s no longer afraid but continued to
ladle out the honey until she had secured all that was in the tree. Then
she returned to the cabin, where her mother was weeping and bemoaning
the fate of her darling child, and the good woman was greatly astonished
to find Zella had escaped injury.

Again they went to the woods to search for honey, and although the
mother always ran away whenever the bees came near them, Zella paid no
attention to the creatures but kept at her work, so that before supper
time came the pails were again filled to overflowing with delicious
honey.

"With such good fortune as we have had this day," said her mother, "we
shall soon gather enough honey for you to carry to Queen Cor." For it
seems the wicked Queen was very fond of honey and it had been Zella's
custom to go, once every year, to the City of Coregos, to carry the
Queen a supply of sweet honey for her table. Usually she had but one
pail.

"But now," said Zella, "I shall be able to carry two pailsful to the
Queen, who will, I am sure, give me a good price for it."

"True," answered her mother, "and, as the boy Prince may take it into
his head to conquer Coregos, as well as Regos, I think it best for you
to start on your journey to Queen Cor to-morrow morning. Do you not
agree with me, Nikobob?" she added, turning to her husband, the
charcoal-burner, who was eating his supper.

"I agree with you," he replied. "If Zella must go to the City of
Coregos, she may as well start to-morrow morning."

The Cunning of Queen Cor

[Illustration]

CHAPTER 10

You may be sure the Queen of Coregos was not well pleased to have King
Gos and all his warriors living in her city after they had fled from
their own. They were savage natured and quarrelsome men at all times,
and their tempers had not improved since their conquest by the Prince of
Pingaree. Moreover, they were eating up Queen Cor's provisions and
crowding the houses of her own people, who grumbled and complained until
their Queen was heartily tired.

"Shame on you!" she said to her husband, King Gos, "to be driven out of
your city by a boy, a roly-poly King and a billy goat! Why do you not go
back and fight them?"

"No human can fight against the powers of magic," returned the King in a
surly voice. "That boy is either a fairy or under the protection of
fairies. We escaped with our lives only because we were quick to run
away; but, should we return to Regos, the same terrible power