Without making a sound, Kabumpo took the Prince’s crown from a dressing cabinet, slipped it carefully into the pocket of his robe, and then carefully lifted the sleeping Prince in his curling trunk and started cautiously down the great hall. Setting him gently on the floor as he reached the palace doors, he pushed back the golden bolts and stepped out into the garden. The voices of the watchmen calling to each other from the great wall came faintly through the darkness, but the Elegant Elephant hurried to a secret unguarded entrance known only to himself and Pompadore and passed like a great shadow through the swinging gates. Once outside, he swung the sleeping Prince to his broad back and ran swiftly and silently through the night. “What are we doing?” murmured the Prince drowsily in his sleep. [Illustration: (unlabelled)] “Disappearing,” chuckled Kabumpo under his breath. “Disappearing from Pumperdink, my lad.” [Illustration: (unlabelled)] Chapter 4 The Curious Cottabus Appears “Ouch!” Prince Pompadore stirred uneasily and rolled over. “Ouch!” he groaned again, giving his pillow a fretful thump. “Ouch!” This time his eyes flew wide open, for his knuckles were tingling with pain. “A rock!” gasped the Prince, sitting up indignantly. “A rock under my head! No wonder it aches! Great Gillikens! Where am I?” He stared about wildly. There was not a familiar object in sight. Indeed he was in a dim, deep forest, and from the distance came the sound of someone sawing wood. “Oh! Oh! I know!” muttered the Prince, rubbing his head miserably. “It’s that wretched scroll. I’ve disappeared and this is the place I’ve disappeared to.” Stiffly he got to his feet and started to walk in the direction of the sawing, but had only gone a few steps before he gave a cry of joy, for there, leaning up against a tree, snoring like twenty wood-cutters at work, was Kabumpo. “Wake up!” cried Pompadore, pounding him with all his might. “Wake up, Kabumpo. We’ve disappeared!” “Have we?” yawned the Elegant Elephant, opening one eye. “You don’t say? Hah, Hoh, Hum!” With a tremendous yawn he opened the other eye and began to chuckle and shake all over. “We stole a march on ’em, Pompa. I’d like to see the King’s face when he finds us gone. Old Pumper will be Oyezing all over the palace. He’ll think we’ve disappeared by magic.” “Well, didn’t we?” asked Pompadore in amazement. “Not unless you call _me_ magic. I carried you off in the night. Did you suppose old Kabumpo was going to stand quietly by while they married you to a faggotty old fairy like Faleero? Not much,” wheezed the Elegant Elephant. “I have other plans for you, little one!”