e must now depend upon our wits to get us out of the scrape we are in."

With saddened hearts they returned to the palace, and entering a small
room where no one could observe them or overhear them, the boy took the
White Pearl from its silken bag and held it to his ear, asking:

"What shall I do now?"

"Tell no one of your loss," answered the Voice of the Pearl. "If your
enemies do not know that you are powerless, they will fear you as much
as ever. Keep your secret, be patient, and fear not!"

Inga heeded this advice and also warned Rinkitink to say nothing to
anyone of the loss of the shoes and the powers they contained. He sent
for the shoemaker of King Gos, who soon brought him a new pair of red
leather shoes that fitted him quite well. When these had been put upon
his feet, the Prince, accompanied by the King, started to walk through
the city.

Wherever they went the people bowed low to the conqueror, although a
few, remembering Inga's terrible strength, ran away in fear and
trembling. They had been used to severe masters and did not yet know
how they would be treated by King Gos's successor. There being no
occasion for the boy to exercise the powers he had displayed the
previous day, his present helplessness was not suspected by any of the
citizens of Regos, who still considered him a wonderful magician.

Inga did not dare to fight his way to the mines, at present, nor could
he try to conquer the Island of Coregos, where his mother was enslaved;
so he set about the regulation of the City of Regos, and having
established himself with great state in the royal palace he began to
govern the people by kindness, having consideration for the most humble.

The King of Regos and his followers sent spies across to the island
they had abandoned in their flight, and these spies returned with the
news that the terrible boy conqueror was still occupying the city.
Therefore none of them ventured to go back to Regos but continued to
live upon the neighboring island of Coregos, where they passed the days
in fear and trembling and sought to plot and plan ways how they might
overcome the Prince of Pingaree and the fat King of Gilgad.

Chapter Nine

A Present for Zella

Now it so happened that on the morning of that same day when the Prince
of Pingaree suffered the loss of his priceless shoes, there chanced to
pass along the road that wound beside the royal palace a poor
charcoal-burner named Nikobob, who was abou