Oz 10: Rinkitink in Oz by L. Frank Baum
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nothing could make you a member of_my superior race ."

" superior ? why, 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_well get back to_the shore, for_the boat is too heavy to row to Gilgad or anywhere 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 any_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 Inga'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 exactly 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_the pearls to carry him to_them .

gradually the island 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 surrounded by_the purple waters of_the Nonestic ocean .

prince Inga did_not tire from_the labor of rowing; indeed, it seemed to him no labor at all . once he stopped long enough to_place the poles of_the canopy in_the holes that had_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 adecided 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, and 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 ."

" your song would make me more cross than ever," grumbled the goat .

" quite impossible, dear Bilbil . you couldn't be more surly if_you tried . so here_is a famous song for_you ."

while the boy rowed steadily on and_the boat rushed fast over the water, the jolly king, who never could_be sad or serious for many minutes at_a_time, lay back on_his embroidered cushions and sang as follows:

"A merry maiden went to sea --

sing too-ral-oo-ral-i- do ! she sat upon_the captain's knee and looked around the sea to_see what she_could see, but she couldn't see me --

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 tried to whistle ."

" did he succeed, 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 your 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 beg of you ! "

but the king sang as follows:

" the wind blew off the maiden's shoe -- sing too-ral-oo-ral-i- do ! and_the shoe flew high to_the sky so blue and_the maiden knew 'twas a new shoe, too; but she couldn't pursue the shoe, 'tis true- sing too-ral-oo-ral-i- do !

"Isn't that sweet, my pretty goat ? "

" sweet, do_you 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 quarrel, 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 often 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 sighed 'I'm satisfied' --

sing to-ral-oo-ral-i- do ! "

" worse and worse ! " grumbled Bilbil, with much scorn ." I_am_glad that_is_the last verse, for another of_the same kind might cause me to faint ."

" I_fear you_have no ear for music," said the king .

" I_have heard no music, as_yet," declared the goat ." you_must_have a strong imagination, king Rinkitink, if_you consider your songs music . do_you remember the story of_the bear that hired out for a nursemaid ? "

" I_do_not recall it just now," said Rinkitink, with a wink at Inga .

" well, the bear tried to sing a lullaby to_put the baby to sleep ."

" and then ? " said the king .

" the bear was highly pleased with its own voice, but the baby was nearly frightened to death ."

"Heh, heb, heh, 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_should do when he reached the islands of Regos and Coregos and confronted his enemies . when_the others finally became silent, Inga inquired .

" can_you fight, 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 you 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 persuade 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 when 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 it . 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, and cautious, and brave, I believe I_shall_be_able to rescue my father and mother and my people ."

chapter Seven

the twin Islands

the island of Regos was ten miles wide and forty miles long and it_was ruled by a big and powerful king named Gos . near to_the shores were green and fertile fields, but farther back from_the sea were rugged hills and mountains, so rocky that nothing would 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 hollowed 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_the level green meadows, not far from_the ocean, that_the great city of Regos had_been built, wherein was located the palace of_the king . this city was inhabited by thousands of_the fierce warriors of Gos, who frequently took to_their boats 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 expeditions, 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 Coregos 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 size 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 nature 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 Coregos stretched a bridge of boats, set close together, with planks laid across their edges for people to walk upon . in_this_way it_was easy to_pass from one island 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 and 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 that had gone to Pingaree returned loaded with rich plunder and a host of captives, 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 feast was set for_the warriors in_the grounds of king Gos's palace, while with_them in_the great throne room all the captains and leaders of_the fighting men were 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 captains 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 grain fields .

then the rulers and warriors of_these dreadful islands thought they had done forever with Pingaree . despoiled of all its wealth, its houses torn down, its boats captured and all its people enslaved, what likelihood was there that they_might ever again hear 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 direction of_the south a black boat containing a boy, a fat man and a goat . the warriors 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 place 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 people surely mean us no good," said Rinkitink uneasily to_the boy ." without doubt 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 with Bilbil until I_have spoken with_these men ."

he stopped the boat 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 free my parents and my people, whom you_have wrongfully enslaved ."

when_they

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