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Page 5
This defeat of the enemy seemed the more wonderful
because the pearl-fishers of Pingaree were mild and
peaceful in disposition and seldom quarreled even among
themselves. Their only weapons were their oyster rakes;
yet the fact remains that they drove their fierce
enemies from Regos and Coregos from their shores.
King Kitticut was only a boy when this remarkable
battle was fought, and now his hair was gray; but he
remembered the day well and, during the years that
followed, his one constant fear was of another invasion
of his enemies. He feared they might send a more
numerous army to his island, both for conquest and
revenge, in which case there could be little hope of
successfully opposing them.
This anxiety on the part of King Kitticut led him to
keep a sharp lookout for strange boats, one of his men
patrolling the beach constantly, but he was too wise to
allow any fear to make him or his subjects unhappy. He
was a good King and lived very contentedly in his fine
palace, with his fair Queen Garee and their one child,
Prince Inga.
The wealth of Pingaree increased year by year; and
the happiness of the people increased, too. Perhaps
there was no place, outside the Land of Oz, where
contentment and peace were more manifest than on this
pretty island, hidden in the besom of the Nonestic
Ocean. Had these conditions remained undisturbed, there
would have been no need to speak of Pingaree in this
story.
Prince Inga, the heir to all the riches and the
kingship of Pingaree, grew up surrounded by every
luxury; but he was a manly little fellow, although
somewhat too grave and thoughtful, and he could never
bear to be idle a single minute. He knew where the
finest oysters lay hidden along the coast and was as
successful in finding pearls as any of the men of the
island, although he was so slight and small. He had a
little boat of his own and a rake for dragging up the
oysters and he was very proud indeed when he could
carry a big white pearl to his father.
There was no school upon the island, as the people of
Pingaree were far removed from the state of
civilization that gives our modern children such
advantages as schools and learned professors, but the
King owned several manuscript books, the pages being
made of sheepskin. Being a man of intelligence, he was
able to teach his son something of reading, writing and
arithmetic.
When studying his lessons Prince Inga used to go into
the grove near his father's palace and climb into the
branches of a tall tree, where he had built a platform
with a comfortable seat to rest upon, all hidden by the
canopy of leaves. There, with no one to disturb him, he
would pore over the sheepskin on which were written the
queer characters of the Pingarese language.
King Kitticut was very proud of his little son, as
well he might be, and he soon felt a high respect for
Inga's judgment and thought that he was worthy to be
taken into the confidence of his father in many matters
of state. He taught the boy the needs of the people and
how to rule them justly, for some day he knew that Inga
would be King in his place. One day he called his son
to his side and said to him:
"Our island now seems peaceful enough, Inga, and we
are happy and prosperous, but I cannot forget those
terrible people of Regos and Coregos. My constant fear
is that they will send a fleet of boats to search for
those of their race whom we defeated many years ago,
and whom the sea afterwards destroyed. If the warriors
come in great numbers we may be unable to oppose them,
for my people are little trained to fighting at best;
they surely would cause us much injury and suffering."
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