Tik-Tok of Oz

So, although still afraid, Ruggedo nerved himself to creep back along the path to the entrance, and when he arrived there he saw the six eggs lying in a row just before the arched opening.

At first he paused a safe distance away to consider the case, for the eggs were now motionless. While he was wondering what could be done, he remembered there was a magical charm which would destroy eggs and render them harmless to nomes. There were nine passes to be made and six verses of incantation to be recited; but Ruggedo knew them all. Now that he had ample time to be exact, he carefully went through the entire ceremony.

But nothing happened. The eggs did not disappear, as he had expected; so he repeated the charm a second time. When that also failed, he remembered, with a moan of despair, that his magic power had been taken away from him and in the future he could do no more than any common mortal.

And there were the eggs, forever barring him from the Kingdom which he had ruled so long with absolute sway! He threw rocks at them, but could not hit a single egg. He raved and scolded and tore his hair and beard, and danced in helpless passion, but that did nothing to avert the just judgment of the Jinjin, which Ruggedo’s own evil deeds had brought upon him.

From this time on he was an outcast – a wanderer upon the face of the earth – and he had even forgotten to fill his pockets with gold and jewels before he fled from his former Kingdom!

CHAPTER 19

King Kaliko

AFTER the King had made good his escape Files said to the dragon, in a said voice:

“Alas! why did you not come before? Because you were sleeping instead of conquering, the lovely Rose Princess has become a fiddle without a bow, while poor Shaggy sits there a cooing dove!”

“Don’t worry,” replied Quox. “Tititi-Hoochoo knows his business, and I had my orders from the Great Jinjin himself. Bring the fiddle here and touch it lightly to my pink ribbon.”

Files obeyed and at the moment of contact with the ribbon the Nome King’s charm was broken and the Rose Princess herself stood before them as sweet and smiling as ever.

The dove, perched on the back of the throne, had seen and heard all this, so without being told what to do it flew straight to the dragon and alighted on the ribbon. Next instant Shaggy was himself again and Quox said to him grumblingly:

“Please get off my left toe, Shaggy Man, and be more particular where you step.”

“I beg your pardon!” replied Shaggy, very glad to resume his natural form. Then he ran to lift the heavy diamond off Tik-Tok’s chest and to assist the Clockwork Man to his feet.

“Ma-ny thanks!” said Tik-Tok. “Where is the wick-ed King who want-ed to melt me in a cru-ci-ble?”

“He has gone, and gone for good,” answered Polychrome, who had managed to squeeze into the room beside the dragon and had witnessed the occurrences with much interest. “But I wonder where Betsy Bobbin and Hank can be, and if any harm has befallen them.”

“We must search the cavern until we find them,” declared Shaggy; but when he went to the door leading to the other caverns he found it shut and barred.

“I’ve a pretty strong push in my forehead,” said Quox, “and I believe I can break down that door, even though it’s made of solid gold.”

"But you are a prisoner, and the chains that hold you are fastened in some other room, so that we cannot release you," Files said anxiously.

“Oh, never mind that,” returned the dragon. “I have remained a prisoner only because I wished to be one,” and with this he stepped forward and burst the stout chains as easily as if they had been threads.

But when he tried to push in the heavy metal door, even his mighty strength failed, and after several attempts he gave it up and squatted himself in a corner to think of a better way.

“I’ll o-pen the door,” asserted Tik-Tok, and going to the King’s big gong he pounded upon it until the noise was almost deafening.

Kaliko, in the next cavern, was wondering what had happened to Ruggedo and if he had escaped the eggs and outwitted the dragon. But when he heard the sound of the gong, which had so often called him into the King’s presence, he decided that Ruggedo had been victorious; so he took away the bar, threw open the door and entered the royal cavern.

Great was his astonishment to find the King gone and the enchantments removed from the Princess and Shaggy. But the eggs were also gone and so Kaliko advanced to the dragon, whom he knew to be Tititi-Hoochoo’s messenger, and bowed humbly before the beast.

“What is your will?” he inquired.

“Where is Betsy?” demanded the dragon.

“Safe in my own private room,” said Kaliko.

“Go and get her!” commanded Quox.

So Kaliko went to Betsy’s room and gave three raps upon the door. The little girl had been asleep, but she heard the raps and opened the door.

“You may come out now,” said Kaliko. “The King has fled in disgrace and your friends are asking for you.”

So Betsy and Hank returned with the Royal Chamberlain to the throne cavern, where she was received with great joy by her friends. They told her what had happened to Ruggedo and she told them how kind Kaliko had been to her. Quox did not have much to say until the conversation was ended, but then he turned to Kaliko and asked:

“Do you suppose you could rule your nomes better than Ruggedo has done?”

“Me?” stammered the Chamberlain, greatly surprised by the question. “Well, I couldn’t be a worse King, I’m sure.”

“Would the nomes obey you?” inquired the dragon.

“Of course,” said Kaliko. “They like me better than ever they did Ruggedo.”

“Then hereafter you shall be the Metal Monarch, King of the Nomes, and Tititi-Hoochoo expects you to rule your Kingdom wisely and well,” said Quox.

“Hooray!” cried Betsy; "I’m glad of that. King Kaliko, I salute Your Majesty and wish you joy in your gloomy old Kingdom!"

“We all wish him joy,” said Polychrome; and then the others made haste to congratulate the new King.

“Will you release my dear brother?” asked Shaggy.

“The Ugly One? Very willingly,” replied Kaliko. “I begged Ruggedo long ago to send him away, but he would not do so. I also offered to help your brother to escape, but he would not go.”

“He’s so conscientious!” said Shaggy, highly pleased. “All of our family have noble natures. But is my dear brother well?” he added anxiously.

“He eats and sleeps very steadily,” replied the new King.

“I hope he doesn’t work too hard,” said Shaggy.

“He doesn’t work at all. In fact, there is nothing he can do in these dominions as well as our nomes, whose numbers are so great that it worries us to keep them all busy. So your brother has only to amuse himself.”

“Why, it’s more like visiting, than being a prisoner,” asserted Betsy.

“Not exactly,” returned Kaliko. “A prisoner cannot go where or when he pleases, and is not his own master.”

“Where is my brother now?” inquired Shaggy.

“In the Metal Forest.”

“Where is that?”

“The Metal Forest is in the Great Domed Cavern, the largest in all our dominions,” replied Kaliko. “It is almost like being out of doors, it is so big, and Ruggedo made the wonderful forest to amuse himself, as well as to tire out his hard-working nomes. All the trees are gold and silver and the ground is strewn with precious stones, so it is a sort of treasury.”