pleased to escape that they danced another jig from pure
joy.

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 our
friends knew themselves to be perfectly safe, and they could afford to
laugh 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 confident
of the safety of his little party. The frantic Ki-Ki had built double
battering-rams and were trying to batter down the high wall; and they
had built several pairs of long ladders with which to climb over the
wall; and their soldiers were digging two tunnels in the ground in
order to crawl under the wall.

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

But Prince Marvel realized that the perseverance of his foes might win
in the end, unless he took measures to defeat them effectually. So he
summoned swift messengers from among the Sound Elves, who are
accustomed to travel quickly, and they carried messages from him to
Wul-Takim, the King of the Reformed Thieves, and to King Terribus of
Spor, who had both promised him their assistance in case he needed it.
The prince did not tell his friends of this action, but after the
messengers 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 of
defenders. But none of them was very much worried, and Nerle confided
to the maiden in yellow the fact that he expected to suffer quite
agreeably 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 to
pound on the doors of the palace itself, in which Prince Marvel and
Nerle, the Ki and the yellow High Ki had locked themselves as securely
as possible.

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