CHAPTER 19
King Kaliko
After the King had made good his escape Files said to the dragon, in asaid voice:
"Alas! why did you not come before? Because you were sleeping instead ofconquering, the lovely Rose Princess has become a fiddle without a bow,while poor Shaggy sits there a cooing dove!"
"Don't worry," replied Quox. "Tititi-Hoochoo knows his business, and Ihad my orders from the Great Jinjin himself. Bring the fiddle here andtouch it lightly to my pink ribbon."
Files obeyed and at the moment of contact with the ribbon the Nome King'scharm was broken and the Rose Princess herself stood before them assweet and smiling as ever.
The dove, perched on the back of the throne, had seen and heard all this,so without being told what to do it flew straight to the dragon andalighted on the ribbon. Next instant Shaggy was himself again and Quoxsaid to him grumblingly:
"Please get off my left toe, Shaggy Man, and be more particular where youstep."
"I beg your pardon!" replied Shaggy, very glad to resume his naturalform. Then he ran to lift the heavy diamond off Tik-Tok's chest and toassist the Clockwork Man to his feet.
"Ma-ny thanks!" said Tik-Tok. "Where is the wick-ed King who want-ed tomelt me in a cru-ci-ble?"
"He has gone, and gone for good," answered Polychrome, who had managed tosqueeze into the room beside the dragon and had witnessed the occurrenceswith much interest. "But I wonder where Betsy Bobbin and Hank can be, andif any harm has befallen them."
"We must search the cavern until we find them," declared Shaggy; but whenhe went to the door leading to the other caverns he found it shut andbarred.
"I've a pretty strong push in my forehead," said Quox, "and I believe Ican break down that door, even though it's made of solid gold."
"But you are a prisoner, and the chains that hold you are fastened insome other room, so that we cannot release you," Files said anxiously.
"Oh, never mind that," returned the dragon. "I have remained a prisoneronly because I wished to be one," and with this he stepped forward andburst the stout chains as easily as if they had been threads.
But when he tried to push in the heavy metal door, even his mightystrength failed, and after several attempts he gave it up and squattedhimself in a corner to think of a better way.
"I'll o-pen the door," asserted Tik-Tok, and going to the King's big gonghe pounded upon it until the noise was almost deafening.
Kaliko, in the next cavern, was wondering what had happened to Ruggedoand if he had escaped the eggs and outwitted the dragon. But when heheard the sound of the gong, which had so often called him into theKing's presence, he decided that Ruggedo had been victorious; so he tookaway the bar, threw open the door and entered the royal cavern.
Great was his astonishment to find the King gone and the enchantmentsremoved from the Princess and Shaggy. But the eggs were also gone andso Kaliko advanced to the dragon, whom he knew to be Tititi-Hoochoo'smessenger, and bowed humbly before the beast.
"What is your will?" he inquired.
"Where is Betsy?" demanded the dragon.
"Safe in my own private room," said Kaliko.
"Go and get her!" commanded Quox.
So Kaliko went to Betsy's room and gave three raps upon the door. Thelittle girl had been asleep, but she heard the raps and opened the door.
"You may come out now," said Kaliko. "The King has fled in disgrace andyour friends are asking for you."
So Betsy and Hank returned with the Royal Chamberlain to the thronecavern, where she was received with great joy by her friends. They toldher what had happened to Ruggedo and she told them how kind Kaliko hadbeen to her. Quox did not have much to say until the conversation wasended, but then he turned to Kaliko and asked:
"Do you suppose you could rule your nomes better than Ruggedo has done?"
"Me?" stammered the Chamberlain, greatly surprised by the question."Well, I couldn't be a worse King, I'm sure."
"Would the nomes obey you?" inquired the dragon.
"Of course," said Kaliko. "They like me better than ever they didRuggedo."
"Then hereafter you shall be the Metal Monarch, King of the Nomes, andTititi-Hoochoo expects you to rule your Kingdom wisely and well," saidQuox.
"Hooray!" cried Betsy; "I'm glad of that. King Kaliko, I salute YourMajesty and wish you joy in your gloomy old Kingdom!"
"We all wish him joy," said Polychrome; and then the others made haste tocongratulate the new King.
"Will you release my dear brother?" asked Shaggy.
"The Ugly One? Very willingly," replied Kaliko. "I begged Ruggedo longago to send him away, but he would not do so. I also offered to help yourbrother to escape, but he would not go."
"He's so conscientious!" said Shaggy, highly pleased. "All of our familyhave noble natures. But is my dear brother well?" he added anxiously.
"He eats and sleeps very steadily," replied the new King.
"I hope he doesn't work too hard," said Shaggy.
"He doesn't work at all. In fact, there is nothing he can do in thesedominions as well as our nomes, whose numbers are so great that itworries us to keep them all busy. So your brother has only to amusehimself."
"Why, it's more like visiting, than being a prisoner," asserted Betsy.
"Not exactly," returned Kaliko. "A prisoner cannot go where or when hepleases, and is not his own master."
"Where is my brother now?" inquired Shaggy.
"In the Metal Forest."
"Where is that?"
"The Metal Forest is in the Great Domed Cavern, the largest in all ourdominions," replied Kaliko. "It is almost like being out of doors, itis so big, and Ruggedo made the wonderful forest to amuse himself, aswell as to tire out his hard-working nomes. All the trees are gold andsilver and the ground is strewn with precious stones, so it is a sort oftreasury."
"Let us go there at once and rescue my dear brother," pleaded Shaggyearnestly.
Kaliko hesitated.
"I don't believe I can find the way," said he. "Ruggedo made three secretpassages to the Metal Forest, but he changes the location of thesepassages every week, so that no one can get to the Metal Forest withouthis permission. However, if we look sharp, we may be able to discover oneof these secret ways."
"That reminds me to ask what has become of Queen Ann and the Officers ofOogaboo," said Files.
"I'm sure I can't say," replied Kaliko.
"Do you suppose Ruggedo destroyed them?"
"Oh, no; I'm quite sure he didn't. They fell into the big pit in thepassage, and we put the cover on to keep them there; but when theexecutioners went to look for them they had all disappeared from the pitand we could find no trace of them."
"That's funny," remarked Betsy thoughtfully. "I don't believe Ann knewany magic, or she'd have worked it before. But to disappear like that_seems_ like magic; now, doesn't it?"
They agreed that it did, but no one could explain the mystery.
"However," said Shaggy, "they are gone, that is certain, so we cannothelp them or be helped by them. And the important thing just now is torescue my dear brother from captivity."
"Why do they call him the Ugly One?" asked Betsy.
"I do not know," confessed Shaggy. "I cannot remember his looks verywell, it is so long since I have seen him; but all of our family arenoted for their handsome faces."
Betsy laughed and Shaggy seemed rather hurt; but Polychrome relieved hisembarrassment by saying softly: "One can be ugly in looks, but lovely indisposition."
"Our first task," said Shaggy, a little comforted by this remark, "is tofind one of those secret passages to the Metal Forest."
"True," agreed Kaliko. "So I think I will assemble the chief nomes of mykingdom in this throne room and tell them that I am their new King. ThenI can ask them to assist us in searching for the secret passages."
"That's a good idea," said the dragon, who seemed to be getting sleepyagain.
Kaliko went to the big gong and pounded on it just as Ruggedo used to do;but no one answered the summons.
"Of course not," said he, jumping up from the throne, where he had seatedhimself. "That is my call, and I am still the Royal Chamberlain, and willbe until I appoint another in my place."
So he ran out of the room and found Guph and told him to answer thesummons of the King's gong. Having returned to the royal cavern, Kalikofirst pounded the gong and then sat in the throne, wearing Ruggedo'sdiscarded ruby crown and holding in his hand the sceptre which Ruggedohad so often thrown at his head.
When Guph entered he was amazed.
"Better get out of that throne before old Ruggedo comes back," he saidwarningly.
"He isn't coming back, and I am now the King of the Nomes, in his stead,"announced Kaliko.
"All of which is quite true," asserted the dragon, and all of those whostood around the throne bowed respectfully to the new King.
Seeing this, Guph also bowed, for he was glad to be rid of such a hardmaster as Ruggedo. Then Kaliko, in quite a kingly way, informed Guph thathe was appointed the Royal Chamberlain, and promised not to throw thesceptre at his head unless he deserved it.
All this being pleasantly arranged, the new Chamberlain went away to tellthe news to all the nomes of the underground Kingdom, every one of whomwould be delighted with the change in Kings.
Tik-Tok of Oz Page 21
