Chapter Thirteen
Zella Saves the Prince
The wicked Queen of Coregos was in a very bad humor this morning, forone of her slave drivers had come from the fields to say that a numberof slaves had rebelled and would not work.
"Bring them here to me!" she cried savagely. "A good whipping may makethem change their minds."
So the slave driver went to fetch the rebellious ones and Queen Cor satdown to eat her breakfast, an ugly look on her face.
Prince Inga had been ordered to stand behind his new mistress with abig fan of peacock's feathers, but he was so unused to such servicethat he awkwardly brushed her ear with the fan. At once she flew into aterrible rage and slapped the Prince twice with her hand-blows thattingled, too, for her hand was big and hard and she was not inclined tobe gentle. Inga took the blows without shrinking or uttering a cry,although they stung his pride far more than his body. But KingRinkitink, who was acting as the queen's butler and had just brought inher coffee, was so startled at seeing the young Prince punished that hetipped over the urn and the hot coffee streamed across the lap of theQueen's best morning gown.
Cor sprang from her seat with a scream of anger and poor Rinkitinkwould doubtless have been given a terrible beating had not the slavedriver returned at this moment and attracted the woman's attention. Theoverseer had brought with him all of the women slaves from Pingaree,who had been loaded down with chains and were so weak and ill theycould scarcely walk, much less work in the fields.
Prince Inga's eyes were dimmed with sorrowful tears when he discoveredhow his poor people had been abused, but his own plight was so helplessthat he was unable to aid them. Fortunately the boy's mother, QueenGaree, was not among these slaves, for Queen Cor had placed her in theroyal dairy to make butter.
"Why do you refuse to work?" demanded Cor in a harsh voice, as theslaves from Pingaree stood before her, trembling and with downcast eyes.
"Because we lack strength to perform the tasks your overseers demand,"answered one of the women.
"Then you shall be whipped until your strength returns!" exclaimed theQueen, and turning to Inga, she commanded: "Get me the whip with theseven lashes."
As the boy left the room, wondering how he might manage to save theunhappy women from their undeserved punishment, he met a girl enteringby the back way, who asked:
"Can you tell me where to find Her Majesty, Queen Cor?"
"She is in the chamber with the red dome, where green dragons arepainted upon the walls," replied Inga; "but she is in an angry andungracious mood to-day. Why do you wish to see her?"
"I have honey to sell," answered the girl, who was Zella, just comefrom the forest. "The Queen is very fond of my honey."
"You may go to her, if you so desire," said the boy, "but take care notto anger the cruel Queen, or she may do you a mischief."
"Why should she harm me, who brings her the honey she so dearly loves?"inquired the child innocently. "But I thank you for your warning; and Iwill try not to anger the Queen."
As Zella started to go, Inga's eyes suddenly fell upon her shoes andinstantly he recognized them as his own. For only in Pingaree wereshoes shaped in this manner: high at the heel and pointed at the toes.
"Stop!" he cried in an excited voice, and the girl obeyed, wonderingly."Tell me," he continued, more gently, "where did you get those shoes?"
"My father brought them to me from Regos," she answered.
"From Regos!"
"Yes. Are they not pretty?" asked Zella, looking down at her feet toadmire them. "One of them my father found by the palace wall, and theother on an ash-heap. So he brought them to me and they fit meperfectly."
By this time Inga was trembling with eager joy, which of course thegirl could not understand.
"What is your name, little maid?" he asked.
"I am called Zella, and my father is Nikobob, the charcoal-burner."
"Zella is a pretty name. I am Inga, Prince of Pingaree," said he, "andthe shoes you are now wearing, Zella, belong to me. They were not castaway, as your father supposed, but were lost. Will you let me have themagain?"
Zella's eyes filled with tears.
"Must I give up my pretty shoes, then?" she asked. "They are the onlyones I have ever owned."
Inga was sorry for the poor child, but he knew how important it wasthat he regain possession of the Magic Pearls. So he said, pleadingly:
"Please let me have them, Zella. See! I will exchange for them theshoes I now have on, which are newer and prettier than the others."
The girl hesitated. She wanted to please the boy Prince, yet she hatedto exchange the shoes which her father had brought her as a present.
"If you will give me the shoes," continued the boy, anxiously, "I willpromise to make you and your father and mother rich and prosperous.Indeed, I will promise to grant any favors you may ask of me," and hesat down upon the floor and drew off the shoes he was wearing and heldthem toward the girl.
"I'll see if they will fit me," said Zella, taking off her leftshoe--the one that contained the Pink Pearl--and beginning to put onone of Inga's.
Just then Queen Cor, angry at being made to wait for her whip with theseven lashes, rushed into the room to find Inga. Seeing the boy sittingupon the floor beside Zella, the woman sprang toward him to beat himwith her clenched fists; but Inga had now slipped on the shoe and theQueen's blows could not reach his body.
Then Cor espied the whip lying beside Inga and snatching it up shetried to lash him with it--all to no avail.
While Zella sat horrified by this scene, the Prince, who realized hehad no time to waste, reached out and pulled the right shoe from thegirl's foot, quickly placing it upon his own. Then he stood up and,facing the furious but astonished Queen, said to her in a quiet voice:
"Madam, please give me that whip."
"I won't!" answered Cor. "I'm going to lash those Pingaree women withit."
The boy seized hold of the whip and with irresistible strength drew itfrom the Queen's hand. But she drew from her bosom a sharp dagger andwith the swiftness of lightning aimed a blow at Inga's heart. He merelystood still and smiled, for the blade rebounded and fell clattering tothe floor.
Then, at last, Queen Cor understood the magic power that had terrifiedher husband but which she had ridiculed in her ignorance, not believingin it. She did not know that Inga's power had been lost, and foundagain, but she realized the boy was no common foe and that unless shecould still manage to outwit him her reign in the Island of Coregos wasended. To gain time, she went back to the red-domed chamber and seatedherself in her throne, before which were grouped the weeping slavesfrom Pingaree.
Inga had taken Zella's hand and assisted her to put on the shoes he hadgiven her in exchange for his own. She found them quite comfortable anddid not know she had lost anything by the transfer.
"Come with me," then said the boy Prince, and led her into the presenceof Queen Cor, who was giving Rinkitink a scolding. To the overseer Ingasaid.
"Give me the keys which unlock these chains, that I may set these poorwomen at liberty."
"Don't you do it!" screamed Queen Cor.
"If you interfere, madam," said the boy, "I will put you into adungeon."
By this Rinkitink knew that Inga had recovered his Magic Pearls and thelittle fat King was so overjoyed that he danced and capered all aroundthe room. But the Queen was alarmed at the threat and the slave driver,fearing the conqueror of Regos, tremblingly gave up the keys.
Inga quickly removed all the shackles from the women of his country andcomforted them, telling them they should work no more but would soon berestored to their homes in Pingaree. Then he commanded the slave driverto go and get all the children who had been made slaves, and to bringthem to their mothers. The man obeyed and left at once to perform hiserrand, while Queen Cor, growing more and more uneasy, suddenly sprangfrom her throne and before Inga could stop her had rushed through theroom and out into the courtyard of the palace, meaning to make herescape. Rinkitink followed h
er, running as fast as he could go.
It was at this moment that Bilbil, in his mad dash from Regos, turnedin at the gates of the courtyard, and as he was coming one way andQueen Cor was going the other they bumped into each other with greatforce. The woman sailed through the air, over Bilbil's head, and landedon the ground outside the gates, where her crown rolled into a ditchand she picked herself up, half dazed, and continued her flight. Bilbilwas also somewhat dazed by the unexpected encounter, but he continuedhis rush rather blindly and so struck poor Rinkitink, who was chasingafter Queen Cor. They rolled over one another a few times and thenRinkitink sat up and Bilbil sat up and they looked at each other inamazement.
"Bilbil," said the King, "I'm astonished at you!"
"Your Majesty," said Bilbil, "I expected kinder treatment at yourhands."
"You interrupted me," said Rinkitink.
"There was plenty of room without your taking my path," declared thegoat.
And then Inga came running out and said. "Where is the Queen?"
"Gone," replied Rinkitink, "but she cannot go far, as this is anisland. However, I have found Bilbil, and our party is again reunited.You have recovered your magic powers, and again we are masters of thesituation. So let us be thankful."
Saying this, the good little King got upon his feet and limped backinto the throne room to help comfort the women.
Presently the children of Pingaree, who had been gathered together bythe overseer, were brought in and restored to their mothers, and therewas great rejoicing among them, you may be sure.
"But where is Queen Garee, my dear mother?" questioned Inga; but thewomen did not know and it was some time before the overseer rememberedthat one of the slaves from Pingaree had been placed in the royaldairy. Perhaps this was the woman the boy was seeking.
Inga at once commanded him to lead the way to the butter house, butwhen they arrived there Queen Garee was nowhere in the place, althoughthe boy found a silk scarf which he recognized as one that his motherused to wear. Then they began a search throughout the island ofCoregos, but could not find Inga's mother anywhere.
When they returned to the palace of Queen Cor, Rinkitink discoveredthat the bridge of boats had again been removed, separating them fromRegos, and from this they suspected that Queen Cor had fled to herhusband's island and had taken Queen Garee with her. Inga was muchperplexed what to do and returned with his friends to the palace totalk the matter over.
Zella was now crying because she had not sold her honey and was unableto return to her parents on the island of Regos, but the boy princecomforted her and promised she should be protected until she could berestored to her home. Rinkitink found Queen Cor's purse, which she hadhad no time to take with her, and gave Zella several gold pieces forthe honey. Then Inga ordered the palace servants to prepare a feast forall the women and children of Pingaree and to prepare for them beds inthe great palace, which was large enough to accommodate them all.
Then the boy and the goat and Rinkitink and Zella went into a privateroom to consider what should be done next.
Rinkitink in Oz Page 13