It was unfortunate that the famous Scarecrow - the most popular person in all Oz, next to
Ozma -- was absent at the time of the banquet, for he happened just then to be making
one of his trips through the country; but the Scarecrow had a chance later to meet
Rinkitink and Inga and the King and Queen of Pingaree and Prince Bobo, for the party
remained several weeks at the Emerald City, where they were royally entertained, and
where both the gentle Queen Garee and the noble King Kitticut recovered much of their
good spirits and composure and tried to forget their dreadful experiences.
At last, however, the King and Queen desired to return to their own Pingaree, as they
longed to be with their people again and see how well they had rebuilt their homes. Inga
also was anxious to return, although he had been very happy in Oz, and King Rinkitink,
who was happy anywhere except at Gilgad, decided to go with his former friends to
Pingaree. As for prince Bobo, he had become so greatly attached to King Rinkitink that
he was loth to leave him.
On a certain day they all bade good-bye to Ozma and Dorothy and Glinda and the Wizard
and all their good friends in Oz, and were driven in the Red Wagon to the edge of the
Deadly Desert, which they crossed safely on the Magic Carpet. They then made their way
across the Nome Kingdom and the Wheeler Country, where no one molested them, to the
shores of the Nonestic Ocean. There they found the boat with the silver lining still lying
undisturbed on the beach.
There were no important adventures during the trip and on their arrival at the pearl
kingdom they were amazed at the beautiful appearance of the island they had left in ruins.
All the houses of the people had been rebuilt and were prettier than before, with green
lawns before them and flower gardens in the back yards. The marble towers of King
Kitticut's new palace were very striking and impressive, while the palace itself proved far
more magnificent than it had been before the warriors from Regos destroyed it.
Nikobob had been very active and skillful in directing all this work, and he had also built
a pretty cottage for himself, not far from the King's palace, and there Inga found Zella,
who was living very happy and contented in her new home. Not only had Nikobob
accomplished all this in a comparatively brief space of time, but he had started the pearl
fisheries again and when King Kitticut returned to Pingaree he found a quantity of fine
pearls already in the royal treasury.
So pleased was Kitticut with the good judgment, industry and honesty of the former
charcoal-burner of Regos, that he made Nikobob his Lord High Chamberlain and put him
in charge of the pearl fisheries and all the business matters of the island kingdom.
They all settled down very comfortably in the new palace and the Queen gathered her
maids about her once more and set them to work embroidering new draperies for the
royal throne. Inga placed the three Magic Pearls in their silken bag and again deposited
them in the secret cavity under the tiled flooring of the banquet hall, where they could be
quickly secured if danger ever threatened the now prosperous island.
