Rinkitink in Oz Read online

  Chapter Three

  The Warriors from the North

  King Rinkitink was so much pleased with the Island of Pingaree that hecontinued his stay day after day and week after week, eating gooddinners, talking with King Kitticut and sleeping. Once in a while hewould read from his scroll. "For," said he, "whenever I return home, mysubjects will be anxious to know if I have learned 'How to be Good,'and I must not disappoint them."

  The twenty rowers lived on the small end of the island, with the pearlfishers, and seemed not to care whether they ever returned to theKingdom of Rinkitink or not. Bilbil the goat wandered over the grassyslopes, or among the trees, and passed his days exactly as he pleased.His master seldom cared to ride him. Bilbil was a rare curiosity to theislanders, but since there was little pleasure in talking with the goatthey kept away from him. This pleased the creature, who seemed wellsatisfied to be left to his own devices.

  Once Prince Inga, wishing to be courteous, walked up to the goat andsaid: "Good morning, Bilbil."

  "It isn't a good morning," answered Bilbil grumpily. "It is cloudy anddamp, and looks like rain."

  "I hope you are contented in our kingdom," continued the boy, politelyignoring the other's harsh words.

  "I'm not," said Bilbil. "I'm never contented; so it doesn't matter tome whether I'm in your kingdom or in some other kingdom. Go away--willyou?"

  "Certainly," answered the Prince, and after this rebuff he did notagain try to make friends with Bilbil.

  Now that the King, his father, was so much occupied with his royalguest, Inga was often left to amuse himself, for a boy could not beallowed to take part in the conversation of two great monarchs. Hedevoted himself to his studies, therefore, and day after day he climbedinto the branches of his favorite tree and sat for hours in his"tree-top rest," reading his father's precious manuscripts and thinkingupon what he read.

  You must not think that Inga was a molly-coddle or a prig, because hewas so solemn and studious. Being a King's son and heir to a throne, hecould not play with the other boys of Pingaree, and he lived so much inthe society of the King and Queen, and was so surrounded by the pompand dignity of a court, that he missed all the jolly times that boysusually have. I have no doubt that had he been able to live as otherboys do, he would have been much like other boys; as it was, he wassubdued by his surroundings, and more grave and thoughtful than one ofhis years should be.

  Inga was in his tree one morning when, without warning, a great fogenveloped the Island of Pingaree. The boy could scarcely see the treenext to that in which he sat, but the leaves above him prevented thedampness from wetting him, so he curled himself up in his seat and fellfast asleep.

  All that forenoon the fog continued. King Kitticut, who sat in hispalace talking with his merry visitor, ordered the candles lighted,that they might be able to see one another. The good Queen, Inga'smother, found it was too dark to work at her embroidery, so she calledher maidens together and told them wonderful stories of bygone days, inorder to pass away the dreary hours.

  But soon after noon the weather changed. The dense fog rolled away likea heavy cloud and suddenly the sun shot his bright rays over the island.

  "Very good!" exclaimed King Kitticut. "We shall have a pleasantafternoon, I am sure," and he blew out the candles.

  Then he stood a moment motionless, as if turned to stone, for aterrible cry from without the palace reached his ears--a cry so full offear and horror that the King's heart almost stopped beating.Immediately there was a scurrying of feet as every one in the palace,filled with dismay, rushed outside to see what had happened. Even fatlittle Rinkitink sprang from his chair and followed his host and theothers through the arched vestibule.

  After many years the worst fears of King Kitticut were realized.

  Landing upon the beach, which was but a few steps from the palaceitself, were hundreds of boats, every one filled with a throng offierce warriors. They sprang upon the land with wild shouts of defianceand rushed to the King's palace, waving aloft their swords and spearsand battleaxes.

  King Kitticut, so completely surprised that he was bewildered, gazed atthe approaching host with terror and grief.

  "They are the men of Regos and Coregos!" he groaned. "We are, indeed,lost!"

  Then he bethought himself, for the first time, of his wonderful pearls.Turning quickly, he ran back into the palace and hastened to the hallwhere the treasures were hidden. But the leader of the warriors hadseen the King enter the palace and bounded after him, thinking he meantto escape. Just as the King had stooped to press the secret spring inthe tiles, the warrior seized him from the rear and threw him backwardupon the floor, at the same time shouting to his men to fetch ropes andbind the prisoner. This they did very quickly and King Kitticut soonfound himself helplessly bound and in the power of his enemies. In thissad condition he was lifted by the warriors and carried outside, whenthe good King looked upon a sorry sight.

  The Queen and her maidens, the officers and servants of the royalhousehold and all who had inhabited this end of the Island of Pingareehad been seized by the invaders and bound with ropes. At once theybegan carrying their victims to the boats, tossing them in asunceremoniously as if they had been bales of merchandise.

  The King looked around for his son Inga, but failed to find the boyamong the prisoners. Nor was the fat King, Rinkitink, to be seenanywhere about.

  The warriors were swarming over the palace like bees in a hive, seekinganyone who might be in hiding, and after the search had been prolongedfor some time the leader asked impatiently: "Do you find anyone else?"

  "No," his men told him. "We have captured them all."

  "Then," commanded the leader, "remove everything of value from thepalace and tear down its walls and towers, so that not one stoneremains upon another!"

  While the warriors were busy with this task we will return to the boyPrince, who, when the fog lifted and the sun came out, wakened from hissleep and began to climb down from his perch in the tree. But theterrifying cries of the people, mingled with the shouts of the rudewarriors, caused him to pause and listen eagerly.

  Then he climbed rapidly up the tree, far above his platform, to thetopmost swaying branches. This tree, which Inga called his own, wassomewhat taller than the other trees that surrounded it, and when hehad reached the top he pressed aside the leaves and saw a great fleetof boats upon the shore--strange boats, with banners that he had neverseen before. Turning to look upon his father's palace, he found itsurrounded by a horde of enemies. Then Inga knew the truth: that theisland had been invaded by the barbaric warriors from the north. Hegrew so faint from the terror of it all that he might have fallen hadhe not wound his arms around a limb and clung fast until the dizzyfeeling passed away. Then with his sash he bound himself to the limband again ventured to look out through the leaves.

  The warriors were now engaged in carrying King Kitticut and Queen Gareeand all their other captives down to the boats, where they were thrownin and chained one to another. It was a dreadful sight for the Princeto witness, but he sat very still, concealed from the sight of anyonebelow by the bower of leafy branches around him. Inga knew very wellthat he could do nothing to help his beloved parents, and that if hecame down he would only be forced to share their cruel fate.

  Now a procession of the Northmen passed between the boats and thepalace, bearing the rich furniture, splendid draperies and rareornaments of which the royal palace had been robbed, together with suchfood and other plunder as they could lay their hands upon. After this,the men of Regos and Coregos threw ropes around the marble domes andtowers and hundreds of warriors tugged at these ropes until the domesand towers toppled and fell in ruins upon the ground. Then the wallsthemselves were torn down, till little remained of the beautiful palacebut a vast heap of white marble blocks tumbled and scattered upon theground.

  Prince Inga wept bitter tears of grief as he watched the ruin of hishome; yet he was powerless to avert the destruction. When the palacehad been demolished, some of the warriors ent
ered their boats and rowedalong the coast of the island, while the others marched in a great bodydown the length of the island itself. They were so numerous that theyformed a line stretching from shore to shore and they destroyed everyhouse they came to and took every inhabitant prisoner.

  The pearl fishers who lived at the lower end of the island tried toescape in their boats, but they were soon overtaken and made prisoners,like the others. Nor was there any attempt to resist the foe, for thesharp spears and pikes and swords of the invaders terrified the heartsof the defenseless people of Pingaree, whose sole weapons were theiroyster rakes.

  When night fell the whole of the Island of Pingaree had been conqueredby the men of the North, and all its people were slaves of theconquerors. Next morning the men of Regos and Coregos, being capable ofno further mischief, departed from the scene of their triumph, carryingtheir prisoners with them and taking also every boat to be found uponthe island. Many of the boats they had filled with rich plunder, withpearls and silks and velvets, with silver and gold ornaments and allthe treasure that had made Pingaree famed as one of the richestkingdoms in the world. And the hundreds of slaves they had capturedwould be set to work in the mines of Regos and the grain fields ofCoregos.

  So complete was the victory of the Northmen that it is no wonder thewarriors sang songs of triumph as they hastened back to their homes.Great rewards were awaiting them when they showed the haughty King ofRegos and the terrible Queen of Coregos the results of their ocean raidand conquest.