CHAPTER 17

  The Kingdom of the Nomes does not border on the Nonestic Ocean, from which it is separated by the Kingdom of Rinkitink and the Country of the Wheelers, which is a part of the Land of Ev. Rinkitink’s country is separated from the country of the Nomes by a row of high and steep mountains, from which it extends to the sea. The Country of the Wheelers is a sandy waste that is open on one side to the Nonestic Ocean and on the other side has no barrier to separate it from the Nome Country, therefore it was on the coast of the Wheelers that King Gos landed—in a spot quite deserted by any of the curious inhabitants of that country.

  The Nome Country is very large in extent, and is only separated from the Land of Oz, on its eastern borders, by a Deadly Desert that cannot be crossed by mortals, unless they are aided by the fairies or by magic.

  The nomes are a numerous and mischievous people, living in underground caverns of wide extent, connected one with another by arches and passages. The word “nome” means “one who knows,” and these people are so called because they know where all the gold and silver and precious stones are hidden in the earth—a knowledge that no other living creatures share with them. The nomes are busy people, constantly digging up gold in one place and taking it to another place, where they secretly bury it, and perhaps this is the reason they alone know where to find it. The nomes were ruled, at the time of which I write, by a King named Kaliko.

  King Gos had expected to be pursued by Inga in his magic boat, so he made all the haste possible, urging his forty rowers to their best efforts night and day. To his joy he was not overtaken but landed on the sandy beach of the Wheelers on the morning of the eighth day.

  The forty rowers were left with the boat, while Queen Cor and King Gos, with their royal prisoners, who were still chained, began the journey to the Nome King.

  It was not long before they passed the sands and reached the rocky country belonging to the nomes, but they were still a long way from the entrance to the underground caverns in which lived the Nome King. There was a dim path, winding between stones and boulders, over which the walking was quite difficult, especially as the path led up hills that were small mountains, and then down steep and abrupt slopes where any misstep might mean a broken leg. Therefore it was the second day of their journey before they climbed halfway up a rugged mountain and found themselves at the entrance of the Nome King’s caverns.

  On their arrival, the entrance seemed free and unguarded, but Gos and Cor had been there before, and they were too wise to attempt to enter without announcing themselves, for the passage to the caves was full of traps and pitfalls. So King Gos stood still and shouted, and in an instant they were surrounded by a group of crooked nomes, who seemed to have sprung from the ground.

  One of these had very long ears and was called The Long-Eared Hearer. He said: “I heard you coming early this morning.”

  Another had eyes that looked in different directions at the same time and were curiously bright and penetrating. He could look over a hill or around a corner and was called The Lookout. Said he: “I saw you coming yesterday.”

  “Then,” said King Gos, “perhaps King Kaliko is expecting us.”

  “It is true,” replied another nome, who wore a gold collar around his neck and carried a bunch of golden keys. “The mighty Nome King expects you, and bids you follow me to his presence.”

  With this he led the way into the caverns and Gos and Cor followed, dragging their weary prisoners with them, for poor King Kitticut and his gentle Queen had been obliged to carry, all through the tedious journey, the bags of gold and jewels which were to bribe the Nome King to accept them as slaves.

  Through several long passages the guide led them and at last they entered a small cavern which was beautifully decorated and set with rare jewels that flashed from every part of the wall, floor and ceiling. This was a waiting-room for visitors, and there their guide left them while he went to inform King Kaliko of their arrival.

  Before long they were ushered into a great domed chamber, cut from the solid rock and so magnificent that all of them—the King and Queen of Pingaree and the King and Queen of Regos and Coregos—drew long breaths of astonishment and opened their eyes as wide as they could.

  In an ivory throne sat a little round man who had a pointed beard and hair that rose to a tall curl on top of his head. He was dressed in silken robes, richly embroidered, which had large buttons of cut rubies. On his head was a diamond crown and in his hand he held a golden sceptre with a big jeweled ball at one end of it. This was Kaliko, the King and ruler of all the nomes. He nodded pleasantly enough to his visitors and said in a cheery voice:

  “Well, Your Majesties, what can I do for you?”

  “It is my desire,” answered King Gos, respectfully, “to place in your care two prisoners, whom you now see before you. They must be carefully guarded, to prevent them from escaping, for they have the cunning of foxes and are not to be trusted. In return for the favor I am asking you to grant, I have brought Your Majesty valuable presents of gold and precious gems.”

  He then commanded Kitticut and Garee to lay before the Nome King the bags of gold and jewels, and they obeyed, being helpless.

  “Very good,” said King Kaliko, nodding approval, for like all the nomes he loved treasures of gold and jewels. “But who are the prisoners you have brought here, and why do you place them in my charge instead of guarding them yourself? They seem gentle enough, I’m sure.”

  “The prisoners,” returned King Gos, “are the King and Queen of Pingaree, a small island north of here. They are very evil people and came to our islands of Regos and Coregos to conquer them and slay our poor people. Also they intended to plunder us of all our riches, but by good fortune we were able to defeat and capture them. However, they have a son who is a terrible wizard and who by magic art is trying to find this awful King and Queen of Pingaree, and to set them free, that they may continue their wicked deeds. Therefore, as we have no magic to defend ourselves with, we have brought the prisoners to you for safe keeping.”

  “Your Majesty,” spoke up King Kitticut, addressing the Nome King with great indignation, “do not believe this tale, I implore you. It is all a lie!”

  “I know it,” said Kaliko. “I consider it a clever lie, though, because it is woven without a thread of truth. However, that is none of my business. The fact remains that my good friend King Gos wishes to put you in my underground caverns, so that you will be unable to escape. And why should I not please him in this little matter? Gos is a mighty King and a great warrior, while your island of Pingaree is desolated and your people scattered. In my heart, King Kitticut, I sympathize with you, but as a matter of business policy we powerful Kings must stand together and trample the weaker ones under our feet.”

  King Kitticut was surprised to find the King of the nomes so candid and so well informed, and he tried to argue that he and his gentle wife did not deserve their cruel fate and that it would be wiser for Kaliko to side with them than with the evil King of Regos. But Kaliko only shook his head and smiled, saying:

  “The fact that you are a prisoner, my poor Kitticut, is evidence that you are weaker than King Gos, and I prefer to deal with the strong. By the way,” he added, turning to the King of Regos, “have these prisoners any connection with the Land of Oz?”

  “Why do you ask?” said Gos.

  “Because I dare not offend the Oz people,” was the reply. “I am very powerful, as you know, but Ozma of Oz is far more powerful than I; therefore, if this King and Queen of Pingaree happened to be under Ozma’s protection, I would have nothing to do with them.”

  “I assure Your Majesty that the prisoners have nothing to do with the Oz people,” Gos hastened to say. And Kitticut, being questioned, admitted that this was true.

  “But how about that wizard you mentioned?” asked the Nome King.

  “Oh, he is merely a boy; but he is very ferocious and obstinate and he is assisted by a little fat sorcerer called Rinkitink and a talking goat.”

  “Oho! A talking goat, do you say? That certainly sounds like magic; and it also sounds like the Land of Oz, where all the animals talk,” said Kaliko, with a doubtful expression.

  But King Gos assured him the talking goat had never been to Oz.

  “As for Rinkitink, whom you call a sorcerer,” continued the Nome King, “he is a neighbor of mine, you must know, but as we are cut off from each other by high mountains beneath which a powerful river runs, I have never yet met King Rinkitink. But I have heard of him, and from all reports he is a jolly rogue, and perfectly harmless. However, in spite of your false statements and misrepresentations, I will earn the treasure you have brought me, by keeping your prisoners safe in my caverns.”

  “Make them work,” advised Queen Cor. “They are rather delicate, and to make them work will make them suffer delightfully.”

  “I’ll do as I please about that,” said the Nome King sternly. “Be content that I agree to keep them safe.”

  The bargain being thus made and concluded, Kaliko first examined the gold and jewels and then sent it away to his royal storehouse, which was well filled with like treasure. Next the captives were sent away in charge of the nome with the golden collar and keys, whose name was Klik, and he escorted them to a small cavern and gave them a good supper.

  “I shall lock your door,” said Klik, “so there is no need of your wearing those heavy chains any longer.” He therefore removed the chains and left King Kitticut and his Queen alone. This was the first time since the Northmen had carried them away from Pingaree that the good King and Queen had been alone together and free of all bonds, and as they embraced lovingly and mingled their tears over their sad fate they were also grateful that they had passed from the control of the heartless King Gos into the more considerate care of King Kaliko. They were still captives but they believed they would be happier in the underground caverns of the nomes than in Regos and Coregos.

  Meantime, in the King’s royal cavern a great feast had been spread. King Gos and Queen Cor, having triumphed in their plot, were so well pleased that they held high revelry with the jolly Nome King until a late hour that night. And the next morning, having cautioned Kaliko not to release the prisoners under any consideration without their orders, the King and Queen of Regos and Coregos left the caverns of the nomes to return to the shore of the ocean where they had left their boat.

  CHAPTER 18

  The White Pearl guided Inga truly in his pursuit of the boat of King Gos, but the boy had been so delayed in sending his people home to Pingaree that it was a full day after Gos and Cor landed on the shore of the Wheeler Country that Inga’s boat arrived at the same place.

  There he found the forty rowers guarding the barge of Queen Cor, and although they would not or could not tell the boy where the King and Queen had taken his father and mother, the White Pearl advised him to follow the path to the country and the caverns of the nomes.

  Rinkitink didn’t like to undertake the rocky and mountainous journey, even with Bilbil to carry him, but he would not desert Inga, even though his own kingdom lay just beyond a range of mountains which could be seen towering southwest of them. So the King bravely mounted the goat, who always grumbled but always obeyed his master, and the three set off at once for the caverns of the nomes.

  They traveled just as slowly as Queen Cor and King Gos had done, so when they were about halfway they discovered the King and Queen coming back to their boat. The fact that Gos and Cor were now alone proved that they had left Inga’s father and mother behind them; so, at the suggestion of Rinkitink, the three hid behind a high rock until the King of Regos and the Queen of Coregos, who had not observed them, had passed them by. Then they continued their journey, glad that they had not again been forced to fight or quarrel with their wicked enemies.

  “We might have asked them, however, what they had done with your poor parents,” said Rinkitink.

  “Never mind,” answered Inga. “I am sure the White Pearl will guide us aright.”

  For a time they proceeded in silence and then Rinkitink began to chuckle with laughter in the pleasant way he was wont to do before his misfortunes came upon him.

  “What amuses Your Majesty?” inquired the boy.

  “The thought of how surprised my dear subjects would be if they realized how near to them I am, and yet how far away. I have always wanted to visit the Nome Country, which is full of mystery and magic and all sorts of adventures, but my devoted subjects forbade me to think of such a thing, fearing I would get hurt or enchanted.”

  “Are you afraid, now that you are here?” asked Inga.

  “A little, but not much, for they say the new Nome King is not as wicked as the old King used to be. Still, we are undertaking a dangerous journey and I think you ought to protect me by lending me one of your pearls.”

  Inga thought this over and it seemed a reasonable request.

  “Which pearl would you like to have?” asked the boy.

  “Well, let us see,” returned Rinkitink; “you may need strength to liberate your captive parents, so you must keep the Blue Pearl. And you will need the advice of the White Pearl, so you had best keep that also. But in case we should be separated I would have nothing to protect me from harm, so you ought to lend me the Pink Pearl.”

  “Very well,” agreed Inga, and sitting down upon a rock he removed his right shoe and after withdrawing the cloth from the pointed toe took out the Pink Pearl—the one which protected from any harm the person who carried it.

  “Where can you put it, to keep it safely?” he asked.

  “In my vest pocket,” replied the King. “The pocket has a flap to it and I can pin it down in such a way that the pearl cannot get out and become lost. As for robbery, no one with evil intent can touch my person while I have the pearl.”

  So Inga gave Rinkitink the Pink Pearl and the little King placed it in the pocket of his red-and-green brocaded velvet vest, pinning the flap of the pocket down tightly.

  They now resumed their journey and finally reached the entrance to the Nome King’s caverns. Placing the White Pearl to his ear, Inga asked: “What shall I do now?” and the Voice of the Pearl replied: “Clap your hands together four times and call aloud the word ‘Klik.’ Then allow yourselves to be conducted to the Nome King, who is now holding your father and mother captive.”

  Inga followed these instructions and when Klik appeared in answer to his summons the boy requested an audience of the Nome King. So Klik led them into the presence of King Kaliko, who was suffering from a severe headache, due to his revelry the night before, and therefore was unusually cross and grumpy.

  “I know what you’ve come for,” said he, before Inga could speak. “You want to get the captives from Regos away from me; but you can’t do it, so you’d best go away again.”

  “The captives are my father and mother, and I intend to liberate them,” said the boy firmly.

  The King stared hard at Inga, wondering at his audacity. Then he turned to look at King Rinkitink and said:

  “I suppose you are the King of Gilgad, which is in the Kingdom of Rinkitink.”

  “You’ve guessed it the first time,” replied Rinkitink.

  “How round and fat you are!” exclaimed Kaliko.

  “I was just thinking how fat and round you are,” said Rinkitink. “Really, King Kaliko, we ought to be friends, we’re so much alike in everything but disposition and intelligence.”

  Then he began to chuckle, while Kaliko stared hard at him, not knowing whether to accept his speech as a compliment or not. And now the nome’s eyes wandered to Bilbil, and he asked:

  “Is that your talking goat?”

  Bilbil met the Nome King’s glowering look with a gaze equally surly and defiant, while Rinkitink answered: “It is, Your Majesty.”

  “Can he really talk?” asked Kaliko, curiously.

  “He can. But the best thing he does is to scold. Talk to His Majesty, Bilbil.”

  But Bilbil remained silent and would not speak.

  “Do you always ride upon his back?” continued Kaliko, questioning Rinkitink.

  “Yes,” was the answer, “because it is difficult for a fat man to walk far, as perhaps you know from experience.”

  “That is true,” said Kaliko. “Get off the goat’s back and let me ride him a while, to see how I like it. Perhaps I’ll take him away from you, to ride through my caverns.”

  Rinkitink chuckled softly as he heard this, but at once got off Bilbil’s back and let Kaliko get on. The Nome King was a little awkward, but when he was firmly astride the saddle he called in a loud voice: “Giddap!”

  When Bilbil paid no attention to the command and refused to stir, Kaliko kicked his heels viciously against the goat’s body, and then Bilbil made a sudden start. He ran swiftly across the great cavern, until he had almost reached the opposite wall, when he stopped so abruptly that King Kaliko sailed over his head and bumped against the jeweled wall. He bumped so hard that the points of his crown were all mashed out of shape and his head was driven far into the diamond-studded band of the crown, so that it covered one eye and a part of his nose. Perhaps this saved Kaliko’s head from being cracked against the rock wall, but it was hard on the crown.

  Bilbil was highly pleased at the success of his feat and Rinkitink laughed merrily at the Nome King’s comical appearance; but Kaliko was muttering and growling as he picked himself up and struggled to pull the battered crown from his head, and it was evident that he was not in the least amused. Indeed, Inga could see that the King was very angry, and the boy knew that the incident was likely to turn Kaliko against the entire party.

  The Nome King sent Klik for another crown and ordered his workmen to repair the one that was damaged. While he waited for the new crown he sat regarding his visitors with a scowling face, and this made Inga more uneasy than ever. Finally, when the new crown was placed upon his head, King Kaliko said: “Follow me, strangers!” and led the way to a small door at one end of the cavern.