mines, where he arrived before Prince Inga did. The next morning he
carried King Kitticut back to Regos.

While Gos was gone, Queen Cor busied herself in preparing a large and
swift boat for the journey. She placed in it several bags of gold and
jewels with which to bribe the nomes, and selected forty of the
strongest oarsmen in Regos to row the boat. The instant King Gos
returned with his royal prisoner all was ready for departure. They
quickly entered the boat with their two important captives and without a
word of explanation to any of their people they commanded the oarsmen to
start, and were soon out of sight upon the broad expanse of the Nonestic
Ocean.

Inga arrived at the city some hours later and was much distressed when
he learned that his father and mother had been spirited away from the
islands.

"I shall follow them, of course," said the boy to Rinkitink, "and if I
cannot overtake them on the ocean I will search the world over until I
find them. But before I leave here I must arrange to send our people
back to Pingaree."

[Illustration]

Nikobob Refuses a Crown

[Illustration]

CHAPTER 16

Almost the first persons that Zella saw when she landed from the
silver-lined boat at Regos were her father and mother. Nikobob and his
wife had been greatly worried when their little daughter failed to
return from Coregos, so they had set out to discover what had become of
her. When they reached the City of Regos, that very morning, they were
astonished to hear news of all the strange events that had taken place;
still, they found comfort when told that Zella had been seen in the
boat of Prince Inga, which had gone to the north. Then, while they
wondered what this could mean, the silver-lined boat appeared again,
with their daughter in it, and they ran down to the shore to give her a
welcome and many joyful kisses.

Inga invited the good people to the palace of King Gos, where he
conferred with them, as well as with Rinkitink and Bilbil.

"Now that the King and Queen of Regos and Coregos have run away," he
said, "there is no one to rule these islands. So it is my duty to
appoint a new ruler, and as Nikobob, Zella's father, is an honest and
worthy man, I shall make him the King of the Twin Islands."

"Me?" cried Nikobob, astounded by this speech. "I beg Your Highness, on
my bended knees, not to do so cruel a thing as to make me King!"

"Why not?" inquired Rinkitink. "I'm a King, and I know how it