rd, but not harder than iron."

"Then," returned the King, "let us stay outside; especially as we can't
get in."

But Inga was not at all sure they could not get in. The gates opened
inward, and three heavy bars were held in place by means of stout
staples riveted to the sheets of steel. The boy had been told that the
power of the Blue Pearl would enable him to accomplish any feat of
strength, and he believed that this was true.

The warriors, under the direction of King Gos, continued to hurl arrows
and darts and spears and axes and huge stones upon the invaders, all
without avail. The ground below was thickly covered with weapons, yet
not one of the three before the gates had been injured in the slightest
manner. When everything had been cast that was available and not a
single weapon of any sort remained at hand, the amazed warriors saw the
boy put his shoulder against the gates and burst asunder the huge
staples that held the bars in place. A thousand of their men could not
have accomplished this feat, yet the small, slight boy did it with
seeming ease. The gates burst open, and Inga advanced into the city
street and called upon King Gos to surrender.

But Gos was now as badly frightened as were his warriors. He and his
men were accustomed to war and pillage and they had carried terror into
many countries, but here was a small boy, a fat man and a goat who
could not be injured by all his skill in warfare, his numerous army and
thousands of death-dealing weapons. Moreover, they not only defied King
Gos's entire army but they had broken in the huge gates of the city--as
easily as if they had been made of paper--and such an exhibition of
enormous strength made the wicked King fear for his life. Like all
bullies and marauders, Gos was a coward at heart, and now a panic
seized him and he turned and fled before the calm advance of Prince
Inga of Pingaree. The warriors were like their master, and having
thrown all their weapons over the wall and being helpless to oppose the
strangers, they all swarmed after Gos, who abandoned his city and
crossed the bridge of boats to the Island of Coregos. There was a
desperate struggle among these cowardly warriors to get over the
bridge, and many were pushed into the water and obliged to swim; but
finally every fighting man of Regos had gained the shore of Coregos and
then they tore away the bridge of boats and drew them up on their own
side, hoping the stretch of open water would