. I'll summon my army of nomes to
drive the invaders out of my territory, and if we catch any of them I
intend to stick needles into them until they hop with pain."

"I hope you won't hurt any of the girls," said Kaliko.

"I'll hurt 'em all!" roared the angry Metal Monarch. "And that braying
Mule I'll make into hoof-soup, and feed it to my nomes, that it may add
to their strength."

"Why not be good to the strangers and release your prisoner, the Shaggy
Man's brother?" suggested Kaliko.

"Never!"

"It may save you a lot of annoyance. And you don't want the Ugly One."

"I don't want him; that's true. But I won't allow anybody to order me
around. I'm King of the Nomes and I'm the Metal Monarch, and I shall do
as I please and what I please and when I please!"

With this speech Ruggedo threw his sceptre at Kaliko's head, aiming it
so well that the Royal Chamberlain had to fall flat upon the floor in
order to escape it. But the Hearer did not see the sceptre coming and
it swept past his head so closely that it broke off the tip of one of
his long ears. He gave a dreadful yell that quite startled Ruggedo, and
the King was sorry for the accident because those long ears of the
Hearer were really valuable to him.

So the Nome King forgot to be angry with Kaliko and ordered his
Chamberlain to summon General Guph and the army of nomes and have them
properly armed. They were then to march to the mouth of the Tube, where
they could seize the travelers as soon as they appeared.

Chapter Fifteen

The Dragon Defies Danger

Although the journey through the Tube was longer, this time, than
before, it was so much more comfortable that none of our friends minded
it at all. They talked together most of the time and as they found the
dragon good-natured and fond of the sound of his own voice they soon
became well acquainted with him and accepted him as a companion.

"You see," said Shaggy, in his frank way, "Quox is on our side, and
therefore the dragon is a good fellow. If he happened to be an enemy,
instead of a friend, I am sure I should dislike him very much, for his
breath smells of brimstone, he is very conceited and he is so strong
and fierce that he would prove a dangerous foe."

"Yes, indeed," returned Quox, who had listened to this speech with
pleasure; "I suppose I am about as terrible as any living thing. I am
glad you find me conceited, for that proves I know my good qualities.
As for my breath smelling o