Chapter Ten
The Cunning of Queen Cor
You may be sure the Queen of Coregos was not well pleased to have KingGos and all his warriors living in her city after they had fled fromtheir own. They were savage natured and quarrelsome men at all times,and their tempers had not improved since their conquest by the Princeof Pingaree. Moreover, they were eating up Queen Cor's provisions andcrowding the houses of her own people, who grumbled and complaineduntil their Queen was heartily tired.
"Shame on you!" she said to her husband, King Gos, "to be driven out ofyour city by a boy, a roly-poly King and a billy goat! Why do you notgo back and fight them?"
"No human can fight against the powers of magic," returned the King ina surly voice. "That boy is either a fairy or under the protection offairies. We escaped with our lives only because we were quick to runaway; but, should we return to Regos, the same terrible power thatburst open the city gates would crush us all to atoms."
"Bah! you are a coward," cried the Queen, tauntingly.
"I am not a coward," said the big King. "I have killed in battle scoresof my enemies; by the might of my sword and my good right arm I haveconquered many nations; all my life people have feared me. But no onewould dare face the tremendous power of the Prince of Pingaree, boythough he is. It would not be courage, it would be folly, to attemptit."
"Then meet his power with cunning," suggested the Queen. "Take myadvice, and steal over to Regos at night, when it is dark, and captureor destroy the boy while he sleeps."
"No weapon can touch his body," was the answer. "He bears a charmedlife and cannot be injured."
"Does the fat King possess magic powers, or the goat?" inquired Cor.
"I think not," said Gos. "We could not injure them, indeed, any morethan we could the boy, but they did not seem to have any unusualstrength, although the goat's head is harder than a battering-ram."
"Well," mused the Queen, "there is surely some way to conquer thatslight boy. If you are afraid to undertake the job, I shall go myself.By some stratagem I shall manage to make him my prisoner. He will notdare to defy a Queen, and no magic can stand against a woman's cunning."
"Go ahead, if you like," replied the King, with an evil grin, "and ifyou are hung up by the thumbs or cast into a dungeon, it will serve youright for thinking you can succeed where a skilled warrior dares notmake the attempt."
"I'm not afraid," answered the Queen. "It is only soldiers and bullieswho are cowards."
In spite of this assertion, Queen Cor was not so brave as she wascunning. For several days she thought over this plan and that, andtried to decide which was most likely to succeed. She had never seenthe boy Prince but had heard so many tales of him from the defeatedwarriors, and especially from Captain Buzzub, that she had learned torespect his power.
Spurred on by the knowledge that she would never get rid of herunwelcome guests until Prince Inga was overcome and Regos regained forKing Gos, the Queen of Coregos finally decided to trust to luck and hernative wit to defeat a simple-minded boy, however powerful he might be.Inga could not suspect what she was going to do, because she did notknow herself. She intended to act boldly and trust to chance to win.
It is evident that had the cunning Queen known that Inga had lost allhis magic, she would not have devoted so much time to the simple matterof capturing him, but like all others she was impressed by themarvelous exhibition of power he had shown in capturing Regos, and hadno reason to believe the boy was less powerful now.
One morning Queen Cor boldly entered a boat, and, taking four men withher as an escort and bodyguard, was rowed across the narrow channel toRegos. Prince Inga was sitting in the palace playing checkers with KingRinkitink when a servant came to him, saying that Queen Cor had arrivedand desired an audience with him.
With many misgivings lest the wicked Queen discover that he had nowlost his magic powers, the boy ordered her to be admitted, and she soonentered the room and bowed low before him, in mock respect.
Cor was a big woman, almost as tall as King Gos. She had flashing blackeyes and the dark complexion you see on gypsies. Her temper, whenirritated, was something dreadful, and her face wore an evil expressionwhich she tried to cover by smiling sweetly--often when she meant themost mischief.
"I have come," said she in a low voice, "to render homage to the noblePrince of Pingaree. I am told that Your Highness is the strongestperson in the world, and invincible in battle, and therefore I wish youto become my friend, rather than my enemy."
Now Inga did not know how to reply to this speech. He disliked theappearance of the woman and was afraid of her and he was unused todeception and did not know how to mask his real feelings. So he tooktime to think over his answer, which he finally made in these words:
"I have no quarrel with Your Majesty, and my only reason for cominghere is to liberate my father and mother, and my people, whom you andyour husband have made your slaves, and to recover the goods King Goshas plundered from the Island of Pingaree. This I hope soon toaccomplish, and if you really wish to be my friend, you can assist megreatly."
While he was speaking Queen Cor had been studying the boy's facestealthily, from the corners of her eyes, and she said to herself: "Heis so small and innocent that I believe I can capture him alone, andwith ease. He does not seem very terrible and I suspect that King Gosand his warriors were frightened at nothing."
Then, aloud, she said to Inga:
"I wish to invite you, mighty Prince, and your friend, the great Kingof Gilgad, to visit my poor palace at Coregos, where all my peopleshall do you honor. Will you come?"
"At present," replied Inga, uneasily, "I must refuse your kindinvitation."
"There will be feasting, and dancing girls, and games and fireworks,"said the Queen, speaking as if eager to entice him and at each wordcoming a step nearer to where he stood.
"I could not enjoy them while my poor parents are slaves," said theboy, sadly.
"Are you sure of that?" asked Queen Cor, and by that time she was closebeside Inga. Suddenly she leaned forward and threw both of her longarms around Inga's body, holding him in a grasp that was like a vise.
Now Rinkitink sprang forward to rescue his friend, but Cor kicked outviciously with her foot and struck the King squarely on his stomach--avery tender place to be kicked, especially if one is fat. Then, stillhugging Inga tightly, the Queen called aloud:
"I've got him! Bring in the ropes."
Instantly the four men she had brought with her sprang into the roomand bound the boy hand and foot. Next they seized Rinkitink, who wasstill rubbing his stomach, and bound him likewise.
With a laugh of wicked triumph, Queen Cor now led her captives down tothe boat and returned with them to Coregos.
Great was the astonishment of King Gos and his warriors when they sawthat the mighty Prince of Pingaree, who had put them all to flight, hadbeen captured by a woman. Cowards as they were, they now crowded aroundthe boy and jeered at him, and some of them would have struck him hadnot the Queen cried out:
"Hands off! He is my prisoner, remember not yours."
"Well, Cor, what are you going to do with him?" inquired King Gos.
"I shall make him my slave, that he may amuse my idle hours. For he isa pretty boy, and gentle, although he did frighten all of you bigwarriors so terribly."
The King scowled at this speech, not liking to be ridiculed, but hesaid nothing more. He and his men returned that same day to Regos,after restoring the bridge of boats. And they held a wild carnival ofrejoicing, both in the King's palace and in the city, although the poorpeople of Regos who were not warriors were all sorry that the kindyoung Prince had been captured by his enemies and could rule them nolonger.
When her unwelcome guests had all gone back to Regos and the Queen wasalone in her palace, she ordered Inga and Rinkitink brought before herand their bonds removed. They came sadly enough, knowing they were inserious straits and at the mercy of a cruel mistress. Inga had takencounsel of the White Pearl, which had advised
him to bear up bravelyunder his misfortune, promising a change for the better very soon. Withthis promise to comfort him, Inga faced the Queen with a dignifiedbearing that indicated both pride and courage.
"Well, youngster," said she, in a cheerful tone because she was pleasedwith her success, "you played a clever trick on my poor husband andfrightened him badly, but for that prank I am inclined to forgive you.Hereafter I intend you to be my page, which means that you must fetchand carry for me at my will. And let me advise you to obey my everywhim without question or delay, for when I am angry I become ugly, andwhen I am ugly someone is sure to feel the lash. Do you understand me?"
Inga bowed, but made no answer. Then she turned to Rinkitink and said:
"As for you, I cannot decide how to make you useful to me, as you arealtogether too fat and awkward to work in the fields. It may be,however, that I can use you as a pincushion.
"What!" cried Rinkitink in horror, "would you stick pins into the Kingof Gilgad?"
"Why not?" returned Queen Cor. "You are as fat as a pincushion, as youmust yourself admit, and whenever I needed a pin I could call you tome." Then she laughed at his frightened look and asked: "By the way,are you ticklish?"
This was the question Rinkitink had been dreading. He gave a moan ofdespair and shook his head.
"I should love to tickle the bottom of your feet with a feather,"continued the cruel woman. "Please take off your shoes."
"Oh, your Majesty!" pleaded poor Rinkitink, "I beg you to allow me toamuse you in some other way. I can dance, or I can sing you a song."
"Well," she answered, shaking with laughter, "you may sing a song--ifit be a merry one. But you do not seem in a merry mood."
"I feel merry--indeed, Your Majesty, I do!" protested Rinkitink,anxious to escape the tickling. But even as he professed to "feelmerry" his round, red face wore an expression of horror and anxietythat was really comical.
"Sing, then!" commanded Queen Cor, who was greatly amused.
Rinkitink gave a sigh of relief and after clearing his throat andtrying to repress his sobs he began to sing this song-gently, at first,but finally roaring it out at the top of his voice:
"Oh! There was a Baby Tiger lived in a men-ag-er-ie-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--they wouldn't set him free; And ev'rybody thought that he was gentle as could be-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--Ba-by Ti-ger!
"Oh! They patted him upon his head and shook him by the paw-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--he had a bone to gnaw; But soon he grew the biggest Tiger that you ever saw-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--what a Ti-ger!
"Oh! One day they came to pet the brute and he began to fight-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy-how he did scratch and bite! He broke the cage and in a rage he darted out of sight-- Fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy was a Ti-ger!"
"And is there a moral to the song?" asked Queen Cor, when KingRinkitink had finished his song with great spirit.
"If there is," replied Rinkitink, "it is a warning not to fool withtigers."
The little Prince could not help smiling at this shrewd answer, butQueen Cor frowned and gave the King a sharp look.
"Oh," said she; "I think I know the difference between a tiger and alapdog. But I'll bear the warning in mind, just the same."
For, after all her success in capturing them, she was a little afraidof these people who had once displayed such extraordinary powers.
Rinkitink in Oz Page 10
