The Naughty Nome
Shaggy Man had said nothing during the conversation between Queen Ann and
Quox, for the simple reason that he did not consider the matter worth
an argument. Safe within his pocket reposed the Love Magnet, which had
never failed to win every heart. The nomes, he knew, were not like the
heartless Roses and therefore could be won to his side as soon as he
exhibited the magic talisman.
Shaggy's chief anxiety had been to reach Ruggedo's Kingdom and now that
the entrance lay before him he was confident he would be able to rescue
his lost brother. Let Ann and the dragon quarrel as to who should conquer
the nomes, if they liked; Shaggy would let them try, and if they failed
he had the means of conquest in his own pocket.
But Ann was positive she could not fail, for she thought her Army could
do anything. So she called the officers together and told them how to
act, and she also instructed Tik-Tok what to do and what to say.
"Please do not shoot your gun except as a last resort," she added, "for
I do not wish to be cruel or to shed any blood--unless it is absolutely
necessary."
"All right," replied Tik-Tok; "but I do not think Rug-ge-do would bleed
if I filled him full of holes and put him in a ci-der press."
Then the officers fell in line, the four Generals abreast and then the
four Colonels and the four Majors and the four Captains. They drew their
glittering swords and commanded Tik-Tok to march, which he did. Twice
he fell down, being tripped by the rough rocks, but when he struck the
smooth path he got along better. Into the gloomy mouth of the cavern
entrance he stepped without hesitation, and after him proudly pranced the
officers and Queen Ann. The others held back a little, waiting to see
what would happen.
Of course the Nome King knew they were coming and was prepared to receive
them. Just within the rocky passage that led to the jeweled throne-room
was a deep pit, which was usually covered. Ruggedo had ordered the cover
removed and it now stood open, scarcely visible in the gloom.
The pit was so large around that it nearly filled the passage and there
was barely room for one to walk around it by pressing close to the rock
walls. This Tik-Tok did, for his copper eyes saw the pit clearly and he
avoided it; but the officers marched straight into the hole and tumbled
in a heap on the bottom. An instant later Queen Ann also walked into
the pit, for she had her chin in the air and was careless where she
placed her feet. Then one of the nomes pulled a lever which replaced the
cover on the pit and made the officers of Oogaboo and their Queen fast
prisoners.
As for Tik-Tok, he kept straight on to the cavern where Ruggedo sat in
his throne and there he faced the Nome King and said:
"I here-by con-quer you in the name of Queen Ann So-forth of Oo-ga-boo,
whose Ar-my I am, and I de-clare that you are her pris-on-er!"
Ruggedo laughed at him.
"Where is this famous Queen?" he asked.
"She'll be here in a min-ute," said Tik-Tok. "Per-haps she stopped to tie
her shoe-string."
"Now, see here, Tik-Tok," began the Nome King, in a stern voice, "I've
had enough of this nonsense. Your Queen and her officers are all
prisoners, having fallen into my power, so perhaps you'll tell me what
you mean to do."
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"My or-ders were to con-quer you," replied Tik-Tok, "and my ma-chin-er-y
has done the best it knows how to car-ry out those or-ders."
Ruggedo pounded on his gong and Kaliko appeared, followed closely by
General Guph.
"Take this copper man into the shops and set him to work hammering gold,"
commanded the King. "Being run by machinery he ought to be a steady
worker. He ought never to have been made, but since he exists I shall
hereafter put him to good use."
"If you try to cap-ture me," said Tik-Tok, "I shall fight."
"Don't do that!" exclaimed General Guph, earnestly, "for it will be
useless to resist and you might hurt some one."
But Tik-Tok raised his gun and took aim and not knowing what damage the
gun might do the nomes were afraid to face it.
While he was thus defying the Nome King and his high officials, Betsy
Bobbin rode calmly into the royal cavern, seated upon the back of Hank
the mule. The little girl had grown tired of waiting for "something to
happen" and so had come to see if Ruggedo had been conquered.
"Nails and nuggets!" roared the King; "how dare you bring that beast here
and enter my presence unannounced?"
"There wasn't anybody to announce me," replied Betsy. "I guess your folks
were all busy. Are you conquered yet?"
"No!" shouted the King, almost beside himself with rage.
"Then please give me something to eat, for I'm awful hungry," said the
girl. "You see, this conquering business is a good deal like waiting for
a circus parade; it takes a long time to get around and don't amount to
much anyhow."
The nomes were so much astonished at this speech that for a time they
could only glare at her silently, not finding words to reply. The King
finally recovered the use of his tongue and said:
"Earth-crawler! this insolence to my majesty shall be your death-warrant.
You are an ordinary mortal, and to stop a mortal from living is so easy a
thing to do that I will not keep you waiting half so long as you did for
my conquest."
"I'd rather you wouldn't stop me from living," remarked Betsy, getting
off Hank's back and standing beside him. "And it would be a pretty
cheap King who killed a visitor while she was hungry. If you'll give
me something to eat, I'll talk this killing business over with you
afterward; only, I warn you now that I don't approve of it, and never
will."
Her coolness and lack of fear impressed the Nome King, although he bore
an intense hatred toward all mortals.
"What do you wish to eat?" he asked gruffly.
"Oh, a ham-sandwich would do, or perhaps a couple of hard-boiled eggs--"
"Eggs!" shrieked the three nomes who were present, shuddering till their
teeth chattered.
"What's the matter?" asked Betsy wonderingly. "Are eggs as high here as
they are at home?"
"Guph," said the King in an agitated voice, turning to his General, "let
us destroy this rash mortal at once! Seize her and take her to the Slimy
Cave and lock her in."
Guph glanced at Tik-Tok, whose gun was still pointed, but just then
Kaliko stole softly behind the copper man and kicked his knee-joints so
that they suddenly bent forward and tumbled Tik-Tok to the floor, his gun
falling from his grasp.
Then Guph, seeing Tik-Tok helpless, made a grab at Betsy. At the same
time Hank's heels shot out and caught the General just where his belt was
buckled. He rose into the air swift as a cannon-ball, struck the Nome
King fairly and flattened his Majesty against the wall of rock on the
opposite side of the cavern. Together they fell to the floor in a dazed
and crumpled condition, seeing which Kaliko whispered to Betsy:
"Come with me--quick!--and I will save you."
She looked into Kaliko's face inquiringly and thought he seemed honest
and good-natured, so she decided to follow him. He led her and the
mule through several passages and into a small cavern very nicely and
comfortably furnished.
"This is my own room," said he, "but you are quite welcome to use it.
Wait here a minute and I'll get you something to eat."
When Kaliko returned he brought a tray containing some broiled mushrooms,
a loaf of mineral bread and some petroleum-butter. The butter Betsy could
not eat, but the bread was good and the mushrooms delicious.
"Here's the door key," said Kaliko, "and you'd better lock yourself in."
"Won't you let Polychrome and the Rose Princess come here, too?" she
asked.
"I'll see. Where are they?"
"I don't know. I left them outside," said Betsy.
"Well, if you hear three raps on the door, open it," said Kaliko; "but
don't let anyone in unless they give the three raps."
"All right," promised Betsy, and when Kaliko left the cosy cavern she
closed and locked the door.
In the meantime Ann and her officers, finding themselves prisoners in the
pit, had shouted and screamed until they were tired out, but no one had
come to their assistance. It was very dark and damp in the pit and they
could not climb out because the walls were higher than their heads and
the cover was on. The Queen was first angry and then annoyed and then
discouraged; but the officers were only afraid. Every one of the poor
fellows heartily wished he was back in Oogaboo caring for his orchard,
and some were so unhappy that they began to reproach Ann for causing them
all this trouble and danger.
Finally the Queen sat down on the bottom of the pit and leaned her back
against the wall. By good luck her sharp elbow touched a secret spring in
the wall and a big flat rock swung inward. Ann fell over backward, but
the next instant she jumped up and cried to the others:
"A passage! A passage! Follow me, my brave men, and we may yet escape."
Then she began to crawl through the passage, which was as dark and dank
as the pit, and the officers followed her in single file. They crawled,
and they crawled, and they kept on crawling, for the passage was not big
enough to allow them to stand upright. It turned this way and twisted
that, sometimes like a corkscrew and sometimes zigzag, but seldom ran for
long in a straight line.
"It will never end--never!" moaned the officers, who were rubbing all the
skin off their knees on the rough rocks.
"It _must_ end," retorted Ann courageously, "or it never would have been
made. We don't know where it will lead us to, but any place is better
than that loathsome pit."
So she crawled on, and the officers crawled on, and while they were
crawling through this awful underground passage Polychrome and Shaggy and
Files and the Rose Princess, who were standing outside the entrance to
Ruggedo's domains, were wondering what had become of them.
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