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At this, the King said, 'Serve him right, the rebellious
ruffian! And now, as those lions won't eat that young woman--'

'Let her off!--let her off!' cried the crowd.
'NO! ' roared the King. 'Let the beef-eaters go down and chop

her into small pieces. If the lions defend her, let the
archers shoot them to death. That hussy shall die in

tortures!'
'A-a-ah!' cried the crowd. 'Shame! shame!'

'Who dares cry out shame?' cried the furiouspotentate (so
little can tyrants command their passions). 'Fling any

scoundrel who says a word down among the lions!'
I warrant you there was a dead silence then, which was broken

by a Pang arang pang pangkarangpang, and a Knight and a Herald
rode in at the further end of the circus: the Knight, in full

armour, with his vizor up, and bearing a letter on the point of
his lance.

'Ha!' exclaimed the King, 'by my fey, 'tis Elephant and Castle,
pursuivant of my brother of Paflagonia; and the Knight, an' my

memory serves me, is the gallant Captain Hedzoff! What news
from Paflagonia, gallant Hedzoff? Elephant and Castle, beshrew

me, thy trumpeting must have made thee thirsty. What will my
trusty herald like to drink?'

'Bespeaking first safe conduct from your Lordship,' said
Captain Hedzoff, 'before we take a drink of anything, permit us

to deliver our King's message.'
'My Lordship, ha!' said Crim Tartary, frowning terrifically.

'That title soundeth strange in the anointed ears of a crowned
King. Straightway speak out your message, Knight and Herald!'

Reining up his charger in a most elegant manner close under the
King's balcony, Hedzoff turned to the Herald, and bade him

begin.
Elephant and Castle, dropping his trumpet over his shoulder,

took a large sheet of paper out of his hat, and began to
read:--

'O Yes! O Yes! O Yes! Know all men by these presents, that we,
Giglio, King of Paflagonia, Grand Duke of Cappadocia, Sovereign

Prince of Turkey and the Sausage Islands, having assumed our
rightful throne and title, long time falsely borne by our

usurping Uncle, styling himself King of Paflagonia--'
'Ha!' growled Padella.

'Hereby summon the false traitor, Padella, calling himself King
of Crim Tartary--'

The King's curses were dreadful. 'Go on, Elephant and Castle!'
said the intrepid Hedzoff.

'--To release from cowardlyimprisonment his liege lady and
rightful Sovereign, ROSALBA, Queen of Crim Tartary, and restore

her to her royal throne: in default of which, I, Giglio,
proclaim the said Padella sneak, traitor, humbug, usurper, and

coward. I challenge him to meet me, with fists or with
pistols, with battle-axe or sword, with blunderbuss or

singlestick, alone or at the head of his army, on foot or on
horseback; and will prove my words upon his wicked ugly body!'

'God save the King!' said Captain Hedzoff, executing a
demivolte, two semilunes, and three caracols.

'Is that all?' said Padella, with the terrific calm of
concentrated fury.

'That, sir, is all my royal master's message. Here is His
Majesty's letter in autograph, and here is his glove, and if

any gentleman of Crim Tartary chooses to find fault with His
Majesty's expressions, I, Tuffskin Hedzoff, Captain of the

Guard, am very much at his service,' and he waved his lance,
and looked at the assembly all round.

'And what says my good brother of Paflagonia, my dear son's
father-in-law, to this rubbish?' asked the King.

'The King's uncle hath been deprived of the crown he unjustly
wore,' said Hedzoff gravely. 'He and his axminister, Glumboso,

are now in prison waiting the sentence of my royal master.
After the battle of Bombardaro--'

'Of what?' asked the surprised Padella.
'Of Bombardaro, where my liege, his present Majesty, would have

performed prodigies of velour, but that the whole of his
uncle's army came over to our side, with the exception of

Prince Bulbo.'
'Ah! my boy, my boy, my Bulbo was no traitor!' cried Padella.

'Prince Bulbo, far from coming over to us, ran away, sir; but I
caught him. The Prince is a prisoner in our army, and the most

terrifictortures await him if a hair of the Princess Rosalba's
head is injured.'

'Do they?' exclaimed the furious Padella, who was now perfectly
LIVID with rage.' Do they indeed? So much the worse for Bulbo.

I've twenty sons as lovely each as Bulbo. Not one but is as
fit to reign as Bulbo. Whip, whack, flog, starve, rack,

punish, torture Bulbo--break all his bones--roast him or flay
him alive--pull all his pretty teeth out one by one! But

justly dear as Bulbo is to me,--joy of my eyes, fond treasure
of my soul!--Ha, ha, ha, ha! revenge is dearer still. Ho!

tortures, rack-men, executioners--light up the fires and make
the pincers hot! get lots of boiling lead!--Bring out ROSALBA!'

XVI. HOW HEDZOFF RODE BACK AGAIN TO KING GIGLIO
Captain Hedzoff rode away when King Padella uttered this cruel

command, having done his duty in delivering the message with
which his royal master had entrusted him. Of course he was

very sorry for Rosalba, but what could he do?
So he returned to King Giglio's camp, and found the young

monarch in a disturbed state of mind, smoking cigars in the
royal tent. His Majesty's agitation was not appeased by the

news that was brought by his ambassador. 'The brutal ruthless
ruffian royal wretch!' Giglio exclaimed. 'As England's poesy

has well remarked, "The man that lays his hand upon a woman,
save in the way of kindness, is a villain." Ha, Hedzoff!'

'That he is, your Majesty,' said the attendant.
'And didst thou see her flung into the oil? and didn't the

soothing oil--the emollient oil, refuse to boil, good
Hedzoff--and to spoil the fairest lady ever eyes did look on?'

'Faith, good my liege, I had no heart to look and see a
beauteous lady boiling down; I took your royal message to

Padella, and bore his back to you. I told him you would hold
Prince Bulbo answerable. He only said that he had twenty sons

as good as Bulbo, and forthwith he bade the ruthless
executioners proceed.'

'O cruel father--O unhappy son!' cried the King. 'Go, some of
you, and bring Prince Bulbo hither.'

Bulbo was brought in chains, looking very uncomfortable.
Though a prisoner, he had been tolerably happy, perhaps because

his mind was at rest, and all the fighting was over, and he was
playing at marbles with his guards when the King sent for him.

'Oh, my poor Bulbo,' said His Majesty, with looks of infinite
compassion, 'hast thou heard the news?' (for you see Giglio

wanted to break the thing gently to the Prince), 'thy brutal
father has condemned Rosalba--p-p-p-ut her to death,

P-p-p-prince Bulbo! '
'What, killed Betsinda! Boo-hoo-hoo,' cried out Bulbo.

'Betsinda! pretty Betsinda! dear Betsinda! She was the dearest
little girl in the world. I love her better twenty thousand

times even than Angelica,' and he went on expressing his grief
in so hearty and unaffected a manner that the King was quite

touched by it, and said, shaking Bulbo's hand, that he wished
he had known Bulbo sooner.

Bulbo, quite unconsciously, and meaning for the best, offered
to come and sit with His Majesty, and smoke a cigar with him,

and console him. The ROYAL KINDNESS supplied Bulbo with a
cigar; he had not had one, he said, since he was taken

prisoner.
And now think what must have been the feelings of the most

MERCIFUL OF MONARCHS, when he informed his prisoner that, in
consequence of King Padella's cruel and DASTARDLY BEHAVIOUR to

Rosalba, Prince Bulbo must instantly be executed! The noble
Giglio could not restrain his tears, nor could the Grenadiers,

nor the officers, nor could Bulbo himself, when the matter was
explained to him, and he was brought to understand that His

Majesty's promise, of course, was ABOVE EVERY THING, and Bulbo
must submit. So poor Bulbo was led out, Hedzoff trying to

console him, by pointing out that if he had won the battle of
Bombardaro, he might have hanged Prince Giglio. 'Yes! But that

is no comfort to me now!' said poor Bulbo; nor indeed was it,
poor fellow!

He was told the business would be done the next morning at
eight, and was taken back to his dungeon, where every attention

was paid to him. The gaoler's wife sent him tea, and the
turnkey's daughter begged him to write his name in her album,

where a many gentlemen had written it on like occasions!
'Bother your album!' says Bulbo. The Undertaker came and

measured him for the handsomest coffin which money could buy
--even this didn't console Bulbo. The Cook brought him dishes

which he once used to like; but he wouldn't touch them: he sat
down and began writing an adieu to Angelica, as the clock kept

always ticking, and the hands drawing nearer to next morning.
The Barber came in at night, and offered to shave him for the

next day. Prince Bulbo kicked him away, and went on writing a
few words to Princess Angelica, as the clock kept always

ticking, and the hands hopping nearer and nearer to next
morning. He got up on the top of a hatbox, on the top of a

chair, on the top of his bed, on the top of his table, and
looked out to see whether he might escape as the clock kept

always ticking and the hands drawing nearer, and nearer, and
nearer.

But looking out of the window was one thing, and jumping
another: and the town clock struck seven. So he got into bed

for a little sleep, but the gaoler came and woke him, and said,
'Git up, your Royal Ighness, if you please, it's TEN MINUTES TO

EIGHT!'
So poor Bulbo got up: he had gone to bed in his clothes (the

lazy boy), and he shook himself, and said he didn't mind about
dressing, or having any breakfast, thank you; and he saw the

soldiers who had come for him. 'Lead on!' he said; and they
led the way, deeply affected; and they came into the courtyard,

and out into the square, and there was King Giglio come to take
leave of him, and His Majesty most kindly shook hands with him,

and the 'Take off that marched on:--when hark!
Haw--wurraw--wurraw--aworr!

A roar of wild beasts was heard. And who should come riding
into the town, frightening away the boys, and even the beadle

and policeman, but ROSALBA!
The fact is, that when Captain Hedzoff entered into the court

of Snapdragon Castle, and was discoursing with King Padella,
the lions made a dash at the open gate, gobbled up the six

beef-eaters in a jiffy, and away they went with Rosalba on the
back of one of them, and they carried her, turn and turn about,

till they came to the city where Prince Giglio's army was
encamped.

When the KING heard of the QUEEN'S arrival, you may think how
he rushed out of his breakfast-room to hand Her Majesty off her

lion! The lions were grown as fat as pigs now, having had
Hogginarmo and all those beefeaters, and were so tame, anybody

might pat them.
While Giglio knelt (most gracefully) and helped the Princess,

Bulbo, for his part, rushed up and kissed the lion. He flung
his arms round the forest monarch; he hugged him, and laughed

and cried for joy. 'Oh, you darling old beast, oh, how glad I
am to see you, and the dear, dear Bets--that is, Rosalba.'

'What, is it you? poor Bulbo!' said the Queen.' Oh, how glad I


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