es later the daughter of the charcoal-burner was
seeking admittance at the back door of Queen Cor's palace.

Chapter Twelve

The Excitement of Bilbil the Goat

Our story must now return to one of our characters whom we have been
forced to neglect. The temper of Bilbil the goat was not sweet under
any circumstances, and whenever he had a grievance he was inclined to
be quite grumpy. So, when his master settled down in the palace of King
Gos for a quiet life with the boy Prince, and passed his time in
playing checkers and eating and otherwise enjoying himself, he had no
use whatever for Bilbil, and shut the goat in an upstairs room to
prevent his wandering through the city and quarreling with the
citizens. But this Bilbil did not like at all. He became very cross and
disagreeable at being left alone and he did not speak nicely to the
servants who came to bring him food; therefore those people decided not
to wait upon him any more, resenting his conversation and not liking to
be scolded by a lean, scraggly goat, even though it belonged to a
conqueror. The servants kept away from the room and Bilbil grew more
hungry and more angry every hour. He tried to eat the rugs and
ornaments, but found them not at all nourishing. There was no grass to
be had unless he escaped from the palace.

When Queen Cor came to capture Inga and Rinkitink, both the prisoners
were so filled with despair at their own misfortune that they gave no
thought whatever to the goat, who was left in his room. Nor did Bilbil
know anything of the changed fortunes of his comrades until he heard
shouts and boisterous laughter in the courtyard below. Looking out of a
window, with the intention of rebuking those who dared thus to disturb
him, Bilbil saw the courtyard quite filled with warriors and knew from
this that the palace had in some way again fallen into the hands of the
enemy.

Now, although Bilbil was often exceedingly disagreeable to King
Rinkitink, as well as to the Prince, and sometimes used harsh words in
addressing them, he was intelligent enough to know them to be his
friends, and to know that King Gos and his people were his foes. In
sudden anger, provoked by the sight of the warriors and the knowledge
that he was in the power of the dangerous men of Regos, Bilbil butted
his head against the door of his room and burst it open. Then he ran to
the head of the staircase and saw King Gos coming up the stairs
followed by a long line of hi