The Enchanted Island of Yew

Whereon Prince Marvel Encountered the High Ki of Twi and OtherSurprising People

By

L. Frank Baum

Author of "The Wizard of Oz, " "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, ""The Magical Monarch of Mo, " Etc. 

Contents

 1. Once On a Time 2. The Enchanted Isle 3. The Fairy Bower 4. Prince Marvel 5. The King of Thieves 6. The Troubles of Nerle 7. The Gray Men 8. The Fool-Killer 9. The Royal Dragon of Spor 10. Prince Marvel Wins His Fight 11. The Cunning of King Terribus 12. The Gift of Beauty 13. The Hidden Kingdom of Twi 14. The Ki and The Ki-Ki 15. The High Ki of Twi 16. The Rebellion of The High Ki 17. The Separation of The High Ki 18. The Rescue of The High Ki 19. The Reunion of The High Ki 20. Kwytoffle, the Tyrant 21. The Wonderful Book of Magic 22. The Queen of Plenta 23. The Red Rogue of Dawna 24. The Enchanted Mirrors 25. The Adventurers Separate 26. The End of the Year 27. A Hundred Years Afterward

1. "Once on a Time"

I am going to tell a story, one of those tales of astonishingadventures that happened years and years and years ago. Perhaps youwonder why it is that so many stories are told of "once on a time", andso few of these days in which we live; but that is easily explained. 

In the old days, when the world was young, there were no automobilesnor flying-machines to make one wonder; nor were there railway trains, nor telephones, nor mechanical inventions of any sort to keep peoplekeyed up to a high pitch of excitement. Men and women lived simply andquietly. They were Nature's children, and breathed fresh air intotheir lungs instead of smoke and coal gas; and tramped through greenmeadows and deep forests instead of riding in street cars; and went tobed when it grew dark and rose with the sun--which is vastly differentfrom the present custom. Having no books to read they told theiradventures to one another and to their little ones; and the storieswere handed down from generation to generation and reverently believed. 

Those who peopled the world in the old days, having nothing but theirhands to depend on, were to a certain extent helpless, and so thefairies were sorry for them and ministered to their wants patiently andfrankly, often showing themselves to those they befriended. 

So people knew fairies in those days, my dear, and loved them, togetherwith all the ryls and knooks and pixies and nymphs and other beingsthat belong to the hordes of immortals. And a fairy tale was a thingto be wondered at and spoken of in awed whispers; for no one thought ofdoubting its truth. 

To-day the fairies are shy; for so many curious inventions of men havecome into use that the wonders of Fairyland are somewhat tame besidethem, and even the boys and girls can not be so easily interested orsurprised as in the old days. So the sweet and gentle little immortalsperform their tasks unseen and unknown, and live mostly in their ownbeautiful realms, where they are almost unthought of by our busy, bustling world. 

Yet when we come to story-telling the marvels of our own age shrinkinto insignificance beside the brave deeds and absorbing experiences ofthe days when fairies were better known; and so we go back to "once ona time" for the tales that we most love--and that children have everloved since mankind knew that fairies exist. 

2. The Enchanted Isle

Once there was an enchanted island in the middle of the sea. It wascalled the Isle of Yew. And in it were five important kingdoms ruledby men, and many woodland dells and forest glades and pleasant meadowsand grim mountains inhabited by fairies. 

From the fairies some of the men had learned wonderful secrets, and hadbecome magicians and sorcerers, with powers so great that the entireisland was reputed to be one of enchantments. Who these men were thecommon people did not always know; for while some were kings andrulers, others lived quietly hidden away in forests or mountains, andseldom or never showed themselves. Indeed, there were not so many ofthese magicians as people thought, only it was so hard to tell themfrom common folk that every stranger was regarded with a certain amountof curiosity and fear. 

The island was round--like a mince pie. And it was divided into fourquarters--also like a pie--except that there was a big place in thecenter where the fifth kingdom, called Spor, lay in the midst of themountains. Spor was ruled by King Terribus, whom no one but his ownsubjects had ever seen--and not many of them. For no one was allowedto enter the Kingdom of Spor, and its king never left his palace. Butthe people of Spor had a bad habit of rushing down from their mountainsand stealing the goods of the inhabitants of the other four kingdoms, and carrying them home with them, without offering any apologieswhatever for such horrid conduct. Sometimes those they robbed tried tofight them; but they were a terrible people, consisting of giants withhuge clubs, and dwarfs who threw flaming darts, and the stern Gray Menof Spor, who were most frightful of all. So, as a rule, every one fledbefore them, and the people were thankful that the fierce warriors ofSpor seldom came to rob them oftener than once a year. 

It was on this account that all who could afford the expense builtcastles to live in, with stone walls so thick that even the giants ofSpor could not batter them down. And the children were not allowed tostray far from home for fear some roving band of robbers might stealthem and make their parents pay large sums for their safe return. 

Yet for all this the people of the Enchanted Isle of Yew were happy andprosperous. No grass was greener, no forests more cool and delightful, no skies more sunny, no sea more blue and rippling than theirs. 

And the nations of the world envied them, but dared not attempt toconquer an island abounding in enchantments. 

3. The Fairy Bower

That part of the Enchanted Isle which was kissed by the rising sun wascalled Dawna; the kingdom that was tinted rose and purple by thesetting sun was known as Auriel, and the southland, where fruits andflowers abounded, was the kingdom of Plenta. Up at the north lay Heg, the home of the great barons who feared not even the men of Spor; andin the Kingdom of Heg our story opens. 

Upon a beautiful plain stood the castle of the great BaronMerd--renowned alike in war and peace, and second in importance only tothe King of Heg. It was a castle of vast extent, built with thickwalls and protected by strong gates. In front of it sloped a prettystretch of land with the sea glistening far beyond; and back of it, buta short distance away, was the edge of the Forest of Lurla. 

One fair summer day the custodian of the castle gates opened a wicketand let down a draw-bridge, when out trooped three pretty girls withbaskets dangling on their arms. One of the maids walked in front ofher companions, as became the only daughter of the mighty Baron Merd. She was named Seseley, and had yellow hair and red cheeks and big, blueeyes. Behind her, merry and laughing, yet with a distinct deference tothe high station of their young lady, walked Berna and Helda--darkbrunettes with mischievous eyes and slender, lithe limbs. Berna wasthe daughter of the chief archer, and Helda the niece of the captain ofthe guard, and they were appointed play-fellows and comrades of thefair Seseley. 

Up the hill to the forest's edge ran the three, and then withouthesitation plunged into the shade of the ancient trees. There was nosunlight now, but the air was cool and fragrant of nuts and mosses, andthe children skipped along the paths joyously and without fear. 

To be sure, the Forest of Lurla was well known as the home of fairies, but Seseley and her comrades feared nothing from such gentle creaturesand only longed for an interview with the powerful immortals whom theyhad been taught to love as the tender guardians of mankind. Nymphsthere were in Lurla, as well, and crooked knooks, it was said; yet formany years past no person could boast the favor of meeting any one ofthe fairy creatures face to face. 

So, gathering a few nuts here and a sweet forest flower there, thethree maidens walked farther and farther into the forest until theycame upon a clearing--formed like a circle--with mosses and ferns forits carpet and great overhanging branches for its roof. 

"How pretty!" cried Seseley, gaily. "Let us eat our luncheon in thislovely banquet-hall!"

So Berna and Helda spread a cloth and brought from their baskets somegolden platters and a store of food. Yet there was little ceremonyover the meal, you may be sure, and within a short space all thechildren had satisfied their appetites and were laughing and chattingas merrily as if they were at home in the great castle. Indeed, it iscertain they were happier in their forest glade than when facing grimwalls of stone, and the three were in such gay spirits that whateverone chanced to say the others promptly joined in laughing over. 

Soon, however, they were startled to hear a silvery peal of laughteranswering their own, and turning to see whence the sound proceeded, they found seated near them a creature so beautiful that at once thethree pairs of eyes opened to their widest extent, and three heartsbeat much faster than before. 

"Well, I must say you DO stare!" exclaimed the newcomer, who wasclothed in soft floating robes of rose and pearl color, and whose eyesshone upon them like two stars. 

"Forgive our impertinence, " answered the little Lady Seseley, trying toappear dignified and unmoved; "but you must acknowledge that you cameamong us uninvited, and--and you are certainly rather odd inappearance. "

Again the silvery laughter rang through the glade. 

"Uninvited!" echoed the creature, clapping her hands togetherdelightedly; "uninvited to my own forest home! Why, my dear girls, youare the uninvited ones--indeed you are--to thus come romping into ourfairy bower. "

The children did not open their eyes any wider on hearing this speech, for they could not; but their faces expressed their amazement fully, while Helda gasped the words:

"A fairy bower! We are in a fairy bower!"

"Most certainly, " was the reply. "And as for being odd in appearance, let me ask how you could reasonably expect a fairy to appear as mortalmaidens do?"

"A fairy!" exclaimed Seseley. "Are you, then, a real fairy?"

"I regret to say I am, " returned the other, more soberly, as she patteda moss-bank with a silver-tipped wand. 

Then for a moment there was silence, while the three girls sat verystill and stared at their immortal companion with evident curiosity. Finally Seseley asked:

"Why do you regret being a fairy? I have always thought them thehappiest creatures in the world. "

"Perhaps we ought to be happy, " answered the fairy, gravely, "for wehave wonderful powers and do much to assist you helpless mortals. AndI suppose some of us really are happy. But, for my part, I am soutterly tired of a fairy life that I would do anything to change it. "

"That is strange, " declared Berna. "You seem very young to be alreadydiscontented with your lot. "

Now at this the fairy burst into laughter again, and presently asked:

"How old do you think me?"

"About our own age, " said Berna, after a glance at her and a moment'sreflection. 

"Nonsense!" retorted the fairy, sharply. "These trees are hundreds ofyears old, yet I remember when they were mere twigs. And I rememberwhen mortals first came to live upon this island, yes--and when thisisland was first created and rose from the sea after a greatearthquake. I remember for many, many centuries, my dears. I havegrown tired of remembering--and of being a fairy continually, withoutany change to brighten my life. "

"To be sure!" said Seseley, with sympathy. "I never thought of fairylife in that way before. It must get to be quite tiresome. "

"And think of the centuries I must yet live!" exclaimed the fairy in adismal voice. "Isn't it an awful thing to look forward to?"

"It is, indeed, " agreed Seseley. 

"I'd be glad to exchange lives with you, " said Helda, looking at thefairy with intense admiration. 

"But you can't do that, " answered the little creature quickly. "Mortals can't become fairies, you know--although I believe there wasonce a mortal who was made immortal. "

"But fairies can become anything they desire!" cried Berna. 

"Oh, no, they can't. You are mistaken if you believe that, " was thereply. "I could change YOU into a fly, or a crocodile, or a bobolink, if I wanted to; but fairies can't change themselves into anything else. "

"How strange!" murmured Seseley, much impressed. 

"But YOU can, " cried the fairy, jumping up and coming toward them. "You are mortals, and, by the laws that govern us, a mortal can changea fairy into anything she pleases. "

"Oh!" said Seseley, filled with amazement at the idea. 

The fairy fell on her knees before the baron's daughter. "Please--please, dear Seseley, " she pleaded, "change me into a mortal!"

4. Prince Marvel

It is easy to imagine the astonishment of the three girls at hearingthis strange request. They gazed in a bewildered fashion upon thekneeling fairy, and were at first unable to answer one word. ThenSeseley said--sadly, for she grieved to disappoint the pretty creature:

"We are but mortal children, and have no powers of enchantment at all. "

"Ah, that is true, so far as concerns yourselves, " replied the fairy, eagerly; "yet mortals may easily transform fairies into anything theywish. "

"If that is so, why have we never heard of this power before?" askedSeseley. 

"Because fairies, as a rule, are content with their lot, and do notwish to appear in any form but their own. And, knowing that evil ormischievous mortals can transform them at will, the fairies take greatcare to remain invisible, so they can not be interfered with. Have youever, " she asked, suddenly, "seen a fairy before?"

"Never, " replied Seseley. 

"Nor would you have seen me to-day, had I not known you were kind andpure-hearted, or had I not resolved to ask you to exercise your powersupon me. "

"I must say, " remarked Helda, boldly, "that you are foolish to wish tobecome anything different from what you are. "

"For you are very beautiful NOW, " added Berna, admiringly. 

"Beautiful!" retorted the fairy, with a little frown; "what does beautyamount to, if one is to remain invisible?"

"Not much, that is true, " agreed Berna, smoothing her own dark locks. 

"And as for being foolish, " continued the fairy, "I ought to be allowedto act foolishly if I want to. For centuries past I have not had achance to do a single foolish thing. "

"Poor dear!" said Helda, softly. 

Seseley had listened silently to this conversation. Now she inquired:

"What do you wish to become?"

"A mortal!" answered the fairy, promptly. 

"A girl, like ourselves?" questioned the baron's daughter. 

"Perhaps, " said the fairy, as if undecided. 

"Then you would be likely to endure many privations, " said Seseley, gently. "For you would have neither father nor mother to befriend you, nor any house to live in. "

"And if you hired your services to some baron, you would be obliged towash dishes all day, or mend clothing, or herd cattle, " said Berna. 

"But I should travel all over the island, " said the fairy, brightly, "and that is what I long to do. I do not care to work. "

"I fear a girl would not be allowed to travel alone, " Seseley remarked, after some further thought. "At least, " she added, "I have never heardof such a thing. "

"No, " said the fairy, rather bitterly, "your men are the ones that roamabroad and have adventures of all kinds. Your women are poor, weakcreatures, I remember. "

There was no denying this, so the three girls sat silent until Seseleyasked:

"Why do you wish to become a mortal?"

"To gain exciting experiences, " answered the fairy. "I'm tired ofbeing a humdrum fairy year in and year out. Of course, I do not wishto become a mortal for all time, for that would get monotonous, too;but to live a short while as the earth people do would amuse me verymuch. "

"If you want variety, you should become a boy, " said Helda, with alaugh, "The life of a boy is one round of excitement. "

"Then make me a boy!" exclaimed the fairy eagerly. 

"A boy!" they all cried in consternation. And Seseley added:

"Why--you're a GIRL fairy, aren't you?"

"Well--yes; I suppose I am, " answered the beautiful creature, smiling;"but as you are going to change me anyway, I may as well become a boyas a girl. "

"Better!" declared Helda, clapping her hands; "for then you can do asyou please. "

"But would it be right?" asked Seseley, with hesitation. 

"Why not?" retorted the fairy. "I can see nothing wrong in being aboy. Make me a tall, slender youth, with waving brown hair and darkeyes. Then I shall be as unlike my own self as possible, and theadventure will be all the more interesting. Yes; I like the idea ofbeing a boy very much indeed. "

"But I don't know how to transform you; some one will have to show methe way to do it, " protested Seseley, who was getting worried over thetask set her. 

"Oh, that will be easy enough, " returned the little immortal. "Haveyou a wand?"

"No. "

"Then I'll loan you mine, for I shall not need it. And you must waveit over my head three times and say: 'By my mortal powers I transformyou into a boy for the space of one year'. "

"One year! Isn't that too long?"

"It's a very short time to one who has lived thousands of years as afairy. "

"That is true, " answered the baron's daughter. 

"Now, I'll begin by doing a little transforming myself, " said thefairy, getting upon her feet again, "and you can watch and see how I doit. " She brushed a bit of moss from her gauzy skirts and continued:"If I'm to become a boy I shall need a horse, you know. A handsome, prancing steed, very fleet of foot. "

A moment she stood motionless, as if listening. Then she uttered a lowbut shrill whistle. 

The three girls, filled with eager interest, watched her intently. 

Presently a trampling of footsteps was heard through the brushwood, anda beautiful deer burst from the forest and fearlessly ran to the fairy. Without hesitation she waved her wand above the deer's head andexclaimed:

"By all my fairy powers I command you to become a war-horse for theperiod of one year. "

Instantly the deer disappeared, and in its place was a handsomecharger, milk-white in color, with flowing mane and tail. Upon itsback was a saddle sparkling with brilliant gems sewn upon fine dressedleather. 

The girls uttered cries of astonishment and delight, and the fairy said:

"You see, these transformations are not at all difficult. I must nowhave a sword. "

She plucked a twig from a near-by tree and cast it upon the ground ather feet. Again she waved her wand--and the twig turned to a gleamingsword, richly engraved, that seemed to the silent watchers to trembleslightly in its sheath, as if its heart of steel throbbed with hopes ofbattles to come. 

"And now I must have shield and armor, " said the fairy, gaily. "Thiswill make a shield, "--and she stripped a sheet of loose bark from atree-trunk, --"but for armor I must have something better. Will yougive me your cloak?"

This appeal was made to Seseley, and the baron's daughter drew herwhite velvet cloak from her shoulders and handed it to the fairy. Amoment later it was transformed into a suit of glittering armor thatseemed fashioned of pure silver inlaid with gold, while the sheet ofbark at the same time became a handsome shield, with the figures ofthree girls graven upon it. Seseley recognized the features as thoseof herself and her comrades, and noted also that they appeared sittingat the edge of a forest, the great trees showing plainly in thebackground. 

"I shall be your champion, you see, " laughed the fairy, gleefully, "andmaybe I shall be able to repay you for the loss of your cloak. "

"I do not mind the cloak, " returned the child, who had been greatlyinterested in these strange transformations. "But it seems impossiblethat a dainty little girl like you can ride this horse and carry theseheavy arms. "

"I'll not be a girl much longer, " said the little creature. "Here, take my wand, and transform me into a noble youth!"

Again the pretty fairy kneeled before Seseley, her dainty, roundedlimbs of white and rose showing plainly through her gauzy attire. Andthe baron's daughter was suddenly inspired to be brave, not wishing todisappoint the venturous immortal. So she rose and took the magic wandin her hand, waving it three times above the head of the fairy. 

"By my powers as a mortal, " she said, marveling even then at thestrange speech, "I command you to become a brave and gallantyouth--handsome, strong, fearless! And such shall you remain for thespace of one year. "

As she ceased speaking the fairy was gone, and a slender youth, dark-eyed and laughing, was holding her hand in his and kissing itgratefully. 

"I thank you, most lovely maiden, " he said, in a pleasant voice, "forgiving me a place in the world of mortals. I shall ride at once insearch of adventure, but my good sword is ever at your service. "

With this he gracefully arose and began to buckle on his magnificentarmor and to fasten the sword to his belt. 

Seseley drew a long, sighing breath of amazement at her own powers, andturning to Berna and Helda she asked:

"Do I see aright? Is the little fairy really transformed to thisyouth?"

"It certainly seems so, " returned Helda, who, being unabashed by themarvels she had beheld, turned to gaze boldly upon the young knight. 

"Do you still remember that a moment ago you were a fairy?" sheinquired. 

"Yes, indeed, " said he, smiling; "and I am really a fairy now, beingbut changed in outward form. But no one must know this saveyourselves, until the year has expired and I resume my true station. Will you promise to guard my secret?"

"Oh, yes!" they exclaimed, in chorus. For they were delighted, as anychildren might well be, at having so remarkable a secret to keep andtalk over among themselves. 

"I must ask one more favor, " continued the youth: "that you give me aname; for in this island I believe all men bear names of some sort, todistinguish them one from another. "

"True, " said Seseley, thoughtfully. "What were you called as a fairy?"

"That does not matter in the least, " he answered, hastily. "I musthave an entirely new name. "

"Suppose we call him the Silver Knight, " suggested Berna, as she eyedhis glistening armor. 

"Oh, no!--that is no name at all!" declared Helda. "We might bettercall him Baron Strongarm. "

"I do not like that, either, " said the Lady Seseley, "for we do notknow whether his arm is strong or not. But he has been transformed ina most astonishing and bewildering manner before our very eyes, and Ithink the name of Prince Marvel would suit him very well. "

"Excellent!" cried the youth, picking up his richly graven shield. "The name seems fitting in every way. And for a year I shall be knownto all this island as Prince Marvel!"

5. The King of Thieves

Old Marshelm, the captain of the guard, was much surprised when he sawthe baron's daughter and her playmates approach her father's castleescorted by a knight in glittering armor. 

To be sure it was a rather small knight, but the horse he led by thebridle was so stately and magnificent in appearance that old Marshelm, who was an excellent judge of horses, at once decided the stranger mustbe a personage of unusual importance. 

As they came nearer the captain of the guard also observed the beautyof the little knight's armor, and caught the glint of jewels set in thehandle of his sword; so he called his men about him and prepared toreceive the knight with the honors doubtless due his high rank. 

But to the captain's disappointment the stranger showed no intention ofentering the castle. On the contrary, he kissed the little LadySeseley's hand respectfully, waved an adieu to the others, and thenmounted his charger and galloped away over the plains. 

The drawbridge was let down to permit the three children to enter, andthe great Baron Merd came himself to question his daughter. 

"Who was the little knight?" he asked. 

"His name is Prince Marvel, " answered Seseley, demurely. 

"Prince Marvel?" exclaimed the Baron. "I have never heard of him. Does he come from the Kingdom of Dawna, or that of Auriel, or Plenta?"

"That I do not know, " said Seseley, with truth. 

"Where did you meet him?" continued the baron. 

"In the forest, my father, and he kindly escorted us home. "

"Hm!" muttered the baron, thoughtfully. "Did he say what adventurebrought him to our Kingdom of Heg?"

"No, father. But he mentioned being in search of adventure. "

"Oh, he'll find enough to busy him in this wild island, where every manhe meets would rather draw his sword than eat, " returned the oldwarrior, smiling. "How old may this Prince Marvel be?"

"He looks not over fifteen years of age, " said Seseley, uneasy at somuch questioning, for she did not wish to be forced to tell an untruth. "But it is possible he is much older, " she added, beginning to getconfused. 

"Well, well; I am sorry he did not pay my castle a visit, " declared thebaron. "He is very small and slight to be traveling this dangerouscountry alone, and I might have advised him as to his welfare. "

Seseley thought that Prince Marvel would need no advice from any one asto his conduct; but she wisely refrained from speaking this thought, and the old baron walked away to glance through a slit in the stonewall at the figure of the now distant knight. 

Prince Marvel was riding swiftly toward the brow of the hill, andshortly his great war-horse mounted the ascent and disappeared on itsfarther slope. 

The youth's heart was merry and light, and he reflected joyously, as herode along, that a whole year of freedom and fascinating adventure laybefore him. 

The valley in which he now found himself was very beautiful, the softgrass beneath his horse's feet being sprinkled with bright flowers, while clumps of trees stood here and there to break the monotony of thelandscape. 

For an hour the prince rode along, rejoicing in the free motion of hishorse and breathing in the perfume-laden air. Then he found he hadcrossed the valley and was approaching a series of hills. These werebroken by huge rocks, the ground being cluttered with boulders of roughstone. His horse speedily found a pathway leading through these rocks, but was obliged to proceed at a walk, turning first one way and thenanother as the path zigzagged up the hill. 

Presently, being engaged in deep thought and little noting the way, Prince Marvel rode between two high walls of rock standing so closetogether that horse and rider could scarcely pass between the sides. Having traversed this narrow space some distance the wall openedsuddenly upon a level plat of ground, where grass and trees grew. Itwas not a very big place, but was surely the end of the path, as allaround it stood bare walls so high and steep that neither horse nor mancould climb them. In the side of the rocky wall facing the entrancethe traveler noticed a hollow, like the mouth of a cave, across whichwas placed an iron gate. And above the gateway was painted in redletters on the gray stone the following words:

 WUL-TAKIM KING OF THIEVES ------ HIS TREASURE HOUSE KEEP OUT

Prince Marvel laughed on reading this, and after getting down from hissaddle he advanced to the iron gate and peered through its heavy bars. 

"I have no idea who this Wul-Takim is, " he said, "for I know nothing atall of the ways of men outside the forest in which I have always dwelt. But thieves are bad people, I am quite sure, and since Wul-Takim is theking of thieves he must be by far the worst man on this island. "

Then he saw, through the bars of the gate, that a great cavern laybeyond, in which were stacked treasures of all sorts: rich cloths, golden dishes and ornaments, gemmed coronets and bracelets, cleverlyforged armor, shields and battle-axes. Also there were casks and balesof merchandise of every sort. 

The gate appeared to have no lock, so Prince Marvel opened it andwalked in. Then he perceived, perched on the very top of a pyramid ofcasks, the form of a boy, who sat very still and watched him with alook of astonishment upon his face. 

"What are you doing up there?" asked the prince. 

"Nothing, " said the boy. "If I moved the least little bit this pile ofcasks would topple over, and I should be thrown to the ground. "

"Well, " returned the prince, "what of it?"

But just then he glanced at the ground and saw why the boy did not careto tumble down. For in the earth were planted many swords, with theirsharp blades pointing upward, and to fall upon these meant seriouswounds and perhaps death. 

"Oh, ho!" cried Marvel; "I begin to understand. You are a prisoner. "

"Yes; as you will also be shortly, " answered the boy. "And then youwill understand another thing--that you were very reckless ever toenter this cave. "

"Why?" inquired the prince, who really knew little of the world, andwas interested in everything he saw and heard. 

"Because it is the stronghold of the robber king, and when you openedthat gate you caused a bell to ring far down on the hillside. So therobbers are now warned that an enemy is in their cave, and they willsoon arrive to make you a prisoner, even as I am. "

"Ah, I see!" said the prince, with a laugh, "It is a rather clevercontrivance; but having been warned in time I should indeed be foolishto be caught in such a trap. "

With this he half drew his sword, but thinking that robbers were notworthy to be slain with its untarnished steel, he pushed it back intothe jeweled scabbard and looked around for another weapon. A stoutoaken staff lay upon the ground, and this he caught up and ran with itfrom the cave, placing himself just beside the narrow opening that ledinto this rock-encompassed plain. For he quickly saw that this was theonly way any one could enter or leave the place, and therefore knew therobbers were coming up the narrow gorge even as he had himself done. 

Soon they were heard stumbling along at a rapid pace, crying to oneanother to make haste and catch the intruder. The first that camethrough the opening received so sharp a blow upon the head from PrinceMarvel's oak staff that he fell to the ground and lay still, while thenext was treated in a like manner and fell beside his comrade. 

Perhaps the thieves had not expected so sturdy an enemy, for theycontinued to rush through the opening in the rocks and to fall beneaththe steady blows of the prince's staff until every one of them laysenseless before the victor. At first they had piled themselves uponone another very neatly; but the pile got so high at last that theprince was obliged to assist the last thieves to leap to the top of theheap before they completely lost their senses. 

I have no doubt our prince, feeling himself yet strange in the new formhe had acquired, and freshly transported from the forest glades inwhich he had always lived, was fully as much astonished at his deed ofvalor as were the robbers themselves; and if he shuddered a little whenlooking upon the heap of senseless thieves you must forgive him thisweakness. For he straightway resolved to steel his heart to suchsights and to be every bit as stern and severe as a mortal knight wouldhave been. 

Throwing down his staff he ran to the cave again, and stepping betweenthe sword points he approached the pile of casks and held out his armsto the boy who was perched upon the top. 

"The thieves are conquered, " he cried. "Jump down!"

"I won't, " said the boy. 

"Why not?" inquired the prince. 

"Can't you see I'm very miserable?" asked the boy, in return; "don'tyou understand that every minute I expect to fall upon those swordpoints?"

"But I will catch you, " cried the prince. 

"I don't want you to catch me, " said the boy. "I want to be miserable. It's the first chance I've ever had, and I'm enjoying my misery verymuch. "

This speech so astonished Prince Marvel that for a moment he stoodmotionless. Then he retorted, angrily:

"You're a fool!"

"If I wasn't so miserable up here, I'd come down and thrash you forthat, " said the boy, with a sigh. 

This answer so greatly annoyed Prince Marvel that he gave the centralcask of the pyramid a sudden push, and the next moment the casks weretumbling in every direction, while the boy fell headlong in their midst. 

But Marvel caught him deftly in his arms, and so saved him from thesword points. 

"There!" he said, standing the boy upon his feet; "now you are releasedfrom your misery. "

"And I should be glad to punish you for your interference, " declaredthe boy, gloomily eying his preserver, "had you not saved my life bycatching me. According to the code of honor of knighthood I can notharm one who has saved my life until I have returned the obligation. Therefore, for the present I shall pardon your insulting speeches andactions. "

"But you have also saved my life, " answered Prince Marvel; "for had younot warned me of the robbers' return they would surely have caught me. "

"True, " said the boy, brightening up; "therefore our score is now even. But take care not to affront me again, for hereafter I will show you nomercy!"

Prince Marvel looked at the boy with wonder. He was about his ownsize, yet strong and well formed, and he would have been handsomeexcept for the expression of discontent upon his face. Yet his mannerand words were so absurd and unnatural that the prince was more amusedthan angered by his new acquaintance, and presently laughed in his face. 

"If all the people in this island are like you, " he said, "I shall havelots of fun with them. And you are only a boy, after all. "

"I'm bigger than you!" declared the other, glaring fiercely at theprince. 

"How much bigger?" asked Marvel, his eyes twinkling. 

"Oh, ever so much!"

"Then fetch along that coil of rope, and follow me, " said Prince Marvel. 

"Fetch the rope yourself!" retorted the boy, bluntly. "I'm not yourservant. " Then he put his hands in his pockets and coolly walked out ofthe cave to look at the pile of senseless robbers. 

Prince Marvel made no reply, but taking the coil of rope on hisshoulder he carried it to where the thieves lay and threw it downbeside them. Then he cut lengths from the coil with his sword andbound the limbs of each robber securely. Within a half-hour he hadlaid out a row of thieves extending half way across the grassy plain, and on counting their number he found he had captured fifty-nine ofthem. 

This task being accomplished and the robbers rendered helpless, PrinceMarvel turned to the boy who stood watching him. 

"Get a suit of armor from the cave, and a strong sword, and then returnhere, " he said, in a stern voice. 

"Why should I do that?" asked the boy, rather impudently. 

"Because I am going to fight you for disobeying my orders; and if youdo not protect yourself I shall probably kill you. "

"That sounds pleasant, " said the boy. "But if you should prove mysuperior in skill I beg you will not kill me at once, but let me die alingering death. "

"Why?" asked the prince. 

"Because I shall suffer more, and that will be delightful. "

"I am not anxious to kill you, nor to make you suffer, " said Marvel, "all that I ask is that you acknowledge me your master. "

"I won't!" answered the boy. "I acknowledge no master in all theworld!"

"Then you must fight, " declared the prince, gravely. "If you win, Iwill promise to serve you faithfully; and if I conquer you, then youmust acknowledge me your master, and obey my commands. "

"Agreed!" cried the boy, with sudden energy, and he rushed into thecave and soon returned clad in armor and bearing a sword and shield. On the shield was pictured a bolt of lightning. 

"Lightning will soon strike those three girls whose champion you seemto be, " he said tauntingly. 

"The three girls defy your lightning!" returned the prince with asmile. "I see you are brave enough. "

"Brave! Why should I not be?" answered the boy proudly. "I am theLord Nerle, the son of Neggar, the chief baron of Heg!"

The other bowed low. 

"I am pleased to know your station, " he said. "I am called PrinceMarvel, and this is my first adventure. "

"And likely to be your last, " exclaimed the boy, sneeringly. "For I amstronger than you, and I have fought many times with full grown men. "

"Are you ready?" asked Prince Marvel, for answer. 

"Yes. "

Then the swords clashed and sparks flew from the blades. But it wasnot for long. Suddenly Nerle's sword went flying through the air andshattered its blade against a wall of rock. He scowled at PrinceMarvel a moment, who smiled back at him. Then the boy rushed into thecave and returned with another sword. 

Scarcely had the weapons crossed again when with a sudden blow PrinceMarvel snapped Nerle's blade in two, and followed this up with a sharpslap upon his ear with the flat of his own sword that fairly bewilderedthe boy, and made him sit down on the grass to think what had happenedto him. 

Then Prince Marvel's merry laugh rang far across the hills, and sodelighted was he at the astonished expression upon Nerle's face that itwas many minutes before he could control his merriment and ask hisfoeman if he had had enough fight. 

"I suppose I have, " replied the boy, rubbing his ear tenderly. "Thatblow stings most deliciously. But it is a hard thought that the son ofBaron Neggar should serve Prince Marvel!"

"Do not worry about that, " said the prince; "for I assure you my rankis so far above your own that it is no degradation for the son ofNeggar to serve me. But come, we must dispose of these thieves. Whatis the proper fate for such men?"

"They are always hanged, " answered Nerle, getting upon his feet. 

"Well, there are trees handy, " remarked the prince, although hisgirlish heart insisted on making him shiver in spite of his resolve tobe manly and stern. "Let us get to work and hang them as soon aspossible. And then we can proceed upon our journey. "

Nerle now willingly lent his assistance to his new master, and soonthey had placed a rope around the neck of each thief and were ready todangle them all from the limbs of the trees. 

But at this juncture the thieves began to regain consciousness, and nowWul-Takim, the big, red-bearded king of the thieves, sat up and asked:

"Who is our conqueror?"

"Prince Marvel, " answered Nerle. 

"And what army assisted him?" inquired Wul-Takim, curiously gazing uponthe prince. 

"He conquered you alone and single-handed, " said Nerle. 

Hearing this, the big king began to weep bitterly, and the tear-dropsran down his face in such a stream that Prince Marvel ordered Nerle towipe them away with his handkerchief, as the thief's hands were tiedbehind his back. 

"To think!" sobbed Wul-Takim, miserably; "only to think, that after allmy terrible deeds and untold wickedness, I have been captured by a mereboy! Oh, boo-hoo! boo-hoo! boo-hoo! It is a terrible disgrace!"

"You will not have to bear it long, " said the prince, soothingly. "Iam going to hang you in a few minutes. "

"Thanks! Thank you very much!" answered the king, ceasing to weep. "Ihave always expected to be hanged some day, and I am glad no one butyou two boys will witness me when my feet begin kicking about. "

"I shall not kick, " declared another of the thieves, who had alsoregained his senses. "I shall sing while I am being hanged. "

"But you can not, my good Gunder, " protested the king; "for the ropewill cut off your breath, and no man can sing without breath. "

"Then I shall whistle, " said Gunder, composedly. 

The king cast at him a look of reproach, and turning to Prince Marvelhe said:

"It will be a great task to string up so many thieves. You look tired. Permit me to assist you to hang the others, and then I will climb intoa tree and hang myself from a strong branch, with as little bother aspossible. "

"Oh, I won't think of troubling you, " exclaimed Marvel, with a laugh. "Having conquered you alone, I feel it my duty to hang you withoutassistance--save that of my esquire. "

"It's no trouble, I assure you; but suit your own convenience, " saidthe thief, carelessly. Then he cast his eye toward the cave and asked:"What will you do with all our treasure?"

"Give it to the poor, " said Prince Marvel, promptly. 

"What poor?"

"Oh, the poorest people I can find. "

"Will you permit me to advise you in this matter?" asked the king ofthieves, politely. 

"Yes, indeed; for I am a stranger in this land, " returned the prince. 

"Well, I know a lot of people who are so poor that they have nopossessions whatever, neither food to eat, houses to live in, nor anyclothing but that which covers their bodies. They can call no manfriend, nor will any lift a hand to help them. Indeed, good sir, Iverily believe they will soon perish miserably unless you come to theirassistance!"

"Poor creatures!" exclaimed Prince Marvel, with ready sympathy; "tellme who they are, and I will divide amongst them all your ill-gottengains. "

"They are ourselves, " replied the king of thieves, with a sigh. 

Marvel looked at him in amazement, and then burst into joyous laughter. 

"Yourselves!" he cried, greatly amused. 

"Indeed, yes!" said Wul-Takim, sadly. "There are no poorer people inall the world, for we have ropes about our necks and are soon to behanged. To-morrow we shall not have even our flesh left, for the crowswill pick our bones. "

"That is true, " remarked Marvel, thoughtfully. "But, if I restore toyou the treasure, how will it benefit you, since you are about to die?"

"Must you really hang us?" asked the thief. 

"Yes; I have decreed it, and you deserve your fate. "

"Why?"

"Because you have wickedly taken from helpless people their property, and committed many other crimes besides. "

"But I have reformed! We have all reformed--have we not, brothers?"

"We have!" answered the other thieves, who, having regained theirsenses, were listening to this conversation with much interest. 

"And, if you will return to us our treasure, we will promise never tosteal again, but to remain honest men and enjoy our wealth in peace, "promised the king. 

"Honest men could not enjoy treasures they have stolen, " said PrinceMarvel. 

"True; but this treasure is now yours, having been won by you in fairbattle. And if you present it to us it will no longer be stolentreasure, but a generous gift from a mighty prince, which we may enjoywith clear consciences. "

"Yet there remains the fact that I have promised to hang you, "suggested Prince Marvel, with a smile, for the king amused him greatly. 

"Not at all! Not at all!" cried Wul-Takim. "You promised to hangfifty-nine thieves, and there is no doubt the fifty-nine thievesdeserved to be hung. But, consider! We have all reformed our ways andbecome honest men; so it would be a sad and unkindly act to hangfifty-nine honest men!"

"What think you, Nerle?" asked the Prince, turning to his esquire. 

"Why, the rogue seems to speak truth, " said Nerle, scratching his headwith a puzzled air, "yet, if he speaks truth, there is littledifference between a rogue and an honest man. Ask him, my master, whatcaused them all to reform so suddenly. "

"Because we were about to die, and we thought it a good way to save ourlives, " replied the robber king. 

"That's an honest answer, anyway, " said Nerle. "Perhaps, sir, theyhave really reformed. "

"And if so, I will not have the death of fifty-nine honest men on myconscience, " declared the prince. Then he turned to Wul-Takim andadded: "I will release you and give you the treasure, as you request. But you owe me allegiance from this time forth, and if I ever hear ofyour becoming thieves again, I promise to return and hang every one ofyou. "

"Never fear!" answered Wul-Takim, joyfully. "It is hard work to steal, and while we have so much treasure it is wholly unnecessary. Moreover, having accepted from you our lives and our fortunes, we shall hereafterbe your devoted servants, and whenever you need our services you havebut to call upon us, and we will support you loyally and gladly. "

"I accept your service, " answered the prince, graciously. 

And then he unbound the fifty-nine honest men and took the ropes fromtheir necks. As nightfall was fast approaching the new servants set towork to prepare a great feast in honor of their master. It was laid inthe middle of the grassy clearing, that all might sit around andcelebrate the joyous occasion. 

"Do you think you can trust these men?" asked Nerle, suspiciously. 

"Why not?" replied the prince. "They have been exceedingly wicked, itis true; but they are now intent upon being exceedingly good. Let usencourage them in this. If we mistrusted all who have ever done anevil act there would be fewer honest people in the world. And if itwere as interesting to do a good act as an evil one there is no doubtevery one would choose the good. "

6. The Troubles of Nerle

That night Prince Marvel slept within the cave, surrounded by thefifty-nine reformed thieves, and suffered no harm at their hands. Inthe morning, accompanied by his esquire, Nerle, who was mounted upon aspirited horse brought him by Wul-Takim, he charged the honest men toremember their promises, bade them good by, and set out in search offurther adventure. 

As they left the clearing by the narrow passage that led between theoverhanging rocks, the prince looked back and saw that the sign abovethe gate of the cave, which had told of the thieves' treasure house, had been changed. It now read as follows:

 WUL-TAKIM KING OF HONEST MEN ------ HIS PLEASURE HOUSE WALK IN

"That is much better, " laughed the prince. "I accomplished some goodby my adventure, anyway!"

Nerle did not reply. He seemed especially quiet and thoughtful as herode by his master's side, and after they had traveled some distance insilence Prince Marvel said:

"Tell me how you came to be in the cave of thieves, and perched uponthe casks where I found you. "

"It is a sad story, " returned Nerle, with a sigh; "but since yourequest me to tell it, the tale may serve to relieve the tedium of yourjourney. 

"My father is a mighty baron, very wealthy and with a heart so kindthat he has ever taken pleasure in thrusting on me whatever gift hecould think of. I had not a single desire unsatisfied, for before Icould wish for anything it was given me. 

"My mother was much like my father. She and her women were alwaysmaking jams, jellies, candies, cakes and the like for me to eat; so Inever knew the pleasure of hunger. My clothes were the gayest satinsand velvets, richly made and sewn with gold and silver braid; so it wasimpossible to wish for more in the way of apparel. They let me studymy lessons whenever I felt like it and go fishing or hunting as Ipleased; so I could not complain that I was unable to do just as Iwanted to. All the servants obeyed my slightest wish: if I wanted tosit up late at night no one objected; if I wished to lie in bed tillnoon they kept the house quiet so as not to disturb me. 

"This condition of affairs, as you may imagine, grew more and moretedious and exasperating the older I became. Try as I might, I couldfind nothing to complain of. I once saw the son of one of our servantsreceive a flogging; and my heart grew light. I immediately begged myfather to flog me, by way of variety; and he, who could refuse menothing, at once consented. For this reason there was lesssatisfaction in the operation than I had expected, although for thetime being it was a distinct novelty. 

"Now, no one could expect a high-spirited boy to put up with such alife as mine. With nothing to desire and no chance of doing anythingthat would annoy my parents, my days were dreary indeed. "

He paused to wipe the tears from his eyes, and the prince murmured, sympathetically: "Poor boy! Poor boy!"

"Ah, you may well say that!" continued Nerle. "But one day a strangercame to my father's castle with tales of many troubles he had met with. He had been lost in a forest and nearly starved to death. He had beenrobbed and beaten and left wounded and sore by the wayside. He hadbegged from door to door and been refused food or assistance. Inshort, his story was so delightful that it made me envy him, and Iyearned to suffer as he had done. When I could speak with him alone Isaid: 'Pray tell me how I can manage to acquire the misfortunes youhave undergone. Here I have everything that I desire, and it makes mevery unhappy. '

"The stranger laughed at me, at first; and I found some pleasure in thehumiliation I then felt. But it did not last long, for presently hegrew sober and advised me to run away from home and seek adventure. 

"'Once away from your father's castle, ' said he, 'troubles will fallupon you thick enough to satisfy even your longings. '

"'That is what I am afraid of!' I answered. 'I don't want to besatisfied, even with troubles. What I seek is unsatisfied longings. '

"'Nevertheless, ' said he, 'I advise you to travel. Everything willprobably go wrong with you, and then you will be happy. '

"I acted upon the stranger's advice and ran away from home the nextday. After journeying a long time I commenced to feel the pangs ofhunger, and was just beginning to enjoy myself when a knight rode byand gave me a supply of food. At this rebuff I could not restrain mytears, but while I wept my horse stumbled and threw me over his head. I hoped at first I had broken my neck, and was just congratulatingmyself upon the misfortune, when a witch-woman came along and rubbedsome ointment upon my bruises, in spite of my protests. To my greatgrief the pain left me, and I was soon well again. But, as a slightcompensation for my disappointment, my horse had run away; so I beganmy journey anew and on foot. 

"That afternoon I stepped into a nest of wasps, but the thoughtlesscreatures flew away without stinging me. Then I met a fierce tiger, and my heart grew light and gay. 'Surely this will cause mesuffering!' I cried, and advanced swiftly upon the brute. But thecowardly tiger turned tail and ran to hide in the bushes, leaving meunhurt!

"Of course, my many disappointments were some consolation; but notmuch. That night I slept on the bare ground, and hoped I should catcha severe cold; but no such joy was to be mine. 

"Yet the next afternoon I experienced my first pleasure. The thievescaught me, stripped off all my fine clothes and jewels and beat mewell. Then they carried me to their cave, dressed me in rags, andperched me on the top of the casks, where the slightest movement on mypart would send me tumbling among the sword points. This was reallydelightful, and I was quite happy until you came and released me. 

"I thought then that I might gain some pleasure by provoking you toanger; and our fight was the result. That blow on the ear wasexquisite, and by forcing me to become your servant you have made me, for the first time in my life, almost contented. For I hope in yourcompany to experience a great many griefs and disappointments. "

As Nerle concluded his story Prince Marvel turned to him and graspedhis hand. 

"Accept my sympathy!" said he. "I know exactly how you feel, for myown life during the past few centuries has not been much different. "

"The past few centuries!" gasped Nerle. "What do you mean?"

At this the prince blushed, seeing he had nearly disclosed his secret. But he said, quickly:

"Does it not seem centuries when one is unhappy?"

"It does, indeed!" responded Nerle, earnestly. "But please tell meyour story. "

"Not now, " said Prince Marvel, with a smile. "It will please you todesire in vain to hear a tale I will not tell. Yet I promise that onthe day we part company I shall inform you who I am. "

7. The Gray Men

The adventurers gave no heed to the path they followed after leavingthe cave of the reformed thieves, but their horses accidentally tookthe direction of the foot-hills that led into the wild interior Kingdomof Spor. Therefore the travelers, when they had finished theirconversation and begun to look about them, found themselves in arugged, mountainous country that was wholly unlike the green plains ofHeg they had left behind. 

Now, as I have before said, the most curious and fearful of the islandpeople dwelt in this Kingdom of Spor. They held no friendlycommunication with their neighbors, and only left their own mountainsto plunder and rob; and so sullen and fierce were they on theseoccasions that every one took good care to keep out of their way untilthey had gone back home again. 

There was much gossip about the unknown king of Spor, who had never yetbeen seen by any one except his subjects; and some thought he must beone of the huge giants of Spor; and others claimed he was a dwarf, likehis tiny but ferocious dart-slingers; and still others imagined him oneof the barbarian tribe, or a fellow to the terrible Gray Men. But, ofcourse, no one knew positively, and all these guesses were very wide ofthe mark. The only certainty about this king was that his giants, dwarfs, barbarians and Gray Men meekly acknowledged his rule and obeyedhis slightest wish; for though they might be terrible to others, theirking was still more terrible to them. 

Into this Kingdom of Spor Prince Marvel and Nerle had now penetratedand, neither knowing nor caring where they were, continued along thefaintly defined paths the horses had found. Presently, however, theywere startled by a peal of shrill, elfish laughter, and raising theireyes they beheld a horrid-looking old man seated upon a high rock nearby. 

"Why do you laugh?" asked Prince Marvel, stopping his horse. 

"Have you been invited? Tell me--have you been invited?" demanded theold man, chuckling to himself as if much amused. 

"Invited where?" inquired the prince. 

"To Spor, stupid! To the Kingdom of Spor! To the land of KingTerribus!" shrieked the old man, going into violent peals of laughter. 

"We go and come as we please, " answered Prince Marvel, calmly. 

"Go--yes! Go if you will. But you'll never come back--never! never!never!" The little old man seemed to consider this such a good jokethat he bent nearly double with laughing, and so lost his balance andtoppled off the rock, disappearing from their view; but they could hearhim laugh long after they had passed on and left him far behind them. 

"A strange creature!" exclaimed the prince thoughtfully. 

"But perhaps he speaks truth, " answered Nerle, "if, in fact, we havebeen rash enough to enter the Kingdom of Spor. Even my father, thebravest baron in Heg, has never dared venture within the borders ofSpor. For all men fear its mysterious king. "

"In that case, " replied Prince Marvel, "it is time some oneinvestigated this strange kingdom. People have left King Terribus andhis wild subjects too much to themselves; instead of stirring them upand making them behave themselves. "

Nerle smiled at this speech. 

"They are the fiercest people on the Enchanted Island, " said he, "andthere are thousands upon thousands who obey this unknown king. But ifyou think we dare defy them I am willing to go on. Perhaps ourboldness will lead them into torturing me, or starving me to death; andat the very least I ought to find much trouble and privation in theKingdom of Spor. "

"Time will determine that, " said the prince, cheerfully. 

They had now ridden into a narrow defile of the mountains, the pathwaybeing lined with great fragments of rock. Happening to look over hisshoulder Prince Marvel saw that as they passed these rocks a manstepped from behind each fragment and followed after them, theirnumbers thus constantly increasing until hundreds were silentlytreading in the wake of the travelers. 

These men were very peculiar in appearance, their skins being as grayas the rocks themselves, while their only clothing consisted of graycloth tunics belted around the waists with bands of gray fox-hide. They bore no weapons except that each was armed with a fork, havingthree sharp tines six inches in length, which the Gray Men carriedstuck through their fox-hide belts. 

Nerle also looked back and saw the silent throng following them, andthe sight sent such a cold shiver creeping up his spine that he smiledwith pleasure. There was no way to avoid the Gray Men, for the pathwas so narrow that the horsemen could not turn aside; but Prince Marvelwas not disturbed, and seemed not to mind being followed, so long as noone hindered his advance. 

He rode steadily on, Nerle following, and after climbing upward for along way the path began to descend, presently leading them into avalley of wide extent, in the center of which stood an immense castlewith tall domes that glittered as if covered with pure gold. A broadroadway paved with white marble reached from the mountain pass to theentrance of this castle, and on each side of this roadway stood linesof monstrous giants, armed with huge axes thrust into their belts andthick oak clubs, studded with silver spikes, which were carried overtheir left shoulders. 

The assembled giants were as silent as the Gray Men, and stoodmotionless while Prince Marvel and Nerle rode slowly up the marbleroadway. But all their brows were scowling terribly and their eyeswere red and glaring--as if they were balls of fire. 

"I begin to feel very pleasant, " said Nerle, "for surely we shall notget away from these folks without a vast deal of trouble. They do notseem to oppose our advance, but it is plain they will not allow us anychance of retreat. "

"We do not wish to retreat, " declared the prince. 

Nerle cast another glance behind, and saw that the Gray Men had haltedat the edge of the valley, while the giants were closing up as soon asthe horses passed them and now marched in close file in their rear. 

"It strikes me, " he muttered, softly, "that this is like to prove ourlast adventure. " But although Prince Marvel might have heard the wordshe made no reply, being evidently engaged in deep thought. 

As they drew nearer the castle it towered above them like a veritablemountain, so big and high was it; and the walls cast deep shadows fararound, as if twilight had fallen. They heard the loud blare of atrumpet sounding far up on the battlements; the portals of the castlesuddenly opened wide, and they entered a vast courtyard paved withplates of gold. Tiny dwarfs, so crooked that they resembled crabs, rushed forward and seized the bridles of the horses, while thestrangers slowly dismounted and looked around them. 

While the steeds were being led to the stables an old man, clothed in aflowing robe as white in color as his beard, bowed before Prince Marveland said in a soft voice:

"Follow me!"

The prince stretched his arms, yawned as if tired with his ride, andthen glared upon the old man with an expression of haughty surprise. 

"I follow no one!" said he, proudly. "I am Prince Marvel, sirrah, andif the owner of this castle wishes to see me I shall receive him here, as befits my rank and station. "

The man looked surprised, but only bowed lower than before. 

"It is the king's command, " he answered. 

"The king?"

"Yes; you are in the castle of King Terribus, the lord and ruler ofSpor. "

"That is different, " remarked the prince, lightly. "Still, I willfollow no man. Point out the way and I will go to meet his Majesty. "

The old man extended a lean and trembling finger toward an archway. Prince Marvel strode forward, followed by Nerle, and passing under thearch he threw open a door at the far end and boldly entered thethrone-room of King Terribus. 

8. The Fool-Killer

The room was round, with a dome at the top. The bare walls were ofgray stone, with square, open windows set full twenty feet from thefloor. Rough gray stone also composed the floor, and in the center ofthe room stood one great rock with a seat hollowed in its middle. Thiswas the throne, and round about it stood a swarm of men and womendressed in rich satins, velvets and brocades, brilliantly ornamentedwith gold and precious stones. The men were of many shapes andsizes--giants and dwarfs being among them. The women all seemed youngand beautiful. 

Prince Marvel cast but a passing glance at this assemblage, for his eyequickly sought the rude throne on which was seated King Terribus. 

The personal appearance of this monster was doubtless the most hideousknown in that age of the world. His head was large and shaped like anegg; it was bright scarlet in color and no hair whatever grew upon it. It had three eyes--one in the center of his face, one on the top of hishead and one in the back. Thus he was always able to see in everydirection at the same time. His nose was shaped like an elephant'strunk, and swayed constantly from side to side. His mouth was verywide and had no lips at all, two rows of sharp and white teeth beingalways plainly visible beneath the swaying nose. 

King Terribus, although surrounded by so splendid a court, wore asimple robe of gray cloth, with no ornament or other finery, and hisstrange and fearful appearance was strongly contrasted with theglittering raiment of his courtiers and the beauty of his ladies inwaiting. 

When Prince Marvel, with Nerle marching close behind, entered the greatroom, Terribus looked at him sharply a moment, and then bowed. Andwhen he bowed the eye upon the top of his head also looked sharply atthe intruders. 

Then the king spoke, his voice sounding so sweet and agreeable that italmost shocked Nerle, who had expected to hear a roar like that from awild beast. 

"Why are you here?" asked Terribus. 

"Partly by chance and partly from curiosity, " answered Prince Marvel. "No one in this island, except your own people, had ever seen the kingof Spor; so, finding myself in your country, I decided to come here andhave a look at you. "

The faces of the people who stood about the throne wore frightenedlooks at the unheard of boldness of this speech to their terriblemonarch. But the king merely nodded and inquired:

"Since you have seen me, what do you think of me?"

"I am sorry you asked that question, " returned the prince; "for I mustconfess you are a very frightful-looking creature, and not at allagreeable to gaze upon. "

"Ha! you are honest, as well as frank, " exclaimed the king. "But thatis the reason I do not leave my kingdom, as you will readilyunderstand. And that is the reason I never permit strangers to comehere, under penalty of death. So long as no one knows the King of Sporis a monster people will not gossip about my looks, and I am verysensitive regarding my personal appearance. You will perhapsunderstand that if I could have chosen I should have been bornbeautiful instead of ugly. "

"I certainly understand that. And permit me to say I wish you werebeautiful. I shall probably dream of you for many nights, " added theprince. 

"Not for many, " said King Terribus, quietly. "By coming here you havechosen death, and the dead do not dream. "

"Why should I die?" inquired Prince Marvel, curiously. 

"Because you have seen me. Should I allow you to go away you wouldtell the world about my ugly face. I do not like to kill you, believeme; but you must pay the penalty of your rashness--you and the manbehind you. "

Nerle smiled at this; but whether from pride at being called a man orin pleasurable anticipation of the sufferings to come I leave you toguess. 

"Will you allow me to object to being killed?" asked the prince. 

"Certainly, " answered the king, courteously. "I expect you to object. It is natural. But it will do you no good. "

Then Terribus turned to an attendant and commanded:

"Send hither the Fool-Killer. "

At this Prince Marvel laughed outright. 

"The Fool-Killer!" he cried; "surely your Majesty does me littlecredit. Am I, then, a fool?"

"You entered my kingdom uninvited, " retorted the king, "and you tell meto my face I am ugly. Moreover, you laugh when I condemn you to death. From this I conclude the Fool-Killer is the proper one to execute you. Behold!"

Marvel turned quickly, to find a tall, stalwart man standing behindhim. His features were strong but very grave, and the prince caught alook of compassion in his eye as their gaze met. His skin was fair andwithout blemish, a robe of silver cloth fell from his shoulders, and inhis right hand he bore a gleaming sword. 

"Well met!" cried Marvel, heartily, as he bowed to the Fool-Killer. "Ihave often heard your name mentioned, but 'tis said in the world thatyou are a laggard in your duty. "

"Had I my way, " answered the Fool-Killer, "my blade would always drip. It is my master, yonder, who thwarts my duty. " And he nodded towardKing Terribus. 

"Then you should exercise your right on him, and cleave the ugly headfrom his shoulders, " declared the prince. 

"Nay, unless I interfered with the Fool-Killer, " said the king, "Ishould soon have no subjects left to rule; for at one time or anotherthey all deserve the blade. "

"Why, that may be true enough, " replied Prince Marvel. "But I think, under such circumstances, your Fool-Killer is a needless servant. So Iwill rid you of him in a few moments. "

With that he whipped out his sword and stood calmly confronting theFool-Killer, whose grave face never changed in expression as headvanced menacingly upon his intended victim. The blades clashedtogether, and that of the Fool-Killer broke short off at the hilt. Hetook a step backward, stumbled and fell prone upon the rocky floor, while Prince Marvel sprang forward and pressed the point of his swordagainst his opponent's breast. 

"Hold!" cried the king, starting to his feet. "Would you slay myFool-Killer? Think of the harm you would do the world!"

"But he is laggard and unfaithful to his calling!" answered the prince, sternly. 

"Nevertheless, if he remove but one fool a year he is a benefit tomankind, " declared the king. "Release him, I pray you!"

Then the victor withdrew his sword and stood aside, while theFool-Killer slowly got upon his feet and bowed humbly before the king. 

"Go!" shouted Terribus, his eye flashing angrily. "You have humiliatedme before my enemy. As an atonement see that you kill me a fool a dayfor sixty days. "

Hearing this command, many of the people about the throne began totremble; but the king paid no attention to their fears, and theFool-Killer bowed again before his master and withdrew from the chamber. 

9. The Royal Dragon of Spor

"Now, " said Terribus, regarding the prince gloomily, "I must dispose ofyou in another way. "

For a moment he dropped his scarlet head in thought. Then he turnedfiercely upon his attendants. 

"Let the Wrestler come forward!" he shouted, as loudly as his mildvoice would carry. 

Instantly a tall blackamoor advanced from the throng and cast off hisflowing robe, showing a strong figure clad only in a silver loincloth. 

"Crack me this fellow's bones!" commanded Terribus. 

"I beg your Majesty will not compel me to touch him, " said PrinceMarvel, with a slight shudder; "for his skin is greasy, and will soilmy hands. Here, Nerle!" he continued, turning to his esquire, "disposeof this black man, and save me the trouble. "

Nerle laughed pleasantly. The black was a powerfully built man, andcompared with Nerle and the prince, who had but the stature of boys, hetowered like a very giant in size. Nevertheless, Nerle did nothesitate to spring upon the Wrestler, who with a quick movement sentthe boy crashing against the stone pavement. 

Nerle was much bruised by the fall, and as he painfully raised himselfto his feet a great lump was swelling behind his left ear, where hishead had struck the floor, and he was so dizzy that the room seemedswimming around him in a circle. But he gave a happy little laugh, andsaid to the prince, gratefully:

"Thank you very much, my master! The fall is hurting me delightfully. I almost feel as if I could cry, and that would be joy indeed!"

"Well, " answered the prince, with a sigh, "I see I must get my handsgreased after all"--for the black's body had really been greased toenable him to elude the grasp of his opponents. 

But Marvel made a quick leap and seized the Wrestler firmly around thewaist. The next moment, to the astonishment of all, the black man flewswiftly into the air, plunged through one of the open windows high upin the wall, and disappeared from view. When the king and his peopleagain turned their wondering eyes upon the prince he was wiping hishands carefully upon a silk handkerchief. 

At this sight a pretty young girl, who stood near the throne, laughedaloud, and the sound of her laughter made King Terribus very angry. 

"Come here!" he commanded, sternly. The girl stepped forward, her facenow pale and frightened, while tear-drops trembled upon the lashes thatfringed her downcast eyes. "You have dared to laugh at the humiliationof your king, " said Terribus, his horrid face more crimson than ever, "and as atonement I command that you drink of the poisoned cup. "

Instantly a dwarf came near, bearing a beautiful golden goblet in hiscrooked hands. 

"Drink!" he said, an evil leer upon his face. 

The girl well knew this goblet contained a vile poison, one drop ofwhich on her tongue would cause death; so she hesitated, trembling andshrinking from the ordeal. 

Prince Marvel looked into her sweet face with pitying eyes, andstepping quickly to her side, took her hand in his. 

"Now drink!" he said, smiling upon her; "the poison will not hurt you. "

She drank obediently, while the dwarf chuckled with awful glee and theking looked on eagerly, expecting her to fall dead at his feet. Butinstead the girl stood upright and pressed Marvel's hand, lookinggratefully into his face. 

"You are a fairy!" she whispered, so low that no one else heard hervoice. "I knew that you would save me. "

"Keep my secret, " whispered the prince in return, and still holding herhand he led her back to her former place. 

King Terribus was almost wild with rage and disappointment, and hiselephant nose twisted and squirmed horribly. 

"So you dare to thwart my commands, do you!" he cried, excitedly. "Well, we shall soon see which of us is the more powerful. I havedecreed your death--and die you shall!"

For a moment his eye roved around the chamber uncertainly. Then heshouted, suddenly:

"Ho, there! Keepers of the royal menagerie--appear!"

Three men entered the room and bowed before the king. They were of theGray Men of the mountains, who had followed Prince Marvel and Nerlethrough the rocky passes. 

"Bring hither the Royal Dragon, " cried the king, "and let him consumethese strangers before my very eyes!"

The men withdrew, and presently was heard a distant shouting, followedby a low rumbling sound, with groans, snorts, roars and a hissing likesteam from the spout of a teakettle. 

The noise and shouting drew nearer, while the people huddled togetherlike frightened sheep; and then suddenly the doors flew open and theRoyal Dragon advanced to the center of the room. 

This creature was at once the pride and terror of the Kingdom of Spor. It was more than thirty feet in length and covered everywhere withlarge green scales set with diamonds, making the dragon, when it moved, a very glittering spectacle. Its eyes were as big as pie-plates, andits mouth--when wide opened--fully as large as a bath-tub. Its tailwas very long and ended in a golden ball, such as you see on the top offlagstaffs. Its legs, which were as thick as those of an elephant, hadscales which were set with rubies and emeralds. It had two monstrous, big ears and two horns of carved ivory, and its teeth were also carvedinto various fantastic shapes--such as castles, horses' heads, chinamenand griffins--so that if any of them broke it would make an excellentumbrella handle. 

The Royal Dragon of Spor came crawling into the throne-room ratherclumsily, groaning and moaning with every step and waving its ears liketwo blankets flying from a clothesline. 

The king looked on it and frowned. 

"Why are you not breathing fire and brimstone?" he demanded, angrily. 

"Why, I was caught out in a gale the other night, " returned the Dragon, rubbing the back of its ear with its left front paw, as it paused andlooked at the king, "and the wind put out my fire. "

"Then why didn't you light it again?" asked Terribus, turning on thekeepers. 

"We--we were out of matches, your Majesty!" stammered the tremblingGray Men. 

"So--ho!" yelled the king, and was about to order the keepers beheaded;but just then Nerle pulled out his match-box, lit one of the matches, and held it in front of the Dragon's mouth. Instantly the creature'sbreath caught fire; and it began to breathe flames a yard in length. 

"That's better, " sighed the Dragon, contentedly. "I hope your Majestyis now satisfied. "

"No, --I am not satisfied!" declared King Terribus. "Why do you notlash your tail?"

"Ah, I can't do that!" replied the Dragon. "It's all stiffened up withrheumatism from the dampness of my cave. It hurts too much to lash it. "

"Well, then, gnash your teeth!" commanded the king. 

"Tut--tut!" answered the Dragon, mildly; "I can't do that, either; forsince you had them so beautifully carved it makes my teeth ache tognash them. "

"Well, then, what are you good for?" cried the king, in a fury. 

"Don't I look awful? Am I not terrible to gaze on?" inquired theDragon, proudly, as it breathed out red and yellow flames and made themcurl in circles around its horns. "I guess there's no need for me tosuggest terror to any one that happens to see me, " it added, winkingone of the pie-plate eyes at King Terribus. 

The king looked at the monster critically, and it really seemed to himthat it was a frightful thing to behold. So he curbed his anger andsaid, in his ordinary sweet voice:

"I have called you here to destroy these two strangers. "

"How?" asked the Dragon, looking upon Prince Marvel and Nerle withinterest. 

"I am not particular, " answered the king. "You may consume them withyour fiery breath, or smash them with your tail, or grind them to atomsbetween your teeth, or tear them to pieces with your claws. Only, dohurry up and get it over with!"

"Hm-m-m!" said the Dragon, thoughtfully, as if it didn't relish thejob; "this one isn't Saint George, is it?"

"No, no!" exclaimed the king, irritably; "it's Prince Marvel. Do getto work as soon as possible. "

"Prince Marvel--Prince Marvel, " repeated the Dragon. "Why, there isn'ta prince in the whole world named Marvel! I'm pretty well posted onthe history of royal families, you know. I'm afraid he's Saint Georgein disguise. "

"Isn't your name Prince Marvel?" inquired the king, turning to theboyish-looking stranger. 

"It is, " answered Marvel. 

"Well, it's mighty strange I've never heard of you, " persisted theDragon. "But tell me, please, how would you prefer to be killed?"

"Oh, I'm not going to be killed at all, " replied the prince, laughing. 

"Do you hear that, Terribus?" asked the Dragon, turning to the king;"he says he isn't going to be killed. "

"But I say he is!" cried Terribus. "I have decreed his death. "

"But do you suppose I'm going to kill a man against his will?" inquiredthe Dragon, in a reproachful voice; "and such a small man, too! Do youtake me for a common assassin--or a murderer?"

"Do you intend to obey my orders?" roared the king. 

"No, I don't; and that's flat!" returned the Dragon, sharply. "It'stime for me to take my cough medicine; so if you've nothing more to sayI'll go back to my cave. "

"Go, go, go!" shrieked the king, stamping his foot in passion. "You'veoutlived your usefulness! You're a coward! You're a traitor! You'rea--a--a--"

"I'm a dragon and a gentleman!" answered the monster, proudly, as theking paused for lack of a word; "and I believe I know what's proper fordragons to do and what isn't. I've learned wisdom from my father, whogot into trouble with Saint George, and if I fought with this personwho calls himself Prince Marvel, I'd deserve to be a victim of yourFool-Killer. Oh, I know my business, King Terribus; and if you knewyours, you'd get rid of this pretended prince as soon as possible!"

With this speech he winked at Prince Marvel, turned soberly around andcrawled from the room. One of the keepers got too near and theDragon's breath set fire to his robe, the flames being with difficultyextinguished; and the gold ball on the end of the Dragon's tail strucka giant upon his shins and made him dance and howl in pain. 

But, aside from these slight accidents, the monster managed to leavethe throne-room without undue confusion, and every one, including theking, seemed glad to be rid of him. 

10. Prince Marvel Wins His Fight

When the door had closed on the Royal Dragon, King Terribus turnedagain to Prince Marvel, while his crimson face glowed withembarrassment, and his front eye rolled with baffled rage as he thoughthow vain had been all his efforts to kill this impudent invader of hisdomains. 

But his powers were by no means exhausted. He was a mighty king--themightiest of all in the Enchanted Island, he believed--and ways todestroy his enemies were numerous. 

"Send for a hundred of my Gray Men!" he suddenly cried; and a courtierran at once to summon them. The Gray Men would obey his orders withoutquestion, he well knew. They were silent, stubborn, quick, andfaithful to their king. Terribus had but to command and his will wouldbe obeyed. 

They entered the room so quietly that Nerle never knew they were thereuntil he turned and found the hundred gray ones standing close togetherin the center of the hall. Then Prince Marvel came to Nerle's side andwhispered something in his ear. 

"Will you obey my orders?" they heard the king ask. And the Gray Men, with their eyes fixed upon their master, nodded all their hundred headsand put their hands upon the dangerous three-tined forks that werestuck in every one of the hundred belts. 

Prince Marvel handed one end of a coiled rope to Nerle, and then theyboth sprang forward and ran around the spot where the hundred Gray Menstood huddled together. Then they were pulled closer together thanbefore--closer, and still closer--for the prince and Nerle hadsurrounded them with the rope and were tying the two ends together in atight knot. The rope cut into the waists of those on the outside, andthey pressed inward against their fellows until there was scarcelyspace to stick a knife-blade between any two of them. When the princehad tied the rope firmly King Terribus, who had been looking on amazed, saw that his hundred Gray Men were fastened together like a bundle ofkindling-wood, and were unable to stir hand or foot. 

And, while he still gazed open-mouthed at the strange sight, PrinceMarvel tilted the bundle of men up on its edge and rolled it out of thedoor. It went rolling swiftly through the courtyard and bounded downthe castle steps, where the rope broke and the men fell sprawling inall directions on the marble walk. 

King Terribus sighed, for such treatment of his Gray Men, whom hedearly loved, made him very unhappy. 

But more than ever was he resolved to kill these impudent strangers, who, in the very heart of his kingdom where thousands bowed to hiswill, dared openly defy his power. So, after a moment's thought, Terribus beckoned to a dwarf who, robed in gay and glittering apparel, stood near his throne. 

"Summon the royal Dart Slingers!" he said, with a scowl. 

The little man bowed and hastened away, to return presently with twentycuriously crooked dwarfs, each armed with a sling and a quiver full ofslender, sharp-pointed darts. 

"Slay me these strangers!" exclaimed the king, in his gruffest voice. 

Now Nerle, when he beheld these terrible Dart Slingers, of whom he hadheard many tales in his boyhood, began to shiver and shake with fright, so that his teeth rattled one upon another. And he reflected: "Soonshall I be content, for these darts will doubtless pierce every part ofmy body. "

The dwarfs formed a line at one side of the gloomy throne-room, andPrince Marvel, who had been earnestly regarding them, caught Nerle bythe arm and led him to the opposite wall. 

"Stand close behind me and you will be safe, " he whispered to hisesquire. 

Then each dwarf fixed a dart in his sling, and at a word from theirchief they all drew back their arms and launched a shower of the sharpmissiles at the strangers. 

Swift and true they sped, each dart intended to pierce the body of theyouthful knight who stood so calm before them. Prince Marvel hadraised his right arm, and in his hand was a small leather sack, with awide mouth. As the darts flew near him a strange thing happened: theyeach and all swerved from their true course and fell rattling into theleathern sack, to the wonder of the royal slingers and the dismay ofKing Terribus himself. 

"Again!" screamed the king, his usually mild voice hoarse with anger. 

So again the dwarfs cast their darts, and again the leathern sackcaught them every one. Another flight followed, and yet another, tillthe magic sack was packed full of the darts and not a dwarf had oneremaining in his quiver. 

Amid the awed silence of the beholders of this feat the merry laughterof Prince Marvel rang loud and clear; for the sight of the puzzled andterrified faces about him was very comical. Plucking a dart from thesack he raised his arm and cried:

"Now it is my turn. You shall have back your darts!"

"Hold!" shouted the king, in great fear. "Do not, I beg you, slay myfaithful servants. " And with a wave of his hand he dismissed thedwarfs, who were glad to rush from the room and escape. 

Nerle wiped the tears from his eyes, for he was sorely disappointed athaving again escaped all pain and discomfort; but Prince Marvel seatedhimself quietly upon a stool and looked at the scowling face of KingTerribus with real amusement. 

The monarch of Spor had never before been so foiled and scorned by anyliving creature. Defeated and humbled before his own people, he bowedhis crimson head on his hands and sullenly regarded his foe with histop eye. Then it was that the idea came to him that no ordinary mortalcould have thwarted him so easily, and he began to fear he wasdealing--perhaps unawares--with some great magician or sorcerer. Thata fairy should have assumed a mortal form he never once considered, forsuch a thing was until then unheard of in the Enchanted Island of Yew. But with the knowledge that he had met his master, whoever he mightprove to be, and that further attempts upon the stranger's life mightlead to his own undoing, King Terribus decided to adopt a new line ofconduct, hoping to accomplish by stratagem what he could not do byforce. To be sure, there remained his regiment of Giants, the pride ofhis kingdom; but Terribus dreaded to meet with another defeat; and hewas not at all sure, after what had happened, that the giants wouldsucceed in conquering or destroying the strangers. 

"After all, " he thought, "my only object in killing them was to preventtheir carrying news of my monstrous appearance to the outside world; soif I can but manage to keep them forever in my kingdom it will answermy purpose equally well. "

As the result of this thought he presently raised his head and spoke toPrince Marvel in a quiet and even cheerful voice. 

"Enough of these rude and boisterous games, " said he, with a smile thatshowed his white teeth in a repulsive manner. "They may have seemed tomy people an ill welcome to my good friend, Prince Marvel; yet theywere only designed to show the powers of the mighty magician who hasbecome my guest. Nay, do not deny it, Prince; from the first I guessedyour secret, and to prove myself right I called my servants to opposeyou, being sure they could not do you an injury. But no more of suchfooling, --and pray forgive my merry game at your expense. Henceforthwe shall be friends, and you are heartily welcome to the best mykingdom affords. "

With this speech Terribus stepped down from his throne and approachedPrince Marvel with outstretched hand. The prince was not at alldeceived, but he was pleased to see how cunningly the king excused hisattempts to kill him. So he laughed and touched the hand Terribusextended, for this fairy prince seemed to have no anger against anymortal who ventured to oppose him. 

The strangers were now conducted, with every mark of respect, to abeautiful suite of apartments in the castle, wherein were soft bedswith velvet spreads, marble baths with perfumed waters, and a varietyof silken and brocaded costumes from which they might select a changeof raiment. 

No sooner had they bathed and adorned themselves fittingly than theywere summoned to the king's banquet hall, being escorted thither bytwelve young maidens bearing torches with lavender-colored flames. 

The night had fallen upon the mountains outside, but the great banquethall was brilliant with the glow of a thousand candles, and seated atthe head of the long table was King Terribus. 

Yet here, as in the throne-room, the ruler of Spor was dressed insimplest garments, and his seat was a rough block of stone. All abouthim were lords and ladies in gorgeous array; the walls were hung withrare embroideries; the table was weighted with gold platters and richlycarved goblets filled with sweet nectars. But the king himself, withhis horrid, ugly head, was like a great blot on a fair parchment, andeven Prince Marvel could not repress a shudder as he gazed upon him. 

Terribus placed his guest upon his right hand and loaded him withhonors. Nerle stood behind the prince's chair and served himfaithfully, as an esquire should. But the other servants treated Nerlewith much deference, noting in him an air of breeding that marked himthe unusual servant of an unusual master. 

Indeed, most curious were the looks cast on these marvelous men who hadcalmly walked into the castle of mighty Terribus and successfullydefied his anger; for in spite of his youthful appearance and smilingface every attendant at the banquet feared Prince Marvel even more thanthey feared their own fierce king. 

11. The Cunning of King Terribus

The days that followed were pleasant ones for Prince Marvel and Nerle, who were treated as honored guests by both the king and his courtiers. But the prince seemed to be the favorite, for at all games of skill andtrials at arms he was invariably the victor, while in the evenings, when the grand ball-room was lighted up and the musicians played sweetmusic, none was so graceful in the dance as the fairy prince. 

Nerle soon tired of the games and dancing, for he had been accustomedto them at his father's castle; and moreover he was shy in the societyof ladies; so before many weeks had passed he began to mope and show adiscontented face. 

One day the prince noticed his esquire's dismal expression ofcountenance, and asked the cause of it. 

"Why, " said Nerle, "here I have left my home to seek worries andtroubles, and have found but the same humdrum life that existed at myfather's castle. Here our days are made smooth and pleasant, and thereis no excitement or grief, whatever. You have become a carpet-knight, Prince Marvel, and think more of bright eyes than of daring deeds. So, if you will release me from your service I will seek furtheradventures. "

"Nay, " returned the prince, "we will go together; for I, too, am tiredof this life of pleasure. "

So next morning Marvel sought the presence of King Terribus and said:

"I have come to bid your Majesty adieu, for my esquire and I are aboutto leave your dominions. "

At first the king laughed, and his long nose began to sway from side toside. Then, seeing the prince was in earnest, his Majesty frowned andgrew disturbed. Finally he said:

"I must implore you to remain my guests a short time longer. No onehas ever before visited me in my mountain home, and I do not wish tolose the pleasure of your society so soon. "

"Nevertheless, we must go, " answered the prince, briefly. 

"Are you not contented?" asked Terribus. "Ask whatever you may desire, and it shall be granted you. "

"We desire adventures amid new scenes, " said Marvel, "and these you cannot give us except by permission to depart. "

Seeing his guest was obstinate the king ceased further argument andsaid:

"Very well; go if you wish. But I shall hope to see you return to usthis evening. "

The prince paid no heed to this peculiar speech, but left the hall andhurried to the courtyard of the castle, where Nerle was holding thehorses in readiness for their journey. 

Standing around were many rows and files of the Gray Men, and when theyreached the marble roadway they found it lined with motionless forms ofthe huge giants. But no one interfered with them in any way, althoughboth Prince Marvel and Nerle knew that every eye followed them as theyrode forward. 

Curiously enough, they had both forgotten from what direction they hadapproached the castle; for, whereas they had at that time noticed butone marble roadway leading to the entrance, they now saw that therewere several of these, each one connecting with a path through themountains. 

"It really doesn't matter which way we go, so long as we get away fromthe Kingdom of Spor, " said Prince Marvel; so he selected a path bychance, and soon they were riding through a mountain pass. 

The pleased, expectant look on Nerle's face had gradually turned to oneof gloom. 

"I hoped we should have a fight to get away, " he said, sadly; "and inthat case I might have suffered considerable injury and pain. But noone has injured us in any way, and perhaps King Terribus is really gladto be rid of us. "

"With good reason, too, if such is the case, " laughed Marvel; "for, mark you, Nerle, the king has discovered we are more powerful than heis, and had he continued to oppose us, we might have destroyed hisentire army. "

On they rode through the rough hill paths, winding this way and that, until they lost all sense of the direction in which they were going. 

"Never mind, " said the prince; "so long as we get farther and fartheraway from the ugly Terribus I shall be satisfied. "

"Perhaps we are getting into more serious danger than ever, " answeredNerle, brightening; "one of the giants told me the other day that nearthe foot of these mountains is the Kingdom of the High Ki of Twi. "

"Who is the High Ki of Twi?" asked Prince Marvel. 

"No one knows, " answered Nerle. 

"And what is the Kingdom of Twi like?"

"No one knows that, " answered Nerle. 

"Then, " returned the prince, with a smile, "if by chance we visit theplace we shall know more than any one else. "

At noon they ate luncheon by the wayside, Nerle having filled his pouchby stealth at the breakfast table. There were great fragments of rocklying all about them, and the sun beat down so fiercely that the heatreflected from the rocks was hard to bear. So the travelers did notlinger over their meal, but remounted and rode away as soon aspossible. When the sun began to get lower in the sky the rocks besidethe path threw the riders into shadow, so that their journey becamemore pleasant. They rode along, paying little attention to the way, but talking and laughing merrily together, until it began to grow dark. 

"Does this path never end?" asked Prince Marvel, suddenly. "We oughtto reach some place where men dwell before long, else we shall beobliged to spend the night among these rocks. "

"And then perhaps the wolves will attack us, " said Nerle, cheerfully, "and tear us into pieces with their sharp teeth and claws. "

But even as he spoke they rode around a turn in the path and saw asight that made them pause in astonishment. For just before them rosethe castle of King Terribus, and along both sides of the marble walkleading up to it were ranged the lines of giants, exactly as they hadstood in the morning. 

Nerle turned around in his saddle. Sure enough, there were the GrayMen in the rear--stepping from behind every boulder and completelyfilling the rocky pathway. 

"Well, what shall we do?" asked the esquire; "fight?"

"No, indeed!" returned Prince Marvel, laughing at his friend's eagerface. "It appears the path we chose winds around in a circle, and sohas brought us back to our starting-point. So we must make the best ofa bad blunder and spend another night with our ugly friend KingTerribus. "

They rode forward through the rows of giants to the castle, where theever-courteous servants took their horses and escorted them to theirformer handsome apartments with every mark of respect. 

No one seemed in the least surprised at their speedy return, and thisfact at first puzzled Nerle, and then made him suspicious. 

After bathing and dusting their clothing they descended to the banquethall, where King Terribus sat upon his gray stone throne and welcomedthem with quiet courtesy. 

The sight of the king's crimson skin and deformed face sent a thrill ofrepugnance through Prince Marvel, and under the impulse of a suddenthought he extended his hand toward Terribus and whispered a magic wordwhich was unheard by any around him. 

Nerle did not notice the prince's swift gesture nor the whispered word;but he was staring straight at Terribus at the time, and he saw withsurprise the eye on the top of the king's head move down toward hisforehead, and the eye in the center of his forehead slide slightlytoward the left, and the elephant-like nose shrink and shorten at thesame time. Also it seemed to him that the king's skin was not socrimson in color as before, and that a thin growth of hair had coveredhis head. 

However, no one else appeared to notice any change--least of allTerribus--so Nerle seated himself at the table and began to eat. 

"It was very kind of you to return so soon to my poor castle, " said theking to Prince Marvel, in his sweet voice. 

"We could not help it, " laughed the prince, in reply; "for the roadwound right and left until we knew not which way we traveled; and thenit finally circled around again to your castle. But to-morrow we shallseek a new path and bid you farewell forever. "

"Still, " remarked the king, gravely, "should you again miss your way, Ishall be glad to welcome your return. "

The prince bowed politely by way of reply, and turned to address thelittle maiden he had once saved from death by poison. And so infeasting, dancing and laughter the evening passed pleasantly enough tothe prince, and it was late when he called Nerle to attend him to theirapartment. 

12. The Gift of Beauty

The following morning Marvel and Nerle once more set out to leave theKingdom of Spor and its ugly king. They selected another pathwayleading from the castle and traveled all day, coming at nightfall intoview of the place whence they had started, with its solemn rows ofgiants and Gray Men standing ready to receive them. 

This repetition of their former experience somewhat annoyed the prince, while Nerle's usually despondent face wore a smile. 

"I see trouble ahead, " murmured the esquire, almost cheerfully. "Sincethe king can not conquer us by force he intends to do it by sorcery. "

Marvel did not reply, but greeted the king quietly, while Terribuswelcomed their return as calmly as if he well knew they could notescape him. 

That evening the prince made another pass toward the king with his handand muttered again the magic word. Nerle was watching, and saw theupper eye of Terribus glide still farther down his forehead and theother eye move again toward the left. The swaying nose shrank to a fewinches in length, and the skin that had once been so brilliantlycrimson turned to a dull red color. This time the courtiers and ladiesin waiting also noticed the change in the king's features, but wereafraid to speak of it, as any reference to their monarch's personalappearance was by law punishable by death. Terribus saw the startledlooks directed upon him, and raised his hand to feel of his nose andeyes; but thinking that if any change in his appearance had takenplace, he must be uglier than before, he only frowned and turned awayhis head. 

The next day the king's guests made a third attempt to leave hisdominions, but met with no better success than before, for a long andtedious ride only brought them back to their starting-place in theevening. 

This time Prince Marvel was really angry, and striding into the king'spresence he reproached him bitterly, saying:

"Why do you prevent us from leaving your kingdom? We have not injuredyou in any way. "

"You have seen ME, " returned Terribus, calmly, "and I do not intend youshall go back to the world and tell people how ugly I am. "

The prince looked at him, and could not repress a smile. The two eyesof the king, having been twice removed from their first position, werenow both in his forehead, instead of below it, and one was much higherthan the other. And the nose, although small when compared to what ithad been, still resembled an elephant's trunk. Other changes had beenmade for the better, but Terribus was still exceedingly repulsive tolook upon. 

Seeing the prince look at him and smile, the king flew into a fury ofanger and declared that the strangers should never, while they lived, be permitted to leave his castle again. Prince Marvel becamethoughtful at this, reflecting that the king's enmity all arose fromhis sensitiveness about his ugly appearance, and this filled theyouthful knight with pity rather than resentment. 

When they had all assembled at the evening banquet the prince, for athird time, made a mystic pass at the king and whispered a magic word. And behold! this time the charm was complete. For the two front eyesof Terribus fell into their proper places, his nose became straight andwell formed, and his skin took on a natural, healthy color. Moreover, he now had a fine head of soft brown hair, with eyebrows and eyelashesto match, and his head was shapely and in proportion to his body. Asfor the eye that had formerly been in the back of his head, it haddisappeared completely. 

So amazed were the subjects of the transformed king--who was now quitehandsome to look upon--that they began to murmur together excitedly, and something in the new sensations he experienced gave to the king'sface likewise an expression of surprise. Knowing from their pleasedlooks that he must have improved in appearance, he found courage toraise his hand to his nose, and found it well formed. Then he touchedhis eyes, and realized they were looking straight out from his face, like those of other people. 

For some moments after making these discoveries the king remainedmotionless, a smile of joy gradually spreading over his features. Thenhe said, aloud:

"What has happened? Why do you all look so startled?"

"Your Majesty is no longer ugly, " replied Marvel, laughingly; "so thatwhen Nerle and I leave your kingdom we can proclaim nothing less thanpraise of your dignified and handsome appearance. "

"Is my face indeed pleasing?" demanded the king, eagerly. 

"It is!" cried the assembled courtiers and ladies, as with one voice. 

"Bring me a mirror!" said the king. "I shall look at my reflection forthe first time in many years. "

The mirror being brought King Terribus regarded himself for a long timewith pleased astonishment; and then, his sensitive nature beingovercome by the shock of his good fortune, he burst into a flood oftears and rushed from the room. 

The courtiers and ladies now bestowed many grateful thanks upon PrinceMarvel for his kind deed; for they realized that thereafter their liveswould be safer from the king's anger and much pleasanter in every way. 

"Terribus is not bad by nature, " said one; "but he brooded upon hisugliness so much that the least thing served to throw him into aviolent passion, and our lives were never safe from one day to another. "

By and by two giants entered the hall and carried away the throne ofgray stone where Terribus had been accustomed to sit; and other slavesbrought a gorgeous throne of gold, studded with precious jewels, whichthey put in its place. And after a time the king himself returned tothe room, his simple gray gown replaced by flowing robes of purple, with rich embroideries, such as he had not worn for many years. 

"My people, " said he, addressing those present with kindness anddignity, "it seems to me fitting that a handsome king should behandsomely attired, and an ugly one clothed simply. For years I havebeen so terrible in feature that I dared not even look at my own imagein a mirror. But now, thanks to the gracious magic of my guest, I havebecome like other men, and hereafter you will find my rule as kind asit was formerly cruel. To-night, in honor of this joyous occasion, weshall feast and make merry, and it is my royal command that you all dohonor and reverence to the illustrious Prince Marvel!"

A loud shout of approval greeted this speech, and the evening was merryindeed. Terribus joined freely in the revelry, laughing as gaily asthe lightest-hearted damsel present. 

It was nearly morning before they all retired, and as they sought theirbeds Nerle asked the prince in a voice that sounded like an ill-naturedgrowl:

"Why did you give the king beauty, after his treatment of us?"

Marvel looked at the reproachful face of his esquire and smiled. "Whenyou are older, " said he, "you will find that often there are many waysto accomplish a single purpose. The king's ugliness was the bar to ourleaving his country, for he feared our gossip. So the easiest way forus to compass our escape was to take away his reason for detaining us. Thus I conquered the king in my own way, and at the same time gainedhis gratitude and friendship. "

"Will he allow us to depart in the morning?" inquired Nerle. 

"I think so, " said Marvel. 

It was late when they rose from their slumbers; but, havingbreakfasted, the prince's first act was to seek the king. 

"We wish to leave your kingdom, " said he. "Will you let us go?"

Terribus grasped the hand of his guest and pressed it with fervor, while tears of gratitude stood in his eyes. 

"I should prefer that you remain with me always, and be my friend, " heanswered. "But if you choose to leave me I shall not interfere in anyway with your wishes. "

Prince Marvel looked at him thoughtfully, and then said: "My time onthis island is short. In a few months Prince Marvel will have passedout of the knowledge of men, and his name will be forgotten. Beforethen I hope to visit the Kingdoms of Dawna and Auriel and Plenta; so Imust not delay, but beg you will permit me to depart at once. "

"Very well, " answered Terribus. "Come with me, and I shall show youthe way. "

He led the prince and Nerle to a high wall of rock, and placing hishand upon its rough surface, touched a hidden spring. Instantly animmense block of stone began to swing backward, disclosing a passagelarge enough for a man on horseback to ride through. 

"This is the one road that leads out of my kingdom, " said Terribus. "The others all begin and end at the castle. So that unless you knowthe secret of this passage you could never escape from Spor. "

"But where does this road lead?" asked Marvel. 

"To the Kingdom of Auriel, which you desire to visit. It is not astraight road, for it winds around the Land of Twi, so it will carryyou a little out of your way. "

"What is the Land of Twi?" inquired the prince. 

"A small country hidden from the view of all travelers, " said Terribus. "No one has ever yet found a way to enter the land of Twi; yet there isa rumor that it is ruled by a mighty personage called the High Ki. "

"And does the rumor state what the High Ki of Twi is like?"

"No, indeed, " returned the king, smiling, "so it will do you no good tobe curious. And now farewell, and may good luck attend you. Yet bearin mind the fact that King Terribus of Spor owes you a mighty debt ofgratitude; and if you ever need my services, you have but to call onme, and I shall gladly come to your assistance. "

"I thank you, " said Marvel, "but there is small chance of my needinghelp. Farewell, and may your future life be pleasant and happy!"

With this he sprang to the saddle of his prancing charger and, followedby Nerle, rode slowly through the stone arch. The courtiers and ladieshad flocked from the palace to witness their departure, and the giantsand dwarfs and Gray Men were drawn up in long lines to speed the king'sguests. So it was a brilliant sight that Marvel and Nerle looked backon; but once they were clear of the arch, the great stone rolled backinto its place, shutting them out completely from the Kingdom of Spor, with its turreted castle and transformed king. 

13. The Hidden Kingdom of Twi

Knowing that at last they were free to roam according to their desire, the travelers rode gaily along the paths, taking but scant heed oftheir way. 

"Our faces are set toward new adventures, " remarked the prince. "Letus hope they will prove more pleasant than the last. "

"To be sure!" responded Nerle. "Let us hope, at any rate, that weshall suffer more privations and encounter more trouble than we did inthat mountainous Kingdom of Spor. " Then he added: "For one reason, Iregret you are my master. "

"What is that reason?" asked the prince, turning to smile upon hisesquire. 

"You have a way of overcoming all difficulties without any troublewhatsoever, and that deprives me of any chance of coming to harm whilein your company. "

"Cheer up, my boy!" cried Marvel. "Did I not say there are newadventures before us? We may not come through them so easily as wecame through the others. "

"That is true, " replied Nerle; "it is always best to hope. " And then heinquired: "Why do you stop here, in the middle of the path?"

"Because the path has ended rather suddenly, " answered Marvel. "Hereis a thick hedge of prickly briers barring our way. "

Nerle looked over his master's shoulder and saw that a great hedge, high and exceedingly thick, cut off all prospect of their advancing. 

"This is pleasant, " said he; "but I might try to force our way throughthe hedge. The briers would probably prick me severely, and that wouldbe delightful. "

"Try it!" the prince returned, with twinkling eyes. 

Nerle sprang from his horse to obey, but at the first contact with thebriers he uttered a howl of pain and held up his hands, which werebleeding in a dozen places from the wounds of the thorns. 

"Ah, that will content you for a time, I trust, " said Marvel. "Nowfollow me, and we will ride along beside the hedge until we find anopening. For either it will come to an end or there will prove to be away through it to the other side. "

So they rode alongside the hedge for hour after hour; yet it did notend, nor could they espy any way to get through the thickly mattedbriers. By and by night fell, and they tethered their horses to someshrubs, where there were a few scanty blades of grass for them to crop, and then laid themselves down upon the ground, with bare rocks forpillows, where they managed to sleep soundly until morning. 

They had brought a supply of food in their pouches, and on this theybreakfasted, afterward continuing their journey beside the hedge. 

At noon Prince Marvel uttered an exclamation of surprise and stoppedhis horse. 

"What is it?" asked Nerle. 

"I have found the handkerchief with which you wiped the blood from yourhands yesterday morning, and then carelessly dropped, " replied theprince. "This proves that we have made a complete circle around thishedge without finding a way to pass through it. "

"In that case, " said Nerle, "we had better leave the hedge and go inanother direction. "

"Not so, " declared Marvel. "The hedge incloses some unknown country, and I am curious to find out what it is. "

"But there is no opening, " remonstrated Nerle. 

"Then we must make one. Wouldn't you like to enjoy a little more pain?"

"Thank you, " answered Nerle, "my hands are still smarting verycomfortably from the pricks of yesterday. "

"Therefore I must make the attempt myself, " said the prince, anddrawing his sword he whispered a queer word to it, and straightwaybegan slashing at the hedge. 

The brambles fell fast before his blade, and when he had cut a big heapof branches from the hedge Nerle dragged them to one side, and theprince began again. 

It was marvelous how thick the hedge proved. Only a magic sword couldhave done this work and remained sharp, and only a fairy arm could haveproved strong enough to hew through the tough wood. But the magicsword and fairy arm were at work, and naught could resist them. 

After a time the last branches were severed and dragged from the path, and then the travelers rode their horses through the gap into theunknown country beyond. 

They saw at first glance that it was a land of great beauty; but afterthat one look both Prince Marvel and Nerle paused and rubbed theireyes, to assure themselves that their vision was not blurred. 

Before them were two trees, exactly alike. And underneath the treestwo cows were grazing--each a perfect likeness of the other. At theirleft were two cottages, with every door and window and chimney theexact counterpart of another. Before these houses two little boys wereplaying, evidently twins, for they not only looked alike and dressedalike, but every motion one made was also made by the other at the sametime and in precisely the same way. When one laughed the otherlaughed, and when one stubbed his toe and fell down, the other didlikewise, and then they both sat up and cried lustily at the same time. 

At this two women--it was impossible to tell one from the other--rushedout of the two houses, caught up the two boys, shook and dusted them inprecisely the same way, and led them by their ears back into the houses. 

Again the astonished travelers rubbed their eyes, and then PrinceMarvel looked at Nerle and said:

"I thought at first that I saw everything double, but there seems to beonly one of YOU. "

"And of you, " answered the boy. "But see! there are two hills ahead ofus, and two paths lead from the houses over the hills! How strange itall is!"

Just then two birds flew by, close together and perfect mates; and thecows raised their heads and "mooed" at the same time; and two men--alsotwins--came over the two hills along the two paths with twodinner-pails in their hands and entered the two houses. They were metat the doors by the two women, who kissed them exactly at the same timeand helped them off with their coats with the same motions, and closedthe two doors with two slams at the same instant. 

Nerle laughed. "What sort of country have we got into?" he asked. 

"Let us find out, " replied the prince, and riding up to one of thehouses he knocked on the door with the hilt of his sword. 

Instantly the doors of both houses flew open, and both men appeared inthe doorways. Both started back in amazement at sight of thestrangers, and both women shrieked and both little boys began to cry. Both mothers boxed the children's ears, and both men gasped out:

"Who--who are you?"

Their voices were exactly alike, and their words were spoken in unison. Prince Marvel replied, courteously:

"We are two strangers who have strayed into your country. But I do notunderstand why our appearance should so terrify you. "

"Why--you are singular! There is only half of each of you!" exclaimedthe two men, together. 

"Not so, " said the prince, trying hard not to laugh in their faces. "We may be single, while you appear to be double; but each of us isperfect, nevertheless. "

"Perfect! And only half of you!" cried the men. And again the twowomen, who were looking over their husbands' shoulders, screamed atsight of the strangers; and again the two boys, who were clinging totheir mothers' dresses in the same positions, began to cry. 

"We did not know such strange people existed!" said the two men, bothstaring at the strangers and then wiping the beads of perspiration fromtheir two brows with two faded yellow handkerchiefs. 

"Nor did we!" retorted the prince. "I assure you we are as muchsurprised as you are. "

Nerle laughed again at this, and to hear only one of the strangersspeak and the other only laugh seemed to terrify the double peopleanew. So Prince Marvel quickly asked:

"Please tell us what country this is?"

"The Land of Twi, " answered both men, together. 

"Oh! the Land of Twi. And why is the light here so dim?" continued theprince. 

"Dim?" repeated the men, as if surprised; "why, this is twilight, ofcourse. "

"Of course, " said Nerle. "I hadn't thought of that. We are in thelong hidden Land of Twi, which all men have heard of, but no man hasfound before. "

"And who may you be?" questioned the prince, looking from one man tothe other, curiously. 

"We are Twis, " they answered. 

"Twice?"

"Twis--inhabitants of Twi. "

"It's the same thing, " laughed Nerle. "You see everything twice inthis land. "

"Are none of your people single?" asked Prince Marvel. 

"Single, " returned the men, as if perplexed. "We don't understand. "

"Are you all double?--or are some of you just one?" said the prince, who found it difficult to put his question plainly. 

"What does 'one' mean?" asked the men. "There is no such word as 'one'in our language. "

"They have no need of such a word, " declared Nerle. 

"We are only poor laborers, " explained the men. "But over the hillslie the cities of Twi, where the Ki and the Ki-Ki dwell, and also theHigh Ki. "

"Ah!" said Marvel, "I've heard of your High Ki. Who is he?"

The men shook their heads, together and with the same motion. 

"We have never seen the glorious High Ki, " they answered. "The sightof their faces is forbidden. None but the Ki and the Ki-Ki has seenthe Supreme Rulers and High Ki. "

"I'm getting mixed, " said Nerle. "All this about the Ki and the Ki-Kiand the High Ki makes me dizzy. Let's go on to the city and exploreit. "

"That is a good suggestion, " replied the prince. "Good by, myfriends, " he added, addressing the men. 

They both bowed, and although they still seemed somewhat frightenedthey answered him civilly and in the same words, and closed their doorsat the same time. 

So Prince Marvel and Nerle rode up the double path to the hills, andthe two cows became frightened and ran away with the same swingingstep, keeping an exact space apart. And when they were a safe distancethey both stopped, looked over their right shoulders, and "mooed" atthe same instant. 

14. The Ki and the Ki-Ki

From the tops of the hills the travelers caught their first glimpse ofthe wonderful cities of Twi. Two walls surrounded the cities, and inthe walls were two gates just alike. Within the inclosures stood manyhouses, but all were built in pairs, from the poorest huts to the mostsplendid palaces. Every street was double, the pavements running sideby side. There were two lamp-posts on every corner, and in the dimtwilight that existed these lamp-posts were quite necessary. If therewere trees or bushes anywhere, they invariably grew in pairs, and if abranch was broken on one it was sure to be broken on the other, anddead leaves fell from both trees at identically the same moment. 

Much of this Marvel and Nerle learned after they had entered thecities, but the view from the hills showed plainly enough that the"double" plan existed everywhere and in every way in this strange land. 

They followed the paths down to the gates of the walls, where two pairsof soldiers rushed out and seized their horses by the bridles. Thesesoldiers all seemed to be twins, or at least mates, and each one ofeach pair was as like the other as are two peas growing in the samepod. If one had a red nose the other's was red in the same degree, andthe soldiers that held the bridles of Nerle's horse both had their lefteyes bruised and blackened, as from a blow of the same force. 

These soldiers, as they looked upon Nerle and the prince, seemed fullyas much astonished and certainly more frightened than their prisoners. They were dressed in bright yellow uniforms with green buttons, and thesoldiers who had arrested the prince had both torn their leftcoat-sleeves and had patches of the same shape upon the seats of theirtrousers. 

"How dare you stop us, fellows?" asked the prince, sternly. 

The soldiers holding his horse both turned and looked inquiringly atthe soldiers holding Nerle's horse; and these turned to look at adouble captain who came out of two doors in the wall and walked up tothem. 

"Such things were never before heard of!" said the two captains, theirstartled eyes fixed upon the prisoners. "We must take them to the Kiand the Ki-Ki. "

"Why so?" asked Prince Marvel. 

"Because, " replied the officers, "they are our rulers, under grace ofthe High Ki, and all unusual happenings must be brought to theirnotice. It is our law, you know--the law of the Kingdom of Twi. "

"Very well, " said Marvel, quietly; "take us where you will; but if anyharm is intended us you will be made to regret it. "

"The Ki and the Ki-Ki will decide, " returned the captains gravely, their words sounding at the same instant. 

And then the two pairs of soldiers led the horses through the doublestreets, the captains marching ahead with drawn swords, and crowds oftwin men and twin women coming from the double doors of the doublehouses to gaze upon the strange sight of men and horses who were notdouble. 

Presently they came upon a twin palace with twin turrets rising highinto the air; and before the twin doors the prisoners dismounted. Marvel was escorted through one door and Nerle through another, andthen they saw each other going down a double hallway to a room with adouble entrance. 

Passing through this they found themselves in a large hall with twodomes set side by side in the roof. The domes were formed of stainedglass, and the walls of the hall were ornamented by pictures in pairs, each pair showing identically the same scenes. This, was, of course, reasonable enough in such a land, where two people would always look attwo pictures at the same time and admire them in the same way with thesame thoughts. 

Beneath one of the domes stood a double throne, on which sat the Ki ofTwi--a pair of gray-bearded and bald-headed men who were lean and lankand stoop-shouldered. They had small eyes, black and flashing, longhooked noses, great pointed ears, and they were smoking two pipes fromwhich the smoke curled in exactly the same circles and clouds. 

Beneath the other dome sat the Ki-Ki of Twi, also on double thrones, similar to those of the Ki. The Ki-Ki were two young men, and hadgolden hair combed over their brows and "banged" straight across; andtheir eyes were blue and mild in expression, and their cheeks pink andsoft. The Ki-Ki were playing softly upon a pair of musical instrumentsthat resembled mandolins, and they were evidently trying to learn a newpiece of music, for when one Ki-Ki struck a false note the other Ki-Kistruck the same false note at the same time, and the same expression ofannoyance came over the two faces at the same moment. 

When the prisoners entered, the pairs of captains and soldiers bowedlow to the two pairs of rulers, and the Ki exclaimed--both in the samevoice of surprise:

"Great Kika-koo! what have we here?"

"Most wonderful prisoners, your Highnesses, " answered the captains. "We found them at your cities' gates and brought them to you at once. They are, as your Highnesses will see, each singular, and but half ofwhat he should be. "

"'Tis so!" cried the double Ki, in loud voices, and slapping theirright thighs with their right palms at the same time. "Mostremarkable! Most remarkable!"

"I don't see anything remarkable about it, " returned Prince Marvel, calmly. "It is you, who are not singular, but double, that seemstrange and outlandish. "

"Perhaps--perhaps!" said the two old men, thoughtfully. "It is what weare not accustomed to that seems to us remarkable. Eh, Ki-Ki?" theyadded, turning to the other rulers. 

The Ki-Ki, who had not spoken a word but continued to play softly, simply nodded their blond heads carelessly; so the Ki looked again atthe prisoners and asked:

"How did you get here?"

"We cut a hole through the prickly hedge, " replied Prince Marvel. 

"A hole through the hedge! Great Kika-koo!" cried the gray-bearded Ki;"is there, then, anything or any place on the other side of the hedge?"

"Why, of course! The world is there, " returned the prince, laughing. 

The old men looked puzzled, and glanced sharply from their little blackeyes at their prisoners. 

"We thought nothing existed outside the hedge of Twi, " they answered, simply. "But your presence here proves we were wrong. Eh! Ki-Ki?"

This last was again directed toward the pair of musicians, whocontinued to play and only nodded quietly, as before. 

"Now that you are here, " said the twin Ki, stroking their two graybeards with their two left hands in a nervous way, "it must be evidentto you that you do not belong here. Therefore you must go back throughthe hedge again and stay on the other side. Eh, Ki-Ki?"

The Ki-Ki still continued playing, but now spoke the first words theprisoners had heard from them. 

"They must die, " said the Ki-Ki, in soft and agreeable voices. 

"Die!" echoed the twin Ki, "die? Great Kika-koo! And why so?"

"Because, if there is a world on the other side of the hedge, theywould tell on their return all about the Land of Twi, and others oftheir kind would come through the hedge from curiosity and annoy us. We can not be annoyed. We are busy. "

Having delivered this speech both the Ki-Ki went on playing the newtune, as if the matter was settled. 

"Nonsense!" retorted the old Ki, angrily. "You are getting more andmore bloodthirsty every day, our sweet and gentle Ki-Ki! But we arethe Ki--and we say the prisoners shall not die!"

"We say they shall!" answered the youthful Ki-Ki, nodding their twoheads at the same time, with a positive motion. "You may be the Ki, but we are the Ki-Ki, and your superior. "

"Not in this case, " declared the old men. "Where life and death areconcerned we have equal powers with you. "

"And if we disagree?" asked the players, gently. 

"Great Kika-koo! If we disagree the High Ki must judge between us!"roared the twin Ki, excitedly. 

"Quite so, " answered the Ki-Ki. "The strangers shall die. "

"They shall not die!" stormed the old men, with fierce gestures towardthe others, while both pairs of black eyes flashed angrily. 

"Then we disagree, and they must be taken to the High Ki, " returned theblond musicians, beginning to play another tune. 

The two Ki rose from their thrones, paced two steps to the right andthree steps to the left, and then sat down again. 

"Very well!" they said to the captains, who had listened unmoved to thequarrel of the rulers; "keep these half-men safe prisoners untilto-morrow morning, and then the Ki-Ki and we ourselves will conductthem to the mighty High Ki. "

At this command the twin captains bowed again to both pairs of rulersand led Prince Marvel and Nerle from the room. Then they were escortedalong the streets to the twin houses of the captains, and here theofficers paused and scratched their left ears with uncertain gestures. 

"There being only half of each of you, " they said, "we do not know howto lock each of you in double rooms. "

"Oh, let us both occupy the same room, " said Prince Marvel. "We preferit. "

"Very well, " answered the captains; "we must transgress our usualcustoms in any event, so you may as well be lodged as you wish. "

So Nerle and the prince were thrust into a large and pleasant room ofone of the twin houses, the double doors were locked upon them by twinsoldiers, and they were left to their own thoughts. 

15. The High Ki of Twi

"Tell me, Prince, are we awake or asleep?" asked Nerle, as soon as theywere alone. 

"There is no question of our being awake, " replied the prince, with alaugh. "But what a curious country it is--and what a funny people!"

"We can't call them odd or singular, " said the esquire, "for everythingis even in numbers and double in appearance. It makes me giddy to lookat them, and I keep feeling of myself to make sure there is still onlyone of me. "

"You are but half a boy!" laughed the prince--"at least so long as youremain in the Land of Twi. "

"I'd like to get out of it in double-quick time, " answered Nerle; "andwe should even now be on the other side of the hedge were it not forthat wicked pair of Ki-Ki, who are determined to kill us. "

"It is strange, " said the prince, thoughtfully, "that thefierce-looking old Ki should be our friends and the gentle Ki-Ki ourenemies. How little one can tell from appearances what sort of heartbeats in a person's body!"

Before Nerle could answer the two doors opened and two pairs ofsoldiers entered. They drew two small tables before the prince and twobefore Nerle, and then other pairs of twin soldiers came and spreadcloths on the tables and set twin platters of meat and bread and fruiton each of the tables. When the meal had been arranged the prisonerssaw that there was enough for four people instead of two; and thesoldiers realized this also, for they turned puzzled looks first on thetables and then on the prisoners. Then they shook all their twin headsgravely and went away, locking the twin doors behind them. 

"We have one advantage in being singular, " said Nerle, cheerfully; "andthat is we are not likely to starve to death. For we can eat theportions of our missing twins as well as our own. "

"I should think you would enjoy starving, " remarked the prince. 

"No; I believe I have more exquisite suffering in store for me, since Ihave met that gentle pair of Ki-Ki, " said Nerle. 

While they were eating the two captains came in and sat down in twochairs. These captains seemed friendly fellows, and after watching thestrangers for a while they remarked:

"We are glad to see you able to eat so heartily; for to-morrow you willprobably die. "

"That is by no means certain, " replied Marvel, cutting a piece from oneof the twin birds on a platter before him--to the extreme surprise ofthe captains, who had always before seen both birds carved alike at thesame time. "Your gray-bearded old Ki say we shall not die. "

"True, " answered the captains. "But the Ki-Ki have declared you shall. "

"Their powers seem to be equal, " said Nerle, "and we are to be takenbefore the High Ki for judgment. "

"Therein lies your danger, " returned the captains, speaking in the sametones and with the same accents on their words. "For it is well knownthe Ki-Ki has more influence with the High Ki than the Ki has. "

"Hold on!" cried Nerle; "you are making me dizzy again. I can't keeptrack of all these Kis. "

"What is the High Ki like?" asked Prince Marvel, who was muchinterested in the conversation of the captains. But this question theofficers seemed unable to answer. They shook their heads slowly andsaid:

"The High Ki are not visible to the people of Twi. Only in cases ofthe greatest importance are the High Ki ever bothered or evenapproached by the Ki and the Ki-Ki, who are supposed to rule the landaccording to their own judgment. But if they chance to disagree, thenthe matter is carried before the High Ki, who live in a palacesurrounded by high walls, in which there are no gates. Only theserulers have ever seen the other side of the walls, or know what theHigh Ki are like. "

"That is strange, " said the prince. "But we, ourselves, it seems, areto see the High Ki to-morrow, and whoever they may chance to be, wehope to remain alive after the interview. "

"That is a vain hope, " answered the captains, "for it is well knownthat the High Ki usually decide in favor of the Ki-Ki, and against thewishes of the old Ki. "

"That is certainly encouraging, " said Nerle. 

When the captains had gone and left them to themselves, the esquireconfided to his master his expectations in the following speech:

"This High Ki sounds something terrible and fierce in my ears, and asthey are doubtless a pair, they will be twice terrible and fierce. Perhaps his royal doublets will torture me most exquisitely beforeputting me to death, and then I shall feel that I have not lived invain. "

They slept in comfortable beds that night, although an empty twin bedstood beside each one they occupied. And in the morning they wereserved another excellent meal, after which the captains escorted themagain to the twin palaces of the Ki and the Ki-Ki. 

There the two pairs of rulers met them and headed the long processionof soldiers toward the palace of the High Ki. First came a band ofmusic, in which many queer sorts of instruments were played in pairs bytwin musicians; and it was amusing to Nerle to see the twin drummersroll their twin drums exactly at the same time and the twin trumpetspeal out twin notes. After the band marched the double Ki-Ki and thedouble Ki, their four bodies side by side in a straight line. TheKi-Ki had left their musical instruments in the palace, and now woreyellow gloves with green stitching down the backs and swung gold-headedcanes jauntily as they walked. The Ki stooped their aged shoulders andshuffled along with their hands in their pockets, and only once didthey speak, and that was to roar "Great Kika-koo!" when the Ki-Kijabbed their canes down on the Ki's toes. 

Following the Ki-Ki and the Ki came the prince and Nerle, escorted bythe twin captains, and then there were files of twin soldiers bringingup the rear. 

Crowds of twin people, with many twin children amongst them, turned outto watch the unusual display, and many pairs of twin dogs barkedtogether in unison and snapped at the heels of the marching twinsoldiers. 

By and by they reached the great wall surrounding the High Ki's palace, and, sure enough, there was never a gate in the wall by which any mightenter. But when the Ki and the Ki-Ki had blown a shrill signal upontwo pairs of whistles, they all beheld two flights of silver stepsbegin to descend from the top of the wall, and these came nearer andnearer the ground until at last they rested at the feet of the Ki. Then the old men began ascending the steps carefully and slowly, andthe captains motioned to the prisoners to follow. So Prince Marvelfollowed one of the Ki up the steps and Nerle the other Ki, while thetwo Ki-Ki came behind them so they could not escape. 

So to the top of the wall they climbed, where a pair of twin servantsin yellow and green--which seemed to be the royal colors--welcomed themand drew up the pair of silver steps, afterward letting them down onthe other side of the wall, side by side. 

They descended in the same order as they had mounted to the top of thewall, and now Prince Marvel and Nerle found themselves in a mostbeautiful garden, filled with twin beds of twin flowers, with manypairs of rare shrubs. Also, there were several double statuettes onpedestals, and double fountains sending exactly the same sprays ofwater the same distance into the air. 

Double walks ran in every direction through the garden, and in thecenter of the inclosure stood a magnificent twin palace, built ofblocks of white marble exquisitely carved. 

The Ki and the Ki-Ki at once led their prisoners toward the palace andentered at its large arched double doors, where several pairs ofservants met them. These servants, they found, were all dumb, so thatshould they escape from the palace walls they could tell no tales ofthe High Ki. 

The prisoners now proceeded through several pairs of halls, windingthis way and that, and at last came to a pair of golden double doorsleading into the throne-room of the mighty High Ki. Here they allpaused, and the Ki-Ki both turned to the prince and Nerle and said:

"You are the only persons, excepting ourselves and the palace servants, who have ever been permitted to see the High Ki of Twi. As you areabout to die, that does not matter; but should you by any chance bepermitted to live, you must never breathe a word of what you are aboutto see, under penalty of a sure and horrible death. "

The prisoners made no reply to this speech, and, after the two Ki-Kihad given them another mild look from their gentle blue eyes, theseofficials clapped their twin hands together and the doors of gold flewopen. 

A perfect silence greeted them, during which the double Ki and thedouble Ki-Ki bent their four bodies low and advanced into thethrone-room, followed by Prince Marvel and Nerle. 

In the center of the room stood two thrones of dainty filigree work insolid gold, and over them were canopies of yellow velvet, the folds ofwhich were caught up and draped with bands of green ribbon. And on thethrones were seated two of the sweetest and fairest little maidens thatmortal man had ever beheld. Their lovely hair was fine as a spider'sweb; their eyes were kind and smiling, their cheeks soft and dimpled, their mouths shapely as a cupid's bow and tinted like the petals of arose. Upon their heads were set two crowns of fine spun gold, workedinto fantastic shapes and set with glittering gems. Their robes weresoft silks of pale yellow, with strings of sparkling emeralds forornament. 

Anything so lovely and fascinating as these little maids, who wereprecisely alike in every particular, neither Prince Marvel nor Nerlehad ever dreamed could exist. They stood for a time spellbound andfilled with admiration, while the two pairs of rulers bowed again andagain before the dainty and lovable persons of their High Ki. 

But it was hard for Nerle to keep quiet for long, and presently heexclaimed, in a voice loud enough to be heard by all present:

"By the Great Kika-koo of our friends the Ki, these darling High Ki ofTwi are sweet enough to be kissed!"

16. The Rebellion of the High Ki

The bold speech of Nerle's made the two damsels laugh at the same time, and their sweet laughter sounded like rippling strains of harmoniousmusic. But the two Ki-Ki frowned angrily, and the two Ki looked at theboy in surprise, as if wondering at his temerity. 

"Who are these strangers?" asked the pretty High Ki, speaking togetheras all the twins of Twi did; "and why are they not mates, but only halfof each other?"

"These questions, your Supreme Highnesses, " said the blond-haired pairof Ki-Ki, "we are unable to answer. "

"Perhaps, then, the strangers can answer themselves, " said the littlemaids, smiling first upon the Ki-Ki and then upon the prisoners. 

Prince Marvel bowed. 

"I am from the great outside world, " said he, "and my name is PrinceMarvel. Until now I have never seen people that live in pairs, andspeak in unison, and act in the same way and think the same thoughts. My world is much bigger than your world, and in it every person isproud to think and act for himself. You say I am only a 'half, ' butthat is not so. I am perfect, without a counterpart; my friend Nerleis perfect without a counterpart, and it is yourselves who are halved. For in the Land of Twi no person is complete or perfect without itsother half, and it seems to take two of you to make one man--or onemaid. "

The sweet faces of the twin High Ki grew thoughtful at this speech, andthey said:

"Indeed, it may be you are right. But it is our custom in Twi to doeverything double and to live double. " Then, turning to the Ki, theyasked: "Why have you brought these strangers here?"

"To ask your Supreme Highnesses to permit them to return again to theworld from whence they came, " answered the Ki, both of them regardingtheir supreme rulers earnestly. 

But here the Ki-Ki spoke up quickly in their mild voices, saying:

"That is not our idea, your Highnesses. We, the Ki-Ki of Twi, think itbest the strangers should be put to death. And we pray your SupremeHighnesses to favor our wish. "

The two little maids looked from the Ki to the Ki-Ki, and frowned andpouted their rosy lips in evident perplexity. 

But Nerle whispered to Prince Marvel:

"It's all up with us! I know very well why her royal doublets alwaysfavors the Ki-Ki. It's because they are young and handsome, while theKi are old and ugly. Both of her will condemn us to death--you see ifshe don't!"

This seemed somewhat mixed, but Nerle was in earnest, and PrinceMarvel, who had not forgotten his fairy lore, began to weave a silentspell over the head of the nearest twin High Ki. But just as it wascompleted, and before he had time to work the spell on the other twin, the Ki-Ki grew impatient, and exclaimed:

"We beg your Highnesses not to keep us waiting. Let us have yourdecision at once!"

And the twin maidens raised their fair heads and replied. But thereply was of such a nature that both the old Ki and both the youngKi-Ki staggered backward in amazement. For one of the twin High Kisaid:

"They shall die!"

And the other twin High Ki said at the same instant:

"They shall NOT die!"

Had twin thunderbolts fallen through the twin roofs of the twin palacesand struck the twin Ki and the twin Ki-Ki upon their twin heads itwould have created no more stupendous a sensation than did this remark. Never before had any two halves of a twin of the Land of Twi thoughtdifferently or spoken differently. Indeed, it startled the two maidensthemselves as much as it did their hearers, for each one turned herhead toward the other and, for the first time in her life, looked intothe other's face!

This act was fully as strange as their speech, and a sudden horriblethought came into the startled heads of the twin Ki and the twin Ki-Ki:THE HIGH KI OF TWI WAS NO LONGER ONE, BUT TWO. AND THESE TWO WERETHINKING AND ACTING EACH INDEPENDENT OF THE OTHER!

It is no wonder the shock rendered them speechless for a time, and theystood swaying their four bodies, with their eight eyes bulging out likethose of fishes and their four mouths wide open, as if the two pairshad become one quartet. 

The faces of the two maids flushed as they gazed upon each other. 

"How DARE you contradict me?" asked one. 

"How dare you contradict ME?" demanded the other, and not only werethese questions asked separately, but the accent on the words wasdifferent. And their twin minds seemed to get farther apart everymoment. 

"I'm the High Ki of Twi!" said one. 

"You're not! I'M the High Ki!" retorted the other. 

"The strangers shall die!" snapped one. 

"They shall live!" cried the other. "My will is supreme. "

"It's not! MY will is supreme, " returned the other twin. 

The bald heads of the ancient Ki were bobbing in amazement, first toone maid and then toward the other. The blond hairs of the two Ki-Kiwere standing almost on end, and their eyes stared straight before themas if stupefied with astonishment. Nerle was bellowing with rudelaughter and holding his sides to keep from getting a stitch in them, while Prince Marvel stood quietly attentive and smiling with genuineamusement. For he alone understood what had happened to separate thetwin High Ki. 

The girls did not seem to know how to act under their alteredconditions. After a time one of them said:

"We will leave our dispute to be settled by the Ki and the Ki-Ki. "

"Very well, " agreed the other. 

"Then I say your half is right, " declared the Ki-Ki, both their rightforefingers pointing to the maiden who had condemned the strangers todeath. 

"And I decide that your half is right, " exclaimed the Ki, both theirtrembling forefingers pointing to the maiden who had said the strangersshould live. 

"Well?" said one girl. 

"Well?" said the other. 

"The powers of the Ki and the Ki-Ki are equal, " said the first. "Weare no nearer a settlement of our dispute than we were before. "

"My dear young ladies, " said Prince Marvel, politely, "I beg you willtake time to think the matter over, and see if you can not come to anagreement. We are in no hurry. "

"Very well, " decided the twins, speaking both together this time. "Wecommand you all to remain in the palace until we have settled our ownstrange dispute. The servants will care for you, and when we are readyto announce our decision we shall again send for you. "

Every one bowed at this command and retired from the room; but Nerlelooked over his shoulder as he went through the doorway, and saw thatthe two High Ki had turned in their seats and were facing each other, and that both their faces wore angry and determined expressions. 

17. The Separation of the High Ki

For nearly a week Prince Marvel and Nerle remained confined to thepalace and gardens of the High Ki. Together with the twin Ki, whoseemed to be friendly to them, they occupied one of the twin palaces, while the Ki-Ki secluded themselves in the other. 

The pretty High Ki maidens they did not see at all, nor did they knowwhat part of the palaces they occupied, not being permitted to wanderaway from the rooms allotted to them, except to walk in the garden. There was no way for them to escape, had they felt inclined to, for thesilver steps had disappeared. 

From the garden walks they sometimes caught sight of the solemn headsof the handsome Ki-Ki looking at them through the twin windows of theother palace, and although the expression of their faces was alwaysmild and gentle, Nerle and Marvel well knew the Ki-Ki were only waitingin the hope of having them killed. 

"Are you nervous about the decision of the pretty High Ki?" asked Nerleone day. 

"No, indeed, " said the prince, laughing; "for I do not expect them tokill me, in any event. "

"If I felt as sure of my safety, " returned the boy, "it would destroyall my pleasure. These are really happy days for me. Every moment Iexpect to see the executioner arrive with his ax. "

"The executioner is double, " said the two old Ki, breaking into theconversation. "You should say you expect to see the executionersarrive with their axes. "

"Then how will they cut off my head with two axes? For I suppose theywill both chop at the same time, and I have but one neck. "

"Wait and see, " answered the two Ki, sighing deeply and rubbing theirred noses thoughtfully. 

"Oh, I'll wait, " answered the boy; "but as for seeing them cut off myhead, I refuse; for I intend to shut my eyes. "

So they sat in their rooms or walked in the gardens, yawning andwaiting, until one day, just as the two clocks on the wall werestriking twenty-four o'clock, the door opened and to their surprise oneof the High Ki twins walked in upon them. 

She was as sweet and fair to look upon as when she occupied one of thebeautiful thrones, but at first no one could tell which of the High Kishe was--their friend or their enemy. Even the Ki were puzzled andanxious, until the girl said:

"My other half and I have completely separated, for we have agreed todisagree for all time. And she has gone to ask the Ki-Ki to assisther, for war is declared between us. And hereafter her color is to bethe green and mine the yellow, and we intend to fight until one of usconquers and overthrows the other. "

This announcement was interesting to Marvel and Nerle, but greatlyshocked the aged Ki, who asked:

"What is to become of our kingdom? Half of a High Ki can not rule it. It is against the law. "

"I will make my own laws when I have won the fight, " returned the girl, with a lovely smile; "so do not let that bother you. And now tell me, will you help me to fight my battles?"

"Willingly!" exclaimed Nerle and Prince Marvel, almost as if they hadbeen twins of Twi. And the Ki rubbed their bald heads a moment, andthen sneezed together and wiped their eyes on faded yellowhandkerchiefs, and finally declared they would "stick to her SupremeHighness through thick and thin!"

"Then go over the wall to the cities, at once, and get together all thesoldiers to fight for me and my cause, " commanded the girl. 

The twin Ki at once left the room, and the High Ki sat down and beganto ask questions of Prince Marvel and Nerle about the big outside worldfrom whence they came. Nerle was rather shy and bashful before thedainty little maiden, whose yellow robe contrasted delightfully withher pink cheeks and blue eyes and brown flowing locks; but PrinceMarvel did not mind girls at all, so he talked with her freely, and shein return allowed him to examine the pretty gold crown she wore uponher brow. 

By and by the Ki came back with both faces sad and gloomy. 

"Your Highness, " they announced, "we have bad news for you. The otherHigh Ki, who is wearing a green gown, has been more prompt in actionthan yourself. She and the Ki-Ki have secured the silver steps andwill allow no others to use them; and already they have sent for thesoldiers of the royal armies to come and aid them. So we are unable toleave the garden, and presently the army will be here to destroy us. "

Then the girl showed her good courage; for she laughed and said:

"Then we must remain here and fight to the last; and if I am unable tosave you, who are my friends, it will be because I can not save myself. "

This speech pleased Prince Marvel greatly. He kissed the little maid'shand respectfully and said:

"Fear nothing, your Highness. My friend and I are not so helpless asyou think. We consider it our privilege to protect and save you, instead of your saving us; and we are really able to do this in spiteof the other High Ki and her entire army. "

So they remained quietly in the palace the rest of that day, and no onemolested them in the least. In the evening the girl played and sangfor them, and the ancient pair of Ki danced a double-shuffle for theiramusement that nearly convulsed them with laughter. For one dancedexactly like the other, and the old men's legs were still very nimble, although their wrinkled faces remained anxiously grave throughout theirantics. Nerle also sang a song about the King of Thieves whom PrinceMarvel had conquered, and another about the Red Rogue of Dawna, so thataltogether the evening passed pleasantly enough, and they managed toforget all their uneasy doubts of the morrow. 

When at last they separated for the night, Prince Marvel alone did notseek his bed; there was still some business he wished to transact. Sohe shut himself up in his room and summoned before him, by means of hisfairy knowledge, the Prince of the Knooks, the King of the Ryls and theGovernor of the Goblins. These were all three his especial friends, and he soon told them the story of the quarrel and separation of thetwin High Ki, and claimed their assistance. Then he told them how theymight aid him, and afterward dismissed them. Having thus accomplishedhis task, the fairy prince went to bed and slept peacefully theremainder of the night. 

The next morning the blond Ki-Ki and all the army of Twi, which hadbeen won to their cause, came climbing up the silver steps and over thewall to the palace of the green High Ki; but what was their amazementto find the twin palaces separated by a wall so high that no laddersnor steps they possessed could reach to the top! It had been built ina single night, and only Prince Marvel and his fairy friends knew howthe work had been done so quickly. 

The yellow High Ki, coming downstairs to breakfast with her friends, found herself securely shut in from her enemies, and the bald-headedold Ki were so pleased to escape that they danced another jig from purejoy. 

Over the wall could be heard the shouts and threats of the army of Twi, who were seeking a way to get at the fugitives; but for the present ourfriends knew themselves to be perfectly safe, and they could afford tolaugh at the fury of the entire population of Twi. 

18. The Rescue of the High Ki

After several days of siege Prince Marvel began to feel less confidentof the safety of his little party. The frantic Ki-Ki had built doublebattering-rams and were trying to batter down the high wall; and theyhad built several pairs of long ladders with which to climb over thewall; and their soldiers were digging two tunnels in the ground inorder to crawl under the wall. 

Not at once could they succeed, for the wall was strong and it wouldtake long to batter it down; and Nerle stood on top of the wall andkicked over the ladders as fast as the soldiers of Twi set them up; andthe gray-bearded Ki stood in the garden holding two big flat boardswith which to whack the heads of any who might come through the tunnels. 

But Prince Marvel realized that the perseverance of his foes might winin the end, unless he took measures to defeat them effectually. So hesummoned swift messengers from among the Sound Elves, who areaccustomed to travel quickly, and they carried messages from him toWul-Takim, the King of the Reformed Thieves, and to King Terribus ofSpor, who had both promised him their assistance in case he needed it. The prince did not tell his friends of this action, but after themessengers had been dispatched he felt easier in his mind. 

The little High Ki remained as sweet and brave and lovable as ever, striving constantly to cheer and encourage her little band ofdefenders. But none of them was very much worried, and Nerle confidedto the maiden in yellow the fact that he expected to suffer quiteagreeably when the Ki-Ki at last got him in their clutches. 

Finally a day came when two big holes were battered through the wall, and then the twin soldiers of Twi poured through the holes and began topound on the doors of the palace itself, in which Prince Marvel andNerle, the Ki and the yellow High Ki had locked themselves as securelyas possible. 

The prince now decided it was high time for his friends to come totheir rescue; but they did not appear, and before long the doors of thepalace gave way and the soldiers rushed upon them in a vast throng. 

Nerle wanted to fight, and to slay as many of the Twi people aspossible; but the prince would not let him. 

"These poor soldiers are but doing what they consider their duty, " hesaid, "and it would be cruel to cut them down with our swords. Havepatience, I pray you. Our triumph will come in good time. "

The Ki-Ki, who came into the palace accompanied by the green High Ki, ordered the twin soldiers to bind all the prisoners with cords. So onepair of soldiers bound the Ki and another pair Nerle and the prince, using exactly the same motions in the operation. But when it came tobinding the yellow High Ki the scene was very funny. For twin soldierstried to do the binding, and there was only one to bind; so that onesoldier went through the same motions as his twin on empty air, andwhen his other half had firmly bound the girl, his own rope fellharmless to the ground. But it seemed impossible for one of the twinsto do anything different from the other, so that was the only way theact could be accomplished. 

Then the green-robed High Ki walked up to the one in yellow and laughedin her face, saying:

"You now see which of us is the most powerful, and therefore the mostworthy to rule. Had you remained faithful to our handsome Ki-Ki, as Idid, you would not now be defeated and disgraced. "

"There is no disgrace in losing one battle, " returned the other girl, proudly. "You are mistaken if you think you have conquered me, and youare wrong to insult one who is, for the time being, your captive. "

The maiden in green looked for an instant confused and ashamed; thenshe tossed her pretty head and walked away. 

They led all the prisoners out into the garden and then through thebroken wall, and up and down the silver steps, into the great square ofthe cities of Twi. And here all the population crowded around them, for this was the first time any of them had seen their High Ki, or evenknown that they were girls; and the news of their quarrel andseparation had aroused a great deal of excitement. 

"Let the executioners come forward!" cried the Ki-Ki, gleefully, and inanswer to the command the twin executioners stepped up to the prisoners. 

They were big men, these executioners, each having a squint in one eyeand a scar on the left cheek. They polished their axes a moment ontheir coat-sleeves, and then said to Prince Marvel and Nerle, who wereto be the first victims:

"Don't dodge, please, or our axes may not strike the right place. Anddo not be afraid, for the blows will only hurt you an instant. In theLand of Twi it is usually considered a pleasure to be executed by us, we are so exceedingly skillful. "

"I can well believe that, " replied Nerle, although his teeth werechattering. 

But at this instant a loud shout was heard, and the twin people of Twiall turned their heads to find themselves surrounded by throngs offierce enemies. 

Prince Marvel smiled, for he saw among the new-comers the giants anddwarfs and the stern Gray Men of King Terribus, with their monarchcalmly directing their movements; and on the other side of the circlewere the jolly faces and bushy whiskers of the fifty-nine reformedthieves, with burly Wul-Takim at their head. 

19. The Reunion of the High Ki

The twins of Twi were too startled and amazed to offer to fight withthe odd people surrounding them. Even the executioners allowed theiraxes to fall harmlessly to the ground, and the double people, soldiersand citizens alike, turned to stare at the strangers in wonder. 

"We're here, Prince!" yelled Wul-Takim, his bristly beard showing overthe heads of those who stood between. 

"Thank you, " answered Prince Marvel. 

"And the men of Spor are here!" added King Terribus, who was mounted ona fine milk-white charger, richly caparisoned. 

"I thank the men of Spor, " returned Prince Marvel, graciously. 

"Shall we cut your foes into small pieces, or would you prefer to hangthem?" questioned the King of the Reformed Thieves, loudly enough toset most of his hearers shivering. 

But now the little maid in yellow stepped up to Prince Marvel and, regarding the youthful knight with considerable awe, said sweetly:

"I beg you will pardon my people and spare them. They are usually goodand loyal subjects, and if they fought against me--their lawful HighKi--it was only because they were misled by my separation from my otherhalf. "

"That is true, " replied the prince; "and as you are still the lawfulHigh Ki of Twi, I will leave you to deal with your own people as yousee fit. For those who have conquered your people are but your ownallies, and are still under your orders, as I am myself. "

Hearing this, the green High Ki walked up to her twin High Ki and said, boldly:

"I am your prisoner. It is now your turn. Do with me as you will. "

"I forgive you, " replied her sister, in kindly tones. 

Then the little maid who had met with defeat gave a sob and turned awayweeping, for she had expected anything but forgiveness. 

And now the Ki-Ki came forward and, bowing their handsome blond headsbefore the High Ki, demanded: "Are we forgiven also?"

"Yes, " said the girl, "but you are no longer fit to be rulers of mypeople. Therefore, you are henceforth deprived of your honorableoffices of Ki-Ki, which I shall now bestow upon these good captainshere, " and she indicated the good-natured officers who had firstcaptured the prince and Nerle. 

The people of Twi eagerly applauded this act, for the captains weremore popular with them than the former Ki-Ki; but the blond ones bothflushed with humiliation and anger, and said:

"The captains fought against you, even as we did. "

"Yet the captains only obeyed your orders, " returned the High Ki. "SoI hold them blameless. "

"And what is to become of us now?" asked the former Ki-Ki. 

"You will belong to the common people, and earn your living playingtunes for them to dance by, " answered the High Ki. And at this retortevery one laughed, so that the handsome youths turned away with twinscowls upon their faces and departed amidst the jeers of the crowd. 

"Better hang 'em to a tree, little one, " shouted Wul-Takim, in his bigvoice; "they won't enjoy life much, anyhow. "

But the maid shook her pretty head and turned to the prince. 

"Will you stay here and help me to rule my kingdom?" she asked. 

"I can not do that, " replied Prince Marvel, "for I am but a wanderingadventurer and must soon continue my travels. But I believe you willbe able to rule your people without my help. "

"It is not so easy a task, " she answered, sighing. "For I am singularand my people are all double. "

"Well, let us hold a meeting in your palace, " said the prince, "andthen we can decide what is best to be done. "

So they dismissed the people, who cheered their High Kienthusiastically, returning quietly to their daily tasks and the gossipthat was sure to follow such important events as they had witnessed. 

The army of King Terribus and the fifty-nine reformed thieves went tothe twin palaces of the Ki and the Ki-Ki and made merry with feastingand songs to celebrate their conquest. And the High Ki, followed bythe prince, Nerle, King Terribus and Wul-Takim, as well as by the Kiand the newly-appointed Ki-Ki, mounted the silver steps and passed overthe wall to the royal palaces. The green High Ki followed them, stillweeping disconsolately. 

When they had all reached the throne-room, the High Ki seated herselfon one of the beautiful thrones and said:

"By some strange chance, which I am unable to explain, my twin and Ihave become separated; so that instead of thinking and acting alike, weare now individuals--as are all the strange men who have passed throughthe hole in the hedge. And, being individuals, we can no longer agree, nor can one of us lawfully rule over the Kingdom of Twi, where all thesubjects are twins, thinking and acting in unison. "

Said Prince Marvel:

"Your Highness, I alone can explain why you became separated from yourtwin. By means of a fairy enchantment, which I learned years ago, Iworked upon you a spell, which compelled your brain to work independentof your sister's brain. It seems to me that it is better each personshould think her own thoughts and live her own life, rather than beyoked to another person and obliged to think and act as a twin, orone-half of a complete whole. And since you are now the one High Ki, and the acknowledged ruler of this country, I will agree to work thesame fairy spell on all your people, so that no longer will there betwin minds in all this Land of Twi. "

"But all the cows and dogs and horses and other animals are double, aswell as the people, " suggested the old Ki, blinking their little eyesin amazement at the thought of being forever separated from each other. 

"I can also work the spell upon all the twin animals, " said the prince, after a moment's hesitation. 

"And all our houses are built double, with twin doors and windows andchimneys, to accommodate our twin people, " continued the High Ki. "Andthe trees and flowers--and even the blades of grass--are all double. And our roads are double, and--and everything else is double. I alone, the ruler of this land, am singular!"

Prince Marvel became thoughtful now, for he did not know how toseparate trees and flowers, and it would be a tedious task to separatethe twin houses. 

"Why not leave the country as it is?" asked King Terribus of Spor. "The High Ki is welcome to come to my castle to live, and then she needno longer bother about the Land of Twi, which seems to me a poor place, after all. "

"And your sister may come with me to my cave, and be the queen of thereformed thieves, which is a much more important office than being HighKi of Twi, " added big Wul-Takim, who had placed the maiden in greenupon a cushion at his feet, and was striving to comfort her by gentlystroking her silken hair with his rough hand. 

"But I love my country, and do not wish to leave it, " answered theyellow High Ki. "And I love my twin sister, and regret that our mindshave become separated, " she continued, sadly. 

"I have it!" exclaimed Nerle. "Let the prince reunite you, making youregular twins of Twi again, and then you can continue to rule thecountry as the double High Ki, and everything will be as it was before. "

The yellow High Ki clapped her pink hands with delight and lookedeagerly at the prince. 

"Will you?" she asked. "Will you please reunite us? And then all ourtroubles will be ended!"

This really seemed to Marvel the best thing to be done. So he led themaid in green to the other throne, where she had once sat, and afterreplacing the golden crown upon her brow he whispered a fairy spell ofmuch mystical power. 

Then the prince stepped back and regarded the maidens earnestly, andafter a moment both the High Ki smiled upon him in unison andsaid--speaking the same words in the same voices and with the sameaccents:

"Thank you very much!"

20. Kwytoffle, the Tyrant

Having restored the High Ki to their former condition, to the great joyof the ancient Ki, Prince Marvel led his friends back to the palaceswhere his men were waiting. 

They were just in time to prevent serious trouble, for the fifty-eightreformed thieves had been boasting of their prowess to the huge giantsand tiny dwarfs of King Terribus, and this had resulted in a quarrel asto which were the best fighters. Had not their masters arrived at theright moment there would certainly have been a fierce battle and muchbloodshed, --and all over something of no importance. 

Terribus and Wul-Takim soon restored order, and then they accompaniedthe Ki and the Ki-Ki to the public square, where the people wereinformed that their Supreme Highnesses, the High Ki, had been reunitedand would thereafter rule them with twin minds as well as twin bodies. There was great rejoicing at this news, for every twin in Twi was gladto have his troubles ended so easily and satisfactorily. 

That night the ryls and knooks and other invisible friends of PrinceMarvel came and removed the dividing wall between the twin palaces ofthe High Ki, repairing speedily all the damage that had been done. Andwhen our friends called upon the High Ki the next morning they foundthe two maids again dressed exactly alike in yellow robes, with stringsof sparkling emeralds for ornament. And not even Prince Marvel couldnow tell one of the High Ki from the other. 

As for the maids themselves, it seemed difficult to imagine they hadever existed apart for a single moment. 

They were very pleasant and agreeable to their new friends, and whenthey heard that Prince Marvel was about to leave them to seek newadventures they said:

"Please take us with you! It seems to us that we ought to knowsomething of the big outside world from whence you came. If we seeother kingdoms and people we shall be better able to rule our ownwisely. "

"That seems reasonable, " answered Marvel, "and I shall be very glad tohave you accompany me. But who will rule the Land of Twi in yourabsence?"

"The Ki-Ki shall be the rulers, " answered the High Ki, "and we willtake the Ki with us. "

"Then I will delay my departure until to-morrow morning, " said theprince, "in order that your Highnesses may have time to prepare for thejourney. "

And then he went back to the palaces of the other rulers, where the Kiexpressed themselves greatly pleased at the idea of traveling, and thenew Ki-Ki were proud to learn they should rule for some time the Landof Twi. 

Wul-Takim also begged to join the party, and so also did King Terribus, who had never before been outside of his own Kingdom of Spor; so PrinceMarvel willingly consented. 

The fifty-eight reformed thieves, led by Gunder, returned to theircave, where they were living comfortably on the treasure Prince Marvelhad given them; and the Gray Men and giants and dwarfs of Spor departedfor their own country. 

In the morning Prince Marvel led his own gay cavalcade through the holein the hedge, and they rode merrily away in search of adventure. 

By his side were the High Ki, mounted upon twin chestnut ponies thathad remarkably slender limbs and graceful, arched necks. The poniesmoved with exactly the same steps, and shook their manes and swishedtheir tails at exactly the same time. Behind the prince and the HighKi were King Terribus, riding his great white charger, and Wul-Takim ona stout horse of jet-black color. The two ancient Ki and Nerle, beingof lesser rank than the others, brought up the rear. 

"When we return to our Land of Twi, " said the High Ki, "we shall closeup for all time the hole you made in the hedge; for, if we aredifferent from the rest of the world, it is better that we remain inseclusion. "

"I think it is right you should do that, " replied Prince Marvel. "YetI do not regret that I cut a hole in your hedge. "

"It was the hedge that delayed us in coming more promptly to yourassistance, " said Terribus; "for we had hard work to find the hole youhad made, and so lost much valuable time. "

"All is well that ends well!" laughed the prince. "You certainly camein good time to rescue us from our difficulties. "

They turned into a path that led to Auriel, which Nerle had heardspoken of as "the Kingdom of the Setting Sun. "

Soon the landscape grew very pleasant to look upon, the meadows beingbroad and green, with groups of handsome trees standing about. Thetwilight of the Land of Twi was now replaced by bright sunshine, and inthe air was the freshness of the near-by sea. 

At evening they came to a large farmhouse, where the owner welcomedthem hospitably and gave them the best his house afforded. 

In answer to their questions about the Kingdom of Auriel, he shook hishead sadly and replied:

"It is a rich and beautiful country, but has fallen under greatmisfortunes. For when the good king died, about two years ago, thekingdom was seized by a fierce and cruel sorcerer, named Kwytoffle, whorules the people with great severity, and makes them bring him alltheir money and valuable possessions. So every one is now very poorand unhappy, and that is a great pity in a country so fair and fertile. "

"But why do not the people rebel?" asked Nerle. 

"They dare not rebel, " answered the farmer, "because they fear thesorcery of Kwytoffle. If they do not obey him he threatens to changethem into grasshoppers and June-bugs. "

"Has he ever changed any one into a grasshopper or a June-bug?" askedPrince Marvel. 

"No; but the people are too frightened to oppose him, and so he doesnot get the opportunity. And he has an army of fierce soldiers, whoare accustomed to beat the people terribly if they do not carry everybit of their wealth to the sorcerer. So there is no choice but to obeyhim. "

"We certainly ought to hang this wicked creature!" exclaimed Wul-Takim. 

"I wish I had brought my Fool-Killer with me, " sighed King Terribus;"for I could have kept him quite busy in this kingdom. "

"Can not something be done to rescue these poor people from their sadfate?" asked the lovely High Ki, anxiously. 

"We will make a call upon this Kwytoffle to-morrow, " answered PrinceMarvel, "and see what the fellow is like. "

"Alas! Alas!" wailed the good farmer, "you will all becomegrasshoppers and June-bugs--every one of you!"

But none of the party seemed to fear that, and having passed the nightcomfortably with the farmer they left his house and journeyed on intothe Kingdom of Auriel. 

Before noon they came upon the edge of a forest, where a poor man waschopping logs into firewood. Seeing Prince Marvel's party approach, this man ran toward them waving his hands and shouting excitedly:

"Take the other path! Take the other path!"

"And why should we take the other path?" inquired the prince, reiningin his steed. 

"Because this one leads to the castle of the great sorcerer, Kwytoffle, " answered the man. 

"But there is where we wish to go, " said Marvel. 

"What! You wish to go there?" cried the man. "Then you will be robbedand enslaved!"

"Not as long as we are able to fight, " laughed the big Wul-Takim. 

"If you resist the sorcerer, you will be turned into grasshoppers andJune-bugs, " declared the man, staring at them in wonder. 

"How do you know that?" asked Marvel. 

"Kwytoffle says so. He promises to enchant every one who dares defyhis power. "

"Has any one ever yet dared defy him?" asked Nerle. 

"Certainly not!" said the man. "No one wishes to become a June-bug ora grasshopper. No one dares defy him. ". 

"I am anxious to see this sorcerer, " exclaimed King Terribus. "Heought to prove an interesting person, for he is able to accomplish hispurposes by threats alone. "

"Then let us ride on, " said Marvel. 

"Dear us! Dear us!" remonstrated the bald-headed Ki; "are we to becomegrasshoppers, then?"

"We shall see, " returned the prince, briefly. 

"With your long legs, " added the pretty pair of High Ki, laughingly, "you ought to be able to jump farther than any other grasshopper in thekingdom. "

"Great Kika-koo!" cried the Ki, nervously, "what a fate! what aterrible fate! And your Highnesses, I suppose, will become June-bugs, and flutter your wings with noises like buzz-saws!"

21. The Wonderful Book of Magic

Whatever their fears might be, none of Prince Marvel's party hesitatedto follow him along the path through the forest in search of thesorcerer, and by and by they came upon a large clearing. In the middleof this open space was a big building in such bad repair that its wallswere tumbling down in several places, and all around it the ground wasuncared for and littered with rubbish. A man was walking up and downin front of this building, with his head bowed low; but when he heardthe sound of approaching horses' hoofs he looked up and stared for amoment in amazement. Then, with a shout of rage, he rushed toward themand caught Prince Marvel's horse by the bridle. 

"How dare you!" he cried; "how dare you enter my forest?"

Marvel jerked his bridle from the man's grasp and said in return:

"Who are you?"

"Me! Who am I? Why, I am the great and powerful Kwytoffle! Sobeware! Beware my sorcery!"

They all looked at the man curiously. He was short and very fat, andhad a face like a puff-ball, with little red eyes and scarcely any noseat all. He wore a black gown with scarlet grasshoppers and june-bugsembroidered upon the cloth; and his hat was high and peaked, with animitation grasshopper of extraordinary size perched upon its point. Inhis right hand he carried a small black wand, and around his neck hunga silver whistle on a silver cord. 

Seeing that the strangers were gazing on him so earnestly, Kwytofflethought they were frightened; so he said again, in a big voice:

"Beware my vengeance!"

"Beware yourself!" retorted the prince. "For if you do not treat usmore respectfully, I shall have you flogged. "

"What! Flog me!" shouted Kwytoffle, furiously. "For this I will turnevery one of you into grasshoppers--unless you at once give me all thewealth you possess!"

"Poor man!" exclaimed Nerle; "I can see you are longing for thatflogging. Will you have it now?" and he raised his riding-whip abovehis head. 

Kwytoffle stumbled backward a few paces and blew shrilly upon hissilver whistle. Instantly a number of soldiers came running from thebuilding, others following quickly after them until fully a hundredrough-looking warriors, armed with swords and axes, had formed inbattle array, facing the little party of Prince Marvel. 

"Arrest these strangers!" commanded Kwytoffle, in a voice like a roar. "Capture them and bind them securely, and then I will change them allinto grasshoppers!"

"All right, " answered the captain of the soldiers; and then he turnedto his men and shouted: "Forward--double-quick--march!"

They came on with drawn swords; at first running, and then graduallydropping into a walk, as they beheld Nerle, Wul-Takim, King Terribusand Marvel standing quietly waiting to receive them, weapons in handand ready for battle. A few paces off the soldiers hesitated andstopped altogether, and Kwytoffle yelled at the captain:

"Why don't you go on? Why don't you capture them? Why don't you fightthem?"

"Why, they have drawn their swords!" responded the captain, reproachfully. 

"Who cares?" roared the sorcerer. 

"We care, " said the captain, giving a shudder, as he looked upon thestrangers. "Their swords are sharp, and some of us would get hurt. "

"You're cowards!" shrieked the enraged Kwytoffle. "I'll turn you allinto June-bugs!"

At this threat the soldiers dropped their swords and axes, and all fellupon their knees, trembling visibly and imploring their cruel masternot to change them into june-bugs. 

"Bah!" cried Nerle, scornfully; "why don't you fight? If we kill you, then you will escape being June-bugs. "

"The fact is, " said the captain, woefully, "we simply can't fight. Forour swords are only tin, and our axes are made of wood, withsilver-paper pasted over them. "

"But why is that?" asked Wul-Takim, while all the party showed theirsurprise. 

"Why, until now we have never had any need to fight, " said the captain, "for every one has quickly surrendered to us or run away the moment wecame near. But you people do not appear to be properly frightened, andnow, alas! since you have drawn upon us the great sorcerer's anger, weshall all be transformed into June-bugs. "

"Yes!" roared Kwytoffle, hopping up and down with anger, "you shall allbe June-bugs, and these strangers I will transform into grasshoppers!"

"Very well, " said Prince Marvel, quietly; "you can do it now. "

"I will! I will!" cried the sorcerer. 

"Then why don't you begin?" inquired the prince. 

"Why don't I begin? Why, I haven't got the enchantments with me, that's why. Do you suppose we great magicians carry aroundenchantments in our pockets?" returned the other, in a milder tone. 

"Where do you keep your enchantments?" asked the prince. 

"They're in my dwelling, " snapped Kwytoffle, taking off his hat andfanning his fat face with the brim. 

"Then go and get them, " said Marvel. 

"Nonsense! If I went to get the enchantments you would all run away!"retorted the sorcerer. 

"Not so!" protested Nerle, who was beginning to be amused. "Mygreatest longing in life is to become a grasshopper. "

"Oh, yes! PLEASE let us be grasshoppers!" exclaimed the High Ki maidsin the same breath. 

"We want to hop! We want to hop! Please--PLEASE let us hop!" imploredthe bald-headed Ki, winking their left eyes at Wul-Takim. 

"By all means let us become grasshoppers, " said King Terribus, smiling;and Wul-Takim added:

"I'm sure your soldiers would enjoy being June-bugs, for then theywouldn't have to work. Isn't that so, boys?"

The bewildered soldiers looked at one another in perplexity, and thestill more bewildered sorcerer gazed on the speakers with staring eyesand wide-open mouth. 

"I insist, " said Prince Marvel, "upon your turning us into grasshoppersand your soldiers into June-bugs, as you promised. If you do not, thenI will flog you--as I promised. "

"Very well, " returned the sorcerer, with a desperate look upon hisface; "I'll go and find the enchantment. "

"And we'll go with you, " remarked the prince, pleasantly. 

So the entire party accompanied Kwytoffle into the house, where theyentered a large room that was in a state of much disorder. 

"Let me see, " said the sorcerer, rubbing his ears, as if trying tothink; "I wonder if I put them in this cupboard. You see, " heexplained, "no one has ever before dared me to transform him into aJune-bug or grasshopper, so I have almost forgotten where I keep mybook of enchantments. No, it's not in the cupboard, " he continued, looking there; "but it surely must be in this chest. "

It was not in the chest, either, and so the sorcerer continued to lookin all sorts of queer places for his book of enchantments, withoutfinding it. Whenever he paused in his search Prince Marvel would say, sternly:

"Go on! Find the book! Hunt it up. We are all anxious to becomegrasshoppers. " And then Kwytoffle would set to work again, althoughbig drops of perspiration were now streaming down his face. 

Finally he pulled an old book from underneath the pillow of his bed, and crying, "Here it is!" carried it to the window. 

He turned a few leaves of the book and then said:

"How unfortunate! The compound I require to change you intograsshoppers must be mixed on the first day of September; and as thisis now the eighth day of September I must wait nearly a year before Ican work the enchantment. "

"How about the June-bugs?" asked Nerle. 

"Oh! Ah! The June-bug mixture can only be made at the dark o' themoon, " said the sorcerer, pretending to read, "and that is three weeksfrom now. "

"Let me read it, " said Prince Marvel, suddenly snatching the book fromKwytoffle's hands. Then he turned to the title-page and read:

"'Lives of Famous Thieves and Impostors. ' Why, this is not a book ofenchantments. "

"That is what I suspected, " said Terribus. 

"No one but a sorcerer can read the enchantments in this book, "declared Kwytoffle; but he hung his head with a sheepish look, for heknew his deception had been well understood. 

"Is your own history written in this volume?" inquired Marvel. 

"No, " answered the sorcerer. 

"Then it ought to be, " said the prince, "for you are no sorcerer atall, but merely a thief and an impostor!"

22. The Queen of Plenta

The soldiers of Kwytoffle wanted to hang their old master at once, forhe had won their enmity by abusing them in many ways; but Prince Marvelwould not let them do this. However, they tied the false sorcerer to apost, and the captain gave him a good whipping--one lash for eachletter in the words "grasshopper" and "June-bug. " Kwytoffle howledloudly for mercy, but no one was at all sorry for him. 

Wul-Takim tied a rope around the impostor's neck, and when the partyleft the castle they journeyed all through the kingdom of Auriel, andat every town or city they came to the reformed thief would cry out tothe populace:

"Here is the terrible sorcerer Kwytoffle, who threatened to change youinto grasshoppers and june-bugs. But you may see that he is a verycommon man, with no powers of sorcery whatever!"

And then the people would laugh and pelt mud at their former tyrant, and thank Prince Marvel for haying exposed the false and wickedcreature. 

And they called the son of their old king back to his lawful throne, where he ruled wisely and well; and the hoarded wealth of Kwytoffle wasdivided among the people again, and soon the country became prosperousonce more. 

This adventure was very amusing to the pretty High Ki of Twi. Itafforded them laughter for many days, and none of the party ever saw agrasshopper or a june-bug afterward without thinking of the terriblesorcerer Kwytoffle. 

They left that disgraced person grooming horses for his board in thestables of the new king, and proceeded upon their journey. 

Without further event they reached the splendid southern Kingdom ofPlenta, which was the most delightfully situated of any dominion in theEnchanted Island of Yew. It was ruled by a good and generous queen, who welcomed the strangers to her palace and gave a series of gayentertainments in their honor. 

King Terribus was especially an object of interest, for every one hadheard his name and feared him and his fierce people. But when theybeheld his pleasant countenance and listened to his gentle voice theybegan to regard him with much love and respect; and really Terribus wasworthy of their friendship since he had changed from a deformed monsterinto an ordinary man, and had forbidden his people ever again to roband plunder their weaker neighbors. 

But the most popular personages visiting at the court of the Queen ofPlenta were the lovely High Ki of Twi. Although beautiful girlsabounded in this kingdom, none could compare with the royal twins, andtheir peculiar condition only served to render them the moreinteresting. 

Two youths would approach the High Ki at the same time and invite themto dance, and in united voices they would accept the invitation and gowhirling around the room with exactly the same steps, laughing at thesame instant and enjoying the dance equally. But if one youth askedhis partner a question, both the twins would make answer, and that wassure to confuse and embarrass the youth. Still, the maids managed verywell to adapt themselves to the ways of people who were singular, although they sometimes became a little homesick for Twi, where theywere like all the other people. 

The bald-headed Ki kept watchful eyes on their youthful rulers, andserved them very cheerfully. But with all their travels andexperiences, the old men could never be convinced it was better to besingular than double. 

Prince Marvel was the real hero of the party, and Nerle received muchattention on account of his master's popularity. He did not seem asunhappy as usual, and when the prince inquired the reason, his esquireanswered that he believed the excitement of their adventures was fastcuring him of his longing for something he could not have. As for thepleasure of suffering, he had had some experience of that, too, and itwas not nearly so delightful as he had expected. 

Wul-Takim was not a society man, so he stayed around the royal stablesand made friends with the grooms, and traded his big black horse fortwo bay ones and a gold neck-chain, and was fairly content with his lot. 

And so the party enjoyed several happy weeks at the court of the goodQueen of Plenta, until one day the terrible news arrived that carriedthem once more into exciting adventures. 

23. The Red Rogue of Dawna

One morning, while they were all standing in the courtyard waiting fortheir horses, as they were about to go for a ride, a courier camegalloping swiftly up to the palace and cried:

"Does any one know where Prince Marvel can be found?"

"I am Prince Marvel, " replied the young knight, stepping out from amongthe others. 

"Then have I reached my journey's end!" said the courier, whose horsewas nearly exhausted from long and hard riding. "The Lady Seseley isin great danger, and sends for you to come and rescue her. The greatBaron Merd, her father, has been killed and his castle destroyed, andall his people are either captives or have been slain outright. "

"And who has done this evil thing?" asked Prince Marvel, looking verystern and grave. 

"The Red Rogue of Dawna, " answered the messenger. "He quarreled withthe Baron Merd and sent his savage hordes to tear down his castle andslay him. I myself barely escaped with my life, and the Lady Seseleyhad but time to say, before she was carried off, that if I could findPrince Marvel he would surely rescue her. "

"And so I will!" declared the prince, "if she be still alive. "

"Who is this Lady Seseley?" asked Nerle, who had come to his master'sside. 

"She is my first friend, to whom I owe my very existence. It is herimage, together with those of her two friends, which is graven on myshield, " answered Prince Marvel, thoughtfully. 

"And what will you do?" inquired the esquire. 

"I must go to her at once. "

When they heard of his mission all the party insisted on accompanyinghim. Even the dainty High Ki could not be deterred by any thoughts ofdangers they might encounter; and after some discussion Prince Marvelallowed them to join him. 

So Wul-Takim sharpened his big broadsword, and Nerle carefully preparedhis master's horse, so that before an hour had passed they weregalloping toward the province of the Red Rogue of Dawna. 

Prince Marvel knew little concerning this personage, but Nerle had muchto tell of him. The Red Rogue had once been page to a wise scholar andmagician, who lived in a fine old castle in Dawna and ruled over alarge territory. The boy was very small and weak--smaller even thanthe average dwarf--and his master did not think it worth while to watchhim. But one evening, while the magician was standing upon the top ofthe highest tower of his castle, the boy gave him a push from behind, and he met death on the sharp rocks below. Then the boy took hismaster's book of magic and found a recipe to make one grow. He madethe mixture and swallowed it, and straightway began to grow big andtall. This greatly delighted him, until he found he was getting muchbigger than the average man and rapidly becoming a giant. So he soughtfor a way to arrest the action of the magical draft; but before hecould find it he had grown to enormous proportions, and was bigger thanthe biggest giant. There was nothing in the book of magic to make onegrow smaller, so he was obliged to remain as he was--the largest man inthe Enchanted Island. 

All this had happened in a single night. The morning after hismaster's murder the page announced himself lord of the castle; and, seeing his enormous size, none dared deny his right to rule. Onaccount of his bushy hair, which was fiery red in color, and the bushyred beard that covered his face when he became older, people came tocall him the Red One. And after his evil deeds and quarrelsome temperhad made him infamous throughout the island, people began to call himthe Red Rogue of Dawna. 

He had gathered around him a number of savage barbarians, as wicked andquarrelsome as himself, and so none dared to interfere with him, oreven to meet him, if it were possible to avoid it. 

This same Red Rogue it was who had drawn the good Baron Merd into aquarrel and afterward slain the old knight and his followers, destroyedhis castle, and carried his little daughter Seseley and her girlfriends, Berna and Helda, into captivity, shutting them up in his owngloomy castle. 

The Red Rogue thought he had done a very clever thing, and had no fearof the consequences until one of his men came running up to the castleto announce that Prince Marvel and his companions were approaching torescue the Lady Seseley. 

"How many of them are there?" demanded the Red Rogue. 

"There are eight, altogether, " answered the man, "but two of them aregirls. "

"And they expect to force me to give up my captives?" asked the RedOne, laughing with a noise like the roar of a waterfall. "Why, I shallmake prisoners of every one of them!"

The man looked at his master fearfully, and replied:

"This Prince Marvel is very famous, and all people speak of his braveryand power. It was he who conquered King Terribus of Spor, and thatmighty ruler is now his friend, and is one of the eight who approach. "

The Red Rogue stopped laughing, for the fame of Spor's terrible kinghad long ago reached him. And he reflected that any one who couldconquer the army of giants and dwarfs and Gray Men that served Terribusmust surely be one to be regarded seriously. Moreover--and this was asecret--the Red Rogue had never been able to gain the strength tocorrespond with his gigantic size, but had ever remained as weak aswhen he was a puny boy. So he was accustomed to rely on his cunningand on the terror his very presence usually excited to triumph over hisenemies. And he began to be afraid of this prince. 

"You say two of the party are girls?" he asked. 

"Yes, " said the man, "but also among them are King Terribus himself, and the renowned Wul-Takim, formerly king of thieves, who was conqueredby the prince, although accounted a hard fighter, and is now hisdevoted servant. And there are two old men who are just alike and havea very fierce look about them. They are said to come from the hiddenKingdom of Twi. "

By this time the Red Rogue was thoroughly frightened, but he did notyet despair of defeating his enemies. He knew better than to attemptto oppose Prince Marvel by force, but he still hoped to conquer him bytrickery and deceit. 

Among the wonderful things that the Red Rogue's former master, the wisescholar and magician, had made were two large enchanted mirrors, whichwere set on each side of the great hallway of the castle. Heavycurtains were drawn over the surfaces of these mirrors, because theyboth possessed a dreadful magical power. For whenever any one lookedinto one of them his reflection was instantly caught and imprisoned inthe mirror, and his body at the same time became invisible to allearthly eyes, only the mirror retaining his form. 

While considering a way to prevent the prince from freeing the LadySeseley, the Red Rogue happened to think of these mirrors, which hadnever yet been used. So he went stealthily into the great hall anddrew aside the covering from one of the mirrors. He did not dare lookinto the mirror himself, but hurried away to another room, and thensent a page up a back stairway to summon the Lady Seseley and her twomaids into his presence. 

The girls at once obeyed, for they greatly feared the Red Rogue; and ofcourse they descended the front stairway and walked through the greathall. At once the large mirror that had been exposed to view caughtthe eye of Seseley, and she paused to regard her reflection in theglass. Her two companions did likewise, and instantly all three girlsbecame invisible, while the mirror held their reflections fast in itsmagic surface. 

The Red Rogue was watching them through a crack in the door, and seeingthe girls disappear he gave a joyful laugh and exclaimed:

"Now let Prince Marvel find them if he can!"

The three girls began to wander aimlessly through the castle; for notonly were they invisible to others, but also to themselves and to oneanother, and they knew not what to do nor which way to turn. 

24. The Enchanted Mirrors

Presently Prince Marvel and his party arrived and paused before thedoors of the castle, where the Red Rogue stood bowing to them with mockpoliteness and with an evil grin showing on his red face. 

"I come to demand the release of the Lady Seseley and her companions!"Prince Marvel announced, in a bold voice. "And I also intend to callyou to account for the murder of Baron Merd. "

"You must be at the wrong castle, " answered the Red One, "for I havemurdered no baron, nor have I any Lady Seseley as prisoner. "

"Are you not the Red Rogue of Dawna?" demanded the prince. 

"Men call me by that name, " acknowledged the other. 

"Then you are deceiving me, " said the prince. 

"No, indeed!" answered the Red Rogue, mockingly. "I wouldn't deceiveany one for the world. But, if you don't believe me, you are welcometo search my castle. "

"That I shall do, " returned the prince, sternly, "whether I have yourpermission or not, " and he began to dismount. But Nerle restrainedhim, saying:

"Master, I beg you will allow me to search the castle. For this RedRogue is playing some trick upon us, I am sure, and if anythinghappened to you there would be no one to protect the little High Ki andour other friends. "

"But suppose something should happen to you?" inquired the prince, anxiously. 

"In that case, " said Nerle, "you can avenge me. "

The advice was so reasonable, under the circumstances, that the princedecided to act upon it. 

"Very well, " said he, "go and search the castle, and I will remain withour friends. But if anything happens to you, I shall call the RedRogue to account. "

So Nerle entered the castle, passing by the huge form of its owner, whoonly nodded to the boy and grinned with delight. 

The esquire found himself in the great hall and began to look aroundhim, but without seeing any one. Then he advanced a few steps and, tohis surprise, discovered a large mirror, in which were reflected thefaces and forms of three girls, as well as his own. 

"Why, here they are!" he attempted to say; but he could not hear hisown voice. He glanced down at himself but could see nothing atall--for his body had become invisible. His reflection was still inthe glass, and he knew that his body existed the same as before; butalthough he yet saw plainly the hall and all that it contained, hecould see neither himself nor any other person of flesh. 

After waiting a considerable time for his esquire to reappear PrinceMarvel became impatient. 

"What have you done with Nerle?" he asked of the Red Rogue. 

"Nothing, " was the reply. "I have been here, plainly within yoursight, every moment. "

"Let me go and find him!" exclaimed King Terribus, and rushed into thecastle before the prince could reply. But Terribus also encounteredthe enchanted mirror, and the prince waited in vain for his return. 

Then Wul-Takim volunteered to go in search of the others, and drew hisbig, sharp sword before entering the hall. But an hour passed by andhe did not return. 

The Red Rogue was overjoyed at the success of his stratagem, and couldscarce refrain from laughing outright at the prince's anxiety. 

Marvel was really perplexed. He knew some treachery was afoot, butcould not imagine what it was. And when the pretty High Ki declaredtheir intention of entering the castle, he used every endeavor todissuade them. But the twin girls would not be denied, so great wastheir curiosity. So the prince said:

"Well, we will all go together, so that the Ki and I may be able toprotect you. "

The Red Rogue gladly granted them admittance, and they passed him andentered the great hall. 

The place appeared to them to be completely empty, so they walked alongand came opposite the mirror. Here all stopped at once, and the twinHigh Ki uttered exclamations of surprise, and the twin Ki shouted, "Great Kika-koo!"

For there in the glass were the reflections of the three girls andNerle and King Terribus and Wul-Takim. And there were also thereflections of the twin High Ki and the twin Ki. Only Prince Marvel'sreflection was missing, and this was because of his fairy origin. Forthe glass could reflect and hold only the forms of mortals. 

But the prince saw the reflections of all the others, and then made thediscovery that the forms of the Ki and the High Ki had becomeinvisible. No one except himself appeared to be standing in the greathall of the Red Rogue's castle! Yet grouped within the glass were thelikenesses of all his friends, as well as those of Lady Seseley and hercompanions; and all were staring back at him earnestly, as if imploringhim to save them. 

The mystery was now explained, and Prince Marvel rushed from the hallto find the treacherous Red Rogue. But that clever trickster hadhidden himself in an upper room, and for the present was safelyconcealed. 

For a time Prince Marvel could not think what to do. Such magic wasall unknown to him, and how to free the imprisoned forms of his friendswas a real problem. He walked around the castle, but no one was insight, the Rogue having given orders to all his people to keep away. Only the tethered horses did he see, and these raised their heads andwhinnied as if in sympathy with his perplexity. 

Then he went back into the hall and searched all the rooms of thecastle without finding a single person. On his return he stopped infront of the mirror and sorrowfully regarded the faces of his friends, who again seemed to plead for relief. 

And while he looked a sudden fit of anger came over him at beingoutwitted by this Red Rogue of Dawna. Scarcely knowing what he did, heseized his sword by the blade and struck the mirror a powerful blowwith the heavy hilt. It shattered into a thousand fragments, whichfell clattering upon the stone floor in every direction. And at oncethe charm was broken; each of his friends now became visible. Theyappeared running toward him from all parts of the castle, where theyhad been wandering in their invisible forms. 

They called out joyful greetings to one another, and then all of themsurrounded the prince and thanked him earnestly for releasing them. 

The little Lady Seseley and her friends, Berna and Helda, were a bitshy in the presence of so many strangers; but they alone knew theprince's secret, and that he was a fairy transformed for a year; sothey regarded him as an old and intimate acquaintance, and after beingintroduced by him to the others of his party they became more at ease. 

The sweet little High Ki maids at once attracted Seseley, and she lovedthem almost at first sight. But it was Nerle who became the littlelady's staunchest friend; for there was something rather mystical andunnatural to him about the High Ki, who seemed almost like fairies, while in Seseley he recognized a hearty, substantial girl of his ownrank in life. 

While they stood talking and congratulating one another outside of thecastle, the Red Rogue of Dawna appeared among them. He had heard thenoise of the smashing of his great mirror, and had come runningdownstairs from his hiding-place to find his cunning had all been fornaught and his captives were free. 

A furious anger then took possession of the Rogue, and forgetting hispersonal weakness he caught up a huge battle-ax and rushed out to hurlhimself upon Prince Marvel, intending to do him serious injury. 

But the prince was not taken unawares. He saw the Red Rogue coming andmet him with drawn sword, striking quickly at the arm that wielded thebig ax. The stroke was as sure as it was quick, and piercing the armof the giant caused him to drop the ax with a howl of pain. 

Then Prince Marvel seized the Red Rogue by the ear--which he was justtall enough to reach--and dragged him up the steps and into the castle, the big fellow crying for mercy at every step and trembling like a leafthrough cowardice. 

But down the hall Marvel marched him, seeking some room where the Roguemight be safely locked in. The great curtain that covered the secondenchanted mirror now caught Prince Marvel's eye, and, still holding hisprisoner by the ear, he reached out his left hand and pulled aside thedrapery. 

The Red Rogue looked to see what his captor was doing, and beheld hisown reflection in the magic mirror. Instantly he gave a wild cry anddisappeared, his body becoming absolutely invisible, while his coarsered countenance stared back from the mirror. 

And then Prince Marvel gave a sigh of relief and dropped the curtainover the surface of the mirror. For he realized that the Red Rogue ofDawna had at last met with just punishment and was safely imprisonedfor all time. 

25. The Adventurers Separate

When Prince Marvel and his friends had ridden away from the castle thesavage followers of the Red One came creeping up to listen for theirmaster's voice. But silence reigned in every part of the castle, andafter stealing fearfully through the rooms without seeing any one thefellows became filled with terror and fled from the place, never toreturn. 

And afterward the neighbors whispered that the castle was haunted bythe spirit of the terrible Red Rogue, and travelers dared not stop inthe neighborhood, but passed by quickly and with averted faces. 

The prince and his party rode gaily along toward the Kingdom of Heg, for Nerle had invited them all to visit his father's castle. They werevery happy over their escape, and only the little Lady Seseley becamesad at times, when she thought of her father's sad fate. 

The Baron Neggar, who was Nerle's father, was not only a wealthynobleman, but exceedingly kind and courteous; so that every member ofPrince Marvel's party was welcomed to the big castle in a veryhospitable manner. 

Nerle was eagerly embraced by both his father and mother, who wereoverjoyed to see him return safe and sound after his wanderings andadventures. 

"And have you been cured of your longing for something that you can nothave?" asked the baron, anxiously. 

"Not quite, " said Nerle, laughing; "but I am more reconciled to my lot. For I find wherever I go people are longing for just the things theycan not get, and probably would not want if they had them. So, as itseems to be the fate of most mortals to live unsatisfied, I shall tryhereafter to be more contented. "

These words delighted the good baron, and he gave a rich andmagnificent feast in honor of his son's return. 

The High Ki of Twi, after passing several pleasant days at Nerle'shome, now decided that they had seen enough of the world and would beglad to return to their own kingdom, where all was peaceful anduneventful, and rule it to the end of their days. So the baronfurnished them an escort of twenty men-at-arms, and these conducted theHigh Ki and the aged Ki safely back to the hole in the hedge. 

And after they had entered the Land of Twi, the first act of the HighKi was to order the hedge repaired and the hole blocked up; and I havenever heard that any one, from that time forth, ever succeeded ingaining admittance to the hidden kingdom. So its subsequent history isunknown. 

King Terribus also bade the prince an affectionate farewell and rodeback to his own kingdom; and burly Wul-Takim accompanied him as far asthe cave, where the fifty-eight reformed thieves awaited him. 

Nerle's mother gladly adopted the Lady Seseley and her two companions, and thereafter they made their home at the baron's castle. And yearsafterward, when they had grown to be women, Seseley was married toNerle and became the lady of the castle herself. 

Prince Marvel enjoyed the feasting and dancing at the castle very much, but after the party began to break up, and the High Ki and the Ki hadleft him, as well as King Terribus and honest Wul-Takim, the youngknight grew thoughtful and sometimes uneasy, and his happy laugh wasless frequently heard. Nerle often regarded his young master with afeeling of awe, for there occasionally came a look into Marvel's eyesthat reminded him more of the immortals than of any human being. Butthe prince treated him with rare kindness and always pressed Nerle'shand affectionately when he bade him good night, for he had grown fondof his esquire. Also they had long conversations together, duringwhich Nerle gleaned a great deal of knowledge and received some advicethat was of much use to him in his later life. 

One day Prince Marvel sought out Lady Seseley and said:

"Will you ride with me to the Forest of Lurla?"

"Willingly, " she answered; and calling Berna and Helda to attend them, they mounted their horses and rode swiftly away, for it was a longdistance to Lurla. 

By noon the party entered the forest, and although the path theytraversed was unknown to the girls, who had usually entered the forestfrom its other side, near to where the Baron Merd's castle had stood, the prince seemed to have no difficulty in finding his way. 

He guided them carefully along the paths, his handsome war-chargerstepping with much grace and dignity, until at length they came to aclearing. 

Here the prince paused abruptly, and Seseley looked around her and atonce recognized the place. 

"Why, " she exclaimed, in surprise, "it is the Fairy Bower!"

And then she turned to Prince Marvel and asked in a soft voice:

"Is the year ended, Prince?"

His smile was a bit sad as he answered, slowly:

"The year will be ended in five minutes!"

26. The End of the Year

The girls sat upon the green moss and waited. Prince Marvel stoodsilent beside his horse. The silver armor was as bright as the day hedonned it, nor was there a dent in his untarnished shield. The swordthat had done such good service he held lightly in his hand, and thehorse now and then neighed softly and turned to look at him withaffectionate eyes. 

Seseley began to tremble with excitement, and Berna and Helda stared atthe prince with big round eyes. 

But, after all, they saw nothing so remarkable as they expected. Forpresently--and it all happened in a flash--Prince Marvel was gone fromtheir midst, and a handsome, slender-limbed deer darted from the bowerand was quickly lost in the thick forest. On the ground lay a sheet ofbark and a twig from a tree, and beside them was Lady Seseley's whitevelvet cloak. 

Then the three girls each drew a long breath and looked into oneanother's eyes, and, while thus engaged, a peal of silvery laughtersounded in their ears and made them spring quickly to their feet. 

Before them stood a tiny and very beautiful fairy, clothed in floatinggossamer robes of rose and pearl color, and with eyes sparkling liketwin stars. 

"Prince Marvel!" exclaimed the three, together. 

"No, indeed!" cried the fairy, with a pretty little pout. "I am no onebut myself; and, really, I believe I shall now be content to exist fora few hundred years in my natural form. I have quite enjoyed my yearas a mortal; but after all there are, I find, some advantages in beinga fairy. Good by, my dears!"

And with another ripple of laughter the pretty creature vanished, andthe girls were left alone. 

27. A Hundred Years Afterward

About a hundred years after Prince Marvel enjoyed his strangeadventures in the Enchanted Island of Yew an odd thing happened. 

A hidden mirror in a crumbling old castle of Dawna broke loose from itsfastenings and fell crashing on the stone pavement of the desertedhall. And from amid the ruins rose the gigantic form of a man. Hishair and beard were a fiery red, and he gazed at the desolation aroundhim in absolute amazement. 

It was the Red Rogue of Dawna, set free from his imprisonment. 

He wandered out and found strange scenes confronting him, for duringthe hundred years a great change had taken place in the EnchantedIsland. Great cities had been built and great kingdoms established. Civilization had won the people, and they no longer robbed or fought orindulged in magical arts, but were busily employed and leadingrespectable lives. 

When the Red Rogue tried to tell folks who he was, they but laughed athim, thinking the fellow crazy. He tried to get together a band ofthieves, as Wul-Takim had done in the old days, but none would join him. 

And so, forced to be honest against his will, the Rogue was driven toearn a living by digging in the garden of a wealthy noble, of whom hehad never before heard. 

But often he would pause in his labors and lean on his spade, whilethoughts of the old days of wild adventure passed through his mind inrapid succession; and then the big man would shake his red head with apuzzled air and mutter:

"I wonder who that Prince Marvel could have been! And I wonder whatever became of him!"