...chapter two of Rinkitink in Oz...previous...next...
A few days after this, on a bright and sunny morning
when the breeze blew soft and sweet from the ocean and the trees waved their
leaf-laden branches, the Royal Watchman, whose duty it was to patrol the
shore, came running to the King with news that a strange boat was
approaching the island.
At first the King was sore afraid and made a step toward the hidden
pearls, but the next moment he reflected that one boat, even if filled with
enemies, would be powerless to injure him, so he curbed his fear and went
down to the beach to discover who the strangers might be. Many of the men of
Pingaree assembled there also, and Prince Inga followed his father. Arriving
at the water's edge, they all stood gazing eagerly at the oncoming boat.
It was quite a big boat, they observed, and covered with a canopy of
purple silk, embroidered with gold. It was rowed by twenty men, ten on each
side. As it came nearer, Inga could see that in the stern, seated upon a
high, cushioned chair of state, was a little man who was so very fat that
he was nearly as broad as he was high This man was dressed in a loose silken
robe of purple that fell in folds to his feet, while upon his head was a cap
of white velvet curiously worked with golden threads and having a circle of
diamonds sewn around the band. At the opposite end of the boat stood an
oddly shaped cage, and several large boxes of sandalwood were piled near
the center of the craft.
As the boat approached the shore the fat little man got upon his feet and
bowed several times in the direction of those who had assembled to greet
him, and as he bowed he flourished his white cap in an energetic manner. His
face was round as an apple and nearly as rosy. When he stopped bowing he
smiled in such a sweet and happy way that Inga thought he must be a very
jolly fellow.
The prow of the boat grounded on the beach, stopping its speed so
suddenly that the little man was caught unawares and nearly toppled headlong
into the sea. But he managed to catch hold of the chair with one hand and
the hair of one of his rowers with the other, and so steadied himself. Then,
again waving his jeweled cap around his head, he cried in a merry voice:
"Well, here I am at last!"
"So I perceive," responded King Kitticut, bowing with much dignity.
The fat man glanced at all the sober faces before him and burst into a
rollicking laugh. Perhaps I should say it was half laughter and half a
chuckle of merriment, for the sounds he emitted were quaint and droll and
tempted every hearer to laugh with him.
"Heh, heh -- ho, ho, ho!" he roared. "Didn't expect me, I see.
Keek-eek-eek-eek! This is funny -- it's really funny. Didn't know I was
coming, did you? Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo! This is certainly amusing. But I'm
here, just the same."
"Hush up!" said a deep, growling voice. "You're making yourself
ridiculous."
Everyone looked to see where this voice came from; but none could guess
who had uttered the words of rebuke. The rowers of the boat were all solemn
and silent and certainly no one on the shore had spoken. But the little man
did not seem astonished in the least, or even annoyed.
King Kitticut now addressed the stranger, saying courteously:
"You are welcome to the Kingdom of Pingaree. Perhaps you will deign to
come ashore and at your convenience inform us whom we have the honor of
receiving as a guest."
"Thanks; I will," returned the little fat man, waddling from his place in
the boat and stepping, with some difficulty, upon the sandy beach. "I am
King Rinkitink, of the City of Gilgad in the Kingdom of
Rinkitink, and I have come to Pingaree to see for myself the monarch who
sends to my city so many beautiful pearls. I have long wished to visit this
island; and so, as I said before, here I am!"
"I am pleased to welcome you," said King Kitticut. "But why has Your
Majesty so few attendants? Is it not dangerous for the King of a great
country to make distant journeys in one frail boat, and with but twenty
men?"
"Oh, I suppose so," answered King Rinkitink, with a laugh. "But what else
could I do? My subjects would not allow me to go anywhere at all, if they
knew it. So I just ran away."
"Ran away!" exclaimed King Kitticut in surprise.
"Funny, isn't it? Heh, heh, heh -- woo, hoo!" laughed Rinkitink, and
this is as near as I can spell with letters the jolly sounds of his
laughter. "Fancy a King running away from his own people -- hoo, hoo --
keek, eek, eek, eek! But I had to, don't you see!"
"Why?" asked the other King.
"They're afraid I'll get into mischief. They don't trust me.
Keek-eek-eek -- Oh, dear me! Don't trust their own King. Funny, isn't
it?"
"No harm can come to you on this island," said Kitticut, pretending not
to notice the odd ways of his guest. "And, whenever it pleases you to return
to your own country, I will send with you a fitting escort of my own people.
In the meantime, pray accompany me to my palace, where everything shall be
done to make you comfortable and happy."
"Much obliged," answered Rinkitink, tipping his white cap over his left
ear and heartily shaking the hand of his brother monarch. "I'm sure you can
make me comfortable if you've plenty to eat. And as for being happy -- ha,
ha, ha, ha! -- why, that's my trouble. I'm too happy. But stop! I've brought
you some presents in those boxes. Please order your men to carry them up to
the palace."
"Certainly," answered King Kitticut, well pleased, and at once he gave
his men the proper orders.
"And, by the way," continued the fat little King, "let them also take my
goat from his cage."
"A goat!" exclaimed the King of Pingaree.
"Exactly; my goat Bilbil. I always ride him wherever I go, for I'm
not at all fond of walking, being a trifle stout -- eh, Kitticut? -- a
trifle stout! Hoo, hoo, hoo-keek, eek!"
The Pingaree people started to lift the big cage out of the boat, but
just then a gruff voice cried: "Be careful, you villains!" and as the
words seemed to come from the goat's mouth the men were so astonished that
they dropped the cage upon the sand with a sudden jar.
"There! I told you so!" cried the voice angrily. "You've rubbed the skin
off my left knee. Why on earth didn't you handle me gently?"
"There, there, Bilbil," said King Rinkitink soothingly; "don't
scold, my boy. Remember that these are strangers, and we their guests." Then
he turned to Kitticut and remarked: "You have no talking goats on your
island, I suppose."
"We have no goats at all," replied the King; "nor have we any animals, of
any sort, who are able to talk."
"I wish my animal couldn't talk, either," said Rinkitink, winking
comically at Inga and then looking toward the cage. "He is very cross at
times, and indulges in language that is not respectful. I thought, at first,
it would be fine to have a talking goat, with whom I could converse as I
rode about my city on his back; but -- keek-eek-eek-eek! -- the rascal
treats me as if I were a chimney sweep instead of a King. Heh, heh, heh,
keek, eek! A chimney sweep-hoo, hoo, hoo! -- and me a King! Funny, isn't
it?" This last was addressed to Prince Inga, whom he chucked familiarly
under the chin, to the boy's great embarrassment.
"Why do you not ride a horse?" asked King Kitticut.
"I can't climb upon his back, being rather stout; that's why. Kee, kee,
keek, eek! -- rather stout -- hoo, hoo, hoo!" He paused to wipe the tears of
merriment from his eyes and then added: "But I can get on and off Bilbil's
back with ease."
He now opened the cage and the goat deliberately walked out and looked
about him in a sulky manner. One of the rowers brought from the boat a
saddle made of red velvet and beautifully embroidered with silver thistles,
which he fastened upon the goat's back. The fat King put his leg over the
saddle and seated himself comfortably, saying:
"Lead on, my noble host, and we will follow."
"What! Up that steep hill?" cried the goat. "Get off my back at once,
Rinkitink, or I won't budge a step.
"But-consider, Bilbil," remonstrated the King. "How am I to get up that
hill unless I ride?"
"Walk!" growled Bilbil.
"But I'm too fat. Really, Bilbil, I'm surprised at you. Haven't I brought
you all this distance so you may see something of the world and enjoy life?
And now you are so ungrateful as to refuse to carry me! Turn about is fair
play, my boy. The boat carried you to this shore, because you can't swim,
and now you must carry me up the hill, because I can't climb. Eh, Bilbil,
isn't that reasonable?"
"Well, well, well," said the goat, surlily, "keep quiet and I'll
carry you. But you make me very tired, Rinkitink, with your ceaseless
chatter."
After making this protest Bilbil began walking up the hill, carrying the
fat King upon his back with no difficulty whatever.
Prince Inga and his father and all the men of Pingaree were much
astonished to overhear this dispute between King Rinkitink and his goat; but
they were too polite to make critical remarks in the presence of their
guests. King Kitticut walked beside the goat and the Prince followed after,
the men coming last with the boxes of sandalwood.
When they neared the palace, the Queen and her maidens came out to meet
them and the royal guest was escorted in state to the splendid throne room
of the palace. Here the boxes were opened and King Rinkitink displayed all
the beautiful silks and laces and jewelry with which they were filled. Every
one of the courtiers and ladies received a handsome present, and the King
and Queen had many rich gifts and Inga not a few. Thus the time passed
pleasantly until the Chamberlain announced that dinner was served.
Bilbil the goat declared that he preferred eating of the sweet, rich
grass that grew abundantly in the palace grounds, and Rinkitink said that
the beast could never bear being shut up in a stable; so they removed the
saddle from his back and allowed him to wander wherever he pleased.
During the dinner Inga divided his attention between admiring the pretty
gifts he had received and listening to the jolly sayings of the fat King,
who laughed when he was not eating and ate when he was not laughing and
seemed to enjoy himself immensely.
"For four days I have lived in that narrow boat," said he, "with no other
amusement than to watch the rowers and quarrel with Bilbil; so I am very
glad to be on land again with such friendly and agreeable people."
"You do us great honor," said King Kitticut, with a polite bow.
"Not at all -- not at all, my brother. This Pingaree must be a wonderful
island, for its pearls are the admiration of all the world; nor will I deny
the fact that my kingdom would be a poor one without the riches and glory it
derives from the trade in your pearls. So I have wished for many years to
come here to see you, but my people said: 'No! Stay at home and behave
yourself, or we'll know the reason why.'"
"Will they not miss Your Majesty from your palace at Gilgad?"
inquired Kitticut.
"I think not," answered Rinkitink. "You see, one of my clever subjects
has written a parchment entitled 'How to be Good,' and I believed it would
benefit me to study it, as I consider the accomplishment of being good one
of the fine arts. I had just scolded severely my Lord High Chancellor for
coming to breakfast without combing his eyebrows, and was so sad and
regretful at having hurt the poor man's feelings that I decided to shut
myself up in my own room and study the scroll until I knew how to be good --
hee, heek, keek, eek, eek! --to be good! Clever idea, that, wasn't it?
Mighty clever! And I issued a decree that no one should enter my room, under
pain of my royal displeasure, until I was ready to come out. They're awfully
afraid of my royal displeasure, although not a bit afraid of me. Then I put
the parchment in my pocket and escaped through the back door to my boat --
and here I am. Oo, hoo-hoo, keek-eek! Imagine the fuss there would be in
Gilgad if my subjects knew where I am this very minute!"
"I would like to see that parchment," said the solemn-eyed Prince Inga,
"for if it indeed teaches one to be good it must be worth its weight in
pearls."
"Oh, it's a fine essay," said Rinkitink, "and beautifully written with a
goosequill. Listen to this: You'll enjoy it -- tee, hee, hee! -- enjoy
it."
He took from his pocket a scroll of parchment tied with a black ribbon,
and having carefully unrolled it, he proceeded to read as follows:
"'A Good Man is One who is Never Bad.' How's that, eh? Fine
thought, what? 'Therefore, in order to be Good, you must avoid those
Things which are Evil.' Oh, hoo-hoo-hoo! -- how clever! When I get back
I shall make the man who wrote that a royal hippolorum, for, beyond
question, he is the wisest man in my kingdom -as he has often told me
himself." With this, Rinkitink lay back in his chair and chuckled his
queer chuckle until he coughed, and coughed until he choked and choked
until he sneezed. And he wrinkled his face in such a jolly, droll way that
few could keep from laughing with him, and even the good Queen was forced to
titter behind her fan.
When Rinkitink had recovered from his fit of laughter and had wiped his
eyes upon a fine lace handkerchief, Prince Inga said to him:
"The parchment speaks truly."
"Yes, it is true beyond doubt," answered Rinkitink, "and if I could
persuade Bilbil to read it he would be a much better goat than he is now.
Here is another selection: 'To avoid saying Unpleasant Things, always
Speak Agreeably.' That would hit Bilbil, to a dot. And here is one that
applies to you, my Prince: 'Good Children are seldom punished, for the
reason that they deserve no punishment.' Now, I think that is neatly
put, and shows the author to be a deep thinker. But the advice that has
impressed me the most is in the following paragraph: 'You may not find
it as Pleasant to be Good as it is to be Bad, but Other People will find it
more Pleasant.' Haw-hoo-ho! keek-eek! 'Other people will find it
more pleasant!' -- hee, hee, heek, keek! -- 'more pleasant.'
Dear me -- dear me! Therein lies a noble incentive to be good, and
whenever I get time I'm surely going to try it."
Then he wiped his eyes again with the lace handkerchief and, suddenly
remembering his dinner, seized his knife and fork and began eating.
...chapter two of Rinkitink in Oz...previous...next...