Oz 10: Rinkitink in Oz by L. Frank Baum
Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20]
of_the nomes .

Rinkitink didn't like to undertake the rocky and mountainous journey, even with Bilbil to carry him, but he_would_not desert Inga, even though his own kingdom lay just beyond a range of mountains which could_be seen towering southwest of_them . so the king bravely mounted the goat, who always grumbled but always obeyed his master, and_the three set off at once for_the caverns of_the nomes .

they traveled just as slowly as queen Cor and king Gos had done, so when_they were about halfway they discovered the king and queen coming back to_their boat . the fact that Gos and Cor were now alone proved that_they had left Inga's father and mother behind them; so, at_the suggestion of Rinkitink, the three hid behind a high rock until the king of Regos and_the queen of Coregos, who had_not observed them, had passed them by . then they continued their journey, glad that_they had_not again been forced to fight or quarrel with their wicked enemies .

" we_might_have asked them, however, what they had done with your poor parents," said Rinkitink .

" never mind," answered Inga ." I_am_sure the white pearl will guide us aright ."

for a time they proceeded in silence and then Rinkitink began to chuckle with laughter in_the pleasant way he_was wont to_do before his misfortunes came upon him .

" what amuses your majesty ? " inquired the boy .

" the thought of how surprised my dear subjects would_be if_they realized how near to_them I_am, and yet how far away . I_have always wanted to visit the Nome country, which_is full of mystery and magic and all sorts of adventures, but my devoted subjects forbade me to_think of_such a thing, fearing i_would get hurt or enchanted ."

" are_you afraid, now that you_are here ? " asked Inga .

"A little, but not much, for they say the new Nome king is_not as wicked as_the old king used to_be . still, we_are undertaking a dangerous journey and i_think you ought to protect me by lending me one of your pearls ."

Inga thought this over and it seemed a reasonable request .

" which pearl would you like to_have ? " asked the boy .

" well, let_us_see," returned Rinkitink; " you_may need strength to liberate your captive parents, so you_must keep the blue pearl . and you_will need the advice of_the white pearl, so you had best keep that also . but in_case we_should_be separated i_would_have nothing to protect me from harm, so you ought to lend me the pink pearl ."

" very_well," agreed Inga, and sitting down upon a rock he removed his right shoe and after withdrawing the cloth from_the pointed toe took out the pink pearl -- the one which protected from any harm the person who carried it .

" where can_you put it, to_keep it safely ? " he asked .

" in my vest pocket," replied the king ." the pocket has a flap to_it and I_can pin it down in_such_a_way that_the pearl cannot get out and become lost . as for robbery, no one with evil intent can touch my person while I_have the pearl ."

so Inga gave Rinkitink the pink pearl and_the little king placed it in_the pocket of_his red- and- green brocaded velvet vest, pinning the flap of_the pocket down tightly .

they now resumed their journey and finally reached the entrance to_the Nome king's caverns .Placing the white pearl to_his ear, Inga asked: " what shall I_do now ? " and_the voice of_the pearl replied: " clap your hands together four times and call aloud the word 'Klik .' then allow yourselves to_be conducted to_the Nome king, who_is now holding your father and mother captive ."

Inga followed these instructions and when Klik appeared in answer to_his summons the boy requested an audience of_the Nome king . so Klik led them into_the presence of king Kaliko, who was suffering from a severe headache, due to_his revelry the night before, and therefore was unusually cross and grumpy .

" I_know what you've come for," said he, before Inga could speak ." you_want to_get the captives from Regos away from me; but you_can't do_it, so you'd best go away again ."

" the captives are my father and mother, and I intend to liberate them," said the boy firmly .

the king stared hard at Inga, wondering at his audacity . then he turned to look at king Rinkitink and said:

"I suppose you_are the king of Gilgad, which_is in_the kingdom of Rinkitink ."

" you've guessed it the first time," replied Rinkitink .

" how round and fat you_are ! " exclaimed Kaliko .

" i_was just thinking how fat and round you_are," said Rinkitink ." really, king Kaliko, we ought_to_be friends, we're so_much alike in everything but disposition and intelligence ."

then he began to chuckle, while Kaliko stared hard at him, not knowing whether to accept his speech as a compliment or not . and now the nome's eyes wandered to Bilbil, and he asked:

" is_that your talking goat ? "

Bilbil met the Nome king's glowering look with a gaze equally surly and defiant, while Rinkitink answered: " it_is, your majesty ."

" can he really talk ? " asked Kaliko, curiously .

" he_can . but the best thing he_does is to scold . talk to_his majesty, Bilbil ."

but Bilbil remained silent and would_not speak .

" do_you always ride upon his back ? " continued Kaliko, questioning Rinkitink .

" yes," was_the answer, " because it_is difficult for a fat man to walk far, as perhaps you_know from experience .

" that_is true," said Kaliko ." get off the goat's back and let me ride him a while, to_see how I like it . perhaps I'll take him away from_you, to ride through my caverns ."

Rinkitink chuckled softly as he heard this, but at once got off Bilbil's back and let Kaliko get on . the Nome king was a little awkward, but when he_was firmly astride the saddle he_called in a loud voice: "Giddap ! "

when Bilbil paid no attention to_the command and refused to stir, Kaliko kicked his heels viciously against the goat's body, and then Bilbil made a sudden start . he ran swiftly across the great cavern, until he had almost reached the opposite wall, when he stopped so abruptly that king Kaliko sailed over his head and bumped against the jeweled wall . he bumped so hard that_the points of_his crown were all mashed out of shape and_his head was driven far into_the diamond- studded band of_the crown, so_that it covered one eye and a part of_his nose . perhaps this saved Kaliko's head from being cracked against the rock wall, but it_was hard on_the crown .

Bilbil was highly pleased at_the success of_his feat and Rinkitink laughed merrily at_the Nome king's comical appearance; but Kaliko was muttering and growling as he picked himself up and struggled to pull the battered crown from_his head, and it_was evident that he_was not in_the least amused . indeed, Inga could_see that_the king was very angry, and_the boy knew that_the incident was likely to_turn Kaliko against the entire party .

the Nome king sent Klik for another crown and ordered his workmen to repair the one that was damaged . while he waited for_the new crown he sat regarding his visitors with ascowling face, and this made Inga more uneasy than ever . finally, when_the new crown was placed upon his head, king Kaliko said: " follow me, strangers ! " and led the way to a small door at one end of_the cavern .

Inga and Rinkitink followed him through_the doorway and found themselves standing on a balcony that overlooked an enormous domed cave -- so extensive that_it seemed miles to_the other side of it . all around this circular cave, which_was brilliantly lighted from an unknown source, were arches connected with other caverns .

Kaliko took a gold whistle from_his pocket and blew a shrill note that echoed through every part of_the cave . instantly nomes began to pour in through_the side arches in great numbers, until the immense space was packed with_them as far as_the eye could reach . all were armed with glittering weapons of polished silver and gold, and Inga was amazed that any king could command so great an army .

they began marching and countermarching in very orderly array until another blast of_the gold whistle sent them scurrying away as quickly as_they had appeared . and as_soon_as_the great cave was again empty Kaliko returned with_his visitors to_his own royal chamber, where he once more seated himself upon his ivory throne .

" I_have shown you," said he to Inga, "a part of_my bodyguard . the royal armies, of_which this_is only a part, are as numerous as_the sands of_the ocean, and live in many thousands of_my underground caverns . you_have come here thinking to force me to_give up the captives of king Gos and queen Cor, and i_wanted to_convince you that my power is too mighty for anyone to oppose . I_am told that you_are a wizard, and depend upon magic to aid you; but you_must know that_the nomes are_not mortals, and understand magic pretty well themselves, so if_we_are obliged to fight magic with magic the chances are that we_are a hundred times more powerful than you_can_be . think this over carefully, my boy, and try to realize_that you_are in my power . I_do_not believe you_can force me to liberate king Kitticut and queen Garee, and I_know that you_cannot coax me to_do_so, for I_have_given my promise to king Gos . therefore, as I_do_not wish to hurt you, I ask_you to_go away peaceably and let me alone ."

" forgive me if I_do_not agree with_you, king Kaliko," answered the boy ." however difficult and dangerous my task may_be, I_cannot leave your dominions until every effort to release my parents has failed and left me completely discouraged ."

" very_well," said the king, evidently displeased ." I_have warned you, and now if evil overtakes you it_is your own fault .I've a headache to- day, so I_cannot entertain you properly, according to your rank; but Klik will attend you to my guest chambers and to- morrow i_will talk with_you again ."

this seemed a fair and courteous way to treat one's declared enemies, so they politely expressed the wish that Kaliko's headache would_be better, and followed their guide, Klik, down a well- lighted passage and through several archways until they finally reached three nicely furnished bedchambers which were cut from solid gray rock and well lighted and aired by some mysterious method known to_the nomes .

the first of_these rooms was given king Rinkitink, the second was Inga's and_the third was assigned to Bilbil the goat . there_was aswinging rock door between_the third and second rooms and another between_the second and first, which also had a door that opened upon_the passage .Rinkitink's room was_the largest, so it_was here that an excellent dinner was spread by some_of_the nome servants, who, in_spite of_their crooked shapes, proved to_be well trained and competent .

" you_are_not prisoners, you_know," said Klik; neither are_you welcome guests, having declared your purpose to oppose our mighty king and all his hosts . but we bear you no ill will, and you_are to_be well fed and cared for as long as_you remain in_our caverns . eat hearty, sleep tight, and pleasant dreams to_you ."

Saying this, he left them alone and at once Rinkitink and Inga began to counsel together as_to_the best means to liberate king Kitticut and queen Garee . the white pearl's advice was rather unsatisfactory to_the boy, just now, for all that_the voice said in answer to_his questions was: " be patient, brave and determined ."

Rinkitink suggested that_they try to discover in what part of_the series of underground caverns Inga's parents had_been confined, as_that knowledge was necessary before_they could take any action; so together they started out, leaving Bilbil asleep in_his room, and made their way unopposed through many corridors and caverns . in some places were great furnaces, where gold dust was being melted into bricks . in other rooms workmen were fashioning the gold into various articles and ornaments . in one cavern immense wheels revolved which polished precious gems, and_they found many caverns used as storerooms, where treasure of every sort was piled high . also they came to_the barracks of_the army and_the great kitchens .

there were nomes everywhere -- countless thousands of_them -- but none paid the slightest heed to_the visitors from_the earth's surface . yet, although Inga and Rinkitink walked until they were weary, they were unable to locate the place where the boy's father and mother had_been confined, and when_they tried to return to_their own rooms they found that_they had hopelessly lost themselves amid the labyrinth of passages . however, Klik presently came to_them, laughing at their discomfiture, and led them back to_their bedchambers .

before_they went to sleep they carefully barred the door from Rinkitink's room to_the corridor, but the doors that connected the three rooms one with another were left wide open .

in_the night Inga was awakened by a soft grating sound that filled him with anxiety because he_could_not account for_it . it_was dark in_his room, the light having disappeared as_soon_as he got into bed, but he managed to_feel his way to_the door that led to Rinkitink's room and found it tightly closed and immovable . then he_made his way to_the opposite door, leading to Bilbil's room, to discover that also had_been closed and fastened .

the boy had a curious sensation that all of_his room -- the walls, floor and ceiling -- was slowly whirling as_if on a pivot, and it_was such an uncomfortable feeling that he got into bed again, not knowing what else to_do . and as_the grating noise had ceased and_the room now seemed stationary, he soon fell asleep again .

when_the boy wakened, after many hours, he_found the room again light . so he dressed himself and discovered that a small table, containing a breakfast that was smoking hot, had suddenly

Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20]