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Page 41
Nikobob had several miles to travel through the
forest before he could reach the little log cabin where
his wife, as well as his little daughter Zella, awaited
his return, but he was used to long walks and tramped
along the path whistling cheerfully to beguile the
time.
Few people, as I said before, ever passed through the
dark and tangled forests of Regos, except to go to the
mines in the mountain beyond, for many dangerous
creatures lurked in the wild jungles, and King Gos
never knew, when he sent a messenger to the mines,
whether he would reach there safely or not.
The charcoal-burner, however, knew the wild forest
well, and especially this part of it lying between the
city and his home. It was the favorite haunt of the
ferocious beast Choggenmugger, dreaded by every dweller
in the Island of Regos. Choggenmugger was so old that
everyone thought it must have been there since the
world was made, and each year of its life the huge
scales that covered its body grew thicker and harder
and its jaws grew wider and its teeth grew sharper and
its appetite grew more keen than ever.
In former ages there had been many dragons in Regos,
but Choggenmugger was so fond of dragons that he had
eaten all of them long ago. There had also been great
serpents and crocodiles in the forest marshes, but all
had gone to feed the hunger of Choggenmugger. The
people of Regos knew well there was no use opposing the
Great Beast, so when one unfortunately met with it he
gave himself up for lost.
All this Nikobob knew well, but fortune had always
favored him in his journey through the forest, and
although he had at times met many savage beasts and
fought them with his sharp ax, he had never to this day
encountered the terrible Choggenmugger. Indeed, he was
not thinking of the Great Beast at all as he walked
along, but suddenly he heard a crashing of broken trees
and felt a trembling of the earth and saw the immense
jaws of Choggenmugger opening before him. Then Nikobob
gave himself up for lost and his heart almost ceased to
beat.
He believed there was no way of escape. No one ever
dared oppose Choggenmugger. But Nikobob hated to die
without showing the monster, in some way, that he was
eaten only under protest. So he raised his ax and
brought it down upon the red, protruding tongue of the
monster -- and cut it clean off!
For a moment the charcoal-burner scarcely believed
what his eyes saw, for he knew nothing of the pearls he
carried in his pocket or the magic power they lent his
arm. His success, however, encouraged him to strike
again, and this time the huge scaly jaw of
Choggenmugger was severed in twain and the beast howled
in terrified rage.
Nikobob took off his coat, to give himself more
freedom of action, and then he earnestly renewed the
attack. But now the ax seemed blunted by the hard
scales and made no impression upon them whatever. The
creature advanced with glaring, wicked eyes, and
Nikobob seized his coat under his arm and turned to
flee.
That was foolish, for Choggenmugger could run like
the wind. In a moment it overtook the charcoal-burner
and snapped its four rows of sharp teeth together. But
they did not touch Nikobob, because he still held the
coat in his grasp, close to his body, and in the coat
pocket were Inga's shoes, and in the points of the
shoes were the magic pearls. Finding himself uninjured,
Nikobob put on his coat, again seized his ax, and in a
short time had chopped Choggenmugger into many small
pieces -- a task that proved not only easy but very
agreeable.
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