
now
cried-- Sing
too-ral-oo-ral-i-do! Her
tears were fried for the Captain's bride Who ate with pride her sobs,
beside, And gently sigh=
ed
'I'm satisfied'-- Sing
to-ral-oo-ral-i-do!"
"Worse and worse!" grumbl=
ed
Bilbil, with much scorn. "I am glad that is the last verse, for anothe=
r of
the same kind might cause me to faint."
"I fear you =
have
no ear for music," said the King.
"I have hear=
d no
music, as yet," declared the goat. "You must have a strong
imagination, King Rinkitink, if you consider your songs music. Do you remem=
ber
the story of the bear that hired out for a nursemaid?"
"I do not re=
call
it just now," said Rinkitink, with a wink at Inga.
"Well, the b=
ear
tried to sing a lullaby to put the baby to sleep."
"And then?&q=
uot;
said the King.
"The bear was
highly pleased with its own voice, but the baby was nearly frightened to
death."
"Heh, heb, h=
eh,
heh, whoo, hoo, hoo! You are a merry rogue, Bilbil," laughed the King;
"a merry rogue in spite of your gloomy features. However, if I have not
amused you, I have at least pleased myself, for I am exceedingly fond of a =
good
song. So let us say no more about it."
All this time the=
boy
Prince was rowing the boat. He was not in the least tired, for the oars he =
held
seemed to move of their own accord. He paid little heed to the conversation=
of
Rinkitink and the goat, but busied his thoughts with plans of what he shoul=
d do
when he reached the islands of Regos and Coregos and confronted his enemies.
When the others finally became silent, Inga inquired.
"Can you fig=
ht,
King Rinkitink?"
"I have never
tried," was the answer. "In time of danger I have found it much
easier to run away than to face the foe."
"But could y=
ou
fight?" asked the boy.
"I might try=
, if
there was no chance to escape by running. Have you a proper weapon for me to
fight with?"
"I have no
weapon at all," confessed Inga.
"Then let us=
use
argument and persuasion instead of fighting. For instance, if we could pers=
uade
the warriors of Regos to lie down, and let me step on them, they would be
crushed with ease."
Prince Inga had
expected little support from the King, so he was not discouraged by this
answer. After all, he reflected, a conquest by battle would be out of the
question, yet the White Pearl would not have advised him to go to Regos and
Coregos had the mission been a hopeless one. It seemed to him, on further
reflection, that he must rely upon circumstances to determine his actions w=
hen
he reached the islands of the barbarians.
By this time Inga
felt perfect confidence in the Magic Pearls. It was the White Pearl that had
given him the boat, and the Blue Pearl that had given him strength to row i=
t.
He believed that the Pink Pearl would protect him from any danger that might
arise; so his anxiety was not for himself, but for his companions. King
Rinkitink and the goat had no magic to protect them, so Inga resolved to do=
all
in his power to keep them from harm.
For three days and
three nights the boat with the silver lining sped swiftly over the ocean. On
the morning of the fourth day, so quickly had they traveled, Inga saw before
him the shores of the two great islands of Regos and Coregos.
"The pearls =
have
guided me aright!" he whispered to himself. "Now, if I am wise, a=
nd
cautious, and brave, I believe I shall be able to rescue my father and moth=
er
and my people."
The Island of Reg=
os
was ten miles wide and forty miles long and it was ruled by a big and power=
ful
King named Gos. Near to the shores were green and fertile fields, but farth=
er
back from the sea were rugged hills and mountains, so rocky that nothing wo=
uld
grow there. But in these mountains were mines of gold and silver, which the
slaves of the King were forced to work, being confined in dark underground
passages for that purpose. In the course of time huge caverns had been holl=
owed
out by the slaves, in which they lived and slept, never seeing the light of
day. Cruel overseers with whips stood over these poor people, who had been
captured in many countries by the raiding parties of King Cos, and the
overseers were quite willing to lash the slaves with their whips if they
faltered a moment in their work.
Between the green
shores and the mountains were forests of thick, tangled trees, between which
narrow paths had been cut to lead up to the caves of the mines. It was on t=
he
level green meadows, not far from the ocean, that the great City of Regos h=
ad
been built, wherein was located the palace of the King. This city was inhab=
ited
by thousands of the fierce warriors of Gos, who frequently took to their bo=
ats
and spread over the sea to the neighboring islands to conquer and pillage, =
as
they had done at Pingaree. When they were not absent on one of these expedi=
tions,
the City of Regos swarmed with them and so became a dangerous place for any
peaceful person to live in, for the warriors were as lawless as their King.=
The Island of Cor=
egos
lay close beside the Island of Regos; so close, indeed, that one might have
thrown a stone from one shore to another. But Coregos was only half the siz=
e of
Regos and instead of being mountainous it was a rich and pleasant country,
covered with fields of grain. The fields of Coregos furnished food for the
warriors and citizens of both countries, while the mines of Regos made them=
all
rich.
Coregos was ruled=
by
Queen Cor, who was wedded to King Gos; but so stern and cruel was the natur=
e of
this Queen that the people could not decide which of their sovereigns they
dreaded most.
Queen Cor lived in
her own City of Coregos, which lay on that side of her island facing Regos,=
and
her slaves, who were mostly women, were made to plow the land and to plant =
and
harvest the grain.
From Regos to Cor=
egos
stretched a bridge of boats, set close together, with planks laid across th=
eir
edges for people to walk upon. In this way it was easy to pass from one isl=
and
to the other and in times of danger the bridge could be quickly removed.
The native
inhabitants of Regos and Coregos consisted of the warriors, who did nothing=
but
fight and ravage, and the trembling servants who waited on them. King Gos a=
nd
Queen Cor were at war with all the rest of the world. Other islanders hated=
and
feared them, for their slaves were badly treated and absolutely no mercy was
shown to the weak or ill.
When the boats th=
at
had gone to Pingaree returned loaded with rich plunder and a host of captiv=
es,
there was much rejoicing in Regos and Coregos and the King and Queen gave a
fine feast to the warriors who had accomplished so great a conquest. This f=
east
was set for the warriors in the grounds of King Gos's palace, while with th=
em
in the great throne room all the captains and leaders of the fighting men w=
ere assembled
with King Gos and Queen Cor, who had come from her island to attend the
ceremony. Then all the goods that had been stolen from the King of Pingaree
were divided according to rank, the King and Queen taking half, the captain=
s a
quarter, and the rest being divided amongst the warriors.
The day following=
the
feast King Gos sent King Kitticut and all the men of Pingaree to work in his
mines under the mountains, having first chained them together so they could=
not
escape. The gentle Queen of Pingaree and all her women, together with the
captured children, were given to Queen Cor, who set them to work in her gra=
in
fields.
Then the rulers a=
nd
warriors of these dreadful islands thought they had done forever with Pinga=
ree.
Despoiled of all its wealth, its houses torn down, its boats captured and a=
ll
its people enslaved, what likelihood was there that they might ever again h=
ear
of the desolated island? So the people of Regos and Coregos were surprised =
and
puzzled when one morning they observed approaching their shores from the di=
rection
of the south a black boat containing a boy, a fat man and a goat. The warri=
ors
asked one another who these could be, and where they had come from? No one =
ever
came to those islands of their own accord, that was certain.
Prince Inga guided
his boat to the south end of the Island of Regos, which was the landing pla=
ce
nearest to the city, and when the warriors saw this action they went down to
the shore to meet him, being led by a big captain named Buzzub.
"Those peopl=
e surely
mean us no good," said Rinkitink uneasily to the boy. "Without do=
ubt
they intend to capture us and make us their slaves."
"Do not fear,
sir," answered Inga, in a calm voice. "Stay quietly in the boat w=
ith
Bilbil until I have spoken with these men."
He stopped the bo=
at a
dozen feet from the shore, and standing up in his place made a grave bow to=
the
multitude confronting him. Said the big Captain Buzzub in a gruff voice:
"Well, little
one, who may you be? And how dare you come, uninvited and all alone, to the
Island of Regos?"
"I am Inga,
Prince of Pingaree," returned the boy, "and I have come here to f=
ree
my parents and my people, whom you have wrongfully enslaved."
When they heard t=
his
bold speech a mighty laugh arose from the band of warriors, and when it had
subsided the captain said:
"You love to
jest, my baby Prince, and the joke is fairly good. But why did you willingly
thrust your head into the lion's mouth? When you were free, why did you not
stay free? We did not know we had left a single person in Pingaree! But sin=
ce
you managed to escape us then, it is really kind of you to come here of your
own free will, to be our slave. Who is the funny fat person with you?"=
"It is His
Majesty, King Rinkitink, of the great City of Gilgad. He has accompanied me=
to
see that you render full restitution for all you have stolen from
Pingaree."
"Better
yet!" laughed Buzzub. "He will make a fine slave for Queen Cor, w=
ho
loves to tickle fat men, and see them jump."
King Rinkitink was
filled with horror when he heard this, but the Prince answered as boldly as
before, saying:
"We are not =
to
be frightened by bluster, believe me; nor are we so weak as you imagine. We
have magic powers so great and terrible that no host of warriors can possib=
ly
withstand us, and therefore I call upon you to surrender your city and your
island to us, before we crush you with our mighty powers."
The boy spoke very
gravely and earnestly, but his words only aroused another shout of laughter=
. So
while the men of Regos were laughing Inga drove the boat we'll up onto the
sandy beach and leaped out. He also helped Rinkitink out, and when the goat=
had
unaided sprung to the sands, the King got upon Bilbil's back, trembling a
little internally, but striving to look as brave as possible.
There was a bunch=
of
coarse hair between the goat's ears, and this Inga clutched firmly in his l=
eft
hand. The boy knew the Pink Pearl would protect not only himself, but all w=
hom
he touched, from any harm, and as Rinkitink was astride the goat and Inga h=
ad his
hand upon the animal, the three could not be injured by anything the warrio=
rs
could do. But Captain Buzzub did not know this, and the little group of thr=
ee seemed
so weak and ridiculous that he believed their capture would be easy. So he
turned to his men and with a wave of his hand said:
"Seize the
intruders!"
Instantly two or
three of the warriors stepped forward to obey, but to their amazement they
could not reach any of the three; their hands were arrested as if by an
invisible wall of iron. Without paying any attention to these attempts at
capture, Inga advanced slowly and the goat kept pace with him. And when
Rinkitink saw that he was safe from harm he gave one of his big, merry laug=
hs,
and it startled the warriors and made them nervous. Captain Buzzub's eyes g=
rew
big with surprise as the three steadily advanced and forced his men backwar=
d;
nor was he free from terror himself at the magic that protected these stran=
ge visitors.
As for the warriors, they presently became terror-stricken and fled in a pa=
nic
up the slope toward the city, and Buzzub was obliged to chase after them and
shout threats of punishment before he could halt them and form them into a =
line
of battle.
All the men of Re=
gos
bore spears and bows-and-arrows, and some of the officers had swords and
battle-axes; so Buzzub ordered them to stand their ground and shoot and slay
the strangers as they approached. This they tried to do. Inga being in adva=
nce,
the warriors sent a flight of sharp arrows straight at the boy's breast, wh=
ile
others cast their long spears at him.
It seemed to
Rinkitink that the little Prince must surely perish as he stood facing this
hail of murderous missiles; but the power of the Pink Pearl did not desert =
him,
and when the arrows and spears had reached to within an inch of his body th=
ey
bounded back again and fell harmlessly at his feet. Nor were Rinkitink or
Bilbil injured in the least, although they stood close beside Inga.
Buzzub stood for a
moment looking upon the boy in silent wonder. Then, recovering himself, he
shouted in a loud voice:
"Once again!=
All
together, my men. No one shall ever defy our might and live!"
Again a flight of
arrows and spears sped toward the three, and since many more of the warrior=
s of
Regos had by this time joined their fellows, the air was for a moment darke=
ned
by the deadly shafts. But again all fell harmless before the power of the P=
ink
Pearl, and Bilbil, who had been growing very angry at the attempts to injure
him and his party, suddenly made a bolt forward, casting off Inga's hold, a=
nd butted
into the line of warriors, who were standing amazed at their failure to
conquer.
Taken by surprise=
at
the goat's attack, a dozen big warriors tumbled in a heap, yelling with fea=
r,
and their comrades, not knowing what had happened but imagining that their =
foes
were attacking them, turned about and ran to the city as hard as they could=
go.
Bilbil, still angry, had just time to catch the big captain as he turned to
follow his men, and Buzzub first sprawled headlong upon the ground, then ro=
lled
over two or three times, and finally jumped up and ran yelling after his
defeated warriors. This butting on the part of the goat was very hard upon =
King
Rinkitink, who nearly fell off Bilbil's back at the shock of encounter; but=
the
little fat King wound his arms around the goat's neck and shut his eyes and
clung on with all his might. It was not until he heard Inga say triumphantl=
y,
"We have won the fight without striking a blow!" that Rinkitink d=
ared
open his eyes again. Then he saw the warriors rushing into the City of Regos
and barring the heavy gates, and he was very much relieved at the sight.
"Without
striking a blow!" said Bilbil indignantly. "That is not quite tru=
e,
Prince Inga. You did not fight, I admit, but I struck a couple of times to =
good
purpose, and I claim to have conquered the cowardly warriors unaided."=
"You and I
together, Bilbil," said Rinkitink mildly. "But the next time you =
make
a charge, please warn me in time, so that I may dismount and give you all t=
he
credit for the attack."
There being no one
now to oppose their advance, the three walked to the gates of the city, whi=
ch
had been closed against them. The gates were of iron and heavily barred, and
upon the top of the high walls of the city a host of the warriors now appea=
red
armed with arrows and spears and other weapons. For Buzzub had gone straigh=
t to
the palace of King Cos and reported his defeat, relating the powerful magic=
of
the boy, the fat King and the goat, and had asked what to do next.
The big captain s=
till
trembled with fear, but King Gos did not believe in magic, and called Buzzu=
b a
coward and a weakling. At once the King took command of his men personally,=
and
he ordered the walls manned with warriors and instructed them to shoot to k=
ill
if any of the three strangers approached the gates.
Of course, neither
Rinkitink nor Bilbil knew how they had been protected from harm and so at f=
irst
they were inclined to resent the boy's command that the three must always k=
eep
together and touch one another at all times. But when Inga explained that h=
is
magic would not otherwise save them from injury, they agreed to obey, for t=
hey
had now seen enough to convince them that the Prince was really protected b=
y some
invisible power.
As they came befo=
re
the gates another shower of arrows and spears descended upon them, and as
before not a single missile touched their bodies. King Gos, who was upon the
wall, was greatly amazed and somewhat worried, but he depended upon the
strength of his gates and commanded his men to continue shooting until all
their weapons were gone.
Inga let them sho=
ot
as much as they wished, while he stood before the great gates and examined =
them
carefully.
"Perhaps Bil=
bil
can batter down the gates, suggested Rinkitink.
"No,"
replied the goat; "my head is hard, but not harder than iron."
"Then,"
returned the King, "let us stay outside; especially as we can't get
in."
But Inga was not =
at
all sure they could not get in. The gates opened inward, and three heavy ba=
rs
were held in place by means of stout staples riveted to the sheets of steel.
The boy had been told that the power of the Blue Pearl would enable him to
accomplish any feat of strength, and he believed that this was true.
The warriors, und=
er
the direction of King Gos, continued to hurl arrows and darts and spears and
axes and huge stones upon the invaders, all without avail. The ground below=
was
thickly covered with weapons, yet not one of the three before the gates had
been injured in the slightest manner. When everything had been cast that was
available and not a single weapon of any sort remained at hand, the amazed
warriors saw the boy put his shoulder against the gates and burst asunder t=
he
huge staples that held the bars in place. A thousand of their men could not=
have
accomplished this feat, yet the small, slight boy did it with seeming ease.=
The
gates burst open, and Inga advanced into the city street and called upon Ki=
ng
Gos to surrender.
But Gos was now as
badly frightened as were his warriors. He and his men were accustomed to war
and pillage and they had carried terror into many countries, but here was a
small boy, a fat man and a goat who could not be injured by all his skill in
warfare, his numerous army and thousands of death-dealing weapons. Moreover,
they not only defied King Gos's entire army but they had broken in the huge
gates of the city--as easily as if they had been made of paper--and such an
exhibition of enormous strength made the wicked King fear for his life. Like
all bullies and marauders, Gos was a coward at heart, and now a panic seized
him and he turned and fled before the calm advance of Prince Inga of Pingar=
ee.
The warriors were like their master, and having thrown all their weapons ov=
er
the wall and being helpless to oppose the strangers, they all swarmed after
Gos, who abandoned his city and crossed the bridge of boats to the Island of
Coregos. There was a desperate struggle among these cowardly warriors to get
over the bridge, and many were pushed into the water and obliged to swim; b=
ut finally
every fighting man of Regos had gained the shore of Coregos and then they t=
ore
away the bridge of boats and drew them up on their own side, hoping the str=
etch
of open water would prevent the magic invaders from following them.
The humble citize=
ns
and serving people of Regos, who had been terrified and abused by the rough
warriors all their lives, were not only greatly astonished by this sudden
conquest of their masters but greatly delighted. As the King and his army f=
led
to Coregos, the people embraced one another and danced for very joy, and th=
en
they turned to see what the conquerors of Regos were like.
The fat King rode=
his
goat through the streets of the conquered city and the boy Prince walked
proudly beside him, while all the people bent their heads humbly to their n=
ew
masters, whom they were prepared to serve in the same manner they had King =
Gos.
Not a warrior
remained in all Regos to oppose the triumphant three; the bridge of boats h=
ad
been destroyed; Inga and his companions were free from danger--for a time, =
at
least.
The jolly little =
King
appreciated this fact and rejoiced that he had escaped all injury during the
battle. How it had all happened he could not tell, nor even guess, but he w=
as
content in being safe and free to take possession of the enemy's city. So, =
as
they passed through the lines of respectful civilians on their way to the
palace, the King tipped his crown back on his bald head and folded his arms=
and
sang in his best voice the following lines:
"Oh, here comes the army of K=
ing
Rinkitink! It isn't a b=
ig
one, perhaps you may think, But it scattered the warriors
quicker than wink-- Rink-i-tink, tink-i-tink, tin=
k!
Our Bilbil's a hero and so is his =
King; Our foemen have vanished like=
birds
on the wing; I guess th=
at as
fighters we're quite the real thing-- Rink-i-tink, tink-i-tink,
tink!"
"Why don't you give a little c=
redit
to Inga?" inquired the goat. "If I remember aright, he did a litt=
le
of the conquering himself."
"So he
did," responded the King, "and that's the reason I'm sounding our=
own
praise, Bilbil. Those who do the least, often shout the loudest and so get =
the
most glory. Inga did so much that there is danger of his becoming more
important than we are, and so we'd best say nothing about him."
When they reached=
the
palace, which was an immense building, furnished throughout in regal splend=
or,
Inga took formal possession and ordered the majordomo to show them the fine=
st
rooms the building contained. There were many pleasant apartments, but
Rinkitink proposed to Inga that they share one of the largest bedrooms
together.
"For," =
said
he, "we are not sure that old Gos will not return and try to recapture=
his
city, and you must remember that I have no magic to protect me. In any dang=
er,
were I alone, I might be easily killed or captured, while if you are by my =
side
you can save me from injury."
The boy realized =
the
wisdom of this plan, and selected a fine big bedroom on the second floor of=
the
palace, in which he ordered two golden beds placed and prepared for King
Rinkitink and himself. Bilbil was given a suite of rooms on the other side =
of
the palace, where servants brought the goat fresh-cut grass to eat and made=
him
a soft bed to lie upon.
That evening the =
boy
Prince and the fat King dined in great state in the lofty-domed dining hall=
of
the palace, where forty servants waited upon them. The royal chef, anxious =
to
win the favor of the conquerors of Regos, prepared his finest and most savo=
ry
dishes for them, which Rinkitink ate with much appetite and found so delici=
ous
that he ordered the royal chef brought into the banquet hall and presented =
him
with a gilt button which the King cut from his own jacket.
"You are wel=
come
to it," said he to the chef, "because I have eaten so much that I
cannot use that lower button at all."
Rinkitink was
mightily pleased to live in a comfortable palace again and to dine at a well
spread table. His joy grew every moment, so that he came in time to be as m=
erry
and cheery as before Pingaree was despoiled. And, although he had been much
frightened during Inga's defiance of the army of King Gos, he now began to =
turn
the matter into a joke.
"Why, my
boy," said he, "you whipped the big black-bearded King exactly as=
if
he were a schoolboy, even though you used no warlike weapon at all upon him=
. He
was cowed through fear of your magic, and that reminds me to demand from yo=
u an
explanation. How did you do it, Inga? And where did the wonderful magic come
from?"
Perhaps it would =
have
been wise for the Prince to have explained about the magic pearls, but at t=
hat
moment he was not inclined to do so. Instead, he replied:
"Be patient,
Your Majesty. The secret is not my own, so please do not ask me to divulge =
it.
Is it not enough, for the present, that the magic saved you from death
to-day?"
"Do not thin=
k me
ungrateful," answered the King earnestly. "A million spears fell =
on
me from the wall, and several stones as big as mountains, yet none of them =
hurt
me!"
"The stones =
were
not as big as mountains, sire," said the Prince with a smile. "Th=
ey
were, indeed, no larger than your head."
"Are you sure
about that?" asked Rinkitink.
"Quite sure,
Your Majesty."
"How decepti=
ve
those things are!" sighed the King. "This argument reminds me of =
the
story of Tom Tick, which my father used to tell."
"I have never
heard that story," Inga answered.
"Well, as he
told it, it ran like this:
"When Tom walked out, the sky=
to
spy, A naughty gnat fle=
w in
his eye; But Tom knew n=
ot it
was a gnat-- He thought=
, at
first, it was a cat.
"And then, it felt so very bi=
g, He thought it surely was a pi=
g Till, standing still to hear =
it
grunt, He cried: 'Why, =
it's
an elephunt!'
"But--when the gnat flew out =
again And Tom was free from all his=
pain,
He said: 'There flew in=
to my
eye A leetle, teenty-ti=
ny
fly.'"
"Indeed," said Inga, laug=
hing,
"the gnat was much like your stones that seemed as big as mountains.&q=
uot;
After their dinner
they inspected the palace, which was filled with valuable goods stolen by K=
ing
Gos from many nations. But the day's events had tired them and they retired
early to their big sleeping apartment.
"In the
morning," said the boy to Rinkitink, as he was undressing for bed, &qu=
ot;I
shall begin the search for my father and mother and the people of Pingaree.
And, when they are found and rescued, we will all go home again, and be as
happy as we were before."
They carefully bo=
lted
the door of their room, that no one might enter, and then got into their be=
ds,
where Rinkitink fell asleep in an instant. The boy lay awake for a while
thinking over the day's adventures, but presently he fell sound asleep also,
and so weary was he that nothing disturbed his slumber until he awakened ne=
xt
morning with a ray of sunshine in his eyes, which had crept into the room t=
hrough
the open window by King Rinkitink's bed.
Resolving to begin
the search for his parents without any unnecessary delay, Inga at once got =
out
of bed and began to dress himself, while Rinkitink, in the other bed, was s=
till
sleeping peacefully. But when the boy had put on both his stockings and beg=
an
looking for his shoes, he could find but one of them. The left shoe, that
containing the Pink Pearl, was missing.
Filled with anxie=
ty
at this discovery, Inga searched through the entire room, looking underneath
the beds and divans and chairs and behind the draperies and in the corners =
and
every other possible place a shoe might be. He tried the door, and found it
still bolted; so, with growing uneasiness, the boy was forced to admit that=
the
precious shoe was not in the room.
With a throbbing
heart he aroused his companion.
"King
Rinkitink," said he, "do you know what has become of my left shoe=
?"
"Your
shoe!" exclaimed the King, giving a wide yawn and rubbing his eyes to =
get
the sleep out of them. "Have you lost a shoe?"
"Yes," =
said
Inga. "I have searched everywhere in the room, and cannot find it.&quo=
t;
"But why bot=
her
me about such a small thing?" inquired Rinkitink. "A shoe is only=
a
shoe, and you can easily get another one. But, stay! Perhaps it was your sh=
oe
which I threw at the cat last night."
"The cat!&qu=
ot;
cried Inga. "What do you mean?"
"Why, in the
night," explained Rinkitink, sitting up and beginning to dress himself,
"I was wakened by the mewing of a cat that sat upon a wall of the pala=
ce,
just outside my window. As the noise disturbed me, I reached out in the dark
and caught up something and threw it at the cat, to frighten the creature a=
way.
I did not know what it was that I threw, and I was too sleepy to care; but
probably it was your shoe, since it is now missing."
"Then,"
said the boy, in a despairing tone of voice, "your carelessness has ru=
ined
me, as well as yourself, King Rinkitink, for in that shoe was concealed the
magic power which protected us from danger."
The King's face
became very serious when he heard this and he uttered a low whistle of surp=
rise
and regret.
"Why on earth
did you not warn me of this?" he demanded. "And why did you keep =
such
a precious power in an old shoe? And why didn't you put the shoe under a
pillow? You were very wrong, my lad, in not confiding to me, your faithful
friend, the secret, for in that case the shoe would not now be lost." =
To all this Inga =
had
no answer. He sat on the side of his bed, with hanging head, utterly
disconsolate, and seeing this, Rinkitink had pity for his sorrow.
"Come!"
cried the King; "let us go out at once and look for the shoe which I t=
hrew
at the cat. It must even now be lying in the yard of the palace."
This suggestion
roused the boy to action. He at once threw open the door and in his stocking
feet rushed down the staircase, closely followed by Rinkitink. But although
they looked on both sides of the palace wall and in every possible crack and
corner where a shoe might lodge, they failed to find it.
After a half hour=
's
careful search the boy said sorrowfully:
"Someone must
have passed by, as we slept, and taken the precious shoe, not knowing its
value. To us, King Rinkitink, this will be a dreadful misfortune, for we are
surrounded by dangers from which we have now no protection. Luckily I have =
the
other shoe left, within which is the magic power that gives me strength; so=
all
is not lost."
Then he told
Rinkitink, in a few words, the secret of the wonderful pearls, and how he h=
ad
recovered them from the ruins and hidden them in his shoes, and how they had
enabled him to drive King Gos and his men from Regos and to capture the cit=
y.
The King was much astonished, and when the story was concluded he said to I=
nga:
"What did yo=
u do
with the other shoe?"
"Why, I left=
it
in our bedroom," replied the boy.
"Then I advi=
se
you to get it at once," continued Rinkitink, "for we can ill affo=
rd
to lose the second shoe, as well as the one I threw at the cat."
"You are
right!" cried Inga, and they hastened back to their bedchamber.
On entering the r=
oom
they found an old woman sweeping and raising a great deal of dust.
"Where is my
shoe?" asked the Prince, anxiously.
The old woman sto=
pped
sweeping and looked at him in a stupid way, for she was not very intelligen=
t.
"Do you mean=
the
one odd shoe that was lying on the floor when I came in?" she finally
asked.
"Yes--yes!&q=
uot;
answered the boy. "Where is it? Tell me where it is!"
"Why, I thre=
w it
on the dust-heap, outside the back gate," said she, "for, it being
but a single shoe, with no mate, it can be of no use to anyone."
"Show us the=
way
to the dust-heap--at once!" commanded the boy, sternly, for he was gre=
atly
frightened by this new misfortune which threatened him.
The old woman hob=
bled
away and they followed her, constantly urging her to hasten; but when they =
reached
the dust-heap no shoe was to be seen.
"This is
terrible!" wailed the young Prince, ready to weep at his loss. "We
are now absolutely ruined, and at the mercy of our enemies. Nor shall I be =
able
to liberate my dear father and mother."
"Well,"
replied Rinkitink, leaning against an old barrel and looking quite solemn,
"the thing is certainly unlucky, any way we look at it. I suppose some=
one
has passed along here and, seeing the shoe upon the dust-heap, has carried =
it
away. But no one could know the magic power the shoe contains and so will n=
ot
use it against us. I believe, Inga, we must now depend upon our wits to get=
us
out of the scrape we are in."
With saddened hea=
rts
they returned to the palace, and entering a small room where no one could
observe them or overhear them, the boy took the White Pearl from its silken=
bag
and held it to his ear, asking:
"What shall =
I do
now?"
"Tell no one=
of
your loss," answered the Voice of the Pearl. "If your enemies do =
not
know that you are powerless, they will fear you as much as ever. Keep your
secret, be patient, and fear not!"
Inga heeded this
advice and also warned Rinkitink to say nothing to anyone of the loss of the
shoes and the powers they contained. He sent for the shoemaker of King Gos,=
who
soon brought him a new pair of red leather shoes that fitted him quite well.
When these had been put upon his feet, the Prince, accompanied by the King,
started to walk through the city.
Wherever they went
the people bowed low to the conqueror, although a few, remembering Inga's
terrible strength, ran away in fear and trembling. They had been used to se=
vere
masters and did not yet know how they would be treated by King Gos's succes=
sor.
There being no occasion for the boy to exercise the powers he had displayed=
the
previous day, his present helplessness was not suspected by any of the citi=
zens
of Regos, who still considered him a wonderful magician.
Inga did not dare=
to
fight his way to the mines, at present, nor could he try to conquer the Isl=
and
of Coregos, where his mother was enslaved; so he set about the regulation of
the City of Regos, and having established himself with great state in the r=
oyal
palace he began to govern the people by kindness, having consideration for =
the
most humble.
The King of Regos=
and
his followers sent spies across to the island they had abandoned in their
flight, and these spies returned with the news that the terrible boy conque=
ror
was still occupying the city. Therefore none of them ventured to go back to
Regos but continued to live upon the neighboring island of Coregos, where t=
hey
passed the days in fear and trembling and sought to plot and plan ways how =
they
might overcome the Prince of Pingaree and the fat King of Gilgad.
Now it so happened
that on the morning of that same day when the Prince of Pingaree suffered t=
he
loss of his priceless shoes, there chanced to pass along the road that wound
beside the royal palace a poor charcoal-burner named Nikobob, who was about=
to
return to his home in the forest.
Nikobob carried a=
n ax
and a bundle of torches over his shoulder and he walked with his eyes to the
ground, being deep in thought as to the strange manner in which the powerful
King Gos and his city had been conquered by a boy Prince who had come from
Pingaree.
Suddenly the
charcoal-burner espied a shoe lying upon the ground, just beyond the high w=
all
of the palace and directly in his path. He picked it up and, seeing it was a
pretty shoe, although much too small for his own foot, he put it in his poc=
ket.
Soon after, on
turning a corner of the wall, Nikobob came to a dust-heap where, lying amid=
st a
mass of rubbish, was another shoe--the mate to the one he had before found.
This also he placed in his pocket, saying to himself:
"I have now a
fine pair of shoes for my daughter Zella, who will be much pleased to find I
have brought her a present from the city."
And while the
charcoal-burner turned into the forest and trudged along the path toward his
home, Inga and Rinkitink were still searching for the missing shoes. Of cou=
rse,
they could not know that Nikobob had found them, nor did the honest man thi=
nk
he had taken anything more than a pair of cast-off shoes which nobody wante=
d.
Nikobob had sever=
al
miles to travel through the forest before he could reach the little log cab=
in
where his wife, as well as his little daughter Zella, awaited his return, b=
ut
he was used to long walks and tramped along the path whistling cheerfully to
beguile the time.
Few people, as I =
said
before, ever passed through the dark and tangled forests of Regos, except t=
o go
to the mines in the mountain beyond, for many dangerous creatures lurked in=
the
wild jungles, and King Gos never knew, when he sent a messenger to the mine=
s,
whether he would reach there safely or not.
The charcoal-burn=
er,
however, knew the wild forest well, and especially this part of it lying
between the city and his home. It was the favorite haunt of the ferocious b=
east
Choggenmugger, dreaded by every dweller in the Island of Regos. Choggenmugg=
er
was so old that everyone thought it must have been there since the world was
made, and each year of its life the huge scales that covered its body grew
thicker and harder and its jaws grew wider and its teeth grew sharper and i=
ts appetite
grew more keen than ever.
In former ages th=
ere
had been many dragons in Regos, but Choggenmugger was so fond of dragons th=
at
he had eaten all of them long ago. There had also been great serpents and
crocodiles in the forest marshes, but all had gone to feed the hunger of
Choggenmugger. The people of Regos knew well there was no use opposing the
Great Beast, so when one unfortunately met with it he gave himself up for l=
ost.
All this Nikobob =
knew
well, but fortune had always favored him in his journey through the forest,=
and
although he had at times met many savage beasts and fought them with his sh=
arp
ax, he had never to this day encountered the terrible Choggenmugger. Indeed=
, he
was not thinking of the Great Beast at all as he walked along, but suddenly=
he
heard a crashing of broken trees and felt a trembling of the earth and saw =
the immense
jaws of Choggenmugger opening before him. Then Nikobob gave himself up for =
lost
and his heart almost ceased to beat.
He believed there=
was
no way of escape. No one ever dared oppose Choggenmugger. But Nikobob hated=
to
die without showing the monster, in some way, that he was eaten only under
protest. So he raised his ax and brought it down upon the red, protruding
tongue of the monster--and cut it clean off!
For a moment the
charcoal-burner scarcely believed what his eyes saw, for he knew nothing of=
the
pearls he carried in his pocket or the magic power they lent his arm. His
success, however, encouraged him to strike again, and this time the huge sc=
aly
jaw of Choggenmugger was severed in twain and the beast howled in terrified
rage.
Nikobob took off =
his
coat, to give himself more freedom of action, and then he earnestly renewed=
the
attack. But now the ax seemed blunted by the hard scales and made no impres=
sion
upon them whatever. The creature advanced with glaring, wicked eyes, and
Nikobob seized his coat under his arm and turned to flee.
That was foolish,=
for
Choggenmugger could run like the wind. In a moment it overtook the
charcoal-burner and snapped its four rows of sharp teeth together. But they=
did
not touch Nikobob, because he still held the coat in his grasp, close to his
body, and in the coat pocket were Inga's shoes, and in the points of the sh=
oes
were the magic pearls. Finding himself uninjured, Nikobob put on his coat,
again seized his ax, and in a short time had chopped Choggenmugger into man=
y small
pieces--a task that proved not only easy but very agreeable.
"I must be t=
he
strongest man in all the world!" thought the charcoal-burner, as he
proudly resumed his way, "for Choggenmugger has been the terror of Reg=
os
since the world began, and I alone have been able to destroy the beast. Yet=
it
is singular' that never before did I discover how powerful a man I am."=
;
He met no further
adventure and at midday reached a little clearing in the forest where stood=
his
humble cabin.
"Great news!=
I
have great news for you," he shouted, as his wife and little daughter =
came
to greet him. "King Gos has been conquered by a boy Prince from the far
island of Pingaree, and I have this day--unaided--destroyed Choggenmugger by
the might of my strong arm."
This was, indeed,
great news. They brought Nikobob into the house and set him in an easy chair
and made him tell everything he knew about the Prince of Pingaree and the f=
at
King of Gilgad, as well as the details of his wonderful fight with mighty
Choggenmugger.
"And now, my
daughter," said the charcoalburner, when all his news had been related=
for
at least the third time, "here is a pretty present I have brought you =
from
the city."
With this he drew=
the
shoes from the pocket of his coat and handed them to Zella, who gave him a
dozen kisses in payment and was much pleased with her gift. The little girl=
had
never worn shoes before, for her parents were too poor to buy her such
luxuries, so now the possession of these, which were not much worn, filled =
the
child's heart with joy. She admired the red leather and the graceful curl of
the pointed toes. When she tried them on her feet, they fitted as well as if
made for her.
All the afternoon=
, as
she helped her mother with the housework, Zella thought of her pretty shoes.
They seemed more important to her than the coming to Regos of the conquering
Prince of Pingaree, or even the death of Choggenmugger.
When Zella and her
mother were not working in the cabin, cooking or sewing, they often searched
the neighboring forest for honey which the wild bees cleverly hid in hollow
trees. The day after Nikobob's return, as they were starting out after hone=
y,
Zella decided to put on her new shoes, as they would keep the twigs that
covered the ground from hurting her feet. She was used to the twigs, of cou=
rse,
but what is the use of having nice, comfortable shoes, if you do not wear t=
hem?
So she danced alo=
ng,
very happily, followed by her mother, and presently they came to a tree in
which was a deep hollow. Zella thrust her hand and arm into the space and f=
ound
that the tree was full of honey, so she began to dig it out with a wooden
paddle. Her mother, who held the pail, suddenly cried in warning:
"Look out,
Zella; the bees are coming!" and then the good woman ran fast toward t=
he
house to escape.
Zella, however, h=
ad
no more than time to turn her head when a thick swarm of bees surrounded he=
r,
angry because they had caught her stealing their honey and intent on stingi=
ng
the girl as a punishment. She knew her danger and expected to be badly inju=
red
by the multitude of stinging bees, but to her surprise the little creatures
were unable to fly close enough to her to stick their dart-like stingers in=
to
her flesh. They swarmed about her in a dark cloud, and their angry buzzing =
was
terrible to hear, yet the little girl remained unharmed.
When she realized
this, Zella was no longer afraid but continued to ladle out the honey until=
she
had secured all that was in the tree. Then she returned to the cabin, where=
her
mother was weeping and bemoaning the fate of her darling child, and the good
woman was greatly astonished to find Zella had escaped injury.
Again they went to
the woods to search for honey, and although the mother always ran away when=
ever
the bees came near them, Zella paid no attention to the creatures but kept =
at
her work, so that before supper time came the pails were again filled to
overflowing with delicious honey.
"With such g=
ood
fortune as we have had this day," said her mother, "we shall soon
gather enough honey for you to carry to Queen Cor." For it seems the
wicked Queen was very fond of honey and it had been Zella's custom to go, o=
nce
every year, to the City of Coregos, to carry the Queen a supply of sweet ho=
ney
for her table. Usually she had but one pail.
"But now,&qu=
ot;
said Zella, "I shall be able to carry two pailsful to the Queen, who w=
ill,
I am sure, give me a good price for it."
"True,"
answered her mother, "and, as the boy Prince may take it into his head=
to
conquer Coregos, as well as Regos, I think it best for you to start on your
journey to Queen Cor tomorrow morning. Do you not agree with me, Nikobob?&q=
uot;
she added, turning to her husband, the charcoal-burner, who was eating his
supper.
"I agree with
you," he replied. "If Zella must go to the City of Coregos, she m=
ay
as well start to-morrow morning."
You may be sure t=
he
Queen of Coregos was not well pleased to have King Gos and all his warriors
living in her city after they had fled from their own. They were savage nat=
ured
and quarrelsome men at all times, and their tempers had not improved since
their conquest by the Prince of Pingaree. Moreover, they were eating up Que=
en
Cor's provisions and crowding the houses of her own people, who grumbled and
complained until their Queen was heartily tired.
"Shame on
you!" she said to her husband, King Gos, "to be driven out of your
city by a boy, a roly-poly King and a billy goat! Why do you not go back and
fight them?"
"No human can
fight against the powers of magic," returned the King in a surly voice.
"That boy is either a fairy or under the protection of fairies. We esc=
aped
with our lives only because we were quick to run away; but, should we retur=
n to
Regos, the same terrible power that burst open the city gates would crush us
all to atoms."
"Bah! you ar=
e a
coward," cried the Queen, tauntingly.
"I am not a
coward," said the big King. "I have killed in battle scores of my
enemies; by the might of my sword and my good right arm I have conquered ma=
ny
nations; all my life people have feared me. But no one would dare face the
tremendous power of the Prince of Pingaree, boy though he is. It would not =
be
courage, it would be folly, to attempt it."
"Then meet h=
is
power with cunning," suggested the Queen. "Take my advice, and st=
eal
over to Regos at night, when it is dark, and capture or destroy the boy whi=
le
he sleeps."
"No weapon c=
an
touch his body," was the answer. "He bears a charmed life and can=
not
be injured."
"Does the fat
King possess magic powers, or the goat?" inquired Cor.
"I think
not," said Gos. "We could not injure them, indeed, any more than =
we
could the boy, but they did not seem to have any unusual strength, although=
the
goat's head is harder than a battering-ram."
"Well,"
mused the Queen, "there is surely some way to conquer that slight boy.=
If
you are afraid to undertake the job, I shall go myself. By some stratagem I
shall manage to make him my prisoner. He will not dare to defy a Queen, and=
no
magic can stand against a woman's cunning."
"Go ahead, if you like," replied the King, with an evil grin, "and if you are h= ung up by the thumbs or cast into a dungeon, it will serve you right for thinki= ng you can succeed where a skilled warrior dares not make the attempt." <= o:p>
"I'm not
afraid," answered the Queen. "It is only soldiers and bullies who=
are
cowards."
In spite of this
assertion, Queen Cor was not so brave as she was cunning. For several days =
she
thought over this plan and that, and tried to decide which was most likely =
to
succeed. She had never seen the boy Prince but had heard so many tales of h=
im
from the defeated warriors, and especially from Captain Buzzub, that she had
learned to respect his power.
Spurred on by the
knowledge that she would never get rid of her unwelcome guests until Prince
Inga was overcome and Regos regained for King Gos, the Queen of Coregos fin=
ally
decided to trust to luck and her native wit to defeat a simple-minded boy,
however powerful he might be. Inga could not suspect what she was going to =
do,
because she did not know herself. She intended to act boldly and trust to
chance to win.
It is evident that
had the cunning Queen known that Inga had lost all his magic, she would not
have devoted so much time to the simple matter of capturing him, but like a=
ll
others she was impressed by the marvelous exhibition of power he had shown =
in
capturing Regos, and had no reason to believe the boy was less powerful now=
.
One morning Queen=
Cor
boldly entered a boat, and, taking four men with her as an escort and
bodyguard, was rowed across the narrow channel to Regos. Prince Inga was
sitting in the palace playing checkers with King Rinkitink when a servant c=
ame
to him, saying that Queen Cor had arrived and desired an audience with him.=
With many misgivi=
ngs
lest the wicked Queen discover that he had now lost his magic powers, the b=
oy
ordered her to be admitted, and she soon entered the room and bowed low bef=
ore
him, in mock respect.
Cor was a big wom=
an,
almost as tall as King Gos. She had flashing black eyes and the dark comple=
xion
you see on gypsies. Her temper, when irritated, was something dreadful, and=
her
face wore an evil expression which she tried to cover by smiling sweetly--o=
ften
when she meant the most mischief.
"I have
come," said she in a low voice, "to render homage to the noble Pr=
ince
of Pingaree. I am told that Your Highness is the strongest person in the wo=
rld,
and invincible in battle, and therefore I wish you to become my friend, rat=
her
than my enemy."
Now Inga did not =
know
how to reply to this speech. He disliked the appearance of the woman and was
afraid of her and he was unused to deception and did not know how to mask h=
is
real feelings. So he took time to think over his answer, which he finally m=
ade
in these words:
"I have no
quarrel with Your Majesty, and my only reason for coming here is to liberat=
e my
father and mother, and my people, whom you and your husband have made your
slaves, and to recover the goods King Gos has plundered from the Island of
Pingaree. This I hope soon to accomplish, and if you really wish to be my
friend, you can assist me greatly."
While he was spea=
king
Queen Cor had been studying the boy's face stealthily, from the corners of =
her
eyes, and she said to herself: "He is so small and innocent that I bel=
ieve
I can capture him alone, and with ease. He does not seem very terrible and I
suspect that King Gos and his warriors were frightened at nothing."
Then, aloud, she =
said
to Inga:
"I wish to
invite you, mighty Prince, and your friend, the great King of Gilgad, to vi=
sit
my poor palace at Coregos, where all my people shall do you honor. Will you
come?"
"At
present," replied Inga, uneasily, "I must refuse your kind invita=
tion."
"There will =
be
feasting, and dancing girls, and games and fireworks," said the Queen,
speaking as if eager to entice him and at each word coming a step nearer to
where he stood.
"I could not
enjoy them while my poor parents are slaves," said the boy, sadly.
"Are you sur=
e of
that?" asked Queen Cor, and by that time she was close beside Inga.
Suddenly she leaned forward and threw both of her long arms around Inga's b=
ody,
holding him in a grasp that was like a vise.
Now Rinkitink spr=
ang
forward to rescue his friend, but Cor kicked out viciously with her foot and
struck the King squarely on his stomach--a very tender place to be kicked,
especially if one is fat. Then, still hugging Inga tightly, the Queen called
aloud:
"I've got hi=
m!
Bring in the ropes."
Instantly the four
men she had brought with her sprang into the room and bound the boy hand and
foot. Next they seized Rinkitink, who was still rubbing his stomach, and bo=
und
him likewise.
With a laugh of
wicked triumph, Queen Cor now led her captives down to the boat and returned
with them to Coregos.
Great was the
astonishment of King Gos and his warriors when they saw that the mighty Pri=
nce
of Pingaree, who had put them all to flight, had been captured by a woman.
Cowards as they were, they now crowded around the boy and jeered at him, and
some of them would have struck him had not the Queen cried out:
"Hands off! =
He
is my prisoner, remember not yours."
"Well, Cor, =
what
are you going to do with him?" inquired King Gos.
"I shall make
him my slave, that he may amuse my idle hours. For he is a pretty boy, and
gentle, although he did frighten all of you big warriors so terribly."=
The King scowled =
at
this speech, not liking to be ridiculed, but he said nothing more. He and h=
is
men returned that same day to Regos, after restoring the bridge of boats. A=
nd
they held a wild carnival of rejoicing, both in the King's palace and in the
city, although the poor people of Regos who were not warriors were all sorry
that the kind young Prince had been captured by his enemies and could rule =
them
no longer.
When her unwelcome
guests had all gone back to Regos and the Queen was alone in her palace, she
ordered Inga and Rinkitink brought before her and their bonds removed. They
came sadly enough, knowing they were in serious straits and at the mercy of=
a
cruel mistress. Inga had taken counsel of the White Pearl, which had advised
him to bear up bravely under his misfortune, promising a change for the bet=
ter
very soon. With this promise to comfort him, Inga faced the Queen with a
dignified bearing that indicated both pride and courage.
"Well,
youngster," said she, in a cheerful tone because she was pleased with =
her
success, "you played a clever trick on my poor husband and frightened =
him
badly, but for that prank I am inclined to forgive you. Hereafter I intend =
you
to be my page, which means that you must fetch and carry for me at my will.=
And
let me advise you to obey my every whim without question or delay, for when=
I
am angry I become ugly, and when I am ugly someone is sure to feel the lash=
. Do
you understand me?"
Inga bowed, but m=
ade
no answer. Then she turned to Rinkitink and said:
"As for you,=
I
cannot decide how to make you useful to me, as you are altogether too fat a=
nd
awkward to work in the fields. It may be, however, that I can use you as a
pincushion.
"What!"
cried Rinkitink in horror, "would you stick pins into the King of
Gilgad?"
"Why not?&qu=
ot;
returned Queen Cor. "You are as fat as a pincushion, as you must yours=
elf
admit, and whenever I needed a pin I could call you to me." Then she
laughed at his frightened look and asked: "By the way, are you
ticklish?"
This was the ques=
tion
Rinkitink had been dreading. He gave a moan of despair and shook his head. =
"I should lo=
ve
to tickle the bottom of your feet with a feather," continued the cruel
woman. "Please take off your shoes."
"Oh, your
Majesty!" pleaded poor Rinkitink, "I beg you to allow me to amuse=
you
in some other way. I can dance, or I can sing you a song."
"Well,"=
she
answered, shaking with laughter, "you may sing a song--if it be a merry
one. But you do not seem in a merry mood."
"I feel merr=
y--indeed,
Your Majesty, I do!" protested Rinkitink, anxious to escape the tickli=
ng.
But even as he professed to "feel merry" his round, red face wore=
an
expression of horror and anxiety that was realty comical.
"Sing,
then!" commanded Queen Cor, who was greatly amused.
Rinkitink gave a =
sigh
of relief and after clearing his throat and trying to repress his sobs he b=
egan
to sing this song-gently, at first, but finally roaring it out at the top of
his voice:
"Oh! There was a Baby Tiger lived =
in a
men-ag-er-ie-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--they would=
n't
set him free; And ev'ry=
body
thought that he was gentle as could be-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--Ba-by Ti-g=
er!
"Oh! They patted him upon his head=
and
shook him by the paw-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--he had a b=
one to
gnaw; But soon he grew =
the
biggest Tiger that you ever saw-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--what a Ti-=
ger!
"Oh! One day they came to pet the =
brute
and he began to fight-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy-how he did
scratch and bite! He br=
oke
the cage and in a rage he darted out of sight-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy was a
Ti-ger!"
"And is there a moral to the
song?" asked Queen Cor, when King Rinkitink had finished his song with
great spirit.
"If there
is," replied Rinkitink, "it is a warning not to fool with tigers.=
"
The little Prince
could not help smiling at this shrewd answer, but Queen Cor frowned and gave
the King a sharp look.
"Oh," s=
aid
she; "I think I know the difference between a tiger and a lapdog. But =
I'll
bear the warning in mind, just the same."
For, after all her
success in capturing them, she was a little afraid of these people who had =
once
displayed such extraordinary powers.
The forest in whi=
ch
Nikobob lived with his wife and daughter stood between the mountains and the
City of Regos, and a well-beaten path wound among the trees, leading from t=
he
city to the mines. This path was used by the King's messengers, and captured
prisoners were also sent by this way from Regos to work in the underground
caverns.
Nikobob had built=
his
cabin more than a mile away from this path, that he might not be molested by
the wild and lawless soldiers of King Gos, but the family of the
charcoal-burner was surrounded by many creatures scarcely less dangerous to
encounter, and often in the night they could hear savage animals growling a=
nd
prowling about the cabin. Because Nikobob minded his own business and never
hunted the wild creatures to injure them, the beasts had come to regard him=
as
one of the natural dwellers in the forest and did not molest him or his fam=
ily.
Still Zella and her mother seldom wandered far from home, except on such er=
rands
as carrying honey to Coregos, and at these times Nikobob cautioned them to =
be
very careful.
So when Zella set=
out
on her journey to Queen Cor, with the two pails of honey in her hands, she =
was
undertaking a dangerous adventure and there was no certainty that she would
return safely to her loving parents. But they were poor, and Queen Cor's mo=
ney,
which they expected to receive for the honey, would enable them to purchase
many things that were needed; so it was deemed best that Zella should go. S=
he
was a brave little girl and poor people are often obliged to take chances t=
hat
rich ones are spared.
A passing woodcho=
pper
had brought news to Nikobob's cabin that Queen Cor had made a prisoner of t=
he
conquering Prince of Pingaree and that Gos and his warriors were again back=
in
their city of Regos; but these struggles and conquests were matters which,
however interesting, did not concern the poor charcoal-burner or his family.
They were more anxious over the report that the warriors had become more
reckless than ever before, and delighted in annoying all the common people;=
so
Zella was told to keep away from the beaten path as much as possible, that =
she
might not encounter any of the King's soldiers.
"When it is
necessary to choose between the warriors and the wild beasts," said
Nikobob, "the beasts will be found the more merciful."
The little girl h=
ad
put on her best attire for the journey and her mother threw a blue silk sha=
wl
over her head and shoulders. Upon her feet were the pretty red shoes her fa=
ther
had brought her from Regos. Thus prepared, she kissed her parents good-bye =
and
started out with a light heart, carrying the pails of honey in either hand.=
It was necessary =
for
Zella to cross the path that led from the mines to the city, but once on the
other side she was not likely to meet with anyone, for she had resolved to =
cut
through the forest and so reach the bridge of boats without entering the Ci=
ty
of Regos, where she might be interrupted. For an hour or two she found the
walking easy enough, but then the forest, which in this part was unknown to
her, became badly tangled. The trees were thicker and creeping vines
intertwined between them. She had to turn this way and that to get through =
at
all, and finally she came to a place where a network of vines and branches =
effectually
barred her farther progress.
Zella was dismaye=
d,
at first, when she encountered this obstacle, but setting down her pails she
made an endeavor to push the branches aside. At her touch they parted as if=
by
magic, breaking asunder like dried twigs, and she found she could pass free=
ly.
At another place a great log had fallen across her way, but the little girl
lifted it easily and cast it aside, although six ordinary men could scarcely
have moved it.
The child was
somewhat worried at this evidence of a strength she had heretofore been
ignorant that she possessed. In order to satisfy herself that it was no
delusion, she tested her new-found power in many ways, finding that nothing=
was
too big nor too heavy for her to lift. And, naturally enough, the girl gain=
ed
courage from these experiments and became confident that she could protect
herself in any emergency. When, presently, a wild boar ran toward her, grun=
ting
horribly and threatening her with its great tusks, she did not climb a tree=
to escape,
as she had always done before on meeting such creatures, but stood still and
faced the boar. When it had come quite close and Zella saw that it could not
injure her--a fact that astonished both the beast and the girl--she suddenly
reached down and seizing it by one ear threw the great beast far off amongst
the trees, where it fell headlong to the earth, grunting louder than ever w=
ith
surprise and fear.
The girl laughed
merrily at this incident and, picking up her pails, resumed her journey thr=
ough
the forest. It is not recorded whether the wild boar told his adventure to =
the
other beasts or they had happened to witness his defeat, but certain it is =
that
Zella was not again molested. A brown bear watched her pass without making =
any
movement in her direction and a great puma--a beast much dreaded by all
men--crept out of her path as she approached, and disappeared among the tre=
es.
Thus everything
favored the girl's journey and she made such good speed that by noon she
emerged from the forest's edge and found she was quite near to the bridge of
boats that led to Coregos. This she crossed safely and without meeting any =
of
the rude warriors she so greatly feared, and five minutes later the daughte=
r of
the charcoal-burner was seeking admittance at the back door of Queen Cor's
palace.
Our story must now
return to one of our characters whom
we have been forced to neglect. The temper of Bilbil the goat was not
sweet under any circumstances, and whenever he had a grievance he was incli=
ned
to be quite grumpy. So, when his master settled down in the palace of King =
Gos
for a quiet life with the boy Prince, and passed his time in playing checke=
rs
and eating and otherwise enjoying himself, he had no use whatever for Bilbi=
l,
and shut the goat in an upstairs room to prevent his wandering through the =
city
and quarreling with the citizens. But this Bilbil did not like at all. He
became very cross and disagreeable at being left alone and he did not speak
nicely to the servants who came to bring him food; therefore those people
decided not to wait upon him any more, resenting his conversation and not l=
iking
to be scolded by a lean, scraggly goat, even though it belonged to a conque=
ror.
The servants kept away from the room and Bilbil grew more hungry and more a=
ngry
every hour. He tried to eat the rugs and ornaments, but found them not at a=
ll
nourishing. There was no grass to be had unless he escaped from the palace.=
When Queen Cor ca= me to capture Inga and Rinkitink, both the prisoners were so filled with despa= ir at their own misfortune that they gave no thought whatever to the goat, who= was left in his room. Nor did Bilbil know anything of the changed fortunes of h= is comrades until he heard shouts and boisterous laughter in the courtyard bel= ow. Looking out of a window, with the intention of rebuking those who dared thu= s to disturb him, Bilbil saw the courtyard quite filled with warriors and knew f= rom this that the palace had in some way again fallen into the hands of the enemy. <= o:p>
Now, although Bil=
bil
was often exceedingly disagreeable to King Rinkitink, as well as to the Pri=
nce,
and sometimes used harsh words in addressing them, he was intelligent enoug=
h to
know them to be his friends, and to know that King Gos and his people were =
his
foes. In sudden anger, provoked by the sight of the warriors and the knowle=
dge that
he was in the power of the dangerous men of Regos, Bilbil butted his head
against the door of his room and burst it open. Then he ran to the head of =
the
staircase and saw King Gos coming up the stairs followed by a long line of =
his
chief captains and warriors.
The goat lowered =
his
head, trembling with rage and excitement, and just as the King reached the =
top
stair the animal dashed forward and butted His Majesty so fiercely that the=
big
and powerful King, who did not expect an attack, doubled up and tumbled
backward. His great weight knocked over the man just behind him and he in t=
urn
struck the next warrior and upset him, so that in an instant the whole line=
of
Bilbil's foes was tumbling heels over head to the bottom of the stairs, whe=
re they
piled up in a heap, struggling and shouting and in the mixup hitting one
another with their fists, until every man of them was bruised and sore.
Finally King Gos
scrambled out of the heap and rushed up the stairs again, very angry indeed.
Bilbil was ready for him and a second time butted the King down the stairs;=
but
now the goat also lost his balance and followed the King, landing full upon=
the
confused heap of soldiers. Then he kicked out so viciously with his heels t=
hat
he soon freed himself and dashed out of the doorway of the palace.
"Stop him!&q=
uot;
cried King Gos, running after.
But the goat was =
now
so wild and excited that it was not safe for anyone to stand in his way. No=
ne
of the men were armed and when one or two tried to head off the goat, Bilbil
sent them sprawling upon the ground. Most of the warriors, however, were wi=
se
enough not to attempt to interfere with his flight.
Coursing down the
street, Bilbil found himself approaching the bridge of boats and without
pausing to think where it might lead him he crossed over and proceeded on h=
is
way. A few moments later a great stone building blocked his path. It was the
palace of Queen Cor, and seeing the gates of the courtyard standing wide op=
en,
Bilbil rushed through them without slackening his speed.
The wicked Queen =
of
Coregos was in a very bad humor this morning, for one of her slave drivers =
had
come from the fields to say that a number of slaves had rebelled and would =
not
work.
"Bring them =
here
to me!" she cried savagely. "A good whipping may make them change
their minds."
So the slave driv=
er
went to fetch the rebellious ones and Queen Cor sat down to eat her breakfa=
st,
an ugly look on her face.
Prince Inga had b=
een
ordered to stand behind his new mistress with a big fan of peacock's feathe=
rs,
but he was so unused to such service that he awkwardly brushed her ear with=
the
fan. At once she flew into a terrible rage and slapped the Prince twice with
her hand-blows that tingled, too, for her hand was big and hard and she was=
not
inclined to be gentle. Inga took the blows without shrinking or uttering a =
cry,
although they stung his pride far more than his body. But King Rinkitink, w=
ho
was acting as the queen's butler and had just brought in her coffee, was so
startled at seeing the young Prince punished that he tipped over the urn and
the hot coffee streamed across the lap of the Queen's best morning gown.
Cor sprang from h=
er
seat with a scream of anger and poor Rinkitink would doubtless have been gi=
ven
a terrible beating had not the slave driver returned at this moment and
attracted the woman's attention. The overseer had brought with him all of t=
he
women slaves from Pingaree, who had been loaded down with chains and were so
weak and ill they could scarcely walk, much less work in the fields.
Prince Inga's eyes
were dimmed with sorrowful tears when he discovered how his poor people had
been abused, but his own plight was so helpless that he was unable to aid t=
hem.
Fortunately the boy's mother, Queen Garee, was not among these slaves, for
Queen Cor had placed her in the royal dairy to make butter.
"Why do you
refuse to work?" demanded Cor in a harsh voice, as the slaves from
Pingaree stood before her, trembling and with downcast eyes.
"Because we =
lack
strength to perform the tasks your overseers demand," answered one of =
the
women.
"Then you sh=
all
be whipped until your strength returns!" exclaimed the Queen, and turn=
ing
to Inga, she commanded: "Get me the whip with the seven lashes." =
As the boy left t= he room, wondering how he might manage to save the unhappy women from their undeserved punishment, he met a girl entering by the back way, who asked: <= o:p>
"Can you tel=
l me
where to find Her Majesty, Queen Cor?"
"She is in t=
he
chamber with the red dome, where green dragons are painted upon the
walls," replied Inga; "but she is in an angry and ungracious mood
to-day. Why do you wish to see her?"
"I have hone=
y to
sell," answered the girl, who was Zella, just come from the forest.
"The Queen is very fond of my honey."
"You may go =
to
her, if you so desire," said the boy, "but take care not to anger=
the
cruel Queen, or she may do you a mischief."
"Why should =
she
harm me, who brings her the honey she so dearly loves?" inquired the c=
hild
innocently. "But I thank you for your warning; and I will try not to a=
nger
the Queen."
As Zella started =
to
go, Inga's eyes suddenly fell upon her shoes and instantly he recognized th=
em
as his own. For only in Pingaree were shoes shaped in this manner: high at =
the
heel and pointed at the toes.
"Stop!"=
he
cried in an excited voice, and the girl obeyed, wonderingly. "Tell
me," he continued, more gently, "where did you get those shoes?&q=
uot;
"My father
brought them to me from Regos," she answered.
"From
Regos!"
"Yes. Are th=
ey
not pretty?" asked Zella, looking down at her feet to admire them.
"One of them my father found by the palace wall, and the other on an
ash-heap. So he brought them to me and they fit me perfectly."
By this time Inga=
was
trembling with eager joy, which of course the girl could not understand.
"What is your
name, little maid?" he asked.
"I am called
Zella, and my father is Nikobob, the charcoal-burner."
"Zella is a
pretty name. I am Inga, Prince of Pingaree," said he, "and the sh=
oes
you are now wearing, Zella, belong to me. They were not cast away, as your
father supposed, but were lost. Will you let me have them again?"
Zella's eyes fill=
ed
with tears.
"Must I give=
up
my pretty shoes, then?" she asked. "They are the only ones I have
ever owned."
Inga was sorry for
the poor child, but he knew how important it was that he regain possession =
of
the Magic Pearls. So he said, pleadingly:
"Please let =
me
have them, Zella. See! I will exchange for them the shoes I now have on, wh=
ich
are newer and prettier than the others."
The girl hesitate=
d.
She wanted to please the boy Prince, yet she hated to exchange the shoes wh=
ich
her father had brought her as a present.
"If you will
give me the shoes," continued the boy, anxiously, "I will promise=
to
make you and your father and mother rich and prosperous. Indeed, I will pro=
mise
to grant any favors you may ask of me," and he sat down upon the floor=
and
drew off the shoes he was wearing and held them toward the girl.
"I'll see if
they will fit me," said Zella, taking off her left shoe--the one that
contained the Pink Pearl--and beginning to put on one of Inga's.
Just then Queen C=
or,
angry at being made to wait for her whip with the seven lashes, rushed into=
the
room to find Inga. Seeing the boy sitting upon the floor beside Zella, the
woman sprang toward him to beat him with her clenched fists; but Inga had n=
ow
slipped on the shoe and the Queen's blows could not reach his body.
Then Cor espied t=
he
whip lying beside Inga and snatching it up she tried to lash him with it--a=
ll
to no avail.
While Zella sat
horrified by this scene, the Prince, who realized he had no time to waste,
reached out and pulled the right shoe from the girl's foot, quickly placing=
it
upon his own. Then he stood up and, facing the furious but astonished Queen,
said to her in a quiet voice:
"Madam, plea=
se
give me that whip."
"I won't!&qu= ot; answered Cor. "I'm going to lash those Pingaree women with it." <= o:p>
The boy seized ho=
ld
of the whip and with irresistible strength drew it from the Queen's hand. B=
ut
she drew from her bosom a sharp dagger and with the swiftness of lightning =
aimed
a blow at Inga's heart. He merely stood still and smiled, for the blade
rebounded and fell clattering to the floor.
Then, at last, Qu=
een
Cor understood the magic power that had terrified her husband but which she=
had
ridiculed in her ignorance, not believing in it. She did not know that Inga=
's
power had been lost, and found again, but she realized the boy was no common
foe and that unless she could still manage to outwit him her reign in the
Island of Coregos was ended. To gain time, she went back to the red-domed
chamber and seated herself in her throne, before which were grouped the wee=
ping
slaves from Pingaree.
Inga had taken
Zella's hand and assisted her to put on the shoes he had given her in excha=
nge
for his own. She found them quite comfortable and did not know she had lost
anything by the transfer.
"Come with
me," then said the boy Prince, and led her into the presence of Queen =
Cor,
who was giving Rinkitink a scolding. To the overseer Inga said.
"Give me the
keys which unlock these chains, that I may set these poor women at
liberty."
"Don't you do
it!" screamed Queen Cor.
"If you
interfere, madam," said the boy, "I will put you into a dungeon.&=
quot;
By this Rinkitink
knew that Inga had recovered his Magic Pearls and the little fat King was so
overjoyed that he danced and capered all around the room. But the Queen was
alarmed at the threat and the slave driver, fearing the conqueror of Regos,
tremblingly gave up the keys.
Inga quickly remo=
ved
all the shackles from the women of his country and comforted them, telling =
them
they should work no more but would soon be restored to their homes in Pinga=
ree.
Then he commanded the slave driver to go and get all the children who had b=
een
made slaves, and to bring them to their mothers. The man obeyed and left at
once to perform his errand, while Queen Cor, growing more and more uneasy,
suddenly sprang from her throne and before Inga could stop her had rushed
through the room and out into the courtyard of the palace, meaning to make =
her escape.
Rinkitink followed her, running as fast as he could go.
It was at this mo=
ment
that Bilbil, in his mad dash from Regos, turned in at the gates of the
courtyard, and as he was coming one way and Queen Cor was going the other t=
hey
bumped into each other with great force. The woman sailed through the air, =
over
Bilbil's head, and landed on the ground outside the gates, where her crown
rolled into a ditch and she picked herself up, half dazed, and continued her
flight. Bilbil was also somewhat dazed by the unexpected encounter, but he
continued his rush rather blindly and so struck poor Rinkitink, who was cha=
sing
after Queen Cor. They rolled over one another a few times and then Rinkitink
sat up and Bilbil sat up and they looked at each other in amazement.
"Bilbil,&quo=
t;
said the King, "I'm astonished at you!"
"Your
Majesty," said Bilbil, "I expected kinder treatment at your hands=
."
"You interru=
pted
me," said Rinkitink.
"There was
plenty of room without your taking my path," declared the goat.
And then Inga came
running out and said. "Where is the Queen?"
"Gone,"
replied Rinkitink, "but she cannot go far, as this is an island. Howev=
er,
I have found Bilbil, and our party is again reunited. You have recovered yo=
ur
magic powers, and again we are masters of the situation. So let us be
thankful."
Saying this, the =
good
little King got upon his feet and limped back into the throne room to help
comfort the women.
Presently the
children of Pingaree, who had been gathered together by the overseer, were
brought in and restored to their mothers, and there was great rejoicing amo=
ng
them, you may be sure.
"But where is
Queen Garee, my dear mother?" questioned Inga; but the women did not k=
now
and it was some time before the overseer remembered that one of the slaves =
from
Pingaree had been placed in the royal dairy. Perhaps this was the woman the=
boy
was seeking.
Inga at once
commanded him to lead the way to the butter house, but when they arrived th=
ere
Queen Garee was nowhere in the place, although the boy found a silk scarf w=
hich
he recognized as one that his mother used to wear. Then they began a search
throughout the island of Coregos, but could not find Inga's mother anywhere=
.
When they returne=
d to
the palace of Queen Cor, Rinkitink discovered that the bridge of boats had
again been removed, separating them from Regos, and from this they suspected
that Queen Cor had fled to her husband's island and had taken Queen Garee w=
ith
her. Inga was much perplexed what to do and returned with his friends to the
palace to talk the matter over.
Zella was now cry=
ing
because she had not sold her honey and was unable to return to her parents =
on
the island of Regos, but the boy prince comforted her and promised she shou=
ld
be protected until she could be restored to her home. Rinkitink found Queen
Cor's purse, which she had had no time to take with her, and gave Zella sev=
eral
gold pieces for the honey. Then Inga ordered the palace servants to prepare=
a
feast for all the women and children of Pingaree and to prepare for them be=
ds
in the great palace, which was large enough to accommodate them all.
Then the boy and =
the
goat and Rinkitink and Zella went into a private room to consider what shou=
ld
be done next.
"Our
fault," said Rinkitink, "is that we conquer only one of these twi=
n islands
at a time. When we conquered =
Regos,
our foes all came to Coregos, and now that we have conquered Coregos, the Q=
ueen
has fled to Regos. And each time they removed the bridge of boats, so that =
we
could not follow them."
"What has be=
come
of our own boat, in which we came from Pingaree?" asked Bilbil.
"We left it =
on
the shore of Regos," replied the Prince, "but I wonder if we could
not get it again."
"Why don't y=
ou
ask the White Pearl?" suggested Rinkitink.
"That is a g=
ood
idea," returned the boy, and at once he drew the White Pearl from its
silken bag and held it to his ear. Then he asked: "How may I regain our
boat?"
The Voice of the
Pearl replied: "Go to the south end of the Island of Coregos, and clap
your hands three times and the boat will come to you.
"Very
good!" cried Inga, and then he turned to his companions and said: &quo=
t;We
shall be able to get our boat whenever we please; but what then shall we
do?"
"Take me hom=
e in
it!" pleaded Zella.
"Come with m=
e to
my City of Gilgad," said the King, "where you will be very welcom=
e to
remain forever."
"No,"
answered Inga, "I must rescue my father and mother, as well as my peop=
le.
Already I have the women and children of Pingaree, but the men are with my
father in the mines of Regos, and my dear mother has been taken away by Que=
en
Cor. Not until all are rescued will I consent to leave these islands."=
"Quite
right!" exclaimed Bilbil.
"On second
thought," said Rinkitink, "I agree with you. If you are careful to
sleep in your shoes, and never take them off again, I believe you will be a=
ble
to perform the task you have undertaken."
They counseled
together for a long time as to their mode of action and it was finally
considered best to make the attempt to liberate King Kitticut first of all,=
and
with him the men from Pingaree. This would give them an army to assist them=
and
afterward they could march to Regos and compel Queen Cor to give up the Que=
en
of Pingaree. Zella told them that they could go in their boat along the sho=
re
of Regos to a point opposite the mines, thus avoiding any conflict with the
warriors of King Gos.
This being consid=
ered
the best course to pursue, they resolved to start on the following morning,=
as
night was even now approaching. The servants being all busy in caring for t=
he
women and children, Zella undertook to get a dinner for Inga and Rinkitink =
and
herself and soon prepared a fine meal in the palace kitchen, for she was a =
good
little cook and had often helped her mother. The dinner was served in a sma=
ll room
overlooking the gardens and Rinkitink thought the best part of it was the s=
weet
honey, which he spread upon the biscuits that Zella had made. As for Bilbil=
, he
wandered through the palace grounds and found some grass that made him a go=
od
dinner.
During the evening
Inga talked with the women and cheered them, promising soon to reunite them
with their husbands who were working in the mines and to send them back to
their own island of Pingaree.
Next morning the =
boy
rose bright and early and found that Zella had already prepared a nice
breakfast. And after the meal they went to the most southern point of the
island, which was not very far away, Rinkitink riding upon Bilbil's back and
Inga and Zella following behind them, hand in hand.
When they reached=
the
water's edge the boy advanced and clapped his hands together three times, as
the White Pearl had told him to do. And in a few moments they saw in the
distance the black boat with the silver lining, coming swiftly toward them =
from
the sea. Presently it grounded on the beach and they all got into it.
Zella was delight=
ed
with the boat, which was the most beautiful she had ever seen, and the marv=
el
of its coming to them through the water without anyone to row it, made her a
little afraid of the fairy craft. But Inga picked up the oars and began to =
row
and at once the boat shot swiftly in the direction of Regos. They rounded t=
he
point of that island where the city was built and noticed that the shore was
lined with warriors who had discovered their boat but seemed undecided whet=
her
to pursue it or not. This was probably because they had received no commands
what to do, or perhaps they had learned to fear the magic powers of these
adventurers from Pingaree and were unwilling to attack them unless their Ki=
ng
ordered them to.
The coast on the
western side of the Island of Regos was very uneven and Zella, who knew fai=
rly
well the location of the mines from the inland forest path, was puzzled to
decide which mountain they now viewed from the sea was the one where the
entrance to the underground caverns was located. First she thought it was t=
his
peak, and then she guessed it was that; so considerable time was lost throu=
gh
her uncertainty.
They finally deci=
ded
to land and explore the country, to see where they were, so Inga ran the bo=
at
into a little rocky cove where they all disembarked. For an hour they searc=
hed
for the path without finding any trace of it and now Zella believed they had
gone too far to the north and must return to another mountain that was near=
er
to the city.
Once again they
entered the boat and followed the winding coast south until they thought th=
ey
had reached the right place. By this time, however, it was growing dark, for
the entire day had been spent in the search for the entrance to the mines, =
and
Zella warned them that it would be safer to spend the night in the boat tha=
n on
the land, where wild beasts were sure to disturb them. None of them realize=
d at
this time how fatal this day of search had been to their plans and perhaps =
if
Inga had realized what was going on he would have landed and fought all the
wild beasts in the forest rather than quietly remain in the boat until morn=
ing.
However, knowing
nothing of the cunning plans of Queen Cor and King Gos, they anchored their
boat in a little bay and cheerfully ate their dinner, finding plenty of food
and drink in the boat's lockers. In the evening the stars came out in the s=
ky
and tipped the waves around their boat with silver. All around them was
delightfully still save for the occasional snarl of a beast on the neighbor=
ing
shore.
They talked toget=
her
quietly of their adventures and their future plans and Zella told them her
simple history and how hard her poor father was obliged to work, burning
charcoal to sell for enough money to support his wife and child. Nikobob mi=
ght
be the humblest man in all Regos, but Zella declared he was a good man, and
honest, and it was not his fault that his country was ruled by so wicked a
King.
Then Rinkitink, to
amuse them, offered to sing a song, and although Bilbil protested in his gr=
uff
way, claiming that his master's voice was cracked and disagreeable, the lit=
tle
King was encouraged by the others to sing his song, which he did.
"A red-headed man named Ned w=
as
dead; Sing
fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do! In battle he had lost his hea=
d; Sing fiddle-cum-faddl-cum-fi-=
do! 'Alas, poor Ned,' to him I sa=
id, 'How did you lose your head so
red?' Sing
fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do!
"Said Ned: 'I for my country =
bled,'
Sing
fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do! 'Instead of dying safe in bed=
', Sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi=
-do! 'If I had only fled, instead,=
I then had been a head ahead.=
' Sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi=
-do!
"I said to Ned--"
"Do stop, Your Majesty!"
pleaded Bilbil. "You're making my head ache."
"But the son=
g isn't
finished," replied Rinkitink, "and as for your head aching, think=
of
poor Ned, who hadn't any head at all!"
"I can think=
of
nothing but your dismal singing," retorted Bilbil. "Why didn't you
choose a cheerful subject, instead of telling how a man who was dead lost h=
is
red head? Really, Rinkitink, I'm surprised at you.
"I know a
splendid song about a live man, said the King.
"Then don't =
sing
it," begged Bilbil.
Zella was both
astonished and grieved by the disrespectful words of the goat, for she had =
quite
enjoyed Rinkitink's singing and had been taught a proper respect for Kings =
and
those high in authority. But as it was now getting late they decided to go =
to
sleep, that they might rise early the following morning, so they all reclin=
ed
upon the bottom of the big boat and covered themselves with blankets which =
they
found stored underneath the seats for just such occasions. They were not lo=
ng in
falling asleep and did not waken until daybreak.
After a hurried
breakfast, for Inga was eager to liberate his father, the boy rowed the boat
ashore and they all landed and began searching for the path. Zella found it
within the next half hour and declared they must be very close to the entra=
nce
to the mines; so they followed the path toward the north, Inga going first,=
and
then Zella following him, while Rinkitink brought up the rear riding upon
Bilbil's back.
Before long they =
saw
a great wall of rock towering before them, in which was a low arched entran=
ce,
and on either side of this entrance stood a guard, armed with a sword and a
spear. The guards of the mines were not so fierce as the warriors of King G=
os,
their duty being to make the slaves work at their tasks and guard them from
escaping; but they were as cruel as their cruel master wished them to be, a=
nd as
cowardly as they were cruel.
Inga walked up to=
the
two men at the entrance and said:
"Does this
opening lead to the mines of King Gos?"
"It does,&qu=
ot;
replied one of the guards, "but no one is allowed to pass out who once
goes in."
"Nevertheles=
s,"
said the boy, "we intend to go in and we shall come out whenever it
pleases us to do so. I am the Prince of Pingaree, and I have come to libera=
te
my people, whom King Gos has enslaved."
Now when the two
guards heard this speech they looked at one another and laughed, and one of
them said: "The King was right, for he said the boy was likely to come
here and that he would try to set his people free. Also the King commanded =
that
we must keep the little Prince in the mines, and set him to work, together =
with
his companions."
"Then let us
obey the King," replied the other man.
Inga was surprise=
d at
hearing this, and asked:
"When did Ki=
ng
Gos give you this order?"
"His Majesty=
was
here in person last night," replied the man, "and went away again=
but
an hour ago. He suspected you were coming here and told us to capture you i=
f we
could."
This report made =
the
boy very anxious, not for himself but for his father, for he feared the King
was up to some mischief. So he hastened to enter the mines and the guards d=
id
nothing to oppose him or his companions, their orders being to allow him to=
go
in but not to come out.
The little group =
of
adventurers passed through a long rocky corridor and reached a low, wide ca=
vern
where they found a dozen guards and a hundred slaves, the latter being hard=
at
work with picks and shovels digging for gold, while the guards stood over t=
hem
with long whips.
Inga found many of
the men from Pingaree among these slaves, but King Kitticut was not in this
cavern; so they passed through it and entered another corridor that led to a
second cavern. Here also hundreds of men were working, but the boy did not =
find
his father amongst them, and so went on to a third cavern.
The corridors all
slanted downward, so that the farther they went the lower into the earth th=
ey
descended, and now they found the air hot and close and difficult to breath=
e.
Flaming torches were stuck into the walls to give light to the workers, and
these added to the oppressive heat.
The third and low=
est
cavern was the last in the mines, and here were many scores of slaves and m=
any
guards to keep them at work. So far, none of the guards had paid any attent=
ion
to Inga's party, but allowed them to proceed as they would, and while the
slaves cast curious glances at the boy and girl and man and goat, they dared
say nothing. But now the boy walked up to some of the men of Pingaree and a=
sked
news of his father, telling them not to fear the guards as he would protect=
them
from the whips.
Then he Teamed th=
at
King Kitticut had indeed been working in this very cavern until the evening
before, when King Gos had come and taken him away--still loaded with chains=
.
"Seems to
me," said King Rinkitink, when he heard this report, "that Gos has
carried your father away to Regos, to prevent us from rescuing him. He may =
hide
poor Kitticut in a dungeon, where we cannot find him."
"Perhaps you=
are
right," answered the boy, "but I am determined to find him, where=
ver
he may be."
Inga spoke firmly=
and
with courage, but he was greatly disappointed to find that King Gos had been
before him at the mines and had taken his father away. However, he tried no=
t to
feel disheartened, believing he would succeed in the end, in spite of all
opposition. Turning to the guards, he said:
"Remove the
chains from these slaves and set them free."
The guards laughe=
d at
this order, and one of them brought forward a handful of chains, saying:
"His Majesty has commanded us to make you, also, a slave, for you are
never to leave these caverns again."
Then he attempted=
to
place the chains on Inga, but the boy indignantly seized them and broke them
apart as easily as if they had been cotton cords. When a dozen or more of t=
he
guards made a dash to capture him, the Prince swung the end of the chain li=
ke a
whip and drove them into a corner, where they cowered and begged for mercy.=
Stories of the
marvelous strength of the boy Prince had already spread to the mines of Reg=
os,
and although King Gos had told them that Inga had been deprived of all his
magic power, the guards now saw this was not true, so they deemed it wise n=
ot
to attempt to oppose him.
The chains of the
slaves had all been riveted fast to their ankles and wrists, but Inga broke=
the
bonds of steel with his hands and set the poor men free--not only those from
Pingaree but all who had been captured in the many wars and raids of King G=
os.
They were very grateful, as you may suppose, and agreed to support Prince I=
nga
in whatever action he commanded.
He led them to the
middle cavern, where all the guards and overseers fled in terror at his
approach, and soon he had broken apart the chains of the slaves who had been
working in that part of the mines. Then they approached the first cavern and
liberated all there.
The slaves had be=
en
treated so cruelly by the servants of King Gos that they were eager to purs=
ue
and slay them, in revenge; but Inga held them back and formed them into
companies, each company having its own leader. Then he called the leaders
together and instructed them to march in good order along the path to the C=
ity
of Regos, where he would meet them and tell them what to do next.
They readily agre=
ed
to obey him, and, arming themselves with iron bars and pick-axes which they
brought from the mines, the slaves began their march to the city.
Zella at first wi=
shed
to be left behind, that she might make her way to her home, but neither
Rinkitink nor Inga thought it was safe for her to wander alone through the
forest, so they induced her to return with them to the city.
The boy beached h=
is
boat this time at the same place as when he first landed at Regos, and while
many of the warriors stood on the shore and before the walls of the city, n=
ot
one of them attempted to interfere with the boy in any way. Indeed, they se=
emed
uneasy and anxious, and when Inga met Captain Buzzub the boy asked if anyth=
ing
had happened in his absence.
"A great deal
has happened," replied Buzzub. "Our King and Queen have run away =
and
left us, and we don't know what to do."
"Run away!&q=
uot;
exclaimed Inga. "Where did they go to?"
"Who
knows?" said the man, shaking his head despondently. "They depart=
ed
together a few hours ago, in a boat with forty rowers, and they took with t=
hem
the King and Queen of Pingaree!"
Now it seems that
when Queen Cor fled from her island to Regos, she had wit enough, although
greatly frightened, to make a stop at the royal dairy, which was near to the
bridge, and to drag poor Queen Garee from the butter-house and across to Re=
gos
with her. The warriors of King Gos had never before seen the terrible Queen=
Cor
frightened, and therefore when she came running across the bridge of boats,
dragging the Queen of Pingaree after her by one arm, the woman's great frig=
ht
had the effect of terrifying the waiting warriors.
"Quick!"
cried Cor. "Destroy the bridge, or we are lost."
While the men were
tearing away the bridge of boats the Queen ran up to the palace of Gos, whe=
re
she met her husband.
"That boy is=
a
wizard!" she gasped. "There is no standing against him."
"Oh, have you
discovered his magic at last?" replied Gos, laughing in her face.
"Who, now, is the coward?"
"Don't
laugh!" cried Queen Cor. "It is no laughing matter. Both our isla=
nds
are as good as conquered, this very minute. What shall we do, Gos?"
"Come in,&qu=
ot;
he said, growing serious, "and let us talk it over."
So they went into=
a
room of the palace and talked long and earnestly.
"The boy int=
ends
to liberate his father and mother, and all the people of Pingaree, and to t=
ake
them back to their island," said Cor. "He may also destroy our
palaces and make us his slaves. I can see but one way, Gos, to prevent him =
from
doing all this, and whatever else he pleases to do."
"What way is
that?" asked King Gos.
"We must take
the boy's parents away from here as quickly as possible. I have with me the
Queen of Pingaree, and you can run up to the mines and get the King. Then we
will carry them away in a boat and hide them where the boy cannot find them,
with all his magic. We will use the King and Queen of Pingaree as hostages,=
and
send word to the boy wizard that if he does not go away from our islands and
allow us to rule them undisturbed, in our own way, we will put his father a=
nd
mother to death. Also we will say that as long as we are let alone his pare=
nts will
be safe, although still safely hidden. I believe, Gos, that in this way we =
can
compel Prince Ingato obey us, for he seems very fond of his parents." =
"It isn't a =
bad
idea," said Gos, reflectively; "but where can we hide the King and
Queen, so that the boy cannot find them?"
"In the coun=
try
of the Nome King, on the mainland away at the south," she replied.
"The nomes are our friends, and they possess magic powers that will en=
able
them to protect the prisoners from discovery. If we can manage to get the K=
ing
and Queen of Pingaree to the Nome Kingdom before the boy knows what we are
doing, I am sure our plot will succeed."
Gos gave the plan
considerable thought in the next five minutes, and the more he thought abou=
t it
the more clever and reasonable it seemed. So he agreed to do as Queen Cor
suggested and at once hurried away to the mines, where he arrived before Pr=
ince
Inga did. The next morning he carried King Kitticut back to Regos.
While Gos was gon=
e,
Queen Cor busied herself in preparing a large and swift boat for the journe=
y.
She placed in it several bags of gold and jewels with which to bribe the no=
mes,
and selected forty of the strongest oarsmen in Regos to row the boat. The
instant King Gos returned with his royal prisoner all was ready for departu=
re.
They quickly entered the boat with their two important captives and without=
a
word of explanation to any of their people they commanded the oarsmen to st=
art,
and were soon out of sight upon the broad expanse of the Nonestic Ocean.
Inga arrived at t=
he
city some hours later and was much distressed when he learned that his fath=
er
and mother had been spirited away from the islands.
"I shall fol=
low
them, of course," said the boy to Rinkitink, "and if I cannot
overtake them on the ocean I will search the world over until I find them. =
But
before I leave here I must arrange to send our people back to Pingaree.&quo=
t;
Almost the first
persons that Zella saw when she landed from the silver-lined boat at Regos =
were
her father and mother. Nikobob and his wife had been greatly worried when t=
heir
little daughter failed to return from Coregos, so they had set out to disco=
ver
what had become of her. When they reached the City of Regos, that very morn=
ing,
they were astonished to hear news of all the strange events that had taken
place; still, they found comfort when told that Zella had been seen in the =
boat
of Prince Inga, which had gone to the north. Then, while they wondered what
this could mean, the silver-lined boat appeared again, with their daughter =
in
it, and they ran down to the shore to give her a welcome and many joyful
kisses.
Inga invited the =
good
people to the palace of King Gos, where he conferred with them, as well as =
with
Rinkitink and Bilbil.
"Now that the
King and Queen of Regos and Coregos have run away," he said, "the=
re
is no one to rule these islands. So it is my duty to appoint a new ruler, a=
nd
as Nikobob, Zella's father, is an honest and worthy man, I shall make him t=
he
King of the Twin Islands."
"Me?" c=
ried
Nikobob, astounded by this speech. "I beg Your Highness, on my bended
knees, not to do so cruel a thing as to make me King!"
"Why not?&qu=
ot;
inquired Rinkitink. "I'm a King, and I know how it feels. I assure you,
good Nikobob, that I quite enjoy my high rank, although a jeweled crown is =
rather
heavy to wear in hot weather."
"With you, n=
oble
sir, it is different," said Nikobob, "for you are far from your
kingdom and its trials and worries and may do as you please. But to remain =
in
Regos, as King over these fierce and unruly warriors, would be to live in
constant anxiety and peril, and the chances are that they would murder me
within a month. As I have done no harm to anyone and have tried to be a good
and upright man, I do not think that I should be condemned to such a dreadf=
ul
fate."
"Very well,&=
quot;
replied Inga, "we will say no more about your being King. I merely wan=
ted
to make you rich and prosperous, as I had promised Zella."
"Please forg=
et
that promise," pleaded the charcoal-burner, earnestly; "I have be=
en
safe from molestation for many years, because I was poor and possessed noth=
ing
that anyone else could envy. But if you make me rich and prosperous I shall=
at
once become the prey of thieves and marauders and probably will lose my lif=
e in
the attempt to protect my fortune."
Inga looked at the
man in surprise.
"What, then,=
can
I do to please you?" he inquired.
"Nothing more
than to allow me to go home to my poor cabin," said Nikobob.
"Perhaps,&qu=
ot;
remarked King Rinkitink, "the charcoal-burner has more wisdom conceale=
d in
that hard head of his than we gave him credit for. But let us use that wisd=
om,
for the present, to counsel us what to do in this emergency."
"What you ca=
ll
my wisdom," said Nikobob, "is merely common sense. I have noticed
that some men become rich, and are scorned by some and robbed by others. Ot=
her
men become famous, and are mocked at and derided by their fellows. But the =
poor
and humble man who lives unnoticed and unknown escapes all these troubles a=
nd
is the only one who can appreciate the joy of living."
"If I had a =
hand,
instead of a cloven hoof, I'd like to shake hands with you, Nikobob," =
said
Bilbil the goat. "But the poor man must not have a cruel master, or he=
is
undone."
During the council
they found, indeed, that the advice of the charcoal-burner was both shrewd =
and
sensible, and they profited much by his words.
Inga gave Captain
Buzzub the command of the warriors and made him promise to keep his men qui=
et
and orderly--if he could. Then the boy allowed all of King Gos's former sla=
ves,
except those who came from Pingaree, to choose what boats they required and=
to
stock them with provisions and row away to their own countries. When these =
had departed,
with grateful thanks and many blessings showered upon the boy Prince who had
set them free, Inga made preparations to send his own people home, where th=
ey
were told to rebuild their houses and then erect a new royal palace. They w=
ere
then to await patiently the coming of King Kitticut or Prince Inga.
"My greatest
worry," said the boy to his friends, "is to know whom to appoint =
to
take charge of this work of restoring Pingaree to its former condition. My =
men
are all pearl fishers, and although willing and honest, have no talent for
directing others how to work."
While the
preparations for departure were being made, Nikobob offered to direct the m=
en
of Pingaree, and did so in a very capable manner. As the island had been
despoiled of all its valuable furniture and draperies and rich cloths and
paintings and statuary and the like, as well as gold and silver and ornamen=
ts,
Inga thought it no more than just that they be replaced by the spoilers. So=
he
directed his people to search through the storehouses of King Gos and to re=
gain
all their goods and chattels that could be found. Also he instructed them to
take as much else as they required to make their new homes comfortable, so =
that
many boats were loaded full of goods that would enable the people to restore
Pingaree to its former state of comfort.
For his father's =
new
palace the boy plundered the palaces of both Queen Cor and King Gos, sending
enough wares away with his people to make King Kitticut's new residence as
handsomely fitted and furnished as had been the one which the ruthless inva=
ders
from Regos had destroyed.
It was a great fl=
eet
of boats that set out one bright, sunny morning on the voyage to Pingaree,
carrying all the men, women and children and all the goods for refitting th=
eir
homes. As he saw the fleet depart, Prince Inga felt that he had already
successfully accomplished a part of his mission, but he vowed he would never
return to Pingaree in person until he could take his father and mother there
with him; unless, indeed, King Gos wickedly destroyed his beloved parents, =
in which
case Inga would become the King of Pingaree and it would be his duty to go =
to his
people and rule over them.
It was while the =
last
of the boats were preparing to sail for Pingaree that Nikobob, who had been=
of
great service in getting them ready, came to Inga in a thoughtful mood and
said:
"Your Highne=
ss,
my wife and my daughter Zella have been urging me to leave Regos and settle
down in your island, in a new home. From what your people have told me,
Pingaree is a better place to live than Regos, and there are no cruel warri=
ors
or savage beasts there to keep one in constant fear for the safety of those=
he
loves. Therefore, I have come to ask to go with my family in one of the
boats."
Inga was much ple=
ased
with this proposal and not only granted Nikobob permission to go to Pingare=
e to
live, but instructed him to take with him sufficient goods to furnish his n=
ew
home in a comfortable manner. In addition to this, he appointed Nikobob gen=
eral
manager of the buildings and of the pearl fisheries, until his father or he
himself arrived, and the people approved this order because they liked Niko=
bob and
knew him to be just and honest.
Soon as the last =
boat
of the great flotilla had disappeared from the view of those left at Regos,
Inga and Rinkitink prepared to leave the island themselves. The boy was anx=
ious
to overtake the boat of King Gos, if possible, and Rinkitink had no desire =
to
remain in Regos.
Buzzub and the
warriors stood silently on the shore and watched the black boat with its si=
lver
lining depart, and I am sure they were as glad to be rid of their unwelcome
visitors as Inga and Rinkitink and Bilbil were to leave.
The boy asked the
White Pearl what direction the boat of King Gos had taken and then he follo=
wed
after it, rowing hard and steadily for eight days without becoming at all
weary. But, although the black boat moved very swiftly, it failed to overta=
ke
the barge which was rowed by Queen Cor's forty picked oarsmen.
The Kingdom of the
Nomes does not border on the Nonestic Ocean, from which it is separated by =
the
Kingdom of Rinkitink and the Country of the Wheelers, which is a part of the
Land of Ev. Rinkitink's country is separated from the country of the Nomes =
by a
row of high and steep mountains, from which it extends to the sea. The Coun=
try
of the Wheelers is a sandy waste that is open on one side to the Nonestic O=
cean
and on the other side has no barrier to separate it from the Nome Country,
therefore it was on the coast of the Wheelers that King Cos landed--in a sp=
ot
quite deserted by any of the curious inhabitants of that country.
The Nome Country =
is
very large in extent, and is only separated from the Land of Oz, on its eas=
tern
borders, by a Deadly Desert that can not be crossed by mortals, unless they=
are
aided by the fairies or by magic.
The nomes are a
numerous and mischievous people, living in underground caverns of wide exte=
nt,
connected one with another by arches and passages. The word "nome"
means "one who knows," and these people are so called because they
know where all the gold and silver and precious stones are hidden in the
earth--a knowledge that no other living creatures share with them. The nomes
are busy people, constantly digging up gold in one place and taking it to
another place, where they secretly bury it, and perhaps this is the reason =
they
alone know where to find it. The nomes were ruled, at the time of which I
write, by a King named Kaliko.
King Gos had expe=
cted
to be pursued by Inga in his magic boat, so he made all the haste possible,
urging his forty rowers to their best efforts night and day. To his joy he =
was
not overtaken but landed on the sandy beach of the Wheelers on the morning =
of
the eighth day.
The forty rowers =
were
left with the boat, while Queen Cor and King Cos, with their royal prisoner=
s,
who were still chained, began the journey to the Nome King.
It was not long
before they passed the sands and reached the rocky country belonging to the
nomes, but they were still a long way from the entrance to the underground
caverns in which lived the Nome King. There was a dim path, winding between
stones and boulders, over which the walking was quite difficult, especially=
as
the path led up hills that were small mountains, and then down steep and ab=
rupt
slopes where any misstep might mean a broken leg. Therefore it was the seco=
nd
day of their journey before they climbed halfway up a rugged mountain and f=
ound
themselves at the entrance of the Nome King's caverns.
On their arrival,=
the
entrance seemed free and unguarded, but Gos and Cor had been there before, =
and
they were too wise to attempt to enter without announcing themselves, for t=
he
passage to the caves was full of traps and pitfalls. So King Gos stood still
and shouted, and in an instant they were surrounded by a group of crooked
nomes, who seemed to have sprung from the ground.
One of these had =
very
long ears and was called The Long-Eared Hearer. He said: "I heard you
coming early this morning."
Another had eyes =
that
looked in different directions at the same time and were curiously bright a=
nd
penetrating. He could look over a hill or around a corner and was called The
Lookout. Said he: "I saw you coming yesterday."
"Then,"
said King Gos, "perhaps King Kaliko is expecting us."
"It is
true," replied another nome, who wore a gold collar around his neck and
carried a bunch of golden keys. "The mighty Nome King expects you, and
bids you follow me to his presence."
With this he led =
the
way into the caverns and Gos and Cor followed, dragging their weary prisone=
rs
with them, for poor King Kitticut and his gentle Queen had been obliged to
carry, all through the tedious journey, the bags of gold and jewels which w=
ere
to bribe the Nome King to accept them as slaves.
Through several l=
ong
passages the guide led them and at last they entered a small cavern which w=
as
beautifully decorated and set with rare jewels that flashed from every part=
of
the wall, floor and ceiling. This was a waiting-room for visitors, and there
their guide left them while he went to inform King Kaliko of their arrival.=
Before long they =
were
ushered into a great domed chamber, cut from the solid rock and so magnific=
ent
that all of them--the King and Queen of Pingaree and the King and Queen of
Regos and Coregos--drew long breaths of astonishment and opened their eyes =
as
wide as they could.
In an ivory throne
sat a little round man who had a pointed beard and hair that rose to a tall
curl on top of his head. He was dressed in silken robes, richly embroidered,
which had large buttons of cut rubies. On his head was a diamond crown and =
in
his hand he held a golden sceptre with a big jeweled ball at one end of it.
This was Kaliko, the King and ruler of all the nomes. He nodded pleasantly =
enough
to his visitors and said in a cheery voice:
"Well, Your
Majesties, what can I do for you?"
"It is my
desire," answered King Gos, respectfully, "to place in your care =
two
prisoners, whom you now see before you. They must be carefully guarded, to
prevent them from escaping, for they have the cunning of foxes and are not =
to
be trusted. In return for the favor I am asking you to grant, I have brought
Your Majesty valuable presents of gold and precious gems."
He then commanded
Kitticut and Garee to lay before the Nome King the bags of gold and jewels,=
and
they obeyed, being helpless.
"Very
good," said King Kaliko, nodding approval, for like all the nomes he l=
oved
treasures of gold and jewels. "But who are the prisoners you have brou=
ght
here, and why do you place them in my charge instead of guarding them,
yourself? They seem gentle enough, I'm sure."
"The
prisoners," returned King Gos, "are the King and Queen of Pingare=
e, a
small island north of here. They are very evil people and came to our islan=
ds
of Regos and Coregos to conquer them and slay our poor people. Also they
intended to plunder us of all our riches, but by good fortune we were able =
to
defeat and capture them. However, they have a son who is a terrible wizard =
and
who by magic art is trying to find this awful King and Queen of Pingaree, a=
nd
to set them free, that they may continue their wicked deeds. Therefore, as =
we
have no magic to defend ourselves with, we have brought the prisoners to you
for safe keeping."
"Your
Majesty," spoke up King Kitticut, addressing the Nome King with great
indignation, "do not believe this tale, I implore you. It is all a
lie!"
"I know
it," said Kaliko. "I consider it a clever lie, though, because it=
is
woven without a thread of truth. However, that is none of my business. The =
fact
remains that my good friend King Gos wishes to put you in my underground
caverns, so that you will be unable to escape. And why should I not please =
him
in this little matter? Gos is a mighty King and a great warrior, while your
island of Pingaree is desolated and your people scattered. In my heart, King
Kitticut, I sympathize with you, but as a matter of business policy we powe=
rful
Kings must stand together and trample the weaker ones under our feet."=
King Kitticut was
surprised to find the King of the nomes so candid and so well informed, and=
he
tried to argue that he and his gentle wife did not deserve their cruel fate=
and
that it would be wiser for Kaliko to side with them than with the evil King=
of
Regos. But Kaliko only shook his head and smiled, saying:
"The fact th=
at
you are a prisoner, my poor Kitticut, is evidence that you are weaker than =
King
Cos, and I prefer to deal with the strong. By the way," he added, turn=
ing
to the King of Regos, "have these prisoners any connection with the La=
nd
of Oz?"
"Why do you
ask?" said Gos.
"Because I d=
are
not offend the Oz people," was the reply. "I am very powerful, as=
you
know, but Ozma of Oz is far more powerful than I; therefore, if this King a=
nd
Queen of Pingaree happened to be under Ozma's protection, I would have noth=
ing
to do with them."
"I assure Yo=
ur
Majesty that the prisoners have nothing to do with the Oz people," Gos
hastened to say. And Kitticut, being questioned, admitted that this was tru=
e.
"But how abo=
ut
that wizard you mentioned?" asked the Nome King.
"Oh, he is
merely a boy; but he is very ferocious and obstinate and he is assisted by a
little fat sorcerer called Rinkitink and a talking goat."
"Oho! A talk=
ing
goat, do you say? That certainly sounds like magic; and it also sounds like=
the
Land of Oz, where all the animals talk," said Kaliko, with a doubtful
expression.
But King Gos assu=
red
him the talking goat had never been to Oz.
"As for
Rinkitink, whom you call a sorcerer," continued the Nome King, "h=
e is
a neighbor of mine, you must know, but as we are cut off from each other by
high mountains beneath which a powerful river runs, I have never yet met Ki=
ng
Rinkitink. But I have heard of him, and from all reports he is a jolly rogu=
e,
and perfectly harmless. However, in spite of your false statements and
misrepresentations, I will earn the treasure you have brought me, by keeping
your prisoners safe in my caverns.
"Make them w=
ork,"
advised Queen Cor. "They are rather delicate, and to make them work wi=
ll
make them suffer delightfully."
"I'll do as I
please about that," said the Nome King sternly. "Be content that I
agree to keep them safe."
The bargain being
thus made and concluded, Kaliko first examined the gold and jewels and then
sent it away to his royal storehouse, which was well filled with like treas=
ure.
Next the captives were sent away in charge of the nome with the golden coll=
ar
and keys, whose name was Klik, and he escorted them to a small cavern and g=
ave
them a good supper.
"I shall lock
your door," said Klik, "so there is no need of your wearing those
heavy chains any longer." He therefore removed the chains and left King
Kitticut and his Queen alone. This was the first time since the Northmen had
carried them away from Pingaree that the good King and Queen had been alone
together and free of all bonds, and as they embraced lovingly and mingled t=
heir
tears over their sad fate they were also grateful that they had passed from=
the
control of the heartless King Gos into the more considerate care of King
Kaliko. They were still captives but they believed they would be happier in=
the
underground caverns of the nomes than in Regos and Coregos.
Meantime, in the
King's royal cavern a great feast had been spread. King Gos and Queen Cor,
having triumphed in their plot, were so well pleased that they held high
revelry with the jolly Nome King until a late hour that night. And the next
morning, having cautioned Kaliko not to release the prisoners under any
consideration without their orders, the King and Queen of Regos and Coregos
left the caverns of the nomes to return to the shore of the ocean where they
had left their boat.
The White Pearl
guided Inga truly in his pursuit of the boat of King Gos, but the boy had b=
een
so delayed in sending his people home to Pingaree that it was a full day af=
ter
Gos and Cor landed on the shore of the Wheeler Country that Inga's boat arr=
ived
at the same place.
There he found the
forty rowers guarding the barge of Queen Cor, and although they would not or
could not tell the boy where the King and Queen had taken his father and
mother, the White Pearl advised him to follow the path to the country and t=
he
caverns of the nomes.
Rinkitink didn't =
like
to undertake the rocky and mountainous journey, even with Bilbil to carry h=
im,
but he would not desert Inga, even though his own kingdom lay just beyond a
range of mountains which could be seen towering southwest of them. So the K=
ing
bravely mounted the goat, who always grumbled but always obeyed his master,=
and
the three set off at once for the caverns of the nomes.
They traveled jus=
t as
slowly as Queen Cor and King Gos had done, so when they were about halfway =
they
discovered the King and Queen coming back to their boat. The fact that Gos =
and
Cor were now alone proved that they had left Inga's father and mother behind
them; so, at the suggestion of Rinkitink, the three hid behind a high rock
until the King of Regos and the Queen of Coregos, who had not observed them,
had passed them by. Then they continued their journey, glad that they had n=
ot
again been forced to fight or quarrel with their wicked enemies.
"We might ha=
ve
asked them, however, what they had done with your poor parents," said
Rinkitink.
"Never
mind," answered Inga. "I am sure the White Pearl will guide us ar=
ight."
For a time they
proceeded in silence and then Rinkitink began to chuckle with laughter in t=
he
pleasant way he was wont to do before his misfortunes came upon him.
"What amuses
Your Majesty?" inquired the boy.
"The thought=
of
how surprised my dear subjects would be if they realized how near to them I=
am,
and yet how far away. I have always wanted to visit the Nome Country, which=
is
full of mystery and magic and all sorts of adventures, but my devoted subje=
cts
forbade me to think of such a thing, fearing I would get hurt or
enchanted."
"Are you afr=
aid,
now that you are here?" asked Inga.
"A little, b=
ut
not much, for they say the new Nome King is not as wicked as the old King u=
sed
to be. Still, we are undertaking a dangerous journey and I think you ought =
to
protect me by lending me one of your pearls."
Inga thought this
over and it seemed a reasonable request.
"Which pearl
would you like to have?" asked the boy.
"Well, let us
see," returned Rinkitink; "you may need strength to liberate your
captive parents, so you must keep the Blue Pearl. And you will need the adv=
ice
of the White Pearl, so you had best keep that also. But in case we should be
separated I would have nothing to protect me from harm, so you ought to len=
d me
the Pink Pearl."
"Very
well," agreed Inga, and sitting down upon a rock he removed his right =
shoe
and after withdrawing the cloth from the pointed toe took out the Pink
Pearl--the one which protected from any harm the person who carried it.
"Where can y=
ou
put it, to keep it safely?" he asked.
"In my vest
pocket," replied the King. "The pocket has a flap to it and I can=
pin
it down in such a way that the pearl cannot get out and become lost. As for
robbery, no one with evil intent can touch my person while I have the
pearl."
So Inga gave
Rinkitink the Pink Pearl and the little King placed it in the pocket of his
red-and-green brocaded velvet vest, pinning the flap of the pocket down
tightly.
They now resumed
their journey and finally reached the entrance to the Nome King's caverns.
Placing the White Pearl to his ear, Inga asked: "What shall I do
now?" and the Voice of the Pearl replied: "Clap your hands togeth=
er
four times and call aloud the word 'Klik.' Then allow yourselves to be
conducted to the Nome King, who is now holding your father and mother
captive."
Inga followed the=
se
instructions and when Klik appeared in answer to his summons the boy reques=
ted
an audience of the Nome King. So Klik led them into the presence of King
Kaliko, who was suffering from a severe headache, due to his revelry the ni=
ght
before, and therefore was unusually cross and grumpy.
"I know what
you've come for," said he, before Inga could speak. "You want to =
get
the captives from Regos away from me; but you can't do it, so you'd best go
away again."
"The captives
are my father and mother, and I intend to liberate them," said the boy
firmly.
The King stared h=
ard
at Inga, wondering at his audacity. Then he turned to look at King Rinkitink
and said:
"I suppose y=
ou
are the King of Gilgad, which is in the Kingdom of Rinkitink."
"You've gues=
sed
it the first time," replied Rinkitink.
"How round a=
nd
fat you are!" exclaimed Kaliko.
"I was just
thinking how fat and round you are," said Rinkitink. "Really, King
Kaliko, we ought to be friends, we're so much alike in everything but
disposition and intelligence."
Then he began to
chuckle, while Kaliko stared hard at him, not knowing whether to accept his
speech as a compliment or not. And now the nome's eyes wandered to Bilbil, =
and
he asked:
"Is that your
talking goat?"
Bilbil met the No=
me
King's glowering look with a gaze equally surly and defiant, while Rinkitink
answered: "It is, Your Majesty."
"Can he real=
ly
talk?" asked Kaliko, curiously.
"He can. But=
the
best thing he does is to scold. Talk to His Majesty, Bilbil."
But Bilbil remain=
ed
silent and would not speak.
"Do you alwa=
ys
ride upon his back?" continued Kaliko, questioning Rinkitink.
"Yes," =
was
the answer, "because it is difficult for a fat man to walk far, as per=
haps
you know from experience.
"That is
true," said Kaliko. "Get off the goat's back and let me ride him a
while, to see how I like it. Perhaps I'll take him away from you, to ride
through my caverns."
Rinkitink chuckled
softly as he heard this, but at once got off Bilbil's back and let Kaliko g=
et
on. The Nome King was a little awkward, but when he was firmly astride the
saddle he called in a loud voice: "Giddap!"
When Bilbil paid =
no
attention to the command and refused to stir, Kaliko kicked his heels vicio=
usly
against the goat's body, and then Bilbil made a sudden start. He ran swiftly
across the great cavern, until he had almost reached the opposite wall, whe=
n he
stopped so abruptly that King Kaliko sailed over his head and bumped against
the jeweled wall. He bumped so hard that the points of his crown were all m=
ashed
out of shape and his head was driven far into the diamond-studded band of t=
he
crown, so that it covered one eye and a part of his nose. Perhaps this saved
Kaliko's head from being cracked against the rock wall, but it was hard on =
the
crown.
Bilbil was highly
pleased at the success of his feat and Rinkitink laughed merrily at the Nome
King's comical appearance; but Kaliko was muttering and growling as he pick=
ed
himself up and struggled to pull the battered crown from his head, and it w=
as
evident that he was not in the least amused. Indeed, Inga could see that the
King was very angry, and the boy knew that the incident was likely to turn
Kaliko against the entire party.
The Nome King sent
Klik for another crown and ordered his workmen to repair the one that was
damaged. While he waited for the new crown he sat regarding his visitors wi=
th a
scowling face, and this made Inga more uneasy than ever. Finally, when the =
new
crown was placed upon his head, King Kaliko said: "Follow me,
strangers!" and led the way to a small door at one end of the cavern. =
Inga and Rinkitink followed him through the doorway and found themselves standing on a balcony that overlooked an enormous domed cave--so extensive that it seemed miles to the other side of it. All around this circular cave, which was brilliantly lighted from an unknown source, were arches connected with other caverns. <= o:p>
Kaliko took a gold
whistle from his pocket and blew a shrill note that echoed through every pa=
rt
of the cave. Instantly nomes began to pour in through the side arches in gr=
eat
numbers, until the immense space was packed with them as far as the eye cou=
ld
reach. All were armed with glittering weapons of polished silver and gold, =
and
Inga was amazed that any King could command so great an army.
They began marchi=
ng
and countermarching in very orderly array until another blast of the gold
whistle sent them scurrying away as quickly as they had appeared. And as so=
on
as the great cave was again empty Kaliko returned with his visitors to his =
own
royal chamber, where he once more seated himself upon his ivory throne.
"I have shown
you," said he to Inga, "a part of my bodyguard. The royal armies,=
of
which this is only a part, are as numerous as the sands of the ocean, and l=
ive
in many thousands of my underground caverns. You have come here thinking to
force me to give up the captives of King Gos and Queen Cor, and I wanted to
convince you that my power is too mighty for anyone to oppose. I am told th=
at
you are a wizard, and depend upon magic to aid you; but you must know that =
the
nomes are not mortals, and understand magic pretty well themselves, so if we
are obliged to fight magic with magic the chances are that we are a hundred
times more powerful than you can be. Think this over carefully, my boy, and=
try
to realize that you are in my power. I do not believe you can force me to l=
iberate
King Kitticut and Queen Garee, and I know that you cannot coax me to do so,=
for
I have given my promise to King Gos. Therefore, as I do not wish to hurt yo=
u, I
ask you to go away peaceably and let me alone."
"Forgive me =
if I
do not agree with you, King Kaliko," answered the boy. "However
difficult and dangerous my task may be, I cannot leave your dominions until
every effort to release my parents has failed and left me completely
discouraged."
"Very
well," said the King, evidently displeased. "I have warned you, a=
nd
now if evil overtakes you it is your own fault. I've a headache to-day, so I
cannot entertain you properly, according to your rank; but Klik will attend=
you
to my guest chambers and to-morrow I will talk with you again."
This seemed a fair
and courteous way to treat one's declared enemies, so they politely express=
ed
the wish that Kaliko's headache would be better, and followed their guide,
Klik, down a well-lighted passage and through several archways until they
finally reached three nicely furnished bedchambers which were cut from solid
gray rock and well lighted and aired by some mysterious method known to the
nomes.
The first of these
rooms was given King Rinkitink, the second was Inga's and the third was
assigned to Bilbil the goat. There was a swinging rock door between the thi=
rd
and second rooms and another between the second and first, which also had a
door that opened upon the passage. Rinkitink's room was the largest, so it =
was
here that an excellent dinner was spread by some of the nome servants, who,=
in
spite of their crooked shapes, proved to be well trained and competent.
"You are not
prisoners, you know," said Klik; "neither are you welcome guests,
having declared your purpose to oppose our mighty King and all his hosts. B=
ut
we bear you no ill will, and you are to be well fed and cared for as long as
you remain in our caverns. Eat hearty, sleep tight, and pleasant dreams to
you."
Saying this, he l=
eft
them alone and at once Rinkitink and Inga began to counsel together as to t=
he
best means to liberate King Kitticut and Queen Garee. The White Pearl's adv=
ice
was rather unsatisfactory to the boy, just now, for all that the Voice said=
in
answer to his questions was: "Be patient, brave and determined." =
Rinkitink suggest=
ed
that they try to discover in what part of the series of underground caverns
Inga's parents had been confined, as that knowledge was necessary before th=
ey
could take any action; so together they started out, leaving Bilbil asleep =
in
his room, and made their way unopposed through many corridors and caverns. =
In
some places were great furnaces, where gold dust was being melted into bric=
ks.
In other rooms workmen were fashioning the gold into various articles and
ornaments. In one cavern immense wheels revolved which polished precious ge=
ms,
and they found many caverns used as storerooms, where treasure of every sort
was piled high. Also they came to the barracks of the army and the great
kitchens.
There were nomes
everywhere--countless thousands of them--but none paid the slightest heed to
the visitors from the earth's surface. Yet, although Inga and Rinkitink wal=
ked
until they were weary, they were unable to locate the place where the boy's
father and mother had been confined, and when they tried to return to their=
own
rooms they found that they had hopelessly lost themselves amid the labyrint=
h of
passages. However, Klik presently came to them, laughing at their discomfit=
ure,
and led them back to their bedchambers.
Before they went =
to
sleep they carefully barred the door from Rinkitink's room to the corridor,=
but
the doors that connected the three rooms one with another were left wide op=
en.
In the night Inga=
was
awakened by a soft grating sound that filled him with anxiety because he co=
uld
not account for it. It was dark in his room, the light having disappeared as
soon as he got into bed, but he managed to feel his way to the door that le=
d to
Rinkitink's room and found it tightly closed and immovable. Then he made his
way to the opposite door, leading to Bilbil's room, to discover that also h=
ad
been closed and fastened.
The boy had a cur=
ious
sensation that all of his room--the walls, floor and ceiling--was slowly
whirling as if on a pivot, and it was such an uncomfortable feeling that he=
got
into bed again, not knowing what else to do. And as the grating noise had
ceased and the room now seemed stationary, he soon fell asleep again.
When the boy wake=
ned,
after many hours, he found the room again light. So he dressed himself and
discovered that a small table, containing a breakfast that was smoking hot,=
had
suddenly appeared in the center of his room. He tried the two doors, but
finding that he could not open them he ate some breakfast, thoughtfully
wondering who had locked him in and why he had been made a prisoner. Then he
again went to the door which he thought led to Rinkitink's chamber and to h=
is
surprise the latch lifted easily and the door swung open.
Before him was a =
rude
corridor hewn in the rock and dimly lighted. It did not look inviting, so I=
nga
closed the door, puzzled to know what had become of Rinkitink's room and the
King, and went to the opposite door. Opening this, he found a solid wall of
rock confronting him, which effectually prevented his escape in that direct=
ion.
The boy now reali=
zed
that King Kaliko had tricked him, and while professing to receive him as a
guest had plotted to separate him from his comrades. One way had been left,
however, by which he might escape and he decided to see where it led to.
So, going to the
first door, he opened it and ventured slowly into the dimly lighted corrido=
r.
When he had advanced a few steps he heard the door of his room slam shut be=
hind
him. He ran back at once, but the door of rock fitted so closely into the w=
all
that he found it impossible to open it again. That did not matter so much,
however, for the room was a prison and the only way of escape seemed ahead =
of
him.
Along the corrido=
r he
crept until, turning a corner, he found himself in a large domed cavern that
was empty and deserted. Here also was a dim light that permitted him to see=
another
corridor at the opposite side; so he crossed the rocky floor of the cavern =
and
entered a second corridor. This one twisted and turned in every direction b=
ut
was not very long, so soon the boy reached a second cavern, not so large as=
the
first. This he found vacant also, but it had another corridor leading out of
it, so Inga entered that. It was straight and short and beyond was a third
cavern, which differed little from the others except that it had a strong i=
ron
grating at one side of it.
All three of these
caverns had been roughly hewn from the rock and it seemed they had never be=
en
put to use, as had all the other caverns of the nomes he had visited. Stand=
ing
in the third cavern, Inga saw what he thought was still another corridor at=
its
farther side, so he walked toward it. This opening was dark, and that fact,=
and
the solemn silence all around him, made him hesitate for a while to enter i=
t.
Upon reflection, however, he realized that unless he explored the place to =
the
very end he could not hope to escape from it, so he boldly entered the dark
corridor and felt his way cautiously as he moved forward.
Scarcely had he t=
aken
two paces when a crash resounded back of him and a heavy sheet of steel clo=
sed
the opening into the cavern from which he had just come. He paused a moment,
but it still seemed best to proceed, and as Inga advanced in the dark, hold=
ing
his hands outstretched before him to feel his way, handcuffs fell upon his
wrists and locked themselves with a sharp click, and an instant later he fo=
und
he was chained to a stout iron post set firmly in the rock floor.
The chains were l=
ong
enough to permit him to move a yard or so in any direction and by feeling t=
he
walls he found he was in a small circular room that had no outlet except the
passage by which he had entered, and that was now closed by the door of ste=
el.
This was the end of the series of caverns and corridors.
It was now that t=
he
horror of his situation occurred to the boy with full force. But he resolved
not to submit to his fate without a struggle, and realizing that he possess=
ed
the Blue Pearl, which gave him marvelous strength, he quickly broke the cha=
ins
and set himself free of the handcuffs. Next he twisted the steel door from =
its
hinges, and creeping along the short passage, found himself in the third ca=
ve.
But now the dim
light, which had before guided him, had vanished; yet on peering into the g=
loom
of the cave he saw what appeared to be two round disks of flame, which cast=
a
subdued glow over the floor and walls. By this dull glow he made out the fo=
rm
of an enormous man, seated in the center of the cave, and he saw that the i=
ron
grating had been removed, permitting the man to enter.
The giant was
unclothed and its limbs were thickly covered with coarse red hair. The round
disks of flame were its two eyes and when it opened its mouth to yawn Inga =
saw
that its jaws were wide enough to crush a dozen men between the great rows =
of
teeth.
Presently the gia=
nt
looked up and perceived the boy crouching at the other side of the cavern, =
so
he called out in a hoarse, rude voice:
"Come hither=
, my
pretty one. We will wrestle together, you and I, and if you succeed in thro=
wing
me I will let you pass through my cave."
The boy made no r=
eply
to the challenge. He realized he was in dire peril and regretted that he had
lent the Pink Pearl to King Rinkitink. But it was now too late for vain
regrets, although he feared that even his great strength would avail him li=
ttle
against this hairy monster. For his arms were not long enough to span a fou=
rth
of the giant's huge body, while the monster's powerful limbs would be likel=
y to
crush out Inga's life before he could gain the mastery.
Therefore the Pri=
nce
resolved to employ other means to combat this foe, who had doubtless been
placed there to bar his return. Retreating through the passage he reached t=
he
room where he had been chained and wrenched the iron post from its socket. =
It
was a foot thick and four feet long, and being of solid iron was so heavy t=
hat
three ordinary men would have found it hard to lift.
Returning to the
cavern, the boy swung the great bar above his head and dashed it with mighty
force full at the giant. The end of the bar struck the monster upon its
forehead, and with a single groan it fell full length upon the floor and lay
still.
When the giant fe=
ll,
the glow from its eyes faded away, and all was dark. Cautiously, for Inga w=
as
not sure the giant was dead, the boy felt his way toward the opening that l=
ed
to the middle cavern. The entrance was narrow and the darkness was intense,=
but,
feeling braver now, the boy stepped boldly forward. Instantly the floor beg=
an
to sink beneath him and in great alarm he turned and made a leap that enabl=
ed him
to grasp the rocky sides of the wall and regain a footing in the passage
through which he had just come.
Scarcely had he
obtained this place of refuge when a mighty crash resounded throughout the
cavern and the sound of a rushing torrent came from far below. Inga felt in=
his
pocket and found several matches, one of which he lighted and held before h=
im.
While it flickered he saw that the entire floor of the cavern had fallen aw=
ay,
and knew that had he not instantly regained his footing in the passage he w=
ould
have plunged into the abyss that lay beneath him.
By the light of
another match he saw the opening at the other side of the cave and the thou=
ght
came to him that possibly he might leap across the gulf. Of course, this co=
uld
never be accomplished without the marvelous strength lent him by the Blue
Pearl, but Inga had the feeling that one powerful spring might carry him ov=
er
the chasm into safety. He could not stay where he was, that was certain, so=
he
resolved to make the attempt.
He took a long run
through the first cave and the short corridor; then, exerting all his stren=
gth,
he launched himself over the black gulf of the second cave. Swiftly he flew
and, although his heart stood still with fear, only a few seconds elapsed
before his feet touched the ledge of the opposite passageway and he knew he=
had
safely accomplished the wonderful feat.
Only pausing to d=
raw
one long breath of relief, Inga quickly traversed the crooked corridor that=
led
to the last cavern of the three. But when he came in sight of it he paused
abruptly, his eyes nearly blinded by a glare of strong light which burst up=
on them.
Covering his face with his hands, Inga retreated behind a projecting corner=
of
rock and by gradually getting his eyes used to the light he was finally abl=
e to
gaze without blinking upon the strange glare that had so quickly changed the
condition of the cavern. When he had passed through this vault it had been
entirely empty. Now the flat floor of rock was covered everywhere with a be=
d of
glowing coals, which shot up little tongues of red and white flames. Indeed,
the entire cave was one monster furnace and the heat that came from it was
fearful.
Inga's heart sank
within him as he realized the terrible obstacle placed by the cunning Nome =
King
between him and the safety of the other caverns. There was no turning back,=
for
it would be impossible for him again to leap over the gulf of the second ca=
ve,
the corridor at this side being so crooked that he could get no run before =
he
jumped. Neither could he leap over the glowing coals of the cavern that fac=
ed him,
for it was much larger than the middle cavern. In this dilemma he feared his
great strength would avail him nothing and he bitterly reproached himself f=
or
parting with the Pink Pearl, which would have preserved him from injury.
However, it was n=
ot
in the nature of Prince Inga to despair for long, his past adventures having
taught him confidence and courage, sharpened his wits and given him the gen=
ius
of invention. He sat down and thought earnestly on the means of escape from=
his
danger and at last a clever idea came to his mind. This is the way to get i=
deas:
never to let adverse circumstances discourage you, but to believe there is a
way out of every difficulty, which may be found by earnest thought.
There were many
points and projections of rock in the walls of the crooked corridor in which
Inga stood and some of these rocks had become cracked and loosened, although
still clinging to their places. The boy picked out one large piece, and,
exerting all his strength, tore it away from the wall. He then carried it to
the cavern and tossed it upon the burning coals, about ten feet away from t=
he
end of the passage. Then he returned for another fragment of rock, and
wrenching it free from its place, he threw it ten feet beyond the first one,
toward the opposite side of the cave. The boy continued this work until he =
had made
a series of stepping-stones reaching straight across the cavern to the dark
passageway beyond, which he hoped would lead him back to safety if not to
liberty.
When his work had
been completed, Inga did not long hesitate to take advantage of his
stepping-stones, for he knew his best chance of escape lay in his crossing =
the
bed of coals before the rocks became so heated that they would burn his fee=
t.
So he leaped to the first rock and from there began jumping from one to the
other in quick succession. A withering wave of heat at once enveloped him, =
and
for a time he feared he would suffocate before he could cross the cavern; b=
ut
he held his breath, to keep the hot air from his lungs, and maintained his
leaps with desperate resolve.
Then, before he
realized it, his feet were pressing the cooler rocks of the passage beyond =
and
he rolled helpless upon the floor, gasping for breath. His skin was so red =
that
it resembled the shell of a boiled lobster, but his swift motion had preven=
ted
his being burned, and his shoes had thick soles, which saved his feet.
After resting a f=
ew
minutes, the boy felt strong enough to go on. He went to the end of the pas=
sage
and found that the rock door by which he had left his room was still closed=
, so
he returned to about the middle of the corridor and was thinking what he sh=
ould
do next, when suddenly the solid rock before him began to move and an openi=
ng
appeared through which shone a brilliant light. Shielding his eyes, which w=
ere
somewhat dazzled, Inga sprang through the opening and found himself in one =
of the
Nome King's inhabited caverns, where before him stood King Kaliko, with a b=
road
grin upon his features, and Klik, the King's chamberlain, who looked surpri=
sed,
and King Rinkitink seated astride Bilbil the goat, both of whom seemed plea=
sed
that Inga had rejoined them.
We will now relate
what happened to Rinkitink and Bilbil that morning, while Inga was undergoi=
ng
his trying experience in escaping the fearful dangers of the three caverns.=
The King of Gilgad
wakened to find the door of Inga's room fast shut and locked, but he had no
trouble in opening his own door into the corridor, for it seems that the bo=
y's
room, which was the middle one, whirled around on a pivot, while the adjoin=
ing
rooms occupied by Bilbil and Rinkitink remained stationary. The little King
also found a breakfast magically served in his room, and while he was eating
it, Klik came to him and stated that His Majesty, King Kaliko, desired his =
presence
in the royal cavern.
So Rinkitink, hav=
ing
first made sure that the Pink Pearl was still in his vest pocket, willingly
followed Klik, who ran on some distance ahead. But no sooner had Rinkitink =
set
foot in the passage than a great rock, weighing at least a ton, became
dislodged and dropped from the roof directly over his head. Of course, it c=
ould
not harm him, protected as he was by the Pink Pearl, and it bounded aside a=
nd
crashed upon the floor, where it was shattered by its own weight.
"How
careless!" exclaimed the little King, and waddled after Klik, who seem=
ed
amazed at his escape.
Presently another
rock above Rinkitink plunged downward, and then another, but none touched h=
is
body. Klik seemed much perplexed at these continued escapes and certainly
Kaliko was surprised when Rinkitink, safe and sound, entered the royal cave=
rn.
"Good
morning," said the King of Gilgad. "Your rocks are getting loose,=
Kaliko,
and you'd better have them glued in place before they hurt someone." T=
hen
he began to chuckle: "Hoo, hoo, hoo-hee, hee-heek, keek, eek!" and
Kaliko sat and frowned because he realized that the little fat King was pok=
ing
fun at him.
"I asked Your
Majesty to come here," said the Nome King, "to show you a curious
skein of golden thread which my workmen have made. If it pleases you, I will
make you a present of it."
With this he held=
out
a small skein of glittering gold twine, which was really pretty and curious.
Rinkitink took it in his hand and at once the golden thread began to unwind=
--so
swiftly that the eye could not follow its motion. And, as it unwound, it co=
iled
itself around Rinkitink's body, at the same time weaving itself into a net,
until it had enveloped the little King from head to foot and placed him in =
a prison
of gold.
"Aha!"
cried Kaliko; "this magic worked all right, it seems.
"Oh, did
it?" replied Rinkitink, and stepping forward he walked right through t=
he
golden net, which fell to the floor in a tangled mass.
Kaliko rubbed his
chin thoughtfully and stared hard at Rinkitink.
"I understan=
d a
good bit of magic," said he, "but Your Majesty has a sort of magic
that greatly puzzles me, because it is unlike anything of the sort that I e=
ver
met with before."
"Now, see he=
re,
Kaliko," said Rinkitink; "if you are trying to harm me or my
companions, give it up, for you will never succeed. We're harm-proof, so to
speak, and you are merely wasting your time trying to injure us.
"You may be
right, and I hope I am not so impolite as to argue with a guest," retu=
rned
the Nome King. "But you will pardon me if I am not yet satisfied that =
you
are stronger than my famous magic. However, I beg you to believe that I bear
you no ill will, King Rinkitink; but it is my duty to destroy you, if possi=
ble,
because you and that insignificant boy Prince have openly threatened to take
away my captives and have positively refused to go back to the earth's surf=
ace
and let me alone. I'm very tender-hearted, as a matter of fact, and I like =
you
immensely, and would enjoy having you as a friend, but--" Here he pres=
sed
a button on the arm of his throne chair and the section of the floor where =
Rinkitink
stood suddenly opened and disclosed a black pit beneath, which was a part of
'the terrible Bottomless Gulf.
But Rinkitink did=
not
fall into the pit; his body remained suspended in the air until he put out =
his
foot and stepped to the solid floor, when the opening suddenly closed again=
.
"I appreciate
Your Majesty's friendship," remarked Rinkitink, as calmly as if nothing
had happened, "but I am getting tired with standing. Will you kindly s=
end
for my goat, Bilbil, that I may sit upon his back to rest?"
"Indeed I
will!" promised Kaliko. "I have not yet completed my test of your
magic, and as I owe that goat a slight grudge for bumping my head and smash=
ing
my second-best crown, I will be glad to discover if the beast can also esca=
pe
my delightful little sorceries."
So Klik was sent =
to
fetch Bilbil and presently returned with the goat, which was very cross this
morning because it had not slept well in the underground caverns.
Rinkitink lost no
time in getting upon the red velvet saddle which the goat constantly wore, =
for
he feared the Nome King would try to destroy Bilbil and knew that as long as
his body touched that of the goat the Pink Pearl would protect them both;
whereas, if Bilbil stood alone, there was no magic to save him.
Bilbil glared wickedly at King Kaliko, who moved uneasily in his ivory throne. Then the N= ome King whispered a moment in the ear of Klik, who nodded and left the room. <= o:p>
"Please make
yourselves at home here for a few minutes, while I attend to an errand,&quo=
t;
said the Nome King, getting up from the throne. "I shall return pretty
soon, when I hope to find you pieceful--ha, ha, ha!--that's a joke you can't
appreciate now but will later. Be pieceful--that's the idea. Ho, ho, ho! How
funny." Then he waddled from the cavern, closing the door behind him. =
"Well, why
didn't you laugh when Kaliko laughed?" demanded the goat, when they we=
re
left alone in the cavern.
"Because he
means mischief of some sort," replied Rinkitink, "and we'll laugh
after the danger is over, Bilbil. There's an old adage that says: 'He laughs
best who laughs last,' and the only way to laugh last is to give the other
fellow a chance. Where did that knife come from, I wonder."
For a long, sharp
knife suddenly appeared in the air near them, twisting and turning from sid=
e to
side and darting here and there in a dangerous manner, without any support
whatever. Then another knife became visible--and another and another--until=
all
the space in the royal cavern seemed filled with them. Their sharp points a=
nd
edges darted toward Rinkitink and Bilbil perpetually and nothing could have=
saved
them from being cut to pieces except the protecting power of the Pink Pearl=
. As
it was, not a knife touched them and even Bilbil gave a gruff laugh at the
failure of Kaliko's clever magic.
The goat wandered
here and there in the cavern, carrying Rinkitink upon his back, and neither=
of
them paid the slightest heed to the knives, although the glitter of the
hundreds of polished blades was rather trying to their eyes. Perhaps for ten
minutes the knives darted about them in bewildering fury; then they disappe=
ared
as suddenly as they had appeared.
Kaliko cautiously
stuck his head through the doorway and found the goat chewing the embroider=
y of
his royal cloak, which he had left lying over the throne, while Rinkitink w=
as
reading his manuscript on "How to be Good" and chuckling over its
advice. The Nome King seemed greatly disappointed as he came in and resumed=
his
seat on the throne. Said Rinkitink with a chuckle:
"We've really
had a peaceful time, Kaliko, although not the pieceful time you expected.
Forgive me if I indulge in a laugh--hoo, hoo, hoo-hee, heek-keek-eek! And n=
ow,
tell me; aren't you getting tired of trying to injure us?"
"Eh--heh,&qu=
ot;
said the Nome King. "I see now that your magic can protect you from al=
l my
arts. But is the boy Inga as, well protected as Your Majesty and the goat?'=
"Why do you
ask?" inquired Rinkitink, uneasy at the question because he remembered=
he
had not seen the little Prince of Pingaree that morning.
"Because,&qu=
ot;
said Kaliko, "the boy has been undergoing trials far greater and more
dangerous than any you have encountered, and it has been hundreds of years
since anyone has been able to escape alive from the perils of my Three Trick
Caverns."
King Rinkitink was
much alarmed at hearing this, for although he knew that Inga possessed the =
Blue
Pearl, that would only give to him marvelous strength, and perhaps strength
alone would not enable him to escape from danger. But he would not let Kali=
ko
see the fear he felt for Inga's safety, so he said in a careless way:
"You're a mi=
ghty
poor magician, Kaliko, and I'll give you my crown if Inga hasn't escaped any
danger you have threatened him with."
"Your whole
crown is not worth one of the valuable diamonds in my crown," answered=
the
Nome King, "but I'll take it. Let us go at once, therefore, and see wh=
at
has become of the boy Prince, for if he is not destroyed by this time I will
admit he cannot be injured by any of the magic arts which I have at my
command."
He left the room,
accompanied by Klik, who had now rejoined his master, and by Rinkitink ridi=
ng
upon Bilbil. After traversing several of the huge caverns they entered one =
that
was somewhat more bright and cheerful than the others, where the Nome King
paused before a wall of rock. Then Klik pressed a secret spring and a secti=
on
of the wall opened and disclosed the corridor where Prince Inga stood facing
them.
"Tarts and
tadpoles!" cried Kaliko in surprise. "The boy is still alive!&quo=
t;
One day when Prin=
cess
Dorothy of Oz was visiting Glinda the Good, who is Ozma's Royal Sorceress, =
she
was looking through Glinda's Great Book of Records--wherein is inscribed all
important events that happen in every part of the world--when she came upon=
the
record of the destruction of Pingaree, the capture of King Kitticut and Que=
en
Garee and all their people, and the curious escape of Inga, the boy Prince,=
and
of King Rinkitink and the talking goat. Turning over some of the following
pages, Dorothy read how Inga had found the Magic Pearls and was rowing the
silver-lined boat to Regos to try to rescue his parents.
The little girl w=
as
much interested to know how well Inga succeeded, but she returned to the pa=
lace
of Ozma at the Emerald City of Oz the next day and other events made her fo=
rget
the boy Prince of Pingaree for a time. However, she was one day idly lookin=
g at
Ozma's Magic Picture, which shows any scene you may wish to see, when the g=
irl thought
of Inga and commanded the Magic Picture to show what the boy was doing at t=
hat
moment.
It was the time w=
hen
Inga and Rinkitink had followed the King of Regos and Queen of Coregos to t=
he
Nome King's country and she saw them hiding behind the rock as Cor and Gos
passed them by after having placed the King and Queen of Pingaree in the
keeping of the Nome King. From that time Dorothy followed, by means of the
Magic Picture, the adventures of Inga and his friend in the Nome King's
caverns, and the danger and helplessness of the poor boy aroused the little
girl's pity and indignation.
So she went to Oz=
ma
and told the lovely girl Ruler of Oz all about Inga and Rinkitink.
"I think Kal=
iko
is treating them dreadfully mean," declared Dorothy, "and I wish
you'd let me go to the Nome Country and help them out of their troubles.&qu=
ot;
"Go, my dear=
, if
you wish to," replied Ozma, "but I think it would be best for you=
to
take the Wizard with you."
"Oh, I'm not
afraid of the nomes," said Dorothy, "but I'll be glad to take the
Wizard, for company. And may we use your Magic Carpet, Ozma?"
"Of course. =
Put
the Magic Carpet in the Red Wagon and have the Sawhorse take you and the Wi=
zard
to the edge of the desert. While you are gone, Dorothy, I'll watch you in t=
he
Magic Picture, and if any danger threatens you I'll see you are not
harmed."
Dorothy thanked t=
he
Ruler of Oz and kissed her good-bye, for she was determined to start at onc=
e.
She found the Wizard of Oz, who was planting shoetrees in the garden, and w=
hen she
told him Inga's story he willingly agreed to accompany the little girl to t=
he
Nome King's caverns. They had both been there before and had conquered the
nomes with ease, so they were not at all afraid.
The Wizard, who w=
as a
cheery little man with a bald head and a winning smile, harnessed the Wooden
Sawhorse to the Red Wagon and loaded on Ozma's Magic Carpet. Then he and
Dorothy climbed to the seat and the Sawhorse started off and carried them
swiftly through the beautiful Land of Oz to the edge of the Deadly Desert t=
hat
separated their fairyland from the Nome Country.
Even Dorothy and =
the
clever Wizard would not have dared to cross this desert without the aid of =
the
Magic Carpet, for it would have quickly destroyed them; but when the roll of
carpet had been placed upon the edge of the sands, leaving just enough lying
flat for them to stand upon, the carpet straightway began to unroll before =
them
and as they walked on it continued to unroll, until they had safely passed =
over
the stretch of Deadly Desert and were on the border of the Nome King's domi=
nions.
This journey had =
been
accomplished in a few minutes, although such a distance would have required
several days travel had they not been walking on the Magic Carpet. On arriv=
ing
they at once walked toward the entrance to the caverns of the nomes.
The Wizard carrie=
d a
little black bag containing his tools of wizardry, while Dorothy carried ov=
er
her arm a covered basket in which she had placed a dozen eggs, with which to
conquer the nomes if she had any trouble with them.
Eggs may seem to =
you
to be a queer weapon with which to fight, but the little girl well knew the=
ir
value. The nomes are immortal; that is, they do not perish, as mortals do,
unless they happen to come in contact with an egg. If an egg touches
them--either the outer shell or the inside of the egg--the nomes lose their
charm of perpetual life and thereafter are liable to die through accident or
old age, just as all humans are.
For this reason t=
he
sight of an egg fills a nome with terror and he will do anything to prevent=
an
egg from touching him, even for an instant. So, when Dorothy took her baske=
t of
eggs with her, she knew that she was more powerfully armed than if she had a
regiment of soldiers at her back.
After Kaliko had
failed in his attempts to destroy his guests, as has been related, the Nome
King did nothing more to injure them but treated them in a friendly manner.=
He
refused, however, to permit Inga to see or to speak with his father and mot=
her,
or even to know in what part of the underground caverns they were confined.=
"You are abl=
e to
protect your lives and persons, I freely admit," said Kaliko; "bu=
t I
firmly believe you have no power, either of magic or otherwise, to take fro=
m me
the captives I have agreed to keep for King Gos."
Inga would not ag=
ree
to this. He determined not to leave the caverns until he had liberated his
father and mother, although he did not then know how that could be
accomplished. As for Rinkitink, the jolly King was well fed and had a good =
bed
to sleep upon, so he was not worrying about anything and seemed in no hurry=
to
go away.
Kaliko and Rinkit=
ink
were engaged in pitching a game with solid gold quoits, on the floor of the
royal chamber, and Inga and Bilbil were watching them, when Klik came runni=
ng
in, his hair standing on end with excitement, and cried out that the Wizard=
of
Oz and Dorothy were approaching.
Kaliko turned pal=
e on
hearing this unwelcome news and, abandoning his game, went to sit in his iv=
ory
throne and try to think what had brought these fearful visitors to his doma=
in.
"Who is
Dorothy?" asked Inga.
"She is a li=
ttle
girl who once lived in Kansas," replied Klik, with a shudder, "but
she now lives in Ozma's palace at the Emerald City and is a Princess of
Oz--which means that she is a terrible foe to deal with."
"Doesn't she
like the nomes?" inquired the boy.
"It isn't
that," said King Kaliko, with a groan, "but she insists on the no=
mes
being goody-goody, which is contrary to their natures. Dorothy gets angry i=
f I
do the least thing that is wicked, and tries to make me stop it, and that
naturally makes me downhearted. I can't imagine why she has come here just =
now,
for I've been behaving very well lately. As for that Wizard of Oz, he's
chock-full of magic that I can't overcome, for he learned it from Glinda, w=
ho
is the most powerful sorceress in the world. Woe is me! Why didn't Dorothy =
and
the Wizard stay in Oz, where they belong?"
Inga and Rinkitink
listened to this with much joy, for at once the idea came to them both to p=
lead
with Dorothy to help them. Even Bilbil pricked up his ears when he heard the
Wizard of Oz mentioned, and the goat seemed much less surly, and more
thoughtful than usual.
A few minutes lat=
er a
nome came to say that Dorothy and the Wizard had arrived and demanded
admittance, so Klik was sent to usher them into the royal presence of the N=
ome
King.
As soon as she ca=
me
in the little girl ran up to the boy Prince and seized both his hands.
"Oh, Inga!&q=
uot;
she exclaimed, "I'm so glad to find you alive and well."
Inga was astonish=
ed
at so warm a greeting. Making a low bow he said:
"I don't thi=
nk
we have met before, Princess."
"No,
indeed," replied Dorothy, "but I know all about you and I've come=
to
help you and King Rinkitink out of your troubles." Then she turned to =
the
Nome King and continued: "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, King
Kaliko, to treat an honest Prince and an honest King so badly."
"I haven't d=
one
anything to them," whined Kaliko, trembling as her eyes flashed upon h=
im.
"No; but you
tried to, an' that's just as bad, if not worse," said Dorothy, who was
very indignant. "And now I want you to send for the King and Queen of
Pingaree and have them brought here immejitly!"
"I won't,&qu=
ot;
said Kaliko.
"Yes, you
will!" cried Dorothy, stamping her foot at him. "I won't have tho=
se
poor people made unhappy any longer, or separated from their little boy. Wh=
y,
it's dreadful, Kaliko, an' I'm su'prised at you. You must be more wicked th=
an I
thought you were."
"I can't do =
it,
Dorothy," said the Nome King, almost weeping with despair. "I
promised King Gos I'd keep them captives. You wouldn't ask me to break my
promise, would you?"
"King Gos wa=
s a
robber and an outlaw," she said, "and p'r'aps you don't know that=
a storm
at sea wrecked his boat, while he was going back to Regos, and that he and
Queen Cor were both drowned."
"Dear me!&qu=
ot;
exclaimed Kaliko. "Is that so?"
"I saw it in
Glinda's Record Book," said Dorothy. "So now you trot out the King
and Queen of Pingaree as quick as you can."
"No,"
persisted the contrary Nome King, shaking his head. "I won't do it. As=
k me
anything else and I'll try to please you, but I can't allow these friendly
enemies to triumph over me.
"In that
case," said Dorothy, beginning to remove the cover from her basket,
"I'll show you some eggs."
"Eggs!"
screamed the Nome King in horror. "Have you eggs in that basket?"=
"A dozen of
'em," replied Dorothy.
"Then keep t=
hem
there--I beg--I implore you!--and I'll do anything you say," pleaded K=
aliko,
his teeth chattering so that he could hardly speak.
"Send for the
King and Queen of Pingaree," said Dorothy.
"Go, Klik,&q=
uot;
commanded the Nome King, and Klik ran away in great haste, for he was almos=
t as
much frightened as his master.
It was an affecti=
ng
scene when the unfortunate King and Queen of Pingaree entered the chamber a=
nd
with sobs and tears of joy embraced their brave and adventurous son. All the
others stood silent until greetings and kisses had been exchanged and Inga =
had
told his parents in a few words of his vain struggles to rescue them and how
Princess Dorothy had finally come to his assistance.
Then King Kitticut
shook the hands of his friend King Rinkitink and thanked him for so loyally
supporting his son Inga, and Queen Garee kissed little Dorothy's forehead a=
nd
blessed her for restoring her husband and herself to freedom.
The Wizard had be=
en
standing near Bilbil the goat and now he was surprised to hear the animal s=
ay:
"Joyful reun=
ion,
isn't it? But it makes me tired to see grown people cry like children."=
;
"Oho!"
exclaimed the Wizard. "How does it happen, Mr. Goat, that you, who have
never been to the Land of Oz, are able to talk?"
"That's my
business," returned Bilbil in a surly tone.
The Wizard stooped
down and gazed fixedly into the animal's eyes. Then he said, with a pitying
sigh: "I see; you are under an enchantment. Indeed, I believe you to be
Prince Bobo of Boboland."
Bilbil made no re=
ply
but dropped his head as if ashamed.
"This is a g=
reat
discovery," said the Wizard, addressing Dorothy and the others of the
party. "A good many years ago a cruel magician transformed the gallant
Prince of Boboland into a talking goat, and this goat, being ashamed of his
condition, ran away and was never after seen in Boboland, which is a country
far to the south of here but bordering on the Deadly Desert, opposite the L=
and
of Oz. I heard of this story long ago and know that a diligent search has b=
een
made for the enchanted Prince, without result. But I am well assured that, =
in the
animal you call Bilbil, I have discovered the unhappy Prince of Boboland.&q=
uot;
"Dear me,
Bilbil," said Rinkitink, "why have you never told me this?" =
"What would = be the use?" asked Bilbil in a low voice and still refusing to look up. <= o:p>
"The use?&qu=
ot;
repeated Rinkitink, puzzled.
"Yes, that's=
the
trouble," said the Wizard. "It is one of the most powerful
enchantments ever accomplished, and the magician is now dead and the secret=
of
the anti-charm lost. Even I, with all my skill, cannot restore Prince Bobo =
to
his proper form. But I think Glinda might be able to do so and if you will =
all
return with Dorothy and me to the Land of Oz, where Ozma will make you welc=
ome,
I will ask Glinda to try to break this enchantment."
This was willingly
agreed to, for they all welcomed the chance to visit the famous Land of Oz.=
So
they bade good-bye to King Kaliko, whom Dorothy warned not to be wicked any
more if he could help it, and the entire party returned over the Magic Carp=
et
to the Land of Oz. They filled the Red Wagon, which was still waiting for t=
hem,
pretty full; but the Sawhorse didn't mind that and with wonderful speed car=
ried
them safely to the Emerald City.
Ozma had seen in =
her
Magic Picture the liberation of Inga's parents and the departure of the ent=
ire
party for the Emerald City, so with her usual hospitality she ordered a
splendid banquet prepared and invited all her quaint friends who were then =
in
the Emerald City to be present that evening to meet the strangers who were =
to
become her guests.
Glinda, also, in =
her
wonderful Record Book had learned of the events that had taken place in the
caverns of the Nome King and she became especially interested in the
enchantment of the Prince of Boboland. So she hastily prepared several of h=
er
most powerful charms and then summoned her flock of sixteen white storks, w=
hich
swiftly bore her to Ozma's palace. She arrived there before the Red Wagon d=
id
and was warmly greeted by the girl Ruler.
Realizing that the
costume of Queen Garee of Pingaree must have become sadly worn and frayed,
owing to her hardships and adventures, Ozma ordered a royal outfit prepared=
for
the good Queen and had it laid in her chamber ready for her to put on as so=
on
as she arrived, so she would not be shamed at the banquet. New costumes were
also provided for King Kitticut and King Rinkitink and Prince Inga, all cut=
and
made and embellished in the elaborate and becoming style then prevalent in =
the Land
of Oz, and as soon as the party arrived at the palace Ozma's guests were es=
corted
by her servants to their rooms, that they might bathe and dress themselves.=
Glinda the Sorcer=
ess
and the Wizard of Oz took charge of Bilbil the goat and went to a private r=
oom
where they were not likely to be interrupted. Glinda first questioned Bilbil
long and earnestly about the manner of his enchantment and the ceremony that
had been used by the magician who enchanted him. At first Bilbil protested =
that
he did not want to be restored to his natural shape, saying that he had bee=
n forever
disgraced in the eyes of his people and of the entire world by being oblige=
d to
exist as a scrawny, scraggly goat. But Glinda pointed out that any person w=
ho
incurred the enmity of a wicked magician was liable to suffer a similar fat=
e,
and assured him that his misfortune would make him better beloved by his
subjects when he returned to them freed from his dire enchantment.
Bilbil was finally convinced of the truth of this assertion and agreed to submit to the experiments of Glinda and the Wizard, who knew they had a hard task before = them and were not at all sure they could succeed. We know that Glinda is the most complete mistress of magic who has ever existed, and she was wise enough to guess that the clever but evil magician who had enchanted Prince Bobo had u= sed a spell that would puzzle any ordinary wizard or sorcerer to break; therefo= re she had given the matter much shrewd thought and hoped she had conceived a = plan that would succeed. But because she was not positive of success she would h= ave no one present at the incantation except her assistant, the Wizard of Oz. <= o:p>
First she transfo=
rmed
Bilbil the goat into a lamb, and this was done quite easily. Next she
transformed the lamb into an ostrich, giving it two legs and feet instead of
four. Then she tried to transform the ostrich into the original Prince Bobo,
but this incantation was an utter failure. Glinda was not discouraged, howe=
ver,
but by a powerful spell transformed the ostrich into a tottenhot--which is a
lower form of a man. Then the tottenhot was transformed into a mifket, which
was a great step in advance and, finally, Glinda transformed the mifket int=
o a
handsome young man, tall and shapely, who fell on his knees before the great
Sorceress and gratefully kissed her hand, admitting that he had now recover=
ed
his proper shape and was indeed Prince Bobo of Boboland.
This process of
magic, successful though it was in the end, had required so much time that =
the
banquet was now awaiting their presence. Bobo was already dressed in prince=
ly
raiment and although he seemed very much humbled by his recent lowly condit=
ion,
they finally persuaded him to join the festivities.
When Rinkitink saw
that his goat had now become a Prince, he did not know whether to be sorry =
or
glad, for he felt that he would miss the companionship of the quarrelsome
animal he had so long been accustomed to ride upon, while at the same time =
he
rejoiced that poor Bilbil had come to his own again.
Prince Bobo humbly
begged Rinkitink's forgiveness for having been so disagreeable to him, at
times, saying that the nature of a goat had influenced him and the surly
disposition he had shown was a part of his enchantment. But the jolly King
assured the Prince that he had really enjoyed Bilbil's grumpy speeches and
forgave him readily. Indeed, they all discovered the young Prince Bobo to b=
e an
exceedingly courteous and pleasant person, although he was somewhat reserved
and dignified.
Ah, but it was a
great feast that Ozma served in her gorgeous banquet hall that night and
everyone was as happy as could be. The Shaggy Man was there, and so was Jack
Pumpkinhead and the Tin Woodman and Cap'n Bill. Beside Princess Dorothy sat
Tiny Trot and Betsy Bobbin, and the three little girls were almost as sweet=
to
look upon as was Ozma, who sat at the head of her table and outshone all her
guests in loveliness.
King Rinkitink was
delighted with the quaint people of Oz and laughed and joked with the tin m=
an
and the pumpkin-headed man and found Cap'n Bill a very agreeable companion.=
But
what amused the jolly King most were the animal guests, which Ozma always
invited to her banquets and seated at a table by themselves, where they tal=
ked
and chatted together as people do but were served the sort of food their
natures required. The Hungry Tiger and Cowardly Lion and the Glass Cat were
much admired by Rinkitink, but when he met a mule named Hank, which Betsy
Bobbin had brought to Oz, the King found the creature so comical that he
laughed and chuckled until his friends thought he would choke. Then while t=
he banquet
was still in progress, Rinkitink composed and sang a song to the mule and t=
hey
all joined in the chorus, which was something like this:
"It's very queer how big an e=
ar Is worn by Mr. Do=
nkey; And yet I fear he could not h=
ear If it were on a m=
onkey.
'Tis thick and strong and broad an=
d long
And also ve=
ry
hairy; It's quite becom=
ing to
our Hank But
might disgrace a fairy!"
This song was received with so much
enthusiasm that Rinkitink was prevailed upon to sing another. They gave him=
a
little time to compose the rhyme, which he declared would be better if he c=
ould
devote a month or two to its composition, but the sentiment he expressed wa=
s so
admirable that no one criticized the song or the manner in which the jolly
little King sang it.
Dorothy wrote down
the words on a piece of paper, and here they are:
"We're merry comrades all,
to-night, Because we've=
won a
gallant fight And
conquered all our foes. We're
not afraid of anything, So
let us gayly laugh and sing Until we seek rep=
ose.
"We've all our grateful heart=
s can
wish; King Gos has gone=
to
feed the fish, Queen Cor has gon=
e, as
well; King Kitticut has=
found
his own, Prince Bobo so=
on
will have a throne Relieved of magic
spell.
"So let's forget the horrid s=
trife That fell upon our peaceful l=
ife And caused distre=
ss and
pain; For very soon acr=
oss
the sea We'll all be sa=
iling
merrily To
Pingaree again."
It was unfortunate
that the famous Scarecrow--the most popular person in all Oz, next to Ozma-=
-was
absent at the time of the banquet, for he happened just then to be making o=
ne
of his trips through the country; but the Scarecrow had a chance later to m=
eet
Rinkitink and Inga and the King and Queen of Pingaree and Prince Bobo, for =
the
party remained several weeks at the Emerald City, where they were royally
entertained, and where both the gentle Queen Garee and the noble King Kitti=
cut recovered
much of their good spirits and composure and tried to forget their dreadful
experiences.
At last, however,=
the
King and Queen desired to return to their own Pingaree, as they longed to be
with their people again and see how well they had rebuilt their homes. Inga
also was anxious to return, although he had been very happy in Oz, and King
Rinkitink, who was happy anywhere except at Gilgad, decided to go with his
former friends to Pingaree. As for prince Bobo, he had become so greatly
attached to King Rinkitink that he was loth to leave him.
On a certain day =
they
all bade good-bye to Ozma and Dorothy and Glinda and the Wizard and all the=
ir
good friends in Oz, and were driven in the Red Wagon to the edge of the Dea=
dly
Desert, which they crossed safely on the Magic Carpet. They then made their=
way
across the Nome Kingdom and the Wheeler Country, where no one molested them=
, to
the shores of the Nonestic Ocean. There they found the boat with the silver
lining still lying undisturbed on the beach.
There were no
important adventures during the trip and on their arrival at the pearl king=
dom
they were amazed at the beautiful appearance of the island they had left in
ruins. All the houses of the people had been rebuilt and were prettier than
before, with green lawns before them and flower gardens in the back yards. =
The
marble towers of King Kitticut's new palace were very striking and impressi=
ve,
while the palace itself proved far more magnificent than it had been before=
the
warriors from Regos destroyed it.
Nikobob had been =
very
active and skillful in directing all this work, and he had also built a pre=
tty
cottage for himself, not far from the King's palace, and there Inga found
Zella, who was living very happy and contented in her new home. Not only had
Nikobob accomplished all this in a comparatively brief space of time, but he
had started the pearl fisheries again and when King Kitticut returned to
Pingaree he found a quantity of fine pearls already in the royal treasury. =
So pleased was
Kitticut with the good judgment, industry and honesty of the former
charcoal-burner of Regos, that he made Nikobob his Lord High Chamberlain and
put him in charge of the pearl fisheries and all the business matters of the
island kingdom.
They all settled =
down
very comfortably in the new palace and the Queen gathered her maids about h=
er
once more and set them to work embroidering new draperies for the royal thr=
one.
Inga placed the three Magic Pearls in their silken bag and again deposited =
them
in the secret cavity under the tiled flooring of the banquet hall, where th=
ey
could be quickly secured if danger ever threatened the now prosperous islan=
d.
King Rinkitink
occupied a royal guest chamber built especially for his use and seemed in no
hurry to leave his friends in Pingaree. The fat little King had to walk
wherever he went and so missed Bilbil more and more; but he seldom walked f=
ar
and he was so fond of Prince BoBo that he never regretted Bilbil's
disenchantment.
Indeed, the jolly
monarch was welcome to remain forever in Pingaree, if he wished to, for his
merry disposition set smiles on the faces of all his friends and made every=
one
near him as jolly as he was himself. When King Kitticut was not too busy wi=
th
affairs of state he loved to join his guest and listen to his brother monar=
ch's
songs and stories. For he found Rinkitink to be, with all his careless
disposition, a shrewd philosopher, and in talking over their adventures one=
day
the King of Gilgad said:
"The beauty =
of
life is its sudden changes. No one knows what is going to happen next, and =
so
we are constantly being surprised and entertained. The many ups and downs
should not discourage us, for if we are down, we know that a change is comi=
ng
and we will go up again; while those who are up are almost certain to go do=
wn.
My grandfather had a song which well expresses this and if you will listen I
will sing it."
"Of course I
will listen to your song," returned Kitticut, "for it would be
impolite not to."
So Rinkitink sang=
his
grandfather's song:
"A mighty King once ruled the
land-- But =
now
he's baking pies. A pau=
per,
on the other hand, Is ruling, strong=
and
wise.
A tiger once in jungles raged-- But now he's in a=
zoo; A lion, captive-born and cage=
d, Now roams the for=
est
through.
A man once slapped a poor boy's pa=
te And made him weep=
and
wail. The boy became a =
magistrate
And put the=
man
in jail.
A sunny day succeeds the night; It's summer--then=
it
snows! Right oft goes w=
rong
and wrong comes right, As ev'ry wise man
knows."
One morning, just=
as
the royal party was finishing breakfast, a servant came running to say that=
a
great fleet of boats was approaching the island from the south. King Kittic=
ut
sprang up at once, in great alarm, for he had much cause to fear strange bo=
ats.
The others quickly followed him to the shore to see what invasion might be
coming upon them.
Inga was there wi=
th
the first, and Nikobob and Zella soon joined the watchers. And presently, w=
hile
all were gazing eagerly at the approaching fleet, King Rinkitink suddenly c=
ried
out:
"Get your
pearls, Prince Inga--get them quick!"
"Are these o=
ur
enemies, then?" asked the boy, looking with surprise upon the fat litt=
le
King, who had begun to tremble violently.
"They are my
people of Gilgad!" answered Rinkitink, wiping a tear from his eye. &qu=
ot;I
recognize my royal standards flying from the boats. So, please, dear Inga, =
get
out your pearls to protect me!"
"What can you fear at the hands of your own subjects?" asked Kitticut, astonished. <= o:p>
But before his
frightened guest could answer the question Prince Bobo, who was standing be=
side
his friend, gave an amused laugh and said:
"You are cau=
ght
at last, dear Rinkitink. Your people will take you home again and oblige yo=
u to
reign as King."
Rinkitink groaned
aloud and clasped his hands together with a gesture of despair, an attitude=
so
comical that the others could scarcely forbear laughing.
But now the boats
were landing upon the beach. They were fifty in number, beautifully decorat=
ed
and upholstered and rowed by men clad in the gay uniforms of the King of
Gilgad. One splendid boat had a throne of gold in the center, over which was
draped the King's royal robe of purple velvet, embroidered with gold
buttercups.
Rinkitink shudder=
ed
when he saw this throne; but now a tall man, handsomely dressed, approached=
and
knelt upon the grass before his King, while all the other occupants of the
boats shouted joyfully and waved their plumed hats in the air.
"Thanks to o=
ur
good fortune," said the man who kneeled, "we have found Your Maje=
sty
at last!"
"Pinkerbloo,=
"
answered Rinkitink sternly, "I must have you hanged, for thus finding =
me
against my will."
"You think so
now, Your Majesty, but you will never do it," returned Pinkerbloo, ris=
ing
and kissing the King's hand.
"Why won't
I?" asked Rinkitink.
"Because you=
are
much too tender-hearted, Your Majesty."
"It may be--=
it
may be," agreed Rinkitink, sadly. "It is one of my greatest faili=
ngs.
But what chance brought you here, my Lord Pinkerbloo?"
"We have
searched for you everywhere, sire, and all the people of Gilgad have been in
despair since you so mysteriously disappeared. We could not appoint a new K=
ing,
because we did not know but that you still lived; so we set out to find you,
dead or alive. After visiting many islands of the Nonestic Ocean we at last
thought of Pingaree, from where come the precious pearls; and now our faith=
ful
quest has been rewarded."
"And what
now?" asked Rinkitink.
"Now, Your
Majesty, you must come home with us, like a good and dutiful King, and rule
over your people," declared the man in a firm voice.
"I will
not."
"But you
must--begging Your Majesty's pardon for the contradiction."
"Kitticut,&q=
uot;
cried poor Rinkitink, "you must save me from being captured by these, =
my
subjects. What! must I return to Gilgad and be forced to reign in splendid
state when I much prefer to eat and sleep and sing in my own quiet way? They
will make me sit in a throne three hours a day and listen to dry and tedious
affairs of state; and I must stand up for hours at the court receptions, ti=
ll I
get corns on my heels; and forever must I listen to tiresome speeches and
endless petitions and complaints!"
"But someone
must do this, Your Majesty," said Pinkerbloo respectfully, "and s=
ince
you were born to be our King you cannot escape your duty."
"'Tis a horr=
id
fate!" moaned Rinkitink. "I would die willingly, rather than be a
King--if it did not hurt so terribly to die."
"You will fi=
nd
it much more comfortable to reign than to die, although I fully appreciate =
Your
Majesty's difficult position and am truly sorry for you," said Pinkerb=
loo.
King Kitticut had listened to this conversation thoughtfully, so now he said to his friend: <= o:p>
"The man is
right, dear Rinkitink. It is your duty to reign, since fate has made you a
King, and I see no honorable escape for you. I shall grieve to lose your
companionship, but I feel the separation cannot be avoided."
Rinkitink sighed.=
"Then,"
said he, turning to Lord Pinkerbloo, "in three days I will depart with=
you
for Gilgad; but during those three days I propose to feast and make merry w=
ith
my good friend King Kitticut."
Then all the peop=
le
of Gilgad shouted with delight and eagerly scrambled ashore to take their p=
art
in the festival.
Those three days =
were
long remembered in Pingaree, for never--before nor since--has such feasting=
and
jollity been known upon that island. Rinkitink made the most of his time and
everyone laughed and sang with him by day and by night.
Then, at last, the
hour of parting arrived and the King of Gilgad and Ruler of the Dominion of
Rinkitink was escorted by a grand procession to his boat and seated upon his
golden throne. The rowers of the fifty boats paused, with their glittering =
oars
pointed into the air like gigantic uplifted sabres, while the people of
Pingaree--men, women and children--stood upon the shore shouting a royal
farewell to the jolly King.
Then came a sudden
hush, while Rinkitink stood up and, with a bow to those assembled to witness
his departure, sang the following song, which he had just composed for the
occasion.
"Farewell, dear Isle of Pinga=
ree-- The fairest land in all the s=
ea! No living mortals, kings or c=
hurls,
Would scorn to wear thy
precious pearls.
"King Kitticut, 'tis with reg=
ret I'm forced to say farewell; a=
nd yet
Abroad no longer can I =
roam When fifty boats would drag me
home.
"Good-bye, my Prince of Pinga=
ree; A noble King some time you'll=
be And long and wisely may you r=
eign And never face a foe again!&q=
uot;
They cheered him from the shore; th=
ey
cheered him from the boats; and then all the oars of the fifty boats swept
downward with a single motion and dipped their blades into the purple-hued
waters of the Nonestic Ocean.
As the boats shot
swiftly over the ripples of the sea Rinkitink turned to Prince Bobo, who had
decided not to desert his former master and his present friend, and asked
anxiously:
"How did you
like that song, Bilbil--I mean Bobo? Is it a masterpiece, do you think?&quo=
t;
And Bobo replied =
with
a smile:
"Like all yo=
ur
songs, dear Rinkitink, the sentiment far excels the poetry."