ts they required and to stock them with
provisions and row away to their own countries. When these had departed,
with grateful thanks and many blessings showered upon the boy Prince who
had set them free, Inga made preparations to send his own people home,
where they were told to rebuild their houses and then erect a new royal
palace. They were then to await patiently the coming of King Kitticut or
Prince Inga.

"My greatest worry," said the boy to his friends, "is to know whom to
appoint to take charge of this work of restoring Pingaree to its former
condition. My men are all pearl fishers, and although willing and
honest, have no talent for directing others how to work."

While the preparations for departure were being made, Nikobob offered to
direct the men of Pingaree, and did so in a very capable manner. As the
island had been despoiled of all its valuable furniture and draperies
and rich cloths and paintings and statuary and the like, as well as gold
and silver and ornaments, Inga thought it no more than just that they be
replaced by the spoilers. So he directed his people to search through
the storehouses of King Gos and to regain all their goods and chattels
that could be found. Also he instructed them to take as much else as
they required to make their new homes comfortable, so that many boats
were loaded full of goods that would enable the people to restore
Pingaree to its former state of comfort.

For his father's new palace the boy plundered the palaces of both Queen
Cor and King Gos, sending enough wares away with his people to make King
Kitticut's new residence as handsomely fitted and furnished as had been
the one which the ruthless invaders from Regos had destroyed.

It was a great fleet of boats that set out one bright, sunny morning on
the voyage to Pingaree, carrying all the men, women and children and all
the goods for refitting their homes. As he saw the fleet depart, Prince
Inga felt that he had already successfully accomplished a part of his
mission, but he vowed he would never return to Pingaree in person until
he could take his father and mother there with him; unless, indeed, King
Gos wickedly destroyed his beloved parents, in which case Inga would
become the King of Pingaree and it would be his duty to go to his people
and rule over them.

It was while the last of the boats were preparing to sail for Pingaree
that Nikobob, who had been of great service in getting them ready, came
to Inga