picked out one large piece, and, exerting all his strength, tore it
away from the wall. He then carried it to the cavern and tossed it upon
the burning coals, about ten feet away from the end of the passage.
Then he returned for another fragment of rock, and wrenching it free
from its place, he threw it ten feet beyond the first one, toward the
opposite side of the cave. The boy continued this work until he had
made a series of stepping-stones reaching straight across the cavern to
the dark passageway beyond, which he hoped would lead him back to
safety if not to liberty.

When his work had been completed, Inga did not long hesitate to take
advantage of his stepping-stones, for he knew his best chance of escape
lay in his crossing the bed of coals before the rocks became so heated
that they would burn his feet. So he leaped to the first rock and from
there began jumping from one to the other in quick succession. A
withering wave of heat at once enveloped him, and for a time he feared
he would suffocate before he could cross the cavern; but he held his
breath, to keep the hot air from his lungs, and maintained his leaps
with desperate resolve.

Then, before he realized it, his feet were pressing the cooler rocks of
the passage beyond and he rolled helpless upon the floor, gasping for
breath. His skin was so red that it resembled the shell of a boiled
lobster, but his swift motion had prevented his being burned, and his
shoes had thick soles, which saved his feet.

After resting a few minutes, the boy felt strong enough to go on. He
went to the end of the passage and found that the rock door by which he
had left his room was still closed, so he returned to about the middle
of the corridor and was thinking what he should do next, when suddenly
the solid rock before him began to move and an opening appeared through
which shone a brilliant light. Shielding his eyes, which were somewhat
dazzled, Inga sprang through the opening and found himself in one of
the Nome King's inhabited caverns, where before him stood King Kaliko,
with a broad grin upon his features, and Klik, the King's chamberlain,
who looked surprised, and King Rinkitink seated astride Bilbil the
goat, both of whom seemed pleased that Inga had rejoined them.

Chapter Nineteen

Rinkitink Chuckles

We will now relate what happened to Rinkitink and Bilbil that morning,
while Inga was undergoing his trying experience in escaping the fearful
dangers of