'I haven't done anything to them,' whined Kaliko, trembling as her eyes flashed upon him.
'No; but you tried to, an' that's just as bad, if not worse,' said Dorothy, who was very indignant. 'And now I want you to send for the King and Queen of Pingaree and have them brought here immejitly!'
'I won't,' said Kaliko.
'Yes, you will!' cried Dorothy, stamping her foot at him. 'I won't have those poor people made unhappy any longer, or separated from their little boy. Why, it's dreadful, Kaliko, an' I'm su'prised at you. You must be more wicked than I thought you were.'
'I can't do it, Dorothy,' said the Nome King, almost weeping with despair. 'I promised King Gos I'd keep them captives. You wouldn't ask me to break my promise, would you?'
'King Gos was a robber and an outlaw,' she said, 'and p'r'aps you don't know that a storm at sea wrecked his boat, while he was going back to Regos, and that he and Queen Cor were both drowned.'
'Dear me!' exclaimed Kaliko. 'Is that so?'
'I saw it in Glinda's Record Book,' said Dorothy. 'So now you trot out the King and Queen of Pingaree as quick as you can.'
'No,' persisted the contrary Nome King, shaking his head. 'I won't do it. Ask me anything else and I'll try to please you, but I can't allow these friendly enemies to triumph over me.'
'In that case,' said Dorothy, beginning to remove the cover from her basket, 'I'll show you some eggs.'
'Eggs!' screamed the Nome King in horror. 'Have you eggs in that basket?'
'A dozen of 'em,' replied Dorothy.
'Then keep them there – I beg – I implore you! – and I'll do anything you say,' pleaded Kaliko, his teeth chattering so that he could hardly speak.
'Send for the King and Queen of Pingaree,' said Dorothy.
'Go, Klik,' commanded the Nome King, and Klik ran away in great haste, for he was almost as much frightened as his master.
It was an affecting scene when the unfortunate King and Queen of Pingaree entered the chamber and with sobs and tears of joy embraced their brave and adventurous son. All the others stood silent until greetings and kisses had been exchanged and Inga had told his parents in a few words of his vain struggles to rescue them and how Princess Dorothy had finally come to his assistance.
Then King Kitticut shook the hands of his friend King Rinkitink and thanked him for so loyally supporting his son Inga, and Queen Garee kissed little Dorothy's forehead and blessed her for restoring her husband and herself to freedom.
The Wizard had been standing near Bilbil the goat and now he was surprised to hear the animal say:
'Joyful reunion, isn't it? But it makes me tired to see grown people cry like children.'
'Oho!' exclaimed the Wizard. 'How does it happen, Mr. Goat, that you, who have never been to the Land of Oz, are able to talk?'
'That's my business,' returned Bilbil in a surly tone.
The Wizard stooped down and gazed fixedly into the animal's eyes. Then he said, with a pitying sigh: 'I see; you are under an enchantment. Indeed, I believe you to be Prince Bobo of Boboland.'
Bilbil made no reply but dropped his head as if ashamed.
'This is a great discovery,' said the Wizard, addressing Dorothy and the others of the party. 'A good many years ago a cruel magician transformed the gallant Prince of Boboland into a talking goat, and this goat, being ashamed of his condition, ran away and was never after seen in Boboland, which is a country far to the south of here but bordering on the Deadly Desert, opposite the Land of Oz. I heard of this story long ago and know that a diligent search has been made for the enchanted Prince, without result. But I am well assured that, in the animal you call Bilbil, I have discovered the unhappy Prince of Boboland.'
'Dear me, Bilbil,' said Rinkitink, 'why have you never told me this?'
'What would be the use?' asked Bilbil in a low voice and still refusing to look up.
'The use?' repeated Rinkitink, puzzled.
'Yes, that's the trouble,' said the Wizard. 'It is one of the most powerful enchantments ever accomplished, and the magician is now dead and the secret of the anti-charm lost. Even I, with all my skill, cannot restore Prince Bobo to his proper form. But I think Glinda might be able to do so and if you will all return with Dorothy and me to the Land of Oz, where Ozma will make you welcome, I will ask Glinda to try to break this enchantment.'
This was willingly agreed to, for they all welcomed the chance to visit the famous Land of Oz. So they bade good-bye to King Kaliko, whom Dorothy warned not to be wicked any more if he could help it, and the entire party returned over the Magic Carpet to the Land of Oz. They filled the Red Wagon, which was still waiting for them, pretty full; but the Sawhorse didn't mind that and with wonderful speed carried them safely to the Emerald City.
Chapter Twenty Two
Ozma's Banquet
Ozma had seen in her Magic Picture the liberation of Inga's parents and the departure of the entire party for the Emerald City, so with her usual hospitality she ordered a splendid banquet prepared and invited all her quaint friends who were then in the Emerald City to be present that evening to meet the strangers who were to become her guests.
Glinda, also, in her wonderful Record Book had learned of the events that had taken place in the caverns of the Nome King and she became especially interested in the enchantment of the Prince of Boboland. So she hastily prepared several of her most powerful charms and then summoned her flock of sixteen white storks, which swiftly bore her to Ozma's palace. She arrived there before the Red Wagon did and was warmly greeted by the girl Ruler.
Realizing that the costume of Queen Garee of Pingaree must have become sadly worn and frayed, owing to her hardships and adventures, Ozma ordered a royal outfit prepared for the good Queen and had it laid in her chamber ready for her to put on as soon as she arrived, so she would not be shamed at the banquet. New costumes were also provided for King Kitticut and King Rinkitink and Prince Inga, all cut and made and embellished in the elaborate and becoming style then prevalent in the Land of Oz, and as soon as the party arrived at the palace Ozma's guests were escorted by her servants to their rooms, that they might bathe and dress themselves.
Glinda the Sorceress and the Wizard of Oz took charge of Bilbil the goat and went to a private room where they were not likely to be interrupted. Glinda first questioned Bilbil long and earnestly about the manner of his enchantment and the ceremony that had been used by the magician who enchanted him. At first Bilbil protested that he did not want to be restored to his natural shape, saying that he had been forever disgraced in the eyes of his people and of the entire world by being obliged to exist as a scrawny, scraggly goat. But Glinda pointed out that any person who incurred the enmity of a wicked magician was liable to suffer a similar fate, and assured him that his misfortune would make him better beloved by his subjects when he returned to them freed from his dire enchantment.
Bilbil was finally convinced of the truth of this assertion and agreed to submit to the experiments of Glinda and the Wizard, who knew they had a hard task before them and were not at all sure they could succeed. We know that Glinda is the most complete mistress of magic who has ever existed, and she was wise enough to guess that the clever but evil magician who had enchanted Prince Bobo had used a spell that would puzzle any ordinary wizard or sorcerer to break; therefore she had given the matter much shrewd thought and hoped she had conceived a plan that would succeed. But because she was not positive of success she would have no one present at the incantation except her assistant, the Wizard of Oz.
First she transformed Bilbil the goat into a lamb, and this was done quite easily. Next she transformed the lamb into an ostrich, giving it two legs and feet instead of four. Then she tried to transform the ostrich into the original Prince Bobo, but this incantation was an utter failure. Glinda was not discouraged, however, but by a powerful spell transformed the ostrich into a tottenhot – which is a lower form of a man. Then the tottenhot was transformed into a mifket, which was a great step in advance and, finally, Glinda transformed the mifket into a
