Oz 10: Rinkitink in Oz by L. Frank Baum
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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 their 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 highness, 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 warriors 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 pleased with_this proposal and not_only granted Nikobob permission to_go to Pingaree to live, but instructed him to_take with_him sufficient goods to_furnish his new home in a comfortable manner . in_addition to_this, he appointed Nikobob general_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 Nikobob 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 anxious 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 silver 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 followed 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 overtake the barge which_was rowed by queen Cor's forty picked oarsmen .

chapter Seventeen

the Nome king

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 country of_the Wheelers is a sandy waste that_is open on one side to_the Nonestic ocean 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 spot 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 eastern 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 extent, 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 expected 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 prisoners, 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 abrupt slopes where any misstep might mean a broken leg . therefore it was_the second day of_their journey before_they climbed halfway up a rugged mountain and found 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_the 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 and 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 prisoners 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 were to bribe the Nome king to accept them as slaves .

through several long passages the guide led them and at last they entered a small cavern which_was beautifully decorated and set with rare jewels that flashed from every part of_the wall, floor and ceiling . this_was awaiting- 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 magnificent 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 loved treasures of gold and jewels ." but who_are the prisoners you_have brought 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 Pingaree, a small island north of here . they_are very evil people and came to our islands 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, and 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 powerful 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 that 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, turning to_the king of Regos, " have these prisoners any connection with_the land of Oz ? "

" why do_you ask ? " said Gos .

" because I dare 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 and queen of Pingaree happened to_be under Ozma's protection, i_would_have nothing to_do with_them ."

"I assure your majesty that_the prisoners have nothing to_do with_the Oz people," Gos hastened to_say . and Kitticut, being questioned, admitted that_this was true .

" but how about_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 atalking goat ."

"Oho ! atalking 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 assured him the talking goat had never been to Oz .

" as for Rinkitink, whom you call a sorcerer," continued the Nome king, " he_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 king Rinkitink . but I_have heard of him, and from all reports he_is a jolly rogue, 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 work," advised queen Cor ." they_are rather delicate, and to_make them work will 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 treasure . next the captives were sent away in charge of_the nome with_the golden collar and keys, whose name was Klik, and he escorted them to a small cavern and gave 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 their 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 .

chapter Eighteen

Inga Parts with_his pink pearl

the white pearl guided Inga truly in_his pursuit of_the boat of king Gos, but the boy had_been so delayed in sending his people home to Pingaree that_it_was a full day after Gos and Cor landed on_the shore of_the Wheeler country that Inga's boat arrived 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_the caverns of_the nomes

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