Rinkitink In Oz - Lyman Frank Baum (best free ereader .TXT) 📗
- Author: Lyman Frank Baum
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“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 presented 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 the 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 this, 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 pearl speak, and its words were full of wisdom.”
“The powers of the other pearls are even greater,” resumed the King. “Were I poor 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 Coregos when these marvelous powers are yours?”
“The powers are mine only while I have the pearls upon my person,” answered King Kitticut, “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 magic 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 destroying storm was caused by the fairy mermaids, but that is a matter of which I have no proof.”
“I have often wondered how we managed to win that battle,” remarked Inga thoughtfully. “But the pearls will assist us in case the warriors come again, will they not?”
“They are as powerful as ever,” declared the King. “Really, my son, I have little to fear from any foe. But lest I die and the secret be lost to the next King, 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 returned 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 that 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, and Prince Inga followed his father. Arriving at the water’s edge, they all stood 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 bowed 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 boat grounded on the beach, stopping its speed so suddenly that the little man was 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 around 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 glanced at all the sober faces before him and burst into a rollicking laugh. Perhaps I should say it was half laughter and half a chuckle of merriment, for the sounds he emitted were quaint and droll and tempted every hearer to laugh with him.
“Heh, heh — ho, ho, ho!” he roared. “Didn’t expect me, I see. Keek-eek-eek-eek! This is funny — it’s really funny. Didn’t know I was coming, did you? Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo! This is certainly amusing. But I’m here, just the same.”
“Hush up!” 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 words 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 welcome to the Kingdom of Pingaree. Perhaps you will deign to come ashore and at your 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 come 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 pleased 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 distant journeys in one frail boat, and with but twenty men?”
“Oh, I suppose 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!” exclaimed King Kitticut in surprise.
“Funny, isn’t it? Heh, heh, heh — woo, hoo!” laughed Rinkitink, and this is as near as 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 afraid 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 the 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 make 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,” 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!” 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 people 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 told 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, there, Bilbil,” said King Rinkitink soothingly; “don’t scold, my boy. Remember that these are strangers, and we their guests.” Then he turned 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 Inga and then looking toward the cage. “He is very cross at times, and indulges 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 sweep 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 Prince 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 climb upon his back, being rather stout; that’s why. Kee, kee, keek, eek! — rather stout — hoo, hoo, hoo!” He
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