een
taken away by Queen Cor. Not until all are rescued will I consent to
leave these islands."

"Quite right!" exclaimed Bilbil.

"On second thought," said Rinkitink, "I agree with you. If you are
careful to sleep in your shoes, and never take them off again, I
believe you will be able to perform the task you have undertaken."

They counseled together for a long time as to their mode of action and
it was finally considered best to make the attempt to liberate King
Kitticut first of all, and with him the men from Pingaree. This would
give them an army to assist them and afterward they could march to
Regos and compel Queen Cor to give up the Queen of Pingaree. Zella told
them that they could go in their boat along the shore of Regos to a
point opposite the mines, thus avoiding any conflict with the warriors
of King Gos.

This being considered the best course to pursue, they resolved to start
on the following morning, as night was even now approaching. The
servants being all busy in caring for the women and children, Zella
undertook to get a dinner for Inga and Rinkitink and herself and soon
prepared a fine meal in the palace kitchen, for she was a good little
cook and had often helped her mother. The dinner was served in a small
room overlooking the gardens and Rinkitink thought the best part of it
was the sweet honey, which he spread upon the biscuits that Zella had
made. As for Bilbil, he wandered through the palace grounds and found
some grass that made him a good dinner.

During the evening Inga talked with the women and cheered them,
promising soon to reunite them with their husbands who were working in
the mines and to send them back to their own island of Pingaree.

Next morning the boy rose bright and early and found that Zella had
already prepared a nice breakfast. And after the meal they went to the
most southern point of the island, which was not very far away,
Rinkitink riding upon Bilbil's back and Inga and Zella following behind
them, hand in hand.

When they reached the water's edge the boy advanced and clapped his
hands together three times, as the White Pearl had told him to do. And
in a few moments they saw in the distance the black boat with the
silver lining, coming swiftly toward them from the sea. Presently it
grounded on the beach and they all got into it.

Zella was delighted with the boat, which was the most beautiful she had
ever seen, and the marvel of its coming to them through the wa