ngs.

Chapter Twenty

Quox Quietly Quits

When the chief nomes assembled before their new King they joyfully
saluted him and promised to obey his commands. But, when Kaliko
questioned them, none knew the way to the Metal Forest, although all
had assisted in its making. So the King instructed them to search
carefully for one of the passages and to bring him the news as soon as
they had found it.

Meantime Quox had managed to back out of the rocky corridor and so
regain the open air and his old station on the mountain-side, and there
he lay upon the rocks, sound asleep, until the next day. The others of
the party were all given as good rooms as the caverns of the nomes
afforded, for King Kaliko felt that he was indebted to them for his
promotion and was anxious to be as hospitable as he could.

Much wonderment had been caused by the absolute disappearance of the
sixteen officers of Oogaboo and their Queen. Not a nome had seen them,
nor were they discovered during the search for the passages leading to
the Metal Forest. Perhaps no one was unhappy over their loss, but all
were curious to know what had become of them.

On the next day, when our friends went to visit the dragon, Quox said
to them: "I must now bid you good-bye, for my mission here is finished
and I must depart for the other side of the world, where I belong."

"Will you go through the Tube again?" asked Betsy.

"To be sure. But it will be a lonely trip this time, with no one to
talk to, and I cannot invite any of you to go with me. Therefore, as
soon as I slide into the hole I shall go to sleep, and when I pop out
at the other end I will wake up at home."

They thanked the dragon for befriending them and wished him a pleasant
journey. Also they sent their thanks to the great Jinjin, whose just
condemnation of Ruggedo had served their interests so well. Then Quox
yawned and stretched himself and ambled over to the Tube, into which he
slid headforemost and disappeared.

They really felt as if they had lost a friend, for the dragon had been
both kind and sociable during their brief acquaintance with him; but
they knew it was his duty to return to his own country. So they went
back to the caverns to renew the search for the hidden passages that
led to the forest, but for three days all efforts to find them proved
in vain.

It was Polychrome's custom to go every day to the mountain and watch
for her father, the Rainbow, for she was growing tir