United States or French Polynesia ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
He rode steadily on, Nerle following, and after climbing upward for a long way the path began to descend, presently leading them into a valley of wide extent, in the center of which stood an immense castle with tall domes that glittered as if covered with pure gold.
"That is a vain hope," answered the captains, "for it is well known that the High Ki usually decide in favor of the Ki-Ki, and against the wishes of the old Ki." "That is certainly encouraging," said Nerle.
"Your Majesty is no longer ugly," replied Marvel, laughingly; "so that when Nerle and I leave your kingdom we can proclaim nothing less than praise of your dignified and handsome appearance." "Is my face indeed pleasing?" demanded the king, eagerly. "It is!" cried the assembled courtiers and ladies, as with one voice. "Bring me a mirror!" said the king.
Here they all paused, and the Ki-Ki both turned to the prince and Nerle and said: "You are the only persons, excepting ourselves and the palace servants, who have ever been permitted to see the High Ki of Twi.
Not at once could they succeed, for the wall was strong and it would take long to batter it down; and Nerle stood on top of the wall and kicked over the ladders as fast as the soldiers of Twi set them up; and the gray-bearded Ki stood in the garden holding two big flat boards with which to whack the heads of any who might come through the tunnels.
"Dim?" repeated the men, as if surprised; "why, this is twilight, of course." "Of course," said Nerle. "I hadn't thought of that. We are in the long hidden Land of Twi, which all men have heard of, but no man has found before." "And who may you be?" questioned the prince, looking from one man to the other, curiously. "We are Twis," they answered. "Twice?" "Twis inhabitants of Twi."
The assembled giants were as silent as the Gray Men, and stood motionless while Prince Marvel and Nerle rode slowly up the marble roadway. But all their brows were scowling terribly and their eyes were red and glaring as if they were balls of fire. "I begin to feel very pleasant," said Nerle, "for surely we shall not get away from these folks without a vast deal of trouble.
At noon Prince Marvel uttered an exclamation of surprise and stopped his horse. "What is it?" asked Nerle. "I have found the handkerchief with which you wiped the blood from your hands yesterday morning, and then carelessly dropped," replied the prince. "This proves that we have made a complete circle around this hedge without finding a way to pass through it."
But it was hard for Nerle to keep quiet for long, and presently he exclaimed, in a voice loud enough to be heard by all present: "By the Great Kika-koo of our friends the Ki, these darling High Ki of Twi are sweet enough to be kissed!" The Rebellion of the High Ki
So one pair of soldiers bound the Ki and another pair Nerle and the prince, using exactly the same motions in the operation. But when it came to binding the yellow High Ki the scene was very funny.
Word Of The Day