Chapter Twenty
Quox Quietly Quits
When the chief nomes assembled before their new
King they joyfully saluted him and promised to
obey his commands. But, when Kaliko questioned
them, none knew the way to the Metal Forest,
although all had assisted in its making. So the
King instructed them to search carefully for one
of the passages and to bring him the news as soon
as they had found it.
Meantime Quox had managed to back out of the
rocky corridor and so regain the open air and his
old station on the mountain-side, and there he lay
upon the rocks, sound asleep, until the next day.
The others of the party were all given as good
rooms as the caverns of the nomes afforded, for
King Kaliko felt that he was indebted to them for
his promotion and was anxious to be as hospitable
as he could.
Much wonderment had been caused by the absolute
disappearance of the sixteen officers of Oogaboo
and their Queen. Not a nome had seen them, nor
were they discovered during the search for the
passages leading to the Metal Forest. Perhaps no
one was unhappy over their loss, but all were
curious to know what had become of them.
On the next day, when our friends went to visit
the dragon, Quox said to them: "I must now bid you
good-bye, for my mission here is finished and I
must depart for the other side of the world,
where I belong."
"Will you go through the Tube again?" asked
Betsy.
"To be sure. But it will be a lonely trip this
time, with no one to talk to, and I cannot invite
any of you to go with me.
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