The king notwithstanding drew himself up to his full height of four feet, spread himself to his full breadth of three and a half, for he was the handsomest and squarest of all the goblins, and strutting up to Curdie, planted himself with outspread feet before him, and said with dignity: 'Pray what right have you in my palace ?' 'The right of necessity, Your Majesty,' answered Curdie.

'I lost my way and did not know where I was wandering to.' 'How did you get in ?' 'By a hole in the mountain.' 'But you are a miner! Look at your pickaxe!' Curdie did look at it, answering: 'I came upon it lying on the ground a little way from here.

I tumbled over some wild beasts who were playing with it.

Look, Your Majesty.' And Curdie showed him how he was scratched and bitten.
The king was pleased to find him behave more politely than he had expected from what his people had told him concerning the miners, for he attributed it to the power of his own presence; but he did not therefore feel friendly to the intruder.
'You will oblige me by walking out of my dominions at once,' he said, well knowing what a mockery lay in the words.
'With pleasure, if Your Majesty will give me a guide,' said Curdie.
'I will give you a thousand,' said the king with a scoffing air of magnificent liberality.
'One will be quite sufficient,' said Curdie.
But the king uttered a strange shout, half halloo, half roar, and in rushed goblins till the cave was swarming.

He said something to the first of them which Curdie could not hear, and it was passed from one to another till in a moment the farthest in the crowd had evidently heard and understood it.