Glinda of Oz
by
L. Frank Baum
Part 3 out of 3
No one could answer that question, of course; but
while they pondered the matter three young men advanced
from the line of trees, and rather timidly bowed to the
strangers.
"Who are you, and where did you come from?" inquired
the Wizard.
"We are Skeezers," answered one of them, "and our
home is on the Magic Isle of the Lake. We ran away when
we saw you coming, and hid behind the trees, but as you
are Strangers and seem to be friendly we decided to
meet you, for we are in great trouble and need
assistance."
"If you belong on the island, why are you here?"
demanded Glinda.
So they told her all the story: How the Queen had
defied the Flatheads and submerged the whole island so
that her enemies could not get to it or destroy it;
how, when the Flatheads came to the shore, Coo-ee-oh
had commanded them, together with their friend Ervic,
to go with her in the submarine to conquer the Su-dic,
and how the boat had shot out from the basement of the
sunken isle, obeying a magic word, and risen to the
surface, where it opened and floated upon the water.
Then followed the account of how the Su-dic had
transformed Coo-ee-oh into a swan, after which she had
forgotten all the witchcraft she ever knew. The young
men told how, in the night when they were asleep, their
comrade Ervic had mysteriously disappeared, while the
boat in some strange manner had floated to the shore
and stranded upon the beach.
That was all they knew. They had searched in vain for
three days for Ervic. As their island was under water
and they could not get back to it, the three Skeezers
had no place to go, and so had waited patiently beside
their boat for something to happen.
Being questioned by Glinda and the Wizard, they told
all they knew about Ozma and Dorothy and declared the
two girls were still in the village under the Great
Dome. They were quite safe and would be well cared for
by Lady Aurex, now that the Queen who opposed them was
out of the way.
When they had gleaned all the information they could
from these Skeezers, the Wizard said to Glinda:
"If you find you can make this boat obey your
sorcery, you could have it return to the island,
submerge itself, and enter the door in the basement
from which it came. But I cannot see that our going to
the sunken island would enable our friends to escape.
We would only Join them as prisoners."
"Not so, friend Wizard," replied Glinda. "If the boat
would obey my commands to enter the basement door, it
would also obey my commands to come out again, and I
could bring Ozma and Dorothy back with me."
"And leave all of our people still imprisoned?" asked
one of the Skeezers reproachfully.
"By making several trips in the boat, Glinda could
fetch all your people to the shore," replied the
Wizard.
"But what could they do then?" inquired another
Skeezer. "They would have no homes and no place to go,
and would be at the mercy of their enemies, the
Flatheads."
"That is true," said Glinda the Good. "And as these
people are Ozma's subjects, I think she would refuse to
escape with Dorothy and leave the others behind, or to
abandon the island which is the lawful home of the
Skeezers. I believe the best plan will be to summon the
three fishes and learn from them how to raise the
island."
The little Wizard seemed to think that this was
rather a forlorn hope.
"How will you summon them," he asked the lovely
Sorceress, "and how can they hear you?"
"That is something we must consider carefully,"
responded stately Glinda, with a serene smile. "I
think I can find a way."
All of Ozma's counsellors applauded this sentiment,
for they knew well the powers of the Sorceress.
"Very well," agreed the Wizard. "Summon them, most
noble Glinda."
Chapter Eighteen
The Cleverness of Ervic
We must now return to Ervic the Skeezer, who, when he
had set down the copper kettle containing the three
fishes at the gate of the lonely cottage, had asked,
"What next?"
The goldfish stuck its head above the water in the
kettle and said in its small but distinct voice:
"You are to lift the latch, open the door, and walk
boldly into the cottage. Do not be afraid of anything
you see, for however you seem to be threatened with
dangers, nothing can harm you. The cottage is the home
of a powerful Yookoohoo, named Reera the Red, who
assumes all sorts of forms, sometimes changing her form
several times in a day, according to her fancy. What
her real form may be we do not know. This strange
creature cannot be bribed with treasure, or coaxed
through friendship, or won by pity. She has never
assisted anyone, or done wrong to anyone, that we know
of. All her wonderful powers are used for her own
selfish amusement. She will order you out of the house
but you must refuse to go. Remain and watch Reera
closely and try to see what she uses to accomplish her
transformations. If you can discover the secret
whisper it to us and we will then tell you what to do
next."
"That sounds easy," returned Ervic, who had listened
carefully. "But are you sure she will not hurt me, or
try to transform me?"
"She may change your form," replied the goldfish,
"but do not worry if that happens, for we can break
that enchantment easily. You may be sure that nothing
will harm you, so you must not be frightened at
anything you see or hear."
Now Ervic was as brave as any ordinary young man, and
he knew the fishes who spoke to him were truthful and
to be relied upon, nevertheless he experienced a
strange sinking of the heart as he picked up the kettle
and approached the door of the cottage. His hand
trembled as he raised the latch, but he was resolved to
obey his instructions. He pushed the door open, took
three strides into the middle of the one room the
cottage contained, and then stood still and looked
around him.
The sights that met his gaze were enough to frighten
anyone who had not been properly warned. On the floor
just before Ervic lay a great crocodile, its red eyes
gleaming wickedly and its wide open mouth displaying
rows of sharp teeth. Horned toads hopped about; each
of the four upper corners of the room was festooned
with a thick cobweb, in the center of which sat a
spider as big around as a washbasin, and armed with
pincher-like claws; a red-and-green lizard was
stretched at full length on the window-sill and black
rats darted in and out of the holes they had gnawed in
the floor of the cottage.
But the most startling thing was a huge gray ape
which sat upon a bench and knitted. It wore a lace cap,
such as old ladies wear, and a little apron of lace,
but no other clothing. Its eyes were bright and looked
as if coals were burning in them. The ape moved as
naturally as an ordinary person might, and on Ervic's
entrance stopped knitting and raised its head to look
at him.
"Get out!" cried a sharp voice, seeming to come from
the ape's mouth.
Ervic saw another bench, empty, just beyond him, so
he stepped over the crocodile, sat down upon the bench
and carefully placed the kettle beside him.
"Get out!" again cried the voice.
Ervic shook his head.
"No," said he, "I'm going to stay."
The spiders left their four corners, dropped to the
floor and made a rush toward the young Skeezer,
circling around his legs with their pinchers extended.
Ervic paid no attention to them. An enormous black rat
ran up Ervic's body, passed around his shoulders and
uttered piercing squeals in his ears, but he did not
wince. The green-and-red lizard, coming from the
window-sill, approached Ervic and began spitting a
flaming fluid at him, but Ervic merely stared at the
creature and its flame did not touch him.
The crocodile raised its tail and, swinging around,
swept Ervic off the bench with a powerful blow. But the
Skeezer managed to save the kettle from upsetting and
he got up, shook off the horned toads that were
crawling over him and resumed his seat on the bench.
All the creatures, after this first attack, remained
motionless, as if awaiting orders. The old gray ape
knitted on, not looking toward Ervic now, and the young
Skeezer stolidly kept his seat. He expected something
else to happen, but nothing did. A full hour passed and
Ervic was growing nervous.
"What do you want?" the ape asked at last.
"Nothing," said Ervic.
"You may have that!" retorted the ape, and at this
all the strange creatures in the room broke into a
chorus of cackling laughter.
Another long wait.
"Do you know who I am?" questioned the ape.
"You must be Reera the Red -- the Yookoohoo," Ervic
answered.
"Knowing so much, you must also know that I do not
like strangers. Your presence here in my home annoys
me. Do you not fear my anger?"
"No," said the young man.
"Do you intend to obey me, and leave this house?"
"No," replied Ervic, just as quietly as the Yookoohoo
had spoken.
The ape knitted for a long time before resuming the
conversation.
"Curiosity," it said, "has led to many a man's
undoing. I suppose in some way you have learned that I
do tricks of magic, and so through curiosity you have
come here. You may have been told that I do not injure
anyone, so you are bold enough to disobey my commands
to go away. You imagine that you may witness some of
the rites of witchcraft, and that they may amuse you.
Have I spoken truly?"
"Well," remarked Ervic, who had been pondering on the
strange circumstances of his coming here, "you are
right in some ways, but not in others. I am told that
you work magic only for your own amusement. That seems
to me very selfish. Few people understand magic. I'm
told that you are the only real Yookoohoo in all Oz.
Why don't you amuse others as well as yourself?"
"What right have you to question my actions?"
"None at all."
"And you say you are not here to demand any
favors of me?"
"For myself I want nothing from you."
"You are wise in that. I never grant favors."
"That doesn't worry me," declared Ervic.
"But you are curious? You hope to witness some of my
magic transformations?"
"If you wish to perform any magic, go ahead," said
Ervic. "It may interest me and it may not. If you'd
rather go on with your knitting, it's all the same to
me. I am in no hurry at all."
This may have puzzled Red Reera, but the face beneath
the lace cap could show no expression, being covered
with hair. Perhaps in all her career the Yookoohoo had
never been visited by anyone who, like this young man,
asked for nothing, expected nothing, and had no reason
for coming except curiosity. This attitude practically
disarmed the witch and she began to regard the Skeezer
in a more friendly way. She knitted for some time,
seemingly in deep thought, and then she arose and
walked to a big cupboard that stood against the wall of
the room. When the cupboard door was opened Ervic could
see a lot of drawers inside, and into one of these
drawers -- the second from the bottom -- Reera thrust a
hairy hand.
Until now Ervic could see over the bent form of the
ape, but suddenly the form, with its back to him,
seemed to straighten up and blot out the cupboard of
drawers. The ape had changed to the form of a woman,
dressed in the pretty Gillikin costume, and when she
turned around he saw that it was a young woman, whose
face was quite attractive.
"Do you like me better this way?" Reera inquired with
a smile.
"You look better," he said calmly, "but I'm not sure
I like you any better."
She laughed, saying: "During the heat of the day I
like to be an ape, for an ape doesn't wear any clothes
to speak of. But if one has gentlemen callers it is
proper to dress up."
Ervic noticed her right hand was closed, as if she
held something in it. She shut the cupboard door, bent
over the crocodile and in a moment the creature had
changed to a red wolf. It was not pretty even now, and
the wolf crouched beside its mistress as a dog might
have done. Its teeth looked as dangerous as had those
of the crocodile.
Next the Yookoohoo went about touching all the
lizards and toads, and at her touch they became
kittens. The rats she changed into chipmunks. Now the
only horrid creatures remaining were the four great
spiders, which hid themselves behind their thick webs.
"There!" Reera cried, "now my cottage presents a more
comfortable appearance. I love the toads and lizards
and rats, because most people hate them, but I would
tire of them if they always remained the same.
Sometimes I change their forms a dozen times a day."
"You are clever," said Ervic. "I did not hear you
utter any incantations or magic words. All you did was
to touch the creatures."
"Oh, do you think so?" she replied. "Well, touch them
yourself, if you like, and see if you can change their
forms."
"No," said the Skeezer, "I don't understand magic and
if I did I would not try to imitate your skill. You are
a wonderful Yookoohoo, while I am only a common
Skeezer."
This confession seemed to please Reera, who liked to
have her witchcraft appreciated.
"Will you go away now?" she asked. "I prefer to be
alone."
"I prefer to stay here," said Ervic.
"In another person's home, where you are not wanted?"
"Yes."
"Is not your curiosity yet satisfied?" demanded
Reera, with a smile.
"I don't know. Is there anything else you can do?"
"Many things. But why should I exhibit my powers to a
stranger?"
"I can think of no reason at all," he replied.
She looked at him curiously.
"You want no power for yourself, you say, and you're
too stupid to be able to steal my secrets. This isn't a
pretty cottage, while outside are sunshine, broad
prairies and beautiful wildflowers. Yet you insist on
sitting on that bench and annoying me with your
unwelcome presence. What have you in that kettle?"
"Three fishes," he answered readily.
"Where did you get them?"
"I caught them in the Lake of the Skeezers."
"What do you intend to do with the fishes?"
"I shall carry them to the home of a friend of mine
who has three children. The children will love to have
the fishes for pets."
She came over to the bench and looked into the
kettle, where the three fishes were swimming quietly in
the water.
"They're pretty," said Reera. "Let me transform them
into something else."
"No," objected the Skeezer.
"I love to transform things; it's so interesting. And
I've never transformed any fishes in all my life."
"Let them alone," said Ervic.
"What shapes would you prefer them to have? I can
make them turtles, or cute little sea-horses; or I
could make them piglets, or rabbits, or guinea-pigs;
or, if you like I can make chickens of them, or eagles,
or bluejays."
"Let them alone!" repeated Ervic.
"You're not a very pleasant visitor," laughed Red
Reera. "People accuse me of being cross and crabbed
and unsociable, and they are quite right. If you had
come here pleading and begging for favors, and half
afraid of my Yookoohoo magic, I'd have abused you until
you ran away; but you're quite different from that.
You're the unsociable and crabbed and disagreeable one,
and so I like you, and bear with your grumpiness. It's
time for my midday meal; are you hungry?"
"No," said Ervic, although he really desired food.
"Well, I am," Reera declared and clapped her hands
together. Instantly a table appeared, spread with linen
and bearing dishes of various foods, some smoking hot.
There were two plates laid, one at each end of the
table, and as soon as Reera seated herself all her
creatures gathered around her, as if they were
accustomed to be fed when she ate. The wolf squatted at
her right hand and the kittens and chipmunks gathered
at her left.
"Come, Stranger, sit down and eat," she called
cheerfully, "and while we're eating let us decide into
what forms we shall change your fishes."
"They're all right as they are," asserted Ervic,
drawing up his bench to the table. "The fishes are
beauties -- one gold, one silver and one bronze.
Nothing that has life is more lovely than a beautiful
fish."
"What! Am I not more lovely?" Reera asked, smiling at
his serious face.
"I don't object to you -- for a Yookoohoo, you know,"
he said, helping himself to the food and eating with
good appetite.
"And don't you consider a beautiful girl more lovely
than a fish, however pretty the fish may be?"
"Well," replied Ervic, after a period of thought,
"that might be. If you transformed my three fish into
three girls -- girls who would be Adepts at Magic, you
know they might please me as well as the fish do. You
won't do that of course, because you can't, with all
your skill. And, should you be able to do so, I fear my
troubles would be more than I could bear. They would
not consent to be my slaves -- especially if they were
Adepts at Magic -- and so they would command me to obey
them. No, Mistress Reeraq let us not transform the
fishes at all."
The Skeezer had put his case with remarkable
cleverness. He realized that if he appeared anxious for
such a transformation the Yookoohoo would not perform
it, yet he had skillfully suggested that they be made
Adepts at Magic.
Chapter Nineteen
Red Reera, the Yookoohoo
After the meal was over and Reera had fed her pets,
including the four monster spiders which had come down
from their webs to secure their share, she made the
table disappear from the floor of the cottage.
"I wish you'd consent to my transforming your
fishes," she said, as she took up her knitting again.
The Skeezer made no reply. He thought it unwise to
hurry matters. All during the afternoon they sat
silent. Once Reera went to her cupboard and after
thrusting her hand into the same drawer as before,
touched the wolf and transformed it into a bird with
gorgeous colored feathers. This bird was larger than a
parrot and of a somewhat different form, but Ervic had
never seen one like it before.
"Sing!" said Reera to the bird, which had perched
itself on a big wooden peg -- as if it had been in the
cottage before and knew just what to do.
And the bird sang jolly, rollicking songs with words
to them -- just as a person who had been carefully
trained might do. The songs were entertaining and Ervic
enjoyed listening to them. In an hour or so the bird
stopped singing, tucked its head under its wing and
went to sleep. Reera continued knitting but seemed
thoughtful.
Now Ervic had marked this cupboard drawer well and
had concluded that Reera took something from it which
enabled her to perform her transformations. He thought
that if he managed to remain in the cottage, and Reera
fell asleep, he could slyly open the cupboard, take a
portion of whatever was in the drawer, and by dropping
it into the copper kettle transform the three fishes
into their natural shapes. Indeed, he had firmly
resolved to carry out this plan when the Yookoohoo put
down her knitting and walked toward the door.
"I'm going out for a few minutes," said she; "do you
wish to go with me, or will you remain here?"
Ervic did not answer but sat quietly on his bench. So
Reera went out and closed the cottage door.
As soon as she was gone, Ervic rose and tiptoed to
the cupboard.
"Take care! Take care!" cried several voices, coming
from the kittens and chipmunks. "If you touch anything
we'll tell the Yookoohoo!"
Ervic hesitated a moment but, remembering that he
need not consider Reera's anger if he succeeded in
transforming the fishes, he was about to open the
cupboard when he was arrested by the voices of the
fishes, which stuck their heads above the water in the
kettle and called out:
"Come here, Ervic!"
So he went back to the kettle and bent over it
"Let the cupboard alone," said the goldfish to him
earnestly. "You could not succeed by getting that magic
powder, for only the Yookoohoo knows how to use it. The
best way is to allow her to transform us into three
girls, for then we will have our natural shapes and be
able to perform all the Arts of Magic we have learned
and well understand. You are acting wisely and in the
most effective manner. We did not know you were so
intelligent, or that Reera could be so easily deceived
by you. Continue as you have begun and try to persuade
her to transform us. But insist that we be given the
forms of girls."
The goldfish ducked its head down just as Reera re-
entered the cottage. She saw Ervic bent over the
kettle, so she came and joined him.
"Can your fishes talk?" she asked.
"Sometimes," he replied, "for all fishes in the Land
of Oz know how to speak. Just now they were asking me
for some bread. They are hungry."
"Well, they can have some bread," said Reera. "But it
is nearly supper-time, and if you would allow me to
transform your fishes into girls they could join us at
the table and have plenty of food much nicer than
crumbs. Why not let me transform them?"
"Well," said Ervic, as if hesitating, "ask the
fishes. If they consent, why -- why, then, I'll think
it over."
Reera bent over the kettle and asked:
"Can you hear me, little fishes?"
All three popped their heads above water.
"We can hear you," said the bronzefish.
"I want to give you other forms, such as rabbits, or
turtles or girls, or something; but your master, the
surly Skeezer, does not wish me to. However, he has
agreed to the plan if you will consent."
"We'd like to be girls," said the silverfish.
"No, no!" exclaimed Ervic.
"If you promise to make us three beautiful girls,
we will consent," said the goldfish.
"No, no!" exclaimed Ervic again.
"Also make us Adepts at Magic," added the bronzefish.
"I don't know exactly what that means," replied Reera
musingly, "but as no Adept at Magic is as powerful as
Yookoohoo, I'll add that to the transformation."
"We won't try to harm you, or to interfere with your
magic in any way," promised the goldfish. "On the
contrary, we will be your friends."
"Will you agree to go away and leave me alone in my
cottage, whenever I command you to do so?" asked Reera.
"We promise that," cried the three fishes.
"Don't do it! Don't consent to the transformation,"
urged Ervic.
"They have already consented," said the Yookoohoo,
laughing in his face, "and you have promised me to
abide by their decision. So, friend Skeezer, I shall
perform the transformation whether you like it or not."
Ervic seated himself on the bench again, a deep scowl
on his face but joy in his heart. Reera moved over to
the cupboard, took something from the drawer and
returned to the copper kettle. She was clutching
something tightly in her right hand, but with her left
she reached within the kettle, took out the three
fishes and laid them carefully on the floor, where they
gasped in distress at being out of water.
Reera did not keep them in misery more than a few
seconds, for she touched each one with her right hand
and instantly the fishes were transformed into three
tall and slender young women, with fine, intelligent
faces and clothed in handsome, clinging gowns. The one
who had been a goldfish had beautiful golden hair and
blue eyes and was exceedingly fair of skin; the one who
had been a bronzefish had dark brown hair and clear
gray eyes and her complexion matched these lovely
features. The one who had been a silverfish had snow-
white hair of the finest texture and deep brown eyes.
The hair contrasted exquisitely with her pink cheeks
and ruby-red lips, nor did it make her look a day older
than her two companions.
As soon as they secured these girlish shapes, all
three bowed low to the Yookoohoo and said:
"We thank you, Reera."
Then they bowed to the Skeezer and said:
"We thank you, Ervic."
"Very good!" cried the Yookoohoo, examining her work
with critical approval. "You are much better and more
interesting than fishes, and this ungracious Skeezer
would scarcely allow me to do the transformations. You
surely have nothing to thank him for. But now let us
dine in honor of the occasion."
She clapped her hands together and again a table
loaded with food appeared in the cottage. It was a
longer table, this time, and places were set for the
three Adepts as well as for Reera and Ervic.
"Sit down, friends, and eat your fill," said the
Yookoohoo, but instead of seating herself at the head
of the table she went to the cupboard, saying to the
Adepts: "Your beauty and grace, my fair friends, quite
outshine my own. So that I may appear properly at the
banquet table I intend, in honor of this occasion, to
take upon myself my natural shape."
Scarcely had she finished this speech when Reera
transformed herself into a young woman fully as lovely
as the three Adepts. She was not quite so tall as they,
but her form was more rounded and more handsomely
clothed, with a wonderful jeweled girdle and a necklace
of shining pearls. Her hair was a bright auburn red,
and her eyes large and dark.
"Do you claim this is your natural form?" asked Ervic
of the Yookoohoo.
"Yes," she replied. "This is the only form I am
really entitled to wear. But I seldom assume it because
there is no one here to admire or appreciate it and I
get tired admiring it myself."
"I see now why you are named Reera the Red," remarked
Ervic.
"It is on account of my red hair," she explained
smiling. "I do not care for red hair myself, which is
one reason I usually wear other forms."
"It is beautiful," asserted the young man; and then
remembering the other women present he added: "But, of
course, all women should not have red hair, because
that would make it too common. Gold and silver and
brown hair are equally handsome."
The smiles that he saw interchanged between the four
filled the poor Skeezer with embarrassment, so he fell
silent and attended to eating his supper, leaving the
others to do the talking. The three Adepts frankly told
Reera who they were. how they became fishes and how
they had planned secretly to induce the Yookoohoo to
transform them. They admitted that they had feared, had
they asked her to help, that she would have refused
them.
"You were quite right," returned the Yookoohoo. "I
make it my rule never to perform magic to assist
others, for if I did there would always be crowd at my
cottage demanding help and I hate crowds and want to be
left alone."
"However, now that you are restored to your proper
shapes, I do not regret my action and I hope you will
be of use in saving the Skeezer people by raising their
island to the surface of the lake, where it really
belongs. But you must promise me that after you go away
you will never come here again, nor tell anyone what I
have done for you."
The three Adepts and Ervic thanked the Yookoohoo
warmly. They promised to remember her wish that they
should not come to her cottage again and so, with a
good-bye, took their departure.
Chapter Twenty
A Puzzling Problem
Glinda the Good, having decided to try her sorcery
upon the abandoned submarine, so that it would obey her
commands, asked all of her party, including the
Skeezers, to withdraw from the shore of the take to the
line of palm trees. She kept with her only the little
Wizard of Oz, who was her pupil and knew how to assist
her in her magic rites. When they two were alone beside
the stranded boat, Glinda said to the Wizard:
"I shall first try my magic recipe No. 1163, which is
intended to make inanimate objects move at my command.
Have you a skeropythrope with you?"
"Yes, I always carry one in my bag," replied the
Wizard. He opened his black bag of magic tools and took
out a brightly polished skeropythrope, which he handed
to the Sorceress. Glinda had also brought a small
wicker bag, containing various requirements of sorcery,
and from this she took a parcel of powder and a vial of
liquid. She poured the liquid into the skeropythrope
and added the powder. At once the skeropythrope began
to sputter and emit sparks of a violet color, which
spread in all directions. The Sorceress instantly
stepped into the middle of the boat and held the
instrument so that the sparks fell all around her and
covered every bit of the blackened steel boat. At the
same time Glinda crooned a weird incantation in the
language of sorcery, her voice sounding low and
musical.
After a little the violet sparks ceased, and those
that had fallen upon the boat had disappeared and left
no mark upon its surface. The ceremony was ended and
Glinda returned the skeropythrope to the Wizard, who
put it away in his black bag.
"That ought to do the business all right," he said
confidently
"Let us make a trial and see," she replied.
So they both entered the boat and seated themselves.
Speaking in a tone of command the Sorceress said to
the boat: "Carry us across the lake, to the farther
shore."
At once the boat backed off the sandy beach, turned
its prow and moved swiftly over the water.
"Very good -- very good indeed!" cried the Wizard,
when the boat slowed up at the shore opposite from that
whence they had departed. "Even Coo-ee-oh, with all
her witchcraft, could do no better."
The Sorceress now said to the boat:
"Close up, submerge and carry us to the basement door
of the sunken island -- the door from which you emerged
at the command of Queen Coo-ee-oh."
The boat obeyed. As it sank into the water the top
sections rose from the sides and joined together over
the heads of Glinda and the Wizard, who were thus
enclosed in a water-proof chamber. There were four
glass windows in this covering, one on each side and
one on either end, so that the passengers could see
exactly where they were going. Moving under water more
slowly than on the surface, the submarine gradually
approached the island and halted with its bow pressed
against the huge marble door in the basement under the
Dome. This door was tightly closed and it was evident
to both Glinda and the Wizard that it would not open to
admit the underwater boat unless a magic word was
spoken by them or someone from within the basement of
the island. But what was this magic word? Neither of
them knew.
"I'm afraid," said the Wizard regretfully, "that we
can't get in, after all. Unless your sorcery can
discover the word to open the marble door."
"That is probably some word only known to Coo-ce-oh,"
replied the Sorceress. "I may be able to discover what
it is, but that will require time. Let us go back
again to our companions."
"It seems a shame, after we have made the boat obey
us, to be balked by just a marble door," grumbled the
Wizard.
At Glinda's command the boat rose until it was on a
level with the glass dome that covered the Skeezer
village, when the Sorceress made it slowly circle all
around the Great Dome.
Many faces were pressed against the glass from the
inside, eagerly watching the submarine, and in one
place were Dorothy and Ozma, who quickly recognized
Glinda and the Wizard through the glass windows of the
boat. Glinda saw them, too, and held the boat close to
the Dome while the friends exchanged greetings in
pantomime. Their voices, unfortunately, could not be
heard through the Dome and the water and the side of
the boat. The Wizard tried to make the girls
understand, through signs, that he and Glinda had come
to their rescue, and Ozma and Dorothy understood this
from the very fact that the Sorceress and the Wizard
had appeared. The two girl prisoners were smiling and
in safety, and knowing this Glinda felt she could take
all the time necessary in order to effect their final
rescue.
As nothing more could be done just then, Glinda
ordered the boat to return to shore and it obeyed
readily. First it ascended to the surface of the water,
then the roof parted and fell into the slots at the
side of the boat, and then the magic craft quickly made
the shore and beached itself on the sands at the very
spot from which it had departed at Glinda's command.
All the Oz people and the Skeezers at once ran to the
boat to ask if they had reached the island, and whether
they had seen Ozma and Dorothy. The Wizard told them of
the obstacle they had met in the way of a marble door,
and how Glinda would now undertake to find a magic way
to conquer the door.
Realizing that it would require several days to
succeed in reaching the island raising it and
liberating their friends and the Skeezer people, Glinda
now prepared a camp half way between the lake shore and
the palm trees.
The Wizard's wizardry made a number of tents appear
and the sorcery of the Sorceress furnished these tents
all complete, with beds, chairs, tables, flags, lamps
and even books with which to pass idle hours. All the
tents had the Royal Banner of Oz flying from the
centerpoles and one big tent, not now occupied, had
Ozma's own banner moving in the breeze.
Betsy and Trot had a tent to themselves, and Button
Bright and Ojo had another. The Scarecrow and the Tin
Woodman paired together in one tent and so did Jack
Pumpkinhead and the Shaggy Man, Cap'n Bill and Uncle
Henry, Tik-Tok and Professor Wogglebug. Glinda had the
most splendid tent of all, except that reserved for
Ozma, while the Wizard had a little one of his own.
Whenever it was meal time, tables loaded with food
magically appeared in the tents of those who were in
the habit of eating, and these complete arrangements
made the rescue party just comfortable as they would
have been in their own homes.
Far into the night Glinda sat in her tent studying a
roll of mystic scrolls in search of a word that would
open the basement door of the island and admit her to
the Great Dome. She also made many magical experiments,
hoping to discover something that would aid her. Yet
the morning found the powerful Sorceress still
unsuccessful.
Glinda's art could have opened any ordinary door, you
may be sure, but you must realize that this marble door
of the island had been commanded not to open save in
obedience to one magic word, and therefore all other
magic words could have no effect upon it. The magic
word that guarded the door had probably been invented
by Coo-ee-oh, who had now forgotten it. The only way,
then, to gain entrance to the sunken island was to
break the charm that held the door fast shut. If this
could be done no magic would be required to open it.
The next day the Sorceress and the Wizard again
entered the boat and made it submerge and go to the
marble door, which they tried in various ways to open,
but without success.
"We shall have to abandon this attempt, I think,"
said Glinda. "The easiest way to raise the island would
be for us to gain admittance to the Dome and then
descend to the basement and see in what manner
Coo-ee-oh made the entire island sink or rise at her
command. It naturally occurred to me that the easiest
way to gain admittance would be by having the boat take
us into the basement through the marble door from which
Coo-ee-oh launched it. But there must be other ways to
get inside the Dome and join Ozma and Dorothy, and such
ways we must find by study and the proper use of our
powers of magic."
"It won't be easy," declared the Wizard, "for we must
not forget that Ozma herself understands considerable
magic, and has doubtless tried to raise the island or
find other means of escape from it and failed."
"That is true," returned Glinda, "but Ozma's magic is
fairy magic, while you are a Wizard and I am a
Sorceress. In this way the three of us have a great
variety of magic to work with, and if we should all
fail it will be because the island is raised and
lowered by a magic power none of us is acquainted with.
My idea therefore is to seek -- by such magic as we
possess -- to accomplish our object in another way."
They made the circle of the Dome again in their boat,
and once more saw Ozma and Dorothy through their
windows and exchanged signals with the two imprisoned
girls.
Ozma realized that her friends were doing all in
their power to rescue her and smiled an encouragement
to their efforts. Dorothy seemed a little anxious but
was trying to be as brave as her companion.
After the boat had returned to the camp and Glinda
was seated in her tent, working out various ways by
which Ozma and Dorothy could be rescued, the Wizard
stood on the shore dreamily eying the outlines of the
Great Dome which showed beneath the clear water, when
he raised his eyes and saw a group of strange people
approaching from around the lake. Three were young
women of stately presence, very beautifully dressed,
who moved with remarkable grace. They were followed at
a little distance by a good-looking young Skeezer.
The Wizard saw at a glance that these people might be
very important, so he advanced to meet them. The three
maidens received him graciously and the one with the
golden hair said:
"I believe you are the famous Wizard of Oz, of whom I
have often heard. We are seeking Glinda, the Sorceress,
and perhaps you can lead us to her."
"I can, and will, right gladly," answered the Wizard.
"Follow me, please."
The little Wizard was puzzled as to the identity of
the three lovely visitors but he gave no sign that
might embarrass them.
He understood they did not wish to be questioned, and
so he made no remarks as he led the way to Glinda's
tent.
With a courtly bow the Wizard ushered the three
visitors into the gracious presence of Glinda, the
Good.
Chapter Twenty-One
The Three Adepts
The Sorceress looked up from her work as the three
maidens entered, and something in their appearance and
manner led her to rise and bow to them in her most
dignified manner. The three knelt an instant before the
great Sorceress and then stood upright and waited for
her to speak.
"Whoever you may be," said Glinda, "I bid you
welcome."
"My name is Audah," said one.
"My name is Aurah," said another.
"My name is Aujah," said the third.
Glinda had never heard these names before, but
looking closely at the three she asked:
"Are you witches or workers in magic?"
"Some of the secret arts we have gleaned from
Nature," replied the brownhaired maiden modestly, "but
we do not place our skill beside that of the Great
Sorceress, Glinda the Good."
"I suppose you are aware it is unlawful to practice
magic in the Land of Oz, without the permission of our
Ruler, Princess Ozma?"
"No, we were not aware of that," was the reply. "We
have heard of Ozma, who is the appointed Ruler of all
this great fairyland, but her laws have not reached us,
as yet."
Glinda studied the strange maidens thoughtfully; then
she said to them:
"Princess Ozma is even now imprisoned in the Skeezer
village. for the whole island with its Great Dome, was
sunk to the bottom of the lake by the witchcraft of
Coo-ee-oh, whom the Flathead Su-dic transformed into a
silly swan. I am seeking some way to overcome
Coo-ee-oh's magic and raise the isle to the surface
again. Can you help me do this?"
The maidens exchanged glances, and the white-haired
one replied
"We do not know; but we will try to assist you."
"It seems," continued Glinda musingly, "that
Coo-ee-oh derived most of her witchcraft from three
Adepts at Magic, who at one time ruled the Flatheads.
While the Adepts were being entertained by Coo-ee-oh at
a banquet in her palace, she cruelly betrayed them and
after transforming them into fishes cast them into the
lake.
"If I could find these three fishes and return them
to their natural shapes -- they might know what magic
Coo-ee-oh used to sink the island. I was about to go to
the shore and call these fishes to me when you arrived.
So, if you will join me, we will try to find them."
The maidens exchanged smiles now, and the golden-
haired one, Audah, said to Glinda:
"It will not be necessary to go to the lake. We are
the three fishes."
"Indeed!" cried Glinda. "Then you are the three
Adepts at Magic, restored to your proper forms?"
"We are the three Adepts," admitted Aujah.
"Then," said Glinda, "my task is half accomplished.
But who destroyed the transformation that made you
fishes?"
"We have promised not to tell," answered Aurah; "but
this young Skeezer was largely responsible for our
release; he is brave and clever, and we owe him our
gratitude."
Glinda looked at Ervic, who stood modestly behind the
Adepts, hat in hand. "He shall be properly rewarded,"
she declared, "for in helping you he has helped us all,
and perhaps saved his people from being imprisoned
forever in the sunken isle."
The Sorceress now asked her guests to seat themselves
and a long talk followed, in which the Wizard of Oz
shared.
"We are quite certain," said Aurah, "that if we could
get inside the Dome we could discover Coo-ee-oh's
secrets, for in all her work, after we became fishes,
she used the formulas and incantations and arts that
she stole from us. She may have added to these things,
but they were the foundation of all her work."
"What means do you suggest for our getting into the
Dome?" inquired Glinda.
The three Adepts hesitated to reply, for they had not
yet considered what could be done to reach the inside
of the Great Dome. While they were in deep thought, and
Glinda and the Wizard were quietly awaiting their
suggestions, into the tent rushed Trot and Betsy,
dragging between them the Patchwork Girl.
"Oh, Glinda," cried Trot, "Scraps has thought of a
way to rescue Ozma and Dorothy and all of the
Skeezers."
The three Adepts could not avoid laughing merrily,
for not only were they amused by the queer form of the
Patchwork Girl, but Trot's enthusiastic speech struck
them as really funny. If the Great Sorceress and the
famous Wizard and the three talented Adepts at Magic
were unable as yet to solve the important problem of
the sunken isle, there was little chance for a patched
girl stuffed with cotton to succeed.
But Glinda, smiling indulgently at the earnest faces
turned toward her, patted the children's heads and
said:
"Scraps is very clever. Tell us what she has thought
of, my dear."
"Well," said Trot, "Scraps says that if you could dry
up all the water in the lake the island would be on dry
land, an' everyone could come and go whenever they
liked."
Glinda smiled again, but the Wizard said to the
girls:
"If we should dry up the lake, what would become of
all the beautiful fishes that now live in the water?"
"Dear me! That's so," admitted Betsy, crestfallen; "we
never thought of that, did we Trot?"
"Couldn't you transform 'em into polliwogs?" asked
Scraps, turning a somersault and then standing on one
leg. "You could give them a little, teeny pond to swim
in, and they'd be just as happy as they are as fishes."
"No indeed!" replied the Wizard, severely. "It is
wicked to transform any living creatures without their
consent, and the lake is the home of the fishes and
belongs to them."
"All right," said Scraps, making a face at him; "I
don't care."
"It's too bad," sighed Trot, "for I thought we'd
struck a splendid idea."
"So you did," declared Glinda, her face now grave and
thoughtful. "There is something in the Patchwork Girl's
idea that may be of real value to us."
"I think so, too," agreed the golden-haired Adept.
"The top of the Great Dome is only a few feet below the
surface of the water. If we could reduce the level of
the lake until the Dome sticks a little above the
water, we could remove some of the glass and let
ourselves down into the village by means of ropes."
"And there would be plenty of water left for the
fishes to swim in," added the white-haired maiden.
"If we succeed in raising the island we could fill up
the lake again," suggested the brown-haired Adept.
"I believe," said the Wizard, rubbing his hands
together in delight, "that the Patchwork Girl has shown
us the way to success."
The girls were looking curiously at the three
beautiful Adepts, wondering who they were, so Glinda
introduced them to Trot and Betsy and Scraps, and then
sent the children away while she considered how to
carry the new idea into effect.
Not much could be done that night, so the Wizard
prepared another tent for the Adepts, and in the
evening Glinda held a reception and invited all her
followers to meet the new arrivals. The Adepts were
greatly astonished at the extraordinary personages
presented to them, and marveled that Jack Pumpkinhead
and the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and Tik-Tok could
really live and think and talk just like other people.
They were especially pleased with the lively Patchwork
Girl and loved to watch her antics.
It was quite a pleasant party, for Glinda served some
dainty refreshments to those who could eat, and the
Scarecrow recited some poems, and the Cowardly Lion
sang a song in his deep bass voice. The only thing
that marred their joy was the thought that their
beloved Ozma and dear little Dorothy were yet confined
in the Great Dome of the Sunken island.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Sunken Island
As soon as they had breakfasted the next morning,
Glinda and the Wizard and the three Adepts went down to
the shore of the lake and formed a line with their
faces toward the submerged island. All the others came
to watch them, but stood at a respectful distance in
the background.
At the right of the Sorceress stood Audah and Aurah,
while at the left stood the Wizard and Aujah. Together
they stretched their arms over the water's edge and in
unison the five chanted a rhythmic incantation.
This chant they repeated again and again, swaying
their arms gently from side to side, and in a few
minutes the watchers behind them noticed that the lake
had begun to recede from the shore. Before long the
highest point of the dome appeared above the water.
Gradually the water fell, making the dome appear to
rise. When it was three or four feet above the surface
Glinda gave the signal to stop, for their work had been
accomplished.
The blackened submarine was now entirely out of
water, but Uncle Henry and Cap'n Bill managed to push
it into the lake. Glinda, the Wizard, Ervic and the
Adepts got into the boat, taking with them a coil of
strong rope, and at the command of the Sorceress the
craft cleaved its way through the water toward the part
of the Dome which was now visible.
"There's still plenty of water for the fish to swim
in," observed the Wizard as they rode along. "They
might like more but I'm sure they can get along until
we have raised the island and can fill up the lake
again."
The boat touched gently on the sloping glass of the
Dome, and the Wizard took some tools from his black bag
and quickly removed one large pane of glass, thus
making a hole large enough for their bodies to pass
through. Stout frames of steel supported the glass of
the Dome, and around one of these frames the Wizard
tied the end of a rope.
"I'll go down first," said he, "for while I'm not as
spry as Cap'n Bill I'm sure I can manage it easily. Are
you sure the rope is long enough to reach the bottom?"
"Quite sure," replied the Sorceress.
So the Wizard let down the rope and climbing through
the opening lowered himself down, hand over hand,
clinging to the rope with his legs and feet. Below in
the streets of the village were gathered all the
Skeezers, men, women and children, and you may be sure
that Ozma and Dorothy, with Lady Aurex, were filled
with joy that their friends were at last coming to
their rescue.
The Queen's palace, now occupied by Ozma, was
directly in the center of the Dome, so that when the
rope was let down the end of it came just in front of
the palace entrance. Several Skeezers held fast to the
rope's end to steady it and the Wizard reached the
ground in safety. He hugged first Ozma and then
Dorothy, while all the Skeezers cheered as loud as they
could.
The Wizard now discovered that the rope was long
enough to reach from the top of the Dome to the ground
when doubled, so he tied a chair to one end of the rope
and called to Glinda to sit in the chair while he and
some of the Skeezers lowered her to the pavement. In
this way the Sorceress reached the ground quite
comfortably and the three Adepts and Ervic soon
followed her.
The Skeezers quickly recognized the three Adepts at
Magic, whom they had learned to respect before their
wicked Queen betrayed them, and welcomed them as
friends. All the inhabitants of the village had been
greatly frightened by their imprisonment under water,
but now realized that an attempt was to be made to
rescue them.
Glinda, the Wizard and the Adepts followed Ozma and
Dorothy into the palace, and they asked Lady Aurex and
Ervic to join them. After Ozma had told of her
adventures in trying to prevent war between the
Flatheads and the Skeezers, and Glinda had told all
about the Rescue Expedition and the restoration of the
three Adepts by the help of Ervic, a serious
consultation was held as to how the island could be
made to rise.
"I've tried every way in my power," said Ozma, "but
Coo-ee-oh used a very unusual sort of magic which I do
not understand. She seems to have prepared her
witchcraft in such a way that a spoken word is
necessary to accomplish her designs, and these spoken
words are known only to herself."
"That is a method we taught her," declared Aurah the
Adept.
"I can do no more, Glinda," continued Ozma, "so I
wish you would try what your sorcery can accomplish."
"First, then," said Glinda, "let us visit the
basement of the island, which I am told is underneath
the village."
A flight of marble stairs led from one of Coo-ee-oh's
private rooms down to the basement, but when the party
arrived all were puzzled by what they saw. In the
center of a broad, low room, stood a mass of great cog-
wheels, chains and pulleys, all interlocked and seeming
to form a huge machine; but there was no engine or
other motive power to make the wheels turn.
"This, I suppose, is the means by which the island is
lowered or raised," said Ozma, "but the magic word
which is needed to move the machinery is unknown to
us."
The three Adepts were carefully examining the mass of
wheels, and soon the golden-haired one said:
"These wheels do not control the island at all. On
the contrary, one set of them is used to open the doors
of the little rooms where the submarines are kept, as
may be seen from the chains and pulleys used. Each boat
is kept in a little room with two doors, one to the
basement room where we are now and the other letting
into the lake.
"When Coo-ee-oh used the boat in which she attacked
the Flatheads, she first commanded the basement door to
open and with her followers she got into the boat and
made the top close over them. Then the basement door
being closed, the outer door was slowly opened, letting
the water fill the room to float the boat, which then
left the island, keeping under water."
"But how could she expect to get back again?" asked
the Wizard.
"Why the boat would enter the room filled with water
and after the outer door was closed a word of command
started a pump which pumped all the water from the
room. Then the boat would open and Coo-ee-oh could
enter the basement."
"I see," said the Wizard. "It is a clever
contrivance, but won't work unless one knows the magic
words."
"Another part of this machinery," explained the
white-haired Adept, "is used to extend the bridge from
the island to the mainland. The steel bridge is in a
room much like that in which the boats are kept, and at
Coo-ce-oh's command it would reach out, joint by joint,
until its far end touched the shore of the lake. The
same magic command would make the bridge return to its
former position. Of course the bridge could not be used
unless the island was on the surface of the water."
"But how do you suppose Coo-ee-oh managed to sink the
island, and make it rise again?" inquired Glinda.
This the Adepts could not yet explain. As nothing
more could be learned from the basement they mounted
the steps to the Queen's private suite again, and Ozma
showed them to a special room where Coo-ee-oh kept her
magical instruments and performed all her arts of
witchcraft.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The Magic Words
Many interesting things were to be seen in the Room
of Magic, including much that had been stolen from the
Adepts when they were transformed to fishes, but they
had to admit that Coo-ee-oh had a rare genius for
mechanics, and had used her knowledge in inventing a
lot of mechanical apparatus that ordinary witches,
wizards and sorcerers could not understand.
They all carefully inspected this room, taking care
to examine every article they came across.
"The island," said Glinda thoughtfully, "rests on a
base of solid marble. When it is submerged, as it is
now, the base of the island is upon the bottom of the
lake. What puzzles me is how such a great weight can be
lifted and suspended in the water, even by magic."
"I now remember," returned Aujah, "that one of the
arts we taught Coo-ee-oh was the way to expand steel,
and I think that explains how the island is raised and
lowered. I noticed in the basement a big steel pillar
that passed through the floor and extended upward to
this palace. Perhaps the end of it is concealed in this
very room. If the lower end of the steel pillar is
firmly embedded in the bottom of the lake, Coo-ee-oh
could utter a magic word that would make the pillar
expand, and so lift the entire island to the level of
the water."
"I've found the end of the steel pillar. It's just
here," announced the Wizard, pointing to one side of
the room where a great basin of polished steel seemed
to have been set upon the floor.
They all gathered around, and Ozma said:
"Yes, I am quite sure that is the upper end of the
pillar that supports the island. I noticed it when I
first came here. It has been hollowed out, you see, and
something has been burned in the basin, for the fire
has left its marks. I wondered what was under the great
basin and got several of the Skeezers to come up here
and try to lift it for me. They were strong men, but
could not move it at all."
"It seems to me," said Audah the Adept, "that we have
discovered the manner in which Coo-ee-oh raised the
island. She would burn some sort of magic powder in the
basin, utter the magic word, and the pillar would
lengthen out and lift the island with it."
"What's this?" asked Dorothy, who had been searching
around with the others, and now noticed a slight hollow
in the wall, near to where the steel basin stood. As
she spoke Dorothy pushed her thumb into the hollow and
instantly a small drawer popped out from the wall.
The three Adepts, Glinda and the Wizard sprang
forward and peered into the drawer. It was half filled
with a grayish powder, the tiny grains of which
constantly moved as if impelled by some living force.
"It may be some kind of radium," said the Wizard.
"No," replied Glinda, "it is more wonderful than even
radium, for I recognize it as a rare mineral powder
called Gaulau by the sorcerers. I wonder how Coo-ee-oh
discovered it and where she obtained it."
"There is no doubt," said Aujah the Adept, "that this
is the magic powder Coo-ee-oh burned in the basin. If
only we knew the magic word, I am quite sure we could
raise the island."
"How can we discover the magic word?" asked Ozma,
turning to Glinda as she spoke.
"That we must now seriously consider," answered the
Sorceress.
So all of them sat down in the Room of Magic and
began to think. It was so still that after a while
Dorothy grew nervous. The little girl never could keep
silent for long, and at the risk of displeasing her
magic-working friends she suddenly said:
"Well, Coo-ee-oh used just three magic words, one to
make the bridge work, and one to make the submarines go
out of their holes, and one to raise and lower the
island. Three words. And Coo-ee-oh's name is made up of
just three words. One is 'Coo,' and one is 'ee,' and
one is 'oh.'
The Wizard frowned but Glinda looked wonderingly at
the young girl and Ozma cried out:
"A good thought, Dorothy dear! You may have solved
our problem."
"I believe it is worth a trial," agreed Glinda. "It
would be quite natural for Coo-ee-oh to divide her
name into three magic syllables, and Dorothy's
suggestion seems like an inspiration."
The three Adepts also approved the trial but the
brown-haired one said:
"We must be careful not to use the wrong word, and
send the bridge out under water. The main thing, if
Dorothy's idea is correct, is to hit upon the one word
that moves the island."
"Let us experiment," suggested the Wizard.
In the drawer with the moving gray powder was a tiny
golden cup, which they thought was used for measuring.
Glinda filled this cup with the powder and carefully
poured it into the shallow basin, which was the top of
the great steel pillar supporting the island. Then
Aurah the Adept lighted a taper and touched it to the
powder, which instantly glowed fiery red and tumbled
about the basin with astonishing energy. While the
grains of powder still glowed red the Sorceress bent
over it and said in a voice of command: "Coo!"
They waited motionless to see what would happen.
There was a grating noise and a whirl of machinery, but
the island did not move a particle.
Dorothy rushed to the window, which overlooked
the glass side of the dome.
"The boats!" she exclaimed. "The boats are all
loose an' sailing under water."
"We've made a mistake," said the Wizard gloomily.
"But it's one which shows we are on the right track,"
declared Aujah the Adept. "We know now that Coo-ee-oh
used the syllables of her name for the magic words."
"If 'Coo' sends out the boats, it is probable that
ee' works the bridge," suggested Ozma. "So the last
part of the name may raise the island."
"Let us try that next then," proposed the Wizard.
He scraped the embers of the burned powder out of the
basin and Glinda again filled the golden cup from the
drawer and placed it on top the steel pillar. Aurah
lighted it with her taper and Ozma bent over the basin
and murmured the long drawn syllable: "Oh-h-h!"
Instantly the island trembled and with a weird
groaning noise it moved upward -- slowly, very slowly,
but with a steady motion, while all the company stood
by in awed silence. It was a wonderful thing, even to
those skilled in the arts of magic, wizardry and
sorcery, to realize that a single word could raise that
great, heavy island, with its immense glass Dome.
"Why, we're way above the lake now!" exclaimed
Dorothy from the window, when at last the island ceased
to move.
"That is because we lowered the level of the water,"
explained Glinda.
They could hear the Skeezers cheering lustily in the
streets of the village as they realized that they were
saved.
"Come," said Ozma eagerly, "let us go down and join
the people."
"Not just yet," returned Glinda, a happy smile upon
her lovely face, for she was overjoyed at their
success. "First let us extend the bridge to the
mainland, where our friends from the Emerald City are
waiting."
It didn't take long to put more powder in the basin,
light it and utter the syllable "EE!" The result was
that a door in the basement opened and the steel bridge
moved out, extended itself joint by joint, and finally
rested its far end on the shore of the lake just in
front of the encampment.
"Now," said Glinda, "we can go up and receive the
congratulations of the Skeezers and of our friends of
the Rescue Expedition."
Across the water, on the shore of the lake, the
Patchwork Girl was waving them a welcome.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Glinda's Triumph
Of course all those who had joined Glinda's
expedition at once crossed the bridge to the island,
where they were warmly welcomed by the Skeezers. Before
all the concourse of people Princess Ozma made a speech
from a porch of the palace and demanded that they
recognize her as their lawful Ruler and promise to obey
the laws of the Land of Oz. In return she agreed to
protect them from all future harm and declared they
would no longer be subjected to cruelty and abuse.
This pleased the Skeezers greatly, and when Ozma told
them they might elect a Queen to rule over them, who in
turn would be subject to Ozma of Oz, they voted for
Lady Aurex, and that same day the ceremony of crowning
the new Queen was held and Aurex was installed as
mistress of the palace.
For her Prime Minister the Queen selected Ervic, for
the three Adepts had told of his good judgment,
faithfulness and cleverness, and all the Skeezers
approved the appointment.
Glinda, the Wizard and the Adepts stood on the bridge
and recited an incantation that quite filled the lake
with water again, and the Scarecrow and the Patchwork
Girl climbed to the top of the Great Dome and replaced
the pane of glass that had been removed to allow Glinda
and her followers to enter.
When evening came Ozma ordered a great feast
prepared, to which every Skeezer was invited. The
village was beautifully decorated and brilliantly
lighted and there was music and dancing until a late
hour to celebrate the liberation of the people. For the
Skeezers had been freed, not only from the water of the
lake but from the cruelty of their former Queen.
As the people from the Emerald City prepared the next
morning to depart Queen Aurex said to Ozma:
"There is only one thing I now fear for my people,
and that is the enmity of the terrible Su-dic of the
Flatheads. He is liable to come here at any time and
try to annoy us, and my Skeezers are peaceful folks and
unable to fight the wild and wilful Flatheads."
"Do not worry," returned Ozma, reassuringly. "We
intend to stop on our way at the Flatheads' Enchanted
Mountain and punish the Su-dic for his misdeeds."
That satisfied Aurex and when Ozma and her followers
trooped over the bridge to the shore, having taken
leave of their friends, all the Skeezers cheered them
and waved their hats and handkerchiefs, and the band
played and the departure was indeed a ceremony long to
be remembered.
The three Adepts at Magic, who had formerly ruled the
Flatheads wisely and considerately, went with Princess
Ozma and her people, for they had promised Ozma to stay
on the mountain and again see that the laws were
enforced.
Glinda had been told all about the curious Flatheads
and she had consulted with the Wizard and formed a plan
to render them more intelligent and agreeable.
When the party reached the mountain Ozma and Dorothy
showed them how to pass around the invisible wall --
which had been built by the Flatheads after the Adepts
were transformed -- and how to gain the up-and-down
stairway that led to the mountain top.
The Su-dic had watched the approach of the party from
the edge of the mountain and was frightened when he saw
that the three Adepts had recovered their natural forms
and were coming back to their former home. He realized
that his power would soon be gone and yet he determined
to fight to the last. He called all the Flatheads
together and armed them, and told them to arrest all
who came up the stairway and hurl them over the edge of
the mountain to the plain below. But although they
feared the Supreme Dictator, who had threatened to
punish them if they did not obey his commands, as soon
as they saw the three Adepts they threw down their arms
and begged their former rulers to protect them.
The three Adepts assured the excited Flatheads that
they had nothing to fear.
Seeing that his people had rebelled the Su-dic ran
away and tried to hide, but the Adepts found him and
had him cast into a prison, all his cans of brains
being taken away from him.
After this easy conquest of the Su-dic, Glinda told
the Adepts of her plan, which had already been approved
by Ozma of Oz, and they joyfully agreed to it. So,
during the next few days, the great Sorceress
transformed, in a way, every Flathead on the mountain.
Taking them one at a time, she had the can of brains
that belonged to each one opened and the contents
spread on the flat head, after which, by means of her
arts of sorcery, she caused the head to grow over the
brains -- in the manner most people wear them -- and
they were thus rendered as intelligent and good looking
as any of the other inhabitants of the Land of Oz.
When all had been treated in this manner there were
no more Flatheads at all, and the Adepts decided to
name their people Mountaineers. One good result of
Glinda's sorcery was that no one could now be deprived
of the brains that belonged to him and each person had
exactly the share he was entitled to.
Even the Su-dic was given his portion of brains and
his flat head made round, like the others, but he was
deprived of all power to work further mischief, and
with the Adepts constantly watching him he would be
forced to become obedient and humble.
The Golden Pig, which ran grunting about the streets,
with no brains at all, was disenchanted by Glinda, and
in her woman's form was given brains and a round head.
This wife of the Su-dic had once been even more wicked
than her evil husband, but she had now forgotten all
her wickedness and was likely to be a good woman
thereafter.
These things being accomplished in a satisfactory
manner, Princess Ozma and her people bade farewell to
the three Adepts and departed for the Emerald City,
well pleased with their interesting adventures.
They returned by the road over which Ozma and Dorothy
had come, stopping to get the Sawhorse and the Red
Wagon where they had left them.
"I'm very glad I went to see these peoples," said
Princess Ozma, "for I not only prevented any further
warfare between them, but they have been freed from the
rule of the Su-dic and Coo-ee-oh and are now happy and
loyal subjects of the Land of Oz. Which proves that it
is always wise to do one's duty, however unpleasant
that duty may seem to be."
The Wonderful Oz Books by L. Frank Baum:
The Wizard of Oz
The Land of Oz
Ozma of Oz
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
The Road to Oz
The Emerald city of Oz
The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Tik-Tok of Oz
The Scarecrow of Oz
Rinkitink in Oz
The Lost Princess of Oz
The Tin Woodman of Oz
The Magic of Oz
Glinda of Oz
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