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Page 7
"I have often wondered how we managed to win that
battle," remarked Inga thoughtfully. "But the pearls
will assist us in case the warriors come again, will
they not?"
"They are as powerful as ever," declared the King.
"Really, my son, I have little to fear from any foe.
But lest I die and the secret be lost to the next King,
I have now given it into your keeping. Remember that
these pearls are the rightful heritage of all Kings of
Pingaree. If at any time I should be taken from you,
Inga, guard this treasure well and do not forget where
it is hidden."
"I shall not forget," said Inga.
Then the King returned the pearls to their hiding
place and the boy went to his own room to ponder upon
the wonderful secret his father had that day confided
to his care.
Chapter Two
The Coming of King Rinkitink
A few days after this, on a bright and sunny morning
when the breeze blew soft and sweet from the ocean and
the trees waved their leaf-laden branches, the Royal
Watchman, whose duty it was to patrol the shore, came
running to the King with news that a strange boat was
approaching the island.
At first the King was sore afraid and made a step
toward the hidden pearls, but the next moment he
reflected that one boat, even if filled with enemies,
would be powerless to injure him, so he curbed his fear
and went down to the beach to discover who the
strangers might be. Many of the men of Pingaree
assembled there also, and Prince Inga followed his
father. Arriving at the water's edge, they all stood
gazing eagerly at the oncoming boat.
It was quite a big boat, they observed, and covered
with a canopy of purple silk, embroidered with gold. It
was rowed by twenty men, ten on each side. As it came
nearer, Inga could see that in the stern, seated upon a
high, cushioned chair of state, was a little man who
was so very fat that he was nearly as broad as he was
high This man was dressed in a loose silken robe of
purple that fell in folds to his feet, while upon his
head was a cap of white velvet curiously worked with
golden threads and having a circle of diamonds sewn
around the band. At the opposite end of the boat stood
an oddly shaped cage, and several large boxes of
sandalwood were piled near the center of the craft.
As the boat approached the shore the fat little man
got upon his feet and bowed several times in the
direction of those who had assembled to greet him, and
as he bowed he flourished his white cap in an energetic
manner. His face was round as an apple and nearly as
rosy. When he stopped bowing he smiled in such a sweet
and happy way that Inga thought he must be a very jolly
fellow.
The prow of the boat grounded on the beach, stopping
its speed so suddenly that the little man was caught
unawares and nearly toppled headlong into the sea. But
he managed to catch hold of the chair with one hand and
the hair of one of his rowers with the other, and so
steadied himself. Then, again waving his jeweled cap
around his head, he cried in a merry voice:
"Well, here I am at last!"
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