Chapter Fourteen
The Escape
"Our fault," said Rinkitink, "is that we conquer only one of these twinislands at a time. When we conquered Regos, our foes all came toCoregos, and now that we have conquered Coregos, the Queen has fled toRegos. And each time they removed the bridge of boats, so that we couldnot follow them."
"What has become of our own boat, in which we came from Pingaree?"asked Bilbil.
"We left it on the shore of Regos," replied the Prince, "but I wonderif we could not get it again."
"Why don't you ask the White Pearl?" suggested Rinkitink.
"That is a good idea," returned the boy, and at once he drew the WhitePearl from its silken bag and held it to his ear. Then he asked: "Howmay I regain our boat?"
The Voice of the Pearl replied: "Go to the south end of the Island ofCoregos, and clap your hands three times and the boat will come to you.
"Very good!" cried Inga, and then he turned to his companions and said:"We shall be able to get our boat whenever we please; but what thenshall we do?"
"Take me home in it!" pleaded Zella.
"Come with me to my City of Gilgad," said the King, "where you will bevery welcome to remain forever."
"No," answered Inga, "I must rescue my father and mother, as well as mypeople. Already I have the women and children of Pingaree, but the menare with my father in the mines of Regos, and my dear mother has beentaken away by Queen Cor. Not until all are rescued will I consent toleave these islands."
"Quite right!" exclaimed Bilbil.
"On second thought," said Rinkitink, "I agree with you. If you arecareful to sleep in your shoes, and never take them off again, Ibelieve you will be able to perform the task you have undertaken."
They counseled together for a long time as to their mode of action andit was finally considered best to make the attempt to liberate KingKitticut first of all, and with him the men from Pingaree. This wouldgive them an army to assist them and afterward they could march toRegos and compel Queen Cor to give up the Queen of Pingaree. Zella toldthem that they could go in their boat along the shore of Regos to apoint opposite the mines, thus avoiding any conflict with the warriorsof King Gos.
This being considered the best course to pursue, they resolved to starton the following morning, as night was even now approaching. Theservants being all busy in caring for the women and children, Zellaundertook to get a dinner for Inga and Rinkitink and herself and soonprepared a fine meal in the palace kitchen, for she was a good littlecook and had often helped her mother. The dinner was served in a smallroom overlooking the gardens and Rinkitink thought the best part of itwas the sweet honey, which he spread upon the biscuits that Zella hadmade. As for Bilbil, he wandered through the palace grounds and foundsome grass that made him a good dinner.
During the evening Inga talked with the women and cheered them,promising soon to reunite them with their husbands who were working inthe mines and to send them back to their own island of Pingaree.
Next morning the boy rose bright and early and found that Zella hadalready prepared a nice breakfast. And after the meal they went to themost southern point of the island, which was not very far away,Rinkitink riding upon Bilbil's back and Inga and Zella following behindthem, hand in hand.
When they reached the water's edge the boy advanced and clapped hishands together three times, as the White Pearl had told him to do. Andin a few moments they saw in the distance the black boat with thesilver lining, coming swiftly toward them from the sea. Presently itgrounded on the beach and they all got into it.
Zella was delighted with the boat, which was the most beautiful she hadever seen, and the marvel of its coming to them through the waterwithout anyone to row it, made her a little afraid of the fairy craft.But Inga picked up the oars and began to row and at once the boat shotswiftly in the direction of Regos. They rounded the point of thatisland where the city was built and noticed that the shore was linedwith warriors who had discovered their boat but seemed undecidedwhether to pursue it or not. This was probably because they hadreceived no commands what to do, or perhaps they had learned to fearthe magic powers of these adventurers from Pingaree and were unwillingto attack them unless their King ordered them to.
The coast on the western side of the Island of Regos was very unevenand Zella, who knew fairly well the location of the mines from theinland forest path, was puzzled to decide which mountain they nowviewed from the sea was the one where the entrance to the undergroundcaverns was located. First she thought it was this peak, and then sheguessed it was that; so considerable time was lost through heruncertainty.
They finally decided to land and explore the country, to see where theywere, so Inga ran the boat into a little rocky cove where they alldisembarked. For an hour they searched for the path without finding anytrace of it and now Zella believed they had gone too far to the northand must return to another mountain that was nearer to the city.
Once again they entered the boat and followed the winding coast southuntil they thought they had reached the right place. By this time,however, it was growing dark, for the entire day had been spent in thesearch for the entrance to the mines, and Zella warned them that itwould be safer to spend the night in the boat than on the land, wherewild beasts were sure to disturb them. None of them realized at thistime how fatal this day of search had been to their plans and perhapsif Inga had realized what was going on he would have landed and foughtall the wild beasts in the forest rather than quietly remain in theboat until morning.
However, knowing nothing of the cunning plans of Queen Cor and KingGos, they anchored their boat in a little bay and cheerfully ate theirdinner, finding plenty of food and drink in the boat's lockers. In theevening the stars came out in the sky and tipped the waves around theirboat with silver. All around them was delightfully still save for theoccasional snarl of a beast on the neighboring shore.
They talked together quietly of their adventures and their future plansand Zella told them her simple history and how hard her poor father wasobliged to work, burning charcoal to sell for enough money to supporthis wife and child. Nikobob might be the humblest man in all Regos, butZella declared he was a good man, and honest, and it was not his faultthat his country was ruled by so wicked a King.
Then Rinkitink, to amuse them, offered to sing a song, and althoughBilbil protested in his gruff way, claiming that his master's voice wascracked and disagreeable, the little King was encouraged by the othersto sing his song, which he did.
"A red-headed man named Ned was dead; Sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do! In battle he had lost his head; Sing fiddle-cum-faddl-cum-fi-do! 'Alas, poor Ned,' to him I said, 'How did you lose your head so red?' Sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do!
"Said Ned: 'I for my country bled,' Sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do! 'Instead of dying safe in bed', Sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do! 'If I had only fled, instead, I then had been a head ahead.' Sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do!
"I said to Ned--"
"Do stop, Your Majesty!" pleaded Bilbil. "You're making my head ache."
"But the song isn't finished," replied Rinkitink, "and as for your headaching, think of poor Ned, who hadn't any head at all!"
"I can think of nothing but your dismal singing," retorted Bilbil. "Whydidn't you choose a cheerful subject, instead of telling how a man whowas dead lost his red head? Really, Rinkitink, I'm surprised at you.
"I know a splendid song about a live man, said the King.
"Then don't sing it," begged Bilbil.
Zella was both astonished and grieved by the disrespectful words of thegoat, for she had quite enjoyed Rinkitink's singing and had been taughta proper respect for Kings and those high in authority. But as it wasnow getting late they decided to go to sleep, that they might riseearly the following morning, so they all reclined upon the bottom ofthe big boat and covered themselves with blankets which they foundstored underneath the seats for just such occasions. They were not longin falling asleep and did not waken until d
aybreak.
After a hurried breakfast, for Inga was eager to liberate his father,the boy rowed the boat ashore and they all landed and began searchingfor the path. Zella found it within the next half hour and declaredthey must be very close to the entrance to the mines; so they followedthe path toward the north, Inga going first, and then Zella followinghim, while Rinkitink brought up the rear riding upon Bilbil's back.
Before long they saw a great wall of rock towering before them, inwhich was a low arched entrance, and on either side of this entrancestood a guard, armed with a sword and a spear. The guards of the mineswere not so fierce as the warriors of King Gos, their duty being tomake the slaves work at their tasks and guard them from escaping; butthey were as cruel as their cruel master wished them to be, and ascowardly as they were cruel.
Inga walked up to the two men at the entrance and said:
"Does this opening lead to the mines of King Gos?"
"It does," replied one of the guards, "but no one is allowed to passout who once goes in."
"Nevertheless," said the boy, "we intend to go in and we shall come outwhenever it pleases us to do so. I am the Prince of Pingaree, and Ihave come to liberate my people, whom King Gos has enslaved."
Now when the two guards heard this speech they looked at one anotherand laughed, and one of them said: "The King was right, for he said theboy was likely to come here and that he would try to set his peoplefree. Also the King commanded that we must keep the little Prince inthe mines, and set him to work, together with his companions."
"Then let us obey the King," replied the other man.
Inga was surprised at hearing this, and asked:
"When did King Gos give you this order?"
"His Majesty was here in person last night," replied the man, "and wentaway again but an hour ago. He suspected you were coming here and toldus to capture you if we could."
This report made the boy very anxious, not for himself but for hisfather, for he feared the King was up to some mischief. So he hastenedto enter the mines and the guards did nothing to oppose him or hiscompanions, their orders being to allow him to go in but not to comeout.
The little group of adventurers passed through a long rocky corridorand reached a low, wide cavern where they found a dozen guards and ahundred slaves, the latter being hard at work with picks and shovelsdigging for gold, while the guards stood over them with long whips.
Inga found many of the men from Pingaree among these slaves, but KingKitticut was not in this cavern; so they passed through it and enteredanother corridor that led to a second cavern. Here also hundreds of menwere working, but the boy did not find his father amongst them, and sowent on to a third cavern.
The corridors all slanted downward, so that the farther they went thelower into the earth they descended, and now they found the air hot andclose and difficult to breathe. Flaming torches were stuck into thewalls to give light to the workers, and these added to the oppressiveheat.
The third and lowest cavern was the last in the mines, and here weremany scores of slaves and many guards to keep them at work. So far,none of the guards had paid any attention to Inga's party, but allowedthem to proceed as they would, and while the slaves cast curiousglances at the boy and girl and man and goat, they dared say nothing.But now the boy walked up to some of the men of Pingaree and asked newsof his father, telling them not to fear the guards as he would protectthem from the whips.
Then he Teamed that King Kitticut had indeed been working in this verycavern until the evening before, when King Gos had come and taken himaway--still loaded with chains.
"Seems to me," said King Rinkitink, when he heard this report, "thatGos has carried your father away to Regos, to prevent us from rescuinghim. He may hide poor Kitticut in a dungeon, where we cannot find him."
"Perhaps you are right," answered the boy, "but I am determined to findhim, wherever he may be."
Inga spoke firmly and with courage, but he was greatly disappointed tofind that King Gos had been before him at the mines and had taken hisfather away. However, he tried not to feel disheartened, believing hewould succeed in the end, in spite of all opposition. Turning to theguards, he said:
"Remove the chains from these slaves and set them free."
The guards laughed at this order, and one of them brought forward ahandful of chains, saying: "His Majesty has commanded us to make you,also, a slave, for you are never to leave these caverns again."
Then he attempted to place the chains on Inga, but the boy indignantlyseized them and broke them apart as easily as if they had been cottoncords. When a dozen or more of the guards made a dash to capture him,the Prince swung the end of the chain like a whip and drove them into acorner, where they cowered and begged for mercy.
Stories of the marvelous strength of the boy Prince had already spreadto the mines of Regos, and although King Gos had told them that Ingahad been deprived of all his magic power, the guards now saw this wasnot true, so they deemed it wise not to attempt to oppose him.
The chains of the slaves had all been riveted fast to their ankles andwrists, but Inga broke the bonds of steel with his hands and set thepoor men free--not only those from Pingaree but all who had beencaptured in the many wars and raids of King Gos. They were verygrateful, as you may suppose, and agreed to support Prince Inga inwhatever action he commanded.
He led them to the middle cavern, where all the guards and overseersfled in terror at his approach, and soon he had broken apart the chainsof the slaves who had been working in that part of the mines. Then theyapproached the first cavern and liberated all there.
The slaves had been treated so cruelly by the servants of King Gos thatthey were eager to pursue and slay them, in revenge; but Inga held themback and formed them into companies, each company having its ownleader. Then he called the leaders together and instructed them tomarch in good order along the path to the City of Regos, where he wouldmeet them and tell them what to do next.
They readily agreed to obey him, and, arming themselves with iron barsand pick-axes which they brought from the mines, the slaves began theirmarch to the city.
Zella at first wished to be left behind, that she might make her way toher home, but neither Rinkitink nor Inga thought it was safe for her towander alone through the forest, so they induced her to return withthem to the city.
The boy beached his boat this time at the same place as when he firstlanded at Regos, and while many of the warriors stood on the shore andbefore the walls of the city, not one of them attempted to interferewith the boy in any way. Indeed, they seemed uneasy and anxious, andwhen Inga met Captain Buzzub the boy asked if anything had happened inhis absence.
"A great deal has happened," replied Buzzub. "Our King and Queen haverun away and left us, and we don't know what to do."
"Run away!" exclaimed Inga. "Where did they go to?"
"Who knows?" said the man, shaking his head despondently. "Theydeparted together a few hours ago, in a boat with forty rowers, andthey took with them the King and Queen of Pingaree!"
Rinkitink in Oz Page 14
