The fat King rode his goat through the streets of theconquered city and the boy Prince walked proudly besidehim, while all the people bent their heads humbly totheir new masters, whom they were prepared to serve inthe same manner they had King Gos.

Not a warrior remained in all Regos to oppose thetriumphant three; the bridge of boats had beendestroyed; Inga and his companions were free fromdanger -- for a time, at least.

The jolly little King appreciated this fact andrejoiced that he had escaped all injury during thebattle. How it had all happened he could not tell, noreven guess, but he was content in being safe and freeto take possession of the enemy's city. So, as theypassed through the lines of respectful civilians ontheir way to the palace, the King tipped his crown backon his bald head and folded his arms and sang in hisbest voice the following lines:

"Oh, here comes the army of King Rinkitink!It isn't a big one, perhaps you may think,But it scattered the warriors quicker than wink --

Rink-i-tink, tink-i-tink, tink!Our Bilbil's a hero and so is his King;Our foemen have vanished like birds on the wing;I guess that as fighters we're quite the real thing --

Rink-i-tink, tink-i-tink, tink!"

"Why don't you give a little credit to Inga?"inquired the goat. "If I remember aright, he did alittle of the conquering himself."

"So he did," responded the King, "and that's thereason I'm sounding our own praise, Bilbil. Those whodo the least, often shout the loudest and so get themost glory. Inga did so much that there is danger ofhis becoming more important than we are, and so we'dbest say nothing about him."

When they reached the palace, which was an immensebuilding, furnished throughout in regal splendor, Ingatook formal possession and ordered the majordomo toshow them the finest rooms the building contained.There were many pleasant apartments, but Rinkitinkproposed to Inga that they share one of the largestbedrooms together.

"For," said he, "we are not sure that old Gos willnot return and try to recapture his city, and you mustremember that I have no magic to protect me. In anydanger, were I alone, I might be easily killed orcaptured, while if you are by my side you can save mefrom injury."

The boy realized the wisdom of this plan, andselected a fine big bedroom on the second floor of thepalace, in which he ordered two golden beds placed andprepared for King Rinkitink and himself. Bilbil wasgiven a suite of rooms on the other side of the palace,where servants brought the goat fresh-cut grass to eatand made him a soft bed to lie upon.

That evening the boy Prince and the fat King dined ingreat state in the lofty-domed dining hall of thepalace, where forty servants waited upon them. Theroyal chef, anxious to win the favor of the conquerorsof Regos, prepared his finest and most savory dishesfor them, which Rinkitink ate with much appetite andfound so delicious that he ordered the royal chefbrought into the banquet hall and presented him with agilt button which the King cut from his own jacket.

"You are welcome to it," said he to the chef,"because I have eaten so much that I cannot use thatlower button at all."

Rinkitink was mightily pleased to live in acomfortable palace again and to dine at a well spreadtable. His joy grew every moment, so that he came intime to be as merry and cheery as before Pingaree wasdespoiled. And, although he had been much frightenedduring Inga's defiance of the army of King Gos, he nowbegan to turn the matter into a joke.

"Why, my boy," said he, "you whipped the big black-bearded King exactly as if he were a schoolboy, eventhough you used no warlike weapon at all upon him. Hewas cowed through fear of your magic, and that remindsme to demand from you an explanation. How did you doit, Inga? And where did the wonderful magic come from?"

Perhaps it would have been wise for the Prince tohave explained about the magic pearls, but at thatmoment he was not inclined to do so. Instead, hereplied:

"Be patient, Your Majesty. The secret is not my own,so please do not ask me to divulge it. Is it notenough, for the present, that the magic saved you fromdeath to-day?"

"Do not think me ungrateful," answered the Kingearnestly. "A million spears fell on me from the wall,and several stones as big as mountains, yet none ofthem hurt me!"

"The stones were not as big as mountains, sire," saidthe Prince with a smile. "They were, indeed, no largerthan your head."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Rinkitink.

"Quite sure, Your Majesty."

"How deceptive those things are!" sighed the King."This argument reminds me of the story of Tom Tick,which my father used to tell."

"I have never heard that story," Inga answered.

"Well, as he told it, it ran like this:

"When Tom walked out, the sky to spy,A naughty gnat flew in his eye;But Tom knew not it was a gnat --He thought, at first, it was a cat.

"And then, it felt so very big,He thought it surely was a pigTill, standing still to hear it grunt,He cried: 'Why, it's an elephunt!'

"But -- when the gnat flew out againAnd Tom was free from all his pain,He said: 'There flew into my eyeA leetle, teenty-tiny fly.'"

"Indeed," said Inga, laughing, "the gnat was muchlike your stones that seemed as big as mountains."

After their dinner they inspected the palace, whichwas filled with valuable goods stolen by King Gos frommany nations. But the day's events had tired them andthey retired early to their big sleeping apartment.

"In the morning," said the boy to Rinkitink, as hewas undressing for bed, "I shall begin the search formy father and mother and the people of Pingaree. And,when they are found and rescued, we will all go homeagain, and be as happy as we were before."

They carefully bolted the door of their room, that noone might enter, and then got into their beds, whereRinkitink fell asleep in an instant. The boy lay awakefor a while thinking over the day's adventures, butpresently he fell sound asleep also, and so weary washe that nothing disturbed his slumber until he awakenednext morning with a ray of sunshine in his eyes, whichhad crept into the room through the open window by KingRinkitink's bed.

Resolving to begin the search for his parents withoutany unnecessary delay, Inga at once got out of bed andbegan to dress himself, while Rinkitink, in the otherbed, was still sleeping peacefully. But when the boyhad put on both his stockings and began looking for hisshoes, he could find but one of them. The left shoe,that containing the Pink Pearl, was missing.

Filled with anxiety at this discovery, Inga searchedthrough the entire room, looking underneath the bedsand divans and chairs and behind the draperies and inthe corners and every other possible place a shoe mightbe. He tried the door, and found it still bolted; so,with growing uneasiness, the boy was forced to admitthat the precious shoe was not in the room.

With a throbbing heart he aroused his companion.

"King Rinkitink," said he, "do you know what hasbecome of my left shoe?"

"Your shoe!" exclaimed the King, giving a wide yawnand rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out of them."Have you lost a shoe?"

"Yes," said Inga. "I have searched everywhere in theroom, and cannot find it."

"But why bother me about such a small thing?"inquired Rinkitink. "A shoe is only a shoe, and you caneasily get another one. But, stay! Perhaps it was yourshoe which I threw at the cat last night."

"The cat!" cried Inga. "What do you mean?"

"Why, in the night," explained Rinkitink, sitting upand beginning to dress himself, "I was wakened by themewing of a cat that sat upon a wall of the palace,just outside my window. As the noise disturbed me, Ireached out in the dark and caught up something andthrew it at the cat, to frighten the creature away. Idid not know what it was that I threw, and I was toosleepy to care; but probably it was your shoe, since itis now missing."

"Then," said the boy, in a despairing tone of voice,"your carelessness has ruined me, as well as yourself,King Rinkitink, for in that shoe was concealed themagic power which protected us from danger."

The King's face became very serious when he heardthis and he uttered a low whistle of surprise andregret.

"Why on earth did you not warn me of this?" hedemanded. "And why did you keep such a precious powerin an old shoe? And why didn't you put the shoe under apillow? You were very wrong, my lad, in not confidingto me, your faithful friend, the secret, for in thatcase the shoe would not now be lost."

To all this Inga had no answer. He sat on the side ofhis bed, with hanging head, utterly disconsolate, andseeing this, Rinkitink had pity for his sorrow.

"Come!" cried the King; "let us go out at once andlook for the shoe which I threw at the cat. It musteven now be lying in the yard of the palace."

This suggestion roused the boy to action. He at oncethrew open the door and in his stocking feet rusheddown the staircase, closely followed by Rinkitink. Butalthough they looked on both sides of the palace walland in every possible crack and corner where a shoemight lodge, they failed to find it.

After a half hour's careful search the boy saidsorrowfully:

"Someone must have passed by, as we slept, and takenthe precious shoe, not knowing its value. To us, KingRinkitink, this will be a dreadful misfortune, for weare surrounded by dangers from which we have now noprotection. Luckily I have the other shoe left, withinwhich is the magic power that gives me strength; so allis not lost."

Then he told Rinkitink, in a few words, the secret ofthe wonderful pearls, and how he had recovered themfrom the ruins and hidden them in his shoes, and howthey had enabled him to drive King Gos and his men fromRegos and to capture the city. The King was muchastonished, and when the story was concluded he said toInga:

"What did you do with the other shoe?"

"Why, I left it in our bedroom," replied the boy.

"Then I advise you to get it at once," continuedRinkitink, "for we can ill afford to lose the secondshoe, as well as the one I threw at the cat."

"You are right!" cried Inga, and they hastened backto their bedchamber.

On entering the room they found an old woman sweepingand raising a great deal of dust.

"Where is my shoe?" asked the Prince, anxiously.

The old woman stopped sweeping and looked at him in astupid way, for she was not very intelligent.

"Do you mean the one odd shoe that was lying on thefloor when I came in?" she finally asked.

"Yes -- yes!" answered the boy. "Where is it? Tell mewhere it is!"

"Why, I threw it on the dust-heap, outside the backgate," said she, "for, it being but a single shoe, withno mate, it can be of no use to anyone."

"Show us the way to the dust-heap -- at once!"commanded the boy, sternly, for he was greatlyfrightened by this new misfortune which threatened him.

The old woman hobbled away and they followed her,constantly urging her to hasten; but when they reachedthe dust-heap no shoe was to be seen.

"This is terrible!" wailed the young Prince, ready toweep at his loss. "We are now absolutely ruined, and atthe mercy of our enemies. Nor shall I be able toliberate my dear father and mother."

"Well," replied Rinkitink, leaning against an oldbarrel and looking quite solemn, "the thing iscertainly unlucky, any way we look at it. I supposesomeone has passed along here and, seeing the shoe uponthe dust-heap, has carried it away. But no one couldknow the magic power the shoe contains and so will notuse it against us. I believe, Inga, we must now dependupon our wits to get us out of the scrape we are in.

With saddened hearts they returned to the palace, andentering a small room where no one could observe themor overhear them, the boy took the White Pearl from itssilken bag and held it to his ear, asking:

"What shall I do now?"

"Tell no one of your loss," answered the Voice of thePearl. "If your enemies do not know that you arepowerless, they will fear you as much as ever. Keepyour secret, be patient, and fear not!"

Inga heeded this advice and also warned Rinkitink tosay nothing to anyone of the loss of the shoes and thepowers they contained. He sent for the shoemaker ofKing Gos, who soon brought him a new pair of redleather shoes that fitted him quite well. When thesehad been put upon his feet, the Prince, accompanied bythe King, started to walk through the city.

Wherever they went the people bowed low to theconqueror, although a few, remembering Inga's terriblestrength, ran away in fear and trembling. They had beenused to severe masters and did not yet know how theywould be treated by King Gos's successor. There beingno occasion for the boy to exercise the powers he haddisplayed the previous day, his present helplessnesswas not suspected by any of the citizens of Regos, whostill considered him a wonderful magician.

Inga did not dare to fight his way to the mines, atpresent, nor could he try to conquer the Island ofCoregos, where his mother was enslaved; so he set aboutthe regulation of the City of Regos, and havingestablished himself with great state in the royalpalace he began to govern the people by kindness,having consideration for the most humble.

The King of Regos and his followers sent spies acrossto the island they had abandoned in their flight, andthese spies returned with the news that the terribleboy conqueror was still occupying the city. Thereforenone of them ventured to go back to Regos but continuedto live upon the neighboring island of Coregos, wherethey passed the days in fear and trembling and soughtto plot and plan ways how they might overcome thePrince of Pingaree and the fat King of Gilgad.