fat King upon his back with no difficulty whatever.

Prince Inga and his father and all the men of Pingaree were much
astonished to overhear this dispute between King Rinkitink and his goat;
but they were too polite to make critical remarks in the presence of
their guests. King Kitticut walked beside the goat and the Prince
followed after, the men coming last with the boxes of sandalwood.

When they neared the palace, the Queen and her maidens came out to meet
them and the royal guest was escorted in state to the splendid throne
room of the palace. Here the boxes were opened and King Rinkitink
displayed all the beautiful silks and laces and jewelry with which they
were filled. Every one of the courtiers and ladies received a handsome
present, and the King and Queen had many rich gifts and Inga not a few.
Thus the time passed pleasantly until the Chamberlain announced that
dinner was served.

[Illustration]

Bilbil the goat declared that he preferred eating of the sweet, rich
grass that grew abundantly in the palace grounds, and Rinkitink said
that the beast could never bear being shut up in a stable; so they
removed the saddle from his back and allowed him to wander wherever he
pleased.

During the dinner Inga divided his attention between admiring the pretty
gifts he had received and listening to the jolly sayings of the fat
King, who laughed when he was not eating and ate when he was not
laughing and seemed to enjoy himself immensely.

"For four days I have lived in that narrow boat," said he, "with no
other amusement than to watch the rowers and quarrel with Bilbil; so I
am very glad to be on land again with such friendly and agreeable
people."

"You do us great honor," said King Kitticut, with a polite bow.

"Not at all--not at all, my brother. This Pingaree must be a wonderful
island, for its pearls are the admiration of all the world; nor will I
deny the fact that my kingdom would be a poor one without the riches and
glory it derives from the trade in your pearls. So I have wished for
many years to come here to see you, but my people said: No! Stay at
home and behave yourself, or we'll know the reason why.'"

"Will they not miss Your Majesty from your palace at Gilgad?" inquired
Kitticut.

"I think not," answered Rinkitink. "You see, one of my clever subjects
has written a parchment entitled 'How to be Good,' and I believed it
would benefit me to study it, as I consider the accomplishment of being
g