Rinkitink in Oz
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 fell, the glow from its eyes faded away, and all was
dark. Cautiously, for Inga was not sure the giant was dead, the boy felt
his way toward the opening that led 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 began to sink beneath
him and in great alarm he turned and made a leap that enabled 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 him. While it flickered he saw that
the entire floor of the cavern had fallen away, and knew that had he not
instantly regained his footing in the passage he would 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 thought came to him that possibly he might leap across
the gulf. Of course, this could 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 over 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 strength, 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 draw 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 upon 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 able 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 bed 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 cave, 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 faced 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 for parting with the Pink Pearl, which would have preserved him
from injury.
However, it was not 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 genius 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 ideas: 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 the 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 feet. 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; but 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 prevented his being burned, and his
shoes had thick soles, which saved his feet.
After resting a few minutes, the boy felt strong enough to go on. He
went to the end of the passage 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 should do next, when suddenly
the solid rock before him began to move and an opening appeared through
which shone a brilliant light. Shielding his eyes, which were 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 broad grin upon his features, and Klik, the King's chamberlain, who
looked surprised, and King Rinkitink seated astride Bilbil the goat,
both of whom seemed pleased that Inga had rejoined them.
Rinkitink Chuckles
CHAPTER 19
We will now relate what happened to Rinkitink and Bilbil that morning,
while Inga was undergoing his trying experiences 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 boy's room, which was the middle one, whirled
around on a pivot, while the adjoining 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, having 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 could not harm him, protected
as he was by the Pink Pearl, and it bounded aside and crashed upon the
floor, where it was shattered by its own weight.
"How careless!" exclaimed the little King, and waddled after Klik, who
seemed amazed at his escape.
Presently another rock above Rinkitink plunged downward, and then
another, but none touched his body. Klik seemed much perplexed at these
continued escapes and certainly Kaliko was surprised when Rinkitink,
safe and sound, entered the royal cavern.
"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." Then 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 poking 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 coiled 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 the golden net, which fell to the floor in a tangled mass.
Kaliko rubbed his chin thoughtfully and stared hard at Rinkitink.
"I understand 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 ever met with before."
"Now, see here, 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," returned 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 possible, 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 surface 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 pressed 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 send 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 smashing my second-best crown, I will be glad to discover if the
beast can also escape 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