'How do you like that, Bilbil?'
'I don't like it,' complained the goat. 'It reminds me of the alligator that tried to whistle.'
'Did he succeed, Bilbil?' asked the King.
'He whistled as well as you sing.'
'Ha, ha, ha, ha, heek, keek, eek!' chuckled the King. 'He must have whistled most exquisitely, eh, my friend?'
'I am not your friend,' returned the goat, wagging his ears in a surly manner.
'I am yours, however,' was the King's cheery reply; 'and to prove it I'll sing you another verse.'
'Don't, I beg of you!'
But the King sang as follows:
'The wind blew off the maiden's shoe —
Sing too-ral-oo-ral-i-do!
And the shoe flew high to the sky so blue
And the maiden knew 'twas a new shoe, too;
But she couldn't pursue the shoe, 'tis true —
Sing too-ral-oo-ral-i-do!
'Isn't that sweet, my pretty goat?'
'Sweet, do you ask?' retorted Bilbil. 'I consider it as sweet as candy made from mustard and vinegar.'
'But not as sweet as your disposition, I admit. Ah, Bilbil, your temper would put honey itself to shame.'
'Do not quarrel, I beg of you,' pleaded Inga. 'Are we not sad enough already?'
'But this is a jolly quarrel,' said the King, 'and it is the way Bilbil and I often amuse ourselves. Listen, now, to the last verse of all:
'The maid who shied her shoe now cried —
Sing too-ral-oo-ral-i-do!
Her tears were fried for the Captain's bride
Who ate with pride her sobs, beside,
And gently sighed 'I'm satisfied' —
Sing to-ral-oo-ral-i-do!'
'Worse and worse!' grumbled Bilbil, with much scorn. 'I am glad that is the last verse, for another of the same kind might cause me to faint.'
'I fear you have no ear for music,' said the King.
'I have heard no music, as yet,' declared the goat. 'You must have a strong imagination, King Rinkitink, if you consider your songs music. Do you remember the story of the bear that hired out for a nursemaid?'
'I do not recall it just now,' said Rinkitink, with a wink at Inga.
'Well, the bear tried to sing a lullaby to put the baby to sleep.'
'And then?' said the King.
'The bear was highly pleased with its own voice, but the baby was nearly frightened to death.'
'Heh, heb, heh, heh, whoo, hoo, hoo! You are a merry rogue, Bilbil,' laughed the King; 'a merry rogue in spite of your gloomy features. However, if I have not amused you, I have at least pleased myself, for I am exceedingly fond of a good song. So let us say no more about it.'
All this time the boy Prince was rowing the boat. He was not in the least tired, for the oars he held seemed to move of their own accord. He paid little heed to the conversation of Rinkitink and the goat, but busied his thoughts with plans of what he should do when he reached the islands of Regos and Coregos and confronted his enemies. When the others finally became silent, Inga inquired.
'Can you fight, King Rinkitink?'
'I have never tried,' was the answer. 'In time of danger I have found it much easier to run away than to face the foe.'
'But could you fight?' asked the boy.
'I might try, if there was no chance to escape by running. Have you a proper weapon for me to fight with?'
'I have no weapon at all,' confessed Inga.
'Then let us use argument and persuasion instead of fighting. For instance, if we could persuade the warriors of Regos to lie down, and let me step on them, they would be crushed with ease.'
Prince Inga had expected little support from the King, so he was not discouraged by this answer. After all, he reflected, a conquest by battle would be out of the question, yet the White Pearl would not have advised him to go to Regos and Coregos had the mission been a hopeless one. It seemed to him, on further reflection, that he must rely upon circumstances to determine his actions when he reached the islands of the barbarians.
By this time Inga felt perfect confidence in the Magic Pearls. It was the White Pearl that had given him the boat, and the Blue Pearl that had given him strength to row it. He believed that the Pink Pearl would protect him from any danger that might arise; so his anxiety was not for himself, but for his companions. King Rinkitink and the goat had no magic to protect them, so Inga resolved to do all in his power to keep them from harm.
For three days and three nights the boat with the silver lining sped swiftly over the ocean. On the morning of the fourth day, so quickly had they traveled, Inga saw before him the shores of the two great islands of Regos and Coregos.
'The pearls have guided me aright!' he whispered to himself. 'Now, if I am wise, and cautious, and brave, I believe I shall be able to rescue my father and mother and my people.'
Chapter Seven
The Twin Islands
The Island of Regos was ten miles wide and forty miles long and it was ruled by a big and powerful King named Gos. Near to the shores were green and fertile fields, but farther back from the sea were rugged hills and mountains, so rocky that nothing would grow there. But in these mountains were mines of gold and silver, which the slaves of the King were forced to work, being confined in dark underground passages for that purpose. In the course of time huge caverns had been hollowed out by the slaves, in which they lived and slept, never seeing the light of day. Cruel overseers with whips stood over these poor people, who had been captured in many countries by the raiding parties of King Cos, and the overseers were quite willing to lash the slaves with their whips if they faltered a moment in their work.
Between the green shores and the mountains were forests of thick, tangled trees, between which narrow paths had been cut to lead up to the caves of the mines. It was on the level green meadows, not far from the ocean, that the great City of Regos had been built, wherein was located the palace of the King. This city was inhabited by thousands of the fierce warriors of Gos, who frequently took to their boats and spread over the sea to the neighboring islands to conquer and pillage, as they had done at Pingaree. When they were not absent on one of these expeditions, the City of Regos swarmed with them and so became a dangerous place for any peaceful person to live in, for the warriors were as lawless as their King.
The Island of Coregos lay close beside the Island of Regos; so close, indeed, that one might have thrown a stone from one shore to another. But Coregos was only half the size of Regos and instead of being mountainous it was a rich and pleasant country, covered with fields of grain. The fields of Coregos furnished food for the warriors and citizens of both countries, while the mines of Regos made them all rich.
Coregos was ruled by Queen Cor, who was wedded to King Gos; but so stern and cruel was the nature of this Queen that the people could not decide which of their sovereigns they dreaded most.
Queen Cor lived in her own City of Coregos, which lay on that side of her island facing Regos, and her slaves, who were mostly women, were made to plow the land and to plant and harvest the grain.
From Regos to Coregos stretched a bridge of boats, set close together, with planks laid across their edges for people to walk upon. In this way it was easy to pass from one island to the other and in times of danger the
