now how to get him out again."

"Then let him stay there," suggested the goat.

"That would be cruel. I am sure, Bilbil, that you are fond of the good
King, your master, and do not mean what you say. Together, let us find
some way to save poor King Rinkitink. He is a very jolly companion, and
has a heart exceedingly kind and gentle."

"Oh, well; the old boy isn't so bad, taken altogether," admitted Bilbil,
speaking in a more friendly tone. "But his bad jokes and fat laughter
tire me dreadfully, at times."

Prince Inga now ran back to the well, the goat following more leisurely.

"Here's Bilbil!" shouted the boy to the King. "The enemy didn't get him,
it seems."

"That's lucky for the enemy," said Rinkitink. "But it's lucky for me,
too, for perhaps the beast can assist me out of this hole. If you can
let a rope down the well, I am sure that you and Bilbil, pulling
together, will be able to drag me to the earth's surface."

[Illustration]

"Be patient and we will make the attempt," replied Inga encouragingly,
and he ran to search the ruins for a rope. Presently he found one that
had been used by the warriors in toppling over the towers, which in
their haste they had neglected to remove, and with some difficulty he
untied the knots and carried the rope to the mouth of the well.

Bilbil had lain down to sleep and the refrain of a merry song came in
muffled tones from the well, proving that Rinkitink was making a patient
endeavor to amuse himself.

"I've found a rope!" Inga called down to him; and then the boy proceeded
to make a loop in one end of the rope, for the King to put his arms
through, and the other end he placed over the drum of the windlass. He
now aroused Bilbil and fastened the rope firmly around the goat's
shoulders.

"Are you ready?" asked the boy, leaning over the well.

"I am," replied the King.

"And I am not," growled the goat, "for I have not yet had my nap out.
Old Rinki will be safe enough in the well until I've slept an hour or
two longer."

"But it is damp in the well," protested the boy, "and King Rinkitink may
catch the rheumatism, so that he will have to ride upon your back
wherever he goes."

Hearing this, Bilbil jumped up at once.

"Let's get him out," he said earnestly.

"Hold fast!" shouted Inga to the King. Then he seized the rope and
helped Bilbil to pull. They soon found the task more difficult than they
had supposed. Once or twice the King's weight threatened to drag