Part 14 (1/2)

”Perhaps--perhaps!” said the two old men, thoughtfully. ”It is what we are not accustomed to that seems to us remarkable. Eh, Ki-Ki?” they added, turning to the other rulers.

The Ki-Ki, who had not spoken a word but continued to play softly, simply nodded their blond heads carelessly; so the Ki looked again at the prisoners and asked:

”How did you get here?”

”We cut a hole through the p.r.i.c.kly hedge,” replied Prince Marvel.

”A hole through the hedge! Great Kika-koo!” cried the gray-bearded Ki; ”is there, then, anything or any place on the other side of the hedge?”

”Why, of course! The world is there,” returned the prince, laughing.

The old men looked puzzled, and glanced sharply from their little black eyes at their prisoners.

”We thought nothing existed outside the hedge of Twi,” they answered, simply. ”But your presence here proves we were wrong. Eh! Ki-Ki?”

This last was again directed toward the pair of musicians, who continued to play and only nodded quietly, as before.

”Now that you are here,” said the twin Ki, stroking their two gray beards with their two left hands in a nervous way, ”it must be evident to you that you do not belong here. Therefore you must go back through the hedge again and stay on the other side. Eh, Ki-Ki?”

The Ki-Ki still continued playing, but now spoke the first words the prisoners had heard from them.

”They must die,” said the Ki-Ki, in soft and agreeable voices.

”Die!” echoed the twin Ki, ”die? Great Kika-koo! And why so?”

”Because, if there is a world on the other side of the hedge, they would tell on their return all about the Land of Twi, and others of their kind would come through the hedge from curiosity and annoy us.

We can not be annoyed. We are busy.”

Having delivered this speech both the Ki-Ki went on playing the new tune, as if the matter was settled.

”Nonsense!” retorted the old Ki, angrily. ”You are getting more and more bloodthirsty every day, our sweet and gentle Ki-Ki! But we are the Ki--and we say the prisoners shall not die!”

”We say they shall!” answered the youthful Ki-Ki, nodding their two heads at the same time, with a positive motion. ”You may be the Ki, but we are the Ki-Ki, and your superior.”

”Not in this case,” declared the old men. ”Where life and death are concerned we have equal powers with you.”

”And if we disagree?” asked the players, gently.

”Great Kika-koo! If we disagree the High Ki must judge between us!”

roared the twin Ki, excitedly.

”Quite so,” answered the Ki-Ki. ”The strangers shall die.”

”They shall not die!” stormed the old men, with fierce gestures toward the others, while both pairs of black eyes flashed angrily.

”Then we disagree, and they must be taken to the High Ki,” returned the blond musicians, beginning to play another tune.

The two Ki rose from their thrones, paced two steps to the right and three steps to the left, and then sat down again.