Oz 10: Rinkitink in Oz by L. Frank Baum
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suddenly appeared in_the center of_his room . he tried the two doors, but finding that he_could_not open them he ate some breakfast, thoughtfully wondering who had locked him in and why he had_been made a prisoner . then he again went to_the door which he thought led to Rinkitink's chamber and to_his surprise the latch lifted easily and_the door swung open .

before him was a rude corridor hewn in_the rock and dimly lighted . it did_not look inviting, so Inga closed the door, puzzled to_know what had become of Rinkitink's room and_the king, and went to_the opposite door .Opening this, he_found a solid wall of rock confronting him, which effectually prevented his escape in_that direction .

the boy now realized that king Kaliko had tricked him, and while professing to receive him as a guest had plotted to separate him from_his comrades . one_way had_been left, however, by_which he might escape and he decided to_see where it led to .

so, going to_the first door, he opened it and ventured slowly into_the dimly lighted corridor . when he had advanced a few steps he heard the door of_his room slam shut behind him . he ran back at once, but the door of rock fitted so closely into_the wall that he_found it impossible to open it again . that did_not matter so_much, however, for_the room was a prison and_the only way of escape seemed ahead of him .

along the corridor he crept until, turning a corner, he_found himself in a large domed cavern that was empty and deserted . here also was a dim light that permitted him to_see another corridor at_the opposite side; so he crossed the rocky floor of_the cavern and entered a second corridor . this_one twisted and turned in every direction but was not very long, so soon the boy reached a second cavern, not so large as_the first . this he_found vacant also, but it had another corridor leading out of it, so Inga entered that . it_was straight and short and beyond was a third cavern, which differed little from_the others except that_it had a strong iron grating at one side of it .

all three of_these caverns had_been roughly hewn from_the rock and it seemed they had never been put to use, as had all the other caverns of_the nomes he had visited .Standing in_the third cavern, Inga saw what he thought was still another corridor at its farther side, so he walked toward it . this opening was dark, and_that fact, and_the solemn silence all around him, made him hesitate for a while to enter it . upon reflection, however, he realized that unless he explored the place to_the very end he_could_not hope to escape from_it, so he boldly entered the dark corridor and felt his way cautiously as he moved forward .

scarcely had he taken two paces when a crash resounded back of him and a heavy sheet of steel closed the opening into_the cavern from_which he had just come . he paused a moment, but it still seemed best to_proceed, and as Inga advanced in_the dark, holding his hands outstretched before him to_feel his way, handcuffs fell upon his wrists and locked themselves with a sharp click, and an instant later he_found he_was chained to a stout iron post set firmly in_the rock floor .

the chains were long enough to permit him to move a yard or so in any direction and by feeling the walls he_found he_was in a small circular room that had no outlet except the passage by_which he had entered, and_that was now closed by_the door of steel . this_was the end of_the series of caverns and corridors .

it_was now that_the horror of_his situation occurred to_the boy with full force . but he resolved not to submit to_his fate without a struggle, and realizing that he possessed the blue pearl, which gave him marvelous strength, he quickly broke the chains and set himself free of_the handcuffs . next he twisted the steel door from its hinges, and creeping along the short passage, found himself in_the third cave .

but now the dim light, which had before guided him, had vanished; yet on peering into_the gloom of_the cave he_saw what appeared to_be two round disks of flame, which cast a subdued glow over the floor and walls . by_this dull glow he_made out the form of an enormous man, seated in_the center of_the cave, and he_saw that_the iron grating had_been removed, permitting the man to enter .

the giant was unclothed and its limbs were thickly covered with coarse red hair . the round disks of flame were its two eyes and when it opened its mouth to yawn Inga saw that its jaws were wide enough to crush a dozen men between_the great rows of teeth .

presently the giant looked up and perceived the boy crouching at_the other side of_the cavern, so he_called out in a hoarse, rude voice:

" come hither, my pretty one . we_will wrestle together, you and I, and if_you succeed in throwing me i_will let you pass through my cave ."

the boy made no reply to_the challenge . he realized he_was in dire peril and regretted that he had lent the pink pearl to king Rinkitink . but it_was now too late for vain regrets, although he feared that even his great strength would avail him little against this hairy monster . for_his arms were_not long enough to span a fourth of_the giant's huge body, while the monster's powerful limbs would_be likely to crush out Inga's life before he_could gain the mastery .

therefore the prince resolved to employ other means to combat this foe, who had doubtless been placed there to bar his return .Retreating through_the passage he reached the room where he had_been chained and wrenched the iron post from its socket . it_was a foot thick and four feet long, and being of solid iron was so heavy that three ordinary men 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 afooting 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 arushing 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 aprojecting 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 .awithering 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 .

chapter Nineteen

Rinkitink Chuckles

we_will now relate what happened to Rinkitink and Bilbil that morning, while Inga was undergoing his trying experience 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

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