Rinkitink in Oz
banquet was still in progress, Rinkitink composed and sang a song to the
mule and they all joined in the chorus, which was something like this:
"It's very queer how big an ear
Is worn by Mr. Donkey;
And yet I fear he could not hear
If it were on a monkey.
'Tis thick and strong and broad and long
And also very hairy;
It's quite becoming 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 could devote a month
or two to its composition, but the sentiment he expressed was 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 repose.
"We've all our grateful hearts can wish;
King Gos has gone to feed the fish,
Queen Cor has gone, as well;
King Kitticut has found his own,
Prince Bobo soon will have a throne
Relieved of magic spell.
"So let's forget the horrid strife
That fell upon our peaceful life
And caused distress and pain;
For very soon across the sea
We'll all be sailing merrily
To Pingaree again."
The Pearl Kingdom
CHAPTER 23
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 one of his trips through the country;
but the Scarecrow had a chance later to meet 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 Kitticut
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 their good friends in Oz, and were driven in the
Red Wagon to the edge of the Deadly 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 kingdom 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 impressive, 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 pretty 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 her once more and set them to work embroidering
new draperies for the royal throne. 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 they could be quickly
secured if danger ever threatened the now prosperous island.
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 far 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 everyone near him as jolly as he was himself. When
King Kitticut was not too busy with affairs of state he loved to join
his guest and listen to his brother monarch'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 coming and we will go up again; while those who
are up are almost certain to go down. 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 pauper, 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 caged,
Now roams the forest through
A man once slapped a poor boy's pate
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 wrong and wrong comes right,
As ev'ry wise man knows."
The Captive King
CHAPTER 24
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 Kitticut sprang up at once, in great alarm,
for he had much cause to fear strange boats. The others quickly followed
him to the shore to see what invasion might be coming upon them.
Inga was there with the first, and Nikobob and Zella soon joined the
watchers. And presently, while all were gazing eagerly at the
approaching fleet, King Rinkitink suddenly cried out:
"Get your pearls, Prince Inga--get them quick!"
"Are these our enemies, then?" asked the boy, looking with surprise upon
the fat little King, who had begun to tremble violently.
"They are my people of Gilgad!" answered Rinkitink, wiping a tear from
his eye. "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.
But before his frightened guest could answer the question Prince Bobo,
who was standing beside his friend, gave an amused laugh and said:
"You are caught at last, dear Rinkitink. Your people will take you home
again and oblige you 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 decorated 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 shuddered 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 our good fortune," said the man who kneeled, "we have found
Your Majesty 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, rising 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 failings. 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 King, 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 faithful 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," 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, till 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 since you were born to be our King you cannot escape your duty."
"'Tis a horrid fate!" moaned Rinkitink. "I would die willingly, rather
than be a King--if it did not hurt so terribly to die."
"You will find 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 Pinkerbloo.
King Kitticut had listened to this conversation thoughtfully, so now he
said to his friend:
"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 with my good friend King Kitticut."
Then all the people of Gilgad shouted with delight and eagerly scrambled
ashore to take their part 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