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Page 10
The drawbridge was let down to permit the three children to enter, and
the great Baron Merd came himself to question his daughter.
"Who was the little knight?" he asked.
"His name is Prince Marvel," answered Seseley, demurely.
"Prince Marvel?" exclaimed the Baron. "I have never heard of him.
Does he come from the Kingdom of Dawna, or that of Auriel, or Plenta?"
"That I do not know," said Seseley, with truth.
"Where did you meet him?" continued the baron.
"In the forest, my father, and he kindly escorted us home."
"Hm!" muttered the baron, thoughtfully. "Did he say what adventure
brought him to our Kingdom of Heg?"
"No, father. But he mentioned being in search of adventure."
"Oh, he'll find enough to busy him in this wild island, where every
man he meets would rather draw his sword than eat," returned the old
warrior, smiling. "How old may this Prince Marvel be?"
"He looks not over fifteen years of age," said Seseley, uneasy at so
much questioning, for she did not wish to be forced to tell an
untruth. "But it is possible he is much older," she added, beginning
to get confused.
"Well, well; I am sorry he did not pay my castle a visit," declared
the baron. "He is very small and slight to be traveling this dangerous
country alone, and I might have advised him as to his welfare."
Seseley thought that Prince Marvel would need no advice from any one
as to his conduct; but she wisely refrained from speaking this
thought, and the old baron walked away to glance through a slit in the
stone wall at the figure of the now distant knight.
Prince Marvel was riding swiftly toward the brow of the hill, and
shortly his great war-horse mounted the ascent and disappeared on its
farther slope.
The youth's heart was merry and light, and he reflected joyously, as
he rode along, that a whole year of freedom and fascinating adventure
lay before him.
The valley in which he now found himself was very beautiful, the soft
grass beneath his horse's feet being sprinkled with bright flowers,
while clumps of trees stood here and there to break the monotony of
the landscape.
For an hour the prince rode along, rejoicing in the free motion of his
horse and breathing in the perfume-laden air. Then he found he had
crossed the valley and was approaching a series of hills. These were
broken by huge rocks, the ground being cluttered with boulders of
rough stone. His horse speedily found a pathway leading through these
rocks, but was obliged to proceed at a walk, turning first one way and
then another as the path zigzagged up the hill.
Presently, being engaged in deep thought and little noting the way,
Prince Marvel rode between two high walls of rock standing so close
together that horse and rider could scarcely pass between the sides.
Having traversed this narrow space some distance the wall opened
suddenly upon a level plat of ground, where grass and trees grew. It
was not a very big place, but was surely the end of the path, as all
around it stood bare walls so high and steep that neither horse nor
man could climb them. In the side of the rocky wall facing the
entrance the traveler noticed a hollow, like the mouth of a cave,
across which was placed an iron gate. And above the gateway was
painted in red letters on the gray stone the following words:
WUL-TAKIM
KING OF THIEVES
------
HIS TREASURE HOUSE
KEEP OUT
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