"There! There! Always talking about the elephant that got away instead of appreciating your good fortune!" scolded Ato, throwing a corn muffin down to Nikobo and lifting the gold cover off the roast fowl. "Yes, and you'd better listen to OUR news, Master Salt!" Roger said, pouring a cup of coffee for all hands. "News? NEWS? Has anything happened here?" Samuel looked more anxious than interested. "Oh, YES!" cried Tandy, running round to his side of the table and pressing eagerly against Samuel's knee. "Roger has a wonderful plan and I as King of Ozamaland have agreed to it, and oh, Samuel, SAMUEL!" Forgetting he usually called the tremendous seaman "Captain," Tandy flung both arms round his neck and almost squeezed the breath out of him. "I'm going straight back on the _Crescent Moon_, and I'm not coming ashore for years and years. I'm going with you to Ev, Oz, Elbow Island and everywhere!" "What?" spluttered Samuel Salt, disentangling himself with great difficulty and holding Tandy off at arm's length. "Are you joking? Are you crazy? Have you abdicated or what? Why, this is too good to be true!" "But it _is_ true!" insisted Roger, strutting up and down the table and illy concealing his pride and satisfaction. "Oh, tell him, tell him," begged Tandy, too happy to speak for himself. "Well," said Roger, spreading his wings self-consciously, for the plan was his and he felt prouder of it every minute, "we are placing Ozamaland under the general rule and protection of Oz and leaving as Ruler in Tandy's place that long-legged son of the desert, Chunum. Now there's a fellow who can handle these scary Nobles and natives and wild elephant and camel riders. A King must complete his education before he starts ruling, you know." Roger paused to scratch his head and wink gaily at Samuel Salt. "And if this King chooses to finish his education on our ship, that is his own affair." "Oh, quite! Quite!" Samuel began to rock backward and forward and roar with merriment. "Roger, you rascal, you've done as good a job of reasoning as a whole flock of Wise Men! Fall to, Mates, now we can enjoy our victuals and I give you a toast to King Tandy, Cabin Boy, Explorer and Artist Extraordinary to this Expedition!" "Tandy! Tandy!" echoed Ato and Roger, lifting their coffee cups. "Tandy! Tandy!" mumbled Nikobo, who was lunching largely and luxuriantly on the flowers in a low window box. "When do we sail?" CHAPTER 21 A Voyage Resumed