If you have a map of the Land of Oz handy, you willfind that the great Nonestic Ocean washes the shores ofthe Kingdom of Rinkitink, between which and the Land ofOz lies a strip of the country of the Nome King and aSandy Desert. The Kingdom of Rinkitink isn't very bigand lies close to the ocean, all the houses and theKing's palace being built near the shore. The peoplelive much upon the water, boating and fishing, and thewealth of Rinkitink is gained from trading along thecoast and with the islands nearest it.

Four days' journey by boat to the north of Rinkitinkis the Island of Pingaree, and as our story begins hereI must tell you something about this island. At thenorth end of Pingaree, where it is widest, the land isa mile from shore to shore, but at the south end it isscarcely half a mile broad; thus, although Pingaree isfour miles long, from north to south, it cannot becalled a very big island. It is exceedingly pretty,however, and to the gulls who approach it from the seait must resemble a huge green wedge lying upon thewaters, for its grass and trees give it the color ofan emerald.

The grass came to the edge of the sloping shores; thebeautiful trees occupied all the central portion ofPingaree, forming a continuous grove where the branchesmet high overhead and there was just space beneaththem for the cosy houses of the inhabitants. Thesehouses were scattered everywhere throughout theisland, so that there was no town or city, unless thewhole island might be called a city. The canopy ofleaves, high overhead, formed a shelter from sun andrain, and the dwellers in the grove could all look pastthe straight tree-trunks and across the grassy slopesto the purple waters of the Nonestic Ocean.

At the big end of the island, at the north, stood theroyal palace of King Kitticut, the lord and ruler ofPingaree. It was a beautiful palace, built entirely ofsnow-white marble and capped by domes of burnishedgold, for the King was exceedingly wealthy. All alongthe coast of Pingaree were found the largest and finestpearls in the whole world.

These pearls grew within the shells of big oysters,and the people raked the oysters from their waterybeds, sought out the milky pearls and carried themdutifully to their King. Therefore, once every year HisMajesty was able to send six of his boats, with sixtyrowers and many sacks of the valuable pearls, to theKingdom of Rinkitink, where there was a city calledGilgad, in which King Rinkitink's palace stood on arocky headland and served, with its high towers, as alighthouse to guide sailors to the harbor. In Gilgadthe pearls from Pingaree were purchased by the King'streasurer, and the boats went back to the island ladenwith stores of rich merchandise and such supplies offood as the people and the royal family of Pingareeneeded.

The Pingaree people never visited any other land butthat of Rinkitink, and so there were few other landsthat knew there was such an island. To the southwestwas an island called the Isle of Phreex, where theinhabitants had no use for pearls. And far north ofPingaree -- six days' journey by boat, it was said --were twin islands named Regos and Coregos, inhabited bya fierce and warlike people.

Many years before this story really begins, ten bigboatloads of those fierce warriors of Regos and Coregosvisited Pingaree, landing suddenly upon the north endof the island. There they began to plunder and conquer,as was their custom, but the people of Pingaree,although neither so big nor so strong as their foes,were able to defeat them and drive them all back to thesea, where a great storm overtook the raiders fromRegos and Coregos and destroyed them and their boats,not a single warrior returning to his own country.

This defeat of the enemy seemed the more wonderfulbecause the pearl-fishers of Pingaree were mild andpeaceful in disposition and seldom quarreled even amongthemselves. Their only weapons were their oyster rakes;yet the fact remains that they drove their fierceenemies from Regos and Coregos from their shores.

King Kitticut was only a boy when this remarkablebattle was fought, and now his hair was gray; but heremembered the day well and, during the years thatfollowed, his one constant fear was of another invasionof his enemies. He feared they might send a morenumerous army to his island, both for conquest andrevenge, in which case there could be little hope ofsuccessfully opposing them.

This anxiety on the part of King Kitticut led him tokeep a sharp lookout for strange boats, one of his menpatrolling the beach constantly, but he was too wise toallow any fear to make him or his subjects unhappy. Hewas a good King and lived very contentedly in his finepalace, with his fair Queen Garee and their one child,Prince Inga.

The wealth of Pingaree increased year by year; andthe happiness of the people increased, too. Perhapsthere was no place, outside the Land of Oz, wherecontentment and peace were more manifest than on thispretty island, hidden in the besom of the NonesticOcean. Had these conditions remained undisturbed, therewould have been no need to speak of Pingaree in thisstory.

Prince Inga, the heir to all the riches and thekingship of Pingaree, grew up surrounded by everyluxury; but he was a manly little fellow, althoughsomewhat too grave and thoughtful, and he could neverbear to be idle a single minute. He knew where thefinest oysters lay hidden along the coast and was assuccessful in finding pearls as any of the men of theisland, although he was so slight and small. He had alittle boat of his own and a rake for dragging up theoysters and he was very proud indeed when he couldcarry a big white pearl to his father.

There was no school upon the island, as the people ofPingaree were far removed from the state ofcivilization that gives our modern children suchadvantages as schools and learned professors, but theKing owned several manuscript books, the pages beingmade of sheepskin. Being a man of intelligence, he wasable to teach his son something of reading, writing andarithmetic.

When studying his lessons Prince Inga used to go intothe grove near his father's palace and climb into thebranches of a tall tree, where he had built a platformwith a comfortable seat to rest upon, all hidden by thecanopy of leaves. There, with no one to disturb him, hewould pore over the sheepskin on which were written thequeer characters of the Pingarese language.

King Kitticut was very proud of his little son, aswell he might be, and he soon felt a high respect forInga's judgment and thought that he was worthy to betaken into the confidence of his father in many mattersof state. He taught the boy the needs of the people andhow to rule them justly, for some day he knew that Ingawould be King in his place. One day he called his sonto his side and said to him:

"Our island now seems peaceful enough, Inga, and weare happy and prosperous, but I cannot forget thoseterrible people of Regos and Coregos. My constant fearis that they will send a fleet of boats to search forthose of their race whom we defeated many years ago,and whom the sea afterwards destroyed. If the warriorscome 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."

"Are we, then, less powerful than in my grandfather'sday?" asked Prince Inga.

The King shook his head thoughtfully.

"It is not that," said he. "That you may fullyunderstand that marvelous battle, I must confide to,you a great secret. I have in my possession three MagicTalismans, which I have ever guarded with utmost care,keeping the knowledge of their existence from anyoneelse. But, lest I should die, and the secret be lost, Ihave decided to tell you what these talismans are andwhere they are hidden. Come with me, my son.

He led the way through the rooms of the palace untilthey came to the great banquet hall. There, stopping inthe center of the room, he stooped down and touched ahidden spring in the tiled floor. At once one of thetiles sank downward and the King reached within thecavity and drew out a silken bag.

This bag he proceeded to open, showing Inga that itcontained three great pearls, each one as big around asa marble. One had a blue tint and one was of a delicaterose color, but the third was pure white.

"These three pearls," said the King, speaking in asolemn, impressive voice, "are the most wonderful theworld has ever known. They were gifts to one of myancestors from the Mermaid Queen, a powerful fairy whomhe once had the good fortune to rescue from herenemies. In gratitude for this favor she presented himwith these pearls. Each of the three possesses anastonishing power, and whoever is their owner may counthimself a fortunate man. This one having the blue tintwill give to the person who carries it a strength sogreat that no power can resist him. The one with thepink glow will protect its owner from all dangers thatmay threaten him, no matter from what source they maycome. The third pearl -- this one of pure white -- canspeak, and its words are always wise and helpful."

"What is this, my father!" exclaimed the Prince,amazed; "do you tell me that a pearl can speak? Itsounds impossible."

"Your doubt is due to your ignorance of fairypowers," returned the King, gravely. "Listen, my son,and you will know that I speak the truth."

He held the white pearl to Inga's ear and the Princeheard a small voice say distinctly: "Your father isright. Never question the truth of what you fail tounderstand, for the world is filled with wonders."

"I crave your pardon, dear father," said the Prince,"for clearly I heard the pearl speak, and its wordswere full of wisdom."

"The powers of the other pearls are even greater,"resumed the King. "Were I poor in all else, these gemswould make me richer than any other monarch the worldholds."

"I believe that," replied Inga, looking at thebeautiful pearls with much awe. "But tell me, myfather, why do you fear the warriors of Regos andCoregos when these marvelous powers are yours?"

"The powers are mine only while I have the pearlsupon my person," answered King Kitticut, "and I darenot carry them constantly for fear they might be lost.Therefore, I keep them safely hidden in this recess. Myonly danger lies in the chance that my watchmen mightfail to discover the approach of our enemies and allowthe warrior invaders to seize me before I could securethe pearls. I should, in that case, be quite powerlessto resist. My father owned the magic pearls at the timeof the Great Fight, of which you have so often heard,and the pink pearl protected him from harm, while theblue pearl enabled him and his people to drive away theenemy. Often have I suspected that the destroying stormwas caused by the fairy mermaids, but that is a matterof which I have no proof."

"I have often wondered how we managed to win thatbattle," remarked Inga thoughtfully. "But the pearlswill assist us in case the warriors come again, willthey 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 thatthese pearls are the rightful heritage of all Kings ofPingaree. If at any time I should be taken from you,Inga, guard this treasure well and do not forget whereit is hidden."

"I shall not forget," said Inga.

Then the King returned the pearls to their hidingplace and the boy went to his own room to ponder uponthe wonderful secret his father had that day confidedto his care.