"Of course I will listen to your song," returned Kitticut, "for it would be impolite not to."
So Rinkitink sang his grandfather's song:
"A mighty King once ruled the land—
But now he's baking pies.
A pauper, on the other hand,
Is ruling, strong and wise.
A tiger once in jungles raged—
But now he's in a zoo;
A lion, captive-born and caged,
Now roams the forest through
A man once slapped a poor boy's pate
And made him weep and wail.
The boy became a magistrate
And put the man in jail.
A sunny day succeeds the night;
It's summer—then it snows!
Right oft goes wrong and wrong comes right,
As ev'ry wise man knows."
The Captive King
CHAPTER 24
One morning, just as the royal party was finishing breakfast, a servant came running to say that a great fleet of boats was approaching the island from the south. King Kitticut sprang up at once, in great alarm, for he had much cause to fear strange boats. The others quickly followed him to the shore to see what invasion might be coming upon them.
Inga was there with the first, and Nikobob and Zella soon joined the watchers. And presently, while all were gazing eagerly at the approaching fleet, King Rinkitink suddenly cried out: