The King and His Talking Horse
Now it is true that the King had closed his eyes as Matiah settled
himself in the alcove to read, but he was very far from asleep.
In fact, no more than five minutes had been ticked away by the
old-fashioned clock, in the corner before Skamperoo straightened up as
if suddenly struck by lightning. Casting a cautious look at the quiet
merchant, he began to slide rapidly toward the door. Opening it without
a sound, he slipped out into the corridor and, closing it just as
softly, went puffing away to the quarters of the White Wishing Horse
at the back of the courtyard. Though usually unenterprising and dull,
we must credit Skamperoo with one brilliant idea. As Chalk had been
brought to Skampavia by the magic emeralds, why should he not know the
trick of using them? Fairly panting with eagerness and impatience,
Skamperoo jerked open the door of the stable and stepped recklessly
into Chalk's stall.
"Ah, the little Kingaling!" whinnied Chalk, tossing his mane gaily. For
some reason or other he found his fat master tremendously amusing, and
while he had an immediate desire to trample on Matiah and frighten off
the stable boys, he felt only an affectionate tolerance for the tubby
little ruler of Skampavia. "Have you come for your ride?" he inquired,
giving the King a playful poke with his soft nose.
"No, I've come to talk to you," wheezed Skamperoo, seating himself
carefully on an overturned water bucket. "Quick, tell me all you know
about these magic emeralds." Touching his three necklaces with a
trembling forefinger, the King looked imploringly into the face of his
new and powerful steed.
"Humph!" Chalk shifted a mouthful of hay to his other cheek. "Well, as
to that, or rather them, all that I know is nothing. You forget that
I only came into existence yesterday afternoon."
"Of course, of course! I was the one who wished you here," explained
the King impatiently.
"You wished me here?" mused Chalk, staring meditatively at the comical
figure on the water bucket. "Well, I hardly know whether to thank you
or to jump on you with all four feet. Even without any experience at
all, I can see that this is no place for me."
"You're right," sighed Skamperoo, clasping his knees dejectedly. "It's
no place for me, either. That is why I must know about the emeralds.
They can satisfy our every wish, and if we just knew how to use them we
could go away together."
"You think you could manage that!" sniffed Chalk, who had his own
opinion as to what would happen once the King mounted on his back.
"Yes, together!" insisted Skamperoo. "Try to think," he begged
earnestly. "You say you know nothing, then how did you know you came
from Oz and your name and all that?"
"That's right, how did I?" Putting one ear forward and one ear
backward, Chalk swallowed his hay with a quick gulp. "There must be a
lot of stuff in my head that I practically know nothing about," he
reasoned thoughtfully. "Suppose you tell me exactly what happened and
then I'll tell you what I think of it." So, hunching forward, Skamperoo
recounted the whole story of the merchant and the necklaces, how he and
Matiah had retired to his private garden, how there, with the merchant
wearing the emeralds, his first wish had been granted.
"And a splendid wish it was, too," sighed Skamperoo, looking fondly up
at his white horse. "Never forget that you were my first wish, fellow."
"I'm hardly likely to forget myself," snickered Chalk loftily, "but
attend closely, old Crown and Scepter, when I dropped down into that
garden yon whiskered merchant was running for the gate as if his life
depended on it. He only stopped because he was afraid to pass me, and
from the way he fell into those cactus bushes, I'll wager he was as
astonished as you were that the emeralds had granted your wish." Chalk
wrinkled his forehead shrewdly. "I don't believe he knows any more
about the necklaces than we do. If he did, he would never have sent you
one in the first place, and he would have granted all of his own wishes
and been in some splendid other place. Matiah's a fraud!" finished the
King's horse vehemently, "and means to steal back the emeralds."
"Of course! Of course! Oh! Oh! Why didn't I think of that myself? What
shall we do now?" wailed Skamperoo, jumping up so quickly he overturned
the bucket, for Chalk's frankly spoken opinion confirmed his own
suspicions of the merchant.
"Sit down," advised the white horse, not unkindly. "I may not be a
magician, but I have a little sense, and horse sense is what your
Majesty needs more than anything else." As Skamperoo righted the bucket
and meekly sat down again, Chalk closed his eyes, standing silent and
motionless for so long the King thought he had fallen into a trance.
But just as he began to fidget nervously about on the uncomfortable
edge of the bucket, the white horse opened his eyes and flashing a
triumphant smile at Skamperoo, began calling in a loud, lordly voice.
"Boy! BOY! BOY!"
While the King regarded him with mingled misgivings and admiration,
Chalk snapped out directions to the clumsy little groom who came
running in answer to his summons. When his mane and tail had been
thoroughly brushed and he was decked out once more in the splendid
saddle and trappings he had worn on his first appearance in Skampavia,
he dismissed the groom with a haughty toss of his head.
"Come!" he breathed mysteriously. "Climb up, Skamperoo, and we'll
Skamperoodle before that rascally merchant even misses us. Have you
decided upon the place we are to go?" he questioned curiously as the
King made seven frantic attempts to put his foot in the golden stirrup.
"Heh! Heh! Heh! The other foot, Master. How do you ever expect to mount
that way? Stand on the bucket, Kingaling, catch hold of the saddle and
pull. It's easy as oats once you get the hang of it."
"Is it?" Lying mournfully on his back where he had fallen after his
last effort, Skamperoo gazed mournfully upward and Chalk himself began
to champ, snort and switch his tail with irritation.
"You wished me on yourself and now it looks as if you would have to
wish yourself on me," he muttered savagely. "Here, give me those
necklaces--hang them over my ear and let's have done with this shameful
exhibition."
"You mean--if I wish myself upon your back I will really be there?"
panted Skamperoo, bouncing up like a rubber ball. "You mean you have
discovered the secret of the emeralds?"
"Certainly!" The white horse regarded him scornfully through
half-closed eyes, and the King, all too willing to be convinced,
unclasped his three necklaces and, standing on tip toe, hung them over
Chalk's right ear.
"I--I wish to be upon this creature's back," puffed Skamperoo, his
cheeks swelling out with suspense and importance. "One, two, three,
four, five, six--" and scarcely had he begun to count before he found
himself firmly seated in the saddle.
"Now, now, not another word," commanded Chalk sternly. "Before you dare
to speak, take those emeralds off my ear." With shaking hands the King
did as he was told, his heart pounding so violently it almost kicked
a hole in his shirt.
"That's right," directed the white horse more mildly. "Now suppose you
tell me where you intend to wish us and what we do after that? Wishes
are pretty quick, you know, and it is best to be prepared."
"But--but I cannot understand how you made them work," spluttered
Skamperoo. "It's wonderful--it's marvelous, do you understand what this
means?"
"Perfectly." Chalk rolled his eyes triumphantly round at his greedy
little Master. "My head seems to be full of magic, which is not
strange, seeing that I was magically brought into existence and the
trick of the necklaces once I got to thinking about them is quite
simple. Now I am what I am--a horse, and quite satisfied, but you with
these emeralds may easily make a jackass of yourself, so you had better
tell me what you wish before you wish it. For instance," he went on
reprovingly, "if instead of wishing yourself upon my back, you had
wished yourself a good horseman, how much wiser that would have been.
There's a lot more to riding than getting into the saddle, you know.
But never mind that now, what was this great big wish you and Matiah
were planning together?" Leaning so far forward he almost lost his
balance, Skamperoo hurriedly whispered into Chalk's left ear his grand
and glorious wish for the future, being careful to add to his own wish
the three crafty suggestions made by the clever merchant.
"You are sure this is what you desire?" Chalk looked sharply and a
little sadly at the rotund and royal figure on his back. "You mean to
go away and leave your own people without a thought or care? Isn't
there anyone here you would like to take along or give a share of your
good fortune?" The King shook his head violently.
"I might make a wish for Pinny Penny," he added rather sheepishly.
"Good idea," sniffed Chalk. "What are you going to give old Skinny
Pins? You know I rather like that old codger." Without delay and a bit
spitefully the King told him, and as this time Chalk found no fault
with the wish, Skamperoo again placed the emeralds over Chalk's ear and
quickly spoke nine words. Then, without waiting to see whether Pinny
Penny got his wish, Chalk again took command.
"If you do exactly as I say, we'll get off before Matiah discovers
you are gone and comes down here to slice off your head to get his
necklaces," said the white horse severely. Lowering his voice to a
whisper, he slowly enunciated four brief sentences. Tingling partly
with fright and partly with anticipation, Skamperoo repeated the four
sentences after Chalk and began his counting. But, stars! Scarcely had
he reached ten before he felt a great lift and lurch, had just time to
snatch back his emeralds and seize the reins before he and the huge
white wishing horse, without leaving even a rustle in the quiet air,
had gone, vanished and completely disappeared from Skampavia.