of them long ago. There
had also been great serpents and crocodiles in the forest marshes, but
all had gone to feed the hunger of Choggenmugger. The people of Regos
knew well there was no use opposing the Great Beast, so when one
unfortunately met with it he gave himself up for lost.

All this Nikobob knew well, but fortune had always favored him in his
journey through the forest, and although he had at times met many
savage beasts and fought them with his sharp ax, he had never to this
day encountered the terrible Choggenmugger. Indeed, he was not thinking
of the Great Beast at all as he walked along, but suddenly he heard a
crashing of broken trees and felt a trembling of the earth and saw the
immense jaws of Choggenmugger opening before him. Then Nikobob gave
himself up for lost and his heart almost ceased to beat.

He believed there was no way of escape. No one ever dared oppose
Choggenmugger. But Nikobob hated to die without showing the monster, in
some way, that he was eaten only under protest. So he raised his ax and
brought it down upon the red, protruding tongue of the monster--and cut
it clean off!

For a moment the charcoal-burner scarcely believed what his eyes saw,
for he knew nothing of the pearls he carried in his pocket or the magic
power they lent his arm. His success, however, encouraged him to strike
again, and this time the huge scaly jaw of Choggenmugger was severed in
twain and the beast howled in terrified rage.

Nikobob took off his coat, to give himself more freedom of action, and
then he earnestly renewed the attack. But now the ax seemed blunted by
the hard scales and made no impression upon them whatever. The creature
advanced with glaring, wicked eyes, and Nikobob seized his coat under
his arm and turned to flee.

That was foolish, for Choggenmugger could run like the wind. In a
moment it overtook the charcoal-burner and snapped its four rows of
sharp teeth together. But they did not touch Nikobob, because he still
held the coat in his grasp, close to his body, and in the coat pocket
were Inga's shoes, and in the points of the shoes were the magic
pearls. Finding himself uninjured, Nikobob put on his coat, again
seized his ax, and in a short time had chopped Choggenmugger into many
small pieces--a task that proved not only easy but very agreeable.

"I must be the strongest man in all the world!" thought the
charcoal-burner, as he proudly resumed his way, "for Choggenmugger has
been th