Rinkitink In Oz | Page 6

King.
"Were I poor in all else, these gems would make me richer than any
other monarch the world holds."

"I believe that," replied Inga, looking at the beautiful pearls with much
awe. "But tell me, my father, why do you fear the warriors of Regos
and Coregos when these marvelous powers are yours?"
"The powers are mine only while I have the pearls upon my person,"
answered King Kitticut, "and I dare not carry them constantly for fear
they might be lost. Therefore, I keep them safely hidden in this recess.
My only danger lies in the chance that my watchmen might fail to
discover the approach of our enemies and allow the warrior invaders to
seize me before I could secure the pearls. I should, in that case, be quite
powerless to resist. My father owned the magic pearls at the time of the
Great Fight, of which you have so often heard, and the pink pearl
protected him from harm, while the blue pearl enabled him and his
people to drive away the enemy. Often have I suspected that the
destroying storm was caused by the fairy mermaids, but that is a matter
of which I have no proof."
"I have often wondered how we managed to win that battle," remarked
Inga thoughtfully. "But the pearls will assist us in case the warriors
come again, will they not?"
"They are as powerful as ever," declared the King. "Really, my son, I
have little to fear from any foe. But lest I die and the secret be lost to
the next King, I have now given it into your keeping. Remember that
these pearls are the rightful heritage of all Kings of Pingaree. If at any
time I should be taken from you, Inga, guard this treasure well and do
not forget where it is hidden."
"I shall not forget," said Inga.
Then the King returned the pearls to their hiding place and the boy
went to his own room to ponder upon the wonderful secret his father
had that day confided to his care.

Chapter Two
The Coming of King Rinkitink
A few days after this, on a bright and sunny morning when the breeze
blew soft and sweet from the ocean and the trees waved their leaf-laden
branches, the Royal Watchman, whose duty it was to patrol the shore,
came running to the King with news that a strange boat was
approaching the island.
At first the King was sore afraid and made a step toward the hidden
pearls, but the next moment he reflected that one boat, even if filled
with enemies, would be powerless to injure him, so he curbed his fear
and went down to the beach to discover who the strangers might be.
Many of the men of Pingaree assembled there also, and Prince Inga
followed his father. Arriving at the water's edge, they all stood gazing
eagerly at the oncoming boat.
It was quite a big boat, they observed, and covered with a canopy of
purple silk, embroidered with gold. It was rowed by twenty men, ten on
each side. As it came nearer, Inga could see that in the stern, seated
upon a high, cushioned chair of state, was a little man who was so very
fat that he was nearly as broad as he was high This man was dressed in
a loose silken robe of purple that fell in folds to his feet, while upon his
head was a cap of white velvet curiously worked with golden threads
and having a circle of diamonds sewn around the band. At the opposite
end of the boat stood an oddly shaped cage, and several large boxes of
sandalwood were piled near the center of the craft.
As the boat approached the shore the fat little man got upon his feet and
bowed several times in the direction of those who had assembled to
greet him, and as he bowed he flourished his white cap in an energetic
manner. His face was round as an apple and nearly as rosy. When he
stopped bowing he smiled in such a sweet and happy way that Inga
thought he must be a very jolly fellow.
The prow of the boat grounded on the beach, stopping its speed so
suddenly that the little man was caught unawares and nearly toppled

headlong into the sea. But he managed to catch hold of the chair with
one hand and the hair of one of his rowers with the other, and so
steadied himself. Then, again waving his jeweled cap around his head,
he cried in a merry voice:
"Well, here I am at last!"
"So I perceive," responded King Kitticut, bowing with much dignity.
The fat man glanced at all the sober faces before him and burst into a