he could not have.

Therefore, being filled with anger against his father, the King, he
wandered away until he chanced to come near to the castle of the Purple
Dragon.

When the wicked monster saw the Prince, it decided that here was a
splendid opportunity to make mischief; so it said, politely:

"Good morning, King Zingle."

"I am not a king--I am only a prince," replied Zingle.

"What! not a king?" exclaimed the Dragon, as if surprised; "that is too
bad."

"I can never be a king while my father lives," continued the Prince,
"and it is impossible for him to die. So what can I do?"

"Since you ask my advice, I will tell you," answered the naughty
Dragon. "Down near Rootbeer River, where the peanut trees grow, is a
very deep hole in the ground. You must get the King to go and look into
this hole, and while he is leaning over the edge, push him in. Of
course, he will not die, for that, as you say, is impossible; but no
one will know where to find him. So, your father being out of the way,
you will be king in his place."

"That is surely good advice," said the Prince, "and I will go and do it
at once. Then the cow with the golden horns will be mine, and I shall
become the Monarch of Mo."

The Prince turned to go back to the palace, and as soon as he was out
of sight, the horrid Dragon laughed to think what a fool it had made of
the boy.

When Zingle saw his father he called him aside and said:

"Your Majesty, I have discovered something very funny at the bottom of
the hole near the peanut trees. Come and see what it is."

So the King went with the Prince, without suspecting his evil design,
and while he leaned over the hole the Prince gave him a sudden push.
The next moment down fell the Monarch of Mo--way to the bottom!

Then Prince Zingle went back to the palace and began to milk the cow
with the golden horns.

Now when the King found himself at the bottom of the hole he at first
did not know what to do; so he sat down and thought about it. Presently
a happy idea came into his head. He knew if only he was at the other
end of the hole, he would be at the top instead of the bottom, and
could make his escape. So the King took hold of the hole, and exerting
all his strength, turned the hole upside down. Being now at the top he
stepped upon the ground and walked back to the palace, where he caught
Prince Zingle milking the cow with the golden horns.

"Oh, ho!" he said, "you wish to be King, do you? Well, we