good brother of Paflagonia, my dear son's
father-in-law, to this rubbish?' asked the King.

'The King's uncle hath been deprived of the crown he unjustly wore,'
said Hedzoff gravely. 'He and his axminister, Glumboso, are now in
prison waiting the sentence of my royal master. After the battle of
Bombardaro--'

'Of what?' asked the surprised Padella.

'Of Bombardaro, where my liege, his present Majesty, would have
performed prodigies of velour, but that the whole of his uncle's army
came over to our side, with the exception of Prince Bulbo.'

'Ah! my boy, my boy, my Bulbo was no traitor!' cried Padella.

'Prince Bulbo, far from coming over to us, ran away, sir; but I caught
him. The Prince is a prisoner in our army, and the most terrific
tortures await him if a hair of the Princess Rosalba's head is injured.'

'Do they?' exclaimed the furious Padella, who was now perfectly LIVID
with rage.' Do they indeed? So much the worse for Bulbo. I've twenty
sons as lovely each as Bulbo. Not one but is as fit to reign as Bulbo.
Whip, whack, flog, starve, rack, punish, torture Bulbo--break all his
bones--roast him or flay him alive--pull all his pretty teeth out one by
one! But justly dear as Bulbo is to me,--joy of my eyes, fond treasure
of my soul!--Ha, ha, ha, ha! revenge is dearer still. Ho! tortures,
rack-men, executioners--light up the fires and make the pincers hot! get
lots of boiling lead!--Bring out ROSALBA!'

XVI. HOW HEDZOFF RODE BACK AGAIN TO KING GIGLIO

Captain Hedzoff rode away when King Padella uttered this cruel command,
having done his duty in delivering the message with which his royal
master had entrusted him. Of course he was very sorry for Rosalba, but
what could he do?

So he returned to King Giglio's camp, and found the young monarch in a
disturbed state of mind, smoking cigars in the royal tent. His
Majesty's agitation was not appeased by the news that was brought by
his ambassador. 'The brutal ruthless ruffian royal wretch!' Giglio
exclaimed. 'As England's poesy has well remarked, "The man that lays
his hand upon a woman, save in the way of kindness, is a villain." Ha,
Hedzoff!'

'That he is, your Majesty,' said the attendant.

'And didst thou see her flung into the oil? and didn't the soothing
oil--the emollient oil, refuse to boil, good Hedzoff--and to spoil the
fairest lady ever eyes did look on?'

'Faith, good my liege, I had no heart to look and see a beauteous lady
boiling down; I