"I wonder what can be done to stop them,"
he mused.
"Well," said the Hearer, "if you could turn
the Tube upside down, they would be falling
the other way, Your Majesty."
Ruggedo glared at him wickedly, for it was
impossible to turn the Tube upside down and
he believed the Hearer was slyly poking fun
at him. Presently he asked:
"How far away are those people now?"
"About nine thousand three hundred and six
miles, seventeen furlongs, eight feet and four
inches--as nearly as I can judge from the sound
of their voices," replied the Hearer.
"Aha! Then it will be some time before they
arrive," said Ruggedo, "and when they get here
I shall be ready to receive them."
He rushed to his gong and pounded upon it so
fiercely that Kaliko came bounding into the cavern
with one shoe off and one shoe on, for he was just
dressing himself after a swim in the hot bubbling
lake of the Underground Kingdom.
"Kaliko, those invaders whom we threw down
the Tube are coming back again!" he exclaimed.
"I thought they would," said the Royal
Chamberlain, pulling on the other shoe. "Tititi-
Hoochoo would not allow them to remain in his
kingdom, of course, and so I've been expecting
them back for some time. That was a very foolish
action of yours, Rug."
"What, to throw them down the Tube?"
"Yes. Tititi-Hoochoo has forbidden us to throw
even rubbish into the Tube."
"Pooh! what do I care for the Jinjin?" asked
Ruggedo scornfully. "He never leaves his own
kingdom, which is on the other side of the world.
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